Chasidut sobre Números 28:32
Kedushat Levi
Another approach to the meaning of the verse commencing with: וספרתם לכם ממחרת השבת, “count for yourselves immediately following the Sabbath.” Israel is presumed to have requested to be granted the ability to serve the Lord with a pure heart, and while engaged in asking G’d to grant all their various requests they completely omitted any reference to their personal requirements, i.e. to mundane matters.
However, there are times when even the Israelites on the highest spiritual level find it necessary to appeal to G’d to grant them such mundane requests as their livelihood. Periods during which individuals or even groups of Israelites are on the highest spiritual level are referred to by the Torah as שבת, seeing that the perception of the Sabbath is that it is a condensed version of the world of the future, מעין עולם הבא. That world is not directly connected to the world we find ourselves in, called עולם הזה, “the here and now.” Our verse tells us under what circumstances it is possible to sublimate the conditions of the “here and now” to such a degree that preoccupation with our personal needs for survival is no longer considered as something mundane or secular. The answer lies in the words: ממחרת השבת, “after first having attained the level called שבת.” While we are on the spiritual plateau described as שבת, we would not even remember such irrelevant concerns as our livelihood. The Torah’s recipe of how to attain such a plateau is the “continuous counting, day after day, of our ascent towards that goal.” During the 49 days of the counting we are still on the level that prompts us to approach G’d with requests to make our lives on this earth comfortable. With the advent of the festival of Shavuot, we have attained a higher level, one that is earmarked by our offering a new gift offering,” מנחה חדשה, (Numbers 28,26). The reason the Torah calls it בשבועותיכם, “on your weeks,” is that this offering reflects our own spiritual progress achieved during the weeks of counting. Seeing that this is so, we are bidden to offer this to Hashem, Who will accept it in this spirit.
However, there are times when even the Israelites on the highest spiritual level find it necessary to appeal to G’d to grant them such mundane requests as their livelihood. Periods during which individuals or even groups of Israelites are on the highest spiritual level are referred to by the Torah as שבת, seeing that the perception of the Sabbath is that it is a condensed version of the world of the future, מעין עולם הבא. That world is not directly connected to the world we find ourselves in, called עולם הזה, “the here and now.” Our verse tells us under what circumstances it is possible to sublimate the conditions of the “here and now” to such a degree that preoccupation with our personal needs for survival is no longer considered as something mundane or secular. The answer lies in the words: ממחרת השבת, “after first having attained the level called שבת.” While we are on the spiritual plateau described as שבת, we would not even remember such irrelevant concerns as our livelihood. The Torah’s recipe of how to attain such a plateau is the “continuous counting, day after day, of our ascent towards that goal.” During the 49 days of the counting we are still on the level that prompts us to approach G’d with requests to make our lives on this earth comfortable. With the advent of the festival of Shavuot, we have attained a higher level, one that is earmarked by our offering a new gift offering,” מנחה חדשה, (Numbers 28,26). The reason the Torah calls it בשבועותיכם, “on your weeks,” is that this offering reflects our own spiritual progress achieved during the weeks of counting. Seeing that this is so, we are bidden to offer this to Hashem, Who will accept it in this spirit.
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Kedushat Levi
Numbers 28,19. “you are to present a fire offering, an offering of elevation, etc.”
The Torah implies here that if our offering is a “fiery offering,” expressing the enthusiasm with which we serve the Lord, then, and only then, is it the instrument of our spiritual elevation, i.e. an עולה. He will then fulfill all our requests as He is aware that they do not stem from personal desires but are part of our deep seated desire to glorify Him and His name on earth.
The Torah implies here that if our offering is a “fiery offering,” expressing the enthusiasm with which we serve the Lord, then, and only then, is it the instrument of our spiritual elevation, i.e. an עולה. He will then fulfill all our requests as He is aware that they do not stem from personal desires but are part of our deep seated desire to glorify Him and His name on earth.
