Moshe Rabbeinu wasn’t born a malach. He was an oheiv kesef like other children; but he didn’t remain a child. He utilized that instinct to love the real money of life. He started out; he began climbing the ladder and as he progressed in life he loved it more and more intensely. And he fell in love with mitzvos; he couldn’t get enough. He wasn’t satisfied.
And therefore when he was stopped at the shore of the Yarden and Hashem said את לא תעבור הירדן הזה, you can't cross the Yarden, so Moshe Rabeinu should have said, “I’m patur! Finished! I give up.”
No. He didn't give up. אז – Even then, when he heard he can't cross, יבדיל משה – he got busy separating the cities. They won’t be effective yet? It could be done later after the nation crosses over the Yarden? No matter! Moshe did as much as he could while he was still alive because he had already fallen in love with the right type of kessef. Even what he couldn’t do, what he couldn’t accomplish, he did it anyhow.
Part III. Desiring the Nechamah
The Imaginary Security Blanket
And this brings us to a subject that's repeated constantly throughout our lives and therefore requires our attention. You know, there’s a Torah rule called אונס רחמנא פטריה. It means that if there’s a mitzvah that you can’t do because of something beyond your control so you’re absolved; it’s not your fault after all. It’s a principle used by us all the time – and in most cases rightfully so – as a reason to be exonerated from certain obligations.
What is it our fault, after all, if there’s no Beis Hamikdash for us to bring korbanos? What can we do? It’s against our will and so we’re absolved.
And yet we are learning now that it’s not that simple. Because if we love mitzvos then we wouldn’t react so flippantly; a good moneyman doesn’t let a good deal slip out of his hands so easily. אונס רחמנא פטריה means it has to be actually against our will. And so we are hiding ourselves under an imaginary security blanket of oness that doesn’t protect us as much as we imagined.
Love Means Desire
We have to want it at least! That’s a responsibility. That’s what Moshe Rabbeinu is teaching us; that’s what we’re aiming for, to love mitzvos so much that it overflows into wanting to do even what’s beyond our reach. Even if it’s not going to have practical results, if you love mitzvos then you just can’t get enough. That’s what it means אוהב כסף לא ישבע כסף, to want more and more; that’s the truest expression of love, when you want to do more.
This ideal is included in the great rule that the Chovos Halevavos teaches: יוכל להשיגו מה שלא במעשה – What you cannot accomplish with your deeds, ישיגהו בידיעה – you should accomplish at least to know about it, ויתאוהו – and you should desire it (Shaar Cheshbon Hanefesh 8:2). Whatever you can do, you do. And whatever you can’t, you have to know it and desire it.
We spoke about this once. It’s an important principle that has ramifications in very many areas of our lives; it opens up new vistas, new doors for us, because there’s so much that we can’t do in our lives that we have to desire. But we’ll choose to talk now about one thing, a mitzvah that’s important for this time of the year.
Nachamu: A New Beginning
You know, Shabbos Nachamu, for many people it means we’re finished worrying now about the Beis Hamikdash. We fulfilled our obligations – Shivah Asar b’Tamuz, three weeks, nine days and finally Tisha B’Av – and now you’re off to the races; to the mountains, to vacations.
But it’s not so. Because just because we can’t do it, that doesn’t absolve us from desiring the mitzvos. That’s what we’re talking about tonight. An אוהב מצוות is ישבע מצוות לא –if you love mitzvos, you’re never satisfied.
You know, Dovid Hamelech desired with all his heart to build the Beis Hamikdash but when he finally told his ambition to the navi, the navi came back to Dovid with a message from Hakadosh Baruch Hu: “You will not be able to build the Beis Hamikdash because you shed much blood in your lifetime.”
Now Dovid when he shed blood he did it in the wars of Hashem. He was דוד עבדי, a loyal servant, and certainly he was devoted to avodas Hashem, even in battle. Nevertheless l’maris ha’ayin, the way it looks to people, it would be incongruous for a man who shed much blood to build the Beis Hamikdash. And so Hashem said, “Not you. Instead, you're going to have a son, Shlomo – a man of peace, not of war – and he shall build the Beis Hamikdash.”
Don’t Lean Back
So Dovid was an oness; he was forced to desist. And so אונס רחמנא פטריה; he can lean back and be satisfied. He can forget about it; he can’t do the mitzvah anyhow.
No; he didn't forget about it. What did he do? He got busy. Dovid drew up plans, blueprints. He got busy accumulating all the materials. He worked years and years gathering the lumber, collecting precious metals, lining up all the artisans for the Beis Hamikdash. Actually he did almost everything except build it. I'm sure Shlomo did a great deal of work – he gave orders, he managed the process – but he had everything ready for him.
That's the pshat, that's what it means you're absolved because of אונס רחמנא פטריה. That's called patrei, when you desire it so much that you do whatever you can.
A Burning Desire
Now there’s not much we can do today. You can't be dochek the Moshiach. תעוררו אם תעירו ואם את האהבה עד שתחפץ – It's a shevuah. You cannot cause the love of Hashem to bestir itself until Hashem desires it (Shir Hashirim 2:7; Kesuvos 111a). Is someone going to say he’s going to do something that will make Hashem bring Moshiach or he’ll build the Beis Hamikdash now? Of course not; that's dochek es hakeitz. We have no right to take such power to ourselves. When the time comes and we get the signal, then we'll be able to do it.
But up until then it should be a burning desire. Absolutely! If you love mitzvos you won’t be satisfied. If you love mitzvos then ישיגהו בידיעה! And so if you cannot build the Beis Hamikdash now because Hashem said לא תעבור, at least you should desire the Beis Hamikdash; you should gain a burning desire to serve Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash.
