Walking in Hashem's Ways: Living Halachah

1a“He sent his brothers off, and they went... and they went up from Egypt” [Bereishis 45:24–25]. On Yosef's words “Do not quarrel on the way,” Rashi explains: “Do not occupy yourselves with a matter of halachah,” lest the road turn against you. This comes from the Gemara (Taanis 10b). Taken at face value, the statement makes no sense. The wording of the verses also needs explaining: first “they went,” and then “they went up from Egypt.” My father and teacher, R' Yechiel of Alexander, zt"l, explained this in his holy way. He began with the Gemara (Eruvin 54a)¹: “R' Yehoshua ben Levi said: One who is traveling on the road and has no escort should occupy himself with Torah.” At first glance this is hard to understand. If he does have company, is he exempt from the commandment “You shall meditate in it day and night” [Yehoshua 1:8]? The Torah says, “when you walk on the way” [Devarim 6:7], without any condition!

1bThe simple explanation follows the words of our holy master, R' Yitzchak of Vurka, zt"l, on the Baraisa: “Whoever studies halachos every day is assured of the World to Come, as it says, ‘The ways (halichos) of the world are his’ [Chavakuk 3:6]; do not read halichos, ‘ways,’ but halachos, ‘laws’” (Niddah 73a). He explained that one who has merited Torah and cleaves to Hashem does not make even the slightest movement with any limb except for Hashem alone. Everything he does is called halachah, literally “a going,” because he walks in Hashem's ways. This is the meaning of “whoever studies halachos every day”: everything he does all day long is nothing but halachos. Of him the verse says, “The ways of the world are his,” for “the whole world was created only to accompany this one” (Berachos 6b). Through his deeds he brings gratification to Hashem and His Shechinah.

1cIf a person merits such a level, where all his deeds, movements and feelings are only for the sake of Hashem and for no other need, then he cleaves to the Torah constantly, for all his deeds are themselves “the Torah of Hashem” [Tehillim 19:8]. This is the ultimate purpose of the Torah: to cleave to Hashem. All 613 mitzvos are counsels for reaching this level. (He said of the holy tzaddik R' Dovid of Lelov, zt"l, that he “studied halachos” all day long.) But this path is very, very hard. One must be like the one who “slings a stone at a hair and does not miss” [Shoftim 20:16]. He must not fall short or spoil anything, not even the slightest movement. He is like someone walking on a rope tied high up, with a raging sea beneath him. He must guard himself and focus his whole mind not to lean to either side, for if he leans even a hairsbreadth, he could fall into the sea. So too this tzaddik who truly cleaves to Hashem must be ready to guard himself from the very smallest thing, lest he spoil something, Heaven forbid.

1dThis is the meaning of the Gemara: “One who is traveling on the road and has no escort should occupy himself with Torah.” One who cleaves to Hashem as described has protection, for all his deeds are “the Torah of Hashem.” But one who “has no escort” lacks that closeness to Hashem. The word levayah, “escort,” comes from “This time my husband will become attached (yilaveh) to me” [Bereishis 29:34]. He lacks the level of complete cleaving, and “all roads are presumed dangerous” [Yerushalmi Berachos 4:4]. So he should occupy himself with Torah and strengthen himself in it, for the Torah “protects and rescues” [Sotah 21a].

2aThis is also the meaning of the Gemara (Berachos 5a): “A person should always stir up his good inclination against his evil inclination, as it says, ‘Tremble (rigzu) and do not sin’ [Tehillim 4:5]. If he defeats it, good. If not, let him occupy himself with Torah, as it says, ‘Speak in your heart.’ If he defeats it, good. If not, let him recite the Shema, as it says, ‘upon your beds.’ If he defeats it, good. If not, let him remind himself of the day of death, as it says, ‘and be silent, Selah.’” Chazal's point is this. It is known that before doing a mitzvah, and before learning, a person greatly needs preparation and teshuvah. As it says, “Plow yourselves a furrow, and do not sow among thorns” (Yirmiyahu 4:3). A farmer first plows and clears the field of stones, thorns and rubbish so that they will not get mixed into what he sows, and the plowing also softens the soil.

2bIn the same way, Torah and mitzvos need preparation first. A person should prepare himself thoroughly, clear out the rubbish and subdue the evil beforehand, as David HaMelech said, “Turn from evil and do good” (Tehillim 34:15). First subdue and remove the evil, and afterwards learn the holy Torah in holiness and purity. Through such learning his limbs are refined. He becomes a fit, pure vessel to receive holiness, so that it is absorbed into his limbs. All his limbs become a chariot for the Shechinah and do nothing but Hashem's will. In this way he naturally stirs up the good inclination against the evil inclination. That is what Chazal meant by “A person should always stir up...”: this is the level of “one who studies halachos” explained above. “If he defeats it, good; and if not...” At first glance we must ask: how can it say “if not”? Chazal teach, “I created the yetzer hara, and I created the Torah as its antidote” (Kiddushin 30b). The holy Zohar says, “Nothing can break the yetzer hara except Torah” (Zohar I:202a). It is a proven remedy!

2cThe explanation is this. If he is on so great a level that he is one who “studies halachos,” then “good”: he will surely defeat it. “And if not,” if he does not yet stand on so great a level, then “let him occupy himself with Torah”: simply learn Torah. There is a holy duty to learn Torah even without understanding, as Chazal say: “A person should always keep reciting his learning, even if he does not know what he is saying” (Avodah Zarah 19a). That is, even without understanding, for the holy Torah is an elixir of life, and even without understanding it heals the ailments of his soul. It is like a sick person who drinks a medicine. He does not know what it is or how it works, yet it brings him healing and cures all his ailments. That is “let him occupy himself with Torah”: through this learning he merits to reach the level of “one who studies halachos.” “If he defeats it, good”: if he at least merits to learn, even without understanding, it is good, for he will surely defeat the yetzer with the power of the holy Torah.

2d“And if not”: a person may be so coarse and physical that he cannot learn Torah and purify himself through it. He cannot do teshuvah properly before learning, as it should be done, especially for the sins of his youth — “Plow yourselves a furrow” (Yirmiyahu 4:3), as the holy books explain. Then he falls under “To the wicked, God said: What business have you recounting My laws?” [Tehillim 50:16]. Learning in such a state even adds strength to the sitra achara, the side of impurity, Heaven help us, as the Arizal wrote. Then the remedy is the Shema: mesiras nefesh in intention, as he unites Hashem's Name with great self-sacrifice. As the holy Zohar says (Parshas Vayechi): “A person must unify the holy Name with his mouth, his heart and his soul, and bind it all together like a flame bound to the coal².” Mesiras nefesh in intention counts as if done in deed, and through it all his sins are forgiven (Zohar III:121a). Then he can come to learn Torah.

2e“If he defeats it”: if he can say the Shema with mesiras nefesh and unite Hashem's Name properly, then “good,” he will defeat it. “And if not”: if he cannot even be told “Shema Yisrael,” because he is so coarse and loathsome that he cannot say the Shema properly and bring his heart to it, then “let him remind himself of the day of death” as a real thing. His heart will then be humbled and torn to pieces, and the terror of death will weaken his coarse physicality, Heaven help us. Through this he will merit to say the Shema with mesiras nefesh, and through that he will be able to learn Torah. This also answers the commentators' question: why not remember the day of death right away? Understand this.

3One who cleaves to Hashem in this way is called “one who studies halachos.” He truly fulfills the inner essence and purpose of halachah. For the inner core of pilpul, sharp analysis, is the plain meaning, and the inner core of the plain meaning is halachah. And halachah means keeping the halachah: “the deeds a person shall do and live by them” [cf. Vayikra 18:5], and “to cleave to Him” [Devarim 30:20]. This is the meaning of “From the day the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, has in His world only the four cubits of halachah” (Berachos 8a): from the person who is on the level of “studying halachos.” Learning about halachah is called “occupying oneself with a matter of halachah,” because study is only a matter pertaining to halachah. Halachah itself is to be one of those who live the halachah and cleave to Hashem with wondrous closeness, as above.

4With this we can explain the verse. Before the sin of selling Yosef, the holy tribes cleaved to Hashem, and their Torah was protected, for all their deeds and ways were Torah. After they sold Yosef, their hearts broke within them and they deeply regretted it. From then on they strengthened themselves simply in learning Torah. They feared for their souls to consider themselves still on the level of “studying halachos,” for they thought they had committed a great sin in selling Yosef and no longer truly cleaved to Hashem. But when they came to Yosef and he revealed himself to them, saying, “for it was to preserve life that God sent me” [Bereishis 45:5], he showed them that it had come from the Cause of all causes. So he told them: from now on, “do not occupy yourselves with a matter of halachah,” that is, with learning about halachah alone, but with halachah itself. Be on the level of “studying halachos” in true closeness to Hashem, for you are the ones who truly cleave to Him. Afterward it says, “they went” and “they went up.”³ They were actually received back to their original level, the level of those who cleave to Hashem. Consider this carefully. Thus far my father's holy words.

5With this we can explain the Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 95:3): “From where did Avraham learn Torah? One opinion says: his two kidneys became like two jugs of water, and they welled forth Torah for him. R' Levi said: he learned it on his own.” At first glance, what is their disagreement? What is “on his own,” and what is “his kidneys welled forth”? Is that not also “on his own”? According to our words, this is the explanation. R' Shimon says “his kidneys welled forth”: as Chazal say, “the kidneys give counsel” (Berachos 61a). His kidneys welled forth wisdom and Torah for him, to know which path of life to walk in, so as to give gratification to his Maker and Creator. R' Levi says that Avraham Avinu, in his great righteousness and holiness, was like one who “slings at a hair and does not miss” [Shoftim 20:16]. He was on the level of “studying halachos” all day. He did not make even the slightest movement that was not Hashem's will, but did everything in holiness and purity. As Chazal say, “Avraham Avinu made the evil inclination good” (Yerushalmi Berachos 9:5). He truly cleaved to Hashem, so he no longer needed to learn, for all his deeds were the Torah of Hashem. That is “he learned it on his own”: whatever his limbs did, he knew that Hashem wanted him to do it.

6aNow the tribes of Hashem, in their great righteousness and holiness, stood on the highest level, that of “studying halachos.” All their deeds were holy to Hashem, and their limbs did nothing against the Creator's will. They served Hashem in all their ways and all their movements. As it says, “they sat down to eat bread” [Bereishis 37:25], and Chazal say (Bereishis Rabbah 84:17): “to feed bread to all who come into the world.” This is halachah as “the ways of the world”: all the world's ways went through them. Later, when they saw the sin of selling Yosef, they saw that their limbs had done something against the Creator's will. They had fallen short and caused damage. So they thought they needed the Gemara's second counsel: “let him occupy himself with Torah,” learning halachah. That learning is called “a matter of halachah,” because it is what brings a person to keep halachah.

6bAfterward, when Yosef revealed himself to them and told them, “for it was to preserve life that God sent me before you” [Bereishis 45:5], he meant: the sale was no sin or iniquity at all. “This was from Hashem” [Tehillim 118:23], from the Cause of all causes, to bring you sustenance. It was no sin, and you are still on a great level, like the one who “slings at a hair and does not miss.” So he told them, “Do not quarrel (al tirgezu),” which Chazal explain as “do not occupy yourselves with a matter of halachah,” with the study of halachah. For you are on the level of “studying halachos every day.” And this is “al tirgezu on the way”: do not “stir up” the yetzer hara through the study of Torah, which is called “the way,” as in “the way in which they shall go” [Shemos 18:20; Kiddushin 2b]. That is “they went up from Egypt” [Bereishis 45:25]: they rose out of the straits, mitzrayim, as we said, when Yosef told them they could conduct themselves on their level as before. But in truth, not every mind can bear this. Such conduct is only for people of high stature, and they are few [cf. Sukkah 45b]. Everyone is obligated to learn Torah day and night and to strive with all the counsels Chazal taught us to merit this.

7Following my father's holy words, we may add this. The holy books teach that the deeds of the forefathers are a sign for their children. When Yaakov Avinu went down to Egypt, he paved the way for his children until the coming of Moshiach, soon in our days. As the Kabbalistic books write, the numerical value of Goshnah, “to Goshen,” equals Moshiach. He made it possible for us to hold firm and keep our faith. He sought counsels and strategies to help his children, so that they would have something to revive their souls in the bitter exile. As the Midrash explains (Bereishis Rabbah 95:1)⁴ on “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb” [Yeshayahu 11:6]: “He sent Yehudah ahead of him to prepare the way to Goshen” [Bereishis 46:28]. The Midrash Rabbah and Midrash Tanchuma say that this was to prepare a house of study, where Torah would be taught and the tribes would learn. That is, so they could stir up their strength against the yetzer hara with the power of Torah, and the light of the holy Torah would shine for them, until the verse is fulfilled in us, soon in our days: “Hashem will be your everlasting light” [Yeshayahu 60:19].

