"The voice of my Beloved, behold, He is coming!" Klal Yisrael was surprised when the redemption arrived before the end of four hundred years. "My beloved resembles a gazelle." He hastened to come like a gazelle that jumps down from the heights. "Behold he is standing." I had thought that I would remain captive. But He let me know that He was standing and peering through the windows of Heaven. As it says, "I have seen the affliction of My people" (Shemot 3:7). "Rise up, and go forth." Prepare yourself. 'Let each man ask (for gold and silver vessels) from his neighbor." (Shemot 11:12). "For the winter has passed."� "The blossoms have appeared in the land." Behold Moshe and Aharon are there for you, for all of your needs. "The time of singing has arrived." For you are destined to recite a song at the sea (Shir HaShirim 2:8-12 with Rashi's commentary).
Bo
Reb Shlomo Minyan HarNof
(R. Raphael, email: [email protected])
Song Of Songs - The Baal Hatanya's Melody Of Redemption (Baal Hatanya On Shir Hashirim 15:3)
"My beloved is like a hart" (Shir HaShirim 2:9) The rabbis said that just as the gazelle looks over his shoulder, above, Hashem, so to speak, turns to look back. What this represents is that Hashem sometimes relates to us from His Simple will which is above Chochmah and even above "He Who knows with a knowledge that is unknowable." From that place of uncomplicated love for Yisrael He reaches all the way down to physicality in order to redeem us. This way of relating to Yisrael, is represented in tefillin, which sits above the head, hovering outside and above the mind, its straps descending straight down through all the levels.
Tefillin and tzitzit and all the mitzvot which are fulfilled by doing even without understanding, come from this place of Hashem's Simple Will. The Pesach of leaving Mitzrayim shares this aspect because Hashem jumped over all the levels of merit and judgment in order to take us out from there. Yisrael in Mitzrayim was not fitting for redemption. Mitzrayim was the ultimate degradation, and the Jewish people were incapable of "an arousal from below." Hashem, so to speak, did everything Himself without any merit on our part - He had to forego our beginning the process. But afterwards He said, "Rise up and go forth" (Shir HaShirim 2:10).
This is the counting of Sefirat HaOmer, day after day, purifying the middot, character traits, preparing a vessel for receiving the Torah on Shavuot. The Torah, although it also originates from Hashem's Simple Will, is only given after a pure vessel has been prepared - when the revelation can descend according to the order of the worlds without the need to skip over. The revelation of Torah is face to face - the aspect of our seeking out Hashem through purifying ourselves - the preparation of Sefirat HaOmer enabling us to "face" Hashem from below. But in Mitzrayim where there was no time for "the dough to rise" because of our enslavement, we were "poor." We received without giving, which is the aspect of matzah, "poor bread." In contrast to this, on Shavuot, commemorating the giving of Torah, we bring two challah breads on the altar (representing the "equal" contribution from both above and below).
And in the future redemption it will be in the aspect of Hashem's "skipping over" as it was when we were redeemed from Mitzrayim. Hashem will once again reveal to us wonders.
Looking into the Deep SECRETS OF TORAH
"Come to Paroh." The Kotzker Rebbe explains briefly, that Hashem is everywhere even in wicked Paroh's palace. Thus He told Moshe, "Come to Me there."
This notion of filling all places with His presence was also the subject of the Peshezetznah Rebbe's words on Parashat Bo. The Peshzetzkah Rebbe, also know as the Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto, said the following drashah to his congregation before all but a handful of souls were wiped out. His writings were discovered in a secret hiding place after the war. His drashot allude to their dire situation in the Ghetto bringing the Holy Torah far, far down to the reality of their tortured existence.
