Sanctifying the Heart - Having Breakfast With the Bilvavi

I was just speaking to a heiligeh Chassidisher Yid from Boro Park yesterday and he shared the following vort with me, as an explanation as to what he felt the gadlus (greatness) of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh seforim in our generation is:

He asked a question in the name of the Bais Yisroel of Ger. Why does the pasuk say "וְלֹא-תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם, וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם," "You shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes" (Bamidbar 15:39) in that particular order? Doesn't one usually first see something that then stirs his heart to desire it? Shouldn't the verse place straying after one's eyes before the idea of not straying after his heart?

The Bais Yisroel explains that when one is working on guarding his heart, thoughts and eyes from focusing on the wrong things, it is best to first start by being mekadesh (sanctifying) his heart, his inner-most mindset, thoughts and feelings. Once his heart is purified, then that which he may see (by accident of course) will not draw him. It will not register, just as if he would be looking at a door or a mouse. (DY: This would be the pshat in the Gemara's statement that women seemed like white Geese ("קאקי חיורי") to Rav Gidel. [Brachos 20a])

My Chassidisher friend said that to him, when he learns the seforim of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh, they are so clear and so illuminating, that they have the effect of being mekadesh his heart, sanctifying his heart. He said that now, he feels that shmiras ha'einayim, guarding his eyes, is 60-70% easier than it was 6 months ago because when one's heart is with Hashem consciously, there's just no attraction to retzonios kozvios, false desires.

Along these lines as well, I was zocheh to have breakfast with Rav Shwartz Sunday morning, after he arrived in New York. In response to a question, the Rav's host told him that that he felt that in the past year, he had improved in the area of shmiras ha'einayim, guarding his eyes. Rav Shwartz asked him if this was because he was fighting harder, or because he didn't have to fight as hard? He explained that although it's a madreiga, a level, to fight harder against the yetzer hara (evil inclination) and succeed more, the best thing is to bring Hashem into the consciousness to the extent that one doesn't need to fight harder to win against the Yetzer Hara.

Whether it be through the Bilvavi Seforim, or whatever other method, may we all bring Hashem into our thoughts and consciousness so that our hearts will be sanctified and we will no longer desire any of the false temptations of this world!

Rav Shwartz's schedule for the rest of the week in Baltimore, Monsey, Woodmere, Far Rockaway/Five Towns, Englewood & Boro Park is available HERE.

-Dixie Yid

P.S. After Rav Shwartz returns to Eretz Yisroel, I hope to post all of his shiurim online. Also, I may be able to post a couple of video recordings of some of the shiurim in the next few weeks.

(Picture courtesy of inner.org)

Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox.

"You Shall be Holy." - Command or Promise?

There are two questions on the second pasuk in Parshas Kedoshim, Vayikra 19:2, "דַּבֵּר אֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם--קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ," "Speak to the whole congregation of Israel, and say to them, 'You shall be holy.'" I'll bring down the approach of the Satmar Rov, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum in Divrei Yoel, and of the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh on these two questions: 1) Why does the same pasuk say both "דַּבֵּר" and "וְאָמַרְתָּ?" The First implies a harsh message and the second term implies a gentle message. It seems contradictory to find both terms used in the same pasuk! And 2) What is the pshat in the words "קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ," "You Shall be holy."?

The Satmar Rov says, based on the story with the Nesius of Rabban Gamliel and Reb Elazar ben Azaria in Brachos 28a, that the Shechina, Divine Presence only dwells in a community where everyone is equally sincere as they appear to be on the outside, and no one is living a a lie, where they appear to be very religious while they are not that way on the inside. He also said that the pasuk "קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ," "You shall be holy" is not a command, but rather, a promise! Hashem is promising the Jewish people that they will indeed be holy, and will be worthy of being called "תוכו כברו," equally as sincere on the inside as they appear to be on the outside. Therefore, pshat in the both harsh and gentles words used in that pasuk is to reflect the mixed message that the pasuk contains. On one hand it says "דַּבֵּר" since it is a bit of a harsh message to hear that the Shechina will not dwell among them unless they are totally sincere inside and out. Yet, it's a gentle and comforting message to hear the promise that they will be worthy to be called "holy" and be as sincere as is demanded of them. And it is that gentle and comforting message that is found in the kind word "וְאָמַרְתָּ."

