Rashi says "This is to tell the praise of Aharon that he did not change."
The holy Sfas Emes explained that usually when a person starts something new, he feels very enthusiastic about what he is doing. He feels excited, good, and motivated about the good that he is doing. But after a short while passes the excitement and enthusiasm get lost. This was the praise of Aharon. Every day when he lit the Menorah in the Mishkan he did so with the same enthusiasm as on the first day. This is the true test of a "eirlicher yid". Day in day out, we just gotta keep on plugging. And if we dont feel that motivation or enthusiasm and we still do the good deed. That is also great. So lets just keep it up, the end is at hand. Let us daven to Hashem that when the time comes we end up on the right side of the great chasm. And may we merit greeting the Mashiach! Speedily! In our days! Amen!
peace and joy,
Etan
"G-d said to Moses, Gather to Me seventy men from the elders of Israel...I will increase some of the spirit (of prophecy) that is upon you and place i it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you..." (Numbers 11:16, 17)
In response to Moshe's (Moses's) complaint that he no longer could bear the burden of leadership alone, Hashem (G-d) commanded him to select seventy elders who would constitute a body known as the Sanhedrin. This was not a new concept, for there had been elders even in Egypt (Exodus 3:16, 4:29) , and Moshe had convened seventy elders before the Torah was given (Exodus 24:1) , but those Sages were killed by a Heavenly fire, sent to punish the rebellious Jews who complained against Hashem. (Exodus 11:1) Those Sages incurred punishment because they irreverently ate and drank while perceiving the revelation at Sinai (Exodus 24:11), an act of the greatest disrespect for the King of the world. Hashem deferred their punishment until this episode, so as not to mar the joy of receiving the Torah. To replace those elders, Hashem commanded Moshe to choose the men who had been the Jewish supervisors of the slaves in Egypt. These men had been beaten on account of their fellow Jews, for when Pharaoh ordered them to force their charges to work harder, they refused, and were beaten as a result. For their act of bravery and dedication to their people, they deserved to be elevated to high positions. Our verse tells us that some of the holy spirit of prophecy that Moshe possessed was placed upon these elders.
There is a rule that whatever is mentioned in the Torah applies for all time. Therefore, that the verse associates prophecy with the elders must indicate that there is some general connection between prophecy and all elders. What is that connection? Why was it necessary for the elders to be given the gift of prophecy? Why could they not fulfill their tasks without prophecy? Western culture tends to view aging and elderly people negatively. Many of the elderly are relegated to nursing homes and await death in relative isolation. The young look upon the elderly as an unproductive segment of society, a nuisance and a burden to their limited resources. Youth and a youthful appearance are worshipped. This is why many middle-aged people try to preserve their fading youthful appearance, attempting to cover up the outward signs of aging through all sorts of artificial methods. Conversely, the Torah does not consider the elderly or the aging process to be a liability. Although old age has ma ny obvious negatives, the Torah considers the elderly to have many advantages as well. Based on the teachings of Rabbi Nachman and his student Rav Noson we will endeavor to explore the dynamics of old age and its connection with prophecy.
