Chayei Sarah 5631 Fourth Ma'amar

“וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים .../And Avraham was old, advanced in age (lit. - he came with his days) …” The Zohar explains that when a person passes on, he comes to the next world enclothed in his days. The Chiddushei HaRim explains that a person’s mitzvos create enlightenment. The enlightenment of no two days are the same. Being enclothed by his days means that the unique enlightenment from each day surrounded him.

The Sfas Emes says further that “בָּא בַּיָּמִים/he came with his days” means that all the enlightening experiences Avraham Avinu had on each day remained with him forever. Usually, an enlightening experience is exhilarating while we experience it. Then, when we get used to it, the exhilaration dies down. What was exhilarating becomes a little stale with time.

We may think that there is nothing wrong with this. After all, it’s only natural to forget. The Sfas Emes, though, teaches that we are required to remember the exhilaration we experience when God sends us an inspiration . According to the Sfas Emes, the Torah admonishes us not to forget this exhilaration in this pasuk, “רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְךָ מְאֹד פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר־רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ .../Only, take care and guard yourselves well, lest you forget the things that your eyes saw …”

What can we do to maintain the freshness of an inspiring experience long after the event? The Sfas Emes teaches us that Avraham Avinu reached an advanced age with all his enlightening experiences as if they all happened now. Nothing was lost in the passage of time. Nothing became stale and old in Avraham Avinu’s view of the world.

The Chiddushei HaRim uses this concept to give a novel interpretation to a Mishna in Avos, “הַלּוֹמֵד יֶלֶד לְמַה הוּא דּוֹמֶה לִדְיוֹ כְּתוּבָה עַל נְיָר חָדָשׁ וְהַלּוֹמֵד זָקֵן לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה לִדְיוֹ כְּתוּבָה עַל נְיָר מָחוּק/To what can a child who learns be compared? To ink written on new paper. To what can an old person who learns be compared? To ink written on used paper that has been erased.” The Chiddushei HaRim learns that the Tanna is not necessarily speaking of a young person vs. and old person. Rather the Mishna is referring to one who has a child’s outlook vs. an old person’s outlook. To a child, everything is new and exciting whereas an old person rarely gets excited. He’s seen it all before.

Avraham Avinu, even though he was at an advanced age, had a child’s view. He was exhilarated by all the enlightening experiences that he ever experienced as if they were new to him and had just occurred.

How did he cultivate this incredible world view and how can we? The answer to this question is based on an understanding of what an inspirational experience really is. From where do our flashes of inspiration come? One moment I am in quandary. The next moment the answer is clear in my mind. A new, original thought exists that did not exist before. Where did it come from?

The Sfas Emes teaches that from within the physical world, no novelty is possible. All novelty comes from outside the physical world. Koheles says this clearly, “... וְאֵין כָּל־חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ/… and there is nothing new under the sun,” implying that only “under the sun” – within the physical world – nothing is new. All originality comes from “above the sun” – outside of the natural world. The reason for this is that the physical universe has no autonomous existence. God brought it into existence and it remains in existence only so long as He wills it. Therefore, each moment of existence is actually a new creation. In the blessings before Kri’as Shema each morning, we say that God, “... מְחַדֵשׁ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּכָל יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשׂה בְרֵאשִׁית/… in His goodness, renews the workings of the Creation constantly each day.” “Constantly” means every moment.

Our senses, though, tell us that the world around us exists autonomously, independent of any outside force. How then can we cultivate a sense of excitement by the newness that is reality? The answer, the Sfas Emes teaches, is to internalize the belief that there is a hidden spiritual power behind everything in the physical world that constantly renews it. It was this belief that enabled Avraham Avinu to be exhilarated by the inspirational moments that he had years before. Nothing ever became stale because getting old is a physical quality not a spiritual one.

We too, can cultivate a sense of awe and wonder, a child’s excitement at the world around us, by attributing all actions and all things to their spiritual underpinnings. A true and complete internalization of this concept leads inexorably to constant praise of God stemming from the feeling deep inside that at this very moment we, along with everything else, are newly created.

VaYeira 5633 First Ma'amar

Iyov said, “וְאַחַר עוֹרִי נִקְּפוּ זֹאת וּמִבְּשָׂרִי אֶחֱזֶה אֱ-לוֹהַּ/After my skin was stricken they pierced this, and from my flesh I perceive God.” (Iyov 19:26) The Midrash in this week’s parsha attributes these words to Avraham Avinu as well. Avraham Avinu continues, “If I had not circumcised myself how would God have been revealed to me?” (Breishis R. 48:2)

Why is God’s revelation to Avraham Avinu dependent upon his circumcision? Furthermore, God spoke to Avraham several times before he was circumcised. What, then, is the meaning of Avraham Avinu’s statement that he received revelation only after the circumcision?

