Chasidut su Genesi 31:63
Kedushat Levi
Gensis 37,1. “Yaakov settled in the land where his father sojourned, in the Land of Canaan.”
In his volume called האמונה והבטחון, “Faith and Confidence”, Nachmanides postulates the following principle. Although G’d had made numerous promises to our patriarch Yaakov, Yaakov continued to fear that due to any sins he might commit or have committed, these promises might not be honoured. One of these “sins” might have been that he did not serve the Lord in the manner required. Such sins of omission are very easily committed as the duty to serve the Lord is applicable 24 hours a day seven days a week.
[Nachmaindes explains that everyone who has confidence, בוטח, has faith, מאמין, else what would he be confident of, whereas not everyone who has faith also possesses confidence. Ed.].
The human condition described by our sages as שמא יגרום החטא, “maybe one’s sin results in one’s confidence being misplaced, disappointed,” is what Nachmanides has in mind when he says that not every believer also possesses confidence.
Proper service of the Lord also presupposes that the person who serves Him does so with a feeling of joy, joy that he is able to perform this service. Such “joy” must not be dependent on his joyful experiences on earth; our whole personality including our bodies, must participate in this joy; [as opposed to the angels who serve the Lord without mental reservations at all times as they are disembodied beings, Ed.]
When we remember this, Yaakov’s frequent “fears,” something unusual when compared to Avraham and Yitzchok, is easily understandable, and does not reflect lack of אמונה, “faith.” Whenever the Jewish people experience “bad times,” every Jew must immediately ask himself how he had been remiss in his service of the Lord. Yaakov excelled in this constant critical review of his service of the Lord, and instead of such statements in the Torah as ויירא יעקב, “Yaakov was afraid,” reflecting a lack of faith, they reflect Yaakov’s constant concern if his service of the Lord had been adequate.
In his volume called האמונה והבטחון, “Faith and Confidence”, Nachmanides postulates the following principle. Although G’d had made numerous promises to our patriarch Yaakov, Yaakov continued to fear that due to any sins he might commit or have committed, these promises might not be honoured. One of these “sins” might have been that he did not serve the Lord in the manner required. Such sins of omission are very easily committed as the duty to serve the Lord is applicable 24 hours a day seven days a week.
[Nachmaindes explains that everyone who has confidence, בוטח, has faith, מאמין, else what would he be confident of, whereas not everyone who has faith also possesses confidence. Ed.].
The human condition described by our sages as שמא יגרום החטא, “maybe one’s sin results in one’s confidence being misplaced, disappointed,” is what Nachmanides has in mind when he says that not every believer also possesses confidence.
Proper service of the Lord also presupposes that the person who serves Him does so with a feeling of joy, joy that he is able to perform this service. Such “joy” must not be dependent on his joyful experiences on earth; our whole personality including our bodies, must participate in this joy; [as opposed to the angels who serve the Lord without mental reservations at all times as they are disembodied beings, Ed.]
When we remember this, Yaakov’s frequent “fears,” something unusual when compared to Avraham and Yitzchok, is easily understandable, and does not reflect lack of אמונה, “faith.” Whenever the Jewish people experience “bad times,” every Jew must immediately ask himself how he had been remiss in his service of the Lord. Yaakov excelled in this constant critical review of his service of the Lord, and instead of such statements in the Torah as ויירא יעקב, “Yaakov was afraid,” reflecting a lack of faith, they reflect Yaakov’s constant concern if his service of the Lord had been adequate.
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Kedushat Levi
[The following lengthy paragraph has been omitted in several editions of the Kedushat Levi. I have included it as I am puzzled why some publishers should have taken it upon themselves to omit such an impressive proof of the author’s lofty moral concept of how a Jew can become the personality which reflects that he has thoroughly “digested” what the Torah considers him capable of. Ed.]
“Here I have placed before you this day blessing and curse.” It appears somewhat strange that two opposites such as blessing and curse should have been lumped together by Moses in a single verse, instead of being treated in separate paragraphs, as is the case when the Torah, on two separate occasions in Bechukotai and Ki Tavo, lists the results of obeying or disobeying G’d’s commandments.
In order to understand this let us first explain an important rule concerning the works performed by man, something designed to prevent us from becoming overbearing and taking undue credit when we do serve the Creator by performing the various commandments that He has given us for our benefit. If we were to do that, we would be only a few steps away from generating physical desires that may overwhelm us.
Not only must we not compliment ourselves for our service of the Lord as being a major accomplishment on our part, but on the contrary, we must consider such service as being minimal, and as a result of this we must become conscious of the immense spiritual gap between us and the Creator, so that we wind up with a broken heart when we consider our relative impotence when compared to Him. The more we serve Him, the more will we realize that we are still at the beginning of gaining an understanding of the immensity of a Being that has called into existence the entire universe and keeps in constant touch with all His creatures, being aware of what they do at any place and at any time. If we merely take time out to contemplate that ours is not the only planet that G’d has created but that are millions like it, how can we not feel our relative insignificance in the scheme of things that G’d has created?
