Musar su I Samuele 2:41

turning aside from wisdom and the service of the Lord, because of what appears to be the remoteness of the delight and pleasurableness of these things. Verily, in their opinion, these are remote. Yet these are not remote, but near at hand. They are remote only in their mind. Therefore man must devote this quality of love to God, exalted may He be, as it is written (Deut. xi. I), "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God"; and to his soul, as it is written (I Sam. xx. 17), "For he loved him as he loved his own soul"; to his relatives, as it is written (Gen. xxix. 18), "And Jacob loved Rachel"; to his offspring, as it is written (id., xxxvii. 3), "Israel loved Joseph"; to his country, as it is written (Num. x. 30), "But I will depart to my own land and to my kindred"; to his companion, as spake David to Jonathan (II Sam. i. 26), "Very pleasant hast thou been unto me" ; to his wife (Prov. v. 19), "Let her be as the loving hind and the pleasant roe"; to wisdom, as it is written (Prov. xxix. 3), "The man that loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father."

One pillar is the good and the pure heart, for when a man is good to his fellow man, he is good with God, and he will be good with people generally as Scripture says (1 Samuel, 2:26), “And he increased in favor both with the Lord, and also with men.”

It is known what is written in Sefer Chasidim, that a mitzvah that has no "patrons" is like a meth mitzvah (see Part One, Conclusion, Chapter III). And that mitzvah accuses and laments: "How unfortunate I am, that all have forgotten me!" And this applies to even an isolated mitzvah; how much more so, (as we have demonstrated to the reader) to one that occupies a great portion of the Torah, that deals with exercising care with the faculty of speech. And it is understood, then, that when men are not careful of this, but unleash their tongues as they desire, a great part of the Torah lies in shame. How great is the reward of those who are heedful of this, not to transgress in this area. He honors these mitzvoth, and about him Scripture has written (I Samuel 2:30): "For those who honor Me, I shall honor."

The fourth quality is impudence. Know that the quality of impudence nullifies most of the worship of God, just as the prophet, Jeremiah, said (6:15), “They are not at all ashamed, neither know they how to blush.” For him who cannot be ashamed of his deeds before Him, the worship of God will not cleave to such a one, as Scripture says (1 Samuel 2:26), “And he increased favour both with the Lord and also with men.” Everyone who is modest before the Creator will be modest before every man. If this is so, then we can say that everyone who is impudent to men will also be impudent to the Creator. Therefore, every man must subdue his inclination to harbor this quality and remember the evil which exists in it. Let him be envious of the truly modest ones when he sees them or when he hears their praise on the tongue of every man. And if he wishes to remove this quality, let him accustom himself to humble his soul and be ashamed before all the children of man, and let him walk with bowed figure and with his eyes to the ground, and let him remember that impudence will destroy all of his service to God.

By following this approach we can also understand the Midrash in Eichah Rabbati, 2,6, on Lamentations 2,3: "He has cut down in blazing anger כל קרן ישראל, all the might of Israel." The Midrash comments that there are ten קרנות, i.e. "strongholds" termed Keren. Abraham is one such קרן; he is referred to in Isaiah 5,1, as כרם היה לידידי בקרן בן שמן, "My beloved had a vineyard on a fruitful hill." Isaac is also known as a קרן, in Genesis 22,13 נאחז בסבך בקרניו, "caught in the thicket by its horns." We find a reference to Joseph as קרן in Deut. 33,17 where his קרן is described as וקרני ראם קרניו וכו' "He has thorns like the horns of a wild ox." Moses is referred to as קרן in Exodus 34,29: כי קרן עור פניו, "for the skin of his face emitted rays (like a horn)." The Torah is also described as קרן, since we read in Chabakuk 3,4: קרנים מידו לו, "it gives off rays of light in every direction." Priesthood is referred to as קרן, in Psalms 112,9, קרנו תרום בכבוד, "his horn is exalted in honor." (Possibly the word כבוד, used here which is also used in connection with the garments of the High Priest, is the reason the Midrash interprets this verse as alluding to the priesthood.) The Levites collectively are referred to as קרן in Chronicles 1 25,5: כל אלה בנים להימן חוזה המלך בדברי האלוקים להרים קרן. [The chapter traces the genealogy of the tribe of Levi Ed.] Prophecy is called קרן, in Samuel I 2,6: רמה קרני בה'. (Hannah prophesies about Samuel's future). The Holy Temple is also described as קרן, as in Psalms 22,22: מקרני רמים עניתני. Israel itself is also described as קרן in Psalms 148,14: וירם קרן לעמו. Some people add that the קרן of the Messiah should also be included, per Samuel I 2,10: ויתן עוז למלכו, וירם קרן משיחו. The Midrash continues that all of these "horns" were placed on the heads of the Jewish people, but they forfeited them due to their sins. This is alluded to in the verse we quoted earlier from Lamentations 2,3 that in His blazing anger G–d cut down every קרן of Israel. These "horns" subsequently were given to the Gentile nations, as is written in Daniel 7,20: ועל קרניא עשר די בראשה ואחרי די סלקת ונפלו מן קדמיה. "About the ten horns which were on its head, and the other one which came and fell." In verse 24 of the same chapter Daniel speaks about ten kings and kingdoms arising from the fallen horns. Provided Israel repents, G–d will restore these horns to their rightful place viz. Psalms 75,11: "And I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up." This refers to the horns that the “Righteous One of the world,” i.e. G–d, had cut off. When is the time that He will restore them to their righful position? It is when G–d will raise the horn of His anointed: "He will raise the horn of His anointed" (Samuel I 2,10). Thus far the Midrash in Eychah Rabbati.

