North Jerusalem Maggid of Dubno Project http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog Devoted to the teachings of Rabbi Yaakov Kranz, the Maggid of Dubno Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:26:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProjecthttp://feedburner.google.com Parashas Vayeira http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/0TAng-j8AsU/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/11/03/vayeira70/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:21:57 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=645 This week’s parashah begins with angels informing Avraham that his wife Sarah will bear a son. In a later section, the parashah recounts the birth of this son, Yitzchak. This section begins with the following verse (Bereishis 21:1): “Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said, and Hashem did for Sarah as He had spoken.” The Midrash remarks (Bereishis Rabbah 53:1):
It was not like with those who speak and do not do. Rather (Yechezkel 17:24): “I am Hashem – I have spoken and I have done.” … When did He speak? When His agent said: “At the appointed time I shall return to you at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” And He did as He said, as it is written: “Hashem did for Sarah as He had spoken.”
Here, Hashem expresses pride that He keeps His word. This is odd. Even a mortal man is expected to keep his word, and he is held in contempt if he fails to do so. What is the point, then, in Hashem’s declaring that He fulfills His word?
The point, the Maggid says, is that it is logically impossible for Hashem’s word to go unfulfilled. With Hashem, speech and action are not separate processes. Rather, when Hashem declares that something should come to be, the declaration itself makes it come to be. When the Torah states that “Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said,” it is indicating that at the very moment Hashem promised Sarah a child, He set in motion the process leading to this outcome.
Hashem accomplishes everything with a word alone. In fact, the usual rule is that the effect of Hashem’s word becomes manifest immediately. This rule does not apply, however, when a human limitation stands in the way, for Hashem prefers to minimize His tampering with human limitations. The case of Sarah’s bearing a child illustrates this point. When Hashem promised Sarah a child, His word enabled her to have a child, but she did not have the child immediately. Rather, the angel said: “At the appointed time I shall return to you at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” Sarah’s child came into being gradually, through the natural human processes of conception and pregnancy. At the appointed time, the child was born.
The Maggid links this idea to a teaching in Bereishis Rabbah 70:6 that the word v’hayah (and it shall be) signifies good tidings. The word v’hayah is a past tense verb converted to future tense by the Biblical conversive vav. The Maggid explains that this type of construction is used in discussing an occurrence that could be viewed as belonging to the past, but actually will occur only in the future. Prophecies of future blessings begin with the word v’hayah to teach a deep lesson: that from Hashem’s standpoint, the blessings could already have been delivered, and the only reason He puts them off to the future is a limitation from our side—we are not yet fit to receive them.
May we soon be worthy to receive all the blessings Hashem has waiting for us.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/11/03/vayeira70/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/11/03/vayeira70/ Parashas Lech-Lecha http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/jnKX353zAkY/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/29/lech-lecha70/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:35:08 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=643 At the Bris Bein HaBesarim (Covenant Between the Parts), Hashem tells Avraham (then called Avram) that he will inherit the land. Avraham asks: “Through what will I know that I will inherit it?” Hashem tells Avraham to bring various animals and birds, and Avraham does so, and then cuts the animals into pieces. (Bereishis Rabbah 44:14 states that the animals symbolized offerings.) Afterward, Hashem puts Avraham into a deep sleep, and tells him that his descendants will be enslaved and oppressed in a land not their own [Egypt], and will then leave with great wealth.
The Midrash in Bereishis Rabbah 44:14 explains that Avraham did not mean to challenge Hashem, far be it; rather, he wanted to know in what merit he would inherit the land. We are thus led to wonder why Hashem announced to Avraham, apparently as a punishment, about the bitter enslavement in Egypt. The Maggid gives two explanations.
1. The first explanation is that the announcement was not a punishment at all, but rather an answer to Avraham’s question. The Maggid draws a analogy to a doctor being asked by a patient what treatment he plans to administer as a cure, with the patient’s intent being simply to understand what will be taking place. If the doctor informs the patient that he will be giving him unpleasant medicines, he is just telling the patient what he wanted to know. Similarly, Avraham was asking Hashem what means He would use to settle his descendants in the land, and when Hashem informed him of the enslavement in Egypt, he was simply telling Avraham what he asked for. Just as plowing and planting is a preparatory step toward harvesting a crop, the enslavement was a preparatory step toward inheriting the land.
2. The second explanation is that the announcement was indeed a punishment of sorts, but it was designed to achieve the goal Avraham was seeking. Ramban explains that Avraham was led to ask his question out of worry that some later sin on his part would nullify the promise. The pain Hashem caused Avraham by telling him of the enslavement was meant to pre-empt Avraham’s worry. The Maggid notes that hearing about impending oppression causes a person distress similar to that caused actually beholding or experiencing the oppresion. By suffering the distress caused by Hashem’s announcement, Avraham was paying in advance for any sin he might later commit that could nullify the promise. By exacting this advance payment, Hashem obviated any possible need for Him to nullify the promise, and thereby locked in the promise with certainty.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/29/lech-lecha70/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/29/lech-lecha70/ Parashas Noach http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/J_Twm3yeWGg/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/22/noach70a/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:24:21 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=635 The Midrash expounds (Bereishis Rabbah 27:1):
“And Hashem saw that the evil of man was great” (Bereishis 6:5). It is written (Koheles 2:21): “There is a man who labors with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skill.” Said R. Yudan: “Great is the power of the prophets, who compare the creation to its Creator. As it is written (Daniel 8:16): ‘And I heard a human voice in the middle of the Ulai [Stream].’” Said R. Yehudah bar Siemon: “We have another verse that is clearer than that one. As it is written (Yechezkel 1:26), ‘And on the form of the throne, above it, there was a form having an appearance like that of a man.’” … “But gives over his portion to someone who did not labor for it” (end of Koheles 2:21)—this refers to the generation of the flood. “This, too, is futility and a great evil.” [Thus (Bereishis 6:5):] “And Hashem saw that the evil of man was great within the world.”
