GOD’S PROVIDENCE TRANSCENDS NATURE FOR THOSE WHO RISE ABOVE THEIR PHYSICAL NATURE THE [ABOVE DESCRIBED CONFLICT] can be resolved by studying Nahmanides’s commentary on the Torah passage of *Aharei Mos.*¹ He writes that there are many ways to serve God when performing the commandments and studying the Torah diligently: Be aware that [the level] of one’s living through the commandments is proportional to one’s being prepared [mentally and emotionally] to perform them. He who performs the commandments not for their sake – i.e., who performs them to receive a reward in his world [i.e., this world] – his life in this world will consist of wealth and honor. This is what Scripture states, “Bi-smolah [in her left hand] are wealth and honor;”² our Sages explained this verse as, “La-misma’elim bah, those who study [the Torah] not for its sake, will obtain wealth and honor.” Similarly, those who perform the commandments in order to merit [a share] in the World to Come – i.e., they serve God out of fear – merit by their intent to be saved from the judgment reserved for the wicked, and their souls will dwell [eternally] in goodness. But those who fulfill the commandments out of love, [in a manner] that is proper, while also acting properly in the affairs of this world, will be rewarded as written in Im be-hukosai: “Your threshing shall last until the vintage.”³ In other words, they will merit achieving a good life in this world in accordance with nature, and in life eternal in the World to Come, their merits will be rewarded in a complete manner. However, those who completely forsake the concerns of this world and pay no attention to it, acting unlike physical beings, with all their thoughts and intentions being directed only to their Creator, just as was the case with Elijah – because their souls cleave to the Glorious Name, they will live forever in body and soul, as evidenced in Scripture concerning Elijah, etc.⁴ All of these are the words of the holy man of God, Nahmanides, may his memory be for a blessing.

footnotes: ¹ Lev. 18:4. ² Prov. 3:16. ³ Lev. 26:3. ⁴ Most of this translation is taken from Dr. Charles B. Chavel’s translation of Nahmanides’s Commentary on the Torah.

We learn two main principles from his words. First, there are two approaches to performing the commandments for the sake of Heaven, where expressing love of God. One approach⁵ is to serve God for His honor, may He be blessed, without any expectation of reward – yet he does not lose the sense of his own physical being, “because he is created of flesh” and composed of human nature.⁶, since he is also flesh.” This is a path of holiness, and fortunate is the one who merits in [achieving] this. Pertaining to this approach the first chapter⁷17. of Avos teaches, “R. Yosi says… ‘Let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven.’” Avos de-Rabbi Nassan⁸ 3. explains this Mishnah to mean “for the sake of the Torah,” i.e., he [performs the mitzvos] because the Torah directs him to do so. Even so, he does not lose the nature of man, and he does not merit to be glued in his thoughts to the Holy One, blessed be He due to the barrier created by his human nature.

footnotes: ⁵ The second principle is written several pages later. ⁶ See Gen. 6:3: “My spirit shall not abide in man forever, bi-shegam ⁷ I found this in Chapter 2, Mishnah ⁸ Chapter 6, os

There is, however, another form of love for God where one is so powerfully bound to God with love that it causes him to forsake his human nature utterly. There is nothing greater than this path of righteousness. But the righteous ones of the earlier generations, even though they had merited to [obtain] this love, to sample life consisting of the light of spiritual delight to the extent of forgetting their physical being – though their souls constantly longed to remain within that delight and purity – they did not constantly remain in that state. At times they actually reached [this spiritual pleasure], and they clung to it with Divine inspiration, whereas at times they could not immerse their thoughts totally in this love, or even if they did have the opportunity to deeply focus and hunger for it, they still were unable to achieve [Divine inspiration]. It is because of this that at times King David refers to himself as a hasid,⁹ a righteous one, and at other times as an ani,¹⁰ one who is bereft (a distinction that has already been addressed in the Aggadah).¹¹ in which David is referred to as a hasid (righteous one), since he had the power to harm those who shamed or blasphemed him, and yet remained silent. See also Tractate Berachos 4a, where David refers to himself as righteous since he soiled himself with the blood [of menstruation], the fetus and the placenta in order to declare a woman permitted to her husband. Pertaining to ani, bereft, see Yalkut Shimoni on 25:16 that David considered himself bereft in comparison to God’s greatness in addressing the needs of the people of Israel. However, according to our understanding [of these terms], he referred to himself as a hasid because he constantly longed for that love and devekus [close bonding]. This is the implication of the word hasid, and with God’s assistance I elaborated on this at great length in my composition Rinah Shel Torah.¹² Because he recognized that he himself was many times unable to achieve such a state, or that he lacked the opportunity to achieve his holy soul’s longing, he [also] referred to himself as ani. For an ani is simply one who is unhappy with his lot in the area of the service of God, and [he felt bereft] that on many an occasion he could not fulfill his great want.

footnotes: ⁹ Psalms 86:2: “Guard my soul, for I am righteous.” ¹⁰ See the following verses in Psalms: “Turn to me and show me favor, for I am alone and bereft” (25:16); “I am bereft and painracked; Your salvation, O God, shall raise me high” (69:30), “A prayer of David; O Lord, incline your ear, answer me, for I am bereft and destitute” (86:1) “I have been bereft and close to death since youth” (88:16). ¹¹ Rashi on Psalms 86:2 cites the midrash ¹² See Song of Songs 4:8.

Truly, if a person were to merit being a merkavah de-shechinah [a Chariot of the Divine Presence] ceaselessly,¹³ 47:6 where Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov are referred to as being a Merkavah de-Shechinah (a dwelling and sanctuary for the Divine Presence). There the Etz Yosef quotes the Kli Yakar, who states this term refers to one who is at such a great spiritual height that it is “as if he supports the Divine Throne,” with no “intermediary existing between him and the Divine Presence.” Also see page 20 of Imrei Shefer (Kefar Hasidim edition), that this is one of the meanings of the phrase “The dwelling of the eternal God” (Deut. 33:27) – that the sage is a Merkavah de-Shechinah. he would never die, as experienced by Elijah the Prophet.¹⁴ 26a. However, [if everyone reached such a state], the world would never be inhabited, as I wrote, with Heaven’s help, in the Hashmatos¹⁵ in an earlier version, after which it was integrated into the main body of the text in She’iltah 15, os 6. There the Netziv writes that based on what is written in the Midrash Rabbah on Koheles 3:15 and on Nahmanides’s commentary on Bereshis 2:17, when Adam lived in Gan Eden, he was capable of developing and inhabiting the earth even as he received God’s Divine Light. However, once Adam was expelled from Gan Eden, the world could only be inhabited if human beings were connected to the Earth. This is stated in Koheles (3:11), “He made everything beautiful in its time and also the world He put into their heart.” The Midrash Rabbah interprets this verse to mean that God gave human beings an evil inclination (in this case, a competitive spirit), for without it, human beings would lack the desire to build and inhabit the earth. But one who aspires to become a Merkavah de-Shechinah – to live in a constant spiritual state – must separate oneself from the physical aspects of this world. This is why Ben Azzai never married, as quoted in Tractate Yevamos 63b, “But what shall I do, seeing that my soul is in love with the Torah? The world can be carried on by others.” The Netziv elaborates further upon this concept in Ha’amek Davar on Gen. 2:9. [Omissions], 21:6 ─ the world was not created for [everyone to be a Merkavah de-shechinah] but rather to be inhabited. Nonetheless, one who [constantly] longs to express his love for God finds many opportunities to function as a Chariot of the Divine Presence and to disregard himself [i.e., his physical nature]. As we explained in She’ilta 1,¹⁶ 21. pertaining to Hillel, because all his acts were performed for the sake of Heaven, he reached a level that nullified his physical being, such that he did not desire [physical pleasure] from his eating and bathing. For him, these things became [a spiritual act] similar to laying tefillin and the like. This is the first concept that we learn from Nahmanides’s words.

