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Parashas Chukas

June 13, 2013
This week’s parashah begins with an account of the law of the red heifer, a classic example of a chok – a Torah law whose rationale is hidden from us, and which we must simply accept as a Divine edict. It is written at the beginning of the parashah (Bamidbar 19:2): “This is the law (chok) of the Torah, that Hashem commanded, saying ….” The Midrash relates (Bamibar Rabbah 19:1): “Said the Holy One Blessed Be He: ‘I have legislated a statute and issued a decree – and you are not permitted to contravene My decree.’” The Maggid offers several commentaries on this topic. We previously presented some of these commentaries; we now present another one.
The Maggid brings out the idea with a parable. A certain uncouth commoner had exceptional success in business, and became rich. Because he was so wealthy, he decided to propose a match between his daughter and the son of the local chief rabbi. He called in the matchmaker and asked him to suggest the match to the rabbi, promising the matchmaker a handsome fee if he succeeded in arranging the match. The matchmaker went to the rabbi’s house and discussed the match with him. Initially, the rabbi considered the proposal extremely far-fetched, for he never even spoke with men so lowly. But eventually the matchmaker succeeded, with his smooth tongue, in convincing the rabbi to accept the proposal. In the days following the wedding, the commoner noticed that the rabbi did not talk to him at all, and he was very surprised. He expressed his wonder to his friends: “How could such a thing happen, that the parents of a married couple become so estranged from each other that the husband’s father refuses to talk to the wife’s father?” Word got to the rabbi of what his new daughter-in-law’s father had said. He sent a messenger to the man, instructing the messenger to explain his conduct as follows: “He is looking at the situation the wrong way. He thinks that the match is appropriate from the standpoint of both sides, and he therefore is puzzled that I do not chat genially with him. In truth, it is the other way around. It is quite fitting that I do not talk with him. What could I possibly have to do with such a coarse person? He should instead be puzzled over why I agreed to the match in the first place, for this is truly something to wonder about.”
The parallel is as follows. Hashem forged a bond with lowly, mortal man, and gave him His treasured Torah. A Jew may find, as he reads the Torah, that it contains laws he does not understand, and be surprised by this state of affairs. He may wonder: “Why doesn’t Hashem explain all these laws clearly, rather than leaving them as riddles?” But he is looking at the situation the wrong way. He thinks the relationship he has with Hashem is appropriate from the standpoint of both sides. He therefore is puzzled over why Hashem declines to explain the Torah’s laws in a way that enables us to understand them fully. But the truth is just the opposite. Hashem’s ways are beyond us. We should not be puzzled by the fact that He does not explain all His ways to us, but rather by the fact that He formed a relationship with us, for this is a true enigma.
Thus it is written: “This is the law (chok) of the Torah, that Hashem commanded, saying ….” It is a chok – an inscrutable mystery – that Hashem decided in the first place to transmit commands to us. What merit do we mortals have, that we should be given Hashem’s Torah, that this precious guidebook should be handed to us? We thus have no right to scrutinize Hashem’s commands and insist on reasons for them; instead, we should simply accept them.

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Parashas Korach

June 5, 2013
This week’s parashah recounts Korach’s rebellion against Moshe. This rebellion was motivated by jealousy and a desire for honor. Korach was tainted with a degree of haughtiness, which led him to feel he deserved a higher position. Accordingly, I present here a selection from the Maggid’s teachings on the topic of haughtiness, taken from Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaGaavah.
The essence of haughtiness is a person’s weighing his worth on a false set of scales. He aggrandizes himself and places himself above his fellow men. Among bad traits, haughtiness occupies a unique position. All other bad traits are primarily latent; they operate only when triggered by some event. But haughtiness operates on a constant basis; a haughty person is always occupied with thoughts about his supposed special eminence. In addition, haughtiness amplifies all of a person’s other bad traits. We readily see that a haughty person’s anger is exceptionally fierce, his resentment exceptionally entrenched, his jealousy exceptionally strong, his jubilation exceptionally lively, and his brooding exceptionally morose. In short, haughtiness rules over all of a person’s physical and mental faculties; not one is free of its odious influence. Thus Shlomo HaMelech teaches (Mishlei 21:4): “Haughty eyes and a proud heart are the tillage of the wicked – a sin.” A haughty person constantly seeks ways to make an impression on others, with every act and every move. He walks with marked deliberateness and acts ponderously, as if his body were made of lead. He speaks to no one except for men of eminence.
One way a person can be led to haughtiness and a feeling of self-importance is through certain gifts Hashem granted to him, in His compassion and kindness, to a greater extent than to others. Thus, a wise person takes pride in his wisdom, a strong person in his might, a rich person in his wealth, a good-looking person in his good looks, and so on. As a person reflects on his special gifts, he comes to feel that he deserves accolades, and adopts a stance of superiority toward those who are not favored with the gifts he has. He is filled with self-love – he honors and aggrandizes himself, he praises and exalts himself, and he sets his place above the stars in the heavens. His foolish attitude is a disgrace to him. He imagines that he acquired his gifts through his own power, and prides himself on his diligence and quickness. In his great foolishness, he forgets that there is a Supreme Power watching over the world and running its affairs with kindness and benevolence, and that man is but a vessel that receives blessing from above; he fails to recognize that he can lay no claim to what he has as the product of his own efforts.
Note the contrast between the way a fool lavishes himself with honor and the way a pure-hearted man lavishes his Creator with praise and thanks. The righteous man’s heart is suffused with fear, awe, and submissiveness, as befits a servant who is the beneficiary of his master’s kindness and eats at his master’s table. All day long his hope and desire are riveted on one issue: When will I be able to extend to my Master, who grants free blessings, the service I should provide Him as a recipient of His benevolence? He devotes his full soul to the task of serving Him, with love and a generous spirit. The dolt, however, does not understand. When he reflects on all his blessings, he grants his own self the recognition he should be granting his Creator, the Prime Cause of everything.
Hashem alone is worthy of grandeur and glory, for it is through Him alone that wealth and honor come. Thus, when Pharaoh turned to Yosef as a man he thought was an expert at interpreting dreams, Yosef declared (Bereishis 41:16): “It is beyond me. God will answer to bring Pharaoh peace.” And previously, in his encounter with the chief butler and the chief baker, he said (Bereishis 40:8): “Behold, unto God are interpretations.” The man of high spiritual stature is overcome with embarrassment before the King of Glory, who rules over all, and in whose hand lies the soul of every living being.
David Zucker, Site Administrator

