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PARSHAT YITRO
(by Yehuda HaKohen)
"`You have seen what I did to Egypt, and I have borne you on the wings
of
eagles and brought you to Me. And now, if you hearken well to Me
and
observe My Covenant, you shall be to Me a Segula of all nations,
for
Mine is the entire world. You shall be to Me a Kingdom of Priests
and
a Holy Nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the
Children
of Israel." (SHEMOT 19:4-6)
Before bestowing Israel with the Torah at Sinai, HaShem commands Moshe
to
relate these instructions to the entire Hebrew Nation. The words
are
in fact a prerequisite understanding for receiving the mitzvot as
only
through comprehending the function of Israel can we hope to fully
grasp
the Torah's true objective.
The holy Ohr HaChaim writes an extensive description on the word
Segula,
for which he brings three basic definitions:
Israel, as a sovereign and unified national entity in the Land of
Israel,
is to act as a magnet that will attract sparks of holiness
from
wherever they exist.
The Kingdom of Israel is to become a healthy
concentration
of sanctity in this world and the Torah is the
instrument
enabling the Jewish Nation to fulfill this Divine charge.
Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook writes that the holiness and Divine
connection
of Am Yisrael is made up of two main components – the
Segula
and free will.
The Segula is Israel's absolute inner essence
that
does not depend on an individual's behavior or awareness.
It is
the eternal national Covenant between G-D and
Israel that no man has
the ability to negate or interfere with; the holy
power that HaShem
infused into the nature of Clal Yisrael – Israel's
collective soul –
and it, like the nature of all else in existence,
cannot be altered.
This supports the Mishnaic teaching that all Israel have a share in
the
world to come.
Just by virtue of being linked to the absolute
Divine,
every Israeli has an eternal connection to the Infinite.
The inner Segula of Israel is
generally revealed only to the extent that a Jew's free will facilitates its
expression.
Its manifestation
is therefore normally dependent on belief in
HaShem, fulfillment of
mitzvot and the study of Torah.
Because Israel possesses this Segula – the
potential to bring great blessing to the world – we must work to manifest this
blessing through our individual and collective behavior.
The Hebrew Nation was created
with the ability to shine a tremendous light to the world that will uplift
all of Creation to its highest potential.
While all Jews possess this unique Segula regardless of
whether
or not one ever actualizes his true potential, a healthy
person
who understands this responsibility will naturally strive to
realize
and live up to this ideal to the extent that is possible.
The
more one understands this unique ability, the more
he desires to
display it in his life.
This manifestation of Divine energy is
accomplished through the performance of the individual mitzvot in all of their
details.
Although there are times in
history where the Segula is able to override personal choice (such as the dawn
of the Zionist movement), the role of Israel's free will is to recognize and
reveal this Segula's innate holiness by conducting personal and national
lives in accordance with G-D's Torah.
When one uses the power of choice
properly, he opens a valve that brings Divine
content to flow through
the world.
Each mitzvah is a finite vehicle that infuses immense light into our
current reality, like a faucet connected to a pipe full of blessing that enters
the world through each precept carried out.
This
blessing then raises the world to a higher and
truer plane of
existence, thus improving and illuminating it
through the mitzvot
performed by G-D's treasured Nation.
Every time an Israeli studies a
word of Torah, plants a tree in his country or gives charity to the poor, Divine
goodness is added to the world as the quantity of poverty, hatred and disease is
reduced.
This idea can be understood through an historic example.
For much of
the
period that Jews were in exile from Eretz Yisrael, the world was
trapped
in what is referred to as dark ages.
Advancement in the fields
of medicine, culture and technology was halted as
senseless violence
and disease plagued civilization.
But as soon as the Hebrew Nation began to trickle
home to our native soil, a world of wisdom and ideals began to flourish
throughout the entire globe.
Science began a rapid advance as mankind suddenly
became more idealistic and humane.
For the first time in history, warfare – rather
than glorified – became viewed as a negative (although often necessary) human
trend.
Mass movements were formed and revolutions took
place geared towards rectifying the ills of modern society.
HaShem
created this world in order to reveal a certain ideal that manifests itself
through Israel living a national life of Torah in our land. While the Segula of Israel is
eternal and unchangeable, the Hebrew mission is to reveal it on the highest
level possible in order to assist humanity in attaining a perfect world. The Torah is not a "religion"
relegated to the houses of study or
prayer. Nor is it some set of rules merely
limiting a person's
individual
life. In truth, the Torah is
diametrically opposed to the
Western
understanding of personal religion. When realized in its
grandeur,
Israel's lofty national mission of being a "Kingdom of
Priests
and a Holy Nation" will demonstrate to the world that the
Divine
expression in our lives is not limited to individual behavior. The Torah encompasses all of
national and even international life,
including
the most complex aspects of our existence. There are laws of
war,
laws of government, laws of agriculture and laws for running a
healthy
economy. This reality is in direct
opposition to the belief of man-made religions that the physical realm is unable
to be elevated and that religious life must be kept separate from matters of
state. In direct contrast to the Western
line of thinking, the Torah standard
of
Am Yisrael existing as a holy Nation necessitates the
sanctification
of every element of individual and national life. This lofty ideal manifests the
Oneness of G-D that encompasses both the spiritual and the physical spheres of
Creation. This is the Divine Ideal,
revealed even before the Ten Commandments, that constitutes the very essence of
Israel's national configuration. And this represents the major
difference between the Judaism of exile and the Torah of Eretz Yisrael. In order to advance the Hebrew
Nation forward in achieving our lofty
mission
in this world, we must contribute to building the holy Kingdom
of
Israel that will revolutionize human thinking and shine blessing to
mankind. It is our task to establish a
perfect society, built on the
truth
of Torah and love for HaShem's creations that will be an example
of
Divine goodness to the whole of humanity. Shabbat Shalom. With Love of Israel, |
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