Rabbi Brandwein's Essays
Ramchal's - Daat Tevunot
Rav Avraham Brandwein, Dean
B"H
Part IV
Such a person is called Hashem's Partner in Maaseh Bereshit. Why
a Partner? Because HaKadosh Baruch Hu prepared the world when He
first created it. But the whole purpose of this creation was for
Man to merit, to deserve to enjoy creation... So the Tzadikim,
by perfecting themselves and the entire world, become His
partners in completing Maaseh Bereshit.
The Zohar thus says on the verse, "Ami Atem - You are My People,"
do not only read "Ami Atem," but "Imi Atem - With Me You are
Partners." That is, the Tzadikim work together with HaKadosh
Baruch Hu, they are His Partners, in perfecting the world.
The Neshamah now says: This is a foundation with many aspects to
it. I am therefore anxious now to hear how you will build on this
foundation. Then I will be able to understand retroactively all
that is included in it. I would ask one thing before you begin,
though. Is there a reason that we can understand as to why the
Ratzon HaElyon wanted things to be this way? [Why did HaKadosh
Baruch Hu want us to earn our own reward?]
The Sechel answers: The reason in itself is simple, but it
depends on the answer to another question [that is, in order to
understand it we must first understand the answer to another
question], namely, Why did the Creator desire to create human
beings in the first place - Lama Ratza HaBore Baruch Hu Livro
Nivraim?
That is, now we come to the basic question, the most important
question: What is the purpose of creation? Why did Hashem create
a world with Man in it? What did He want from the world? Surely,
for every action there is a purpose, as we can see in our own
lives. People usually do not do things for no reason at all.
Everything is purposeful. Anyone who does something for no
reason, without a purpose, is considered insane, or a child. They
just act, not knowing why they act. [And even then, if we look
deeply, we can see that their actions are intended to produce a
certain effect, to achieve a certain intended goal.]
Certainly the Creator who created the entire human species, and
for their sake He created all the spiritual worlds... For Man is
the crown of creation... Certainly the entire physical world, all
inorganic matter, all that grows and lives, everything was
created for Man. So, for what purpose did He create Man? This is
the question posed by the Sechel: Lama Ratza HaBore Baruch Hu
Livro Nivraim - Why did the Creator wish to create human beings?
Why?
The Neshamah says: Please provide an answer that will apply to
both questions.
Yes, the Neshamah says, I want to hear what you have to say.
The Sechel says: What we can understand about this matter is
this: HaKel Yitbarach Shemo (The Omnipotent God, blessed be His
Name) is the Ultimate Good. Now, it is a law that that which is
Good gives of its Goodness. This is the reason Hashem Yitbarach
created human beings - in order to bestow His Goodness upon them.
For if there is no one to receive, there is no possibility of
bestowing Good. Now, in order for this bestowal of Good to be
perfect, in His sublime wisdom, Hashem knew that its recipients
would have to work to receive it. THEY WOULD THEN BE MASTERS OF
THAT GOOD, and would never have to experience shame in receiving
it, like someone who is forced to take charity from others. In
the Gemara (Yerushalmi Orlah One-Three) this is described as
[what is called Nahama D'Kesufa, the Bread of Shame]: "One who
eats another's bread is ashamed to look in his face."
First of all, we learn that HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself is the
Ultimate Good. Since He is Good, He desires to bestow of His
Goodness. This means...
First of all we must define a general principle. Any Name we give
to Hashem, any Positive Quality or Attribute we attribute to Him,
can only describe what He does, never what He is. For example,
we can know that the water in a cup is "hot" or "cold" by
actually touching or tasting the water, or by seeing certain
properties and extrapolating, or by some other means of
measurement. However, we cannot attribute any distinguishing
quality or name to something that does not act. Therefore, when
we characterize someone in this world, in our reality, and we
say: this person is good or bad - this means that this person has
done something, he has acted in such a way that we can now define
him as good or bad. He has done good deeds or the opposite.
However, in the absence of Deeds, without some Action, a person
cannot be called Good or Bad. A person cannot be called Good
unless he does good actions. And vice versa, a person cannot be
called Bad unless he does evil actions. The most we could say in
the absence of an action is that: if such a person was good, he
would have done such and such an action. Even here, however, we
are judging by his actions, in this case, by his not having done
something. By not having done something, evil resulted. We
therefore say this person is bad. Conversely, if, by not having
done something, good resulted, we therefore say that this person
is good. Actions allow us to define things. [Any definition we
give to something is therefore relative to the benefit or harm
we derive from it.] Without an action, we have no way of defining
something vis a vis ourselves.
