In our Arbit prayers, we say- ואמונה כל זאת-We believe the
following,
First, we say that G-d is our G-d, then we add that we are the Jewish people, His nation. And that is part of our fundamental belief- to believe that we are G-d’s chosen
nation, regardless of what we do, or how low we fall. We can always pick
ourselves up and come back again. We are His nation.
This concept started when Yitzhak Avinu blessed Yaakov Avinu, and gave him the blessings of a son. This made the Jewish people into
G-d’s
children.
It happened on the same date as Yetziat Mitzrayim- the fifteenth of
Nissan, when Yaakov Avinu received his blessings. Yaakov Avinu walked in and
וַיָּ֛רַח אֶת־רֵ֥יחַ בְּגָדָ֖יו
And Yitzhak smelled the smell of his
clothing.
The Midrash says that we shouldn’t
read the word בגדיו Bigadav as clothing (that is the simple meaning), but rather as Bogdav, rebels, (as in Ashamnu, Bagadu)... a rebel is one who commits treason. It says that even the Bogdim, rebels give off a smell of Gan Eden.
As we know, when
Yaakov Avinu walked in to his father, he had the smell of Gan
Eden on him.
Then Yitzhak Avinu gave him the blessing. He thought it was the
wicked Esav
coming in with the smell of Gan Eden on
him.
In truth, it was the most wicked of the Jewish people that were brought in with Yaakov Avinu.
Regarding this, the Midrash tells a story of a wicked man, Yosef
MeShita. When the Romans came to destroy the Bet HaMikdash, they needed a Jew
to lead them in, and guide them. Yosef MeShita was willing to help the Romans enter the Bet
HaMikdash after it was conquered. They told him to lead them into the Holy area
of the Bet HaMikdash, and take whatever he wanted. So, he took the Menorah.
While his country was being destroyed, this man went into G-d’s house and took the Menorah. That’s pretty
low. But when he came out with the Menorah, the Romans told him it was too nice
for him to keep, that it was fit for the king. They told him to go back in and
take something else, but he refused to go back in. They told him he had to but he wouldn’t
back down.
They ended up torturing him until he died, Al Kiddush Hashem. He went to Gan Eden.
The Ponevehzer Rav asks what happened to this man. He was so low.
What caused him to turn around? He –answers that deep down, in every Jewish heart, there is a spark. That
spark needs to be kindled. When he walked into such a holy place, even though he did it for the wrong
reasons, his soul got a surge of kedushah. He took advantage of that, and ended up dying Al Kiddush Hashem.
This isn’t a one-time story. We have to believe that every Jew, as
far or distant as they may be, has that spark inside them, and they can turn around.
No one should ever give up hope, because we all have that spark
inside of us.
That is what Yitzhak Avinu smelled- it was the smell of Gan
Eden. If you count the number of times it says the word “Beni/ My son,” in the Parasha, it says it eight
times. The rabbis say there are seven levels of Gehinom, and the eighth level is the entrance to Gan Eden. But even if a Jewish
person has
reached the seventh level of Gehinom,
Yitzhak Avinu, with his “my son, my son my son...” is able to slowly lift him up and put him into Gan Eden.
Of course, we have
freedom of choice, and we have to take
advantage of those sparks, but those sparks are there. We can never give up on
anybody, and we can never give up on ourselves. We might have a momentary
lapse, and we might fall, but even the “Bogdim/Rebels” have the smell of Gan
Eden on them.
This is a fundamental belief- We rely on Hashem that we have,
inside of us, a special ability; a special blessing, that we can lift ourselves
up. Like it says, “The righteous man falls seven times
and he gets up.” You can fall, but the main thing
is that you get back up again. That is a fundamental. Don’t just say, “That’s
it! I messed up. I dropped. It’s all over.”
Pick yourself back up again. That is one of the powerful lesson of this weeks
Parasha.
Have a wonderful day.
