The Profound Word

Parashat Tetzaveh 5770
The Profound Word
Howard S. Joseph
http://TheProfoundWord.com

The Menorah: HUMAN KNOWLEDGE AND TORAH KNOWLEDGE

The Sanctuary needs light in order to function. The world needs light in order to function. According to Neziv’s position on the structure of the Sanctuary, that it resembles the structure of the world, we can expect the Menorah, the source of light to for the Sanctuary to also be the symbol for light for the world.

The light of the world is the Torah. Human knowledge, the result of human study of the world, joins with and enables Torah knowledge to perform its task. This is the Neziv’s position on the importance of worldly knowledge outside the realm of Torah.

Some people might be surprised at this conclusion. After all, it is known that Neziv preferred to close the famed Volozhin yeshiva rather than introduce secular subjects into the curriculum under pressure from the government. Less well known is the fact that there were actually already some hours of secular subjects already being taught. Certainly his position here was not well known. So if he preferred to close the yeshiva it must have been for other reasons. Possibly he felt that the yeshiva was for the purpose of intensive Torah study. Too much of other studies would take it away from its primary task. After study in the yeshiva, students could pursue secular study in institutions that will do a better job than can be done in the yeshiva.

Let us now look at the Menorah and how he sees its position in the Sanctuary.

We first return to last week’s portion for the initial command regarding the Menorah. [Exodus 25: 31-40]

And you shall make a menorah of pure gold. The menorah shall be made of hammered work; its base and its stem, its goblets, its knobs, and its flowers shall [all] be [one piece] with it.

And six branches coming out of its sides: three menorah branches from its one side and three menorah branches from its second side.

Three decorated goblets on one branch, a knob and a flower, and three decorated goblets on one branch, a knob and a flower; so for the six branches that come out of the menorah…..

In our parashah the special requirements for the oil are given.[27:20-21]

You shall command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually.

In the Tent of Meeting, outside the dividing curtain that is in front of the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall set it up before the Lord from evening to morning; [it shall be] an everlasting statute for their generations, from the children of Israel.

Elsewhere,[She'ar Yisrael, found in translation in my 1996 book, Why Antisemitism?] Neziv presents his general position on the question of human knowledge in relation to Torah knowledge. For him, the primary symbol is the menorah. He says:

the menorah, symbolizes the wisdom of the Torah…. The power of the menorah aids the dialectics of Torah study. The seven lamps … represent the seven sciences which illuminate the suggested and hidden power of the Torah.

This comment is expanded here:

[the Menorah represents] the power of dialectic and innovation (hapilpul vehahidush) by which a person can create for himself an Halakhic matter that was not received. This wonderful power is called Talmud and is signified by the Menorah which includes the seven sciences and all the powers necessary for the dialectic of Torah.

The menorah, thus complements the ark in the sanctuary which represents for Neziv the documents of Torah, both Written and Oral.

At Numbers 8:2 he makes the following comment:

THE SEVEN CANDLES- because the seven sciences are included in the Oral Torah for without knowledge of all the sciences it is impossible to arrive at many fundamentals of Torah such as … the declaration of the new moon and many matters of measurements. All the sciences come to serve and explain the commandments of the Written Torah…. This is what God commanded: that the power of all the sciences will shine in front of the menorah (penei hamenorah) which represents the foundation of the Torah.

This notion of seven sciences is one of the widespread medieval traditions and it is cited specifically by Abraham Ibn Ezra in his comment to Proverbs 9:1 explaining the metaphor of the seven pillars of the house of wisdom. There are various opinions as to which disciplines should be counted among the seven but seven does seem to be a popular number suggested for the total number of categories of scientific knowledge.

Thus, it appears that for Neziv, Torah knowledge and general knowledge are blended in a very intimate way. The menorah radiates the light of Torah. However, each branch of light is composed of a category of scientific wisdom. These branches together make possible the light of Torah. It is not only the house of wisdom that has these seven pillars- as for Ibn Ezra; for Neziv, Torah knowledge has these seven supports as well. Neziv has elevated human scientific knowledge into an indispensable element for proper Torah understanding. There is absolute harmony between them.

