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"Simple Is As Simple Does!"

03/10/2021 06:03:41 PM

Mar10

Rabbi Reuben Israel Abraham, CDR, CHC, USN (ret)

In this week’s double parashah, Parashat VaYakheil/Pekudei, we read the following: “And Moshe caused the entire community of the B’nei Yisrael to assemble, and he said to them: ‘These are the things that HaShem commanded you to do: For a six-day period, work may be done, but on the seventh day there shall be for you holiness, a Shabbat of rest for HaShem;…’” (Shemot 35:1-2) This passage has raised some questions posed by our Sages: (1) why did Moshe go to such lengths to assemble the entire B’nei Yisrael; (2) Why did Moshe insist that parents bring their children including newborn babies; and (3) of all the laws of the Torah, why did Moshe insist upon personally informing the entire community about Shabbat?  Perhaps the following Chasidic parable will answer these questions:

The Kingdom of Simpalia was breathtakingly beautiful, a land filled with stately mountains and bubbling streams and massive cedars that reached to the clouds and golden fields of wheat that stretched to the horizon.  Simpalia simply lacked nothing.  Its benevolent King ruled with utterly simplicity demanding virtually nothing from his subjects while he fulfilled all their needs.  The only thing he asked in return was their simple, unflinching loyalty.  However, the People of Simpalia, known as “Simpletons,” continually failed to fully appreciate the King’s benevolence.  They mistook his simple goodness and kindness as being a sign of his being weak.  Without considering the possible consequences, the Simpletons revolted against the King from time to time.

Although the King easily extinguished these silly little revolutions of his people, he was highly disappointed by his subjects’ ingratitude.  So, he decided to institute an improved system of education.  The King wrote a classic manual of ethics called “The Five Portals” and planned to teach it to all of his subjects.  But the Simpletons had two drawbacks that impaired their learning: stiff necks and thick skulls. Since the King could not rely upon the Simpletons’ ability to learn the content of “The Five Portals” by conventional means, he summoned his trusted servant --- a wise, old sage and musician by the name of Reedsman.  Reedsman lived by the river not far from the King’s palace.  He played enchanting melodies on his flutes that he carved out of reeds that grew by the riverbank.  Reedsman could make his flutes laugh and cry as well as sing the songs of the birds, the plants, and the animals.  His music could cure the sick, and it left a lasting impression on anyone who ever had the privilege of hearing it.

The King came up with a brilliant idea: rather than attempting to teach the Simpletons the words of “The Five Portals,” the King decided to invite Reedsman to the castle so that for 40 days and 40 nights he could teach Reedsman the book from cover to cover.  Reedsman, in turn, would then set the King’s entire book to music and play the music for the entire population of Simpletons.  The King knew that the image of the wise and pious Reedsman and the enchanting strains of his music would immediately penetrate the souls of the Simpletons.  Most importantly the children, whose minds had not yet been hardened by life, would have the words of “The Five Portals” clothed by Reedsman’s heavenly melodies engraving them on their hearts and in their minds forever.

The King then issued an edict in which he promulgated two laws: (1) every man, woman, and child must appear at the arena of national assembly on a given day to hear Reedsman play his flute and (2) until the end of time, every Seventh Day the Simpletons must rest from their chores so that would be able to sing Reedsman’s delightful melodies.  Thus, they would never forget “The Five Portals,” and they would never again revolt against the King.

          Rebbe Nachman of Breslov teaches in “Likutei Moharan, I:192” that the words of a true tzaddik are the essence of truth that exceeds everything else.  He says that the utterances of a true tzaddik leave a clear and lasting impression on all those who hear him much more so than if his words had only been read.  He states that hearing the words of a true tzaddik first hand leaves a clear and lasting impression on the listener.  Rebbe Nachman’s teaching sheds light upon the underlying purpose for “hakheil,” the assembling of the entire B’nei Yisrael to hear the words of Moshe, the true tzaddik.  In the parable, the King is representative of Hashem.  The Simpleton’s are representative of the B’nei Yisrael.  The King’s book “The Five Portals” is representative of the Torah, the five books of Moshe.  Reedsman is representative of Moshe.  The music of his flute is representative of Moshe’s words conveyed to the Assembly of B’nei Yisrael.

Nu, why did Moshe begin his teachings with the mitzvah of Shabbat?  The reason is simple: our Tradition teaches that the observance of the mitzvah of Shabbat is equal to the observance of all the mitzvot of the Torah.  So, you see, when all is said and done, “the K.I.S.S. principle” really does work!

Shabbat Shalom u-V’racha and Chodesh Tov!   

 

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784