The Maggid explains this Midrash as follows. When Shlomo HaMelech, in Koheles 2:21, speaks of man’s laboring with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, he is referring to the fact that man acts entirely out of free choice. And when the Midrash speaks of man’s being compared to his Creator, it is referring to this power of free choice. In the generation of the flood, all the creations of the world adopted deviant patterns of behavior (Sanhedrin 108a), but only man did so out of free will. The other creations were forced into deviant behavior, due to the rupture in the fabric of nature that man’s evil had produced. Hence the Torah puts all the blame on man, declaring: “The evil of man was great within the world.” The perversion among the creations of the world reflected the evil of man, for this was the root cause.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/22/noach70a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/22/noach70a/ Parashas Bereishis http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/ei9JPsVKoZU/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/15/bereishis70a/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:44:56 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=631 The Midrash in Bereishis Rabbah 1:1 calls the Torah the blueprint of creation. The Maggid says this means that Hashem crafted the world specifically as a medium through which the Torah’s laws can operate. Take, for example, the concept of property. Among the heavenly hosts there are no property owners, except, of course, for Hashem Himself, who owns all His creations. Similarly, within the animal kingdom, there are no property owners; all the animals have equal “rights” to whatever food is available. Consistency would dictate that there be no concept of property at all. Yet, within the human realm, there is a concept of property. Why did Hashem make the world this way? He did so in order to give effect to certain Torah laws, such as the prohibition against stealing and coveting others’ property, the obligation to give charity and lend items to others who need them, and so on.
The Maggid draws an analogy to a person hiring an artisan to do some complex work in his home. The employer must prepare a work room for the artisan and equip it with the requisite tools. Similarly, in order to enable the Torah to function within the world, Hashem had to equip the world with the requisite features. Thus, the Torah dictated how the world should be set up, and hence served as the blueprint of creation.
 The Midrash in Bereishis Rabbah 1:10 relates:
For twenty-six generations the letter alef complained to Hashem, saying: “Master of the Universe! I am the first letter in the alphabet, but not not create Your world with me [rather, Hashem used the letter beis, with which Bereishis begins].” Replied Hashem: “The world and all it contains was created solely for the sake of the Torah, as it is written (Mishlei 3:19): ‘Hashem founded the world upon wisdom.’ In the future, I will be giving the Torah at Sinai, and I will begin the revelation with you, as it is written (Shemos 20:2): ‘I (anochi – beginning with an alef) am Hashem, your God.’”
The letter alef was upset over not having been the letter used to create the world. Hashem’s plan to begin the revelation at Sinai with the alef did not preclude using the alef also for the creation of the world. How, then, Hashem’s reply calm the alef down?
Hashem was telling the alef that the Torah is His primary creation, while the world is a subordinate. The sole function of the world is to serve as a medium for Torah. Hence, the alef has no reason to complain, for, in fact, Hashem gave it the true lead position. 
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/15/bereishis70a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/15/bereishis70a/ Sukkos http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/wc_vZtOBGi0/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/02/sukkos70a/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:52:47 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=629 Below are three Dubno Maggid teachings relating to Sukkos: one about the four species, one about a verse in Koheles, and one about parashas V’Zos HaBrachah. (I will not be posting next week.) Chag Sameach!
The Mitzvah of the Four Species – Insurance for a Good Year
In Vayikra Rabbah 30:3, it is written (paraphrased):
David HaMelech taught the People of Israel: “If you have fulfilled the mitzvah of lulav, which is called “pleasant” (naim) [alluding to the beauty of the four species, or to how they move when we wave them (the verb “na” means “move”), or to the beautiful praise of Hallel that we sing to Hashem while holding them], then you can be assured that you have prevailed (nitzachta) …. Thus, he wrote (Tehillim 16:11): “Pleasantness is at your right hand for eternity (netzach).” For it is written (Shmuel Alef 15:29): “The Eternal One of Israel (Netzach Yisrael)neither speaks falsely nor retracts.” Hence, Moshe exhorts the People of Israel (Vayikra 23:40): “You shall take for yourselves on the first day [the four species].”
The Maggid explains this Midrash with a parable. A poor man bought an item from a rich man at a low price, letting the seller hold onto the item until he received payment. On his way home, the poor man met one of his friends and told him the story. He then added: “I am worried, though, that the seller will change his mind.” The friend replied: “You fool! The rich man certainly will not renege. It is you who must make sure not to renege and fail to pay, for then the deal definitely will fall through.”
The message is as follows. We can surely trust Hashem’s promise to grant us blessing, for He neither speaks falsely or reneges. What we should concern ourselves with is making sure we are trustworthy in following His directives. How do we go about this? By training ourselves in mitzvah observance at the very beginning of the year, through the mitzvah of the four species (along with the other mitzvos associated with this time of the year). If we train ourselves well, we will have the Torah’s pleasant ways at our right hand perpetually thoughout the entire year. And then we can be certain that Hashem will follow through with His end of the bargain.   
Megillas Koheles
Shlomo HaMelech teaches (Koheles 2:24): “It is not good for man to eat and drink, and show his soul satisfaction in his labor. For that, too, I saw, is from the hand of God.” The Maggid notes that Shlomo repeatedly decries investing excessive exertion in worldly affairs. Shlomo advances several arguments for this view. One argument is that such exertion simply does not pay. It is a mistake for a person to think that he will reap all the fruits of his labors; in actuality, he will reap only a small fraction, and others will reap the rest. Another argument is that toiling constantly for worldly benefits leaves a person little time to enjoy them.
