BAMIDBAR - THE TWO STAGES OF AVODAS HASHEM

BS"D In the Torah’s account of the Tribe of Levi it reviews the tragic deaths of Aaron Hakohen’s righteous sons, Nadav and Avihu. On this occasion it adds a hitherto unmentioned detail - that they died without any sons . The Gemara extrapolates from here that had they had sons then they would not have died . The Chasam Sofer zt”l explains that Nadav and Avihu had reached such a high level of closeness to Hashem that they had fulfilled their potential, and there was no further need for them to live in Olam Hazeh. However, had they had children then they would have been needed to stay alive in order to bring them up and provide for their needs. We learn from here that even if a person reaches total perfection in his own personal Avoda, he is nevertheless kept alive so that he can benefit his children. Moreover, it seems from the yesod of the Chasam Sofer that there are two levels in Avodas Hashem - the first is a person’s development of his Torah, midos and relationships to Hashem, and the second, his responsibility to his children. In the ‘pisuchay chosam’, the Chasam Sofer adds that a great tzaddik can be kept alive in order to guide his talmidim as well as his children, implying that a person‘s second stage of Avoda is not limited to helping his children, but also his talmidim . We find an example of the dualistic nature of Avodas Hashem in Parshas Vayishlach. After Yaakov Avinu emerged from the tremendous challenges of living with Lavan and facing his hostile brother Esav, the Torah describes him as being ’shalem’ - Chazal understand this to mean that he was spiritually complete; he had withstood the spiritual threats of Lavan and Esav and emerged totally pure of any lacking. Yet, the rest of his life was plagued by the difficulties he endured as a result of the mistakes and shortcomings of people around him - his daughter’s lack of tznius in going out resulted in her abduction by Shechem and its eventual destruction by Shimon and Levi. This was followed by the incident with Reuven moving Bilhah’s bed, and the sale of Yosef. It is striking that after emphasizing Yaakov’s individual greatness, it then outlines in great depth the imperfections of the world around him. This shows us that whilst he had completed his own personal Avoda, he remained on this world in order to rectify the lacking of those around him . Many Gedolim spent a great portion of their lives focused largely on their own personal avoda, but when the time was right, they devoted great amount of energy into serving the Jewish people. Rav Shach zt”l is a perfect example of this, he continuously for many years but when he emerged as a Gadol he totally devoted himself to Klal Yisroel, and never turned away people in need of his help. The two forms of Avoda also require two different attitudes and approaches; this is demonstrated in the creation of mankind. Whilst all the animals were created in one maamer, man and woman were created in two separate maamarim (sayings); my Rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Berkovits Shlita explains that each maamar represented a new stage in creation. The maamar creating man represented the aspect of man’s avoda as an individual and his relationship with himself. The maamar creating woman led to a new stage of creation known as society, whereby man has to interact with those around him. These two stages require very different mindsets - with regard to his attitude towards himself, man has to apply a certain degree of din on himself., involving self-analysis an striving to improve oneself. When he endures suffering he should stress the need to trust in Hashem and to strive to improve his ways. In contrast, man must have a very different view towards other people - when someone else suffers, he must not tell them that it is all from Hashem and that they should strive to grow, rather he should focus on caring for them and acting as if they are not being looked after by anyone, including Hashem. The Brisker Rav zt’l made this point in a remarkable way. He posited that every negative trait has a positive aspect to it - when asked what was the positive aspect of the trait of kefira (denying G-d), he answered that it helps us act properly when out friend is in need. We cannot tell him to have trust in Hashem that everything will be fine, rather we must act, so to speak, as if G-d is not involved in his life and we must take responsibility . Gedolim also demonstrated a dualistic attitude in their lives - to themselves they were demanding and self-critical, hiding from kavod and refusing help from other people, but to their fellow man, they were kind, caring, tolerant, and full of praise. Nadav and Avihu never had the responsibility of guiding others, and therefore their avoda was limited to self-perfection. May all of us merit to perfect ourselves in both levels of Avodas Hashem - perfecting ourselves and the world around us.

La grandeza de la innovación

La luz de la Torá - Bejukotai (Levítico 26:3-27:34) Por Rav Yehonasan Gefen En medio de una devastadora reprimenda, Dios nos consuela diciendo: "Y recordaré mi pacto con Yaakov, e incluso mi pacto con Itzjak, e incluso mi pacto con Abraham recordaré" (1). La pregunta obvia aquí es por qué los patriarcas fueron mencionados en orden inverso. Rashi, citando el Midrash, explica que el mérito de Yaakov —el más pequeño de los patriarcas— debería haber sido suficiente, pero que si no lo es, entonces con el de Itzjak debería alcanzar y, si tampoco alcanzara con ese, entonces con el gran mérito de Abraham seguramente sería suficiente (2). Por lo tanto, Yaakov es mencionado primero porque los patriarcas fueron mencionados en orden ascendiente de mérito. Hay dos formas en que podemos entender por qué Yaakov es el más pequeño de los patriarcas. Algunos explican esto como que es el menor de edad, pero muchos comentaristas escriben que es el menor en el sentido espiritual (3). El problema con esta explicación es que las fuentes rabínicas nos dicen que Yaakov fue el más grandioso de los patriarcas, siendo el único cuya progenie fue completamente recta, mientras que Abraham e Itzjak tuvieron descendientes que no ameritaron ser parte del pueblo judío. Entonces, ¿cómo podemos entender que el mérito de Yaakov para redimir al pueblo judío de su sufrimiento sea más débil que el de Abraham e Itzjak? También tenemos que explicar por qué Abraham es considerado más grandioso