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Parashas Shelach

May 30, 2013
This week’s parashah describes how Moshe sent forth scouts to survey the land that Hashem had promised to give the Jewish People, and the scouts improperly concluded that the people would not be able to conquer the land. Regarding Hashem’s promise to give Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish People, a Midrash on the parashah presents the following teaching of R. Acha the Great (Bamidbar Rabbah 16:3):
It is written (Yeshayah 40:8): “Grass withers and a blossom fades, but the word of our God shall abide forever.” The message of this verse is along the lines of the following parable. A king had a beloved friend to whom he made a promise: “Go with me, and I will give you a gift.” The man went with the king, and then died. The king said to the man’s son: “Although your father died, I am not retracting my promise to give him a gift. Come and take it.” The king is Hashem, the King of Kings. And the beloved friend is Avraham, … to whom Hashem said (Bereishis 12:1), ‘Go you forth from your land, and from your birthplace, and from your father’s house,” and then promised (Bereishis 13:17): “The entire land that you see, I shall give to you.” Said Hashem to Moshe: “I promised to give the land to the forefathers, and they died. But even so, I am not retracting.” Rather, “the word of our God shall stand forever.”
The Maggid links this Midrash to a statement that Yehoshua and Caleiv made to the Jewish People after the other scouts presented their negative report. Yehoshua and Caleiv exhorted (Bamidbar 14:9): “Just do not rebel against Hashem! Do not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has turned away from them, Hashem is with us. Do not fear them!” The passage in Yeshayah that the Midrash quotes sheds light on what Yehoshua and Caleiv were saying.
The Maggid first elaborates on Yeshayah’s message. Yeshayah says (verses 40:6-8): “All flesh is grass, and all its goodliness is like a blossom in the field – grass withers and a blossom fades as Hashem’s spirit blows upon it (רוח ה' נשבה בו). Indeed, the nation is grass. Grass withers and a blossom fades, but the word of our God shall abide forever.” Every living thing in this world ultimately perishes, but the blessing that Hashem directed toward it continues in existence, transferring to a higher life form. Grass receives a stream of blessing from Hashem while it is fresh and moist. Ultimately the grass withers, and the blessing infused within it transfers to the animals who eat the grass. An animal also eventually dies, and then the blessing transfers to a human being. In the end, the blessing transfers from the man who first received it to a man of eminence, along the lines of Iyov’s statement (Iyov 27:17): “He [a wicked man] may prepare [a wardrobe], but a righteous man will wear it.”
The passage in Yeshayah, the Maggid notes, provides an apt analogy for this pattern. The life force that Hashem initially infuses in grass transfers later to an animal, a being of flesh, so that Hashem’s spirit then blows within the animal (rendering רוח ה' נשבה בו as “Hashem’s spirit blows within it, with “it” referring to the flesh). But within the animal as well the life force abides only for a limited span of time. And even within the community of men, the life force continues to transfer from one level to a higher one. Thus Yeshayah says that the “nation is grass” – the general population is like grass compared to the class of righteous men. In truth, as Yeshayah indicates initially, all flesh is grass compared to the righteous. Yeshayah then concludes: “Grass withers and a blossom fades, but the word of our God shall abide forever.” For the righteous, the stream of Divine blessing abides eternally, never ceasing.
The Maggid then turns to Yehoshua and Caleiv’s statement. The other scouts, speaking of the people living in the land they surveyed, declared (Bamidbar 13:31): “חזק הוא ממנו – they are mightier than us.” The scouts’ declaration can be re-rendered as “they are mighty through Him,” that is, the people’s might was not a natural might they had from birth, but rather a supernatural might that Hashem had specially infused within them. Yehoshua and Caleiv countered: “Do not be concerned over the great stream of blessing that Hashem has infused into the people of the land up to now, for Hashem granted them this stream of blessing for our benefit.” They argued that the process that was unfolding was just like the transfer of Divine blessing from a plant to an animal, and then to a group of lesser men, and finally to a group of lofty men. Speaking of the people in the land, they said: “They are our bread” – we will now take in the “nutrients” that they bear. Yehoshua and Caleiv then continued: “Their protection has turned away from them” – that is, the stream of Divine blessing has been turned away from them and is being directed toward us. When Avraham died, Hashem did not retract His blessing; His word remained eternal. He continued supplying the stream of blessing He had provided Avraham, channeling it [in part] to the Canaanites, ultimately to be redirected to us upon our entry into the land.
David Zucker, Site Administrator

