Why 'Turn From Evil' Comes Before 'Do Good'
Why 'Turn From Evil' Comes Before 'Do Good'
Part of Important Issues
A short class on the Torah's two safeguards against sin, why the correct order leads to a true Divine dwelling, and the value of a complementary chavrusa.
Audio Transcript
brings the kedushah, that expresses the kedushah. 讗讞专 讻讱 诪讚讘专, and he speaks about sur meira, then he also mentions the negative that you shouldn't do, 砖讛讜讗 讛拽讚诪讛 讜讟驻诇 诇讛诪砖讻转 讛拽讚讜砖讛, 讗住讜专 诇讙讝讜讝 讜诇讗 讬注讘讜讚. That that you can't cut is a secondary thing that's also there, but the first thing he mentions, the goal here is the positive kedushah. 讜讛讬讬谞讜, it means like this, 讗祝 砖住讚专 讛讚讘专讬诐 讘驻讜注诇, even though the order of the way the things go, is 转讞讬诇讛 爪专讬讱 诇讛讬讜转 讝讛讬专讜转 讚住讜专 诪专注, 砖诇讗 讬讛讬讜 讚讘专讬诐 讘诇转讬 专爪讜讬讬诐, 讜讗讞专 讻讱 注讘讜讚讛 讚注砖讛 讟讜讘. First, you have to be careful from not to do bad, and then comes the good. So, but Rashi starts the opposite, and Rashi first says the positive, then the negative. Now, in fact, the negative is, practically, it comes first in this First, right, right, right. Second you can't do it, and that's exactly like the Rebbe said before, right? Still, Rashi, which is 讬讬谞讛 砖诇 转讜专讛, Rashi, which is 讬讬谉 means the wine of Torah, the 驻谞讬诪讬讜转, 砖讘讜 诪讜讚讙砖 讛驻谞讬诪讬讜转 砖讘讻诇 讚讘专, in Rashi you see the penimiyut. It means right away Rashi, his peshat goes deep deep to the end, to the penimiyut. 诪讚讙讬砖 砖注讬拽专, he stresses right away the point, the goal, the penimiyut of the 注讘讜讚讛, which is the positive, 诇注砖讜转 诇讜 讬转讘专讱 讚讬专讛 讘转讞转讜谞讬诐 注诇 讬讚讬 注砖讛 讟讜讘, to do it through the good. 讜讗讞专 讻讱 诪讘讗专, but then he says, 讗砖专 拽讜讚诐 诇讝讛 爪专讬讱 诇讛讬讜转 注讘讜讚转 住讜专 诪专注, that before that, there has to be sur meira, you have to stay away from bad. 注讜讚 讬砖 诇讜诪专, another thing 注诇 驻讬 驻砖讟 讘专诪讝 讝讛, another thing in the peshat of the remez of the 驻砖讟, 诪拽讚讬诐 讛讜讜讚讗讬. First he says, pashut he says what is definitely going to be, definitely 讬讗讻诇, you have to eat it, and you have to eat it 讘转讜专转 诪注砖专. 讜讗讞专 讻讱 讛住驻拽, then he says things that might be, 砖讘讗诐 讬讛讬讛 爪诪专 讛专讗讜讬 诇讙讬讝讛, if it'll have wool that you will be able to cut, 讜注讘讜讚讛 讛专讗讜讬讛 诇注砖讜转, or there will be anything you want to work with, 讗讝 诇讗 讬讙讝讜讝 讜诇讗 讬注讘讜讚, that you shouldn't do it. But that's not necessarily going to be 讘驻讜注诇. It might you might not have any work for it. It should be 砖讞讟'讚 immediately. Yeah, you might eat it right away, so what? But the eating of the 讘转讜专转 诪注砖专, that's something that's going to happen vadai. That's why Rashi mentions first the vadai. So he said, 讜讛谞讛 讗祝 砖住讜专 诪专注, 讗讬住讜专 讙讬讝讛, 讛讜讗 专拽 讛拽讚诪讛 讜讛讻谞讛 诇讛诪砖讻转 讛拽讚讜砖讛 讘讙讬诇讜讬 注诇 讬讚讬 注砖讛 讟讜讘, now we're saying, even though the negative, not the cutting, is only a hakdamah to the good, that's the main thing, which is the eating 讘转讜专转 诪注砖专, 诪讻诇 诪拽讜诐 爪专讬讱 诇讛讬讜转 讛讝讛讬专讜转 讚住讜专 诪专注 讚讜讜拽讗 讘讻诇 讛驻专讟讬诐. Still, when you you have to be careful not to do the bad in all the details. Which means, 诪讘讗专 专砖\"讬 砖讘讝讛 讘' inyanim, so
Rashi says, in being careful of not doing something negative, there are two details: 讗讬住讜专 讙讬讝讛 讜讗讬住讜专 注讘讜讚讛, not cutting the wool, not working, meaning 讛讝讛讬专讜转 爪专讬讱 诇讛讬讜转 讛谉 讘注讘讜讚讛 谞注砖讬转 讘讙讜祝 讛讘讛诪讛, you have to be careful in things which are done with the beheimah itself, working is with the 讘讛诪讛, 讚讛讬讬谞讜 讘注谞讬谞讬诐 注讬拽专讬讬诐, which is in the main things of the beheimah, the beheimah itself, 讜讛谉 讘讙讬讝讛, even in cutting, which is 砖注专讜转, which is only hair, 砖讛砖注专讜转 讛谉 讗讬谞诐 讘砖专, 讟驻诇 诇讘砖专, which is only secondary to the body, outside of the body, 讛讬讬谞讜 讗讝讛专讛 讙诐 讘注谞讬谞讬诐 砖谞专讗讬诐 诇讻讗讜专讛 讻讟驻诇讬诐, even things which are seem very small. So when Rashi gives you the lesson you should be careful not doing something bad, don't do something bad in major things, but also don't do bad anything in minor things, don't think that could be. What would you do with the wool, say, in this case? Huh? What would you do with the wool, say, in this case? Well, make a coat out of it, if you Well, you can't cut it. Oh, so Oh, you leave it? And I thought, what Why would we want to cut it? Want to cut it because you want to use it. Yeah. If you can't cut it, you've got to leave it on the beheimah, that's all. And you just throw it away? No, don't cut it. You leave it there. If you want to shecht the beheimah, so Oh, and afterwards, yeah, you throw it away. Skin you take off, you can't have hana'ah. Can't use the skin, either? The skin you could, but not the not the wool. Not the wool. 讜注诇 讬讚讬 讛注讘讜讚讛 讘住讚专 讝讛,