Despite the high regard for scientific knowledge, Neziv insists on the primacy and priority of Torah. He establishes this point above -”to serve and explain the …Written Torah”- but elaborates in his comment to the story of the arrival of Joseph’s brothers to Egypt, an event that pleased the palace (Genesis 45:16.) In Harhev Davar Neziv comments as follows:

From this we understand that outside knowledge … is not of the essence of the structure of the world but joins together to expand the structure of Torah for several Torah statutes (lekamah mishpetai Torah)…. The diligent students of the Torah -the Torah helps them to understand and comprehend other sciences…. The one who is wise in Torah deriving from it outside sciences- he and the Torah become endeared in the eyes of the sages of the nations of the world….

In his third introduction to his commentary to She-iltot, (Sec. 2) Neziv speaks of the attributes of King Solomon’s Book of Kohelet. He says

We learn that the Holy Spirit descended upon these words of wisdom which Solomon derived through natural reasoning, for the science of nature is also a creation of the Blessed One.

While Torah knowledge is the domain of Israel, the descendants of Shem, human knowledge is the province of Japheth’s progeny. Israel must teach Torah to the world and learn from the nations their knowledge. Japheth will teach human wisdom to the world and learn Torah from Israel.

We have seen in earlier parashiot that Neziv is very concerned to maintain the separateness and distinctiveness of Israel. However, there is also a distinct function or mission which Israel has towards other nations that he refers to from time to time. Once the covenant is established with Abraham active proselytism is discouraged. The nations will learn from Israel’s faith and behavior how to reform their own traditions to more correctly conform to the will of God.

In Neziv’s commentary to Song of Songs [7:1] he notes-

…with the passage of time and the dispersal of Israel the nations began to learn from the Torah of Moses many religious elements, as we know that the two major faiths that predominate in the world are products of Moses’ Torah.

He then cites Maimonides (Code, Judges, Kings, 11,4) to the effect that Christianity and Islam are part of God’s plan and they help to teach proper faith to the world. This is a common medieval theme found as well in Yehudah Halevi’s Kuzari (4,23) and many other places.

Neziv gives us a well thought out to issues of Torah knowledge and its relation to other knowledge. In this he provides another antecedent for those who believe that Torah and Maddah [general knowledge] are necessary for the fully developed religious personality.

Shabbat Shalom

Hayyim Shemuel Yosef

Adar 13 5770

February 27, 2010

A weekly parashah essay based on the writings of Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, the Neziv, in Ha’amek Davar [HD] and Harhev Davar [HRD]. Please feel free to distribute this material for educational purposes. All rights reserved.

Special Purim Edition

TheProfoundWord

Howard S. Joseph

http://TheProfoundWord.com

A General Explanation of the Purim Miracle

-Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehudah Berlin

“These Purim days will never cease from among the Judeans and their children will never stop remembering them.” (The use of the term ‘Judeans’ rather than ‘Jews’ for ‘Yehudim’ will serve to clarify his message-hsj)

We must understand who are being referred to as the Judeans and who are their children, for after all, descendants of the Judeans are Judeans as well. It is also difficult to think that the expression ‘from among the Judeans’ refers only to those living during the time of Mordekhai and Esther. This is the opinion of Tosafot on Tractate Megillah 7a, that ‘from among’ does not mean only during that period.

In Tractate Shabbat (88a), we find a comment on ‘kiyemu vekiblu hayehudim‘ – the Judeans fulfilled and accepted – that explains it to mean that they now fulfilled what they had previously accepted, because in the beginning (at Sinai) ‘the Blessed Holy One lifted the mountain over their heads like a tub’ so that they would accept the Torah,[therefore, questioning the validity of the covenant] while in the time of Ahashuerus they willingly accepted it.

Tosafot questions this as a puzzling approach for at Sinai they said ‘na’ase venishma’ (indicating apparent willingness). Even more difficult is the text in Midrash Tanhuma (Noah) that asks the same question (about ‘na’ase venishma’) and answers that at Sinai they willingly accepted the Written Torah but refused the Oral Torah. However, in the time of Ahasuerus they accepted the Oral Torah.

