Ten utterances, 10 miracles etc

Daily Quote




Ten things were created at twilight of Shabbat eve: the mouth of the earth [that swallowed Korach]; the mouth of [Miriam's] well; the mouth of [Balaam's] ass; the rainbow; the manna; [Moses'] staff; the shamir; the writing, the inscription and the tablets [of the Ten Commandments]. Some say also the burial place of Moses and the ram of our father Abraham. And some say also the spirits of destruction as well as the original tongs, for tongs are made with tongs



- Ethics of the Fathers 5:6
Ethics of the Fathers: Chapter Five


1. The world was created with ten utterances. What does this come to teach us? Certainly, it could have been created with a single utterance. However, this is in order to make the wicked accountable for destroying a world that was created with ten utterances, and to reward the righteous for sustaining a world that was created with ten utterances.



2. There were ten generations from Adam to Noah. This is to teach us the extent of G-d's tolerance; for all these generations angered Him, until He brought upon them the waters of the Flood.



There were ten generations from Noah to Abraham. This is to teach us the extent of G-d's tolerance; for all these generations angered Him, until Abraham came and reaped the reward for them all.



3. With ten tests our father Abraham was tested and he withstood them all--in order to make known how great was our father Abraham's love [for G-d].



4. Ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in Egypt, and another ten at the sea. Ten afflictions were wrought by G-d upon the Egyptians in Egypt, and another ten at the sea. With ten tests our forefathers tested G-d in the desert, as is stated (Numbers 14:22), "They tested Me these ten times, and did not hearken to My voice."



5. Ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in the Holy Temple: No woman ever miscarried because of the smell of the holy meat. The holy meat never spoiled. Never was a fly seen in the slaughterhouse. Never did the High Priest have an accidental seminal discharge on Yom Kippur. The rains did not extinguish the wood-fire burning upon the altar. The wind did not prevail over the column of smoke [rising from the altar]. No disqualifying problem was ever discovered in the Omer offering, the Two Loaves or the Showbread. They stood crowded but had ample space in which to prostrate themselves. Never did a snake or scorpion cause injury in Jerusalem. And no man ever said to his fellow "My lodging in Jerusalem is too cramped for me."

8. Seven types of retribution come to the world, for seven types of sin. When some tithe and others don't, a hunger caused by turmoil ensues: some are hungry, others have their fill of food. When all are unanimous in their failure to tithe, a hunger by drought ensues. For not separating chalah, an annihilating hunger results.




Plagues come to the world for those capital crimes mentioned in the Torah that have not been given over to the court, and for desecrating the produce of the sabbatical year.



The sword comes to the world for the procrastination of justice, the corruption of justice, and because of those who misinterpret the Torah.

Mourning destruction of the temple and other psalms

Chapter 79


In this psalm, Asaph thanks God for sparing the people and directing His wrath upon the wood and stones (of the Temple). Still he cries bitterly, mourning the immense destruction: The place where the High Priest alone was allowed to enter-and only on Yom Kippur-is now so desolate that foxes stroll through it!



1. A psalm by Asaph. O God, nations have entered Your inheritance, they defiled Your Holy Sanctuary; they turned Jerusalem into heaps of rubble. 2. They have rendered the corpses of Your servants as food for the birds of heaven, the flesh of Your pious ones for the beasts of the earth. 3. They spilled their blood like water around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury [them]. 4. We became the object of disgrace to our neighbors, ridicule and scorn to those around us. 5. Until when, O Lord! Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? 6. Pour Your wrath upon the nations that do not know You, upon the kingdoms that do not call Your Name, 7. for they devoured Jacob and desolated His abode. 8. Do not recall our former sins; let Your mercies come swiftly towards us, for we have fallen very low. 9. Help us, God of our deliverance, for the sake of the glory of Your Name; save us and pardon our sins for the sake of Your Name. 10. Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Let there be known among the nations, before our eyes, the retribution of the spilled blood of Your servants. 11. Let the groan of the prisoner come before You; liberate those condemned to death, as befits the greatness of Your strength. 12. Repay our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom, for the disgrace with which they reviled You, O Lord. 13. And we, Your people, the flock of Your pasture, will thank You forever; for all generations we will recount Your praise.

Chapter 80

An awe-inspiring prayer imploring God to draw near to us as in days of old.



1. For the Conductor, on the shoshanim, 1 a testimony by Asaph, a psalm. 2. Listen, O Shepherd of Israel, Who leads Joseph like sheep. Appear, You Who is enthroned upon the cherubim. 3. Arouse Your might before Ephraim, Benjamin and Menashe, for it is upon You to save us. 4. Return us, O God; cause Your countenance to shine, that we may be saved. 5. O Lord, God of Hosts, until when will You fume at the prayer of Your people? 6. You fed them bread of tears, and gave them tears to drink in great measure. 7. You have made us an object of strife to our neighbors; our enemies mock to themselves. 8. Return us, O God of Hosts; cause Your countenance to shine, that we may be saved. 9. You brought a vine out of Egypt; You drove out nations and planted it. 10. You cleared space before it; it took root and filled the land. 11. Mountains were covered by its shade, and its branches became mighty cedars. 12. It sent forth its branches till the sea, and its tender shoots to the river. 13. Why did You breach its fences, so that every passerby plucked its fruit? 14. The boars of the forest ravage it, and the creepers of the field feed upon it. 15. O God of Hosts, please return! Look down from heaven and see, and be mindful of this vine, 16. and of the foundation which Your right hand has planted, and the son whom You strengthened for Yourself. 17. It is burned by fire, cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your Presence. 18. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You strengthened for Yourself. 19. Then we will not withdraw from You; revive us, and we will proclaim Your Name. 20. O Lord, God of Hosts, return us; cause Your countenance to shine that we may be saved.

