Upon
awakening from sleep, we resume our life’s journey. From the moment that the
holy Jewish soul is returned to the body, a fresh opportunity is presented to
actualize our lifelong process of growth. How do we achieve this lofty goal?   

Chazal explain
that sleep is the period of time when our soul (the neshama) ascends to the
supernal realms. The vacuum left behind causes a temporary influx of what we
call – tum’ah – spiritual impurity. Upon awakening this tum’ah recedes to our
hands with our sages giving us the knowledge of how to remove it by
re-sanctifying our hands.

    But even before we do that, t he
first thing we do in the morning is say “modeh ani”, proclaiming our
humble gratitude to our Creator for showing His confidence in us by restoring
our soul to our body, giving us another day of life in which to fulfill Torah
and mitzvoth. We surely appreciate that the renewal of our life each day is a
gift — a fresh opportunity to actualize our lifelong process of spiritual
growth.  How do we achieve this lofty
goal in a practical way? And how, we might ask,  are we  permitted 
to say “modeh ani,” before we have purified our hands?

             In order to try to answer these
questions, we will look a bit more deeply into the spiritual connection between
our hands and our voices.

The Malbim
explains that the hands represent the earthly power and might that lie within
the domain of  Eisav; but the voice,
which emanates from the realm of the soul lies within the domain of Yaakov.

 When Yaakov approached Yitzchok for his
brachos, Yitzchok touched him and felt the “hands of Eisav” but heard the “voice
of Yaakov”, and thus made the immortal declaration:  “…hakol 
kol Yaakov —- ve hayadayim yedai  Eisav.” (Toldos 27:  22)

            Looking
more deeply into these words, we come to learn that, according to the Malbim, Hashem
desired that Yaakov be given both spiritual and material gifts and
blessings.   However, material blessings would come to Yaakov
not by means of natural cause and effect, but only through hashgacha, through
his voice – his Torah and tefillah. If however, G-d forbid, his Torah learning and
tefillah were to be  diminished then the
flow of material blessings would also decrease. 

            And
now we are ready to address our earlier question – how is it that we are
permitted to utter the “Modeh ani…” even before we wash our hands?   First we should recognize that the impurity
that rests on our hands when we wake up is reflected in interesting ways.
Accordingly to one neurologist, the first parts of the body to, so to speak,
wake up after sleep are the hands. Conceptually, we can understand this as
follows: Our Sages have taught us that the first inclination that “wakes” up
within us is the yetzer hara and only later in life does the yetzer hatov
“awaken” thereby becoming proactive. Thus Eisav, the embodiment of the  yetzer hora, proceeded Yaakov and was born
first, the Midrash teaches in order to absorb any extant impurities, so that
Yaakov Aveinu could be born free of blemishes. Another moshal which can clarify
this issue is that many fruits initially are surrounded by an inedible klipah
which actually protects the valuable fruit until it fully develops. 

            Our
precious soul, which has now been graciously returned to us, needs be the
director of all our deeds. Therefore, first thing upon awakening, we proclaim are
the “modeh ani…” to acknowledge that it is our neshoma for which we thank
Hashem. The neshoma is embodied in the voice – the kol, kol Ya’kov, a Divine
gift. And since the praise is of a purely spiritual content, it lies beyond the
realm of any negative influence of impurity. Therefore, we are able to express this
praise  even before washing  our hands. However, for other praises,
blessings and tefillos that are connected with our physical endowments and
pleasures, we need  first annul any
remaining impurity and re-sanctify ourselves through netillas yadayim.

          Interestingly, the nusach of netillas
yadayim, the first blessing of the day, provides a profound insight:  “Blessed ( or: The Source of all) are You,
Hashem, our G-d King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments,
and has commanded us on the washing –“netillas yadayim” – of the hands. Notably,
the Sages did not choose for this blessing the word “rechitza” meaning “washing”
but “netilla” meaning “taking”, as 
in the bracha of  the lulov  where we say “al netillas lulav,” on the
taking of the lulov, Perhaps a deeper reason for the selection of this – nusach
 is  that just as the mitzvah of lulov is
accomplished through the  act of “taking
hold” of  the lulov, so also do we
achieve spiritual success with the use of our hands – our ma’aseh yadayim –  by  “taking
hold of “ , i.e., controlling and directing  our actions toward the fulfillment of the will
of  Hashem.  May we soon merit to raise our voices and
hands together in a unison greeting the Moshiach and the final redemption soon
in our days.              

