Quantcast
Channel: Orach Chayim
Viewing all 223 articles
Browse latest View live

Vayera - Say Little and Do Much

$
0
0
“Shammai said, make your Torah study fixed, say little and do much, and receive everyone with a cheerful countenance.” (Pirkei Avot)

Tzaddikim promise little and do much, while the wicked make big promises and do not even keep a minimum. 

All Avraham promised the angels was a little bread, but subsquently he served them a meal fit for a king for which he slaughtered three oxen and used nine sa'ah of flour. He also served them butter and milk. (Bereishit 18)

How do the tzaddikim know that one must promise little and do more? They imitate Hashem Himself. When He promised that He would judge the Egyptians as the end of the exile. He assured Avraham, "And also the nation whom they shall serve will I judge!" (Bereishit 15:14) The promise contained merely two letters - דן (I will judge) yet subsequently He brought Ten Plagues upon the Egyptians!



Chayei Sarah - Sarah's Legacy

$
0
0



And Yitzchak brought her [Rivkah] into the tent of his mother Sarah...and he loved her; and Yitzchak was comforted after his mother's death. (Bereishit 24:67)

Sarah lived on…in Rivkah's virtues.

The Midrash reports that as long as Sarah was alive there used to be a [sheltering] cloud over her tent. (Bereishit Rabbah 60:16) The doors were open to offer hospitality, the challah displayed signs of having been blessed, and a light burned from one Erev Shabbat to the next. All of these phenomena ceased when Sarah died; they now resumed when Rivkah moved into that tent.

Woman had been assigned three tasks to help repair the imbalance created in the universe due to the sin of Chavah. They are: the consecration of the first part of her dough [called "challah"], the observance of the laws of family purity, and the periodic kindling of a light [i.e. on Shabbat eve].

Man is composed of 4 basic elements: matter [in Hebrew, "chomer"], life-force [Nefesh], spirit [Ruach], and soul [Neshamah]. Chavah had upset three [the most elemental] of these four elements; the soul, however, had not been damaged, being incapable of corruption at the hands of human beings, according to Kabbalah. A sin which would potentially corrupt the soul would result in the soul leaving man before he had a chance to commit such a sin.

Bereishit Rabbah 14 states that the mist rising from the earth prior to the first rainfall was like a woman who mixes water with the dough and separates the challah, the kohen's portion. Only after this process had been completed did G‑d create man from the dust which had been so treated.

Man is viewed as the "challah" of nature, in that just as challah represents the entire dough, so man represents the whole earth. Just as challah is holy, so man is the holy part of nature. Until sanctity was formed, one could not partake of any part of Creation, just as one must not benefit from the dough until challah has been separated from it.

Man may be viewed as having been created from the site of his eventual atonement, the site of the altar, the Temple. By having caused contamination of this most refined of raw materials in existence, Chavah caused eventual death. Therefore she had to make repairs, albeit of a symbolic nature.

Concerning the Nefesh, the life-force, she had to atone through the blood of menstruation [spilling some of her life-force - blood]. Concerning the contamination of the Ruach, spirit, she had been guilty of corrupting a spirit originating in the realms of angels; she therefore had to light the Shabbat candles which symbolize the enhanced spiritual nature of the Shabbat. Concerning the physical raw material, she had to set aside the challah, a portion of the most hard-won fruit of nature, bread.

By performing her part as the woman par excellence, Sarah's virtue was recognized through the blessing she spread and conferred on others. Her dough was blessed, her light never went out, her doors remained open for all to look inside and to see that there was no impurity concealed within her tent. The fourth phenomenon, the one which had never been absent, is the proximity of the Divine Spirit which rests on all that is complete and whole.

Although Sarah had had to correct only three imbalances, the author of that same Midrash credits her with having restored all four elements to their appropriate position and condition. The fact that all these phenomena ceased to be manifest after her death proved to one and all that their presence had been due to her merit. Yitzchak had wanted to test Rivkah's ability to restore these phenomena, i.e. to restore his mother's tent to its former glory. This is why he brought her into his mother's tent instead of providing new quarters for her. When he saw that the four "halos" of Sarah had been restored, he considered her presence the fifth such halo, the fifth ingredient. This is the allusion represented by the letterה (heh), whose numerical value is 5, in front of the word "ha'ohalah" ["to her tent"].