Chapter 81

This psalm was chanted in the Holy Temple on Rosh Hashanah, a day on which many miracles were wrought for Israel.



1. For the Conductor, upon the gittit,1 by Asaph. 2. Sing joyously to God, our strength; sound the shofar to the God of Jacob. 3. Raise your voice in song, sound the drum, the pleasant harp, and the lyre. 4. Blow the shofar on the New Month, on the designated day of our Holy Day; 5. for it is a decree for Israel, a ruling of the God of Jacob. 6. He ordained it as a precept for Joseph when he went forth over the land of Egypt; I heard a language which I did not know. 7. I have taken his shoulder from the burden; his hands were removed from the pot.2 8. In distress you called and I delivered you; [you called] in secret, and I answered you with thunderous wonders; I tested you at the waters of Merivah, Selah. 9. Hear, My people, and I will admonish you; Israel, if you would only listen to Me! 10. You shall have no alien god within you, nor shall you bow down to a foreign deity. 11. I am the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open wide your mouth, [state all your desires,] and I shall grant them. 12. But My people did not heed My voice; Israel did not want [to listen to] Me. 13. So I sent them away for the willfulness of their heart, for following their [evil] design. 14. If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would only walk in My ways, 15. then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their oppressors. 16. Those who hate the Lord would shrivel before Him, and the time [of their retribution] shall be forever. 17. I would feed him [Israel] with the finest of wheat, and sate you with honey from the rock.   Chapter 82

This psalm admonishes those judges who feign ignorance of the law, dealing unjustly with the pauper or the orphan, while coddling the rich and pocketing their bribes.



1. A psalm by Asaph. God stands in the council of judges; among the judges He renders judgment: 2. How long will you judge wickedly, ever showing partiality toward the evildoers? 3. Render justice to the needy and the orphan; deal righteously with the poor and the destitute. 4. Rescue the needy and the pauper; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. 5. But they do not know, nor do they understand; they go about in darkness, [therefore] all the foundations of the earth tremble. 6. I said that you are angels, supernal beings, all of you; 7. but you will die as mortals, you will fall like any prince. 8. Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You possess all the nations.

serving G-d to receive reward?

Chapter 1: Mishna 3: Part 2






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 come the Tanna didn't teach us more directly "Serve G-d from love"?!



Our love of G-d is supposed to be fundamental, emanating from our sense of being an attachment to the Divine reality. It is supposed to be independent of our feelings of appreciation for the good that G-d has done for us, or in order to receive good from G- d. Teaching us to "serve out of love" could be misinterpreted as being based on feelings of love one should have due to the wonderful things G-d has done for us. For that certainly could lead one to feelings of love for G-d, and one who serves G-d in response to good that has been received, or in anticipation of that good, is considered a completely righteous person. However, the Tanna is teaching us the fundamentally proper way to serve, motivated by an intrinsic desire to serve G-d and to fulfill His will, independent of any reward, leading to an inherent attachment to the Divine. Greater than simple appreciation, this drive is motivated by the recognition of the reality and the greatness of the Divine, leading to a fundamental desire to fulfill His will.



(In response to the following question: 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. The Maharal explains the following.)



Simply teaching "Do not serve G-d in order to get reward" would have implied a PROHIBITION on doing so, which is not correct. We have shown that a person serving in this way is in fact a righteous person. The Tanna wants, instead, to teach the fundamental way of service, which is independent of any reward. Therefore the conclusion of the Mishna is necessary "Rather be like a servant who serves with no intention of receiving reward."



On the other hand, the Tanna could not simply teach "Serve G- d as a servant who does so for no reward" as the paradigm for correct service, since such an example is virtually non-existent. Rather, the two contrasting statements are necessary to communicate the message fully: Don't be like a servant who is motivated by the reward, which is not the essence of service and does not emanate from love of the master; rather serve as one who is not motivated by reward -- even though this is not common -- but by love, the inherent desire to serve and be close.



After counselling us on "ahava," service motivated by love, we are also taught about "yirah," fear. For the natural attitude of one who loves another is closeness and connection. This closeness has the potential to neutralize fear and awe. ("Familiarity breeds contempt...") So the Tanna teaches us that even though you are supposed to serve out of love, becoming closer to G-d, this should not lead you to relate to Him like you would to a friend or peer. Remain conscious of the enormous gap between G-d, who is "in the heavens," and you, who dwells on the physical earth. This will ensure that your love and closeness to G-d will not neutralize your awe of the Divine.



(If we love G-d, if we are close to him, if we are "buddy- buddy" with G-d, rationalizations for improper behaviour become much easier, we can easily "take Him for granted," become less careful about transgressions. "G-d understands." "He won't mind." Our awe of G-d and fear of potential punishment avoids this pitfall.)



