Special Deliveries to Our Doorstep
Our shiur this week will focus on one aspect from the parsha of Nazir, albeit not directly connected to the Nazir. We’ll take one learning from the topic and derive from it an element for our Avodat Hashem.
וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵאמֹר׃ דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אִישׁ אוֹ־אִשָּׁה כִּי יַפְלִא לִנְדֹּר נֶדֶר נָזִיר לְהַזִּיר לַה'׃ מִ יַּיִן וְשֵׁכָר יַזִּיר חֹמֶץ יַיִן וְחֹמֶץ שֵׁכָר לֹא יִשְׁתֶּה וְכׇל־מִשְׁרַת עֲנָבִים לֹא יִשְׁתֶּה וַעֲנָבִים לַחִים וִיבֵשִׁים לֹא יֹאכֵל׃ כֹּל יְמֵי נִזְרוֹ מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר יֵעָשֶׂה מִגֶּפֶן הַיַּיִן מֵחַרְצַנִּים וְעַד־זָג לֹא יֹאכֵל׃ ... כֹּל יְמֵי נִזְרוֹ קָדֹשׁ הוּא לַה'׃
And the Lord spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the children of Yisrael, and say to them, When either man or woman shall pronounce a special vow of a Nazir to separate themselves to the Lord: he shall abstain from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, nor shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his abstinence shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk… All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.
Sefer Ohr Gedalyahu focuses on the word chosen to represent the initiation of the individual’s vow: כִּי יַפְלִא לִנְדֹּר נֶדֶר. Rashi explains יַפְלִא as separating, i.e., the person is distancing themself from wine. Rav Gedaliah Schorr says the word comes from the word פֶּלֶא – wonder, and he ties it to a Bracha we recite multiple times each day:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת־הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה ... בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' רוֹפֵא כָל־בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת:
Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, Who fashioned man with wisdom… Blessed are You, Hashem, Who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.
What do these words mean? The answer is given by the Rema in Darchei Moshe, and by the Vilna Gaon (Introduction to Massechet Brachot). A person is composed of a body and a soul – the body is physical, and the soul is spiritual, and it is a wonder beyond wonders that the Creator joined the soul together with the body. How does the soul, which is entirely spiritual, maintain its presence within a body, which is entirely physical? That Hakadosh Baruch Hu keeps the nefesh of a person within them and connects a spiritual element with a physical one is because He is the רוֹפֵא כָל־בָּשָׂר – healer of all flesh. When a person is in a healthy state, their soul remains preserved within them, and this is the meaning of the words וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת – acts wondrously. The Rema adds, the soul is like a prisoner without suitable living conditions, as it needs a connection with heaven, where it belongs. Only through wondrous acts is the soul and body confined to one place.
The Vilna Gaon says similar, but in different terms. In general, the soul should not be affected whether the body eats or not. It is spiritual in nature and needs no food to sustain itself. But the reality is, if a person doesn't eat for five or six days, the soul will depart. The great wonder Hakadosh Baruch Hu performed is that our spiritual dimension also derives nourishment from our physical dimension. The Vilna Gaon says this is the meaning of רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת.
Ohr Gedalyahu connects this idea to our topic, based on the Ramban referring to a Nazir as a prophet – as per the pasuk in Sefer Amos (2:11):
וָאָקִים מִבְּנֵיכֶם לִנְבִיאִים וּמִבַּחוּרֵיכֶם לִנְזִרִים.
And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nezirim.
Why does the Nazir merit such a title? Furthermore, the Midrash says that the level of a person who accepts the vow of Nezirut is equal to that of the Kohen Gadol – based on similarities regarding impurity and rules forbidding them to bury even a close relative. What is unique about the Nazir's status?
Our Haftarah speaks of Shimshon, whose father, Manoach, had an interesting exchange with an angel (Shoftim 13:17-18):
וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ אֶל־מַלְאַךְ ה' מִי שְׁמֶךָ כִּי־יָבֹא דְבָרְךָ וְכִבַּדְנוּךָ׃ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מַלְאַךְ ה' לָמָּה זֶּה תִּשְׁאַל לִשְׁמִי וְהוּא פֶלִאי׃
Manoach said to the angel, "What is your name? When your instructions reach us, we want to honor you." And the angel said to him, “Why do you seek my name, seeing it is mystical?”