THE GLORY OF HASHEM'S KINGSHIP AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MAGNIFYING IT IN THE WORLD
One of the main goals of the creation is that we freely choose to accept Hashem as our King and adhere to His ways. The greatness of a king is dependent upon the prestige and honor he is accorded by his subjects and the world. This not only applies to earthly kings, but to Hashem's Kingdom as well, as the Talmud teaches, "The earthly kingdom resembles the Heavenly Kingdom." (Talmud: Berachot 58a) Rabbi Nachman taught that "Hashem is good for all [things that one might need]." (Psalms 145:9) This means that when a person believes that everything is dependent upon Hashem, such as health, livelihood etc. then the main focus of his efforts are directed to Hashem, rather than upon strategies for chasing after physicality. When a person comes to the realization that everything is dependent upon Hashem, he has fulfilled the purpose of creation and has thus crowned Hashem as His king. In this way Hashem is glorified. Thus, glorification is the acknowledgment of and adherence to one's master. Free choice will come to an end in the Messianic era because Hashem's Glory will be revealed from out of the darkness, and all flesh shall see it--as the verse says, "[For at that time] they [all the nations of the world] will all call upon the Name of Hashem, to serve Him with one consent." (Zephaniah 3:9) Then the nations will say, "Come let us walk in the light of Hashem." (Isaiah 2:5) Hashem's light refers to His Glory, as the verse says, "And the earth was illuminated with [the light of] His Glory." (Ezekiel 43:2) Thus, the verse informs us that when Hashem's Glory is finally revealed and it becomes obvious to all that Hashem is the Master of the world, then there will be universal light, goodness, and peace and the purpose of creation will be fulfilled. But now, since Hashem's Glory is in exile, we must do our part to help bring the Messiah and the universal era of peace by using our free choice to magnify Hashem's Glory as much as possible throughout the world.PERCEIVING DIVINITY THROUGH THE EYES OF
PURIFIED IMAGINATION
All our ideas, creativity, and perceptions are based upon the imagination. An imagination that is impure makes sin seem very appealing because it inundates the mind with a plethora of fantasies, illusions, and falsehoods. Rav Noson says, just as an impure imagination leads one to erroneously perceive sin as sweet, a purified imagination becomes the vehicle for Divine Inspiration and increased faith because through it, we can visualize the inner workings of the spiritual world. Because Hashem and spirit cannot normally be seen with the human eye, acknowledging them comes mainly through faith. Obviously, actually seeing the object of one's faith would strengthen his beliefs immeasurably. So because Divine Inspiration helps a person visualize the deeper, more abstract concepts of Torah via his own imagination, it therefore helps increase his faith. [For example, Divine Inspiration could help a person imagine Hashem's light coming down to nourish the Earth. Through this, his faith would be enhanced.] Once a person merits Divine Inspiration, it purifies his imagination even further.PURIFIED IMAGINATION
DIVINE INSPIRATION TO PRODUCE AND SING LOFTY SONGS
Rav Noson says that Divine Inspiration comes to those who honor Hashem by accepting Him, His Torah, and His ways as the ultimate authority, above all else. When we honor Hashem and thus accept Him as our king, we are, so to speak, inviting Him into our domain and drawing Divine Inspiration upon ourselves. Rabbi Nachman teaches that there is a relationship between music and Divine Inspiration. Music is produced by choosing the "good" notes over the "bad", just as Divine Inspiration is the result of sifting good thoughts from bad. When our imagination is purified, it can inspire us to sing lofty songs to Hashem. The following teaching illustrates this point:PURIFYING IMAGINATION AND DEVELOPING FAITH
THROUGH ATTACHEMENT TO TZADDIK
Every true leader of Israel has true faith and firmly adheres to Hashem's ways. Their faith comes from a purified imagination, earning them some form of Divine Inspiration. In order to access truly high levels of faith, it is essential that we attach ourselves to such a sage or Tzaddik (saint) and become his follower. Being a follower of such an individual makes it easier to purify our own imaginations and come to pure faith, because we are able to draw the necessary spiritual energies of purity from the mentor. It is the exceedingly rare individual who can eliminate the foolishness from his own imagination without first attaching himself to a tzaddik. The vast majority, even if they study a lot of Torah and perform many commandments cannot break away from an imagination which leads to sin, falsehood, and a lack of faith unless they become a disciple of a proper teacher. Thus Rabbi Nachman taught that one's entire eternity is dependent on attaching oneself to such a holy individual.THROUGH ATTACHEMENT TO TZADDIK
