PURE HEART
In Chapter 30 of our Parsha, Moshe says; “It will be when all these things come upon you; the blessing and the curse… then you will take it to heart among all the nations where HaShem dispersed you, and you will return to HaShem and listen to His voice with all your heart and all your soul. Then HaShem will bring back your captivity and He will have mercy upon you and He will return and gather you in from where He scattered you… He will bring to the Land and do good and make you numerous more than before.” This is a prophecy which we are able to see become alive in our most recent history.
The trend of our people in the century preceding the second world war was a steep decline moving away from HaShem. Then came the war – the curse. The trend of our people from the end of the war until today has been a steady and sharp incline towards HaShem and towards His Torah. HaShem brought our captivity back to the Land and now He continues bringing the others who are elsewhere back to the Land. This has already happened and is currently happening.
In the next verse Moshe says “HaShem will circumcise your heart and the heart of your children to love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” What is covering the heart that it should need circumcision?
The Ramban explains that the heart, if untainted, intuites what is right and what is wrong. However, once Adam and Chava ate from the Tree, good and evil were intermixed and now Man’s heart cannot intuit properly. We must therefore always be weary of where our heart guides us. The Ramban explains that in the period of Moshiach, HaShem will lift the covering from our heart and we will no longer be misled by our heart. Good and Evil will no longer be intermixed and our hearts will be able to intuit what is right. Our heart will naturally guide us on the path of HaShem.
The Ramban is teaching us that once Moshiach arrives there will be no challenge to choose right over wrong. There will be no interest in choosing evil. We will still have the ability to choose evil, but nobody would do it? Just as today I can burn my house down, but nobody will do it. The implication is that once Moshiach arrives any good choices we make will no longer be identified as our accomplishments. We did it effortlessly.
The Maharal wonders, according to the Ramban’s lesson, will there be any meaningful growth towards HaShem on our part? Will our growth towards HaShem be associated with our efforts?
In addressing this question the Maharal says a fascinating thought. He draws a parallel between the relationship of Yom Tov to Shabbos and the relationship of the days of Moshiach and the period that will begin with the entry of the seventh millennium. The former is Yom Tov and the latter is Shabbos.
One may not cook or prepare on Yom Tov for the Shabbos that follows unless they have already begun the preparation before the arrival of Yom Tov. If one starts cooking for Shabbos before the arrival of Yom Tov then they may continue cooking for Shabbos even on Yom Tov. The Maharal teaches us that if a person begins his journey of drawing himself closer to HaShem before the arrival of Moshiach, his journey will continue even after Moshiach arrives. Even though it will be effortless once Moshiach arrives, nevertheless, if he pushed himself to his limit before the arrival, that push will continue propelling further once Moshiach arrives. That continued propulsion will be identified as his accomplishment – because he started it before the arrival of Moshiach.
Moshiach is certainly not far off. It is my prayer for this coming year that HaShem help every member of His people to push themselves so that together we will continue our journey into the period of Moshiach.
Have a very wonderful Shabbos and a k’siva v’chasim tova.
Paysach Diskind