"And Hashem spoke in the land of Mitzrayim" (Shemot 12:1) Rashi says that Hashem spoke to Moshe outside of the city. Why does Rashi need to say this? If a simple tefillah should not be said in a place where there is idolatry, how much more so speaking to Hashem in prophecy. But the following question arises. Moshe does at times speak to Hashem in Paroh's palace. Why did the rule not apply there? We might answer that the rule only applied when Moshe was praying or receiving commandments, but where the matter involved punishment of Paroh or redemption of Yisrael there was no need for this - every time and place was appropriate. But why then does the pasuk go and add the obvious information that Hashem was speaking with Moshe "in the land of Mitzrayim"? We know that. And why does Rashi tell us that Hashem spoke to Moshe outside the city specifically there in Mitzrayim?
"Her husband is known at the gates (openings)" (Mishlei 31:23). It's brought in the Zohar that this pasuk is hinting at how we need to relate to Hashem: that we know and cleave to Hashem according to the openness of our heart - that is, the faith of the individual, his fear and love of Hashem. Even if his fear is merely that he dreads Hashem's punishment or loves in order to receive reward, he also merits a revelation of Hashem. How much more so the one who fears and loves only Hashem in all ways. He experiences a revelation that is much greater, even if it is not that of the prophet. As it says about Daniel that he alone saw the revelation and the people around him didn't see but a great trembling fell upon them. Thus, each of us according to how we prepare ourselves in our faith, merits the revelation of Torah.
This is true of our comprehension in both the revealed and hidden parts of Torah. Thus when a person learns a page of Gamora also there he has to strive to come to the mystery of the Torah. As the Meor VeShemesh says, the secrets of the Torah is not the same thing as learning the Kaballah. Because kabbalistic ideas are there in the books. They are not hidden and everyone who wants can read them. But this is not called entering into the mystery of Torah. The real mystery of Torah is the secret of our private relationship with Hashem - our faith, our love and fear of Him. This is the real secret because no one can really show another person how he needs to do this. Each of us is left to grapple honestly within himself as to whether his learning is bringing him closer to Hashem.
Each of us needs to look inside in order to know precisely where he is. This is the only way we can come to hear the Torah we need to hear. Otherwise we will be fooling ourselves with our learning. This is like the pasuk in Shalach when the Jews asked themselves, "Is Hashem among us or not?" and afterwards they were attacked by Amalek. Because sometimes even when a person studies Torah he is not learning in a way that brings him close to Hashem and he needs to recognize this. Or again, the midrash says that Amalek came because Moshe's hands were weak in Torah. The understanding of the midrash is that even though he learned, his Torah didn't reach the aspect of hand, like it says in the Tractate Okatzim, stems, "the stem is like a hand that is attached to the fruit," that a person must be like the tree. He must reach to make sure he grasps the fruit, that he is really connected.
The Torah has the power to reach a person wherever he is. The example is given of someone who is great in Torah and gives a drashah for a congregation of more than ten. Then the Shechinah is present - Hashem rests his presence below. There is a special revelation of Torah for the sake of those that are listening to the chacham. In such a case even though the rav is attached to the higher source of Torah, the presence of those he teaches allows him to give it a unique expression, bringing the Torah down so that his listeners will understand on their level. This gives the rav a new understanding of Torah and there is a further revelation when his students say over the rav's Torah. It is true as well if the rav, Gd forbid, passes away. When his students say over his Torah, his lips move in the grave.
Even in Mitzrayim, where Hashem's presence was so greatly veiled because of the impurity brought about by that place, Hashem spoke to Moshe for the sake of Yisrael. "And Hashem said in the land of Mitzrayim." Even outside of the city he nevertheless spoke to them in order to tell them the command of the tenth (the congregation of Yisrael), "to take" (to where they were) and so on. The commandment that was given, was only relevant for that Pesach and not for the generations. But because Yirael needed this command there in Mitrayim, Hashem reached down for their sake. This is why Hashem spoke to them there because the one who draws down the revelation of the rav according to his level.
