I.
The Gemara teaches in Maseches Ta’anis (29a):
כשם שמשנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה כך משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה
“Just as when Av enters we diminish our joy, so too when Adar enters we increase our joy.”
At first glance, this comparison is perplexing. What is the connection between Av and Adar? Av marks tragedy, the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, while Adar culminates in Purim, a time of celebration. Why are they linked in a single formulation of Chazal?
HaRav Chaim Yaakov Goldvicht zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Kerem B’Yavneh, suggested (Asufat Ma’arachot, Purim, p.95-102) that the roots of Av’s tragedy go back far earlier than the churban. The Mishnah (Ta’anis 26b) lists five tragedies that occurred on Tisha B’Av, the first of which was the sin of the spies. When the nation wept that night, Hashem declared: “אתם בכיתם בכיה של חנם - you cried a baseless cry” (ibid 29a). But what exactly was the sin?
Chazal note that the spies were leaders, “כולם אנשים ראשי בני ישראל המה.” (Bamidbar 13:3) They feared that upon entering Eretz Yisrael they would lose their positions of prominence. At face value, this sounds like a crass concern for power and privilege. But Rav Goldvicht explained it differently.
The generation of the wilderness lived in a wholly spiritual reality. They were sustained by manna, protected by the Clouds of Glory, given water from Miriam’s well. They did not farm; they did not wage ordinary war. They were the dor de’ah, immersed in Torah study in a rarefied, almost angelic atmosphere.
Entering Eretz Yisrael meant exchanging that incubator for a life of planting, building, governing, fighting, a life embedded in material reality. And yet, that was precisely Hashem’s will.
The Kotzker Rebbe famously interpreted the verse “ואנשי קדש תהיון לי - You shall be men of holiness to Me” (Shemos 22:30, see Iturei Torah). Hashem says: I have enough angels. What I want are anshei kodesh, human beings living within the world, sanctifying it.
The Medrash Rabbah (Parshas Kedoshim 25:2) teaches that when we enter the Land, “ונטעתם כל עץ מאכל”, we must plant trees (Vayikra 19:23). It likens Hashem to a bird who feeds and protects her young while they are vulnerable. When they mature and return for food, she nudges them away: go, provide for yourselves. So too in the wilderness Hashem provided for us miraculously. But upon entering the Land, He commanded us to work, to cultivate, to fight, to build, to live as holy human beings within the natural order.
The sin of the spies was the mistaken belief that the desert existence was the l’chatchila, the ideal. They viewed engagement with the material world as a spiritual decline. Hashem declared the opposite. The mission was to enter the Land and live as anshei kodesh in the fullness of human life. This misunderstanding is the root of “כשם שנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה.” It was a rejection of the Divine plan.
II.
What, then, is the connection to Adar? Rav Goldvicht explained that Amalek represents the ideological opposite of anshei kodesh. Amalek insists there is no synthesis between the physical and the spiritual. If you are worldly, you cannot be holy.
Chazal describe a symbolic “agreement” between Esav (ancestor of Amalek) and Yaakov: you take olam haBah, I will take olam haZeh (Tana Dbei Eliyahu Zuta, 19). Esav separates heaven and earth. He said “הלעיטני נא מן האדום האדום הזה,” (Bereishis 25:30) a demand for immediate gratification. On that same day, he committed adultery and murder (Bava Basra 16b).
Some explain the name Amalek from the root “melika,” severing the head from the body. Indeed, Chazal teach that Esav’s head rolled into the Me’aras HaMachpelah (Targum Yonasan, Bereishis 50:13). His body lived a life of depravity.
Judaism rejects that dichotomy. We do not choose between heaven and earth. Through Rivka’s intervention, Hashem’s hashgachah arranged that Yaakov received both berachos, the physical, (טל השמים ומשמני הארץ) (Bereishis 27,28), and the spiritual, ברכת אברהם (28:4).
Chazal tell us (Menachos 73b) that if a nochri wants to bring a korban shelamim, we're allowed to accept the korban but we bring it as an olah, a burnt offering. The whole idea of shelamim is ואכלתם לפני השם אלוקיכם, to eat before Hashem (Devarim 12:7). A non-Jew can't grasp this concept. No anshei kodesh. If you're someone who's holy, you have to separate yourself from the world. In certain religions, the spiritual leaders are supposed to remain celibate. It's the opposite of what we stand for. Kedoshim tihiyu (Vayikra 19:1) in all of our aspects of our lives, in our married lives, in our eating, in our drinking, bechol derachecha da'ehu (Mishlei 3:6), וכל מעשיך יהיו לשם שמים (Avos 2:12).
On Purim we are marbim besimcha, we celebrate through eating and drinking, achilah u’shtiyah. Even here, halachah disciplines joy: the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 695:2, see Biur Halachah) speaks of measured drinking, only a revi’is or two of wine (Am Mordechai, Moed, p. 113), and only during the day.
