RABBI DAVID ETENGOFF: PARASHAT HASHAVUAH
  • Blog: Rabbi David Etengoff: Parashat HaShavuah
  • Sefer Bereishit 5782&5783
  • Sefer Shemot 5782&5783
  • Sefer Vayikra 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5782&5783
  • Sefer Devarim 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bereishit 5780& 5781
  • Sefer Shemot 5780&5781
  • Sefer Vayikra 5780&5781
  • Sefer Bamidbar 578&5781
  • Sefer Devarim 578&5781
  • Sefer Bereishit 5778&5779
  • Sefer Shemot 5778&5779
  • Sefer Vayikra 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5778&5779
  • Sefer Devarim 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bereishit 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bereishit 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bereishit 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bereishit 5771&5770
  • Sefer Shemot 5776&5777
  • Sefer Shemot 5774&5775
  • Sefer Shemot 5772&5773
  • Sefer Shemot 5771&5770
  • Sefer Vayikra 5776&5777
  • Sefer Vayikra 5774&5775
  • Sefer Vayikra 5772&5773
  • Sefer Vayikra 5771&5770
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5771&5770
  • Sefer Devarim 5776&5777
  • Sefer Devarim 5774&5775
  • Sefer Devarim 5772&5773
  • Sefer Devarim 5771&5770

1/10/2016

Parashat Bo 5776, 2016: "Our Potential: Greater than the Angels"

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture

 
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 bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains two pasukim (verses) that initially appear to be quite similar:

It came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, and it came to pass in that very day, that all the legions of the L-rd went out of the land of Egypt. (12:41)
 
It came to pass on that very day, that the L-rd took the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt with their legions. (12:51, quotes from Sefer Shemot, Parashat Bo; these and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Both of these pasukim (verses) contain the Hebrew words “va’y’he b’etzem hayom hazeh” (“it came to pass in that very day”) and make reference to “legions.” In the first verse, however, the legions are given the appellation “of the L-rd,” while in the second this terminology is not found. Then, too, in the first verse, “the legions of the L-rd went out (yatzu) of the Land of Egypt,” and in the second instance, Hashem took them out directly (hotzi). Let us now turn to an analysis of these similarities and differences in order to understand the lessons the Torah is conveying to us.
 
Rashi (1040-1105) addressed the singular import of the expression, “b’etzem hayom hazeh,” in several sources, including his commentary to Sefer Devarim 32:48. Therein, he utilized the Sifrei, the halachic Midrash to Sefer Devarim, to clarify the “story behind the story” as to why our two verses stressed this expression:

… regarding Egypt, Scripture states, “On that very day (בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה), the L-rd brought [the children of Israel] out [of the land of Egypt]” (Sefer Shemot 12:51). The Egyptians said: “We swear by such and such, that if we notice them about to leave, we will stop them! And not only that, but we will take swords and other weapons, and kill them!” So, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “I will bring them out in the middle of the day, and let anyone who has power to prevent it, come and prevent it!”
 
In sum, according to the Sifrei and Rashi, “on that very day” is deployed in our two verses in response to the Egyptians’ manifest challenge to Hashem’s authority when they refused to accept the Divine decree of the Master of the Universe. He, therefore, acted in a completely public manner that demonstrated the abject futility of man’s rebellion against Him. In a word, no force or power can stand before the Master of the Universe.
 
We are now ready to examine the differences between the terms, “the legions of the L-rd” and “their legions,” and “yatzu” and “hotzi.” Rav Yaakov Yosef ben Tzvi ha-Kohen Katz of Polonoye, Russia zatzal (1710-1784) was the author of the first published Chasidic work entitled, “Sefer Toldot Yaakov Yosef,” and the most celebrated student of the Baal Shem Tov (1700-1760) zatzal. In the course of his Kabbalistically-imbued explication of Parashat Masei in Sefer Bamidbar, Rav Yaakov Yosef discussed our pasukim:

“All the legions of the L-rd went out (yatzu)” [connotes the idea] that through their own positive choice they went out of Egypt. This means that they separated themselves from the materialism of this world, which is called “Egypt…” [At this point,] they became completely spiritual, almost as if they were separate angelic intelligences – to the point wherein they were called “the legions of the L-rd” as a result of their [volitional] departure from Egypt. Afterwards, they came to sanctify themselves, and the Holy One blessed be He helped them to do so. Therefore, “the L-rd took (hotzi) the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” when they reached the highest level possible, namely, “their legions,” which was an even higher level than the ministering angels had attained in [the sefirah of] Yetzirah (Formation)… (Translation, underlining, parentheses and brackets my own).
 