The angel’s name changed each day based on the mission, and on this particular day its name was פֶּלִאי. Manoach proceeded to offer a korban, and fire descended from heaven to take his sacrifice in a wondrous manner – מַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת.
Rav Gedaliah Schorr asks, why is this angel’s name פֶּלִאי, and why was it wondrous when fire came down to consume the korban? He answers, every angel receives their mission according to their role. What was this specific angel’s role? To inform Manoach and his wife that the child who will be born to them will be a Nazir. He is sent to fulfill the pasuk:
אִישׁ אוֹ־אִשָּׁה כִּי יַפְלִא לִנְדֹּר נֶדֶר נָזִיר לְהַזִּיר לַה'׃
When either man or woman shall pronounce a special vow of a Nazir to separate themselves to the Lord.
The angel goes to create a Nazir, and if that is the case, how should he be called? פֶּלִאי – his mission is to transform their future son into a Nazir! And the fire that descended? It was a spiritual matter from heaven that consumed a physical matter here on earth. The union of spiritual and physical is something מַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת – wondrous to behold!
With this, we can understand what is being presented with regards to the Nazir and connect it to the days we find ourselves in following Shavuot. Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us several preparations leading up to the events of Har Sinai. Starting from the 18th of Iyar, when the sixty-one meals Bnei Yisrael carried out from Egypt were exhausted, Hakadosh Baruch Hu provided manna to eat. What is manna, and why was it provided? Could Hakadosh Baruch Hu not have taken us out of Egypt with enough food to last until Matan Torah? What was the purpose of switching over from food to manna?
Ohr Gedalyahu provides a brilliant answer. The Gemara teaches with regards to humans (Chagigah 16a):
שִׁשָּׁה דְּבָרִים נֶאֶמְרוּ בִּבְנֵי אָדָם: שְׁלֹשָׁה כְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, שְׁלֹשָׁה כִּבְהֵמָה. שְׁלֹשָׁה כְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת — יֵשׁ לָהֶם דַּעַת כְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, וּמְהַלְּכִין בְּקוֹמָה זְקוּפָה כְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, וּמְסַפְּרִים בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ כְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת. שְׁלֹשָׁה כִּבְהֵמָה — אוֹכְלִין וְשׁוֹתִין כִּבְהֵמָה, וּפָרִין וְרָבִין כִּבְהֵמָה, וּמוֹצִיאִין רְעִי כִּבְהֵמָה.
Six statements were said regarding humans: In three ways they are like ministering angels, and in three like animals. They are like ministering angels: They have intelligence; they walk upright; and they speak in the holy tongue. In three ways humans are like animals: They eat and drink like animals; multiply like animals; and emit excrement like animals.
The Midrash adds a fourth way in which humans are like animals: וּמֵתִים כְּבְהֵמָה – they die like animals. Chazal pick up on this extra aspect and provide several reasons why the Gemara leaves it out. The Chida says it is left out because of the spiritual component of man. Upon death, the neshama of a man returns to heaven, whereas the end of an animal’s career is marked by its descent, entirely, to earth.
Ohr Gedalyahu says (Yitro), Hakadosh Baruch Hu was set to reveal Himself to Bnei Yisrael at Mount Sinai, but one problem existed. It states clearly: כִּי לֹא־יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם וָחָי – For no man shall see Me and live (Shemot 33:20). How can we see the likeness of Hakadosh Baruch Hu without dying in the process? Therefore, He said, "In order for you to see Me, you must first be like angels." Bnei Yisrael were already like angels in three ways, and now needed to be detached from their three animalistic traits: eating like animals, reproducing like animals, and emitting waste like animals.
With regards to the manna, the Gemara (Yoma 75b) tells us it was לֶחֶם שֶׁמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת אוֹכְלִין אוֹתוֹ – bread that the ministering angels eat. It was given to us only through Moshe Rabbeinu, referred to as אִישׁ הָאֱ-לֹהִים and considered to be half-angel, having spent 120 days in Heaven without food or water. As a result of eating manna, and drinking from the well of Miriam, the first resemblance to animals was eliminated.
