The month of Elul is a time of special closeness between the Divine Groom and His bride Israel

The Month of the Bride






Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com



I am to my beloved, and my beloved is to me



Song of Songs 6:3



In every relationship, there are times when the "male" or giving partner takes the initiative, and times when the "female" or receiving partner is the first to express her feelings and thereby stimulate the feelings of her partner.



The question of who takes the initiative has a profound effect on the nature of the relationship. For though the end result is that both of them express their love for each other, the initiating partner determines the nature of the other's response. When initiated by the giving partner, the response stimulated in the recipient will likewise be a "masculine" response; when initiated by the recipient, the giver's response will also be of a "feminine" nature, for it will be influenced and shaped by the source of its arousal.



In Song of Songs, which explores the relationship between G-d and Israel through the metaphor of the love between a bride and her groom, we find expressions of both male-initiated and female-initiated love. In one verse, the narratress proclaims, "My beloved is to me, and I am to him" (Song of Songs 2:16). In another, she says, "I am to my beloved, and my beloved is to me" (ibid. 6:3).



There are times when the Almighty showers us with love and kindness, arousing in us a response in kind ("My beloved is to me, and I am to him"). But there are also times in which we take the initiative, expressing our love and devotion to Him despite His apparent distance from us, thereby awakening in Him His love for us ("I am to my beloved, and my beloved is to me").



It may be argued that the divinely-initiated love produces a higher and loftier love than the love which is initiated by ourselves. When the initial arousal comes from G-d, it is a show of love that is as infinite and sublime as its source, arousing in us feelings that we could never have produced ourselves. Nevertheless, such a love cannot be said to be truly our own. We have been overwhelmed by something that is infinitely greater than ourselves, and our own response is likewise "larger than life," bearing little relation to who and what we are in our natural state.



On the other hand, the love we generate ourselves may be less magnificent and glorious, but it is a deeper and truer love. It is an integral love -- a love that comes from within and expresses our deepest yearnings. And when we awaken such a love in ourselves, G-d responds in kind, showing us an integral, intimate love -- a love that embraces us as we are, rather than transporting us to sublime yet alien peaks of spirituality and transcendence.



The Acronym



The month of Elul is a time of special closeness between the Divine Groom and His bride Israel. This is alluded to by the fact that, in Hebrew, the first letters of the verse "I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me" (ani ledodi v'dodi li) spell the word Elul.



It is significant that the acronym for Elul comes from the verse that describes a love that is initiated by the bride, rather than the verse in which the initial show of love comes from the groom. For despite its designation as a time for special closeness between G-d and man, Elul is a most "ordinary" month, conspicuously devoid of festivals and holy days. In other words, Elul is not a time in which we are "lifted up" from our daily routine to the more spiritual state of a festival day; rather, it is a time in which we remain in our natural environment as material beings inhabiting a material life.



For the month of Elul, whose astral sign is the sign of betulah ("virgin"), is the month of the bride. Elul is a time when the initiative comes from our side of the relationship, and the divine response to our love is one that relates to us as finite, material beings and embraces our natural self and personality

“The kindnesses of G‑d have surely not ended....”

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Today's Tanya Lesson


Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 10

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The Alter Rebbe now returns to the verse quoted at the outset of this Iggeret HaKodesh: חסדי ה׳ כי לא תמנו וגו׳ — “The kindnesses of G‑d have surely not ended....”



There he had asked: If the verse refers only to G‑d’s kindness, why does it use the verb tamnu (in the first person plural), which would make the phrase mean, “we have not been brought to an end,” rather than tamu (in the third person plural), which would mean that “the kindnesses have not ended”?



He answers this by saying that חסדי ה׳ (“the kindnesses of G‑d”) refers also to the giving of tzedakah without limitation. Accordingly, the verse may be understood, as he now goes on to explain:



והנה מדת חסד זו, בלי גבול ומדה, נקראת על שמו של הקב״ה



Now, since this is G‑d’s manner of practicing benevolence, this mode of unlimited kindness is known by the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, [viz.,]



חסדי ה׳



“The kindnesses of G‑d,”



כדכתיב: וחסד ה׳ מעולם ועד עולם כו׳



as it is written,1 “and G‑d’s Chesed is everlasting....”



