פרשת במדבר
In this week’s Parsha, the Torah tells us about the different censuses that were taken to determine how many Jews were in each tribe and what their particular tasks were. At the end of the Parsha, the Torah describes the responsibilities of the children of Kehat and the various duties that they were to perform. The verse says that the leader of the children of Kehat was Eliezer the son of Aharon Hakohen, and that he was depended upon, to make sure that the oil for the Menorah was in good order, the incense was properly taken care of, the Menorah was lit at the appropriate time, that the anointing oil was all ready for usage by the Kohanim, and preparing the flour for the Mincha offering. The Ramban in the name of the Yerushalmi deduces an astonishing description of Eliezer’s role as the leader of the children of Kehat. He explains that when the Jews traveled, Eliezer himself would carry all of the above mentioned Mishkan paraphernalia from one place to another. This astonishing feat seems almost superhuman! The Yerushalmi explains that he would carry both reservoirs of oil in each one of his arms. He would then load the incense onto his bosom somehow. And finally, he would miraculously pack the Mincha flour materials on his shoulders.
I believe that this Yerushalmi requires some explanation. Firstly, why in the world did Eliezer decide to carry all of these bulky items by himself? Could he not divide the work between the thousands of the children of Kehat? Secondly, it does not seem respectful for the leader of the tribe to be singlehandedly placing such a large amount of weight upon himself. He must have looked like an absolute imbecile during this charade of trying to load the entire bulk of the Mishkan on his own body.
R’ Chaim Shmulevitz would resolve this difficulty by offering a slightly different vantage point. Instead of focusing solely on the weight of what was being transferred from one place to another, let us examine its content. The sacrificial materials, and the incense are among the holiest things on earth. The Torah itself testifies to this by teaching us that the incense goes straight up to Hashem and that He receives pleasure from its smell. Furthermore, it has a special propensity to save the Jews from death through its holiness. Bearing this in mind, it is certainly easier to appreciate Eliezer’s desire to be involved with these materials in any way that he could. Perhaps this could be compared to a person carrying a heavy sack of diamonds that he found in the forest back to his home. It would stand to reason that although such a person is probably close to collapsing from the colossal weight on his back, every step he takes brings him such joy, that he does not even feel his burden.
R’ Chaim would say that this principle is also seen in the story of King David and his wife Michal. During the inauguration ceremony of the Mishkan, the verse tells us that David danced with such joy and delight that everyone who saw him felt cheerfulness in their hearts. However Michal, David’s wife and King Shaul’s daughter, mocked him in her heart and said to herself, “How can the king of Israel embarrass himself in such a silly way. He acts like an immature commoner”. And even though she didn’t express her feelings to anyone else, she was punished by having no children during her lifetime. David explained to her that it was his honor and his pleasure to act like a commoner if it meant being able to raise the glory of Hashem in any way.
R’ Chaim Shmulevitz would conclude by saying that R’ Simcha Zissel Kelmer would often be seen in the Beis Midrash late at night sweeping the floors of the hallowed study hall and placing all the books on their proper shelves. He considered this to be the biggest honor. In fact, on Simchas Torah, instead of auctioning off the aliyos, he would sell the “privileges” of being able to perform some kind of public service, and it wasn’t cheap either. If a student got the right to clean the Holy Ark on a daily basis, it cost him dearly. Such was these giants’ understanding of how to relate to one’s desire to serve Hashem, even for the “menial” tasks.
There is an interesting Midrash in this week’s Parsha which illustrates all that we have said beautifully. The Midrash Rabah (4:20) quotes the Mishnah in Avos (5:20) which says that a person should be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, agile as a deer, and strong as a lion to perform the will of his Father in Heaven. The Midrash says that this Mishnah is teaching us that we mustn’t be concerned with our own honor when it comes time to perform Hashem’s will, and if we are successful in this, indeed Heaven’s honor will be increased as well as our own honor. If however a person is hesitant to sacrifice his own honor in lieu of Heaven’s honor, Heaven’s honor will remain intact, and his honor will diminish. The Midrash goes on to demonstrate the truth of this principle with two stories. There was once a man who was davening next to his 10 year old son on the Succos holiday. During the Hallel service, when it is customary for the congregation to answer the Halleluya prayers responsively with the Chazan, this boy would respond with disgusting profanity instead of saying Halleluya. The surprised congregants mentioned to the man how inappropriate his son was acting, but he pushed them off and told them to leave his son alone, because he was just a boy and he didn’t know any better. (Apparently the man didn’t want to have to embarrass himself by admitting that there was a problem with his son, and preferred to save his own honor by blaming his son’s impropriety on his age instead of scolding him). The next day of Succos, the same scenario repeated itself, and so it was for the entire eight days of the holiday. Unfortunately, not long after that Succos, the man and his wife died suddenly, along with 15 other family members. Conversely, the Midrash tells another story which demonstrates the same point. The Midrash tells of a simple man amongst the working folk who loved Hashem with all of his heart, but was completely ignorant of Torah. When the congregation would reach the Kedusha, all of a sudden this uncomplicated man yelled out in a booming and unnatural voice, “Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh…”, and sanctified Hashem’s name. The fellow worshipers asked him after the services what it was that caused him to act in such a bizarre manner. He explained, “Well, you know I’m a plain man, and I’ve never learned any scripture, Mishna, or Halacha, and I was trying to think how I could give honor to Heaven. I reckon the only thing I know how to do is pray. Should I not pray with every ounce of my strength to give glory to Hashem’s name”? The Midrash concludes by saying that it wasn’t long before this “simple” man was able to ascend to Israel, and build an entire city which is still named after him until this day, and he and his progeny ruled in that city for many years after. From this Midrash it is clear in what esteem someone who sacrifices his own honor for the sake of Heaven is held.
I would just like to conclude with the engaging words of the Slonimer Rebbe. The Rebbe would invite us to take a closer look at the above mentioned Mishnah in Avos. The Mishnah instructs us to be bold as a leopard. But the Mishnah goes on to say that one who is bold will certainly go to hell, and may it be His will to rebuild the Holy Temple, and give us our portion in Torah. In order to resolve this apparent contradiction, the Rebbe explains that there are two types of boldness. One boldness could be defined in English as brazenness or arrogance. This is a desire to rule over others, and to assert one’s personality in an inappropriate way. Such boldness is extremely damaging and will certainly lead a person to sin. However, there is another type of boldness which is a form of assertiveness. The Rebbe explains that this type of conviction can only come from one’s firm belief in the truth of the Torah. When a person spends time contemplating the omnipotence and the singularity of the Creator of the world, and the freedom to do His will, he will undoubtedly be infused with an overwhelming sense of confidence in the path that he was chosen, and will be unswerving in his dedication to that path. The Slonimer suggests that perhaps this is why the Mishnah closes with the prayer that the Temple be rebuilt speedily. When the Temple is rebuilt, the entire world will be keenly aware of the truth of Hashem and His Torah, there will be no more uncertainty left on earth, and since indecision is the source of much confusion and grief, we pray for the removal of these damaging forces so that we may all return to our natural state of self confidence and conviction to truth and justice.
May we all merit to perform the will of our creator with passion and pride, without regard for the opposition we may face!