Parshot Matot introduces us to the concept of Nedarim (vows) with, "Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying: This is the word (Zeh Ha'Davar) the Lord has commanded." The Sifrei, as brought by Rashi, says that all the prophets prophesized with the words "Thus said Hashem (Koh Amar Hashem)" whereas Moshe also prophesized with "This is the word (Zeh Ha'Davar)." The Gemara (Taanit 30b) explains that "Zeh Ha'Davar" is a limiting term and tells us that this prophecy is only applicable to that specific time. The Ishbitzer Rebbe (Mei Ha'Shiloach, Parshat Matot) expounds that the other prophets received prophecy according to a specific time and occasion and were limited as well by the quality of their comprehension of prophecy. However, uplifted in the overwhelming spirit of their experience, they produced prophecies whose application was not bound by time, even though, in truth, they needed to be shifter later in time. The truly enlightened Moshe, on the other hand, comprehended everything within the context of its specific time and place, and understood that certain visions only pertained to a specific time and later HaShem will desire something else.
Therefore, the Parsha of Nedarim, is said over with "Zeh Ha'Davar". Even though the Gemara (Bava Batra 120b) learns out that the laws of Nedarim are applicable for the generations, nonetheless, "Zeh Ha'Davar" is used to express that the one who takes upon himself a stringency or vow prohibiting the use or benefit of a specific thing is only doing so according to limits of their comprehension, as they believe that this thing is dangerous to their worship of Hashem and that the thing contains no good within it. "Zeh Ha'Davar" requires the individual to understand that this thing is only prohibited to them for a specific time, and they must remain open to Hashem ability to give them the strength to use everything that exists in this world for Avodat Hashem.
At the end of Parshat Ma'asei, the elders of the tribe of Menashe had a problem. Moshe had recently prophesized that the daughters of Zelophchad from the tribe of Menashe could inherit the plot of land of their father, who had passed away before the land of Israel was divided amongst the tribes. The elders of Menashe argued that were the daughters of Zelophchad to marry a member of a different tribe, that land would now become part of the other tribe's inheritance, and the inherited plot of the Menashe would be decreased. Also, were a Yovel year to take place, this transfer of land would become permanent, as opposed to a normal sale of land which would go back to its original owner in the Yovel year.
Moshe responds, saying, "Correctly does the tribe of the children of Joseph speak. This is the word (Zeh Ha'Davar) that Hashem has commanded regarding the daughters of Zelopchad, saying: Let them be wives to whomever is good in their eyes, but only to the family of their father's tribe shall they become wives." Although the argument of the elders of Menashe is valid and intermarriage between tribes is to be prohibited at this moment in time, they must understand that this word of God only pertains to the limitations of their consciousness, and they must stay open to a more dynamic existence when they enter the Land of Israel.
What the elders failed to comprehend was that Yovel is not simply a Halachik status, rather it is an expansive awareness of all reality. The son of the Ishbitzer, the Beit Ya'akov (Parshat Behar, 16), explains that there is an inherent difference between the sabbatical years of Shemitah and Yovel. By Shemitah, after working the land for six years, in the seventh year we abstain from doing any action which may cause any growth against the Will of God. We do so in order to come to the realization through sanctified spiritual refinement that everything that happened is according to the Will of God and it was not our strength or actions which caused the movement or growth we saw in the previous years. Since we must appropriate all elements of our life-all successes, failures, accomplishments and disappointments-to the Will of God, we must go through the process of working the land for six years and resting for one year of refinement a total of seven times. After the completion of the forty-nine year Shemitah cycle comes Yovel. By Yovel, there is no preliminary stage of work. Rather, in Yovel we give over even our Will to do any spiritual refinement to the Will of God and understand that, in truth, we did nothing at all. The enlightened Yovel being, who has completed his refinement and needs no more work, is then able to place himself in situations of uncertainty as a manifestation of his awareness that his movement in this world is purely the unfolding of the Will of God.
In the book of Ruth, Ploni Almoni did not wish to take Ruth as a wife for she was still in a state of Halachik uncertainty (for the ruling that one could not marry a Moabite had yet to be clarified that it only pertained to the Moabite men), as he says, "lest I destroy my own inheritance (Ruth 4:6)." Boaz, however, was already on the level of Yovel, as is brought in the Zohar, and therefore could enter into a situation of uncertainty and marry Ruth, regardless of what it may do to his inheritance. Boaz understood that the maintenance of personal space and material possessions must not confine the individual and limit their pursuit of true love and awareness of Hashem.
And thus, Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel says "there are no holidays for Israel like the fifteenth of Av and Yom Hakippurim (Taanit 30b)." Rav Yehuda explains in the name of Shmuel that the fifteenth of Av was the day the tribes were permitted to marry into each other. T"U B'Av represents a dramatic movement towards the unification of the people of Israel in the Land of Israel-a breaking-down of the selfishly imposed boundaries (even in the name of Halacha!) and constrictions in pursuit of a more passionate and dynamic relationship with Hashem and Knesset Yisrael. T"U B'Av stands in stark contrast to Tisha B'Av, the deeply painful and tragic day of mourning for our Temple, destroyed exactly because of those boundaries and a lack of vision of unity which became expressed in baseless hatred and violence amongst the Jews. The Jewish People remain in the exile of the Second Temple, still plagued by the same constrictive boundaries and hatred. We must passionately pray for that Great Shofar Blast to come and wake us up from our slumber, open up our eyes so that we may see that a Jew is a Jew, and we must treat him as such. May we see the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash, speedily and in our days.
Noam Sendor
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Noam Sendor grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts. Before coming to Bat Ayin he was a madrich at Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah. He is currently a student at Yeshivat Bat Ayin and editor of the Bat Ayin monthly Daff. |