RAV KOOK: YISRO

  

YISRO  Breaking Bread with Scholars

When Moses’ father-in-law Jethro met the Israelites in the desert, he rejoiced when he heard about the rescue of the Jewish people from Pharaoh’s hand, and he brought offerings to G-D.

“And Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to share the meal with Moses’ father-in-law before G-D.” (Exodus 18:12)

The expression “before G-D” appears out of place here. In what way was this particular feast in G-D’s presence?

The Talmudic sage Rabbi Avin explained:

“To partake of a meal where a Torah scholar is present is like enjoying the splendor of G-D’s Divine Presence. After all, did Jethro, Aaron, and the elders of Israel eat before G-D? They ate before Moses! Rather, this verse teaches us that sharing a meal with a scholar [such as Moses] is like enjoying the splendor of G-D’s Presence.” (Berachot 64a)

Rabbi Avin’s statement needs to be clarified. What is so wonderful about eating with a Torah scholar? Wouldn’t studying Torah with him be a much greater spiritual experience? And in what way is such a meal similar to “enjoying the splendor of G-D’s Presence”?

Common Denominator

The human soul, for all its greatness, is limited in its ability to grasp and enjoy G-D’s infinite wisdom. Whatever degree of pleasure we are able to derive from G-D’s Presence is a function of our spiritual attainments. The greater our spiritual awareness, the greater the pleasure we feel in G-D’s Presence. But while we will never gain complete mastery of Divine wisdom, even the small measure of comprehension that is possible is sufficient to fill the soul with tremendous light and joy.

A Torah scholar whose holiness is great, whose wisdom is profound, and whose conduct is lofty cannot be properly appreciated by the masses. Common folk will not understand his wisdom and may not be able to relate to his holiness. In what way can they connect with such a lofty scholar?

A scholar’s greatest influence takes place in those spheres where others can best relate to him. Most people will be unable to follow his erudite lectures , but a meal forms a common bond between the most illustrious and the most ordinary. This connection allows everyone to experience some aspect of a great scholar’s path in Torah and service of G-D.

When a Torah scholar reveals his great wisdom and holiness, the average person will be overcome by a sense of unbridgeable distance from such sublime attainments. He may despair of ever reaching a level so far beyond his own limited capabilities. But when sharing a meal with a scholar, the common physical connection enables people to be more receptive to the scholar’s noble traits and holy conduct.

Of course, those who are able to understand the scholar’s wisdom can more fully appreciate his greatness. Those individuals will derive greater benefit and pleasure from him. This is precisely Rabbi Avin’s point: just as the degree of pleasure gained from G-D’s Presence depends on the soul’s spiritual state, so too, the benefit we derive from a great scholar depends on our spiritual level and erudition.

(Sapphire from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, pp. 395-396)

:

YISRO:  Coercion at Sinai

The Torah describes the remarkable events that preceded the Torah’s revelation at Mount Sinai:

“Moses led the people out of the camp toward G-D and they stood at the bottom of the mountain.” (Ex. 19:17)

The Midrash interprets the phrase “bottom of the mountain” quite literally: the people were standing, not at the foot of the mountain, but underneath it.

“The Holy One held the mountain over them like a bucket and warned them: If you accept the Torah — good. And if not — here you will be buried.” (Shabbat 88a)

Would it not have been preferable for the Jewish people to accept the Torah willingly? Why does the Midrash teach that they were forced to accept it?

Limits to Free Will

It is essential that we have the ability to choose between right and wrong. It is through our free will that we develop spiritually and refine our ethical faculties. There are, however, limitations to our free will.

Not everything is subject to freedom of choice. Free will itself is an integral part of life and is beyond our control. We are not free to decide whether to choose or not. We must make an ethical choice. We decide what to choose, where to go, which path to take. But the necessity to choose, like life itself, is forced upon us.

If the Torah was simply a manual how to make good ethical decisions, it would be appropriate for Israel to be free to accept or reject the Torah. The Torah would belong to the realm of free will, and the fundamental decision whether to accept and follow the Torah would need to be made freely, without coercion.

But the Torah is much more than a moral guidebook. The Torah expresses our inner essence. When we violate the Torah’s teachings, we become estranged from our own true selves. For this reason, the Torah needed to be given to Israel in a compulsory act, just as free will is an inherent aspect of our spiritual makeup and was imposed upon us without our consent.

Supporting the World

The corollary to this truth is that the Torah is not the private possession of the Jewish people. Within the inner realm of creation, all is interconnected and interrelated. The universe mandates the existence of the Torah and its acceptance by Israel.

Why did the Midrash use the image of an immense mountain dangling overhead as a metaphor for the inevitability of Matan Torah?

Mount Sinai merited a unique role on that decisive day. The mountain represented all of creation; it became the universe’s center of gravity. Mount Sinai absorbed the quality of universality and was permeated with the force of inevitable destiny. It represented the impossibility of life, or any aspect of existence, without Israel accepting the Torah.

The Jewish people made their stand under the mountain. Like Atlas, they supported the entire universe — a universe that was concentrated within the mountain held over their heads. “If you accept the Torah, good” — for then you will have been faithful to your true essence, the truth of your very existence. “And if not, here you will be buried.” The entire universe will rise up against you, just as you have rebelled against your true selves.

(Silver from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. IV on Shabbat 88a (9:67).)

RAV KOOK –  SEEING SOUND

“And all the people saw the sounds ...” (Exod. 20:15).

The Midrash calls our attention to an amazing aspect of the revelation at Sinai: the Jewish people were able to see what is normally only heard. What does this mean?

Standing near the Source

At their source, sound and sight are united. Only in our limited, physical world, in this alma deperuda (disjointed world), are these phenomena disconnected and detached. It is similar to our perception of lightning and thunder, which become increasingly separated from one another as the observer is more distanced from the source.

If we are bound and limited to the present, if we can only perceive the universe through the viewpoint of the temporal and the material, then we will always be aware of the divide between sight and sound. The prophetic vision at Mount Sinai, however, granted the people a unique perspective, as if they were standing near the source of Creation. From that vantage point, they were able to witness the underlying unity of the universe. They were able to see sounds and hear sights.

God’s revelation at Sinai was registered by all their senses simultaneously, as a single, undivided perception.

(Gold from the Land of Israel p. 135. Adapted from Mo'adei HaRe’iyah, p. 491)