בית יעקב הכולל פרשת שמיני

 

 

. Concepts -מושגים

 

הנה משם הויה יוצא כל מיני הויות אך  צריך לפנות לבו למקום אשר נקרא עליון - Hashem's name is the source of many different realities only aperson must turn their hearts to the place where He is called "Most Hight 'Elyon.'" Hashem's name describes how He is constantly renewing the world The Izhbitzer says that based on the Pasuk, (Tehillim 92) "It is good to thank Hashem and sing praises to His highest name." That although Hashem creates many realities, the one which we most focus on is the one where He rules over the entire world.

מכל מקום יש מקומות שצריך לצמצם עצמו ובזה יצמח הטובה There are situations where a person must constrain themselves and through this many blessings come to a person. A person often thinks that only through them doing things, does Bracha flow into the world, or do their efforts meet with success. There are times where you need to not do things as well. This is known as "צמצום"

 

כי שבת הוא כולל כל מיני טובות ונמצא בו התפשטות וגם צמצום – Shabbos incorporates all sorts of good, both places where a person must spread out, and where a person must constrain themselves. The Ramban (Shemos 20:8) explains the source of positive commandments is love, and the source of the negative commandments is awe. Rav Hutner (Pachad Yitzchak Shabbos 2, probably based on this Izhbitzer) explains that positive commandments require that we spread out (התפשטות) in fulfilling Hashem's commandments. A Negative commandment means to hold one's self back from doing  (צמצום ) something. Shabbos is a combination of both positive and negative commandments, and has a dual nature, hence the famous Gemara that זכור ושמור נאמרו בדבור אחד.  We see this in David Hamelech's Tehillim that the word  מזמור means restrain yourself and the world שיר  means to spread out.

 

כי על ידי שיצמצם את עצמו יכיר כי הש"ית גדול ממנו כמו ששאל אטורנוס רופוס לרבי עקיבא למה מוריד גשמים בשבת והשיב לו שנים הדרין בחצר אחת  Through the means that a person restricts themselves they recognize Hashem's greatness in the world. We see this in the Midrash where Turnus Rufus asks Rabbi Akiva why Hashem makes it rain on Shabbos, isn't it moving something from one domain to another domain? Rabbi Akiva answered him, that when two people live in one courtyard, then they can put an eruv and carry from one to another, but one person who enters another's property then he can carry wherever he wants because it is all one area. Hashem encompasses everything and is everywhere, and therefore can carry wherever he wants. The Izhbitzer explains that the concept of Shabbos is that one allows themselves to stop their mental distraction. If a person goes to a place which is not theirs, they are busy thinking about the exertion. Hashem is never occupied or busy. When a person rests, they recognize that Hashem never does, and how Hashem is great.

 

כמו כן מאכלות אסורות שברא השי"ת We the same thing with regard to forbidden foods, that Hashem created. They are created in order to teach a person to recognize that if a person were to eat them, their mind would be clouded and minds occupied.

 

רק שמהם יבא הסתרה בלב האדם שישכח האדם. כי בעת ששובת ודעתו מיושבת אז זוכר שהשם הוא הנותן

The foods themselves cause us to forget Hashem, but when we cease acting, we can come to clarity and our minds unfog, and we remember Hashem.

 

עם הארץ אימת שבת עליו  the Yerushalmi says that an ignorant man will not lie on Shabbos, as the fear of Shabbos is upon him. The Izhbitzer explains that this means when he rests, he stops and is  מצמצםhimself, he remembers Hashem. The nature of all creations is to try to make themselves busy to forget Hashem. Therefore, since the creation of the world, the people chose darkness, until Hashem showed himself and flooded the world. 

