Let us go back in time, to just about the midpoint in Parshas Beha’alosecha. The pesukim there (Bamidbar 10:11) read as follows:

וַיְהִ֞י בַּשָּׁנָ֧ה הַשֵּׁנִ֛ית בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֖י בְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים בַּחֹ֑דֶשׁ נַעֲלָה֙ הֶֽעָנָ֔ן מֵעַ֖ל מִשְׁכַּ֥ן הָעֵדֻֽת:

And it was in the second year, on the second month in the twentieth of the month that the cloud lifted from above the Mishkan of the Testament .

At this point we have been sitting at Har Sinai and learning for close to one year. We have now learned everything that we need to learn at Har Sinai. It is time for us to move on! We are going to Eretz Yisroel! And so, with fanfare and flourish the Shevatim get up to leave! Let us keep learning (Bamidbar 10:12-14)

וַיִּסְע֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם מִמִּדְבַּ֣ר סִינָ֑י וַיִּשְׁכֹּ֥ן הֶעָנָ֖ן בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר פָּארָֽן: וַיִּסְע֖וּ בָּרִאשֹׁנָ֑ה עַל־פִּ֥י יְקֹוָ֖ק בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה: וַיִּסַּ֞ע דֶּ֣גֶל מַחֲנֵ֧ה בְנֵֽי־יְהוּדָ֛ה בָּרִאשֹׁנָ֖ה לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם וְעַל־צְבָא֔וֹ נַחְשׁ֖וֹן בֶּן־עַמִּינָדָֽב:

And the Bnei Yisroel traveled to their journeys through Midbar Sinai and the cloud rested in the Midbar of Paran. And they traveled on their first journey, by the command of Hashem through Moshe’s agency. And the banner of the camp of Yehuda traveled first to their hosts, and upon its host was Nachshon ben Aminadav…

This portion of Parshas Beha’alosecha leaves us off with such a heartwarming feeling. Everything is picturesque and just as it should be! The chatzotzros have blown, the Degalim have received their marching orders and we are moving on to Eretz Yisroel. We are going to Eretz Yisroel! What could be more beautiful than this sight! It is really a balm for burning eyes to look at this oasis of words in what is about to turn into a very difficult Parsha.

The only problem is that only half of the story is being told here. The other half we can find in Parshas Devarim (1:6-8) where Moshe Rabbeinu tells us as follows:

יְקֹוָ֧ק אֱלֹהֵ֛ינוּ דִּבֶּ֥ר אֵלֵ֖ינוּ בְּחֹרֵ֣ב לֵאמֹ֑ר רַב־לָכֶ֥ם שֶׁ֖בֶת בָּהָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה: פְּנ֣וּ׀ וּסְע֣וּ לָכֶ֗ם וּבֹ֨אוּ הַ֥ר הָֽאֱמֹרִי֘ וְאֶל־כָּל־שְׁכֵנָיו֒ בָּעֲרָבָ֥ה בָהָ֛ר וּבַשְּׁפֵלָ֥ה וּבַנֶּ֖גֶב וּבְח֣וֹף הַיָּ֑ם אֶ֤רֶץ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַלְּבָנ֔וֹן עַד־הַנָּהָ֥ר הַגָּדֹ֖ל נְהַר־פְּרָֽת: רְאֵ֛ה נָתַ֥תִּי לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ בֹּ֚אוּ וּרְשׁ֣וּ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִשְׁבַּ֣ע יְ֠קֹוָק לַאֲבֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם לְאַבְרָהָ֨ם לְיִצְחָ֤ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹב֙ לָתֵ֣ת לָהֶ֔ם וּלְזַרְעָ֖ם אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם:

Hashem our G-d spoke to us in Chorev saying, you have sat long enough at this mountain. Turn and travel and come to the mountain of the Emori and all of its environs, in the plain, the mountain and the lowlands, the south and the shores of the sea, the land of the Cana’ani and the Levanon forests until the great river that is the river of Peras. See that I have given over the land before you; come and inherit the land that Hashem has sworn to your forefathers to Avraham to Yitzchok and to Yaakov to give to them and to their descendants.

There Rashi explains as follows:

ראה נתתי – בעיניכם אתם רואים. איני אומר לכם מאומד ומשמועה. באו ורשו – אין מערער בדברח ואינכם צריכים למלחמה, אלו לא שלחו מרגלים לא היו צריכים לכלי זיין.

See I have given over – visibly to your eyes. I am not telling you this by estimation, or from hearsay. Come and inherit – there is no one protesting the matter and you have no need for war! Had they not sent the spies they would never have needed weapons!

Occasionally we find that the Torah will tell us a story and then recount it again, and only in the second retelling will it add in different details^[1]. Why the Torah chooses to do this in a general sense is beyond the scope of our conversation, but here it seems prudent to inquire: why did the Torah not inform us of this message here in Parshas Shelach Lecha?

What strikes me as a possible explanation is that to inform us of this message at this point would simply be too painful an experience to bear. A little bit of concealment is necessary for our emotional health, as it were.

To understand this fully we need to close our eyes and immerse ourselves back in a very familiar parsha. Let us revisit a parsha that we say each time that the Torah is removed from the Aron Kodesh (Bamidbar 10:35-36):

וַיְהִ֛י בִּנְסֹ֥עַ הָאָרֹ֖ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֑ה קוּמָ֣ה׀ יְקֹוָ֗ק וְיָפֻ֙צוּ֙ אֹֽיְבֶ֔יךָ וְיָנֻ֥סוּ מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ מִפָּנֶֽיךָ:

And it was when the Aron would travel that Moshe would say “Arise Hashem and Your enemies shall scatter, and those who hate You shall flee before You”.

If we want to understand what Moshe Rabbeinu is saying we must turn back the pages of our Chumash back to Parshas Mishpatim. There, after all of the dinim have been laid out clearly and beautifully, we find the following promise from HaKadosh Baruch Hu (Shemos 23:20-22):

הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י שֹׁלֵ֤חַ מַלְאָךְ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמָרְךָ֖ בַּדָּ֑רֶךְ וְלַהֲבִ֣יאֲךָ֔ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֲכִנֹֽתִי: הִשָּׁ֧מֶר מִפָּנָ֛יו וּשְׁמַ֥ע בְּקֹל֖וֹ אַל־תַּמֵּ֣ר בּ֑וֹ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִשָּׂא֙ לְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י שְׁמִ֖י בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ: כִּ֣י אִם־שָׁמוֹעַ֤ תִּשְׁמַע֙ בְּקֹל֔וֹ וְעָשִׂ֕יתָ כֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲדַבֵּ֑ר וְאָֽיַבְתִּי֙ אֶת־אֹ֣יְבֶ֔יךָ וְצַרְתִּ֖י אֶת־צֹרְרֶֽיךָ:

Behold I am sending my messenger before you to guard you on the road and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Beware from before him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him for he shall not forbear your iniquities for he speaks in My name. If you shall listen to his voice and do all that I state, and I shall despise your enemies and afflict your tormenters.

If we only just listen to Hashem then He will take our battles on Himself! His hatred is sworn against our enemies and those who afflict us shall ruefully regret the day that they ever started up against us! HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself will fight our battles leaving us no need to do anything other than to show up and collect the spoils! This message that Moshe Rabbeinu transmitted to us in Parshas Devarim is exactly the crux of the Mishpatim passage!

Now, if we flip quickly back to Parshas Beha’alosecha what do we see? “Arise Hashem and Your enemies shall scatter and those who hate You shall flee before You!” Moshe Rabbeinu’s proclamation in Parshas Beha’alosecha is a tefillah for the exact fulfillment of this promise that Hashem made to us; explicitly back in Parshas Mishpatim and later on ahead in Parshas Devarim in a slightly more inferential way. The decibel level mounting from the combination of these three Parshiyos is practically deafening! אינכם צריכין לכלי זיין! Who needs weapons! Hashem is fighting for you, all that you need to do is to march right in!

What does it look like when the Ribono Shel Olam fights the war for us? Let us read a little bit further into Parshas Mishpatim (Shemos 23:23-27):

כִּֽי־יֵלֵ֣ךְ מַלְאָכִי֘ לְפָנֶיךָ֒ וֶהֱבִֽיאֲךָ֗ אֶל־הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהַפְּרִזִּי֙ וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י הַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִ֑י וְהִכְחַדְתִּֽיו: לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֤ה לֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ וְלֹ֣א תָֽעָבְדֵ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תַעֲשֶׂ֖ה כְּמַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כִּ֤י הָרֵס֙ תְּהָ֣רְסֵ֔ם וְשַׁבֵּ֥ר תְּשַׁבֵּ֖ר מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶֽם: וַעֲבַדְתֶּ֗ם אֵ֚ת יְקֹוָ֣ק אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֵרַ֥ךְ אֶֽת־לַחְמְךָ֖ וְאֶת־מֵימֶ֑יךָ וַהֲסִרֹתִ֥י מַחֲלָ֖ה מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ: לֹ֥א תִהְיֶ֛ה מְשַׁכֵּלָ֥ה וַעֲקָרָ֖ה בְּאַרְצֶ֑ךָ אֶת־מִסְפַּ֥ר יָמֶ֖יךָ אֲמַלֵּֽא: אֶת־אֵֽימָתִי֙ אֲשַׁלַּ֣ח לְפָנֶ֔יךָ וְהַמֹּתִי֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָעָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּבֹ֖א בָּהֶ֑ם וְנָתַתִּ֧י אֶת־כָּל־אֹיְבֶ֛יךָ אֵלֶ֖יךָ עֹֽרֶף:

When my angel goes before you and he shall bring you to the Emori and the Chiti and the Perizi and the Cana’ani and the Chivi and the Yevusi and I shall destroy them. You shall not bow to their gods nor shall you serve them or even act according to their ways; rather you shall obliterate them thoroughly and shatter their pillars. And you shall serve Hashem your G-d and He shall bless your bread and your water and I shall remove sickness from amongst you. There shall not be a miscarriage or a barren woman amongst you, the count of your days I shall fill. I shall send my fright before you and I shall bewilder all of the nations that you come to battle against and I shall turn the nape of your enemies toward you as they flee!

Our arrival to Eretz Yisroel is to be an absolutely incredible experience! The world will be completely as it should be! The Beracha will surround us on all sides even without any open miracles. In the natural order of things there are women whose pregnancies terminate early; a certain percentage of women are naturally barren; people die early in car accidents – but none of that shall affect you whatsoever! Your food supplies will be blessed, every single one of you will live out their full number of days – no deaths from work accidents! – it will be a blessed and beautiful existence as together we strive and work towards living our lives entirely as Hashem wants us to!