THE PROPHETIC SPIRIT OF THE TZADDIK
Rabbi Nachman taught that the ultimate reason a person is sent into this world is to know and acknowledge the Creator. Amazingly, the soul is unable to achieve this goal while residing in the upper worlds, because it cannot fathom the infinity of Hashem from within infinity. Only through this limited dimension can the unlimited nature of Hashem, His infinite essence be better understood. And it is impossible in this world to attain true knowledge about Hashem without the help of a true Tzaddik to enlighten us. (1 Lekutei MoHaran 39) The prophetic spirit of the true Tzaddik makes it possible for him to purify his imagination and distinguish between illusion and truth. Once a person has found truth, he can come to perfect faith. Faith is complete only to the extent that one has cleansed himself of illusion and falsehood. Genuine faith is the belief that Hashem created the world from nothing and controls its every aspect to the minutest detail. Our finite minds can never grasp the secret of how Hashem created and runs the world. Only through faith--the purified faith we receive from the true Tzaddikim--can we hope to glimpse that which is beyond our intellect. (2 Lekutei MoHaran 8)THE TACHLIS OF OLD AGE
Now we can understand the reasoning behind the commandment, "In the presence of an old person [who is past seventy, even if he is unlearned] shall you rise [as a show of respect] and you shall honor the presence of a sage [even if he is young] and you shall revere your G-d--I am Hashem." (Lev. 19:32) Rav Noson says that elderly people draw the spiritual energies of old age from the upper worlds and that their physical appearance is a reflection of those energies. The spiritual energies of old age are derived from the same area in heaven as prophecy and the roots of the upper Torah. Rav Noson explains: At the time of the giving of the Torah, the entire Jewish nation reached the level of prophecy and heard the voice of Hashem, as the verse says, "Face to face did Hashem speak with you (the Jews) on the mountain, from amidst the fire." (Deut. 5:4) The Midrash says, "At Sinai [at the giving of the Torah], they (the Jews) 'saw' Him (Hashem) as an elderly, compassionate Father." (Rashi quoting Midrash Mechilta) the juxtaposition of Torah, prophecy, and old age is an indication of their common derivation. So an elderly tzaddik resonates with the spiritual energies of old age which automatically connect his imagination to prophecy, bringing him to a very high level of faith. Rav Noson says that Hashem chooses certain righteous individuals to have a long life just so they can benefit from the spiritual energies of old age, enabling them to develop high levels of faith that come from a purified imagination. These elderly people are supposed to use their faith to guide and influence others to develop higher levels of faith as well, as the verse says, "And even until old age and hoary hairs, Hashem, do not forsake me until I declare Your strength to the [next] generation, Your might, to all who are yet to come." (Psalms 71:18) This same idea is expressed in another verse, "Remember the days of yore, understand the years of generation after generation. Ask your father [about faith in Hashem] and he will relate it to you, and [ask] your elders [about faith in Hashem] and they will tell you." (Deut. 32:7)ABRAHAM: THE FIRST TO PRAY TO HAVE AN ELDERLY APPEARANCE
The Patriarch Avraham (Abraham) was the very first individual to disseminate faith in Hashem throughout the world. The sages refer to Avraham as "the chief amongst those who have faith." Avraham's perfect faith was one of the crowning achievements of his long life. Rav Noson says that based on our teaching, we can now understand the following Talmudic teaching: "Until Avraham, there was no old age [there was no physical signs of aging, everyone--even the old--appeared young. Fathers and sons looked exactly alike. Thus], whoever wished to speak to Avraham [mistakenly] would speak to Yitzchak (Isaac) [Avraham's son], and vice verse [because they looked exactly alike]. Therefore, he (Avraham) prayed, and old age came into existence, as it is written, 'And Avraham was old and advanced in age(" [The verse emphasizes this fact to teach that at Avraham's time, the signs of age was something new and extraordinary.] (Genesis 24:1) (Talmud: Bava Metziah 8 7a) Avraham wanted to look his age in order to arouse his students' respect for his teachings about