Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern at Lubavitcher Rebbe's Ohel w/MBD - Video

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Reb Itchie Mayer on Tu B'Av and Parshas Ve'eschanan

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Ve'eschanan and Tu B'Av, with English excerpt and full text in Hebrew in pdf form from Reb Itchie Mayer's Torah. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

Tu B’Av in Netzach and Yesod

The Arizal writes that the sefirah of Netzach is revealed on Tu B’Av.[1] Yet in another place he says that the sefirah of Yesod is revealed on that day.[2] The meaning of this apparent contradiction is that the fifteen of Av essentially relates to the sefirah of Yesod. We can understand this since many matches were finalized on this day. As our sages tell us, “The daughters of Yisrael would go out…”[3] Of course, a match requires a matchmaker. This “shadchan” is the sefirah of Netzach which literally means “victory” and connotes perseverance in the face of challenge. At first both parties to the match have doubts whether the other person is truly the right one. It is the determination of the shadchan that irons out the difficulties and completes the shidduch.

This is the strength of the true tzaddik who says, "גמרתי ואגמור"—“I have finished and I will finish.”[4] [The full quote of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov is, “I have been victorious and I will be victorious; I have finished and I will finish.”] This signifies that the main task of the tzaddik is to complete the shidduch between Hashem and the Shechinah. [The Shechinah signifies the revelation of Hashem’s presence in this material world through our actions, speech, and thoughts.

“Completing the shidduch between Hashem and the Shechinah” means that the Jewish people — and subsequently the entire world — attain a deep consciousness of Hashem in every action, word, and thought.] Even when there are many barriers, as the verse in our parshah states, “And Hashem was angry with me [Moshe Rabbeinu] because of you [the Jewish people],”[5] the tzaddik declares, “I have finished and I will finish.”

The task of every Jew is to enter into the aspect of Netzach, holy victory, which is above reason or one’s feelings of the moment. Commitment to victory imparts vast spiritual strength to achieve one’s goal. We can understand this from when a person is involved in a struggle with an antagonist; he will work hard and try any possible strategy to win. He will force himself to stay up long hours, day and night, until he defeats his nemesis. It is because the source of Netzach is above the mochin of Chochmah-Binah-Da’as, because its spiritual root transcend thought itself, that this attribute can awaken such astonishing strength of character. It is specifically through this characteristic that the tzaddikim succeed in completing the shidduch between ourselves and our Father in heaven.

[1] Pri Eitz Chaim, Mikrah Kodesh, Chapter 4
[2] Ibid, Sha'ar Chag Hashavuos, Chapter 1
[3] Taanis 31
[4] Chayei Moharan #218.
[5] Devarim 3:26

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Differentiating Between Chizuk & Flattery - Reb Itchie Mayer on Pinchas

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Pinchas, with English excerpt and full text in Hebrew in pdf form from Reb Itchie Mayer's Torah. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

Distinguishing between Avraham Avinu and Bilaam HaRasha

We find in the Mishnah in Avos: “What is the difference between the disciples of Avraham and the disciples of Bilaam…”[1] The Baal Shem Tov asked: why doesn’t the Mishnah discuss the difference between Avraham and Bilaam? Why focus only on their disciples? He explained that the difference between Avraham and Bilaam is not readily discernible in themselves, only in their disciples.

This seems very difficult to understand. How could we say that Bilaam could somehow be comparable to Avraham? The answer is that at times a true tzaddik will teach Torah that seems to be appropriate for the likes of Bilaam too, G-d forbid. The tzaddik may explain that even if a person has sinned and fallen to the worst levels of darkness and distance, even if he has sinned with every limb of his body, there is still hope for him. If he will connect to the tzaddik who truly recognizes Hashem and honestly believe in the unique oneness of Hashem, learning the holy works of the tzaddikim and internalizing their words, they will pull him out of the netherworld and purify him from all defilement. They can do this since they have the power to transform all sin to merit and every bad to good. At first glance, this sounds very much like what a Bilaam might say: “Don't worry about your sins, since everything is Elokus and can be transformed to good. You need not fast or do any kind of self-mortification or difficult exertions to serve Hashem. If you will just associate with a wise man and believe with your entire heart that everything is from Hashem, your sins will be forgiven and transformed to merits.”

When the tzaddik gives encouragement he can sound somewhat similar to the wicked person who claims that it doesn’t matter what you do. For this reason, a righteous person can easily be confused for a wicked one, and vice versa. How can one tell the difference?

