Shavuot: The Absolute Bonds Between Israel and Torah

by Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, Rosh Yeshivat Beit El, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel. (part of a talk delivered last year in Yeshivat Beit El)

The Sages of the Talmud asked: In the Torah's account of Creation, the sixth day is termed Yom HaShishi, as if to say "The Friday" – as opposed to the other days, which do not have "the" in their names. Why is this? And the answer is that this alludes to the "special" sixth day – the sixth day of the month of Sivan, on which the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai. The lesson is that Creation was made contingent upon Israel accepting the Torah: "G-d said to His creations: If Israel accepts the Torah [given on The Sixth Day], fine, but if not, I will return you to your original state of tohu vavohu, nothingness (B'reshit 1,2)."

That is to say, the essential aim and intent of the world is that it must have Torah and that G-d's light must illuminate the world – and therefore, it must be that the Nation of Israel will be in the world to accept the Torah. Israel is the nation imbued with the natural Divine unique spark suitable for the Torah. Just like it is totally inconceivable that the world will not have Torah, so too it must be that there will be people who are worthy of accepting it and via whom the Torah will appear in the world. This is Am Yisrael.

When we approach the Torah with this understanding, that Israel is innately harmonized with Torah – all of our Torah study will take on valuable significance. There is a great difference if it is our nature to study the Torah and fulfill its mitzvot, or if we just choose to do so on our own. If the latter, it means that there is no permanence to our connection with Torah; our choice could conceivably change. But if this is a matter of nature – nature does not change. Without our unique innate Divine spark, our acceptance of the Torah would not have been absolute – leaving the fate of the entire world in doubt, as we saw above.

… The Talmud also teaches that G-d forced upon us the acceptance of the Torah, by symbolically turning Mt. Sinai upon us and threatening not to remove it if we did not agree to receive the Torah (Shabbat 88a). Why is this? The Maharal of Prague explains that this signifies the permanence and absoluteness of the bonds between Israel and Torah and that they can never change. They are not dependent upon our behavior, or our consent; they are simply there, rock-solid and unchangeable. True, Israel said, "We will do and we will listen" (Sh'mot 24,7), and this is correct: Israel has a fundamental desire to keep the Torah. But G-d wished to inform us that this is not just a voluntary matter, but is something much more intrinsic and eternal than we thought; it is bigger than just our consent.

With this introduction and preparation, we can correctly approach our renewed acceptance of Torah on this upcoming Shavuot festival. Just before the Stand at Mt. Sinai, G-d told us that we were to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" and a "treasure to Me among all the nations" (Sh'mot 19) – and with this understanding, we were given the Torah and instructed, "I am the Lord your G-d Who took you out of Egypt" (Sh'mot 20).

May we merit, with G-d's help, to renew our covenant with G-d and deepen it, and may G-d help us to celebrate Shavuot in the Beit HaMikdash in the most complete and full manner, together with all of Am Yisrael – and then the Divine Presence will appear in the greatest and most sublime manner, in the rebuilt Holy Temple, speedily in our days!

Bamidbar: The Desert of Mindfulness

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtadt, Founder and Director of YORU Jewish Leadership, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The first verse in this week's Torah reading, which opens the Book of Bamidbar (Numbers), states that G-d spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert. The Sages derive from the emphasis on the location – a desert – that "whoever does not make himself into a desert [i.e., ownerless], cannot acquire Torah knowledge."

Maimonides greatly expounds on this point in his epic work Yad HaChazakah [based on the translation of Eliyahu Touger, Chabad.org]:

"It is natural for a man’s character and actions to be influenced by his friends and associates and for him to follow the local norms of behavior. He should therefore associate with the righteous and be constantly in the company of the wise, so as to learn from their deeds. He should also keep away from the wicked who walk in darkness, so as not to learn from their deeds… One who lives in a place where the norms of behavior are evil and the inhabitants do not follow the straight path, should move to a place where the people are righteous and follow the ways of goodness.