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Shabbos Parashas Behaalosecha – The Maggid on Prayer, Part 11

May 23, 2013
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 7 (end)
There are three reasons why our prophets and sages stressed so heavily the need to guard our speech. One reason is the ease of speech, which we have already discussed. The other two reasons are the crucial role of the faculty of speech and its great susceptibility to damage.
We discuss first the crucial role of the faculty of speech. Just as the intellect marks the difference between man and the animal world in regard to internal faculties, so, too, the tongue marks the difference between man and animal world in regard to external faculties. Now, the sole reason man was endowed with intellect was so that he could recognize his Creator, devote himself to serving Him, love and revere Him, and trust in Him. In the same way, the tongue – the most eminent of all organs – was meant to be used as a holy service vessel, to thank and sing praise to Hashem for extending us the great kindness of making us His ministers, as it is written (Tehillim 65:5): “Fortunate is then one whom You choose and draw near to dwell in Your courts.”
As we have already mentioned, the Gemara in Yevamos 64a teaches that Hashem yearns for the prayers of the righteous. Our main duties as ministers to Hashem – studying His Torah, praying to Him, and thanking Him – depend on the tongue. Accordingly, even without a Biblical exhortation, our intellect would lead us to conclude that we must not profane the tongue by employing it inappropriately, just as a sacred vessel must not be employed for mundane uses. In discussing the incense offered in the Mishkan and the Beis HaMikdash, the Torah commands us not to make a compound of the same composition for other uses, saying (Shemos 30:37): “It shall remain holy to you, for Hashem.” We should have the same attitude toward the use of the tongue.
Our holy Sages have already commented on this matter. They teach (Yoma 19b): “One who engages in idle speech violates a positive Torah commandment, for it is written (Devarim 6:7), ‘And you shall speak in them [words of Torah]’ – and not in idle words.” Now one might think that one violates this commandment merely by keeping silent, based on the reasoning that regardless of whether one speaks idly or keeps silent, either way one is not speaking in Torah. But our Sages did not see the matter this way; they regarded only idle speech as a violation of the commandment, and not mere silence. Their reasoning is based on the principle we just explained: Since our tongues are meant to be used for the sacred duty of speaking in Torah learning, it is improper to use them for idle speech.
We now discuss the care required with the faculty of speech on account of its susceptibility to damage. We all know how careful people are with delicate and expensive instruments such as a craftsman’s precision knife. A person reserves a precision knife exclusively for its intended use; he does not use it for coarse jobs such as cutting bones, for this would ruin it and make it unfit for its intended use. For this reason, it is forbidden to move tools of this type on Shabbos; they are in the category of muktzeh meichamas chisaron kis – one has no business moving them on Shabbos, since they are set aside exclusively for a non-Shabbos use. Now, seeing that we are so careful with the tools we use for worldly tasks, how can we possibly not be careful with the power of speech?
Speech is a special gift from our Creator, granted only to man, and to no other creature. Hashem meant for us to benefit from the power of speech by using it for lofty spiritual tasks. These tasks are both exquisitely delicate and supremely important. In describing the pursuits of righteous men, David HaMelech declares (Tehillim 149:6): “The lofty praises of God are in their throats, and a double-edged sword (חֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת) is in their hands.” When the righteous pray, their mouths (פִּיהֶם) act as the swords they use to fight their enemies. This is the special endowment Hashem granted us. Our mouths have the wondrous power to destroy all the partitions that separate us from Hashem, and to set down glorious spiritual plantings that bear fruit in the upper worlds.
How careful we must be to guard our power of speech and not damage it! R. Shimon bar Yochai declared (Talmud Yerushalmi Berachos, ch. 1, halachah 2): “If I had been at Mount Sinai when the Torah was given to the Jewish People, I would have asked Hashem to give man two mouths, one for learning Torah and one for tending to all his [worldly] needs.” He was led to make this statement because of the two features of speech we discussed above: its great loftiness and holiness, and its great susceptibility to damage through frivolous words.
Now, a person might think that the idle talk he engages in at a given time will spoil only his future prayers and Torah study, but not the Torah he has already learned. But our Sages teach otherwise. They say that every idle word that goes through a person’s mind displaces a word of Torah that he previously learned (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1:21). In view of this principle, we can understand at a deeper level the teaching that the command to speak in Torah incorporates a charge not to engage in idle talk. Our Sages are saying that idle talk constitutes a violation of the command to speak in Torah because the idle words that a person speaks nullify his previous fulfillment of the command. How can a person not be careful not to lose the Torah learning he has already acquired?
Shlomo HaMelech writes (Mishlei 5:1-2): “My child, heed my wisdom, incline your ear to my [words of] understanding, so as to preserve [wise] designs, and let your lips guard wisdom.” When a person restrains his mouth from idle talk, his wisdom is preserved, but when a person opens his mouth to speak idle words, his wisdom escapes to oblivion, in the same way that a storeroom for treasures with an open door is routed. Shlomo is telling us to keep constant watch on our mouths to safeguard our knowledge and wisdom. Then the Supreme One will watch over us, sustain us, and enlighten our eyes with the light of His Torah.
This concludes the series on prayer.
David Zucker, Site Administrator

