Faith Reckoned as Charity, Darkness Serving Light

1“And he believed in Hashem, and He reckoned it to him as tzedakah”¹ [Bereishis 15:6]. Rashi explains that Hashem counted it as a merit for Avraham that he believed in Him. The Ramban asks: what kind of merit is that? Why would Avraham not believe in “the God of truth” [cf. Yeshayahu 65:16]? A man who had the faith to slaughter his beloved son, and who stood firm through all his other trials, would surely believe good news. Why should that count as anything special?

2aIt seems to me, based on the holy Torah² and the holy books, that the answer is this. Hashem does so many wondrous kindnesses for us, beyond all reckoning, at every moment. Even if a person lived a thousand years and spent all his days praising his Maker, he could not repay even one of the favors Hashem has done for him, let alone the gift of life for a single moment. And in truth, even when a person does praise Him, what is his strength worth? All his strength and vitality come from Hashem. Without the life-force that flows to us from the Creator, we could not make a single movement. Even so, in His kindness that never ends [cf. Eichah 3:22], Hashem counts a person's praise as an act of kindness on his part, and as a merit.

2bThis is the meaning of the verse “The kindness of Hashem is forever and ever upon those who fear Him” (Tehillim 103:17). In His great kindness, Hashem counts it as kindness on their part that they fear Him and tremble at His word, even though such fear is only natural. Who would not fear and tremble when he lifts his eyes on high and considers Hashem's works, His wondrous creatures and all the worlds? As the verse says, “Lift up your eyes on high and see Who created these” (Yeshayahu 40:26). How much more so when he considers that there are higher worlds still, hidden from his mind's eye and beyond his grasp. That is why the world is called olam, from he'elem, concealment: it is hidden from human understanding. Nevertheless, out of His great goodness and a father's compassion, Hashem counts their fear as kindness done by them.

2cAnd because the compassionate Father, out of love for His children, wants that merit to last for all generations, He counts it as tzedakah, charity, as if the person had, so to speak, given charity to Him. The merit of charity lasts forever, as the verse says, “His tzedakah stands forever” (Tehillim 111:3). That is the end of the verse we quoted: “and His tzedakah is to children's children” (Tehillim 103:17). Their fear of Heaven is counted as charity, and its merit carries on to their descendants. So too another verse says, “It was reckoned to him as tzedakah, for all generations” (Tehillim 106:31). This is what “He reckoned it to him as tzedakah” means. Out of His own generosity, Hashem counted Avraham's faith as charity, so that His kindness would be kept for him forever [cf. Tehillim 89:29]. We may say that all this is hinted at in the Ramban's own words there³.

3The deeper point is that Avraham Avinu was the first of the believers. He taught the whole world a steadfast faith: to believe in Hashem and in His Oneness. As the verse says, “A light shines in the darkness for the upright” (Tehillim 112:4). Avraham is called “light” (Bereishis Rabbah 2), and in a time of darkness he lit the light of emunah for the upright of heart in Israel, giving their wretched, crushed souls something to live by. This is what the Midrash on this parshah [Bereishis Rabbah 39:3] says about the verse “If she is a wall, we will build upon her” [Shir HaShirim 8:9]: “If he stands firm like a wall, He will build upon him.” Hashem was asking what would become of Avraham's children: had he spread the light of emunah strongly enough that the generations after him would endure through it? For emunah is as strong as a wall, as we say in the morning prayers, “True and faithful, a law that will not pass away.” Emunah makes a person stand like an iron pillar. Even if all the winds in the world come and blow against him, they cannot move him from his place [cf. Avos 3:17]. And through strong emunah in a time of darkness, “Your faithfulness in the nights,” a person merits to draw down kindness and the light of da'as, clear knowledge of Hashem. As the verse says, “To declare Your kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness in the nights” [Tehillim 92:3], and “like the light of morning when the sun rises” (Shmuel II 23:4).

