Man and the Elements

The Degel Machaneh Efraim writes an interesting explanation of the first pasuk in the Torah in the beginning of his sefer. Generally, we read “בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים וכו'” to mean that in the beginning, Hashem (“Elokim”) created the Heavens and the Earth. But peshat is really as follows: In the beginning, Hashem created the concept we know as “Elokim.” Elokim is the way Hashem is perceived as the Overseer of the natural world. In fact, אלקים has the same gematria as הטבע.

Now, another important point to note is that Targum Yonasan explains that Hashem created the world “בחכמתא”, with wisdom. That is to say that Hashem created the טבע with חכמה. “מה רבו מעשיך ה' כולם בחכמה עשית”. Now, we strive to emulate Hashem. This means that we can create a new טבע. How? With חכמה. What is חכמה? Torah. “עדות ה' נאמנה מחכימת פתי”. So with Torah we can change the nature of the world around us. For example, if someone is naturally an angry person, through Torah he can change his middos to be better. He can create a new טבע for himself.

(See Yismach Yisrael from the Alexander Rebbe on Mattos.)

This reminded me of the Imrei Elimelech on Balak. The Torah says, “לא איש א-ל ויכזב ובן אדם ויתנחם ההוא אמר ולא יעשה ודבר ולא יקימנה”. Reb Elimech brings down from the heilege Kozhnitzer in Avodas Yisrael on “עושה שלום במרומיו”. Even though Michael and Gavriel, who represent chesed and gevurah repectively, are seemingly polar opposites, and so too the four elements (fire, water, wind, and earth) even though they combat with each other, when they look at their source, the Ribbono Shel Olam, they all become nothing before Him. Through this, shalom is brought between these opposing forces.

There exists in man the power of the four elements. Now, when man recognizes the source of all existence is Hashem, then he brings all opposing forces together in a united state of self-annulment before the Borei Olam. So what does the pasuk quoted above mean? “איש” is the same gematria as “אמר"ע” (אש, מים, רוח, עפר). So, “לא איש”, when we get rid of the idea of “איש” and are mevatel ourselves entirely before Hashem, and reveal the Kevod Hashem by uniting the multiple components of our beings in nothing before Hashem, then we are left with “א-ל”, the Divine Revelation that is a by-product of this.   

Rebbe Nachman: אעירה שחר

This is also something I looked up for a chabura. I just summed up one of the points here, there is much more if you look it up inside. 

תהלים פרק נז

(ח) נָכוֹן לִבִּי אֱלֹהִים נָכוֹן לִבִּי אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמֵּרָה:

(ט) עוּרָה כְבוֹדִי עוּרָה הַנֵּבֶל וְכִנּוֹר אָעִירָה שָּׁחַר:

(י) אוֹדְךָ בָעַמִּים אֲדֹנָי אֲזַמֶּרְךָ בַּל אֻמִּים:

רש"י תהלים פרק נז

(ח) נכון לבי אלהים נכון לבי - נאמן עמך במדת הדין ונאמן עמך במדת הרחמים:

(ט) עורה כבודי - ולא אישן עד שלש שעות בכבודי כשאר מלכים:

עורה הנבל וכנור - העירה אותי אתה הנבל וכנור התלוי על מטתי פתוח לצד הצפון וכיון שמגיע חצות לילה רוח צפונית מנשבת בו ודוד עומד ועוסק בתורה:

אעירה שחר - אני מעורר את השחר ואין השחר מעוררני:

First of all, this last line bolded in Rashi comes up in the beginning of Shulchan Aruch. It's a very important lesson in Avodas Hashem. But based on the pasuk itself of "עורה כבודי", Rebbe Nachman says in Likutei Halachos (1:1:4)  that one has to “wake up” from his “sleep” in Avodas Hashem, and realize his good points, even if he has done much bad. One can't let himslef be bogged down by past misdeeds, thereby allowing himself to fall into a spiritual slumber. A person has to arouse himself, and raise himself up into the “light” (shachar).

