Sfas Emes

Succos 5634 Third Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 12:32:00 +0000

Succos - The Mechanism for Extending God's Blessing to the Entire New Year

“... תָּמִיד עֵינֵי ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ מֵרֵשִית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה/… God your Lord’s eyes are always upon it, from the beginning of the year until the year’s end.” (Devarim 11:12) Although the plain meaning of this pasuk refers to God’s constant Providence over the land of Israel, Chazal[1] understand from this pasuk that at the beginning of the year, God blesses all our activities for the entire coming year.

While we are assured of God’s blessing for the entire year, whether we actually receive the blessing depends a great deal on our state of nearness to Him. At the beginning of the year, having been through the process of repentance that begins on Rosh Chodesh Elul and culminates forty days later on Yom Kippur, we are in a purified state. The Torah tells us clearly, “כִּי־בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם .../For on this day He will atone for you to purify you …” (VaYikra 16:30) Everyone of us should believe that by the end of Yom Kippur we are purified.

In a purified state we are able to receive God’s blessing. However, with the higher spiritual level comes a higher level of kitrug as well. How can we thwart the kitrug and retain this purified state through the coming year so that we can receive God’s blessing for the entire year?

The Sfas Emes teaches us that God gave us the holiday of Succos after Yom Kippur specifically to help us receive God’s blessing for the entire year. A primary theme of Succos is the togetherness of the nation of Israel. Chazal[2] tell us that although each of us needs his own lulav on the first day of Succos, Chazal learn from a pasuk that the entire nation can fulfill the mitzvah of succah in a single succah. Owning the succah is not a prerequisite for fulfilling the mitzvah of dwelling in it.

Furthermore, the Torah[3] calls the holiday, חַג הָאָסִיף/the holiday of gathering. The plain meaning of this name refers to gathering the grain left in the field to dry during the summer. However, it is also an allusion to the gathering of the nation together.

The Sfas Emes teaches that the way to receive God’s blessing for the entire year is to identify strongly with and be subsumed within the nation of Israel. Chazal[4] say this clearly regarding the mitzvah of the four species. Each one of the four species represents a different type of Jew. The aravah/willow branch which has neither taste nor smell represents those who have neither Torah nor good deeds. Just as the aravah is no less an integral part of the mitzvah as the other species, so too, are Jews represented by the aravah protected as part of the nation when they connect with the nation.

The Torah[5] calls the willow branch עַרְבֵי נָחַל/willows of the brook. Halachically, it makes no difference where the willow grows. Nevertheless, the Torah associates the willow with a stream. In the Zohar[6] we find that a stream represents the spiritual mechanism by which abundance is brought into this world. The Torah mentions the stream specifically regarding the willow branch to show that even the Jew who does not have Torah nor good deeds can merit the stream of abundance because of his inclusion within the nation.

This is a powerful lesson to take into the holiday. The days of the holiday, days during which we gather together unencumbered by our usual activities, are particularly conducive to identifying with and feeling a part of the nation. This feeling of identification and inclusiveness has the additional advantage of propagating peace and harmony amongst our people. As part of the nation we can merit God’s blessing for the entire year. And the entire nation can merit receiving blessing as Chazal[7] teach us that peace is the vessel that can hold blessing.

[1] Sifri Eikev 40 s.v. davar achier meireishis hashana

[2] Succah 27b

[3] Shmos 23:16

[4] VaYikra R. 30:12

[5] VaYikra 23:40

[6] Zohar 3:150a

[7] Uktzin 3:12

Nitzavim 5631

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 12:26:00 +0000

Do We Have a Natural Inclination To Do Good? What about Free Will?

At the end of this week’s parsha Moshe Rabbeinu tells the nation, “הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ .../Today, I bring the heavens and earth as witnesses (that I have warned) you …” (Devarim 30:19) What is the significance of the heavens and earth that God chose to bring them to testify? Rashi[1] explains that God is referring to the heavens and earth in order to admonish us and encourage us to fulfill His will. The heavens and the earth always fulfill God’s will. The sun always rises in the morning. Wheat seeds always produce wheat, never barley. They fulfill the will of God even though they receive no reward for doing so and are not punished if they transgress. We, who receive reward upon fulfilling the will of God and are punished when we transgress, should certainly be moved to fulfill God’s will.

How, the Sfas Emes asks, can the nation be compared to the heavens and the earth, though? The heavens and the earth always fulfill the will of God because they have no free will. They have no choice, make no decision. We have free will. Confronted with a situation, we need to decide what we are going to do.

The Sfas Emes explains that Moshe Rabbeinu is teaching us a fundamental lesson in serving God. We learn from the heavens and the earth that fulfilling God’s will is built into the Creation. It is a part nature. We too, if not for the overpowering influence of our evil inclination, would be drawn to fulfill God’s will just like every other creation[2]. To the extent that we do not allow our evil inclination to overpower us, we are automatically inner-directed towards good.

With this concept we can understand a pasuk in Tehillim (62:13), “וּלְךָ־ה' חָסֶד כִּי־אַתָּה תְשַׁלֵּם לְאִישׁ כְּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ/And you God have kindness for you repay a man according to his action.” The Gemara[3] notes the difficulty in the pasuk. Repaying a man according to his action does not seem to be an aspect of kindness. Does a person not deserve to be repaid according to his action?

However, the question is based on the premise that our decisions are not influenced in any way neither for good nor for bad. If there is nothing influencing us, then repaying a person according to his deeds is indeed justice, not kindness. However, if the desire to do good is built into nature, and our job is to refrain from being drawn after the evil inclination, the question becomes moot. God repays man according to his action even though the yearning to accomplish His will comes from Him. This truly is kindness.

This concept answers a question regarding fulfilling mitzvos of the heart. One of the Torah’s cardinal mitzvos is the requirement to love God – Ahavas HaShem. Since this is a mitzvah of the heart – it requires no action – how does one fulfill this mitzvah if he does not feel love towards God? The Rambam[4] teaches that we can reach Ahavas HaShem/Love for God through contemplating the wonders of the Creation.

The Sfas Emes answers that Ahavas HaShem/Love for God, is naturally built into our hearts. If we do not feel it, it is because the evil inclination is drawing us after illicit passions which hide the natural passion for God that is within us. By being careful not to be drawn after illicit desires, our entire being, heart and soul, naturally gravitates towards God. May we merit it!

[1]Rashi ad loc.

[2] See Ramban on Devarim 30:6 says exactly this, “… but after the Mashiach comes choosing good will be part of nature

[3]Rosh HaShanah17b

[4]Moreh Nevuchim 3:28; Yad HaChazakah, Yesodei HaTorah 2:1-2

Teitzei 5631 Third Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 14:15:00 +0000

Shilu'ach HaKein - Mercy or Decree

In this week’s parsha we find the mitzvah of shilu’ach hakein.[1] If person comes upon a bird’s nest and wants to eat, he mustn’t take the mother bird thus leaving the chicks to die. Rather he must take the chicks. The Torah, in an apparent show of mercy, directs us to first send the mother bird away from the nest before taking its chicks or eggs. In fact, the first Midrash on our parsha states emphatically that from this mitzvah we see that God is full of mercy towards birds.[2]

A Mishna[3] in Maseches Brachos though, teaches that we silence one who says, as part of his prayers, that God is merciful and His mercy reaches the bird’s nest since He commanded us to send away the mother before taking the chicks. Rather, we must view all of God’s commandments as decrees. Why is this?

The Sfas Emes explains that even though, in truth, the mitzvos are an expression of God’s mercy, we are nevertheless required to relate to them only as decrees and to fulfill them as a servant who fulfills his master’s instructions. We silence one who attributes the mitzvah to God’s mercy, even though he speaks the truth, because his words indicate that he performs the mitzvah in order to express God’s mercy rather than to fulfill God’s decree.

This is a subtle difference. Indeed, why is it wrong to perform the mitzvah in order to express God’s mercy? Why must we silence this person? The reason we silence him, the Chazal explain, is because he makes God’s mitzvos mercy when in fact they really are decrees.[4] According to this, God’s mitzvos are not an expression of His mercy. They are in fact decrees that we are required to fulfill without regard to, and perhaps without even knowing, their ultimate reasons.

This explanation clearly contradicts the Midrash. To reconcile the Midrash with this Gemara we need to gain a clear understanding of how the mitzvos express God’s will. Unquestionably, the mitzvos are a manifestation of God’s will. However, since God is infinite, it follows that every characteristic we can attribute to God is infinite as well. God’s mercy, for example, is infinite. The mitzvos, of course, are finite. How, then, can the finite mitzvos manifest God’s infinite will?

The answer to this question can be understood from the words the Gemara above uses for mitzvos and decrees, midos and gezeiros respectively. The word mida also means a measure. In order to enable us to fulfill His will, God “shrunk” His will, as it were, into measured doses. These measured doses of God’s will are the Torah and the mitzvos.

Although the source of the mitzvah of shilu’ach hakein is certainly God’s infinite mercy, its physical manifestation in this world is only a representation of God’s mercy. It is a mida/measured dose. The Zohar teaches that it is called a gezeira/decree because it is nigzar/cut from God’s infinite mercy but it is not His infinite mercy.

The one who prays and says that God’s mercy reaches the birds implies that we can understand God’s mercy, but we cannot because it is infinite. The physical can never completely express any attribute of God. To say or imply that it does is an unwarranted constriction of the infiniteness of God’s attributes and a dangerous misunderstanding of how they are expressed in the finite physical world. While we, of course learn mercy from this mitzvah, our approach to performing it and all other mitzvos needs to be as a servant who performs his master’s will regardless of the reason.

[1]Devarim 22:6-7

[2]Devarim R. 6:1

[3]Brachos Mishna 5:3

[4]Brachos 33b

Re'ei 5631 Second Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 12:05:00 +0000

Transforming Curse into Blessing

The first Midrash[1] on the parsha says that when reading the curses and rebukes in parshas Ki Savo, it is impermissible to stop in the middle. The Midrash explains that God does not want the curses. Rather, He wants us to learn from them. When we contemplate the curses and rebukes and then return to God we transform the curses and rebukes into blessings. The Zohar[2] says that a person who accepts his tribulations with love and returns to God transforms those torments into torments of love – יסורין של אהבה. He understands that, through the torments, God has shown him a way to return.