In such an existence what does battle look like? “And I shall bewilder all of the nations that you come to battle against!” There is a well-known story that is told of the Vilna Gaon; once he was imprisoned by the church who wanted to sentence him to be paraded around the city. The Gaon held that this was not an indignity that he was obligated to endure and so he simply lifted his talis. His Tefillin shel Rosh came into view of the non-Jews present who were simply panic-stricken and that was the end of that story. All who were present at the time tangibly experienced the pasuk which states: “and all of the nations of the land shall see that the name of Hashem is called upon you and they shall fear you.” This is a story which took place some three hundred years ago. Can we imagine what the sight of Moshe Rabbeinu would have done to the Emori? Close your eyes and try to picture the following scene:

The first faint rays of the dawning sun hit the mountaintop fields and glitteringly dance off of hundreds of thousands of helmets and spear points. As the level of light mounts it seems that the entire country behind them is lit up by the light bouncing off the armor and weaponry of the massive armed forces that have been sortied to defend the land of Canaan against the newly freed Hebrew invaders. Hushed murmurs run up and down the lines as the rumors spread about the fate of the recently formed Egyptian submarine corps. A mixture of panicky fear and fierce hatred are painted on the faces of the defenders, but they are determined to lay down their lives for their country, and truth be told. The high ground is theirs. The sun is to their backs. These men have trained all of their lives for this moment and if truth be told, despite the utter terror they are experiencing, each and every single man there relishes this great opportunity to show off his mettle. Officers gallop up and down the lines shouting orders as the final moments of peace dissipate into thin air. In just a few moments the outriding party of the Jewish nation will come into view and then full battle will ensue.

A bugle calls and then – two men step into the valley in full view of the army above them. The blinding light shining from their faces belies the position of the sun, and suddenly there is a dramatic ripple in the ranks. The expressions of the men on the mountainside changes drastically. Large breaks appear in the seemingly endless lines as many of the men simply faint straightaway. Those left standing are seemingly made of sterner stuff. Sneering with disgust at their conscious-less comrades they unsheathe their swords and begin to run down the hillsides with wild abandon, aware only of the sound of their adrenaline filled bloodstream pounding away in their ears.

The mix of hatred and battle-lust mounts to lethal proportions and they begin to wildly hack at the first men they can find – the line of soldiers before them! These soldiers are caught at surprise by the vicious assault from their rear and many fall before they can even turn around to defend themselves. The battle thickens as the third line of soldiers, crashes into the second, then the fourth into the third, and the fifth into the fourth and so on. Nearly instantly, the terrifying array of battle formations of just a few minutes before has collapsed into a wild and bloody mayhem.

In the meantime, the rest of the Dor Dei’ah has arrived in the valley. Joyously survey the scene taking place on the hillsides above them. HaKadosh Baruch Hu has fought the entire battle for them! There is really nothing left for them to do other than to wait until the final few Emorim still alive expires. Then, with the jubilant words of Hallel on their lips, they collect the spoils and march further on into the land.

This was perhaps along the lines of the sight that Moshe Rabbeinu envisioned when he first said those words of Vayehi B’neso’ah! Hashem is fighting our battles! You have no need for weapons! What a glorious and wonderful future!

But what happens next? Suddenly, with a feeling akin to that of a barrel of ice water coming down our backs, we watch in horror as this beautiful existence just goes up in smoke before our very eyes not two pesukim later do we read (Bamidbar 11:1):

וַיְהִ֤י הָעָם֙ כְּמִתְאֹ֣נְנִ֔ים רַ֖ע בְּאָזְנֵ֣י יְקֹוָ֑ק וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע יְקֹוָק֙ וַיִּ֣חַר אַפּ֔וֹ וַתִּבְעַר־בָּם֙ אֵ֣שׁ יְקֹוָ֔ק וַתֹּ֖אכַל בִּקְצֵ֥ה הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה:

And the nation looked for a pretense of complaint, one which rankled in the “ears of Hashem”. And Hashem heard and his wrath flared; and a fire of Hashem burned within them and it consumed those at the edge of the encampment.

What was the sought after pretense? “Oy! What a tough trip! Three days without any respite, moving, moving, moving!” What was the real complaint? Rashi explains as follows:

כמתאננים – אין מתאוננים אלא לשון עלילה מבקשים עלילה האיך לפרוש מאחרי המקום וכן הוא אומר בשמשון (שופטים יד ד) כי תואנה הוא מבקש: רע באזני ה’ – תואנה שהיא רעה באזני ה’ שמתכוונים שתבא באזניו ויקניט. אמרו אוי לנו כמה לבטנו בדרך הזה שלשה ימים, שלא נחנו מענוי הדרך: ויחר אפו – אני הייתי מתכוין לטובתכם שתכנסו לארץ מיד:

Like misonenim – The word “misonenim” is no more than a language of excuse. They were looking for a excuse to separate themselves from following closely behind the Ribono Shel Olam. We find this word used by Shimshon as well (Shoftim 14:4) “For he was looking for an excuse”. Evil in the “ears of Hashem” – that is to say [they were looking for] an excuse which was evil in the ears of Hashem – they intended that their words should come to His “ears” and rankle! What they said was “Woe is to us! How we are stumbling on this trip, it is three days now that we have not rested from the rigors of travel!” And Hashem’s wrath flared – “I had intended this for your good, so that you should enter Eretz Yisroel immediately!”

Such a gift! Kefitzas Haderech – eleven days of journey in three day’s time! – and then to incite Hashem!? Hashem says “I can’t deal with you people! I am going to burn you up!” And that is precisely what happens! “And the fire of Hashem burned in them.” [It is extremely interesting to note that the response of Klal Yisroel is not to daven to Hashem. They scream to Moshe instead (Bamidbar 11:2):

וַיִּצְעַ֥ק הָעָ֖ם אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־יְקֹוָ֔ק וַתִּשְׁקַ֖ע הָאֵֽשׁ:

And the nation screamed to Moshe, and Moshe prayed to Hashem and the fire sank down.

The magnitude of their wrongdoing was not lost on them and they were simply too embarrassed to approach Hashem and beg for mercy. The punishment was simply too just! Better to turn to Moshe and ask him to plead before Hashem.

Could any contrast possibly hurt more than that which is laid out before our eyes? From the pinnacles of perfection we plummet down to the point where we are so eminently deserving of incineration that we are just too embarrassed to plea for mercy! What happened here?

If this was not bad enough, there is more bad news to come! Fast on the heels of the Misonenim comes the Asafsuf:

וְהָֽאסַפְסֻף֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ הִתְאַוּ֖וּ תַּאֲוָ֑ה וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּ וַיִּבְכּ֗וּ גַּ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י יַאֲכִלֵ֖נוּ בָּשָֽׂר: זָכַ֙רְנוּ֙ אֶת־הַדָּגָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נֹאכַ֥ל בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם חִנָּ֑ם אֵ֣ת הַקִּשֻּׁאִ֗ים וְאֵת֙ הָֽאֲבַטִּחִ֔ים וְאֶת־הֶחָצִ֥יר וְאֶת־הַבְּצָלִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַשּׁוּמִֽים: וְעַתָּ֛ה נַפְשֵׁ֥נוּ יְבֵשָׁ֖ה אֵ֣ין כֹּ֑ל בִּלְתִּ֖י אֶל־הַמָּ֥ן עֵינֵֽינוּ:

And the Eirev Rav that were amongst them demanded their desires, and the Bnei Yisroel once again cried and said “Who shall feed us meat?” “We remember the fish that we ate without restriction in Mitzrayim! The cucumbers! The melons! The leeks, the onions and the garlic! And now, our soul desires with out fulfillment, all that can be seen is mon!”

Of course, the Asafsuf initially consisted of the Eirev Rav. Our precious Yidden would never stoop so low as to initiate a complaint about the divine cuisine, but hearing the disgusting litany of these people had a tremendous effect on us in a very detrimental way! The desire-laden and cantankerous words left an indelible impression on our souls, and the flames of desire swept us away as well! Though the flames of Tav’eirah had quelled the initial bout of complaining, just a small spark was all it took to light the desire within our own selves and bring us crashing down, head over heels. From the vaunted heights we had so painfully reclaimed, we tumbled dreadfully down, back onto the rock hard surface that was occupied by the Eirev Rav!^[2] The fact that we allowed such a thing to happen is beyond all words! How could we let ourselves lose control in this way?! Our crime here is heinous indeed, and Hashem does not just let it go!

וְאֶל־הָעָ֨ם תֹּאמַ֜ר הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּ לְמָחָר֘ וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֣ם בָּשָׂר֒ כִּ֡י בְּכִיתֶם֩ בְּאָזְנֵ֨י יְקֹוָ֜ק לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֤י יַאֲכִלֵ֙נוּ֙ בָּשָׂ֔ר כִּי־ט֥וֹב לָ֖נוּ בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְנָתַ֨ן יְקֹוָ֥ק לָכֶ֛ם בָּשָׂ֖ר וַאֲכַלְתֶּֽם: לֹ֣א י֥וֹם אֶחָ֛ד תֹּאכְל֖וּן וְלֹ֣א יוֹמָ֑יִם וְלֹ֣א׀ חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה יָמִ֗ים וְלֹא֙ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה יָמִ֔ים וְלֹ֖א עֶשְׂרִ֥ים יֽוֹם: עַ֣ד׀ חֹ֣דֶשׁ יָמִ֗ים עַ֤ד אֲשֶׁר־יֵצֵא֙ מֵֽאַפְּכֶ֔ם וְהָיָ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם לְזָרָ֑א יַ֗עַן כִּֽי־מְאַסְתֶּ֤ם אֶת־יְקֹוָק֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֔ם וַתִּבְכּ֤וּ לְפָנָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה יָצָ֥אנוּ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם:

And to the nation say this: Prepare yourselves for the morrow and you shall eat meat; for you have cried in front of Hashem, saying “Who will feed us meat? We were better off in Egypt!” Hashem will give you meat and you shall eat. Not for one day shall you eat, nor for two; not for five days, nor for ten days nor only for twenty. For a full month of days, until it comes out of your noses and pierces your innards like a sword; this shall be in turn for your disgust in Hashem’s presence amongst you, and your cries before Him saying “Why is this that we have left Egypt”.

Is there any way to possibly understand this? Could there be a more tragic downfall of a people than that which we are witness to here? And it doesn’t get better! After all of this what comes next? Our parsha of the Meraglim! Just who are we? How, at the very peak of our glory could we have so suddenly collapsed in such a dismal way? What is going on?

