Description: Belief in Creation 03
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh
Volume I Pages 63 – 65
We find ourselves struggling with different challenges. Sometimes it is with Lashon Horah, other times it might be with bad middos, controlling our eyes and so on. Our approach is usually to address these issues head-on, and try to make kabbalos in that area of Avodas Hashem. We accept upon ourselves an hour of the day when we will focus on not speaking about other people. We promise ourselves to be patient in certain trying situation, and we stay away from places and things that can lead us astray. These are all necessary and the correct approach.
But we also have to address the source of the problems. The roots of these issues always lie in a certain lack of Emunah. If we would elevate and strengthen our Emunah, these struggles would become vastly easier. We would have the backbone and inspiration necessary to stand up and overcome our Yetzer Horah. It would make the choice so much clearer for us. Imagine if we truly had that thought accompanying us always, Hashem is here! Hashem exists. Then we would have a real feel of Hashem created us. We are His creations – how much easier would it be to make the right choices?
In order to begin this process of teaching ourselves Emunah, let’s turn to the most celebrated time of year when we work on our Emunah – the night of Pesach, Seder Night. The pasuk commands us, ‘vi’hayah ki yishalchah binechah,’ when your son will ask you, you should answer. Seforim explain that although this refers to a literal father and son, within ourselves we have an internal father and son. Our minds play the role of father, who teaches the heart, the son. The language used is ‘ha’leiv maivin,’ the word ‘binah,’ has its roots in the word ‘ben’, a son. How does the mind teach the heart? Either through thinking and contemplating concepts until they become deeply rooted in their heart, or through speaking about the concepts and discussing them aloud, cause them to become entrenched in the heart.
This Avodah isn’t limited to the night of Pesach of course, we have to work on our Emunah the whole year. On the night of Pesach, we clarify famously, ‘afilu kulanu chachamim, kulano nevonim, kulano yodi’im es haTorah, mitzvah alainu le’sapair bi’Yetzias Mitzrayim.’ Even though we know everything, we understand everything, we have already learned the Torah, nevertheless it is still incumbent upon us to discuss Yetzias Mitzrayim. Why? Because the wisdom and understanding that reside in our minds – the father, won’t make it to our hearts. That requires a certain measure of simplicity – of making all that we understand into facts that our hearts learn to accept and live by. It’s a mitzvah ‘le’sapair,’ which seforim say also hints at the meaning of ‘safir’ which means to shine light, into our hearts and illuminate it with the simple truths of Emunah.
But the night of Pesach also teaches us a very important approach to this learning process. We know that sipur Yetzias Mitzrayim has to be done in a question answer format. Chazal taught us an amazing learning tool with this. If we want to really internalize something, make it clear as day to ourselves – we need to employ this specific method of clarification – through question and answer.
We ask the question, although we already know the answer! So why ask the question? But that’s the way our hearts work – it responds to questions. When we ask a question, it gives the part of us that resists Emunah, the part that is a little stubborn and doesn’t want to conform – it gives it a platform. Our question has been heard! It has been verbalized! It gives it validity and takes what sometimes is a cloudy thought lurking in the back of our minds, and brings it out into the open. We then answer the question, clearly and confidently, and this shines light on the topic, and puts the question to rest. This is an extremely valuable tactic that Chazal have taught us, and we make use of it the night of Pesach – but we can use it all year long!
I remember one of the halachah shiurim I use to listen to, with that archaic thing known as a tape deck, from one of the Rabbonim in Lakewood, who somehow made his shiur very intriguing. When I started to pay attention to how he was delivering his shiur I noticed that he employed this method. Everything was a question and an answer. He didn’t just recite halachos. He always found a way to make a question out of it, which he posed to the audience and gave them a moment to think about it. It really engages the mind in a very different way, and is much more powerful and likely to be remembered.
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh
Volume I Pages 63 – 65
We find ourselves struggling with different challenges. Sometimes it is with Lashon Horah, other times it might be with bad middos, controlling our eyes and so on. Our approach is usually to address these issues head-on, and try to make kabbalos in that area of Avodas Hashem. We accept upon ourselves an hour of the day when we will focus on not speaking about other people. We promise ourselves to be patient in certain trying situation, and we stay away from places and things that can lead us astray. These are all necessary and the correct approach.
But we also have to address the source of the problems. The roots of these issues always lie in a certain lack of Emunah. If we would elevate and strengthen our Emunah, these struggles would become vastly easier. We would have the backbone and inspiration necessary to stand up and overcome our Yetzer Horah. It would make the choice so much clearer for us. Imagine if we truly had that thought accompanying us always, Hashem is here! Hashem exists. Then we would have a real feel of Hashem created us. We are His creations – how much easier would it be to make the right choices?
In order to begin this process of teaching ourselves Emunah, let’s turn to the most celebrated time of year when we work on our Emunah – the night of Pesach, Seder Night. The pasuk commands us, ‘vi’hayah ki yishalchah binechah,’ when your son will ask you, you should answer. Seforim explain that although this refers to a literal father and son, within ourselves we have an internal father and son. Our minds play the role of father, who teaches the heart, the son. The language used is ‘ha’leiv maivin,’ the word ‘binah,’ has its roots in the word ‘ben’, a son. How does the mind teach the heart? Either through thinking and contemplating concepts until they become deeply rooted in their heart, or through speaking about the concepts and discussing them aloud, cause them to become entrenched in the heart.
This Avodah isn’t limited to the night of Pesach of course, we have to work on our Emunah the whole year. On the night of Pesach, we clarify famously, ‘afilu kulanu chachamim, kulano nevonim, kulano yodi’im es haTorah, mitzvah alainu le’sapair bi’Yetzias Mitzrayim.’ Even though we know everything, we understand everything, we have already learned the Torah, nevertheless it is still incumbent upon us to discuss Yetzias Mitzrayim. Why? Because the wisdom and understanding that reside in our minds – the father, won’t make it to our hearts. That requires a certain measure of simplicity – of making all that we understand into facts that our hearts learn to accept and live by. It’s a mitzvah ‘le’sapair,’ which seforim say also hints at the meaning of ‘safir’ which means to shine light, into our hearts and illuminate it with the simple truths of Emunah.
But the night of Pesach also teaches us a very important approach to this learning process. We know that sipur Yetzias Mitzrayim has to be done in a question answer format. Chazal taught us an amazing learning tool with this. If we want to really internalize something, make it clear as day to ourselves – we need to employ this specific method of clarification – through question and answer.
We ask the question, although we already know the answer! So why ask the question? But that’s the way our hearts work – it responds to questions. When we ask a question, it gives the part of us that resists Emunah, the part that is a little stubborn and doesn’t want to conform – it gives it a platform. Our question has been heard! It has been verbalized! It gives it validity and takes what sometimes is a cloudy thought lurking in the back of our minds, and brings it out into the open. We then answer the question, clearly and confidently, and this shines light on the topic, and puts the question to rest. This is an extremely valuable tactic that Chazal have taught us, and we make use of it the night of Pesach – but we can use it all year long!
I remember one of the halachah shiurim I use to listen to, with that archaic thing known as a tape deck, from one of the Rabbonim in Lakewood, who somehow made his shiur very intriguing. When I started to pay attention to how he was delivering his shiur I noticed that he employed this method. Everything was a question and an answer. He didn’t just recite halachos. He always found a way to make a question out of it, which he posed to the audience and gave them a moment to think about it. It really engages the mind in a very different way, and is much more powerful and likely to be remembered.