que Itzjak en este contexto. Pareciera que el hecho de que Yaakov haya sido el más perfecto de los patriarcas en términos de rasgos personales no necesariamente significa que haya tenido el mayor mérito. El mérito se deriva del logro en relación a la dificultad de la tarea, por lo que uno podría argumentar que pese a que Yaakov alcanzó el nivel más alto de los patriarcas, también tuvo una tarea mucho más fácil que la de sus antepasados. ¿En qué aspecto fue más fácil la tarea de Yaakov que la de Itzjak y la de Itzjak que la de Abraham? Abraham nació en un mundo de idolatría; su mayor desafío fue crear de la nada una filosofía y estilo de vida completamente nuevos, comenzar un nuevo período en la historia (4). Hacer esto fue una gran prueba ya que significaba que Abraham tenía que luchar en contra de todas las opiniones y los estilos de vida predominantes para comenzar algo en una escala muy pequeña e ir desarrollándolo con mucha paciencia. Itzjak nació en un mundo en que la nueva filosofía ya había sido creada; no necesitó crear ningún estilo de vida novedoso. Sin embargo, Rav Matisyahu Salomon escribe que sí hubo algo que tuvo que crear: el concepto de la tradición religiosa, la idea de que un hijo siga fielmente las directrices de su padre (5). En contraste, Yaakov no tuvo que comenzar una religión nueva y tampoco tuvo que iniciar el concepto de seguir una tradición. Sin dudas enfrentó grandes desafíos en su vida, pero en este aspecto en particular pareciera haberla tenido más fácil que sus antepasados. Entonces, a pesar de haber sido el más grandioso de los patriarcas, el mérito de Yaakov para redimir al pueblo de su sufrimiento era el menor (6). Rav Salomon explica extensamente cómo una de las principales fortalezas de Abraham fue su poder de hitjadshut, su capacidad para innovar (7). Rav Salomon nota que en la descripción que el Rambam hace de la contribución de Abraham al mundo utiliza la raíz de la palabra matjil (comienzo) no menos de cinco veces en una rápida sucesión (8). En las palabras de Rav Salomon: "Abraham fue un matjil, una persona que comienza cosas. Fue un revolucionario, un pionero… Fue el originador y fundador del pueblo judío. Abraham fue el primero en todo lo que hizo. No tuvo un padre al cual seguir y, por lo tanto, siempre estuvo abriendo nuevos horizontes" (9). Cuando tratamos de emular a Abraham, tradicionalmente nos esforzamos para aprender de su grandioso rasgo de bondad. Pero de aquí vemos que su capacidad de iniciativa también es un rasgo que debemos desarrollar. El Klí Iakar también enfatiza mucho la importancia de la innovación. En la parashá Bereshit, en el relato de cada uno de los siete días de la creación la Torá concluye cada día con una descripción de que era 'bueno' o 'muy bueno', a excepción del segundo día. Hay muchas explicaciones sobre el porqué de esta anomalía; el Klí Iakar escribe que en el segundo día no fue creado nada que fuera completamente nuevo y, por lo tanto, no podía ser descrito como 'bueno' (10). A partir de esta interpretación, vemos que algo es descrito como 'bueno' sólo cuando está asociado a una novedad. Hay muchas formas en las que la capacidad de innovar es importante en nuestras vidas. Es natural que una persona se habitúe a la forma en que se conduce en muchos aspectos de su vida, como en su crecimiento en Torá y rasgos personales, en sus relaciones y en su capacidad para crear y construir. A veces es conveniente dar un paso atrás y evaluar si es necesario buscar una nueva forma de enfrentar los desafíos de dichas áreas; hacerlo a menudo nos brindará formas alternativas para lidiar con las distintas situaciones, lo cual puede ser sumamente provechoso para nosotros. Un prominente educador cuenta la siguiente historia, la cual es un excelente ejemplo para lo que dijimos anteriormente. Había una mujer que estaba muy insatisfecha con el comportamiento de su marido y eventualmente decidió que quería divorciarse. Este educador le sugirió que, antes de dar un paso tan drástico, intentara cambiar su enfoque: que comenzara a enfocarse exclusivamente en su propio comportamiento y que intentara ser la mejor esposa que pudiera. Poco tiempo después de este consejo la mujer vio un cambio dramático en el comportamiento de su marido. Su voluntad de intentar un nuevo enfoque fue la clave para una inmensa mejoría en su matrimonio. Una de las áreas más importantes en que la innovación es crucial es en la creación y el desarrollo de ideas, movimientos u organizaciones nuevas que puedan ser de beneficio para la humanidad. Un ejemplo de esto es Sara Shenirer; su idea de crear una estructura de educación para mujeres que estuviera centrada en la Torá fue revolucionaria en su momento, pero ella tuvo la visión y persistencia para continuar con su novedosa idea y, al hacerlo, tuvo un efecto increíble en el pueblo judío. Otra prueba de que los nuevos comienzos pueden ser muy beneficiosos es que el ietzer hará la 'inclinación negativa' pone muchos obstáculos cuando decidimos comenzar algo nuevo (11), lo cual es la razón que hay detrás del dicho "todos los comienzos son difíciles". Además de adoptar un nuevo enfoque, es esencial mantener la visión en el resultado final, a pesar de los desafíos que uno pueda enfrentar en el proceso. Puede que Abraham no sea descrito como el más grande de los patriarcas, pero en el área de innovación con seguridad es el más importante. Quiera Dios que todos ameritemos aprender de Abraham cómo innovar exitosamente cuando sea necesario. Notas: (1) Bejukotai 26:42. (2) Rashi, ibíd. Torat Kohanim 26:49. (3) Ver Maskil LeDavid 24:42; Rav Yaakov MiLisa (el autor de Javot Dáat y Netivot) citado en Beshem Amrú. (4) De hecho, la Guemará en Avodá Zará 9a dice que la historia judía está dividida en tres épocas de dos mil años cada una. La primera es de vacío y la segunda es el período de Torá (que comenzó con los esfuerzos de Abraham para esparcir la Torá en todo el mundo). (5) Matanot Jaim, p.30. (6) Cabe destacar que Yaakov atravesó desafíos que a cualquier observador le parecerían increíblemente difíciles; sólo estamos diciendo que en el área de la innovación su tarea fue más fácil en comparación a Abraham e Itzjak. (7) Ibid. p.29. (8) Hiljot Avodá Zará Cap. 1, halajá 3. (9) Ibid. p.29-30. (10) Klí Iakar, Bereshit 1:8. (11) Un principio muy útil de la vida es que todo lo que es genuinamente importante es difícil de completar porque el iétzer luchará muy duro para evitar que tengamos éxito.