כי הגם שכל ישראל הם רחמנים וגומלי חסדים



For though2 “All of Israel are compassionate and practice kindly deeds,”



ברם יש גבול ומדה לרחמי האדם



nevertheless there is a limit and measure to man’s compassion.



אבל הקב״ה נקרא אין סוף ברוך הוא



But the Holy One, blessed be He, is called the Ein Sof — “the Infinite One,”



ולמדותיו אין סוף



and His attributes (like Himself) have no end,



כדכתיב: כי לא כלו רחמיו



as it is written,3 “...for His mercies never cease.”



When a Jew echoes G‑d’s boundless kindness and compassion, his actions are thus termed “G‑d’s acts of kindness.”



וזהו שאמר הנביא אחר החורבן והגלות: חסדי ה׳, כי לא תמנו



And this is the meaning of the prophet’s words,4 after the Destruction and the exile: “The kindnesses of G‑d have surely not ended (ki lo tamnu).”



פירוש: לפי שלא תמנו, שאין אנו תמימים ושלמים, בלי שום חטא ופגם בנפש ובעולמות עליונים



That is: “Because we are not perfect,5 inasmuch as we are not perfect (temimim) and whole, without any sin or blemish in our soul nor in the higher worlds,



על כן צריכין אנו להתנהג בחסדי ה׳, שהם בלי גבול ותכלית



we therefore need to conduct ourselves in accordance with ‘G‑d’s kindnesses,’ that are without limit or end,



כדי לעורר עלינו רחמים וחסד עילאה, שהוא רב חסד ורחמים, בלי גבול ותכלית



in order to call down upon ourselves Supreme compassion, i.e., rav Chesed, and unlimited, infinite compassion,



כמו שכתוב: כי לא כלו רחמיו



as it is written, at the conclusion of this verse, ‘for His mercies never cease....’”



Since we are in need of drawing down this level of compassion, our own practice of kindness must echo “G‑d’s kindness.”



Thus the Prophet is telling the generations that follow the Destruction that they should practice unbounded kindness because they are not in a state of tamnu. Being imperfect, we need to arouse G‑d’s infinite kindness and compassion in order to rectify any sins and blemishes.



(Moreover, since these latter generations are too weak to engage in fasting and self-mortification, the only means now available to secure full atonement is through tzedakah.6)


וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: אין ישראל נגאלין אלא בצדקה



And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, meant by saying that7 “Israel will be redeemed only through charity.”


שיעשו גם אם יהיו פטורים מדינא



[This refers to the charity] that they will perform even if they are legally not obligated,



כי אין בן דוד בא כו׳



for8 “[Mashiach] the son of David will not come [until the pocket will be empty of even the smallest coin].”



I.e., even if (Heaven forfend) there will not be a solitary coin left in one’s pocket, tzedakah will still be given. And it is this boundless level of tzedakah that secures a complete atonement for the sins of our people, after which9 “they will immediately be redeemed.”



The Rebbe explains that the Alter Rebbe does not conclude the above-mentioned quotation about the precondition for the coming of Mashiach because it is quite possible that he did not want to write out the last words (viz., “until the pocket will be empty of even the smallest coin”); and this precondition of the Sages can be fulfilled on the spiritual level, by conducting oneself with the humility of the destitute.


This could also explain why the Alter Rebbe does not say...כשיהיו (“when they are legally not obligated”), but rather...אם יהיו (“if they are legally not obligated”).



