The Torah as a Roadmap to Spiritual Growth

For the inaugural post of the Chizuk Shaya blog, I'd like to share an insight from pirkei avos (a/k/a pirkei avot) (note: for those unfamiliar, pirkei avos (Hebrew: פרקי אבות‎) (literally, Chapters of the Fathers) is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims of various Talmudic sages divided into six chapters traditionally studied each Shabbos during the summer months).

Before studying a chapter of Pirkei Avos, it is customary to read from an introductory mishnah from Sanhedrin as follows: "kol yisrael yesh lahem chelek b'olam haba, sh'nemar, "v'amech kulam tzadikim, l'olam yirshu ha'aretz; netzer matai, ma'aseh yadai l'hitpaer." (transl: "Every member of Israel has a portion in the world-to-come, as it states (in Isaiah 60:21), "Your people are all righteous, they shall inherit the land forever; they are the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, so that I may be glorified.").

The mishnah is saying that all Jews have a share in olam haba (i.e., world-to-come) based on a pasuk (i.e., verse) that states that all Jews are righteous. But is it true that we are all righteous? Are we all tzadikkim? The reality is that everyone has their flaws and areas of weakness - both in areas of b'ein adam l'makom and b'ein adam la'chaveiro - and it is the very rare individual who can truly be described as a tzaddik. So how is it that the pasuk can state that all Jews are tzaddikim?

By the same token, the mishnah also seems to be giving every Jew a "free pass." Simply by virtue of one's Jewishness, one obtains a share in olam haba. What happened to all the hard work and striving required to achieve piety, as outlined in such sefarim as mesilas yesharim? Seems to good to be true.

To be sure, on a literal level, the pasuk in Yeshaya is part of a prophecy referring to a future time when Hashem will purify the surviving Jews who gather in the land of Israel, and all these Jews will, in fact, be totally righteous (see Radak on the pasuk). But while this may be an accurate interpretation of the peshat of the pasuk, the mishnah is citing the pasuk as proof for the statement that all Jews - presumably across all generations - have a share in olam haba. That is, the mishnah seems to posit that, based on the pasuk, all Jews in all generations have a portion in olam haba, in which case the mishnah must be interpreting the clause in the pasuk "your people are all righteous" allegorically as applying to all Jews in all generations. So the question stands: is it really accurate to say we are all tzadikkim?

IMHO, light can be shed on the mishnah's intent from a gemara in Shabbos (89b), which expounds on the clause from the pasuk (Isaiah 1:18): "im ye'hiyu chateichem kashanim, kasheleg yalbinu" (transl. "Though your sins be like scarlet wools, they shall be as white as snow.").

The gemara asks why the verse uses the plural form "shanim" (scarlet wools), instead of the singular "shani" (scarlet wool)? Rashi adds that a singular form would have made the first part of the clause consistent with the remainder which uses the singular "sheleg" instead of the plural "shelagim."

Rabbi Yitzchak responds that the plural "shanim" is an allusion to "years" ("shanim") of the world, and what Hashem is saying to the Jewish people is that even if your sins are as numerous as the years since Creation, nevertheless they will whiten like snow (i.e., they will be forgiven).

The Artscroll Talmud quotes a Maharal (in Chiddushei Aggados) which explains Rabbi Yitzchak's response as follows. Individual Jews will sin from time to time, and some may sin so frequently that we are forced to, unfortunately, identify them as wicked. However, when viewed collectively as an independent entity, the Jewish nation is eternally pure, and this spiritual purity endures across the generations despite the sins of individual Jews during that timespan.

In other words, think of the Jewish people like a corporation, with individual Jews being shareholders in that nation. Some of the "shareholders" may behave improperly, but that does not affect the purity of the nation, which is a separate entity (much as, under American law, a corporation survives independently of the misdeeds of its shareholders).