Another interesting take on these questions is the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh. He says that the pasuk "קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ," "You shall be holy" is coming to add a positive commandment, a mitzvas aseh, to be holy and avoid all of the Arayos, the forbidden relationships mentioned at the end of Parshas Acharei Mos and in Parshas Kedoshim. So now, not only would a person transgress the applicable "lav," prohibition, but he will now be over on an "Issur Aseh," a prohibition derived from a positive commandment, as well. On the other hand, one will now be fulfilling a positive commandment when he abstains from engaging in a forbidden relationship. Whereas without that mitzvas Aseh of "Kedoshim Ti'hiyu," one would simply be "doing nothing" by avoiding the prohibition. So that's the meaning of the harsh language of "דַּבֵּר." It's a harsh message to know that there is now an additional sin involved in these forbidden relationships. On the other hand, it's a big chizuk to know that by avoiding those avieros, we can now fulfill an additional mitzva. And that's the reason for the gentle language of "וְאָמַרְתָּ."

-Dixie Yid

Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox.

When the Soul's Pressure Makes the Heart Want to Explode

Rav Kook in Oros Hateshuva 15:4 talks about the bitterness the soul feels when the life of the person in whom it is trapped, does not give the soul it's powerful, true and full expression. He says that the soul contains (much like an atom) a tremendous amount of power. It desires to channel that power into an explosion of holiness and avodas Hashem.

When don't give it that expression, but rather only try to passify that inner pressing against the heart through shallow means, after time the pressure on the heart only continues to get even stronger. My Rebbe explained that when the energy is merely channeled into a new job, going back to school, a new hobby, a new car, a new girlfriend, a new blog, or whatever other type of emptiness, then the soul is not satisfied. It is like a tiny seed, with the potential to create a giant Redwood tree, that is never planted and allowed to express its desire for greatness. The soul will actually never find it satisfaction until it is finally given its true expression.

Rav Kook then asks what one must do to start allowing the neshoma to express its self. He says that one must begin to water that seed from the elevated fountains of holiness. And what does that mean? My rebbe explains that this means that one must begin to feed his soul with the Pnimius Hatorah, the inner teachings of Torah.

Now it doesn't matter whether what moves the person is learning Tanya or Sfas Emes or Meor Einayim. Nor does it matter if it's Nefesh Hachaim, Maharal or Rav Dessler. Although the majority of one's time is spent in understanding nigleh, Gemara and halacha, the standear curriculum of the yeshivos will not be enough to split the atoms of our and our children's neshamos and release all of that energy that longs to be expressed.

I had one kalta Litvak from my Kollel days who decried the fact that we've had such a yeridas hadoros that today, even regular people are daring to study Derech Hashem, even (gasp!) in English! Baruch Hashem that people don't listen to that kind of thinking. Our generation needs something deeper.

And Rav Kook explicitly says that it the soul will not be satisfied with substitutions for Pnimius Hatorah, the inner light of Torah, be it in the secular or the holy! This means that, as controvertial as it may sound, our souls will not be satisfied by the standard learning and practicing of Gemara and halacha alone. Of course, these must be the main staple of a Jew's spiritual diet, but they alone will not quench the soul's thirst for holiness and they will not show it how to fully express its self in this world.

I was thinking to myself: Although I, B"H, have some time each day to learn and daven a little bit, the majority of my time is spent on my full-time job and on the intense studies of evening law school. The vast majority of the time, don't I have no choice but to be frustrated by not being able to express my soul's yearning for constant avodas Hashem?