FOOTNOTES

1. Tehillim 103:17.

2. Yevamot 79a.

3. Eichah 3:22.

4. See above, footnote 3.

5. Note of the Rebbe: “The proof being the Destruction and the exile.”

6. This is explained at length in Iggeret HaTeshuvah, ch. 3 (in Vol. III of the present series).

7. See above, Epistle 9, footnote 16.

8. Sanhedrin 97a.

9. Rambam, Hilchot Teshuvah 7:5.

The Lunar calendar

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R Gordon-calibratin te lunar monts of the year
Rosh Chodesh

1. 19 year cycle of the lunar calendar
2. Finalized today no more need ofwitnesses
3. fnalized by Hillel Ha Zaken
4. set by bet din in the time of the temple
5. appx 29 1/2 day months 6  @ 29  6@ 30 days = 254 days in lunar year ea moth either 29 o 30 days
6. moon will aPPear in 29th or 30th day -when seen witnesses run to Jerusalem and moon's ciing is certified by the Sanhedrin    Rosh chodesh either one or 2 days
7. witnesses 'we saw the new moon"-not visible everywhere
8. courts knew where te locatiion of the new moon was

         a. they calibrated its location astronomically
   9.  Moshe in prophecy shown the new moon as to its appearance-sanctiied by bet din
  10. Pesach in the spring
  11. Lunar months in a solar year
  12, 11 days missing in the solar year    33 days/3 years
  13. 7X leao years in a19 year cycle
  14. Adar=1 mo. added as the "leap month"
  15. small crescent of the new moon seen in the west
  16. alignment or conjunction of the moon and sun--moon not seen
  17. court mb meticulous in astronomical calcs

http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1919703/jewish/Beginning-of-the-Year-or-Head-of-the-Year.htm


Beginning of the Year or Head of the Year?





Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G‑d

8th of Kislev, 5718 [December 1, 1957]

Brooklyn, N.Y.



Mr. I. Groob

44 Marvel Road, New Haven, Conn.



Greeting and Blessing:



I was pleased to be informed by Rabbi V. Schildkraut about the Melave Malka which was held in your home, which also served as an occasion of Chanukas Habayis.



Inasmuch as this occasion also coincided with Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the significance of it is all the greater. For, as you know, "Rosh" means head, and it is used in connection with the New Year and New Moon, instead of an identical term in Hebrew. This indicates that as the head is the center of the nervous system and vitality of the organism, and if the head is all right, the whole organism functions well, so it is with an initial period of time, when one makes a head-start.



May G‑d help that this occasion be a good beginning for further stimulating activities in the cause of Torah and Mitzvoth in everyday life, and, as our Sages say, that the essential thing is not the theory but the practice, and there is always room for improvement.



I take this opportunity to extend to you and yours my prayerful wishes that your change of address be a change for the better, both materially and spiritually.



With blessing,


http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1889086/jewish/Going-from-Strength-to-Strength.htm
Going from Strength to Strength






Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G-d

21st of Sivan, 5727

Brooklyn, N.Y.

[June 29, 1967]



Greeting and Blessing:



I have just received your letter. I was already getting anxious why I have not heard from you.



Thank you very much for the fulfillment of my request to convey regards from me, and also for the good news which your letter contained.



Inasmuch as it is written, “They will go from strength to strength,” now that you have already rested up from Shovuos, it is time to begin making preparations for the 12th of Tammuz, especially as we are going to Bench Rosh Chodesh Tammuz this coming Shabbos. Moreover, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the liberation of my father-in-law of saintly memory, and 40 years is a notable period culminating in a special measure of wisdom and knowledge to understand a matter in its full depth, as Rashi comments on the Posuk in Dvorim, 29:6.


With blessing,



M. Schneerson

http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1918292/jewish/Two-Adars-Doubly-Auspicious.htm

Two Adars, Doubly Auspicious






Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G‑d

1st Day of Rosh Chodesh Adar 1, 5746 [February 10, 1986]

Brooklyn, N.Y.



Mr. Reuven Dovid Kimball

Springfield, Ma. 01103



Greeting and Blessing:



I duly received your letter of the 21st of Shevat, with enclosure. As requested, I will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart's desires for good in the matter about which you wrote.