While going through the Parsha this week, I woke up to see this gigantic cluster of grapes walk by my face. The grapes along with the fig and the pomegranate – these fruits that so “wowed” the Meraglim – represent a very strange dichotomy. On the one hand it is clear for all to see that our destination is a place that is vibrant and vivacious – so abundantly blessed and thriving that it produces fruit larger than the people themselves! That was a fact that no one could miss, certainly not the people who spent so much time shlepping those grapes! On the other hand, it appears that the Meraglim saw something else:

וַיֹּצִ֜יאוּ דִּבַּ֤ת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תָּר֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָ֡רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֩ עָבַ֨רְנוּ בָ֜הּ לָת֣וּר אֹתָ֗הּ אֶ֣רֶץ אֹכֶ֤לֶת יוֹשְׁבֶ֙יהָ֙ הִ֔וא וְכָל־הָעָ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֥ינוּ בְתוֹכָ֖הּ אַנְשֵׁ֥י מִדּֽוֹת:

And they slandered the land that they had explored to the Bnei Yisroel saying: the land that we have passed through it is a land which eats its inhabitants and all the nations that we have seen in it are men of measure.

The Meraglim saw one common denominator in every single place that they went through: funerals, funerals and more funerals. Their very crooked yet oh so logical conclusion was that it is a land which literally eats up its citizenry! Nobody can survive here!

The reality of course was much different – Hashem was distracting the Cana’anim so that these twelve men who stuck out like a sore thumb should not be pursued! Everything, each and every single step of the way was laden by the Birchas Hashem – but their eyes were not opened to see it! Unable to let go of their preconceived notions, there was only one thought rattling around in their heads: “Do you see those fruits! Such bounty, such goodness could only be had by people who deserve it! To live here is to live in the immediate vicinity of the Shechina, and serious demands are placed on the inhabitants of such a place. The reason for all of the funerals that we are seeing is obvious! Do you know whose bodies are those laying inside of those biers? Those of the people who were unable to live up to their environments demands! And if they could not live up to the demands of Eretz Yisroel, then who is to say that we will fare any better! We want nothing to do with a land in which we must live eternally upon such a plateau. Far better to return to Mitzrayim. It is not a pleasant place, but it is one in which we can survive!”

This is the poison which the Meraglim laced throughout their diatribe against Eretz Yisroel. “Sure, it is flowing with milk and honey! Just take a look and you will see that! The potential in Eretz Yisroel is simply limitless! But with limitless potential comes limitless demands! Life will be a nonstop grind of hard work and growth. Take a second look at that honey and think of the hoops you will have to jump through to deserve it! Nothing is free in life and certainly not something like this! Far better not to go in, there is just no way that you will be able to hold up!”

What was their mistake? They did not trust the Ribono Shel Olam, nor did they trust themselves, but perhaps most importantly, they did not trust the trust that the Ribono Shel Olam Himself placed in them! The Meraglim saw themselves as small, and perhaps they were. But the Ribono Shel Olam espied the greatness inside them! They should have realized that their perception of their abilities was far smaller than the abilities they perceived! So much lay hidden within, waiting only for the right circumstances and challenges to tap it and wake it up! If the Ribono Shel Olam tells you that He wants you to face a fight then that means that deep within you lies the entire tool-kit that you need to succeed! As Kaleiv and Yehoshua told the nation (Bamidbar 13:30, 14:7-9):

וַיַּ֧הַס כָּלֵ֛ב אֶת־הָעָ֖ם אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר עָלֹ֤ה נַעֲלֶה֙ וְיָרַ֣שְׁנוּ אֹתָ֔הּ כִּֽי־יָכ֥וֹל נוּכַ֖ל לָֽהּ:

Kaleiv silenced the nation and rallied them to Moshe. He proclaimed: “We shall surely ascend and conquer it because we are fully capable of defeating it!”

וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֶל־כָּל־עֲדַ֥ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָבַ֤רְנוּ בָהּ֙ לָת֣וּר אֹתָ֔הּ טוֹבָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ מְאֹ֥ד מְאֹֽד: אִם־חָפֵ֥ץ בָּ֙נוּ֙ יְקֹוָ֔ק וְהֵבִ֤יא אֹתָ֙נוּ֙ אֶל־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את וּנְתָנָ֖הּ לָ֑נוּ אֶ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־הִ֛וא זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ: אַ֣ךְ בַּֽיקֹוָק֘ אַל־תִּמְרֹדוּ֒ וְאַתֶּ֗ם אַל־תִּֽירְאוּ֙ אֶת־עַ֣ם הָאָ֔רֶץ כִּ֥י לַחְמֵ֖נוּ הֵ֑ם סָ֣ר צִלָּ֧ם מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֛ם וַֽיקֹוָ֥ק אִתָּ֖נוּ אַל־תִּירָאֻֽם:

And they said to the entire assembly of Bnei Yisroel saying, the land that we have passed through it in exploration is very, very good! If Hashem desires us, then He will bring us to this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Just do not rebel against Hashem and you need not fear the nations of the land for they are our lunch^[3]. Their protection has departed from above them and Hashem is with us! Do not fear them!

“Don’t you people get it? Hashem wants us! He wants us to succeed! True, He makes large demands, but He assists in proportion with the demands that He makes! There is nothing to worry about whatsoever! We can and we will be able to survive in this land because Hashem will prop us up and enable us to do so! All you have to do is to not rebel! You may be right that we don’t have the ability to maintain such an existence right now; perhaps you are even right that we will never have that ability. That’s okay, because we never have the ability to do anything anyway! We are always and completely dependent upon Hashem’s assistance and so just as we trust Hashem with everything else in life, we can trust Him to help us maintain the madreiga of living in Eretz Yisroel and we will be just fine!”

This then was the terrible and tragic mistake that the Dor Dei’ah made. They were real people, sincere people, people who knew very well both themselves and their capabilities and they knew that what Hashem was asking of them was absolutely impossible for the people that they were. What they did not know well enough was who Hashem is and who they themselves had the potential to become. Thus, rather than being inspired by the touch of perfection that they experienced at the beginning of the Parsha, they were terrified by it. It was a magical moment – and they felt that it could not last. Thus, they took the tragic steps that brought us to where we are today.

It is vital that we incorporate the lessons of this parsha into our lives. Every moment of every single day, we are confronted with this challenge that the Dor Dei’ah faced. In every single area of our avodah we are challenged by the murmurings of the Yetzer Hara: “You know who you are, you know your limits! You cannot do this! It is too much for you! Even if you can hold out for a little bit, it certainly will not last! You cannot put yourself into a situation which you will no be able to maintain!” Little by little, these thoughts erode our ability to achieve in our avodas Hashem. They trip us up, and hold us back from taking more ground in our battle against the Yetzer Hara. We must counter those thoughts with the arguments of Kaleiv and Yehoshua:

“Don’t you get it? Hashem wants me! He wants me to succeed! True, He makes large demands, but He assists in proportion with the demands that He makes! There is nothing to worry about whatsoever! I can and I will be able to accomplish because Hashem will prop me up and enable me to do so! All I have to do is to not rebel! I may not have the ability to maintain such an existence right now; perhaps I may never have that ability. That’s okay, because I never have the ability to do anything anyway! I am always and completely dependent upon Hashem’s assistance and just as I trust Hashem with everything else in life, I can trust Him to help us maintain the madreiga of living in Eretz Yisroel and I will be just fine!”^[4]

1. A good example of this is in the story of the slav where Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Ribono Shel Olam (Bamidbar 11:11-12):לָמָ֤ה הֲרֵעֹ֙תָ֙ לְעַבְדֶּ֔ךָ וְלָ֛מָּה לֹא־מָצָ֥תִי חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֶי֑ךָ לָשׂ֗וּם אֶת־מַשָּׂ֛א כָּל־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה עָלָֽי: הֶאָנֹכִ֣י הָרִ֗יתִי אֵ֚ת כָּל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אִם־אָנֹכִ֖י יְלִדְתִּ֑יהוּ כִּֽי־תֹאמַ֨ר אֵלַ֜י שָׂאֵ֣הוּ בְחֵיקֶ֗ךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשָּׂ֤א הָאֹמֵן֙ אֶת־הַיֹּנֵ֔ק עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתָּ לַאֲבֹתָֽיו:Why have you done evil to your servant and why have I not found favor in your eyes, that you have placed the burden of this whole nation upon me. Have I begotten this whole nation, was it I who gave birth to them that you have told me “Carry them in your bosom as the nursing mother carries her child on to the ground which you have sworn to their forefathers!?”

   Nowhere in the Torah do we find a commandment to Moshe to carry the Jewish people in this way, but from his statement here we can understand how to understand the pasuk of ויצום אל בני ישראל where this command was conveyed. ↑

2. See Sifrei Zutah and Midrash Aggadatah who learn the words כי בכיתם באזני ה’ as reflecting back to the initial episode of the Misonenim. Thus, the episode of the Asafsuf is not merely another sorry chapter in the sordid account of the rearing of desire’s ugly head, but a reversal of the Teshuva that they had done only one pasuk earlier! ↑
3. See Rashi ↑
4. ↑

לֹא־תֹאכַ֤ל עָלָיו֙ חָמֵ֔ץ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֛ים תֹּֽאכַל־עָלָ֥יו מַצּ֖וֹת לֶ֣חֶם עֹ֑נִי…

Do not eat it with chametz; for seven days you shall eat matzos, bread of affliction, because of it…

The plain meaning of the word “alav” here is “with it”. Plainly we would have read the pasuk as two mitzvos: a negative admonition not to eat chametz together with the Pesach, as well as a positive commandment to eat matzos together with the Pesach for seven days. The obvious problem with this translation is that the Pesach can only be eaten on the first night of Pesach! How then can the matzah that we eat for the next seven days be eaten together with the Korban of the first night? The answer, says the Chizkuni, is that it is not, and it is not the pasuk’s intention to say that it is. What the pasuk is in fact telling me, is the reason for which I am to eat those matzos. Do you want to know why we eat matzos for the next seven days? It is because of the Korban Pesach. Back then we asked why it is that the matzos should be specifically traced to the Korban Pesach when they are most simply a direct result of Yetzias Mitzrayim?

What we discovered in the wake of this question was an astonishing revelation into the nature of our people, based upon the commonality of these two mitzvos. Matzos, as the Maharal explains them, come from a realm which is high above and far beyond that of time. Time is a function of Olam Hazeh, and matzos must be made in such a manner that time simply does not touch them, for if they do then the entire enterprise was wasted! With just a moment’s delay they turn to chametz, and the entire enterprise is plainly and simply wasted! Thus, matzos are antithetical to time, and really belong to a realm which is far above and beyond it.

