An Unreasonable Source

ESSAY: An Unreasonable Source
An irrational, irresponsible and legally questionable act that is the measure of reasonability and legal responsibility

INSIGHTS: Electric Light
In Torah, as in nature, there are exoteric and esoteric forces; one hundred and ninety-eight years ago, one of the latter electrified Jewish life

Thirteen years is the age at which the Jewish male becomes bar mitzvah (“son of [the] commandment”). At this point in his life, his mind attains the state of daat—the maturity of awareness and understanding that makes a person responsible for his actions. From this point on he is a “man,” bound by the divine commandments of the Torah, individually responsible to G-d to fulfill his mission in life.

The age of daat is derived from Genesis 34:25, in the Torah’s account of the destruction of the city of Shechem by Shimon and Levi in retaliation for the rape of Dinah. The verse reads: “On the third day... the two sons of Jacob—Shimon and Levi—brothers of Dinah, took, each man his sword, and confidently attacked the city.…” The term “man” (ish) is used to refer to both brothers, the younger of whom, Levi, was exactly thirteen years old at the time.[1]Thus we derive that the Torah considers a male of thirteen years to be a “man.”[2]

But the context in which this law is derived is surprising. Shimon and Levi’s act seems hardly an exemplar of daat; indeed, Jacob denounced their deed [3] as irrational, immature, irresponsible and of questionable legitimacy under Torah law.[4] Yet this is the event that the Torah chooses to teach us the age of reason, maturity, responsibility and commitment to the fulfillment of the mitzvot!

As Shimon and Levi replied to Jacob,[5] the situation that prompted their action did not allow them the luxury of rational consideration of its consequences. The integrity of Israel was at stake, and the brothers of Dinah could give no thought to their own person—not to the jeopardy of their physical lives, nor to the jeopardy of their spiritual selves by the violence and impropriety of their deed. In the end, their instinctive reaction, coming from the deepest place in their souls—deeper than reason, deeper than all self-consideration—was validated; G-d condoned their deed and came to their assistance.[6]

This is the message that the Torah wishes to convey when establishing the age of reason and the obligation of mitzvot. Rare is the person who is called upon to act as did Shimon and Levi. This is not the norm; indeed, the norm forbids it. But the essence of their deed should permeate our rational lives. Our every mitzvah should be saturated with the self-sacrifice and depth of commitment that motivated the brothers of Dinah.

Based on an address by the Rebbe, Shabbat Parshat Vayishlach 5725 (November 21, 1964)[7]

The 19th of Kislev is celebrated by the Chabad community as the “Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism.”[8] Farbrengens—informal gatherings at which expositions of Chassidic teaching and words of inspiration mingle with melody, dance and l’chaims—are held in every community, and chassidim wish each other a “good year in the learning of Chassidut and the ways of Chassidut.” [9]

The 19th of Kislev marks the day, in the year 5559 (1798), that the founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, was released from imprisonment in Czarist Russia. Rabbi Schneur Zalman had been arrested on charges, put forth by opponents of Chassidism, that his activities, and the movement he founded, contained treasonous elements. His exoneration and release marked Chassidism’s victory over those who sought to destroy it; following the 19th of Kislev, the movement gained many new adherents, and its teachings were far more broadly and freely disseminated. Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s style of teaching also assumed a new form: he now expounded on the “soul of Torah,” previously presented only in the form of terse Kabbalistic formulas, at greater length and in a manner that more readily allowed their intellectual assimilation.[10]

On a deeper level, the arrest and liberation were interpreted by Rabbi Schneur Zalman and his followers as the earthly speculum of a supernal drama, in which the movement itself was on trial before the Heavenly court. Is it proper to reveal the most intimate secrets of Torah, which had been the exclusive province of a select few in each generation, to the public at large? Is it proper to clothe them in garments of reason, so that these essentially supra-rational truths should take the form of a rational philosophy and creed? Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s release from earthly prison signified his vindication above: the Heavenly court had ruled that the time had indeed come for the inner light of Torah to be revealed and to illuminate the world.[11]

The following is a freely-translated excerpt from a letter by the Rebbe to Mr. Shneur Zalman Shazar (president of the State of Israel in the years 1963-73),[12] dated Tevet 14, 5714 (December 20, 1953), in which the Rebbe touches on the parallels between the spiritual light unleashed on Kislev 19 and modern-day lighting methods.

