Destination Unknown

 Destination Unknown

Parashas Lech Lecha

Harav Hagaon Yosef Elefant Shlita

This past week was the yahrtzeit of our unforgettable rosh yeshiva, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel z”tl, whose gadlus was multifaceted: in his bein adam lachaveiro, in his bein adam laMakom, in his hasmadah, in his learning, in his caring for everybody, in the scope of his vision for growth in Torah. I’m reminded of an incident with the rosh yeshiva I witnessed, related to this week’s parashah, that captures one aspect of his incredible personality.

I was once sitting in his dining room at some sort of meeting, when a little boy came in with his father for a brachah. The rosh yeshiva zt”l asked this little boy, “What are you learning?” and the boy said, “Lech lecha.”

“If someone would tell you to go somewhere,” the rosh yeshiva asked, “but not tell you where to go, would you start to move?”

The little boy didn’t know what to answer. So the rosh yeshiva pointed to himself, tapped on his chest, and looked at me and said, “That’s me — I’m going. I don’t know where the finish line is, I don’t know where I’m heading, but I’m forging ahead.”

The Sfas Emes points out that Hakadosh Baruch Hu told Avraham Avinu to go, without saying where to go, because there actually is no finish line. If anything, the opposite is true: When a person grows and takes a step forward, and gets to a certain place, the world unfolds in front of him. It’s as if he’s climbing a mountain and with every step that he takes he sees that there is so much more ahead of him, so many more opportunities for growth.

In Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s first revelation to Avraham Avinu, he told him simply to “go”: he didn’t tell him where to go, he didn’t tell him where the end is, because in ruchniyus there is no finish line or end goal. The goal is the growth itself. It’s not a means to an end — the means is the end itself. In Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s first dialogue with Avraham Avinu in the Torah, He was teaching him that a person’s relationship with Him is defined by movement, by growth. There doesn’t have to be a specific destination or finish line, because the growth is meant to be constant, and the road of that growth is eternal. The minute a person reaches one place, he sees that the “finish line” has moved.

The Yetzer Hara Attacks on the Path

On the passuk in Parashas Zachor: זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם, the Sfas Emes wonders why the Torah would specify the geographical location of where Klal Yisrael were when Amalek came: בַּדֶּרֶךְ. Why is that significant?

The Sfas Emes answers that the reason the Torah highlights the fact that Klal Yisrael were “on the way” is that the yetzer hara comes and ambushes a person precisely because he is בַּדֶּרֶךְ — when he hasn’t reached the finish line yet. Amalek, or the yetzer hara, challenges a person by saying, “What have you accomplished? How far have you gone? You’re only on the way, and that has no meaning.” In the world of gashmiyus, it’s the results that count, but in the world of ruchniyus it’s only the efforts, the growth, the forging further that count. So the meeting place of the yetzer hara with the human being is on the derech, when he’s forging ahead but hasn’t reached any tangible goal. The truth is that there is no end goal — all we are aiming for is to be on the derech, but the yetzer hara challenges that derech of growth by demanding, “Well, what do you have to show for yourself? You haven’t reached the finish line!” The answer to that is that there is no finish line, it’s just lech lecha: the journey is all about growth and getting closer to Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

A prime tactic of the yetzer hara, then, is to whispers in our ear, “What have you accomplished?”

Accordingly, Hakadosh Baruch Hu revealed himself to Avraham Avinu specifically with the message of lech lecha, of moving ahead without an end goal, and without a specific yardstick of accomplishment. Rather, it’s the progress itself, the actual growth, that has value.

We find that the name Eisav, who was the progenitor of Amalek, comes from the word עשוי. Eisav was born fully formed and complete, which symbolizes that he had no room left for growth, for effort, for the derech — there’s only a finished product. In the world of Eisav and Amalek, there’s only the finished product; only the results count.

The battleground of the yetzer hara is over the question of whether growth has intrinsic value, even if I haven’t gotten to where I want to get to. That’s alluded to in the phrase בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם, and in the command of lech lecha to Avraham Avinu.

Constant Growth

The message and essence of Avraham Avinu was constant growth. At the beginning of Sefer Iyov (1:3), Rashi quotes the passuk in Sefer Yehoshua (14:15) where Avraham Avinu, who is buried in Chevron, is described as הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים. Why, asks Rashi, does the passuk use two hei’s to describe him? He answers that the two hei’s represent the number ten, corresponding to the ten nisyonos Avraham withstood.

What Rashi is really teaching us is that the reason Avraham Avinu was called הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים — the ultimate human being — is that he overcame his ten nisyonos. The Maharal teaches in many places that a human being is called adam because adamah, earth, represents potential for growth, as all life forms — vegetation, animal life, and human life — emanate from it. All that lies in the potential of the adam. The essence of humanity, then, is bringing out potential, through constant growth. A human being is called adam not because of the results per se, but rather because of his inherent potential for growth.

