Know Your Place – and Rise Above It – Parshat Bo

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Printable PDF available here.

Last year’s post on Parshat Bo can be found here. It deals with many of the same themes, and is an interesting contrast/companion to the piece below.

Rav Kook (Ein Ayah, Gemara Shabbat)

When lofty spiritual illuminations are revealed to those who are unsuitable, they are lowered and debased. The transcendent light of G-dliness becomes distorted, in accordance with the shallow and corrupt character of its recipient, much like water takes the shape of its container. The G-dly light loses its supernal splendor.

However, there are exceptional cases, when the spiritual/moral level of the recipient can be disregarded. In these instances, G-d suspends the normal spiritual order and allows for a spiritual “leap.” G-d’s revelation to our forefathers in Egypt,[1]on the night of the first Pesach, is the paradigm for such a miraculous “leap.” Israel was mired in the impurity of Egypt and Egyptian paganism. Our Sages teach that spiritually, we seemed indistinguishable from our idolatrous masters. According to the Zohar, we were on the “forty-ninth level of impurity” and would have become spiritually destroyed had the Exodus been delayed by even a single moment.

For G-d to reveal Himself at this junction required a spiritual jump of historic dimensions. Indeed, the name “Pesach” connotes leaping or skipping, not only because G-d “skipped” over Jewish homes when striking the Egyptian firstborn, but also because He “leaped” over the natural, incremental spiritual order. On that night, every Jew in Egypt merited a revelation of the Shechinah, despite being sunken in the lowest levels of degradation and spiritual defilement. And this was not a one-off occurrence. It established a paradigm for the future, for future generations of Jews to be able to overstep the constraints of their failures and imperfections, to leap upward toward G-dliness without limits or hesitation.

Of course, this is not the normal, and most times, one must absolutely proceed step-by-step. There are many different levels on the ladder between heaven and earth, and while we all strive to rise upward, each person must be conscious of where he stands at any point in time. It is presumptuous and unsustainable for an ordinary person to try and become a tzadik overnight, and the attempt will only distort the tzaddik’s path. But even so, the “leap” of Pesach night sweetens the spiritual journey for future generations, for every Jew to make an occasional and intermittent “leap” towards G-d.

But even here, there are limitations. The Torah tells us (Shemot 12:43) that “This is the law of the Passover offering: no foreigner may eat of it,” and our Sages (Gemara Zevachim 22b) teach us that this encompasses Jewish apostates who have abandoned G-d. Jews who have forsaken the ideals of the Torah to such an extent fall under the category of “foreigners.” We see that even the spiritual leap of the Passover redemption was not boundless in its scope. It could not encompass Jews who had become so assimilated into the idolatrous culture of Egypt that they lacked even an elementary faith in G-d.

Food for Thought

Rav Tzadok haKohen (Tzidkat haTzadik 1): A person’s entry into the service of G-d must be with haste, as we find that the Pesach offering brought in Egypt was eaten in haste, which was not the case with the Pesach offering brought in later generations. Because when a person begins to sever himself from all the physical desires of this world to which he is attached, he must guard the moment in which the will of G-d stirs up within him, and make haste in that moment to leave his desires, perhaps he will succeed. Afterwards, he can once again proceed with moderation and slowness as is the law regarding the Pesach offering brought in later generations.

Maimonides (Guide for the Perplexed, III:32): It is… impossible to go suddenly from one extreme to the other: it is therefore according to the nature of man impossible for him suddenly to discontinue everything to which he has been accustomed. The Torah expresses this idea when it says (Shemot 13:17) “It came to pass when Pharaoh let the people go, that G-d did not lead them [by] way of the land of the Philistines for it was near, because G-d said, Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt.” It is contrary to human nature to suddenly abandon all the different kinds of Divine service and the different customs in which he has been brought up and become habituated. It would be just as if a person trained to work as a slave with mortar and bricks, or similar things, should interrupt his work, clean his hands, and at once fight with real giants. It was the result of G-d’s wisdom that the Israelites were led about in the wilderness till they acquired courage. For it is a well-known fact that travelling in the wilderness, and the attendant deprivation of physical pleasures… produces courage, while the reverse is the source of faint-heartedness. And so another generation rose during Israel’s wandering in the desert that had not been accustomed to degradation and slavery.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Covenant and Conversation, Shelach5777): It takes more than a few days or weeks to turn a population of slaves into a nation capable of handling the responsibilities of freedom. In the case of the Israelites it needed a generation born in liberty, hardened by the experience of the desert, untrammeled by habits of servitude. Freedom takes time, and there are no shortcuts. Often it takes a very long time indeed. That dimension of time is fundamental to the Jewish view of politics and human progress. That is why, in the Torah, Moses repeatedly tells the adults to educate their children, to tell them the story of the past, to “remember”. It is why the covenant itself is extended through time – handed on from one generation to the next. It is why the story of the Israelites is told at such length in Tanakh: the time-span covered by the Hebrew Bible is a thousand years from… Moses to the last of the prophets. It is why G-d acts in and through history.

