MATZO - THE BREAD OF FREEDOM AND OF POVERTY - PESACH

Perhaps the most striking feature of the festival of Pesach is that of the unleavened bread known as matzo. Matzo plays a particularly prominent role in Seder night where there is a Torah obligation to eat a kezayis of matzo. However, the Maharal notes that there seems to be a contradiction as to what exactly the matzo represents. We begin the Haggadah by raising the matzos and stating: “This is the poor man’s bread that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt..” This declaration focuses on the matzo as symbolic of the poverty that the Jewish people endured during their slavery in Egypt. Much later in the Hagaddah we again raise up the matzo, however, on this occasion we focus on the fact that we ate matzo as we escaped from Mitzrayim. In this vein, matzo is said to represent the freedom of escaping Mitzrayim. The Maharal asks that matzo seems to represent two, separate, and perhaps even contradictory concepts; poverty and freedom. How do we understand this seeming contradiction?[1]

In order to answer this question, we must first understand the concepts of slavery and freedom and then examine how matzo relates to them. The Maharal explains that a person is enslaved, in an existential sense, when he is attached to things that are external to his essence. He needs those things to give him a complete sense of identity and when he lacks them he feels deficient. Moreover, he becomes a slave to them in that they define certain aspects of how he lives his life. An obvious example is someone who has an addiction to alcohol or drugs. His need for a ‘fix’ drives his life, and determines much about how he lives his lifestyle. A less obvious, but, more common example, is when a person is ‘enslaved’ to his material possessions. His attachment to them may often adversely determine his life decisions. For example, years before the Holocaust took place, the German Jews recognized the threat from the Nazi regime. As a result, many of the less wealthy Jews decided to escape and leave their property behind. However, the more affluent Jews found it far more difficult to leave, because of the wealth that they had accumulated in Germany. Tragically, many of these Jews stayed in Germany with dire consequences. These peoples’ wealth determined that they made a terrible mistake. In contrast, a free person is one who recognizes that his true essence is his soul, accordingly, he is in no danger of becoming bound by his possessions. He views them as a means to a greater end, but he never sees them as being part of his being.[2]

The Maharal explains how matzo relates to these concepts. Matzo, is the combination of water and flour in its most basic form. If the dough is left to rise then it becomes chametz, which represents an addition to the pure essence of the matzo. In this sense, matzo is symbolic of the concept of freedom; that is, being free of anything external to one’s essence. Chametz, in contrast, is created when the yeast rises, and adds to the raw combination of water and flour. In this way, chametz represents additions to the pure essence.

With this understanding we can now explain how matzo can represent both freedom and poverty. A person who grows up with a high standard of living will almost certainly become so used to this standard that it will be extremely difficult for him to break away from it - in a certain sense he is meshubad to it. For example, a woman who grew up with an en suite bathroom all to herself, found it very difficult to adjust to sharing a bathroom when she got married. In contrast, one who begins with very little external baggage (in the form of material possessions) finds it far easier for him to avoid becoming meshubad (enslaved) to things that are external to himself. In this sense, poverty is highly conducive to the form of freedom that the Maharal describes. The poor person never accustomed himself to owning numerous possessions, thus he is not bound by them. This explains how matzo can represent both poverty and freedom. Poverty is conducive to freedom, because the poor person is not meshubad to the physical world and material possessions. Accordingly, the ‘poor man’s bread’ that the Jews ate in Mitzrayim represented the fact that they had no possessions that were external to their essence. Because they had nothing, it was far easier for them to attain the freedom of identifying themselves by their pure essence alone.

One may ask, why was it so important for the Jewish people to attain this level of freedom at this time in particular? The answer is that Yetsias Mitzrayim was the birth of the Jewish nation as the ‘Am HaShem’, a process that would lead to the receiving of the Torah. It was essential that at this time, they would be free of any external ‘baggage’ contaminating their true essence. The very fact that they were so poor during their tenure as slaves in Mitzrayim facilitated their ability to begin their new role as the Am HaShem.

On Pesach, and on Seder night in particular, we try to recapture this sense of freedom that our ancestors attained when they left Mitzrayim. We eat matzo as a symbolic reminder of the need to strip ourselves of things that are external to us and to find our pure essence.[3] Of course, it is insufficient to merely perform the rituals without trying to internalize their messages. Pesach is a time to examine our level of freedom; to assess how meshubad we are to things that are external to us; and to remind ourselves of our true essence - our souls and to remember that our spiritual accomplishments are the only things of true value.







[1] Maharal, Haggadah Shel Pesach, Divrei Negidim, p.51.
[2] Heard from Rav Aaron Lopiansky shlita.
[3] There are other aspects to the Seder night that allude to this concept of freedom. The Maharal writes further that the minhag to wear a kittel# on Seder night is based on this idea. The kittel is a plain white robe, representing the pure essence without anything external additions. Similarly, one cannot fulfill the mitzvo of matzo by eating matzo ashira (matzo that has additional ingredients) - this is also because it represents additions to one’s pure essence (heard from Rav Aaron Lopiansky shlita).

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. Similary 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.[1]

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[2]. 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.[3] 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.

[1] Rabbi Akiva Tatz Shlita discusses these ideas at length.
[2] This also explains why there is barely any mention of Moshe Rabbeinu in the Haggadah. Even he had no real input into Yetsias Mitzrayim - it was all from Hashem.
[3] See Waldmam, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Ch.4, p.157-187 for a comprehensive discussion of all Seven wonders and how they provide strong evidence of the veracity of the Torah.

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..[1].

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[2] 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[3].

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[4]. Moreover, the Gemara tells us that one of the prerequisites for being the Kohen Gadol is that he must be very wealthy[5]. 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 [6]!

Chazal emphasize the power of the desire for money in a number of other places[7]. 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[8]...[9]" 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[10].

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.[11]

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.


[1] Tzav, 6:1-2.
[2] There are different opinions as to the exact nature of the financial loss; many commentaries explain that unlike other korbanos, the Olah was fully burnt and the Kohanim were not allowed to eat from any part of it. Thus, he had a sense of loss in that in the time he was offering the Olah he could have offered a different korban from which he could have gained material benefit. See Ohr HaChaim, Tzav, 6:2 for an outline of other interpretations of the loss that Chazal refer to.
[3] Toras Kohanim, 6:1, quoted by Rashi, Tzav, 6:2.
[4] An exception to this is the Kohanim of the Second Temple period who often attained the position through bribery and political affiliations.
[5] Yoma, 18a.
[6] Tallelei Oros, Parshas Tzav, p.100, quoted by Meilitz Yosher.
[7] See Chagiga, 11b and Bava Basra, 165a. See also Mesillas Yesharim, Ch.11 who discusses these Gemaras.
[8] Translated as arayos. This refers to specific forms of immorality that the Torah prohibits in the strongest fashion such as relations with a married woman or incest.
[9] Bava Basra, 165a.
[10] Rav Yerucham Levovits zt"l brings Rav Yisroel's hanhago of never being alone with uncounted money. Rav Yerucham himself adds that he would even not want to be alone with counted money despite the heightened chance of being caught for stealing it! (Daas Chachmo u'Mussar, 4th Chelek, Parshas Shelach, p.115b.)
[11] Choshen Mishpat is the section of Shulchan Aruch that discusses monetary laws.

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[1]. The Kli Yakar adds that the ashes should remind the Kohen of Avraham Avinu’s recognition that man comes from ’afar v’eifer’[2].

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.[3]” “Rebbe Levyatas, man of Yavne says, ’be very, very lowly of spirit because the hopes of man are maggots.[4]”

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.[5]” In Avos, Rebbe Akiva says, “man is precious because he was created in the Image [of G-d].[6]”

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[7]. 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.[8]” 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.

[1] Tzav, 6:3
[2] Tzav, 6:4.
[3] Avos, 3:1
[4] Avos, 4:4.
[5] Sanhedrin, 37a.
[6] Avos, 3:18.
[7] Hadrach lelimud hamussar, p.20.
[8] Sotah, 47a.

BEING REAL WITH THE SPIRITUAL WORLD - 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[1]. 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[2].

