BS”D
UPRIGHT UTOPIA:
PARSHAT BECHUKOTAI
Shira Smiles shiur
2019/5779
Adapted by Channie
Koplowitz Stein
Parshat
Bechukotai
begins with a list of blessings Hashem will bestow on Bnei Yisroel if we follow
His Torah. The list of blessings concludes with, “I am Hashem your God Who took
you out of the land of Egypt from being their slaves. I broke the motot
uleichem/staves of your yoke and led you komemiyut/erect.” We have
here translated komemiyut as an erect posture, according to Rashi’s
interpretation of the word. Is this statement an integral, additional
blessings, or is it a commentary on all the preceding blessings?
Rabbi
Schrage Grossbard z”l considers this the final blessing, viewing the
blessing as ascending in importance from economic stability, to national
security, to personal family fulfillment, to fulfilling Hashem’s covenant with
Bnei Yisroel to reside among us, that He will be our God and we will be His
nation. The greatest blessing, then, was that by taking us out of the slavery
of Egypt, He broke the staves of the yoke that bound us in servitude to the
Egyptians and led us out erect. The Modzitzer Rebbe z”l, on the other hand,
translates komemiyut as possessions or wealth, interpreting the phrase
to be that Hashem took us out of Egypt with wealth.
Rav
S. R. Hirsch z”l interprets this phrase as separate from the preceding
blessings. Rav Hirsch z”l focuses on a seemingly additional word used here, motot/staves.
Did Hashem break the yoke to free us or not? What are staves? According to Rav
Hirsch, Hashem left the yoke on our necks when we left Egypt, but he removed
the poles attached to the main shaft of the yoke and from which the loads were
hung. By removing only the staves, Hashem left the possibility that we could
still be enslaved to another culture, if not physically, then morally or socially.
Only by accepting the Torah and accepting the yoke of Heaven could the social,
moral, political yoke itself be removed. Hashem led us to Sinai to accept the
Torah. Then we would walk erect.
Standing
erect usually implies a haughty attitude. How can we reconcile Hashem’s
abhorrence of arrogance with Rashi’s interpretation that Hashem led us erect,
asks Rabbi Schwab z”l ? Rabbi Schwab z”l sees no contradiction, for he sees the
erect posture as someone stretching to achieve his greatest height and potential,
the height Hashem elevated us to at Har Sinai. And when we ask Hashem in our
prayers that He should lead us back to our land komemiyut, we ask that
we should not have to wait until Olam Haba to stand spiritually upright
in Eretz Yisroel.
But
standing erect has another, beautiful level of meaning, explains Rabbenu Tam in
Sefer Hayashar. Rabbenu Tam contrast the stance of the animals with that
of man. Animals face downward toward the earth from which they received their
life. But man faces upward for, although man’s body is derived from the earth,
his life source comes from above, from God. [If you are not familiar with Edwin
Markham’s poem The Man with the Hoe and Millet’s painting that inspired
it, find it, read it, and think. I always cry. CKS]. Man’s soul yearns to
return to its Source and faces upward in anticipation. Upon man’s death, his
body will return to the earth, but his soul will return to God. This, explains
Rabbenu Tam, is proof that souls are eternal
When
one is enslaved, one looks downward, and one can be enslaved to things as well
as to people. In this vein, Onkeles translates komemiyut as
freedom. Hashem redeemed us from Egypt so that we could hold our heads erect in
freedom, for the greatest freedom is to be a servant of Hashem. As Rabbi
Weissblum notes, at Har Sinai, Moshe told Bnei Yisroel that Hashem brought us
here lenasot etchem/to raise you up, to give us spiritual greatness.
This, then, is the ultimate blessing.
The
Alshich Hakdosh z”lbrings a different perspective to our subject.
At Har Sinai, Hashem raised us up so high spiritually that we could be totally
erect not as a sign of haughtiness toward Hashem, but because His presence was
so manifest that it was impossible to be haughty. We had reached the level of
Adam Harishon before the sin when we were so spiritually free that the Angel of
Death had no power over us. And, according to the Alshich, this will again be
our level in the days of Moshiach when all will acknowledge that it is Hakodosh
Boruch Hu Who straightens [the backs] of those who are bent over.
Rabbi
Wolbe z”lagrees that at the Messianic Age we will walk upright with
pride. Tehillim 47, which we read seven times on Rosh Hashanah before hearing
the shofar blasts, tells us that in that future time when the shofar will
blast, all the nations will recognize God, and acknowledge Israel as the nation
chosen to lead them and that Hashem has given us the Land to Israel. At that
time, Yaakov will stand up tall and proud in our belief.
In
the future, adds the Ksav Sofer, z”l Hashem will break the bonds not
only of the nations that rule over us but also of the yetzer horo who
tries to control us, for the yetzer horo will no longer have power over
us. At that time, writes the Ramban,z”l it will be man’s nature to do what is
proper and right.
There
is a medrash cited by Rabbi Grossbard z”l in Daas Schrage that must
prompt us to think of our identity as Jews. When Nebuchadnezzer exiled the Jews
and they walked along the banks of the River Babylon, they walked upright,
Nebuchadnezzer found this posture offensive and ordered burdens to be put on
the backs of the Jews. The Jews cried out to Hashem Who was so moved by the
tears of the Jews that He wanted to return the world to chaos. Hashem refused
to be comforted. Instead, he told His angels to remove the burdens.