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Shabbos Parashas Naso – The Maggid on Prayer, Part 10

May 16, 2013
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 6
Our Sages say that offering a prayer to Hashem is like bringing a gift to a nobleman. A gift to a nobleman must satisfy two conditions. First, the gift item itself must be honorable. Second, it must be presented in a respectable vessel. It is similar with the sacred act of offering prayer and thanks to the Sovereign of All Worlds. First, the prayer must be offered with sincere intent and a humble spirit. Second, the person praying must check and make sure that his mouth, the vessel through which he presents his prayer, is pure – that it has not been sullied, far be it, through abominable speech. The Torah exhorts us (Devarim 23:15), “Your camp shall be holy, so that He will not see a shameful thing (עֶרְוַת דָבָר) among you,” and the Sages interpret this command homiletically as a charge to avoid shamefulness in speech (עֶרְוַת דִיבּוּר) (Shabbos 23a). David HaMelech stresses his scrupulousness of speech, saying (Tehillim 17:1): “Heed my prayer, without lips of deceit.” It is unseemly to pray with a mouth that has spoken falsely. It is worse still to pray with a mouth that has spoken indecent or derogatory words.
Our holy books go to great lengths in stressing the importance of responsible speech. For example, R. Shimon ben Gamliel says (Avos 1:17): “I found nothing better for the body than silence.” Shlomo HaMelech declares (Mishlei 18:21): “Death and life are in the hands of the tongue.” And he says elsewhere (Koheles 5:5): “Do not allow your mouth lead your flesh to stray, and do not say before the angel that it was a mistake. Why should God be angered over your voice?” It is written (Tehillim 120:3): “What can He give you, and what added endowment can He provide you, O deceitful tongue?” And David HaMelech says elsewhere (Tehillim 34:13-15): “Who is the man who desires life, who cherishes days, to see good? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking falsehood. Turn away from bad and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” And our Sages vehemently condemn derogatory speech. They say (Arachin 15b): “One who engages in derogatory speech is like a heretic.” And elsewhere they teach (Vayikra Rabbah 16:6): “Whoever engages in derogatory speech violates the five books of the Torah.” Accordingly, we briefly discuss the severity of improper speech. We begin by explaining the difference between the tongue and other organs of the body.
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 7 (beginning)
There are three fundamental differences between the tongue and other organs. The first relates to how the organ should be used. With other organs, there is no global rule setting down in absolute terms how the organ is best used; it depends on the circumstances. For example, in most cases it is best to act with alacrity, but there are cases where it is best to act sluggishly. In speech, however, it is always best to be brief. Even in regard to Torah learning, the Sages say (Pesachim 3b): “A person should always teach his students in a brief manner.” All the more so is it with matters of the body; in this vein R. Shimon ben Gamliel said (Avos 1:17): ”All my days I grew up among wise men, and I found nothing better for the body than silence.” The second difference is that the other organs tire when operated for a long time and they need to rest, but the tongue works easily and is always eager to speak; a person always likes having a word on his tongue. The third difference concerns a person’s degree of control over the organ’s operation. There are seven major organs and limbs through which a person interacts with the world around him: the eyes, the ears, the nose, the hands, the feet, the tongue, and the makom ha-bris. If we reflect on these seven organs, we find that they can be divided into three categories. The first category consists of the organs over which a person has full control: the eyes, the hands, and the feet. These organs do not move and are not aroused in any way except under the person’s direction. The second category consists of the organs that operate completely involuntarily: the ears, the nose, and the makom ha-bris. The third category, the middle category, consists of the tongue. If a person keeps his mouth clamped shut and refrains from opening it even for necessities, his tongue is under his control. But if a person allows his tongue to move, it starts working almost automatically, and ends up wandering all over. Thus, Shlomo HaMelech declares (Mishlei 10:19): “In an abundance of words rebellious sin will not be lacking.” Because of the grave dangers associated with the tongue, our Sages composed for us a special prayer to plead with Hashem to guard us from these dangers (immediately after the Amidah prayer): “My God, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking falsehood.” Similarly, the holy prophets exhorted us strenuously to guard ourselves from improper speech.
David Zucker, Site Administrator

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Shabbos Parashas Bamidbar – The Maggid on Prayer, Part 9