Based on this the Sfas Emes explains the first pasuk in this week’s parsha, “רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה/Look, I place before you today blessing and curse.” (Devarim 11:26) Conventionally, this means that God is giving us a choice between doing good and receiving blessing and doing evil and receiving curses. The Sfas Emes teaches, though, that God is not giving us a choice between two exclusive options. Rather, He gives us both blessing and curse, implying that we have control over them. The purpose of the curse is to guide us to return to God. If we return to God because of the curse, it becomes a blessing. We have the ability to transform the curse into blessing. This is why the Midrash teaches us not to stop in the middle of reading the rebukes in the Torah. The rebukes and curses are not separate from the blessing. Everything is potentially blessing and we are empowered to make it so.

[1]Devarim R. 4:1

[2]Zohar 3:46a

Va'Eschanan 5631 Fourth Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 12:01:00 +0000

Prayer vs. Repentance

The Midrash[1] in this week’s parsha compares the efficacy of prayer vs repentance through an allegory. Prayer can be compared to a mikveh whereas repentance can be compared to the sea. A mikveh is open sometimes, closed sometimes. The sea, however, is always open. The gates of prayer are sometimes open, sometimes closed. The gates of repentance, though, are always open.

The Midrash seems to be teaching us that there are times when prayer is more easily accepted and other times when it is not. David HaMelech said clearly, “וַאֲנִי תְפִלָּתִי־לְךָ ה' עֵת רָצוֹן אֱ־לֹהִים בְּרָב־חַסְדֶּךָ עֲנֵנִי בֱּאֶמֶת יִשְׁעֶךָ/As for me, may my prayer to You, God, be at a time of desire; Lord, in Your abundant kindness, answer me with the truth of Your salvation.” (Tehillim 69:14) There is a time of desire when prayer is more easily accepted and a time that is not “of desire”. Repentance, on the other hand, is always accepted.

Is this really the case? Are there times that God is more desirous of our prayers and other times when He is less desirous of them as this pasuk implies and as the Midrash seems to be saying? This is only so, if we take the Midrash at face value as pitting prayer against repentance. The Sfas Emes explains though that the gates of prayer and the gates of repentance are not comparable. The gates of prayer are in our hearts. Prayer, Chazal teach us, is a “service of the heart”. Repentance, though, is a rectification of our relationship with God.

When Chazal call prayer a “service of the heart”, they are teaching us something fundamental about prayer. In essence Chazal answer the following implied question. How is it possible to ask God for something? How does prayer help? If we deserve that for which we are praying, then God should grant it without prayer and if we do not deserve it then what difference our prayers?

Chazal therefore teach us that prayer is not simply asking God for something. Prayer means working on one’s self. It is a “service of the heart”. What must we do? How do we work on ourselves? The Sfas Emes explains based on the Midrash’s metaphor comparing prayer to a mikveh and repentance to the sea. A mikveh, as opposed to the sea, is an enclosed concentration of water. The word mikveh means this.[2] Water is a metaphor for Godly enlightenment. The Sfas Emes explains that we are each like a mikveh. Just as the mikveh contains water, so too, do we contain Godly enlightenment. Successful prayer starts with accessing the Godly enlightenment within us. The way to do this is by discarding all our desires in favor of what we will receive from the enlightenment that is in us. This discarding is what Chazal refer to as a service of the heart which itself is prayer. Sometimes we are able to do this and sometimes we are not. Sometimes, sin acts as a barrier preventing us from accessing the Godly enlightenment within us. In the words of the Midrash, the mikveh is sometimes open, sometimes closed.

Prayer, according to the Sfas Emes’s understanding, is very introspective. Repentance, on the other hand, is a rectification of the sinner’s relationship with God. Repentance, literally return, is the tool that the sinner needs in order to repair the connection with God that was severed to some extent by sin. The gates of repentance are always open because our sins don’t affect God. He always wants our return. As long as we truly return to Him, as long as we dedicate ourselves totally to Him, He is always ready to accept us even though we’ve sinned.

This is the meaning of the pasuk in our parsha, “כִּי מִי־גוֹי גָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ אֱ־לֹהִים קְרֹבִים אֵלָיו כַּה׳ אֱ־לֹהֵינוּ בְּכָל־קָרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו/For who is the great nation who has God so close to them, as God, our Lord is whenever we call to Him.” (Devarim 4:7) Although conventionally, this pasuk is referring to prayer, the Sfas Emes understands it as referring to the dedication that is needed for the process of returning to God to be successful. He translates, “בְּכָל־קָרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו/whenever we call to Him”, as, “when all our calls are to Him.” The pasuk, then, is teaching us that God is close to us “when all our calls are to Him” – when we are totally dedicated to Him.

May we merit that the gates of prayer – in our own hearts – as well as the gates of repentance – dedicating ourselves totally to God – always be open to us.

[1] Devarim R. 2:12

[2]See Breishis 1:9

Likutim Tisha B'Av

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 10:14:00 +0000

Rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash- What Does It Take?

Chazal[1] teach us that the Beis Hamikdash is considered as if it was destroyed in any generation in which it is not built. Chazal seem to equate destroying with building implying that building is no more difficult than destroying. Why is this? Experience and observation show that it is much easier to destroy than to build!

The Sfas Emes gives three answers to this question.

1) Since there is a divine aspect to the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, the human act of building presents no hindrance. Therefore, in order for the Beis HaMikdash to be rebuilt we just need to reach a state at which the Beis HaMikdash would not be destroyed if it existed. That it is not being rebuilt yet, is a clear indication that it would be destroyed if it existed now, otherwise, we would be able to rebuild it with God’s help.

2) God wants the Beis HaMikdash to exist. It is the mechanism through which He reveals Himself in the physical world, the place where the Shechina resides. The Beis HaMikdash was destroyed only because if it had continued to exist, we would have suffered even more than we did by its destruction. Chazal tell us that God destroyed wood and stones instead of destroying us. This then is the only barrier preventing the Beis HaMikdash from being rebuilt. The moment it can exist at no danger to us, it will be rebuilt immediately. Since it is not being rebuilt, it must be that it would pose a danger to us if it existed, and would therefore be destroyed.

3) It really is more difficult to rebuild than to destroy and it is possible to conceive of a generation during which the Beis HaMikdash would not have been destroyed but nevertheless cannot be rebuilt. Chazal are not saying that if it is not rebuilt in a specific generation it would have been destroyed in that generation had it existed. Rather, they are saying that it is as if it was destroyed in that generation. The punishment of the Beis HaMikdash not being rebuilt is as severe as the destruction itself. The reason is that the experience of and the sadness caused by the destruction should provide us with sufficient extra strength and motivation to overcome any obstacle preventing rebuilding. The suffering that we experienced due to the destruction and its terrible consequences throughout our history should give us much more motivation to rebuild than the prophet’s exhortations to the nation to prevent the destruction in the first place. That it doesn’t is certainly a punishment as severe as the destruction itself. This, it seems, is the reason that Chazal teach us that the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdash was worse for the nation than the destruction of the first. At the time of the second destruction, we had already experienced the first destruction and its consequences. This, of itself, should have been enough to sufficiently motivate us to prevent the second destruction. That it did not is the reason Chazal say that the second destruction was worse for us. Failing to prevent the second destruction after having already experienced the first one is a much greater cause for consternation than the first destruction.

God will help us, in His compassion, for the honor of His name, and we will merit seeing the consolation of Tzion and Yerushalayim quickly in our times Amen, May it be His will!

[1]Yalkut Shimoni Tehilim 137, 886; Yerushalmi Yom 1:1 (5a)

Mas'ei 5633 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 11:10:00 +0000

Points of Departure and Journeys

“וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֶת־מוֹצָאֵיהֶם לְמַסְעֵיהֶם ... וְאֵלֶּה מַסְעֵיהֶם לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶם/Moshe wrote their departure points for their journeys … and these are their journeys according to their departure points.” (Bamidbar 33:2) The beginning of the pasuk stresses the departure points whereas the end of the pasuk stresses the journeys. Why?

The Sfas Emes teaches that the departure points in the pasuk allude to the original departure point, Egypt. In fact, the first pasuk states clearly, “אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אַשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם .../These are the journeys of the children of Israel who left the land of Egypt …” (Bamidbar 33:1) The departure from Egypt was our point of reference throughout the sojourn through the desert culminating in our arrival in the land of Israel. Until we arrived in the land of Israel at the end of all the journeys mentioned, we were considered to be leaving Egypt. Each milestone further distanced us from Egypt and brought us a step closer to our destination. The Exodus was complete only upon our arrival in the land of Israel.

Leaving Egypt and arriving in Israel is a metaphor for separating from the physical in order to attach to and experience God. The physical world serves the purpose of helping us reach God. The metaphor teaches us that it is important to separate from the physical in as much as this helps us to come close to God. There is no requirement to be disgusted by the physical per se. In fact, God made the physical attractive to us specifically so that we would not hesitate to use it for the sake of Heaven. The pasuk therefore first stresses the departure points to show us that we need them for the journey.

The physical world is our point of reference in serving God. As we “travel” and come closer to God the departure point fades, we have left some part of the physical behind and the “leaving” is complete. The second part of the pasuk stresses the journeys because really, the journey is the key thing. The journey is our main focus of attention until we reach the next milestone in our life journey of coming close to God. The departure points – the physical world – give us a context, a reference point, for our journey to come close to God and the journey – our work to serve God – gives meaning to the departure points.

Balak 5631 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 09:51:00 +0000

Disciples of Avraham and Disciples of Bil'am

Chazal[1] in a Mishna in Avos teach us that the disciples of Avraham Avinu are recognized by three character traits. They are generous, humble and live simply. The disciples of Bil’am the wicked have three opposite qualities, stinginess, arrogance, and greed. Bil’am’s students have poor character traits, to be sure. But one need not be a disciple of Bil’am to learn these traits. In fact, any fool can develop these bad character traits without learning from anyone. What exactly, then, do the disciples of Bil’am learn from him? Conversely, what do the disciples of Avraham Avinu learn from him?

The interesting thing about Bil’am is that he subordinates himself to God. For example, in response to Balak’s appeal that he curse the nation of Israel, he claims that even if Balak would give him his entire estate filled with silver and gold he cannot transgress the word of God.[2] Yet, from this very response Chazal learn that Bil’am was greedy.[3] Why do Chazal consider him to be so wicked? The Sfas Emes explains that Bil’am viewed himself as a very important person who does God’s will notwithstanding his own importance.

Bil’am used service to God for his own ends, to increase his own egotism. This idea is alluded to in the pasuk describing Bil’am, “... נֹפֵל וּגְלוּי עֵינַָיִם/… fallen and revealed to him.” (Bamidbar 24:4) True, he falls before God. But he does so only to achieve a higher level to feed his bloated ego. Bil’am teaches his students to use service to God to achieve personal goals.

