Another idea brought in the previous shiur is from the Arizal, on תּ ו ֹרַ ת הַ מְ מוּצָ ע – the middle or intermediary. We explained that the intermediary between the inanimate (דּוֹמֵ ם) and the growing (צוֹמֵ חַ) is the coral; the intermediary between the growing and the living (חַ י) is a creature called Adnei HaSadeh; and the intermediary between the living and the speaking (מְ דַ בֵּ ר) – i.e., man – is the monkey.
The Maharal, in Gur Aryeh, explains this idea based on the Mishna which lists the things created on Erev Shabbat during twilight (Avot 5:6): עֲשָׂרָ ה דְ בָרִ ים נִבְ רְ אוּ בְּעֶרֶ ב שׁ ַבָּת בֵּין הַשָּׁ מָ שׁ וֹת. Let's imagine the first Erev Shabbat at twilight after the six days of Creation. Certainly, it was not like it is today, when the first siren sounds and the whole house goes into action – the hotplate is set, the refrigerator light is turned off, the soup is transferred, and the challah positioned to be warmed. The Maharal says, ע ֶ רֶ ב שׁ ַ ב ּ ָ ת ב ּ ֵ י ן ה ַ שׁ ּ ְ מ ָ שׁ ו ֹ ת does not mean that Hakadosh Baruch Hu took a list of items, and when Erev Shabbat arrived, He ran through them quickly and checked them off – "I made a donkey, I made a horse, etc.” Chas v’shalom. The ten things created on Erev Shabbat at twilight couldn’t have been created at any other time! They could only be created at that precise moment. Why? The Maharal writes:
הַבְּרִ יאָה שׁ ֶהִיא בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁ וֹת הוּא יוֹצֵא מִן סֵדֶר הָעוֹלָם וְאֵין זֶה סֵדֶר הָעוֹלָם וְלֹא נִקְרָא עָלָיו שׁ ֵם בְּרִיאָה, שׁ ֶלְּכָך אָמַר שׁ ֶנִּבְרְאוּ בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁ וֹת שׁ ֶ א ֵ י נ ו ֹ נ ֶ ח ְ שׁ ָ ב מִ ן ע ִ נ ְ י ָ נ ֵ י ה ָ ע ו ֹ ל ָ ם ה ַ ז ּ ֶ ה שׁ ֶ נ ּ ִ ב ְ רְ א ו ּ ב ּ ְ שׁ ֵ שׁ ֶ ת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, כִּי כָּל אֵלּוּ עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִ ים אֵינָם מִן עוֹלָם הַזֶּה. אֲבָל הֵם נִבְדָּלִים מִן הָעוֹלָם וּלְפִיכָך חָשׁ ַב אוֹתָם בָּאַחֲרוֹנָה שׁ ֶאֵין שׁ ַיָּך אֶל הָעוֹלָם וְאֵינָם דּוֹמִים לִשְׁאָר הַנִּסִּים אַף שׁ ֶגַּם הַנֵּס אֵינוֹ מֵ עִנְיַן הָעוֹלָם שׁ ֶאֵינוֹ בַּטֶּבַע, מ"מ הוּא לְשׁ ָעָה בִּלְבַד וְלֹא נִקְרָא זֶה שׁ ֶהוּא יוֹצֵא מִן סֵדֶר הָעוֹלָם. אֲבָל הַדְּ בָרִ ים שׁ ֶנִּבְרְאוּ בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁ וֹת אֵינָם לְשׁ ָעָה אֲבָל הֵם נִבְרָאִים מִתְּחִלַּת הַבְּרִיאָה כ ּ ְ מ ו ֹ שׁ ֶ נ ּ ִ ב ְ רָ א ב ּ ְ שׁ ֵ שׁ ֶת יְמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית כָּל הָעוֹלָם, וְאֵלּוּ דְּבָרִים אֵינָם יוֹצְאִים אֶל הָעוֹלָם חוּץ לְסֵדֶר הָעוֹלָם וּכְאִלּוּ הֵם עוֹלָם בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ שׁ ֶאֵינוֹ שׁ ַיָּך אֶל הָעוֹלָם וּלְכָך סִדֵּר אוֹתָם בָּאַחֲרוֹנָה.
