Two Powers of the Tzaddik: Rebuke and Blessing
From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Bamidbar 8:2
דַּבֵּר אֶל־אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹת אֶל־מוּל פְּנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה יָאִירוּ שִׁבְעַת הַנֵּרוֹת
Speak to Aharon and say to him, “When you kindle the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast their light toward the face of the Menorah.”
1“Speak to Aharon and say to him, ‘When you kindle the lamps …’”1 Notice the wording: the verse says it twice, and in two different ways, “speak” and “say.” We must also ask why it opens with dabeir, “speak,” a harsh word, and closes with ve'amarta, “and say,” a word for soft speech. Further on, the Torah says, “And Aharon did so,”2 and Chazal comment, “This tells the praise of Aharon, that he did not deviate.”3 But what is so remarkable about that?
דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו בְּהַעֲלוֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת וְגוֹ׳ (ח, ב). יֵשׁ לְדַיֵּיק כֶּפֶל וְשִׁינּוּי הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳דַּבֵּר׳ ׳וְאָמַרְתָּ׳. עוֹד יֵשׁ לְדַקְדֵּק בְּמַה שֶׁפָּתַח בְּ׳דַבֵּר׳ שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן דִּיבּוּר קָשֶׁה, וְסִיֵּים ׳וְאָמַרְתָּ׳ בְּלָשׁוֹן אֲמִירָה רַכָּה. וּלְקַמָּן כְּתִיב ״וַיַּעַשׂ כֵּן אַהֲרֹן״, וְאָמְרוּ חז״ל (ספרי ריש הפרשה בשינוי לשון קצת) מְלַמֵּד שִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן שֶׁלֹּא שִׁינָּה, וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין מָה הָרְבוּתָא בָּזֶה.
- Bamidbar 8:2. ↩
- Bamidbar 8:3. ↩
- Sifrei, beginning of Behaaloscha, in slightly different wording; Rashi on Bamidbar 8:3. ↩
In shortWhy does the verse pair harsh “speak” with soft “say,” and what is so praiseworthy in Aharon's not deviating?
2aWe may explain this through what I heard from my holy father and teacher, zt"l, on the verse “And Aharon lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from performing the sin offering, the burnt offering and the peace offerings.”4 A tzaddik, he explained, must have two powers. The first is to teach Bnei Yisrael the way they should go, and to rebuke them when needed. The second is the power to bestow on them an abundance of blessing. This is in the spirit of Chazal's saying, “The whole world is sustained for the sake of Chanina My son.”5 The tzaddik is the channel through which the flow of blessing reaches Bnei Yisrael. But while he is occupied with rebuking them and looking at their wrongdoing, he cannot at the same time bring abundance down upon them. For when he looks at what they lack, harsh judgments, Heaven forbid, come to rest on them; and without the abundance that should flow through him, he ends up diminishing the work of Heaven all the more.
וְאֶפְשָׁר לְבָאֵר עַל פִּי מַה שֶׁשָּׁמַעְתִּי מכ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה עַל הַפָּסוּק (ויקרא ט, כב) ״וַיִּשָּׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת יָדָיו אֶל הָעָם וַיְבָרְכֵם וַיֵּרֶד מֵעֲשׂוֹת הַחַטָּאת הָעוֹלָה וְהַשְּׁלָמִים״, וּפֵירֵשׁ דִּלְצַדִּיק צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת שְׁנֵי כּוֹחוֹת, הָאֶחָד לְלַמֵּד אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ בָהּ, וּלְהוֹכִיחַ אוֹתָם כַּאֲשֶׁר צָרִיךְ. וְהַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ כֹּחַ לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ לָהֶם שֶׁפַע בְּרָכָה, בִּבְחִינַת מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ כָּל הָעוֹלָם לֹא נִיזּוֹן אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל חֲנִינָא בְּנִי (תענית כד, ב. ועיין עבודת ישראל ליקוטים מסכת תענית), שֶׁהַצַּדִּיק הוּא הַצִּינּוֹר לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ שֶׁפַע הַבְּרָכָה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. אַךְ הִנֵּה בְּעֵת שֶׁהוּא עוֹסֵק לְהוֹכִיחָם וְרוֹאֶה בְּרָעָתָם, אֲזַי בְּאוֹתָהּ הָעֵת לֹא יוּכַל לְהַמְשִׁיךְ עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁפַע, כִּי עַל יְדֵי זֶה שֶׁרוֹאֶה בְּחֶסְרוֹנָם שׁוֹרִים אָז דִּינִים ח״ו, וּבְהֵעָדֵר הַשֶּׁפַע אֲשֶׁר צָרִיךְ לִימָּשֵׁךְ דַּרְכּוֹ נִמְצָא מְמַעֵט יוֹתֵר בִּמְלֶאכֶת שָׁמַיִם.
