We Raise in Holiness, and We Do Not Bring Down

by R. Nosson of Nemirov

“We raise up in holiness and we do not bring down” (Berachot 28).

Would it occur to anyone to bring holiness down, heaven forbid?

But the following is the meaning of this statement.

There are some holy people who are so truly great that because of their essential holiness they cannot bear people, and because they are so incredibly holy, they push away and push down people whom they are angry at, because they cannot tolerate their corrupt actions.

But this is not what God wants, for “He desires kindness,” and he wants those who are righteous to have compassion on the Jewish people constantly and bring them close, however they may be.

And even if He Himself is very angry at them because of their wicked deeds, He wants the righteous people to pray for them and bring them close.

Thus, when Moshe removed his tent from the camp (Exodus 33) because the Jews had sinned so much, our sages teach that God said, “If I am angry and you are angry, they who will bring them back?”

So do we find regarding a number of prophets and saintly men to whom God Himself complained about His great suffering, as it were, because of the many sins of the Jews—yet when they ratified His worlds and did not defend the Jews, He grew very stern with them.

That was the case with Hosea (Pesachim 87) and Elijah, who said, “I have been exceedingly zealous…” Kings 19), to which God responded, “Anoint Elisha son of Shefat as prophet in your place”—meaning, state our sages, that God told him, “I do not want your prophecy, because you accuse the Jews” (Yalkut Shimoni).

This is because God wants us only to defend the Jews and have compassion on them, even the lowest, bringing them all to God, like Moses, who was entirely dedicated to help the Jews, and who said, “And if not, then wipe me out…” (Exodus 32).

And so “we raise in holiness”—the more we toil and reach holiness and come closer to understanding the divine, the more souls must we raise up, and not bring down—i.e., we must take care not to lower other souls due to our own holiness—i.e., we should not grow unforgiving of the Jews even if we attain great holiness and awareness of God, which makes it impossible for us to tolerate lowly people, until we might grow angry at them and might lower them, heaven forbid…

Rather, we must “Raise in holiness and not lower,” for when a person comes to a higher level and achieves greater understanding, he must shrewdly make new constrictions, utilizing wondrous strategies, so that he will be able to bring many people ever closer, and heal even the lowest and the very ill.

Likutei Halachot, Orach Chaim, Hashkamat Haboker 4

The Good of the Entire World

by Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook

There are some tzaddikim who are so great and mighty that they are unable to restrict themselves to the Congregation of Israel, but are constantly worried and concerned about the good of the entire world.

Nevertheless, they too are connected at their inner core to the Congregation of Israel, because the Congregation of Israel is the essence of the good and the most elevated of the entire world. And when the Congregation of Israel receives love and goodness, it surrounds all creation.

Such tzaddikim cannot be “nationalistic” in the external sense of the world, for they cannot tolerate any hatred and any injustice, any constriction or limitation of goodness and kindness. Instead, they are good to all, in accordance with the traits of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is good to all and Whose compassion extends to all of His creatures.

Nevertheless they are mighty as they gaze toward salvation, for they know clearly and believe with the entirety of their pure being that the salvation of Israel, the salvation of Hashem, is the salvation of the entire world and everything in it, from the highest heights to the lowest depths.

And these supernal tzaddikim, these supernal pious people, who are connected to the ropes of lovingkindness and the light of truly supernal love, hold onto their great trait, the trait of a supernal lovingkindness, and they seek constantly the good of every individual and all creation.

And in the midst of that drive, they involve themselves devotedly and with a wondrous soul connection to the needs of Israel, in all generations and in all seasons, in all ways, in all frameworks and in all avenues.

And it is they who tend toward lovingkindness, who love to justify people and have no desire to condemn them, who love justice and hate evil, who cling to the trait of our patriarch Abraham.

And in the midst of a broad love of all creation, a wondrous love of Israel enters their heart. And since it is constricted into a concentrated place, after having been greatly spread out in an immense breadth, it is exceedingly mighty and powerful, and causes great waves to pass through the soul, until it has the power to warm many souls and to place the holy fire of the love of Israel into the depths of their heart and soul, in a great and mighty measure that leads to deed—even without any action on their part.