With regards to emitting waste, that too was eliminated upon the consumption of manna. Like the fruit of Gan Eden prior to the sin of Adam HaRishon, it was fully consumed by the body and produced no waste. Lastly, Bnei Yisrael were commanded: הֱיוּ נְכֹנִים לִשְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים אַל־תִּגְשׁוּ אֶל־אִשָּׁה – Be ready by the third day, come not near a woman (Shemot 19:15), eliminating the final resemblance to animals. Bnei Yisrael were now like angels in six ways and were in position to see Hakadosh Baruch Hu at Har Sinai.
B'Yam Derech, on our Haftarah, discusses the significance of the Nazir’s vow: "I separate myself from the matters of this world," specifically through abstaining from wine. The Gemara discusses the tremendous yesod learned from the juxtaposition of Sotah and Nazir in our Parsha (Sotah 2a):
וְלָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָּרָשַׁת נָזִיר לְפָרָשַׁת סוֹטָה, לוֹמַר לָךְ: שֶׁכׇּל הָרוֹאֶה סוֹטָה בְּקִלְקוּלָהּ — יַזִּיר עַצְמוֹ מִן הַיַּיִן.
Why is the portion of a Nazirite placed adjacent to the portion of a Sotah? To tell you that anyone who sees a Sotah in her disgrace should renounce wine.
This connection reveals that wine is the cause of the transgression, as it is believed excessive wine consumption leads to the weakening of a person's moral inhibitions. Just look to the story of Noach after the flood, or Lot in the cave following Sedom’s destruction, to see early examples. Therefore, one who sees a Sotah's disgrace should refrain from what causes such moral decline. Yam Derech adds another incredible aspect to this guidance. As learned in the Gemara, there are behaviors that leave us resembling animals, and others that leave us resembling angels. When one witnesses animalistic behavior, such as that of the Sotah, they should immediately pivot and strive to be more angelic. By not eating and drinking like an animal, one will be drawn away from sexual immorality that is animalistic in nature.
With this, we can perhaps see why this Parsha is read immediately following Shavuot [or just prior to Shavuot, in Israel during some years]. The lesson is that after Shavuot, when we experienced an angelic state, we need to continuously elevate our spirituality each day to maintain those heights.
From here, I would like to dive into a related topic which originated with the Ba’al Shem Tov and was then expanded upon by many of his followers. When the Gemara says that one who sees the Sotah in her disgrace should abstain from wine, is that fully a matter of choice? Is it a “take it or leave it” recommendation? The Ba’al Shem Tov says no, there is more to it than that. What does it mean to see a Sotah in her disgrace? It means to see her in a state of degradation, with a swollen belly and falling thighs. When a person sees her in this state, they are being told, "Listen, if Hakadosh Baruch Hu showed you this, it is because He is speaking to you! If you saw something, and not someone else who saw it, it is because Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants you to be a Nazir! If He did not want you to be a Nazir, you would not have seen the Sotah in her degradation."
The Sochatchover Rebbe has the same learning (Ne’ot Desheh) and brings Rashi as proof. On the pasuk commanding that a חֹשֶׁן וְאֵפוֹד be made, Rashi says (Shemot 28:4):
וְאֵפוֹד - לֹא שָׁמַעְתִּי וְלֹא מָצָאתִי בַּבָּרַיְתָא פֵּרוּשׁ תַּבְנִיתוֹ, וְלִבִּי אוֹמֵר לִי שֶׁהוּא חֲגוֹרָה לוֹ מֵאֲחוֹרָיו, רָחְבּוֹ כְּרֹחַב גַּב אִישׁ, כְּמִין סִינָר שֶׁקּוֹרִין פורצי"נט בְּלַעַז, שֶׁחוֹגְרוֹת הַשָּׂרוֹת כְּשֶׁרוֹכְבוֹת עַל הַסּוּסִים.
I have heard no tradition, nor have I found any description of its shape, but my own mind tells me that it was tied on behind him; its breadth was the same as the breadth of a man’s back like a kind of apron which is called pourceint in old French which ladies of rank tie on when they ride on horse-back.