“It was with pleasure that I received the news that electrical power has been installed in Kfar Chabad, and that farbrengens were already held by its light on the luminous day of the 19th of Kislev. I am told that the matter was arranged thanks to your effort and vigor, and I thank you and congratulate you on this.

It is an age-old Jewish custom to seek a deeper meaning and instruction in every occurrence, as per the saying of the Mishnah, “Who is wise? He who learns from every man”;[13] to which the Baal Shem Tov adds that one must also learn something from every event and its every detail. From the day of his redemption on the 19th of Kislev, the double [14] light of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi began to spread, free of all disturbances and obstructions, and in a manner that could reach also the simplest of folk. Indeed, this is the elementary principle of Chassidism: to draw down and connect the ultimate heights with the lowest depths...

The electrical force is one of the hidden forces of nature. It cannot be perceived by any of the five senses—we know of its existence only through its causations and effects. Yet this hidden force most potently banishes darkness and illuminates the night. Thus, electricity is a physical analog for the spiritual force of Chassidism, whereby the hidden element of Torah and its most arcane secrets—as revealed via Chassidic teaching and the Chassidic way of life—banish the darkness of the material world and illuminate the murkiness of the physical existence.”[15]

One Torah aspect in which American Jewry has consistently excelled is the mitzvah of tzedakah (charity). Jews are globally known and respected for their great philanthropy--American Jews most of all.

Charity is a universal ideal. We humans seem to have been endowed with an intrinsic moral compass, an ingrained sense of compassion that seems to underlie much of what we do. But the problem with this attitude, although purely humanistic, is that as wonderful as charity is--generosity which instinctively flows from one’s nature--it often leaves G-d out of the equation: “I’m being good because I want to be good.” For example, when I flip some coins to a pauper simply because of some primal empathy, where does G-d fit into the picture? The answer is that He doesn’t. Animals follow their instincts, and I’m simply an animal of a higher sort--following my moral tendency to help a person in need.

But tzedakah is after all a mitzvah, a “commandment,” which presupposes a Commander (G-d). If we’re fulfilling G-d’s mandate, it would be foolish to forget Him in the process, and/or to ignore the depth inherent in His command. What does the Torah teach us about tzedakah?

The Talmud (Bava Basra 9A) proclaims: “Tzedakah is equivalent to all the other commandments combined.” The Rabbis of the Talmud are not given to empty hyperbole. What are they trying to tell us? They certainly can’t mean that a charity-giver can ignore all the other commandments. Rather, they are trying to say that tzedakah best epitomizes what we are trying to accomplish through mitzvos. Indeed, whenever the euphemism ‘the mitzvah’ (without specifying which mitzvah) is used throughout the entire Jerusalem Talmud, the reference is to tzedakah: the mitzvah which represents and symbolizes all the others. How is this so?

We work hard for our money. A great deal of thought, emotion and effort goes into earning a living, and much of our lives revolves around this pursuit. We invest a significant part of our lives in the quest for wealth, and spend a good portion on life’s needs and luxuries--things which raise the “quality of life.” When we look at it this way, money isn’t just green bills--it is life’s energy. We invest our energy into generating the money, and use the money to generate an enriched life.

The goal of Torah is to elevate the mundane dimension of our personalities. Through observing the Torah, we become more than mere intelligent mammals, we refine ourselves into beings created “in the image of G-d.” Every mitzvah sublimates a different nuance of our persona. Tzedakah does more than any mitzvah to accomplish this end. After investing our very beings into earning our money, and transcending the deep-seated pleasure we can buy with that money, by giving it away selflessly for a G-dly purpose, we elevate the soul energy represented by the money, and basically our entire mundane selves.