The Korban Pesach as well shares this function. We saw then that among the functions of the Korban Pesach was to mark the doorposts of all the Jewish homes. By doing this we denied the destroying angel not only entry to our homes, but even any sort of existence therein at all! What was a vicious and monstrous entity laying waste to thousands of Egyptian lives out in the streets simply did not exist for the Yidden living beyond those bloodstained doorposts! Thus, here too we are exposed to the fact that we Yidden are people who live in a reality that is completely different from that of the world around us. What is hot, sticky and undrinkable blood in the cups of the Egyptians is in our cups sparklingly crisp and refreshing water! What is an infinitely dark, blinding, and constricting atmosphere for the Egyptians, is at the very same time a beautifully lit up airspace for us! While we inhabit the same planet as everyone else, the world in which we live is an entirely different one from that which houses the nations around us! This is the concept which vivifies the mitzvah of Korban Pesach, and it is in this vein that the Torah exhorts us to eat matzos for seven days because of the lesson which the Korban Pesach taught us!

An Institutionalized Substitution:

Let us now turn our attention to the Pesach Sheini. After coming to understand some of the fundamentals that this remarkable mitzvah teaches us, perhaps we will be able to suggest another answer to the question that the Chizkuni came to answer.

This remarkable parsha begins with a complaint brought by a group of people as follows (Bamidbar 9:6-7):

וַיְהִ֣י אֲנָשִׁ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָי֤וּ טְמֵאִים֙ לְנֶ֣פֶשׁ אָדָ֔ם וְלֹא־יָכְל֥וּ לַעֲשֹׂת־הַפֶּ֖סַח בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַֽיִּקְרְב֞וּ לִפְנֵ֥י מֹשֶׁ֛ה וְלִפְנֵ֥י אַהֲרֹ֖ן בַּיּ֥וֹם הַהֽוּא: וַ֠יֹּאמְרוּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הָהֵ֙מָּה֙ אֵלָ֔יו אֲנַ֥חְנוּ טְמֵאִ֖ים לְנֶ֣פֶשׁ אָדָ֑ם לָ֣מָּה נִגָּרַ֗ע לְבִלְתִּ֨י הַקְרִ֜יב אֶת־קָרְבַּ֤ן יְקֹוָק֙ בְּמֹ֣עֲד֔וֹ בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:

And there were men who were made tamei by a deceased person who could not perform the Korban Pesach on that day; and they came close before Moshe and before Aharon on that day. And these men said to him “We became tamei to a deceased person^[1]. Why should we be נגרע (we will return to this word soon) to be unable to bring close the korban of Hashem at its appointed time amongst the Bnei Yisroel.

The plain meaning of these pesukim should fill us with sympathy for the feeling that these people had of being robbed! Plainly and simply, due to circumstances beyond their control which obligated them to make themselves tamei they would be forced to miss out on this korban which the entire rest of Klal Yisroel would be sacrificing! Everyone else gets to do a mitzvah which we cannot? Cannot something be done to allow us to receive what the entire rest of the nation is getting?

This is the plain understanding of the pesukim until we see the words of the Ibn Ezra (Bamidbar 9:7). Incredibly, all that it takes are two well placed words to change our entire worldview of what is going on:

למה נגרע – מבנין נפעל

Why should we be made lacking? – in the reflexive tense.

The Korban Pesach is not simply a nice mitzvah, a beautiful gift which Hashem has sent us. While the rest of the nation would be experiencing a spectacular spiritual elevation, these people would be forced to sit this one out! They alone would have to forego the massive positive effect which doing this mitzvah has upon a person and they simply could not handle it. “Why should we be diminished!?”

What was their concern? In what way would they be diminished? Let us hear them out fully:

לָ֣מָּה נִגָּרַ֗ע לְבִלְתִּ֨י הַקְרִ֜יב אֶת־קָרְבַּ֤ן יְקֹוָק֙ בְּמֹ֣עֲד֔וֹ בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:

“Why should we be diminished, not to bring close the korban of Hashem at its appointed time amongst the Bnei Yisroel?!”

Klal Yisroel is doing something together. The entire Tzibur comes to the Mishkan or the Beis Hamikdash, each with their own sheep or goat; then, in three consecutive chaburos or groups they slaughter the animals, throw their blood against the Mizbeach and then take them to be skinned and prepared for the Seder night. This mitzvah came to us with the words (Shemos 12:21):

משכו וקחו לכם צאן למשפחתיכם ושחטו הפסח

“Draw away and take for yourselves a sheep for your families and slaughter the Pesach.”

This is not the only time that the Pesach is spoken about in plural terms. There are multiple pesukim which refer to the Korban Pesach in the plural as well (Shemos 12:47, Bamidbar 9:2, 9:11,9:12):

כָּל־עֲדַ֥ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יַעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹתֽוֹ: וְיַעֲשׂ֧וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־הַפָּ֖סַח בְּמוֹעֲדֽוֹ: בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בְּאַרְבָּעָ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר י֛וֹם בֵּ֥ין הָעַרְבַּ֖יִם יַעֲשׂ֣וּ אֹת֑וֹ עַל־מַצּ֥וֹת וּמְרֹרִ֖ים יֹאכְלֻֽהוּ: לֹֽא־יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ עַד־בֹּ֔קֶר וְעֶ֖צֶם לֹ֣א יִשְׁבְּרוּ־ב֑וֹ כְּכָל־חֻקַּ֥ת הַפֶּ֖סַח יַעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹתֽוֹ:

All of the assembly of Yisroel shall perform (pl.) it; And the Bnei Yisroel shall perform (pl.) the Pesach at its appointed time; On the second month on the fourteenth day in the afternoon they shall perform (pl.) it [the Pesach], on matzos and bitter herbs they shall eat it; Do not leave of it over until morning and do not break any of its bones, according to all the laws of the Pesach they shall perform (pl.) it.

These pesukim have important halachic ramifications. Let us take a look at the Rambam (Hilchos Korban Pesach 2:2):

יחיד ששחט את הפסח לעצמו כשר, והוא שיהיה ראוי לאכול את כולו, ומשתדלין שלא ישחט לכתחלה על יחיד שנאמר יעשו אותו.

If an individual slaughters the Pesach for himself it is kosher, provided that he is capable of eating the entire korban by himself, but we try not to slaughter for an individual l’chatchila, as it says they shall perform it.

Clearly the concept of the rabim is extremely energetic when it comes to this mitzvah, and this can be seen in a Pesach Sheini-dige application as well. Let us listen in to the Rambam’s initial description of the Pesach Sheini:

מי שהיה טמא בשעת שחיטת הפסח שאין שוחטין עליו, או שהיה בדרך רחוקה, או נאנס באונס אחר, או ששגג ולא הקריב בראשון, הרי זה מביא פסח בארבעה עשר לחדש השני בין הערבים, ושחיטת פסח זה מצות עשה בפני עצמו ודוחה את השבת שאין השני תשלומין לראשון אלא רגל בפני עצמו לפיכך חייבין עליו כרת.

Someone who was tamei at the time of the slaughtering of the Pesach, in such a manner we do not slaughter the Pesach for him, or if someone was on a far off journey, or some other difficulty ensued, or he mistakenly did not offer up his korban on the first Pesach; such a person brings the Pesach on the fourteenth of the second month in the afternoon. Slaughtering this Pesach is a separate positive commandment of its own, one which takes precedence to the Shabbos, because the second Pesach is not a make-up for the first one rather it is instead a holiday of its own right and therefore one incurs the punishment of kareis for [missing] it.

This that the Pesach Sheini must be considered its own festival hammers yet another nail into the structure of our thesis. Entwined as it is with the concept of the rabim, it is impossible to look at the Pesach Sheini as merely a substitute for the first Pesach. Substitute offerings by definition pertain only to the individual who requires the substitution! The communal nature of the korban Pesach cannot be simply substituted in such a way. It demands that someone who missed the first Korban Pesach be granted an entirely new Yom Tov which he can celebrate communally with others who require a Korban Pesach as well!

Understanding the significance of the Tzibur grants us a significant insight into the very need for such an institutionalized substitution. The fact that such a Yom Tov was created is really a tremendous chiddush in its own right. Most of the Yamim Tovim come along with their own mitzvos, and it could happen that a person might be unable to procure for himself a lulav and esrog come Succos time, or a shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Nowhere is there any indication that it might be a good idea to have a set time to make up the mitzvos that one missed! There simply is no such thing! The time for lulav and esrog is on Succos, the time for shofar is on Rosh Hashana! Nowhere else does the Torah give someone a second chance to perform a timebound mitzvah! What is it that makes the Korban Pesach so different?

In the light of our discussion, the answer to this question is clear. The Korban Pesach is far more than just another Yom Tov mitzvah! It is a means through which we incorporate ourselves into the larger Tzibur of Klal Yisroel. Only as a part of the greater Tzibur of Klal Yisroel does the individual Yid has any sort of vitality whatsoever^[2], and thus it is crucially important that everyone be included! This was precisely the plaint of those who were impure and unable to bring the korban. “How is it possible that we will be excluded?! Why should we be diminished, unable to unify ourselves together with the greater Tzibur of Klal Yisroel? How can we bear the pain of being disconnected from the Tzibur, untethered as it were, from the exalted existence of the Jewish people as a whole?!” This unbearable, unmitigated pain first bulged the neshamos of these precious Yidden at their seams, and then burst forth from them in a raw scream of “למה נגרע!!!!!!!!!?????????????” From Heaven above Hashem listened in and said “Now is the time to hand down the mitzvah of Pesach Sheini. These Yidden who feel the pain of dissociation so keenly are the exact people by whose hand I wish to bring this mitzvah into the world!”^[3]

The making of a Rasha:

It is with this understanding that I think I now finally understand our dialogue with the Ben Rasha. I have always been bothered by the almost brutal treatment which we mete out to him. Elsewhere we have explained that his fault lies in the manner of his question which is far less of a question and much more of a declaration. We need only think of the way that the pasuk phrases it (Shemos 12:26):

וְהָיָ֕ה כִּֽי־יֹאמְר֥וּ אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם בְּנֵיכֶ֑ם מָ֛ה הָעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את לָכֶֽם:

And it shall be when your children say to you “What is this service which is to you?”

It would seem from the phrasing of the pasuk that this child is not plagued with burdensome questions. He is rather presenting his answers to us, in his benighted attempt to free himself from what his nearsighted view sees only as a constraining burden, bonds which would fetter his ventures into perceived freedom! Such an offensive requires us to go on the counteroffensive. We must emphatically and decisively state that this service is the only route to true freedom! The illusions which he is so fatally attracted to are nothing more than illusions! It was for this service that Hashem took me out of Mitzrayim, me and only me! Those who followed the path that he so longs for did not make out, and had he been there he would have been no different!

That was then. Now we can explain our behavior very differently. Let us recall how the Ba’al Haggadah defined his question for us:

רשע מה הוא אומר: מה העבודה הזאת לכם, לכם ולא לו, ולפי שהוציא את עצמו מן הכלל כפר בעיקר, אף אתה קהה את שניו ואמור לו בעבור זה עשה ה’ לי בצאתי ממצרים, לי ולא לו, ואילו היה שם לא היה נגאל.

