Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Heartfelt wishes to haTomim Sholom Dov Ber ben Miriam for a complete and immediate refuah shleima. May he experience in a tangible way the brocho of Iyar, - אני ה' רופאיך, and as the Rebbe explained, in the way of Hashem’s healing מלכתחלה לא אשים עליך, with an immediate, complete and miraculous recovery!
Mazel tov to Zushe Bettoun on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel tov to Yossi Gopin on the occasion of his engagement. May they use out the period of yokor mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Shmar Richler on the birth of their daughter. Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yanky Gitler on the birth of their daughter. May they bring them up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolos! (If anyone is aware of any mazeltov’s that I omitted please let me know).
Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
The following story will be read in the haftarah this week:
There was a great hunger in Shomron. Four men, who were stricken with tzora’as, were outside (as the halacha dictates that a metzorah must be outside of the camp), and, in their extreme hunger, they went to explore the camp of Aram. The previous night Hashem had performed a tremendous miracle, scattering the camp of Aram, and when these 4 men arrived, they discovered amazing wealth; - gold, silver, garments and an unlimited food supply, all left abandoned.
They informed the palace of their findings. Upon investigation, this unbelievable abundance was indeed found to be there for the taking for the Jewish people. This resulted in an immediate drop in prices, in fulfillment of the remarkable prophecy of Elisha that “a se’ah of fine flour or two se’ah of barley will be able to be purchased for a mere shekel”!
As we can imagine, there was tremendous rejoicing amongst the Yidden. However, there was also one casualty: A guard, who was stationed at the gate to the city, was trampled by the hordes of people exiting, and he died. The Possuk goes on to say, that this, too, was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Elisha: When Elisha foretold that "סאה סולת בשקל וסאתים שעורים בשקל", this guard, who was present, questioned this. “Even if Hashem will open up windows in the heaven, and food will rain down, it would not have such a drastic impact on prices?”, he wondered.
Elisha retorted: “You will witness this with your own eyes, but you will not (survive long enough to) personally partake of any of the food”!
And the Possuk concludes: This was precisely what took place; - the people trampled him, and he died.
Which seems most perplexing! We all know well the importance of concluding with a “dovor tov”, - of always ending off on a positive note. What necessitated, in this instance, concluding both the haftarah and the Perek in Tanach on such a negative note?! Especially since, for the most part, it’s a very positive and celebratory story, what would be so difficult to conclude with the (reemphasizing of the positive,) by saying “but everybody else ate and drank and feasted and rejoiced and lived happily ever after” (Hurrah), or something like that!
The question becomes more puzzling when we note that this whole negative ending is, in fact, merely a repletion of facts that were already stated a few pesukim earlier. What made it so important to repeat these morbid details a second time, and turn them into the grand finale of the haftarah (and the perek)?! (Contrast this with the haftarah of Shabbos Rosh chodesh, when we repeat a Possuk in the end, in order to conclude on a positive note. And here, instead, we seem to be repeating (and concluding with) the negative??!!)
I don’t know the answer, but here are two possible suggestions (I’ll be happy to hear what else you think):
First Suggestion: Not a Negative Conclusion
One suggestion is, this is in fact not a conclusion on a negative note: There are two ways to look at the story in the haftarah. One way to look at it is from the perspective of the recipients of the brochos. The Yidden were in a desperate situation, the famine was intense, and they were suffering. A bit earlier (in Melochim), the Possuk relates about an agreement made between two women to cook and eat their sons on two successive days (r”l). They were at a point of desperation!
From this perspective, the phenomenal miracle that Elisha foretold was a source of tremendous salvation for the Yidden. They were saved from their dire straits, and, in place of them, they were provided with all of their needs. When we look at it this way, the last incident is in contrast to the rest of the story. The unfortunate watchman didn’t share in the bounty; - he was never, in fact, redeemed from his suffering. It is a sad point in the midst of a happy story.
However, there is a very different way of looking at it. It’s not a story of the salvation of the Yidden or their extrication from their state of desperation. Rather it is a story of (Giluy) Elokus, of it being illustrated in a clear and undeniable manner the fact that Hashem Hu HoElokim Ein Od Milvado!
