[Avodah] Keneged Hahar

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 06:55:11PM +0300, Shlomo Pick wrote:
: Nothing wrong. They came har Sinai and turned their backs on worldliness
: which is pure worldliness. After getting the torah, they could now sanctify
: that worldliness. In such a case, it's no longer worldliness but becomes
: torah. This is signified in the two tablets of stone...
: This is not derush, but halakha, as I refer you to OH 131 :1 where there is
: a mandate to make all your worldliness holy but having the proper kavanot.

Qadeish es atzmekha bemah shemutar lakh.

Or: TiDE.

But you gave me a great opening to quote RSShkop (translation mine, from
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/ShaareiYosher.pdf>):

    For everything He created and formed was according to His Will
    (may it be blessed), [that is] only to be good to the creations. So
    too His Will is that we walk in His ways. As it says "and you shall
    walk in His Ways" -- that we, the select of what He made -- should
    constantly hold as our purpose to sanctify our physical and spiritual
    powers for the good of the many, according to our abilities. In my
    opinion, this whole concept is included in Hashem's mitzvah

    "Be holy, [for I am Holy]." The Midrash (Leviticus, Emor, ch. 24)
    says about this verse: "Can it [truly] be 'Like Me?' This is why
    it continues, 'for I am Holy' to teach that My Sanctity is above
    yours." And about the foundation of this mitzvah of sanctity
    the Toras Kohanim4 has "'be holy' -- be separate". Nachmanides,
    in his commentary on the Torah, explains at length this notion of
    separation as it is stated in this mitzvah, that it is separation
    from excessive comfort and pleasure -- even if they are actions that
    are not prohibited to us. In one illustrative statement, he writes
    that it is possible for a person to be disgusting with [what would
    otherwise be] the permission of the Torah, see his holy words there.
...
    And so, it appears to my limited thought that this mitzvah includes
    the entire foundation and root of the purpose of our lives. All
    of our work and effort should constantly be sanctified to doing
    good for the community. We should not use any act, movement, or
    get benefit or enjoyment that doesn't have in it some element of
    helping another. And as understood, all holiness is being set apart
    for an honorable purpose -- which is that a person straightens his
    path and strives constantly to make his lifestyle dedicated to the
    community. Then, anything he does even for himself, for the health of
    his body and soul he also associates to the mitzvah of being holy,
    for through this he can also do good for the masses. Through the
    good he does for himself he can do good for the many who rely on
    him. But if he derives benefit from some kind of permissible thing
    that isn't needed for the health of his body and soul, that benefit
    is in opposition to holiness. For in this he is benefiting himself
    (for that moment as it seems to him), but no one else.
... [Multi-page skip] ...
    The beginning of the receiving of the Torah through Moses was
    a symbol and sign for all of the Jewish people who receive the
    Torah [since]. Just as Hashem told Moses, "Carve for yourself two
    stone Tablets", so too it is advice for all who receive the Torah.
    Each must prepare Tablets for himself, to write upon them the word
    of Hashem. According to his readiness in preparing the Tablets,
    so will be his ability to receive.
...
    To my mind this can be connected to what our sages explained in
    Nedarim (folio 38) on the verse "carve for yourself". Moses didn't get
    rich except through the extras of the Tablets. This is an amazing idea
    -- [is it possible that] Hashem couldn't find any way to make Moses
    wealthy except through the extras of the Tablets? But through what
    we said, we can explain this. Through this change of how Tablets are
    to be readied, there was given opportunity for those who receive the
    Torah to fear, to accept upon themselves the yoke of Torah. Through
    this it becomes appropriate for anyone entering the gates of Torah
    to separate themselves from all the preoccupations of his world. As
    they interpret the verse "'it is not on the other side of the sea'
    it is not found at salesman or importers." However, if the first
    Tablets had remained, then it would be sufficient to establish
    an easy hour for Torah, and spend most of your time trading and
    buying. For this reason the Holy One showed Moses as a sign to all
    who accept the Torah that He would prepare for them their income
    through the making of the Tablet; any "extras that are carved away"
    will provide them with income.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 48th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        6 weeks and 6 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Yesod sheb'Malchus: What binds different
Fax: (270) 514-1507             people together into one cohesive whole?