What does the wicked son say? “What is this service to you”, to you and not to him, and since he has taken himself out of the communality [of the Jewish people] he has denied that which is fundamental. You too must blunt his teeth and say to him “It was for this [that I may perform his service and mitzvos] that Hashem did for me when I left from Mitzrayim”. For me and not for him, and had he been there he would not have been redeemed.

Seeing the desperation which overtook those people who could not bring the Korban Pesach due to their impurity should give us feeling for the immense importance which this offering holds! It is beyond crucial that we join in with the Tzibur in this service, and it is precisely this point which the wicked son disputes! He feels no need to join in with the Tzibur! His feeling is that he is doing quite fine as he is. “What need is there for me to join in with something bigger than myself when I already consider myself to be the largest, most important entity that exists! Worse yet, by submitting myself to the Tzibur I place in danger all of these vaunted individual strengths that I have!” Plainly put, this child has no concept of the feeling of למה נגרע, no understanding whatsoever of the fact that being an individual alone is the greatest disadvantage possible! And what about the individual strengths that I feel I am jeopardizing? We answer him in words that are short and to the point:

בעבור זה עשה ה’ לי בצאתי ממצרים.

It was for the sake of this [that I perform His service] that Hashem did for me when I left from Egypt.

Where the Rasha phrased his question in the plural I respond in the singular. It was I who left Egypt, I, the singular me, the individual with all of his individual strengths left Egypt and it is that same individual who is called upon to join into the Tzibur as an individual! This Tzibur which we comprise is a most wondrous unit! Yes it is a communality, but in no way does this communality rob its constituents of their individuality! Each and every one of us maintains our individuality concurrently with our communality! The Rasha’s fear is completely groundless! Far from robbing him of his individuality, the Tzibur enhances it by giving purpose and direction to each and every one of his talents! This is our answer back to the Rasha, and it is with this knowledge held firmly in the forefront of our minds that we celebrate for seven days because of the Korban Pesach, because on these seven days we celebrate our entry into the nationhood which precipitates just such a communality.

1. It is difficult to translate this pasuk. Seemingly the tumah of a deceased person is transmitted by the soul-less body, yet the pasuk seems to be saying that they were made tamei by the nefesh of the deceased person. ↑
2. It would seem appropriate here to reference the words of the Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva (3:11):

   הפורש מדרכי צבור ואף על פי שלא עבר עבירות אלא נבדל מעדת ישראל ואינו עושה מצות בכללן ולא נכנס בצרתן ולא מתענה בתעניתן אלא הולך בדרכו כאחד מגויי הארץ וכאילו אינו מהן אין לו חלק לעולם הבא.

   One who separates from the ways of the Tzibur, even if he has not committed any sins, but has separated himself from the congregation of Yisroel and does not do mitzvos together with them, nor does he include himself in their pain or fast during their fastdays; instead he goes his own way like one of the nations of the land, as though he was not a part of them [Yisroel], such a person has no share in the World to Come. ↑

3. To appreciate the depth to which their plight pained them, we need only see the arguments that they made. [Generally speaking we hear shtiklach Torah of this complexity from people who really, really want to do something. A good case in point might be the boy in high school who is trying to make his case to the Menahel that he should be allowed to go home for an unscheduled off Shabbos, or someone who is trying to come up with a kula to allow himself to go to this or that place, or do this or that thing which is better advised for anyone and everyone to avoid.]

   למה נגרע, אמר להם אין קדשים קרבים בטומאה אמרו לו אם לאו יזרק הדם על הטמאים והבשר יאכל לטהורים והדין נותן ומה חטאת שהיא קדשי קדשים דמה נזרק על הטמאים ובשרה נאכל לטהורים הפסח שהוא קדשים קלים דין הוא שיזרק הדם על הטמאים והבשר יאכל לטהורים אמר להם אין קדשים קרבים בטומאה אמרו לו אם קדשים שיש להם אחריות יהו קרבים קדשים שאין להם אחריות לא יהו קרבים אמר להם לא שמעתי.

   [They argued] “Why should we be diminished?” [Moshe] said back to them “Kodshim are not brought while one is in a state of tumah!” They responded back “If we cannot bring the korban itself, at least let the blood be thrown for those who are tamei, and let those who are tahor eat it! This is something which can be justified with a kal v’chomer! If the chatas which is kodshei kodshim can have its blood thrown against the Mizbeach for those who are still tamei and its meat is eaten by those who are tahor [as we find by that one who is tamei can send his korban with a shaliach (see Eimek HaNetziv], then for sure the Pesach which is only kodshim kalim can be treated as such!” [Moshe] said [repeating himself] to them “Kodshim are not brought while one is in a state of tumah! [i.e. there is no such thing as what you are saying. The chatas is always eaten by others who are not the owners and therefore are not a proof to the korban Pesach which is only ever eaten by the owners! You are trying to invent something from whole cloth!] They said, that might be true for kodshim which have acharayus, [i.e. can be brought at any time and can be pushed off until the one bringing the offering is tahor], but those which have no acharayus should they not be brought for those who are tamei as well!?” ↑

Baruch Hashem, however, who has allowed us to look at his Torah more than just once! There is no need for us to stand outside in the rain with the doors of understanding locked firmly before us! A deeper look will yield us many more results. I believe that there is a cheftza shel mitzvah associated with each of these Yamim Tovim. If we can succeed in digging deeply enough into these Yamim Tovim, we will be able to find the parts of life where they hit home the hardest. This knowledge will allow us to focus our avodah properly and maximize the returns that we receive from all the effort that we put into the celebration of the Yom Tov.

Let us take the example of Shemini Atzeres. Although not officially a mitzvah, on this day we go back into the house. We have just completed a week of living outside, with no shingles or ceiling, nothing at all which could separate between us and HaKadosh Baruch Hu. It was a diras arai where the feeling of closeness to HaKadosh Baruch Hu was palpable. Although we are headed back indoors, chas v’shalom, that we should leave the wonderful company of the Ribono Shel Olam outside in our now vacant sukkos! Though the Torah does not state this in so many words, it does not have to! The avodas hayom is to take HaKadosh Baruch Hu back with us into the house, and turn what just two weeks ago was a very permanent diras keva into one which reflects the nature of the diras arai that we have just stepped out of. Today is of crucial importance for anyone who wishes to keep Sukkos with them throughout the rest of the year. We must make the nature of our home our utmost priority on Shemini Atzeres, to the extent that it would be absolutely correct to say that what the sukkah is to Sukkos, the house is to Shemini Atzeres.

What about Shavuos? Is there a cheftza shel mitzvah for this Yom Tov as well? I believe that there is. The cheftza shel mitzvah is the human body and the avodah that we do with this cheftza shel mitzvah is to work on improving its posture.

Before your mind wanders to the world of chiropractors and back exercises, let me assure you that we are not talking about anything that has anything to do with physical therapy. We are talking about the Torah’s description of the ideal Jew. Let us walk our fingers back through the pages of the Chumash. Our destination is Parshas Bechukosai (Vayikra 26:13):

אֲנִ֞י יְקֹוָ֣ק אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹצֵ֤אתִי אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם מִֽהְיֹ֥ת לָהֶ֖ם עֲבָדִ֑ים וָאֶשְׁבֹּר֙ מֹטֹ֣ת עֻלְּכֶ֔ם וָאוֹלֵ֥ךְ אֶתְכֶ֖ם קֽוֹמְמִיּֽוּת:

I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of the land of Mitzrayim from being to them as servants and I have broken the staves of your yoke and I have led with an upright stature.

This pasuk is an unbelievable description of Yetzias Mitzrayim. It was a process, one which began with the shattering of that unbelievably heavy yoke which Pharaoh had laid upon our necks, and which culminated in our walking around with the upright stature of free men! Although walking around with an upright stature is actually something which is forbidden to us^[1], that is only when we are doing so with a false sense of pride, thinking that we have made ourselves into something or someone of distinguish. The erect posture of komemiyus is something entirely different! That stems from the knowledge that we are noble and distinguished personalities – because the Ribono Shel Olam made us be so!

This noble posture is something which hits home very strongly come Shavuos time, being that it is really a sugia in the parsha of Matan Torah. There we find the really unbelievable words of Rashi in the give and take between Hashem and Klal Yisroel in the pesukim leading up to the Aseres HaDibros (Shemos 19:6):

ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים – שרים כמה דאת אמר (שמואל ב’ ח יח) ובני דוד כהנים היו:

And you shall be to me as a kingdom of Kohanim – princes, as you find said “And the children of Dovid were Kohanim.”

At Matan Torah, Hashem did not merely hand us an instruction manual and tell us “Here, do this and don’t do that!” Receiving the Torah wrought an incredible change in our nature! We became nobility! Noblesse oblige, what Hashem did was to bestow upon us a status which itself demands of us to conform to an entirely different standard of behavior! It is this G-d bestowed nobility which grants us the ability to stand up tall. Thus, at the end of seven weeks of counting up from Yetzias Mitzrayim to Matan Torah, we find the culmination of the process which started with the violent smashing of the Egyptian yoke that weighed us so heavily down, and ended with the straight and kingly posture with which we stood at Matan Torah.

Let us take a few minutes now to think about what we are saying. Nobility and royalty are what allow us and demand from us to stand up tall. That is a very interesting thing in light of several other halachos that we know about kings (Rambam Hilchos Melachim 2:6):

כדרך שחלק לו הכתוב הכבוד הגדול, וחייב הכל בכבודו, כך צוהו להיות לבו בקרבו שפל וחלל שנאמר ולבי חלל בקרבי, ולא ינהג גסות לב בישראל יתר מדאי, שנאמר לבלתי רום לבבו מאחיו, ויהיה חונן ומרחם לקטנים וגדולים, ויצא ויבא בחפציהם ובטובתם, ויחוס על כבוד קטן שבקטנים, וכשמדבר אל כל הקהל בלשון רבים ידבר רכות, שנאמר שמעוני אחי ועמי, ואומר אם היום תהיה עבד לעם הזה וגו’,

In the same way that the Torah apportioned to the king vast honor and obligated everyone to honor him, so too did the Torah command that his heart remain low and morose, as it says “and my heart is pierced within me.” And he must not comport himself in a manner that is overly comfortable^[2] with Yisroel, as it says “So that his heart should not become lifted above his brothers” and he shall be compassionate and merciful to the small as well as to the great. He shall come and go, i.e. he shall conduct his affairs for their needs and their good, and he shall be concerned for the dignity of the smallest of the small, and when he speaks to the public in a lashon rabim^[3] he shall speak gently as the pasuk says “listen to me my brothers and my nation” and it says further “if you will act today as a servant to this nation.”

