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BEGIN WITH A GRIN

One day, G-d said to the angels, “I’m about to create a new land; I will call it Eretz Yisrael. It will have mountains white with snow in the north, lakes of sweet water, forests and fruits, sun-drenched beaches, a rich land… in short, a land flowing with milk and honey. Its residents will be called Israelis and they will be known throughout the world.”

The angels say, “Dear Creator, isn’t that a bit much? Isn’t that being overly generous with those Israelis?”

G-d says, “Not at all. Wait and see what kind of neighbors I’m going to give them…”

CHOICES, CHOICES

We often ask ourselves, when will the goyim stop hating us? What’s going to be with this anti-Semitism? Where is it coming from? Perhaps in this week’s parsha, Reeh (along with the haftorah) we can find the answer along with an important moral lesson about the avoda required of all of us in general, and in bringing the Geula in particular.

Furthermore, this Shabbos is also Shabbos Mevorchim (Elul), the month of mercy and forgiveness, and surely things are connected (by divine providence). If so, what is the central verse of the parsha that will give us a compelling answer to the increasing anti-Semitism? And how is it connected to the haftora and the month of Elul?

In a deep maamar Chassidus, full of kabbalistic concepts and spiritual levels, which we will try to deconstruct in more simple terms, the Rebbe teaches us an important and currently relevant lesson. In the parsha (14:2), it says, “For you are a holy nation to the L-rd your G-d and G-d chose you to be his treasured nation out of all the nations.” The Rebbe innovates that the verse embodies within it three special qualities which exist only within the Jewish people, in an orderly fashion, step by gradual step.

One – “you are a holy nation” – an essential holiness that exists only within the Jewish people and is a result of the ever increasing holiness of a Jew through fulfilling Torah and mitzvos, to the point that even “Jewish willful sinners are full of mitzvos like a pomegranate,” thus every Jew is full of mitzvos and is thereby sanctified.

Two – Rashi comments on the words cited above, “from your ancestors” – every Jew is a son of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov who are called, “the holy Avos.” Just by being a descendant of the holy Avos, every Jew receives an inherent holiness above and beyond his personal service of Hashem. Because everyone understands that as much as he will dedicate himself to the service of Hashem and invest all of his energies into the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos, he will never attain the level of the Avos. Therefore, this essential holiness is on a higher level than the first.

Three – “and G-d chose you” – the crowning glory of a Jew’s holiness is G-d’s choosing us, a choice that has no reason. G-d did not choose us because we are smarter, richer, more well-mannered or cultured than other nations (even if we are…). He chose us of His own, free-will, quintessential choice, beyond any reason, just because He wanted us! To prove this, the Rebbe quotes a Medrash which says, “Israel is persecuted by the nations of the world and G-d chose Israel as it says… (Koheles 3:15) ‘And G-d will seek out the persecuted one.’”

This Medrash sheds light on the question we started with. G-d chose us and the goyim persecute us and one is dependent on the other. G-d did not choose us because of our deeds and the goyim don’t persecute us because of our deeds. G-d did not choose us because of our brains and the goyim don’t hate us because of our brains; it’s something innate! (unfortunately).

Some will say that the hatred has to do with events in real time, the current situation in Israel and in general, Jewish control (if there is such a thing) in Eretz Yisrael. Later in the maamar, the Rebbe quotes another Medrash which provides a winning answer to this too. “G-d created many things and chose one of them. He created seven days and He chose Shabbos… He created lands and chose one of them, Eretz Yisrael. He created nations and chose Yisrael as it says, ‘and G-d chose you!’”

Eretz Yisrael is the chosen place, Shabbos is the chosen time, and the Jewish people are the chosen nation. This triple choosing is not happenstance. The world is built on three foundational elements that in Kabbala/Chassidus are called: World, Year, Soul. In other words, Space, Time, and Life. When G-d created each of these elements He chose one aspect of them for Himself. When He created space, He chose Eretz Yisrael; when He created time, He chose Shabbos; and when He created life, He chose us! This makes it clear why the chosen place (Eretz Yisrael) and the chosen time (Shabbos) were given to the chosen people (Am Yisrael).

To summarize, G-d’s choice of us is the reason for giving Eretz Yisrael to us and is also the reason that the nations persecute us. But this doesn’t sound all that positive… Does this mean that the nations will hate us forever? Ad mosai? And how is this connected to the haftorah, the month of Elul and bringing the Geula?

