Blog Archives

1/30/2012

Parashat Beshalach 5772, 2012: Changing and Perfecting the World

Read Now

Changing and Perfecting the World

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, my sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, and Shifra bat Chaim Alter, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam and Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Frieda

The Shirah (Song) of praise and exaltation sung by the Jewish people after having crossed unscathed through the Sea of Reeds (“Red Sea”) is one of the most often recited passages in the entire Torah. After all, we say it every day as part of the introductory section of our daily prayers (Pesukei d’Zimrah). Yet, due to its poetic language and metaphoric images, its meaning remains elusive and difficult to comprehend.

One example of a well known, yet difficult to understand phrase in the Shirah is that of “zeh kali v’anvahu.” (Sefer Shemot 15:2) One would think that such an expression would have a clear and unambiguous translation that would reflect unanimity of opinion as to its meaning. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Judaica Press translation, following the Aramaic translation of Onkelos (first century CE), interprets our phrase as “this is my G-d, and I will make Him a habitation.” Rav Aryeh Kaplan zatzal, takes a somewhat similar approach and translates our phrase as “this is my G-d, I will enshrine Him.” In stark contrast, Rashi (1040-1105) and his grandson, the Rashbam (1080-1158), following Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 133b, translate this as “this is my G-d, and I will glorify Him.” Thus, there is no definitive interpretation of our phrase.

The above-referenced Talmudic passage is based upon a comment of the Mechilta on our pasuk (verse):

R. Yishmael says: And is it possible for a man of flesh and blood to add glory to his Creator? It simply means: I shall be beautiful before Him in observing the commandments. I shall prepare before Him a beautiful Lulav, a beautiful Sukkah, beautiful Tzitzit and beautiful Tefilin. Abba Shaul says: O be like Him! Just as He is gracious and merciful, so should you be gracious and merciful. (Translation, Jacob Z. Lauterbach with my emendations)

Abba Shaul’s explanation of “zeh kali v’anvahu,” i.e. imitatio dei, is discussed at length in a famous passage in Talmud Bavli, Sotah 14a:

Just as Hashem clothed the naked [in the case of Adam and Chava]… so, too, should you clothe the naked. Just as Hashem visited the sick [in the case of Avraham after his brit milah]…so, too, should you visit the sick. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He comforted the mourners [in the case of Yitzhak after Avraham’s passing]…so, too, should you comfort the mourners. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He buried the dead [in the case of Moshe Rabbeinu]…so, too, should you bury the dead. (Translation, my own)

This passage represents a profound and practical formula for fulfilling the mitzvah of “v’halachta b’drachov” (“and you shall walk in His ways,” Sefer Devarim 28:9).

The 13th century anonymous Sephardic work, known as the “Sefer HaChinuch,” introduces this mitzvah (number 611) in the following fashion:

We were commanded to perform all our actions in a way of honesty and goodness with all our power, and to channel all our matters that are between us and others in a way of kindness and compassion – as we know from our Torah that this is the way of the Eternal L-rd, and this is His desire from His human beings, in order that they should merit to attain His good reward, because He delights in loving-kindness (Sefer Michah 7:18). About this it is stated, and you shall walk in His ways (Deuteronomy 28:9). (Translation by Charles Wengrov)

Given the above, v’halachta b’drachov emerges as the fundamental basis of the entire ethical structure of Judaism (Rabbi Soloveitchik zatzal, 1903-1993). Unlike the society around us, where kindness and compassion are more often than not unanticipated events, the Jewish people have a clear and unambiguous mandate “to channel all our matters that are between us and others in a way of kindness and compassion.” (Ibid.) In doing so, we emulate the actions of our Creator and, thereby, ultimately create significant changes in ourselves. Moreover, it is in this sense that we can truly be “partners with Hashem in creating the world” (shutfim im Hashem b’ma’aseh Bereishit). Indeed, Rashi hints at this concept in his comment on Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 133b, when he explains “v’anvahu,” in our pasuk,as a contraction of “Ani” (I) and “Hu” (Him = G-d). In other words, when we “walk in His ways,” He becomes our Yedid nefesh (“Beloved of the soul”), and we become His partners in creating the world anew.

