Parashat Naso, 5772, 2012:

                             How to Perform the Mitzvot

                                   Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, 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, Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel, and Moshe Reuven ben Chaya.

Our parasha is the source for one of the most dramatic and stirring acts in the entire Tefilah (Prayer) experience: Birkat Kohanim (the Blessing of the Kohanim):

The L-rd spoke to Moses saying:

Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them:

“May the L-rd bless you and watch over you.
May the L-rd cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you.
May the L-rd raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace.”
They shall bestow My Name upon the children of Israel, so that I will bless them. (Sefer Bamidbar 6:22-27, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

Chazal (Our Sages of blessed memory) were sensitive to every nuance of language that appears throughout the Tanach (the Hebrew Canon of Scripture). The verse “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them,” offers a telling example of our Sages insightful analysis of the phrase “saying to them” (“amore lahem”). They note that the word “amore” (“saying”) is spelled in its complete grammatical form (maleh, with the Hebrew letter “vav”), rather than in the more usual form (chaser, without the Hebrew letter “vav”). Midrash Tanachuma (Buber) Parashat Naso section 18 finds deep and abiding significance in this seemingly minor grammatical change:

[Amore] is spelled maleh in the phrase “amore lahem”(“speak to them,” i.e. to the Kohanim). The reason why you [the Kohanim] should bless the Jewish people is not merely because I [G-d] have told you to do so [as if this act was some kind of onerous chore.] Therefore, you should not bless them as if you were forced to do so (Hebrew-Greek b’angaria) and in a rapid [unthinking and automatic] fashion. Instead, you [the Kohanim] should bless them [the Jewish people] with complete intention (b’kavanat halev) in order that the blessing should totally encompass them (she’tishlot habracha bahem). This is why the Torah writes: “amore lahem” [in the maleh form].

Rashi (1040-1105), the Prince of Torah Commentators, summarized the above source in the following manner: “The word ‘amore’ is written in its full form [i.e., with a “vav”], indicating that they should not bless them hastily or in a hurried manner, but with concentration and with wholeheartedness.” (Translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

I believe that an essential aspect of our relationship with Hashem and His Torah, as well as with our fellow man, may be readily derived from the Midrash’s and Rashi’s analysis of the phrase “amore lahem.” In addition, it appears to me that Chazal’s statement speaks to our ethical and moral behaviors in the broadest possible terms. Moreover, it seems to me that the deeply kavanah-filled manner in which the Kohanim are told to approach blessing the nation, serves as a “binyan av” (a “general rule”) for all of our mitzvot-based actions.

To illustrate the above idea, let us briefly focus on one of the most difficult to fulfill of all commandments, kibud av v’ame (honor your father and mother). The following well-known vignette depicts the true extent of this mitzvah’s obligation:

R. Eliezer [himself] was asked: To what extent is honoring one's father and mother to be practiced? He answered: Go forth and see how a certain idolater of Ashkelon, Dama the son of Nathina by name, acted towards his father. He was once approached about selling precious stones for the ephod [one of the High Priest’s unique garments]. at a profit of six hundred thousand [denarii] (R. Kahana's version is eight hundred thousand); but the keys were lying under his father's head-pillow, so he would not disturb him! … In a subsequent year a 'red heifer' was born in his herd, and some of the Sages of Israel called on him. Said he to them: From what I know of you [I am aware] that if I were to demand of you all the money in the world, you would give it to me, but all I ask of you now is that money that I had lost because of my father! (Talmud Bavli, Masechet Avodah Zarah 23b-24a, translation, Soncino Talmud with my emendations for readability. Compare the original source in Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 31a )

Chazal’s inclusion of this story in no less than two places in the Talmud speaks volumes. Just as we saw in the passage from the Midrash Tanchuma, our Sages were trying to teach us a derech hachaim, a pragmatic approach to fulfilling the Torah. Clearly, if the non-Jew, Dama the son of Nathina, who was not commanded to observe this precept, could act with such pure respect for his father, all the more so are we obligated to do so. Let us analyze exactly what Dama did. It is crucial to note that he did not get angry, frustrated or react in any negative way whatsoever – even though he potentially could have lost a major fortune. He was driven by the obligation of honoring his father; that was his prime imperative. He did not act as if this was a burden. Most importantly, this was not a dry formalistic obligation in his mind. Instead, his most heartfelt desire was to fulfill this responsibility in the most holistic possible sense - both in regard to its content and intent. He was successful and, therefore, achieved greatness. Then, too, since he conquered his passion for immediate financial gain, he was rewarded with the birth of a Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) and the ability to sell it for the same price that he would have received for the precious stones for the ephod.

