Today’s learning is dedicated to the refuah sheleima of Simcha Nosson ben Zissel.

Attribute # 13 – From Days Past – מימי קדם

Hashem has an Attribute with Bnei Yisrael, when the merit of the forefathers has been spent, and so too other merit. What can He do? They are unworthy on their own right. The verse states, “I remember for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your bridehood” (Yirmeyahu 2:2). Hashem remembers the days of old, the love He had in the past, and has mercy upon Yisrael. He remembers all the mitzvos they have done since the day of birth, and all the good Attributes with which Hashem directs His world, and makes from them all a segulah by which to have mercy on them. This is the Attribute that includes all other Attributes, as explained in the Idra (Zohar, Naso 134b).

So too should a person set his behavior towards others. Even if he cannot find any of the above points in their favor, he should say, “There was once a time when they had not sinned. At that point, or in previous days, they were good.” He should remember the good deeds that person did when he was a child, and remember the natural love that people have for “those weaned from milk” (Yeshayahu 28:9). From this point of view, there is no one unfit to receive our favors, prayers, and marcy.   —   Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Tomer Devorah

The Zohar teaches that the thirteenth Attribute of Mercy encompasses all the other Attributes. It is therefore considered the loftiest level of them all. Although a person may have exhausted all merits, nonetheless, Hashem deals kindly with them due to His unwavering love for the Jewish nation. Hashem mercifully recalls the innocent and untainted love and devotion of our youth.

We are taught that the soul is entirely pure, carved from beneath Hashem’s Throne of Glory. Regardless of how low a person may fall, no matter what wrong they may have committed, Hashem never forgets our intrinsic innocence and virtue. As Rebbe Nachman teaches (Likutey Moharan I, 17), “Hashem takes special pride in each individual Jew. Therefore, one should never despair of Hashem’s help, regardless of any wrong he may have done. Hashem’s love for him will never cease.”

As Rabbi Shmuel Meir Riachi writes, “A Jew might have fallen into the darkest depths of sin, but there is always a thread of hope attached to him, by which he can be lifted back up at any time.” This thread is the love that Hashem has for him, for his pure and unblemished soul.

(In addition to being an “Oheiv mishpat”, Lover of justice, our Sages teach that Hashem is also “Oheiv amo Yisrael”, a Lover of His people, am Yisrael. Rebbe Nachman writes that Hashem’s love for am Yisrael is far greater than His love of justice. As the Baal Shem Tov teaches, Hashem’s love for the most “wicked” Jew in the world, is more than we are capable of loving the most righteous.)

Rebbe Nachman teaches that no matter where we may find ourselves on our spiritual journey, we must know, with all our heart, that Hashem is right there beside us; Hashem will never abandon His children.  As Dovid HaMelech writes (Tehillim 139:8; Rashi), “If I ascend to Heaven, You are there, and if I make hell my bed, behold, You are there too.”

Similarly, while elaborating on the verse (Shir HaShirim 1:5), “I am black, but I am beautiful”, the Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1:35) explains, “I may be black in my own eyes due to my many sins, but I am beautiful to my Creator.” As Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter writes, “Even if we consider ourselves black with sin, G-d forbid, Hashem’s love is still with us, and the covenant that He has made with us is unbreakable. This applies equally to every member of the Jewish People. Our Father in Heaven loves every single Jew so powerfully that it is impossible for human beings to comprehend. As it is written in the Holy Zohar, ‘If people only knew the love Hashem has for Yisrael, they would roar like lions to run after Him’ (Zohar 2:5b).”

Rabbi Riachi writes, “Forty years before the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, Yirmeyahu HaNavi began rebuking Bnei Yisrael for having committed the three most terrible sins: murder, idolatry and forbidden relations. He warned them of the doom that hovered over them if they did not soon repent. Despite the terrible low that Bnei Yisrael had reached, Yirmeyahu begins his words of admonishment and warning with one of the most beautiful and inspiring expressions of Hashem’s love for us that we find throughout Tanach, words that we repeat in our Rosh Hashanah davening each year (Yirmeyahu 2:2), “Go out and call in the ears of Yerushalayim and say, ‘So says Hashem: I remember for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your bridehood, when you followed Me in the desert, into an unsown land.’”

“Yirmeyahu called out to them and said, ‘Dear Jews! You are about to hear harsh words of rebuke and dire prophecies of doom. But you must know that none of this detracts from Hashem’s love for you. Hashem still remembers His love for you of old. He remembers your dedication to Him, and your complete faith in Him.’ This is the way of Hashem. He recalls on behalf of the Jewish people the days that passed, when our commitment to Him was still strong. He gathers all the mitzvos we have ever done since the day of our birth, and makes from them a segulah in order to have mercy on us.”

