The essay to follow is in a large part is based on sichos delivered by the Rebbe Shlita, Melech HaMashiach less than two week's before suffering the stroke from which he is presently recuperating.
It centers on the theme, "descent for the sake of ascent," (Cf. Makkos 7b) explaining that through a temporary descent, it is possible to reach heights that could never have been conceived of previously.
Many have asked why G-d has chosen to have such a pattern imprinted in the fabric of the world's existence.
From our mortal perspective, there may appear to be better options.
The debate is, however, theoretical in nature.
The fact is that "descent for the sake of ascent" is one of the forces governing the history of mankind as a whole, that of the Jewish people in particular, and that of every individual person.
The descent is often painful, but it is not pointless.
Although it may be difficult to comprehend at the time, one must see the descent as a purposeful thrust forward and realize that it is only temporary. Just as aware we are of the pain of the exile, so too, must we be aware of the imminence of its conclusion.
May the study of the Rebbe Shlita's teachings hasten this process, bringing him a complete and speedy recovery, and hastening the coming of the time when he will lead our entire people to Eretz Yisrael in the Redemption.
9 Adar, 5754
The name of a Torah reading is not a coincidence; on the contrary, it conveys the theme of the reading as a whole.
The name of this week's reading, Ki Sissa, raises a question.
Literally, Ki Sissa means "when you raise up" and refers to, as the verse continues, the elevation of "the heads of the children of Israel." [1]
Since the majority of the Torah reading centers on the sin of the Golden Calf and its consequences, one is prompted to ask:
How can the sin of the Golden Calf serve as a phase in the elevation of the Jewish people?
The sin of the Golden Calf represented an unprecedented descent.
At the Giving of the Torah, the impurity imparted by the sin of the Tree of Knowledge departed from the souls of the Jewish people, but returned after the sin of the Golden Calf. [2]
Thus this sin is the source of all subsequent sins.
Similarly, all the punishments suffered by the Jewish people throughout the centuries are connected to this sin. [3]
What place does it then have in a portion whose name points to the Jews' ascent?
The resolution of this question depends on the expansion of our conceptual framework.
For the ultimate ascent to which G-d desires to bring mankind is above ordinary human conception.
This is indicated by the very expression: "When you lift up the heads"; "the heads," human intellect, must be elevated and introduced to a new paradigm.
The essence of our souls is "an actual part of G-d from above," [4] and G-d desires that man have an active experience of this divine potential.
Moreover, the intent is not merely to rise above our human intellect, but also to "lift up the heads" themselves, that our minds be shaped by this inner G-dly potential.
Tasting a superrational connection to G-d is not sufficient; instead, our thoughts, the way we understand the world, must come to a comprehension of G-dly truth which transcends intellect.
Intellect is a crossroads.
On one hand, it is man's most elevated potential, the medium which enables him to grow and expand his horizons. On the other hand, intellect is by definition limited, and does not appreciate the infinite.
Moreover, intellect is fundamentally rooted in one's conception of self; the more one understands, the stronger one's sense of selfhood becomes.
The latter approach leads to the possibility of seeing our material existence - or at least certain aspects of it - as apart from G-d.
Our minds can understand how certain entities and experiences can serve as mediums for the expression of G-dliness, but reject the possibility of others serving this function, and therefore require that they be shunned.
Taking this approach to the extreme, some modes of divine service endeavor to avoid confronting material existence to the fullest extent possible, staying instead contained within the realm of the spiritual.
Although there are certain virtues to these modes of service, they contain an inherent shortcoming. They encourage the conception that material reality exists outside the realm of holiness. [5]
The ultimate truth - the heights to which the heads of the Jewish people should be lifted - is that every aspect of existence can express "the truth of His Being." [6]
This emphasis is reflected in the Torah's description of Avraham's efforts to spread the awareness of G-d: [7] "And he proclaimed there the name of G-d, eternal L-rd."