Hashem. He began the Jewish yeshiva (school for intensive Torah learning) tradition by establishing and heading a yeshiva, as the Talmud teaches, "Rav Chama bar Chanina said, '...Our father Avraham was an elder and a member of the council of elders, as it says, 'And Avraham was an elder [sage] and advanced in age.'" (Genesis 24:1) (Talmud: Yoma 28b) (Shaarai Yosher) Rav Noson explains that since Avraham's most important contribution to the world was teaching faith in Hashem and he was the very first person to teach such ideas, Avraham felt that it was essential to his life-long mission that he increase his faith and strengthen the channels to disseminate it. As mentioned above, the spiritual energies of old age automatically result in higher levels of faith. This is why Avraham prayed for old age.THE MEANING OF A WHITE BEARD
Each part of the physical body is associated with and can access lofty spiritual energies from the upper worlds. The holy Zohar talks at great length about the lofty energies that the hair of the beard is able to access. A rule governing spiritual relationships says that things which have a common number share the same spiritual energies. The Zohar mentions that there are thirteen points or areas on the human beard. This relates to the thirteen rules of Torah interpretation which Hashem taught Moshe on Mt. Sinai. Thus the beard resonates with the root of the Torah. There is yet another rule that something's color reflects its spiritual essence. The color white is always an indication of purity. Therefore, the outward signs of old age, such as white hair and a long beard are manifestations of the purity, prophecy, and Torah that a person connects to by virtue of accessing the energies of old age which purify his imagination, bringing him to high levels of faith to pass on to the next generation. Since Avraham's whole life was about spreading faith throughout the world, he therefore prayed to access the spiritual energies of old age. [Note: There is a good reason why old age not only manifests itself with a change in appearance, but also with the deterioration the body, reduction of its strength and its ability to function. All human flesh became spiritually polluted through Adam's sin. As a result, the urges of the body became an impediment to coming close to Hashem. As mentioned above, old age is associated with the spiritual energies of prophecy. Prophecy involves a degree of real attachment to Hashem. The urges of a strong and healthy body would be an impediment to such an attachment. The animal part of man cannot tolerate Hashem's great light. Therefore, except for Moshe, all of the prophets lost control of their senses during their prophetic experiences. Their limbs trembled, their physical strength ebbed, and they became disoriented. This caused their minds to become like a vacuum, enabling them to receive and comprehend Divine messages. Because old age is associated with the spiritual energies of prophecy, the symptoms of old age are much like a prophetic experience. That being the case, the bodies of the elderly are automatically put into weakened state, which is more conducive to receiving the energies of Divine Intuition, a lower form of prophecy. Further note: The weakness of old age discussed here does not refer to the type of weakness that comes with illness. That type of weakness comes from years of neglecting the body/mind--abusing it through improper eating habits, lack of exercise, poor posture, smoking, overmedicating, unwillingness to acknowledge strong "negative" emotions, poor mental attitude, etc. Living a long life does not have to mean living a sick life.]RESPECT TO THE HOLY ELDERS
As mentioned above, the ability to access the energies of prophecy that lead to faith are increased through receiving respect. The energies of old age associated with exceptionally high levels of faith are also increased due to respect. In addition, when we respect the elderly, we draw to ourselves those very same powers of prophecy and faith, as the verse says, "In the presence of an old person [even if he is unlearned] shall you rise [to give him respect]...and [through this] you shall [come to] revere your G-d(" [The verse associates respecting the elderly with fear of Hashem, teaching that through giving respect, one can access the energies of old age that enables one to come to fear Hashem.]" (Lev. 19:32) This is why we are commanded give respect to the elderly. [In Exodus 6:16-21, which gives the account of the Egypt bondage, the Torah enumerates the ages of death only for the tribal leaders of the tribe of Levi, and not any other tribe. The Sforno explains the reason for this, "The Torah gives the ages of the Levite ancestors to suggest a reason for the superiority of Moshe