The purpose of the nisyonos of Avraham Avinu, the Ramban says in Parashas Vayera, is to uplift a person. The word nisayon comes from the word nes, meaning a banner, as in ושא נס לקבץ גליותינו. Just as a nes, in the sense of a miracle, is above nature, a nisayon lifts a person above his comfort zone.

A nisayon, says the Ramban, brings the person’s potential מהכח אל הפועל, allowing the person to move forward and step out of his comfort zone. During a nisayon, the person’s regular comfort zone is taken away, challenging him: Can you shteig? Can you go further? Or are you limited only to your comfort zone? A nisayon uplifts a person by allowing him to operate in a place where he normally doesn’t operate, so he’s taking a step forward in life.

A nisayon, then, is a step of growth, taking the person one step up the ladder. That’s all it is — the nisayon per se doesn’t have any intrinsic value.

Avraham Avinu is called הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים, with two hei’s, because he became the ultimate adam through his nisyonos. That’s because the ultimate goal of a person is to grow and move further, not to stay in one place, in his comfort zone. Lech lecha means to move, and Avraham’s ten nisyonos took him from place to place, from one comfort zone to another. As the nisyonos got harder and harder, Hakadosh Baruch Hu kept raising the bar and saying okay, go a drop farther. Through that Avraham became the הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים, making the ultimate use of his potential to grow. That’s what defines an adam, and that’s why Avraham Avinu was called הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים, a person who was able to grow and thrive and maximize his potential. 

Rav Chaim Volozhiner notes that one Mishnah says (according to the girsa of his commentary, Ruach Chaim): עשרה דורות מנח עד אברהם, while the next Mishnah says: עשרה נסיונות נתנסה אברהם אבינו. He explains that only when Avraham withstood his nisyonos is he referred to as “Avinu.”

The definition of an av is something that has toldos, meaning the ability to take the next generation further, so that they should grow and thrive. The ability to be an av involves injecting and bringing out the potential and growth of Klal Yisrael. I always say that a person who can’t invest in himself and take himself out of mediocrity can’t do that for his kids. The primary job of parenting is to develop the potential of children, but a person who doesn’t develop his own potential can’t develop the potential of his children. So Avraham Avinu, in order to be an av — “Avinu” — had to overcome the ten nisyonos and become הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים. Once he brought out his own potential, he was able to bring out the potential of Klal Yisrael.

So Avraham Avinu is all about growth, about bringing out one’s potential, about going further. Lech lecha —constantly moving from place to place and shteiging, without a destination in mind, without a goal, without a measuring rod. And that was Rav Nosson Tzvi: he was always moving, as he said, “That’s me.” We don’t know where we’re going, we don’t know where the end game is, but we’re forging ahead, constantly moving in the direction of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

Milah And Eretz Yisroel

וכרות עמו הברית.  A brit is referred to as a כרת, a cutting apart.  It seems to be an oxymoron, a brit joins people together?  Chazal connect the milah with inheriting Eretz Yisroel, what's the connection? 

A brit means to join together two parties.  How do two different parties join together? By each party giving something to the other one.  When each one cuts off a piece of themselves and gives it to the other, then they are united.  That is what it means a כריתת ברית, by "cutting" away a piece of one's self and giving it to another party, it creates an inseparable bond .  (This idea it says in the Gra in his perush on Sefer Yetzirah and in the Alter Rebbe in this week's parsha, so coming from both the Litvoks and Chassidim.)

 Avrohom is promised Eretz Yisroel many times in this weeks parsha.  However, the Rogatchover says that all the promises are not alike.  The Rogatchover says that in the beginning of the parsha Avrohom was promised the land as a מתנה.  At the brit bein habisarim, Avrohom was promised the land as a ירושה.  That is why in the beginning of  the parsha it uses a language of אתן\ אתננה but in the brit bein habisarim it says לָ֧תֶת לְךָ֛ אֶת־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַזֹּ֖את לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ. Now the land is given as a yerusha.  That is why it is only now that Avrohom asks בַּמָּ֥ה אֵדַ֖ע כִּ֥י אִֽירָשֶֽׁנָּה.  He understood that he may receive Eretz Yisroel as a מתנה but he didn't fathom how he could receive it as a ירושה.  

What is the difference between a present and a inheritance?  There is no such thing as a free lunch.  If one receives a present, that means one to some degree did something to deserve it.  An inheritance comes without any effort from the recipient, one receives without doing anything. Avrohom understood that Hashem would promise him Eretz Yisroel as "reward" for his actions but how could it be his as an inheritance?  That was his question.  With this we can understand why the 10 nations are mentioned in this context.  The 7 nations represent the 7 middot that a person can perfect.  The additional 3 are the 3 faculties of חב"ד that are not with a person's grasp.  They have to be given as a yerusha. 

