Rav Chaim Volozhin zt"l writes in his sefer Nefesh
HaChaim (1:21): "A person's obligation -- when he is
engaged in Torah -- is lishmoh; to be vigilant and to
fulfill all that is written in it. This purifies his
physical body from head to foot." The greater the
purification, the greater the ability of the individual to
embody the Torah itself, to live it and to teach it. In
turn, there will be a more universal and a more profound
potential to influence Klal Yisroel. The ultimate
example of this was Moshe Rabbenu, who was Hashem's select
prophet to establish the Torah within Klal Yisroel.
Moshe Rabbeinu's first experience of prophecy is recorded in
Shemos 3:4, ". . . and G-d called out to him from
within the bush and said, `Moshe, Moshe,' and he replied,
`Here I am!'" From then on and forever, Moshe Rabbeinu was
established as the unique, unmatched master of all prophets.
HaKodosh Boruch Hu was very careful in initiating
Moshe to this new experience.
The Medrash Rabba, Shemos 3:1, in the name of Rabbi
Yehoshua Hacohen bar Nechemia, explains, "At the time that
HaKodosh Boruch Hu was revealed to Moshe, Moshe was
not yet accustomed to prophecy. HaKodosh Boruch Hu
said, `If I will be revealed to him in a manifest voice, I
will scare him . . . in a meek voice, he will snub the
prophecy.' What occurred? Hashem was revealed to him in the
voice of his father. [Whereupon] Moshe said, `Here I am.
Father, what do you request?' HaKodosh Boruch Hu said,
`It is not your father, rather the G-d of your father.' "
This was the beginning of Moshe Rabbeinu's unequaled role in
all of history.
The Rambam zt"l in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah 7:6
refers to Moshe Rabbeinu as the master of all prophets.
Moshe Rabbenu alone had the privilege of having Hashem speak
directly to him while he was standing erect and fully awake.
The prophecy was explicit, for Moshe Rabbeinu was the chosen
intermediary to convey Hashem's Torah to His people.
HaRav Shach zt"l, in his sefer Avi Ezri, cites
this Rambam and also quotes words of the MaHaril Diskin
zt"l, for they add further insight into the Rambam's
comments about Moshe Rabbeinu's level and clarity of
prophecy. HaRav Shach wrote that based on this Rambam we can
understand more deeply the magnitude and immensity of the
test of the Akeidoh.
The Rambam, in detail, explains why the clarity of Moshe
Rabbeinu's prophecy was unmatched in all of history. It was
primarily because his prophecy was given to him directly
from HaKodosh Boruch Hu, whereas all other prophets
were given their prophecies indirectly -- by means of
dreams, visions or spiritual intermediaries. Moshe Rabbenu
had a clear understanding of Hashem's message to him,
whereas the other prophets were required to interpret the
message of the vision that they received.
All other prophets, including Avrohom Ovinu, received an
entirely different quality of prophecy than Moshe Rabbeinu.
It was as if they were viewing an object through an
unpolished lens -- perforce the image must be indistinct and
blurred. Therefore, the Divine communication to the prophet
was indirect. Only Moshe Rabbeinu heard the word of
HaKodosh Boruch Hu directly. When Hashem communicated
to the other prophets, the message was given in a less clear
form.
Before the Akeidoh, it appears that Hashem spoke with
Avrohom and commanded him very clearly: "Take your son, your
only one, whom you love -- Yitzchok" (Bereishis 22,2).
Since Avrohom Ovinu knew, without a doubt, that Hashem
possesses the ability to bring death or allow life,
therefore, HaRav Shach asserts, it was impossible for
Avrohom Ovinu to even think to protest against the command
to sacrifice his son!
If Avrohom Ovinu heard these explicit words, HaRav Shach
asks, how is this a test? Since, seemingly, there is no
possibility of an alternative explanation of the command,
"Take your son, your only one, whom you love -- Yitzchok,"
therefore, regardless of how difficult it is to offer up his
son -- the command must be obeyed. Consequently, if
disobedience was an inconceivable option for Avrohom Ovinu,
how was Hashem testing him?
In response to this question, HaRav Shach came to the
following understanding, "Since the prophecy of Avrohom was
`with an unpolished lens,' including the prophecy of the
Akeidoh, therefore it required the prophet himself --
Avrohom Ovinu -- to decipher it. So it turns out that
Avrohom was required to interpret the message that was
revealed to him in a way that would result in Hashem telling
him, `Take up Yitzchok your only son whom you love, for a
sacrifice.'"
When HaKodosh Boruch Hu communicated with Avrohom
Ovinu, it was in a concealed, indirect fashion. The words
that we read in the Torah Hakedoshoh "take your son .
. ." are what Moshe Rabbeinu was commanded to write through
the direct prophecy that Hashem later bestowed upon him --
clear, with no need for any interpretation. Avrohom Ovinu's
test was to reach precisely the same understanding, but on
his own, in spite of the built-in uncertainties of the
prophecy he received.
HaRav Shach continues, "Since his neshomoh was so pure
and immaculate, he interpreted it that way." Avrohom Ovinu,
despite all the many possible personal and collective
concerns that could have interfered with the process of
correctly assessing his prophecy, successfully understood
that this was what Hashem demanded of him. As HaRav Shach
puts it, "He had no personal bias to invent self-
justifications to interpret it in any other form, along with
one hundred and twenty rationalizations." All the possible
consequences of the Akeidoh -- losing his G-d-promised son,
the source for his G-d-promised offspring -- did not affect
Avrohom Ovinu's judgment.
