Dedicated to the Four Kedoshim of Har Nof
Was ever a writer more disciplined than the Ramchal or a book more precise than the Mesilas Yesharim? Famous for its economy of language, the Gaon of Vilna declared that he couldn't find a single superfluous word in the first ten chapters. At the very least, we can expect the Ramchal to stay on point. Which is why I was troubled when I discovered a long, meandering tangent right in the heart of chapter one.
The author's message in this chapter is clear. Man was created to experience the pleasure of being with the Shechina. This occurs in the afterlife, but it must be earned first. Life on earth is our opportunity to earn that reward through the performance of Mitzvos. That's the chapter in a nutshell.
Strangely, right in the middle of this presentation on the meaning of life, the Ramchal introduces a mystical concept.
If you delve deeper into this issue you will realize that the world was created for the service of man. For if man follows after the physical realm, distancing himself from his creator, then he is ruined and the world is ruined with him. But if he controls himself and sticks with his creator, using the world solely to assist him in his service of his creator, then he is elevated and the world is elevated with him.
Luzzatto proves this point with a well-known Midrash. The Torah tells us that although Yaakov placed multiple stones around his head before he went to sleep (Bereishis 28:11), in the morning there was only one stone there (28:18). Rabbi Yitzchok explains that each stone wanted to be the pillow for the Tzaddik. God had compassion on the stones and fused them all into one (Chulin 91b).
There is an innate desire in all things, writes Luzzatto, to be of service to the "perfected man who is sanctified with God's sanctity," for by doing so the mundane matter is itself sanctified. Every lonely stone on every barren hilltop yearns to get closer to its creator.
This is all very fascinating, but what relevance does it carry for our chapter? What difference does it make? Let us imagine, for a moment, that this is all false and the physical realm is unaffected by the presence of Tzaddikim. What bearing would that have on the fact that people were created to do Mitzvos and earn reward for the World to Come? None whatsoever. So why is the Ramchal writing about this here?
I struggled with this question for several weeks before I came up with an answer.
All writers are afraid of being misunderstood, and the fear is particularly acute in writers of Jewish theology. The Ramchal was worried that some readers would think of life as a big casino. The game is to do as many Mitzvos as you can, accruing the maximum number of chips. And then, when you're finished playing, you cash in. Right?
Wrong.
This analogy is deeply misleading. While it can be said that we do Mitzvos in this life and receive reward in the next, that is only because the physical universe filters out the splendor of the Shechina. This has no bearing on the fact that every Mitzvah we do and every test we past builds a relationship with Hashem. It is not a matter of collecting plastic chips for future use. The relationship is real and it exists in the here and now.
The Ramchal proves the point with the stones of Yaakov. If Mitzvos were mere chips, stones would reap no benefit by assisting the Tzaddik. The stones are attracted to the Tzaddik because he is "sanctified with God's sanctity" in this life, right here on earth.
Unable to experience the presence of the Shechina, the Tzaddik is himself unaware of the Kedusha within him. As much as we think we can sense Kedusha and identify Tzaddikim, that is just wishful thinking. Only Hashem can make that judgement (cf. Rambam, Laws of Teshuva 3:2). We are oblivious to the Kedusha that is all around us. Yaakov said as much upon awaking after a night on the rocks. "Hashem is actually present in this place and I didn't know!" (Bereishis 28:16).
Despite the Tzaddik's ignorance, he sanctifies the world. Sadly, the opposite is also true. When we opt out of a relationship with Hashem and distance ourselves from Him, we drag the world down with us.
This is the Ramchal's point and it is no tangent. It is central to our understanding of the power of mitzvos and the ultimate purpose of human life, the subject of chapter one.
Last Tuesday, Hashem selected four Tzaddikim for all the world to see. They brought Kedusha into the world - בקרובי אקדש - and now that Kedusha is lacking.
The very stones of Jerusalem mourn their loss.
ה' ינקם דמם
If I understand correctly, the crux of your suggestion can be summarized as follows: A relationship with Hashem is not something to be realized solely in the World to Come, but is available presently in this World. The Ramchal proves this from the stones of Yaakov.
ReplyDeleteDo we need to prove this from a tradition regarding the stones of Yaakov, shouldn’t we be able to prove this from the Torah itself? For example, the Biblical injunction to pray during times of sorrow; prayer is inherently communication with the Source and carries an expectation of deliverance from our troubles. This essentially means we have a current relationship. The Torah is replete with references to Blessing and Curses linked to our present performance of Hashem’s will.
Allow me to humbly present an alternative solution.
Before commenting further, allow me to re-quote the pertinent paragraph you mentioned: “For if man follows after the physical realm, distancing himself from his creator, then he is ruined and the world is ruined with him. But if he controls himself and sticks with his creator, using the world solely to assist him in his service of his creator, then he is elevated and the world is elevated with him.”
The Ramchal’s point is that a consequence of distancing or drawing closer to one’s Creator, is ‘ruining’ or ‘elevating’ the World. A relationship with the Divine in the present World is an assumed truth, but Ramchal adds, that there is an extra significance in our life’s mission which reflects in ‘ruination’ or ‘elevation’ of the World.
Ramchal has previously pointed out how a life of Torah and Mitzvohs in this World is man’s method of passage to the World to Come. After having established this truth, Ramchal adds that the world which is created for man’s use, is not a fixed constant but can be adjusted both up and down. Even though the world does not possess free will, it is programmed to operate on multiple levels; it can run on basic mode, or it can be set to run on an elevated mode.
Much in the way a turbocharger forces extra air into a combustion chamber, doing Mitzvos and drawing ourselves closer to the Divine, infuses the World with more energy. The World which was created for man’s use, now aids and encourages man in his mission, further increasing his ability to draw close. Conversely, if a man distances himself from the Divine, the World is still inherently designed for his use and will not hinder him, however the damaged world is running on basic mode and does not actively assist him.
The opening theme, ‘this World is a lobby before the next World’ has been continued, this World is but a gateway, but Ramchal has added a wrinkle, he educates us how to maximize the power of the machine that is this World.
Thank you Rabbi Apter for your question and for sharing your interpretation of the chapter.
DeleteIt appears that you misunderstood my post. The relationship between Hashem and man on this earth is indeed incontrovertible and I did not write this piece to bring evidence to its existance. My use of the term "relationship" was indeed misleading; my intent was better expressed by this sentence:
The stones are attracted to the Tzaddik because he is "sanctified with God's sanctity" in this life, right here on earth.
That line is very much in line with what you wrote; surely the "energy" you speak of is synonymous with the "sanctity" I referred to.
The difference between us lies not in the god/man relationship nor in the sanctity of man, nor in the resultant elevation of earth. On all these points we are in perfect agreement; we differ only in our understanding of Luzzatto's point. In your view, Luzzatto wants us to know that if we elevate the world, then the world itself "aids and encourages man in his mission, further increasing his ability to draw close." This may in fact occur, but I do not believe that this is what Luzzatto is getting at here. His point, as I wrote, is more basic: man is sanctified in life by virtue of his relationship with Hashem. In my view, the Midrashic sources cited by Luzzatto that speak of the elevation of the world are only brought as evidence to the Kedusha of the Tzaddik.