Then I remembered what Rav Shwartz wrote in Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh. In addition to making consciousness of Hashem's existance, presence, and constant hashgacha pratis, Divine Providence, our avoda is to constantly daven about every detail in life. The way to solidify consciousness of Hashem and avodas Hashem into every moment of life, especially the mundane, is by constantly davening about every detail of life.

"Hashem, why was I given this assignment by my boss right now? It is because it is Your will that I do that right now." "Hashem, why must I negotiate with small-minded people? Because it is Your will that I remember You in the midst of smallness." "Hashem, why do I have to spend dozens of hours doing detailed legal research and writing about ADA disability law? Because You have placed me here to remember You while I work on details."

May Rav Kook's teaching about awakening our souls with Pnimius Hatorah and the Bilvavi's advice on bringing "G-d consciousness" into every moment through constant tefillah help lift us up to actualize the great spiritual power within.

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of micahgoulart)

Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox.

Reflecting Hashem's Kedusha - Audio Shiur by Reb Yerachmiel

Here's Reb Yerachmiel's latest shiur from the Baltimore Community Kollel Rav Pincus Chaburah from Sunday night.

In the shiur the chaburah continued learning about the third bracha of Shemoneh Esrei, Atah Kadosh, and discussed Yaakov Avinu's connection to the bracha, the inyan of "Kedusha" defined as "separate and apart," and the le'maaseh reality of "Kedusha" as seen through the eyes of Rav Shimshon Pincus, tz"l, whose approach forces the Jew to look at his or her own reflection and judge to what extent he or she reflects Hashem Himself.

You can listen to the shiur online HERE (beware of ads) or download it directly HERE.



-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of members.shaw.ca)

Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox.

The Bracha of Kedusha - Audio Shiur with Reb Yerachmiel

Here is a an especially special shiur from Sunday night's Rav Pincus Chaburah with Reb Yerachmiel at the Community Kollel of Baltimore.

Sunday night's shiur covered the entirety of the third bracha of Shemoneh Esrei, Berchas "Kedushos". In explaining this succinct yet mysterious berchas shevach to Hashem, Reb Yerachmiel addressed numerous fundamental, yet lofty topics, such as the true definition of "kedusha" in the context of both Hashem Yisbarach and Klall Yisroel, Yaakov Avinu's connection to this bracha, and our partnership with the Malachim in praising Hashem. Finally, this shiur also includes fundamental aitzos to enhance not only our kavana of peirush hamilos, but also our kavana regard the reality of standing before the Divine Presence in Prayer.

You can listen to the shiur online HERE or dowload it directly HERE.

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of susanart)

Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox.

Eitza from R' Elimelech on Controlling Thoughts - "The Nuclear Option"

A friend and member of my Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh Chaburah pointed out a really powerful eitza from Rav Elimelech from Lizhinsk to completely take control of your thoughts. I think that this eitza is so powerful, I would characterize it as "the nuclear option."

In Tzeitel Koton #13, found in the sefer Noam Elimelech, he writes that one should keep track of and tell over all of his machshavos asuros to either his rebbe, or a very close friend, every day. Not only will this force a person to control and eliminate his forbidden thoughts because he doesn't want to be humiliated in front of his rebbe or good friend, but it also has the bonus benefit that the rebbe or friend may have good advice for him in changing his thought patterns.

This advice makes me think of a couple of things. One thing is that it shows that with proper motivation, we have the ability to control our own thoughts, notwithstanding today's conventional wisdom, which says that one cannot control their own thoughts. For instance, if I knew that my employer would withhold a day's pay from me for every time that I had a forbidden thought, then you could be darn sure that I would lose one, or at maximum, two days pay for the rest of my life! I would know and be conscious of the consequences of my thoughts and I would find a way to control them, notwithstanding the difficulty. Reb Mailech is pointing out that this great truth can be channeled into practical application by creating a similar disincentive by telling over all forbidden thoughts to a rebbe or trusted friend.