The righteous, on the other hand, have a simple soul. They ask nothing for themselves. Their sole desire is to be close to God, the source of life. They want to be God’s tool in this world, like an axe in the hands of a wood chopper.

In fact, this is the only way to merit the next world. Chazal[4] tell us that this world is a corridor leading to the next world which is compared to a hall. The corridor is the only path to the hall. The only way to get to the next world is through this one. This is because the next world is so completely holy and spiritual that it is beyond our comprehension. It is impossible for someone who is completely disconnected from anything spiritual to merit the next world. What must we do, then, to merit it? The Sfas Emes explains that by revealing holiness in this world we connect to holiness, to God’s life force. This connection enables us to experience the next world.

The Ba’al Shem Tov explains that this is the meaning of the second half of the mishnah quoted above. The second part of the mishnah states that the disciples of Avraham Avinu benefit (lit.אוֹכְלִין /eat) in this world and נוֹחְלִין/inherit in the next world. The Ba’al Shem Tov explains that Chazal are not simply listing the rewards awaiting the disciples of Avraham Avinu. Rather they are teaching us about the relationship between this world and the next. Chazal alluded to this relationship by using the word nochlin for inherit instead of the more common יורשים. נוֹחְלִין/Inherit has the same root as the word נַחַל/stream. The Ba’al Shem Tov explains that benefiting from this world is not part of the reward. Rather, it is part of the work. Whenever we benefit from this world we must channel the stream of God’s life force into the activity. Chazal are telling us that we must inject some of the next world’s holiness into our activities in this world.

By revealing the hidden holiness inherent in this world, we will merit experiencing the hidden holiness of the next world. The mishnah brings proof from a pasuk in Mishlei (8:21), “לְהַנְחִיל אֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ וְאֹצְרֹתֵיהֶם אֲמַלֵּא/I have something to bequeath those who love me and I will fill their storehouses.” The next world is referred to as אַיִן/nothing because it is not tangible and it is beyond our comprehension. When we reveal hidden holiness in this world, we develop a connection to it. This connection allows us to see and experience the אַיִן/nothing of the next world as יֵשׁ/something.

This, then, is the teaching of Avraham Avinu. Once we view ourselves as agents of God and consider that God is the absolute and singular force giving life and existence to everything, then generosity, humility, and living simply, follow.

Bil’am teaches his students exactly the opposite. He teaches that we can and should gain personally even from subservience to God. Chazal in fact teach us that that any kindness the nations of the world did, they did for their own benefit.[5] This is why the mishnah states that the students of Bil’am inherit gehinom. Gehinom represents God’s concealment, the opposite of the next world. By introducing evil into the good that they do, Bil’am’s disciples conceal even the Godliness that would otherwise have been revealed by their positive actions. They, thus, inherit the ultimate concealment of God.

May we merit being the disciples of Avraham Avinu. Amen!

[1]Avos 5:19

[2]Bamidbar 22:18

[3]Tanchuma Balak 6

[4]Avos 4:16

[5]Tikunei Zohar 6:22b

Chukas 5632 Third Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Understanding Mitzvos that Have No Apparent Reason

The first part of our parsha describes the mitzvah of the red heifer. The ashes of a red heifer are mixed with water and sprinkled on one who is spiritually impure through contact with a corpse. Because this mitzvah seems to have no apparent logic, Rashi[1] quotes a Midrash that states that this is one of the mitzvos about which the nations of the world and the satan chide the nation of Israel. Our answer to them is that this mitzvah is a divine decree which we must adhere to even though it has no apparent reason. For this reason, the pasuk introduces the mitzvah with, “זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה .../This is the decree of the Torah …” (Bamidbar 19:2)

The Sfas Emes asks that this answer does not seem to be an answer at all. The nations of the world tell us that our religion contains elements of illogic and we answer that our religion contains elements of illogic!

In order to understand this, we must know that every decree in the Torah is based on a good, valid reason. There is no such thing as a decree for its own sake. What then is the meaning of the Midrash? The Midrash is teaching us that decrees represent a category of mitzvos whose underlying reasons cannot be attained directly. The only way to attain an understanding of the decrees in the Torah is by embracing them even without understanding.

This is so because the reasons for these mitzvos are spiritual in nature. They can only be approached by distancing ourselves from the physical. A mitzvah, like the entire Creation, has a physical component – the act of the mitzvah – and a spiritual component. The performance of a mitzvah creates spiritual effects. The mitzvah’s reason is part of its spiritual component.

By living spiritual lives, we prepare ourselves to understand even the decrees of the Torah. This concept is borne out by Chazal[2] who teach us that during the time of David HaMelech, the children who had not yet tasted sin, were able to understand the reasons behind even the most esoteric laws of purity and impurity.

In the poem that the Arizal composed for recital before Kiddush on Shabbos morning we find, “יְגַלֵּה לָן טַעֲמֵי דְבִתְרֵיסַר נַהֲמֵי/reveal to us the reasons behind the twelve loaves (of showbread). There are reasons even though they are not apparent to us. We ask God to reveal them to us.

In fact, the Sfas Emes teaches that our purpose is to reveal the reasons. By revealing the spiritual, we reveal the reasons as well.

As the Sfas Emes states in many ma’amarim, the spiritual component of the Creation is more revealed on Shabbos than during the week. As such, on Shabbos we are closer to understanding the reasons underlying the existence of the entire Creation. We find a hint to this idea in the musaf of Shabbos, “טוֹעֲמֶיהָ חַיִּים זָכוּ/Those who savor it will merit life.” The Hebrew word for “savor” is the same as for “reason”. So, this can be understood as, “Those who receive the reasons (having prepared themselves) merit life. In fact, our work during the days of the week should be geared towards preparing ourselves so that we can reach higher levels of spirituality on Shabbos.

[1] Rashi on Bamidbar 19:2

[2] Tanchuma Chukas 4

Shelach 5631 Second Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 09:17:00 +0000

The Spies’ Mistake and How We Can Apply the Lesson to Our Own Life Challenges

“... וְלֹא־תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם .../… and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes …” (Bamidbar 15:39) Rashi on this pasuk explains that the word תָתוּרוּ/wander, comes from תּוּר/spy or scout. He writes that the heart and eyes are like the body’s spies. “The eyes see, the heart desires and the body does the sin.”

It is no coincidence that this pasuk appears in the same parsha as the story of the twelve spies. In fact, the Sfas Emes explains that there is an underlying similarity between these two seemingly disparate subjects. In order to understand this similarity, we need to first understand why the spies were sent and what they did wrong.

The Chiddushei HaRim explains.[1] The nation in the desert lived with explicit miracles. They ate food that dropped from the sky every day. They saw the clouds of glory and the pillar of fire. Coming into Israel they would be living within nature. The challenge would be to maintain their high level of faith. The challenge would be to realize that just as God provided for them in the desert in an explicit way, He is within nature as well, albeit, implicitly. Success in this challenge would be to reach a level of understanding that nature is a bigger wonder than the miracles of the desert. As part of the transition to living within the bounds of nature, the spies were sent to scout the land. Their ultimate mission was to maintain the level of faith they had in the desert where they experienced open miracles on a daily basis. Their ultimate mission involved seeing the land and its inhabitants and realizing that even though the inhabitants were strong and live in fortified cities, and according to the laws of nature they were unable to enter the land, God is within everything. God would help them if they would only subordinate themselves to His will. In this, ten of the twelve spies failed. They did not maintain their high level of faith. They were fooled by what they saw. They realized that they did not have the physical strength to enter the land and overcome its inhabitants. And because of this, they in fact, did not enter the land.

According to the Sfas Emes, this is exactly the meaning of the admonition at the end of the parsha to not follow our eyes and heart. Our eyes and heart (i.e. our desires) see the external physical world. The Torah is admonishing us to recognize instead the Godliness that underlies the external physical world. This explains the next pasuk, “לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֹתָי .../So that you will remember and you will do all of my commandments …” (Bamidbar 15:40) The beginning of this pasuk seems awkward. The pasuk tells us to remember but does not tell us what we should remember. If the pasuk were telling us to remember the mitzvos in order to do them it would state, “So that you will remember my commandments …” The pasuk seems to be stating two separate things. Remember and then do the mitzvos. Remember what? The Sfas Emes explains that the word for “remember” in Hebrew means more than simply recalling. It is much deeper. It means to internalize something until it becomes a part of the person. At that point there is no possibility of forgetting. The beginning of this pasuk is really a continuation of the previous pasuk. The Torah is telling us, “Do not follow your physical eyes and desires so that you may internalize the underlying Godliness of everything physical. Through this internalization you will be able to do all My mitzvos – even the ones that according to your nature perspective you do not think you can do.”

The Sfas Emes teaches that this approach applies to any mitzvah and service to God. Viewing challenges solely according to the laws of nature, many times leads us to believe that we cannot succeed. According to the laws of nature, for example, Avraham Avinu was unable to have children. Avraham Avinu had children because he believed God’s promise to him, “וְהֶאֱמִין בַּה' .../and he had faith in God …” (Breishis 15:6)

When we imagine that we cannot succeed either because of previous sins or because of a general feeling of unworthiness, we have succumbed to the advice of the evil inclination. This way of viewing things considers only external physical circumstance rather than the underlying spiritual reality. Believing that we can accomplish and succeed at any mitzvah with God’s help will lead us inexorably to success in Avodas HaShem.

[1]Chidushei HaRim and Sefer HaZchus, parshas Shelach

Shavuos 5646 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 10:29:00 +0000

How We Transformed from the Deepest Impurity to Receiving the Torah in Fifty Days

Why We Eat Dairy Foods on Shavuos

When the nation of Israel left Egypt, we were in a state of deep impurity[1]. In a period of a mere fifty days, we made a transformation from this low level to a state in which we were ready to participate in the greatest event in the history of mankind, the receiving of the Torah and direct communication from the Creator.

This transformation is one of the most optimistic and inspiring processes. It teaches us that regardless of the level of our impurity, we should not despair. This process of transformation is enshrined in the counting of the Omer.

How does the transformation work? How can the impure become pure? The answer to this question is based on the concept that everything both pure and impure was created by God and needs God’s constant and continuous attention to exist. Even though the Creation is a mixture of good and bad, of purity and impurity, at the spiritual source there is Unity. In the words of Chazal[2], there are forty-nine aspects or levels of impurity and purity. Levels implies that there is a mix. At the fiftieth level there is Unity. Of course, the unity, the Godliness is inherent even at the most impure level. It is simply revealed at the fiftieth level. Impurity is a barrier that hides Godliness. For impure to become pure, the barrier needs to be removed.

