The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume I Issue #8
What Did That Donkey Say?
Parshas Balak
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
Does Hashem still speak with us; can one really receive a direct communication from Hashem? After all, if a donkey can get a direct link to Hashem why can't an ordinary Jew? This question is posed by Rav Tzadok HaCohen in his sefer Pri Tzadik on this week's Parsha. Bilam's donkey had quite a mouth. Our sages teach us that its mouth was created during the twilight period between erev Shabbos and Shabbos night (Avos 5:6). Rav Tzadok, in a marvelous exposition, points out that there are two types of speech that a human being possesses. The first one is what Hashem bestowed upon man the day he was created. The second type was created on Shabbos itself. "On Shabbos Hashem created the mouth that is above all other mouths…the mouth of Hashem was created on Shabbos, the other mouths (those of the land, the well, and the donkey) were created during the twilight of erev Shabbos" (Zohar vol. 3 p. 201b). On Shabbos man was given the ability to speak the words of Hashem. This is not merely the physical speech but rather the ability of the neshamah to speak the actual words of Hashem. Through this form of speech the words that come out of our mouths are not just a repetition of Hashem's words but an echo of Hashem's voice that penetrates the depths of our neshamah.
In the book of Shemos 20:21 the verse states, "In any place where you mention my name I will come and bless you." The greatest blessing from Hashem is when we can evoke his voice with our speech, when in unison with Him we speak the holy words of the Torah and sing His praises in our tefilah. This is the highest level of clinging to Hashem that is achievable in the physical world. The literal translation of the aforementioned verse is: "In any place that I will mention my name I will come and bless you." However, our sages teach that the verse should instead be understood like this: "In any place where you mention my name I will come and bless you." Why does the Torah write the verb in the first person – "I mention" - when it really wants us to understand it in the second person – "you mention"?
Rav Tzadok suggests a fascinating explanation to resolve this question. He explains that in fact both are correct, i.e. the verse means that when we mention Hashem's name, Hashem responds in kind. Furthermore, inasmuch as the Torah is itself considered to be the name of Hashem, the true meaning of the verse is: "when you mention Hashem's name in learning Torah and prayer, Hashem speaks the same words with you." Essentially, as the words of the Torah reverberate off our lips Hashem voices the same words within our neshamah. When we begin our silent amida prayer we begin with the words: "Hashem sefosi tiftach" - Hashem open my lips. We entreat Hashem to open our mouths so that our words of tefilah will engender the same words to come from Hashem's mouth. According to the great hassidic master Rebbi Elimelech tz"l this is the explanation of what the Talmud Brachos (7a) means when it states that Hashem prays. Now we can begin to understand the Zohar mentioned earlier. The ability to speak in harmony and unison with Hashem was created on Shabbos. When we speak the words of our Torah and recite the words of our tefilah we are in essence communicating with Hashem.
But how are we to understand the significance of the fact that the mouth of the donkey was created on erev Shabbos? Rav Tzadok expands his previous thought that while man can actually communicate with Hashem when speaking the words of Torah and tefilah, there is another level of communication with Hashem which is much less obvious. "Who is a wise man? One who learns from every man" (Avos chapt. 4). There are times that the inadvertent speech of others can deliver meaningful messages from Hashem.
The holy hassidic master Rebbi Zusha tz"l was on a journey when he came across a gentile who was stuck in the road with a turned over load of hay. The gentile asked Rebbi Zusha to help him reload the hay on the wagon. Rebbi Zusha answered that he could not help him. The gentile replied with impudence "You have the ability to help, you just don't want to." The holy Rebbi immediately interpreted this as a rebuke directly from Hashem. The message Rebbi Zusha heard emanating from the mouth of this gentile was: "Rebbi Zusha! The last letter of my name, (the Hebrew letter h'ey) has fallen into exile and you don't care to pick it up!"
The fallen hay of the gentile was a metaphor for the last h'ey of Hashem's name that represents the Shechina that had fallen into exile. Certainly the gentile had no intention of rebuking Rebbi Zusha for his shortcoming in the service of Hashem; nor did the gentile intend to deliver a Divine message. Nonetheless, Rebbi Zusha knew that Hashem communicates with man in many ways. One of those ways is covert. If a person has the merit he can hear the voice of Hashem resounding even through voices of people who ostensibly have no direct contact with Hashem.
This is the deeper meaning of what our sages meant when they said the mouth of the donkey was created on erev Shabbos, i.e. the phenomenon that people who are completely unworthy and even unaware of Hashem can deliver communication from Him. The donkey is a metaphor for those individuals who Hashem picks out, despite their unawareness and unworthiness, to convey a message from Hashem.
Returning to our original question, does Hashem still communicate with us? The answer is "And how!" We are surrounded with Hashem's communication on a daily basis. We need only to open our mouths in Torah and tefilah and Hashem's voice will resonate from within us. We should try to be cognizant of the fact that we are speaking literally with Hashem when we engage ourselves in Torah and tefilah. If we keep our ears and hearts open we can merit hearing the guidance and admonitions of Hashem from anyone with whom we may be in ear's shot… even a donkey.