Their soul streams forth a wondrous love of Israel. And out of the great flame of their spiritual light comes the life power of all the good deeds of the nationalists, those who are truly dedicated to the affairs of the nation. This is because the root of all life and all goodness is to be found in the soul of the supernal tzaddikim, who stand beyond all the trivial matters that regularly fill the heart of most people.

And in the concealed place of their spirit, the seeds of ideals grow. And from their aristocratic spirit these spread in every direction. And each seed takes root in its proper place, where it sprouts. “And the sprout of Hashem will be a thing of pride and beauty for the remainder of His nation.”

Orot Hakodesh III pp. 349-350

The Passover Seder's Fifteen Sections

By R. Moshe Grunwald (author of Arugat Habosem)

Kadesh. A person who wishes to sanctify (kadesh) himself and return to God should not be frightened by the words of the evil inclination that he cannot repent—rather, he should trust that God will help him purify himself.

Urchatz—as related to the word rachitz, to trust. And “when a person accepts the yoke of Torah, the yoke of the government and the yoke of earning a living are removed from him” (Avot 3:5). That brings us to:

Karpas. The commentators state that this can be read as perekh samech (the hard labor of 600,000). And so:

Karpas yachatz. One should break–yachatz—the yoke of the samech-mem—the evil inclination—by sanctifying oneself and trusting in God, accepting upon oneself the yoke of His rule. Then:

Maggid rachtza. It is not enough to sanctify oneself, but one should accept the obligation to teach others (maggid) the ways of God and to tell them to wash (rachtza) and purify and remove the evil of their deeds. “No sin comes about through a person who improves others” (Avot 5:18). And our sages state as well that the verse, “When Hashem approves of the ways of a person, then even his enemies make peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7), refers to the evil inclination(Bereishit Rabbah 55:1)—a person who teaches the Jewish people to cleanse themselves of their sins will find that in the end even his evil inclination will make peace with him and he will not have to battle against it. And so:

Motzi matzah—he will remove (motzi) any conflict (matzah) he has with it.

One might therefore say, such a person will then be dependent on others, seeing that he does not work to earn a living—and our sages state, “The dove said to the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘I would rather have my livelihood as bitter as an olive ... [than depend on others]’” (Eiruvin 18b). But the Peleh writes on the verse, “They call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20), that such a person makes the bitter sweet and the sweet bitter—such a person turns the whole world around (Panim Yafot, Beshelach, L’maan anasenu). For example, the entire world was sustained because of the sage Chanina. And so:

Maror Korech. That bitterness (maror) will be covered over (karuch). And the reason is that he does not depend on another. To the contrary:

Shulchan orech. Others are fed because of him. And if you say that as a result, his reward in the world-to-come is diminished, we learn:

Tzafun barech. As the Peleh comments, we say in the Grace After Meals, “he has mercy and life and peace and everything good”—yet nevertheless, we continue, “he does not lack the eternal good.” (That which is hidden in the world-to-come will continue to be blessed.)

And just as a person works to increase the praise of God in this world, so will he praise Him in the world to come: Hallel Nirtzah (praise that is accepted).

Kadesh Urchatz Redux

On this night, when it is a mitzvah to tell of the exodus from Egypt and to guide people to serve God, this list indicates how a person who wishes to be a leader should act. First:

Kadesh urchatz. Sanctify and cleanse yourself as in the verse, “Adorn yourself …” Zephaniah 2:1; cf. Bava Metzia 107b). Then:

Karpas yachatz. Break your desires and corporeality. And then:

Maggid—tell others:

Rachtza—wash in the waters of awareness.

