Tetzaveh 5631 First Ma'amar

The Month of Adar

An Auspicious Month for Drawing God’s Light into the World

“וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל .../And you will command the children of Israel…” (Shmos 27:20)  In the first pasuk of this week’s parsha, God instructs Moshe Rabbeinu to command the children of Israel regarding the mitzvah of lighting the menorah.  Usually when God instructs Moshe to tell the people a commandment, He says, “... דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל/… speak to the children of Israel.”  Why does God say here, “וְאַתּה תְּצַוֶּה .../And you will command …” when instructing Moshe about this particular mitzvah?

The Sfas Emes teaches us that the lamps of the menorah allude to the mitzvos.  In Mishlei (6:23) we find, “... נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר .../… a commandment is a lamp and Torah is light …”  Just as light needs a lamp to hold it, so too, the light of the Torah needs a vessel to contain it.  As physical light, so too, the light of the Torah is ephemeral.  It needs a mechanism for being drawn into and influencing the physical world.  That mechanism is the mitzvos.  The vessel that holds the light of the Torah in this world is the mitzvos.

When we perform mitzvos we bring the light of the Torah into the world.  In fact, the Zohar says that our 248 limbs parallel the 248 positive commandments.[1]  Our very limbs become the conduits through which the light of the Torah is drawn down into this world.  When we understand that we are merely conduits, that there is nothing inherent in our actions or in us that brings spiritual light into the world, that it is the will of God that the specific actions of the mitzvos have this effect, we accomplish the will of God.  That is why this specific mitzvah of preparing the menorah starts with, “וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה .../And you will command …”  Only because God commanded us to do the specific activities that are called mitzvos do they have this quality of drawing the Torah’s light into the physical world. 

The Midrash[2], explaining the first few words of this week’s parsha says that the poor of Israel are equal to Eliyahu HaNavi and Daniel.  How does the Midrash arrive at this conclusion from, “וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה .../And you will command…”?  According to the Sfas Emes, however, it is clear.  A Jew, regardless of his spiritual level, who performs a mitzvah with the understanding that the light of that mitzvah comes through him from God, is on the level of our greatest prophets.  This is because when a person does a mitzvah he connects to God.  In fact, the root of the word mitzvah is the same as that of the Aramaic “צַוְותָּא/connection”.  It is encouraging to know that regardless of our backgrounds and spiritual state, each of us can do the will of God and bring the Torah’s light into this world by being aware of this when performing the mitzvos.

The Chiddushei HaRim understands this concept from the brachah we make before doing a mitzvah.  We say “... אֲשֶּׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ .../… that He made us holy with His mitzvos and commanded us …”  We are able to do the will of God and bring the light of the Torah into the world through the mitzvos, only because this is the way God structured the world.  He commanded us to do the mitzvos.  Therefore, we are able to be His conduits to bring His light into the world.

The Chiddushei HaRim explains that this is the intent of Chazal[3] when they taught that a person who wants to protect his assets should plant a maple/אֶדֶר tree as we find in Tehillim (93:4), “אַדִּיר בַּמָרוֹם ה'/God is strong on high.”  A play on the similarity between the words for maple – אדר – and on high – אדיר, planting a maple/אֶדֶר tree is a metaphor for knowing that our assets and strength, everything really, comes from God.  Chazal are teaching us that the awareness itself is protective and strengthening.  This concept and metaphor applies to the month of Adar as well.  The word Adar in Hebrew – אדר  – is also similar to the Hebrew words for maple and on high.  The month of Adar, then, is an especially appropriate time to work on our awareness that when we perform the mitzvos we are conduits for drawing God’s light, the light of the Torah into the physical world.

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[1]Zohar 1:170b

[2]Tanchuma Tetzaveh 6

[3]Beitzah 15b

Tetzaveh (Parshas Zachor) 5632 Second Ma'amar

Many people live in fear.  There is probably no aspect of life that is not subject to people’s fears.  Fear holds us back from improving ourselves.  In order to improve and come close to God it is imperative that we move beyond our fears.  How can we do this?  Fear stems from egocentrism.  Egocentrism is another way of saying God’s concealment.  When we are thinking about ourselves, we are not open to experiencing God.  The opposite of egocentrism is subjugating our own desires in favor of God’s will.  When we do this, God is revealed to us, we feel His presence in our lives and our fears evaporate. 

The Sfas Emes learns this from a Midrash[1] that Rashi cites on the first pasuk of parshas Zachor[2].  Rashi explains the juxtaposition of the preceding paragraph which admonishes us as merchants to keep correct weights and parshas Zachor which relates Amalek’s attack on the nation of Israel and subsequent defeat.  Rashi explains that the former leads to the latter.  When we use fraudulent weights we should be worried about provocation from the enemy.  Why is this so?  Why does dishonesty regarding weights lead to being attacked by Amalek?