A milah also involves both an aspect of giving from our perspective and a giving from Hashem.  The Rambam rules Laws of Milah (3:8) that one who is מושך ערלתו has nullified the covenant of Avrohom.   Yet at the same time he rules in the Laws of Terumot (7:6) that such a person may eat teruma, meaning he is not considered an ערל.  (See Rogatchover Parshas Bo Ch. 12 and other places pointed to in the Frankel edition.)  We see that a person can nullify there side of the brit, but their is the bris coming from Hashem that can't be nullified by an individual.  This reflects the two aspects of Avrohom's receiving of Eretz Yisroel.  There is the aspect that he "earned" it, his giving to Hashem and then there is also the yerusha aspect where it completely comes from Hashem.  (Largely based off of Likutay Sichos volume 35.)

4 Against 5

The Ramban writes that the battle Avrohom fought with the 4 kings represents that we will survive the 4 stages of exile, עיי"ש.  In this derech remez mode I would like to add בדרך אפשר the following.  As discussed in the past the letter 4 represents division.  5 is the inside of the box, represents the inside of the box, it is the central dot that units all.  The battle of the 4 kings against the 5 kings is the battle of this world seeming separate from Hashem against the the yichud of Hashem that illuminates the world.  The battle represents that ultimately that yichud will become revealed and vanquish the separation that the world seems to be.  The 12 years represent the 12 גבולי אלכסון of the world and the 13 years of rebellion represent the אחד fighting to gain control over the 12 גבולי אלכסון.

Think! It Will Happen!

Hashem says about the plan of the migdal baval, וְעַתָּה֙ לֹֽא־יִבָּצֵ֣ר מֵהֶ֔ם כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָזְמ֖וּ לַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת and therefore he mixed up the languages.  Why can't  Hashem just stop their plan? 

Rashi in Shoftim (19:19) says כאשר זמם – ולא כאשר עשה, the adim zommimim only get punished if their plan was not fulfilled but not if there testimony was carried out.  Everyone asks this is counterintuitive?  The Maharal explains that a thought a person has must come to fruition.  If their plan was not carried out, then it boomerangs back on their head and that is why they get punished.  It is their own plan that strikes back at them.  The Mictav explains that the source for this power of a person's thought is because man was created to be like G-d.  Just as G-d's "thoughts" have an effect, so too the plans of mankind.  Based upon this, says the Sifsay Chayim, that is the peshat in the possuk here.  Since the entire world had one plan, they were aligned in thought, the plan would have to bring forth the migdal and hence Hashem had to split the languages. 

The Zohar (76b) says חָמֵי מַה כְּתִיב הֶן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם. בְּגִין דְּאִנּוּן בְּלִבָּא חַד וּרְעוּתָא חַד וּמְמַלְּלֵי בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ. וְעַתָּה לא יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כָּל אֲשֶׁר יָזְמוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת. וְלֵית מַאן דְּיִמְנַע עוֹבָדָא דִלְהוֹן. אֲבָל מַאי אַעֲבִיד, אֲבַלְבֵּל לוֹן דַּרְגִּין דִלְעֵילָא, וְלִישַׁן דִּלְהוֹן לְתַתָּא. וּכְדֵין אִתְמְנַע עוֹבָדָא דִלְהוֹן. וּמַה בְּגִין דְּהֲווּ בִּרְעוּתָא וְלִבָּא חַד וּמְמַלְּלֵי בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ כְּתִיב לֹא יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יָזְמוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת, וְדִינָא דִלְעֵילָא לָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה בְּהוּ. אֲנַן אוֹ חַבְרַיָיא דְּמִתְעַסְּקִין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאֲנַן בְּלִבָּא חַד וּרְעוּתָא חַד, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה.  We, the people that remain with lashon hakodesh, if we are determined to gather to accomplish something for the good it will for sure happen (see Sfas Emes 5635.)  The Sifsay Chayim brings from the Punarvichar Rav in the name of the Chofetz Chayim that really our plans and dreams should take root, the reason why they do not is only because we don't really have a serious strong desire for things, there is always a maybe not, maybe something else etc.  However, if a person would strongly desire something it would take effect.  That is what it means אין דבר עומד בפני הרצון.  Your desire will make it happen.

Lock Yourself In

What lead the generation of the mabul to stray?  Simply understood the generation of the mabul had no respect for each other, every one was stuck in their own way.  However, in the teachings of Rav Aharon Stroshelu, it is the opposite.  The dor hamabul was so much biyachud that they held what's your is also mine for we are all the same and therefore did not think there was anything wrong with חמס.  What they failed to recognize was the need for proper boundaries, to contain one's self.  that is why they were פרוץ in עריות which is a perversion of  a lack of boundaries.  

