ואריב"ל בשעה שעלה משה למרום אמרו מלאכי השרת לפני הקב"ה רבש"ע מה לילוד אשה בינינו אמר להן לקבל תורה בא אמרו לפניו חמודה גנוזה שגנוזה לך תשע מאות ושבעים וארבעה דורות קודם שנברא העולם אתה מבקש ליתנה לבשר ודם (תהלים ח, ה) מה אנוש כי תזכרנו ובן אדם כי תפקדנו יקוק אדונינו מה אדיר שמך בכל הארץ אשר תנה הודך על השמים אמר לו הקב"ה למשה החזיר להן תשובה אמר לפניו רבש"ע מתיירא אני שמא ישרפוני בהבל שבפיהם אמר לו אחוז בכסא כבודי וחזור להן תשובה שנאמר (איוב כו, ט) מאחז פני כסא פרשז עליו עננו ואמר ר' נחום מלמד שפירש שדי מזיו שכינתו ועננו עליו אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם תורה שאתה נותן לי מה כתיב בה (שמות כ, ב) אנכי יקוק אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים אמר להן למצרים ירדתם לפרעה השתעבדתם תורה למה תהא לכם שוב מה כתיב בה לא יהיה לך אלקים אחרים בין עמים אתם שרויין שעובדין
And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When Moses ascended on High to receive the Torah, the ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, what is one born of a woman doing here among us? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: He came to receive the Torah. The angels said before Him: The Torah is a hidden treasure that was concealed by you 974 generations before the creation of the world, and you seek to give it to flesh and blood? [As it is stated: “The word which He commanded to a thousand generations” (Psalms 105:8). Since the Torah, the word of God, was given to the twenty-sixth generation after Adam, the first man, the remaining 974 generations must have preceded the creation of the world.] “What is Man that You are mindful of him and the son of man that You think of him?” (Psalms 8:5). Rather, “God our Lord, how glorious is Your name in all the earth that Your majesty is placed above the heavens” (Psalms 8:2). The rightful place of God’s majesty, the Torah, is in the heavens. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Provide them with an answer as to why the Torah should be given to the people. Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, I am afraid lest they burn me with the breath of their mouths. God said to him: Grasp My throne of glory for strength and protection, and provide them with an answer. And from where is this derived? As it is stated: “He causes him to grasp the front of the throne, and spreads His cloud over it” (Job 26:9), and Rabbi Naḥum said: This verse teaches that God spread the radiance of His presence and His cloud over Moses.
[Moshe ask the angels:]
Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, the Torah that You are giving me, what is written in it? God said to him: “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of Egypt from the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2). Moses said to the angels: Did you descend to Egypt? Were you enslaved to Pharaoh? Why should the Torah be yours? Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? God said to him: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Moses said to the angels: Do you dwell among the nations who worship
עבודת גלולים שוב מה כתיב בה זכור את יום השבת לקדשו כלום אתם עושים מלאכה שאתם צריכין שבות שוב מה כתיב בה לא תשא משא ומתן יש ביניכם שוב מה כתיב בה כבד את אביך ואת אמך אב ואם יש לכם שוב מה כתיב בה לא תרצח לא תנאף לא תגנוב קנאה יש ביניכם יצר הרע יש ביניכם מיד הודו לו להקב"ה שנאמר (תהלים ח, י) יקוק אדונינו מה אדיר שמך וגו' ואילו תנה הודך על השמים לא כתיב
idols that you require this special warning? Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it” (Exodus 20:8). Moses asked the angels: Do you perform labor that you require rest from it? Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? “Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7), meaning that it is prohibited to swear falsely. Moses asked the angels: Do you conduct business with one another that may lead you to swear falsely? Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). Moses asked the angels: Do you have a father or a mother that would render the commandment to honor them relevant to you? Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? God said to him: “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal.” Moses asked the angels: Is there jealousy among you, or is there an evil inclination within you that would render these commandments relevant?
