Chasidut for Berakhot 66:5
ולא פליגי והא פליגי רבנן
Are there not, indeed, some who differ?" "The Rabbis differ from him."
Kedushat Levi
Deuteronomy 28,12. “Hashem will open for you His bounteous store, the heavens.” Although we have a statement by our sages in B’rachot 33 that G’d’s only “possessions” in His treasure chambers are the four cubits of “halachah,” i.e. reverence for Him displayed by meticulous observance of the laws of the Torah, [a statement based on Deuteronomy 10,12, Ed.], we also have a rule that although man’s spiritual journey in this world commences with a dose of reverence and awe for Hashem, this is followed by a feeling of pleasure which proves to have been “hidden” within the folds of the garment called יראה, awe. The reason why this is so is that had service of the Lord commenced with feelings of pleasure, its ethical value would have been null and void, as “serving” the Lord would have been turned into an entirely pleasurable act, not something that is the result of choosing this option in the knowledge that the alternative appeared to offer more immediate rewards. This is the reason why the pleasurable aspects of practicing reverence and awe for the Lord need to be hidden during life on this earth. When man “tires himself out” during a lifetime of service to his Creator, then G’d will open His treasure chamber in the heavens so that he will enjoy pleasure. This has been alluded to in the words of Isaiah 33,6 where the prophet said: יראת ה' היא אוצרו,”reverence for the Lord –that was her treasure. (Zion’s)
The word אוצר, usually translated as “treasure, or granary,” applies to something stored out of sight, hidden. This “treasure” normally concealed inside the attribute of יראה, “fear, awe,” will be released openly, i.e. in due course G’d will “open” these treasures previously kept hidden as a result of the recipient having served the Lord loyally. Our verse therefore concludes with the simile of beneficial rainfall, i.e. G’d’s treasures being openly revealed to the Jewish people as well as the world at large as His gift to them. [During early Jewish history, when Yitzchok, in a year of famine, and although not a farmer by vocation, could plant and his harvest was 100 fold the harvest in normal years, this convinced the Philistines to remain on good terms with him. (Genesis 26,12-14, and 26-31) Ed.] This is also the reason why the Torah once decrees that we observe the Sabbath by writing: זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, “remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, (Exodus 20,8) and another time שמור את יום השבת לקדשו, “observe the Sabbath Day to keep it holy;” (Deuteronomy 5,12). The first time reference is made to serving the Lord by your actively observing the Sabbath; the second time it refers to the time when you will be passive, i.e. receive the reward for having observed the Sabbath here on earth.
The word אוצר, usually translated as “treasure, or granary,” applies to something stored out of sight, hidden. This “treasure” normally concealed inside the attribute of יראה, “fear, awe,” will be released openly, i.e. in due course G’d will “open” these treasures previously kept hidden as a result of the recipient having served the Lord loyally. Our verse therefore concludes with the simile of beneficial rainfall, i.e. G’d’s treasures being openly revealed to the Jewish people as well as the world at large as His gift to them. [During early Jewish history, when Yitzchok, in a year of famine, and although not a farmer by vocation, could plant and his harvest was 100 fold the harvest in normal years, this convinced the Philistines to remain on good terms with him. (Genesis 26,12-14, and 26-31) Ed.] This is also the reason why the Torah once decrees that we observe the Sabbath by writing: זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, “remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, (Exodus 20,8) and another time שמור את יום השבת לקדשו, “observe the Sabbath Day to keep it holy;” (Deuteronomy 5,12). The first time reference is made to serving the Lord by your actively observing the Sabbath; the second time it refers to the time when you will be passive, i.e. receive the reward for having observed the Sabbath here on earth.
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Kedushat Levi
Still on the subject of G’d “only” asking us to revere Him, etc; the Talmud in B’rachot 33 asks how Moses could possibly describe fear of and reverence for G’d, as something qualifying for the description as something “minimal,” i.e. כי אם? Surely a person who is in awe of Hashem has attained a lofty spiritual platform. The Talmud answers that from Moses’ personal vantage point, possessing reverence and awe for G’d was indeed something very minor, not requiring any great effort. The commentators, puzzled by this, ask that seeing Moses asked the Israelites at large to acquire such reverence and awe, Moses’ personal ease in having acquired it seems quite irrelevant?
