Part 1: Faith, Truth, and Trust<\/p>\n
Para. 3: The Eternal Faith of the Jewish People<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reb Tzadok declares that \u201cIt was (only) at Mattan Torah<\/em> (i.e., at Mount Sinai) that the Light that the Jewish People perceived at Kriat Yam Suf <\/em>(i.e., at the Red Sea) was (truly) affixed in them\u201d[1]. And he characterizes that \u201cLight\u201d as the \u201cfirm pin-point of faith that\u2019s found in the depth of each and every Jew\u2019s heart<\/em>\u201d, which \u201ccan never<\/em> be budged or removed\u201d regardless of any exigencies, it\u2019s that firm and sure.<\/p>\n But how fixed is that faith, in fact? Very much so, Reb Tzadok avers, for \u201ceven if he\u2019s a sinner, that individual is still and all a Jew in each and every way\u201d [2], hence his faith is part of his inner-core. Besides, the only reason he sins anyway is \u201cbecause of \u2018the yeast in the dough\u2019\u201d, i.e., the yetzer hara<\/em> [3] -\u2013 his sins aren\u2019t motivated by anything in \u201cthe actual center-point of his heart\u201d.<\/p>\n What is it, though, that so instilled the belief of God in us that even if we deny it, we can\u2019t deny it<\/em> [4] — even those of us who discount that belief as well as the entire Torah just for spite [5]? It\u2019s the fact that we came to embrace a sure and immortal faith in God at Mattan Torah<\/em> [6] [7].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (From PriTzaddik<\/em>, Kedushat Shabbat<\/em> 7)<\/p>\n Footnotes:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The point seems to be that even though we came to truly and firmly believe in God at Kriat Yam Suf <\/em>(and to a large degree before that, too), our experiencing God\u2019s presence up close at Mattan Torah<\/em> instilled that faith in us inexorably.<\/p>\n For, while God Himself was acknowledged to have been the impetus behind the crossing of the Red Sea (and the Ten Plagues before that), Moses was in the foreground then, and the people only believed in God because of him. As it\u2019s put, \u201cThe people feared\u00a0God and believed in him and in Moses his servant<\/em>\u201d (Exodus 14:19). But when God manifested His presence<\/em> at Mount Sinai the people were stunned, flummoxed \u2013 and convinced.<\/p>\n [2]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cA Jew, even though he has sinned, is still a Jew\u201d \u2013 Sanhedrin<\/em> 44a.<\/p>\n [3]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See Berachot<\/em> 17a: \u201cAs You well know (God), we really want to comply with Your wishes, but we\u2019re held back us back by \u2018the yeast in the dough\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n [4]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reb Tzadok cites Rambam\u2019s well-known dictum that we can force someone to say \u201cI want<\/em> to\u201d grant his wife a Get<\/em> even when he ostensibly doesn\u2019t<\/em> want to, simply because deep within him, he, like every other Jew, truly wants to abide by the Torah\u2019s dictates, despite appearances, and notwithstanding declarations he might make otherwise (Hilchot Gerushin<\/em>, Ch. 2).\u00a0 Also see Mishna Erchin<\/em> 5:6 and Gittin<\/em> 9:8.<\/p>\n [5]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 L\u2019hachais<\/em> in Hebrew, literally \u201cangrily\u201d or \u201chuffily\u201d \u2013 for spite, which is the most willful and obstinate form of denial and confrontation.<\/p>\n [6]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reb Tzadok uses the legal term of possession here, kinyan<\/em>, meaning to say that we came to \u201cown\u201d, i.e., internalize, a belief in God thanks to Mattan Torah <\/em>(when we wholeheartedly said \u201cWe will do (everything God wants us to, even before fully grasping it) and (then) we will hear (the details)\u201d [Exodus 24:7]) that is sure and can never be undone.<\/p>\n [7]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The idea here that God often makes \u201ctakes the first step\u201d which then enables us to follow through on it and to solidify something or another in our beings will prove to be a theme throughout Reb Tzadok\u2019s works, as we\u2019ll see in the section entitled \u201c(Human) Effort and the Help of Heaven\u201d below.<\/p>\n This all comes to say that our faith is deep, whether we acknowledge it or deny it, because it was dramatically initiated at Kriat Yam Suf<\/em>, affirmed at Mattan Torah<\/em>, then internalized. So deep is that faith, in fact, that whatever we do to countervail it comes from elsewhere rather than from ourselves.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (c) 2015 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org<\/a><\/p>\n ———————————————————-<\/p>\n AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> at a discount.<\/p>\n You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here<\/a> at a discount as well.<\/p>\n Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).<\/p>\n Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Part 1: Faith, Truth, and Trust Para. 3: The Eternal Faith of the Jewish People Reb Tzadok declares that \u201cIt was (only) at Mattan Torah (i.e., at Mount Sinai) that the Light that the Jewish People perceived at Kriat … Continue reading