Impact of Chachomim

וכן אם דקדק החכם על עצמו the Rambam writes, ledakdek means to pay attention to detail, so in this context it means that the hachacham is very exacting with himself, he holds himself to very exacting standards. והיה דיבורו בנחת עם הבריות, he speaks softly, gently, in a refined way with people. ודעתו מעורבת עמהם, he relates to them. ומקבלן בסבר פנים יפות, he greets them warmly, graciously. הנעלב מהם ואינו עולבן, if necessary he absorbs insult, he swallows, never responding in kind. מכבד להם ואפילו למקילין לו, accords respect, accords honor, even to those who don't reciprocate. V'nosey v'noten be'emunah, all his affairs are conducted with the utmost integrity. ולא ירבה באריכות עמי הארץ וישיבתן, he's not to be found in idle gatherings. ולא יראה תמיד אלא עוסק בתורה, atuf b'tzitzis, muchtar b'tefillin. Whenever glimpsed, he's forever preoccupied with Talmud Torah, enveloped by a tallis, crowned by tefillin. ועושה בכל מעשיו לפנים משורת הדין, in every area he goes beyond the letter of the law, goes beyond what's required. והוא שלא יתרחק הרבה ולא ישתומם, but never to an unhealthy extreme. עד שימצאו הכל מקלסין אותו, ohavin oso, u'mis'avin lema'asav, with the result that he's universally praised, loved, and people desire to be able to emulate his conduct. הרי זה קידוש השם, such a person is mekadesh shem shamayim. V'alav hakasuva omer, about such a person the Navi Yeshayahu speaking in the voice of Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, ויאמר לי עבדי אתה, you're my eved, my servant, ישראל אשר בך אתפאר. Hakadosh Baruch Hu kavyachol is glorified on account of that person. There are many remarkable, very rich elements to the words of the Rambam here, but let's try בעזרת השם בלי נדר to hone in on one of them. The Rambam says the effect of the hachacham's behavior, his demeanor, his persona is that נמצאו הכל מקלסין אותו, ohavin oso, u'mis'avin lema'asav. Everyone will praise him, everyone loves him, everyone is enamored of him, everyone desires, everyone is inspired to try to emulate him. Earlier in Perek Beis of Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, when the Rambam famously charts the derech l'ahavaso v'yiraso, so the Rambam writes, בשעה שיתבונן האדם במעשיו וברואיו הנפלאים הגדולים when a person reflects upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu's wondrous, great creations, v'yir'eh mehem and a person will glimpse חכמתו שאין לה ערך ולא קץ, Hakadosh Baruch Hu's inestimable, infinite chochma.

מיד הוא אוהב ומשבח ומפאר ומתאוה תאוה גדולה לידע השם הגדול.

The Rambam uses the same words. The same reaction which contemplating ma'asav u-vruav haniflaim, the same reactions that engenders within a person: ohev, mishabeach, misaveh. So those same reactions are engendered by the chacham through the force of his Torah personality. Let's try בעזרת השם בלי נדר to understand this dynamic a little bit more. In the context of his discussion of bechirah chofshis, our unlimited, unconstrained free will, either להטות עצמו לדרך טובה ולהיות צדיק or conversely rachmana litzlan. So the Rambam says: what is it then, how does one understand a pasuk

ומהו זה שאמר דוד טוב וישר ה' על כן יורה חטאים בדרך? ידרך ענווים במשפט וילמד ענווים דרכו.

Hakadosh Baruch Hu is moreh chata'im baderech, he leads them along the way, he guides them along the way. But isn't it, doesn't it depend upon our bechirah? The Rambam gives two answers, the second of which: ועוד שנתן בהם כוח ללמוד ולהבין. Hakadosh Baruch Hu endows, has endowed sinners as well with a capacity lilmod ulehavin to learn, to study, and to discern. מידה זו בכל אדם. The following quality exists in every person. מידה זו בכל אדם that

כל זמן שהוא נמשך בדרכי החכמה והצדק מתאוה להן ורודף אותן.

If a person will only expose himself to, if a person will only involve himself with darkei hachachmah vehatzedek, with Hakadosh Baruch Hu's chochmah, so מידה זו בכל אדם that naturally, intuitively, inevitably, מתאוה להן ורודף אותן. Again, that same word recurring: מתאוה להן ורודף אותן. Everyone, מידה זו בכל אדם, says the Rambam. Everyone has that quality within him, a quality to react that a person is overcome with a thirst, that it ignites a fire within him, מתאוה להן ורודף אותן. There are at least three contexts or occasions when we have the opportunity to experience this מתאוה להן ורודף אותן. The first, what we just looked at in perek bais of Yesodei HaTorah: בשעה שיתבונן האדם במעשיו ובברואיו הנפלאים, he's being nimshach bedarkei hachachmah, reflecting on Hakadosh Baruch Hu's wondrous handiwork. So what happens? And veyireh meihem chochmaso, the chochmah, he glimpses the chochmah, he's nimshach bedarkei hachachmah. So what happens again, this effect:

יראה מהם חכמתו שאין לה ערך ולא קץ מיד הוא אוהב משבח ומפאר ומתאוה תאוה גדולה.