What
triggered such an emotional response from Hakodosh Boruch Hu? More than the
cries themselves, it was the very posture of the Jews that their captor found
so offensive; even as they were being driven into exile, Bnei Yisroel carried
their Judaism proudly, impervious to the taunts of their tormentors. This is
the heart of this blessing, that in spite of everything, we can be proud of
what Judaism represents. And this is what concerned Hakodosh Boruch Hu, would
Bnei Yisroel be able to stand upright and proud among the nations? This
is what the blessing means, writes Rabbi Dunner.z”l We will get Hashem’s
help in this. We must keep our heads held high and teach our children to be
proud Jews. Even today, in a country where we can practice our religion freely,
do we wear our religion with pride? This is spiritual pride, notes Rabbi Wolbe
z”l. Do we stop to observe the mitzvoth in public? Do we stop to wash for
bread, or to say Birkat Hamazon/Grace after Meals in a
restaurant? Why should we be hesitant to ask for kosher food at a business
meeting or other function when vegetarians are not embarrassed to ask for a
vegetarian menu?
Do
we constantly strive for a connection with Hakodosh Boruch Hu? Rav Shapira, the
Aish Kodesh, hy”d cites two verses from Shir Hashirim to clarify
our relationship with Hakodsh Boruch Hu. The first verse is well known, “Ani
ledodi vedodi li/I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me. Later we
have a similar verse, yet the emphasis is different, Ani ledodi ve’olai
teshukato/ I am for my Beloved and His desire is on me. The Aish Kodesh
explains that the first verse is the beginning of the relationship. But as I
continue to prove that I am to Him, His “desire” for me grows. It is no longer
to me, but upon me, for His desire is greater than mine could ever be, and it
elevates me to greatness.
How
can I demonstrate my constant desire for Him? Rav Shapira z”l presents an
analogy. We eat only a few times a day for short periods of time. Yet,
especially for women, the day seems to revolve around thoughts of food: What
shall I prepare for dinner? Let me defrost what is necessary, or shop for
ingredients. The food may simmer on the fire for hours with the wife checking
in only from time to time, but she is always aware of it. Similarly, even
though we may pray only three times a day, and may spend only limited time
studying Torah while we take care of other obligations, thoughts of Hashem
should permeate our day.
How
do we become greater and achieve more stature? Rabbi Friefeld zt”l offers a
guideline based on the first verse in the most common Ashrei we recite:
“Ashrei yoshvei vesecha od yehallelucha selah/ The praises of
those that sit and dwell in Your house, more will they praise You forever.”
Focusing on the word od/more, Rabbi Friefeld z”l explains that we become
more, or greater, not through wealth or fame, but through an expanded state of
being, when we dwell in Your house, when we use our divinely endowed abilities
to dwell in His house, to study Torah. When we embrace Torah, our heart expands
and we become “more”.
Rabbi
Uziel Milevsky z”l notes that our passage with its blessings begins with the aleph
of the first word Im and ends with the tof of komemiyut,
alluding to the promise that if we walk in Hashem’s ways, He will bless us with
all the blessings, from aleph to tof/A to Z. Then the Ner Uziel
refers to the Ashrei Psalm we’ve discussed, a psalm that is part of each
of the three daily prayers. The verses of Ashrei are arranged according
to the Hebrew alphabet and seem to imply a logical, causative order, but that
order is so only because Hashem decrees that it be so.
The
blessings in our Parsha are all natural blessings, for rain, abundance, no fear
of beast or enemies. These blessings do not appear to be miraculous. But
recognizing Hashem’s hand in nature and in supplying our daily needs brings the
awareness of Hashem into this world without waiting for olam haba. When
I can see Hashem’s guidance and providence in my weekly paycheck and thank Him
instead of my boss, when I realize that providing the paycheck is no less
miraculous than winning the lottery, then I can be very proud, for I know that
I am subservient neither to nature nor to man.
Why
is yetziat Mitzrayim/exodus mentioned here again, asks Rabbi Gamliel
Rabinowitz in Tiv Hatorah? Precisely for this reason, to recognize that
both the big miracles and the miracles of nature all come from God.
In
Birkat Hamazon, notes the Ohel Moshe, we have a verse similar to
the verse in our parsha: “Horachamon Hu yishbor uleinu meial
tzavoreinu v’Hu yolicheinu Komemiyut leartzenu/The compassionate One! May
He break the yoke of oppression from our necks and guide us erect to our land.”
At our redemption from Egypt, Hashem broke the staves, but we still retained
the yoke itself, for we were destined to go into exile again. But in the
future, when Moshiach comes, the yoke itself will be broken, for we will not go
into exile again.
On
Birkat Hamazon, Halekach Vehalebuv comments that there there are
so many Horachamon/ requests of the compassionate One here. We
have just completed the mitzvah of saying the Grace After Meals. Any time we
observe a mitzvah is an auspicious time to make a request of Hakodosh Boruch
Hu, similar to the requests a woman makes after lighting the Shabbat candles.
Here we are asking Hashem to completely break the yoke upon our shoulders, to
bring the full redemption, and to lead us fully into our land, ready to live up
to our full potential as proud Jews. Break not just the staves, but the yoke
itself so that we may walk upright always looking upward to You.