Part I
The sefer Kuzari teaches us that there are four basic
groups of entities in the world; inanimate objects, plant-
life, animal-life, and verbal/thinking human beings
(domeim, tzomei'ach, chai, medaber -- mineral,
vegetable, animal and human). From the most basic to the more
advanced, these four classes make up the world. Each group
has specific qualities, which are so significantly different
from the previous level that each group has a completely
different realm of experience. The Hashgochoh protis
of each group is infinitely greater than the previous group
in the hierarchy. Therefore, the specialized existence that
it experiences is entirely different from the others.
HaKodosh Boruch Hu, in His infinite Wisdom, blessed
each entity with exactly what it needs to fill its place and
purpose in Creation. The attributes it possesses give it the
ability to play its role in the perfection of this whole
world. No group is in any way like the other, not in purpose,
essence or potential. They are utterly different.
The virtues of one class compared to the next are not just
improvements. The essence of each ascending class is unique
and the distinctions of each class are not transferable. The
unique virtues that each class possesses are for it alone.
This advancement of one class after the next allows each
group's perfection to combine and thus to produce a total
perfection for all.
The Kuzari mentions another final class. Its virtues
are far beyond the previous four. This is Klal Yisroel --
the fifth group. Very distinguished from all the
preceding groups, Klal Yisroel is more than just
verbal beings. The separation between Klal Yisroel and
the rest of the nations is vast. Our means and claim to this
distinction is the Torah.
It is written in Tehillim (147:19,20), "He imparts His
Word to Yaakov, His statutes and judgments to Yisroel. He did
not do so to any other people, and these judgments they shall
not fathom." The posuk is speaking about Torah. It is
more than just a secret that should be hidden from others,
for a secret can be disclosed and then be known by others.
Torah is unknown and unknowable to all except Klal
Yisroel.
Our purpose and passage through life is entirely different
from that of the rest of the world. Our origins are separate
and so too, is our destination. The Jewish soul, as endowed
with the merits of our forefathers Avrohom, Yitzchok and
Yaakov, must safely pass through this world. The laws
required for its success are of a completely different nature
than those of the other groups.
Our intelligence must function differently from all other
nations, and therefore our actions are governed by different
rules. What, to the world, may seem perfectly obvious and
sensible, may in reality be completely opposite to daas
Torah.
For example, the world looks at lending with interest as
normal business practice. Finance would be impossible without
it. Banking institutions and financial empires have been
built with it as their foundation. Investments, construction
and trade takes place and the economy flourishes. Besides,
there is chesed involved. The borrower is very
grateful for the loan in spite of the surcharges. Interest is
necessary and desirable; it is a great act of kindness.
However, the Torah teaches us otherwise. The punishment for
lending to Jews with interest -- ribbis -- is severe.
One who lends with interest is considered a heretic of the
first degree. Chazal teach us that those who lend with
interest will not be privileged to be part of the great
miracle of techias hameisim, the revival of the
dead.
What seems so essential for the rest of the world is lethal
for Klal Yisroel. Without Torah to let us know, who
would ever imagine it? We must appreciate what Torah means to
our survival, our success and our perfection.
Rashi (Shemos 19:1) openly states that the words of
Torah should be so fresh and beloved to us, that we should
feel as if we had just received the Torah anew each day. This
attitude will bring a joyous simchah to our learning.
We all seek to have joy in our lives. Simchah is a
basic ingredient for a sound and healthy life. The crucial
point to consider is: what will be the source of our
simchas hachaim?
One who desires wealth imagines that the source of his
simchah will be riches . . . when he becomes rich he
shall be happy, in spite of the fact that lots of hard work
and sacrifice are behind his wealth. For others, marriage and
children are the focus of their life's desire. Nonetheless,
marriage and raising children involve complex
responsibilities. We many times mistakenly think that
simchah will enter our lives through what are, in
fact, external and artificial activities.
Chazal, in the beginning of the fourth perek in
Ovos teach us that true wealth is based on being
satisfied with our portion in life. Furthermore, in the sixth
perek of Ovos we are taught that being
somayach bechelko is one of the forty-eight ways that
are essential to properly acquire Torah. This is an attitude,
but what is true simchah?
To answer this question, we must realize that our condition
in this world is a fusion of body and soul --
gashmiyus and ruchniyus -- a miraculous
combination, which is no less wondrous than if fire and water
would coexist together. The goal of this condition is eternal
bliss, far beyond all the pleasures of this world. To the
extent that we can achieve a peace between these two opposite
elements, that will be the measure of simchah in our
lives.
