Torah Table of Contents
Shabbos HaGadol - Hashem's Great Love, Yisa Bracha A Plague on Your House? Make it a Delight!, Divrei Yisroelbased on a ma'amar in Yisa Bracha
The Imrei Shaul gives a number of reasons as to why the Shabbos before Pesach is referred to as Shabbos HaGadol, the Great Shabbos. This is one of them. The Midrash [Shemos Rabba, 15:5] informs us, "How great is the Love that Hashem has for the Jewish People, for He revealed Himself [to them] in a place of idolatry, in a place of filth and in a place of impurity."
On the verse [Shemos, 19:5], "and you shall be a segula [treasure] for Me, from amongst all the nations, for the entire world is Mine," Rashi explains that segula means a "beloved treasure" [Otzar chaviv]. He continues, "So you shall be a treasure for Me from amongst the nations; do not say that only you are Mine, and I have no others besides you. What I do have is a noticeable Love for you, for the entire world is Mine, and they [the other nations] are as nothing before Me and in My Eyes."
Reb Shaul explains that for this reason Hashem didn't wait to give us the mitzva of Korban Pesach after leaving Egypt, even though it could have been performed in a pure environment. Rather, He wanted to show His great Love for them; and that even though He has "others," they are as nothing. Therefore, he concludes, this Shabbos is called Shabbos HaGadol, the Great Shabbos, for it was an open demonstration of Hashem's great Love for His People. Therefore, in the niggun Yedid Nefesh, we ask Hashem as our beloved [Chavivi], to spread His protection over us.
[Translator's note: Perhaps Reb Shaul is alluding to the danger that the Jewish People place themselves by sacrificing a lamb, the god of Egypt, while still in Egypt. It is Hashem's great Love for us that leads to His protection over us.]
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
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based on ma'amarim in Divrei Yisrael, Parshas Metzora
"When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as an inheritance, I will place a nega tzora'as ['plague' or 'leprous mark'] on a house in the land of your inheritance" [Vayikra, 14:34].
The Midrash relates this verse to a verse in Tehillim [73:1], "Surely G-d is good to the Jewish People... " The Divrei Yisrael wonders, what is the connection between these two verses?
Rashi explains our verse: "The plague upon them [the houses] was actually a bit of good news, for the Emorites would hide their gold they amassed during the entire 40-year period that the Jewish People were in the desert [in the walls of the houses], and because of the plague, [the Jew] takes apart his house and finds them." Thus, explains the Divrei Yisrael, from our verse about a plague upon a house, we see that the Divine Attribute of Din [strict Justice] is only good and merciful for the Jewish People.
Even though this was more obvious when our Beis HaMikdash existed, and now is more hidden, nevertheless Hashem is always performing wonders. One who has a "perceiving eye" will notice that everything is due to Divine Providence, and not coincidental. Every day, one can see wonders - in our lives, which are in His Hands; in our souls, entrusted to Him; and in the everyday miracles He performs for us. Even that which looks like harsh Judgment is full of Hashem's abundant Mercy.
This is demonstrated in two anecdotes. One is brought in the Gemara [Nidda, 31a] which relates that there were two men about to set out on a business trip. One of them sustained an injury and couldn't go, and begin to curse his misfortune. But when he later discovered that the ship that the other man was on had sunk at sea, he began to praise Hashem for his good fortune.
The other incident happened to the Chassidic Rebbe, Rebbe Meir of Premishlan. Once a man came to him, in dire need of money to marry off his daughter. "I'll give you something - a fever!" was the Rebbe's response to his request. The poor man was quite startled by this, but before he could say or do anything, a rich man entered the Rebbe's home, who had a terrible fever. The Rebbe advised him to give the poor man what he needed for his daughter's wedding, and he would be cured.
This is just like our verse, says the Divrei Yisrael. Hashem says, "I will send a plague on you," and it is really the good news of a fortune that can be found when the house is taken apart.
Now the Divrei Yisrael shares an amazing insight with us. If the case is as above, why should it be called a "nega" [plague]? It's really an "oneg" [delight]. [Translator's note: these two Hebrew words have the same letters, just in a different order]. But for someone who is bidden to take his house apart, it certainly seems like a plague! However, if one truly believes that whatever Hashem does is for the good, and trusts in Hashem that this will be so, such a person will find a treasure and his nega will become an oneg.
On the other hand, one who complains that he has to take apart his house, and doesn't believe that it's for his own good, will not find the treasure. It will thus remain a plague. Not only that, says the Divrei Yisrael, but this "formula" works - always. When our Sages [Brachos, 60a] tell us that one should accustom himself to say, "Whatever Hashem does, is for the good," his very utterance will affect the situation, and transform the nega into oneg.
For this reason, continues the Divrei Yisrael, the verse [14:35] goes on to say that "the owner of the house shall come and tell the Kohen, 'It appears to me as if there is a nega on the house.'" That is because it is only apparently so - that one must take down his house for such a thing - but ultimately, he will find the good - the treasure of gold that is hidden within.
However, finding a treasure is not the only reason for this plague, and the subsequent disassembly of the house. The Zohar [Tazria, 50a] informs us:
Fortunate are the Jewish People, who cling to Hashem, Who loves them...It is due to this love that He brings them into the Holy Land, so that His Shechina [Divine Presence] should dwell amongst them, and the Jewish People become sanctified over all the other nations.
Come and see: "All the women whose hearts had uplifted them in wisdom [spun the goats' hair]" [Shemos, 35:26]. When they did this work, they would say, 'This is for the Mikdash, this is for the Mishkan, this for the covering' - for each craft, and thereby imbuing their work with holiness. The craft became sanctified, and when it was put into place, it was holy.
Similarly, one who engages in idolatry, by mentioning his belief, he causes an impure spirit [ruach tumah] to dwell in it...The Canaanites, being idolators, built edifices and buildings to their idolatry, and thus brought this impure spirit into all these structures.
When the Jewish People came into the Land, Hashem wished to purify and sanctify it for them, so there would be room for the Shechina to dwell. Therefore, as a result of the plague that came [upon the houses], they took down the houses of wood and stone that were erected in a state of impurity.
Come and see, if this occurrence [the nega on the house] was only for the sake of finding a treasure, one would merely need to return the original stone and clay to their place afterwards. But the verse says, "they shall remove the stones...and take other stones, in place of the [original] stones, and take other clay, and plaster the house" [14:40,42]. This is in order to remove the tumah, and bring in holiness...So it comes out that the Jewish People will dwell in sanctity, and the Shechina will dwell amongst them.
We therefore have two reasons for this plague upon the houses: in order to find a treasure, as Rashi explains; and to remove the ruach tumah and to imbue the house with holiness, as the Zohar informs us. The Divrei Yisrael suggests that these two reasons may be interdependent. That is, one who takes down his house for the sake of Heaven, desiring to remove the ruach tumah and imbue it with holiness, thus "turning away from evil," will merit it to be transformed into goodness, and find a treasure. But one who merely wants to find the treasure, will not find anything.
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
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