The verse does not state Kel HaOlam - "G-d of the world," [8] which would imply that G-d is an entity unto Himself, the world is a separate entity unto itself, and that G-d governs and rules the world. Instead, it states Kel Olam, implying G-dliness and the world are wholly one.
There exist, however, certain elements of existence that appear separate from Him.
Is there G-dliness in evil? And if yes, how can man cause this G-dliness to be revealed?
Man cannot resolve these questions.
Nevertheless, although mortals cannot conceive of a meeting point between evil and spirituality, G-d does.
And indeed, He charts a path for each individual and the world at large to arrive at such a junction.
With Divine Providence, He creates situations which man would not enter voluntarily, forcing him to become involved in the most basic and coarse material concerns and to elevate them to holiness.
This is the intent of "lift[ing] up the heads of the children of Israel"; that even within the realm which is characterized by limitation, separation, and self, there flourish the awareness of G-d's unbounded spiritual truth.
In this vein, Chassidic thought describes sin as,
[9] "an awesome intrigue devised against man."
The Jews, by nature, are above any connection with sin. [10]
If a person's yetzer hora overcomes him and makes him sin, this is because, from Above, the yetzer hora was prompted to bring him to this act.
This is purposeful, "an awesome intrigue" devised by G-d, to bring about a higher and more complete level of unity between G-d and that individual and the world at large.
In his explanation of our Sages' statement, [11] that "In the place of baalei teshuvah, even the completely righteous cannot stand," the Rambam states [12] that baalei teshuvah are on a higher level, because "they conquer their [evil] inclination more."
The righteous do not have to struggle against their evil inclination. To the extent that they are righteous, their evil inclination is nullified. [13]
A baal teshuvah, by contrast, possesses a powerful evil inclination - as evidenced by his sin - and yet, he desires to cling to G-d.
Moreover, our Sages teach [14] that teshuvah transforms even the sins which a person committed intentionally into merits. This elevates the lowest aspects of existence, entities which derive their nurture from the realm of kelipah, and brings them into a bond with G-d.
Why does a baal teshuvah have the potential to elevate the aspects of existence which are by nature distant from G-dliness?
Because to realize the striving for teshuvah, a person must tap his deepest spiritual potentials, the soul which is "an actual part of G-d."
When he reaches this point in soul, he is able to appreciate that nothing is apart from Him. And in his life, he is able to show how every element of existence expresses His truth.
This process follows the motif "a descent for the purpose of an ascent." [15]
Our climb to the peaks which our intellect cannot reach on its own involves a descent to levels which our intellect would reject.
Based on the above, we can appreciate the sequence of parshas Ki Sissa.
The purpose - the ascent of the Jewish people - is stated in the opening verse.
Afterwards, the reading continues with the description of the final commands for the construction and dedication of the Sanctuary, the incense offering and the giving of the First Tablets. All of these subjects reflect a connection to G-d above the limits of ordinary worldly experience.
To extend that connection within the worldly realm, and to have it permeate even the lowest aspects of existence, it followed the phase of descent of the Sin of the Golden Calf and the breaking of the Tablets. This in turn motivated the Jewish people to turn to G-d in teshuvah, evoking a third phase, [16] the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, a totally unbounded level of G-dliness that encompasses even the lowest levels.
This high peak finds expression in the giving of the Second Tablets [17] and the final event mentioned in this week's Torah reading, the shining of Moshe's countenance. [18]
The shining of Moshe's countenance manifested the ultimate fusion of the physical and the spiritual.
G-dly light which by nature transcends mortal comprehension - as evidenced by the awe it evoked among the Jewish people - became one with Moshe's actual physical person.
Similar cycles of descent and ascent have shaped the history of our people.
The ultimate aim of this process is the union between the spiritual and the material that will characterize the Era of the Redemption, when "the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the ocean bed." [19]
When seen in that context, all the years of exile appear as merely "a fleeting moment" [20] of Divine distance that will shortly cease.