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                  “Hashem said to Abram,  who was then  living in Ur of the Chaldees, a cosmopolitan city of idol worshippers:  “Go away from the land, from your relatives and your father’s  house to the land that I will show you.”  So Abram left Ur and settled in Eretz Canaan where he was able to grow in the ways of  Hashem.  Yet, when it came time for Avraham to find a wife for his son, Yitzchak, he sent his servant, Eliezer , back to that idolatrous setting where he had grown up, saying  “and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house,”  that is from the very place from which Avram had fled those many years before. 

Avraham Aveinu’s spiritual journey continues to provide  the  road map for our journeys today.  So there is a great lesson for us in these pesukim — a great formula for personal growth in the service of Hashem, When a person decides to relinquish his or her former lifestyle and lead a life of  enhanced holiness,  he or she  remains  vulnerable to the inducements of that original lifestyle for quite some time.  This can create a serious impediment to his or her complete spiritual transformation.   

After Avraham Avinu had successfully climbed up to the ‘mountain of Hashem’ and achieve a new level of understanding  from that vantage point, he was able to infuse these ideals of purity and righteousness into  his son Yitzchak.  Though Avraham Aveinu did not himself return to his point of origin, he had achieved the strength necessary to take some of the good from that place in the form of a wife for his son, Rivka Imeinu.  

                 However Avraham did not himself go back to Ur nor did he send his son Yitzchak.   Avraham had perfected the meda, attribute, of chesed, altruistic loving kindness which at its extreme can see everything and everyone as good. This is a beautiful quality but nefarious people can easily take advantage of such a person. His son Yitzchak had perfected the meda attribute of gevuros, discipline and restraint. This quality when isolated without a balance of chesed can be to structured without a balanced flow which can lead to becoming too judgmental and unforgiving. Perfection lies in the balance of kindness and restraint, the quintessential attribute called teferes – splendor as represented by Yaakov Aveinu. It was therefore through Yaakov Aveinu that the entire Jewish nation could be developed. Thus neither Avraham nor Yitzchak returned to Avraham’s because the Torah wants to teach us that in order to be qualified to overcome the influences of one’s upbringing in a healthy perfected manner it is necessary to balance and blend chesed and gavurot so well that our personality unifies these attributes to the point that all our decisions and action emanate from the newly developed attribute of  teferes.

               Yaacov Avinu lived many years in the home of Lavan who was the prototype deceiver and epitome of unperceived evil but Yaacov didn’t compromise his righteousness throughout his stay. He was successfully able to release all the fallen sparks of holiness that had been trapped in the (klipa) prison of spiritual darkness and raise them back up to the light of kiddusha this being his wives, twelve children, who became the foundational roots of the entire Jewish nation, and the flocks.

                Yaacov Avinu is the prototype of Torah, Avraham Avinu is the prototype (gimilus cassadim) kindness and Yitzchak Avinu is the prototype of (Avoda) Divine service. These are the three pillars of Jewish life and all need to be in place for true service. With them we are then able to confront and challenge any and all people and situations in life. Until we reach that unity and balance we need to withdraw ourselves from any and all negative influences that can distract us from our goal of spiritual enlightenment. Our front line defense is the strict adherence to following the Torah and following the wise dictates of our Sages.

              At every step of the way we need to turn only to the Creator with our sincere heart and soul pleading to be shown and lead down the correct path of life. When we have securely rooted ourselves in Torah, Avoda and Gilmilus Cassidim then when can when called upon safely return – mean interact and confront even the subconscious pulls of our past. Returning to ones place of birth and upbringing – means returning to an environment and mindset whose lifestyle is parallel to that what which had before our spiritual transformation but now being able to differentiate from ones needs and ones wants. Returning to ones family means allowing our old connections and emotional feelings to surface however now being able to properly separate true G-dly emotions from emotions of self interest. Returning to ones parents  means to allow ourselves to as a spiritually mature adult interact without those who had greatly influenced us but not become swayed by any emotion of nostalgia.

