7 MARCHESHVAN I | ז' מרחשון א
Introduction
Whenever we invest ourselves in a particular path, navigating changes and transitions presents a challenge. After being fully involved in one type of activity, with one mindset, it is hard to enter another. For that reason, we find the month of Tishrei so demanding. Intense spiritual experiences of various types follow one another in rapid succes- sion without giving us time to digest them and prepare ourselves for the next. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, and Simchas Torah each represent days of heightened energy, each with a direction and character of its own.
And then the spiritual climate changes. In the era of the Beis HaMikdash, the change was geographic – not only one of mind and heart. After treasuring the time they had spent in the place where “All of your men shall appear before the L-rd, G-d,”¹ having seen and taken in G-dli- ness, the people would return home, “every one under his vine and under his fig tree.”²
Although today we do not have to make an actual journey, the days following Tishrei and those of Marcheshvan, the following month, involve also a transitional experience as we reinte- grate ourselves in the routines of everyday life.
We are taught, “[Always] ascend in matters of holiness,”³ meaning that we should continu- ally grow spiritually, proceeding from “strength to strength.”⁴ Yet the return to mundane reality that characterizes the month of Marcheshvan appears like a descent, a downward turn from the heights of the previous month.
How can it be seen as a phase in our continuous growth?
By turning our attention from what is inspiring and attractive to us and focusing on G-d’s intent for creation, what He desires – a dwelling in the lowest realm.
That dwelling is not achieved through Divine service in the Beis HaMikdash or even through intense spiritual experiences when we temporarily suspend our involvement in mundane real- ities. Instead, it is achieved through ongoing day-to-day service in the details of ordinary life, carrying out “all [our] actions for the sake of Heaven”⁵ and “know[ing] G-d in all [our] ways.”⁶ By bringing spirituality into every dimension of our ongoing experience, we align ourselves with G-d’s true desire.
Establishing G-d’s Dwelling
An Ongoing Process of Ascent
1. 7 Marcheshvan is the day when we begin re- questing rain in our prayers. We delay making our requests until “fifteen days after the [end of the Suk- kos] Festival so that the last of the Jews [who made the festive pilgrimage to Jerusalem] would reach the Euphrates River.”²
The experience of their pilgrimage for the Sukkos Festival continued until that day. Not only did [as described by] Sifsei Kohen, “it appear to them as if they were still in Eretz Yisrael, occupied with the matters of the festival,”³ but – according to the To- rah, the “Torah of truth” – the continued influence of the festival constituted their reality. As indicated by the verse,⁴ “No man will covet your land when you as- cend to appear before G-d, your L-rd,” the influence of the festival prevailed during the entire time from the beginning of their ascent on the pilgrimage un- til they actually arrived back home.⁵ Thus, “the time of the festival” included the entire span of time until 7 Marcheshvan, when the last Jew would reach the Euphrates, the outer boundary of Eretz Yisrael.
It would appear that from 7 Marcheshvan onward, after everyone who made the festive pilgrimage had returned to his place, arriving “under his vine and under his fig tree,”⁶ the Jewish people’s state was one of descent when compared to their “ascent to ap- pear before G-d, your L-rd,” in the Beis HaMikdash.
What It Means to Come Home
2. As stated many times,⁹ specifically when a Jew came to his home and his place, when he in- volved himself with working the land – to borrow our Sages’¹⁰ wording, “a man plows, a man sows...” – did he have the potential to fulfill the agricultural mitzvos associated with Eretz Yisrael. Through their observance, he drew down holiness into all of his concerns and affairs, following the charges, “All your actions should be for the sake of Heaven,”¹¹ and “Know G-d in all your ways,”¹² bringing G-dliness into even all his material matters. This mode of Divine service could not be carried out during the time that he was on a pilgrimage in Jerusalem¹³ and the Beis HaMikdash.
Engaging in such material tasks constituted a two- fold ascent in a Jew’s Divine service – elevating both his actions as well as the objects with which those ac- tions were carried out.
Our Sages¹⁴ teach that G-d created our world because “He desired a dwelling in the lowest realm.” His intent is carried out through the fulfillment of mitzvos with material entities, and especially through the agricultural mitzvos observed in Eretz Yisrael, in the fields and the vineyards. When a Jew takes physical entities that are not inherently holy and fulfills a mitzvah with them, making them an entity associated with a mitzvah and holiness, he creates a dwell- ing for G-d in this lowest realm, drawing down G-d’s holiness in a manner that permeates these material entities.