What is the source of the Jewish people's spiritual purity? The Torah, of course. Not surprisingly, Rabbi Yitzchak's statement appears following a lengthy discourse in the gemara concerning the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai.

Applying these insights back to the proof-text from the mishnah in Sanhedrin, one can argue that the mishnah is not concluding that all Jews are righteous. But rather that the Jewish nation is, collectively, a righteous nation (see Irving Bunim, Ethics from Sinai, Vol 1. at 7). While individual Jews may go astray, the nation as a whole remains spiritually uplifted. And by virtue of one's membership in the Jewish nation, one gains access to a blueprint - i.e., the Torah - for achieving spiritual greatness that can, in turn, provide one with great merit in this life, and in olam haba. In essence then, the portion ("chelek") in olam haba referred to by the mishnah is not guaranteed, but represents a potential portion that can be realized if one taps into the spirituality of the Jewish people as represented by the Torah.

Stated differently, each Jew is presented with a choice. If you cleave to the Torah heritage of the Jewish people, you have a roadmap for spiritual growth. But if not, you are on your own. Of course, it is possible for people to act ethically without the Torah as a guide. But it is not so easy. When left to his own devices, man's perception of right and wrong can become quite subjective and driven by personal desires. The Torah, on the other hand, provides an objective yardstick of right and wrong that transcends individual preferences. Thus, by embracing the Torah, the likelihood that one will achieve spiritual greatness and realize one's portion in olam haba is maximized.

To return to our analogy of the "corporation," if Am Yisrael is the corporate entity, and individual Jews are the shareholders, then the Torah is like stock. The more you "invest" in Torah, the greater your "share" in the spiritual potential of Am Yisrael. But if you don't "invest" in Torah, then your share - "chelek" - in both the spiritual greatness of Am Yisrael - and olam haba - may be very small indeed.

An allusion to this concept can be seen in our daily prayers where we read, after bircas hatorah, about the good deeds and practices for which man enjoys the "interest" in this world, and the "principal" is saved for the world-to-come. And of all these practices, "talmud torah keneged kulam." It is one's investment in Torah that yields the greatest "dividends" and greatest increase in spiritual "equity."

This concept of embracing the Torah (the spiritual roadmap of the Jewish nation) as a pathway to righteousness is expressed beautifully in the pasuk cited in the mishnah, which refers to the Jewish people as "netzer matai" - the fruit of my planting. As Irving Bunim explains in Ethics from Sinai, so long as a fruit is attached to its tree (via even a minimal connection - see Uktzin 3:8), it cannot become ritually defiled (tamei). But once it becomes completely detached from its source, it becomes susceptible to tumah.

Similarly, a Jew who detaches completely from his or her spiritual heritage, risks losing his or her moral compass (as noted, because one begins deciding right and wrong based on subjective guidelines). Indeed, the mishnah in Sanhedrin later lists several individuals who have no share in olam haba - such as one who denies the existence of Hashem, which implies a complete rejection of the heritage of the Jewish people.

Along similar lines, the Torah is referred to as an "etz chaim" - tree of life. Staying attached to the "tree" in a figurative sense maximizes the likelihood of spiritual greatness in this life, and thereafter eternal life in olam haba.

In sum, these thoughts demonstrate that the recitation of this mishnah prior to learning pirkei avos is extremely appropriate. The Jew is admonished that one doesn't need to wait for the coming of mashiach to become spiritually uplifted (which is the peshat of the pasuk in Yeshaya). Instead, by absorbing the ethical and moral lessons of pirkei avos, and in general committing oneself to the Torah heritage of the Jewish people, one can achieve spiritual greatness in this life - in the here and now - as well as maximizing one's share in the world-to-come (see Mesilas Yesharim, perek 4, in olam haba, all levels of spirituality are allocated in accordance with one's deeds in this world)..

To come full circle, being Jewish is not a "free pass" to olam haba. Instead, one has to invest time and effort absorbing the lessons and spirit of the Torah. A bit of hard work is required after all ; - )