8a“Yosef harnessed his chariot... and he appeared to him” [Bereishis 46:29]. The commentators wondered why the verse says “he appeared to him.” The truth is as the holy Maggid of Kozhnitz, zt"l, wrote in Avodas Yisrael, based on the holy Zohar (Parshas Tetzaveh): “‘The fruit of a beautiful (hadar) tree’ [Vayikra 23:40]: this is the tzaddik. Why is it called hadar, splendid? It is a hidden place, never revealed, which must always stay concealed, and splendor belongs only to what is revealed and seen! Rather, although it is a hidden level, it is the splendor of the whole body, and the body has splendor only through it.” He gave two explanations there along the lines of the Zohar; see there. He wrote that this is “he appeared to him”: Yosef the tzaddik became revealed and drew close to Yaakov. That is, he was the same Yosef as at the beginning, “the tzaddik, the foundation of the world” [Mishlei 10:25]. He showed his father that he was the guardian of the covenant, who binds the souls of Israel to their Father in Heaven. For the attribute of Yesod, foundation, is the attribute of binding, as is known.

8b“He fell on his neck”: so that “light will shine in the darkness for the upright” [Tehillim 112:4], in the hearts and souls of those who will not be able to strengthen themselves with a ray of the Torah's light when the darkness is at its worst. They will not be able to stir themselves up against the yetzer hara. With what will they bind themselves and their souls to “the portion of Hashem's inheritance” [cf. Devarim 32:9]? Yaakov Avinu understood this and recited the Shema, as Chazal say, “Yaakov was reciting the Shema.” He was repairing this for the future, at the end of days. By the power of the great unifications and the mesiras nefesh that Yaakov Avinu put into his Shema, they will be able to strengthen themselves through the Shema, in truth and with a whole heart, and revive their souls with it. But Yosef the tzaddik had long known “the nakedness of the land” [cf. Bereishis 42:9]. He felt more keenly the force of the exile and the darkness. He saw and knew that there would be very low and lowly people who could not say the Shema with a willing heart and soul and with true mesiras nefesh. “He wept on his neck od,” “still more”: he wanted Yaakov to seek yet another counsel and help, to heal these souls too. He hinted all this through his weeping, because it is not proper to mention the day of death to one's father, especially for Yosef, who had not seen his father's face for so many years.

8cYaakov Avinu sensed this and understood what he meant, and said, “Now I can die.” “Yisrael said to Yosef: Now I can die” [Bereishis 46:30]: through the Shema they will come to learn Torah properly, until Hashem looks down and has mercy on us, soon in our days. “After seeing your face, for you are still alive”: you are the tzaddik, the foundation of the world, who gives life to all worlds [as Yesod, “the Life of the worlds”], and who binds the souls of Israel to their Father in Heaven, even simple and lowly people. Yosef had hinted this with the word od, as Rashi there cites: “For He does not lay upon a man more (od)” (Iyov 34:23). Out of their coarse physicality, people will dare to question Hashem, as if Hashem had wronged them beyond what they deserve. But the tzaddik, the foundation of the world, by his power and holiness raised and lifted up souls sunk in such impurity and coarseness, so that they can return to their Father in Heaven.

9“The deeds of the forefathers are a sign for their children.” Our holy forefathers made signs and a road for us for the end of days, as the Kabbalists wrote: Goshnah equals Moshiach. There will be a time when the light of understanding is darkened by people's corrupt deeds, until the damage reaches the mind. Then a person cannot join the holy Torah to himself, so that it is absorbed into his limbs, for that requires a pure person, a vessel fit to receive the holy Torah. Even so, out of the great humility he takes to heart, he should keep learning, as Chazal say: “A person should keep reciting his learning, even though he does not know” (Avodah Zarah 19a). “Not know” means without connection, in the sense of “Adam knew [Chavah]” [Bereishis 4:1]: even though the holy Torah is not absorbed into his limbs at all. Let him keep learning until Hashem has mercy and sends us the righteous redeemer, soon in our days, amen, and lights our eyes in the holy Torah, as it says, “Hashem will be your everlasting light” [Yeshayahu 60:19].