Passing Divine Tests

Parshat לך לך begins with the first of ten tests that Avraham Avinu was given, to show his perfect faith in G-d. This first test or נסיון, was to leave his family and go to the Land that he would be shown.

The final test was the Binding of Isaac, known as עקידת יצחק. It is noteworthy that the last test also began with the words, לך לך, where Avraham was told to go the Land of Moriah, and sacrifice his son.

The double language is explained that Avraham was to go, but it really was for his own benefit. This is the lesson related to the tests that all of mankind is given. When he passes the test, he is strengthened. And Hashem never sends us a test that we can’t pass. It doesn’t mean that it isn’t a major challenge, because it often is.

The Ramchal in Derech Hashem points out that G-d, Himself, created evil in the world, in order to test man. He wanted to be able to give man the ultimate good for eternity, but it needed to be deserved.

When man is able to use his free will and overcome the temptations that exist in the world, he becomes empowered. He knows the struggle to always do the right thing and make the right decisions. He realizes the sacrifices of avoiding taking the easy way out, and, instead, being willing to go that extra distance, that others are not.

When one can look back at his life with pride, that he did not rationalize, but served G-d to the fullest, he will be granted that Good, reserved for the righteous.

This was the example of Avraham Avinu. His commitment and faith, served as an example for all of his descendants. We pray for the time of Mashiach, when evil will be destroyed, because the world will all except Hashem as the true King.

Emulating the Patriarchs

This week we begin the stories related to our patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Ramban introduces the concept of מעשה אבות סימן לבנים, that the incidents that occurred to the Avot, are a sign of what their descendants will experience.

Rav Eliyahu Dessler explained that there are three qualities that an individual must possess, in order to achieve the ultimate good.

He must be driven by the כח הנתינה, the power of giving. He realizes the importance of doing acts of kindness, and helping others. This is attributed to the nature of Avraham Avinu.

This quality of giving, must be accompanied by fear of Heaven. He looks within himself to be certain that his actions are sincere, with the right intentions. This was exemplified by Yitzchak Avinu.

And finally, he must be a man of truth. This desire for truth in all that he does, guides him. This was Yakov Avinu. We must continue to incorporate these three great qualities into our personalities.

We will study again the lives of our patriarchs, and attempt to emulate these saintly individuals, who were the foundation of the Jewish people.

Lessons from Tower of Bavel

The parallels between the incident of the Tower of Bavel, and the situation in the world, is very striking.

The motivation for the tower, was ונעשה לנו שם, “Let us make a name for ourselves.” It was a total negation that there was a god in control of the universe.

They believed that they had no accountability and they were free to do whatever they pleased. They thought that they could choose whatever morality they wanted. And they also believed they could outsmart the laws of nature.

Rashi explains that the existence of a tower that reached the heavens, would prevent a plague from scattering the population.

This foolishness was easily deflected by Hashem, when they no longer spoke the same language, and were, in fact, scattered all over the earth.

We see others in the past, like Titus, who insisted that G-d only had power in the sea, but not on earth. All Hashem had to do was send a gnat up the nose of Titus, to torment and defeat him.

The world today acts as if there is no god, and there is no accountability. There is no yardstick as to what is moral and decent. A new, perverted, definition of morality has emerged. The level of insanity, knows no bounds.

There will come a time, and hopefully soon, where the world will realize that there is a Master of the Universe, who will again rule over the world, and will show the path of real truth and real morality.

Wealth Can Be Detrimental

The Baal Haturim pointed out that the word, ״יקום״ meaning, “existence,” is used describing the demise of the generation of the flood. The word, יקום, is also used applying to Korach. The ״יקום״ of this evil man also ceased to exist.

Our sages found a parallel between the two. They said that just as the generation of the flood sinned when given an abundance of goodness, the same applied to Korach, who was given an abundance of wealth.

There is a verse in Kohelet that says, עושר שמור לבעליו לרעתו, that wealth is provided to its owners, to their detriment. We learn a principle that an individual has a tendency to rebel against G-d when he is filled up.

People with wealth and comfort, foolishly believe that they are safe and invincible. They do not need to reach out to Hashem to provide for their sustenance. They already have it. Only after some unforeseen, difficult situation, do they realize how vulnerable they are.