The Gemorah in Sanhedrin (108a) says ת"ר דור המבול לא נתגאו אלא בשביל טובה שהשפיע להם הקב"ה ... והיא גרמה שאמרו לאל (איוב כא, יד) סור ממנו ודעת דרכיך לא חפצנו מה שדי כי נעבדנו ומה נועיל כי נפגע בו אמרו כלום צריכין אנו לו אלא לטיפה של גשמים יש לנו נהרות ומעינות שאנו מסתפקין מהן.  The Stroshelu says they were bothered by the name שקי, the מי שאמר לעולמו די, the tzimtzum and boundaries of the world.  We can explain the next line of the Gemorah in this vein as well. Rain is a form of דין, as Chazal call it גבורת גשמים. They said we don't need the rain of גבורות, we can have water without boundaries.  

That is why Noach had to make a תבה.  He had to lock himself up in order to bring proper boundaries in the world.  What do you lock yourself into?  בא אתה וכל ביתך אל התבה.  The Baal Shem Tov (Keter Shem Tov additions #9) says דתיבה הם אותיות התורה והתפלה ובא אל התיבה הוא הכניסה בתוך האותיות של תורה ותפלה, לערנען מיט אַ חיות און דאַוונען מיט אַ חיות.  Our תבה is the תבות, the words of Torah and prayer.  That is how to make sure we maintain the proper order and balance in the world.  

All In The Letters

 According to the Kabbalists, everything in this world is made up of letters.  The letters of the name of an object are what makes it exist.  It is the constant input of Hashem giving life through these letters that the world exists.  In simple terms, each letter contains a spiritual energy.  What makes each and every object separate is that they are made up of a different order of spiritual energy.  Based upon this principle the Chassidic books explain how dinim can be changed to chesed.  If the gezerah exists, how can it be changed, did Hashem change his mind for what is better?  How can prayer work to cancel a heavenly decree?  In this week's parsha the Toldot Yaakov Yosef brings from the Baal Shem Tov that tefillah works to change the order of the letters from something that is negative to a positive. ומורי זלה"ה ביארו יותר כי הגז"ד הוא אותיות ויכול השליח לעשות צירוף אחר מן אותיות אלו ממש וכו' יעו"ש ובזה יובן היערוך שועך לא בצר אר"א לעולם יקדים אדם תפלה לצרה וכו' דבא לתרץ מה מהנית תפלה לצרה וכי יש שינוי רצון לפניו ית' וכקו' רמב"ן הנ"ל ובא ר"א לתרץ ק' הנ"ל כתירוץ הנ"ל דמהני תפלה דיכול להפך ע"י תפלה אותיות צרה שיהי צירוף אחר רצה להקדים אות ר' קודם אות צ' וז"ש לעולם יקדים אדם תפלה לצרה שע"י תפלה מקדים אותיות צר"ה שיהי' רצ"ה והבן.  The heavenly decree is that a certain spiritual combination must come into the world.  How it comes together, if it will be a positive or negative depends on man's behavior.

The Meor V'shemesh sees this hinted to in the possuk. צוהר תעשה לתיבה יש לפרש ע"פ רמז כך דהנה צדיקים יש להם להפך מדת הדין למדת הרחמים ע"י שמהפכים התיבות לצרופים אחרים ועושים מתיבת צרה ומהפכים לתיבת רצה כמבואר בכוונת בין המצרים לכוון בתיבת רצה שתהפוך צרה לרצה ובזה ממתיקים הגבורות לחסדים יש עוד צירף בתיבת צרה לתבת צהר דהיינו שיעשה חסדים מגולים שיאיר ה' פניו לישראל ובאור פני מלך חיים וזה הוא צהר תעשה לתיבה שיתהפכו תיבת צרה לצהר ומפרש הכתוב ע"י מה כי יש כח ביד הצדיקים להפוך מדת הדין לרחמים לעשות מצרה צהר ומפרש הכתוב ואל אמה תכלנה מלמעלה דהיינו ע"י תשובה נהפך מדת הדין לרחמים.  It says in the Tiferet Shlomo a similar idea צהר תעשה לתיבה. הנראה לרמז בזה כי אותיות התורה ניתנו לצרף כמו שאמרו יודע היה בצלאל לצרף האותיות כו'. והנה הצדיקים מצרפים האותיות מנגע לענג ומן צר"ה רצ"ה כמו שחותמין ביום התענית העונה לעמו ישראל בעת צרה ומיד נאמר רצה ה' כו' שנהפך הכל לרצון טוב. אבל בנח לא היה כך ונאמר לו צה"ר מן צרה שהיה מאיר לו רק לעצמו בפנים ולא על כל העולם. והבן:  However, note the Meor V'shemesh understands that the word צהר is a positive to bring open חסד in place of the din.  However, the Rodamsker takes it as a negative spin that Noach was only able to light himself up but not the world. It is not necessarily a contradiction.  Hashem told Noach צהר תעשה, he was teaching Noach the secret of changing the צרה into צהר.  The intent was for Noach to spare the world.  He could pray and spare the destruction of the world.  He was supposed to pray just like Avrohom prayed for Sedom.  However, he missed the boat and understood it in just the simple form, to make a window for the ark.  What could have been צהר for the world, turned into a צהר merely for himself. 

