There is a section in the tractate Succah (5a) that appears baffling on the surface. The Gemara says that G-d has never come down to within ten T'fachim (hands-breaths) of the Aretz (land), and Moshe and Eliyahu never actually got within ten T'fachim of heaven, because it says: "The Heaven belongs to G-d, and the Aretz was given to man (Tehillim 115:16)."
Then the Gemara tries to prove that G-d actually did come down, since it says, "And G-d came down on Sinai (Shmos 19:20)," and, "And on that day, He [G-d] will stand his feet on Har HaZeisim (Zecharyah 14:4)." Both Psukim seem to imply that G-d actually comes down to the Aretz. The Gemara rejects both proofs by saying that in both cases, even though G-d did come "down," it was still above ten T'fachim from the Aretz.
Then, the Gemara tries to prove that Moshe and Eliyahu did actually go up, since it says, "And Moshe went up to G-d (Shmos 19:3)," and, "Eliyahu went up in a whirlwind to Heaven (Melachim 2:11)." Again, both Psukim seem to imply that both Moshe and Eliyahu actually went up to Heaven. The Gemara again rejects both proofs, saying that in both cases, even though they "went up," it was still below ten T'fachim from Heaven.
The Gemara attempts one final proof that Moshe did get up to Heaven. It says, "He [Moshe - per Shabbos 88b] held the front of G-d's throne, and G-d spread His glory and His cloud on him(Iyov 26:9)." So we see that Moshe must have reached Heaven. The Gemara answers that G-d spread his glory and cloud on Moshe while he was still below ten T'fachim. But, it still says that he "held" on to G-d's throne! The Gemara replies that the throne was somehow extended (Ishtarbubei Ishtarbab Lei Keesei) to exactly ten T'fachim from the Aretz, and Moshe held it at that point.
A cryptic Gemara to say the least, but let's see what we can do with it:
The Gemara tells us two things:
1) G-d never descends all the way down to the Aretz, and
2) Man never actually reaches Heaven.
Rav Reichman explained it to me this way: Number 2 is easy to understand, so we will deal with that one first. Man can never actually comprehend G-d. No matter how much knowledge he accumulates during his lifetime, at the end of the day, G-d will still be beyond his understanding. That doesn't mean that a person shouldn't learn, it just means that one has to realize that in relation to G-d, all his knowledge is meaningless; it's not even the tip of the iceberg. Even those people whom we think actually reached a comprehension of G-d, never really did. Moshe and Eliyahu, about whom the Psukim write that they actually arrived in Heaven...even they never really got there. In the deepest sense, all the learning that we do, is actually only to come to the realization that we don't really know anything. Even Moshe and Eliyahu were still ten T'fachim away.
Number two is a bit more difficult. You see, when a person is lying down, he is below ten T'fachim. When a person is "lying down on the job," when he isn't looking to create a relationship with G-d, Hashem isn't going to come down and introduce Himself. G-d doesn't reveal Himself to a person who isn't looking for Him. The Gemara says, "If one is looking to make himself impure, G-d gives him that option too." It's function of free will.
So, the Gemara brings two Psukim to try to disprove number 1, and then two Psukim to try and disprove number 2. But, there is a final Pasuk that the Gemara brings that I think is telling us about how to create a relationship with G-d. At the end of the section, the Gemara says that G-d's throne extended (Ishtarbubei Ishtarbab Lei Keesei) to exactly ten T'fachim away so that Moshe could hold on to it. There another Gemara which uses the same words (Ishtarbubei Ishtarbab) to explain an incident in this weeks Parsha.
When the daughter of Pharaoh goes to the Nile to bathe, she sees the basket that contains Moshe, floating in the water, well out of her reach. The Pasuk says, "VaTishlach Es Amasah, VaTikacheha (Shmos 2:5)." One opinion in the Gemara says that this means, "She sent out her arm, and took him (Sotah 12b)." So why doesn't it say that she extended her "arm (Yadah)?" It comes to teach us that her arm extended (Ishtarbubei Ishtarbab) so that she could reach him. Her arm physically expanded so that she could reach him! Why does the Torah tell us this?
The Baalei Mussar explain that man can never actually accomplish anything. A person can work as hard as he wants, but whether or not the business deal will succeed is not up to him. At the end of the day there are so many factors beyond his control. The accomplishment is up to G-d, but man must do the work. A Rebbi of mine once put it this way, "Whether or not you win the race is up to Him, but you still have to run it like heck!" The Torah is teaching this lesson here. All the daughter of Pharaoh did was a small action, she simply reached out her arm. But, because she did that, G-d allowed her to accomplish. Her arm unnaturally extended so that she could reach the basket, and that is how Moshe Rabeinu's life was saved.