We must never forget for a moment that every aspect of our existence, is only because of the good graces of G-d. We are owed nothing, and all that we have is a Divine gift.

We need to be reminded of this when we study the results of those who thought they knew better, and rebelled against G-d.

Partial Praise

There is a principle learned from Noach that one should not give complete praise directly to another individual. He should only give partial praise instead.

This is intended to keep a person from getting carried away with himself and becoming arrogant. The Torah emphasizes the importance of humility, or ענווה, as exemplified by the humblest of all men, Moshe Rabbeinu. The negative trait of arrogance, or גאווה, can be very destructive. It totally distances a person from Hashem. G-d says to this conceited individual that he must realize that he is not in control of anything.

The phrase in Hebrew is מקצת שבחו בפניו ולא כולו בפניו. Only part of one’s praise should be given, but not all of it.

The Torah describes Noach as צדיק תמים, translated by Artscroll, as righteous and perfect. Yet, when G-d actually speaks to Noach, He tells him that he is viewed as a צדיק, righteous person. The part of him being תמים, perfect in his generation, was left out, in order not to overly praise him.

This is a good lesson for all of us in our interpersonal relationships. It is certainly nice to compliment others. But we should not over do it. We can become flatterers and we may not be doing the recipient of the compliment a favor.

This is another example of practical teachings gleaned from the Torah.

Spilling Blood

In Parshat Noach, the Torah introduces us to the Seven Noachide Laws. These laws became the basis for every society to function effectively. It was clear that man without laws, would self destruct primarily because of the influence of the Yeitzer Hara, the evil inclination.

The actual wording of the commandment regarding murder, is fascinating. The beginning of the verse speaks of “spilling the blood of an individual inside another person.” In Hebrew, שופך דם האדם באדם. The obvious case of a person inside another person, would be a woman carrying her child. Many commentators see this as a direct biblical prohibition to perform abortion. This applies to Jews and Gentiles alike.

The end of the verse says that “G-d will seek out the blood of your souls.” The reference here is that we must not do anything harmful to our souls. This prohibits suicide and it even forbids cursing ourselves.

We were given a very precious soul that it is our duty to protect it. We must not take another life, nor are we permitted to take our own life, nor are we permitted to take the life of the fetus that lives inside its mother.

This is why we must not study Torah superficially. If we look more deeply into the text as explained by our great sages, there is so much to learn.

Proper Choices

The Baal Haturim was clearly an expert of every word of the Torah, and must have had a phenomenal memory. He made note of the use of the word, ותמלא, “and it was filled,” in Parshat Noach, and again in the beginning of the Book of Exodus.

In Noach, the ותמלא was telling us that the land was filled with חמס, corruption. And in Shemot, “the land was filled with them.” The Torah was describing the incredible number of Jewish babies born in Egypt.

There is a verse in Kohelet 7:14 that says, זה לעמת זה עשה אלוקים, “G-d has made the one as well as the other.” This is a reference to the fact that there is good, and there is evil in the world. It is G-d Himself, who created both, so that man be able to be rewarded with the ultimate good, for choosing good over evil.

In the end of days, evil will be destroyed and good will reign in the world. At that time, G-d will be recognized by the entire world, and His name will be One.

The Rambam wrote that there is a simple way to gauge whether something is good or evil. If it is right in the eyes of Hashem as dictated in the Torah, it is good. If it is contrary to the will of G-d, it is evil. The world would be a much better place, if this was the yardstick used by all nations and individuals.

So it is up to us as to whether the land be filled with corruption, or the land be filled with numerous Jewish babies, forming the holy nation of Israel.

The World is Based on Chessed

There is a verse in Psalms 89:3 that says, עולם חסד יבנה, that the world is built on Chessed, acts of kindness. Hashem’s sole purpose in creating the world was to benefit mankind.

G-d gave men a chance to serve Him only so that He could then reward them with Divine kindness. This concept was seen very clearly in the case of Noach and the flood.

The Torah tells us that the world was filled with חמס, corruption before the flood. It was full of theft and taking from one another with no limits. This needed to be rectified by the year spent in the ark.