footnotes: ¹³ See Bereshis Rabbah ¹⁴ See Mo’ed Katan ¹⁵ It appears that this reference was to a hashmatah ¹⁶ Os

The second concept that we learn from Nahmanides, of blessed memory, is that the manner of God’s Providence over Israel is proportional to how Israel serves Him. Thus, it also naturally follows that there will be a difference in this world for the one who serves out of love – yet he remains within his human nature, which is what the Holy One, blessed be He, has provided. Providence relates to him in a manner that does not completely negate nature, [though] the eye of God is directed towards those who fear Him¹⁷ with a Divine Providence that is characterized¹⁸ by nature. This is the attribute of the Kingdom of God, may He be blessed; His Providence [as applied to individuals] is similar to how He [generally] governs the world [i.e., in accordance with nature]. Therefore, if such a person places himself in a dangerous situation and he requires a miracle that transcends nature, God, may He be blessed, will not assist him.

footnotes: ¹⁷ See Psalms 33:18, “Behold, the eye of God is on those who fear Him; upon those who await His kindness.” ¹⁸ Literally, “branded.”

However, if he is able to rise above human nature and becomes an Israelite through whom God, may He be blessed, becomes glorified, His Providence in return transcends the nature of the world, and [He] will cause His glorious arm to march at his right hand.¹⁹ This matter is further elaborated in my compilation, Ha’amek Davar, on the Torah passage of *Yisro,*²⁰ where I explain that God communicated this concept to Israel at the gathering [around Mount Sinai] prior to the giving of the Torah, with Moshe reiterating this at the giving of the Second Tablets. I also discussed these two ways of performing the Commandments and their respective ways of Providence on the Torah portion dealing with tzitzis [fringes], read daily [in the shema].²¹ represent the Divine Throne, while the white ones represent man’s involvement in the world. Some Jews are similar to the white threads, being constantly involved in worldly affairs, while those who are immersed in the Torah and in spiritual affairs are represented by the purple threads. We read the shema daily in order to understand that regardless of whether we comprise the Merkavah de-Shechinah or are immersed in day-to-day affairs, we cannot ignore the daily performance of mitzvos and we must perform them at their proper time, even if they appear to interrupt our financial or spiritual growth. Verse 41 states: “I am the Lord your God Who took you from the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God.” The phrase “I am the Lord your God” is repeated twice to represent the two forms of Divine Providence: once for those who are involved in worldly affairs, is to perform the mitzvos that they received upon leaving Egypt, and again for those who are the Merkava de-Shechina, who existed both before and after the exodus from Egypt. This subject is quite involved and it will be explained there [in Ha’amek Davar] as God decrees that it should be so, and may He assist me in that task. [However, I am not delving into this concept of Providence] here, I am only touching on this subject to clarify and answer the question at hand.

footnotes: ¹⁹ See Isa. 63:12, “Who made His glorious arm march at the right hand of Moshe.” ²⁰ See Ex. 19:4–6: “You have seen what I did to Egypt, and that I have borne you on the wings of eagles and brought you to Me. And now, if you hearken well to Me and observe My covenant, you shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all peoples, for Mine is the entire world. You shall be to Me a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation.” To paraphrase the Netziv’s interpretation of these verses: “You have seen what I have done to Egypt for your sake, and how I have sustained you in a manner that transcends nature. From now on, Divine Providence will be in accordance with your acts. If you study the Torah well and serve Me, you will merit these rewards. From now on, the nations of the world can only achieve this spiritual goal if they join the Jewish nation, a beloved treasure collected of all different peoples who dwell upon My earth. If you serve me properly, Divine Providence will govern as a kingdom of ministers, in a favorable manner consistent with nature. However, if you perform the mitzvos for the sake of Heaven, you will be treated as a holy and distinctive nation in which Divine Providence shall manifest in a manner that transcends nature.” ²¹ The Netziv writes in Num. 15:38–41 that the azure threads of the tzitzis

