Ikarei Emunah #2

So with the mitzva of Anochi Hashem Elokecha, we're starting to build up the Rambam's opening halacha in the Sefer Hamitzvos, and the components which are included in the mitzva of Anochi Hashem Elokecha are to know that Hakodesh Baruch Hu exists, that Hakodesh Baruch Hu exists eternally, that Hakodesh Baruch Hu has infinite power related to the fact that Hakodesh Baruch Hu is eino guf and that He is infinite and that He is Elokei Ha'aretz. Elokei Ha'aretz in וידיעת דבר זה מצוות עשה שנאמר אנכי ה' אלהיך. So we then contrasted the Rambam's definition of the mitzva of Anochi with that of the Ramban, that of the Chinuch, that of the Smag, and we saw that all the other Rishonim had a broader definition of the mitzva simply because they read the entire pasuk. They included in the definition of the mitzva the אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים. The Ramban translates what that represents in terms of Yedias Hashem, Hashgachas Hashem. So we explained that the reason the Rambam doesn't include it is because the shitas haRambam is that to be nitfas in a mitzva, to be classified and counted as a mitzva, the yediyah has to be a yediyah which can be logically deduced. And here I just want to clarify and emphasize that logically in this sense doesn't mean the way we usually use it, meaning something reasonable, it's logical, it's reasonable. Logical in this sense means in a formal philosophical sense, that you can write a logical proof, not logical in the sense of reasonable. When we're contrasting that which can be known בדרך מופת הגיוני בדרך מופת שכלי, again we don't mean logical the way we use it colloquially, but rather logical again in a formal sense as a, call it as a branch of epistemology, not logical in its colloquial sense. So the shitas haRambam is that only that which can be logically proven, which you can construct a formal logical proof for, as the Rambam again very in a very compact form does in Halacha Hey, that only that's nitfas in a mitzva. Whereas the other Rishonim say no, even that which isn't known in this formal logical way, even that which we know through Yetzias Mitzrayim is also nitfas in a mitzvas asei. Okay. We correlated the Rambam here with when one searches to see which of the Yud Gimmel Ikkarim also constitute mitzvos, and that's what we discussed last time. Okay. And lichora the p'shat is what the Rambam means. The thing is there is an obvious follow-up question. The obvious follow-up question is it's all fine and nice to have p'shat in the Rambam, but how did the Rambam have p'shat in the pasuk? So what's the end of the pasuk? The pasuk Anochi Hashem Elokecha is a mitzva, so the Rambam has to edit out the end of the pasuk, right? The Rambam very conspicuously just quotes the three words Anochi Hashem Elokecha, as we explained last week and just reviewed, but how did the Rambam have p'shat in the pasuk? For lemaiseh the pasuk does go on to say אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים. That's a little bit inconvenient, that's a little bit... for the emes is, the emes is that the Rambam works out hafla vafeleh. Hafla vafeleh. Let's leave this question for a second. In the beginning of Hilchos Krias Shema, so the Rambam writes as follows. The Rambam says פעמיים בכל יום קורין קריאת שמע בערב ובבוקר. I'm reading three halachos, a little bit of an arichus, but it's crucial. If you have a Rambam in front of you, take a look, or else I'll say: פעמיים בכל יום קורין קריאת שמע בערב ובבוקר shene'emar u-v'shochbecha u-v'kumecha.

בשעה שבני אדם שוכבין וזהו לילה ובשעה שדרך בני אדם עומדים וזהו יום.

Halacha Aleph. Fine.

ומה הוא קורא שלוש פרשיות אלו? ומה הוא קורא שלוש פרשיות? אלו הן שמע והיה אם שמוע ויאמר. ומקדימין לקרות פרשת שמע מפני שיש בה ייחוד השם ואהבתו ותלמודו שהוא העיקר הגדול שהכל תלוי בו. ואחריה והיה אם שמוע שיש בה ציווי על שאר כל המצוות ואחר כך פרשת ציצית שגם היא יש בה ציווי זכירת כל המצוות.

Halacha Gimmel.