By following this approach we can also understand the Midrash in Eichah Rabbati, 2,6, on Lamentations 2,3: "He has cut down in blazing anger כל קרן ישראל, all the might of Israel." The Midrash comments that there are ten קרנות, i.e. "strongholds" termed Keren. Abraham is one such קרן; he is referred to in Isaiah 5,1, as כרם היה לידידי בקרן בן שמן, "My beloved had a vineyard on a fruitful hill." Isaac is also known as a קרן, in Genesis 22,13 נאחז בסבך בקרניו, "caught in the thicket by its horns." We find a reference to Joseph as קרן in Deut. 33,17 where his קרן is described as וקרני ראם קרניו וכו' "He has thorns like the horns of a wild ox." Moses is referred to as קרן in Exodus 34,29: כי קרן עור פניו, "for the skin of his face emitted rays (like a horn)." The Torah is also described as קרן, since we read in Chabakuk 3,4: קרנים מידו לו, "it gives off rays of light in every direction." Priesthood is referred to as קרן, in Psalms 112,9, קרנו תרום בכבוד, "his horn is exalted in honor." (Possibly the word כבוד, used here which is also used in connection with the garments of the High Priest, is the reason the Midrash interprets this verse as alluding to the priesthood.) The Levites collectively are referred to as קרן in Chronicles 1 25,5: כל אלה בנים להימן חוזה המלך בדברי האלוקים להרים קרן. [The chapter traces the genealogy of the tribe of Levi Ed.] Prophecy is called קרן, in Samuel I 2,6: רמה קרני בה'. (Hannah prophesies about Samuel's future). The Holy Temple is also described as קרן, as in Psalms 22,22: מקרני רמים עניתני. Israel itself is also described as קרן in Psalms 148,14: וירם קרן לעמו. Some people add that the קרן of the Messiah should also be included, per Samuel I 2,10: ויתן עוז למלכו, וירם קרן משיחו. The Midrash continues that all of these "horns" were placed on the heads of the Jewish people, but they forfeited them due to their sins. This is alluded to in the verse we quoted earlier from Lamentations 2,3 that in His blazing anger G–d cut down every קרן of Israel. These "horns" subsequently were given to the Gentile nations, as is written in Daniel 7,20: ועל קרניא עשר די בראשה ואחרי די סלקת ונפלו מן קדמיה. "About the ten horns which were on its head, and the other one which came and fell." In verse 24 of the same chapter Daniel speaks about ten kings and kingdoms arising from the fallen horns. Provided Israel repents, G–d will restore these horns to their rightful place viz. Psalms 75,11: "And I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up." This refers to the horns that the “Righteous One of the world,” i.e. G–d, had cut off. When is the time that He will restore them to their righful position? It is when G–d will raise the horn of His anointed: "He will raise the horn of His anointed" (Samuel I 2,10). Thus far the Midrash in Eychah Rabbati.