This may be a lot to ask of a person, but the Torah expects nothing less. The word tzedakah has been translated into English as “charity,” indicating a benevolence or kindness done for another. That’s true, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. The word tzedakah comes from the root word tzedek, meaning justice. The Torah considers giving ‘tzedakah’ to be a wonderful thing, but not something that’s really beyond the call of duty (as we’d prefer to think); it is after all only just, or “fitting,” that we give tzedakah.

Look at it this way. We thank G-d for the positive elements of our lives. We realize that there’s only so far our efforts can take us, while the rest is up to G-d. For example, a self-made millionaire will admit that his long hours, ingenious ideas and business savvy did not guarantee him success--the road of history is, figuratively speaking, littered with the bodies of hard working geniuses who didn’t succeed in business. Our millionaire worked hard and smartly, and G-d blessed him with some positive breaks (that one account or contact that put him over the top). Since G-d trusted us with money, since He granted us guardianship of this vital resource, we are obligated to use it as He’s directed us (after all, He is a partner) and give tzedakah. He’s not even asking for a fifty percent cut; Jewish Law directs that a ten percent tithe be given. So it’s only “just,” only right, that we use some of the money entrusted to us by G-d in the way He sees fit.

Interestingly, we find that for His share, G-d guarantees that He’ll do His part for the business. Nevertheless, even though we believe in reward and punishment, it’s not always immediate. It’s dangerous to expect your stocks to go up because you put on tefillin this morning.

But it’s a different story with tzedakah. In Malachi 3:10, G-d exhorts us to give tzedakah and says: “...test Me in this, [and see] if I don’t open for you the heaven's windows and rain down endless blessing upon you.”

So, is giving tzedakah nice and praiseworthy? Of course, because you have the choice to do otherwise. But G-d expects nothing less--it’s the just thing to do.

A man once complained to Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov: “I saw it written in a holy book that if a person refrains from speaking of trivial matters for forty days and foreswears all material pleasures for that same period, he will merit that the prophet Elijah will reveal himself to him and teach him the secrets of creation. Well, I did exactly that: for forty days I ate only hard bread and water, deprived myself of sleep and otherwise afflicted myself; above all, I guarded my tongue and spoke of no worldly matters. Yet the prophet Elijah did not appear!”

They went out into the courtyard, where the Baal Shem Tov led the way to his stables. “You see that fellow over there?” he said to his visitor. “For the last forty days, he hasn't spoken of trivial matters. In addition, he leads an extremely ascetic existence. He hardly sleeps and subsists only on hay and water. He even walks around with nails in his shoes. Nevertheless, he has yet to receive a visit from Elijah. Because, unfortunately, he's still a horse...”

[2] The sages calculated that the equivalent age in a female, who matures earlier than a male, is twelve years.

[3] “And Jacob said to Shimon and to Levi: “You have besmirched me, making me odious among the inhabitants of the land.... I, being but few in number, they shall mass against me and smite me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my household” (Genesis 34:30); “Shimon and Levi are brethren: instruments of violence are their wares. Let my soul not come into their council, let my honor not unite with their assembly; for in their wrath they slew a man, and willfully they have maimed an ox. Cursed be their wrath, for it is fierce, and their fury for it is cruel….” (ibid., 49:5-7).

[4] See Likkutei Sichot, vol. V, pp. 150-152, and the sources cited there, for a discussion of the halachic pros and cons of the destruction of Shechem.

[7] Likkutei Sichot, vol. V, pp. 150-162; ibid., p. 421.

[8] Igrot Kodesh Maharashab, vol. I, p. 259; Torat Shalom, p. 43. See also Sefer HaToldot Admor HaZaken (Kehot, 1986), pp. 731-740.

[10] Likkutei Dibburim, vol. I, pp. 21-28. See also Sefer HaToldot Admor HaZaken, pp. 771-787.

[12] ] As his name indicates, Mr. Shazar was a descendant of Chabad chassidim. He maintained a close relationship with the Rebbe and greatly assisted the Chabad community and its institutions in Israel.

[14] The name “Schneur” is an acronym of the Hebrew words shnei ohr (“two lights”), a reference to Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi’s achievements in both the exoteric element of Torah (Halachah) and its esoteric dimension.