In reality, whether we are Kohanim about to publicly bless the Jewish people, or we are standing privately by our parent’s bedside, the manner in which we are obligated to fulfill the mitzvot is the same. We must invest every mitzvah gesture with every fiber of our being. We must make certain that the action we are about to undertake represents the highest standards of which we are capable. We must strive to invest each commandment with the full potential inherent therein. As such, a mitzvah must never become a burden, or something to be done “in a hurried manner.” Instead, as the Midrash and Rashi teach us, each mitzvah act should be viewed as a unique and meaningful opportunity to serve Hashem “with concentration and with wholeheartedness.” With G-d’s help, may we be zocheh (merit) to achieve this level of Torah observance. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-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/7sp5vt3

*** 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 accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

                                  Parashat Bamidbar 5772, 2012:

                     Achieving Hashem's Kindness and Mercy

                                    Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, 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, Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel, and Moshe Reuven ben Chaya.

Our parasha’s Haftorah reading is Sefer Hosea 2:1-2:22. The final two pasukim (verses) of this passage are well known to men since they are recited after donning the Tefillin: “And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know the L-rd.” (Translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Rashi (1040-1105) explains that “with righteousness and with justice” refers to what we do, i.e. our pragmatic practice of these ethical characteristics (midot tovot), whereas “and with loving-kindness and with mercy,” refers to Hashem’s response to their practice. Rashi buttresses this exegesis with the following textual supports:

Concerning our father Abraham, it is written (Gen 18:19): “For I have known him because he commands his sons and his household after him, that they should keep the way of the L-rd to perform righteousness and justice, in order that the L-rd bring upon Abraham that which He spoke concerning him.” And, corresponding to them, He bestowed upon his children loving-kindness and mercy, as it is said (Deut. 13:18): “And He shall grant you mercy;” (ibid. 7:12) “And the L-rd your G-d shall keep for you the covenant and the loving- kindness.” When they ceased to perform righteousness and justice, as it is said (Amos 5:7): “Those who turn justice into wormwood, and righteousness they leave on the ground,” also the Holy One, blessed be He, took away from them the loving-kindness and the mercy, as it is said (Jer. 16:5): “for I have gathered in My peace from this people, says the L-rd, the loving-kindness and the mercies.” And when they will return to perform righteousness and justice, they shall be redeemed immediately, as it is said (Isa. 1: 27): “Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and her penitent through righteousness.” And the Holy One, blessed be He, will add mercy and loving-kindness to them and make a crown of all four of them and place it on their head. (Ibid.)

Allow me to summarize both Sefer Hosea 2:21and the essential points of Rashi’s analysis:

1. Sefer Hosea 2: 21 contains four separate terms that form the underpinning of the covenantal agreement that obtains between the Jewish people and Hashem: Tzedek (Righteousness), Mishpat (Justice), Chesed (Loving-Kindness), and Rachamim (Mercy).
2. Tzedek and mishpat are our responsibilities. They reflect the manner in which we must comport ourselves with our fellow man. All of our actions need to be invested with elements of righteousness and justice if we are to lay proper claim to the title of being b’nai Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah (the children of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs).
3. Chesed and rachamim are from Hashem, and reflect His Divine response to our actions that emobdy tzedek and mishpat.
4. A quid pro quo (middah k’neged middah) relationship obtains between our acts of righteousness and justice, and Hashem's subsequent bestowal of His beneficence upon us, reflected in His acts of loving-kindness and mercy. As Rashi explicitly notes: When we fail to live up to our responsibilities toward our fellow man and act without righteousness and justice, then Hashem, in turn, will act toward us, G-d forbid, without chesed and rachamim. In contrast, when we live up to our covenantal mandate to be truly human and pursue the authentically ethical gesture, then Hashem will reward us in kind.

