SEPTEMBER 17, 1999 VOL 2, ISSUE 51 7 TISHREI 5760

 

 

Chabad of Northern Beverly Hills, 409 Foothill Road . Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Rabbi Yosef Shusterman 310/271-9063

PARSHAT HA'AZINU

The Torah portion Ha'azinu begins with Moshe saying: "Listen heaven and I will speak; hear earth the words of my mouth." The Sifri notes that concerning heaven Moshe used an expression denoting closeness, ha'azinu, while regarding earth he used an expression indicating distance, v'sishma, for Moshe was "close to heaven and distant from earth." All of Torah serves to instruct each and every Jew. Since it tells us "listen heaven and hear earth," it is evident that like Moshe, we are expected to become "close to heaven and distant from earth." How are we to reach so rarefied a level?

Ha'azinu is often read on the Shabbos between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, a Shabbos known as "Shabbos Teshuvah," a "Shabbos of Repentance." The simple reason for the name is that this Shabbos falls within the Aseres Yimei Teshuvah, the "Ten Days of Penitence." However, since every aspect of Torah is extremely precise, it is to be understood that the name "Shabbos Teshuvah" serves to indicate that Shabbos enhances repentance, so that the Teshuvah of this Shabbos is superior to the Teshuvah of the other "Ten Days of Penitence." What is the connection between Shabbos and a superior form of Teshuvah?

The Alter Rebbe explains that the Teshuvah of Aseres Yimei Teshuvah involves the soul's essence, while Teshuvah during the rest of the year involves only the soul's internal powers. Thus, the former period of Teshuvah is far superior to the latter. These two times for Teshuvah also correspond to the two general levels of repentance, the lower level - whose purpose is to rectify man's sins, and the higher level - which sees the soul returning and cleaving to its Source. In a general sense, these two forms of Teshuvah are mirrored in the difference between spiritual service during the week and spiritual service on Shabbos: During the week man is involved in mundane affairs, seeking to elevate the physical world to holiness. This corresponds to the lower level of repentance, in which the service is that of reuniting the soul's internal powers with G-dliness.

On Shabbos, however, mundane labor is prohibited, for the sanctity of the day is such that man transcends the physical; his labor on that day involves achieving ever-higher levels within the framework of holiness. Thus the Teshuvah of Shabbos is the loftier level of Teshuvah, whereby the soul is elevated and cleaves to its Source. The superiority inherent in the Teshuvah of "Shabbos Teshuvah" as compared to repentance during the other days of the "Ten Days of Penitence" will be understood accordingly: The seven days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur correspond to the seven weekdays of the entire past year; each day of the seven rectifies the misdeeds committed on that weekday in the year just past, with Sunday rectifying for all past Sundays, Monday for all Mondays, etc. Therefore, although the entire period of the Aseres Yimei Teshuvah involves the superior form of Teshuvah, nevertheless, since the weekdays of the Aseres Yimei Teshuvah involve atonement for the weekdays of the past year, it follows that the weekday Teshuvah is not the loftiest form.

Shabbos, however, is the Teshuvah for past Shabbasos, which themselves are inherently superior in service and Teshuvah. It therefore follows that the Teshuvah of Shabbos Teshuvah is the loftiest of all the Aseres Yimei Teshuvah. It is the attainment of this level on Shabbos Teshuvah that enables each and every Jew to be like Moshe - "close to heaven and distant from earth." (From: Wellsprings by Sholom Wineberg, Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. XIV, pp. 143-147.)

"Jacob is the rope of His inheritance."( 32:9) The relationship between a Jew and his G-d is like a rope: the more the Jew pulls away, the taunter the bond grows; finally, the mounting pressure causes him to rebound with an even greater force of attraction than before...  - Zvi Yair

Near Lubavitch there lived a chassid who had married off his daughter to an extremely talented Torah scholar. The proud father-in-law promised to provide for the newlyweds so that the young man could devote himself entirely to his studies. But after a while, the promising prodigy fell into bad

 

company, neglected his studies, and began to veer off to decidedly unsavory

pursuits. After much effort, the distraught father-in-law managed to persuade the young man to see Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch. "Tell me," said the Rebbe to the young genius, whose new-found interests included horse racing, "what's so great about a swift horse?  Say that it can gallop twenty veyorsts in the time it takes the average horse can go four; but should it take a wrong turn, it will carry its rider further and further from his goal - at five times the speed!" "You have a point," agreed the young man. "In such a case the swiftness of the horse has become a disadvantage." The Rebbe's next words penetrated the callous layer which had formed upon the young man's heart: "But remember, as soon as the horse realizes that it has gone astray, it can regain the right path that much faster than his weaker brother..."(From: Once Upon a Chassid by Yanki Tauber)

YOM KIPPUR - "It All Depends On Me"

The highly descriptive phrase which characterizes the task before us on the Yomim Norayim is "cheshbon hanefesh" -- "a spiritual accounting." On these sacred days each of us must evaluate his life honestly to eliminate all self-deception. To do this we must resist the temptation of creating alibis and flimsy excuses for our religious and moral failings. That this is a difficult task no one will deny, but we are truly capable of reaching this lofty goal. This truth is illustrated by a powerful narrative related in the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 17a) concerning Elazer ben Durdaya, who strayed from the path of Jewish life, and became addicted to the allurements of lust and passion. One day when he was mocked by one who apparently shared his view of life, he was overwhelmed by his lowly moral situation, and realized that his life was being wasted. He could not continue on that path anymore, and he was overwhelmed by a sense of futility and despair and for the deep need for return to Hashem.

