Can we do תפילות prayers for:
Nosson Chayim Leff and Torah.org?
So that through them The האור Light, רפואה The Healing and The ואהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?
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| | The weekly Sfas Emes is now available in a
Sefer. The Seferis called Emes Ve'emunah : A Sfas Emes Companion. This
Sefer contains all of the materials in the weekly emails, plus new
insights. The Sefer also contains the text in lashon hakodesh on which
the Sfas Emes worked to produce his ma'amar. Accessing the the Sfas
Emes via the Sefer offers advantages. You have the week's Torah
without having to print the email. You have the Sfas Emes' text--which
could not be sent by email. Also many people who would enjoy the Sfas
Emes do not have internet.
You can purchase this Sefer at your favorite bokstore, or online, at
the Targum or Feldheim websites. Emes Ve'Emunah will also be available
for purchase or perusal at the SOY Seform Sale, January 15-January 24.
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Parshas Behaaloscha
Sfas Emes, Zechuso Tagein Aleinu, Parashas Beha'alosecha, 5631/5641
The parasha begins: ' Beha'alosecha es ha'neiros...' (ArtScroll: '
When you kindle the lamps...') So far, so good. But Chazal react to this
pasuk in a surprising manner. What is their reaction? In the second
paragraph of Medrash Rabba on the parsha, we find Chazal quoting a pasuk
from Yeshayahu (42:21): "HaShem chafeitz lema'an tzidko, yagdil Torah veya'adir." (ArtScroll: "HaShem desired, for the sake of [Israel's] righteousness, that the Torah be made great and glorious.")
You see why I describe Chazal's reaction as 'surprising'. At this
point, it is hard to see any connection between 'Beha'alosecha es
ha'neiros' and 'HaShem chafeitz ...' But let us be patient, confident
that the Sfas Emes will put all the pieces of the puzzle together. And
while we are being patient, note what this statement of HaShem -which is
echoed by Yeshayahu, Chazal, and the Sfas Emes -- has given us. A key
feature of our relationship with HaShem is the many mitzvos that He has
commanded us to perform. Apparently, having good values and having
knowledge of HaShem is not enough to make a person a good Jew. HaShem
also demands the concrete actions that are involved in performing the
mitzvos.
Why does HaShem want us to do mitzvos? The pasuk just quoted
provides one answer. By living our lives in accordance with His
instructions -- i.e., Torah and mitzvos -- we make the Torah
great and glorious. And by thus demonstrating our willingness to
subordinate our will to His, we rise in righteousness and acquire merit
in His eyes. Thus, we have an answer to the question posed earlier.
HaShem has given us many commandments -- and expects us to obey Him by
doing what He has commanded -- to enable us to deepen our commitment and
our relationship with Him.
A fair question at this point is: Why does the Medrash wait until
Parshas Beha'alosecha to give us this explanation of the reason for
mitzvos? This issue is so important that one would have expected to find
it at the very beginning of the cycle of Torah readings. Further, why does the Torah tell us this reason for mitzvos in this specific context: with the commandment to light lamps in the Sanctuary?
Apparently, these questions also bothered the Sfas Emes. How do I
know? Because these are the questions that he proceeds to answer. To
address these issues, the Sfas Emes needs one more piece of infomation,
which he brings from a pasuk in Sefer Mishlei. The pasuk there (6, 23)
says: 'Ki neir mitzvo ve'ohr Torah,' (ArtScroll: ' For a commandment is a lamp and the Torah
is light.') Why is the information that this pasuk provides vital ?
Because this pasuk explicitly links the two themes that earlier seemed
totally unconnected: kindling the neiros and 'HaShem chafeitz...' --
HaShem's desire that we live a life rich in mitzvos.
The Sfas Emes sees much more in this pasuk that connects the two
themes other than joint mention of the word 'neir'. In fact, he shows us
how this pasuk clarifies the relationship between our awarenes of
HaShem and our obligation to perform mitzvos. He does this by pointing
out a connection between the three realities of which the pasuk in
Mishlei speaks: neir, ohr, and Torah. The connection between "ohr" and "Torah" is easy to see. Not only is the sound of the vowels similar, but the pasuk in Mishlei links these two words explicitly.
Likewise, the Sfas Emes notes a connection between 'neir' and 'ohr' (and hence, with Torah).
The Sfas Emes sees the word 'neir' as a sort of hif'il -- a causative
construction -- of the word 'ohr'. That is, the neir brings forth light.
Thus, the Sfas Emes explains, the mitzvos extend the light of Torah to the world of human activity (ma'aseh). For the mitzvos are from the Torah -- i.e., from HaShem. As we perform the mitzvos, we connect with HaShem's Presence in all Creation.
Note that 'all Creation' just mentioned includes ''Hester''--
HaShem's hiding Himself. At the beginning of the parsha, Medrash
Tanchuma tells us that Aharon had been despondent. Why? Because --
unlike the nesi'im of the other shevatim (the leaders of the other
tribes) -Aharon had not brought an offering at the inauguration of the
mishkan (the Tabernacle). HaShem consoled Aharon by telling him:
'shelcha le'olam ka'yemes'. In its plain/literal meaning, this phrase
translates as: 'Your service will endure forever.' By contrast, the Sfas
Emes reads this phrase in non-pshat mode as: 'your service will
penetrate the he'elam' -- the Hester behind which HaShem hides from us.
