Parshas Pinchas
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
In the first Mishnah (“teachingâ€) of the second chapter of Pirkei Avos (Ethics of the Fathers), Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] says, “Consider three things, and you will not come into the grip of sin: Know what is above you - a seeing Eye, a listening Ear, and all your deeds are recorded in a Bookâ€.
On the “simple†level, the Mishnah is teaching us to be aware that G-d - Who is above us - is totally aware of our actions, thoughts and speech, and that He is fully in control of our lives. If we contemplate these three things – G-d’s “Eyeâ€, “Ear†and “Book†- we will have a hard time sinning, knowing as we do that G-d is watching, listening to, and recording our every move.
This Mishnah can also be interpreted homiletically in a historical context:
You see, throughout our history, the Jewish people have always had a way of divining G-d’s Will when we weren’t sure exactly how to proceed. This is illustrated to us in the words of the Mishnah.
“Know what is above you†– If you are stuck and confused, and need to know the proper spiritual path to take at a given point in your life - but it is above you – don’t despair, because the Jewish people always have ways of figuring out what G-d wants us to do:
“A seeing Eye†– In Biblical times, when the Jewish people had a question of national import, they would consult the High Priest who was wearing the Breastplate, inside of which were placed the Urim and Tumim (see Exodus 28:30), and who, through a Divine spirit, was given the wisdom to “read†the correct answer based on the various letters that would light up in sequence.
“A listening Ear†– Even when the Jewish people no longer had access to the High Priest and the Breastplate (such as at the time of the destruction of the First Temple), they still had prophets among them who possessed a “hearing ear†through which they were able to hear G-d’s divine message, and to bring that prophecy to the nation.
“And all your deeds are recorded in a Bookâ€.- During the Second Temple period and onwards, when prophecy ceased for the Jewish people, they were still able to understand G-d’s will by looking into the Torah and the deeds that are recorded in it.
As the Talmud relates in many places that when one is not sure what to do and needs spiritual guidance – at a time when we can no longer count on the High Priest’s Breastplate or on prophecy – he can look into the “Book†of the Torah and find his answers there. For example, the Talmud in Chullin 95b records that Samuel found the answer to his spiritual dilemma by opening up a Sefer Torah (Torah scroll) and reading the first verse that came to him.
The Shevet Mussar writes that the Sages would typically open up a Chumash (“Pentateuchâ€) or Tanach (Bible) and read the top verse on the page – and the first answer that came to them from reading that verse is what they would follow.
Truth be told, there is another form of divining G-d’s Will similar to looking into the Torah that is also mentioned in the Talmud numerous times (see Taanis 9a, Gittin 56a, etc), and that is when a man meets a young child leaving Cheder (Jewish school) and requests from the boy P’sok li Pesukecha, i.e. “Tell me the verse you just learnedâ€. The Rabbi will then interpret the verse with the first interpretation that comes to him, thus providing him with an answer to his spiritual quandary.
[I would add that even in our own times when most of us lack the ability to properly interpret the Torah verses that come up, we still have another option, thank G-d. We can always seek out the services of a Kabbalist who can give us clear answers to our spiritual dilemmas. How does one find a Kabbalist, you ask? I wish I could say “just click on Kabbalist.comâ€â€¦or maybe he is on Twitter? The truth is that Kabbalists are really not that hard to find. Just ask your local Rabbi and he can easily connect you to the Kabbalist you need.]
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