The second context. Occasion to experience that misavev taivo ugedulah, the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh famously writes ירמוז במאמר בכל הטוב אל התורה. The phrase bechol hatov is an allusion to Torah. Keomram zal, as Chazal say in Perek Kinyan Torah,

אין טוב אלא תורה. שאם היו בני אדם מרגישים במתיקות וערבות טוב התורה.

If people would feel, if they would sense the sweetness of the goodness of Torah, היו משתגעים ומתלהטים אחריה. They couldn't contain themselves, hayu mishtag'im, they couldn't contain themselves and they would ardently, fervently pursue Torah. ולא יחשב בעיניהם מלא עולם כסף וזהב למאומה. A world of gold and silver would mean absolutely nothing. כי התורה כוללת כל הטובות שבעולם. That same נמשך בדרכי החכמה מתאווה להם ורודף אותם. And the third context or opportunity to experience that magnetic grandeur of chochmas haborei is in the person of the chacham, the persona of the chacham. The chacham who successfully embodies so much of chochmas haborei has that same magnetic effect upon people that Talmud Torah does, that contemplating הקדוש ברוך הוא בריאה. עד שימצאו הכל מקלסו אותו means it happens inevitably. It's an inexorable process. The chacham who's medakdek, the chacham who carries himself this way,

דבור בנחת עם הבריות דעתו מעורבת עמהם מקבל בסבר פנים יפות

etc. It's an inexorable process that עד שימצאו הכל מקלסו אותו. It happens inevitably, inexorably. That same magnetic effect of chochmas haTorah is exerted by the force of the personality, the persona of the chacham. מידותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא writes the Rav, yordos le'olam hatachton. The actional attributes, the midos that we glimpse in Hakadosh Baruch Hu's actions, yordos le'olam hatachton, they descend to this world umitgalmos begedolei Yisrael, Chachamei hamesorah. Mitoch divkei nishmoseihem from the recesses of their nishmos, mavhik ohr mufla shines forth a wondrous light, hamispatzel leshlal tzeva'im which then divides into a whole spectrum of colors. משמשים הם מעון לשכינה. They serve as an abode for the Shechinah and Ve'etzem ishuyusam and just their very personality מאצילה יופי של מעלה ומקרינה משהו אלוקי. It radiates something divine על פי רוב שלא ברצונם ובידיעתם. Generally, involuntarily and unknowingly. כמראה הקשת אשר בענן like the view of the rainbow in the cloud, כן מראה כבוד ה' so too is the vision of kevod Hashem hamishtakef which is reflected be'ishiyusam shel gedolei Yisrael in their personalities. That's the experience that we're privileged to have in encountering a chacham, a chacham who's mekadesh Shem Shamayim. That hisorerus which it creates, that thirst which it awakens, that fire which it ignites, is something which a person needs to follow up. It's something we need to follow up. It's something that we need to avoid being derailed and distracted by havlei hazman. We need to make an effort to nurture it. What happens if we do? What happens if that מתאווה להם ורודף אחריהם? What happens if we don't? We're careful not to let ourselves get derailed, not to get distracted. Where does it lead? That initial attraction, that initial fascination, that initial inspiration and aspirations, where do they potentially lead? כיצד היא האהבה הראויה? What is true ahavas Hashem entail? How does it express itself?

הוא שיאהב את ה' אהבה גדולה יתירה רבה עזה עד מאד.

A person is so enthralled with, so preoccupied with, so enamored of Hakadosh Baruch Hu so intensely, עד שתהא נפשו קשורה באהבת ה'. Until his very soul is bound up with ahavas Hashem ונמצא שוגה בה תמיד, total immersion. Ke'eilu cholei ha'ahavah like those who are lovesick,

שאין דעתם פנויה מאהבת אותה אשה שהוא שוגה בה תמיד בין בשבתו בין בקומו בין בשעה שהוא אוכל ושותה.

Someone who's so totally preoccupied, obsessed, at all moments. Yeseir mizeh, the intensity and the all-encompassing nature of ahavas Hashem is even greater. It exceeds that, it surpasses that.

יתר מזה תהיה אהבת ה' בלב אוהביו שוגים בה תמיד כמו שצונו בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך.

The spark, the original impetus comes from that magnetic effect of being when one is נמשך בדרכי החכם. It comes from התבוננות במעשיו וברואיו הנפלאים. It comes from Talmud Torah and it also comes from the magnetic force of a Torah personality.