The Sochatchover asks, why is Rashi bringing descriptions from French aprons and female horseback riders? How does he even know what those look like? His answer is magnificent. One time, Rashi encountered what sight and saw how it looked. He asked himself how it was that Hakadosh Baruch Hu let him gaze at a woman riding a horse. He was disturbed by it and had no answer until reaching, and being stuck on, the word אֵפוֹד in his commentary. It was at that moment he understood why Hakadosh Baruch Hu let him witness that scene. It was in order for him to insert that imagery into his explanation for the term אֵפוֹד in his peirush.
Similarly, two parshiot later, Rashi comments on why the story of the meraglim (spies) juxtaposes that of Miriam being punished. He says, it is to show the grievousness of the spies’ sin – Miriam was punished on account of slandering her brother, yet: וּרְשָׁעִים הַלָּלוּ רָאוּ וְלֹא לָקְחוּ מוּסָר – and these sinners witnessed it and yet they did not take a lesson from her. Rashi refers to them as sinners, despite noting that during their appointment: וְאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה כְּשֵׁרִים הָיוּ – at that time they were worthy men. They may have been worthy and noble individuals, but they were intentionally shown something and did not heed mussar from it. That is a רֶשַׁע – an act of evil.
אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר אֲבִינָא: אֵין פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הִכְרַתִּי גוֹיִם נָשַׁמּוּ פִּנּוֹתָם הֶחֱרַבְתִּי חוּצוֹתָם״, וּכְתִיב: ״אָמַרְתִּי אַךְ תִּירְאִי אוֹתִי תִּקְחִי מוּסָר״.
Rabbi Elazar bar Avina said: Calamity befalls the world only due to the Jewish people, as it is stated: “I have cut off nations, their corners are desolate; I have made their streets waste” (Zephaniah 3:6), and it is written: “I said: Surely you will fear Me, you will receive correction” (Zephaniah 3:7).
Chazal teach us (Yevamot 63a), everything that transpires in the world does so for Bnei Yisrael. The Gemara lists examples, which can be easily parlayed into present day events we read about all the time from all four corners of the earth. The Chafetz Chaim famously told a visitor from a distant country who had just experienced a terrible large-scale disaster, "Imagine a Jew stands in Warsaw and starts speaking in Yiddish. Who is he speaking to? If he were speaking to Poles, then he would be speaking in Polish. But he is speaking Yiddish, which means he is speaking to Jews who live in Warsaw! No one in the world understands Hakadosh Baruch Hu, except for the Jews. If He brings a plague to one corner of the world, He is not speaking to the people of that corner because they do not understand it. He is speaking to the Jews, for only Israel understands!"
The Midrash says (Yalkut Shimoni, Amos 549:2):
אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי אִם רָאִיתָ דּוֹר מְחָרֵף וּמְגַדֵּף צְפֵה לְרַגְלוֹ שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ מָה טַעַם - אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּ אוֹיְבֶיךָ ה' אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּ עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחֶךָ.
Rabbi Levi said, if you see a generation that is mocking and scorning [those involved in Torah], anticipate the footsteps of the Mashiach. What is the reason? “Wherewith Thy enemies have insulted, O Lord; wherewith they have insulted the footsteps of Thy anointed” (Tehillim 89:52).
What are we being taught here? When something happens to a person, they should not brush it aside and say, "It's not related to me." Rather, if something happens to them, it is a sign that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has spoken to them. The Gemara (Berachot 5b) speaks about someone who has 400 barrels of wine spoil on them. The immediate, and perhaps natural, reaction is to point blame in one or more directions. Maybe the barrels weren’t cleaned or stored properly, or perhaps too much sugar was added during the fermentation process. But that is not how wise men react. The wise man doesn’t focus on the ingredients or facilities.
When this happened to Rav Huna, the Gemara says, he looked inward, examining himself to determine what transgression brought about the spoilage and great financial loss. But he did not find a reason. His peers encouraged him to keep looking, as it could not be that Hakadosh Baruch Hu would exact punishment without justice. Rav Huna asked if anyone knew of a wrongdoing he did not see, and they responded that they heard he did not give a share of his grapevines to tenant farmers, as required. Rav Huna argued that the tenant farmers steal everything from him, and thus he doesn’t need to give them anything. He was subsequently rebuked and told that one who steals from a thief is nonetheless engaging in theft. Rav Huna accepted their argument and immediately accepted upon himself to give them a portion in the future, at which time either his barrels turned from vinegar to wine (or the price of vinegar shot up and his barrels were sold at the price of wine). The root cause of his misfortune was not physical elements. It was his aveira.