We find this concept in a Midrash[3] explaining a pasuk in Iyov (14:4), “מִי יִתֵּן טָהוֹר מִטָמֵא לֹא אֶחָד/Who produces purity from impurity? No one!” The Midrash translates this pasuk, “Who produces purity from impurity? Is it not the One?” Producing purity from impurity seems impossible. However, it is only impossible if we believe that impurity has an autonomous existence. Once we recognize that impurity is simply God’s concealment, producing purity from impurity is a matter of removing that which conceals God.

We also find this concept in a Zohar[4] explaining the pasuk, “... וְנִטְמֵתֶם בָּם/… and you will become defiled by them” (VaYikra 11:43) referring to one who eats forbidden foods. The usual spelling of “וְנִטְמֵתֶם/and you will become defiled” includes the letter א/alef - וְנִטְמֵאתֶם. Why is it spelled here without the alef? The Sfas Emes explains that the alef, meaning, “one”, alludes to the source – God. According to the Zohar the Torah spelled this word without the alef to teach us that one who has eaten forbidden foods and dies before having repented is so defiled that there is nothing that can heal his soul. He has lost his connection with the source, with God.[5]

This, the Sfas Emes teaches us, is the significance of the forty-nine days of counting the Omer culminating in the holiday of Shavuos on the fiftieth day. Counting is a process of sorting and clarification. During the forty-nine days of the Omer the nation of Israel worked to separate the impure from the pure, the evil from the good. This process ended on Shavuos with the receiving of the Torah and the negation of the evil inclination. For this reason, the Zohar[6] teaches, in addition to the regular holiday sacrifices, two loaves of leavened bread were brought as an offering. Almost all meal offerings are made from unleavened dough. Why is leavened bread brought on Shavuos. The Zohar explains that leavening represents the evil inclination. We offer specifically leavened bread to show that the evil inclination was nullified on the first Shavuos.

On Shavuos we reached the fiftieth level of purity and experienced God as the source of everything. To symbolize harking back to the source, the two loaves were made from the first wheat of the year. This wheat is the called the first fruit and Chazal[7] teach us it is called, “רֵאשִׁית/first”, alluding to the Creation – בְּרֵאשִׁית – and ultimately to the source of the Creation – God. Shavuos, in fact, is called, “יוֹם הַבִּיכּוּרִים/Day of the First Fruit.” (Bamidbar 28:26)

The Kohanim offer the first wheat on behalf of the entire nation of Israel. In addition to this mitzvah, it is incumbent on each member of the nation to bring the first fruit produced by his field to the Beis Hamikdash, “רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא בֵּית ה' אֱ-לָהֶיךָ ... /… You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your land to the house of God.” (Shmos 23:19) The Sfas Emes explains that, when we clarify for ourselves that God is the source of everything, evil no longer represents a barrier that hides Him. If this is true on an individual level, it is certainly true on the national level of the first wheat that is brought on Shavuos. The meal offering from the first wheat represents God’s revelation on Shavuos and provides the nation with protection for the entire year.

The second half of the pasuk instructing us to bring the first fruit to the Beis HaMikdash is, “... לֹא-תְבַשֵׁל גְדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ/… Do not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.” What is the connection between these two seemingly unrelated mitzvos? The Zohar[8] explains that once the source is revealed, there is no longer any possibility of a mix of good and bad. The Sfas Emes explains elsewhere that milk represents a clarification of the good from the bad. Chazal teach us that God turns the mother’s blood, which is impure, into milk which is pure. Chazal learn this from the pasuk in Iyov brought earlier, “מִי יִתֵּן טָהוֹר מִטָמֵא לֹא אֶחָד/Who produces purity from impurity? Is it not the One?” Meat, on the other hand, represents a mix of good and bad. The Sfas Emes notes an allusion to this from the quail that God sent to the nation in the desert. The quail was sent specifically in the evening. The word for evening – עֶרֶב – has the same root as the word for mix – עָרֹב.

Since meat represents the mix whereas milk represents the clarification, milk should not be eaten with meat. For this reason, as well, it is appropriate to eat dairy foods on Shavuos since both dairy and Shavuos represent clarification and a revelation of the source – God.

[1] Zohar Chadash 39a states that the nation reached the 49^th out of 50 levels of impurity

[2] Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 4:2; Shir HaShirim R. 2, 4:1

[3] Bamidbar R. 19:1

[4] Zohar 3:41b

[5] The gematria of the word טמא – is fifty (9+40+1=50). The gematria of טמ is forty-nine (9+40=49) representing the forty-nine levels of impurity. א/alef represents the fiftieth level on which there is Unity – God is revealed. Purity is only possible because God underlies the impurity. Therefore, if the alef is removed, reaching purity is impossible. This is the deeper meaning of the pasuk in Iyov, “מי יתן טהור מטמא הלא אחד/Who produces purity from impurity? Is it not the One (alluded to by the alef)?” (Nefesh David – commentary on the Zohar)

[6] Zohar 2:183b

[7] Breishis R. 1:4

[8] Tikunei Zohar 14:30:a

Bamidbar 5631 First & Second Ma'amarim

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 12:28:00 +0000

The Significance of the Census - Drawing Down the Light by Harking Back to Our Roots

In this week’s parsha a census is conducted that counts the entire nation of Israel. God tells Moshe Rabbeinu to count the Levites separately for, “... וְהָיוּ לִי הַלְוִיִּם/… the Levites shall be Mine.” (Bamidbar 3:12) Why did God single out the Levites? Why did He make them His? The Midrash, addressing this question, says that whoever brings God close, God, in turn, brings that person close to Him.[1] After the sin of the golden calf, the Levites brought God close to them. In response to Moshe Rabbeinu’s call, “Whoever is for God, come to me! All the children of Levi gathered around him.” (Shmos 32:26) God, in turn, brought the Levites close to Him.

The Chiddushei HaRim points out, though, that the Levites were not the only ones who resisted the temptation to sin. In fact, most of the nation did not participate in the idol worship. Why, then, did God bring particularly the Levites close to Him? The Chiddushei HaRim notes, that there is a big difference between passively not sinning and actively taking a stand. According to the Chiddushei HaRim, Chazal are teaching us this difference. The Levites, by gathering around Moshe made a clear declaration that they rejected the idol worship and were for God alone. They actively drew Him near to them. While it is certainly true that most of the rest of the nation did not participate in the idol worship, neither did they do the much more difficult thing and actively take a stand against it. Therefore, in response to the Levites coming close to God, God drew them near to Him as well.

The Sfas Emes takes this concept a step further. We should not infer from the Midrash and the Chiddushei HaRim’s interpretation that a relationship with God is binary – either one has a relationship with God or one does not. Rather, our relationship with God is a continuum. God relates to each of us according to the level of our faith in Him. The stronger our faith, the closer He draws us to Him. We find this concept in the first Midrash[2] of this week’s parsha. The Midrash quotes a pasuk in Tehillim (36:7), “צִדְקָתְךָ כְּהַרְרֵי־אֵל מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ תִּהוֹם רַבָּה .../Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains; Your judgments are like the vast deep …” The Midrash says that the first part of the pasuk is an allusion to the righteous, whereas the second part of the pasuk alludes to the wicked. The righteous who believe that God rules over every aspect of Creation, large and small alike, merit seeing the hidden light in everything. The prophet Yeshaya (29:15) says that the wicked do their deeds in darkness and say, “... מִי רֹאֵנוּ וּמִי יֹדְעֵנוּ/Who sees us and who knows of us?” They do not believe that God sees their actions. Correspondingly, the truth is kept from them as we find in Iyov (38:15), “וְיִמָנַע מֵרְשָׁעִים אוֹרָם .../Light is withheld from the wicked.” And as the second part of the pasuk above states, “… Your judgments are like the vast deep …” We see, then, that whether God allows us to come close to Him, to feel His presence, depends upon our belief that His presence is with us. When we believe His presence is here in our lives, in everything, He allows us to experience it. If, on the other hand, we do not believe it, then God withholds His truth from us.

We find the same idea in a Midrash[3] from parshas Naso. The Midrash says that whoever increases the glory of Heaven, increases respect for himself as well. On the other hand, whoever decreases respect for Heaven by increasing is own honor, actually decreases his own honor while the honor of Heaven remains the same. What is the meaning of this Midrash? How does the honor of Heaven remain the same if, by our actions, we decrease it?

This Midrash is based on the same concept that we’ve explained. Whether God’s presence is revealed or hidden is dependent on the intent we imbue in our actions. If we know and believe that we are a tool, an agent of God in this world, that we are not our own masters but rather, are doing the will of God, then God’s kingdom becomes more manifest; it becomes clearer that everything is from God. By striving to fulfill God’s will through our actions, by believing that God is with us, we increase the honor of Heaven and as a result our own esteem increases as well. This is the meaning of the Midrash mentioned earlier on the pasuk, “צִדְקָתְךָ כְּהַרְרֵי־אֵל .../Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains …” The righteous see God in everything. They draw the honor of Heaven into this world, into nature.

On the other hand, a person who believes that he is the master of all his actions, who acts to increase his own honor, is akin to an idol worshipper since he removes God from the equation. In this case, the glory of Heaven remains as it was – hidden. The Zohar[4] mentions the exact same idea on the pasuk, “שִׁחֵת לוֹ לֹא בָּנָיו מוּמָם .../Corruption is not His; it is His children’s flaw …” (Devarim 32:5) The Zohar explains that our corruption prevents blessing from reaching us. Since blessing does not reach us, we are flawed. God remains hidden.

The notion that we have the power to draw God’s glory into the finite, that God becomes revealed in this world as a result of our actions and thoughts is mentioned by the Chiddushei HaRim. In the first pasuk of this week’s Haftara, God told the prophet Hoshea (2:1), “וְהָיָה מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל כְחוֹל הַיָּם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִמַּד וְלֹא יִסָּפֵר .../The number of the children of Israel will be like the sand of the sea which cannot be measured nor counted.” The Midrash[5] points out the contradiction in this pasuk. The pasuk starts by relating to “the number of the children of Israel” and ends by asserting that “it cannot be measured nor counted.” The Midrash answers that first God showed Hoshea the Jewish nation through their significant numbers until finally He showed the prophet that we will reach astronomical proportions. First there was only one Jew – Avraham Aveinu. Then there were two, Avraham and Yitzhak. Then there were the three Avos followed by twelve tribes, seventy souls who went down to Egypt, 600,000 males who left Egypt and finally, he compared them to the sand and the stars which effectively have no number.