Therefore, when we say that someone IS GOOD, this means that this
person DOES GOOD. We cannot define a person or even an action as
Good unless something Good results from it. Everything is thus
judged by its actions.
When we now say that Hashem Yitbarach is the Ultimate Good, it
is an incontrovertible law that that which IS GOOD DOES GOOD,
BESTOWS GOOD. This is what the Sechel says here: HaKel Yitbarach
Shemo is the Ultimate Good. It is a law that that which is Good
gives of its Goodness. And this is His Ratzon, His Will and
Desire in creating human beings. He created them to bestow His
Goodness upon them. Why? For if there is no one to receive, there
is no possibility of bestowing Good.
It is possible to explain this based on the words of the Ari
HaKadosh near the beginning of Etz Chaim (Shaar Rishon, Anaf
Beth): "When it arose in His Simple Will to create worlds and
emanate emanations, LeHotzi Le'Or - to bring to light, to
express, the perfection of His Actions, His Names and His
Attributes - which was actually the purpose for creating all the
universes, [as we explained above in Anaf Aleph], He constricted
His Infinite Light, distancing it to the sides around a center
point, leaving a Vacated Space in the middle of the light of Ain
Sof..." (see corrected version in Breslov/MM5)
[[Etz Chaim, Shaar Aleph, Anaf Aleph reads thus: Concerning the
purpose and intention for the creation of the worlds... Behold,
the Blessed One is necessarily Perfect and Whole in all His
Actions, His Powers, and all His Names, i.e. His Attributes of
Greatness and Exaltedness and Honor. However, if He had not
actualized or expressed His Actions and His Powers, then, as it
were, He could not be called Perfect and Whole, not in His
Actions, not in His Names, and not in His Attributes. For behold,
the Four Letter Name Yod-Keh-Vav-Keh signifies His Eternal and
Everlasting Existence, that He Was (He Existed), before creation,
He Is, as long as the world exists, and He Will Be, after
everything returns to its former state. If the worlds and all
they contain had not been created, the true significance of His
Eternal Existence, [of His Being the Same] in the Past, in the
Present and in the Future, would never have been revealed, and
He could not have been called HAVAYA (Eternal Existence). [This
is very subtle. He would have been Eternal, but He could not be
CALLED Eternal by us.] The same is true of His Name, Adonai,
which means Master, and signifies His Mastery over His Subjects.
If there were no subjects, He could not be CALLED Master. The
same applies to all the rest of His Names, as well as His
Attributes, such as His being called Compassionate, Gracious, and
Patient. They could not rightly be applied to Him had there been
no human beings to call Him thus. Once the worlds existed,
however, His Actions and His Powers were actualized and
expressed, and He could be called Perfect in All His Actions and
Powers. He is now also Perfect in all His Names and Attributes,
with no deficiency whatsoever, God forbid. This is explained
beautifully in the Zohar, Pinchas 257b: The Holy One is now
called Wise in every way, Understanding in every way... Before
He created the worlds, however, He was only CALLED thus vis a vis
those creatures He would create in the future. For without
creatures [to call Him and relate to Him], how could He be called
Compassionate, Judge, etcetra. Rather, He was CALLED these before
creation only by virtue of the fact that there would be creatures
who would call Him thus after creation...]]
We see here that the actual purpose for creating the Olamot, the
universes, was LeHotzi Le'Or, to express the perfection of His
Actions, His Names and His Attributes. What is LeHotzi Le'Or?
What does it mean to "bring to light"? This can be likened to a
person who has a wise thought, but the thought is still in his
mind, unexpressed. It is still Potential, not Actual, because
only the person himself knows of it. When he writes a book, and
publishes his ideas, this is called in Hebrew LeHotzi Le'Or, "to
bring to light." He now brings out and expresses, or actualizes
in reality what had only previously been in hidden in his
thoughts. Others can now also benefit from this thought.
Thus, again, we have: "When it arose in His Simple Will...
LeHotzi Le'Or - to bring to light, to express, the perfection of
His Actions, His Names and His Attributes..."
What are Hashem's Names? We have Havaya, Yod-Keh-Vav-Keh, the
Name of Mercy; Elokim, the Name of Judgment, of Law, of
Hashgachah; Adnut, the Name of Mastery over all creation. There
are also His Attributes, that He is Rachum-Compassionate and
Chanun-Gracious. How can He bring to light these Names, and also
these Attributes?
