Musar zu Mischlej 3:42

“Hashem in wisdom has founded the earth; He establishes the Heavens with understanding” (Mishlei 3:19). This verse informs us that wisdom and understanding achieve their principle glory when they give rise to something useful that can serve as a foundation and resource for further development. This is what a wise man should revel in and the understanding man take pride in — the accomplishment through wisdom and understanding of some great and beneficial goal on behalf of his soul. The human soul is carved out from beneath Hashem’s Throne of Glory and instilled into a lowly human body in order that it be adorned with the beautiful ornaments of good deeds and upright ways. Afterwards, it returns to its place when the appointed time comes for it to reside among the souls of the righteous with strength and joy. Regarding such wisdom it was written, “And wisdom grants life to its possessor” (Koheles 7:12).

There is yet another general tikkun distinctive for the trait of lashon hara, and that is Torah study, as stated in Arachin 15b: "R. Chamma b. R. Chanina said: 'What is the amendment for the speakers of lashon hara? If he is a Torah scholar, let him occupy himself with Torah, as it is written (Proverbs 15:4): 'The healer of the tongue is the tree of life,' and the tree of life is none other than Torah, as it is written (Ibid. 3:18): 'It [Torah] is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it.'" As to its being called "a tree of life" — "Death and life are in the hand of the tongue" (Ibid. 18:21). If so, one who speaks lashon hara acquires for himself eternal death, wherefore Scripture counseled one who wished to heal his tongue to eat from the tree of life, which is Torah, "and he shall eat [thereof] and live forever."

And in Sifrei, Parshath Ekev we find (Mishlei 5:16): "'Then your springs [of Torah] will spread outwards': Words of Torah are compared to water. Just as water lives forever, so, words of Torah live forever, as it is written (Ibid. 4:2): 'For they are life to him who finds them, and to all of his flesh, healing.' And just as water raises the unclean one from his uncleanliness, so, words of Torah raise one from uncleanliness to purity, as it is written (Psalms 19:10): 'The fear of the L-rd is pure.' [And, just as water purifies a man, though the uncleanliness has spread through all of his limbs, so, Torah purifies a man from the uncleanliness of his sins, even if it has spread throughout him, from the soul of his foot until his head. And just as a man is not purified until the water rises over all of his limbs, and there be nothing intervening between his limbs and the water, so, he must subject all of his body and his limbs, in truth, to Torah, with nothing intervening, as it is written (Devarim 6:6): 'And these words shall be … upon your heart']. And just as water restores a man's soul, so do words of Torah restore a man's soul from the way of evil to the way of good, as it is written (Psalms 19:8): 'The Torah of the L-rd is complete, restoring the soul,.' And just as water is free for the world, so is Torah free for the world, as it is written (Isaiah 55:1): "Ho! all who are thirsty, go to the water [of Torah]." Lest you say: 'Just as water has no valuation, so, Torah has no valuation; it is, therefore, written [to negate this] (Mishlei 3:15): 'It is more precious than pearls and all of your desires cannot be compared to it.'"

And the world endures only through Torah, as it is written (Jeremiah 33:25): "If not for My covenant, day and night, the statutes of heaven and earth I would not have ordained." And this is the language of the holy Zohar, Parshath Bereshith 47a: "Everyone who occupies himself with Torah every day will merit having a share in the world to come, and it will be accounted to him as if he had built worlds. For it was through Torah that the world was built and fashioned, as it is written (Mishlei 3:19): 'The L-rd, through wisdom [Torah] founded the earth, etc.' And everyone who occupies himself with it shapes the worlds and sustains them. And come and see: It was with a spirit that the Holy One Blessed be He made the world, and it is with a spirit that it endures, the spirit of those who toil in Torah." And this is the language of Parshath Tzav: " R. Elazar opened and said: (Isaiah 51:16): 'And I have placed My words in your mouth, and with the shadow of My hand have I covered you, etc.' From here we learn that if a man occupies himself with words of Torah and his lips murmur Torah, the Holy One Blessed be He hovers over him and the Shechinah spreads its wings over him. What is more, he causes the world to endure and the Holy One Blessed be He rejoices with him as if the heavens and the earth were planted on that day."

I am surprised that when it comes to smallpox outbreaks, which spreads from child to child, why do people not take their children out of the city? In the future, the fathers will be responsible for the deaths of their children who are nursing, and have committed no sin, and those who are weaned and have committed no sins, and died from the sickness whose fathers did not take them away [from the city]. Every man who fears god should fear every eventuality. These things that are included in protecting the body are included in the warnings of (Devarim 4:9) 'take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously' and this is also the way of the world to take care of one's body since it is the container that the soul is wrapped up in so it will be a throne for the soul.

The first path is [that] when a man encounters troubles, he will consult his heart and say [that] it is only his ways and his plots that have caused this to him, and that his sins have caused [the pain] to his soul. So he repents to God; and He has mercy upon him, like the matter that is stated (Deuteronomy 31:17), "and many evils and troubles shall befall them; and they shall say on that day, 'Surely it is because our God is not in our midst that these evils have befallen us.'" But note that the custom among men is [that] if one sins to someone, and [later] at a time of trouble for him regrets it and submits to him because he needs him; such regret will be inferior in the eyes of his fellow - like the matter that Jephthah said (Judges 11:7), "How can you come to me now when you are in trouble?" However it is one of the kindnesses of God, may He be blessed, that He accepts repentance [motivated by] trouble and it is desirable in front of Him. And He will generously love the sinner when he returns to Him on the day of his rebuke and from amidst trouble, as it is stated (Hosea 14:2-5), "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have fallen because of your sin. Take words with you, etc. I will heal their affliction, generously will I take them back in love." And it is stated (Proverbs 3:12), "For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, as a father the son whom he favors." But if the man does not repent from his evil on the day of evil, and the rebuked does not repent to the Rebuker, his iniquity grows and his punishment will be doubled. Do you not see that if a king rebukes someone who has sinned to him and he has not become chastised, [the king] will make his punishment harsher and be very hard on him. And it is written (Leviticus 26:18), "And if, for all that, you do not obey Me, I will go on to discipline you." And it is [also] stated (Job 36:13), "But the impious in heart become enraged; they do not cry for help when He afflicts them." And if he does not know and does not contemplate that the events have found him because of sins, but rather says like the Philistines (I Samuel 6:9), "it was not His hand that struck us; it just happened to us by chance" - there will be fury in front of Him for this, and his iniquity will grow. And the iniquity of this group will be greater than the sin of the first group. Therefore it is written about the first group (Leviticus 26:18), "I will go on to discipline you." And it is written afterwards about the other group [we] mentioned (Leviticus 26:21), "And if you remain hostile toward Me and refuse to obey Me, etc." For every group that is later in the section is more problematic than the one [above it]. So it is written afterwards (Leviticus 26:23-24), "And if these things fail to discipline you for Me, and you remain hostile to Me, I too will remain hostile to you." And afterwards, it is written (Leviticus 26:27-28), "But if, despite this, you disobey Me and remain hostile to Me, I will act against you in wrathful hostility." Its explanation is "you remain hostile to Me," because you will say, "It was just chance that [it] happened to us." But when a man does not recognize his deeds and does not know that he has the iniquity in his hands from his sinning, he must examine his actions and search his ways, as the matter is stated (Lamentations 3:40), "Let us search and examine our ways." But if he surely ignores his eyes and his ideas become foolish and deluded (from the expression in Scripture [Isaiah 19:13], "The nobles of Tanis have been foolish, the nobles of Memphis deluded"), and he does not investigate his ways and does not know the acts of his hands and that which his fingers have done and says, "I have not sinned" - his sin is very weighty, as it is stated (Jeremiah 2:35), "lo, I will bring you to judgment for saying, 'I have not sinned.'" And it is stated (Isaiah 42:25), "it blazed upon them all about, but they heeded not; it burned among them, but they gave it no thought." And it is stated (Proverbs 19:3), "A man’s folly subverts his way, and his heart rages against the Lord."

But a man with the quality of modesty and humility attains all good for it is said: "But unto the humble He giveth grace" (Prov. 3:34). And, inasmuch as he has grace in the eyes of the Holy One, Blessed is He, when he cries out, he is answered at once, as it is said: "Before they call, I will answer" (Is. 65:24). And when a humble man performs the precepts they are received with pleasure and joy, and it is said: "For God hath already accepted thy works" (Eccl. 9:7), and not only this, for God longs for them, as it is said: "Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant with the Lord" (Mal. 3:4).

But when a man accepts the reproof of God, improves his ways and his plans, it is fitting for him to rejoice about the afflictions - for they help him with lofty accomplishments. So he should thank God, may He be elevated, for them. As it is stated (Psalms 116:13), "I raise the cup of deliverance and invoke the name of the Lord"; and it is [also] stated (Psalms 116:3-4), "I came upon trouble and sorrow. And I invoked the name of the Lord." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said in the Sifrei, "Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov says, 'The whole time a person is dwelling in tranquility, his iniquities are not atoned at all for him; but through afflictions, he becomes acceptable to the Omnipresent.'" And it is stated (Proverbs 3:12), "For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, as a father the son whom he favors." Its explanation is, like a father to a son, so too does God desire the one He rebukes and who accepts His reproof - in the same way a father desires his son after the rebukes. And it can also be explained, like a father rebukes the son that wants it; but he does not rebuke the sons about whom he has given up, and for which rebuke will not be effective. And it is stated about people that do not recognize the good of rebuke and its purpose (Hosea 7:13), "I was their Redeemer; yet they have plotted treason against Me." And it is [also] stated (Hosea 7:15), "I braced, I strengthened their arms; and they plot evil against Me!" And it is [further] stated (Hosea 11:3), "I have pampered Ephraim, taking them in My arms; but they have ignored My healing care."

But a person who feels humility before the Creator, Blessed be He, only when he becomes ill in body or in any limb, or when his children or friends die, or when he loses his wealth or high position, or when he grows old, this may belong to the realm of modesty and humility, and is accepted by God, Blessed be He, but does not reach the essence of modesty.

And through it [Torah study] one merits the world to come, as Chazal have said (Peah 1:1): “These are the things … and Torah study over and against all.” And Chazal have said (Bava Metzia 85b): “That which is written (Iyyov 3:19): ‘The small and the great are there [in the next world], and the servant free of his master.’ Do we not know that the small and the great are there? — [The intent is] rather, that all who make themselves small for Torah in this world are made great in the world to come, and all who make themselves servants for Torah in this world are made free men in the world to come.” And in Avoth 6:3: “There is no honor but Torah, as it is written (Mishlei 3:35): ‘The wise will inherit honor.’ Do not desire more honor than your learning and do not lust for the table of kings. For your table [in the world to come] is greater than their table in this world, and your crown is greater than their crown, etc.” And in Sanhedrin 100a: “All who blacken their faces in Torah study in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He brightens them in the world to come, as it is written (Song of Songs 5:15): ‘His countenance is as Levanon, choice as the cedars.’” And, similarly, in Midrash Rabbah: “R. Yehudah interpreted the verse as relating to Torah scholars. One verse states (Ibid. 11) ‘black as a raven,’ and another (Nachum 2:5): ‘Their appearance is like flames, they flash like lightning.’ These are the Torah scholars, who look ungainly and black in this world but whose appearance is flamelike in the next world.” R. Tanchum ben Chanilai said: ‘All who starve themselves for words of Torah in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He sates them in the world to come, as it is written (Psalms 36:9): ‘They will be sated with the fatness of Your house.’”

The modest person has charm, as it is said: "And He gives grace to the humble" (Prov. 3:34). The prayer of the modest person is received before the Holy One, Blessed be He, for he, the modest person, is always generous and waives his claims against others. And it is because of this that the prayer of Rabbi Akiba was received when he began, "Our Father, our King" as is commented upon in Ta'anith 25b. The modest man merits increasing wisdom, for he is humble in the presence of the wise and sits at their feet, as it is said: "He that walks with wise men shall be wise" (Prov. 13:20). Heaven has mercy upon the humble person, as it is said: "He who confesses his wrongs and forsakes them shall obtain mercy" (Prov. 28:13).

Now that it has been made clear that our intent is to further the service of the Creator, blessed be He, for because of that the world was created, we say that the service of God is an obligation upon us to fulfill, both from Scripture and from reason. From Scripture, we learn that the Creator, blessed be He, created the world for no other reason than for the Torah, as it is said (Jeremiah 33:25), “If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth.” And it says further (Proverbs 3:19), “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.” And it says further (Proverbs 8:22), “The Lord made me the beginning of His way, the first of His works of old.” We can say that the service of God is an obligation upon us, for the Creator gave the Torah to Israel at Mount Sinai, only as the means to serve Him, as it is said (Exodus 20:17), “God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before you, that ye sin not.” And it is written (ibid., 3:12), “When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” And it is said (Deuteronomy 6:13), “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; and Him shalt thou serve.” Scripture placed “fear” before “service” to teach that if there is no fear there can be no serving of God. Thus it is said (ibid., 10:12), “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God… .” Now that we know that the world was created only for the sake of the Torah, we also know that the world was created for no other purpose than the service of God. As long as service to God and righteousness stand, the world will stand upon them. As it is said (Proverbs 10:25), “But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.” Since it has been explained that the service of God is what we are obligated to do according to Scripture, we will now explain how it is derived by way of reason. We will say that it is well known that with regard to a mortal king, his kingdom is not firmly established except by the faithful service of his servants. If his servants do not serve him or fear him, then he has no sway over them, and there is no way in which his authority over them can be known. We see that such a king rewards his servants according to their service and their fear of him. If a king of flesh and blood must show his dominion and authority over his servants who are creatures such as he, and who may even be better than he, how much more is it fitting that the dominion of the Creator, blessed be He, should be apparent from our fear of Him. In what way can it be known that He is our Creator and we His servants, and that He endures forever, while we are transitory? How can we make all of this known except by doing His will and by our fear of Him? In this way, we will know what we are and what our lives are.

Bamidbar Rabbah 6,1, commenting on Proverbs 3,15, "she is more precious than rubies," speaks of Kehat. Although we normally accord first rank to the natural firstborn (in this case Gershon), the order was reversed here since the Kehatites carried the Holy Ark which contained the Torah. When Proverbs talks about פנינים, the reference is to something that comes first, as we know from Ruth 4,7, וזאת לפנים בישראל. [The unusual spelling of the word in Proverbs as פניים, is the reason the Midrash explains it that way Ed.]So far the Midrash.

In Sefer Charedim we find that even though one is obligated in all of the mitzvoth he must still hold fast to one of them, with great strength and constancy, that he does not transgress all the days of his life. For the generality of Torah, comprised of the 613 mitzvoth, is called a tree of life, viz. (Mishlei 3:18): "It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it." And one who holds fast to one branch of a tree holds all of them, all being one body, following after that branch. But if he tried to hold on to all of the branches together, he could not do so. And this is the intent of Shabbath 118b: "R. Nachman b. Yitzchak said: 'May it [(reward)] so come to me that I fulfilled [the mitzvah of] the three Sabbath meals.' …R. Sheheth said: 'May it so come to me that I fulfilled the mitzvah of tzitzith!' R. Yosef asked R. Yosef b. Rabbah: 'Which mitzvah is your father most scrupulous in?' He answered: 'The mitzvah of tzitzith. One day he was going up a ladder when one of his fringes tore, and he would not come down until he had repaired it.'" And Rashi explains "I fulfilled the mitzvah of tefillin" as his not having walked four ells without tefillin. Similarly, with tzitzith… See the Sefer Charedim there, who adduces proof for his words from the Yerushalmi, too, that because of this, one's days will be enhanced and lengthened in the world which is entirely good and long.

Know this in truth, that no quality need be joined to the Creator, blessed be He, neither strength, nor life, nor wisdom, nor existence, nor oneness, for He is beyond all of these qualities, and it is not necessary to ascribe any of these qualities concerning Him, except that He compels us to relate two things concerning Him. One, which comes from Scripture, (Proverbs 3:19), “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth,” and similar passages. The second, we must tell of Him, affirming His existence, in order to avoid ascribing to Him all those things which usually accompany something that has no existence. For that which has no existence is a non-entity, having no reality whatever; it has no powers, and nothing, good or bad, can result from it. Therefore, we are obligated to say that He does exist, and thus we say that He is One in order to avoid ascribing to Him all terms of things which usually accompany one who is more than one, for example, plurality or division, relationship, subtraction, and increase, and qualities such as these. Thus it is with every name with which we call Him, for we do not call Him this name because it is fitting and proper for Him, but only to avoid calling Him by those terms the opposite of that name. Now, understand this well.

“Do not try the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6:16). And we are warned with this that a man should not say, “I will make a trial with my service of charity [whether] the Lord will make my way successful; and I will test through the properness of my actions, whether my gold and silver will grow.” But the good man will not slacken from his toil in wisdom, knowledge and proper action when his path in the matter of his money and the rest of the goods of the body are not successful. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Taanit 9a) that only with tithes of the storehouse is testing [God] permitted, as it is stated (Malachi 3:10) “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, and let there be food in My House, and thus put Me to the test.” King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 3:9-10), “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first of all your produce. And your barns will be filled with grain, [etc.].” Its explanation is, if you do not have like this - to be filled with grain when you give from your wealth and from the first of all your produce - but you are rather seized by days of poverty, “Do not reject the discipline of the Lord” (Proverbs 3:11), and know that this is also for your good. “For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes” (Proverbs 3:12), to do good for him in his end; that the reward in this world and his honor be exchanged for the good that is hidden and continues forever.

“Do not try the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6:16). And we are warned with this that a man should not say, “I will make a trial with my service of charity [whether] the Lord will make my way successful; and I will test through the properness of my actions, whether my gold and silver will grow.” But the good man will not slacken from his toil in wisdom, knowledge and proper action when his path in the matter of his money and the rest of the goods of the body are not successful. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Taanit 9a) that only with tithes of the storehouse is testing [God] permitted, as it is stated (Malachi 3:10) “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, and let there be food in My House, and thus put Me to the test.” King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 3:9-10), “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first of all your produce. And your barns will be filled with grain, [etc.].” Its explanation is, if you do not have like this - to be filled with grain when you give from your wealth and from the first of all your produce - but you are rather seized by days of poverty, “Do not reject the discipline of the Lord” (Proverbs 3:11), and know that this is also for your good. “For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes” (Proverbs 3:12), to do good for him in his end; that the reward in this world and his honor be exchanged for the good that is hidden and continues forever.

“Do not try the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6:16). And we are warned with this that a man should not say, “I will make a trial with my service of charity [whether] the Lord will make my way successful; and I will test through the properness of my actions, whether my gold and silver will grow.” But the good man will not slacken from his toil in wisdom, knowledge and proper action when his path in the matter of his money and the rest of the goods of the body are not successful. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Taanit 9a) that only with tithes of the storehouse is testing [God] permitted, as it is stated (Malachi 3:10) “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, and let there be food in My House, and thus put Me to the test.” King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 3:9-10), “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first of all your produce. And your barns will be filled with grain, [etc.].” Its explanation is, if you do not have like this - to be filled with grain when you give from your wealth and from the first of all your produce - but you are rather seized by days of poverty, “Do not reject the discipline of the Lord” (Proverbs 3:11), and know that this is also for your good. “For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes” (Proverbs 3:12), to do good for him in his end; that the reward in this world and his honor be exchanged for the good that is hidden and continues forever.

And it is forbidden to make an association with an evildoer for matters of the world, as it is stated (II Chronicles 20:37), “As you have made an association with Ahaziah, the Lord will break up your work.” And it is [also] stated (Proverbs 3:31), “Do not envy a lawless man, or associate with any of his ways.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said in Avot DeRabbi Natan (Avot DeRabbi Natan 9:4), “Do not befriend an evildoer even for the matter of a commandment.” And there are many paths of death found in the association with evildoers; and we have already spoken about this iniquity and the severity of its punishment.

And that which they, may their memory be blessed, said that one who spurns Torah scholars, spurns the word of God and does not have a share in the world to come - this is something with a root in logic and a basis in analysis. And behold we find good reason and knowledge about this matter: King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 3:38), “The wise shall obtain honor, but disgrace uplifts dullards.” And likewise (Psalms 109:4), “and I am prayer,” [means] a man of prayer; [and] (Jeremiah 9:5), “You dwell in the midst of deceit,” [means] in the midst of people of deceit. [Hence] its explanation is that a lowly and disgraceful person uplifts dullards; and he honors and praises them. For there are great benefits in the honoring of the wise and upright; and many large snares in the honoring of the dullards and evildoers, and in putting them [on a pedestal]. For when the wise are lauded and put [on a pedestal], their words are heard [more], the whole nation accompanies them and their counsel appears right to them. Secondly, when people see their honor, they will learn a teaching, to offer honor and amplify knowledge. And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Pesachim 50b), “A person should always engage in Torah [study ...], even if not for its [own] sake; as through [Torah study] not for its sake, he will come to [doing it] for its sake.” Thirdly, many of those asleep at heart will be aroused from their sleep, when they see the splendorous honor of the Torah, will recognize its sublimity and the desire for it will enter their hearts. So their involvement with it will be for God, may He be blessed, and to serve Him with a complete heart.

The second section: The one who mocks people because he disdains them in his heart for their lack of reaching virtues or temporal successes regarding honor or power; or he disdains them for their poverty or indigence. And it is pride that brought him to this trait; or much tranquility and pampering, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 123:4), “Long enough have we endured the scorn of the complacent, the contempt of the haughty.” And sometimes the scoffer will mock holy ones and prophets, like the matter that is stated (Jeremiah 20:7), “everyone jeers at me.” And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 14:21), “He who disdains his fellow is a sinner.” It was also stated (Proverbs 11:12), “He who disdains his fellowman is devoid of sense.” And it was stated (Proverbs 17:5), “He who mocks the poor affronts his Maker; and he who rejoices over another’s misfortune will not go unpunished.” One who mocks the poor shows about himself that he imagines that successes are in the hands of people to surely achieve them with their wisdom - like the matter that is stated (Deuteronomy 8:17), “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.” And it is stated (Isaiah 10:13), “For he thought, ‘By the might of my hand have I wrought it, by my skill.’” And because of this, he mocks the poor; for he says in his heart that he did not reach wealth from lack of intellect and from the lowliness of his [work]. And behold he affronts the One who makes the poor and the rich, because it is all from God, may He be blessed - like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 22:2) “Rich man and poor man meet; the Lord made them both.” And about “he who rejoices over another’s misfortune,” he said, ‘He will not go unpunished” - for even though he did not injure with an action or with speech, “he will not go unpunished.” However the evil of the one that rejoices is not as great as the evil of the one who mocks. And because scoffing is caused by pride - which is the opposite of humility - King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 3:34), “If at scoffers, He scoffs; but to the lowly He shows grace.” Its explanation: “If at scoffers” - truly, God mocks scoffers who mock people, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 2:4), “He who is enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord mocks at them.” And the expression, “if,” is to confirm the matter. And so [is such a usage found] (in Numbers 24:22) “Yet if Kain be consumed”; (Proverbs 23:18) “For if you will have a future.”

And it is likely that the case of the one praising the evildoers is from foolishness. For the fool (he) intends to praise the good - whether it is about the truth, or whether it is the opposite. And without knowing, he is praising the dead. For our Rabbis said (Berakhot 18b), [that] evildoers are considered like wraiths, as it is stated (Ecclesiastes 9:5). “But the dead know nothing.” But this unintentional sin is considered wanton. For a master would not love a slave, if [the slave] loves [the master’s] enemies and brings close those who he has distanced. Should they not know this from the intellect, that this is so? And it is stated (Proverbs 3:35), “disgrace uplifts dullards.”

And this matter is further clarified from that which is written in the Torah (Leviticus 4:27-28), “If any person from among the populace unwittingly incurs guilt by doing any of the things which by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and he realizes his guilt. Or the sin of which he is guilty is brought to his knowledge, etc.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said that a sin offering comes for being inadvertent about something for which volition [would bring] excision. And on account of a sin that [brings] excision - due to its significance - the atonement of the sinner will not be complete until he brings a sin-offering, even though he confessed his sin. For without the confession and repentance, his iniquity will not be atoned by the sin-offering, as it is stated (Proverbs 21:27), “The sacrifice of the wicked man is an abomination.” But after the confession and the sacrifice, his iniquity is atoned, as it is stated (Leviticus 4:20), “the priest shall make expiation for them, and they shall be forgiven.” And you [should] understand from this how strong the punishment of the volitional one [must be], if the inadvertent one is not pure after repentance until he brings a sacrifice. Indeed, his iniquity is atoned with afflictions, as it is stated (Job 33:19-26), “He is reproved by pains on his bed, etc. He prays to God and is accepted by Him.” And it is stated (Proverbs 3:12), “For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, as a father the son whom he favors.” But there is [also] advice and rectification for the sinner to protect himself from [such] pains - with good deeds, as will be explained.

And if a person transgressed [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court and he repents: Since his iniquity is not absolved without afflictions - given that repentance suspends [the punishment], but afflictions absolve - he should prepare his heart to do the commandments that protect [him] from the afflictions, such as the commandment of charity. For it also saves from death, as it is stated (Proverbs 10:2), "but righteousness (tsedekah , which can also mean, charity) saves from death." And one who does not have money to give charity, should speak well about the poor person, so that he will be a [spokesman] for him, such that others do well by him. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 9a), “Greater is the one who causes [a commandment] to be done than one who does it.” And likewise should he involve himself with deeds of loving-kindness, to help his fellow with his counsel and his efforts. And [it is] like our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sukkah 49b), “Acts of kindness are superior to charity [...]: Charity can be performed only with one’s money, while acts of kindness can be performed both with his person and with his money. Charity is given to the poor, while acts of kindness are performed both for the poor and for the rich.” And likewise should he speak to the heart of the poor person and honor him and console him from his distress, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 58:10), “And you offer your compassion to the hungry.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 9b) that one who appeases his fellow with words is greater than one who gives [him] charity. And likewise should he be involved in the commandments of visiting the sick, burying the dead, consoling the mourners and rejoicing the groom and bride. For all of these are from the ways of kindness.
And corresponding to all of them is the commandment of Torah study for the sake of the Heavens. And all of the counsel that we have mentioned is included in that which King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 16:6), “Iniquity is atoned by kindness and truth.” For the acquisition of Torah [knowledge] is called the acquisition of truth, as it is stated (Proverbs 23:23), “Acquire the truth and do not sell it.” And it is stated (Psalms 119:142), “and Your Torah is truth.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Vayikra Rabbah 25:1), “‘It is a tree of life to those who grasp it’ (Proverbs 3:18) - [if] a person transgressed [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court: If he was accustomed to reading one chapter [of Mishnah] a day, he should read two chapters; if he was accustomed to reading one section [of Torah], he should read two sections.” And Torah [study] protects him from afflictions from two angles: The first is because our Sages, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 127b), “Torah study corresponds to all of [the other commandments combined].” And the second is that when he toils in Torah, exerts himself upon it and pushes away the sleep from his eyes - it is counted in place of afflictions. [It is] as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 99b), “All bodies are born for toil. Happy is one whose exertion is for Torah.” And they said (Sanhedrin 26b), “Why is the Torah called wisdom (tushiyya)? Because it weakens (mateshet) the strength of a person.”