Another Gemara (Bava Batra 10a) tells the story of Rav Papa who slipped from his ladder and nearly injured himself severely. How does one respond to such an incident? The G-d fearing Jew is thankful for his fortunate outcome and calls his shul to sponsor a kiddush, opting for the “supersized” package loaded with the finest of herrings and all the meat delicacies his town clamors for each week. The dishonest and villainous Jew falls to the ground, and while still on his back calls his lawyer-friend for tips on what to tell the authorities, what tests to order up in the hospital, and how to plan for the bounty they’ll both win in court. How did Rav Papa respond? He deduced the incident was equal to sekila, and looked for what aveira may have been transgressed to deserve such a fate. He looked to see if there was any violation of Shabbat – but found none. He looked to see if there was any violation of idol worship – but found none. He asked his friends, and they suggested that perhaps he turned a blind eye to someone in need of Tzedakah – to which he agreed it was possible. There was no possible way in which the manufacturer of the ladder, or the building owner where it was positioned, could be responsible for his fate – only he was accountable for that. If Hakadosh Baruch Hu was speaking, He was speaking to him.
Chazal teach us that this concept goes beyond what impacts us physically out of the norm. When walking on the street and something catches our ear, we are being spoken to. The Gemara (Taanit 21a) relates the story of Rabbi Yochanan and Ilfa, who were hard-pressed for money and decided to leave the Yeshiva to find work. They went and sat under a dilapidated wall and were eating bread, when two ministering angels arrived. Rabbi Yochanan heard one angel say to the other, “Let’s knock this wall down on them and kill them on account of their choice,” whereas the other angel replied, “Leave them, as there is one whose time of achievement has yet to come.” Rabbi Yochanan heard all this, but after asking his peer, it was obvious that Ilfa did not. Rabbi Yochanan said to himself, “Since I heard the angels and Ilfa did not, I can learn from this that it is I whose time of achievement has yet to come.” He stood up and returned to the Yeshiva, where he subsequently became its rosh yeshiva.
When Hakadosh Baruch Hu speaks, His message is specifically directed to those who need to hear it. You will perceive what is intended for you and remain unaware of what is not. The Yerushalmi (Shabbat, 6) brings three stories that each pivot on the pasuk (Yeshayahu 30:21):
וְאָזְנֶיךָ תִּשְׁמַעְנָה דָבָר מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ לֵאמֹר זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ לְכוּ בוֹ כִּי תַאֲמִינוּ וְכִי תַשְׂמְאִילוּ׃
And, whenever you deviate to the right or to the left, your ears will heed the command from behind you: “This is the road; follow it!”
The first story is about Bar Kappara, who once arrived in a city and as he was walking, he fell and hurt his finger. As he stood up, he heard the children saying: אִם בְּגַפּוֹ יָבֹא בְּגַפּוֹ יֵצֵא – If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself (Shemot 21:3). Bar Kappara said, "It seems to me that aside from this bruise, I will not accomplish anything else here." He turned around.
The second story involves Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish, who traveled to Bavel to visit Shmuel, who was ill. However, they were unsure if they would arrive in time to see him before he passed away. They decided to embark on the journey, relying on the possibility that a heavenly voice would guide them. While passing by a Beit Midrash, they overheard a teacher reciting the verse: וּשְׁמוּאֵל מֵת וַיִּסְפְּדוּ לוֹ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל – And Shmuel died, and all Israel mourned for him (Shmuel I 28:1). They interpreted this as the sign they were seeking, recorded the day and time, and returned home. Later, when they encountered people returning from Shmuel's funeral, they inquired about the exact time of his passing and discovered that it coincided precisely with the time they had noted.
The third story is a similar one involving Rabbi Yonah and Rabbi Yossa, who set out to visit Rabbi Acha, and who successfully continued their journey upon hearing a woman say to her friend, "My candle is not yet extinguished."
