MAKEOVER –
MITZVOTH AND MANKIND: BEHAR BECHUKOTAI
Shira Smiles shiur 2021/5781
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
(This summary is dedicated
l’iluy nishmot the kedoshim who tragically died in Meron on Lag B’Omer and for
a refuah shelaymah for those who were injured.)
Parshat
Bechukotai
begins with a three part condition for a threefold blessing on the Land: “If
you will follow My decrees (1), and observe My commandments (2), and perform
them (3), then I will provide rains in their time, and the land will give its
produce and the trees of the field will give its produce.” Our commentators are
puzzled by the seeming repetition of what seems to be a single theme of mitzvah
observance. How can we understand the differences between the three phrases,
and what are we to learn from them?
Medrash
Rabba
explains the connection between the phrases as, “If you observe studying the mitzvoth
of My Torah, I will reckon it as if you yourself [observed] it.” Alternately,
one may change the vocalization and read that by observing My decrees and
commandments, not as asitem otam/you will perform them, but as asitem
itam/you shall make yourselves, providing a completely different
dimension to the phrase.
In
Avodat Avodah, the Tosher Rebbe provides a different understanding to
our verses. In truth, says the Tosher Rebbe, we deserve no reward for any
mitzvah we do that Hashem has commanded because Hashem has given us the
wherewithal and ability to observe the mitzvah. However, when we use the
functions of our everyday lives to elevate the natural world, we are
transforming the mundane to the holy. If we think of eating as providing us
with strength to perform the mitzvoth, for example, we have created a mitzvah
from the physical, natural act of eating. Im bechukotai teleichu/If you
follow [walk in] My decrees, if you make your daily routines a means of walking
in My mitzvoth, you will have created new mitzvoth.
The
physical world needs man to appreciate and elevate it, continues the Tosher
Rebbe. This the Torah alludes to when we are told that all the grasses of the
field were created, but did not sprout from the earth until Adam was created to
pray to Hashem. It is mankind’s mission to create spirituality wherever he
walks through life in the world Hashem has created and bestowed upon us.
When
Moshe ascended Sinai to bring the Torah down to mankind, he had to prove to the
angels that the Torah belongs on earth and not in heaven with them. It is not
only that the angels have no need for the Torah, for they have no choice but to
do God’s will, writes Rabbi Mordechai Ezrachi, but that the very purpose of
Torah is to be implemented and observed, not only studied. It is the actual
observance of the mitzvoth that brings them to life and completes the Torah.
Torah study itself becomes alive through mitzvah observance, adds Rabbi
Gedaliah Schorr, and each day we must approach each mitzvah with the excitement
of novelty, of being able to observe this mitzvah for the first time.
In
this context, Rabbi Weissblum offers some “hacks” for mitzvoth we do regularly.
Most of us have prayed for so many years that our daily prayers are recited by
rote However, if we take one line that touches us, focus on it, and make it our
personal connection, our daily tefillah becomes meaningful. Similarly,
when we open the Chumash to study, approach the text with new eyes, and when
performing a common mitzvah, such as a blessing over food, pick one detail to
listen to and focus on. When you find new meaning, you are creating a new
mitzvah. We have the ability to invest everything with kedushah.
In
a poignant comment, Rebbetzin Smiles noted that those who died tragically in
Meron last week, died in total kedushah as if they died on Yom Kippur.
Before the tragedy, they had just been singing Hashem Melech …,coronating
Hashem as King. In a happier vein, we have that ability to coronate Hashem as
our King every morning when we recite Modeh Ani. If we focus on the
meaning, we are not only being grateful for our new day of life, but we are
simultaneously creating the mitzvah of accepting Hashem as our King.
Rabbi
Pincus finds an allusion to our awakening each day with renewed enthusiasm for our
mitzvoth in the words of the Prophet Zechariah. Rabbi Pincus cites the verse,
“I will awaken your sons ציון/Zion on your sons יון/Greece” as
a battle between the holy of Zion and the depraved forces of Greece. What is
the only difference between the two words? The letter/word צ/tzadik/the
righteous one. What Rabbi Pincus is telling us is that the same action can be
either infused with sanctity or with depravity depending on the mindset of the
individual. The righteous one will infuse his action with life, for the
righteous live by their faith, while the action of the hedonist will fizzle out
and die, like a balloon that runs out of air.
In
his Aggadah, Rabbi Emanuel Bernstein validates what we undoubtedly
already suspect, that mitzvoth performed perfunctorily, as if checking off the
boxes on a to do list, although they fulfill the requirement of the mitzvah, do
not inspire us or connect us with our spiritual core. Mitzvoth require that we
take the time to do them with focus and thought, as an act of love for the love
Hashem bestows upon us, for the Torah He has given us as a guide to meaningful
living.