We get a glimpse of the feelings generated by servants of Hashem in the celestial regions when we recite daily in our morning prayers that in spite of their knowing that they are beloved, pure and mighty, i.e. כלם אהובים כלם ברורים, כלם גבורים, nonetheless, in spite of their “standing at the heights of the universe,” ברום עולם, they relate to the Creator in awe and dread, i.e. באימה וביראה. If this applies to the leading angels, how much more does it apply to us mortal human beings. It appears from the version quoted in our prayers that these angels did not experience the feelings of their inadequacy until they were actively involved in performing acts of service for the Creator.
Immediately following these lines in the morning prayers, the highest category of angels, the seraphim, chayot and ofanim, are described as having intensified and reinforced their worship by proclaiming the holiness of G’d three times, i.e. קדושה. When we serve the Lord in the proper manner, our spiritual progress will assume the nature of a “chain reaction,” each act of service resulting in a better understanding of the Creator by His creature. Our author sees in the command to serve the Lord by blowing shofar on New Year’s day, (Psalms 81,4) an “invitation” to spiritually improve ourselves, the word שופר from the root שפר, personifying the concept of beautifying, i.e. improving oneself. The word תקיעה, based on the root תקע, meaning “firmly pitching (tent),” see Genesis 31,25 when used with the blowing of the ram’s horn, suggests that this service of the Lord be something firmly embedded in our personality, [not an occasional visit to the synagogue. Ed.] The fact that it is performed symbolically on New Year’s especially, points to the effect it has in renewing our commitment to Hashem. The very idea that we need periodically to “renew” this commitment, suggests that we are still at the “beginning” of our spiritual ascent. This is also reflected in the psalmist urging us (psalms 98,1) to “sing a new song for the Lord.” The נפלאות, wonders, which G’d worked that the psalmist describes in psalms 98, are that He deepens the perceptive powers of His servants, the ones who sing new songs in His praise.
It is worth recalling an explanation of the Baal Shem Tov on psalms 48,15 where David describes G’d’s leading us forever with the words: הוא ינהגנו על מות, “He will lead us beyond death.” The Baal Shem tov, uses a parable to explain that verse. A father, when teaching his son to walk, ensures that he does not start by running but by taking slow steps. In order to encourage his son to walk more and more assuredly, he gradually distances himself from the son, so that the latter needs to cover more distance before arriving in the embrace of his father. The fact that G’d, i.e. His essence, appears very distant to us encourages us to make greater efforts to solve this mystery by getting closer to Him through serving Him better. This in turn, creates the feeling within us that although we have not achieved our objective in unraveling all the mysteries surrounding G’d, we nonetheless no longer consider our efforts as inconsequential. Every day we feel as if we enter a new chapter in our service of the Lord.
“Here I have placed before you this day blessing and curse.” It appears somewhat strange that two opposites such as blessing and curse should have been lumped together by Moses in a single verse, instead of being treated in separate paragraphs, as is the case when the Torah, on two separate occasions in Bechukotai and Ki Tavo, lists the results of obeying or disobeying G’d’s commandments.
In order to understand this let us first explain an important rule concerning the works performed by man, something designed to prevent us from becoming overbearing and taking undue credit when we do serve the Creator by performing the various commandments that He has given us for our benefit. If we were to do that, we would be only a few steps away from generating physical desires that may overwhelm us.
Not only must we not compliment ourselves for our service of the Lord as being a major accomplishment on our part, but on the contrary, we must consider such service as being minimal, and as a result of this we must become conscious of the immense spiritual gap between us and the Creator, so that we wind up with a broken heart when we consider our relative impotence when compared to Him. The more we serve Him, the more will we realize that we are still at the beginning of gaining an understanding of the immensity of a Being that has called into existence the entire universe and keeps in constant touch with all His creatures, being aware of what they do at any place and at any time. If we merely take time out to contemplate that ours is not the only planet that G’d has created but that are millions like it, how can we not feel our relative insignificance in the scheme of things that G’d has created?
We get a glimpse of the feelings generated by servants of Hashem in the celestial regions when we recite daily in our morning prayers that in spite of their knowing that they are beloved, pure and mighty, i.e. כלם אהובים כלם ברורים, כלם גבורים, nonetheless, in spite of their “standing at the heights of the universe,” ברום עולם, they relate to the Creator in awe and dread, i.e. באימה וביראה. If this applies to the leading angels, how much more does it apply to us mortal human beings. It appears from the version quoted in our prayers that these angels did not experience the feelings of their inadequacy until they were actively involved in performing acts of service for the Creator.