For exile has no purpose in and of itself, it is merely a means to evoke a deeper bond of connection to G-d and a medium which enables that bond to permeate every aspect of experience.
When this purpose is accomplished, the exile will conclude; to quote the Rambam: [21] "The Torah has promised that ultimately, at the end of her exile, Israel will repent and immediately she will be redeemed." And then will begin a never-ending pattern of direct ascent, as it is written, [22] "They will proceed from strength to strength and appear before G-d in Zion."
Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XVII, p. 410 ff; Sichos Shabbos Parshas Ki Sissa, 5751, 5752
Notes:
- (Back to text) Exodus 30:12. Within the context of the Torah reading, the verse should be rendered: "When you take a census of the children of Israel."
- (Back to text) Shabbos 146a; Zohar I, 52b, II, 193b; Likkutei Sichos, Vol. IX, p. 9.
- (Back to text) Sanhedrin 102b; Rashi, Exodus 32:35.
- (Back to text) Tanya, ch. 2.
- (Back to text) In an ultimate sense, such an approach can be equated with the worship of false gods. For the conception of an entity as separate from G-d and independent from Him, is the source of idol worship. See the maamar Veyadaata, 5657 [English translation: To Know G-d (Kehot, N.Y., 1993)].
- (Back to text) Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Yesodai HaTorah 1:1.
- (Back to text) Bereishis 13:4.
- (Back to text) See Likkutei Torah, conclusion of Parshas Ki Savo; conclusion of maamar beginning Anochi Havayah Elokecha, 5673
- (Back to text) Cf. Psalms 66:5.
- (Back to text) See Avodah Zarah 4b-5a and Rashi's commentary.
- (Back to text) Berachos 34b.
- (Back to text) Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Teshuvah 7:4.
- (Back to text) See Tanya, ch. 10.
- (Back to text) Yoma 86b.
- (Back to text) Cf. Makkos 7b.
- (Back to text) Based on the above, we can also draw a connection to the three pilgrimage festivals which are mentioned in this Torah reading. These three festivals also follow a similar pattern of three: Pesach represents a G-dly revelation beyond the limits of worldly experience. Afterwards, comes Shavuos, a holiday which is associated with the wheat harvest which reflects an emphasis on man's service. And then Sukkos, the harvest festival which is an allusion to the ultimate ingathering that is connected with the Era of the Redemption.
- (Back to text) Although the First Tablets were the "work of G-d," while the Second Tablets were hewn by Moshe, the Second Tablets reflect a more encompassing union between G-dliness and our world. This is reflected in the fact that the First Tablets were broken (for their holiness could not coexist with the crass realities of worldly existence), while the Second Tablets, by contrast, are eternal (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Beis HaBechirah 4:1), representing the fusion of holiness with material existence.
Not only are the Second Tablets associated with a deeper bond with material existence, they also represent a more complete treasury of Torah knowledge.
Our Sages relate (Nedarim 22b) that if Moshe had not destroyed the Tablets, we would have received only the Five Books of the Chumash and the Book of Yehoshua. In contrast, the Second Tablets are associated with the Oral Law, the aspect of Torah which is truly boundless.
- (Back to text) In this context, we can appreciate why Parshas Ki Sissa follows the parshiyos, Terumah and Tetzaveh which describe G-d's commands to Moshe regarding the construction of the Sanctuary although chronologically, the events described in Parshas Ki Sissa took place first.
The construction of the Sanctuary represents the transformation of the world into a dwelling for G-d, the ultimate purpose of the world's creation.
Therefore, after the commandment to create such a dwelling is given, before Moshe communicates it to the Jewish people, the Torah relates the three-phased pattern through which the Divine intent for this world can be fulfilled.
- (Back to text) Isaiah 11:9, quoted by the Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 12:5) at the conclusion of his discussion of the Era of the Redemption.
- (Back to text) Isaiah 54:7.
- (Back to text) Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Teshuvah 7:5.
- (Back to text) Psalms 84:8.
Tetzaveh - 5754