Nitzutz Notes

Derech Exam Notes

2009-06-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

BINYAN MIKDASH

I'm missing the beginning of the maamer but will add it later after I study it.

the way they move is based on the etzem chayus that’s in the hand & the foot that was there beforehand. The blood multiplies through eating & drinking. But the ratzon is only a chayus nafshi, the movement doesn’t come from the ratzon, but the way it moves is based on the ratzon. The hand won’t change it’s mission against what the ratzon is, like a horse to a rider. The actually peula is by the chayus in the blood.
Ratzon = makkif
The hand doesn’t know why it’s doing it – the ratzon isn’t bgiluy. The ratzon is there in every limb, but the mekabel doesn’t see it
Like when the rebbe says open your eyes moshiach is here – do something and by us doing something Hashem will give us the ability to open the eyes, and we’ll see that it’s there
Therefore there is no difference between whether the ratzon is in the hand or in the foot, because the desire to move is still the same ratzon. Running: not “want to move my leg, then my arm, then bend by leg, etc.” just “I want to run”. The fact that they’re all one ratzon and it’s hidden theyre dependent on each other. Because it comes in a hidden way, it can shine in the head and the leg in the same way and doesn’t have to divide.
But when the shine from the nefesh comes in an internal way, the idea of the nefesh, ruach & neshama – when they come into to the brain, heart & liver (acronym melech) they come in a way of tzimtzumim & division – each get a different amount.
Lets take the idea of ratzon that’s found in the foot: but the etzem ratzon the foot doesn’t understand. The example of the color white is the etzem of all colors, there’s nothing more to it. The actual white paint is what spreads out, but the color white doesn’t take up any space. It’s not made up of any colors – you can’t take out anything from it.
The white is the actual thing, it’s not an added thing. Other colors you can cut it up and separate out other colors.
The white thing takes up space, but the color white doesn’t take up any space because it’s the etzem of the thing, that’s the natural state of it – it’s not added at all. Other colors could be separated out, and then you’d be left with white. In white you can’t say there’s anything else besides white.
So too with the ratzon that’s found in the leg – it’s not felt by the leg – the leg just knows how to move – but in the mouth the dibbur is felt – dibbur is the expression of ratzon
(rashi – vayisa yaakov es raglav, after Hashem promised that He’ll protect him, it made it easier for his feet to move because of the good news)
ratzon = makkif – sovev
3 worlds – briah, yetzira asiya
in a person 3 worlds – brain, heart, liver
just like chayus comes to each world differently, chayus from neshama comes into each of these organs differently
briah – moach - neshama
yetzira – lev – ruach - malachims
asiya – kaved - nefesh

the ohr hamemaleh that shines in briah would be the ohr of chochma, bina & daas
comes to each place differently because it’s memaleh – it comes into each thing according to the capacity of what it can hold
the thing that’s shines there is felt and obvious – neshamas can get pleasure from the shine when they go up to briah, etc.
so too in yetzirah – the malachim stand with love & fear & say kadosh
even in asiya – the chayus of Hashem goes internally into every person & creation (in the seichel of a medaber, chayus in a chai, etc.)

sovev: the idea of the ratzon of Hashem – He wants these things – just like ratzon is concealed and surrounds all the limbs – and all the limbs are batul to the ratzon – then it happens when Hashem says it – and the dvar Hashem is batul to the ratzon
the seichel and the middos all come down to the creations through biyah – but all these hashpaas are batul to the ratzon of Hashem. Just like without ratzon a thing won’t move, chabad can only shine in briah if Hashem has that ratzon to. The etzem ratzon is hidden.
So does briah have a choice to do the peulah? No – the peulah comes bout through it, but it’s not briah choosing to do it.

Sovev and memaleh are also called makkif and penimi. Makkif surrounds all the worlds equally – makkif of adam kadmon surrounds everything because that’s the outermost thing – it includes everything. There is no difference between great & small – everything is surrounded.

In every olam there’s a level of ‘adam’.
Adam of briah is adam kadmon
Adam of yetzira is kesser – atik yomin & arich anpin
Adam of asiya is atzilus

That’s the idea of the yerios – curtains
The iggulim rest in the heichalos – the idea of makkif is represented through the yerios
The kodesh kedoshim is the makkifim of chabad
The place of the kodesh is the makkifim of chagas
This is also the concept of the 10 sefiros in ratzon – ratzon is also makkif
The ratzon to give forth chochma – that’s the level of chochma that’s in ratzon
The keilim: the ohr shines in a penimi way – in the luchos there was a giluy elokus not a giluy that came through hishtalshelus – chabad dbriah were enclothed in the luchos – therefore the aron didn’t take up space, because the place where it was batul bmitzius
The giluy was higher than time & space – which starts in briah – if the giluy from makkif is from above briah then it’s above space & doesn’t take up space

BEIS
Now we’ll understand the individual keilim
Mizbayach Hachitzon: Malchus – it came down into briah, yetzira, asiya to refine birurim of nogah – it elevates the kedusha through mayim nukvin
Vatiten teref lvaysa – the idea of malchus coming down here to give (provisions) to man (mayim nukvin) to be elevated
The korbanos were sacrificed on the mizbayach hachitzon – the animal comes from nogah – the animal gets burnt and the remnant gets pushed away to chitzonim (everything holy goes up).
Trumas hadeshen – moving away the ashes – it’s a way to even elevate the chitzonim of the animal
That’s why it was outside of the kodesh – if you’re already going into the kodesh there’s giluyim of atzilus – you’re not dealing with any sort of refining bad at that point – birur can only happen in briah, yetzira, asiya
That’s why about the mizmayach penimi it says you’re not allowed to bring korban olah or mincha on it
The only thing you can bring on the mizbachayh penimi is ktores. The idea of ktores is
A kohen can only bring a ketores once in his lifetime – from the word kesher – he can ask for anything he wants

therefore on the inner mizbayach which was the level of atzilus, you didn’t bring any burnt offering, mincha, or wine – it’s a negative commandment – the only thing you brought was ketores. The concept of ketores is quiet, it’s from the lashon of hiskashrus. The world get CONNECTED one with the other. This is what the rashbi said: with one knot I tied myself with Hashem. He means hiskashrus niflaah – not on a level of refining something, after you removed all the bad it adds a strength in your connection to Hashem.
This is also relevant to the inner mizbayach which was tiferes shebitatzilus
Yaakov was tiferes – connects high and low – and this mizbayach also connects high & low – reaches up to kesser.
This is what razal say malach michoel brings a korban of the neshamos of tzaddikim on the mizbayach – this isn’t refining, it’s an added hiskashrus.

THE SHULCHAN: was in the north side of kodesh
Tzafon is a burning fire – the burning fire of love
2 types of love: 1) a love that brings a lot of open emotion 2) love that is there but not so in emotions
its more common to have it without excitement – from chessed
gevurah produces a love with a burning fire
gold is much more rare – gold is the idea of gevurah of atzilus (silver is chesed of atzilused)
therefore bread – represents nourishment – gashmius hashpaa – goes on the shulchan – hashpaa comes from gevurah

MENORAH: in south – chessed – it gives light, ohr is chessed – hashpaas ha’ohr

ARON: in the kodesh hakedoshim – the level of the vessel to hold the luchos and the sefer torah. Represents the first 3: kesser, chochma, binah
The luchos represent pnimius hakesser
You could read it from all sides - there was no back to the luchos – no bechinas achorayim – it was pnimiyus – that’s why they represent pnimiyus hakeser
the sefer torah that moshe rabbeinu wrote was placed in the aron
it’s the level of the ohr chochma
and the aron was the vessel that holds all this – the kapores covered over the aron and the luchos – it dressed it – yesod ayma – binah

the covering – kapores – is a mechitza from yesod eima which encloses the yesod abba
Is it better to serve Hashem with open love or concealed love? Open love!
When someone rebukes someone it shows that they have love for them. It’s better to show your love for them through rebuking them, than hiding it.
The level of chessed that’s enclosed in yesod eima is called ahava mesuteres that’s above seichel.
Ahavas olam – someone thinks about Hashem to generate love
Ahava rabba – ahava btaynugim – above seichel

CRUVIM: one on each side – they represent the levels of za and nukva – the lower levels of atzilus
Za: 6 middos of atzilus
Nukva is the source of nivraim and its called the lower level of eima – malchus of atzilus
Why’s it called a kruv? Ohr ein sof isn’t in the form of middos because it’s simplicity – ain sof gives light to the world through the yud sefiros,
Ain sof is called adam because it encompasses everything – just like the neshama can go into the body in many different ways
THE ARON IS ALL THE LEVELS OF ATZILUS!

When the ohr is higher than hislabshus bguf, and when it’s nislabesh bguf it’s called adam.
When it comes to atzilus, chochma is the level of ain sof – but in atzilus there’s also chochma, bina, daas, chesed etc. and the light is going into that – isn’t that a limitation?
Because the ohr of atzilus and the keilim of atzilus are one, therefore it’s called ain sof – it’s not like the oros & keilim in briah where the oros & keilim are separate entities.
So Ain Sof could refer to ohr in atzilus or higher than atzilus.
In atzilus chochma is called ain sof – and the middos are also called ain sof – that’s where it’s the level of adam hagadol – adam harishon – but when it’s enclothed and contracted to shine in the levels of briah, yetzira, asiya, it’s called anpei zutrei – the small face.
That’s the concept of the kruv – (rashi translates it as the face of a baby) – that’s the idea of anpei zutrei
The kruvim spread their wings upwards because 3 times a day we go up and get united with the level of atzilus
In the ladder yaakov saw in his dream there are 4 steps – in tefillah we have these 4 levels
Psukei dzimra – asiya
Birchas krias shema - yetzira
Krias Shema - briah
Shemona Esrei – atzilus
The kruvim came from the kapores (they were one piece) that’s the level of yesod eima which becomes kesser of za and nukva, and that’s the concept of sovev kol almin, which encompasses both ideas equally.
SKIP BRACKETS
These inyonim that were found in the beis hamikdosh are found in everyone. A person can draw down all these levels through his avoda. Vshachanti bsoCHOM. Someone can draw down the same light that rested in the beis hamikdosh in the keilim.
The mizbayach represents the heart – there’s chitzon & penimi.
The external part of the heart refines the bahaima – just like by the mizbayach hachitzon you burned the bahaima – refining the middos to have a desire for Hashem.
The penimi is that actual desire for Hashem.
How do I do it?
Through tefillah – especially pesukei dzimra and yotzer.
Pezukei dzimra has 2 means – zimrah – sing praise – or to cut – we talk about a double edged sword in pesukei dzimra – to refine our middos. We also talk about how Hashem provides for every animal – we’re refining our nefesh habahamis.

The 15 vovs in vyatziv strengthen what was said in krias shema that Hashem was one. (the idea of vov represents pillars)
The mizbayach hapnimi is the awakening of compassion from Hashem.
The shulchan is yiras shamayim
The menorah is ahava rabbah – ahava mesuteres
The aron is Talmud torah (the luchos were in it) – learning with a way of bittul
The yerios – makkifim – is bittul ratzon to bend over the evil inclination – to make your will like Hashem’s will. The ratzon ha’elyon rests in the yerios because the makkif was higher than chochma & binah.
There’s also something to awaken the makkifim - need intro: the yerios were made of 4 materials – blue, purple, red & linen – they were woven together – they correspond to the 4 keilim – menorah, shulchan, mizbayach hapnimi & mizbayach hachitzon – they represent chagas and malchus
When we talk about where they really are we’re talking about chagas and malchus in pnimius – in the yerios its also chagas malchus but in the form of makkif. Techeles (blue) is similar to the sea till the kisei hakavod = malchus that yirah comes from – fear & awe to the king. Mizbayach hachitzon = malchus.
Argaman (purple) is tiferes because tiferes is a combination of chesed & gevurah (red & blue) which is rachamim. (compassion is I’ll give to you even though you don’t deserve it).

Tolaas shani – love with a burning fire - red represents fire – the shulchan represents gold – gold is part of the color of fire –
Love is from far & fear is from near Red = gevurah

Shesh – linen – a strand of linen – ahava mesuteres – ahava raba – that hidden love is not mixed with anything else – not a love based on reason – (many loves based on gratitude, other emotions etc – ahava mesuteres is just plain love) – that is the menorah
The 7 branches on the menorah each represent a different middah – by lighting the menorah the kohen gadol lights up all the middos in a person – each midda includes 10 – 10x7=70 – all yidden are included in the 70 people that came down with yaakov to mitzrayim.
Ahava mesuteres before it’s revealed is the idea of the aron.
The menorah is the idea of revealing – and the ahava mesuteres is always there but it has to be revealed.

The primary part of a person is his middos – that’s his pnimiyus – when something’s only in his seichel it doesn’t penetrate him (something you know is wrong but you do it anyway – then the knowledge is makkif)

this is explained in the idea of zera bahaima – although he thinks about Hashem, as long as it doesn’t affect your heart it’s emunah, it’s not in seichel
zah- the middos of atzilus are called adam – the mochin that’s there is like an added thing, not like the source of it
when someone thinks about the greatness of Hashem, how He is sovev and mimalei, although he gets affected by it, and in his mind he has the 4 middos – which are chagas malchus – in seichel there are middos also – but they’re on a level of makkif. And that’s the way you awaken the oros hamikkifm of the yerios (thinking about the greatness of Hashem, and you’re emotional about it but it doesn’t change you)
once this inspiration is openly in his heart, then it’ll be bpnimius, and then you arouse the actual keilim (not just the yerios – makkif)
That’s why the yerios were woven together, makkif surrounds everything equally – the keilim were in separate places, because pnimius (mimalei) goes into each thing separately

Gimmel: now we can understand why Moshe commanded to first make the keilim and then the yerios, and betzalel did the reverse. It’s known the Gemara on this: when Moshe commanded Betzalel, Betzalel told him ‘Moshe, the minhag of the world is that a person first builds a house and then he puts in keilim. Maybe Hashem told you differently?” Moshe tells him “yes, you were in the shadow of Hashem and you heard.”
When he says minhag ha’olam he means seder brias ha’olam – in seder hishtalshelus first came the 10 sefiros in igulim (the level of makkif – yerios) after then the 10 sefiros in yosher came – oros in keilim – so the mishkan has to be done in this order also.
What was moshe thinking when he agreed with him? Of course what Moshe commanded is from Hashem.
The ohr haigulim and the ohr hayosher both come from the kav. In the kav it has above the igulim, and that’s the beginning of hamshacha of ohr ain sof – the kav goes to the end of yosher –
Mashal: a rav teaching a talmid – the rav can only teach what he internalized – a rav’s seichel is much more deep and extensive than the student. The rav teaches in a way that he gives both makkif & penimi. The student internalizes the penimius and can only give over the penimius, he can’t internalize the makkif.

(Orech- top to bottom, beginning to end
Rochel – how far it branches out to other things & apply it
Omek: how well I understand it)

The idea of kav compared to ohr ain sof is incomparable (1 is closer to a million than 0 is close to 1 – at least 1 is 1 one millionth of a million…)

the aron holds the luchos who’s source is very high in the level of ohr ein sof which is even higher than both of them –
this concept is explained elsewhere – whoever makes peace makes shalom between the two entourages – torah makes peace between them – the idea of peace is that there’s 2 kinds of chayus in this world: mimalei & sovev
kol asher chafetz Hashem asah – ratzon - general
dvar Hashem shamayim naasu – chayus mimalei – specific
you need both sovev & mimalei in everything – what connects these 2 extremes? You need a third thing above them that combines them – taanug ha’elyon. That connects His ratzon and His chochma to create the world. That’s the idea of shalom – it’s also the idea of atik yomin – connects arich anpin to chochma – all creations come from them so that’s why everything has both sovev & mimalei. Gashmius primarily comes from sovev and ruchni comes from mimalei. Torah connects gashmius and ruchnius. Therefore Hashem made a condition with mayseh breishis – if bnei yisroel will accept the torah – otherwise there’s no connection between heaven & earth.
Therefore Moshe commanded to make the aron first because in order to make a connection between sovev & mimalei you have to start with something way above them – and that’s the primary thing
The daas of betzalel was right – although torah was higher, the actual keilim were from yosher which is lower than the kav – so they should make the makkif, then the keilim, and then bring torah into the aron.
And practically, through learning torah we draw down ohr ain sof that’s higher than both the ohr haigulim and ohr hayosher.

Sicha Exam Notes

2009-06-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

Updated 5 pm after i finished studying...

BESHALACH
Alef: vayisa moshe es yisroel – he traveled them against their will – they were so into taking the loot from the yam suf they had to be pulled away from the sea.
Hashem revealed himself – one of the greatest moments – they said ZEH keili – you can point with your finger – even the simplest maidservant saw the greatest giluyim more than a navi – so how could they be so into taking the loot??
They counted down to matan torah! And now they’re busy counting money!
Obviously they weren’t into the loot for it’s own thing – they knew that it’s Ratzon Hashem. The hisgalus of Hashem after krias yam suf WAS counting the money.

Beis: They had a mitzvah that when they leave mitzrayim they should get the gold & silver from the mitzriim – the kavana isn’t just that they should be rich - they had to empty mitzrayam – here they left mitzrayim and they see that there’s more stuff that they have to empty – now they a mitzvas asei that they can only do now. Matan torah there was no time limit.

Gimmel: This isn’t enough – why didn’t they listen to moshe when he told them to leave? It’s a tzivuy from Hashe! This was a mitzvah overes – only one chance – mizvah overes pushes off Talmud torah (matan torah) but now Hashem is telling them there’s an exception to the rule that mitzvah overes pushes off Talmud torah – baal karchem – they left against what they thought was the right judgment according to torah – against their understanding

Daled: Why were they so attached to the situation that they wanted to calculate how they should stay? What are they going to need money for in the midbar? Plus, they already had more gashmius than they needed. Then they even thought they were going to the geula amities bhashleima – what do they need this gashmius for?
A: They were so involved because it was a tzivuy of Hashem, they were so involved in it that they weren’t calculating the benefit they’ll get from – they were doing the mitzvah in a way of bchol meodecha – the shleimus of it was that it was against their will that they had to be pulled away against their will.
Hey: It’s not just that they should leave mitzrayim with great wealth – they had to elevate the nitzutzos that were trapped in the gold & silver. Being that the key component to serving Hashem is birur hanitzutzos to make a dirah for Hashem. They knew they should do this with great chayus – and even more so right after krias yam suf when they kad ZEH keili wanted them to elevate even more because that’s the ultimate way to serve Hashem. Just like when someone knows Hashem is watching he’ll want to do a mitzvah with all his heart.

Vov: Not C”V that they didn’t want to follow what Moshe said – baal karchem they went against what their seichel told them was Torah – they did in a way of kabalas ol. What about the gold they’re leaving behind? Only at the time they were given the mitzvah does it have the ability to elevate. Matzah bgashmius is eating emunah – but if you eat matzah a half a year later it’s nothing.

Zayin: A person has to know that you should do a mitzvah bchol livavcha, bchol nafshecha, uvchol meodecha
a person has to be involved in a mitzvah bchol meodecha – above limitation
YOUR meod – your above capacity
But when you’re so into the mitzvah and the shulchan aruch – the Rebbe – moshe rabbinu in the generation – tells you to do something else -- you have to go against what your own siechel tells you and have kabalas ol.
He has to bring a new chayus into the new avoda to the level of ‘baal karchacha atah CHAI’ it’s above limitation.

but if I’m so engrossed in it how can I be pulled away with the same chayus? Yeah, if it’s YOU you can’t pull yourself away. But if you’re batul to the ratzon Hashem, then you realize it’s Hashem’s ratzon and you have the same commitment to it.
For people that sit & learn: you’re learning the whole time, but if shulchan aruch says it’s a mitzvah overes – pikuach nefesh, hatzalos nefashos, etc. – a person could say well I’ll just do gimilus chasadim because torah says so, but my real thing is learning – no – now your whole existence has to be into the gmilus chasadim.
A businessman: Just like when someone who’s engrossed in torah there’s nothing else in the world, a businessman when he’s in his set time of learning
It’s not just kvius itim – it’s kvius nefesh – in that time his whole nefesh is in it
Another hora’ah: if you see a yid that needs his nitzutz to be elevated, you have to be totally involved – someone could say, I mekareved enough people, I need a break now – but if there’s still a yid out there that hasn’t been mekareved, he has to know there’s not time to rest – until the rebbe comes and says it’s time to switch gears, what you’re doing you have to be totally into. Every yid is a whole world – if one yid was not mekarev, a full world is missing – and there are much more than one! You’re not just being mevarer this person, theyre influencing more people, and you have many many fruits of your labor.

TERUMA
alef: there’s 3 times it says to take truma in the parsha – the gemara says:
vayikchu li truma – adanim
vayikchu es trumasi – shkalim
vzos hatrumah asher tikchu me’etem – mishkan
1. isn’t adanim included in the ‘mishkan?’ (even shkalim is a prat – it was for korbanos – but bringing korbanos is the whole point for building the beis hamikdosh – so they had to buy korbanos – even if you say shkalim isn’t part of the BUILDING, the adanim are the very foundation so they must be part of the mishkan)

beis: each one is a different form.
1. LI teruma – li is a separate entity
2. trumaSI – Hashem is in the same word as truma
3. vzos hatrumah – doesn’t mention Hashem
Why is it like this?

Gimmel:
Zahav – bavel
Kesef – madai
Nechoshes – yavan
Madamim – edom
Where do the 4 malchiyus come into the picture – they’re the golios!! – the total opposite of the mikdash

Daled: v’asu li mikdash is divided in 3 parts: torah, avoda & gmilus chasadim
We must also have this in the building of the mishkan – that’s bpnimius why they needed 3 separate trumos
Everything comes from TORAH – that’s the foundation – and that’s expressed in the adanim who were the foundation of the mishkan
We do tefillah instead of korbanos – that’s avoda – and that’s expressed in shkalim that was used to buy the korbanos
The main idea of the mishkan is taking gashmius things and transforming them into ruchnius – that’s the idea of gmilus chasadim

Hey: Torah preceded the world by 2000 years – the infinite wisdom of Hashem – Torah never changes
Avodah: adam ki yavriv mikem – you submit yourself to Hashem to come closer to Hashem – and davening (in place of that) is giving yourself over also – avoda sheb’lev – you take all your talents etc. and unit it with Hashem
The first two have to do with YOU – YOU’re learning, YOU’re davening, you don’t elevate anything with it
(What about korbanos? That’s the whole idea of elevating gashmius! By a korban you need the whole process and have the kavana etc. it’s not the ultimate of gashmi being elevated – by the time it got to the mizbayach it wasn’t as gashmi)
this is the advantage of the 3rd one – gmilus chasadim – it’s all about the gashmius, in the very gashmius form you give it to Hashem – that’s why mitzvos are limited because it’s in the very make-up of the gashmius thing – just like gashmi is limited –

Vov: Why does it say vayikchu not vayitnu?
We take the LI – take Hashem –
Dvarai k’aish – the same intensity of Torah above is down here – it’s the chochma and ratzon of Hashem in this world
Osi atem lokchim – Hashem is one with His Chochma
How do we down here have the power to get the chochma & ratzon of Hashem? You can have an impure person that goes and studies torah and gets that hamshacha, but it doesn’t shine in him. Since it’s from milmayla lmatah – put on him – it’s not coming from him, it can’t affect him and become internalized.
That’s why it says trumah and li separate – the person learning and the atzmus aren’t ultimately connected.
Tefilah – says trumasi – when you bring a korban it goes up and connects with it’s shoresh above – if you daven properly you can elevate yourself to a place where it can seep in and become one of you – it’s actually recognizable in the avoda.
Gmilus chasadim – hatrumah - working with the gashmius – the elokus is concealed
Zayin: seems like it’s the lowest thing – elokus is concealed – but that’s the whole purpose of our world. That’s why this parsha highlights only trumas hamishkan – because that’s the main point of our avoda in this world. Torah and tefilah are the hachanos for that avoda.
Ches: Now we can understand why the medrash compares the 4 malchius and the 4 materials. Since the whole point of the mishkan is to transform & elevate all the gashmius things we have – this is a greater challenge & most opportune time is during golus when gashmius is at full strength – represented by the 4 malchios. Today learning is greater but when moshiach comes we’ll see how mayseh is better. Yehuda was the avoda of mayseh, and yosef was the idea of learning – when moshiach comes he’ll come from yehuda – and we’ll have the advantage of mayseh.

EMOR
We know there’s a horaah in the name of every parsha.
Whys it called parshas emor? It should be like emor el hakohanim
It’s not just that you’re allowed to speek – it’s a command to speak.
You can’t say that the horaah is to say words of torah because there’s a mitzvas asei for that.
It seems like the idea of speech in general is not such a good thing, it says silence is the best thing.
Rambam says: even in speech of torah it’s better to have less words and more inyonim
Clarity is when you say something concisely

“the kabbalah of speech” ;-)

beis: mashal – a king says he’ll build houses, then he goes to bed and doesn’t wake up – his words aren’t taharos, where are his words?

A tzaddik’s words are compared to Hashem’s, because tzadikim domem lboram. Hashem’s speech is action – tzaddikim can say a certain amira that the amira itself does a peula –
There’s a medrash that the children under bar mitzvah knew basically the whole torah in the times of dovid – dovid would daven to Hashem to guard the children and keep the torah in their hearts –
These young children go and die in war. They die because they had gossipers.
Saying lashon tov can save a life, can take affect right away – we see it from the opposite, from lashon hara.
Since yidden are chayiv since we’re stuck to Hashem, we also have this aspect of our words being action.
A: the horaah is to speak lashon tov about your friend - that amira itself is poel
Its not just an outcome of speech – the speech itself in essence accomplishes something

gimmel: rambam – hilchos deios- it’s a mitzvah on every person to love every jew as if he is his own body and therefore you have to speak his praises.
About a talmid chochom says he says praise of others – shouldn’t everyone do that? What’s special about the talmid chacham?
On a surface level:
What differentiates a talmid chochom to everyone else? He’s separate – just as he’s recognized for his chochma, then the 10 things rambam brings – his mayseh – has to be perfect, so it’s a kiddush Hashem.
The whole perek vov talks about how one can bring benefit to another person
The difference between the 2 prakim: one is a criteria of the talmid chochom himself, not regarding who he’s speaking about – in perek vov it’s all about who its for, for your friend – through you saying good about your friend you’re a kiddush Hashem – it’s not about what you’re doing for the other person

daled: this answer isn’t enough – why by the talmid chochom does it say not just speak good – but don’t speak bad? Lashon hara is for everyone – it’s not about the talmid chochom being mekadesh Hashem. If you’re saying he doesn’t even speak a nuance of lashon hara, it should have put that first and then say he says the praises of his friend – you have to go from the kal to the kaved.
The saying praises about his friend is in continuation to being dan lkaf zechus – there’s a friend who needs the benefit of the doubt, the person is doing something negative, a Talmud chochom – he actually praises him, while he sees his negative he says praise to the point where he eradicates the negative.

Hey: What’s the specific connection to this inyan to a talmid chacham? Right before the inyan of dan lkaf zechus, Rambam says a talmid chacham has to act in a way that the creations will be pleasant with him, and therefore he has to speak in a pleasant way. When we see something unwanted by someone else, we have to do everything we can to nullify that thing. Can be done in 2 ways:
1) someone who’s not a talmid chacham, you can rebuke them
2) talmid chacham says the good about them and that negates the bad of his friend in a pleasant way – that reveals the person’s maylos

now we can understand why lashon hara kills 3. It makes sense the person who says it and person who listens because theyre participating in the avaira. What about the person who it’s being said about, it’s not his fault. The speech is revealing his hidden bad and then that will harm that person.

Middah tovah mirubah mimida puranos – so saying good brings out the good in a person, even if it’s hidden so deeply in them. It gives him strength in his avoda.

Vov: Deeper inyan: According to Rambam lo bignuso klall is telling us that a talmid chacham wont see the gnus of his friend at all because he says so much good.
The alter rebbe explains, don’t just your friend till you get to his place, because it’s his PLACE that causes him to sin. This is also included in dan lkaf zechus, when we see someone doing something improper we have to find a reason why he’s not responsible for it.
Still there’s no inyan of zechus here – dan lkaf ZECHUS.
When we see someone that has great nisayonos, that shows us that Hashem gave him higher koichos to deal with the great nisayonos.
This isn’t only a reason why he’s not at fault, that also brings out his maylos of all the great koichos he has. And then you reveal them.

Zayin: This is the horaah from the name of the parsha, you always have to speak a great amount of praise of your friend. The actual speech causes a great effect, similar to the speech of Hashem.
This also fits with what razal say – emor v’amarta – double lashon to warn the adults on the children. The way that adults have to be busy affecting the young ones (including levels of Avodas Hashem) is getting them away from doing bad. It’s not mainly through working with the bad, you have to shine light and reveal the inner good in the children.

That’s why the pasuk says emor not dibbur – dibbur is breaking the bad, emor is gentle
Now we can understand the connection with the rebbe maharash who was into lechatchila ariber – do the positive to begin with, and the bad automatically becomes weakened.
When your avoda is in this way – tiferes shebtiferes – then it’s like the rabmam says, every single yid could reach the level of talmid chacham – yisroel asher becha espa’er.

BEHAR BECHUKOSAI
when these 2 parshas are read together – there must be one point that is common in both of them. They seem to be the opposite: behar: strength – uplifting spirit – standing strong
bechukosai: bittul – it’s a chok, doesn’t fit in your seichel
To be or not to be?
Behar: the main idea of torah was behar SINAI – Sinai was humble – why are we saying behar is the idea of having a yesh?
Why can’t we call the parhsa 2 names (behar Sinai) many parshas have 2 names…
The idea of har Sinai is that even though you have to have humility, you shouldn’t be a trampeled on
When we say har har Sinai the emphasis is on the Sinai – so how is parshas behar the idea of having a metzius?

