[This shmuess was delivered at the Mashgiach's monthly
shiur on Shabbos parshas Chukas 5764 and was
written up by member of the audience.]
Part III (Conclusion)
In the first part, HaRav Dessler asked several questions
about the topic of the rationale of mitzvos, based on the
famous discussion in Chazal of the Poroh Adumoh.
"Hashem spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying, `This is the
chukah of the Torah that Hashem has commanded saying .
. . '" Rashi comments, "Since the Satan and other nations
taunt Yisroel by asking them what is the meaning of this
mitzvah and what is its rationale, the Torah writes
chukah—it is a decree from Me and you are not
allowed to seek its rationale."
What is the substance of the Torah's answer? The answer
does not seem to supply any new information
whatsoever.
Elsewhere the Torah teaches that Yisroel are regarded as
wise and understanding precisely because of the chukim
that are beyond human comprehension.
Chazal clarify and specify how every detail of the
Poroh Adumoh atones for the cheit ha'eigel. So
why is this mitzvah termed "a decree from Me" without
rationale?
Rashi writes that Bnei Yisroel were given the
mitzvah of Poroh Adumoh at Moroh, before they sinned
with the cheit ha'eigel and not after.
Why does the Torah write, "This is the chukah of
the Torah"? Why not just say, "This is the chukah of
taharoh"?
Why does the Torah need to write the word "saying"
(leimor) twice?
Although we ask in Birchos Krias Shema to
understand and shed light upon our Torah study, it is in fact
dangerous to know the reasons behind the mitzvos, and this
knowledge is, chas vesholom, liable to endanger those
who know it. Such knowledge is not only secondary to other
Torah knowledge, it also presents unquestionable risk to
loyal Torah observance.
Rabbeinu Yeruchom, the Mirrer Mashgiach, explains that our
native thoughts are not those of the Torah. We need to refine
our thoughts and make them conform to the Torah.
A person who performs the Torah's mitzvos exclusively
because Hashem has commanded him, without any other motives,
successfully rectifies the cheit ha'eigel. In this
way, as a chok, the Poroh Adumoh stands as an
example for all mitzvos. Tikkunim are affected only
when a person performs his Creator's will. When he does
something without Hashem's command, those deeds remain mere
mortal acts.
The Mirrer Mashgiach, R' Yeruchom zt'l
writes: "The substance of this world is `doing.' Simply
doing, without any sophisticated reasons for my doing so."
Accept the words of all the pesukim as written,
without question.
We continue with the words of R' Yeruchom:
*
"The gates of Gan Eden are opened for anyone who answers
omen with all his might" (Shabbos 119b). It is
sufficient for a person to answer omen, meaning, "I
believe," to open up the gates of Gan Eden for him.
"Gehennom is chilled for anyone who, when reading
Krias Shema, is careful in pronouncing its letters"
(Brochos 15b). Doing something as dry as this —
carefully pronouncing the letters of Krias Shema
— is the substance of Olom Hama'aseh (the world
of human activity). The zenith of a person's perfection is
acting in a completely simple and dry way.
"The Alter of Kelm zt'l was accustomed to say, `Torah
is different from other fields of knowledge. In other fields
of knowledge, one ascends from the first class to the second
and afterward to the third . . . and attains perfection
through reaching the highest class. This is not so with the
Holy Torah. First a person studies in the first class, at a
level that everything is done simply. Afterward he studies in
the second class, and eventually he gets to studying the
wisdom of the Torah at the highest level. Nonetheless, his
objective is not to remain at the highest level but to return
to the first class and become someone who acts simply,
completely simply — `I do not understand anything. I
simply believe!'"
"It is related of an eminent mekubal that in his old
age he used to daven with complete simplicity (see
Mishnah Berurah 790) like a simple Jew. This is the
objective of man's perfection— becoming a simple
person. How foolish are people who reach old age and study
Torah but are totally unaware of this salient principle that
one must become a simple Jew who believes without
understanding. `This is what is written' and its being
written is more than sufficient to motivate one to act.
Chas vesholom, those unaware of this do not have any
connection to Torah."
Based on Rabbeinu Yeruchom's teachings, we can properly
understand well what Chazal mean in the Medrash of
parshas Poroh, that the Poroh Adumoh is similar
to a mother cleansing her son. Surely, we cannot explain that
the medrash is coming to tell us that the reason why
the Torah commanded us the mitzvah of the Poroh Adumoh
is because of the cheit ha'eigel. This is impossible,
since the cheit ha'eigel occurred after bnei
Yisroel were commanded to bring the Poroh Adumoh.
Furthermore, since parshas Poroh is a chukah
and a gezeiroh, meaning that you cannot search for its
rationale, it is obvious that no explanation for the Poroh
Adumoh can be given.
Indeed Chazal's message to us is, as previously explained,
that total rectification of the cheit ha'eigel is by
means of the mother of the eigel, the poroh,
coming to clean away her son's filth, and this is
accomplished through the Poroh Adumoh. As noted above,
the source of the sin that caused the cheit ha'eigel
was bnei Yisroel's decision to affect tikkunim
according to their comprehension of the underlying reasons
for the mitzvos and what they took to be the essence of the
mitzvos. We are forbidden to lessen mitzvah performance
because of any reasons or secrets of the mitzvah, but surely
if one fulfills all halochos of the mitzvah as
required, with all its details, he may know their reasons or
to perform them with those kavonos. On the contrary,
such a person will be considered a kodosh, a holy
person.