Rav Eliyahu Dessler pointed out that Noach and his family that were only eight individuals, were involved in Chessed, day and night for the entire year.

He claimed that they fed thousands of animals around the clock, according to each animal’s needs. Everything needed to be timed just right so that the animals did not get violent. This was meant to offset the cruelty and selfishness of the generation.

We find an example from Abraham where he was distraught on that hot day, when there was no one around to give some kindness. The righteous live to give and help others. The wicked only take, and never give of themselves. For the world to exist as it should, it must be based on loving kindness and helping others.

The rewards for Chessed are immeasurable, but most of all, it gives the giver a strong feeling of contentment and satisfaction. It is clear what King David meant in Psalms, when he said that the world was built on Chessed.

Best Advice Ever

Before the creation of Eve, the first woman, the Torah makes a very important statement. “It is not good for man to be alone.” Based on this statement, it is strongly recommended that one remain married throughout his life.

Loneliness is not seen as being in a very positive state. Having a “helpmate,” or partner, sharing in one’s life, provides for a much healthier state of being. The love and encouragement each spouse gives to one another, will allow them to remain happy and content. This is the ideal that the Torah set forth for all human beings.

The obvious objection to this position is that too often marriage does not provide this peace of mind. It can be a situation that is one of great strife and discontent.

It appears that the high rate of divorce today is directly related to the general attitude of entitlement and the need to “feel good” at all times. Rather than put in the effort to make the marriage work, they go the easier route, and end the relationship.

The best piece of advice I ever received, came nearly forty-eight years ago. When I told my wise, old teacher, Rabbi Starr, that I got engaged, he had a strange reaction.

He began interrogating me as to whether I was absolutely sure that this was the woman I wanted to marry. I felt like I was on a witness stand. Finally, he explained that I must remember to do everything possible to make this marriage work. He said never to even think of the word divorce. There may be difficult moments, but you must make every effort to make it work.

I have given this advice to numerous couples over the years. Many have come back and told me that this actually was the best advice ever.

Even when I counsel couples who are at the point of divorce, I tell them that they must be honest that they absolutely did everything possible to make that marriage work.

The Torah’s wisdom that it is not good for man to be alone, should never be taken lightly.

Man’s Laws-G-do’s Laws

We are told at the end of פרשת בראשית that as the population of the world increased, G-d made an observation of man’s nature. He noticed that the inclination of man’s thoughts was evil.

Here was a telling realization that man was incapable of making a workable system of laws for its society. Because of this inclination towards evil, it is almost impossible to come up with moral and just laws.

The obvious conclusion is that man made laws would not be sustained, and only a system designed by Hashem, Himself, would last through the generations.

Rabbi Twerski pointed out that the principle of, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” has been substituted with, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of pleasure.”

There is a big difference between happiness and pleasure. Happiness can come by way of the satisfaction one gets for having accomplished a noble task. Pleasure is usually based on some kind of physical self gratification.

If man is guided by the pursuit of pleasure, he will make laws that allow an individual to do whatever “feels good,” whether it is moral or not.

We have been witnessing such a degradation of society where laws that we would have thought unthinkable a generation ago, have now become the law of the land. Legalizing drugs, gambling, and abortion, are only a few examples.

The Torah is making a very strong statement. Without Divine laws, society will increasingly decay. Because the thoughts of man are only evil.

תשוקה-Passion

Before Cain kills his brother, Abel, he is annoyed that G-d did not accept his offering, but only that of his brother’s.

He is reprimanded by G-d for his inability to overcome his evil inclination and merely making a token, insincere offering. He is told that if he doesn’t improve himself, his passion towards sin will overcome him. This came true when he murdered his brother.

The word for passion used in the Torah is תשוקה. It is not to be understood that passion is a negative emotion. If it is used in the negative, it can lead to crime and corruption.

The Rambam recommends that we should use this תשוקה in a positive manner. We should direct our passion in a David-like manner, in his worship of Hashem. He spoke of how his soul was thirsty for that closeness to the Creator.

He also points out that in order to have that kind of connection to G-d, he must also have such a relationship with his spouse. It must be one of deep love and absolute trust. It would be ideal if one had a rabbi or friend, that he loved and trusted as well.