Gimmel: one explanation: the avoda if bittul is connected with the true metzius – elokus – he recognizes that Hashem is everything. Bittul is when you have bittul and its not YOU -

in nigleh there are 3 categories of a shliach:
1. the mishalayach gives permission for the shliach to represent him doing something in another location, it’s considered the shliach’s action but he was empowered by the mishalayach
2. in the action you don’t see the shliach, you see the mishalayach as the one doing the action
3. the whole personality of the shliach is the mishalayach
(the rebbe adds a 4th level that you should be the level of kmoso yet use your own seichel)
we see the difference between a shliach and an eved.

shlucho shel adam kmoso – in the actual action he’s the shliach – but that’s not his whole existence, just in doing that action
an “eved melech melech” - an eved isn’t like ‘ok now you’re bittul’ – that’s the whole existence from the start of what he is

daled: when we’re really batul to elokus, it’s not a contradiction
when an eved has yeshus for the king, it’s not against the king
the shleimus of bittul is

behar and bechukosai not only aren’t a contradiction – one is the result of another. Behar means that im the ultimate of bittul – that now I can stand on my own and still be batul.
Bechukosai – chukim – carved out – not 2 separate things – totally batul
The existence of the carved out space is the existence of the stone
It’s a chok, not a gezaira – gezaia means you don’t want to do it and it’s decreed on it that you have to do it – a chok its not that you’re being pushed to do it, the person is totally batul and automatically does ratzon ha’elyon
Why does it say you don’t have permission to think about the chukim, just do it?
Usually you have to ponder, ask, challenge – (afterwards – naaseh and then nishma) but there are certain cases where your seichel doesn’t have to run after it
You don’t have permission to think and say this mitzvah is missing something compared to the mizvos that make sense in seichel –
Chakika – if im thinking and trying to understand, I’m not thinking as an entity, I’m thinking as a chelek elokah – as long as you don’t look down on the mitzvah because you don’t understand
Parshas bechokosai has the tochacha and lots of schar and onesh – if bechukosai is the idea of your so batul – where does schar come into the picture, you’re not an existence to get a schar / onesh?
You only see aibishter, so you do it because you’re one with the aibishter – because Hashem is the ultimate of good, automatically good comes to you and to the world, even in gashmius.

Moshiach Exam Notes

2009-06-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

**NOTE - I'm adding now (7:10 PM) one more sheet I forgot - why does moshiach have to come from dovid? See below in halacha daled.**

Exactly what you need to know for the moshiach exam :-)

Rambam Hilches Melachim Perek Yud Alef -
Halachos Alef -Daled know inside

RAMBAM HALACHA GIMMEL
Question 1: What’s the connection between the beginning and the end of the Halacha? That Moshiach doesn’t have to make nissim and that whoever changes torah is an Apikorus.

You might think you could answer:
The connection is because the point of Rambam s to show that Osoh Ha’ish can’t be Moshiach, and both points prove this (no miracles & changed torah).

It’s not enough to say that because in the next Halacha the Rambam clearly speaks against Osoh Ha’ish and the Rambam never repeats.

Question 2:
If not making nissim is connected to not changing torah, then why by Rambam navi doesn’t he bring it?
A: they must not be connected.
A navi has to prove that he’s a navi. Moshiach doesn’t have to do any kind of prophecising etc. Why only by a navi? By a navi it doesn’t mention that he can’t change mitzvos, but by moshiach right away it connects that he doesn’t have to do nissim to not changing torah.

Intro – general question on hilchos melachim:
Why do the halachos of a king come at the end? When they come into eretz yisroel they have 3 mitzvos right away 1) appoint a king 2) destroy amalek 3) build the bhmk (the king should even be before the halachos of builing the bhmk since that came first and rambam is exact about his order).

A: Rambam wants to tell you that Moshiach is the ultimate of mitzvos, so at the end to prove that you do all the mitzvos and by moshiach it will be in the most fulfilled way.

A2: The job of a navi is not only about mitzvos, it’s about inspiration. They’re supposed to show the special connection between Hashem and us. 1) at that time, special message from Hashem at a special time (like the rebbe says koch zich in moshiach) 2)go for individual advice, - if you have a problem you go to the navi and he gives you advice from Hashem – that’s why he has to be able to tell the future.
Moshiach doesn’t have to say the future, it’s purely about mitzvos b’shleimus, not about inspiration.

A1: Since the whole point of moshiach is about mitvos, he doesn’t have to do nissim or say the future. You shouldn’t associate moshiach & nissim.
Mitzvos are forever, the same 613 mitzvos we will do bshleimus when moshiach comes.
Other sichos: The atler rebbe by kiddush levana – why couldn’t it just be a nes that he could say it? Mitzvos have to be done bderech hateva. The idea of mitzvos is to take the physical world as it is – teva- so we can make a dira.

Rabbi Akiva was such a great talmid chacham – how could he lower himself so much to carry the vessels of bar kochba?
There was a similar thing already in history. Dovid hamelech was a big talmid chacham, but he was shaul’s servant (even though he knew much more than him) – because he was king
Since Rebbi akiva thought bar kochba was the king – moshiach – he served him
It was pekuach nefesh – bar kochba was in charge of beitar, and he established a kingdom – the fight was against the romans, and he didn’t give in – Rebbi akiva knew that he had to serve him so that all the Jews would follow bar kochba because it was pekuach nefesh – if he wouldn’t show his support then a lot of Jews wouldn’t follow and the Roman’s would take over
As a result for 2 ½ years Jews could live in beitar and keep yiddishkeit with no problems from the romans – that’s why rebbi akiva supported him

The rayvid (reb avrohom ben dovid) – argues everything with the Rambam

ruziner - a grandson of the maggid said…
The rambam was a descendant of dovid and he personally thought that he was going to be moshiach – that’s why he wrote all these practical halachos of moshiach, bhmk, etc. in shamayim they saw it wasn’t time for geula, and sent the rayvid down to argue with him
The rebbe says also he had a tradition from his father that there’s a keitz for moshiach – and it comes out to around the times of rabmam

according to the gemara:
bar kochba himself said I am moshiach. Chachamam went to check out if he is morach vadon – if he could judge through smell. He failed the test, so chachamim said he’s not moshiach and killed him.

Based on this the raybid says 2 questions on the rambam:
1. you see that Moshiach does have to do some kinds of miracles! To smell and judge is a miracle!
2. how can rambam say the romans killed him? In gemara it says chachamim killed him?

Hakessef Mishna – There’s no argument here and one is right. It’s just 2 midrashim. Rambam’s source is a different medrash. The roman’s couldn’t fight bar kochba, but a snake came and killed him. (wasn’t killed by chachamim)

Q: How can there be an argument about a fact?
Some people just say there were 2 bar kochbas…but that’s kind of a cheap answer…

THE REBBE’S ANSWER:
In order to explain this – there was another person during that time – Reb Yochanan ben Torsa. He argued with R’ Akiva about Bar Kochba being Moshiach. Told him ‘grass will grow on your kever and still moshiach won’t come’.

Who sent to check if he can make miracles?
R’ Yochanan ben Torsa went to go check if he could do miracles. But R’ Akiva said there’s no need, we don’t even need to check if he does miracles.
The Rabmam holds like R’ Akiva – and the Rayvid holds like R’Yochanan.

Did Chachamam hold by Bar Kochba or not?
There was a machlokes. Some followed R’Akiva and some followed R’Yochanan.

Based on meforshim on the Rebbe:
The medrash says that bar kochba was so strong that the roman king said we should leave him. There was a lot of friction between the kusim & the jews – one kusi went to the roman king and told him don’t leave, pointed out r’ eliezer – bar kochba’s uncle who was always fasting that bar kochba should be successful. The kussi wanted to go speak to r’ eliezer – but beitar bas blocked by bar kochbas army – he went through the sewer pipes – so the people saw that someone was trying to speak to r’ eliezer while he was davening. So the people took him to bar kochba, and he said what did you say to my uncle? So he says ‘elizer wants to make peace with the romans without you.’ So Bar Kochba called over r’ eliezer and asked him what happened, and r’eliezer said he didn’t know what he’s talking about – he thought he’s denying the whole thing – so he kicked him & he died on the spot.
THIS was when they realized he couldn’t judge by smell – or else he would have known the truth! But R’ Akiva still thought he was moshiach – because according to him he doesn’t have to make nissim.

How was he killed?
Radbaz (one of the meforshim on Rambam): A lot of chachamim who saw this incident started backing off him – realized he’s not moshiach. Don’t support him. When he didn’t have the support of the soldiers, automatically he died in war. So because of the chachamim he died – but he died in war.

Rebbe: The gemara says that chachamim killed him – as in beis din – not just let him be killed. The group of chachamim with R’Yochanan decided that he deserves to be killed by beis din. If someone’s a rodef you have to kill him. Since he’s not moshiach and he’s making an army against the romans, it’s dangerous for the whole nation. There’s a halacha that if beis din decided to kill someone and they can’t do it, they can go to the goy police etc and have them do the job – so they so to speak called the romans to do the job.

What is the final halacha?
Rambam still says R’ Akiva was right – according to Halacha. He made a mistake on the person but halachically he could.

HALACHA DALED
If a king will stand from beis dovid, (doesn’t mean anointed like in the bhmk because obviously we’re talking about the times of golus – so it’s a leader) he studies torah, is involved in mitzvos like dovid who he comes from – he’s a tzaddik – in torah shebichsav & torah shebaal peh, he force all the yiddden to follow yiddishkeit and he’ll strengthen the ‘cracks’, he’ll fight the wars of Hashem (bruchnius & bgashmius) – he is chezkas moshiach (most probably, it makes sense – in court when you have witnesses come you have to assume they’re chezkas – most likely truthful) bchezkas moshiach means until you know otherwise you have to consider him Moshiach.
If he’s successful in these things (these words were taken out – vnitzach kol ha’umos svivov’ – won over all the surrounding nations)
He builds the beis hamikdosh in it’s place, and gathers all the yidden to eretz yisroel. Then he’s Moshiach Vadai. And he’ll influence that even the goyim together should follow Hashem.
What if someone was chezkas moshiach and he didn’t get to the stage of moshiach vadai? Of what if he was killed?  He is not the moshiach that the torah promised will come, but he’s not a bad person. He’s like any other king from dovid who was good & kosher & died. So why would Hashem ‘fool us’ that maybe it’s Moshiach? It’s part of the procedure – Hashem want’s to challenge yidden and see if they will still believe.
So why did Hashem make this idea of x-ianity & muslims if they cause us so much trouble?
Yoshke thought he’ll be moshiach and he was killed by beis din (according to rambam beis din killed him because he’s an apikores – they told the romans to kill him) and Daniel said a nevua that speaks about him 400 years before: “a rebel in your nation will stand up and establish a future – say he’s moshiach, but he tripped…you don’t have a bigger failure than yoshke – moshiach has to 1) fight their enemies & redeem them 2) bring all the yidden to eretz yisroel 3) strengthen their mitzvos. And he did just the opposite! 1) many yidden were killed because of him 2) yidden had to leave eretz yisroel & spread out more places 3) and the changed the torah! And he also has to influence the other nations to worship Hashem, and he did just the opposite causing more people in the world to go away from Hashem.

THIS WAS ADDED
Why does moshiach have to be from bais dovid?
1. Hashem promised to Dovid that he’ll have the real kingdom forever
2. Yerushalayim & the BHMK were always associated with bais dovid

The alter rebbe – the 7th generation from the maharal – the maharal was for sure from bais dovid, it even says on his matzeiva –
The rebbe is 110 generations from dovid hamelech

Someone wrote to the maharal you should live forever, melech hamoshiach – he was the moshiach of the generation

The rebbe’s not ben achar ben from the alter rebbe? He’s ben achar ben from the tzemach tzedek, but the tzemach tzedek isn’t ben achar ben from the alter rebbe.
1. Moshiach could be from bais dovid through his mother – Rabbeinu hakadosh gemara says he could have been moshiach and he came from dovid through his mother
2. Besides from the maharal, the tzemach tzedek from his father’s side is from bais dovid – so anyway the Rebbe is ben achar ben bais dovid

There are plenty of people from bais dovid – so who can be chezkas moshiach?
Hogah btorah – someone that’s deeply into torah – he comes up with new explanations – part of the churban was because they didn’t study torah enough, so moshiach to bring the bhmk back has to be extra involved and deep in torah

Osek Bmitzvos – every yid has to do mitzvos – what's special about this?
If someone is busy with one mitzvah he’s patur from doing another mitzvah
Osek means mitzvos are your business – totally involved in it – mesiras nefesh for mitzvos

Yaamod Melech
It doesn’t have to be an actual KING
Q: What makes someone a king?
A: appointed by a navi or Sanhedrin.
Therefore – moshiach is not going to be a literal king – since there’s no navi or Sanhedrin during gollus to appoint him! He must be considered a king though, althoing he can only be a full king once he’s considered moshiach vadai – because then we’ll have a Sanhedrin, etc.

We see from bar kochba that Rabbi Akiva called him Melech Hamoshiach although there were no neviim in his time.

Nassi – usually head of Sanhedrin – highest authority in regards to torah. To one on top of him (besides Hashem, duh).

Melech/Nassi: No one in his ‘idea’ on top of him, highest authority in his specialty.

The story of the president of Israel: The rebbe didn’t write nassi in a letter to the president. You can’t give a person the title nassi unless they are one.

Chezkas moshiach: leilech bo ulichazek bidko –
Bedek – cracks in the wall of a house
Leilech bo – encourage even frum people to be stronger in yiddishkeit – the idea of chassidus, it’s for frum people but helps us have better avodas Hashem
Lchazek bidko – baalei teshuva – mivtzoim, being mekarev yidden, etc
Yarkuv bo – how did the rebbe force all the yidden?
- forcing doesn’t mean with a whip – it’s the idea of not giving anyone a different choice – in a certain way the Rebbe forced everyone to follow Him – in the idea of kiruv – now misnagdim do kiruv too (forcing = even though it’s against what they want to do naturally, they do it)
fight the wars of Hashem: the Rebbe didn’t have an army…R’ Moshe Feinstein wrote in a teshuva that when Rambam doesn’t mean physical wars – he’ll accomplish what a king accomplishes with any army through his ruchnius peulos

(story purim tof shin yud gimmel – stalin died – the war stopped in the gulf after they gave out the maamer)

b’ruach sfasaf navis rasha – with the ruach of his lips he’ll make a rasha die

proof from dovid hamelech: dovid hamelech has a general – yoav ben tzruya (tzruya was his mother – she came from yehuda) – gemara says if not for dovid sitting and learning torah, yoav wouldn’t have won the wars
but still in tanach it says dovid hamelech made the wars, even though he didn’t do it practically

chaya sara nun beis: the rebbe says we have someone who’s chezkas moshiach – he’s already nitzach – says the nun hints to shnas nun (the rebbe was 90 years old)
end of shabbos shmos nun beis
things the rebbe fought for:
1. not giving land back to the arabs, at first everyone was laughing at the rebbe for fighting against it – now everyone agrees that we would have avoided so many problems if we had listened to the rebbe – even the president who’s very left said it was a mistake
2. mihu yehudi – now we see that it’s a problem, and they’re saying the rebbe saw it years ago

vov tishrei tof shin chof zayin – the yartzeit of rebbitzen chana – the rebbe said one of the things of moshiach is to fight against evil – againt communism – he said that moshiach will fight against it with spiritual power, and before moshiach comes the communist regime will fall and the person who fights it – that’ll be a sign that he’s bchezkas moshiach – even lubavitchers were laughing because communism was so strong, they thought it’s not possible for it to happen without geula coming first

story: the rebbe rashab said I can not see the end of communism (in my life) – a young person will stand up with torn shoes, and he’s going to end communism. The rebbe didn’t change his shoes for over 30 years. One erev shabbos in tof shin nun – the rebbe walked into 770 with new shoes. The next shabbos the rebbe spoke a whole sicha of how communism fell apart. There’s a letter where the rebbe send shoes to his father, and reb leivik wrote that shoes is connected with ‘I’ll throw the shoe on edom (eisav) – according to kabbalah the idea of destroying edom – communism – is the idea of shoes.

LEARNING INYONEI GEULA UMOSHIACH
Another explanation – lichyos im moshiach
The rebbe said were on the threshold of geula
Says in the medrash – in the year of moshiach being revealed – describes the persian gulf war – bnei yisroel get afraid – Hashem sends moshiach who tells them don’t worry, stands on the roof of bhmk & says anavim higia zman geulaschem
Torah has the power to change nature – learning about moshiach has the power to change your nature so that you’ll see moshiach

The outcome of the learning:
There are 2 types of learning – 1 about what will happen after moshiach comes, and 1 learning about how NOW is time for geula, things that are happening, etc
The main stress should be recognizing the stage we are in now – the threshold of the geula.

B’poel Mamosh:
You cant go around just talking about how moshiachs here – if you really believe it you’ll live with it, your daily life you’ll live according to halacha, shulchan aruch, chassidus, etc. moshiach is shleimus hamitzvos – so we should live as much as we can of that now.
The method of torah learning to get rid of tzoraas – that’s in a way of a segula
Learning about moshiach so it will lead you to live it is in a natural way, that’s the outcome – your seichel should be permeated with understanding and knowledge of moshiach – the siechel affects his feelings – he gets excited about moshiach and it affects his life so his machshava, dibbur & mayseh will be matching to this special time

We understand why bnei yisroel at the end of golus is compared to a metzorah, but why is moshiach called a metzorah?
Not every potential moshiach has bandages, etc. but every moshiach has this same concept, just expressed differently.
So what’s this idea?
He carries our sickness: we’re on the level metzorah, so moshiach is that level as well because he carries our sickness
The nimshal from the story:
1. moshiach is found during golus – proof: rav said rabbeinu hakadosh will be moshiach, because he had so much suffering
he’s already a king, he’s leading the yidden during golus (chezkas moshiach)

The person who is a potential Moshiach waits for the geula (that’s why he won’t change all his bandages at once)

Rabbeinu Hakadosh was a potential Moshiach.

Nassi – Yechida Klallis
Says in chassidus that in all the generations put together there were special neshamos of tzaddikim on a special level – there has been nefesh of bnei yisroel, ruach, etc.
Nefesh: Dovid Hamelech (does the action – a king rules the country)
Ruach: Eliyahu Hanavi (he went back to shamayim with a wind – the middos – he became a malach, they serve Hashem with middos)
Neshama: Moshe Rabbeinu (seichel – Moshe brought Torah)
Chaya: Adam Harishon before the aveira (above seichel)
Yechida: Moshiach (complete mesiras nefesh – when moshiach comes the whole world will be completely dedicated to Hashem)

Every generation is also divided into these 5 levels. The Moshiach of the generation, the nassi hador, is the yechida of that generation.

Every person also has all 5 levels.

Lev Kol Yisroel
Rebbe is ROSH bnei yisroel – why does rabmam bring out that the Melech is the LEV of bnei yisroel.
The Brain controls each limb individually and gives different messages to each limb. The heart gives blood and energy equally to all limbs, the energy to be alive.
The Rebbe treats everyone individually according to their nature and individual shlichus, but also sees that every yid has a neshama – a yechida which is a chelek elokah – since the melech is the yechida klallis – so he gives energy to us to discover our yechida. (as a dugma chaya, teaching us how to serve Hashem through chassidus, etc.)

Story of R’Zushe Partisan:
Someone asked him how could you say such a crazy thing that you need a rebbe to connect to Hashem?! The rebbe is yechida shebnefesh?! R’ zushe tells him to calm him down: you’re also yechida! Some people, like the rebbe, it’s more revealed. The rebbe has it in an ultimate way.

Hiskashrus
In our personal life it’s not possible to get to the level of bittul to Hashem the Rebbe has – we have a yetzer hara.

Hiskashrus: The Mashal of the Museum:
Every yid has a yechida, but its not possible for it to be revealed. We connect to Hashem by revealing the Yechida in us. But we can’t do that on our own – the Rebbe’s whole life is mesiras nefesh – he’s our brain and heart, the source of our energy – all our sparks of Yechida are connected to Hashem through the Yechida Klallis – everyone IS connected to the Nassi Hador, but some don’t feel it –
What’s the idea of doing certain things in order to be more mekushar to the rebbe?
It makes sense that a person should try to reveal his neshama – because is neshama is your connection to Hashem – The Rebbe is Rosh Bnei Yisroel – our neshama – we reveal our neshama through connecting to the Rebbe

mashal museum: a metal thing you put your finger on, sends a shock and see how long it takes to get the signal to your brain and back to your hand. One kid was paralyzed and could do it the longest – because his hand wasn’t connected to his brain.

Moshiach in Every Generation
We have to proclaim that the rebbe is moshiach. Where do we know this?
1. In gemara it says each talmid proclaimed his own rebbe as moshiach - the source is in the torah (they each brought pesukim from torah to prove that their rebbe is moshiach - shiloh, yanun, chananya, & MENACHEM)
2. It makes it more of a reality.

Chiddush of the Rebbe: Not only did the students say it, the rebbeim said about themselves that that's the name of Moshiach!

Moshiach stands for Menachem, Shiloh, Yanun, Chananya.

Mishpatim Nun Beis - Miyad = moshe, yisroel, dovid. In our generation it stands for moshiach (menachem), yosef yitzchak, dovber (the rashab). The rebbe says he wrote it in the order from closest to us to farthest.

Mamosh: the rebbe only hints to this in this sicha, mamash with all the perushim in mamish. The rebbe had said in a sicha that wasn't given out officially the rebbe including the roshei teivos of mamash, which he knew everyone was saying.

Are there going to be miracles when moshiach comes?
“the lion will eat straw like a cow”
rambam: you shouldn’t think that yemos hamoshiach will stop anything from the nature of the world – olam kminhago noheg – all these things are mashalim – that yiddin will live peacefully with goyim that are considered like a wolf – even the goyim will go back to the truth – and they wont steal/destroy things – when moshiach comes we’ll known what these things were mashalim for –
“theres no difference between now and yemos hamoshiach beseides that we won’t be under goyim”
“a lion will eat straw” – he’ll only eat things he’s allowed to – you don’t have to kill anyone to eat straw

the rayvid’s question on the rambam:
in parshas bechukosai Hashem says “I’ll take away all the bad animals”
can’t we just answer that its also a mashal?!
There’s a difference between chumash and nach – chumash says practical things – it makes sense to say that it means literally. Much of nach is like poetry.
So then how can rambam say there won’t be nissim?
Says in the gemara all barren trees in eretz yisroel will give fruit when moshiach comes
“ki eitz nasa piryo” since it doesn’t say a specific tree it must be referring to barren trees because that will be a chiddush that they’d give fruit
toras kohanim: how do you know that even barren trees will give fruit?
All the barren trees in the world are going to give fruit – not just the trees in eretz yisroel!
The bottom line: a 2nd question on the rambam: In halacha there’s a difference between trees that give fruit and trees that don’t – so how can rambam still say there’s going to be nissim?

Answer of the radvaz on animals:
Radvaz was a mekubal even before the arizal – in eretz yisroel the animals wont kill anymore – min HA’ARETZ – referring to eretz yisroel
Umoloh ha’aretz deiah es Hashem – haaretz = eretz yisroel
The rambam is saying the whole world didn’t change, just there could be nissim in one place

Answer on trees: you could say the same about trees- that only the barren trees in ERETZ YISROEL will give fruit

Rambam: according to the gemara – “the trees of ERETZ YISROEL”
Rayvid: Toras Kohanim says all the barren trees

Questions on this answer:
1) if just eretz yisroel changes that’s also a nes!
2) the rambam says moshiach doesn’t have to do any nissim to prove himself as moshiach – proof: bar kochba – rebbi akiva considered him moshiach

Maybe you can answer:
In a sefer called avodas hakodesh – says when the world was created barren trees gave fruit, that was a natural creation its not nissim – so it will just go back to that world

when rambam says no nissim, it means completely not – going back to how it was before chet etz hadaas, it’s still a nes – rambam means the world will be the same
“lo yibatel davar” – nothing from the minhag in the world will be batul
“lo yihiyeh chidush” – there won’t be any chiddush in mayseh braishis
#1 means the normal world how we know it practically will stay the same
that’s why rambam added more words to clarify that it’s not that the world will go back to how it was by mayseh braishis
the bottom line: according to rambam the nature will be exactly how it is now
Question 3: What about techiyas hameisim? It’s for sure a nes!
Iggeres Tchiyas Hemeisim/Iggeres Tayman
Question 4: The Rambam himself wrote a letter to the Jews in Yemen to strengthen them, and he says that Moshiach will be someone to make nissim! He says, even thought I wrote in the book, it’s not for sure!!??
THE ANSWER: TWO TEKUFOS!

The first stage will continue our normal world but we won’t be under the yoke of the goyim
The 2nd tekufa will be all the nissim, techiyas hameisim, barren trees, etc.

Q: The rambam says that a wold lying with a lamb is just a mashal – why wouldn’t he just say that it’s in the 2nd tekufa?
A: The Rambam

If every pasuk that sounds like a nes is going to be in the 2nd tekufa, why does Rambam have to explain it as a mashal?
A: You have to look at the context. If its speaking about Moshiach coming, it can’t mean in the 2nd tekufa.
Here’s its talking about a branch that’s going to come from the branch of dovid, and he’ll do so many things, and one of the things he does will be a wolf will lie with the lamb- so that can’t refer to the 2nd tekufa.

V’hishbati - the context is yidden doing mitzvos and getting a reward – the reward will be that the bad animals wont kill, the barren trees will give fruit, etc. so it’s not associated with moshiach.

“Everything we said before is going to switch a little bit…”

Q: If geula is not connected to miracles, why would it switch to the 2nd tekufa when nissim will happen?
Hakdama – the contradiction from iggeres tayman –
Q: What is rambam saying in the letter that there’s going to be nissim, and that it’s not for sure that there won’t be nissim?
A: It depends on zachu or lo zachu! It’s not for sure = it depends on us!

Q:Why does the Ramam assume that there won’t be nissim?
A: Because that’s the minimum that you have to believe in – it could be that there won’t be nissim and you have to believe in that geula without nissim – it could be that there’s nissim but that’s not the basic halacha.

In fact, Rambam also believes there could be nissim – but he can’t write it in halacha because it’s not for sure.

After the first tekufa of us doing torah & mitzvos b’shleimus, of course we’ll be zachu of the nissim and we’ll have the 2nd tekufa.

Why doesn’t Rambam write that there’s the possibility of nissim?
The rambam wants to tell you the halacha that even if there are nissim that’s NOT moshiach, that’s NOT geula – geula is the ability to do torah & mitzvos b’shleimus – there could be nissim which are an extra thing based on us doing mitzvos, but that’s not the defenition of geula.

PRACTICALLY:
The rebbe says we’re zachu so in fact, even according to the rambam, we will have nissim right away!
3 things we accomplish through adding more mitzvos today:
-We can speed up geula
-We can make the geula better
-In an individual way each person will gain more personally
It’s an investment!

Halacha Exam Notes

2009-06-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

all the melachos involved in making fabric:
gozez – to shear – shearing the hair of the animal or trimming the hair or fur on skins used in the mishkan
av melacha: shearing or cutting the hair with the proper tool – applies both when the animal is alive or not alive
tulda –
1. plucking feathers from a chicken or bird
2. cutting nails, cutting hair
3. removing a pimple or wart
if you do it with a keili it’s a melacha min hatorah – a tulda
cutting nails includes doing it by hand or with your teeth
picking skin – around nails, chapped lips,
combing hair – cant use a comb that on a general basis pulls out hair
have to be careful not to pull out hair when you brush/comb hair
you generally shouldn’t pull off a bandaid on shabbos – but if it needs to be removed because you must change ointment a few times a day, etc but you should ask a rov, you might need a goy to do it, etc

melaben – to whiten – washing
av melacha: washing a natural material, either tzomayach or chai (wool or cotton)
tulda:
tulda: kibus - laundering
shria – soaking
shifshuf – rubbing
schita – squeezing/ringing
niur – shaking out

using water to clean, rubbing, rubbing 2 materials together to dislodge the dirt
soaking – but only if its tzomayach or chai
you can’t even soak fabric if it’s clean
if something falls on your clothes on shabbos you can for no reason put any liquid on it
soaking it is washing it doesn’t apply to leather – you can immerse it but you have to be careful because its usually stitched together and those materials cant be soaked – can never rub or scrape leather
synthetic fabrics – theyre not natural, but too similar to natural fabrics
you’re allowed to make leather wet but you can’t rub or scrub.
If it’s dried mud you cant rub it off even on leather because that’s toichen – but if it’s food – it’s already been ground so its not toichen
If its wet mud its not a problem of toichen – you can remove it with a knife not rub it against another piece of material
Wringing is not allowed
Niur – excessive shaking to clean a garment –
av: milaben was done to raw materials in preparation for turning it into something
tulda: kibus is a final product that we’re cleaning

Niur – even if the dirt is not so absorbed in the clothing, if you’re very particular about a little dirt on your clothes you cant shake it out to get it off. The act of shaking is the melacha – you CAN pull off lint, thread, etc.
The more you care about how clean you are the more dirty it seems, so the more you are cleaning.
You can remove feathers because feathers don’t stick to the garment the same way dirt does.
The chachamim put an issur as part of schita that it is assur to go in a place where he’s likely to slip and fall in water, because maybe his clothing will become wet, the person will forget, and then ring it out.
After the fact you don’t have to take off the wet clothes – even if socks are wet and you feel every step ringing the socks, once you’re wearing it you don’t have to take it off. You can’t intentionally walk by a sprinkler.
If you take off your wet clothes you can’t hang them up where you normally wash clothes - because of maaras ayin – even if this place where you hang laundry is in a room within a room, where there’s nobody there to see because maybe once someone will randomly come and think that he was over an issur of torah.
Make sure you don’t hang up wet clothes somewhere that they’ll get heated up to the point of yad soledes bo.
If you’re soaking in something that’s not a clear liquid (or it is clear, but has a bad smell) it’s muttar. If a clear liquid spills you have to clean it up with a rag that’s designated for that purpose (for sure a paper towel). Be careful not to throw a rag into your sink – because then when you open the faucet you’re washing it with clear water.

