Receiving Light Through Bittul

המשך הפרשיות מבנות צלפחד והעברת נחלת אביהם להם

The continuation of the parshiyos from the daughters of Tzelophchad and the transfer of their father's inheritance to them.

The piece opens by noting the sequence in the parashah: the daughters of Tzelophchad and their father's inheritance being given to them.

ואח"כ עלה אל הר העברים כו' קח לך את יהושע כו' וסמכת כו' ידך עליו אח"כ פ' התמידין ומוספין שדרשו חז"ל צוה את בני עלי

And afterward, "Go up to the mountain of the Avarim... Take for yourself Yehoshua... and you shall lean... your hand upon him," and afterward comes the parashah of the daily tamid offerings and the musaf offerings, which Chazal expounded as "Command My children to bring an offering before Me."

It then notes what follows: Hashem telling Moshe to ascend the mountain and appoint Yehoshua by leaning his hand upon him, and then the section of the tamid and musaf korbanos.

דהנה חז"ל אמרו פני משה כפני חמה פני יהושע כפני לבנה זקנים שבאותו הדור אמרו אוי לבושה זו אוי לכלימה זו

For behold, Chazal said: the face of Moshe was like the face of the sun, the face of Yehoshua like the face of the moon. The elders of that generation said, "Woe for this shame, woe for this disgrace!"

Chazal compare Moshe to the sun and Yehoshua to the moon, with the elders lamenting the diminished light of the next leader.

כי בחי' מרע"ה הוא עלמא דדכורא והוא פני חמה

For the level of Moshe Rabbeinu is the world of the masculine, and that is the face of the sun.

Moshe represents the masculine spiritual world, the self-generating light symbolized by the sun.

ויהושע בחי' לבנה שאין לה מגרמה כלום רק שמקבלת מאור החמה והיא בחי' תורה שבע"פ דלית לה מגרמה כלום רק ע"י דרשות מן התורה הוציאו חכמים כל התורה שבע"פ

And Yehoshua is the level of the moon, which has nothing of its own but only receives from the light of the sun; and this is the level of Torah She'be'al Peh, the Oral Torah, which has nothing of its own, for only through the derashos drawn out from the written Torah did the Chachamim derive the entire Oral Torah.

Yehoshua is like the moon, possessing nothing of his own and only reflecting received light, paralleling the Oral Torah, which is wholly derived from the written Torah by the Chachamim.

וזהו כל האסמכתות שסמכו חכמים מן התורה והוא כענין וסמכת כו' ידך עליו

And this is the basis of all the asmachta supports that the Chachamim leaned upon the Torah, and it is in the manner of "and you shall lean... your hand upon him."

The asmachtos, the textual supports the Chachamim attach to verses, are an instance of this leaning, echoing the leaning of Moshe's hand upon Yehoshua.

והוא בחי' נוקבא המקבלת מן דכורא ולכן אמרו אוי לבושה זו דמאן דאכל דלאו דילי' בהית לאסתכולי בי'

And this is the level of the feminine that receives from the masculine, and therefore they said "woe for this shame," for one who eats that which is not his own is ashamed to look upon it.

This receiving level is feminine, which explains the elders' lament of shame, since one who lives off another's gift feels embarrassed.

ובאמת העברת הנחלה לבת הוא עפ"י הנהגת באי הארץ בחי' יהושע ובחי' נוקבא

And in truth, the transfer of the inheritance to a daughter is according to the conduct of those who entered the Land, the level of Yehoshua and the level of the feminine.

Giving inheritance to a daughter belongs to the mode of those entering the Land, the feminine, Yehoshua-like level.

ולכן נעלם זה הדין ממרע"ה ואמרו חז"ל דין שאין אתה יודע הנשים דנין אותו

And therefore this law was concealed from Moshe Rabbeinu, and Chazal said: a law that you do not know, the women shall adjudicate it.

Because of this, the law was hidden from Moshe, and Chazal said such a law would be adjudicated by women.

כי זה המשפט בא מבחי' נוק' ומרע"ה הי' בחי' בן

For this judgment comes from the level of the feminine, while Moshe Rabbeinu was the level of the son.

The judgment stems from the feminine level, whereas Moshe stood in the masculine, son-like level.

וז"ש במדרש בנות צעדה עלי שיר שנעשה הירדן כחומה בפני משה שלא יכנוס לארץ לפי שהתחיל בחי' עלמא דנוקבא

And this is what the Midrash says, "The daughters marched against me with song," that the Yarden became like a wall before Moshe so that he should not enter the Land, because there began the level of the world of the feminine.

The Midrash hints that the daughters' inheritance, a feminine matter, is what blocked Moshe from entering the Land.

וכעין זה כתב בזוה"ק ויחי דלכן נתעלה יוסף ולא הי' במדריגת השבטים לפי דבנות צעדה ולא בנים ויוסף מעלמא דדכורא למעלה מזו המדריגה וכן הוא במשה רבינו ע"ה

And in a similar vein, the Zohar HaKadosh writes in Vayechi that Yosef was elevated and was not on the level of the Shevatim, because daughters marched and not sons, and Yosef was from the world of the masculine, above this level; and so too it is with Moshe Rabbeinu.