One For All

 לְזֹאת֙ יִקָּרֵ֣א אִשָּׁ֔ה כִּ֥י מֵאִ֖ישׁ לֻֽקְחָה־זֹּֽאת.  Rashi says that the name אשה is לשון נופל על הלשון from איש.  Howevee, man is referred to as אדם, not as איש.  Why is man called אדם and not איש?  The Gemorah in Yevamot (61a) says אתם קרויין אדם ואין העובדי כוכבים קרויין אדם.  Why are gentiles not called אדם?  The word אדם is used both to refer to a single individual or to a group of people, it is both the singular and plural form.  The word איש when used in plural form becomes אנשים.  As explained before, the concept of a tzibbur, of many individuals making up one group is only applicable by Jews, not by gentiles.  That is why gentiles are not referred to as אדם because they lack this quality of being able to be a group, to be many אדם as one.  (See here different sources for this idea.)  The possuk says in Tazria (13:2) אדם כי יהיה, it uses the terminology of אדם, why?  The Sefer Apiryon (of author of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch) uses the above idea to explain.  The sin of loshon harah, one of the causes of tzaras is when one causes a separation between people. However, gentiles, whom lack the quality of a tzibbur are not stricken with loshon harah for they are never together as a tzibbur anyway.  That is why the possuk says אדם, because you are fit to be אדם, to be together as one group, and you violated that, oyu will be stricken with tzaras. That is why the possuk refers to man as אדם, because it is since he is a אדם, since he needs to be part of a group, that he needs a partner. (Otzar HaTorah.)  Built into the very creation of mankind is the need to be part of a group.  

Removing The Façade

 Rashi asks why does it say וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד and not יום ראשון which would fit according to the order that it is the first day?  Rashi answers על שם שהיה הקב״ה אחד בעולמו, שלא נבראו המלאכים עד יום שיני.  Asks the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Likutay Sichos volume 25) how can you say there was only Hashem if the light was only created?  Answers the Rebbe, that the light created on the first day was as Rashi says, the light hidden away for the tzaddikim.  As explained as few weeks ago from Rav Wolbe, the world conceals Hashem's presence.  The clarity of the light of creation was the ability to see through the façade of the World and see the Godliness inherit in it.  However, that light was hidden away to make space for man to make a choice between good and evil.  This light was not a contradiction to the fact that שהיה הקב״ה אחד בעולמו, it complimented it. 

On a certain level that may be the intent of the Gemorah (Shavuot 9a) that Hashem says הביאו עלי כפרה על שמעטתי את הירח.  The Gemorah doesn't mean that originally the moon had its own light like the sun, rather it constantly was able to reflect the light of the sun from all sides, not like the current state of waking and waning.  This represents that sometimes we can't see Hashem, we do not see the light.  For that we need to bring a korban, to come close to Hashem to help remove this separation (Or Gedalyahu Nissan.) 

The Beis Avrohom (Slonim) brings from the Warka that during the week we say good day in the day and good night at night but on Shabbos we say guut Shabbos even at night because there is no aspect of night to Shabbos, it is all considered day. He says that is why it says the word יום three times about Shabbos, ויכל אלקים ביום השביעי, וישבת ביום השביעי, ויברך אלקים את יום השביעי to tell us that the night, morning and afternoon of Shabbos are all considered day.  What does it mean that Shabbos is considered day? 

Last year we explained that the light used in creation was hidden in the Torah.  One who learns Torah in a proper manner can have a clarity of the Godliness of the world.  The Sfas Emes Shelach (5649) says that mitzvot come to fix the body and Torah comes to fix the neshama.  That is why Shabbos, the day of the neshama, the focus is on Torah.  אכן בחי' התורה הוא כולו אור לנשמת אלוקי ממעל והוא בחי' השבת יומא דנשמתין ולאו דגופא. לכן שבת יעשה כולו תורה.  That is what it means that Shabbos does not have night.  The light of clarity shines on Shabbos.  

The Degel Machene Efraim:

Chilul Hashem And Lebron James

 Due to the amount of people that took it upon themselves to misdefine  the concept of chillul Hashem, I will share what the Mictav volume 3 pg. 117-118 says.

According to the mistaken view of those decrying chillul Hashem, I showed the following picture to a friend and he declared it must be a chillul shem Lebron,

Where's the outcry, the lack of masks (according to those that believe it is right to take away the rights of other's to breathe,) the crowd with no distancing?!  Veistos, that is not the issue, rather it is something else....

Future Commitment

We say in the hadran, הדרן עלך וכו והדרך עלן etc. Which means we will return to you, and you return to us. The first half is understandable, we are saying that we will come back to the Tractate but what does it mean הדרך עלן, that the Torah should return to us? The Tractate can't jump off the shelf into your hand?

