"BE LIKE HIM"

HOW TO BE A TZELEM ELOKIM

"And G-d said: 'let us make Man in Our image as Our likeness ... and G-d Created Man in His image, in the image of G-d He created him." (Bereishit 1:26-27)

We recite daily in Birkos HaShachar:

"May it be Your will Hashem, my G-d and the G-d of my forefathers, that You rescue me today and every day from brazen men and from brazenness ... whether he is a member of the covenant or whether he is not a member of the covenant ... always be a person."

The Rav (HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l) used to quote this tefillah and explain that before one worries about the distinctions between people, one must first and foremost be a mentsch. Man's task in this world is to cleave to Hashem and emulate His ways. Man was created betzelem Elokim, in the image of G-d, and our mission is to work on completing this tzelem. This means that our actions must display this G-dly image.

The introductory section of the Tomer Devorah written by Rav Moshe Cordovero is based on the Thirteen Attributes of Hashem outlined in the book of Micha:

"Who is a G-d like You, Who pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression?" (Micha 7:18)

Before he explains how man can cleave to these attributes, he prefaces it by saying that man's obligation to do so stems from his being created in Hashem's image.

The Jewish people declared as they crossed the Yam Suf: zeh keli ve-anvehu - "This is my G-d and I will beautify Him." (Shmot 15:2) The Gemara cites two interpretations of how to beautify Hashem. Tanna Kamma is of the opinion that this refers to having beautiful mitzvah-objects such as tzitzis, tefillin, Sefer Torah, etc. while Abba Shaul maintains that the Torah is teaching us to emulate the ways of Hashem: "Be like Him: just as G-d is gracious and compassionate, you also should be gracious and compassionate." (Shabbos 133b) The Tomer Devorah clarifies that these two views are not contradictory. Abba Shaul is suggesting a different way of "beautifying Him". Beauty manifests itself in character as well as physical appearance.

Hashem only gives; He has no reason to take, for there is nothing which He lacks. One who only takes from others distances himself from Hashem. On the other hand, the more one gives, the closer one comes to Hashem. Man by his very nature is a taker in this world. From the minute a person is born, he has needs: air, milk, clothing, and a home. Receiving these necessities distances us from Hashem. Our task is to give as much as we can in order to come as close as possible.

TAKING IN ORDER TO GIVE

HaRav Sholom Schwadron zt"l, the famous maggid, once gave a parable to explain the concept of giving. Two storeowners in the same town sell the identical merchandise. The first wishes to give to the Jewish community by providing them with challot, meat, fish, etc. If he just gave away all his stock, declaring: "Go, buy and eat, go and buy wine and milk without money and without price," (Yeshayahu 55:1) his supply would soon be depleted and he would not have the means to replenish it. In addition, if he could not feed himself and his family, he would be unable to continue serving others. He therefore has no choice but to charge for his products. The other storeowner's only interest is to make a profit. Of course, he knows that if he were simply to hang up a sign saying, "Money can be deposited here," he would not have much success in reaching his goal. He therefore has no choice but to provide goods in exchange for the money he takes.

Both stores appear to operate in the same way. Yet the first man's desire is to give to others - he takes in order to give and is drawing nearer to Hashem by emulating His ways of giving. The second merchant, on the other hand, is only interested in taking from others - he gives in order to take. Such a person is distancing himself from Hashem, for he is operating in a way that is contrary to Hashem's middos.

One may regard studying in Yeshiva in a similar manner: A student may come to the Yeshiva with the sole aim of availing himself of the Yeshiva's meals three times a day. He realizes that if he were to appear only in the dining room and not in the Beis Midrash, in no time at all he would be expelled. He therefore decides that it is in his best interest to learn a bit as well. Such a person transforms the Torah into "a spade with which to dig" (for food) (Avos 4:5). Let's take a look at another young man: His entire purpose in life is to learn as much Torah as possible, yet it is obvious to him that without food or a kollel stipend he would not be able to continue in his quest. In his case, his food or the stipend become a "spade with which to dig" - for the Torah. A person's task is to emulate Hashem to the greatest extent possible - Hashem only gives, He does not take anything. Although a human being is required to be a taker as well, he should do his utmost to ensure that the taking is in order to give and not that he gives in order to take.

