וַיִּקְרָא אֶל משֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר יְדֹוָד אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר
(ויקרא א/א)
The Medrash at the beginning of our parsha states, “Any Talmid Chacham who lacks wisdom (Da’as) is inferior to the carcass of a dead animal.” This statement raises three questions that the Zera Shimshon addresses.
Firstly, to suggest that a dead animal is better than a Talmid Chacham without Da’as doesn’t make any sense! In fact, any living person, even one who is not a Talmid Chacham, is obviously superior to a lifeless animal!
Secondly, the Medrash offers proof for this statement by citing the fact that Moshe did not enter the Mishkan until Hashem called him. This parallel between Moshe’s waiting to be summoned into the Mishkan and the superiority of a dead animal over a Talmid Chacham lacking Da’as seems entirely beyond any type of understanding.
Lastly, the statement “Any Talmid Chacham who does not have Da’as” appears to be self-contradictory. If an individual is a Talmid Chacham, it implies that they possess Da’as, and therefore if they lack Da’as, they cannot be considered a Talmid Chacham.
To resolve these questions, Zera Shimshon begins by interpreting the concept of ‘Da’as’ mentioned in the Medrash. He suggests that it is not referring to a broad sense of wisdom, such as life experience, intellectual prowess, or general knowledge. Drawing from the Maharsha’s explanation of a statement on Sanhedrin 92A, Zera Shimshon explains that ‘Da’as’ refers to two interconnected realizations. The first is the recognition that everything, including wisdom, health, and parnasa (livelihood), comes from Hashem. However, merely acknowledging Hashem as the source of all things is insufficient; one must also actively pray to Hashem to attain these blessings.
The Maharsha developed this concept to resolve an apparent contradiction. It is written in Sanhedrin 92A: “Anyone who has Da’as eventually becomes rich”. The Maharsha asks that this seemingly contradicts the posuk (Koheles 9/11), “Once more I saw under the sun…nor does bread come to the wise, (or) riches to the intelligent…”. From that posuk we learn that wise people don’t always become rich. Maharsha explains, based on the Gemara Nidah (70B) that the way a person becomes rich is to work hard and honestly. However, the way he will become wealthy is not the way you are thinking, hard work results in a great product, better customer service or cutting overhead. On the contrary, his efforts will lead to disappointment! However, after witnessing that his diligent work, which should have yielded financial success, has not borne fruit, he will come to the realization (attain the Da’as) that prosperity is not contingent upon our hishtadlus, but solely upon Hashem’s will. Once an individual reaches this understanding, he will place his trust in Hashem and pray to Him, the One who owns and controls all the world’s riches. It is only after reaching this stage that he will be granted wealth!
This idea explains how a Talmid Chacham can lack Da’as. Even if he knows all of Shas with Rishonim and Achronim, Shulchan Aruch with its mefarshim and all sifrei mussar, if he doesn’t realize that everything he knows and has, is a gift from Hashem and that he must daven to Hashem then even the carcass of a dead animal is better than him.
We now understand how it is possible to be a Talmid Chacham and not have Da’as, but we still have to understand the comparison to the carcass of a dead animal.
Chazal teach us that although an animal whose life was taken by Hashem is actually superior to a ritually slaughtered animal (since Hashem, and not a person, is the one who killed it), it is still prohibited to eat such an animal. The reason for this is because Hashem promised the carcasses of animals to dogs as a reward for not barking when Bnei Yisroel left.
However, this seems to contradict the posuk in Tehillim (147/9), which states, “Hashem gives animals their food, to the children of ostriches that cry to Hashem.” This verse implies that Hashem only provides animals with their sustenance when they cry out to Him to receive it. How can this be reconciled? If Hashem has already promised them food, why do they need to plead with Hashem for it? They should be entitled to it, even without asking!
The answer lies in a fundamental principle that Hashem embedded within creation: even when one is deserving of something, Hashem only grants it when it is requested. A person should not rely solely on their merits or even on promises from Hashem.
One possible reason for this is that Hashem desires a relationship with us. If we assume that blessings come to us automatically, we may, to some extent, forget about Hashem and focus only on what finds favor in Hashem’s eyes. We might disconnect our deeds with the One who commanded those deeds.
Another reason could be to ensure that we remain humble and continue to improve ourselves, never resting on our laurels or becoming haughty.
Now we can understand why the carcass of a dead animal is superior to a Talmid Chacham who lacks Da’as. Any Talmid Chacham who has studied and grasped the depth and beauty of the Torah undoubtedly also understands the greatness of Hashem and how Hashem controls and bestows upon us all that we have. This being the case, why doesn’t the Talmid Chacham who is deficient in Da’as, which means he doesn’t pray to Hashem, engage in prayer? It must be because he relies on his own merits. He thinks that, since Hashem is just and since he learns so much Torah, Hashem owes him a good live and there is no reason for him to daven for it.
This stands in stark contrast to a carcass. If a carcass could think, it might say, “If I am superior, why can’t people consume me?” The carcass would then realize that it is because it was promised to the dogs, but it hears the dogs praying to Hashem for its flesh. The carcass would then conclude that even when Hashem makes a promise, one must continue to pray for it and not rely solely on the promise itself.
This realization makes the carcass better than the Talmid Chacham who has no Da’as who doesn’t pray for what he needs, but instead relies on his own merits!
We also see from the way Moshe Rabbeinu conducted himself that he lived this principle. Even though Moshe had great merits and he surely should be granted the right to enter the Mishkan whenever he wanted, Moshe realized that he can take nothing for granted and he therefore did not enter the Mishkan until Hashem called him.
The lesson from Zera Shimshon’s insight is clear and applicable to both you and me. Even if we feel like “we’ve made it,” we must always remember that our success came, comes and will come only from Hashem, and we must never separate Hashem from our lives, our successes and our achievements. It is crucial to maintain our relationship with Hashem and not take anything for granted.
We must be careful not to act like the person in the well-known joke, who prayed to Hashem to help find a parking space in a crowded mall lot. When the person finally found a spot, they turned to Hashem and said, “Thanks, but I found one myself. I don’t need Your help anymore!” This mindset is misguided and fails to acknowledge Hashem’s constant presence and influence in our lives.
Instead, we should continually recognize that everything we have is from Hashem and express our gratitude to Him at all times. We must never take our blessings for granted, but rather appreciate them as gifts from Hashem.
(Adapted from Zera Shimshon Parshas Vayikra Derush 2)