But one must guard oneself from three things:

Motzi matzah—not to say things that might arouse conflict. And also:

Maror Korech—and not to explicate things that are bitter but wrap them in words of Torah that are sweeter than honey. And also:

Shulchan orech-as Rashi says in Mishpatim: “Do not say I will teach them two or three times and not bother myself to make them understand the reason for things. The verse states ‘Place before them’—i.e., like a prepared table set for a meal.” And another piece of advice:

Tzafun barech—as Alshich comments on “when you reprove a fool he will hate you, reprove a wise person and he will love you” (Proverbs 9:8): “and when you reprove someone, don’t call him evil—to the contrary, say, ‘Is it possible that someone as wise as you should do such a thing?’” As our sages say, “when a person rebukes someone for his sin, he should bless from the depths of their heart that it is good. As the verse states “Their hearts did not turn back …’ (Psalms 44:19). And then:

Hallel nirtzah. They will praise his deeds and he will be accepted by God.

Wearing the Kittel on Passover

By R. Moshe Grunwald (author of Arugat Habosem)

For the Pesach seder, it is the custom to wear a kittel, as the Magen Avraham writes (472:5). From his words, it appears that the purpose is that a person’s heart should be humbled. And I have come upon a reason for this, which is related to our sages’ comment on “and they became there a nation”—teaching that the Jews had their own independent character as a nation there. And our sages state that the sages in Bavel had their own character as a people—i.e., that they wore white clothes(Shabbat 145a). As we learn, the rabbis are called ministering angels (Nedarim 20), for they are outstanding, like ministering angels, of whom the verse states ‘wearing white garments’ (Ezekiel 9:11).

To recall that, we too wear the white kittel.

We learn in Divrei Shmuel of R. Shmelke of Nikolsberg that a person should visualize that he is already in the world of truth and he has been shown his sins throughout his entire life, and he himself judged himself.

As we find in Avot (3:1), “Before Whom will you have to give an accounting of yourself?”—in the world-to-come, our commentators say, a person judges his own deeds. And he is given the choice as to whether to return to this world to correct his deeds.

And certainly after such a visualization and realization, a person will take great care and correct that which he did wrong. And thus it is the custom to wear the kittel: as though one was already in the world-to-come, and one returned to this world, sent to correct himself.

And as a result one should be joyful and happy and give thanks for having received such an opportunity, and then one should rise from level to level.

And an allusion to this may be found in our sages’ statement that “the [greens] are brought before him, he dips the chazeret until he comes to the condiments of the bread” (Pesachim 114a). Yet afterwards the mishnah states, “They brought before him matzah and chazeret and charoset.” That being so, the first phrase is unnecessary.

However, the language of the sages contains an important lesson: that before one opens one’s mouth to tell the story of the exodus from Egypt, one must make an accounting of oneself and consider before God all that has occurred to him in his entire life. And thus his heart will be broken and humble—and not only because of unseemly deeds, but also because of his treating meaningful things lightly, even if he engaged in mundane activities with no higher purpose (as we find in Chovot Halevavot [Shaar Avodat Ha’elokim 84).

The word chazeret is related to the word chazor, review and repent. And that is before he is brought matzah and chazeret—i.e., he reviews all he had done “until he comes to the condiments of the bread”—and Tosafot Yom Tov states that the word for condiments is related to “I was at peace and He shattered me” (Job 16:12)—i.e., a person should repent until he breaks his heart and so deeply contemplate such thoughts until even in regard to the bread which he utilizes to sustain himself he humbles and shatters his heart.

And then the opening of his lips will be straight: “and may the expression of my lips be acceptable before the Master of all created beings.”

Another possible reason for the custom is related to the verse, “he removed his garments and put on other garments” (Leviticus 6:4). Our sages state: “a person should not give a cup to his master in the same clothes that he cooked his master’s food” (Shabbat 114a). And this is an allusion to the garments of the soul—the “rabbinical garments”—that the soul wears in the world-to-come (as referred to in the passage we recite before wrapping ourselves in the prayer shawl).

And here too when he comes to pour the cup for his master, he should not do so in filthy garments that he wears the entire year, but he should remove them with thoughts of repentance and garb himself in garments of regret for the past and a confident heart toward the future.

The Difficult Birth

Before Pesach, when every Jew cleans the house and carries outside all of the furniture, the holy rebbe, R. Meirel, himself would work with great effort until he was sweating.