The other thing that this makes me think of is computer programs that one can install that monitor one's internet use and them creates periodic e-mails to an "accountability partner," that lists all of the questionable internet sites that he has visited during a certain period. I have not found an effective and fully operational program like this, but the concept is the same. He is essentially taking what a program like that does for one's internet use, and then expanding it into his entire brain! His rebbe or friend becomes his "accountability partner" when it comes to taking responsibility for his every thought.

I hope that someone out there finds this eitza effective. May Hashem help us all to be goveir on our thoughts, such that they should only be thoughts which bring us closer to Him, and not, ChV"Sh, the opposite.

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of LoriWilliamsOnline)

Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox.

Vital Video Shiur by R' Lazer Brody on Shmiras HaBris

The Piaseczna on Mind Over Body- Practice Makes Perfect

When I'm not eating on Tisha B'Av, it makes me think about how fragile and delicate we in America are. One day without eating, and we're all lying down and plotzing for some food or a drink Tisha B'Av afternoon. It's a sad statement on people like me. This thought reminds me that it's a ma'aleh in kedusha to be in control of your simple, mutar ta'avos.

The Rebbe Reb Klonymous Kalaman of Piaseczna, the Aish Kodesh, wrote in his sefer, Bnei Machshava Tova, about the Ta'anis HaRitva. In this kind of ta'anis, rather than not eating, you pick one meal a day, twice a week, once a week or whatever, and you only eat half the amount you usually eat. i.e. Stop eating even while you still have room for more food, even though you would still like to eat. For many, including me, this is almost harder than not eating at all.

The idea is that you should not always be a slave to your desires, to what you want to do. The only way to break your body's hold over you is by getting actual practrice in not listening to it. There are many things you can do to this. If you want a snack because you will enjoy it, and you're not really hungry, just don't eat it. Use 1 sugar instead of 3 in your coffee. Like the Ritva said, eat half as much as you would like. The Piaseczna suggests not getting your favorite dish on the table, but only your second favorite.

Without practicing self-control, you don't have any self control. Sometimes I feel like saying to myself, "I don't have to always do what I feel like doing. I can control myself when I want to. I just don't want to." This is like the alcoholic or the smoker who says, "I can quit whenever I want to, I just don't want to." This reminds me of the story of the Ba'al Mussar, whose name I can't remember, who once woke up early in the morning, desiring a glass of water. He was suddenly frozen with indecision. If he got the water, he'd be giving into his ta'ava for a drink (assuming he didn't really neeed it right then). If he didn't he'd be giveing into his laziness by not getting out of bed. His solution? He got out of bed and went to the sink but didn't get a drink. He was really focused on not being a slave to his desires. He wanted to live a life of decisions and not of desires.

May Hashem give us the strength to do one or more of these exercises in self-control each week in order to be people who are rulers over their body, and not people whose bodies rule over them.

-Dixie Yid

Rav Tzvi Mayer Zilberberg last night- Audio, Video & Pictures

I have an inside man at Kehillas Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY who was at Rav Tzvi Mayer Zilberberg's Chizuk drasha last night. He has supplied me with pictures, video, and an audio recording of the whole shiur. I'm embedding the 5 videos below in this post.

For the audio to the whole (1 & 3/4 hour) shiur, Click here to download the audio. You have to click on the orange download button at the bottom right hand side of the webpage where it's hosted. You can download the entire shiur in .wav format for your computer or mp3 player for free.

You can find a couple more pictures of Rav Tzvi Mayer from the shiur at this link.

Update: More information on Rav Tzvi Mayer is available in Mishpacha Magazine. You can obtain the pdf of the article directly from Mishpacha Magazine here. HT to Izbitza.