The Mishna and Gemara recount similar stories, with vision and sight replacing hearing and sound. One of them (Kallah Rabbati 2:9) involves Rabbi Akiva who witnessed a man lugging heavy packages while being beaten by two individuals at his side. Interestingly, the man did not jettison what he is carrying to defend himself or run away. He simply absorbed the blows, and Rabbi Akiva wanted to know why. He ran after the man to inquire, and was told, “I am a neshama that has returned to this world for tikkun, and these are two angels of punishment beating me for my aveirot.” Rabbi Akiva asked his identity and whether he had any children. The man had no children but had just left behind a pregnant wife whose fate he was unsure of. Rabbi Akiva went to the man’s town and asked the local gabbaim, only to be told, “May the memory of that person be uprooted, and their bones be ground!” It turned out the man had performed every imaginable sin, and his wife was ready to give birth at any moment. Rabbi Akiva went to the wife and pledged to look after the child – giving him a bris and an education. We’re not told how long that process took, but it must have been at least two years, and perhaps longer, because only upon teaching the child how to recite Kaddish and say Barchu did Rabbi Akiva leave. Tanna debei Eliyahu Zuta adds, the deceased man subsequently appeared before Rabbi Akiva in a dream, thanking him for teaching his son how to recite Barchu and Kaddish on Motzei Shabbat. It said to Rabbi Akiva: תָּנוּחַ דַּעְתְּךָ בְּגַן עֵדֶן שֶׁהִצַּלְתַּנִי מִדִּינָהּ שֶׁל גֵּיהִנֹּם – May your mind find rest in Gan Eden, for you have saved me from the judgment of Gehenom.
We have learned the story of Rabbi Akiva’s origins numerous times, but there is an element that can be tied directly into our yesod. The Gemara (Ketubot 62b) tells us that Rabbi Akiva returned home after twelve years, with twelve thousand talmidim at his side. Upon reaching his house, he overheard a conversation between his wife and a neighbor: "Tell me, did your husband leave you as a widow, leaving home for twelve years? Is this how people behave?!" His wife responded: "If it was up to me, he would stay and learn for twelve more years!" Rabbi Akiva immediately turned around and headed back to the Yeshiva.
The famous question arises: He had already arrived home – why not enter, greet his wife, give a kiss to the children, and then return after a grand total of five minutes delay? Why did he not go inside at all? Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz says, it's very simple. Twelve and twelve is not twenty-four. Twenty-four is when the matter is continuous, without interruption and without other endeavors in the middle. It is similar to a kettle that could be on the stove for an hour yet not be hot. If after it stays on the fire for a minute you keep taking it off for two – it will not reach the target temperature. It will only be hot if it remains on the gas for ten continuous minutes!
That is the famous response of Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, but I believe there is another, very relevant, explanation. Rabbi Akiva arrived to hear the neighbor say to his wife, "Your husband has left you. Don't you think it's excessive that he hasn't been home for twelve years?" He then heard his wife respond in support of his learning, and immediately turned back. Why? Because he said to himself, "I don't understand. This man could have approached my wife yesterday. Or he could have come last year or two years ago. He could also come tomorrow or the next day. Why did he come right now, at the precise moment I arrived?" The answer, to Rabbi Akiva, was simple. “Hakadosh Baruch Hu brought him at that very moment so that I would hear my wife say, ‘He should stay twelve more years.' My wife didn’t speak for the sake of this man and to answer his charge. She spoke for my sake! Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent him for my sake!”
Rabbotai, we can now understand the question everyone asks: How can Rabbi Akiva, who stands up one thousand talmidim each year, and who dedicates his entire life to study and teaching chiddushim, take a pause and dedicate years of his life to teach an orphan how to recite Kaddish and Barchu? Is that Rabbi Akiva's role? Let him take a young man fluent in Tefilla, give him a few shekels, and ask him to take care of the child. Why does he suspend his own life for several years in some remote village to teach one child?
Rabbi Akiva provides the simple answer: “The poor man, with the packages on his back and two men beating him, could have come an hour before I passed by, or a half hour after I was gone. Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu bring us both to this place, and synchronize our timing so that we reach it together? It must be because He wants me to take care of the matter! That is my mission!” This is why Rabbi Akiva insisted on being the one to take care of the child.
