A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.
Parshas Ki Seesa
A Kesher Shel Kayama
We find in Parshas Ki Seesa the catastrophic sin of the eigel hazahav, which tragically placed Klal Yisrael at the precipice of destruction. Moshe Rabbeinu beseeches Hakadosh Baruch Hu on our behalf. He successfully assuages Hashem Yisborach’s anger and by doing so insured our survival to this very day. Realizing that He was privileged to experiencing an obvious eis ratzon, Moshe is emboldened to ask for a keener understanding of Hashem Yisborach. He implores Hakadosh Baruch Hu, “Hareini nah es Kvodecha”- to reveal Himself, to offer His eved a more comprehensive understanding. Hashem Yisborach responds by saying “v’raisa es acharei upanei lo yeru” – no human can see the full, frontal glory of Hashem. You, Moshe, therefore cannot see My “front,” but I will reveal to you My “back.”
Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s enigmatic response to Moshe’s request is hard to understand. We attribute no real anthropomorphisms to Hashem Yisborach. Moreover, how does this address Moshe Rabbeinu’s request to understand Hakadosh Baruch Hu? Seemingly, Moshe is asking to understand the depth of Hashem’s compassion for klal Yisrael who He has just spared from annihilation. Rashi, too, is concerned with understanding the posuk and quotes the Chazal that declares that showing His back to Moshe meant that Her’ahu kesher shel Tfillin – Hashem Yisborach showed Moshe the knot of His tefillen shel rosh. This only seems to confound us further. How does this answer Moshe’s request? And what are we to learn from this episode today?
The Gemara in maseches B’rachos teaches that Hashem Yisborach indeed wears Tfillin. Unlike our tfillin which contain the parsha of Shma Yisrael, our affirmation of kabbolos ol malchus Shamayim, Hashem’s Tfillin contain the posuk Mi k’amcha Yisrael – who is like My people Israel. Amazingly, Hashem Yisborach’s T’fillin reflect His love and relationship with us, His chosen people. Perhaps this explains our query.
Moshe Rabbeinu successfully defended klal Yisrael from their terrible sin of the golden calf. He invoked the yud-gimmel middos and recalled the zechuyos of our avos, Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov. But what, k’vyachol, was the source of Hashem’s forgiveness? It was the simple fact that, despite our iniquities, He loves us. Moshe Rabbeinu wondered if there was more. Says Hakadosh Baruch Hu, the depth of My ahava cannot be understood by the living. However, My relationship with you can be. He communicated that by showing Moshe the kesher shel Tfillin. In this case, “kesher” does not refer to a knot being shown to Moshe. Rather, it’s the Kesher – the relationship of Mi k’amcha Yisrael, represented by the tefillin of Hashem Yisborach. Moshe then came to appreciate the essential ideal that our kabbalos ol malchus shamayim and relationship with Hashem Yisborach is a two way connection. We are not only expected to love Hakadosh Baruch Hu but we are gifted with Him loving us back!
It was this relationship that saved us and it is this relationship that ought to inspire us each day. As we proclaim, Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad thrice daily, we must always remember that Hashem Yisborach proclaims Mi k’amcha Yisrael. We have but to be worthy of His heart to stay in touch with our own.
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