| Rabbi’s Corner –
“Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys” Zechariah 9:9
Rashi (1040-1105 France) comments on the phrase “Behold! Your king shall come” – “It is impossible to interpret this except as referring to the King Messiah, as it is stated: “and his rule shall be from sea to sea.” We do not find that Israel had such a ruler during the days of the Second Temple.”
Zachariah was one of the last prophets who prophesised during the construction of the Second Temple a contemporary of Chagai and Malachai. Like many prophets they exhorted the generation they lived in hoping and dreaming for the Jewish people to live up to its responsibility to be a “light to nations”. However they were also concerned with the ultimate future – the days of Moshiach.
In the above verse the Moshiach is depicted as “humble riding on a donkey”. The Hebrew for humble is Oni which also translates as a pauper.
According to the Chassidic masters the Hebrew word for donkey – Chamor- can also be read as Chomer meaning material.
The concept of Mashiach riding on the donkey is therefore the idea of harness and transforming our material world to make it a dwelling place for Hashem’s presence. This is the ultimate purpose of creation (Midrash Tanchuma Naso).
Bilaam the prophet and leader of the gentile world at the time also had a donkey but he succumbed to the selfish orientation of the material world and descended into vulgarity and vileness in the extreme. If you were ever wondering if God has a sense of humour then it certainly expresses itself in Parshat Balak when the mouth of the donkey opens and speaks back to its owner.
Bilaam was only master of the donkey “on paper” as in reality he was a slave to his passions and the lure of material world.
The beauty of the Torah and system of Mitzvot is that they enable us to harness physical objects and lift them and our souls to a higher plane of being.
We live in the technological age where in many ways we control our environment yet unhappiness, depression and mental illness are all too common. The Torah provides us with the pathway to connect to the ultimate – Hashem Himself.
Moshiach riding his donkey is the culmination of that process.
In the meantime by committing to Mitzvot we each elevate our corner of the world harnessing the material and letting Godliness shine through.
Shabbat Shalom. |
