Priorities

In order to make the will of God paramount, and one's own will secondary, it is necessary to understand the fundamental principles of Torah which delineate the full depth of will of Hashem. This requires studying both the revealed as well as the hidden aspects of the Torah. The Torah is full of commandments, however, in order to properly do the will of God it is necessary to see the Torah holistically the way it truly is - as a tree, with a trunk, branches and leaves. Within the Mitzvoth and the will of God there are fundamental principles and there are corollaries which branch off from them.

If a person turns a branch into the trunk he has violated the will of Hashem. Giving too much weight to one thing comes at the cost of something even more important, creates a situation in which the harm is more than whatever good is accomplished. (מצוה הבא בעבירה) Just as one can't steal in order to give charity, and one can't cook of Shabbos in order to feed guests, so too it should be obvious to all that one may not create a Chillul Hashem or create animosity and separation within the Jewish Nation, in order to be extra scrupulous about a point of Halacha that is not truly a requirement. Hashem's desire that there be unity within the Jewish Nation is the tree, the trunk and the roots. Even though it is not a Mitzvah that has many carefully delineated details like the laws of Shabbos, it is still the foundation of the entire Torah. This is  why our Sages teach us that even if the entire Nation is worshiping idols, if they are living in peace among themselves, they will be protected from their enemies.

These values and fundamental principles are not written at length in the revealed portion of the Torah. The revealed portion is primarily focused on detailing each Mitzvah and its rules. It is the secret portions, the inner Torah, that instills the fundamentals in a person's soul in their proper measure. It sees the entirety of the Mitzvos and gives each one its proper weight, and their relative value so that it paints a picture of a beautiful, large tree. From that there develops a proper sense of balance, to put each value in its place and to conduct oneself in the proper manner of actualizing the will of God.

Without studying the inner portion it is not possible to fully fulfill the will of Hashem as one is lacking in certain fundamentals. Just as it is forbidden to say that which is kosher is un-kosher and vice-versa, so too it is forbidden to say that which is primary is secondary and that which is secondary is primary. One who says that which is kosher is un-kosher can easily find his error, however, one who is confused about the fundamental principles of Torah and makes the secondary primary, and fights for that which is secondary and neglects that which is fundamental, thinks that he is doing the will of god. He walks with fiery righteousness after this own ideas, and is really just destroying the basic roots of Torah, and is completely oblivious of his error.

This is all a result of a lack of study if the inner portion of Torah which inspires within people to truly follow God. It instills love of every Jew within people's hearts, so they walk in holiness and kindness. It crowns them with the shine of the Schechina, and they always act in a pleasant manner while at the same time being scrupulous with every Halachic detail. The love bursts forth from his heart, and helps him feel a connection to every detail and experience of life. Other people begin to value him, and his approach and his principles and are open to his influence. They are impressed with his refined character and wish to emulate him, and God is proud of him as well.
ה"ו קפ"ה

Open rebuke must come from a deep love - I

There are two important factors in helping people rectify their behavior. First off, it is only by recognizing their inner purity that you can be inspired to help others change and improve their behavior. Secondly, those behaving improperly need to believe in their inner purity if they hope to change anything.

If one looks only at the superficial, they will be struck by the improper actions and give up on any hope of improvement. By emphasizing the sins the person may feel that he is so disconnected from his spiritual side that his situation is hopeless. Once he gives up, he may just sink lower and lower.

We can use children as an example. If a child lies or steals the father needs to rebuke him from a place of knowing the true depth of the child. If he only looks at the negative behaviors and allows himself to feel anger, even more so if he screams at the child, "YOU LIAR," he will cause great damage and accomplish nothing. The father needs some self-control, and to know what is truly in the child's heart. He needs to know that stealing and lying are not truly what the child is all about. It is because the child doesn't realize that that isn't who he is, that he allows himself to engage in these negative behaviors. The father needs to inspire the child, and possibly even punish him, but it must all come from a place of a deep understanding of the child, Open rebuke must come from a deep love. Only love and believing in the child, which will awaken feelings of concern for his lowly activities, need to motivate the judgement and punishment.  Any critique must come from a deep love. And when the father is full of love for the child, the child will feel his father's love, he will know that his father believes in him, and that will awaken within him a desire to change.