Immediately following these lines in the morning prayers, the highest category of angels, the seraphim, chayot and ofanim, are described as having intensified and reinforced their worship by proclaiming the holiness of G’d three times, i.e. קדושה. When we serve the Lord in the proper manner, our spiritual progress will assume the nature of a “chain reaction,” each act of service resulting in a better understanding of the Creator by His creature. Our author sees in the command to serve the Lord by blowing shofar on New Year’s day, (Psalms 81,4) an “invitation” to spiritually improve ourselves, the word שופר from the root שפר, personifying the concept of beautifying, i.e. improving oneself. The word תקיעה, based on the root תקע, meaning “firmly pitching (tent),” see Genesis 31,25 when used with the blowing of the ram’s horn, suggests that this service of the Lord be something firmly embedded in our personality, [not an occasional visit to the synagogue. Ed.] The fact that it is performed symbolically on New Year’s especially, points to the effect it has in renewing our commitment to Hashem. The very idea that we need periodically to “renew” this commitment, suggests that we are still at the “beginning” of our spiritual ascent. This is also reflected in the psalmist urging us (psalms 98,1) to “sing a new song for the Lord.” The נפלאות, wonders, which G’d worked that the psalmist describes in psalms 98, are that He deepens the perceptive powers of His servants, the ones who sing new songs in His praise.
It is worth recalling an explanation of the Baal Shem Tov on psalms 48,15 where David describes G’d’s leading us forever with the words: הוא ינהגנו על מות, “He will lead us beyond death.” The Baal Shem tov, uses a parable to explain that verse. A father, when teaching his son to walk, ensures that he does not start by running but by taking slow steps. In order to encourage his son to walk more and more assuredly, he gradually distances himself from the son, so that the latter needs to cover more distance before arriving in the embrace of his father. The fact that G’d, i.e. His essence, appears very distant to us encourages us to make greater efforts to solve this mystery by getting closer to Him through serving Him better. This in turn, creates the feeling within us that although we have not achieved our objective in unraveling all the mysteries surrounding G’d, we nonetheless no longer consider our efforts as inconsequential. Every day we feel as if we enter a new chapter in our service of the Lord.
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Kedushat Levi
Deuteronomy 1,5. “on the far side (east bank) of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this Torah;”
A look at Rashi, based on Tanchuma, shows us that Moses translated the Torah into 70 languages. Why did Moses find it necessary to choose this time and location to translate the Torah into all the known languages at the time? If this was indeed so, this helps us explain a verse in psalms 87,6 ה' יספור בכתוב עמים זה ילד שם סלה, “The Lord will inscribe in His register of all the peoples that have been born, selah.”
It is an accepted rule that on occasion the Torah writes some words in Aramaic, such as in Genesis 31,47 “יגר סהדותא,” “the stone of witness,” whereas Yaakov named the very same heap of stones גלעד in its Hebrew equivalent. Aramaic is not the only foreign (non Hebrew) language that is found in the Torah. An example that comes to mind is the word טוטפות used by the Torah to describe the area on the forehead where the phylacteries are to be placed. (Deuteronomy 6,8). The word may describe some jewelry worn on the head. There are still other occasions when the Torah uses words from the Greek or other languages. The Talmud Zevachim 37 deals with the subject.
The point is that the gentiles come across words in the Torah which are familiar to them from their own language. More than that; the language of a nation is an essential part of its “life,” i.e. its culture, its reason for being a separate nation. Seeing that G’d foresaw that at some time in the future the Jewish people would spend their lives in exile amongst people speaking an “alien” tongue, the fact that the odd word of such languages were familiar to them from the Torah would serve as an encouragement to them, reminding them that they were not in a totally alien world. It is this thought that the psalmist alluded to in psalms 87,6 when he referred to the Jewish people though in exile will never be counted as an integral part of the host nation, but as “Zionists,” see reference in the verse preceding psalms 87,6. (Compare Alshich)
According to our author, the smattering of foreign words in the Torah is designed to give Jews born in foreign lands due to their parents being in exile, confidence that they can live there as Jews, provided they live as a צדיקים, righteous persons, as the tzaddik is also referred to as זה, (Compare B’rachot 6) and this is what the psalmist alludes to when writing the word זה after the word עמים in the verse quoted earlier from psalms 87,6. The Talmud quotes as its example the word זה in the last verse of Kohelet, where the line כי זה כל האדם, for this is the “whole” human being, implies that only a person who is a ירא שמים, ”lives in awe of His Creator,” is truly a human being.
The reason that the Torah refers to Moses explaining the Torah in the land of Moab is that only in חוץ לארץ, outside the Land of Israel proper, is there any need for Torah also to be understood by resorting to a tongue other than the holy Tongue.
A look at Rashi, based on Tanchuma, shows us that Moses translated the Torah into 70 languages. Why did Moses find it necessary to choose this time and location to translate the Torah into all the known languages at the time? If this was indeed so, this helps us explain a verse in psalms 87,6 ה' יספור בכתוב עמים זה ילד שם סלה, “The Lord will inscribe in His register of all the peoples that have been born, selah.”
