Maintaining separation. Hakadosh Baruch Hu instructed him to go down and warn them again, emphasizing that violating this command carried the death penalty. Moshe responded that the people already knew, as they had been commanded to set boundaries around the mountain. He also argued that since he and Aharon would remain with the people, they could ensure no one ascended. However, Hakadosh Baruch Hu insisted that Moshe descend and warn them explicitly because Moshe and Aharon would later ascend, each to a different point, leaving no one to enforce the restriction. Moshe immediately obeyed and informed Bnei Yisrael of the commandment to establish boundaries. We learn here that each one was in a different position – Moshe, Aharon, and the people, and with that, we can understand a wonderful yesod.
Rav Wolbe (Alei Shur 1, p.137) explains the words of the Mishna in Avot (4:3): "אַל תְּהִי בָז לְכָל אָדָם – Do not despise any man, and do not discriminate against anything, for there is no man that has not his hour, and there is no thing that has not its place." This means, everything has its place and time – every creature has a place in the world. There is also another aspect of place – namely, a person within the community, which is also a part of his very life. Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to Moshe Rabbeinu: יִתְ קַדָּ שׁ וּ וְגַם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּגָּשִׁים אֶל־ה'. Rashi explains, the Kohanim sanctify themselves by being prepared to stand in their place rather than ascending due to rank and status.
Thus, there is sanctity in standing in the place where one is positioned, and a person must stand in his place within the community! Even if he wishes at the time of Matan Torah to come closer to Har Sinai, to be nearer to the Shechinah, he must remain in his place and not move, and this is called sanctity! Every person has a status – in his place, in his workplace, in his family, in his place of residence, etc.
With this, we can now understand another wonderful idea from Rav Wolbe. In the Gemara from Bava Metzia, Rashi says וְ הו ֹדַ עְ תּ ָ לָהֶ ם refers to teaching them a trade in order to earn a living. He brings the words of the Chovot Halevavot: How does a cat know that a mouse is tasty?! Why doesn't it start with a vegetable – perhaps a carrot or lettuce, then try tuna, tilapia, sole, etc., and if it doesn't like it, then try a mouse. Why go straight for the mouse?! As another example, there is a bird called the pelican – it has a long beak and a pouch in its throat; it puts its head into fish ponds – a carp comes swimming in and hops into the pouch for a visit, and sometimes it manages to catch two at once, and they start dancing in the pouch. Chovot Halevavot asks, why did it go straight for fish? Who taught the pelican that fish is its best diet?!
Like animals, there are different trades in the world – there are easy trades and hard trades; hard trades like carrying bricks, and not like today with cranes. In the past, they carried everything on their backs! And there are easy trades like real estate brokerage, where one advertises Bnei Brak apartments and sits with his feet up until someone calls within minutes to inquire – "Yes, I have an apartment on Shimshon Street" – closing the deal on the spot and earning an easy 1.5% or 10,000 shekel! On the other hand, there are people who have to work a whole month for such an amount, and some even two months! Chovot Halevavot asks, why are there people who work in hard jobs while others in easy jobs without much effort earn much more?!
Rav Wolbe writes, from Chovot Halevavot (Shaar HaBitachon, 3:60) it seems a trade isn't chosen solely according to will: וּלְכָל אָדָם יֵשׁ חֵפֶץ בִּמְלָאכָה אוֹ סְחוֹרָה מִבִּלְתִּי זוּלָתָהּ כְּבָר הִטְבִּיעַ ... If we translate this into our language, every creature in creation is born with a “chip” in its brain. The cat is born with a chip that tells it: "You will eat a mouse – that's the ultimate!" The pelican is born with a chip that tells it: "Buddy, vegetarian is not for you – go for fish!" That same chip enters the human brain and says: "You will be a contractor – it's not for you to sit in an armchair...You will be a broker – it's suitable for you to sit all day in front of a screen... You’re suitable to be a teacher... You’ll be a mover!" Today, most porters here are Russian – each one is two meters tall and or their arms they have the Mishna of Rabbi Yehuda ben Tema. They come to you in the morning – "Hello! Where's the fridge?" You show them where the fridge is, and in one shot, they load a 700-liter fridge onto their back without batting an eye. Then they run up and load four sets of the Vilna Shas on their back and go down five floors; I would roll down the stairs 17 times with one set, and this Popeye goes up and down as if nothing happened.