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Kedushat Levi
We wish to explain a statement by the sages in the Talmud Megillah 29. The Talmud there, commenting on Numbers 28,14 זאת עולת חודש בחדשו, “this is the burnt offering of the new Moon on the day of its renewal,” writes: חדש והבא קרבן מתרומה חדשה, ”begin a new cycle of public offerings by using the money contributed by the people for the public offerings for the year that commences on the first day of Nissan.” The Talmud in Shekalim 3,2 has elaborated on this procedure by describing three different boxes for collection of contributions from which offerings are to be bought. The boxes were numbered א, ב, ג. The reason was to enable the clerks to check in which order (according to calendar dates) these donations had been deposited. We also have a disagreement between the Tannaim Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yoshuah in the Talmud Rosh Hashanah 10 (scholars during the period when the Mishnah was formulated) whether the world as we know it was created in Tishrey or in Nissan.
We have accepted the principle that G’d’s largesse is dispensed to His creatures not so much because of what they deserve but because the very fact that He created the universe is proof of His positive relationship to His creatures, so that His providing them with necessities and comforts is not tied to their having to earn this. [As distinct from creatures who have forfeited such entitlement, from whom such largesse may be withheld. Ed.]
There is also a “super-largesse” that is channeled by G’d to His people which is due to that people’s spiritual awakening and ascending higher rungs on that ladder. Concerning this “largesse” my revered and sainted father of blessed memory used to say that this “largesse” is known as ציץ, the masculine version of the word ציצית, i.e. in full flower, which usually is found in the feminine mode, referring to the blossom that has not yet flowered. Just as we are familiar with direct light as well as with reflected light, (by a mirror, for instance) so G’d’s largesse may be either direct or a reflection of merits accumulated by His creatures. The letters in the name of the month תשרי [the alphabet read backwards. Ed.] are an allusion of such largesse which reflects the good deeds of the Jewish people. Seeing that during the month of Tishrey most Jews perform more commandments and good deeds than during any other moth of the year, it is appropriate that this will result in a “kickback” from G’d in the shape of additional largesse. (Compare Rosh Hashanah 11 on this point.) In contrast to this month, the month of Nissan, a month that occurs in the spring, אביב, the letters אב in that word proceeding in the normal sequence of the aleph bet, are an allusion that it is too soon for additional largesse in the form of “kickbacks” as in the case of the month of Tishrey.
We have accepted the principle that G’d’s largesse is dispensed to His creatures not so much because of what they deserve but because the very fact that He created the universe is proof of His positive relationship to His creatures, so that His providing them with necessities and comforts is not tied to their having to earn this. [As distinct from creatures who have forfeited such entitlement, from whom such largesse may be withheld. Ed.]
There is also a “super-largesse” that is channeled by G’d to His people which is due to that people’s spiritual awakening and ascending higher rungs on that ladder. Concerning this “largesse” my revered and sainted father of blessed memory used to say that this “largesse” is known as ציץ, the masculine version of the word ציצית, i.e. in full flower, which usually is found in the feminine mode, referring to the blossom that has not yet flowered. Just as we are familiar with direct light as well as with reflected light, (by a mirror, for instance) so G’d’s largesse may be either direct or a reflection of merits accumulated by His creatures. The letters in the name of the month תשרי [the alphabet read backwards. Ed.] are an allusion of such largesse which reflects the good deeds of the Jewish people. Seeing that during the month of Tishrey most Jews perform more commandments and good deeds than during any other moth of the year, it is appropriate that this will result in a “kickback” from G’d in the shape of additional largesse. (Compare Rosh Hashanah 11 on this point.) In contrast to this month, the month of Nissan, a month that occurs in the spring, אביב, the letters אב in that word proceeding in the normal sequence of the aleph bet, are an allusion that it is too soon for additional largesse in the form of “kickbacks” as in the case of the month of Tishrey.
