Ari Goldwag - Shoftim - Winds of Peace

You're listening to the weekly para podcast recorded with Hashem's never ending assistance in Raabish Israel 5776 2016. This week's para is parasim in our para chapter 20:10. The verse tells us when you will come close to a city in order to battle with it. The first thing that the Jewish people are enjoined to do if they come to war is to call out toward the city for peace, to ask the city if they're willing to surrender to the Jewish people. If they're willing to come out in peace, they're not going to fight. The next verse says, if they respond and say, "Yes, we are willing to surrender. We want peace." And they open for you. So then all of the nation that you will find inside of that particular city, they will be for you. They will be your servants. They you'll be able to tax them, etc. The Torah tells us, but if not, so then you have to go out to war. Hashem is going to give you uh success in your war. You're going to defeat them. Now, I want to look at and examine the concept of peace. I want to look at and examine the idea of going out to war, calling out for peace. To whom does this apply? Rashi tells us that this is specifically talking about a mus the type of war that the Jewish people go out to. It's not a mitzvah. It's not an obligation for the Jewish people to go out to this war. We have mu mitzvah going out and destroying a malik, for example, is a muham mitzvah. It's an obligation. According to Rashi, there wouldn't be an opportunity for them to have peace. We would not reach out to them and say, "Are you willing to surrender to us?" Rather, we just destroy them. the the war that we had with the Canaanite nations, the seven nations, was there an obligation to call out to them in peace? According to Rashi, there was not. Very interesting and the Ramban their understanding of the verses is that indeed when it came to the nations, the Muhammed mitzvah, these seven nations and even Amalik, it seems there was an opportunity for them to surrender. There was an opportunity for them to become part of the Jewish people, for them to give up their evil ways, to give up their idolatrous ways, accept upon themselves the seven laws of Noah, and indeed by doing so becoming servants to the Jewish people, becoming uh taxpayers to the Jewish people, they would indeed be able to remain alive. We'll see more about this later in this year, but I'd like to focus on a medish. The medish speaks about the concept of peace. What is the idea of peace? What does it mean that we reach out for peace? And how does it apply not just in our world when it comes to going out to war, but how does it apply even to the spiritual realms? There's an idea of peace there as well. We need to understand what is the idea of peace. How does it apply here? How does it apply there? Measures tells us like this as we quoted the verse chapter 20:10 when you come close to a city tells us that the law is that there are a number of different things that were said because of the path of peace. We want peace. We want there to not be. We don't want there to be arguments between people. We don't even want there to be arguments between spiritual beings as we'll see. This is what our sages taught. These are the things that were said because of peace of even though we find that generally speaking if you have a cohen who's a priest even a high priest you have someone who's more than him someone who's more significant than him for example a kum someone who's a Torah scholar who's a sage who has amassed a tremendous amount of spiritual knowledge that person really as halak is concerned is considered greater but in order that there not be any kind of mikas argument between people. Our sages instituted that the first person to get an aliyah when it comes to giving the honor of being called to the Torah, the first is a cohen. It goes by your lineage. It doesn't go by your level of knowledge. We don't have to get involved in arguments, etc. The priests are the first ones who get that aliyah get called to the Torah. Second is the Levites and third are Israelites, all the other members of the Jewish people. By creating this arrangement, by creating this order, our wanted to bypass any issues and create peace and make sure that these are the rules, everyone sticks to them. It's not going to go based on ego. It's not going to go based even on levels of arudition, but rather it only has to do with your lineage. Me continues and tells us that we find that there are spiritual places, there are spiritual realms where the idea of peace applies as well. See how great is the power of peace. We find that the the moon has something to be embarrassed about. The moon it cycles. There's a a side of the moon which sometimes is full and sometimes is not full which is sometimes is is missing something. There's a piggy. There's an embarrassment. And the reason is as the Mashim have told us because of the fact that the moon complained as it were whatever this means on a deeper level but the moon complained it wanted to be the king it wanted to be wanted to be in charge as a result of the fact that it complained Hashem said no you need to be m yourself you need to diminish yourself so the sun always faces the side of the moon which sees the light which has that fullness so that the sun doesn't ever see the negativity the blemish of the Moon lama measures explains why is this so this is for peace so that the moon not be embarrassed as it were as a verse says in e in job 25:2 the rulership and the fear is with him god makes peace in his exalted place so we see that in his exalted place god's place as it were is in the celestial spheres and there it's necessary that there be peace we need to understand why which we'll get says if you look at the way if you've ever focused on the the constellations in the heavens which have a certain power God has given them a power he brings his sheha God brings his influx into the world the spiritual influx comes in through them if you look at the way that they turn and and that they go so they go in a downward spiral