On Shabbat Chol
Hamoed, we have the custom to read Megillat Kohelet,
said to be written by Shlomo Hamelech. The choice to
read this Megillah on this holiday full of happiness
stirs up many mixed emotions. There are four other
Megillot in Tanach to read, but we choose this one. The
central element is found in the Pasuk which asks, "Mah
Yitron Leadam Bechol Amalo Sheyaamol Tachat Hashemesh,"
(Kohelet 12:13) what is man's purpose in this world? The
Pasuk then answers, "Sof Davar Hakol Nishma; Et Haelokim
Yirah Veet Mitzvotav Shmor Ke Zeh Kol Haadam," (ibid.)
that our purpose is to fear God and keep his Mitzvot.
However, this is a seemingly contradictory theme to the
Simcha we're supposed to feel on Sukkot. Why do we
choose to read this very intense, almost depressing
Megillah on this joyous holiday? The tension between
the commandment of happiness and Kohelet's negative
evaluation of rejoicing is also seen in a bitter
exchange between David Hamelech and his wife Michal in
Shmuel II 6:16. The queen criticizes David's dancing as
the Aron Kodesh was being brought to Jerusalem,
comparing it to the behavior of the servants. David
responds that since he was rejoicing "before Hashem" not
only was the way he conducted himself appropriate, but
that he felt compelled to even go further in the future.
Was David or Michal correct? Should the king have held
back from his Simcha or continued to dance because this
was accepted appropriate before Hashem? Are the words of
Kohelet meant to limit our happiness on Yom Tov or
should we continue to rejoice before Hashem? An
explanation was offered by R' Aryeh Leb from the Pasuk
of "Vihayita Ach Sameach," "and you will be only joyous"
(Devarim 16:15), in order to show that there is no real
conflict between the Torah and the Simcha of Sukkot. He
suggests that the word "Ach", "only," implies to a
limitation in one's happiness on the holiday of Sukkot,
to hold one back for overindulging in the obligation to
be joyous on this holiday. Sefer Kohelet works together
with the word "Ach" to serve as a reminder that we have
the obligation to be happy, while still observing Torah
and Mitzvot. It would appear that Simchat Yom Tov is
a symbol of the two dimensions of the
human being, the spiritual and the physical. While separating these areas
might not be what we want, when we do that,
at least there are times when we can be
assured that we are engaged in the proper spiritual pursuits. Chag
"Ach" Sameach!
Co-Dependents by
Ariel Caplan
At the beginning
of his section on Hilchot Sukkah, the Tur asks: Why is
Sukkot celebrated in the month of Tishrei? After all, it
commemorates God's sheltering us in the Ananei Hakavod,
the Clouds of Glory, in the wilderness, but that began
in the month of Nisan, the furthest month from Tishrei!
He answers that if Sukkot were to occur in Nisan or
thereabouts, people would not recognize that what we are
doing is a Mitzvah; rather, they would attribute it to
the warm weather that allows people to sit outside.
Instead, we sit in our Sukkot when cold weather is
beginning, so others will see that we sit outside not
because of the weather but because we want to fulfill a
mitzvah. However, one must wonder why we care what
others think our motives are. Of course, there are some
cases in which the purpose of the Mitzvah is to
publicize an event, with reading the Megillah and
lighting the Menorah being prime examples. However,
Sukkah is not one of these Mitzvot. It thus seems
illogical to say that there is an aspect of the Sukkah
that is designed to inform the public that we are, in
fact, fulfilling a Mitzvah. The first step in
understanding the Tur's answer is understanding another
explanation of why Sukkot occurs when it does. Rashbam
explains that Sukkot falls out during the harvest
season, when a farmer finally sees the fruits of a
year's hard labor. It is at this time that he is most
susceptible to thinking that he alone is responsible for
accomplishing everything that he has. He may forget that
Hashem has helped him every step of the way. Sukkot is a
time when we leave our strong, permanent dwellings and
live in houses covered with the flimsiest of materials.