However, the above refers only to someone who performs other
mitzvos in conformance with their halochos. The
Michtav MeEliyohu (III, pg. 294) writes: "One should
be aware of the potential dangers of engaging in secondary
dikdukim and chumros. The yetzer is
liable to engulf a person in dikdukim of one mitzvah
in order to cause him to stumble on many other sins. We have
a basic principle of human behavior: if someone exaggerates
the value of one matter it is almost certain to cause him to
diminish the value of another matter. Moreover, I heard in
the name of the Alter of Slobodka that he once saw a boy who
would accept Shabbos upon himself on erev Shabbos at
midday. The Alter told him that he does not have any right to
look at all of us as mechalelei Shabbos. See also the
Sefer HaZichron Michtav MeEliyohu I, pg. 118.
Maran HaRav A.Y.L. Shteinman shlita relates that
someone once asked the Chazon Ish if he should act in
accordance with the instruction of the Zohar HaKodosh
and Kabbalistic writings. The Chazon Ish answered that he
should not, and explained that added hiddurim are
liable to cause him to disregard other mitzvos. One must be
very careful about this.
Chazal (Chulin 5b) teach that the posuk, "You
save both man and beast, O Hashem" (Tehillim 36:7)
relates to crafty people who act as beasts. Also the
Medrash (Vayikra Rabbah 27:1) writes, "Yisroel said,
`Even though we are people, save us since we follow You as
beasts do.'" All this means that a person must perform
mitzvos because HaKodosh Boruch Hu commanded him to do
so, without looking for the reasons behind the mitzvos and
their secrets. He should perform all of them as a beast does
things, without any questions and doing exactly what he is
led to do. Rabbeinu Yeruchom of Mir zt'l writes that a
person should say, "I am performing the mitzvah because I
have been commanded" and he should not intend to perform
mitzvos because of tikkunim and other Kabbalistic
reasons.
I heard in the name of the kodosh Rebbe Artzik Baksht
Hy'd [av beis din of Shavel, who received his
education in the Talmud Torah of Kelm and was held in high
esteem by the Chofetz Chaim], an explanation to the mitzvah
of Poroh Adumoh: Since the Poroh Adumoh was
very costly, all of Yisroel took part in buying it. Through
the fact that the whole nation participates in this
mitzvas aseih whose entire essence is a chok
that we cannot comprehend and are not allowed to search for
its rationale, we rectify the sin of the eigel whose
essence was fulfilling mitzvos according to how they
understood them.
According to the above, we also understand the essence of the
avodoh zoroh of the Baal Pe'or (Bamidbar 25:3).
The ideology of that avodoh zoroh was that nothing is
conventional or accepted, and what we do or refrain from
doing is only according to our independent understanding and
feelings.
We have already written that this principle allows gaining
insight into the reason why the Torah writes in parshas
Poroh, "This is the chukah of the Torah." This is
because we infer from the Poroh Adumoh a principle
that applies to all mitzvos of the Torah and not only to that
particular mitzvah.
Now we can also understand why the Torah repeats the term
"saying." Actually the Torah is referring to two different
concepts: One: is the general concept that the whole Torah is
a chukah and we are not allowed to search for its
rationale, and Two: is the positive commandment to bring the
Poroh Adumoh.
Rashi therefore writes that the Satan and other nations taunt
Yisroel about Poroh Adumoh being illogical. The Satan
is the yetzer hora and man's fundamental material
essence. A person's nature is to want others to honor him and
to want to demonstrate to others how intelligent he is. The
Torah comes to teach us that we should elevate ourselves to
be resolute "people" with firm outlooks in life, to be people
who do not pay attention to what each Satan tries to tell
us.
The Torah commands us, "You shall love Hashem, your G-d,"
(Devorim 6:5) and Chazal (Yoma 86a) expound
that besides meaning that we should engage in an
avodoh of the heart that is tefillah it
includes also a positive mitzvah to cause the Name of Heaven
to be loved through us.
A Jew fulfills this mitzvah through proper behavior, through
pleasant interpersonal relations, through honest business
dealings. Also he fulfills it by forgoing justified monetary
rights, by disregarding his own will and such. As a result of
our general praiseworthy conduct we will not need to offer
explanations of chukim and mitzvos to every Satan and
nation. Since everyone recognizes how reliable, trustworthy
and helpful we are in our relationships, and that we fulfill
mitzvos only because we have been commanded to do so since
they are decrees from HaKodosh Boruch Hu and we do not
search for a rationale, we will also be honored and justified
for what we do.
On the contrary, through our fulfilling mitzvos in such a way
other people will eventually praise us and say, "For this is
your wisdom and discernment in the eyes of the peoples, who
shall hear these decrees and who shall say, `Surely a wise
and discerning people is this great nation.' "
Non-Jews see that the Jewish People are known for being wise
in all matters, and that they do not attempt to win favor
from influential people or to be accepted in society through
flattery, but perform the mitzvos only because HaKodosh
Boruch Hu has commanded them to do so. In addition, they
see that the Jewish People overcome their yetzer which
tries to entice them to act according to their wishes and
cravings, and that the Jewish People are totally obedient to
the Torah and the Shulchan Oruch. After observing
this, other nations realize the tremendous truth in our ways
and proclaim, "Surely a wise and discerning people is this
great nation."
HaRav E. E. Dessler is Menahel Ruchani of Yeshivas
Ponovezh.