If one does not have such a relationship with another human being, how could he have it with G-d?

It is also mentioned that the Rabbis decreed a twelve day separation between husband and wife during menstruation. It was in order to increase תשוקה between husband and wife, so that there would be more anticipation for their reunion.

Passion is a very strong emotion. But if it is channeled in the spiritual realm, it can greatly enhance one’s service of G-d, and bring greater joy and contentment.

Man’s Potential

We are taught from the genealogy of the Torah, that there were ten generations from Adam to Noach, and another ten generations from Noach to Avraham. If we add up all the numbers as given in the Torah, we find that Avraham was born 1948 years after creation.

According to the Kuzari, every family that was born, had only one member worthy of mention in the Torah. Inevitably, other family members were not worthy, and some were evil. It was only in the twenty third generation after creation, that the entire offspring were righteous. This was Yakov’s family, who became the nation of Israel.

We are also taught that in the seventh generation, Chanoch, the father of Metushelach, was taken from this world, because “he walked with G-d.” He had achieved a remarkably high level of spirituality, that was too holy for this world. The Baal Haturim points out that he was transformed into the Angel Metatron, one of the holiest of the angels.

While this concept is difficult to understand, it does demonstrate man’s potential. We are also taught that Moshe Rabbeinu reached an angelic state of purity.

If one truly applies himself, and lives a life of sanctity and purity, he can be elevated to a very high level. If he chooses a life of self indulgence and wildness, he can cause himself to self destruct. He can be lower than an animal. The animal instinctively knows what to do for self preservation. Some humans can consciously harm themselves to a point where they cannot be helped.

The Torah’s lesson in genealogy, has a very clear message. Man has endless potential. The question is whether he strives to be like Chanoch or Moshe Rabbeinu, or does he fall lower than an animal.

Adam-The World’s First Ingrate

The episode of the banishment from the Garden of Eden, is very perplexing. Numerous commentators agree that the world would have been different, had that sin not taken place. Most notably, there would not have been a need for man to die, as his level would not have warranted it.

The Rabbis also point out that Adam was the first כפוי טובה, or ingrate, that was recorded. When asked by G-d why he ate from the forbidden fruit, he said that, “it was the woman that you gave me, that made me do it.” He belittled the gift of having a companion, and showed no appreciation for that gift.

It was suggested that the reason why Adam showed little gratitude for Eve, is that she was given to him, with no effort on his part. This points to a very strong human flaw. When things come to us without our having worked towards it, we tend to take it for granted. But when we exert ourselves with hard work and diligence, we appreciate what was achieved.

We are living in a generation of great affluence. It has afforded us with far more hours of leisure time, as well as far more money. The combination of leisure time and money, does not mix very well.

This explains the high level of depression, drug, and alcohol addiction. People don’t know what to do with themselves, and go astray in a negative way. Our children, who are given a high standard of living, with every luxury imaginable, are not coming out better, because of it.

We must stress the importance of הכרת הטוב, appreciating the good, and not taking anything for granted. We learned this lesson from the first man, and his huge mistake. We must be wiser and not repeat Adam’s mistake.

Adam’s Sin

Rav Eliyahu Dessler in Michtav Me’eliyahu, addresses the question of what type of free will did Adam have before eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The tree was meant to give the ability to tell the difference between good and evil. Didn’t Adam and Eve already have this ability?

Rav Dessler explains that Adam was a most perfect being, before having sinned. His essence was complete purity, and he did not have internal struggles. His vulnerability did not come from internal struggles, but from the outside.

This is how the Serpent was able to convince Eve that it would be worthwhile to eat from the forbidden tree. If you think things are good right now, if you eat from this tree, you will be like G-d Himself!

Adam used extremely bad judgement in allowing himself to accept this argument. As a result, death was instituted for man, and the evil inclination, the Yeitzer Hara was created to be part of each individual.

This meant that man’s struggles came from within. He had to constantly work at resisting temptations, rationalizations, and laziness, in order to make the correct choices for his life.