Tzovaya
Dying, coloring etc
Even putting a gloss or clear color is a form of tzovaya (shining shoes, etc)
There’s no problem of tovaya with food
min hatorah the melacha of tzovaya is only in something that will be permenant
if someones eating berries that leave a dye, you should not wipe your hands onto a cloth – you should first wash them and then wipe them. But we know it doesn’t apply if you’re ruining something – nevertheless it’s still assur so you should reduce the color as much as possible and then wipe it. But if you have red berry juice on your fingers you can’t wipe it on a red cloth because it’s not ruining it. The best option is to use paper towels because its not permanent because they’ll be thrown out. You can take your break and dip it into wine or food – because its food.
Only tzovaya if its normally colored – not if you rub it on your fingers
It’s a problem the blue thing you put in toilets – some say you even have to take it out before shabbos so every time you flush you’re not doing tzovaya.
What about a dye that isn’t permenant but will last for the rest of shabbos? It’s considered permenant. (if its not permenent its still assur drabanan)
What about wiping blood? Best not to use something red. Tissues or napkins are always ok – have no chashivus.
You can’t put on makeup on shabbos
you can’t color food ONLY for decorative purposes – it has to enhance the taste of the food in some way.
You ARE allowed to wear sunglasses that get darker when you go outside.

TOVEH – spinning
every fabric is woved with threads that are shesi and arev – vertical and horizontal –
weaving is always the same – weaving some threads over the other – warp & woof/weft
oseh shtei batei nirin – you make 2 eyes in the frame or feeding 2 threads
potzaya – breaking – either after weaving you cut it off the loom, or cutting when a string is too loose
anything youre doing with lanyard is orev
when a garment gets a pull – you cant unscrunch it and pull it back into place
pulling a thread that’s loose you also cant do

kosher / matir – tying/untying – in the mishkan there was techeiles – gotten from chilazon, they caught them with nets – have to tie nets
tying back together a loose string that you cut
tying a know in a way that the knot will hold

tofer / koraya – stitching/ripping

mayseh uman – a craftsmans knot
example: tying a ship to a post – it won’t come undone
knot attached to a camel’s nose ring
knots tied on sandals/shoes – very strong so it won’t become undone – attaching the bottom of the shoe to the top
kesher shel kayama – a knot that will last
kesher shel aino kayama – will slowly undo on its own
today any kesher shel kayama is treated as a mayseh uman and is not allowed.
Kesher shel kayama example: double-knot,
Keshel shaino shel kayama: regular half knot
Bows: if the bow was made with the intention of it lasting a certain amount of time, it becomes a kesher shel kayama – to last a week – machmir opinion: 24 hours – we are machmir
Double knot: you’re not allowed to start making it, even if you plan to make it loose – or if 2nd knot is loose not allowed to tighten it at all
Even if there is already a double knot, not allowed to add another knot to it
Only one knot tied into the string itself is considered a kesher shel kayama
A slip knot in general is considered a kesher shaino kayama
Can’t slip something through the slip not – except make another slip knot through it
Practical: double knot on on garbage bag
You could save room and tie a slip knot
You can draw the string then make a slip knot or a double slip not – but not a bow because its intended to last a long time
Get in the habit to undo bows on clothing when you’re done wearing it
Same with sneakers – make sure to untie laces
matir – any knot you’re not allowed to tie, you can’t untie. In the mishkan if there was a problem with the net they’d have to untie it then retie it. There are 2 exceptions:
1) a knot that happened, not a knot that was purposely made
2) a bow if it was made to last 24 hours, and now not being able to untie it will cause you tzaar – you can untie it
it doesn’t matter if you’re using one hand or two hands if you’re not allowed to untie it

TOFER / KORAYA – stitching/tearing (undoing tofer)
Tofer: 2 items being bonded together with a third thing (thread)
Ex: gluing 2 pieces together – koraya is pulling apart the things that are stuck together
Av melacha: making 2 stitches (3 pierces of the needle) – or 1 stitch and a knot
1 stitch without a knot is an issur drabanan
Tulda – something is stitched together but coming loose, and you pull it tighter so it holds tighter
Opening food packages pulling apart on the seam - opening cereal or crackers boxes on top where there’s glue –
You also have to be careful with opening packages that you’re not construction a container – boneh
It’s also an issue of unsticking and sticking diapers
There’s no issue of koraya with a soda can, but could be an issue of boneh

you can put a lining on a coat with a zipper – it’s made to be temporary and doesn’t bond together
stapling paper is the same as gluing paper – not allowed – same with removing staples – many times cleaners tags are stapled
if a button is loose and you pull on the thread to get it tighter- not allowed
diapers: best to use ones that fasten with Velcro
if using ones that fasten with a sticky – before shabbos you can open them so its not long term – then when you fasten them its not permanent – make sure not to slide diaper off because then it’s permanent – when you throw out the diaper make sure not to fasten it because then it’s permanent

if the tooth is almost out you can pull it out
if theres bugs in a toiled, you’re allowed to flush it
1) it’s not a melacha min hatorah – it has to be that you need the result of the action – so its an issur drabanan 2) it’s a situation of kavod habrios 3)you’re killing it indirectly
if a mosquito lands on you you can’t slap it, can’t move it (because muktzah) – you can blow it – but if it’s going to bite you and it will be tzaar you can move it – but when you move it you have to be careful not to kill it
you have to be careful not to scratch a mosquito bite to the point that it will bleed
if you do a blood test you DO want the blood – that is min hatorah
if its for pikuach nefesh or diabetes etc, then you can but if its unnecessary you cant
you can take out a splinter on shabbos but you have to make sure that it won’t bleed

SKINNING – no practical application
Ma’abed – tanning leather
From the shoresh of eved
First the leather is soaked in various minerals.
Av melacha: soak skins tulda: walking on the hide as part of the process
Smearing oil on leather to make softer

you cant put something in a leather shoe to stretch it out
in the winter salt can get on leather shoes to try them out, you can’t put something on them to make the leather soft
chachamim also applied this to food: any vegetable that is generally pickled – you’re not allowed to soak in brine
you shouldn’t marinate, don’t put salt on your vegetables, first put the oil or mayo, and then add salt later
cant just put plain salt on vegetables that are generally pickled, without oil – unless you want to dip the vegetables in salt
pesach: when pesach falls on shabbos you have to prepare the salt water before shabbos, if you forgot theres a limit to how you can do it

memachek: after the leather has been soaked they sand the hide do smooth it – also pulling out feathers from chicken skin
tulda: mimarayach - smoothing anything that has a dense texture – soap, chapstick, lotion, stick deodorant,
when lighting shabbos candles (yomtov) can’t melt the bottom of a candle for it to stick to the candle holder
rinsing hands with a bar of soap
applying cream to a wound, avoid it unless absolutely necessary, if necessary you can put it there but don’t smear it
mimarayach does not apply to food

putting on shoe polish is also a tulda of mimachek – mimarayach

michatech: cutting somewhere intentionally – to a specific size or designated area – in the mishkan the animal skins were cut to a specific size and then put together
tulda: cutting other types of materials
ex: a down coat or blanket, they trip the tips of all the pokey feathers – even though theyre not particular that they want the feathers to be a certain size, they want a specific part of the tip cut off
sawing wood, cutting fabric,
breaking off a piece of wood to get something out of your teeth
to cut glass they make a line with a razor and then snap it off
practical examples: tearing toilet paper on the perforation, opening tissues on the dotted line, opening food packages with a dotted line
soda cans and sardine cans are not a problem because youre not really cutting anything, it’s precut
mechatech does not apply to food
misartet – scratching –
sirtut – lines made in a torah

MOCHEK
It’s only min hatorah if its constructive – in order to write
Writing in the mishkan: each beam had a number so they could line them up in order – the minimum shiur is 2 letters
Even writing 1 letter is assur – its patur but assur min hatorah – you wont be chayav a korban chatas etc but you will have done an issur torah
To be chayav min hatorah you have to write with something lasting on a surface that holds the ink
Even if it’s not a durable ink, or its on a non durable surface, its still be assur midrabanan
Even if you’re not erasing in order to write, it’s assur midrabanan
You can even write and erase at the same time – if you erase the middle of a ches it creates a vov and a zayin – it creates 2 new letters
If a person does mochek with their left hand theyre still chayav min hatorah
If someone erases on shabbos with the intention of writing after shabbos its still assur min hatorah
Kosev
Tuldos: engraving – it’s not ink on a surface, just being engraved in the surface.
Causing letters to form by erasing something.
If there are 2 letters/numbers that are far apart from each other, but can be read in sequence, it’s still a melacha min hatorah, it’s just an tulda not an
av.
If you’re drawing a sketch of something you will draw (not your intended result) it’s a tulda of kosev
Practical application:
If you have a spill on your plate and you start moving the liquid with your finger, that’s an issur drabanan – also if you move away (sugar, poppy seeds etc) to make a symbol
You ARE allowed to write in the air or write
You’re not allowed to etch something into wood – same with Styrofoam
You’re not allowed to do fingerprinting on shabbos
Using a camera, even non digital, is assur min hatorah
Using a typewriter is assur
Computers, even besides the issue of electricity, you cant type
If on the bottom of your shoe there’s a design that you will imprint when you step on something its ok: 1) you’re not doing it consciously 2)

“psik raisha lo nicha lay” it’s a psik raysha but it’s not something that you’re interested in – that you’re happy with

Tanya Exam Notes

2009-06-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Here are my notes - I definitely have better for earlier in the year, so for the later perakim you might be better of reading lessons in Tanya...

PEREK YUD CHES
We’re in a marriage with Hashem – how can we have this relationship if we don’t have an emotional connection?
It is close to you – to do all the mitzvos. It’s so close to you, you’ll want to do it, from the depth of your heart.
Until perek yud ches the rebbe covered the long short way – learn learn understand it all. But what about a person that doesn’t have that ability? Not smart enough or emotional?
3 things you need: 1) Brain to think & meditate 2) there has to be knowledge 3) be able to bring it down so it affects your emotions
Perek Yud Ches comes and says you don’t need your brain – and it’s me’od – VERY close! You have an innate love, you just have to tap into it.
How is this ahava mesuteres/tiviis different from an ahava sichlis?
(story: guard took oath to stand through anything in front of the palace, and feet froze. Was being whipped ‘if you would have been excited about that oath you took it would have warmed you up so you wouldn’t freeze!)
A. where does the love come from?
B. what defines it?
C. how did we get it as a yerusha?
D. you also have to have fear

flow of Tanya
ki karov elecha – it’s close to you. You have 2 nefashos – there’s a love & fear for Hashem in both – you can start to love Hashem by really really learning about Him
But what happens if someone isn’t so bright? How can the pasuk say ki karov elecha hadavar MEOD?

Is belief higher than understanding?
Our brain understands that we don’t have to understand everything.

Until now we were talking about an intellectual love. Now we’re going to tap into the ahava misuteres. What’s the difference between these 2 loves?
Shlomo says to his lover: “my sister my wife” – this seems like a contradiction.

Wife = manmade love – complicated – divorce, hate each other – passion – because it’s manmade it could end, more intense BECAUSE it’s manmade
= AHAVA SICHLIS

Sister = natural love – calm love, nothing will tear them apart, deep down it’s always there, it’s deep = AHAVA MISUTERES
You just have to know you have it! Example: people don’t know they’re siblings – there’s no feeling – then find out they’re siblings – there’s feeling there, it can develop to love

love passed down from our avos – the truth of truth –
again – 4 questions:

A. where does the love come from?
B. what defines it?
C. how did we get it as a yerusha? How is it possible?**
D. Where does Yira fit into this?

**if you inherit something from a person, it’s the same but expressed differently. If father is an angry person- you may be angry too but doesn’t mean you hate the same person.

The avos were chariots – chariot has no identity of its own – goes wherever the horse takes it - “vyaal elokim ME’AL avraham’ Hashem left from on top of avraham – US we are our identity and we give in to G-d – but that’s who they were, no choices in it. Therefore, they had the ability to draw down nefesh, ruach, neshama to every single one of their children.

Nefesh – living soul – what gives life to your body, most gashmius

(((Q: did Yitzchak get it from avraham or only started after yakov))))

They didn’t put the love in us – they put the nefesh ruach neshama & us and that triggers the love.

Yira question- with method #1 I’ve worked on creating ahava so I’ve also created yira. But here, we’re saying we already have the ahava – so where does the yira fit into it? Do we have to cultivate it, we’re born with it, etc?
In husband and wife – can’t just want to be passionate – have obligations to each other.

* * * *
Merkova – just like someone doesn’t have to tell/motivate you to wake up & breathe – the avos, their very makeup was that they serve Hashem
(question about free choice – they molded themselves so that Hashem became their whole existence)

Answer C: They don’t give us the love. They give us a nefesh, ruach, neshama that intrinsically has this love.
Our soul comes from the 10 sefiros of holiness from the 4 worlds – given to each of us based on our level and our actions – even the simplest people.
Chesed - kindness
Gevura – judgement
Teferes – unity, harmony
Netzach – endurance, conviction, perseverance
Hod – humility
Yisod – bonding
Malchus – leadership
Malchus expresses it to the next level – bring it to action - speech (like it is in seder hishtalshelus)
Idea goes through this process

When Hashem has the idea to create a world it goes through this process also – everyone’s neshama comes from a different level in seder hishtalshelus

Based on our FUTURE ACTIONS – if later we change, we can change the level of our neshama. When a soul is conceived, it could be from the lowest, lowest, level – nefesh, dnefesh, dmalchus, dasiya – but even so, the highest level is also found in the lowest

everything comes from the chochma
“KULAM bchochma asisa”
“Hashem b’chochma yisod aretz” – aretz = malchus – goes from chochma to malchus – chochma impacts the very bottom – just like your brain impacts the way your toes move

sometimes the sinners of Israel draw down very high neshamos because these neshamos were found in the depth of klipa

why are we so crazy about chochma?chochma is the source for any intellectual thought or understanding
seichel = the idea
Havana = understanding it

chochma = koach ma

life all boils down to relationships – 2 identities coming together.
What is a perfect relationship?
Working together for a common goal –
You don’t understand something because your brain is a person and doesn’t want to have that relationship.
Chochma comes into play – it pushes the YOU away – that was the impedement – chochma is bittul – then you can understand – then something else can come in. But then it has to register it in your brain – that’s binah.
YOU didn’t get – the concept got YOU!
3 differences between chochma & bina:
1. chochma sounds clear & nice but you don’t really understand it – binah you understand it
2. you’ll always forget chochma – once you think about it & understand it then you remember it.
3. chochma is less words – bina is more words.

Why doesn’t or ain sof enclothe itself in chessed first? Because it’s already an identity – binah’s already an identity – chochma is the ultimate of the lack of identity – that’s why or ain sof goes there.

A fool’s not smart, so he believes everything. So if you understand anything, it can be much much harder to believe. But everyone’s like a fool relative to Hashem – NO ONE can understand Hashem.
Even though I’m like a b’haima – I don’t understand anything – ani tamid imach
The VERY FACT that you don’t understand is where faith is expressed.

What’s the difference between someone who’s moser nefesh and some other martyr who kills himself for his faith?
Mesiras nefesh is emunah above chochma, the other is emunah below chochma
If you try to explain to them how they shouldn’t kill themselves they don’t want to hear because they’re scared it will lower their faith – it’s an intellectual decision they make based on what they know/think – calculate the reward they’ll get its, all about YOU – its even below chochma (because chochma is where you don’t exist)
Mesiras nefesh is you’re not there – no intellectual decision – Hashem dominates you
If you have a secular muslim he won’t blow himself up if someone tells him to – you can have a yid that had nothing to do with yiddishkeit and he’ll be moser nefesh all kiddush Hashem
That’s why even ignorant people can have ahava mesuteres – even if they can’t contemplate it – because it’s NOT about understanding (binah) – it’s about chochma where you don’t exist
The fact that I’m like a bahaima – that’s why I’m with you all the time
The ahava mesuteres illuminates the WHOLE person – it’s rooted in chochma but it spreads to bina, daas, even middos. Starts in chochma because it transcends daas – above understanding.

PEREK YUD TES
We have to explain like it says ner Hashem nishmas adam. Jewish people are called adam ‘atem kriyum adam’ and not the goyim. Their neshama is like the flame of a candle that constantly, naturally, strives to go upwards. The flame naturally wants to leave the wick, it wants to cleave to the universal element of fire. Once it goes up and leaves the wick it doesn’t exist. That’s the nature of a flame. Nature is something that can’t be understood, that’s just the way it is.
Why a mashal of fire?
we try to find the most refined example of gashius
so too our neshama wants to depart and leave our body, and if not for the body it would cleave to.

Ner Hashem nishmas adam – Hashem’s candle is our neshama – what does Hashem want to see? He looks into our life with the candle of our neshama.

We’re constantly searching for the meaning of life – using the candle of our neshama.

1st 3 months: sheep, bull, twins
3 types of marriages – one marriage to each type
marriage of sheep – 1 dominating person & the other persons like a sheep
bull – 2 bulls
chose twins – they look exactly alike, but when you look in the other person you see yourself
all the 4 elements you can contain – fire you can’t, its always trying to break away from it’s existence – it consumes whatever’s containing it
fire is the only thing that’s close to non – existence – it doesn’t want to exist – doesn’t scream out ‘ I exist ‘
the definition of teva is that we don’t understand why
the nefesh is being feuled by the ohr ain sof in chochma – chochma = I don’t exist

goyim come from klipa – that’s why they do things for themselves – have a YESH – I want
poshei yisroel – this nitzutz is in golus – trapped by the nefesh habahamis
Whys it called mesuteres? It’s hidden – most of the time not revealed because in golus
Why isn’t chochma powerful enough to free the ahava?
The chochma itself isn’t chained up
It’s usually asleep – when in a sitch of mesiras nefesh then it’s awakened
What controls us? A ruach shtus
2 forms of ruach shtus:
1 – we know who we are, we know it’s wrong – just insanity
2 – it distorts – convince yourself its not wrong etc

what's the diff between golus & shina
1- golus – you take that energy/quality and use it for klipa
2- that energy/quality is not being used

up till perek yud tes the person was struggling to feel a love for Hashem. Comes with a new method – don’t have to be smart, it’s automatically there. It’ll come up at certain times. Concealed and natural. Every person is born with it. In the neshama there’s chochma shebinefesh – koach mah – it’s not existent – you finally get the chochma when you put yourself aside. Just lik a flame – always strives up towards non existence. That’s the level of mesiras nefesh, rooted in the chochma shebinefesh. Since it’s natural that means it’s unexplainable. Ruach shtus can always be dominating us, and then it comes to do or die and everyone will give up life for Hashem. The chochma can be asleep or in golus.

PEREK CHOF ALEF
When a person speaks words the words become their own thing, separate from him & his 10 koichos.
But with Hashem it never becomes separate because everything is Hashem! Therefore Hashem’s speech is not like our speech!
Q: If our dibbur is not like Hashem’s dibbur, then why do we use that term at all? What’s the similarity?
A: just like the dibbur of a person reveals something that was concealed in a person, Hashem’s speech reveals his infinite light to create worlds etc. This dibbur is the 10 maamaros that the world was created with – and all of tanach.

we’re in the middle of trying to figure out whether we exist ;-)
gave the mashal of speech – we are Hashem’s words
by Hashem His words are so unified with Him it’s like words that are still in potential in a person, you haven’t even had the emotions enter your brain yet so you can form words. The more emotional a thing is the more you can connect to the idea but the less you can express it in words.
First you know about something, then you desire it, then it goes back up to your brain to figure out how to get it, put it in words, etc.
Even after the words ‘came out’ from Hashem they’re still perfectly united with Him.

Kula kamei Klo chashiv – KLO – LIKE it’s not chashiv – the would still does exist, but it’s so close to noghitn
Hashem never changes – it’s only how it looks to us – because Hashem has to create through seder hishtalshelus, etc – so we won’t be completely batul to Him.
Ilah V’alul – cause & effect
The initial creation is ‘yesh m’ayin’ – so huge, it’s too much for us – Hashem then has to make a tzimtzum, etc.
All the tzimtzumim are to conceal Hashem’s light so it shouldn’t reveal itself in such an intense way that we won’t be able to get it. We see it and of course, it’s separate from Hashem! Of course it came from Hashem, but now it’s separate like dibbur – chas veshalom – that’s how we perceive it but really the world is one with Hashem – ain od milvado.
“even darkness will not ‘blind’ You, Hashem” a tzimtzum and levushim do not change anything in Hashem’s perspective.
A shell is usually separate from the thing – the shell protects the thing – but a turtle is unique, the shell is part of the animal.
even all these garments on Hashem – they’re One with him, part of Him – not only are they not separate from Him, they are Hashem!

If there’s no outside reality other than G-d, then how can we think are reality outside of Hashem?
We shouldn’t really feel our own existence – our ego –
This dibbur of Hashem had to go through so many tzimtzumim

Can a man hide and I won’t see him? – you can’t see Hashem when you’re an Ani
When a man hides and finally realizes there is no ANI – then He can see Hashem

elokay delokaya – it’s not that they deny Hashem – they just say they’re a separate existence – when you say I also exit, you are going against Hashem – there’s nothing outside of Hashem. Kedusha rests on something that is batul to Hashem.
People that say they exist are called turei defruda – separated mountains – I’m a separate existence.

Test: prakim chof, chof alef, chof beis

torah and mitzvos while down here still have that intensity of being totally one with Hashem –
torah and Hashem are one
the 248 positive mitzvos are the 248 limbs of the eibishter
the mitzvos are pnimius haratzon of Hashem – by doing mitzvos you can change the world – you draw down ohr from pnimius ratzon haelyon
that’s why its called the limbs of Hashem – just as a limb is a garment for your life, your limbs are completely subjugated to your life – theyre one with you, when it enters your will to do something, your limbs do it

the actual limb which does the mitzvah become like a chariot to ratzon ha’elyon (hapnimi). All the levels of the nefesh elokis have a complete unity with Hashem, not even as a markava. The higher the level

learning torah accesses sovev which even chochma of atzilus can’t access
the closest way to get to Hashem is where you learn torah – and that level demands the greatest level of yira – im ain chochma ain yirah.
Tara ldirta – the shaar of a dira –

References perek mem alef

PEREK CHOF DALED
Doing something against Hashem is the ultimate separate from Hashem – klipa and sichra achara are called avoda zara
The 3 levushim from klipas nogah and the nefesh are miyached with klipa and sichra achara when you do an aveira
When we do an aveira we are worse than klip and sitra achara – we know our creator, sitra achara serves Hashem by doing their role in the world.
Ex: bilam, the ultimate of klipa says he can’t go against Hashem
The more tzimtzum there is, the more room there is for klipa to latch onto it
Avoda zara, eloka d’elokaya – theyre not going against achdus Hashem – says he’s also Hashem – but not going against Hashem lgamri, doesn’t say he doesn’t exist, that Hashem is also a G-d – theyre not going against ratzon ha’elyon
Someone who does an aveira goes against ritzono v’achduso yisborech
Says in eitz chayim that everything bad in olam hazeh is the residue from klipa & sitra achara – that’s why the world is dominated by evil now

isha sotah – she only sins because a ruach shtus enters her – so why does she only do this and not avoda zara?
“a mosquito comes before you” a mosquito takes in and doesn’t release anything, it just takes and takes – and it came before you – but they do what they’re supposed to do. We’re given a mission and we don’t do it – every aveira is deviating from what we’re supposed to do here.

The ruach shtus can enter easily when you act like an animal

But when a tzaddik walks with Hashem the animals are scared of him
A person who does a sin is the farthest from Hashem – more than all the animals etc.

what is the idea of kares? The nefesh gets attached from its source in Hashem.
If it’s not an aveira with the punishment of kares, but his connection is punctured.

Its karov meod that at any time a person can say to his ruach shtus that im going to arouse the other side –

Maamer Exam Notes

2009-06-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

MAAMER MAYIM RABBIM
Mayim rabim lo yuchlu lchabos es ha’ahava – pressures of parnassa can’t extinguish our love for Hashem
How can I make sure the burden of parnassa won’t get in the way of my avodas Hashem?

Motzei Shabbos Parshas Noach Tof Shin Lamed Ches – in his room – after the heart attack (heart attack was on simchas torah). At this point the rebbe was not allowing physical pressures

Alef: Many waters could not extinguish the love, and gushing rivers can’t wash it away. Many waters = all the troubles of parnassa and the thoughts of olam hazeh, and it can’t extinguish the hidden love that’s in every Jew. The waters are so powerful, until they’re moving in a running fashion, constantly, without stopping, they still can’t extinguish the love.

If you’re doing a project, organizing something etc, you have to do it without worrying – if you believe everything is from Hashem then there’s no reason to worrying. Letter from the Rebbe: someone wrote that he was worried about if this program would work out, the Rebbe wrote back, you wrote to me before and said you were worried and it worked out fine, so when the same thing happens again why are you worried now?

Footnote 10: from the sweat of your brow you’ll eat bread – told to Adam – this started chet etz hadaas. The idea that parnassa will come with a lot of difficulty is a punishment.

Beis: says in tehillim. :yagiya kapecha ki sochal” – your hands should work so you can eat. Your HANDS should work, but don’t put your whole heart and mind into it – do what you need to do.
A person can’t just sit at home and wait for man to appear. You have to do something that the sheva from above will be enclothed in.
“Uberechecha Hashem Elokecha bchol asher TAASEH” we DO have to do something so Hashem will give you the brocha.
Also the shefa comes down in the way of teva – you have to involve your ming but just whatever you need for action, not really working on it with

tzvi freeman: the difference between gan eden & gehenim – everyone gets what the had in this world in a greater way. Someone who’s been so involved in gashmius gets more and more and more gashmius and that’s real gehinnom – its sickening.

The test if you lose somewhere – if you didn’t daven because you were too busy etc. – then you were too involved and you forgot about the point.

We know it’s only the brocha of Hashem that makes us wealthy. Every child we have brings down their own tzinor of parnassa. Hashem’s taking care of the WHOLE world – you think you’re bigger than that that you’re worrying about it. Remove the element of worry and then it won’t get in the way of your avodas Hashem.
Your business is only garment for the brochos of Hashem, don’t think you business is the source of your parnassa.

Working is levush for Hashem’s brochos. Just like clothes it’s not the bigger the better, or putting on lots and lots of clothes, the clothes have to fit. So working in parnassa too much can be bad. On Rosh Hashanah it’s decreed what will happen for the year, like closed in a box. Every day when we daven Hashem opens up the box & gives us something. It was decided in a ruchnius way but it’s our choice what level it’ll be brought down in gashmius.
Al these pressures of parnassah are not able to extinguish his love for Hashem.

Example – fire vs coals. Coals hold the heat within them and it’s harder to extinguish.

Gimmel: Gashmius in its source is really higher than ruchnius. So maybe gashmius should be able to extinguish this ruchnius! But a yid has a neshama and that’s from waaaay higher than gashmius. That’s why a goy that tries to live spiritually can have a much harder time, because the source of gashmius is so strong.
The source of the mayim rabbin is coming from tohut that was before tikkun (where ruchnius comes from). That’s why they’re called RABIM – they do have a great source. The source of your nefesh elokis is from tikkun, but it can’t erase the love that’s from your nefesh elokis – because the essence of who you are, the neshama, is part of Hashem.
“rishpeha rishpei eish shalheves kah” – the source of the love is like a flame, like it’s connected and hidden in a stone.

The source of your neshama is like a flame like a flame hidden in a coal. Or as the fire is in a stone, the fire’s hidden and only revealed when rubbed together. Since it’s concealed it can never be hidden. These mayim rabim will even make the love for Hashem stronger. Mashel of a dam – when the water overcomes it, it rushes even stronger.
When the neshama comes down into this world being enclothed in mayim rabbim it reaches a higher level. Pressures of gashmius don’t really want to make us mess up, they want us to just overcome it and go higher – so it can’t extinguish our love because that’s what their job is. The advantage that’s done to the neshama through coming down here is that it comes to the inyan of teshuva. Neshamas before they come into a body are on the level of tzaddikim gamurim
(Liluy nishmas – when a neshama leaves the world it realizes how much it could have done, right when it can’t do any mitzvos – we alleviate that pain by doing it for them)

in order for a neshama to reach the level of baal teshuva you have to return to somewhere – you have to be where you’re not supposed to be in order to return. It’s very far from ruchnius. It’s so far that when the neshama goes through it it will return and reach the level of baalei teshuva. Not necessarily because a person did aveiros, just the neshama returning to its source. The level of baal teshuva is greater than a tzaddik, so that the difference between them is incomparable. – tzaddikim AIN YICHOLIM laamod. The neshama goes from the level of tzaddik in order to go up to the level of baal teshuva. Reaches even the level of elokim asher nasana – the level of coals – higher than tohu – atzmus ein sof. So through coming into the world we reach HIGHER than ATZMUS EIN SOF!!
Before it was on a level bkoach – now after it goes down into this world it reaches that level b’poel.

