פסח – התהוותה של האומה

בחג הפסח אנו חוגגים את יציאת מצריים, אנו מודים להקב"ה על חסדו העצום - בכך שהוציאנו לחרות מחיי השיעבוד הקשים במצרים. אולם, בכל מהותו של חג זה טמונה שאלה קשה ביותר. דמיינו לעצמכם, ראובן הולך לתומו ברחוב, לפתע מופיע מאַן שהוא אדם, ניצב למולו, בידו מוט עשוי מתכת, הוא מכה ברגלו של ראובן ללא רחמים, וגורם לו לשבר קשה בירכו. בעוד ראובן שרוע על הרחוב, נאבק בייסוריו, מופיע שוב אותו תוקף, ובנחת מודיע לו כי אין שום מקום לדאגה – הוא כירורג במקצועו, והוא מסכים בשמחה לנתח את ראובן על מנת לרפא את רגלו השבורה. הוא מבצע את הניתוח – ורגלו של ראובן אכן מחלימה לגמרי. כיצד אמור ראובן להרגיש כלפי אותו אדם? האם עליו לחוש הכרת הטוב עצומה כלפיו – באשר הוא ריפא את רגלו? ודאי שלא! ראובן היה מעדיף שאותו אדם לא היה פוגע בו, ואז לא היה צורך בעזרתו הנדיבה לנתח את רגלו! בדומה לכך, בחג הפסח אנו מודים להקב"ה על שהוציאנו מארץ מצרים – אולם מאליה עולה השאלה: 'מי הכניס אותנו לשם בתחילה?!' – הקב"ה בעצמו הוא זה שהכניסנו לארץ מצרים – אם כן מדוע אנו לא פוסקים מלהודות להקב"ה שוב ושוב על חסדו בהוציאו אותנו ממצרים, כאשר הוא זה שיצר את שנות הסבל והשיעבוד אשר גרמו לנו להזדקק לחסד זה?

אם כן, מוכרחים אנו לומר שיציאת מצריים הייתה תהליך מהותי וחשוב להמשך עתידו של העם היהודי, ושנות השיעבוד היו נחוצות בכדי לאפשר תהליך זה. כיצד? בספרים הקדושים מוזכר רבות היסוד שהתחלתו ויצירתו של כל עניין מהווה גורם מהותי ביותר לגבי המשכו והתפתחותו העתידית. לדוגמא, קוד ה- DNA הראשוני הנישא בטיפת דם אחת המופרית – מכיל בתוכו את כל המידע הגנטי אשר לימים יצמח ויהיה לבן אנוש. לתהליך היצירה הראשוני ישנה השפעה חזקה ביותר על ההתפתחות העתידית.

יציאת מצריים הייתה ערש הולדתו של העם היהודי, יציאת מצריים הייתה הגרעין – תחילתו של תהליך אשר הוביל את עמנו לקבל את התורה ולהיכנס לארץ ישראל. ולכן האופן בו נוצר העם היהודי ביציאת מצריים, משפיע השפעה רבת עוצמה על עתידו של העם ועל התפתחותו. ברור מעל לכל ספק כי מערכת החוקים והכללים אשר מובילים את עם ישראל ומאחדים אותו תחתם – שונים בתכלית השינוי מחוקי כל עם אחר. אם נביט אל ההיסטוריה הכללית, נבחין כי רוב המדינות נוצרו כאשר קבוצה גדולה של אנשים התיישבו בחבל ארץ מסוים, או לחילופין גברו על קבוצת אנשים אחרת וסיפחו לעצמם את השליטה על שטחם. השטח הפך להיות ארץ המולדת של אותה אומה שנוצרה. התהוותו של עם ישראל היתה שונה בתכלית מהיבטים רבים: ראשית – עמנו לא עשה דבר אשר סייע לכך שיצאו ממצרים. עשרת המכות, אשר גרמו למצרִים לשלח אותם מארצם היו בידי שמיים בלבד, ללא כל התערבות מצד בני ישראל. שנית, בעוד רוב האומות האחרות נולדו בארצן הן, עמנו נולד כאשר היה בארץ אחרת – מחוץ לארצו האמיתית – זהו תרחיש היסטורי יוצא דופן וייחודי מאוד. אולם ההבדל המשמעותי ביותר הינו האופן בו הייתה יצירתו של העם בפועל. בעוד אומות אחרות נוצרו בהתאם לכללי הטבע הרגילים, הרי שעמנו נוצר בדרך ניסית לחלוטין – עשרת המכות היו כולן מעבר לכללי הטבע, כמו גם קריעת ים סוף. עובדה זו הינה בעלת חשיבות ומשמעות לאין כמוה – בזמן היצירה, בזמן ההתחלתי, הוגדרה הדרך בה ישפיעו חוקי הטבע הרגילים על עמנו לכל אורך הדרך. אומות אחרות ותושביהן חיים תחת חוקי הטבע – ישנו דפוס היסטורי מסודר אשר על פיו מתנהל כל עם רגיל. בניגוד לכך, ההיסטוריה של עם ישראל מתפתחת בהתאם לחוקים וכללים אחרים לגמרי – כללים אשר עומדים מעל לדרך הטבע. המקור לכך הייתה התהוותו הניסית של עם ישראל – יציאת מצרים.

שאלנו מדוע אנו כל כך מודים להקב"ה על שהוציאנו משיעבוד מצרים. התשובה היא שאנו אסירי תודה על כך שהוא הכניס אותנו לשנות השיעבוד – ואחר כך הוציאנו משם בידו החזקה. רק בשל העובדה שהיינו חלשים וחסרי אונים כל כך – יכולה הייתה יצירתו של העם להיות כפי שהייתה – ניסית לחלוטין. אף אחד לא יכול היה לנסות לזקוף לזכותו שום הצלחה והישג בתהליך המופלא של יציאת מצרים. לו היינו חיים במצרים כאנשים חופשיים ומשוחררים, ולאחר מכן היינו יוצאים ממצרים לארץ ישראל, או אז היינו עלולים בקלות ליחס חלק מההצלחות, או כולן – לעצמנו. היצר האומר "כוחי ועוצם ידי עשה לי את החיל הזה" היה צץ ועולה. כדי למנוע מצב כזה, שנות השעבוד הקשות גרמו לכך שהמאורעות הבאים אחריהם היו ניסיים באופן מוחלט. הם היו מידי הקב"ה בלבד ללא כל התערבות אנושית מצידנו. כך גם מובנת ההלכה שיש לספר ביצירת מצרים בצורה של "מתחיל בגנות ומסיים בשבח" ה"גנות" היא מהותית ביותר במהלך העניינים, אשר הובילו ליצירתו של עמנו בדרך כה ניסית, ללא ה"גנות"- שנות השיעבוד הקשות, לא היינו יכולים לזכות ל"שבח" – לניסים הגדולים אשר הם המקור להתנהלות הניסית של עמנו לכל אורך השנים.

עד כה הבהרנו כיצד יצירתו של עם ישראל בדרך ניסית גרמה לכך שכל מציאות קיומו של עמנו הינה תחת מערכת חוקים שונה לחלוטין מעמים אחרים הנתונים תחת חוקי הטבע. כיצד עובדה זו מוכיחה את עצמה? ב"אש התורה" ישנה סדרת שיעורים בתוך קורס חקר הנקרא "שבעת פלאי ההיסטוריה היהודית", שיעורים אלה מראים כיצד ישנם מספר עניינים ייחודיים ביותר בהיסטוריה היהודית אשר גורמים לה להיות שונה ומופרדת מההיסטוריה הכללית של העולם. כגון: נצחיותו וסגוליותו המיוחדת של העם היהודי; הישרדותו חרף כל הגלויות וחרף הפזורה הרבה שלו על פני כל העולם כולו; עמידתו בפני גילויי אנטישמיות קשים ותמידיים לכל אורך השנים. אומה אשר נכפית לעזוב את ארץ מולדתה, וזאת יותר מפעם אחת, תוך עמידה בפני רדיפות קשות ואכזריות, נדונה על פי חוקי ההיסטוריה הרגילים להיכחד מהעולם, או לחילופין להיטמע בין אומות אחרות. העובדה שהעם היהודי לא נדון לגורל כזה, מעידה על כך שהוא שייך למערכת חוקים היסטורית ייחודית ושונה לחלוטין.

דרך החיים היום יומית של יהודי שומר מצוות אף היא מראה כיצד התנהלותו של עם ישראל היא מעל לדרך הטבע. פעמים רבות אנו מתעלמים לחלוטין מתכתיביו של "השכל הישר". לדוגמא, בעלי עסקים רבים מגיעים לרווחים הגבוהים ביותר בשבת. ואם כך – ההיגיון הפשוט אומר כי אדם הרוצה להרוויח יפה – עליו לעבוד בשבת. אולם, יהודים שומרי תורה ומצוות יודעים שחוקי התורה הינם הרבה מעבר לחוקי ההיגיון הפשוט. אנו יודעים שרווחה כלכלית אינה נקבעת על פי השעות והימים בהם אנו עובדים, אלא על פי רצון ה', וודאי שעבודה בשבת קודש לא תניב שום רווח.

ברור שיהודי שומר תורה ומצוות מנהל אורח חיים המונחה על פי הוראות התורה, אולם, למרות זאת עדיין ישנם שטחים רבים בהם אורח חיים זה מעמיד אותם בפני אתגרים ושאלות מהותיות: מהי הגישה אשר מנוותת את חייו? האם הוא מתמקד בעיקר בקניינים והישגים גשמיים כמקור לאושרו, או שהוא משכיל להתיחס לשיקולים רוחניים העולים על כל קניין גשמי? לדוגמא, אדם שגישתו היא "השכל הישר" בלבד, יהיה עבורו הגיוני הרבה יותר לעבוד שעות נוספות, מאשר להקדיש מידי יום מספר שעות ללימוד התורה. אולם אדם שהשקפתו מתעלה מעל חוקי הטבע הרגילים יבין כי בסופו של דבר, שעות לימוד התורה שוות עבורו פי כמה מאשר להכניס לכיסו עוד הכנסה שהיא, אשר אינה נחוצה לו לקיומו הבסיסי. זוהי רק דוגמא מיני רבות הנכללות בתוך ההשקפה הכללית, אשר היא השאלה העיקרית אותה חייב כל אדם לשאול את עצמו מידי שנה בפסח: האם חיי מתנהלים על פי כללים רגילים, טבעיים – כמו כל הגויים, או הם מתנהלים על פי שאיפותיו של יהודי, השונות בתכלית מכל אחד אחר, ונובעות מההכרה בייחודיותו של עם ישראל.

מורי ורבי, הר' יצחק ברקוביץ שליט"א מבהיר, כי זוהי המחשבה שאמורה ללוות אותנו לכל אורך ה"סדר": בהגדה אנו קוראים כי "חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים", אין זה רק אומר כי עלינו לשוב אל יציאת מצריים וכמו לחוות אותה מחדש. למרות שגם זוהי מטרה ראויה לשמה, אין זו המטרה הסופית של לילה זה. העיקר הוא שנראה את עצמנו כחלק בלתי נפרד מהעם שיצא ממצרים בדרך ניסית, והפך להיות עם סגולתו של ה'. וכתוצאה מכך, להבין כי כל אחד ואחד מאיתנו נושא על גבו אחריות רבה – כל אחד מחויב לחיות את חייו בהתאם לכללים המובילים את עם ה'. המטרות שאנו שמים לפנינו בחיים צריכות להיות מונחות על פי שיקולים רוחניים. ואם אכן אנו חיים את חיינו על פי השקפה זו, הקב"ה ישיב לנו בחזרה בדרך בה הוא מנהיג אותנו – ללא כל גבול של "כללי הטבע", אלא הוא יאפשר לנו למלא את כל שאיפותינו הרוחניות, מעל לדרך הטבע. שנזכה כולנו לחג כשר ושמח.

