Every Jew Has a Heart that Is Burning

A FIERY SHIUR FULL OF WONDROUS CHIDUSHIM BY MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A ON PARASHAT CHAYEI SARAH:

Ephron had a great treasure in his courtyard [Ma’arat HaMachpelah-the Cave of the Patriarchs].  He had Adam and Chava, who shined from one end of the world to the other.  But for him, Ma’arat HaMachpelah was darkness and gloom, complete darkness.  Since Adam and Chava were buried in the cave, Hashem arranged for there to be such terrible fears, such delusions that there were demons and spirits in it.  It was terrifying to come near there.  This was a remote place on the slope of the mountain.  No one wanted to buy the place, to the point that Ephron was certain that he was deceiving Avraham Avinu in selling the cave.

Rabbi Natan explains that the holiest place, the holiest tzaddik, and in every place where there is great holiness, it always appears to be a place of darkness and gloom, surrounded by demons and spirits.  As it is written: “The holier something is, the more desolate it is.”  “Ephron” is the numerical value of 400, which equals “Ayin HaRa – evil eye,” the opposite of a good eye.  Therefore, he saw in Ma’arat HaMachpelah only darkness and gloom.

But King David had a good eye, as it is written, “fair eyes and a pleasing appearance [יפה עיניים וטוב רואי – which could be interpreted as implying ‘fair eyes and good seeing’].”  He only saw the light in every Jew, the good point in every Jew, the holy spark that is in every Jew.  A person sees his own light and doesn’t see the light in the other, whether it’s between friends or at home.  Sometimes a person sees the light in his wife, but the wife doesn’t see the light in her husband.  Or vice versa: The wife sees the light in her husband, but he doesn’t see the light in his wife.  But really, each person needs to see the light in the other, because it’s forbidden for a person to see the lack in the other, the blemish in the other.  The essence of the evil eye is that one cannot stand that his fellow is better than him, that he is envious of his fellow’s success.  He sees that his friend learns more, prays more.  What do you care that he prays better?  That he learns better?  Every person has an evil eye, and no person is willing for another person to surpass him.  If a person was willing for another person to surpass him, he could live forever, he could rectify the entire world.  But a good eye is something else altogether.  It means that you give credit to the other person, love the other, rejoice in their success.  This is the matter of the true Tzaddik, that he is entirely good-eyed.  This is King David, who is “fair eyes and pleasing appearance,” that he is entirely good-eyed, and he is not envious of anyone.

Within every person are treasures.  You only need to remove the “dust” that covers them.  You need to leave the klipah [evil husk] of Ephron, the evil eye.  In every boy, in every girl, and in every Jewish soul there are endless treasures.  A Jewish soul is blazing for Hashem, burning for Hashem.  Every soul of a Jew wants to repent!  Every Jew has a heart burning for Hashem Yitbarach, a burning heart which could burn the entire world.  Every Jew is a fiery flame.  Deep within every Jew is a blazing fire, “A constant fire burn upon the altar; it shall not be extinguished.”  Every single Jew could bring the entire world to repentance.  Even the most wicked sinner can return in repentance, because the more that he is wicked, the more strength he has.  He has a bigger soul.

And this is what is related in the Midrash about Yossi Meshita, who denied Hashem.  He denied everything and joined the Romans.  Whoever kept Shabbat, whoever circumcised children at that time would be crucified.  He saw that the Jewish people were doomed, erased from the earth.  He despaired and said, “Why do I need to be a Jew?  I’ll become a Roman.”  He went together with them to burn the Temple.  He threw torches together with them.  Before the Temple was completely burned, the Romans said to him, “One moment!  Who is going to enter the sanctuary to bring out the Menorah?”  They said to him, “You enter, take something.”  Everyone knew that whoever entered the sanctuary would be burned.  Whoever entered the holy of holies would be burned.  Everyone was afraid to enter.  Then they said to him, “Whatever you take out first will remain yours.”  Yossi Meshita entered and grabbed the golden Menorah there and came out with it.  They said to him, “Give us this Menorah!  You can’t take it.  It’s too expensive!  Take some goblet, some teaspoon, but not the Menorah!”

At that moment, the Jewish spark within him was suddenly lit up.  The Menorah lit his spark.  He saw that the Menorah was entirely light, and he then held on tight to the Menorah and said, “You won’t get the Menorah.  You won’t receive the Menorah.”  They said to him, “What do mean, ‘We won’t receive the Menorah’?  We’ll slaughter you, beat you.”  He said to them, “I’m not giving you the Menorah.  You won’t take the Menorah out of my hand.  I’ll die with the Menorah.”  They said to him, “This doesn’t belong to you!  This belongs to the king!  We need to bring the Menorah to Titus.”  He said to them, “You won’t get the Menorah in any way whatsoever.  I will die together with it.”  Then he became completely a burning fire, completely a fire burning for Hashem.  “I am returning to Judaism!  I’m starting to be a Jew!  Cut me into tiny pieces.”  They said, “Fine,” and grabbed him and put him into a carpenter’s table, where they saw wood, and they began to cut him, to saw him into tiny pieces.  The moment that he began to be sawed, he felt such pleasure, that every sawing was a pleasure.  He was entirely gripped with joy, total fervor, and said, “I accept upon myself repentance.  I accept upon myself the torture with love.  Master of the Universe, it is good that they are sawing me, it is good that they are cutting me.  Forgive me for all the transgressions.  How could I have joined the Romans, who murdered millions of Jews.  How could I not have known that the Jewish people are eternal!  A Jew is eternal.  Baruch Hashem that they are sawing for me these rotten bones, these poisoned bones which caused me to sin, and that they dragged me to where they dragged me.”  And Yossi Mashita entirely sang to Hashem, in total joy, while they were sawing him, and he continued to sing.  He didn’t feel any pain.  He sang songs.  He sang “My soul is lovesick for You.”  They were sawing him and he was lovesick for Hashem.  He only felt Hashem, and didn’t feel anything other than Hashem.