When the father educates the child and points out his undesirable behaviors, he needs to concern himself that the child understands two things. First, that the actions are not good and they should not be done. Second, that these behaviors are unworthy of who the child is. Inside they are good and pure. That's why, if the child lies you can't shout at him, "LIAR." Saying that will instill within the child that he is connected to falsehood and that his identity is that of a liar. Why then should he change himself? If that is who he is then lying is what he should do! The desire to change must emanate from the feeling that he is not a liar, and that is the father's job to communicate.
ט"ח במדבר שנ"ח

Perverting the Truth to Attack Israel

The Ariza"l writes that the nations of Midian, Moav and Amalek, who are all relatives of Avrohom Avinu, each have within them sparks of holiness. These sparks are points of light from the holiness of Klal Yisroel which were scattered among the nations and appear in different forms. For example, the soul of a convert is a spark that landed among the nations. So too there are good values and good ideas that are found that emanate from Judaism. However, they are often hidden amongst the Klipos, which creates a situation in which that which is true and valuable is taken and twisted into something false and perverted. The Klipah needs the holiness of truth to sustain it.

One example of this is Christian morality which expresses itself today in the false morality of Europe. It comes and accuses Israel of war crimes when its true aim is just to find cause to attack Israel. They have assumed the mantle of justice - morality and human rights - to further their evil and perverted goals. This is the idea of sparks held captive by the Klipos. The Klipah is well aware of the holiness of these sparks and captures them and utilizes them to its own poisonous end.

In the same vein they draft "peace" as a way of attacking out possession of the Land of Israel. Morality and justice are used to handcuff us in our fights against our enemies. The spark is a bit of true godliness which the Klipah hijacks to use in its goals of evil and perversion. It fights against Jewry and increases impurity in the world.
ט"ח בלק שמ"ה

Shemittah - A Return to Normalcy

Shemittah is an elevator that lifts us to a higher experience of life than that which we experience on a daily basis. Generally speaking each person exists within his own personal experience of life. He worries about his family's financial needs. The underlying concept is that each person lives his own life and everyone else is a stranger. This finds its expression throughout the full gamut of economic activity. If I have something of value I will not give it away unless I receive something of value in return. Each person needs money and property. This world is predicated upon financial needs in which each man is for himself. Without working and making money a person can't feed his family.

This creates a situation in which everyone else is outside of one's own circle of need. One's own needs are primary, those of others are pushed into a corner. Conflict arises between store owners and customers, manufacturers and retailers, and people fighting over the right to purchase limited resources. There is constant strife to be first in line, to be most successful etc.

Negative character traits emanate from this reality. People see others as aggressive and trying to take what is their's. People plot, act deceitfully, steal and take advantage of others. The government then needs to legislate to counter these tendencies.

Shemittah opposes this worldview. Each person is commanded to abandon his focus on his personal success. Rather than make money from selling his field's produce, he is told to turn it all over to the public. Open the doors of your private property and allow everyone to feel at home. Release all debts. Stop being focused on "I" and stop worrying about your's and your family's financial advancement. Broaden your circle of life until it includes others as well. Just as you feed your family from your field each year, you offer others the same opportunity this year. Everyone is one big family. Everyone is equal. This is what the Torah asks of us during Shemittah.

Shemittah appears to be a big burden. It is a huge demand that we would be happy to give up. It seems unnatural to stop worrying about yourself, to fight against that tendency and to give yourself over to the needs of the public. It seems that the six years are "normal" life, and Shemittah is an abnormal temporary unnatural state.

But if you have a deeper understanding you will know that the opposite is the truth. Shemittah is the expression of the normal state of man. 

Shemittah - Overview - III

The Mitzvoth of Shemittah relate to all areas of life, the physical as well as the spiritual. It is not a purely spiritual Mitzvah such as Tefillin or Shofar, rather it reaches all the way down into actual physical life. Agriculture, the economy, the release of debts and relinquishing fields. It comes to reveal the facets of holiness that are hidden within physical life. It is also a very spiritual Mitzvah, a Shabbath to Hashem, as it ties together the physical and spiritual by giving a glimpse of the future when the physical and spiritual will unite to reveal the holy light of God in all aspects of life.