אף על פי שאין מצוות ציצית נוהגת בלילה קורין אותה בלילה מפני שיש בה זכרון יציאת מצרים. ומצווה להזכיר יציאת מצרים ביום ובלילה שנאמר למען תזכור את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי חייך וקריאת שלוש פרשיות אלו על סדר זה היא הנקראת קריאת שמע.

Ad kan lashono. So it seems quite clear in the Rambam, I think the Pri Megadim already comments on this, that the Rambam holds that all three parshios of Shema are d'oraissa. Right? Because the Rambam introduces Halacha Aleph with the d'oraissa of Shema: פעמיים בכל יום קורין קריאת שמע. Halacha Beis: u-mah hu korei, there's now no indication that he's injecting any d'rabbonon-dikke elements. ומה הוא קורא שלוש פרשיות. So A, the Rambam has that shalosh parshios are d'oraissa. Okay, so halo davar hu. The Sha'agas Aryeh, obviously the diyun goes back to the Rishonim, the Sha'agas Aryeh, the Pri Chadash, the gedolei achronim adan whether the most maybe two parshios are d'oraissa. The most that two parshios d'oraissa, the Pri Chadash holds like that, because even in the second parsha it says u-v'shochbecha u-v'kumecha. So is the u-v'shochbecha u-v'kumecha of the second parsha only divrei Torah or is it Kriyas Shema as well? Okay, so that nitan l'hei'amer, but lav davka maybe that's only divrei Torah. So maybe only parsha rishona is d'oraissa? The Teshuvos HaRashba, maybe only pasuk rishon is d'oraissa? But where in the world do you get that three parshios are d'oraissa? Where do you get that three parshios are d'oraissa? And yet the mashma'us of the Rambam is clearly like that. So in the Kuntres Kriyas Shema, so the Rav zechrona livracha explains as follows. He quotes the following from Reb Chaim, that Reb Chaim as many gedolei achronim beforehand related to the question of why the Rambam doesn't include zechiras yetzias mitzrayim in the minyan Taryag. The Gemara in in Berachos in Mi Shemeiso clearly indicates that it's d'oraissa. The Gemara says ספק אמר אמת ויציב ספק לא אמר אמת ויציב chozer v'omeir because it's a safeik d'oraissa. So clearly zechiras yetzias mitzrayim is a din d'oraissa. So how come the Rambam didn't include it in the minyan hamitzvos? Reb Chaim gives two terutzim, the second of which is relevant to us, and that is that the Rambam learns p'shat, again there are a lot of pratim that we're not going into, but the Rambam learns p'shat that the mitzvah of zechiras yetzias mitzrayim is not an independent mitzvah, but it's really part of mitzvas Kriyas Shema. And here in Hilchos Kriyas Shema it's just so meduyak, right? It's so meduyak. Where does the Rambam quote the din of מצווה להזכיר יציאת מצרים ביום ובלילה? He quotes it here in his essential d'oraissa-dikke definition of mitzvas Kriyas Shema, of mitzvas Kriyas Shema. So it takeh is a mitzvah d'oraissa, but the answer is why doesn't it appear in the minyan hamitzvos? Because it's not an independent mitzvah, it's d'oraissa as as a part of of Kriyas Shema. And just parenthetically, just to work it out with the sugya, if you would have held Shema d'rabbonon, then obviously it would have been, you would have had to say it's an independent mitzvah, but the Rambam learns p'shat aliba d'hilchasa that we pasken that Kriyas Shema is d'oraissa, so zechiras yetzias mitzrayim is not an independent d'oraissa, but it's part of it's part of Kriyas Shema. Mimaila, and what's the p'shat on that? What's the p'shat that it's part of Kriyas Shema? The p'shat that it's part of Kriyas Shema, Reb Chaim explained, is that part of קבלת עול מלכות שמים is to express the fact that... is to express the fact that we recognize Hakadosh Baruch Hu's hand in, k'vayachol, in Yetzias Mitzrayim, and mistama implicitly in the world. But that's part of the קבלת עול מלכות שמים. Part of the קבלת עול מלכות שמים is not only to recognize ה׳ אלוקינו ה׳ אחד, is not only to to affirm V'ahavta and V'shinantam, but part of קבלת עול מלכות שמים is to to recognize and to remember and to recognize Yetzias Mitzrayim, Zechiras Yetzias Mitzrayim. So that's the pshat. Mimaila, so the Rav says based on that, that's where the Rambam gets all three parshiyos d'oraissa. The Rambam gets all three parshiyos d'oraissa because again, mitzvas Krias Shema tells you in halacha beis as the mishna says is קבלת עול מלכות שמים. So that's how the third parsha, even though it doesn't say b'shivtecha uv'kumecha, is d'oraissa because the third parsha is there in order to provide the element of Zechiras Yetzias Mitzrayim because part of קבלת עול מלכות שמים again is to remember to recognize again that Malchus Shamayim is is evident in in Yetzias Mitzrayim as well. Now then in in the footnote there, the Rav refers to a Mechilta, Ramban quotes al HaTorah, the Ramban quotes in Sefer HaMitzvos. The Mechilta says Lama ne'emar?

