From: Murray Kahl <kahl@cybernet.cse.fau.edu>
Subject: Vygash-w
Originator: scj@israel.nysernet.org
Reply-To: <Murray Kahl <kahl@cybernet.cse.fau.edu>>
Organization: Nysernet
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 16:43:22 GMT

BH
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
>From The Works And Talks Of The Lubavitcher Rebbe Shlita
Vol IV No. 14
Vayigash 5753
12/27/92
Published by  Vaad Hanochos  Hatmimim To  receive by  fax or mail
contact: (718) 774-6448/ Fax. 774-7FAX/ BBS 771-2924
 
 
SYNOPSIS    a weekly essay of chassidic thought
                     Wood Submerged in Stone
               Joseph, Judah and the Servant-King
Which is  greater -  learning or  doing?   The Talmud1 poses this
question, and  replies: learning  is  greater,  because  learning
brings to  deed.   So it  would seem that deed, after all, is the
more important  element of  man's mission  in life: learning must
come first, but only because one cannot do without first learning
what and how to do.
 
The same  question can be phrased in different terms: what should
a person  strive for  - personal  growth, or the nullification of
self in  commitment to  a higher  ideal?   Learning involves  the
development and  enhancement of self; doing entails the servitude
of self to the task at hand.  Why was man created? That he better
himself or that he serve his Creator?
 
Man was created to serve his Creator.  But in order to do he must
learn, and  in order to serve he must grow.  For not only was man
created to  serve the  Almighty, but  everything about him exists
only to  this end.   If  man has  a mind,  a heart, a will, and a
faculty for  pleasure, than  the service  desired of him is not a
robot-like servitude  of   the hands and feet.  To properly serve
G-d he  must grow  to understand,  feel,  desire  and  enjoy  his
mission in life.
 
                        The Model Home
Thus, it  can be  said that there exist two general phases to the
life's work  of man:  an  initial  process  of  growth,  and  the
ultimate commitment  to deed  and  self-nullification.    In  the
beginning  stages   of  a  person's  spiritual  development,  the
emphasis is  on the improvement of his faculties: every aspect of
his ego  and talents  is involved as he learns and grows, seeking
perfection.   But when man does attains this perfection, the very
opposite is  true -  here the  deed is  paramount.   Although his
various faculties  are also  involved - for he serves his Creator
also with  his mind and heart - they are completely ``submerged''
in his  doing.   What he  understands and  experiences is not the
issue, only  that ultimate  purpose of creation be realized.  His
ego is utterly nullified before the imperative to do and serve.
 
So although  the Talmud  resolves that  learning is  greater, for
only through  learning can one truly do, this applies only to our
presently imperfect  existence.  In the era of Moshiach, however,
when evil  and ignorance  will cease  and man  will instinctively
know right  from wrong,  it is the deed which shall be paramount.
This is not to say that man will become a mindless robot - on the
contrary,  our  understanding  and  appreciation  of  the  Divine
reality  will  be  infinitely  greater  than  anything  presently
possible -  but that  we will  not relate to our intellectual and
emotional experiences  as ``achievements''  in their  own  right.
Everything will  be an  act of Divine service, but another way in
which to realize G-d's will.
 
A model  for these  two phases  in man's mission in life is to be
found in  the Sanctuary, constructed in fulfillment of the divine
command:  ``They shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I shall dwell
within them.''2   According  to the  Midrash, these words express
the Divine  purpose in  creation: G-d  created the  world because
``He desired  a dwelling  within the  lowly (i.e,  the  physical)
existence.''3 On  the individual level, this is achieved when man
performs the mitzvos of the Torah, utilizing the various elements
of the  physical world  to serve  the Almighty: physical money is
given to  charity, physical oil fuels the mitzvah of kindling the
Chanukah lights,  grain is  made into matzoh for Passover, animal
hides into  teffilin, wool into tzitzit, and so on.  Furthermore,
when a person devotes his life to the fulfillment of the mitzvos,
everything which  supports this  life -  the food  he  eats,  the
clothes he  wears, the  energy he  consumes -  is involved in the
realization of  the supernal  goal.   Thus, the  physical reality
becomes a  ``dwelling'' for  G-d.   Instead of  the ``lowliness''
which previously  defined its  relationship its Creator - for the
physical world, with is apparent independence and concreteness of
being, can  be the  greatest concealment of the Divine truth - it
is now  transformed into a ``home'' for G-d, an environment which
serves His will and expresses His all-pervading reality.
 
On the communal level, the Jewish people built a ``home'' for G-d
in the  form of  the Sanctuary.   By  the command of G-d, various
materials were used to construct an edifice to serve as the focus
of G-d's manifest presence in the world.  Although G-d is equally
everywhere, this was the place where He chose to visibly permeate
the physical;  this was  a  ``dwelling''  which  represented  the
ultimate function of every physical thing.
 
