Rabbi Haim Lifshitz

Home

Essays

Glossary

 
Go to Hebrew site

 

 

 

 

 

 




                                                l'ilui nishmat Esther bat Mrdechai

From “God’s Servant” to “God’s People”

Our forefathers were servants of God.  Along the human being/God axis, they appeared to be angels of God, rising forth from the human to the heavens.  Very rarely did angels come down from the heavens to the human.  Along the axis created by the initiative of free choice, the tsadik flowed freely and confidently on his path toward God.

He was “like a minister before the king, not like a servant before the king.”  Through the power of his righteousness, he knew his duty, his task and his role, on his own.  He did not require the support of hashgaha, Divine Providence.  This is why we do not find in the Book of Genesis any tales of miracles and wonders, which are an act of Divine Providence as it violates the forces of nature in order to pave a path for the human being.  “Walk before Me,” was said of Abraham.  Unlike Noah, who required the support of hashgaha, Abraham used his own powers to find his path, as did Isaac and Jacob as well.

However, uninvited guests from this foul world chose to invite themselves to join his circle.  Lot attached to Abraham, as did Hagar and Ishmael - people for whom the independence of free choice had turned into a curse rather than a blessing.  Esau attached to Jacob.  From the very womb, he attempted to accompany his righteous brother, never releasing him until Jacob was forced to wrestle with Esau’s angel in order to be rid of him.

We also find negative tendencies inside of man, accompanying his spiritual quality that attempts to soar upward: Bad character traits, arrogance, and the tendency to become enslaved to physical matter and to its cravings.  Throughout all of life, the heroic tsadik attempts to break free of these companions, to rule over them as did Joseph the Righteous, who merited the title and became the symbol of the tsadik, the hero of the spirit, whose life story is about wrestling with the forces of the world.  “These are the chronicles of Jacob: Joseph…”

“Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation, and the children of Israel multiplied and increased…and the land was filled with them.”

The individuals had turned into a nation.  No more “powerful heroes doing His bidding,” but rather, a mass of a people, victims of their environment, lacking their own convictions, their free choice weak and ineffectual.  Their free choice does not play a central role in the human/God axis.

This vacuum is very soon filled by the hashgaha, Divine Providence.  “I have descended to save them.”  Should they attempt to make use of their miserable, pathetic choice, it would become filled with the defilements of Egypt, with human weakness, bad character traits and arrogance.  Better for the human to be controlled from above, by hashgaha, than to stumble, through choice that does not know how to choose good from evil.

Freedom given to a child is like “riches that bring their owner’s downfall.”  Liberalism is for the deserving.  For the undeserving, liberty brings only devastation and destruction – so we find with those states that have not undergone a process of receiving the Torah, nor forty years of training in the desert of the nations.

Yet man does not readily give up his ability to choose, nor his freedom – even though he does not know what to do with it.  The truth of the matter is that Divine Providence does not benefit someone devoid of free choice.  “The miracle’s owner does not recognize his own miracle.”  “What if they will not believe me?” Moses cries out in agonized protest.  For belief grows only in the garden of free choice.  If there is no belief, then there is no address for the hashgaha; it cannot find its destination.

Suffering: The manure that fertilizes the garden of free choice

Suffering is the constant companion of free choice.  The greater the part occupied by choice in serving God, the greater the suffering.  However, all suffering is not alike.  From the birth pangs of the creative artist, from the confrontation that the servant must undergo if he is an original thinker, seeking to express his originality, and encountering hostility and fear on the part of the environment, to the suffering that afflicts an individual for no understandable reason.  The birth pangs of creativity and the confrontation experienced by one who forges a new and original path – these are the sufferings of love, because the one who possesses choice has used his choice.  He has chosen suffering, as the price he must pay to express his uniqueness.  Such suffering does not prevent his creative service.  On the contrary, it endows his creative service with the exquisite personal touch of uniqueness and existential power.

The sufferings of the Egyptian exile were not born of free choice, but rather the opposite: They awakened choice, from its atrophied slumber.  “If a man sees that suffering comes upon him, let him search among his deeds.”  Suffering by its nature awakens the problem of existence.  “Why is it that I am?”  Rebecca is tormented by this question, which is her response to the frenetic activity within her womb, which is occupied by two diametrically opposed fetuses.  Why and wherefore has this suffering come?  And mainly, how shall one extricate oneself from it? 