The answer is to study their students. What is the practical end of the Torah of encouragement provided by the teacher? Do his students grow by truly focusing on Hashem and truly repent, or do they start off strong but eventually stagnate and fade to a place where their lifestyle is not in accordance with their purported goals? If the students use the encouragement as a way to fight Hashem by continuing to sin, this is a clear sign that their master is not as he should be. But if his encouragement inspires his students to live with Hashem, he will be purified of all his sins like a newborn. They will come to greater dveikus and change their ways for the better as a result of his encouragement.

[1] Avos 5:17

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Three Levels of Hurting Another - Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Behar-Bechukosai

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Bahar-Bechukosai, with English excerpt and full text in Hebrew in pdf form from Reb Itchie Mayer's Torah given in 5766. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

“And you shall not wrong one another, and you shall fear your G-d; for I am Hashem your G-d.”[1]

Three Levels of Ona’ah

We need to understand the relationship between the “wronging” of ona’ah—cheating, in other words—and avodas Hashem. In this world there are numerous levels of cheating oneself and others in spiritual matters. For example, there are those who persist in such cheating for many years and it never even occurs to them that they are only fooling themselves. A person can even live out his entire life and never realize that he is living a lie. This is why the verse tells us, “Do not wrong one another, and you shall fear your G-d...” Being truly G-dfearing means always asking myself the question, “Am I really living in accordance with Hashem’s will or am I just fooling myself?”

This concept of ona’ah is also relevant to one’s connection with the true tzaddik. Even after a person has sought out and drawn close to the tzaddik, nevertheless he might still be fooling himself because he is not really searching for the ultimate truth. [In other words, he is close but he is not really exerting himself to follow all of the advice of the tzaddik.] However, since the amount of the “cheating” is, “less than a sixth of the value of the item,” the transaction is valid. This halachic principle has a spiritual application: the aspect of klippas nogah that affects this pseudo-chassid is nullified because the predominant closeness to the tzaddik far outweighs the degree of falseness within himself. (Although such a person often falls into the trap of his yetzer, nevertheless his constant efforts to keep a connection with the tzaddik protects him from falling into nogah completely.)

If a person is not close to the tzaddik but still refrains from engaging in controversy against him, it is as though the false part in him is exactly a “sixth of his total value.” He is caught up in the klippas nogah still; he is far from the truth and remains in great spiritual danger. In the halachic parallel, even though he must restore the extra that he hoodwinked from his customer, the sale is still valid. Although he will have to go through a great deal [of painful re-education] to rid himself of the falseness and draw close to the truth, nevertheless the good that he did, his Torah and mitzvos, have eternal value. Yet there is a third person who actively engages in conflict with the tzaddik, and his “cheating” is “more than a sixth of the total value.” When a person makes machlokes on the true tzaddik, the falseness inside of him overwhelms the good, and he will have to go through as many reincarnations as it takes until he attains his tikkun. He does not have true ownership over his Torah and mitzvos [since all kinyanim are from the tzaddik], and his “sale is invalid.”[2]

The tzaddik is the “son who searches through the King’s treasuries.” There are those who can give lectures on the Torah’s secrets and Kabbalistic meditations on the Divine Names, yet nevertheless remain immersed in crass materialism. If, at the very least, they don’t fool themselves completely and still want the truth—that the light of the Torah and the light of the tzaddik should purify them—they are like the cheater whose ona’ah is less than a sixth of the total value. The tzaddik can still uplift them until they find their atonement. And even if such people speak a great deal about Kabbalah but are completely dishonest with themselves and others, as long as they do not engage in controversy against the tzaddik they can still find their tikkun.

If, however, a person argues against the power of kedushah altogether—as though he does not need the inner dimension of Torah or any connection with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, or even dveikus itself—and imagines that life in this world is altogether better without focusing on avodah at all, then his “transaction” is invalid, G-d forbid. In truth, there aren’t really people like this, because the Torah tells us clearly, “You are children to Hashem, your G-d.”[3] Every single Jew longs to nullify himself before Hashem, every single Jew wants to search through the King’s treasuries, to “see the countenance of the Master, Hashem.” “What does the verse mean when it refers to the ‘countenance of the Master, Hashem?’—this is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.”[4] Every single Jewish soul longs to be a part of the holy path of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the path of “seeing the countenance of the Master, Hashem.” It is the path of only wanting to achieve closeness to Hashem, and forgetting the pursuit of money and all of worldly desires. “My soul longs for G-d; when will I come and see the face of Hashem?”