It appears that an appropriate answer to this would be Exodus 1,21 where the Torah reports the reaction of the Jewish midwives to Pharaoh’s command to kill Jewish boy babies before they had actually been born. The Torah describes the midwives’ refusal to carry out Pharaoh’s command as being based on the fact that they were in fear and awe of the Jewish G’d not to commit murder. As a reward, G’d “built houses for these midwives.” Rashi explains that the “houses” referred to in that verse meant that their offspring would be Levites, Priests, or Royalty, i.e. the elite of the nation. In other words, Moses was born as a result of the reverence and awe for G’d displayed by his mother Yocheved when she put her life in danger by making sure that Jewish boy babies survived.
Moses was an extremely humble and modest man, according to the Torah’s testimony, more so than any other human being; from this it follows that he viewed the fact that he had survived birth at all as a reward for his mother’s awe of G’d which had prompted her to defy Pharaoh’s order to murder Jewish boy babies. He naturally, considered possession of such awe for G’d as something relatively easy to acquire, just as it had been a natural attribute of his mother. This is what the Talmud had in mind when it described this attribute as something relatively minor.
It appears that an appropriate answer to this would be Exodus 1,21 where the Torah reports the reaction of the Jewish midwives to Pharaoh’s command to kill Jewish boy babies before they had actually been born. The Torah describes the midwives’ refusal to carry out Pharaoh’s command as being based on the fact that they were in fear and awe of the Jewish G’d not to commit murder. As a reward, G’d “built houses for these midwives.” Rashi explains that the “houses” referred to in that verse meant that their offspring would be Levites, Priests, or Royalty, i.e. the elite of the nation. In other words, Moses was born as a result of the reverence and awe for G’d displayed by his mother Yocheved when she put her life in danger by making sure that Jewish boy babies survived.
Moses was an extremely humble and modest man, according to the Torah’s testimony, more so than any other human being; from this it follows that he viewed the fact that he had survived birth at all as a reward for his mother’s awe of G’d which had prompted her to defy Pharaoh’s order to murder Jewish boy babies. He naturally, considered possession of such awe for G’d as something relatively easy to acquire, just as it had been a natural attribute of his mother. This is what the Talmud had in mind when it described this attribute as something relatively minor.
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Kedushat Levi
A different approach to our verse. The Talmud in B’rachot 33 taught that if someone in his prayer for mercy to Hashem includes a line in which he compares G’d’s mercy on the young and helpless birds in the nest, by praying that Hashem should extend His mercy to him likewise, such a person is to be silenced. One of the commentators on that line in the Talmud explains that the reason why the author of the Mishnah considers this such a travesty, is that the worshipper arrogates to himself the right to draw parallels between emotions experienced by us mortal human beings and immortal Hashem. We have to accept Divine legislation, such as the commandment to send off the mother bird, as decrees, without trying to examine G’d’s motivation.
There is a line similar to the one we quoted from B’rachot 33 in Megillah 25, and there Tossaphot question the reasoning offered in the Talmud B’rachot by citing a well known poetical liturgist, Rabbi Eliezer Hakalir, who wrote (in connection with the kedushah we recite on the second day of Passover) suggesting that the commandment not to slaughter the mother animal and its young (Leviticus 22,8) on the same day, by citing G’d’s attribute of Mercy as the reason. [Tossaphot’s point is that surely Rabbi Eliezer Hakalir was not ignorant of both these Mishnayot? Tossaphot do not offer a solution. Ed.]
Perhaps we may resolve this problem when recalling that in Shabbat 151 the Talmud states that anyone who displays mercy and compassion vis a vis any of G’d’s creatures will experience that Hashem in turn will display His Mercy concerning himself. The root for that statement is found in the Zohar Tossephet 308 where it is stated that when a human being displays compassion for other creatures he “incites” the attribute of mercy, as a result of which this attribute will relate with mercy toward him.
