CHOCHMAS NASHIM: B’HAALOTCHA:
WHOSE HAND IS IT?
By: Suri Davis
Hehehe, I received two birthday gifts erev Shavuoth. One was the biography of Esther Jungreis ZTL and the other the Melinda Gates book. I suppose I needed some female inspiration.
I want to zone in on one story of Rebbetzin’s ancestor The Menuchas Osher who was a poor Rav in Hungary. One day, a man came to the Rav and started writing on the Rav’s table top common means of healing the ill a century ago. He told the Rav that he should use these prescriptions as a means of making a living, and left. The Rav’s wife tried washing off the writings from the table, but it wouldn’t be cleaned until such time as the Rav wrote them down in a book, and then the table was cleared. For years, the Rav healed those who came to him by writing prescriptions and having them filled in the local pharmacy. Spoiler alert. Decades later, it was learned that the pharmacist filled the Rav’s prescriptions basically with placebos, the healing was from Hkbh via his shaliach the Menuchas Osher.
What do you think about this miracle? Where are you in your spectrum of belief. Clearly meant to inspire. Clearly the truth as conveyed by time and history. Theologic is beyond rational logic, it starts with a premise that there is an omnipotent G-d who can do all.
And this is the story of the Kohanim/priests and their work in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. G-d commanded Aaron to light the Menorah, and Leviticus 8:3 lets us know that Aaron followed G-d’s command. Why was this verse necessary, we would assume that Aaron would follow G-d’s command. Rashi tells us that Aaron did not deviate from G-d’s command. Why would we think he would deviate?
The Lubavitch Rebbe in his Likutei Sichot vol. 38, pp38-9, lets us know that Rashi in the verse following, verse 4 tells us that G-d caused the Menorah/candelabra to construct itself after a piece of gold was thrown into the fire (Exodus 25:31). One might think that the details of the lighting of the menorah was inconsequential compared to the miracle of the menorah’s creation. For Aaron’s actions in the lighting of the menorah was merely to cause the menorah to elicit its Heavenly light.
Furthermore, the priestly blessing which we in America recite on the three Jewish festivals is in this week’s torah portion as well. G-d bestows His blessing to the Jews as He wishes based on His algorithm of our merits. Why must Aaron and his children, the priests, recite this blessing, how does human participation add to G-d’s actions in this world?
G-d needs no helpers. There is merit in G-d’s bringing people in His process, merit for those who want to be involved in the partnership of religion and building and repairing the world, and merit as a whole for people to feel or think that they matter, that there was a purpose in their being born, in their involvement in the world. Think of the despair it would cause people to think that their actions had no purpose, that their thoughts were of no moment, that life would go on no matter whether they prayed, interacted or did acts of kindness. G-d partners with us on this earth for our individual growth, and for the betterment of humanity and humankind.
We are in the midst of riots #blacklivesmatter. It is important for all peoples to feel that they have a purpose on earth. I am quite sure though that useless, baseless destruction is not the purpose of any people on this earth. Focus should be on building and developing relationships, development and not hateful entropy.
Just as we are able to open up and leave our homes from our pandemic, there is an 11pm curfew in New York City. Go back to your cave, said G-d to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. You have not learned the lessons you needed to learn.
Have we?
-Suri