Then there is a third argument, which the Maggid brings out with a parable. A pauper visited a village where there were two inns. The owner of one inn was honorable and good, while the owner of the other was wicked and stingy. The pauper happened to go to the inn with the wicked owner. He asked for a bit of food. The owner replied: “If you want to indulge yourself this evening with food and drink, I will give you a job to do, and then I will arrange a meal for you in which you can eat your fill of fine food.” The pauper agreed, and he did the work the innkeeper gave him, with great exertion. When he had finished, the innkeeper told him: “Go now to the other inn. I have told the servants there to give you a fine meal.” The pauper made his way to the other inn. When he arrived, he received a cordial welcome, was served a fine meal, ate his fill, and had a very comfortable overnight stay. He imagined that all the fine treatment he had received was in compensation for the work he had done at the first inn. Later, he told his friends the story. They responded: “You have it all wrong. Had you gone to the second inn to begin with, you would have gotten the same fine treatment without doing any work. You sweated for nothing, and got your nice meal for free.”
The message of this parable is as follows. It is true that we must work for a living; indeed, Hashem decreed that we do so. Ultimately, however, everything we acquire comes from the hand of Hashem, and not from our own efforts. Hence, we ought not pat ourselves on the back in self-satisfaction over what we have acquired. Moreover, Hashem has the power to provide a person’s needs regardless of whether he works a lot or a little. Therefore, while working for a living is necessary, strenuous labor is needless and out of place.
Parashas V’zos HaBrachah
It is written (Devarim 33:2): “Hashem came from Sinai – having shone forth to them from Seir, having appeared from Mount Paran – and approached with a contingent of His holy myriads. From His right hand, He laid out for them [the Jewish People] the fiery Torah.” The Midrash remarks (Yalkut Shimoni I:951, slightly paraphrased): “When the word came out of the Holy One’s mouth, it went forth from His right, opposite the Jewish People’s left. It made a circuit around the Jewish People’s camp, …, and came back again, from the Jewish People’s right, opposite the All-Present One’s left.” The Maggid discusses the meaning of “right” and “left” here.
In general, “right” symbolizes the primary concern, while “left” symbolizes the subsidiary. Thus, in regard to the Torah, Shlomo HaMelech says (Mishlei 3:16), “Length of days is at its right; at its left, wealth and honor.” Length of days, i.e., life itself, is the primary concern, whereas wealth and honor play a supporting role, helping our lives run smoothly.
Now, when Hashem gave us the Torah, He did so for our benefit, not for His. When we do mitzvos, we are not helping Him or giving Him a gift, for He needs no help or gifts. Rather, the mitzvos are meant to bring us good. Yet, in doing mitzvos, we are supposed to focus on the goal of serving Hashem, not on what we ourselves gain through these deeds. As the Mishnah says (Avos 1:3): “Do not be like servants who serve their master for the purpose of receiving a reward, but rather be like servants who serve their master not for the purpose of receiving a reward.” Why are we supposed to take this attitude, when the mitzvos are in truth solely for our benefit? The answer is that the mitzvos yield us benefit only if, when doing them, we connect ourselves to Hashem, the ultimate source. (Indeed, the main purpose of mitzvos is to make us firmly bonded to Hashem.) We establish a connection with Hashem by focusing ourselves on serving Him.
Thus, there are two sides to Torah: what we gain, and our striving to serve Hashem. From Hashem’s standpoint, the former is primary and the latter is secondary. We, however, are supposed to view the latter as primary and the former as secondary. Hence, the benefit the Torah brings us is set at Hashem’s right and at our left, while the goal of serving Hashem is set at Hashem’s left and our right.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/02/sukkos70a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/10/02/sukkos70a/ Parashas Haazinu / Haftaras Shuvah http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/9nkV4LJ2dDk/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/22/parashas-haazinu-haftaras-shuvah/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:40:01 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=626 In this week’s parashah, Moshe delivers a final rebuke to the Jewish People. In the course of this rebuke, he declares, speaking in Hashem’s name (Devarim 32:21): “They have provoked Me with a non-god, angered Me with their vanities. Hence I shall provoke them with a non-people – with a vile nation I shall anger them.” In the introduction to Sefer HaMiddos, the Maggid interprets this verse with a homiletical reading of “a non-god” as “no God.” He notes that there are two types of mitzvos. One type consists of decrees from God, which would not have been formulated by man on his own. The other type consists of common-sense rules of conduct, of a kind which man has formulated on his own. This latter category includes the duty to avoid murder, lying, and stealing, to show compassion for others, to act modestly and temperately, and so on.
When God tells us that we have provoked Him with “no God” and angered Him with “vanities,” He is telling us that we have provoked Him by violating the natural standards of human behavior – the rules we ought to follow us even without His intervention – and committing inane acts unbecoming of a human being. As punishment, measure for measure, God provokes against us a non-people – a rabble lacking basic human decency.
In the haftarah, Hoshea tells us (verse 14:2): “Return, O Israel, up to (ad) Hashem, Your God.” The Maggid explains that the choice of the term ad (rather than, for example, el) bears the message that the process of repentance is a progression from the bottom up. We must begin by striving to make ourselves into menschen, committing ourselves to correct any failings in the area of basic human decency. Only after initiating a proper effort to address such basics can we turn our attention to the special laws Hashem legislated for us to make us a holy people.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/22/parashas-haazinu-haftaras-shuvah/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/22/parashas-haazinu-haftaras-shuvah/ Rosh Hashanah http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/HGKnX-AT4Jg/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/16/rosh-hashanah5770/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:52:48 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=623 In Rosh Hashanah 32b, the Gemara notes that we do not say Hallel on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Gemara describes the angels asking Hashem why the Jewish People do not sing praise to Him on these yomim tovim. Hashem answers: “Is it possible, when the King is sitting on the throne of judgment, … for the Jewish People to sing praise?” The Maggid discusses the thinking behind the angels’ question and Hashem’s answer.