THE HAGGADAH—THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL OF GRATITUDE

Numerous lessons can be derived from the Haggadah. One of them is brought out by Rav Noach Orlowek, shlita. He points out that the Haggadah is the single most revealing text about the Torah approach to gratitude.

The significance of the trait of gratitude in Torah thought is very apparent. Three times a day, we thank Hashem in the Modim prayer; every time we eat, we thank Hashem for providing us with food. Also, in the interpersonal realm, there is great emphasis on showing gratitude to those who help us. The mitzvos of kibbud av v'eim and kibbud rav, for example, are based largely on a recognition of how much are parents and teachers do for us. Yet it is no easy task to feel constant gratitude for all the kindnesses that Hashem and, l’havdil, people do for us. How can a person develop himself so that he excels in this most important trait?

The Haggadah and the halachos pertaining to it can answer this question. To fulfill the mitzvah of recounting our leaving Egypt, the Gemara tells us that we must begin by mentioning the genus (bad) before the shvach (good). There is a difference of opinion as to what exactly this entails. Rav says discussing the “bad” means that before we begin thanking Hashem for taking us out of Egypt, we must mention how our ancestors served idols. Shmuel argues that the “bad” refers to the slavery we suffered in Egypt before we left. We appear to follow both opinions, because both aspects of the genus are in the Haggadah. It seems that both views teach us a fundamental lesson about how to develop proper gratitude.

Shmuel’s opinion that we must begin with the slavery teaches us that in order for a person to feel truly thankful for everything he has, he must be able to contrast his present positive situation with his past. To truly appreciate Hashem’s kindness in taking us out of Mitzrayim, we must focus on the terrible slavery we endured there. By doing so, we can avoid the trap of taking for granted the physical and spiritual freedom that we gained by leaving Mitzrayim. So too, in our daily lives, when things are going smoothly, it is very easy to forget what Hashem has done for us, and how He constantly protects and sustains us. For example, when a person’s financial situation is stable, he may take this stability for granted and refrain from sufficiently thanking Hashem. However, if he thinks about the times when he did not know how he would support himself, and he contrasts these difficulties with his current security, it should help him feel grateful to Hashem.

It is less obvious how discussing the genus according to Rav inculcates gratitude. How does mentioning the fact that our descendants served idols bring us to a greater appreciation of Hashem? It seems that one of the main factors that prevents a person from showing gratitude is arrogance. An arrogant person feels he deserves all the kindness that Hashem or people bestow upon him. Accordingly, there is no hakaras hatov, no recognition of the good that others have done for him. He does not feel they have done anything special; rather, he has every right to expect them to serve him. In contrast, a humble person feels he deserves nothing. Therefore, he views anything done for him as a great favor, so he genuinely appreciates it.

With this understanding, we can explain how reminding ourselves of our lowly past can bring us to a greater appreciation of Hashem. We acknowledge that we are not great people with tremendous yichus; our heritage is nothing to be proud of. Moreover, we acknowledge that any spiritual accomplishments we have achieved are due to Hashem’s kindness. As we say in the Haggadah, “From the beginning our forefathers worshipped idols, and now the Omnipresent has brought us close to serving Him.” By stressing our humble background, we make ourselves far more able to properly appreciate kind deeds done for us.

Rav Shlomo Brevda, shlita, points out that he has known many Torah giants, each one greatly different from the other. However, one trait they all possessed in abundance was that of gratitude. This is perhaps because they all felt so humble that they viewed themselves as undeserving of anything done for them. May we emulate them and grow in our capacity to show gratitude to other people and, most important, to Hashem.

LEAVING THE IMPURITY OF EGYPT - PESACH

Even after the Jews left Mitzrayim, the dangers of their being affected by that corrupt nation remained very real. Accordingly, the Torah commands us: “Do not perform the practices of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelled….” Rashi writes that Mitzrayim was the most decadent nation, and the Jews dwelled in the most decadent areas of the country. Why did Hashem deliberately place the Jewish people in the most corrupt place on earth?

Rav Eliyahu E. Dessler, ztz”l, answers this question in an essay in which he discusses how one should react to negative surroundings. He observes that a negative society can have a very detrimental effect on a person. However, if he is so strong that its negative influences do not harm him, it can actually strengthen his service of Hashem. How so? Rav Dessler explains that when such a person sees the surrounding evil, it becomes more disgusting in his eyes, because he attains a greater recognition of its depravity. This clarity strengthens his appreciation of good. Based on this understanding of human nature, Rav Dessler makes a historical observation that can explain why Hashem placed the Jewish people in the most degenerate place on earth:

Every time a tzaddik has had to rise to an extremely high level, he has been flung into the most lowly and degenerate environments, so he can learn the lowliness of evil and strengthen himself in goodness to the opposite extreme.

Hashem placed the Jews in Mitzrayim so they could develop an intense hatred of its tumah, which, Rav Dessler writes, was indeed their motivation for crying out to Him to free them from this terrible place. This intense disgust catapulted them from the forty-ninth level of tumah to the level of being able to receive the Torah. Had they found themselves in a less immoral environment, they could not have risen to such a high level.

This approach would also seem to explain why the Jewish people had to go to a similarly abhorrent land, that of Canaan. Seeing the immorality of the Canaanite nations was intended to intensify the Jews’ revulsion at evil and, in turn, heighten their appreciation of Torah morality.

Rav Dessler’s principle helps us understand some important aspects of Pesach. We begin the Haggadah by discussing our ancestors who worshipped idols. Rav Dessler asks, how is this ancestry connected to the story of leaving Mitzrayim? He answers that through being surrounded by such negativity, Avraham Avinu rose to such kedushah that its power would never be nullified. The redemption from Egypt sprouted directly from this holiness. Therefore, we talk about our idol-worshipping ancestors to highlight that it was as a direct result of their impurity that Avraham reached such incredible heights, and his greatness in turn planted the seeds of yetzias Mitzrayim.

We can now gain a deeper understanding of why the Haggadah goes to considerable lengths to discuss such negative influences as our pagan ancestors, Lavan, and the Egyptians. Perhaps this focus is intended to arouse our disgust at such immoral people and, in turn, heighten our appreciation of Hashem’s freeing us from them and giving us the Torah.

In today’s world, the challenge of secular influences is unavoidable. Even if we live in observant communities, myriad negative influences bombard us daily. It is, of course, highly advisable to minimize their impact, but it is impossible to eliminate all exposure to them. Rav Dessler’s principle can help us deal with these influences and perhaps even use them positively. By observing the obvious problems of the secular world, we can enhance our appreciation for the beauty of a Torah lifestyle. May we all protect ourselves from negative influences and use them to grow closer to Hashem.

DEFINING A NATION - PESACH

On Pesach we celebrate Yetsias Mitzrayim and express our endless gratitude to Hashem for extracting us from the terrible slavery that we endured there. However, there is a great difficulty with the whole essence of this festival. Imagine Reuven is walking down the street and suddenly someone appears in front of him holding a steel bar and strikes his leg very hard, causing it to break. Whilst Reuven is sprawled out on the floor in agony, his assailant approaches him and calmly informs him that there is no need to worry because he is a surgeon and will happily perform the operation to help heal Reuven’s broken leg. He performs the surgery and Reuven’s leg does indeed heal. How should Reuven feel about this person - should he feel tremendous gratitude that he healed him? Of course not! - He would much rather have preferred if he had never been hit, and consequently would not have needed surgery. Similarly on Pesach we thank Hashem for taking us out of Mitzrayim but the question must be asked: ‘who put us there initially?!’ It was Hashem Himself - so why are we thanking Him so profusely for a chesed that need not have been required at all?!

It must be that the actual process of being taken out of Mitzrayim was essential to the future of the Jewish people and that the slavery was necessary in order to facilitate it. How is this so? The sefarim discuss how the beginning of something is the defining factor in how that thing will develop. For example, the intial DNA of a fertilised egg contains all the genetic information that will eventually sprout into a human being. The way in which it is formed will have a great effect on how it develops.

Yetsias Mitzrayim was the birth of a nation, the beginning of the process that led us to receive the Torah and enter Eretz Yisroel. Accordingly, the way in which Klal Yisroel was formed had a huge impact on its subsequent development. It determined that the spiritual laws governing Klal Yisroel were completely different from those of the other nations. Historically most nations are formed when a large group of people settles an area of land or overcomes another group and seizes control of their land, which then becomes the home of this nation. The birth of Klal Yisroel was very different in many respects: Firstly, we did nothing to facilitate the Exodus - the Ten Plagues which caused the Mitzrim to send us out were purely Divine acts, with no input from us. Secondly, whilst most nations are born in their own land, we were born in a foreign country - a unique historical event. But the most important difference is the manner in which our creation took place. Whilst other nations are formed according to the normal laws of nature, we were formed in a totally miraculous fashion - the Ten Plagues were completely beyond derech hateva as was the Splitting of the Sea. This is of immense significance - it defined the way in which the ‘laws of nature’ would effect Klal Yisroel. The other nations and their inhabitants live according to derech hateva - there are historical trends that define the development of the nations. In contrast the history of Klal Yisroel developed according to a different set of laws, laws that are above derech hateva. This was defined by our formation - Yetsias Mitzrayim.

We asked why we are so thankful to Hashem for freeing us from the slavery. The answer is that we are grateful that He put us in the slavery and then took us out. It was only because we were so weak and helpless that our formation could be completely in the hands of Hashem - it was impossible to attribute any aspect of Yetsias Mitzrayim to our power. Had we been free men who lived in Mitzrayim and not slaves, and then left it for Eretz Yisroel, it would have been very easy for us to attribute some or all of our success to our own hands - there would have been the yetser hara of ‘my power and my strength enabled me to achieve this success’. Instead the slavery facilitated the miraculous events that characterized Yetsias Mitzrayim which were clearly completely from the Yad Hashem and involved no input from any human being . This explains the halacha that we must discuss the ’genai’ of the story of Yetsias Mitzrayim before the ‘shvach’. The genai was intrinsic to the course of events that led to our formation in such a miraculous fashion, without it, the ‘shvach’, that is the miracles which became the model for our existence, could never have happened.

We have thus far discussed how the formation of Klal Yisroel dictated that our actual existence be defined by a completely different set of ‘laws of nature’ than those of the other nations. How has this manifest itself? The Aish Hatorah Discovery Seminar teaches a class known as ’the Seven Wonders of Jewish History’. This class shows how there are several unique factors that set apart Jewish history from that of the rest of the world. These include: The eternal and chosen status of the Jewish people; their predicted survival despite their exile and worldwide dispersion; their predicted survival in the face of persistent, vehement anti-Semitism. A nation that is forced to leave its own homeland on more than onc occasion, whilst facing tremendous persecution, is by the regular ‘laws of history’, destined either to be destroyed or assimilated into other nations. That the Jewish people have not faced this fate is clearly an indication of a unique pattern of history.