(As Rebbe Nachman (Likutey Moharan I, 78) teaches, the Shechinah (Divine Presence) dwells with the Jewish people continuously, regardless of their spiritual standing. He quotes the verse in Vayikra (16:16) that speaks of the Ohel Moed, the Tent of Dwelling, “that dwells with them in the midst of their impurity.” Rebbe Nachman explains, “This is the aspect of ‘a mother of children’ (Psalms 113:9). Just as a mother always stays with her child, and never forgets him, so too, the Shechinah is forever with them.” Similarly, Rebbe Nachman (Likutey Moharan I, 70:2) teaches, “The Midrash says that the word Mishkan (Tabernacle) connotes Mashkon (guarantee). It is a guarantee for the Jewish people that the Divine Presence will dwell in their midst even if they transgress, G-d forbid, as it is written (Vayikra 26:11), ‘I will set My Tabernacle in your midst, and My soul will not detest you.’”)

Rabbi Riachi continues, “Everyone has times of descent. The yetzer hara ceaselessly tries to drag us into sin. Unfortunately, it often succeeds. However, a person should never give in to despair and think he has no hope for improvement. Even at his lowest moments, Hashem still loves him and awaits his return. He had better times in the past, times of spiritual ascent, times in which he overcame his yetzer hara. Hashem remembers those good times forever. The stumbles and missteps that might have occurred in the meantime do not cause Hashem to forget His love for us.”

“This is because every level of ascent to which a person ever reaches becomes a part of him. He might later fall from the level, because of some external cause, but the achievements of his past have already become part of him and remain with him forever.”

Rebbe Nachman teaches, “No good deed is ever lost.” As we mentioned while discussing the eighth Attribute of Mercy, our sins can never cancel out or negate the good we have accomplished. The mitzvos we perform stand on an exalted level, unaffected by any negative actions. With this final Attribute, Hashem collects and emphasizes all the good we have ever achieved, overlooking any past mistakes.

The Ramak, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, teaches that we are to emulate this praiseworthy trait. When we are confronted with a difficult person, but choose to disregard their shortcomings, and instead focus on the good they have done, we awaken heavenly mercy, bringing this Attribute of Mercy into the world.

Similarly, in his well-known lesson, “Azamra!” (Likutey Moharan 282), Rebbe Nachman teaches that every person contains “good points”, and it is incumbent on each of us to actively seek out and spotlight these positive qualities. Rebbe Nachman teaches, “Know, a person must judge everyone favorably (Avos 1:6). Even someone who is completely wicked, it is necessary to search and find in him some modicum of good; that in that little bit, he is not wicked. And by finding in him a modicum of good and judging him favorably, one genuinely elevates him to the scale of merit and can bring him to repent… Even if you see that he is completely wicked, you must search and seek the little bit of good in him, wherein he is not wicked… For although he is wicked, how is it possible that he does not still possess even a little bit of good? Is it possible that throughout his life he never once did some mitzvah or good deed? And by your finding in him yet a little bit of good wherein he is not wicked, and your judging him favorably, you genuinely elevate him from the scale of guilt to the scale of merit, until, as a result of this, he returns [to Hashem] in repentance…”

(Rebbe Nachman teaches that we must also search for the good within ourselves. He continues, “Likewise, a person must find [some good point] within himself. It is known that a person must take care to always be happy and to keep very far away from depression. It may be that when he begins examining himself, he sees that he possesses no good whatsoever and is filled with sin, and that as a result the Evil One wants to push him into depression and sadness, G-d forbid. Even so, it is forbidden to fall on account of this. Rather, he must search until he finds in himself some little bit of good. For how is it possible that throughout his life he never once did some mitzvah or good deed?” Rebbe Nachman teaches that even if he finds that his good deeds are “filled with flaws” (i.e., he sees that the mitzvah he performed is itself comprised of impure motives or external thoughts), still he must extract the little bit of good within the action. He must continue to search, collecting any good point he can find. This will rejuvenate him and encourage him to continue pushing forward.)