The lesson Sukkot imparts to us is that we are as
dependent on Hashem year-round as we are while living in
a fragile hut. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch amplifies
this idea by pointing out that while the walls, which
separate people, can be made out of any material we
choose, the covering, which separates us from God, is
always made of the same brittle materials. Similarly, we
may have houses of different types and strengths, but in
the end, we are all separated from Hashem by a very thin
layer. No matter how many fences we put up or security
systems we install, we also need Divine protection to be
truly safe - can a full-size team of armed guards stop
an earthquake or tornado? Rav Hirsch adds a very
interesting point in that the Sukkah must be large
enough to accommodate a person and his table,
representing the fact that both our safety (demonstrated
by one's person) and our sustenance (demonstrated by the
food on the table) are dependent on Hashem's mercy. God
can send rain that spoils the food or sunshine that
ripens fruit. If one truly understands the symbolism of
the Sukkah, one can avoid thinking that "Kochi Veotzem
Yadi Asah Li Et Hachayil Hazeh," "My strength and the
might of my hand gained me all this wealth" (Devarim
8:17). Instead, one will see the Hand of God in his
successes. If this is the case, we can now see that
Sukkot is a time when we demonstrate our trust in Hashem
to grant us safety and success. But this cannot merely
be an idea important to us, that we express for
ourselves; rather, it should be a demonstration of faith
to the public - in other words, we must publicize our
performance of the Mitzvah of Sukkah. This point can be
clarified by the famous statement of the Chachamim that
the Lulav, Hadasim, Etrog, and Aravot represent the four
types of Jews: those with Mitzvot but no Torah, those
with Torah but no Mitzvot, those with both, and those
with neither, respectively. On Sukkot, we gather all
four types together. It is clear from Chazal, then, that
Sukkot is a time of inclusion, when we try to bring in
all Jews. On Sukkot, we realize that our Avodat Hashem
is incomplete unless everyone is included. Therefore, we
want to make it very clear to everyone that we are doing
the Mitzvah of Sukkah so that they, too, can become
involved. Perhaps we can say that there is even more significance in
the placement of Sukkot almost immediately after Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur. According to Kabbalistic literature, Hoshana Rabbah, the
last day of Sukkot, is also the day when the decrees
for the new year are executed. Hence, we
have until the end of Sukkot to change
our fate for the new year. On Sukkot, we
try to include everyone in our Avodat Hashem because
a Jew does not exist in a vacuum; we are
judged both as individuals and as a nation. When we
involve others in the Mitzvah of Sukkah, we are displaying
that we all know that God controls our welfare
and our destiny. This is especially important because Sukkot is
the time when we are judged regarding rainfall
for the coming year (Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah 1:2). Since rain
is essential to the growth of food, we are effectively
being judged as to whether we will have sustenance. In
order to merit God's help in acquiring our sustenance, we must
all display our belief that He is the sole
provider. Thus, it is only through a
united acknowledgement of our dependence on Hashem that we
can be successful in our final appeal.
Testing, Testing by
Avi Levinson
One
of the primary topics of Parshat Bereshit is Adam
Harishon's one commandment from Hashem, the famous
instruction not to eat from the Etz Hada'at. In "Michtav
Mayeliyahu," Rav Eliyahu Dessler asks an obvious
question: How could it be that Adam Harishon failed to
keep this commandment? He had nearly everything he could
want, and yet he wanted the one thing he could not have!
