Parshas Noach — 7 MarCheshvan
1. The seventh of MarCheshvan[1] always[2] falls in the week following Shabbos Parshas Noach. And according to the well-known principle that the days of the week are connected with the Shabbos that precedes them, since "from it they are blessed"[3], it is understood that the content of the seventh of MarCheshvan has a connection[4] with (or at least is alluded to in) the themes[5] of Parshas Noach.
The seventh of MarCheshvan is the day on which "we ask for rain — fifteen days after the festival, so that the last of the Jewish people may reach the river Euphrates"[6]. That is, until that day the Jewish people were still in a continuation of the state of the pilgrimage of the festival of Sukkos. And this is not merely because (in the words of the Shach[7]) "it seems to them as if they are still in the Land of Israel, occupied with the matters of the festival," but because this is how the matter stands according to the Torah of truth — and in the words of the verse[8], "No man shall covet your land when you go up to appear before the L‑rd your G‑d"[9], which encompasses the entire period, from the beginning of their pilgrimage until their actual return to their own place; that is, until the seventh of MarCheshvan, when "the last of the Jewish people" reaches "the river Euphrates," the border of the Land of Israel.
And although from the seventh of MarCheshvan on, when every pilgrim has already come to his place, "under his vine and under his fig tree"[10], one is seemingly in a state of descent compared with the state of "when you go up to appear before the L‑rd your G‑d" in the Beis HaMikdash — nevertheless, according to the directive of our Sages[11], "we ascend in holiness," a Jew must always go higher and higher, "from strength to strength"[12]. It must follow, then, that in this too there is an advantage and an elevation compared with the state of the pilgrimage.
2. The explanation of this (as has been discussed several times[13]) is that specifically when a Jew comes to his home and his place and occupies himself with working the land — "a person plows and a person sows"[14], and the like — he then has the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvos that are dependent on the Land in their literal sense, and to draw holiness also into all his affairs and matters, his physical "deeds and ways." This is a service that does not apply when he is in Jerusalem[15] and in the Beis HaMikdash on his pilgrimage.
This, then, is an elevation in his service, and in two respects — both from the standpoint of the act of the person and from the standpoint of the object:
Our Sages say[16], "The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms," and this is accomplished through fulfilling the mitzvos with physical things, and especially with the mitzvos that are dependent on the Land — field and vineyard, etc. When a Jew takes physical things, which in themselves are not "objects of Heaven," and fulfills a mitzvah with them and makes of them an object of mitzvah and holiness and the like — this creates a dwelling place for Him, may He be blessed, in the lower realms: the holiness of the Holy One, blessed be He, is drawn into and permeates the lower things.
And similarly with regard to the person: being in Jerusalem and in the Beis HaMikdash, the Jew is not involved (to such an extent) in service with physical ("lower") things. He finds himself in a place that is holy from the outset, and for the most part he deals with matters of holiness. There his principal service is "All your males shall appear before the Master, the L‑rd"[17] — the seeing of G‑dliness[18].
It follows that specifically on the seventh of MarCheshvan, when every Jew comes to his place, there is the advantage in the service of the person in the truly lower realms — every Jew becomes an emissary to carry out the matter of "the Holy One, blessed be He, desired," which cannot be carried out (to such an extent) during the pilgrimage; and there is also the advantage in the thing acted upon, the object, in that he makes a dwelling place for G‑d in the lower realms.
3. Now, this advantage in the service of the Jewish people from the seventh of MarCheshvan on (compared with the state and service of the Jewish people during the pilgrimage) is indeed so in truth (in the inner dimension and ultimate purpose of things), from the standpoint of G‑d's will and His intent. Openly, however, and as every Jew feels it, the service of the Jewish people from the seventh of MarCheshvan on is nevertheless bound up with a state of descent, and an enormous descent — from the most exalted standing and state of "All your males shall appear before the Master, the L‑rd," "just as he comes to see, so he comes to be seen, etc."[19], to the state and service of being occupied with working the land and with mundane labor, etc. — toil and exertion in the simple sense, and also a service of effort and preoccupation in the spiritual sense. A Jew feels that he is not in the exalted state of the Beis HaMikdash, "before G‑d"[20].