Unlike Christianity or Islam there is, in Judaism, no sudden transformation of the human condition, no one moment or single generation in which everything significant is fully disclosed. Why, asks Maimonides (Guide, III:32), did G-d not simply give the Israelites in the desert the strength or self-confidence they needed to cross the Jordan and enter the land? His answer: because it would have meant saying goodbye to human freedom, choice and responsibility. Even G-d Himself, implies Maimonides, has to work with the grain of human nature and its all-too-slow pace of change. Not because G-d cannot change people: of course He can. He created them; He could re-create them. The reason is that G-d chooses not to…He wants human beings to construct a society of freedom – and how could He do that if, in order to bring it about, He had to deprive them of the very freedom He wanted them to create.

There are some things a parent may not do for a child if he or she wants the child to become an adult. There are some things even G-d must choose not to do for His people if He wants them to grow to moral and political maturity. In one of my books I called this the chronological imagination, as opposed to the Greek logical imagination. Logic lacks the dimension of time. That is why philosophers tend to be either rigidly conservative (Plato did not want poets in his Republic; they threatened to disturb the social order) or profoundly revolutionary (Rousseau, Marx). The current social order is either right or wrong. If it is right, we should not change it. If it is wrong, we should overthrow it. The fact that change takes time, even many generations, is not an idea easy to square with philosophy (even those philosophers, like Hegel and Marx, who factored in time, did so mechanically, speaking about “historical inevitability” rather than the unpredictable exercise of freedom).

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (Commentary on the Torah, Shemot 6:14):[The non-Jewish world erroneously believes that] a man could be known as a complete idiot today, and tomorrow proclaim the word of G-d. The spirit of G-d could suddenly descend on an ignorant and uneducated person and lo! he can speak in seventy languages… and then, the more ignorant, the more uneducated the prophet of today was yesterday, the greater the proof of the divinity of the Call that worked this change. Our [genealogical] register here [of Moses and Aaron in Parshat Va’era] counters this dangerous error…Moses and Aaron were… picked, chosen men. Had G-d wished simply to pick the first comer, other tribes than Levi stood at His disposal, and in Levi other branches than Kehat, and amongst the families of Kehat, other households than Amram, and among Amram’s children there was the older Aaron. But G-d chooses the noblest and most suitable to be His tools and messengers. Before he receives his call, the human being must develop and mature his human qualities. It was not Abraham nor Isaac but Jacob who became the real founder of the House of Israel. Not Reuben or Simeon but Levi is to be the chosen tribe. Not Aaron nor Miriam, but Moses became the “Messenger of G-d”. Everything has to ripen up to the degree of fitness which qualifies it for selection.

Rav Kook (Orot haTeshuva 14:18): Within every stage that a person may be on and within his every apprehension of the world, there is a treasury of holiness. When a person skips and soars with great rapidity beyond his level, he is deprived of the holy content of the lower stages that are appropriate for him. And he cannot cling to the upper because they are too spiritual for him. Therefore, he must return with a broken heart and with joy to the levels that he had left behind. Nevertheless, he should not forget the impression of the supernal levels – for once he has risen, he will not descend. And then everything will be transformed into good.

Rav Moshe Weinberger (Song of Teshuva, Vol. 4 Pg. 188): As a person moves toward his goal, there is a treasury of holiness at every step along the way. That is why, when G-d took the Jews out of Egypt, He did not bring them to Har Sinai in a single second and then to the Land of Israel a second later. Instead, He led them on a 49 day trek to Har Sinai and then led them in the desert for 40 years until they reached Eretz Yisrael. This is because there was a treasury of holiness in each of the encampments along the way.

Questions for Discussion

When does a person need to make a ‘leap’ in his or spiritual development?
What are some of the dangers of spiritual growth that doesn’t happen incrementally? Is there any evidence from later episodes in the book of Shemot?
See Rav Tzadok haKohen’s observations above in “Food for Thought.” How is his position different from Rav Kook’s? How is it the same?
Can you remember a time that you “leaped” to a spiritual level that had previously seemed beyond you? How did it go?
Is there a point beyond which a person can no longer return and do teshuva? Why or why not?
Other than the Exodus, where else in Jewish history (ancient or modern) are there instances of Israel ‘leaping up’ to higher spiritual levels?
Which religion do you think Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch is criticizing in “Food For Thought”?

[1] As described in the Haggadah –עַל שׁוּם שֶׁלֹא הִסְפִּיק בְּצֵקָם שֶׁל אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לְהַחֲמִיץ, עַד שֶׁנִּגְלָה עֲלֵיהֶם מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּגְאָלָם.

Building and Destroying Character – Parshat Va’eira

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Printable PDF available here. Please print and share with friends!

Last year’s post on Parshat Va’eira is available here.

Rav Kook (Orot haTeshuva, 14:25)

And Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased; so he continued to sin, and he strengthened his heart, he and his servants. And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go out, as the Lord had spoken through the hand of Moses. (Shemot 9:34-35)

Sometimes bad traits come as punishment for a person’s previous sins. Then it does not suffice for a person to try and purify his bad traits in and of themselves. Rather, he will be able to return to his state of purity only when he examines his deeds and does teshuvah for his sins that caused him to be punished with the debasement of his traits.

