STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
EMOR/LAG BAOMER 5777
“COMPASS
FOR LIFE”
Seven years ago,
I was privileged to be invited to join an Orthodox Union Rabbinic mission to
Eretz Yisroel, co-sponsored by “Hachavayah HaYisraelis” The Israel experience.”
Along with twenty-five Rabbis from across America (and South Africa), I spent a
week touring fascinating places across the country with wonderful tour guides[1],
who helped us appreciate the historical beauty of everything we were seeing, based
on a Torah perspective.
One of the many
places we had the opportunity to visit was the Nevatim air force base in the Negev . Although it is an exclusive army base and off
limits to the public we were granted special permission to receive a brief tour
of part of the area.
On the wall of one
of the rooms at the base was a sign that bore their mantra:
“אין מקום רחוק מידי; אין משימה קשה מידי- No
place too far; no mission too difficult!”
An inspirational
lesson that speaks for itself!
Our tour guide,
a wonderful highly-trained experienced soldier named Shakid, allowed us to
board a C-130 Hercules fighter jet in order to view the cockpit. These were the
types of planes used in missions such as the Entebbe Ethiopia
Shakid explained
to us that every jet has a minimum of a five-man crew: The Captain, Copilot,
Flight Engineer, Navigator, and Load Master. Each has his own role that must be
executed perfectly for a mission to be successful.
He then added
that the most important person on the plane is unquestionably the navigator. All
the expertise and knowledge required to fly the plane is worth nothing if the
plane is not directed to where it needs to be!
“G-d said to
Moshe: Say to the Kohanim… each of you shall not contaminate himself to a dead
person among his people, except for the relative who is closest to him…”[2]
“The Kohen who
is exalted above his brethren – upon whose head the anointment oil has been
poured… he shall not come near any dead person… he shall not leave the
sanctuary…”[3]
Rabbi Meir
Rubman zt’l[4]
notes that the discrepancy in halachic status between kohanim and the rest of
the nation, and between the Kohain Gadol and the rest of the kohanim, reminds
us that every person must serve G-d based on his own level.
The Mesillas
Yesharim[5]
commences with timeless words: “The foundation of piety and the root of
complete service is that it be true and clear to every person what is his
obligation in this world.”
It does not say
that one must know ‘man’s purpose in the world’, but ‘his own purpose in the
world’. Piety and ultimate Service to G-d is rooted in understanding one’s own
uniqueness and mission in life.
The gemara[6]
records the epic saga of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Elazar his son.
After being forced to flee for their lives from the pursuant Roman forces, they
took refuge in a cave where they remained for twelve years. They spent their
days completely immersed in Torah and prayer, sustaining themselves from a
stream of water and a carob tree that grew miraculously in the cave.
When they finally
emerged from the cave and saw people plowing and working the fields, they were
aghast. They had reached such transcendent levels of holiness and purity that
they could not fathom how one could busy himself with the mundane needs of this
world. The gemara records that whatever they looked at immediately became
consumed with fire. Whereupon a heavenly voice emanated and said, “Did you
leave (the cave) to destroy My world? Return to your cave!”
They returned to
the cave for another year. When they emerged Rabbi Elazar again caused
everything he gazed at to become consumed with fire, but this time Rabbi Shimon
was able to save whatever was consumed by Rabbi Elazar’s gaze.
Rabbi Rubman
explained that when Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Elazar emerged from the cave
initially after the twelve years were over, they viewed the world through the
perspective of their own lives. Therefore, they could not comprehend that
anyone would give of his time to engage in earthly pursuits. They were then instructed
to return to the cave so that they could learn to live in G-d’s world without
destroying it. This entailed learning to understand that every person has his
own distinct mission and path in life. Thus when they emerged the second time,
Rabbi Shimon understood that although for him physical pursuits were anathema,
for the people in the fields it was a necessity.
The greatness of
Rabbi Shimon was that despite his personal extreme greatness, he learned to tolerate
and appreciate that every person has his own path in life, and not every person
could be expected to live according to his lofty levels.
Before I left
Eretz Yisroel during that visit, I had the privilege to go with my brother
Yaakov to visit Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer[7],
in his home in Yerushalayim.
While there,
Rabbi Feuer shared with us the following thought:
The Mishna[8]
states, “Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa said: Anyone that his fear of sin exceeds his
wisdom, his wisdom will endure; but anyone that his wisdom exceeds his fear of
sin, his wisdom will not endure.” It is worthy to note that the Mishna does not
state, “If one’s fear of sin exceeds wisdom, his wisdom will endure”. Rather it
says, “Anyone that his fear of sin exceeds his wisdom, his wisdom
will endure.” Rabbi Chanina was teaching us that it is not sufficient for one
to be G-d-fearing, but one’s fear of G-d must be commensurately superior to his
own level of wisdom. Two people may be equally G-d fearing yet one of them may
not merit being called a G-d fearing person because he is wiser than he is
G-d-fearing. The more wisdom and insight one is endowed with the greater is
one’s obligation to raise his level of fear of G-d to ensure that he not be
swept away by his own brilliance.
In regard to the
counting of the omer in anticipation of the holiday of Shavuos, the Torah
commands, “You shall count for yourselves… seven weeks they shall be complete.[9]”
The commentators
derive from this verse that to fulfill the obligation of counting one must
recite each night’s counting by himself, and cannot rely on the principle of שומע כעונה (hearing
is like answering).
Rabbi Nissan
Alpert zt’l noted that the Torah exhorts us to count the omer in a personal
manner, because counting the omer is not about counting days, but about making
days count! When we count the days of the omer we are essentially counting the
value of our days and how much we invest in our days. Therefore, the counting is
a very personal experience, and one must count for himself.
The celebration
of the holiday of Lag Baomer is inextricably bound to the celebration of the
life and legacy of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Part of the greatness of Rabbi
Shimon was that despite the fact that he had reached the epitome of holiness
and sagacity, revealing the esoteric secrets of kabalah in the Zohar, he was
able to tolerate and understand the divergent and unique mission of every Jew.
Stephen Covey
once remarked that the most important ingredient for success in life – even
more than having a positive attitude – is having a roadmap.[10]
To be successful one must know and understand the course and direction that his
life must take for him to be successful.
When all is said
and done, each of us walk our own path in life. For one to achieve personal
greatness he must first find that path and then never waver from it as he
navigates his way through life.
“You shall count
for yourselves”
“That it be true
and clear what is his obligation in this world”
Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
[1] Ruchama
Alter and Shuli Mishkin
[2] Vayikra
21:1-2
[3] Vayikra
21:10-12
[4] Zichron
Meir, quoted in Yalkut Lekach Tov
[5] “The Path
of the Just” authored by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, one of the greatest works
of mussar (Torah ethiucs) ever written
[6] Shabbos 33b
[7] Rabbi Feuer
was our family’s Rav when he was the Rabbi of Kehillas Bais Avrohom in Monsey,
NY.
[8] Avos 3:11
[10] Stephen
Covey is the famed author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. I thank Rabbi Hershel Becker of Miami, FL for
sharing this insight with me.
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