Source: Torat Moshe by Rabbi Moshe Alshich of Tzfat-Safed, Chabad.org

--------------

Parashat Chayei Sarah
Chayei Sarah Pardes
Haftarah Chayei Sarah


Toledot - Gan Eden

Vayetze - Five Miracles

$
0
0

Five miracles occurred with Jacob when he left Be'er-Sheva:



  1. The day was cut short, and the sun set before its time, because G‑d wished to talk to him
  2. When he awoke in the morning, he found that the four stones (depicting the four wives that he was destined to marry) that he had placed under his head when he lay down, had turned into one stone
  3. He rolled the stone from the well - with one hand, although normally, it required the combined effort of all the local shepherds to remove it
  4. The well began to flow and the water rose to meet him, and it continued to flow for the entire duration of Yaakov's stay in Charan (in verse 10, the Targum will add that it flowed for twenty years)
  5. The earth 'jumped' before him, and on the same day that he left home he arrived in Charan.
Targum Yonatan 28:10

-----------

Vayishlach

$
0
0
"The dust of their feet went up to the Divine Throne". (Chullin 91a) Midrash tells us that all Yaakov's gifts came as a result of this "dust." Furthermore, all the "gifts that Yisrael would gain in this world," "all the success they would have in business," "all the success they would have in battles" – all of it is "in the merit of Yaakov's dust"! Who was the mysterious "man" that wrestled with Yaakov? He was the guardian angel of Esav. (Rashi, Zohar, different Midrashim — see also Hoshea 12:4-5) Yaakov's wrestling with him all night symbolizes the struggle with materialism and evil that he and his descendants would have from this time forth during the night of "exile". (Ramban and Bachya on our chapter) Read more: The Dust of History ------------------------------------------ Parashat VayishlachVayishlach PardesVayishlach Haftarah

Vayeshev - Yirat Shamayim

$
0
0


Bereishit 39:2 "Hashem was with Yosef, and he became a successful man."

Harav Bunim M'Peshischa notes the Torah's emphasis on Yosef's "remembering" the source of his success. He realized that the success he had achieved was only because "Hashem was with Yosef." All too often, we pray to Hashem for various favors. Shortly after Hashem grants us His good will, we seem to forget the source of our benefaction.

Along these same lines, the Chofetz Chaim explains that in the tefillah that we say on the Shabbat prior to Rosh Chodesh, we implore Hashem to grant us a life replete with yirat Shamayim, fear of Heaven, and yirat chet, fear of sin. Once again, at the end of the tefillah, we ask for ahavat Torah v'yirat Shamayim, love of Torah and fear of Heaven. Why do we ask Hashem to grant us yirat Shamayim twice?

The Chofetz Chaim relates that after our first request for yirat Shamayim, we ask for a life of osher v'kavod, wealth and honor.  Once a person has "tasted" a life of wealth and honor, he seldom retains the yirat Shamayim he once had developed. Consequently, it is necessary to request yirat Shamayim a second time. (Peninim on the Torah)

---------------------------

Parashat Vayeshev

Vayeshev Pardes

Zot Chanukah

$
0
0


Zot Chanukah!

THIS, THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHANUKAH – the fact that there are 8 days of Chanukah – ZOT CHANUKAH, this is what Chanukah means. It means EIGHT. EIGHT is our answer to the Greek challenge. They said nature is perfect. They said it is a mutilation of the body to be circumcised. And they forbid us to fulfill that great mitzva of ours, under pain of death. EIGHT represents the step beyond TEVA, beyond nature. MILA on the 8th day represents our challenge to go beyond how we were created and take charge of the completion of our physical and spiritual form. The Mikdash began to function on its higher spiritual level on the EIGHTH day. The Greeks tried to take that away from us too. Torah was given to us on the day following seven sevens. It is an EIGHTH too. And the Greeks tried to take that from us also. With G-d’s help, we prevailed over the Greeks and the triumph is celebrated with an 8 day holiday. This is Chanukah. ZOT CHANUKAH.

-Aish

It is said in the name of the holy Rebbe, Rav Yisroel Rhiziner that “what the tzaddikim of the generation accomplish through their lofty Neilah prayers on Yom Kippur, a simple Jew can ask and accomplish with his prayers on Zot Chanukah, the eighth day of Chanukah”.