Parachat Bé’houkotaï – Renforcer notre bita’hon – Le point de vue de Rachi

« Si vous suivez Mes décrets et observez Mes Commandements et les accomplissez. » (Vayikra, 26:3.) « Je marcherai parmi vous, Je serai un D. pour vous et vous serez Mon peuple. Je suis Hachem, votre D., qui vous a fait sortir d’Égypte, pour que vous n’y fussiez plus esclaves… » (Vayikra, 26:12 -13.) Rachi commente, sur les mots « Je suis Hachem votre D. » : Je suis fidèle et vous devez avoir confiance en Moi ; Je peux faire toutes ces choses, puisque Je vous ai fait sortir d’Égypte et ai accompli pour vous de grands miracles. La paracha commence par nous faire la liste des grandes récompenses qu’Hachem promet au peuple juif s’il respecte la Thora. Cette section se termine par le rappel qu’Hachem a fait sortir les Juifs d’Égypte. Rachi, en se référant sur le Thorat Kohanim, explique qu’Hachem rassure les Bné Israël en leur disant qu’ils peuvent avoir confiance en Lui, qu’Il respectera Ses promesses ; la « preuve » qu’Il donne est qu’Il a déjà accompli pour eux de grands miracles ; ils peuvent donc compter sur le fait qu’Il peut en faire d’autres à l’avenir. Plusieurs questions peuvent être posées sur ce Rachi . Hachem leur fit ces promesses peu après les grands miracles de l’Exode. Pourquoi était-il alors nécessaire de rappeler au peuple les prodiges passés pour qu’il croie en de futurs miracles – les Juifs ne les avaient alors sûrement pas déjà oubliés ?! On peut répondre à cette question en expliquant une autre difficulté dans le récit de la Thora. Plus d’une fois dans le désert ; les Juifs se plaignirent à Moché de leur situation précaire et évoquèrent avec nostalgie les jours où ils étaient en Égypte. Par exemple, dans la paracha de Béa’alotekha, ils se lamentèrent de la manne qu’ils recevaient du Ciel et se rappelèrent de leur vie en Mitsraïm : « Nous nous souvenons du poisson que nous mangions en Égypte gratuitement, des concombres, des melons, des poireaux, des oignons et de l’ail. » Les commentateurs se demandent comment ils purent avoir une si courte mémoire et oublier le terrible esclavage qu’ils subirent. La réponse donnée est basée sur une guemara dans Roch Hachana, qui nous informe que les Juifs furent déchargés de l’esclavage durant leurs six derniers mois en Égypte. Pendant cette période, ils vécurent agréablement et purent consommer les aliments mentionnés dans leur plainte. Ainsi, quand ils se souvinrent avec attendrissement de leur vie en Égypte, ils repensaient aux six derniers mois, bien qu’ils aient, avant cela, subi de terribles souffrances. Ceci nous montre la force du yétser hara, qui peut raccourcir la mémoire d’une personne quand cela l’arrange. Dans ce cas, il leur fit oublier la barbarie de l’Égypte, pour six petits mois de « liberté ». C’est ce qui engendra leur lamentation si grave quant à leur situation dans le désert. Nous pouvons ainsi répondre à la question de départ, à savoir, pourquoi Hachem avait besoin de rappeler au peuple les grands miracles accomplis, comme garantie des récompenses à venir. En vérité, les Juifs avaient la mémoire courte ; cela signifie que malgré les prodiges réalisés peu de temps avant, il était très probable que, dès les premières difficultés qu’ils allaient rencontrer, leur confiance en Hachem faiblirait. Par conséquent, ils auraient eu tendance à oublier les bienfaits exceptionnels qu’Il leur avait prodigués durant l’Exode. Il était donc nécessaire de leur rappeler qu’Hachem pouvait accomplir de grands miracles en leur faveur, et d’utiliser le souvenir de ces événements pour renforcer leur foi en Hachem sur l’avenir. Cette explication a d’importantes implications dans nos vies. Nous traversons des moments de Bonté Divine, durant lesquels Hachem nous protège de manière manifeste. Pourtant, la Providence n’est parfois pas si apparente et nous risquons de nous faire du souci concernant certaines situations probables, comme des problèmes financiers ou de santé. Dans de telles situations, nous pouvons facilement oublier les bontés qu’Hachem nous a prodiguées, et laisser place au désespoir. En revanche, en nous remémorant constamment les bienfaits reçus d’Hachem, nous sommes certains qu’Il est toujours avec nous, même durant l’épreuve actuelle. Le ‘Hovot Halevavot fait remarquer, dans Chaar Habita’hon (le chapitre sur la foi), que l’une des deux façons de raffermir notre confiance en Hachem est se rappeler des bienfaits passés, y compris les choses que nous tenons pour acquis, comme le merveilleux cadeau qu’est la vie en soi . Ceci nécessite de nombreux efforts, car, comme nous l’avons expliqué, le yétser hara nous fait rapidement oublier les bontés d’Hachem. Mais en prenant le temps de contempler ce qu’Il a fait en notre faveur, nous réussirons à être plus confiants et sereins durant les moments difficiles.

