[Index of all Weekly Divrei Torah pages]
It is known that most legal statements of the Torah, written as concise laws, are discussed in the Talmud, for the purpose of arriving at conclusions that can be put into practice. Usually, these discussions took place among the rabbis of the generation. These were men who lived on exceedingly high spiritual levels, who devoted their intellect to the subject of how to apply the written Torah in our everyday physical world. Since they were not only intelligent, but also highly spiritual, their halachic (Jewish legal) opinions are infused with a higher plane of awareness, as well as with genius-level analysis. But, there are exceptions to the rule, and in our Torah portion (Tazria), we find a law that launched a discussion not only among the rabbis themselves, but among them and G-d.
At the end of our parsha (Lev. 13:59), the verse says, “This is the law of a lesion on a wool or cotton garment…rendering it either spiritually pure or impure.” The Talmud applies this sentence not only to a garment, but to a person as well. There is an argument regarding a lesion that appears on one’s skin; the Mishna (tractate Negaim, end of Ch. 4) says, “If the lesion preceded the white hair within it, it is impure. And if the white hair preceded the lesion, it is pure. If there is any doubt, it is considered impure, and R’ Yehoshua darkened it.” Elsewhere, the Talmud (Nazir 65B) explains; “R’ Yehoshua darkened it, meaning he purified it.” Why? The verse from our parsha reads “either spiritually pure or impure.” Since the verse first mentioned “pure,” R’ Yehoshua took it to mean that in a situation of doubt, the emphasis should be placed upon spiritual purity.
But it doesn’t stop there. In a separate section of the Talmud (Baba Metzia 86A), there is an argument. “The heavenly court was divided. If a lesion precedes a white hair, it is impure. If the white hair precedes the lesion, it is pure. In a case of doubt, Hakadosh baruch hu (G-d) says it is pure, but the entire heavenly court says that it is impure. Who is capable of resolving this argument? Raba bar Nachmani, who said, ‘I am unique in knowledge of negaim (“lesions”) and I am unique in knowledge of ohalot (spiritual impurity imparted by tent-like structures). A messenger was sent after him, and he answered, “Pure, pure.”
Even by Talmudic standards, this discussion is unique. What does it mean that the “heavenly court” differed with G-d? And how do we explain that a man – Rabah – resolved the argument?
A proper Talmudic resolution is not one in which one side is “victorious” over the other, proving itself at the expense of the second opinion. A proper resolution is one in which a third opinion is presented, which transcends and includes the two differing opinions. That is, it neither agrees nor disagrees with either position, but lifts us to a different viewpoint, from which we can see that both positions are correct, but that neither is sufficient as a final resolution. There is an example from the perspective of kabala, or the secret dimension of the Torah. From the point of view of chesed, or G-dly kindness, everyone deserves. It is possible to find good in every person, and therefore the attribute of chesed would “deliver the goods” to everyone, regard of whether they are good in all respects. On the other hand, the attribute of gevura looks only at whether the person deserves or not. Since few people fully deserve to be called virtuous by the letter of the law, the attribute of gevura would mete out “the goods” only to the chosen view. A resolution is offered by the third attribute – mercy. The point of view of mercy agrees with gevura – few people deserve. However, says mercy, we must give in any case – not to everyone, but to some people even though they don’t deserve. This is what is required of the attribute of rachamim – mercy – to overlook some faults in order to encourage people to do better. And to this, the attribute of gevura can also agree.
From this we may gain understand regarding the “argument” between G-d and the heavenly court. Rabah could offer a resolution because he had the ability to transcend both viewpoints. He could therefore offer a third way of looking at the argument that both of the other view points could agree with. How do we know? Because, as he said, he was “unique in his knowledge of negaim, and unique in his knowledge of ohalot.” It was this uniqueness that gave him an ability to offer a third opinion that would resolve the first two.
To explain further, it is necessary to introduce two concepts from the world of Chassidut. It is explained that the level of G-dliness called sovev kol olamim – transcendent G-dliness – surpasses the creation and impinges upon it from above, without becoming directly en-clothed and involved in the world. The level known as memalle kol olamim – immanent G-dliness – is clad in the world and enlivens it in recognizable ways that we can feel and understand. According to the Alter Rebbe (founder of Chabad) in Likutei Torah, Hakadosh baruch hu (“The holy One, blessed be He”) in our discussion alludes to sovev kol olamim (transcendent G-dliness). For this reason, He is called kadosh (holy and removed), since He transcends the creation. And the G-dly illumination associated with the “heavenly court” is the light that fills and permeates the world – memalle kol olamim. And thus, the argument in the Talmud takes place between the transcendent illumination of G-dliness (Hakadosh baruch hu) and immanent spirituality (the heavenly court). Transcendent G-dliness says that in a situation that is doubtful, we declare the person pure, and immanent G-dliness says that we declare him impure.