The Sfas Emes understands weights metaphorically as referred to God’s presence in this world.  Since God is infinite, how can we finite beings experience Him?  The Sfas Emes explains that we can only experience Him because He reveals Himself in measured doses than we can handle.  The weights of the first parsha refer to these measured doses of God’s revelation.  Dishonesty with weights is an allegory for not recognizing God’s life-force which underpins everything in this world including our very actions.  The result of not recognizing God, relying solely upon ourselves is fear. 

When, on the other hand, we cultivate our faith that God is the continuing cause of everything we find that we have no reason to fear.  This is the significance of Moshe Rabbeinu holding up his hands in prayer during the battle with Amalek.  The pasuk states, “וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה .../Behold his hands were faithful …” (Shmos 17:12)  It was this faith, nothing else, that enabled the nation to defeat Amalek.

This concept explains why parshas Shekalim precedes parshas Zachor.  The shekel, as we’ve said, represents God’s revelation in measured doses.  When we recognize fully that God gives of His life-force in measured doses to each component of the Creation including ourselves and our actions, then there is no concealment, no room for fear and we are ready to defeat Amalek. 

The key is to subordinate our desires to His.  Then what we thought impossible like eradicating Amalek becomes reality.  In this week’s Haftarah[3] we read that Shaul HaMelech showed mercy to Agag the king of Amalek and did not follow Shmuel HaNavi’s instructions to kill him.  He certainly thought that there was no way to eradicate Amalek completely at that time.  He could not envision it.  But if he had strengthened his faith and believed wholeheartedly that God would certainly help him succeed regardless of what he thought, the belief itself would have caused a revelation of God and would have helped him succeed to wipe out Amalek completely.

Our faith affects our reality.  This explains why God told Shmuel, “... וּדְּבָרַי לֹא הֵקִים .../… and he did not establish my words …” (Shmuel I 15:11) instead of the more understandable “... וּדְּבָרַי לֹא קִיֵם .../… and he did not fulfill my words …”  Shaul had the power to establish God’s words, to turn them into reality. The pasuk in Tehillim (37:3) states, “בְּטַח בַּֽה' וַֽעֲשֵׂה־טוֹב שְׁכָן־אֶרֶץ וּרְעֵה אֱמוּנָה׃/Trust in God and do good so that you may dwell in the land and nourish yourself with belief.”  Chazal[4] tell us that according to the strength of our belief, God reveals Himself to us by helping us to be successful in serving Him.  Our reality is affected according to the extent of our faith.

This is also the reason Shmuel says, “... הִנֵּה שְׁמֹעַ מִזֶבַח טוֹב לְהַקְשִיב מֵחֵלֶב אֵילִים/… Behold accepting (God’s will) is better than a sacrifice, listening is better than the fat of rams.” (Shmuel I 15:22)  The prophet could not be clearer.  All things being equal sacrifices are certainly a very high level of serving God.  However, when God instructs us not to sacrifice as He instructed Shaul HaMelech, following God’s will when it conflicts with our understanding is not just a higher level.  Doing otherwise becomes anathema to serving God. 

May we merit internalizing the belief that God will help us succeed in our service to Him and that with strong faith in Him, there is nothing in this world that can prevent us from succeeding.  Amen.

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[1] Tanchuma Ki Seitzei 8

[2] Rashi on Devarim 25:14 beg. Zachor eis asher

[3] Shmual I 15:2-34

[4] Shmos R. 33:1

Tetzaveh 5632 Second Ma'amar

Yirmiyahu HaNavi compares the nation of Israel to an olive tree, "זית רענן יפה פרי תואר קרא ה' שמך .../God has called your name, 'A leafy olive tree, beautiful with shapely fruit."  Why?  The first Midrash in our parsha explains.  Among liquids oil is unique in that it floats.  Even after being mixed, it separates and floats to the top.  The nation of Israel as well will never mix with the nations of the world.  And when we do the will of God, we are on top.

The Midrash relates oil to the nation of Israel and other liquids to the nations of the world.  The Sfas Emes broadens this metaphor to include all spirituality and physicality.  Oil represents the spiritual whereas other liquids represent the physical. 

Inside each of us is a spiritual life force, a Godly portion, as it were.  Just as oil never mixes with other liquids, our job is to make sure that this spirituality remains untainted by the physical.  This is alluded to in God's instruction to Moshe to command the nation, "... ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך .../… Take for yourself pure olive oil …"  We do this by making the spiritual the crux of our lives even as we engage the physical world.

Tetzaveh 5631 First Ma'amar - Practical Application

This essay is based on Tetzaveh 5631 First Ma’amar.  Clicking on the previous words will bring you to the ma’amar on the blog.  (Opens in a new window.)

The Midrash in this week’s parsha teaches us that the Menorah was not needed for its light.  God, after all, does not need our light.  It is a symbol that God gave us the ability to light up the world by performing His mitzvos.