and Aaron [and the entire tribe of Levi] over the rest of the nation. Since Levi, the founder of the tribe of Levi, outlived his brothers, the founders of the other eleven tribes; and Kohath [Moshe's grandfather] and Amram [Moshe's father], also lived long lives, they were able to play major parts in the education and rearing of their children and grandchildren, a benefit not enjoyed to the same extent by the other tribes. In other words, the reason why the tribe of Levi emerged to be the leading tribe in spirituality is consistent with our teaching. Their spiritual success was mainly due to the fact that for a longer period of time than any other tribe, they were able to draw upon the spiritual energies of old age from their ancestors.] This is why holy elders are so important for one's spiritual growth. (Lekutei Halachot: Yorah Dayah: Hilchot Kovad Rabo V'Talmud Chachom 3:1-5)STORY
We mentioned the importance of honoring sages and that the more one glorifies Hashem by reciting Psalms, etc., the more one brings Hashem into his domain. The following true story illustrates this point(When it came time for the holy Baal Shem Tov to reveal himself to the world, he was informed by Heaven that first, he had to fulfill the commandment of serving Torah Scholars. The Baal Shem Tov then proceeded to seek out Torah Scholars so he could serve them and he came across several and served them in many different ways. In one case, he assisted Rabbi Dovid of Kolomal. Once, Rav Dovid lost his way when he was on a trip to collect money in order to ransom Jewish captives. He wandered into the house of the Baal Shem Tov, the greatness of whom at that time was unknown in the world. The Baal Shem Tov's wife welcomed the Rabbi, prepared food for him and offered him a room in which to rest.HITHBODEDUTH (secluding oneself)
Rabbi Nachman taught that as well as reciting the mandatory daily prayers contained in the prayer book, we should also speak to Hashem, just as we would confide in our best friend: in seclusion, in the language and style with which we feel most comfortable. This is based on the advice of our sages, just to mention two sources: "Rebbe Yitzchak said: 'Why were our forefathers barren? Because Hashem desires the prayers of the righteous."' (Talmud: Yevamoth 64a) "Hashem seeks nothing other than to hear the prayers of Israel." (Medrash Tehillim 116:1) The following is an example of such a session: Please Hashem, for the sake of Your Name, do not bring it about that, because of our sins we become distanced from the true Tzaddikim, Heaven forbid! Help us to become strengthened with complete faith in the holy Tzaddikim always. Make us worthy of the benefit of the mercy from the true Tzaddikim, which they should bestow upon us to always bring us closer to them. Inspire the Tzaddikim to descend to our level and help them clothe their great light in such a way that we will be able to draw from it and be nourished from their great wisdom. Inspire the great Tzaddikim to have mercy upon us. Through great love and compassion, they should bring us closer to themselves so that we merit to be eternally bound to them. Help us, through the power of the true Tzaddikim, to know You and come close to You with sincerity, even in this world. (1 Lekutai Tefilos 63)HALACHA
Based on the advice of our sages (Talmud: Megilah 28b), Rabbi Nachman stressed that everyone should study at least one law from the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) [or its equivalent, other books which are based on the Shulchan Aruch] everyday without fail. (Sichoth HaRan)It is a positive commandment to stand up before any sage, even if he is not elderly. [One must rise before a sage] even if he is not one's Rabbi. (Maran) [All the above applies] only when [the sage] is greater than oneself and is fit to learn from. (Tur) In addition, it is a commandment to rise before the elderly, who must be [at least] seventy years old. (Maran) [One is required to rise before the elderly] even if the man is ignorant [of the Torah], [however] one should not do so if the elderly person is wicked. (Bais Yosef, Tosfos) When is one required to rise before them [a sage or the elderly]? When they come within one's four cubits [a cubit is between 18 to 24 inches]. [One must remain standing] until they pass from before one's face. It is forbidden to close one's eyes before they [a sage or the elderly] come within one's four cubits, in order to avoid having to rise before them. (Maran) One is even required to give respect to elderly Gentiles, by talking respectfully to them and supporting them if they require a hand to lean on. (Maran) (Shulchan Aruch: Yorah Dayah 244:1-3, 7) p.s. Dont forget to respect your elders!!
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