if you do the avodah this order, 转讛讬讛 讗讞专 讻讱 讻讚讘注讬 讛诪砖讻转 注讘讜讚讛 讚注砖讛 讟讜讘, if you do it in this order that you're you're careful in all the things that you have to, then you will reach the next step, which is doing good, and you will bring down the 讛诪砖讻讛, 诇注砖讜转 诇讜 讬转讘专讱 讚讬专讛 讘转讞转讜谞讬诐, to make a dwelling place for Hashem in this world. You bring down a hamshachah from that, from running away from bad also? Not this one, no. That just makes it possible, preparatory for the mitzvah to bring it down. Yashar koach. Yashar koach. Very geshmak, yes? Yeah. Theoretically, every single Rashi in the whole Torah can be learned like this? Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Oh, no, the Rebbe looked at it. So what do we have from the Rebbe? Only the first and last of every... What about in between? No, in between, yeah, throughout the years that he spoke, how much he spoke. Didn't the Rebbe sit down to write a 驻讬专讜砖 注诇 专砖\"讬, if he would? He just, whenever he spoke, whichever Rashi he chose. Farbrengens, they chose a Rashi, and he just would pick it. And then then we have it written down, and we'd be able to Well, it would be written down, but since the Rebbe didn't check it over, we don't know if everything is correct. But then many of them went into Likutei Sichos. Those that went to Likutei Sichos, those are 诪讜讙讛, the Rebbe checked, those we know are correct, like this. Some of them didn't go in. Okay. What were How about How about other like people like when they, when they hear, when they see this, read it, what do they do? What do they do with the fact that something's missing in that translation over there?
There's other 驻讬专讜砖讬诐 on Rashi, but they, they struggle. Other 驻讬- there are many mefarshim on Rashi. [Non-speech audio] So, therefore, the concept of a chavruta is that two people are coming together to be 诪砖诇讬诐 one another. One person has certain 讻讜讞讜转 that the other person doesn't have, and the other person has certain 讻讜讞讜转 that the first person doesn't have. And together, they form a 砖诇诪讜转 that neither one could achieve on their own. So when they're learning together, it's not just two people studying the same text. It's two 谞砖诪讜转 that are intertwining with each other, and through that connection, through that 讚讬讘讜拽 讞讘专讬诐, they're able to reach a 讛讘谞讛 and an 讛砖讙讛 in Torah that's way beyond what either one could reach by himself. And that's why Chazal say that a person should acquire for himself a chaver, \"讜拽谞讛 诇讱 讞讘专\", because through that 拽谞讬谉, through being 拽讜谞讛 that chaver, you're actually acquiring your own 砖诇诪讜转, you're becoming complete, which you could never be as a 讬讞讬讚. Because a 讬讞讬讚 is always lacking, a 讬讞讬讚 is always limited by his own 诪讚讜转, by his own 砖讻诇, by his own 谞讙讬注讜转. But when you have a chaver, the chaver can see what you can't see, he can challenge you where you need to be challenged, and he can support you where you're weak. And that's the whole 讬住讜讚 of why the Torah was given to the 讻诇诇, to the 爪讬讘讜专, and not to individuals. Because it's only through the 讞讬讘讜专 of all the different 谞砖诪讜转 together that the Torah can actually be revealed in its fullness. And therefore, when a person is looking for a chavruta, he shouldn't just look for someone who agrees with him, or someone who's at the exact same level, but someone who can truly complement him, who can push him, who can bring out the best in him, and whom he can also help to grow and to reach their tachlit in avodat Hashem. [Non-speech audio] [Non-speech audio] [Non-speech audio] [Non-speech audio]