The Sfas Emes had more to say about these issues. In his ma'amar for
parshas Beha'alosecha in the year 5641, he returned to this topic, and
further developed his thoughts on the subject. The Sfas Emes works there
with five parallel couplets: neir/ohr; mitzvos/Torah; action/knowledge; weekdays/Shabbos; guf/neshama. . Most Torah
authorities view these couplets as iimplying either/ or decisions. That
is., they see these phenomena as dichotomies -- the more of one, the
less of the other. By contrast, the Sfas Emes sees them as complementing
each other -- the more of one, the more of the other. The Sfas Emes
gives an example.. He tells us that one cannot attain the hightened
spirituality of Shabbos without the prior preparatory experience of
yemei hama'aseh (the workdays)..
We can now sum up some this ma'mar's themes. The Sfas Emes has told
us us that our mitzvos maintain the chiyus (vibrancy ) of the Torah
in the world of action. Without the mitzvos that we do with our
actions, HaShem's Presence would be hidden in olam ha'asiya (the world
of human activity). More generally, this ma'amar focuses on the
connections between mitzvos and our spiritual state. The link between
the neiros and the ohr -- the lamp and light -- is easy to perceive. For
this reason, Chazal view the candle/light connection as the prototype
of the purpose of mitzvos. But this particular link is only a more
graphic example of the general phenomenon of mitzvos. By conducting
ourselves in accordance with HaShem's commandments, we can come closer
to HaShem.
In this vein, we find the Medrash at the beginning of the parsha
reading the words "Beha'alosecha es ha'neiros" in an unexpected way. The
text's simple meaning is: "When you kindle the lamps ...". But the
Medrash -- being the Medrash -- is not constrained to stick with the
text's simple meaning. Instead, the Medrash reads this phrase as: "When
you elevate YOURSELF by lighting the lamps ..."
A postscript. You may wonder: how can the Medrash arrive at the
radically different reading just presented? Is it all arbitrary? Are
there no rules?
In fact, there are rules. In the present case, three perfectly
legitimate innovations suffice to move from the pshat to the non-pshat
reading. First, the Medrash takes the shoresh (root) of the word
'Beha'alosecha' to be ayin/ lamed/hei. That root means 'to go up'; and
in its present, causative, construction, 'to lift up' ; i.e., to
'elevate'. Second, the Medrash understands the syllables "secha" in the
word "beha'alosecha" as indicating a reflexive construction; i.e.,
referring back to the person who is lighting the candles. This reflexive
form gives us the 'yourself'. Third, the Medrash construes the pasuk's
word "es" as meaning "with" -- in the sense of: "by means of". And so,
'Beha'alosecha es ha'neiros' becomes: "When you elevate yourself by
lighting ..."
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Say Yes to Abba Yahweh and His Laws special in
this time when Abba Yahweh is 'testing' us:
Hab 1:12 Art thou not mikedem (‘everlasting’ also said of
Moshiach, indicating Moshiach’s eternal divine nature: Dan
7:14 And there was given Him
(Moshiach) dominion, and honor, and sovereignty, that all people, Goyim,
tongues, should pey-lammed-chet. [1](worship
as deity) (see Dan 3:12, serve, reverence as deity Him (Moshiach). His dominion
is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His (Messianic)
Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.]see Michoh 5:1[2]; Yahweh Elohai (my
Elohim) Kedoshi (my Holy One)? We shall not die. Yahweh, Thou hast appointed
them for mishpat (ordinance); O Tzur, Thou hast ordained them (these Chaldean) for reproof.
(Please read the whole book of HaNavi Habakuk)
Please take it serious what Abba Yahweh is telling us in:
Deu 18:15 Yahweh Eloheicha (your Elohim) will raise up unto thee a Navi
(prophet) from among thee, of thy achim (bretheren), kamoni (like me Exo
32:30 The next day Moshe said to the
people, "You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh;
maybe I will be able to atone for your sin."); unto him ye must listen;
Deu 18:16 According to all that thou
desired of Yahweh Eloheicha (your Elohimin) Chorev in the Yom HaKahal (day of
the congregation), saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh Elohav
(your Elohim), neither let me see this eish hagedolah (‘great fire’) any more,
that I die not.
Deu 18:17 And Yahweh said unto me, They
have well-spoken that which they have spoken.
Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Navi
(prophet) from among their achim (brethren), like unto thee, and will put My
words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him
[Yn 10:18].
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever will not listen unto My words which he shall speak Bishmi (in My
Name), I will require it of him.
Joh 8:28 Therefore, Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach said to them, When you perform the hagbah (lifting up) of
the Ben HaAdam, you will have da'as (knowledge) that Ani Hu [YESHAYAH
41:4; SHEMOT 3:14-16], and from myself I do nothing, but as HaAv (the Father)
of me taught me, these things I speak.
[1]
Dictionary of the Talmud. M. Jastrow p. 1178 פלח
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