Hashem’s Tefillin Laud His Children
In this parashah, when Moshe Rabbeinu wished to see the Countenance of Hashem, he was told that he may see Hashem only from behind. Chazal (Berachos 7a) learn from here that the Ribbono shel Olam showed Moshe Rabbeinu the knot of His Tefillin, as it were. He revealed to Moshe for the first time the kesher of His Tefillin.
The Sefer Orach L’Chaim explains the significance of the kesher Tefillin. The Gemara (ibid.) asks what is written in the Tefillin of the Master of the World, and the Gemara answers ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ, who is like Your people Yisrael, one nation on earth (Shmuel II 7:23). “But does Hashem really take pride in Klal Yisrael?” asks the Gemara further. Yes, says the Gemara, as it says, וה’ האמירך היום. Thus, the Tefillin of the Ribbono shel Olam are synonymous with the lauding of Klal Yisrael.
Front and Back
Says the Orach l’Chaim: When Yidden perform the ratzon Hashem, they draw down mercy and kindness, and this is the bechinah of פנים, the Countenance of Hashem. However, when they do the opposite of the will of Hashem, this is the bechinah of אחור—as the pasuk say, כי פנו אלי ערף ולא פנים, For they turned to Me their back and not their face (Yirmiyahu 32:33).
For this reason, the Ribbono shel Olam showed Moshe Rabbeinu His back, as it were, to indicate that even when there’s a situation of אחור, He nevertheless takes pride in His children, as indicated by the kesher of the Tefillin. Despite everything they have done, the Ribbono shel Olam keeps them tethered to Him—even when they’re in a situation of אחור.
With this, the Orach l’Chaim explains the words in the Torah, וראית את אחורי ופני לא יראו, you may see My back, and but you cannot see My face (Shemos 33:23). The level of love and connection when the Yidden are in a situation of אחור can be measured and seen—but the love and yearning that the Ribbono shel Olam has for us when we do His will cannot be fathomed at all! It can’t be grasped in This World at all! In this world, we can only grasp the love of Hashem to us when we don’t properly execute His will.
Our Entire Grasp of Hashem’s Love Is Only for a Lowly State
Let us understand what we have just learned: The Ribbono shel Olam created a world in which there are many nisyonos. There are challenges, and there are failures.... and these leave their mark on all of us. But we must remember that Hashem’s love for us in our lowly state is so great—our entire grasp of Hashem’s love for His children is when they’re in a lowly state... for those who have stumbled. We don’t even have the vessels to appreciate or comprehend the love that Hashem has for Yidden who fulfill His ratzon. It’s impossible in This World.
All the expressions of Hashem’s love.... אהבתי הבוחר בעמו ישראל באהבה ...אתכם אמר ה’... which the Ribbono shel Olam wants us to constantly remember, as we say אהבת עולם אהבתנו ה’ אלקינו חמלה גדולה ויתירה חמלת עלינו refer only to His love for Yidden who have stumbled.... Yidden who need rectification. The love that He has for tzaddikim cannot even be comprehended. We must, of course, know that it exists. But we have no ability to understand its depth.
The yetzer hara has been successful in confusing us to the point that when we stumble, we become broken and crestfallen, thinking that we can’t do teshuvah. But this is the greatest mistake. The entire world is built on the love that Hashem has for those Yidden who have fallen. The chiddush of our world is to express and illustrate the great love that the Aibishter has for Yidden even after they have stumbled.
Proof of Hashem’s Limitless Love
The Cheit HaEigel Illustrates This Love
Indeed, we learn this concept in this very parashah. The חטא העגל illustrates this point perfectly.
The Yidden sinned in the most terrible way, but the Gemara (Avodah Zara 4a) teaches us that it had to be this way precisely to express the love that the Ribbono shel Olam has to His children: The Jewish People weren’t really in a state to have committed such an aveirah. They did so only to illustrate to later generations that even if an entire congregation sins, they can still do teshuvah; as Rashi says: פתחון ליתן לשבים פה, To provide an opening to those who return.
But tzaddikim explained that here lies something even deeper: Hashem wanted to illustrate His love for Yidden—through this event—even after they sinned so egregiously.
Summoning Sin
The Kedushas Levi compares the story of the Eigel to a king who had one beloved son, but the ministers were jealous of him and constantly slandered him to the king.