Vayechi - Burial in Eretz Yisrael

$
0
0



Burial in Eretz Yisrael

Burial in the Holy Land confers a great advantage for six reasons:

  1. When a person dies, the soul leaves the body.  If this occurs in Eretz Yisrael, the soul ascends directly to heaven.  The abode of souls is under G-d's כִּסֵא הַכָּבוֹד (Kissey HaKovod - Throne of Glory), and this Throne is in direct spiritual proximity to Eretz Yisrael.  The בֵּית הַמִקְדָשׁ (Beit HaMikdash - Holy Temple) on high is also in direct proximity to the place where the Temple in Yerushalayim stood on earth, and it is through this place that souls enter and leave the world.  During the first 12 months after a person's death, the soul descends to its grave every Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh(New Moon) to visit the corpse of the body with which it was previously associated. (Yeshayahu 66:23.  Cf. Shabbat 152b)  If the body is buried in Eretz Yisrael, the soul can descend and ascend through a direct route, without any delay. When a person dies outside Eretz Yisrael, the soul has great difficulty in ascending to the heavens.  It must go in roundabout ways and pass through all the Mekatrigin (Denouncing Powers) associated with the evil Sitra Achra (Other Side).  It is as if the soul were a person who suddenly found himself in the midst of an army of tens of thousands of armed warriors.  It must undergo much anguish until it can pass through them all. (Bachya, Lech Lecha; Zohar, Terumah; Yafeh Toar, p. 518; Chesed LeAvraham 3)  Many Jews therefore wanted to go to Eretz Yisrael to die, so that their souls would have a straight path when leaving the body, without any opposition.   One who is worthy of dying in Eretz Yisrael has great merit. (Zohar, Achrei Mot)  When a person dies in Eretz Yisrael, immediately after his death the soul goes directly to Machpelah Cave, and from there it goes to its proper place. (Zohar, Chayei Sarah)  Being buried in Eretz Yisrael is just like being buried beneath the Mizbeach (Great Altar), which was a focal point of the Temple in Yerushalayim.  It is also just like being buried under the Throne of Glory.
  2. When people die outside Eretz Yisrael, they die by the hand of a destroying angel, Samael, otherwise known as the Angel of Death.  When a person dies in Eretz Yisrael, on the other hand, he dies through the hand of Gavriel, who is a merciful angel.  The only exception to this rule were Moshe, Aharon and Miriam, who died outside the Holy Land but were not given Sama'el. (Zohar, Terumah; Chesed LeAvraham, loc. cit.)  
  3. If a person dies in Eretz Yisrael and is buried on the same day he dies, before nightfall, no unclean force has power over him. (Zohar)
  4. The agony of the grave חִבּוּט הַקֶבֶר (chibbut ha-kever - literally "beating of the grave") is even worse than death itself (some say that chibbut ha-kever is the psychological anguish of seeing the decay of one's mortal remains).  When a person dies outside Eretz Yisrael, there is no way he can escape this fate.  In Eretz Yisrael, on the other hand, if a person is buried on Friday after the fourth hour of the day (around 10 a.m.) he avoids this anguish.  This is speaking of someone who lives in Eretz Yisrael and dies on a Friday.  Then the holiness of Eretz Yisrael and the holiness of the Shabbat join to protect him.  When a person dies under such conditions, it is an indication that he does not deserve such punishment.  Providence therefore arranges that he die on the day before the Shabbat.  Obviously, if he was a sinner, these two elements of holiness would not protect him from the agony of the grave.  Rather, the very fact that he died on a Friday indicates that he is a virtuous person.  Our sages taught that there are a number of good habits that can protect a person from the agony of the grave.  These include giving charity, accepting correction, enjoying good works and taking in guests, and saying one's prayers with כַּוָנָה(kavanah - concentration), without any external thoughts.  However, it is not enough to do such things when one has the opportunity; one must make an effort to create opportunities.  He must keep them with heart and soul, and not merely as an obligation, since heartless observance cannot protect one from the agony of the grave.  A man once died on Thursday. His relatives gave instructions that he should not be buried until late Friday afternoon to avoid the agony of the grave.  This was done, but the sages said that they had done wrong.  They had violated the mitzvah,"His body shall not remain out overnight" (Devarim 21:23).  Obviously, such delay will not help the individual avoid the agony of the grave at all.