4aThis is the meaning of the Midrash further on (Bereishis Rabbah 44:18) on “And He said to Avram: Know, you shall surely know”⁴ [Bereishis 15:13]: “‘Know’ that I will scatter them, ‘you shall know’ that I will gather them in. ‘Know’ that I will give them in pledge, ‘you shall know’ that I will release them. ‘Know’ that I will subjugate them, ‘you shall know’ that I will redeem them.” Here is what it means. When something bad happens to a person, Heaven forbid, the bitterness of his soul and the weight of his distress darken the light of his da'as, and he complains and has doubts about Hashem's harsh judgments. But in truth he must take to heart where those judgments come from: from the source of great mercy. He should believe that everything is for his good, for “evil does not come forth from the mouth of the Most High” [Eichah 3:38]. It is all for his good, and out of the distress itself Hashem will bring redemption and relief. As the holy Zohar says (II:187a), “There is no light except the light that comes out of darkness.” When a person finds the root of kindness within the judgment, everything becomes kindness, and the judgment is sweetened in that root.

4bThat is what Hashem told Avraham: “Know, you shall surely know.” Avraham would pass the light of da'as on to his children, so that when they are in distress, Heaven forbid, they will know with true knowledge, and believe in Hashem, that everything is for their good, and that it is a hidden love [cf. Mishlei 27:5]. Its whole purpose is to bring about good, as the verse says, “He sets an end to darkness, and every purpose He searches out⁵” (Iyov 28:3). Darkness exists only for the sake of light, as Chazal say, “First darkness, then light” (Shabbos 77b). The subjugation is for the sake of the Redemption, and this very knowledge will bring the time of the Redemption closer. That is the meaning of “‘Know’ that I will subjugate them, ‘you shall know’ that I will redeem them.”

5With this we can understand the teaching of Chazal cited by Rashi [on Bereishis 12:2]: “One might think the blessing would conclude with all of them. So the verse says, ‘and you shall be a blessing’: with you they conclude, and not with them.”⁶ It is known that the holy Avos correspond to Chessed, Gevurah and Tiferes, three of the Divine attributes. Avraham is Chessed, plain and simple kindness. Yitzchak is Gevurah, the attribute of strict judgment. Yaakov is Tiferes, the “middle pillar” that blends Chessed and Gevurah. It is also known that the end of a matter is called its seal, as Chazal say, “Everything follows the seal” (Berachos 12a). So “one might think they would conclude with all of them” means: one might think that what comes from Gevurah, judgment, will also end in judgment. Therefore the verse says, “with you they conclude.” Even when something bad happens to a person, Heaven forbid, he should know that everything follows the seal, the final outcome. He should believe that its ultimate purpose is to bring him nothing but goodness, kindness and plain mercy, the attribute of Avraham. This also explains the Midrash cited in the Yefeh To'ar commentary: “I strengthened you through Michael; I helped you through Gavriel.” It is known that Gavriel stands for judgment and Michael for mercy. “I helped you through Gavriel”: even the judgment is for your good, your help and your salvation.

6“Know, you shall surely know: ‘know’ that I will scatter them, ‘you shall know’ that I will gather them in.” Within this knowledge lies a further knowledge: the scattering exists for the sake of the ingathering. Its purpose is to raise up the holy sparks that fell and were scattered in the breaking of the vessels, the primordial shattering, and to return them to their lofty root in holiness. Through Israel's avodah and their suffering in exile, the holy sparks attach themselves to them, as the Or HaChaim explains (at the end of Parshas Toldos)⁷. This is “bringing forth the precious from the vile” [Yirmiyahu 15:19], as the Creator wills. As we pray on Yom Tov, “Bring near our scattered ones from among the nations, and gather our dispersed from the ends of the earth.” Then: “‘Know’ that I will subjugate them, ‘you shall know’ that I will redeem them.” It is known that the holy Shechinah is called “I” (Ani), as Rashi writes (Sukkah 45a). So “know that I subjugate them” means that “I,” the Shechinah, am in bondage together with them. As Chazal say (Megillah 29a), “Wherever they were exiled, the Shechinah went with them. They were exiled to Egypt, and the Shechinah was with them.” And “in all their affliction He was afflicted” [Yeshayahu 63:9]. But “you shall know that I redeem them”: the redemption is “For My sake, for My sake I will act”⁸ [Yeshayahu 48:11]. Avraham, in the holiness of his great righteousness and his fierce love for Hashem, gave over his life and all he had, and passed da'as on to his descendants. He taught the whole world the way of steadfast faith, of Hashem's Oneness, and of loving Hashem with mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice. As the verse says, “For I have known him, so that he will command his children and his household after him” (Bereishis 18:19). “I have known him” is related to “a kinsman (moda) of her husband” (Rus 2:1): it is an expression of love and closeness.

