Investing in ones individual self
לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי ללמדך שכל המאבד נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם מלא
The court tells the witnesses: Therefore, Adam the first man was created alone, to teach you that with regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.
Weekly Shmuess - 024 Metzora | Strive to be Alone- Sometimes
http://bilvavi.net/english/weekly-shmuess-024-metzora-strive-be-alone-sometimes
Chazal say, “Therefore, man was created alone”. Adam was first created alone. This was the inner essence of man – to be alone. At a later point, Hashem said, “It is not good for man to be alone”, and He created woman as a helpmate for man. This became the external function of man: to live with companionship. But the internal function of man - the initial form of existence of man - is to be “alone”.
This function of man, “alone”, was not lost after man received a companion. Rather, it remains as an inner power in man which is still functioning even though it is hidden. All people, throughout all the generations, retained this inner function of man to be “alone”, for “man was created alone.” The avodah of every person, on one hand, is to develop this inner space of being “alone”; and simultaneously, man has the task of being a companion to others. The Gemara says that it is wrong to learn Torah alone, and one must learn Torah with a chavrusa, or else “a sword shall be upon his neck.”
In the depths of our soul, we need to develop the soul’s power of “alone”, man’s “individual” aspect, but at the same time, we also need to build connections with others. You are commanded to love another Jew like yourself, and in learning Torah, you need to learn Torah with others, and not by yourself.
These are the two major, opposite areas in the soul which need to be accessed: the power of alone, and the power of companionship. One needs to build the power of “alone” - in a holy manner, that is - and on the other hand, one needs to be able to connect to others.
Rav Hirsch
Quarantine and seclusion (i.e. the isolation a leper is compelled to endure) distance a person from the Temple and from the society around him. The purpose is to lead to repentance and rectification of character traits. However, it is not hoped that this is what they will achieve, unless moral goodness had still been retained in the person’s consciousness, and can wage war against evil. Therefore, if absolute evil had suddenly emerged, i.e. ‘ had appeared all over’, or even if the entire became smitten with tzara’at – during the time a person had been in seclusion through quarantine this is what is meant: the days of isolation had removed any foundations of morality from his heart, so that this isolation does not lead the individual to rectifying his character traits. This is why the declaration of impurity is nullified. Rebuke is worthwhile as long as a person still hopes he is capable of correcting his negative traits and bettering his situation. However, if a person senses that he’s in dire straits, there is no reason to impose any more punishments, and it would be better to simply state that the person is pure.”
(יד) וְהִקְרִ֣יב אֶת־קָרְבָּנ֣וֹ לַה' כֶּבֶשׂ֩ בֶּן־שְׁנָת֨וֹ תָמִ֤ים אֶחָד֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה וְכַבְשָׂ֨ה אַחַ֧ת בַּת־שְׁנָתָ֛הּ תְּמִימָ֖ה לְחַטָּ֑את וְאַֽיִל־אֶחָ֥ד תָּמִ֖ים לִשְׁלָמִֽים׃
Community
(ד) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנוֹ כִרְצוֹנְךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כִרְצוֹנוֹ. בַּטֵּל רְצוֹנְךָ מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל רְצוֹן אֲחֵרִים מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנֶךָ. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִשְׁמֹעַ, שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע. וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאִפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה:
(4) He used to say: do His will as though it were your will, so that He will do your will as though it were His. Set aside your will in the face of His will, so that he may set aside the will of others for the sake of your will. Hillel said: do not separate yourself from the community, Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death, Do not judge not your fellow man until you have reached his place. Do not say something that cannot be understood [trusting] that in the end it will be understood. Say not: ‘when I shall have leisure I shall study;’ perhaps you will not have leisure.
יבמות יג:
אמר ליה ר"ל לר' יוחנן איקרי כאן (דברים יד) לא תתגודדו לא תעשו אגודות אגודות. א"ל עד כאן לא שנית מקום שנהגו לעשות מלאכה בערבי פסחים עד חצות עושין מקום שנהגו שלא לעשות אין עושין
Yebamot 13b
Reish Lakish said to R’Yochanan: Read the verse “Lo Titgodedu”, which means do not form separate groups... He replied to Reish Lakish: We learned in a Mishna “In a place where people have the custom to do work on the day before Pesach until midday, one may do work. But in a place where they have the custom not to do work, then they may not”
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Orot
The relationship between the Jewish people and its individual members is different than the relationship between any other national group and its constituents. All other national groups only bestow upon their individual members the external aspect of their essence. But the essence itself each person draws from /the all-inclusive soul, from the soul of God, without the intermediation of the group... This is not the case regarding Israel. The soul of the individuals is drawn from ... the community, the community bestowing a soul upon the individuals. One who considers severing himself from the people must sever his soul from the source of its vitality. Therefore each individual Jew is greatly in need of the community. He will always offer his life so that he should not be torn from the people, because his soul and self-perfection require that of him. (p. 144)
Individuals responsibility for the community
(2) And a man went. He was very wealthy, and the leader of the generation. He left Eretz Yisroel for regions out of the land because of stinginess, for he was miserly toward the poor who came to press him; therefore he was punished.