You should have complete confidence in the assurance of Torah that no one gets hurt by doing a Mitzvah, especially doing it beyond the call of duty.



Moreover, we are getting into the auspicious month of Adar, which is doubly auspicious this year, being a Leap Year, with two months of Adar. It is particularly auspicious for Jews in connection with matters of Yiddishkeit. May it be so with you and yours, and may you have good news to report.


With blessing,

M. Schneerson



P.S. Enclosed is a copy of my message to the recent Convention of Neshei u'Bnos Chabad, and it is meant not only for the women, but also for the men.


A Shavuot Message (4)






Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

Excerpts from a letter





By the Grace of G-d

Rosh Chodesh Sivan, 5724 [1964]

Brooklyn, NY









...It is worthy of note that the festival of Shavuoth has no independent date of its own, like any other festival, since no month or day is specified in the Torah as the time of its celebration, but only that it is the "Fiftieth Day" of the counting of the Omer; the counting which we begin on the second day of Pesach, on the day after the liberation from Egyptian bondage.



In this way the Torah emphasizes that the festival of Shavuoth is the goal of the festival of Pesach; that the Season of the Giving of Our Torah is the culmination of the Season of Our Freedom -- that the true and complete freedom, both for the individual as well as for the community, and both materially and spiritually, can be attained only through the acceptance of the Torah.



We live in a time and in a country where, notwithstanding external "freedom", the society in general, and the young generation in particular, are still largely "enslaved," and at a loss how to free themselves from the shackles of spiritual and mental confusion. The only hope that Jewish children should not be swept with this stream lies in a Torah education, where the golden chain of the Torah from Sinai is maintained; the Torah in all its sanctity, the Torah of Truth which must always remain intact, and cannot be subject to compromise or concession&

http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1889582/jewish/King-in-the-Field.htm

King in the Field






Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

By the Grace of G-d

Rosh Chodesh Elul, 5732

Brooklyn, N.Y.

[August 11, 1972]



Greeting and Blessing:



I am in receipt of your letter of the 27th of Av and the preceding correspondence.



May G-d grant that you should have good news to report in all the matters about which you write.



Now that we have entered the auspicious month of Elul, you surely know the explanation of the Alter Rebbe about the auspiciousness of this month, by means of the parable of the King in the Field. Before entering the city, the king’s loyal subjects go out to welcome the king in the field, when everyone has an opportunity to greet the king, and the king, on his part, welcomes everyone graciously and with a smiling face, and grants their petitions (Likutei Torah, Re'eh 32). Similarly, the month of Elul is the time when the King of Kings is in the field, as it were, and offers an extraordinary opportunity to everyone to get closer to Him, and thus ensure that the New Year will be a better and happier one materially and spiritually.



Wishing you and all yours a Kesivo v'Chasimo Tovo,



With blessing,



M. Schneerson

Torah view of war and peace

War and Peace


Seitzei

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By Eli Touger

Adapted from

Sefer HaSichos 5749, Vol. II, p. 676ff;

Sefer HaSichos 5750, Vol. II, p. 655ff;

Sefer HaSichos 5751, Vol. II p. 796ff



Will a Dove Grow Claws?



Every day, we conclude the Shemoneh Esreh prayers by praising G-d "who blesses His people Israel with peace."1 And when describing the blessings G-d will bestow upon us if we follow His will, our Sages state, "peace is equivalent to all other blessings."2 Indeed, our Sages explain3 that Shalom, Hebrew for "peace," is one of the names of G-d Himself.



Why does peace play such a fundamental part in our Jewish heritage? Every man's soul is "an actual part of G-d from above."4 Therefore he possesses a natural desire to allow that G-dly spark an opportunity to express itself. He seeks to grow in understanding in a harmonious environment without being confronted by external challenges.



Unfortunately, this is not always possible. We live in a material world which by nature encourages selfishness and the quest for personal gratification. In such a world, the search for spiritual growth may often lead to conflicts of interest, and at times, actual conflict.