This resolves the contradiction but what is the point of it? What is the Midrash teaching us? The Chiddushei HaRim[6] explains that “no number” represents the infinite. It represents God’s presence. Numbers represent the finite, nature. God told Hoshea that the nation of Israel has the ability to reveal the level of “no number” of the infinite within the level of “number” within the finite; we can elevate the physical, the finite to a higher level, to a level on which God is revealed in nature.

For this reason, the beginning of this week’s parsha records the date on which God commanded Moshe Rabbeinu to take a census of the nation. Why is the date of God’s instruction mentioned specifically by the mitzvah of the census? We live in the physical which is governed by time. Numbers, as we have seen connotes the physical. The Torah is teaching us that our main mission is to draw the light of the Torah and holiness into time, into the physical.

This Midrash teaches us how. We do it by harking back to our roots, to our forefathers. This is the reason for the census. It highlights the fact that although we are many, we come from one. The census reminds us of our roots. This is why God tells Moshe Rabbeinu, “שְׂאוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל .../Take a census of the entire community of the children of Israel …” (Bamidbar 1:2) The literal translation is, “Take the heads of the entire …” רֹאשׁ/Head connotes רֵאשִׁית/first. It indicates that although we are many, we must connect to those who came before us. This is hinted at, also, by the way the census was conducted. The pasuk[7] tells us that they declared their lineage according to their families and their paternal houses. This was not a simple head count. Each Jew is part of a family, a paternal house. Each one of us has a father who has a father who has a father in an unbroken chain leading back to our first father Avraham Avinu. This is the meaning of the pasuk in Tehillim (131:2), “אִם־לֹא שִׁוִּיתִי וְדוֹמַמְתִּי נַפְשִׁי כְגָמֻל עֲלֵי אִמּוֹ .../I swear I compared my soul to a just weaned baby next to his mother …” We need to relate to our forebears like a just weaned baby relates to his mother. A just weaned baby yearns for his mother and understands intuitively that she is his source. So too, must we relate to our ancestors in this way. We need to feel, just like the baby, that we stem from our forebears.

The holy Rav of Parshischa explains that we connect to our roots, to our forefathers, to our heritage, through our actions. When our actions relate back to our roots, back to our forefathers, we merit infinite blessing. We find this concept in Tana D’vei Eliyahu Raba (25). The prophet Eliyahu teaches us that each Jew must say, “מָתַי יַגִיעוּ מַעֲשַׂי לְמַעֲשֵׂי אֲבוֹתַי אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב/When will my actions reach the level of the actions of my forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov.” Does Eliyahu HaNaviactually expect us to reach the level of the Avos? The Rav of Parshischa answers that the word יַגִיעוּ/reach has the same root as נְגִיעָה, the Hebrew word for “connection” or “touch.” The prophet is not teaching us that we should aspire to reach the level of our forefathers. Each generation is different and we cannot compare the actions of one generation to the actions of another. Rather, he is teaching us that our actions must connect with and relate to the actions of our forefathers. We’ve connected with the Avos when we strive to emulate them. By connecting to our forefathers through our actions, we ultimately connect to the Source of life and draw God’s light into the physical world.

[1]Bamidbar R. 1:12

[2]Bamidbar R. 1:1

[3]Bamidbar R. 4:20

[4]Zohar 3:297b

[5]Bamidbar R. 2:14

[6]Chidushei HaRim Shmos

[7]Bamidbar 1:18

BeChukosai 5636 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Thu, 26 May 2016 04:56:00 +0000

How to Use Our Intelligence to Serve God

“אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ .../If you will follow my statues …” (VaYikra 26:3) Chazal[1] teach us that בְּחֻקֹתַי/my statutes, refers to mitzvos that have no apparent reason. “תֵּלֵכוּ/You will follow” on the other hand, from the root הָלוֹךְ/go, implies a reasoned decision. People generally think about where they want to go, decide, then go. It seems that חֹק/statute with הָלוֹךְ/go is an awkward combination.[2]

Addressing this issue, the Midrash[3] quotes a pasuk in Tehillim (119:59), “חִשַּׁבְתִּי דְרָכָי וָאָשִׁיבָה רַגְלַי אֶל עֵדֹתֶיךָ/I considered my ways and returned my feet to Your testimonies.” “עֵדֹתֶיךָ/Your testimonies” refer to the mitzvos. David HaMelech is saying that to attain clarity in action and thought it is not enough to rely on our logical faculty. It is not enough to “consider our ways”. We need to act. We must perform the mitzvos. A pasuk in Mishlei (3:5) goes even further. Not only is relying on our understanding not enough. The pasuk teaches, “... וְאֶל־בִּינָתְךָ אַל־תִּשָּׁעֵן/Do not rely on your own understanding.”

In what capacity, then, can we use our mental abilities, our logic in serving God? The Sfas Emes explains that we should use our intelligence to understand the need to perform God’s mitzvos and submit to Him. We need to understand and consciously consider before any act that this act is for the sake of God, lesheim shamayim. “... בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ .../… You will follow my statues …” then means, “Use your intelligence to submit to My will.”

We see this idea in the Midrash[4] that Rashi quotes to explain, “אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ .../If you follow my statues …” The Midrash says that this cannot refer to performing mitzvos since the very next words in the pasuk are, “וְאֶת־מִצְוֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ/and keep my mitzvos.” Rather, the Midrash says, it is referring to laboring at studying the Torah. How do the words, “אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ .../If you follow my statues …” refer to laboring at Torah? According to the Sfas Emes, Chazal are teaching us that we must use our power of reason represented by “הָלוֹךְ/go” to know what to do to submit to God’s will represented by “חֹק/statute.”

The Sfas Emes is teaching us that we reach uprightness by performing mitzvos rather than trying to figure it out for ourselves. We use our intelligence to understand what we must do to submit to God’s will.

Clarifying the point further, Chazal[5] tell us that regarding words of Torah a person should make himself like an ox to a yoke and a donkey to a burden. The Sfas Emes explains that just as an ox must go wherever the yoke leads him, so a person should follow the will of God wherever it leads him. Just as a donkey carries his burden, so a person carries with him the entire Creation which is elevated because of him.

This double comparison exactly parallels learning Torah and performing mitzvos. We need to learn Torah to determine the will of God and follow it just as an ox is lead by the yoke. When we learn Torah with this in mind, our actions are influenced as well. We take a moment before a mitzvah to consider, “I am doing God’s will.” Then our actions are elevated and become a vehicle for elevating the entire Creation just as the donkey carries his burden.

The results are illustrated in the next pesukim which describe a world of plenty. Our actions, with the proper intent, draw the power of Torah into the physical world even to the point where barren trees, representing the lowest most impure places, are imbued with that power and give fruit.[6]

[1] BaMidbar R. 19:6 The prohibition against wearing a garment made of linen and wool, for example, is a decree having no apparent reason. It is a חֹק/statute.

[2] Viz. Sfas Emes Bechukosai 5638 First Ma’amar

[3] VaYikra R. 35:1

[4] Sifra BeChukosai 1:Introduction:1

[5] Avoda Zara 5b

[6] Rashi on VaYikra 26:4

Behar 5632 Third Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 20 May 2016 11:02:00 +0000

We are Both God’s Servants and His Children. How Do We Relate as Servants? How Do We Relate as Children?

In this week’s parsha, God’s calls us His servants, “כִּי־לִי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדִים עֲבָדַי הֵם .../For the children of Israel are servants to me, they are my servants …” (VaYikra 25:55) Yet, Moshe Rabbeinu at the end of his life told the nation, “בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַה' אֱ-לֹהֵיכֶם .../You are children to God your Lord …” (Devarim 14:1) In what respect are we servants and in what respect are we children? How can our relationship with God reflect that of servants and children at the same time?

The Zohar[1] in this week’s parsha addresses these questions and explains that a servant is required to do his master’s bidding whether or not he understands the reasoning behind it. A son, on the other hand, is permitted and in fact encouraged to search and understand the mysteries and secrets of his father.

The Zohar is teaching us that we are required to serve God both as servants and as sons. As servants, we are required to learn the plain meaning of the Torah in order to know how to fulfill the mitzvos. Even if we do not understand the reasons for the mitzvos we are enjoined to fulfill them simply because they are God’s decrees. As God’s beloved children, though, we are encouraged to delve into the mysteries of the Torah, to try our best to understand the Torah at deeper levels.

The Sfas Emes delves deeper into the nature of our relationship with God as reflected in the servant approach and the child approach. The Sfas Emes notes that it is a difficult task for a servant to fulfill his master’s bidding without knowing the reasoning underlying the request. A son, on the other hand, more easily understands his father. A son, unlike a servant, is naturally drawn after his father. It does not take a lot for the son to understand his father’s reasons or to agree with them. They are almost his own.

The Sfas Emes teaches us that this dichotomy between the “servant” approach to learning Torah and performing the mitzvos and the “son” approach, is apparent in the difference between Shabbos and the days of the week.

During the week it is difficult to be sensitive to the Godliness that permeates everything in the Creation. Godliness is more concealed during the week and more revealed on Shabbos. Also, we are busy during the week with our own issues. Nevertheless, we must work at overcoming our own desires and God’s concealment, cultivate a strong belief that God permeates the Creation and strive to fulfill His will. This is not an easy task. The Sfas Emes relates it to the “servant” approach of serving God. Just as the servant needs to fulfill his master’s wishes even though he may not understand them, so too, must we fulfill God’s wishes even though He is not revealed to us. Both require work. Significantly, the Hebrew for servant – עֶבֶד – has the same root as the word for work – עֲבוֹדָה.

On Shabbos it is far easier to experience the spiritual. Chazal[2] quote God as saying, “I have a good gift in my treasure house and it is called Shabbos.” A treasure house is generally a hidden place. One does not open his treasure house to the world. God’s treasure house is a metaphor for the hidden spiritual light that is inherent in the Creation. When God says that His treasure house contains Shabbos, He is alluding to the spiritual light that is hidden during the week and more easily revealed on Shabbos.

The Sfas Emes relates Shabbos to the “son” approach of serving God because a son is close to his father and more easily understands him. Like the relationship between a son and his father, on Shabbos it easier for us to approach God and experience Him, to understand His mysteries and secrets than during the week.

May we merit fulfilling the dictate of the Zohar, serving God both as servants, because He decreed it, and as children, delving into His mysteries and secrets.

[1] Zohar 3:111b Raya Mehimna

[2] Shabbos 10b

Emor 5632 Second Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 13 May 2016 11:31:00 +0000

Identifying with the Nation of Israel – Key to Serving God in Purity

The first pasuk of our parsha states, “... אמור אל הכהנים ... ואמרת להם .../… say to the the kohanim … and say to them …” Why the redundancy? The Sfas Emes explains according the Midrash[1].