Why is that? Chovot Halevavot says, this mover has a chip that tells him: "You don't have the head to study contracts all day – but you're fit to carry with ease!" On the other hand, there is a person with a “big head” and tiny body – he is fragile! If you give him a fridge to carry, you can save on a tombstone – it will fall on him and he’ll be buried under it! Therefore, such a person is suited to work with computers, etc. Each person is matched with their hardware and software!
Therefore, the pelican is told to catch fish, and the cat – mice. If you ask the cat to catch fish, it won't succeed! Similarly, if a person sees that he works for his livelihood as an accountant, he should know that this is the best for him. He sholdn’t regret not being an optician like Moskowitz, because it's not suitable for him to sit people down all day and ask if they see brown or pink, straight or upside down, numbers on the third line and fifth line. Each person is given, by Hakadosh Baruch Hu, the chip that suits them best!
Rav Wolbe says, a trade is implanted in a person by Hasgacha Pratit – Divine Providence, with his soul and body suited to it; and he is also given an inclination towards this trade. It is not dependent on just searching for a profession, but every person can and should feel within themselves what they are inclined to and what they are suited for.
Nevertheless, even after a person has been implanted with a characteristic and inclination towards a known trade, we see many who hesitate and search until they decide which profession to learn. Therefore, זֶה בֵּית חַי –וְ הו ֹדַ עְ תּ ָ לָהֶ ם is relevant; the prophet would tell them what their livelihood is. We learn that a trade is truly "their livelihood," in which a person lives and finds satisfaction and vitality, for the trade is part of his very essence and is not just a profession unrelated to his being and flesh.
As we learned earlier, in the similar Gemara from Bava Kamma, Rashi says livelihood refers to Torah study. The Bach notes this contradiction within Rashi's words and remains without resolution, but according to what we’ve explained, it seems there’s no contradiction at all! Just as in trade, there is also in Torah study the matter of חִיּוּת אִישִּׁית – personal vitality and energy. Even after all a person learns and receives in his initial years of Torah study, he still needs a personal relationship with the Torah to feel vitality and individuality in it. And in this, just as in professions, not all faces are the same. Some merit to produce pleasant chidushim and delight in them; others merit to clarify practical halachic questions and delight in their halachic rulings; and others merit to delve into the depths of Aggadah and delight in them. The Torah was given at Har Sinai ב ּ ְ שׁ ִ שׁ ּ ִ י ם רִ ב ּ ו ֹ א פּ ֵ ר ו ּ שׁ ִ י ם – with six hundred thousand interpretations, and each person received one interpretation, which is his portion in the Torah: וְתֵ ן חֶ לְקֵ נוּ בְּ תוֹרָ תֶ ך.
Thus, Rashi’s explanation of instructing them in Torah study is exactly like in trade; and when Rashi noted that “statutes and laws are written at the beginning of the Pasuk," his intention is not that Moshe Rabbeinu would teach them statutes and laws in addition, but that after he informed them about the statutes and laws, he still had to establish them in their livelihood in Torah – meaning, to inform each one of his special portion in the Torah.
Just as in a person's trade, so too it is in Torah study. There are people who study the same subject in kollel all their lives, and others who study what their heart desires: one studies monetary laws, one studies Gittin, and one studies the laws of purity and impurity; they all start studying at age 21, but at age 40, each feels as though they haven’t even scratched the surface of their focus. Each person studies what their heart desires! And how does a person know what their portion in the Torah is? It’s very simple. They’ll see what they’re drawn to. Just as they are drawn to a certain type of trade, so too in Torah. One is drawn to Mishna, another to Gemara, a third to Halacha, and a fourth to Aggadah... Navi... Torah, etc.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky ztz”l wrote an entire commentary on Sefer Raziel Hamalach. Who among us has tried to study this book even once?! We only put it by the door to guard against thieves! Maran Rav Ovadiah Yosef ztz”l wrote books on the Torah in every possible direction – why?! Because Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave him the desire and ability to do everything possible in Torah! On the other hand, there are people who are not built for that!
Let's take, for example, one of the difficult topics in the Talmud – such as תְּ קָ פו ֹ כּ ֹהֵ ן at the beginning of Bava Metzia (6a). People come to the shiur on Leil Shishi, after finishing all their preparations for Shabbat, and you start teaching the topic. Who are the participants in this shiur? Movers, truck and bus drivers, shop owners, etc. And you turn to the audience and say, "Rabbotai, let’s learn the topic of תְּ קָ פו ֹ כּ ֹהֵ ן!" Within minutes, everyone switches into Amira LeNochri mode! Start them with the weekly Parsha – why are you teaching them such a complex topic at nine in the evening on Erev Shabbat?!