לעולם יתנהג בענוה יתירה, אין לנו גדול ממשה רבינו והוא אומר ונחנו מה לא עלינו תלונותיכם, ויסבול טרחם ומשאם ותלונותם וקצפם כאשר ישא האומן את היונק, רועה קראו הכתוב, לרעות ביעקב עמו, ודרכו של רועה מפורש בקבלה כרועה עדרו ירעה בזרועו יקבץ טלאים ובחיקו ישא וגו’.

He shall forever comport himself with exceeding humility; we have no one who was greater than Moshe Rabbeinu and he said of himself “and what are we, not upon us are your complaints” and he carried their toil, their weighty issues, their complaints and their wrath, just as the nursing mother carries the infant. The pasuk calls him [Moshe] a shepherd, “to shepherd in Yaakov his nation”, and the way of the shepherd is explicitly stated in the tradition “As a shepherd grazes his flock, with his might he gathers the lambs and in his bosom he carries them…”

What we see here about the king is something incredible! He is the one who stands head and shoulder above everyone else. He is the one who must bear himself with majestic composure and demeanor. No infringements whatsoever may be made upon his honor, and one who trespasses the bounds of his dignity forfeits his life! Yet he is simultaneously the singular most self-effacing person in the entire nation! He does not hold himself above even the lowest of the low. He relates even to the homeless pauper sleeping beneath a bridge with due dignity! He is at one and the same time the fearless leader of his nation as well as their devoted servant. The dichotomy is overwhelming!

The truth is that the contrast is indeed very sharp. But it is natural and self-explanatory once we understand where true dignity derives from. We must bring ourselves to understand this truth, that the ability to stand up straight is completely dependent upon and derived from the ability to bend down low! The king is only a king because he is a servant of the people! If he loses sight of that fact then he becomes nothing more than a pompous fool [albeit a very dangerous one]!

It was only after we had first been bent nearly in two beneath the Egyptian yoke for several hundred years that we were capable of undergoing the seven-weeklong process leading up to Matan Torah and attain our erect posture there. Only after experiencing the harshest of servitudes imaginable were we able to attain our noble nature, a nobility that runs far higher than any mortal kingship. It was there that we learned in the greatest detail how a servant has to serve his master in every single aspect of his life^[4]. Having learned the meaning of servitude in the greatest detail, we are now capable of applying that knowledge toward our service of the Ribono Shel Olam and through it attain the highest form of nobility that exists.

The Definition of Nobility:

Okay. We have heard a lot so far about the fact that we are noble people, occupants of the highest order of nobility ever to be known to this world. What does that mean to us in a practical sense? How are we supposed to actually work on keeping our backs nobly ramrod straight?

A good place to start would be to find out for ourselves a working definition of what a noble and a freeman is? We will use the definition that Chazal imparted to us (Maseches Kallah Rabasi 5:3)

אין לך בן חורין אלא ההוגה בתורה.

There is no one who is truly free except for one who expresses words of Torah.

Every single person who walks upon this planet does so while carrying a great deal of weight upon their shoulders. Servitudes, of all kinds and of every shape are constantly crushing down upon us. Some of us are slaves to our mattresses. Without just the right sleep number we simply cannot sleep. Others are enslaved by their appetites, yet others are subjected by all sorts of whims and fancies. There are simply an unlimited amount of rulers who rule upon the average person with an iron fist. Only one who has emancipated himself from all of these rulers can truly call himself a free man. The only one who can truly effect such an emancipation proclamation is one who throws himself completely into his learning. Only one who is constantly involved in the study of Torah and who has accepted the complete and utter mastery of the Ribono Shel Olam and His Torah upon himself can possibly free himself from all these other masters in this fashion. It is this servitude that we are called to take upon ourselves. It is this abject servility which confers upon its bearers the utter nobility that we speak of!

It is with these words in mind that we repeat our statement from the beginning of this essay. What is the cheftza shel mitzvah of Shavuos? It is the human body, and the avodah that we do with it is to break the chains of bondage which bind it to any other master other than the Ribono Shel Olam! Yes, everything that we hear about Shavuos being a Yom Tov of Torah is one hundred percent true. But this Yom Tov of Torah demands that we undertake this avodah of sublimating and elevating the body!

The Properties of Dust:

I believe that this avodah is very strongly born out from the parsha of the Sotah. I would like to read a little bit from what Rav Alexander Mandelbaum Shlita writes about this parsha in his Sefer Mima’amakim^[5]. It is somewhat of a lengthy quote so we will relegate it to the footnote and instead paraphrase it here:

The Medrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 9:15) teaches the following about the procedure of the Sotah:

“Why did the Torah say that we should use dirt for the Sotah? Because if she is meritorious then a son will emerge from here who is like Avraham Avinu of whom it is written (Bereishis 18) ‘And I am dirt and ashes’. And if she is not meritorious then she will return to her dirt [that which she was formed from]. Our masters have said: as a reward for that which Avraham said “I am dust and ashes”, his children received the merit of two mitzvos, the ashes of the Parah Aduma and the dust of the Sotah.”

The Sefas Emes explains the connection between the mitzvah of Sotah and Avraham Avinu – or to be more precise, that between the humble dust of Avraham Avinu and the soil mixed into the Sotah’s water – as follows:

What did Avraham mean to say with the expression “and I am but dirt and ashes”? There is a very intimate connection between Avraham Avinu and the soil. Dirt is the foundation of all that exists, as the pasuk says “Everything comes from the earth and everything will return to there.” In quite a similar fashion, Avraham Avinu occupied the position as the support upon which the entire world stands, as can be seen from the way in which the pasuk describing the finished product of creation (See footnote) utilizes that very same letter which was added to Avraham’s name! The relationship between the two is exemplified by this power which resides in the soil to break everything down, then, once it is duly broken it can receive vitality and bear fruit. This was the strength of Avraham who was keenly aware of the fact that he was simultaneously the bedrock of the world, the foundational pillar upon which all else stands – as well as the fact that he was no more than reconstituted dirt and ashes. This strength of Avraham is the duty of every man. Each and every person must know that he was created in order to rectify everything for man is the tool through which all else comes to its rectification.

What emerges from all of this is that Klal Yisroel of whom it is said “You are Adam” are referred to as dust because they have the strength of this foundation to which all else reverts. This is what the Torah hints to by requiring the dust of the Sotah to be taken from the dirt of the Mishkan. It is as the pasuk says in Parshas Bereishis “And Hashem created man, dust from the dirt” which Chazal explain to mean that the dirt from which Adam was created was taken from the place of the Beis Hamikdash. It is for that reason that the Sotah is tested with this dirt, to see whether she has anything in common with its properties. If not – then she is cursed from the dirt.”

What this Sefas Emes is telling us is that dust represents one of the most important dichotomies in life. When a seed is planted in the earth it undergoes a two-step transformation. First it disintegrates. What was once a seed now becomes nothing more than a few strands of protein and it would seem that all is lost. But then something astonishing takes place. Those proteins begin to come together and slowly but surely, a plant begins to arise from the meager remnants of the once proud seed. First come roots, then come leaves. Slowly but surely it rises up until it becomes a mighty tree. That very same nature of the soil which once broke the seed down, nearly depriving it of existence now becomes its nurturing source of life!

This nature of the soil was one of the tremendous forces which drove Avraham Avinu. Avraham Avinu fully and completely nullified himself to the Ribono Shel Olam. In doing so, he simultaneously brought the entire universe to a state of nullification before its creator. Where once the world stood with a seemingly independent existence that stood between itself and its creator, now that self-existence was shorn away, thus enabling it to reconnect to its Creator and source. In this manner it was given the ability to bear fruit – that is by fulfilling the purpose for which its Creator created it [namely to give honor to Hashem who created it for precisely that purpose.]

Correspondent to this, Klal Yisroel merited to the dust of the Sotah. Through her procedure, we test her mettle against that of the dirt of the Beis HaMikdash. Can she successfully assimilate this dirt which exists to show Hashem’s glory into herself? If so then she is clearly holding true to the purpose for which she was created. But if she instead acted animalistically, with no thought for the task for which she was created, then the dirt of the Beis HaMikdash will not be able to find any rest inside of her. Its nature is so incompatible with hers that it will cause her system to go haywire and she will experience the gruesome death with which the guilty Sotah is punished.

The Dust of Royalty:

With these words in mind, let us go to a fascinating pasuk in Divrei HaYamim (I 8:8) which will hopefully enable us to apply these concepts to the Yom Tov of Shavuos and bring this shiur around full circle:

וְשַׁחֲרַ֗יִם הוֹלִיד֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה מוֹאָ֔ב מִן־שִׁלְח֖וֹ אֹתָ֑ם חוּשִׁ֥ים וְאֶֽת־בַּעֲרָ֖א נָשָֽׁיו:

ושחרים הוליד בשדי מואב מן שלחו אותם חושים ואת בערא נשיו. שחרים זה בועז שהיה משוחרר מן העונות. הוליד בשדה מואב שנשא את רות המואביה. מן שלחו אותם שהיה משבטו של יהודה דכתיב ביה [בראשית מו כח] ואת יהודה שלח לפניו וגו’. חושים ואת בערא נשיו. וכי יש לך אדם שהוא מוליד את נשיו. אלא שחש כנמר וביאר את ההלכה. ויולד מן חודש אשתו לא צורכה דלא ויולד מן בערה נשיו אלא על ידיה נתחדשה הלכה עמוני ולא עמונית מואבי ולא מואבית.

And Shacharayim bore in the field of Moav, from Shilcho Otam, Chushim and Ba’ara his wives. (DHY I 8:3)

And Shacharayim bore in the field of Moav – Shacharayim refers to Boaz, who was freed from sins. Bore in the field of Moav – that he married Rus the Moabite woman. From Shilcho Otam – that he was from Yehuda of whom it is written “and Yehuda he sent before him”. Chushim and Ba’ara his wives – is there any person who bears his wives? Rather this means that he was careful like a leopard and clarified the halacha. And he gave birth from Chodesh his wife – not only did he not give birth through his wife Ba’ara but rather through her was derived the halacha Amonite and not Amonis, Moabite and not Moavis… (Yerushalmi Yevamos 8:3).

It is a funny thing that we should find this term “the field of Moav” used so often in the Megillah of Rus, and almost nowhere else. Even when the pasuk does not specifically reference the fields of Moav, still the storyline feels disproportionately focused on all different aspects of the field. Some examples are (Rus 1:1) to dwell the fields of Moav… (Rus 1:2) and they came to the field of Moav… (Rus 1:6) and they returned from the fields of Moav… (Rus 2:2) I shall go now and collect in the field… (Rus 2:3) and she collected in the field… and the list just goes on and on and on. Over and over again we stumble across the theme of the field in the Megillah of Rus. What is going on over here? What is the Torah trying to teach us?