It can be said with certainty that if one has not attained this level of love of disregarding his physical being, i.e., he has not left the category of human nature, it is forbidden for him to feign righteousness and place himself in a dangerous situation. However, he who stands on the Mountain of God and serves Him in His holy place,²², Ex. 3:5, writes that in this context, the phrase “holy place” represents one being in a holy state or on a high level. has removed the sandal from his foot,²³ that God was telling Moshe that he was in a place or state of holiness, and was thus required to remove the physical barriers that his shoes represented and to dedicate himself to the sacred. This is the same reason that people were required to remove their shoes in the precincts of the Holy Temple. and has removed the bodily attire of nature, there is no matter that stands before him, every [potential obstacle] becomes [flattened] as a plane. He may then perform the commandments under any dangerous circumstance.

footnotes: ²² Similar to Psalms 24:3, “Who may ascend the mountain of God, and who may stand in His holy place?” The Netziv in Ha’amek Davar ²³ When Moshe approached to view the Burning Bush, God commanded him, “Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground” (Ex. 3:5). The Netziv writes in Ha’amek Davar

This concept clarifies what Tractate Pesahim 8b states [regarding the search for leaven on the eve of Passover]: “If there is a hole in the adjoining wall between the dwellings of a Jew and an Aramean, [according to the Tanna Kamma] he searches as far as his hand can reach.” [According to Pleimo, however, he is not to search at all]. This disagreement is difficult to understand, for should not the Tanna Kamma be concerned with the likelihood of harm? And if in fact the [Tanna Kamma] disagrees [with Pleimo and holds that one is to perform the search even though there is a likelihood of harm], why do we follow the opinion of Pleimo [when he is a lone authority]?²⁴

footnotes: ²⁴ The Tanna Kamma represents the majority opinion.

[Addendum to Chapter 3]²⁵ [THE ROSH STATES that [there is a rule that] when we deal with dangerous situations, we follow the lone authority.¹ I find this difficult based on what is stated in the chapter entitled Mi Mefanim.² 129b. [The Talmud there discusses the lone opinion of R. Yosi, which is cited in the Mishnah in Tractate Shabbos 128b, that when delivering a baby on the Sabbath] one may sever the umbilical cord to reduce the risk of danger to the infant. [Tractate Shabbos 129b] states, “Rav Nahman said in the name of Rabbah, the son of Avuha, who said in the name of Rav that the halachah is in accordance with R. Yosi” [who opposes the majority opinion, as stated by the Tanna Kamma, that one may only tie the umbilical cord]. Therefore, we see [that there is no rule that we follow the lone opinion when there is a risk of danger], for without [Rav Nahman’s clarification] we would not rule [that the halachah is in accordance with R. Yosi].³ the Netziv concedes that one might answer that there was a need to state that the Halachah goes according to R. Yosi because the prohibition of cutting an umbilical cord on the Sabbath originates in the Torah. On the other hand, there was no need to state that the Halachah goes according to Pleimo, since the requirement for searching for leaven on the eve of Passover is of rabbinic origin. However, the Netziv argues that the Tanna Kamma must also agree that one does not search for leaven when doing so would involve risk. Otherwise, the Gemara should challenge the Tanna Kamma, asking why God told Samuel to take a calf to conceal his going to anoint David as king.]

footnotes: ²⁵ In the Addendum to Chapter 3, the Netziv rejects the Rosh’s explanation of the disagreement between the Tanna Kamma and Pleimo. ¹ The Rosh understands the Tanna Kamma to be of the opinion that we do not concern ourselves with this probability of danger. ² Tractate Shabbos ³ In Meromei Sadeh,