By following this approach we can also understand the Midrash in Eichah Rabbati, 2,6, on Lamentations 2,3: "He has cut down in blazing anger כל קרן ישראל, all the might of Israel." The Midrash comments that there are ten קרנות, i.e. "strongholds" termed Keren. Abraham is one such קרן; he is referred to in Isaiah 5,1, as כרם היה לידידי בקרן בן שמן, "My beloved had a vineyard on a fruitful hill." Isaac is also known as a קרן, in Genesis 22,13 נאחז בסבך בקרניו, "caught in the thicket by its horns." We find a reference to Joseph as קרן in Deut. 33,17 where his קרן is described as וקרני ראם קרניו וכו' "He has thorns like the horns of a wild ox." Moses is referred to as קרן in Exodus 34,29: כי קרן עור פניו, "for the skin of his face emitted rays (like a horn)." The Torah is also described as קרן, since we read in Chabakuk 3,4: קרנים מידו לו, "it gives off rays of light in every direction." Priesthood is referred to as קרן, in Psalms 112,9, קרנו תרום בכבוד, "his horn is exalted in honor." (Possibly the word כבוד, used here which is also used in connection with the garments of the High Priest, is the reason the Midrash interprets this verse as alluding to the priesthood.) The Levites collectively are referred to as קרן in Chronicles 1 25,5: כל אלה בנים להימן חוזה המלך בדברי האלוקים להרים קרן. [The chapter traces the genealogy of the tribe of Levi Ed.] Prophecy is called קרן, in Samuel I 2,6: רמה קרני בה'. (Hannah prophesies about Samuel's future). The Holy Temple is also described as קרן, as in Psalms 22,22: מקרני רמים עניתני. Israel itself is also described as קרן in Psalms 148,14: וירם קרן לעמו. Some people add that the קרן of the Messiah should also be included, per Samuel I 2,10: ויתן עוז למלכו, וירם קרן משיחו. The Midrash continues that all of these "horns" were placed on the heads of the Jewish people, but they forfeited them due to their sins. This is alluded to in the verse we quoted earlier from Lamentations 2,3 that in His blazing anger G–d cut down every קרן of Israel. These "horns" subsequently were given to the Gentile nations, as is written in Daniel 7,20: ועל קרניא עשר די בראשה ואחרי די סלקת ונפלו מן קדמיה. "About the ten horns which were on its head, and the other one which came and fell." In verse 24 of the same chapter Daniel speaks about ten kings and kingdoms arising from the fallen horns. Provided Israel repents, G–d will restore these horns to their rightful place viz. Psalms 75,11: "And I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up." This refers to the horns that the “Righteous One of the world,” i.e. G–d, had cut off. When is the time that He will restore them to their righful position? It is when G–d will raise the horn of His anointed: "He will raise the horn of His anointed" (Samuel I 2,10). Thus far the Midrash in Eychah Rabbati.

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!

When Israel sinned and as a result the Temple was destroyed, the שכינה went into exile with the Jewish people, seeing that it was a pledge G–d had entrusted to them. This is the mystical dimension of the verse: אלה פקודי המשכן, משכן העדות, "These are the "pledges" of the Tabernacle, the "pledges" of the "Testimony" (Exodus 38,21). This is the basis for the Rabbinic statement in Megillah 29 that Israel is beloved (by G–d) since wherever the people of Israel are exiled, the שכינה is exiled with them. When they were exiled to Egypt the שכינה was with them, as we know from Genesis 46,4, where G–d told Jacob: "I shall go down to Egypt with you." When the Jewish people went into exile in Babylonia the שכינה accompanied them, as we know from Isaiah 43,14: "For your sake I sent to Babylon." When Israel was exiled in Elam the שכינה accompanied them, as we know from Jeremiah 49,38: "I will set My throne in Elam." When the Jewish people went into the Roman exile the שכינה also went with them, as we know from Isaiah 63,1: "Who is this coming from Edom,…..it is I who contend victoriously, powerful to give triumph." When the people of Israel return to their land from exile the שכינה will also accompany them as we know from Deut. 23,35: ושב ה' אלוקיכם את שבותך ורחמך, "G–d will come back with your imprisoned ones and have mercy on you." We would have expected the Torah to say: והשיב, "He will bring back," instead of "He will come back." We also have a verse in Song of Songs 4,8: "With Me from Lebanon O bride, come with Me!" Rabbi Meir explains this as a parable: It is like a king saying to his servant "if you need to seek me out, I shall be with my son." This is the meaning of "who dwells with them in their defilement," which we have quoted earlier. All this although G–d had warned Israel not to defile their encampments or the land they would live on, for it is the land G–d Himself has His abode in.