2bThe solution is this. When the tzaddik sees that Bnei Yisrael need an abundance of blessing, he should not occupy himself at all with rebuking them for their deeds. Only when he judges that there is no need to bestow abundance just then should he rebuke them, to show them the straight path and set them right where they have sinned. With this my holy father explained the verse “And Aharon lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them.” When Aharon the Kohen saw a need to bless and to bestow abundance, then “he came down from performing the chatas,” the sin offering, a word that also means “the sin”: at that time he saw no sins at all in Klal Yisrael. Those are his holy words.
וְהָעֵצָה לָזֶה הִיא, דִּבְעֵת שֶׁרוֹאֶה שֶׁנִּצְרָךְ לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁפַע בְּרָכָה, לֹא יַעֲסוֹק אָז כְּלָל לְהוֹכִיחָם עַל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם, וְרַק בְּעֵת שֶׁרוֹאֶה בְּדַעְתּוֹ שֶׁאֵין צוֹרֶךְ עַתָּה לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ שֶׁפַע, אָז יוֹכִיחֵם לְהוֹרוֹת לָהֶם דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר וּלְתַקְּנָם מֵחַטָּאֵיהֶם. וּבָזֶה פֵּירֵשׁ הָאָמוּר ׳וַיִּשָּׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת יָדָיו אֶל הָעָם וַיְבָרְכֵם׳, שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן רָאָה צוֹרֶךְ לְבָרֵךְ וּלְהַשְׁפִּיעַ שֶׁפַע, אֲזַי ׳וַיֵּרֶד מֵעֲשׂוֹת הַחַטָּאת׳, שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה אָז שׁוּם חֲטָאִים אֵצֶל כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, עכד״ק.
In shortA tzaddik must rebuke and bless, the Rebbe's father taught, but not at once; when Aharon blessed, he “came down from the sin,” seeing none.
3Along the same lines we may explain the passage of the Menorah. We know that the words “When you kindle the lamps,” beha'alosecha, literally “when you raise up,” allude to raising up the souls of Israel and bettering them spiritually. [For the Holy One, blessed be He, surely does not need the light of the Menorah, as Chazal said: “Does He need its light?”6 Rather, the light of the Menorah alludes to the verse “The soul of man is the lamp of Hashem”:7 the tzaddik must raise up the souls of Bnei Yisrael.] The verse goes on, “toward the face of the Menorah,” el mul, “opposite” it. This means that material matters, which stand “opposite” the Menorah and its hint of the spiritual repair of Israel's souls, are also Aharon the Kohen's task: he must bestow every good on the House of Israel and bless it, in the spirit of “for the sake of Chanina My son.” The words “speak … and say” hint at this too, for Aharon needed both powers. Dabeir, “speak,” is harsh speech, the rebuke of Bnei Yisrael; ve'amarta, “and say,” is soft speech, which bestows on them an abundance of blessing.
וְעַל פִּי זֶה יֵשׁ לוֹמַר גַּם כָּאן בְּעִנְיַן הַמְּנוֹרָה, שֶׁכַּיָּדוּעַ ׳בְּהַעֲלוֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת׳ רוֹמֵז עַל הַעֲלָאַת וַהֲטָבַת נִשְׁמוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרוּחָנִיּוּת *[דִּכַיָּדוּעַ הקב״ה אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לְאוֹר הַמְּנוֹרָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (שבת כב, ב) וְכִי לְאוֹרָהּ הוּא צָרִיךְ, אֶלָּא עִנְיַן אוֹר הַמְּנוֹרָה מְרַמֵּז עַל ״נֵר ה׳ נִשְׁמַת אָדָם״ (משלי כ, כז), שֶׁהַצַּדִּיק צָרִיךְ לְעַלּוֹת אֶת נִשְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל], וְנֶאֱמַר ׳אֶל מוּל פְּנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁגַּם עִנְיְנֵי הַגַּשְׁמִיּוּת שֶׁהֵם בִּבְחִינַת מוּל וּכְנֶגֶד עִנְיַן הַמְּנוֹרָה הָרוֹמֶזֶת עַל תִּיקּוּן נַפְשָׁם בְּרוּחָנִיּוּת, גַּם זֶה צָרִיךְ אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן לַעֲשׂוֹת, לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ וּלְבָרֵךְ אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל טוּב, בִּבְחִינַת בִּשְׁבִיל חֲנִינָא בְּנִי. וְזֶה נִרְמַז גַּם בְּאוֹמְרוֹ ׳דַּבֵּר וְאָמַרְתָּ׳, כִּי אַהֲרֹן הוּצְרַךְ לִב׳ הַכּוֹחוֹת, בְּחִינַת ׳דַּבֵּר׳ לָשׁוֹן קָשָׁה, דְּהַיְינוּ לְהוֹכִיחַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְגַם בְּחִינַת ׳וְאָמַרְתָּ׳ לְשׁוֹן אֲמִירָה רַכָּה, לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁפַע בְּרָכָה.