THE COMPLETE TZELEM ELOKIM - MAN AND WOMAN

"And G-d said: 'let us make Man in Our image as Our likeness ... And G-d created Man in His image, in the image of G-d He created him, male and female He created them." (Bereishit 1:26-27).

"This is the account of the descendants of Adam - on the day of G-d's creating of Man, He made him in the likeness of G-d. He created them male and female, He blessed them and called their name Man on the day they were created." (Bereishit 5:1-2)

It is only man and woman together who are referred to as 'Adam' - Man. They are the complete tzelem Elokim. The love between man and woman, if one can speak in such terms, symbolizes the love between Hashem and the Jewish nation. Shir HaShirim, which describes the love between Hashem and His people, is written in the form of an allegory of the love between a man and a woman.

Man and wife can cement their relationship only when each is interested in giving more and more to the other. My Rebbe, HaRav Dessler z"l, used to counsel chatanim and kallot on the secrets of a long-lasting relationship: to give and to give and to give to each other. The same can be said of the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. Hashem gives without end. Our task is to do our utmost to fulfill Hashem's wishes. Giving to others and doing as Hashem wishes serves to strengthen this union. .Otherwise, G-d forbid, the ties will be severed.

Avraham Avinu was first and foremost good to his wife. We read how he tried to come to the aid of the people of Sodom . He even invited three Arabs into his home. (I would not recommend doing that today, for who could guarantee that they really are angels?) Love for his wife, however, came before Sodom. The story is told of a young man who saw a woman carrying two heavy baskets. Noting her obvious difficulty, he ran to assist her, feeling proud of himself for his tremendous act of chesed. As he got closer, he realized that it was 'only'" his wife and he was very disappointed to have lost out on such a mitzvah. Perhaps he then left her to fend for herself ... In a similar vein, Rav Nosson Zvi Finkel, the Alter from Slobodka, was once having a talk with a young married man. In the course of the conversation, he asked him whether he helped out at home on Erev Shabbos. The man responded: "What kind of a question is that! Does it not say in the Shulchan Aruch that we are obligated to involve ourselves with Shabbos preparations?" The Alter from Slobodka responded, "Would you not have done your share had it not been dictated in the Shulchan Aruch? If a woman works so hard on your behalf, is it not natural that you would want to help her?" Before studying the Shulchan Aruch, one must first and foremost be a mentsch!

BECOMING A VESSEL FOR RECEIVING THE TORAH

HaRav Chaim Vital asks, "Why does the Torah not command us about middos - character traits?" (See Shaarei Kedusha, Chelek 1, Shaar 2).He answers that middos are the major prerequisite for observance of the six hundred and thirteen mitzvos, and man should be imbued with the proper middos before he even begins to approach mitzvah-observance. The well-known adage: derech eretz kadma laTorah (Vayikra Rabba 9:3) teaches us that without proper middos, one cannot receive the Torah. I believe R' Chaim Vital's insight has a corollary as well. It is true that a person must have good middos before he approaches Torah and mitzvah- observance, but the Torah also serves to develop our middos further. It is impossible to attain a high level of middos unless we are occupied with Torah.

In this world, vessels are made from earthenware, metal, or wood. In the Next World, they are made from our souls. One who enters the Next World devoid of good middos (assuming one who lacks these middos even has the chance to enter the Next World) will not have anything to do there. Only good character can serve as a vessel to absorb the G-dly light for the soul. Entering the Next World without good character can be compared to someone who tries to carry precious diamonds in a bag that has holes at the bottom. The only way to create a proper vessel is to work on oneself. The more one works on his character, the greater this vessel grows.

We can learn from Avraham Avinu and Moshe Rabenu that positive character traits and especially humility are necessary for receiving the Torah. Avraham knew the entire Torah because he considered himself as 'dust and ash.' (Bereishit 18:27). It was Moshe Rabenu, the humblest of all men, who had the merit of bringing the Torah down to the Jewish people. The more we feel that we are 'dust and ash,' the less we allow our own selves, our egos, to get in the way and the less separation there is between ourselves and the Torah, the more Torah we will be able to receive in this world.