Waging War




These concepts are alluded to in the name of this week's Torah reading, Parshas Ki Seitzei which begins:5 "When you go out to battle against your enemies." In the soul's natural environment the spiritual worlds above there is no conflict. When, however, the soul "goes out" from that setting and descends to our material world, it is confronted by challenges that may require it to engage in battle.



For there are two aspects to material existence. Our world was created because G-d "desired a dwelling in the lower worlds,"6 i.e., the physical universe can serve as a dwelling for G-d, a place where His essence is revealed. But as the term "lower worlds" implies, G-d's existence is not readily apparent in our environment. On the contrary, the material nature of the world appears to preclude holiness. An attempt to resolve these two contradictory thrusts is thus often characterized by conflict.



This is the Torah's conception of war, a struggle to transform even the lowest elements of existence into a dwelling for G-d. For this reason, the Torah commanded the Jews to fight to conquer the Land of Canaan, and thereby turn a land which was notorious for its depravity7 into Eretz Yisrael, a land of which it is said "the eyes of the L-rd, your G-d, are upon it from the beginning of the year until the end of the year."8



Furthermore, even when there is no explicit command for war, the potential is there to forcefully extend the boundaries of holiness and enable it to encompass areas which were previously governed by worldliness.9


Discovering Our Resources




A person need not fear undertaking such efforts; on the contrary, he is assured Divine blessing. This is alluded to by the Hebrew ?? ?????s , translated as "against your enemies," in the verse cited above. Literally the phrase means "above your enemies,"10 conveying the promise that even as the soul descends into our material world and confronts challenges, it always possesses the power to overcome them. Since the soul is "an actual part of G-d," it is always above worldly influence and has the power to overcome all obstacles11 and transform its environment.



Moreover, it is the challenge of "battle" that brings out the essential power which the soul possesses. For such confrontation compels a person to draw on his inner strength. This search for strength in turn brings an awareness of one's inner G-dly nature. And when that G-dly core is aroused, a person can overcome any challenges, and spread G-dliness in all settings. In this way, he becomes G-d's partner,12 making manifest G-d's purpose in creation

Inner Conflicts



The concept of battle is relevant within our own lives as well. Commenting on the verse, "And you shall. see the difference between one who serves G-d and one who does not serve Him,"13 our Sages define,14 "one who serves G-d" as "one who reviews his subject matter 101 times," and "one who does not serve Him' as "one who reviews his subject matter 100 times."



In Tanya,15 the Alter Rebbe explains that, in that era, it was customary for students to review their subject matter 100 times. Therefore, it was the one hundred and first time the time when the person went beyond his normal practice which distinguished him as "one who serves G-d." For only one who struggles to rise above his nature merits such a title.



A person must challenge himself; and this means more than a commitment to gradual progress. "Serving G-d," involves breaking our individual natures, and showing that there are no limits to our commitment to Him.



This endeavor involves a constant struggle. A person cannot reach a level of spiritual achievement and then "rest on his laurels." Instead, he must continually strive to advance further.



The inner "battles" necessary to bring this commitment to the fore tap the essential and unbounded Divine potential each of us possesses within our souls. And the effects of these efforts extend beyond our individual selves, effecting the world at large. For the aspect of G-dliness which transcends all limitation is activated by each person's endeavors to transcend his personal limits.16


The Ultimate Battles




Because the task of refining the world is often compared to a battle, one of the criteria given to identify Mashiach the leader who will motivate mankind to accomplish its purpose is that he will "wage the wars of G-d."17 For it is possible that the task of refining the world will require actual conflict,18 so that Mashiach must "fill the world with justice" by "destroying the power of the wicked and waging the wars of G-d."19



This, however, is merely a stage. Ultimately, Mashiach will "vanquish all the nations surrounding him. and perfect the entire world, [motivating all the nations] to serve G-d together," thus initiating the era when "there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor competition. [and] the occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d."20

FOOTNOTES


1. Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 60.