From all of our discussion of the greatness of the Torah, which is the foundation of all, we can understand the greatness of the obligation of upholding the Torah that it not fall. And this holds not only for those who are busy with worldly affairs, who must certainly at least bestir themselves in this great enterprise in order to rescue themselves from the bitter punishments for neglect of Torah study, as Rabbeinu Yonah wrote in Iggereth Hateshuvah: "If one wishes to rescue himself from the bitter punishment and this great sin, let him occupy himself with the needs of the Torah scholars and the Rabbis, etc., so that they remain in his city and occupy themselves in Torah by his support." And Chazal have observed that the verse in Mishlei 3:18: "It [Torah] is a tree of life for its upholders" speaks not of "learners," but only of "upholders," who support Torah scholars and Rabbis — Even those who are themselves Torah scholars and fulfillers of mitzvoth in Israel have a great obligation to support Torah, and if not, they are in the category of "Cursed," G-d forbid, as Rabbeinu Yonah wrote in Sha’arei Teshuvah, Gate 3:19, in the name of the Sifrei on Devarim 27:26: "Cursed is he who does not uphold the words of this Torah to do them" — "If one learned and reviewed and taught others and fulfilled the Torah and is in a position to strengthen those who occupy themselves with Torah and mitzvoth but does not do so, he is in the category of "Cursed is he who does not uphold, etc."

And we find in Midrash Rabbah, Shir Hashirim 6:11: "I went down to a nut garden": "R. Yehoshua b. Levi said: 'Israel is compared to a nut. Just as a nut is cut and replaced, and is cut for its good — Why so? For it replaces itself like hair and nails — so, all that Israel "cut" from their labors and give to those who labor in Torah in this world, is for their own good. They cut, and it [(what they cut)] is replaced for them and adds to their wealth in this world and [gives them] goodly reward in the world to come.'" And, what is more, he [(his beneficiary)] is called "his friend," who learns in his name, and he shares in the reward for his Torah, as we learn in Sotah 21a, in respect to Shimon the brother of Azaryah, and as is known from [the partnership between] the tribes of Yissachar and Zevulun. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, Parshath Kedoshim 25a: "R. Huna and R. Yirmiyah said in the name of R. Chiyya b. Abba: 'The Holy One Blessed be He is destined to make shade and canopies for the men of mitzvoth [i.e., the upholders of Torah] next to the Torah scholars in Gan Eden. And there are three verses to this effect: one, (Koheleth 7:12): "For in the shade of wisdom [Torah], the shade of money"; (Isaiah 56:2): "Happy is the man that does this [Torah] and the son of man, who upholds it"; (Mishlei 3:15): "It [Torah] is a tree of life to those who uphold it." "Shimon, the brother of Azaryah, said in his name, etc." (Zevachim I, Mishnah 2): "Now was Shimon not greater than Azaryah? But because Azaryah did business and supported Shimon, therefore, the halachah was written in his [Azaryah's] name." Similarly, (Devarim 33:18): "Rejoice, Zevulun in your going out, and Yissachar, in your tent [of Torah]." Now was Yissachar not greater than Zevulun? But because Zevulun left the settlement to engage in business and returned and supported Yissachar and was given reward for his toil, the verse is written in his [Zevulun's] name, viz. "Rejoice Zevulun in your going out." And even in this world he [Zevulun] loses nothing by this [(supporting Yissachar)], as we find in Midrash Rabbah, Parshath Tetzaveh (Shemoth 36) on Mishlei 6:23: "'For a mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light.' What is the intent of 'For a mitzvah is a lamp'? Anyone who does a mitzvah is like one who lights a lamp before the Holy One Blessed be He, and he vivifies his soul, which is called 'a lamp,' viz., (Mishlei 24:27): 'The lamp of the L-rd is the soul of a man.' And what is the intent of 'and the Torah is light'? Often, one thinks of doing a mitzvah and the yetzer hara within him says: 'Why do a mitzvah and losr your possessions? Before giving to others, give to your sons.' And the yetzer tov says: 'Give for the mitzvah. See what is written: 'For a mitzvah is a lamp.' Just as a lamp, when it is burning, even if thousands upon thousands light from it, its light remains in its place, so, all who give for a mitzvah do not lose their possessions, wherefore it is written: 'For a mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light.'" And, similarly, in the holy Zohar, Parshath Vayechi:

And one also merits because of this [support of Torah] that good and holy sons issue from him, as we find in the holy Zohar, Parshath Metzora (Mishlei 3:18): "It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it, and its supporters are fortunate, etc." These are the placers of "stock" into the pockets of Torah scholars. For those who do so support Torah from the head until the end of the body. And our entire faith is dependent upon and supported by this. And he merits sons who are worthy of being prophets of truth.

He who wishes to escape from the fowler's net of all these loves will need great wisdom and much courage, lest he be caught in their pit for all of these various loves surround the heart of a person, and if he succeeds in thrusting away one or two of these loves from within him, then will the remaining loves still thrust him from the light to the darkness. Therefore it is necessary to teach you that you should be careful and alert as to how to deal with all of these loves and always be mindful in combatting them of the ways of the Lord, Blessed is He, according to the tenor of what is said: "In all your paths know Him (Prov. 3:6).

And even in fulfilling a commandment it is forbidden to join with the wicked, as it is said: "Do not envy the man of violence and do not choose any of his ways" (Prov. 3:31). And the sages said: "Do not join with the wicked even in fulfilling a command" (Aboth de R. Nathan, chap. a), and many are the ways that lead to death when one is in the companionship of the wicked.

He who walks in the path described above serves the Lord, may He Be Blessed, always, even when he is engaged in doing business, even when he lives with his wife, for his intention is to fulfill his bodily needs so that he can serve God, Blessed be He. And even when he sleeps, if he sleeps, so that his mind will be refreshed and his body rested, so that he does not become ill and therefore not be able to serve the Lord, Blessed is He, because of his illness — that sleep with this intent is considered service to God, Blessed be He. And on this subject our Sages commanded and said: "Let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven (God)" (Aboth 2:17). And this is what Solomon said in his wisdom: "In all thy ways, know Him and He will direct your paths" (Prov. 3:6).

The reason that the Midrash quoted the verse from Proverbs 3,15, was to substantiate the value that we accord to a natural firstborn. It interprets the word "פנינים," as derived from "פנים," front, or face. The question arises why is it not spelled פנים then? Why do we need the letter "נ" twice in that word? Another question is how do we prove that Gershon had not lost his rank as a firstborn? After all, the fact remains that the Torah gave precedence to Kehat counting him first! This question is answered by the Midrash quoting this verse which had the double "נ" in the word פנים. It is just like saying that in this case two families both ranked as panim, first. We must remember that G–d's original plan was that the Torah should be given to Adam, and this was the whole reason why he had been created. We have explained all this when we discussed the verse in Genesis 1,26, "נעשה אדם" Adam had been the "firstborn" of all mankind, since he was the first human being ever. We also have Israel being called "אדם." This in turn means that Israel is called "firstborn" as we know from Exodus 4,22: "My firstborn son Israel." Here, however, the rank of the Levites as firstborn outranks that of Israel as a whole, since the Levites represent the רוח אדם, whereas the remainder of the tribes of Israel only represent the נפש אדם. We have discussed this concept previously. To make certain that we appreciate this point, the Torah writes concerning the tribe of Levi in Deut. 33,10: יורו משפטיך ליעקב ותורתך לישראל, "They will teach Your laws to Jacob, and Your instructions to Israel." This refers to the revealed Torah, the תורת האדם, the practical Torah, the commandments that either have to be fulfilled, or the transgressions that have to be avoided. However, the spiritual Torah is the true "firstborn," having been created two thousand years before the universe; it is the Torah alluded to on the tablets that the Kehatites were carrying in the Holy Ark. The tablets after all, were מעשה אלוקים המה, "were the handiwork of the Almighty," (Exodus 32,16) just like the "spiritual Torah" which had preceded the written Torah. This Torah then must be viewed as the real בכור, "firstborn." It preceded the Torah that was given to אדם to perform. The Kehatites were mentioned first because they carried the Holy Ark containing the tablets, i.e. the spiritual essence of the Torah. From that aspect the Kehatites deserved to be considered as the בכור. It now is clear why they were counted first. We view Gershon as the "firstborn" in matters that have to be performed in this material world, and Kehat as the "firstborn" in matters that are exclusively the domain of the spiritual world. The very concept of the distinction of being the firstborn is enhanced by our understanding these nuances in the way the Torah is written.

And the commentators explain that three levels are mentioned here: 1) not being ashamed when his friend shames him, but possibly retorting. 2) compelling himself not to retort so as not to draw down upon himself through this even more shaming by his friend. 3) serving out of love and rejoicing in afflictions. That is, his not retorting stems from his loving the L-rd and accepting these afflictions with joy. And when he reaches the third level, he merits all this honor. For this trait comes to a man from the holiness of his soul and his pure faith in the L-rd that He directs all his ways, as it is written (Iyyov 34:21): "For His eyes are on the ways of a man, etc.", and He does all for his good. As we find in Midrash Tanchuma: "One should rejoice in afflictions more than in good. For even if a man receives good all of his days, his sins are not forgiven. And how is he forgiven? By afflictions. R. Elazar said: "A man must be grateful to the L-rd when afflictions come upon him. Why so? For afflictions draw a man to the Holy One Blessed be He, as it is written (Mishlei 3:12): 'Whom the L-rd loves, He chastises.'" If afflictions come upon a man let him suffer them and accept them. Why? For there is no limit to their reward. (Psalms 37:7): 'Be silent in the L-rd and hope [vehithcholel] in Him.' Hope in the L-rd. If He brings afflictions upon you, do not "kick" at them but accept them as chalilin (like "vechithcholel"), as flutes [of joy]." And toleration of shame is in the category of afflictions, as mentioned above, "who serve out of love and rejoice in afflictions."