The Zohar likewise teaches that Yosef rose above the Shevatim because his line produced sons, not daughters, placing him in the masculine world—paralleling Moshe.

וז"ש עלה אל הר העברים שהוא עצמו בחי' העברת נחלה לבת ולכן לא נכנס לארץ ישראל

And this is what is meant by "Go up to the mountain of the Avarim (ha'avarim)," for it itself alludes to the transfer (ha'avarah) of inheritance to a daughter, and therefore he did not enter Eretz Yisrael.

The phrase "mountain of the Avarim" itself alludes to the transfer of inheritance to a daughter, which is bound up with why Moshe did not enter the Land.

והטעם שכ' בתורה כאשר מריתם פי כו' להקדישני במים לעיניהם הוא עצמו ענין זה כמ"ש במ"א כי הקב"ה רצה שיזכו בנ"י בעצמם אל המים

And the reason that the Torah writes "because you rebelled against My word... to sanctify Me through the waters before their eyes" is itself this very matter, as is written elsewhere, that the Holy One, Blessed is He, wanted Bnei Yisrael themselves to merit reaching the waters.

The Torah's reason for Moshe not entering—failing to sanctify Hashem at the waters—is really this same idea: Hashem wanted Bnei Yisrael to attain the waters by their own merit.

ז"ש לעיניהם

This is the meaning of "before their eyes."

This is the meaning of the words "before their eyes."

ואם היו נמשכים בנ"י אחר מדריגת משה רבינו ע"ה והיו רואין בעיניהם המים היוצאין מן הסלע

And had Bnei Yisrael been drawn after the level of Moshe Rabbeinu and seen with their own eyes the waters coming forth from the rock,

Had the people risen to Moshe's level and witnessed the waters emerge by speech,

הי' מרע"ה נכנס עמהם רק כי לא [*הי'] יכול מרע"ה להמשיך אותם אחר מדריגתו ולכן הכה הסלע בכחו כמ"ש להם המן הסלע כו' נוציא לכם שלא היו ראוין לכך ומאן דאכל דלאו דילי' בהית לאסתכולי

Moshe Rabbeinu would have entered with them; but since Moshe Rabbeinu was not able to draw them after his level, he therefore struck the rock with his strength, as it says, "Shall we bring forth water for you from this rock?"—for they were not fit for this, and one who eats that which is not his own is ashamed to look upon it.

Moshe could have entered with them; but because they were not on that level, he struck the rock instead, since they were not yet fit to receive in that elevated way.

ולא הי' מקוים ודברתם אל הסלע לעיניהם

And so "and you shall speak to the rock before their eyes" was not fulfilled.

As a result, the command to speak to the rock before their eyes went unfulfilled.

והי' זה אות שאין נמשכין אחר מדריגת מרע"ה רק בעלמא דנוקבא לכן לא נכנס מרע"ה עמהם שהי' במדריגה שלמעלה מזו כמש"ל

And this was a sign that they are not drawn after the level of Moshe Rabbeinu but only in the world of the feminine; therefore Moshe Rabbeinu did not enter with them, for he was on a level higher than this, as explained above.

This signaled that the people remained in the feminine mode, so Moshe, who stood higher, could not enter with them.

וזה ג"כ חתימת השם במנין זה שמעיד עליהם עדות לישראל

And this too is the sealing of Hashem's Name in this census, which bears witness, a testimony for Yisrael.

The sealing of Hashem's Name within this census serves as a testimony to Yisrael of His attachment to them.

ובמנין הראשון לא היו צריכין לזה דכ' מגדל עוז שם ה' בו ירוץ צדיק ונשגב

And in the first census they did not need this, for it is written, "The Name of Hashem is a tower of strength; the tzaddik runs into it and is set on high."

At the first census they needed no such testimony, for the verse describes the tzaddik running into Hashem's Name as a tower and being uplifted.

אבל יש מדריגה למעלה מזו אשרי אדם עוז לו בך שדור המדבר היו בעצם תורה כמ"ש קוב"ה ואורייתא וישראל כולהו חד

But there is a level higher than this: "Fortunate is the man whose strength is in You," for the generation of the wilderness were in the very essence of Torah, as it says, the Holy One, Blessed is He, and the Torah, and Yisrael are all one.

Yet a higher level exists—being so unified that one's strength is in Hashem—which the wilderness generation possessed, being one with Hashem and the Torah.

ועתה ירדו מזו המדריגה והוצרכו להשגב במגדל עוז שם ה'

But now they descended from this level and needed to be set on high in the tower of strength of Hashem's Name.

Now, having descended, they required the protection of being set on high within the tower of Hashem's Name.