“And he turned this way and that, and saw that there was no man.”  The sufferer attempts to seek help from any possible source, not being selective about the means.  When he reaches the conclusion that there is nothing in the world that can ease his suffering – he continues to cry out, though it is not clear to him where he is directing his cry.

Suffering prevents him from sinking into the routine of atrophy.  It brings the sufferer to awareness of the need for deliverance.  After he has reached the conclusion that there is no escape from his suffering in any direction within the mechanical/brute force powers of nature – and after he has realized that this suffering falls into the category of “all the disease that I have placed upon Egypt, I shall not place upon you, for I am God, your Healer” – that is to say that the moment the sufferer realizes that God is the sole escape, the moment he turns to the Creator with a request for deliverance, he is assured that he will be answered by Divine Providence, Who will descend to him, to save him.  The sufferer is incapable of walking the path of free choice on his own, because of his pain.  It is sufficient if he attains awareness of his situation, and the knowledge that healing is to be found from the Creator.

God’s leading the universe as indicated by an actively initiating Providence is vastly different from what we find in the Book of Genesis, which is suffused with the activity of human initiative, and God’s response.  There are even instances where God’s response is given over to human hands.  (As for example, the use of “the key to blessing,” which was given over to our forefathers.)

However, an utter void of human initiative is not possible even in the Book of Exodus: “A man from the house of Levi went forth and took Levi’s daughter.”  Here is an expression of human initiative: The midwives take the initiative; Miriam takes the initiative with Pharaoh’s daughter.  Moses took the initiative, when he “went forth [took the initiative] to see the welfare of his brethren,” and attempted to fight against evil. 

All the others, however, were indicated by a helpless passivity.  It was passivity of a sort that surprised and frightened the Egyptians.  Normally, the way of the world is that a passive individual accepts the good with the evil, accepts and does not react.  Here, with regard to the nation of Israel: “As they afflicted them, so they increased and so they multiplied,” with no explanation, and against all the rules of survival.  Our sages determine that “affliction is becoming to Israel.” We might add, suffering as well. 

The nation of Israel guards its eternal uniqueness not despite suffering but perhaps thanks to suffering.  For after all, in the countries of emancipation, where Jews are accepted without discrimination, assimilation increases.  It would appear that the secret of survival lies in the nature and in the origin of the sufferings that have befallen them, through the initiative of the supreme Providence, and out of its lovingkindness.

All that is required of man is to recognize the source of his suffering, and to sense, through it, the personal touch of a personalized, privately directed Divine Providence, and to know the goal of the suffering, which is to awaken man to his need for deliverance.  This is what our sages mean by “let him search among his deeds.”  The moment he has clarified this meaning of his suffering – then his suffering has fulfilled its mission, and it relaxes its grip upon him. 

Here lies the secret of faith.  The requirement to invest practical effort is not fulfilled by attempting to find a solution to one’s suffering, but rather by the effort to clarify – with utter and absolute clarity – the abovementioned meanings.

Any investment of effort that causes one to attempt to find one’s own solution, using one of the worldly paths, testifies to a lack of belief and confidence in God.  Indeed, such lack impedes the supreme Providence, and in such cases man must fill the vacuum created by having impeded hashgaha, by having blocked its activity and its involvement in the ways of the world.  Man’s effort to find a solution to his suffering on his own powers testifies to arrogance.  For this reason, the chosen one was specifically Moses, who took the initiative, yet who was humble, in order to imbue the nation with the new approach.  Moses who could have initiated, chose not to initiate, but rather to reinforce and to encourage the initiative of hashgaha, to the point of risking a conflict with it, a risk that would cost him his life, and cost him the role of redeemer with which he had been entrusted.

Moses refuses his role, and perseveres in his refusal for seven full days!…for reasons that prove the new course of Providence.  The first reason is personal.  Moses knows himself to be an initiator, and knows that his taking initiative could cloud and even interfere with the course of hashgaha.  Indeed, the justice of this claim of his is proven later, in the “waters of strife,” which result from his taking the initiative to strike the rock, an action, in contrast to the commandment of speech. 