And just  as there exist two phases in the life's work of man, so
it is  with the  collective expression of humanity's mission, the
Sanctuary.   First there was the mishkan, the temporary, portable
sanctuary which  followed the  Jewish people  in their wanderings
through the  Sinai Desert.  Then, when Israel had finally settled
and established  themselves in  the Holy Land, the permanent Bais
Hamikdash was built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
 
The difference  can be seen in the construction.  The mishkan had
an earthen floor, atop which were placed heavy foundation-sockets
of silver.   Into  these sockets were set the wall sections, made
of gold-covered ceder wood. The roof consisted of three layers of
tent-coverings: tapestries  of wool and goat-hair, and a covering
of animal  hides.  The Beis Hamikdosh, however, was made entirely
of earth  and stone,  from its  marble floor  to its mortar roof.
The Beis  Hamikdosh did include some wood, in the form of support
beams, but  these were  imbedded within the stone and cement.  In
fact, it  was specifically forbidden for even the smallest bit of
wood to protrude and be visible.
 
Thus, the  mishkan included both lifeless minerals (earth, siver,
etc.) and  the products  of plant and animal life: the ground and
foundation being  of the  former, its  walls and  roof consisting
primarily of  the latter.   On the other hand, the Beis Hamikdosh
was built  almost exclusively  of materials  of inanimate origin;
the little  wood it  did contain  was secondary and supportive in
function, and completely covered up by the stone.
 
In the  ``small world'' that is man, the inanimate element is his
capacity for  self-negation (``may my soul be as dust to all''4),
his capacity  for devotion, servitude and deed.  Plant and animal
life, the capacity for growth and development, are representative
of man's  emotional and  intellectual life.  Thus in the mishkan,
which represents the initial stages of man's mission in life, all
these elements are visibly stressed.
 
In fact,  the emphasis  is on  the ``higher''  faculties of  man:
true, everything  rests upon  the foundation  of servitude to the
Divine will,  but the edifice which is built upon this foundation
is the development and realization of man's potential.
 
Ultimately, however,  man learns  the true  purpose of  life:  to
serve his Creator.  The Beis Hamikdosh, too, contains elements of
growth, but  growth of  an utterly egoless nature: growth that is
submerged  within   self-negation,  growth   that  is  solely  an
instrument to  better fulfill G-d's will.  In the entire edifice,
from top  to bottom,  one sees only the ``stone'' and ``dust'' of
deed.
 
                      The Historical Rift
These two aspects of man's mission in life are represented by two
different -  and often  conflicting - elements in Jewish history.
In the  founding family  of  the  Jewish  nation,  there  already
existed this  dichotomy in  the  persons  of  Joseph  and  Judah.
Joseph exemplified learning and self-improvement, while Judah was
the epitome  of self-sacrifice  and self-effacement.   Their very
names  convey  their  differing  natures:  Joseph  (``Yosef''  in
Hebrew)  means  to  ``add  on,''  Judah  (``Yehudah'')  means  to
``submit.''
 
Initially, Joseph's  brothers, led  by Judah,  rejected him.  But
then  Judah   approaches  Joseph,5  acknowledging  not  only  the
necessity of the growth which Joseph represents but also Joseph's
more dominant role in the initial stages of Israel's development.
 
But later  in  history,  the  schism  between  Joseph  and  Judah
reappeared.   While Joseph  was the  uncontested  leader  of  his
brothers in  Egypt, and descendents of Joseph (Joshua and Gideon)
led the  people of  Israel during  the initial  stages  of  their
conquest and  settlement of  the Holy  Land, the  predominance of
Judah was  firmly established  with the  crowning of David as the
king of Israel.  But a descendent of Joseph, Jeroboam, refused to
accept the  sovereignty of  the royal  house of David.  After the
death of  David's son, Solomon, Jeroboam led a mutiny against the
Davidic dynasty,  and established himself as king in the northern
part of  the Holy Land.  For the next three centuries, the people
of Israel  were split  into two kingdoms: Judah in the south, and
the northern, Joseph-dominated kingdom of Israel.
 
The deeper  significance of  this rift was the unreadiness of the
``personal growth''  element, represented  by Joseph, to yield to
the ``servitude''  of Judah  - as  Judah, centuries  earlier, had
acknowledged the predominance of ``Joseph'' in the initial stages
of Israel's  mission.  In other words, Israel had not yet matured
to the  ultimate  realization  of  its  mission  as  the  utterly
selfless service  of G-d.  The resolution of this rift is the key
for the ultimate redemption of Moshiach and the perfection of the
world in the harmonious service of its Creator.
 
