"[God] does not look at the sins of Jacob..." (Numbers 23:21).
Some of us
might find this verse somewhat troubling. Does it mean that Hashem (God)
doesn't judge us for what we do? Does it mean that He doesn't see what
we do? Does it mean that it's... OK to do those things the yetzer
hara (evil
urge) whispers in my ear?
No, no and no. Rosh HaShanah is called Yom
HaDin (Judgement Day); "He
forms the eye, will He not see?!" (Psalms 94:9); and our verse does call
them "sins" so
they are still forbidden. So, what does the verse mean?
Rebbe Nachman
tells us that Hashem's way is to focus on the good that Jews do. Even if
there are things that are no good about them, He turns a blind
eye to them. "All the more so, a person is forbidden to look at
another in a negative light, to seek and find specifically what is wrong
about [the
other's] worship. On the contrary. One is obligated to focus only on the
positive."
This is important year round, but is absolutely critical now because on
this coming Tuesday, 17 Tammuz (22 July), the period of Bein HaMitzarim (literally,
between the straits, aka, The Three Weeks) begins. This is the period
of the year in which we mourn our exile, which began with the destruction
of the Beit HaMikdash (Temple). The climax of The Three Weeks
is the anniversary of the Temple's destruction, 9 Av (12 August). The
Talmud
tells
us that the reason for the destruction of the Temple - and our prolonged
exile - is sinat chinam (baseless hatred).
It sounds like a rather
formidable task: to rid ourselves of the tendency to look at people unfavorably.
How do we do it? The Rebbe gives one suggestion
in the first part of the lesson: Celebrate Shabbat! Enjoy it! Eat what
you like, drink what you like! (You wouldn't eat something non-kosher,
would you?! me, neither.) Put on some fancy clothes. I'm sure you have
no objection to this suggestion. But you're probably alittle curious:
what's the connection?
Hashgacha (Divine providence). Rebbe Nachman writes that when
a person does right then God takes care of him/her with a personalized,
tailor-made hashgacha. What
would happen, he asks, if a person misbehaved? If he were to be treated
with tailor-made hashgacha then, he would have a difficult, unpleasant
existence. What does Hashem do to allow you to enjoy some good in life?
Hashem lets your life be run by nature. That way, in the natural order
of things
and in the natural course of events, good things can happen to him.
Shabbat
is holiness itself. All holiness demands (appropriate) celebration, happiness.
When we observe Shabbat by refraining from the 39 types of melakhah (loosely
defined as "work") we remove the distractions that keep us from appreciating
Hashem's presence in life. The food, drink and other pleasures that we
enjoy are meant to enhance our true joy, which is the recognition and
feeling of
God's care and concern for us - His hashgacha.
When we celebrate
Shabbat, our appreciation for Hashem's "not look[ing]
at the sins of Jacob," we internalize to some degree the same perspective,
so that we, too, do "not look at the sins of Jacob," of
our fellow Jews. For just as you understand God's involvement, care and
concern in your own life, you understand His involvement, care and concern
in the other
person's life. You begin to understand that just as out of His love for
you He overlooks your errors, mistakes and defiance - your sins - He also
overlooks
the errors, mistakes and defiance - the sins - of your fellow Jews. All
the more so should you!
agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!