The proper term for fear and awe is "yira'at shamyim," fear of heaven, for it emanates for a recognition of the contrast between Divine and Transcendent G-d (in heaven), and finite, physical man (on the earth). We never find the term "ahavath shamayim," love of heaven, for love emanates from an attachment and closeness ("...to love G-d...and attach yourself to Him." Devarim 30:20), and "shamayim" is far removed from us.



After Shimon HaTzaddik taught of the foundations of the worlds existence, Antignos taught how man, for whom this world was created, is supposed to serve his Creator, which is the fundamental purpose of his existence.
The teaching of Antignos embraces the totality of service of G-d, embodying both love and fear. An individual action can be motivated by either love OR fear. But MAN is supposed to constantly embody both traits simultaneously, leading to an ideal relationship with his Creator. It is appropriate that this integration of love and fear be taught by Antignos, as an individual, while the coming Mishnayoth are authored by "pairs" of Tanaim. Each pair will be split between one teaching a behaviour based on love and one based on fear. But in the essence of service of G-d, which is what Antignos is teaching, there must be an integration and unification of love and fear.




(I would like to add a few paragraphs from an article I wrote on the subject of repentance motivated by love and fear, which raises issues that will give added insight to what the Maharal writes here.)



In Netivoth Olam, Netiv Ahavath Hashem, at the end of Ch. 2, the Maharal brings the Gemara in Avoda Zara (19a) and our Mishna. He explains that one who serves in order to get reward is not committed to truly SERVING; rather he is actually working for someone else to get a payoff for himself. This is legitimate when serving a human master, says the Maharal, for no servant's CREATION can be said to be for the owner, and he has no inherent responsibility for service to another. Man, however, was created for the purpose of serving G-d, and as such, his service should be performed for no other reason than that it is intrinsically man's purpose ("avodah b'etzem"). So the service should be with no intention of receiving any "payoff."

There is an intermediate level, one who serves G-d out of recognition of all the good G-d has bestowed upon him. This is more elevated than one who serves for the "payoff," but it is still not "avodah b'etzem." True "avodah m'ahava," service of G-d from pure love, is independent of anything G-d does for us, and even if we are subjected to difficulties and suffering (lo aleinu), since we exist to serve G-d as our inherent mission of our existence, we willingly do whatever we are asked to do. This is true service, "m'ahava."




In Netiv HaTshuva, Ch. 2, the Maharal discusses the distinction between Tshuva m'ahavah (repentance motivated by love) and Tshuva m'yirah (motivated by fear) discussed in the Gemara in Yoma (86). Tshuva m'ahava brings immediate rectification, while tshuva m'yirah requires a healing process that comes from G-d. Explains the Maharal: One who serves G-d from love has the love and attachment to G-d from within himself (m'tzad atzmo), while the one who serves G-d from fear is dependent on something outside of himself, the fear coming from G-d. Therefore the therapeutic nature of tshuva also requires input from G-d.



We operate on many different levels, with many different motivations. Much of our lives are devoted to fulfilling others' expectations of us, or trying to acquire things which are outside of us. This makes our mission as well as our success dependent on things which reside outside of us, rather than having our motivations and standards of accomplishment be dependent on our recognition of what our potential is, and driven by our sense of what our responsibilities are, what G-d created each one of us (individually) to accomplish.

The essence of piety

G-d's Immanent Presence






Chapter 2, Mishnas 10-11(c)



Mishna 10



"Rabban Yochanan ben (son of) Zakkai had five [primary] students. They were: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenos, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, Rabbi Yossi the Priest, Rabbi Shimon ben Nesanel, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach."



Mishna 11



"He used to enumerate their praises: R. Eliezer ben Hurkenos is a cemented pit which never loses a drop; R. Yehoshua ben Chananya - fortunate is she who bore him; R. Yossi the Priest is pious; R. Shimon ben Nesanel fears sin; and R. Elazar ben Arach is as an increasing river."



In the previous class we discussed the trait of R. Yossi -- piety / chassidus. As we saw, the chassid is one who goes beyond the letter of the law in his service of G-d. He does not do only what he is told but looks for ways to fulfill G-d's will. This requires intelligence and planning; one must anticipate just what G-d wants of him and how he can maximize his talents and abilities in service of his Creator.



As we also saw, this stands in direct contrast to the mock-chassidus prevalent at some points in Jewish history, consisting of fasting, wailing, constant immersions, rolling in the snow, etc. G-d has no interest in senseless service -- that we do things just because they're hard (and get us a lot of notice). Piety is not doing things which hurt. It is careful, planned and responsible service of G-d. We are not supposed to sacrifice ourselves for G-d with self-destructive acts of devotion; we are to live for Him -- as responsible, thinking beings who make intelligent choices in our religious service. We are to maximize our potential -- our health, our wealth, our brains and abilities -- and use that potential in service of our Creator.



(As we also pointed out last week, by "chassidus" we are not referring to the movement of Chassidus which began in the mid 18th century. We are talking about the spiritual quality -- whose name the movement adopted as a way of defining its objective.)



There's a fascinating additional insight related to chassidus. It will more fully introduce us to the true level of chassidus. It is in truth an entirely new level of reality -- one a person does not simply adopt but must achieve.



