Sha’ar 2:3-4: Spiritual Illness is Healed Through Physical Illness. The Optimisim Built in to Our Suffering.

Good morning Rebosai. Hope everyone is well. Coming back for a minute to a line that we've read already in Os Gimmel in HaShaar HaSheini. It's around four lines into Os Gimmel, Rabbeinu Yonah writes:

ובחלויי הגוף אשר חילה השם בו ירפא ירפא חולי נפשו.

Through physical illness, spiritual illness, the illness of the Nefesh is healed. Lichora, what Rabbeinu Yonah is conveying, yitachen is the following. Again what's prompting, what needs explanation here, what indicates that there's an omek here, the notion that cheit is choli is one Rabbeinu Yonah highlights from pesukim in Nach. But why is it so crucial in this particular context? In the context of talking about how tzaros should awaken and arouse and stir a person to do teshuva, whether we conceive of cheit as a choli hanefesh doesn't seem so crucial. And yet it's clear from Rabbeinu Yonah that it is, right? In this context Rabbeinu Yonah is underscoring for us that the cheit is a choli hanefesh. And in this particular paragraph as well, Rabbeinu Yonah describes, he delineates the two toaliyos of the yisurim, yisurim as a wake-up call, as a catalyst to teshuva, and yisurim as a source of kapparah. So yitachen that what Rabbeinu Yonah is telling us is the following. Cheit, one perspective or one definition of cheit is when the proper balance between guf vanefesh is not maintained. When there's an imbalance between guf vanefesh, when the guf exerts the dominant influence, so then cheit results. Whether the cheit is a person succumbing to a taiva, whether the cheit is a person succumbing to an emotion of anger or something of that sort, all of that emanates from the guf. So cheit ensues and therefore reflects an imbalance between guf vanefesh. The guf is exerting an influence that it shouldn't upon the nefesh. Now the Rambam tells us and that's how the choli hanefesh of cheit results. Now the Rambam tells us in Hilchos Deos in Perek Beis that when there's an imbalance... in one direction, so the way, temporarily, what's needed to correct that imbalance and restore the correct balance is to go towards the opposite extreme. So yitachen that Rabbeinu Yona is giving us an insight into the hanhaga in the world that yissurim are again both the wake-up call as well as the source of a source of kapara for cheit so Rabbeinu Yona is giving us some insight into that hanhaga. Physical yissurim represent the opposite extreme of cheit. Cheit represents an imbalance where the guf is too strong as it were. The guf with its physical urges, inclinations, emotions, the guf is too strong and that's what's reflected in cheit. And that's the pshat or a little bit of the pshat in the hanhaga that the corrective measure on two levels, corrective measure on the level of the wake-up call, corrective measure on the level of being a supplementary source of kapara alongside teshuva are yissurei haguf because that represents the opposite extreme. And that's the yesod that to correct one extreme, so temporarily, not long range, not long term, but temporarily there's a need to go to the other extreme. Let's again we had began os daled but let's perhaps reread from the beginning of os daled. וכשייקבל האדם את מוסר השם when a person is on the receiving end of these yissurim from Hakadosh Baruch Hu v'yeiteiv darko u'ma'alalo and the person responds appropriately, ראוי לו שישמח בייסוריו a person should not only not be resentful of his yissurim but should actually rejoice. לפי שהועילו לו תועלות נשגבות because they've benefited him with exalted attainments. There's been exalted purpose associated with these yissurim. ויש לו להודות להשם יתברך עליהם כמו הצלחות a person should thank Hakadosh Baruch Hu as though he won the lottery.

שנאמר כוס ישועות אשא ובשם השם אקרא ונאמר צר ויגון אמצא ובשם השם אקרא.