May 9, 2013
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 5 (end)
The Gemara says (Berachos 63a): “How do we know that we do not respond ‘Amein’ in the Beis HaMikdash? Because it is written (Nechemiah 9:5): ‘Rise up, bless Hashem your God, from one world to the other.’ And it is written further (ibid.): ‘Let them bless Your glorious Name, which is exalted above every blessing and praise.’” Let us explain this teaching and tie it in with what we explained about how Hashem operates through two different modes. Elsewhere the Gemara says (Shabbos 119b): “What is the meaning of ‘Amein’? Said R. Chanina, ‘E-l Melech Ne’eman (God, the trustworthy King).’” This is an apt title to give Hashem, for He constantly treats us with genuine mercy, even when we perceive His actions as wrathful.
When the Beis HaMikdash is in ruins, our blessings are diluted with apparent curses. Thus it is written (Chaggai 1:4-9): “Is this the time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house is in ruins? Now, thus says Hashem, Master of Legions: ‘Consider your ways. You have sown much but bring in little, you eat without being satisfied, you drink without your thirst being quenched, you clothe yourselves but no one is warmed, and whoever earns money earns it for a purse with a hole.’ … ‘You look for much, and, behold, it comes to little, and when you bring it home, I blow upon it [with scorching winds]. Why is this?’ says the Master of Legions. ‘Because of My house which is in ruins, while you run, each man to his own house.’” But the blessings that flow forth from the Beis HaMikdash are complete, without the slightest trace of bad.
This fact is reflected in the exhortation: “Rise up, bless Hashem your God, from one world to the other.” This exhortation alludes to the principle stated in the Zohar (Bereishis 158b) that there are two worlds, one hidden and one openly observable. In the Beis HaMikdash, Hashem’s supervision of the world was openly observable. Every day, as the Mishnah teaches (Avos 5:5), ten miracles occurred in the Beis HaMikdash. Hence we did not need to respond “Amein” in the Beis HaMikdash, for we knew that the blessings generated there would surely be pure blessings, complete in every respect. But outside the Beis HaMikdash we must respond “Amein” to express the fact that Hashem is a faithful King, while pleading to Him to grant us now a blessing that is all blessing, with no admixture of curse. We pray for the fulfillment of Shlomo HaMelech’s words (Mishlei 10:22): “Hashem’s blessing brings wealth, without sorrow coming along with it.”
At present Hashem conveys His kindness to us as a mixture of blessings and curses. Our Sages therefore obligated us to recite a berachah over bad tidings as well as over good (Mishnah Berachos 9:2). The two berachos differ: in the berachah over good tidings we call Hashem “the benevolent one, who grants good,” whereas over bad tidings we call Him “the true judge.” In actuality, everything Hashem sends us, the good and the bad, is an act of love and kindness. Although we experience the good and the bad differently, finding the good sweet and the bad bitter, in both cases Hashem’s intent is the same: to benefit us. Accordingly, although outwardly we react differently toward the good and bad – we recite different berachos over them, reflecting the difference in how we experience them – the inner attitude we hold toward them in our hearts, which Hashem alone perceives, should be the same: we should accept them cheerfully, recognizing them as Divine acts of kindness. Perhaps this is the idea behind David HaMelech’s declaration: (Tehillim 101:10): “Of kindness and justice I sing; to You, Hashem, I sing praise.” We can say that the terms “kindness” and “justice” here refer to the very same act. David is saying: “When you impose a sentence on me, which You dispense as an act of kindness and I experience as an act of justice, I sing praise to You – I praise You for Your kindness and for the benevolent intent behind what You are sending me: to make me straight and upright, so that in the end You can grant me blessing.”

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Shabbos Parashas Behar-Bechukosai – The Maggid on Prayer, Part 8