“Blessed is our G-d who created us for His glory and gave us a Torah of truth.” ברוך אלקינו שבראנו—“Blessed is our G-d who created us”—has the initials באש—“in fire.” This is the fire of the holy Tanna, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who descended to this earth like a fiery angel from heaven to rescue the entire world from judgment and help us prepare ourselves to receive the Torah with fiery enthusiasm. The Mittler Rebbe of Lubavitch taught that Lag B’Omer is the main time to draw down chassadim for the entire year. The Chessed-conduct of the Shem HaVaYaH that is required to overcome the Din-conduct of nature and the Name Elokim is brought down by learning the Torah’s secrets. This was the path of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai—that the inner essence of reality should shine through its external covering so that we can see Hashem in everything. “Uncover [גל = ל"ג] my eyes and I will see wonders of Your Torah.” I will see נפלאות—wonders—which are נ' פלאות—the wondrous joining of Chochmah and Binah that happens when the fiftieth gate opens. These two paths parallel the two redeemers, Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid, and they are revealed when the light of the future world is made to shine.

[1] Vayikra 25:17
[2] Likutei Halachos, Hilchos Ona’ah 5:39
[3] Devarim 11:1
[4] Zohar II:38a

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Sefira and the Holiness of the Kohanim - Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Emor

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Emor, with English excerpt and full text in Hebrew in pdf form from Reb Itchie Mayer's Torah given in 5766. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

“And Hashem said to Moshe: Speak to the kohanim the sons of Aharon and say to them: None shall defile himself for the dead among his people except for his kin that is near to him; for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother; and for his unmarried sister that is near to him that has had no husband, for her may he defile himself. He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.”[1]

The Holiness of the Kohanim

Hashem sanctified the kohanim with an added measure of holiness, beyond that of the rest of the Jewish people, and also provided them with additional restrictions to safeguard their sanctity. It is impossible to advance and rise in one’s Divine service without developing extra precautions to guarantee the holiness and purity of one’s mind and actions. One must seek to add more kedushah and Divine awareness every single day, more careful avoidance of negative behavior—“to steer from evil”—and to enhance holiness—“and do good.”

This is the purpose of the Sefirah period, when we count the days after leaving Egypt, so that we can advance and rise and become fitting vessels to receive the Torah. And we accomplish this mainly by adding more and more safeguards to ensure our purity and holiness.

The Torah says, “And you shall count for yourselves”—we must do it for ourselves because each and every person has his own unique avodah to do during Sefirah, his own way in which he needs to enhance the safeguards of his kedushah. In this, each person is unique and has to develop his own unique method. Just as we find in Rebbe Nachman’s story, “The Sophisticate and the Simpleton.” The simpleton always says, “This is my story, and that is his story”—every person has to think about his own story and how to safeguard his own kedushah.[2]

The Fiftieth Gate

The overall purpose of Sefirah is to tread the path that leads to the fiftieth day so that we can receive the holiness of the fiftieth gate. This gate is different from the other forty-nine; instead of it being an aspect of “mitzvah,” the fiftieth is an aspect of “metzaveh”—“the One who commands.” While there is level after level of holiness to which one can aspire and endless avodos, the overarching level that transcends and includes them all is that of faith itself. When a person experiences a single moment of emunah, it encompasses everything in the world. That is the fiftieth gate; when a person knows that there is a Creator. This knowledge rectifies all flaws and includes all of the Torah.

This higher level is embodied in the twelve showbreads that were laid on the holy table and which remained hot and fresh the whole week long.[3] They were like the holiness of Shabbos itself, which is imbued with constantly fresh faith in the existence of the Creator. It is from this wellspring of faith that the soul is revived every single week; this point of faith is the pinnacle of holiness. It has to be kept warm and fresh, “Because it is not befitting the King’s honor to eat stale bread.” This is why the Shabbos avodah in the Beis Hamikdash involved the showbread specifically, because the “bread” of holy emunah has to be as warm and fresh as if it just came from the oven when it is replaced, “from Shabbos to Shabbos.” The twelve breads represent the twelve Partzufim of the world of Atzilus, the experience of absolute closeness to Hashem that is never static or stale.

