Part II
This article discusses shmitta and the deep
lessons that it has for us about Hashem's conduct of the
world and our consequent attitudes. In the first part of
this article, Rabbi Grossman explained that the modern world
is intensely concerned with material affairs and food in
particular. However, he explained that one who is a true
ben Torah and adopts the Torah attitude towards
material life and its sources, will not be unduly disturbed
by this question.
Rabbi Grossman quoted a very important insight from the
Chofetz Chaim about how Hashem conducts the world. There are
three ways, says the Chofetz Chaim in the Kuntrus
Nefutzos Yisroel. There is the general, natural conduct
in which things run according to the rules. There is the
supernatural mode of conduct such as in yetzias
Mitzrayim. A third, important and intermediate type of
conduct is called middas habrochoh: through Hashem's
Hashgocho a person succeeds in a way that is not
altogether natural, but is also not blatantly
supernatural.
A Jew can rely on the middas habrochoh
that am Yisroel received through accepting the Torah
and fulfilling it. "Today, when suffering has increased and
we almost have no natural source for livelihood, we can only
seek protection from the Name of Hashem. Is anything
impossible for Hashem to do so that we may be saved? Surely
because we seek shelter in Hashem's Name He will send us His
brochoh from His holy dwelling. Also the novi
has hinted to us that it will be so at the end of our
golus, as is written, `I will leave in your midst a
poor and lowly people and they shall trust in the name of
Hashem' (Tzefania 3:12). The novi did not
write explicitly what will happen when we trust in Hashem,
but that is explained in Tehillim (118:26): `Blessed
is he who comes in the name of Hashem; we have blessed you
out of the house of Hashem.' This means that our coming in
the name of Hashem brings us a brochoh from Hashem,
since Hashem is the source of all brochos and all
material abundance."
Maran the Chofetz Chaim teaches us that this Divine conduct
of middas habrochoh is not considered an overt
miracle, about which we are warned "not to rely on
miracles." This is a conduct that we can pray for, aspire
to, and rely upon, since it is a foundation for the
existence of am Yisroel.
There is an obvious conclusion about the hoary argument
about how bnei Torah can devote their lives to the
four ammos of halocho although they "lack a
source for livelihood" and "have no economic prospects."
These arguments start from a deeper and more fundamental
question: Does one believe in a Creator of the World, in
Torah from Shomayim, and in "Behold I have set before
you this day a blessing and a curse, a blessing if you obey
the mitzvos of Hashem your Elokim" (Devorim
11:26)?
Anyone who reflects on how our world survives from the
viewpoint of heretic materialism is unable to understand how
tens of thousands of lomdei Torah, immersed in the
four ammos of halocho, can live. It is no
wonder that our brethren who were not zoche to the
light of emunah are amazed and remark that "these
people have no economic prospects." From a limited, earthly
outlook, there are absolutely no prospects.
Those who have thrown off the yoke of Torah must remember
that there were some "kushyos" before that were no
less severe. Is our existence, as a sheep among seventy
wolves, logical? Does our remaining alive throughout the
golus have a "natural" explanation? Why, then, does
the existence of the Torah World and that its continued
development "lacks an explanation," arouse a question?
The reality that in golus, according to the Chofetz
Chaim, "we have almost no natural source for livelihood" is
a fact with which no one disagrees. We trust in Hashem and
rely on His brochoh, the foundation of the Jewish
People's existence.
Indeed, in our days too Torah scholars have survived for
decades through supernatural ways. When yeshivos and
kollelim began to multiply, those lacking
emunah warned that "there is no hope for them" and
that "they cannot exist in this way." Nonetheless tens of
thousands of families, bli ayin hora, of bnei
Torah have been built.
The truth of the matter is that you do not have to be
overflowing with emunah to realize brochoh
enwraps those who observe the Torah. No one expects that
every avreich who, chas vesholom, abandons
studying Torah will become rich. Rather the expectation is
that he will earn an average salary. But how can the father
of a large family, who receives an average salary, possibly
provide for his family and marry off his children "in a
natural way"?