The Ramchal zt"l writes in the beginning of the first
chapter of his sefer Mesillas Yeshorim that Chazal
have taught us that "man was created for the sole purpose of
having delight in Hashem and receiving pleasure from His
Presence. This is true joy and the greatest pleasure of all
the gratifications that are to be found. The true place where
this bliss can be attained is in Olom Habo . . ."
There we will be privileged to simchah, a truthful
lasting simchah, for this is where true perfection
awaits us.
The Ramchal continues to explain that the world we live in is
simply a means to reach this goal of eternal joy; "a corridor
to the World To Come." Without a doubt, Olom Habo is
the true place where ultimate joy and delight await us.
Chazal teach us however, that we can not perceive the joys of
Olom Habo while we are alive
According to the opinion of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani in the
gemora Brochos 34b, the posuk in
Yeshayoh (64:3) which states: " . . . the [human] eye
has never seen . . ." is referring to the Next World. As
Rashi elaborates, "It was never shown or revealed to any
prophet." It is simply impossible to behold the splendid
rewards of Olom Habo. Our senses are not able to
perceive such glorious spectacles of perfection, harmony,
delight and pleasure.
Olom Habo, eternal bliss, the bountiful, never- ending
harvest of our life's rewards, our eyes cannot see it and our
minds cannot grasp it. However, based on what the Ramchal
writes further on, we see that in our present world we can
experience an inkling of the limitless joy that awaits us. In
other words, Olam Hazeh also affords us an opportunity
to sample this true simchah.
The Ramchal continues, "When you look carefully into the
matter you will see, that the only true perfection is
closeness with HaKodosh Boruch Hu." The Ramchal proves
this point by quoting two pesukim from Tehillim.
Dovid Hamelech said (Tehillim 73:28) "And for me,
closeness to Hashem is what I value . . ." Deveikus
was the true goal that Dovid sought throughout his life. As
he said (Tehillim 27:4), "I have asked one thing from
Hashem . . . that I should dwell in Hashem's house all the
days of my life to behold the pleasantness of Hashem . .
."
This priceless testimony of our great king Dovid Hamelech
hints to the fact that Olom Habo is not the only place
where we can find simchah through union with Hashem.
The Ramchal instructs us to "look carefully into the matter"
and then writes, "you will see." There is a possibility for
those of us who desire to see for ourselves and experience,
in this world while we are alive, some of what Hashem has in
store for us in Olom Habo.
Dovid Hamelech's request was a mortal, alive-in-the- flesh
desire to sense, as much as humanly possible, the joys and
pleasure of Hashem's Presence here in this world -- and the
Ramchal urges us to do the same!
Dovid Hamelech's request "to behold the pleasantness of
Hashem . . ." was made in this world and for this world. The
"pleasantness," that which Dovid desired most of all, is,
according to the commentary Metzudas Dovid "to see the
pleasantness of Hashem's Torah." Everything else in the world
had very little possibility to satisfy Dovid Hamelech's noble
soul. If there is pleasure, it is a by-product of his true
desire for deveikus with HaKodosh Boruch Hu.
Rav Yeruchom Levovitz, the Mashgiach zt"l of the
Mirrer Yeshiva, said that halevai our Olom Habo
could in some way approach the simchas hachaim that
the Vilna Gaon zt"l felt in his learning in Olam
Hazeh. The fleeting and unstable material trappings of
this world had little hope of securing a place in the heart
of the Vilna Gaon, for what true benefit could they really
offer? Any joys, pleasures and satisfactions that entered his
life came through the portal of Torah.
The simchas hachaim that the Vilna Gaon experienced in
this world -- imagine if we could have that simchah as
our part of our reward in Olom Habo! Who can imagine
how much deveikus the Vilna Gaon experienced here in
this world? If only our deveikus in Olom Habo
could match it!
The remarkable aspect of what the Ramchal is teaching us, the
chiddush, is that without question, although the
unique reward of basking in Hashem's splendor awaits us only
in Olom Habo, we have a chance of catching a glimmer
of the splendor here in this world as well. Our mitzvas and,
most of all, our learning Torah, open an avenue to approach
the rewards of the Next World, right here and now while we
are alive!
The greatest prophet, in his greatest vision, could never
truly see what Hashem has promised us. For " . . . the eye
has never seen . . ." However, Dovid Hamelech guides us on a
different path than prophecy. Deveikus through Torah
and mitzvas and the simchah they produce can give us a
taste of what awaits us in Olom Habo. Therefore, the
Ramchal concludes his statement with the advice "to
vigorously endeavor to draw close to HaKodosh Boruch
Hu . . . by means of the mitzvas."