Rav Wolbe comments on the Pasuk עָקָר וַעֲקָרָה לֹא יִהְיֶה בְך, that the Ba’al HaTurim writes: In matters of Torah. Meaning, this Pasuk contains a promise to every Jew that no one will be barren in matters of Torah; every Jew is assured that they can come up with chidushim, and they will be found specifically in that part of the Torah which is their portion. Their talents and characteristics are imprinted upon it, and they are given an inclination towards it. Therefore, it is necessary to inform them of their livelihood, so that each one knows their portion in the Torah, where their vitality and personal point lie, and this is called “their livelihood”.
Based on these words, the Mabit presents a wonderful principle, via a parable of a king who commanded two servants to transfer sacks from one side of the palace to the other; one was commanded to transfer ten sacks and the other a hundred sacks; the one who was commanded to transfer ten sacks transferred all ten, while the one who was commanded to transfer a hundred sacks transferred only 98. The king arrives and sees that one fulfilled all that he was commanded, while the other, despite doing almost ten times more, left two sacks aside. The king approaches the servant who was commanded to transfer ten sacks and gives him a thousand dollars. The second servant, seeing this, was sure he was going to receive thousands of dollars – he approached the king and received two slaps! Asking why he was slapped, the king told him, "Each slap you received was for a sack you did not transfer!" Arguing that he transferred ten times more and received slaps instead of a bonus, the king said, "The servant I commanded to transfer ten sacks, I was sure he wouldn't transfer more than three – and yet, he transferred all ten. Why was I sure he wouldn't transfer more than three? Because he is a sick person – with heart problems and shortness of breath and barely able to walk. I said to myself, if he transfers three sacks – he’ll earn a bonus! But you, you are a healthy and strong person! With your abilities, you should have transferred all one hundred sacks!"
When Hakadosh Baruch Hu sends a person into this world, He sends them with a specific role. He gives them the strength and abilities to perform the role, and accordingly, He judges. A person born with a certain limitation is not judged like a person born whole and healthy in body. A person born with a mental limitation and unable to learn much – Chazal said about him (Avot 5:23): לְ פוּם צַעֲרָ א אַ גְ רָ א – According to the effort is the reward!" His reward will be commensurate to the effort he had in fulfilling the Mitzvah. And if such a person was born with the ability to learn one line a day and yet he learned twenty lines – his reward will be multiplied many times over! On the other hand, a person born with a phenomenal memory who can learn dozens of pages a day and also remember them, and yet he learns only one page a day – such a person did not fulfill his purpose in the world and will be punished for it! And this is what we ask for when we say וְיִזָּכֵר זִכְרוֹנֵנוּ וּפִקְדוֹנֵנוּ – And remember our remembrance and our charge. That is, the role Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave each person in this world, and according to it, they will be judged!
The Mabit says, it is also possible that this is the intention of what the grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi saw after falling ill: עֶלְ יוֹנִים לְ מַ טָּ ה וְתַ חְ תּ וֹנִים לְ מַ עְ לָה – the high ones below and the low ones above; because those who are great in Torah and good deeds in this world, and had the power and preparation to do more but did not, in Olam Haba they are below the level of the low ones (who simply could not achieve more but not for lack of effort) and inferior to them.
And this is what Rabbanit Chalafta said to her husband: "Every person has their own world!” One is born under the mazal of Gemara, one is born under the mazal of Halacha, and one is born under the mazal of Aggadah – every person has their own world, and it is impossible to compare one to another. Moshe Rabbeinu had his own partition, and Aharon had his own partition – and Chazal already asked how Aharon can be compared to Moshe when “no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moshe”. The answer is each one did their work in the best possible way. Aharon did his work as a Kohen and made peace between people for 40 years in the desert. And so did Moshe Rabbeinu.
We brought the question of the Maor VaShemesh, as to why Bnei Yisrael suddenly desired banners and to form into groups waving those banners. He explains the meaning: Bnei Yisrael need to be together in a strong and firm bond, and in complete unity with love and brotherhood and friendship, but in any case, a person needs to contemplate and know their value and likeness to which person they should draw close. The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 3:1) compares this to a palm tree: צַדִּ יק כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָ ח – The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. Just as this palm tree has fruits and leaves and branches, etc., so Bnei Yisrael has those who are masters of the Written Torah, masters of Mishna, masters of Aggadah. Each person needs to recognize their value in which area their place will be, where they can achieve the value of their service to their Creator. And one who is of great value should not say, “I will sit among the lowly ones and there I will be able to achieve my service,” even if it seems to him so and even if by humbling himself he will achieve His divinity. He should not leave his boundary but should hope to Hakadosh Baruch Hu that He will help him and he will be able even here among the great ones to come to the measure of humility; and similarly, a person of low value should not say I will push myself to sit at the head close to the rabbi, so that I will hear the words of G-d coming from the holy mouth speaking, to know advice and wisdom for the service of the Creator; but he should sit in his appropriate place and not push himself more than his partition, and he should hope to Hakadosh Baruch Hu that He will help him and he will be able to hear the words of the rabbi even from a distance.
