Rabbi Yehudah Said: "Be Cautious In Study, For An Unwitting Error In [Observance Due To Insufficient] Study Is Accounted As Wanton Transgression."

Rabbi Shimon Said: "There Are Three Crowns - The Crown Of Torah, The Crown Of Priesthood, And The Crown Of Kingship - But The Crown Of A Good Name Surpasses Them All."

Be Cautious In Study

Zahir, rendered as "be cautious," shares the same root as the word , "radiance." A Jew should always endeavor to add radiance to his Torah study. Although the Torah is G-dly, every Jew has the potential to increase its light.[34]

This also explains the need for caution. The fact that there is a potential for increase implies that there is a possibility of error.

(Sichos Shabbos Parshas Bechukosai, 5744)

Rabbi Shimon Said: "There Are Three Crowns - The Crown Of Torah, The Crown Of Priesthood, And The Crown Of Kingship - But The Crown Of A Good Name Surpasses Them All"

The wording of the mishnah raises an obvious question, for it begins by stating that there are three crowns, and then proceeds to mention four.

This difficulty can be resolved by interpreting the mishnah in terms of our divine service, and appreciating each of these crowns as representative of a different spiritual thrust.

The crown of kingship refers to acceptance of the yoke of G-d's kingship - the first step in establishing a bond with G-d.[35] First and foremost, a Jew must give himself over to G-d with the absolute and total commitment of a subject towards his ruler.

The acceptance of G-d's kingship is itself insufficient, for this relationship implies the existence of a gap between subject and Ruler. This shortcoming is overcome by the remaining "crowns," which enable a person to develop an inner bond with G-d.

The crown of priesthood refers to the High Priest, who entered the Holy of Holies, the place which held the Tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Tablets represent a perfect state of unity with the Torah, for unlike letters written on parchment or paper, the Ten Commandments were carved into the stone itself.[36] This refers to a person whose desire and pleasure are identified with the Torah.

The crown of Torah refers to a deeper connection. When a person studies Torah, his thoughts become permeated by the Torah's wisdom, and he is able to internalize his connection with G-dliness. G-dliness becomes not merely the focus of his desire and pleasure, but an expression of who he is.

Nevertheless, even when a person has attained these three crowns, he is still a self-contained entity; he has infused his being with the Torah, but has not transcended himself. This is the thrust of the crown of a good name, which refers to a person's involvement with others and with his environment. For when a person is alone, he does not require a name. When is a name necessary? When one communicates.[37]

A good name is achieved when a person lives his every day life according to the Torah. For then, the deeds he performs spread G-dly light throughout the world.

Nevertheless, the G-dliness encouraged by the performance of mitzvos is often not openly revealed, neither within the world at large, nor even within our souls. Frequently, although a person performs many good deeds, the influence they have on his character is neither immediate, nor direct.

On this basis, we can comprehend our mishnah. In principle, there are only three crowns, for the achievement of a good name - the spreading of G-dliness throughout the world - is not necessarily a crown; it does not always bring personal fulfillment.

When does a good name become a crown? When, as the mishnah continues, it is . This phrase, translated as "are superior," literally means "ascends upon them." When the service of spreading G-dliness in one's environment follows "upon them" i.e., when it comes as an extension of the three inward thrusts of kingship, priesthood and Torah, it also becomes a "crown."

When a person has developed himself through these three mediums of divine service, his efforts to spread light in the world also generate inner light, which guides him to a deeper and more encompassing relationship with G-d.

(Likkutei Sichos, Vol. IV, p. 1214ff)

The concept that the crown of a good name follows after the crown of Torah has a corollary: one's study of Torah should not be directed merely towards personal development, but should motivate efforts to share this wisdom with others.

Significantly, the author of this teaching is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, of whom it is said, Toraso umanaso,[38] "his profession was Torah." He devoted himself solely to Torah study, remaining completely uninvolved in worldly concerns. Nevertheless, Rabbi Shimon did not stand aloof from other people, and realized the importance of spreading Torah to individuals who were themselves worldly inclined.[39]

(Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XVII, p. 305ff)

   

Notes:

34. (Back to text) In particular, the word the mishnah uses for Torah study, talmud, is also significant. Talmud refers to the didactic analysis of Torah law. In this area, as opposed to the study of the Written Law or straightforward halachic directives, man has a greater opportunity to express his potential. This is also the area were greater caution is necessary lest error occur.

35. (Back to text) Tanya, ch. 41.

36. (Back to text) See the essay entitled "Repairing the Breaches," Timeless Patterns in Time, Vol. II, p. 128ff (Kehot, N.Y., 1994) and the sources mentioned there.

37. (Back to text) See Torah Or 79c; Likkutei Torah, Behar 41c; Balak 67c.

38. (Back to text) Shabbos 11a.

39. (Back to text) The number of this mishnah, 13, also contributes an allusion which adds depth to this concept. Shabbos 33b relates that Rabbi Shimon and his son Rabbi Elazar spent 12 years hiding in a cave from their Roman pursuers. When they emerged, they encountered people involved in their day-to-day affairs.

    They were unable to understand, "How can people abandon eternal life (i.e., Torah study) and occupy themselves with temporal concerns?" When G-d saw that they were utterly unable to appreciate the value of other people's worldly involvement, he ordered them to return to the cave for an additional year. After this thirteenth year, Rabbi Shimon was able to comprehend the Divine intent in worldly involvement, and was motivated to share his Torah knowledge, and use it to refine his environment.

    (This concept also points to the spiritual significance of the number 13, which as reflected by the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, relates to a transcendent dimension of G-dliness. This transcendence enables one to infuse spirituality within our material world. See Or HaTorah, Bereishis 7a and other sources.)