To explain the angels’ position, the Maggid quotes the teaching (Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah) that when a person appears before a mortal judge, he comes dressed in black clothes and disheveled, but when we appear before Hashem on Rosh Hashanah, we come in dressed in white and well groomed. The Maggid interprets this teaching in terms of a key difference between the way a mortal judges and the way Hashem judges. When a person appears before a mortal judge, he cannot be sure of the outcome, even if his case is strong, for a mortal judge is swayed by subjective factors. If the judge likes the person before him, he will issue a favorable judgment; if he dislikes him, he will issue a harsh judgment. Hashem’s judgment, by contrast, is completely just – in His righteousness, He gives us exactly what we deserve. Thus, when we appear before Hashem, the outcome is entirely in our own hands. If we repent, set out to rectify our misdeeds, and make ourselves worthy, we can be certain that Hashem will issue us a favorable verdict.
Hashem’s judging us in this way, the Maggid says, surely calls for our appreciation. Certainly we should honor Him, and the holy day of Rosh Hashanah, by seeing to it that our appearance is respectable. Beyond that, courtesy would dictate that we should even offer a song of praise to Him to express our thanks. This is the argument behind the angels’ position.
Yet we do not say Hallel on Rosh Hashanah. Why not? Because we are filled with grief over our debt of sin. Out of respect for Hashem and His holy day, we do not display our grief openly, and we appear before Him dressed in white and well groomed. But we still feel the grief in our hearts. Hashem is aware of how we feel, and so He does not expect us to sing Him a song of praise. Hashem agrees with the angels that, in principle, He rightfully deserves the praise. But He does not require it of us, for He knows that, in our state of grief, it is not possible for us to sing. At the same time, however, it behooves us to recognize the goodness Hashem shows us in the way He judges us.
K’sivah v’chasimah tovah!
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/16/rosh-hashanah5770/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/16/rosh-hashanah5770/ Parashios Nitzavim – Vayeilech http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/byIqKcGGfPY/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/10/nitzavim69a/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:30:18 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/10/621/ In parashas Netzavim, the Torah says (Devarim 30:15-19): “See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. … Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live.” The Maggid notes that the Torah does not say “choose life and good,” but rather simply “choose life.” He explains that the Torah is telling us to be cautious about praying for material benefits: we should pray simply for life, rather than approaching Hashem with a detailed list of requests. We should not pray long and hard for worldly endowments such as wealth and honor, because these endowments may not be truly good for us. Praying simply for life is a safe strategy, for life itself is always to our benefit.
When praying for material blessing, the Maggid suggests that we frame our requests broadly. Further, as the siddur puts it, we should ask Hashem to “fulfill our requests for good.” That is, we should ask Hashem to give us the things we are requesting only if He finds them truly appropriate for us and to our benefit. This is one of the lessons the Torah is teaching us in the passage we quoted. We should choose life, but with respect to good we should leave the choice in the hands of the One Who truly knows and can discern.
On the other hand, when praying for spiritual endowments, we can pour out our hearts without restraint, for spiritual endowments are always beneficial. The Torah tells us which character traits and modes of behavior are good and which are bad, and we can freely pray to Hashem to help us attain the good. In this vein, Dovid HaMelech entreats (Tehillim 25:4): “O Hashem, let me know Your ways; teach me Your paths.” Indeed, most of the entreaties in Tehillim are for spiritual aid.
Yirmiyahu teaches (Eichah 3:25): “Hashem is good to those who hope in Him, to the soul that seeks Him.” When a person asks for material blessings, Hashem will sometimes – exercising His supreme capacity to determine what is truly good – deny the request. But when a person wholeheartedly seeks to draw close to Hashem, and asks Hashem for tools that will help him do so, Hashem will always grant the request.
During the Ten Days of Repentance, we pray: “Remember us for life, O King Who desires life, and inscribe us in the Book of Life – for Your sake, O Living God.” In a homiletical reading of this plea, latter-day baalei mussar such as Rav Chaim Friedlander (Sifsei Chaim) teach that when we ask Hashem for life, we should be asking Him to grant us a life that is “for Your sake” – a life centered around seeking Hashem and serving Him. The Maggid tells us that if we approach Hashem with this stance, He will respond with boundless favor.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/10/nitzavim69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/09/10/nitzavim69a/ Parashas Ki Savo http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/D5ubEXC4sUQ/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/31/ki-savo69a/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:09:55 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=619 Parashas Ki Savo includes a long litany of curses that we will suffer if we do not serve Hashem properly. The very last curse is as follows (Devarim 28:68): “And Hashem will send you back to Egypt in boats, along the way I told you that you should never see again, and you will offer yourselves for sale there to your enemies as slaves and maidservants, but no one will buy.”
In Esther Rabbah Pesichasa 3, the Midrash points out that Hashem warned us in the Torah three times not to return to Egypt. The first two verses the Midrash quotes are as follows:
1.   Shemos 14:13: For as you see Egypt today, you will not see them ever again.
2.   Devarim 17:16: For Hashem has told you that you must not go back that way again.
The third verse the Midrash quotes is the verse from our parashah that we quoted above. But in quoting this verse, the Midrash quotes only the first part – “And Hashem will send you back to Egypt in boats” – omitting the usual “etc.” Thus, in connection with this verse, the Midrash seems to stress the warning that we could be sent back to Egypt, rather than the warning that we must not go back there. The Maggid notes this feature, and draws from it an important message.
