13 Ikarim – 12th Ikar continued

Discussing a little bit last time Ani Maamin or mi she-mechakeh l'biaso. To comply with the yesod she'asah, it's necessary not only to believe that a Melech HaMashiach will come and around him will crystallize the Yemos HaMashiach, but to also be awaiting his arrival, that whole chain of events. A person has to be mechakeh l'biaso. See, there are two elements which need clarification. Let's say a person will be awaiting Yemos HaMashiach because he looks forward to Techiyas HaMeisim. He looks forward to being reunited with a relative who's been nifter. He looks forward towards Yemos HaMashiach for cholim being nisrapei. What would the mechakeh l'biaso have to be for the kavod shamayim she-bo? Not for whatever self-interest one could have. The Chafetz Chaim has a little pamphlet called Tzipisa L'Yeshua and there he writes explicitly that mechakeh l'biaso means for the kavod shamayim she-bo. It doesn't mean for what, as it were, in terms of our self-interest trickles down to us, but it means the kavod shamayim she-bo. Like we say in v'al kein nekaveh. That hope that we speak of in v'al kein nekaveh, that's what the tzipisa l'yeshua, that's what has to inform and drive the mechakeh l'biaso, the tzipisa l'yeshua. It's not something simple, not something simple. So how does a person work on himself to be capable of and then to be able to genuinely be able to say

ועל כן נקוה לך ה' אלוקינו לראות מהרה בתפארת עוזך,

not for the self-interest she-bo? Sort of a pratistik approach and a klalististik approach. A pratistik approach might consider the following mashal. Let's say you have a family of parents and children. on the other side of the world from the grandparents. It's true that on one side of the family lives in the United States, the other side of the family lives in Australia. So the parents and the children live in Australia, the grandparents live in the United States. It's a very, very long and expensive trip. They don't see each other often. Years elapse between family get-togethers. The emes is that the younger children in the family don't even remember the grandparents. They were so little the last visit, that they don't remember, the last visit was when they were two years old or something. They don't remember the grandparents. Now, five, six years have passed and the grandparents are coming for a visit. So avada, the parents, the older children, there's a palpable sense of excitement. And what's more, they decide to try to channel that energy. So they decide, you know what, let's give them a really royal reception. So let's paint the whole house so everything will look fresh and regal for them. And let's rent a carpet cleaner and we'll clean all the carpets. And let's bake all kinds of cakes and pastries. And we'll have seudas hameluch sheichos. And these hachanas are going on for many, many weeks, maybe even months before the anticipated trip. So the little kids, so the older children and certainly the parents, so what animates their excitement and involvement is their memory and their longing for their parents, for their grandparents. It doesn't really work for the little kids because they don't know their grandparents are just names. They're not people, it's not a relationship, it's just names. Lemaise, if they take part in all the hachanas, so by virtue of their involvement and work and effort and dedication in the hachanas, so they will genuinely be anticipating the visit as well. If they're very casually involved in the hachanas, it's not going to have that effect on them. But if mamish belev vanefesh they get very, very involved in those preparations, so then they'll be genuinely excited and longing for and anticipating the visit. The nimshal is it's takeh a very high madreiga. If we can see it, it will probably be very painful to try to glimpse that madreiga. That a person is really, really concerned with על אחת כמה וכמה consumed by kvod shamayim. A very big madreiga. Even if a person doesn't have it, a person can try to genuinely, without fanfare, sincerely do things which are intended to contribute to kvod shamayim or try to minimize, avert, preempt rachmana litzlan what detracts from kvod shamayim. A person can be moser nefesh for kvod shamayim even if he's not on a madreiga that even if he's not the Chofetz Chaim, even if he's not living and breathing every moment. this palpable concern for Kiddush Hashem. A person, we can be the analog to little kids in the mashal. They can not know the grandparents, they can not remember the grandparents, but they can just get totally, totally involved in the hachanos for the visit. And that creates a genuine tzippiyah for the visit and everything that the visit represents. So that's maybe one sort of pratiyisdike approach. And then there is the the more klaliyisdike approach, which is that in general, there are many many things in Torah, many areas which can't be sort of individually targeted or isolated and dealt with adequately. The Ibn Ezra famously explains a person can't comply with Lo Sachmod in a vacuum. A person can only comply with Lo Sachmod within a broader context of what one believes about hashgacha. A person can't say, no, I want to, he can he can he can go to the, he can go and you can buy daled minim. It's not necessarily inextricably intertwined with with with other inyanim. You go buy daled minim, if we're not sure what to look for, so then we can we can double-check our purchase with with a Baal Halacha. But there are some things where the mitzvah can only be carried out and implemented within a broader context of one's avodas Hashem, within a broader context of one's hashkafas, within a broader context of the totality of one's life. And certainly the the klaliyisdike approach to the tzippiyah liyeshua, to Mechakeh BeViuro is is a prime example of that type of mitzvah, that type of chiyuv which you can't just say, okay, so let me undertake this this chiyuv and and just hone in and focus on on that chiyuv. In a natural sense, the Mechakeh BeViuro is a natural outgrowth of a life which is devoted to avodas Hashem. Within the context of such a life, so then there's a natural, the Chofetz Chaim didn't didn't exert himself to be concerned with kodshei Shamayim. It was a natural expression of a life devoted to avodas Hashem. So in that sense the dynamic that Chazal tell us about מתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה, just the more a person, the more we immerse ourselves, and that's what the sense of eseik, asakus means preoccupation, doesn't mean sort of a casual contact, casual involvement. Asakus means preoccupation, immersion.

