[This shmuess was delivered at the Mashgiach's monthly
shiur on Shabbos parshas Chukas 5764 and was
written up by a member of the audience.]
Part II
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 to other
nations? 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,
point by point. So why is this mitzvah termed "a decree from
Me and you are not allowed to seek its 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 that we wish
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. We see that where the Torah gives the
rationale for mitzvos, that knowledge caused gedolei
olom to stumble. Such knowledge is only secondary to other
Torah knowledge, and also presents unquestionable risk to
loyal Torah observance. As the Ponovezher Rov said he learned
from HaRav Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk, when studying Torah
one should not ask "why" (the reasons behind a mitzvah) but
rather "what" (just clearly defining the mitzvah
itself).
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. Only through
the radiance of the Torah will we see the real light. This
daas Torah is obtained through tradition, from our
rav, and our rav obtained it from his rav. No matter to what
extent we imagine that we understand the Torah, its hidden
reasons are much more profound than what is revealed to
us.
*
Now, with Hashem's help, we understand well why the Torah
does not write in parshas Poroh, "This is the
chukah of tumah" or "This is the chukah
of tohoroh" as the Or HaChaim asks. On the
contrary, from the mitzvah of Poroh Adumoh we learn
the proper attitude towards all of the Torah's mitzvos. They
are all, "This is the chukah of the Torah," and are,
"a decree from Me and you are not allowed to seek its
rationale."
A person who performs the Torah's mitzvos exclusively because
Hashem has commanded him to carry out his Creator's will,
without sophisticated motives and without even wanting to
effect tikkunim (spiritual rectification) in the
Celestial worlds by performing them, successfully rectifies
the cheit ha'eigel. Seforim Hakedoshim (and the
Beis HaLevi in parshas Ki Siso elaborates upon
it at length) write that the root of the cheit ha'eigel
consisted of bnei Yisroel's desire to imitate the
ways in which the world was created and their knowledge that
an image of a bull is engraved in the Merkovoh
(Celestial Chariot). They erroneously supposed that they
could cause the Shechinah to reside on them through
creating an eigel. Bnei Yisroel's intent was
entirely virtuous — to be zocheh that the
Shechinah reside upon them by means of the
eigel.
However, they were terribly mistaken. Although it is surely
true that what a person does in Olam Hazeh effects
blessed tikkunim and benefits the Celestial worlds,
since the Creator decreed that all worlds be controlled by
what man does in Olam Hazeh. This is, however, only if
his actions are explicitly commanded by HaKodosh Boruch
Hu.
On the other hand, if a man will do something that the Torah
did not command him to do, what he does will be entirely
useless. No tikkunim will be effected and the
Shechinah will not be caused to rest on him in such a
case. Tikkunim are effected only when a person
performs his Creator's will. When he does something without
Hashem's command, those deeds remain mere mortal acts.
Accordingly, in the construction of the Mishkan—
that atoned for the cheit ha'eigel as the Medrash
Rabba parshas Vayakheil tells us — the Torah writes
concerning every detail, "as Hashem commanded Moshe."
Everything was carried out according to Hashem's command and
absolutely nothing was done because it was inferred by their
intellect. Although Betzalel knew how to combine the letters
by which the heaven and earth were created and knew the
profound secrets in his holy work of building the
Mishkan, his only kavonoh was to do as Hashem
commanded—only to do His will and not because his own
intellect instructed him to do so. Because of this pure
kavonoh of following Hashem's will solely because that
is His will, could the Mishkan atone for the cheit
ha'eigel that was contradictory to strictly following
Hashem's will without relying on one's own understanding.
In Daas Torah (II, pp. 169-170), Maran the Mirrer
Mashgiach, R' Yeruchom zt'l writes: "In
parshas Pekudei concerning the arrangement of the
Mishkan and its keilim, the phrase "as Hashem
commanded Moshe" is written next to each detail. Moshe and
the chachomim with him did not do anything based on
their own decisions or understanding. They only did what they
were commanded and how they were commanded to do it.
"About Betzalel, the Torah writes, `He filled him with G-dly
spirit . . . and with every craft . . . stone-cutting for
setting, and wood-carving' (Shemos 35:31-32). Why is a
G-dly spirit needed for a simple act of carpentry?