One time he worked very hard before Pesach to take a large pot [?] (toptshan) through a window, for it wouldn’t fit through the door. But it was also very hard to get it through the window, for it was very big and the window too small, in keeping with the small rooms.

His gabbai asked him, “Dear rebbe, why do you have to work so hard to take it out?” But the holy rebbe did not respond.

They worked at this for a long time until they finally got it through the window.

Suddenly a messenger arrived from a shtetl with a pidyon contribution from a woman who was having a difficult childbirth. The holy tzaddik answered him immediately, “Go home, the child was born healthy at the moment that Meir got the pot through the window.”

And that was what had happened, just as the holy tzaddik had said.

When the messenger left, the holy rebbe said to the gabbai, “Just think what a fool you are. Meir worked with all his strength so that the child should come out of his mother’s womb without any problem and you, fool, wanted to give Meir advice that the child should be born with broken feet!”

See and understand that he did all simple work with deep intention for a great purpose with his holy good traits, and he saw and knew everything with his holy divine inspiration.

May his merit stand by us always in all matters, physical and spiritual.

Shivchei R. Meir

What Makes Matzah Kosher?

One year before Pesach, Rabbi Israel Salanter as usual took great care to prepare his shmurah matzah, spending a great deal of money to carry out his stringent requirements. He had a man reap some wheat by hand, dry it and thresh it. Rabbi Israel usually put the kernels in a box and then grind the grain in a handmill and oversee the bakers (Or Israel).

But that year, Rabbi Israel realized that he would be unable to be present during the matzah baking. Some of his students noticed Rabbi Israel's distress, and they approached him. “Rabbi, tell us what you are particularly concerned about during the baking of the matzah, and we will make sure that it is done.”

Rabbi Israel answered, “I ask only one thing. In your zeal, don’t rush the woman kneading the dough, because she is a widow, and the Torah tells us, ‘You shall not oppress the widow.’” He added, “The kashrus of the matzos is not made complete when you care for even the most stringent Pesach halachah, but only when you are scrupulous about the halachos of Choshen Mishpat—treating other people in business correctly.”

cf. Tenuat Hamusar

I Am Filled with Love for God

by Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook

I am filled with love for God. I know that what I seek, what I love, is called by no name. How can that which is greater than everything, greater than goodness, greater than quality, greater than being, be called by any name?

And I love, and I say: I love God.

The light of the Infinite One dwells within the expression of the Name, in the expression of the divine, and in all of the names and cognomens that the heart of a man teaches and expresses when his soul is lifted ever upwards.

I cannot satisfy my soul with the love that comes from chains of logic, from the search for the light of God via the world, via an existence that penetrates into the eyes.

In our soul are born divine lights—from the perspective of our spirit, many gods.

There is one true God—and higher than one, in the depth of His truth.

God is revealed, He rules over us, He conquers all of our spirits, the spirit of all existence.

Wherever there is idea, feeling, thought and will, wherever there is noble, spiritual life, the divine light rules, governs, conquers, scintillates, is magnificent, gives forth splendor and beauty, vivifies, elevates—all of it out of a clarity of the light of being. It rules—and it dies.

That rule is limited as long as it comes from the world, from being.

At times the light waxes. One desires a light that is more refined, more inward, more true, which is in its very essence more energetic.

The light overwhelms the vessel, thought overwhelms being. The structure cannot hold, the inner content is not congruent, the vessels shatter, the kings die, the gods die, their soul rises, soars to the heavens. The bodies descend to the world of separation, existence stands bare, isolated, torn away, scattered.

It contains within itself, hidden and concealed, an eternal desire for the supernal light.

The eternal love has placed within the shattered vessels its light, its sparks.

In every movement, in every content of life, in every quality is being. There is a spark, a spark of a spark, faint, exceedingly faint, the inner light, the light of the supernal God, building and setting a foundation, gathering the scattered, rectifying forever, organizing and joining together.

The eternal sovereignty is revealed from the light of the Infinite One that is within the soul. From God to the world a new light is born: the light of the radiance of the glory of the face of God.

Chadarav