אדם עוסק בתורה ומצוות אפילו שלא לשמה שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה,

a person immerses himself, a person is preoccupied with Torah and mitzvos, even though we're not holding, that we're not holding by lishma. We're holding by shelo lishma.

אדם עוסק בתורה ומצוות אפילו שלא לשמה שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה.

As a person, as the proportions within a person's avodah of lishma and shelo lishma gradually change and shift, and the element of lishma increasingly becomes greater and the element of shelo lishma increasingly diminishes, so then the mechakeh leviaso is a natural, becomes a natural reaction. We instinctively, instinctively value life. So mimaila, if Rachmana litzlan a person is sick, it's a natural thing that a person longs for a refuah. A person doesn't have to look, "How do I, how can he stimulate himself? How can he awaken within himself that desire, that tzipiyah for a refuah?" No, it's a natural reaction given that primal instinct for life that as long as our mental health is intact, that we all have. When a person, when a person's life again, through the לעולם יעסוק אפילו שלא לשמה gradually, slowly, incrementally, but inevitably, le'olam, it's a guarantee. It's a guarantee. As it gradually, slowly, incrementally becomes increasingly lishma, so then it gradually, slowly, incrementally becomes a very attainable and even natural goal and reaction of being mechakeh leviaso. The Rambam writes: בזמן שאדם טרוד בעולם הזה בחולי ובמלחמה וברעבון, the end of halacha aleph in perek tes of Teshuva, בזמן שאדם טרוד בעולם הזה בחולי ובמלחמה וברעבון, when a person is beset, a person is encumbered in olam hazeh with illness, Rachmana litzlan, with milchama, with ra'avon,

אינו מתעסק לא בחכמה ולא במצוה שבהן זוכה לחיי העולם הבא. ומפני זה

continues in halacha beis,

ומפני זה התאוו כל ישראל נביאיהם וחכמיהם ימות המלך המשיח.

