פרשת כי תשא ופרשת פרה
In this week’s Parsha, we read the unfortunate events which led up to the Jews sinning with the golden calf. After this regrettable display, we find that the Jews repented sincerely in front of Hashem, and they achieved atonement. Following this episode, Moshe asked Hashem if he could be shown Hashem’s full glory to which Hashem responded that no man could witness that and live. The Slonimer Rebbe poses two queries on these verses. Firstly, what exactly was Moshe asking for? Hadn’t he just come down from Sinai where the verse testifies that he spoke with Hashem face to face just as one man speaks to another? If this is true then his request seems redundant. And secondly, why specifically now, after the Jews had reached their nadir in Jewish history, did Moshe present his request to Hashem? It seems like somewhat of an inopportune time.
The Rebbe explains that in truth, the world is meant to be run in a hidden manner. This can be evidenced from even a cursory glance at how Hashem chose to create the universe. His presence is always hidden. We find that righteous people seem to suffer, and the wicked seem to thrive. There is no overt reference to Him anywhere in the physical world. But Moshe was pleading that now that the Jews had sinned, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to up the level of revelation in this world. In other words, when the Jews were “making it”, having Hashem hidden was fine, but now that they were in dire spiritual straits, Moshe was requesting from Hashem that He reveal Himself more evidently so that it would be easier to get close to Him. If this is true, why in fact did Hashem refuse Moshe’s appeal? The Rebbe explains that when Hashem told Moshe, “A man cannot see me and live”, He was alluding to the fact that our purpose in life is to see Hashem specifically during these times of “hidden” interactions. If we could see Hashem clearly, we may as well be dead. This world was created to hide Hashem’s presence and similar to the child’s game of hide and seek, we are meant to endlessly uncover the existence of the Creator located slightly under the superficial reality of our lives. This concept is even alluded to in the very name of the world. “עולם” in Hebrew is from the same word as “עלם” which means hidden. Everything about this world is designed to hide Hashem’s presence so that we may reveal it. In fact, the Gemorah in Chagiga (5a) says that if you go for thirty days with no uncomfortable situations or painful occurrences, this would be a telltale sign that Hashem’s hidden nature is not being displayed for you, and chances are whatever you are involved in is the work of the Yetzer Hara and is not true service of Hashem. What a novel understanding!
In truth, this message is clearly embedded in the Purim story which has recently passed over us. The verse in the Megillah guarantees that this holiday will never depart from the Jewish people. The Midrash on Mishle expounds on this verse that in the future, all Jewish holidays will be nullified accept for Purim. Similarly, the Yerushalmi says that in the future, all 24 books of the prophets will be made obsolete accept for the Chumash and the Megillah. These strange words of Chazal beg the question, what is so special about Purim and the Megillah? Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Succos… gone, but Purim is here to stay? Based on what we have said, I believe the explanation is clear. The goal of all the holidays, and all the prophets is the same – to remind the Jewish people who the one true Creator is, and the importance of doing His will on this earth. When Mashiach comes, these reminders will be outmoded. The clear and total presence of Hashem will be felt by one and all, and the thought of transgressing His will would be anathema to any sane individual. The level of miraculous interaction that Hashem will have with the inhabitants of earth will be overwhelming. But even with all that, the message of the Megillah and of Purim will be as poignant as it ever was. The reason for this is simple. When Mashiach comes, we will still be breathing. We will still go to sleep every night and wake up every morning. These mundane activities, which are so easy to write off as “part of our daily routine” are exactly what the Purim antidote is coming to remedy – to constantly remind us that even these seemingly “normal” functions are nothing less than the hand of God constantly ensuring that we are safe, happy, and successful.
On a personal note, I would just like to mention that this attribute of wanting to serve Hashem specifically when He is hidden was particularly prevalent in my father Zt”l. When my father was around 40 years old, he was living in Pennsylvania comfortably, learning a tremendous amount of Torah, and doing kindness for the people of the community. Then, without any warning, he picked up his wife and seven children, and moved to Eretz Yisrael. When asked how he would make it, he seemed completely unconcerned, and relied fully on his Maker for success. When he got here, he refused to set up health insurance, claiming that Hashem was his health insurance, and that he was not worried in any way. After much back and forth, the great Torah leaders of Israel ruled that he had to set up health insurance, which he reluctantly did, deferring to their Torah mastery. But even after he had set it up, he made it very clear to anyone who asked that it was completely unnecessary for him.
R’ Dovid Soleichik once told of his father, The Brisker Rav a very enlightening story. The Brisker Rav once had to pay the men studying in his Kollel, and he was grossly short that month. So the Rav did what every Rabbi does in his situation, he went out looking to see if he could find a donor to support the Kollel for that month. While traveling, he came upon a man who gave him a blessing that he would find somebody to donate a quarter million Liras so that he could sit back and not worry for awhile. The Brisker Rav’s eyes became very serious and he told the man, “Do you think that I would sell my Mitzvah to serve Hashem during hidden times for a quarter million Liras”? In another similar incident, a Rosh Yeshiva once came to the Brisker Rav and asked him for a blessing on his upcoming trip to America that he be successful in collecting the monies needed to pay for the building of his Yeshiva. The Rav innocently asked this Rabbi why he was going. He said, “Isn’t Hashem in Israel too”? The Rabbi responded that if he did not have the money in two weeks, the contractor was going to confiscate the building. The Rav responded, “You have two whole weeks and you’re troubling yourself now”? It seems clear from the Rav’s responses that he felt confident that Hashem’s ability to come through despite that fact that He hides His presence is fully dependable.
May we all merit to always see Hashem’s presence in our lives, despite its covert nature!