I heard an explanation from Rav Yisraeli shlita (I subsequently found the same idea in some seforim.) The Gemorah in Sanhedrin (99b) says שנאמר (משלי טז, כו) נפש עמל עמלה לו כי אכף עליו פיהו הוא עמל במקום זה ותורתו עומלת לו במקום אחר. Rashi says (girsah of Eyen Yaakov,) שמחזרת עליו ומבקשת מאת קונה למסור לו טעמי תורה וסתריה. We see that the Torah itself prays to Hashem for a person to be successful in their learning. How can the Torah beseech Hashem for a person? Because the Torah is Torah Chayim. As I like to tell my sister when she says quiet, only dead things are quiet. Learning Torah is not studying some ancient, dead history. Torah is a living screaming organism. By assuring הדרן עלך, that you have not left the Tractate behind, it will be הדרך עלן, it will help you understand the next Tractate as well.  

The Haghos Ashri end of Sukkah brings the midrash (Shir Hashirim 1:9 ) that says after Shlomo asked Hashe for a לב שומע, wisdom and understanding, מיד ויבא ירושלים ויעמוד לפני ארון ברית ה' ויעל עולות ויעש שלמים ויעש משתה לכל עבדיו, א"ר אלעזר מכאן שעושין סעוד' לגמרה של תורה.  How is this a source for making a siyum, Shlomo did not learn anything yet, he was just given greater ability?  We see the celebration is for the Torah that was learnt, rather it is for the Torah that will be learnt.  In other words, after one finishes a Tractate, their connection to Torah is strengthened.  The Torah will come to the individual's aid to be able to have a greater understanding in Torah.  That is the הדרן עלן, celebrating the greater insights in Torah that are possible because one has finished a Tractate. 

Many come into Simchas Torah wondering what is the simcha for me, I didn't learn enough this year, I'm not learning in yeshiva/kollel, what does it have to do with me?  The answer is that we are not celebrating last year's learning, it is a time of commitment for the future.  In some institutions people make learning pledges for the upcoming year.  That is taking upon themselves the commitment for the future (Kotzker.)

On Sukkot there are the great celebrations of the בית השואבה.  Why is the simcha called the simcha of the בית השואבה, when the mitzvah is not the drawing of the water, rather the libation?  And what is so great about the water libation that it deserves such simcha?  Rashi Vayikra (2:13) tells us since the water that was placed on earth complained that they were being sent further away from Hashem they meir to be offered in the water libation on Sukkot.  The water libation indicates our desire to do more, to come closer to Hashem.  That is what we are celebrating.  That is why the celebration is for the בית השואבה, for we are not celebrating the completing of the mitvah, rather the opportunity to reconnect ourselves to Hashem.  That starts with the preparation of the mitzvah.  It is the new opportunity of having shed our baggage of the previous year on the High Holy days and now we are starting a better relationship with Hashem (see the Hornosteipel.)  

Day Of Laughter

In Maaseh Rav #133 it says the Gaon was happy on Sukkot and even happier on Shemini Atzeret which is the greatest day of happiness according to the kabbalah.  What is the great happiness of Shemini Atzeret?  In Even Shelameh Ch. 11 #10 it brings from the Gaon that the holidays in Tishrei correspond to the process of the future days, starting with the great day of judgment.  The day of Shemini Atzeret corresponds to the time when the כופרים of Hashem will be finished off and Klal Yisroel alone will left to rejoice with Hashem and we will eat the three feasts of Shabbos, לויתן, בהמות הררי אלף ויין משומר.  The Gaon says in Mishley (31:25) on the possuk עֹז־וְהָדָ֥ר לְבוּשָׁ֑הּ וַ֝תִּשְׂחַ֗ק לְי֣וֹם אַחֲרֽוֹן says that עוז in on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, הדר is on Sukkot and וַ֝תִּשְׂחַ֗ק לְי֣וֹם אַחֲרֽוֹן is a reference to Shemini Atzeret.  Again, we see that he defines Atzeret as the principal day of simcha. 

The very next piece in Even Shelameh says the סעודת לויתן is the דעת that will be increased and that is the greatest joy.  

As explained on this blog before, laughing or שחק comes about when a completely unexpected event happens.  As explained in the last post, the holiday of Atzeret is to bring Godliness into the earth.  It is to be able to bring kedusha in that which seems the opposite of it that creates the ultimate שחוק.

Earth Holiday

 In the Gra al HaTorah Pinchas it brings:

What does this mean? 