"Betzalel did not do anything in the Mishkan by
himself or how he understood it. Everything Betzalel did was
only because a spirit of G-d filled him. Betzalel did not
even join two planks, a simple task that everyone knows how
to carry out, without Hashem commanding him. Furthermore,
Betzalel only used the knowledge he now received from Hashem
to build the Mishkan, without using his previous
knowledge. This obedience to Hashem is expressed in the
saying of Chazal (cited in Rashi, Shemos 38:22)
— "You were in the tzeil (shadow) of Hashem."
This was Betzalel's greatness—all that he did was not
because of his own brilliance, excellence and wisdom. He knew
and understood everything only through Hashem's wisdom. He
heard everything from Hashem and carried out all material and
spiritual aspects of all the actions with all their inner
meaning and fine details strictly, according to how Hashem
told him. The Name of Hashem was within him. Wherever he was,
Hashem was with him, and this was the source of the
Mishkan's kedushoh and because of this the honor of
Hashem filled the Mishkan.
This is what Shmuel said to Shaul, `To obey is better than a
choice offering' (Shmuel I, 1:22)—the aim of
offering korbonos is obeying HaKodosh Boruch
Hu. The objective of bringing korbonos is the
annulling of one's own entity, becoming closer to Him and
being His loyal servant. If one is not submissive to Hashem
what use is there for offering a korbon? Without
gaining the objective, the offering is worthless. `Listen and
your soul will be rejuvenated' (Yeshayohu 55:3).
To further clarify this subject, let us cite more of the
clearly defined teachings of the Mirrer Mashgiach (Daas
Torah, II pp. 198-199): "The substance of this world is
`doing.' Simply doing, without any sophisticated reasons for
my doing so. `I am commanded and therefore I am doing it,
with no additional reason for my doing it. I am doing it
without understanding it at all.' Doing anything based solely
on one's understanding is not the substance of Olam
Hazeh! `That I command you today, to perform them'
(Devorim 8:11). The substance of Olam Hazeh is
`to perform them' — to perform acts in a way that is as
dry as a bone. To perform simply, without any sophisticated
reasons motivating me. The substance of Olam HaMa'aseh
(the world of human activity) is that it is a world of
emunoh. I believe although I am engulfed in complete
darkness, and act simply because I am commanded.
"It is related about R' Zundel Salanter zt'l (see
Chochmah UMussar I, essay 175) that when he arrived in
Yerushalayim he counted its houses. When people asked him why
he did that, he answered: `Is it not written, "Count her
towers" (Tehillim 48:13)!'
"Can we grasp the secrets hidden in acting with such
simplicity? What is `count its towers'? It is doing something
without any reason, carrying it out although it is an
extremely dry act without knowing why one is doing it.
Nonetheless, this is the substance of Olam
Hazeh— doing things that are as dry as a bone. `I
believe' is what is needed and no more. It is written `Count
its towers' so therefore let us count!
"The gemora (Bovo Basra 75a) teaches us from the
posuk: `And make your gates of carbuncle stones'
(Yeshayohu 54:12) the following: `R' Yochonon would
expound: In the future HaKodosh Boruch Hu will bring
precious stones and pearls that are thirty by thirty . . .
That talmid mocked: At the present we do not find
[precious stones even as big as] an egg of a small bird
called ta'atzil. So how can we possibly find precious
stones that are so large? At a later time he sailed on a boat
and saw mal'ochei hashoreis sawing down precious
stones and pearls that are thirty by thirty.' (Beyond
question, he was not a simple talmid since we see that
he was zocheh to see mal'ochim!). `He came
before R' Yochonon and told him: "What the Rebbe expounded
was correct. What you told me would be, I indeed saw." He
said to him: "Ignoble person! If you did not see [what I
taught you to be true] you would not have believed [what I
taught you]! You mock what Chachomim say." R' Yochonon
stared at him and [that talmid] turned into a pile of
bones.
"R' Yochonon didn't kiss his talmid because he was
zocheh to see mal'ochim. What a person tangibly
sees should be preferable to what he understands with his
intellect. But R' Yochonon said to him: "If you did not see,
you would not have believed." Your refusal to rely on what I
told you shows you do not at all understand the substance of
Olam Hazeh. It consists in one's remaining a simple
person without actually seeing and without understanding. "I
do not understand, I do not know, but I believe"
— and not more than that! Do we not have a
posuk, "And make your gates of carbuncle stones?" That
posuk is true whether I understand it or not! Do we
not have a posuk, "Count her towers?" That posuk
is true whether I understand it or not!"
End of Part II