The Sfas Emes explains that the mitzvos contain the spiritual light of the Torah.  When we perform a mitzvah, we are a conduit to draw out the spiritual light of the Torah which lies latent within the mitzvah.  To the extent that we internalize the understanding that this spiritual power is not inherent in us but rather that we are simply the mechanism through which the light comes into the world, we can reach great heights. 

Not only does this enable us to reach great spiritual heights, the Sfas Emes explains that this concept applies to material success as well.  He bases this on Chazal who teach us that whosoever wishes to protect his assets should plant a maple – אֶדֶּר – tree as we find in the pasuk, “אֲדִיר בַּמָרוֹם ה'/God is great on high.”  Material strength comes from the realization that everything comes from God because the true vitality of everything flows from its spiritual source.

The Chiddushei HaRim teaches that the month of Adar –אָדָר  – as well, is particularly suited for working on internalizing this concept.

Remembering Amalek is also firmly connected with this idea.  Chazal teach us that the reason Amalek was able to fight us was because we had become weak in Torah and mitzvos.  The name of the place in which the battle took place was רְפִידִים – which hints to רִפְיוֹן יָדַיִם/weakness.  We “gave” Amalek strength by severing of our connection with God.

We see that success in both spiritual and material endeavors is a function of our connection with God.  Connecting with God is not necessarily an esoteric concept.  The Sfas Emes teaches us a down to earth method for connecting with God.  We can connect to God by internalizing the understanding that we are simply conduits or tools for manifesting His light in this world.  To the extent we believe this, we experience it.  The very belief affects the results of our actions and what happens to us.

How can we cultivate this belief?  More importantly, how can we make sure that we apply it?  How can we remain consciously aware of the fact that we are conduits of spiritual light?  We need to contemplate it before every action.  Since God powers everything, every activity has within it the potential for drawing spiritual light into the world.

Tetzaveh (Parshas Zachor) 5631 First Ma'amar

“ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל .../And you will command the children of Israel…” In the first pasuk of this week’s parsha, God instructs Moshe Rabeinu to command the children of Israel regarding the mitzvah of lighting the menorah. Usually when God instructs Moshe to tell the people a commandment, He says, “... דבר אל בני ישראל/… speak to the children of Israel.” Why does God say here, “ואתה תצוה .../And you will command …” when instructing Moshe about this particular mitzvah?

The Sfas Emes teaches us that the נרות/lamps of the menorah allude to the mitzvos. In Mishlei we find, “... נר מצוה ותורה אור .../… a commandment is a lamp and Torah is light …” Just as light needs a lamp to hold it, so too, the light of the Torah needs a vessel to contain it. The vessel that holds the light of the Torah in this world is the mitzvos. The light of the Torah is ephemeral. It needs a mechanism for being drawn into and influencing the physical world. That mechanism is the mitzvos.

When we perform mitzvos we bring the light of the Torah into the world. In fact, the Zohar says that our 248 limbs parallel the 248 positive commandments. Our very limbs become the conduits through which the light of the Torah is drawn down into this world. When we understand that we are merely conduits, that there is nothing inherent in our actions or in us that brings spiritual light into the world, that it is the will of God that the specific actions of the mitzvos have this effect, we accomplish the will of God. That is why this specific mitzvah of preparing the menorah starts with, “ואתה תצוה .../And you will command …” It is only because God commanded us to do the mitzvos that they have this quality.

The Midrash, explaining the first few words of this week’s parsha says that the poor of Israel are equal to Eliyahu HaNavi and Daniel. How does the Midrash arrive at this conclusion from, “ואתה תצוה .../And you will command…”? According to the Sfas Emes, however, it is clear. A Jew, regardless of his spiritual level, who performs a mitzvah with the understanding that the light of that mitzvah comes through him from God, is on the level of our greatest prophets. This is because when a person does a mitzvah he connects to God. In fact, the root of the word mitzvah is the same as that of the Aramaic “צוותא/connection”. It is encouraging to know that regardless of our backgrounds and spiritual state, each of us can do the will of God and bring the Torah’s light into this world by being aware of this when performing the mitzvos.

The Chidushei HaRim understands this concept from the brachah we make before doing a mitzvah. We say “... אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו .../… that He made us holy with His mitzvos and commanded us …” We are able to do the will of God and bring the light of the Torah into the world through the mitzvos, only because this is the way God structured the world. He commanded us to do the mitzvos. Therefore, we are able to be His conduits to bring His light into the world.

The Chidushei HaRim explains that this is the intent of Chazal when they said that a person who wants to protect his assets should plant an adar tree as we find in Tehillim, “אדיר במרום ה'/God is strong on high.” Planting an adar tree is a metaphor for knowing that our assets and strength, everything really, comes from God. Chazal are teaching us that the awareness itself is protective and strengthening. This concept and metaphor applies to the month of Adar as well. The month of Adar, then, is an especially appropriate time to work on our awareness that when we perform the mitzvos we are conduits for drawing God’s light, the light of the Torah into the physical world.