Immediately they agreed with the Holy One, Blessed be He, that He made the right decision to give the Torah to the people, and as it is stated: “God our Lord, how glorious is Your name in all the earth” (Psalms 8:10), while “that Your Majesty is placed above the heavens” is not written because the angels agreed with God that it is appropriate to give the Torah to the people on earth.
(י) כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֥א לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה עַל־אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ וּנְתָנ֞וֹ יקוק אֱלֹקֶ֛יךָ בְּיָדֶ֖ךָ וְשָׁבִ֥יתָ שִׁבְיֽוֹ׃ (יא) וְרָאִיתָ֙ בַּשִּׁבְיָ֔ה אֵ֖שֶׁת יְפַת־תֹּ֑אַר וְחָשַׁקְתָּ֣ בָ֔הּ וְלָקַחְתָּ֥ לְךָ֖ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ (יב) וַהֲבֵאתָ֖הּ אֶל־תּ֣וֹךְ בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ וְגִלְּחָה֙ אֶת־רֹאשָׁ֔הּ וְעָשְׂתָ֖ה אֶת־צִפָּרְנֶֽיהָ׃ (יג) וְהֵסִ֩ירָה֩ אֶת־שִׂמְלַ֨ת שִׁבְיָ֜הּ מֵעָלֶ֗יהָ וְיָֽשְׁבָה֙ בְּבֵיתֶ֔ךָ וּבָֽכְתָ֛ה אֶת־אָבִ֥יהָ וְאֶת־אִמָּ֖הּ יֶ֣רַח יָמִ֑ים וְאַ֨חַר כֵּ֜ן תָּב֤וֹא אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ וּבְעַלְתָּ֔הּ וְהָיְתָ֥ה לְךָ֖ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ (יד) וְהָיָ֞ה אִם־לֹ֧א חָפַ֣צְתָּ בָּ֗הּ וְשִׁלַּחְתָּהּ֙ לְנַפְשָׁ֔הּ וּמָכֹ֥ר לֹא־תִמְכְּרֶ֖נָּה בַּכָּ֑סֶף לֹא־תִתְעַמֵּ֣ר בָּ֔הּ תַּ֖חַת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עִנִּיתָֽהּ׃ (ס)
When you take the field against your enemies, and the HaShem, your G-d, delivers them into your hands and you take them captive. And you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her and would take her to wife. You shall bring her into your house, and she shall trim her hair, pare her nails. And discard her captive’s garb. She shall spend a month’s time in your house mourning her father and mother; after that, you may come to her and take her as your wife. Later, if you no longer want her, you must release her on her own; you must not sell her for money: since you had your will of her, you must not enslave her.
ולקחת לך לאשה. לֹא דִּבְּרָה תוֹרָה אֶלָּא כְּנֶגֶד יֵצֶר הָרַע, שֶׁאִם אֵין הַקָּבָּ"ה מַתִּירָהּ יִשָּׂאֶנָה בְאִסּוּר, אֲבָל אִם נְשָׂאָה סוֹפוֹ לִהְיוֹת שׂוֹנְאָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אַחֲרָיו "כִּי תִהְיֶיןָ לְאִישׁ וְגוֹ'", וְסוֹפוֹ לְהוֹלִיד מִמֶּנָּהּ בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה, לָכַךְ נִסְמְכוּ פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הַלָּלוּ (תנחומא):
Take Her As Your Wife — The Torah only commands according to the evil inclination (Kiddushin 21b).
For if HaShem would not permit her [the beautiful woman] to him as a wife, he would marry her anyway in violation of the law. However [cautions the Torah], if he does marry her, in the end he will hate her, for the Torah writes immediately afterwards, “If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, etc.” (15) and ultimately the relationship will result in a wayward and rebellious son by her (18). It is for this reason that these sections are put in succession (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 1).
The result of a marriage to the Beautiful Woman of the spoils of war...
