Parshas Re'eh 5786 "For Hashem your G-d is testing you, to know..." - the purpose of the avodah of trials and tests

00:01 Chassidim tell a story from 5662, around the time of the Rebbe’s bris during Pesach. The Rebbe was born on 11 Nissan, and the bris took place on Chol Hamoed Pesach, 18 Nissan. Incidentally, that was the birthday of the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak. He was born on 18 Nissan, and in 5662, on that same date, his son’s bris was held. The bris meal took place at the home of the Rebbe’s maternal grandfather, Reb Meir Shlomo Yanovsky. Reb Meir Shlomo Yanovsky was a great Torah scholar and the rabbi of Nikolayev. At the time, the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, and Rebbetzin Chana were living with his father-in-law, Reb Meir Shlomo. That was where they lived, and where Rabbi Levi Yitzchak sat and learned. Only years later did he become the rabbi of Yekaterinoslav, in Dnepropetrovsk. But at that time he lived in Nikolayev, where the Rebbe was born on 11 Nissan, and the bris took place on Friday, Chol Hamoed Pesach, 18 Nissan. One of the well-known chassidim in Nikolayev attended the meal. He was the shochet there and was known as Reb Asher Nikolayever, Reb Asher Grossman.

01:45 They called him Reb Asher Nikolayever. He was the town’s shochet and a chossid of the old school. He is also known for his work on printing the Tanya. The familiar edition of Tanya we have today, with all its corrections—Reb Asher Nikolayever dealt with all the details and the matters connected with it. He was a true chossid of the old school, and he was there at the bris meal. The rabbi, the grandfather, Reb Meir Shlomo Yanovsky, noticed that he was not eating. Why wasn’t he eating? Simply because it was Pesach, and the chassidim were known not to eat in one another’s homes on Pesach, because of their particular standards and stringencies. As the Hayom Yom records of the chassidim’s practice, on Pesach they did not eat in one another’s homes. So Reb Asher did not eat. Reb Meir Shlomo noticed that he was not eating in his home and told him that, really, he ought to take offense. Why take offense? How can you not eat in my home? Don’t you trust my kashrus, my standards? After all, I’m the rabbi of the town. But I cannot take offense at you, because I owe my life to you. I have to thank you for still being alive. And Reb Meir

03:13 Shlomo related that several years earlier there had been a terrible situation: a severe epidemic spread through the town and its surroundings, and sadly, people died from it. The situation was such that anyone who fell ill was taken away. It was an epidemic of a contagious disease that passed from person to person, and no one could help. Those who became ill were placed in an enclosed, fenced-off area so that, G-d forbid, they would not infect others. Sadly, people died there; it was a dreadful situation. Then Reb Meir Shlomo Yanovsky—the Rebbe’s grandfather and the father of Rebbetzin Chana, the Rebbe’s mother—also fell ill and contracted the disease. They took him outside the town, to the area where all the sick people lay. He lay there, weak and unable to move, and felt himself growing weaker day by day. But when Reb Asher Nikolayever, the shochet, heard that the rabbi, Reb Meir Shlomo, was there, he decided to go into that area. It was forbidden to enter,

04:40 because of the danger of [unclear]. What did he do? He took a Tanya, went over and placed it on the other side of the fence, outside that area, and made a practice of learning chapter 11 of Igeres Hakodesh every day. This is the chapter in Tanya where the Alter Rebbe explains the subject of trials. Look there in Tanya, Igeres Hakodesh, section 11. The chapter begins with the words “Lehaskilcha binah”—“To give you understanding”—and among chassidim it was known as “Lehaskilcha binah.” In this chapter, the Alter Rebbe teaches the chassidim how to strengthen themselves and be joyful in every situation. “Only true faith in the Creator of the beginning,” and consequently to be “joyful with genuine joy at every time and every hour,” to “rejoice and be glad.” The Alter Rebbe demands genuine joy of chassidim, and also that they “accept suffering with joy” and not be shaken by any of the trials, because “this is the whole purpose of man: to test him with such trials, to know what is in his heart”—whether he is connected to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, or whether, G-d forbid, he wants to live like other nations, thinking only of himself: “I’m comfortable and things are pleasant for me,” and so on. The Alter Rebbe speaks about this very sharply. A Jew, a chossid, must live and be joyful “in every circumstance and situation,” strengthen himself in this, and “accept matters with joy and a glad heart.” With this

06:16 Reb Meir Shlomo heard that chapter every day. Reb Abba Sha of Nikolayev would come to him, for as long as he was able to come, and learn the whole of chapter 11 aloud. Then he would return to his place. Reb Meir Shlomo related that hearing Reb Abba Sha of Nikolayev learn chapter 11 of Igeres Hakodesh was like the greatest and best injection for him—an injection of strength, as people say. Of course, it strengthened him. Sometimes a person is in a state where he has no strength to overcome his weakness, and he grows weaker and weaker. But hearing Igeres Hakodesh, section 11, revived him and gave him strength, then more strength, then still more strength. It also gave him the strength to emerge from that condition and recover, until he managed to leave that place. He lived another eighteen years after that. This is the power of standing firm in a trial, as the Alter Rebbe demands of us in Tanya. In our parsha we find the verse: “For Hashem your G-d is testing you, to know whether you love Hashem your G-d.” This is the verse from which we learn about the whole subject of trials. The Torah tells us that Hakadosh Boruch Hu brings trials upon a person. “For Hashem your G-d is testing you, to know”—Hakadosh Boruch Hu puts a person through trials. But the question is: Why?