          Even after Yaacov Avinu has successfully began his ascent back to the holy environment from which he came, we find that the Torah tells us an episode whereby Eisav confronted Yaacov trying to impede his ascent on the ladder of holiness. It was only through Yaacov’s perfection of Torah, Avoda and gimilius cassisdim that Yaacov was able to overcome Eisav and his angel. Perhaps this is hinted to in to three ways in which Yaacov prepared himself to interact with Eisav, who represents the epitome of evil. The Cazal inform us that Yaacov send gifts to his brother Eisav. First he send gifts which emanate from the media of gilmilus cassidim our spiritual inheritance from Avraham Avinu. He also prepared himself through prayer – this being Avoda parallel to Itzchak Avinu, and finally he prepared himself for war – this being the efforts of learning Torah paralleling Yaacov Avinu himself. This confrontation with Eisav came after the other challenges perhaps to teach us another important and profound lesson. Yaacov and Eisav were born twins. What are we suppose to learn from this? Cazal tells us that until they were the age of bar mitzvah Yaacov and his brother Eisav were indistinguishable – meaning they both acted externally the same. Only later did the evil of Eisav show itself in his actions. Perhaps this is to teach us that even after being successful in subduing our desires in our surroundings, influence from friends and relatives we still have another battle to confront with, that being the inner conflict of overcoming our own evil inclination that vies for power and control. This is our personal (yetzer hora) selfish inclination that exists to a certain extent  no matter how perfect our environment, friends and education was thought to be. This is the face to face confrontation with our Eisav. The Torah therefore teaches us the proper way to subdue, control or defeat our evil inclination through gifts of bestowing chesed a another even if he is you enemy, through prayer thereby showing ones believe in a Higher Source to life and through preparedness for war meaning as a last resort to be willing to stand up and fight for what we believe to be right and just.    When we are able to reach this level of return and tikun then the whole world will be awakened with the revelation of the proper service of Hashem in holiness. We will then be able to raise up not only ourselves but those around us thereby helping to bring the final geula.

            May we merit this so soon in our days.

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            Over the past several decades the roles of
both men and women in contemporary society have shifted dramatically leaving both
genders in the midst of  an identity crisis
that simply did not exist in earlier generations. So many people today
unfortunately caught up in this generational “tug of war”, are finding it more
and more difficult to understand and appreciate their purpose and position in
this world.   

The Torah provides for us in this weeks Parsha
Chayei Sarah an invaluable insight within the story of the (shiduk) engagement  between Yitzchak Avinu and his wife to be,
Rivka.  It came to pass that our forefather
Avraham Aveinu sent his servant  Eliezer
to Avraham’s relatives seeking a wife for Yitzchak.   Hashem 
guided  Eliezer and  gave him the opportunity to observe Rivka’s
extraordinary (midos) character and good deeds (ma’asim tovim) through her altruistic
act of chesed. It was her very selfless act of kindness that allowed  Eliezer to understand that he had found that
unique neshama who would be the appropriate bride for Yitzchak. In anticipation
of this eventuality, Avraham had sent with him special gifts for the kallah and
her family to consummate this stage of the(shiduk) marriage proposal.     

The gifts given over to Rivka were a golden ring called
a nezem, and two arm bracelets (Chayei 
Sarah, 24:22.), therefore there is to endeavor to deepen our
understanding of the profound symbolism that lies within these gifts.    Since our Torah is an eternal document for all
times and all places, these pieces of jewelry are as much a gift for the Jewish
woman of today, as they were for Rivka (Imainu) our matriarch in that they are
capable of offering insights that can help to rejuvenate and revitalize each
women’s connection with her proper role even in the midst of  our spiritually troubled and discordant times.

The words and actions of  righteous Jewish woman emanate from the neshama,
the soul which is rooted in a very pristine place deep within.   Is it then any wonder that the gift for
Rivka was a – nezem – a ring which was used in the place which is the gateway
for the entry of the soul – the place where the Creator breathed the soul of  life into Adam  (Bereishes 2:7).