Rav Dessler answers that Adam did not commit his sin by
accident or without intent. Adam knew what he was doing
and what the consequences would be - and yet he still
ate from the tree! According to Rav Dessler, Adam
reasoned to himself, "If I commit this Aveirah, I will
get an internal Yetzer Harah, which will try to force me
to sin. When I still obey Hashem's will even then, my
reward will be far greater, since there will be an
internal force trying to stop me!" Hakadosh Baruch Hu,
however, disagreed. He knew, in His infinite wisdom,
that the Yetzer Harah cannot be underestimated. Adam
thought that if he had the test of an internal
inclination towards evil, he would still do Hashem's
will, meriting greater reward. Hashem responded that
Adam, though correct in theory, was not correct in
practice. Once an internal force of evil exists, doing
Hashem's will is something no one can be sure of. One
never knows when he will slip. This point is well
illustrated by two other cases in Tanach. The first is
the Parsha of the Yefat Toar. This is the case described
in Parshat Ki Tetzei of an opposing army sending women
to the front lines of a war to entice the Jewish army.
The Torah provides a way for the Jewish soldier in this
situation to marry such a girl sent by the enemy. Let us
stop for a moment and consider who this Jewish soldier
really is. The Torah tells us in Parshat Shoftim that to
be a Jewish soldier, one must be unafraid (see Devarim
20:1-9). Rashi there brings a Machloket from the Gemara
as to what "afraid" means. Rabi Akiva says the man whom
the Torah excuses is afraid of warfare, whereas Rabi
Yose Hagelili argues that he is afraid Hashem will let
him die in battle because of his Aveirot. According to
Rabi Yose Hagelili, then, any soldier who has actually
made it to the battlefield must be righteous enough to
be unafraid of Hashem's punishment in war. It is strange
to think that this is the soldier who is so easily
enticed in the case of the Yefat Toar! Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch
Weinreb comments that this comes to illustrate the point
made above. One can never be sure, when it comes to a
test, whether he will be able to conquer his Yetzer
Harah. The second example from Tanach is that of
David Hamelech and Batsheva. The Midrash says that David
asked Hashem why his name could not be included in the
first Berachah of Shemoneh Esrei, next to the Avot.
Hashem responded that all the Avot had proven themselves
by passing difficult tests, but that David had not.
David therefore asked Hashem to send him a test, so that
he could pass the test and merit to have his name in
Shemonah Esrei. When it came to the test, however, David
failed. He did not resist his Yetzer Hara, and sinned in
the Batsheva incident. This highlights the point that
even great Tzaddikim like David Hamelech can never be
sure of conquering their Yetzer Hara when put to the
test. The lesson for us is obvious. If our ancestors
could not be sure of withstanding tests, how much more
so we, who cannot approach their level, must be
extremely careful to avoid situations which might lead
to sin. As Adam Harishon and David Hamelech learned the
hard way, it is not in our best interest to look for
tests. As we pray every morning, may Hashem withhold the
tests altogether, thus enabling us to keep His Torah and
Mitzvot to the fullest.
In the
Image of Hashem? by Shlomo
Tanenbaum
In this week's Parsha, the
Torah says (1:26): "Vayomer Elokim Naaseh Adam
Betzalmenu Kidmutenu Veyirdu Vidgot Hayam Uveof
Hashamayim Uvibehema Uvechol Haaretz, "And Hashem
said, 'Let us make man in our image, resembling our
likeness, and it will rule over the all the fish in the
sea and the birds in the sky and the animals, and the
whole earth.' " Many Mefarshim have different
explanations of what "in our image, in our likeness"
means. After all, how can we have the same image
as Hakadosh Baruch Hu? Moreover, why does the verse
say in the plural, "Let us make man"? It should
have said, "I will make man"! Rashi explains
that Betzalmenu, "in our image," means "with
our mold." He then explains Kidmutenu as the
ability "to understand and to gain wisdom." Our
abilities to think, to ponder questions, to make
decisions, to add knowledge to previous knowledge, and
to gain understanding are all gifts from Hakadosh Baruch
Hu that separate us from the rest of creation. Have we
ever stopped and thanked Hakadosh Baruch Hu for the
wonderful ability to think, to just formulate ideas in
our heads without any action at all? This is something
to be thankful for! The Siftei Chachamim, a sefer
written to clarify Rashi, explains that one cannot
possibly say that "in our image" refers to Hashem's
shape or form, because Hakadosh Baruch Hu has no shape
or form. However, Rashi explains that Pasuk 27, which
says that "Betzelem Elokim Bara Oto", "In the
likeness of His image He created him," really means,
"that mold that is prepared for him has the semblance of
Hashem." The Siftei Chachamim resolves the apparent
contradiction and explains that the Rashi in Pasuk 27
means that when the Prophets saw Hashem, the mold of
Adam had a resemblance to what they were shown of
Hashem. The Ramban comments that by no other creature
does it say "Naaseh," "Let us make." In
Creation, Hashem made the concept of all other creations
on the first day, and only later in Creation did He
create its purpose and its physical attributes from that
foundation. He then gave the power to the earth and
waters to bring forth the creatures, as it says: "Let
the earth bring forth animals (Totzei)." and
"Let the waters bring forth fish (Toztei)."