Therefore, HaRav Shach concludes, "To decipher for himself
the prophecy; to offer up Yitzchok -- this was the test,
even after being commanded."
In other words, Avrohom Ovinu's test was to remain objective
in the perception and understanding of Hashem's word,
although there was enough leeway and good reason to make an
"honest" misinterpretation of Hashem's true command.
Hashem's test of Avrohom Ovinu at the Akeidoh was a test to
have clarity of vision and honesty of mind, despite
purposefully vague information and a strong personal bias.
Hashem was testing Avrohom Ovinu's daas Torah,
although he had not received the formal codified Torah
that Klal Yisroel received from Hashem through Moshe
Rabbeinu.
This too is the test of each generation, each leader and
each individual. Even after the Torah has been given and
HaKodosh Boruch Hu has revealed His Will and all His
commandments -- each generation always faces new and
changing situations.
We are constantly tested to remain uncompromisingly loyal to
Hashem, His Torah and its commands, despite situations that
many times involve vague definitions and are subject to
overwhelming prejudices. This is how daas Torah must
function and this is its test and trial and ultimately, with
siyata deShmaya, this is its success and
excellence.
The knowledge and perspective that results from the study of
Torah is called daas Torah. Daas Torah is the
integrity and clarity of vision to arrive at the correct and
proper conclusions. All proper judgment is based upon
daas Torah. It is vital for Klal Yisroel and it is
universally beneficial for the whole world. This is obvious,
based on what happened immediately after the Akeidoh.
Following the Akeidoh, Hashem gave a unique blessing that
was addressed to Avrohom Ovinu. The posuk in
Bereishis 22:18 says, "And through your offspring, all
the nations of the earth will be blessed . . . since you
have listened to My voice." Since Avrohom Ovinu was
successful in passing his test, his offspring were now
chosen to be the source of blessing to the world.
The Netziv zt"l, in his commentary Ha'amek Dovor
on Chumash, explains this posuk as follows:
"This blessing is not because he [Avrohom Ovinu] did not
withhold his son. Rather, it is because he understood the
Voice of Hashem and learned from His words that it was His
Will to offer a korbon . . ."
By correctly perceiving the Will of G-d, Avrohom Ovinu
merited for the whole world a new form of existence. The
world was now a place wherein the blessing of HaKodosh
Boruch Hu could reside. The blessing was not specific to
Avrohom Ovinu and his offspring, but for the whole world.
Clearly, through daas Torah, the whole world can
receive blessings!
The Chofetz Chaim zt"l (in Chofetz Chaim on the
Torah) illustrates the gap between daas Torah and
other knowledge. He comments on the pesukim (Bereishis 1:14,
15), "G-d said, `Let there be lights in the sky of heaven to
divide between the day and the night, and they will serve
for signs, and for festivals and for days and for years.
They will be for lights in the sky of heaven to illuminate
the earth.'" Hashem created the sun and the moon. In His
Torah Hakedoshoh, the reasons are revealed to us: for
signs, festivals, days, years and illumination.
The Chofetz Chaim zt"l cites Rashi on the first
posuk, "For signs." Rashi explains this to mean, "that
when the luminaries are eclipsed it is a bad omen for the
world." On the second posuk, "They will be for lights
in the sky of heaven to illuminate the earth," Rashi
explains, "that in addition they shall serve to provide
light for the world."
The Chofetz Chaim then writes, "From here is seen the great
separation between our way of thinking and the daas of
Torah. For would a person ask, to even a very great sage of
the world, `For what purpose was the sun created?' He would
definitely answer, `For the benefit of the creations, to
provide light and warmth for them. To help the growth of the
fruits of plants and fruits of trees and many other such
matters that are without number and limit.' If there were
any other functions, they would be secondary to those main
things."
The Chofetz Chaim tells us that this is all not true! For
"the Torah reveals to us the opposite! The primary intention
of the creation of the sun is to know and indicate the
situation of the nations and of Klal Yisroel. If the
sun is eclipsed it is a bad omen for the nations of the
world, and if Heaven forbid, the moon is eclipsed, it is the
reverse. Since the luminaries were created for this purpose,
they were also given the ability to shed light on the world
and its inhabitants. This came about as a by-product."
We all sense the light and warmth of the sun. It is all very
clear and indisputable. Therefore, we mistakenly believe
that this must be the real reason why we have the sun.
However, with the true perspective that the Torah teaches
us, the mistake is obvious. This is exactly the lesson the
Torah itself is coming to teach us. What seems to be the
most apparent reason for the sun's creation is listed last
and as Rashi points out, it is almost an afterthought. This
is the perspective and perception that the Torah gives us,
the true understanding of the world and its purpose.
The Chofetz Chaim is reported to have said, "One whose
daas is daas Torah is able to resolve all the
world's problems; general and specific. Only on the
condition that the daas Torah should be pure, without
the slightest bias or inclination of any kind. Moreover, if
there will be a person who has daas Torah, but mingled
with it is even a trace of other ideas coming from the
marketplace or the media -- this daas Torah is murky.
It is mixed with impurities and there is no ability to delve
to the depths of the matter."
With the mind-set and world-view of the Torah, the sun is a
different sun. The moon is a different moon. The whole world
is transformed, for daas Torah sees the world as it
really is. Knowing the purpose of Creation allows one to see
the universe in its full reality.