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Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut
The blemish of the moon reflects the deficiency that God programmed into the very fabric of creation. God saw the necessity for such a deficiency in order to give man the possibility of serving Him. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Tetsave, 184a): Man only serves God from amidst darkness… This is as it is written (Yeshayahu, 48), “You are called a criminal from the womb.” God concealed the good that results from this type of service until the final redemption, to that special day known only to Him. This is as it is written in the Talmud (Shevuot, 9a) concerning the goat offered of the new moon (Bamidbar, 28:15), “‘And one goat for a sin offering for God.’ Why does the verse here say, ‘for God,’ which is not said after other offerings? It is as if God is saying, ‘Bring a sacrifice for Me, in order to atone for My own sin of diminishing the moon!’”445Chulin, 60b: Rav Shimon ben Pazzi pointed out a contradiction between two verses. One verse says, “And God made the two great lights,” and immediately the verse continues, “The greater light . . . and the lesser light.” [In other words, are they both great, or are they great and small?] The moon said unto the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the Universe! Is it possible for two kings to wear one crown?” [I.e. can there be two great lights?] God answered, “So go and make yourself smaller.” The moon cried, “Master of the Universe! Since I have suggested that which is proper, I have to make myself smaller?” He replied: “Then you will go and rule by day and by night.” [I.e. the moon can be see both at night and by day.] “What is the value of this?” cried the moon; “What is the use of a lamp in broad daylight?” God answered, “Go. By you will Israel calculate the days and the years.” “But it is impossible to calculate the seasons without the sun!” said the moon, “as it is written, And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.” “Go, for the righteous shall be named after you, as we find, Yaakov the Small, Shmuel the Small, David the Small.” On seeing that the moon would not be consoled, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Bring an atonement for Me for making the moon smaller.” This is what Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish meant when he said, “Why is it that the he-goat offered on the new moon is phrased differently in that after it, it is said, ‘a sin offering for G-d’? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Let this he-goat be an atonement for Me for making the moon smaller.’” It is hinted at here that a person should not complain angrily to God, but rather, should accept everything with love. This is what the Zohar meant when it quoted the verse, ““from new moon to new moon… all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.” The word, “flesh,” hints at the deficiency which exists in the very nature of the creation, as the Talmud states (Sotah, 5a), “the word, ‘flesh – basar,’ is an acronym for ‘busha – shame,’ ‘sruha – stench,’ ‘rima –worm.’” Thus, “flesh” is the root of all deficiencies. Yet, the future renewal will be built from this deficiency and raised up out of this shame. This is as our passage in the Zohar continues (Tetsave, 184a): He opened and said (Yeshayahu, 52:13), “Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and he shall be very high.”446This is a prophecy concerning the righteous in the messianic era. Fortunate is the portion of the righteous to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals the way of the Torah and how to live by it! Come and see how this verse is a sublime mystery. “My servant shall prosper,” has been explained. Yet come and see! When God created the world, He created the moon, and then made her light smaller. In this way, she would not have any light of her own. Since she made herself smaller, she only reflects the light she receives from the sun and the power of the supernal luminaries. In the days of the Holy Temple, Israel was assiduous in bringing sacrifices together with all the other services performed by the Cohanim, Levi’im, and Israelites. Their service wove bonds of union and caused an intense illumination. After the Temple was destroyed, the lights were darkened, and the moon no longer shined from the light of the sun. Ever since the sun withdrew from her, the days are fraught with curses, affliction, and pain.447This is a metaphor for creation in its present, exilic state, in which the light of the son (G-d) no longer shines upon the moon (our world). Thus, it is a period of suffering and pain. But of the time when the moon will shine with her original light, it is said of her, “Behold, my servant shall prosper.” This is the mystery of emunah (faith). At that time, there will be an awakening in the upper realms, like someone who, upon catching a sweet scent, wakes up and looks out at the world. “He shall be exalted,” from the side of the most exalted of luminaries. And as in the verse (Yeshayahu, 30:18), “And He will be exalted that He may have mercy upon you.” “Lifted up,” is from the side of Avraham. “He shall be (very) high,” is from the side of Yitzhak. Whereas “very” is from the side of Yaakov. in the mystery of wisdom. At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will cause an awakening on high in order to allow the moon to shine in her full splendor, as it is written (Yeshayahu, 30:26), “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days.” For this reason, an exalted spirit will be added to the moon which will rouse the dead who sleep in the dust. This is the meaning of “My servant,” who has the key of the Master in his hand.
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