  5. When a person is buried outside Eretz Yisrael, his flesh decays and becomes maggoty.  Our sages say, "A worm in the flesh of the dead is like a needle in the flesh of the living." (Berachot 18b; Shabbat 13b, 152a.)  Since the soil of Eretz Yisrael is like lime, one's flesh does not become maggoty. (Yad Yosef:  Mevakesh HaShem)
  6. Outside the Holy Land a person dies twice.  At the time of Techiyat HaMetim (the Resurrection), the soul cannot return to the body unless it is in Eretz Yisrael.  At the time of the Resurrection, G-d will personally open the graves; it will not be done by any angel (cf. Yechezkiel 37:13).  This cannot take place outside Eretz Yisrael, since other places are considered unclean. (Bereishit Rabbah; Yafeh Toar)  Of course, this does not mean that people buried outside Eretz Yisrael will not be resurrected.  Obviously, many great tzaddikim are buried in other lands.  The meaning, however, is as follows:  There is a small bone in man, at the base of the neck, known as the לוּז(Luz). This bone does not decay in the ground.   This bone is like the yeast in a batch of dough; from it the body is reconstructed.  The soul, however, cannot be returned to the body except in Eretz Yisrael.  After the bodies are reconstructed, G-d will provide underground passages through which they can be transported to Eretz Yisrael.  Until they reach Eretz Yisrael, they will remain bodies without souls.  Only there will G-d grant them souls so that they can come to life.  This is alluded to in the verse, "[G-d] gives a soul to the people in [the land]" (Yeshayahu 42:5).  This indicates that G-d will provide a soul for the resurrected dead when they are in the Holy Land. (Ketubot 111a)  According to another opinion, the archangel Gavriel will bring the bones of the dead to Eretz Yisrael and there they will be resurrected. (Zohar, Chayei Sarah; Ketubot, loc. cit.)  Furthermore, people buried in Eretz Yisrael will be resurrected before those buried elsewhere.  Others will have to be brought to Eretz Yisrael, and their resurrection will therefore be delayed.  This is alluded to in the verse, "Your dead shall live, my corpses shall rise, [awake and sing you who live in the dust]" (Yeshayahu 26:19).  "Your dead shall live" refers to the dead buried in Eretz Yisrael, while "your corpses shall rise" refers to those buried elsewhere.  They will merely rise and have their bodies reconstructed; then they will be brought to Eretz Yisrael, where they will be given souls that will bring them back to life. (Zohar; Ketubot)  There is a tradition that people buried in Eretz Yisrael will be resurrected 40 years before the dead buried elsewhere.  If a person buried outside Eretz Yisrael has been concerned with and has supported (to the best of his ability) a relative - either male or female - who is buried in Eretz Yisrael, that relative can see to it that he is resurrected at the same time as the dead in Eretz Yisrael.  All reward is measure for measure.  This person supported his relative so that he could live in the Eretz Yisrael, which is considered the same as ransoming captives (discussed in Lech Lecha).  Such a person therefore has very great merit, and he will partake in the resurrection long before the other people buried outside Eretz Yisrael.  This shows us that someone buried in Eretz Yisrael has two advantages with regard to the Resurrection.  First, he will be brought to life before people buried elsewhere. Second, he avoids the agony of having to travel through the underground passages, which involves great anguish.  Our sages say that all these advantages are accrued only by one who lives in Eretz Yisrael for a while and is then worthy of dying there.  However, if a person dies elsewhere and is brought to Eretz Yisrael, it is not proper to bring him there for burial.  Regarding those who do this it is written, "You came and defiled My land" (Yirmeyahu 2:7).  G-d complained because people came only after they were dead, and a dead body defiles, as it is ritually unclean (BaMidbar 19:14) (Yerushalmi, Ketubot 12:3; Zohar, Terumah, Achrei Mot)  
(Me'am Lo'ez)