One final Gemara (Sukkah 52a) tells of Abaye overhearing two individuals planning to travel a long distance together, by foot, alone. They were not married, and as a result, Abaye inserted himself into the picture and expressed a desire to travel with them. Was he the new Mishmeret Tzniyut or Morality Police? Why could he not let them do as they pleased? He answered, if Hakadosh Baruch Hu placed him in a position to hear their plans, it was for him to get involved. What we see and what we hear is targeted to us and designed for us.
We can now turn back to Shavuot. Ruth arrived from Moav together with Naomi and was sent to collect scraps in the fields of Boaz, whose family had all just died. There is a debate whether Boaz was the brother or nephew of Elimelech, but either way, he took interest in Ruth and praised her modesty. Naomi proposed an idea to Ruth, advising her to approach Boaz during the nighttime and request his hand in marriage. The reason behind this suggestion was Boaz's role as the future go'el, or redeemer. A young woman, of Moavite descent, without a penny to her name, sneaking up and requesting marriage from a four-hundred-year-old widower who was the gadol hador. Nothing in this equation sounds promising and it is hardly the recipe for guaranteed success! Could she not have sent a shadchan to his front door in the morning and approached the goal more softly?
Turn to David HaMelech, who generations later proclaimed: חֲצוֹת־לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ – At midnight I arise to thank You for Your righteous judgements (Tehillim 119:62). He is expressing gratitude that Boaz had not spoken negatively against Ruth. A brazen woman entered his field in the middle of the night, yet he did not shout, “Who’s there?!?” nor did he curse her. David is thankful, for had that occurred, he would not have come into existence. Everything he accomplished in this world is because of how Boaz handled that moment upon being awoken. Not only did Boaz not reject Ruth, but he also assured her that he would take care of her and would marry her if indeed he was the closest-related redeemer!
Sefer Ma'ayan HaMoed asks how and why Naomi would endanger Ruth in such a manner. If any of Boaz's workers had noticed Ruth secretly entering the fields, they would have killed her immediately. Furthermore, it was highly probable Boaz would have reacted quite unfavorably to her bold arrival.
Based on what we have learned, the answer is very simple. Naomi was essentially saying to Boaz, "When Hakadosh Baruch Hu initiates a process and it reaches you, it is a sign you are being summoned. If Ruth manages to reach you and says to you, ‘You are the redeemer,’ it is a sign that Heaven has sent her, and it is your role.” Boaz responded accordingly, “If no one stopped her along the way, and she succeeded in reaching me to say, 'I am Ruth, spread your wing over your maidservant, for you are a redeemer,’ it is because Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants me to redeem! If He did not want such, there would have been enough obstacles along the way.”
When Hakadosh Baruch Hu initiates and leads something to your doorstep, it is intentional. He has given you the task! That is what Rabbi Akiva did when he saw the neshama; what Abaye did when he overheard two people deciding to meet each other; and what Boaz did when Ruth approached. If it came to their doorstep, it belonged to them!
This lesson connects beautifully to our Parsha. One who sees a Sotah in her disgrace shall abstain from wine – but why? He sees the Sotah in her humiliation and says to himself, "Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu show me this vision? Five hundred other people could have seen it too! Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu summon it to me? For one reason alone – because He wants me to abstain from wine and over-indulgence.”
In our generation, we don't need to wait to see a Sotah in her disgrace. The Imrei Emes said, in the name of the Chiddushei HaRim, even though Chazal say one who sees a Sotah in her degradation shall abstain from wine, the order of these massechtot in the Talmud differs. First comes Nazir and then Sotah. Why? Because we need not wait until seeing a Sotah before deciding to abstain from indulgence. We are commanded already today to abstain, in the form of עֲשֵׂה טוֹב – doing good, even before we see the רַע – evil. Doing good protects us, so that we don't ever see the evil!
As we bid farewell to Shavuot, we cannot part from these elevated days without taking upon ourselves a commitment. We must accept upon ourselves to abstain from over-indulgence. We must instead see and hear our mission and seek opportunities to do good. We must work to transform ourselves into angels, connected to Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
May the spiritual heights we experienced accompany us all the way until our next holiday, הַבָּא עָלֵינוּ לְטוֹבָה.
