First Reading: The Blessing Hidden in the Rebuke
In the final book of the Pentateuch, Sefer Devarim (the Book of Deuteronomy), Moses recounts the events that happened to the Jewish people following their Exodus from Egypt. Rashi explains that the places Moses mentioned allude to all the times when the Jewish people angered God, meaning that Moses’ recollection of their voyage through the wilderness was in fact a veiled rebuke.
Moses was not the first individual to rebuke those closest to him before his passing. Jacob’s stern rebuke to his first three sons as he lay on his death bed is one example. Yet, Jacob’s rebuke is actually referred to as a blessing, exactly like the overt blessings he bestowed upon his other sons.
How can a severe rebuke be considered a blessing?
ITS INTERIOR IS INLAID WITH LOVE
The inner motivation of true rebuke is great love. This is true of a loving father, and is also true of the Almighty Himself, who rebukes us with love, as we find in Proverbs, “For he who God loves, He rebukes; like a father who cherishes his son.” Malbim explains:
Rebuke is a sign of love, because in His love He supervises over the individual to make sure he improves his way, and to elevate him to an infinitely higher level.
Loving parents know that they must rebuke their children for their own benefit, to educate them and refine their ways. In contrast, parents who do not rebuke their children at all only cause them harm, as we see from the tragic results of King David’s negligence in rebuking Adoniyah, his firstborn son, who tried to steal the crown at the end of David’s life and was subsequently put to death.
So, rebuke is actually the most eloquent expression of love! Indeed, “Better is revealed rebuke [when it comes] from hidden love.”
The idea that love is an integral component of rebuke is further alluded to in the word “rebuke” (הוכחה) itself. The first syllable means “within” (תוך) and the second syllable (חה) has a numerical value of 13, the same as “love” (אהבה), meaning that internally, heartfelt conscientious rebuke is motivated by love and the rebuke serves as a vessel for transferring this love.
From a more profound perspective, Chasidut teaches us that there are two levels of blessing. Normal blessings are visible and are spoken of openly in public, but there are special blessings that must remain concealed, even hidden within stern criticism. A hidden blessing actually emanates from a higher source than a blessing that is self-evident. This is why when the Almighty afflicts an individual with suffering, God forbid, he should accept it with joy. This joy comes from the profound realization that the affliction is a type of spiritual abundance that emanates from a very high source; from the concealed world that cannot be revealed in our world in the form of a blessing. As such, affliction is an even deeper expression of God’s closeness to us, “Happy is the man whom God afflicts.” This idea is certainly not an easy pill to swallow for the suffering individual, but, from an objective point of view we can understand how the rebuke itself is a blessing, like a father who says, “I love this defiant child so much, therefore I must scold him for his disobedience.”
In this way, Moses’ gentle, loving and compassionate rebuke of the Jewish people in the book of Deuteronomy is actually a blessing in disguise.
(from a class given on 15th Av, 5772)
Second Reading: Perceptive Counseling
Truly wise individuals have an innate understanding of the psyche. In the second reading of parashat Devarim, Moses begins his final speech and directive to the Jewish People before they enter the Land of Israel under Joshua’s leadership. Moses reminds the congregation how difficult it had been for him to bear the responsibility of the people alone. To help him in this monumental task, he sought, “[Righteous] men who are wise, perceptive and known [i.e., accepted by their tribe as worthy of being a judge].”
Moses continues to relate how he appointed the men chosen by the people. However, the verse states that they were, “Men who are wise and known.” The missing adjective implies that in practice, the judges who Moses elected were not “perceptive” (נבונים).
TWO LEVELS OF PERCEPTION
Wisdom is the inspiring power of innovation. It appears like a flash of lightning, something from nothing. In contrast, the sefirah of understanding (binah) is the power to develop the initial insight to reveal all its details. Rashi interprets perception as the ability, “to understand one thing from another,” or something from something.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, following the Arizal, outlines two levels of understanding. The first level is the power of deduction: a person studies a general rule and is able to deduce the details from that rule. In this case, the individual is inspired by others to develop their ideas and implement them in reality. He does not innovate any new ideas.
This level of perception sufficed for Betzalel, the primary artisan of the Tabernacle. He deduced the specific form of the vessels from the general measurements that he received from Moses. This is a relatively low level of perception.
The second, higher level of understanding is a penetrating form of meditation. By meditating on the object of his study, the truly perceptive individual is able to innovate new ideas of his own.
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEPTION
In Chasidut, this type of revelation is achieved by deeply contemplating the “immanent light” until one perceives the “surrounding light.” Similar to the scientific “eureka” experience, by focused meditation on the “raw material” of the world, one suddenly reveals the Divine vitality that is the heartbeat of its existence. This is a quantum leap to a new dimension of understanding.
This is also true if the “object” of our study is another person. By contemplating another individual with compassion, we suddenly come to a new realization about him or her. The Arizal, for example, was so perceptive that he perceived previous reincarnations of the individual’s soul. Perception is the profound ability to understand the mysteries of the human psyche.
It was this state-of-the-art perception that Moses sought in the men he appointed. The judges were wise, i.e. well-versed in Torah law and thus worthy of being judges. They were men of good deeds and virtuous repute. Yet, they lacked the ability to penetrate the psyche of those who approached them. The judges could not modify their response to reflect the deeper needs of those under their authority.
Torah knowledge, impeccable character traits and righteous actions are important virtues that every public official should develop. But these qualities are not enough to make a good counselor. A mentor needs a deep understanding of human character. Such a counselor is able to offer sound advice that is soothing and palatable to those troubled souls who seek his guidance.
The judges were appointed even though they did not have this quality. Perception may be dispensable in a judge, or in a rabbinical authority. Such individuals must judge according to the reality that they see. A counselor should carefully nurture this essential quality.
Moses sought wise men who are also perceptive; those who can accomplish the dual task of being a righteous judge and a caring mentor. This is expressed in the verse from “Isaiah’s Vision” (the haftarah of the Torah portion of Devarim), “And I will restore your judges as at first and your counselors as in the beginning.”
PELE YO’ETZ
The ultimate judge and counselor is Mashaich, who will be the perfect mentor, “And I shall call his name, Pele Yoetz,” which means “a wondrous counselor.” Such a counselor can sense the wonder that is infused in every Jewish soul, and offers extraordinary advice to individuals and to the entire Jewish People.
One manifestation of perceptive counseling is sensitive timing. When a wise individual offers his or her advice, he or she might offer sound counsel, but if the advice is given at an inappropriate moment, it may do more harm than good. Someone with true perception will take note of “one thing” (his or her friend’s current situation) and understand “another thing” i.e. that this may not be the right moment for the friend to accept his or her advice (however good it may be). In such a case, offering the advice at the right moment is crucial to its success.
It is the task of Mashiach, “a wondrous counselor,” to teach us how to incorporate perceptiveness into our own psyches. The numerical value of the four letters of Mashiach when spelled in full (מם שין יוד חית) is 878. This is equal to the numerical value of the phrase, “one thing from another” (דבר מתוך דבר).
Mashiach, the ultimately perceptive individual, is just waiting for the right moment to reveal himself to the world.
(from a class given on 4 Av 5772)