It is an accepted rule that on occasion the Torah writes some words in Aramaic, such as in Genesis 31,47 “יגר סהדותא,” “the stone of witness,” whereas Yaakov named the very same heap of stones גלעד in its Hebrew equivalent. Aramaic is not the only foreign (non Hebrew) language that is found in the Torah. An example that comes to mind is the word טוטפות used by the Torah to describe the area on the forehead where the phylacteries are to be placed. (Deuteronomy 6,8). The word may describe some jewelry worn on the head. There are still other occasions when the Torah uses words from the Greek or other languages. The Talmud Zevachim 37 deals with the subject.
The point is that the gentiles come across words in the Torah which are familiar to them from their own language. More than that; the language of a nation is an essential part of its “life,” i.e. its culture, its reason for being a separate nation. Seeing that G’d foresaw that at some time in the future the Jewish people would spend their lives in exile amongst people speaking an “alien” tongue, the fact that the odd word of such languages were familiar to them from the Torah would serve as an encouragement to them, reminding them that they were not in a totally alien world. It is this thought that the psalmist alluded to in psalms 87,6 when he referred to the Jewish people though in exile will never be counted as an integral part of the host nation, but as “Zionists,” see reference in the verse preceding psalms 87,6. (Compare Alshich)
According to our author, the smattering of foreign words in the Torah is designed to give Jews born in foreign lands due to their parents being in exile, confidence that they can live there as Jews, provided they live as a צדיקים, righteous persons, as the tzaddik is also referred to as זה, (Compare B’rachot 6) and this is what the psalmist alludes to when writing the word זה after the word עמים in the verse quoted earlier from psalms 87,6. The Talmud quotes as its example the word זה in the last verse of Kohelet, where the line כי זה כל האדם, for this is the “whole” human being, implies that only a person who is a ירא שמים, ”lives in awe of His Creator,” is truly a human being.
The reason that the Torah refers to Moses explaining the Torah in the land of Moab is that only in חוץ לארץ, outside the Land of Israel proper, is there any need for Torah also to be understood by resorting to a tongue other than the holy Tongue.
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 35,13. “G’d rose from over him from the site at which He had spoken with him.” Rashi comments that he does not know what the words “from the site He had spoken with him” are to teach us. [We would have known that G’d rose from that site without these words. Ed.]
It would appear that we can gain an insight from the words of Bereshit Rabbah 47,6 on Genesis 17,22 when a similar term is used for G’d returning to the celestial spheres after speaking with Avraham. The Midrash there understands the word ויעל , as a hint that the patriarchs were the carriers, support of the Divine chariot, Avraham having been the first one. If so, our verse would indicate that Yaakov had by now also qualified to be another such support of G’d’s chariot. Our sages stated that in order to function as such “supports,” the patriarchs had to be on holy soil, in the Land of Israel. When G’d had told Yaakov to return to the land of his fathers, He had implied that once he did so, he too would qualify as one of the supports of the מרכבה, “the Divine chariot.” (Compare Rashi on 31,3)
It would appear that we can gain an insight from the words of Bereshit Rabbah 47,6 on Genesis 17,22 when a similar term is used for G’d returning to the celestial spheres after speaking with Avraham. The Midrash there understands the word ויעל , as a hint that the patriarchs were the carriers, support of the Divine chariot, Avraham having been the first one. If so, our verse would indicate that Yaakov had by now also qualified to be another such support of G’d’s chariot. Our sages stated that in order to function as such “supports,” the patriarchs had to be on holy soil, in the Land of Israel. When G’d had told Yaakov to return to the land of his fathers, He had implied that once he did so, he too would qualify as one of the supports of the מרכבה, “the Divine chariot.” (Compare Rashi on 31,3)
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 27,30 “it was that as soon as Yitzchok had concluded blessing Yaakov, etc.;” we need to understand why Yitzchok had not wanted to bestow a blessing on Yaakov, originally. Nachmanides writes: (not found in Torah commentary) that Yitzchok preferred Yaakov to remain unaware of the blessings bestowed upon him. [Perhaps he felt that way seeing that his own father, Avraham, also had not bestowed a blessing upon him, and left it for G’d to do so after he had died. Compare. Genesis 28,4 where Yitzchok makes it plain to Yaakov that he had not received this blessing from his own father. Ed.] This seems difficult to understand. Perhaps we may understand it better in conjunction with what the Talmud B’rachot 45 states that the person translating the public Torah reading must not raise his voice to be louder than the voice of the person reading the Torah from the original scroll. The reader represents G’d, Who has given us the Torah, whereas the translator only represents the reader. The Talmud cites Exodus 19,19 as the source for this ruling. Anyone reading that verse will be astounded, as it sounds as if G‘d, responding to Moses spoke louder than Moses, when repeating what Moses had told Him. (Compare Tossaphot on that folio) However, the point is, as we learned in B’rachot 12, that any benediction that does not contain a reference to G’d as King, is not considered a benediction in the full meaning of the word. Similarly, any benediction which follows immediately after another benediction also does not rank as a (separate) benediction in the full sense of the word so that it does not need to include another reference to G’d as “King”.
It appears that Avraham had a “claim” on the word א-ל as a name of G’d, as G’d uses this name when bestowing acts of loving kindness on His creatures. Yitzchok, on the other hand, had a similar claim on the word אלוקים for G’d, as this name represents Justice or judgment. This is why his son Yaakov in Genesis 31,42 speaks of פחד יצחק “He Who Yitzchok was in awe of and Who assisted me,” when describing Yitzchoks’ G’d.” Yaakov, had a “claim” on the tetragram, i.e. י-ה-ו-ה, the name of G’d representing primarily the attribute of Mercy. In order for the attribute of Justice to be “sweetened” somewhat, it needs to be applied in conjunction with the other two attributes we mentioned.
The Ari z’al said that the word אתה when used in the beginning of each benediction is an allusion to the attribute א-ל, so that when one commences the benediction with the words ברוך אתה י-ה-ו-ה, the word ברוך signifying continuation, or conduit, meaning that G’d continuously dispensing loving kindness by means of both His names אתה א-ל י-ה-ו-ה. Through His continuing to do so, G’d automatically “sweetens,” i.e. softens the impact of the attribute of Justice, the one referred to as אלוקינו in every benediction we pronounce. It follows that when one benediction follows on the heels of another benediction, there having been no prayer or psalm interrupting the two, that there is no need to acknowledge G’d once more as being King, as the full impact of the attribute of Justice has already been softened so that we do not need to appeal to G’d as a benevolent ruler, i.e. King, to soften the attribute of Justice once more.
It appears that Avraham had a “claim” on the word א-ל as a name of G’d, as G’d uses this name when bestowing acts of loving kindness on His creatures. Yitzchok, on the other hand, had a similar claim on the word אלוקים for G’d, as this name represents Justice or judgment. This is why his son Yaakov in Genesis 31,42 speaks of פחד יצחק “He Who Yitzchok was in awe of and Who assisted me,” when describing Yitzchoks’ G’d.” Yaakov, had a “claim” on the tetragram, i.e. י-ה-ו-ה, the name of G’d representing primarily the attribute of Mercy. In order for the attribute of Justice to be “sweetened” somewhat, it needs to be applied in conjunction with the other two attributes we mentioned.
The Ari z’al said that the word אתה when used in the beginning of each benediction is an allusion to the attribute א-ל, so that when one commences the benediction with the words ברוך אתה י-ה-ו-ה, the word ברוך signifying continuation, or conduit, meaning that G’d continuously dispensing loving kindness by means of both His names אתה א-ל י-ה-ו-ה. Through His continuing to do so, G’d automatically “sweetens,” i.e. softens the impact of the attribute of Justice, the one referred to as אלוקינו in every benediction we pronounce. It follows that when one benediction follows on the heels of another benediction, there having been no prayer or psalm interrupting the two, that there is no need to acknowledge G’d once more as being King, as the full impact of the attribute of Justice has already been softened so that we do not need to appeal to G’d as a benevolent ruler, i.e. King, to soften the attribute of Justice once more.
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Flames of Faith
The second day of creation revealed this force. God then created a barrier, the firmament in the Heavens, to divide the spiritual waters from earthly waters. He pulled the spiritual into its domain, and the physical recoiled into its dimensions. The personality who inculcated fear of God into the Jewish soul was our second father, Isaac. Isaac’s relationship with the Almighty is called in the Torah, Pachad Yitzchak, “the fear of Isaac” (Gen. 31:42).
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 31,13. “I am the G’d of Betel to Whom you have vowed, etc.” The spelling of the word ביתאל both here and in 35,1 suggests that a house may serve more than one function. It may serve a person to dwell in, just as clothing serves the body as a “house” to surround him with a feeling of security and familiarity. When you see the clothes a person wears, this serves as a preparation to making the acquaintance of the personality behind these clothes. When you see the house a person lives in, you get an initial impression of what kind of a person lives in such a house.
When a person prepares to “meet” his Creator, in prayer, etc., he also has to prepare himself for what to expect, by performing certain commandments that serve his soul, much as his clothing serves his body. One of the most appropriate “introductions” prior to addressing G’d is to do so in a house designated for this purpose, i.e. a synagogue. The type of “preparations” used, depend on the importance of the “interview” one expects to have with one’s Creator. Issues involving life and death, obviously deserve a more careful preparation.
In psalms 84,2 and 84,3 respectively, the authors (sons of Korach) describe their yearning for entering either the dwellings of G’d on earth, or at least to be allowed to enter the courtyards of these dwellings. They speak of both their body (flesh) and their “heart,” (spirit) yearning for this. They hope that admission to these sites will enable them to shout for joy to the living G’d. Their yearnings reflect the fact that they are in exile, and they pray that they not be treated worse than birds that always can return to their nest. They are aware that in order to really come close to G’d, they must first make the appropriate preparations, i.e. build a Temple with the courtyards surrounding it. The psalmist clearly suggests, at the end of verse 3, that only after these preparations have been made can his heart and body rejoice having come closer to His Creator. He can then approach G’d being certain that he, on his part, has made the appropriate preparations.
Our author sees in the word נכספה at the beginning of verse 3 an additional spiritual plus of the psalmist, as he made plain that he had made the necessary preparations that would entitle him to have the desired “interview” with Hashem, but he emphasizes, that contrary to performing such a commandment as putting on phylacteries, an act that does not involve pleasurable sensations of his body, what he did when building a courtyard and temple for G’d involved him emotionally on the highest level. He was literally yearning for the spiritual experience no less than the body on occasion yearns for satiating physical urges.
On folio 40 in Kidushin 40, where the Talmud deals with the relative moral/ethical value of appropriate intentions when compared to performance, but not necessarily with appropriate intentions, we are told that if someone planned sincerely to perform a certain commandment but was prevented from carrying out his intention by forces beyond his control, he is credited with having performed the commandment. In emphasizing the value of a constructive attitude, the Talmud adds that planning to commit a transgression, and carrying it out, brings in its wake a penalty only for the execution, not for the planning that preceded carrying out the foul deed. [The planning of idolatry is the only exception to this rule. ibid. Ed.]
This is also the meaning of Deuteronomy 6,6: והיו הדברים האלה אשר אני מצוך היום על לבבך, “these matters that I command you this day shall be on your heart.” Even commandments that are not capable of being fulfilled in exile should remain part of our constant consciousness through discussion between father and son, pupil and teacher, so that we are not deprived of receiving a reward for them as if we had actually performed them. The desire to be able to perform the respective commandments in reality is the principal criterion used by G’d to judge our mitzvah performance. Even King David in Chronicles I 22,14 already referred to this when he said (concerning his desire to build a Temple) והנה בעניי הכינותי לבית ה' זהב ככרים מאה אלף כסף וגו', “and here through denying myself, I have set aside for the house of the Lord one hundred thousands talents of gold, and one million talents of silver, etc;” what David meant was that the commandment of charity cannot only be fulfilled by the actual handing out of sums of money, but can also be carried out by preparing such monies to be ready when the need arises. David adds that even while he was not able to hand out sums that were needed because he was temporarily short of even bare essentials for himself, i.e. בעניי, his sincere desire to be of help would be accounted for him as if he had actually carried out his desire, as we know from psalms 119,106 נשבעתי ואקימה לשמור משפטי צדקך, “I have sworn to keep Your just rules.” [As soon as the opportunity will arise. Ed.] Yaakov had similar thoughts when he vowed that if G’d would be with him and grant him even minimal comforts he would turn what is now merely a stone into a building designed to serve G’d. G’d reminds him (31,13) of this vow by describing Himself as אנכי הא-ל ביתאל, saying that His presence will not only be with him in his heart, but that he can now carry out his desire to convert the stone he had anointed into a house of G’d.
When a person prepares to “meet” his Creator, in prayer, etc., he also has to prepare himself for what to expect, by performing certain commandments that serve his soul, much as his clothing serves his body. One of the most appropriate “introductions” prior to addressing G’d is to do so in a house designated for this purpose, i.e. a synagogue. The type of “preparations” used, depend on the importance of the “interview” one expects to have with one’s Creator. Issues involving life and death, obviously deserve a more careful preparation.
In psalms 84,2 and 84,3 respectively, the authors (sons of Korach) describe their yearning for entering either the dwellings of G’d on earth, or at least to be allowed to enter the courtyards of these dwellings. They speak of both their body (flesh) and their “heart,” (spirit) yearning for this. They hope that admission to these sites will enable them to shout for joy to the living G’d. Their yearnings reflect the fact that they are in exile, and they pray that they not be treated worse than birds that always can return to their nest. They are aware that in order to really come close to G’d, they must first make the appropriate preparations, i.e. build a Temple with the courtyards surrounding it. The psalmist clearly suggests, at the end of verse 3, that only after these preparations have been made can his heart and body rejoice having come closer to His Creator. He can then approach G’d being certain that he, on his part, has made the appropriate preparations.
Our author sees in the word נכספה at the beginning of verse 3 an additional spiritual plus of the psalmist, as he made plain that he had made the necessary preparations that would entitle him to have the desired “interview” with Hashem, but he emphasizes, that contrary to performing such a commandment as putting on phylacteries, an act that does not involve pleasurable sensations of his body, what he did when building a courtyard and temple for G’d involved him emotionally on the highest level. He was literally yearning for the spiritual experience no less than the body on occasion yearns for satiating physical urges.
On folio 40 in Kidushin 40, where the Talmud deals with the relative moral/ethical value of appropriate intentions when compared to performance, but not necessarily with appropriate intentions, we are told that if someone planned sincerely to perform a certain commandment but was prevented from carrying out his intention by forces beyond his control, he is credited with having performed the commandment. In emphasizing the value of a constructive attitude, the Talmud adds that planning to commit a transgression, and carrying it out, brings in its wake a penalty only for the execution, not for the planning that preceded carrying out the foul deed. [The planning of idolatry is the only exception to this rule. ibid. Ed.]
This is also the meaning of Deuteronomy 6,6: והיו הדברים האלה אשר אני מצוך היום על לבבך, “these matters that I command you this day shall be on your heart.” Even commandments that are not capable of being fulfilled in exile should remain part of our constant consciousness through discussion between father and son, pupil and teacher, so that we are not deprived of receiving a reward for them as if we had actually performed them. The desire to be able to perform the respective commandments in reality is the principal criterion used by G’d to judge our mitzvah performance. Even King David in Chronicles I 22,14 already referred to this when he said (concerning his desire to build a Temple) והנה בעניי הכינותי לבית ה' זהב ככרים מאה אלף כסף וגו', “and here through denying myself, I have set aside for the house of the Lord one hundred thousands talents of gold, and one million talents of silver, etc;” what David meant was that the commandment of charity cannot only be fulfilled by the actual handing out of sums of money, but can also be carried out by preparing such monies to be ready when the need arises. David adds that even while he was not able to hand out sums that were needed because he was temporarily short of even bare essentials for himself, i.e. בעניי, his sincere desire to be of help would be accounted for him as if he had actually carried out his desire, as we know from psalms 119,106 נשבעתי ואקימה לשמור משפטי צדקך, “I have sworn to keep Your just rules.” [As soon as the opportunity will arise. Ed.] Yaakov had similar thoughts when he vowed that if G’d would be with him and grant him even minimal comforts he would turn what is now merely a stone into a building designed to serve G’d. G’d reminds him (31,13) of this vow by describing Himself as אנכי הא-ל ביתאל, saying that His presence will not only be with him in his heart, but that he can now carry out his desire to convert the stone he had anointed into a house of G’d.
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 31,18. “he guided all his livestock and all his portable possessions , the ones he had acquired while in Padan Aram, and in order to go back to his father Yitzchok”. The last few words about Yaakov returning to his father appear superfluous; the moral/ethical lesson that the Torah teaches by describing Yaakov’s motivation in returning to the land of Israel as being to become reunited with his father, is that although G’d had promised Yaakov that he would become a founder of a great nation, would expand in all directions of the globe, none of these promises weighed on his decision to return forthwith to the land of Israel. His concern was the opportunity to once more be able to fulfill the commandment of honouring his father (his mother having died during his absence).
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 31,19. “Rachel stole her father’s household idols.” [In the following paragraph our author departs so radically from the plain meaning of the text, without even following up the matter of Lavan’s searching for his idols, that I have decided to omit it. Ed.]
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 31,27. “Why did you flee in secrecy and mislead me and not tell me? I would have sent you off with festive music, with timbrel and lyre.” [The author’s approach is dictated by his unwillingness to believe that Yaakov deliberately mislead Lavan, instead of merely allowing him to draw erroneous conclusions. Ed.]
It is a fact that although on the surface the relations between Yaakov and Lavan were civil, Yaakov appearing to be at peace with him, the fact is that Yaakov concealed his activities as much as possible, engaging in conversation only vis a vis G’d. Lavan was under the impression that words spoken to his face by Yaakov were addressed to him, whereas in reality they were addressed to G’d. Lavan was under the impression therefore that Yaakov’s attitude toward him had not undergone a change in spite of his cheating him constantly. The basic facts of life are that the wicked hates the just even while aware that he is the beneficiary of the just residing in his house. Lavan having been told by G’d that Yaakov was just and that he must not therefore dare harm him, asks Yaakov that if this was so he should have been up front about what he thought, and he, Lavan would have given him a farewell that reflected his esteem of him.
Being wicked himself, Lavan cannot get out of his skin, revealing that he preferred to do without the “good” Yaakov’s G’d had bestowed upon him to being in debt to Yaakov’s G’d. Lavan tries to twist Yaakov’s uprightness to his advantage by challenging him when he said he was afraid of Lavan stealing his wives and children, since if he, Yaakov, was so certain of his honesty, how could he doubt that G’d would protect him against Lavan’s tricks? Yaakov replies that the very fact that he was afraid of Lavan had convinced him that his uprightness was not absolute, otherwise he would not have felt these pangs of fear.
It is a fact that although on the surface the relations between Yaakov and Lavan were civil, Yaakov appearing to be at peace with him, the fact is that Yaakov concealed his activities as much as possible, engaging in conversation only vis a vis G’d. Lavan was under the impression that words spoken to his face by Yaakov were addressed to him, whereas in reality they were addressed to G’d. Lavan was under the impression therefore that Yaakov’s attitude toward him had not undergone a change in spite of his cheating him constantly. The basic facts of life are that the wicked hates the just even while aware that he is the beneficiary of the just residing in his house. Lavan having been told by G’d that Yaakov was just and that he must not therefore dare harm him, asks Yaakov that if this was so he should have been up front about what he thought, and he, Lavan would have given him a farewell that reflected his esteem of him.
Being wicked himself, Lavan cannot get out of his skin, revealing that he preferred to do without the “good” Yaakov’s G’d had bestowed upon him to being in debt to Yaakov’s G’d. Lavan tries to twist Yaakov’s uprightness to his advantage by challenging him when he said he was afraid of Lavan stealing his wives and children, since if he, Yaakov, was so certain of his honesty, how could he doubt that G’d would protect him against Lavan’s tricks? Yaakov replies that the very fact that he was afraid of Lavan had convinced him that his uprightness was not absolute, otherwise he would not have felt these pangs of fear.
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 31,42. “but G’d saw my plight and the toil of my hands, etc.;” Yaakov told Lavan that G’d had supervised the fate of His creatures, including his own, and His existence was proven by His appearance to Lavan in his dream warning him, just as His ownership and supervision of the universe is proven daily by His preventing water and fire, nature’s most deadly enemies, to annihilate each other. The continued existence of the “lower” universe, embodying so many elements that oppose each other, is explained only by the Creator’s exercising His control over them. Yaakov’s use of the word אמש, generally translated as “last evening,” is not accidental, as the letters in that word are the first letters of the word אש, מים, שמים, “fire, water, heaven,” i.e. if the first two would not be restrained by celestial forces, G’d, this universe would implode immediately....
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 31,48. “whereas Yaakov named it Galed.” This verse contains an allusion to the thirty third day of the counting of the Omer, [significant to us only since the time of Rabbi Akiva, Ed.] The subject is elaborated on in Pessikta rabbati, chapter 21. The letters in the word גל, numerical value 33, symbolizes the first 33 days after the Exodus during which G’d is supposed to have appeared to the Jewish people as if a young man, a mighty warrior, whereas at the giving of the Torah He is supposed to have appeared to them in the guise of an aged scholar. The parable is meant to describe a young child whose father takes him by the hand when he brings him to school and his father trains him to like school by presenting school as an image of something he knows the child longs for. As the child learns more Torah his spiritual horizon expands so that when in his early youth the image of a young man had the greatest appeal for him, gradually he aspires to become like a revered elderly scholar. [The Midrash endeavours to explain the expression פנים בפנים דבר ה' עמכם, “G’d spoke to you once with one face and once with another face.” (Deut. 5,4.) Ed.]
The 33rd day of counting the Omer represents the point at which the Jewish people after having experienced G’d performing a string of supernatural miracles began to experience a longing for the Holy Torah, after receipt of which they could serve the Lord with all their hearts having gained more insight into His thinking after they would study His Torah. As of then their service would be whole-hearted. By naming the pile of stones גל עד, “the thirty third would serve as witness,” Yaakov alluded to an event in the future, just as he did many more times, especially when he blessed his children before his death. The word עד also is derived from עדי, עדיים, as in Ezekiel 16,7 where it signifies puberty, adolescence, or as in Exodus 33,4 עדיו, “its jewelry,” where the phylacteries are described as the Jewish people’s jewelry, and having sinned grievously against the Torah they were not allowed to display that jewelry which symbolized Torah. In other words, until the 33rd day after the Exodus the people were still primarily under the influence of the events accompanying the redemption, whereas from that time on, [probably including the partial Torah legislation at Marah, Ed.] they were under the impending revelation of G’d’s Torah at Mount Sinai. This stage is hinted at in the letters עד of the word גלעד.
The 33rd day of counting the Omer represents the point at which the Jewish people after having experienced G’d performing a string of supernatural miracles began to experience a longing for the Holy Torah, after receipt of which they could serve the Lord with all their hearts having gained more insight into His thinking after they would study His Torah. As of then their service would be whole-hearted. By naming the pile of stones גל עד, “the thirty third would serve as witness,” Yaakov alluded to an event in the future, just as he did many more times, especially when he blessed his children before his death. The word עד also is derived from עדי, עדיים, as in Ezekiel 16,7 where it signifies puberty, adolescence, or as in Exodus 33,4 עדיו, “its jewelry,” where the phylacteries are described as the Jewish people’s jewelry, and having sinned grievously against the Torah they were not allowed to display that jewelry which symbolized Torah. In other words, until the 33rd day after the Exodus the people were still primarily under the influence of the events accompanying the redemption, whereas from that time on, [probably including the partial Torah legislation at Marah, Ed.] they were under the impending revelation of G’d’s Torah at Mount Sinai. This stage is hinted at in the letters עד of the word גלעד.
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Flames of Faith
Pachad Yitzchak, lit., “the fear of Isaac”: According to the Torah, the Being that Isaac feared (Gen. 31:42).
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