This concept of Klal Yisroel living above Derech hateva also shows itself in how observant Jews conduct their daily lives. We often do not act according to the dictates of regular ‘common sense’. For example, many businesses are the most busy on Shabbos and therefore logic dictates that one work on Shabbos. However, observant Jews know that the laws of the Torah override this practical attitude. We realize that our financial well-being is not determined by how much we work, and that any work on Shabbos would not reap any benefit.

It is clear that the observant Jew follows a unique lifestyle based on the dictates of the Torah, nevertheless it seems that there are still areas where this lesson provides a great challenge in life. What is the overall attitude with which one approaches life? Does he focus primarily on materialistic success as his source of happiness, or does he realize that spiritual considerations override this. For example, in a purely logical way of approaching life, it would be far more sensible to work more hours than to spend a few hours each day learning Torah. However, according to an outlook that transcends the normal laws of nature, one would realize that learning Torah is ultimately far more important than making that extra bit of money that is not necessary for survival. This is just one example of a general attitude that encompasses the major decision each Jew needs to think over every Pesach - that is, do I live my life according to the regular laws of nature like the goyim or do I realize that a Jew’s ambitions are completely different, defined by an understanding of the unique nature of Klal Yisroel. My Rebbe, Rav Yitzhak Berkovits Shlita explains that this is also the main lesson that we should have in mind during the Seder: The Haggadah tells us that we are obligated to see ourselves as if we left Mitzrayim ourselves - this does not just mean that we should re-live the actual story of the Exodus. Whilst this is praiseworthy, it is not the ultimate goal. The ikar is that we should see ourselves as being part of the Nation that left Mitzrayim in a miraculous fashion, a Nation that was formed to be the Am Hashem. And consequently we must realize that this places upon us a responsibility - that we must live our lives according to the laws that guide an Am Hashem; our life goals must be primarily guided by spiritual considerations. And if we live life with such an attitude then Hashem reflects that in how He guides us - with no limits of the ‘laws of nature’, rather He will enable us to fulfil our spiritual goals in a way that transcends nature. We should all have a Chag kasher v’sameach.

THE GREATNESS AND LOWLINESS OF MAN - TZAV

The Parsha begins with the mitzvo of terumas hadeshen, whereby the Kohen must remove the ashes from the previous day’s offering. Rabbeinu Bechaya writes that this mitzvo teaches the mida of humility before Hashem because the Kohen must humble himself to perform this seemingly degrading act . The Kli Yakar adds that the ashes should remind the Kohen of Avraham Avinu’s recognition that man comes from ’afar v’eifer’ .

There are many other maamrei Chazal that also emphasize the importance of recognizing the lowly nature of man. Two examples are found in Pirkei Avos: “..Know from where you came from and to where you are going… from where did you come? From a putrid drop, and to where are you going? To a place of dust, worms and maggots. ” “Rebbe Levyatas, man of Yavne says, ’be very, very lowly of spirit because the hopes of man are maggots. ”

However, there are also a number of maamrei Chazal that seem to focus on the greatness inherent in man. The Gemara in Sanhedrin says that “whoever destroys a soul amongst Israel, the Torah considers it as if he destroyed a whole world, and whoever saves a soul amongst Israel the Torah considers it as if he saved an entire world. ” In Avos, Rebbe Akiva says, “man is precious because he was created in the Image [of G-d]. ”

On superficial analysis it could seem that there is a contradiction within Chazal as to whether man is on a very high or very low level. However, in truth there is no contradiction, rather, the differences in these maamrei Chazal’ simply reflect two different angles of approaching the status of man. One approach is to focus on man’s body, characterized by lowly bodily desires, and the other is to emphasize man‘s soul, which is of unparalleled greatness.

This explanation is proven by closer analysis of the sources quoted above: The terumas hadeshen was intended to remind the Kohen of the fleeting nature of the body, reminding him that it ends in afar v’eifer, but was not discussing man‘s soul. The Mishna in Avos that exhorts man to be very, very humble similarly focuses on man‘s body. It uses the uncommon term for man, ‘enosh’, instead of the more common, ‘adam’ or ‘ish’. This is because the word enosh represents the more lowly aspects of man such as his physical desires. The Mishna is saying that a person should not let himself become overly proud of his physical achievements because, like all finite things, they do not last. The Mishna is not saying that a man should feel that he is inherently worthless and low, rather that his success in the realm of gashmius is of no intrinsic worth. The same is true of the Mishna that tells us to remember that we come from a putrid drop and are heading for worms and maggots. It is referring to the transient nature of man’s body, but is not discussing his soul at all.

In contrast, the Gemara in Sanhedrin which stresses the inherent greatness of every individual focuses on the spiritual greatness of each person. The Mishna in Avos explicitly says that man’s dearness in Hashem’s eyes is because he was created in the Tzelem Elokim, a reference to man’s neshama. It is clear that there is no machlokes within Chazal, rather, in some places Chazal emphasize the need for man to focus on the lowliness of his body and in others, they stress the importance of recognizing the greatness of his soul.

Rav Wolbe zt”l observes that many people think there is in fact a machlokes in the Mussar world as to whether man is great or lowly. He strongly rejects this opinion, writing that both are true, and that at various times in one’s life he should focus on the lowliness of his body and at other times, he should focus more on the greatness of his soul . There does, however seem to be an element of risk about stressing the lowliness of man without giving him an appreciation of his intrinsic greatness. If a person does not have a healthy self-image, then focusing on his lowliness can have a very dangerous effect. Instead of making him realize that he should not feel arrogant about his physical accomplishments, it can make him question the value of his very essence. Only a person who is attuned to the inherent goodness of his essence can accept harsh mussar about the lowliness of his body.

A corollary of emphasis on the lowliness of man is an approach of midos hadin whereby an educator or parent focuses on the negative aspects of the talmid or child. Many contemporary educators point out that in previous generations people had healthier self-images and therefore, the midos hadin approach could be used without fear of causing undue damage. However, nowadays, overly harsh treatment can make a student or child to feel worthless, causing him great damage. Indeed this is a common reason why young people leave the Torah derech in their search for a feeling of fulfillment and self-worth.

Moreover, even if a person feels that his talmid or child can handle the stricter approach it is instructive to rembember the Gemara in Sotah that tells us, “Always, the left hand should push away and the right should bring close. ” This means that the strict approach should be used with the weaker left hand and the chesed approach should be used with the stronger right hand. The Gemara’s use of the word, ‘always’ indicates that this is an eternal principle and there are no exceptions to it. In this vein, one well-known educator believes that for every critical comment to a child, there should be at least four positive comments.

The parsha teaches us that a human being should remember the transient nature of the body. This is a very important lesson, but as we have seen, it is not the complete lesson. We must also remember that we, our children, and our talmidim, are of incredible spiritual worth. May we all merit to find the right balance.

THE TEMPTATIONS OF MONEY - TZAV

"And Hashem said to Moshe, saying; Command (tzav) Aharon and his sons, to say; this is the Law of the Olah.. .

The Parsha begins with Hashem instructing Moshe to command the Kohanim with regard to the Olah, a korban ('sacrifice' or 'offering'). Chazal note the use of the word, 'tzav' in the passuk; normally the Torah would say 'tell Aharon and his sons..' why here did the Torah use the stronger language of 'tzav'? The Medrash, quoted by Rashi explains that the word 'tzav' implies an extra sense of zerizus (alacrity) and that there was an extra necessity for this stronger language with regard to the Olah offering. Rebbe Shimon explains that there is an element of financial loss involved with this offering, therefore there was the concern that the Kohanim would be more hesitant in fulfilling the Mitzvo of Olah. Accordingly, it used the stronger language of 'tzav' in order to warn the Kohanim of the extra need for zerizus in bringing the Olah .

Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt"l points out a remarkable lesson from this maamer Chazal (saying of the Rabbis). The Kohen Gadol was, in most instances, the most righteous and holy man of the generation . Moreover, the Gemara tells us that one of the prerequisites for being the Kohen Gadol is that he must be very wealthy . Based on the Kohen Gadol's great righteousness and wealth, it would have seemed unnecessary for the Torah to be concerned about a possible lack of alacrity as a result of a relatively small financial loss! Rav Levenstein explains that the Torah is teaching us that even the Kohen Gadol is subject to the yetser hara of love for money !

Chazal emphasize the power of the desire for money in a number of other places . One striking example of this is the Gemara in Bava Basra that discusses the most commonly transgressed aveiros. "Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav, the majority of people [stumble] in theft, a minority [stumble] in immorality ... " Rashi explains that the Gemara does not mean that the majority of people engage in blatant theft, rather they rationalize during their business dealings to withhold the money that others deserve. This Gemara teaches us how everyone is at risk of being enticed by the yetser hara for money to justify dishonest behavior that constitutes theft according to Torah law.

The greatest tzaddikim felt the power of the yetser hara for acquisition of money. Rav Yisroel Salanter zt"l once visited the home of a very wealthy man. The man had to step out of the room for a few minutes, leaving Rav Yisroel alone. When the man returned, Rav Yisroel was no longer in the room. He finally found Rav Yisroel standing outside the house. Rav Yisroel explained that there was a large amount of uncounted money in that room and Rav Yisroel did not want to be alone with that money. He explained by bringing the aforementioned Gemara that the majority of people stumble in theft and only a minority stumble in immorality. There is a prohibition of yichud to be alone with a woman because of the concern that one may not be able to overcome his temptation for immorality. Rav Yisroel concluded that if there is an issur yichud for fear of arayos of which only a minority stumble, then all the more so there should be an issur yichud with money, an area in which a majority stumble! Accordingly, he did not want to remain in the room alone with the uncounted money .

If someone such as Rav Yisroel Salanter felt a need for extra boundaries to protect himself from the temptations of money, then surely everyone needs to be extra vigilant of this powerful yetser hara. There are a number of areas in which such vigilance is necessary. Firstly, the lesson of this Parsha is that one must be careful that fear of loss of money does not harmfully effect one's fulfillment of Mitzvos. There are numerous Mitzvos that involve significant expenses, and one should strive to maintain the same alacrity in performing such Mitzvos as in less expensive Mitzvos. Moreover, one should be aware to maintain consistency in his spending on Mitzvos in comparison to his expenses on material comforts. If one elaborately spends on his vacations, home and car, then he should show a similar desire to spend money on Mitzvos in general and giving charity in particular. The Chofetz Chaim zt"l once encouraged a wealthy man to give more charity - the man felt that he was already giving a significant amount. The Chofetz Chaim showed him that he actually spent more on his drapery alone than what he gave in charity!

Another way in which love of money can hinder one's Avodas Hashem is that in areas of potential monetary loss a person may be tempted to 'bend' the laws of the Torah. Thus, an otherwise G-d fearing person, may be inclined to avoid asking shilos (halachic questions) to Rabbanim in areas of mammonos (monetary issues). Rav Yisroel Reisman Shlita once devoted a whole shiur to emphasizing that just as one would ask a shilo in areas related to kashrus and Shabbos, he should be careful to do the same in areas that are discussed in Choshen Mishpat.

