We Are Hashem’s Partner In Creation
DOUBT SAYS, “I CAN’T.” FAITH REPLIES, “LET’S FIND A WAY.”
what Hashem wants. And that is what we say in the blessing before mitzvahs, “That He sanctified us with His commandments, and He commanded us...”
Now we can understand why the Parsha that has the mitzvah of tzitzis, which is symbolic of all of the mitzvahs, is called Shelach. Because the message of Shelach pertains and is a prerequisite for every mitzvah.
Shelach, is Moshe sending the spies in preparation of entering the Holy Land. The idea of the Holy Land is that the physical place is infused with holiness. And that is what happens when we do a mitzvah, we infuse the physical object that is used in the performance of the mitzvah, with holiness. In a way, we are making a bunch of little Israels - we are making the physical holy.
This is said specifically to Moshe, because we each have a little bit of Moshe inside of us, and it is this little bit of Moshe that gives us the strength to accomplish the fusion of mundane and holy, the G-dly and the physical, heaven and earth.
This is perhaps what laimor means here. The message of Shelach pertains to each and every one of us, therefore, it should be conveyed to the Jewish people. And it is this message of Shelach, that is the theme of our Parsha.
However, we are left with a question. If the message of Shelach is so important and fundamental to all of our mitzvahs, why did Hashem make it dependent on the person’s choice, as it says, “Send for yourself,” meaning, “If you think so; I am not commanding you - if you want to, send?” Why didn’t He make it a required prerequisite?
The whole point of our Torah and mitzvahs is to draw G-dliness into the physical, as the Midrash explains the unique thing that was changed with the giving of the Torah, is that now, “Above can descend below, and below can ascend above.”
Above descending below is understood as Hashem being drawn into creation. But how does below ascend above?
The norm is, that Hashem is the giver and we are the receiver. We receive our whole existence from Him, and if he would stop giving, if He would stop creating us, we would cease to exist.
For us to ascend above, would mean, that we too, so to speak, become givers like Hashem. Like our sages say, “We become Hashem’s partner in creation.” And like the Talmud tells about a famous debate between the sages, that a voice came from heaven saying that Rabbi Eliezer was right, and the sages responded, “Torah is not in the heavens.” Hashem then said, “My children were victorious over Me, My children were victorious over Me.” Meaning that we are in the “above” position, we have the power to affect and give to Torah.
The words “My children were victorious over Me,” show the partnership between Hashem and the Jewish people, because in a real partnership, sometimes one partner’s opinion wins, and at times, the other partner’s opinion wins.
To accomplish that we should be in the “above” position, that we will be able to give to creation, Hashem made it our choice. Because if He would have made the message of Shelach an obligation, then by definition, we would be in the receiving position, and not in the above position. Because we would be doing His commandment, making us the receivers, and there is no way of getting out of that position.
By making it our choice, Hashem put us in the above position. And being that the message of Shelach is for all mitzvahs, we have the ability to affect every mitzvah and all of creation. We ascend above.
May we merit to be the partners Hashem wants, and effect the world to the point that it becomes a true home for Him. This will usher in the coming of Moshiach. May he come soon.