You probably won't love her anymore
(15) If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, but the first-born is the son of the unloved one—
And your son will be wayward and rebellious
(יח) כִּֽי־יִהְיֶ֣ה לְאִ֗ישׁ בֵּ֚ן סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֔ה אֵינֶ֣נּוּ שֹׁמֵ֔עַ בְּק֥וֹל אָבִ֖יו וּבְק֣וֹל אִמּ֑וֹ וְיסְּר֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א יִשְׁמַ֖ע אֲלֵיהֶֽם׃
If a man has a wayward and rebellious son, who does not heed his father or mother and does not obey them even after they discipline him...
(טז) כִּ֤י שֶׁ֨בַע ׀ יִפּ֣וֹל צַדִּ֣יק וָקָ֑ם וּ֝רְשָׁעִ֗ים יִכָּשְׁל֥וּ בְרָעָֽה׃
(16) Seven times the righteous man falls and gets up, While the wicked are tripped by one misfortune.
I have received your letter, and your words have reached my heart.
There is a terrible error that we make when discussing our great Torah leaders, in that we tend to focus only on the ‘sum total’ of their personalities. We speak of their wholesomeness of character, while ignoring the internal struggles that burned within them.
The impression you have of the gedolim seems to be that they emerged at the beginning in their full stature. Many are ‘blown away’ by the control, the elevation, and the miracle of the Chofetz Chayim’s pure speech. However, who knows of the battles, the failures, the falls, and the backsliding that the Chofetz Chayim experienced in his personal battle with the evil inclination? This is but one example of many. Obviously you should take note of this phenomenon, and draw it into your personal situation..
According to his imaginings, to be ‘welcome in God’s presence’ means to sit in peace of mind and soul on verdant pastures, beside calm brooks, and to reap the joys of his holy disposition – his The result is that when a young man of a spiritual nature, with a drive for personal greatness – who is diligently working on this quality – finds pitfalls in his path, he feels as if he is not rooted in the presence of God.yetser ha-tov, like the tsaddikim who sit in gan eden with their crowns, basking in the glow of the Divine presence. What is does not entail is the constant frustration of the struggle, the whirlwind of the evil inclination, and the feeling that “only the dead are free” (Psalms 88:6) from this.
You should know, my fried, that the root of your soul lies not in the placidity of the yetser ha-tov, but rather in the battles of the yetser ha-tov. Your heartfelt and special letter testifies to this truth better than a hundred witnesses: that you are a spiritual warrior in the legions of the yetser ha-tov.
What this means in a practical sense is “lose a battle and win the war”, to quote a popular English aphorism. One thing is certain, and that is you have fallen, and will surely fall again, and you may even be taken ‘captive’ for a time. What I can promise you, though, is that you will emerge from all these battles the final victor in the war, with ‘your prey caught between your teeth’.
The Wisest of men once said that “sevenfold shall fall the tsaddik, and yet rise again”. Foolish people interpret this to be in the way of a sort of encouragement; “even though you have fallen seven times, don’t worry, you may rise again”. However, the wise understand this to mean that the very ascent of the tsaddik is predicated on the “seven falls” he has experienced."
Your nature yearns and strives to reach such great heights. I beg of you not to hold in your mind during this process, images of the great ones and their lofty levels of personal perfection, of yetser ha-tov. Rather, picture for yourself the gedolim and their epic battles, and their all-too-human failings and flaws. And when you feel the pangs of the yetser ha-ra, know that it is in these very pangs and struggles that you most resemble our great leaders, and not in the times of rest and peace of mind that you so desire. You will find that it is in those areas where you sink the lowest and feel the greatest struggle that you will eventually find you way to the greatest heights.
...If you do find that your evil inclination overpowers you, you foolishly and naively think that this signals a loss of hope. To be honest with you, this is a ridiculous notion. I sympathize with your pain, but your suffering is actually the ‘womb’ where your greatness germinates. The path of greatness is not a flat plain, but rather it is the curved slitherings of a snake upon the rocks. You feel you have been bitten by the poison of the snake? Crush its head with the heel that has been bitten.
With commiseration in your suffering, in confidence of your victory, and in prayer for your success,
Yitzchak Hutner