The Secret of the Mekoshesh and the Mekalel: The Great Missed Opportunity of the Level of Adam HaRishon

Lesson No. 7 | 12 Iyar 5755 - Continuation from No. 6 / 14 Iyar 5755 - Melaveh Malkah / 14 Iyar 5755 - Continued in No. 8

Rabbi Berland shlit"a reveals the deep spiritual roots of the Mekoshesh (wood-gatherer) and the Mekalel (blasphemer). While the first had mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) to sanctify the Shabbos and strengthen the Tree of Life, the second missed a rare opportunity to reach the spiritual level of Adam HaRishon (the First Man) before the sin.

The holy Rashi teaches us that both the Mekoshesh and the Mekalel were placed in custody, each in a separate room, yet their judgment was decreed together—death by stoning. On the surface, it seems we are dealing with two sinners, but when we look deeply into the matter, we discover awesome secrets about their intentions and the root of their souls.

The Mekoshesh, in truth, did not intend to desecrate the Shabbos out of disrespect, Heaven forbid. He did it to show the Jewish people the severity of Shabbos. At that time, the Nation of Israel did not grasp the gravity of the prohibition. They said to themselves, "Shabbos is holy, but stoning? Would they kill a Jew over such a thing? All I did was gather a few pieces of wood, drive to the sea, do a small action—for this, they kill?"

The Mekoshesh saw this mindset and decided to have mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice). He gathered two twigs, placing one piece of wood upon another in the measure required to boil an egg, so that everyone would see that such an action incurs the penalty of stoning. He volunteered to be the living example, to teach practically that desecrating the Shabbos is a severe matter punishable by death. He was not a "Shabbos desecrator" in essence; rather, he was a man who wanted to keep Shabbos and sought to shock the nation so that they would observe it properly.

The Hidden Secret of the Mekalel

In contrast to the Mekoshesh, an even deeper secret is hidden within the Mekalel. The holy Zohar says that there is a "hidden secret" here, and whoever knows the secret—"the wise will understand and remain silent." It is forbidden to reveal the depth of the Mekalel's intention, except to the holy brotherhood (the inner circle of Kabbalists).

The Mekalel wanted to bring about immense spiritual revelations, things that Moshe Rabbeinu himself did not dare to show. He wanted to demonstrate control over nature, to make the sun and moon stand still, to perform exalted actions. The Torah hints at the tremendous potential he possessed in a single word:

"And they placed him in custody (vayanichuhu b'mishmar)" (Vayikra 24:12)

The word "vayanichuhu" is written without the letter Yud, exactly as it is stated regarding Adam HaRishon: "And He placed him (vayanichehu) in the Garden of Eden." This is a hint that the spiritual level of the Mekalel could have been like the level of Adam HaRishon in the Garden of Eden. He had a lofty and immense soul, and if only he had nullified himself to Moshe Rabbeinu, if he had been willing to be slightly "outside the camp" and accept his place, he could have purified himself and reached the level of Adam HaRishon before the sin.

The Dilemma of Moshe Rabbeinu

Moshe Rabbeinu stood perplexed before these two men. On one hand was the Mekoshesh, who gave himself over to death to reveal the severity of Shabbos and to strengthen the "Tree of Life" over the "Tree of Knowledge." The Zohar says that the Mekoshesh wanted to nullify the Tree of Knowledge and leave only the Tree of Life, thereby bringing the resurrection of the dead to the Nation of Israel and rectifying the sin of the Golden Calf.

On the other hand stood the Mekalel, whose soul was on the level of Adam HaRishon before the sin. Moshe thought: Perhaps a tikkun (rectification) can be made for him? Maybe we can just strip away his outer shell of impurity, and the pure soul will remain? After all, he could be an immense tzaddik and shine like a diamond.

Moshe saw that both of them possessed rare Divine comprehensions. Both of them could, potentially, bring the Geulah (Redemption) and the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, he hesitated and waited for Divine instruction. He hoped that perhaps they could be saved and their tremendous powers used for holiness.

The Divine Decision: Stones and the Garden of Eden

Hashem revealed to Moshe the bitter but necessary truth: both are liable to stoning, but their eternal destiny is completely different. Hashem said to Moshe: The Mekoshesh is a tzaddik. He will indeed be killed, but his death will be his atonement. Through the stoning, the evil will separate from him, and the good within him will enter straight into the Garden of Eden. He will merit the resurrection of the dead because his intention was for the sake of Heaven, to strengthen the Tree of Life.

But the Mekalel? "There is no good in him at all." All his lofty comprehensions, all the "novelties" and spiritual powers he wanted to show—everything stems from the "wisdom of the serpent." Just like Yerovam ben Nevat, who possessed great spiritual comprehensions but used them for evil, so too the Mekalel descended from bad to worse. Not a single good point remained in him. His wisdom is the cunning of the primordial serpent, sorcery, and impure incantations, not true holiness.

Therefore, the ruling was to stone them both. For the Mekoshesh, the stones were the way to purify the body and bring the soul into the Garden of Eden. For the Mekalel, the stones were the way to eradicate the evil from the world, since the good within him had departed completely.

"And they stoned him... because all aspects of good within him had completely departed, and he will not rise in the resurrection of the dead. The *Mekoshesh*, on the contrary, entered straight into the Garden of Eden and merited the Tree of Life."

Thus, the Torah teaches us a profound lesson: Not everyone who possesses spiritual comprehensions and powers is necessarily on the side of holiness. The fine line between the Garden of Eden and Gehinnom lies in one's self-nullification to the tzaddik and in a person's inner motive.

Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 7