My Musing
What does it mean to be chosen by God?
There is an old joke whose punch line runs along the lines of "choose someone else"
The midrash begins with the idea of humbling ourselves- crushing our hearts- to properly serve the Creator and to have no other distractions. The midrash then segues into one the more famous Rabbi Akiva stories where he chooses to disobey the royal decree forbidding Torah study and in true Rabbi Akiva form, uses an analogy from the animal world to answer his detractor. The midrash closes with the story of Rabbi Akiva reciting the Shma at the time of his barbaric execution and the fervent wish that hopes for the future where we all find out just how right we are.
What does it mean to be chosen by God?
There is an old joke whose punch line runs along the lines of "choose someone else"
The midrash begins with the idea of humbling ourselves- crushing our hearts- to properly serve the Creator and to have no other distractions. The midrash then segues into one the more famous Rabbi Akiva stories where he chooses to disobey the royal decree forbidding Torah study and in true Rabbi Akiva form, uses an analogy from the animal world to answer his detractor. The midrash closes with the story of Rabbi Akiva reciting the Shma at the time of his barbaric execution and the fervent wish that hopes for the future where we all find out just how right we are.
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת כי תבא סימן ב
(דברים כז:ט) "וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר הַסְכֵּת וּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם לַידֹוָד אֱלֹקֶיךָ"
(דברים כז:ט) "וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר הַסְכֵּת וּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם לַידֹוָד אֱלֹקֶיךָ"
"And Moses and the priests the Levites spoke to all Israel, saying: 'Be silent and hear, Israel; this day you have become a people unto the Lord thy God"
מהו "הַסְכֵּת וּשְׁמַע"?הם ואחרי כן כתת.
אמר להן משה לישראל, עשו עצמכם כתות כתות והטו לבבכם לשמוע דברי תורה.
What is "'Be silent and hear"?
Them and afterward the groups.
Moshe said to them, to Israel, make yourselves into groups and tilt your hearts to listen to the words of Torah.
אמר להם, כתתו לבבכם ונפשכם לשמוע דברי תורה, (דברים יא:יג) "וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְוֹתַי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם לְאַהֲבָה אֶת יְדֹוָד אֱלֹקֵיכֶם וּלְעָבְדוֹ בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁכֶם"
Another item
He said to them, crush your hearts and your souls to listen to the words of Torah, "And it will be, if you listen diligently to My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your hearts and with all your souls"
"בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם"He said to them, crush your hearts and your souls to listen to the words of Torah, "And it will be, if you listen diligently to My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your hearts and with all your souls"
אמר רבי אלעזר בן יעקב בא הכתוב להזהיר את הכהנים בשעה שעובדין עבודה שלא יהיה להם שתי לבבות אחר לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא ואחד לדבר אחר.
"With all your hearts"
Rabbi Elazar ben Yaakov said, the scripture comes to warn the priests who serve the service that they should not posses two hearts, one before the Holy One, blessed be He, and one for other endeavors.
Rabbi Elazar ben Yaakov said, the scripture comes to warn the priests who serve the service that they should not posses two hearts, one before the Holy One, blessed be He, and one for other endeavors.
"וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁכֶם" אפילו נוטל את נפשך.
פעם אחד גזרה מלכות יון שמד על ישראל שלא יעסקו בתורה. הלך רבי עקיבא וחבריו ועסקו בתורה. בא פפוס בן יהודה ומצאו,
ואמר לו, הרי אתה מסתכן בעצמך שאתה עובר על גזירת המלך.
"and with all your souls", even if it takes your soul.
One time the kingdom of the Syrian Greeks decreed religious persecution that Israel should not occupy themselves with Torah. Rabbi Akiva and his partners went and studied Torah. Papus ben Yehudah came and found him and said to him, you are endangering yourself in that you transgress the royal decree.
One time the kingdom of the Syrian Greeks decreed religious persecution that Israel should not occupy themselves with Torah. Rabbi Akiva and his partners went and studied Torah. Papus ben Yehudah came and found him and said to him, you are endangering yourself in that you transgress the royal decree.
אמר לו רבי עקיבא, אמשול לך משל. למה הדבר דומה? לשועל שהיה מהלך על שפת הנהר ראה שם דגים רצים ומתחבאים.
אמר להם, בואו ולכו אצלי ואטמין אתכם בנקיקי הסלעים ואל תתיראו.
אמרו לו, ואתה הוא שאומרים עליך שהוא פקח שבחיות? אין אתה אלא טפש. כל חיינו אינו אלא במים, ואתה אומר לנו עלו ליבשה!
ומה במקום חיותינו אנו מתיראין, במקום מיתתנו על אחת כמה וכמה! ואף אנו כל חיינו אינו אלא בתורה דכתיב (משלי ד:יג) "הַחֲזֵק בַּמּוּסָר אַל תֶּרֶף נִצְּרֶהָ כִּי הִיא חַיֶּיךָ"ואורך ימיך, ואתה אומר מסתכן אתה בעצמך.
Rabbi Akiva said to him, I will give you an analogy. To what is this similar? To a fox that was walking along the banks of the river and saw fish swimming and trying to hide.
The fox said to them, come and walk with me and I will hide you in the crevices of the boulders and you do not have to fear.