07:56 Why does Hakadosh Boruch Hu put a person through trials? The verse says, “If a prophet arises in your midst”—there is a prophet—“or a dreamer of dreams,” a false prophet, and he performs a sign or wonder, even succeeding in showing signs and wonders that appear to prove something momentous is happening. He then comes and says that because of those signs and wonders, one must [unclear]. But that is not how one acts when one has true faith. The verse says that one must know: “For Hashem your G-d is testing you, to know.” All the trials are simply something Hakadosh Boruch Hu sends us, “to know whether you love Hashem”—to see whether we love Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And so the verse continues: “You shall follow Hashem your G-d,” holding firmly to faith and trust in Hakadosh Boruch Hu alone, “and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and listen to His voice, and serve Him, and cleave to Him”—and so the verses continue. Here the question arises that all the commentators ask: What does “to know” mean? “For Hashem your G-d is testing you, to know.” The word “to know”—what does it mean? To whom does it refer? As is known, the Rambam writes in Moreh Nevuchim that there were philosophers and others who wanted to explain it—and the Ibn Ezra cites this too. Yes, some interpreted “to know” this way: Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants to know what will happen with a person, whether he will be able to remain

09:22 strong in his faith or whether his faith will weaken. According to this interpretation, then, Hakadosh Boruch Hu tests a person. That seems to be the simple meaning of the words. But the Rambam disagrees. The Rambam writes: I cannot say that. G-d forbid, Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not need to find out. Hakadosh Boruch Hu knows very well who will be devoted to Him and who will not. And “the righteous person He tests”—it is specifically the righteous person who faces trials. Hakadosh Boruch Hu leaves the wicked person alone and does not put him through trials. So what is the whole purpose of trials? Hakadosh Boruch Hu knows who is righteous and who is wicked; why would He need to find this out? As mentioned earlier, everything is foreseen. Hakadosh Boruch Hu knows everything; all is revealed and known. The Rambam discusses this at length in Moreh Nevuchim. The Rambam answers that “to know” does not mean for Hakadosh Boruch Hu, G-d forbid, but for the Jewish people, for those around him. As Pirkei Avos says, “Avraham our father was tested with ten trials.” All the trials through which Hakadosh Boruch Hu put Avraham our father were, as the Mishnah says, “to make known the love for Avraham our father”—so that the world would know about Avraham our father, so that the world would know why Hakadosh Boruch Hu showed him such affection. Rashi says the same thing in Parshas Vayeira, when discussing the trial of the Akeidah: “Now I know that you fear G-d.”

10:43 Rashi says: What does “Now I know” mean? The nations of the world ask: Why do I have such affection for Avraham Avinu? That is why the test took place—so the nations of the world would know. In other words, “I know” is not for Hakadosh Boruch Hu, G-d forbid. It means bringing others to know. Through this, everyone would know that “your dearness is evident before Me”; everyone would know how dear Avraham Avinu is to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And so it is with every test a person faces. This is also the meaning in our parsha of “For Hashem your G-d is testing you, to know”—so that the world will know that they devoted themselves to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But the Ramban explains it differently. The Ramban says that tests are not for the world, but for the person himself. They are not for Hakadosh Boruch Hu, G-d forbid; Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not need them. But they are not for the world either. They are for the person being tested. As the Ramban says, “The test is for the one being tested, not for the One testing him.” In other words, the whole purpose of tests is for the person to receive reward for a good deed, and not only reward for a good heart. Simply put, the Ramban means that a test brings something from potential into action. A person can have good intentions, strong faith and a good heart, but all of that is in his heart. For him to receive a special reward, it cannot remain in his heart; it must come into action as well. There is a special reward for a good deed, when a person actually overcomes a test.

12:06 It is not only that his will and feelings become something tangible, and that he still believes and knows even while being tested. There is a special reward for this, says the Ramban. That is also how he explains the test of the Akeidah: it was to give Avraham Avinu a special reward. The Alter Rebbe asks that very same question in Likkutei Torah: Why does Hakadosh Boruch Hu place tests in a person’s life? What is the purpose? Just when a person wants to draw close to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, wants to serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu, an obstacle stands in the way of what he wants, G-d forbid. [unclear] G-d forbid, there simply are no such things. The Alter Rebbe explains—and here Chassidus adds a new, deeper and more significant interpretation: “To know” refers to the person, as the Ramban indeed explains, but on a new level of depth. “To know” is not only about reward, reward for a good deed. Rather, the Alter Rebbe explains that “to know” means attaining the level of daas. Through the work of facing tests, a person gains new depth in his connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He becomes [unclear]. And here we come to Chassidus, to the whole

