In this week's reading we have a mysterious phrase about the commandment of serving G-d in the Holy Temple. It says that the animal sacrifices there were:
"A pleasing smell to G-d". (1:9)
Rashi explains that 'pleasing smell' here means 'pleasure' and that G-d gets PLEASURE when His Will is done.
What does this mean? Pleasure occurs when one receives something that they were lacking, how is this relevant to G-d? G-d is infinite and certainly lacks nothing. How can we give Him pleasure?
Perhaps the only way to understand this is through stories.
Stories are of prime importance in Judaism. We see that, although the main purpose of the Torah is to explain the commandments, nevertheless it begins with two books of stories, Genesis and Exodus, because stories stress the human side of the commandments.
So here are two stories. The first one I heard years ago from Rabbi M. Glukowski:
The small room was crowded but no one spoke. Only the difficult breathing of the old man lying on the bed and the prayers of the Rabbis there broke the tense silence. Old Shlomo was dying. Several Rabbis of the Holy Society were standing around him silently reading Psalms, and behind them stood his family, but it was only a matter of minutes now.
For those of you that don't know, the "Holy Society" means the funeral staff. Traditionally in Judaism this task was (and still is) reserved for only the holiest and most spiritual of Jews and here they were none other than the holy Tzadik Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Braditchev and nine of his pupils.
Suddenly the Rabbi leaned over the sick man and spoke quietly but forcefully. "Rav Shlomo! Rav Shlomo! Why are you sad?" Everyone had noticed that tears were streaming down Shlomo's cheeks but no one made much of it.
"You should be happy!" continued the Rabbi, "Everyone has to die. No one lives forever and you've lived a long fruitful life. Here, just look at your beautiful family and all the good deeds you did! So why are you so sad? Why are you crying?"
"No no, not because of that!" the old man whispered. "Thank G-d, Thank G-d I'm not complaining. G-d forbid. I did the commandments. It's just that, well...the Torah and the commandments...I never really cared. I always had other things on my mind. Who knows if I'll go to Heaven? Who knows? And even if I do, I'm pretty sure that it's not going to be very bright for me there. I wasted a lot of time here." The tears kept running down his cheeks.
"Ahhh! That's your problem?" exclaimed Rav Levi Yitzchak. "How would you like my Heaven?"
"Ehhh!?" exclaimed the old man with all the surprise he could muster up.
"That's right, how would you like my ‘Olom Ha Ba’ (world to come)?" repeated the rabbi.
"Ehhh?" Said Shlomo as his eyes widened in disbelief and he raised his head slightly. "Ca..can you do that? Is such a thing possible? Are.... are you serious?"
"Certainly!" said the Tzadik as he turned to one of his pupils and asked him to bring a pen and a piece of paper. In just minutes he was dictating; "write, 'I Levi Yitzchak ben (son of) Sarah do hereby give some of my place in Heaven to Shlomo ben ehh...' what is your mother's name?" Ahh yes! Shlomo ben Yenta, right?" Old Shlomo shook his head in astonished agreement as the Rabbi told his pupils to sign the deed.
A warm smile of gratitude spread over his face as he took the precious document from the rabbi and clasped it to his chest. If he had any energy left in his drained-out body he would have begun dancing. He gave one last loving glance at his benefactor, another at his family as though to say everything was all right, said the final "Shma Yisroel" prayer, closed his eyes and blissfully passed on to his now significantly enhanced heavenly reward.
Later that day, after the funeral, his pupils asked their master if he could explain. What type of merit did old Shlomo have that he deserved such a gift? Perhaps he did some unique deed or special mitzvah? It must have really been something unique, after all Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's afterlife was no small gift!!
"Maybe" answered the Tzadik, "But I don't know what it was."
"You don't know?" blurted out one of his pupils in disbelief, "Then why did you give him your entire heaven?!!"
"Well" answered Rav Levi Yitzchak "It's simple. I just reasoned that to make a Jew happy, even for a few moments, was worth my entire world-to-come. That's why I gave it to him. Because making Jews happy makes Gd happy."
The second story.
The legend goes that some 350 years ago in Russia a great mystic by the name of Rab Eliezer was visited by Elijah the Prophet who offered to reveal ANY kabalistic secret he desired, including the date of the arrival of Moshiach, in exchange for revealing what unusually good deed he did on the date of his Bar Mitzva.
It seems that this Rab Eliezer did something so extraordinary on his 13th birthday that it shook the heavens. But despite his efforts, Elijah could he could not reveal what it was. It seems it was hidden from even the highest angels. "
Now, to a great mystic like Rabbi Eliezer this was the greatest of all opportunities, a dream come true! But he refused saying,
“What I did was ONLY to please G-d. I want no rewards."
Elijah later returned and told Rab Eliezer that because of his sincerity it had been decided in heaven that he would have a son that would teach the world to do the same as he did; to think, speak and act only in order to please the Creator.
That son was the Baal Shem Tov.
This answers our question about making G-d happy.
We see from these stories that great Tzadikim like the Rabbi of Braditchev and the father of the Besh't, realized that this world can be infinitely 'higher' than heaven. In heaven WE RECEIVE, pleasure from G-d, but here in this world, we can GIVE pleasure TO G-d.
That is why the stories of the forefathers come before the Commandments. Because without these stories we can think the Torah is only for US and for OUR pleasure in this world or in the next.
We can miss the real point...that giving pleasure to our creator as the Tzadikim did in our stories should be our pleasure and joy.
So the stories of Tzadikim precede the commandments because they give us the proper attitude and without this attitude, the commandments are like bodies without souls.
But with them even the commandment of the sacrifices that we learn about this week, become a joyous vehicle for serving the Creator.
That is why we pray (in the holiday and Shabbat ‘Musaf’ prayers), for Moshiach to build the third Temple so we can “Offer the sacrifices and REALLY do G-d's will” according to the Chassidic teachings of the Baal Shem and his followers called 'Torat HaMoshiach' and have the joy of giving G-d pleasure.
But it all depends on us to bring Moshiach even one moment sooner. And not much is lacking. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish efforts, faith and suffering.
Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought; especially if done in joy, can tilt the scales and bring the total redemption.
Wishing all our readers a Happy Purim with ......
Moshiach NOW!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel
