Musar su I Cronache 29:78

We must appreciate that the reign and authority G–d has granted the Jewish people is quite different from that which He granted to the Gentile nations. The Gentile nations exercise rule and authority because they confer honour upon themselves; their entire concept of authority is a secular one. Using these terms in connection with the Jewish people, however, we deal with the spiritual aspect of rule and authority. Authority by Jewish rulers is a means to ensure that the people obey G–d's laws, comply with His wishes. In this connection the Torah says: ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים, "You shall be for Me a kingdom of priests." G–d's emphasis is on the word לי, "for Me". The authority granted to you shall be employed for the honour of "My Name." We have another verse expressing a similar thought in Proverbs 8,15: בי מלכים ימלכו, "Kings reign through Me." The Torah has said that "the royal authority which you exercise shall be through Me," i.e. in order to look after My needs. This is alluded to in Chronicles I 29,23: וישב שלמה על כסא ה', "Solomon sat on the throne of G–d"

“When you make a vow to the Lord, your God, do not delay fulfilling it” (Deuteronomy 23:22). Behold there is a punishment for the delay of vows and charity, even though one pays them later. And if someone vows to give charity to the poor, he is obligated to pay it immediately. And if by way of forgetfulness, a delay of the vow happens to him, this too will surely be punished. For since he knows that forgetfulness is found with people, he should have remembered his vows and constantly put them into his heart, so that he would not forget them - like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 20:25), “It is a snare for a man to pledge a sacred gift rashly, and to give thought to his vows only after they have been made.” Therefore, his punishment for his negligence is severe, as it is stated (Ecclesiastes 5:5), “Don’t let your mouth bring your flesh to sin, and don’t plead before the messenger that it was an error, but fear God; else God may be angered by your talk and destroy the work of your hands.” Its explanation is “Don’t let your mouth bring your flesh to sin, etc.” - why do you vow, if you are not careful with your vows and bring guilt upon yourself? And we have already explained this verse in the Gates of Precautions of Caution (no longer extant). And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, have said about the iniquity of [unfulfilled] vows (Shabbat 32b) that children die [as a result], as it is stated (Ecclesiastes 5:5), “and destroy the work of your hands.” The verse is also explained to be about the matter of evil speech, that one is punished for negligence with it - even if he does not intend to disgrace his fellow. (And likewise did our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, say in the Sifrei - and Rashi cites it in his commentary on the Torah concerning Miriam - and this is its language, “And with Miriam, she did not have in mind to to disgrace him [...]” And it concludes in the Sifrei, “But rather for praise, on account of the commandment of being fruitful and multiplying, etc.”) And behold we were commanded not to make vows, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 23:23) “Whereas you incur no guilt if you refrain from vowing.” And our Rabbis expounded from this (Nedarim 77b) that if one does vow, he incurs guilt. For a vow is a stumbling block for the one who vows, lest he profane his word or delay fulfilling it. Rather a righteous man is gracious and gives without his vowing. [It is hence forbidden to vow] except for when he calls out from distress. For then he should make a vow, like the matter that is written (Genesis 28:20), “And Jacob made a vow, saying, etc.” And likewise in the gathering together of the heads of the people - the Tribes of Israel: They should make vows to strengthen weakened hands. (It appears to me that his intention in that which he wrote, “to strengthen weakened hands,” is meaning to say that it energizes the rest of the people whose hands are weakened in the trait of volunteering, since they are not used to it. And through his vowing publicly in front of many people, their hearts are elevated to volunteer as well. And so is it written in I Chronicles 29:1-9, “King David said to the entire assemblage, etc. ‘I have prepared with all of my strength, etc. and who is going to make a freewill offering and devote himself today to the Lord?’ And the officers of the clans made freewill offerings, etc. The people rejoiced over the freewill offerings they made, for with a whole heart they made freewill offerings to the Lord; King David also rejoiced very much.”

איש כמתנת ידו כברכת ה' אלוקיך אשר נתן לך . The two letters כ in front of the words כמתנת, כברכת, are a reminder that when we give a gift we should never feel that what we are giving away was ours in the first place, and that we therefore are truly generous. Whatever is at our disposal was given to us by G–d. David expressed this idea already very forcefully when he said (Chronicles I 29,14): כי ממך הכל ומידך נתנו לך, “For everything is from You, and it is Your gift that we have given to You.” The Torah alludes to this by not writing מתנת ידך, but כמתנת ידך instead.

What cause does one have for pride? Perhaps his wealth? "The Lord impoverishes and enriches" (I Samuel 2:7). Perhaps his honor? It belongs to God, as it is written (I Chronicles 29:12), "Wealth and honor come from You." So how could one adorn himself with G-d's honor? And one who prides himself in his wisdom surely knows that God "takes away the speech of assured men and reasoning from the sages" (Job 12:20). Thus, all are equal before God, since with His anger He lowers the proud and when He wishes He raises the low. So humble yourself and G-d will raise you up!