That is also how we create a relationship with G-d. When we are lying down, the ten Tefach line is above our heads, but when we lean up just a bit, when we put forth the most minute effort, we raise ourselves above that line. Once we do the smallest effort, we are already above ten T'fachim, and Hashem responds by descending to us. That's what the Gemara means when it says that G-d's throne extended (Ishtarbubei Ishtarbab Lei Keesei), it means exactly the same thing as it meant in this weeks Parsha: When man does the smallest effort; when he is looking to create a relationship, G-d responds by allowing him to accomplish.
We see this quality in Moshe Rabeinu's actions. Moshe flees Egypt and becomes a shepherd for Yisro. One day he sees a bush on fire, but it is not being consumed. The Psukim over there stress a certain action that he did. It says, "And Moshe said, 'Let me go out of my way to see what's up with that (Shmos 3:3).'" Moshe asked, "Why is the bush on fire, but not burning (Ibid.)?" He could have easily noted that it was really weird, and gone on with his life. He didn't have to go out of his way to find out why this was occurring, but that is exactly the reason G-d spoke to him. It says, "And G-d saw that he [Moshe] went out of his way to investigate, and called to him... (Shmos 3:4)." It was because Moshe asked, "Why," that G-d spoke to him. Imagine if Moshe had just ignored the bush, we might still be slaves in Egypt! We might never have received the Torah! It was all because Moshe asked the question, "Why." He raised himself above ten T'fachim to meet Hashem, so Hashem came "down" and spoke to him. Moshe wanted that relationship, so he put forth the effort. Hashem allowed him to accomplish by speaking to him.
You might say, "Big deal... if I saw a bush burning, I would check it out too." The question is would you recognize it as miraculous. Far too often today, people fail to ask, "Why," or if they do, they are satisfied with a, "How" answer. Science asks how. Jews ask why. Science will tell you how wood burns, but it does not explain why. "Why?" is a metaphysical question that leads to G-d. Moshe asks, "Maduah..." - "Why..." not, "Eich?" - "How?"
Rav Tatz explains it like this: It used to be that G-d could show a generation miracles and that would demonstrate to them that there is no such concept as cause and effect in the world. "That's nature," is not an answer. A revealed miracle is a sudden supernatural occurrence that is beyond natural explanation. How can wood be on fire and not burn? Moshe asked why. We would ask how. We would say, "Well, it could have a coating of some sort of fire-proof sap that repelled fire for a certain amount of time." We would come up with some sort of rational explanation. CNN would send a team of scientists to investigate. A real scientist knows that science only explains what has happened every time we have measured something, so he would probably explain it like this: Wood burns most of the time it is on fire, but there are times when it does not.
There is something called the anomalous theory of water. Every liquid contracts when it gets colder, but only water expands when it freezes. No other liquid does that. Since science can't come up with an explanation, they say it is an anomaly. That means it shouldn't really be that way, but we have no way to explain it, so we'll call it a theory. Anyone who is sensitive to what this means though, knows that the reason why water expands when it freezes is because that is what makes ice float. Were it not for the fact that ice floats, rivers and lakes would freeze from the bottom up and there would be no spring after winter! Life wouldn't survive. So you see it has to be this way.
G-d cannot speak to us anymore through miracles, because we would throw them back in his face, by explaining them away. That is one of the reasons why there are no more revealed miracles. So how does G-d speak to us? Rav Tatz says that G-d still tries to demonstrate that there is no real cause and effect. What happens is that G-d allows you to make tremendous efforts in the physical world, and then he breaks them. He allows you to work very hard on a project, and then once you think you have it all figured out, it bombs. He wants you to ask, "Why?" He wants you to realize that there is no natural process of cause and effect. The effect, the accomplishment is up to Him! If we would only ask the question, we can raise ourselves above ten T'fachim and He will speak to us, but we have to be looking. On the Pasuk, "And G-d saw that he [Moshe] went out of his way...and called to him," the S'forno comments that G-d called to him to teach us the principal that, "If one is looking to purify himself, G-d helps him." All Moshe did was ask, "Why?"
Sometimes, people refuse to even consider asking why, though. Some people never raise themselves above ten T'fachim. You know what they say? When they make a big business deal and it bombs, they say, "Bad luck. It happens." If someone refuses to ask the question, Hashem cannot speak to him. Hashem doesn't lower himself down to introduce himself to someone. Hashem can't do anything for a man like that. But, there is something he does with him. Rav Tatz explains that you know what G-d does with a man like that? He allows him to succeed. G-d allows him to accomplish even though he doesn't recognize the divine influence. You know why? To be a test for you and me. In order for us to have free will in this area, we have to be able to doubt it, so G-d makes this guy accomplish. That's the negative side. The positive side is that all it takes is a small action; all it takes is for us to lean forward a little bit and we will be above those ten T'fachim. All we have to do is ask the question, and be looking for the relationship, and it will be there. That's a promise.
By asking the question, "Why?" we should all merit the coming of the Mashiach, Bemeheirah, BeYameinu.
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