READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNINGHT AND DAWN WEDNESDAY

Baal HaSulam. Exile and Redemption

LESSON MATERIAL

Exile and Redemption

Harmony between Religion and the Law of Development or Blind Fate

“And among those nations you will have no repose and there will be no resting place for your feet” (Deuteronomy 28:65). “And that which comes to your mind will not be at all, in that you say, ‘We will be as the nations, as the families of the lands’” (Ezekiel 20:32).

The Creator will evidently show us that Israel cannot exist in exile, and will find no rest as the rest of the nations that mingled among the nations and found rest, and assimilated in them until no trace was left of them. Not so is the house of Israel. This nation will find no rest among the nations until it realizes the verse, “And from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him for you will demand Him with all your heart and all your soul.”

This can be examined by studying Providence and the verse that states about us, “The Torah is true and all its words are true, and woe to us as long as we doubt its truthfulness.” And we say about all the rebuke that is happening to us that it is chance and blind fate. This has but one cure—to bring the troubles back on us to such an extent that we will see that they are not coincidental but steadfast Providence, intended for us in the holy Torah.

We should clarify this matter by the law of development itself: The nature of the steadfast guidance that we have attained through the holy Torah, as in the path of Torah in Providence (see the article “The Freedom”), a far more rapid development than the other nations has come to us. And because the members of the nation developed so, there was always the necessity to go forward and be extremely meticulous with all the Mitzvot [commandments] of the Torah. Because they would not do so, but wished to include their narrow selfishness, meaning the Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], this developed the ruin of the First Temple, since they wished to extol wealth and power above justice, as do other nations.

But because the Torah prohibits this, they denied the Torah and the prophecy and adopted the manners of the neighbors so they could enjoy life as much as the selfishness demanded of them. Because they did so, the powers of the nation disintegrated: Some followed the selfish kings and officers, and some followed the prophets, and that separation continued until the ruin.

In the Second Temple, it was even more noticeable, since the beginning of the separation was publicly displayed there by unvirtuous disciples, headed by Tzadok and Bytos. Their mutiny against our sages revolved primarily around the obligation of Lishma [for Her sake], as our sages said, “Wise men, be careful with your words.” Because they did not want to retire from selfishness, they created communities of this deplorable kind and became a great sect called “Tzdokim,” who were the rich and the officers, pursuing selfish desires, unlike the path of Torah. They fought against the Prushim, and they are the ones who brought the Roman kingdom’s rule over Israel. They are the ones who would not make peace with the imperious, as our sages advised according to the Torah, until the house was ruined and the glory of Israel was exiled.

The Difference between a Secular Ideal and a Religious Ideal

A secular ideal stems from humanness and hence cannot raise itself above humanness. Conversely, a religious ideal, which stems from the Creator, can raise itself above humanity. This is because the basis for a secular ideal is equalization and the price of glorifying man, and he acts in order to boast in the eyes of people. And although he is sometimes disgraced in the eyes of his contemporaries, he still relies on other generations and it is still a precious thing for him, like a gem that fuels its owner although no one knows of it or cherishes it.

A religious ideal, however, is based on glory in the eyes of the Creator. Hence, he who follows a religious ideal can raise himself above humanity.

So it is among the nations of our exile. As long as we followed the path of Torah, we were safe, for it is known to all the nations that we are a highly developed nation and they wanted our cooperation. They exploit us, each according to their own selfish desires, but we still had great power among the nations, so after all the exploitation, there still remained a handsome portion left for us, greater than for the civilians of the land.

But because people rebelled against the Torah in their aspiration to execute their selfish ploys, they lost life’s purpose, meaning the work of the Creator, and replaced the sublime goal for selfish goals of life’s pleasures. Thus, anyone who attained fortune raised his goal with glory and beauty. In consequence, where the religious man scattered his monetary surplus on charity, good deeds, building seminaries, and other such collective needs, the selfish ones scattered their surplus on the joys of life: food and drink, clothing and jewels, and equalized themselves with the prominent in that nation.

By these words, I only mean to show that the Torah and the natural law of development go hand in hand in wondrous unity even with blind fate. Thus, the bad incidences in the exile, which we have much to tell of from the days of our exile, were all because we embezzled the Torah. Had we kept the commandments of the Torah, no harm would have come to us.

Congruity and Unity between Torah and Blind Fate, and the Development of Human Calculation

Hence, I hereby propose to the House of Israel to say to our troubles, “Enough!” and at the very least make a human calculation regarding those adventures that they have inflicted on us time and time again, and here in our country, as well. We wish to start our own policy, as we have no hope of clutching at the ground as a nation as long as we do not accept our holy Torah without any allowances, to the last condition of the work Lishma, and not for one’s own sake, with any residue of selfishness, as I have proven in the article “Matan Torah.”

If we do not establish ourselves accordingly, then there are classes among us, and we will undoubtedly be pushed, once to the right and once to the left, like all the nations. And much more so, since the nature of the developed is that they cannot be restrained, for any important notion that comes from an opinionated person will not bow its head before anything and knows no compromise. This is why our sages said, “Israel is the fiercest among the nations,” as one whose mind is broader is most obstinate.

This is a psychological law, and if you do not understand me, go and study this lesson among the contemporary members of the nation: While we have only begun to build, time has already disclosed our fierceness and assertiveness of the mind, and that which one builds, the other ruins.

…This is known to all, but there is only one innovation in my words: They believe that in the end, the other side will understand the danger and will bow his head and accept their view. But I know that even if we tie them up together, one will not surrender to the other even a little, and no danger will interrupt anyone from carrying out his ambition.

In a word: As long as we do not raise our goal above the corporeal life, we will have no corporeal resurrection, for the spiritual and the corporeal in us cannot dwell together. We are the children of the idea, and even if we are immersed in forty-nine gates of materialism, we will still not give up the idea. Hence, it is the holy purpose of for His sake that we need.