This is our victory over Amalek. When Adar enters, we increase our joy, not because we escape the world as the meraglim did, but because we affirm that the world itself can be holy.
III.
Our Yeshiva embraces this as a l’chatchila vision. We educate talmidim to sanctify Hashem’s Name in every sphere of life, in two categories. One is parnassah, earning a livelihood.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 156:1) teaches that after prayer and Torah study, one must go to work. Chazal state (Avos 2:2): “כל תורה שאין עמה מלאכה סופה בטילה וגוררת עון.”
Yes, Torah is primary and work secondary, both in importance and, ideally, in time allocation. In the Rambam’s era, a person might work three hours and learn nine (Hilchos Talmud Torah 1:12). Today’s professional world rarely allows such ratios. But the principle remains: career choices must preserve space for Torah, family, and spiritual growth.
The Bi’ur Halachah cites the Gemara (Berachos 35b): “זה וזה נתקיים בידו.” Following Rabbi Yishmael, working and learning can be fully l’chatchila. There are select individuals, yechidim, following Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who devote themselves entirely to Torah. They too serve Hashem l’chatchila. But the overwhelming majority serve Hashem l’chatchila through engagement in the world. The Shulchan Aruch does not present employment as a concession. It is the normative path.
Chazal (Ta’anis 21b) tell of Abba Umna, a bloodletter who received heavenly greetings daily, more frequently than Abaye or Rava. Through modesty with his female patients, and care for others, especially talmidei chachamim, he sanctified Hashem’s Name. Professional life, lived properly, is itself avodas Hashem.
IV.
The second dimension is the Hirschian model - Torah Im Derech Eretz.
On the verse (Vayikra 18:4) “את חקתי תשמרו ללכת בהם,” Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch quotes the Sifra “עשם עיקר ואל תעשם טפילה”, make Torah primary, not secondary. Says Rav Hirsch: it is clearly implied that as a tfeila, as something secondary, it is allowed and even lechatchila. This as we well know was the Hirschian view, which the Hirschians to this day say was not a hora'as sha'ah as some would say. But this was Rav Hirsch's approach, which, I believe, we here in our yeshiva, perhaps, continue that legacy more than any other place.
A beautiful sefer called Shaarei Talmud Torah was written by a former neighbor of ours here in Washington Heights. His name was Professor Leo Levi, Harav Yehuda Levi, who himself wrote a number of beautiful seforim and ma'amorim based on his תורה עם דרך ארץ background that he received here in this community. After citing Rav Hirsch (p. 251), he describes the beautiful things, the wonderful mitzvos that can be accomplished not merely in the pursuit of parnasa, but in the Hirschian view of having the chochmas umos ha-olam as tfeilos la-Torah.
Of course, if these chochmos contradict the Torah, Torah wins. But by and large, there are large segments of these chochmos which do not contradict the Torah. To the contrary, they complement the Torah. Those who have these other chochmas umos ha-olam, as the Rambam (Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah 2:2) writes, can appreciate Hakadosh Baruch Hu better. The Rambam asks, “V’hei'ach hi haderech l’ahavaso v’yiraso – what is the path to loving Him and fearing Him?” He answers: by understanding the incredible wisdom of the world at large, biology, chemistry, physics, the natural sciences (Shaarei Talmud Torah, p. 256-258).
There is also the importance of history. “ זכור ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור שאל אביך ויגדך זקניך ויאמרו לך” (Devarim 32:7, ibid p.283). And yes, there's the written and spoken language which are taught here in this college, which are important to be able to express yourself properly (ibid p. 284-285), to be a greater kiddush Hashem when you're out in the world (ibid p. 262-265). All these things are taught here.
The Rambam, Rabbeinu Bachya, the Vilna Gaon, all use the same mashal, rakachos tavachos ve-ofos (ibid p. 252). These are the types of wisdom which are all centered around Torah. Secondary to it, certainly in importance, and when possible, even in time allotted. We continue the Hirschian model in this yeshiva. This too is l’chatchila.
Not every individual must study these disciplines, just as not everyone must go to work. A yachid can devote himself exclusively to Torah study. So too engagement with general wisdom varies by individual calling. But properly integrated, it is a vehicle for ahavas Hashem and kiddush Hashem.
Our Yeshiva is not perfect. No institution is perfect. No individual is perfect. Only Hashem and His Torah are perfect. But imperfection does not mean that our vision is not l’chatchila. Our l’chatchila vision is to produce anshei kodesh, people of holiness living and involved in the world.
We avoid repeating the cheit hameraglim of Av, which diminishes simcha, and increase simcha in Adar, by eating and drinking on Purim as anshei kodesh.
When every one of our actions, physical and spiritual, is lesheim shamayim, we defeat Amalek. When the head and body reunite in sanctity, Amalek will be erased (Shemos 17:14). “כסא שלם” will replace ”כס י-ה” (Rashi 17:16). May we merit that fulfillment speedily in our days.
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