Sunday, July 20, 2025

Desire Forms Destiny

The possuk in Re'ah (12:5) says כי אם אל המקום אשר יבחר ה אלקיכם מכל שבטיכם לשום א שמו שם לשכנו תדרשו ובאת שמה.  On the one hand the possuk calls it the place chosen by Hashem, המקום אשר יבחר ה אלקיכם, but on the other hand the possuk says לשכנו תדרשו, you have to seek it out.  Is it chosen or must it be sought?  The Malbim says that even though the exact place of the Mikdash was notified through the navi, Dovid still attempted to find the place before the prophet came to him, for the לשכנו תדרשו, the desire, the seeking, is a prerequisite for receiving the message of the המקום אשר יבחר ה, the place notified by Hashem.

The Gemarah Sukkah (41a) says מנא לן דעבדינן זכר למקדש א"ר יוחנן דאמר קרא (ירמיהו ל, יז) כי אעלה ארוכה לך וממכותיך ארפאך נאם ה' כי נדחה קראו לך ציון היא דורש אין לה דורש אין לה מכלל דבעיא דרישה.  In light of this Malbim, this is not just a nice idea to remember the Mikdash even in its destruction, but the way to rebuild the Mikdash is to be דורש המקדש, to express a desire to have it built (from a shmuz by R' Elefant.)  

The Chasam Sofer on the Gemarah Sukkah says that is why the redemption of the second Mikdash was incomplete, because there was no דרישה, there was no expressed desire from Klal Yisrael to rebuild the Mikdash and that is what the possuk in Yermiyahu is saying, ממכותיך ארפאך, you will have a healing from the destruction of the first Mikdash, but not a healing that proceeds the makkah, because there is no דרישה, there is no yearning to rebuild the Mikdash, hence it will merely be a temporary building.   

At the end of Massay the Torah instructs woman to marry within their own tribe so that if they inherit, they will not transfer the land to a different tribe, (36:7)  וְלֹֽא־תִסֹּ֤ב נַחֲלָה֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מִמַּטֶּ֖ה אֶל־מַטֶּ֑ה.  However ,the same point is reiterated to verses later, וְלֹֽא־תִסֹּ֧ב נַחֲלָ֛ה מִמַּטֶּ֖ה לְמַטֶּ֣ה אַחֵ֑ר.  The Or Hachayim asks why the repetion?  Furthermore, why the switch in terminology, מִמַּטֶּ֖ה אֶל־מַטֶּ֑ה to מִמַּטֶּ֖ה לְמַטֶּ֣ה אַחֵ֑ר?  The Rodamsker (cited in Divrei Chaim 2021 and 2019,) explains that the parsha was given due to the complaint of the tribe of Yosef that they would lose the land given to the daughters of Tzlafchad.  It was the desire of the tribe of Yosef to hang on to the land that caused the prohibition of marrying outside the tribe.  It was the desire that created the issur.  Says the Rodamsker, from this we are to understand that is it the desire that creates our hold over Eretz Yisrael and the Mikdash.  That's why it is called דביר ביתך - "לשון דבור שצריך לבקש מהש"י עליו להבנות במהרה וכל המתאבל על חורבן ירושלים זוכה ורואה בנחמתה כי כל האומר כן באמת בתפלה ולירושלים עירך ברחמים תשוב הנה פועל באמת זה למעלה על קירוב הגאולה כנ"ל."  So he says by way of derush the first possuk is the prohibition of marrying into another tribe and causing the land to move to another shevet, ממטה אל מטה.  The second possuk is telling us that from the prohibition one should take a message to feel the pain over the fact that the נחלה of Yerushalayim is now in the hands of "ביד האחרים הישמעאלי' היושבי' עליה בעוה"ר וצריך להתעורר בתשוקה להמשיך הדין הזה להתקיי' לא תסוב נחלה למטה אחר הם הישמעאלי' כנ"ל."  

Rav Solevetchik (Rishimos Shiurim on the Gemarah Sukkah) differentiates between laws of זכר למקדש intended to arouse mourning over the destruction of the Mikdash vs. the זכר למקדש of the Gemarah in Sukkah which is a זכר למקדש as a positive remembrance of the mitzvot as done in the Mikdash, not to remember the past but as a preparation for the future when the Mikdash will be rebuilt.   This זכר למקדש is a forward-looking remembrance, not about what was lost, but about what will be restored.  It’s not nostalgia, it’s anticipation.  However, in light of the above, it is understood that the point of the mourning is not to be stuck in the past but to awaken feelings of yearning and longing for the Mikdash which serve as preparation of building Mikdash, in the Rodamsker's words," כי כל האומר כן באמת בתפלה ולירושלים עירך ברחמים תשוב הנה פועל באמת זה למעלה על קירוב הגאולה."