Commentary (Rav Moshe Weinberger, Song of Teshuva Vol. 4)

Great rabbis such as the Ari and R. Chaim Vital teach that the essence of a Jew is holy and pure. Where then do a Jew’s bad traits come from? The Mussar literature answers that these traits come not from his essence but from his nefesh, his animal soul, and are superimposed upon his intrinsic goodness. Typically, a person’s bad traits are congenitally or environmentally shaped. But sometimes, Rav Kook states — in line with teachings of the Zohar and the Ari — G-d punishes a person for his sins by afflicting him with bad traits, in particular with a stubbornness of heart, as was the case with Pharaoh (Shemos 7:3). That is the worst punishment of all.

Thus, there are some people who stubbornly refuse to follow a halachah found in the Shulchan Aruch. Someone could speak to them day and night but they will not accept it. They will not listen to criticism, or agree to bind themselves to the most straightforward of Torah laws. This has nothing to do with intellectual differences or with an inability to subject themselves to the discipline that would be involved. It is due only to their having a hardened, stubborn heart. Even if someone demonstrates to them that their stubbornness is destroying their lives, they do not hear. They prefer to watch their entire kingdom, everything they have lived for, crumble before their eyes rather than comply.

Such people’s hardness of heart expresses itself in their indulgence in the trait of mockery. They make fun of Jews who keep Torah and mitzvos, of different types of Yiddishkeit, of serving Hashem. Such people should rather cry out to Hashem, “I know that this is a punishment for all of my sins. I have a sealed heart and I cannot see the truth.”

In the yearly cycle of the Torah reading, every time we come to the Parshiyos that tell about the Exodus, we think that Pharaoh was a fool for having contested G-d. But if Pharaoh could look at us, he would say, “What makes you any smarter? Aren’t you ruining your children and yourself with gossip, slander, looking at immodest sights and all kinds of filth? Isn’t your own life crumbling before your eyes? You make fun of me, yet although you constantly hear words of reproof, the words of the living G-d, from holy books, you still sin. You’re still destroying your life.”

Typically, when a person wants to rid himself of a bad trait that hurts him and others, he studies Mussar texts or follows the suggestions found in self-help literature. However, that approach may not help. And if so, it is possible that this trait has come as a punishment for his sins. Therefore, the way for him to rectify that bad trait is to do teshuvah for his sins, even though he may not see any connection between the two.

Food for Thought

Rashi (Shemot 7:3): Since he [Pharaoh] behaved wickedly and defied Me, and I know full well that there is no delight among the nations to make a wholehearted attempt to repent, it is better for Me that his heart be hardened, so that [I can] increase My signs and My wonders in him, and you will recognize My mighty deeds, and so is the custom of the Holy One, blessed be He. He brings retribution on the nations so that Israel should hear and fear, as it is said: “I have cut off nations; their towers have become desolate… I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, you will accept reproof’” (Tzephania. 3:6-7). Nevertheless, in the first five plagues, it does not say, “And the Lord strengthened Pharaoh’s heart,” but “Pharaoh’s heart remained steadfast.”

Ramban (Shemot 7:3): I will answer the question that all who read this narrative are want to ask; “If G-d hardens Pharaoh’s heart what is his sin?” There are two reasons both of which are true.

The first reason is that Pharaoh, in his wickedness, committed unwarranted acts of evil against Israel. As a result, his ability to repent was removed. There are many verses in Scripture that suggest that one can be judged by one’s earlier actions.

The second reason is that his sin was his unwillingness to liberate Israel resulting in the first five plagues, where it only says, “Pharaoh’s heart was stiffened,” or “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.” This exhibits that he did not want to liberate Israel to honor G-d. However, when the plagues intensified and he began to suffer from them, his heart was softened and he was wont to free them because of the plagues and not in recognition of divine will. At that point, G-d hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart in order to make His name known…

Rambam (Hilchot Teshuva 6:3): And, it is possible that a man should commit either one grievous iniquity or a multitude of sins so that the Judge of Truth will decree against him that, whereas this sinner committed those sins of his own free will and consciously, repentance should be withheld from him altogether, and grant him no leave to repent, so that he might die and perish in the iniquity he committed. Even this is what the Holy One, blessed is He! said through Isaiah: “Make the heart of this people fat, and make their eyes heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart will return and be healed” (Is. 6.10). It is, moreover, said: “But they mocked the messengers of G-d, and despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people till there was no remedy”. (II Chro. 36.16)—as if saying: “They sinned of their own free will and they have multiplied iniquities, until their guilt carried the punishment to withhold repentance from them, which is the remedy”. It is, therefore, written in the Torah; “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” (Ex. 14.4), because at the beginning he sinned of his own free will, and meted out evil to Israel who sojourned in his land, even as it is said: “Come, let us deal wisely with them” (Ibid. 1.10). Thereat justice demanded to withhold repentance from him, so that due punishment might be visited upon him. Wherefor, the Holy One, blessed is He! hardened his heart. If it be so, then why did He delegate Moses to him, charging him to let Israel go forth and turn to repentance seeing that the Holy One, blessed is He! long since told him thou wilt not let them go forth, saying: “But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord G-d” (Ibid. 9.30), and again saying: “But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee My power, and that My name be declared throughout all the earth”(Ibid. –16)? To demonstrate to the future generations whenever the Holy One, blessed is He! withholds repentance from a sinner he cannot repent, but must die in the original evil which he perpetrated of his own free will. Sihon, too, by the measure of his iniquity became guilty of an offence which carried the punishment to have repentance withheld from him, even as it is said: “For the Lord thy G-d hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate” (Deut. 2.30). Likewise the Canaanites, according to their abominations, did He withhold repentance from them so that they engaged Israel in battle, even as it is said: “For it was of the Lord, to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that they might be utterly destroyed” (Joshua, 11.20). Even so was with Israel in the days of Elijah, because of the multiplied iniquity repentance was withheld from the gross evildoers, for it is said: “For Thou didst turn their heart backward” (I. Kings, 18.37)—as if saying: “Thou didst withhold repentance from them”. Thus, as a consequence hereof, we must say: G-d’s predestination prompted not Pharaoh to wrong Israel, nor Sihon to sin in his land, nor the Canaanites to be abominable, nor Israel to worship idolatry; for they all sinned of their own free will and accord, and, therefore, were they all guilty of an offence which carries along the punishment to withhold repentance from them.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Covenant and Conversation, Va’era 5775): A second approach, in precisely the opposite direction, is that during the last five plagues G-d intervened not to harden but to strengthen Pharaoh’s heart. He acted to ensure that Pharaoh kept his freedom and did not lose it. Such was the impact of the plagues that in the normal course of events a national leader would have no choice but to give in to a superior force. As Pharaoh’s own advisers said before the eighth plague, “Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed.” To give in at that point would have been action under duress, not a genuine change of heart. Such is the approach of Yosef Albo and Ovadiah Sforno.