וכן הוא בחי' הקרבנות להקריב ולהעלות העולמות והשמות כדאיתא בזוה"ק

And so too is the matter of the korbanos, to offer up and elevate the worlds and the Names, as is brought in the Zohar HaKadosh.

The korbanos likewise function to elevate the worlds and the Divine Names, as the Zohar teaches.

וכ' עולת תמיד העשוי' בהר סיני שאז הי' נתקן העולם וע"י התמידין בכל יום נתקן העולם

And it is written, "a continual olah offering that was made at Har Sinai," for then the world was rectified, and through the daily tamid offerings each day the world is rectified.

The continual olah linked to Har Sinai shows that the world's rectification at Sinai is renewed daily through the tamid offerings.

אבל בקרבן שבת כתיב על עולת התמיד

But regarding the Shabbos korban it is written, "upon the continual olah offering,"

The Shabbos korban, however, is described as "upon the continual olah," indicating something added.

שהוא בחי' נשמה יתירה והתחדשות

which is the level of the neshamah yeseirah, the additional soul, and of renewal.

This added dimension is the neshamah yeseirah of Shabbos and the spiritual renewal it brings.

ולכן בכל יום כבש בבוקר וכבש בין הערבים ובמוסף שבת שני הכבשים קרבן א' מעין עוה"ב דכ' יהי' ה' אחד ושמו אחד

And therefore on each day there is one lamb in the morning and one lamb in the afternoon, while in the musaf of Shabbos the two lambs are a single offering, a foretaste of Olam Haba, of which it is written, "Hashem shall be One and His Name One."

Whereas weekdays have two separate lambs, Shabbos musaf's two lambs form one offering, a taste of the unified state of Olam Haba.

ובגלות כתיב לבד בך נזכיר שמך פי' בזוה"ק שמות דהוא בפרודא

And in galus it is written, "In You alone shall we mention Your Name," which the Zohar HaKadosh in Shemos explains is in a state of separation.

In galus, by contrast, we mention Hashem's Name in a state of separation rather than full unity.

ומעין זה בעסק התורה דכ' עוז לו בך פי' הר' ר"ב ז"ל שיהי' לימוד התורה בדביקות אלקות ובאמת התורה שמותיו של הקב"ה ועתה לבד בך נזכיר שאין מרגישין חיות אלקות בהתורה כמו שהיה בדור המדבר כמ"ש לעיל

And in a like manner regarding the toil of Torah, of which it is written, "whose strength is in You," as the great Rav, the Reb Beis (Rabbi of blessed memory) explained: that the learning of Torah should be with dveikus to Elokus; and in truth the Torah is the Names of the Holy One, Blessed is He, yet now "in You alone shall we mention," for we do not feel the vitality of Elokus in the Torah as it was in the generation of the wilderness, as explained above.

Similarly, Torah learning should be done with dveikus to Hashem, since the Torah is His Names; yet in galus we do not sense the Divine vitality within Torah as the wilderness generation did.

וע"ז נאמר פן תשכח את הדברים אשר ראו עיניך זכירת יום מתן תורה ששם ראו כח אלקות

And concerning this it is said, "lest you forget the things that your eyes saw"—the remembrance of the day of the giving of the Torah, where they saw the power of Elokus.

This is why we are warned not to forget what our eyes saw—the revelation of Hashem's power at the giving of the Torah.

את הדברים אשר ראו עיניך כמ"ש רואים את הקולות

"The things that your eyes saw," as it is written, "and they saw the sounds."

The phrase "the things your eyes saw" recalls the verse "and they saw the sounds," a tangible perception of the Divine.

וכמ"ש חז"ל אנכי אנא נפשאי כתבית יהבית

And as Chazal said: "Anochi"—I Myself wrote and gave Myself over.

Chazal teach that in "Anochi" Hashem placed His very Self into the Torah He gave.

וזהו עוז לו בך כמ"ש לעיל:

And this is "whose strength is in You," as explained above.

All of this is the meaning of "whose strength is in You," as explained above.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds the parashah around the contrast between Moshe Rabbeinu, the level of the sun and the masculine world that generates its own light, and Yehoshua, the level of the moon and the feminine world that has nothing of its own and only receives—paralleling the Oral Torah, which is wholly derived from the written Torah. He shows that the inheritance passing to the daughters of Tzelophchad, a feminine mode of receiving, is precisely why this law was hidden from Moshe and why he could not enter Eretz Yisrael, for he stood in the higher masculine level while Bnei Yisrael had descended to the receiving level. From this he reads the episode of the waters: had the people risen to Moshe's level they would have merited the waters by speech and Moshe would have entered with them, but their lower state forced him to strike the rock. He then ties this to the census sealed with Hashem's Name and to the korbanos, contrasting the wilderness generation's essential oneness with Hashem and Torah against our galus state of separation, in which we mention His Name and learn His Torah without fully feeling the Divine vitality. The avodah, therefore, is to seek dveikus and to remember the revelation at the giving of the Torah, fulfilling "fortunate is the man whose strength is in You."