May 3, 2013
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 4 (end)
In Mishnah Berachos 4:4, it is recorded: “R. Yehoshua says, ‘One who is traveling in a dangerous place [when it is time to pray] says a short prayer. He says: “Hashem, save Your people, the remnant of Yisrael – in every time of crisis may You be attentive to their needs. Blessed are You, Hashem, who hears prayer.”’” The Gemara, in Berachos 29a, expounds: “What is a time of crisis (שעת העיבור)? R. Chisda said in the name of R. Ukva, ‘Even You are filled with anger (עברה) at them like a pregnant woman (אשה עוברה), may You be attentive to their needs.’” This teaching fits in well with what we have said about preceding prayer with reflection and repentance, and praying with a humble attitude. Let us elaborate on the meaning of the Gemara’s analogy. Regarding a woman in the process of giving birth, the Sages say (Shabbos 32a): “And why particularly in childbirth [is a woman punished for her sins]? Rava said, ‘When the ox falls down, sharpen the knife [to slaughter it] [i.e., take action at an opportune moment].’” The message behind Rava’s use of this saying is as follows. It often happens that a child misbehaves in front of his father, but his misbehavior is not severe enough to prompt the father to punish him. But later, when the child commits a misdeed that does call for punishment, the father will recall all his past misdeeds and punish him for them as well.  Similarly, when a woman is in childbirth, she comes under judgment – as manifested by labor pains – and at this time she is punished for past sins that did not call for punishment on their own. R. Yehoshua’s short prayer speaks of a time when a grave act of rebelliousness on our part has aroused Hashem’s anger and prompted Him to punish us, and in the process to judge us also for all our other outstanding offenses, in the way that a woman in childbirth is judged. We ask Hashem even then to be attentive to our needs.
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 4 (end)
Our Sages describe Hashem saying (Pesachim 50a): “Not like this world is the world to come. In this world, My Name is written as Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei, but pronounced Ado-noi. In the world to come, however, it will be written Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei, and pronounced Yud-Kei-Vav‑Kei.” Let us elaborate on this teaching. Hashem employs two modes in supervising the affairs of the world. In one mode, he chastises the righteous and shows them a wrathful countenance, but it is a sign of good for them and a show of great love, as our Sages elsewhere say (Shabbos 30b): “‘Anger is better than geniality’ (Koheles 3:7). The anger that Hashem shows the righteous in this world is better than the geniality He shows the wicked in this world.’” In the other mode, Hashem deals with the righteous graciously, as David HaMelech describes (Tehillim 125:4): “Hashem has shown good to the good and to the upright of heart.” One key difference between these two modes is that the first mode involves a separation of like from like and a joining of like with unlike, while the second mode involves a joining of like with like. Under the first mode, love is accompanied by an outward show of wrath, and hatred by outward beneficence. Under the second mode, love is accompanied by outward beneficence and hatred by outward harshness. The second mode is the ideal mode, as Shlomo HaMelech says (Shir HaShirim 7:7): “How beautiful and pleasant it is, love with delights!” The two modes operate at different times. When the Beis HaMikdash is standing, we experience love with delights. When the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed, and the Divine Presence is left, so to speak, without a home, we, too, experience exile; as the Sages put it (Berachos 58b): “It should suffice for the servant to be in the same state as his master.”
Now, the name we call Hashem is determined by the mode of supervision He exercises toward us. In this world, the righteous suffer afflictions, and although love underlies these afflictions, the love is hidden – it is as Yeshayah says (verse 45:15): “Indeed, you are a God who hides.” What we observe is Hashem acting as if He hates and is incensed with us. We therefore pronounce Hashem’s Name as Ado-noi, which signifies the Attribute of Justice, but we still write it as Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei, for in truth Hashem is acting toward us with compassion and love. But in the end of days, may it come soon, we will experience love with delights, and we will therefore pronounce Hashem’s Name as it is written. In regard to this time, it is written (Yeshayah 40:1-5):
“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak encouragingly to Yerushalayim and proclaim to her that her term has been completed:  that her iniquity has been expiated – that she has received from Hashem’s hand double for all her sins.” A voice calls out in the wilderness: “Clear a way for Hashem, make a straight path in the desert, a road for our God.” Every valley shall be raised, and every mountain and hill shall be laid low; the uneven places shall be leveled, and the mountainous areas shall be made a plain. And Hashem’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken.
In this final era, Hashem’s love and kindness will be apparent to all.
We can now understand well what our Sages meant when they spoke of the world to come is not being like this world. Hashem’s display of sternness toward us now is the result of the conditions of this world, and is not due to His developing a negative attitude toward us, for He maintains constant love and compassion for us at all times and under all circumstances. It is perhaps this idea that our Sages had in mind when they said (Zohar, Pinchas 130a): “But in the world to come His Name is written with a yud and pronounced with a yud, reflecting love in every respect.”
David Zucker, Site Administrator

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Shabbos Parashas Emor – The Maggid on Prayer, Part 7

April 26, 2013
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 5 (beginning)
A person must prepare his heart properly before praying. One should not pray merely out of habit, getting out of bed in the morning, going to pray because he has to, and letting routine follow its course – putting on tallis and tefillin, opening his mouth and letting it speak automatically, allowing numerous utterances of Divine Names to issue from his mouth with no thought behind them, proclaiming “I set Hashem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8) and saying “Blessed are You, Hashem” – ostensibly addressing Hashem directly – without genuinely setting Hashem before him. Regarding such behavior, Hashem chastises us (Yeshayah 29:3): “For this people has approached Me with their mouths, and with their lips they have paid Me honor, but their hearts are far from Me.” And the Zohar (Pinchas 213a), expounding on Iyov 1:6, teaches that when the Heavenly Tribunal convenes on Rosh Hashanah, the primary order of business is to pass judgment on those who did not show proper respect for Hashem’s Name and were unconcerned about His Name being desecrated.
Accordingly, as the Gemara (Berachos 30b) relates, the saintly men of early times would wait an hour before praying, in order to direct their hearts to Hashem. [Cf. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 93:1 and Mishnah Berurah ad loc.] They would think intently about who they were approaching in prayer: The Master of all worlds, the Creator of all souls, the One who sees into our hearts and our innards, who perpetually remembers all events that occur within the world, including all the deeds of all men. And they would reflect on how many times they had violated His word. They would thereby lead their straying hearts to submissiveness before Hashem, and would be filled with embarrassment over their coming to stand before Hashem with their ignoble record of misdeeds. As Yirmiyahu put it (verse 31:18): “I was ashamed and also humiliated, for I bore the disgrace of my youth.”
Let the one who sets out to pray contemplate Hashem’s watchful management of the affairs of every individual, and of the entire world at large, providing every being’s sustaining force moment after moment. David HaMelech declares (Tehillim 150:6), “Let every soul (neshamah) praise Y-h,” and our Sages expound (Bereishis Rabbah 14:11), “For each and every breath (nishimah), praise Y-h.” Similarly, Yeshayah declares (verse 42:5), “Thus said God, Hashem, who creates the heavens and stretches them forth, who establishes the earth and all it produces, who gives a soul to the people upon it, and a spirit to those who walk upon it,” and the Zohar comments (Bereishis 205b): “He did not say ‘created the heavens, established the earth, and gave a soul,’ but rather ‘creates the heavens, establishes the earth, and gives a soul.’ Each and every hour, each and every moment!”
And as a person approaches Hashem to pray, let him recognize that although he violated His word many times, He did not hold back from extending him kindness, and at the very moment he was sinning, He continued granting him life. Let him reflect on the fact that while Hashem was infusing life force into him, he was using this life force to commit acts of rebellion toward Him. It is a marvel, the bitter insult that Hashem sustains! [Cf. Tomer Devorah, chapter 1]. David HaMelech bitterly lamented this state of affairs, saying (Tehillim 10:14, homiletically): “You behold evildoing and vexation, while You give with Your hand.” Let the supplicant consider: How can he dare lift up his eyes to Hashem? How can he dare open his mouth to pray, to ask Hashem to give him yet something more? Let him bear in mind his lowliness and baseness, how man is described as “the loathsome and tainted one … who imbibes iniquity like water” (Iyov 15:16). In view of this, the scholars of old had the practice of preceding their prayers with repentance, first lamenting their sins and then presenting their requests. Thus it is written (Melachim Alef 8:33): “And they return to You and give thanks to Your Name,” and then “they pray and plead to You.” For after a person repents and humbles himself, he gains favor before his Master, as it is written (Tehillim 51:19): “The offerings God desires are a broken spirit.”