In shortRaising the lamps means lifting Israel's souls, “toward the face of the Menorah” adds material blessing, and “speak” and “say” are rebuke and blessing.
4This also lets us explain the verse “For the lips of the Kohen guard knowledge, and they seek Torah from his mouth.”8 What does “guard knowledge” mean? And the verse should have said “they seek Torah from him”; why “from his mouth”? The verse is teaching that the Kohen, who is the tzaddik, needs the knowledge to conduct his affairs with judgment and to hold both concerns together: to seek Israel's good in spiritual matters and its good in material matters too. So he must take care not to rebuke Bnei Yisrael and arouse harsh judgments upon them when they need material abundance. That is the meaning of “For the lips of the Kohen guard knowledge”: the Kohen needs knowledge and great wisdom to balance rebuke and blessing. And this is because “they seek Torah from his mouth.” “His mouth” takes in both kinds of bestowal, material and spiritual. By eating in holiness with his mouth, he brings every kind of material blessing down to Bnei Yisrael; through the Torah and prayer that leave his mouth, he bestows spiritual blessings upon them. He must make sure that when he speaks to impart Torah and yiras Shamayim, the fear of Heaven, and to rebuke them, his words do not keep him from also bestowing the material things Bnei Yisrael need. Rather, through his mouth he must bestow both the spiritual and the material.
וּבָזֶה יִתְפָּרֵשׁ הַפָּסוּק (מלאכי ב, ז) ״כִּי שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ דַעַת וְתוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ״, וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין מַהוּ ׳יִשְׁמְרוּ דַּעַת׳, וְעוֹד דְּהֱוֵי לֵיהּ לְמֵימַר וְתוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ ׳מִמֶּנּוּ׳ וּמַהוּ הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳מִפִּיהוּ׳. אֶלָּא דְּבָא הַכָּתוּב לוֹמַר דְּהַכֹּהֵן שֶׁהוּא הַצַּדִּיק צָרִיךְ דַּעַת אֵיךְ לְכַלְכֵּל דְּרָכָיו בְּמִשְׁפָּט וְלִכְלוֹל אֶצְלוֹ שְׁנֵי הָעִנְיָנִים, לִדְרוֹשׁ טוֹבַת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרוּחָנִיּוּת וְגַם טוֹבָתָם בַּגַּשְׁמִיּוּת, אֲשֶׁר עַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ לִיזָּהֵר מִלְּהוֹכִיחָם וּלְעוֹרֵר עֲלֵיהֶם דִּינִים כְּשֶׁצְּרִיכִים לְשַׁפֵּעַ בַּגַּשְׁמִיּוּת. וְזֶהוּ הַכַּוָּונָה ׳כִּי שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ דַּעַת׳, דְּצָרִיךְ הַכֹּהֵן דַּעַת וְחָכְמָה רַבָּה אֵיךְ לְהִתְנַהֵג בָּזֶה כַּנִּזְכָּר, וְזֹאת כִּי ׳תּוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ׳, דִּבְ׳פִּיהוּ׳ נִכְלְלוּ שְׁתֵּי בְּחִינוֹת הַהַשְׁפָּעָה, הַגַּשְׁמִית וְהָרוּחָנִית, דְּעַל יְדֵי אֲכִילָתוֹ בְּפִיו בִּקְדוּשָּׁה מַמְשִׁיךְ כָּל הַשְׁפָּעוֹת הַבְּרָכָה בַּגַּשְׁמִיּוּת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַל יְדֵי הַתּוֹרָה וְהַתְּפִילָּה הַיּוֹצְאִים מִפִּיו מַשְׁפִּיעַ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל הַשְׁפָּעוֹת רוּחָנִיּוֹת, וְצָרִיךְ לִרְאוֹת שֶׁכַּאֲשֶׁר בָּא בְּדִיבּוּרָיו לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ עֲלֵיהֶם תּוֹרָה וְיִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם וּלְהוֹכִיחָם, שֶׁלֹּא יִיגָּרַע עַל יְדֵי זֶה מִלְּהַשְׁפִּיעַ גַּם הַגַּשְׁמִיּוּת הַנִּצְרָךְ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶלָּא צָרִיךְ לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ רוּחָנִיּוּת וְגַשְׁמִיּוּת עַל יְדֵי פִּיו.
