Part II
In preparation for and anticipation of the upcoming Mattan
Torah.
In the first part, HaRav Freiman noted that Rashi cites
two opinions of what Yisro heard that made him come to Bnei
Yisroel in the desert: the splitting of Yam Suf and the war
with Amolek. Rashi left out the third opinion of R' Elozor
HaModa'i that Yisro heard about the giving of the Torah. Why
was that? HaRav Freiman also cited the question asked about
how the news of the war with Amolek caused Yisro to come. It
does not say the victory over Amolek but the war itself. How
did that attract Yisro?
On the way to answering these questions, HaRav Freiman
shows that Hashem deals with people on their own level. Since
Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov asked for signs of old age,
hardship, and sickness, and Hashem said that He would start
those innovations with them. Also Nodov and Avihu were
(according to the medrash) punished because they
lacked the me'il of the Cohen Godol when they went
into the Mishkan. Since they mistakenly thought themselves on
the level of the Cohen Godol, they were punished for not
living up to that.
Geirim also, according to HaRav Yaakov Emden, are held
accountable if they postpone their conversion once they have
decided to do so, but even before they take any concrete
actions.
HaRav Freiman noted that this imposed a great obligation
on bnei Torah in all areas, since they presumably
realize the greatness and importance of Torah and
mitzvos.
*
The difference between one person and another -- an enormous
contrast, in fact, between the two -- is also tied to this
point. It might seem to an outside observer that the
difference between Yaakov Ovinu and Eisov was a direct result
of an ideological argument about faith and beliefs. This is,
however, untrue.
From Chazal we learn that Eisov occupied as high a level as
Yaakov did and that he was equal to him in spiritual
conception. Yaakov's greatness was in his aspiring to express
his faith and belief practically in his everyday life, which
was not the case with his brother. Eisov therefore sold his
bechorah for lentil soup, although eventually he
bitterly regretted doing so -- "And when Eisov heard the
words of his father, he cried out with a great and
exceedingly bitter cry . . . and he said: `Is he not
rightfully named Yaakov? For he has supplanted me these two
times: he took away my bechorah and behold, now he has
taken away my brochoh?' " (Bereishis
27:34,36).
The Torah tells us how much anguish Eisov felt about his
selling the birthright and Yaakov's taking his
brochos. It tormented him because he really understood
well the value of the bechorah. His problem was that
he could not actualize that feeling; he could not live
according to his realization of life's true values. This is
what caused him to sink so low and sell his bechorah
for a mere portion of lentil soup.
This is what is meant by the Zohar's statement that
Eisov's head is buried in the Machpeiloh Cave. The Alter of
Kelm explained that although Eisov's head was equal to that
of the Ovos and fitting to be buried in their family's burial
ground, he distanced himself from the Ovos with his body and
the way he acted during life. Only his head and not his body
was fitting to be buried there.
HaRav M. Shapira explained that the significance of Yaakov
Ovinu's being called Yaakov, a name stemming from the word
okeiv, meaning heel, which is the lowest part of the
body, is that Yaakov's recognition of what was right was
implemented throughout his whole body: from his sophisticated
mind until the most humble and lowest part of his body. His
intelligence guided all that he did without any exception --
and this was Yaakov's greatness. Yaakov, whose smallest deeds
were aimed at avodas Hashem, was the diametric
opposite of Eisov, who could not subdue his basic desires and
sold all of his World-to-Come for a little red lentil
soup.
"R' Meir said: `What is [meant by what is] written, "Let
favor be shown to the rosho, yet he will not learn
righteousness. In the land of uprightness will he deal
unjustly, and will not behold Hashem's majesty"
(Yeshayohu 26:10)? Yitzchok said before HaKodosh
Boruch Hu: "Master of the World! Let favor be shown to
Eisov." [Hashem] answered: "He is a rosho." [Yitzchok]
said: "`Yet he will not learn righteousness.' (Can no one
justify what he does? - - See Rashi)." [HaKodosh Boruch
Hu] said: "`In the land of uprightness will he deal
unjustly' (In the future he will lay waste Eretz Yisroel --
Rashi)." [Yitzchok] said: "If so, `[he] will not behold
Hashem's majesty' (Megilloh 61)." ' "
What did Yitzchok request from Hashem and what was Hashem's
answer? HaRav Chaim Zaichik zt'l explains that
Yitzchok wanted Eisov to be pardoned because of his towering
perceptions. When HaKodosh Boruch Hu told him that
there was no hope that Eisov would do teshuvoh,
Yitzchok requested Hashem to remove those perceptions from
Eisov -- "[he] will not behold Hashem's majesty." If he does
not act in accordance with his perceptions, why does he need
them? On the contrary, he is a greater sinner when he
possesses such profound concepts and his nefesh is
even more sullied and repulsive.