This principle also applies to the person himself: While a Jew was in Jerusalem and the Beis Ha- Mikdash, he was not as involved with material entities, matters that belong to the lowest realm. He was in a place that was inherently holy, and he was involved mostly – indeed almost entire- ly – with matters of holiness. There, the primary dimension of his Divine service was carrying out the command, “All of your men shall appear be- fore the L-rd, G-d,”¹⁵ i.e., his primary focus was in seeing and absorbing G-dliness.¹⁶
It follows that specifically on 7 Marcheshvan, when every Jew had reached his home, he was able to achieve the virtue of carrying out his Divine service in the lowest realm. Upon arriving home, every Jew became an agent tasked with carrying out the mission that G-d desired, one that cannot be fulfilled to such a great degree when making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Similarly, such Divine service elevated the objects with which the mitz- vos were fulfilled, thus serving to make these lowly realms a dwelling for G-d.
A Descent or an Ascent?
3. True, when looking from an inner perspec- tive and focusing on the ultimate purpose, the virtue of the Divine service of the Jewish people from 7 Marcheshvan onwards was more closely aligned with G-d’s will and intent than their state and Divine service on their pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Howev- er, when speaking about what is apparent and revealed, every Jew surely felt that his Divine service beginning from 7 Marcheshvan involved a descent – indeed a drastic descent – from the exalted state and circum- stance when “All of your men [would] appear before the L-rd, G-d.”
This is particularly true in light of our Sages’¹⁷ interpreta- tion of that verse, which explains that the word “appear” can be read as “see.” “Just as the people came to see G-dliness, so too, they would come to appear [before Him].” In contrast to that lofty state, their circumstances and Divine service after 7 Marcheshvan was focused on working the land and carrying out mundane activities. This required hard labor and effort in a simple sense – as well as hard labor and effort in a spiritual sense. Consequently, a Jew felt that he was not in the lofty state of the Beis HaMik- dash, where he was “before the L-rd.”¹⁸ However, together with those feelings, every Jew also appreciated the great virtue of the Divine service within the context of his mun- dane realities.
This parallels the situation of the Jewish people when they entered Eretz Yisrael for the first time, af- ter their journey through the desert. While in the desert, the Jews had no worries regarding their ma- terial needs. They received everything from G-d in a manner that did not require any effort on their part. This included food and drink – manna, “bread from heaven,”¹⁹ and water from Miriam’s well²⁰ – and clothes which were²¹ scrubbed and pressed by the Clouds of Glory. In such a situation, the Jews were able to devote themselves entirely to spiritual matters like the study of the Torah.²²
By contrast, after entering Eretz Yis- rael, the Jews no longer had “bread from heaven” and had to devote themselves to working the land, as it is written,²³ “When you come to the land... you shall sow your field for six years,” and they had to carry out all the other tasks involved with working the land. Every Jew had to busy himself with providing for his needs regarding food, drink, and clothing. Under such condi- tions, it was obviously much more difficult to devote oneself to spiritual matters. In- deed, for this reason, the spies sent by Moshe were able to convince the Jews not to desire to enter Eretz Yisrael, as explained in holy texts.²⁴
A Historical Precedent
4. Nevertheless, we find that after – and as a continuation of – the episode of the spies, the Torah states,²⁵ “When you come to the land...,” which implies, as Rashi comments, that G-d “announced good tidings to them – that they would enter the land.”
On the surface, this requires explana- tion: True, the Jews’ “hearts were humbled and crushed in their midst”²⁶ after “G-d raged against them and thundered angrily,”²⁷ ‘How long [shall I bear] with this evil congregation.... Your corpses will fall in this wilderness.... I, G-d, have spoken; I will surely do this to all this evil congre- gation.” As a result, they underwent a total change of heart and were then willing to enter Eretz Yisrael without hesitation.²⁸ Nevertheless, given their previous feelings, how can G-d’s announcement that they would eventually enter the land be considered positive news? It would still constitute a descent from their lofty spiritual situation in the desert. In particular, since they were a “generation of knowledge,”²⁹ they certainly did not have a pressing desire to take pos- session of a material land and involve themselves with physical activities.
However, based on the previous explanations, their change of mind can be understood: Coming into Eretz Yisrael would provide them with the oppor- tunity to transform worldly entities into objects of holiness through the fulfillment of the agricultural mitzvos associated with Eretz Yisrael. For this rea- son, as our Sages³⁰ state, even Moshe, “the man of G-d,”³¹ desired to enter Eretz Yisrael.
This is reflected in the verses that follow G-d’s announcement that the Jews would enter Eretz Yisrael, which outline the mitzvos of the libations³² that would accompany the sacrifices and challah.³³ By contrast, in the desert, the Jews did not have that much to do with material matters. Accordingly, their entry into Eretz Yisrael represented a turning point, providing them with the opportunity to fulfill G-d’s desire for a dwell- ing in the lowest realm.