We must understand how this miracle effected their acceptance of Oral Torah.

I already explained in Harhev Davar (end of Bo) the reason why the Torah is compared to a sword and not any other weapon. The sword offers two types of protection to its bearer. In peacetime, the sheath is a beautiful decoration for the hero and instills fear among those around him. In war, however, the main purpose of the sword is through its sharp blade. So, too, the Torah serves as the sword of Israel. The Written Torah is the glorious sheath containing the names of God, about which it is written that ‘the nations will see the name of God upon you and revere you’ (Deut. 28:10). This was fulfilled during the era of the first Temple during which there was peace upon Israel and the power of Judaism. All the miracles then were considered visible ones (nes nigleh). However, after the destruction of the Temple the main purpose of the Torah as defender of Israel was through the Oral Torah which is similar to the sharpened blade in the sheath (as I explained there the words of King Josiah.) During the era of the second Temple the miracles were accomplished through hidden Providence through the ways of nature. The people of God realized this during the time of Ahasuerus, for the miracle was a hidden one. From this they understood that now they must occupy themselves with the Oral Torah which is the blade of Israel. This is the meaning of the phrase they ‘fulfilled now what they had accepted’ already before.

I have also already explained (in Ha’amek Davar, Ex 3:14, and Harhev Davar to Deut. 33) the words of Mekhiltah about the difference between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Judah naturally understood that God’s Providence of Israel was entwined in the ways of nature; Benjamin was otherwise. For this reason also Benjamin was called the ‘seed of Israel’ as we see in Vayikrah Rabbah (6) the comment on ‘the seed of Jacob will honor him’ to refer to all the tribes while (the end of the sentence) ‘all the seed of Israel will fear him’ refers to Benjamin. (Also see what I wrote in Harhev Davar, Gen. 33:7.)

My explanation of this is that the name ‘Jacob’ refers to the ordinary dimension of human beings whose Providence is entwined with the ways of nature. The name ‘Israel’, however, points to a dimension removed from nature, as I wrote in Genesis 46:2. This quality flourished in the tribe of Benjamin and, therefore, the name Israel refers to them. We also find that when the Prophet Samuel (I Sam. 15:17) spoke to Saul (a Benjaminite) he called him ‘the head of the tribes of Israel.’ So we see that not all of Israel were called Judeans. This occurred only following the destruction of the first Temple for since then Providence has been hidden and Israel entered the dimension of Judah.

This is the subject of the Book of Esther. Mordekhai is called ‘ish yehudi’, a Judean, yet he was actually from the tribe of Benjamin, as he is also called ‘ish yemini’. The reason for this is that Mordekhai functioned in the dimension of Judah and Providence worked through him in this (hidden) manner. From this time the miracle was commemorated through the Purim celebrations not only to express gratitude to God for redemption, for there is no obligation to express thanks except after the event itself (as I wrote on Ex. 12:26). The purpose of this new holiday was also to implant in us an appreciation of the power of Providence that works through natural events. Through this we will be inspired to strengthen our attachment to Oral Torah for through this holy ‘sword’ we struggle with all occurrences in the time of exile.

If this be so, Purim should only last as long as the exile while we are Judeans. In Messianic times, when Providence will again be visible and we will again be called “Israel”, we should not celebrate Purim any longer. Thus, we are told through the Spirit of Holiness that ‘these Purim days will never cease from among the Judeans’, meaning as long as we are Judeans (in exile). (The word ‘mitokh’ – from among – suggests ‘in its midst,’ its ‘essence.’ For even today visible miracles may occur to various select individuals. But, essentially, our survival is linked to Purim.) And, that (in the last part of the verse) ‘their children will never stop remembering them’ which refers to the Messianic Age when we will no longer be called Judeans but Israel once again. Nevertheless, we will never forget Purim.”

[This short essay is found in the standard Ha'amek Davar volume of Shemot, following the text of Esther. It is now also printed as the eleventh derasha in Derashot HaNeziv. Translation by Howard S. Joseph. Please feel free to distribute this material for educational purposes. All rights reserved.]