The gemora (Bovo Basra 16b) writes: "R' Yochonon said:
[Eisov] committed five aveiros on that day: he had
relations with a na'aroh hame'orosoh, he murdered, he
denied Hashem's existence, he denied the resurrection of the
dead, and he despised the birthright' (Rashi explains that he
degraded the avodoh done by the firstborn)."
How can the gemora compare his having relations with a
na'aroh hame'orosoh or murdering someone, with his
degrading the birthright? What is more, this last seems, by
being at the end of the list, to be an even greater sin than
the first two.
There is a difference between why various people commit an
aveiroh. One person just cannot withstand temptation
and therefore sins, while another person acts against firm
convictions he has. Without any doubt the latter person's sin
is immeasurably greater.
*
Now we can resolve the questions we raised above about Yisro.
About the splitting of Yam Suf the Torah writes: "The
people shall hear and be afraid, trembling shall take hold of
the inhabitants of Pleshes. The chiefs of Edom shall be
amazed; the mighty men of Mo'av, trembling shall take hold
upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
Fear and dread shall fall upon them" (Shemos 15:14-
16). The petrifying astonishment of all the inhabitants of
the world at krias Yam Suf did not prevent Amolek from
waging war against bnei Yisroel. Even when a person
undoubtedly knows something -- for example when he hears
Hashem's voice that carries from one side of the world to the
other -- if he does not subdue his desires and force them to
follow his intellectual recognition, he will inevitably fight
against Hashem's Nation and his name will be infamous
forever.
Now we can fully understand the Rashi we cited at the
beginning. Although Yisro heard and was awakened by krias
Yam Suf, that was not enough to cause him to join
Hashem's Nation. When Yisro, however, heard about the war
that Amolek waged -- when he heard that a person can hear
Hashem's voice clearly and that will still not prevent him
from acting against Heaven -- he understood that he must do
something to change himself. He knew he must join Klal
Yisroel.
This principle is actually taught to us in Pirkei Ovos
(3:9): "Anyone whose deeds are more than his wisdom -- his
wisdom endures. And anyone whose wisdom is more than his
deeds, his wisdom does not endure." The Rishonim write
that if a person has reached a certain recognition of the
truth and does not act accordingly, such wisdom will not
last.
Perhaps an argument can be raised that it is preferable for a
person to be a shogeig and not a meizid, that
we should let him sin unintentionally rather than
intentionally. Why does he have to grow in wisdom and thereby
increase the Heavenly indignation against him? He can remain
with his shallow and meager perceptions and that will atone
for all his sins.
There is a fundamental mistake in such logic. The concept of
an Odom negates such reasoning. A person is required
to increase his knowledge continuously, to grow and elevate
himself. He is obligated to study every lofty perception that
was hitherto unknown to him and adopt it. Our sages say that
Odom means adameh le'elyon, that man, the
earthly creation, must aspire to be similar to his Creator.
Someone who rejects man's obligation to elevate himself
endlessly removes from himself the name odom and is
similar to birds and animals.
Man was placed in Olom Hazeh, which is a vestibule to
the main dwelling -- Olom Habo and he has one central
commitment: He must utilize his life in Olom Hazeh
correctly, as a preparation towards his life in Olom
Habo. This must be done through basic and gradual efforts
aimed towards that goal.
To the degree that a person understands this obligation and
carries it out, so will he eventually inherit Olom
Habo. If he, however choliloh, does not evaluate
correctly what he must do, he will be punished, and if he
does not act according to the level of his understanding he
will be condemned much more.
HaRav Menachem Freiman, shlita, is the menahel
ruchani of Yeshivas Eitz Chaim--Zichron Moshe