We now understand why the word פנים in Proverbs 3,15, is spelled with a double Nun. Solomon tells us that Torah, i.e. the spiritual philosophical aspect of it, is superior to the physical precedence a firstborn has over those born later. The second letter Nun in that word then explains why: namely because that part of Torah had itself preceded its functional part. This brings us to the meaning of the letter Mem, at the beginning of this "dual" word מפנינים. For the first meaning of the word פנים, the letter Mem is a simple comparative, i.e. "more precious than." The function of the same letter Mem with the second Nun in that word, is "as a result of" in the sense of "since," i.e. since that part of the Torah had come into existence sooner than the functional part of the Torah.

The underlying secret dimension of the principle of the relationship of כלל to פרט is the principle governing the relationship of cause and effect, or Creator and creature. These relationships must not be reversed. It is interesting that the Talmud Chullin 133a, tells us that the 24 portions that have been assigned to the Priests are all based on the principle of כלל ופרט, and that he who observes the "covenant of the salt," is considered as having observed the principle of כלל ופרט, whereas he who fails to observe it is as if he had violated the principle of כלל ופרט. I have explained elsewhere the deeper meaning of the relationship of כלל and פרט. The 24 gifts that are assigned to the Priests correspond to the 24 books of the Bible. The Torah in its entirety (the 24 books of the Bible), is the soul of the Jewish nation, and the Priests represent the נשמה of that nation. The written Torah, with its six hundred thousand letters, represents the כלל, whereas the 24 books represent the פרט in that combination. The "covenant of salt," symbolises the attribute of "peace" of which Aaron was the foremost exponent, since he has been described by our sages as being an אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, a lover and active searcher for peace. (Avot 1,12) It is a well known fact that the "lower" waters complained about having been relegated from the "upper" waters [second day of Creation], and that in order to pacify them G–d ordered the ceremony of נסוך המים, the libations of waters which were offered on the altar during the festival of Tabernacles to compensate them (Numbers 29,16 et al). [Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi explains that salt is only congealed water, hence water and salt are viewed as identical. This helps explain the Rashi we quote in the next paragraph. Ed.] Rashi explains on Leviticus 2,13, that the salt which was offered with every sacrifice is an expression of this Covenant made between G–d and the "lower" waters which had been separated from their counterparts. Since all the ways of Torah are pleasantness (Proverbs 3,17), i.e. דרכיה דרכי נועם וכל נתיבותיה שלום, it is only natural that the Priests and the Levites were charged with instructing the people, i.e. יורו משפטיך ליעקב, ותורתך לישראל, "They shall teach Your social laws to Jacob, and Your Torah to Israel" (Deut. 33,10).

The reason for all this may be that we could have thought that any of these creatures which are so mobile that they can fly anywhere would be immune to impurity attaching itself to them. The Torah is more concerned with the source of food of these creatures. Anyone consuming them also absorbs some of the impurity absorbed by these creatures on a regular basis. The fact that even insects which do not develop through the standard process of the male fertilizing the female are also prohibited, teaches that size has nothing to do with the negative effect which creatures described by the Torah as impure exert on those who consume them.

And when he reflects constantly and weighs the smallness of the reward of transgression in this world against its eternal loss, the father will certainly not pay heed to the voice of the "whisperers" and will choose life, to strengthen his son in the Torah of the L-rd, which is the true life, as it is written (Mishlei 3:18): "It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it." And if he eats of its fruits, he lives forever, as Chazal have formulated for us in the blessing "And eternal life did He plant in our midst." And then he will merit eternal life, he and his seed, as it is written: "And he will give pleasure to your soul," and, as it is written in the Torah (Devarim 30:19): "And choose life, so that you live, you and your seed."

I have already written about Man being the essential part of the universe. This premise of the Zohar has been quoted in treatise שער קדושה of ראשית חכמה at the beginning of chapter seven. It is stipulated there that Man is a microcosm, and that there are allusions to compare Man to both the universe and to the Sanctuary. The author says that the heart corresponds to the Inner Sanctuary, the קדש קדשים. Maimonides, in a letter to his son Rabbi Abraham quoted at the beginning of the above named book, compares the Tabernacle and its furnishings to a distinguished body. When G–d said "I will dwell among them," He meant inside their essence, something more essential than the mere interior of the Tabernacle, the part called also the משכן העדות, the Tent of Testimony i.e. the Torah. This תוכיות is the source of everlasting life, as we know from אורך ימים בימינה. Yet even the "left side" of Torah, i.e. the life in this world is filled with wealth and honor (Proverbs 3,16) as part of the benefit of our having the Tabernacle in our midst. Our sages (Baba Batra 25b) paraphrased this thought when they taught: "If someone wishes to acquire wisdom let him turn southward" i.e. towards its symbol, the candlestick; if on the other hand, he wants to become wealthy, let him turn northwards," i.e. towards the symbol of wealth, the Table (both in the Sanctuary). This is the meaning of "Tent of Testimony." The מזבח העולה, the altar for the burnt-offering, is the site whence one achieves closeness with G–d.

Come and see how great is the power of peace. For in the beginning of the creation of the universe the Holy One Blessed be He employed Himself in the creation of an instrument of peace, as it is written (Bereshith 1:3): "And G-d said: 'Let there be light' — and there was light." And how do we know that light is peace? For it is written (Isaiah 45:7): "He fashions light and creates darkness; He makes peace and creates evil." On this basis, our teachers of blessed memory ruled (Shabbath 23b): "As between a candle for his house and wine for kiddush, to sanctify the Sabbath [if he can afford only one], a candle for his house takes precedence because of the peace of his household." What is more, our sages enacted many ordinances in pursuit of the paths of peace, viz. (Gittin 59a): "They declared the following in pursuit of the paths of peace: 'The Cohein reads first [in the Torah], then the Levite, then the Israelite, because of "the paths of peace."'" An eruv [a halachic enabling device] is placed in an old house, because of "the paths of peace." The pit nearest the irrigation canal is filled first because of "the paths of peace."'" And so is it written (Proverbs 3;17): "Its [Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all of its paths are peace." And thus did our sages of blessed memory say in the aggadah (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:13, Tanchuma Beha'alothecha 11): "There are thirteen things that the Holy One Blessed be He loved, and of all of them, He "doubled" [in profusion of love], only "peace." They [(the thirteen)] are: Cohanim, Levites, Israel, Sanhedrin [the high court], the first-born, the offerings of the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the oil of anointment, the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, the kingdom of the house of David, and the silver and the gold. The Cohanim — (Shemoth 28:41): "And they shall be priests unto Me." the Levites (Numbers 3:41): "And I shall take the Levites unto Me." Israel — (Shemoth 19:6): "And you [Israel] shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests." Sanhedrin — (Numbers 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men." The first-born — (Shemoth 13:2) "Sanctify unto Me every first-born." The offerings of the tabernacle — (Ibid. 25:2): "And they shall take unto Me an offering." The sacrifices — (Numbers 28:2): "You shall heed to sacrifice unto Me in its appointed time." The oil of anointment — (Shemoth 30:31): "The holy oil of anointment shall this be unto Me for your generations." The Land of Israel — (Ibid. 19:5): "For unto Me is all the land." Jerusalem — (I Kings 11:36): "The city that I have chosen unto Me." The Temple — (I Chronicles 17:12): "He shall build unto Me a habitation." The kingdom of the house of David — (I Samuel 16:1): "For I have seen in his sons a king unto Me." The silver and the gold — (Chaggai 2:8): "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." But, of all of these, none was doubled [in profusion of love] but "peace," as it is written (Isaiah 27:5): "Or let him take hold of My strength. He shall make peace unto Me; peace shall he make unto Me." Great is peace, which takes precedence to praise of the Blessed One Himself. For when Yithro came to Moses, immediately (Exodus 18:7): "And each made inquiry of the other's peace," whereas only afterwards (Ibid. 8): "And Moses related to his father-in-law all of the miracles that the Holy One Blessed be He had wrought for Israel." What is more, for all of the mitzvoth that the wicked perform in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He gives them their reward in this world — such as wealth, property, years, honor, and the like — except peace, which He does not give them, as it is written (Isaiah 57:21): "There is no peace, says my G-d, for the wicked." And, what is more, the Holy One Blessed be He gives peace as a reward to the righteous, as it is written (Ibid. 32:17): "And the reward for righteousness shall be peace…" What is more, it is with peace that He draws near to Him converts and penitents, as it is written (Ibid. 57:19): "He creates the utterance of the lips: 'Peace, Peace,' for the far and the near, says the L-rd, and I will heal him." Great is peace, for in regard to all of the journeyings in the desert it is written "And they journeyed and they rested," journeying in strife and resting in strife. But when they came to Mount Sinai, they made one great "resting," as it is written (Shemoth 19:2): "And Israel rested there, before the mountain." (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'The time has now arrived for Me to give Torah to My children.'" For as long as they are at peace with one another, the Shechinah is among them. And thus is it said (Devarim 33:5): "And He was a King in Yeshurun when the heads of the people were gathered, together with the tribes of Israel." When does the kingdom and the Shechinah of the Blessed One abide in Israel? When they are all gathered together as one. Come and see how great is the power of peace; for it is through the power of peace that the world endures. For thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Avoth 1:18): "On three things does the world stand: on judgment, on truth, and on peace, as it is written (Zechariah 8:16): 'Truth and a judgment of peace shall you judge in your gates.'" What is more, when there is peace among men, there is blessing in their fruits, as it is written (Ibid. 12): "For as the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give its dew, and I shall bequeath all of these to the remnant of this people." And thus is it written (Psalms 147:14): "He makes peace on your borders and sates you with the fatness of wheat." Our sages have said (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for if one erases one letter of G-d's name, he transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written (Devarim 12:3): 'And you shall wipe out their [the idols'] name from that place,' followed by (Ibid. 4): 'You shall not do so to the L-rd your G-d.' Yet to make peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says (Numbers 5:23): 'And the Cohein shall write these curses [containing G-d's name] in a book and erase them into the bitter waters.' The Holy One Blessed be He says: 'Let My name, which was written in holiness, be erased by the waters.'" And Chazal have said further (Vayikrah Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for all of the goodly blessings and consolations that the Holy One Blessed be He convokes upon Israel conclude with "peace." The Shema — "He spreads a canopy of peace." The Amidah — "He makes peace." The priestly blessing — "And He shall repose peace upon you." "Therefore, my sons, be circumspect in this trait — to love peace and to pursue peace. For there is no end to the reward for loving peace and pursuing peace." Until here, the language of Ma'aloth Hamiddoth.