Rambam singles out in this context nevi'im, chachamim because, again, someone who's devoting their life, again, even when that devotion begins on the shelo lishma level, which it does for all of us, but one who's devoting his life to chochma, to mitzvah, to Torah, so then naturally to avodas Hashem, naturally is going to experience that his'avus. In a very, very, very different context, Ramchal also, very different context, very different application, but the yesod that some mitzvos, it's not just a question of responding to the challenge of that mitzvah in this moment, but the mitzvah can only be mekuyam in a broader context of the totality of one's life. And that the ability to comply can be a function of my bechirah of the past years and not necessarily a hundred percent of the bechirah of this moment. So Ramchal says that mefurash in, again, very, very different context, when he talks about zehirus and zerizus, he says a person can become a prisoner of the midah of atzlus. And if a person is so imprisoned... So then Ramchal says he will not be able, not that he won't, he says he will not be able to tear himself away from his dinner to go daven mincha, even though if he doesn't do so, he's not going to daven mincha before shkia. He says ma'asar hahergel. He says it's a prison. A person can be imprisoned. So not every mitzvah is one that can be sort of isolated in the moment; there's a broader context of one's life. The other element of this yesod which needs to be clarified is again: what does mechakeh lo b'i'aso mean in a temporal sense? What if a person is ma'amin and mechakeh, he's both ma'amin and mechakeh? Again we're talking now not only about mechakeh, about ma'amin. Person is ma'amin and mechakeh, but he says, I honestly I don't see Mashiach coming today. I don't see him coming next week. I have no doubts that he's coming and I believe b'emuna shleima that he's coming and I long for that day. I don't see it happening today. I don't see all that Chazal told us that the Beis Hamikdash was choruv because of sinas chinam, the Chofetz Chaim explains that therefore we have to be misaken that cheit and maybe sinas chinam really just means that as a projection as expressed as manifest in loshon hora, but I don't see that we've been sufficiently misaken that, so I can't, I honestly I don't see Mashiach coming today. That doesn't mean I don't believe b'i'aso wholeheartedly, doesn't mean that I'm not mechakeh lo b'i'aso wholeheartedly. But I don't expect my afternoon schedule to be disrupted this afternoon. So does that, does that comply with the yesod of mechakeh lo b'i'aso? So Rav Velvel is quoted as when asked this question of answering via shtait in sidur, the way it says in the Sidur. The way it says in the Sidur and the way it depends how you punctuate it, but the way it says in the Sidur that

אחכה לו בכל יום שיבוא. אחכה לו בכל יום שיבוא.

And Rav Velvel was very, very adamant that the belief and, for that matter, the anticipation has to be no, that I believe that he can come today. Belief obviously is not that he will come today because we know there's no guarantee that he's coming today. There's a guarantee that סוף ישראל עושין תשובה ונגאלין. There's a guarantee that he's coming. There's no guarantee that he's coming on alef Iyar, but the belief has to be that, but it may be today. It may be today. It may be today and that that's my belief includes that and the mechakeh lo b'i'aso includes that as well. So they asked, they asked Rav Velvel because his answer seems humorous. It was not intended to be and it isn't, but they asked Rav Velvel: but how can that be?

הנה אנכי שלח לכם את אליהו הנביא לפני בוא יום ה' הגדול והנורא.

Eliyahu hanavi comes the day before the Melech Hamashiach comes. But Eliyahu hanavi doesn't come on erev Shabbos, he doesn't come on erev Yom Tov. There are days when Eliyahu hanavi doesn't come. There are days when Eliyahu hanavi doesn't come. So then that means there are days Mashiach is not going to come. Gemara in Sanhedrin has simanim for what the generation will be like in which Mashiach comes. What if those what if those simanim are not present? So how can you how can you say via shtait in sidur that אחכה לו בכל יום שיבוא if these things would be amiss? So he answered, when Melech Hamashiach comes we'll also have a kasha. So what what did he mean by that? He wasn't I don't know if he ever cracked a joke in his entire life. I'm strongly not to assume that he answered that that he didn't, but he simply wasn't wasn't breaking the rule in this context. So what what did he mean by that? So what he meant by that is very, very incongruous. very, very fundamental. You can't learn as it were this sugya of the Yesod Hashmones the way you learn Kodshim, Kalam, Mammon, Bayit. The way this area of Torah is approached is different. It's not the same as the way you m'ayein and m'falpel in other areas of Torah and halacha. That wasn't the answer. It wasn't intended as a humorous or smart response. That was the Rambam's position. If we read a little bit before in Perek Yud Gimmel of Mishneh Torah, let's continue there for a moment.