Purim Sameah to all

Hayyim Shemuel Yosef

Purim 5770

Parashat Terumah 5770
The Profound Word
Howard S. Joseph
http://TheProfoundWord.com

Mishkan: Home and Dwelling Place

25:8. They shall make for Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst.

Rashi: They shall make in My name a place of sanctity.

The phenomenon of a Holy Place seems to be universal in all societies. It is a place for the community to visit and gather to share and reinforce its values and celebrate its Holy Times and meet its Holy People. There is nothing unusual about such a place. Or is there?

Rashi here appears to share this sense of ordinariness. However, in a later comment [31:18] he tells us:

When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God.

Rashi: He gave Moses: In the Torah, chronological order is not adhered to. The episode of the calf took place long before the command of the work of the Mishkan. For on the seventeenth of Tammuz the tablets were broken, and on Yom Kippur the Holy One, blessed is He, was reconciled to Israel. On the morrow [i.e., on the eleventh of Tishri], they commenced with the donation for the Mishkan, and it [the Mishkan] was erected on the first of Nissan. -[from Midrash Tanhuma, Ki Tissa 31]

Is this just a question of chronology? Or, is Rashi suggesting that the Mishkan was not needed until the fall of Israel from its lofty spiritual plane through the Golden Calf episode? If they had remained on that level there might have never have been a necessity for a Holy Place.

This indeed is the view of a later medieval commentator, Rabbi Ovadia Seforno. He makes this comment on a verse [20:21] at the end of Yitro:

An altar of earth you shall make for Me…. Wherever I allow My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you.

A simple earthen altar, not gold and silver, anywhere, can bring one to the presence of God. This was true immediately after the revelation at Sinai but dramatically changed after the Golden Calf. [See also his comments at 25:9 and 31:18]

Rabbi Moses ben Nahman [RAMBAN, Nahmanides] believes in the naturalness of having a sanctuary and not that it was a reaction to the terrible failure. In fact, for him, the orders for its construction do indeed immediately follow the conclusion of the Sinai covenant, for the Mishkan is to be the permanent reminder of those exalted moments. The construction details each reflect some aspect of Sinai. Through the Mishkan the exalted moment achieved at Sinai could be regularly re-enacted so that a continual elevated state could be achieved. We could say that for Ramban the Golden Calf episode only illustrates the real need to have such a Holy Place without which the necessary inspiration would not exist. The sanctuary would help Israel fulfill its purpose of ‘knowing that I am the Lord.’ Sinai was never made into a permanent Holy Place. Its holiness was transferred to a movable entity, the portable sanctuary, during the wandering years. Eventually, a permanent place would be chosen after the settlement in the Land of Israel had been secured.

What does Neziv have to say about all this?

Neziv follows Ramban in agreeing that it was always intended that there be a sanctuary. However, he relates it to what is said in the verse: I will dwell in their midst. We have to look for the function of the sanctuary as promoting the presence of God in the community of Israel. At Sinai we saw that God entered into a marriage type relationship with Israel and indeed Neziv remarked there that God entered Israel. God must continue to dwell in and among Israel, the bride. It seems that for Neziv the sanctuary might be akin to the home of the newlyweds, so to speak. There they could meet and speak lovingly, respectfully and intimately. There they could consult on important issues for eventually the great scholars would have their place at the sanctuary to guide and judge the people.

How will the sanctuary accomplish all this?

For Neziv the sanctuary does not recall Sinai but the very creation of the world. Just as God dwells within the world so must the sanctuary be constructed so God can dwell in Israel.

I will dwell in their midst: Rashi considers this to be a promise. If you build the sanctuary I will then dwell in your midst…. But this is really a command: make the sanctuary in such a way so that I can dwell in their midst.

In other words, do not just make any kind of sanctuary. It must be made in such a way that I can dwell within it and you. So the explicit design and instructions are given to Moses as told in verse 9:

according to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do.

Moses received detailed plans on Mt Sinai of how to build the Mishkan.

Neziv continues:

The matter is that all the details of the Mishkan were intended to reflect all of the world created by the Blessed Creator who lives in the world. God commanded that the form of the world should be made in the Mishkan and its vessels. God showed Moses the form of the entire world…. Thus, because the Mishkan reflected the the form of the entire world it was possible to cause the Shekhinah to dwell there.

