From HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita,
Ravad of Yerushalayim)
Transcribed by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis
Miracles Within Nature
Hashem commanded Noach to build an ark and place within it animals from every species in the world. Noach's ark measured three hundred amos in length, fifty amos wide and thirty amos high. At first glance, this seems like a mammoth structure capable of holding quite a large number of animals.
Yet if we consider just how many kinds of animals had to be saved, it is clear that Hashem performed many miracles in regards to the ark. Chazal tell us that in Asia alone, there are one hundred species of birds similar to the Re'eh. In practical terms, not even a fraction of the world’s animal species could fit into the ark. In addition animals came from all over the world, which was a great miracle.
Outside of the ark, scorching-hot air and boiling water splashing against its sides caused this miraculous vessel no damage at all. While the whole world was swallowed up and destroyed, Noach and his family lived in peace and comfort within the ark. Why did Hashem see fit to perform so many miracles on their behalf?
When Noach left the ark, he found a totally different world from the one he used to know. Before the Flood, Hashem’s Presence was much easier to perceive in the world. But after the waters receded, the forces of nature became a disguise for His Providence.
The time they spent in the ark was designed by Hashem to prepare Noach and his family for the new era that awaited them. During that period, He showed them that nature is completely subjugated to His will. In doing so, He raised their level of perception of the Divine Presence in the physical world, making sure that they would be able to see His hand even after the flood.
So too, before Moshiach comes, Hashem will show us open miracles greater than those that took place when we left Mitzrayim. Even in our days, we have begun to witness them, as the Almighty has protected Eretz Yisrael from enemies who are bent on annihilating us. The purpose of these miracles is to raise our level of perception and to prepare us for the new era we are entering.
Inside the Ark
Noach had to spend a whole year with the animals in the ark. One time when he was late in feeding the animals, the lion bit him and caused a painful wound. Why did someone who the Torah describes as a tzadik tamim, perfectly righteous, deserve this suffering?
The Gemara at the end of Kiddushim describes two types of tzadikim; there is a good tzadik who is serves Hashem and is good to people, and a tzadik who is not good, who only serves the Almighty. Chazal do not mean to say that the tzadik who is not good treats others badly, for then he would not deserve the title of tzadik. Rather he keeps his righteousness to himself, and others do not benefit from it.
The Zohar explains that Noach was a tzadik who was not good. Unlike Avraham Avinu who went out and tried to influence others to serve Hashem, Noach was content being righteous by himself. The Almighty responded to Noach by placing him in a scenario where he would have to serve Hashem alone for a full year, feeding the animals in the ark.
"Make yourself an ark…that has kinim (compartments)." (Bereshis 6,14). The Medrash understands these kinim to be a hint to the bird , also redfered to as kinim, brought by the Metzora. What is the connection between Noach and a Metzora?
Lashon hara often stems from a person’s desire to show others that he is “in the know.” In former times, if a Jew recognized that he did not control his mouth, the Almighty would punish him with tzaraas, which forced him into isolation, away from the rest of the Jewish people. The Torah hopes this would teach him to think before he speaks.
Noach and the metzora shared a solitary fate. However their isolation is beneficial to them. Loneliness taught them that there are other people in the world and they should consider others’ needs while running their own lives.
We find another connection to the Metzora in Parshas Be'aloshecha, relating to the Levi'im. The Torah commands the Levi'im to shave their entire bodies just like the Metzora. Rashi asks: why did the Levi'im have to undergo this process?
Based on the above we can answer Rashi's question. Levi'im were designated for the special role of devoting their lives to serving Hashem through Torah learning and service in the Beis Hamikdash. Klal Yisrael provided them with their physical sustenance, while the Levi'im stood apart and concerned themselves with spiritual matters alone.
To be a member of the Almighty's "special forces" meant that one could not take part in the same daily routines and lifestyle as the rest of the Jewish people. The nature of the Levi'im’s role naturally caused some degree of isolation from the rest of Klal Yisrael. A Levi was the “odd one out” and did not sharing the “normal” experiences of the majority of people.
Hashem hinted to the loneliness that the Levi'im would have to endure by making them undergo a process similar to the Metzora. This should be a message to all bnei Torah today. While we must try and have a positive influence on all of klal Yisrael, a certain degree of isolation from the rest of the world is necessary.
Teshuva and Midos Tovos
The generation of the flood was evil through and through. Theft and immorality were rampant, and humanity had sunk to the deepest depths of corruption. Hashem's patience was wearing thin, but He gave them one last chance to repent.