ויהי בימי שפט השפטים, יספר הסבה שהניעה את אלימלך לצאת מא"י לח"ל מפני שהיה בימי שפט השפטים שעל הימים האלה אמר (שופטים סי' י"ז וסי' יח) בימים ההם אין מלך בישראל איש הישר בעיניו יעשה, וגם לא היה אז שופט אחד מיוחד לכל ישראל שאז היה השופט עוצר בעם, כי היה בין שופט לשופט שאז היו שופטים רבים החפץ ימלא את ידו, ואין מורא השופט על העם כמ"ש אלמלא מוראה של מלכות איש את רעהו חיים בלעו, וחז"ל במליצתם אמרו אוי לדור ששפטו את שופטיהם, זאת שנית ויהי רעב בארץ, שבימי רעב יתאספו ההמון העניים על העשירים ויכריחום לתת להם לחם ודגן ואם לא יקחו בחזקה, אחר שאין מלך להפיל מוראו עליהם, ועי"כ וילך איש מבית לחם יהודה לגור בשדי מואב. באשר היה איש עשיר היה ירא שהעניים יפלו עליו וישללו כל אשר לו, ובכ"ז לא הלך להשתקע רק לגור בשדי מואב עד יעבר זעם וגם לא לגור בעיר וכרך רק בשדי מואב כמתגורר בשדה לפי שעה, וכן הגם שהיה עת רעה ויגון לא יצא משם רק איש אחד לבד ויתר העשירים לא השתתפו בזה לצאת מא"י לח"ל, וגם בני ביתו של אלימלך לא יצאו ברצון כי לא רצו לעזוב ארץ חמדה רק הוא ואשתו ושני בניו שהוא היה העקר בזה והם היו מוכרחים להמשך אחריו, וכן אמר במדרש הוא עיקר ואשתו טפלה:
Malbim Megillat Rut 1:1
"And it was in the time of the Judges judging," provides the reason that Elimelech was motivated to leave the land of Israel to a foreign land - because it was during the time of the Judges. During these days it is said, "In those days there was no King over Israel, each man would do what he saw fitting in his eyes." And there was not then a single designated judge for all of Israel that would stop the people. This was a time of many judges, , and one could do as he pleased. The judge did not put fear in the people. As it is written, "were it not for the fear imposed by kingship, each man would swallow the life of his neighbor." And our sages interpreted, "Woe is to the generation that judged their Judges."
"And there was a famine in the land" - that in the days of famine, the poor masses gathered themselves before the wealthy and forced the wealthy to provide the poor with bread and cereals; and if not, the poor would take with force because there was no king to place his fear on the nation. And as a result of this, "A man from Beit Lechem Yehuda went to live in the fields of Moav. Because he was a wealthy man, he was afraid that the poor would fall upon him and deprive him of all that was his. Despite this, he didn't settle - he only lived in the fields of Moav until the fury would pass. He didn't live in the cities, only in the fields, as one who dwells in the fields temporarily. And even though it was a time of tragedy and grief, no one left from there (Beit Lechem) except one man alone, and the rest of the wealthy didn't join him in leaving the land of Israel; The members of Elimelech's household didn't leave willingly, as they didn't want to leave the precious land. "He, his wife and his sons," - Elimelech was the primary one in this matter, and they were forced to follow after him. And so it says in the midrash, "The man is the primary and his wife is secondary."
(א) עד מות הכהן הגדול. שֶׁהוּא בָא לְהַשְׁרוֹת שְׁכִינָה בְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְהַאֲרִיךְ יְמֵיהֶם, וְהָרוֹצֵחַ בָּא לְסַלֵּק אֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל וּמְקַצֵּר אֶת יְמֵי הַחַיִּים, אֵינוֹ כְדַאי שֶׁיְּהֵא לִפְנֵי כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל (ספרי); דָּבָר אַחֵר — לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל לְהִתְפַּלֵּל שֶׁלֹּא תֶאֱרַע תַּקָּלָה זוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּחַיָּיו (עי' מכות י"א):
(1) עד מות הכהן הגדול [HE SHALL ABIDE IN IT] UNTIL THE DEATH OF THE HIGH PRIEST — because he serves to cause the Shechinah to dwell in Israel and thereby prolong their days, whilst the murderer serves to make the Shechinah depart from Israel and thereby shortens the days of the living. He is therefore not worthy that he should stand before a High Priest (that he should be anywhere near a High Priest) (Sifrei Bamidbar 160:9). Another explanation why he had to remain there until the High Priest’s death: Because the High Priest should have prayed that this misfortune might never happen in Israel in his days (cf. Makkot 11a).