Based upon the above analysis, it is evident that we have a relationship with Hashem that, in some ways, mirrors the relationships that we share with family and friends. Our relationship with Hashem is based upon clearly delineated rights and responsibilities, as outlined in the Torah. Similarly, our relationships with family and friends are defined by a host of social and cultural mores and expectations, and by the love and respect we share for, and with, one another. Most of us realize that we cannot, and must not, take our family and friendships for granted. We know that these relationships take work and effort to keep them vibrant, dynamic, and truly beautiful. Some of us, however, do not realize that the same is true regarding our relationship with Hashem. To counteract this lapse of recognition, we must constantly work in order to authentically encounter our Creator.

The prophet Hosea gives us a formula for success in achieving a relationship with Hashem that pulsates with boundless spiritual energy. He tells us that if we want to experience the unlimited joy of Hashem’s chesedand rachamim, we must treat our fellow man with righteousness and justice. Every action we undertake must be viewed through the lens of discernment of a seemingly simple question: “Does this act bring greater righteousness and justice to the world, or does it bring the opposite in its wake?” May we be zocheh (merit) to pursue tzedek and mishpat in all of our actions. May we then be zocheh, as well, to receive the wonderful blessings of Hashem’s chesed and rachamim. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-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/7sp5vt3

*** 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 accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

                     Parshiot Behar-Bechuchotai, 5772, 2012

                            The Pursuit of Freedom

                                  Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, 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, Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel, and Moshe Reuven ben Chaya.

The beginning of Parashat Behar focuses upon the laws of Shemittah (Sabbatical Year) and Yovel (Jubilee Year). In the context of these halachot (laws), we encounter the following verse: “And you will sanctify the 50th year and declare liberty (d’ror) throughout the land for all of its inhabitants…”(Sefer Vayikra 25:10) Beyond the literal meaning of this verse, that mandates the return of ancestral lands to familial ownership and the setting free of all Jewish slaves, what does the Torah mean by the term “d’ror?” Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) explain that d’ror is synonymous with cheirut (freedom). Thus we find in Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 9b:

D’kulai alma d’ror lashon cheirut. Mai mashma? D’tanya ain d’ror elah lashon cheirut (Everyone agrees that “d’ror”means “freedom.” From where may this be derived? From the following Beraitta [Mishnaic period text]: The only meaning of “d’ror” is freedom, translation my own)

This explanation, in turn, leads us to ask: “What is the Torah’s idea of freedom?”

I believe that our understanding of the Torah’s concept of freedom may be advanced by two terms developed by Sir Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997), in his 1958 Inaugural Lecture delivered before the University of Oxford. In this lecture, published under the title “Two Concepts of Liberty,” Berlin uses the terms “liberty” and “freedom” interchangeably (Isaiah Berlin, Four Essays on Liberty, Oxford University Press, 1971, page, 121). In his discussion, he identifies and defines “negative freedom” and “positive freedom.” He begins by noting that: “Like happiness and goodness, like nature and reality, the meaning of this term [freedom] is so porous that there is little interpretation that it seems able to resist.” Therefore, he continues and suggests the following definition for negative freedom:

I am normally said to be free to the degree to which no man or body of men interferes with my activity. Political liberty in this sense is simply the area within which a man can act unobstructed by others. If I am prevented by others from doing what I could otherwise do, I am to that degree unfree; and if this area is contracted by men beyond a certain minimum, I can be described as being coerced, or it may be, enslaved. …Coercion implies the deliberate interference of other human beings within the area in which I could otherwise act. You lack political liberty or freedom only if you are prevented from attaining a goal by human beings (page, 122).