True honor is nothing but true knowledge of the Torah. And likewise our sages of blessed memory said "there is no honor but Torah as is stated (Proverbs 3:35) 'The sages shall inherit honor'" (Pirkei Avot 6:3).

והעם לא נסע עד האסף מרים . They accorded her honor by not moving on until she had been healed and released from quarantine (12,15). We learn from here that if one sees a Torah scholar or other righteous person suffering from an affliction or poverty one should show such a person increased respect, since G–d disciplines those whom He loves. Unfortunately in our days people do the very reverse. Nowadays people look down on a Torah scholar who is poor. Woe to the people who so insult Torah! He who cherishes the word of G–d will display even more respect for Torah scholars who are poor and thereby honor both G–d and Torah.

The doctrine that God cannot be known is connected with the teaching of the negative attributes, which, first found in Mutazilitic theology, was introduced into Jewish philosophical thinking by Bahya Ibn Paquda⁴⁰See Kaufmann: Die Theologie des Bachja ibn Pekudah, p. 73ff. , and is also expressed in our work: No attribute—like life, wisdom, existence, unity—may be ascribed to the Creator. They do not apply to Him and must not be mentioned in reference to Him. If we do so nevertheless, it is because we find it in the Bible e.g., (Prov. 3:19) “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth”. Furthermore, the statement “God exists” really means the exclusion of all the consequences of non-existence, for whatever does not exist has neither power nor effect in any manner. Similarly, “God is One” excludes all consequences of plurality, of separateness, relation, decrease and increase, etc. Whatever we say of God does not really describe Him but wishes to exclude that which would be the consequence of the opposite description.⁴¹III

The first time is when a man acquires reason, as it is said (Proverbs 3:4), “So shalt thou find grace and good favour in the sight of God and man.” Because before a man acquires reason, he does not recognize his Creator, and therefore the Lord will not avail Himself to him.

This is as they said regarding Rabbi Eliezer: "he would expose one handbreadth and conceal two, and was as one compelled by a demon" (Nedarim 20b). He would not derive any enjoyment whatsoever, and would perform the act only with intent to the mitzva and divine service. Shlomo said on this: "Know Him in all your ways, and He will straighten your paths" (Mishlei 3:6).

The way to attain this trait is easy for one who has already strove and attained all the aforementioned traits. For when one thinks and contemplates on the lowliness of the pleasures of this world and its good, as I wrote earlier, he will come to despise them, and will not consider them to be anything but evils and lackings of the dark and coarse physical nature. When the truth ingrains within him of their being real lackings and evils, certainly it will become easier for him to separate from them and remove them from his heart.

The general principle is, “In all your ways, know Him” (Mishlei 3:6). In all your affairs recall and do not forget that everything is a gift from Hashem, for, “bread is not to the wise” (Koheles 9:11). You can see for yourself that many intelligent people go without food or sustenance, spending all their days in deprivation and suffering. Meanwhile there are foolish and lowly individuals who enjoy abundance and wealth. This demonstrates that everything is dependent upon the will of the Holy One Blessed is He.

We know from Proverbs 14,30, "envy is iike rottenness of the bones," that ordinarily, jealousy is a natural cause of death. Greed, lust, cause man's death, while he remains unsated, since "man dies while half his desires remain unfulfilled" (Kohelet Rabbah 1,34). We also have the statement of our sages that "he who chases after glory and honour, glory and honour flee from him" (Jerusalem Talmud Avodah Zarah 3,1). On this the sages comment that he dies one hundred deaths from jealousy and not just one. Rashi explains the Mishnah in Avot by Rabbi Elazar Hakappor as applying to Adam; it was these negative virtues that caused him to become mortal. He describes the angels who had to serve him delicacies in גן עדן as becoming jealous of his status, his כבוד, honor. He cites Adam's greed to eat from the tree of knowledge as contributing to his death. The honour he enjoyed in Gan Eden caused him to be expelled. He quotes other opinions that apply this Mishnah to the jealousy displayed by Korach versus Moses and Aaron. Actually we have to view these three evils as the root causes of all impurities, i.e. טומאות, which include all negative virtues. When these three characteristics are used positively, they in turn are the root causes of all positive virtues. Concerning this fact, Ben Zoma asks at the beginning of that chapter in Avot "Who is a wise man? He who is willing to learn from any person. Who is a hero? He who is able to restrain his passions. Who is wealthy? He who is satisfied with his lot." "Heroism" is an aspect of "jealousy," as we know from Jeremiah 46,12, גבור בגבור כמותן, "for hero encounters a hero of similar stature" [the competitive element is the jealousy]. We also have Rashi's comment on Numbers 25,11, בקנאו את קנאתי בתוכם, "when he displayed jealousy on My behalf," that this "jealousy" displayed by Pinchas was the retribution G–d was entitled to exact from Zimri, i.e. it was נקמה. We know that קנאת סופרים, a competitive spirit between scholars is laudable, since it means that a person battles his evil urge, trying to excel in good deeds and character traits. This is the most important battle a person has to fight in his life. We have the story of the philosopher who encountered soldiers returning from a great conquest. He told them: "you did win a minor battle, but you have failed to win the major battle, namely man's battle with his evil urge." The reason it is called "the great battle," is that it is a never-ending battle. Concerning that battle, Ben Zoma said that the true hero is he who vanquishes his evil urge. The statement "who is wealthy, he who is satisfied with his lot," is the exact opposite of the negative virtue of תאוה, greed, i.e. never being satisfied. This is why the rabbis said that a person who is afflicted with the disease of being greedy dies before he has achieved even half of what he had hoped for. Lastly Ben Zoma described the חכם, wise person, as someone who is willing to learn from anybody else. The true meaning of honour is to be considered a wise man, as we know from Proverbs 3,35: "The wise shall inherit honour." When a person does not chase after glory it is liable to pursue him. Rabbi Yossi is on record as saying: "I have learned a great deal from my teachers; I have learned even more from my friends; but most of all have I learned from my students" (Taanit 7).

The construction of the Tabernacle may be compared to the construction of the universe itself of which it is written: ה' בחכמה יסד ארץ, כונן שמים בתבונה, בדעתו תהומות נבקעו, "The Lord founded the earth with wisdom; He established the heavens with understanding. By His knowledge the depths were broken up" (Proverbs 3,19-20). We find a parallel statement when the Torah describes the appointment of Betzalel as the architect in charge of building the Tabernacle. Exodus 31,3 tells us that G–d endowed Betzalel with "a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft; to make designs for work in gold, silver, and copper, to cut stones, etc." Our sages in Berachot 55 say that Betzalel knew how to combine the letters of the Torah, the method by which the universe had been created by G–d. It follows that the Tabernacle was in effect the creation of a microcosm, a duplication of מעשה בראשית. [except that this creation did not start ex nihilo. Ed.] We expect to come back to this in detail when explaining the פרשיות of ויקהל and פקודי.

But since the subjects vary, it is impossible for the means which bring to this goal to not vary accordingly with each individual. Thus one can be a complete Chasid if he is a man whose mouth does not interrupt from Torah study, just like one who, due to necessity, is a lowly laborer. And it is written: "G-d has made everything for His sake" (Mishlei 16:4), and "in all your ways know Him, and He will straighten your paths" (Mishlei 3:6).

The first : when afflictions come upon a man he considers this in his heart and says that this has happened because of his sins and his evil ways. And then he will return to God, and He will have mercy upon him, as it is said, "And many evils and troubles shall come upon them, so that they will say in that day: 'Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' " (Deut. 31:17). Now this type of repentance, is received by God but not by human beings. For when a man sins against another man, in time of trouble he has remorse and is submissive to him because he needs his help, this remorse is considered worthless in the eyes of the person offended. As Jephthah said, "And why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?" (Judges 11:7). But it is one of the great kindnesses of God that He accepts repentance even though it comes from trouble, and He is placated, as it is said, "Return O Israel, unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity" (Hos. 14:2). And it is written, "For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth" (Prov. 3:12).