Clearly, the world would have been a completely different place, had Adam not sinned. We are still dealing with these challenges each day. We must realize that the battle with the Yeitzer Hara, is very real. The Talmud in Kiddushin tells us that Torah is the antidote to the Yeitzer.

We must make the study of Torah a priority, and we must place ourselves and our families, in the best possible environment to grow spiritually and conquer our weaknesses.

Adam’s sin led to a change in the nature of man. His struggles became part of him. The Book of Job has a verse that says, אדם לעמל יולד, “Man was born to struggle.” We must be aggressive in our quest to reach our full potential, and not allow ourselves to fall at the hands of human weakness.

Shabbat-A Taste of Olam Haba

There is a Midrash that says that there was a conversation between G-d and the Jewish people. Hashem told them that He is giving Israel an eternal gift. It is עולם הבא, the World to Come, if they agree to follow the Torah and its commandments.

The Jewish people asked if they could see a sample of what Olam Haba would be like. G-d answered that Shabbat observance gives one sixtieth of the pleasure experienced in the next world.

We see from this week’s Parsha that after creation, the Torah says that G-d completed all of His work on the seventh day. This is strange because the world was created in six days. The world was lacking only one thing; Menucha, or rest.

The secret of the delight of Shabbat is the ability to see all of every individual’s work completed at sunset on Friday evening. Everything is put on hold until Saturday night. When one is able to distance himself from the material, physical world for one day, he is able to experience this bliss. He demonstrates that he is a free man, and not imprisoned by the technological and mundane.

Instead, he allows himself to focus on his own spirituality, and he is able to achieve real rest. This is invigorating and gives added strength to face the issues of the coming week.

The realization that we must force ourselves to stop what we are doing for one day, is extremely beneficial for our physical and spiritual well being. It is so true that this Menucha was the one missing part of creation. And when observed properly, Shabbat is truly a taste of the World to Come.

G-d of Truth

We begin again the new cycle of the Torah reading this coming Shabbat. It is fascinating to delve into some of the secrets of the Torah text.

There is a well known statement of the Rabbis that חותמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא אמת, that the signature of the Holy One Blessed Be He, is truth. The Torah and G-d are one, and both represent absolute truth.

The Baal Haturim, who lived in the thirteenth century, uncovered many of the secrets of the Torah. He noted that there are six places in Bereishit, where if one looks at various three word combinations, he will find the word, “אמת.”

Two such examples are the following: ברא אלוקים את, that G-d created the…. The last letter of these three words, spells, אמת. Another example is, ויברא אלוקים את, that G-d created the… in a different tense. Here, too, if we take the last letter of these words, we also get, אמת, truth.

This can be found six times to correspond with the six times we find the word, אמת, in our morning prayers, from the conclusion of Shema, until Shmone Esrei.

The Baal Haturim, in his great wisdom has shown how the idea of אמת, as a foundation of the Torah, is camouflaged in the Torah, and inserted in our morning prayers.

No Book Like the Torah

The last day of Succot is a combined שמיני עצרת and שמחת תורה bunched into one day. It is considered a חג בפני עצמו, a holiday in itself, which is why we say שהחיינו while lighting candles or making Kiddush.

It is a reflection of G-d’s love for Israel. Hashem says, קשה עלי פרידתכם, “It is difficult for Me to part from you.” He wanted that special bond of the Chagim to extend for one more day. The next reunion would only come after the long, cold winter, on Pesach.

On this day, we say תפילת גשם, the prayer for rain, Yizkor, to remember our beloved family members, and Hakafot, when we celebrate the completion of the Torah.

We are meant to reflect and appreciate the gift given to the Jewish people, and the world. There is no book that compares to the Torah, for it is the only book written by G-d, Himself, as dictated and taught to Moshe Rabbeinu.

The depth of the understanding of the Torah, is limitless. Because of its Divine writing, it can be understood in four ways. This is known as פרדס, or orchard.

Each letter of the word, פרדס, reflects a different level of comprehension. The letter “פ” refers to פשט, or a simple understanding of the text. The “ר” is רמז, or hints, that allows a Torah student to delve deeper into what is “hinted,” in the text. The “ד” is דרש, which goes even deeper into exploring what is derived from the Torah’s instructions. And the “ס” refers to סוד, or the secrets hidden in the Torah. This can include Kabbalistic teachings where much is learned from גמטריא, or, numerical equivalents, or other secrets of the Torah.