PREFERRED CHOICE

This week’s haftorah is about the future, after the coming of Moshiach, a time when, G-d promises us, “And I will make your shimshosayich (lit. ‘suns’, i.e. windows) of kadkod (jasper) and your gates of avnei ekdach (carbuncle stones), and all your border of precious stones.” Why are shimshosayich (suns in plural)? How many suns does G-d have? I thought He has one sun. And why avnei ekdach? In modern Hebrew it doesn’t sound that good (pistol)…

There are commentaries who explain that the word shimshosayich means a window pane, but in Chassidus (at least in this maamar) the Rebbe explains it literally, that there are two suns in the world. The first sun is [Hashem as he manifests through the name] Havaya as in the verse (Tehillim 84), “For a sun and a shield [are] Havaya [and] Elokim.” G-d is the “sun” that shines and gives life to all of of existence. The second sun is (Malachi), “And the sun of mercy shall rise with healing in its wings.” The Jewish people are called sun when they do tzedaka and acts of kindness.

That’s a nice explanation; there are two suns in the world, G-d and us, but what does that tell us? What is the significance, considering what was said before?

According to Chassidus (based on the Gemara Bava Basra 75b), the word “kadkod” alludes to [a statement by G-d in resolving a dispute between the angels] “let it be like this and like that,” i.e. to unite and connect between the two suns. That means that in Yemos HaMoshiach there will be utter unity between G-d and the Jewish people. This utter unity will bring to full expression the essential choosing by G-d of the Jewish people which we spoke about earlier. Simply put, and with no kabbalistic complexities, the intention is that in the future, “a new sun will shine,” a light that will bring light, a light that will shine into the world (and the nations of the world) the true choice of the Creator in us, in the Jewish people and Eretz Yisrael. And then, when the new sun shines, the unifying sun of Yisrael and G-d, the hatred and jealousy will disappear!

The reason for the cessation of hatred will be as a result of drawing Hashem’s choosing of the Jewish People into all levels of existence, from the highest spiritual worlds and down into our lowly world. Since G-d’s choice is a free, quintessential choice, with no reason; just because this is His will and therefore, this choice does not penetrate into the reality of our physical world or, in other words, the nations cannot “digest” this choice of us because they don’t understand it and are unable to feel and sense it, this is why they oppose it and this is expressed in… anti-Semitism!

In the future, G-d’s choice will permeate all of its existence; it will filter down into all levels and all worlds. It will permeate human intellect and the physical heart, it will shed light (“shemesh,” remember…) and graciousness even to the goyim. The world will understand and internalize that G-d chose us. The anti-Semitic heart of the world will sense the power and intensity of the closeness between Hashem and His beloved people and then the hatred will be gone.

What is the connection to the month of Elul? The way to bring about this revelation of G-d’s choosing the Jewish people in the world is through the attribute of mercy, and Elul is the month of mercy (and forgiveness). Why?

Because just as there is no reason for G-d’s choice, so too, for real mercy there is no reason. When you bestow upon someone a true act of kindness, not because you expect payment and not because he deserves it, so that even the giver himself doesn’t understand why he is being lavished with such generosity, this is the true, Jewish attribute of mercy! This is what will bring G-d’s choice of us out into the open in the world with the Geula!

This is also the way to the Geula, because just as the destruction of the Mikdash was for the sin of baseless hatred, its future building will be because of baseless love. Baseless love is love without a reason, not because he did us a favor, not because he deserves it; just because he’s a Jew!

The four-fold connection between the parsha, the haftorah, the month of Elul and the Geula can be summed up as: Choosing that is beyond any reason which is expressed in love and mercy without limit!

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY

We will end with a story about kindness. Menachem and Benny (pseudonyms) were childhood friends who learned together in yeshiva in Brooklyn. Menachem spent the summers in the Catskills with his grandfather while Benny, whose family couldn’t afford that, stayed in desolate Brooklyn.

One year, Menachem decided to invite Benny to spend the summer with him in the mountains. He asked his grandfather, Rabbi Cohen, whether he could invite his friend and his grandfather said yes. The grandfather treated Benny like one of his own grandchildren so that Benny felt at home and even began calling him, “Zaidy.”

The arrangement worked out wonderfully and it took place year after year for six years. Ten years went by and Rabbi Cohen experienced kidney failure and urgently needed a kidney transplant. The Renewal organization conducted tests to find a suitable donor. Benny was also tested and his kidney was a perfect match. Benny told the organization he wanted to be an anonymous donor.

News about the available kidney was relayed to the Cohen family and a date for the surgery was made. After the operation, which was successful, Rabbi Cohen remained in the hospital to recover. A few hours after the operation, he was told by one of the nurses that the anonymous donor wanted to meet him. Picture the moment when Rabbi Cohen saw that the one who had donated the kidney to him was … his adopted grandson, Benny! Because when you give without a reason, you get back an unlimited way!

Good Shabbos!

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