The fish said to him, and you are the one who is called sharp among the animals? You are nothing but a fool. Our whole life is in the water, and you say for us to come up to the land!
And what in the place where we can thrive we are afraid, in the place where we will die should we not fear even more! And even we all our life is only with the Torah as it is written "Take hold of instruction, do not let her go; keep her, for she is your life" and the length of your days, and you say you endanger yourself.
The fox said to them, come and walk with me and I will hide you in the crevices of the boulders and you do not have to fear.
The fish said to him, and you are the one who is called sharp among the animals? You are nothing but a fool. Our whole life is in the water, and you say for us to come up to the land!
And what in the place where we can thrive we are afraid, in the place where we will die should we not fear even more! And even we all our life is only with the Torah as it is written "Take hold of instruction, do not let her go; keep her, for she is your life" and the length of your days, and you say you endanger yourself.
לימים מועטים נתפסו שניהם. אמר לו פפוס לרבי עקיבא, 'אשריך שנתפסת על דברי תורה אוי לו לפפוס שנתפס על דברים בטלים'. וכשהוציאו את רבי עקיבא להריגה זמן קריאת שמע היה, והיו מסרקין את בשרו במסרקות של ברזל והוא קרא קריאת שמע. ועליו אמר דוד (תהלים יז:יד) "מִמְתִים יָדְךָ יְדֹוָד מִמְתִים מֵחֶלֶד חֶלְקָם בַּחַיִּים <וצפינך> וּצְפוּנְךָ תְּמַלֵּא בִטְנָם יִשְׂבְּעוּ בָנִים וְהִנִּיחוּ יִתְרָם לְעוֹלְלֵיהֶם"
אמר רבי חנינא בר פפא אל תהי קורא "מִמְתִים" אלא קורא 'ממיתים' על תורה, שנתנה על ידך בני אדם שרואים אותן.
אמר רבי חנינא בר פפא אל תהי קורא "מִמְתִים" אלא קורא 'ממיתים' על תורה, שנתנה על ידך בני אדם שרואים אותן.
After a few days they were both captured (Rabbi Akiva and Papus). Papus said to Rabbi Akiva, 'You are fortunate that you were captured for the words of Torah, woe is to Papus who was captured for empty endeavors'. And when they took Rabbi Akiva out for execution, it was the time for the recitation of the Shma. They were combing his skin with iron combs, and he recited the Shma. And on him commented David, "From men, your hand, Lord, from men from the world, whose portion is in this life, and your hidden treasure fills their stomachs, sates children, and leaves the extra to their babies"
Rabbi Chanina ben Papa said, do not read the word "from men" but rather they kill themselves for Torah, that was given on your hands, for people to see them.
אמר חלודה מלאי חטאין יש בידן לפיכך הן נהרגין וכן הן מתים מחלד והן אינן יודעין שחלקן בחיי עולם וכל טובה צפונה להם שנאמר " וּצְפוּנְךָ תְּמַלֵּא בִטְנָם" ולא עוד אלא שזוכין לזרעם אחריהם. ומתוך שישראל מוסרין עצמן על דברי תורה ועל קדושת שמו לפיכך עשה להם הקב"ה חטיבה וברכה בעולם שנאמר (דברים כו:יז) "אֶת יְדֹוָד הֶאֱמַרְתָּ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹקִים וְלָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו וְלִשְׁמֹר חֻקָּיו וּמִצְוֹתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְלִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלו" וכשם שישראל עושין חטיבה לפני הקב"ה כך הקב"ה עושה להם חטיבה שנאמר, (דברים כו:יח) "וַידֹוָד הֶאֱמִירְךָ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָךְ וְלִשְׁמֹר כָּל מִצְוֹתָיו"Rabbi Chanina ben Papa said, do not read the word "from men" but rather they kill themselves for Torah, that was given on your hands, for people to see them.
He said, a rusty tool full of sins they have in their hands, and so they die from the world and they do not know that their portion is in the life of the world and all the good that is hidden for them as it says, " and your hidden treasure fills their stomachs" and not only that but they merit for their children after them. And from within that Israel offers themselves for the sake of the Torah and for the sanctification of His name, therefore The Holy One, blessed be He, made them an objectr of His love and a blessing in the world, as it says "The Lord, you have said today, to be for you as God and to walk in His ways, and keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His ordinances, and hearken unto His voice" And as Israel is made an object of love before the Holy One blessed, be He, God makes them an object of His love as it says, " And the Lord has said today for you to be his treasured nation, as He has spoken to you and you should guard all His commandments"
אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי, כשם שהעליה כובשת כן עתידין ישראל לכבוש ארבע מלכיות תחת רגליהם שנאמר (דברים כו:יט) " וּלְתִתְּךָ עֶלְיוֹן עַל כָּל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לִתְהִלָּה וּלְשֵׁם וּלְתִפְאָרֶת וְלִהְיֹתְךָ עַם קָדֹשׁ לַידֹוָד אֱלֹקֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר"
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, as the rising up conquers, similarly in the future, Israel will conquer the four kingdoms under their feet as it says, "and to place you high above all nations that He made, for praise, and for name and glory; and for you to be a holy people unto the Lord your God, as He spoke"
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