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Tents

Bava Bathra (60a) לא יפתח אדם לחצר השותפין פתח כנגד פתח וחלון כנגד חלון ... מנהני מילי א"ר יוחנן דאמר קרא (במדבר כד, ב) וישא בלעם את עיניו וירא את ישראל שוכן לשבטיו מה ראה ראה שאין פתחי אהליהם מכוונין זה לזה אמר ראוין הללו שתשרה עליהם שכינה:  The Ramah says מיהא שמעינן דבהא איסורא נמי איכא משום צניעותא דנשי, ואע"ג דאחזיק נמי לא מהניא ביה חזקה. דאי ס"ד לענין דינא בלחוד קאמרינן, מאי ראויין הללו שתשרה עליהן שכינה, דמשמע טעמא דאין פתחיהן מכוונין זה לזה הא לאו הכי לא, ואי טעמא דדינא [קאמר] ותו לא, כי מכוונין נמי אמאי אין ראויין, דילמא ממחל הוא דמחלי גבי הדדי, אטו מאן דמחיל היזיקיה גבי חבריה (בריעותא) [גריעותא] היא, אלא משום דלאו מידי דמשתריא במחילה הוא.  The possuk here by telling us the Shechina being present depends upon privacy that this is not just a Choshen Mishpat law not to infringe upon someone else's privacy but it is an issur and therefore mechilah will not help.    

The prohibition of looking into someone else's property is a halachik law but also contained other lessons.  Rav Nissim Peretz says a mussar approach that one should not look to copy the Jones's but should be happy with one's own lot.  One should not be looking at the neighbor's tent to see what there is in it to copy what they have but one should be happy with their own possessions.  Rebbe Nasan (Likutay Halachos Shcanim) says that the lesson is that everyone has their own 'window of truth,'  their own way of doing things and one must not denigrate their neighbor's way of doing things although it may differ.

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Engraved

Why does the Torah introduce the mitzvah of the parah adumah with the phrase זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה, This is the law of the Torah, wouldn’t it have been more fitting to say זֹאת חֻקַּת הַפָּרָה, This is the law of the cow, as it does with other commandments like such as זֹאת חֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח, This is the law of the Pesach offering?

The Or HaChaim explains that the Torah isn’t merely presenting the law of the parah adumah—it is revealing a foundational principle for the entire Torah. What is that principle?  The parah adumah is the quintessential chok—a command that defies human logic. By calling it “the law of the Torah,” the Torah is teaching us that this approach applies to all mitzvot: just as we fulfill a chok not because we understand it, but because it is the will of Hashem, so too every mitzvah—whether rational or beyond comprehension—must ultimately be fulfilled because Hashem commanded it. Our commitment is not rooted in intellect but in submission to Divine will.

The word חק shares its root with the word חקיקה, meaning “engraving.”  Written text lies atop the parchment, it is separate and is removable.  However, engraved text  is carved into the stone and becomes one with the surface itself.  So too, when we fulfill a mitzvah only because it makes sense to us, it remains external, superimposed on our identity. But when we perform Hashem’s will because it is His will, the mitzvah becomes engraved into our soul. The mitzvah performed shapes the identity of the person (see Likutay Sichos volume 8.) 

When there is a lack of water Moshe is instructed to speak to the rock.  But earlier, in parshat Beshalach, when the people complained  they were thirsty Moshe is instructed to hit the rock, what is the difference between these two episodes?  The answer lies in viewing the rock not merely as a source of water, but as a metaphor for accessing the inner being of the people. To draw water from the rock is to access the waters of spiritual vibrancy.

In Beshalach, Bnei Yisrael had not yet stood at Har Sinai. They had not yet entered into the covenant of Torah, the eternal bond engraved (chakikah) into their essence. They still required an external impact, a bang, to break open the spiritual barriers that concealed their dormant holiness.  Hence, Moshe was told to strike the rock.  But in Chukas, Klal Yisrael had experienced Matan Torah, they already obtained  "חיי עולם נטע בתוכנו", “eternal life was planted within us.” The Torah was no longer external to them; it was engraved into their souls. The appropriate approach, then, was no longer force, but gentle speech to bring  out the deep inner connection that already existed.  