The clear conclusion is: "in a natural way" a large family
cannot possibly provide for its livelihood and marry off its
children without having hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Reality, though, has shown that when Hashem wants He fills
our granaries with a brochoh and we can manage even
with a meager kollel stipend. On the other hand, a
person working for a living and trying to save up a lot of
money to provide for his needs may sometimes feel that his
money is slipping between his fingers. As a non-religious
leader once said: "In the State of Israel to be rational you
must believe in miracles."
Maran the Chazon Ish zt'l once said
that the gap between chareidim and secular Jews is so great
that we talk two different languages. The same is true on
this topic. Someone whose outlook is alienated from every
spark of emunah and who analyzes everything from a
materialistic viewpoint cannot help but conclude that things
will come to a dead end.
Those studying Torah never survived by natural means. They
always relied on the portion of monn that can be
found in every generation. Someone who presents "natural
projections" leading to "questions" on this issue must
remember that by objective historical reasoning the Jewish
Nation itself has no chance of surviving.
The Maharam Shik writes (in his commentary on Pirkei
Ovos 5:9) that the explanation behind Chazal's statement
that we are sent into golus when we do not observe
Shmitta is that this is "measure for measure." Other
commentaries write that the reason for the mitzvah of
Shmitta is to strengthen the emunah of Klal
Yisroel to be aware that the land is not ours, that the
whole world belongs to Hashem.
Indeed, everyone readily understands that the conquest of
Eretz Yisroel after we left Egypt was a clear sign that the
Creator is running the world. We vanquished the nations
living in Eretz Yisroel neither with the power of our sword
nor with spears, but through miracles. "We can discern from
this that not through our own power did we take over the
Land. It belongs to Hashem and because He wished to He
handed it over to us."
It is easy for anyone who believes in this, writes the
Maharam Shik, to accept and fulfill the mitzvah of
Shmitta. But if he does not believe that the land
belongs to Hashem he also does not believe that HaKodosh
Boruch Hu will send us a brochoh for three years,
and will refrain from fulfilling the mitzvah of
Shmitta. The Torah therefore tells us, "When you come
to the land which I am giving you, then shall the land keep
a Sabbath to Hashem."
Your coming to Eretz Yisroel, inheriting the land and
conquering it through miracles, strengthens within you the
realization that the land belongs to Hashem, that Hashem
gave us the land. However, "if someone does not fulfill the
mitzvah of Shmitta for the land and believes that the
land belongs to him, Hashem exiles him from this land that
he thinks is his. Through this process of `measure for
measure' he will clearly understand that the land is
actually not his, that it belongs to Hashem."
Indeed, belief in Hashem's brochoh is
neither some sort of sublime "spiritual level" nor a "fine
point in emunah" only possessed by a select few. This
recognition is the foundation of our people's existence.
Through the supernatural conduct of Am Yisroel we
inherited Eretz Yisroel and outlasted all nations of those
days. Someone who believes in this does not have any
kushyos. Someone who does not believe in this will
not be helped by any teirutzim.
This is the reason for the sharp approach of our Torah Sages
to any claims at all about "difficulties in livelihood" and
"economic problems" for those studying Torah. The question
of "if you should say, What will we eat" in this case
damages the foundation of the Torah's existence. We will
cite, as an example in case, what two former gedolei
Torah wrote, one who was the founder of the "mother of
the yeshivos" in Lithuania and the other a godol of
Chassidus.
Rabbenu Chaim of Volozhin zt'l (in Ruach
HaChaim on Pirkei Ovos 6:2) explains the
statement by R' Yehoshua ben Levi that "a Bas Kol
emerges every day from Mount Chorev and proclaims `Woe to
people that the Torah is being humiliated.'" According to
Chazal in maseches Shabbos Mount Sinai is called
Mount Chorev since, because of it churvah
(devastation) descended to the non-Jews during Matan
Torah when they refused to accept it. The Nefesh HaChaim
explains that this is an answer to the arguments aired in
previous generations that we should abandon the Torah
because we are occupied with making a living. "The truth is
that this is also what the idol worshipers argued at
Matan Torah. They said they could not accept the
Torah, since it obstructs their gaining a livelihood with
the issur to kill and the like, as the
Midroshim cite. Yisroel, who answered unanimously,
`We shall do and we shall hear,' accepted the Torah even if
it impairs their livelihood. If so, how can we abandon the
mitzvah of talmud Torah, which is equivalent to all
the others together, because of the need for a livelihood?