Our Holy Torah, through this parsha, takes this
opportunity to realign material and spiritual values thereby closing the gap
between them, teaching each women the secret of seamlessly blending within
herself a life of holiness that incorporates softness and strength, kindness
and discipline, generosity and restraint. It is authority that is most
effectively expressed in the absence of overt power – by innuendo rather than
by confrontation.  For all its subtlety
don’t think for a moment that it lacks purpose, direction or strength.  It is the antibiotic camouflaged in the
spoonful of ice cream.  It is pure
empathetic compassion, objectified, tempered by practicality, seasoned by good
judgment and used for the purpose of  nurturing
and healing those  souls given over to
her care.

 This ring has
within it a further message that connects the past with the present in that it had
the weight of a (beka) a half –shekel– and that too is significant.   Each Jew was required to give a half shekel
gift,  a one time gift for the building
of the  Mishkan as well as a yearly
donation of this amount to be used for the communal sacrifices. (Ki Sisa: 30:13;
Shekalim, 1:1; Megillah 29b).

The gift of the half shekel was one that every Jew
was required to contribute toward the building of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle.  It  was
dedicated to the adonim — the silver sockets that held the boards which formed
the walls of the Mishkan.   These sockets
are the foundation of the walls of Mishkan, where we made our home with
Hashem, even as the woman  is the foundation
of the home she establishes with her husband.     

  Eliezer
also gave Rivka two arm bracelets weighing ten golden shekels.  The two arm bracelets represent the two
tablets of the law; and their weight of ten shekels symbolizes the Ten
Commandments. (Chaya Sara, 24:22, Rashi). 
The ring and the golden bracelets are both, being circular, suggestive
of  the fact each woman is able to
complete the connection of the Torah with this world through becoming a conduit
using her unique energy that is provided by her holy soul and binding it with
the performance of good deeds and acts of 
kindness. Through these works of (chesed) kindness every woman is able
to greatly rectify this world as a emissary of Hashem through her home and
hearth thereby allowing a holy dwelling place for the (Shekina) Divine presence.

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               We are all familiar
with Hashem’s oath to Avraham Avinu after the Akeidas Yitzchak – or are we?
“The angel of Hashem called to Avraham a second time from heaven. And he said,
‘By myself I swear – the word of Hashem – that because you have done this
thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one, that I shall surely bless
you and greatly increase your offering like the stars of the heavens and
like the sand on the seashore and your offspring shall inherit the gate
of its enemy. And all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your
offspring, because you have listened to My voice.’” (Vayeria – 22:15-17), What is the nature of
this promise? After all, if we are likened to the lofty, exalted multitude of stars,
what is being added by the words that compare us to the minuscule sand on the
seashore?

   To add to this quandary, the Midrash Or
HaAfelah informs us that this pasuk teaches us the inevitable consequence of
our momentous choices:  When the Jewish
nation complies with the Creator’s will, we will resemble the stars of the
heavens, whom no nation can dominate, however when the Nation is defiant, then
it will resemble the sand of the seashore that is trampled by every oppressive
foot. The Medrash suggests that this promise to Avraham is not exclusively a
blessing, for it also contains an admonition. Since we are told that this
promise is Avraham’s reward for the Akeidah: – “. . .  because you have listened to My voice”, how
can we properly understand this Midrash?

       Perhaps we can find a solution to the implication
of this Midrash, in the pasukim, by considering two well known but seemingly paradoxical
paths in the service of Hashem that are actually complementary to each other.  One path is to serve Hashem, like the stars
of the heavens, by seeing the gadlus haBorei — the majesty of the Infinite
Creator, while the other path is achieved through seeing oneself, like the sand
of the sea, through

 the lens of shiflus atzmo – our
relative minuteness. Through learning Torah we can come to see the gadlus haBorei
in every facet within the creation, whereas our tefillos are designed to aid us
in reaching a place of equanimity through humbly recognizing our total
dependence on the benevolence of the Creator. Just as the waves of the sea
wash over the sand constantly purifying it, so do the “waves” of our nusach in
tefillah flow through us constantly purifying and realigning our “attitudinal
coastlines” according to the will of Hashem.

