Nachal novea; makor chochma -
A flowing river; the source of wisdom (Mish. 18:4)
Rabbi Nachman thus taught that Hashem wants disaffected people to be
brought close to Him. We see, by the Torah's depiction of Yosef as a
person who actively reached out to people distant from Hashem, a
philosophy adhered to by all of the "seven shepherds" (Abraham, Isaac,
Ya'akov, Moses, Aaron, Yosef and David, the holiest people ever), and
by the halacha (practical application of the law) that the way we
light the Chanukah candies follows Bais Hillel, that Hashem seems to
prefer the way of outreach tempered with caution and discretion. May
we be meritorious of bringing ourselves and out brothers and sisters
ever closer to Hashem. Amen! (Lekutai Halachoth: Orach Chaim:
Hilchoth Hash'ka'mas Ha'Boker 4:16, 17)
These two teachings do not contradict each other, but come to tell us
that each person must strive to attain balance between his individual
needs and the needs of the community. In any given life situation, we
all go through the dilemma of having to decide how much, and to what
degree to assert our self-interests for our own personal good as
opposed to yielding to the needs of others for the greater good of the
community. The Talmud analyzes this very important issue and
discusses many cases where the needs of the individual conflict with
the needs of others or of the community, coming to many different
conclusions as to what is the proper course of action. One such case
is two individuals who are stranded, far from civilization. There is
only enough food to sustain one of them. Is the one who possesses the
food required to share his rations with his companion which would
result in both their deaths or is he permitted to be selfish which
will ensure his survival and condemn his friend to certain death? The
Talmud rules that, in this particular case, the one with the food is
required to sustain himself at the expense of his friend. This
dilemma has occurred many times throughout history, for example, the
famous case of the Titanic. The huge luxury linear was sinking and
there were not enough life- boats for all of it's passengers. They
were forced to choose who would occupy the limited seats on the
life-boats leaving the others to sink with the ship to their deaths.
In many of the bloody battles fought throughout history, the wounded
would be too numerous for the doctors to handle at one time. They had
to quickly choose whom to treat immediately and possibly save, leaving
to die those whom they would be unable to treat. In England today,
because of the limited financial resources of their national health
system, there is a panel which decides which seriously ill patients
will receive treatment and which will not.
On the spiritual level, these determinations are made as well.
However, these decisions are even more critical, for they involve a
person's eternity. Unlike other faiths and movements, Judaism is not
concerned with quantity, but quality. Judaism is self-confident in
its teachings and thus does not seek converts or encourage
proselytizing. The truth speaks for itself, there is no need to
launch aggressive eye-catching add campaigns. Numbers do not
influence nor change the truth. King Solomon wrote, "She [alien
philosophies, which possess fragments of the truth] seduced him [the
unsuspecting and ill-informed seeker of the truth] by the abundance of
her reasoning; by the flattery of her lips, she misguided him."
(Proverbs 7:21) The Gaon of Vilna says that this verse refers to the
methods that all alien philosophies employ to convince people of the
truth of their ways. He adds that the fact that these methods must be
employed indicates that something is wrong with the philosophy
(viz. how a skilled used car salesperson tries to sell defective used
cars. He shrewdly diverts attention from the car's flaws.) for if
something is true there is no need to use sophisticated devices to win
adherents.
The function of a divinely chosen people is to lead and guide others
in the service of Hashem (G-d). This role is not meant for all, but
only for those who are worthy, as King David wrote, "Who may ascend
the mountain of Hashem, and who may stand in the place of His
sanctity? One with clean hands [he must be honest in his dealings
with man, and reverent in his attitude towards Hashem] and a pure
heart, who has not sworn in vain by My [Hashem] soul and has not sworn
deceitfully." [One who wishes to enjoy spiritual elevation must refine
his behavior - Rashi] (Psalms 24:3, 4) It is ludicrous to choose an
immoral or corrupt person as a religious leader. This role should be
relegated only to those who truly live up to the ideals they preach.