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.[3]”

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[4]. 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
[1] Vayikra, 5:17.
[2] Sefer Hachinuch, Mitzvo 128. Also see Seforno, Vayikra, 15:17.
[3] Chagiga, 16a.
[4] Mesillas Yesharim, Ch.4, p.41-2..

GIFT OFFERINGS - VAYIKRA

The Book of Vayikra focuses to a significant degree on the various korbanos[1] 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[2] (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[3]. 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)[4]. 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.
[1] A korban is normally translated into 'sacrifice' - this is not an accurate translation, in that the root of the word, korban is karev, which means 'come close' the essence of a korban is an act of coming close to Hashem, thus when a Jew gives a korban he does not focus on the 'sacrifice' that he is making by offering an animal to Hashem, rather on the closeness to Hashem that he is gaining.
[2] Such as Olos, Shelamim and Menachos.
[3] Birchas Peretz, Parshas Vayikra.
[4] Mesillas Yesharim, Ch.7.

HISHTADLUS IN RUCHNIUS - PEKUDEI

After the Avodas Hamishkan was completed the workmen could not erect the Mishkan because of its massive weight. Since Moshe Rabbeinu had not had a share in the actual work of the Mishkan, Hashem wanted him to have the honor of erecting it. Hashem told him to make the attempt and the Mishkan would stand on its own, and it would appear to the onlookers as if he put it up himself[1].

This incident poses a difficulty - it seems clear that just as all the builders of the Mishkan were rewarded for their work, so too Moshe Rabbeinu was surely rewarded for the actual hakamas Hamishkan - why is this the case, he did not actually do anything, Hashem performed the erecting Himself?! In reality we are only able to perform any mitzvo because Hashem enables us to do so - Hashem is constantly sustaining the world and every human being in it - without this siata dishmaya we would not be able to do anything. The only difference in the case of the erecting of the Mishkan is that it was an open miracle whereas every mitzvo that we perform is a hidden miracle. The reward that we receive is not because of the result but because of the effort that we make. Moshe Rabbein made the effort to erect the Mishkan, therefore he was rewarded as if he performed it himself.

Sifsei Chaim develops this theme further; he writes that we all realize that we do not have the ability to achieve anything in gashmius without Hashem. If that is so, then why do we do so much activity? After chet Adam haRishon, Hashem decreed that man must exert physical effort in order to survive - however “we must realise that, in reality we do not achieve anything, all of our actions are only the exertion of the necessary effort which is a fulfillment of the passuk “you will eat bread by the sweat of your brow.”[2] All of our work in earning our parnasa and other worldly activities are a result of this ‘gezeiras hishtadlus‘, we are required to expend such effort but we must recognize that ultimately it does not really achieve anything. However, we are less aware that the same is true even in the realm of ruchnius. We do have free will, which is the ability to decide whether we will choose good or bad, however, the final result is not in our control at all. For example, a person may expend great effort in buying a beautiful esrog, but when he comes to use it on Yom Tov he may drop the esrog and the pitom could break. We can make the decision to do the mitzva but only Hashem can actually enable us to completely fulfill it.

Based on the yesod that the gezeiras hishtadlus applies equally to gashmius and ruchnius, one may want to equate the two realms in another way: It is well known that bitachon is more important than hishtadlus in gashmius, and the more bitachon we have the more we will receive regardless of the hishtadlus that we put in. So too one may approach ruchnius with the same attitude - that the ikar avoda in ruchnius is bitachon and that hishtadlus is merely a secondary factor. However, Sifsei Chaim stresses that it is incorrect to totally equate ruchnius and gashmius in this regard - there is a crucial difference between the two: “In matters of gashmius, the required hishtadlus is a penalty that one must pay and it is not good to add to payment of the penalty [ie. one should minimize his hishtadlus as much as possible]. In contrast, in avodas Hashem he must do as much histhadlus as possible and strive with all his strength..”