Rav Wolbe concludes and says, it is not surprising that Moshe Rabbeinu had to inform Bnei Yisrael of their trade and their portion in the Torah. The Vilna Gaon wrote: "For every person has their own way to go in, for their minds are not alike, and their faces are not alike, and the nature of two people is not the same; and when there were prophets, the prophet would say by the judgment of prophecy the way he should go according to the root of his nature. And it is easy for an understanding person to see that the prophet's word included all the person's affairs, both in matters of heaven and in matters of the world, and this is what Yitro said to Moshe Rabbeinu: וְהוֹדַ עְתָּ לָהֶם אֶת בֵּית חַי.
This means that problems always start when one person enters the domain of another. If we have a shopping center with five stores – a grocery store, a fruits & vegetable store, a butcher and fish shop, a pharmacy, and a hardware store – and each one sells what they are supposed to sell, everything runs smoothly. Everyone is friends with everyone! The pharmacist is friends with the greengrocer, the greengrocer is friends with the butcher, and the butcher is friends with the pharmacist – everything is great! When do problems start? When the greengrocer starts selling meat and when the hardware store owner starts selling pain medication.
Bnei Yisrael asked, "Ribbono Shel Olam, tell us the role and capability of each one of us – so that each one knows what they can and cannot do!” Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin says (Tzidkat HaTzadik, 154), all problems start when a person has low self-esteem – "I was born defective, and I will remain defective!... I don't understand anything anyway!" He writes, just as a person must believe in Hakadosh Baruch Hu, so too must they believe in themselves.
We have no idea what strengths lie within each and every one of us! Let no one say, "I will only learn a little, I don't understand much anyway." Try to learn more, and when Hakadosh Baruch Hu sees that you want, He will enlarge your chip! Just as you believe in Hakadosh Baruch Hu, believe in yourself! Everyone can grow and flourish!
We stand just before the Parsha of Matan Torah, and Chazal say (Tanchuma, Yitro 8): שׁ ֶהָיוּ ... עוֹשִׂין בְּטִיט וּבִלְבֵנִים, וְהָיְתָה הָאֶבֶן נוֹפֶלֶת עָלָיו מִן הַבִּנְיָן וְשׁ וֹבֶרֶת יָדוֹ ... וְקוֹטַעַת אֶת רַגְלוֹ. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךוֹ דִּ ין שׁ ֶאֶתֵּן אֶת תּוֹרָתִי לְבַעֲלֵי מוּמִין. מֶה עָשָׂה? רָמַז לְמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת וְיָרְדוּ וְרִפְּאוּ אוֹתָן. וּמִנַּיִן שׁ ֶלֹּא הָיוּ בָּהֶן סוּמִין? שׁ ֶנֶּאֱמַר: וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת. וּמִנַּיִן שׁ ֶלֹּא הָיוּ בָּהֶן חֵרְשִׁין. שׁ ֶאָמְרוּ, נִשְׁמָע. וּמִנַּיִן שׁ ֶלֹּא הָיוּ בָּהֶן גִּדְּמִים שׁ ֶאָמְרוּ ... נַעֲשֶׂה ... וַיִּתְיַצְבוּ בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר.
Prior to the departure of Bnei Yisrael from Egypt, some of them had been injured as a result of the hazardous labor they performed with mud and straw. Stones from the buildings had fallen upon them, breaking their hands and mutilating their legs. Hakadosh Baruch Hu said: It is not right that I should give my law to imperfect men. What did He do then? He instructed His angels to descend and heal them. Whence do we know that none of them were blind? It is said: And all the people perceived the thunder. How do we know that there were no deaf ones among them? It is written: We will hear. Whence do we know that there were none among them without hands? They said: We will do. How do we know that there were none with crippled legs among them? It is written: And they stood at the nether part of the mount.
Chazal say that reading awakens time – when we read a certain section in the Torah, the same influences and powers that were then return to us now! The Imrei Emes writes (Yitro, ...)