The same holds true for those we ordain as rabbis, allow to study
Torah in our religious institutions and welcome into our homes and
communities. Immoral and corrupt individuals can potentially
influence members of the community negatively and dilute the
community's commitment to Hashem [this also pertains to the type of
magazines, books, movies, and TV programs that we allow into our homes
and into our minds]. This is why there are many religious communities
which have adopted an isolationist view as a matter of policy. It
isn't difficult to understand why, when we see the prevailing moral
pollution that surrounds us. Therefore, there are those people whom
we must reject and others whom we welcome with open arms. Rabbi
Nachman taught, "There are evil people regarding whom it is prohibited
to try to bring close to Hashem, for they will cause those who are
already close to Hashem to fall from their level. Rabbi Nachman lists
some of the types of people who must be driven away: "People who are
arrogant and feel self- important [in the negative sense], the
uncouth, and honor- seekers will receive a blow to their egos when
confronted with the truth, they will not be able to tolerate or accept
and internalize the teachings of the Torah [but will try to tear them
down]. The only effective way to accept and internalize the teachings
of the Torah is to humble oneself [to have an open mind - to first
listen and analyze a teaching before rejecting it] and acknowledge the
sometimes painful truth. Only a person like this can be drawn [and
come] to the truth. (1 Lekutai MoHaran 70) Therefore, one who attempts
to bring people closer to Hashem must continually pray to Hashem that
He will help them discern whom to bring closer and whom to drive
away." (1 Lekutai MoHaran 59:6) It was the Mixed Multitude [of idol
worshipping Gentiles], whom Moses unilaterally, without Hashem's
authorization, converted to Judaism, which influenced the Jews to sin
against Hashem several times in the desert after they had left Egypt,
bringing Hashem's wrath upon them and causing the delay of the coming
of the Messiah for several thousand years. Because of the potential
dangers in bringing people who are unworthy, corrupt, and resistant to
spiritual growth and change into the fold, many of the righteous
leaders throughout the generations felt the risks to the general
community at large were too great and therefore resisted any attempt
to reach out. However, there have been many other righteous leaders
who disagreed and felt that as long as some good could be detected
within these individuals, there was still hope for bringing them
closer, despite the potential spiritual dangers they posed. They felt
that every attempt should be made to give these individuals a chance.
If it was later discovered that they were unworthy, they could be
rejected then, even though the time they spent in the community would
have already had a negative impact. Our parsha and the holiday of
Chanuka addresses this very important issue. Based on the insights of
Rabbi Nachman and his chief disciple Rav Noson we will examine this
subject.
In the Talmud there is a debate between the students of Shammai and
the students of Hillel concerning the manner in which the Chanukah
lights should be lit. The school of Shammai (Bais Shammai) taught
that the candies should be lit in a decreasing manner. On the first
night eight candies should be lit , on the second, seven, and so on
until on the eighth and final night only one candle would be lit. The
school of Hillel (Bais Hillel said the opposite, the candles should be
lit in ascending order. On the first night one candle, on the second,
two candles, and so on until the eighth night when eight candles would
be lit. This argument is based on the differences in philosophy
between the two schools, which is the basis for all their debates.
Bais Shammai consisted of very holy sages who felt that, to maintain
the purity and integrity of the Jewish People, it was better to adopt
more of an isolationist policy than to reach out to individuals far
from Hashem . The lights of the Chanukah candles are so holy that the
divine light of the hereafter spiritually rests on the lit candies.
Bais Shammai's custom of decreasing the number of candles lit each
night, reflects the philosophy that the light of Hashem should not be
available to all individuals, lest they, in the end, be deemed
unworthy of basking in Hashem's light. Therefore, Bais Shammai held
that the divine light that rests on the Chanukah candles should be
contracted and made available only to worthy individuals in the inner
circle, avoiding the potential dangers of Hashem's light falling into
the wrong hands. Bais Hillel, on the other hand, felt that the risk
should indeed be taken and they therefore held that the divine light
that rests on the Chanukah candles should be expansive, indicating
that this light should be made available to everyone, excluding only
an individual who adamantly refuses to adhere to the teachings of the
Torah even after being exposed to them for a long time. Rav Noson
says that the sages who are inclined towards the view of Bais Shammai
are spiritually rooted in the spiritual area of harshness (Hebrew:
din) and those who are inclined towards Bais Hillel are spiritually
rooted in kindness (Hebrew: chesed). Rav Noson writes that Rabbi
Nachman favored the views of Bais Hillel and many times risked his
life to bring people back to Hashem, suffering persecution by
Tzaddikim (saints) disagreed with him and tenaciously fought against
him.
This conflict was essentially the dispute between Yosef (Joseph) and
his brothers. Yosef was the philosophical predecessor of Bais Hillel
and Rabbi Nachman. His name reflects this philosophy for Yosef means
to add, just as the school of Hillel felt that we must add an
additional candle each night of Chanukah , Yosef's essence was all
about adding as many souls as possible to the holy community. Yosef's
brothers were holy men as well, but they felt as Bais Shammai did,
that the risk in bringing people closer to Hashem should not be taken.
Their father, Ya'akov (Jacob) was like Bais Hillel as the verse says,
"And Ya'akov dwelt in the land of his fathees sojourning [Hebrew:
megu'ray], in the land of Canaan." (Genesis 37:1) The word "megu'ray',
comes from the Hebrew root "megayair", to convert. The medrash tells
us that Ya'akov worked very hard at bringing people closer to Hashem.
Yosef followed in the footsteps of his father and tried to bring
estranged individuals to God, as the verse says, "These are the
generations of Ya'akov - Yosef." (Genesis 37:2) That Yosef was so
poignantly labeled his fathers son means that he attempted to bring
others closer to Hashem. In addition, Rashi tells us that Ya'akov
transferred all of his wisdom and teachings to Yosef. This wisdom
included the knowledge of how to explain very deep spiritual concepts
in a way that even the simplest of people would be able to understand.
This would then draw them closer to Hashem, as the verse says, "Yosef,
being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers."
(Genesis 37:2) This means that Yosef was the spiritual shepherd of his
fathees flock. Seventeen is the numerical value of the Hebrew word
tov, good. (The numerical value of a Hebrew word is intimately linked
with the word's spiritual essence as explained in the Oral Tradition
handed down to us by Moses). That scripture ascribes the number
seventeen to Yosef implies that he was completely good. Yosef was
therefore able to recognize and detect the slightest trace of good in
even the worst of individuals because he was familiar with good in all
its aspects. After establishing the presence of good in an otherwise
wicked person, Yosef had the gift of being able to nurture and bring
out this good. Once a person's good is cultivated, he can attach
himself to the One Who is all good, as the verse says, "Hashem is good
to all." (Psalm 145:9).
In order to bring people closer to Hashem, Yosef had to relate to each
individual on his own level as the verse says, "And he (Yosef) was a
youth with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah." (Genesis
37: 2) The sons of Bilhah and Zilpah were the offspring of Ya'akov's
maidservants. Allegorically this refers to the lower elements of the
Jewish people who are distant from Hashem. The name Bilhah comes from
the Hebrew word "bal'ha", amazed, referring to the verse, "All who
know you [the Jews] among the people are amazed concerning [what
happened to] you [that because of the Jews' many sins they were
severely punished]." (Ezekiel 26:19) In addition the verse says, "I
will make you to be an amazement." (Ezekiel 26:21) Rashi explains that
the word amazement (beha'los) refers to the forces of evil which
afflict people with mental confusion, (mebal'be'lim, Hebrew for
confusion, similar to the root word beha'los used in this verse)
causing them to sin. Thus the name Bilhah allegorically refers to
people who are estranged from Hashem and are trapped in tieir own
confusion due to sinful behavior. The name Zilpah refers to the
following verse, "Horror [Zal'ah'faw] seized me because of the wicked
that forsake Your [Hashem's] law." (Psalms 119:53) The "horror" is
from attacks by the forces of evil which induce sin. So, Zilpah in
our verse, which is similar to the word "zal'ah'faw", horror, in the
verse in Psalms, refers to people who have succumbed to sin. The
statement, "He was a youth [friendly] with the sons of Bilhah, and
with the sons of Zilpah," allegorically means that the righteous Yosef
befriended all people distant from Hashem. The verse tells us that
the method he used to draw people closer to Hashem was to act like a
"youth". Rashi tells us this means that Yosef acted like a foolish
youth and played the games of the estranged people in order to
befriend them and gain their confidence, by relating to them in a way
that they could understand in order that they could learn about Hashem
from him. Rabbi Nachman teaches that there are people who are so far
from Hashem that the only way a Tzaddik can draw them closer is to
eat, drink, and laugh with them.
When Yosef was born, his mother, Rachel, who was a prophetess,
prophesized about him, "Hashem has taken away my disgrace." (Genesis
30:23) This pertains to Yosef's activity in bringing people close to
Hashem thus removing the disgrace of their sinful ways. In addition,
his mother said, "Hashem shall add [yosef] to me another son."
(Genesis 30:24) This applies to Yosefs actions which invariably added
new adherents to the ways of Hashem - continually "adding another
son". These activities earned him his father's love and respect, as
the verse says, "And Yisrael loved Yosef more than all his [other
children] because he was a son of his old age." (Genesis 37:3) "Old
age" in Hebrew is ben zikunim which is similar to the Hebrew word
zakan, beard. The Zohar tells us that Hashem's symbolic beard has 13
points to it, corresponding to the 13 attributes of Hashem's mercy
mentioned in the book of Exodus. Thus the verse implies that Ya'akov
loved Yosef because he followed in his own merciful path of bringing
people closer to Hashem. Therefore the verse says, "He [Ya'akov] made
him [Yosef] a coat of many colors." (Genesis 37:3) The Zohar teaches
that every physical item in this world is rooted in the spiritual
light of Hashem which consists of many different colors. That Ya'akov
gave Yosef such a coat represents that he imparted to him the wisdom
of how to control the entire universe, manipulating physicality
through the many colors of Hashem's light. Possessing this knowledge,
Yosef was able to fathom the inner workings of the universe which
enabled him to explain and demonstrate to all people how Hashem can be
found in every aspect of the material world. Yosef was so good at
showing the way of Hashem, that he even impressed the most
materialistic and idolatrous of people, none other than the mighty
Pharoah, ruler of Egypt and his servants, as the verse says, "And
Pharoah said to his ministers, 'Can there be found such a man [other
than Yosefl who has the spirit of G-d in him.'" (Genesis 41:38)