Questions for Discussion

We usually think of punishment and involving pain and suffering. How is a bad character trait experienced as a punishment?
Why is free will an important concept in Torah? What are some basic Torah concepts that hinge on free will?
Is free will uniquely important to Judaism, or is it a basic premise of any religion?
What are some of the differences between the solutions presented by Rashi, Ramban and Rambam on the problem of G-d hardening Pharaoh’s heart? What are some similarities?
How can a person know if a bad trait is a punishment for his sin’s, like Rav Kook discusses, as opposed to something he acquired from outside influences or was born with?
Can you name some bad character traits that could come as a punishment?

Fall Back and Spring Forward – Parshat Shemot

Last year’s piece on Parshat Shemot can be found here.

Printable PDF available here.

Rav Kook (Olat Re’iah)

So they appointed over them tax collectors to afflict them with their burdens, and they built storage cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Ra’amses. But as much as they would afflict them, so did they multiply and so did they gain strength… (Shemot 1:11-12)

There are two different paths for an individual to actualize his latent potential and bring out the full vigor and force of his capabilities. The first path is by granting space and freedom to his talents, allowing them to steadily broaden and magnify their impact in the world of action. We readily understand how this path elevates a person’s practical aptitudes and brings his potential into actuality.

In the second path, one’s talents are restrained and held back against his will, by circumstances beyond his choice or control. Any latent potential is impeded and imprisoned, and blocked from flowing outward and finding expression in the broader world. G-d leads a person on this path so that when the external impediments are removed, his potential will burst outward with greater vigor and nobility – not despite the earlier constriction, but precisely because of it.

The idea of constriction for the sake of future expansion is familiar to us from the natural world. In the cold of winter, plants cease to grow and many animals retreat to hibernation. This appears to be a time of death, when nature’s vigor is extinguished and stamped out. But this is a superficial perspective of winter. In reality, the natural world is simply turning inward to protect itself, and to conserve its strength from being depleted or spread thin. Plants and animals do not die in the winter – rather, they gather additional resources and strength, and burst forth with renewed vigor when spring arrives.[1]

This same dynamic applies to the powers of a person’s nefesh, his ethical and intellectual facilities, and his conduct in the world of action. And it applies not only to an individual, but also to the Jewish people as a collective.[2]We see this clearly at the beginning of Sefer Shemot. Israel went down to Egypt with a repository of kedushah and a spiritual vision for all of humanity, a vision that it had inherited from Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov. This Divine treasure was intrinsic to Israel’s very nature, and could not be extinguished. It was destined to flourish and ascend, to expand and leave its mark on every dimension of Israel’s existence – its conduct, way of thinking, family life, political system, and economy.

However, Divine wisdom decreed that this expansion would not unfold without impediments. In the earlier generations of the Avot, the spiritual development of what would become Israel’s heritage was guided primarily along the first path. G-d protected the Avot from their enemies, helped them thrive and gave them space – physical and spiritual – to bring G-dliness into human life. In contrast, Israel’s time in Egypt would be an experience of constraint and restriction. Egypt, the most powerful empire at the time, was a place of paganism and impurity, the polar opposite of what Israel sought to bring to the world. Israel’s yearning for G-dly freedom, and its values of righteousness, compassion, and holiness – all of these would be crushed under the tremendous and apparently immovable force of Egyptian impurity, ignorance, wickedness, and worship of power. Israel would be spiritually challenged and physically enslaved, without any ability to outwardly express its spiritual vision.

The enslavement was so oppressive that before long, even Israel no longer perceived its uniqueness. But Israel’s G-dly spark could not be extinguished by Pharaoh and the whips of his task-maskers. The people had not been abandoned by G-d. No, G-d designed the Egyptian exile as a time for Israel to turn inward and gather reservoirs of spiritual strength. That strength and drive for expansiveness, that suppressed yearning to imprint G-dliness upon every level of reality in the world of action, would explode outward as soon as G-d broke the might of the Egyptian empire, declared the Jewish people His servants and set them free.