However, by man it says "Let us make" (Naaseh),
meaning that the earth will provide the body, while
Hashem will give man his life-force, his soul. That is
why it says "Naaseh," "make," in the plural,
because both Hashem and the earth will have a hand in
man's creation. This is also the way that the Baal
Haturim understands this Pasuk. He says that Adam,
"man," is a contraction of dust, blood, and bile. Ramban
adds that in Hebrew, the root of "Betzalmenu,"
"In our image," is Tzelem, shape and form, which hints
that man is similar the earth in its physical appearance
and makeup. The root of "Kidmutenu," "In our
likeness," is Demut, resemblance, which means that the
everlasting soul, which is the source of man's wisdom
and understanding, and which does not die or become
extinguished, is similar to the heavens. He concludes
that we are the only creature in creation that Hakadosh
Baruch Hu had a direct hand in making. Hashem even
breathed some of his Shechinah into our bodies, as is
indicated in 2:7. The Meshech Chachmah explains that
"In our likeness" refers to man's absolute free choice.
When man makes a choice, it is much different than when
an animal makes a choice. Man has different paths to
choose from, like a fork in a road. He is able to choose
either one, and it is not determined by his nature or
instinct. Man is able to totally ignore his instincts.
Moreover, if man sees that his decision was not
beneficial to him, he is able to change his ways and
choose to take the other path in the future. In
addition, man is able to look into the future to see the
consequences of his actions. In contrast, when an animal
has to choose between two paths, it will make its
"decision" based only on its instinct, not on free
choice. When the animal makes that decision, it can
never examine the results and decide the other way in
the future. Lastly, but most importantly, an animal is
not able to see the consequences of its actions; this
contrasts man, who makes his decisions with much thought
and planning. Has anyone ever seen an animal think about
what its next step will be? Of course not, because
instinct forces the animal to behave a certain way and
take a specific course in its next step. Man does not
take a single step unless he has a reason for it. The
concept of free choice is similar to Hashem because
Hashem has total free choice (which, of course, He uses
to do good). The Chrisha (Chidushei Rav Shlomo
Ashkenazi) explains that the word Betzalmenu
comes from the Hebrew word Tzel, meaning shadow.
One's shadow is almost an exact replica of one's image.
How does this relate to Hashem? He explains we are the
physical manifestation of Hakadosh Baruch Hu's
spiritual qualities. Our physical attributes mimic
Hashem's spiritual attributes; we are the shadow of
Hashem's perfect attributes and qualities. Hashem's
spirituality has physical bearings and parallels in us.