Together with this, Jews also "feel" the great advantage in it.
This is similar to what we find regarding the entry of the Jewish people from the wilderness into the Land of Israel:
While in the wilderness, the Jewish people had no worries about their physical needs. They received everything ready-made, from G‑d — both food and drink (the manna, "bread from heaven"[21]; water from Miriam's well[22]) and clothing: the Clouds of Glory, which "would rub their garments and press them"[23].
In such a state they could devote themselves entirely to spiritual matters, the study of Torah, etc.[24]
When they entered the Land, however, they no longer had bread from heaven, and they had to occupy themselves with working the land — "When you come into the Land… six years you shall sow your field," etc.[25], with all the labors connected with it. Every Jew had to busy himself with providing for his needs in food, drink, clothing, etc.
And in such an order of life it is, of course, much harder to devote oneself to spiritual matters.
So much so that the spies (for this very reason) persuaded the Jewish people not to (want to) enter the Land of Israel (as explained in seforim[26]).
4. Nevertheless we find that after the sin of the spies the verse[27] says (in continuation of this) "When you come," the meaning of which, as Rashi explains, is: "He gave them the good tidings that they would enter the Land." This seemingly is not understood. True, after "G‑d was angry with them and thundered with a voice of noise and fury[28], 'How long shall I bear with this evil congregation… In this wilderness your carcasses shall fall… I, G‑d…'"[29], "their heart was humbled and broken within them"[29], and they were therefore ready to enter[30] the Land immediately. But how was "When you come" good tidings for them, since it was, after all, a descent compared with their standing and state in the wilderness? Especially since, being a "generation of knowledge"[31], they certainly did not chase "with desire" after (having a physical land and) occupying themselves with physical matters.
In light of the above this is understood. Since specifically upon coming into the Land of Israel they would have the opportunity to make of the objects of the world an object of holiness through fulfilling the mitzvos dependent on the Land, etc. (as our Sages say[32] even regarding Moshe, the man of G‑d[33]) —
as the verse continues after "When you come" with the mitzvos of (libations[34],) challah, etc. (unlike in the wilderness, where they did not have to deal (to such an extent) with physical things) —
it is then that "the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms" is carried out.
And therefore, in addition to the fact that when a Jew knows he is going to carry out the will of G‑d (whatever that will may be), which brings about gratification Above, as our Sages say[35], "It is a gratification before Me that I spoke and My will was done," this is good tidings for every Jew and brings him joy —
in our case, since this service is bound up with "the Holy One, blessed be He, desired," with G‑d's own delight, when a Jew carries out this service, that "desire" becomes the true delight of the Jew himself [especially with those Jews of whom the Torah[36] says, "And you who cleave to the L‑rd your G‑d are all alive this day"[37]]: in their service of making Him a dwelling place in the lower realms they sense the delight of the Creator, until it becomes their own delight openly as well.
And similarly it is understood regarding the service of every Jew after the seventh of MarCheshvan, upon their return home: the "ascending in holiness" and the going "from strength to strength" are not only in the service itself but also in their feeling, as the verse says[38], "And they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart"[39]. And furthermore: what Jews sense in the service after the seventh of MarCheshvan — the delight of the Creator by virtue of "the Holy One, blessed be He, desired" — is a higher elevation than the feeling of gratification they had during their pilgrimage, seeing the revelation of the Divine Presence in the Beis HaMikdash.
For during the pilgrimage it is in the manner of the gratification that a created being has: the Jew has gratification from the revelation of the Divine Presence[40] (like souls in the Garden of Eden, who "delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence"[41]).
Whereas the delight and gratification in the service from the seventh of MarCheshvan on is bound up with the "desire," with the delight and gratification of the Creator, which the Jew "feels" (by virtue of his self-nullification) in his service[42].
5. One must, however, understand: The seventh of MarCheshvan is the time when "the last of the Jewish people" reaches the river Euphrates; but all other Jews, who live in the nearer places of the Land of Israel, arrived at their places in the preceding days, to the point that those who lived near Jerusalem reached their homes immediately after the festival.
