“‘And choose life.’ Tanna Rabbi Ishmael, it is a craft. From here, sages said, One must teach his sons a craft. If he does not teach him, he must teach himself. What is the reason? So you will live, it is written’” (Jerusalem Talmud, Kidushin, Chapter 1, Rule 7).
This means that it is a Mitzva [commandment] to learn a craft, and it falls in the category of “Choose life.” Thus, why is there no such arrangement at the seminary that each of the students at the seminary learns a craft, and why is the management of the seminary not seeing to it?
It is written in Kidushin (p 30b), “How do we know about teaching him a craft? Rabbi Hizkiya said, he called ‘See a life with a woman you have loved.’ If a woman, really a woman. As he must marry him to a wife, so he must teach him a craft. If it is Torah, as he must teach him Torah, so he must teach him a craft.” So why are they not minding this?
It is written in the Tosfot, Chapter, Kama de Kidushin: “Rabbi Yosi, son of Rabbi Eliezer, says in the name of Raban Ben Gamliel, ‘Anyone who has mastered a craft is like a fenced vineyard that beasts and animals cannot enter, and passersby cannot enter or see what is inside.’”
We should ask, What is the connection between a craft and a fenced vineyard that animals and beasts cannot enter? Also, what does it mean that passersby cannot enter it? How does craft help in this? Also, the fact that they cannot see what is inside, why would it matter if they did see what is inside, so much so that it is worth engaging in craftsmanship instead of Torah?
It is written in Kidushin (29a): “Rabbi Yehuda says, ‘Anyone who does not teach his son craftsmanship, teaches him to be a robber. Robbery, can you imagine? Yet, it is as though he teaches him to be a robber.’” It seems from the Jerusalem Talmud that it falls into the category of “Do!” from the verse, “Choose life,” and for Rabbi Hizkiya it is from the verse, “See a life,” and from Rabbi Yehuda it seems that he will transgress the “Do not rob,” as he said, “It is as though he teaches him to rob.”
Concerning craftsmanship, we find a dispute in the words of our sages: “Bar Kafra said, ‘One should always teach one’s son clean and easy craftsmanship.’ Which is it? Rabbi Yehuda said, ‘a needle of furrows.’” RASHI interprets, “A needle of furrows, whose stitches are made in furrows, lines, like the furrows of a plow” (Kidushin 82a).
Later in the Gemara, “Tania Rabbi says, ‘No craft passes from the world (meaning that everything is for a purpose). Happy is one who sees his parents in fine craftsmanship; woe unto one who sees his parents in flawed craftsmanship.’”
The world cannot be without perfume and without tanning [foul smelling craft]. Happy is he whose craft is a perfume; woe unto one whose craft is tanning. The world cannot be without males or without females. Happy is he whose children are males; woe unto he children sons are females.
We should ask, 1) Why does he begin with his parents, then with himself, and finally with his sons? 2) What does it mean when he says, “Happy is he whose parents…”? What does it come to teach us? After all, he cannot correct his parents. It follows that he is crying out about the past, while our sages teach us that what we should correct pertains only to the present and the future, and not to the past.
“Rabbi Nehorai says, ‘I forego every craft in the world and I teach my son only Torah, for any craft in the world stands only during his youth, but when he is old, he is thrown to hunger. But the Torah is not so; it stands by man when he is young, and gives him a purpose and hope when he is old.’”
RASHI interprets that any craft does not yield reward after some time, but their reward is at that time. But the reward of Torah comes by itself over time, and even a sick or an old man who cannot engage in it now, eats from the past (Kidushin 82a).
We should ask, What is the reward that one has if he engages in Torah when he is a child the same as when he is old, that we can say that it sustain him? Moreover, according to the above said, it implies that he is exploiting the Torah, against the words of our sages (Avot 4). We should interpret all the above, as our sages teach us how to walk in the ways of the work.
But before we elucidate all the above, we must understand the matter of the purpose of creation for which man was created. It is explained in the holy books that the reason is in order to delight His creatures, since it is the way of the good to do good.
Also, it is explained in Midrash Rabbah (Beresheet, Chapter 8), “The ministering angels said to the Creator, ‘‘What is man that you should remember him, and the son of man that you should care for him?’ Why do You need this trouble?’ There is an allegory about a king who had a tower filled with abundance but no guests. What pleasure does the king have? They said to Him, ‘Master of the world, do that which pleases You.’”