The Maggid explains that each land has its own special attributes, and Hashem matched each nation with the land whose attributes accord with that nation’s specific character. The Land of Israel is a land uniquely conducive to spiritual pursuits. And the People of Israel is a nation particularly geared toward spirituality, as reflected in the Torah’s dictates. Thus, the Land of Israel and the People of Israel are perfectly matched to each other. But this is so only when the People of Israel are faithful to their spiritual calling. When they flout the Torah and stray from serving Hashem properly, involving themselves instead in the wayward practices of other nations, they are at odds with the land. Hashem therefore exiles them from the Land of Israel and scatters them all across the world, planting each one in the land most suited to his particular form of deviance.
The Maggid then ties this idea in with the three verses quoted in the Midrash in Esther Rabbah. In the first verse, Hashem promises us that “as you have seen Egypt today, you will not see them ever again.” In the second verse, Hashem attaches a condition to the promise: if “you will not go back on that way again.” That is, if we do not act as they do, then we will not see them again. But if we return to their wayward practices, then we will be treated accordingly: “Hashem will send you back to Egypt in boats.” For then, the land that will most suit us is not the holy Land of Israel, but rather the defiled Land of Egypt, the natural habitat for decadence.
The message for us today – especially for those of us who have the merit of living in the Land of Israel – is that we must adhere steadfastly to the Torah path, and take care to avoid adopting the lowly ways of other cultures.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/31/ki-savo69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/31/ki-savo69a/ Parashas Ki Seitzei http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/JBxn_VrekLw/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/24/ki-seitzei69a/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:50:09 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=609 In this week’s parashah, the Torah states (Devarim 23:10): “When you go out as a camp against your enemies, you must guard yourself from all evil.” The Maggid, in a drash on this verse, interprets it as a piece of advice for facing the judgment of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The Maggid develops the point with an analogy. A person who moves into a town where he has no relatives or friends tends to fear most people in town. Usually, though, he does not fear the lowly paupers, for they have no power to do him harm. It is different, however, when he has to defend a charge against him before the assembly of all the townspeople. He then humbles himself before everyone, even the lowliest. Every person counts, no matter how lowly, for perhaps just one vote will make the difference between a judgment against him and a judment in his favor.
Similarly, in Tishrei, the month whose astrological sign is the scale, we must act with added vigilance. Generally speaking, the degree of caution a person exercises to avoid a particular sin is proportionate to the severity of that sin. But in Tishrei, we go out to defend ourselves against our enemies – the heavenly accuser and his retinue – and our good deeds and bad deeds are weighed against each other. Just one minor transgression might tip the balance to the side of guilt. As Tehillim 49:6 hints, if we let our heels trample over “small matters,” we will have cause to feel fear in such a time of danger. At this time, therefore, we must guard ourselves from all evil.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/24/ki-seitzei69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/24/ki-seitzei69a/ Parashas Shoftim http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/pLg0PYhqw9U/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/21/shoftim69a/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:56:27 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=605 The second reading in this week’s parashah involves the laws of the Jewish king. The Maggid discusses the role of the king in Jewish society. He notes that in the respective blessings we recite upon seeing a Jewish king and upon seeing a gentile king (Berachos 58a), there is a key difference in phrasing. On seeing a Jewish king we make the following blessing:
Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the Universe, Who has granted a share of His honor (shechalak mi-k’vodo) to those who fear Him.
On seeing a gentile king, however, the blessing we make is as follows:
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, Who has given of His honor (shenasan mi-k’vodo) to mortal men.
The Maggid explains the difference in terms of the difference between the attitude expected of a Jewish king and that assumed by a typical gentile king. A Jewish king is expected to recognize that his position is not a personal asset, but simply an entrustment Hashem has conveyed to him for the purpose of establishing Torah-true law and order within Jewish society. He should make use of his sovereign powers only to promote Hashem’s honor. Hence, in the blessing upon seeing a Jewish king, the phrasing is “granted a share of His honor,” reflecting the fact that the honor a Jewish king enjoys really belongs to Hashem, and that Hashem has merely “granted a share” of this honor to him. A typical gentile king, on the other hand, regards his position as an personal asset given to him to be exploited for his personal honor and benefit – and the blessing upon seeing a gentile king reflects this fact.
In our parashah, the Torah exhorts the Jewish king to maintain the proper attitude. The Torah enjoins the king to write a Torah scroll for himself and read from it every day, “so that he will not become haughty toward his brethren, and will hold back from turning away from the commandments either to the right or to the left.” The king should regard himself as having no superiority over his brethren, except insofar as is necessary to guard the people from evil ways, and to hold them back from turning away from the commandments either to the right or to the left. He should not become haughty, and regard the kingship as given to him for his own honor.
In this vein it is written (Yeshayah 32:1): “Behold, for the sake of righteousness shall the king reign, and for the sake of justice shall the officers govern.” Likewise, David HaMelech declares (Shmuel Beis 23:2): “The spirit of Hashem spoke within me, and His word was upon my tongue. The God of Israel said – the Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘Be a righteous ruler over man; be a ruler who instills the fear of Hashem.’” Here David HaMelech testifies that his sovereignty over the People of Israel in truth belongs to Hashem, and is not to be used to promote his own honor. Rather, it is to be used to promote Hashem’s honor, by instilling reverence for Hashem in the hearts of the people.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/21/shoftim69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/21/shoftim69a/ Parashas Re’eh http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/PgfEmYMNWbw/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/14/reeh69a/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:12:48 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=600 In this week’s parashah it is written (Devarim 12:2-6):
You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whose land you are taking over worshipped their gods: on the high mountains and on the hills, and under every leafy tree. You shall smash their altars, break their pillars, and burn their sacred trees in the fire; you shall cut down their graven images, and you shall obliterate their name from that place.
[And] you shall not do thus to Hashem, your God. Rather, only at the place that Hashem, your God, will choose … to place His Name there shall you seek His Presence and come there. And there you shall bring your [various offerings].