Rav Kook on Modeh Ani

         

ffThis is my own loose translation/paraphrase from Olas Re'iah, Rav Kook's commentary on the siddur, for a chabura that I gave to some campers. Like much of Rav Kook's writings on things like this, a literal translation sounds a bit funky, and it was not my intent that any deeper idea be explained in the translation, only from the discussion to follow its reading. Nor was it my intent to make any mistakes should you find any. But I thought it might be interesting anyway so here it is (not on the whole thing, only the beginning and end):

    

What are we saying in Modeh Ani? 

o   When man arises in the morning, and he first encounters the light of life, there is a supernal joy in the Heavenly secrets of existence, which is expressed in the “hoda’a” of Modeh Ani. The word “modeh” itself can be understood in two ways. It can be seen as related to the word “todah”, which comes from a feeling of hakaras hatov. Alternatively, it can be understood in the sense of “hisvadus ve’hoda’a,” admittance, being modeh al ha’emes.

o   The Divine Life Light that man finds within himself, which fill him with a feeling of gratitude to Hashem, is the means by which man find himself. For the truth of the matter is, when man sees himself within the created universe, what is he worth? With this realization, one would lose all sense of self! However, with this “Divine Life Light,” man can come to see himself and his own worth in this world. And it is upon this self-realization upon encountering the Divine within and around him that man can say “ani.”

o   The first light of holiness is the purest, and this comes to a person when he prepares his soul to receive this light immediately upon awaking and encountering Life for the first time that day. When one does this, the Divine will be clearly before him in all of life. And so, out of a great love and connection that is felt to Hashem, from this sense of being before him always, one says “lefanecha.”

·         

 "Rabbah Emunasecha": Hashem’s emunah in us

Emunah Elokis is what decrees what role each force in the world has to play and that they do it in all earnest. The light of this Divine Faith shines on the different things in this world in giving to them a special purpose, which in effect acts to fix. These jobs break down the doer’s original form to produce a more wondrous being. 

Curtains On A Chelonian

I think this is interesting. What can we learn from this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/science/death-of-lonesome-george-the-tortoise-gives-extinction-a-face.html?ref=earth

The Missing Chapter of Torah

Last night I heard something great from Rav Yitzchok Cohen שליט״א, one of the roshei yeshiva in YU. We know that Mesilas Yesharim is based on a statement of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair in Avodah Zarah which takes up only a few lines:

מכאן אמר רבי פינחס בן יאיר: ''תורה מביאה לידי זהירות, זהירות מביאה לידי זריזות, זריזות מביאה לידי נקיות, נקיות מביאה לידי פרישות, פרישות מביאה לידי טהרה, טהרה מביאה לידי חסידות, חסידות מביאה לידי ענוה, ענוה מביאה לידי יראת חטא, יראת חטא מביאה לידי קדושה, קדושה מביאה לידי רוח הקדש, רוח הקדש מביאה לידי תחית המתים

So the question is, if Torah is the first step in this list of middos which comprise the chapters of Mesilas Yesharim, why doesn't it have it's own chapter?

So the truth is that Torah cannot be contained in its own chapter. It's all encompassing. It is in all the other middos. It had to be in all that we do.

A Chukas Story: הקב״ה זאקט ניין

I heard this story this past Shabbos from a heilege rebbe.

Reb Leibele Eiger was once in Kotzk, if I recall correctly, for Yom Kippur. He was told it would be amazing, so he went. At a certain point of davening on the day of Yom Kippur the chassidim said that they were going to break for kiddush. Poor Reb Leibele thought this was all a bad joke. But when he saw the chassidim rearranging the table and bringing out the shot glasses he was mamash beside himself. He exclaimed that Yom Kippur is a fast day, Shulchan Aruch says it's assur to eat or drink! But they simply replied that the kiddush would a real mechayeh, he'll see for himself.