To continue to exist, the physical world needs to constantly receive spiritual sustenance. The ten sayings – עשרה מאמרות – with which God created the world is the mechanism for infusing this life force into the physical world. The ten sayings are more than just God’s speech. They are actual spiritual entities. When God said, “Let there be light” (Breishis 1:3) , the words themselves were the spiritual entity that created light. Through the ten sayings the world receives the spiritual sustenance it needs to continue to exist. A pasuk in Tehillim (19:3) suggests this, “יוֹם לְיוֹם יַבִּיעַ אֹמֶר .../Day to day utters speech …” The plain meaning of this pasuk is that each day the workings of the universe cause us to utter praises to God for each day the Creation is renewed. The Sfas Emes explains that the word אוֹמֶר/speech in this pasuk alludes to these אמירות/sayings through which spiritual power comes into the world. According to the Sfas Emes’ understanding, the translation would be, “Each day expresses a saying.” The Creation is the physical manifestation of the spiritual sayings.

The chapter in Tehillim continues by comparing the rising of the sun with a groom who emerges from his chamber in the morning. The Midrash[2] explains the comparison. Just as a groom enters in purity and emerges impure so too the sun goes from purity to impurity. The Midrash refers to the physical in relation to the spiritual realms as impure because the physical needs the spiritual to exist much like a body is only alive if it contains a soul. When the spiritual departs, what is left is impure. Since the groom engaged in the most physical of acts, the Midrash calls this impure in relation to the spiritual. So too, the sun manifesting physically as it rises is called impure. Each day God renews the workings of the Creation and draws new life from the source of life to all the creations. In this context purity represents life that comes from the source of life whereas impurity is the physical Creation without the spiritual.

We see that אֲמִירָה/saying connotes a connection with the source of life. How do we connect to the source? How can we live spiritual pure lives even in the physical and mundane world? The answer according to Sfas emes is hinted at in the Midrash which, explaining the redundancy in the first pasuk of the parsha, teaches us that Israel needs two אֲמִירוֹת/sayings. The first saying, is God’s imbuing the physical world with spirituality as we explained above. But this alone is not enough. The spirituality is latent. It is concealed and does not affect us. As the Midrash said before, the physical without the spiritual is impure.

For us to connect with the spiritual we need to desire to become pure and to connect with God’s “sayings”, the spiritual embedded in the physical that gives the physical existence. The way to do this is to identify and feel a part of the nation of Israel. This is because the spiritual entity called Knesses Yisrael is the prime conduit for bringing God’s “sayings”, His spiritual sustenance into the physical world. This then is the meaning of the second “saying” in the pasuk. The second saying is each individual Jew acknowledging God’s spirituality in the physical world by identifying with the nation of Israel, the conduit for bringing that spirituality into the world.

Significantly, another Midrash in this week’s parsha states that slander (may God save us from it!) prevents purity.[3] According to the Sfas Emes, this is because a person who slanders another Jew is not feeling a part of the nation of Israel. He is therefore missing the second “saying.”

[1] VaYikra R. 26:4-5

[2] Midrash Tehillim 19

[3] VaYikra R. 26:2

Kedoshim 5631 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 06 May 2016 05:57:00 +0000

How to Lead Holy Lives in a Physical World

Our parasha begins with a commandment to be holy. “דַּבֵּר אֶל־כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלהֶם קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ה' אֱ-לֹהֵיכֶם/Speak to the entire community of the children of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy for I, God, your Lord, am holy.” (VaYikra 19:2) The pasuk seems to be instructing us to emulate God. Just as He is holy so too, must we be holy. But how can we possibly be holy like God?

The pasuk itself gives us a clue. The pasuk could have ended with, “כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי/for I am holy” and stop. Why does it add “ה' אֱ-לֹהֵיכֶם /God, your Lord?” The Midrash[1] on the first few words of the Ten Commandments, “אָנֹכִי ה' אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ/I am God, your Lord” (Shmos 20:2) explains that even though He is the Lord of all the nations, God dedicated Himself specifically to the nation of Israel. Of course God gives life and existence to the entire Creation. Still, He is more manifest in us. So God makes a point of telling us that we can be holy specifically because not only is He holy; He is also our God. The life force of every Jew, is actually a part of God, as it were. By separating us from the nations and bringing us close to Him, God gave us the ability to emulate Him and become holy. Chazal are teaching us that this pasuk is more than a mitzvah. It is a promise.[2]

What does being holy mean? The Hebrew for holy – קָדוֹשׁ – connotes separated, a nuance that is lost in translation.[3] In this sense God is holy since He is separate from everything. Paradoxically, though, He fills the entire Creation. This idea is found in the Midrash[4] on this week’s parsha explaining the pasuk in Tehillim (92:9), “וְאַתָּה מָרוֹם לְעוֹלָם ה'/You are always on high, God.” The Midrash explains that God’s hand is always on top. The word “לְעוֹלָם/always” also means “hidden” and “world.” This Midrash is teaching us that God’s hand is hidden in this world. He is separate and yet hidden within the universe giving life to it. It follows that every action has a spiritual Godly force that gives it existence. Because of our closeness to God, we, too, can become holy by connecting to the spiritual within our physical actions.

Since all Jewish souls are connected to God, they are perforce connected to each other as well. In fact, Chazal tell us that all the souls of the nation of Israel together comprise one mega-soul called, “כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל/the congregation of Israel.”[5] This mega-soul is a powerful spiritual force.

For this reason, the Torah makes a point of telling us that the mitzvah of “קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ/you shall be holy” was said to the entire community. Chazal tell us that Moshe Rabeinu taught all the mitzvos to the entire nation.[6] Why does the Torah single out this one? According to what we have said, though, it is clear. By instructing Moshe Rabbeinu to gather the entire nation together to hear this particular mitzvah, God is teaching us how to perform it. When we cultivate a sense of identity with the nation of Israel, when we recognize that we are a part of the mega-soul of “כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל/the congregation of Israel,” a part of God Himself, as it were, we are able to live in the physical world and yet connect to the spiritual. We can connect to the spiritual power of our actions, revealing the hidden Godliness, the holiness in them, thus becoming holy ourselves.

[1]Shmos R. 29:4

[2]VaYikra R. 24:2; Zohar 3:81a

[3]For example, the Hebrew word for marriage – קִידוּשִׁין – has the same root as the word for holy because a married woman is separated from all men except one. A nazarite is called holy because he must keep away from wine and things that would defile his pure spiritual state.

[4]VaYikra R. 24:2

[5]See Nefesh HaChaim 2:17 in Hagaha all the sources in Chazal. We usually think of the soul as being in the body. However, according to Chazal only a small part of the soul is in the body. Most of a person’s soul extends from the body up through many spiritual realms to its source. It is at the source that we are all connected in “כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל/the congregation of Israel.”

[6]Eiruvin 54b

Pesach 5631 Second Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:23:00 +0000

What Should We Think when Performing Mitzvos Whose Reason We Do Not Know?

In the Hagadah the wise son asks, “What are the testimonies, statutes and laws that God our Lord commanded you?” The Sfas Emes understands that the wise son is asking to understand the reasons for the laws, not the actual laws. It is to be assumed that he knows the laws. The question arises, how can he ask for a reason for the statutes? Statutes do not have a reason. Included in statutes, for example, are the red heifer, sha’atnez (garments made from wool and linen) and eating non-kosher animals. These mitzvos have no apparent reason. How, then, can the wise son ask for the reason for these mitzvos?

David HaMelech, though, taught us, “מַגִּיד דְּבָרָיו לְיַעֲקֹב חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל/He told his words to Ya’akov, His statutes and laws to Israel.” (Tehilim 147:19) We see that really, statutes have meaning as well. How can we come to know the reasons for the statutes? The Sfas Emes explains that the way to attain an understanding of the statutes is by doing them even without understanding but with the faith that they have meaning. By performing these mitzvos without knowing or understanding the reason, we will merit knowing the reason as well.[1]

The mitzvah of eating matzah alludes to this. Matzah is made of nothing but flour and water. It contains no additional spices or flavors. It has no additional taste. In Hebrew the same word is used for taste and for reason – טַעַם. We eat the matzah without adding any other flavor to it to show that the mitzvah itself, sans any reason, is enough for us.

Appropriately, the answer we give the wise son is, “one is not to eat any dessert after the Pesach-lamb.” He wants to know the טַעַם/reason for the mitzvos including the statutes. We tell him that the way to know the reasons is to do them without knowing the reason but with faith in God who commanded us. We give him a hint when we tell him not to add to the טַעַם/taste of the Korban Pesach.”

Even though we do not bring the Pesach lamb as a sacrifice today, this halachah applies nowadays as well. We eat matzah at the end of the Seder to commemorate the Korban Pesach. We do not eat anything after the matzah so that only the taste of the matzah lingers. This year let us contemplate, as we eat the Afikoman, the words of the Sfas Emes. Let us associate the טַעַם/taste of the Afikoman with the טַעַם/reason for the חוּקִים/statutes and may we merit understanding them as well.

[1]See Parshas Parah 5631 First and Second Ma’amarim 2 for more detail on the reasons of חוקים/statutes.

Shabbos HaGadol 5631 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 18:39:00 +0000

Why the Shabbos before Pesach is Called Shabbos HaGadol

A Novel Understanding from the Chiddushei HaRim

Why do we call the Shabbos before Pesach, Shabbos HaGadol – The Great Shabbos? Various reasons are brought. The Chiddushei HaRim[1] gives two answers. The first one follows.

The Chiddushei HaRim associates this question with a similar question we find in a Gemara[2] regarding the name of the assembly of Torah greats that functioned during the Babylonian exile and at the beginning of the second Beis HaMikdash.

R’ Yehoshua ben Levi asks, “Why are they called Anshei K’nesses HaGedola – Men of the Great Assembly? Because they returned the crown to its former glory. Moshe said, ‘God, the great, the strong and the awesome.’ Yirmiyahu said, ‘Gentiles are cackling in His sanctuary. Where is the awe?’ (Therefore), he did not say, ‘the awesome.’ Daniel said, ‘Gentiles are enslaving His children. Where is His strength?’ (Therefore), he did not say, ‘the strong.’ They came and said, ‘Just the opposite. His strength is because He overcomes His anger and displays patience to the wicked. His awesomeness is because if it weren’t for the fear of God, one nation (Israel) would not be able to exist amidst all the others.”