This explains that the reason for man’s creation was that the Creator wanted to do good to them. This is why He created the creatures, and it is about this that they asked, If the purpose is to do good, why are the creatures suffering torments and sorrow and are not receiving the delight and pleasure that the Creator wishes to give them?
The Zohar explains, “He who eats that which is not his is afraid to look at his face.” That is, in every free gift there is the flaw of shame.
In order not to have the bread of shame, meaning that for the Creator’s gift to be complete and without any flaw, He has given us a place of work, which is called “the work of choice.” Through it, we can receive all our abundance from the Creator without any shame.
When a person observes Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], when he still does not feel any flavor in the work, he must observe everything only by way of faith, since when the guidance of the world is in concealment of the face, it is possible to observe the Torah and Mitzvot on the basis of faith.
At such a time, there is the matter of choice, to loathe the bad and choose the good. By making the choice, a person can correct himself so he can do all his work not in order to receive reward, but only with the aim for the sake of the Creator.
When one does not feel any flavor in the work, he becomes accustomed to doing things even without a reward. Hence, afterward, when he is rewarded with receiving the interior of the Torah and is rewarded with the light of pleasure, when he will be in a state of revelation of the face, he will still be able to receive these pleasures only because of a Mitzva [sing. of Mitzvot].
That is, it is the aim of the Creator that man will receive the upper pleasures, as this is the purpose of creation, but not for his own benefit. That is, he does not want to receive the pleasures in order to please himself. Rather, his aim is to receive in order to bestow. This was the whole purpose for making a place of concealment.
Hence, during the concealment there is room to work to take upon himself the fear of heaven “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load” in order to accustom himself to serve the Creator not in order to receive reward.
According to the above, the main work we were given is faith, which is the quality of the fear of heaven. Obtaining fear of heaven is a great thing, as our sages said, “Is the fear of heaven such a little thing?” (Berachot 33b).
This means that first we must learn what is fear of heaven, and then there is work to take upon oneself the fear of heaven. As was said, they said that “To Moses, it was a small thing,” meaning a little smaller than the degree of Moses is a great thing although we cannot understand how it can be that fear of heaven is such a great thing.
After all, who does not have fear of heaven? Even if a person prays only once a day and eats kosher food, we already say about him that he has fear of heaven. Hence, here we should say that our sages knew what real fear of heaven was; therefore, they determined and said that this is a great thing, whereas we must first learn what is the fear of heaven, that it is such a great thing that our sages said, “In the end, after all is heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man.” What is “for this is the whole of man”? “Rabbi Elazar said, ‘The Creator said, ‘The whole world was created only for this; this is equal to the entire world—the whole world was created only to command this’’” (Berachot 6b).
This means that all of our life depends on faith in the Creator, since this is called the Kli [vessel] by which we can acquire everything in our world, where we were given the work in Torah and Mitzvot. Everything depends on the measure of faith that we acquire.
By this we will understand what our sages said, and as RASHI interpreted, “The Creator considered it for Abraham as a merit and Tzedakah [righteousness/charity],” for the faith that he had in Him. We must understand why faith is called Tzedakah, and what is the connection between Tzedakah and faith.
If a person works in order to bestow and not in order to receive for his own pleasure, it is similar to one who gives to his friend a hundred pounds without wanting anything in return for the one hundred pounds, or to someone who gives to his friend a hundred pounds and in return wants a suit or a closet. No one will say about the one who gives the one hundred pounds in return for a suit that he is very generous and has a kind heart that he can give to the merchant a hundred pounds, since he receives a reward in return for the effort.
But when one gives to his friend a hundred pounds and does not want anything in return, he certainly has a kind heart and wants to give Tzedakah.
Therefore, one who serves the Creator on the basis of faith, his work is not in order to receive reward. Otherwise, if his basis is not faith, then he belongs specifically to those who want to receive reward for the labor, since he always wants to be rid of the faith and work only on knowledge.
By serving the Creator in bestowal and not in order to receive any reward, this is called Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator, meaning that by this we become adhered to the Life of Lives, as our sages said, “Cling unto His attributes, as He is merciful, so you are merciful” (Shabbat 133b). That is, as the Creator bestows upon the lower ones, so man should work in order to bestow.