Then God went into details which might seem to us to be for the purpose of constructing the Mikdash so that it will be sturdy. For example, the fifty blue woolen loops that held the curtains. We might think that if there were one missing the Mishkan would not stand.. But this is not so. They are there to reflect something in the creation of the world. If one were missing it would not be in the form of the world and the Shekhinah could not dwell there….

So, the sanctuary is a world in miniature. The people of Israel must build and maintain it according to the specific designs and instructions. The activities in the sanctuary help maintain the entire world and support God’s presence in the entire world. Maybe this is one of the ways Israel is to bring blessing to the world.

When Israel enters the sanctuary it can be inspired by some connection to the Sinai revelation, an unmatched moment of intimacy reflected in the ark, tablets and Torah scroll, as well as the regular readings from it. The ark is surely one of the key elements of the sanctuary. The second most important item is the dramatic lamp, the seven branched Menorah. Next week we will see what this has to teach us.

Shabbat Shalom

Hayyim Shemuel Yosef

Adar 6 5770

February 20, 2010

A weekly parashah essay based on the writings of Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, the Neziv, in Ha’amek Davar [HD] and Harhev Davar [HRD]. Please feel free to distribute this material for educational purposes. All rights reserved.

Parashat Mishpatim 5770
The Profound Word
Howard S. Joseph
http://TheProfoundWord.com

The Wedding Continues

Reading Yitro and Mishpatim together we see the continuity of the wedding process: conditions and terms that extend for many chapters, documents are written and then a final celebration with food and drink as the elders celebrate, or, lead the celebration. Let us follow how Neziv sees the unfolding procedures.

Chapter 19 [5-6]

And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth.

And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes[lit. kohanim] and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.

The word translated as “treasure” [Hebrew: Segulah] can have a variety of meanings: extraordinary, exceptional, treasured, a remedy. One or more of these meanings may be active here.

Moses is now the go between for the groom to the bride. He continues to deliver the groom’s terms and conditions. What are they?

These [verses] are condition and effect: if you do such and such then there will be for you such and such. However, in explaining the matters in detail there are two possibilities.

The first is that if you will obey me and keep my covenant, then you will be for me a treasure. In this manner, the following expression becomes a command: you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation, not a condition and effect.

The second way is to see all the expressions as conditions: if you will obey me and keep my covenant and become for me treasure, then you will become to me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation.

Actually, both interpretations are required by the order of the expressions…. They both stand together and are understood from the word of God. This is what is meant: ‘and now’ means from now on, if you will listen to my voice, meaning you will study Torah intensely, to understand it accurately and precisely.

This condition comes opposite what was said earlier in the introduction: you saw what I did to Egypt. At that time I did it freely and no reciprocity was necessary on your part. However, ‘from now on’, [now that we will be in this marital-covenantal relationship- hsj] it will depend upon your obedience to my voice. Then I will fight your battles for it is known that Torah study is the sword of Israel.

‘And keep My covenant’: this refers to the worship service [avodah], the Covenant of sacrifices that began with Abraham at the Covenant of the Pieces that I expect you to follow in their proper moments and seasons.

This condition is opposite ‘I carried you on eagles’ wings’. Until now my support was again freely given but from now on it is dependent on your loyalty.

Neziv has treated two of the three matters upon which the first Mishnah in Ethics of the Fathers claims that the survival of the world depends: Torah and Avodah, Torah study and worship. What about the third principle: gemilut hasadim, acts of kindness. Let us see how he moves ahead.

However, regarding kindness God said nothing for [this is not unique to Israel as] all nations are expected to live up to this since ‘olam hesed yibaneh’, the world is built and sustained on kindness [Psalm 89:3].We saw that Sodom was destroyed for not caring about the poor and weak.

Furthermore, [another reason why kindness is not dealt with in the terms of the covenant] it is known that it is in the nature of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be compassionate and kindly. Therefore, God only established conditions of Torah study and worship with the effects being the promise of the defense and support of Israel.