All our sages agree that the Tabernacle was a microcosm of the macrocosm, that it reflected to the extent possible, structures and concepts and their development prevalent in the Celestial Regions, though those "structures" and concepts are, of course, abstract. Midrash Rabbah Terumah 33,4 commenting on Chronicles I 29,11: "Yours, O Lord are greatness, might, splendour, triumph, and majesty-- yes all that is in Heaven and earth," quotes Rabbi Berechyah; he sees this as proof that G–d transferred His residence to the Tabernacle. There is also a Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Pekudey which quotes Psalms 26,8: "O Lord, I love Your temple abode, the dwelling-place of Your glory," as proof that the residence of G–d on earth corresponds to the one He has in the Celestial Regions. Its construction was also a repetition of the process of creation. This is derived from the text of the Bible in Genesis 1,1: "At the beginning G–d created the heaven and the earth," whereas we read in Psalms 104,2: "You spread the heavens like a tent cloth." The Tabernacle was also covered by tent cloth as per Exodus 26,1: "You shall make the Tabernacle from ten strips of tent cloth." When describing what happened on the second day of creation, the Torah speaks about a firmament which is to separate the "upper" waters from the "lower" waters (Genesis 1,6), whereas when giving the instructions for building the Tabernacle the Torah directs that the "curtain shall divide between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies" (Exodus 26,33). The Torah, relating the work G–d performed on the third day of creation, mentions that the waters are to be gathered into one area (Genesis 1,9), whereas during the construction of the Tabernacle the Torah commands the construction of a copper basin into which all the water is to be poured (Exodus 30,18). On the fourth day of creation the Torah reports the construction of the great luminaries (Genesis 1,14), whereas the Torah commands the construction of a lampstand as part of the furnishings of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25,31). On the fifth day of creation G–d created the birds, etc. (Genesis 1,20), whereas in the Tabernacle the Torah commands that the cherubs on the lid of the Holy Ark be equipped with wings, bird-like (Exodus 25,20). Sacrifices of birds are also prescribed to be offered up in the Tabernacle. On the sixth day of creation G–d created man in His own image to reflect the glory of his Creator (Genesis 1,27), whereas in the Tabernacle a human being, the High Priest, was to be anointed and consecrated to parallel in this microcosm the function of man in the macrocosm in this microcosm. On the seventh day of creation, the universe is described as having been completed (Genesis 2,1); we find a similar expression when the Torah describes the construction of the Tabernacle as having been completed (Exodus 39,32). When the universe was completed G–d blessed it (Genesis 1,28-2,3), whereas when the Tabernacle was completed Moses blessed it (Exodus 39,43). When the universe was completed the Torah uses the term ויכל to describe the completion (Genesis 2,2); when the Tabernacle was completed the Torah uses the same expression (Exodus 40,33 and Numbers 7,1). When the universe was completed G–d sanctified it (Genesis 2,3); when the construction of the Tabernacle was completed the Torah also relates that Moses anointed and sanctified it (Numbers 7,1).

For seven reasons should a man repent early while still in his youth when his power is strong. The first is that the labor needed to acquire Torah and reverence for God and all qualities that a man must possess is exceedingly great. And concerning this it is said, "The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea" (Job 11:9). And, "The day is short" (Aboth 2:20). For this world is a very short day. "Like a shadow are our days upon the earth" (I Chron. 29:15). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Not like the shadow of a wall and not like the shadow of a tree, but like the shadow of a bird in flight" (Gen. Rabbah 96:2). And as to the expression, "And the workers are lazy" (Aboth 2:20), this refers to a man who has within him the quality of laziness.

When Joshua was about to conquer the land of Israel, he sent out two spies who, due to their lofty spiritual level, overcame and humbled the two "harlots" mentioned by the Zohar. Once the Holy Temple was built in the days of King Solomon, when the fortunes of the Jewish people were at their peak [the 15th generation after Abraham. Ed.], these two "harlots" were defeated absolutely, and this is one of the reasons Solomon is described as sitting "on the throne of G–d" (Chronicles I 29,23). This is the mystical dimension of the two נשים זונות, harlots, who approached him, each claiming that the surviving baby was hers (Kings I 3,16-27). The above is all based on the Zohar, and elaborated on in the book קול בוכים.

Abraham had known for five years, ever since G–d had concluded the ברית בין הבתרים with him, that the land of Canaan was the Holy Land, and that since G–d had promised that land to him and to his descendants it must be a land in which קדושה resides. Basically, what he had come to appreciate was that holiness is not something totally abstract, but that a country which at first glance seems no different from any other country can still be the repository of holiness, sanctity. This is the reason Rabbi Yitzchak in his parable has the wanderer, i.e. Abraham, refer to that town as one that is ablaze. He means that it is lit up by the presence of G–d's spiritual force. Abraham, however, desired to acquire further spiritual insights without success. The reason Abraham failed to make further spiritual progress was that ארץ ישראל is under the immediate, direct control of G–d. Abraham's knowledge on the other hand, was restricted to cosmic forces which act as G–d's agents. They do not lead to the perception of the Essence of G–d, nor to the awareness that there are areas in this universe in which ordinary cosmic forces do not operate.