This is a very important lesson; we generally recognize that bitachon is an essential aspect of avodas Hashem and that our own hishtadlus should be minimized as much as possible, however one may also have the same attitude in spiritual matters; he may limit his hishtadlus in ruchnius with the mistaken assumption that he can trust in Hashem to do the work for him - this is a serious mistake for, as Sifsei Chaim explains, in ruchnius there is no limit to how much effort one should expend. This idea is illustrated by the following story involving Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt”l. “As a teenager, Hertzl Shechter was invariably a few minutes late for Reb Shraga Feivel’s 9.00am Tanach shiur, and one day he received a notice that ‘the Boss’ wanted to speak to him. Shechter entered the room trembling. “Nu, Hertzl, when are you going to start coming on time?” Reb Shraga Feivel asked. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Shechter could manage nothing more than, “Im yirtzeh Hashem.” But Reb Shraga Feivel was not to be put off so easily. “Nein,” he began shaking his head, “not im yirtzeh Hashem, Im yirtzeh Hertzl - no, not if Hashem wants; rather if Hertzl wants.”[3] There are times when a person should not comfort himself with the fact that Hashem will ensure that everything runs smoothly, rather he must take the intiative himself.

If there is a misconception about the role of hishtadlus in one’s own personal avodas Hashem, then this is certainly the case with regard to the state of Klal Yisroel. One may easily be tempted to think that, no matter how bad the situation is, Hashem will not let it deteriorate indefinitely and that we can trust that eventually things will improve ‘mimayla’. Chazal teach us that this is a grave error; if people do not take action to resolve the problems of Klal Yisrael then they will only persist - Hashem requires us to bring about an improvement through our own efforts. This idea is expressed in the Mishna in Pirkei Avos: “In a place where there are no men hishtadel [strive] to be a man.”[4] Many commentaries explain this to mean that when there is a lack of people serving the needs of the Klal, one must stand up and fill the gap.[5] Rav Hirsch zt”l writes that in normal circumstances one should be humble and avoid publicity, however when people are needed to serve the klal then humility and tsnius are totally inappropriate, rather one should do whatever is necessary to improve the situation even if it involves receiving unwanted publicity.[6] It is noteworthy that the Mishna chose to use the word, ‘histhadel’ when it could have simply said ‘in a place where there are no men be a man.” The reason for this is that the word, ‘hishtadel’ implies great effort; the Mishna is teaching us that it is not enough to merely ‘try’ to help the community, rather, one must exert great effort into the task at hand.

The Alter of Novardok stressed the need for such exertion in the battle to uphold the Torah. “When a person becomes aware of as grievous a failing within society as its present educational structure, which has taken such a tremendous toll on our youth - how much must he summon up all of his powers to guard the breach, remove the impediment and raise up the standard of truth…. there is no alternative but to rouse ourselves from our slumber, consider the dangers which confront us and go out with energy and drive, and use all our talents and sensitivities to do all that we are able.”[7] One may argue that there is a great limit to what a single person can achieve even if he expends much effort: The Alter seems to have thought differently: He once said that, “if a person works as hard for the benefit of the public as he works for the benefit of a single member of his family, he could found a hundred yeshivas!”[8]

A common question that non-observant Jews ask is ‘why did G-d let the Holocaust happen’? Of course, this is an issue that cannot be explained easily. However, there is another question that can help answer it; ‘Why did man let the Holocaust happen?’ Hashem created the world and He constantly oversees it, and yet he has given man control of the world - man has the capability to build it or destroy it, it is the action of man that leads to pain and suffering, not G-d.

Throughout his life, Moshe Rabbeinu was willing to extend great effort to fulfill the Ratson Hashem - as a result Hashem gave him the ability to achieve superhuman results such as lifting the beams of the Mishkan. We can learn from this that all Hashem requires is that we extend the effort, the results are in Hashem’s hands.
[1] Rashi, Pekudey, 39:33,
[2] Sifsei Chaim, Midos v’Avodas Hashem, 2nd Chelek, p.24.
[3] Rosenblum, Reb Shraga Feivel, p.175.
[4] Avos 2:6
[5] See Rashi, Bartenura, Tiferes Yisroel, Mili d’Avos, Rav Hirsch on Avos.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Madreigos Haadam, Maamer Mezakeh es harabim, Ch.1 p227..
[8] Zaitchik, Sparks of Mussar, p.113.