Another Rabbi Nachman story with a similar theme, but with a twist:
A man was travelling for a long time from village to village, selling small items in order to support his family. Once, after a long time on the road, he was heading home, when an armed bandit fell upon him. He pleaded, but to no avail. He had no choice but to give the bandit whatever he had. Finally, he said to the bandit: "Please do me a favor. No one will believe that I was robbed. They will say that I had nothing to bring home and made up this story. So please, I'll put my hat on the ground, and you shoot a hole in it, so that will be proof that I was robbed". The bandit agreed, and shot the hat. "Please, shoot it again, so they will see that I was really in grave danger." Again, the bandit shot. This happened several times, until the bandit said" "Sorry, I'd like to help, but I'm out of gunpowder". hearing that, the man easily overpowered the bandit, and got everything back.
Rabbi Nachman compared evil to a storm wind. it's powerful. It's frightening, But it does blow itself out. Evil is not all powerful. G-d is. Eventually, evil will remain without gunpowder. We need only to wait and pray.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Victimization Need Not Be Forever
Another story from Rabbi Nachman:
There was a wealthy shop keeper, who dealt in many kinds of merchandise. One day, thieves came and robbed everything. He gathered the few items they had missed, and set up a little booth as a store. He began, little by little, to gather money. Again thieves came. He now sold his wife's jewelry and began over. Again, thieves came. He now collected together a paltry sum, and bought small items such as pins. He wandered from village to village, selling the household items, or bartering them for food. When he had collected enough to sustain his family for a while, he trudged home on foot. On the way, he encountered an armed bandit on horseback, who demanded whatever he had. He pleaded for mercy, but to no avail. The man was left penniless, crying out to G-d. Suddenly, he saw that the bandit's horse bolted, casting the bandit to the ground. He began to arise, when the horse trampled his head. The man who had been robbed approached, and saw that the highwayman was dead, his head crushed. He looked in the thief's saddle bags and found...everything that had been stolen from him from the beginning.
Rabbi Nachman's student, Rabbi Natan, remarked:
I wasn't present when this story was told. I don't claim to understand it completely. However, it is clear to me that this story contains great encouragement. We struggle, we think we're getting ahead, and we lose everything. We start over...and over..we don't give up despite the failures. We ask G-d to see our suffering. If we are patient, and keep praying, relying on G-d's mercy, in the end, evil is destroyed, and that which is ours comes to us.
There was a wealthy shop keeper, who dealt in many kinds of merchandise. One day, thieves came and robbed everything. He gathered the few items they had missed, and set up a little booth as a store. He began, little by little, to gather money. Again thieves came. He now sold his wife's jewelry and began over. Again, thieves came. He now collected together a paltry sum, and bought small items such as pins. He wandered from village to village, selling the household items, or bartering them for food. When he had collected enough to sustain his family for a while, he trudged home on foot. On the way, he encountered an armed bandit on horseback, who demanded whatever he had. He pleaded for mercy, but to no avail. The man was left penniless, crying out to G-d. Suddenly, he saw that the bandit's horse bolted, casting the bandit to the ground. He began to arise, when the horse trampled his head. The man who had been robbed approached, and saw that the highwayman was dead, his head crushed. He looked in the thief's saddle bags and found...everything that had been stolen from him from the beginning.
Rabbi Nachman's student, Rabbi Natan, remarked:
I wasn't present when this story was told. I don't claim to understand it completely. However, it is clear to me that this story contains great encouragement. We struggle, we think we're getting ahead, and we lose everything. We start over...and over..we don't give up despite the failures. We ask G-d to see our suffering. If we are patient, and keep praying, relying on G-d's mercy, in the end, evil is destroyed, and that which is ours comes to us.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Legal Fiction, Torah and Life
The commands of G-d in the Torah are eternal. We are commanded not to add or detract from them. However, the rabbis are authorized by the Torah (Deut. 17-8-13) to interpret, and do whatever needs to be done to enforce and protect the laws of the Torah. But what happens if society changes, and a law that was intended to help people, now hurts them?
A classical example of this is one aspect of the Sabbatical Year (Shmitah). Aside from the agricultural rules that apply, there is the seemingly strange rule of the cancellation of debts. In an earlier time, this had the effect of eliminating a permanent debtor class from among the people of Israel.In many countries in Europe, until two centuries ago, debtors were put in prison, or worse, sent to live in colonies in distant lands. In the Torah, a small farmer who owed a few sheqels would be free of his debt when the shmitah year came and went. But what about in later times? Being able to borrow large sums of money is a major feature of conducting a large business venture. If a businessman would go to a banker to borrow a million dollars, and in a few months is shmitah, at which point the debt would be cancelled, this would probably put a dent in the banker's enthusiasm to make the loan! Although the Torah warns NOT to have that attitude, that is well and good if my neighbor wants to borrow five dollars, and may not be able to pay me back. But what if he's borrowing five million dollars? Shmitah will be in a short time., He fully INTENDS to pay me back. But is it reasonable for me to take such a risk?