"With three crowns was Israel crowned : the crown of the Torah, the crown of the Priesthood and the crown of Kingdom" (Aboth 4:17, Yoma 72b, Eccl. Rabbah 7:1). Aaron merited the crown of the Priesthood, as it is said, "And it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood" (Num. 25:13). David merited the crown of Kingdom, as it is said, "His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me" (Ps. 89:37). As for the crown of the Torah — it lies there waiting for all Israel, as it is said, "Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" (Deut. 33:4) : anyone who wants the crown of Torah can come and take it. And should you say that the other crowns are greater than the crown of Torah, then behold he says, "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth" (Prov. 8:15—16). From this you learn that the crown of the Torah is greater than the crown of Priesthood, and greater than the crown of Sovereignty. And the Sages said, "A bastard who is a scholar takes precedence over a High Priest who is ignorant" (Horayoth 13a). As it is said, "She (wisdom) is more precious than rubies" (Prov. 3:15). The Hebrew word "peninah" means both "ruby" and "inside", and the verse can therefore be interpreted as meaning : More precious is the Torah and he who studies it than the High Priest who enters the very inside of the Temple — into the Holy of Holies.

We have been commanded to perform the above mentioned three commandments in order to achieve a degree of perfection, as our sages have pointed out that anyone who wears the fringes on his garment, the phylacteries on his head and arm, and whose door posts are adorned with mezzuzot, falls under the category of people concerning whom it has been said "that the threefold thread will not break easily" (Kohelet 4,12 quoted in Menachot 43). The ציציות surround a person's body from all four sides, and allude to its being whole. The מזוזה on his house symbolises that all is well with him financially. Whatever a person owns he keeps in his house and closes the door, allowing the presence of the מזוזה to act as his protection. This is why it is called מזוזה, i.e "it prevents it from being moved." It is man's demonstration that he believes that whatever he owns originates from G–d and has to be devoted to His service. The phylacteries on a man's head allude to his serving G–d with his mind, the ones on his arm are positioned opposite the heart, a source of his thought processes. Mental activity is the combined result of brain and heart. This alludes then to the wholeness of his Torah. I have already mentioned that these three areas of "wholeness," are the ones referred to earlier as חכם, גבור, עשיר.

And, in truth, "And if not now" implies "every hour and every day." One must think "If not now" — that the Holy One Blessed be He determines for a man every day what he is to attain of the Torah of the L-rd and His service. As to the yetzer's enticing him that tomorrow he can make up for today, this is an error. For tomorrow is an obligation in itself, and he will not be able to make up the time that he lacks now. And only from day to evening [of the same day] do we find in Chazal: "One may borrow [of his time] in the daytime and make it up [in Torah study] at night." And this is the intent of (Devarim 4:9): "And lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life." And thus, (Koheleth 9:9): "And see life… all the days of your vanity" — that is, that not one day go lost. And thus, (Rambam, Hilchoth Talmud Torah 1:10): The verse "And lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life" implies that one may not be idle in the Torah of the L-rd for even one day — until his last day. And this is intimated in the verse (Mishlei 3:28): "Do not say to your friend: 'Go and return, and tomorrow I will give you,' if you have it with you [today]." "your friend" is the good yetzer, a man's true friend, who counsels him as to what will be good for him forever.

We now understand why the Talmud, after quoting Ben Zoma's benediction, continues to quote Ben Zoma describe the tremendous physical difficulties encountered by Adam before he was able to eat the first loaf of bread. The Talmud details 10 stages, commencing with plowing, seeding, harvesting, etc. etc. Ben Zoma contrasts this with his own lifestyle. He gets up early in the morning and finds all his physical needs provided for. The Talmud continues in the same vein by describing the many steps needed before clothing is made, whereas Ben Zoma finds garments practically ready to wear. The gist of all this is to illustrate that Torah (Proverbs 3,18) is indeed עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה, "the tree of life for all those who strengthen it and hold on to it." Midrash Tanchuma points out that Solomon did not say that Torah is a tree of life for those who toil with it, but only "for those who cleave to it." When Moses blessed the tribes prior to his death, he said to Zevulun and Issachar (33,18): "Rejoice Zevulun when you go out, and Issachar in your tent." Issachar can remain in his tent, isolated from the problems of earning a livelihood far from home because his brother Zevulun shoulders that particular burden on his behalf. When Ben Zoma recited the benediction in which he acknowledged G–d's being privy to all our secrets, i.e. being חכם הרזים, he alluded to the fact that only He knows which of the commandments we have not fulfilled because we were unable to for one reason or another. Only G–d knows which ones we compensated for through exhaustive study of their meaning instead.

Our sages (Tanchuma Korach 5) have said that Korach was deceived by his mental eye, since he foresaw a chain of illustrious descendants among his offspring including the prophet Samuel. He did not realise that these descendants excelled exactly in the reverse characteristics he himself had displayed. Whereas Korach engaged in quarrels with Moses and G–d, Samuel was a man who was on a good footing with both man and G–d. He practiced the virtues of Aaron rather than those of his forebear. I have explained already that these three virtues have to be practiced both vis-a-vis G–d and vis-a-vis man. This is the meaning of ומצא חן ושכל טוב בעיני אלוקים ואדם, "and you will find favour and high esteem in the eyes of G–d and man" (Proverbs 3,4). This is what is meant that Samuel was טוב עם אלוקים ועם אנשים, that Samuel was "good to G–d and to men." This also explains what חנה meant when she prayed to G–d that He should grant her זרע אנשים, which our sages explained to mean that she asked for a son who would combine within himself the virtues of Moses and Aaron (Samuel I 1,11). We also find that Moses and Aaron are compared to Samuel in Psalms 99,6: "Moses and Aaron among His priests and Samuel among those who call on His name, and He answers them." How do we reconcile all this with the statement in Deut. 34,10, that "no prophet ever arose again who could compare to Moses who had known G–d face to face?" The answer is simply that Samuel possessed some of the virtues of Moses and Aaron, since Moses in his closeness to G–d had concentrated almost exclusively on devoting himself to G–d so that he did not have much time left for private matters. This too is what is meant when he is described as איש האלוקים. Aaron, on the other hand, concentrated on the virtue of "peace." He was always busy pursuing peace, trying to restore harmonious relations between husband and wife, etc. In other words, he was primarily טוב לאנשים, good towards people. The prophet Samuel concentrated on practising the two outstanding virtues of both Moses and Aaron. We find that he travelled from town to town in order to perform acts of justice, truth and peace (Samuel I 7,16).

The author brings a few more examples of the principle just mentioned. Among them he mentions that the use of the word חכמה in the plural, i.e. חכמות in Proverbs 9,1 alludes to the need to employ our physical as well as our mental faculties when building the "house," i.e. when Betzalel built the Tabernacle.

Considering the above, we see that both statements in the Talmud are quite true. The level of those people who have access to the תורה הקדומה is superior to the level of the Torah that has been revealed, since they are the people whom G–d had in mind way before He created the universe. Kohelet 1,4 alludes to this when he says והארץ לעולם עומדת. The Midrash on that verse says that Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai quoted Isaiah 65,22: כי כימי העץ ימי עמי, "For the days of My people shall be as long as the days of the tree." We know that "the tree " refers to Torah from עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בו, "For she is a tree of life to all who grasp her" (Proverbs 3,18) [The subject matter in that chapter is wisdom=Torah Ed.]. Who was created for whose sake? Was the Torah created for the sake of Israel, or was Israel created for the sake of the Torah? Torah was created for the sake of Israel. If Torah, which was created for Israel's sake endures forever, how much more so must Israel live forever?" We find a similar statement in Bereshit Rabbah 1,4 where Rabbi Abba bar Kahane is quoted as saying that Torah preceded the throne of G–d. He supports this statement with the scriptural quotation ה' קנני ראשית דרכו, "G–d has acquired me at the beginning of His way" (Proverbs 8,22). Also, Rabbis Hunna and Yirmiyahu say in the name of Rabbi Shmueli bar Yitzchak that Israel was the original concept that G–d entertained in His mind. They explain this by a parable: A king was married to an aristocratic lady who bore him no children. When the king once strolled in the market-place, he instructed his servants to purchase reeds and ink for his son. People who saw this were heard to comment that this was strange seeing the king did not have a son. Upon reflection they concluded that the king must be a great astrologer seeing that the purchase reflected his certainty that he would have a son from his present wife otherwise he would not have given such instructions. The same is true of G–d. He was aware that after twenty-six generations Israel would accept the Torah at Mount Sinai, otherwise how could G–d have written in the Torah such lines as: "Speak to the Israelites," "command the Israelites, etc?" This concludes our second premise that Torah is the soul of Israel.

Let me first quote a statement by our sages before turning to the text of Rashi's commentary. Shemot Rabbah, 13,3, commenting on Exodus 10,1: כי אני הכבדתי את לב פרעה, "For I have hardened the heart of Pharaoh," quotes Rabbi Yochanan as follows: "Here the Torah seems to provide an opening for the heretics to say that Pharaoh was not guilty because G–d prevented him from repenting. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish replied that on the contrary we can use this verse to stop such heretics in their tracks. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 3,34: 'At the scoffers He scoffs, but to the humble He shows grace.' G–d warns a person up to three times. After a person ignores three such warnings and fails to repent, G–d makes such a person's heart unresponsive to thoughts of repentance in order to now pay him his just deserts. This is what happened with the wicked Pharaoh. G–d gave Pharaoh five chances [during the first five plagues no mention is made of G–d hardening the heart of Pharaoh. Ed.] and Pharaoh failed to respond. Then G–d said to him: 'Since you have insisted on being obstinate, and have made your own heart unresponsive, I shall now add more impurity to the impurity you have already heaped upon yourself.' This is the meaning of 10,1: 'I have hardened Pharaoh's heart '" Thus far the Midrash.