13:39 idea that Chassidus explains. The Alter Rebbe explains this in our maamar on the weekly parsha, beginning [unclear], and also in Parshas Va’eschanan, on the words “And you shall know today.” Daas, as we discussed last week, means recognition and feeling. Daas means connection, as in “And Adam knew.” That is daas: not just understanding, but understanding accompanied by connection, by a sense of it, by heartfelt feeling, by inwardness. A person is permeated by, bound up with and united with what he understands. But true daas also includes both knowledge and sight. A person can know many things. Jews are believers, the children of believers, and we believe and we know. Yet often, even though we have faith and knowledge, it all remains something external, something that has no bearing on my life. It is something lofty. I believe in it; I know about it. But it is not my life; it does not penetrate me. This is where the work of facing a test comes in. When a person stands firm through a test, the test—the concealment, the obstacle and the confusion—awakens inner and hidden strengths within him. It reveals the power of daas in the soul, so that his connection to Hakadosh Boruch Hu is something far deeper. It raises him to the level of daas. And the Alter Rebbe explains that the

15:13 root of tests—after all, as we know, everything has a root and source, a spark of holiness. There is a spark of holiness in everything. And the spark found within a test—every physical thing in the world contains a spark. When those sparks are refined, it raises a person to a higher level. This is what Chassidus always explains in the name of the Arizal about why a person needs to eat, as we learned in the previous parsha: “For man does not live by bread alone; rather, man lives by everything that comes from the mouth of Hashem.” There is a divine spark in food, in bread, and when you eat it, that spark raises you to a higher level. That is why eating, drinking and all these things have a purpose. But in a test, the spark has descended so low, and that is why it is a test. This is not merely a physical level. It obscures and conceals; it hides and confuses. This is something very deep. When a person has the strength to face the test without being shaken, it raises him—the spark is elevated—and that raises him to a higher level, until he can attain a vision of G-dliness, not just knowledge, not just faith, but true connection, daas. In other words, this is explained at length in the maamarim. The Rebbe explains it in a maamar based on

16:37 maamarim of the Frierdiker Rebbe, where he discusses it at length. This is the point: the work of facing tests is not so much about refining things, but primarily about raising a person to a higher level. Its purpose is to awaken the essential connection, the yechidah of the soul. Nisayon, a test, is related to nes, a banner. A test connotes elevation. It raises a person to a higher level. It reveals the yechidah of his soul. When something conceals, when there is opposition, confusion and hiddenness, and a person stands firm in his faith and trust in Hakadosh Boruch Hu without being shaken, deciding that this thing has no reality and no power to cause him [unclear], this awakens a deeper bond between a Jew and Hakadosh Boruch Hu and reveals the yechidah of his soul. This is the true meaning of “to know” in the verse “For Hashem your G-d is testing you, to know.” The whole purpose of tests is to awaken daas—a deeper daas and connection with Hakadosh Boruch Hu that a Jew has through the yechidah of his soul. The [unclear], the closeness and connection to the essence of the Infinite One, blessed be He, revealed specifically through concealments and difficulties. These are all the tests a person goes through; everything in life is a test, and particularly the small tests, and all the more so in—

18:06 this time, when we face the final tests of exile, when “I will surely hide My face on that day” is fulfilled. The Baal Shem Tov explains that the “I” is within the concealment. There is a double concealment, but the “I” is within it. Even when Hashem’s hidden face is what appears outwardly, a Jew stands firm and knows that the “I” is there. It is like the well-known parable brought in Chassidus of a father who hides from his son so that the son will search for him. And the wise son—“a wise son will search for him,” “a wise son gladdens his father”—will not be frightened or despair. He will search and search and search, and keep following him. As the verse itself says immediately after “For Hashem your G-d is testing you”—what does it say? “Follow after Hashem your G-d.” The Rebbe Rashab explains “after”: like a child walking after his father. He cannot see him, but he knows his father is there. That is “after”: he follows him, searches for him and walks in his ways. For he knows with certainty that his father is there, and it is only the test that prevents him from seeing him. And through this following “after,” there will afterward be a revelation face to face: the father will return to the child and show him love many times over. This, in general, is the whole idea: from now, from Shabbos Mevarchim, when we read this parsha, we enter

19:28 the month of Elul, and then the month of Tishrei. As explained in Chassidus, the whole work of the month of Elul is “Follow after Hashem your G-d”: a Jew searches for Hakadosh Boruch Hu, follows Him and keeps walking and searching. This is the work of teshuvah, prayer and tzedakah, the work of the month of Elul, the work of “I am my beloved’s”—a Jew searches for Hakadosh Boruch Hu and follows Him. Through this, the great and genuine love that Hakadosh Boruch Hu shows the Jewish people will be revealed face to face on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and afterward on Sukkos and Simchas Torah as well. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu grant each of us the ability to make full use of the great days of Elul, of “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,” of “the King in the field,” to connect with the King and follow Him, to walk toward Him until [unclear]. And may the true joy of the true and complete Geulah be revealed. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu grant everyone a good inscription and sealing for a good and sweet year, both materially and spiritually.