Food for Thought

Ramban al-haTorah (Shemot 33:15): [Based on the census in the book of Shemot, the tribe of Levi was less than half the size of the smallest tribe, and very far from the average of 50,000]. The small number of Levites is surprising: how could the servants and followers of God not be blessed by Him like all the rest of the nation? I believe that this substantiates what Chazal taught, namely, that the tribe of Levi were not enslaved in Egypt. Israel, whose lives were embittered with hard labor with the intention of limiting their number, were increased by God in response to the Egyptian decrees, as we learn “And the more they oppressed them, the more they increased and the more they multiplied…” For the Holy One said of the Egyptians, “Let us see whose word prevails, Mine or theirs.” But [because they were not enslaved] the tribe of Levi increased in a natural way and did not multiply like the other tribes.

Ohr haChaim (Shemot 1:11): The plain meaning of the verse is that for every unjustified act of cruelty by the Egyptians, G-d compensated the Jewish people with a commensurate increase in the number of babies that were born to them. Additional hands enabled the parents to meet the work quota imposed upon them by the Egyptians. The words כן ירבה, “so they would multiply,” would then mean that the additional number of children made up for the reduced performance by their weakened parents in proportion to the emasculating effect of the hard labor. This became a vicious circle as the Egyptians kept increasing the workload.

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch (Collected Writings, Vol. VII pg. 13): During an age when the rest of mankind filled history’s annals with such a poor reflection of itself in the form of Jewish blood, Jewish tears and Jewish ruins, Israel could hardly he blamed for having little desire or inclination to read the pages of history. And yet the Jewish perspective even then was never so narrow as we tend to believe today. The age of ghettos and burnings at the stake had been preceded by centuries during which Jewish sages, the sages of Jewish scholarship, had been, at the same time, pillars of the general sciences of heaven and earth. Nearly every page of the literature that was treasured in ghetto tenements bore witness to the authors’ deep insights into the nature of things and their relationship to one another, and into the nature of man and his social development. Moreover, there was within the souls of Jewish men and women a horizon far broader than the small strips of sky visible from the alleys in which the Jews were confined. In their hearts there shone a light of truth and clarity, a sun of peace and serenity that not even the oppressive darkness of their dwellings and the even darker realities outside could obscure. And so they did not really miss engaging in science or that culture which they knew to be incapable of rescuing its disciples from the shackles of shameful delusion and deplorable error. It was precisely in this isolated state in which both Jewish scholarship and the Jewish people found themselves that Jewish scholarship gave proof of the Divine strength which is inherent in it, of the light that refreshes the soul, brightens the eyes and gladdens the heart. Even when it was turned inward upon itself and its wellsprings, Jewish scholarship was capable of enlightening, strengthening, ennobling, uplifting, comforting and sustaining an entire nation—as long as that nation dedicated itself to these studies with a loyal, devoted and sincere love.

Questions for Discussion

Do you think the Jewish people have been more successful at the first path Rav Kook describes or the second?
Midrash and Torah commentaries struggle to explain why the Jews had to be enslaved in Egypt. To grossly oversimplify, (i) some interpret it as a punishment, (ii) others try to understand it kabbalistically, (iii) some explain that the suffering somehow refined us spiritually, and (iv) some interpret that our redemption from slavery was meant to teach critical spiritual and ethical lessons to the world and the Jewish people. Where does Rav Kook fall on this issue?
What are other parallels between individual human development and Israel’s national development?
The Zohar teaches that that the Jews were on the 49^thlevel of tumah in Egypt, and that had the Exodus been delayed another moment, they would have been spiritually destroyed. But only a short time later, they were singing to G-d at the Yam Suf and hearing G-d speak at Har Sinai! How can Rav Kook’s insights help us make sense of this apparent paradox?
What is a time in your life when G-d led you on the first path that Rav Kook describes? On the second path?
Based on Rav Kook’s insights, can you give a deeper explanation of why Pesach always falls (and must always full) in the springtime?
See the Ohr haChaim in “Food for Thought” above. How is he similar to Rav Kook? How is he different?

[1]Another example of this phenomenon is a spring, where pushing down creates potential energy that is released explosively once the pressure is removed.

[2]Chazal state (based on a pasuk in Yechezkel) about the Jewish people that אתם קרויים אדם. As Rav Kook interprets it, this means that Israel is governed by many of the same rules and patterns that apply to the nature and development of individuals.

Rising Above Ayin ha’Ra – Parshat Vayechi

Printable PDF available here.

Last year’s post on Parshat Vayechi can be found here.

Rav Kook (Ein Ayah, Gemara Berachot 55b)

One who enters a city and fears ayin ha’ra should… recite the following: “I, so-and-so son of so-and-so, come from the descendants of Yosef, over whom the ayin ha’ra has no dominion.” As it is stated: “Yosef is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain [lit. alei ayin]; its branches run over the wall” (Bereishit 49:22). Do not read it as alei ayin; but rather olei ayin, “who rise above the eye.” That is, ayin ha’ra has no dominion over Yosef… [Alternatively], this can be derived from Ya’akov’s blessing to Yosef’s sons: “And let them grow like fish into a multitude in the midst of the earth” (Bereishit 48:16): Just as fish in the sea are covered by water and the ayin ha’ra has no dominion over them [as they cannot be seen], so too the offspring of Yosef, the ayin ha’ra has no dominion over them.