              Furthermore, perhaps we
can surmise that even though being compared to the sand of the seashore
contains an admonition, there is also imbedded within it a blessing for just
like sand when trampled upon maintains its unique resilience and unity, so how
much more so is the grandeur of our holy Jewish nation has demonstrated time
and time again its resiliency in weathering throughout our shifting historical
galus the political, theological and social “storms” that that, have tried to
erode away our idealism and solidarity”. Fortunately the blessing given to
Avraham Avinu and his descendants to be like the sand of the sea assures us
that even though some of the nation has drifted away from the service of our
benevolent Creator, soon refreshing “tides of holiness”, captained by Malcus
David, will float everyone back to his or her place within the nation so as to
be in position to usher in the final geula and rebuilding of our holy Temple. We
see expressed in the Min Hameitzar of Hallel as it is said: – “You pushed me
hard that I might fall but Hashem assisted me” and then the Hallel continues
with the inspiring expression: “The stone despised by the builders has become
the cornerstone.”

            Another wondrous moshal that can be culled
from our being compared to the sand of the seashore; just as grain of sand
that becomes imbedded within a oyster can be miraculously become the catalyst
for the formation of a precious pearl, how much more so can we, the Jewish
nation, that has been swallowed up within the troughs of galus, use this challenging
opportunity to reveal the “pearls” of our potential.

             May we also soon merit
the words at the conclusion of the blessing promised to Avraham Avinu: “And all
the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your offspring, because you
have listened to My voice.”

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              Did you ever ask yourself what is
the deeper significance, on a personal level, of this week’s cryptic Torah
portion in Parshas Lech Lecha (14: 1 – 24) that relates the story of the four
powerful Kings, whose armies after conquering the armies of the five kings,
took Lot, the nephew of Avraham, as one of their captives?

                  One of the great Cassidic masters said just
like the world around us consists of the four major elements of earth, fire,
water and air, which parallel the four kings, so also on a microcosmic level we
have these counterpart forces within our personalities. Therefore these four
kings within us if they attack us will take the form of such negative
attributes as an earthly feelings of laziness, as unfettered fiery passions,  as unabated flood of uncontrolled lusts and as
an attitude of the haughty winds of arrogance.

          Then the
Rebbe goes on to reveal that the five kings who were conquered can be understood
to be alluding to our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch
when they have become corrupt in their own right.

            On the positive side of the coin however the
four basic elements within us as well as our five senses can and should become
our soul’s (which is referring to the qualities of Avraham and our other forefathers
which lies within each of us, allies in our striving for holiness. How so?

            It is
through “planting seeds” of alacrity in fertile “soil” of our holy Torah that “fruitful”
abundance “sprouts” forth.

            It is
through harnessing the attribute of “fiery” enthusiasm in the service of H. that
comes forth an abundance of spiritual “light and energy”.

            It is through
“drinking” from the revitalizing “waters” from the “sea” of the Torah that can truly
“quench” the thirst of our souls.

        And it is through
living within the “atmosphere” of the Torah that has the power to purify and
renew the “air” around us which leads to a more spiritually vibrant life.

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              May we all fill our (teivos)
Arks with (kedusha) holiness so that they can serve as a sanctuary
for us in our voyage through this world thereby meriting to complete our
passage through the storms of (galus) exile safely returning us to our
home port of final (geula) redemption soon in our days.

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 approach that uniqueness as if
the success or failure of it is dependant on our efforts, with of course the
help of Hashem.

         Perhaps another explanation of why
specifically Yehoshua was designated to lead the Nation into the Land and then
conquer it can be seen in his name. Yehoshua is a contraction of two words
meaning: Hashem will save us. This is let us know that the battle for
holiness can only be successful through our recognizing and accepting our
dependence on G-d’s help. This means we have to make our best effort but
simultaneously realize that all our power and success comes from Hashem, then
He will guide and protect us in all our ways.

            May we all imbue our
lives with the true strength of faith and courage of belief only in the Torah,
thereby serving Hashem with all our hearts, with all our souls and all our
possessions.