It seems that the root of the desire for money is related to the 'slavery' that we try to uproot on Pesach. The sefarim discuss how freedom is not limited to being allowed to do as one pleases. The Torah conception of freedom means that one is not overly attached to the physical world. Love of money is one of the main ways in which a person can be subject to this form of 'slavery' - his desire for money hinders his ability to perform Mitzvos because he finds it difficult to part from it even when the Torah requires that he do so. On Pesach we emphasize our freedom from the physical world. This is symbolized by the Mitzvo to eat Matzo on Seder night, which is low and has no additions. So too, on Pesach we return to our pure essence, free of 'additions' such as material possessions which prevent us from serving Hashem properly. May Hashem grant us all a Pesach of true freedom from the yetser hara.

THE OLAH AND THE SHELAMIM - TZAV

In Parshas Tzav, the Torah introduces us to two of the most important kinds of offerings: The Olah (elevation) offering and the Shelamim (peace) offering . The Olah is entirely burnt on the altar, all of it going up to Shamayim, whereas the Shelamim is only partially burnt, the rest being shared by the animal’s owner, his family and the Kohen. Rav Uziel Milevsky zt”l discusses the symbolism of these two offerings. He begins by quoting the Meshech Chochma who brings a dispute between the two great Rabbinic leaders, Hillel and Shammai with regard to the Olah and Shelamim offerings. When a person comes to the Temple on the Three Foot Festivals he must bring a Chagigah offering, which is from the Shelamim category, and the Re’iyah offering, which is in the Olah category. These particular sacrifices had no upper limit to their value, however they did have a minimum value. According to Shammai, the Olah, which was completely offered to G-d, had to be worth at least two silver coins, whilst the Shelamim only had to be one silver coin. Hillel held the opposite – the Shelamim’s minimum was two silver coins, whilst that of the Olah was one. For some reason Shammai ascribed greater value to the Olah whilst Hillel saw the Shelamim as being of greater worth.

The Meshech Chochma says that this dispute is indicative of a fundamental difference in outlook between these two schools of thought. The source of this difference is another disagreement between Shammai and Hillel with regard to the creation of the world. The Yalkut Shimoni notes a contradiction between two verses which suggest the order in which the heavens and earth were created: The opening verse of Bereishis states that first, G-d created the heavens and then the earth. However, the second chapter implies that the earth was created before the heavens. Shammai argued that the heavens were created first, whilst Hillel held that the earth came first. Rav Milevsky, based on the Meshech Chochma, explains that they are arguing as to which is most central in G-d’s creation; heaven or earth. Shammai held that the world remains ‘heaven-centric’, this means that the cardinal principles guiding it are values that belong in the higher spheres, namely, Torah and Emes (truth).

Hillel, in contrast believed that the world is ‘earth-centric’. This means that its cardinal principles are based on human beings and the imperfections of this world. In order to understand the practical applications of Hillel and Shammai’s ideologies and how they manifest in our lives it is instructive to analyze a number of maamarei Chazal (Rabbinic sources) that illustrate other disagreements between Shammai and Hillel in both areas of law and hashkafa outlook. We can then explain why Shammai ascribed greater value to the Olah, whilst Hillel gave more value to the Shelamim.
The Gemara in Sanhedrin discusses a significant difference between Moshe Rabbeinu and his brother Aaron Kohen Gadol, with regard to justice. When a legal dispute was brought to court, Aaron’s view was that the judge should aim for compromise and try to engender a relationship of peace and harmony between the litigants, even if one party may, on occasion be less deserving than the other. Nonetheless, maintaining peace was a higher priority to Aaron than exacting pure justice. Moshe, in contrast, believed that the judge should aim for the complete truth, handing down his verdict in accordance with that truth, regardless of the feelings of the litigants. The Meshech Chochma observes that Hillel relates to Aaron, as is demonstrated in Pirkei Avos, where Hillel directs us to be among the disciples of Aaron in terms of bringing peace between our fellow man. The implication is that Hillel is telling us to be more like Aaron than Moshe. This is not because there is anything lacking in Moshe’s approach rather that his level is so high that it is of pure truth. On such a level there is no room for compromising because of people’s feelings – the truth is the highest value. Shammai’s approach is more in line with Moshe’s approach: He maintains that whilst we cannot attain Moshe’s exalted level, nonetheless, we must strive to attain whatever truth we can. In this way, Shammai focuses on Heaven more than earth – in heaven, where there is no room for compromise of truth, the truth is unadulterated.

This difference in approach manifests itself in a disagreement with regard to emes and sheker (falsehood). The Gemara in Kesubos discusses the case of a just married couple; and the bride is not particularly worthy of praise – Hillel and Shammai argue about what one should say to the groom. Shammai says that you must say the truth as it is, regardless of hurting the feelings of the groom. Hillel argues that this will cause discomfort, therefore one should praise her in a vague fashion. Shammai argues that Hillel’s approach would constitute a transgression of the prohibition to lie, whilst Hillel holds that in such cases, maintaining peace and harmony between a bride and groom overrides the prohibition not to lie, therefore in such a case the prohibition doesn’t apply at all. Hillel’s approach is that it is not truthful to cause pain and dissension amongst people. This dispute provides an illuminating example of the ramifications of Hillel and Shammai’s divergent world views. Shammai adheres to a strict adherence to truth, whereas Hillel compromises the value of truth with that of peace.

With this understanding of the approaches of Shammai and Hillel we can now understand the underlying reason for their dispute as to which koraban should be of greater minimum value – the Olah or the Shelamim. The Olah, burnt on the altar entirely for G-d, is a ‘heaven-offering’ – for Shammai, the main focus is man’s service of G-d and adherence to pure truth. For Hillel, however, the main focus is peace,therefore he attributed greater value to the Shelamim, which was shared by the animal’s owner, his family, and the Kohen, thus enhancing peace and harmony amongst people.
We have analyzed the fundamental differences between Hillel and Shammai and how they reflect their conflicting rulings with regard to the Olah and Shelamim. We have seen that Hillel’s view emphasizes compromise in addition to truth, whilst Shammai’s focuses on pure adherence to truth. The Gemara in Eruvin states that after three years of debate between the two schools a voice announced, “The words are both words of the Living G-d, but the law is like Beis Hillel”. This means that both views are correct, but they have different approaches. In this world the most fitting approach is that of like Beis Hillel because in this world the value of peace can sometimes appear to conflict with that of truth, and for the level of most people, the outlook of Beis Hillel is the most appropriate. One application of this discussion is that a person may mistakenly feel that it is a quality to always strictly adhere to the truth, even when it causes pain to others or can lead to discord. We learn from the fact that we follow Beis Hillel in this world, that there are times when it is impossible to maintain pure truth without causing pain to others. It is highly recommended for each person to learn the laws relating to when one may and may not alter the truth for the sake of peace.

צו- גדלות וקטנות האדם יהונתן גפן

הפרשה פותחת במצות תרומת הדשן – חיובו של הכהן לסלק את האפר הנותר מקרבנות היום הקודם. רבינו בחיי כותב שממצוה זו לומדים את מידת הענווה וההתבטלות לפני ה', כיוון שעל הכהן להשפיל את עצמו על מנת לקיים מעשה זה הנראה כלפי חוץ כמעשה מבייש. מוסיף הכלי יקר ואומר שמטרת האפר הנותר היא להזכיר לכהן את דבריו של אברהם אבינו – שהאדם הינו "עפר ואפר" .

ישנם מאמרי חז"ל רבים אחרים אשר אף הם מדגישים את חשיבות ההכרה בשפלותו של האדם. שניים מתוכם בפרקי אבות: "דע מאין באת ולאן אתה הולך... מאין באת? מטיפה סרוחה, ולאן אתה הולך? למקום עפר, רימה ותולעה" , "רבי לויטס איש יבנה אומר, מאד מאד הוי שפל רוח שתקוות אנוש רימה" . לעומת זאת, ישנם מאמרי חז"ל אחרים המדגישים את גדלותו וחשיבותו של כל אדם. הגמרא בסנהדרין אומרת "כל המאבד נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא, וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם מלא" , ובפרקי אבות- רבי עקיבא אומר "חביב אדם שנברא בצלם" .

במבט שטחי נראה לכאורה שישנה מחלוקת בין מאמרי חז"ל אלה – האם האדם נחשב לרם מעלה, או שמא שפל הוא עד מאד. אולם, האמת היא שונה. אין שום סתירה בין מאמרים אלה, אלא השוני ביניהם נובע משתי זוויות ראיה שונות המתייחסות כל אחת להיבט אחר באדם. גישה אחת מתמקדת בגוף האדם ובתאוותיו הנובעות ממקור גשמי ושפל, ואילו הגישה השנייה מדגישה את נשמתו של האדם – זו אשר גדלותה היא לאין שיעור כלל.

ניתן לראות הוכחה להסבר זה אם נעיין לעומק במקורות המובאים לעיל: תרומת הדשן נועדה להזכיר לכהן הגדול שגופו של האדם הוא בר חלוף, ולבסוף כל אדם יגיע לעפרו, אולם לא מדובר כלל על נשמת האדם. באותה מידה המשנה באבות הקוראת לכל אדם להיות מאד מאד שפל רוח – מתמקדת בגוף האדם אף היא. המשנה משתמשת בביטוי פחות מקובל לאדם -"אנוש" ולא אומרת "אדם" או "איש", כיוון שהמילה "אנוש" אכן מתייחסת לחלק הגשמי יותר של האדם, ולא לחלקים הגבוהים והרוחניים שבו. המשנה אומרת לאדם שאל לו להתגאות יתר על המידה בהישגיו הגשמיים, כיוון שבדומה לכל עניין גשמי אחר – הם אינם שלו לנצח. אין כוונת המשנה במילים אלה לומר לאדם שעליו לחוש שפל וחסר ערך עצמי, אלא שלהצלחותיו בתחום הגשמי אין שווי וערך משמעותי כלל. זהו גם ההסבר לגבי המשנה המזכירה לאדם שמקורו הוא מטיפה סרוחה, והוא הולך ומתקרב לעבר מקום עפר, רימה ותולעה – מדובר על מהותו העראית ובת החלוף של גוף האדם, ולא מדובר כלל על נשמת האדם.

לעומת זאת, הגמרא בסנהדרין, המדגישה את הגדלות הטבועה בכל אדם ואדם, מתייחסת לגדלותו הרוחנית של האדם. המשנה באבות מסבירה במפורש שהאדם חביב בעיני ה' בשל היותו נברא בצלם אלוקים – מהו צלם האלוקים של האדם? הנשמה שבקרבו שהיא חלק אלוק ממעל. ברור אם כך שאין כל מחלוקת במאמרי חז"ל, אלא במקומות מסוימים הראו חז"ל לאדם עד כמה שפל גופו, ובמקומות אחרים הדגישו את חשיבות ההכרה בגדולתה של הנשמה.