בחוקותי – כוח ההתחדשות

בינות לדברי תוכחה נוקבים, מרגיע הקב"ה את עם ישראל ואומר "וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם אֶזְכּר וְהָאָרֶץ אֶזְכּר" והשאלה המתבקשת היא – מדוע מוזכרים האבות בסדר הפוך? רש"י מביא את דברי ה"תורת כהנים" שמסביר שזכותו של יעקב שהיה "הקטן" מספיקה לכך, ואם לא - תספיק זכותו של יצחק, ואם גם זה לא יספיק אזי ודאי זכותו הגדולה של אברהם תעמוד לבניו . לכן מוזכר יעקב ראשון כיוון שזכות האבות האמורה כאן מסודרת דווקא בסדר "עולה" . ישנם שני אופנים כיצד ניתן להבין את עובדת היות יעקב "הקטן" באבות: יש המפרשים זאת כ'צעיר שבאבות', אולם ישנם כמה וכמה מפרשים שכותבים שהכוונה היא שמדובר על דרגה רוחנית . מה שקשה בהסבר זה הוא שחז"ל אומרים שיעקב היה הגדול שבאבות, היחיד מהם שכל זרעו היה זרע קודש של צדיקים, בעוד שלאברהם וליצחק היו צאצאים שלא זכו כלל להיות חלק מעם ישראל. ואם כן, כיצד אפשר להבין שזכות יעקב להציל את ישראל מצרות הגלות חלשה מזו של אברהם ויצחק? וכן יש להבין מדוע אברהם נחשב גדול יותר מיצחק בהקשר זה. נראה שגדלותו של יעקב ועובדת היותו המושלם באבות, אינה דווקא מחייבת שהוא יהיה בעל הזכות הגדולה ביותר. זכות נובעת מהישגים ביחס לקושי המשימה – אפשר לומר שאמנם יעקב הגיע לדרגה הגבוה ביותר באבות, אך דרכו להגיע לדרגותיו הייתה קלה הרבה יותר מאבותיו. באיזה מובן היתה משימתו של יעקב קלה יותר מזו של יצחק, ושל יצחק קלה יותר מזו של אברהם? אברהם נולד לעולם של עבודת אלילים – המשימה שעמדה בפניו הייתה ליצור מתוך הרִיק דרך חיים חדשה, לבנות השקפת עולם חדשה – לפתוח עידן חדש בהיסטוריה העולמית . כזו עבודה כוללת בתוכה מבחן עצום, כיוון שהיה עליו לעמוד ולהלחם נגד כל הדעות, ההשקפות, וסגנונות החיים ולפתח משהו חדש, לאט לאט, מתוך המון סבלנות ונחישות להפריח את השממה הרוחנית. יצחק נולד לעולם בו הייתה קיימת כבר דרך החשיבה הנכונה – לא היה עליו ליצור ולחדש שום דרך חיים. בכל אופן, כותב ר' מתתיהו סלמון שכן היה עליו לחדש עניין אחד – מושג המסורה; הדרך בה מקבל כל בן מאביו מאמין בו והולך בדרכו . יעקב, לעומת זאת, לא היה צריך להמציא דרך חיים חדשה, וגם את עניין המסורה – קיבל מאביו- הוא ודאי עמד מול משימות ואתגרים גדולים בחייו, אולם בהקשר זה, היתה לו עבודה קלה הרבה יותר מאבותיו. לכן, למרות שהוא היה הגדול שבאבות, הזכות שהייתה לו להוציא את ישראל מגלותם קטנה יותר . הר' סלמון מאריך עוד בעניין כוחו העיקרי והגדול של אברהם אבינו – כוח ההתחדשות – היכולת להמציא ולחדש דרך אמיתית ונכונה משלו . הוא מציין שבתיאורו של הרמב"ם על מעשיו ופעולותיו של אברהם אבינו להפצת שם ה' בעולם, הוא משתמש במילה "מתחיל" לא פחות מחמש פעמים בתוך קטע לא ארוך . הר' סלמון כותב שמהותו של אברהם היתה "מתחיל" – הוא היה חלוץ, פורץ דרך... הוא יסד והקים את כל עם ישראל. הוא היה הראשון בכל דבר שעשה. לא היה לו אבא שיכול היה לחקות אותו, תמיד היה עליו להיות הנחשון. בבואנו לנסות ללכת בדרכי אברהם אבינו, אנו רגילים תמיד לפנות להתחזק במידת החסד. כאן לומדים שכוח ההתחדשות שלו היא גם מידה גדולה ועצומה שעלינו ללמד ולפתח. גם ה"כלי יקר" מדגיש מאד את גודל החשיבות של החידוש. בפרשת בראשית לאחר תאור הבריאה בכל יום מסכמת תורה ואומרת "טוב", או "טוב מאד" מלבד היום השני. ישנם מספר הסברים לכך – הכלי יקר כותב שביום זה לא היתה יצירה חדשה לגמרי, לכן אי אפשר להגדיר יום זה כ"טוב" . מהסבר זה מובן שניתן להגדיר עניין כ"טוב" רק כאשר הוא כרוך בחידוש. ישנם מספר שטחים בהם היכולת לחדש חשובה מאד חיינו. טבעי שאדם נכנס לשגרה של הרגל בהתנהלות חייו, ביחס להרבה היבטים בחיים, כולל הגדילה והעליה בתורה ובמידות, יחסיו עם הזולת, ויכולתו ליצור ולבנות. ישנם מצבים בהם מועיל ונצרך לעצור לרגע במהלך הרגיל ולערוך אמדן מחודש האם יש צורך לשנות משהו בסגנון החיים בשטחים אלו. בדרך כלל גישות חדשות מספקות דרכים מחודשות לעמידה במצבים ובכוחן להביא להצלחות גדולות. דוגמא לכך מסופרת ע"י מחנך ידוע בנושא שלום בית. אישה אחת הייתה מאד לא מרוצה מבעלה, עד כדי כך שהחליטה שהיא רוצה גט. אותו אדם הציע לה, שלפני שהיא עושה כזה צעד גורלי, כדאי לה לנסות עוד דרך אחרת - הצעתו היתה שתתמקד אך ורק בהתנהגותה היא, ותתאמץ ותשתדל להיות האישה הטובה ביותר שיכולה. לאחר תקופה קצרה שפעלה לפי הוראה זו, החלה לראות שינוי חל בבעלה. הנכונות שלה לנסות דרך אחרת, לשנות כיוון ודרך הייתה המפתח לעליה והתרוממות עצומה של חיי הנישואין שלה. אחד השטחים החשובים ביותר בהם כוח ההתחדשות חשוב ונצרך הוא יצירה ופיתוח של רעיונות חדשים, תנועות או ארגונים שבכוחם להועיל ולסייע לכלל ישראל. דוגמא מדהימה לכך היא הגב' שרה שנירר זצ"ל - הרעיון שלה לדאוג לחינוך יהודי טהור לבנות ישראל היה כה חדשני ומהפכני, עד שנתקל בקשיים ובהתנגדויות רבות מבית ומחוץ. למרות הכל, בראשה היה חזון והיא עמדה על שלה, והתעקשה להצליח ברעיון הגדול, כך זכתה בסופו של דבר לתרום תרומה אדירה לכל העם היהודי. הוכחה נוספת לכוח ההתחלה החדשה ותועלתה היא הקשיים שמערים היצר הרע כנגד כל התחלה כזו , זוהי הסיבה לכך ש"כל ההתחלות קשות". גם לאחר שרוצים ומתחילים התחלה חדשה, צריכים להמשיך לרצות ולהתאמץ כדי שתגיע המשימה למטרתה הסופית, למרות הקשיים והתקלות מולן עלול אדם להתמודד בדרכו. אולי אברהם אבינו לא מתואר כ"גדול" באבות, אולם בשטח זה של התחדשות, ללא ספק הוא זה שלימדנו את הדרך. ייתן ה' וכולנו נזכה ללמוד ממנו ואכן לפעול ולעשות, ולהביא לידי גמר מוצלח התחלות חדשות שתועלנה לכלל ולפרט.

BECHUKOSAI - THE GREATNESS OF INNOVATION

In the midst of the devastating tochacha, Hashem comforts us, saying: “And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, and even my covenant with Yitzchak and I will even remember my covenant with Avraham.. ” The obvious question here is, why were the Avos mentioned in reverse order? Rashi, quoting the Toras Kohanim explains that the merit of Yaakov, who is the ‘smallest’ of the Avos should suffice, but if it does not, then Yitzchak’s merit should hopefully suffice, and if that is not enough, then Avraham’s great merit will surely be sufficient - thus, Yaakov is mentioned first because the Avos are mentioned in ascending order of merit. There are two ways in which we can understand the meaning of Yaakov being the ‘smallest’ of the Avos: Some translate it to mean the ‘youngest’, but a number of commentaries write that it means he is the lowest in the spiritual sense. The problem with this explanation is that Chazal tell us that Yaakov was the greatest of the Avos, the only one whose progeny was completely righteous, whereas Avraham and Yitzchak had descendants who would not merit to be part of the Jewish people. Accordingly, how can we understand that Yaakov’s merit in redeeming the Jewish people from their suffering is weaker than those of Avraham and Yitzchak? It also needs to be explained