And you shall love Hashem your G-d.
One manner of fulfilling this mitzvah is through the study of Torah without ulterior motives. That is, not only should it not be for self-aggrandization or to needle another – such behavior incurs the severe censure that “it would have been better had he not been formed”* – it should be undertaken to adorn the Halachah with the embellishments that one produces. Since the Oral Law is associated with the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, the engagement in its study engenders bonding between the Shechinah and the higher heavenly realms. Ans since this process is reciprocal, it is most effectively accomplished by a pair engaged in study; their joint quest to uncover the truth of Torah prompts the synchronization of the heavenly forces. (Hence the Sages’ criticism of those who study alone.**) The uppermost mode of Divine activity which is activated in this process is that of כתר, Keser or the Crown, drawn down into unity with the lowest mode, the Shechinah. Appropriately, the כת"ר, which has the numerical value of 620, is divided between the two scholars, providing each with ש"י, a value of 310, as in the verse להנחיל אהבי יש, to bequeath to those who love me reward of substance.*** Note that these participants are described as acting out of love for Hashem – not for ulterior motives.
Having mentioned the opening of the above verse from Mishlei, let us try to understand its conclusion, ואצרותיהם אמלא, and I shall fill their storage houses, as well as the mishnah which cites the verse and continues with the teaching that לא מצא הקב"ה כלי מחזיק ברכה לישראל אלא השלום, Hashem could find no better vessel for Israel’s blessing than peace.****
In order to probe these sources, I cite a lesson that I heard from my mentor, the Besht. He questioned why the verse says תפילה לעני כי יעטוף, a prayer by a pauper when he swoons,***** using לעני instead of מעני, from a pauper. He answered by way of a metaphor: A great and wise king proclaimed that each of his subjects was free to make a request of him. Understandably, the requests that ensued consisted of wealth, power, and the like. One citizen, though, stood out: he requested an audience with his majesty thrice daily. The king was so struck at the fellow’s wisdom that he instructed his staff to usher him into his meetings in the royal inner sanctum via the treasure rooms, allowing him to take as he pleased.
In reality, a king as an individual is but a pauper – all of his riches are under the control of his attendants, he personally has little more than others. Hence, תפילה לעני, a prayer, a request, for the opportunity to converse with the pauper, i.e., the king. In truth, כי יעטוף, within this request there is enwrapped access to all of the king’s wealth. How was this accomplished? ולפני ה' ישפוך שיחו, because it was before Hashem Himself that he requested to pour out his supplication.
This, then, may be the message of our verse as well. להנחיל אוהבי, his request was singular – to be the king’s confidant. Yet, consequently, יש, it brings with it reward on the scale of the ש"י עולמות, the 310 worlds.
Now, to turn to the mishnaic teaching, it seems that it can be understood with my exposition of the verse, פנחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן... לכן אמור הנני נותן לו את בריתי שלום, Pinchas son of Elazar son of Aharon the Kohen… therefore, proclaim: Behold, I am giving him My covenant of Peace******. The Talmud******* explains this tracing of Pinchas’ lineage here as a response to those critical of his heroic deed in slaying Zimri in light of his descent from the idolatrous Yisro; the Torah thus emphasizes Pinchas’ nobler pedigree from Aharon. Aside from understanding this passage, there are another two that bear scrutiny: אין ממנין פרנס על הצבור אלא אם כן קופה של שרצים תלויין אחריו, one is not appointed as a communal leader unless he has a skeleton in his closet********, in order to temper the arrogance natural to leadership; and, כל המבזה ת"ח אין רפואה למכתו, anyone who degrades a Torah scholar has no means of healing his injury.*********
The principle underlying all of this is that two opposite qualities, at different poles of a spectrum, cannot be united without an intermediate that interfaces with both. To draw from an example in the natural world: as the Ramban********** cites from the Greek philosophers, the four elements that compose the physical world all consist of a common matter. Without this, it would be impossible for opposites such as fire and water, air and soil, to meld and synchronize. The same is true in human nature: in order for an individual to broker peace between two disputants, he must have common ground with both of them.*********** This is borne out in a metaphor that I heard from my mentor, the Besht, regarding a prince that was temporarily removed from the palace so as to heighten his appreciation for his standing. The plan backfired, and the prince became so accustomed to peasant life that he refused to return to the palace despite his father’s ever-stronger entreaties. The problem was finally resolved by a certain wise courtier who assumed the dress and mannerisms of a peasant. Only after befriending his plebian peer, was he able to gain his trust and ultimately cajole him into returning to his former life.