לפי שהוא אומר אנכי ה׳ אלוקיך. משל למלך שנכנס למדינה.

King comes into a a country. אמרו לו עבדיו גזור עלינו גזירות. Legislate. Amar lahem lav. It's premature.

כשתקבלו מלכותי אגזור עליכם גזירות. שאם מלכותי אינכם מקבלים גזירותי היאך אתם מקיימים?

So the melech answers what's the point of my making of of my legislating of of my making laws if you're not mekabel ol malchusi? If you're mekabel ol malchusi then it makes sense that I should be gozer gezeiros.

כך אמר המקום לישראל אנכי ה׳ אלוקיך לא יהיה לך. אני הוא שקבלתם מלכותי עליכם ממצרים.

Amru lo hen.

כשקבלתם מלכותי קבלו גזירותי. כלומר אחר שאתם מקבלים עליכם ומודים שאני ה׳ ואני אלוקיכם קבלו כל מצוותי.

So what do you see from this Mechilta? So the Rav says what do you see from this Mechilta? You see that Anochi Hashem Elokecha is also a is also an expression, a formulation of קבלת עול מלכות שמים. That's what the Mechilta says meforash, right? That that the the the progression within the Aseres Hadibros is that Anochi and Lo Yihyeh Lecha is קבלת עול מלכות שמים, and then mimaila then Hakadosh Baruch Hu says okay, so once once we've established that, so now egzor aleichem gezeiros.

לא תשא שם ה׳ אלוקיך לשוא, זכור את יום השבת, כבד את אביך ואת אמך.

So Anochi Hashem Elokecha, Anochi Hashem Elokecha is again an expression, a formulation of קבלת עול מלכות שמים. And says the Rav, so be'emes b'vchinas pshat is here in the pasuk. Anochi Hashem Elokecha is an expression, a formulation of קבלת עול מלכות שמים, and that's what the pasuk continues אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים, that part of קבלת עול מלכות שמים again is to recognize to to mention to remember the fact that אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים. That expression of Malchus Shamayim, the the expression of and manifestation of Malchus Shamayim. Ad kan d'varav, ad kan d'varav in Kuntres Krias Shema. So the emes is, the emes is so this Rambam in hilchos Krias Shema that's leshitaso, that's where the Rambam is mashlim what he says here in perek aleph of Yesodei HaTorah. What was our kasha in perek aleph of Yesodei HaTorah? All is fine and good the Rambam has a whole mahalach, the Rambam has a whole maracha that only what's nitpas, that what's nitpas in a mitzvas asei is only that Which can be known bederech mofes hegioni, bederech mofes sichli על פי דרך חקירה, only that is nitfas in a mitzvas asei. And that's why when the Rambam quotes Anochi Hashem Elokecha, he doesn't quote the end of the pasuk. And that's why when the Rambam tells us those elements which are included in mitzvas Anochi, he doesn't mention like the Ramban, he doesn't spell out Yediya and Hashgacha. So what's the end of the pasuk? What's the end of the pasuk? So Rambam says you'll get to Hilchos Krias Shema, you'll understand what the end of the pasuk is. Anochi Hashem Elokecha, in addition to being a mitzvas asei, is also an expression, a formulation, a paradigm of קבלת עול מלכות שמים. That's what the Mechilta says meforesh. Asher Hotzeisicha is developing that further. It's not a continuation of the Anochi Hashem Elokecha be'toras mitzvah; it's rather a continuation of the Anochi Hashem Elokecha as a paradigm, as a paradigmatic statement and expression of קבלת עול מלכות שמים. And so that's what the Torah continues, אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים. Mamash haflai vafeleh how the Rambam works it out. Okay, so I wanted to read a little bit, to reread some of these opening halachos in Yesodei HaTorah just with one or two very superficial he'oros. Rambam writes in Perek, in Halacha Aleph, Yesodei HaTorah:

יסוד היסודות ועמוד החכמות לידע שיש שם מצוי ראשון והוא ממציא כל נמצא וכל הנמצאים משמים וארץ ומה שביניהם לא נמצאו אלא מאמיתת הימצאו.

Hakadosh Baruch Hu's matzui rishon exists eternally, והוא ממציא כל נמצא. So the Rebbe zichrono livracha underscores that the Rambam writes this in the present tense, והוא ממציא כל נמצא. The Rambam doesn't write והוא המציא כל נמצא, but rather the Rambam writes mamtzi kol nimtza. Not that Hakadosh Baruch Hu, again, mamtzi lashon to bring into metzius, right, to give existence to. So the Rambam doesn't say that himtzi kol nimtza. He doesn't say that once upon a time, 5,767 years ago or so, Hakadosh Baruch Hu himtzi kol nimtza, but rather the Rambam says mamtzi kol nimtza. What does that mean? It means that the world doesn't exist, the world doesn't exist by inertia. It doesn't exist because Hakadosh Baruch Hu willed the world into existence once upon a time and then mimaila it keeps on going, but rather because Hakadosh Baruch Hu is constantly, constantly mamtzi kol nimtza. The Nefesh HaChaim says the same and says that's what the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah were mesakein that we say in the bracha of Yotzer HaMeoros, right? The three brachos of Birkas Krias Shema in the morning, each one elaborates one of the three parshiyos of Krias Shema. So the bracha of Yotzer HaMeoros is elaborating the yesodos and ikarim of parsha rishona of Shema. So it's elaborating the yesodos of metzius Hashem, of yichud Hashem. So in, we say twice, we repeat the same phrase verbatim, which is unusual in tefillah: המחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית. Ke'omer le'oseh orim gedolim, right? Le'oseh, not le'asoh, mi'she'asah, le'oseh, le'oseh orim gedolim. So Reb Chaim Volozhiner says it's the same yesod. He says it's not like when a contractor, when someone is in construction builds a house, he says, so once he nails the wood together, so then he doesn't have to constantly sustain the house. Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Hakadosh Baruch Hu constantly has to will the world to exist. That's what it means that המחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית. So that's what the Rambam says also. בעל שם טוב הקדוש says it also: לעולם ה' דברך ניצב בשמים. What does that mean? So the Baal Shem Tov says לעולם ה' דברך ניצב בשמים that devarcha of the asara ma'amaros through which the world is created, so that continues to, like when you hear an echo and it just keeps reverberating, so לעולם ה' דברך ניצב בשמים, meaning that again Hakadosh Baruch Hu you're constantly. But this besides being a ikar hadas has very practical ramifications for us as well. How so? The Rambam later in Hilchos Deos in perek beis of Hilchos Deos in talking about the middah of ga'avah so the Rambam quotes what was his girsa in the Gemara in Sotah. The Rambam says in perek beis halacha gimmel or daled that kol hamagbi'ah libo, halacha gimmel, kol hamagbi'ah libo is kofer ba'ikar. kol hamagbi'ah libo says the Rambam kofer ba'ikar. So that's incredible. Not kol hamagbi'ah libo is ke'ilu kofer ba'ikar, but kol hamagbi'ah libo is mamash kofer ba'ikar, the Rambam says. How is that possible? A person is arrogant, a person is haughty, he's kofer ba'ikar? He's kofer ba'ikar? The Rambam tells us here in perek aleph of Yesodei HaTorah what ikar means. The Rambam says in halacha vav