2. Rashi, commenting on Leviticus 26:6.

3. Shabbos 10b.

4. Tanya, ch. 2.

5. Deuteronomy 21:10.

6. Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Bechukosai, sec. 3; see Tanya, chs. 33 and 36.

7. See Rashi, Leviticus 18:3.

8. Deuteronomy 11:12.

9. This reflects the two types of wars concerning which the Jews are commanded: milchemos mitzvah: wars, which like the war to conquer Eretz Yisrael , are a direct command from G-d, and milchemos hareshus, wars undertaken by the Jewish people on their own initiative. See Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 5:1.

10. See Likkutei Torah, Devarim 36a.

11. See also Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 7:15, which offers a promise of safety to those who enter battle "with the sole intention of sanctifying G-d's Name."

12. Shabbos 10a.

13. Malachi 3:18.

14. Chagigah 9b.

15. Ch. 15.

16. To express this concept in traditional Chassidic terminology (Torah Or, Mikeitz, 39c ff.): The commandment to "love G-d. with all your might" (??? ???? ) is interpreted as a charge to summon up unlimited commitment. And we are promised that an unlimited commitment on man's part (????) will arouse unlimited G-dliness (??? ?? ????).

17. Rambam, loc. cit. 11:4.

18. Although the Rambam mentions the above as one of the criteria through which Mashiach will be identified, this will only be necessary if the Redemption will follow the dictates of the natural order. It is possible that the Redemption will follow a miraculous order (see the notes of the Ra'avad and others; even the Rambam acknowledges such a possibility in Iggeres Taiman), in which case these wars may not be necessary.

19. Rambam, loc. cit. , 4:10 in describing the role of Israel's kings.

20. Loc. Cit. 12:5.The promise of this era and the awareness that it is the truth of existence should inspire confidence in these last moments of exile, when we are confronted by challenges and conflict. Indeed, it is possible to experience a foretaste of the peace to be achieved in the Era of the Redemption through the teachings of Chassidus.



An allusion to this sequence can be seen in the fact that Parshas Ki Seitzei (which highlights the concept of war) is followed by Parshas Ki Savo (which describes the Jews' entry into Eretz Yisrael and the blessings they will receive there). Indeed, Parshas Ki Savo is read in the Minchah prayers of Shabbos Parshas Ki Seitzei. The connection between them shows that the wars of Parshas Ki Seitzei are not separate from the peace promised in Parshas Ki Savo.

Psalm 30

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6330/jewish/Chapter-30.htm


Psalm 30
Chapter 30




1. A psalm, a song of dedication of the House, by David. 2. I exalt You, Lord, for You have uplifted me, and did not allow my enemies to rejoice over me. 3. Lord, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. 4. Lord, You have brought up my soul from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not descend to the pit. 5. Sing to the Lord, you His pious ones, and praise His holy Name. 6. For His wrath endures but for a moment, when He is conciliated there is [long] life; when one retires at night weeping, joy will come in the morning. 7. In my security I thought, "I shall never falter.” 8. Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; when You concealed Your countenance I was alarmed. 9. I called to You, O Lord, and I made supplication to my Lord: 10. What profit is there in my death, in my going down to the grave? Can dust praise You? Can it proclaim Your truth 11. Lord, hear and be gracious to me; Lord, be a help to me. 12. You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have undone my sackcloth and girded me with joy. 13. Therefore my soul shall sing to You, and not be silent; Lord my God, I will praise You forever.

Planet X and the Anunnaki

Our DNA has been manipulated in the past by beings that passed themselves off as gods.. In Sumer, the alien race of gods were known as the Anunnaki. In Greece, the Annodoti. In the Celtic lore, the Tuatha de Danaan. In the Semetic scriptures (Torah, Talmud, Old Testament, and other Apocryphal texts like the Book of Enoch), they are called The Nephilim, The Sons of God, or The Watchers.




