Divrei Torah Parshas B'Haloscha
Torah Table of Contents
Doubly Good, Ashei Yisrael and Alei Deshe, A Holiday for the meek and Humble, Alei Deshe The Disparate Feelings of the Righteous and the Wicked.
based on ma'amarim in Ashei Yisrael and Alei Deshe, Parshas B'Haloscha
"Go with us, and we will do good for you...And it shall be [Vehaya], that the same goodness that Hashem, in His goodness, will do for us, we will do for you" [Bamidbar, 10:29, 32].
The context of the above verse is that Moshe Rabbeinu's father-in-law, Yisro, who had been with the Jewish People in the desert from the time following the splitting of the Reed Sea, was asked to accompany them yet further, into the Land of Israel. The verses contain Moshe's attempt to convince Yisro to remain with them.
The Divrei Yisrael notes that the verse mentions the word "good" or "goodness" a number of times. Also, the word Vehaya [and it shall be] appears to be superfluous. He explains that Yisro could have remained at home [and not come at all to the desert] and learned Torah, as it says of him, that he lived in the "glory of the world;" "glory" [kavod] referring to Torah. Similarly, a person might think, why should I trouble myself to travel to a Chassidic Rebbe, when I can learn Chassidic sefarim at home as well?
The Divrei Yisrael notes that this is indeed so - one can learn Torah, and even Chassidus, at home. Nevertheless, his experience will be lacking - for the simcha [joy] of coming to the Rebbe together with all the other Chassidim is something which cannot be attained at home.
This, then, was the message to Yisro: "Go with us, and it will be good for you." The word "good," refers to Torah, which is called "lekach tov" - a good doctrine [or acquisition]. If one should say, I can learn Torah and serve Hashem at home, look at the continuation. The verse says, "Vehaya hatov hahu" [and it shall be that the same goodness]. "Vehaya," our Sages say, always refers to simcha. The goodness, the benefits of simcha cannot be attained at home. The goodness that you will find is in serving Hashem and learning his Torah - with simcha.
Rebbe Shaul Yedidya Elazar discusses this same verse, and also wonders why the word "tov - good" is mentioned so much. He explains it with another comment of the Divrei Yisrael's, on the verse [Breishis, 32:13] which says, "You [Hashem] have said, 'I will surely do good for you.'" Here also, "good" is repeated twice - "heitiv eitiv" - and the Divrei Yisrael explains that whoever will say that all that Hashem does is for the good [even when it doesn't appear so], will indeed have goodness bestowed upon him from Above.
So Moshe and the Jewish People thought that perhaps Yisro didn't want to accompany them in the desert with all of its difficulties. Therefore, they told him, "And it shall be that the same goodness" - the main thing is that Hashem does good for us [even if it doesn't seem so]. For one must know, that Hashem does only good, for no evil comes from Him.
Finally, Reb Shaul gives another explanation to this verse. The chief goodness that one can achieve is to benefit others - to do good to them. A benefit which is only for oneself, says Reb Shaul, is nothing. Thus the verse can be understood: "And it shall be, that goodness" - the main thing is, "the same goodness that Hashem, in His goodness, will do for us, we will do for you." That is, the main benefit for us is to do good for you.
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
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based on and excerpted from Alei Deshe
Speak to the Jewish nation, tell them that any person who is ritually impure, or is far away - to you or your generations, but he still bring the Pesach sacrifice to G-d. On the fourteenth day of the second month, in the afternoon, they shall do it - on Matzos and bitter herbs they shall eat it. (Bamidbor 9:10 - 11)
Rashi explains the phrase "or is far away" (translators note: quoting the ninth chapter of Pesachim) as meaning even on the threshhold of the Azoroh (courtyard of the Holy Temple)! This leads to a question, if the person is at the threshhold of the Azoroh, why doesn't the person enter the Azoroh (translators note: and bring the Pesach sacrifice at it's correct time)?
Rav Yecheskel of Kuzmir Z"TL (translators note: brought down in the Alei Deshe) answers the question as follows. A person who is very meek may - due to his humility - say to himself, "who am I to enter this sacred place as one of the holiest people?" At each attempt to enter, he retreats from the entrance with extreme embarassment. This pattern repeats itself for the first group, the second group and the third group - he is to embarassed to cross the threshhold of the Azoroh! When G-d sees this behavior, G-d rewards this person with a special holiday.
Translated by Reb Yehuda Nathan of Brooklyn, a Modzitzer Chassid
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V'HaIsh Moshe anav M'Od M'kol Ha'adam al pnei ha'adama (Bamidbar 12:3)
(And the man Moshe was very humble, above all men on the face of the earth.)
The Kuzmir Rebbe zt'l wonders: Why is it that the righteous man, in spite of all the Torah that he learns and the many good deeds he does, does not deem good upon himself. To the contrary, he tortures himself, is always broken-hearted and feels as if he has accomplished nothing in his Divine Service. The wicked man, on the other hand, gloats and compliments himself on the one small good deed he did. Shouldn't the tzaddik be the one full of pride, and the wicked be the one feeling unaccomplished?
The Kuzmir Rebbe gives an explanation to this "confusion" in feelings: When a righteous man does a good deed, he does it with pure intentions and heavenly desires. When his good deed reaches heaven, it is cherished. The tzaddik never sees his merit; for Hashem, Blessed Be He, has taken it for Himself. Furthermore, when a righteous man sins, his sins are not accepted in heaven, because they are not committed whole-heartedly. His sins linger before him, while his merits are nowhere to be seen. This causes his lack of wholesomeness and feelings of unaccomplishment.
The opposite applies to the wicked man. His sins are committed with much enthusiasm and pleasure. His sins are accepted and cherished in heaven, only the acceptor is the Sitra Achra, the other side, the Devil's Camp. When he does a mitzva, it is not done whole-heartedly and with pure intentions. He rather does a mitzva out of haughtiness and with false pretenses, to glorify and obtain honor for himself. His mitzva is therefore not accepted and he remains with the mitzva at "his disposal." This is a profound explanation of the mixed feelings of the tzaddik and rasha. The tzaddik sees none of his demeanors and sees all of his misdemeanors, which leads to feelings of unaccomplishment. It is the rasha, who remains with all his demeanors and none of his misdemeanors, who has a basis to gloat and have feelings of accomplishment.
Translated by Reb Shlomo Gelbtuch, of Brooklyn a Modzitzer Chassid
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