Rachel Leavitt, Politics Daily: Laughter, Self-Discovery, and a Transatlantic, Nine-Hour Haredi Wedding
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Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Yisro, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week. “Remember the Shabbos day to keep it holy. Six days shall you
labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Shabbos unto Hashem your G-d,
in it you shall not do any manner of work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter,
nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger
that is within your gates. For during six days Hashem made heaven and earth, the
sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. It is for this that
Hashem blessed the Shabbos day and hallowed it.”[1]
Rashi explains: “‘And do all your work’—When Shabbos
arrives, it shall be in your eyes as though all of your work is done, so that
you do not remain preoccupied with labor.”[2]
Shabbos and the Torah of
the Future
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught that in the future, “on the
day that is entirely Shabbos,” the Torah of Atikah Sesima’ah will be
revealed.[3] As the verse says: "אָז תִּתְעַנַּג עַל הוי"ה"—“Then [in the
ultimate future] you will delight in [literally ‘upon’] Hashem-HaVaYaH.”[4] We
will delight upon HaVaYaH, which is the level of Atikah Sesima’ah.[5] This is
the main delight of Shabbos [and this verse is part of the extended kiddush of
the morning meal].
Reb Nosson of Breslov explains that the main element
of the sanctity of Shabbos derives from the Torah of Atikah Sesima’ah that will
be revealed and shine forth in the ultimate future. Although the Torah will
never be dispensed with, G-d forbid, and one should never think that the Torah
that we have now will ever be replaced, nevertheless the purpose of the arrival
of Moshiach is to reveal a “new Torah”—to help us fulfill the Torah completely.
Even now we can see that although Hashem commanded us to “be holy”—to sanctify
ourselves to an added degree within the limits of that which is permitted to
us[6]—nevertheless it is hard for us to find and follow a path that will lead us
to fulfill this commandment completely. Similarly, we find ourselves falling
short of fulfilling all of the Torah’s mitzvos perfectly, in all of their
detail, without ulterior motives. And even though Hashem planted tzaddikim in
every generation who provide us with guidance and instruction, still we feel far
from genuine avodah because the Soton exerts efforts to upend all the best
advice and intentions.
However, when Moshiach arrives he will be known
as Pele Yo’etz—“wondrous advisor”—[because his advice will achieve its purpose
fully].[7] Then we will see the fruition of the promise: “Behold, days are
coming, says Hashem, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Yisrael
and with the house of Yehudah. It is not according to the covenant that I made
with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of
the land of Egypt, for they broke My covenant, although I was a master over
them, says Hashem.”[8] This means that true guidance will be revealed that
cannot be “broken” by the sitra achra so that the Jewish people will be able to
fulfill the Torah’s commandments completely, and then they will attain an
everlasting redemption. This level corresponds with the holiness of the Shabbos,
because Shabbos comprises the letters תשוב:"וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ"—“And
you will repent/return to Hashem, your G-d.”[9] As Rebbe Nachman expressed it,
through observing the Shabbos, one draws the light of Moshiach and of repentance
upon himself.[10]
[1] Shemos 20:7-10
[2] Mechiltah
[3] Likutei
Moharan I:49
[4] Yeshayah 58:14
[5] Zohar I:219
[6] Vayikra 19:2 and
Rashi there.
[7] Yeshayah 9:5
[8] Yirmiyah 31:30-31
[9] Devarim 30:2
[10] Sefer HaMiddos
CLICK HERE to Get Toras Chochom on Yisro.
CLICK HERE to get Toras Chochom on Yisro in English.
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Links to the audio & video of Reb Yerachmiel's shiur is below.
Below is the link to the newest Video/Audio shiur by Reb Yerachmiel on Berchas “Modim” in Shemoneh Esrei.
In this shiur Reb Yerachmiel discusses the words “L’Dor Vador” through “Ha’Misurim Be’Yadecha”, which provide a framework for reviewing a number of important yesodos of Yiddishkeit, but perhaps but none more important than the realization that: “Hashem- we love You more than life itself!”
As usual, this shiur is entertaining, deep and very le’maaseh for enhancing your davening and daily outlook on life!
CLICK HERE to get the wav file of the shiur by either left clicking to listen now or right clicking and selecting "Save Target As" to download.
Torah Anytime Video Link
I know I've used this video before, but this is a great nigun, and I love this video of these Israeli soldiers singing "Hakadosh Baruch Hu, anachnu ohavim otcha!," "Hashem we love you!." Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.
I appologize in advance, but I had to pass on this e-mail I got just for the horrible fun of it:
What to do on a plane if the passenger next to you is irritating:Picture courtesy of UKGuardian. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.
Remove your lap top from its bag.
Open the laptop slowly and carefully.
Turn on.
Ensure the passenger next to you is watching.
Turn on the Internet ( I know that it is not according to airline rules but do it anyway).
Close your eyes for a brief moment, open them again, turn your gaze upwards to the skies as if in prayer.
Take a deep breath and open this site.
Observe the facial expression of your neighboring passenger !! >:-}
We were preparing for the Shabbos Bar Mitzvah Kiddush of our son. We had just moved back into our newly renovated home that week. There was a lot of work to do on that shortest Friday of the year. We had ordered a large Yerushalmi Kugel for the Kiddush from a caterer whom we had used on previous occasions for similar orders.
At 1:15, amidst all the preparations, I suddenly realized that the kugel had not yet arrived. All the businesses were usually closed by now. I called the store. The owners had gone home, and the cleaner gave me the home number. I called them at home. They said they really wondered why we hadn’t come to pick it up. They even waited an extra fifteen minutes for us. It seems that they forgot that they had always delivered in the past..
The Bar Mitzvah was a beautiful celebration. We had soda and pastries.
The moral of the story:
A Bar Mitzvah is not a kugel.
Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas B'shalach, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week. As we approach the “Rosh Hashanah of the Tree,” we must return to the avodah of uniting the Divine Names HaVaYaH and ADNI, for their combined numerical value is equal to that of אילן or “tree.” [26 + 65 = 91] It is upon this “tree” that all of the fruits through which Eretz Yisrael is praised grow, and the last of them is the date which alludes to the Shechinah that is hidden within the lowest level of the world of Beriyah and needs to be uplifted. Amalek sought to uproot the tree, meaning they sought to interrupt our ability to make this yichud. They were willing to leave us to study Torah as long as we abandoned the true purpose of Torah study, which is to connect to the Creator. Amalek’s object is to “darken the face of the Torah,” but the tzaddik continues his seeking after Hashem’s presence without interruption, so that Hashem should rule alone over all of His creation in a revealed way, immediately. The tzaddik devotes himself to rescuing the Torah from her imprisonment by revealing its secrets and light to the world as a whole. Even though every form of self-sacrifice is very precious to Hashem, the highest form of mesirus nefesh is that which is on behalf of the Torah itself, that all of its parts and secrets should be revealed. The great self-sacrifice of Nachshon ben Aminadav for the sake of the Torah is precious, but it only can happen by virtue of the self-sacrifice of Moshe Rabbeinu who devoted himself to the Torah’s secrets, who “split the sea of wisdom.”
Self-sacrifice for the sake of the Torah’s secrets does not mean, as some might believe, for “Kabbalah.” Rather, it means absolute devotion to the simple meaning of the Torah as well, each person in accordance with the root of his own soul, to the aspect of the Torah that is “hidden” from him because he has not yet penetrated it. Each concept that is still a secret for a person is called “the Torah’s secrets,” because no one has ever really sacrificed himself to the utmost extent for the Torah, in accordance with her worth. As the Baal Shem Tov taught, “‘Hashem’s Torah is pure’—she is still pure and whole, no one has yet so much as touched her.”[1]
This is a reflection of the teaching of the Zohar, that one must break through the besulim and the hidden aspect of the Torah. The Torah anxiously awaits the tzaddik who will come and break through the barriers so that her light can be revealed throughout all the world. This is why the exile goes on; because the Torah is hidden among the klippos, but to the degree to which each person works to release her from her exile, so too will he merit to see the light of Hashem that rests upon the head of each and every tzaddik. Then he too will be able to devote himself completely to the Torah as well, so that the barrier between Atzilus and Beriyah will be split and Hashem’s glory will be revealed everywhere.
The Bones of Yosef
A person must never say that since he manages to devote part of his time to Torah study he is doing enough. This kind of complacent attitude is not characteristic of the person described in the verse, “Those who diligently pursue Me [who darken themselves with effort and who wake early to study] will find Me.”[2] [The root word שחר indicates all of these things.] A person must “darken himself” for the sake of the Torah and dedicate himself body and soul above all reasoning and understanding.
We can see the difference between the former attitude and the latter manner of the tzaddik when we examine what happened when the Jewish people left Egypt. The Jewish people busied themselves gathering up the wealth of Egypt—gold and silver represent the emotive attributes of fear and love of G-d—but Moshe Rabbeinu was only preoccupied with gathering the bones of Yosef to bring them out of Egypt. The bones of Yosef represent the essence and ultimate truth of Divine service [עצמות = עצם], which is unifying Hashem’s Name and revealing His glory throughout the world. Moshe Rabbeinu was like the simple baal habayis who spends all day at work and grabs whatever time he can at night to learn so that he can have some connection with the holy Torah beyond all reasoning and understanding. This is the inner meaning of Moshe marrying “the Cushite woman.” He “darkened himself” for the sake of bonding with the Shechinah who is hidden in dark and deep places, and in return he merited to reach the level of Reisha d’Lo Isyadah, of “the head that is not known,” the highest awareness of Hashem that transcends all knowledge and understanding. This is the Shem HaVaYaH that rests upon the head of each and every tzaddik. May Hashem help us to magnify the glory of His Name, and may we merit to uplift the Shechinah from the depths of her imprisonment and dress her in garments of honor and glory, until we merit to see “eye to eye, Hashem’s return to Tzion.” Speedily and in our days, Amen.
[1] Baal Shem Tov Al HaTorah, Bereishis 34
[2] Mishlei 8:17
A few years ago, my wife created a spice shaker to help her have in mind thoughts of "l'kavod Shabbos Kodesh" while she was cooking for Shabbos. She keeps it on top of our oven. I probably should have shared this earlier, but here you go!
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Below is the link to the newest Video/Audio shiur by Reb Yerachmiel on Berchas “Modim” in Shemoneh Esrei:
With thanks to Rabbi Tal Zwecker for sending out this attachment by e-mail, please remember to say Parshas Hamon today (day three of Parshas B'Shalach)shnayim mikrah v'echad targum. It is a segulh for parnassa.
CLICK HERE to get the pdf text of what to say.
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I received the following information from my heiliger friend Zev Polansky, a relatively recent Oleh. Great opportunity! HaRav Baruch Gartner, shlita, Head of Yeshivas Derech HaMelech, will be starting a weekly online Sfas Emes / Rebbe Nachman shiur - the shiur will be online in a virtual yeshiva setting - users will be able to see each other and participate. The Rav will be going through Sfas Emes al ha parshah and sifrei Rebbe Nachman. It will be on Sundays at 10 am, and begin on Sunday, January 31 at 10 am NY time. Note that the Shiur is free to join - there is no "virtual tuition". Below are computer requirements needed for the shiur. Please let me know whether you're interested in joining, and if so, that you have the computer requirements below - anyone interested MUST run a quick online test with the virtual yeshivah techie to make sure all works before joining the shiur while in progress (someone without the proper setup can make the online shiur crash I'm told).Picture of Rav Baruch Gartner courtesy of Derech Hamelech. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.
If you know of anyone else interested this shiur please have them contact me.
In order to join in the shiurim, participants must have:
1) An internet connection of at least 2 meg (2.5 or higher is even better)
2) The computer must be connected to the Internet via a cable. WiFi / wireless connection are not sufficient. Even someone who normally connects wirelessly can connect with a cable for these classes.
3) A webcam and a microphone. Many computers, especially laptops, have integrated cameras and microphone. If an external webcam is needed, the simplest and least expensive Logitech webcams are usually perfect for this application. Be sure they have an internal microphone.
4) A headset or headphones. There are many inexpensive headphones available that also have a microphone. Also, any regular iPod or Walkman headphones work perfectly. Just verify that they connect properly to the computer used.
5) Internet Browser = Firefox and Chrome are known to better for this application than Explorer.
Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Bo, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week. When a Jew spends time in hisbodedus before his Creator, he closes his eyes so as not to be enticed by the illusory pleasures of this world because he doesn’t want to be connected to them. He knows that, for him, the “sweetness and light” of the Egyptians is absolute darkness, and the “darkness” of his avoidance of the temptations of this world is, for him, “light in his dwelling places.” When he closes his eyes in this way, he is able to see the brilliant hues that are rooted in the “hidden mind” of Mocha Sesima’ah, and he begins to derive pleasure from spiritual reality, from the fact that Hashem is revealed through a myriad of shades and hues of dveikus. He starts to feel Hashem’s light and glory within himself, and how all of the pleasures of this world are null and void, are like a mere sliver of light, compared with the delight of dveikus that is a composite of all possible forms of bliss.
“The Torah was only given to those who ate of the manna.”[1] The manna itself was rooted in the level called the “holy flame” or Mocha Sesima’ah as well, because it too was white which is a composite of all shades. This was expressed in the fact that those who ate of it could taste in it any flavor that they desired, just as Hashem’s light comprises all of the pleasures that are possible. So when a person seals his vision against the illusory nature of this world, he rises to the place of the “airspace” and its “membrane,” which is really the source of the human soul and its throne of glory. In that place it can be said, “From my flesh, I see G-d.” One begins to enjoy a vision of the ultimate Kisei HaKavod upon which the “form of a person sat.”[2] [Although he does not share the lofty vision of Hashem seen by Yechezkel HaNavi, nevertheless] he begins to get a sense of the presence of Hashem before whom he serves, just as the tzaddikim were able to “see” themselves serving before Hashem’s Kisei HaKavod as they prayed.
The final three plagues parallel these three states of dveikus: first, a person must meditate and be misboded on the expansive Binah light of Hashem. Then he must ascend to the place of the “hidden mind” which is the counterpart of the holy darkness of turning aside from this-worldly concerns to receive “light in all his dwellings.” With this, he destroys the klippah of the impure firstborn and rises further to the place of the “membrane of the airspace” and the “airspace” itself which correlates to the level of the Da’as of Atik and which reveals to him the source of his neshamah that “sits upon the throne.” The entire process is embodied within the blessing Asher Yatzar which is known to subdue all of the klippos. “It is revealed and known before Your Kisei HaKavod...” Meaning, through coming to the level of the Kisei HaKavod, we are able to subdue all of the klippos and utterly “smite Egypt through their firstborns.”[3]
[1] Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas B’shalach #1
[2] Yechezkel 1:26
[3] Tehillim 136:10
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