Part I. Hashem’s Beloved Nation
The Finish Line
In his section called Shaar Ahavas Hashem, where the Chovos Halevovos deals with the subject of loving Hakadosh Baruch Hu, he tells us this is the most difficult of the madreigos that a person can achieve; that to truly love Hakadosh Baruch Hu doesn't come easy. You can't just sit down and say “Ok, I’m ready now. I'll do it” and think it’s going to happen. That’s not a bad beginning, by the way, but it’s only a beginning.
Actually there are all types of ways that a person must utilize and each one is a subject that requires a discussion for itself. And then in addition to study it requires training; practice. It’s a job, a real avodah. But it's worth it because that's the summit of achievement. That’s why it’s the last chapter in the Chovos Halevavos — because it’s the highest, the grand finale: to be in love with Hashem.
A Strange Obstacle
Now, when we look in that chapter, we’re surprised by one of his statements. Because when he enumerates the mafsidei ha’ahavah, the impediments to the achievement of this great form of perfection, one of them strikes us as not in place. He says that one of the obstacles that stands in the way of one who seeks ahavas Hashem is the dislike towards one of the avdei Hashem. If you have an animosity towards even one frum Jew, it's going to be an impediment as you try to come close to love Hashem. Now that’s something strange to us because we understand how important the mitzvah of loving a fellow Jew is, but where does it come into ahavas Hashem? To us, they seem to be two separate areas of Torah.
And so we’ll attempt to explain that, and we’ll begin by studying a possuk from this week’s sedrah. When Hakadosh Baruch Hu split the Yam Suf and He caused the Egyptians to be drowned in the Yam Suf, so the Bnei Yisroel sang a song to Hashem. And among the words they said was as follows: “ך¿נֹו‡¿ּ‚ בֹר¿בּוָיך∆מָ ̃ סֹרֲהַּ ̇ – In Your Great Majesty, You overthrew those who rose up against You” (Shemos 15:7). And it means, of course, Pharaoh and his army. Hakadosh Baruch Hu destroyed them on that day.
It’s Only Anti-Semitism
But the Mechilta — it’s a Medrash on Shemos — asks a question on this word יך∆מָ ̃, the ones who rose up against You: Who says Pharaoh rose up against Hashem? He had yielded to Hashem finally. He had sent forth the Bnei Yisroel. And now he only wanted to take revenge on them; he's going only against the Am Yisroel, not against Hashem. So why is it called kamecha, those who rise up against You?
And the Mechilta answers a very important yesod, a principle. The Mechilta says that it's one and the same: יך∆נָּב „∆‚∆נּמוָּ ̃∆ׁ ̆ ם≈ה ?ך¿ּ„¿‚∆נּמוָּ ̃∆ׁ ̆ ם≈ה יƒמ – Anyone who rises up against the Am Yisroel, who is an enemy of the Am Yisroel, is an enemy of Hashem.
Now, that has to be understood — because why should it be so? This enemy, he’s not thinking about Hashem at all — he has nothing against Him. It’s just these Jews that he doesn’t like. Hashem? I have nothing against Him at all.
It’s Anti-Hashemism
And the answer is that there is a unique relationship between Hakadosh Baruch Hu and the Am Yisroel, something that binds us together as one. Pay attention. At the beginning of the Torah, we read that םƒיָּמַה י≈נ¿ּפ לַﬠ ̇∆פ∆חַר¿מ יםƒ ֹ̃ל¡‡ ַחּרו¿ו – the spirit of Hashem was hovering (Bereishis 1:2); it means He had no place to rest and was looking for a place where He could rest. And He didn't come to rest until there was an Am Yisroel. יƒּ ̇¿נַכָׁ ̆¿ו – Where will I rest? י≈נ¿ּב¿ךֹו ̇¿ּב ל≈‡ָר¿ׂ ̆ƒי – By the Am Yisroel.