The Targum Yonason on the possuk of  בַּיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י עֲצֶ֖רֶת תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם (Pinchas 29:35) explains that you shall gather yourself in your house and leave the sukkah, ביומא תמינאה כנישין תהוון בחדוא מן מט(יל){לי}כון לבתיכון.  Why does he emphasize the leaving of the sukkah, it is a mitzvah and we generally leave mitzvot with sadness?  Rashi in Sukkah (48a) also says that Atzeret is a רגל in its own right means that you don't have to sit in the sukkah, again emphasizing leaving the sukkah, why?  As we wrote last week, the yesod of the mitzvah of sukkah is to leave aside the plesures and pursuits of this mortal world and pursue ruchniut.  However, Atzeret is a higher level than that. While it is of course necessary to reject the הבל הבלים present in this world, to completely reject the physical world is not the ultimate goal either.  The greatest kedusha if found hidden specifically in the physical world.  After we have inbued the lesson of Sukkot and have learned to reject the הבל הבלים, we are now ready to find the kedusha that is present in the earth.  That is why the Targum and Rashi emphasize that we leave the sukkah, because ultimatly we must learn to come into our house, enter the physical world and find the kedusha inherint in it.  That is the power of Atzeret and that is maybe what the Gra means it is נגד הארץ, present in the earth, the mostr base matirial, we have to find and bring kedusha. With this we can understand why the possuk says עֲצֶ֖רֶת תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם, why does it not say 'עצרת לה, as it says in Reah about the last day of Pesach?  Because we find the kedusha in the לכם, in the actions of your own mundane world. 

Sukkot Story

This is a Reb Shlomo story (with a few minor changes) that I found someone else wrote the whole thing online and I did the old copy and paste.  So, if you want a hassidic tale and have never heard it before, here it is. 

 It has been told that Reb Zusha was a very humble man. So much so that he never referred to himself in the first person so as not to say the words “I” or “Me”.

Zusha and his brother Rebb Elimelech were merchants for a living, and not very successful ones at that. They were both so poor that while one taught at the Beit Midrash, the other had to travel from one town to the next just to make ends meet.

It was on the eve of Sukkot one year that Reb Zusha found himself in a small town in the north-eastern regions of Russia. With no money for a place to stay, Rebb Zusha made his way to the local shul, hoping to find some kind Jews. When he walked in to shul, a murmur passed through out the synagogue, “could it be? Is that Rebb Zusha?? It is, isn’t it?”

His great name in Torah and good deeds had gone before him and it wasn’t long before the Rabbi of the shul invited him to sit by his side and asked that he stay by him for the holiday. Rebb Zusha was thankful for his lot.

They sat in the Sukkah for hours after dinner, singing, learning Torah and telling stories. Finally it was time for bed and the Rabbi ordered his servants to prepare the Sukkah for sleep, since it is a great Mitzvah to sleep in the Sukkah. When they asked Rebb Zusha how many blankets he would need, he answered “none”, he had all that he could ever want. At this the Rabbi looked up perplexed.. “Rebb Zusha, we are pretty far north. It gets very cold at night, please take some blankets. But Zusha refused “You have already given Zusha more than he could dream of, Zusha will be fine” Zusha said adamantly.

“But…” stuttered the Rabbi, he did not continue, he realized that Zusha was not going to budge. “Put the blankets on the edge of his bed” he said to the servant, “I am sure that when it gets cold enough he will give in and take a blanket.” The servant did as the Rabbi requested and left the Sukkah.

As they lay in their beds, The Rabbi under dozens of blankets and Rebb Zusha still in the clothes of his travels, The Rabbi thought he heard a whisper. Listening carefully he became aware that it was coming from Rebb Zusha. First it sounded like a prayer, but as his ears grew accustomed to the sounds of the night, he understood that a conversation was taking place.

“God..? This is your humble servant Zusha. You have done great things for your servant today as you do everyday in his life, much that he does not deserve. Tonight you gave him a warm community, a meal, a bed to sleep in… he should not ask you for any more.. but.. but.. it’s a little cold in this Sukkah. Would it be a terrible inconvenience for you blessed father to make it a little warmer?”

When the Rabbi, pretending to sleep in the bed near by heard this he couldn’t help but smile to himself. “Soon he will reach for the Blankets”, He thought.

He hardly had time to amuse himself with this thought when he realized that it seemed a little warmer in the Sukkah. He removed a few blankets in disbelief.

Moments later the Rabbi heard the whispers again. “God..? This is your humble servant Zusha again, Zusha knows you are very busy and thanks you. Zusha knows that he does not deserve any of this… but… Could you… would you make it a little warmer? It still quite cold here.”

The Sukkah now got considerably warmer and the Rabbi removed all of his blankets and lay sweating in his bed, amazed by the miracle he had just witnessed.

A few moments went by, and Zusha was at it again… “God..?, it’s Zusha.. Could you..”

“STOP!” The Rabbi yelled, interrupting Zusha. “Stop, Stop right now. If you make it any warmer in here, the Sukkah will burn down…!” So Zusha stopped, and no more miracles happened that night.

In the Sukkah at the time was also a student of Zusha’s, who had accompanied him on his travels. Once they were back home, the student ran to the Beit Midrash to recount to Rebb Elimelech and the students of this wonderful miracle.

“Can you believe it?” He asked Elimelech? A miracle, a real miracle happened to your own brother.” Elimelech did not respond, he simply looked away and began to cry. The other students around Rebb Elimelech who had heard the story stood in disbelief and did not know what to do.

“Rebbi, why are you crying??