-Dixie Yid

My Q & A Session with A Simple Jew

Please click over to A Simple Jew to read the answer he posted that I had written to a question he posed to me, entitled, Kedusha and Man-Made Objects.

I'll just quote his question here:

A Simple Jew asks:

According to halacha, if one has a choice between toiveling a utensil in a river or toiveling it in a keilim mikvah, it is preferable to use the keilim mikvah. In essence, we are saying that it is better to use something created by man over something created by Hashem in order to imbue an object with kedusha. How can one explain this?

-Dixie Yid

A Ma'aseh Re: The Ohev Yisroel and Adding Holiness

I heard the following shiur as it relates to Parshas Tazria. It connects three parallel disputes about whether the main avodah for a person is mainly to completely and directly remove the bad from within himself, or focus mainly on being mosif kedusha, adding holiness instead.

The first of these three dichotomies arises out of the beginning of the parsha, which relates to a woman’s nida status after giving birth. Consider the difference between a nida and a zava; A nida’s purification can be after only seven days from the time her nida status begins. She continually removes and removes the source of the tumah, the dam, until immediately after the 7 days, on the night of the 8th day, she immerses and is puified. The entire process is one of removing the source of the tuma, and nothing else. On the other hand, a zava, in addition to her days of removing the tuma, always has 7 clean days, 7 days of purity/tahara following the tuma. The zava, then, represents the idea of overcoming tuma by being mosif tahara, adding holiness. That is the significance of her 7 days of tahara/purity. We’ll come back to this at the end.

The second example of the okair tuma v. mosif kedusha dispute can be found in relation to the days of sefira that we find ourselves in at this time. During this time, we mourn the deaths of the 24,000 talmidim of Rebbi Akiva. They died in a plague because “מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה לזה,” they didn’t accord each other the requisite honor (Yevamos 62b). Rav Moshe Wolfson explains, based on the words of the Ari Z”L, that these 12,000 pairs of students were the gilgulei neshamos, reincarnations, of the 24,000+ members of the tribe of Shimon who sinned with the daughters of Midian. When Moshe Rabbeinu was about to judge them, Zimri, the nasi/prince of the tribe of Shimon, intervened, arguing that Moshe was like an interloper judging them. Rather, he, Zimri ben Salu, should judge them himself. Because of this attribute of ga’avah, arrogance, one thing led to another until Zimri himself was mezaneh publicly with the Midianite princess, Cosby bas Tzur, necessitating the intervention of Pinchas. The students of Rebbi Akiva, these gedolei Tana’im, wanted to be mesakain, repair this trait of ga’avah/arrogance from within themselves as a result of the fact that they were gilgulim of these members of the tribe of Shimon who also suffered from ga’avah. To do that, they all made a pact with each other that they would not treat each other with even an ounce of honor, in order to make themselves humble and thereby accomplish the tikun to their neshamos’ sin of ga’avah. However, perhaps due to their being spread out all over Eretz Yisroel, they perhaps took their approach too far and thereby suffered the plague. This represents the danger of this very direct, to the heart, approach to uprooting evil directly, as opposed to being mosif kedusha, focusing on adding holiness.

The 3rd example of this dichotomy: There is a ma’aseh regarding the Ohev Yisroel of Apt and the Kotzker. The Ohev Yisroel put together a Bais Din to judge whether or not they should place the Kotzker in Cherem for the way he was conducting his Chassidim. The Kotzker did not come to this hearing, but some of his talmidim did, including the Chidushei Harim. After the hearing, the Ohev Yisroel told the Chidushei Harim that he was not going to put his Rebbe into Cherem, but that when he becomes Rebbe, he shouldn't conduct the Chassidim the way his rebbe, the Kotzker does. And how did the Kotzker conduct his Chassidim that was so problematic in the eyes of the Ohev Yisroel? They were so committed to obliterating ga'avah from within themselves and from within their midst, that they went to exteme lengths to take the bull by the horns, and remove ga'avah in all of it's forms. Two examples: They would all stand up out of respect for anyone they considered a true anav, humble person, even if that person was ignorant, poor, and without Yichus, in order honor anava, and break their own egos. Also, if anyone came into the Bais Medresh wearing fancy clothing, they would take it away from him, and embarass him with words, as a tough-love way of oliterating ga'avah. This direct approach was not approved-of by the Ohev Yisroel, who felt that it was too sharp and direct a form of avodah for our generation.