why Avraham is considered greater than Yitzchak in this context. It seems that the fact that Yaakov may have been the most perfect of the Avos in terms of midos, does not necessarily mean that he had the greatest merit. Merit is derived from achievement in relation to the difficulty of one’s task - it is possible to argue that whilst Yaakov reached the highest level of the Avos, he did in fact have an easier task than his great predecessors. In what way was Yaakov’s task easier than that of Yitzchak and that of Yitzchak easier than Avraham’s? Avraham was born into a world of Avoda Zara - his great challenge was to create from nothing a whole new outlook and way of life - to begin a new epoch in history . To do such a thing constituted an incredible test, because it meant that he had to fight against all the prevalent attitudes and lifestyles and begin something on a very lowly scale and slowly and patiently develop it. Yitzchak was born into a world in which the new outlook had already been created - he did not need to mechadesh any novel life approach. However, Rav Mattisyahu Salamon Shlita writes that he did have to be mechadesh one thing - the concept of mesorah; that a son faithfully follows the guidelines set by his father . Yaakov, in contrast, did not have to begin a new religion or the concept of Mesorah - he clearly faced great challenges in his life but in this regard he seems to have had an easier task than his forebears. Thus, although Yaakov was the greatest of the Avos, his merit in redeeming the people from suffering is less . Rav Salamon speaks at length about out how one of Avraham Avinu’s main strengths was his power of hischadshus - his ability to innovate . He notes that in the Rambam’s description of Avraham’s contribution to the world it he uses the word, ‘maschil’ no less than five times in quick succession . Rav Salamon writes that “Avraham was a ‘maschil’, a person who began things. He was a revolutionary, a pioneer… He was the originator and founder of the Jewish people. Avraham was the first in everything he did. He had no father that he could follow, and thus, he was always breaking new ground. ” When trying to emulate Avraham we traditionally strive to learn from his great mida of chesed. We learn from here that his ‘koyach hahischadhus’, his ability at initiating, is also a mida that needs to be developed. The Cli Yakar also places great emphasis on the greatness of hischadshus. In Bereishis, the account of every day of the seven days of creation the Torah concludes with a description that it was ’good’ or ’very good’ with the exception of the second day. A number of explanations are given as to this anomaly - the Cli Yakar writes that nothing completely new was created on the second day, therefore, it cannot be described as ‘tov’ . It is apparent from this interpretation that something is described as good when it is associated with newness. There are a number of ways in which the ability to innovate is important in our lives. It is natural for a person to get into a habit of how he conducts his life, with regard to many aspects of his life, including his growth in Torah and midos, his relationships, and his ability to create and build. There are times when it is beneficial to step back and assess whether there is a necessity for a new approach in these areas. New approaches often provide alternative ways of dealing with situations and can meet with great success. An example of this is told over by a leading educator in the area of Shalom Bayis. There was a woman who was highly dissatisfied with her husband’s behavior and eventually decided that she wanted a divorce. This educator suggested to her, that before she take such a drastic step, she should try a new approach - she should focus completely on her own behavior and strive to be as good a wife as possible. Within a very short time of following this instruction, she saw a drastic change in her husband. Her willingness to try a new approach was the key to a huge improvement in her marriage. One of the most important areas in which the ‘koyach hahischadshus’ is so important is the creation and development of new ideas, movements, or organizations that can provide great benefit for Klal Yisroel. A tremendous example of this is that of Sara Shenirer zt”l - her idea of a Torah oriented educational structure was so revolutionary that it met with great opposition. Nonetheless, she had the vision and persistence to continue with her innovative idea and in doing so, had an incredible effect on the Jewish people. Another proof that new beginnings can be very beneficial is that the yetser hara makes it very difficult to push through with a new start , which is the reasoning behind the concept that ‘kol hashchalos kashos’ - all beginnings are difficult. As well as taking on a new approach, it is essential to be willing to see it through to the end despite the challenges that one may face in the process. Avraham Avinu may not be described as the ’greatest’ of the Avos, but in the area of hischadshus he certainly leads the way. May we all be zocheh to learn form him and make successful new beginnings when they are called for.

BECHUKOSAI – LIVING WITH OUR LEARNING