When one has come to a state where he can serve the Creator with this aim, he is rewarded with the spiritual pleasures that the Creator contemplated by His aim to do good to His creations, for then the gift that the Creator gives is whole, without the flaw of bread of shame in it. It is as our sages said, “Rabbi Meir says, ‘He who learns Torah Lishma [for Her sake] (with the aim to bestow) is rewarded with many things’” (Pirkei Avot, Chapter 6).
Faith is also called a Mitzva. There is Torah, and there is Mitzva, as Baal HaSulam interpreted the words of our sages, “If he performs one Mitzva, happy is he, for he has sentenced himself and the world to the side of merit” (Kidushin 40b), and one Mitzva means faith. According to the above, faith, fear of heaven, and one Mitzva are the same thing, but each one points to a different form.
Now we can interpret the above-said, that what the Jerusalem Talmud brings in the name of Rabbi Ishmael, “Choose life—this is craftsmanship,” that he must teach his son craftsmanship, that it refers to faith. This matter is called “craftsmanship,” since this is great learning, as our sages said, “Is fear a trivial matter?”
The term “craftsmanship” pertains primarily to something that depends on actions, but one who learns some science, medicine, or engineering, or a quality, this is called “wisdom” and not “craftsmanship,” since it pertains to the brain and not to the rest of the organs.
Hence, since the matter of faith is the quality of above reason, which is against the mind, for one can speak of faith precisely where the mind does not reach, and this is only a force, which is acceptance of the burden of the kingdom of heaven by force, “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.” For this reason, faith is called “craftsmanship.”
Here comes the matter of choice in the verse, “Choose life.” The father must teach his son this craft, and if he does not, he must teach himself. What is the reason? “So that you may live,” meaning that it is impossible to receive the life of Torah without faith.
Also, in this way we can interpret what Rabbi Hizkiya said, that the obligation to teach his son is from the verse, “See a life with a wife,” meaning that it is impossible to be rewarded with life without the commandment of faith, since specifically through faith he is rewarded with adhering to the Life of Lives. Naturally, he has life by adhering to life, since Torah without faith is not regarded as life.
This is why he said that as he must teach him Torah, so he must teach him craftsmanship, since when the Torah is on the basis of faith, it is possible to feel the life in it and then we see that it is in the manner of “for this is your life and the length of your days.”
According to the above, we can interpret what is written in the aforementioned Tosfot, which says, “Anyone who has mastered a craft is like a fenced vineyard.” We asked what is the connection between a fence and a craft. We should interpret that craftsmanship is faith, since one who has faith, it is as though he has a fenced vineyard, where “vineyard” refers to the “vineyard of the Lord of Hosts,” meaning the spirituality in a person.
At that time, if he has faith, it is like a fence that guards him from all the things that can harm him, since the things that harm a person’s spirituality are the foreign thoughts and ill wills, which is considered that a beast and an animal have entered him.
The faith keeps him from all the questions and from all the evil lusts, which is called “a beast”; it is matters that are the work of a beast. Also, bad animals, which are not of Kedusha [holiness], cannot enter when a person has taken upon himself the burden of faith, “passersby cannot enter it.”
That is, those are the people who always breach the Mitzvot and repent. They cannot grip to a person who has faith because they do not see what is inside him, since one who is careful that his work will always be in faith, works in concealment, and then his intention is unseen.
When a person works Lo Lishma, it is possible to see his intention because he wants reward for the labor. But one whose work is on the basis of faith, his thought is covered and not revealed to anyone, so there cannot be a grip to the outer ones in his work.
We should interpret similarly what Rabbi Yehuda said, “Anyone who does not teach his son craftsmanship, it is as though he teaches him to be a robber.” Our sages said, “Anyone who enjoys in this world without a blessing, it is as though he robs the Creator and the assembly of Israel, as was said, “One who robs his father and mother and says, ‘there is no crime,’ is a friend to a destructive man.” Rabbi Hanina son of Rabbi Papa said, “He is a friend of Jeroboam son of Navat, who destroyed the world to their father in heaven” (Berachot 35).