Accordingly, since the vast majority of the Jewish people come to their homes before the seventh of MarCheshvan (and only for a handful does the time of their arrival extend until the seventh of MarCheshvan), it follows that for nearly all of them the work in the field ("in the lower realms") begins (much) earlier.
But from the fact that the seventh of MarCheshvan was established by the Torah of truth as the time for requesting rain for Jews throughout the Land of Israel (and also in the present time[43]), it is understood that specifically then does the time of the above-mentioned service (that follows the festival, as an elevation) begin for all Jews in the Land of Israel.
6. The explanation of this may be said to be as follows:
The Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya[44] the precise wording of our Sages, "The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms" — that "lower realms" refers to "this physical and material world," which is "the lowest in degree, there being none lower than it in terms of the concealment of His light." From this it is understood that within "this physical and material world" itself, the principal matter of the "dwelling" is accomplished in "the lowest, beneath which there is nothing lower" within this world itself[45].
Accordingly it is understood in our case that when "the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms" is carried out, it is not so complete through the service of the Jews in Jerusalem (and near it, where the holiness of Jerusalem shines), but rather through the service of the Jews who are at a distance from Jerusalem — where the physical distance is bound up with distance in spirituality, where the "face of G‑d," the G‑dly light, does not shine as it does in Jerusalem[46] and near it (as it is in the literal sense, that the holiness of Jerusalem[47], and also of what is near it[48], is greater than that of the places outside it).
Down to "the lowest, beneath which there is nothing lower" — the service of "the last of the Jewish people," who is in "the inhabited place farthest from Jerusalem"[49].
7. Moreover: the matter of the seventh of MarCheshvan (when the last of the Jewish people reached his home) concerns all Jews[50] — for when there is also the service of "the last of the Jewish people," the "dwelling place for Him" is accomplished more completely, for all Jews, throughout the Land of Israel.
This is similar to a dwelling of flesh and blood here below[51]. A person's dwelling consists of several rooms — a dining room, a bedroom, etc., down to the room that is exempt from a mezuzah[52]. That is, although the rooms are not equal in the importance of their use and of dwelling in them — there are rooms in which his principal use and dwelling take place, and there are rooms that are merely secondary[53], down to secondary to the secondary — nevertheless they are all included in one and the same dwelling. That is, the person's ownership of it as his dwelling is equal in all parts of the dwelling. And specifically when there are (not only the room in which he conducts his principal use[54], but also[55]) all the other, secondary rooms, does it become one complete dwelling[56].
So too[57] is it, as it were, with regard to the dwelling of the Holy One, blessed be He[58]:
In the service of the Jewish people there are several distinctions: kohanim and levi'im (whose principal service is in the Sanctuary), up to a kohen gadol, whose home is in Jerusalem and who may never leave Jerusalem[59]; and there is also the service of Jews that is not (openly) connected with the Beis HaMikdash and Jerusalem, down to those whose principal service is in the place farthest from Jerusalem, at "the river Euphrates," and who thereby bring holiness into lower, physical things[60].
And specifically through the service of all Jews in their various modes of service is one (complete) dwelling for G‑d, as it were, "assembled"[61].
This idea is expressed in halachah as well. There are several laws connected with the Land of Israel that are conditional upon "all its inhabitants [being] upon it"[62], such as the Jubilee and all the laws pertaining to it (houses in walled cities, the resident alien, etc., which apply only when the Jubilee is in force[63]). And the meaning of "all its inhabitants upon it" is not only that all Jews must be in the Land of Israel, "and not when some of them have been exiled"[64], but also "that they not be intermingled, tribe with tribe, but all of them dwell in their proper order"[65].
From this it is understood also with regard to each tribe itself[66]: when (the members of each tribe) "dwell in their proper order," then the settlement of the Land, as a dwelling, is complete for all Jews (and consequently this is openly expressed in that specifically then is the time of "proclaim liberty in the Land to all its inhabitants"[67], freedom for all Jews)[68].