These Anunnaki are said to occupy another planet in our solar system (known to scientists as 'Planet X'). This planet is called Nibiru, and is situated somewhere beyond Pluto. This planet, unlike other planets in our solar system, moves clockwise, rather than counter clockwise. It was a collision of Nibiru with another planet in our solar system which created Earth. Nibiru's orbit passes thorough our solar system only once every 3,600 years.

Should we serve the Holy One for a Rewrard?

Chapter 1: Mishna 3: Part 1






Antignos Ish Socho received (the Torah transmission) from Shimon HaTzadik. He would say: Don't be like slaves (servants) who serve the master in order to receive reward. Rather be like slaves without any intention to receive reward. And the fear of Heaven should be upon you.



How can Antignos teach us that we should not serve G-d in order to receive reward, when the Torah is full of verses teaching us to do Mitzvoth "in order that it should be good for you and in order that your days will be extended...". We also learn (Bava Bathra 10b) that one who pledges "This money is for charity in order that my (sick) son should live" is considered a completely righteous person ("tzadik gamur"). So why are we taught here to serve G-d without intention to receive reward?



Furthermore, where do we EVER find a slave working without any intention to receive reward? The second half of the Mishna presents a non-existent example as the desired behaviour! It would have sufficed to simply teach that one should not serve in order to get reward.



Finally, why does it conclude with the language of "the fear of HEAVEN" rather than (the more obvious) "fear of G-d"?



(I would add another question, which our coming explanation will deal with: This conclusion , exhorting us to have the fear of Heaven upon us, could have been tacked on to almost ANY Mishnah! It is something that can and should be taught anywhere. What is it doing as the conclusion of THIS Mishnah specifically?)



The foundation of serving G-d is to serve from love ("ahavah"). One who serves for the purpose of acquiring his own reward is not performing service in its fundamental way. He is certainly considered a completely righteous person, since G-d's will is that good should accrue to the Jewish people. And one who does a Mitzvah in order to acquire the World to Come, or some other reward, is accomplishing something that G-d wants to happen, and as such is fulfilling His will. But he has not attained the superior level of serving G-d purely from love.

(The language of the Maharal is that while he is a "tzadik gamur" with no inadequacy, he also has no superiority of "chasiduth." As we have noted before, we once again we find the distinction between a "tzadik" from the word "tzedek," which implies full compliance with what is required, and "chasid" from the word "chesed," implying more than simply what is required.)




The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 19a) quotes the verse "He is desirous of His Mitzvoth" to which Rebbi Eliezer extracts the implication that it is the Mitzvoth themselves which he desires and not the REWARD of the Mitzvoth, as we are taught...(quoting our Mishna). We see that the ideal motivation is the performance of the Mitzvah itself, rather than to receive the reward. (This would be akin to a musician's pefomrnace being motivated by the music itself, rather than the applause he will receive from the audience.) And it is about such a person that David Hamelech teaches us "Ashrei ha'ish," he is a strong and validated person.



(The word "ashrei" is a very misunderstood word, probably emanating from an incorrect use of the word "meushar" in modern Hebrew. I will use the opportunity of its appearance in this section to clarify it usage. The root of the word is "l'asher" which means to validate or give strength. Interestingly, this is its correct usage in the modern Hebrew word "ishur" which mean an authorization, certification, or validation. So "meushar" actually means strengthened or validated, and "ashrei" means one who is strong, with a stable existence. See Rav Shamshon Rafael Hirsch's elaboration on this in his explanation of Tehillim.)

There is a further explanation for the verses in the Torah that seem to imply that we should do Mitzvoth "in order that it should be good...". The word used is "L'MA'AN yitav lach...". But the word "l'ma'an" doesn't always mean "in order." Sometimes it simply implies a consequential relationship. An example of this usage can be found in the Ramban's explanation on the Torah (Devarim 29:18). So the Torah is not telling us to serve G-d IN ORDER that we should receive reward, but is rather informing us that reward is a natural consequence of our serving Him. The foundation of our service is "ahavah," which means the motivation to give and serve. Independent of this we are being informed about reality - that reward will follow