english vaetchanan
—WHO REALLY BURNT DOWN THE TEMPLE?
—-DOUBLE PUNISHMENT / DOUBLE CONSOLATION
—HOW EVIL IS THE EVIL INCLINATION?
—WHO REALLY BURNT DOWN THE TEMPLE?—-
In the Nacheim prayer we say on Tisha B’av afternoon, we recall the destruction and rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash this way: You set it on fire, and You will ultimately rebuild it with fire (כי אתה באש הצתה ובאש אתה עתיד לבנותה וכו’ ). The Midrash also cites this statement – together with the verse in the Torah stating that the one who sets fire to the possessions of others is liable for damages (שמות כ”ב:ה) And then the Midrash quotes the Holy One making the following amazing statement: “I have to fix the damages that resulted from the fire I set.” (ילקוט שמעוני-זכריה ב:ט)
Now, this is all very strange. We have all been taught that the Temple was destroyed because of the sins of our people. Through sin, our forefathers caused G-d’s Presence to leave the Holy Site, making it vulnerable to the torches of our gentile enemies. How, then, can we understand that G-d is liable to rebuild it, and not the Jewish Nation?
Oddly enough, this paradox can be explained by another paradox:
The Talmud ברכות לא:)) tells us that when Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah) attempted to defend the Jews against the charge of idolatry, he went out on a limb, and pointed an accusing finger at G-d: “You caused their hearts to go astray ” (מלכים א יח, לז). The Talmud criticizes this statement, but goes on to say that G-d actually agreed to this charge.
How are we to understand this?
The Siftei Chaim offers an explanation which, I think, resolves both these paradoxes. Indeed, man has freedom of choice, which ultimately makes man liable for sin. But once a person repents, G-d judges him favorably, and acknowledges that “I was the One who created him with such a strong evil inclination and passion; I will therefore take responsibility for the sin.”
In other words, although the sin was committed by the sinner, his liability continues only until he repents sincerely. After repentance, G-d is willing to bear the liability, in a sense, since the sin was ultimately a result of the negative drive (yetzer ha’ra) created by G-d.
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To take responsibility for our foolish actions can often be very difficult. We often find ourselves denying responsibility for our mistakes, making all kinds of excuses, and keeping up a self-image of perfection. But if we can internalize the refreshing concept discussed above – that G-d forgives us when we candidly admit our sin – we will have a great source of new hope. And we will be able to approach Elul and the Days of Repentance in the right frame of mind.
—-DOUBLE PUNISHMENT / DOUBLE CONSOLATION—-
When people speak of “support,” they are usually referring to one of three types: emotional support, physical support, or monetary support. Indeed, the human psyche relies on these three types of support to stay balanced and healthy. If one of these is missing, an individual often feels like he is drowning. This feeling will be most intense when emotional support is missing.
What is emotional support? It is by no means limited to encouragement. Basic honor and respect also provide emotional support to an individual. If these are missing, not only will mental and emotional health be likely to deteriorate, but bodily health as well. Subconsciously, we are always looking for support from our family, friends and acquaintances. Unfortunately, some people do not get support from these parties. This may be because they simply do not have a circle of relatives or friends – or because the relatives and friends fail to provide the appropriate level of respect and honor. We sometimes forget just how powerful and vital this kind of support is.
It emerges, then, that one of the biggest acts of chessed we can perform is to simply lend an ear. If someone we know is suffering, it may be difficult to let them rattle on and on. We might feel that we do not have any way to help. But this feeling is misleading. The fact is that even if the person is suffering from lack of physical or monetary support, a listening ear and emotional support can do much to soothe their pains.
If possible, though, we should do even more when we are approached by someone who is subconsciously looking for support: We should try to open up their eyes to the truth that ultimately it is not family, friends, etc., that hold us up. This is actually all a mirage. There is no-one who loves us and respects us more than our G-d in Heaven. He is the source of all support. Needless to say, wisdom and tact are necessary to convey this message effectively.
One powerful way to do this is to point to people who have succeeded in realizing – and living by – this basic truth. One such person could be a man or woman who lost their spouse at an early age, or a senior who never found a spouse at all – but managed to stay happy, and even become a source of support for others!
How did they accomplish this? The answer is that they found support by observing how the Creator supports them. They then went on to support others. They realized just how much G-d loves us and supports us even though we often ignore Him. And He is still there for us when we come back to Him.
In the Haftarah of Shabbat Nachamu, we read: נחמו נחמו עמי יאמר אלוקיכם (Be consoled , be consoled my nation – so your G-d will say). The Midrash comments: They were doubly punished, and they will be doubly consoled (ילקוט שמעוני). How can we understand this? Why did G-d punished us doubly for our sins, and then give us a double amount of consolation?
The answer lies in the Haftarah of Parashat Masei (Yirmiahu 20:13):כי שתים רעות עשה עמי- אותי עזבו מקור מים חיים לחצוב להם בארות בארות נשברים אשר לא יכילו המים (My nation committed two evils against Me: They abandoned Me, the source of living waters, to go and dig wells for themselves – broken wells that cannot hold water). This calls to mind the parable of the queen who ran off with a farmer. Not only did she leave the king – she left the king to marry a simple farmer!