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“There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of the giant

                        from among the Nephilim; and it came to pass that in our eyes

[we were] like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes.”  Bamidbar, 13:33

The military reconnaissance of the Land presaged a battle that  appeared hopeless as it would pit  the weak and small  against the strong and mighty. The spies – meraglim – in  answering the questions posed to them upon their return, seemingly did no more than state the obvious danger;  yet we know that they committed a grave sin in so doing.  What can we learn from this tragic event in order to avoid the errors of the meraglim?

The first step is to understand the nature of their failing.

The commentators acknowledge that the meraglim recognized  Hashem’s power but suggest that the spies thought that Hashem was going to limit Himself and act in accordance with nature and therefore B’nei Yisrael would be unable to triumph.

 Yehoshuah and Caleb, men of complete faith, demonstrated what it takes to remain men – anashim – even in the face of  vastly stronger and more powerful enemies. Yehoshua faced the distraught assembly that was weeping and entreating Moshe to return to Egypt and told them a simple but profound truth.  He did not deny the obvious size and strength of the giants, but exhorted that “If  Hashem is pleased with us then will He bring us into this land  and will give it to us . . . and you , you should not fear the people of the land for they are our bread; their protective shadow is departed from them as G-d is with us . . . “ (Bamidbar 14: 8-9).

           It all depends on the lens through which we view the test. The meraglim saw the inhabitants of the land as being too daunting and the land as being unconquerable, because they used their own personal discernment, Yehoshua and Calav viewed the inhabitants of the land through the lens of daas Torah and thus perceived them as presenting no meaningful obstacle.  

   Unless a Jew sees himself as a representative of G-d who is All Powerful, he will see himself  not as a person facing his adversary, but rather as a “grasshopper” facing a “giant”. The way in which we perceive our relationship to  Hashem is the deciding factor in how we view ourselves.

 Referring to the spies’ encounter with the giants, the  Torah says “vanehi b’eineinu k’chagavim” and   “and in our  eyes [too] we were like grasshoppers.”  “Nehi” connotes weeping or crying and suggests a diminished, disheartened and despairing emotional state.  Although the  meraglim were initially described as ‘anashim’  righteous men — heads of the tribes of  Israel,  their lack of faith now surfaced transforming them to lose their exalted status.  

As is all too apparent from our experiences during this long difficult galus, if our belief in Hashem weakens, our Jewish self esteem is diminished undermining our ability to see and appreciate our unique mission in this world.    The Kotzke Rebbe explains: The spies had no right to consider how the giants viewed them. As Jews and emissaries for the Jewish people, they should have thought only of their mission, not of what anyone else thought of them.            How many times do we become discouraged because of what we feel or perceive that other people think?

When, in that diminished psychological state, if we should be confronted by a difficult challenge, it takes on the hugeness of a giant in our eyes and as such has the power to discourage us from achieving our true potential and fulfilling our destiny.

             How can we overcome this challenge. First we should realize that there is no barrier so  large or overwhelming that we cannot hurdle it,  if it is Hashem’s will  that we do so. The Maraglim saw themselves as grasshoppers. Why grasshoppers? Perhaps to teach us that every challenge gives us the opportunity to choose our direction and destiny in life. When threatened, the grasshopper can either jump back, as did the meraglim who counseled the nation to jump far away from their  “giant” appearing challenges or it can use it powerful hind legs to leap over the obstacle  that lies before it.  From this we can learn a wondrous lesson that when we stand up to a challenge for Hashem’s honor our supernal “legs” of trust and faith “jump up” to the forefront and aid us in leaping over all and any perceived hurdles and barriers.

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       The eternal Torah, whose every word
or even letter is replete with deep meaning and profound impact in our lives,
transmits to us elaborately (spanning over one hundred passukim in Parshas
Bamidbar, Nasso,  Behaaloscha [and then
further in Parshas Korach] (perek 1 
passukim 47 – 54; perek 3 : 5-51; perek 4: 1-49, perek 8: 5-26 and
18-21-32) the designation, separation, elevation of  the tribe of Leviim. “The Levities according
to their father’s tribe were not counted among them.” – that being the rest of
the Jewish Nation.  “Hashem spoke to
Moses saying, ‘but you should not count the tribe of Levi, and you shall not
take a census of them among the Children of Israel. You shall appoint the
Levities over the Mishkan of Ha’edus, over all its utensils and everything that
belongs to it”      

                       Rashi, our most illustrious
commentator, tells us that the Leviim merited this elevated status because of
their loyalty and courage in the incident of the Golden Calf (1:49). / The entire tribe of Levi
refused to participate in that sin proving their unswerving dedication to The
Creator of the Universe.