The Sfas Emes explains. The basis of Avraham Avinu’s statement is the understanding that the Creation was not a one time act. The act of creation is constant and continuing. There is a spiritual force emanating from God which gives continued existence to every facet of the Creation. Revealing this point of spirituality – by believing it is there – is in essence revealing God’s presence in the world.

Avraham Avinu first realized this when he was commanded to circumcise himself. The removal of the foreskin represents the removal of the outer physical shell hiding God’s presence. When it is removed, God’s presence is automatically revealed. This realization prompted him to declare, “... וּמִבְּשָׂרִי אֶחֱזֶה אֱ-לוֹהַּ/… from my flesh I perceive God.” Avraham Avinu is not referring only to God’s revelation in his immediate prophecy. He is rather referring to his perception of God’s revelation in the entire Creation.

This is why the first pasuk of the parsha states, “וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו .../He appeared to him …” (Breishis 18:1) instead of “וַיֵּרָא ה' אֶל־אַבְרָם .../God appeared to Avrum” (Breishis 12:7) as the pasuk states when God spoke to him earlier before the circumcision. “וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו .../He appeared to him …” is more general. The pasuk is telling us that God’s presence concealed in every part of Creation, giving life to every part of Creation, was now revealed to him.

The Sfas Emes teaches that, like Avraham Avinu before us, our mission in this world is to testify that God gives life to all. This is the reason we were created. In this, we are stronger than angels. According to halachah, testimony of family member is invalid because the close relationship is likely to skew the testimony. A close family member cannot be expected to be impartial. Angels, because they see the truth, know that fulfilling God’s will is always to their benefit. When an angel fulfills God’s will, his own will is completely aligned with God’s. For an angel to testify that it behooves us to fulfill God’s will because He is the source of all life is like a father’s testimony on behalf of his son. Neither testimony can be considered impartial.

We, though, live in the physical world where God is not apparent. Our senses tell us that we and the things around us have an autonomous existence. We have a will of our own. To us, fulfilling God’s will does not always appear to benefit us. Many times we need to suppress our own desires to do so. When we accept God’s rule thus sacrificing our own desires, we are offering a complete and valid testimony. We cannot be accused of partiality. The concept that we testify about God is found in a Midrash as well. The Midrash states that the children of Israel, God and Shabbos testify about each other. We testify that God is One.[1]

Chazal allude to the concept of our testimony regarding Shabbos. They said, “כָּל הַמְּעַנֵג אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת נוֹתְנִין לוֹ נַחֲלָה בְּלִי מָצִרים/Whosoever gives enjoyment to the Shabbos is given an unbounded inheritance.” (Shabbos 118a) The Chiddushei HaRim points out that Chazal do not say, “Whosoever enjoys himself on Shabbos …”, rather, “Whosoever gives enjoyment to the Shabbos …” a strange concept. How can we give enjoyment to the Shabbos? The Chiddushei HaRim explains that whoever is happy when Shabbos comes because on that day God rested from His work and that happiness causes him to forget his troubles has given enjoyment to the Shabbos. In this way, the children of Israel testify that Shabbos is a day of rest.

May we merit that, like Avraham Avinu, our lives be a living testimony to God in this world thus justifying our existence. Amen.

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[1] Quoted in Tosfos Chagigah 3b starting, “U’Mi”

Lech Lecha 5632 Second Ma'amar

The Midrash in this week’s parsha compares Avraham Avinu to a traveler who comes upon a burning mansion. Seeing no one, he assumes that the mansion has no owner. Just then, the owner comes out, looks at him and says, “I am the mansion’s owner!” The burning mansion represents the world and the owner represents God. Why does Avraham think that the world has no master? What is this Midrash teaching us?

We can get an idea from the Zohar in this week’s parsha. According to the Zohar, God gave Avraham Avinu the ability to “see” the spiritual guardians of each of the nations of the world. But Avraham was unable to “see” the spiritual guardian of Israel. Seeing the various spiritual forces governing the various nations of the world, it seemed that there was no unifying force, no “owner”. It seemed very chaotic. Then he became aware that the creation of the world started from Israel and derives its power to exist from Israel. He then understood that God was the power behind the Creation and Israel and from there to the rest of the world. He understood that Israel was the force unifying all the disparate elements of the Creation.

Because Israel is the power source of the Creation, the entire Creation is connected and gravitates back to the source. The Chidushei HaRim sees a hint to this concept in the above Midrash. The word for burning in the Midrash – דוֹלֶקֶת – also means pursue as in – דָלַקְתָּ אַחֲרַי – you pursued me. The Midrash is hinting at this idea that the Zohar states clearly.