In his earnest search for penance and in deep anguish of conscience, Elazer ben Durdaya sought external help, and he called out, "Mountains and hills, ask mercy for me." "Ask mercy for you? We must ask mercy for ourselves." "Heaven and earth, ask mercy for me." "Ask mercy for you? We must ask for ourselves." "Sun and moon, ask mercy for me." "Ask mercy for you? We must ask mercy for ourselves." "Stars and planets, ask mercy for me." "Ask mercy for you? We must ask mercy for ourselves." Elazer sat upon the ground, and after a long and serious period of probing introspection, he placed his head between his knees and expired while crying, "Ein hadavar talu ela bi" -- "It all depends on me -- the responsibility is totally mine!" A voice emerged from above and declared, "Elazer is totally mine!" A voice emerged from above and declared, "Elazer ben Durdaya is worthy of Eternal Life."

The explanation to this fascinating and enigmatic story may be the following: Elazar ben Durdaya sought an easy way out of his personal dilemma. He tried to blame his life on external forces and not himself. First he appealed to the mountains and hills -- symbolizing his parents (see Bamidbar 23:9, Rashi): "Declare it was not my fault. I was not disciplined; I was spoiled. You were too busy to take care of me and did not have the time or patience to supervise me properly." But his plea was rejected. In further defense of his shortcomings, he turned to heaven and earth -- symbol of the society in which he lived and the people with which he associated: "I could not have been anything else; my environment molded my total identity. Why am I to blame?" But even this plea was rejected. When they refused to accept the blame, he further declared, "Sun and moon, help me." They are the symbol of affluence, as scripture says, "With the bounty of the sun's crops, and with the bounty of the moon's yield" (Devarim 33:13, Rashi). He cited the affluence of the society in which he had lived: "All I knew was material things; I was brought up in the 'good life.' I wanted pleasure; I was taught no other values. Was I to blame?" And this plea, too, was rejected. Finally, his despair reaching an unbearable climax, he cried out to the stars and planets -- symbol of a predestined fate of evil within him. He also blamed his problems on "the good luck alibi": "I did not have mazal. You tell them...I could not help living the way I did... tell them it was not my fault." Little did he realize that our sages have said, "Ein mazal l'Yisrael" -- "The Jew is not controlled by mazal -- the heavenly constellations -- but ascends above it" (Shabbat 156a). Do not blame it on mazal -- blame it on yourself! When his final plea was rejected, Elazar ben Durdaya probed deeply into his heart and soul and then he found the truth: "There is no one external factor I can shift responsibility to. Ein hadavar talui ela bi -- It all depends on me, I am totally responsible for my actions."

Now that we have described the repentance of Elazar ben Durdaya, one may rightfully wonder who was this personality? According to the Kabbalists (see Seder Hadorot) he was a reincarnation of Yochanan Kohen Gadol who served for eighty years as a High Priest in the second Beit Hamikdash and at the end became a heretic (Berachot 29a). Elazar ben Durdaya, with his brief realization and confession of truth, acquired the merits which Yochanan Kohen Gadol lost in one hour after eighty years of service of Hashem, and in only one hour of sincere attachment to Hashem the neshamah of Elazar ben Durdaya became worthy of eternal life.

There is, however, another beautiful and intriguing explanation given by Rabbi Yehudah Lowy, the famous Maharal of Prague. According to him there was no such person as Elazar ben Durdaya. It is a pseudonym. The word Elazar is a juxtaposition of two words "Keil ozeir" -- "G-d helps" -- and Durdaya, which in the language of the Talmud (Avodah Zara 32a) is the sediment which falls to the bottom of the wine barrel. This episode is a metaphor to teach that Elazar "Keil ozer" -- "G-d helps" -- "durdaya" -- "the one who is compared to sediment" -- one who fell to the lowest ebb and is like the sediment which lost all its wine quality -- when he realizes that " 'Ein hadavar talui ela bi' -- 'It all depends on me' -- and I am the one who has to express sincere remorse and make the effort to change."

When this incident was reported to Rabbi Yehudah the Prince, he used this unusual act of honest introspection and teshuvah as a text for a great moral lesson to his disciples: "There are those who obtain their world (Olam Haba) with many years of work, 'veyeish konah olamo besha'ah achat' -- 'and there are those who acquire their world in one hour' -- in one brief instance of self realization and self transformation."On this great Day of Atonement, may we be inspired to emulate the example of Elazar ben Durdaya -- reject all rationalization for our failures and shortcomings and resolve that "we are responsible for our actions" and return wholeheartedly to Hashem. (From: Vedibarta Bam by Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky)

He who covers up his willful transgressions will not prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them shall obtain mercy. -King Solomon

A resume of the fifth method: H - Hatznei'a..., "Walk discreetly with your G-d," (1). One must take care not to be conspicuous or ostentatious in the slightest. It is said "Man should always be artful in piety." (2) The artfulness lies in seeing that his piety not be noticed at all. We know that a number of the early Chassidim concealed their true selves, and when discovered were sincerely distressed. This is the Avoda of Teshuva that comes from Hatznei'a Lechet, being discreet (From Rebbe's Hayom yom Tishrei 8).