"If all the places with which he is familiar and of which he hears reports follow improper paths, as in our times [emphasis added], or if he is unable to move to a place where the patterns of behavior are proper… he should remain alone in seclusion… If they are wicked and sinful and do not allow him to reside there unless he mingle with them and follow their evil behavior, he should go out to caves, thickets, and deserts rather than follow the paths of sinners, as is written: 'Who will give me a lodging place for wayfarers, in the desert' (Jeremiah 9:1).”

To learn Torah wisdom, one can do anywhere – but to truly acquire it and to make it a part of one's personality can only be done if one renders himself like a desert, ownerless, detached from regular daily life and from the yoke of day-to-day matters that people are generally involved with. As the Rambam states in the Laws of Shemittah, he should be "totally focused on Torah study and the building of his spiritual world" – and thus he will merit to be like "Moshe Rabbeinu who was righteous and led the public to be righteous" (Tr. Avot 5,18); he will have positive influence over others, and both study and teach as he fulfills the commandments.[1]

The verse with which we opened, and which opens the portion of Bamidbar, also states that G-d spoke to Moshe "in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month in the second year after their Exodus from Egypt." The Torah thus tells us many details about this command: It was issued in the desert, and in the Tent of Meeting, and on the first day of Iyar. From the words of Rashi on this verse we can understand the reason for the last two. He says that G-d's love for Israel is what brought Him to count us at this time: "When they left Egypt, He counted them; when they sinned with the golden calf, He counted them again to see how many were left; and when He brought His Divine Presence to dwell upon them [in the Tabernacle] He counted them – that is, the Tabernacle was erected on the first day of Nissan, and on the first day of the very next month He counted them."

And so we now understand why the Torah tells us that the command to count Israel was issued in the Tent of Meeting – for this is where G-d brings His Presence, which was the very reason for the counting at this very time, right after its construction. And the emphasis on the desert, in addition to the lesson we learned above, tells us

yet another reason for the counting – as the desert itself is a reason for G-d's love of Israel! As the Prophet Jeremiah states (2,2): "So said the Lord: "I remember for you the lovingkindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, how you followed Me in the desert, in a land not sown."

Hashem remembers the kindness of our youth when we followed Him in a desolate desert – and for this, as well, He loves us and wishes to count us again and again. We followed G-d under difficult conditions, without calculations of comforts or other considerations, out of our "nuptial love" for Him – and He continually counts us and shows us love in kind.

The Flags

In Chapters 1 and 2, the Torah goes into the details of the counting of each tribe and each of the four tribal camps. The Torah also tells us that each tribe was to encamp and travel in the desert under its specific flag: "The Israelites shall each camp by his flag, with the ensigns of his father's house" (2,2). What is the connection between the flags of Israel and the census?

The answer is, again: G-d's love for Israel. We read in the Medrash (Bamidbar Rabba 2,3):

"G-d showed them great love when He made banners for them as the Ministering Angels [the Medrash later explains allegorically that 22 myriad angels accompanied G-d on Mt. Sinai, based on Psalms 68,18, and all of them were beautifully comprised of banners]… From where do we know that this is a sign of love? From King Shlomo who wrote (Shir HaShirim 2,4): 'He brought me to the wine house [of banquets], and his banner over me was love.'"

The Medrash continues in the name of R. Avahu:

"What is the significance of the wine-house? It can be likened to a wealthy man who owned a large wine cellar. He went in to check it, and found that all the wine had gone bad. On his way out, he found one barrel of good wine, and he said: 'This barrel is my favorite, as good as the entire storehouse.'

Similarly, G-d created 70 nations, but He had no enjoyment from any of them except for Israel [which was the only one to accept the Torah], as is written, 'He brought me to the wine-house.' And how do we know that wine is equivalent to the 70 nations? Because the gematriya value of the Hebrew word for wine is 70: yod (10), yod (10), nun (50) – and from all 70, only for Israel 'his banner over [him] was love.'"