כל המעלה על דעתו רחמנא ליצלן שיש שם אלוה אחר חוץ מזה עובר בלא תעשה שנאמר לא יהיה לך אלוהים אחרים על פני וכופר בעיקר שזהו העיקר הגדול שהכל תלוי בו.

So kol hamagbi'ah libo is kofer ba'ikar. How can it be? It's a middah meguna, it's a middah mushcheles. How can it be kol hamagbi'ah libo is mamash kofer ba'ikar? So the explanation is as follows: A person is magbi'ah libo, a person is magbi'ah libo, a person is a ba'al ga'avah, this Rav Sachs zichrono livracha used to say when he has a sense of kochi ve'otzem yadi. Why is a person magbi'ah libo? Because he's so impressed with his accomplishments. So he has a sense of כחי ועצם ידי עשה לי את החיל הזה. If a person realizes that the need for hishtadlus notwithstanding, the chiyuv to make hishtadlus notwithstanding, the chiyuv to be yagei'a and amal notwithstanding, that a person is absolutely, totally dependent upon the Ribbono Shel Olam, never mind his abilities, his very existence, every, every second, a person is totally dependent upon the Ribbono Shel Olam, so where's the room for to be magbi'ah libo? For a person to be magbi'ah libo, it means that he doesn't, he doesn't feel that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mamtzi kol nimtza. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mamtzi kol nimtza, so how can a person be magbi'ah libo? It's the most nonsensical and absurd feeling. For a person to be magbi'ah libo, it means that he doesn't feel that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mamtzi kol nimtza. Says the Rambam, kol hamagbi'ah libo is mamash kofer ba'ikar. The Rambam continues here in perek aleph. The Rambam says halacha beis that

אם יעלה על הדעת שהוא אינו מצוי אין דבר אחר יכול להימצאות.

Nothing else, nothing else exists on its own, nothing else can exist on its own.

ואם יעלה על הדעת שאין כל הנמצאים מלבדו מצויים הוא לבדו יהיה מצוי. אחרי ככלות הכל לבדו ימלוך נורא.

Hakadosh Baruch Hu is absolutely independent.

ולא יבטל הוא לביטולם שכל הנמצאים צריכים לו והוא ברוך הוא אינו צריך להם ולא לאחד מהם.

Now, here's halacha daled:

הוא שהנביא אומר וה' אלוקים אמת. הוא לבדו האמת ואין לאחר אמת כאמיתתו. והוא שהתורה אומרת אין עוד מלבדו כלומר אין שם מצוי אמת מלבדו כמותו.