May we find the spiritual energy and strength of conviction within ourselves to join Av Harachamim (our Compassionate Father) in creating the world anew, helping to make it a better and nobler place. In this way, may we fulfill the phrase said three times each day in the Aleinu: “L’takane olam b’malchut Shakai” (“to perfect the world through the Almighty’s sovereignty”). V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

My audio shiurim on Tefilah and Haskafah may be found at: http ://tinyurl .com /7 sp 5 vt 3

****New*** I have recently posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here:
http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

**Follow new postings on my Twitter account: @theRavZatzal.

2 Comments

1/23/2012

Parashat Bo 5772, 2012

0 Comments

Read Now

Parashat Bo 5772, 2012:

Achieving True Spiritual Growth

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, my sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, and Shifra bat Chaim Alter, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Torah is the interweaving of “ethical” and “ritual” laws. For example, at the beginning of Parashat Kedoshim, we are met with the general commandment to be “holy,” the mitzvah of Kibud Av v’Am (parental respect), and almost immediately thereafter by laws referring to sacrificial offerings. The juxtaposition of these commandments contains a vital message, namely, “ethics” and “ritual” are inseparable. Together they form the constitutive elements from which Judaism is fashioned.

The indissoluble interconnectivity of all mitzvot is a central theme of the Sefer Hachinuch’s philosophy of commandments. This anonymous 13th Century work sheds light, as well, on a particular mitzvah that is found in our parsha. During the Torah’s enumeration of the requirements of the Korban Pesach (Paschal Lamb), we find: “Ba’bait echad yah’achal lo totzi min habait min habasar chutzah, v’etzem lo tishbaru bo” (“In one house it shall be eaten, you may not take any of the meat outside from the house; and you shall not break its bone”). Initially, one would expect the Sefer Hachinuchto provide a purely halachic exposition regarding the breaking of the bone of the Paschal Lamb. Normally, this would encompass such elements as: What constitutes a break, and the time frame of the prohibition. Fascinatingly, however, this commandment becomes the platform whereupon the Sefer Hachinuch presents one of his fundamental concepts of Torah analysis, namely, “based upon the actions and symbolic gestures that we perform, a matter [i.e. concept, idea] will become permanently fixed in our souls [and mind].” As the Sefer Hachinuch states:

At the root of the precept lies the purpose to have us remember the miracles of Egypt… This is also a branch [corollary] of the above root purpose: For it is not a way of honor for royal princes and counselors of the land to scrape the bones and break them like dogs. This is fit only for the hungry poor of the people to do. Therefore at the beginning of our emergence to become the treasured choice of all the nations, a kingdom of kohanim and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6), and again every year at the same time, it is fitting for us to perform deeds, which reflect the great degree of excellence to which we rose at that hour. Through the action and symbol that we perform, we set this matter in our souls permanently. (Sefer haHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education, translation, Charles Wengrov, page 118)

As his examination of our mitzvah proceeds apace, the Sefer Hachinuch addresses the questions: “How do we become who we are?” and “How can we become who we would like to be?” He answers both of these in the following manner: “Hatah ozencha u’shma, alamedcha l’hoil b’Torah ub’mizvot. Da ki ha’adam nifal kfi peulotov, v’libo vchol machshavotov tamid achar maasav sh’hu oseh bahem inm tov v’im ra” (“Listen with deep contemplation and I will teach you how to reach high levels in Torah and mitzvot; know that man is affected by his actions [becomes the result of his actions] and that his heart and all of his thoughts continuously follow the actions that he performs whether they will be good or evil”). In other words, man’s behaviors shape his past, present, and future, and serve as determinants of who he will become. By way of illustration, if I act with chesed (kindness), I will ultimately become kindly in both my demeanor and personality. Sadly, the opposite formulation is no less the case.