The Mishnah mentions Mount Chorev to indicate that
the humiliation of the Torah consists of our arguing that we
need a livelihood; then Mount Chorev demands of us to
fulfill the Torah and not be like the non-Jews who refused
to receive it because of arguments about losing
livelihood."
No less sharply, the Tiferes Shlomo of Radomsk deals with
these arguments. He writes about what occurred in his time:
how people would occasionally pressure their sons-in-law,
who were immersed in Torah and avodas Hashem, to
depart from the four ammos of halocho and look
for a living because "Torah is good with derech
Eretz" and other such grounds. In his commentary on the
Hagoddoh, the Tiferes Shlomo rebukes those who even
suggest to avreichim to abandon their studies. He
writes resolutely that they are acting like Lovon, who
wanted to take Yaakov away from his Torah through arguments
about the need to provide for his big family. About this
Chazal make the statement: "Go and learn what Lovon wanted
to do to Yaakov Ovinu."
"Lovon sought to uproot everything. After marrying off one's
daughter to a talmid chochom who studies Torah, who
is immersed in avodas Hashem and travels to stay with
the tzaddikim of the generation, the yetzer
hora awakens and prods the father-in-law to divert his
son-in-law from this way. In the beginning the father-in-law
suggests politely: `My dear son, it is not good that you
always sit in the beis midrash studying Torah and
davening. You must also pay attention to matters of
olam hazeh. It is only proper that you take care of
your family members and it is a great mitzvah to do so.
Remember,' he says, `Torah is good with derech
eretz.' And he also cites other proofs that the
yetzer uses in its attempt to win over people.
"This is how Lovon tried to make Yaakov swerve from his
tzidkus to matters of olam hazeh. Lovon even
changed his salary dozens of times so he would be occupied
by these thoughts. This is what Chazal allude to: `You,' the
avreich whose father-in-law is trying to persuade him
to stop studying Torah, `go out and learn'--abandon your
thoughts about olam hazeh and learn Torah. Do not pay
any attention to his argument. Lovon too advised Yaakov
Ovinu that since he had four wives and eleven children he
must find a way to furnish them with a livelihood. Yaakov,
however, did not listen to such suggestions, since he knew
Lovon wanted to uproot all the kedushah in the world
through this plan. Hashem said to Lovon: `Beware not to
speak to Yaakov either good or bad' (Bereishis
31:29). The `good' refers to your argument that `Torah is
good with derech Eretz,' since that is what the
sitra achra advises when it tries to deflect the
tzaddik from his righteousness."
It is especially important to internalize the
foundations of emunah in the year of Shmitta,
so that we will know how to value and strengthen the
giborei koach who with mesirus nefesh fulfill
this mitzvah strictly according to halocho.
Simultaneously we must remember that the principle being
taught to us in this mitzvah is relevant to every Jew and
especially to those studying Torah.
The arguments of "What will we eat" have increased lately.
In the same measure that the darkness of materialism spreads
over the modern world, when productivity has become a
supreme value and pursuing money an avoda zorah,
likewise the kushyos against those who study Torah
have strengthened. We must remember that those studying
Torah are nourished by Hashem's brochoh, as Maran the
Chofetz Chaim explained. This is an intermediate conduct
between miracle and nature, with which HaKodosh Boruch
Hu conducts the whole Jewish Nation.
This principle is the reason the posuk emphasizes a
connection between Shmitta and Mount Sinai. We should
remember that the brochoh of Hashem that is promised
to those who keep Shmitta is the secret of the
continued existence of the Torah given at Sinai. All the
arguments about "economic reality" are not new. They are
only a new edition of what the non-Jews said at Mount Chorev
when they refused to receive the Torah, since it seemed to
them "unrealistic" and a contradiction to their ability to
make a living and go on existing.