We see though, that Yirmiyahu and Daniel never removed the appellation “great” and it therefore never had to be returned. It is true that the Anshei K’nesses HaGedola returned, “the strong” and, “the awesome” but why is this a reason to call their assembly, “great?” The Chiddushei HaRim explains that the Anshei K’nesses HaGedola did more than give a novel definition to God’s awesomeness and strength during the exile. They realized that God’s patience towards our enemies and the trying circumstances in which we survived the exile were the very key to making the subsequent redemption complete. After the redemption from our enemies in Persia and the miracle of Purim, it became clear that everything that we endured – that His “awesomeness” and “strength,” – were indications of God’s great love for us. This realization was understandably missing during the tribulations of the exile. For this reason, they were called the “great” assembly. They really returned the understanding of God’s greatness – His great love for us.

What is the connection between this and Shabbos HaGadol? The Chiddushei HaRim applies this same concept to the Creation. The Creation is an expression of God’s glory. However, this only became apparent when the Creation was completed, on Shabbos. On the first Shabbos it became clear that the entire Creation is really one integral system, each part of which works toward the common goal of revealing God’s glory.

When we say that it became clear, the meaning is that it became clear to man. God created the world for man to recognize Him through it. Before the nation of Israel accepted the Torah, only individuals recognized God in the Creation. The first time that an entire nation collectively recognized God as the Creator was on the Shabbos before the Exodus when we performed the mitzvah of taking the lamb in preparation for the Korban Pesach. This mitzvah represents the first time in history that God commanded an entire nation to perform an act and that nation submitted to God’s command. In terms of recognizing God in the Creation, this Shabbos was the culmination of Shabbos Breishis. On this Shabbos, it finally became clear to an entire people that everything that happened until this point in history including the Creation itself was the hand of the Creator. God’s greatness was finally revealed in the Creation. We commemorate the revelation of God’s greatness on this Shabbos by calling it Shabbos HaGadol – the great Shabbos.

[1]Chidushei HaRim Shabbos HaGadol

[2]Sotah 69b

Parshas HaChodesh 5631 Second Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 17:05:00 +0000

The Purpose of Exile

The Sfas Emes’s Approach to Life’s Challenges

Chazal[1] relate a story about the Tanna, Rebbi Elazar ben Arach. After the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdash, Rebbi Elazar ben Arach went to a certain city expecting his students to follow him. They didn’t. Alone in a city known for its decadence, he forgot his Torah learning. When he had the opportunity to read from a Torah, instead of reading, “הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם/This month is for you,” (Shmos 12:2) he read, “הַחֵרֵשׁ הָיָה לִבָּם/Their hearts were deaf”, a seemingly innocuous mistake. The Chiddushei HaRim[2], however, understands that this was not an innocuous mistake. The mistake was actually a hint to Rebbi Elazar to leave the city.

The Chiddushei HaRim understands this from a Midrash[3] which implies that the leaders of Israel have the power to lead the people and steer them onto the right path. If instead they allow themselves to be led by the people, they fall. Rebbi Elazar understood the words that he mistakenly said as applying to the inhabitants of the city of his exile. He understood that he would not be able to improve them, would be drawn after their evil ways and should therefore leave.

The Sfas Emes gives another interpretation to this story. The new moon/month symbolizes renewal. The Hebrew words for “month” and “new” are the same, חֹדֶשׁ and חָדָשׁ, respectively. In order to experience the light of renewal, “הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם/This month is for you,” the Sfas Emes explains, we first must experience the darkness of deafness, represented by, “הַחֵרֵשׁ הָיָה לִבָּם/Their hearts were deaf”.

We could only experience God’s revelation at the redemption from Egypt after having first experienced the darkness of His concealment in the exile. In fact, we define exile and redemption as God’s concealment and revelation respectively. The redemption is simply a removal of the screen that hides God. We merited this renewal of our relationship with God by first living through and bearing His concealment.

This idea underlies the need for the four kingdoms[4] – Babylon, Medes, Greece and Rome – before the final redemption. Each of the four kingdoms is a rectification for an aspect or aspects of God’s concealment. A complete rectification will manifest at the ultimate redemption as, “מַלְכוּתְךָ מַלְכוּת כָּל־עֹלָמִים .../Your kingdom is a kingdom spanning all worlds …” (Tehillim 145:14), the culmination of the historical process.

Rebbi Elazar ben Arach went to the city knowing that the inhabitants were on a low spiritual level. He wanted to experience an atmosphere of God’s concealment so that subsequently he could find a renewed revelation.

The Zohar[5] as well teaches us that purity implies a preceding period of impurity. Attaining purity from a state of impurity means that the mask hiding God is removed. This idea is related in Chazal’s understanding of the following pasuk, “מִי־יִתֵּן טָהוֹר מִטָּמֵא לֹא אֶחָד/Who can produce purity from impurity? No one!” (Iyov 14:4) The Midrash[6] translates this pasuk as, “Who produces purity from impurity? Is it not the One?” Impurity does not have an autonomous existence. Impurity is a screen that hides purity. God produces purity from impurity by removing the screen that hides Himself.

We can only experience God's revelation by subordinating ourselves to Him. This is also symbolized by the ashes of the red heifer. The ashes represent our own subordination. We only attain purity when we are sprinkled with the ashes of the red heifer. When we subordinate ourselves and our own desires to God, we “connect” to Him and attain a state of purity.

When purity is reached we are open to a renewed relationship with God. This is the meaning of the pasuk, “לֵב טָהוֹר בְּרָא־לִי אֱ־לֹהִים וְרוַּח נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי/Create a pure heart for me, Lord, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Tehillim 51:12) First David HaMelech asks God for purity - revelation. This naturally leads to a desire for renewal.

This is why Parshas Para representing attainment of purity from an impure state precedes Parshas HaChodesh which represents spiritual renewal. May we merit it!

[1]Shabbos 147b

[2]Sefer HaZchus Shlach s.f. Slach lecha

[3]Shmos R. 27:9

[4] For a detailed discussion of the four kingdoms as described in the Book of Daniel, see Maharal’s Ner Mitzvah.

[5]Zohar 2:69b

[6]Bamidbar R. 19:1

Purim 5631 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 10:48:00 +0000

The Essence of Purim

Why the Holiday is Called Purim/Lots

“עַל־כֵּן קָרְאוּ לַיָּמִים הָאֵלֶּה פוּרִים עַל־שֵׁם הַפּוּר .../Therefore these days were called Purim/Lots because of the lot…” (Esther 9:26) The name of a holiday usually indicates something very significant about and central to the essence of the day. It seems strange, therefore, that this holiday is called Purim/Lots commemorating the lots that Haman cast to determine the day on which to execute his dastardly plan. How are Haman’s lots central to the essence of Purim?

Thinking about the name of the holiday, another question presents itself. Why is the name of the holiday plural? If it commemorates Haman’s lots, it should be the singular, “Pur/Lot” as the pasuk states, “... הִפִּיל פּוּר .../… He cast a lot …” (Esther 3:7) Why is it, “Purim/Lots”?

The Sfas Emes explains that Haman’s lot relate both to Haman and to us. The lot of the Persians was to destroy the Jews. However, since the Jews are eternal and cannot be destroyed, our lot was that the Persian decree should be overturned. Of course, to merit God’s salvation, we needed to pray and supplicate. Their lot, in effect, caused our lot. The paytan/liturgical poet hints at this in the piyut/liturgical poem Asher Heini that we say after we read the Megillah. “פּוּר הָמָן נֶהְפַּךְ לְפוּרֵינוּ/Haman’s lot turned into our lot.”

Drawing lots gives completely random results. There is nothing more natural than this. The fact that we were saved, that the result of Haman’s lot did not come to fruition, indicates that the events that transpired were in fact miracles God rendered to save us. Haman’s lot could only have become our lot through Divine intervention. Therefore, the name of the holiday Purim/Lots is directly related to the essence of the day – God’s hand in our salvation.

VaYikra 5631 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 10:05:00 +0000

HaShem Is Always Calling Us. How to Hear the Calling.

“וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה .../God called Moshe …” (VaYikra 1:1) This first pasuk of parshas VaYikra relates the first time that God spoke to Moshe from the Mishkan. It teaches us, according to Chazal[1], that each time God spoke to Moshe, he first called him. What is the significance of this?

The first Midrash on this week’s parsha cites a pasuk in Tehillim (103:20), “בָּֽרְכוּ ה' מַלְאָכָיו גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְּבָרֽוֹ׃/Bless God, His angels, strong warriors doing His bidding to hear His word.”[2] The word “מַלְאָךְ/angel” also means messenger. In fact, the word mal’ach refers to a human messenger in various places in Tanach. The Midrash explains that “מַלְאָכָיו/His angels” in this pasuk does not refer to angels but rather to human messengers. How are we God’s messengers? The Sfas Emes explains that every Jew is sent into this world to do the will of God. Essentially, we are God’s agents in this world. Angels are messengers because they, too, are sent to this world to do the will of God. The difference between angels and us is that we are able to choose whereas an angel has no choice but to do God’s will.

When we choose to fulfill God’s will with our actions, we become, “עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְּבָרֽו׃/doers of His bidding to hear His word.” This is a strange construct. Shouldn’t the pasuk state that we will listen to His word in order to do His bidding? How can we do His bidding before understanding what is required? The Sfas Emes explains that the pasuk is teaching us a deep concept. We don’t always know what God’s will is. In any given situation, what is it that God wants us to do? It is not always clear. The pasuk is teaching us the way to know God’s will. First we need to do His bidding. We do this by first resolving to satisfy His will with our action. Before acting we can think that we want our action to achieve God’s will. If we do this, we will merit understanding God’s will in those very activities.

This concept explains “גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ/strong warriors” as well. In addition to strength, the word ko’ach means potential. God’s will is the potential of every action. We learn from this pasuk that a person who is determined to fulfill God’s will with his every action, who wants to be God’s emissary in this world, accomplishing that for which he was sent here, is someone who transforms the potential of God’s will into reality.

Moshe Rabbeinu was the archetypal emissary. Like an angel, he was so tuned in, as it were, that he was always ready to hear God and do His will.[3] One who is looking to carry out God’s will with his every action, always hears God. The Torah emphasizes this the very first time God spoke to Moshe Rabbeinu after the construction of the Mishkan with the words, “וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה .../God called Moshe.” This, then, is the significance of the first pasuk of this week’s parsha.

God is constantly calling us. The difference between us and Moshe Rabbeinu is that he always heard it because he was prepared to hear it, prepared to always achieve God’s will through his actions. Like Moshe, God sent all of us into this world to be His agents. He gave each of us the tools we need to achieve this. Moshe Rabbeinu was the quintessential agent of God but the Midrash is speaking to each and every Jew. May we each merit transforming God’s will into reality in all of our daily activities.