For example, when it says in the Torah that Hashem took
us out of Egypt with a strong arm, we can understand it
because the spiritual quality of a strong arm is
manifested in our arm. Because of these parallels, when
we bring spirituality into this world through our
physical bodies, we are bringing Hashem's perfect
qualities into this world. The Chrisha then clarifies
that the reason why it says "Naaseh," "make,"
in the plural is that we have to make ourselves into the
image and likeness of Hashem, as this does not jsut come
about by itself. Who are the people involved in man's
creation; who makes him into an image and likeness of
Hashem? Hakadosh Baruch Hu and man himself. If we
do not work on ourselves, we will never become an "image
of Hashem." One could fill an entire sefer with
explanations of what "in our image, in our likeness"
means. However, there is more to the explanation of the
words than just what they mean and refer to. The search
for an answer is the search for an explanation of what
makes humans so special in Creation. Most people do not
realize how tremendously important they really are. We
are incredibly fortunate to have these gifts, and
without them, man would just be another animal in
creation, having no goal in life, living and dying
without knowing what is happening around it. People do
not realize how incredible and uplifted man is in
Creation. It is a terrible tragedy to waste and destroy
these gifts by ignoring them and not using them for a
higher purpose. Jews in particular have great
spiritual potential. We were given a means by which we
can uplift our wisdom to spiritual heights more than any
other human, namely the Torah. The Midrash says that the
world was created only for a place that is able to use
and learn the Torah, and we Jews are the means by which
the Torah is learnt. Think about it: if we are learning
Torah by using all of our special gifts, we are
fulfilling the purpose of Creation! This is the reason
why if there are no Jews learning Torah every at any
given moment, the world will be destroyed. Why is this?
If the world was only created to learn the Torah, then
when no one is learning, there is no point to
creation. The Sforno comments that our intelligence
is different then all of nature in that it exists
without any medium or material at all. It is separated
from matter and is totally metaphysical. When a person
thinks and delves into the future, it is completely
above nature and solidity. The Sforno asks why in
Pasuk 27 the Torah says "Betzelem Elokim," "In
the image of Elokim." He answers that Elokim implies
perfection, which was above Adam's level. Man's special
gift of thought are only an image of perfection, because
he has not yet perfected his wisdom. If he perfects his
wisdom by using it to attain love and fear of Hashem,
the Master of the universe, then it will be complete and
perfect. It will endure forever, even after his body
ceases to function. However, if we do not attempt to
achieve these levels of love and fear of Hakadosh Baruch
Hu, our gift of thought will remain as unused potential.
We will remain as we were before we were created and
endowed with these special gifts, and we will end in
destruction and emptiness, as it says in Tehillim: "Man
in his greatness who does not seek (understanding), is
like the beasts which perish." Everyone has the
potential, but it will all remain mere potential and not
achievement of great spiritual heights if we ignore our
purpose. How does one attain fear and love of Hashem?
The Gemara says that Torah study brings fear of heaven.
The Vilna Gaon once remarked: "The Torah is oil and the
Mitzvah is a lamp. Without the oil (Torah), the lamp
goes out." The Zekan Beto says that if people knew how
much Hakadosh Baruch Hu loved them and how much he
desired their Avodah to him, people would run to perform
His will. People would never think of doing something
wrong, even something that might only border on misdeed.
Let us hope that we will use our treasured advantages
and gifts productively in our service to Hakadosh Baruch
Hu, and not (Chas Veshalom) waste them, and may Mashiach
come speedily in our days.
Halacha of
the Week The Mishna Berura
(639:2) writes that since the holiness of
the Sukkah is so great, one
should strive to maximize the amount of time
we speak about the holy matters in the
Sukkah and that one should certainly make an extra effort
to avoid speaking Lashon Hara in the
Sukkah.
THE ENTIRE KOL TORAH STAFF WISHES
YOU A CHAG SAMEACH!
Staff at
time of publication:
Editors-in-Chief: Ely
Winkler, Willie Roth Executive Editor:
Jerry M. Karp
Publication Editors: Jesse
Dunietz Publishing Manager: Andy
Feuerstein-Rudin Publication Managers: Orin
Ben-Jacob, Moshe Zharnest Business Manager:
Etan Bluman Webmaster: Ariel Caplan Staff:
Duvie Barth, David Gross,
Mitch Levine, Josh Markovic,
Moshe Schaffer, Chaim Strauss, Avi
Wollman Faculty Advisor: Rabbi Chaim
Jachter