The Talmud (Brachos 32-33) records two incidents which occurred to chassidim. The first goes as follows: A chassid was standing by the roadside in prayer. A Roman government official passed by and greeted him. The chassid, engrossed in his prayers, did not respond. The Roman waited until the chassid completed his prayers and then berated him: "Fool! Doesn't your Torah state 'Be very careful with your lives' (Deut. 4:15)? [Author's note: In Talmudic times, wicked people always seemed to be experts in Scripture. Either that, or that's just the way the Talmud tells a story. :-)] If I would cut off your head right now who would have any grounds to complain?"



The chassid requested a moment to explain himself. He calmly responded: "If you were standing before the Emperor and your friend came and greeted you, would you respond?" Roman: "No." Chassid: "And if you would, what would result?" Roman: "They would cut my head off." Chassid: "If this is so for a flesh-and-blood king, isn't it all the more so for me who was standing before the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He?" The Roman went off appeased and they all lived happily ever after (as traditional stories always end).



The second story involved the holy Jew Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa. There was a venomous "aroad" (a snake-like creature) in the environs of R. Chanina which was wreaking havoc. R. Chanina asked to be shown its lair. He came to the hole and put his bare heel next to it. The aroad came out, bit him, and died. The rabbi then put the dead creature on his shoulders and brought it to the study hall. He announced: "See my children, it is not the aroad that kills; it is sin that kills." From then on people used to say: "Woe to the person who meets an aroad, and woe to the aroad who meets R. Chanina ben Dosa!"



There is an obvious difficulty with both of the above stories. We know the Torah does not allow us to unnecessarily endanger our lives (as the Roman himself reminded the chassid). Therefore, from the standpoint of Jewish law, it is not correct to ignore a Gentile official carrying a large sword -- no matter how intently you are praying, and certainly to purposely stick your ankle in front of a poisonous snake. If so, what gave the heroes of our stories the right to act differently? They broke Jewish law! Did they just assume they were so "pious" G-d would perform open miracles for them?



The answer is hinted in R. Chanina's very response. How could he so blithely state that an aroad does not kill; sin does? What about the very real chemical properties of snake venom? The answer is that R. Chanina's remark was for him a statement of reality; it was not an act of faith. He was on such a level of belief in the workings of G-d that he could have an aroad stick its fangs into him, and he knew full well that since he had done no sins deserving death its venom could not affect him.

We, by contrast, might accept this on a conceptual level -- that the dangers of this world harm only those deserving -- but for us it is a matter of faith alone. We live in the world of physical reality -- poison kills -- and only accept upon faith that it is really G-d behind it all that wills the poison to kill. But for someone on the level of chassidus, G-d is the only true source of punishment -- much more so than His physical messengers. And in that universe, R. Chanina was not even endangering himself allowing the aroad to bite him.




Similarly for the chassid of the first story. When we pray, we believe -- again, on the level of faith -- that G-d stands before us and hears our prayers. Thus, we have such laws as that we take three steps forward at the start of the Shemoneh Esrei prayer and take three steps backwards at its conclusion. We are -- at least in the eyes of Jewish law -- approaching and standing before our Maker. But for us it is a theoretical and at best a legal concept. Our thoughts would hardly wander the way they do if we really felt we were standing before G-d. But the chassid was standing before G-d -- no less so than had the Roman been standing before the Emperor. And so, his interrupting his prayers would have been no different than the Roman interrupting his conversation. And that he could not do -- not because he felt he could ignore the Torah injunction not to endanger his life, but because he *really was* standing in front of G- d -- and so how could he interrupt?



There are two important lessons from the above stories. First, it's nice to know that there are really people on such a high level of reality -- who live with G-d. And when one is there, he can run his life knowing that G-d is with him. If a person recognizes G-d as an immanent Presence, he can rely on that closeness -- not because he is relying on miracles, but because he knows G-d is really there caring for his every need.

(In the same vein, there were Jews at times great enough to receive the revelation of prophecy. If G-d is entirely real to you even before the revelation, an encounter with G-d will not really alter your basic perception of reality. For most of us, however, who believe in G-d on the theoretical much more than the practical plane, seeing G-d would be a mind- jolt from which we'd never recover.)




The second lesson for us is that chassidus is not a level one can simply adopt at will. If a person has reached it, if after a lifetime of dedication he has come to know G-d to the degree that G-d really dwells with him, then he can act upon it. If, however, you are not there, you cannot force it. If you're not really standing before G-d, you had better interrupt for the Roman. If you feel your own efforts bring in your paycheck rather than G-d's beneficence, you had better keep working. That is the reality within the vast majority of us live, and leaps of faith beyond that are just leaps into the unknown.



Of course, there is very little we can learn practically from the above stories as well as from R. Yossi's level. But it is important at times to get a glimpse of the true depth of Judaism, of the levels of devotion the truly great can achieve. Judaism is not only a religion of faith and belief. G-d exists and can sometimes be sensed by us on the level of the practical. In fact, we all have those moments in our lives in which we recognize that G-d had really been working things out for us all along, that in spite of our best efforts to the contrary, G-d was directing us where we needed to go, and only G-d's guiding Hand could have been behind it all. (A good friend once mentioned to me that years earlier, when he was searching for work, he found a job only in city #1 while he was really trying to find work and settle down in the much larger and more commercial city #2. The end result was that he met his future wife shortly after moving to city #1 -- as well as getting inv olved in a Jewish learning program there.) And so, we all get our occasional glimpses of the level of chassidus. For some, G-d is always there. But all of us can live with the deeper realization that G-d really is there -- and will pitch in for us when we really need Him.