Moses suggests Aaron instead of himself, for he is righteous and holy.  It is interesting to note that the commandment to “be holy” is interpreted by Rashi as meaning to “be separated.”  Is separation from the secular sufficient to attain holiness?   It can only be according to what we have discussed – that one’s duty is to recognize the condition of the secular as an impediment to holiness, and to retreat to a purely passive awareness.  It is from the study halls of humility that such retreat comes; it is the unique feature that invites the holiness that is wholly an expression of active, initiating Godly presence. 

One is required to create, out of oneself, a vessel for receiving holiness, through the awareness that one has no capacity to create or control the holiness that constitutes Godly presence at its best.  Thus Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons, were burned by the fire of the holiness that came from their initiative.  This was Moses’ concern, in his capacity as redeemer – that he was not the one suited to educate the nation to be passive, to reduce their role to the awareness that retreats from all initiative, that suffices with entrenching oneself within faith and confidence in God only – because he himself was an initiator, and thus might blur the sharpness of the message.  It seemed to him that Aaron was more suitable than he, thanks to his being passive (as we see in his behavior during the sin of the Golden Calf – but we are getting ahead of ourselves).

The Bush That Burned But Was Not Consumed

Moses sees a vision charged with intrinsic contradiction.  A sneh is a thorny shrub that is apparently meant for fire’s consumption.  Yet behold, it is entirely enveloped in flames that do not harm it in the least.  In this vision lies the secret of the new method, according to which the initiative of Divine Providence is not meant to suppress free choice, but rather to protect it.  This idea is truly opposed to the brute force-based logic that prevails in the world, yet it brings a new Godly reality to fill the vacuum created by man’s demotion from the rank of active chooser.  “And He saw that he had turned aside to see:” Initiative.  “Remove your shoe from upon your foot:” An instruction to retreat from initiative.

God’s name has been fitted to suit the new method as well, the new approach that exchanges free choice for for Divine supervision, or providence.  The name that had been known to our forefathers had been one that expresses the natural systems.  Shin, Dalet, Yud.  Godly forces within nature were uncovered and discovered by our forefathers, through their initiative of free choice, which means the human ability to control the system of survival.  However, the new approach characterized by Divine Providence does not take the laws of nature into consideration.  It imposes a direct Godly presence upon them by force, through signs and wonders that ignore the conventional rules of the game of nature. 

“Tell them, 'I will be' has sent me to you.'"  "I will be” indicates the future.  Henceforth, the laws of nature will not dictate the course of events.  Rather the Holy One alone, by His direct presence, will dictate the course of events.  For Him, time is not truncated into a past that is separated from a present that is severed from a future.  The Godly presence will descend to the children of Israel and dwell within them forever.  Opposing elements will unite: “Compassion” will dwell within “judgment.”  This merging of "compassion" means that God will be relating directly to the human being, through a private, personalized Providence that has no conflict with Godly laws known as “judgment.”  In the new approach, “compassion” and “judgment” make peace with each other, through a merger creating completion and perfection, making this new approach doubly and triply worthwhile.

"For I saw," "I heard," and "I knew."  These are all acts of utter, absolute involvement and initiative, as in: "Adam knew Eve, his wife."  "I came down to save them."  The active initiative is on My part, not on the people's part.  In contrast: "The children of Israel groaned fromt he work."  "They cried out from the work," but sufficed with that.  This is because "God heard, and He remembered His covenant, and He saw...the children of Israel, and He knew," as in "I am with them in their trouble."

From this point on, human prayer changes: It begins as a basic initiative of awareness of Godly presence, as a presence that initiates and that relates to our forefathers' great devotion to Him.    As it continues, man declares his belief in, and consciousness of the hashgaha's involvement in the minutest details of his existence: "He supports the falling...He heals the sick...He releases the imprisoned..."  Even in the most basic, extreme survival situations, there is no room for human initiative other than to invite and to pray for the hashgaha's involvement.: "Who is like You, Possessor of mighty powers?"

"Clumsy of Mouth and Clumsy of Tongue"

"Life and death are controlled by the tongue."  There are two sides to the tongue.  Acccording to the more active view of Divine providence, human beings are left with little to do.  The right to cry out has been orphaned of its assistants from the world of practical action, for these helpers have turned their backs on it, and will henceforth only take their orders from on high.  Then let the right to cry out at least function properly.  As for me, my speech is defective.