Although Avraham Avinu understood that everything is connected spiritually, this was not at all obvious when looking at the physical world around him. Avraham wanted to understand how the physical Creation in which nothing seems connected is really all connected and is ultimately unified. How does God relate to the physical world?

In order to understand, it was imperative that he disregard any preconceptions he may have had. All his current knowledge and understanding would have to be risked in order to become open to new understanding. This disregard of the old and familiar is symbolized by God’s command that he leave all with which he is familiar behind in order to travel to a new land. Only by doing this would he merit receiving new understanding.

This concept applies to all of us today as well. The Sfas Emes sees it in the relationship between Shabbos and the days of the week. When we keep Shabbos, we throw off and disregard our weekday existence and accept the yoke of heaven. This symbolizes a readiness to not be bound by preconceptions and a willingness to accept and receive from God. The result is a revelation of God to us as the pasuk states, וּרְאוּ ... כִּי שֵׁם ה' נִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ .../They will see … that you are called by the name of God …”

No'ach 5631 Third Ma'amar (first half)

Chazal teach us that the generation of the Flood transgressed three sins, idolatry, illicit relations and thievery. Surprisingly, of the three, the decree of the Flood was sealed because of thievery. Idolatry and illicit relations are two of the cardinal sins. We are required to forfeit our lives rather than transgress them. Why was the decree of the Flood sealed specifically for thievery? What is it about thievery that makes it even worse than idolatry and illicit relations?

The fundamental reason that a person can permit himself to steal is that he does not recognize the owner’s rights. Chazal apply this concept to our relationship with God. They teach us that a person who eats without making a brachah first is considered to have stolen from God. The reason is that he is not acknowledging God’s ownership of the bread he eats.

The Sfas Emes expands this concept and applies it to all of life. He says that being in this world while not recognizing that God is the force underlying everything constitutes theft. For this reason the Chiddushei HaRim says that the Torah requires confession when a thief returns a stolen object, “וְהִתְוַדּוּ אֶת־חַטָאתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ וְהֵשִׁיב אֶת־אֲשָׁמוֹ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ .../They will confess their sin that they committed and return the principal amount of his guilt …” Confession is required when repenting from any sin. Why does the Torah mention it specifically by repentance from the sin of theft?

The Chiddushei HaRim explains that confession here actually alludes to repentance for anything because every sin contains an aspect of theft. At the moment of the sinful act, there is always a denial of God. If the sinner recognized God before him, he would be unable to sin. As the Sfas Emes teaches, not acknowledging that God is the motive power underlying our actions constitutes theft.

The generation of the Flood did more than simply steal from their fellow man. They stole from God by not recognizing Him in the Creation. The Sfas Emes teaches us that to the extent that we recognize God in the world, God is revealed in the world. During the generation of the Flood, because they did not recognize God in the world, there was no divine revelation. Life is dependent upon divine revelation. When there is no divine revelation, we learn from the generation of the Flood that life ends. This is the meaning of the pasuk, “... קֵץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי כִּי־מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ חָמָס .../… The end of all flesh has come before Me, because the earth was filled with thievery …” This is the exact opposite of the pasuk, “... מְלֹא כָל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ/… the world is filled with His glory.” When we recognize God, the world is filled with His glory. When we do not, it is the end of life. This is the reason the decree of the Flood was sealed specifically because of thievery; thievery representing not acknowledging God in the Creation.

The Zohar states this concept as well. The Zohar says that the ark is a metaphor for the Shechinah. “... וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־הַתֵּבָה וַתָּרָם .../… They lifted the ark and it was raised …,” is an allusion to the Shechinah leaving the world. The Zohar says that once the Shechinah is no longer with us, there is no one to watch over the world and judgment rules. The Sfas Emes understands that the Shechinah leaving means the source of life has left.

This understanding sheds light on an enigmatic Midrash in this week’s parsha. The Midrash cites a pasuk in Yechezkeil, “הֶחָמָס קָם לְמַטֵּה־רֶשַׁע לֹא מֵהֶם ... וְלֹא־נֹהַּ בָּהֶם/Violence has arisen and become a rod against evil; it is not from them … there is no sobbing for them.” The prophet is referring to Nebuchadnezer. He is telling us that even though Nebuchadnezer destroyed evil, it was only God’s help that enabled him to succeed. The Midrash understands this pasuk homiletically as referring to the generation of the Flood. Thievery stood up before God like a rod and said that he is not of them and has no rest in them. This last is a play on words, changing נֹהַּ/sob to נֹחַ/rest.