The precise mechanics of ayin ha’ra – literally, the ‘evil eye’ – are beyond our ability to comprehend, but they are not entirely inscrutable. Ayin ha’ra is rooted in the spiritual reality that one soul can be influenced and affected by others. We all know that the way we feel or think can be swayed by outside influences, whether for good or bad, and ayin ha’ra is simply a deeper manifestation of this reality.

However, a person is not susceptible to ayin ha’ra unless his soul is weak and lacks a healthy self-worth. This person’s choices are not grounded in a deep inner resolve, but rather from a constant outward gaze for approval and validation. This is a state of profound servitude, and it makes a person vulnerable to all types of spiritual corruption. The more that a person is weak, and lacking an inner wealth and confidence, the more vulnerable he will be to ayin ha’ra over his thinking, his emotions and his actions.

The Torah wants each person to rise above this smallness and find true wealth and pleasantness, repose and strength, in an inner world permeated with love and fear of G-d, unencumbered by servitude to the influences and demands of other people. Someone with spiritual authenticity is immune to ayin ha’ra, because the ‘eye’ of others is not part of his reality. It simply doesn’t exist for him.

Does this mean that respecting consensus, avoiding machloket and abiding by communal standards are all unimportant? Does the Torah want us all to be radical non-conformists? No, that is not the Torah’s vision of spiritual authenticity. The Torah wants us to come together as a collective –to ‘enter the city’ (in the terminology of the gemara in Berachot we started with) – and form a healthy society, permeated with benevolence and pursuit of the common good. The Torah wants us to follow the standards and expectations of our broader communities.

But bending to outside standards has to be done from a sense of inner conviction. It has to come from a realization that sometimes, G-dly morality (lit. yosher v’tzedek) dictates that we surrender our ego and participate with the collective. In other words, true spiritual authenticity means living in accordance with G-d’s desires, not one’s own idiosyncrasies. That is the path of the Torah and G-d’s supernal will.

We now understand why Yosef epitomizes immunity from the scourge of ayin ha’ra. Yosef remained faithful to his inner convictions, despite the external pressures and influences of life in Egypt. The outside challenges that he faced were abundant – family estrangement, slavery and imprisonment, a foreign land, a foreign culture, sexual temptation, extravagant wealth and power, among others. But none of these succeeded in leading Yosef astray. Even at the moment of his most intense trial – resisting the seductions of Potiphar’s wife – he was steadfast in his inner conviction. He declared “How could I do this great evil and sin to G-d?’ Yosef was an active participant in the outer world of Egypt, but Egypt did not touch his inner world or define who he was.

Food for Thought

Social Media’s Impact On Self-Esteem (Huffington Post): Social media has been linked to higher levels of loneliness, envy, anxiety, depression, narcissism and decreased social skills… The narratives we share and portray on social media are all positive and celebratory. It’s a hybridized digital version of “Keeping up with the Joneses”. For some… it appears everyone you know are in great relationships, taking 5-star vacations and living their dream life. However, what is shared across our social networks only broadcasts the positive aspects of our lives-the highlight reels… Research has also shown that Facebook users are becoming increasingly depressed from comparing themselves to their own profile. Meaning that if a person’s reality does not match the digital illusion they post on their profiles, emotionally, one may feel they are not living up to the “best” form of themselves.

Rav Soloveitchik (Shiurei HaRav – HaDarom 61):The matter of the ayin ha’ra is crystal clear to me. There are people whose lives are entirely dependent on the thoughts of others – whether they approve of them, forget about them, or praise them. At the moment they realize that others no longer approve of them or care about them – this immediately destroys their spiritual strength and self-confidence… People like this see themselves exclusively from the perspective of others, without recognizing their independent abilities. For people like this, the ayin ha’ra can be devastating. When others gaze upon them with an ayin ha’ra, meaning some degree of opposition or disapproval, their very humanity can be completely destroyed. This was the meaning of [Yosef’s immunity to ayin ha’ra.]… Yosef understood his spiritual strengths from his own recognition, not from the perspective of others. And without this recognition that he had of his own abilities, independent of the values of others, in this case his brothers, Yosef would never have amounted to anything, and his dreams would have immediately ceased.

Morning Berachos (Siddur):May it be Your will, Hashem, the G-d of my fathers, that you protect me on this day and every day… from ayin ha’ra.

Chida (Tziporen Shamir 172):One who speaks the praises of a person’s wisdom, wealth, children, and the like, is obligated to bless him that an ayin ha’ra should have no power over him.

Gemara Bava Metzia (107b):The Torah states: “And the Lord will take away from you all sickness” (Devarim 7:15). Rav interpreted this as a reference to ayin ha’ra. Rav went to a cemetery, and used an incantation to find out how those buried there had died. He reported that ninety-nine percent had died by the evil eye, and only one percent of natural causes.