Hey: How do we know that neshamas come from an incredibly high place? Before Hashem created the world he asked the neshamos of tzaddikim (ameich kulam tzaddikim). That means we were created first = we are the highest. He also asked them about all the higher worlds. Therefore we’re higher than all other worlds. Through teshuva, even though the source of a neshama is so high, it reaches EVEN higher. We’ll understand this based on what the Maggid explains “Yisroel Alah B’Machshava” – “Hashem had the idea to create Yidden” Mashal of a father, even when his child’s not there, he’s always on his mind. Bnei Yisroel are always on Hashem’s mind. A physical father will constantly be thinking about his son only after he’s boren, but with Hashem we’re constantly on His mind even before the world was created. The fact that neshamos are sourced in atzmus, and that Hashem discussed it with them, this is the aspect of neshamos how they are IN THIS WORLD – even though this happened ‘later’ it’s also engraved in Hashem’s mind because there’s no past, present, future. When He was discussing it with the neshamos that’s when, kivyachol, it came to His mind the taanug He’ll get from our avoda down here.

Deeper explanation on the words alu bmachshava
Bnei yisroel are at that level of machshava – chochma – highest level in Hashem

Even though they started out very high, theyre going to be going to an even higher level. The reason they’re rooted in atzmus is because He knows that theyre going to have a yerida and fulfill Hashem’s ratzon of a dira btachtonim.
If He already knows with complete certainty that they’ll do the kavana, then why do we have to go through it? Then it’s only the koach – the real thing is when we actually do it.
Says discussed with tzaddikim because they weren’t on the level of baal teshuva yet – before we went down into the world.

Vov: We can connect this with the inyan of vyaakov halach ldarko – (was said motzei shabbos parshas noach)
You’re really GOING when you go out of tishrei and are involved in regular things – he’s involved in mayim rabbim now. Through going through this he’s becoming elevated – he’s a mehalech. This knowledge accomplishes that the halicha can be bsimcha – you know how much you’re accomplishing now. When you’re happy your avoda can be complete and higher than any limitations, because simcha poretz geder. When you do it in this way you’ll get all the brochos you need bruchnius & bgashmius.

MAAMER TANU RABANAN
Bais shammai says that you should start with 8 candles and go down each day – because that’s how they did it with the parim on sukkos
Bais Hillel says to add one each day – he agrees with shammai’s reasoning, but says maalin bkodesh is more import ant

What is the connection between Chanukah and sukkos?
They both have 8 days - 8 shows what’s above nature

What’s the connection of Chanukah and sukkos to the idea of above hishtalshelus (nature)?

We have 8 days of Chanukah and 8 candles because of the miracle on the menorah in the BHMK. But the menorah in the BHMK had 7 candles! So why do we have 8 candles (and days)?

How can we compare this? It’s not like we’re comparing it to sukkos – we’re comparing it to the PARIM of sukkos. It’s 2 different keilim – 1 is a menorah and 1 is the mizbayach (where the parim were brought up on sukkos)
Also – the neiros are so much greater. Hashem says to Aharon “your avoda (lighting the neiros) is greater than all the others (korbanos) and will never be extinguished.

In the BHMK they lit it during the day – we specifically light it at night (the sun HAS to be down) – if we’re trying to commemorate that why don’t we light at the same time?

Beis: Chanukah is about illuminating the darkness. Chanukah happened after the yivanim desecrated all the oil – their darkness reached all the way to the shemen – represents kedusha – separate
Difference between kadosh and kodesh
Kadosh – a description of what it is – holy
Kodesh – holiness – kedusha
Separate – just like oil that floats on all liquids
In order to illuminate this darkness they needed a miracle – found the jug of oil that was still unsealed – represents or ain sof that’s above hishtalshelus – that last thing that remains that wasn’t changed/concealed

That’s why ner Chanukah has to be at night – we’re trying to light up the dark
That’s why it’s 8 days – above hishtalshelus – because of this inyan it’s possible to illuminate the darkness

gimmel: applying this to a person’s avoda: the greek’s whole war was a ruchnius war, not fighting against the bodies of jews.
Footnote 31: they actually didn’t allow them to do mitzvos (not just don’t have the connection to Hashem) the first & main part of the war was getting them away from Hashem and kedusha, and later it resulted in actually not being able to do torah & mitzvos at all.
Or – actually the order was the opposite.

Didn’t care if they learn torah – just in an intellectual way. ToraseCHA – YOUR torah. Even in eidos and mishpatim they didn’t allow the chukim aspects of those mitzvos to be kept.

(missed a class...)

in order to create a geula nitzchi means that our avoda has to be in a way of nitzachon – in an impractical, illogical way.
Now our mesiras nefesh is giving up our ratzon.

Vov: in order to win this war, that was a war on above seichel, we have to fight back with above taam vdaas. And not even what’s above taam vdaas, but connected to taam vdaas – they got that also. You have to have mesiras nefesh. Standing strong against all those who try to stop us, an essention strength that’s completely above seichel. Mesiras Nefesh is not because of any logical reason, it just can’t be any other way. This comes from the hiskashrus of our etzem haneshama – our yechida. It can’t be touched – like the 1 jug of oil that was still sealed. Even though the maccabis were weal & few, they stood with mesiras nefesh – this awakened the whole generation’s mesiras nefesh.

Zayin: Because your mesiras nefesh comes from your etzem, it permeates all your koichos – so it’s recognizable that this is “a mesiras nefesh yid” that’s his identity.
Aikev asher shama avraham bkoli – even avraham’s heel heard Hashem, because he was so permeated with mesiras nefesh
There’s one thing that there is no parralel to in klipa: Yechida. (Yechida is the idea of unity, klipa is the idea if disunity) When you’re dealing with your yechida there IS NO opposition. You’ll also change your nefesh habahamis to work with you as well.

Now we can understand the difference in the number of candles on the menorah – the number of candles and when you light. The idea of Chanukah is the idea of mesiras nefesh using the yechida – above hishtaleshelus – that’s why there’s 8 candles.

At the time of geula we’ll also have 8 strings instead of 7 on the harp.

Kinor = chof vov ner – chof vov = gematria of havaya – the illumination of shem havaya
Even though the BHMK was the holiest place in the world, especially the harp
That’s why there’s also a difference in the time of lighting the candles – not only does the darkness not get in way of this, the darkness turns to light
You’re allowed to light until there are still “feet in the market”
Tarmudo – marketplace – connected to mored - rebel
this represents the people rebellng against Hashem, they’re in a public place (shuk) – they can do whatever they want – those kinds of people you’re trying to illuminate until it stops – (till the feet STOP in the market)
(or – stops to the level of klos hanefesh)

now we can understand the connection between
sukkos is the idea of revealing makkif – like a sukkah – things that a higher level than you usually get – in the 8th day those makkifim can become penimius
that’s why they’re both 8 days – 8 is 1 + 7 – the 1 that is higher than hishtalshelus is brought into the 7

first it lessens the goyim’s strength every day
after it causes them to also help yisroel
if the nations of the world would know how good the BHMK is good for them, they would surround it & protect it.
And finally everyone will recognize Hashem, and the goyim will help us. Just like bringing these 70 cows like the 70 nations. On the last day there was an extra korban that’s not for the nations – an extra special korban just for bnei yirsoel

the idea of lighting when it gets dark also talks about the darkness of golus. The point of the golus is to awaken mesiras nefesh, which illuminates the darkness & changes it to light. Through the avoda of MOST of bnei yisroel – brings hatzalah to the whole world.

Specifically adding in the mitzvah of ner Chanukah, moshiach and eliyahu are from the 8 people that were anointed – the 8 candles. Just like Chanukah candles will never be batul, same with geula it will be be completely nitzchi.

LHAVIN INYAN KSIVAS SEFER TORAH
Alef: Every person has the obligation to write a sefer torah. A king has a mitzvah to write an extra sefer torah. The first one to write a sefer torah was moshe – and there’s the extension of moshe in every generation. Moshe finished his sefer torah on erev shabbos. The tzemach tzeddek explains it according to the alter rebbe.
Motza’eihem (the starting point) lmasayhem –
…according to Hashem…Maaseyhem lmotzaeyhem.

Beis: Why masaim in lashon rabim? There’s only 1 leaving from mitzrayim – once they went to ramses & sukah they were out –
why were the journeys ploural?
The entire trip was really one trip – they just made stops along the way. Until they got to eretz yisroel they were still in mitzrayim.
Moshe wrote: motzayhem lmasayhem
Hashem wrote: masayhem lmotzayhem
How do you travel to your starting point?
Every person is in ‘mitzrayim’ because our neshama comes down into a guf and is limited.
The place you’re going to back to is much higher than where you come from. It has to be that way because that’s the whole point of why we come down here – it would be pointless if there’s no aliya.
All OUR ‘travels’ lead us back to where we came from – our source.
The intro to this is moshe, the raaya mehemna, writing it down
Writing is the inyan of drawing down – motzayhem lmasayhem – draws down the koach of our source to help us in our journeys down here

instead of yetziasam instead of motza’ayhem
yetziasam is something that comes out with force – motza’ayhem is that it comes out automatically, there’s no change in the source – like the sun just radiates rays
from this great level this hamshacha is brought down to this world
‘vayipach b’apav nishmas chayim’ blowing comes from your inside – your pnimius -
writing also includes signing – means taking responsibility for something
‘vkasav lah sefer’ – man has to write a get – that means that he signed
and signed also includes sealing – it’s everlasting
then we can go on our travels and reach where we come from

Gimmel: the 7th tikkun (midda) in the 13 middos of the beard – is the tikkun b’emes
all the tikkunim of yud gimmel middos harachamim come from way above seder hishtalshelus – that’s why they can fix any mistake you make – teshuva. Theyre connected to the idea of the hair of the beard – the hairs nourishment comes from from your brain, but the way the life force is brought down through the skull. That’s a tremendous tzimtzum for the mind – you don’t even feel pain when you cut your hair – the deadest part of your body.
Emes is represented on the cheeks – it’s connected to the brain but there’s no hair. The chochma of a person shines on the face – this is the idea of emes. In the 7th midda the light is brought down not in a way of tzimtzum.
“chochmas adam tair panav”
like rab avohu – walking & came to the students of reb yochanan & they said look at him, he must have found a treasure. And they said no he found something new in torah – was expressed on his face.
Rebbi yehuda – the queen asked him if he was drinking because is face was shining – wasn’t drinking, had just learned a chiddush
Daled: there is no ruchniusdike level that can create gashmius – gashmius comes directly from ain sof – ruchnius comes down through levels.
That’s the difference between what's brought down the the hair and through the face. Your hair continues to receive chayus – it actually grows. But you don’t see any intelligence in the hair – or even what kind of chayus it gets.
That’s why the 7th one is called “v’emes” because the inyan of emes is that it does not change. Not only does it not change – it’s not hidden. Even when it’s brought down (things usually change by bringing them down).
Emes comes from the level of “Ani Havaya lo shanisi” – Hashem doesn’t change. Whatever is the highest falls the lowest. The fact that we – gashmius - feel ourselves as our own existence is because we come from the YESH ha’amiti – Hashem.
The middah of emes will be brought down to this low world because it’s from such a high source. When we talk about different ruchnius levels that were created from other ruchnius levels, we can’t say this is completely lo shanisi.
But the essence of Hashem wasn’t caused by anything or created by anything – it just is – and that’s where you have the idea of lo shanisi. The only real existence is Yesh Ha’amiti.
The rebbe maharash explained this idea in the maamer mi kamocha.

Hashem is the only existence that wasn’t created – which means the only thing that never changed - because to be created is a change. The middah of emes comes from that unchanging level of ani Hashem lo shinisi. This world is real – we know this because it says breishis bara elokim – if it wasn’t real we wouldn’t be able to do mitzvos – but we’re not emes, because nothing here is nitzchi. Even though its not necessarily apparent to us, it’s obvious how everything is Hashem and He’s constantly keeping the world going. Gashmiusdike things are never really independent – always need Hashem to keep holding them together – ruchniusdike things don’t need that as much. So down here you see the truth of ain on milvado – that nothing can exist without Hashem – because gashmius CAN NOT exist without Hashem – were ruchnius things are more of an existence of their own (NOT that they could exist on their own though) can look like there are other strong

Hey:
The true existence of the yesh hanivra – created thing – is yesh ha’amiti – Hashem – this is talking about neshamos in this world. You can only have the idea of yesh down here in this world – above there is no yesh, everything is batul. As opposed to goyim – they are not true existences – whole purpose is to be there to make the world a better place for yiddin to live in. So if he doesn’t do one of sheva mitzvos he’s chayav misa – because he isn’t fulfilling his purpose.
Even though every single thing that exists comes from Hashem – that’s the basis of our belief (rambam) – but we are A PART of Hashem. When you touch the corner of the essence, you touch the whole thing – we have the essence of Hashem inside us. This is why a yid doesn’t want and can not be separate from G-dliness- because that’s who he is!
Most existences come from something – but Hashem, His existence comes from Himself – and we are a part of that – not created from any cause etc.

Vov:
That’s why moshe wrote down ‘es motzayhem lmasayhem’ and then they can travel to reach their source. Moshe rabbeinu brought down their source – the atzmus of Hashem – down here into our travels – and through this we can have the aliya of the neshama. The neshama comes down here and is put in a body with a nefesh hativis – it needs to have this midda of nitzachon (victory – but also the midda of nitzchi)

This nitzachon will bring down the otzer ha’elyon – revealing the atzmus of Hashem. We do this through the nassi.
(Moshe rabbeinu is called Ish Elokim – part of us and part of Hashem (we also have a part of Hashem inside us the same way, but we have it so covered up – the nassi can reveal this in us)
Through a person’s avoda there’s also an elevation above – da ma lmayla mimcha – know what’s above you – means that everything above depends on you & your avoda!
“make yourself two silver trumpets” – this was told to moshe rabbeinu – trumpets – chatzatzros – chatzei tzuros – halves of a picture – moshe should put the 2 parts of the picture together – the part that’s the avoda of a person, and the part that’s ‘Hashem’s avoda’
through a person’s avoda down here it makes the picture ‘complete’ above

Zayin: Bringing down the midda of emes through the 13 middos harachamim (are above seder hishtalshelus), and then through the 10 sefiros of atzilus, and all of seder hishtalshelus, down to this lowest world – this is accomplished through torah. “Ain emes elah torah”
Torah is compared to fire which can’t be mekabel tumah. Torah can come into this world in every place and NOT CHANGE at all – it stays the same as it is above.
The idea of emes as explained in yerushalmi on the ‘signature of Hashem’ – emes is alef, mem, sof – Hashem is beginning, middle, end. Through Torah which is true we bring down this great light of Hashem that’s emes to this low world.

Ches: This is the idea of saying that moshe wrote – which refers to the whole idea of torah – Moshe accepted the Torah, and Torah became a real part of him – “zichru toras moshe avdi”
The middah of emes is brought down from yud gimmel middos harachamim – from the ratzon ha’elyon – down here in a way of writing of ink on paper
And the miracle is that it doesn’t lose any of it – normally when you write something you lose part of it – Torah stays the same because it’s emes – limiting it into 22 letters!
There are 2 inyonim in signing: 1. Says that this thing won’t change (ani havaya lo shanisi – this idea is also inside every Jew – since we’re a part of Hashem we’re also going to be around forever)
2. It’s a representation of me, but it’s not me – your name has no comparison to the essence of a person – sealing with wax – it’s a separate thing that’s being added– this represents the worlds briah, yetzira, asiya – they’re a representation of Hashem but not Hashem. Signing brings down this level of ani havaya lo shanisi even into these low worlds through moshe rabbeinu, the raya mehemna singing it.
Motzayhem – draws down our source of ani havaya lo shanisi (aspect 1- won’t change)
Masayhem – draws down into these lower worlds that are ‘separate’ (aspect 2 – signature represents but isn’t essence)

Tes: “what does Hashem ask of you? All He asks is to fear Him.”
Gemara asks: how is yira a simple thing?
Answer: this was said to moshe, and for moshe it’s easy
Every person has a part of Moshe in them, and for that part yira isn’t hard.
(chazal say don’t say mah – say me’ah – 100% yirah – there are also 100 letters in this pasuk)
even though in the torah it says that moshe wrote the sefer torah, since we all have a part of moshe in us, it’s relevant to all of us as well
every jew has this capability to bring down this aspect of the emes of Hashem, in a way that it affects us – even in a way that it affects them
vayichtov: bring it all the way down in a way of writing – on parchment that’s made out of an animal, and the ink is made from tzomayach & domem – and from all this comes a complete sefer torah
chasima: forever, unchanging

Moshe goel rishon, goel acharon – Shiloh which refers to Moshiach – has the same gematria as moshe – when you add the letters echad to Shiloh you get the gematria of moshiach (and when you add echad to moshe). When the alef – alufo shel olam – is brought down into the ches – 7 heavens + 1 world, and the daled – 4 corners of the world. When you add the revelation of Hashem to Shiloh you get the revelation of moshiach.
Just like the idea of moshe is the idea of writing a torah, this is also the idea of moshiach.

Kol ymei chayacha – lhavi liymos hamoshiach (talking about shema)
About writing a sefer torah it says the king should read it ‘kol ymei chayav’ – must be a connectin between the two
Moshiach is called Melech Hamoshiach – he will read from the sefer torah all the days of his life and also the days of moshiach

Yud: Practically, we finished the sefer torah that the frierdiker rebbe referred to as the torah of moshiach. Very soon we’ll be zoche to the coming of Moshiach, and then we’ll have the revelation of toraso shel moshiach. Even though this was also given to Moshe at Matan Torah because Matan Torah will never happen again, but at the time of Matan Torah it was hidden, and in the future will be the revelation of torah chadasha – those who taste it merit life – tasting the Torah of Moshiach – we’re at 6 ½ millenniums (erev shabbos after chatzos) all the preparation of all the previous rebbeim – when everyone completes his avoda we should have the revelation of Moshiach now!

MAAMER KIYMEI TZEISCHA
Alef:
Q: Why does it say kYMEI – lashon rabim – didn’t yetzias mitzrayim only happy in one day? When we remember yetzias mitzrayim it always says ‘es yom tzeischa’.
Q2: There’s no comparison between them! The geula will be nitzchi, it’ll be much greater & higher miracles (some say that we won’t even mention yetzias mitzrayim anymore- we need a proof that you do say it) how can we compare them? It’s as if we’re saying the mayla of the geula asida is that its like yetzias mitzrayim!
Q3: It’s worded like yetzias mitzrayim is the source of the miracles of the geula asida – which would seem like geulas mitzrayim has a mayla over the geula haasida. How can that be?

Beis: There are actually 2 peirushim on this:
1. the miracles of the geula asida will be similar to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim
2. the miracles of the geula asida will be great EVEN compared to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim. There WILL be a huge mayla.

Niflaos = nun peleh =
Nun peleh – moshe couldn’t reach the 50th’ shaarei binah – why he was buried in har navo – nun bo

bnei yisroel had to get out of mitzrayim because they were on the 49th level of tumah – Hashem had to ‘grab’ them out – then they had to work up one step at a time – 49 days of sefira
this was through bringing down the 50 gates of binah – we see that yetzias mitzrayim is mentioned 50 times in Torah. In the nun shaarie binah there are different levels – a lower level is how the nun shaarie binah how it’s brought down in malchus.
Higher is the nun shaarie binah in their place – in binah
Even higher is as they are included in the 50th gate – in kesser – in atik
That’s why the miracles of the geula asida will be miraculous even compared to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim – yetzias mitzrayim was the gates of binah as theyre drawn through malchus. In the future it’ll be how they’re found in kesser – in atik – in pnimius atik.
All hamshachos now are just from chitzonius atik – the highest we could get – in the future we’ll get from pnimius atik.
Nevertheless the pasuk compares the miracles of the future to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim – we say that Hashem revealed Himself to them ‘bichvodo uv’atzmo’ – but even that great revelation was through malchus – at the time of moshiach it’ll be revealed without any levush
Gimmel: So back to our question – how do they compare, if the future will come from such a greater level?
Why will we still mention yetzias mitzrayim when moshiach comes? Because that was the first geula and opened the tzinor for geula in the world.
We know that Yetzias Mitzrayim was the hachana for matan torah. They didn’t have complete freedom until matan torah. But when they left mitzrayim they got the strength to get to matan torah.
Similarly, this is with the future geula. Yetzias Mitzrayim gives us power for the geula ha’asida. Matan torah was a part of the giluy of the future – but it was only temporary – the world didn’t retain that revelation. Har Sinai wasn’t kadosh, etc. By moshiach the revelation will not just be from above to below, but it’ll also be from below because creation will be completely purified and will be able to accept the giluy.

Yetzias mitzrayim was the idea of iskafya – they still had the bad and had to run away from it ‘ki barach ha’am’ – but when moshiach comes it’s the idea of ishapcha – we’ll be transformed so we won’t have the bad, finished avodas babirurim. BUT there is a great mayla to iskafya as well.

Daled: it’s in lashon rabim because every day until moshiach comes we are going out of mitzrayim. It says that every day we have to remember yetzias mitzrayim – and live it every day by going out of boundaries every day – especially at the time of krias shema, like the alter rebbe says that krias shema and yetzias mitzrayim are the same idea. And even at maariv, there’s a question why do we mention tzitzis at night if there’s no obligation then? Because that ÷whole paragraph speaks about yetzias mitzrayim, and we have to have that all the time. Every day we out of boundaries on a higher level, and this ÷brings to the future geula which is the true idea of ‘paratzta’ – like we see about moshiach it says ‘alah haporetz lifnayhem’, and that is ben dovid – (and has to fight the wars of Hashem like dovid) and dovid is a descendant peretz (called peretz because peretz was supposed to be born 2nd but he broke through and was born first).

Missed not responsible for hey inside – we did it in partners

missed the beginning of ois vov

Vov: Even though ishapcha is usually higher than iskafya, there’s still a mayla of iskafya. Like it says in Tanya that iskafya makes a great elevation above.
Mashal: a king who sends out all the treasures to win the war – treasures that are usually guarded and not used.
Nimshal: Hashem gives us great treasures in order to win the war against our yetzer hara – iskafya – and this treasure is given to the simple people in an unlimited way.
Based on this we can understand why we’ll still mention yetzias mitzrayim during geula -

this idea of bringing down the otzer is specifically in order to be victorious in the war – but in the future there will be no war, so therefore we’ll mention yetzias mitzrayim so we also have this mayla of iskafya. Just from mentioning it we’ll bring down great otzros, and then it will be complete giluy.

Zayin: in the future geula we’ll have both maylos – the mayla of iskafya (kiymei tzeischa) and ishapcha (erenu niflaos) – through our avoda in golus in the way of mesiras nefesh in an unlimited way (and specifically during golus & right before moshiach there ARE more challenges) – we even have this huge challenge not to be embarrassed from people that mock you – and yet we still do mitzvos and even the lowest people are filled with mitzvos like a pomegranate. Through these very people who overcome the challenges we’ll leave golus – with this rechush gadol. This adds speed to the achishena in a way that we’ll fly with clouds that right now we should have geula!!!! Since the geula comes THROUGH our avoda during golus and especially the last days of golus, that’s why we’ll have the mayla of iskafya – the whole geula is built on iskafya. We’ll also have the erenu niflaos, even compared to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim – all the great giluyim happened at the sea – still some concealment because the sea is the idea of concealment. Their giluyim were the idea of iskafya – it was pushed on them from above, the people themselves weren’t transformed and ready – but geula shlaima we will be transformed and ready to accept those giluyim. Yetzias mitzrayim didn’t come from the avoda below, but geula is a RESULT of our avoda.

MAAMER USAFARTEM LACHEM
Bringing the omer = purifying the mochin of the nefesh habahamis
Sefiras haomer = middos of nefesh habahamis
That’s why the korban omer is barley because were trying to be mevarer the nefesh habahamis
That’s why the korban comes from grain – because grain is connected to your brain – like we see from the maamer chazal a child can’t speak until he eats grain – the brain is connected to the middos – that’s why we chose animal food – and animals are mostly middos – just like an animal’s seichel serves its middos, same with the nefesh habahamis
They brought the korban omer on one day – we count the omer for 49 days
You can change your mindset fast but it takes a while to change your middos
We also have to purify each midda as it is included in the other middos – because if you just do it in general its makkif – you don’t internalize it – you have to go slowly and make it come from you – and then the purification will be complete and expressed in machshava, dibbur, mayseh
Theres a mitzvah to count the days and a mitzvah to count the weeks.
Weeks – each middah in general
Days – each middah specifically – all the middos in it
The main mitzvah is to count the days – the details
Some people say omer is bidrabanan now and some say its doraysa
Rabbeinu yerucham says when theres no bhmk theres a difference between the mitzvah to count the days and the weeks
Days – di’oraysa –
Weeks – bidrabanan (because no korban now)
Counting in days – in the details – is purifying our machshava, dibbur, mayseh – this can be done at all times, even in golus – we were given the power to change the details of the middah, not the whole middah
lets see chessed as an example of how it includes all the middos:
chessed itself – loving Hashem
chessed she’bchessed – love those who love Hashem & deep love of Hashem leading to zrizus in kiyum hamitzvos
gevurah sheb’chessed: hating those who are against Hashem
tiferes shebchessed: sees the beauty & torah & mitzvos – excitement
netzach shebchessed: fighting opposition to torah & mitzvos
hod shebchessed: when theres opposition from the outside and you don’t have the strength to overcome it – ill keep doing my thing (even if I cant get rid of them) – humbly accepting what I can’t change
yisod shebchessed: connects to torah & mitzvos even if he doesn’t have that natural attraction – he arouses it
malchus shebchessed: all machshava, dibbur & mayseh are just torah & mitzvos because of this love and connection

we have the same things in the nefesh habahamis:
chessed – a love to gashmius
chessed shebchessed – his love for gashmius is expressed in an open desire for gashmius
gevurah shebchessed – hates people who try to stop him from being into gashmius
tiferes shebchessed: he beautifies and takes pride in his gashmius
netzach shebchessed: if he doesn’t have such a desire for gashmius, he makes himself want the gashmius
hod: even when people rebuke and embarrass him he doesn’t get put down and still does his thing
Yisod shebchessed: connection to the tayva, until his machshava, dibbur and mayseh are into these materialistic things going from low to lower
Malchus shebchessed: he actually gets to forbidden things

the idea of sefiras haomer is elevating all the pratim of the middos of the nefesh habahamis – through the pratim of the middos of the nefesh elokis. Hashem put His essence into the Torah – we have to come to matan torah with our whole essence – both our nefesh habahamis & our nefesh elokis have to be ready.
Sefiros – something that shines – by counting you make these aspects of your nefesh habahamis shine.
The koach to do this comes from the giluy from yetzias mitzrayim – the revelation of atzmus umehus ain sof baruch hu – and sefira brings us back to matan torah to the revelation of atzmus Hashem – but
It had to be such a high level because we were so sunk into mem tes shaarei tumah, it had to be a level that was way above seder hishtalshelus. A malach that was sent would also have gotten stuck in there.

[in the secular world time is a timeLINE – you just keep moving ahead and the past is past. Our time is a circle – or SPIRAL – you get back to the same giluyim every year at that time, but on a higher level – so we get these same hamshachus of giluy ha’atzmus – to give us the koach for sefiras ha’omer ]

Why DOES it say mimacharas hashabbos?
The idea of macharas hashabbos shows a very high level – the revelation of atzmus. Shabbos is above nature – above that level of Shabbos = atzmus – that’s what you need in order to elevate the nefesh habahamis.

the idea of seder hishtalselus is limited to time – before and after – a higher level is “mati, vlo mati” – movement and then no movement – higher level but it’s still limited. Any part of creation is in this framework of time. But if you want to elevate all of seder hishtalsheuls – even the details of the nefesh habahamis – we need the revelation of a level higher than seder hishtalsheuls – higher than any limits of time.
We have 6 days of the week, then we have shabbos that’s sanctified and separate – its higher than time but still part of time – but it’s a time of kedusha –
In order to elevate the nefesh habahamis – shtus d’leumas zeh – you need a level above seder hishtalshelus.

missed a class...

Hod sheb’hod refers to kabalas ol and that is the sefira of lag b’omer – that’s the day that connects the greatest hights of pnimius hatorah to reaching the last of the personal middos – yisod & malchus already refer to relating to other people
The fact that hod sheb’hod is so low is really greater – a simpler person has an easier time reaching the level of kabalas ol
On that day – lag b’omer – the rashbi reached the greatest hights – because he revealed the zohar on that day, that means he was on a level even higher than it
Hod sheb’hod is the avoda of kabalas ol, he’s not looking at limitations of time and space – then he can bring down from the level of macharas hashabbos which is above seder hishtalshelus
So now we understand why on lag b’omer there was the completion of ‘draw me close then we will run after you’ –
On lag b’omer there’s Hashem drawing because there’s a real revelation, and there’s the nefesh habahamis running because its all (personally elevated) – lag b’omer is the day of revelation of pnimius hatorah –
Even though you do need to learn nigleh and then pnimius hatorah, but in order to learn nigleh you need the koach of pnimius hatorah
There’s a pasuk in tehillim that says “gal eini” – chassidus opens your eyes to see the wonders of torah
Gal is the same letters as lag – dovid hamelech used to learn the secrets of torah, but the complete revelation of pnimius hatorah will be when moshiach comes – kiymei tzeischa meeretz mitzrayim erenu niflaos – niflaos in torah – but the beginning of this revelation happened on lag b’omer
Through connection to pnimius hatorah on lag b’omer is the preperation for the king to ‘bring you in His room’ that even when you’re learning nigleh you should feel the holiness of torah. Even in toraseCHA – the revealed parts of torah – I’ll be able to see the wonders in nigleh
Especially in our generation- rashbi said there wont be another generation like his generation till the generation of moshiach = us
It’s a proper time to ask of Hashem that He should open our eyes and we should see the beauty of Torah. Until Moshiach when Moshiach will teach pnimius hatorah to everyone.