In stark contrast, positive freedom is defined in the following manner:

I wish my life and decisions to depend on myself, not on external forces of whatever kind. I wish to be the instrument of my own, not of other men’s acts of will. I wish to be a subject, not an object; I wish to be somebody, not nobody; a doer-deciding, not be decided for, self-directed and not acted upon by external nature or by other men as if I were a thing, or an animal, or a slave incapable of playing a human role, that is of conceiving goals and policies of my own and realizing them…. I wish, above all, to be conscious of myself as a thinking, willing, active being, bearing responsibility for my choices and able to explain them by references to my own ideas and purposes (page, 131).

I believe that we can utilize Berlin’s concept of negative freedom to help us understand what the servitude in Egypt, and the Exodus therefrom, represented. As slaves to Pharaoh, we were “unfree” and coerced. We were in a ceaseless cycle of misery and angst wherein others interfered with our most basic activities. We were obstructed by our taskmasters and prevented from attaining nearly all of our goals. The Exodus from Egypt, therefore, allowed us to enter into negative freedom wherein: “no man or body of men interferes with my activity.” In short, we were no longer coerced; we were no longer slaves “incapable of playing a human role.” We were free from the misery and servitude imposed upon us by our merciless Egyptian overseers. Yet, this political liberty was just the beginning of Hashem’s plan for our people’s pursuit of the next stage of freedom: positive freedom.

As a nation, we achieved positive freedom when we received the holy Torah. Suddenly, by the grace of HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One Blessed be He), we were transformed into a nation of subjects instead of objects. After 210 years, we were finally able “to be conscious of [ourselves] as thinking, willing, active being[s], bearing responsibility for [our] choices.” We became capable of  “conceiving goals and policies of [our] own and realizing them.” Most of all, we had a litmus test by and through which all of our desires, hopes, and dreams could be judged: the Word of G-d Himself. This was, and is, the most positive concept of freedom that one can imagine.

Rabbi Yehoshuah ben Lavi’s statement in Pirkei Avot 6:2 underscores the relationship between positive freedom and the Torah:

It says in Sefer Shemot 32:16: “And the tablets were the work of G-d, and the writing was the writing of G-d (charut) engraved upon the tablets.” Do not read the [non-vocalized] word as charut (engraved), instead read it as cheirut (freedom). [This is so] since there is no one who is truly free except for one who engages in Torah study.

For Rabbi Yehoshuah ben Lavi, the study of the words of our Creator or His earthly representatives is, by definition, the ultimate act in which a truly free individual can engage. Why? Perhaps it is because by challenging ourselves to understand His Torah, we come to encounter Hashem.With awe and humility we recognize the total otherness of our Creator, while simultaneously striving to comprehend His words and the thoughts and concepts they contain. Like Yaakov Avinu,we know that when we study Torah, we are entering into a place that is so holy and so filled with the Divine Presence, our innermost-beings must declare: “Mah norah hamakom hazeh” (“How awe-filled and awe-inspiring is this place” Sefer Bereishit 28:17).

Torah study is the ultimate act of intellectual and spiritual creativity that enables us to hear and heed the word of our Creator. Thus, Talmud Torah (Torah study) emerges as the most positive of all conceivable definitions of freedom. Through it, lowly man is able to rise to his highest heights. Through Talmud Torah,man is able to actualize his true potential and enter into the grandest and most noble dialogue that is humanly possible: He is free to encounter the Almighty Himself.

May it be His will, and the deepest desires of our hearts and souls, that we will be able to recognize the ultimate positive freedom that is embodied in being “osak b’Talmud Torah” (“completely engaged in Torah study”). If we can achieve this goal, we will surely be zocheh (merit) to understand that this, and only this, is authentic freedom.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-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/7sp5vt3

*** 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 accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

Parashat Emor 5772, 2012:

Life: Sanctifying Hashem’s Name

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, 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, Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel, and Moshe Reuven ben Chaya.


Contemporary non-academic biographies of recent Torah Sages often present their subjects in a nearly angelic light. While these works may be inspiring and edifying, they often leave their readers with the sense that “He (whoever the gadol may have been) was a great and true tzaddik (righteous individual) who reached celestial heights. Yet, realistically, I know that I can never achieve 100th of what he accomplished or became.”