The study of Torah is probably the most worthwhile endeavor, for a Jew. The rewards are without end, and give each individual a reason for living.

It is clear why we celebrate שמחת תורה, but it is also clear that every individual needs to have the resolve to study more Torah in the coming year. Chag Sameach!

Hoshanah Rabah

The seventh day of Succot is known as הושענא רבה. The reason for this name is that on this day there are many (רבה) הושענות. Each day of Succot we circle the Bima one time, but on הושענא רבה, seven times, so that the word, רבה, really means, הרבה, many.

The custom of beating the ערבה, the willow, began with the later prophets, Chagai, Zechariah and Malachi. The willow, that does not possess a good smell or taste, symbolizes sin. We are literally “beating” the remaining sin we still need to drive away. It is a custom, so that no blessing is recited.

This is considered a solemn day, and some have the custom of staying up all night learning Torah. It is seen as the last opportunity for atonement before the final, “sealing of judgement” that began with Rosh Hashanah. It’s as if, the King, Hashem, is allowing one last opportunity for final arguments, before our fate is decided in the Heavenly courts. Therefore, the prayers are longer on Hashana Rabah, and there is a similar seriousness to these prayers, to those of Yom Kippur.

We are to also have in mind in our prayers, that we be granted sufficient rain during the coming year. May all of our prayers be granted for a healthy and happy new year.

Above Nature

This Shabbat we read the Book of Kohelet, also known as Ecclesiastes. It was written by King Solomon, where his wisdom of the ways of the world, was on display.

An important theme of Kohelet is that the Jewish people defy the general rules of nations. There is טבע, or nature, and there is למעלה מן הטבע, that which is above nature.

This can be demonstrated from the Talmud in Masechet Shabbat. It describes a conversation between Avraham Avinu and G-d. Avraham explains that he has studied closely with his astrologists, and his knowledge of natural law, and he sees that he is incapable of fathering a son. G-d answers that he should leave his astrology. Israel has no dependence on constellations.

If the Jewish people based everything on logic and the natural order of things, we would not be here as a nation. Our faith and ability to dream, allowed us to overcome every possible obstacle. We prayed thrice daily for a “return to Zion in mercy.” And this prayer was recited during our exile of pogrom, crusades, expulsion and annihilation.

We were never prepared to accept how things should have turned. Our love and dependence on Hashem, allowed us to remain determined that good things would come.

Kohelet is read on Succot specifically because this was, traditionally, the most prosperous time of year. It was easy to get carried away with ourselves, when we felt we had everything. It is a kind of wake up call to realize what is fleeting and what is permanent.

The quote of Rav Yakov Emden from a few hundred years ago, rings true. “A greater miracle than the splitting of the Red Sea is that the Jewish people continued to exist, despite our bitter exile.” This is because, we are not limited by nature, but we are above nature.

Ushpizin

The concept of “Ushpizin,” or, guests invited into our Succa, is based on a comment from the Zohar. This is explained clearly in “the Book of our Heritage,” also known as Sefer Hatoda’ah.

When the people of Israel leave their homes, and enter the Succa for the sake of Hashem’s Name, they achieve the merit of welcoming the Divine Presence. When this happens, all of the faithful shepherds descend from the Garden of Eden, and come to the Succa as their guests.

The seven guests are, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moshe, Aaron, and David. These seven dwell with all Israel in their Succot all seven days of the festival, except that each day one of them leads the others. Others place Moshe and Aharon in the order before Yosef.

Among Sephardic Jews, it is customary to prepare an ornate chair and cover it in fine cloth, and place holy books on it and declare, “This is the chair of the Ushpizin.”

There is also the intention to reflect on the lives of these seven unique individuals. We can gain inspiration by noting how each was faced with great challenges that they needed to overcome. Because they succeeded, they are viewed as the “seven shepherds of Israel,” who led their flocks with great loyalty and love.

This is another feature of the holiday of Succot, that gives it, its special character of joy and happiness, that gives it one of its names, זמן שמחתינו, “the time of our joy.”