I believe that there is a lesson here for us to take away, and that it is one which is expressed by Shlomo HaMelech very clearly in a pasuk in Koheles. There Shlomo HaMelech tells us as follows (Koheles 5:8):

וְיִתְר֥וֹן אֶ֖רֶץ בַּכֹּ֣ל ה֑וּא מֶ֥לֶךְ לְשָׂדֶ֖ה נֶעֱבָֽד:

The advantage of land is supreme; even a king is indebted to the field.

The plain meaning of this pasuk is not very difficult to spot. Of course, without the field even a king will starve. He is as human as the next person, and without food he will starve. Even the king then must recognize his dependence upon the field. That is of course true. But if we dig a little bit deeper, perhaps we can find a definition in Shlomo HaMelech’s words based upon the ideas that we have set forth. Let us ask ourselves again, what is the defining attribute of the king? As we have seen time and again in this essay, it is his ability to put his own self aside for the better good of the people. Although he enjoys the greatest privileges of everyone in the nation, that is only because he is the most subjugated of the people in the nation! Like the Sefas Emes has told us about the soil, it is vital for the king to retain this ability to completely subjugate himself to the people! Only through this ability to completely prostrate his own sense of self to the ground, to completely pulverize his selfish needs, can the king properly serve his people and wield true royalty! The king is indebted not only to the field itself but to the nature of the field with which he must conduct his own self!

The Birth of a Matriarch:

If we understand that the Megillah of Rus is the story of the birth of Malchus Beis Dovid then it will not surprise us at all to see the field given such disproportionate mention! Over and over and over again we find it because it and its nature define the righteous kings of the Davidic dynasty! From where did they receive this ability to be so field-like? From their matriarch Rus. And lest we think that this only found expression in her descendants, let us see one final passage of Navi (Melachim I 2:12-25)

וּשְׁלֹמֹ֕ה יָשַׁ֕ב עַל־כִּסֵּ֖א דָּוִ֣ד אָבִ֑יו וַתִּכֹּ֥ן מַלְכֻת֖וֹ מְאֹֽד: וַיָּבֹ֞א אֲדֹנִיָּ֣הוּ בֶן־חַגִּ֗ית אֶל־בַּת־שֶׁ֙בַע֙ אֵם־שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה וַתֹּ֖אמֶר הֲשָׁל֣וֹם בֹּאֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שָׁלֽוֹם: וַיֹּ֕אמֶר דָּבָ֥ר לִ֖י אֵלָ֑יִךְ וַתֹּ֖אמֶר דַּבֵּֽר: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אַ֤תְּ יָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ כִּי־לִי֙ הָיְתָ֣ה הַמְּלוּכָ֔ה וְעָלַ֞י שָׂ֧מוּ כָֽל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם לִמְלֹ֑ךְ וַתִּסֹּ֤ב הַמְּלוּכָה֙ וַתְּהִ֣י לְאָחִ֔י כִּ֥י מֵיְקֹוָ֖ק הָ֥יְתָה לּֽוֹ: וְעַתָּ֗ה שְׁאֵלָ֤ה אַחַת֙ אָֽנֹכִי֙ שֹׁאֵ֣ל מֵֽאִתָּ֔ךְ אַל־תָּשִׁ֖בִי אֶת־פָּנָ֑י וַתֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו דַּבֵּֽר: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אִמְרִי־נָא֙ לִשְׁלֹמֹ֣ה הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ כִּ֥י לֹֽא־יָשִׁ֖יב אֶת־פָּנָ֑יִךְ וְיִתֶּן־לִ֛י אֶת־אֲבִישַׁ֥ג הַשּׁוּנַמִּ֖ית לְאִשָּֽׁה: וַתֹּ֥אמֶר בַּת־שֶׁ֖בַע ט֑וֹב אָנֹכִ֕י אֲדַבֵּ֥ר עָלֶ֖יךָ אֶל־הַמֶּֽלֶךְ: וַתָּבֹ֤א בַת־שֶׁ֙בַע֙ אֶל־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה לְדַבֶּר־ל֖וֹ עַל־אֲדֹנִיָּ֑הוּ וַיָּקָם֩ הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ לִקְרָאתָ֜הּ וַיִּשְׁתַּ֣חוּ לָ֗הּ וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ וַיָּ֤שֶׂם כִּסֵּא֙ לְאֵ֣ם הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וַתֵּ֖שֶׁב לִֽימִינֽוֹ: וַתֹּ֗אמֶר שְׁאֵלָ֨ה אַחַ֤ת קְטַנָּה֙ אָֽנֹכִי֙ שֹׁאֶ֣לֶת מֵֽאִתָּ֔ךְ אַל־תָּ֖שֶׁב אֶת־פָּנָ֑י וַיֹּֽאמֶר־לָ֤הּ הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ שַׁאֲלִ֣י אִמִּ֔י כִּ֥י לֹֽא־אָשִׁ֖יב אֶת־פָּנָֽיִךְ: וַתֹּ֕אמֶר יֻתַּ֖ן אֶת־אֲבִישַׁ֣ג הַשֻּׁנַמִּ֑ית לַאֲדֹנִיָּ֥הוּ אָחִ֖יךָ לְאִשָּֽׁה: וַיַּעַן֩ הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֜ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאִמּ֗וֹ וְלָמָה֩ אַ֨תְּ שֹׁאֶ֜לֶת אֶת־אֲבִישַׁ֤ג הַשֻּׁנַמִּית֙ לַאֲדֹ֣נִיָּ֔הוּ וְשַֽׁאֲלִי־לוֹ֙ אֶת־הַמְּלוּכָ֔ה כִּ֛י ה֥וּא אָחִ֖י הַגָּד֣וֹל מִמֶּ֑נִּי וְלוֹ֙ וּלְאֶבְיָתָ֣ר הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וּלְיוֹאָ֖ב בֶּן־צְרוּיָֽה: וַיִּשָּׁבַע֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה בַּֽיקֹוָ֖ק לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּ֣ה יַֽעֲשֶׂה־לִּ֤י אֱלֹהִים֙ וְכֹ֣ה יוֹסִ֔יף כִּ֣י בְנַפְשׁ֔וֹ דִּבֶּר֙ אֲדֹ֣נִיָּ֔הוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּֽה: וְעַתָּ֗ה חַי־יְקֹוָק֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֱכִינַ֗נִי ויושיביני וַיּֽוֹשִׁיבַ֙נִי֙ עַל־כִּסֵּא֙ דָּוִ֣ד אָבִ֔י וַאֲשֶׁ֧ר עָֽשָׂה־לִ֛י בַּ֖יִת כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֵּ֑ר כִּ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם יוּמַ֖ת אֲדֹנִיָּֽהוּ: וַיִּשְׁלַח֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה בְּיַ֖ד בְּנָיָ֣הוּ בֶן־יְהוֹיָדָ֑ע וַיִּפְגַּע־בּ֖וֹ וַיָּמֹֽת:

And Shlomo sat upon the throne of Dovid his father, and his kingship was firmly established. And Adoniyahu the son of Chagis came to Bas Sheva the mother of Shlomo and she asked him “Do you come in peace?” and he said “Peace”. And he said “I have something that I wish to speak to you about.” and she said “Speak”. And he said “You know that the kingship was supposed to be mine, and that it was upon me that all of Yisroel set their faces to rule. Yet the monarchy turned and went to my brother because it was from Hashem that it should be his. And now, I have one request to make of you, do not turn me away”; and she said “Speak”. And he said please speak on my behalf to Shlomo the King for he shall not refuse you, and let Avishag from Shunam be given to me as a wife. And Bas Sheva said “It is a good request. I shall speak on your behalf to the king.” And Bas Sheva came to the King Shlomo to speak to him on the behalf of Adoniyahu, and the king arose towards her and he bowed to her and he sat on his throne and a chair was brought for the mother of the king and she sat to his right. And she said, “I have a small request to make of you, do not turn me away” and the king said to her “Ask of me, my mother, for I shall not refuse your request”. And she said “Let Avishag from Shunam be given, to Adoniyahu your brother as a wife. And the King Shlomo responded and he said to his mother “and why do you only ask for Avishag of Shunam to be given to Adoniyah? Request for him the monarchy itself for he is my older brother, and for him and Evyasar the Kohein and for Yoav son of Tzeruyah. And the King Shlomo swore by Hashem saying, “So shall Hashem do to me and so shall he increase for it is with his life that Adoniyahu spoke of this matter. And now by the life of Hashem who has set me up and sat me upon the throne of Dovid my father and that he has created for me a dynasty as He promised, it is this very day that Adoniyahu shall die. And the King Shlomo sent in the hand of Benayahu son of Yehoyada, and he struck him [Adoniyahu] and he [Adoniyahu].

Early in this story the pasuk tells of a chair that was brought before the king and placed at his right for the mother of the king. Although the simplest meaning of this pasuk is that a throne was set up for Bas Sheva who was the actual mother of the King Shlomo, Chazal identify this “Mother of the king” somewhat differently. They tell us that really this is not a reference to the mother of the monarchy and it refers to Rus. Rus outlived the four generations that sprung from her and she was still alive at the beginning of Shlomo’s reign. Thus, here we have a special chair being brought for her and she is being sat at the right hand side of the king, in the place of the king’s advisor. What was the purpose of the pasuk mentioning this?

I believe that in this pasuk we see the qualities of monarchy that we have been describing displayed in Rus. If Rus was to the right of the king when this incredibly harsh judgement was passed upon Adoniyahu, then that means that the judgment was passed based upon her advice, [otherwise we would not need to be told of her presence]. Thus, the very same Rus who bent so low down and went to collect barley together with the poorest of the poor when that’s what Hashem’s Hashgacha demanded of her, now acted with the comfortable assurance of a king and advised Adoniyahu’s death! Rus herself contained all of the strength of the monarchy within herself, a monarchy which was born from the ability to subject herself utterly when that’s what Hashem demanded from her. Thus we can translate our pasuk in Divrei HaYamim as referring not only to the birth of the royal line, but to the birth of royalty in Rus herself!

וְשַׁחֲרַ֗יִם הוֹלִיד֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה מוֹאָ֔ב…

And Shacharayim gave birth in the field of Moav…

In light of what we are saying we can take this to mean that that which he gave birth to, namely to royalty, that was born in the person who exemplified the field of Moav herself; namely Rus! Through the action that Shacharayim took in expounding the permissibility of Moabit women and in marrying Rus, that bore fruit in Rus herself enabling her to take the stands which epitomize the strength and might of royalty! How was his action able to come to fruition in Rus? In light of what we are saying we can suggest that Rus was already prepared for this rule through her own ability to abnegate her entire self for the sake of what was greater than her, for her mother-in-law and for Klal Yisroel as a whole.