They did not yet know that G–d was going to split the sea, save them and drown the Egyptian army in it. As a result of all this, they were beset by doubts as to whether it had been G–d or Moses who had orchestrated the Exodus. They thought that G–d perhaps had only wanted them to travel three days' journey into the desert, after which they were to return to Egypt, though not as slaves. They believed that Moses had over-stepped his authority and decided by himself that Israel should not return to Egypt at all. They believed that Moses had done so in the belief that G–d carries out the wishes of His prophets. This is why they cried out to G–d to demonstrate that He was a living G–d in their midst just as He had demonstrated this at the time He slew the first-born. They were angry at Moses, and this is why they accused him of taking them into the desert to die. The letter ה in the word המבלי, is one denoting a permanent question such as in הלבן מאה שנה יולד, "Can a hundred year-old man expect to sire children" (Genesis 17,17), or: הנגלה נגלתי "Was I in the habit of revealing Myself" (Samuel I 2,27)? The Israelites referred to their assumption that the שר של מצרים had been killed by basing themselves on their having seen the Egyptians bury their dead. They now doubted what their eyes had seen and implied that possibly the interment they believed they had witnessed did not prove that the first-born Egyptians were really in their graves. If so, instead of G–d having taken the Jews out of Egypt, "you Moses have taken us, לקחתנו, acquired us instead of G–d!" The word לקחתנו is used in contrast with G–d's והצלתי אתכם מעבודתם ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם. Those words had implied that Israel would be saved from the שר של מצרים who represented their deity i.e. עבודתם. When the children of Israel said: מה זאת עשית לנו, they merely paraphrased Pharaoh in 14,6 who had said: מה זאת עשינו כי שלחנו את ישראל מעבדנו. The word מעבדנו means that Pharaoh regretted allowing Israel to serve their own deity instead of that of the שר של מצרים.

But if he guards all three properly, namely, purity (temimut) of thought, examination, and trust - then he will walk securely in truth and no evil will befall him, as Chana said in her prophecy: "He will guard the feet of His pious ones" (Shmuel 2:9), and likewise David said: "He shall not forsake His pious ones; they will be guarded forever" (Tehilim 37:28).

That which will help greatly in acquiring Chasidut is great observation and much contemplation. For when a person contemplates much on G-d's great exaltedness, blessed be He, and His absolute perfection, and the immeasurably great distance between His greatness and our lowliness, he will be filled with fear and trembling before Him.

And when he contemplates G-d's great lovingkindness to us, His great love for the Jewish people, the closeness of the Just to Him, the virtue of Torah and mitzvot, and other similar investigations and studies, certainly, a powerful love will ignite within him, and he will choose and lust to cling to Him. For when he sees that the Creator, blessed be He, is literally (mamash) like a father to us, and has mercy on us as a father on his sons, there will then awaken within him a desire and longing to reciprocate back to Him, as a son to his father.