Shemot - Shiviti - I Place Hashem Before Me Always

$
0
0



shiviti Hashem l'negdi tamid
“I place Hashem before me always.”

Shemot 2:1 A man of the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi.

BeRahamim LeHayyim: Those who are the most connected, stay connected at all times. Waking up. Eating. Walking on the way. Learning. Interacting. Working. Sleeping. And yes, using the washroom [but not meditating inside!] 

We are promised that if we keep G‑d before us always, He will in fact do our will. If we see our lives as a microcosm of G‑d 's interactions, we can channel amazing blessings onto ourselves and others. It is a lot easier said than done. For we can quickly be trapped in the material world, with concerns slightly higher than animals, with despair and loss of faith when we are at our worst.

Moshe was a superior soul who came into this world perhaps largely because of the holy behavior of his parents. During their marital relations, the Zohar above describes, they saw their coupling as symbolic of Divine union between Transcendence and Imminence, between Supernatural and Natural, between Expansion and Limit..."for the sake of the Unification of the Holy One and His Manifestation."

Rabbi Yitzchak said: Fortunate are the righteous, whose desire is to cleave to G‑d always [including during the time of marital relations]. As they cleave to Him constantly, thus does He cleave to them and never leaves them. Woe to the wicked, that their desire and cleaving are far removed from Him. For not only are they distanced from Him, but they also cleave to the Other Side. Come and see: Moshe came from Amram who cleaved to G‑d, and G‑d never turned from him, and the Shechinah cleaved to him always; thus, blessed is his lot.

- Chabad, 
Holy-Conjugations, based on Zohar Shemot 11A

-----------------

Parashat Shemot

Va'era - To KNOW G-d

$
0
0

Shemot 6:7 "And I will take you to me as My people, and I will be to you a G‑d; and you shall know that I am HASHEM your G‑d, Who brings you out from the under the oppression of Egypt." 
This commandment [to know G‑d] is the first of all the commandments. The knowledge of G-d falls into two categories hinted in this verse. First is the general understanding that there is one supernal force that supervises the world. Next is the realization that this supervision and influence devolves into the finest particulars of this world.

The beginning of every mitzvah is to know G-d in His generality. What is this generality? It is to know that there is a ruling force above Who is the Master of the world. He created all of the worlds [Atzilut, Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah], the heavens and the earth and all of their forces. This is [knowledge of Him] in general [consisting of six parts]:

  • To know that there is [understanding this reality];
  • A ruling force [that commands all the forces of the universe];
  • Above [the higher reason to all reasoning];
  • Master of all the worlds [and active in them, not leaving them to secondary controlling forces];
  • Creator of all the worlds [from nothing to something - ex nihilo];
  • And all their forces. [Not to believe that the works of Creation are somehow self sustaining].

All this is the beginning to arriving at a true belief in G-d in general.

The end of all [knowledge and belief] is in the particular, to know Him in particular [details].

We find that a person in this world deals with the general and particular [in arriving at faith in G‑d]. In this world a person himself consists of the general and particular. [In generality he exists as a physical body made up of particular limbs]. This is the reason that the beginning of all is to know that there is a Controller and Judge in this world and that He is the Master of all the worlds. He made man from soil of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the soul of life.

In Hebrew the word for "man" is "adam"; the word for "soil" is "adamah"; the word for "breath" is "neshima"; the word for "soul" is "neshama". The act of breathing gives life to the body, which is the container of the soul, ultimately sourced in the original breath of G-d into the first man. In Hebrew, the actual words for "man" and "soul" clearly relate to these concepts. This is one of the reasons Hebrew is called the Holy Tongue, since the very letters and words express divine hidden meanings.

When the People of Yisrael left Egypt they didn't know G-d.

The deepest exile is not to know of the existence of G-d - in general or in particular. Egypt was the essence of all exiles and this lack of knowledge of G-d was the darkest aspect of that exile. We constantly remember coming out of Egypt because that was essence of the struggle in our own lives - to leave the darkness and to know G-d.

When Moshe came to [redeem] them, this was the first commandment he taught them as is written;

"And you shall know that I am the HASHEM your G d, who brings [note the present tense!] you out from under the sufferings of Egypt."
The word for Egypt in Hebrew is "Mitzrayim"; it is related to the word "maytzarim", meaning "constriction". The first commandment in leaving constricted consciousness is to recognize the Divine.

If it were not for this commandment, Yisrael would not have believed in all the miracles and mighty deeds that were done for them in Egypt. When they understood this in general, miracles and wonders were done for them [in particular].

From here we see that a person needs to understand and believe in He who is making history in order to merit the miracles connected with redemption from exile.

- Zohar, Parashat Va'era, pg. 25a; translation and commentary by Simcha-Shmuel Treister; Chabad

-------------

Parashat Va'era

Va'era - Revelation

$
0
0

Faith in G-d cures our spiritual blindness.

The name of the parasha, "Va'era", can be read two ways: "I showed Myself" and "I show myself" - both past and present.