The meforshim have a struggle to pinpoint exactly what Moshe Rabbenu did wrong at the מי מריבה, but no matter how we explain the sin, why is it deemed so bad that Moshe Rabbenu's opportunity to enter Eretz Yisrael is revoked?  Many of the Chassidic seforim explain each in their own way that the sin was not so bad in its own right to be the סיבה, the cause, for Moshe Rabbenu to lose out but rather was a סימן, a sign that Moshe was no longer fit to be the leader.  Moshe Rabbenu led a people  who required miracles and awe, a generation whose spiritual growth was catalyzed through external force, he had to lead with the stick. so to speak.  But now, a new generation had matured. Their connection to Hashem was deeply rooted; they no longer needed to be struck to awaken. They needed to be spoken to, to merely shake off the dust to reveal that connection. Moshe’s leadership style, perfect for the generation that left Egypt wilderness, was no longer fit for the current generation.  Sometimes while a leader may be a great person, he is no longer able to connect to the next generation, his methods and messaging is old and outdated and there is need for younger leadership, those who speak to the ears of the current generation, to step up.  

This shift is reflected in the contrasting shirot of Bnei Yisrael.  At Yam Suf, it is Moshe who leads, אש ישיר משה and the people follow his lead in song and spirit. They required someone to draw the praise from them.  However, in the song of the Be’ar Miriam, the well of Miriam, Moshe’s name is absent as the Sfas Emes notes.  Why?  Because now the people sang on their own.  It is the same as the difference between a pit and a well.  A pit is reliant on external rain, while a well draws water from deep within. The song of the be'ar was not just for the be'ar of Miriam, it was about their internal well. Klal Yisrael had become a well, they had their own deep spiritual connection to Hashem and could feel the spiritual uplifting expressed in a shira.  They no longer needed Moshe to place the words in their mouths. The song sprung forth from within themselves.  The recognition of Hashem was engraved in their hearts.

Must Gentiles Believe In Hashem

Rambam Laws of Kings (Ch 8 Law 11) כָּל הַמְקַבֵּל שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת וְנִזְהָר לַעֲשׂוֹתָן הֲרֵי זֶה מֵחֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם. וְיֵשׁ לוֹ חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְהוּא שֶׁיְּקַבֵּל אוֹתָן וְיַעֲשֶׂה אוֹתָן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁצִּוָּה בָּהֶן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בַּתּוֹרָה וְהוֹדִיעָנוּ עַל יְדֵי משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ שֶׁבְּנֵי נֹחַ מִקֹּדֶם נִצְטַוּוּ בָּהֶן. אֲבָל אִם עֲשָׂאָן מִפְּנֵי הֶכְרֵעַ הַדַּעַת אֵין זֶה גֵּר תּוֹשָׁב וְאֵינוֹ מֵחֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם וְלֹא מֵחַכְמֵיהֶם.  What dos the Rambam mean, is the fulfillment of the 7 mitzvot not as a commandment of G-d in the Torah, a lack of fulfillment of the 7 commandments, or is it an additional law necessary to fulfill if a gentile wants a portion in עולם הבא?  If it is a lack of fulfillment of the commandments, why doesn't the Rambam say the gentile is held culpable for violating them, and if  not, then why is this a necessary condition to merit עולם הבא?    

It would seem the Rambam is saying that fulfillment of 7 mitzvot means the gentile is not doing anything wrong, but to merit to עולם הבא it is required to have a recognition in G-d that gave the 7 commandments.  See more about this and a twist of Rav Kook on the Rambam in 'גר תושב, חסיד אומות העולם וחכם אומות העולם.'  

The Rambam refers to a gentile who keeps 7 mitzvot but not as a command of Hashem.  Why does the gentile not keep them as a command of Hashem, is he ignorant of the fact that He commanded them, doesn't believe He did or doesn't believe in G-d?  Is belief in G-d a command upon gentiles?  There is somewhat of a discussion about this topic on forums, here and here.  It does seem to be the overwhelming opinion that a gentile must believe in Hashem and it is part of the prohibition against idolatry, blasphemy, part of the nature of commandments to mean there must be a Commander or maybe it is just a logical deduction.  Rav Moshe takes this a step further and says since a gentile must believe in Hashem, he is obligated to pray during an עת צרה as that is a demonstration of one's belief in Hashem.

This may paly a role in the question discussed by Rav Herzog (in teshuva to his son about joining Pope for anti-Communist declaration) if it is better for a gentile to be an ashiest or worshipper of avodah zarah.