The Secret of the Gatherer and the Blasphemer

Lesson No. 7 | 12th of Iyar 5755 - Continued from No. 6 / 14th of Iyar 5755 - Melaveh Malkah (the meal following Shabbat) / 14th of Iyar 5755 - Continued in No. 8

Rabbi Berland shlit"a reveals the deep spiritual roots of the Gatherer and the Blasphemer. While one sacrificed his life to sanctify the Shabbat and increase the Tree of Life, the other missed a rare opportunity to reach the level of Adam HaRishon (the first man) before the sin.

The holy Rashi teaches us that the Gatherer and the Blasphemer were placed in custody, each in a separate room, yet their sentence was decreed together as stoning. Ostensibly, these are two sinners, but when one looks into the depth of the matter, one discovers awesome secrets regarding their intentions and the root of their souls.

The Gatherer, in fact, did not intend to desecrate Shabbat out of disrespect, G-d forbid. He did so to show Israel the severity of Shabbat. At that time, the Jewish people did not grasp the severity of the prohibition. They said to themselves: "Holy Shabbat, but stoning? Would they kill a Jew for such a thing? I just gathered some wood, I went to the sea, I did a small action—for this they kill?"

The Gatherer saw this mindset and decided to perform an act of mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice). He gathered two twigs, placing one piece of wood upon another in the amount required to cook an egg, so that everyone would see that for such an action, one is liable for stoning. He volunteered to be the living example, to teach in practice that desecrating Shabbat is a grave matter punishable by death. He was not a "Shabbat desecrator" in the essential sense, but rather a man who wanted to keep Shabbat and sought to shock the nation so they would keep it properly.

The Hidden Secret of the Blasphemer

In contrast to the Gatherer, a deeper secret is hidden within the Blasphemer. The holy Zohar says there is a "hidden secret" here, and whoever knows the secret—"the wise shall understand and remain silent." It is forbidden to reveal the depth of the Blasphemer's intention, except to the Chavraya Kadisha (the holy circle of students).

The Blasphemer wanted to bring about immense spiritual revelations, things that Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher) himself did not dare to show. He wanted to demonstrate control over nature, to make the sun and moon stand still, to perform sublime actions. The Torah hints at the tremendous potential he had in one word:

"וַיַּנִּיחֻהוּ בַּמִּשְׁמָר" (Leviticus 24:12)

The word "Vayanichuhu" (and they placed him) is written without the letter 'Yud', exactly as it is said regarding Adam HaRishon: "Vayanichehu (and He placed him) in Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden)." This is a hint that the level of the Blasphemer could have been like the level of Adam HaRishon in Gan Eden. He had a high and immense soul, and if he had only nullified himself to Moshe Rabbeinu, if he had been willing to be a bit "outside the camp" and accept his place, he could have been purified and reached the level of Adam HaRishon before the sin.

The Dilemma of Moshe Rabbeinu

Moshe Rabbeinu stood perplexed before these two men. On one hand was the Gatherer, who gave himself over to death to reveal the severity of Shabbat and to increase the "Tree of Life" over the "Tree of Knowledge." The Zohar says that the Gatherer wanted to nullify the Tree of Knowledge and leave only the Tree of Life, thereby bringing the resurrection of the dead to the Jewish people and rectifying the Sin of the Golden Calf.

On the other hand stood the Blasphemer, whose soul was at the level of Adam HaRishon before the sin. Moshe thought: Perhaps a tikkun (rectification) can be made for him? Perhaps we can remove only the external klipah (husk), and the pure soul will remain? After all, he could be a tremendous tzaddik and shine like a diamond.

Moshe saw that both possessed rare Divine perceptions. Both could, potentially, bring the Geulah (Redemption) and the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, he hesitated and waited for a Divine instruction. He hoped that perhaps they could be saved and their immense powers used for holiness.

The Divine Decision: Stones and Gan Eden

Hashem revealed the bitter but necessary truth to Moshe: both must be stoned, but their eternal fates are completely different. Hashem said to Moshe: The Gatherer is a tzaddik. He will indeed be killed, but his death will be his atonement. Through the stoning, the evil will separate from him, and the good within him will enter directly into Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden). He will merit the resurrection of the dead because his intention was for the sake of Heaven, to increase the Tree of Life.

But the Blasphemer? "There is no good in him." All his high perceptions, all the "innovations" and spiritual powers he wanted to show—it all stems from the "wisdom of the serpent." Like Yerovam ben Nevat, who possessed great perceptions but used them for evil, so the Blasphemer descended from one failure to another. No good point remained in him. His wisdom is the cunning of the primordial serpent, sorcery and impure oaths, and not true holiness.

Therefore, the ruling was to stone both of them. For the Gatherer, the stones were the way to refine the body and bring the soul into Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden). For the Blasphemer, the stones were the way to eradicate evil from the world, as the good within him had completely departed.

"And they stoned him... because all aspects of good within him had completely departed and he will not rise in the resurrection of the dead. The Gatherer, conversely, entered directly into Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) and merited the Tree of Life."

Thus the Torah teaches us a deep lesson: not everyone who has spiritual perceptions and powers is necessarily on the side of holiness. The thin line between Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) and Gehinnom (Purgatory) lies in the nullification to the Tzaddik and the inner motive of the person.

Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 7
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