So there's something remarkable here in terms of how Rabbeinu Yona is learning pshat in this pasuk in Tehillim again we know the pasuk from Hallel. Like this I think we generally if we would leave the Sha'arei Teshuva aside, if we would look in the meforshim in Tehillim so I think the way we generally understand the pasuk or psukim of

צרה ויגון אמצא ובשם השם אקרא אנא השם מלטה נפשי

that's the end of the second pasuk right? Tzara v'yagon emtza is the end of one pasuk the next pasuk is ובשם השם אקרא אנא השם מלטה נפשי. So I think generally the way that pasuk is understood is tzara v'yagon emtza Dovid HaMelech says when I encounter distress and sorrow so what do I do? U'vesheim Hashem ekra colon or open quotes אנא השם מלטה נפשי right? I call out to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and I say Hakadosh Baruch Hu save me right? Tzara v'yagon emtza so what's my response? U'vesheim Hashem ekra I But that's not how Rabbeinu Yonah learns pshat, right? Because Rabbeinu Yonah is citing this pasuk as proof that a person has to thank HaKadosh Baruch Hu for yissurim. And Rabbeinu Yonah is pointing out that the same phrase of Beshem Hashem Ekra of tzarah viyagon emtza is also by kos yeshuos esa. So it's clear that according to Rabbeinu Yonah, the pshat in the psukim in Tehillim is צרה ויגון אמצא ובשם השם אקרא when encountering tzarah viyagon, Beshem Hashem Ekra. Beshem Hashem Ekra connotes shevach vehoda'ah. That's what Beshem Hashem Ekra connotes. The same way you see it, Rabbeinu Yonah is proving it from the pasuk of כוס ישועות אשא ובשם השם אקרא, so you see that Beshem Hashem Ekra doesn't just mean to say the Shem Hashem, but it means to praise HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Beshem Hashem Ekra, that phrase connotes saying hoda'ah, giving shevach vehoda'ah. Rabbeinu Yonah could just as well have cited the Sifrei in Parshas Ha'azinu on the pasuk כי שם השם אקרא הבו גודל לאלוקינו. So the Sifrei has a couple of droshes. Rabbi Yossi Omer, davor acher, כי שם השם אקרא, Rabbi Yossi Omer, מנין לעומדים בבית הכנסת ואומר ברכו את השם המבורך? The shliach tzibur says ברכו את השם המבורך. So how do you know שעונים אחריהם ברוך השם המבורך לעולם ועד? How do you know that we should respond? Talmud lomar כי שם השם אקרא הבו גודל לאלוקינו. So the medubar is shevach, right? The medubar of כי שם השם אקרא again is that כי שם השם אקרא is an invitation to shevach. The shliach tzibur is saying barchu es Hashem. מנין שעונין אחרי המבורך? How do you know you have to answer amen, that you have to affirm the shevach? Talmud lomar havu godel lelokeinu. So lichora you see from this Sifrei as well that כי שם השם אקרא doesn't just mean to invoke the name of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, doesn't just mean to cry out and say Hashem, but it means to give shevach. And that's how Rabbeinu Yonah is learning pshat, to give hoda'ah. That's how Rabbeinu Yonah is learning pshat, tzarah viyagon emtza and then Beshem Hashem Ekra. Additionally, additionally אנה השם מלטה נפשי. What's the relationship between the two? So Rabbeinu Yonah doesn't tell us, so perhaps either or both of the following two possibilities. Either, again, A, there is a paradox that on the one hand we recognize that the yissurim are mechaper, the yissurim are a wake-up call for tshuvah and they're mechaper. אף על פי כן, in terms of that's how we view the present and past, but אף על פי כן in terms of looking to the future, so we're not looking to have yissurim perpetuated, because we're not looking for a nisayon to be perpetuated. So on the one hand Ribbono Shel Olam, צרה ויגון אמצא ובשם השם אקרא, Beshem Hashem Ekra, I thank you Ribbono Shel Olam for the past and present yissurim. And אף על פי כן, with perfect consistency, ani mevakesh lehaba that אנה השם מלטה נפשי. Alternatively, meaning אנה השם מלטה נפשי from the yissurim. Alternatively, maybe the pasuk means according to Rabbeinu Yonah, צרה ויגון אמצא ובשם השם אקרא. Ribbono Shel Olam, I thank you. Why do I thank you for yissurim? Because I recognize the to'aliyos nisgavos which the yissurim generate and therefore ani mevakesh that אנה השם מלטה נפשי, may it be that HaKadosh Baruch Hu, may you save my nefesh, not from the yissurim, may you save my nefesh from the cheit al yedei the yissurim. I'm thanking you for the yissurim because I know what the potential is and I'm asking you HaKadosh Baruch Hu that that potential should be realized. that you should save my soul from from from the cheit.