Communities responsibility for the individuals
הא לחמא עניא די אכלו אבהתנא בארעא דמצרים. כל דכפין ייתי ויכל. כל דצריך ייתי ויפסח. השתא הכא. לשנה הבאה בארעא דישראל. השתא עבדי. לשנההבאה בני חורין
(יב) מִי שֶׁיָּשַׁב בַּמְּדִינָה שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם כּוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ לִתֵּן צְדָקָה לַקֻּפָּה עִם בְּנֵי הַמְּדִינָה. יָשַׁב שָׁם שְׁלֹשָׁה חֳדָשִׁים כּוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ לִתֵּן הַתַּמְחוּי. יָשַׁב שָׁם שִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים כּוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ לִתֵּן צְדָקָה בִּכְסוּת שֶׁמְּכַסִּים בָּהּ עֲנִיֵּי הָעִיר. יָשַׁב שָׁם תִּשְׁעָה חֳדָשִׁים כּוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ לִתֵּן צְדָקָה לִקְבוּרָה שֶׁקּוֹבְרִין בָּהּ אֶת הָעֲנִיִּים וְעוֹשִׂין לָהֶם כָּל צָרְכֵי קְבוּרָה:
(12) If someone stays in a province for thirty days, they may coerce him to give tzedakah for the kupah for the citizens of that province. If he stays for three months, they may coerce him to give to the tamchui. If he stays for six months, they may coerce him to give tzedakah for clothing, so they may clothe the poor of that city. If he stays for nine months, they may coerce him to give tzedakah for burial, so they may bury the poor and take care of all of the needs for burial.
Chevra Kadisha
Literally “sacred society,” the chevra kadisha is the volunteer group that performs the final rites for the Jewish deceased. According a Jew with a proper Jewish burial is considered a sacred duty and a great kindness, and it is an honor to be included in this group of dedicated volunteers.
The contemporary chevra kadisha often works hand-in-hand with funeral parlors, cemeteries, hospitals and families to ensure that the Jewish dead are accorded the highest form of dignity and respect. While the work of the chevra kadisha may begin with visiting people at the end of their lives and continues through the burial (and beyond), some of their tasks have been taken over by funeral directors and cemetery staff.
Balancing
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, On Repentance, pp. 114-115
Judaism has always viewed man from this dual perspective. It sees every person as an independent individual and also as part of a community, a limb of the body of Israel. Jewish thinkers have conducted an ongoing dialectic on this subject throughout the ages. The pivotal question is: Does the individual stand above the community which should serve its needs, or should the individual subordinate himself to the community's needs? In Judaism this question has been asked in relation to the individual who serves as a community leader. Who, in our history, was a greater leader than Moses, redeemer of Israel, the great rabbi and teacher, about whom our Sages wrote that his worth was equivalent to that of six hundred thousand men, meaning the total number of the male community of his time? Nonetheless, when the children of Israel fashioned the Golden Calf, "God said to Moses, 'Go down - lower yourself down; for did I not grant you greatness only to benefit Israel? And now that Israel has sinned, what need have I of you?'" (Berakhot 32b). Even the greatness of an individual like Moses is dependent upon the community. It would seem that the community and the individual are placed in balance with each other and are interdependent. At times we find that the community must sacrifice itself on behalf of the individual ... And at times the individual must sacrifice himself for the good of the community.
Never is the individual's worth belittled when measured against the whole community; and never is the community undermined because of any individual or individuals. Each has its own position of strength.
“True belonging is not passive. It's not the belonging that comes with just joining a group. It's not fitting in or pretending or selling out because it's safer. It's a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are. We want true belonging, but it takes tremendous courage to knowingly walk into hard moments.”
― Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
An Inward Focus: Michoel Gourarie
The Rebbe of Kotzk once said: "When I was younger I thought I would change the world. I then decided that I would work on my city, and later concentrated just on my family. But now I have decided just to try and change myself."I do not believe the Kotzker Rebbe meant that he would work only on himself and ignore others. After all, he led a big community and was responsible for thousands of followers. What he was saying is that the only effective way to change other people is to begin with ourselves.