ומפני זה התאוו כל ישראל ונביאיהם וחכמיהם ימות המלך המשיח כדי שינוחו ממלכות הרשעה שאינה מנחת להם לישראל לעסוק בתורה ובמצוות כהוגן. וימצאו להם מרגוע וירבו בחכמה כדי שיזכו לחיי העולם הבא. לפי שבאותן הימים תרבה הדעה והחכמה והאמת.

There'll be a tremendous proliferation of knowledge, of wisdom, of truth.

שנאמר כי מלאה הארץ דעה את ה'. ונאמר ולא ילמדו איש את אחיו ואיש את רעהו וגו' ונאמר והסירותי את לב האבן מבשרכם. מפני שאותו המלך שיעמוד מזרע דוד בעל חכמה יהיה יתר משלמה ונביא גדול הוא קרוב למשה רבינו. ולפיכך ילמד כל העם ויורה אותם דרך ה' ויבואו כל הגויים לשומעו. שנאמר והיה באחרית הימים נכון יהיה הר בית ה' בראש ההרים.

Kitvei HaKodesh, the Rambam has everything, everything, everything worked out. Kayadua, the Rambam quotes the meimar of Shmuel that

אין בין העולם הזה לימות המשיח אלא שיעבוד מלכויות בלבד.

The Rambam's conception of what he understands to be that opinion of Chazal is that Yemos HaMoshiach is olam k'minhago noheig. But it's a utopian version of olam hazeh. But it's very much olam hazeh.

אל יעלה על הלב שבימות המשיח יבטל דבר ממנהגו של עולם או יהיה שם חידוש במעשה בראשית אלא עולם כמנהגו נוהג. וזה שנאמר בישעיה וגר זאב עם כבש ונמר עם גדי ירבץ משל וחידה. עניין הדבר שיהיו ישראל יושבים לבטח עם רשעי העולם המשולים בזאב ונמר. ויחזרו כולם לדת האמת ולא יגזלו ולא ישחיתו אלא יאכלו דבר המותר בנחת כישראל. שנאמר ואריה כבקר יאכל תבן. וכן כל כיוצא באלו הדברים הכתובים בעניין המשיח משל הם. ובימות המלך המשיח יודע לכל לאיזה דבר היה משל ומה עניין רמוז בהם.

The Rambam says that Yemos Hamoshiach they're going to be a natural spiritual utopian. But it's Olam Keminhago Noheg. What this shittaso, what the Rambam has in perek tes in Hilchos Teshuvah and it's extraordinary. This shittaso what the Rambam is telling us here is that even that realization of the chazon of achris hayamim of ומלאה הארץ דעה את ה׳ comes about naturally.

לפי שבאותם הימים תרבה החכמה והדעה והאמת כדי שתזכו לחיי העולם הבא.

So how does that ribui bachochmah come about? That also comes about according to the Rambam's understanding through natural processes. Why?

מפני שאותו המלך המלך המשיח מפני שאותו המלך שיעמוד מזרע דוד בעל חכמה יהיה יתר משלמה ונביא גדול הוא קרוב למשה רבינו.

He's going to be of such towering stature, such a baal chochmah that he even surpasses Shlomo Hamelech. His nevuah obviously cannot equal that of Moshe Rabbeinu but approaches it. ולפיכך with that again towering, towering stature, so he will then be qualified, be able and in fact will ילמד כל העם ויורה אותם דרך השם. And that wisdom will so again naturally capture and captivate hearts

ויבואו כל הגוים לשמוע לו שנאמר והיה באחרית הימים נכון יהיה הר בית ה׳ בראש ההרים.