This explains why the Jews considered the announcement that they would enter Eretz Yisrael as good tidings. When- ever a Jew knows that he is going to carry out G-d’s will (whatever G-d’s will might be) – and thus bring about joy and pleasure Above, as our Sages³⁴ stated, “It brings Me pleasure that I spoke and My will was ful- filled” – it serves as a source of joy for him. Therefore, since the entry into Eretz Yisrael would make it possible for them to carry out this Divine desire, the knowledge that they would enter Eretz Yisrael was considered good news for every Jew and a factor that brought him joy.
This is particularly relevant concerning the matter at hand, since the service of carrying out the agricultural mitz- vos of Eretz Yisrael is so closely connected with G-d’s desire and pleasure. When a Jew carries out service that fulfills G-d’s desire and generates pleasure for Him, it also becomes his own desire and what brings him genuine satisfaction. This is particularly true regarding those Jews of whom the Torah says,³⁵ “You who are clinging to G-d, your L-rd, are all alive today.”³⁶ Because of their identification with G-d, they are able to appreciate the delight aroused within the Creator through their service of making this world a dwelling for Him. So powerful is their identification with Him that His pleasure also becomes their pleasure in an apparent way.
Similar concepts can be understood regarding the Divine service of the Jews after 7 Marcheshvan when they had returned home. The elevation to a higher rung of holiness and the progress from strength to strength was not only an aspect of their Divine ser- vice, but it was also consciously felt by them. In that vein, when describing the return of the Jewish people to their homes after the dedication of the first Beis HaMikdash, Scripture states,³⁷ “They went to their tents joyful and glad of heart.”³⁸ In a similar way, the Jews were able to share in the experience of G-d’s pleasure generated by their Divine service after 7 Marcheshvan due to the fulfillment of His desire for a dwelling in the lowest realm.
This mode of Divine service represents a loftier state of pleasure than the personal pleasure they experienced upon ascending on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and seeing the revelation of the Divine Presence in the Beis HaMikdash.
The pleasure the Jews experienced when ascending on their pilgrimage was pleasure that a created being ex- periences – the delight derived from the revelation of the Divine Presence.³⁹ This resembles the pleasure that the souls experience in Gan Eden, the afterlife, where they relish the radiance of the Divine Presence.⁴⁰
By contrast, the pleasure and satisfaction in the Divine service beginning from 7 Marcheshvan is connected with the fulfillment of G-d’s desire; it is the pleasure and satisfaction of the Creator. Through bit- tul, subsuming himself to G-d’s will, a Jew is able to feel this satisfaction while carrying out his Divine service.⁴¹
Why the Delay?
5. Nevertheless, clarification is necessary: 7 Mar- cheshvan is the date that the last Jew who made the festive pilgrimage reached the Euphrates River. How- ever, all the other Jews who made the festive pilgrimage lived in closer places in Eretz Yisrael and reached their homes earlier. Indeed, those who lived close to Jerusalem reached their homes di- rectly after the festival. Thus, it follows that the overwhelming majority of the Jewish people reached their homes before 7 Marchesh- van and only a small number had to journey until that date. As such, most – indeed, almost all – Jews started their work in the fields (work identified with the lowest dimension of material existence) far earlier. Nevertheless, according to the “Torah of truth,” 7 Marchesh- van was established as the date when the Jews request rain in Eretz Yisrael as a whole. (More- over, this practice continues even in the present age.)⁴² Thus, it is not until that date that the elevated dimension of Divine service that fol- lows the pilgrimage festival begins for all the Jews of Eretz Yisrael. Why is this phase of Divine service associated specifically with the Jews living furthest from Jerusalem?
When the Lowly Is Lofty
6. In Tanya,⁴³ the Alter Rebbe explains the precision in our Sages’ words, “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired a dwelling in the lowest realm (tachtonim),” clarifying that their intent in using the term tachtonim is “this physical and coarse material world,” meaning “the low- est level, below which there is nothing lower with regard to the concealment of His light.” From this, it is understood that within “this physical and coarse material world” itself, the fundamental dimension of G-d’s dwelling is to be established amidst “the lowest levels, below which there is nothing lower.”⁴⁴
Accordingly, regarding the matter at hand, carrying out G-d’s desire for a dwelling in the lowest realms cannot be achieved in the full- est sense through the Divine service of Jews in Jerusalem or those living near there, where the holiness of Jerusalem shines – but by those found physically distant from Jerusalem. In this context, physical distance reflects spiritual distance, a place where G-d’s countenance, His light, does not shine as it does in Jerusalem⁴⁵ or the places close to it. This is brought out in straightforward halachah: Jerusalem is invested with holiness,⁴⁶ and even the places that are close to it⁴⁷ are holier than more distant places.