It means that the Bnei Yisroel are the people on which the Shechinah rests in this world. Not the Polish, not the Americans, not the English. יƒּ ̇¿נַכָׁ ̆¿ו םָכֹו ̇¿ּב and nowhere else. In the entire universe if you wish to find the address, ֹו„ֹבו¿ּכ םֹו ̃¿מ ה≈ּיַ‡, it's right here on the Bnei Yisroel.
That’s what we say in emes v’emunah after Kriyas Shema. ּינו≈לָﬠ םָּיַ ̃¿ו ̇‡ֹז לָּכ הָנּמו¡‡∆ו ̇∆מ¡‡ – We declare that as a result of all that we said just now, Kriyas Shema and yetzias Mitzrayim, so what's the result?
Two limudim, two conclusions, we come to; the two most important principles that we have to live with all the time. First, ֹו ָ̇לּזו ין≈‡¿וּינו≈ ֹ̃ל¡‡ ה׳ ‡ּהו יƒּכ – that Hashem is our G-d and nothing else is important in this world. That’s the number one Torah principle. And the second, right on its heels, is ֹוּמַﬠ ל≈‡ָר¿ׂ ̆ƒיּנו¿חַנֲ‡ַו – that we are His people.
The Chosen Nation Chose
It means that it’s of the utmost necessity to understand the place of the Am Yisroel in the world plan. We won't be exaggerating if we'll say the world was created only because of the Am Hashem. Now, it could have been an Am Yishmael. It could have been the am of Malkitzedek Melech Shalem. Hakadosh Baruch Hu was waiting. It was open — anybody who wishes can choose to be that nation. Finally Avraham chose, and from then on the door was slammed shut — it's only the Am Yisroel now.
We are the Am Hashem; we are the purpose of the world. The world could have been made for anybody if they would have chosen, but we're the ones that chose, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, “For you the world is made. You’re My people. You’re My purpose in the world and My interest, My love, is only for you.”
And that’s why when Pharaoh, or anyone else, any enemy, raises up his hand against the Am Yisroel, it’s not only against Yisroel — it’s a hand against Hashem! You can obfuscate and protest and say it has nothing to do with Hashem, but it won’t matter a bit. Because it’s one and the same — we’re tied up with Him, and He considers any affront against His beloved people as an affront against Him.
His Only Love
We are His true love in this world. That’s what He declares in the Torah (Devarim 10:15). ן≈ה – Hein means ‘Behold’. It means “Pay attention! I’m going to be saying something very important now!” יך∆ ֹ̃ל¡‡ 'הַל םƒיָמָּׁ ַ̆ה י≈מ¿ׁ ּ̆ו םƒיַמָּׁ ַ̆ה – To Me belong the heavens and the heavens above the heavens. It means the worlds in space and far beyond what we can see in the remoteness of the vastness of the distance, all those worlds and everything, everyone, in them, belong to Hashem. And ı∆רָ‡ָהּהָּב ר∆ׁ ֲ̆‡ לָכ¿ו – and everything and everyone in it, it’s all Mine. All the peoples; the Italians and the Hottentots and the French and the English. Everything belongs to Him.
םָ ֹ̇ו‡ הָבֲהַ‡¿ל ה׳ ַׁ̃ ָ̆חיך∆ ֹ̇בֲ‡ַּב ַ̃ר – But only in your fathers did Hashem delight, and He loved them. What does Hashem love out of the great vast space full of millions of worlds or this earth full of millions of people? Whom does He love? Rak! Only your forefathers did Hashem delight to love them.
But not only Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov. Not only the Imahos. ם∆יה≈רֲחַ‡ םָﬠ¿רַז¿ּב רַח¿בƒּיַו – He chose their children after them. Who are their children? Maybe it means the Shivtei Kah? Maybe Moshe Rabbeinu and the yotzei Mitzrayim? Maybe it means Rabi Akiva and Rav Ashi? So the possuk says ה∆ּזַה םֹוּיַּכ – as of this day. Of course He loves all these tzaddikim, all of our great ancestors; the Nevi’im and the Tana’im and Amoraim. But “as of this day” means any day that you’ll read this possuk, this verse applies to you.