7aThis also explains the Midrash Rabbah (Bereishis Rabbah 44) on the verse “The wicked one does deceptive work, but he who sows tzedakah has a true reward” [Mishlei 11:18]: “‘The wicked one does deceptive work’: this is Nimrod. ‘He who sows tzedakah’: this is Avraham, as it says, ‘they will keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice’ [Bereishis 18:19]. ‘A true reward.’” To explain why the Midrash reads “he who sows tzedakah” as Avraham, we can draw on the holy Ba'al Shem Tov's expanded explanation of the Mishnah (Avos 6:3): “One who learns from his fellow a single chapter or a single verse must treat him with honor. … This is a kal va'chomer, an argument from the lesser to the greater: if David, king of Israel, who learned only two things from Achitofel, called him his master, then one who learns from his fellow a single chapter, or even a single letter, how much more so!” Two questions arise. First, why stress “only two things”? Second, the rule of dayo should apply: a conclusion drawn by kal va'chomer can be no stronger than its source. Why then “how much more so”?

7bThe Ba'al Shem Tov explained that when a person learns from a worthy teacher, the Torah grows and multiplies within him. This follows the verse “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly planted” (Koheles 12:11), and Chazal's comment, “Just as a planting grows and multiplies, so too words of Torah grow and multiply” (Chagigah 3b). Just as a tree's roots spread out in every direction and many shoots spring up, so it is with one who learns from a true tzaddik. The tzaddik's holy words come from his heart and enter the listener's innermost being [cf. Mishlei 18:8], and there the words of Torah grow and multiply, and he “makes Torah great and glorious” [cf. Yeshayahu 42:21]. Every single letter has a root in heaven, and from that root many shoots grow. But when someone learns from a rasha, a wicked man, nothing grows. It stays exactly as plain as when he learned it. That is why the Mishnah says David learned “only” two things from Achitofel. Because Achitofel was a rasha, what David learned did not grow; it stayed just two things, exactly as he received them. Even so, David called him his master. So when someone learns from his fellow under a worthy teacher, a man of truth, where both are tzaddikim and the Torah grows and multiplies, how much more must he honor him!⁹

8aAvraham Avinu, in his great righteousness and holiness, was a man of truth. The Zohar says, “He is truth and She is faith” (Zohar I:230, in the Ra'aya Mehemna section): truth and faith are paired as male and female. Avraham sowed steadfast faith and love of Hashem in the hearts of Israel and rooted it there. It grew and flourished and bore fruit, and the fruit of that fruit: from his planting grew the light of receiving the Torah. As the verse says, “And Israel encamped there” (Shemos 19:2), using the singular vayichan, and Chazal explain, “like one man with one heart,” in the spirit of the verse “Avraham was one” (Yechezkel 33:24). Chazal also say that the two thousand years of Torah began with him (Avodah Zarah 9a). Through his holy humility and “humble righteousness” [cf. Tehillim 45:5], when he said, “I am dust and ashes” [Bereishis 18:27], he radiated humility to them. They then merited to unite with one another, and the two thousand years of Torah began. For it is through the Torah that every repair of the world is made, and it is completed through Hashem's intention¹⁰.

8b“In His light they saw light” [cf. Tehillim 36:10]: they reached a new and firm recognition of Hashem. Until then they had been in the state of the World of Tohu, of chaos, where each one said, “I will be king,”¹¹ and no one knew how great and exalted Hashem is. But through their humility and unity, by joining earth with heaven and coming to know that there is One, singular and unique, they set the world right, and it is called the World of Tikkun, of repair. This was the preparation for receiving the Torah. As we wrote above (maamar 8) in the name of my master, the holy grandfather, R' Yitzchak of Vurka¹², zt"l: vayichan hints at chein, favor. Each one found favor in his fellow's eyes, and through this they merited to receive the Torah. That is “like one man with one heart.” Through Avraham's teaching of humility and unity, and through the truth and faith he planted, the two thousand years of Torah began, until Hashem lit for us the great light of receiving the Torah. That is why we say in the blessing over the Torah, “Who has given us a Torah of truth”: it came to us through the truth and faith we learned from Avraham Avinu. And that is the meaning of “he who sows tzedakah has a true reward”: this is Avraham.

9aFollowing what we have said, perhaps this is the meaning of the Shabbos zemer [Kol Mekadesh Shevi'i]: “Extend Your kindness to those who know You, O jealous and avenging God.” It speaks of those who know, even at a time of jealousy and vengeance, that this too is “the kindness of God” [Tehillim 52:3]. “Those who keep the seventh day, remember and keep, to establish them”: when the holiness of Shabbos shines in its glory, Shabbos being a taste of the World to Come, a person merits true da'as. This is the nefesh yeseirah, the additional soul of Shabbos. As we wrote earlier (Parshas Bereishis, maamar 2), and as the holy books explain on the verse “For in six days Hashem made the heavens and the earth” [Shemos 31:17]: through the holiness of Shabbos, everyone who keeps it receives extra da'as, and a soul that lives through that da'as. For the holy Name of da'as is formed from the first letters of es hashamayim v'es ha'aretz¹³, “the heavens and the earth.” “And on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed”: the word vayinafash, “He was refreshed,” is related to nefesh, soul. Then they come to understand that even darkness, the aspect of night, exists for the sake of light. That is zachor and shamor, remember and keep, which correspond to day and night (Zohar I:48b; II:138a). “To establish them” means to join them and unite them. And through the strength of one's emunah, the judgments are sweetened at their root, as explained in the Toldos Yaakov Yosef of R' Yaakov Yosef of Polonne, in the name of the Ba'al Shem Tov, and as we wrote above.

9b“Gladden them with a complete building; make them radiant with the light of Your face.” The “complete building” is emunah. Someone who investigates Hashem through speculation can stumble and drift away, Heaven forbid, through the arguments and schemes of the yetzer hara. But “the believer will not be hasty” [Yeshayahu 28:16]: his simple, whole emunah, free of human speculation, makes him stand like an iron pillar. As R' Yosef Yaavetz writes in his books, emunah is “a law that will not pass away,” as strong as a wall, as we said above. That is “a complete building”: when the foundation is strong, the whole building stands as it should, and emunah is a strong foundation. Keeping Shabbos is the essence of emunah, and through the Shabbos meals, which are called “the meals of faith,” one merits complete emunah.

9c“Make them radiant with the light of Your face”: that You shine Your light on them, so that they can sense the wondrous sweetness of Shabbos. For our holy forefathers, the great luminaries, lit up for us the wondrous light of Shabbos through our emunah, which we gain through the Shabbos meals. The three meals correspond to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, as is known. Through the holiness of Shabbos a person can repair whatever he has damaged in his da'as and his mind, and through strong emunah he merits salvation, for emunah draws down Hashem's flow of blessing, as is known. All the more so, those whose whole soul and desire is never to be distanced from “the light of the King's face, which is life” [Mishlei 16:15] will merit to awaken the attribute of Avraham: “the souls they had made in Charan” [Bereishis 12:5]. As Chazal teach, Avraham brought those who were far away close, under the wings of the Shechinah. All the more so, then, those who are already close will not be pushed away. Amen.