Parshas Bechukosai begins with the Torah telling us the conditions under which HaShem will provide the Jewish people with peace and sustenance. “If you will go with My decrees and observe My commandments and perform them;” The commentaries note that the verse seems repetitive in that it uses three separate clauses that seem to involve keeping the Torah – what is the difference between each clause? Rashi, quoting the Torah Kohanim that explains the first part of the verse, writes that, “If you will go with My decrees” refers to ameilus b’Torah . The second part, “and observe My commandments” builds on the first, meaning, “you should toil in Torah in order to guard and fulfill it…” This means that the Torah first tells us that in order to receive reward we must toil in Torah, but it continues that the toiling must be with the intentions of keeping the Torah. There is a significant difficulty with this explanation – it implies that there exists the concept of ‘toiling in Torah’ without intending to actually keep the Torah. This is difficult to comprehend, because the very idea of toiling suggests a deep appreciation of the importance of Torah to the extent where someone is willing to push himself in order to understand the word of G-d as expressed in the Torah. We understand that sadly there are people who study the Torah in some form but with no intention of keeping it, however their exertion falls well short of toiling, because they do not value it enough to exert themselves to such a great extent. However, with regard to a person who genuinely toils in Torah how can it be possible that a person who is willing to toil in Torah will not be interested in keeping the Torah?! The answer is that a person who puts in the effort to toil in Torah certainly must be interested in observing its commandments. The idea of toiling, but not in order to fulfill the Mitzvos, refers to something else. One can learn Torah but not recognize that the Torah he learns is supposed to change him internally as a person. Such a person fails to make the connection between his learning and his Avodas HaShem. He may well appreciate that learning Torah is a great Mitzvo but he may not take the extra step and realize that the Torah that he learns should transform his behavior in all aspects of life. This is perhaps the kind of ‘toiling’ that the Torah alludes to as not being for the sake of fulfillment. The same idea can be derived from the Mishna in Pirkei Avos that discusses different possible motivations for why a person may learn Torah: “Of one who learns in order to teach, they enable him to learn and teach: Of one who learns in order to do, they enable him to learn, teach, guard and perform.” The commentaries point out that the Mishna implies that only the one who “learns in order to do” intends to actually keep the Torah, indicating that one who learns in order to teach has no interest in keeping the Mitzvos. But if that is the case, such a person would not merit to learn and teach more. Indeed there are many sources in Chazal that one who learns with no intention of keeping the Torah is viewed in a most severe manner. One may answer in the same vein as above – the person who learns in order to teach, is surely interested in keeping the Torah, for if it were not that way then he would indeed to not be rewarded at all for his learning. Rather, the one who “learns in order to teach” does not learn in order to change himself as a person. Only the one who “learns in order to do” realizes that the Torah he learns is supposed to transform him as a person and effect all his actions. It is important to note that the concept of learning in order to change oneself is not limited to the learning of practical law. Indeed it is widely understood that the majority of one’s learning time is usually more focused on learning Gemara which is not necessarily focused on learning what to do in every situation. The point is that all forms of learning, if approached correctly, have the power to transform a person into a more refined, spiritual being. The Sfas Emes further demonstrates the centrality of this idea with a fascinating explanation of part of Birchas HaTorah . We ask HaShem, “v’haarev na HaShem, Elokeinu, es Divrei Torasecha...” This is normally translated as meaning, “please, HaShem, our G-d, make the Torah sweet….” The Sfas Emes observes that the word, ‘v’haarev’ is made up of the root letters, ayin, reish and beis, making the word ‘erev’. This can mean ‘to mix’, for example the word, ‘evening’ is ‘erev’ in hebrew – this refers to the fact that the evening is the time when the darkness begins to mix with the light. In this sense, the Sfas Emes explains that we are also asking HaShem to mix in the Torah that we learn into our beings, so that it not remain as superficial knowledge. In this vein, the Gedolim placed great emphasis on the fact that Torah should permeate a person’s being and affect his daily behavior. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l was once asked why the first Mesechta (Tractate)that boys learn is often Bava Metsia, which deals with the laws of ownership. He explained that it is to imbue the children at an early stage of their life with sensitivity to the property of other people. Thus we see that it was obvious to Rav Feinstein that the purpose of the children’s learning was far greater than merely giving them knowledge, it was supposed to make them more thoughtful people. Sadly, a person may not make the connection between what they learn and their daily lives. On one occasion two yeshiva students came to their Rosh Yeshiva to resolve a dispute. One had borrowed a walkman from the other and, by accident it broke. They were arguing as to whether the borrower was obligated to compensate the lender. The borrower argued that since it broke by mistake he should be exempt from paying the damages. At the time the Yeshiva was learning the Gemaras that discuss these exact laws, and the Rosh Yeshiva was shocked - these two young men who had been learning about cases that were identical to their dispBECHUKOSAI – LIVING WITH OUR LEARNING By Yehonasan Gefen Parshas Bechukosai begins with the Torah telling us the conditions under which HaShem will provide the Jewish people with peace and sustenance. “If you will go with My decrees and observe My commandments and perform them;” The commentaries note that the verse seems repetitive in that it uses three separate clauses that seem to involve keeping the Torah – what is the difference between each clause? Rashi, quoting the Torah Kohanim that explains the first part of the verse, writes that, “If you will go with My decrees” refers to ameilus b’Torah . The second part, “and observe My commandments” builds on the first, meaning, “you should toil in Torah in order to guard and fulfill it…” This means that the Torah first tells us that in order to receive reward we must toil