It is a well known fact that חסדי ה' לא כלו, “the deeds of loving kindness by Hashem are inexhaustible because His mercy is inexhaustible.” If we sometimes have the feeling that we have been shortchanged by the attribute of Mercy, the reason is never that G’d has run out of Mercy, but the reason is that we do not qualify for it at all times. Nonetheless G’d is able to bring about a radical change within our hearts so that we will have a pure heart and qualify to serve Him loyally and devotedly. When that occurs, we will qualify for additional displays of His mercy. This is why we regularly pray: לא תכלא רחמיך ממנו, “do not allow Your mercy to come to and end as far as we are concerned.”(Psalms 40,12)
When Bereshit Rabbah 14,11 quotes psalm 150,6 [the last verse in psalms, Ed.] the line כל הנשמה תהלל קה יהללו-קה, is understood to mean that “with every breath we draw we praise the Lord with our whole soul,” so that G’d has no difficulty in changing us into a new creature whenever the soul is restored to us. At that time He can supply us with a pure, non-polluted heart.
We have mentioned repeatedly that a tzaddik by means of his prayer can convert what was an evil decree into a beneficial decree, as we have been taught in Moed Katan 16. This is also the meaning of ויכון בחסד כסאך ותשב עליו באמת “when Your throne will be firmly established through loving kindness You will sit on it truly.” [I could not find such a verse. Ed.] When G’d sits so firmly on His throne the righteous will not overturn His decrees, [as there has been no need for harsh decrees. Ed.]
There is a line similar to the one we quoted from B’rachot 33 in Megillah 25, and there Tossaphot question the reasoning offered in the Talmud B’rachot by citing a well known poetical liturgist, Rabbi Eliezer Hakalir, who wrote (in connection with the kedushah we recite on the second day of Passover) suggesting that the commandment not to slaughter the mother animal and its young (Leviticus 22,8) on the same day, by citing G’d’s attribute of Mercy as the reason. [Tossaphot’s point is that surely Rabbi Eliezer Hakalir was not ignorant of both these Mishnayot? Tossaphot do not offer a solution. Ed.]
Perhaps we may resolve this problem when recalling that in Shabbat 151 the Talmud states that anyone who displays mercy and compassion vis a vis any of G’d’s creatures will experience that Hashem in turn will display His Mercy concerning himself. The root for that statement is found in the Zohar Tossephet 308 where it is stated that when a human being displays compassion for other creatures he “incites” the attribute of mercy, as a result of which this attribute will relate with mercy toward him.
It is a well known fact that חסדי ה' לא כלו, “the deeds of loving kindness by Hashem are inexhaustible because His mercy is inexhaustible.” If we sometimes have the feeling that we have been shortchanged by the attribute of Mercy, the reason is never that G’d has run out of Mercy, but the reason is that we do not qualify for it at all times. Nonetheless G’d is able to bring about a radical change within our hearts so that we will have a pure heart and qualify to serve Him loyally and devotedly. When that occurs, we will qualify for additional displays of His mercy. This is why we regularly pray: לא תכלא רחמיך ממנו, “do not allow Your mercy to come to and end as far as we are concerned.”(Psalms 40,12)
When Bereshit Rabbah 14,11 quotes psalm 150,6 [the last verse in psalms, Ed.] the line כל הנשמה תהלל קה יהללו-קה, is understood to mean that “with every breath we draw we praise the Lord with our whole soul,” so that G’d has no difficulty in changing us into a new creature whenever the soul is restored to us. At that time He can supply us with a pure, non-polluted heart.
We have mentioned repeatedly that a tzaddik by means of his prayer can convert what was an evil decree into a beneficial decree, as we have been taught in Moed Katan 16. This is also the meaning of ויכון בחסד כסאך ותשב עליו באמת “when Your throne will be firmly established through loving kindness You will sit on it truly.” [I could not find such a verse. Ed.] When G’d sits so firmly on His throne the righteous will not overturn His decrees, [as there has been no need for harsh decrees. Ed.]
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