You may wish to argue that [the Tanna Kamma and Pleimo do not disagree], as the Tanna Kamma is discussing a special circumstance where it clearly does not involve any danger – the Jew knows that his Aramean neighbor will not suspect him of witchcraft. If so, what is Pleimo’s reason [forbidding one to perform the search]? [If Pleimo is speaking of a different circumstance than the Tanna Kamma, this distinction] should have been clarified as, “According to Pleimo, if the [search] involves danger, one may not search.” Rather [it must be that] the Tanna Kamma, [like Pleimo], is discussing [searching for leaven] in a dangerous situation with a likelihood of harm; however, he is speaking of a person who confidently knows of himself that he will nullify his physical senses when he performs this mitzvah. [The Tanna Kamma is also] teaching the basic law regarding to what extent one needs to search a hole for leaven, and that is as far as his hand will reach. However, certainly, not every person merits to reach such a spiritual level and it goes without saying that [a halachic authority] cannot rule for one who comes to inquire [to perform a mitzvah in a dangerous situation], for one cannot ascertain what lies in another’s heart. [Therefore, Pleimo is stating that we must never rule that others should endanger themselves by performing any mitzvah].

Behold, [when] the Holy One, blessed be He, [directed Samuel to anoint David as king],²⁶ He did not direct Samuel from the outset, “Take a calf with you” [to conceal his task from Saul], until Samuel asked Him [what to do, as he feared that Saul might kill him if he were to discover the purpose of his mission]. For certain, Samuel was at an extremely high spiritual level, but it was only in this instance [that he could not reach that level] since he was pained [to be involved in the termination] of Saul’s reign. He could not be confident in this dangerous situation, as he could not find the joy of heart that he required in order to achieve a powerful love and connection to God. It was because of this that Samuel properly asked [God how he could perform this task, since it involved danger], and God’s response [to Samuel] was that he was not to endanger himself, [and to conceal from Saul the fact that he had anointed David as king].²⁷

footnotes: ²⁶ See I Sam. 16:1–13. ²⁷ The Netziv is explaining that God directs human beings according to their current state, not their potential state. Before Samuel became distressed over this command, he was in his usual high spiritual state and was therefore commanded to perform this act in a manner that transcended nature. Once Samuel received God’s order and realized, to his disappointment, that he was unable to carry it out at this high spiritual level, he protested. God then told him to take the calf.

In my previously referenced compilation, [Ha’amek Davar], I explained that this was Moshe’s request after [the sin of the Golden] Calf: “Whoever is for God, [let him come] to me, and all the Levites gathered unto him.”²⁸ Moshe’s request was not directed to those who did not worship the Golden Calf, as there were many others [besides the Levites] who did not serve the Golden Calf; there were only three thousand men who had sinned.²⁹ Rather, [his request was directed to those who were on a high spiritual level] because he wanted to direct them to perform a very dangerous task of going from gate to gate and killing openly the men they were seeking. It was certainly possible that the [sinners’] relatives and friends would fight the Levites, resulting in atrocities from a battle ensuing in the camp. This dangerous task could not be achieved other than by one who was confident that he “is for God” [deeply immersed in God’s service]. This is similar to the way in which the Midrash Rabbah on Mattos³⁰ 22. explains the verse, “He whom you shall serve,”³¹ meaning, “You are to dedicate yourself to the Torah and to occupy yourself with the commandments [to the extent] that you have no other service,” i.e., he does not serve himself at all. [Only such a person] could be assured that calamity would not result from his passing [throughout the camp to kill those who served the Golden Calf]. The Levites were so successful that not a single one was harmed, and it was because of this that Moshe blessed them: “Dedicate yourselves [from] this day [forward] to God, for each has opposed his son and his brother, that He may bestow upon you a blessing [from] this day [forward].”³² [Moshe] means that they had utterly forsaken their personal needs to the extent that it would not have been difficultfor them to kill his son or brother by his own hand. It is because of this that the Levites were blessed [by Moshe] in the wilderness [so they] could reach this elevated manner of service. This is explained further [in the previously referenced Ha’amek Davar].

footnotes: ²⁸ Ex. 32:26. ²⁹ Verse 28 states that only three thousand men were killed by the Levites. ³⁰ Num., Parasha ³¹ Deut. 10:20. ³² Ex. 32:29.