ר' שלמה וולבה זצ"ל כותב שרבים הם הטועים לחשוב שקיימת מחלוקת בעולם המוסר האם האדם הוא "גדול" או "קטן". הוא מוחה בתוקף נגד טעות זו, וכותב ששתי הגישות נכונות בהחלט, ואין כל מחלוקת ביניהם. כל אדם בזמנים מסוימים בחייו צריך להתמקד בשפלות גופו, ובהזדמנויות אחרות, עליו להתמקד יותר ברוממותה וגדלותה של נשמתו . אולם ישנו צד של סיכון מסוים בהדגשת שפלותו של האדם, אם מהעבר השני לא מעריכים ומדגישים את גדלותו ורוממותו. אדם שחי את חייו ללא דימוי עצמי חיובי, עלול להזיק לעצמו ביותר אם יעסוק בעיקר בקטנות האדם - במקום לטהר את נפשו מגאווה במעלות והישגים גשמיים, הוא עלול להגיע מתוך כך לפקפוק בערך מהותו הפנימית. רק אדם שמודע היטב לכוחותיו ולעוצמה הטבועה עמוק בנפשו, יכול להפנות אל עצמו דברי מוסר נוקבים וחדים העוסקים בקטנותו ושפלותו של החלק הגשמי שבאדם.

ישנם הורים או מורים הנוהגים להדגיש את החסר, ואת הטעון שיפור בתלמידיהם או בילדיהם, הם פועלים מתוך גישה של מדת הדין, וכך מתייחסים לחניכיהם. אנשי חינוך רבים בני זמננו מסבירים כי בדורות עברו היו בני האדם והילדים בעלי דימוי עצמי חיובי הרבה יותר, אשר על כן לא היה חשש שייגרם נזק כלשהו מגישת חינוך כזו. אולם, בימינו יחס נוקשה וביקורתי יותר מידי עלול לגרום לילדים תחושה שאין להם כל ערך, תחושה הגורמת לילד נזק עצום. אכן, טעות חינוכית כזו ידועה כאחד ההסברים לנשירתם של נערים צעירים מדרך התורה בחיפושם הנלאה אחר מילות עידוד ותחושת ערך עצמי כלשהי.

יתירה מזאת, גם אם אדם רואה את תלמידו כמסוגל לקבל גישה קפדנית יותר, מוכרח הוא לזכור את דברי הגמרא בסוטה המורה: "לעולם תהא שמאל דוחה וימין מקרבת" - כלומר תמיד הדחייה - הגישה הקפדנית צריכה להגיע מצידה של היד החלשה יותר, ובד בבד יש להשתמש ביד החזקה יותר - ביד ימין לחסד ולקירוב. העובדה שהגמרא משתמשת במילה "לעולם" מלמדת שזהו עיקרון שנכון תמיד ולעולם יש להשתמש בו, ואין כל מקרה יוצא מן הכלל. על פי עיקרון זו אמר אחד אנשי החינוך הידועים שעם כל מילת הערה או ביקורת כלפי התלמיד, יש לציין לפחות ארבעה מחמאות חיוביות.

הפרשה מלמדת שעל האדם לזכור שגופו הוא ארעי ובר חלוף. זהו לימוד חשוב ביותר, אולם ראינו שאין להתמקד אך ורק בו, אלא יחד עם זאת יש לזכור שאנו, בנינו ותלמידנו – כולנו בעלי ערך רוחני עצום. מי יתן ונזכה כולנו לצעוד בדרך המלך.

GIFT OFFERINGS - VAYIKRA

The Book of Vayikra focuses to a significant degree on the various korbanos that were to be given in the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and later the Beis HaMikdash (Temple). A number of these korbanos are known as korbanos nedava (gift offerings). They are not obligatory, however, if a person is aroused to give such an offering, then he fulfils a Mitzo and to do so is considered highly praiseworthy. The Steipler Gaon zt"l asks a penetrating question about the nature of these korbanos nedava . Most Mitzvos are obligatory because Hashem's wisdom decreed that a Jew must fulfill them, thus they are an essential aspect of one's Avodas Hashem. Korbanos Nedava are not obligatory, implying that they are not essential to a Jew's Avoda.. However, on the other hand, offering such korbanos is considered to be a Mitzo, implying that there is some kind of benefit in their offering and that they do have a place in one's Avoda. How can we understand the nature of this kind of Mitzvo?

The Steipler answers this by first addressing another important question in Jewish thought. One of the most fundamental Mitzvos is that of Ahavas Hashem (to love Hashem). This obligates a Jew to direct his emotions in such a way that he develops a strong love of Hashem. How can theTorah can obligate one to have a particular emotion - surely that is beyond a person's control? To answer this problem, the Steipler brings the yesod (principle) of the Mesillas Yesharim (Path of the Just), with regard to the trait of zerizus (zealousness) . He writes that just as internal inspiration brings about external actions, so too, external actions can arouse one's inner feelings. Thus, acting in a certain manner can bring about desired emotions.

The Steipler writes that this yesod applies very strongly to the Mitzvo of Ahavas Hashem. We know that an internal love brings one to actions reflecting his love for Hashem and his willingness to ignore his own desires for the sake of Hashem's honor. So too, performing voluntary actions that involve placing Hashem's Ratson (will) before one's own desires, will bring a person to an increased love of Hashem.

With this yesod, the Steipler explains the nature of korbanos nedava. These korbanos provide one with a great opportunity to get close to Hashem by placing Hashem before himself: He forgoes his own needs by exerting a considerable amount of time, effort and money, in order to bring an animal or food offering to the Temple and offer it up to Hashem. Showing such selflessness on behalf of Hashem is a highly effective way of arousing one's love of Him. This explains why bringing korbanos nedava is such a praiseworthy act. However, if the Torah obligated every Jew to bring such korbanos, then their whole purpose would be lost - when one is obligated to give of himself to another, he does not develop feelings of love, rather he feels that he is paying a debt that he owes. Thus, the Torah gives each Jew the opportunity to arouse himself to fulfill an action that will surely increase his ahavas Hashem by making korbanos nedava 'optional'. Yet at the same time, offering such korbanos is considered a great Mitzvo because of its effectiveness in bringing about love of Hashem.

The Steipler writes that this yesod is not limited to korbanos; a person can choose any specific area where he desires to exert an extra amount of effort that goes beyond what is required by law. By 'willingly' giving of himself in one area he can bring himself to an increased love of Hashem. This idea is demonstrated by the following story told over by Rav Yissachar Frand Shlita: He was once given a ride by a seemingly ordinary Jew. In the course of the conversation it emerged that this Jew gave particular emphasis to the Mitzvo of prayer. He had not missed praying in a minyan for several years and even cancelled a vacation to a place when he realized that he would be unable to find a minyan there. Further, he never prayed Mincha or Maariv before or after the ideal time. This man chose one area in which to put in that extra effort and self-sacrifice and in this way he was surely able to arouse in himself an increased love for Hashem. He didn't need to feel obligated to act in this way because it is possible to find heterim (leniencies) to sometimes miss a minyan and not pray in the ideal zman. Yet he chose to express his desire to do Ratson Hashem by being extra careful in the Mitzvo of prayer.

We learn from the yesod of the Steipler, that a key method of bringing oneself closer to Hashem is by doing actions that are not considered obligatory according to the Torah but that are certainly praiseworthy. It is instructive for each person to strive to find at least one area in which he makes that extra exertion in his efforts to get closer to Hashem.

KORBANOS AND YIRAS HASHEM - VAYIKRA

Parshas Vayikra enumerates many korbanos, including those that must be given for inadvertent sins. Why must a person give a korban for a sin that he did not flagrantly intend to commit? The commentaries explain that the fact that he allowed himself to commit such a sin, even inadvertently, demonstrates an element of carelessness. Had he been more zahir, he would never have allowed himself to get to the point where he could sin. The Torah goes even further and requires that a person who has a doubt as to whether he committed a sin that requires a korban, is required to bring an asham talui . The Sefer HaChinuch explains that this korban does not atone for the actual sin (if it was indeed committed), rather it serves as an atonement for the carelessness that caused the safek .

It still needs to be understood what is the root cause of the carelessness that leads to inadvertent sins and why bringing korbanos helped atone for it. In order to answer this, it is instructive to compare how we conduct ourselves in the physical world with how we act with regard to spiritual matters. If a person is aware that a poisonous substance may be present in the food that he intends to eat he would be extremely careful to avoid any remote possibility of consuming the poison. This is because he is well aware of the dire consequences of eating poison. Just as there are natural consequences to our actions in the physical world, there are also natural consequences to actions in the spiritual world. Therefore, a person who is faced with the possibility of eating food that is forbidden, such as chelev, should have the same level of zehirus to avoid doing something that will cause him grave spiritual damage. When a person stumbles and sins inadvertently or puts himself in a position where he is in doubt as to whether he sinned, he demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to the spiritual consequences of his actions; he is not fully cognizant of the spiritual reality that negative actions inevitably have negative results.

There seem to be two main reasons as to why it is far more difficult to attain the same awareness of cause-and-effect in the spiritual world as in the physical world: Firstly, the physical world is completely tangible to us - we can easily see the results of our actions, for example, when a person eats poison, he is visibly damaged. In contrast, the spiritual world is not tangible and we cannot see the results of our actions - for example, a person is less aware of the spiritual consequences of breaking Shabbos b’shogeg, because he has never visually seen them. If he could see what happens in the spiritual realm for turning a light on, forgetting that it is Shabbos, then he would surely never allow himself to commit that sin b’shogeg.

Giving a korban for committing such an aveiro helped a person metaken this flaw of not being real with spiritual consequences. He had to go through a lengthy and expensive process of paying for, and bringing a korban to Yerushalayim, and go through the dramatic process of offering up the korban and seeing its blood. This process surely made it very clear that there are dramatic consequences to one’s actions.

The second reason why it is difficult to live with the awareness that there are consequences to all our actions in the spiritual world, is that we are so familiar with Hashem’s ‘mida‘ of Rachamim that it is easy slip into the trap of thinking that Hashem will automatically forgive us for our sins. As a result, a person will be less fearful of the consequences of sinning. The Gemara in Chagiga observes that there is a natural yetser hara to presume that there is automatic forgiveness for sinning - it states, “If the yetser hara will tell you, ‘sin and Hashem will forgive you,’ do not listen to him. ”

The Mesillas Yesharim addresses this attitude at length and stresses that it is incorrect - Hashem is a ‘Kel Emes’ who judges every action. Hashem’s rachamim does not contradict the concept of reward and punishment: Rachamim does three things; it delays the punishment from taking place immediately giving a person a chance to do teshuva; it causes the onesh to be handed out in smaller, more manageable doses; and it gives us the opportunity to do teshuva and thereby gain complete forgiveness. There is, nonetheless, judgement for every outcome and an awareness of this should cause a person to be far more zahir from sinning . Offering a korban also helped rectify the attitude that Hashem is a vatran. By going through the arduous process of offering the korban, the person would see that he could not gain forgiveness without teshuva.

We do not have the opportunity to offer korbanos for our inadvertent sins, and as a result we do not have this essential tool to help make us aware of the reality of chet. How can we engrain this into ourselves? There are many accounts of Gedolim who saw the spiritual world as tangibly as the physical world: On one occasion, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l was asked to leave the Beis Medrash in order to take an important phone call from another country, but he could not get to the phone because somebody was davenning the Shemoneh Esrei in front of the door and his ‘dalet amos’ was blocking the exit. When asked why he would not leave for such an important and costly call, he said that there was a wall blocking him and he could not walk through a wall. For Rav Moshe, ‘dalet amos’ was not some vague concept, it was a clear reality. His Gadlus in Torah was surely the cause of such a tangible sense of Yiras Shamayim - it was not just that he knew all of Torah, but that he allowed it to become so much a part of him that it became so real in his mind. A person can learn Torah in an intellectual way and not let it filter into his being - that kind of learning will probably not be so effective in increasing one’s yiras Shamayim - learning with an appreciation that it is discussing reality and trying to apply it to our lives will hopefully enable a person to be more real with the spiritual world.

