The Admonition (26:14ff):
“In truth, they are nothing but blessings.” With these words, the Admor Hazaken (R' Shneur Zalman of Liadi) presented the chassidic view of the punishments Hashem threatens to give to Bnei Yisrael if they don’t do the mitzvot. While on the surface, the verses talk about bad things, there is an subconscious, inner level of Torah at which we find only blessings. Through the study of chassidut, which reveals the subconscious aspects of the neshamah, one can be able to reach the level at which one will be able to see through the ‘disguise’ of the punishments and the real blessings will be revealed (see Likutei Torah, Bechukotai, 48b).
In fact, the concept that there is a blessing hidden under the punishment isn’t even of chassidic origin, but it is found in the Gemara (Moed Katan 9a-b). R’ Shimon Bar Yochai sent his son, R’ Elazar, to receive blessings from R’ Yonatan Ben Asmai and R’ Yehudah Ben Geirim.
They said the following to him: “May it be God’s will that you should sow and not reap, what you bring in will not go out, what you take out will not come in, your house will be desolate and your temporary lodging inhabited, your table will be disturbed and you will not see a new year.”
R’ Elazar came back and complained to his father ‘Not only did they not bless me, but they even caused me pain with their negative words.’
R’ Shimon explained “These are all blessings! When they said ‘You should sow and not reap’ they meant that you should have children and they will not die.
“When they said ‘What you bring in will not go out’ they meant that you will bring daughters-in- law to your house and your sons will not die, so they will not leave.
“When they said ‘What you take out will not come in’ they meant that you will send out your daughters to marry, and their husbands will not die, so they will not come back to your house.
“When they said ‘Your house will be desolate and your temporary lodging inhabited’ they meant for it to be interpreted allegorically: Your ‘temporary lodging place’ is this world, and your ‘house’ is the grave.
“When they said ‘Your table will be disturbed’ they meant that it will be disturbed by your children.
“And when they said ‘You will not see a new year’ they meant that your wife will not die so you won’t need to take a new wife. [The word year refers to the verse ‘When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business; he shall be free at home for one year.’ (Devarim 24:5)]”
Similarly, all the punishments in the admonition are really hidden blessings.
Based on Likutei Sichot vol. 1 pg. 283ff.
Ari Shagalow