              The Ramban further enlightens us –
“The task of the Levities was not so much to protect the Mishkan [and Bais
HaMigdash] as a militia, but rather to serve as an honor guard, as befits the
royal palace” (1:53). / The Jewish people’s task is to be an instrument of
recognition of Hashem and His will in this world. Chazal tell us that a true King
only assumes status as a ruler if there exists a nation that acknowledges and
follows His decrees. / Thus Leviim in all generations are those Jews who
steadfastly keep their focus on proper, enthusiastic service of Hashem through
His Torah.

                  The Leviim’s duty in the Mishkan/Bais
HaMigdash was to assist the Kohanim – among other ways by singing and playing
musical instruments as korbonos were brought. Today the sound of  our voices and music, if expressed sincerely, is
an inner expression of our soul’s yearning to come close to the Creator. Song
also expresses the fact that the total harmony of the universe is under the
absolute control and guidance of Hashem.

             The Divine service of Leviim represents
the part of each of us that links us forever with our spiritual purpose in this
world. Rashi, on the same passuk, tells us: that “from this time on, the Leviim
were to be separated from the rest of the nation and elevated to a new status.”
The Seforno, (also on this passuk) informs us that: “because the Leviim would
be performing their service on behalf of the nation, the rest of the people
would have the obligation to support them, by giving them tithes.”

           An Art Scroll commentary explains it
thus: “Those who serve the people by filling their responsibilities in the
Tabernacle, by teaching the Torah, or by performing any other spiritual tasks
are not to be regarded as supplicants. It is national responsibility to provide
for those who carry out the spiritual obligations of the rest of the people.”

             The Leviim were counted from one
month and upward – with no limit to age indicating that their spiritual mission
is not dependent on age or strength (3:15). The Rambam describes the mission of
the Leviim in Hilchos Shemittah and Yovel 
(13: 12-13) “They
are the legion of Hashem, whose task is to serve Him and to teach His Torah and
way of life to others.” He adds : “Any who follows the example of the Leviim
becomes sanctified as kodesh kodashim, and Hashem will be his portion and heritage
for all eternity. In this world, he will merit what befits him, as the Kohanim
and Levities merited it.” This status of Levy is conferred for life on all
those who totally dedicate their lives to the service of Hashem, independent of
age or strength.

                A wonderful concept derived
from the Leviim’s designation is brought to light by the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah
3:7). The infant Leviim  counted from one
month old, surely did not participate in the guarding the Mishkan, so the
Leviim should have been counted from when they began their service. However,
Hashem wished to reward them greatly for their loyal service, so when they
reached thirty years old and began to serve, He retroactively rewarded them  as if they had indeed served from the age of
one month.

           This concept should also apply to our own lives.
Meaning, if we totally dedicate our time, energy and potential from now on to
the service of Hashem, we may merit to have our entire lives credited as Divine
service. How much hope and opportunity this teaching offers us. We can no
longer say it’s too late, or I have already wasted so much of my life. If we
start today with an absolute dedication, we can be credited with lifelong service.

                 Now let us look at a few
classical commentaries on the names and purposes of the three sons of Levi, who
each were given a unique role in the carrying of the Mishkan. In Bamidbar 3:17 it is stated – “These were the
sons of Levi, by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.” However in 4:4 it
is stated “This is the work of the sons of Kohath in the Ohel Moed: the most
holy.” The commentators explain that Kohath was later listed first before
Gershon because he was designated to carry the most holy parts of the Mishkon,
meaning that he had become elevated because of his assignment.

                  What can we learn and apply
to our own lives from this part of the Torah? Some of the great Cassidisher
masters teach us that Gershon, Kehas and Merari represent three varying but
proper approaches available to us depending on our spiritual level, when we are
confronted by challenging circumstances. There is the level of the tzaddik,
whose service is so unswerving that no temptation lures him away from his
steadfast dedication to the Creator. This is symbolized by the sons of Kehas,
who carried the Aron Hakodesh miraculously on their shoulder – like tzaddkim who
don’t use the desires or objects of this world for their own personal pleasure,
but only for Divine service.

