Parsha Paragraphs
Rabbi Naftali Kassorla
Parshat Behar 5778
Connecting Through Creating
The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated in memory of:
ר׳ אלחנן יעקב בן מו״ח ר׳ שמואל פנחס ז״ל
ר׳ אלחנן יעקב בן מו״ח ר׳ שמואל פנחס ז״ל
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This week's parsha ends off with an interesting juxtaposition:
לֹֽא־תַעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם אֱלִילִם וּפֶ֤סֶל וּמַצֵּבָה לֹֽא־תָקִ֣ימוּ לָכֶ֔ם וְאֶ֣בֶן מַשְׂכִּית
לֹ֤א תִתְּנוּ בְּאַרְצְכֶם לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֺת עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּי אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקיכם…
אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ וּמִקְדָּשִׁי תִּירָ֑אוּ אֲנִי ה׳׃
You shall not make idols for yourselves, or set up for yourselves
carved images or pillars, or place figured stones in your land to
worship upon, for I the Lord am your God…
You shall keep My sabbaths and venerate My sanctuary,
Mine, the Lord’s. (Vayikra 26:1-2)
There two seemingly very different and separates subjects presented here. One is regarding the prohibition on making and worshiping idols, and the other is the mitzvah of keeping שבת and respecting the Holy Temple. Yet, their proximity to one another suggests that there is a deeper connection. What is that connection?
The Ralbag explains:
זכר בזה המקום שמירת השבתות ויראת המקדש להעיר כי זה
.כלי מביא להישירנו על עבודת השם יתע' ולהרחיק מעבוד זולתו
Here the Ralbag tells us that there is something unique in particular about both שבת and the Mikdash in that they both serve as an antidote to the sin of idol worship. These mitzvot in particular are meant to have us serve Hashem as opposed to any other being or creation.
But how exactly do they each accomplish this?
Perhaps we can understand it as follows: By keeping שבת (refraining from acts of creation ie. Melacha) we are making a statement that it is not I who builds, rather it is G-d. This is in direct contrast to עבודה זרה, where Man literally creates an image, and serves that idol. For in truth, it is not the עבודה זרה that he worships; really it is himself whom he is serving – his own actions. (This is why the statement of כחי ועוצם ידי - “Through my hand and strength,” is such a terrible sin. It borders on idol worship to think that our own actions are the reason for our success.) When we keep שבת, we testify that G-d is the True Creator, that our feeble products and creations are nothing in comparison to G-d’s creations, and that without Him we cannot create a thing.
In light of this idea, how does the Mikdash actually counter Avodah Zarah? Isn’t the Mikdash the very essence of the people themselves building structures and serving with them? And while we don’t actually worship the objects built, we do revere them. How many verses does the Torah devote to recounting the building of the Mishkan!? Each vessel is meticulously described. It is completely possible that one involved in such a rigorous process of building, which required so much investment, could come to “worship” himself rather than the Being for Whom it was created. Thus, how can the Mikdash – its structure and vessels created by Man – be a protection against Avoda Zarah (i.e. self-worship)?
I would like to suggest that the Mikdash serves as the perfect counter-balance to the message of שבת. In being the cessation of Man’s “creating,” שבת reminds us that the fruit of our labor does not belong to us. But, through deeply inculcating this message, we are in danger of losing a fundamental value: that our actions are valuable – that G-d has granted Man the amazing power to create something unique and beautiful.
Idol worship is the corruption of Man’s natural and innate desire to create, where the product becomes an end unto itself, ultimately resulting in a nihilistic approach to worship. The Mikdash then also serves as an antidote to idol worship; it allows Man the proper space to create, and in a doing so, channel his G-dly ability to express and bring forth a product.
The ability to create truly is a means to connect to the Almighty. Psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson characterizes art and creativity as: “a window into the transcendent.” He explains that Man is inherently limited, yet by using his creative faculties, Man gives himself the ability to join with G-d in the covenant of the Divine.
This is the power of creativity; it is the expression of the deep language of the Soul, and it has the ability to connect us to G-d.
While שבת teaches us not to worship the creations of Man, nevertheless the Torah recognizes Man’s unique ability to be creative. And even more so, that his creations are important – important enough to be the ultimate place of service to G-d, the holiest place on earth, the Beit Hamikdash. However, this in turn is balanced by the message of שבת, so that those creations do not devolve into self-worship. And with this beautiful combination, we can use our abilities to serve Hashem in the correct way.
Shabbat Shalom