 The truth, however, is quite different, i.e., past gedolim were real people who faced the challenges and vicissitudes of life with which we are all presented. They had families, hopes, dreams, successes, failures, and foibles. In almost every instance, the last thing they wanted was to be venerated as if they were saints who could do no wrong, or people who did not need to continually grow, spiritually and ethically. Allow me to share a wonderfully illustrative vignette that I once heard from the life of the Chafetz Chaim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, 1838-1933):

One day during the Aseret Yimei Teshuvah (the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), a student entered the Chafetz Chaim’s home and was greeted by an amazing sight. There he found his beloved rebbe face down upon the floor sobbing out the words: “I am a nothing, I am a nothing, I am a nothing,” and completely unaware of the presence of anyone else in the room. The student was beside himself with worry and consternation - and totally dumbfounded. Finally, unable to control himself, he blurted out: “Rebbe what’s wrong, are you all right, what can I do to help you?”

At that point, the Chafetz Chaim said: “I am fine, I am working on my problem of gaavah (arrogance). You see, I have a tendency in this direction. Therefore, I have to always be vigilant to never allow myself to become arrogant. That is why you found me face down on the floor declaring, ‘I am a nothing.’ In this way, I can protect myself against these feelings and stop them before they control me.”

Yes, almost none of us will achieve the spiritual level and ethical sensitivity of our gedolim. Yet, each of us has the potential for greatness and holiness. We can achieve amazing things in our lives if we sanctify that which is normally thought of as being in the realm of the profane. All of the behaviors that we share with the animal kingdom can, and should, be endowed with the kedushah (holiness). Therefore, Hashem states in our parasha: “…I shall be sanctified amidst the children of Israel. I am the L-rd Who sanctifies you. Who took you out of the land of Egypt, to be a G-d to you. I am the L-rd.” (Sefer Vayikra 22:33, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, underlining my own). This point is underscored by the Rambam (1135-1204) in Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 5:10:

So, too, anyone who separates himself from a prohibition, or fulfills a commandment, not because of something in this world, neither visceral mortal fear nor [heart-stopping] awe, and not to receive honor [and glory], but, rather, solely because of the [will] of the Creator, may He be blessed, just like Yosef the Righteous held himself back from his master’s wife, be it known that he is one who sanctifies the Name. (Translation my own)

Each time we fulfill a mitzvah or refrain from a prohibition solely “because Hashem said so,” we sanctify His name. Every time we bend our will to His, and follow the Torah’s commandments, we declare our loyalty and total dedication to our Creator.

The above-found idea is elaborated upon, as well, in Talmud Bavli, Yoma 86a in clear and direct prose:

And Abaye says, as we have learned in the following beraitta: It is written [Sefer Devarim 6:5]: “You shall love the L-rd your G-d.” That means, G-d's name should be beloved through you; that is to say, a man must read and study the Torah, and serve Torah scholars, and speak kindly to his fellow man. What do people then say of him? Happy is his father, who taught him Torah; happy is his teacher, who has instructed him in Torah, and woe to those people who have not learned the Law! Behold, the one who has learned Torah, how beautiful are his ways, how just his deeds! Of him says the verse [Sefer Yeshiyahu 49:3]: “And He said unto me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’” (Based upon Michael L. Rodkinson’s translation with my changes and emendations.)

Herein we find some highly specific and accessible behaviors that each of us can emulate in our daily dealings with our fellow man:

1. We must fulfill the mitzvah of heartfelt and engaged Torah study
2. We must fulfill the mitzvah of honoring and serving Talmidei Chachamim (Torah scholars)
3. We must speak with kindness and sensitivity to, and with, our fellow man –regardless of his or her station in life or level of achievement. Everyone, after all, is created in G-d’s ineffable image.

