The gemarah in (Berachos 17) relates when the bachurim left the yeshiva to return home after years of learning they would give to each other the beracha עולמך תראה of your בחייך world you should see in your lifetime. What does this beracha mean? Koheles 12,5 writes about personal worlds of reward in Olam Haba כי הולך האדם אל עולמו but what does it mean that one should see his world in Olam Hazeh?
The Mishna (Sanhedrin 4:5) states that Adam, the first human, was created as a lone figure in order to teach us that if one destroys a single soul, he is as guilty as if he destroyed the entire world, since every human being is descended from one person: Adam. Since a single soul can create an entire world, anyone who sustains one soul is credited with sustaining the whole world עולם מלא.
שיתברר ויתאמת אצל האדם מה חובתו The beginning words of the Mesillas Yesharim is בעולמו that the foundation of attaining different levels in avodas Hashem is that they must be built upon the truthful clarity of discovering ones mission in his world. We see that even in Olam Hazeh one has a personal world.
Hashem when creating Man spoke and said נעשה אדם Let us make Man. Chazal say that the "us" is referring to Man himself. Hashem turned to the potential man and offered a partnership in his own creation. Hashem will supply you with a body and the soul, natural strengths and weaknesses, your environment your family, your intellect and middos, talents, both physical and emotional, personality, your financial status, your potential, and most important you will be given the ability to make moral choices within the world in which you are placed and with all of the presents that you were gifted with. Never forget that the sole purpose of your creation is for you to make a residence for Me to dwell in together with you. What do you say Partner? Adam Harishon agreed!
One identifies with his inner world that was constructed for him in his younger years through nurture and nature, plus which he also built independently through correct and incorrect choices with life's experiences. When suddenly our inner world becomes challenged we can get so shook up that we can become unstable. An example of this is in the end of the parsha the Medrash explains that ויצא בן אישה ישראלית ויקב את ה' this person was born from a Jewish mother and an Egyptian father so technically he was Jewish. He just was missing Jewish yichus which follows after the males. The Medrash comments that since his mother was from Shevet Dan he decided to pitch his tent there. Shevet Dan refused this person and looked at him as an intruder. He went to the Beis Din of Moshe and it was paskined that since he has no yichus he cannot move into their section of Machneh Yisrael. He became so enraged that he began cursing Hashem.
Chazal grapple to understand what led him to have such an abominable reaction. They ask what does the word ויצא in the passuk mean and they answer he went out of his olam (Rashi). Another opinion is that he left the Beis Din of Moshe. Rav Chaim Wolkin suggests that both interpretations sync with each other. The world of the son of the Shlomit Bas Dibri was constructed by himself into falsely believing that he is from Shevet Dan and has every right to dwell in their camp. As he left Moshe he realized that his identity is mistaken and he might be homeless and maybe never get married. This sudden crisis being ejected from his identity caused a meltdown and he began cursing Hashem blaming Him for his fallout from his world.
When false narratives and information form the character of one's inner world, life can become regretful when one's inner identity is challenged and he realizes that he is bankrupt of worthiness and essence. As we build our olam we must ensure that we are aligning ourselves with Hashem's plan of spiritual success. It is like constructing a building without a federal permit of occupation who check for weaknesses or illegalities in its structure that might make it collapse in the future as we unfortunately know of. No one wants to come on the Day of Judgement before the Heavenly Court and be told that the inner world which you built and identified with does not match any of the worlds here, so you are technically homeless in heaven. With that shocking moment of stark realization that your world that you built was an all along an illegal fantasy of your yetzer harah with whom you with, your Gehenom just started.
When the bachurim left the yeshiva this was the beracha that they benched each other with עולמך תראה בחייך with all your toiling in learning for so many years may you be zoche to see your olam come to fruition and fulfill your personal tailor made mission in the olam of Hashem using and actualizing maximally all of one's potential.
This is a very important fundamental for individuals who give hadracha such as parents, teachers, and friends. Nothing is more destructive than discouraging words especially when they are addressed concerning someone else's potential. If receiving criticism forms a large part of one's world they can stunt his or her growth. Instead praise that is meaningful can ignite a lasting fire of growth in the hearts of those who hear them.
This responsibility is alluded to in the first passuk of the parsha אמור אל הכהנים ואמרת that repeats the word of אמירה twice. Rashi brings the Chazal's interpretation להזיר to warn the parents who are גדולים על הקטנים Kohanim should not bring their children who are minors in contact with tumah just like they are warned about it. However, we can interpret it to mean that the parents and all מדריכים should instruct with an ambiance of light and joy for the lashon of הזהיר and זוהר mean light. We find this expression when talking about a Rebbi that one has learned most of his Torah from, a רבי מובהק. The word בהק means to shine. A machanich is to make the person who he is educating shine by bringing out his potential.
Twenty four thousand students of Rabbe Akiva passed away between Pesach and Shevuos because they did not give kovod to one another. The fact that they did not express kovod was not merely a hindrance of achdus between them but also it fostered the lack of encouragement which is needed to support inner growth and healthy motivational inspiration between them. Without compliments or acknowledgements of saying a chiddush or a good sevara, or knowing well what one has learned, one can lose the inspiration needed to be driven and successful in learning which helps build one's inner world and fulfill one's potential. By not giving warranted positive feedback manifesting respect to each other because of arrogance, we are left with a generation of 24,000 of uninspired unenthusiastic talmidim who won't be able to transmit the mesorah. For without proper respect for one another and each one's unique potential, they became blurred because they never heard an encouraging word and therefore no one was stirred nor spurred and instead deterred to build a complete inner olam and thereby incurred unwholesomeness, not to be transferred to others.
Each person along with their beliefs and values constitutes a world of potential, worth and promise. Whoever undermines or disrespects any person, murders the infinite potential within them, and whoever encourages and uplifts others participates in the creation of endless possibilities.
One must remember that in the word world is word and also lord. The Chazal say that the world was created through the words of the Lord the creator of the universe. Through positive words you can build inner healthy and spiritual worlds in the lives of your children, students, friends and acquaintances and even strangers. Also in the word world is low. Even if someone is in a low mood and spirit, and he sees himself like "Humpty Dumpty" (a nursery rhyme of a person or thing that once overthrown or broken cannot be restored or mended), an encouraging word or two can magically put together his world that seems to be collapsing.
Also in the word world we have the word row. The Baal Hatechailes writes that life can be compared to a person in a canoe and he must get to the other side with only one oar. If he rows on only one side of the canoe he will go in circles and never reach the other side. In life one must be flexible to switch the rowing from the right to the left many times, and only then he will make progress into reaching the other side. The right side is chesed and the left is din. Sometimes we must act loosely and sometimes to remain firm and strict. We must daven for the עצת ה' היא תקום to know when each middah is applicable. In this way we will successfully build an inner world in which Hashem will enjoy to visit very often.
Gut Shabbos
Rav Brazil