Faith cannot be considered pure and true if it is stale and lifeless, if a person feels as though he has heard it all before and he know whatever there is to know about emunah. He needs to feel, instead, the heat of fresh enthusiasm filling him constantly, “Because it is not befitting the King’s honor to eat stale bread.” This renewal is the light of the fiftieth gate that shines on Shabbos, and it is the pinnacle of yichud that is the source of all forms of sanctity. And this is why the tzaddikim always sought out the light of the yichud of faith itself, because it rectifies everything and encompasses all of the Torah and all that is holy.

[1] Vayikra 21:1-4
[2] Reb Nosson of Breslov explains in Hilchos Pesach 4:22: “This is the meaning of the commandment, ‘Count for yourselves’—each person must count Sefiras Ha’omer for himself, meaning he must encourage himself in the state that he is at that time and must not allow himself to be discouraged by imagining that his contemporaries are so much better than him. Even though humility is a positive quality and it is good to consider others as being better than oneself, nevertheless if such thoughts make a person feel discouraged, G-d forbid, this is not true humility at all. It is an inverse form of pride, because he really feels that it isn’t betting for him to serve Hashem in some [small] way when he is so far from Him and his friends have achieved so much. One cannot second-guess Hashem; who knows what his spiritual source really is and from what places he has been drawn down due to his own unique deeds? For no two people are the same. When a person wants to leave his impure state, this is the aspect of counting Sefirah for it is, ‘that they should be purified.’ And one must count the days for himself, and not allow considerations of [the level of] his friend discourage him... As we find in the story of “The Sophisticate and the Simpleton.” The simpleton was a cobbler, but he was unable to master his craft completely and all of his shoes came out triangular in shape. Even so, he would praise the finished products very highly and say, ‘How lovely this shoe is...’ When his wife would retort, ‘If so, then why do other craftsmen receive three rubles for a pair of shoes, but you only earn one and a half rubles per pair?’ he would answer, ‘What has this to do with me? That is his story, and this is my story! And what’s more, why should we speak of others? Let us first consider just how much profit I make on this shoe in ready money. The leather costs so and so much...’ We must understand this very well, because everyone learns profound lessons that touch upon their Divine service from this story. One must act with simplicity and always be happy, even when poverty prevails and one’s prayer and Divine service is incomplete. One must be happy with his lot in any case and not pay any attention to others whose livelihoods are so much more secure... They may have much in a worldly sense and still suffer constant worry over what they lack. And even when others far surpass a person in their Divine service, in their Torah study and prayer, nevertheless one must not be discouraged at all but must instead rejoice in his lot. One must be just like the Simpleton who could taste the flavor of every food in his simple bread... That shoe that he slaved over and which turned out so imperfect and barely brought him a profit was nevertheless precious to him, and he praised it highly and paid no attention to others at all... Rebbe Nachman himself hinted that the metaphor of cobbling represents prayer and avodas Hashem, as he explained obliquely at the end of the story. ‘Even if prayer is imperfect, it is like a triangular shoe...’ We must act with utter simplicity, just like the Simpleton, and learn deep lessons from every single word and act of his in the story so that we can follow his path and rejoice constantly...in every single good point that he ‘profits’ in his prayer and Divine service, however he is.”
[3] Shmuel I:21:7; Yerushalmi, Shekalim 6:3

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Fish of the Sea - Reb Itchie Mayer on Shemini - Hebrew & English

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Shmini, with English excerpt and full text in Hebrew in pdf form and the English from Reb Itchie Mayer's Torah given in 5766. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

The “Fish of the Sea”

Moshe Rabbeinu’s primary avodah was that of Yesod Abbah. This is a very deep avodah, which represents the bliss of true connection with Hashem, at the level of thought which is not apparent to those around him. Moshe Rabbeinu was connected to the aspect of Abba / Chochmah, and experienced the bliss of complete nullification to Hashem. This is why Moshe was called one of the "נוני ים"—“the fish of the sea.” Just as fish exist in the obscurity of the water, so too was the avodah of Moshe Rabbeinu well hidden—just as the Yesod is hidden. [Note: This is true on a material level, because the foundation of a building is actually underground and is not seen at all. The aspect of personal purity associated with the sefirah of Yesod is likewise a hidden matter.] This avodah involved the contemplation of supernal yichudim with absolute concentration. This is the avodah of the true tzaddikim who are an aspect of oil, which is soundless and whose viscosity damps all sound.[1]

We are taught that there are two “foods” that will be served at the time of Moshiach: the Shor Habar and the Livyasan, the “wild ox” and the “leviathan.”[2] Moshe Rabbeinu is associated with the Livyasan, just as the tzaddikim are an aspect of the “fish of the sea.” [Note: this is one reason why we eat fish on Shabbos.[3]] Nadav and Avihu are aspects of the Shor Habar, an outer revealed avodah, of the tzaddik who is always going in the way of teshuvah. This tzaddik is always shining with the light of true connection. Everyone who sees this tzaddik knows he is connected to Hashem. The Shor Habar is an aspect of a revealed avodah, just as the “wild ox” walks about upon the open land.[4] [Note: The Ba’al Shem Tov taught that Moshe Rabbeinu was not necessarily recognizable as a tzaddik from the outside.]

