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BEGIN WITH A GRIN

A rabbit and a snake fall into a deep, dark pit.

The snake feels the rabbit and says, “You have long ears, protruding teeth and you’re small; you must be a rabbit!” The rabbit feels the snake and says, “You have a forked tongue, you crawl, and you’re smooth; you must be a politician!”

NO SNAKE ON THE MENU

This week’s parsha, Shemini, discusses the laws of forbidden shratzim (lit. crawlers, a broad classification including insects, bugs, reptiles etc.). The Torah says (11:42), “Any [creature] that goes on its belly (gachon), and any [creature] that walks on four [legs] to any [creature] that has many legs, among all creeping creatures that creep on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.” Which animal is the Torah referring to when it says it goes on its belly? Or that it walks on four legs? A sheep and a cow walk on four legs and they are kosher! In general, what is “gachon?”

Rashi comes to the rescue and explains, “goes on its belly”: “This is the snake. The word גָּחוֹן denotes ‘bending low’ [and it is used to describe the snake] because it goes bent over and falls on its belly.” “That walks on four [legs]”: “This [refers to] a scorpion.”

We understand why “gachon” refers to the snake. The one time previously in the Torah where the word “gachon” is mentioned is in connection with the snake. At the beginning of parshas Bereishis, after the story of the sin of the Eitz Ha’Daas, G-d punishes the snake for causing the sin with the words, “You will go on your belly.” From there, Rashi learned that here too, the Torah is forbidding the eating of the snake (if there are any people, aside from the Chinese, who want to eat this creepy creature).

What’s surprising about Rashi’s comment is the ending, in which he explains the second question we asked. “The word גָּחוֹן denotes ‘bending low’ [and it is used to describe the snake] because it goes bent over and falls on its belly.” If the word “gachon” is unfamiliar to the “ben chameish l’mikra” (the beginner student that Rashi is addressing), which is why Rashi had to explain it, why did he wait until parshas Shemini? Why didn’t he explain it back in Bereishis, the first time it appeared?

And mainly, what can be learned from the gachon of the snake and the feet of the scorpion in our avodas Hashem today?

In a deep sicha, which amazingly unites all dimensions of Torah: pshat, remez, drush, sod, the Rebbe says that Rashi did not have to explain the word gachon in Bereishis because the meaning there is obvious in one of two meanings. Either it means the slithering sound the snake makes as it moves, as it crawls on the ground or it means “stomach,” i.e. that the snake appears to be crawling on its belly.

In Shemini, Rashi is responding to why the Torah did not speak directly and call the sheretz by its name. Why call a snake, “that which goes on its belly,” and call a scorpion “that which walks on four legs?” Are we trying to be politically correct and not offend people’s feelings?

By force of this simple question, Rashi understood that the Torah’s intention was to include, “any creature that goes on its belly” and “any creature that walks on four [legs].” The Torah wants to forbid (not only the snake and scorpion because then it would call them by name but) any sheretz or crawling thing that has one of these characteristics, of going on its belly or walking on four. Therefore, Rashi has to explain what precisely is the forbidden and prohibitive characteristic which is called, “goes on its belly.” What exactly is the fateful characteristic of going bent over [as Rashi explains here] and why is it so forbidden and how is it different than going on its stomach [which Rashi assumed you knew it means back in Bereishis]?

DON’T BE A LOW DOWN SNAKE

The Rebbe explains, according to the teachings of Chassidus, that going on the belly represents debasement before physical things and a strong attraction to eating and drinking. Or, in other words: man, who crawls like an abject slave toward physical pleasures. “All who go on ‘gachon’” represents, as Rashi puts it, one who “goes bent over,” a person who walks stooped, broken, spineless (no, we are not referring to politicians). He doesn’t look upward, he doesn’t see the heavens, the “lift your eyes upward and see who created these.” What do you think will happen to such a person? Where will he end up?

Rashi goes on to say, “falls on its belly,” that he will end up like a floor rag, fallen, who only thinks about “his belly,” and that’s all. It’s a trick of the evil inclination whom the holy Zohar calls… a snake!

The Torah explains to us the essence of a sheretz so we won’t be like it and the Torah prefaces and teaches us that the start of the descent and fall, the beginning of impurity, is “going on ‘gachon,’” ‘going [bowed and] bent over,” without looking upward, without trying to see the heaven. Thus, the Torah also teaches us how to be saved from impurity. We need to look upward, to the sky, to learn Torah and especially pnimiyus ha’Torah, which has to do with lofty, G-dly ideas.

