Pirkei Avos
Tal Moshe Zwecker
Avos Mishna 1:3
“And the fear of heaven shall be upon you.”
The Ohr Yesharim asks: This is a difficult statement since how can we assign fear to Hashem? How can there be any fear in Heaven?
However the answer is that Hashem fears only one thing, Hashem fears that a Jew might sin and distant himself from Hashem.
This is the fear that you must share as well, you should also fear the fear of Heaven, and be afraid that if you sin, heaven forbid your actions will distance you from Hashem.
Mishna 1:4
"And drink in their words with great thirst."
The Ohr HaMeir explained this as follows: We can explain this by way of Remez, meaning that there is a great hint given to us here in how to serve Hashem.
That is even when your throat is parched and your thirst is great, and you hunger for food, do not eat and drink except the words of our sages who taught us the true path in the service of our Creator. They taught us what Bnei Yisroel should do when they eat and drink, that their primary objective should be to uplift from the food on your table, those holy letters of the Torah which are clothed in the physical taste of the food and drink.
When you do this you are truly drinking their words with great thirst!
Chap 1 Mishna 2
Shimon HaTzadik was among the survivors of the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah – Men of the Great Assembly. He used to say: The world stands on three things: Torah, Avodah and Gemilus Chassadim – Torah study, serving Hashem and acts of loving kindness.
Based on the Bas Ayin Parshas Chukas
Rebbe Avraham Dov of Avritsh taught based on the Toldos Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye (Toldos): the sin of the golden calf is contained in all accounts of sins as our sages taught in Sanhedrin 102a. This is born out in the verse in Shemos (32:34) “On the day I make my account, I shall bring their sin to account against them.” He also wrote there that the calf in Hebrew – Egel is an acronym that stands for the sins of Arayos, Gezel and Lashon HaRah – Promiscuity, Theft, Slander and Harmful speech (which together spell Egel – Ayin, Gimel, Reish). This is as taught by our sages in Bava Basra 165a “Most sin through theft, and a minority through licentiousness or promiscuity and everyone with slander or other forms of forbidden speech.”
The main way to rectify the sin of the golden calf (which is a thread that runs through all sins including those three major categories of sin which our sages alluded to which form its acronym) and those three above mentioned sins is through three other corresponding mitzvos. These are Avodah, Gemilus Chassadim, Limud Torah – service of Hashem, kind deeds and Torah study which form the acronym Egel – calf. These three mitzvos studying Torah doing acts of kindness and serving Hashem all rectify the sin of the calf which corresponds to the three aforementioned sins as our sages taught Avos 1:2 “The world stands on three things: Torah, Avodah and Gemilus Chassadim – Torah study, serving Hashem and acts of loving kindness.” We find that Avodah, Gemilus Chassadim and Torah study can aid us in rectifying the sin of the golden calf which represents the sins of Arayos, Gezel and Lashon HaRah – Promiscuity, Theft, Slander and Harmful speech.
All this was previously possible when the holy Bais HaMikdash stood built on the temple mount. Then we were able to fully rectify the sin of the golden calf since we were able to serve Hashem with the sacrificial offerings and we were able to spell Egel in order since Avodah (Karbanos -sacrificial offerings) was primary then we have Avodah, Gemilus Chassadim and Limud Torah = Egel. However in our times when we have no temple our primary way of serving is study as our sages taught in Menachos 110a “Whoever occupies himself with studying the Torah of the Olah – the burnt offering it is considered as if he offered an Olah – burnt offering.” However until Avodah of the sacrificial offerings is primary and the order of Avodah preceded Limud Torah, we cannot fully rectify the sin of the golden calf. However we can have the order with Gemilus Chassadim – acts and kind deeds as primary and preceding before Torah study and Avodah service.
This is the case when the primary form of Gemilus Chassadim is performed by sharing in the pain of others and feeling the pain of our fellow man. This is an aspect of the Hebrew word Echad which can be read as a compound word – Ach Dalet, which means the brother of the poor and destitute. This is as I heard from the holy head of the Rabbinical court of Berditchev (author of the Kedushas Levi) who said in the name of the Maggid of Mezritch1 that one of the thirteen forms of rules with which we elucidate and interpret the Torah (See Braisa DeR' Yishmael in the intro to Sifra) is a gezeirah shava – where similar words in different contexts clarify each other. This shares the aspect of equality or hishtavus where we ask someone to empathize and feel your friend's pain as if it were truly your own. This is true unity (alluding to the word Echad above which we took to mean Ach Dalet the brother of the poor). This is the primary form of Gemilus Chassadim – which we can now take to mean compassionate deeds which can aid us in rectifying the sin of the golden calf as we explained.
Notes:
1. See also Kedushas Levi on Parshas Ki Sisa sv VeYaavor Al Panav.
Story:
Ahavas Yisroel: Feeling the Pain of Another Jew
The Holy Rav Moshe Leib Sassover once said: I learned true Ahavas Yisroel – love for my fellow Jew from a drunk villager. This villager was sitting together with his fellows and when he was drunk with his heart gladdened by wine he turned to his fellow and said: “Do you love me or not?” The fellow drunk declared: “Why I love you very much!” Afterwards the first drunk asked his fellow, “Do you know what I lack and what pains me?” His drunk friend answered, “How can I know what pains you and what you lack!?” The drunk responded, “How can you say you love me, if you don't even understand my pain and what I am missing?”
From this I learned true Ahavs Yisroel – love for my fellow Jew. Loving a fellow Jew means that one must feel their pain and suffering and share in their distress.
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim
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