I Will Choose the King: Section 3

On the surface, the above can be explained based on the well-known concept1 that in the early generations, the people who worshiped the stars and the constellations2 [did not think that the stars could generate influence independently]. They knew that the influence conveyed to the earth through the stars and the constellations (as implied by the verse:3 “With the goodness of the sun’s crops and with the goodness of the moon’s yield,”) is not brought forth by them independently. Instead, it is the Holy One, blessed be He, who conveys influence through them. Where they erred, however, was in thinking that the influence which G‑d conveys through the stars and the constellations is transmitted by their choice. They did not know the truth: that the stars and the constellations have no free choice and are only like an ax in the hands of the chopper.4

This was the reason they bowed down to the stars and the constellations and served them.5 According to their mistaken conception, the influence drawn down through the stars and the constellations was dependent on the free choice of those celestial bodies. Hence, [the people thought,] it is appropriate to thank them, following the logic of the saying:6 “The wine belongs to the owner, but the waiter deserves favor.”7 Furthermore, because of their mistaken conception that the stars and the constellations have free choice, they thought that by serving them, they would motivate them to grant them more influence.

This led to their committing an even greater error: the thought that G‑d abandoned the earth,8 [relegating the authority over it] to the stars and the constellations and that they control the earth’s destiny. To illustrate by analogy: [these individuals thought that the situation resembled] a king who appointed officers to run a country. Now, it is true that their authority over the country came about because the king appointed them. Nevertheless, once they were appointed, it was they who governed the country and the king did not involve himself (except on rare occasions when extreme measures were necessary).

{Both types [of errors] described above are included in our Sages’ statement9 that the nations of the world refer to G‑d as “the G‑d of gods,” [i.e., they conceive of their false deities as gods, but acknowledge that G‑d is “the G‑d of gods”]. For even those who believe that G‑d abandoned the earth [and relegated the authority over it] to the stars and the constellations refer to G‑d as “the G‑d of gods.” They acknowledge that He is greater than those bodies and rules over them. Moreover, they realize that the very fact that (according to their mistaken conception) the stars and the constellations are deities and have the authority to control the earth and convey influence to it, is not because these bodies have independent authority. [Instead, these people recognize] that G‑d gave these celestial bodies the authority over existence, as in the analogy of the officers of the king who rule the country because the king appointed them.

Moreover, even the error that [the stars and the constellations are significant because] the influence that the stars convey from the Holy One, blessed be He, comes through their choice is included (abstractly)10 as part of the approach that refers to G‑d as “the G‑d of gods.” For the very fact that they can do as they desire (i.e., convey or withhold influence) would imply that they have [a certain measure of] authority and are therefore considered gods. Negating the concept of other gods altogether11 comes about through realizing that all the intermediaries are merely like an ax in the hand of the chopper.}

On this basis, it is possible to explain [the nature of] the wisdom of the clever person who (in the analogy) said: “I will choose the king.” The fact that the Jews know the truth — that all the intermediaries through which influence descends are merely like an ax in the hand of the Chopper — comes as a result of their great knowledge; that they perceive the inner truth. For from a surface perspective, the reason it appears that the influence comes as a result of the stars and the constellations12 is that they have a positive quality that makes them fit to serve as intermediaries.13 The reason the Jews know that [the intermediaries] are like an ax in the hand of the Chopper stems from their great knowledge.

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I Will Choose the King: Section 2

I Will Choose the King: Section 4

Footnotes

See Derech Mitzvosecha, p. 6a ff.; see also Rambam, Hilchos Avodas Kochavim 1:1.

[I.e., the Zodiac constellations which are associated with (and seen as representations of) different spiritual forces.

Many have difficulty relating to these concepts because the worship of the stars and the constellations has, thank G‑d, to a large extent disappeared from contemporary society. Nevertheless, the concepts are still relevant, for, as will be explained, the intent is not only the actual stars and the constellations, but rather all the intermediaries through which G‑d’s influence is conveyed to the earth. The worship — at least in a figurative sense — of such intermediaries is unfortunately still widely prevalent in our times.]

Devarim 33:14.

Cf. Yeshayahu 10:15.

See the maamar entitled Es Havayah Amarta, 5678,sec. 3 (Sefer HaMaamarim 5678, p. 414); the maamar entitled Kol HaMaarich, 5686, sec. 4, (Sefer HaMaamarim 5686, p. 157ff.); and the maamar entitled Mayim Rabim, 5717 (Sefer Maamarim Melukat, Vol. I, p. 54) where it is explained that this error (that they have the choice whether to convey the influence or not) is not considered the worship of false deities, but rather shituf,[associating G‑d with other powers, considering that He works in “partnership” with them, as it were (see fn. 7 below). According to certain authorities, such a conception of G‑d’s relationship with other powers is permitted to non-Jews]. The further error (explained later on in the text of the maamar) that G‑d abandoned the earth and relegated the authority over it to the stars is, by contrast, the worship of false deities itself. Consult that source.

Bava Kama 92b. [I.e., although the wine does not belong to the waiter, he deserves recognition for his efforts in serving it.]

[To state another example: Our Sages state that there are three partners in the birth of a child. The two parents who provide the cells from which the fetus develops, and G‑d Who gives the fetus the soul through which it lives. Obviously, G‑d’s share of the partnership is much greater, for we see that the physical act itself cannot generate life. Nevertheless, since the parents have a choice as to whether or not to conceive the child, they are considered as partners and the child is obligated to honor them. (Here we are speaking about the obligation of honoring one’s parents that stems from the fact that they have given their children the gift of life. Obviously, parents also deserve honor for many other reasons including their efforts in raising their children and sustaining them throughout their lives.)