This progression in degrees of descent continues until “the lowest levels, below which is noth- ing lower,” i.e., the Divine service of “the last of the Jews” in “the settlement furthest from Jerusalem.”⁴⁸
When Each Individual Becomes Important
7. Furthermore, the concept of 7 Marchesh- van – when “the last of the Jews” reached home – affects all Jews.⁴⁹ The Divine service of “the last of the Jews” increases the perfection of the dwelling for G-d for all Jews throughout Eretz Yisrael as a whole.
We see a parallel to this in the dwelling of a per- son on this material plane.⁵⁰ A dwelling comprises many rooms: a dining room, a bedroom, and even a room that is exempt from having a mezuzah.⁵¹
Now, all the rooms do not have the same de- gree of importance regarding the way in which a person uses and dwells in them. There are rooms that constitute the primary purpose and function of a person’s dwelling, there are rooms that are of secondary importance,⁵² and there are even some of trivial importance. Howev- er, they are all included in the same home. To phrase it slightly differently, a person’s ownership of the structure he considers his home applies equally to all the rooms in the dwelling.
When is a dwelling complete? When it contains not only the room that the owner pri- marily uses,⁵³ but also⁵⁴ all the other rooms of secondary importance.⁵⁵
Similar concepts apply,⁵⁶ as it were, to G-d’s dwelling.⁵⁷ The Divine service of the Jewish people is comprised of many different elements.
There are kohanim and Levites whose Divine service is primarily carried out in the Beis HaMik- dash, including the Kohen Gadol, whose home is in Jerusalem and who may never leave that city.⁵⁸ And there are Jews whose Divine service is not connected with the Beis HaMikdash or Jerusalem in an apparent manner. Indeed, there are those whose primary Divine service is carried out in the furthest place from Jerusalem, the Euphrates River. Through their Divine service, they introduce holiness into the most lowly material entities.⁵⁹ All of these modes of service are significant because it is specifically the diverse modes of Divine service carried out by all the different Jews that synergis- tically combine to establish the complete dwelling for G-d.⁶⁰
This point is also expressed in halachah. There are many laws regarding Eretz Yisrael – for exam- ple, those involving the Jubilee year and the laws related to it, the laws of selling homes in walled cit- ies, non-Jewish residents, and others that apply only during an era when the laws of the Jubilee year apply⁶¹ – that are dependent on the condition that “all of its inhabitants [dwell] in it.”⁶² “When all of its inhabitants [dwell] in it” means not only that the entire Jewish people must live in Eretz Yisrael and “not when a portion is exiled,”⁶³ but also “that the tribes not be intermingled one with the other, and instead, all dwell in their appropriate places [in the an- cestral portions ordained for them]”⁶⁴
From this, it is understood that similar concepts apply concerning each individual tribe.⁶⁵ When can it be said that the manner in which a tribe dwells is appropriate for it? When each individual dwells in his place. This is shleimus yishuv haEretz, the settlement of the land in a complete and perfect manner, as a dwelling for all Jews. This is expressed in a revealed manner by the fact that such a state brings about an era of “freedom in the land for all its inhabitants,”⁶⁶ i.e., freedom for all Jews.⁶⁷
When the Dwelling Is Finished
8. Based on the above, we can understand why specifically 7 Marcheshvan – when we start request- ing rain – is the time which unifies all Jews in the mission of making a dwelling for G-d in the lowest realm.
Regardless of the Divine service carried out by the Jews in Jerusalem and the places close to it in the days preceding 7 Marcheshvan, when the Divine ser- vice is not fulfilled on “the lowest level, below which is nothing lower” G-d’s dwelling is still incomplete. He “desired a dwelling in the lowest realm” and, to be complete, His dwelling must include “the lowest level, below which there is nothing lower.”
However, after “the last of the Jews who made the festive pilgrimage reaches the Euphrates River,” and the Divine service of those on “the lowest level, below which there is nothing lower,” has already begun, it is then revealed how G-d’s dwelling is established through the combined ef- forts of all the Jews, throughout Eretz Yisrael in its entirety.⁶⁸ This includes the Divine service of both the Jews who live in Jerusalem or close to it and those who live on the border of the land, on the Euphrates, the settlement furthest from Je- rusalem.⁴⁸ Every person’s contribution is significant because the definition of a dwelling is one unit that is composed of many rooms.
A Unity of Purpose that Surpasses Physical Unity
9. Here also we see a wondrous insight into the unity of the Jewish people. All the Jews ascended on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Beis Ha- Mikdash, and there they joined in the common experience of “All of your men... appear[ing]” together in the Beis HaMikdash. Moreover, in a spiritual sense,⁶⁹ they were all of one heart, unit- ed in “appear[ing] before the L-rd, G-d.”