Reb Leibele started quoted a list of sources for the prohibition of breaking the fast in desperation to stop the insanity. He would through Gemaras, rishonim, achronim, etc. But it was all to no avail. He even thought to himself, these chassidim are kabbalistic, and tried quoting the Zohar and other holy sfarim. But the chassidim just kept going with their kiddush preparations. Finally, at the last moment when they brought the shotglasses up to their lips, in desperation Reb Leibele cried out "Hakadosh Baruch Hu zukt nein!" Hakadosh Baruch Hu said no!

The chassidim put down their glasses and said to Reb Leibele, now you get it. It's not that the Gemara or Shulchan Aruch said no, mamash not. We have to realize that it's only ever because the Ribbono Shel Olam said either yes or no!

Korach- Emunah and Ma'aseh

 וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י וְדָתָ֨ן וַאֲבִירָ֜ם בְּנֵ֧י אֱלִיאָ֛ב וְא֥וֹן בֶּן־פֶּ֖לֶת בְּנֵ֥י רְאוּבֵֽן׃

רש''י: ויקח קרח. פרשה זו יפה נדרשת במדרש רבי תנחומא: ויקח קרח... באו ועמדו לפני משה. אמרו לו טלית שכלה של תכלת חיבת בציצית או פטורה. אמר להם חיבת. התחילו לשחק עליו,  אפשר טלית של מין אחר חוט אחד של תכלת פוטרה, זו שכלה תכלת לא תפטור את עצמה 

Rav Shlomo Zevin explains a deep yesod from this. Emunah in Hashem and performing mitzvos are not two separate things. They are meant to go hand in hand with each other. We see the Gemara in Berachos (13a) explains, why does “שמע” precede “והי'ה אם שמוע”? In order so that one should first be mekabel ol malchus Shomayim and then be mekabel ol mitzvos. One must first have a clear picture that there is a Commander and then understand that there is a commandment. 

The flip-side is true as well; plain emunah, unconnected to mitzvos, is not real emunah. It is not founded in anything and therefore has no real body to it. The Torah says, “כי ה' אלקיך אש אכלה הוא” (Devarim 4:24); Hashem is compared to a fire. And just as flame without a wick cannot last, so too, emunah in Hashem cannot last unless it has the wick of mitzvos to sustain it. 

The techeiles and lavan in tzitzis represent these two ideas, Emunas Hashem and Ma’aseh HaMItzvos. Chazal tell us that techeiles is similar to the sea, which is similar to the sky, which is similar to the Kisei HaKavod (Menachos 43b). The Gemara there brings pesukim to show that Kisei HaKavod is blue. Rashi there explains that is through the visage of the techeiles that we are reminded of HaKadosh Boruch Hu. So, here we see the connection to Emunas Hashem. Whereas by the rest of the tzitzis, the Torah says “וראיתם אתו וזכרתם את כל מצות ה' ועשיתם אותם” (Bamidbar 15:39). Here we see the connection to Maaseh HaMitzvos. 

What was Korach’s argument? He claimed that there was no need for the actual performance of mitzvos. “כי כל העדה כלם קדשים ובתוכם ה'”, everyone is holy! Everyone is connected to Hashem. Rashi explains that Korach was exclaiming that it was not only Moshe and Aharon who were at Har Sinai and heard “אנכי ה' אלוקיך”. That is to say, all the nation were directly commanded the foundations of faith; “אנכי ה'” and “לא יהי'ה לך אלהים אחרים”. But whatever mitzvos came through Moshe, Korach claimed that Moshe himself made them up, and that Bnei Yisrael had no reason to abide by them.       

This is why Korach claim to Moshe was that a tallis which is entirely techeiles surely is patur from tzitzis. That is to say, a people so connected to Emunas Hashem don't need all of "Moshe's mitzvos."

ובני קרח לא מתו
Rav Zevin writes that there are people in every generation that foster the propagation of this Korachian philosophy, that faith alone is enough to get by. The Torah here is telling us otherwise, Emunas Hashem must go hand in hand with Ma'aseh HaMitzvos.