If we choose the proper path and do not veer from it, our
Torah and mitzvas can lead us to a simchas hachaim
that gives a sampling of the Next World's delights. This
knowledge is based on experience and therefore not dependent
on faith. Nonetheless, our emunah, our belief in
Olom Habo, will be strengthened because of what we can
experience here in Olam Hazeh.
Torah is our connection to HaKodosh Boruch Hu -- the
source of all good, all simchah, all life. Through
this connection we can feel the pleasures of life, the
splendor of life, the satisfactions of life in the way that
Hashem wants us to enjoy, experience and live life. There is
no calculating how much simchah awaits us here in this
world if we only follow Dovid Hamelech's example of "And for
me, closeness to Hashem is what I value . . ." Every mitzvah
adds perfection and kedushah to our lives and
neshomos-- this is simchas hachaim.
Conversely, material pursuits that do not contribute to our
ultimate perfection cannot bring joy to our lives. If our
pursuits do not add to our perfection, if they do not bring
the Shechinoh, they are worthless because simchas
hachaim will be missing from our lives. Gold cannot
repair a flaw in our mitzvas and silver cannot fill a gap in
our perfection. The Shechinoh is either with us or it
is not and if it is not then it is sad, because
simchah is impossible without it.
If we lack Torah -- and even worse if we lose respect and
appreciation for it -- this is not simply a lack of
perfection. It is ruin. It is more than damage; it is
disaster. This world, instead of being a gleaming corridor, a
place of preparation for the ultimate world to come, becomes
a wreck. Even more so, Olom Habo becomes a dark and
lonely place for the neshomoh that never sought out
the means to give it true life and lasting simchah.
The gemora Shabbos 63a cites the posuk in
Koheles (8:5), "One who guards a mitzvah shall not
know of an evil thing." The Maharsha zt"l is attentive
to the choice of words in this posuk. The word
"guards" was chosen instead of the word "performs." He writes
in his commentary that the posuk is teaching us that
it is not enough to do a mitzvah. A mitzvah must be
approached and performed cautiously so it can be effective
protection against hearing bad news.
The Maharsha continues to explain how one guards his mitzvas.
It means that the mitzvah must be done lishmoh, with
pure and proper intentions. Most of us do mitzvas
automatically, without preparation and thought and without
the necessary understanding and learning that safeguard our
mitzvas from any impure intentions and flaws in performance.
Consequently, they can not protect us. HaKodosh Boruch Hu
certainly rewards us for any mitzvah we do, but to
receive this bonus of protection requires much more than the
mechanical movement of flesh and blood. There must be
lishmoh and there must be love.
The Beis Hamikdosh was a tremendous inspiration to
help us achieve all this.
The posuk in Yeshayoh (2:3) says, "For from
Tzion will come forth Torah, and the Word of Hashem from
Yerushalayim." Tosafos on the gemora Bava Basra 21a
explains why Tzion and Yerushalayim were especially
noteworthy in bringing forth Torah: "Since one will see the
great kedushah, and the Kohanim engrossed in the
avodoh, one will direct his heart even more to
yir'as Shomayim and learning Torah." Hashem made it
easier for us to reach perfection, for as long as we desired
it.
Love for Torah stems from honest, diligent study. It is
impossible to have a casual attitude to Torah. Success in
Torah will spring forth from a vibrant, industrious attitude
and drive, and if not, the result is churban.
Spiritual collapse is not simply failure; it is destruction.
It is not only disintegration of the individual, but it is a
collective havoc that affects Klal Yisroel and the
world.
Without the vital thoughtfulness and diligence Hashem demands
for His Torah and mitzvas, a Divine promise for everything
that is good in the world could, Heaven forbid, sour into a
prophecy of doom. Eretz Yisroel, Yerushalayim and the Beis
Hamikdosh were precious gifts intended to inspire
Hashem's People to His avodoh and His fear -- His
Torah and His mitzvas. Churban and golus are
due to one single fundamental cause: the way we learn
Hashem's Torah.
Learning Torah is our greatest mitzvah. Torah is the means to
our perfection and the perfection of the world. It allows the
Shechinoh to enter our lives and illuminate the
Creation. Hashem has chosen us as the crown of Creation. We
are the fifth entity and so, we must be on constant guard to
preserve our status at the pinnacle of creation.
Next Part: Our Prayers