What does, “he has no rest in them” mean? Elsewhere, the Sfas Emes explains that on the first Shabbos, the culmination of the Creation resulted in a revelation of God. Each part of the Creation was fulfilling its unique task such that the entire Creation acted as one harmonious system. A system in which all the parts operate smoothly can be considered to be at rest because there is no noise in the system. This is the reason that there is an elevation of the entire Creation towards God on Shabbos. He is more revealed. When “thievery” said that it has no rest in them, it means to say that the generation of the Flood was lacking a connection to God. God was hidden because the generation did not acknowledge Him.

This also explains another Midrash which says that No’ach was not worthy of being saved. He was only saved because Moshe Rabbeinu was to come from him. This seems to fly in the face of the pesukim which state clearly that he was righteous. However, according to the Sfas Emes, since No’ach was part of the generation that did not recognize God, there could be no rest for God in this generation, meaning that the generation was not connected to Him. True, No’ach was righteous in his own right, but the generation had a fatal flaw. It could not continue to exist. No’ach’s saving grace was his progeny.

Breishis 5631 Second Ma'amar

The Torah essentially is a book that describes the mitzvos. Why then, did the Torah not begin from the first mitzvah that was given to us – mitzvas hachodesh? What is the purpose of the entire Sefer Breishis? The first Rashi in Breishis quotes Chazal who address this question. The answer, Chazal teach us, is to give us a response to the nations of the world. As we find in Tehillim, “כֹּחַ מַעֲשָׂיו הִגִּיד לְעַמּוֹ לָתֵת לָהֶם נַחֲלַת גּוֹיִם/He declared the power of His works to His people, to give them the heritage of the nations.” If the nations accuse us of being usurpers, that we stole the land of Israel, we can answer that the world belongs to God. He took Israel away from its original inhabitants and gave it to us.

The Sfas Emes asks, however, that this answer explains only the first chapter of the Torah that describes the Creation. What is the purpose of the rest of the book of Breishis? Why is it necessary for the Torah to include the story of Noach and the Flood, all the trials and tribulations of the patriarchs, Yosef and his brothers and the exile in Egypt?

To answer this question we need to understand that the Torah is more than a scroll containing words. This Torah is also the spiritual entity through which God created the world. The entire world is therefore imbued with the power of the Torah. It is only because of this power in the Creation that the world continues to exist. Regarding this Chazal taught that God looked into the Torah and created the world.

This power is generally not apparent. Through our actions, though, we have the ability to reveal the power of the Torah which inheres in the Creation. This, the Sfas Emes teaches us, is an aspect of the oral Torah. It is that component of the Torah in which each of us has the ability to make a unique imprint. The written Torah is apparent for all to see. The oral Torah is not. It is up to us to reveal it through our actions. When we intend to fulfill God’s will with our actions, then our actions reveal the Torah’s hidden light within nature.

This is the reason for all the stories in Breishis. God wanted to show us that our actions, like the actions our forefathers, can become Torah. This is the meaning of the beginning of the pasuk quoted above, “כֹּחַ מַעֲשָׂיו הִגִּיד לְעַמּוֹ .../He declared the power of His works to His people …” His works are the מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית/workings of the Creation. The power of His works is the power of the Torah inherent in the world. God taught us that the Creation owes its continuing existence to the power of the Torah within it.

Our purpose is to effect a revelation of this power. In fact, the purpose of the Creation is to reveal God through it. By revealing the spirituality underlying the Creation we become partners with God in the workings of the Creation.

The Zohar actually says this explaining the pasuk in Yeshaya, “וָאָשִׂים דְּבָרַי בְּפִיךָ ... לִנְטֹעַ שָׁמַיִם וְלִיסֹד אָרֶץ וְלֵאמֹר לְצִיּוֹן עַמִּי־אָתָּה/And I have placed My words in your mouth … to implant the heavens and to establish the foundation of the earth and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.” The word עַמִּי/My people can also be read as עִמִי/with Me. God is telling the prophet that just like He created the world through words, so too, we are partners with Him when we study Torah. However, the Sfas Emes broadens this to include recognizing the point of spirituality within each thing. The word צִיוֹן/Zion, can be read צִיוּן/indicator. The pasuk then is teaching us that one who attaches himself to this point recognizing God’s life-force in everything and every action, becomes a partner with God in the workings of the Creation.

One who lives in this way merits the end of the pasuk from Tehillim, “... לָתֵת לָהֶם נַחֲלַת גּוֹיִם/… to give them the heritage of the nations.” By connecting the natural world with the motive force behind it, nature cannot hide the power of the inherent holiness. As a result, that person is not bound by the physical world’s restrictions. That person merits an inheritance with no boundaries, the inheritance of all the nations.