The flags, therefore – like the counting – were a symbol of G-d's great love for Israel.

In sum: This portion of Bamidbar comes to teach and emphasize to us how strong is G-d's affection for Israel. As we read in the end of the haftarah for this portion: "I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, with justice, with loving-kindness, and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know the Lord." (Hoshea 2,21-22)

Behar: National Glory: Our Land, Our Torah

by Rav Hillel Mertzbach, Rabbi of the Yad Binyamin Central Synagogue, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Behar (Vayikra 25,1-26,2) begins with the mitzvah of Shmittah, in which we are commanded to let the Holy Land lie fallow once every seven years. Curiously, the opening verses mention two extra points whose relevance is not immediately clear: Mt. Sinai and the promise of the Land of Israel.

Specifically, Parashat Behar begins as follows, "G-d spoke to Moshe at Mt. Sinai, to say [to Israel]: When you come to the Land that I give you, the land shall rest…" Why could the Torah not simply say, "G-d told Moshe to tell Israel, let the Land rest…"?

Rashi here asks, "What does the topic of Shmitta have to do with Mt. Sinai? Weren't all the mitzvot given on Sinai?" And he answers that just as both the general rules and the minute details regarding Shmitta were given on Mt. Sinai, so too both the general rules and minute details of all the other mitzvot were given at Sinai as well.

The Holy Ohr HaChaim (Rav Chaim ibn Attar, 18^th-century Morocco) asks: "Why did the mitzvah of Shmittah, or all mitzvot, deserve to be the mitzvah by which this critical lesson is learned?"

He answers:

"Perhaps it is because the Torah mentions here the gift of the Land [as quoted above], and therefore it specified "Mt. Sinai," to say that this gift of the Land was completed precisely because of Sinai – i.e., that which we received there, namely, the Torah – in that because of the Torah G-d gave us the Land."

This is an amazing insight by the Ohr HaChaim! He is saying that in order to fulfill the Torah and the mitzvot, the Land is imperative! In addition, the connection between the Nation of Israel and the Land of Israel stems specifically from G-d's command in the Torah.

To understand this, let us explore why it is that this Land-Nation connection must be nourished specifically from the Torah? Clearly there are many non-observant Jews who are attached to the Land and love it very much. What role does the Torah play, precisely?

I would like to try to propose two explanations for the Land-Torah bonds.

The first is that the commandments of the Torah without Eretz Yisrael are totally lacking. As the Medrash Sifrei tells us (D'varim 43), the fulfillment of the Torah's commands outside the Land are only a "remembrance" of their ideal fulfillment in the Land. In the words of the Medrash: "Even when and if I exile you from the Land, continue to fulfill them correctly, so that when you return [to the Land], they will not be new to you… Just as the Prophet Jeremiah said [and based on Rabbinic derivations]: 'Set up milestones for yourself (31,20)…'"

The second explanation is based on the popular idiom, "The Land of Israel without Torah is a like a body without a soul." When the Nation of Israel is in its Land without a connection to the Torah, G-d's word, it can decline to many grave mistakes. Eretz Yisrael can become a source of negativity, or even just a piece of real estate that be given away at some leader's whim. Only when the Torah is the basis for our ties with the Land, and when we internalize and adhere to G-d's word from Sinai, can we truly merit to inherit the Land. 

Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, first Chief Rabbi of modern-day Eretz Yisrael, expressed it well in his work Orot, in the beginning of the chapter on the Land of Israel:

"Eretz Israel is not something external; it is not an external national acquisition, or a means to the goal of all-around unity, or a means to the strengthening of its physical or even spiritual existence. Rather, the Land of Israel is an intrinsic element of the nation, attached to it with bond of life, entwined at its very core with our national existence."

Let us raise a prayer that we will successfully pay heed to G-d's word that we heard at Sinai, and through this, be worthy of inheriting our holy Land.

