Piety or Stupidity? Mishna 10

Chapter 2, Mishnas 10-11(b)
Rabino Dovid Rosenfeld

"Rabban Yochanan ben (son of) Zakkai had five [primary] students. They were: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenos, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, Rabbi Yossi the Priest, Rabbi Shimon ben Nesanel, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach."
Mishna 11
"He used to enumerate their praises: R. Eliezer ben Hurkenos is a cemented pit which never loses a drop; R. Yehoshua ben Chananya - fortunate is she who bore him; R. Yossi the Priest is pious; R. Shimon ben Nesanel fears sin; and R. Elazar ben Arach is as an increasing river."
In the previous class we discussed the trait of R. Yehoshua and the role his mother played in his development. This week we turn to R. Yossi, whom his teacher described as pious.
What does it mean to be "pious" ("chassid" in Hebrew)? (The term is used today to refer to a member of any of the many branches of Chassidus, but the term itself is nondenominational, referring to the trait of piety itself.) I'm actually not sure if a clear picture comes to mind. Certainly piety implies more than just one who observes the mitzvos (commandments) well. Somehow it implies one who goes beyond the basic requirements -- someone in a class of his own, almost untouched by the ordinary and mundane. But a precise definition still does not really emerge. What must one actually do to be branded a chassid? Does the chassid do more mitzvos, extra mitzvos, harder mitzvos?
Before we move on, it is important to establish what chassidus (piety) is *not*. R. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto lived in the early 18th Century, shortly before the advent of the Chassidic movement. In his classic ethical work _The Path of the Just_ (Ch 18), he bemoans that many in his day had a very skewed image of chassidus. There were many who took it to mean self- mortification -- fasting, immersing oneself in snow and ice, wailing out loud, and reciting lengthy confessions. Such people, complained R. Luzzatto, not only entirely missed the point themselves, but sullied the image of piety in the eyes of the masses -- causing them to believe piety consists of -- in his words, "empty acts or acts which run contrary to common sense."
Although, continues R. Luzzatto, there is some room within Judaism for some degree of mortification -- for the penitent or those who are attempting to gain control of their passions -- that is at best a small aspect of Judaism and chassidus, and should in no way be confused with the true thing. As we've pointed out many times in the past, Judaism does not see suffering and affliction as ideals. If the Torah way of life is the ideal, it brings fulfillment to the soul and body alike. (What followed from this misconception was the advent of Chassidus and later the Mussar (ethics) Movement in the Lithuanian world to reintroduce Israel to true piety and character development.)
There is an important lesson for us even from this warped view of chassidus. As my teacher R. Yochanan Zweig (www.talmudicu.edu) observed, people love doing hard and painful acts. We love sacrificing ourselves and making ourselves suffer for our beliefs; it makes us feel so "pious". You know that great feeling you get after doing painful karate or aerobics stretches? It feels good hurting yourself for good reason (even if only marginally good -- but we become convinced we're doing good if it hurts enough...).
And for better or worse, our souls work in the exact same manner. We love sacrificing ourselves for our religion. We'd far prefer not having to think -- making intelligent choices how to best serve our G-d. We'd rather just give ourselves over to G-d, turn our brains off, and become mindless devotees, doing acts we are told are holy no matter how ludicrous and counterintuitive. Hurting ourselves makes us feel we're doing something great -- it makes no difference if that act makes the slightest bit of sense or not. But a part of us wants to roll in the snow just as the ignoramuses of R. Luzzatto's time. Brainless, content-free piety. I don't want to do the truly hard stuff -- become a thinking, caring human being, who serves his Creator in the most meaningful way possible (this of course requiring a lot of careful planning and responsible decision-making on my part). I just want the easy way out -- empty, slavish self-affliction for my G-d. And if it hurts, it must be piou s.
(I don't mean to belabor the above point, but the suicide bombers of today are only a more extreme version of this same tendency. I want to kill myself for G-d. I don't want the much greater challenge of living for my G-d -- of being responsible for and making the most of my own life, and of making my own decisions in service of my Creator. I want the fast track, the easy way out: destroying myself -- and somehow in the process ending up with a great big harem in the sky.)
Now let us take a few moments to describe piety as the commentators do. It is really the flip-side of the above. Maimonides (elaborated) describes the chassid as one who does not only do good acts, but one who has refined his character to the extent that he does not want to act differently. R. Yonah and many others describe the chassid as one who goes beyond the letter of the law -- in both his dealings with others and with G-d. R. Luzzatto likewise describes the chassid as one whose love for G-d is so great that he does not only do what G-d specifically commands, but anticipates what G-d would want him to do and what would please his G-d -- as well as his fellow man. R. Luzzatto compares it to a devoted spouse or child, who does not only do what his spouse or parent asks, but does any job in the house he knows the other would want done. Maybe my spouse could use some help with the household chores or would appreciate a small gift. Maybe I'll take the extra turn changing the baby's diaper. His love for the other is so strong he looks for ways to serve the other rather than having to be asked -- even once.
Our theme is thus that the chassid is not only one who serves his Creator, but one who wants to serve Him. He has developed himself to the degree that G-d's wants become his own, his life-driving force is making G- d happy. And he will go well beyond the letter of the law and look for any means of making this happen.
Thus far we have provided only the bare-bones definition of chassidus. I'd like to next begin to introduce the entire world that opens up to the person on this level. As we will see G-d willing next week, chassidus is not simply a matter of doing more or better, but introduces an entirely new plane in our service of G-d.