Parshas Netzavim

Parshas Netzavim










Yeshaya 61:10



This week's haftorah marks the climax of a seven week series of reflection on Jewish redemption. In this final presentation, Hashem announces His personal return to the Jewish people. Now that every other dimension of redemption is in place, the time has finally arrived for Hashem to rest His Divine Presence amongst His people. Eretz Yisroel has been revived,Yerushalayim has been rebuilt, the exiles have returned en masse, but the ultimate objective has yet to be seen. In response to this, the prophet Yeshaya quotes the Jewish people saying, "I will be gladdened by Hashem, My soul will rejoice over My G-d." (61,10) Chazal in Yalkut Shimoni (505) view the Jewish people's response to be specifically related to the return of Hashem to Yerushalayim. The Jewish people respond to all the magnificent prophecies of their glorious future and proclaim that their true source of happiness is but one, the return of Hashem to His beloved pe ople. They sorely long for the privilege of sensing the presence of Hashem amongst them and feeling the closeness and love He has for His people. They resolve that they will be gladdened and happy only through His return to them.

The prophet continues and describes the proportions of this return and the extent of Hashem's cherished relationship. "No longer will you be referred to as forsaken because about you it shall be proclaimed, 'My desire is in you'." (62, 4) Hashem pledges to fully identify with His people and to display His true desire in them. His relationship with them will be so encompassing and evident that a newly gained identity will be conveyed upon the Jewish people, "Hashem's desirable one". But a worry crosses the minds of the Jewish nation concerning the nature of their forthcoming relationship. After all, weren't they previously associated with Hashem in similar proportions before being rejected by Him? If so, they reason that although Hashem will truly return to them it will only feel to them like a remarriage. Their long awaited association will have a nostalgic air to it and won't bring them the true happiness they seek.




The prophet responds and reveals to them the indescribable proportions of their new relationship. Yeshaya says, "Hashem will rejoice over you like a groom over His bride." (62, 5) The Radak explains that Hashem's return to the Jewish people will possess all the freshness and novelty of a groom to his bride. Their relationship represents the epitome of happiness and appreciation as they begin forging their eternal bond with love and respect. In this same manner, Hashem's newly founded relationship with His people will possess similar qualities. It will be so complete and perfect that it won't leave room for reflections upon their past. The happiness and fulfillment that they will experience will be so encompassing that it will feel like a fresh start, a relationship never experienced before. The Radak adds an indescribable dimension to this relationship and explains that this sense of newness will actually continue forever. Instead of becoming stale and stagnant, their rel ationship with Hashem will always be one of growth and development and will constantly bring them to greater heights. Each newly gained level of closeness will be so precious and dear to them that it will be regarded as a completely new relationship replete with all of its sensation and appreciation.

But the most impressive factor of all is that the above description is not only our feelings towards Hashem but is, in truth, Hashem's feelings towards us. The prophet says that Hashem Himself will forever rejoice over us with the sensation of a groom over His newly acquired bride. From this we discover that Hashem's feelings towards His people are literally boundless. Even after all the straying we have done, Hashem still desires to unite with us in the proportions described above. He desires to erase the past and establish a perfectly new relationship, so perfect and new that it will continuously produce the heightened emotions of a bride and groom for eternity.




These emotions are, in truth the hidden message behind the tefillin which we don each day. As we wrap the tefillin strap around our finger we recite special passages expressing our betrothal to Hashem. This experience represents our placing the wedding ring of Hashem on our finger, portraying our perfect relationship with Him. But our Chazal (see Brochos 6a) inform us that Hashem also wears tefillin. In proof of this they cite a passage in this week's haftorah which states, "Hashem swears by His right and by the strength of His arm." (62, 8) Chazal explain that the words,"the strength of His arm" refer to the tefillin worn on the left arm. The Maharsha expounds upon this concept and explains that Hashem actually binds Himself to the Jewish people. Hashem's tefillin, like ours, represent devotion and commitment, His commitment to His beloved people. Hashem cherishes His relationship with us and as an expression of His commitment to us, He also wears a betrothal band. Event ually our boundless love for Hashem will find its expression together with Hashem's boundless love for us and together we will enjoy this indescribable relationship forever and forever.

Fear of sin

Pirkei Avos


by Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld

Print Version





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Religious Neurotics





Chapter 2, Mishnas 10-11(d)



Mishna 10



"Rabban Yochanan ben (son of) Zakkai had five [primary] students. They were: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenos, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, Rabbi Yossi the Priest, Rabbi Shimon ben Nesanel, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach."



Mishna 11



"He used to enumerate their praises: R. Eliezer ben Hurkenos is a cemented pit which never loses a drop; R. Yehoshua ben Chananya -- fortunate is she who bore him; R. Yossi the Priest is pious; R. Shimon ben Nesanel fears sin; and R. Elazar ben Arach is as an increasing river."