This was the function of Pinchas. He was able to achieve reconciliation between Hashem and Israel after the latter’s sinfulness with the daughters of Midyan by serving as a bridge figure. On the one hand, he was a descendent of Yisro “who fattened bulls for idolatrous offerings,” as Pinchas was taunted, giving him common ground with Israel, whose lewdness with foreign women was associated with idolatry.************ On the other hand, he was a descendent of Aharon, the great tzaddik. Pinchas thus embodied the best and the worst, drawing them into harmony, and awarding him the “covenant of Peace.” It is this dichotomy that is alluded to with the taunting of the Tribes prompting, the tracing of his lineage.
This is also the meaning of the talmudic warning about one who disgraces a scholar. How would someone go about doing so? By picking on the uncomplimentary quality that the scholar has. What the mocker doesn’t realize is that that imperfection exists so that the scholar will have a commonality with the commonfolk, allowing him to educate and elevate them. It is like the peasant ware of the undercover nobleman which empowers him to rehabilitate the wayward prince. It follows that if someone belittles this necessary imperfection, using it as an excuse to distance the scholar, he denies himself the scholar’s positive influence. There is, therefore, no balm for his injury.*************
This is also a possible rendering of the mishnah in Avos: הילודים למות והמתים להחיות, those born are destined to die, and the dead are destined to live.************** That is, the righteous (the spiritually alive) are tainted with a failing (an element of death), so that they may elevate (spiritually resuscitate) the wicked (the spiritually dead).
We can now turn to the Mishnah’s conclusion with the word שלום. There are three degrees of disdain levelled at the Jewish People, which parallel the three forms of exile that they endure. One is that of the exile amongst the nations of the world, in which they taunt the Jews over their constant suffering which stands in sharp relief to the gentiles’ prosperity. A subset of this is the theological pressure which the Christians would apply to their Jewish subjects, claiming that the contrasting conditions attest to the rejection of the Jews and the choseness of the Christians.
The Zohar*************** discusses this phenomenon, referencing a verse in Mishlei, שפת אמת תכון לעד ועד ארגיעה שפת שקר, True speech is everlasting, while false speech lasts but a moment.**************** The claim is that the seemingly everlasting prosperity of the gentiles indicates its truth, while the relative brevity of the Jewish hold on power indicates its falsehood.
A second, more difficult form of disdain is that of the ignorant for the scholars. The former point to their material success as a sign of their spiritual superiority, while the pitiful conditions of the latter indicate their inferiority. This climate engenders apathy within the community at large for scholarship and piety.
The third and harshest is the antipathy between scholars, particularly that suffered by the devout ones at the hands of the ersatz ones. As the quip goes, it was Torah scholars who murdered the prophet Zecharyah. Why is this so serious? Because it is only due to the disrespect shown by scholars for one another that creates an atmosphere in which the masses feel licensed to mock them. And it is this state of internal discord that invites the gentiles to show disdain for the Jews.*****************
Thus, in the concluding mishnah, these three forms of discord and disdain are addressed. First, the author addresses the inter-scholarly tension by calling for Torah study to be engaged in not for self-aggrandization but for the sake of the Shechinah. להנחיל אוהב"י יש, Hashem has reward to bestow upon every tzaddik if he acts as His lover, not as a self-lover.
Once this is rectified, the second conflict, that of the masses for the scholars, can be addressed. The former need to realize that the personal failings that they see in some scholars are there for a reason – to provide a point of contact between the two social groups, as discussed earlier at length. If this is cleared up, Hashem will see to it that there will be peace between Israel and the surrounding nations. Hence, as the mishnah continues, Hashem could not find a better receptacle for blessing than peace. This puts another spin on the passage of the Zohar cited earlier. שפת אמת תכון לעד, through “true speech,” i.e., speech free of strife and conflict, there will be financial stability throughout the nation. In fact, the very word אמת indicates this harmony: its letters א, מ, and ת are the first, middle, and final letters of the aleph bet; their unity in this word indicates a peace that permeates Israel. They also represent the three tiers of the nation: the authentic scholars, the ersatz scholars, and the masses. When these three groups join together harmoniously to create internal peace, external peace will follow.