This concept does not apply to the stars and the other intermediaries through which G‑d grants influence to this world. Although they do convey vitality, they do so without any independent choice. They are merely instruments through which G‑d acts. As such, they are not deserving of any honor or favor, as are a waiter or one’s parents. See Or HaTorah, Yisro, Vol. VIII, p. 303ff.; Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 36, p. 92ff.]

[Cf. Yechezkel 8:12; 9:9.]

Menachos 110a.

10.

I.e., in a general sense, the conception of G‑d as “the G‑d of gods” applies only to those who believe that G‑d abandoned the earth and relegated the authority over it to the stars and the constellations and not to those whose error is that [the intermediaries] have independent choice, as explicitly stated in fn. 5. [However, on a more abstract level, the conception of G‑d as “the G‑d of gods” can also be applied to the latter category.]

11.

Note Or HaTorah, Yisro, p. 918, which [explains] the commandment [Shmos 20:3]: “You shall not have other gods before Me” and interprets the term elokim (translated as “gods”) as “rulers.” In the explanation there, it is stated that the stars and the constellations are not agents to whom it would be appropriate to honor, like the favor given to the waiter (fn. 6 above). Instead, they are merely like an ax in the hand of the Chopper.

12.

See Sefer HaMaamarim 5678, p. 357: “Lowly creatures that possess neither knowledge nor understanding judge only according to external appearances and [therefore] give importance to the intermediaries.” [I.e., since it appears that they are sources of influence, a person who does not think deeply will honor them.]

13.

[To understand the relevance of the maamar’s content, it is necessary to go beyond the discussion of the stars and the constellations and focus on what they represent: intermediaries to convey G‑dly influence to the world at large. The maamar mentions three approaches as to how to relate to such intermediaries:

a) the approach of the later-day worshipers of false deities who maintain that G‑d abandoned the world to the stars. According to this approach, what is most important is the intermediary. These individuals recognize that G‑d is “the G‑d of gods” and can control and change the natural order if He so desires, but that is a rare occurrence. Instead, they view the intermediaries as those who control the world in practice and who are therefore deserving of respect and homage. In ancient times, the people’s respect for the intermediaries was expressed by making statues and bowing down to them. In contemporary terms, it is expressed through submission to the powers that one perceives as controlling one’s sustenance, be it one’s employers, the larger system of powers that control commerce and finance, or the myriad intermediate levels in between.

b) the approach of the original worshipers of false deities who maintained that indeed, it is G‑d Who gives the intermediaries power, but the intermediaries have free choice regarding the dispensation of the Divine influence they convey. According to this approach, although the intermediaries are not the ultimate source of influence, they deserve a certain standing and command a measure of respect. To explain by analogy, sight is one of the powers of the soul. We cannot say that it is a function of the body, because without a soul the body cannot see. Nevertheless, the soul sees through the medium of the body. Without the body and the eyes, the organ of sight, the soul cannot see. In this instance, there is an interrelationship between the body and the soul, and an improvement in the functioning of the physical eye enhances the soul’s power to see.

To relate the concept to the analogue: these people acknowledge that the only reason an intermediary has any importance is that G‑d chose it. Nevertheless, they erroneously argue that since G‑d chose this intermediary, it should be given the honor and respect due it. To translate the above into contemporary terms: A person might think, for example, that if he spends more time in meditation during prayer, his business affairs will suffer. Likewise, if he gives generously to tzedakah, he may be left with less money to invest. What prompts him to feel that he must compromise his religious priorities? His conception that the intermediary — the powers that control his financial future — has independent importance.

c) The true approach: that all the intermediaries are merely an ax in the hand of the Chopper. According to this understanding, a person uses intermediaries to earn his sustenance, but only because G‑d has so commanded. The natural ways and means he employs are, in and of themselves, of no importance in his eyes. They are nothing more than a means of fulfilling G‑d’s will.

This explains the teaching of our Sages (Shabbos 31a; see Tosafos, s.v. Emunas, citing the Talmud Yerushalmi) on the verse (Yeshayahu 33:6), “He shall be the faithfulness of your times….” The Sages teach that here, emunas (“faithfulness”) alludes to Seder Zera’im which is the section of the Mishnah that deals mainly with the laws applying to agriculture, for a Jewish farmer “believes in Him Who is the Life of all the worlds — and sows” (Yerushalmi ibid., quoted in Tosafos, Shabbos 31a).

True enough, the fact that germination follows sowing is a natural phenomenon. It does not matter whether the farmer is Jewish or not, or even if the seed fell to the ground without any human agency. The earth by nature promotes germination, regardless. (Indeed, this intrinsic nature of the earth is constant, as in the verse [Bereishis 8:22], “seed time and harvest… will not cease.”) Nevertheless, nature does not hold any status in the mind of a Jew. When he sows, he does not do so because according to the laws of nature sowing leads to germination, but only because “he believes in Him Who is the Life of all the worlds — and sows.” That is why he sows.

Following this approach, a person will not ascribe any independent importance to the conduit that he makes for G‑d’s blessing. He will involve himself with it only in order to fulfill the Creator’s will, as reflected in the promise (Shmos 15:18): “And G‑d your L‑rd will bless you in everything that you do,” which implies that one should create a natural medium for his livelihood.

When viewed from that perspective, his involvement itself becomes a mode of Divine service. Accordingly, conflicts like those mentioned above will not arise, because one’s religious obligations and his efforts to earn his livelihood are seen as two complementary expressions of a single thrust: fulfilling G‑d’s will. (See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 18, p. 294ff., translated in As a Father Loves His Only Son, p. 71ff., where these concepts are explained in detail.)]