Yesterday we spoke about the domesticated goose, and today is the song of the Avaz Habar, which is the wild
goose. The word bar is Aramaic for outside, like bariyta in Gemara, which means that it's
something that was left out, or milbar which means outside.
The outdoor, non- domesticated goose says,
הַמְּשׁוֹטֶטֶת בַּמִּדְבָּר. כְּשֶׁרוֹאֵה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל
עוֹסְקִים בַּתּוֹרָה אוֹמֶרֶת./As it's hovering over the desert, when it sees the
Jewish people toiling in Torah, it says,
קוֹל קוֹרֵא בַּמִּדְבָּר, פָּנוּ דֶּרֶךְ יי, יַשְׁרוּ
בַּעֲרָבָה מְסִלָּה לֶאֱלֹהֵינוּ, /There's
a voice calling out in the desert, Open up/smooth out the path. Make straight
in the plains a path for our God
A cryptic statement from the wild goose.
To explain, many commentaries cite a story in Gemara in Masechet
Baba Batra, 73B, which tells many stories from Rabba BarHana, many of
them difficult and cryptic. This is the 10th of those stories: "Raba BarHana
says, Once upon a time, I was in the desert and I saw these geese. They were so
fat that their feathers fell out and a river of fat flowed out from under them.
(so, these are very fat geese) And I told them, 'Are we sadikim
going to eat from you in Olam Haba?' And one of them picked up his wing (as if
to say yes), and the other one picked up his thigh.
When I came to Rev Eliezer, he said, 'The Jewish people are going to be held responsible for this.'"
Responsible for what? The Rashbam explains that because the
Jewish people are sinning and not allowing Mashiach to come, these poor geese
are suffering. They're so fat because they're waiting for us to eat them, so we
are going to be held responsible for Tsar
Baalei Chaim, the pain that we're causing them. The Maharsha says the
lesson of this story is the great reward waiting for the sadikim in the times
of the Mashiach, and that great day is referred to as the midbar, as Yehezkiel
20,35 says,
וְהֵבֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם
אֶל־מִדְבַּ֖ר הָעַמִּ֑ים וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּ֤י אִתְּכֶם֙ ׃/I will
bring you to the desert of the nations, and I will judge.
So the wild geese of the midbar refer to the time of
Mashiach,
And though we believe happened these stories occurred, theres
always a deeper message. This story is talking about physical pleasures,
but the message refers to the spiritual enjoyment for the one that will
merit it in the times of tremendous wisdom, like it says in Yeshaya 11,9, כִּֽי־מָלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ דֵּעָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה כַּמַּ֖יִם
לַיָּ֥ם מְכַסִּֽיםThe land will be full of knowledge like the oceans are covered with water.
As we mentioned previously, the Gemara in Berachot 57A
says that geese are a hint to wisdom of
the Torah, and when one dreams of a goose, it means he's going to have wisdom. The oil
flowing also is a hint to spiritual pleasures. (Oil always hints to the
spiritual, like the oil in the Menorah)
When Raba, who was a wise man, asked these geese, 'Will I have a portion of this great pleasure in the
world to come,' they hinted to him that it's not enough just to learn.
You also have to do, That is why one of them picked up his wing and the
other picked up his foot, to show learning is important, but you also have
to do-you have to move forward, with your feet. Hashem wants to bring the Mashiach,
to give us reward, but we aren't chasing the the
spiritual. We are a little too involved in the physical, and that's holding us back.
So, getting back to our cryptic pasuk, When the wild goose sees the
Jewish people learning Torah, he says, "Oh, they're learning Torah, they're
bringing the Mashiach,
קוֹל קוֹרֵא בַּמִּדְבָּר/We're
going to announce in the desert, referring to Mashiach's
times. He says,
פָּנוּ דֶּרֶךְ יי, יַשְׁרוּ בַּעֲרָבָה מְסִלָּה
לֶאֱלֹהֵינוּ, Clear the way. Get a path ready God,
Mashiach is going to come, because he sees the Jews learning Torah. He will no longer
have to suffer, waddling around in pain, because he's so fat. That's why it
says Mishotetet- he hovers- he doesn't fly because he's so fat.
That's the message of the wild goose. What unbelievable, hidden
wonders are found in Perek Shira!
Finally, the Chida, in Kikar LaAden, adds a beautiful
point in his commentary. Why is it that we need Oskim B'Torah? He tells
us that Moshe Rabbenu died in the desert, not because he deserved to die, but because when the ship goes down, the captain
goes down with the ship. Since the Jewish people sinned, Moshe Rabbenu went
down with them. When Mashiach comes and the people in the desert get up for Tehiyat
Hametim, Moshe Rabbenu is going to bring them back. We're going to be saved in
the merit of Moshe Rabbenu. He quotes the Zohar Hadash that Moshe Rabbenu is the one that gave
the Torah. He demands the honor and respect of Torah, and therefore, Mashiach will only come when there's a proliferation of
Torah.
That's why when the goose sees
us learning Torah, and he knows that's what Moshe
Rabbenu wants, he starts to sing the song that Mashiach is coming.