This follows in a kabbalistic sense as well. A world in which all is well is one that hosts a healthy bilateral relationship between the heavenly system of bestowal and the earthly one of reception. Now, in mystical nomenclature, the former is connoted by the Divine Name of הוי"ה, while the latter, that of אדנו"ת. If one were to multiply, respectively, each of the four letters of the first Name with the corresponding letter of the second, the total result would be 380. The word שלום, peace, when added to the significant number four, yields this sum as well. This indicates the critical role of Shalom in maintaining the equilibrium of the cosmos. Hence, as the mishnah declared, there is no greater receptacle for blessing than peace.
Thus, it’s necessary to have a social intermediary stage, the aforementioned lower form of Torah scholar. Otherwise, as mentioned above, what interaction could there possible be between the ignorant who reside at the bottom of the spiritual universe and the scholars who represent Man in his ideal form? The intermediary is the scholar who is enwrapped in the inferior garb of the ignorant, possessing elements of both extremes.
This idea comes up in the preamble of Hashem’s presentation of the Torah. As we know, before He approached the Jews, Hashem offered the Torah to the other nations, who refused it due to the conflict that it posed for their lifestyle. Edom, for example, could not contend with the proscription against murder, and Ishmael with that of incest.****************** Israel, though, was not introduced to the Torah with an incompatible item – rather, the relatively benign משפטים, the legal system. Now, where is the fairness in that?
The answer is that this was the only option for the gentiles. Take Edom, for example. Their only intersection with the Torah is through the prohibition of לא תרצח, Thou shall not murder – in its positive application. What I mean by that is the Zohar’s******************* comment in explanation of the pesik, the punctuation stop between these two words, that it limits the scope of the prohibition to allow those instances in which killing a human being is meritorious, such as for capital punishment. Thus, positive killing is rooted in these words, and it is in this area that the bloodthirsty Edom has its redeeming quality. The same is true for Ishmael vis-à-vis sensuality. When they refused, those qualities were transferred to the Jewish People. They, on the other hand, did not need a specific sample with which to intersect with the Torah, as its “600,000 letters” parallel the 600,000 primary souls of the Jewish People. Thus, the introductory section could be chosen as per whatever was on hand – namely, Mishpatim.
What emerges is that the Torah plays the same intermediary role that we described above, brokering between Hashem and the world.
This is the meaning of the other verse mentioned in the mishnah, ה' עוז לעמו יתן ה' יברך את עמו בשלום, Hashem will give strength to His nation, Hashem will bless His nation with peace. ******************** The first step is to bless the people with peace, as the verse famously says, ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר, and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain,********************* whose singular tense indicates that they achieved a singular moment of unity. Once internal tension ceased, they achieved peace with the nations, meriting to receive the aforementioned “gifts” from them. They were then able to receive the Torah – referred to in this verse as עוז, strength.
Thus, this is a most appropriate conclusion to the corpus of the Mishnah, extolling the praises of the student of Torah for its own sake, who brings peace into this world on three different levels and removes three forms of exile. As Koheles says, אשריך ארץ שמלכך בן חורין, Praiseworthy are you, O land, that your king is a freeman.********************** When one engages in Torah properly – which is associated with kingship – it prompts freedom from exile and, consequently, success for the “land,” a reference to the masses.
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* Berachos 17a; see Tosafos, ad loc.
** Berachos 63b, based on Yirmiyah 50:36.
*** Mishlei 8:21.
**** Uktzin 3:12.
***** Tehillim 102:1.
****** Bamidbar 25:11-12.
******* Sanhedrin 82b.
******** Yoma 22a.
********* Shabbos 119b.
********** Bereishis 1:2.
*********** As a popular aphorism goes, one’s company is indicative of his nature.
************ As Shabbos 37b states, the Sages forbade relations with gentile women as a bulwark against idolatry.
************* This is also the meaning of the talmudic prescription for a leader with an unglamorous past.
************** 4:22.
*************** Tisa, 188b.
**************** 12:19.
***************** See Sefer Chassidim 209.
****************** Zohar, Balak, 192b. [See, however, Sifrei, Berachah 2, where it is Ammon and Moav who turn down the Torah due to its inclusion of ףאנת אל; Yishmael refuses on account of ובונגת אל .]
******************* Yisro, 93b.
******************** Tehillim 29:11.
********************* Shemos 19:2.
********************** 10:17.