Torah Ohr says that G-d's revelation of Himself was not an isolated incident relegated to the distant past but is happening now, too. We demonstrate our ability to see past the facade to spiritual truth every time we use the strengths we inherit from the Forefathers:

  • the kindness of Avraham in the world's "dog eat dog" mentality
  • Yitzchak's strength and self-control in a generation that demands abandonment of values
  • the mercy of Yaakov, in honest appraisal without self-aggrandizing influences.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe relates this to when G-d instructed Moshe to tell the people they will be redeemed, (Shemot 3:17), and Moshe answered, "But they won't believe me". (Ibid. 4:1) Moshe worried that after 210 years of exile, the Jews were not only physically exiled but also mentally stuck.

G-d answered, "I have shown Myself to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov" (Ibid. 6:3) "...I have also heard the groaning of the Jewish people". (Ibid. 6:5) G-d was saying that the children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov are incapable of being stuck. All you have to do is tell them I am coming - "And I will take you out". (Ibid. 6:6)

We are no different even after this last exile of almost 2000 years. Deep down, we have not sold out. We just have to be reminded.

- KabbalaOnline.org

--------------

Parashat Va'era

Unlocking the Torah Text • Shemot Mishpatim • A Path to Spiritual Growth.

Torah Study of Bereishit - Vayeshev - (Surviving Difficulties)

Thanking G-d - Torah Study of Parashat Mikeitz

G-d is HaMakom - The Place - Torah Study of Parashat Bo


Parashat Beshalach - Tehillim 77

$
0
0

 


Parashat Beshalach

Tehillim 77


Your way, O G-d, is holy. Who is so great a G-d as our G-d? You are the G-d that does wonders; you have declared your strength among the people. With your arm you have redeemed your people, the sons of Yaakov and Yosef. Selah. The waters saw you, O G-d, the waters saw you; they were afraid; the depths also trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; your arrows flashed on every side. The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lightened the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea, and your path through the great waters; and your footsteps were not known. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moshe and Aharon.


(Tehillim 77:14-21; Beshalach - Shemot 14:21-22; Shemot 6:6, Devarim 26:8)

Parashat Beshalach - Pillar of Cloud

$
0
0




Shemot 14:19And the malach of G-d, who went before the camp of Yisrael, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
20 So it came between the camp of the Egypt and the camp of Yisrael. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
The pillar of cloud which had been leading the Benei Yisrael through the desert now moved to their rear. This was to separate the Benei Yisrael from the Egyptians. The Egyptians were shooting arrows and catapulting stones into the camp of the Benei Yisrael, but all these missles were absorbed by the pillar of cloud. (Targum Yonatan; Zohar; Rashi)
Normally, the pillar of cloud would remove itself at night, making way for the pillar of fire (13:21), but on this seventh night of Pesach, the pillar of cloud did not depart. Instead, it moved to the rear of the camp of the Benei Yisrael, separating them from the Egyptians. (Rashi)
The pillar was half dark and half glowing. The dark, cloudy side was toward the Egyptians, while the glowing side faced the Benei Yisrael. Since the Egyptains were in total darkness, they could not even see to aim their weapons. They were totally disoriented.

(Targum Yonatan; Targum Yerushalmi; Midrash, Tehillim 27)

Parashat Yitro - Dining with a Torah Scholar

$
0
0

 

Illustration image: Yitro and Moshe, watercolor by James Tissot (1896-1900)

Shemot 18:12And Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for G-d; and Aharon came, and all the elders of Yisrael, to eat bread with Moshe's father-in-law before G-d.

The phrase "before G-d" seems misplaced in this context. How was this specific feast in the presence of G-d?

Rabbi Avin explained:

“To partake of a meal where a Torah scholar is present is like enjoying the splendor of G-d’s Divine Presence. After all, did Yitro, Aharon, and the elders of Yisrael eat before G-d? They ate before Moshe! Rather, this verse teaches us that sharing a meal with a scholar [such as Moshe] is like enjoying the splendor of G-d’s Presence.” (Berachot 64a)


What makes dining with a Torah scholar so remarkable? Wouldn't engaging in Torah study with them provide a more profound spiritual experience? Furthermore, how does such a meal resemble "enjoying the splendor of G-d's Presence"?

Despite the immense greatness of the human soul, its capacity to comprehend and relish G-d's infinite wisdom is limited. The extent of pleasure we experience in G-d's Presence is determined by our spiritual achievements. The higher our spiritual awareness, the greater the joy we find in G-d's Presence. Although complete mastery of Divine wisdom remains elusive, even the modest level of understanding attainable can fill the soul with profound light and joy.

