By: J.J. Rosenfeld
That which
you have planted
—is that not the very foundation?
And that is exactly the point: the planting itself.
And this is truly remarkable,
because Gevurah is often seen as restriction,
when in reality Gevurah means
structure
—doesn’t it?
The Torah is Gevurah.
What I mean is:
Gevurah is structure.
To be a person with structure
requires tremendous inner strength.
Today we live in a world
where everything revolves around spontaneity.
Everyone is a slave to impulse.
“What do I feel like doing right now?”
“What do I want to do?”
But this is precisely the insight:
It is not only about
what I want to do,
but also about what
needs to be done.
Gevurah shebeYesod is about
creating structure within reality.
It is about understanding
that certain things must remain hidden for the time being.
One must cover the construction site
while the foundation is being laid
—not only to prevent
people from getting hurt,
but also because there is a certain beauty
in the mystery of what is being built there.
And that, precisely,
creates a truly strong foundation.
The Meaning of the 37th Day
In the world of Kabbalah,
the number 37 is strongly associated with our patriarch Yitzchak.
It was Yitzchak, after all,
who at the age of 37 was taken by his father to be offered as a sacrifice.
The great Kabbalists teach us
that 37 is the numerical value of Hevel (Abel),
who was murdered out of jealousy by his brother Kayin.
In order to repair this,
our patriarch Yitzchak had to be offered up
through his unwavering trust in his father
and through Avraham’s complete trust in HaShem.
Only Yitzchak’s body was offered;
his spirit, on the other hand, was freed from its limitations.
As the Zohar says:
“Yitzchak was an angel.”
The relationship between Avraham and Yitzchak
had the power “to rectify” the sin of Kayin and Hevel.
This is why the book of Kohelet by King Shlomo revolves around “Hevel”
—the fleeting nature of this world.
Within Judaism, the number 37
represents the ability
to heal the temporary
within the embrace of the eternal;
to heal jealousy
within everlasting love.
The Avodah of the Day
Build a foundation for your Torah learning.
Whether it is
“2 Mikra, 1 Targum,”
“Tehillim Yomi,”
or “Mishnah Yomi”
—whatever a person can realistically manage:
It is better to start small
and then build consistently from there.
Keep it private at first.
The secret of Yesod (foundation)
is that it remains hidden.
You rarely see foundations,
yet they support the entire building.
The Elevation
Do not measure your progress against others.
Even if you may be standing on the same “playing field” as someone else,
you are playing an entirely different sport.
Remain faithful to your personal Torah goals for six weeks,
and then reevaluate.
Focus on your own path,
without comparing yourself to others.
Kinyan Torah #36 – מתרחק מן הכבוד
“Distance Yourself from Honor”
One of the most important steps
in acquiring Torah
is learning to flee from honor and recognition.
The Rambam zt”l teaches
that most character traits require balance;
but when it comes to ego and honor,
we must adopt an extreme position instead.
The Hebrew word for honor—kavod—
shares the same root as the word for
“weight.”
We must be careful
not to make ourselves
the center of gravity of our own lives.
True honor belongs exclusively to HaShem.
When we draw honor toward ourselves
—even just a little—
we are, in a certain sense, taking it away from HIM.
The Gemara tells of sages
who rejected praise and titles
—not out of false humility,
but because they recognized the danger of ego.
It is told about Rav Nevensal zt”l:
When people stood up to honor him,
he would often say that they were standing for
“the rabbi” (HaRav),
while he himself had merely happened to walk in at that moment.
This kind of humility
is the key to preserving Torah permanently.
It allows us to remain a vessel for Torah
instead of becoming its competitor.
Practical Exercise for Today
Do something for Torah today
without announcing it,
without displaying it publicly,
and without expecting gratitude.
Distance yourself from honor
—not only outwardly,
but inwardly as well.
Remind yourself:
It is not about me,
but about the honor of HaShem (Kavod).
The more you place Him at the center,
the more HE
will entrust His Torah to you.