Someone with a true desire for Torah will not sit and ponder whether learning Torah is worth his while. Adam HaRishon was forbidden to eat from the etz hadaat tov vara - "the Tree of Knowledge of good and bad." (Bereishit 2:9) Would it have been so terrible if Adam and man in general had known how to differentiate between good and bad? Does Hashem wish us all to remain ignorant of the ways of the world? The Rambam explains that before Adam's sin, man was able to distinguish between truth and falsehood. After the sin, man became calculating - he began to make decisions based on what was good and bad for him.

The greatness of Avraham Avinu was that he did not make such calculations: "You found his heart faithful before You." (Nehemiah 9:8) Of Moshe Rabenu too, Hashem Himself testifies, "In My entire House he is the trusted one," (Bamidbar 12:7). He does what Hashem wishes and not necessarily what is good for him. This is how one becomes a vessel for receiving the Torah. We may not be on the level of our forefathers, but our goal must be to come as close to that level as possible. If this is truly our goal, we can merit receiving the Torah and the G-dly light of the Next World.

When did Cain go bad? We know him initially as someone very positive. His desire was to be close to Hashem and in fact it was he who initiated the idea of bringing an offering. The Torah describes Hevel as simply following Cain's lead ("and as for Hevel, he also brought ..." 4:4). We find in Midrash Tanchuma that Cain erred by bringing only "the fruits of the ground" while Hevel "brought of the firstlings of his flock and from their choicest". The Seforno points out that Hashem told Cain that he should not be upset over his offering being rejected, rather he should try to remedy the situation by bringing another and better offering: "surely if you improve yourself you will be forgiven" (ibid. 7). However Cain, as the Torah records, was upset at his offering being rejected (ibid. 5).

The Ralba"g explains that this is a typical reaction of someone who constructs a plan which does not come to fruition. When did Cain go bad? We know that he was saddened at the rejection of his offering, but we do not find him lashing out at Hashem. The Rokeach explains that Cain was having a difficult time accepting the rejection of his offering. Although he did not blame Hashem, he did not assume responsibility either - this in fact was the turning point for Cain.

HaRav Yitzchak Karo (brother of HaRav Yosef Karo, author of Shulchan Aruch) writes in his Toldot Yitzchak that rather than listening to Hashem and simply righting his wrong by bringing a substitute offering, Cain chose to blame Hevel and direct his sadness and frustration towards him. He reasoned that had it not been for Hevel's bringing such a choice sacrifice, his offering would not have been considered inferior. Cain avoided personal responsibility and blamed Hevel for his situation - Cain strayed from the proper path.

Everyone makes mistakes. How will we react to our own errors? Will we walk around angry and depressed trying to pin the blame on others, or will we constructively attempt to right that which is wrong?

Seforno explains that so long as there is an option to mend our ways, there is no reason to be despondent, we need only gather our wits and our strength and correct our mistakes. By doing so we will then be following Hashem's advice to Cain: "surely if you improve yourself you will be forgiven."

The Torah's description of the six days of creation concludes with: "and G-d saw all that He had done and behold it was very good" (Bereishit 1:31). Did Hashem not already know that the creation was very good, what new insight did Hashem receive (if we can even speak in such terms) upon "seeing all that He had done" that He now suddenly realized that it was very good?

HaRav Avigdor Miller zt"l provides us with the following inspirational answer: a person is considered poor when he feels he is lacking. What would be if someone who viewed himself as poor were to one day receive the following telephone call? "Hello, this is your neighbor. I am calling to inform you that I am about to leave this world and many years ago I buried a treasure chest on your property, I am leaving it for you."

Does the man still feel like he is poor and lacking? Certainly not! What changed in the last few seconds? Was the treasure not always there? The only difference is that the person is now aware of his newfound wealth. "Behold it was very good" is not Hashem's reflecting on the creation, but rather informing us that what He has given us is ultimately for the good.

Our peace of mind is dependent on our mindset. Do we reflect on what is lacking or on all the good Hashem gives us in this world? Hashem informed us that the world is good to make us happy, do we ignore this message or do we embrace it?