The second part of this passage teaches us two things: first, that we must not erase the Name of Hashem, and, second, that we must not worship Hashem in the way that the idolaters worshipped their gods.
The Maggid elaborates on the second point. The ancient idolaters, the Maggid notes, would offer sacrifices to the heavenly bodies in order to induce them to convey blessing. They were trying to get their gods to direct themselves toward them, and they therefore built their altars on mountains and hills. The purpose of their sacrifices was to get their gods to give them something, and bringing the sacrifices on high places was meant to ease the way to this goal.
The offerings we bring Hashem, however, have a completely different purpose: they are designed to bring us closer to Hashem (as reflected in the term korban for offering, which is related to the word karov, meaning “close”). Thus, we must follow a completely different procedure in bringing offerings. We must destroy all the high places where the idolaters brought their sacrifices, so that we will not bring our offerings there. Instead, Hashem Himself will designate a place – the Beis HaMikdash – in which to concentrate His Presence, and we must go to this designated place to bring our offerings. By bringing ourselves physically into Hashem’s house, we bring ourselves spiritually closer to Him.
In addition, we must destroy the images the idolaters constructed to represent their gods. Hashem cannot be represented by an image, for His true nature is beyond human conceptualization. Moreover, a graven image is a means the idolaters used to bring their gods down to them, and thus is an illegitimate object. We must not try to bring Hashem down to us, but rather we must bring ourselves toward Him.  
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/14/reeh69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/14/reeh69a/ Parashas Eikev http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/JKyGXCgx3Cs/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/01/eikev69a/#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:11:34 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=595 In this week’s parashah, Moshe continues his review of the Jewish People’s experiences during the forty years in the wilderness. In the course of this review, he states (Devarim 8:3): “He [Hashem] afflicted you and let you hunger, and He fed you the manna ….” The Maggid notes that this statement is odd. We know, as Moshe himself relates, that Hashem showered the wilderness generation with kindness. Why, then, did He let them hunger?
The Maggid explains as follows. As a rule, a person derives pleasure from material blessing only after a period of lack. When he first receives the blessing, he feels great joy, but after a short time the joy dies out. Hashem wanted the Jews of the wilderness to experience constantly the joy of receiving their sustenance from Him, with the joy renewed every day. Hence He fed them the manna day by day, rather than giving them a large allotment at once. He let them undergo the “hunger” of an empty cupboard each day, so that they would always feel joy when receiving their daily portion.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/01/eikev69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/08/01/eikev69a/ Megillas Eichah and Parashas Vaeschanan http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/a0dDYIqn1cI/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/26/vaeschanan69a/#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:27:05 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=591 In Eichah Rabbah Pesichasa 11, the Midrash remarks:
Had you merited, you would have encountered the verse (Vayikra 15:30): “For on this day He shall atone for you to purify you.” Now that you have not merited, you encounter the verse (Eichah 1:9): “Her filth was on her hems. She did not pay heed to what her end would be.”
The Maggid explains this verse in the context of a verse in parashas Vaeschanan (Devarim 4:9): “Just guard yourself and guard your soul well lest you forget the things your eyes saw, and they become removed from your heart all the days of your life. And make these things known to your children and your children’s children.” Note that the verse exhorts us about guarding twice: “Guard yourself and guard your soul well .…” We need to understand the message behind this double exhortation.
The Maggid explains that sin causes two types of loss. First, the sinner distorts the straight path that Hashem desired the world to follow, and damages the magnificent structure that He built. Regarding this it is written (Mishlei 1:25): “And you have set at naught all My counsel.” Second, he ravages his own soul. He extinguishes the love implanted in his heart for Torah and mitzvos. He dulls his intelligence: he puts out the lamp which was providing him light to distinguish between uprightness and crookedness. Regarding this, Shlomo HaMelech declares (Koheles 1:15): “The crooked cannot be made straight.” If the sinner’s soul were still intact as before the sin, it would urge him to make amends and straighten out the situation. He would be just as distraught over his misdeed as he would be over a great loss of money or property. The stirrings of his heart would spur him on to take action to rectify the loss. But the damaged soul does not feel the need to set things right.
Hence the Torah exhorts us: “Guard yourself and guard your soul well . …” We must guard ourselves against the damage itself: sin mutilates what Hashem has set in place. In addition we must guard our souls well, so that the light of intelligence and comprehension within us will not be extinguished, making the loss irretrievable. We must take care that they not “become removed from your heart all the days of your life.” For then we will no longer be aroused to rectify the misdeed.
The Midrash teaches us the consequences of failing to guard our souls. “Had you merited, you would have encountered the verse: ‘For on this day He shall atone for you to purify you.’” The atonement would be complete, with no remaining trace of the stains of sin. Moreover, our souls would return to their full strength, to be enlightened with the light of intelligence as before. But “now that you have not merited, you encounter the verse: ‘Her filth is on her hems.’” Yom Kippur still atones for us and absolves of the punishment that we deserve for our sins, but that is all. Our souls remain stained with the debility of sin, and we still walk in darkness. Thus, “Her filth is on her hems” – the mark of defilement remains in place. Let us strive to guard our souls, so that we may be cleansed completely of the effects of the sins we commit.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/26/vaeschanan69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/26/vaeschanan69a/ Five Megillos Series Now Completed http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/HrSvrZMemC8/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/21/five-megillos-series-now-completed/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:51:29 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=579 With thanks and praise to the Ribbono Shel Olam, I am pleased to announce that I have now published a new volume of Dubno Maggid translations: Voice of Nobles: Commentary of the Dubner Maggid on the Book of Ecclesiastes (Koheles). For more information on this volume, visit the page “Voice of Nobles.” The book will be available for sale in US and Israeli bookstores, and internationally through the Feldheim Publications website, in about a month or so. With the publication of this volume, I have completed the five volume series on the Five Megillos. It is my hope that the works I have published so far will be of benefit to the public, and that I will be able soon to go on to other works.