This week we are up to the quality of R. Yochanan's fourth student, R. Shimon ben (son of) Nesanel. R. Shimon was said to fear sin. He refrained from wrong acts not because he felt obligated to observe G-d's commandments nor because he was afraid of Divine retribution. Rather, R. Shimon feared the sins themselves. He recognized that a sin is in itself an inherently evil act, one which runs contrary to spirituality and personal growth.



When G-d tells us not to do something -- even an act not obviously morally wrong (eating lobster, wearing clothes containing wool and linen, shaving off one's sideburns, etc.) -- the act itself must be spiritually despicable. The G-d who created both the physical and spiritual worlds knows what is beneficial and what is harmful to our souls. And that in itself was reason enough for R. Shimon to distance himself from sin. As the commentator R. Yonah explains, R. Shimon created safeguards for himself so he would not come anywhere near sin. Most of us would probably not mind partaking in a few forbidden pleasures here and there, and only at best refrain because of the "imposition" of G-d's will. R. Shimon, however, grew to appreciate that no amount of pleasure or temptation could ever equal the soul-destroying severity of the evil of sin.



As we did with the previous trait, piety, I'd like to take some time to describe what fear of sin is not. There's an easy trap to fall into here -- an empty, feel-good version of fear, perhaps even more relevant than the mock-piety we talked about previously (wailing, fasting, rolling in the snow), and which too has surfaced at times in Jewish history.



As we defined, fear of sin does not imply fear of not following orders or of punishment, but fear of the sin itself. It is a recognition that sin is inherently evil. This, however, carries within it a danger -- that the sin will assume a life of its own; the person will have become so accustomed to refraining from the act he will acquire a kind of neurotic fear of the action -- long forgetting what is actually wrong with it. An illustration will bring this out perfectly.



Rabbi Zev Leff (www.rabbileff.net), well-known scholar, lecturer and writer of Moshav Mattisyahu, Israel, describes how when he was a relatively young rabbi, one of his older congregants, a man in his seventies, had developed health problems which made fasting on Yom Kippur dangerous. The man's wife asked the rabbi to attempt to reason with her husband, who had no intention of eating on Yom Kippur. When the rabbi patiently attempted to explain the necessity of eating in life-threatening situations, the man responded something like this: "Rabbi, you're a young man." (I'm sure the congregant was twice the rabbi's age.) "It's easy for you to talk that way in an abstract sense. But I've been fasting on Yom Kippur for the past sixty years, and I have no intention of stopping this year."



I would have probably given up at that point. I have a rule in life never to argue with anyone twice my age (by now a dying breed). However, the story continues as follows, and concludes with a happier ending.



R. Leff took the following tactic, which surprisingly worked: "Well, I can't force you on the issue. But I will have to tell the synagogue gabbai (sexton) that you will no longer be able to receive any honors during synagogue services." Man: "Why not?" Rabbi: "Because you are an idolater." Man: "Huh?" Rabbi: "It's clear to me that you're not serving G-d but Yom Kippur. If you fasted on Yom Kippur when G-d said so and did not when G-d said not to, you would be serving G-d. But if you fast even when G-d says not to, it is clear that it's Yom Kippur you're worshiping and not G-d."



This unfortunately is the attachment to mitzvos (commandments) we often have. People develop an irrational fear of sin -- not because they understand that if G-d forbade it it is inherently evil, but because they've refrained from the act so long, they can no longer imagine transgressing it.



R. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, one of the directors of the Orthodox Union, once made the following observation: "There's sometimes a very thin line between meticulous observance of every detail of the mitzvos and just being a neurotic." The more religious a person is, the more obsessed he becomes with the nitty-gritty details of religious observance. And he can pay such painstaking attention to all the details he's liable to utterly forget what the Torah is all about.



The Talmud illustrates a "pious fool" ("chassid shoteh") as one who sees a woman drowning in the river and refrains from saving her because -- it's forbidden to look at a woman! (Sotah 21b). If we have the big picture, we can and should be serious about the severity of sin and the many details of religious observance. But if the sin itself is the fearful ends, we are worshiping actions rather than G-d.



(A more recent example is my beloved teacher OBM, R. Yaakov Weinberg. When he was growing up in the Holy Land, a tragedy occurred in his school (in Tiberius) in which a woman's clothes caught on fire and as a result she burned to death. Right after the tragedy R. Weinberg overheard his teacher saying to himself, "I just wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't touch a woman..." My teacher picked himself up and left the school that day -- to continue his education in Jerusalem. He was all of 8 years old, but he realized that his teacher was a "pious fool," and he refused to ever study from him again.)



There is an important corollary to this. If one has developed a fear of the action and not the Commander, it is really not so hard to break the ice. If once you slip and taste the forbidden fruit -- and lightning does not miraculously strike you -- all of a sudden the act loses its diabolical spell, and the irrational fear will quickly dissipate.



Likewise, if we tell our children to keep their tradition because that's just the way we Jews have always been doing things, then the next generation -- whose Jewish consciousness is that much less firmly rooted -- will be able to dispense with it without the nostalgic attachment. If, however, we introduce them to the G-d who created us and commanded us in the spiritually fulfilling life, then they will hopefully discover G-d on their own -- as every generation must.



