The Essence of a Jew
In Parashas Balak, we find the gentile prophet Bilaam riding his donkey to meet with the King of Moav in order to curse the Jews. Only, the donkey veers from the path and after Bilaam strikes it three times, it stops and begins speaking: “What have I done to you that you should hit me these three times?” (Bamidbar 22:28).
The word in Hebrew used here for “times” is regalim, a word that alludes to the three holidays that the Jews celebrate. Meaning, Hashem was rebuking Bilaam via the donkey for trying to destroy the nation that observes the three annual festivals — Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos.
Shem Mishmuel asks: Why did Hashem choose the mitzvah of the three annual festivals when rebuking Bilaam? Why not say that he was trying to destroy the nation that keeps Shabbos, or is careful in the mitzvah of tefillin, etc.? Are the three regalim the most important mitzvos that Hashem should mention them in His rebuke?
Shem Mishmuel answers that the three festivals are an expression of the essence of a Jew. Three times a year, every Jew left his home and property unattended as he went up to Yerushalayim to seek closeness to Hashem. Everything he owned was at risk, and the country’s borders were essentially wide open and vulnerable to attack. This was an awesome display of the people’s intense desire to do Hashem’s will, even if it meant giving up everything they owned. Hashem’s rebuke to Bilaam was: How could you try to uproot a nation that has such a strong connection to Me?
This desire for closeness and connection to Hashem is the main praise of Klal Yisrael, and this is apparent from Bilaam’s blessings. Bilaam intended to curse Klal Yisrael, but when Hashem put into his mouth blessings instead, He spoke again and again of the nation’s intense desire for closeness to Him. For example, Bilaam relates that “from the summit of the rocks and from the hills do I gaze upon them [the Jews]” (Bamidbar 23:9). Rashi explains that the “rocks and hills” are a reference to the Avos and Imahos. Meaning, the Avos and Imahos bequeathed to their descendants their awesome power and dedication to Hashem. They were firm like mountains; nothing could budge them even slightly from doing Hashem’s will, and so too the Jewish Nation continues in their path.
Later, it states that Hashem “does not see fault in Yaakov” (ibid. 23:21). The Sefas Emess asks: If a Jew sins, why shouldn’t Hashem see fault in him? He explains that even if a Jew falls into sin, it is a momentary lapse, as he hurries to do teshuva. His sin is only incidental to his personality; it is not his essence. A Jew is always thinking about how he can come closer to Hashem and be a better person.
Later, Bilaam states that the Jewish Nation “rises like a leopard” (ibid. 23:24). Rashi says that when a Jew wakes up in the morning, he overcomes his yetzer hara like a leopard in order to grab mitzvos — to put on tzitzis, say keriyas Shema and put on tefillin. The Sefas Emess explains that Bilaam’s praise was for the zeal with which the Jews do mitzvos, that immediately upon waking up they already seek to do the mitzvos of Shacharis. This shows that the essence of a Jew is to get closer to Hashem. This is all that he really wants.
Since this is our essence, we should try to develop it as much as possible. The first thing we should do is learn and review often Mesilas Yesharim (1), which makes clear that closeness to Hashem is the goal of our existence, and any other goal is illogical. For example, the Ramchal states: “How could any thinking person believe that the purpose of our creation is for our place in this world? What is a man’s life here? Who is truly happy and at ease here? How many forms of pain there are, and afterwards — death. Only one man in a thousand lives a life of leisure, and even he — if he reaches the age of 100, will find himself feeble and decrepit. And also, if our place was only in this world, what need would there be for us to possess such a lofty soul, greater even than that of the angels?”
If we go over the words of the Ramchal again and again, these ideas will become ingrained in us.
The Sfas Emess advises further that whenever you have a chance to do a mitzvah, run to do it. Undertake to do the whole mitzvah from beginning to end with zeal. Try to foster as great a feeling of excitement as you can about it. If we do this time after time, we will begin to feel a deep desire to do Hashem’s will.
Rav Yitzchak Zilber lived with the understanding that a Jew’s essence is to do Hashem’s will. Throughout the darkest periods of the Soviet regime, he was moser nefesh to keep Torah and mitzvos, and he helped countless others. He made great efforts to protect his own family and teach them to be observant Jews. When he finally reached Eretz Yisrael, his son Ben Zion was 15 years old, and he brought him to the Mir Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, hoping that he would be accepted as a talmid.
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz looked at the father and son, new immigrants from Russia, and wondered how he could explain to them that the Mir was not at all an appropriate place. Ben Zion surely did not have sufficient background in Talmud to join even the lowest shiur, he thought to himself. Moreover, he was at least two years younger than the youngest talmidim in the yeshiva.
Gently, Rav Shmuelevitz began suggesting that another yeshiva would probably be more suitable.
Rav Zilber heard this and cried.
“Rebbe, please understand, we come from Russia and I could only do so much to help my son along in his learning. There were no organized schools, so by myself I taught him Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia and Bava Basra. What more could I do?”
Rav Shmuelevitz was taken aback.
“You taught him all three Masechtos? From beginning to end?”
“Yes, you can test him. He knows them by heart.”
“By heart!” Rav Shmuelevitz was even more surprised. Sitting down with Ben Zion, he tested him on the Masechtos. Afterwards, he told Rav Zilber that he would indeed accept his son into the yeshiva. Then, Rav Shmuelevitz hurried to the main beis medrash and announced that he would soon give an unscheduled Drasha.
Curious to hear what this was about, the Mir talmidim were soon mesmerized by Rav Shmuelevitz’s account of Rav Zilber and his son’s mesirus nefesh for Torah under the Soviet regime.
“Look at what these two Yidden accomplished under the oppression of the communists! If they could do so much, how much more is expected of us!”
May we develop an intense desire to do Hashem’s will!