The Chovot Halevovot notes that the Prophet is not only referring to abandoning G-d for idol worship. He is also referring to abandoning our trust in G-d to trust in the more immediate things that support us. We trust that if we are breathing now, we will still be breathing a minute from now. We trust that as long as we have an investment/business/rich parent, our financial situation is stable due to these means. We trust that if we are happily married or supported, things will remain that way. What this really boils down to, however, is that we are relying on means because we built a certain amount of trust in them. We may then, unfortunately, forget to turn to G-d to keep asking for those blessings. By doing this, we are abandoning our relationship with G-d, who is like the spring of fresh waters itself. We rely on our broken wells that we dug that cannot even contain the water we put in them from the spring. We are busy focusing on the wells and rivers and pipelines through which G-d sends us good, but we forget that He is the source of all our bounty. These are the two evils done by our nation – abandoning our trust in G-d to trust in other means of support, and forgetting that these means are actually provided by G-d.
In His great mercy, however, He is willing to accept us back even after we have behaved so badly. Our King does not forsake his queen – the Jewish People – after she ran off with the farmer who is himself supported by the King. He still calls Himself “your G-d.” He does not forsake us even if we have forsaken Him. There is no greater consolation than this. He is always there watching over us. Furthermore, when we come back to Him, not only does He not get angry at us for leaving Him, He also shows that He is overjoyed to have us back. This is the double consolation.
—HOW EVIL IS THE EVIL INCLINATION?—-
While attempting withdrawal, a compulsive eater or “over-indulger” of another sort might find himself asking the following theological question: How can Judaism claim that G-d creates only good if He also created the Evil Inclination (yetzer ha’ra) responsible for my compulsion or addiction?
To answer this question, we need to go back to the sources, and understand how our Sages viewed the Evil Inclination – the human tendency to do wrong, to do the opposite of what HaShem has commanded. We find in the Midrash (Bereishit Rabah 9) that when G-d said of the entire Creation that it was not just “good,” but “very good,” He was referring to the Evil Inclination! This concept that the Evil Inclination is a vital part of Creation as also reflected in the Shema: “You should love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart ((לבבך, with all your soul, and with all your possessions.” The Hebrew word for heart that is used here – with its doubled ב – is an allusion to the two “hearts” that HaShem implanted in us: the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination. This means that we have to serve G-d with our Evil Inclination as well. The Vilna Gaon explains that G-d did not create the Evil Inclination merely for the purpose of rewarding us for overcoming it. Rather, G-d created it for the sake of human survival. The Evil Inclination encompasses our animalistic drives which impel us to eat, drink, and seek a mate – activities vital to the survival of humanity. This Inclination is still called “Evil,” however, because its sphere is limited to the animalistic part of our nature – the body, not the soul. But if we use it in the right way, we can press it into the service of our Creator.
In practical terms, this means that when we eat or drink in the service of G-d, we are expected to perceive food not merely as pleasure, but as nutrition. G-d expects us to take care of our body and be cognizant of its instincts. Indeed, the first question dietarians ask overweight patients is: “Do you continue to eat when you are no longer hungry?” If the answer is “Yes,” the dietarian advises the patient to continue eating only as long as the hunger instinct is felt. Instead of concluding the meal when one is “full,” one should stop eating when he does not feel hungry any longer. Seeing or smelling something delicious does not mean that it should be popped into one’s mouth. We are supposed to eat foods that satisfy our hunger – unlike junk food or fast food. If we would ask ourselves: “What nutrition can I get out of food?” instead of “What pleasure can I get out of food?” our eating habits would change dramatically. G-d gave us the hunger instinct for survival, and graciously gave us pleasure in eating. Nonetheless, we are to control this instinct before it controls us.
Overeating damages not only the body, but the soul as well. As we see later in the Shema, we are commanded: Watch over yourselves lest your hearts entice you to go astray and serve other gods… Rav Shlomo Wolbe zt”l notes (on a related verse, Jeshurun became satiated and kicked) that one can enter a state where the mind is controlled by the body, making it hard to refrain from sin. One of these states is when the body is overly satiated. For this reason, the Torah commands us to recite Birkat Hamazon and thank G-d for the food after we have eaten – not before – to show that we have not forgotten G-d even after we are satiated. The intellect does not function properly when one is overly full. The “stuffed” body tends to rebel (“kick”) against those who were kind to him – particularly its Creator.
The approach we have outlined is, of course, not limited to satisfying one’s hunger. Let us focus for a moment on the human desire to have a mate. G-d created the desire between men and women for the purpose of marrying and building a family. Without it, of course, humanity would die out. But G-d’s intention goes further. He wants us to ensure that there will be future generations to enjoy and appreciate the bounty He showers upon humanity, and serve Him accordingly. If, however, we let this desire loose, and don’t use it for family building – but merely for pleasure –we can readily cause harm to ourselves and others.
In conclusion, G-d in His great kindness, gave us both desires and a pleasurable way to satisfy them. If we realize that He did so in order to serve Him – not merely to indulge ourselves – we can enjoy His goodness here in this world and in the World-to-Come.