It is  therefore most  appropriate that  on the  same Shabbos  in
which  we   read  in   the  Torah  of  Judah's  approach  of  and
reconciliation with  Joseph,  we  also  read  a  section  of  the
Prophets which  describes the  ultimate reunion  of the two, this
time with  Joseph's acknowledgment  of  Judah's  sovereignty  and
leadership.   Here, the basis of Judah's right to the kingship is
also emphasized:  because he  is G-d's servant, he is the eternal
leader of Israel.  In the words of the prophet Ezekiel:
 
``So said  the L-rd  G-d: Behold,  I will  take the  children  of
Israel from  among the  nations into  which they have gone, and I
shall gather them from all around and I shall bring them to their
land.   I will  make them  into one  nation in  the land,  in the
mountains of Israel, and a single king shall be over them all; no
longer shall they be two nations, no longer shall they be divided
into two  kingdoms.   Nor shall  they defile  themselves any more
with their  idols, their  abominations, and  their sins... I will
cleanse them; they shall be My nation, and I will be their G-d.
 
``And My  servant David  shall be  king over them, and they shall
all have a single shepherd.  They will follow My laws and observe
My statutes  and do  them... and  David My servant shall be their
prince for ever'' (Ezekiel 37).  ~
 
Based on  the Rebbe shlita's talks on Shabbos Vayigash 5732 (Dec. 25 1971),
Shavuos 5742 (1982), and Shabbos Vayigash 5746 (Dec. 191985).
__
(1) Kiddushin  40b.  (2) Exodus 25:8.  (3) Midrash Tanchuma, Naso
16. (4) From the daily prayers.  (5) Genesis 44:18.
 
 
                 Homestead and Holding Pen
And Israel  dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen;
and they took hold of it, and grew and multiplied very much.
- Genesis 47:27
 
Thus the Torah describes the beginning of the first golus (exile)
of the  Jewish people.  Quite a pleasant beginning, it appears to
have been:  one of  their own,  Joseph, was the de facto ruler of
Egypt; Goshen,  the choicest  bit of  Egyptian real  estate,  was
theirs to settle, and settle it and flourish they did.
 
But the  Hebrew word the verse uses for ``they took hold of it,''
vayei'ochazu, also  means ``they were held by it.''  Indeed, both
interpretations are  cited by  the biblical  commentaries  (Rashi
translates vayei'ochazu  as related  to the word achuzah - ``land
holding'' and  ``homestead.''   The Midrash  says ``The land held
and grasped them... like a man who is forcefully held.'')
 
This duality aptly expresses the Jew's attitude toward golus.  He
knows that  no matter  how hospitable the host-country may be, no
matter prosperous  - in the material and the spiritual sense - we
may be  on foreign  soil, golus is a prison.  He knows that golus
dims our  spiritual vision, interferes with our relationship with
our Creator,  and hinders  our role  as a  nation.  For only as a
people settled  in our  land can  we fully  implement the  entire
Torah, the  lifeblood of  our connection  to G-d.   Only with the
Holy Temple rebuilt on its site can we openly perceive the Divine
presence in the world.  Only by building a just and G-dly society
in the  Holy Land, true to the Divine blueprint for life outlined
in the Torah, can we truly realize our role as ``a light unto the
nations.''
 
On the  other hand,  the Jew  knows that  he is  in golus  for  a
reason.   That we  have been  dispersed throughout  the world  in
order to  reach and  influence the  whole of  humanity.  That the
true purpose  of golus  is  that  we  develop  the  pinpionts  of
potential which lie scattered in the most forsaken corners of the
globe.
 
Golus is  both a homestead to develop and a holding cell one must
seek to  escape.   Both these  perspectives on  our ``home'' away
from home  are crucial to our successful surmounting of the golus
challenge.   If we  relate to  golus solely  as a prison, we will
fail to  properly utilize the tremendous opportunities it offers.
But if  we grow  comfortable with this alien environment, we risk
becoming part  of it;  and if  the Jew  becomes part of the golus
reality, G-d  forbid, he  could no more succeed in his efforts to
develop and  elevate it than the person who tries to lift himself
up by pulling on the top of his own head.
 
Adopted from  an address  by the  Rebbe,  Shabbos  Vayigash  5725
(December 12 1964)
 
 
A Telling Story
                       Chassidic CPR
Rabbi Schneur  Zalman of  Liadi was  the founder  of  the  Chabad
branch of Chassidism.  `Chabad' is an all-embracing world-outlook
and way  of life in which the intellect plays a key role in man's
service of  the Creator.  The mind is trained to exert its innate
sovereignty over  the `small  world' that  is man:  by using  his
intellect to comprehend and relate to the reality of G-d, a
 
person develops  feelings of  love and  awe towards  the Creator,
refines his character, and perfects his behavior.
 
A group  of Rabbi  Schneur Zalman's  followers were  once sitting
together at  a farbrengen, the traditional chassidic gathering at
which spirits  soar amidst  words of  inspiration,  l'chayim  and
song.  The topic under discussion was the era of Moshiach and the
destined resurrection  of the  dead when  one  of  the  chassidim
remarked:
 
``Our Rebbe  revives the  dead.  What is a corpse? Something cold
and unfeeling.   Life  is movement, warmth, excitement.  Is their
anything as  frozen in  self-absorption, as cold and unfeeling as
the mind? And when the coldblooded mind understands, comprehends,
and is  excited by  a G-dly  idea -  is this not a revival of the
dead?!''
 
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