The Ohev Yisroel held that the avoda of our generation is not so much to focus on attacking the evil within us. Often times that approach has disasterous side effects in the form of giving up, depression, and internal separation. The proper approach is to pile onto ourselves so much good, kedusha, avoda, tefilla, mitzvos, and hosafas kedusha, that the evil within us will "be batel me'eilav," nullified automatically. This can be compared to "חמץ שנפלה עליו מפולת הרי הוא כמבוער," Chametz on which a building has fallen, is considered destroyed automatically [thereby exempting a person from destroying it directly] (Pesachim 31b). When a person piles on so much kedusha, the evil within him is simply crushed under it's weight and is nullified in that way.

Returning to Nida/Zava; Perhaps that is why we are noheg b'zman hazeh Dirabanan, that all women are machmir to be metaher like a Zava, adding 7 days of tahara, purity, onto the D'oraisa 7 day requirement. As explained above, that is a reflection of the avoda of our generation, which is to focus more on adding kedusha, than on obliterating the bad within us in a direct way, which most of us are not ready for.

May Hashem help us add kedusha, mitzvos, Torah, tefilla, and Avoda, and thereby wipe out the evil within us automatically!

-Dixie Yid

Artwork: "The Utterance" by Yorem Ra'anan

Protecting yourself on the internet- Buddy System Alternative

Shimon at A Jewish Blog has researched another solution to the problem that I brought up here about the spiritual dangers on the internet for Yidden who must use the internet.

The results of his research and experience can be found on his post here. I think this issue must be addressed by anyone who uses the internet. The gemara says "Ain Apotropos l'arayos." No one can guarantee about himself that he will not engage in problems relating to Gilui Arayos, shmiras ha'einayim, or hirhur aveira. Therefore, we must all find aitzos that do not rely on our own self-control to stem this problem. If you use a filter like Shimon suggests, then someone else (your wife, mother, whatever) should have the password to control it's access. Not you/your children, etc.

Here's the link to Shimon's post on this subject.

-Dixie Yid

If you think you have a bad environment at work...

I saw the following story in the sefer Sipurei Chassidim by Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin in the Shir Hashirim section on Pesach.

Shir Hashirim 2:2: "K'shoshana bain hachochim, kain rayasi bain habanos." "Like a rose among the thorns, so too is my beloved among the nations"

There was a ma'aseh with the Shpoler Zaide. One of his Chassidim had to make his living working in a tavern. He came to the rebbe for guidance.

"Every day I have see drunks and low-lifes behaving like animals and talking about the most disgusting things. I'm really worried that this will affect my mindset and will lower me to be more like them. What can I do?"

The Shpoler Zayde answered him: "It sounds to me like you think that if you had enough money to live on without having to work, and you had beautiful cloths, plenty to eat, and a beautiful clean Bais Medresh full of seforim to learn in, then you could really serve Hashem. But that you can't really be a kadosh, a tahor, and an eved Hashem in the environment you have to me in now.

Well let me tell you, Hashem already has tens upon tens of thousands of malachim serving him up in shamayim like that already. If He needed one more of those, you would have been created as a malach. Hashem put you in that place of tumah right now so that you would long to be close to Hashem, and look forward the whole day to those few holy words you can utter before your Creator. That longing and desire and purity and holiness of the mind that you can have in the midst of that tavern of yours is more precious to Hashem that the service of all of those malachim up in Shamayim.