The Creator of the universe replies that this defect as well is perfectly suited to Moses' mission.  "Who has given man a mouth?"  Meaning that man must dedicate his mouth to the service of the One on high.  "God spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel..."  Let a man not speak vain words.  The tongue has been given permission to occupy itself with Torah and mitzvahs only.  For everything related to these, Moses will recieve heavenly assistance directly from the Divine providence, so that his speech will emerge distinct and flawless.

Why did the Holy One not heal his speech impediment, the Biblical commentators wonder.  It seems plain that there was no blemish in Moses' actual instrument of speech.  After all, would the father of all prophets have been handicapped?  Rather, his instrument of speech was not available to him for his own interests, to express his own ego, for  Moses was more humble than any other human being, and saw no need to commit the precious treasure of speech to the service of his own selfish wishes.

An additional explanation might be that the Creator attached the instrument of speech to Moses only for the purpose of serving on high.  More than this, Moses did not wish for, and did not request.  Nevertheless, another explanation is possible: Perhaps Moses presented this claim before the Creator: The need for speech is bound to the goal of persuading the nation, and educating them in the new path, and accustoming them to the new method of Divine providence, and preparing them for a path of miracles and wonders.  For this purpose, one must use the tongue.

God's reply to Moses: Seeing is better than hearing.  They will be persuaded much more effectively when they are shown signs and wonders.  In fact, the Holy One arranges a convincing demonstration for Moses himself, through the miracle of the snake and the miracle of the leprosy.

The snake represents nature's hurtful elements, the enemies of human beings.  To resist them, human beings developed defense protocols that became automatic responses, such as: Fight or flight.  Moses, who had not yet grown accustomed to the new method, responded with flight, upon seeing the snake, though he had been given ample evidence to prove that the snake was born of a miracle.  Nevertheless, an additional miracle was required in order to persuade Moses that this was no force of nature but rather a miraculous presence.  Tangible demonstration would no doubt be effective with Israel as well.

The struggle for surival has additional dimensions, such as food and health.  Within the food category, drinking is incomparably more important than eating.  And now, behold, this vital element has joined the miracle method as well, and has lost the vitality of its natural existence.  However, there was no water in the desert, and therefore God promised Moses that he would activate this miracle over water only after he had returned to Egypt.

Within the struggle for existence that deals with the dimension of health, there was never a more frightening, worrisome or humiliating phenomenon than leprosy.  Moses brings his hand to his bosom the first time, and behold, his hand is as leprous as snow.  Moses returns his hand to his bosom once again, and behold, the leprosy has disappeared. 

This teaches Moses the difference, in principle, between nature as an indirect Godly presence, and the law of hashgaha, which does not divide into the distinct laws of mechanical causality, but are rather dependent upon God's will alone.  The will of the Lord is what determines the conditions of existence.  "By His will, He puts to death, and by His will, He brings to life."  He does not trouble to make use of the various media that have been fixed into and separated into the respective categories of forces and phenomena. 

And it teaches us that leprosy comes in the wake of human behavior, as the result of a specific sin.  And that the most direct means for healing it is repentance.

Disease is the most severe form of existential hurt, and the most worrisome to human beings.  Suddenly we discover that disease is the first thing given over to control by one's own Godly situation.  Suffering has come to you?  Examine your deeds, and repent.

"This is the sign that I have sent you; When you bring the nation out of Egypt, you will all worship God on this mountain."  Meaning that hashgaha does not address the existential situation as it is, per se`, and therefore it is not the conditions of the situation that determine its character.  Its spiritual purpose and meaning alone determine its character, and one must attach to these alone, rather than investing in the mechanical exertions of practical effort.

The Divinely initiating providence has the power to violate the natural systems, to alter them, to bypass them, and to use them as its raw material, to be shaped at will.

The Holy One made the rounds of all the nations of the world, offering them His Torah.  (So that they would not be able to complain afterwards, when they realized the Torah's superiority over the forces of nature.)  Each nation demanded to know: What is written in it?  And each rejected the offer when they realized that the Torah's demands did not synchronize with their own natural tendencies.

This teaches us that accepting the Torah and walking in its ways creates a new state of being for the one who upholds it: Spiritual tendencies; a yearning to attach to sanctity and to spirituality; an ultra-fine sensitivity to morality; loving and identifying with a fellow human being.

In short, a character suffused with moral/spiritual quality, and with a bothersome aversion to all things evil and ugly.