It doesn’t end with that. In the Gemara it says that the Sages counted and found that the letter vov in the middle of the word “gachon” is exactly halfway through the Torah. According to the Maharsha [with added insight from Chassidus], the Gemara means to teach us that the only way to “sever” the strength of the snake, to stop its spiritual nourishment and cut it in two is by the letters of the Torah. The entire Torah consists of names of G-d and therefore, constant involvement in it does not allow any space for the presence of the forces of impurity. The more a person is engaged in Torah in general, and in Chassidus in particular, the more he can remove the dominance of the snake.

Furthermore, the Tzemach Tzedek explains that the letter vov mentioned before is a large vov which is longer than usual. Every letter in the Torah has deep meaning. All the more so an unusual letter like an elongated vov. What is the significance of this large vov?

The shape of the vov, a straight line, represents “hamshacha,” the ability to move something from above to below, from mashpia to mekabel. A long, large vov represents an extraordinary hamshacha, the sublime ability to convey deep, lofty messages from a particularly lofty source, down below to an extremely low place. The vov of “gachon” is a perfect symbol for Chassidus. Chassidus convey spiritual, deep messages saturated with G-dliness and exceptionally mystical meaning, in a simple, clear way so that they’re appropriate even for the lowest person. Through this vov, by being involved in the teachings of Chassidus, we vanquish the primordial snake who led to the first sin in history and from there to the exile that we are in now. The answer to the exile caused by the snake is found in his vov in “gachon,” in the teachings of Chassidus!

It’s interesting to note that one of the many names of Moshaich [which shares the same numerical value in gematriya – 358] is… nachash (snake)! Because by refining the snake of kelipa through learning Chassidus, we can attain the snake of holiness, Moshiach himself!

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY

We will end with a story about how the Rebbe and Chassidus save every Jew from the… snake.

One of the Chassidim of the Alter Rebbe, had to deal in merchandise at the fair to make a living. After he bought merchandise at the fair and was on his way home, he passed by Liadi. It was Shavuos time and the Chassid nostalgically remembered Shavuos with the Rebbe. He left the wagon with all his merchandise and walked to Liadi. When he entered the Beis Medrash, the Rebbe said to his son, “Here is a Chassid, a baal mesirus nefesh” (because he left the wagon with the merchandise on the road).

After Yom Tov, the Chassid had yechidus and as soon as he entered, the Rebbe said, “The wagon and merchandise will be intact, G-d willing.” But the Chassid complained that business distracted him from Torah and avoda.

The Rebbe said, “I advise you to get an inn and a pub. This parnassa isn’t distracting. Your wife can sell liquor and you can learn and daven.”

The Chassid went on his way and near his wagon he met the feudal lord of the town who was amazed that he left his wagon like that. As soon as he heard that the wagon had been left there for three days, he realized the Chassid was a special person and he offered that the Chassid manage his inn and there were also living accommodations nearby.

However, when he got to the inn, the neighbors told him not to rent the inn because nearby lived a magician whose wife was also a witch and whoever lived in the inn did not live out the year. The Chassid said, “I’m not afraid of magic because a holy rabbi told me that this is my livelihood. The Rebbe wouldn’t give me parnassa that would kill me.”

However, after a while, he began to feel unwell and he grew weaker from day to day. He realized it was the magic and he hurried to the Rebbe. He arrived in Liadi on erev Shabbos Balak. Friday night, he was very weak and did not go to daven, but in the morning he felt stronger and he walked into shul in the middle of the Torah reading. The Rebbe was the baal korei and when he reached chamishi he said this Chassid should have an aliya. This was surprising since the Rebbe did not usually say who to call up to the Torah.

When he went up to the Torah, the Rebbe became very inflamed and when the Rebbe reached the verse, “There is no nachash (divination) in Yaakov and no magic in Israel,” his face was like a torch and he repeated the verse a number of times in great dveikus [spiritual rapture].

The man went home and already on his way he felt perfectly fine. As he approached his home, he heard from the neighbors that the magician and his wife had suddenly died. When he asked when this happened, he heard it was Shabbos morning, exactly when he had his aliya.

Good Shabbos!

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Moshiach Beparsha is a weekly drasha connecting the Rebbe’s teachings on Moshiach with the weekly Parsha, presented in an engaging way with stories and practical life lessons.

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