The mystical aspect of all this focuses on the line: ושפטו את העם משפט צדק … צדק צדק תרדוף. The active pursuit of צדק will be a direct result of the Courts handing down fair judgments. The reason the word צדק is repeated is because there is a צדק in our world and there is another צדק in the Celestial Regions. The first kind is generally known as דינא דמלכותא דינא, i.e. that the judgments pronounced in this world, though binding, represent the Divine name א-ד-נ-י, i.e. the letters in the word דינא rearranged. The צדק in the Celestial Regions is anchored in the emanation בינה from which דין/גבורה emanate. The צדק in our world is the mystical dimension of the earth. The צדק in the Celestial Regions is the mystical dimension of the World to Come. Both ארץ ישראל and עולם הבא are gifts G–d gave Israel on pain of sufferings, יסורים. All such יסורים originate in the emanation דין/גבורה. Whenever the Sanhedrin bases its judgments דין תורה, these result in יסורים, because Torah too is one of the three gifts we received from G–d which we acquire only by suffering some יסורים. When we now look at the words למען תחיה וירשת את הארץ in 16,20 we note that the promise of inheriting terrestrial ארץ ישראל is tied to the pursuit of צדק in this world, whereas acquisition of our share of the World to Come i.e. תחיה, is tied to the pursuit of צדק in the Celestial Spheres. By administering דין תורה we become able to obtain all these three great gifts G–d has bestowed on the Jewish people. The Sanhedrin is instructed by the Torah to hand down verdicts which are called משפט צדק. We are aware that משפט originates in the emanation תפארת, and that the combination of משפט and צדק is equivalent to a merging of the emanations תפארת and מלכות. What all this means in layman's language is that the Sanhedrin is to temper justice with mercy, דין with רחמים. This is accomplished when the judges try to arrive at some kind of compromise between the litigants. If they succeed in doing this they perform משפט and do not need to be תטה משפט, i.e. lean towards strict justice (rather than merely משפט). When they have done this they lean towards the attribute of חסד, and we have a tradition that G–d Himself is מטה כלפי חסד, inclines towards the attribute of Kindness. This means that two different attributes or emanations respectively are involved in arriving at the preferable resolution of disagreements. When the Torah legislates that the testimony of no fewer than two witnesses is required, this may symbolise that two different concepts are at work when deciding the outcome of litigation. Some of our Kabbalists said that the reason G–d is called א-ל דעות ה' (Samuel I 2,3), is that the word דעות is an allusion to עדות, testimony, the letters in both words being identical. It is a hint that two considerations are active when legal decisions are made. This matter is explained in detail in Pardes Rimonim in the chapter called אם אין סוף הוא הכתר. ולא יקום עד אחד באיש . "One witness shall not arise and testify against a man" (19,15). The Sifri interprets the word באיש to mean that if a single witness testifies that the husband of a woman has died and there is no corroborating evidence, it is sufficient to enable the widow to remarry.

The statement in 21,19, רק שבתו יתן, suggests that there will be a long interval, i.e. שבת, before such a killer will be finally rehabilitated. In the distant future, קרח, the third re-incarnation, will arise, as prophesied by Hannah in Samuel I, 2,6, when she said concerning him "G–d kills and revives, lowers to she-ol and raises up." השם ממית ומחיה, מוריד שאול ויעל. Another hint of this may be seen in the verse צדיק כתמר יפרח (Psalms 92,13). Using the final letters of these three words, you find that they spell קרח. This too is the meaning here of ורפא ירפא (i.e. he will be rehabilitated).

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).

Another puzzling statement is the reference to "Jacob the small one," "Samuel the small one", "David the small one," in that order. We are forced to assume that the prophet Samuel is meant here so as to justify the order in which the names are listed. Some people say that the reason Samuel is referred to as the "small" one is, because his mother made a "small" robe for him when he was a little boy (Samuel I 2,19). This surely is a very forced explanation.

When the Talmud in Sanhedrin 108, debates whether Korach and family will be resurrected when the time comes, the expression עדת קרח used there does not include these two hundred and fifty men. They will certainly qualify for resurrection, seeing theirs had been a noble intention. We can deduce this also from the wording in the Mishnah there which reads: עדת קרח אינה עתידה לעלות, which is proven from the verse: ותכס עליהם הארץ, "the earth covered them," an expression of finality (which clearly refers only to those who were swallowed by the earth).

We have several sources for our statement that the גלוי ספירות, the revelation of aspects of the ten emanations begins only with the emanation חכמה downwards.

Before going into the symbolics of that cruse of pure, uncontaminated olive oil, let me review a statement by our sages in Megillah 14a dealing with Samuel I 2,1: רמה קרני, "He raised my horn." The Talmud points out that when Chanah gave thanks to G–d for having raised her קרן (granted her a son, Samuel), she deliberately did not use the expression פכי, my cruse, [another word for a container for oil for anointing]. Her reason for this was that whereas the dynasty of all the Jewish kings who were anointed from a קרן, horn, endured, all those who were anointed from a פך, found that their dynasty did not continue for long. King Saul and King Yehu are examples of kings who were anointed from a פך. David and Solomon, were anointed from a קרן, horn, containing the שמן המשחה, special oil for anointing the Priests or kings. Another important statement by our sages which contributes much to our understanding of the mystique of the Chanukah lights is the statement that the ox offered as a sacrifice by Adam had only one קרן, horn, on its forehead (Shabbat 28b).