The Torah Connection: Vaeira II:Asher Yatzar

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Written by Rabbi Yaakov Shlomo Weinberg

The Torah Connection

“Blessed are You Hashem … Who fashioned man with wisdom and created within him many openings and cavities. It is obvious and known before Your Throne of Glory[1] that if but one of them

were to be ruptured or but one of them were to be blocked it would be impossible to survive and to stand before You …”[2]

Although Chazal (the sages) instituted this brachah (blessing) after one uses the bathroom (because then it is specific) it includes all functions of the body that work in tandem – circulatory, pulmonary, hormonal, etc.[3]

Seemingly Extra Wordage

The question here is as follows. What is gained by adding the words “before Your Throne of Glory”? The rule is that things are usually kept as simple as possible. It could have just as well stated, “It is obvious and known before You.” Why the additional words? What does “Hashem’s Throne” have to do with this brachah?

Chirom Melech Tzur

Chirom the King of Tzur (Tyre) (Lebanon) helped Shlomo Hamelech (King) in building the first Bais Hamikdash (Temple) by sending cedars of Lebanon and assisted in other tasks. He had previously been friendly with Dovid Hamelech.[4] [5]

However, he later made himself into an object of idolatry. Because he helped with the building of the Bais Hamikdash he lived till the destruction of the first Bais Hamikdash. “How many Jewish kings died and I am still alive – twenty-one kings from Yehudah and twenty-one from the Kingdom of Israel, fifty neviim (prophets) and ten kohanim gedolim. I buried them all (an expression) and I am still alive. Am I not a god”?[6] He was finally killed by Nebuchadnetzar, who also destroyed the Bais Hamikdash.[7]

On Man’s Creation

“Hashem said to Chirom King of Tzur, ‘I looked at you (that you would make yourself into a god) and I therefore created man with nekovim, nekovim.’”[8] [9] This evidently is a contradiction to man’s proclivity to make himself into a god. See this week’s parshah (Torah reading),[10] “Go to Pharaoh in the morning – behold he goes out to the water – and you shall stand opposite him …” See Rashi there,[11] “Pharaoh had made himself into a god and claimed that, therefore, he did not need to use the bathroom. He would, therefore, go every morning to the Nile. It was a psychological tour de force for Moshe to meet him at that time.

The Reason for the Extra Words

Therefore, the brachah “Asher Yotzar” speaks about nekovim and chalulim which Hashem created in a person. This, in order that he not consider himself a god and in order to thereby realize that only Hashem is G-d. It therefore has in it the words “before Your Throne of Glory.” It is specifically these human attributes which make it clear that the “Throne of Glory” belongs only to Hashem.

The Gra

I subsequently found this question of the extra wording of Hashem’s Throne of Glory in the Gra.[12] “These words were placed in the brachah to correct those who say that it is impossible that Hashem cares or watches over a low world such as this.[13] Therefore, we say that even before His Throne of Glory, from which even high angels stand at distances of many myriads of parsa’os [14]away, nevertheless, even from there, He watches over everything, even lowly things such as this.”

Ma’amar 2

Water – Kindness

“Aharon was told to turn the waters of Mitzrayim (Egypt) into blood but not Moshe since the water had protected Moshe when he was an infant and placed in the water.”[15] The Sifsei Cohen gives another reason. “This was done through Aharon whose trait was kindness.[16] Kindness is symbolized by water. This was done in order not to show kindness to the Egyptians. Therefore, he said to Aharon, ‘Take your staff and stretch yodcho (your hand) towards the left side.’”

Explanation

The above is quite cryptic and needs explaining. Water symbolizes chesed (kindness). This is because water, when not exposed to any outside forces, is always level. This is the same as pure chesed which makes no difference between the righteous or the wicked. It is always at the same (level) for everyone. All s’char and onesh (reward and punishment) come as forms of din (judgment).[17]

Chesed is considered coming from the right, din from the left. Yad is the left hand, that of din. The right hand is called yemin.[18]

The Egyptians, through their actions, changed the trait of chesed into din.[19] Therefore, Aharon, who represented chesed, was told to stretch his left arm (din) over the waters of chesed to show that the channel of chesed had been closed to the Egyptians.

Hallel and Shir

The following is an interesting extension of the above but not an integral part of the ma’amar. We had brought down from the Sifsei Cohen that Aharon was the trait of chesed. Although Aharon originated from Shevet (Tribe of) Levi, which was din, his avodah (service) was through chesed and ahavah (love). “Bais (House of) Aharon served … through ahavah as one who loves another so Bais Aharon loves Hashem and serves [Him] through love … However Shevet Levi serves through the trait of din [20] [21] and therefore their service is not through chesed. Since Hallel is praising Hashem for His Chesed and Tov (Goodness), therefore, Bais Halevi is not mentioned throughout Hallel.”[22] [23]

Shir

“Shir (as opposed to Hallel above) is praising Hashem through the trait of Din. That is why it was specifically the Leviim who sang Shirah”[24] (since that was their service).