When the king saw that there was no end to their slanders, he commanded his son to commit a sin right before him. He then turned to all his ministers and said, “Now do you understand? I have seen him sin with my own eyes, and I still love him. Can you stop with your slanders now?” With this, he put an end to their libels and defamations.
Unconditional Love
This is what transpired with the Cheit HaEigel, says the holy Berdichever, and with this he explains the Midrash teaching us that the Yidden threw a gold plate with Hashem’s Name on it into the fire, and the Eigel emerged from the flames.
How can it be that such a terrible thing emerged from Hashem’s Name? Through this mashal, we understand that it was all by design—to illustrate the great love Hashem has for us. The love that was revealed at Matan Torah wasn’t conditioned on anything, and Hashem says, “If they do sin, I will pave their way of return. My love is eternal and unconditional!”
The Ribbono shel Olam takes our greatest betrayals and transforms them into the most fragrant incense (see Yerushalmi Pe’ah 1:1). This is the essence of Parashas Ki Tisa, and we must internalize this great lesson in our hearts—for it gives us a newfound appreciation in the exaltedness of Hashem and of the greatness of a Yid.
Tefillin Tell of Our Greatness
Why We Place Tefillin on Our Heads
Let us delve a bit deeper: The reason for tefillin is to remind a person of the tenets of emunah that are written therein—as we say in the יהי רצון prior to putting on Tefillin: שיש בהם ייחודו ואחדותו יתברך שמו בעולם; ואשר לו הכוח והממשלה בעליונים ובתחתונים לעשות בהם כרצונו, within them are His unity and oneness — blessed be His Name — in the world; and that He has the power and dominion over the upper realms and the lower realms, to do with them according to His will.
One may ask, if it’s so important to be reminded of these truths, shouldn’t we place our Tefillin in front of our eyes, where we can see them? Why do we place them on our heads and arms?
Elevated Through Tefillin
The answer is that we don tefillin so we will know not only what Hashem is—but also what a Yid is! It is so that we should internalize our own greatness. According to the hidden Torah, the brain of a person is expanded when he places the tefillin on his head. A Yid becomes elevated and transformed through putting on tefillin.
When a Yid tethers himself to the Ribbono shel Olam—וארשתיך לי לעולם—he takes the greatness of the Ribbono shel Olam and places it upon himself. With this, he indicates that he, too, has a connection to the greatness, knowing that “the Ribbono shel Olam, Who is so great, loves me deeply.” This Yid internalizes how exalted he is: “I am holy simply because I am a Yiddish kind.”
Hashem’s Tefillin Illustrates Our Preciousness
Regarding the Tefillin shel Rosh of Hashem, we have noted above that it features the words כעמך ומי ישראל. But the truth is that these words are already stated in the Torah. What is gained by having them written in the Tefillin of the Ribbono shel Olam?
The answer is that here we see the Ribbono shel Olam tying Himself to us with these cords of love! What an incredible thing! These pesukim indeed are written in the Torah, but the Ribbono shel Olam dons Tefillin... He becomes one with us!
In showing the kesher from behind to Moshe Rabbeinu, the Ribbono shel Olam was communicating that His connection with us doesn’t wane when we stumble and in a situation of אחור.
We’re Always Tethered
From our side, we must tether ourselves to the Ribbono shel Olam in every situation—whether we see Hashem clearly in our lives or we experience concealment. Yidden remain connected and tethered to Hashem even when we don’t see any revelation or light. We thank Hashem when it’s good and we thank Hashem when it’s better....
After all, the Ribbono shel Olam does the same with us. When we don’t behave as we should, the Ribbono shel Olam says: I have a kesher Tefillin on the back of My head! When Moshe Rabbeinu asked to see My countenance, I told him, ‘I will show you what you need to know, which is how much I love Yidden after they have stumbled.”
When we understand this, everything is transformed. Every Yid will be able to leave behind the mud and the melancholy he may be mired in... knowing that Hashem’s love for him never suffered. Encouraged by this, a Yid will seek only to amass more and more mitzvos—because when we know and appreciate how much Hashem loves us, this brings us back to the Ribbono shel Olam and tethers us firmly to Him. When we connect ourselves to Hashem, וארשתיך לי באמונה, it will be וידעת את ה’, we will truly come to know Hashem.