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/21/five-megillos-series-now-completed/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/21/five-megillos-series-now-completed/ Parashas Devarim http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/jxlc0tCTIN8/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/21/devarim69a/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:38:56 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=576 In this week’s parashah, Moshe tells the Jewish People (Devarim 1:10-11): “Hashem your God has multiplied you, and, behold, today you are like the stars of the heavens in number. May Hashem, the God of your forefathers, magnify you a thousandfold, and bless you as He told you.” The Midrash relates (Devarim Rabbah 1:13):
[Said the Jewish People to Moshe:] “Moshe, our teacher! The Holy One Blessed Be He set no limit on our blessings, yet you say ‘a thousandfold’?” He replied: “I have blessed you with what is mine. When the Holy One Blessed Be He comes, He will bless you as He told you.”
Three questions arise regarding this Midrash. First, if Hashem was going to bless the people without limit, what need was there for Moshe’s blessing? Second, what did Moshe mean when he said he was giving them from what is his? It seems he was saying that he owned the blessing he was giving them. How could this be? Third, why did Moshe say specifically “a thousandfold”?
The Maggid explains that Moshe’s intent was to bless the Jewish People in terms of quality. He was telling them: “Now you match the stars of the heaven in number, but not in eminence. May Hashem magnify each of you a thousandfold in eminence, so that each of you will attain the spiritual excellence of Avraham Avinu.”The Jewish People, however, understood the blessing as relating to quantity. They therefore said: “The Holy One Blessed Be He set no limit to our blessings, yet you say ‘a thousandfold’?” Moshe replied: “I have blessed you with what is mine.” Here Moshe was saying: “You did not understand what I meant. My blessing was in terms of quality. I was blessing you with what is mine. I was saying that each of you should be blessed as I was blessed.”
Moshe chose the term “thousand” to express the idea that each Jew should be like a multitude. Our Sages say that Moshe was equivalent to the entire Jewish People (Mechilta, Yisro 1, quoted in Rashi on Shemos 18:1). In other words, he embodied their entire ensemble of virtue. Moreover, the our Sages say that everything is in the hands of Heaven except fear of Heaven (Berachos 33b). Among everything in this world, the only thing man has a hold on is fear of Heaven. When Moshe told the people that he was blessing them with what was his, he was telling them that he was blessing them with what was in his hands but not in Hashem’s: fear of Heaven. And then Moshe added that Hashem would bless them as He had told them: a blessing in terms of quantity, which is in His hands – so that they would multiply and become numerous beyond measure.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/21/devarim69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/21/devarim69a/ Parashas Mattos-Masei http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/_nM8rND1NfY/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/13/mattos69a/#comments Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:10:59 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=553 Parashas Mattos recounts the war the Jewish People waged against Midian for luring them into licentious conduct, which led to a major chillul Hashem. The Midrash, in Bamidbar Rabbah 22:5, notes that Moshe yearned to behold this act of vengeance before his death, and Hashem granted this wish. The Midrash links the episode to the following verse (Tehillim 58:11): “The righteous one rejoiced when he beheld vengeance.”
The Maggid brings out the message of this Midrash with a shrewd parable. A certain rich man had a son who was addicted to wine, and would get drunk day after day. Naturally, the father was very upset. Then a sage came to town, and offered to cure the lad of his addiction; he promised that, when he was through, the lad would despise wine like roaches and rats. The father handed his son over to the sage, and some time later the sage returned, saying: “You can take your boy back now – I have drilled into him a total disgust of alcohol.”
Despite this proclamation of success, the father took care not to bring any alcohol into the house. And he saw that, indeed, his son did not ask for wine as he always had before. Eventually, the father decided to put his son to a more challenging test. He told him: “Go, my son, to the liquor store, and buy me a bottle of wine.” When the lad entered the store, the very sight of wine and liquor made him livid, and he started smashing bottles left and right. The storeowner restrained the boy, and then went to the father to complain: “Your son has caused me enormous damage by destroying my merchandise!” Upon hearing this, the father broke out in a grin. He said: “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for all the damage. Not only that, but I’m happy to hear what my son did, for now I really know how much he hates alcohol.”
The parallel is as follows. Moshe wanted to know how the Jewish People felt about the despicable conduct the Midianites had lured them into. He therefore yearned to witness the battle of vengeance that the Jewish People would wage against them. He was concerned that the people still harbored some leanings toward licentiousness, which would lead them to fight half-heartedly. But when he saw the Jews mercilessly beating the living pulp out the Midianites, Moshe knew for sure that the Jews were filled with disgust with what the Midianites had led them to do. And, upon beholding this zealous vengeance, he rejoiced.     
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/13/mattos69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/13/mattos69a/ Parashas Pinchas http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/SkUM0GqLQQA/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/08/pinchas69a/#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:21:03 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/08/550/ The end of last week’s parashah describes how Pinchas took vengeance on the Jewish man Zimri and the Midianite woman Cozbi for committing an act of immorality. The beginning of this week’s parashah recounts that, as reward for this heroic deed, Hashem granted Pinchas “a covenant of eternal priesthood.” The Midrash remarks (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:1): “Said the Holy Only Blessed Be He, ‘It is just that he should collect his reward.’”