 

עד שבאו אבותינו ואברהם אבינו בראשון היה אברהם אבינו לצמצם את הבריאה  all of the world continued on this direction until the Avos entered the world, with Avraham Avinu at their head, He was the first to cause the creation to shrink. He performed ברית מילה  which of course is in the place of desire, causes decreases the a person's desire, causing them to restrain themselves. (צמצום) This process reached its height with Avraham restraining his desires to the extent that he was ready to sacrifice his son. Immediately afterwards, Avraham lifted up his eyes and saw the ram, which the Izhbitzer says means he was able to see what he had been able to accomplish in the world.

 

והוא כי העולם לא היה עוד כל כך משוקע בחמדות רק התחילו להסתבך והבחירה התחילה להתגבר –the world was not drowning any long in physical desires, but things began to shift out of control again as man's free choice started to gain strength. The ram was caught in the thorns, which demonstrated that the ability to act was restrained. This is what it means that Avraham lifted his eyes and saw the ram, which was created during the Bein Hashmashos, the time which was neither day nor night, yet the turning point between day and night. (Avos 5:6)  The ram means the turning point, from צמצום to התפשטות.    The world had been purified to the extent that free choice could return and allow the creations to desire to be with Him, to spread out again in order to love Him.  At first the Avodah which was required was צמצום then התפשטות could take place.

והא דאיתא בזה"ק שמיני לח:

The Zohar notes that a ram which is whole is required for an olah, but not for a Chatas. The Zohar explains that this is due to the fact that a ram is mentioned twice, when Avraham lifts up his eyes and sees a ram, and then takes the ram and offers it up as an Olah.  The Izhbitzer explains that the first ram means to restrain yourself from acting. The second ram is that after one has withdrawn from acting, since we have straightened then we can act.

ואיתא בזה"ק על דא גבורות תנינן

The world calls gevruah holding one's self back, but the truth is that once a person has held themselves back, and we have clarified Hashem's rulership of the world, then the real Gevurah reveals itself. We normally see Gevruah as something negative, but in truth it is blessing, albeit a hidden one therefore, on Shabbos the korban is doubled (Midrash Tehillim 92) for on Shabbos, the hidden bracha is revealed. Through a person's restraint, the hidden light is revealed.

והנה בבראשית רבה ברכו במן וקדשו מן

The Midrash Rabah explains that Shabbos was blessed through the Man and sanctified through the Man. It was blessed through the Man because two Omer would fall on Erev Shabbos and only one would fall during the week. It was sanctified by the Man, as it didn't fall on Shabbos, demonstrating Shabbos' sanctity. The lack of Man falling shows how Shabbos is has a hidden good, but in order to reach it one must restrain themselves, meaning observing the negative commandments of Shabbos.

 

הנה כמו שחקק השי"ת שבע מדות מפורשים. שבהם צריך האדם להתברר ולאחוז בעולם הזה רק בהצמצום היוצא מהם. כי כן בעולם הזה עשיר שמח בחלקו וגבור כובש את יצרו In the same way that Hahsem engraved seven Midos into the world and a person has to try to figure out which of them and how much of them to use. The Mishna says that a rich person is one who is happy with what he has and a strong one conquers their will. Hashem gave us the ability to make choices about how much of each Midah to use.

אבל לשלשה מדות הנסתרים בהם לא נמצא צמצום. כי שיגיע האדם אליהם יתברר לו כי הכל היה טוב לפניו על זה רומז יום השמיני כי למעלה מהיקף השבעה אז יתברר כי הכל טוב הוא. – However in the highest Midos (of חכמה בינה ודעת) there is no hidden good, it is all good.  In the more abstract levels of existence, the good is not hidden, it is apparent to all that everything that happens is good, it is just when it enters into our lives, in the realm of our service of Hashem that we need to wait and see.

 

Practical Advice

There are times when a person must not act in their Avodas Hashem, and the resultant silence is causes us to see an outpouring of blessings. This is what underlies every negative commandment.

 

 

 

 

Izhbitzer Twist

 

We have all heard the Ramban's explanation that concepts of positive commandments and negative commandments are based in love and awe.  The concepts of התפשטות וצמצום  explain to us in a very real way the implications of this love and awe.