Mishna

Rabino Dovid Rosenfeld

Chapter 6, Mishna 10(c)
Being Possessed With G-d, Part III

"The Holy One, blessed be He, acquired five possessions in His world. They are: (a) the Torah, (b) heaven and earth, (c) Abraham, (d) Israel, and (e) the Temple. How do we know this regarding the Torah? It is written: 'G-d acquired me [the Torah] the first of His ways, preceding His works of old'(Proverbs 8:22). How do we know this regarding heaven and earth? It is written: 'Thus says the L-rd: The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool. What house can you build Me, and what place can be My resting place?' (Isaiah 66:1). It also says: 'How great are Your works, G- d; You made all of them with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions' (Psalms 104:24). How do we know this regarding Abraham? It is written: 'And he (Malki'tsedek) blessed him [Abraham] and said, 'Blessed is Abram to the most high G-d, the possessor of heaven and earth'' (Genesis 14:19). How do we know this regarding Israel? It is written: 'Until Your nation passes, G-d, until this nation You have acquired passes' (Exodus 15:16). It also says: 'They are the holy ones in the land, the mighty ones in whom is all I desire' (Psalms 16:3). How do we know this regarding the Temple? It is written: 'A place for Your dwelling You have made, G-d; the Temple, my L-rd, that Your hands established' (Exodus 15:17). It also says: 'And He brought them to His sacred boundary, [to] this mountain (Moriah) which His right hand acquired' (Psalms 78:54)."For the past two weeks, we have been discussing the concept that certain aspects of creation are G-d's "possessions". We examined this concept as it relates to Abraham -- the only human being in our mishna's list. As we explained, Abraham acquired this title after he had successfully waged a battle against four mighty armies (see Genesis 14). These armies had come to the Land of Israel not to conquer territory -- as the casual observer (or Bible student) might have supposed -- but to destroy the people of the Land of Israel -- the nations who had come under Abraham's influence. They sought to rid the world of the messages of monotheism, morality, and a just and merciful G-d -- all that Abraham and Sarah had devoted their lives to teaching.Abraham came to oppose them, to single-handedly take on the most powerful armies of his time in order to defend G-d's name and honor. What he did -- from a rational standpoint -- was reckless beyond imagination. But that was exactly it. Abraham cared so deeply about G-d that he went unhesitatingly to champion G-d's honor, no matter what the cost to himself. Had he been concerned with *anything* else in life other than G-d, he would have never ventured forth. He would have surely recognized a hopeless situation and sadly resigned himself to inactivity. But Abraham did go forth -- not because he was irresponsible but because he existed for G-d alone. He was G-d's "possession". His very will was no more than an extension of G-d's. If G-d's honor was slighted, then Abraham had no desire or reason to continue. He lived for G-d alone. And G-d in turn sheltered and protected him -- just as a human being guards his most treasured possession.Now let us begin to expand on this theme and relate it to the other objects of our mishna. Heaven and earth too are G-d's possessions. These signify the natural order of creation. The earth implies the natural world with all its flora, fauna and resources. The heavens signify the infinite spiritual layers with reside above the physical universe. These "layers" form the bridge between G-d and the physical world, allowing G-d's will to pass from heaven to earth. They are also "fixed" or damaged according to man's behavior on earth -- depending upon man's choice of good or evil.There is an important insight here. We might well think of our universe as a separate and independent entity, possessing all the parts and components for independent function. The world exists, its infinite parts operate and interact, and its many components merge together into an awesome and self- sustaining whole. It is almost as if -- as some believe -- G-d created some sort of gigantic wind-up clock, full of rotating gears and interacting parts, and left it to operate of its own momentum (perhaps even replete with a self-perpetuating alternating cycle of big bangs and booms). Of course, man lives here as well and must serve G-d while he exists, but the world, in all its permanence and steadfastness, exists regardless -- and as far as man is concerned is here to stay.This is the notion our mishna comes to dispel. The world has no independent reality. It is not a "separate" creation, whose existence is assured regardless of man's behavior. It is G-d's possession, to be maintained or destroyed according to His master plan. The Prophet Jeremiah stated, "Thus says the L-rd: If My covenant is not [observed] day and night, the