Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Rav Moshe Weinberger Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Vaera 5752 - The Darchei Noam of Slonim

Below is a write-up of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Seudos drasha from this Shabbos, Parshas Vaera. He has not yet reviewed this version so any mistakes are due to the writer (and NOT Rav Weinberger OR my dear friend Dixie Yid).  You can see past write-ups of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Sheudos Torahs here and get thousands of his shiurim in mp3 format at ravmosheweinberger.com.

Rav Moshe Weinberger
Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Va'era 5752
The Darchei Noam of Slonim: Shabbos, the rope of redemption.

(Original text of the Darchei Noam is in regular font. Rav Weinberger’s comments are in italics)

This is the end of a much longer Torah from the Darchei Noam where he talks about the four lashonos of geula and the four cups.

It's written in the Toldos Yaakov Yosef (Shmini 1 and other places) in the name of the Holy Baal Shem Tov זי״ע regarding the passuk in Tehillim (69:19) ״קרבה אל נפשי גאלה״, that before we daven for a גאולה כללית (general redemption) it's necessary to daven for an individual גאולה for ones own soul.

The Holy Baal Shem Tov is saying that in order to be healthy and ready to Daven for Geulah from the right place, we first have to Daven for our own personal redemption.

He also writes in a different place (Vayechi 5) that it's necessary to daven about the גלות (exile) of ones own soul, which is with the Yetzer Harah in the depths of the Klippos.

Galus is not just the place where you live it's also how you live.

As R. Mendele Vitebska writes in Pri Haaretz (V'etchanan) "it's obvious that a person that is not used to feel a desire for Kedusha (holiness), even if he understand intellectually what is correct and good and he has Emuna and has all the arguments against doing the wrong thing, he just doesn't have the ability to submit his will to the Creator ית״ש. And this is clearly the direct result of the Klippah (husk) that rules over him not giving him rest"

We might know intellectually what's right, what we are supposed to do, but the Klippah gets in the way.

When a person is under the influence of the Yetzer Harah and the Klippah he can't do anything. Even the power of Teffilah is taken from him by the Yetzer Harah. Teffilah in it's highest expression is like it's written (Tehillim 55:18) ״ערב ובוקר וצהרים אשיה ואהמה״ (Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I complain, and moan). And as it says in שיר הכבוד (Song of Glory) ״מדי דברי בכבודך הומה ליבי אל דודיך״ (As I speak of your glory, my heart yearns for your love).

But when a person is under the influence of the Yetzer Harah he can't daven such a Teffilah. The power to elevate himself through prayer is taken away from him. The whole effort of the Yetzer Harah is to rule over the soul of a person so that he will be completely in it's hands without a way out. What can a person do in such a situation? How can he be redeemed?

While we are awaiting the Great Geulah there are many Eitzas (pieces of advice) on what to do to try and connect to it in some way. But the main one that all Tzaddikim agree on is Shabbos.

The answer can be found in the words of our master מוהרשד״י זי״ע on the passuk ״וחגור נתנה לכנעני״ (Eshes Chayil). He explains that just like a חגור הצלה (life jacket) that we throw into the ocean for someone to hold on to the rope and be rescued, so is the Shabbos a life-jacket and a rope even for someone who is in the aspect of a כנעני (Canaanite). A person can be preoccupied with their body and materialistic things so that all the desires of the Land of Canaan are in his heart and yet Shabbos is still a rescue rope that he can grasp and be raised from his situation.

During the week we are so busy and distracted holding all kinds of gadgets and devices in our hands, scrolling up and down, that we don't even see the rope lying right next to us, much less hold on to it.

And this can be understood according to he words of the Pri Haaretz that the power the Klippos have over a person comes only from his lack of connection with his own חיבת הקודש (desire for Kedusha). And Shabbos gives a Jew that חיבת הקודש, like we say in zmiros (Baruch Kel Elyion) ״הן הכשר חיבת קודש גורלו״ (behold, worthiness for beloved holiness is his lot). In any situation that a Jew might be, if he keeps the Shabbos the way he is supposed to, Shabbos will bring him to חיבת הקודש. And when a person elevates himself from down below through חיבת הקודש, this awakes on him from above ״קרבה אל נפשי״ (bring my soul close), and this brings to ״גאלה״ (redeem it).

Every Jew has that חיבת הקודש but during the week we don't even feel it. However on Shabbos we connect to that deep desire for Kedusha. We hold on to that rope and we can feel a connection to the redemption.

As it's written in Pri Haaretz (Dvarim) that from every holy place the Klippos are removed. And from the power of Shabbos comes the freedom from the forces of evil. As it's written in the Holy Zohar (ח״ב קלה) "All wrathful dominions and bearers of grievance flee together".

Thus the Shabbos is the rope that is given for us to grasp and be freed even from such a situation of ״אין לאל ידו לעשות״ that can bring a person to יאוש (desperation). For the light of Shabbos illuminates every corner, and from any place of holiness the Klippos are removed.

Anyone that keeps Shabbos at a high level and holds on to it without letting go for an instant, no matter what his circumstances, even if he is in the aspect of כנעני and is drowning in the depth the Klippos, the Shabbos will be the rescue rope that can bring him out to great light.

May Hashem send us that big rope of the Great Redemption במהרה בימינו אמן.   

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