One of the greatest heroes of our
people is Joshua. He led the Children of
Israel into the Promised Land. He fought
valiantly and achieved incredible military successes from north to south. At the same time, he was the Torah leader of
the people, ensuring their spiritual and educational excellence. It thus comes as no surprise that the first
book of the Prophets was named in his honour.
What title was such a larger-than-life
historical figure accorded? An
appropriate appellation might have been, ‘Joshua, mighty one of Israel,’ or
perhaps, ‘Joshua, the all-round leader.’
But that’s not how he is referred to.
Our Sages tell us that Joshua’s
greatest feat was arranging the tables and chairs in the Tent of Meeting each
morning in anticipation of his teacher’s arrival to deliver the Torah lectures. Before davening, he would carry Moshe’s towel
for him as he made his way to the mikvah.
Later, he would go out searching for the choicest piece of manna to
bring Moshe for breakfast.
How does the Tanach (Bible) refer
to Joshua? He is called, ‘Yehoshua, the
attendant of Moshe.’
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן:
אֵיזֶהוּ עַם הָאָרֶץ? — כֹּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ קוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע עַרְבִית
וְשַׁחֲרִית, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר: כֹּל
שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַנִּיחַ תְּפִילִּין. בֶּן עַזַּאי אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לוֹ צִיצִית
בְּבִגְדוֹ. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין מְזוּזָה עַל פִּתְחוֹ. רַבִּי
נָתָן בַּר יוֹסֵף אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בָּנִים וְאֵינוֹ מְגַדְּלָם
לְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה. אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: אֲפִילּוּ קָרָא וְשָׁנָה וְלֹא שִׁמֵּשׁ
תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים הֲרֵי זֶה עַם הָאָרֶץ.
The Sages taught: Who is an am
haaretz (average joe)? One who does not recite Shema in the evening and
morning. Rabbi Yehoshua says: One who does not don tefillin. Ben Azzai says: One
who does not have tzitzis (fringes) on his garment. Rabbi Nasan says: One who
does not have a mezuzah upon his doorway. Rabbi Nasan bar Yosef says: One who
has children but does not raise them with Torah study. Others say: Even if one was well-versed in
Torah and Talmud, but did not serve Torah scholars, he is an am haaretz.
The term ‘am haaretz’,
literally means ‘people of the earth’.
Sometimes it is used in an uncomplimentary manner, other times it serves
simply as a contrast with ‘talmid chacham,’ meaning ‘Torah scholar,’ or
literally, ‘student of the sages.’
Rabbi Baruch Fränkel-Teomim (AC 15)
explains the message of the Gemara. The
distinction between talmid chacham and am haaretz is not a
question of either/or. There are many
aspects that make up one’s journey to becoming a talmid chacham. The positions of the rabbis as to what
constitutes an am haaretz are not competing opinions. Each represents a different aspect, which builds
on the previous level offered by his colleague.
The difference between am haaretz and talmid chacham
(ta”ch) is not black and white; it’s a spectrum. Depending on where you are on the spectrum
determines how ta”ch you are.
How ta”ch are you?
Let’s start with a clarification of
the ideas suggested by the rabbis, as the Gemara cannot be taken at face
value. Many of these items are basic
mitzvos. The difference between reciting
the Shema or skipping the prayer is compliance of one’s daily religious duty
versus non-compliance. The same is true
of putting on tefillin or affixing a mezuzah to one’s doorpost. It’s not a choice or an act of piety. Clearly, the Gemara has a deeper lesson.
The Gemara’s message, says Rabbi Fränkel-Teomim,
is that a talmid chacham represents Hashem in every facet of his
life. Whether he is at home or out and
about, whether he is in shul or at work, it is clear that he is an ambassador
of Heaven. The way things work on Earth,
either you are an ambassador of a country or you’re not. There’s no such thing as a
semi-ambassador.
Becoming an ambassador of Heaven,
by contrast, is a process. Each element
you adopt makes you more and more of an ambassador. The steps to embracing your
ambassadorship begin inside and with each progressive step, you build
concentric circles around your Divine soul, growing the impact of your Heavenly
embassy, widening your influence further and further with each concentric
circle.
Let’s take a walk along the journey
of your ever-growing ambassadorial impact.