In
Tehillim, King David writes, “Taste and see that Hashem is good.” Rabbi
Kestenbaum uses the analogy of eating in a restaurant. If you find yourself in
a high class restaurant as opposed to a diner, you are likely to eat slowly, to
savor the ambiance as well as the taste of the food itself. Our approach to
Torah and mitzvoth should be in the same category; we are entering a world of
sacred ambiance, and we should pause and savor every moment of connection with
Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
Now
that we’ve discussed creating the mitzvah, we will move on to discussing the
alternate reading of our phrase, remaking and recreating ourselves through the
mitzvoth. In Birkat Mordechai, Rabbi Ezrachi reminds us that Man is a
compound being. He is composed of a physical body formed from the earth,
unchanging genetic material. But he was infused with a spiritual soul, a soul
that can change and improve. [Perhaps like a rough diamond, the soul can be
faceted and polished until it reflects the light of its Source and shines. CKS]
When Hashem said, “Let us make man,” He was hinting that it was Man’s mission
to partner with Hashem and improve the soul the Creator had breathed into him.
A person transforms himself from being a moving lump of clay into a Man by
infusing his entire life with Torah, writes Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz.
This
transformation is closely connected to our power of speech, writes Rabbi Reiss
in Meirosh Tzurim. So many mitzvoth and transgressions are associated
with speech, from loshon horo and rechilus to flattery, lying,
and bragging. The Torah sensitizes us in our speech and thought processes. A
Jew is prohibited from lusting in his heart even without any action. In a world
with constantly changing social and moral values, the Torah demands that we
retain the immutable standards of a Jew. We are encouraged to practice the
mitzvoth constantly, to give tzedakah multiple times, even if by doing so we
can only give small amounts to each recipient, so that a charitable mindset
becomes our innate character. We are asked to reframe our mitzvah observance as
opportunities for growth rather than as obligations. In this way, we are
continuously partnering with Hashem in our development as Adam.
As
we have already stated, Man is comprised of a physical body, similar to
animals, and a Godly soul which Hashem blew into us from the innermost recesses
of His Being [so to speak]. Rabbi Naftali Horowitz explains in YOU Revealed,
that the physical body is comprised of the four elements of all creation: fire,
air, water and earth. [We can think of these elements as four categories:
energy, gas, liquid, solid. CKS] Each of these elements is also the source of
various emotions: Fire = anger, arrogance, or conversely, humility, etc. Air =
speech, positive and negative. Water = the desire for pleasure. Earth =
laziness and sadness or alacrity and happiness. The body and the soul are
engaged in constant battle. Man can rise to the loftiest heights or sink to the
deepest lows of creation. The body, being in its natural surroundings,
generally has the upper hand, pulling us down to earthly pursuits. However,
Hashem has given us a weapon to overcome the natural strength of the body; the
Torah teaches us not only right from wrong, but also how to recognize which
part of us is speaking. The Torah clarifies the lines of battle so that our
spiritual soul can form an attack. It helps us reach our destiny and purpose,
thereby experiencing the greatest please.
Men
need the support of Torah study more than women do, for, according to Rabbi
Horowitz, women’s body and soul are less in conflict with each other than are a
man. Women tend to be more tranquil. But women still benefit from Torah study
that strengthens her faith and her mitzvah observance.
Torah
also has the power to transform the physical body into a spiritual vessel.
Rabbi Scheinerman notes in Ohel Moshe that Dovid Hamelech says in Tehillim
63:2, “My soul thirsts for Thee; my flesh years for Thee.” My body as well will
desire Hashem and will want to take only what I need to serve Him.
Why
is Man called Adam? Rabbi Weissblum notes two contrasting derivations for this
name. First, Man was formed from the adamah/earth. But his
potential is to adameh [lo]/to resemble Him. Man has the
potential to elevate his earthly being to a level of godliness. Our challenge,
writes Rabbi Wolbe, is to create ourselves, to actualize our potential. When we
observe the mitzvoth, we have to blow life into that observance as Hashem blew
a heavenly soul into our bodies. Find one detail of each mitzvah, one word in
each brachah that will energize you, and you will slowly transform and recreate
yourself from potential to actualization.
Infuse
mitzvah observance and prayer with the energy of renewal and passion. Create a
new experience each time you do a mitzvah. Create yourself anew as a more
spiritual being. When we can do that, we will achieve the joy that only
connection with Hakodosh Boruch Hu can bring.