Page 34 - HaMizrachi02-04( #12)2019RoshHaShanaYomKippurUSA

Rabbanit Rachelle Fraenkel
The Divine Gaze
of Compassion
T he students of the great
Rabbi
Tannaic
scholar
Yochanan ben Zakai (Ribaz)
went to visit their Rabbi on his
deathbed (Brachot 28b). Realizing
that this might be the last time,
the students ask him for a blessing.
What last words would he choose
to say? His parting message amazed
them with its simplicity: “May the
fear of Heaven be upon you like the
fear of flesh and blood.”
They were puzzled. “Is that it? Is
that the highest standard you expect
of us?”
Ribaz replied, “You wish! We all
know that when one commits a
transgression, he says to himself,
‘I hope no one saw me.’” If one was
as concerned about avoiding shame
before G-d as he is before man, he
would never sin.
We are required to feel those Divine
eyes upon us at every moment,
reminding us of an expectation for
high standards, with self-criticism
and perspective, preventing us from
shaming ourselves.
The thought of this Divine gaze
looking over our shoulder, so to
speak, reminds me of a famous
image from the Talmud (Sota 36b).
According to one opinion, Yosef
was about to sin with Potiphar’s
wife, but upon entering her room,
he suddenly saw an image in the
window that stopped him from
sinning – a portrait of his father.
(According to the Yerushalmi it was
of both his father and his mother.) I call it the three P’s: Perfectionism,
What did Yosef see in his father’s
eyes? What made him halt at the
precipice of sin? What was it about
his father’s gaze that saved him
from disgrace?
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Perhaps it was a look of criticism, make us despair of compassion and
deep disappointment, anger? On
thrust us into the arms of paralysis.
the
of
between
relationship
second thoughts we are reminded According to the Baal Shem Tov,
Ya’akov and his favorite son. The the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination)
father’s expression must have also sometimes misleads a person by
transmitted great love, and full telling him he has committed a
confidence in his son’s ability to major offense when he hasn’t. The
withstand the test of temptation. Yetzer Hara’s intention is that one
would be saddened and ashamed
According to a fascinating by this, and that will prevent him
commentary mentioned in Rabbi from worshipping G-d. People must
Chaim Sabato’s book, BeShafrir understand this trick and say to the
Chevyon, “his father’s image” was Yetzer, “I will not listen to your lies.
actually a reflection of himself in Even if I am a little sinful, it would
a mirror. After a long period of please the Creator more if I did not
incarceration and hardship, Yosef
listen to your attempt to make me
finds himself in the First Lady’s sad and stop serving G-d. On the
dressing room! He sees himself in a contrary, I will serve Him with even
mirror for the first time. No longer greater joy.”
a child, suddenly a grown man,
looking so much like his father… (a Similarly, during the period of
similar scene appears in Lion King, Selichot, we notice something
when the older Simba first sees his perplexing: we sing the words
reflection in a puddle.) Ashamnu, Bagadnu – we have
sinned before you, in a joyous
So the question remains. How do melody. Why? It seems as though
we view these eyes watching us? As we are saying to G-d, ‘Woe to us for
a scary and threatening standard, or sinning but good for us for being
as a parental expression of affection capable of feeling guilty.’ We are not
and faith? And how do we react? hiding behind excuses and denial.
With paralyzing self-criticism and
guilt, or with compassion, love, and Yes, we are guilty, and we may not
trust? be able to correct it all this year.
But the Divine eyes, the presence
I know a young man who had been of G-d we feel, see beyond the guilt.
an outstanding student all his life. They instill us with confidence
When he arrived at his prestigious and compassion. If we can only
college, things began to deteriorate. internalize G-d’s point of view and
So much so that his father went relate to ourselves with an Ayin
with him to the Dean, who told Tova, a favorable eye, we would be
him, “I see these things every year. safely on the difficult but joyous
path to teshuva.
Procrastination, Paralysis.”
Our high standards, our aspiration
for perfection, the need to be
painfully honest over these days Rabbanit Rachelle Fraenkel teaches
of repentance and atonement, may Torah at midrashot in Israel