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Shabbos Parashas Acharei Mos / Kedoshim – The Maggid on Prayer, Part 6

April 19, 2013
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 3 (end)
In a well-known teaching, R. Eliezer declares (Sanhedrin 6b): “A man who steals a seah of wheat, grinds it into flour, bakes the flour into bread, and separates challah from the bread for the Kohen, what berachah should he recite? Any berachah he might recite would not be a blessing, but an act of blasphemy. In this regard, it is written (Tehillim 10:3, homiletically): ‘The robber who blesses, he has blasphemed Hashem.’” We can gain a deeper understanding of this teaching in light of our discussion above. As we explained, the main purpose of a berachah is to enable a person to partake of this world without being considered a thief. Thus, if a person has already stolen some item, there is no point in his reciting a berachah over what he produces from it. What could the berachah possibly accomplish? Someone who offers such a berachah would be like a person who feels pity for a pauper with a torn coat and decides to mend the tear, but in the process makes a worse tear in the coat, and gives it back to him that way. Surely the pauper would be incensed over this mockery. Similarly, Hashem is incensed when someone recites a berachah over stolen property.
Perhaps our previous analogy about buying on credit and failing to pay can serve to explain the teaching in Nedarim 81a that the reason a Torah scholar’s sons do not become Torah scholars themselves is because they did not recite [properly] the berachah on the Torah before his daily Torah learning. We can say that since the scholar did not properly “pay” for exercising his learning ability, Hashem declined to extend further “credit” and grant his sons similar learning ability.
We can now understand well why our Sages spoke in such extreme terms, calling a person who partakes of this world without a berachah a compatriot of the man who brings ruin – of Yeravam ben Nevat, who sinned and caused Yisrael to sin. One who partakes of this world without a berachah causes a reduction in the flow of bounty into the world, and thus causes a reduction in Torah study as well, for, as Avos 3:21 teaches, “if there is no flour, there is no Torah.” He thus steals from Hashem and from Knesses Yisrael. Indeed, Hashem wants nothing more than to grant good to His creations; His “enjoyment” in granting us blessing exceeds our enjoyment from what we receive. When Hashem is held back, so to speak, from bestowing bounty, His “enjoyment” is diminished, and this is clearly what the Sages meant when they spoke of “stealing from Hashem.” The concept of “stealing from Hashem” cannot be understood in any other way, for He has the power to bring into being whatever He wills.
When a person prays to Hashem, he should pray primarily for the general welfare of the entire community, and he will ultimately receive his due share. In this connection, our Sages teach that if one prays on behalf of someone else, and he himself needs the same thing, Hashem provides for him first (Bava Kamma 92a). The same idea is reflected in the following episode recorded in the Gemara (Berachos 5a):
R. Elazar fell ill and R. Yochanan went in to visit him. He noticed that he was lying in a dark room, and he bared his arm and light radiated from it. He thereupon noticed that R. Elazar was weeping, and he said to him: “Why are you weeping? Is it because you did not study enough Torah? Surely we learned: ‘The one who offers a large amount much and the one who offers a small amount are equal in merit, provided that each of them directs his heart to heaven.’ Is it perhaps lack of sustenance? Not everybody has the privilege to partake from two tables [Torah and worldly blessing]. Is it perhaps because of [the lack of] children? This is a bone from my tenth son!” He replied to him: “I am weeping on account of your beauty which is going to rot in the earth.” He said to him: “On that account you can surely weep.” And they both wept.
The meaning of this episode is as follows. The Torah relates (Bereishis 25:21): “Yitzchak entreated Hashem before his wife, for she was barren.” The Midrash in Bereishis Rabbah 63:5 elaborates, teaching that Yitzchak prayed on his wife’s behalf, and his wife prayed on his behalf. The Midrash states:
Yitzchak was bowing down in one section of the room and she was bowing down in another section. He said: “Master of the Universe! Let all the children that You are giving me come from this saintly woman.” And, similarly, she said: “Let all the children that You will eventually give me come from this saintly man.”
Similarly, when R. Yochanan visited R. Elazar, R. Elazar made up his mind to pray on R. Yochanan’s behalf, in the hope that doing so would lead Hashem to heal him from his own illness. R. Yochanan perceived what R. Elazar was thinking, and he said to him: “On that account you can surely weep.” He was telling him: “I know that your weeping is prompted by your own plight, not by mine.” R. Yochanan then began praying on R. Elazar’s behalf, and the two of them wept together.
David Zucker, Site Administrator