[1] Sifra 1:1:1-7

[2]VaYikra R. 1:1

[3]Sifri Beha’aloscha 68 and Tanchuma Tzav 13

Shekalim 5631 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 18:21:00 +0000

The Significance of Being Happy During the Month of Adar

The shekel is a silver coin that was in use at the time of the giving of the Torah. It is a mitzvah[1] for every man to donate a half shekel (or at least its value) to the Beis HaMikdash once a year. The money is used for public sacrifices. Sacrifices must be brought during the year in which they were purchased. For this purpose, the year is considered to start on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Therefore, even though the half shekel was given during Adar, the sacrifices were first purchased during Nissan. This being the case, why was the money given during Adar?

The Sfas Emes explains that the month of Adar, being the end of the year with respect to the counting of the months[2] (Nissan = month #1, Iyar = month #2 … Adar = month #12) is a time of repentance similar to Elul, the end of the year with respect to the counting of years. The difference between Elul and Adar is in the type of repentance that is required. In Elul, we repent out of awe. In Adar we repent out of love of God.

The mitzvah of Shekalim helps us to love God. This is because giving to a cause is a great way to develop an affinity for that cause. When we give to benefit the Beis HaMikdash, our natural inclination towards God is stimulated and brought out. This is also why Chazal[3] teach us to be particularly happy during the month of Adar. What can make a person happier than returning to God out of love.

This idea helps us to understand why Chazal[4] teach us that giving the half shekel was a rectification for the transgression of the golden calf. Once that natural inner desire to be close to God is stimulated and comes to the fore, every barrier falls away. Chazal[5] allude to this idea when they say that even an iron barrier cannot come between us and God. Similarly, God's beloved said, "שימני כחותם על לבך .../[For the sake of my love,] place me like a seal upon Your heart …" (Shir HaShirim 8:6) – with no barrier separating us.

The mitzvah of Shekalim applies only when the Beis HaMikdash stands[6]. Nowadays, we are still stimulated to love God when we hear Parshas Shekalim read on the Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh Adar, maybe even more so since our desire to give to God is not bounded by the mitzvah of giving the half shekel. Since we do not have the Beis HaMikdash our desire to return can be even more intense. As a result, we are inspired to love God and to return to Him out of happiness. After all, God is interested in our return to Him, not in the half shekel. Giving the half shekel is only a tool to help us come close to God.

Why are we encouraged to prepare for the month of Nissan specifically by cultivating love of God and happiness? Elsewhere[7], the Sfas Emes teaches that every Rosh Chodesh is a time of renewal. The moon's cycle of waning and waxing is an obvious metaphor for renewal. The aspect of renewal is particularly strong in the month of Nissan since it is the first of all the months. This is the renewal which comes specifically through happiness and love of God. Hence we accent happiness and returning to God out of love specifically during the month that precedes Nissan, the month of Adar.

[1]Viz Yad HaChazaka Shekalim 1:1, 4:1, 4:11

[2]Rosh HaShana 1:1

[3] Taanis 29a

[4]Tanchuma Ki Sisa 2

[5]Pesachim 85b – ma'amar of Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi

[6]Viz Yad HaChazaka Shekalim 1:8

[7]Sfas Emes Mikeitz 5631 Second Ma'amar and other places

[8]Ibid.

VaYakhel 5637 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 06:44:00 +0000

The Connection between Shabbos and the Mishkan and How It Manifests in Our Lives

“וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶת־כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁרצִוָּה ה' לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָֽם/Moshe assembled the entire community of the children of Israel and said to them, ‘These are the things that God commanded to do them.” (Shmos 35:1) This first pasuk of our parsha is referring to the building of the Mishkan. However, immediately following this pasuk, before beginning to recount the building of the Mishkan, there are two p’sukim commanding us to keep Shabbos. Why is this? The answer to this question lies in the common theme that we find in the Mishkan and Shabbos. The goal of both the Mishkan and Shabbos is to bring an awareness of God into our lives.

When the nation of Israel stood at Mount Sinai to accept the Torah, Chazal[1] tell us that we stood united. We were united and one with God. The sin of the golden calf separated us from God and divided the nation. Paganism divides. Monotheism unites.

In order to rectify the sin of the golden calf and the consequences of the sin, the Midrash tells us that God gave us the Mishkan. How did the Mishkan rectify the sin? Building the Mishkan entailed many different activities. In fact, building the Mishkan entailed every major category of human activity. These are the thirty-nine categories of work which are prohibited on Shabbos and are derived from the Mishkan. Every activity in the Mishkan was dedicated towards the same goal – the manifestation of the Divine Presence. Building the Mishkan, then, united us and our actions in the service of God. Once the Mishkan was built the barrier between us and God caused by the sin of the golden calf was removed.

But before the Mishkan was built we were divided. In effect, we needed the unifying influence of the Mishkan in order to build it. How were we able to overcome this problem? The answer is through the mitzvah of Shabbos. God unified the nation by giving us the mitzvah of Shabbos first. Shabbos, the day on which creation was completed and God, the ultimate Unity was revealed was the day on which we could unite in serving God, the source of unity.

This is also the reason the parsha starts with the word “וַיַּקְהֵל/He assembled.” No other mitzvah in the Torah begins with this word. Why does the mitzvah of building the Mishkan begin this way? The reason is that “וַיַּקְהֵל/He assembled” connotes a unified group. The noun associated with this verb is “קְהִילָה/community” – a group of people having common interests. Once we were united in serving God through the mitzvah of Shabbos we were ready to build the Mishkan to complete the rectification for the sin of the golden calf.

Shabbos unites the Creation under God, the source of unity. The Mishkan unites individual actions towards the goal of serving God. From the Mishkan we learn that all of our seemingly mundane activities during the course of the week can be consecrated in the service of God.

We find this relationship of general unity (i.e. Shabbos) and unity in the details (i.e. Mishkan) in the two Parshiyos VaYakhel and Pekudei which in many years are read together. Parshas VaYakhel starts with Shabbos, the revelation of the Divine Presence, and proceeds to describe the building of the Mishkan. This is a top down approach. Parshas Pekudei lists every detail of the Mishkan. The end result is unity through revelation of the Divine Presence. This is a bottom up approach. As we’ve seen, the first approach leads directly to the second. First God reveals Himself through Shabbos showering blessing upon us from above and influencing our actions (i.e. top down). Then we build the Mishkan and God is revealed through our actions in this world (i.e. bottom up).

When contemplating the intricate detail in which the Torah describes the Mishkan and its vessels the following question comes to mind. Chazal[2] tell us that blessing is found only in things which are not counted. Here we find a detailed list of every part of the Mishkan! How, then, is blessing found in the Mishkan? To answer this question, the Midrash quotess a pasuk in Mishlei (28:20) which states, “אִישׁ אֱמוּנֽוֹת רַב־בְּרָכוֹת וְאָץ לְהַֽעֲשִׁיר לֹא יִנָּקֶֽה/A man of faith will abound in blessings but one who impatiently pursues wealth will not be exonerated.” The Midrash[3] tells us that “אִישׁ אֱמוּנֽוֹת/A man of faith” refers to Moshe Rabbeinu. The Midrash explains that because Moshe Rabbeinu was a man of faith he abounded in blessings when he built the Mishkan. As a man of faith, Moshe Rabbeinu dedicated his every disparate action towards one common goal thus turning the many into one. This is why there was blessing in the Mishkan even though the details were listed.

This same idea applies to our daily activities. The Mishkan itself and the work we did in it can be viewed as a microcosm of our daily lives. The Mishkan experience enabled us to apply this focus on serving God to our daily activities. If I go about my daily activities with faith in God, I dedicate all my actions to the common goal of serving God. As a result, God showers blessing upon me and all my daily activities.

[1] Based on Shmos R. 51:8

[2] Taanis 8b

[3] Shmos R. 51:1

Tisa 5631 Second Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:50:00 +0000

How to Take Advantage of the Shabbos Neshama Yeseira/נשמה יתירה Experience

Chazal[1] tell us that although every mitzvah was given to the nation of Israel publicly, Shabbos was given privately as the Torah tells us in this week’s parshah, “בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹת הִוא .../It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel …” (31:17) What do Chazal mean when they say that Shabbos was given to us privately? Obviously, the nations of the world know about Shabbos. In answer to this question, Chazal explain that although the nations of the world know about Shabbos, there are aspects of Shabbos that the nations of the world do not – cannot - know about. There is an aspect of Shabbos called, “נְשָׁמָה יְתֵרָה/additional soul,” which only Jews can experience. Only Jews can experience it because Shabbos was given only to the nation of Israel to experience.

The Torah alludes to the additional soul in the words, “... וּבַיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַֽשׁ/… and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” (Shmos 31:17) In a play on the word “וַיִּנָּפַשׁ/He was refreshed,” Chazal say that it suggests, “וַוי אָבְדָה נֶפֶשׁ/Woe, the soul is lost.,” Chazal therefore translate the pasuk, “Since He rested, woe, the soul is lost.” This Chazal is difficult. The plain meaning of the Chazal is that the additional soul is lost as a result of His resting. How can this be? The additional soul is given specifically when He rests. It takes leave when Shabbos ends.

The Sfas Emes explains that Chazal’s hint derives specifically because we experience Shabbos. Since we experience the additional soul on Shabbos and feel its loss when Shabbos ends, we know that it exists. In the words of Chazal, “Since He rested, woe the soul is lost.” Only because we experience Shabbos can we experience the loss of the additional soul when Shabbos ends.

The Ba’al Shem Tov takes this idea a step further. The Ba’al Shem Tov[2] says that knowing about the additional soul can help us to serve God better. The Torah’s allusion to the additional soul – it leaves when the day ends – is given on Shabbos specifically (שבת וינפש), to encourage us to take advantage of it. The additional soul helps us experience a closeness to God that we would otherwise not be able to experience. To take advantage of this gift we need to cultivate a sensitivity towards it.

The Sfas Emes explains further, that cultivating a sensitivity towards experiencing the additional soul thereby being sensitive to its loss with the onset of the coming week, can lead us to repentance. After such an enlightening experience, who would not want to forsake his sins in its favor. The end result of this sensitivity is that the enlightenment spills over to the following week making it easier for us to experience and serve God during the weekdays as well. May we merit it!

[1]Beitza 16a

[2]Zikaron Zos Ki Sisa addenda

Tetzaveh 5631 First Ma'amar

noreply@blogger.com (Moshe David Tokayer) — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 07:30:00 +0000

The Month of Adar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[1]Zohar 1:170b

[2]Tanchuma Tetzaveh 6

[3]Beitzah 15b