Navi Exam Notes

2009-06-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

Besides for the sheet we have to know perek vov, zayin, and ches - right?
So here they are: (i'm missing a bit at the end)

PEREK VOV
Bnei yisroel are at the bottom of the cycle again and Hashem sends the midyanim to attack them – and everything they planted when it was about to be harvested the midyanim would trample the fields with their animals.
Bnei yisroel had 3 plans to escape the midyanim
1. built hideouts in mountains (minharos)
2. build caves
3. built fortresses
meam loez: minharos literally means tunnels –
opinion 1: according to some opinions refers to underground storage rooms. Very wide on the bottom and then at the top they tapered into a small hole – they would pour grain in through the small hole. From nahar – river – lashon of flowing.
Opinion 2: nahara means light – the point of the small hole was to provide light and people would hide there as opposed to the caves which were completely dark
they stationed lookouts on top of mountains – the watchperson would light a torch when he saw midyanim – and the person on the next mountain would see and light his torch – and soon all the people would know the midyanim were coming
bnei yisroel almost always failed
bnei yisroel became very poor because of this
zayin: malbim: they only complained about the bad that was being done to them, they didn’t realize it was a punishment as a result of their sins. So Hashem sent them a navi to rebuke them. They weren’t crying in a way of teshuva.
Pinchas ben alazar was the Navi– his whole generation died in the times of yehoshua, he was the only one still alive.

Ches: the navi’s name is not mentioned – most say it’s pinchas but some opinions say it’s an unknown navi

Tes: says I redeemed you from mitzrayim and chased out your enemies and gave you their land. Can’t be talking about mitzrayim…
Radak: refers to sichon & og – parshas chukkas sichon refused to let them through even though they wouldn’t hurt them – and even came out and greeted them with war

Yud: I said that I’m Hashem don’t fear, and you did not listen to my voice.
Meam loez: trying to convey that Hashem is always ready to hear bnei yisroel, no matter how low they’ve fallen
4 things the navi’s pointing out:
1. I raised you up from the land of mitzrayim
2. I took you out of slavery
3. I saved you from mitzrayim (yam suf)
4. I gave you their land (sichon & og – the amorim)
Why’s Hashem telling them not to FEAR the amori gods, not to worship them?
Fear is a type of worship – yiras Hashem also means to respect & be in awe. These same emotions are forbidden about the amori gods.

Yud Alef: a malach came and sat under a pistachio tree that belonged to yoash aviezri– gidon his son was crushing wheat in the wine pit to hide it from the midyanim.
Rashi: avi haezri – it was a person and all his descendants took his name – he was aviezer ben gilad ben menashe ben yosef
Gidon bno: Gidons special zechus was kibud av – his father would crush the wheat and he would sift it. He told his father you’re old and if the nations come, you won’t be able to run. He told him ‘you go and I’ll crush’.
As a result of this act, Hashem chose him as the shofet. Chazal learn that if a person honors his parents, he’s worthy of becoming a king/leader.
Yud Beis: And he appeared to him & said Hashem be with you, you brave soldier.
Yud Gimmel: Me? My master, and if Hashem is with us, why has all this befallen us, and where are all the wonders Hashem told our fathers about? Didn’t Hashem bring us up from mitzrayim? And now He has abandoned us, and put us in the hands of midyanim.
Yud Daled: Hashem turned to him and said go with this strength and save yisroel from the hands of midyan, have I not sent you?
Now he realized that this person talking to him was a malach.
Tes Vov: Me? Hashem, with what will I save yisroel? My thousand is the poorest of menashe, and I’m the youngest in my father’s house.
Tes Zayin: I will be with you and you will smite midyan like one person.

Yud Beis: Meam loez- from here chazal learn that a person should great someone with Hashem’s name, and it’s not using Hashem’s name in vain because Hashem specifically wants this.
Yud Gimmel: his main concern is not his own problems, but the plight of the nation – this is a true leader
Rashi: this was pesach (emesh-last night) he said father read to me hallel that says btzeis yisroel mimitzrayim – and now Hashem has abandoned us. If our ancestors were tzaddikim, Hashem should do it for us in their zechus. And if they were reshaim, just like Hashem did miracles for them ‘for free’, He can do for us also. Where are the miracles?
Meam Loez: The normal way to crush wheat in those days was with animals that the animals would stomp on it, but here he was doing it by hand. Why?
1) it would be much harder to flee with animals if the midyanim came
how could he crush wheat on yomtov? When he said ‘last night’ he meant 2 nights ago, it wasn’t yomtov anymore (only 1 day of yomtov). But in chol hamoed you can’t do a melacha unless you absolutely need to do it. But you do it with a shinuy. So that’s why he was using his hands and not his animals.
At that time pinchas was alive but he was very old and more of a malach than a person – he wasn’t appropriate to be a shofet
Gidon did the mitzvah of kibbud av and told his father to go inside – so Hashem chose him.
Gidon says Hashem I want a sign – that you’ll help anyway even if the yiden don’t deserve it. Gidon says wait here and I’ll prepare you food. The malach doesn’t eat it but he puts it as a korban for Hashem – it was consumed by fire, it even consumed the wet soup – this was a sign for Gidon.
There was the mizbayach of the baal and oxen they were fattening of the baal right in their backyard…

Chof hey: Hashem says to gidon – take the oxen you’ve been fattening and destroy your father’s baal mizbayach and cut down the asheira tree
Chof vov: Build a mizbayach for Hashem on top of this rock, in its place and take the 2nd ox and bring it up as an olah on the wood of the asheira tree that you cut down.
2 things in this command that are an exception:
1. not usually allowed to bring korban outside of Shiloh
2. not allowed to use things used for avoda zara
He was worried what the people will do to him if he does this.

Chof zayin: gidon took ten men from the servants and he did like Hashem told him. He was scared of what his fathers house and the people of the town would do to him if he did it during the day. He did it at night.

Chof ches: the people of the city woke up in the morning and the mizbayach of the baal was broken and the asheira tree was cut down, and the 2nd cow was brought as an olah on the mizbayach!

Chof tes: and one man said to his friend, who did this? They searched out and sought and they found out it was gidon – since he was the most connected cuz of his father. (or one of the 10 servants told)

Lamed: The people of the city said to Yoash take out your son and he will die because he broke the mizbayach of the baal and he cut down the asheira tree that was next to it.

Lamed alef: Yoash says to all the people ‘will you fight for the baal?’ will you save him (does he need you to save him)? Surely he (gidon) will be dead by morning if baal is a god. Let him fight for himself because he destroyed the mizbayach.

Lamed beis: They called him Yerubal because he faught with the baal because he broke down his mizbayach.

Midyan comes and he should attack them. He gathers people, gidon blows the shofar and people come to help fight. Gidon asks for a sign that even if the yidden aren’t worthy we’ll still be victorious in war.

Sign #1: Ill put a piece of wool on the floor, and I come back the next morning the wool is wet and the floor is dry

Hashem said you have so many peope you’ll probably think it was your strength and not a miracle
Send home anyone who’s scared or trembling
Scared -- of their sins
Trembling – scared of war
Vayitzpor – it was early morning
22,000 people left early in the morning so they wouldn’t be embarrassed
veterfenu – purify for you – Hashem will say which ones you should take and which ones you should leave
He separates like the silvermith purifies silver
Take them down to the water:
3 options:
1. licks with his tongue from the water like a dog licks
2. kneel on their knees
3. scoop up the water & stand up
make #1 & 2 go
shows strength, endurance, self control
if they kneel shows they served avoda zara
people used to bow to their reflection
out of 10,000 people 300 people remained who didn’t bow down
and they took the food of the people who left and their shofars
the camp of midyan was down in the valley
that night Hashem said to gidon go down to the camp because I’ve given them in your hands. But if you’re afraid to go, go down you and your lad, to the camp (Hashem will give him a sign there). They went down to the end of the armed people
they were like so many locusts, their camels were like the number of grains of sand
he hears one man telling him his dream “a roasted bread of barley turned over the camp” his friend says ‘this must be the sword of gidon, Hashem has given the whole camp to him’

tes vov: shivro – interpretation
gidon says: Hashem has given midyan into YOUR hands – being very humble
divides the men into 3 legions, gave shofars to them, and empty pitchers and torches
shofros: to remember the zechus of matan torah – thunder & lightening
simply – it was night so they needed torches and then they put it in the jugs so the other camps shouldn’t realize that theyre coming,
(barley – zechus of korban omer)
he said watch me and do im going to come to the edge of the camp and do what I do
yud ches: I’ll blow my shofar, and all those that are with me you should also blow your shofars & say ‘for Hashem and for Gidon”
rashi: the sword that kills begins from Hashem and their victory is through gidon
when the guards woke up in the middle of the 2nd watch, they blew the shofars & shattered the jugs
attacked when the guards had just woken up cuz they were still a little drowsy
they held the torches in their left, shofars in right, the midyanim screamed & ran away
the midyanim killed each other
gidon sent messengers to run towards mitzrayim, block them to the water
they captured the 2 officers of midyan
cut off their heads & brought them to gidon

PEREK CHES
the bnei efrayim were very upset at gidon, because he didn’t officially call them to fight – he just called them to chase.
Gidon says what you did is so much greater compared to what I did, I starte it but you got them.
Gidon’s army passed the yarden, they were tired but they still chased.
Kikaros- loaves
The people of sukkos were Jews
Do you already have the zevach and tzalmuna in your hands?
They were scared that if midyan would win, midyan would take revenge on sukkos.
Yud gimmel: the sun had still not set
They asked a boy to write down who the elders of sukkos were

tes vov: and they came to the men of sukkos and he said here are zevach and tzalmuna that you embarrassed me saying is the hand of zevach and tzalmuna now in your hand?
Tes zayin: he took the elders of the year (77 men)
yud zayin: the migdal pnuel he broke, and he killed the men of the city.
Pnuel was punished more harshly because they had no reason not to help – sukkos had a reason that they were scared of midyan taking revenge, but pnuel had protection
Rashi: he killed them because when he starting breaking their tower they fought back
Yud ches: they say to zevach and tzalmuna – (who were CAPTURED) – who did you kill?
Radak: asking what did they look like? They looked like princes (or like gidon)
He says they are my brothers, the sons of my mother! Had you not killed my brothers, I wouldn’t kill you.
Chof: he said to yeser his bechor, go and kill them, and the lad did not draw his sword, because he was scared because he was still a lad.
Zevach and tzalmuna say you get up and harm us, because like man is your strenth
And gidon got up and killed zevach and tzalmuna
They were asking for an easy death
He took beautiful ornaments that were on the neck of the camel
Abarbanel: they didn’t think it was proper that a kid should kill great kings like this, that the kid will take credit for killing 2 kings
The men of yisroel said to gidon, rule over us, because you saved us from the hands of midyan

Senior Pics

2009-05-12T11:55:00.001-07:00

Here are the 3 best ones we took:
If you want me to post another specific pic just write it in the comments & i'll post it ;-)

Tanya Intro for Gemer

2009-05-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

TANYA GEMER INTRODUCTION

Introduction: Tanya is unique – 1) it is the incense which can fight all the ruchnius plagues before Moshiach 2) R’Zusya said with the Tanya the Jewish people will go out to greet moshiach. *When one studies Tanya thoroughly he is considered to have entered the land – ki tavo’u el haaretz’ and he makes the ratzon of the neshama – Ratzon Hashem manifested. The word ratzon is similar to aretz. The ways of serving Hashem taught in the Tanya have the power to turn the klallos said in parshas ki tavo into brochos.

2) Tanya is based on: ki karov elecha hadar me’od b’ficha ubilvavcha lasos.
It is very close to you to sere Hashem, with your mouth & heart to do it.
Ki karov elecha – how is it so close to everyone to desire to do spiritual things? It’s the opposite of our human tendencies!

3) Derech arucha uktzara: develop an ahava sichli through contemplation – takes a long time – it’s the most everlasting.
Derech ktzara v’arucha: uncovering the ahava mesuteres within every Jew because it’s already there. It doesn’t last in all instances – only revealed in times of mesiras nefesh.

4) The ones who wrote the haskamos for Tanya: R’zusya of anipoi, R’ Yehuda Leib Hakohen
R Yehuda Leib Hakohen signs the letter tof kuf nun vov – stands for “Tanya ketores neshama vruach” – Tanya is the incense which awakes the neshama & ruach
R’ Zusya of Anipoli signs the letter “tavo shnas pedisanu” – Tanya will bring about the redemption.
The sons of the Alter Rebbe wrote their haskama for the chelek of Tanya, Iggeres Hakadosh.

5) The Alter Rebbe wanted his book to reach the entire world, since he didn’t have time for to give everyone a yechidus, they could get the advice from learning Tanya.
Complaint: Everyone will understand Tanya different, or they might not understand it. We want Yechidus!
Answer: Tanya is Torah and Torah and Hashem are one. Hashem is within every Jew & therefore Torah is accessible and can be understood by every Jew.

6) 5 parts of Tanya:
1) Likutei Amarim Tanya --53 perakim in likutei amarim – guide to achieve perfection in avodas Hashem through explaining ki karov elecha

2) Iggeres Hakadosh -- 32 perakim – letters the alter rebbe wrote to the communities on topics in chassidus

3) Iggeres Hateshuva – 12 perakim – explains what teshuva is

4) Shaar Hayichud V’Haemunah (the details of this were cut off...)

5) Kuntres Acharon (the details of this were cut off...)

Hayom Yom Gemer

2009-03-24T14:26:00.001-07:00

Everything you need to know...

19 Kislev
The chazan does not wear a tallit for Mincha or Maariv - neither on weekdays, Shabbat and festivals, or Rosh Hashana.
Yahrzeit of the Mezritcher Maggid,8 Tuesday, Parshat Vayeishev 5533 (1772). He is interred in Anipoli.
The Alter Rebbe9 was released from his first imprisonment, Kislev 19, Tuesday, Parshat Vayeishev 5559 (1798) towards evening.
From the Alter Rebbe's letter: This indeed must be made known, that on the day G-d made for us, the 19th of Kislev, Tuesday (the day on which "it was good" was said twice in Torah10) yahrzeit of our holy teacher whose soul is in eden, while I was reading in the book of Tehillim the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace,"11 before beginning the following verse, I emerged in peace by (the act of) the G-d of peace.

* * *
A day of farbrengen and good resolutions towards establishing times to study the revealed Torah12 and Chassidus publicly, and in bolstering the ways of chassidim in true friendship.
It is customary to apportion volumes for the study of the Talmud, according to the procedure set out in Igeret Hakodesh "Hochei'ach Tochi'ach"13. In Lubavitch, since the year 5663 (1902-03) this allocation was made on Tevet 24, yahrzeit of the Alter Rebbe, there not being time on Kislev 19.

24 Kislev
(Continuation of Kislev 23): An explanation of the three verses beginning l'chu n'ran'na, in a manner meaningful to everyone, is as follows: Wednesday, we begin thinking: What will we have for Shabbat? This is a concern in the literal sense and also spiritually, "how can we Shabbos" (i.e. make a real Shabbat)? After all, every person is quite different on Shabbat than on a weekday. So we become a bit despondent. The solution is l'chu n'ran'na ("Come let us sing"), have faith, trust. Comes Thursday, it is now closer to Shabbat and we still have nothing. It doesn't seem to "n'ran'na" so easily and we realize we must do something. So we study Chassidus Thursday night, so that by Friday we sense the depth of "...for the L-rd is a great G-d and a great King1..."; and with this a Jew "can Shabbos."
During Mincha, tachanun is omitted.

26 Kislev
Day of farbrengen. Tal umatar (Siddur, p. 54). Chanuka lights after havdala (p. 234), before v'yitein l'cha (p. 235). In shul, Chanuka candles before havdala.
On Shabbat mevarchim, (when the new month is blessed) (Siddur, p. 191), Chassidim are to assemble in Shul early in the morning to say the entire Tehillim. Afterwards, study for about an hour a maamar Chassidus that everyone can understand, and then daven. The time to farbreng is to be determined according to the circumstances1 in the place they live (for material and spiritual success).
After concluding the Tehillim on Shabbat Mevarchim, say Mourner's Kaddish; if there is a Yahrzeit or mourner - Kaddish after each of the five books of Tehillim.

1 Teves
It is customary that one not davening with a minyan says the opening (p. 241) and closing (p. 245) b'rachot of Hallel even on days when "half Hallel"1 is said. In the concluding paragraph, yehal'lucha (p.245) omit the word "Al." All tefillin2 should be worn (then, later, taken off) before Musaf (p. 245), but the daily Torah lessons are studied after concluding the entire service.

4 Teves
The Rebbes of Chabad would review a parsha1 or two of the weekly sedra on Thursday night. On Friday afternoon they began again from the start and completed the sedra and haftora. Shabbat morning before davening they reviewed from Shevi'i to the end again. When there were two haftorot they said the one of the sedraHaftora: The portion from the Prophets read after the Torah-reading, and relevant to the sedra of the week or to the special occasion of that Shabbat. on Friday and the other (for Rosh Chodesh, machar chodesh, etc.), on Shabbat.
* * *
There are good dreams in which Torah subjects are made known to the person dreaming.2 These generally occur through concentrated devotion to Torah study during the day. When someone studies Torah with great diligence or engages in "service of the heart" - prayer3 - with intense effort, then at night - when his soul ascends4 to draw forth life for itself from the supernal Life, as explained in Zohar5 - it is informed of novellae in Revealed Torah or Inner Torah,6 each person according to his diligence in his avoda during the day.

8 Teves
The Tzemach Tzedek instructed all the tutors of his young grandchildren, that, in addition to regular studies, they should teach the simple meaning of the prayers. Once a month the children came to their grandfather to be tested in this subject.

9 Teves
Our custom in aleinu (Siddur Tehilat Hashem p. 84) is to say "for they bow to vanity and nothingness," and markedly not to say "and pray1..." This wording is followed also in Musaf for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The expectorating is after these words; the reason is that speech stimulates saliva, and we do not wish to benefit from this saliva.

11 Teves
Man's life is dependent on the air around him. Without air he cannot live and the quality of life is dependent on the quality of air. In an atmosphere of Torah and mitzvot there is healthy life. In a G-dless environment life is diseased, and one is constantly threatened with the possibility of being stricken with contagious maladies. The first general step in healing is to purify the atmosphere. Purification of the air is the task of every person familiar with Torah and Torah-literature, and is effected through the letters1 of Torah. When reciting words of Torah while in the store or walking in the street or riding the subway, one cleans the air. Everyone knowledgeable in Torah must have some Torah memorized - Chumash, Tehillim, Mishna, Tanya, etc., so that at all times and in all places he will be able to think and utter the holy letters of Torah.

13 Teves
Where a lantern is placed, those who seek light gather around - for light attracts.1

14 Teves
The Shpola Zeideh ("Grandfather of Shpola"), a disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch, was a man of intense fervor, far more than any of his colleagues - the Maggid's other disciples. When he visited the Alter Rebbe in Liadi in 5569 or 5570 (1809 or 1810) he related that when he was a child of three he saw the Baal Shem Tov. "He placed his holy hand on my heart and ever since I have felt warm."
A gesture of a tzadik, certainly seeing him and hearing his voice, must make an impression never to be forgotten.

18 Teves
The one called for the last aliya (concluding each Book of the Chumash), also says chazak chazak venit'chazeik (as does the congregation).
In saying viyhi noam (p. 116) on Saturday night, repeat the verse orech yamim...; but not at Shacharit (of Shabbat, p. 154).
When the Tzemach Tzedek was a boy and learned the passage, "Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years,"1 his teacher translated according to the Baal Haturim commentary: "Our father Yaakov lived his seventeen best years in Egypt." When he returned home from Cheder he asked his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe: How can it be that our father Yaakov, the elect of the Patriarchs, should have as the best years of his life the seventeen that he lived in Egypt, the land of corruption?2
The Alter Rebbe answered: It is written, "And Yehuda he sent before him to Yosef to give instructions for Goshen."3 The Midrash states, and Rashi quotes this, R. Nechemya said - to establish a house of study so Torah would be there and the tribes would study Torah. "To give instructions4 for Goshen" means (in a deeper sense), when one learns Torah he comes closer5 to The Al-mighty, may He be blessed, so even in Egypt it was true to say vay'chi - he lived.

20 Teves
The Mitteler Rebbe answered someone at yechidus: When two discuss a subject in avoda and they study together, there are two Divine souls1 against one natural soul.

22 Teves
My father proclaimed at a farbrengen: Just as wearing tefillin every day is a Mitzva commanded by the Torah to every individual regardless of his standing in Torah, whether deeply learned or simple, so too is it an absolute duty for every person to spend a half hour every day thinking about the Torah-education of children, and to do everything in his power - and beyond his power - to inspire children to follow the path along which they are being guided.

23 Teves
Groaning by itself won't do a bit of good. A groan is only a key to open the heart and eyes, so as not to sit there with folded arms, but to plan orderly work and activity, each person wherever he can be effective, to campaign for bolstering Torah, spreading Torah and the observance of Mitzvot. One person might do this through his writing, another with his oratory, another with his wealth.

24 Teves
On this day the Alter Rebbe passed away in the village Piena on Saturday night of parshat Sh'mot 5573 (1813). He is interred in the city of Haditz.
My grandfather (R. Shmuel) asked the Tzemach Tzedek: What did Grandfather (the Alter Rebbe) intend with the "ways of Chassidus" and what did he intend with Chassidus?
The Tzemach Tzedek answered: The "ways of Chassidus" are that all Chassidim are to be like one family, with affection, as Torah teaches. Chassidus is vitality. Chassidus is to bring life and illumination into everything, to shed light even on the undesirable - to become aware of one's own evil exactly as it is, in order to correct it.

1 Shevat
The daily recital of Tehillim after davening1 applies equally to Chabad chassidic shuls and to those who follow the Ashkenazic or Polish nusach2 - may G-d be with them.3 On account of ahavat Yisrael, love of our fellow...and especially in view of the importance and inner purpose of saying Tehillim with a minyan, which literally affects all of Israel, materially in "children, life and sustenance," and spiritually ...we must endeavor with every means possible that it become an established practice in every shul of every nusach.

8 Shevat
In these days especially, when by G-d's kindness we stand at the threshold of redemption, we must make every conceivable effort to strengthen every facet of our religion. Mitzvot must be observed b'hidur, with "beauty," beyond minimal requirements. Customs must be kept scrupulously, nothing compromised. It is a Mitzva and duty of every Rabbi in Israel to inform his congregation that the current tribulations and agonies are the "birth-pangs of Mashiach." G-d is demanding that we return to Torah and mitzvot, that we not hinder the imminent coming of our righteous Mashiach.

10 Shevat
When my grandmother, Rebbetzin Rivka, was eighteen (in 5611, 1851) she fell ill and the physician ordered her to eat immediately upon awakening. She, however, did not wish to eat before davening; so she davened very early, then ate breakfast. When her father-in-law, the Tzemach Tzedek, learned of this he said to her: "A Jew must be healthy and strong. The Torah says about mitzvot, 'Live in them,' meaning bring vitality into the mitzvot. To be able to infuse mitzvot with vitality, one must be strong and joyful." Then he concluded: "You should not be without food. Better to eat for the sake of davening rather than to daven for the sake of eating;" he then blessed her with long life. [She was born in 5593 (1833) and passed away on Sh'vat 10, 5674 (1914)].

My father told this teaching of the Tzemach Tzedek to someone at yechidus, adding: "And this must be done with joy."

11 Shevat
The routine of the day begins with saying modeh ani (Siddur Tehilat HaShem p. 6, "I acknowledge before You, living and eternal King etc..."). This is said before the morning laving of the hands, even while the hands are "impure." The reason is that all the impurites in the world do not defile a Jew's "I acknowledge." He might lack one thing or another, but his modeh ani1 remains intact.

13 Shevat
Yahrzeit is observed on the anniversary of the day of death even the first year, and even if the day of burial was much later than the day of death.1
When my grandfather (R. Shmuel) was seven, his father (the Tzemach Tzedek) once answered him: The kindness and special quality in G-d's making man upright,2 to walk erectly, is that though he walks on the earth he sees the Heavens; not so with beasts that go on all fours; they see only the earth.

14 Shevat
Tachanun (p. 103) is not said at Mincha.
Our Holy forebears, the Rebbe'im through the generations, appealed to G-d and evoked Divine compassion toward their Chassidim, those bound to them. This was not all; they also had an avoda of bringing their Chassidim to mind, inwardly, pondering their affection and attachment to the Rebbe, reciprocating that affection and attachment. Bringing someone to mind has the effect of arousing that person's innermost powers. We see that when one looks deeply and intently at another he will turn around and return the glance, because the penetrating gaze awakens the core of the soul. Thought has the same effect.

19 Shevat
The first positive mitzva is, in the words of Rambam,1 "To know that there is a First Being, who caused the existence of all beings...The knowledge of this principle is a positive command, as it is said, I am the Eternal your G-d."
This is a Mitzva relating to mind and intellect.* True, every one of Israel believes in G-d with a simple faith, and his heart is whole with G-d; still it is the duty of the mind and intellect to bring this faith to a level of knowledge and comprehension. This is the meaning of "To know that there is a First Being;" the Mitzva specifies comprehension and intellectual grasp, as written in Torah: "Know the G-d of your father and serve Him with a whole heart"2 and it is also written, "know this day etc."3

21 Shevat
It is the duty of Chassidic wives and daughters (may they live and be well) to stand in the first rank of every activity dedicated to strengthening religion and Judaism in general, particularly concerning taharat hamishpacha.1 They must organize a Society of Chassidic Daughters to reinforce all the chassidic practices concerning upbringing and education of children - as prevalent from time immemorial in chassidic homes.

24 Shevat
"The people saw and moved."1 Simply perceiving G-dhood caused the people to move, a movement showing vitality, life.
* * *
If you only knew - The Tzemach Tzedek said - the power of verses of Tehillim and their effect in the highest Heavens, you would recite them constantly. Know that the chapters of Tehillim shatter all barriers, they ascend higher and still higher with no interference; they prostrate themselves in supplication before the Master of all worlds, and they effect and accomplish with kindness and compassion.

29 Shevat
The Alter Rebbe once said:
Rashi's commentary on Chumash is the "wine of Torah." It opens the heart and uncovers one's essence-love1 and essence-fear (of G-d).
Rashi's commentary on Talmud opens the mind and uncovers the essence-intellect.

30 Shevat
Many Chassidim considered the day they arrived in Lubavitch to be their "birthday." My teacher, R. Shmuel Betzalel, arrived in Lubavitch the first time on Thursday evening parshat Mishpatim 5608 (1848). Every year after that, he stayed awake all that night and took pains to put on his tefillin at the exact time he had entered the Tzemach Tzedek's chamber for yechidus the first time.

3 Adar Alef
The Alter Rebbe said: The mitzva of ahavat yisrael1 extends to anyone born into the people of Israel, even if you have never met him. How much more so does it extend to every member - man or woman of the Jewish community where you live, who belongs to your own community.

8 Adar Alef
In these days especially, when by G-d's kindness we stand at the threshold of redemption, we must make every conceivable effort to strengthen every facet of our religion. Mitzvot must be observed b'hidur, with "beauty," beyond minimal requirements. Customs must be kept scrupulously, nothing compromised. It is a Mitzva and duty of every Rabbi in Israel to inform his congregation that the current tribulations and agonies are the "birth-pangs of Mashiach." G-d is demanding that we return to Torah and mitzvot, that we not hinder the imminent coming of our righteous Mashiach.

11 Adar Alef
The following is well-known and is a tradition, regarding the kavanot (mystical "intentions") in davening: For those intellectually incapable of meditating on those kavanot (either because they lack knowledge, or because they cannot remember the specific kavanot during prayer) it is sufficient that they keep one general kavana in mind: That his prayer be heard by G-d, with all the kavanot described in the Kabala literature.

13 Adar Alef
Tachanun is not said at Mincha.
My father said: I am certain that when a chassid is in the beit hamidrash1 teaching or reciting a maamar of Chassidus to others, my forebears are filled with joy; and their joy is adequate to provide that Chassid, and his children and children's children, with an abundance of blessing, materially and spiritually.

16 Adar Alef
The Alter Rebbe said: The offerings for the Sanctuary included gold, silver and copper, but nothing sparkled except for the mirrors presented by the women.1 From these mirrors were fashioned the washbasin and its base. These were the last of the Sanctuary articles to be made, but were used at the start of every Sanctuary service (for laving by the kohanim) - for their beginning is implanted in their end.2

21 Adar Alef
The term "chassid" is an ancient one that the Sages had even applied to Adam.1 It describes perfection and excellence in intellect or in emotive character-traits, or in both. However, in Chabad Chassidic doctrine the appelation "Chassid" refers to one who recognizes his own essence-character and his standing in the knowledge and study of Torah, as well as his situation in observing mitzvot. He knows what he lacks and he is concerned and takes pains to fill that void. He is diligent in obedience in the manner of "accepting the yoke."

24 Adar Alef
To R. Hillel Paritcher's question whether to review Chassidus even in towns where the people have no conception of Chassidus, the Mitteler Rebbe responded: "The soul hears words of Chassidus." It is written, "Flowing from Lebanon."1 Lebanon is spelled (in Hebrew) l'b nu'n.2 "Lebanon" thus represents chochma and bina of the soul. When the soul3 hears, from there4 issues a "flow", a "stream of droplets" into that "radiance" or ha'ara of the soul which vitalizes the body;5 this results in a strengthening of "do good" expressed in the 248 positive mitzvot, and of "turn from evil" expressed in the 365 prohibitions.

8 Adar Beis
My father writes in one of his letters: A single act is better than a thousand groans. Our G-d lives, and Torah and mitzvot are eternal; quit the groaning and work hard in actual avoda, and G-d will be gracious to you.

9 Adar Beis
In the b'racha Borei nefashot (p. 95), say al kol ma shebarata, "kol" with a cholam, not a kamatz.
The intense longing to be bound closely1 (to a Rebbe) can be satisfied only by learning maamarim of Chassidus which the Rebbe delivers as oral discourses and writes down; simply seeing him2 is not enough.