The great sage, Hillel, saw the dilemma. The Torah wants to protect the borrower, but now, because of the law in the Torah, the borrower now finds himself unable to raise the capital needed for his business! Hillel devised a ha'aramah (legal fiction) called the prosbol. According to the law, only private debts are cancelled. A debt owed to the community remains intact. Hillel instituted that before the moment that the debts are cancelled (actually the final moments of shmitah year), an individual who is owed money could present his contracts to a court (Beit Din), thus making the debts public. The court would appoint the creditor as its agent to collect the debt. Now the person needing the money will be able to find it, without the lender refusing to give the money. Life, as it had become in a mercantile world, could go on.
But is this really acceptable? Can the Torah be circumvented this way? The Talmud brings a very different example. Produce of the Land of Israel must be tithed That is, a portion must be given to the Levites and Kohanim (priests) "of whatever passes through your gates". People were getting around this by lowering the produce into their homes through chimneys! The rabbis cursed whomever did this, and made a rabbinic ruling that all produce brought into one's home was bound by the obligation of tithing.
How is this different from Hillel's prosbol? In the case of the produce, an "out" was sought to enable an evasion of the law if the Torah. In the case of the prosbol, the original intent of the law, the protection of one seeking to borrow money, was upheld.
Torah is life! G-d gave the Torah over to the sages and judges to make sure that life keeps pace with the Torah, and the Torah with life!
A classical example of this is one aspect of the Sabbatical Year (Shmitah). Aside from the agricultural rules that apply, there is the seemingly strange rule of the cancellation of debts. In an earlier time, this had the effect of eliminating a permanent debtor class from among the people of Israel.In many countries in Europe, until two centuries ago, debtors were put in prison, or worse, sent to live in colonies in distant lands. In the Torah, a small farmer who owed a few sheqels would be free of his debt when the shmitah year came and went. But what about in later times? Being able to borrow large sums of money is a major feature of conducting a large business venture. If a businessman would go to a banker to borrow a million dollars, and in a few months is shmitah, at which point the debt would be cancelled, this would probably put a dent in the banker's enthusiasm to make the loan! Although the Torah warns NOT to have that attitude, that is well and good if my neighbor wants to borrow five dollars, and may not be able to pay me back. But what if he's borrowing five million dollars? Shmitah will be in a short time., He fully INTENDS to pay me back. But is it reasonable for me to take such a risk?
The great sage, Hillel, saw the dilemma. The Torah wants to protect the borrower, but now, because of the law in the Torah, the borrower now finds himself unable to raise the capital needed for his business! Hillel devised a ha'aramah (legal fiction) called the prosbol. According to the law, only private debts are cancelled. A debt owed to the community remains intact. Hillel instituted that before the moment that the debts are cancelled (actually the final moments of shmitah year), an individual who is owed money could present his contracts to a court (Beit Din), thus making the debts public. The court would appoint the creditor as its agent to collect the debt. Now the person needing the money will be able to find it, without the lender refusing to give the money. Life, as it had become in a mercantile world, could go on.
But is this really acceptable? Can the Torah be circumvented this way? The Talmud brings a very different example. Produce of the Land of Israel must be tithed That is, a portion must be given to the Levites and Kohanim (priests) "of whatever passes through your gates". People were getting around this by lowering the produce into their homes through chimneys! The rabbis cursed whomever did this, and made a rabbinic ruling that all produce brought into one's home was bound by the obligation of tithing.
How is this different from Hillel's prosbol? In the case of the produce, an "out" was sought to enable an evasion of the law if the Torah. In the case of the prosbol, the original intent of the law, the protection of one seeking to borrow money, was upheld.
Torah is life! G-d gave the Torah over to the sages and judges to make sure that life keeps pace with the Torah, and the Torah with life!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Different Struggles
The Talmud states "the greater the man, the greater is his Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination). On the other hand, many great rabbis have suggested that tzaddikim (the righteous) are no longer subject to the Yetzer Hara, as King David says "My heart is a vacuum within me". There is a Talmudic explanation that he had "destroyed his yetzer hara through fasting and repentance.
