Musar for Berakhot 33:18

Always focus your attention on these matters and not on others, because all else is trivial. For man can salvage nothing from his labor to take with him (see Koheles 5:14), except two white garments (shrouds). Also (Tehillim 49), "A man will not redeem his brother...Fear not when a man grows rich...For when he dies, he shall carry nothing away...." Don't say, "I will leave a portion for my children" - who will tell you in the grave? The children of man are like grasses of the field, some blossom and some fade (Eruvin 54a). Everyone is born under his constellation and Divine Providence. They are glad when he dies and he goes into the nether world. [At his death] Resh Lakish left his children a kav of saffron, and he applied to himself the verse (Tehillim 49:11), "...and they leave their wealth to others" (Gittin 47a). Woe to all who plan on leaving [wealth] to their children! The only reward from sons and daughters is through their Torah and good deeds. Their sustenance is fixed for them. It is also known that women earn merit by making their children learn Torah etc. (Berachos 17a)

This is the meaning of the Rabbinic statement (Berachot 17a) that in the future the righteous will sit in Heaven and wear their crowns on their heads. The term used in that statement is עטרותיהן "their very own crowns" instead of simply עטרות על ראשם, "crowns on their heads." It is a reference to the choices the righteous had to make before attaining their status. To sum up, the Israelites receive both the reward the angels receive and also their very own reward. The former is perceived as part of G–d Himself. Both these sanctities are not within the province of G–d to control, as we know from: חוץ מיראת שמים, "Everything is within the power of Heaven, except instilling fear of Heaven in a person" (Berachot 33). The sum total of rewards received by Israel is threefold then. There is the קדושה which is part of G–d, and there are two further קדושות, sanctities, earned by Israel's performance.

Concerning solitude, the main thing is to remain at home. Even your visit to the synagogue should be very short. In fact, it is better to pray at home, for it is impossible to be spared from jealousy or from hearing idle talk or lashon hara in the synagogue. And one receives punishment for this, as we find (Shabbos 33a), "Also one who hears and is silent...." This is even the more so on Shabbos and Yom Tov when they gather to talk - It is then better that you don't pray at all. Refrain also from going to the cemetery (especially women), as it leads to all kinds of sorrow and sin. It is also advisable that your daughter not go to the synagogue, because she'll see beautiful clothes there, become jealous and talk about it at home. This will lead to lashon hara, etc. She should rather cling to Mussar and not become jealous of anything in this world, where everything is vanity and illusions, appearing and disappearing overnight (Yonah 4:10). "Though he grows as high as the sky, his head reaching the clouds, he perishes forever..." (Iyov 20:6,7). "For property does not last forever, or a crown for all generations" (Mishlei 27:24). And even while it exists it is worthless, loathsome and disdained by any sensible person. Woe to him who is impressed by it. Envy only the fear of Hashem (ib. 23:17). She should not say, "How can I earn a share in the World-to-Come? - I can't do it!" For we have learned (Berachos 17a): "One may do much or one may do little, provided he directs his heart to heaven."

In order to explain somewhat the quality of peace, I shall adduce some of the apothegms of Chazal on this subject. This is from Ma'aloth Hamiddoth: "Know, my sons, that peace is among the highest qualities, it being one of the names of the Holy One Blessed be He, as it is written (Judges 6:24): And he called it [(the altar) 'the L-rd-Shalom.'" Wherever peace is found, fear of Heaven is found. Where there is no peace, there is no fear of Heaven. Great is peace before the Blessed One, our sages of blessed memory saying in the aggadah (Yevamoth 65b, Bava Metzia 87a): "Great is peace, even Scripture prevaricating to maintain peace between Abraham and Sarah. For whereas she said (Bereshith 18:12): 'And my lord [Abraham] is old,' G-d transmitted this to Abraham as (Ibid. 13): 'And I [Sarah] am old.'" Similarly (Ibid. 40:16-17): "and they had it reported to Joseph: 'Your father commanded before he died: "So shall you say to Joseph: 'Forgive, I pray you, the offense of your brothers and their sin, for they accorded you evil.'" Now nowhere do we find Jacob commanding any such thing at all, for he entertained no apprehension whatever of Joseph's conduct. My sons, come and see how great is the power of peace, for the Holy One Blessed be He said that even foes should be approached with peace as it is written (Devarim 20:10): "When you draw close to a city to wage war against it, call out to it for peace." Great is peace, for it consummates the priestly benediction, as it is written (Numbers 6:26): "And He shall repose peace upon you." Great is peace, for it is the consummation of prayer, as it is written (Psalms 29:11): "The L-rd will give His people strength; the L-rd will bless His people with peace." And what is more, in the day of Israel's consolation, the first report shall be of peace, as it is written (Isaiah 52:7): "How comely upon the mountains are the feet of the herald, announcing peace!" My sons, come and see how great is the power of peace, for the Holy One Blessed be He said that even foes should be approached with peace, as it is written (Devarim 20:10): "When you draw near to a city to wage war against it, call out to it for peace." It was stated of R. Yochanan b. Zakkai that no one ever preceded him in greeting, not even a gentile in the marketplace. And our sages of blessed memory have stated (Avoth 4:15): "Extend greeting to all men." What is meant by greeting "all men"? Even if you see that he is ill disposed towards you, extend greeting to him; for if you do so, you will cause him to love you. What is more, even if he will not condescend to make peace with you, the Holy One Blessed be He will deliver him into your hand and humble him beneath you, as it is written (Devarim 20:1): "And if it [the city] does not make peace with you, but wages war against you, then you shall besiege it, and the L-rd your G-d will deliver it into your hand…" And so we find with David, may peace be upon him, that he pursued peace with Saul, as it is written (Psalms 120:7): "I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war." Not only was Saul not appeased, but he pursued David to do him injury, and the Holy One Blessed be He delivered him into David's hand in the cave and in the encampment. And even so, it never entered David's heart to do him wrong. For one must love peace and pursue peace, as it is written (Ibid. 34:15): "Seek peace and pursue it." Seek it with your friend and pursue it with your enemy. Seek it in your place and pursue it in other places. Seek it with your body and pursue it with your money. [Sometimes one must be liberal with his money to seize upon the "stronghold of peace."] Seek it for yourself and pursue it for others. Seek it today and pursue it tomorrow. And do not despair, saying: "I will never achieve peace," but pursue it until you do achieve it. And what is the pursuit of peace? Thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Sanhedrin 110a): "This is speaking peace at a time of dispute and sacrificing one's honor for the general good, as was done by Moses, as it is written (Numbers 16:25): 'And Moses arose and he went to Dathan and Aviram…,'" and suspending one's affairs to make peace between a man and his wife, a man and his neighbor, and a teacher and his student — even to the extent of arranging a meal for two to make peace between them.