12 Adar Beis
The Torah portion dealing with altar offerings begins: "A man who offers (yakriv) of you an offering to G-d."1 The logical order of the words should be, "A man of you2 who offers, etc."
The Alter Rebbe answers:3 "A man who offers" - in order that a man become closer4 to G-d - "of you an offering to G-d" - he must bring the offering of himself. He must sacrifice his personal "animal," the desire for evil that is called the animal soul.5

24 Adar Beis
When saying Ana b'choach (p. 22), look at - or picture in thought - the sheimot (Divine Names) formed by the acronyms1 of the words, but do not pronounce them.

7 Nissan
The Alter Rebbe's family name was Baruchovitch.
The Mitteler Rebbe's family name was Schneuri.
The Tzemach Tzedek's family name was Schneersohn.

15 Nissan
At the first seder my father would be brief,1 in order to eat the afikoman before midnight. On the second night, however, he would expound at length; he began the seder before 9 p.m. and ended at about 3 or 4 in the morning, dwelling at length on the explanation of the Haggada.
The Alter Rebbe declared: The matza of the first evening of Pesach is called the Food of Faith; the matza of the second evening is called the Food of Healing. When healing brings faith ("Thank you, G-d, for healing me") then clearly there has been illness. When faith brings healing, there is no illness to start with.

20 Nissan
One Pesach, Reb Chayim Avraham (the Alter Rebbe's son) went to his brother (the Mitteler Rebbe) to wish him gut yom-tov. Reb Chayim Avraham related on that occasion that the Alter Rebbe had said, "On Pesach one does not offer a guest food and drink, but the guest may help himself."

2 Iyar
My grandfather (the Rebbe Maharash) was born on this day in 5593 (1833).

When he was seven years old he was once tested in his studies by his father, the Tzemach Tzedek. My grandfather did so well in the test that his teacher was enormously impressed. Unable to restrain himself he said to the Tzemach Tzedek, "Well, what do you say? Hasn't he done marvelously?" The Tzemach Tzedek responded: "What is there to be surprised about when tiferet-within-tiferet does well?"

3 Iyar
One should not drink water before havdala.
It is possible to utilize for G-d's service, according to Torah, all behavior-traits. This includes those traits that are unwholesome, and even those that are evil, as their names and descriptions indicate. For example, the tzadik Rabbi Meshulam Zusya of Anipoli, of blessed memory, learned a number of methods of serving G-d - from a thief: a) He works quietly without others knowing. b) He is ready to place himself in danger. c) The smallest detail is of great importance to him. d) He labors with great toil. e) Alacrity. f) He is confident and optimistic. g) If he did not succeed the first time, he tries again and again.

8 Iyar
An emissary is one with his sender. This concept is similar to that of an angel acting as a Divine emissary, when he is actually called by G-d's name. If this is so with an angel it is certainly true1 of the soul; in fact with the soul the quality of this oneness is of a higher order, as explained elsewhere.2
Now chassidim are emissaries of the Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe. So if the chassid actively discharges his mission, he is bound up with his Rebbe, bound up in his entire being - there walks a chassid, there eats a chassid, there sleeps a chassid.

13 Iyar
At Mincha, tachanun is said.
The Alter Rebbe once said (during those years that he would say short maamarim): "Know what is above you."1 Know that everything "above" in the supernal sefirot and partzufim (Divine emanations and configurations), all derives "from you"2; it all depends on man's service.3

15 Iyar
In the days of the Alter Rebbe the Chassidim had a familiar saying: "The piece of bread that I have is yours just as it is mine." And they would say the word "yours" first, "...yours just as it is mine."

1 Sivan
"Throw a stick into the air; it will fall back on ikrei, its root-side."1 Our fathers, the holy Rebbes, bequeathed a boundless heritage to the first chassidim, that their sons' children and their daughters' children throughout the generations, in whatever country and environment they may be, will have that "root" - which is the attraction of their "inwardness of heart" to the rock from which they were hewn. At times this element is covered and concealed in a number of garbs. This, then, is the avoda of whoever desires life - to remove these coverings, to establish for himself periods for the study of Chassidus, and to conduct himself in the manner of the Chassidic community.

6 Sivan
The Baal Shem Tov passed away on Wednesday, the first day of Shavuot, 5520 (1760) and is interred in Mezibuz. The Alter Rebbe Commented (on Wednesday, the 20th of Kislev 5559 (1798) in Petersburg): "On the fourth day the luminaries were taken away."

13 Sivan
The Tzemach Tzedek composed many melodies. He studied Torah aloud and with song. It would happen that he would interrupt his studies, or his writing Chassidus or responsa, and sing some melody.
My grandfather related that from the sound of the Tzemach Tzedek's melody he could tell in what subject he was then occupied.

16 Sivan
The early sages, who were like angels1 (may their merit protect us) have already determined that the healing of the soul is like the healing of the body:

The crucial first step is to identify the location of the illness, whether it is caused by the crassness, grossness and corruption of his physical body or by a failing in his soul-powers, the person being inclined to undersirable traits like arrogance or falsehood and the like. Or, the source of the malady may be habit - inadequate rearing or unwholesome environment having brought on bad habits.
Without ascertaining the specific site of the illness and the cause of infection, it is impossible to embark on a cure. One can only prescribe an orderly proper conduct in all matters, what to do and what to avoid. To "do good"2 in terms of observing mitzvot, designating times for Torah-study and acquiring good character traits - and also to "turn away from evil."3
Most urgent of all, however, is that the patient make himself aware of two things: a) to know that he is ill, and desire most fervently to be cured of his malady; b) to know that he can be cured, with hope and absolute trust that, with G-d's help, he will indeed be cured of his sickness.

21 Sivan
The Alter Rebbe explains (in Tanya chapter 3) that the three faculties of intellect, chochma-bina-da'at, and the seven emotive powers, evolve from the ten supernal Sefirot. All this applies to nefesh, ruach, and neshama (three aspects of the soul) which are enclothed within the body of man. However, mesirat nefesh, the readiness for self-sacrifice for G-d (that a Jew neither desires nor is capable of being - G-d forbid - separated from G-dhood1) comes from the Essence of the En Sof (the Infinite One, may He be blessed) which transcends the Sefirot, the first of which is the Sefira of chochma.2

24 Sivan
"You ask how can you be bound (m'kushar)1 to me when I do not know you personally..."

"...The true bond is created by studying Torah. When you study my maamarim, read the sichot2 and associate with those dear to me - the chassidic community and the tmimim3 - in their studies and farbrengens, and you fulfill my request regarding saying Tehillim* and observing Torah-study times - in this is the bond."

3 Tammuz
My grandfather said: A Jewish groan which, G-d forbid, arises from physical misfortune, is also a great teshuva; how much more so then, is a groan arising from spiritual distress a lofty and effective teshuva. The groan pulls him out of the depths of evil and places him on a firm footing in the realm of good.

4 Tammuz
One single chassid or student who devotes his heart, mind and soul to Torah and to bolstering Torah, effects wonders in a large city, in all that city's affairs - in a manner that transcends the natural order, by the merit of our Patriarchs, "Fathers of the World."

7 Tammuz
My father said: In Chassidus the "beginning is wedged into the end and the end is wedged into the beginning."1 This is the state of igulim, "circles," without beginning or end. Nonetheless, order and system are crucial.
The Baal Shem Tov was systematic and orderly. The Maggid, his successor, insisted on order. And my great-grandfather - the Alter Rebbe - taught chassidim to be orderly. We see this in his maamarim, letters and melodies. Chassidim who had set times to come to the Rebbe in Lyozna - and later to Liadi - were not permitted to change this schedule without permission from the Rebbe.2 Any request for a change had to be justified with a reason.
The Rebbe had a special committee headed by his brother, R. Yehuda Leib, charged with overseeing order among chassidim. Another committee, under the Miteler Rebbe, directed the younger chassidim.

12 Tammuz
Birthday of the Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak, in 5640 (1880).
On this day, in 5687 (1927), he received the good tidings that he was freed from the exile imposed upon him after his arrest and imprisonment for his efforts in strengthening Torah and Judaism.
From a letter of the Rebbe (R. Yosef Yitzchak): During the forthcoming two Days of Liberation 12 and 13 Tamuz, Chassidim are to farbreng, for material and spiritual good and blessing, as instituted by our first father, the Alter Rebbe (may the memory of this holy tzadik be a blessing for life in the Hereafter; his soul rests in the hidden exalted heights; may his merit protect us). During this farbrengen chassidim are to talk to one another in a spirit of brotherhood about strengthening fixed times for Torah study. I send them my blessing that G-d favor them in body and spirit.

13 Tammuz
On this day the Rebbe (R. Yosef Yitzchak) was actually freed.
The imprisonment began at 2:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Sivan 15, 5687 (June 15, 1927). He remained in exile - in the town of Kostrama - until one half-hour past mid-day, Wednesday, Tamuz 13, 5687 (July 13, 1927).
From a letter of the Rebbe to mark the Festival of his Liberation: "I send you a maamar ...which is my participation - for their success - with my beloved friends the chassidim wherever they reside, (which is my way of) being united with you in your farbrengen for the purpose of strengthening the practices of Chassidus, in fixing and observing periods for studying Chassidus and to be stimulated to pragmatically implement those studies...
May our G-d and G-d of our Fathers bless the whole community of chassidim - them, their households, their children and grandchildren among all our brothers the people of Israel (G-d grant them eternal life)1 with all good things of soul and of flesh."

19 Tammuz
A practice of my father's: When travelling, even when spending months in one place, he would recite t'filat haderech, the prayer for travellers (p. 86) daily after davening, omitting G-d's name in the conclusion.

25 Tammuz
There are two characteristic expressions in Chassidus:

(a) A Jew recognizes G-dliness and senses the supra-natural. He needs no proofs for these.
(b) A Jew neither wants nor is able to be sundered from G-dliness.1
The truth is that these two expressions are one and the same: A Jew recognizes G-dliness and senses the higher-than-natural, and that is why he neither wants nor can he be torn away from G-dliness.

1 Av
The unique quality of Mashiach is that he will be humble. Though he will be the ultimate in greatness, for he will teach Torah to the Patriarchs and to Moshe Rabeinu (alav hashalom),1 still he will be the ultimate in humility and self-nullification, for he will also teach simple folk.

8 Av
The Six Remembrances1 are recited every day, including Shabbat, festivals, Rosh Hashana, and Yom Kippur.

From my grandfather's aphorisms: What good is Chassidus and piety if the main quality is lacking - ahavat Yisrael, love of another - even to the extent of causing (G-d forbid) anguish to another!

21 Av
Activism on behalf of the ways of Chassidus means that even when a chassid is in the marketplace, deeply involved in his business, he still thinks about what he can do for chassidic concerns and the welfare of chassidim. When he encounters a business acquaintance among the market people he should seek to persuade him to attend the shi'urim (public study sessions) in Chassidus, or to attend a farbrengen.
Activism on behalf of the ways of Chassidus is a personal obligation, regardless whether one is great or limited in knowledge of Chassidus.

23 Av
In the winter of 5652 (1891-2), when my father taught me in Tanya, "The second soul in Israel is actually part of G-d above,"1 he explained that the connotations of the words "above" and "actually" are contradictory. "Above" indicates the most spiritual of spiritual levels, while "actually"2 describes the most material of material things. He explained that this is the unique quality of the "second soul," that though it is the epitome of the spiritual it has an effect upon the most material of materiality.

28 Av
There are two general approaches in healing a bodily illness: a) To heal the particular organ or faculty that is defective, sick or weak; b) to strengthen the healthy organs and faculties so that they may overcome and heal the sick organ or faculty.
The parallel in illnesses of the soul are the two approaches in service of G-d - teshuva and good deeds.

4 Elul
The order of birchot haTorah:1 With the tallit touch the beginning and ending of the reading, kiss the tallit where it touched the Torah, roll up the Torah, turn your face slightly to the right, say the b'racha, open the Torah and read.
__________
In describing the unique qualities of humankind, four terms are used: Adam refers to the quality of mind and intellect; ish to the quality of heart and emotion; enosh, weakness in either intellect or emotion or both; gever, who overcomes inner weakness and removes obstacles and hindrances to the attainment of an intellectual or emotional quality. I.e. gever works upon enosh to elevate him to the plane of ish or adam.
Since it is possible to turn enosh into ish or adam, it is obvious that enosh already possesses2 the qualities found in ish and adam.

15 Elul
The founding of Yeshivat Tomchei T'mimim was on Sunday, Elul 15, 5657 (1897).
The beginning of studies in Talmud and Chassidus was on Wednesday, Elul 18, 5657 (1897).
On Simchat-Torah-eve, 5659 (1898), after hakafot, my father proclaimed: The name of the Yeshiva is Tomchei T'mimim, and the students who study and conduct themselves in its spirit are to be called t'mimim.

17 Elul
The Alter Rebbe himself was the regular Torah-reader. Once he was away from Lyozna on the Shabbat of parsha Tavo, and the Mitteler Rebbe, then not yet Bar Mitzva, heard the Torah-reading from another. His anguish at the curses in the tochacha (section of admonition) caused him so much heartache, that on Yom Kippur1 the Alter Rebbe doubted whether his son would be able to fast.
When they asked the Mitteler Rebbe - "Don't you hear this parsha every year?"2 - he replied, "When father reads, one hears no curses."

3 Tishrei
The Tzemach Tzedek had yechidus with the Alter Rebbe on Monday of Teitzei, 6 Elul 5564 (1804); the Rebbe told him: "On Shabbat Tavo 5528 (1768), my Rebbe (the Maggid of Mezritch) said a "Torah" beginning V'shavta ad Havayeh Elokecha1 He explained that the avoda of teshuva must attain a level at which Havayeh, transcendent Divinity beyond worlds, becomes Elokecha - Elokim being numerically equivalent to hateva (nature), and as we find, "in the beginning Elokim created the heavens and the earth etc."2 All the Holy Society (disciples of the Maggid) were profoundly stirred by this teaching. The tzadik R. Meshulam Zusya of Anipoli said that he could not attain the heights of such a teshuva; he would therefore break down teshuva to its components, for each letter of the word teshuva is the initial of a verse:

T: Tamim - "Be sincere with the Eternal your G-d."3
Sh: Shiviti - "I have set G-d before me always."4
U: V'ahavta - "Love your fellow as yourself."5
V: B'chol - "In all your ways, know Him."6
H: Hatznei'a - "Walk discreetly with your G-d."7
When my father told me this, he concluded: "The word teshuva comprises five (Hebrew) letters, each letter a path and a method in the avoda of teshuva." (He explained each method at length).8 Each moves from a potential state to actuality through the avoda of davening.9

4 Tishrei
A resume of my father's explanation of the first method (of teshuva, see above):
T: Tamim..., "Be sincere with G-d."1 This represents the avoda of teshuva that comes through sincerity. Sincerity, or "wholeness," takes any number of forms and has many levels. In reference to teshuva the highest form is wholeness of heart - called "earnestness"; as Torah says of Avraham, "you found his heart faithful2 before You."

5 Tishrei
A resume of the second method:

Sh: - Shiviti..., "I have set G-d (Havayeh) before me always."1 Havayeh indicates the creation of the universe and creatures. Bringing all of Creation into being and sustaining it is accomplished by bridging an infinite gap - from ayin (non-being, nihilo) to yesh (being). This form of the avoda (service) of teshuva results from one's constant awareness2 of the way in which the universe and all that is in it, is (constantly) brought into being.

6 Tishrei
A resume of the third method:
U - V'ahavta..., "Love your fellow as yourself."1 The Alter Rebbe taught that this love is an instrument, a means to "Love the Eternal your G-d."2 This is explained in the statement, "Whoever is pleasing to man is pleasing to G-d."3 This service of teshuva stems from goodness of heart.

7 Tishrei
A resume of the fifth method:
H - Hatznei'a..., "Walk discreetly with your G-d,"1. One must take care not to be conspicuous or ostentatious in the slightest. It is said "Man should always be artful in piety."2 The artfulness lies in seeing that his piety not be noticed at all. We know that a number of the early chassidim concealed their true selves, and when discovered were sincerely distressed. This is the avoda of teshuva that comes from hatznei'a lechet, being discreet.

8 Tishrei
Kaparot: B'nei adam until ul'shalom (p. 296) is said three times, rotating (the fowl) three times around the head at each reading, a total of nine rotations.
Until the end of Tishrei no tachanun is said. Malkot: The one administering and the one receiving the "flogging" together recite v'hu rachum three times.
On Erev Yom Kippur the avoda is remorse for the past; on Yom Kippur - resolve for the future.

24 Tishrei
A public farbrengen in general, and on Shabbat or motzo'ei Shabbat1 in particular, is one of the foundations in the ways of chassidim and Chassidus. It is an opening and entry-way to the fundamental Mitzva of ahavat Yisrael.
At the great majority of farbrengens, the principle speakers demand of the participants to improve their conduct and practices, to designate times for the study of Chassidus and keep those times diligently, and that their study be directed to learning and fulfillment.
(The general concept and method of reproving another is well explained in the maamar V'im ruach hamosheil (Kuntres 30).2 Every chassid would do well to learn it thoroughly and take it deeply to heart.)
But this reproving at a farbrengen is only for such matters that will not cause any embarrassment whatsoever. This has been the way since the earliest days - one reproved another with love and deep affection.

25 Tishrei
Ten melodies, some only singular stanzas, are attributed to the Alter Rebbe as having been composed by him.
Those attributed to the Mitteler Rebbe were composed in his time and sung in his presence, but he did not compose them. He had a group of musically-gifted young men known as "the Mitteler Rebbe's kapelle," divided into two groups, vocalists (baalei shir) and musicians who played various instruments (baalei zimra).

1 Cheshvan
At Mincha, and on Monday and Thursday of the approaching week (Lech L'cha), the third aliya ("Yisrael") begins with Vayeira Hashem el Avram etc.
The Rebbe my father told someone at yechidus: Ever since G-d told our father Avraham, "Go from your land etc."1 and it is then written "Avram kept travelling southward,"2 we have the beginning of the mystery of birurim. By decree of Divine Providence man goes about his travels to the place where the "sparks" that he must purify await their redemption.
Tzadikim, who have vision, see where their birurim await them and go there deliberately. As for ordinary folk, The Cause of all causes and the Prime Mover3 brings about various reasons and circumstances that bring these people to that place where lies their obligation to perform the avoda of birurim.

7 Cheshvan
Since Torah was given, the correct sequence1 is: First, removal of the orla2 of the body, then of the tongue, then of the heart - deed, speech, then thought.
Our father Avraham, who lived prior to the giving of the Torah, however, first recognized his Creator - thought; then he disseminated G-dliness - speech; and finally circumcision3 - deed.

8 Cheshvan
Mitzva is an idiom of tzavta - "joining," "attachment." Whoever performs a mitzva becomes joined to the Essence of G-d - may He be blessed - Who issues that particular command. This is the meaning of "The reward of a mitzva is the mitzva (itself)":1 His becoming attached to the Essence of the En Sof Who ordained the command, is itself his reward.
The above can be understood through an analogy from the physical world: An extremely simple person has an inner sense of bitul (nullity) before the wisdom and greatness of a scholar - a bitul in which he senses himself to be an utter nonentity. The sage in turn,2 does not sense or perceive the simpleton as belonging at all to the category of human beings! Not that the scholar dismisses or rejects him, G-d forbid, for that would be an evil trait; he simply sees no connection or relationship with him whatsoever.
Now, when the sage instructs the simple man to do something for him, that command brings the simpleton "into being." In his own self-perception he is no longer a nonentity but a "somebody"; he has assumed a status unto himself in that he is able to carry out an order of the sage, and it is him that the sage addressed and instructed. In the eyes of the sage too, the simpleton now "exists"; he is a "somebody" to whom he (the sage) can speak and instruct. What is more, the command actually unites the lofty, exalted sage with the gross simpleton. The analogue is obvious.
It is understood that in the above analogy there is no difference at all what the command is about, whether a great, lofty matter or a simple trivial one.

9 Cheshvan
When my father was four or five years old he went to his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzedek, on Shabbat Vayeira, and began to cry as he asked, "Why did G-d show Himself to our father Avraham - but He does not show Himself to us?" The Tzemach Tzedek answered him: "When a tzadik decides at the age of ninety-nine years that he should be circumcised, he deserves that G-d appear to him."

27 Cheshvan
R. Aizik Homiler related: When I came to Lyozna I met elder chassidim who had been chassidim of the Maggid and of R. Menachem Mendel of Horodok. They used to say:
Have affection for a fellow-Jew and G-d will have affection for you;
do a kindness for a fellow-Jew and G-d will do a kindness for you;
befriend a fellow-Jew and G-d will befriend you.

29 Cheshvan
We cannot adequately describe the great merit of those who participate in the sacred avoda of saying Tehillim with a minyan, and the great pleasure this avoda causes On High, as discussed in sacred texts and in very tiny part in Kuntres Takanat Amirat Tehillim B'rabim (Koveitz Michtavim 1).1
How fortunate are you Israel, and for this may you all be blessed with proper health and with super-abundant livelihood - you, your wives, your sons and your daughters (G-d grant them eternal life.)2 In your merit may all the congregation of Israel in your communities be helped (among all our Jewish brethren) in all they need, materially and spiritually.

3 Kislev
One difference between the ways of the Baal Shem Tov and of the Maggid1 was that the Baal Shem Tov went on all sorts of journeys, while the Maggid stayed home.
Moreover, when the Maggid was Rebbe, Chassidus was already widely known, even in distant places, because of the extensive journeys of the Holy Society.2 Many average laymen had thus become devoted to Chassidus and used to make pilgrimages to Mezritch.

5 Kislev
"A ladder was standing on the ground.1" Prayer is the ladder that connects souls and G-dhood. And although it stands "...on the ground," the start of davening being no more than acknowledgement, yet "its top2 reaches the Heavens"3 - a state of total bitul, self-nullification. But one reaches this level through the prior attainment of comprehension and understanding4 inherent in p'sukei d'zimra,5 in the b'rachot of sh'ma and in sh'ma proper.

Maamer - Kymei Tzeischa

2009-03-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yud Alef Nissan – Kiymei Tzeitscha Me’eretz Mitzrayim Erenu Niflaos
Talking about how geula asida is like geulas mitzrayim

Alef:
Q: Why does it say kYMEI – lashon rabim – didn’t yetzias mitzrayim only happy in one day? When we remember yetzias mitzrayim it always says ‘es yom tzeischa’.
Q2: There’s no comparison between them! The geula will be nitzchi, it’ll be much greater & higher miracles (some say that we won’t even mention yetzias mitzrayim anymore- we need a proof that you do say it) how can we compare them? It’s as if we’re saying the mayla of the geula asida is that its like yetzias mitzrayim!
Q3: It’s worded like yetzias mitzrayim is the source of the miracles of the geula asida – which would seem like geulas mitzrayim has a mayla over the geula haasida. How can that be?

Beis: There are actually 2 peirushim on this:
1. the miracles of the geula asida will be similar to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim
2. the miracles of the geula asida will be great EVEN compared to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim. There WILL be a huge mayla.

Niflaos = nun peleh =
Nun peleh – moshe couldn’t reach the 50th’ shaarei binah – why he was buried in har navo – nun bo

bnei yisroel had to get out of mitzrayim because they were on the 49th level of tumah – Hashem had to ‘grab’ them out – then they had to work up one step at a time – 49 days of sefira
this was through bringing down the 50 gates of binah – we see that yetzias mitzrayim is mentioned 50 times in Torah. In the nun shaarie binah there are different levels – a lower level is how the nun shaarie binah how it’s brought down in malchus.
Higher is the nun shaarie binah in their place – in binah
Even higher is as they are included in the 50th gate – in kesser – in atik
That’s why the miracles of the geula asida will be miraculous even compared to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim – yetzias mitzrayim was the gates of binah as theyre drawn through malchus. In the future it’ll be how they’re found in kesser – in atik – in pnimius atik.
All hamshachos now are just from chitzonius atik – the highest we could get – in the future we’ll get from pnimius atik.
Nevertheless the pasuk compares the miracles of the future to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim – we say that Hashem revealed Himself to them ‘bichvodo uv’atzmo’ – but even that great revelation was through malchus – at the time of moshiach it’ll be revealed without any levush

Gimmel: So back to our question – how do they compare, if the future will come from such a greater level?
Why will we still mention yetzias mitzrayim when moshiach comes? Because that was the first geula and opened the tzinor for geula in the world.
We know that Yetzias Mitzrayim was the hachana for matan torah. They didn’t have complete freedom until matan torah. But when they left mitzrayim they got the strength to get to matan torah.
Similarly, this is with the future geula. Yetzias Mitzrayim gives us power for the geula ha’asida. Matan torah was a part of the giluy of the future – but it was only temporary – the world didn’t retain that revelation. Har Sinai wasn’t kadosh, etc. By moshiach the revelation will not just be from above to below, but it’ll also be from below because creation will be completely purified and will be able to accept the giluy.
Yetzias mitzrayim was the idea of iskafya – they still had the bad and had to run away from it ‘ki barach ha’am’ – but when moshiach comes it’s the idea of ishapcha – we’ll be transformed so we won’t have the bad, finished avodas babirurim. BUT there is a great mayla to iskafya as well.

Daled: it’s in lashon rabim because every day until moshiach comes we are going out of mitzrayim. It says that every day we have to remember yetzias mitzrayim – and live it every day by going out of boundaries every day – especially at the time of krias shema, like the alter rebbe says that krias shema and yetzias mitzrayim are the same idea. And even at maariv, there’s a question why do we mention tzitzis at night if there’s no obligation then? Because that ÷whole paragraph speaks about yetzias mitzrayim, and we have to have that all the time. Every day we out of boundaries on a higher level, and this ÷brings to the future geula which is the true idea of ‘paratzta’ – like we see about moshiach it says ‘alah haporetz lifnayhem’, and that is ben dovid – (and has to fight the wars of Hashem like dovid) and dovid is a descendant peretz (called peretz because peretz was supposed to be born 2nd but he broke through and was born first).

we're not responsible for Hey inside but you should go over the sheet we did

Vov: Even though ishapcha is usually higher than iskafya, there’s still a mayla of iskafya. Like it says in Tanya that iskafya makes a great elevation above.
Mashal: a king who sends out all the treasures to win the war – treasures that are usually guarded and not used.
Nimshal: Hashem gives us great treasures in order to win the war against our yetzer hara – iskafya – and this treasure is given to the simple people in an unlimited way.
Based on this we can understand why we’ll still mention yetzias mitzrayim during geula -
this idea of bringing down the otzer is specifically in order to be victorious in the war – but in the future there will be no war, so therefore we’ll mention yetzias mitzrayim so we also have this mayla of iskafya. Just from mentioning it we’ll bring down great otzros, and then it will be complete giluy.

Zayin: in the future geula we’ll have both maylos – the mayla of iskafya (kiymei tzeischa) and ishapcha (erenu niflaos) – through our avoda in golus in the way of mesiras nefesh in an unlimited way (and specifically during golus & right before moshiach there ARE more challenges) – we even have this huge challenge not to be embarrassed from people that mock you – and yet we still do mitzvos and even the lowest people are filled with mitzvos like a pomegranate. Through these very people who overcome the challenges we’ll leave golus – with this rechush gadol. This adds speed to the achishena in a way that we’ll fly with clouds that right now we should have geula!!!! Since the geula comes THROUGH our avoda during golus and especially the last days of golus, that’s why we’ll have the mayla of iskafya – the whole geula is built on iskafya. We’ll also have the erenu niflaos, even compared to the miracles of yetzias mitzrayim – all the great giluyim happened at the sea – still some concealment because the sea is the idea of concealment. Their giluyim were the idea of iskafya – it was pushed on them from above, the people themselves weren’t transformed and ready – but geula shlaima we will be transformed and ready to accept those giluyim. Yetzias mitzrayim didn’t come from the avoda below, but geula is a RESULT of our avoda.

Halacha Notes

2009-02-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

not allowed to leave uncooked food on an open flame on shabbos – have to make it grufa uktuma – reduced & put sand/dirt over coals = a blech
how much is considered uncooked? (on an open flame)
1/3 cooked – alter rebbe
½ cooked – rambam
mitztanek vayafeh lo – If it will enhance it by being on the stove - beis yosef
Electrical appliances: if it has a dial you have to cover the source of heat and some also say the dial – it helps a person remember not to adjust the flame.
In practice today: try that your food should be fully cooked before shabbos – plus make sure you have a blech
This is for practical reasons: as long as food is not fully cooked, you still have hilchos mevashel – if food won’t be fully cooked you can’t lift the lid and put back on – it enhances the cooking – or if you want to move the pot on blech closer to fire – etc – that will also enhance cooking
Even if food is fully cooked you should still have a blech because one of the conditions to put food back on the fire is that it has to be gerufa uktumah – covered –
If it comes to Friday night and you realize theres no blech and your food isn’t fully cooked you MUST take the food off – its an issur drabanan to leave it on. If it’s close to shabbos and you didn’t make the cholent yet, you’re allowed to start the cooking before shabbos and continue it onto shabbos as long as its gerufa uktuma.
Have to be very careful not to aid the cooking process in any way because it’s not fully cooked.
What if you went somewhere and don’t have a blech?
You can make a temporary one out of a foil pan, a few sheets of tinfoil (one isn’t enough)
What should you do if you don’t have anything to make a blech with? Bshaas hadchak – if you don’t have a choice – you can rely on the opinion that if it’s at least 1/3 cooked you can put it on fire
In order for water to be cooked enough to be on an open flame it has to be yad soledes bo – if an urn doesn’t have a dial it doesn’t need gerufa uktumah

If your urn needs to be gerufa uktuma (it has a dial to switch the mode) and you technically can not make it gerufa uktuma then you have to make sure your water is fully cooked before shabbos.
How cooked is considered cooked when it comes to water?
Yad soledes bo – but better that it’s fully boiled before shabbos
Any cooking appliance that does have a dial – what happens if the dial is at the highest, so there’s no concern you’ll turn it higher?
You still need a blech – it could get turned down by mistake and then be able to turn it up again
Halacha lmayseh: min hatorah you’re allowed to start the melacha before shabbos and let it continue on to shabbos. Chachamim said this doesn’t apply to cooking. But if the fire is covered then you can leave food on it, even if it’s not fully cooked.
In Halacha if the flame is covered, it doesn’t have to be cooked at all.
If the food is fully cooked food you don’t need a blech.
But the chachamim suggest that you should make sure all food is fully cooked before shabbos begins. Also have a blech.
1. if the food is not fully cooked then you always have a concern of mevashel (ex, putting top on to make cook faster, moving closer to the flame) regardless of whether it’s gerufa uktumah
2. even if food is fully cooked you should still have a blech, because it might be cooked enough according to the alter rebbe but not enough according to beis yosef, etc.
3. you could only put a pot back on the fire, even if the food is 100% cooked, if the flame is covered through grufa uktumah.

