Tefilos Shabbes – Emes VeYatziv

Shiur 20 – Emes Veyatziv

Geulah encompasses the past

We will begin with a basic idea about geulah. The berachah of geulah-‘goal yisroel’ is said in the past tense. This does not mean that we are merely referring to a geulah that occurred in the past at a single moment in time. On the contrary, we say it in the past tense, as geulah encompasses all that has happened in the past.

At the time of the hardships, etc., we do not see the geulah. However, the truth is that all the events contribute to the geulah. If so, in reality, we are connected with the geulah the whole time. When we are in distressing times we are connected to Hashem’s love for us and we know that He will help us. However, this is not the only positive thing that we have at these times. In addition, we are connected with the geulah.  Klal Yisroel are always connected with the geulah.

For example, Klal Yisroel were in Egypt. The geulah from Mitzrayim had no connection with the reality that the Jews lived with in Mitzrayim. Their state of reality didn’t provide an option of being saved and redeemed. The geulah that was going to occur for them was outside of their reality. Nevertheless, Klal Yisroel, even when suffering in Mitzrayim, were already connected with the outside reality of their geulah.

A two-story existence allows us to be connected with the geulah at all times

All of Klal Yisroel exist on two stories. The higher story is where we exist with kedushah. At this higher level, we are connected to a higher world —the higher reality of geulah. (This explains why ahavah rabbah finishes with ‘komemius leartzeinu’ (where the word komemius refers to the two-story existence) and is followed by emes veyatziv).

Kriyas Shemah, which appears between ahavah rabbah and emes veyatziv, is not classified as an interruption. There are two plausible explanations for this. When we say kriyas shemah, we are effectively ‘walking’ towards the geulah of emes veyatziv. The Ramchal’s approach to kriyas shemah is that the only controlling force in the world is that of Hashem. The Nefesh Hachaim’s approach is that the only reality in the world is that of Hashem. This is our preparation for the Geulah. Now we are ready to say emes veyatziv. 

אֱמֶת וְיַצִּיב וְנָכוֹן וְקַיָּם וְיָשָׁר וְנֶאֱמָן

True and certain, established and enduring, fair and faithful

We now describe everything that we have just said in kriyas shemah with these adjectives. All these express the strength of the truth of the concepts that are detailed in kriyas shemah.

וְאָהוּב וְחָבִיב וְנֶחְמָד וְנָעִים

Beloved and cherished, delightful and cherished

We also express how we became emotionally and deeply touched by what we said in kriyas shemah. 

The chassid Yaavetz tells us that what we say in emes veyatziv and in ezras avoseinu, corresponds to the three paragraphs of the shemah:

אֱלֹקי עוֹלָם מַלְכֵּנוּ-first paragraph.

אַשְׁרֵי אִישׁ שֶׁיִּשְׁמַע לְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ-second paragraph.

ִמִּמצְרַיִם גְּאַלְתָּנוּ-third paragraph.

Whenever we review something, the aim is not to simply repeat the same words. Lemoshol, when we do chazarah, the objective is to gain more clarity on what we learned the first time and to be able to express it in our own words.

In shemah, Hashem tells us ‘shemah’, ‘listen’. This means that He is teaching us. Therefore, after we have been taught (and recited the shemah), our avodah is now to go through it again, but this time using different words. 

לְדֹר וָדֹר הוּא קַיָּם וּשְׁמוֹ קַיָּם וְכִסְאוֹ נָכוֹן, וּמַלְכוּתוֹ וֶאֱמוּנָתוֹ לָעַד קַיָּמֶת

From generation to generation He endures etc.

I think that this might correspond to Baruch shem kevod malchuso leolam voed.

וּדְבָרָיו חָיִים וְקַיָּמִים נֶאֱמָנִים וְנֶחֱמָדִים לָעַד וּלְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים

His words are living etc.

This is like ‘veshinantom levonecha’.

עַל אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְעָלֵינוּ עַל בָּנֵינוּ וְעַל דּוֹרוֹתֵינוּ, וְעַל כָּל דּוֹרוֹת זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדֶיךָ

Our own identification with the kriyas shemah will remain throughout all of the generations. Why? Because we identify with it as being emes vayatziv.

אֱמֶת וֶאֱמוּנָה חֹק וְלא יַעֲבֹר

True and faithful, it’s an unbreakable decree

On an intellectual level we identify with it, due to it being true.

On an emotional level, we identify with it through emunah.

We require both emes and emunah. If we have emes alone, and we make a mistake, then everything we thought we had through emes is lost. If we have emunah alone, we might believe absolutely everything. Only with a combination of emes and emunah will it be chok velo yaavor.

I personally have a koach of being emotionally connected with things through the deep koach of emunah. It is this koach which allows me to give so many different shiurim on Nefesh Hachaim in any given week.

When I was getting very close to the mashgiach, I remember my father telling me that I must be careful not to become a ‘Rav Wolbe believer!’ He wasn’t telling me not to have emunah in the mashgiach. But he was saying that I cannot base my connection with the mashgiach solely on emunah. It must also be based on intellectual emes.

As a Jew, should we begin our connection with everything with emes or emunah? Emunah.