We should understand the connection between a robber and Jeroboam son of Navat, and why he who enjoys without a blessing is considered a robber. What is the connection between robbing and blessing? The thing is that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations. In order not to have the bread of shame, the place of concealment was made, so that man would be able to receive the pleasure in order to bestow upon the Creator. In this manner, there will not be any flaw in the present of the Creator, as our sages said, “The cow wants to feed more than the calf wants to eat” (Pesachim 112a).
However, as longs as a person is not ready to receive, the abundance does not come to the lower ones. Hence, one who enjoys in this world should do so with the aim to bless the Creator. That is, the aim should not be that he wants to enjoy, but that he wants to bless the Creator.
At that time, the Creator gives the upper abundance to the assembly of Israel, as our sages said, “He who performs one Mitzva, happy is he, for he has sentenced himself and the entire world to the side of merit” (Kidushin 40b). In other words, by performing the Mitzva, he causes the Creator to bestow upon the assembly of Israel. This is the meaning of “sentences the entire world to the side of merit.”
It follows that when one enjoys in this world without a blessing, without the aim to bless the Creator, because of this, the Creator does not bestow upon the assembly of Israel, since the aim for the sake of the Creator is missing.
Thus, this person robs the Creator and the assembly of Israel by not blessing and by wanting to enjoy only for himself and not for the sake of the Creator. For this reason, he becomes a “friend to a destructive man,” Jeroboam son of Navat, who “destroyed the world to their father in heaven.”
All this is because they lacked faith in the Creator. This is why Rabbi Yehuda said, “Anyone who does not teach his son a craft, it is as though he teaches him to be a robber,” meaning it is as though he teaches him to rob the Creator and the assembly of Israel. Hence, there is a strict obligation to teach the matter of faith, since only by this is it possible to achieve the complete wholeness.
From all the above, we can explain the measure that they gave to learning the craft itself. Bar Kafra says, “One should always teach one’s son a clean and easy craft.” Rabbi Yehuda interprets that it is “a needle of furrows.” In RASHI’s interpretation, “A needle of furrows, whose stitches are made in furrows, lines, like the furrows of a plow.”
We therefore see that the stitching is in order to connect two separate things so they become one. This means that one should achieve equivalence with the Creator, meaning Dvekut [adhesion], as it is written, “And to cleave unto Him,” as he interpreted, as the furrows of a plow, meaning to turn the dust that was below and make it on top, and that which was on top to be underneath.
So is man. There are two desires in him: 1) a good will, to bestow, to have faith, and 2) an ill will, when he wants only to receive for his own sake and to have no faith in the Creator. When a person is born, by nature, the good will is of inferior importance to him and he does not want to use it, since it is loathsome to use such a desire.
Conversely, the ill will is of superior importance, and whenever he can use it, he is in utter elation. That is, when he can satisfy the ill will in him, he has no higher state than this, since all he wishes is to satisfy the bad within him.
Hence, a person who wants to cling unto his Maker must equalize the qualities, as our sages said, “Cling unto His attributes, as He is merciful, so you are merciful” (Shabbat 133b). In other words, as the Creator wants only to bestow upon the lower ones, man, too, should see that he wants only to bestow upon the Creator and does not want to receive for his own pleasure. This is all of man’s purpose in his work in equivalence of qualities.
Hence, man must invert the qualities within him, similar to plowing, so that what was previously above, meaning the ill will, will now be below, and every time he is about to use the ill will in him, he will feel that he regards it as loathsome and base.
Conversely, the good will, which was previously of inferior importance, will now be in a state of “above,” so that each time he can do things for the sake of the Creator, he should feel that such a state is an ascent for him, since by this he comes to cling unto Him.
This is only by faith. This is why faith is called “clean and easy craft.” It is “clean” because there must not be any mixture of self-benefit there, but only for the sake of the Creator, since when one believes in the greatness of the Creator, a person has no desire or yearning other than to adhere to Him all day and all night. This is why it is called “clean,” meaning only for the sake of the Creator.
However, before a person is rewarded with his body’s consent to the work of faith, this work is regarded as lowliness, since he does not see anyone respects him when he works only for the sake of the Creator.
At that time, he must see that his work is in concealment, since otherwise his work cannot be clean because while his work is with excitement, his actions will certainly be praised and by this, the matter of respect will interfere, that others will respect him for this.
Therefore, when he wants to have no mixtures, he must work in concealment and then he will not get any respect from this. This is why clean work is despicable in his eyes. Also, Kalah [easy/light] comes from the word Nikleh [despicable], meaning despised.