The theological and philosophical touchstone for the Sefer Hachinuch’s persuasive position is clearly the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) in his Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 1:7. Therein we find:

How should a person comport himself in these [positive] temperaments until they become fixed in him? He should perform these ideal behaviors (hadeot haemtziot) and repeat them a second and third time and continuously repeat them until they will become easy for him to perform. At that point, they will not be burdensome and they will become entrenched in his soul. (Translation my own)

In addition, the Rambam notes in Hilchot Deot 1:5 the manner whereby we can fulfill the commandment of v’halachta b’drachov (walking in G-d’s path, Sefer Devarim 28:9). He bases this on the well-known passage from Talmud Bavli, Sotah 14a:

Just as Hashem clothed the naked [in the case of Adam and Chava]… so, too, should you clothe the naked. Just as Hashem visited the sick [in the case of Avraham after his brit milah]…so, too, should you visit the sick. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He comforted the mourners [in the case of Yitzhak after Avraham’s passing]…so, too, should you comfort the mourners. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He buried the dead [in the case of Moshe Rabbeinu]…so, too, should you bury the dead. (Translation my own)

When taken in tandem, the Sefer Hachinuch and the Rambam provide us with a true derech hachaim (path of holy life) and a clear roadmap for achieving our spiritual potential. As always, however, we need Hashem’s help to enable us to make these changes. We need to call upon Him in the famous words of Megilat Eichah 5:21: “Hasheveinu Hashem alecha v’nashuvah. chadashe yameinu kekedem.” (“Cause us to return to You Hashem and we will return, renew our days as they were in ancient times.”) With His help, may we have the ability and desire to alter our negative behaviors, realize our true potential, and become more than who we are today. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my website: http ://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

My audio shiurim on Tefilah and Haskafah may be found at: http ://tinyurl .com /7 sp 5 vt 3

I have recently posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

**Follow new postings on my Twitter account: @theRavZatzal.

0 Comments

1/16/2012

Parashat Vaera 5772, 2012

5 Comments

Read Now

Parashat Vaera 5772, 2012:

How to Respond to Evil and Suffering

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, my sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, and Shifra bat Chaim Alter, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam.

Rav Aryeh Kaplan zatztal translates some of the key verses in our parasha in the following manner:

I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant. “Therefore say to the Israelites [in My name], ‘I am G-d. I will take you away from your forced labor in Egypt and free you from their slavery. I will liberate you with a demonstration of My power, and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to Myself as a nation, and I will be to you as a G-d. You will know that I am G-d your L-rd, the One who is bringing you out from under the Egyptian subjugation. I will bring you to the land regarding which I raised My hand, [swearing] that I would give it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give it to you as an inheritance. I am G-d.’” Moses related this to the Israelites, but because of their disappointment and hard work, they would no longer listen to him. (This and all Torah translations, The Living Torah, Sefer Shemot 6:5-6:9)

In contrast, Onkelos (second century CE) translates the final verse as: “And Moshe spoke in this way to the Jewish people, and they did not accept this from Moshe because of their depressed spirit and the hard work that was upon them.” Our ancestors were deeply depressed because of the evil and suffering they faced on an ongoing basis. They lived as slaves in squalid and unbearable conditions. Pharaoh, the megalomaniacal and heartless leader of Egypt, had given a death sentence to all of their newborn male children. Moreover, various Midrashim teach us that crying Jewish infants were thrust into the hardening walls that their parents were forced to construct. Clearly, anguish and travail were the order of the day. It seemed that the curses in Sefer Devarim 28:67 had been visited upon them: “In the morning, you will say, ‘If it were only night,’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If it were only morning.’ Such will be the internal terror that you will experience and the sights that you will see.” We are faced with an immediate question: “How can we, as 21st Century Jews, encounter these curses, especially in the light of the catastrophes that have befallen our people?” It is to this question we now turn.

The spiritual challenge of theodicy, “the vindication of the divine attributes, particularly holiness and justice, in establishing or allowing the existence of physical and moral evil,” (Dictionary.com) is concisely summarized by the classic question: “If G-d is all good, how can He allow evil to exist?” This is a problem, if not the problem for the thinking and spiritually sensitive religious Jew. Unfortunately, however, it is a problem without a solution. As my rebbi and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatztal (1903-1993), known by his disciples as “the Rav,” formulated it:

The acuteness of this problem has grown for the religious person in essence and dimensions. When a minister, rabbi, or priest attempts to solve the ancient question of Job’s suffering, through a sermon or a lecture, he does not promote religious ends, but on the contrary, does them a disservice. The beauty of religion with its grandiose vistas reveals itself to men, not in solutions but in problems, not in harmony but in the constant conflict of diversified forces and trends. (“Sacred and Profane,” Gesher, Volume 3, No. 1, page 7)

According to the Rav, we cannot ask the question: “Why is there suffering and evil? Instead, for the religious Jew, the question becomes: “What do I do with suffering and evil when I am forced to encounter them?” In an April 15, 1965 letter to Dr. Dan Vogel, then Dean of Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, Rabbi Soloveitchik succinctly stated this approach to The Problem of Evil:

Job was in error because he tried to grasp the nature of evil. Therefore, Judaism has recommended that the metaphysical inquiry be replaced by the halakhic ethical gesture. Man should not ask: Why evil? He should rather raise the question: What am I supposed to do if confronted by evil; how should I behave vis a vis evil? The latter is a powerful challenge to man and it is the duty of man to meet this challenge boldly and courageously. (Quoted in: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Out of the Whirlwind: Essays on Mourning, Suffering and the Human Condition, page xxxvi)

What, then, should be our approach to suffering? How do we integrate it into our overall world-view (hashkafa)? What constitutes a true halachic response to suffering? Talmud Bavli, Taanit 8a, suggests the following answer to these questions: “Amar Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi:’Kol hasameach b’yisurin sh’bayin aluv mavi yeshuah l’olam. Shenemar:“Bahem olam v’nivashayah.’” (“Rabbi Yehoshuah ben Levi said: ‘Anyone who rejoices in the suffering that comes upon him brings salvation to the world. As it says [Yeshiyahu 64:4] “We had always [relied] upon them and been saved’”) At first blush, one could not imagine a more counter-intuitive response to misery and suffering.

The great Tunisian Talmudic scholar, Rabbeinu Chananel ben Chushiel (990-1053) explained what is meant by Rabbi Yehoshuah ben Levi’s statement and his use of the pasuk (verse) from Sefer Yeshiyahu: “We admit that this affliction has come upon us because of our sins and this acknowledgement, [in and of itself] is fitting to bring salvation to the world.” In a word, yisurin (acts of suffering) are to be viewed as opportunities for rededicating ourselves to Hashem. They are cathartic moments, which when viewed through the lens of discernment of the Torah offer us a chance for spiritual growth and renewal. As difficult as these painful periods may be, they are precious moments that should never be squandered. Yisurin, therefore, are a call to teshuvah (repentance). As the Rav states:

Suffering, in the opinion of Judaism, must not be purposeless, wasted. Out of suffering must emerge the ethical norm, the call for repentance, for self-elevation. Judaism wants to convert the passional frustrating experience into an integrating, cleansing and redeeming factor. (Ibid.)

Each month, in anticipation of Rosh Chodesh, we pray to the Holy One Blessed be He for long lives that will be filled with goodness, blessing, peace, sustenance, physical health, awe of Heaven, and fear of sin. We beseech Him for lives that will have neither shame nor humiliation. We daven (pray), as well, for lives that will include honor and the love of Torah. With His Divine grace, may all of these berachot (blessings) be fulfilled for the entire Jewish people.

If, however, G-d forbid, there are those amongst Hashem’s people upon whom He chooses to visit acts of suffering, may the recipients of these trials and tribulations respond to them with a renewed sense of purpose. May they, like Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi suggests, find the strength to use these yisurin as opportunities for spiritual growth and redemption, and thereby bring salvation to the world. As Yirmiyahu, the majestic prophet at the time of the destruction of the First Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple), taught us so long ago: “Hasheveinu Hashem alecha v’nashuvah chadeish yameinu kekedem” (“Bring us back to You, Hashem, and we will return, renew our days as they were in the past”). V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my website: http ://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

My audio shiurim on Tefilah and Haskafah may be found at: http ://tinyurl .com /7 sp 5 vt 3

****New*** I have recently posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here:

http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn .

**Follow new postings on my Twitter account: @theRavZatzal.

5 Comments

Parashat Beshalach 5772, 2012: Changing and Perfecting the World

Parashat Bo 5772, 2012

Parashat Vaera 5772, 2012

Archives

Author

Categories