The Way of Paroh. (Rabbeinu Bachya on Shemot 10:3)
"How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?" (Shemot 10:3). What does Hashem ask of man? That he submit himself to Hashem, as the prophet says, "I will gaze to the one who is poor and broken-hearted and trembles at My words" (Yeshiyahu 66:2).
Paroh represents a person who lives his life, locked in himself, filled with pride. Hashem punishes him by adding to his self-regard closing him off from reality altogether, which eventually brings about his downfall.
This is like Nebuchadnetzer, ruler of Bavel, who was deceived by the inticements of his power to the point of making himself like a god. The result of his sin was that he fell from the level of man to the level of the beasts, eating grass for seven years. Submission and lowliness are the antidote for pride.
Let Me Have The Honesty To Know
A lot of the time we think, If we could see clearly for a moment that Hashem runs the world, we would remember Him in everything we do. So why does Hashem prefer to work in hidden ways, remaining "invisible?" And why is it so difficult to recognize this way of giving?
Consider this. We are always receiving from others: family, friends, "strangers." But we have difficulty recognizing the good they do for us. Much of the time their help seems trivial. We complain to ourselves that we are not getting the appreciation we need and so we neglect to acknowledge, even to ourselves, what others are giving. We are fooled by our needy emotions. We so much need to receive that we can't see that someone is doing anything special when they give to us. By doing this we rob ourselves of the pleasurable and affirming experience of receiving. Thus, not only is Hashem invisible to us but we make our friends and family invisible as well.
If we strip away our self-centeredness, the truth is that we are only able to survive in this world because of others' acts of kindness. Somehow we only appreciate this when, Gd forbid, something disrupts our life, when we feel that we literally can no longer make it. Then someone's outstretched hand suddenly feels amazingly warm and reassuring.
We have already had tremendous kindness revealed to us. That is not really our problem. The problem is remembering to appreciate it. Our hakarat hatov, acknowledging the goodness that is bestowed, is crowded out by looking at what we do not yet have, the things we still need. And when will we finally have these things? The Talmud says so truthfully that a man never receives half of his desires in this world. That means if we wait to receive what we "really want" we may never come to recognizing the good already received. Our feelings of deprivation make us yearn for redemption, for the Heavenly release from the bondage of a "corrupt world," but we have the keys of a more humble redemption already before us.
There is something very gratifying about the realization that so many people have given to us. Part of being able to do this is making a time to step out of the crushing demands of keeping our lives going. If we can get advice on how to do this or if we can just take the time to let others know that it's hard for us to show appreciation, that in itself is a big step. Hashem doesn't want to hear us speak falsely. We can tell Him how hard it is for us to see the good we have received. We can ask for Him to help us see it. If we can start with this it can open up a deep well inside of us. It can make us appreciate Hashem's real concern for us.
Torah into Prayer - Kedushat Levi
"Today you are going out in the month of Aviv." We need to consider that Hashem chose only Klal Yisrael from all the nations. Therefore we are not permitted to say anything bad about Yisrael but only to seek their merit. As it says about Mordichai, "He sought out the good of his people." And Mordechai is gematria "rav chesed," great good. Hashem chose us for great good and this is connected to the whole idea of raising up the sparks of holiness from where they've fallen to.
There's an argument in the Gamora between Rebbe Eliezer and Rebbe Yehoshua. One says the future redemption will be in Nissan the other says it will come in Tishrei. Tishrei hints that we will be redeemed even according to din, judgment. That we will all be serving Hashem. But if, Gd forbid, we don't merit in din, then the redemption will come in Nissan, which hints at rachamim. Then, even if Yisrael is on the lowest level and not fitting for redemption, nevertheless from Hashem's great mercy and kindness He will redeem us. And that's what it means: "Hashem said to Moshe, Speak to the people today 'You are going out in the month of Aviv.'" Even though we were not fitting for redemption still Hashem took us out. And if Hashem desires from all of His mercy He will redeem us soon even though we are not fitting. Amen. Today!
At A Glance