However, God now adds a further promise: ‘you will be to Me a treasure out of all peoples’. This means that from now on one who wishes to serve God and be removed from all the stains of the world, cannot be a convert [to this] unless by being attached to the Congregation of Israel and its Torah. This is what segulah means: a treasury which welcomes people into itself from all the nations.

‘for Mine is the entire earth’: there are many people among the nations worthy to convert and serve God as Moses later says [Deut. 33:3]: Indeed, you showed love for peoples; all his holy ones are in your hand, for they let themselves be centered at your feet, bearing your utterances. Until the giving of the Torah at Sinai every person would worship God according to their own vision and practice. Now, however, true worship depends upon entering the treasury known as Israel and accepting the Torah as did Israel…. This promise is opposite what was said in the introduction: I brought you to me.

Furthermore, ‘you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation’. Besides the condition of Torah and worship, without which there is no Israel, you must add to be for me ‘a kingdom of princes’. This refers to conduct between people in a straight and goodly manner [bederekh hayashar vehatov] as noblemen [efratim]. Now these matters cannot be fixed in definite instructions [torah] for all inter-human affairs, places and times are not similar. However, it is God’s will [that this be done.]

‘ a holy nation’: refers to conduct between humans and God, to sanctify oneself through what is permitted as is said [Lev. 19] ‘you shall be holy’. Ramban [Nahmanides] explains this as not being gluttonous while eating permitted foods and the like. Here again finding one’s personal way to holiness cannot be legislated for not all people are equal in this. So again this is not part of the Sinai conditions but it is clearly God’s will that this be done. All this is the first explanation of these verses [for the ordinary Israelites].

Neziv will now introduce one of his major concerns throughout hie entire commentary. So far I have not mentioned it but I hope to deal with it in the future. He tries to make a strong case in favor of religiously motivated goodness and decency as against that based on human reason alone. The latter, if sufficient, might remove entirely the need for a true or correct religion and for a people, Israel, to bring it into the world and uphold it. He tries in many places to demonstrate the superiority of religious ethics against humanistic ethics. Goodness between humans must be done for the sake of God. It is a stronger foundation than human reason which can delude itself into quite reasonable justifications of much selfish behavior when it deems it necessary. It is this issue which is now addressed to the leaders of Israel.

For the leaders of Israel there is a second explanation. ‘ you will be to Me a treasure’: this is also a condition. That is that the kindness you do should not stem from human nature and human reason but should be for the sake of Heaven. This is the meaning of ‘you will be to Me a treasure’: that all your behavior should be treasured to me [linked to me]…. Thus, all that you do, even that which is natural, should be for my name and honor. In this way you will be distinguished and elevated from the other nations of the world.

In matters of Torah and worship it makes no sense to speak of being different from the nations for they are not commanded regarding these. However, in matters of kindness they are commanded. And, ‘for Mine is the entire earth’ therefore, means that they too are mine. In the merit of kindness they survive. However, you must excel in kindness in that you will do it for me. This condition is opposite the phrase ‘I brought you to me’. Until now God raised their consciousness to the spirit of holiness without expecting reciprocity. Now, however, the exalted state of holiness can only be achieved through excellence in this matter of doing everything for the sake of Heaven. Then you will achieve the level of the spirit of holiness and knowledge of God.

We will return to this issue in the future but let us realize the full implications of what Neziv is saying.

1. The pre-Sinai, pre-Covenant [pre-wedding] days are a time without responsibility, a childish period in which all is taken care of by a loving parent. Maturity begins at Sinai. God invites us to marriage and responsibility and on this basis we can live a full life. Nothing will come freely anymore but only with the fulfillment of our responsible tasks.
2. The Sinai marriage covenant expects Israel to live in intimate contact with God through Torah study and proper worship. However, God chose this wife, Israel based on her ‘yihus’, her ancestry, as a people that is naturally kind and compassionate. But God needs a wife, a nation in the world, to demonstrate the insufficiency of being naturally kind. Kindness is the foundation of existence. It must be deemed an absolute necessity for the universe to survive. It must be known that this is the will of the Creator: that humans live with kindness and compassion so that God’s world can survive. God’s bride must bring this message into the world by not only doing acts of kindness but by insuring that this foundation in God’s will is known. In this way the world can survive according to the vision of the creator. In this way humans will know that despite the fact that there are difficult and challenging moments in our lives that is because the Creator built the best universe possible. [See Parashat Vaera 5770] However, by telling us that kindness is the key to a better life, the Creator, known as YHWH, our lover, our friend, gave us the challenge to bring goodness into the world according to the conditions of our nature, time and place.