This is the true message of R. Shimon. Fear of sin is not some kind of neurotic or nostalgic hang-up. It is having the proper sense of the severity of G-d's word. R. Shimon surely began with the proper fear of his Creator. And his respect for G-d made him appreciate just how despicable sinful acts are. Any act which is spiritually harmful and runs contrary to G-d's will cannot possibly be tempting or enticing. And thus his fear was not of "Sin" -- the entity incarnate -- but in truth of the One who forbade it.

love and desire in which the soul desires, loves and wishes to cleave to G‑d,

Today's Tanya Lesson


Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 18

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והשנית היא אהבה ותאוה, שהנפש מתאוה ואוהבת וחפיצה לדבקה בה׳



The second [category] is a love and desire in which the soul desires, loves and wishes to cleave to G‑d,



לצרור בצרור החיים



“to be bound up in the bond of life.”1



וקרבת אלקים טוב לה מאד, ובו תחפוץ



The proximity to G‑d is very dear to her, and that is what she desires.



ורע לה מאד להתרחק ממנו יתברך, חס ושלום



It is most grievous unto her to become, heaven forfend, distanced from Him, blessed be He,



להיות מחיצה של ברזל מהחיצונים מפסקת, חס ושלום



by having an iron partition of the chitzonim, the forces of kelipah and unholiness, separate her [from Him], heaven forfend.



Thus, inherent in the soul’s love for G‑d is its anxious fear of being alienated from Him by a partition resulting from those things that are opposite His will.



Likkutei Levi Yitzchak, authored by the father of the Rebbe, explains that the four terms used above — “desires”, “loves”, “wishes” and “cleaves” — refer respectively to the soul-levels within the Four Worlds: “desires” relates to the World of Asiyah, “loves” relates to the World of Yetzirah, and so on.



ואהבה זו היא מוסתרת בלב כלל ישראל, אפילו ברשעים



This love is latent in the heart of all Jews, even in the wicked, as explained at length in Part I, chs. 18 and 19,



וממנה באה להם החרטה



and from this [latent love] derives their remorse, as in the phrase,2 “The wicked are full of remorse.”



The Alter Rebbe now answers the following implied question: If they indeed possess this love, why then are they wicked?



אך מפני שהיא מוסתרת ונעלמה בבחינת גלות בגוף, הרי הקליפה יכולה לשלוט עליה



However, because it is latent and concealed, in a state of exile in the body, it is possible for the kelipah to dominate it;



וזהו רוח שטות המחטיא לאדם



and this is the “spirit of folly” which causes a man to sin.3



The “spirit of folly” cloaks this hidden love (ahavah mesuteret), so that one loses the sensitivity to realize that through sinning he is jeopardizing his attachment to G‑d.



ועל כן עבודת האדם לקונו היא להתחזק ולהתגבר על הקליפה, בכל מכל כל



Therefore a man’s service to his Maker consists of strengthening himself and prevailing over the kelipah in all its manifestations.



דהיינו: מתחלה, לגרשה מהגוף לגמרי



That is, first to expel it completely from the body, so that it has absolutely no dominion over him —



ממחשבה דבור ומעשה, שבמוח ולשון ורמ״ח אברים



[expelling it] from the [faculties of] thought, speech and action that are in the brain, the tongue, and the 248 organs.



Expelling the kelipah means ensuring that one’s brain will harbor no thoughts that are contrary to G‑d’s will; that one’s tongue will speak no evil words; that one’s 248 organs will commit no evil acts.



ואחר כך יוכל גם כן להוציא ממסגר אסיר, בחוזק יד



After that he will also be able to4 “bring out the captive from prison” with a strong hand.



Once one has vanquished the kelipah by steadfastly5 “turning away from evil” — not thinking, speaking or doing those things that are contrary to G‑d’s will — he is then able to uncover the love that is latent within him, so that it will permeate his positive thoughts, words and deeds. His mind will thus ponder upon G‑d’s greatness, and his heart will then actively feel a love for G‑d. In turn, this love will result in his enhanced fulfillment of the Torah and its mitzvot.



דהיינו: להיות חזק ואמיץ לבו בגבורים



That is, he will be strong,6 “and his heart courageous among the valiant,”



להיות האהבה המסותרת נגלית בגילוי רב, בכל כחות חלקי הנפש שבגוף



so that the hidden love will become abundantly revealed in all the powers of the soul’s components in his body;



דהיינו: העיקר, בשכל ובמחשבה שבמוח



i.e., mainly in the mind and in the [faculty of] thought in the brain,



The mind serves to reveal this love, which then manifests throughout the rest of the person’s organs.



שהשכל יחשב ויתבונן תמיד, כפי שכלו והשכלתו, בבורא יתברך



so that corresponding to its intellect and understanding the mind will constantly think and contemplate on the blessed Creator —



איך שהוא חיי החיים בכלל, וחיי נשמתו בפרט



how He is the Fountainhead of life in general, and of the life of his own soul in particular.



ועל כן יכסוף ויתאוה להיות דבוק בו וקרוב אליו כוסף טבעי



Consequently, he will yearn and desire to be attached to Him, and near to Him, with an innate yearning,



כבן הכוסף להיות תמיד אצל אביו, וכמו אש העולה למעלה תמיד בטבעה, למקורה



like that of a child who yearns to be constantly near his father, and like fire which by its very nature always rises upwards to its source, as explained in Part I, ch. 19.