The holiness, profound wisdom, and elevated conduct of a Torah scholar may not be fully appreciated by the general public. The wisdom may be difficult for common people to grasp, and they may struggle to relate to the scholar's holiness. How can individuals with more ordinary backgrounds connect with such a distinguished scholar?

A scholar's most significant impact occurs in areas where others can easily connect with him. While many may find it challenging to follow his scholarly lectures, a shared meal creates a common ground that bridges the gap between the most distinguished and the most ordinary individuals. This connection enables everyone to partake in some aspect of a great scholar's journey in Torah and service to G-d.

When a Torah scholar manifests his profound wisdom and holiness, the ordinary person may feel a daunting sense of distance from such lofty achievements. The prospect of attaining a level so far beyond one's own limited capabilities may lead to despair. However, partaking in a meal with a scholar offers a tangible, shared experience that makes people more open to appreciating the scholar's noble traits and holy conduct.

Of course, those who are able to understand the scholar’s wisdom can more fully appreciate his greatness. Those individuals will derive greater benefit and pleasure from him. This is precisely Rabbi Avin’s point: just as the degree of pleasure gained from G-d’s Presence depends on the soul’s spiritual state, so too, the benefit we derive from a great scholar depends on our spiritual level and erudition.

(Parashat Yitro - Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, https://ravkooktorah.org/)


*Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook (1865-1935), the celebrated first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, is recognized as being among the most important Jewish thinkers of all times. His writings reflect the mystic's search for underlying unity in all aspects of life and the world, and his unique personality similarly united a rare combination of talents and gifts. Rav Kook was a prominent rabbinical authority and active public leader, but at the same time, a deeply religious mystic. He was both Talmudic scholar and poet, original thinker and saintly tzaddik.


Parashat Mishpatim

$
0
0

 


These are the judgments you shall place before them.” (Shemot 21:1)


The Zohar on Parshat Mishpatim 94a comments “These are the orders of reincarnations.”

This may seem perplexing at first glance, as the verse appears to explain the laws of monetary damages. However, I have heard that in matters of judgment, when one judges another in court and knows within himself that he is unquestionably in the right, yet the Torah mandates a verdict against him, he should not be troubled by this apparent contradiction. Instead, he should consider that in a past reincarnation, he might have been indebted to the other litigant. The Torah now requires him to pay as a means of fulfilling his past obligation.

The litigant who deceitfully takes the money will also face consequences in the future. This scenario is prevalent in matters of law and damages. This is what the Zohar hints at when it mentions "These are the judgments." These monetary cases, even if they appear to contradict the truth, are part of the order of reincarnations. They serve as Hashem's way of settling disputes between litigants, as He created the souls and knows their behavior in past reincarnations.

It is suggested that these judgments, though seemingly against the truth, are, in fact, the order of reincarnations. Even though they may go against the apparent truth, they are the true laws of reincarnations. The Creator, who knows how souls behaved in previous incarnations, governs and directs His world according to the Torah with kindness, mercy, justice, and true judgment to adjudicate between individuals, neighbors, and all possessions, as dictated by God. This encompasses a broad perspective.

Source: Degel Machaneh Efrayim, Parshat Mishpatim - Classic Chassidic work by Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov, a grandson of Baal Shem Tov

Parashat Terumah - The Menorah

$
0
0

 

(Temple Menorah according to Rambam's drawing)


The form of the Menorah symbolized the Torah. 

The 7 branches parallel the seven words in the first verse in Bereishit in original Hebrew.

The 11 spheres on the Menorah parallel the 11 words in the first verse of Shemot.

The 9 blossoms parallel the 9 words in the first verse in Vayikra.

The height of the Menorah was 18 handbreadths. One handbreadth, however, was not complete, so the actual height of the Menorah was 17 handbreadths and a bit extra. These paralleled the 17 words in the first verse in Bamidbar.

The 22 cups on the Menorah parallel the 22 word in the first verse of Devarim.

It therefore comes out that the first verse of all Five Books of the Torah are alluded to in the Menorah.

The total number is 49 - paralleling the 49 days between the Exodus and the time the Torah was given. 

(Me'am Lo'ez, Terumah; Yalkut Reuveni, quoting the Ari; Zera Berach 1, TEtzaveh; Torat HaOlah 16:2; Akeidah

Viewing all 223 articles
Browse latest View live