Being a member of Israel is therefore not only a question of great Torah study and a unique worship system. More than anything else it demands excellence in kindness and goodness for the sake of Heaven and Earth. It is here that the uniqueness of Israel must express itself and reach its fulfillment. God’s bride, the chosen one, must be prepared to understand and achieve this profound goal.

Shabbat Shalom

Hayyim Shemuel Yossef

Adar 7 5770

February 13, 2010

A weekly parashah essay based on the writings of Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, the Neziv, in Ha’amek Davar [HD] and Harhev Davar [HRD]. Please feel free to distribute this material for educational purposes. All rights reserved.

Parashat Yitro 5770
The Profound Word
Howard S. Joseph
http://TheProfoundWord.com

What Happened at Mt. Sinai?

Welcome to the Wedding

Egypt is now behind them. The terror and trauma are past. They are moving towards their ultimate destination: the land promised to the Ancestors. One stop along the way will remain forever marked as not just a station but a confrontation with their destiny. Here they will come ‘to know that I am the Lord your God. [Ex. 6:7] ‘ at Mt. Sinai.

Already in this earlier promise Neziv sees two levels of people being addressed. The four expressions of redemption are addressed to all Israel. Unlike Ra’avad who cites the expression ‘I will bring you to the land…’ as the fifth expression, Neziv considers ‘you will know that I am the Lord’ as the fifth expression. But this is not addressed to all.

‘You will know that I am the Lord…’: This is a separate promise, and a fifth expression of elevation. It means that you will be so elevated until you reach the level of ‘you shall know that I am the Lord’. This means clinging [to God] and knowledge of God.

It is understood that this will come at a later time than the previous levels mentioned, for they were not all simultaneous but rather occurred in succession. This promise [of knowing God] was only from the time of Mt. Sinai onward.

We should also realize that this promise was not meant for all Israel to reach this level for it is impossible that an entire nation will be intensely involved in the knowledge of God. It means, rather, that you will have many spiritually elevated people….

This is how we explained the four cups of wine [at Passover]: that Israel will be changed in form and knowledge from what they were before through four steps of elevation. [At one point Neziv comments that nothing shows the change in a person like a cup of wine.] However, there is a fifth cup [mentioned in the Talmud] corresponding to the expression ‘you shall know’. Since it is not an obligation for all Israel to reach this level of intensity, this cup was not instituted as an obligation but it is meritorious [ a mitzvah] if one does so.

Neziv clearly believes that a community contains many constituents and not all are always expected to do or achieve the same thing. This method of interpretation continues as we arrive at Mt Sinai where it is even more obvious in the text.

Chapter 19

1. In the third month of the children of Israel’s departure from Egypt, on this day they arrived in the desert of Sinai.

3. Moses ascended to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel….

Rashi cites a famous midrashic text in Mekhiltah indicating two different parties being addressed in the verse:

‘say to the house of Jacob’: These are the women. Say it to them in a gentle language.

‘and tell the children of Israel’: The punishments and the details [of the laws] explain to the males

Neziv believes that there are two different audiences being addressed but not divided along gender lines. Bet Yaakov, the house of Jacob, refers to a ‘simple statement to the masses.’ ‘the children of Israel’, on the other hand, refers to those people with great intelligence. the two targets are distinguished by the two verbs used for saying and telling: first, tomar, suggesting a gentler, limited statement; then, taged, indicating a more thorough and detailed explanation, ‘whose context requires more thought and estimation.’

Thus, God commanded Moses to explain things in two different ways which he then did as we will see in various places. Thus, too, there are two different responses of the people recorded. The mass responded according to their understanding: “All that the Lord has spoken we shall do!” Those with a higher level understanding responded: we will do and we will obey.