As quoted previously, Rebbe Nachman teaches, “The Midrash offers a parable of a person who found his friend creating a crown. When he asked his friend who the crown was for, he was told that it was intended for the king. He then responded, ‘Since it is for the benefit of the King, every precious stone that you find, you should place on it.’ In the same way, every single Jew is considered a crown for Hashem, and we must put on him all the different kinds of precious stones we can find. Meaning, we must search and seek, and chase after every side of merit and good point we can find in them, and judge everyone favorably, because they are a crown to Hashem.”

(Our Sages tell us that even when a Jew seems to be completely devoid of any good deeds, they are in fact filled with “as many mitzvos as a pomegranate is filled with seeds.” Similarly, the Zohar (Midrash Ne’elam, Zohar Chadash) states, “Rav Huna said: There is no Jew so wicked that he has no good deeds through which he will ascend to the World to Come.” While we tend to focus on our shortcomings, Hashem instead recalls and concentrates on every detail of every mitzvah ever performed.)

Commenting on the verse (Bereishes 3:20), “And Adam called his wife Chava, because she was the mother of all living things,” Rabbi Moshe Kormornick writes, “The previous verses in the Torah tell us that Chava was responsible for bringing death into the world as punishment for eating from the tree of knowledge and subsequently convincing her husband to do the same. (The Ohr HaChaim for instance learns that Adam did not know that he was eating from the Tree of Knowledge, and therefore was not as responsible as Chava (Ohr HaChaim, Bereishis 3:12 and 3:20)) This being the case, it is very strange that Adam would name his wife ‘Chava’, a name which refers to her being the source of all life; surely the opposite was true?!”

Rabbi Kormornick answers, “After the sin, when Adam and Chava were about to be expelled from the Garden of Eden, Adam was faced with a choice: To dwell on his wife’s mistake and consequently live out the rest of his life in bitterness and regret? Or, to put the past behind him and focus instead on his wife’s positive qualities and attributes, valuing her despite her sin? Adam committed himself to maintain a state of marital harmony and only focus on Chava’s positive attributes. Thus, by calling his wife ‘Chava – the mother of all living things’, Adam would always be reminded of her greatness, instead of her terrible mistake.”

Whenever we encounter a difficult person, we are faced with the same choice: we can either focus on their less-than-perfect traits, thereby experiencing resentment and animosity, or we can instead rise above, finding and focusing on their redeeming qualities, while fostering a productive and harmonious relationship.

In his commentary of Parshas Vayeira, Rabbi Moshe Schochet writes, “The parshah opens (Bereishes 18:1-16) with the story of Avraham who welcomed and invited three angels to his home where he would find out that he was going to have a child, among other things. The parshah then continues (18:17-33) with the negotiations between Hashem and Avraham regarding whether to save Sodom or allow it to be destroyed. Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetsky (Emes L’Yaakov) explains that the juxtaposition of these two episodes teaches us an important lesson.”

“We are first introduced to the incredible chesed of hachnosas orchim, welcoming guests, which was constantly on display in Avraham and Sarah’s house. Immediately afterwards, we are told about the well-known transgression of Sodom, which was their lack of hachnosas orchim. Knowing that Avraham was someone who devoted his life to chesed, and in particular hachnosas orchim, one would have expected that Avraham would be the last person on earth trying to defend Sodom. Typically, one who is passionate about a mitzvah, or anything else for that matter, has a difficult time relating to those who don’t have that same fervor.”

“Yet, Avraham argued vehemently in defense of Sodom in the hopes of saving the inhabitants. It is for this reason that the two stories are linked, in order to highlight the incredible middos of Avraham, who went against his natural inclination in defense of others. As the descendants of Avraham, it is our responsibility to separate our personal biases from those who we have the capacity to help. We all have our weaknesses. Instead of distancing ourselves from those who may have deficiencies in areas in which we have strengths, we must overlook them and try to positively influence those around us. This will certainly result in unity, which will give much nachas (pride) to Hashem.”

One of the many lessons we learn from the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy is how we are not victims of our circumstances; we have been equipped with the ability to make concrete changes, to affect not only the people around us, but the world at large. Of course, maintaining this mindset is not always an easy mission, but one that we must try to develop and cultivate.

As Rabbi David Wolpe said, “There is a marvelous story of a man who once stood before G-d, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world. ‘Dear G-d,’ he cried out, ‘look at all the suffering, the anguish and distress in your world. Why don’t you send help?’ G-d responded, ‘I did send help. I sent you.’ Each one of us has been sent to help repair the broken world; that it is not the task of an instant or of a year, but of a lifetime.”

With Hashem’s help, in our next post we will provide a quick summary of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and will discuss how by emulating these traits, we can bring unimaginable blessings to the world.

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