The root of piety is what our sages, of blessed memory, stated: "Fortunate is the man whose toil is in the Torah and gives gratification to his Maker" (Berachot 17a).

On this matter it was said: "a person should always be clever in the fear of Heaven" (Berachot 17a) - to know and deduce one thing from another, and to devise new ways of bringing gratification to his Maker in every possible manner.

Berachot 10 asks whom David had in mind when he repeated the words ברכי נפשי five times in Psalm 103. The answer given is that David addressed himself to the relationship between G–d and the soul. The Talmud lists five aspects in which the soul is like G–d. Just as G–d fills the universe, so the soul fills the body. Just as G–d sees without being seen, so the soul sees without being seen. Just as G–d sustains the whole universe, so the soul sustains the whole body. Just as G–d is pure, so the soul is pure. Just as G–d resides within an inner sanctum, so the soul resides within the most hidden area of the body. David said that the soul, because it possesses these five features, is suitable to bless the Lord who excels in these five areas. The soul judges the body because of the five aspects in which it is similar to G–d. The author cites proof how the five attributes of G–d possessed by the soul affect man.

We also learned: "'be first to greet every man' (Avot 4:15) - our sages reported of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai that no man ever preceded greeting him, not even a gentile in the marketplace" (Berachot 17a).

Since the nature of a man's heart is to become proud and haughty, it is difficult for him to root out this natural tendency at its source. But by performing external actions that are under his control, he will slowly, slowly draw in his inner being the matter which is not so much in his control. This is similar to what we wrote in Zeal. All this is included in the statement of our sages, of blessed memory, "a man should always be cunning in the fear of heaven" (Berachot 17a), namely, that one seeks out strategies to employ against his nature and tendencies until he vanquishes them.

You shall be men of holy bearing to Me, and; you must not eat flesh torn by beasts in the field" (22,30). The Talmud Berachot 17 states in the name of Rabbi Yochanan סוף אדם למות, וסוף בהמה לשחיטה, והכול למיתה הם עומדים. "Man's destination is to die, the domestic beast's destiny is to be slaughtered, all are ultimately destined for death." Why is the kind of death the beast is slated for described as "slaughter?" Also, why does the statement repeat that "all are ultimately slated to die?"

There is yet another altar above the one on which the archangel Michael offers the souls of the righteous, just as there were two altars in the Tabernacle on earth. There is an outer and an inner altar. When the Torah gives the measurements of these two altars we are told that they should be square (Exodus 27,1 and 30,1). This is strange since the Torah had already given the measurements of both the front and the sides of these altars, i.e we know that they were to be square. The extra words רבוע, square, may therefore be understood as an allusion to the corresponding altars in the Heavenly Sanctuary. The "outer" altar in the Heavens corresponds to the encampment of the Israelites in the desert which was square and which was guarded by the four angels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael. The "upper" altar in the Heavens was supported by the four חיות which Ezekiel saw in his vision in which he was shown the מרכבה (Ezekiel chapter 1). This is where the crown of the good name is at home. The crown of priesthood is immediately below. The border or crown around the Altar represents the righteous in the World to Come who sit around the table wearing their crowns and enjoying the splendour of G–d's presence.