Bamidbar Rabbah 1,9, on Numbers 1,1, שאו את ראש, says that G–d said to Israel: "I have not liked any other creature more than you, that is why I have 'raised' your head high." I have made you similar to Me. Just as My "head" is high, as stated in Chronicles I 29,11: והמתנשא לכל ראש, "so your head is high," as stated in Psalms 148,14: "He has exalted the horn of His people."

I have used this approach to explain why the Manna did not have the taste of cucumbers and melons, etc. as in Numbers 11,5. The Talmud in Yuma 75, and the Sifri on that verse explain that these fruits were harmful to nursing mothers. Since the Rabbis are on record stating that the Manna was capable of assuming any taste a person wanted, we must ask whether nursing mothers are not included in the definition of כל אדם, i.e. anybody? The real reason then is that in its primordial state the Manna was capable of assuming any taste. This potential was activated by the thoughts of the person about to consume it. Because of the fact that at least a minute amount of the other possible tastes would have been present at all times, and this could have had harmful effects on nursing mothers, G–d already had to exclude the taste of cucumbers, etc. from the primordial potential, i.e. כח היולי, of the Manna. Since we have stated that the total potential reposing in each of the seven days of Creation was used on subsequent days to further the creative activity on such day, we have 7 times 7=49 such potentials. By adding the primordial potential of all these individual potentials we get 50. When you consider the individual potentials of the various acts of Creation and combine them with more generalised potentials you will get a total of fifty. Rashi on Genesis 1,14, already tells us that on the first day of Creation, everything was created in כח, in its potential, though it was not actualised, i.e. did not become functional until the day the Torah reports about it in detail. Similarly, the last day of Creation, i.e. the Sabbath, combined all the potential creative forces within it. This is why the Sabbath is also called "week," seeing it comprises all the elements that make up the week. We therefore have five days of creative activity left, each one of which comprised 7 of the potentials (known as שערי בינה) mentioned previously. This gives you 35. By adding a small part of the three "general potentials" to each of these five intermediate days, i.e. the general potential of the first day, the Sabbath, and the primordial כח היולי, you will get a total of fifty. In this fashion we arrive at a different aspect of the relationship between the spiritual and the physical, i. e. the relationship of "five" and "ten" respectively. Five multiplied by ten makes fifty. This is a very ancient allusion to the ספירות, emanations of יסוד, the lowest of the emanations of the world of יצירה, and the emanation מלכות, the world of עשיה, respectively. The verse in which this is alluded to is Chronicles I 29,11, לך ה' הגדולה, הגבורה, והתפארת, והנצח, וההוד. "Yours O Lord are the greatness, might, splendour, triumph and majesty, yes, all this is in Heaven and on earth." Every one of these five (emanations) is made up of ten aspects, so that between them they total the fifty שערי בינה. This is supported by the end of the verse כי כל בשמים ובארץ. According to the Pardes Rimonim, this is a clear allusion to the "lowest" two ספירות. The word כל has a numerical value of fifty, and as such alludes to those fifty שערי בינה that between them account for all the potentials that exist. This is also the mystical dimension of the letter ה in the word “הששי,” in Genesis 1,31. It alludes to the seven times 7 days plus the כולל, general potential, which combined makes 50. The number 50 must be understood as five times 10, i.e. with the creation of the Sabbath, the material world, עולם הזה, had, so to speak been stamped with the seal of the spiritual world, the עולם הבא.

In G–d's Master Plan the timetable for such developments has been recorded. If the Jewish people proceed irrespective of G–d's timetable, then they are liable for any damage which their sparks cause. If they act in accordance with G–d's timetable, they are not liable for damage inflicted on Esau. When the storekeeper placed his Chanukah lights at the side of the road on Chanukah, he had complied with G–d's timetable for the emission of such "sparks," hence Rabbi Yehudah holds that he is not liable for any damage inflicted on the flax. Jewish history has known periods when some people tried to hasten the arrival of the Messiah. The first time this occurred was when members of the tribe of Ephrayim (misreading G–d's timetable 30 years before the Exodus) rebelled, left Egypt and attacked the Philistines in d,. According to our tradition this resulted in the death of 200,000 of their number. (cf. Chronicles I 7,21. Zavad and his brother Shutelach are assumed to have been the leaders of that ill fated expedition. More about this in Sanhedrin 92). The metaphor of the camel laden with flax passing the "merchant's store" with a light lit before it, is an allusion to Esau passing G–d's Temple endangering it with hazardous material. G–d is the "merchant" in the Midrash. [He is perceived as extending credit to man and recording the amount of credit extended. Man repays by performing the מצות in the Torah. Ed] The store is a metaphor for the ארבע אמות של הלכה, the four cubits of Halachah that G–d claims on earth in our days. According to Berachot 8, this is all that G–d "owns" in our world since the day the Temple was destroyed. The site of these four cubits is where the Temple used to stand, seeing G–d loves the gates of Zion as we know from Psalms 87,2 and Berachot 8a. The Temple has been referred to as בירה, the same word used for the conflagration caused by the fire described in Talmud Baba Kama 62, when the burning flax sets fire to the building of the merchant i.e. G–d's Temple (in an example where the animal was so overloaded that part of the flax crossed the threshold of the store). In that example, the owner of the camel is liable.