8/10/2019 Judaism Rav Kook

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"Do not separate yourself from the community. Do not trust in yourself until the day of your

death." (Avot2:5)

Hillel's two warnings share a common insight into human nature. Individuals do not always stay in the

same state. They can grow and develop, and they can deteriorate. As an extreme example, the Sages

recalled the incident of a High Priest who became a heretic after eighty years of devoted service in the holy

Temple.

Since we cannot fully rely on ourselves, we should take care not to separate from the community. We need

to be part of the community in order to offset our inherent instability.

For this reason, the Hebrew word for a synagogue is not BeitTefillah,a house of prayer,

butBeit Kenesset,a house of gathering. (The Greek word 'synagogue' also means 'place of assembly'). The

holiness of a synagogue derives from its function as a gathering place for the community.

Standing Firm

The psalmist used the Hebrew word 'nitzav'in describing the holiness of the community: 'God stands

(nitzav) in the congregation of the Almighty. 'Nitzav' portrays a stable, fixed state. The holiness of the

congregation is rooted in its steadfast constancy in pursuing its ideals and aspirations.

Similarly, we find the Torah uses 'nitzav'when describing the eternal covenant that God made with the

entire Jewish people at the plains of Moab, as they prepared to enter the Land of Israel. The

word 'nitzav'indicates their acceptance of this britfor all generations:

"Today, you are all standing (nitzavim) before God... to bring you into God's covenant.... In order to

establish you on this day as His nation, and He will be your God." (Deut. 29:9-12)

(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I, pp. 22-23, sent to Arutz Sheva by Rabbi Chanan Morrison

ofRavKookTorah.org)

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