Step one, do you recite Shema morning and evening? Not literally. Literally, it goes without saying that you
recite Shema, because that’s a basic requirement of being an observant
Jew. The deeper question is: Do you
begin your day, and end your day, thinking about G-d? That’s a heart and mind question. How do you feel inside? Are you committed to your relationship with
Heaven? Do you speak to Hashem
regularly? Are you committed to personal
religious growth? Is Torah-learning
built in to your daily and weekly schedule?
Step two, do you put on tefillin
every day? Of course you do. But again, that’s not the real question. Tefillin are a sign upon the body. Back in days of yore, Torah scholars would
wear tefillin all day long. Whilst
wearing tefillin, however, one must be focused constantly on holy matters. Most people are not able to maintain that
perfect level of focus. And so at a
certain point in our history, the practice was discouraged. What’s the modern equivalent of proclaiming
your Divine mission with a sign upon your body?
Wearing a yarmulke or other symbol of Heaven that comes into direct
contact with you as a human being. It’s
there constantly, serving as an external reminder of who you are and why you
are here. That’s why wearing a baseball
cap or a sheitel is equally effective.
It’s not about what anyone else sees or thinks. It’s between you and G-d. You know that it’s there, and that’s all that
matters.
Step three is wearing tzitzis. Now we’re entering new territory. It’s no longer a question of your personal
relationship with Hashem; you’re now tying fringes onto your clothing. We don’t wear clothing for ourselves. If you lived on a desert island, you’d
probably wear your pyjamas all day long.
Clothing is your first contact with the outside world. It’s the first thing by which others judge
you. Ben Azzai wants to know whether you
give off a first impression of Jewishness.
When people interact with you, do they immediately appreciate that
you’re an ambassador of Heaven? Put
simply, is your embassy merely inward-focused or does it impact the people
around you?
Step four is affixing a mezuzah to your
doorpost, which, once again, is a duty. Actually,
it’s not just a duty, it’s a baseline of Jewish life. Even our least devout brothers and sisters
affix a mezuzah upon their front-doors with pride! Rabbi Nasan is asking much more of us. As our concentric circles of influence expand
outwards, we’ve moved from mind to body to garments. And now we move to the environment beyond
ourselves. When people enter your home,
do they feel an atmosphere of Jewish life permeating your personal
territory? Is the house filled with sefarim
(holy books)? Does the menorah shine
from the display cabinet? Are there
beautiful mezuzos (yes, even the casing says a lot!) hanging as you enter every
room? Is your dining table a forum for
Torah conversation? Does your kitchen have the hallmarks of a kosher home? In other words, does your Heavenly mission
impact the atmosphere of the world around you?
Step five expands the circles even
further. Now it’s no longer about your physical person and space. Rabbi Nasan bar Yosef extends the impact of
your embassy into the realm of time. When
you educate your children in the ways of Torah, your influence extends far
beyond the immediacy of today. You’ve
now established an embassy that will continue to shine for generations. In past centuries, Jewish education was
reserved for the elite. Only the
children of talmidei chachamim and parnassim – rabbis and
communal leaders – were offered a Jewish education beyond the basics. We now find ourselves living in
unprecedentedly blessed times when the privilege of a good Jewish education has
become the norm. That’s probably because
our children need it now more than ever before.
When we lived in the shtetl (village), there was little concern that our
children might stray from tradition. The
influences and temptations of the big wide world today are so irresistible for
our youngsters that it seems that Heaven has decreed they all receive a decent
Jewish education in order to be equipped for the challenges that lie ahead of
them in life.
And finally, step six moves the
circle beyond our family to an even bigger picture. Unsurprisingly, no one particular rabbi wants
to appear supercilious by signing his name off to the suggestion that the students
attend to his needs. Therefore, the
teaching is cited anonymously. Why should we attend to the needs of Torah
scholars? Because our life-blood is
Torah. Unless our talmidei chachamim
are cared for, Judaism has no future.
Nevertheless, while our Sages certainly portray Yehoshua as the epitome
of dedication to attending to the needs of Moshe, the message is presumably
more encompassing than its literal suggestion.
The embassy expansion has moved from mind to body to other people, to the
world, to time. But the time factor thus
far has only impacted your own family and legacy. As a member of the Jewish people, you have
the power and duty to extend your influence to the wider Jewish community. Attending Torah needs means ensuring the
human resources of Jewish continuity are supported. And it also means ensuring the institutions
of Jewish continuity are supported.
How ta”ch are you? An am haaretz is someone who only
cares about the here and now. “Who is a chacham? One who looks to the future.” May you constantly move across the spectrum
from am haaretz to talmid chacham and merit ever-expanding circles
of your Divine ambassadorial influence!
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