The words of the Shpoler Zeide are more important for us now than ever, as we are surrounded at work and on the streets (and those of us who bring TV and internet into our homes; there too) with nivul peh, pritzus, and base conversations. May Hashem help us be mechazaik ourselves to hope and live for the moments of avodas Hashem that He grants us!

-Dixie Yid

Dangers of the Internet - The Internet Buddy System

I want to share a vital shmira, and I received this from my rebbe, that any Jew who must expose himself to the internet, for whatever reason, must make sure that he does not access the internet without some sort of supervision or accountability. This would usually be accomplished in the form of some kind of internet buddy, where you install software on every computer you have access to, which reports any problematic sites you may visit to whatever trusted person you designate (wife, chevrusa, whatever).

I heard one person comment that if computers existed in the time of Chazal, then they surely would have made an issur yichud with a computer. Since that is not the case, for those of us who do need to use the internet, I'm putting this out there as an important safeguard on what we look at with our eyes.

I don't feel comfortable sharing the link to the software that I use for this purpose at this time, until I can find out if it is appropriate to share the name of the website that manufactures it publicly in the Jewish community.

I did just want to share this idea to help us not fall into the various pitfalls of blogging and being involved with the internet. Kol tuv!

-Dixie Yid

A thought on an Agadata about early Xianity

I saw the following fascinating Gemara in Avoda Zara 17a and I had an observation about a possible reason why this particular story was chosen and what it says about the difference between Xianity and Yahadus (l'havdil elef alfei havdalos).

אמר לו עקיבא הזכרתני פעם אחת הייתי מהלך בשוק העליון של ציפורי ומצאתי אחד {מתלמידי יש"ו הנוצרי} ויעקב איש כפר סכניא שמו אמר לי כתוב בתורתכם (דברים כג) לא תביא אתנן זונה [וגו'] מהו לעשות הימנו בהכ"ס לכ"ג ולא אמרתי לו כלום אמר לי כך לימדני {יש"ו הנוצרי} (מיכה א) [כי] מאתנן זונה קבצה ועד אתנן זונה ישובו ממקום הטנופת באו למקום
הטנופת ילכו והנאני הדבר על ידי זה נתפסתי למינות

Rebbe Elazar was captured by the Roman in an effort to convert him. The gemara goes into the story of what happened, but eventually he was freed. He was very upset afterwards and didn't know why this had happened to him. His talmidim tried to comfort him. But Rebbe Akiva came and reminded Rebbe Elazar of something he, himself, had taught Rebbe Akiva. "Perhaps you heard words of heresy and you enjoyed them?" Rebbe Elazar responded that indeed one time it happened that he was walking in the Upper Market of Tzippori when a student of Yeshu HaNotzri (Yaakov Ish Kfar Sachania) engaged him in conversation. He asked Rebbe Elazar, "It says in your Torah that you cannot use something used to pay the fee for a zona in the Bais Hamikdash [as a korban]. Could you use it for building a bathroom though (in the area the Kohain Gadol lives in, in preperation for the Yom Kippur service)? Rebbe Elazar didn't answer. Yaakov answered it himself (quoting Yeshu). Since the pasuk in Micha says, "From the fee of the zona it came, and to the fee of the zona it shall return." This teaches that when something comes from a place of disgustingness, it shall return to a place of disgustingness (and therefore you can use zona's fee in the building of a bathroom in the Bais Hamikdash). I enjoyed his answer and that must be why I was taken captive.

I was thinking; What's wrong with this pshat? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with proving Xianity or any type of heresy. It's simply giving a teretz to a sha'ala from a pasuk. Also, why is this particular teaching of Yeshu's used in the gemara as the one Rebbe Elazar wrongly got hano'oh from?

