Parshas Bamidbar 5770
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Parshas Bamidbar
The Slonimer Rebbe in Nesivos Shalom points out the Medrash that says that the Torah was given with fire, water and in the desert. Fire surrounded Har Sinai, the Torah teachings nourished and revived us like water and all this happened as the Jewish Nation stood in the wilderness.
The metaphor is clear- fire represents serving Hashem with passion, energy and striving upward. It also represents Yir’at Hashem- fear of losing His closeness, awe of His greatness.
Water represents the concept of serving Hashem with love. It also contains the element of humility, since water, as opposed to fire, tends to go from a higher elevation to a lower one.
In the physical world, fire and water are opposites. In the world of the spirit, they don’t cancel each other out, but they complement and complete each other.
These weeks of Sefirat HaOmer were meant to be a time of elevation, of self correction, of preparation for the yearly spiritual adventure of Kabbalat HaTorah, receiving of the Torah. We are beginning the last week of Omer.
So, what if your Sefirat HaOmer has not been a time of growth, of self correction or a time of inspiration? What if you’ve just been concerned with ‘regular’ life, and have not felt an upgrade in your spiritual life?
The Rebbe says that the answer is to go to the third element of Kabbalas HaTorah- the desert. We might not be in awe or in love with Hashem and His Mitzvos right now, but we can be Mevatel ourselves to Hashem and His Mitzvos.
Mevatel means to put your own apparent desires aside when they conflict with Torah. It means to stay committed to the actions of Torah. It means to humble yourself to commit to Torah life, despite the lack of inspiration.
Bitul is about a decision to commit yourself to the Torah. It is about recommitting to thousands of years of Jewish history, to your Land and destiny. Bitul reminds us that the body is the vehicle of the soul, that which allows the soul to manifest and express itself. The body and soul made a pact to serve each other- the soul enlivens the body and the body allows to soul to perform physical actions.
Putting the ego first is the opposite of Bitul. Committing to acting the right way, the Torah way, is the key for any Jew, inspired or not, to receive his or her portion in the Torah on Shavuous.
This is an interesting time in world history. Not a day goes by without some global change. The economy of the world, particularly Europe has been hit. It is not a coincidence that the Icelandic volcano began to disrupt Europe on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust day. It is not a coincidence that Europe is covered in ashes.
The ashes of our brothers and sisters were also scattered by the Europeans just a few decades ago. Hashem is great and His justice is great.
May we see the true and everlasting Geula BeRachamim in these days.
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