such that they don't see that which is above them but rather they see that which is below them. So they're always it's like it's like somebody who's coming down a ladder he's facing down and what's the idea they will perceive themselves each of the constellations will see themselves as the first as the one on top so to speak. So because of the fact that they're looking down, they see all the constellations below them and therefore they see themselves as being first here too. We see there's an aspect of God making peace in the in the heavenly abode. No one perceives themselves as second. They see themselves as first. They see themselves as significant or perhaps even as the most significant. Another explanation of that God makes peace in the heavenly spheres. It's not just the physical heavenly spheres but even higher than that. Mikesh said that the angel Michael he's completely made out of snow Gabriel is completely made out of fire opposite forces despite the fact they're opposite powerful forces they stand next to each other they don't diminish one from the other. So we see that even in the spiritual realms that they are made in such a way that they are opposite forces and yet they don't diminish one from the other. Barap says an amazing thing and this is something which I believe needs tremendous explanation a tremendous depth because on the surface it sounds like it can't be understood. He says like this, if when it comes to the upper realms, when it comes to the spiritual realms or even the celestial realms, they don't have any anger, they don't have any hatred, they don't have any competition, but still they need to have peace. The lower realms, the physical realms, the realm of man, which is filled with hatred and competition and jealousy. certainly our realm needs to have peace. And the reason that I say that this is very difficult to understand is because it just brings home the question of why why if they have no sin or they have no hatred they have no ko they don't have any kind of jealousy there's no competition in the heaven he heavenly realms between the different angels or even the spiritual realm you know like the physical the mazalies the constellations there's no competition so if that's the case so why do they need to have peace how can you even talk about peace you can talk about peace when you have waring factions that come together and they make peace peace. They come to akem shalom. They have a peace treaty. You can talk about peace when you have war. But how can you talk about peace when there's no war? When there's no jealousy, when there's no competition. What does it mean? What is the medish telling us when it says that in the high realms they still need peace? Even though there's no wars, even though there's no jealousy, there's no competition. What is the idea of peace when there's no jealousy and no competition? Hold on to that question. I want to read to you the end of this mish. It says like this. The sages say you should know the intense power of peace even when it comes to war where a person comes down there with swords and with daggers God says when you're going out to war the first thing that you need to open with is peace. How do we know? Like we know from our verse, it says when you go out to a city and you're coming out for war, the first thing that you do is call out for peace. So you see how important is the concept of peace that even when you're on the war path, the first thing that you need to do is ask for peace. Now before we get to an explanation of what's been going on here, I want to share with you one more medish because it's extremely powerful, extremely difficult to understand. But once we start to understand what's going on in this medish, we'll start to get a picture of what's going on in all of the maj and and the depth of the idea here. Med says it's the next piece in the medish. Another explanation of the verse says this is when you shall come close to a city. This is what the verse says verse in Job 22:28. The verse says that there was a there was decree that was stated but it was established like you there was some kind of decree but the decree was not established the way the decree was made but rather it was established the way you wanted it to be made. What is the idea? What is the depth of this verse? So the message tells us that it's referring to the fact that Hashem was angry at the Jewish people. The sages say this verse is speaking about when the Jewish people, Hashem had gotten angry at them, they had done a great travesty. They had done a great sin which which was to create the golden calf. God said, "I'm going to destroy them." God says to Moses, "I'm just going to destroy them and I'm going to make a new nation out of you." I'm skipping a few lines here. What does it mean? I'm going to make a new nation out of you. I'm going to give you their inheritance and create a new nation from you. How do I know that this is what it means? As the verse says, I'm going to make you into a brand new large nation. Moses hears this. He asks God for compassion, for mercy on the Jewish people. What did Moses say at that time? He says something which on the surface sounds very difficult to understand. He says, "Let's see. We're looking eye to eye. Let's see who it's going to be." Oh god. What does it mean eye to eye? Says in the name of Moses said, "Master of the world. The attribute of justice is standing there. It's on the scales. You're saying I'm going to destroy them. That's the that's the attribute of justice. I'm saying you must forgive them. He says this is something which is equal. On one side is the is the attribute of justice. On the other side of the of the scale is the I'm saying that you must forgive them. Moshe said something pelic, unbelievable. He said, "Let's see who's going to win, me or you." So says, "God said to him, I promise you that what I had said, you have nullified it, and what you have said is going to be fulfilled." How do we know? As the verse says, I forgave as you asked based on your words. This is what it means when we said in the