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THE WEEKLY SIDRA- VAYAIRA
Rabbi Moshe Greebel
The 19th- 20th century Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung would have defined the duality of man as the intuitive and psychological confusing nature of mankind to be twofold. The state of being in two qualities. At different times, under different circumstances, man acts another way, as if more than one personality inhabits his being. While not necessarily at the level of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, such a duality may still dangerously result in hypocrisy and duplicity, which expectedly, can be very injurious.
Concerning this issue of duality, the Gemarah in Yoma 72b has this to say:
“Rava said, ‘Any scholar whose inside is not like his outside, is no scholar!’”
That is, the true Torah ideal is based on T’hillim 16:8, which states, “I have constantly set HaShem always before me.” Only one who fully realizes that he is always before his Creator, Who observes and records all human actions, can overcome this duality which plagues mankind. For, through this realization, he is ashamed to play the role of the hypocrite before his Creator.
In this week’s Sidra, we have a very vivid example of such duality, when Avaraham pleads with HaShem, not to destroy the evil city of S’dom and its suburbs:
“Perhaps there are only fifty righteous inside the city; will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?” (B’raishis 18:24)
In the name of one Rav Y. Posnovsky, as cited in the Iturei Torah, the author of the Tiferes Shlomo, Rav Shlomo HaKohain Rabinowicz (1803-1866) of blessed memory, observed that what Avaraham was really pleading for, is learned from the expression ‘inside the city,’ which at first glance, seems superfluous.
It refers, taught Rav Shlomo, to those who transact and do business inside the city. That is, there are individuals, who while in the Bais HaMidrash (study hall) or in the synagogue, act the part of Tzadikim (righteous). Yet, once they go out into the market place, inside the city so to speak, they act dishonestly with little concern for proper business ethics, a destructive duality to be certain.
Avraham, instructed Rav Shlomo, was simply not pleading for fifty men who ‘occasionally’ acted the part of Tzadikim, but instead, for those whose ‘insides constantly matched their outsides,’ with no duality, or duplicity whatsoever, even when in the market place. The danger of such duality can also be seen from Dovid HaMelech, who stated:
“Go, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of HaShem.” (T’hillim 34:12)
If Dovid was gathering his Talmidim (disciples) to give them an important lesson, why did he make use of the word ‘go’? Should he not have utilized instead, the term ‘come’? Rav Shlomo explained this in the following manner.
Talmidim listen very intently while they are being taught by their masters how to act properly. Yet, the tendency is, that once school so to speak, is dismissed, the Talmidim run out, and forget everything they were taught, resulting in another destructive duality. That is why Dovid stressed the term ‘go,’ to underscore that when Talmidim are out of the Bais HaMidrash, their ‘insides must match their outsides.’
Once again, we see the dangers of such duality from the words of the Navi (prophet):
“Yisroel, return to HaShem your G-d; for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to HaShem…..” (Hoshea 14:2-3
The expression ‘Take with you words,’ expounded Rav Shlomo, implies that when one goes out into society, into the market place, he takes with him these words of HaShem, acting in accordance with them, thus freeing himself from the flaw of duality.
One final example of the danger of this duality, is cited by Rav Posnovsky from the Chavos Yair of Rav Yair Chayim Bacharach (1638-1702) of blessed memory, who begins with the well known Gemarah in B’rachos 28b:
“Our Rabbanim taught that when Rabbi Eliezer fell ill, his disciples went in to visit him. They said to him, ‘Master, teach us the paths of life so that we may through them win the life of the future world.’ He said to them, ‘Go out, and be solicitous for the honor of your colleagues….. And when you pray, know before whom you are standing…..’”
What exactly, posed Rav Yair Chayim, is the relationship between being solicitous for the honor of a friend, and realizing before Whom we stand when we pray? As well, why did Rabbi Eliezer specifically make use of the term ‘go out’? Rav Yair Chayim answered in the following manner.
In the synagogue, one is obligated to literally spill his petition out to HaShem, at the same time, desisting from communication with other men. Yet, when outside the synagogue, one is obligated to be very gracious and forthcoming to anyone encountered. However, the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) very cleverly induces man to do the opposite, where, finding companionship and camaraderie inside the synagogue, he engages in needless friendly chatter. Yet, when out of the synagogue, a dramatic change overtakes him, and, he engages with others in a disingenuous manner.
‘Go out, and be solicitous for the honor of your colleagues’ refers to leaving the synagogue, when one must be very heedful in the honor of another. But, ‘When you pray, know before Whom you are standing’ refers to the synagogue, where only HaShem Yisborach is to be considered, and no one else! And, in conducting himself so, the repugnant duality so ingrained into mankind, has much less of a hold.
Translated from LaShon HaKodesh (holy tongue), a prominently displayed sign in a certain synagogue reads:
“Precious Jew: If you speak in the synagogue, where do you go to pray?”
At all times we must concentrate on freeing ourselves from the very negative influence of the duality of man, considering always that one’s ‘inside must match his outside.’ Such an effort can only be successful, with the realization that we are constantly before HaShem in every possible situation.
May we soon see the G’ulah Sh’laimah in its complete resplendency- speedily, and in our times. Good Shabbos.
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