Spiritual impurity is associated with pride and arrogance. It is ego that prevents us from recognizing G-d above and allowing Him into our lives, and ego in turn gives rise to smugness and complacence that is called tuma - spiritual impurity. When there is uncertainty about someone’s situation, then the heavenly tribunal, representing the immanent light that we may grasp, declares him impure. Since this light is en-clothed in the world of materiality and physical existence, it does not let us escape entirely from our own egos and sense of self-importance. Therefore, it assumes that we are impure – insufficiently nullified to the One above. But from the point of view of transcendent G-dliness, there is no room for personal ego or self-importance. Nothing has any true existence in relation to transcendent G-dliness, so as far as Hakadosh baruch hu (sovev kol olamim) is concerned, there is nothing that can hide or conceal His presence – everything is nullified to G-d, and therefore even in a situation of doubt, we assume that the person is egoless – spiritually pure.
Even so, the very term Hakadosh baruch hu, implies transcendence from the world together with recognition of creation. While Hakadosh means removed and transcendent, the rest of the term – baruch hu (blessed be He) – implies a relationship with the world. For, if we say that He is blessed, we mean that we wish to draw His blessings into the world. On the one hand, He is transcendent, but on the other hand, his Presence is not divorced entirely from the creation, which is why we say that He is blessed. He exists beyond us, but it is necessary to inform us of that – and therefore we cannot say that this level of transcendent G-dliness is entirely divorced from the world. And therefore, the bitul, or self-nullification that is associated with this awareness is also not total. There is still awareness of self even as one is nullified to Hakadosh baruch hu – sovev kol olamim.
However, there is a third level of G-dliness which is entirely beyond the worlds and creation. This is called in Hebrew, Atzmut – essence. On this level, there is none other than G-d. Nothing else exists; not worlds, not creation, not even awareness of our own nullification to Him. Since from this point of view, we only consider G-d Himself, it is as if the worlds have no existence of their own whatsoever. And therefore, the self nullification associated with this level is total and absolute. For that reason, it is not appropriate on this level to describe G-d as echad – one. Instead, He is yachid – the unique One, singular and alone. When speaking of G-d as transcendent, we can say that He is echad – one – united with creation. Since everything that exists is nullified to Him, the creation is united – one. It has existence, but it is nullified to Him, and this we describe as echad – one. But, when nothing exists other than Him, as in the level of atzmut – essence – there He is described as yachid – the One and only, singular and unique.
Now, it may be possible to understand how one man – Rabah – could resolve the difference of opinion between G-d (Hakadosh baruch hu) and His heavenly tribunal. Moreover, we can understand why Rabah declared the doubtful situation to be “pure, pure,” repeating the word twice rather than saying it just once, as did G-d Himself. The heavenly tribunal, responding to their own consciousness of G-dliness en-clothed in the world and the lack of nullification within creation, decided that man in a situation of doubt was tamei – impure. Hakadosh baruch hu, responding to the transcendent G-dliness of sovev kol olamim, decided that man is tahor – pure. The word “pure” is mentioned just once, since from this transcendent point of view (echad - unity), man in a situation of doubt is pure. But, from the absolute point of view of yachid – the One and only – man is pure not only from a transcendent level. He is pure in the physical world as well, since even there, nothing exists except for G-d. And therefore, Rabah said, “pure, pure,” twice, to indicate that both from a transcendent point of view and from an immanent point of view, man in a situation of doubt is pure. And it was Rabah who could make this declaration, since he was “unique in negaim, and unique in ohalot” – He came from the point of view of yachid, singular uniqueness, by which nothing exists except for G-d. And from this point of view, all is pure – nothing exists except for His holy Presence. Yachid is the point of view that provides a resolution – since even when we grasp His presence with our own minds and hearts in a physical world that conceals G-dliness – from the point of view of yachid, nothing exists other than Him.
From Likutei Sichot of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztz’l, vol. 12, pp. 64-69 Rabbi David Sterne, Jerusalem Connection in the old city of Jerusalem