The Almighty commanded Noach to spend 120 years building his ark, so that other people would see him and abandon their evil ways. The Brisker Rav asked: we know that teshuva helps Klal Yisrael return to the Almighty. Does teshuva in fact help non-Jews as well?
The Brisker Rav answers that although the non-Jews can also benefit from teshuva, there is a major difference. Klal Yisrael are Hashem's chosen nation, and their teshuva is cherished by Him. The Almighty experiences much greater joy when His children come back to Him.
Midos tovos, positive character development, is one of the major themes of Parshas Noach. Rav Chaim Vital asks why the Torah does not spend more time talking about this crucial subject? Shouldn’t it be mentioned in every parsha?
Rav Chaim Vital answers that midos tovos is indeed the central message of the Torah, and if one looks below the surface, one finds that they underpin every mitzvah in the Torah. For example the Torah obligates us to wipe out the Cananim because of their corruption. Midos tovos are the central point in every area of the Torah.
Learning from miracles, influencing others, and positive character development are three crucial concepts that we must gain a deeper understand of from Parshas Noach. As we enter the final phase in history we must keep these fundamental principles in mind. These principles are our tickets to front-row seats for the awe-inspiring miracles that will soon be seen in this world, those of the days of moshiach, which will dwarf those that we experienced when we left Mitzrayim.
(HaRav Shternbuch's shiurim on the parsha are being prepared for publication by Feldheim Publishers as a sefer entitled "Small Prophecies". For information about dedication opportunities contact dytravis@actcom.com.)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Mr. Know-It-All, The Making of an Apikorsis
Written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis
(based on a derasha from
HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita,
Ravad of Yerushalayim)
Answering the Unanswerable
Let us make man in our image and form…And He created man in His image (Bereshis 1:26 - 27).
"Even though Hashem did not receive any assistance in the creation of man, and the plural wording of this verse leaves room for heretics to back up their mistaken ideologies, the Torah wrote this verse in the plural to teach us proper behavior and humility, that even a great person should take counsel from a smaller person. If the Torah would have written 'I will make man' we would not have learned that Hashem consulted with His heavenly court before crating man. The answer to the heretics is actually found in the continuation of the verse which writes ‘…and He created man’ and it does not say we created man. " (Rashi Bereshis 1,26).
Rashi's words are nothing short of astonishing. The Torah takes the risk of fueling heretical philosophies just to teach us about a good character trait? This can be compared to investing a million dollars for a possible return of a few cents. How can this serious risk be justified by this doubtful gain?
The truth is that Apikorsim will continue believing in their warped ideologies regardless of what the Torah says. They are motivated by their drive for an easy, pleasurable life and all other factors are irrelevant to them. There was no reason for Hashem to take them into account when writing the Torah. He was more concerned with teaching those who want to learn and this verse presented a valuable opportunity to teach humility – one of the most important character traits.
Rav Chaim Brisker was once visited by a former member of his community who had since abandoned mitzvah observance. The Rav was told that this man had returned to Brisk with a mission. He had gathered many perplexing questions about Judaism and the Torah since he had left and he wanted to hear how the Rav would answer them.
Rav Chaim replied that he was ready to answer questions, but he was certain that man did not really have any. Rather this man had already formulated answers to his so-called questions and was just looking for an excuse for a confrontation with the Rav.
Rav Chaim understood that when a person thinks that he already has all the answers, they are not open to hearing anything else.
To Know and To Believe
There are many fundamental philosophical questions one can ask about the Torah; Who is Hashem? Why did He create the world six thousand years ago and not earlier? Why did He create Man as He did? The list goes on and on, and the person who feels that he must understand every mystery in the universe with his intellect will be certainly be frustrated.
In actuality, all of these questions can be resolved with one simple principle. Hashem created melachim who have very high levels of perception. They have a much clearer understanding of Hashem's ways, and are not plagued by the questions that we may have.
However, Hashem also desired to created Man as a being with limited understanding. Due to his limitations, man’s Divine service must be based on faith and trust. This is the mitzvah of emunah, belief in Hashem. If we accept the fundamental concept that our intellect is limited, then all doubts about any other part of the Torah or Hashem's actions fall away.
The Rambam writes that there is a mitzvah "to know and to believe" that G-d exists, created the world and continuously manages it. Seemingly knowing and believing are contradictory concepts. Knowing stems from proofs and intellectual understanding, while belief is a matter of accepting something that one does not comprehend.
Rav Chaim Brisker explained that one must use one’s mind to achieve the highest possible level of intellectual clarity regarding Hashem's existence. However, each person will reach a point where he cannot understand the mysteries of the universe. From that point on, every Jew must trustingly accept those principles of faith which he is unable to grasp intellectually. It is impossible to understand everything, and the desire to do so stems from arrogance.