And the difference between Names and Attributes is that there are
Divine Names that, once written, cannot be erased. According to
the Gemara (Shevuot 35a), they are: Havaya, Adnut, Ekeyeh, Kel,
Elokah, Elokim, Shadai, Tzevaot. Then there are Kinuyim,
Attributes, like Rachum and Chanun, Gadol, Gibor, Nora, Rav
Chesed, Erech Apayim.
These Names and Attributes could never have been brought into
actuality, so to speak, had Hashem not created human beings.
Take for example the Name of Adnut, Mastery. Hashem is Master
only when He has Subjects to rule. Without subjects, there is no
Master. In the same way, He is Master over His creations. He is
Compassionate, His Gracious, over His creations.
Returning to our text, in order to express His Goodness, His
Quality of Tov U'Metiv, that He is Good and He gives of His
Goodness, He had to create human beings upon whom He could bestow
His Goodness. First of all, He IS GOOD and DOES GOOD. Second,
they can know His Goodness, they can experience and bind
themselves to His Goodness by immersing themselves in His Torah
and fulfilling its mitzvot. In this way, they help reveal His
Names, that He is Rachum VeChanun.
This is one thing that is written here. Now, we read that, "In
order for this bestowal of Good to be perfect, in His sublime
wisdom, Hashem knew that its recipients would have to work to
receive it. THEY WOULD THEN BE MASTERS OF THAT GOOD, and would
never have to experience shame in receiving it, like someone who
is forced to take charity from others."
When a host wishes to invite a guest into his home or to feed a
poor man, it is not enough to give him food. Just as important
is the feeling he gives the guest or the poor man. If the host
is good, he will never let the poor man feel that he is bothering
him or causing him disturbance. He will do everything he can to
prevent this. This idea is used here as the basis for our
relationship with Hashem. Hashem wants to bestow a Perfect
Goodness. He therefore wants to make sure that we will feel no
shame in receiving this Goodness.
There is a klall, a general principle: Whenever a person
receives, when a person is the recipient of a certain kindness,
even if he enjoys what he receives, still, he feels a certain
discomfort in accepting this kindness. This is what Ramchal
quotes here from the Gemara: "One who eats another's bread is
ashamed to look in his face." One who eats food that is not his
own cannot help but experience a certain embarrassment.
Therefore, and we shall see this developed more further on, in
order to prevent our feeling embarrassed by the Goodness that He
wants to give us, He creates a situation in which we can earn it.
In this way, we become masters of the Good we receive, and there
is no embarrassment. For this reason, HaKadosh Baruch Hu wanted
us to work, so that in the merit of fulfilling our tasks, we
would receive our reward as compensation for a job well done, and
there would be no embarrassment. This is the deeper meaning of
what we saw above: Greater is one who enjoys the fruits of his
labor than one who only has fear of Heaven... Concerning one who
enjoys the fruits of his own labor, it is written, "When you
shall eat the fruit of your effort - you shall be happy [in Olam
HaZeh, this world], and it shall be well with you [in Olam HaBa,
the World to Come]."
It is important to clarify now: Where does this feeling of shame
come from? What is the source of this sense of discomfort that
a person feels in receiving something for nothing, without having
done anything to deserve it? It seems that there are two
contradictory things being said here. On the one hand, a person
enjoys receiving. On the other hand, after having received, he
feels uneasy, uncomfortable. If he knows that everything has been
done for him, and yet he didn't have to do anything for it, he
didn't give anything in return, he feels uneasy... (And giving
something in return can even be something as subtle as doing the
host a favor, making him feel good, by accepting what he is
giving...)
But here, HaKadosh Baruch Hu is the Giver, and, we cannot forget,
HaKadosh Baruch Hu does not need His creatures. There is nothing
we can give Him. If, therefore, we have a feeling that all that
is done is for our benefit, it is very difficult for us to accept
such kindness. For we have a klall, a law of Human Nature:
Whenever something is done for a person, only for him, and he
hasn't done anything to deserve it, it is very difficult for him
to accept that kindness.
So what is the source for this feeling, for this inability to
accept something without deserving it in some way?
It is this: Whatever is intrinsic to the Source, the Root, is
also deeply ingrained in the Branch. Meaning: We know that we are
Branches, creations of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Adam HaRishon was
called Hashem's Handiwork. And this applies to all other human
beings. Each human being is created BeTzelem Elokim, in Hashem's
Likeness. What then is the Way of our Source, our Root? We
explained that Hashem doesn't need anything. He lacks nothing.