Rav Dessler (Michtav M’Eliyahu):What exactly is this ayin ha’ra which is spoken about in different places? It is clear that if one causes his friend to become jealous of him, he is responsible and liable for the pain he caused him. And this could even cause him to ultimately lose his wealth. He, therefore, needs to do mitzvot to protect himself from difficulties. The mechanism of the ayin ha’ra is rooted in the spiritual reality of all people being connected to one another. Ayin ha’ra means that one is jealous of another, is bothered by his very being, and [therefore] wants only bad for him. Since all people’s lives are mutually dependent on one another, it’s possible that this will cause the [successful] person’s life to be limited, and thereby more susceptible to injury or damage…

When one is jealous of another and gazes upon him with an ayin ha’ra, this can cause damage. However, justice demands that this will only happen if the recipient of the ayin ha’ra had previously done something to make himself vulnerable to the ayin ha’ra. One possibility would be that he had caused the first person to be jealous of him in a very specific manner. It is clear and well-established that one who is not self-focused, is a giver and not a taker, in all of his matters, will not arouse any jealousy. This is why the descendants of Yosef are not susceptible to the ayin ha’ra – because Yosef was so selfless. Chazal are thereby teaching us that one who lives out of the public eye, and whose aspirations are completely separate from those of the street, will not arouse jealousy.

TorahOnTheGo.com: Some make spitting sounds “poo, poo, poo” to ward off an ayin ha’ra. While it may seem silly, this practice is sourced in Torah. Midrash Rabbah recounts a story of a woman who would attend Rabbi Meir’s Torah classes. Her husband was upset about this practice and warned her that he wouldn’t let her into the house until she spat in Rabbi Meir’s face. Understandably, she was hesitant to do so and stayed away from her home. Rabbi Meir discovered this, and to ease her discomfort acted as if an ayin ha’rahas seized him, and requested that she spit at him as a remedy. While the story is cited to emphasize the importance of promoting shalom bayis, it serves as one of several sources for the concept of spitting in order to ward off an ayin ha’ra.

Questions for Discussion

Do you find Rav Kook’s explanation of ayin ha’ra convincing? Why or why not?
What is ironic about Yosef being identified as of immune from ayin ha’ra? (Think about his brothers…)
How can we use social media in a way that avoids (or minimizes) ayin ha’ra as understood by Rav Kook?
To what extent is authenticity a value in Torah Judaism?
When should a person should not follow the standards of his/her community?
How did Yosef strengthen his resolve to the point that he was immune to ayin ha’ra as understood by Rav Kook?
Is ayin ha’ra the same thing as ayin ra? See the second chapter of Pirkei Avot.
Would Rav Kook agree that you can take off ayin ha’ra with molten lead and a lady in B’nei Brak?
How do you think Rav Kook would understand the concept of ayin tovah?

Light in Exile – Parshat Vayigash

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Last year’s posting on Vayigash is available here.

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Rav Kook (Ein Ayah, Gemara Shabbat 89b)

Our father Ya’akov should have gone down to Egypt in iron chains [as the exile in Egypt was decreed by G-d, as told to Avraham]. However, Ya’akov’s merit caused him to descend without suffering, as it is written (Hoshea 11:4): “I drew them with cords of man, with cords of love, and I was to them like those who remove the yoke, and I fed them gently.” (Gemara Shabbat 84b)

The Egyptian exile is not simply another event in the history of the Jewish people. It established the spiritual template for all of Israel’s future exiles. But what is the purpose of galut? This question cannot be answered without properly understanding Ya’akov and his children’s descent into Egypt.

Our time in Egypt is primary associated with centuries of bitter enslavement. We commemorate our suffering each year at the Seder and are commanded to remember G-d’s deliverance on a daily basis. But not all of our time in Egypt was agonizing. From Parshat Vayigash and Parshat Vayechi, it is clear that Ya’akov and his extended family were quite comfortable. Yosef was the most respected and influential Israelite member of Egyptian society, but certainly not the only one. Ya’akov was especially admired, to the point that, according to the midrash, he insisted on not being buried in Egypt because he was worried that the Egyptians would deify him.[1]

Ya’akov’s years in Egypt were arguably the best of his life. He was no longer hiding from his brother’s murderous rage or dealing with the machinations of his scheming father-in-law. He was finally re-united with his beloved son Yosef. And he lived out his remaining years not only in physical comfort, but with the spiritual comfort of knowing that his entire family had followed in his path.

Of course, we know that this rosy picture did not last. After Ya’akov died, Egypt’s openness was soon replaced with whips, slavery, and infants being thrown into the Nile. Given the darkness of the post-Ya’akov period in Egypt, we are inclined to dismiss the good years as an illusion. Or more cynically, we conclude that we were never meant to thrive in Egypt in the first place.

However, this is not correct. Exile is more than just a punishment or Divinely inflicted suffering. We do not believe that our time in exile is devoid of spiritual value, merely a placeholder until the redemption and the return of Eretz Yisrael. No, Israel’s exile has spiritual purpose as well. It serves to spread belief in G-d and disseminate knowledge of His name throughout the world. G-d explains as much when he tells Moshe that he is sending him to Pharaoh “so that Egypt will know that I am G-d” (Shemot 7:5). And our Sages tell us in the Talmud (Pesachim 87b) that “The Holy One exiled Israel only so that converts will join them.” Many sources understand this as a reference not only to literal converts, but to any non-Jewish society that absorbs refined notions of ethics and Divinity by coming into contact with Jews.

