The Sfas Emes teaches
that the source of all hischadshus/renewal that we experience comes from
outside the physical world. It comes
from the spiritual. If we seek renewal
and newness within the physical, we will be frustrated in our efforts. Nature belies renewal and novelty. How can we merit renewal?
The Sfas Emes answers
that we can merit renewal by connecting to the spiritual. How? We
find a pasuk in the chapter of Tehillim (30:2) that we read during
Chanuka, “ארוממך ה'
כי דליתני .../I will exult You, God, for you have lifted me up …” The Chiddushei HaRim explains that the word דליתני/you have lifted me up
alludes to דלות/meagerness.
It is not much of a kindness if God
lifts us up and this causes us to become arrogant. Therefore, the Chiddushei HaRim quoting the
holy Rav
of Parshischa explains
that God lifts us up in a way in which we remain humble. He helps us to connect to Him and, remaining
humble, we stay connected. Being
connected to God is the only way to experience hischadshus/renewal and
novelty in this world.
The Chiddushei HaRim
also teaches that this is the meaning of the words that we say every morning, “מגביה שפלים .../He
lifts up the lowly …” When we think
about this we are beset with questions. Once
He lifts them up, they are no longer lowly.
But to be of a low spirit is something for which we strive.[1] Why, then, would God lift us away from
lowliness of spirit? This prayer must be
understood differently. When God “lifts”
us up, He is not lifting us away from humility. Rather, He is bringing us close to Him –
connected to Him, as it were. The
Chiddushei HaRim explains that God lifts up those who will remain lowly even
after He lifts them up. He helps us to
come close to Him and remain humble. Again,
being close to God, we are open to experience His hischadshus.
We find this concept
in a Zohar[2]
explaining the pasuk, “טוב
ילד מסכן וחכם ממלך זקן וכסיל .../A poor and wise child is better than an
old and foolish king …” (Koheles 4:13) The Zohar says that the child represents the yetzer
hatov/good inclination whereas the old king represents the yetzer hara/evil
inclination. The good inclination guides
us to be wary of the suggestions of the yetzer hara, to realize that
life is fraught with dangers – מסכן/poor
has the same root as סכנה/danger
– and to fear sin. The yetzer hatov
helps us to be wise. What is חכמה/wisdom? The Zohar[3]
explains that חכמה
comprises the same letters as כח
מה'/strength (or potential) is from God. The foundation of wisdom is to realize that
all power and all potential are from God.
The pasuk states this explicitly, “ראשית חכמה יראת ה'/Awe of God is the
beginning of wisdom.” (Tehillim 111:10)
When we tread
carefully in this world and realize that everything is from God, we “connect”
to Him and are able to experience renewal.
Things take on newness. One who
thinks that he is secure on his own experiences only staleness.
We can understand a
pasuk in this week’s parsha according to this concept as well, “... והוא נער/… and he was a youth”
(Breishis 37:2) referring to Yosef. The word נער/youth, has the same
root as the word התעוררות/revival. Yosef always had hischadshus because
he was always connected with God.
Our nation
experienced a tremendous hischadshus on Chanukah as well. At the time of the Chanukah story, we as a
nation were on quite a low level. The Assyrian
Greeks has instituted terrible decrees forbidding us from keeping the mitzvos. We cried out to God and He saved us through
miracles and wonders. Every miracle was
a hischadshus that came from outside the physical world. This is clearly alluded to in Tehillim (40:2-4),
“קוה קויתי ה' ויט אלי
וישמע שועתי: ויעלני מבור שאון מטיט היון ... ויתן בפי שיר חדש .../I
have greatly hoped for God. He inclined
to m me and heard my cry. He raised me
from the pit of raging waters, from the slimy mud … He put a new song in my
mouth …” The word יון/slimy, in this pasuk
alludes to יון/Greece.
May we merit God
lifting us close to Him thereby experiencing hischadshus in our lives.
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