A second aitsa is that of Rav Yisroel Salanter - that if a person wants to develop more of a sensitivity in a certain area of halacho, he should learn that area in depth - this will naturally bring him to a much greater awareness of his actions in that area. For example, whenever Rav Yisroel would find himself in a situation that could lead to yichud, he would learn the sugyas of yichud in great depth, in this way assuring himself that he would maintain constant awareness of any possibility of yichud. One particular area where this principle is very important is that of lashon hara: There is such a constant nisayon to speak lashon hara that without learning the laws of lashon hara it is extremely difficult to avoid the numerous pitfalls that arise. By learning the laws, as well as knowing what constitutes forbidden speech, a person will develop a far greater sensitivity in his speech.

There is one final exercise that can help increase our level of zehirus: Imagine if someone offered a Torah observant person $100 to speak lashon hara - the person would immediately refuse. What if he offered $1000, or $10,000 or $1000,000?! A person with a clear Torah hashakfa will refuse any amount of money rather than commit a sin because he is intellectually aware that the onesh for speaking lashon hara will be infinitely greater than anything finite. And yet, a person may often speak lashon hara for no money at all! The difference between the two situations is that when a person is clear that what he will do is an aveiro he has intellectual clarity that this is very bad for his neshama. However, without such clarity, b’shaas maaseh, a person rationalizes that what he is about to say is not really lashon hara and allows himself to say it regardless of the possible consequences of such a severe sin. We see from here that a person has the strength to withstand sin when he has total clarity that what he is about to do constitutes an issur. Developing a sense of clarity and intellectual honesty as to when we are committing an aveiro will enable us to tap into this koyach and give us the strength to withstand sin.

We do not have the gift of korbanos anymore, but the lessons that we learn from them can help us develop a strong sense of yiras shamayim that can prevent us from the damage of chet.

THE RIGHT KIND OF JEALOUSY - VAYIKRA

During its outline of the various korbanos (sacrifices), the Torah forbids bringing offerings of leaven and honey . It then immediately tells us that, in contrast, we must include salt in all the meal-offerings. What is the difference between salt with honey and leaven, to the extent that salt is obligatory, whilst the other two substances are forbidden?! The commentaries point out that there is great symbolism in the korbanos, and that each of these three substances represent various character traits – by analyzing their symbolism we can answer this question.

The Sefer HaChinuch writes that honey represents base physical desire (taiva) because it is a sweet tasting food. The prohibition from adding honey to the offerings teaches us that one should refrain from chasing after sweet tasting foods, and should focus only on eating food that is necessary for his sustenance and well-being. The Chinuch continues that leaven is symbolic of arrogance because it rises up. With regard to arrogance, he brings the verse in Mishlei that states: “The haughty of heart is an abomination to HaShem.”

The Chasam Sofer zt”l continues in the same vein as the Chinuch with regard to honey and leaven. He then discusses the symbolism of salt. He alludes to the well-known maamer Chazal (saying of the Sages) that provides the background behind the obligation to include salt with the meal offerings. On the second day of Creation, HaShem separated the waters into two, bringing part of the water up to Shamayim and leaving part on the Earth. The lower waters complained that they also wanted to go up to the exalted Heavens rather than remain on the lowly Earth. HaShem appeased them by telling them that in the future the salt that is found in the water would, in the future, be offered up on the Altar along with the korbanos.

Based on this Midrash, the Chasam Sofer explains that salt represents the trait of jealousy because it is offered as a result of the jealousy of the lower waters towards the upper waters. He continues that honey, leaven, and salt represent the three basic negative traits; kina (jealousy), kavod (desire for honor) and taiva. However, he argues that jealousy is very different from the other two: There is no place for them in the Mishkan, and, by extension, in all Avodas HaShem (Divine Service), Therefore, there is no place for honey and leaven with the korbanos. He writes that jealousy, in contrast, does have a place in Avodas HaShem. We see this from the Gemara that says, ‘kinas sofrim tarbeh chachma’ – jealousy amongst those learning causes an increase in wisdom. This means that there is a benefit to jealousy in the spiritual realm because it can motivate a person to grow in his spirituality when he sees others performing on a higher level than himself. In this vein he explains that the jealousy of the lower waters for the upper waters was an example of a valid type of jealousy – the lower waters wanted to be as close to HaShem as the upper waters. Their reward was the salt that would be offered up. Accordingly, this salt remains as an eternal reminder of the praiseworthy form of jealousy.

The Chasam Sofer’s explanation teaches us that when the generally negative trait of jealousy is used in the right way, it can enhance one’s Avodas HaShem. It is instructive to analyze the difference between jealousy in the spiritual realm and jealousy in the physical realm. It seems that there are two main differences: Firstly, the motivation of the two types of jealousy varies greatly. Jealousy in the material realm often has a particularly abhorrent aspect – it is not limited to wanting the same things the other person, rather the jealous person wants that the other person to not have that thing as well. Indeed, the Torah prohibition that relates to jealousy, loh sachmod (do not covet), only applies when Reuven wants to have Shimon’s item itself, whereas if he only wants the same item as Shimon, there is no Torah prohibition. In contrast, the Baalei Mussar point out that jealousy in the spiritual realm is only acceptable when the jealous party does not begrudge his fellow of his success, rather he uses his friend’s success as a tool to help motivate himself to achieve similar heights. However, if he begrudges his friend his success then his jealousy is again considered totally unacceptable because it is clearly not driven by pure motivations.

The second difference is brought out by the Ibn Ezra’s explanation of the Mitzvo of loh sachmod. He offers an analogy of a peasant who desires to marry a princess. The peasant should realize that she is simply not in his domain, and that he has no right to expect to gain her hand in marriage. So too, each person is allotted exactly what they need in the material world. Anything that someone else owns is totally irrelevant to them and outside of their domain. They have no reason to desire it, because HaShem provides each person with exactly what they need. The reasoning of the Ibn Ezra only applies to jealousy in the material realm, because no amount of hishtadlus (effort) will alter a person’s possessions – that is completely in HaShem’s Hands. The one area in which HaShem stands back, so-to-speak, is spirituality. In the spiritual realm there is no predestined limit to what a person can achieve. It is completely dependent upon his own free will. Accordingly, it is not fruitless to desire to emulate someone else’s spiritual achievement; through personal effort, a person can attain more in ruchnius.

Bearing these two points in mind – that kinas sofrim induces a person to emulate his fellow without begrudging him his own success; and that one has the right to try to attain more than he presently has – we now have a deeper understanding of the role of jealousy in our lives. The Chasam Sofer teaches us that, whilst in many circumstances, it is a negative trait, when utilized in the right way, it can help us grow closer to HaShem, and in that way emulate the lower waters whose burning desire to get close to HaShem bore fruits.

FULFILLING OUR POTENTIAL - VAYAKHEL

In the midst of its account of the building of the Mishkan that Torah states that, “Every man whose heart inspired him came.. ” The Ramban writes that this refers to those who came to do the work of weaving, sewing and building. Where did these people learn how to perform such skilled crafts? The Ramban answers that they found deep within their teva the ability to do them. These formerly hidden powers came about as a result of their deep desire to fulfill the ratson Hashem by helping to build the Mishkan. As a result of their burning desire, Hashem gave them the ability to do things that they had never been taught!

There is a well-known principle that Hashem grants us a unique set of talents with which they can fulfill their potential in life. Whilst this is certainly true it seems that it can be somewhat misapplied: As we grow up we naturally become aware of our strengths and weaknesses - there is the tendency that we can limit our activities to areas in which our strengths lie and ignore those fields in which we fell less able. For example, a person may feel that he is adept at speaking in front of small groups but that he cannot speak in front of large audiences. Thus, even when there is a necessity for someone to speak in such a setting, he will shy away from the responsibility because he has ‘pigeon-holed’ himself as being unable to speak in front of many people. We learn from the Ramban that this is an erroneous attitude - the people who stepped forward to work in the Mishkan had no awareness that they were able to perform such skilled crafts - however, as a result of their devotion to Hashem they found hitherto untapped talents that could be used to fulfill ratson Hashem. So too, in our own lives there may be times when there is a need for a certain task to be performed and we may feel that we are unable to perform it - however, the Mishna in Avos tells us that, “in a place where there are no men, be a man.” The Mishna does not qualify its exhortation by saying that you should only stand up where there is no man in an area where you feel highly capable. Rather, the only criteria that we should examine is whether there is anyone else who can perform the required task as well as we can. And if there is not, then if we dedicate ourselves to doing ratson Hashem then surely Hashem will bring out in us hidden talents.

There are many examples of people who were inspired to bring out hidden talents and consequently achieved great things; one of the most remarkable is that of the Netsiv zt”l. When he completed his commentary on the Sheiltos, he made a seuda, partly because that is the custom when one completes a sefer, but there was another, more personal reason as well. He related that when he was a boy he was not particularly serious about his Torah studies. His parents made every effort to help him change his attitude but to no avail. One day he overheard them discussing his lack of success in Torah learning - they decided that he had no prospect of becoming a Talmid Chacham and therefore he should learn to become a cobbler. They hoped that at least he would be a yirei shamayim who would go about his work with honesty and dedication. When he heard this, it greatly shocked him and he decided to take his Torah studies seriously - this incident has such an impact on him that it led to a complete change in his attitude and he became a Gadol. How did he achieve so much? Because he developed a desire to be great in learning - it was through this desire that he found in his teva hitherto undiscovered ability to learn Torah to a very high level.

One may respond to this story by arguing that not everybody can become such a great Talmid Chacham, however Jewish history shows that we need not necessarily be a Gadol to achieve great things - sometimes there are other areas of expertise which are required in order to bring about a fulfillment of ratson Hashem. Reb Dovid Dryan zt”l provides us with an excellent example of such a case. He was a pious shochet known for his adherence to shemiras halashon. However, there is one more thing that makes him stand out - he was directly responsible for the founding and running of the Gateshead Yeshiva and played a significant role in the formation of the Gateshead Kollel and Seminary. To a significant degree, his dedication is responsible for the fact that Gateshead is known as the greatest Torah center in Europe through which thousands of boys and girls have received a high level Torah education. How did Reb Dovid Dryan achieve this? When he came to live in Gateshead he found that there was no Yeshiva there. He said to himself, “how can I live in a place where there is no Yeshiva?!” This may be a question that many of us would ask in a similar situation. However, he did not suffice with just asking the question - he took action; he devoted much time and effort to achieve a seemingly impossible task in the face of considerable opposition. He took on many tasks which were not necessarily within the areas of his expertise, including fundraising and administration. He could have easily felt that he was a shochet and that was where his responsibilities to the community ended. Instead he motivated himself to do what was needed and Hashem granted him the ability to succeed .