And that's for the Rambam what the pesukim such as the pasuk where's in Yechezkel what והסירותי את לב האבן מבשרכם doesn't mean that Hakadosh Baruch Hu again that there's some change in human nature, doesn't mean for the Rambam that bechirah is suspended. What it means והסירותי את לב האבן מבשרכם means that by sending the Melech Hamoshiach natural conditions will be such that you'll be able to take advantage of the opportunity and allow yourselves to be affected and uplifted by the Melech Hamoshiach. That's what it means והסירותי את לב האבן מבשרכם for the Rambam. I think elsewhere the Rambam even says again everything mamash everything thought out to the last tag. Rambam even says that the Rambam says Biyemos Hamoshiach so lifespans will be much longer. People will live much longer than we live now, much, much longer. They ultimately do die and then go to again the Rambam's understanding of Olam Haba, but lifespans are much, much longer. So elsewhere the Rambam writes that even that happens naturally. That it's all the as in so many other areas the Rambam was way, way, way ahead of us even decades ago. The Rambam says that what shortens our lives now is all the worry and all the that affects us so that also is responsible for the shorter lifespans. And then just naturally when you're in this utopian natural world naturally lifespans are much, much longer. It's interesting that not sure how to I'm not to formulate the. Well, but the Rambam doesn't only say בימות המשיח לא יבטל דבר מזה העולם, right? He introduced it as אל יעלה על הלב. Seemingly a parallel phrase he said earlier in Perek Yud Aleph,

אל יעלה על דעתך שהמלך המשיח צריך לעשות אותות ומופתים.

Again here too the Rambam could have written אין מלך המשיח צריך לעשות אותות ומופתים and save the, save the few words. In each case the אל יעלה על הלב is there's no room for the hava amina. There's no אל יעלה על הלב means something very very basic and fundamental about this. That same natural development that we saw in Perek Tes of Hilchos Teshuva, Halacha Beis, so the Rambam concludes Hilchos Melachim, he concludes the Yad with that also.

ובאותו הזמן לא יהיה שם לא רעב ולא מלחמה ולא קנאה ותחרות. שהטובה תהיה מושפעת הרבה וכל המעדנים מצויים כעפר. ולא יהיה עסק כל העולם אלא לדעת את השם בלבד.

Ulifichach once that becomes people's preoccupation so then mimaila

יהיו חכמים גדולים ויודעים דברים הסתומים והעמוקים וישיגו דעת בוראם כפי כוח האדם שנאמר כי מלאה הארץ דעה את השם כמים לים מכסים.

Here in the Perush Hamishnayos, let me just maybe just to read the Rambam is ma'arich a bit here, היסוד השלושה עשר ימות המשיח, again that's phrasing the Rambam,

והוא האמונה והאימות על בואו ושאינו מתאחר. אם יתמהמה חכה לו.

What does that mean she'aino misacher? Means Moshiach is not late. The fact that it's תשע"ז and hasn't come, it's not because Moshiach is late, it's because the time hasn't come. The time hasn't come. אם יתמהמה חכה לו, a pasuk in Chavakuk. ואין קובעים לו זמן מסוים. We're not supposed to be mechashvei kitzim, we're not supposed to predict the day, the year, in which Moshiach is gonna come.

ולא מבארים הכתובים כדי להוציא מהם זמן בואו. חכמים אומרים תיפח דעתם של מחשבי קיצין. ולהאמין שיהיה בו עוצמה ואהבה ודרישה אליו. כפי מה שנאמר עליו על ידי כל נביא ממשה עד מלאכי.

He'll be esteemed and universally sought after.

כפי מה שנאמר עליו על ידי כל נביא ממשה עד מלאכי. ומי שהסתפק בו או הקל ראש בעניינו הכחיש את התורה שהבטיחה לו בפירוש בפרשת בלעם ואתם ניצבים.

That's what I think we discussed last week, that the Rambam in Perek Yud Aleph quotes pesukim in Parshas Nitzavim. ומכלל היסוד הזה, so this is fascinating that the Rambam mentions this in this context as part of the yesod ha'emuna, שאין מלך לישראל אלא מדוד ומזרע שלמה בלבד. That the Melech HaMoshiach is a descendant of David, of Shlomo. וכל החולק על דבר המשפחה הזאת, one who challenges their exclusive gift of malchus, כפר בהשם ובדברי נביאיו.