Also, clean work is despised because a person cannot tolerate faith above reason, since by nature, a person appreciates what he grasps in the mind when reason obligates him.
Conversely, going against reason is despicable because such work is called “gullible,” as our sages said about the verse, “Who is gullible? Let him come here.” This is Moses, pertaining to faith, since Moses is called “the faithful shepherd,” who has faith and planted the faith in the whole of Israel.
In this way, we should interpret the words of Rabbi, “No craft passes from the world.” As RASHI interpreted, whether it is loathsome or clean, since the view of Rabbi is that the whole world cannot do clean work, meaning that specifically one who is inclined to the work of truth is capable of doing clean work where there are no mixtures of Lo Lishma [not for Her sake] there.
Conversely, the thoughts of the majority of the world revolve around the view of the world. They do not have a strong mind or a strong desire so they can exert and have the power to get what they want. Rather, they work for the general public, and what the public obligates, they do. They have no permission to do in the world what they understand and want, but are rather dependent on the view of the public.
For this reason, when some Mitzva is given to the general public, we must see that the general public can observe it.
This is why Rabbi says, “No craft passes from the world,” but the most important is for a person to take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven whether it is clean, meaning entirely for the sake of the Creator, or loathsome, meaning with mixtures of not for the sake of the Creator, since any craft is needed because from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma.
Our sages said, “A thousand people come to the Bible [Pentateuch]… and one to teach” (VaYikra Rabbah, Chapter 2:1). This means that by a thousand coming in, it makes it possible for one to come out to teach. This is why Rabbi says, “No craft passes from the world.”
However, “Happy is he who sees his parents in fine craft.” “His parents” means thoughts, since before every act, there must be a preceding thought and cause that is the reason that makes him do this thing. Hence, “his parents” are the thought that causes him to observe Torah and Mitzvot.
“Fine craft” means one that brings a person to the goal for which he was created—to engage in Torah and Mitzvot for the sake of the Creator—by which he will be rewarded with receiving the delight and pleasure that the Creator contemplated giving.
At that time, he will feel happy because of all that he has acquired through his labor in Torah and Mitzvot. But if the thought is not for the sake of the Creator, he cannot achieve the goal, and it turns out that his craft is flawed.
This is why Rabbi said, “Woe unto one who sees his parents in flawed craft.” Because his faith is mixed with Lo Lishma, this faith is flawed. Therefore, we must try to make the parents, meaning the cause, be for the sake of the Creator.
By this we will understand the words of our sages, “Happy is one who sees his parents in fine craftsmanship.” We asked, But this is something that he cannot correct, since if he is born to such parents, what can he do? According to the above, it is all well, as it pertains to himself, that he should try that the thought and the cause of Torah and Mitzvot will be with the aim for the sake of the Creator.
In this manner, it is written in The Zohar, Shemot, “The world exists only on the smell.” And in this manner, we should interpret, “The world cannot be without perfume and without tanning.”
“Perfume” refers to perfumes, whose fragrance ascends from below upward. His craftsmanship should be with the aim to bestow contentment above, for the person is regarded as below and the Creator as above. It follows that the man sends all his pleasures to the Creator, who is above.
“Tanning” is the processing of leather, which emits a great stench. This means that when he sees that his work will be Lo Lishma, yet he must engage in work only for the sake of the Creator, the work becomes loathsome to him and stinks in his eyes.
In a place where there should be pleasure, when he sees that now he has a chance to work for the sake of the Creator, he cannot do this. Hence, in a state where he does not see the return for his work, he feels heaviness and idleness and lowliness, and his heart is angry and upset.
For this reason, although his work is not with the aim not for the sake of the Creator, he still lacks the joy and merriment from giving contentment to the Creator.
Although “it is impossible without tanning,” meaning that man must come to such a state, since this place is the passage between Lishma and Lo Lishma, but woe unto he who stays in that place, which is a midway stop, and does not continue toward the goal of wanting to please the Creator.
He interprets further and says, “The world cannot be without males and females.” “Happy is he whose children are males, and woe unto he whose children are females.” The famous question is, What does it mean that his children are females?