verse in Job that there was a decree that was made, that was stated, that was said, but that which is going to remain, that which is going to stand is yours. That which you said, you Mosher, you Moses. So, it's an unbelievable thing. God says one thing. He wants to be misn wants to manifest in the world with his with his divine attribute of justice. Moshe says no. We need we need mercy. And God says I acquies to you. Unbelievable. Very difficult to understand. And it's also very difficult to understand Mosha's statement. Who's going to win? Me or you? What does that mean? What's the understanding here? It's very difficult. Menish continues and says two other places where we see that there was an argument as it were between God and Moses or disagreement of sorts as to how things should be done. Mosher Rabenu won in all of these circumstances. Another place where we see that this Pik this verse could apply. God made a certain type of decree but things worked out differently. said in the name of anything that Moses made a decree, God agreed to him. How is this? Hashem did not tell Moses that when he came down that he should destroy, break the ten commandments, the tablets. It was something that he decided to do on his own. How do we know that God agreed to it? He felt that it was the right thing even though he didn't command him to do that. The verse says inos in in Exodus 34:1 that you broke it speaks about the fact that Moses broke the lucos. He broke the tablets. There's almost a statement within the words that which you broke. The the thing that you did was the right thing. It strengthened yourself. I want you to strengthen yourself through the breaking. It was the right thing. God agreed with his action. We need to understand why. Another place where we see this God said to Moses, I want you to battle with the king of the Amorites. As a verse says, in Deuteronomy 2:4, you shall go out and you shall wage war with him. The verse tells us Moses is made on himself. He testifies that first he sent out messengers in order to call out for peace to only after responded and said I won't have peace did mosh go out and wage war with him. But that wasn't something that had told him says to him I told you to go out and to wage war with him and you started off with peace. you you sent messengers and said, "We'd like to have peace with you." Despite the fact that that's not what I said to do, God says, "I am going to take your decree that which you have done and I'm going to I'm going to make it continue to exist. Every single every single time that the Jewish people go out to war, the first thing that they're going to do is ask for peace. Just like you said, just like you did without my telling you to do it. That's the correct thing. That's our verse, our verse is coming to ratify that which Moshenu did and say that that's how it's going to be done from here on in. And I want to point out that this is where we see just like the the Ramban that when it comes to a mitzvah an obligation to destroy the people was meant to be destroyed. Nevertheless, there's an obligation as we see that Mosher Rabenu did and Hashem ratified as it were. There's an obligation to call out for them to peace and to see if they're willing to surrender from the onset and not be destroyed. Now, the Pella is the wonder that needs explanation is how does Mosher Rabenu do something which seems to be the opposite of God's will. How is it that Moshe is able to do something and Hashem is going to say that you're right. I agreed to you even though that's not how I, as it were, originally thought since you decreed it. Since you were the one who did in that way, that's how it's going to be. How could it be that Mosher Rabenu could do the opposite of Hashem and Hashem says that's right. You've done the right thing. You've said the right thing and that's how it's going to be from now on. So I want to tell you I want to share with you an amazing is an amazing depth foundational concept that we see in this medish running through it from beginning to end and that idea is that everything that you see in our world every single thing that's good that you see in our world is rooted in the upper realms is rooted in a spiritual place in a deeper place in a higher place. If you see a concept of Torah, if you see something which is peace, if you see something which is spiritual, it's because at some level in the higher realms, in the spiritual realms, there is that concept which is the foundation of what we have here. Everything that you have here in our physical realm is rooted in the spiritual realm. Is rooted in that concept in the spiritual realm. And what comes out of this idea is that in order for there to be peace in our world, in order for there to be a resolution of of war, in order for that to exist, there has to be a place in the higher realms where there is peace. And by the same token, in order for there to be a possibility for mil, for there be a possibility of war, of dissonance, of negativity, of of disharmony, there has to be at some level a concept of disharmony at the root of it in the place of the highest heavens, in the place of spirituality, in the place of the malma of the angels. Even now in our realm the mil is real the dissonance is real because there's so much hust there's so much hiddenness the spiritual realms the fact that everything is really rooted in unity that aspect the fact that hashem exists and the fact that hashem runs everything and everything is all part of that plan that's something which is nto that's something which is hidden and it's important and necessary that it be hidden in order that we have free choice in order for us to have free will to choose between good and bad. There has to be a very real sense of evil. There has to be a choice. There has to be this possibility of true hastara that things seem like that there isn't God as it were. Heaven forbid. It seems like there is evil and that evil does have power. And that's the realm that we live within. The result of that evil, that result of that darkness which we must have in order