A possible way of understanding this: In Yahadus, everything is or can be kodesh, holy. There is nothing, whether it comes to food, marriage relationships, work, sleeping, the bathroom, etc. that can't be and shouldn't be used for kedusha, holiness. Therefore, the Jewish view would be that the bathroom the Kohain Gadol uses in preparation for service in the Bais Hamikdash is also holy, just like the rest of the Bais Hamikdash.

Xianity on the other hand separates good and evil. There's satan, the "god" of the bad things, and there's G-d, who's in charge of the good things. But the two don't mix. When you're in church, you're religious. When you're home, hanging out with friends, or in the bathroom, you're just a regular secular guy. There's no such thing as sanctifying the secular. This is why their priests and nuns are celibate. They don't believe that the "secular" aspects of married life can be sanctified.

Therefore, the bathroom of the Temple can't be holy to them. It's just a place of disgustingness, just like the fee paid to a zona. Therefore, he was able to say about it that since the fee came from a place of disgustingness (tinofes), it shall return to a place of disgustingness.

Our view, however, is not that way, and we must view even the "bathroom of the Bais Hamikdash" as a holy place. Because everything, if used l'shem Shamayim, has kedusha and shouldn't be defiled by the zona's fee.

Perhaps this is why it was wrong for Rebbe Elazar to have enjoyed that peshat, Since it goes against our whole hashafas hachaim. This can also explain why this particular teaching and story was taught by the gemara, because it teaches us a great deal about the difference in approach to life between Xianity (l'havdil) and Yahadus.

-Dixie Yid

The picture at the top is from a fortress in Tzippori, where the story took place.

Ben Porat Yosef - Parshas Vayechi

The Slonimer Rebbe explains in Nesivos Shalom the meaning of the blessing when Yosef's father Yaakov blesses him with the words "Ben Poras Yosef, Ben poras alei ayin, bnos tzoados alei shur," ("A charming son is Yosef, charming on to look upon; young women climb walls to gaze at him).

He says that according to the Midrash, the young women would even fight for a place to get a good view of Yosef when he would pass by. And that they would throw jewelry at him to get his attention so that he would look at them. And he never did. He explains that Yaakov was praising Yosef for this midah, that he always guarded his eyes from seeing that which they shouldn't see. And that this is in accordance with his general trait, which is as the merkava for the mida of Yesod.

But he points out that Yosef withstood much greater trials with the wife of Potifar, and passed. Why is his father praising him for this aspect of that trait of purity?

He answers by pointing out the well known expression that "The eyes see, the heart covets, and the body sins." The eyes are the gateway to the whole person. When a person allows his eyes to serve merely as tools for his own enjoyment, then he allows the Sitra Achra, the other side, to rule over him. But one who guards over his eyes, only to look at things for purposes of Kedusha, then holiness rules over his life, rather than the opposite. This is why the pasuk says about Yosef, "Hu hashalit, hu hamashbir." He was the ruler and the sustainer (of the people of Egypt). He was the ruler over himself and that is why he merited to be the ruler over the nation of Egypt.

The fact that the way one watches his eyes is the key to his entire success in the middah of Yesod, in shmiras habris, is why Yosef's conduct with his eyes is his main reason for praise by his father Yaakov. And that is why Yaakov focuses more on praising Yosef in that area, rather than for his success in the test with the wife of Potifar.

-Dixie Yid

What's the Big Deal with Kedusha?

According to the Bais Yaakov of Izbitz on Parshas Vayikra, Kedusha is "hahefech midevarim shel mabakach."

If I want my life to have kedusha, I can't treat even the most "mundane" part of it as a "davar shel mabakach." "Mabakach" means something inconsequential, trivial, or meaningless. I tend to think that certain things I'm doing like eating, working, chopping tomatoes and cucumbers are inconsequential and therefore I don't put any thought or effort, spiritually speaking, into how or why I do them.

But kedusha means treating everything I do like a big deal. Rav Kook says that small people do even big things with "smallness." But big people (Gedolim) do even small things with bigness (gadlus).

So make every moment big!

-Dixie Yid