May 16, 2004 Shvout 5764 Daily Thought Comment: The Object Yanki Tauber The Personality Man turned away from G-d, searched for G-d, discovered truth, attained holiness. But Thing the physical world had no part in this; it was just scenery, a backdrop painted with patches of withheld light, against which G-d/man saga played You need to be honest with yourself: Are these feelings of Story: The Baal Shem Tov's Previous Live From the Chassidic Masters guilt and inadequacy based in Late one night, there was a knock on his door. On his threshold stood an old man with reality, or just a personality a long white beard and a countenance as radiant as the heavens issue? Does G-d really have it in for you, or is this just the Voices: What Jews Do Hannah B. Geshelin She looked me up and down as though I were a bug on a pin. Then she said the words pessimism of an anxious beast that still reverberate through my mind... inside? Idea of the Week: The Torah: An Anthology Compiled by Yanki Tauber If it is the latter, take a break 40 essays, stories, meditations and readings, each offering a glimpse into something from your self-derision and the Torah says about itself and its place in our lives nurture confidence in the Director of this universe. He Parshah: Bamidbar Numbers 1:1 - 4:20 carries you through every Numbers in the Book of Numbers: 4 camps, 12 tribes, 273 surplus first-born, 22,300 moment, but only as close as Levites, 603,550 Israelites -- each of whom count. Plus how to take apart G-d's home, your trust in Him will allow. transport it across the desert, and put it back together again <p>As for the personality issue -- channel that in positive ways. One who learns from his fellow a single chapter, or a single law, or a single verse, or a People of such nature are single word, or even a single letter, he must treat him with respect generally apt to serious study, deep and creative thought and --Ethics of the Fathers 6:3 dogged persistence. For the full Chabad.org experience, to subscribe to one of our inspiring emails, or for more information, visit www.chabad.org. Editor: Yanki Tauber, Illustrator: Sara Kranz Chabad.org magazine is produced weekly by www.chabad.org, a subsidiary of the Chabad Lubavitch Media Center. The content in this magazine and on the Chabad.org website is produced and copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this magazine, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with our copyright policy: B"H Chabad.org The Object where you came, where you materialist, the spiritualist, and the are going, and before whom tzaddik. By Yanki Tauber you are destined to give a judgment and accounting. The third and last part of our Mishnah is First, there was only G-d. From where you came -- from t addressed to the materialist, who sees a putrid drop; where you are nothing higher -- indeed nothing other -- going -- to a place of dust, than the body and its needs, wants and Then, at a finite time-point within maggots and worms; and His timeless infinity, G-d created desires. It's all but useless to speak to before whom you are destined the materialist about his soul. So we talk man. to give a judgment and Commen to him about his body -- about the fact accounting -- before the that it's nothing more than a bag of flesh For thousands of years, there was only supreme King of Kings, the with a slimy beginning and a maggoty G-d and man. Man lived in "a world," but Holy One, blessed be He. end, and that there's a higher authority that was just scenery, a backdrop before which it will one day be taken to painted with "matter" -- patches of The Mishnah is task for all it did withheld light -- against which the G- known for its concise during its earthly d/man saga played. Man was evil and wording -- every extra life. righteous; he turned away from G-d, word or phrase is searched for G-d, found Him, interpreted by the discovered goodness and truth, attained The second and Talmud to enfold middle part of the spirituality and holiness. The physical many layers of world played no significant part in this Mishnah is meaning and addressed to the saga -- it was just there to provide the instruction. On the context. spiritual person. face of it, the above- To him, we need quoted Mishnah is not speak of the Then, one bright and stormy Shabbat just using lengthy, lowliness of the morning, the world became real. repetitious wording to body; instead, we convey a single idea. extol the virtues of On the 6th of Sivan of the year the year Upon closer the soul: "Know 2,448 from creation, G-d descended examination, from where you upon Mount Sinai and instituted the however, the Mishnah came, where you "mitzvah," the divine commandment. An includes three are going, and act that unites three elements -- sentences, which can before whom you commanded by G-d, enacted by man, be interpreted as are destined to utilizing a physical object. three separate give a judgment messages: and accounting." After Sinai, the physical world is a We speak of the partner in the G-d/man saga: the leather 1) "Reflect upon three soul's life origins that becomes a pair of tefillin, the wool things and you will as "a very part of that becomes the strings for tzitzit, the not come to the hands of transgression." G-d above," of the "World to Come" to ink that becomes the letters in a Torah which it is propelled by the good deeds scroll, the wheat that becomes the 2) "Know from where you came, where of a virtuous life, and of the day it will matzah eaten on Passover eve, the you are going, and before whom you are merit to give "a judgment and copper that becomes the coin given to destined to give a judgment and accounting" before the Source from charity. These objects become "holy," accounting." which it came and to which it shall which means that they become return. connected to G-d, which means that 3) "From where you came -- from a they become something real. putrid drop; where you are going -- to a And then there is the tzaddik, the place of dust, maggots and worms; and perfectly righteous individual. To the The Tzaddik's Sin before whom you are destined to give a tzaddik we don't speak of the lowliness judgment and accounting -- before the of the body, for the tzaddik's body is refined and rarified, as holy, perhaps In the third chapter of Ethics of the supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He." even holier, than his soul. Nor do we Fathers, the mishnaic sage Akavia ben speak to the tzaddik about his soul -- the Mahalalel teaches: tzaddik doesn't care about his soul. He's The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that not interested in spiritual development. Reflect upon three things and Akavia ben Mahalalel is in fact speaking He's not interested in the World to you will not come to the hands to three different types of people: the Come. All he desires is to lose himself of transgression. Know from within the all-embracing reality of G-d, Chabad.org Magazine | Shvous/Bamidbar 5764 2 B"H Chabad.org like a tiny candle-flame absorbed and So the tzaddik is admonished: "Reflect About the artist: Sarah Kranz has nullified within a great fire. upon three things." Remember that been illustrating magazines, Shabbat morning at Sinai when G-d webzines and books (including five Still, the tzaddik, too, can "come to the descended upon the mountain and children's books) since graduating hands of transgression." The tzaddik, decreed that the world shall henceforth from the Istituto Europeo di Design, too, can sin -- not in forgetting about G- be made real. Remember the day on Milan, in 1996. Her clients have d, but in forgetting about the world. The which G-d decreed that your purpose in included The New York Times and tzaddik may backslide to the pre-Sinai life is not to lose yourself within Him, but Money Marketing Magazine of London reality, when there were only two things to bring Him into the world and uplift the -- only G-d and man, and their quest for world to Him. each other. By Yanki Tauber; based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Baal Shem Tov's Previous Life "'On the day of your Bar Mitzvah,' "'What I did,' replied the Safedian, 'I did continued Elijah, 'you did a great and for G-d alone. It is not for the knowledge From the Chassidic Masters wondrous deed, a deed which of any creature, man or angel.' reverberated through all the universes. "Many years ago," Rabbi The angels and "Elijah pleaded and cajoled, promising Israel Baal Shem Tov souls that dwell even greater spiritual gifts. But the man told his disciples, "in the on high all was steadfast in his refusal, and the holy city of Safed, there wondered: what prophet-angel departed empty-handed. lived a simple but G-d- has this man Story fearing Jew. Though not done that has flooded the "In my previous life," concluded the Baal blessed with a great mind or Shem Tov, "I was that man." with any exceptional talents, he heavens with served G-d with a whole heart this magnificent and a humble spirit.