He is Ultimate Perfection and Wholeness. That is why everything
He does is directed solely to Giving, to Bestowing Goodness. He
only Gives. He needs nothing for Himself.
Human beings, on the other hand, are created with lack, with
needs, with a Ratzon LeKabel, a will and a desire to receive.
Of course, they also share that giving quality that distinguishes
their Source. They also have the ability to Give, to Bestow.
Thus, if we contemplate Human Nature, we will discern two
opposite qualities. On the one hand, Man loves to receive.
Although this in itself is not negative, it is nevertheless the
root of all negative human traits, the desire to possess that
which is not one's own, to steal, to exploit others, etcetra. All
this stems from the fact that the need and the desire to receive
is so deeply a part of Man's Nature. If this desire is allowed
to get out of hand, it causes tremendous damage.
On the other hand, we see that Man loves to give. He loves to
create, to do that which is beneficial to others, to love
another.
Man's contradictory nature is an expression of this klall. On the
one hand, Hashem created human beings who need to receive. On the
other hand, they share with Him His quality of giving, of
bestowing. They get tremendous pleasure from receiving, but they
also get tremendous pleasure from giving.
If we now look closely at Man, we will discern that his first
impulse is to receive. At first, when he receives gifts, he loves
to receive. This is his first reaction, his "first nature." This
is how he was created, with a powerful desire to receive. But,
afterwards, after he has received, something else is aroused in
him. Since he is a branch of the Ultimate Source whose sole
desire is to Give, he also has a powerful desire to give. At a
certain point, therefore, a human being begins to feel
uncomfortable just accepting (and certainly taking) things from
others. This is the result of his "second nature" being aroused
in him, at which point he feels uncomfortable receiving anything
for free.
[[This parallels the concept of yetzer ra and yetzer tov, the
"evil impulse" and "good impulse." The Zohar informs us that Man
is born with a fully developed yetzer ra, whereas he does not
receive a yetzer tov until he receives the yoke of the mitzvot
upon himself. This is exactly what we have said. Man does not
fully develop his potential until he transforms his desire to
receive into the desire to give, or at least, not to receive
without earning his reward. It is only then that the desire to
give becomes "second nature" for him. And it is only called his
"second nature" because it manifests later on in life, through
his own efforts to master his impulses. The truth is, however,
that it is really that most deeply ingrained quality that he
shares with his Creator. It is really his "first nature."]]
This is the reason Man feels what we have called Nahama D'Kesufa,
the Bread of Shame.
Therefore, in order to insure that His Giving is Perfect, Hashem
not only gives of His Goodness, He also makes sure that Man can
receive this Goodness in the most perfect way.
[[Another way of saying this, which is Ramchal's explanation in
Derech Hashem, is that instead of giving us the Shlemut, the
Perfection He wants to give us, He gives us the ability to earn
that Shlemut, so that it can truly be ours. This, by far, is the
greatest gift.]]
This is why He created a world which Man has the responsibility
of fixing, a world in which Man must choose to serve Hashem or
not, in which he must choose to refine his innate desire to
receive and turn it into a powerful desire to give. A person has
to overcome his initial impulse to take that which is not his
own. He must master his impulses, by making his yetzer ra subject
to his yetzer tov. In this way, he will be able to receive the
Good that Hashem wishes to give him, and he will not experience
Nahama D'Kesufa, he will not eat the Bread of Shame, because he
will have earned his own perfection.
When he merits to receive the Goodness that Hashem wishes to
give, it will not be spoiled by the feeling of embarrassment that
arises when we receive something undeserved. How will this be
done? We will see as we go on in the text.
The Neshamah says: This makes complete sense to me. Now continue
what you have been saying.
The Sechel says: Our introduction has provided us with a root
concept which requires contemplation, namely, the concept of
Chisaron, lack or imperfection, and its Shlemut-Perfection [that
the world is created somehow imperfect and man needs to correct
and perfect it]. Now we must know the nature of this original
imperfection and that which derives from it. We must know what
this correction is, through which creation will be brought to its
perfection, how this correction is to be brought about, and what
its consequences will be.
What is being said here is this: From this introduction, meaning,
this introduction that Hashem is the Ultimate Good, and that the
nature of the Good is to Give Good, and that therefore He created
human beings to receive this Goodness... From this introduction,
we arrive at a root concept that requires contemplation, namely,
the concept of Chisaron-Imperfection and its perfection.
How did we arrive at this root concept from what has been said?