Despite these inspiring stories one could still argue that he has in the past made an effort in certain fields and not been successful - consequently he feels that he is exempt from taking responsibility in these areas. The Chofetz Chaim addresses this claim; he points out how much effort we invest into our own interests. For example, if a business venture is not going well, a person will not simply give up, rather he will constantly think how he can improve the situation - he will seek advice from other businessmen and eventually he will often succeed. So too, he writes, “If Ratson Hashem was of equal value to a person as are his own personal affairs, he would seek advice and strategies how to build up Torah so that it does not weaken, and surely Hashem will help him find ways to succeed… however we do not do so in heavenly matters. When one sees that there is no way to improve the situation he immediately gives up and exempts himself from having to do anything. ” If we were willing to apply the same effort in Avodas Hashem as in our financial interests then we could surely rise above our accepted limits.

There is a remarkable present day example of a person who lives these words of the Chofetz Chaim. Rav Meir Shuster Shlita is naturally a shy person who is most happy in the Beis Medrash learning or davenning. However, many years ago, he recognized a need in Klal Yisroel - every day dozens of secular Jews would visit the Kotel and return back to their lives empty of Torah. He saw the necessity to approach these people and offer them accommodation in a hostel that could serve as the base with which to encourage the visitors to go to Yeshiva or Seminary. Consequently, he took it upon himself to go against his teva and walk up to these strangers and engage them in conversation. After doing this for many years, it is impossible to know how many hundreds of lives have been changed by his bold decision to do something against his teva because he felt it was Ratson Hashem. But it is clear that had he limited himself to his natural areas of strength then the world would have greatly suffered for it.

The people who raised up their hearts to fulfill Ratson Hashem found powers that they could never imagine they possessed. We too have the ability to break beyond our limits and achieve the seemingly impossible.

SHABBOS - VAYAKHEL

The Parsha begins with an exhortation to observe Shabbos: "For six days work will be done and the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem, whoever does work on it shall be put to death. " The commentaries ask that the wording of the Torah in this passuk needs explanation; it should have said, "for six days you will do work" in the active sense, rather than saying that work will be done in the passive form .

They explain that the Torah is teaching us about the attitude a person should have that will enable him to have the fortitude to refrain from doing melacha (prohibited activity) on Shabbos: Throughout the week a person is required to work in order to earn his livelihood, he cannot sit back and expect G-d to provide for him if he puts in no effort. He is required to put in hishtadlus because of the decree that Hashem placed upon mankind after the sin of Adam HaRishon. However, in truth , all his hishtadlus (effort) is not the reason for his success, rather Hashem is its sole Source. On Shabbos, Hashem commands us to refrain from creative activity to acknowledge this and that all the work we do in the week is only part of the gezeiras hishtadlus (decree to work). However, if one comes to believe that his physical efforts are in fact the cause of his livelihood then he will find it very difficult to refrain from working on Shabbos; he thinks that the more he works the more he will earn and therefore it is logical for him to work on Shabbos as well as the rest of the week. In response to this erroneous attitude, the Torah tells us that one should view the work that he does in a passive sense - that in truth he does not do the work, rather that it is done for him. Hashem, so-to-speak, does the work and provides for each person's livelihood. If one recognizes this then he will find it far easier to refrain from working on Shabbos because he realizes that in truth his work is not the cause of his livelihood .

It seems that this lesson is not limited to avoiding the 39 melachas that are forbidden by the Torah. There is a Rabbinical prohibition of speaking about melacha that one plans to do in the rest of the week . Doing so also shows a level of lack of appreciation of the lesson of Shabbos that Hashem provides one's livelihood. Moreover, whilst it is technically permissible to think about melacha on Shabbos, it is nonetheless praiseworthy to avoid such thoughts completely . Such a level reflects a true appreciation of how Shabbos is a reflection on the fact that Hashem runs the world, and that one's own thoughts of melacha are of no benefit.

This idea is brought out in the Gemara in Shabbos: The Gemara tells of a righteous man who saw that there was a hole in the fence of his field on Shabbos. He thought about fixing it after Shabbos, and then remembered that it was Shabbos and felt guilty about thinking about melacho on Shabbos. As a show of regret he then decided never to fix that fence and as a reward a miracle occurred and a tzlaf tree grew from which he was able to support himself and his family . There are two difficulties with this Gemara: Firstly, why did he refrain from ever fixing the fence - what was the benefit of doing so and how could it rectify his initial mistake? Secondly, what was the significance of the reward he received, how was that a measure for measure response to his decision never to build the fence?

It seems that we can answer these problems through the principle we are discussing. When this righteous man saw the fence, he thought about fixing it, momentarily forgetting the lesson of Shabbos, that Hashem is the Source of one's livelihood and that man's efforts are worthless without Hashem's help. In order to rectify this 'error' he decided to never fix the fence to demonstrate that he did indeed recognize that his own efforts were not the cause of his livelihood. As a reward for this attitude, Hashem showed him measure for measure that he was correct, and provided him with a new source of income, the tzlaf tree without any input from the man himself! This proved that Hashem can provide a person with his livelihood regardless of his hishtadlus.

Throughout the week it is very difficult to see through the illusion that man's hishtadlus is not the true cause of his livelihood, and that Hashem is the sole Provider. Shabbos provides man with the opportunity to see clearly that all his hishtadlus is ultimately unnecessary . On Shabbos whilst the rest of the world continues striving to earn their living through effort, observant Jews rest from such activity, recognizing that Hashem runs the world without needing man's input. As we have seen, this attitude does not only express itself through avoidance of melacha, it even extends to refraining from speaking about melacha. The highest level is to even avoid thinking about melacha that needs to be done. All these prohibitions are supposed to instill in us the realization that all our accomplishments throughout the week only come about because Hashem so desires. May we all merit to observe Shabbos free of action, speech and thought about melacha.

ONE DEED REFLECTS ON ANOTHER - VAYAKHEL

The Torah describes how the people eagerly came to donate their prized possessions towards the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). “The men came with the women; everyone whose heart motivated him brought bracelets, nose-rings, body ornaments – all sorts of gold ornaments – every man who raised up an offering of gold to HaShem.” The commentaries discuss the meaning of the phrase, “the men came with the women”. Rabbeinu Bechaye explains that the women in fact came first to donate their jewelry, and the men only came after them. This, he explains, demonstrates their righteousness in and of itself but it also reflects positively on an earlier incident involving jewelry – that of the Golden Calf. When the men demanded that Aaron make for them a statue, he told them to remove the women’s jewelry. However, the women refused to give over their jewelry so the men took their own gold and gave that towards the building of the Calf. From the incident of the Golden Calf alone, it is unclear why the women refused to give their jewelry. It was possible that their main motivation was their natural attachment to their jewelry, as opposed to the pure motivation of refusal to be involved with the sin of the Golden Calf. However, in Parshas Vayakhel we see that the women were very willing to donate their jewelry towards the elevated purpose of the building of the Mishkan. This retroactively teaches us about the reason that they did not give their jewelry at the Golden Calf. It was not because of their attachment to gold and silver, because that did not prevent the women from parting with them for the sake of the Mishkan. Rather, their refusal to give towards the Golden Calf emanated from leshem Shamayim (pure) motives - they wanted no part in that terrible sin.

Rav Avraham Pam zt”l derives a very important concept from this explanation. It is known in Hebrew as ‘Maasim shel adam mochichim zeh es zeh’. This means that the actions of a person in one area can reveal something about his actions in another area. In this case, the women’s willingness to part with their jewelry for the Mishka, revealed their pure intentions when refusing to do so for the Golden Calf.
We see another example of this concept with regards to one of the names given to the Third meal that is eaten on Shabbos: Shalosh Seudas – this literally means, ‘three meals’. This is a very strange name to give the third meal, it would be more appropriate to only use its other name – seudah shelishis. Why is this meal also known as ‘three meals’? The answer is that the way a person conducts himself at the third meal reflects retroactively on his intentions during the first two Shabbos meals. There are two possible reasons as to why a person would eat well at the first two Shabbos meals: It could be because of his pure desire to honor the Shabbos by eating delicious food, or it could emanate from his hunger and desire to eat well, because both those meals come at a time when a person is normally hungry and ready to eat well. However, the third meal comes quite soon after Shabbos lunch, therefore a person’s natural hunger will not be high. If he refrains from eating at the third meal despite the fact that it is a Mitzvo to eat then, he retroactively shows that his main kavannah for the first two meals was to fill his stomach more than honor the Shabbos! If, however, he does partake in a delicious meal he demonstrates that his intentions are for the honor of Shabbos, for if it were not Shabbos he would otherwise eat far less or nothing at all. Accordingly, by eating the third meal he retroactively demonstrates his intent for the first two, and at this point it is clear that he ate ALL THREE MEALS with pure intentions. Therefore, the third meal merits the name, ‘three meals’ because, for one who eats the third meal, it is considered as if he ate all three meals with pure intent.

This concept of ‘Maasim shel adam mochichim zeh es zeh’ is of great importance because it is a very effective mechanism in judging the consistency of people’s actions. This idea is brought out by the Beis HaLevi on Parshas Vayigash. When Yosef revealed himself to his brothers he asked them the question; “is my father still alive? ” When the brothers heard this, they were completely speechless and disconcerted. The Medrash compares Yosef’s revelation to his brothers to that of the Day of Judgment. It says that if the brothers could not answer Yosef who was younger than them, then all the more so when HaShem (so to speak) comes and rebukes us, we will be left speechless. The commentaries ask; what exactly is the comparison between Yosef’s revelation to the brothers and the Day of Judgment.
The Beis HaLevi answers by first explaining Yosef’s question about whether his father was alive – it was very clear from the events up to this time that Yaakov Avinu was still alive! He answers that Yosef was in truth giving them a veiled rebuke. Yehuda had just spent a great deal of time arguing that Yosef should not take Binyomin as a slave because it would destroy Yaakov. By bringing up the well-being of Yaakov, Yosef was alluding to them that their purported concern for their father did not seem to be consistent with their actions in selling Yosef so many years earlier. At that time, they had shown no concern for the pain that their father would feel al the loss of his beloved son. In this way, the brothers had contradicted their own arguments through their very actions! The Beis HaLevi then explains the similarity of Yosef’s ‘rebuke’ to that of the Day of Judgment. On that awesome day each person will be asked about his various actions, including his sins and failure to keep Mitzvos properly. He may have excuses, however, these excuses will then be scrutinized by his other actions in that same area. For example, a person might justify his failure to give sufficient money to charity on the basis that he was lacking in his own livelihood. However, his spending in other areas will then be examined – if it becomes clear that in other areas he was all too willing and able to spend large amounts of money, then he himself has ruined his own justification for failing to give charity! In this vein, his actions in spending money for his own enjoyment reflects badly on his spending of money for the Mitzvo of giving charity.

In this vein, the Choftez Chaim once berated a wealthy man for giving insufficient funds to charity. The man answered that he did indeed give away a significant amount. The Chofetz Chaim then worked out the amount of money he gave to charity and compared it to his expenses on his own luxuries. It came out that the man spent more money on his drapery alone than on all the charity that he gave!

We have discussed the concept of ‘Maasim shel adam mochichim zeh es zeh’ and seen its great significance in the process of judgment. The obvious lesson to be derived from this concept, is that it is essential that a person analyze the consistency of his actions. For example, a person who claims that he does not have enough time to learn will have to justify his failure to learn on the Day of Judgment. If it becomes clear that he did have enough time for many other types of activities then his claim that he did not have enough time to learn will be put in serious jeopardy. His actions in other areas show that in truth it wasn’t because he did not have enough time to learn, rather that it was a very low priority in his list of importance. It would be much less disconcerting if we can make our own self-analysis of such inconsistencies and fix them before the Day of Judgment. May we all merit to achieve consistency in all our actions.