It’s a festive moment, your brother just experienced a wonderful miracle.”

“I am not crying for the miracle that happened” Reb Elimelech finally responded, “but rather for all that could have happened, but did not”

Rebb Elimelech turned to walk away and as he did, his students could almost hear him mumble.

“If only that Rabbi had not stopped Zusha, my brother could have warmed up this entire world…”עכ"ל.

The lesson Rav Zusha was teaching was that one can isolate themselves from the cold and bitterness in the world by hiding under covers, but that is not out mission.  It is our job to warm up the world with light.  Sometimes though, we add light, but after doing a little, we feel content and stop.  But that is not enough, we must not stop until the world is illuminated.

Clean Sukkah

The Rif at the end of Sukkah says that if one must use their sukkah to eat in on Shemini Atzeret because they have no other place, then for a small sukkah, one puts a candle in it that will diminish the size of the sukkah, but for a big sukkah, one should bring in their utensils that should normally not be brought into the sukkah, the disgusting utensils.  The Baal Hameor asks on the Rif that bringing such utensils in will not disqualify the sukkah?  Hence he says that the point of bringing in the utensils is not to disqualify the sukkah, rather just to indicate that one is not using it as a sukkah ,just as their house to avoid בל תוסיף.  The Ran understands that the Rif agrees with this and the terminology of the Rif, לפסול is not precise.  The Raavad understands the Rif is literal and the sukkah does become disqualified because a person becomes disgusted with such a sukkah.  Rabbenu Manoach (6:14) also understands the sukkah becomes disqualified rabbinicly in these circumstances and one can not say a beracha on a sukkah that one's disgusting utensils are in it.  (The Shar Hatzion 639:13 is חושש for this opinion.)  The Chasam Sofer beginning of siman 639 asks why does Rabbenu Manoach say the sukkah is disqualified, the person is not living in the sukkah כעין תדורו  but why is it possul?  It seems that Rabbenu Manoach held this lack of תשבו creates a problem in the sukkah itself.  As we see in the Ran on that very Mishna at the end of Ch. 4 which says one shouldn't take out the nice things out of the sukkah on the last day of sukkot.  The Ran explains even after he is done eating, he must leave the sukkah adorned.  We see that תשבו is not just a way of living in the sukkah, its a din in the sukkah itself.  (This yesod is explained by Rav Moshe Shmuel and others.)

Sukkah Seeing

 In the Kad Hakemach on Sukkah it says: ומפני שהאדם אי אפשר לו שיירש העוה"ב ועוה"ז כי אם בידיעת התורה על כן תמצא מצוה זו שהיא רומזת לתורה, כי לשון סוכה לשון ראייה, אמרו רז"ל למה נקרא שמה יסכה שסוכת ברוח הקדש תרגום וישקף ואיסתכי וכתוב בתורה (איוב כ״ח:כ״ז) אז ראה ויספרה וגו'. הסוכה צריכה צל וישראל מוזהרין להסתופף בצל התורה, הסוכה שלש דפנות והתורה שלשה חלקים תורה נביאים וכתובים המעמידין את העולם הוא שכתוב (ירמיהו ל״ג:כ״ה) אם לא בריתי יומם ולילה וגו'. 

Chazal say that at the שמחת בית השואבה משם שואבין רוח הקודש.  According to the Kad Hekemech the name of Sukkah itself is a hint to be able to see with ruach hakodesh.  Why is it specifically the mitzvah of sukkah and the holiday of sukkot that we merit to ruach hakodesh?  The Shem M'Shmuel (5678 second piece) explains ויש ליתן טעם למה מצוה זו מסוגלת לרוה"ק יותר משאר מצוות, כי באמת האדם שיש בו נשמה הקדושה חלק אלקי ממעל לעולם הי' צריך להשתמש ברוה"ק, אם רק כשאיננו בעל עבירות ח"ו, ומ"מ הרי אנו רואין שאפילו הכי לאו כולם זוכין לרוה"ק, והטעם פשוט שהאויר וגשמית עוה"ז מפסיק וצריכין לזה זכות מיוחדת, וע"כ בבהמ"ק היו מרבית הצדיקים זוכין לרוה"ק.  Everyone naturally has ruach hakodesh, it is the gashmius  that blinds a person's vision.  [It says the same principle in the Gra on Mishlay Ch. 16.]  On Sukkot we leave the world of the gashmi inside and therefore are able to see correctly. 

Although the Shem M'shmuel picks up on the Kad Hakemach's connection to ruach hakodesh, the Kad Hakemach's main point is to be able to see the Torah clearly.  The Tanna D'vei Eliyahu (26) says עד שאדם מתפלל על דברי תורה שיכנסו בתוך מעיו יתפלל על אכילה ושתיה שלא יכנסו בתוך מעיו.  Gashmious is a contradiction to being able to see Torah properly.  To see Torah properly is a level of "ruach hakosh" that can be obtained only by removing one's self from the regular gashmi comforts of their life.