We’re Still Waiting
When doing good does not beget positive results; don’t give up. Just do more good. The results are guaranteed!
Why Couldn’t Moses Do it?
Parshas Shemini—which means “the eighth”—is read in many years shortly after the eighth day of Passover. Owing to the fact that nothing in the world happens by coincidence there must be significance to this phenomenon. With respect to Torah matters it is far more clear that the confluence of two events is by design that behooves us to search for its deeper meaning.
More importantly, insofar as Torah is concerned, there must also be a message conveyed to us by this confluence of events. Inasmuch as the word Torah means instruction we must be able to glean some useful information that will inform our lives.
This week’s Parsha discusses what happened on the eighth day after the Mishkan, the portable Sanctuary, was built. In last week’s Parsha the Torah details how Moses initiated the service in the Sanctuary for seven consecutive days. This week’s Parsha begins with the statement “And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel.” Moses then proceeds to instruct them as to the various offerings they were to bring on that day. After performing the service, G-d demonstrated His acceptance of their efforts by sending a fire that “consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering…”
Rashi relates that throughout the initial seven day period when Moses officiated, the Jewish people were eagerly anticipating G-d’s dwelling in their midst. On the eighth day, Moses said to them, “my brother Aaron is more worthy than me and through his efforts G-d will dwell in our midst.”
Commentators ask why indeed Moses’ efforts for the first seven days did not succeed in eliciting a positive Divine response? Wasn’t Moses superior to Aaron? What was it about Aaron that changed the dynamics of the situation?
Cause and Effect Mindset
One approach to this issue is that this initiation process was one that was intended to convey a message for all future generations about the way spiritual goals are attained.
Living in a world of nature, we have developed a “cause and effect” mindset. With the flick of a switch we can access virtually everything; almost instantaneously. Our mechanized and computerized world has intruded into the way we think about spirituality. If the right person does the right thing at the right time, then we have a guaranteed effect at the time and place that we want it.
To be sure, Kabbalisitc thought teaches us that indeed every positive act begets an immediate positive spiritual effect. However, these effects are rarely discernable to us in the physical and material world. Our egos, as well as the distractions brought about by our interests and desires in non-spiritual matters; make it difficult for us to feel the spiritual effects of our actions.
In addition, the spiritual process was designed by G-d to be elusive. It is G-d’s way of hiding Himself so that we look for Him. This process has been compared to the father who will play a game of hide-and-seek with his child. The object of the game is to get the child to search not to elude discovery.
Be Disappointed but Don’t Give Up
Thus, when the Jewish people saw how the most qualified person—Moses—performed the service in the most perfect manner for a complete cycle of seven days, they expected to see immediate results. Hadn’t they done everything perfectly? Why did G-d not respond? When they did not realize this cause and effect system, they were upset.
But rather than giving up in despair they continued to yearn for the elusive Divine response. And it was precisely this sense of yearning and anticipation that generated the events of the eighth day—G-d’s response with a fire from heaven.
The obvious lesson from this is that when a Jew performs a Mitzvah, he expects to see immediate spiritual results. When these results do not materialize as we expect, it should be interpreted as G-d’s way of challenging us to see whether we will give up and stop seeking Him, or will it enhance our desire to get closer.
The Messianic Paradox
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a) relates that Moshiach is one of those things that come when we are distracted from his coming. Commentators explain that this does not mean that we should distract ourselves from Moshiach in order for him to come. That interpretation flies in the face of so many statements to the contrary; that we must constantly pray for, wait for, eagerly anticipate and yearn for Moshiach. How can one be distracted while he or she doesn’t stop talking about it?
We must therefore draw the conclusion that Moshiach’s coming eludes our expectations, and despite our dashed hopes and expectations of his coming, we continue to wait and yearn for the age of peace that will be ushered in by Moshiach. In other words, no matter how much we wait for his coming we will still be surprised because we have been disappointed so many times.
[On a higher and deeper level, Chassidic thought explains, that no matter how much we anticipate his coming, Moshiach will introduce us to dimensions of Redemption that go beyond our understanding.] Indeed, Moshiach’s coming is hastened when we look back and realize that we have “pushed all the buttons” that generate spiritual energy to the world that should have brought Moshiach and the Redemption. When we see that it still has not happened it induces a state of yearning and eager anticipation, for Moshiach—not despair and disillusionment. This yearning, in turn, is what generates the events of the “eighth”— the coming of Moshiach who is identified by the Talmud as “one of eight princes.” Moshiach is so identified because the number eight represents that which transcends the natural order of seven.
Connection Explained
This explains the connection to the eighth day of Passover. On this day, the selection from the prophets is Isaiah chapter 11— arguably the most explicit description of Moshiach and his efforts—is read as the Haftarah, the prophetic reading that follows the Torah reading.
The Ba’al Shem Tov also instituted a special meal at the end of this day, designating it as Moshiach’s feast. The eighth day of Passover is thus directly linked to the central theme of this week’s Parsha, not just because it shares the number eight, but because the Parsha instructs us how to realize the coming of Moshiach who is associated with the number eight: Do not stop searching for him, do not despair. No matter how long it has taken and no matter how many times we were denied our request for Moshiach, we do not stop asking for him.
In the words of the famous Ani-Ma’amin, many Jews sung in the death camps, “even though he tarries, I await his coming every day.” This statement has acquired even greater poignancy in light of the tragic events of the past few months. May the renewed yearning and eager anticipation for Moshiach bring an end to all of the pain and usher in the final age of Liberation!
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Shemini by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