ordinances of heaven and earth I would not have placed" (33:25).The world exists for one reason alone: as an arena, as a playing field in which man rises or falls in his struggle to achieve closeness to G-d and eternity. The Sages refer to the physical world as an "entrance chamber" before the World to Come (earlier, 4:21 (www.torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter4-21.html)). Our world is merely preparatory. We are required to use the resources around us -- the elements of G-d's creation – to improve ourselves and make ourselves worthy of the Divine Presence in the World to Come. And G-d as well constantly challenges us -- using the infinite resources at His disposal to place us in situations which force us to choose between good and evil.Thus, the world, in both its physical and spiritual aspects, is a possession of G-d. It has no separate and independent reality. It exists solely as part of G-d's master plan, as a stage upon which the story of mankind must unfold. For without this, it has no reason to exist.We can likewise understand Israel's special status as G-d's possession. Many scholars -- ranging from Torah sages to demographers, sociologists and anthropologists -- have noted that Israel's existence in the natural world is an anomaly. We really shouldn't be here today. We have survivedas a distinct nation for thousands of years, most of them in exile among hostile nations, who have at best tolerated us for financial considerations. (Even Christianity had to come up with its "witness- people" theory to explain the continued existence of such reprehensible G- d-slayers -- that we were preserved in our misery only to bear witness to mankind the terrible fate of those who reject Jesus.)Further, we came into being as a nation while in slavery in a foreign land. Any other nation in our situation -- if even that fortunate – would have quickly and quietly blended in with the indigenous population and disappeared. But we never merited such a peaceful -- perhaps even pleasant -- fate.Instead we have continued to exist -- and occasionally thrive – against all odds, and to remain a separate people throughout. And this is the level on which Israel operates. We disprove the natural order. The world view of Nazi Germany, as a telling example, was that humanity is no more than an extension of the animal kingdom. Just as the fittest in the animal world survive, the "superior" races will subdue or destroy the inferior and will ultimately persevere.The existence of Israel defies that notion -- and disproves it. We show the world that existence stems from G-d's will alone, not from any person's or nation's ability to succeed. We exist because G-d has a plan for us. We are not -- as perhaps we'd like to believe -- "normal" people, who just happen to have a few extra commandments from G-d. Our whole existence rides entirely upon our relationship with G-d. We exist only because G-d has consciously preserved us thus far, and because He sees us worthy of carrying out His special mission to man. We are G-d's possessions. We have no true reality -- no right even to walk the face of the earth -- other than to be emissaries of G-d's will.
The final two possessions of our mishna are perhaps more straightforward. The Torah is clearly G-d's possession. It is a true and direct expression of His will and wisdom. It is a creature of a different sort, of the spirit-world in which G-d's reality is not obscured by so many layers of matter and drossiness.
The Temple is as well the possession of the Divine, the dwelling place of G-d upon earth. It is the one place in the physical realm which is wholly bound to the spiritual, in which evil and defilement do not exist, and which has no reality apart from G-d. And so, it is worthy of the Divine Presence.
I would like to conclude on a slightly more relevant note. The level of Abraham is perhaps far too "reckless" for us. Yet we must realize that we, the descendants of Abraham and the children of Israel, must too strive to become G-d's possessions. We cannot always be too "rational" about ourservice of G-d. We must not study Torah only if we can fit it into our busy lives, or give charity only after all our other expenses have been paid. We must sometimes give ourselves over to G-d -- and do for Him just a little bit beyond what we would ordinarily or rationally do for any other cause. We learned earlier: "Anyone who accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, the yoke of government and the yoke of earning a livelihood will be removed from him" (3:6 (www.torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter3-6.html)). If we do for G-d, if we make sacrifices for His name and His honor, then He will treat us as His own -- and will perhaps spare us the many other hardships of life. We will become His, and He in turn will guard us and treasure us -- as His own prized possession.

Postagem: Andre Moshe-Pereira, Pres. Koah