Dear Friends,
Today I want to tell you a secret.
Among the Mitzvahs in the Torah there are the Chukim, those commandments that the Torah did not reveal to us why one must observe, the most famous of them being the prohibition of mixing meat and milk. The commandment regarding Shaatnez, which appears in our Parasha, belongs to that group of Mitzvahs as well. “You shall not wear Shaatnez, wool and linen together.” The reason for this prohibition does not appear in the Torah and it is considered to be a Chok.
And here comes the secret. Listen carefully, because it requires concentration.
When scientists want to analyze a certain material, they take it to a laboratory and, using a microscope, figure out its components and so uncover its secret. This is exactly what the Pnimiyut of the Torah (the inner meaning – i.e., the Kabbalah and Chassidut) does to the Mitzvahs of the Torah – it analyzes the components and uncovers the secrets behind these Mitzvahs.
Well, on the second day of Shavuot 5667 (1907), in the town of Lubavitch in Russia, the Rebbe, the Rashab (Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, the fifth Rebbe in the Chabad dynasty) figured out the secret of Shaatnez.
The world is composed of two central lines: a. right, which is Chessed, lovingkindness, and b. left, which is Gevurah, judgment or discipline. These two forces, when they light up the material world and act in it, must be separate. Any combination between them might be very destructive. Each one on its own is very good, but the mixing of the two causes a negative reaction.
For instance, Kayin and Hevel symbolized these two lines in the world – Hevel was Chessed and Kayin was Gevurah. The interaction between them brought about tragedy (and, of course, Gevurah vanquished Chessed; Kayin killed Hevel).
Wool and flax symbolize these two lines as well: the wool from sheep represents the Chessed, and the flax that grows from the earth represents the Gevurah, and therefore, it is forbidden to combine them in one garment.
By the way, Kayin and Hevel had the same division. Hevel, who represented the Chessed, brought an animal offering – “He brought from the firstborn of his flock.” Kayin, who represented the Gevurah, brought an offering from the land – “He brought from the fruit of the land.”
The prohibition against the combination of meat and milk comes from the same root, as well. The white, more delicate milk, represents Chessed, and the red, heavy meat, represents Gevurah. Mixing the two in the material world is not good, a bad combination.
This secret is just a small taste from the Pnimiyut of the Torah. It is worthwhile to delve into these issues and learn them in depth, because then life in general, and Jewish life in particular, look completely different.
We merited all this goodness due to Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov and Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the Baal HaTanya, whose birthdays we will note this week on Wednesday, the 18th of Ellul.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Zalman Wishedski