The foundation of this positive conception of exile was laid by Ya’akov. Ya’akov was a towering spiritual personality, and his merits made it impossible for G-d to exile him to Egypt “in iron chains.” His descent to Egypt was Divinely orchestrated through Yosef’s rise to power, and he came down willingly, as if drawn by “cords of love.” In Hoshea’s words, as understood by our Sages in the Talmud, the “yoke” of slavery was still in G-d’s hands, but – for a time – it was removed from Ya’akov and his family.

Thus, our Sages teach us a richer and more profound understanding of exile and its spiritual purpose. Suffering, pogroms and persecution characterize much of Israel’s exile among the nations, but that is only part of the picture. Ya’akov teaches us that when we are worthy and emulate his example, galut is an opportunity to disseminate the light of G-d and uplift other nations. That goal is not thwarted when Jews are honored and respected in the lands of their exile. On the contrary, provided that we are completely dedicated to G-d and his Torah, then honor, respect, and prosperity magnify our ability to influence others.

“And many peoples shall go and say, “Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mount, to the house of the G-d of Ya’akov, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths,” for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. That process doesn’t start once the redemption comes. It begins while Israel is still in exile.

Food for Thought

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Covenant and Conversation, Balak 5775): Nowhere in Tanakh are we told that it will be the fate of Israel or Jews to be hated. To the contrary, the prophets foresaw that there would come a time when the nations would turn to Israel for inspiration. Isaiah envisaged a day on which “Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the G-d of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). Zechariah foresaw that “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that G-d is with you.’” (Zechariah 8:23). These are sufficient to cast doubt on the idea that antisemitism is eternal, incurable, woven into Jewish history and destiny.

Only in rabbinic literature do we find statements that seem to suggest that Israel is hated. Most famous is the statement of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai “It is well known that Esau hates Jacob.” Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai was known for his distrust of the Romans, whom the rabbis identified with Esau/Edom. It was for this reason, says the Talmud, that he had to go into hiding for thirteen years. His view was not shared by his contemporaries.[2][And] those who quote this passage do so only partially and selectively. It refers to the moment at which Jacob and Esau met after their long estrangement. Jacob feared that Esau would try to kill him. After taking elaborate precautions and wrestling with an angel, the next morning he sees Esau. The verse then says: “Esau ran to meet them. He hugged [Jacob], and throwing himself on his shoulders, kissed him. They [both] wept” (Bereishit 33:4). Over the letters of the word “kissed” as it appears in a Sefer Torah, there are dots, signaling some special meaning. It was in this context that Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai said: “Even though it is well known that Esau hates Jacob, at that moment he was overcome with compassion and kissed him with a full heart.” In other words, precisely the text cited to show that antisemitism is inevitable, proves the opposite: that at the crucial encounter, Esau did not feel hate toward Jacob. They met, embraced and went their separate ways without ill-will.

There is, in short, nothing in Judaism to suggest that it is the fate of Jews to be hated. It is neither written into the texture of the universe nor encoded in the human genome. It is not the will of G-d. Only in moments of deep despair have Jews believed this…

Rav Shimson Raphael Hirsch (19 Letters): Only for a short time was Israel able to attain its ideal, the fulfillment of its mission in prosperity… [But] it became necessary to take away the abundance of earthly good, the wealth and the land, which had led it away from its mission; it was obliged to leave the happy soil which had seduced it from its allegiance to the Most High; nothing could be saved except the soul of its existence, the Torah; no other bond of unity should henceforth exist except “G-d and its mission,” which are indestructible, because they are spiritual. Through the annihilation of Israel’s state-life its mission did not cease, for that had been intended only as a means to an end. On the contrary, this destruction itself was part of its fate; so strangely commingled of divine and human elements, in exile and dispersion its mission was to be resumed in a different manner…. Destruction and misfortune are therefore no less instructive for Israel than prosperity. The dispersion opened a new, great, and wide-extended field for the fulfillment of its mission… The nation was scattered into the four quarters of the earth, unto all peoples and all zones, in order that… it might better fulfill its mission…

Questions for Discussion

Rav Kook discusses some spiritual goals that Israel is able to accomplish in exile. Can you think of any others?
Any of us could theoretically buy a plane ticket and be in Israel in less than 24 hours. What are our reasons for staying in exile? Are those good reasons?
Is it inevitable that our experience in any country ends in suffering and anti-Semitism? Why or why not?
What do you think is behind the recent outbursts of anti-Semitism in America? What would Rav Kook say?
Do you agree with Rav Kook that Ya’akov’s years in Egypt were among the best of his life?
What are some of the spiritual dangers and challenges of Jewish life in exile?

[1] Bereishit Rabbah 96:5 and Gemara Ketubot 111a, cited by Rashi on Bereishit 47:29.

[2] R. Jonathan Ziring has an excellent shiur on this at YUTorah.org, titled “Eisav Sonei et Yaakov? Some Contemporary Thoughts.” He demonstrates that even Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai’s position has been misinterpreted and taken to extremes that he did not intend.