Parashas Vayigash
It says in the Parashah (46:29) describing the reunion between Yaakov and his long lost favorite son Yoseph “and he (Joseph) wept on his (Yaakovs) neck for a while”
Rashi explains that Yaakov did not fall on Yosephs neck, nor did he kiss him because our Rabbis said that Yakov was reciting the Shema at that moment.
Many ask that unless it coincidentally just happened to have been the time to recite the Shemah (which according to some does not seem to be the case, since we see Yoseph did not stop to say the Shemah) what does this mean that Yaakov after 22 years would suddenly recite Shemah, precisely at the moment, and seemingly forfeit such a potential unique feeling of boundless love for his son Yoseph?
A popular explanation is as R’ Menachem Mendel the Kotzker Rebbe remarks:
That precisely, since this was an opportunity to experience such a rare feeling of love at its fullest possible degree, Yaakov chose to take that feeling of love and rather than experience it for himself, he instead channeled it to HaShem by reciting the Shema at that exact moment.
The Baal HaSulam explains that experiencing physical feelings and pleasures, other than those that are a necessity or a Mitzvah, are feeding our “ratzon lekabel al menas lekabel” (”our will to receive for the sake of receiving”). This therefore results in creating a “shinuy tzurah” (”different form”) from HaShem, and thus results in our becoming more spiritually distant from HaShem.
Tzadikim on the other hand have the ability to seize such a opportunity, and on the contrary, by channeling such feelings “al menas lehashpia” (”for the sake of giving over”) to HaShem (like Yaakov chose to do here, by using this great rare feeling of ultimate love for HaShem through the recital of the Shemah), they in turn create a greater “shavas hatzurah” (”equal form”) to HaShem, and thus result in becoming more spiritually closer to HaShem, attaining a greater level of “Devakos” (”attachment”) to HaShem!!
May HaShem send the joy of good tidings among all the Jewish People, and may He give us the strength to utilize it to become closer to Him.
Comments
Leave a Reply