The Seder night is accompanied by songs of freedom, greatness, and malchut, which form a contrast to the situation we could have sunk into had we remained in Egypt, as permanent slaves in the "house of slaves." We set an atmosphere of "All Jews are the sons of kings" (Shabbat 67a) and "are fit to be kings" (Horiyot 13a).
What is this idea of malchut which we are linked to? Usually it means rulership. The king rules over someone, who is under his control as his servant. If this is the meaning, then it is difficult. Should it be our desire to rule over others? If so, what does it mean that we are all fit for kingdom? After all, if we are all kings, who we will be king over? If it means that we will rule over other nations, it is still difficult in light of the hope for the End of Days that there will not be conflict between nations and everyone will subscribe to the proposition that "beloved is man who is created in Hashem’s image."
Malchut is a characteristic of the spirit, which gives one a certain power, irrespective of whether he controls anyone else. A person can be a king even if he possesses no more than "a stick and a backpack." One who has such an internal power often induces others to follow him. But what constitutes this power, and what is the opposite – avdut (servitude)?
When Avraham’s servant Eliezer suggested his daughter should marry Yitzchak, Avraham replied: "You are cursed and I am blessed, and the cursed cannot cling to the blessed" (Bereishit Rabba 59). If Eliezer being cursed was just about his being a servant, Avraham could have solved the problem by releasing him!
The first time being cursed and being a servant are connected is in regards to Noach’s grandson, C’na’an (Bereishit 9:25). There the implication is that because he was cursed, he will be a servant, not vice versa. Rather, such people have a negative characteristic, and this played a role in their becoming servants. Let us look to the story of Eliezer to learn more.
The midrash (ibid.) says that while Avraham told Eliezer to look for a wife for Yitzchak from Avraham’s family, Eliezer was plotting how to arrange a match between Yitzchak and his own daughter. Only afterwards did he discover that this would be impossible. Realize that Eliezer had greatness, so much so that Lavan thought that he might be Avraham (ibid. 60). He also is described as disseminating Avraham’s teachings and ruling over his evil inclinations. Why should it not be possible for such a person’s daughter to be fit for Yitzchak? Why was it wrong for him to plan and try to arrange such a match?
To answer these questions, let us see how Eliezer lost his status of being cursed. After he found Yitzchak’s match, Rivka, her family said to him, "Come, the blessed of Hashem" (Bereishit 24:31). The midrash (Bereishit Rabba 60) explains that once he served Avraham faithfully, he went from cursed to blessed. In other words, as long as he was looking out for his own welfare, in regard to his daughter marrying Yitzchak, even if it was subconsciously, he remained cursed, because he was bolstering his ego. Once he faithfully went about doing what Avraham had requested, he straightened out and became blessed. He needed to be able to conquer his inclinations and self-interests before he could fully be on the side of Avraham, as Avraham was on the other side from the rest of the world.
This was the way of Avraham. The Torah and the Rabbis detail how hard he toiled when he was in pain to prepare a meal fit for kings for three unknown guests, whom he even suspected were idol worshippers. But we have no idea what Avraham would eat himself; it sounds like it was nothing special. To act like a real king is to be concerned more about others; for himself, he is not in need (Sanhedrin 7b). The real master is one who can give his only pillow to someone else. That is the reason that Avraham’s Chitite neighbors treated him like a king (Bereishit Rabba 58).
The soul of a Jew is connected to the idea of malchut, of not being in need. The first things the Torah refers to as rulers are the sun and the moon, which give light to others. They give without withholding for themselves. If one is thinking about himself, he will always be hungry, as Eisav demanded to be fed (Bereishit 25:30). Yaakov and his descendants think about removing the hunger of others. We reach the height of this in the midst of our festive Pesach Seder when we declare that we look for those who are hungry. This is real malchut.
This is why there is and can be malchut in every Jew. We can, in this way, be a king even if we have only a walking stick and a pouch. Whether or not we have much means we can help others in need. That ability is why it is worthwhile to be free. We need laws and statutes of different types to purify our beings and thereby reveal the content that is in our souls. This is the type of greatness and malchut that we strive for.
No comments:
Post a Comment