In this perspective, the importance of the miracle is – not in the fact that people now had food to eat (for very cheap, and in great abundance), but rather - the fact that Hashem’s Word was revealed to be the ultimate truth. As the Possuk says (in the haftarah of Tazria) וידע כי יש נביא בישראל, - it became revealed that the prophet of Hashem is the ultimate truth, and this enhanced the ויאמינו 'בה ובמשה עבדו. In this sense, the last part of the story is inseparable from the rest, - they all are expressions of the same fact that the nevuah of Elisha is the ultimate truth, and there is no difference whether this truth is revealed through the appearance of the abundance of food, or the trampling of the cynical servant.
In the words of Chazal (in connection with Eliyohu hanovi, the Rebbe of Elisha): כשם ששם שמים מתקדש על ידי זה שעמך כך שם שמים מתקדש על ידך.
In a similar vein, the Rebbe explains, in a very beautiful sicha on this week’s Parsha, that the נגעי בתים were different from other נגעים (we see this in the fact that both the plague and the cure are written one following the other without any separation, and in the same Parsha, unlike all of the other נגעים). By the nega that inflicted one’s home, the positive side of it (the treasures that the dismantling of the walls were meant to uncover) was not separable from the negative. The Rebbe connects this with the fact that this is the only form of tzora’as by which the Possuk states ונתתי נגע צרעת, - in which it is clearly being “given” directly by the Eibishter. When something is visibly coming from Hashem, then the lines separating bad and good become eliminated.
In avodas Hashem, this is the idea that is found in Tzavo’as hoRivash: - He translates the Possuk שויתי 'ה לנגדי תמיד, that שויתי comes from the root שוה; - equality. When a person strengthens his connection with Hashem, then, everything that he experiences is completely equal. There is no bad or good, everything that occurs is part of his relationship with the Al-mighty.
[A certain chassidishe bochur by the name of Hirschel (who is today a shliach and mashpia) was once working in a summer camp. One day they went on a trip with the children, in a park. This particular bochur, who was in the rear of the group, slipped, and fell into a pond. Unable to swim, he very quickly found his very life endangered. Luckily, another bochur noticed his absence, and ran back, and, literally, saved his life (BH). Afterwards, the other bochur asked Hirschel: “What were you thinking when you were struggling there and it seemed like it was your last moments?” He answered: “At first I became very frightened. And then, I calmed down, and said to myself: ‘Hirschel ..., yeh geshtorben oder nisht geshtorben iz loi maaleh veloi moirid!’]
Perhaps this is the message of the ending of the haftarah: With Elisha (as seems apparent in the various stories preceding this one), the main focus was the giluy Elokus, the realization, through the fulfillment of his prophecies, that Hashem hu hoElokim. This is emphasized, perhaps, especially in the final part of the story, in the conclusion of וירמסו .. וימות. This makes clear that, with Elisha, there was no difference between the different details of his nevuos; - they all shared the same ultimate objective of serving as a visible manifestation of Hashem echod!
This is also a very important lesson to each of us: We all experience and experienced many mofsim, many miracles, in many areas of our lives, both individually and communal. We have many occasions when we commemorate and celebrate these miracles. But we need to remember what the main point is. From a more shallow perspective, we can think that we are celebrating the fact that we received what we needed or wanted. But from a deeper perspective, from the perspective of ונתתי, the celebration is about the further revelation of G-dliness in the world.
And, of course, if that is what we are celebrating, then it should be natural that the outcome of such is celebration can only be our increasing our own efforts and involvement in every and any aspect of giluy Elokus!
◆ ◆ ◆
Second Suggestion: The Importance of Being Part of the World of the Rebbe
A second possible suggestion for understanding the haftarah: Although the ending of the story is, in fact, a bit morbid and morose, still, that is the ending, because it is important to emphasize it; - it is not merely a separate detail, an unrelated incident, but it is a crucial and indivisible part of the story (and its’ importance necessitates our overlooking the rule of לסיים בדבר טוב, similar to overlooking the rule of loshon nekiyah for the sake of a practical lesson, in the case of the term “beheima temeiah”).
Let us consider for a moment: What, indeed, was the terrible sin of the sarcastic skeptic? After all, all he did was express wonderment about how that prophecy could come to be. Okay, granted, he spoke out of line. But is that something punishable by death?! And such a horrible death, to boot?!