The commandment requiring us to help the owner of an overloaded animal or human being (22,4) by unloading the excessive load is directed at the natural tendency to ignore the discomfort of our detractors. The Torah demands that we put aside such petty considerations and display empathy with the pain of such a human being. When the Torah phrases the action to be taken by using the words הקם תקים עמו, the emphasis is on the last word, i.e. what you do for the victim you are really doing for yourself. By having demonstrated this kind of empathy you may feel confident that, should the occasion arise, you too will become the beneficiary of someone else's empathy. The Talmud Baba Metzia 31 says that given a choice of helping one's friend unload an overburdened animal and helping an enemy load his beast, you must give preference to loading the enemy's beast; such an act helps restore harmonious relations between him and you (cf. Exodus 23,5).

The second function of the קרבן, that of being an exchange for one's own life, is a moral lesson which man has to apply to himself in two ways: 1) G–d admonishes those whom He loves. The afflictions man undergoes [and the way in which he accepts them, Ed.] are what ultimately secure him his entry into the Hereafter. When he has undergone these afflictions he, himself, has been elevated to the level of being the קרבן. This is the other meaning of the words: אדם כי יקריב מכם (הוא) קרבן לה'. 2) Sometimes the element of תמורה, exchange, is an exchange for something that is part of the system of nature. We know that phenomena which exist in this universe are subject to exchange from (Isaiah 43,4) ואתנה אדם תחתך, "I give אדם, men, in exchange for you. When the Torah says: מן הבהמה מן הבקר ומן הצאן תקריבו את קרבנכם, this means "your sacrifice which was the one suitable for you, which corresponds to your position in the universe." Cattle, sheep, etc. will serve as an exchange for your life. This principle is valid even when the sacrificial offerings can no longer be presented due to the absence of the Temple. G–d, in His mercy, is the Guardian of those who love Him and He finds for Himself an exchange to take your place in order to afford you an opportunity to achieve atonement. This occurs when man attempts to draw close to his G–d.

If another person sinned against him by speaking to him in an oppressive manner let him forgive him instantly, declaring, “May the Master forgive anyone who has caused me anguish.” Then let him recite the bedtime Shema with concentration, after which he should be careful to read the Ten Commandments every night. Specifically, he should read them as they appear in Parashas Va’eschanan. For in Parashas Yisro it is written, “Remember [the Shabbos day]” (Shemos 20:8), reflecting the attribute of the day, while in Va’eschanan it is written, “Keep [the Shabbos day]” (Devarim 5:12), reflecting the attribute of the night (Zohar 1:48b and 2:138a). Through this recitation a person attains two crowns [corresponding to “We will do” and “we will hear”]. For this reason the Ten Commandments have two sets of ta’amim [musical cantillation marks], one written above the letters and one written below them. In the morning, before leaving the house one must first wash his hands. Then let him go to the mezuzah and place his hand upon it, reflecting that the Holy One Blessed is He is the real Master of the house, whereas we are merely his houseguests. And let him reflect on the name Shadd-ai, as was mentioned in the first chapter. Afterwards he should say three times, “May Hashem guard my going out and my coming in, in life and peace from now on.” Then he should say, “Know Him with all your ways and He will straighten your paths” (Mishlei 3:6). This verse encompasses the entire Torah. It also contains twenty-six letters corresponding to the numerical value of Hashem’s four-letter name, which is the “Holy of Holies.” Moreover, the verse begins with the letter beis [the value of which is 2] and ends with a kaf [the value of which is 20], for a total of 22, corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Let him recite this verse six times while turning towards the six directions: East, South, West, North, up and down. And let him have in mind that he is delivering his life to the Holy One Blessed is He, Ruler of the six directions of the world. In this way he subjugates his soul and body to Hashem.

May G-d be our trust and keep our feet from stumbling (Prov.3:26), and may there be fulfilled in us the request of the Psalmist, beloved of his G-d, "Teach me your ways, O G-d; I shall walk in your truth: make one my heart to fear Your Name"(Ps. 86:11).

In the same way, if a man fails to study when he is able to do so the Torah cries out concerning its neglect. In consequence he may be stricken unexpectedly by the attribute of judgment, Heaven spare us! While Rabbi Elazar was speaking, another man came along and began interpreting the verse, “The wise will inherit honor while fools elevate disgrace” (Mishlei 3:35). He explained that whoever engages in study merits clinging to the Shechinah, which is called ‘honor,’ and all the hosts of Heaven seek merit on his behalf. By contrast, those who tread crooked paths create through their wicked deeds numerous malignant spirits [chitzonim] to accuse them. Thus the verse teaches that “fools,” i.e., the wicked, “elevate disgrace.” That is, they elevate these malignant spirits, which are called “disgrace” because they accuse a person until judgment befalls him. Therefore let every man be sure to set aside fixed times for study so that the Shechinah will enter his home and shower him with blessings, Amein.

Bind the following words of advice to your heart so that you will not forget them: There is one highly effective strategy for ensuring that one’s body is clothed in a holy garment in the next world. That is, if he has in mind as he wraps himself in his tzitzis that the holiness of this commandment should cause his body to be sanctified and that he should be saved from all transgression and sin. In Part I (chapters 2 and 24) I have already discussed the principle alluded to in the verse, “In all your ways, know Him” (Mishlei 3:6). In this vein, when donning his garments he should reflect on the prohibition against wearing mixtures of wool and linen. Even more so he should have the proper intentions when donning his tefillin. In this way he is protected against straying from the realm of sanctity and into the realm of the Sitra Achara, Heaven forbid. For Israel’s garments all derive from the realm of holiness. One should be especially careful that the garments he wears on Shabbos and Yom Tov have been designated for the mitzvah, in particular his tallis.

The Zohar relates (ibid.): Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai once had an encounter with Eliyahu in which the latter appeared to him in the form of an elderly man walking with a child. The man was attempting to cross a large river to reach the other side. Rabbi Elazar said to him, “Old man! Put the child on one of my shoulders and you sit on the other and I will carry both of you across this wide river.” The old man replied, “Are you not the leader of the generation? Therefore you cannot carry us across the river!” [That is, “I see that you are a scholar and have therefore been weakened by your studies.” For the Torah is called tushiyah, which means, “weakening,” because it weakens a man’s strength — (Sanhedrin 26b.) Rabbi Elazar replied, “Old man! Old man! If I were to grab you and this child with my two hands I could bear you a distance of half a mile beyond the river! As for your observation that the Torah is called tushiyah because it weakens a man’s strength, it is also called ‘healing.’ Thus is it stated, ‘It shall be a healing to your stomach, etc.’ (Mishlei 3:8), and it states, ‘And to all his flesh a healing’ (ibid. 4:20). I have imbibed of the Torah for many days as one who imbibes a tonic and my strength has been fortified thereby!” So he carried them across on his shoulders, after which he proclaimed, “Old man! Old man! My strength is great both in this world and the next and for the sake of this child I will not abandon you. I will not allow the Prince of Gehinnom to touch you but I will bring you into the World to Come with the great power that I have there.” Then the old man said to him, “Rabbi! Rabbi! Your strength is indeed great in this world and in the World to Come. You resemble the sun, etc.”

The Zohar relates that the infant that was circumcised on that occasion was Rav Idi ben Yaakov, one of the Sages in the Talmud. Rabbi Aba blessed him and then departed. When Rabbi Aba returned to Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai he was afraid to relate to him everything that he had heard from these saintly men and children mentioned above, lest he cause them to be punished. [That is, lest he decree that they be forced to leave their village so that their Torah will be more widely disseminated and the multitude will learn from them.] When Rabbi Aba finally revealed to Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai all that had transpired he chided, “You knew so many worthwhile teachings and did not reveal them to me? I decree that for the next thirty days you will forget everything you learn! For it is stated, “Do not withhold goodness from its owners…” (Mishlei 3:27).

The second virtue, charity, is one that needs to be performed with a pleasant mien, and in a generous manner, i.e. substantial gifts. We read in Baba Batra 10, that a person who is desirous of having male children should give alms liberally to many poor. Rabbi Joshua says there that if someone actively pursues a lifestyle involving charity etc., he will have learned children, wealthy children etc. This is based on a variety of scriptural verses.

Even if a person knows how to pray with all the Kabbalistic intentions, he must be wary of doing so because it is absolutely forbidden to pray at length when the rest of the congregation is praying only the plain meanings of the prayers. Thus the Rivash writes in a responsum (157), “But as for me, I pray like a child who is just learning to pray, intending only the plain meaning of the words and not more.” A support for this can be seen in the conduct of Rabbi Akiva (Berachos 31a). When he would pray with the congregation he would begin and end with them, praying only the plain meanings of the words. But when he prayed on his own, one would leave him in one corner and find him later on in a different corner. A tradition has been handed down to me that one who prays for longer than the rest of the congregation is undoubtedly guilty of ostentation and his prayers will therefore not be heard. Similarly, I observed that my illustrious father, Rabbi Aharon Shmuel Kaidenover, z”l and my other mentors did not prolong their prayers at all. In fact, they would heap ridicule upon other rabbis who prolonged their prayers excessively. Whoever has fear of Heaven must be wholehearted with Hashem his God and behave innocently in the eyes of God and his fellow Jews. He must not behave in a way that leads people to say, “This is a pious fool who drags out his prayers,” for then he would be guilty of causing the multitude to sin. Rather let him fulfill the verse, “Know Him in all your ways and He will straighten your path” (Mishlei 3:6). Then all will be well with you, selah.