1. As the Gemara in Kiddushin (31a) says:אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: אסור לאדם שיהלך ארבע אמות בקומה זקופה, שנא’: מלא כל הארץ כבודו.R. Yehoshua ben Levi said: It is forbidden for a person to walk four amos with an upright stature as the pasuk says: “His Glory fills the entire world”. ↑
2. We translated this along the lines of לבו גס בה. In such a context the Rambam would be saying that the king is not allowed to “mach zich heimish” with Klal Yisroel. The pasuk that the Rambam quotes and the context in which he quotes however seems to indicate more of an inyan of haughtiness. ↑
3. Literally this should be rendered “in the plural” but that leaves us with a problem. What can the Rambam mean that he speaks to the public in the plural? How else should he speak to them? What difference does it make whether he uses a singular language or a plural one?Both the Migdal Oz as well as the Ohr Sameach point to the Gemara in Sotah (40a) as the source for this halacha. The Gemara there reads as follows:אמר ר’ יצחק: לעולם תהא אימת צבור עליך, שהרי כהנים פניהם כלפי העם ואחוריהם כלפי שכינה. רב נחמן אמר, מהכא: ויקם המלך דוד על רגליו ויאמר שמעוני אחי ועמי, אם אחי למה עמי, ואם עמי למה אחי? אמר רבי אלעזר, אמר להם דוד לישראל: אם אתם שומעין לי – אחי אתם, ואם לאו – עמי אתם, ואני רודה אתכם במקל.ופירש”י אם אתם שומעין לי – להיות שלימים למקום אחיי וחבריי אתם. אלמא המלך אימת צבור עליו אם כשרים הם. עמי אתם – כבושים תחת ידי.R. Yitzchak said: the awe of the Tzibur should forever be upon you for the Kohanim faced towards the nation with their backs towards the Shechina [presumably this would be disrespectful if it were not done out of the awe of Tzibur]. R. Nachman derived this from the following pasuk: And the king Dovid stood upon his feet and he said “listen to me, my brothers and my nation.” Now if they are his brothers why did he call them his nation, and if they are his nation then why did he refer to them as brothers? R. Elazar said, what Dovid said here to Yisroel was as follows: if you listen to me [to be wholesome with Hashem] then you are my brothers; if not then you are my nation and I will rule over you harshly. Rashi – if you shall listen to me to be wholesome with Hashem then you are my brothers and my colleagues. Clearly the awe of the Tzibur must be upon [even] him, if the Tzibur is acting appropriately.

   What we see here is that there are two tones with which the king can address his populace and they relate to the way in which the Tzibur is comporting themselves. When they are doing the right thing then the king must maintain for himself a reverent feeling for the Tzibur. He must always look around himself in amazement and be astonished at the fact that the Ribono Shel Olam chose him to lead such an imposing assembly of people! He must feel extremely small in relation to those whom he has the privilege of leading, as the Rambam in this Halacha lays out in so much detail. But should Klal Yisroel stray from this derech, then the king must stand up and become the iron backbone and the heart of steel which leads the people back in the right direction.

   Perhaps we can suggest the following based upon this Gemara. The institution of the monarchy is a tool which is Hashem uses to unify Klal Yisroel in His service. When Klal Yisroel is doing the right thing then they do not need unification! We can speak to each Yid as his individual self, and when we speak to a group of them together then we use the plural. Such a Tzibur of individuals who are all strong Ovdei Hashem in their own right deserves to be related to with a sense of awe and then even the king must reverently address them as Achai. But when they are not following the Ribono Shel Olam and they have all splintered into their various individual follies they must be pulled together into one unit of Ami. Then, not only does the king have the ability to speak harshly due to the pressing national need to attain cohesion, but the Tzibur themselves have lost the distinguished status of Ovdei Hashem which had previously demanded such reverent treatment. Thus it is only when the king speaks in the plural that this Halacha applies. ↑

4. This proper understanding of avdus or servitude allows us to understand an astonishing part of the halachos of the Eved Ivri. We are familiar with the fact that mi shekana eved l’atzmo kana adon l’atzmo. The Eved Ivri must be treated with supreme esteem. His master must make sure that the Eved eats, drinks and sleeps in a manner that is at least equal, if not far better than he himself. If the master only has one down quilt then that is what his servant will sleep underneath. If there is only one piece of deli roll left after Shabbos then that is what the servant will eat for supper; the master will have to suffice with gefilte fish. If there is only one can of coke left than that is what the servant will quench his thirst with. One may not work his Eved Ivri needlessly, nor may he make him do something which is overly demeaning, such as to carry the master’s towel behind him to the mikveh. In short, one must do his all in order to grant the Eved an honorable standing. But then we come across the following halacha (Vayikra 15:18):כִּ֗י מִשְׁנֶה֙ שְׂכַ֣ר שָׂכִ֔יר עֲבָֽדְךָ֖ שֵׁ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֑ים…ופירש”י -מכאן אמרו עבד עברי עובד בין ביום ובין בלילה. וזהו כפלים שבעבודת שכירי יום. ומהו עבודתו בלילה, רבו מוסר לו שפחה כנענית והולדות לאדון:For twice the work of a hired hand has he served you for six years…Rashi explains – from here they derived that the Eved Ivri serves both by day and by night, which is double the service of a the daily hired hand. And what is his service at night? The master designates for him a Canaanite maidservant and her children belong to the master.What!?!?!?!?! After all the care that the Torah has taken to preserve this man’s dignity, we now force him to engage in relations with a gentile maidservant? Could there possibly be a more degrading servitude than this? How does this fit in with the rest of the parsha?

   Based on what we have been explaining the answer is clear. As honorable as this person is, and as much care as we must take to ensure his dignity, he is still an Eved! What is an Eved? An Eved is someone who is completely subservient to his master! Not a moment of his life belongs to his own self. His daytime belongs to the master for work. Granted that the Torah limits the demands which his master can make upon him; he cannot degrade him. But he can and does make him work, and work hard! And what is true by daytime holds true by nighttime as well. Granted that nighttime is not a time for work. It is a time for rest, for recouping strength for the next day. But despite the lack of work availability, those hours still belong to the master and not to the Eved! In what way do they belong to the master? In that one of the other functions of that time belong to the master. Nighttime is a time for procreation as well as rest, and it is in that area that the Torah obligates the Eved Ivri to show his servitude to his master. Not, chas v’shalom to demean him, but because it is only by serving his master in this way that his avdus is complete. ↑

5. אומרים חז”ל (מדרש רבה במדבר פרשה ט’ פסקה ט”ו):”מפני מה אמרה תורה הבא עפר לסוטה? זכתה – יוצא ממנה בן כאברהם אבינו, דכתיב ביה (בראשית י”ח) ‘ואנכי עפר ואפר’. לא זכתה – תחזור לעפרה. רבותינו אמרו: בשכר שאמר אברהם אבינו ‘ואנכי עפר ואפר’, זכו בניו לשתי מצוות – אפר פרה ועפר סוטה”.מדרש זה טעון הסבר – מה הקשר בין דברי אברהם אבינו שאמר “ואנכי עפר ואפר”, ומצות סוטה? ובמיוחד צריכים אנו להבין את הקשר בין עפר הסוטה וה”עפר” שהזכיר אברהם אבינו עליו השלום – כהבעת הכנעה ודרך ארץ כלפי ה’, לפני שביקש והתפלל על אנשי סדום.ביאור דברי המדרש נמצא בספר שפת אמת, וז”ל (ספר במדבבר – פרשת נשא – שנת תרנ”ג):’כבר בתבנו בזה כי עפר הוא יסוד הכל כמ”ש ‘הכל היה מן העפר והכל שב….’. ואברהם אבינו ע”ה עליו העולם עומד, כמ”ש ‘בהבראם בה’ בראם’ (באות ה’ נברא העולם), באברהם. ושני הפירושים אמת. כי אברהם זכה לאות ה’ שנברא בו העולם על ידי הביטול – שזה כוח העפר שמבלה הכל, וכשנרקב דבר הנזרע ונעשה כעפר מקבל חיות ומוציא פירות. [וזה רמז האות ה’ – היו”ד שנכנס בתוך הד’ לומר שע”י ההכנעה נעשה כלי להוליד תולדות]. ואברהם אבינו ע”ה אמר ‘ואנכי עפר ואפר’, ידע היטב כי הוא יסוד הכל וידע שהוא מצד זה שהוא ‘עפר ואפר’. וכן צריך כל אדם לידע שהוא נברא בעולם לתקן הכל כי האדם הוא כלי שניתקן הכל על ידו…”הכלל העולה, שבני ישראל שנאמר עליהם ‘אדם אתם ‘ הם נקראו עפר, שעש בהם כוח היסוד שהכל שב אליו. וזהו הרמז העפר מקרקע המשכן כמ”ש וייצר כו’ האדם עפר מן האדמה פי’ ז”ל ממקום בית המקדש ולכן הסוטה נבדקת בו – אם יש בה חלק באותו עפר, ואם לאו – ארורה היא מן האדמה”.

   העולה מדבריו הנפלאים של ה”שפת אמת” כי משמעות המלים “ואנכי עפר ואפר” היא התבטלות להקב”ה והתעצמות בבחינת ה”עפר” של הבריאה. ועומק הדברים, כשם שהעפר מבלה את הכל, ודוקא אז מצמיח פירות, כך על ידי שאברהם אבינו ע”ה ביטל את עצמו להקב”ה, הרי הוא זכה שעל ידו כל העולם יחזור לבחינת עפר, ויתבטל ממציאותו הנבדלת והעצמית, ויתקשר לשורשו. ועל ידי זה התהוו “פירות” – אותו תוכן שכיוון הבורא יתברך בבריאתו.

   במקביל למעלה זו, זכו לישראל לעפר סוטה, השומר על בחינת ה”עפר” של כלל ישראל. במלים אחרות, “עפר סוטה” ענינו לבדוק ולבחון אם האשה נאמנה לתכלית ויסוד הבריאה, או שהיא עשתה כמעשה בהמה ופרשה משורש המגמה של הבריאה. כוח זה הנקרא “עפר סוטה” שורשו התבטלות ודבקות בתכלית – וממדה זו יונק “עפר” סוטה את כוחו – לבדוק את השתייכותה של האשה לאותה בחינה. ומוסיף ה”שפת אמת” (שם) כי זה יסוד תפקיד כל אדם בעולם – להחזיר את כל הדברים לעפר, ולעשות מהם פירות. במלים אחרות, יש לכל אדם לבטל את עצמו לתכלית הבריאה, ולעלות בזה את כל חלקי העולם לתכליתו, ועוד יתבאר לקמן בע”ה. ↑