“There is a difference between Hallel and Shir. Hallel is praising Hashem for His Tov and Chesed which He has done for us whereas Shirah is praise for His Gevurah … a multitude of praises is called Shirah …”[25]

Ma’amar 3

A Question

We question Pharaoh – how could he see and experience all the makos (plagues) and still harden his heart and not listen. It seems amazing.[26] Yet we can somewhat understand Pharaoh. He had everything to lose by letting the Yidden (Jews) leave.

However, what seems totally incomprehensible is that most of the Yidden themselves, who had everything to gain, also didn’t seem to take anything to heart. “Yisroel in that generation were wicked and did not want to leave and they, therefore, died in the three days of darkness”[27] – the ninth plague. They had witnessed all the other plagues and nothing. This is totally incomprehensible. In fact, eighty percent of the people died and did not leave Mitzrayim.[28] Why should they want to remain slaves in Mitzrayim, especially after having seen eight plagues? The question boggles the mind.[29]

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[1] The word kisei in the brachah (blessing) refers to the throne as does the word kisei in Genesis 41:4 “rak hakisei egdal mimecho” (“only by the throne shall I outrank you”). See Rashi there. See also Rashi Exodus 17:16, “ki yad al kais Koh.”

[2] There is a question here. The brachah first lists openings and then cavities, but then later refers first to, G-d forbid, rupturing which would apply more to cavities and then mentions blocking which seems to apply more to openings? In other words, it now first refers to that which previously was mentioned second and later refers to that which previously was mentioned first.

[3] It is a brachah that is rattled off when one is younger. The older one gets, the more one concentrates on it. It is indeed an amazing wonder that all the parts work just right both in their own systems and in tandem with all other systems. It is no wonder that Dovid Hamelech (king) wrote “mibsori echezeh Keil” (from my flesh (body) I recognize G-d).

[4] I Kings 5:15-24

[5] See Genesis Rabah 85:4 “Chirom was Chiroh Ho’adulomi, the friend of Yehudah” (Genesis 38:1; :12).

[6] Yalkut (Ezekiel 28)

[7] Which makes it interesting. After his source of long life, the Bais Hamikdash, was no more, he was no more.

[8] Bava Basra 75a

[9] There were many people who made themselves into a god. Why specifically was Chirom the one who caused Hashem to create man in this way? Perhaps one can say that the others were incorrigible. However, Chirom helped with the Bais Hamikdsh and yet made himself into an idol. That already needed a fix.

The next question, of course, is that it would seem that nothing was fixed thereby. Indeed, he did make himself into an idol. I don’t know. Of course, there is always the old standby that things would have been worse. However, I would like to see a different answer.

[10] Exodus 7:15

[11] Based on Exodus Rabah 9:8 and Tanchuma 14.

[12] Oros HaGra, Tosfos Likutim 16 on Brachos 60b.

[13] The kicker, of course, is that, therefore, a person can do what he wants because this world is too low for Hashem to concern Himself about.

[14] One parsa’ah equals several miles.

[15] Rashi Exodus 7:19. Out of “gratitude.” We spoke about this last week.

[16] See Targum Deuteronomy 33:9; Pirkei Avos chp. 1, Mishna 12, “Be among the disciples of Aharon …” Also see Zohar Part I, 266.

[17] Din separates and changes. That is why din was created on the second day of creation. It was the day of separation of the waters.

[18] See commentary of Rav Avrohom (son of the Gra) Psalms 89:14. The world is conducted with “two hands,” the right and the left. “Yad” is the left. “Yemin” is the right. Yemin is chesed and yad is din.

[19] Tzadikim reverse din into chesed.

[20] See also Rabeinu Bechai Numbers 1:51, “The attribute of Levi is that of din.”

[21] Leviim (spelled lamed, vov, yud, mem) is the gematriya (numerical value) of Elokim (86) which is Hashem’s attribute of Din. “Moshe himself who was a Levi was also the attribute of din. That’s why he was called ‘Ish Ho’Elokim.’” Maharal, Hakdamah L’drush al Hatorah; Gevuros end of chp. 64.

[22] Maharal Gevuros chp. 64

[23] What needs to be clarified is that the expression “Yirei Hashem” (those who fear Hashem) is used in Hallel (as often as Bais Aharon). Yirah is usually associated with din.

[24] Maharal Nesivos Olam, Nesiv Halitzonos chp. 1

[25] Maharal, Gevuros chp. 65

[26] Actually, human nature is such that it is not amazing at all.

[27] Rashi Exodus 10:22

[28] Rashi ibid 13:18

[29] That what Yidden in the midbar (desert) said that they wanted to return to Mitzrayim is no comparison. The Mitzrayim they were talking about then was one whose army had been drowned and whose civilian population was badly hurt physically and traumatized emotionally. They felt, especially since they knew the country, that they could go back and easily conquer it. This seemed preferable to them than the unknowns of the midbar and the Land of Cana’an.