Sponsorship and dedication opportunities are available.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
Does Hashem still speak with us; can one really receive a direct communication from Hashem? After all, if a donkey can get a direct link to Hashem why can't an ordinary Jew? This question is posed by Rav Tzadok HaCohen in his sefer Pri Tzadik on this week's Parsha. Bilam's donkey had quite a mouth. Our sages teach us that its mouth was created during the twilight period between erev Shabbos and Shabbos night (Avos 5:6). Rav Tzadok, in a marvelous exposition, points out that there are two types of speech that a human being possesses. The first one is what Hashem bestowed upon man the day he was created. The second type was created on Shabbos itself. "On Shabbos Hashem created the mouth that is above all other mouths…the mouth of Hashem was created on Shabbos, the other mouths (those of the land, the well, and the donkey) were created during the twilight of erev Shabbos" (Zohar vol. 3 p. 201b). On Shabbos man was given the ability to speak the words of Hashem. This is not merely the physical speech but rather the ability of the neshamah to speak the actual words of Hashem. Through this form of speech the words that come out of our mouths are not just a repetition of Hashem's words but an echo of Hashem's voice that penetrates the depths of our neshamah.
In the book of Shemos 20:21 the verse states, "In any place where you mention my name I will come and bless you." The greatest blessing from Hashem is when we can evoke his voice with our speech, when in unison with Him we speak the holy words of the Torah and sing His praises in our tefilah. This is the highest level of clinging to Hashem that is achievable in the physical world. The literal translation of the aforementioned verse is: "In any place that I will mention my name I will come and bless you." However, our sages teach that the verse should instead be understood like this: "In any place where you mention my name I will come and bless you." Why does the Torah write the verb in the first person – "I mention" - when it really wants us to understand it in the second person – "you mention"?
Rav Tzadok suggests a fascinating explanation to resolve this question. He explains that in fact both are correct, i.e. the verse means that when we mention Hashem's name, Hashem responds in kind. Furthermore, inasmuch as the Torah is itself considered to be the name of Hashem, the true meaning of the verse is: "when you mention Hashem's name in learning Torah and prayer, Hashem speaks the same words with you." Essentially, as the words of the Torah reverberate off our lips Hashem voices the same words within our neshamah. When we begin our silent amida prayer we begin with the words: "Hashem sefosi tiftach" - Hashem open my lips. We entreat Hashem to open our mouths so that our words of tefilah will engender the same words to come from Hashem's mouth. According to the great hassidic master Rebbi Elimelech tz"l this is the explanation of what the Talmud Brachos (7a) means when it states that Hashem prays. Now we can begin to understand the Zohar mentioned earlier. The ability to speak in harmony and unison with Hashem was created on Shabbos. When we speak the words of our Torah and recite the words of our tefilah we are in essence communicating with Hashem.
But how are we to understand the significance of the fact that the mouth of the donkey was created on erev Shabbos? Rav Tzadok expands his previous thought that while man can actually communicate with Hashem when speaking the words of Torah and tefilah, there is another level of communication with Hashem which is much less obvious. "Who is a wise man? One who learns from every man" (Avos chapt. 4). There are times that the inadvertent speech of others can deliver meaningful messages from Hashem.
The holy hassidic master Rebbi Zusha tz"l was on a journey when he came across a gentile who was stuck in the road with a turned over load of hay. The gentile asked Rebbi Zusha to help him reload the hay on the wagon. Rebbi Zusha answered that he could not help him. The gentile replied with impudence "You have the ability to help, you just don't want to." The holy Rebbi immediately interpreted this as a rebuke directly from Hashem. The message Rebbi Zusha heard emanating from the mouth of this gentile was: "Rebbi Zusha! The last letter of my name, (the Hebrew letter h'ey) has fallen into exile and you don't care to pick it up!"
The fallen hay of the gentile was a metaphor for the last h'ey of Hashem's name that represents the Shechina that had fallen into exile. Certainly the gentile had no intention of rebuking Rebbi Zusha for his shortcoming in the service of Hashem; nor did the gentile intend to deliver a Divine message. Nonetheless, Rebbi Zusha knew that Hashem communicates with man in many ways. One of those ways is covert. If a person has the merit he can hear the voice of Hashem resounding even through voices of people who ostensibly have no direct contact with Hashem.
This is the deeper meaning of what our sages meant when they said the mouth of the donkey was created on erev Shabbos, i.e. the phenomenon that people who are completely unworthy and even unaware of Hashem can deliver communication from Him. The donkey is a metaphor for those individuals who Hashem picks out, despite their unawareness and unworthiness, to convey a message from Hashem.
Returning to our original question, does Hashem still communicate with us? The answer is "And how!" We are surrounded with Hashem's communication on a daily basis. We need only to open our mouths in Torah and tefilah and Hashem's voice will resonate from within us. We should try to be cognizant of the fact that we are speaking literally with Hashem when we engage ourselves in Torah and tefilah. If we keep our ears and hearts open we can merit hearing the guidance and admonitions of Hashem from anyone with whom we may be in ear's shot… even a donkey.
Sponsorship and dedication opportunities are available.