Rabbi Nachman offers the following interpretation, which bridges these seemingly contradictory statements. There are different kinds of yetzer hara! On he lowest level of person,the yetzer hara is simply the passions and "needs" of the body. One faces great struggles with...one's own hormones! For a person on a higher level, the yetzer hara is like a dybbuk; an external negative force. On a still higher level one's yetzer hara is a holy angel, sent to test and instruct a person For the great tzaddikim, there is no yetzer hara other than G-d's own attribute of Stern Judgement (Midat HaDin). He is troubled by the workings of G-d himself, often incomprehensible to a mortal man. He must on the one hand reconcile his faith with what he sees, and on the other hand plead with G-d to "turn from His wrath" regarding himself; or the world! We find many Biblical figures arguing with G-d. THIS is their struggle; to perceive the mysteries of G-d's workings, and to play advocate for mankind! Rabbi Nachman says that there are innumerable divisions within each category. We each have a different struggle, but all struggle.But struggle is the key to growth!
Rabbi Nachman offers the following interpretation, which bridges these seemingly contradictory statements. There are different kinds of yetzer hara! On he lowest level of person,the yetzer hara is simply the passions and "needs" of the body. One faces great struggles with...one's own hormones! For a person on a higher level, the yetzer hara is like a dybbuk; an external negative force. On a still higher level one's yetzer hara is a holy angel, sent to test and instruct a person For the great tzaddikim, there is no yetzer hara other than G-d's own attribute of Stern Judgement (Midat HaDin). He is troubled by the workings of G-d himself, often incomprehensible to a mortal man. He must on the one hand reconcile his faith with what he sees, and on the other hand plead with G-d to "turn from His wrath" regarding himself; or the world! We find many Biblical figures arguing with G-d. THIS is their struggle; to perceive the mysteries of G-d's workings, and to play advocate for mankind! Rabbi Nachman says that there are innumerable divisions within each category. We each have a different struggle, but all struggle.But struggle is the key to growth!
Monday, November 10, 2014
The Hole in the Ground
When Sarah dies, Abraham seeks a burial place for her. He is living in Hebron, which was to become the Jewish People's second holiest city, after Jerusalem. He negotiates, and acquires, the Cave of Machpelah; the first Jewish acquisition in the Holy Land. This cave was to be the resting place of not only Sarah, but of Abraham himself, as well as Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah. Two thousand years ago, King Herod built a huge stone structure over the cave, which is the largest Jewish place of worship in the world. It is modeled after the ancient Mishkan (sanctuary) which was built by Moses. It has, during various historical eras, been a synagogue, a church and a mosque. But why did Abraham want THAT cave? The Bible gives no clue. Rabbinic tradition tells us that one day, one of his sheep wandered off, and came back with a beautiful fragrance. (This is NOT the usual case with sheep!!!) This happened another few times, until Abraham followed the sheep, and was lead to a cave. In it, he discovered two amazing things. It was the burial place of Adam and Eve, and...it was the entrance to Paradise! That is why he wanted THAT cave! The owner of the cave, Ephron the Hittite, was perfectly willing to sell the cave. The Zohar points out that for Ephron it was just a cave, a dark, worthless hole in the ground. For Abraham it symbolized life, light, eternity.
This is so often the case for the man or woman of faith. He sees light in the service of G-d. He sees life in His holy Torah, he sees eternity in that special relationship with the Divine. Onlookers may not see this. Where's the fun? Where's the excitement? They see that blessed state of connecting with G-d as a deep, dark cave; a hole in the ground! In the modern world, gossip about celebrities fills the media. What color is her hair now? Is she about to go into her fourth marriage? Is he really about to dump his girlfriend?And political figures, holding sway over the world, but soon to be consigned to the trash heaps of history, are seen as saviors.But all around us are Tzaddikim (righteous, holy people) whose delight is in the L-rd. They go unnoticed, perhaps are even shunned. They are seen as people of the darkness.How sad that most people never see the light, the tremendous worth, of these individuals. How their insights and experiences can transform mankind. How sad that our culture refuses to recognize these Entrances to Paradise!
This is so often the case for the man or woman of faith. He sees light in the service of G-d. He sees life in His holy Torah, he sees eternity in that special relationship with the Divine. Onlookers may not see this. Where's the fun? Where's the excitement? They see that blessed state of connecting with G-d as a deep, dark cave; a hole in the ground! In the modern world, gossip about celebrities fills the media. What color is her hair now? Is she about to go into her fourth marriage? Is he really about to dump his girlfriend?And political figures, holding sway over the world, but soon to be consigned to the trash heaps of history, are seen as saviors.But all around us are Tzaddikim (righteous, holy people) whose delight is in the L-rd. They go unnoticed, perhaps are even shunned. They are seen as people of the darkness.How sad that most people never see the light, the tremendous worth, of these individuals. How their insights and experiences can transform mankind. How sad that our culture refuses to recognize these Entrances to Paradise!
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