The words of the Rambam and Talmud are exhilarating. Now, each of us has an opportunity to be “mekadash shame shamaiim” (“sanctify G-d’s name”) through our everyday actions. Each of these highly approachable mitzvot, when performed with integrity, purity, and seriousness of purpose, allows us to fulfill our parasha’s pasuk (verse): “v’nikdashti betoch b’nai Yisrael” (“…I shall be sanctified amidst the children of Israel”). May Hashem give us the wisdom and discernment to listen to, and follow, His Torah. May we learn to be better individuals tomorrow than who we are today. In sum, may we learn to sanctify Hashem in our words and deeds. Then, He will be holy among us for, we, too, will be holy. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-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/7sp5vt3

*** 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 accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

Parshiot Acharei Mot - Kedoshim, 5772, 2012:

The Pursuit of the Holy: Imitating G-d’s Ways

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, 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, Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel, and Moshe Reuven ben Chaya.

Our parasha’s verse: “And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy (kedoshim), for I, the L-rd, your G-d, am holy,’” (Sefer Vayikra 19:1-2, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) is justly famous for its clarion call to the Jewish people to pursue lives invested with holiness. It is the only instance in the Five Books of the Torah where the exact phrase, “kedoshim tiheyu” is used. The variant “kedoshim yi’heyu” is found in Sefer Vayikra 21:6, while the expression “v’heyitem kedoshim” is utilized in Sefer Vayikra 11:44-45, 20:6, and Sefer Bamidbar 15:40. In all instances these verses may be accurately translated as: “(And) you (i.e. the Jewish people) shall be holy.”

Allow me to ask a seemingly radical question: “Why should we be holy?” The Torah anticipated this very question, and in four of the six above-noted verses answered: “Because I [G-d] am holy,” or “Because I am the L-rd your G-d.” In other words, the explicit rationale inherent in the mitzvah “kedoshim tiheyu” is none other than imitatio Dei (v’halachta b’drachov, Sefer Devarim 28:9), the obligation to emulate Hashem’s actions. There are a variety of classic rabbinic sources that focus on the content and intent of this mitzvah. Let us now examine a few of them:

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. (Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 15:12,translation, Jacob Z. Lauterbach with my underlining and emendations)

Abba Shaul’s explanation of “zeh kali v’anvahu,” (“this is my G-d, and I will glorify Him,”) a secondary source for 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.

Beyond a doubt, this passage represents a profound and practical formula for fulfilling the mitzvah of imitatio Dei.

The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) codifies the specific mitzvah of “v’halachta b’drachov,” i.e. imitatio Dei, in the following fashion:

We are commanded to walk in these intermediate paths - and they are good and straight paths - as [Sefer Devarim 28:9] states: “And you shall walk in His ways.” [Our Sages] taught [the following] explanation of this mitzvah: Just as He is called “Gracious,” you shall be gracious; Just as He is called “Merciful,” you shall be merciful; Just as He is called “Holy,” you shall be holy; In a similar manner, the prophets called G-d by other titles: “Slow to anger,” “Abundant in kindness,” “Righteous,” “Just,” “Perfect,” “Almighty,” “Powerful,” and the like. [They did so] to inform us that these are good and just paths. A person is obligated to accustom himself to these paths and [to try to] resemble Him to the extent of his ability. (Sefer Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 1:5-6, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, with my emendations)

The 13th century anonymous Sephardic work, known as the “Sefer Hachinuch,” generally follows Maimonides’ approach to the mitzvot. Little wonder then, that he introduces our mitzvah (number 611) in the following manner:

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 (Sefer Devarim 28:9). (Translation, Charles Wengrov)

The above-stated sources clearly reveal the import of the concept of imitatio Dei and its concrete expression in the mitzvah of v’halachta b’drachov. It remained for my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), however, to declare imitatio Dei the central commandment and cornerstone of the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments). Thus, in his most famous work, Ish HaHalacha (Halachic Man), Rav Soloveitchik stated: “The central mitzvah among the Taryag Mitzvot is the commandment to walk in the ways of the Holy One Blessed be He.” (Standard Hebrew edition, page 252, translation my own) This theme was forcefully repeated in Rabbi Soloveitchik’s collection of memorial lectures in honor of his father’s sacred memory, in an essay entitled, “B’Inyan Birchot HaTorah”:

Talmud Torah (Torah study) is the most elevated form of prayer that a Jewish individual is capable of putting forth (l’sadere). The truth of the matter is, and according to the view of Maimonides in The Guide for the Perplexed, we are permitted to utter words of praise [to Hashem] solely because through this modality a person is in consonance with the actions and ethical qualities of Hashem. [As a result,] he will come to emulate Him or imitate His actions – and they are the fundamental basis (yesod) of ethical halachic behavior and the light that illuminates the path of man in all of his conduct and actions, in accordance with the verse: “v’halachta b’drachov.” (Shiurim l’Zacher Aba Mari, Volume II, pages 8-9, translation, brackets, and underlining my own)

Rabbi Soloveitchik’s most extensive treatment of imitatio Dei, however, is found in the 10th chapter of his brilliant philosophical essay, “U’vikashtem Misham” (“And from There You Shall Seek”). Once again, the centrality of v’halachta b’drachov cannot be overstated:

In the practical realm, this conflict is embodied in the principle of imitatio Dei. Halachic Judaism placed this principle at the center of the universe. “And you shall walk in His ways” (Deut. 28:9) – as He is, so you shall be (see Sotah 14a). “This is my G-d and I will imitate Him” (Ex. 15:2) – as He is, so you shall be (see Shabbat 133b). (From There You Shall Seek, page 75, translation, Naomi Goldblum, underlining my own)

Rabbi Soloveitchik continued his examination of imitatio Dei and described it as a solution, and in my estimation, the solution, “to the contradiction between moral freedom and subjugation:

Between the two poles of aspiration for full moral freedom – which bursts forth and rises up from man’s yearning for G-d – and human subjugation and surrender to the divine decree, a decree that is imposed on man willy-nilly when he tries to escape from G-d, we find the desire to imitate G-d as a solution to the contradiction between moral freedom and subjugation. (Ibid.)

As foreshadowed in the previous statement, imitatio Dei serves a dual, and dialectical, function in Rabbi Soloveitchik’s spiritual and philosophical system: It is simultaneously a response to man’s terrible despair when he recognizes his inability, due to his intrinsic finitude, to truly join G-d in full spiritual union, and a glorious song to man’s ultimate intellectual and spiritual freedom:

The principle of imitatio Dei gives expression, on the one hand, to the terrible despair of the helpless man who is unable to realize his ideal – cleaving to G-d – which will grant him total and absolute freedom…The act of imitation contains a confession of failure in his arrogant attempt to achieve total cleaving to G-d: if he were able to do so, there would be no need to imitate Him.

Yet, on the other hand, man makes use of the idea of imitatio Dei in order to allow a supernatural decree to be grasped as a free intellectual experience and dress it in the glory of spontaneous human freedom… If it is impossible for man to join with G-d and thus become a partner in the act of creation, he can at least imitate Him by emulating His deeds, which symbolize total freedom. When man, animated by the hope and yearning, moves toward his Creator in order to attach himself to Him, he gradually frees himself from the bonds of necessity and compulsion, and begins to dream of wondrous freedom, as if he were G-d’s partner in legislating rules and formulating decrees and commandments… (Ibid. , 75-76)

Ultimately, for Rav Soloveitchik, imitatio Dei bridges the gap between the paradoxes inherent in man’s existential condition:

Through this dialectic of hope and disappointment, cleaving and departing, becoming closer and more distant, the idea of imitatio Dei arises. It reconciles the two contradictory positions: divine decree with free individual creativity, the yoke of compulsion with spontaneity, reverence for the revelational command with the glorious vision of absolutely free will, the revelational experience and experience of freedom. (Ibid . , 76-77)

Given the above, imitatio Dei emerges in Rabbi Soloveitchik’s thought as the fundamental principle of all principles, and the mitzvah of all mitzvot, that enables man to reach the highest heights of connection to his Creator. As such, by emulating G-d’s actions, we undertake the life-long process of spiritual self-actualization.

With Hashem’s help may we be zocheh (merit) to fulfill the mitzvot of kedoshim tiheyu and v’halachta b’drachov,so that we may connect closely with our Creator, and thereby become active participants in tikun haolam b’malchut Shakai (perfecting the world in accord with the Kingdom of G-d). V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

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