Whenever the Torah will be read, it means all of you people listening. ה∆ּזַה םֹוּיַּכ – Today in America, in Brooklyn, in Lakewood, in Yerushalayim, in Australia, wherever there are Bnei Yisroel, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is choosing you now. He’s choosing you to love you more than anything in the entire universe.
The NYT Won’t Be Happy
Now don't tell this to the reporters in the newspapers but between ourselves that's the fundamental truth of the Torah. These are not guzmaos; they're not exaggerations. Unfortunately, we're the ones who fell all the way down and we stopped thinking about it, or maybe we never began. And so get busy thinking!
It's difficult even for us, for the frummeh, to start thinking that way because our minds are saturated with the outside world. Our thoughts are saturated with kefirah, with atheism. People think like the world thinks. But we have to start thinking that there is a Torah and the Torah is given to us for a purpose. What's the purpose of Torah? Torah is what Hashem thinks and we have to start learning to think like Hashem thinks. יך∆ ֹ̃ל¡‡ 'ה יƒכֹנָ‡ means, “Think like I think. Love what I love.”
Practice What We Preach
You should try it once. Walk into a beis hakenesses or a yeshiva or here — look at the people sitting here right now; these people are more important than anything in the universe! Suppose you had here, lehavdil, a collection of United States senators, or all the governors. Oh, it's an important place, you will say, No! It's nothing at all. Nothing at all. Lo klum. Let’s say a collection of the presidents and kings of all the nations of the world were to come here for a certain reason. Absolutely nothing at all! It's something. I can't say nothing. But compared to what Hakadosh Baruch Hu thinks of the people here, it's absolutely nothing. And that's a yesod ha’emunah.
And therefore when you pass by the Mirrer Yeshivah or Slabodka Yeshivah or you look at any kehillah of frum Jews anywhere in the world and you see Jews who are shomrei mitzvos, then you have to know Hakadosh Baruch Hu loves them intensely! In every generation, the Am Hashem, the shomrei mitzvos, they are the ones whom Hashem is thinking about intensely all the time.
Who Is A Jew?
Now, I can’t pass over that important point — shomrei mitzvos. When we are talking of Am Yisroel, we mean what Hakadosh Baruch Hu recognizes as the people of Yisroel. What does that mean? It's someone who believes in Hashem Elokei Yisroel and His Torah. And if a Jew doesn't believe that, then he doesn't belong to the Am Yisroel. Now whether you can stomach that or not makes no difference. Learn how to stomach it. If a Jew doesn't believe, then he’s not included — he doesn't belong to the Am Yisroel.
And let that thunder into your American ears. It makes no difference to me what you think. I'm not going to get paid less because of what your reaction is. And even if you'll pay me more, I'd say the same thing — could be I'd say it a little stronger, but whatever it is, I wouldn’t budge from telling you the truth. We’re talking tonight about the real Jew; if a Jew believes in Hashem and he believes that Hashem is Hashem Elokei Yisroel — that He's our G-d, that He gave us the Torah, and that we have to keep the Torah — that Jew is tied up with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And even though he might be a pretty poor example of Torah living, but once he believes that Hashem is the Elokei Yisroel then it's our job to learn how to love him.
And if you don’t have that attitude, you must labor in order to gain at least part of it. Of course to gain it completely is beyond our ability, but we must understand there’s a job waiting for us.
Now I don't say that you should run over and embrace every Jew. We're not such hypocrites. We’re not fake liberals. But you should learn to have a certain feeling that all Jews are exactly your brothers – they're exactly as if they had been born from one mother. That's very important. And it's so important that if you think otherwise, you’re rising up against Hashem. That’s what the Mechilta is telling us; that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is so tied up with the Bnei Yisroel that we have to love His people in order to be tied up with Him. Any lack of love, it’s not merely a lack of patriotism, or even merely a lack of ahavas Yisroel. It’s a lack of ahavas Hashem, an affront to Him.