Rav Yaakov Yosef’s statement, “Afterwards, they came to sanctify themselves, and the Holy One blessed be He helped them to do so,” is highly reminiscent of the following Talmudic passage:

Reish Lakish said: What is the meaning of: “If [one goes] to the scoffers, he will scoff; but [if he goes] to the humble, he evokes grace?” (Sefer Mishle 3:34). This means, if a man comes to defile himself, the doors are opened to him, but if he comes to purify himself, he is helped (ba l’tahare m’sayin lo). In the school of R. Ishmael it was taught: It is as when a man sells naphtha [an ill-smelling oil product] and balm: If [a purchaser] comes to measure naphtha, he [the shopkeeper] says to him: “Measure it out for yourself;” but to one who would measure out balm he says: “Wait, till I measure together with you, so that both you and I may become perfumed.” (Talmud Bavli, Yoma 38b-39a, translation, The Soncino Talmud with my emendations, some brackets and underlining my own)

At this juncture we may well ask, “What is the conceptual content of the expression ‘if one comes to purify himself, he is helped (ba l’tahare m’sayin lo)?’” I believe an answer may be found in the thought of my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples. The Rav repeatedly emphasized his interpretation of the phrase “He is the One who extends His hand to effectuate teshuvah (repentance) in order to accept the purposeful and inadvertent sinners…” (Source: the complete Tachanun supplication). As Rav Soloveitchik noted, while it is most assuredly man’s obligation to initiate the teshuvah process, once a person has done so, the Almighty does everything in His power to foster and encourage the efforts of the penitent – a crystal clear example of haba l’tahare m’sayin lo.
 
In my estimation, the significance of haba l’tahare m’sayin lo gains further strength when viewed in the light of Dovid Hamelech’s (King David) famous declaration:

What is man that You should remember him, and the son of man that You should be mindful of him? Yet You have made him slightly less than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and majesty. (Sefer Tehillim 8:5-6)
 
Rashi explained Dovid Hamelech’s pronouncement of man’s status as “slightly less than the angels” in the following manner:
 
Yet You have made him slightly less than the angels, etc.: Heb. מאלהים, which is an expression of angels, for You gave power to Joshua to still the sun and to dry up the Jordan, and to Moses to split the waters of the Sea of Reeds and to ascend to the heavens, and to Elijah to resurrect the dead.
 
Based upon these additional sources, the chidush (novel idea) in Rav Yaakov Yosef’s explanation is now quite clear: True, mankind was created slightly lower than the angels, in that we can serve as the vehicle for miraculous deeds and wonders. Yet, with Hashem’s assistance, we are capable of achieving “an even higher level than the ministering angels had attained,” as illustrated by the Talmudic statement, haba l’tahare m’sayin lo. With Hashem’s blessing and our heartfelt desire, may we fulfill our ultimate potential to become even greater than the angels in our service and dedication to the Almighty. V’chane yihi ratzon.
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

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 rdbe718@gmail.com.

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.


Share

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Author

    Talmid of Rabbi Soloveitchik zatzal

    Categories

    All
    Parashat Hashavuah

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog: Rabbi David Etengoff: Parashat HaShavuah
  • Sefer Bereishit 5782&5783
  • Sefer Shemot 5782&5783
  • Sefer Vayikra 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5782&5783
  • Sefer Devarim 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bereishit 5780& 5781
  • Sefer Shemot 5780&5781
  • Sefer Vayikra 5780&5781
  • Sefer Bamidbar 578&5781
  • Sefer Devarim 578&5781
  • Sefer Bereishit 5778&5779
  • Sefer Shemot 5778&5779
  • Sefer Vayikra 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5778&5779
  • Sefer Devarim 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bereishit 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bereishit 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bereishit 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bereishit 5771&5770
  • Sefer Shemot 5776&5777
  • Sefer Shemot 5774&5775
  • Sefer Shemot 5772&5773
  • Sefer Shemot 5771&5770
  • Sefer Vayikra 5776&5777
  • Sefer Vayikra 5774&5775
  • Sefer Vayikra 5772&5773
  • Sefer Vayikra 5771&5770
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5771&5770
  • Sefer Devarim 5776&5777
  • Sefer Devarim 5774&5775
  • Sefer Devarim 5772&5773
  • Sefer Devarim 5771&5770