So this idea that only Hakadosh Baruch Hu really exists in the sense that we don't again, we exist through Hakadosh Baruch Hu, from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We don't exist on our own, Hakadosh Baruch Hu does. The Rambam says that idea is contained when we say Hashem Elokim Emes, when the pasuk says Hashem Elokim Emes. So why is that emes? Why is that emes? So the vort is like this: How do we use the word emes? What's our conception of the word emes? So let's say as follows: If I say now that it's... It's morning and it's sunny and whatever else. Okay, so now we have to decide whether or not that's emes or sheker. So you go outside and you look around and you see that it's pitch black and you see that there's no trace of the sun, so you decide that that was sheker. If I say that it's nighttime out and that it's dark out, you go outside and taka, so it's dark and all indications are that it's night. So then you decide that what I said is emes. Dehainu that what's emes is, right? What's emes is. Why is that emes? If I say that it's night now, so why do you call that emes? Because it is! Because it is! And if I say that it's day now, that's not emes, that's sheker. Why? Because it isn't. So emes, what is is emes, right? Something is emes because it is, right? If I say it's night now, why is that emes? Because it is. It is night. So what's emes is. Oh. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu is emes. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is emes. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is. Hakadosh Baruch Hu truly exists. We don't. That's what it means Hashem Elokim Emes. This also lemaise has again besides being a yesod, a yesod ha'emuna, has very very far-reaching implications and that is as follows. The chiyuv that a person has to be emestik. That שיהא הן שלו הן ויהא לאו שלו לאו. So what's the chiyuv, what's the chiyuv? So Rabbeinu Yona in Pirkei Avos says a little bit, the lashon is a little bit hard to read, but it seems like Rabbeinu Yona in Pirkei Avos in commenting on the Mishnah על הדין ועל האמת ועל השלום says that there are two michaivim that a person has to be emestik. He says first of all he says emes is מידה הקדוש ברוך הוא. So זה קלי ואנוהו מה הוא אף אני is michaiv a person to be emestik, michaiv a person to be emestik. Then he says also based on the Gemara in Yevamos and Hava Levin-tu, he says למדו לשונם דבר שקר. He says even if a person's talking about דברים של מה בכך. דברים של מה בכך. Doesn't make a big deal, big difference. What time is it now? So a person says it's 10:55. 10:55, it doesn't make such a big deal whether it's 10:51, whether it's 10:55, not such a mah bechach. Mah bechach. He says למדו לשונם דבר שקר. He says and this is a yesod gadol in toraso of Reb Yisrael Salanter as well. A person can't compartmentalize his midos. If a person isn't makpid on emes in seemingly trivial and unimportant things, then a person is not going to be makpid on midas ha'emes on דברים העומדים ברומו של עולם either. Because a person can't, a person can't compartmentalize his midos. If a person is sloppy in seemingly mundane matters, it's going to carry over into his avodas Hashem as well. A person can't compartmentalize his midos. Says Rabbeinu Yona, it's a second michaiv. He says even leaving aside mah Hu af ani, but למדו לשונם דבר שקר. A person, a person isn't makpid, isn't makpid to say emes. Part of saying emes is to do what's emes, to be omed bediburo. And if a person isn't makpid on that even in things which are seemingly דברים של מה בכך. למדו לשונם דבר שקר based on the Gemara in Yevamos. But the emes is, the emes is there's a third michaiv as well. And that third michaiv, take a look in the Kisvei Rabbeinu Bachya, I think he talks about this. And this really comes to this Rambam, is that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is emes. If a person wants to come close to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, what's sheker can't come close to Him. The more sheker rachmana litzlan there is within us, even in דברים של מה בכך, it's also sheker. It's also sheker. Even in דברים של מה בכך, that's also sheker. That's also sheker. The more sheker rachmana litzlan there is in a person, so by definition the more distant he is from the Ribbono Shel Olam because Hashem... Hashem Elokim emes. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is emes. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is emes. Sheker is the antithesis. It doesn't, it doesn't, but it doesn't make a difference. It doesn't make a difference. Someone, someone's nudging me. Someone's nudging me. So, to get rid of him, so I tell him I'll call you tomorrow. I have no intention of calling him tomorrow and I tell him to call me back tomorrow. I have no intention of answering his phone call tomorrow. Okay, so I had a, he's a nudnik. I had to get rid of him. Hashem Elokim emes. Hashem Elokim emes. Whatever sheker there is in a person, Rachmono litzlan, distances him from the Ribbono Shel Olam. The Gemara in Sotah at the end of Elu Ne'emarin about the ד' כתות שאינן מקבלין פני השכינה לעתיד לבוא. So one of them is kat shakronim. One of them is kat shakronim. So the Maharsha there says pshat because if a person lies, so it means that he thinks that he can't get caught in the lie. So let's say he's machshish, he's machshish Hakadosh Baruch Hu. L'devoreinu, it could be that there's another pshat as well. Again, because sheker is the, is the antithesis of, of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, of Hashem Elokim emes. Okay, b'li neder we'll continue the next shiur im yirtzeh Hashem, b'li neder will be in two weeks.