The concern of nireh kmivashel is that the PERSON themselves will do the wrong thing in the future. In order to be able to return food to the fire, you can only do so with certain conditions:
1. when you removed it, you had kavana that you plan to put it back. Even if you had NO particular kavana you can’t put it back.
What if you took off the wrong pot without kavana? You can put it on – because that wasn’t your kavana – your kavana wasn’t to put the SOUP back on – not to stop cooking the cholent. EVEN if it was put down.
2. the whole time it was off the fire it was held in your hand.
3. if the fire is ketumah – covered.
4. there has to be no concern of bishul – has to be fully cooked and if it’s a lach still nechal machmas chamimuso.
5. If it’s still in the same pot and has stayed in the same pot the whole time.

It has to seem to you as a continuation of what you’re doing, not a new act of bishul. You won’t have the concern of nireh kmivashel if you don’t think you’re starting a new act of bishul.

Situation: a person comes shabbos night and sees that the burner went off under the blech. Can I take it and put it on a different fire? This cooking finished – the fire is out. It’s not a continuation. You can put it down if the other fire is ketuma, or if you have all the other conditions of chazara – because YOU didn’t stop the cooking process, it happened by itself. You only need to have a kavana that you’re going to continue if you are the one stopping the cooking process. (this only applies if the food is fully cooked and has to still be warm)
If you have a gas stove – TURN THE GAS OFF – it’s sakanas nefashos!

Situation: The pot slipped off the blech- there was no kavana – but here’s theres no problem because you didn’t do the act that stopped the cooking process.

Situation: It gets to after licht bentchen and you see that you never turned the fire under the blech in the first place. Can you put the pot on another fire? Not only are you not continuing the act of bishul, there never was in the first place. It’s fine, as long as you went through those motions you can move it to another fire.

Next condition:
There are those who say:
1. the pot must be completely suspended in the air in your hand not resting on anything.
2. you can put it on something but has to be in a way that if you would let go it would drop (ex on the edge of a counter)
3. as long as it’s partially raised/part is suspended in the air
4. you can have the pot all the way on the table as long as you’re holding on to it
if you put it down on a very irregular/temporary place (like a stepstool, windowsill etc) and it’s the type of food that if you wont put it back on the fire it will greatly interfere with your oneg shabbos, there are poskim that say you can put it back on the fire (if it’s your cholent etc)
when you take the pot off the fire, you don’t have to do chazara to the SAME fire, it could be a different fire.

Review
If you’re making a blech on shabbos you have to be careful what kind of material you’re using – if it will turn red from the fire you can’t use that to make grufa uktuma.

Condition #5: The food has to be in the original pot – the food had to stay in that kli rishon at all times.

If you want to ladle hot water from your urn into your cholent that’s omed al ha-eish take a ladle, leave it in the hot water so it becomes kli rishon, and then pour the hot water into the cholent – from kli rishon she’al ha’eish to kli rishon she’al ha’eish
NEVER can you take food that wasn’t on the fire before and put it on the blech – even if those foods are not subject to bishul

Tanya Notes

2009-02-22T11:28:00.000-08:00

PEREK CHOF ALEF
When a person speaks words the words become their own thing, separate from him & his 10 koichos.
But with Hashem it never becomes separate because everything is Hashem! Therefore Hashem’s speech is not like our speech!
Q: If our dibbur is not like Hashem’s dibbur, then why do we use that term at all? What’s the similarity?
A: just like the dibbur of a person reveals something that was concealed in a person, Hashem’s speech reveals his infinite light to create worlds etc. This dibbur is the 10 maamaros that the world was created with – and all of tanach.

we’re in the middle of trying to figure out whether we exist ;-)
gave the mashal of speech – we are Hashem’s words
by Hashem His words are so unified with Him it’s like words that are still in potential in a person, you haven’t even had the emotions enter your brain yet so you can form words. The more emotional a thing is the more you can connect to the idea but the less you can express it in words.
First you know about something, then you desire it, then it goes back up to your brain to figure out how to get it, put it in words, etc.
Even after the words ‘came out’ from Hashem they’re still perfectly united with Him.

Kula kamei Klo chashiv – KLO – LIKE it’s not chashiv – the would still does exist, but it’s so close to noghitn
Hashem never changes – it’s only how it looks to us – because Hashem has to create through seder hishtalshelus, etc – so we won’t be completely batul to Him.
Ilah V’alul – cause & effect
The initial creation is ‘yesh m’ayin’ – so huge, it’s too much for us – Hashem then has to make a tzimtzum, etc.
All the tzimtzumim are to conceal Hashem’s light so it shouldn’t reveal itself in such an intense way that we won’t be able to get it. We see it and of course, it’s separate from Hashem! Of course it came from Hashem, but now it’s separate like dibbur – chas veshalom – that’s how we perceive it but really the world is one with Hashem – ain od milvado.
“even darkness will not ‘blind’ You, Hashem” a tzimtzum and levushim do not change anything in Hashem’s perspective.
A shell is usually separate from the thing – the shell protects the thing – but a turtle is unique, the shell is part of the animal.
even all these garments on Hashem – they’re One with him, part of Him – not only are they not separate from Him, they are Hashem!

If there’s no outside reality other than G-d, then how can we think are reality outside of Hashem?
We shouldn’t really feel our own existence – our ego –
This dibbur of Hashem had to go through so many tzimtzumim

Halacha Notes

2009-02-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

I only started taking notes around halfway through Bishul...so you're on your own for the beginning.

people want to use hot water on shabbos, and there’s a problem with turning on the hot water – because it activates the boiler to heat up the water, also when water comes into tank & is heated that’s bishul. If you turn off the hot water you avoid this problem. But you have to be careful because sometimes hot water can be yad soledes bo because if you wash the dishes in it itll be iroy kli rishon and that’s bishul – especially cups with liquid etc, or crumbs, (yesh bishul achar afiya) etc. It’s a kli rishon shehusar min ha’aish (removed from the fire) – that’s tuldas ha’eish

iruy kli rishon can be mevashel – and therefore it is a melacha min hatorah – lets say you want to warm up water that is freezing – if you’re doing to add a small amount of hot water to a big amount of cold water, it will be cooled off right away past yad soledes bo – so once its not yad soledes bo there’s no koach habishul. (but if there’s ice in it a little different because the hot water has to MIX with the cold water right away, but the ice doesn’t mix with the hot water – the hot water cooks the ice.)

cant do iruy kli rishon on any uncooked food or precooked lach that has completely cooled off. Or on something baked because yesh bishul achar afiya.
There’s one type of food that poskim are machmir and say that even when it’s out of kli rishon (iruy kli rishon) and even when its in kli sheini its considered as kli rishon – gush – a clump. For example – that’s considered kli rishon even if its in kli sheini. Because a solid food retains heat longer than a liquid. But if it’s soup that’s liquid but there’s gush in the soup like a carot or potato, it’s still considered kli sheini – treat it as liquid.
Q: If kli sheini is really kli rishon, is kli shlishi really sheini etc?
A: No – it only applies in the kli sheini. Once it’s in a kli shlishi, all poskim say you can treat it as kli shlishi.

KLI SHEINI
Kli rishon & iruy kli rishon both have the ability to cook all types of food.
Kli sheini does not have the ability to cook all types of food.
Types of foods:
Kshei habishul – it’s harder to cook them – ex: water
Kalei habishul – it’s easier to cook them – ex: eggs

Kli sheini only has the ability to cook kalei habishul. What do you do if you don’t know where to draw the line and you’re not sure which category it is? Since you’re dealing with an issur min hatorah you have to be machmir. You have to always assume its kalei habishul except for a few exceptions that are specifically kshei habishul.
They are:
Water, oil, alter rebbe says the same halacha applies to all liquids (even something not precooked) tavlin = spices,
How do we define spices? Foods that are not eaten as foods added for flavor – alter rebbe includes onion & garlic

dealing with practical situations:
1. can your source of heat cook?
2. is your food subject to bishul?

You can’t dip challah in soup because 1) kli rishon can cook 2) yesh bishul achar afiya
Soup crutons – if soup is kli sheini can only put in if they are fried – deep frying is considered bishul - Ain bishul achar bishul byavesh

most poksim say salt, sugar, cocoa powder is a yavesh – the alter rebbe says any yavesh that will dissolve is to be treated as a lach
yesh bishul achar bishul blach shenitztanen lgamri – and is not eaten machmas chamimuso
be careful not to warm up a yavesh that you’ll warm up to yad soledes bo, and there will be juice that will dissolve, that juice is considered a lach – and yesh bishul achar bishul blav

yavesh shenimoach – a dry thing that will dissolve – and is subject to bishul achar bishul
ain bishul achar bishul byavesh
if a lach is still warm enough to eat it’s not subject to bishul
if a lach is cool – nitztanen lgamri- yesh bishul achar bishul blach

kli sheini rotayach – boiling hot
many poskim say that a kli sheini that is boiling hot, you have to be machmir and treat it as a kli rishon
so even though water is kshei habishul and can be put into a kli sheini – but if the soup/tea is too hot that it’ll burn you and you want to cool it off, you can’t add water to cool it off, because it’s considered a kli rishon.
Can’t add noodles to a soup that’s kli sheini rotayach.
All the poskim agree that when a kli sheini rotayach is poured into a kli shlishi, it’s a kli shlishi (whether it can burn your tongue or not)

this is why it’s always preferable that if you’re serving a hot liquid on shabbos to make sure it’s

the safest place to leave the ladle is in the soup – if the moisture on it is cold then its bishul achar bishul to put it back it

IRUY KLI SHEINI
iruy kli sheini can cook a type of food that only need a minimal amount of heat to complete their preparation.
Dag malei’ach – fish that was cooked
used to be that salt was the only preservative – and in order to get rid of the salt they would douse it in hot water
Raw eggs – can’t pour iruy kli sheini on them

KLI SHLISHI
In general kli shlishi has no koach habishul. “Instant” anything shouldn’t be put into a kli shlishi.

Warming a baby bottle – usually make with hot water – have to avoil bishul and losh
Iruy kli rishon is exactly the same as kli rishon in regards to which foods can be cooked – so can’t do it on formula
Can’t add it to kli sheini because we don’t know if it’s kalei habishul
You can do iruy kli sheini on formula

What about warming up a bottle that’s already made?
Can’t do iruy kli rishon into the cold bottle – the most you could do is iruy kli sheini into the bottle
Putting kli sheini into a bowl – but its rotayach – and put the bottle in the bowl – you can even though it’s rotayach, you’re just warming, not cooking
You’re not allowed to do iruy kli rishon onto the bottle in a bowl, because iruy kli rishon is only mevashel kdei klipa – and the klipa is plastic, not food

not allowed to leave uncooked food on an open flame on shabbos – have to make it grufa uktuma – reduced & put sand/dirt over coals = a blech
how much is considered uncooked? (on an open flame)
1/3 cooked – alter rebbe
½ cooked – rambam
mitztanek vayipaleh – If it will enhance it by being on the stove - beis yosef
Electrical appliances: if it has a dial you have to cover the source of heat and some also say the dial – it helps a person remember not to adjust the flame.
In practice today: try that your food should be fully cooked before shabbos – plus make sure you have a blech
This is for practical reasons: as long as food is not fully cooked, you still have hilchos mevashel – if food won’t be fully cooked you can’t lift the lid and put back on – it enhances the cooking – or if you want to move the pot on blech closer to fire – etc – that will also enhance cooking
Even if food is fully cooked you should still have a blech because one of the conditions to put food back on the fire is that it has to be gerufa uktumah – covered –
If it comes to Friday night and you realize theres no blech and your food isn’t fully cooked you MUST take the food off – its an issur drabanan to leave it on. If it’s close to shabbos and you didn’t make the cholent yet, you’re allowed to start the cooking before shabbos and continue it onto shabbos as long as its gerufa uktuma.
Have to be very careful not to aid the cooking process in any way because it’s not fully cooked.
What if you went somewhere and don’t have a blech?
You can make a temporary one out of a foil pan, a few sheets of tinfoil (one isn’t enough)
What should you do if you don’t have anything to make a blech with? Bshaas hadchak – if you don’t have a choice – you can rely on the opinion that if it’s at least 1/3 cooked you can put it on fire
In order for water to be cooked enough to be on an open flame it has to be yad soledes bo – if an urn doesn’t have a dial it doesn’t need gerufa uktumah

Maamer - Parshas Bo Tof Shin Lamed

2009-02-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

Yud shevat hagadol – finished the moshiach sefer torah – began simchas torah tof shin beis – actually began writing on beis iyyar
Didn’t let the sefer torah be completed – 27 years later the rebbe announced that it will be finished. Tried to make it closest to 20 year yartzeit – yud shevat tof shin lamed.
Moshe rabbeinu finished his sefer torah on erev shabbos – we will also leave our golus with our nassi to greet moshiach. For the first time a sefer torah in 770 had a crown. Said a maamer & a 2nd sicha that the moshiach sefer torah is ready and now we have to get ready for moshiach.

L’havin inyan ksivas sefer torah
Alef: Every person has the obligation to write a sefer torah. A king has a mitzvah to write an extra sefer torah. The first one to write a sefer torah was moshe – and there’s the extension of moshe in every generation. Moshe finished his sefer torah on erev shabbos. The tzemach tzeddek explains it according to the alter rebbe.
Motza’eihem (the starting point) lmasayhem – …according to Hashem…
Maaseyhem lmotzaeyhem.

Beis: Why masaim in lashon rabim? There’s only 1 leaving from mitzrayim – once they went to ramses & sukah they were out –
why were the journeys ploural?
The entire trip was really one trip – they just made stops along the way. Until they got to eretz yisroel they were still in mitzrayim.
Moshe wrote: motzayhem lmasayhem
Hashem wrote: masayhem lmotzayhem
How do you travel to your starting point?
Every person is in ‘mitzrayim’ because our neshama comes down into a guf and is limited.
The place you’re going to back to is much higher than where you come from. It has to be that way because that’s the whole point of why we come down here – it would be pointless if there’s no aliya.
All OUR ‘travels’ lead us back to where we came from – our source.
The intro to this is moshe, the raaya mehemna, writing it down
Writing is the inyan of drawing down – motzayhem lmasayhem – draws down the koach of our source to help us in our journeys down here

instead of yetziasam instead of motza’ayhem
yetziasam is something that comes out with force – motza’ayhem is that it comes out automatically, there’s no change in the source – like the sun just radiates rays
from this great level this hamshacha is brought down to this world
‘vayipach b’apav nishmas chayim’ blowing comes from your inside – your pnimius -
writing also includes signing – means taking responsibility for something
‘vkasav lah sefer’ – man has to write a get – that means that he signed
and signed also includes sealing – it’s everlasting
then we can go on our travels and reach where we come from
Gimmel: the 7th tikkun (midda) in the 13 middos of the beard – is the tikkun b’emes
all the tikkunim of yud gimmel middos harachamim come from way above seder hishtalshelus – that’s why they can fix any mistake you make – teshuva. Theyre connected to the idea of the hair of the beard – the hairs nourishment comes from from your brain, but the way the life force is brought down through the skull. That’s a tremendous tzimtzum for the mind – you don’t even feel pain when you cut your hair – the deadest part of your body.
Emes is represented on the cheeks – it’s connected to the brain but there’s no hair. The chochma of a person shines on the face – this is the idea of emes. In the 7th midda the light is brought down not in a way of tzimtzum.
“chochmas adam tair panav”
like rab avohu – walking & came to the students of reb yochanan & they said look at him, he must have found a treasure. And they said no he found something new in torah – was expressed on his face.
Rebbi yehuda – the queen asked him if he was drinking because is face was shining – wasn’t drinking, had just learned a chiddush
Daled: there is no ruchniusdike level that can create gashmius – gashmius comes directly from ain sof – ruchnius comes down through levels.
That’s the difference between what's brought down the the hair and through the face. Your hair continues to receive chayus – it actually grows. But you don’t see any intelligence in the hair – or even what kind of chayus it gets.
That’s why the 7th one is called “v’emes” because the inyan of emes is that it does not change. Not only does it not change – it’s not hidden. Even when it’s brought down (things usually change by bringing them down).
Emes comes from the level of “Ani Havaya lo shanisi” – Hashem doesn’t change. Whatever is the highest falls the lowest. The fact that we – gashmius - feel ourselves as our own existence is because we come from the YESH ha’amiti – Hashem.
The middah of emes will be brought down to this low world because it’s from such a high source. When we talk about different ruchnius levels that were created from other ruchnius levels, we can’t say this is completely lo shanisi.
But the essence of Hashem wasn’t caused by anything or created by anything – it just is – and that’s where you have the idea of lo shanisi. The only real existence is Yesh Ha’amiti.
The rebbe maharash explained this idea in the maamer mi kamocha.
Hashem is the only existence that wasn’t created – which means the only thing that never changed - because to be created is a change. The middah of emes comes from that unchanging level of ani Hashem lo shinisi. This world is real – we know this because it says breishis bara elokim – if it wasn’t real we wouldn’t be able to do mitzvos – but we’re not emes, because nothing here is nitzchi. Even though its not necessarily apparent to us, it’s obvious how everything is Hashem and He’s constantly keeping the world going. Gashmiusdike things are never really independent – always need Hashem to keep holding them together – ruchniusdike things don’t need that as much. So down here you see the truth of ain on milvado – that nothing can exist without Hashem – because gashmius CAN NOT exist without Hashem – were ruchnius things are more of an existence of their own (NOT that they could exist on their own though) can look like there are other strong

Hey:
The true existence of the yesh hanivra – created thing – is yesh ha’amiti – Hashem – this is talking about neshamos in this world. You can only have the idea of yesh down here in this world – above there is no yesh, everything is batul. As opposed to goyim – they are not true existences – whole purpose is to be there to make the world a better place for yiddin to live in. So if he doesn’t do one of sheva mitzvos he’s chayav misa – because he isn’t fulfilling his purpose.
Even though every single thing that exists comes from Hashem – that’s the basis of our belief (rambam) – but we are A PART of Hashem. When you touch the corner of the essence, you touch the whole thing – we have the essence of Hashem inside us. This is why a yid doesn’t want and can not be separate from G-dliness- because that’s who he is!
Most existences come from something – but Hashem, His existence comes from Himself – and we are a part of that – not created from any cause etc.

Vov:
That’s why moshe wrote down ‘es motzayhem lmasayhem’ and then they can travel to reach their source. Moshe rabbeinu brought down their source – the atzmus of Hashem – down here into our travels – and through this we can have the aliya of the neshama. The neshama comes down here and is put in a body with a nefesh hativis – it needs to have this midda of nitzachon (victory – but also the midda of nitzchi)
This nitzachon will bring down the otzer ha’elyon – revealing the atzmus of Hashem. We do this through the nassi.
(Moshe rabbeinu is called Ish Elokim – part of us and part of Hashem (we also have a part of Hashem inside us the same way, but we have it so covered up – the nassi can reveal this in us)
Through a person’s avoda there’s also an elevation above – da ma lmayla mimcha – know what’s above you – means that everything above depends on you & your avoda!
“make yourself two silver trumpets” – this was told to moshe rabbeinu – trumpets – chatzatzros – chatzei tzuros – halves of a picture – moshe should put the 2 parts of the picture together – the part that’s the avoda of a person, and the part that’s ‘Hashem’s avoda’
through a person’s avoda down here it makes the picture ‘complete’ above

Zayin: Bringing down the midda of emes through the 13 middos harachamim (are above seder hishtalshelus), and then through the 10 sefiros of atzilus, and all of seder hishtalshelus, down to this lowest world – this is accomplished through torah. “Ain emes elah torah”
Torah is compared to fire which can’t be mekabel tumah. Torah can come into this world in every place and NOT CHANGE at all – it stays the same as it is above.
The idea of emes as explained in yerushalmi on the ‘signature of Hashem’ – emes is alef, mem, sof – Hashem is beginning, middle, end. Through Torah which is true we bring down this great light of Hashem that’s emes to this low world.
Ches: This is the idea of saying that moshe wrote – which refers to the whole idea of torah – Moshe accepted the Torah, and Torah became a real part of him – “zichru toras moshe avdi”
The middah of emes is brought down from yud gimmel middos harachamim – from the ratzon ha’elyon – down here in a way of writing of ink on paper
And the miracle is that it doesn’t lose any of it – normally when you write something you lose part of it – Torah stays the same because it’s emes – limiting it into 22 letters!
There are 2 inyonim in signing: 1. Says that this thing won’t change (ani havaya lo shanisi – this idea is also inside every Jew – since we’re a part of Hashem we’re also going to be around forever)
2. It’s a representation of me, but it’s not me – your name has no comparison to the essence of a person – sealing with wax – it’s a separate thing that’s being added– this represents the worlds briah, yetzira, asiya – they’re a representation of Hashem but not Hashem. Signing brings down this level of ani havaya lo shanisi even into these low worlds through moshe rabbeinu, the raya mehemna singing it.
Motzayhem – draws down our source of ani havaya lo shanisi (aspect 1- won’t change)
Masayhem – draws down into these lower worlds that are ‘separate’ (aspect 2 – signature represents but isn’t essence)
Tes: “what does Hashem ask of you? All He asks is to fear Him.”
Gemara asks: how is yira a simple thing?
Answer: this was said to moshe, and for moshe it’s easy
Every person has a part of Moshe in them, and for that part yira isn’t hard.
(chazal say don’t say mah – say me’ah – 100% yirah – there are also 100 letters in this pasuk)
even though in the torah it says that moshe wrote the sefer torah, since we all have a part of moshe in us, it’s relevant to all of us as well
every jew has this capability to bring down this aspect of the emes of Hashem, in a way that it affects us – even in a way that it affects them
vayichtov: bring it all the way down in a way of writing – on parchment that’s made out of an animal, and the ink is made from tzomayach & domem – and from all this comes a complete sefer torah
chasima: forever, unchanging

Moshe goel rishon, goel acharon – Shiloh which refers to Moshiach – has the same gematria as moshe – when you add the letters echad to Shiloh you get the gematria of moshiach (and when you add echad to moshe). When the alef – alufo shel olam – is brought down into the ches – 7 heavens + 1 world, and the daled – 4 corners of the world. When you add the revelation of Hashem to Shiloh you get the revelation of moshiach.
Just like the idea of moshe is the idea of writing a torah, this is also the idea of moshiach.
Kol ymei chayacha – lhavi liymos hamoshiach (talking about shema)
About writing a sefer torah it says the king should read it ‘kol ymei chayav’ – must be a connectin between the two
Moshiach is called Melech Hamoshiach – he will read from the sefer torah all the days of his life and also the days of moshiach

Yud: Practically, we finished the sefer torah that the frierdiker rebbe referred to as the torah of moshiach. Very soon we’ll be zoche to the coming of Moshiach, and then we’ll have the revelation of toraso shel moshiach. Even though this was also given to Moshe at Matan Torah because Matan Torah will never happen again, but at the time of Matan Torah it was hidden, and in the future will be the revelation of torah chadasha – those who taste it merit life – tasting the Torah of Moshiach – we’re at 6 ½ millenniums (erev shabbos after chatzos) all the preparation of all the previous rebbeim – when everyone completes his avoda we should have the revelation of Moshiach now!

Bayis Yehudi Notes

2009-01-22T17:39:00.000-08:00

Here are the notes I have - it's missing from the beginning I think.

Ches:
Conditions when it’s not yichud:
1. the door is OPEN to reshus harabim (even if this person is immoral or his business involves women).
• 3 conditions cancel this rule:
1. No passers by – more than 5 minutes no people pass by
• 2. Late at night – when people aren’t in the streets anymore
• 3. Someone you’re friendly with

2. If the door is closed, but not locked, but it’s normal for people to walk in without knocking.

3. Shomer – another person that will cause that it won’t be yichud
sister, daughter, mother, or grandmother of the man
father, son, grandfather, or brother of the woman – her mother in law, sister in law, step daughter
a girl ages 5-9 or boy age 9-13
some people say you need more than one at night

4. If the husband or wife is in the same down
because of the fear of the spouse
if husband is like 45 minute drive away, doesn’t count as same city
can come back quickly
if husband gave permission for her to be alone with him, then it’s assur – because there’s no fear of the husband
assur if she’s friendly with him – even if husband is in city

5. If husband is in city, but the man’s business is with women, not allowed – only way she can is if his wife is in the same apartment.

Yichud with more than one person
Some say that 1 woman can be together with 2 men, as long as them men aren’t prust = someone that doesn’t keep a halacha of arayos (shomer negia etc)
In a place where people don’t go buy needs to be 3 men & they all have to be ksheirim.

7. 3 women can be together with 2 men

DOCTOR
You can only be with a doctor if there’s one of the conditions mentioned before. Secretary there etc, door open, people can come in, wife has the key.

If the clinic is in the doctors house, if the wife if the doctor is at home – then the patient can be locked in with the doctor even it’s locked with a key.

If the doctor comes to the woman’s house – if her husband is out of town – or if her kids don’t have the key – you can’t be in locked room with the doctor.

GOING IN A CAR:
A car that has windows and there’s people passing by, there’s no problem with yichud. This also applies at night when the streets are light.
Going from city to city – highway – or on place – a car has to pass by at least once every 5 minutes
In the case where its dark & no cars
1 lady can go with 2 men – like in a taxi –

if a place where no people pass by etc:
on a bus & left with the driver – she has to get off but if it’s more dangerous

If the Shomer is sleeping but if theres a husband & wife it’s ok if they’re sleeping.

Women 3 and more are allowed with 1 man
Shiur yichud is 2 minutes – can’t be together more than 2 minutes

With tinted windows you have to open the windows

Shomer Negia
Assur min hatorah – before she’s married she’s considered nidda.
Starts with boys from 9 and girls from 3.

All the people we’re not allowed to marry – brother
Can’t hug or kiss – only mother, father & grandparents can you hug or kiss

PROFESSIONS
All professions that have to do with medicine – even if alternative medicine (chiropractor, massage therapist, reflexology etc) – totally allowed

Professions that have to do with beauty: makeup, haircut, manicure,
Not allowed

Lifeguard or gym instructor – a jewish man lifeguard for women is not allowed
If he’s not jewish some say it’s allowed, some say it’s not
Chabad goes according to that it’s not allowed
The same thing with a gym instructor etc

Da Ma Shetoshuv - role of women

2009-01-21T17:37:00.001-08:00

here's notes on ONLY the first topic:

Women’s Rights
Sometimes people see such an extreme they think they go to the other extreme – equal rights for women
The results were the exact opposite of what they wanted – that’s the movement that created the biggest feelings of women being put down – tell them you’re not allowed to live according to your unique qualities & characteristics – you have to fight that to imitate something else

True equal rights means that a person can reach their true shleimus

Torah says a halacha that a man can’t wear women’s clothing, and that a women’s not allowed to wear a man’s clothing.

Every person has their unique shlichus and purpose in the world – and they reach their shleimus through that.

Women have the most important role, that there should be a continuation of yiddishkeit – the next generation. It’s not only an obligation, it’s a shlichus.

True – eishes chayil talks about women doing business. But it’s done in a tznius way, and never at the risk of her job of raising children.

Feminism came from imitating what men do – not understanding what women are naturally good at.

A girl cannot become an akeres habayis overnight. When a girl is being educated she has to be taught and be aware of her mission in life.

What about parnassa? Hashem gives parnassa and He will give enough for all the children He will bless her with.

There are people who are concerned about the fact that a woman can’t get an aliya to the torah. Yes, an aliya gives you a great aliya b’ruchnius – but that’s not the type of aliya for a woman. If it’s against Hashem’s will there can’t be any ruchnius aliya. She can say amen and think about the concept of an aliya and that’ll be her aliya

The way to be a keili for Hashem’s brochos and achieve shleimus is when you use your nature and talents you were given.
Someach b’chelko – not only in material things, in your portion Hashem gave you.

Perek Mem Zayin - in the tune

2008-12-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

Tanya Notes

2008-12-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

Here's the notes I have...a bit incomplete...

PEREK YUD CHES
We’re in a marriage with Hashem – how can we have this relationship if we don’t have an emotional connection?
It is close to you – to do all the mitzvos. It’s so close to you, you’ll want to do it, from the depth of your heart.
Until perek yud ches the rebbe covered the long short way – learn learn understand it all. But what about a person that doesn’t have that ability? Not smart enough or emotional?
3 things you need: 1) Brain to think & meditate 2) there has to be knowledge 3) be able to bring it down so it affects your emotions
Perek Yud Ches comes and says you don’t need your brain – and it’s me’od – VERY close! You have an innate love, you just have to tap into it.
How is this ahava mesuteres/tiviis different from an ahava sichlis?
(story: guard took oath to stand through anything in front of the palace, and feet froze. Was being whipped ‘if you would have been excited about that oath you took it would have warmed you up so you wouldn’t freeze!)
A. where does the love come from?
B. what defines it?
C. how did we get it as a yerusha?
D. you also have to have fear

flow of Tanya
ki karov elecha – it’s close to you. You have 2 nefashos – there’s a love & fear for Hashem in both – you can start to love Hashem by really really learning about Him
But what happens if someone isn’t so bright? How can the pasuk say ki karov elecha hadavar MEOD?

