Weekly Story: It Is My Father

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

As every Jew is aghast at the atrocities that our enemies did to our brothers and sisters, I felt the necessity to share a thought that I heard from Reb Meilach Biderman shlit”a concerning this situation. I hope I am transmitting it properly.

As always, your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.

On many trains, the train engineer has his own little room and unless you peer into it, you might think or assume that the train is going on autopilot.

It once happened that many Jews were on a train that was passing through the mountains. The tracks were at the base of the mountains, and they realized that they were going around one mountain and then around another one. At one point the train momentarily stopped, and looking out of their windows the people noticed that they were feet away from a deep ravine that had a steep incline. 

They jumped to the conclusion that the autopilot sensed that it was too dangerous to continue and therefore it stopped. But a minute later the train began inching forward very slowly. When the entire train was over the peak of the mountain, the train began picking up speed and began rushing down the steep incline. 

The passengers became frightened, fearing that they are going straight into the ravine. Some began to cry, others began writing a note to their loved ones, and the Jews cried out Shema Yisroel.

Then one passenger went to the front of the car to see whether the train was still on the tracks or not. He noticed that the engineer was standing alert staring at the tracks in front of him, with his hands firmly on the controls. Rushing back to everyone he said loudly, “The engineer is in his room making sure that the train remains on the tracks.” Everyone gave a sigh of relief and began to relax.

No, the train didn’t slow down, but knowing that the one in charge was in full control, calmed them down.

So, all it was, was a change of perspective and the knowledge that someone was in control.

We say every morning the five Hallelukahs. In the third one we say, “The fire, hail, snow and steam, the stormy winds that carry out His commands, in singular form referring specifically to the stormy winds.” One can ask, why do we state the phrase “That carry out His commands” only after stating the stormy winds? Doesn’t the fire, hail, snow, and steam also fulfill Hashem’s command?!

But the answer is when there is regular fire, hail etc, no one is overly concerned or worried. After all this is normal. We see the world is under control, and the controller is Hashem. However, when you are dealing with stormy winds, or better said horrific happenings, then one is not only concerned, but he might go into a panic, and may say that this is not normal, where is Hashem’s control? Therefore, Dovid Hamelech emphasized that even the stormy winds are fulfilling Hashem’s command. When a person realizes that everything is from Hashem, he realizes that there is nothing to panic about.

Yes, we obviously should cry out to Hashem that the storm we are presently experiencing should stop immediately. However, we have to know that it is from Hashem. Additionally, we must realize that Hashem is with us.

To bring out this point further, Rabbi Biderman related what he had heard from Reb Mendel Futerfas.

Reb Mendel was exiled by the Communist regime for many years to Siberia. One day, one of the other prisoners brought out two pegs and pounded them on the top of two mountains. He then brought out a rope and tied it tightly around both pegs, making sure the rope was tight and secured.

Climbing up to the top of one mountain, he called out to the other prisoners, “Do you want to see me walking across the rope to the other mountain?”

“Definitely not,” they replied. “We don’t want to be required to pick up and clear away all of your bones.”

Ignoring them, he began to walk across the rope and to their astonishment he reached the other side. Once again he asked, “Do you think I can walk back?”

“Yes, we believe you can, but it is not necessary. You have already proven your point that you are capable of doing so.”

Ignoring their response, he walked back, further impressing the crowd. He then asked, “Do you think I am capable of pushing a wagon across the rope?”

“Definitely,” they replied. “If you could walk, so too you could walk with something in front of you.”

“So do I have any volunteers to sit in the wagon in front of me?” he inquired.

At that point, none of the men stepped forward. But one teenager did. He climbed up the mountain, sat calmly in the wagon and was pushed across the rope.

When they both walked down the mountain, the teenager was asked, “How were you so calm and not even a little bit nervous?”

Smiling, the teenager replied, “Do you know who this man is? He is my father and when my father is with me, there is nothing to be nervous about.”

So to panic or be nervous about this situation, no, but to daven and declare, “You are our loving and merciful Father,” show revealed compassion towards Your children, definitely yes.

Now for the synopsis of the Maamar VaYichuloo Hashamayim 5733

VahYichuloo Hashamayim means that the work to create the heavens and earth came to an end. The midrash says that everything on this earth has a limit (since it came to an end,) besides the Torah and Mitzvos which are endless. 

However one can ask, we know that Hashem desired to create a world in order that the creations He created (namely the human race) ultimately elevates it to become a dwelling place in which He can reside. The enjoyment that He anticipates receiving is the catalyst to make this creation. Enjoyment comes from Binah, which is above limitations. So, there is something else that is endless, namely Hashem’s desire and enjoyment to create the world.

But the explanation is, as is explained extensively in Chassidus, that there is the pnimiyous and chitzonius of everything. For example, we say that Hashem’s names are not His essence, they are only a glimpse of His glory. Even the name of Havayah, which we sometimes say is Hashem’s essence, yet we say other times that it is not Hashem’s essence. His essence is expressed with the word Anochi, which is above all names. 

Another example, in general we say that mimaleh is the chitzonos level of Hashem’s light that can descend into something individual elements, while sovev is the pnimiyous and higher level, which cannot descend into something specific. Yet, at the same time we note that sovev is not completely separated from the world, since it is called sovev kol almin – it surrounds all of the worlds, which demonstrates that it has some connection to the world.

So now we can understand why even the desire to build the world, which is from binah, is limited. The world as it was created by Hashem was not complete, He wanted mankind to elevate it. Adam elevated it when he instructed all creations on the day he was created to bow down before Hashem who created us, (as we say every Friday evening, taken from Tehillin, in the beginning of Lichu niraninah).

The navi Yeshayahu says (67:62) that when Moshiach comes there will be a new heaven and a new earth. So the desire to create the world was for a limited world, as it will change and be elevated through our learning of His Torah and fulfilling His mitzvos. So since this world as we know it, cannot be in existence more than six thousand years, by that time Moshiach has to come. While five thousand plus years is a long time, nevertheless it is limited.

Only the Torah and Mitzvos are unlimited.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeiim and their chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com