in Torah, but it continues that the toiling must be with the intentions of keeping the Torah. There is a significant difficulty with this explanation – it implies that there exists the concept of ‘toiling in Torah’ without intending to actually keep the Torah. This is difficult to comprehend, because the very idea of toiling suggests a deep appreciation of the importance of Torah to the extent where someone is willing to push himself in order to understand the word of G-d as expressed in the Torah. We understand that sadly there are people who study the Torah in some form but with no intention of keeping it, however their exertion falls well short of toiling, because they do not value it enough to exert themselves to such a great extent. However, with regard to a person who genuinely toils in Torah how can it be possible that a person who is willing to toil in Torah will not be interested in keeping the Torah?! The answer is that a person who puts in the effort to toil in Torah certainly must be interested in observing its commandments. The idea of toiling, but not in order to fulfill the Mitzvos, refers to something else. One can learn Torah but not recognize that the Torah he learns is supposed to change him internally as a person. Such a person fails to make the connection between his learning and his Avodas HaShem. He may well appreciate that learning Torah is a great Mitzvo but he may not take the extra step and realize that the Torah that he learns should transform his behavior in all aspects of life. This is perhaps the kind of ‘toiling’ that the Torah alludes to as not being for the sake of fulfillment. The same idea can be derived from the Mishna in Pirkei Avos that discusses different possible motivations for why a person may learn Torah: “Of one who learns in order to teach, they enable him to learn and teach: Of one who learns in order to do, they enable him to learn, teach, guard and perform.” The commentaries point out that the Mishna implies that only the one who “learns in order to do” intends to actually keep the Torah, indicating that one who learns in order to teach has no interest in keeping the Mitzvos. But if that is the case, such a person would not merit to learn and teach more. Indeed there are many sources in Chazal that one who learns with no intention of keeping the Torah is viewed in a most severe manner. One may answer in the same vein as above – the person who learns in order to teach, is surely interested in keeping the Torah, for if it were not that way then he would indeed to not be rewarded at all for his learning. Rather, the one who “learns in order to teach” does not learn in order to change himself as a person. Only the one who “learns in order to do” realizes that the Torah he learns is supposed to transform him as a person and effect all his actions. It is important to note that the concept of learning in order to change oneself is not limited to the learning of practical law. Indeed it is widely understood that the majority of one’s learning time is usually more focused on learning Gemara which is not necessarily focused on learning what to do in every situation. The point is that all forms of learning, if approached correctly, have the power to transform a person into a more refined, spiritual being. The Sfas Emes further demonstrates the centrality of this idea with a fascinating explanation of part of Birchas HaTorah . We ask HaShem, “v’haarev na HaShem, Elokeinu, es Divrei Torasecha...” This is normally translated as meaning, “please, HaShem, our G-d, make the Torah sweet….” The Sfas Emes observes that the word, ‘v’haarev’ is made up of the root letters, ayin, reish and beis, making the word ‘erev’. This can mean ‘to mix’, for example the word, ‘evening’ is ‘erev’ in hebrew – this refers to the fact that the evening is the time when the darkness begins to mix with the light. In this sense, the Sfas Emes explains that we are also asking HaShem to mix in the Torah that we learn into our beings, so that it not remain as superficial knowledge. In this vein, the Gedolim placed great emphasis on the fact that Torah should permeate a person’s being and affect his daily behavior. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l was once asked why the first Mesechta (Tractate)that boys learn is often Bava Metsia, which deals with the laws of ownership. He explained that it is to imbue the children at an early stage of their life with sensitivity to the property of other people. Thus we see that it was obvious to Rav Feinstein that the purpose of the children’s learning was far greater than merely giving them knowledge, it was supposed to make them more thoughtful people. Sadly, a person may not make the connection between what they learn and their daily lives. On one occasion two yeshiva students came to their Rosh Yeshiva to resolve a dispute. One had borrowed a walkman from the other and, by accident it broke. They were arguing as to whether the borrower was obligated to compensate the lender. The borrower argued that since it broke by mistake he should be exempt from paying the damages. At the time the Yeshiva was learning the Gemaras that discuss these exact laws, and the Rosh Yeshiva was shocked - these two young men who had been learning about cases that were identical to their dispute and yet they were unable to take the small logical step to a real-life situation. The Rosh Yeshiva went to Rav Moshe Feinstein to ask him how this could come about. Rav Feinstein explained that these boys were subject to the above discussed malaise – they saw Torah learning as an intellectual activity that did not connect to their lives. We have seen how important it is to ensure that the Torah we bring into our heads also goes into our hearts and come out through our behavior. The first stage in succeeding in this task is simply to acknowledge that the Torah we learn should make us into different people, and to observe if this is the case. A second possible approach is that after one has learnt a piece of Torah, he should think about what