In the Maharal’s words: The Creation that is at twilight of Erev Shabbat is outside the order of the world; it is not the within the order of the world and is not called creation. Therefore, it is said that these items were created at twilight, which is not considered part of the matters of this world that were created בְּ שׁ ֵשׁ ֶת יְמֵ י הַמַּ עֲשֶׂה – during the six working days of Creation, because all these ten things are not of this world. They are separate from the world, and therefore they were counted last. They are also not similar to other miracles; even though a miracle is also not of the world because it is not natural, it is only temporary and is not called something that is outside the order of the world. But the things that were created at twilight are not temporary; they were created from the beginning of Creation just as the whole world was created in the six days of Bereshit, and these things are outside the order of the world and are like a world unto themselves that does not belong to the world, and therefore they were put in place last.
This means, when you want to create something physical, you create it on a weekday; the six days of action are physical days, while the seventh day is holy. When you want to create something physical which contains a spiritual dimension, you create it at a time that is physical but closest to spiritual. What time fits this description? Erev Shabbat at twilight! Among the items created on Erev Shabbat at twilight was the פִ י הָאָ תוֹן – the mouth of the donkey. A donkey is material, yet a mouth is spiritual. There is nothing more spiritual than human speech, and there is nothing more material than a donkey. And why was this donkey created? The Maharal provides a profound principle. There are two people in creation who Hakadosh Baruch Hu raised to the heavens and then brought back to earth – Avraham and Moshe. Regarding Avraham Avinu, it says: וַיּוֹצֵא אֹתוֹ הַחוּצָה – And He brought him outside. Chazal say, Hakadosh Baruch Hu raised him above the system of the stars. Another who ascended to the heavens was Moshe; not Moshe Rabbeinu after receiving the Torah, but before receiving it. In last week's Parsha it says עַל־הַשָּׁמַיִם נְטֵה יָדְךָ – Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, and Chazal say, Hakadosh Baruch Hu raised him above the heavens.
How did these two people merit to be in the heavens where only angels dwell? It is because they detached themselves from all materialism – like angels! The Torah testifies about Moshe Rabbeinu: וְזֹאת הַבְּ רָ כָה אֲשׁ ֶר בֵּרַ ך ל ֹהִ ים- מֹשׁ ֶה אִ ישׁ הָאֱ. Chazal ask (Devarim Rabbah 11:4), what is meant by the man of G-d? From his waist down, he was a man; from his waist up, he was G-dly. All is well and good, but this speaks of Moshe Rabbeinu after Matan Torah, whereas here we’re speaking of Moshe before Matan Torah. How is it possible to detach from materialism? It seems inconceivable! True, it does seem out of reach, but Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us guidance on how to detach: בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרָע וּבָרָאתִי לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין – I created the evil inclination, and I created the Torah as its antidote. The holiness of the Torah allows a person to detach from materialism. This is the power of the Torah!
Based on this we can ask, how did Avraham Avinu merit to detach from materialism, after all, he lived prior to the giving of the Torah. We brought in our previous shiur the Mishna in Avot (5:19) which presents the differences between the disciples of Avraham Avinu and the disciples of the wicked Bilaam. We asked why a comparison is being made between Avraham and Bilaam – it would be more logical to contrast two prophets: Moshe and Bilaam. But according to these words, if the Mishna indeed asked that question, someone could come along and say, "Moshe had the Torah and Bilaam did not!"
So why does the Mishna specifically compare Avraham and Bilaam? It is to tell us one thing, according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer: Come and see how Avraham Avinu elevated himself without the Torah and how the wicked Bilaam lowered himself without it. Both were given the same powers to overcome materialism! Both rode the donkey that was created on Erev Shabbat at twilight (Bilaam rode the actual donkey, while Avraham rode this donkey’s son). The Maharal says that the phrase רוֹכֵב עַל הַחֲמוֹר – riding on the donkey (in reference to Melech HaMashiach), does not mean that the donkey is some 5781 years old, but rather that it symbolizes control over materialism. Avraham controlled materialism, Moshe controlled materialism, and Melech HaMashiach will ultimately enable all of us to control materialism!
