The Eagle[1]
is saying, "And You, G-d, Lord of Hosts, Lord of Israel, awake to [remember] all the nations; do not be gracious to any wicked traitors, sela!" (Psalms
59:6)
Rabbi [Yehudah HaNassi] would say:
Which is the right path for man to choose for himself? Whatever is harmonious
for the one who does it, and harmonious for mankind.
Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as
with a major one, for you do not know the rewards of the mitzvot. Consider the
cost of a mitzvah against its rewards, and the rewards of a transgression
against its cost.
Contemplate three things, and you
will not come to the hands of transgression: Know what is above from you: a
seeing eye, a listening ear, and all your deeds being inscribed in a book.
Netzach shebeChesed (victory and
endurance within the context of kindness)
On the fourth week of the year, which encompasses the end of Sukkot (including Hoshanah Rabbah), as well as Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, the eagle sings. During this week, as soon as each community completes the annual reading of the entire Torah, we immediately start our studies anew, just like the eagle renews its feathers from year to year.[2] It is also worth noting that during these days, both for hoshanot and hakafot, we spend a large portion of our service circling the bimah,[3] just like the eagle.
Rebbe Nachman’s yahrzeit, the 18th of
Tishrei, often falls on this week of the year, the week of Simchat Torah. Two
of Rebbe Nachman’s main teachings are relate to the concept of always being
happy and of always starting anew.[4] That is exactly
what Simchat Torah is all about. As Rebbe Nachman said himself, his “main
day” is Rosh Hashanah, and as further explained below, Simchat Torah is the
culmination of the judgment that took place from Rosh Hashanah to Hoshanah
Rabbah.
The eagle is the greatest of birds, flying higher than the rest. It therefore has an extremely broad and potent view and perspective on all Creation. Unlike other birds, which carry their young between their talons, the eagle carries them on their wings because no other animal can reach that high. So is our relationship with God: "You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I took them on eagles' wings and brought them to Me."[5]
The eagle requests that G-d remember the nations (Psalms 59:6). The word “remember” can have both a positive (remember for good) as well as a negative connotation (remember in order to punish). The continuation of the eagle’s song appears to be more connected to the latter, as it states, “do not be gracious to any wicked traitors, selah.” Throughout Sukkot, the Jewish people have been bringing sacrifices on behalf of all nations. However, on Shemini Atzeret, we stop bringing sacrifices for others, and place them aside for the time being, so that the Jewish people can be alone with G-d.
In Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi
discusses how to stay on the right path, and be laudable in their own eyes and
in the eyes of his fellow man. The word used by Rabbi Yehudah to describe this
state of equilibrium is tiferet, the sefirah connected to Sukkot.
As part of his teaching, he states
that different mitzvot should not be compared. Some think that dancing with the
Torah on the day of Simchat Torah is somehow less important than the prayers
recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or even that this mitzvah is somehow
smaller compared with the daily study of the Torah. In fact, in the eyes of
G-d, dancing with the Torah is very important.
Continuing the transition from Week
Three to Week Four, Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi tells us to reflect upon three
things, which are actually four: "(1) Know what is above you: (2) an Eye
that sees, (3) an Ear that hears, and (4) all your deeds are recorded in a Book."
This lesson describes the four Jewish holidays of the first four weeks: On Rosh
Hashanah, we acknowledge that G-d is above us (the Hebrew word is lada'at, “to
know,” and Rosh Hashanah is connected with da'at, as explained in Week 52); on Yom
Kippur, G-d sees our teshuvah (our repentance), as stated in the Haftorah of
Jonah read on Yom Kippur;[6] the festival of Sukkot is
connected to the ear; and Hoshanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
all reflect the idea that our actions are written in a book, the Book of Life,
because it is precisely on Hoshanah Rabbah that the judgment is concluded.
On this week, the sefirah combination
is netzach shebechesed. In it, we complete the reading of the entire Torah,
which ends with Vezot haBrachah, when Moses blesses each one of the twelve
tribes of Israel. As explained in the beginning of the book, Moses is
associated with the sefirah of netzach. Netzach means victory and endurance,
which we feel as we reach the completion of the Torah’s reading. Moses’
blessings are linked to chesed.
As mentioned above, the number four,
associated with netzach, is connected to Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. As a
leader, Moses displays maternal characteristics, drawing a striking parallel
with our matriarchs. In a particularly difficult time of his journey, Moses
desperately please with G-d: "Was it I who gave birth to this entire
people, that You ask me to carry them in my bosom as one who carries a nursing
[baby], to the land You promised their ancestors?"[7]
It is also worth noting that the
Rambam, Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, whose known for the phrase, that “from Moshe to
Moshe there was no one like Moshe,” was known as the “Great Eagle.” Rebbe
Nachman also always said about himself that his sefirah was netzach. Rebbe
Nachman also stated, “I have been victorious (nitzachti) and I will be
victorious (v’anatzeach); I have finished and I will finish.”
The lesson of self-improvement that
can be derived from the song of the eagle is that we should show care and
concern for all others, not just ourselves. In fact, caring about others
besides oneself is a great way to fight sadness. The eagle shows concern for
the community and for all nations, not just for itself.
[1] Rabbi Slifkin translates Nesher as
vulture. Other translations have it as an eagle.
[2] Psalm 103:5; Rashi
[3] The bimah is the platform in the
middle of the synagogue, which parallels the altar (mizbeach) in the Temple.
[4] Rebbe Nachman stated, “Mitzvah
Gedolah Lihyot B’Simchah Tamid! (It is a great mitzvah to be happy
always!)" (Likutei Moharan II, 24). He also would say, “Start serving God
as if you had never started in your whole life. This is one of the most basic
principles of serving God. We must literally begin all over again every day.” (Likutei
Moharan I, 261).
[5] Exodus 19:4
[6] The Book of Jonah states, "And
G-d saw their actions ... and G-d reconsidered the evil which He had
spoken to perform against them, and He did not perform it." (3:10,
emphasis added)
[7] Numbers 11:12
[Gematria Thought: The number four represents stability
and strength more than the number three, just as a table with four legs is
firmer than a tripod. The number four also refers to the matriarchs of the
Jewish People: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. The Torah itself is quite
explicit about how the matriarchs were more firm than the patriarchs when it
came to protecting their family and their lineage from bad influences and from
veering off to wrong paths. Sarah made sure that Yishmael was sent away in order
not to be a bad influence for Isaac. When Abraham became apprehensive about
this, G-d told him to listen to Sarah. Similarly, Rivkah made sure that Jacob
would receive the proper blessings from Isaac, instead of Esau. She also
insisted that Jacob not intermarry with the local tribes.
The stability of the number four is reflected in various aspects of the world itself. There are four basic elements in the world: fire, water, air, and earth. There are also four spiritual worlds, or dimensions, mentioned in the Kabbalah: Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Assiyah. There are also four rivers that flow from the Garden of Eden, and four levels of Torah knowledge, also known as Pardes. Pardes literally means “orchard,” and stands for: Peshat (simple/meaning), Remez (implied/hinted), Derush (interpreted), and Sod (secret). All of the above concepts are deeply related.]
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