this Torah taught him about how HaShem looks at the world, and to try to integrate that attitude into his own outlook. A diligent Torah student once proudly told his Rebbe that he had gone through the entire Shas . The Rebbe answered him, “but has Shas gone through you?!” May we all merit to learn and do in the way that the Torah intended. ute and yet they were unable to take the small logical step to a real-life situation. The Rosh Yeshiva went to Rav Moshe Feinstein to ask him how this could come about. Rav Feinstein explained that these boys were subject to the above discussed malaise – they saw Torah learning as an intellectual activity that did not connect to their lives. We have seen how important it is to ensure that the Torah we bring into our heads also goes into our hearts and come out through our behavior. The first stage in succeeding in this task is simply to acknowledge that the Torah we learn should make us into different people, and to observe if this is the case. A second possible approach is that after one has learnt a piece of Torah, he should think about what this Torah taught him about how HaShem looks at the world, and to try to integrate that attitude into his own outlook. A diligent Torah student once proudly told his Rebbe that he had gone through the entire Shas . The Rebbe answered him, “but has Shas gone through you?!” May we all merit to learn and do in the way that the Torah intended.

BECHUKOSAI – INSIGHTS IN RASHI – RAISING OUR BITACHON

Vayikra, 26:3: If you will follow My decrees and observe my Commandments and perform them. Vayikra, 26:12-13: I will walk among you, I will be G-d to you and you will be a people to me. I am HaShem, your G-d Who took you out of the land of Egypt from being their slaves… Rashi, Vayikra, 26:13, sv. I am HaShem your G-d: “I am reliable that you should believe in Me, that I can do all these [things] for, behold, I took you out of the land of Egypt and I performed for you great miracles.” The Parsha begins with an account of the great rewards that HaShem promises the Jewish nation if they observe the Torah. This section ends with HaShem reminding the people that He took them out of the land of Egypt. Rashi, based on the Toras Kohanim, explains that HaShem is reassuring the people that He can be relied upon to fulfill His promises; His ‘proof’ is the fact that He already performed remarkable miracles, thus He can be relied upon to also do so in the future. A number of questions can be asked on this Rashi. One is that HaShem issued these promises a very short time after the great miracles of the Exodus. Accordingly, why was it necessary for Him to remind the people of these miracles in order that they believe the promises of future miracles – surely they would not forget them so soon after they took place?! This question can be answered through understanding a different problem in the Torah narrative. On more than one occasion in the desert, the Jews complain to Moshe about their difficult situation and hearken back to the days that they were in Mitzrayim. For example, in Parshas Behaalosecha they complain about the manna from Heaven that they were eating and reminisce about their life in Mitzrayim: “We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge; the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.” The commentaries wonder how they could have such short memories with regard to the terrible slavery that they endured. The answer given is based on the Gemara in Rosh Hashana that says that the Jews were freed from slavery for their last six months in Mitzrayim. In this time period they seemed to live comfortable lives and were able to eat the food mentioned in their complaints. Accordingly, when they fondly remembered their time in Mitzrayim they were thinking about their last six months, despite the facts that for many years before that they endured unbearable suffering. This demonstrates a powerful tool of the yetser hara to make a person have a short memory when it suits its purposes. In this instance, the yetser hara made them forget how terrible their time in Mitzrayim was, because of a mere six months of freedom. This caused them to complain so dramatically about their situation in the desert. With this principle we can answer our initial question as to why HaShem needed to remind the people about the great miracles as a reassurance that He would reward them in the future. The answer here too is that people have short memories; in this context it means that despite the fact that the Jewish people had recently experienced great miracles, it was very likely that when they would experience future hardships, their trust in G-d would falter. Consequently, they would be prone to forgetting the great kindnesses that He had done for them in the Exodus. Therefore it was necessary to remind them of HaShem’s ability to perform great miracles for them, so that they would use their memory of these events to bolster their trust in G-d in the future. This explanation has important ramifications on our lives. We too experience moments of clear Divine Kindness where it is obvious that HaShem is looking after us. Yet, on other occasions His Providence is not so evident and we can be prone to worrying about any number of possible situations, such as financial and health issues. In such situations we can easily forget the past kindnesses that HaShem has done for us and experience feelings of despair. Yet, by actively contemplating HaShem’s past actions we can be reassured that He is also with us in our current challenge. The Chovos Levavos makes this very point in Shaar Bitachon; he writes that one of the ways to increase our trust in G-d is to recall His numerous past kindnesses; this includes things that we take for granted including the gift of life itself. This requires an active effort, because, as we have seen, the yetser hara makes us quickly forget HaShem’s past kindnesses. But by spending a little time contemplating what He has done for us we can greatly increase our bitachon and serenity in difficult times.