This is the meaning of the mishnah that states: "The difference between the students of Avraham Avinu and the students of Billam was that the talmidim of Avaham were humble while those of Billam were arrogant." At first glance these words are incomprehensible: Surely the primary difference is that Avraham's students were righteous while Billam's were evil!
But this mishnah teaches us that the difference between these two schools was rooted in the character trait of humility. Avraham's talmidim were humble and accepted that they did not have to know everything, and did not demand answers to sublime philosophical questions that were beyond their powers of comprehension. On the other hand, Billam's students’ arrogant assumption that they were entitled to know everything led them to eventually deny Hashem and His Torah.
A Drop in the Bucket
Rav Sternbuch once attended a gathering of scientists. When he was asked if he believes in the Theory of Evolution, he replied "It is complete nonsense with no basis whatsoever. If you want, you can believe that your grandfather was an ape, but I am a descendant of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov."
Later one of the scientists approached the Rav with a challenge: "Rabbi, they have found bones in Madgascar that have been proven to be millions of years old." Rav Sternbuch replied that this insignificant evidence proves nothing about creation. Due to the flood of Noach, the entire world appears much older than it really is.
All of the scientists at that gathering were intelligent people who were highly educated. How can an otherwise rational person come to believe a completely unfounded and illogical theory, such as evolution? Based on what we have explained so far we can answer this question.
The Apikoris believes that he must be able to answer all questions. If he can not find a logical one, he will develop one that is not intellectually sound. So much so, they can even suggest that Man originally descended from apes, even in the absence of any evidence. No matter how far-fetched his answer may be, the arrogant Apikoris will do anything to avoid admitting that the ways of Creation are beyond his comprehension.
Torah-true Jews understand that Man is not the descendant of apes, but was formed by Hashem from the dust of the ground, and will return to this source at the end of his life. We accept that our understanding of the universe is limited. We try and understand what we can and leave the rest to emunah.
The Vilna Gaon explains that the word Bereshis can be read Bara reshis, created the beginning, and that it refers to the creation of time. We cannot possibly grasp what this means, yet before its creation the world existed without time. So, too, many aspects of creation are beyond our comprehension yet we accept that Hashem in his Infinite Wisdom fashioned everything with great precision, and purposely hid their deeper meaning from us.
In Sifri D'tzinusa the Vilna Gaon writes that parshas Bereshis hints to everything that will transpire throughout history until the coming of moshiach. Even if we do not understand what is happening around us, we have emunah that it is all directed by the wisdom of the Creator of the universe.
There is much in this world that we cannot understand and we all experience the limits of our perception on a daily basis. Emunah is the path of humility, the path to next world, the path of the faithful Jew as he faces each and every challenge and question in his life.
(HaRav Shternbuch's shiurim on the parsha are being prepared to be published by Feldheim Publishers as a sefer entitled "Small Prophecies". For information about dedication opportunities contact dytravis@actcom.com.)
(based on a derasha from
HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita,
Ravad of Yerushalayim)
Answering the Unanswerable
Let us make man in our image and form…And He created man in His image (Bereshis 1:26 - 27).
"Even though Hashem did not receive any assistance in the creation of man, and the plural wording of this verse leaves room for heretics to back up their mistaken ideologies, the Torah wrote this verse in the plural to teach us proper behavior and humility, that even a great person should take counsel from a smaller person. If the Torah would have written 'I will make man' we would not have learned that Hashem consulted with His heavenly court before crating man. The answer to the heretics is actually found in the continuation of the verse which writes ‘…and He created man’ and it does not say we created man. " (Rashi Bereshis 1,26).
Rashi's words are nothing short of astonishing. The Torah takes the risk of fueling heretical philosophies just to teach us about a good character trait? This can be compared to investing a million dollars for a possible return of a few cents. How can this serious risk be justified by this doubtful gain?
The truth is that Apikorsim will continue believing in their warped ideologies regardless of what the Torah says. They are motivated by their drive for an easy, pleasurable life and all other factors are irrelevant to them. There was no reason for Hashem to take them into account when writing the Torah. He was more concerned with teaching those who want to learn and this verse presented a valuable opportunity to teach humility – one of the most important character traits.
Rav Chaim Brisker was once visited by a former member of his community who had since abandoned mitzvah observance. The Rav was told that this man had returned to Brisk with a mission. He had gathered many perplexing questions about Judaism and the Torah since he had left and he wanted to hear how the Rav would answer them.