Precisely because Hashem wanted to bestow Good and created
Nivraim, creatures, upon whom to bestow this Good. For there is
a klall: The pleasure that we get from something is proportionate
to the degree of lack felt beforehand. Therefore, when HaKadosh
Baruch Hu wanted to give, and He created Nivraim... What is the
meaning of Nivraim (creations, creatures)? Being created a Nivra
means being created with lack, Chisaron, imperfection. For if a
Nivra, a creature, would lack nothing, it would have no pleasure
or benefit from the Goodness bestowed on it by the Bore, the
Creator.
[The word Bara, create, is usually associated with what is called
Creation-from-Nothing, creation ex-nihilo. Why is this?] What
does it mean that something is created from nothing? We know that
everything is included in the Bore, for nothing can give what it
doesn't have in the first place.
To understand this, we will explain first of all the verse in
Yeshayahu (Forty-Five, Seven), "Yotzer Or U'Bore Choshech - I
form light and create darkness." The Ramban explains in his
commentary to Bereshit: What is the difference between Yotzer and
Boreh? Beriyah-Creation means Yesh Mi-Ain, "something from
nothing," while Yetzirah-Formation means Yesh Mi-Yesh, "something
from something." The Hebrew word for an artisan is Yotzer. A
Yotzer takes something that already exists in order to give it
a new form. He has not created anything new, but formed something
out of pre-existing materials. No man can create something from
nothing in any absolute sense. He must take and use what already
exists. Even a creative thought, a completely new thought, builds
on previous sense impressions, even something completely
imaginary can be seen to be the combination of previously
existing ideas. Whereas only HaKadosh BaruchHu can make
"something from nothing." This, then, is the concept of Beriyah,
of making something that never existed before.
If this is so, however, the question is returns: What does it
mean that something is created from nothing if we know that
everything is included in the Bore? What could He possibly create
that didn't already exist in Him??
The answer is: Chisaron, lack, deficiency, imperfection. There
is therefore the Bore, and the Nivra. The essence of Nivra is
something that is created imperfect. And imperfection, Chisaron,
did not exist before there were Nivraim-Creations. When HaKadosh
Baruch Hu existed Alone, and He is the Ultimate Perfection...
there was no Chisaron. What does it mean then that He created
Nivraim? He created the concept of imperfection. This is the
something from nothing that didn't exist before He created the
world. The concept of imperfection itself was the Chidush, the
only thing that didn't exist in the Bore Himself before He
created the world.
[[This then is the meaning of the verse: Yotzer Or U'Bore
Choshech: Hashem only formed the light, Yesh Mi-Yesh, "something
from something," because the light already existed in His
Essence. Choshech, however, which is Darkness, the Darkness of
Chisaron, of Imperfection, this was created Yesh Mi-Ain,
"something from nothing." This is the meaning of Yotzer Or U'Bore
Choshech.]]
Why, again, did He create this Chisaron, this Imperfection, which
is like Choshech - Darkness compared to the Light that preceded it?
Because, as we said, The pleasure derived from something is
proportionate to the degree of lack felt beforehand. Let's take
the example of a man sitting in his house, drinking a glass of
water. He has a certain degree of pleasure from this. But
compared with a man wandering in a desert who has not had a drink
of water for hours, and now he comes to a house or an oasis where
he is given water, this man's pleasure is infinitely greater. His
pleasure from this water is greater than all the pleasures in the
world put together. If we would ask him before he is given the
water: Would you like a huge mansion, would you like to become
rich? He would answer: I don't want anything, just water!
What do we see here? The same amount of water, a man in his house
has a little pleasure, and a man in the desert has the greatest
pleasure possible. How do we gauge pleasure? Pleasure is not
gauged by the thing that fulfills the need alone. It is gauged
by the need that was felt beforehand for that very thing.
When HaKadosh Baruch Hu wanted to create Nivraim upon whom to
Bestow His Goodness, He created them with a tremendous sense of
lack. In this way, when they would receive the Good He wishes to
Give them, they would have undescribable pleasure proportionate
to the degree of lack felt beforehand. This is the concept of
Chisaron, imperfection and lack.
Now we must learn what Shlemut-Perfection is, how we fill the
void, correct the imperfection, make up for the lack.
Now we understand how it is precisely this concept of Chisaron
that we learn here from the law that states: He who is Good
wishes to Give of His Goodness. He therefore created Nivraim with
Chisaron in order to fulfill their Chisaron with His Shlemut and
His Goodness.
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