וכל מה שיתמיד לחשוב בשכלו כוסף זה, ככה יתגבר ויתפשט כוסף זה גם בפיו ובכל אבריו



And the more he continues to set his mind on this yearning, the more will this yearning become correspondingly stronger, and will also extend to his mouth and to all his organs,



לעסוק בתורה ומצות, לדבקה בהם בה׳ ממש



so that he will occupy himself with the Torah and the commandments in order to really cleave thereby to G‑d,



דאורייתא וקודשא בריך הוא כולא חד



for7 “The Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely One.”



This love will thus affect his brain, mouth and other bodily organs, motivating them to study Torah and perform the commandments with a greater degree of love.



ועל כוסף זה, שבגילוי רב, כתיב: צמאה נפשי וגו׳



Of this greatly manifest yearning, i.e., of this love, it is written,8 “My soul thirsts [for G‑d],”



כאדם הצמא למים, ואין לו תענוג עדיין כלל



like a person who thirsts for water and does not yet have any pleasure [from it].



This level of love for G‑d is likened to a state of thirst. At this stage the individual seeking to cleave to G‑d does not experience any delight, for he has yet to cleave to Him: all he feels is the pangs of thirst. In the previously-described level of love, ahavah betaanugim, the individual has already quenched his thirst, so to speak: his love for G‑d has been realized and he is now actively cleaving to Him.



וגם על כוסף זה ואהבה זו המוסתרת בנו, אנו מעתירים לה׳ להיות בעזרנו, להוציאה ממסגר



Also9 concerning this yearning and this love concealed within us we pray to G‑d, to help us bring it out from imprisonment,



It is indeed true that this lesser degree of love is attainable by man and need not be granted as a gift from Above; it is already possessed by every Jew and he need but reveal it through his spiritual service. Nevertheless we beseech G‑d that He help us reveal this love and liberate it from its concealment.



ושיהיה הלב מלא ממנה לבדה



so that the heart be filled with it alone,



ולא תכנס צרתה בביתה, שהיא תאות עולם הזה



so that its “rival-wife,” i.e., mundane desires, will not enter its house, i.e., our hearts.



רק שתהיה היא עקרת הבית, למשול בצרתה ולגרשה החוצה, ממחשבה דיבור ומעשה, על כל פנים



Rather, this [yearning and love] should be the sole mistress of the house, to rule over her “rival-wife” and to expel her at least from one’s thought, speech and action.



הגם שלא יוכל לשלחה לגמרי מלבו



Though one cannot expel her altogether from one’s heart, so that it should harbor no foreign desires at all,



For we are speaking here of the love possessed by the Beinoni, an individual who is unable to banish foreign desires from his heart; he is only able to ensure that they find no expression in his thought, his speech or his actions, as explained in Tanya, Part I, ch. 12.



על כל פנים תהיה היא מוסתרת, בבחינת גלות ועבדות לעקרת הבית, גברתה



she should at least be hidden, in a state of exile and servitude to the mistress of the house, i.e., to the love for G‑d,



להשתמש בה לדברים הכרחים לה, לבד, כאכילה ושתיה



who will make use of her for her own essentials only, such as eating and drinking,



If the G‑dly soul is to remain within the body and thereby be able to fulfill the requirements of the Torah and its mitzvot, the individual must eat and drink. He should therefore use the animal soul’s natural desire for physical things expressly for the spiritual purposes of the G‑dly soul. Thus, for example, his food and drink are intended to provide him with strength so that he will be able to study the Torah, engage in divine service, and the like.



כדכתיב: בכל דרכיך דעהו



as it is written,10 “Know Him in all your ways.”



“Your ways” clearly speaks of man’s corporeal activities. Yet even in these we are commanded to “know Him” — to bind oneself to G‑d through these physical actions, by utilizing them for the purposes designated by Him, in order thereby to “know Him.”11



FOOTNOTES

1. I Shmuel 25:29.

2. Shevet Mussar, sec. 25.

3. Sotah 3a.

4. Yeshayahu 42:7.

5. Cf. Tehillim 34:15.

6. Amos 2:16.

7. See Zohar I, 24a; II, 60a.

8. Tehillim 42:3.

9. Note of the Rebbe: “This [passage on the need for prayer in arousing the second level of love] had to be added here, [to the above passage on the role of meditation], in view of the statement in Epistle 4 that this [level of love] is revealed not by meditation but [only] by prayer and tzedakah. [The fact that both prayer and metitation are mentioned here makes it clear that the two epistles are not divergent but complementary.] In addition, it is thus apparent that tzedakah also plays a role in this manner of service.”

10. Mishlei 3:6. Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. the ruling in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, sec. 231, at length.”

11. Note of the Rebbe: “It still remains to be understood what, exactly, is the connection [of the foregoing] with the opening verse, ‘How beautiful and how pleasant....’ This could be clarified in the light of the discussion in Torat Chayim, which explains why there is wonderment at [this kind of] beauty and pleasantness. (This wonderment is expressed in the exclamation, ‘How beautiful and how pleasant...!’) Accordingly it is understood that ahavah betaanugim is as defined in the above letter. (The same is true of the latent love, for which reason its beauty and pleasantness do not arouse wonderment.)”