After the sin of the Golden Calf, Bnei Yisrael were informed that instead of Hashem accompanying them along their journey He would be sending an angel in His place. "The people heard this bad tiding and they became grief stricken" (Shemos 33:4). Rashi explains that the bad tiding refers to the fact that Hashem would not be residing amongst them nor journeying along with them.
Rav Wolbe comments that this pasuk really defines the essence of good and bad. "Good" is anything which brings a person closer to Hashem, while "bad" is anything which distances a person from Him. Thus, the knowledge that Hashem would not be traveling along with them was most certainly a bad tiding.
As the Ramchal writes, our mission in this world is to create the strongest connection possible with our Creator. It makes sense that anything which aids a person in accomplishing their mission is "good" while anything that impedes him from achieving his goal is "bad." The formula for making correct decisions is often very simple. We must ask ourselves: Is this action going to bring me closer to Hashem or distance me from Him? It's a small question that can yield tremendous dividends.
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The parsha relates how Hashem agreed to show Moshe a partial revelation of His glory. He told Moshe exactly where to stand: "Hashem said, 'Behold, there is a place with me; you may stand on the rock'" (ibid. 33:21). Whatdoes this mean? Which place is with Hashem? Rashi explains that the place mentioned refers to a place on Har Sinai which He prepared specifically for this purpose.
Rashi writes another interpretation of the pasuk citing a Medrash. The "place" refers not to a part of Har Sinai; rather, it was mentioned regarding the Shechina Itself. Hashem did not say "I am in a place." He said the place is "with Me." From here Chazal conclude that "Hashem is the place of the world and the world is not His place."
Rav Wolbe elaborates on Chazal's words. The universe is a very big place. It contains billions of people and trillions upon trillions of stars. The perception of most people is that it's so big that it even has enough room for Hashem. However, the exact opposite is true. Hashem isn't contained in this world at all. Rather, the entire world is being held in His "palm." Hashem is the place upon where the world stands and the world is not the place where He stands.
This is an idea that should accompany us throughout our lives. Our aim is not to try to fit Hashem into our world, but rather to fit our world into Hashem. It is He who pulls the strings; one's family, job, colleagues and all the other aspects that make up his "world" must be aligned to work in tandem with Hashem's will.
Important Numbers