- Malachi 2:7. ↩
In short“The lips of the Kohen guard knowledge”: the tzaddik's mouth bestows spiritual and material good, and his rebuke must never hold back the material.
5This answers our question about the praise of Aharon, “that he did not deviate.” Aharon the Kohen had the strength and the wisdom never to deviate from the proper measure that Bnei Yisrael needed. When they needed material things, he bestowed material things upon them, and when they needed spiritual things, he bestowed spiritual things.
וְזֶה הַכַּוָּונָה ׳מְלַמֵּד שִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן שֶׁלֹּא שִׁינָּה׳, שֶׁהָיָה לְאַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הַכֹּחַ וְהַחָכְמָה שֶׁלֹּא שִׁינָּה מִן הַמִּידָּה הָרְאוּיָה הַנִּצְרֶכֶת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכַאֲשֶׁר נִצְרְכוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְגַשְׁמִיּוּת הִשְׁפִּיעַ עֲלֵיהֶם גַּשְׁמִיּוּת, וְכַאֲשֶׁר הוּצְרְכוּ לְרוּחָנִיּוּת הִשְׁפִּיעַ רוּחָנִיּוּת.
In shortAharon never deviated from what Bnei Yisrael needed, giving material good or spiritual good as each moment required.
6[There is another way we can explain Aharon's praise and special greatness, “that he did not deviate” from his path.9 We know that influencing Bnei Yisrael and bringing them back to the good only through compassion and kindness is a hard path, since at times harsh words of rebuke are needed. Even so, Aharon the Kohen, out of his great holiness, influenced Bnei Yisrael only in this way of love and kindness, and he never deviated from it. This is the meaning of beha'alosecha, “when you raise up” the lamps: even while he was raising up the souls of Bnei Yisrael and repairing them, he did not deviate from this way. He always brought them back to the good only by bestowing on them nothing but goodness and kindness.]
*[עוֹד יֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ שִׁבְחוֹ וּמַעֲלָתוֹ הַמְּיוּחֶדֶת שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן שֶׁלֹּא שִׁינָּה מִדַּרְכּוֹ, כִּי כַּיָּדוּעַ דֶּרֶךְ זוֹ לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְהַחֲזִירָם לַמּוּטָב רַק בְּדֶרֶךְ רַחֲמִים וְחֶסֶד, הִיא דֶּרֶךְ קָשָׁה, דְּלִפְעָמִים יֶשְׁנוֹ צוֹרֶךְ לְהוֹכִיחַ בִּדְבָרִים קָשִׁים. אָמְנָם אַף עַל פִּי כֵן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן מֵרוֹב גּוֹדֶל קְדוּשָּׁתוֹ הִשְׁפִּיעַ עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רַק בְּדֶרֶךְ זוֹ שֶׁל אַהֲבָה וְחֶסֶד, וּמֵעוֹלָם לֹא שִׁינָּה מִדַּרְכּוֹ זֹאת. וְזֶהוּ ׳בְּהַעֲלוֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת׳ בְּעֵת שֶׁהָיָה מַעֲלֶה נִשְׁמוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמְתַקְּנָם, מִכָּל מָקוֹם לֹא שִׁינָּה בָּזֶה, וְתָמִיד הֱשִׁיבָם לְמוּטָב רַק עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהִשְׁפִּיעַ עֲלֵיהֶם אַךְ טוֹב וְחֶסֶד].
- The sefer's note: An addition from another place. ↩
In shortIn another reading, though harsh rebuke is sometimes needed, Aharon raised Israel's souls only through love and kindness, never deviating from that way.
7So may Hashem grant that we be privileged to serve the Creator amid abundance, both spiritual and material, until the coming of the righteous Redeemer. Amen, may it be His will.
כֵּן יִתֵּן ה׳ שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לַעֲבוֹד הַבּוֹרֵא מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁפַע בְּרוּחָנִיּוּת וּבְגַשְׁמִיּוּת, עַד בִּיאַת גּוֹאֵל צֶדֶק אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן:
In shortMay we serve the Creator amid spiritual and material abundance until the righteous Redeemer comes.
Takeaway
A tzaddik has two powers, rebuke and blessing, and they cannot work at the same moment, for looking at people's faults arouses judgment and holds back the good they need. Aharon knew which each moment called for, gave Bnei Yisrael exactly what they lacked, material or spiritual, and brought them back to the good only through love and kindness. When we would set others right, we can learn from him to look first to what they need, in body and in soul, and to bring them back through kindness.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.