Rav Chaim replied that he was ready to answer questions, but he was certain that man did not really have any. Rather this man had already formulated answers to his so-called questions and was just looking for an excuse for a confrontation with the Rav.
Rav Chaim understood that when a person thinks that he already has all the answers, they are not open to hearing anything else.
To Know and To Believe
There are many fundamental philosophical questions one can ask about the Torah; Who is Hashem? Why did He create the world six thousand years ago and not earlier? Why did He create Man as He did? The list goes on and on, and the person who feels that he must understand every mystery in the universe with his intellect will be certainly be frustrated.
In actuality, all of these questions can be resolved with one simple principle. Hashem created melachim who have very high levels of perception. They have a much clearer understanding of Hashem's ways, and are not plagued by the questions that we may have.
However, Hashem also desired to created Man as a being with limited understanding. Due to his limitations, man’s Divine service must be based on faith and trust. This is the mitzvah of emunah, belief in Hashem. If we accept the fundamental concept that our intellect is limited, then all doubts about any other part of the Torah or Hashem's actions fall away.
The Rambam writes that there is a mitzvah "to know and to believe" that G-d exists, created the world and continuously manages it. Seemingly knowing and believing are contradictory concepts. Knowing stems from proofs and intellectual understanding, while belief is a matter of accepting something that one does not comprehend.
Rav Chaim Brisker explained that one must use one’s mind to achieve the highest possible level of intellectual clarity regarding Hashem's existence. However, each person will reach a point where he cannot understand the mysteries of the universe. From that point on, every Jew must trustingly accept those principles of faith which he is unable to grasp intellectually. It is impossible to understand everything, and the desire to do so stems from arrogance.
This is the meaning of the mishnah that states: "The difference between the students of Avraham Avinu and the students of Billam was that the talmidim of Avaham were humble while those of Billam were arrogant." At first glance these words are incomprehensible: Surely the primary difference is that Avraham's students were righteous while Billam's were evil!
But this mishnah teaches us that the difference between these two schools was rooted in the character trait of humility. Avraham's talmidim were humble and accepted that they did not have to know everything, and did not demand answers to sublime philosophical questions that were beyond their powers of comprehension. On the other hand, Billam's students’ arrogant assumption that they were entitled to know everything led them to eventually deny Hashem and His Torah.
A Drop in the Bucket
Rav Sternbuch once attended a gathering of scientists. When he was asked if he believes in the Theory of Evolution, he replied "It is complete nonsense with no basis whatsoever. If you want, you can believe that your grandfather was an ape, but I am a descendant of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov."
Later one of the scientists approached the Rav with a challenge: "Rabbi, they have found bones in Madgascar that have been proven to be millions of years old." Rav Sternbuch replied that this insignificant evidence proves nothing about creation. Due to the flood of Noach, the entire world appears much older than it really is.
All of the scientists at that gathering were intelligent people who were highly educated. How can an otherwise rational person come to believe a completely unfounded and illogical theory, such as evolution? Based on what we have explained so far we can answer this question.
The Apikoris believes that he must be able to answer all questions. If he can not find a logical one, he will develop one that is not intellectually sound. So much so, they can even suggest that Man originally descended from apes, even in the absence of any evidence. No matter how far-fetched his answer may be, the arrogant Apikoris will do anything to avoid admitting that the ways of Creation are beyond his comprehension.
Torah-true Jews understand that Man is not the descendant of apes, but was formed by Hashem from the dust of the ground, and will return to this source at the end of his life. We accept that our understanding of the universe is limited. We try and understand what we can and leave the rest to emunah.
The Vilna Gaon explains that the word Bereshis can be read Bara reshis, created the beginning, and that it refers to the creation of time. We cannot possibly grasp what this means, yet before its creation the world existed without time. So, too, many aspects of creation are beyond our comprehension yet we accept that Hashem in his Infinite Wisdom fashioned everything with great precision, and purposely hid their deeper meaning from us.
In Sifri D'tzinusa the Vilna Gaon writes that parshas Bereshis hints to everything that will transpire throughout history until the coming of moshiach. Even if we do not understand what is happening around us, we have emunah that it is all directed by the wisdom of the Creator of the universe.
There is much in this world that we cannot understand and we all experience the limits of our perception on a daily basis. Emunah is the path of humility, the path to next world, the path of the faithful Jew as he faces each and every challenge and question in his life.
(HaRav Shternbuch's shiurim on the parsha are being prepared to be published by Feldheim Publishers as a sefer entitled "Small Prophecies". For information about dedication opportunities contact dytravis@actcom.com.)
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