Perhaps we need to understand it a bit differently. Maybe we’re not meant to see it as a punishment at all, but, rather, as a natural result of his behavior. Elisha prophesized, foretold and brought about – on the occasion – the most amazing miracle. The Yidden were transformed in an instant from the most desperate situation to the pinnacle of success.
But there is one basic prerequisite to being a beneficiary of this miracle; - one needs to be part of the “world” of Elisha. Someone who detaches himself from the novi of Hashem, ch”v, is – as a result – not part of his brochos and hashpo’os.
A similar idea is found in halacha: One who scoffs about and opposes the holiness of Yom Kippur becomes disqualified from benefitting from its’ kaporo, - its’ atonement. This is not as a punishment. Rather, it is a natural outcome. The power of Yom Kippur is limitless, and it cleanses even the most severe aveiros. But one must allow himself to be a part of Yom Kippur. If he separates himself from Yom Kippur, he automatically loses that benefit.
Lag b’Omer, by the Rebbeim, was known as a time that was auspicious, especially, for brochos for children, and many great miracles were experienced then. Once, two childless women came to the Rebbe’s house, on President Street. Knowing how mesugal this time is for a brocho for children, they wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity. They positioned themselves on either side of the door to the Rebbe’s house. Since, halachikally, a man may not pass between two women, they knew that the Rebbe would be unable to leave without addressing their requests. Sure enough, when the Rebbe came to the door he stopped, and asked what they wanted, and they expressed their desire for children. The Rebbe listened to them, and gave the requested brochos.
During the course of that year, one of the women indeed gave birth to a child. However, the second woman remained barren. Saddened by her continued hardship, as well as by the perceived unfairness of it (after all, they were partners in the same plot), she turned to the Rebbe and questioned these results. The Rebbe is said to have replied to her: “She (the first lady) went out and bought a baby carriage, but you didn’t”!
The purchasing the stroller is not just an extra thing to do, an expression of faith to merit the fulfillment of the brocho. Rather, it is – seemingly – a way of being ‘in the Rebbe’s world’. The brocho that the Rebbe gave was here, it was already drawn down by him. But the recipient, in order to actually experience it, needs to be a part of that world. In the above story, that meant truly believing, with unquestionable faith, in the fulfilment of the Rebbe’s words. That belief connected the person with the world in which the brocho was already in existence. The lack thereof resulted in a disconnect between the ‘world’ of the person and the ‘world’ of the brocho.
The guard in the haftarah, with his cynicism and skepticism, removed himself from the world of Elisha and his sphere of influence, and the unavoidable result of that was הנך רואה בעיניך ומשם לא תאכל, - it was impossible for him to experience it. This, then, is the conclusion of the haftarah, because – perhaps – this contains the most important message of the whole story: When learning about the truth of the words of Elisha and how miraculous his prophecies were, we need to understand clearly at the same time that the one prerequisite, the one criteria is that for someone to be a beneficiary he has to be part of that world.
This, too, contains a vital lesson for us. The Rebbe is constantly giving us brochos, in every single area, and being mashpia on us. The brochos are there for the taking, but there is one necessary precondition; - We must do our part to be included in the Rebbe’s world. It is, undoubtedly, a work in progress. The world of the Rebbe is the world of Moshiach, the world of Elokus bepshitus, the world of Emes Havaya le’olam! It takes great effort for us to become a part of that world.
But we have to take the steps. More chassidus, more davening, more focus on carrying out the Rebbe’s directives as they are meant to be. With every bit of progress that we do, we are taking another step out of our world and into the Rebbe’s world, and becoming more a part of and experiencing everything that the Rebbe shares with us!
L’chaim! May we all do our avoda to take step by step out of our world and into the Rebbe’s world, and together we should bring the entire Universe into the Rebbe’s world, and transform it into the Rebbe’s world, with the immediate revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
הנכונה בריאות מתוך ט"ואויוש ק"ורפו ש"לרפו אסתר 'חי בן מרדכי ברוך 'ר לזכות ס"וכט !ג"הנרוהנ בטוב ט"ואויוש ,ממש י"תומ ק"לרפושו ,'שי מרים בן ב"שד לזכות .ט"ואויוש ק"לרפושו ,חנה בן אהרן ת"הרה לזכות