With this in mind God continues:

4. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and [how] I carried you on eagles’ wings, and I brought you to Me.

Neziv wonders what kind of greeting this is. Who speaks to whom this way? The speaker wants to make an impression for some purpose. What is it? How can we understand what God wants from Israel at this moment?

This general introduction is similar to when a man bonds with a woman and speaks of the conditions and responsibilities she would accept if she became his wife. He too obligates himself to feed and support her and that his protection will be upon her to benefit her in all details. That is what these words are all about.

This is similar to [the wedding blessing we recite]: mekadesh amo yisrael al yedei huppah vekidushin, [who sanctifies Israel with betrothal under the wedding canopy]. In the Talmud Tractate Yoma [54] Israel in the desert is compared first to a betrothed and then to a wife. This is based on an actual Biblical verse in Jeremiah [2:1]: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert…. Therefore [because this is as a wedding] the Blessed Holy One introduced the subject of what was expected from them and what He, as it were, accepted to do for them.

Neziv sees here an event that can only be explained as akin to a marriage proposal and a wedding. [A beautiful poetic Ketubah is read in Sephardi synagogues on Shavuot, the celebration of the Sinai moment, before Torah reading, expressing this marriage idea between God and Israel.] God now tries to impress the bride by recalling what He has already done for her:

You have seen what I did to the Egyptians: I fought against them on your behalf.

I carried you [on eagles' wings]: Human sustenance and the fulfillment of human needs are called carrying [in the Torah] as in the verse ‘as the nurse carries the infant.’ However, there are two kinds of carrying. One occurs when the infant cannot at all walk and the adult must carry it in his arms. The second type is when the infant can walk but cannot jump over obstacles like a stone or threshold. In this case the adult lifts him with his hands but does not have to hold him in his arms.

The latter is like the sustenance of Israel for the future generations: people work in their occupations and God watches over them. This is what is meant in Psalm 91 [which has images of hands and wings for protection]: For He will command His angels on your behalf to guard you in all your ways. On [their] hands they will carry you, lest your foot stumble on a stone. The extra ‘nun’ in ‘carry’ suggests that it is not a full carrying in the arms but only to protect from stumbling [over a rock or the like.]

But when the Holy Blessed One sustains without any work done by us then it is a full carrying. This is what occurred in the desert and is what is meant here.

Furthermore, it was ‘on eagles’ wings’ which means way above normal.

‘and I brought you to Me’: This must be understood on two levels. Firstly, for the masses, it means that God brought them to Him to be His nation. Secondly, for the elite, it means that God raised their consciousness [higbiah da'atam] to acquire the spirit of holiness and the Divine Power [ ruah hakodesh vekoah elohi].

So all of what God has done for us is introduced here by God before the conditions that are demanded of us, to show us that it is beneficial for us to be connected with God for we have seen that His power is great.

Finally, Neziv drives the marriage allegory even further. He focuses on the expression ‘I brought’ which in Hebrew here is ‘va-avi’ from the root ‘bo’ meaning to enter, to come, to come in, etc…. However, the word is misspelled with a ‘yod’ missing : vav aleph bet aleph. He believes that the purpose is to draw attention to the term used in Biblical and Talmudic Hebrew to express intimate intercourse: biah, from the same root ‘bo’. This means that His Shekhinah [Divine Presence] will [enter them] and be in their midst….

What happened at Mt. Sinai? Neziv believes that the best way to describe what happened from our human perspective is to use the image of a wedding. God asked Israel’s hand in marriage and Israel accepted. Each party accepted certain responsibilities and has been trying to live up to them ever since. It has not always been smooth or easy but rather a profound and constant challenge to each side to fulfill the expectations and to bring goodness to the beloved other.

Shabbat Shalom

Hayyim Shemuel Yosef

Shevat 22 5770

February 6, 2010

A weekly parashah essay based on the writings of Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, the Neziv, in Ha’amek Davar [HD] and Harhev Davar [HRD]. Please feel free to distribute this material for educational purposes. All rights reserved.