                     The next level of avoda is practiced by
those stay at a distance from the allurements of the yetzer hora, making
‘spiritual fences’, as alluded to in the name Gershon – separating or divorcing
themselves from anything that could blemish their proper service.

                      Then there are those
times when, for all of us,  the righteousness
of  Kohath or the protective attributes
of Gershon are not within our reach. At such times we must use the inner strengths
represented by Merari. Literally the name means “bitter”, and it is at those
times, when life seems bleak, when one feels helpless and besieged, that the
proper avodah is to cry out sincerely to our Creator. Merari was assigned  to carry the heaviest parts of the Mishkan
teaching us that the proper path of service during difficult times, as hinted
to in his name, is to accept the yoke of Heaven with sincere repentance.

              When the Jewish nation was asked: “Mi la-Hashem…?”
the entire Shevet Levi stepped forward. May we all merit to “step forward”
thereby bringing closer the Final Redemption, soon in our days.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

                                
OPPORTUNE TIMES OF DEVELOPMENT

                     
       The holy Torah, our guide
book through life, gives us not only direction but the fuel/energy to strive
towards our goals and aspirations, yet we find almost a complete parsha ( Behar
25: 1 – 55) dedicated to commanding us on each seventh (Shemita) and the
fiftieth (Yovel) years to cease from many halachic forms of “effort”. These
lengthy periods of cessation from certain halachically defined activities, for
the uniformed would naturally appear to be the antithesis of productive effort.
However, as contradictory as it may appear on the surface, these macrocosmic
periods of “applied restraint” are the most valuable times for growth and
development. This is because there is no higher goal and purpose in life than
achieving a level of “pro-active submission” in following the will of   G-d. “Cessation of self-determination” during
these times reveals the Divine radiance on earth, thereby crowning Hashem as
King of the universe.

                Even though we are not
presently privy to the full revelation of the Torah as revealed through the Shemita
and Yovel, we have been given the privilege weekly through the Shabbos and
during the yearly period referred to as Sefiriot HaOmer to make the pro-active
proclamation that we are willing to defer and or redirect our self interests.

              What application today in our own
lives can we derive from the awesome transformational power of  Shemita and especially Yovel? All Jews have
holy souls that have been sent down into this world garmented in physical
bodies and surrounded by an environment that is ideal for each one of us in
order to help rectify and elevate the creation. During our lifetimes we are
given various experiences of which some are pleasant and some are very
challenging, however all of life’s events are perfectly crafted to serve a
purpose for our benefit. If we could but for a moment have a glimpse at our
lives from the Heavenly realm, from that prospective the allotment that has
been given to us as our portion in life would be seen as tailored made and
artfully fitted to help us reach and fulfill our potential. From that panoramic
view, there would be no more questions or doubts. Each stage of life and each
unique situation whether “traveling” through the “wilderness of experience” or “submitting”
to each period of “encampment” would be seen as what it really is: a golden
opportunity to achieve rectification and purification.

               This ‘ladder’ of development and
transition both in the microcosm as well as the macrocosm is a fifty level
cycle that we experience yearly through the counting of the Sefiras HaOmer
leading up to Matan Torah. Just as each day represents a different combination
of attributes, whose interplay allows for refinement of our midos, so also on a
macrocosmic level, when the majority of 
the Jewish nation are living in Eretz Israel, there is a fifty year
cycle culminating in the Yovel year, which is a special gift from G-d, that allows
us to transcend the bonds of nature. Perhaps this then can be a deeper
connection between the Yovel and Shavous. They can be seen as a (reflective) mirror
image of each other, in that Yovel releases indentured bodies from physical
bondage thereby allowing for a renewed bonding with the soul, whereas the time
of Seferia releases us from our mental and emotional attitudinal bondage
allowing for a renewed bonding with the Creator through His Torah.

            Just as we draw closer with baited
breath to this Yom Tov of Matan Torah so also may we merit soon to hear the
long awaited shofar of the final geula.    

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia