Why is G-d creating the world?
Β"H
Why is G-d creating the world? https://youtu.be/RGkQErTc2fl
Parshat Ki Tavo
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THE Baal Shem Tov taught that G-d must be served with joy, and that every sentence of the Torah can teach us how to do it.
Therefore, he taught that Rabbis should not make "fire and brimstone" sermons, especially in the month of Elul, because they don't stress the positive, happy side of Judaism.
But this week's reading seems to contradict this. It contains 98 terrible curses for those who disobey G-d's will and it is always read in the month of Elul!
Not only that but in the last week of Ellul we will say series of very serious prayers that request forgiveness called ‘Slichot'. Both not conducive to filling the month of Ellul with joy!
Here are three stories to help us understand all this:
The first is about a very important leader in the Chassidic movement Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Braditchev who was renowned as a holy man and a great scholar.
In those days there was much uncertainty in the Jewish world if the Chassidic movement was a good thing or not. So just after Levi Yitzchak's wedding when he was still young and unknown, his father-in-law, a very influential non-Chassidic Rabbi, invited him to lead the prayers in his huge Synagogue on the first night of "Selichot" to show his congregants how normal and talented his son-in-law was.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak entered the packed Synagogue, walked past the hundreds of somber faces directly to the podium at the front of the room, wrapped himself in the large white Tallis (prayer Shawl) that was there, stood for a minute and prepared himself to sing out the awesome opening words "ASHREI YOSHVEI BAISEHCHAW!"
But he didn't.
He didn't say anything. He just stood there looking into the air. Another terrible minute passed and then another. The crowd began to buzz with comments and speculations.
Suddenly he took off the Tallis, laid it back on the podium, shrugged his shoulders and said in a rather loud voice, as though talking to the podium before him.
"Listen, if you can learn so well and you can pray so well...So YOU say Selichot!!!!"
And then he turned and took a seat in the crowd.
His embarrassed father-in-law immediately ran to the podium and began the prayers.
After the services, when everyone had left the Synagogue and they were alone, Rav Levi Yitzchak explained what happened to his irate and bewildered Father-in-law.
"Please don't be angry with me," he said. "It wasn't my fault. I stood to pray and suddenly I heard a voice deep inside me saying, mockingly:
"Ahhh the Great Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Breditchev, you are so wonderful!! You are the greatest!! Aren't you ashamed of yourself?? You are a big egotist. How have you the gall to lead such an important prayer!? Who do you think you are?!"
I recognized that voice well, it was my evil impulse (selfish ego). I've been working for years to refine my motives and myself, and I thought I got rid of it, but I guess I was wrong.
"Leave me alone!" I said. “Okay, I'm not perfect; maybe I have ulterior motives too. But what about all the Torah I've learnt? That was purely for HaShem! And what of all the hours I've spent in prayer. That was selfless, wasn't it?! In the merit of my Torah and my prayer I order you to leave me alone!!”
"Aha! That's what you think!” it answered. “All the time I was right there learning and praying with you, telling you how great you are and what a big reward you'll get in this world and the world to come. It was all selfish!!”
So I thought for a while and said, Nu! You know what? If you know how to learn so well and to pray so well...So YOU say Slichot!!"
Here is a second, even stranger, story.
In a certain village lived an old, rich, Jewish couple that were arrogant and stingy. They were religious, but that didn't improve their personalities. In fact, the opposite was true, they felt that being religious and successful made them superior above and below! They acted like vindictive dictators and everyone was afraid to disagree with them.
It so happened that one of the more famous followers of the first Rebbe of Chabad (Rabbi Shneur Zalman), called Rabbi Shmuel Munkis, heard about them and decided to take action and be their guest on Shabbat Slichot.
The week before Rosh Hashanah Jews say a series of prayers called Selichot beginning midnight after the last Shabbos of the year.
Rabbi Munkis traveled to their town after that Shabbos, and arrived at their house about an hour before this first Slichot prayer. He knocked on the door, and introduced himself as a very famous and learned Rabbi who was visiting their town, and heard that only they were worthy of his presence.
He was indeed a very distinguished person, and he really looked like it dressed in his best Shabbos garments. So inflated with pride, they begged him to enter.
He majestically accepted their offer, and once inside he royally announced, "Show me my room, I would like to rest".
They rushed to escort him to their special guest room. He pretended to lie down to sleep and told them to close the door.
An hour later midnight was approaching, and when they saw that he wasn't coming out for Slichot they cautiously knocked at the door of their honored quest.
"Ehhh!!" he yelled out from inside. "You're bothering me, stop bothering me!! Let me sleep!"
They were puzzled. "He is probably very tired from the road" said the husband. "It could be that he is a bit ill as well" added his wife knowingly. "He looked a bit pale, poor man. He probably is constantly busy with very important things".
She knocked again and called out in a louder voice, "Rabbi. Please excuse us but in just a few minutes will begin Selichot; we don't want you to miss Selichot! Excuse us please honorable great Rabbi! Please get up for Selichot."
"Ehhh?" He yelled out again as he opened the door and poked his head out squinting his eyes. "What are Selichot? Why are you bothering me with your nonsense! Why don't you let me sleep!?"
The astonished couple looked first at one another then gazed in open-mouthed disbelief at their guest.
"Fooya!!" Shouted the woman. "What kind of Rabbi are you that doesn't know what Selichot are! Fooya!! Shame on you!!" She was a bit surprised at herself for her sudden outburst, but after a second thought she realized how very justified she was.
"Nu? Said Rav Shmuel, his head still sticking out of the door. "Maybe you tell me then! What are Selichot?"
Now it was her husband's turn to get angry. "You call yourself a Rabbi ehh?! Feh! Why you don't even know what Slichot are? Fooya! Feh!!"
"Nu? So tell me?" repeated Rav Shmuel.
"Why, Selichot are prayers to G-d asking that He give us a good year" said the man indignantly. "That our cows should give milk, chickens should give eggs, that we make money!"
His wife stood with hands on her hips, staring alternately at him and then at the Rabbi shaking her head in agreement.
"WHAT!!?" Shouted the Rabbi as he opened the door revealing that he had never gone to sleep. "Grown adults waking at midnight to pray to the King of the Universe for eggs and milk! Feh!!"
Suddenly they realized that he was right, how selfish they had been! Their whole lives they had only thought about how G-d could serve them and never about serving G-d.
This answers our questions. Our Torah portion explains that the reason for all the curses is "Because you didn't serve G-d with joy" (28:47).
Joy means feeling that we, and what we are doing, are valuable and important and when there is joy, even the most difficult of tasks is possible.
There is no more difficult and important task than serving the King of the Universe; it requires much joy in order to overcome many obstacles both internally and externally. Serving G-d means not only learning Torah and doing commandments but also refining our personality and loving, G-d and our fellow man which is very challenging. Without joy it is impossible.
And that is the point of these two stories: Rabbi Levi Yizchak is an example of refining oneself uncompromisingly through joy, and Rabbi Munkis of loving others unconditionally through joy.
That explains the 98 curses.
They are to remind us of the special purpose of the Jews and G-d's deep connection to them and them to Him; the Jews are called sons, chosen, holy and special and G-d expects much from us .... which should bring us joy.
And the curses, if we don't serve G-d, are only bad superficially, but in their source, they contain higher blessings than any blessing we can understand.
Which brings us to the third, story.
The First Rebbe of Chabad (whose birthday is next week on the 18th Ellul) always was the one to read the Torah in public every Shabbos. But one Shabbos (It was this week's reading; Ki Tavo) it happened that he wasn't in town and someone else read.
When the Rebbe's 12 year old son (who later would be his successor), heard the curses from the new reader he fainted and was ill for several weeks thereafter.
He explained, "It was the first time I ever heard the curses! When my father would read, I didn't hear curses."
In other words, the Rebbe (and every Rebbe) can reveal the true holy, joyous source of even curses.
And that will be the job of Moshiach; to transform these 2,000 years of cursed exile to the highest type of blessing!
And we have the power to make it happen one moment sooner!
We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish faith, hopes, prayers and suffering. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even good thought, can do it.
Wishing all our readers a happy, healthy, successful NEW year with Moshiach NOW!!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel
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