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Shabbos Parashas Tazria-Metzora – The Dubno Maggid on Prayer, Part 5

April 11, 2013
Sefer HaMiddos, Shaar HaTefillah, Chapter 3 (continued)
Indeed, there nothing that more readily speeds a grant of Divine benevolence than recognition of and thanks for a blessing Hashem has previously extended. Our Sages therefore strongly condemn people who are inattentive and lax about reciting berachos and prayers. Thus, the Gemara in Berachos 35a states: “The Rabbis taught, ‘It is forbidden for a person to partake of this world without a berachah, and doing so is tantamount to embezzling sanctified goods.’ R. Levi cast two verses against each other. In one verse it is written (Tehillim 24:1): ‘The world is Hashem’s and all it contains.’ In another verse it is written (Tehillim 115:16): ‘And the earth He gave to man.’ It is not a difficulty. The first verse describes the state of affairs before the recitation of a berachah, while the second verse describes the state of affairs after the recitation of a berachah.’” Shortly thereafter, the Gemara says further (Berachos 35b): “Said R. Chanina bar Pappa, ‘When a person partakes of this world without reciting a berachah, it is as if he is stealing from Hashem and Knesses Yisrael (and he is a compatriot of Yeravam ben Nevat, who sinned and caused Yisrael to sin), as it is written (Mishlei 28:24): “One who steals from his father and mother and says there is no offense, he is a compatriot of the man who brings ruin.”’”
Our Sages use such extreme terms for a deep reason. Kabbalah teaches that when a man here on the earth below recites a berachah, the berachah ascends to the upper worlds, travels to the place appropriate to it, and generates a flow of blessing to the entire class of goods covered by that berachah. Accordingly, a person who eats without reciting a berachah causes a great loss. Now, do not be astonished that a mortal man can step in after the King of the Universe and utter words that produce effects up above. The kabbalah masters explain that each person’s soul is connected to the upper worlds, so that any stirring a person produces here on earth causes a corresponding stirring in the upper worlds.
In Shir HaShirim 1:3, Shlomo HaMelech describes the Jewish People saying to Hashem: “Your Name is like oil poured forth.” Here, Hashem’s Name is likened to a flask of balsam oil, which, while full of a pleasant fragrance with the potential to provide enjoyment, can actually provide the enjoyment only when it is moved about so that the fragrance can propagate through the air [cf. Bereishis Rabbah 39:2, where a similar idea is used in connection with Avraham Avinu, building on the same verse]. Thus it is with Hashem’s exalted Name: It is the source of blessing – like a stream flowing with blessing – which can carry the blessing forth into our world only when man acts upon it to produce the flow. When someone on the earth below invokes Hashem’s Name, he generates a movement in the upper worlds that causes the stored blessing to flow down to earth. All the blessing that comes into this world is brought here through the acts of man. Hashem has, so to speak, placed all His abundant assets in man’s hands. By praying to Hashem, blessing Hashem, and thanking Hashem appropriately, man can generate all the sustenance he needs.
Accordingly, when a person omits a prayer or berachah that should have been recited, or partakes of this world without reciting the appropriate berachah, he causes a decrease in the flow of blessing into the world. It is in this sense that our Sages say that such a person is like one who steals from Hashem and Knesses Yisrael. We can bring out the point through an analogy. Suppose a poor person buys food on credit. When he pays his debt, this act produces two positive effects. First, he makes the food rightfully his, foreclosing the possibility that it could be considered stolen. Second, he establishes himself as a trustworthy person, so that the lender will be willing to lend to him again. Conversely, if he does not pay, his failure to do so produces two negative effects: The food now becomes stolen property, and the lender will not lend to him again. Moreover, the lender may well refuse to lend to others also, out of fear that they, too, will cheat him. Thus it is with someone who partakes of this world without reciting the proper berachah. He has stolen from Hashem, for “the world is Hashem’s and all it contains,” and he has not “paid” Hashem for what he has taken. In addition, he has stolen from Knessess Yisrael, for his misdeed makes Hashem less forthcoming in provding blessing to others. As Shlomo HaMelech puts it (Koheles 9:18): “A single sinner can cause a great loss of blessing.”
L’ilui nishmas Shaindel bas Moshe Yechiel, Rebbetzin Shaindel Bulman, who passed away this week
David Zucker, Site Administrator

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