Mishlay (11:2) בא זדון ויבא קלון ואת צנועים חכמה, When willful wickedness comes, then comes disgrace, but with the modest is wisdom. What does צניעות have to do with חכמה and why is it contrasted to disgrace? The Midrash and the Gemarah Megillah (13b) says אמר רבי חנינא: בשכר צניעות שהיתה בה ברחל, שמסרה לה סימנין לאחותה, זכתה ויצא ממנה שאול; ובשכר צניעות דהוה בשאול, דכתיב: ועל דבר המלוכה לא הגיד לו, זכה ויצאה ממנו אסתר, דכתיב: אין אסתר מגדת מולדתה. How is Rachel's givingof the signs to Leah a display of tzniut?
The Maharal in Nesiv Hatzniut describes the middah of tzniut as something which is internal, פנימי. What does this mean? A person has an internal world and an external world. The internal world is the motherboard of a person, the inner dimension of a person which is how a person talks and relates to themselves in their own mind unaffected by external forces. The outerworld is the user interface of a person, how they interact and get affected by the world at large. The element of chachma is the wisdom one perceives from a moment of contemplation, from a point of internal reflection, of digging deeper into one's self to find new ideas . The middah of Rachel was that she did not get affected by the consequences of her actions as they related to herself, if internally it was the right thing, she went ahead and did it. Rav Moshe Shapira explains that embarrassment or disgrace, is the opposite of tzniut. A person gets embarrassed when their internal private world becomes revealed to others. It was the tzinuit of Rachel that did not allow her to ignore the embarrassment of Leah. Her sense of the importance of the internal world of an individual did not let her sit back and have Leah's inner feelings become public.
The examples of tzniut mentioned in the Midrash of Shaul and Esther are examples of a person being quiet and not revealing something. What does that have to do with tzniut? It is through being quiet that one is able to absorb the inner workings of their own mind and develop an internal perspective on matters. When there is dialogue with the outside world one loses the ability to be in touch with one's own self. The avodah of being quiet is the hallmark of a person who's internal world is thriving.
וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ, literally translated as "And he arrived at the place and lodged there because the sun had set." The Gemarah (Berachot 26b) says the word פגיעה is a reference to tefillah teaching us that Yaakov installed the prayer service of arvit. Why is this tefillah expressed using the terminology of ויפגע and how is מקום, place tied to this tefillah? The time of night is when one can not see their surroundings. A person's connection to the outer world is cut off. It is during such a time frame where one's inner world is dominant. It is at this time when one is able to tap into a deeper form of wisdom. The word פגיעה means to bump into. At a time when one's mind is not preoccupied by external matters one may happen to bump into greater revelations, into inspiration that only is available to a person in solitude (Rav Kook Ein Ayah Berachot ibid.) That is why the Rambam (Talmud Torah 3:13) on the importance of utilizing one's nights to learn Torah. It is at during the night, a time of צניעות that one is able to tap into chachma, into deeper insights as they are revealed to a person who's inner world is open to receive.
That is the the מקום. When one is in connection with their internal self, in their own safe space, they are able to establish a new place, meaning a deeper form of existence, of self-awareness. It is at night, when a person is alone with themselves that they are afforded the opportunity to conquer deeper depths, illuminate the depths of one's internal world. That is why the Rambam (Talmud Torah 3:13) on the importance of utilizing one's nights to learn Torah. It is at during the night, a time of צניעות that one is able to tap into chachma, into deeper insights as they are revealed to a person who's inner world is open to receive.
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