Throughout the years each person works for his own sustenance. One person has a vineyard, another an olive orchard and a third has a grain field. Each person worries about his own family and household. He puts great effort into his produce and nurses it to its fullest potential and then sells it to make money. This economic system allows him to provide for his family's physical needs. In the Shemittah year he is then ordered to abandon his field for everyone's use. The Torah orders him to give up his field for the economic good of the public at large. Every other year if a person wants grapes he goes to the market and pays good money for grapes. In Shemittah he can just stroll into his neighbors vineyard and eat as many grapes as he wants. The owners of the land have no greater rights to the fruit than anyone else including the animals.

What about the economic needs of the farmer? What about his family? How will he survive a full year? What does the Torah really want with this difficult Mitzvah?

Shemittah - Overview - II

We have described the superficial view of life, however a glance at the internal view of life shows an unbreakable bond between all the individuals in the Jewish Nation. We are all one soul. The essence of all our lives emanate from one source and receives its liveliness from one spiritual root. When any one person performs a Mitzvah it strengthens the root soul of everyone. When one limb is ill it weakens the entire corpus. Similarly, if one person sins all souls feel it deeply because the source of all good, the light of the Schechinah, is diminished by the sin. Conversely, when a person performs a Mitzva, all of Jewry is blessed by an outpouring of light resulting from the good deed.

Externally we appear to be separate from one another. Internally, however, there is a strong bond of life which is the secret of our power and the source of our existence as one nation, one entity, one soul and one lot in life.

There are some Mitzvoth that can appear to be for the benefit of the individual alone, e.g. Tefillin, Tzitzis, Mezuzah, Matzo, Sukkah, Lulav. But it is the public Mitzvoth that reveal the truth of what lies within the Jewish Nation, These Mitzvoth manifest themselves in a public manner which relates to all facets of the Nation. They remove a person from his self-centered outlook into a life which is infinitely greater. They enable him to feel as part of a larger, broader entity, as part of Klal Yisroel.

These awaken feelings that are similar to those which arise at times of war. Those are times when we feel mutual love and connection, when a feeling of unity flows through the veins of the nation. People care about each other, there are feelings of brotherhood and shared goals are strengthened. The pulse of life of the Jewish Nation is alive and strong at these times and it is evident that we are one nation. During our regular everyday lives each person crawls into his own home and his own business, concerned with his own health and livelihood. At war time people feel that the main thing is the nation. This invests the people with great strength which are rooted in our essential unity.

The same is true of the years of Shemittah and Yovel. They are years of national life, of dedication to the nation and a feeling of connection to the entire family.

Shemittah - Overview - I

The Mitzvos of Shmittah (the Sabbatical year) and Yovel (Jubilee) encompass a broad range of concepts to the extent that they alter the very character of the life of the Jewish Nation. There is almost no area in the national life that is not influenced by the Year of Shemittah and the Year of Yovel. All of commerce, society, physical and spiritual life undergo numerous changes during these years which testifies to the great depth that is hidden with these Mitzvos. Prior to addressing them in detail, we will point out what is unique about these public Mitzvos.

The Jewish Nation is one entity, one powerful and holy Neshama that is revealed by every member of the Nation. The source of holiness of each Jew is the overarching Neshama of the Jewish Nation, the Holy Schechina. A person does not live as an individual and cannot sanctify himself without a relationship to the Jewish Nation, just as a capillary has no life unless it is attached to an artery. Since we are born into a world in which each individual feels his individuality, and feels that his life is not connected to everyone else, it is difficult to grasp this concept. We accept the yoke of Mitzvos with an attitude that it is our own personal pursuit, we express our Judaism through our own Mitzvah fulfillment, we stand alone before God, are responsible for our own life in this world and the World to Come, with no connection to the rest of the people.

It is not easy to feel the truth - that we are one nation, one entity and that all the Mitzvos done by each individual are incorporated within the Divine service of the entire Nation. Together they increase the light of the Schechina and the soul of each individual and the entire nation. When performing a specific Mitzvah, like Tzitzis or Tefillin it is difficult to feel a connection with another. "I am doing this Mitzvah and receiving a reward, and he is wearing Tefillin and getting his reward. There is no connection between my Tefillin and his Tefillin." Naturally, a person will make sure that he has the nicest possible Tefillin for himself, but won't concern himself that someone else should have the nicest Tefillin. All this results from not feeling a real connection between the performance of Mitzvos and one's spiritual life. It seems that everyone is climbing his own stairway to heaven, and will get his own eternal reward for his actions. Superficially, there is no connection between the spiritual efforts of my friend and my lot in life.