Is belief higher than understanding?
Our brain understands that we don’t have to understand everything.

Until now we were talking about an intellectual love. Now we’re going to tap into the ahava misuteres. What’s the difference between these 2 loves?
Shlomo says to his lover: “my sister my life” – this seems like a contradiction.

Wife = manmade love – complicated – divorce, hate each other – passion – because it’s manmade it could end, more intense BECAUSE it’s manmade
= AHAVA SICHLIS

Sister = natural love – calm love, nothing will tear them apart, deep down it’s always there, it’s deep = AHAVA MISUTERES
You just have to know you have it! Example: people don’t know they’re siblings – there’s no feeling – then find out they’re siblings – there’s feeling there, it can develop to love

love passed down from our avos – the truth of truth –
again – 4 questions:

A. where does the love come from?
B. what defines it?
C. how did we get it as a yerusha? How is it possible?**
D. Where does Yira fit into this?

**if you inherit something from a person, it’s the same but expressed differently. If father is an angry person- you may be angry too but doesn’t mean you hate the same person.

The avos were chariots – chariot has no identity of its own – goes wherever the horse takes it - “vyaal elokim ME’AL avraham’ Hashem left from on top of avraham – US we are our identity and we give in to G-d – but that’s who they were, no choices in it. Therefore, they had the ability to draw down nefesh, ruach, neshama to every single one of their children.

Nefesh – living soul – what gives life to your body, most gashmius

They didn’t put the love in us – they put the nefesh ruach neshama & us and that triggers the love.

Yira question- with method #1 I’ve worked on creating ahava so I’ve also created yira. But here, we’re saying we already have the ahava – so where does the yira fit into it? Do we have to cultivate it, we’re born with it, etc?
In husband and wife – can’t just want to be passionate – have obligations to each other.

* * * *
Merkova – just like someone doesn’t have to tell/motivate you to wake up & breathe – the avos, their very makeup was that they serve Hashem
(question about free choice – they molded themselves so that Hashem became their whole existence)

Answer C: They don’t give us the love. They give us a nefesh, ruach, neshama that intrinsically has this love.
Our sould comes from the 10 sefiros of holiness from the 4 worlds – given to each of us based on our level and our actions – even the simplest people.
Chesed - kindness
Gevura – judgement
Teferes – unity, harmony
Netzach – endurance, conviction, perseverance
Hod – humility
Yisod – bonding
Malchus – leadership
Malchus expresses it to the next level – bring it to action - speech (like it is in seder hishtalshelus)
Idea goes through this process

When Hashem has the idea to create a world it goes through this process also – everyone’s neshama comes from a different level in seder hishtalshelus

Based on our FUTURE ACTIONS – if later we change, we can change the level of our neshama. When a soul is conceived, it could be from the lowest, lowest, level – nefesh, dnefesh, dmalchus, dasiya – but even so, the highest level is also found in the lowest

everything comes from the chochma
“KULAM bchochma asisa”
“Hashem b’chochma yisod aretz” – aretz = malchus – goes from chochma to malchus – chochma impacts the very bottom – just like your brain impacts the way your toes move

sometimes the sinners of Israel draw down very high neshamos because these neshamos were found in the depth of klipa

why are we so crazy about chochma?chochma is the source for any intellectual thought or understanding
seichel = the idea
Havana = understanding it

chochma = koach ma

life all boils down to relationships – 2 identities coming together.
What is a perfect relationship?
Working together for a common goal –
You don’t understand something because your brain is a person and doesn’t want to have that relationship.
Chochma comes into play – it pushes the YOU away – that was the impedement – chochma is bittul – then you can understand – then something else can come in. But then it has to register it in your brain – that’s binah.
YOU didn’t get – the concept got YOU!
3 differences between chochma & bina:
1. chochma sounds clear & nice but you don’t really understand it – binah you understand it
2. you’ll always forget chochma – once you think about it & understand it then you remember it.
3. chochma is less words – bina is more words.

Why doesn’t or ain sof enclothe itself in chessed first? Because it’s already an identity – binah’s already an identity – chochma is the ultimate of the lack of identity – that’s why or ain sof goes there.

A fool’s not smart, so he believes everything. So if you understand anything, it can be much much harder to believe. But everyone’s like a fool relative to Hashem – NO ONE can understand Hashem.
Even though I’m like a b’haima – I don’t understand anything – ani tamid imach
The VERY FACT that you don’t understand is where faith is expressed.

What’s the difference between someone who’s moser nefesh and some other martyr who kills himself for his faith?
Mesiras nefesh is emunah above chochma, the other is emunah below chochma
If you try to explain to them how they shouldn’t kill themselves they don’t want to hear because they’re scared it will lower their faith – it’s an intellectual decision they make based on what they know/think – calculate the reward they’ll get its, all about YOU – its even below chochma (because chochma is where you don’t exist)
Mesiras nefesh is you’re not there – no intellectual decision – Hashem dominates you
If you have a secular muslim he won’t blow himself up if someone tells him to – you can have a yid that had nothing to do with yiddishkeit and he’ll be moser nefesh all kiddush Hashem
That’s why even ignorant people can have ahava mesuteres – even if they can’t contemplate it – because it’s NOT about understanding (binah) – it’s about chochma where you don’t exist
The fact that I’m like a bahaima – that’s why I’m with you all the time
The ahava mesuteres illuminates the WHOLE person – it’s rooted in chochma but it spreads to bina, daas, even middos. Starts in chochma because it transcends daas – above understanding.

PEREK YUD TES
We have to explain like it says ner Hashem nishmas adam. Jewish people are called adam ‘atem kriyum adam’ and not the goyim. Their neshama is like the flame of a candle that constantly, naturally, strives to go upwards. The flame naturally wants to leave the wick, it wants to cleave to the universal element of fire. Once it goes up and leaves the wick it doesn’t exist. That’s the nature of a flame. Nature is something that can’t be understood, that’s just the way it is.
Why a mashal of fire?
we try to find the most refined example of gashius
so too our neshama wants to depart and leave our body, and if not for the body it would cleave to.

Ner Hashem nishmas adam – Hashem’s candle is our neshama – what does Hashem want to see? He looks into our life with the candle of our neshama.

We’re constantly searching for the meaning of life – using the candle of our neshama.

1st 3 months: sheep, bull, twins
3 types of marriages – one marriage to each type
marriage of sheep – 1 dominating person & the other persons like a sheep
bull – 2 bulls
chose twins – they look exactly alike, but when you look in the other person you see yourself
all the 4 elements you can contain – fire you can’t, its always trying to break away from it’s existence – it consumes whatever’s containing it
fire is the only thing that’s close to non – existence – it doesn’t want to exist – doesn’t scream out ‘ I exist ‘
the definition of teva is that we don’t understand why
the nefesh is being feuled by the ohr ain sof in chochma – chochma = I don’t exist

goyim come from klipa – that’s why they do things for themselves – have a YESH – I want
poshei yisroel – this nitzutz is in golus – trapped by the nefesh habahamis
Whys it called mesuteres? It’s hidden – most of the time not revealed because in golus
Why isn’t chochma powerful enough to free the ahava?
The chochma itself isn’t chained up
It’s usually asleep – when in a sitch of mesiras nefesh then it’s awakened
What controls us? A ruach shtus
2 forms of ruach shtus:
1 – we know who we are, we know it’s wrong – just insanity
2 – it distorts – convince yourself its not wrong etc

what's the diff between golus & shina
1- golus – you take that energy/quality and use it for klipa
2- that energy/quality is not being used

SUMMARY
up till perek yud tes the person was struggling to feel a love for Hashem. Comes with a new method – don’t have to be smart, it’s automatically there. It’ll come up at certain times. Concealed and natural. Every person is born with it. In the neshama there’s chochma shebinefesh – koach mah – it’s not existent – you finally get the chochma when you put yourself aside. Just lik a flame – always strives up towards non existence. That’s the level of mesiras nefesh, rooted in the chochma shebinefesh. Since it’s natural that means it’s unexplainable. Ruach shtus can always be dominating us, and then it comes to do or die and everyone will give up life for Hashem. The chochma can be asleep or in golus.

Sicha Level 3 - Vayetzei

2008-12-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

tzon is from the shoresh of yetzia – you go out & try to elevate the world
and this avoda brings forth the emeseh bittul of a yid to Hashem (not necessarily when he’s learning torah)
yaakov had 2 stages in life:
1 – learning in yeshivas shem v’ever – involved in torah
2 – im lavan garti – totally absorbed in his job, taryag mitzvos shamarti, 12 shevatim conceived there – charan – the place where Hashem’s wrath is – that’s the bittul of tzon
he walked away with tzon – a new level of bittul he never had before
vayifratzu bimod meod – broke out of the boundaries of yeshiva & went into the world – then you have bimod me’od

(MISSING PART IN THE MIDDLE)

vov: tzon has to have a little ben, and ben has to have a little tzon. You can’t be a nothing – have to have some identity. But can’t be all identity – have to recognize asher nasan lanu.
Has to be middas ha’azus – strength. Not to be embarrassed from those that mock you, and to have gibbur over his yetzer hara.
You are so strong BECAUSE of your bittul,
If the gevura comes because of your yeshus – you can lose – yeshus is the opposite of kedusha – this turns into a bad personality that doesn’t let you serve Hashem properly
When your identity comes from from Torah (bittul)
This is why the tur brings the baal hamaamer: r’ yehuda ben tayma
Hints to the hora’ah we get from it
Yehuda = hodaah – bittul & gratitude
It’s not enough to just start with bittul and then become an identity, you have to have “ben tayma” – to be said. Constantly being said, expressed, during the ego and personality – you see that behind it there’s bittul – it’s not about himself, it’s about torah telling him to.

Zayin: it wasn’t enough for him to just deal with tzon. Has avadim, shfachos, gamalim – bigger things with more of an existence.
2 points:
1. although he dealt with these bigger animals, he acquired them through tzon
2. even after he had the other things, he kept the tzon and that was is main thing – bittul is always the main thing, even when you have to have ego

ches: now we understand why it says all these things before the tzon – it all comes from tzon but you’re not just bittul – you have an existence. First show the strength & boldness he has – shor, chamor etc. on the outside you look like that, but on the inside it’s all coming from bittul.

Tes: the horaah: you have to spend time in yeshiva, but also go out and conquer the world – especially at this time right before moshiach. In the era of the Talmud the main thing was learning – people were really torasu umnaso. Now in our generations in golus – have to go out into the world – it’s saving neshamos.

He doesn’t care where or how, wherever Hashem takes him he goes out and tries to save neshamos. You’re on the aibishter’s shlichus – doesn’t matter the age, who they are – every jew is Hashem child (doesn’t matter if they’re spotted, (tzon), or not) Yaakov took care of all the tzon.

This will prepare all yidden for moshiach – where no jew will be left behind.

Sicha Level 3 - Chayei Sara

2008-12-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

3 people got their answer right when they finished davening: moshe, shlomo, eliezer
moshe: davened to Hashem by korach that the earth should swallow them up
shlomo: fire came down
seems to say that its based on their personality, these are great people –they all share a common thread
Q: Where does eliezer come in? And he even surpassed them & got it while he was still finishing davening.
Q: If it’s a personality thing, these are the ONLY 3 people that were answered right away?
Q: If it has to do with what they were davening FOR, then what was so special about what they were davening for?

Beis: What does it mean to be answered just as you finish davening?
Rambam: a baal teshuva may surpass a tzaddik because he’s so intense he cries out and right away he answers.
“Hateshuva mikareves es harichokim” yesterday this person was far & disgusted – now he;s loved and close to Hashem – but why does
Why does the rambam separate the being close to Hashem and being answered right away into 2 separate halachos?
To show that there are 2 levels in teshuva:
1. you become close with Hashem
2. you become ONE with Hashem with dveikus – therefore your requests are answered right away
When you take something from someone and it takes time – you know you’re not one with that thing. It doesn’t take time to move your food.
time and space are dependant on each other.

daled:
maybe it’s dependant on the type of thing they were asking for.
Shlomo: asked for shechina to rest in bhmk
Moshe: asking to get rid of Korach
Eliezer: marriage of Yitzchak

these are the 3 types of unity in the world:
the bhmk – the ultimate of Oneness in the world
korach – ki Hashem shilchani

THE BHMK – the very first time there was an expression of something physical – defined by time & space – this had an expression of G-dliness
Makom screamed out bilti makom!

Korach – when is a person united the most with Hashem? During nevua – not saying his own words. They become one with Hashem to the point of what they see, think & speak is Hashem. This is expressed through Moshe Rabbeinu – ki Hashem shilchani – I’m not here on my own – You sent me. Moshe asked for it & the earth opened up. What does it show us? That Moshe was One with Hashem.

Tefila of Eliezer: sometimes the servants of avos had greater speech than their sons
Chassidus explains:
Who are the banim of the avos? Me, you… - this was matan torah
Who are avdei ha’avos – eliezer etc
Matan Torah was the ultimate expression of the unit of elyon & tachton.
Before matan torah elyonim & tachtonim couldn’t mix.
Unified it with something that transcends our world – elokus
Matan torah happened because of the 2000 years before it – but everything that happens after matan torah also is affected by what happened before it
The very first time there was an idea of elyonim & tachtonim was the marriage of Yitzchak & rivka.
Yitzchak avinu was the very first child who had a bris at 8 days old – past all of avraham’s tests – akeidas Yitzchak – olah temima – never left EYH
Rivkah came from the exact opposite – outside of eretz yisroel – her family
‘vahuya lbasar echad’ – that job was entrusted to eliezer
When avraham & sara got mitzvah he didn’t have the bris yet so he wasn’t an olah temima – they lived in charan in a state of impurinty
Mayseh avos siman lbanim – the sign & nesinas koach of this is that it gives the power & strength for matan torah

zayin: shlomo & moshe were answered when they finished davening
eliezer was answered while he was still davening
shlomo & moshe – a person being unified with Hashem – still 2 separate things – 3 stages – before nevua, during nevua, and after nevua
Same with BHMK – there can be a time when we can’t see giluy elokus in the bhmk
But torah is even more unified – can never be changed – from the beginning its one and it will always be one – torah is the ultimate of oneness – oraysa vkudsha brich hu kula chad – totally one with Hashem
It has a higher quality than the bhmk & nevua – they were 2 things that were made One
Torah was always one – therefore elizer was answered even before he finished asking

Ches: on the pasuk – vayihi hu terem kilah ldaber – unifying the world with gdliness
Rebbe rashab says 2 types of unifying the world with gdliness
Hasholaich imarto aretz: the hamshacha that comes down through seder hishtalshelus, level by level, until it gets down.
Mhaira yarutz divaro: its so fast – comes right down to the bottom
What's the difference between them? It depends where its coming from – if its from a level that has a shaychus to seder hishtalshelus, it goes down through seder hishtalshelus
If it’s an above & beyond level it can just jump over the whole process
Their davening was so great that it reached the above & beyond level & therefore they were answered right away
Elizers asking for Yitzchak – who’s shoresh is in gevurah – the gevurah ‘expedites it’ – comes even faster – while he’s still davening
When we get something down here from the level of seder hishtalshelus its like when you unite 2 things. But when or ain sof comes down – what's higher than seder hishtalshelus – it’s only always Oneness – the world is completely one with Hashem

Sicha Level 3 - Lech Lecha

2008-12-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Alef: Avraham got the reward of the 10 generations before him to show the erech apayim of Hashm.
Whos reward did avraham get? They were BAD, whys he being rewarding for them?
Ten generations till noach and they were killed in mei hamabul. But noach didn’t get their reward.
Meforshim answer that every person has their own chelek in gan eded before he comes to this world. If he gets a chelek in gehennim, then when someone who’s worthy comes along gets his spot.
But then why didn’t Noach get the first ten generations schar? Noach was a tzaddik in his generation, so he should have gotten everyone else’s schar.
Beis: Some meforshim say that noach didn’t do ‘kiruv’ and avraham went out to the other yidden, so that’s why he got all their reward.
So if noach didn’t get the reward then were did those cheleks in gan eden go?
You can’t say that no one got it, because it says that adam & chava were put in gan eded “l’avda u’lshamra’. Then chet etz hadaas happened, they were thrown out, and gan eden became the schar. Gan eden is a place where a person gets his ultimate place. So you can’t say that no one got the place.
We have to say that from the beginning those generations didn’t have any schar to start with.

What is the chiddush that the mishna’s trying to tell us that Hashem is erech apayim? We know this already – Hashem has his compassion & he doesn’t pour out his wrath we know that it refers to tzaddikim & reshaim. But KAMAH erech apayim – but the question is how long? He is erech apayim for even ten generations!
Q: What do we meen EVEN ten generations?
Q: What’s special about TEN?

Daled:
First we have to explain another concept – the order of the mishnayos is exact. What’s the connection between the 10 generations from adam to noach to the previous mishna that 10 maamoros the world was created? It’s not that it’s in chronological order b/c then it says about the things created on erev shabbos
Why 10 utterances – he could have done 1? To punish the reshaim that destroy the world, and to reward the tzaddikim who are mikayem the world
Now apply it to the next mishna.
From adam to noach – reshaim
noach came and was mikayem the world – make a kiyum to all those 10 generations before him –

Hey:
What's the difference between the 2 sets of 10 that one gets destroyed & 1 avraham gets their reward?
When they came & conquered a town some things had to be left & couldn’t be touched & some could be taken back with them.
Apply this to our war with bad in the world. There’s 2 types of bad. Certain things that can only be elevated by staying way from them – and actually BREAKING them, and certain things can be elevated.
The concept of the para aduma was of something totally evil – to be mechaper on someone that sinned. You consume it completely – not like you eat some if it. It’s takana is completely destroying it. Then you’re left with the ashes – the koach hamisava – basically the essence – and you can take that and use it to purify something.

Vov: Certain things can be transformed & elevated by using them for good. The first 10 generations couldn’t be elevated & had to be destroyed. But from Noach to Avraham the source was klipas noga. Avraham realized that there was a spark of goodness in them, and he came & changed the world and got all their schar.

Zayin: 10 is shleimus – that’s why a minyan is 10. Everything in kedusha is mirrored in the opposite of kedusha. There are 10 sefiros dklipa – the ultimate of klipa. That’s why Hashem waits 10 generations b/c it represents 10 bechinos – gives us the opportunity to walk away before it’s COMPLETE bad.

A person is an olam katan. In the world there were 10 generations then 10 generations. A person could be up to 10 days of not good involvement
“v’hisbarech blvavo laimor shalom yehiyeh li ki brshirirus libi elech”
Don’t say well I did it till now and nothing happened. Hashem is waiting for your teshuva - you never know when the “mei hamabul” will hit. But instead of just getting rid of the bad you did, you have to make up for all the good you missed doing.
“Get up and change the world”. There will never be a hey cheshvan tof shin samach tes again. You have to busy yourself with the lessen of the 2nd 10 generations, how can you retroactively elevate those 10 days that you were sunk into evil?

Sicha Level 3 - Rosh Hashana

2008-12-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

Alef: Chana – through davening at Shiloh – she had shmuel.
Need to learn a lesson from the haftorah. The reason we read this on Rosh Hashanah – because on RH she conceived – her avoda – her davening – is what gave her the child. So lesson = tefilla. (sheloh says she not only conceived on RH but also davenen on RH)

Beis: first delve into her davening
-1st eili thought she was drunk because ‘medaberes al liba’ different than customary davening – lips moving – ‘how long will you be drunk’? She said ‘NO’ – I’m pouring out my heart.

Gimmel:
How can we say eili thought she was drunk?

If Eili made a mistake, how is the torah bringing out Eili’s mistake?

Why did Eili wait for her to finish davening & not stop in the middle?

She was ‘drunk on prayer’ – stayed longer than usual, it’s not respectful to go on and on in front of a king – supposed to be straight to the point
I’ll pour my heart out before Hashem –

This is the connection to tefillas chana & rosh Hashanah. This conversation between Eili and Chana about how one should daven in a house of Hashem

ki chok lyisroel hu, mishpak l’elokei yaakov –
chok – gashmius things “lechel chuki”
elokai yaakov – how much elokus is going to come unto my life

the whole idea of rosh Hashanah is kabbalas hamalchus
BITUL – so how can you ask for your own needs when you don’t exist?

Tikkunei zohar – someone that comes on rosh hashana and asks for his own needs & health & forgiveness etc is like a dog that just asks ‘give me, give me’

but it was put in the nusach of the siddur – you have to really want it

On Rosh Hashana it’s very nice to just be batul and nothing – but maybe youre needs for a month later are realistic needs. The challenge is to be able to take the excitement of Rosh Hashanah back with you into everyday life.

Hey: Seemingly it’s a question of every day of the year. Shemona esrei is k’omed lifnei hamelech – when you stand before a king you don’t show any existence – but we have 12 middle brochos that are asking for all MY needs.

But there’s a difference between Rosh Hashana & the whole year – all year Hashem is like a king that runs a country – but there’s still some existence & needs – you’re not standing in the King’s chamber

Before you crown the king you want to have a high high level of bittul – to show the King that he should become king. So Rosh Hashanah is a much more extreme example. So how can this be a day for us to ask for all our personal needs??

Vov: The explanation:
It’s really one thing: By the fact that you’re existing it’s not that you’re asking for your own needs – it’s a continuation of crowning Hashem – we crown Hashem as king, who rules over the whole world – the ultimate of ‘molo kol ha’olem bichvodecha’ is a yid asking for gashmius things to serve Hashem. Every person has a spark of kedusha in him – wherever you’re put means that you have sparks to elevate there. So we’re asking for gashmius so we can use it to make a dira for Hashem – the ultimate expression of Hashem’s kingship.

When you’re asking Hashem for something – it’s not for YOU – you are batul and it’s for the king.
You need the money for birur hanitzitzos – birur hanitzuztos is your etzem haneshama – It’s not YOU – etzem haneshama means you don’t exist!

Zayin: The machzor is not written for the elite – it’s written for everyone. It sounds like a nice answer – but when we ask for gashmius, truthfully, is it totally for HASHEM?
The objective of davening is the outcome: your goal isn’t to daven for a person to get better, what you want is the person to be healed!
If you want to say wipe out all gashmius, don’t ask for money, and all I’ll think about it Hashem, that’s easier
“bringing the luminary close to the sparks” – Rosh Hashanah – we come close to Hashem
You really want to ask for your needs, and you really want Hashem to fulfill his request, but at the same time – how can he not be there?

Ches: “Ri’evim gam tzmeim nafsham bahem tisataf”
The Best explanation: the hunger and the thirst that your body has to a food or drink is because your nefesh wants to elevate the sparks in it – tisataf- to enwrap in it
The same applies here – if you want something – even if you don’t think you want it for Hashem – your desire for it might stem from something spiritual that your neshama needs that for Avodas Hashem, to elevate sparks, etc
During davenening we get so much more emotional & touched about who will live, who will die, etc much more than ‘Hashem melech, Hashem yimloch, etc”
The fact that you got inspired by the part about material things, that’s because you’re a soul in a body and you have to have a healthy body

Tes: Now we can understand why we say this haftorah on Rosh Hashanah. Eili’s saying ‘this is LIFNEI Hashem’ – only spiritual things here – how can you ask for your own requests, for a child? It’s not about you! You’re going even longer and longer asking for yourself, you’re intoxicated in your own ego
“Bakshu panei lifnei Hashem” – ‘eshpoch es NAFSHI’ – it’s only my PENIMIUS crying in front of Hashem – my neshama wants a child to serve Hashem.
Now we understand why right away at the beginning she promised that if she had a child he’ll just be for Hashem – it’s not for her, it’s for Hashem.

Yud:
The Horaah: its not enough to just have your penimius, you have to express it – you’ll ask for all these things and the “eili” inside you will say what are you doing asking for all this for yourself? You have to tell him, yes at that moment YOU want it – but your neshama wants it. Just like Chana answered Eili so he agreed with her and gave her a brocha & promise – Hashem should give us all the brochos in abundance.

Sicha Level 3 - Teitzei

2008-12-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Alef: There’s a mitzvah to make a fence around the roof of your house – bayis = heichal - the BHMK
Q: the jewish law states that a shul/beis medrash are expempt from putting a fence on their roof – it says gagecha – your roof – to exclude shuls & beis medrash. So why is the mikdash obligated in this mitzvah?

Beis: The rogitchover {gave the Rebbe sicha} answers: right when you inaugurate the building you have to put the fence up. Before you enter & use it. By a BHMK before it was build it wasn’t mekudash yet – “bonin b’chol v’achar kach makdishin”. When the BHKK was being built it wasn’t holy yet.
This answer needs a lot of explanation:
1) A shul/beis medrash isn’t exempt because it was holy – it’s just because it says gageCHA – its not YOURS. Everyone paid for the BHMK, so that should apply there also. Even if it was build in a mundance level, that’s not what we’re talking about here.
• We can say that the rogitchover said this because of what the Rambam said that the reason why a shul doesn’t need a fence is that it has to do with the fact that it’s not a home. With the BHMK, when it was built it was chol, so it could have been used as a home.
Not a good answer – 1)the whole point is that you’re building it to be the future site of the BHMK! Technically, maybe not, but that’s what it is, don’t pretend it could be a home.
2) If someone wants to buy a home and turn it into a shul, and there’s already a fence on the roof, you can tear down the fence, because now it’s a shul. So even if you want to say that it was build b’chol, it’s not relevant.

Gimmel: Rashi explains that everyone has rights to a shul, that’s why this is different from the halacha that if 2 partners build a home they do have to make a fence. Because it doesn’t matter how many people own, someone could still fall off! So why can’t someone fall off a shul?? With a shul someone across the ocean has the same right to the shul – so who does the blame fall on?

The pasuk gives a reason: ki yipol hanofel mimenu – doesn’t matter how many people own it, we’re worried that someone will fall off it.
Q: So why is a shul different from any other place? A person can fall of it also!
True, but we’re talking practically – this has to be the Jewish courts – who will be blamed?
Pertaining to other laws we do find people of the city being responsible for the shul, but that’s not a contradiction because in regards to makeh it’s only a question of a) ‘makom ladur’ – is it a place you could live? No. b) it belongs to every jew in the world, not to one person. These 2 things exempt anyone from being liable.
They got the money for the mishkan from the shevatim – we helped pay for it! We also gave money and gifts to building it. So aren’t we all partners?
But that’s not what it says in the gemara about it – everyone donated money and then their individual identity ceased to exist – there was just a communal total.
But the individuality is still there – Moshe Rabbeinu asked that the chelek of Korach (korban) should not be accepted by Hashem – everyone paid communally.
So then there must must have been an individual aspect also. So they DID have to build a fence on the roof because everyone was individual partners. They are owners.

SUMMARY:
A shul has NO ownership – everyone owns it & is welcome
The BHMK DOES have ownership – everyone that gave money to it is an owner – every single yid – like the concept of partners that build a house

One final question: The obligation to put a guardrail is only for a home – because you’re dependant on it – need to live there.
Is the BHMK a home?
The main idea of a home is eating – like the din by sukkah is that you have to LIVE in eat = the main mitzvah is eating. The set place to eat the bbq after the sacrifice is the BHMK. But you’re supposed to eat it in the azara, not the heichal! If there were a circumstance that you can’t eat it in the azara, then you’re supposed to go in the heichal.
But what about a shul? The truth is, you’re not allowed to eat in a shul.
(A talmid chacham can eat in shul if it’s an emergency situation – but that’s just a one time allowance, it doesn’t define the shul as a dira – but by the bhmk it’s a MITZVAH to eat that meat – it’s not just allowed, you’re obligated if you have to do it in the heichal).

Vov: PNIMIUS HA’INYONIM
The difference between a shul & a bhmk.
What’s a maakeh in our lives?
Gagecha – is your gayva – you have to limit your gayva. Put a guardrail around one.
So why does the BHMK need one?
You might think ego only has to do with when you’re out doing your business & gashmius – but IN the BHMK – in the depth of holiness – you still have to watch out for gayva
“talmid chacham has to have one 8th of an 8th” – he has to have some personality – you might think that it’s okay to have an ego if it’s for kedusha. So comes the parsha and says that even the kodesh hakedoshim needs a fence – as high as you may seem, you always have to have bittul.
“a keili that’s completed btahara, to bring it into the BHMK you have to dip it in the mikvah” – if you feel like you’re the perfect vessel, you STILL have to cleanse it first.
Mikvah = bittul bkodesh. When you immerse yourself in water you don’t exist.

Zayin: You have to make sure to put up a fence around ego ESPECIALLY when you’re dealing with another person – involved in shlichus. To build a new home = to build another person’s life, you already have your home, go help someone else build their home for Hashem.
Shouldn’t think well I have an ego, but at least I’m doing good things – but that’s a problem too – because you can harm the other person.
If you show beauty & clarity & simplicity – words from the heart – without your ego, then the other person will accept it properly. But if you give them words full of your ego, it’s not only an impediment, but it can push the person away.
“Ki yipol HANOFEL mimenu” – he was destined to fall,
someone can say ‘he’s a ‘faller’ – he’s already a hopeless case, no matter what I say he’ll disagree, etc. ‘ if he was a normal person, he’d accept what I’m saying even with my ego”
Doesn’t matter – the obligation is on YOU – it’s his problem what happens after that, you have to do your part. You shouldn’t be the one that this person’s fall had to come through.

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