Emor: Spirituality is Reality!

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel Avraham Shapira ZT"L, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

In the weekly Torah reading of Parashat Emor (Vayikra 21-24), just after a brief review of laws of the various festivals, the Torah notes that special oil from hand-crushed olives is required in order to keep the lamp in the Tabernacle burning constantly. The Torah also tells us that the Menorah (candelabrum) is placed "outside the Curtain of Testimony in the Communion Tent" (24,3).

The Talmud asks (Shabbat 22b): "Could it possibly be that he[1] needs light? After all, the Children of Israel walked in the desert for 40 years by G-d's light! Rather, this light is a testimony to all people of the world that the Divine Presence dwells amidst Israel."

What is the source for this point? It is the continuation of the above-cited verse, which states that the lamps shall burn "from evening to morning before G-d always." And even though the word "Testimony" here generally refers to the Holy Ark and the Tablets of the Law, still, since it is mentioned here in the context of the Menorah, the Gemara derives that the Menorah, too, is "testimony."

This must be understood: How does the Menorah teach and attest to the world that the Divine Presence dwells within the People of Israel? After all, the Menorah is inside the Tabernacle or Beit Mikdash, and no one sees it except for the priest who prepares the wicks and oil in the lamps!

The answer is the fundamental principle that "spirituality is reality," even if it is not seen. True, no one sees the priest lighting the Menorah – but the very fact of the lighting effects light throughout the world; it brings the people of the world to know that the Divine Presence is within Israel, even if not seen.

We find a similar idea in the Chapters of the Fathers (Avot 6,2):

"R. Yehoshua ben Levy says: Every day a Heavenly voice goes forth from Mt. Horev [Sinai] and proclaims: 'Woe to mankind for its disregard for the Torah.'"

That is, even though we do not hear that Heavenly voice, we should know, as the saintly Baal Shem Tov explains, that every little thought of repentance that a person might suddenly have – its source is in this Heavenly voice. Various spiritual pipelines of attentiveness and awakening stem from this voice. Our ears do not hear them, most certainly – but our hearts hear them, for they are reality.

Spirituality is reality, and whoever does not believe this, his sin is very grave, to the extent that he has no share in the World to Come. The renowned 19^th-century R. Yisrael Lifshitz explained this point in his classic commentary to the Mishna, Tiferet Yisrael, on the Mishna in Avot. The Mishna states:

"He who desecrates kodshim (sacred Holy Temple items or food)… or shames his fellow man in public… even though he is learned in Torah and does good deeds, has no share in the World to Come."

On this, R. Lifshitz wrote: "He who desecrates kodshim believes, wrongly and foolishly, that there is no holiness in the world and that everything is completely mundane and meaningless… and therefore, he has no share in the World to Come." That is, he denies the mortal ability to sanctify the physical, to elevate to the altar as something holy a lamb that just moments ago was grazing in the field. He therefore has no share in the World to Come.

This is the principle that we learn from the lamps that were kindled in the Holy Temple, and this is also the fundamental that we learn from the Chanukah lights. The Syrian Greeks did not believe in the human ability to sanctify the material, whereas when we light the Chanukah candles, we recite, "These lights that we kindle are sacred." We believe that simply with the power of our speech, we can turn oil, taken from a supply that was used for non-holy purposes, into something different, something spiritual – for "spirituality is reality."

By virtue of this spiritual reality, the Menorah serves as testimony to the people of the world that the Divine Presence rests in Israel. This is not testimony in the sense of the "two witnesses' required for judicial cases, but rather the establishment of the reality within the hearts of men. It is a spiritual reality, which some are privileged to receive and absorb.

From the work "Rav Avraham Shapiro's Classes on Ketuvot and Kiddushin," edited by Rabbi Binyamin Rakover

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[1] This could be referring either to G-d, or to Aharon the High Priest, or the Children of Israel, according to different commentaries. (HF)