for there to be free choice is that there is there is a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. There can be battles between different people, between different peoples because they see themselves as separate and they don't recognize that they both are meant to coexist in harmony and in peace. But in order for there to be a possibility of true peace, in order for there to be a resolution of the dissonance of the darkness of the what seems to be separateness in order for that to happen, so there needs to be peace above. There needs to be ofu as we say in the kadesh we quote this verse. It says God makes peace in the heavens. God is going to make peace for us. We need both. It's not possible for there to be peace in this world if it wasn't if it didn't have that precedent so to speak or that parallel peace in the heavens above. And now it's important to understand that peace is the true state. It's the true state of reality because it's peaceful above. And there's no war above. There's no fighting between angels. There is dissonance between angels. There's a mik who's made out of snow, so to speak. There's a gabriel who's made out of fire. There is, you know, there are opposing forces, but they're not in they're not in in outright war. Rather, they're in a state of peace. Which means that you can have two opposing opposite forces in this world even that are in a state of peace just like it is in the heavens. But you see that whatever is there is manifest here, has the potential to be manifest here. And that's why when they go out to war, the first thing that they do is ask for peace because that's the true state. That's the way it's supposed to be. And that's the spiritual way. Now another thing that we get from this is an understanding of the medish talk about talks about Mosher Rabenu as it were arguing with God. God is saying I want to destroy the Jewish people. Or God is saying go out to war. And Mosher Rabenu responds and says have mercy. Don't destroy them. I'm going to call out for peace to the very people that you told me to go out for war with. Because even though Hashem is showing the side of den, he's showing the side of judgment. That's the hiddenenness in our world. It's very interesting that the Torah expresses the hiddenness in this context by God's word. God reveals himself at a certain level in our realm as the one who is judging, so to speak. But Mosher Rabenu, he's been in heaven. He's seen what it's like. He knows that even in a place where you have two opposite forces, you have den, you have judgment and you have raim, they can coexist. It's possible to have the fire which is bringing up and and bringing about judgment, heating up that stove, that that hot water so to speak. And you can also have Mik who's cooling it down with his shell with his snow. And there's no such thing as just having den as just having judgment. So even when God comes down as it were and and he comes down hard on the Jewish people, he wants to destroy them. Moshe knows because he's seen it and he knows what's true at the root. At the root, it's about peace. He knows that because he's seen it and he's connected to the core. He could only manifest that which is true at the core, which is true on the higher realm. So when Hashem is masim, when Hashem agrees to Mosher Rabenu, Hashem is not going against or back on what he said, he's just showing that it's true. Moshe is right that it can be manifest. These two opposite forces at the same time. Even when one goes out to war, one should ask for peace. And even when there's d there's judgment, there's anger because things have been done incorrectly, there can still be mercy at the same time. And the last thought is the idea that even the nations that are so far gone, they're so spiritually destitute that they need to be destroyed. They need to be decimated. men, women, and children, the Canaanite nations, the the nation of Amalik, even they according to the Raan and this Medish, even they can be called out to peace, it's possible to bring them back for to find a spark of goodness even in them if they're willing to subjugate themselves to the Jewish people and to God, to the true path, to the true path of spirituality. And before I give my final blessing and ask you to give me your blessing, I just want to remind you all we're coming into Rashan Kipper. We're coming into a time of sedaka, a time of sharing, of giving charity, of sharing Torah. And as you know, I'm putting out a safer and I need to collect, I need to raise $10,000. I've raised close to $1,300, which is a great start. But I cannot complete this book and get it out into the world and make people aware of it without the help of those who believe in the Torah that I'm sharing. So I'm asking you to think about now to start thinking about what might be the amount that you could give towards the safer. You can go on to my website reoldwag.com. Click on the link that says contact and on that page there's a link to be able to donate and you can write in the comments that you're donating for my safer for the book. I want to bless you and please bless me back. Shm should help us to be able to connect to that place of shalom that place of peace in the upper realms. Find that peace within our lives in the places where we feel dissonance discord challenges in our relationships with others. Hashem should help us find the peace. recognize that the Mama there there can be different types of people and different types of personalities, different approaches to spirituality, different ways of living life and they don't have to be a contradiction that it's possible just like there's a mik and there's a gabriel there's fire and there's ice or there's fire and snow different types of ways of serving Hashem we should recognize and find that peace within our homes within our lives with our relationships thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful Shabas. This podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you. For more podcasts like this, please visit www.rigoldwag.com or search on iTunes Ari Goldwag.