The Maggid explains this Midrash as follows. When a person serves Hashem in an exemplary fashion, Hashem grants him more responsibility in the realm of mitzvos. Pinchas serves as a paradigm for this principle: because of his heroic deed, Hashem granted him the status of kohen, along with the merit of passing this status down to his descendants. (As Rashi explains, although Pinchas was Aharon’s grandson, he did not inherit kohen status, because he was born before Aharon and his sons were annointed as kohanim.) A person who is promoted in this way acquires the opportunity to accumulate credit for additional mitzvos, which generate additional reward for him in the World to Come. We can well say that it is just for the person to collect this additional reward, because his initial exemplary service earned him the more advanced position through which he gained the added credit leading to it.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/08/pinchas69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/08/pinchas69a/ Parashas Balak http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/ujUTmEmHiXo/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/01/balak69a/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:48:25 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=547 Bilaam’s second blessing to the Jewish People begins with a praise of Hashem (Bamidbar 23:19-20): “God is not a man, that He would be false, nor a son of man that He would retract. Would He proclaim and not perform, speak and not fulfill?” The Maggid notes that, on the surface, this praise seems odd. Ostensibly, Bilaam is praising Hashem for taking care not to go back on His word. This seems not much of a praise. Indeed, even in regard to a mortal man, it is not really a praise to say “He keeps his word.” We expect people to keep their word; we would not regard doing so as a point of merit, but rather would regard failing to so so as a flaw. How, then, can we view Bilaam’s statement about Hashem as a genuine praise?
After raising this question, the Maggid proceeds to sharpen it. The Midrash, in Bereishis Rabbah 53:4, links Bilaam’s words to the verse that begins the Torah’s account of Yitzchak’s birth (Bereishis 21:1): “Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said, and Hashem did for Sarah as He had spoken.” Slightly earlier, in Bereishis Rabbah 53:1, the Midrash notes that Hashem makes a point of telling us that He is not like those who speak but do not do. He directs Yechezkel HaNavi to declare in His Name (Yechezkel 17:24): “I am Hashem – I have spoken and I have done.” Here we find Hashem Himself taking pride that He does as He says. Why does Hashem view such conduct as showing His greatness?
The Maggid then answers as follows. For mortal man, speech and action are separate processes. Hence, it is possible for a person to make a promise and not fulfill it. The promise could be a false one, i.e., made with the intent not to fulfill it. Or the person could retract on a promise he initially intended to fulfill, and later decide not to fulfill it. But with Hashem, both of these scenarios are logically impossible, because, for Him, speech and action are not separate processes. Rather, when Hashem declares that something should come to be, the declaration itself makes it come to be. As David HaMelech says regarding Hashem’s creation of the world (Tehillim 33:9): “He spoke, and it came to be – He commanded, and it stood firm.”
Thus, when the Torah states “Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said,” the Torah is indicating that at very moment that Hashem promised Sarah a child, He set in motion the process leading to this outcome.  We can see this hint by reading the Hebrew phrase ka’asher amar not as “in the manner that He had said” but rather as “when He had said.” The message is that when Hashem made the promise, its eventual fulfillment was an automatic result.
Blessed Be the One Who spoke, and the world came to be!
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/01/balak69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/07/01/balak69a/ This is the Law of the Torah – Accept the Direction of Hashem http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NorthJerusalemMaggidOfDubnoProject/~3/z0PT-FAnMRM/ http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/06/26/chukas69a/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:33:26 +0000 David Zucker http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/?p=544 Parashas Chukas begins by describing the process of preparing ashes from a red heifer for use in purifying people from defilement due to contact with the dead. The law of the red heifer is the classic example of a chok – a Torah law whose reason we do not know. In Bamidbar Rabbah 19:8, the Midrash says that the red heifer atones for the sin of the golden calf. I would like, building on the Maggid’s teachings, to bring out a lesson from this Midrash.
We start by considering the motive behind the sin of the golden calf. Following the Kuzari, the Maggid explains that the making of the calf was not, far be it, driven by a desire to engage in crass idol worship. Rather, the Jews were trying to develop a way to connect with Hashem. Moshe went up to Mt. Sinai to have Hashem teach him the means of connecting with Him. But while the Jewish People were waiting for Moshe to come down, the Adversarial Angel (satan) tricked them by showing them the likeness of Moshe’s bier floating in the air.  Having concluded that Moses had died, the people tried to figure out on their own the means of connecting with Hashem, which Moshe was supposed to convey to them. They came up with the lamentable idea of making a golden statue of a calf. Living in a time when people were accustomed to making figures in the likeness of some heavenly entity, the Jewish People’s misguided instinct led them to make the calf. At the time of the Giving of the Torah, the Jews had beheld the Divine Chariot, and they had seen that one of its wheels was in the form of the face of an ox (Shemos Rabbah 42:5). Hence, after concluding that Moshe had died, they decided to make a figure in the form of a calf, to use as a means of worshipping Hashem and drawing close to Him.
The people’s error was engaging in a form of worship that Hashem did not direct them to perform. In effect, they were not content to rely on Hashem’s control of affairs, but instead tried to take matters into their own hands. The remedy for this error was the law of the red heifer – a law that calls for us simply to follow Hashem’s word, without any understanding of the reason behind it.
The episode of Korach parallels the episode of the golden calf. Korach was not a crass person seeking personal glory. Rather, he wanted to draw closer to Hashem, and he felt that the system of appointments that Moshe had instituted (which, in fact, was legislated by Hashem) was unfairly limiting him. He sought the kehunah in order to be able to connect more closely with Hashem. He did not leave matters under Hashem’s control, but instead tried to take them into his own hands. He did not realize that his position, rather than being a straitjacket, was specifically designed as the means through which he could draw close to Hashem to the maximum degree.
As we go through the ups and downs of life, we must submit ourselves to Hashem’s control, and avoid feeling anxiety or discontent about our situation. We must realize that nothing that comes upon us limits from connecting to Hashem; on the contrary, everything that comes upon us is designed to help us draw closer to Him.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
]]> http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/06/26/chukas69a/feed/ 0 http://jlm-dubno-maggid.org/blog/2009/06/26/chukas69a/