We should say that we know from books of those who have fear that the giver and bestower are called “male,” and the receiver and deficient are called “female.” This is the meaning of what he says, that the world cannot be without males and females, meaning that there must be the state of Lo Lishma in the world, regarded as taking pleasure for self-benefit. Otherwise, it is impossible to begin to engage in Torah and Mitzvot.
Sometimes the reason is the Lo Lishma, but during the act, he comes to thoughts of repentance and performs the Mitzva with the aim for the sake of the Creator, meaning his aim is to bestow contentment upon his Maker. This is regarded as “his children are males.” For this reason, he says, “Woe unto he whose children are females,” meaning that the things he does are also with the aim to receive reward, which is regarded as his children being females.
“Rabbi Nehorai says, ‘I forego every craft in the world and I teach my son only Torah.’” He is not referring to the way by which the general public should behave, but rather speaks of his own degree, that he has been rewarded with permanent fear of heaven. This is why he says that he foregoes all the crafts, meaning that now he is leaving the flawed faith and the fine faith, since he has left both kinds of faith. Instead, now he teaches his son, meaning his action, called “son,” only the Torah.
He explains that the reason is that “Any craft in the world stands only during his youth.” RASHI interprets that “Any craft does not yield reward after some time, but their reward is at that time.”
Faith is called Mitzva, and the acceptance of the burden of the kingdom of heaven is a Mitzva. Our sages said, “A Mitzva protects and saves while engaging in it. Torah protects and saves when engaging in it, and when not engaging in it” (Sotah 21b). The difference between Torah and Mitzva is that we see that in the Torah, a person can remember and use what he learned the previous day or even before, or repeat the rules he learned so as to know how to behave according to what he learned before. For this reason, the Torah protects and saves even while not engaging in it, since he can remember what he learned a while ago.
But faith, which is a Mitzva, pertains only when engaging in it, since each time a person takes upon himself the burden of accepting the kingdom of heaven, it is a Mitzva, and a Mitzva is an act. There is no remembering here, as with the Torah; rather, each act stands on its own.
Hence, during the fact, it protects and saves, and he cannot say that he remembers that he took upon himself the burden of accepting the kingdom of heaven a while ago, since this will not help him. Instead, at any given moment, he needs faith, and it cannot be said that now he does not need the burden of faith.
Thus, each acceptance is a new Mitzva. This is why faith is called “youth” and “childhood,” since “old age” pertains where something took place a while ago. But since the burden of faith must always be renewed, there cannot be old age in it, and it is always called a “youth.”
This is why he says, “forego,” since it is with him only in his youth, since faith protects and saves only while engaging in it. As RASHI interpreted, “Any craft does not yield reward after some time, but their reward is at that time,” meaning it protects and saves only while engaging in it.
But the Torah is not so. Rather, it assists a person in his youth and gives him hope when he is old. As RASHI interpreted, “But the reward of Torah comes by itself over time, and even a sick or an old man who cannot engage in it, eats from the past.”
In other words, the Torah protects and saves even while not engaging in it. This is why he interprets that it helps him in his youth, meaning when he engages, and gives him hope when he is old, when he does not engage in it.
“Even a sick or an old man who cannot engage in it, eats from the past.” This means that it protects and saves even while not engaging in it. This is why Rabbi Nehorai says that he himself is doing so, since he has already taken upon himself the matter of permanent faith. For this reason, he says, “I forego every craft,” since he has been rewarded with this degree permanently, unlike the rest of the people.
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Rabbi Elazar said, “All the craftsmen in the world are destined to stand on the ground, as was said, ‘And they will come down from their ships and all the oarsmen will stand on the earth.’ Rabbi Elazar said, ‘There is not craftsmanship more inferior to the earth, as was said, and they came down’” (Yevamot 63).
We should ask, If the work of the earth is an inferior craft, why did Rabbi Elazar say, “destined to,” meaning that in the end, they will have good craftsmanship, yet he deduces that it will be an inferior craftsmanship?
We should interpret that faith is called “light” [or “easy”], meaning inferior, because to man, faith above reason is not important. This is why it is difficult to work. But in the future, they will be rewarded with this clean faith.
Our sages said, “In the days of the Messiah, proselytes will not be accepted, just as proselytes were not accepted in the days of David and in the days of Solomon. Rabbi Eliezer said, ‘What does the verse say? For he will surely fear (he who comes to convert), ‘he who is not with Me’ (while we are not with you, he will convert, meaning in this world). ‘Whoever assails you will fall because of you’ (whoever attacks you while you are poor will fall because of you in the next world) (Isaiah 54), but another will not’” (Yevamot 24b).