A DIRECT CONNECTION TO HASHEM - KI SISA –

Chet haegel is one of the most difficult episodes in the Torah. There is much discussion about how the Dor Deah could commit such a terrible sin so soon after Matan Torah. One less commonly discussed aspect of this terrible incident is the way in which Hashem punished the Jewish people for the chet: Right after it, Hashem says to Moshe Rabbeinu, “..Behold, My angel shall go before you.. ” Rashi explains that this is a punishment; up to this time, Hashem Himself would guide the Jewish people in the desert, but from now on, only an angel would guide them. Chazal teach us that Hashem punishes mida keneged mida, which means that the nature of the punishment can help us understand the nature of the sin. What was the mida keneged mida in this punishment for chet haegel?

In order to understand this we must first briefly discuss how the Jewish people could commit a sin that seems to be avoda zara. The commentaries explain that they did not intend to worship an idol, rather they wanted the egel to be an intermediary between themselves and Hashem: When they thought that Moshe had died they panicked - they believed that they could not have a direct relationship with Hashem, rather they needed an intermediary to communicate with Him on their behalf. This was not a denial of Hashem, rather it was an erroneous belief that some kind of being was needed to represent them before Him and convey His teachings and beneficence to them .

With this explanation we can now understand the root cause of chet haegel. The Jewish people came to this belief that they needed an intermediary because on a subtle level they did not desire a direct relationship with Hashem. This was not the first time in which this failing was apparent; at Matan Torah, after Hashem spoke directly to the people for the first two mitzvos, they asked that Hashem no longer communicate directly with them. Rather, He should tell Moshe and Moshe should pass on what Hashem said to them. In Parshas Va’eschanan, Moshe rebuked them for this seemingly innocuous request: Rashi tells us that Moshe said to them, “I was pained and disappointed by you. Would it not have been better for you to learn directly from Hashem’s mouth than to learn from me?! ” It was this underlying fear of a direct relationship with Hashem that was responsible for the terrible course of events that culminated in chet haegel. The mida keneged mida punishment for this was that there would now be an intermediary Malach guiding them instead of their being under direct guidance from Hashem Himself.

Later in the parsha we see a stark contrast to this in the attitude of Moshe Rabbeinu himself. Having successfully pleaded for Hashem to spare the Jewish people, Moshe saw that it was an ‘eis ratson’ a time when his words were being received. At this moment, he had the opportunity to make any request of Hashem - what did he choose to ask for? “Please show me Your Glory .” He asked for the ability to perceive Hashem on a greater level than even he had ever experienced: Moshe’s primary goal was to gain more awareness of, and closeness to, Hashem.

The incidents in the Torah are not merely there to offer interesting reading - both the positive and negative actions of the people in the Torah provide us with lessons about our own life: On a subtle level, the great Dor Deah were lacking in their desire for a direct relationship with Hashem and as a consequence they became overly reliant upon intermediaries. How does this flaw effect us? The story is told of a Rebbe who once asked one of his chassidim how often he thinks about G-d. The talmid answered, “Rebbe, I wake up every day at 3.00am to learn before davenning Neitz, I then learn uninterrupted till mincha, and after a very brief lunch I continue learning for several hours more. Finally I sleep late at night and wake up at 3.00am the next day to learn - Rebbe, when do I have time to think about G-d?! ”

Sometimes we can be so involved with our Avodas Hashem that we can forget about Hashem Himself. Just like the Dor Deah overly focused on intermediaries we can sometimes ‘miss the forest for the trees’ and be so focused on the means with which we should get close to G-d but we forget that they are just means and not an end in itself. This can even be the case with regard to Talmud Torah. Talmud Torah is so central our lives that we can sometimes forget that it is primarily a means of developing a closer relationship to Hashem. Knowledge of a great deal of Torah is not an end in itself, Torah is supposed to bring us to greater Emuna and Yiras Hashem and if it does not then, there is something amiss.

The Baaley Mussar spoke at length on this inyan and the need to set aside time to focus on developing Yiras Hashem. Even the Nefesh HaChaim, who argued against excessive mussar study, stressed the necessity of spending a short amount of time before learning to contemplate Hashem so that the learning would be infused with the correct attitude. He even wrote that a person can stop in the middle of his learning and reflect on Hashem, “before the yiras Hashem in his heart will be extinguished. ”

Moreover, the Rosh Yeshiva of Novardok, Rav Ben-Tzion Brook zt”l said that it is important to be aware of the context in which Nefesh HaChaim was written in order not to misunderstand his message as a call to focus exclusively on Talmud Torah to the expense of mussar. The Nefesh HaChaim was written as a response to people who were devoting most of their time to mussar sefarim at the expense of Talmud Torah. Consequently, he stressed that it is correct to devote most of one’s time to learning Torah and that this will bring a person to a relationship with Hashem. However, Rav Brook argued, nowadays, the nisayon for most people is very different; a person who has little awareness or understanding of emuna may read Nefesh HaChaim and see it as a heter to avoid working directly on getting closer to Hashem. The Nefesh HaChaim was not talking to this kind of person at all, and whilst it is accepted to spend most of one’s time in regular Talmud Torah, nonetheless it is essential that we realize that the ikar is indeed to increase our emuna .

It is also possible to place performance of mitzvos as the ikar in place of closeness to Hashem. A person can perform a mitzvo with little or no thought of Hashem and think that he has fulfilled the mitzvo to a satisfactory level. With regard to this it is pertinent to remember the words of the Ramban in parshas Bo: “The purpose of all the mitzvos is that we believe in our G-d and that we acknowledge that He is our G-d, and that is the purpose of creation, because there is no other reason for creation, and the only thing that Hashem wants from us is that we know and acknowledge that He created us. ”

There are a number of simple ways through which we can avoid the pitfall of forgetting that the tachlis of all our Avoda is to develop our relationship with Hashem. The most obvious is to learn sefarim that discuss such topics as emuna, bitachon or tefilla. On a more practical level, Rav Dov Brezak Shlita writes that he asked one of the Gedolim how one could work on becoming more aware of Hashem. His simple answer was that we should pray for anything that we want - even for mundane matters, things that may be of no spiritual significance. For example, if we are waiting for a bus and want it to come sooner we should ask Hashem to make it happen. This exercise can help us develop a constant awareness that Hashem is with us. If we possess such an awareness then we are far more likely to remember Hashem during spiritual pursuits such as learning Torah .

It is also very important to note that the degree to which we develop our relationship with Hashem has a tremendous bearing on how our children will develop in their own relationship with Him. If they grow up seeing their parents having a genuine relationship with Hashem then they are far more likely to do the same. We should not underestimate the significance of this in our chinch: Rav Brezak quotes Rav Wolbe zt”l as saying that the reason there are so many rebellious children nowadays is that thy were not taught to have a sensory awareness of Hashem and His deeds .

There are numerous lessons to be learnt from chet haegel. One of the most important is to remember that we do have the ability to have a direct relationship with Hashem and that everything else is secondary to this goal. May we all be zocheh to constantly develop our relationship with Hashem.

'CARRYING SINNERS' - KI SISA

After the terrible sin of Chet Haegel (the Golden Calf) Moshe Rabbeinu pleads greatly for Hashem to forgive the Jewish people. After granting His forgiveness, Hashem then informs Moshe of His 13 Middos of Rachamim (the 13 traits of mercy). He tells Moshe that whenever the Jewish people are in need of mercy they should cry out this prayer.

One of these Middos is that Hashem is "noseh avon v'pesha v'chataas"; this is normally translated as meaning that Hashem forgives iniquity, willful sin and error. However, the literal translation of the word 'noseh' does not mean 'forgive', rather it means, 'carries'. What does it mean that Hashem 'carries' sin? Rav Noach Weinberg zt"l explained with an analogy of how a bank may act with a person who has a mortgage with it . He regularly pays his mortgage on time, but at some point he may hit hard times and struggle to pay for a couple of months. The bank could react in two possible ways: it could come down hard on him, demanding that he pay immediately. Alternatively, it could act with tolerance and patience, recognizing that the borrower is generally a reliable person who is enduring temporary difficulties, and will soon be able to resume payment of the mortgage. Accordingly, the bank will 'carry' the borrower, supporting him patiently, until he is able to recover. Rav Weinberg explained in this vein, that when a person sins, Hashem does not punish him immediately, rather He 'carries' him, enabling him to continue unaffected, giving him a chance to do teshuva .

One of the most fundamental aspects of a person's Avodas Hashem is to emulate Hashem's Middos, because by being 'like' G-d, so to speak we become closer to him. How can a person emulate G-d's trait of 'carrying sinners'? There are many occasions in a person's life when he will encounter people who suddenly experience a significant yerida (worsening) in their behavior This may manifest itself when a child or student starts behaving in an undesirable way. The parent or teacher's natural inclination may be to treat them in a strict fashion in the hope that such treatment will force them to improve themselves. Experience proves that this approach is often unhelpful and on many occasions can be harmful. The root of the mistake in this heavy-handed approach is that it fails to take into account the reason for this person's sudden deterioration. A more constructive approach may be to accept that there is some mitigating circumstance which has caused the change in behavior and to treat him with patience and understanding until the cause has been discovered. One can then address this factor and strive to reduce its harmful effect. In this way, one can emulate Hashem's trait of 'carrying sinners' by avoiding immediate punishment and facilitating an improvement.

The following story illustrates the importance of using this Midda; A bachur in Yeshiva had suddenly began breaking Shabbos in the view of his fellow bachurim. His Roshei Yeshiva decided that there was no other option but to expel him from the Yeshiva. They traveled to Rav Shach zt"l to attain confirmation of the correctness of this approach. Rav Shach asked them what was the financial situation in the boy's home and if there was Shalom Bayis (matrimonial harmony) in the home? The Roshei Yeshiva were surprised by these questions and said, "how should we know what is happening in his home?" Rav Shach suddenly stood up and shouted at them with tears in his eyes, "Rodfim !" Leave my house! I do not want to speak with you, you don't know the situation in his home, you are not thinking about his personal situation, all that you know is to throw him out onto the street!" After investigations it was revealed that the parents of this bachur were divorced a week earlier because of severe financial difficulties ! This incident teaches us of the importance of the Midda of 'carrying sinners'; failure to use this Midda properly could have easily resulted in driving away a boy permanently away from Torah. In truth, all that was needed was an effort to understand the root of his sudden negative behavior.

When a child or student begins consistently acting in a destructive fashion the parent or teacher may instinctively resort to harsh discipline, however the trait of 'carrying' teaches us that it may be more constructive to try to discern the cause of this change in behavior. Similarly a student may experience a downturn in his conduct, but as the Rav Shach story teaches us, it is advisable for the educators involved to seek out the reason for this downturn before punishing him. It seems that the importance of using this Midda is not limited to teachers and parents. Through the course of a person's life he inevitably encounters friends or colleagues who experience a sudden yerida in their behavior. By emulating Hashem's trait of 'carrying sinners' a person can avoid a damaging response to such behavior and instead help the person stem the decline. May we all merit to help each other in times of difficulty.