You should have a burning interest in the whole business – what it looks like the Beis Hamikdash, what benefits the Beis Hamikdash brings to you, the glory of serving Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash, of seeing how the Kohanim serve Hashem with fear. The simcha of hearing the Leviim together singing inspiring praises of Hashem that would elevate the spirit. If only I could bring a korban into the azarah. If only, if only. So at least the yediah; בידיעה ישיגהו – you should achieve it in your mind; learn about it.
Study With Love
It's a big job too by the way. If you desire it you’ll learn Mesichta Zevachim, Mesichta Menachos; you’ll learn all about the Beis Hamikdash. Let’s say you learn Pesachim in the yeshivah. Most yeshivahs skip Tomid Nishchot, Hilchos korban Pesach. Let’s say you’re older and you learned Pesachim up till Tomid Nishchot; so now, on your own, you learn the perakim of korban Pesach. And you’re thinking, “Ah! If I could practice this! If I was able to bring a korban Pesach, how happy I would be!” Right now that’s the extent of your abilities, the teshukah, the desire.
You have to want to see the excellence, the greatness of all the Am Yisroel being brought together again; they should come from Williamsburg and Crown Heights and from Lakewood and from Flatbush and from Texas, wherever they are, back to Eretz Yisroel. How long are we scattered in Golus among the goyim? How long? How long? We want to be the Am Echad in our land that Hashem gave us where we’ll be able to fulfill the mitzvos of Eretz Yisroel, of Yerushalayim, of the Mikdash. You have to work on that; it’s a project, a program of practicing up that desire.
The Prayer Practice Program
Now, if you’re serious about this, you have to know that tefillah is one of the best opportunities. Davening is the place where you can express the desire for those tremendous days when we’ll be once again together doing all the mitzvos that are beyond our reach today.
In the davening you have to ask for that with a feeling as if you were really sincere about it. “קבצנו גלויותינו יחד מארבע כנפות הארץ ושא נס לקבץ – Raise up the banner to collect all of our exiles together.” We’ll be one nation, together on the land, fulfilling Your mitzvos b’shleimus. We’ll be able to come and serve You, Hashem, in the Beis Hamikdash. You should ask for it. You should pray for it. והשב את ״העבודה לדביר ביתך – Hakadosh Baruch Hu! Please bring back the avodah to Your Home. Your Home! We want that You should once again live with us!” If you say it with the right intention, it means you want to bring korbanos. “I want to come to Yerushalayim and be makriv all the korbanos. Ribono Shel Olam, help me.”
Dovid Hamelech expressed this in words that we always say in Hallel. He says פתחת למוסרי – “If only You would loosen my bounds.” Dovid was bound because he was hiding in caves from his pursuers. So he couldn't come out and serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu as he desired. He said לך אזבח זבח תודה – I would like to bring to You a zevach todah for all the miracles You did when You rescued me from the hand of Shaul all these years but I can't come out of the cave. פתחת למוסרי – “Please open up my bounds so I can go and bring offerings to You.” That's an expression of real genuine desire to serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu; he's not able to do it but he expressed great sorrow.
An Important Part
That’s why one of the most important parts of Shemoneh Esrei is when you finish: יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלוקינו שיבנה בית המקדש במהרה בימנו. That's so important! Many people have finished Shemoneh Esrei and they just mumble that off. It's finished; it’s not important, they think. It's very important. It’s a glorious opportunity to practice loving mitzvos. You can’t do it but you’re not satisfied with that; you have to show that's what you want!
Isn’t it a pity you finished Shemone Esrei, you’re saying the last three pesukim, you’re not thinking what you’re saying? ושם נעבדך ביראה – There we’ll serve You again in fear, כימי עולם וכשנים קדמוניות – as in the days of old, 'לה וערבה – and it should be sweet to Hashem once more the service that we served in the Beis Hamikdash. “I want to serve You again. Ah ah ah! I want! I want! I want!”
And so we’ll conclude with that, with wanting, because that’s the crux of the subject. You’re in this world to shteig, to climb the ladders of greatness, and one of the most important ladders is the one that takes you up to being an אוהב מצוות ישבע מצוות לא.
We’re here in order to accumulate the real kessef of this world; and we do that by fanning the flame of desire to accumulate. That instinct to gather money, to make millions and to never be satisfied; as much as possible we direct it at the real wealth, the money we’ll take with us into the Next World. And if a man reaches that rung on the ladder that leads up to Hashem then he has achieved perfection: אשרי איש ירא את ה׳ במצוותיו חפץ מאד – Praiseworthy is the one who is aware of Hashem and desires His mitzvos very much (Tehillim 112:1)
Have a Wonderful Shabbos
Let’s Get Practical
Acquiring the Desire to Acquire
Moshe Rabbeinu built up an incredible desire for ‘currency’, the type of currency that is valuable in the next world. We are all hardwired to desire currency, but we need to emulate Moshe Rabbeinu and strive for the correct desires. This week, I commit bli neder to a daily practice: before performing a mitzvah, I will pause and reflect on the significance of my actions, recognizing that I'm accumulating spiritual wealth. Furthermore, during Shemoneh Esrei, I will focus on sincerely longing for the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash and the opportunities it brings to fulfill additional mitzvos.
This week’s booklet is based on tapes: 16 - The End is Important | 49 - Pursuing Real Money 592 -Loving the Mitzvos | 715 - Desiring the Unattainable 865 - Parallels for Eternity | E-192 - Deep Truths in a Shallow World
