הוא [רבי עקיבה] היה אומר, חביב אדם שנברא בצלם; חיבה יתרה נודעת
לו שנברא בצלם, שנאמר "כי בצלם אלוקים, עשה את האדם" (בראשית ט,ו). חביבין ישראל שנקראו בנים למקום; חיבה יתרה נודעת
להם שנקראו בנים למקום, שנאמר "בנים אתם, לה' אלוקיכם" (דברים יד,א). חביבין ישראל, שניתן להם כלי שבו נברא העולם; חיבה
יתרה נודעת להם שניתן להם כדי שבו נברא העולם, שנאמר "כי לקח טוב, נתתי לכם; תורתי,
אל תעזובו" (משלי ד ב).
He [Rabbi Akiva] would also say:
Beloved is man, for he was created in the image [of G‑d]; it is a sign of even greater
love that it has been made known to him that he was created in the image, as it
is says, "For in the image of G‑d, He made man" (Genesis 9:6). Beloved are Israel, for they are
called children of G‑d; it is a sign of even greater love that it has been made known to them
that they are called children of G‑d, as it is stated: "You are children of the L-rd your G‑d" (Deuteronomy 14:1).
Beloved are Israel, for they were given a precious article; it is a sign of
even greater love that it has been made known to them that they were given a
precious article, as it is stated: "I have given you a good purchase; My
Torah, do not forsake it" (Proverbs 4:2).
In 1982 when Israel fought in Lebanon many Jews from the diaspora
volunteered to help the war effort. The army recognized that they had made a
significant contribution and placed Aharon Davidi, a distinguished general, in
charge of setting up a permanent organization which they named Sar-El. The
following year I was given a flyer on the streets of Manhattan which offered a
month in Israel more or less as a reserve soldier. Benefits included guided
tours, Shabbos arrangements, room and board, and a round trip ticket; all for
the bargain price of $500. It was a good deal and over a hundred people like me
took it.
After we had been in Israel about a week we traveled to Jerusalem for a
reception where we would be addressed by a few members of the Knesset. No
exaggeration, over thirty members of the Knesset showed up to meet us. Rabbi
Menachem Porush from the Agudas Yisrael party warmly welcomed us to Jerusalem.
He said several times that it was your capital. He made the point a number of
times basically saying that it makes no difference in what country a Jew is
residing Jerusalem is still his capital. The group was mostly secular with a
few modern orthodox and no Haredim. The message was still the same, it makes no
difference whether a Jew does mitzvahs and keeps the Torah, Jerusalem is still
his capital.
He also told us that he was a seventh generation Yerushalmi and that his
granddaughter was expecting a child which would be ten generations in Jerusalem
for his family. He was quite proud of this and conveyed the feeling that we
should be proud of this as well. There was a hint of exasperation in his voice
because the message that Jerusalem was the exclusive capital of the Jewish
people to him was simple but many others did not accept it.
The message of the mishna is Jews are the children of Hashem. This idea
can be difficult to conceptualize, even though we often refer to Hashem as our
father and our king. In addition we refer to the holy Temple as the Temple of
Hashem. Also a number of characters in the Tanakh are called the servants of
G-d.
Some doctrines attempt to create clarity. For example Tanna Devei
Eliyahu explains that the ten sefiros are like the limbs of G-d. Others say
that the universe is like G-d’s beard. The Rabbi Nachman story, “The Master of
Prayer”, gives a human dimension. It is an allegory of a king, who represents
Hashem, who has a queen, daughter, grandson, friend, advisor, and other
attendants. The general idea though is that it is impossible for man to fully
understand the unity of Hashem and his separation from the universe. The best
we can do is meditate on a few flawed metaphors.
The Talmud (Niddah 31a) teaches, “There are three partners in man, the
Holy One, blessed be He, his father and his mother. His father supplies the
white substance out of which are formed the child's bones, sinews, nails, the
brain in his head and the white in his eye. His mother supplies the red
substance out of which is formed his skin, flesh, hair, blood and the black of
his eye. The Holy One, blessed be He, gives him the spirit and the breath,
beauty of features, eyesight, the power of hearing and the ability to speak and
to walk, understanding and discernment. When his time to depart from the world approaches
the Holy One, blessed be He, takes away his share and leaves the shares of his
father and his mother with them”. The point that conception between a man and
woman is not assured is often forgotten. The role of HaKadosh Baruch in
conception is more clearly seen when it comes after a long period of barrenness
and as a response to prayer as it did with our ancestors Yitzchak, Ya’akov, and
Yosef.
The Gemara also comments, “When a man honors his father and his mother,
the Holy One, blessed be He, says, I credit them as if I had dwelt among them
and they had honored Me,” (Kidushim 30b). However, “When a man vexes his father
and his mother, the Holy One, blessed be He, says I did right in not dwelling
among them, for had I dwelt among them, they would have vexed Me,” (ibid 31a).
The Gemara continues with a debate about the verse "You are children of
the Lord your G‑d"
(Deuteronomy 14:1). Rabbi Yehuda says it only applies with the Jews behave like
sons. Rabbi Meir differs saying even if the Jews don’t behave like sons they
still are sons of G-d, albeit bad ones (see ibid 36a).
The Zohar (2.90.2) goes even further stating that the holy One Blessed
be He, the Torah, and Israel are one, suggesting that there is a common
identity between the three of them. This is similar to the statement by
Maimonides (Mishna Torah, Foundation of Torah 2:10), “He
is the knower, He is the known, and He is the knowledge itself”. The implication is that when the Jews keep
the Torah they are in some aspects no different from Hashem. An extension of
this idea is that obeying a talmid chacham is the same as obeying Hashem
because Hashem would have commanded the same thing. This elucidates Hashem’s
blessing to Abraham when He commanded him to go for yourself to a land that I
will show you and I will bless those that bless you. The foundation is that a
man loves those that love his son that does his will. Part of the reason is
that if one loves a son that is like his father, they would love the father
himself.
What we see from this is that a good Jew should to a certain extent see
religion and its institutions as his personal property. When somebody donates a
book to a synagogue, it is not much different from giving a book to talmid
chacham. One of the reasons is because the talmid chacham will use that book. However,
it is also like a son will use his father’s books and at times even call them
his own. Likewise honoring religion is not so different from honoring one who
personifies its values. In addition, when the nation of Israel really is the
nation of Torah and is not subservient to another nation, it is not much
different from Hashem openly ruling the world. These are the days of the
Moshiach may they come speedily and in our days.
לע"נ
ה אמה מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז בנוסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר
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