We can learn this from Elisha and Eliyahu. Eliyahu came to Elisha when Elisha was following behind his ox. Eliyahu threw his jacket on Elisha and told him to come with him. Elisha said that he hadn’t yet finished and that he first needed to say goodbye to his parents, and then he would come. Eliyahu asked him why he wasn’t coming now. Elisha repeated that he was going to come.

What is the understanding of this interaction? Elisha was saying that Eliyahu hadn’t yet told him any truth. He only threw his jacket on him. Elisha said that his emunah was much deeper than his recognition of the truth. So too, our emunah in the geulah is much deeper than our recognition of its truth.

אֱמֶת שָׁאַתָּה הוּא יְ-יָ אֱלֹקינוּ וֵאלֹקי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ

This is the emes.

מַלְכֵּנוּ מֶלֶךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ

This is Emunah based on what we see in Tanach.

בְּרוּם עוֹלָם מוֹשָׁבֶךָ, וּמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ עַד אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ

In the high world is Your residing place etc.

Hashem is very high above us but His mishpat comes all the way down to us.

אַשְׁרֵי אִישׁ שֶׁיִּשְׁמַע לְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ, וְתוֹרָתְךָ וּדְבָרְךָ יָשִׂים עַל לִבּוֹ

Fortunate is the man who listens to Your mitzvos

We listen to the mitzvos that Hashem instructs us. We even place them in our hearts, making them a part of us.

אֱמֶת אַתָּה הוּא אָדוֹן לְעַמֶּךָ

You, Hashem, are the Boss.

וּמֶלֶךְ גִּבּוֹר לָרִיב רִיבָם

And a mighty King to take up their grievance

Hashem is not only the Boss, taking care of His own needs. He also involves Himself in Klal Yisroel’s fights.

מִמִּצְרַיִם גְּאַלְתָּנוּ

וִידִידִים הֶעֱבַרְתָּ

The Mitzrim fell, and we are the yedidim, friends kiveyochol of Hashem.

 וַיְכַסּוּ מַיִם צָרֵיהֶם, אֶחָד מֵהֶם לֹא נוֹתָר

And the waters covered their enemies; not one of them remained

We went into the Yam Suf. There is no dry land in the sea. However, when we entered the Yam Suf, we were entering Hashem’s world. When we are in His world, there is dry land in the sea (‘bayabashah besoch hayom’).

 עַל זֹאת שִׁבְּחוּ אֲהוּבִים

We say a list of 10 praises to Hashem.

תְּהִלּוֹת לְאֵ-ל עֶלְיוֹן

Tehillos to the Supreme One

Tehillah always refers to a praise which goes up to a particularly high realm, denoted by ‘keil Elyon.‘

בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּמְבֹרָךְ

The praise then reaches the source of all berachos.

משֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְךָ עָנוּ שִׁירָה

Moshe Rabbeinu is usually on a different side from the rest of Klal Yisroel. If so, we would think that Moshe would have said the shirah, and this would have been the essential shirah, and we merely responded to him, similar to how we respond to the chazzan in hodu lahashem ki tov in hallel. 

However, it was not so. Moshe was on the same side as Klal Yisroel. We said the shira together with Moshe. The only difference between us and him was that he was a navi and he knew the text, while we didn’t. Therefore, he needed to teach us what to say.

The explanation for this is that at Kriyas Yam Suf, we entered into the realm of Hashem. Therefore, the rest of Klal Yisroel could be alongside Moshe.

מִי כָמֹכָה בָּאֵ-לִם יְ-יָ, מִי כָּמֹכָה נֶאְדָּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ, נוֹרָא תְהִלֹּת עֹשֵׂה פֶלֶא

Peleh means that Hashem does things in a miraculous way.

שִׁירָה חֲדָשָׁה שִׁבְּחוּ גְאוּלִים לְשִׁמְךָ עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם, יַחַד כֻּלָּם הוֹדוּ וְהִמְלִיכוּ, וְאָמְרוּ

A new song, they praised

We reach a realm where things are new-shira chadosha.

צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל קוּמָה בְּעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּפְדֵה כִנְאֻמֶךָ יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל, גֹּאֲלֵנוּ ה”ָ צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ (ישעיהו מז ד) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל.

We say Yisroel five times. This is similar to the possuk with the Leviim, where it says ‘Yisroel‘ five times, corresponding to chamisha chumshei torah. In goal yisroel we also say it five times because the whole reality of Klal Yisroel was now standing before Hashem and hence entering into a new reality.

Goal Yisroel, we enter into a realm higher than our own, and we therefore cannot speak. This is why we ask Hashem to open our lips so that we can recite the shemoneh esrei.

We can see the progression of the birchas kriyas shemah. The first beracha of yotzer hameoros is about our world.  Ahavah rabbah is about Torah, which is for us.  Now in emes veyatziv and goal Yisroel, we enter into a different realm- the realm of Hashem, which is beyond our world. Then, we enter Hashem‘s world and daven the shemoneh esrei.

Rashi explains why we cannot make an interruption between the berachah of goal Yisroel and Hashem sefosai tiftoch. He compares it to us knocking on the door, and Hashem coming to open it; our interrupting is equivalent to our going away. This is because in goal Yisroel, we enter into Hashem’s realm.

____________

Written by Rabbi Rapport