8. In light of this we will understand why specifically the seventh of MarCheshvan is the time (of requesting rain) that unites all Jews in the service of making a dwelling place for Him in the lower realms:
In the service of the Jews in Jerusalem and near it in the period before this, before there is the service of "there is none lower than it," the concept of a "dwelling" (in its completeness) does not yet exist, for the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place specifically "in the lower realms" — G‑d's "dwelling" is in "there is none lower than it."
After, however, "the last of the Jewish people has reached the river Euphrates," and there is service in "the lowest, beneath which there is nothing lower" — it then becomes revealed how the "dwelling place for Him" is accomplished through all the Jews throughout the Land of Israel[69]: both through the Jews who live in Jerusalem and near it, and through the Jews whose place is at the border of the Land, at the river Euphrates, "the inhabited place farthest from Jerusalem" — because, as mentioned above, the definition of a dwelling is a single entity that is assembled from many rooms.
9. In this we also find a wondrous point regarding the unity of the Jewish people:
When the Jews made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to the Beis HaMikdash, they all stood together in Jerusalem and in the Beis HaMikdash in the manner of "all your males shall appear" in the simple sense, and spiritually too[70] they were all of one heart "to appear before G‑d."
Whereas when every Jew came to "under his vine and under his fig tree," until the seventh of MarCheshvan, when "the last of the Jewish people" too arrived at his place, they were (outwardly) not then in a state of unity (as at the time of their pilgrimage), being separated from one another —
nevertheless (inwardly) it was specifically then that the true unity was brought about, which creates the (complete) holiness of the Land through "all its inhabitants upon it"[71], and in a manner in which they are not intermingled.
And similarly in the fulfillment of the intent of "the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lower realms": specifically through each one being separate from the other Jew, both in his place and in his mode of service, do they (all together) make the dwelling place for Him in the lower realms.
10. In light of all this, the connection between the seventh of MarCheshvan and Parshas Noach can be explained:
Regarding the sin of the Generation of the Dispersion[72], it is explained in the commentaries on the Torah[73] that they wanted all human settlement to be in one place, and therefore they wished to build a city and a tower that would unite them all together. This was contrary to G‑d's intent in creating the world: "Fill the earth and conquer it"[74], that everywhere in the world "He formed it to be inhabited"[75] should be recognizable. And therefore the result was "G‑d scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased to build the city"[76] — which was not simply a punishment for their sin; rather, through it was carried out G‑d's will and command from the very beginning of creation, that they should specifically be spread out "to the ends of the earth… and not be in one place, as the generation of the Dispersion intended"[77].
And this is also the reason for G‑d's command to Noach[78], "Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives with you; every living thing…," and, as He continues[79], "and fill the earth." For in Noach's ark they were all in one place — and the intent is that there be "and fill the earth."
And therefore, as a preparation for the service of the Jewish people beginning from the seventh of MarCheshvan — when every Jew is specifically in his own place, and precisely through this the dwelling in the lower realms is accomplished in the world — we read in the Torah (a word that means instruction) the content of this matter as it is in the Torah regarding the children of Noach: that the intent is not that they all be together in one place, but that they be "scattered over the face of all the earth," to the point of "and fill the earth."
And although the dwelling in the lower realms is accomplished specifically through the service of the Jewish people in fulfilling Torah and mitzvos, the world must nevertheless also be prepared, through the Noahides fulfilling the seven commandments and carrying out the purpose of "He formed it to be inhabited," whereby the world becomes fit and suitable[80] to become a dwelling place for Him in the lower realms[81] through the service of the Jewish people[82].
(From a talk of Shabbos Parshas Lech Lecha, 5745)
Key Lesson
Coming home from the heights of the Beis HaMikdash to the plow and the field feels like a descent, yet it is precisely there, in the lowest places, that G‑d's desire for a dwelling in the lower realms is fulfilled — and that is His deepest delight, which becomes ours as well. The dwelling is complete only when the "last Jew," the one farthest away, also does his part: like the many rooms of one home, every Jew in his own place and his own way of serving is needed. That is why Parshas Noach, which tells of leaving the ark to "fill the earth," prepares us for the seventh of MarCheshvan, when each of us returns to his own corner of the world to make it a home for G‑d.