The Tosfot ask, “They did not accept proselytes in the days of David? What about Ittai the Gittite and Pharaoh’s daughter, for in the days of Solomon there isn’t the question; he is the reason, and they do not need the king’s table.
And the Gibeonites converted by themselves, as in the days of Esther, “And many of the peoples of the earth became Jews,” and from that one who came to Hillel … Hillel was certain that even if it is for the sake of the Creator, and that one who came and said, “Convert me so that I may marry that disciple, it was also for the sake of the Creator.”
From all the above, it seems that one who wants to convert in order to receive the good reward that the people of Israel have is not accepted. This is the meaning of “no proselytes are accepted in the days of the Messiah.” Rather, they must convert only for the sake of the Creator and not for the sake of reward.
In other words, one who wants to take upon himself to be a Jew and convert the gentile within him, cannot be a Jew and adhere to the people of Israel unless he does not aim for the good reward, which is called “for the days of the Messiah.” Rather, as it is written, “Who dwells with you in the days of your poverty,” as our sages said, “Rabbi Yonatan says, ‘Anyone who observes the Torah from poverty will eventually observe it from wealth” (Avot, Chapter 4).
That is, he who is poor in knowledge yet observes the Torah will eventually observe it from wealth, meaning he will be rewarded with understanding. Conversely, anyone who cancels the Torah because of wealth will eventually cancel it because of poverty, meaning that the knowledge of Torah will depart from him.
Yevamot 63: “Rabbi Elazar said, ‘Anyone who does not have a soil is not a man, as was said, ‘The heaven are the heaven of the Lord, and the earth, He has given to the sons of man.’’” We should ask, accordingly, each person should strive to have a piece of land.
The Tania also asks, So would Rashbi say, “The graves of idol-worshippers are not to be defiled in a tent, as was said, ‘You are My flock, the flock of My pasture, you are man. You are called ‘man,’ and the idol-worshippers are not called ‘man’’” (Yevamot 61a). This means that specifically a man from Israel is called “man.” But how can it be said that if he has no land, he does not fall into the category, “You are called ‘man’”?
We can interpret that “land” means earth, as the evidence he brings from the verse, “The heaven are the heaven of the Lord, and the earth, He has given to the sons of man.”
The Torah is called “heaven,” since the Torah was given to Moses from heaven. Moses received the Torah from Sinai. The earth is called Malchut, “faith,” “fear of heaven,” as our sages said, “everything is in the hands of heaven but the fear of heaven” (Berachot 33b).
This is the meaning of “One who has no faith,” which is the fear of heaven, called “earth,” “is not regarded among “you are called ‘man.’”
Yevamot 63: “Rabbi Elazar said, ‘There is not craftsmanship more inferior than the earth, as was said, and they came down.’ Rabbi Ami said, ‘Rains come down only for the faithful, as was said, ‘Truth will spring forth from the earth, and justice reflects from heaven.’’” RASHI interprets, when truth springs forth from the earth, when there is faith in negotiation, justice reflects from heaven, meaning rains, which are Tzedakah [righteousness/charity].
We should understand why it is specifically because the negotiation is not with faith that Tzedakah is not given from above, and the matter of faith, where earth is a desire, which is the heart, where one engages in the matter of faith, called Tzedakah, as it is written, “and he believed in the Lord and He considered it for him as righteousness.”
Therefore, in a corresponding measure, they cause righteousness, which is faith, to come from above. This is the meaning of the prayer for the rains in order to invoke faith.
“And He smelled him in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear” (Isaiah 11). This means that the Messiah King, meaning one who wants to walk on the path toward being rewarded with the purpose, which is the quality of the messiah, should not judge anything by what he sees or by what his ears hear, but by the scent of the fear of heaven, which is faith. According to this line, he should determine all his ways.
As it is written afterward, “Justice will be his belt around his waist, and faith, his belt around his loins.” In other words, his faith should be justice, regarded as righteousness, not in order to receive reward, and this will be his support that he can walk in the work of the Creator, since the light strengthens his waist so he can walk and not stumble as he walks, meaning not to grow tired from walking.