ואמרו ז"ל בספרי רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אומר כל זמן שהאדם שרוי בשלווה אין מתכפר לו מעוונותיו כלום ועל ידי ייסורין הייסורין הוא מתרצה למקום שנאמר כי את אשר יאהב ה' יוכיח וכאב את בן ירצה פירוש כאב את בן כן ירצה ה' את אשר יוכיח וקיבל מוסר וכדרך שהאב ירצה את בנו אחרי התוכחה.

So the first pshat Rabbeinu Yonah suggests in the pasuk is that just as a father is pleased with his son when the son accepts the rebuke, accepts the chastisement, so too when Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mochiach us, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu does rebuke us in the form of yissurim, when we respond correctly, appropriately, וכאב את בן ירצה. So then Hakadosh Baruch Hu is pleased the way a loving father is pleased with his son. Veyesh leforash od, a second possible pshat in the pasuk says Rabbeinu Yonah,

וכאב יוכיח את הבן אשר ירצה בו ואיננו מוכיח את הבנים אשר נואש מהם וידע שלא יועילם התוכחה.

So the they tell the story, the story is obviously the ba'alei mussar. I don't know whether it's whether whether it at one point was a ma'aseh shehayah or whether it's just a story to illustrate a point, but either way it's true, certainly true on the conceptual level, maybe it's intended to be true on a historical level as well. I don't know. That that there was a Rebbe and he had two talmidim. And one talmid he was he wouldn't hesitate to criticize as he felt the situation warranted, he would criticize sharply and even harshly. So the other one never heard a word of... no excuse me, the ma'aseh goes like this, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. The ma'aseh goes like this. The Rebbe had two talmidim. He used to give them both tochachah. He used to rebuke them both again and as he felt the situation warranted, sharply. Comes Erev Yom Kippur he goes over to one of the... talk to my dad he's boss... I'm sorry, comes Erev Yom Kippur he goes over to one of the two talmidim, he goes over to one of the two talmidim and he asks mechilah. And the other one he doesn't ask mechilah from. So they're both kind of surprised at this unequal treatment. So he says I'm asking mechilah from you, he says, because I gave you all this mussar, he says, and you didn't respond. So kumt oys in retrospect I now see that that I was metza'er you with words of tochachah without accomplishing anything. So I ask mechilah. He says this one, he heard them, he heard it, he took it to heart. So the so with him the divrei mussar they hit home so I don't need to I don't need to ask mechilah. Maybe maybe that story is inspired by this comment in the Rabbeinu Yonah. Rabbeinu Yonah describes what the story illustrates retrospectively. Rabbeinu Yonah is describing prospectively that the fact that that a father gives mussar shows a sense of confidence and optimism. The fact that a father disciplines shows a sense of of confidence and optimism and investment in the child because he thinks that the child can and therefore he hopes will respond to the to the discipline, to the mussar. If if the father holds out no hope that the child's gonna listen so he's not gonna bother being mochiach. So that Rabbeinu Yonah says וכאב את בן ירצה doesn't refer to is not depicting the relationship after the son was mekabel. potential in this son. He has high hopes for the son. He's optimistic, to because of that, that's why and that's that's what what motivates him to to to give the mussar.

ויש לפרש עוד וכאב את בן ירצה, פירוש וכאב את בן, וכאב יוכיח את בן שירצה, ובאיננו מוכיח את הבן משנואש מהם וידע שלא יועילם התוכחה. ונאמר על אנשים שאינם מכירים טובת התוכחה ותועלתה: ואנכי אפדם והמה דברו עלי כזבים.

v'ne'emar v'ani yisarti chizakti zro'osam v'eilai yachshevu ra. I was doing for their good and they thought that I was doing bad to them.

ונאמר ואנכי תרגלתי לאפרים קחם על זרועתיו ולא ידעו כי רפאתים.

Okay, we'll stop here for the Rabbeinu Yonah. B'li neder im yirtzeh Hashem we'll resume at 1:00 with Psachim. Okay rabosai, have a good productive morning. Be well, be safe. See you all later im yirtzeh Hashem b'li neder.