The Marriage of Chochmah and Binah

Chazal taught that every fish that has scales has fins, but not all that have fins necessarily have scales.[5] Kaskeses, scales, are an aspect of appearances since they are the outer covering of the fish. This refers to one whose primary avodah is an aspect of Imma / Binah, always striving to draw closer to Hashem. Such a person surely has fins with which to swim in the upper worlds.[6] Nadav and Avihu were an aspect of Binah / teshuvah, and it suited their essence to imbibe wine. [Note: On a simple level this is because the avodah of continuous teshuvah makes one joyously excited, “drunk on holiness.”] Superficially, it seems difficult that Chazal say that Nadav and Avihu died because they entered the Mishkan after imbibing wine.[7] Wasn’t teshuvah created before the world?[8] Isn’t it the reason we will be redeemed[9]? Does not the Zohar state that the beis in the first word of the Torah represents teshuvah?[10]

This is all true. Nevertheless, they failed to consult with Moshe and Aharon. And they didn’t marry.[11] Marriage is the unification of the avodos of Chochma and Binah. Moshe and Aharon taught that one must imbue his teshuvah, his aspect of Binah, with his aspect of Chochmah, the depths of who he is, his innermost self or pintele Yid, and resolve to improve from that moment on. How can he really improve? By connecting with Hashem at all times. This accessing of the deepest parts of ourselves is symbolized by the letter yud. [Note: On a simple level, the yud represents Chochmah, the small seed of an idea that must gestate through other stages before it is fully born. The yud is the smaller letter, it is just a point, a pintele Yid, that represents self-nullification, or making oneself smaller, before Hashem. This self-nullification is the birthplace of all wisdom, since “wisdom comes forth from nothingness.”[12]] This is the yud that will be added to the name of Dovid Hamelech in the ultimate future. [Instead of spelling it "דוד" we will spell it "דויד".] Dovid is the archetype of teshuvah since he accepted upon himself the yoke of teshuvah.[13] This is the unification of Binah and Chochmah within one’s teshuvah, as explained earlier.

The truth is that the Jewish people will only be redeemed in the merit of their teshuvah, and we have been promised by the Torah and Hashem’s prophets that at the end of the exile the Jewish people will repent completely.[14] “And it will be, when all of these things come upon you… And you will return to Hashem your G-d and Hashem your G-d will restore your returning…”[15] However, genuine teshuvah is not the guilt and self-recrimination that brings a person to depression that distances him from Hashem and from fulfilling his true purpose in life. On the contrary, teshuvah is meant to bring a person to true dveikus in Hashem in the way of Dovid HaMelech who decreed that we recite one hundred blesseings every day so that we are always reminded of Hashem. This is an aspect of continuous teshuvah. This is the marriage of Chochmah and Binah.

[1] See Zohar Hakadosh, Vayikra 39a
[2] See Midrash Rabbah, Shmini, Parsha 13; Bava Basra 74b; Zohar Hakadosh, vol. I, 135b; and Ginzei Meromim on the verse: "אחד באחד יגשו".
[3] Kitzur Shelah and many other sources.
[4] See Likutei Torah, Parshas Shmini
[5] Chulin 59a
[6] See Likutei Torah, Parshas Shmini
[7] Vayikra Rabbah, 20
[8] Pesachim 54b
[9] Sanhedrin 97b and Rambam
[10] Zohar Shemos, 180b
[11] Medrash Tanchuma, Acharei Mos 6
[12] Iyov 28:12
[13] Moed Katan 16
[14] Rambam, Hilchos Teshuvah 7:5
[15] Devarim 4:30; 30:3

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The Four Questions - Exceprt & Hebrew & English From R' Itchie Mayer

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayikra, 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.

Whenever a person has doubts about whether his prayers are effective or not, he must hold strong to pure and simple faith. In truth, the Jewish people have an innate azus d’kedushah because they know with certainty that their prayers act as they should to draw down Hashem’s mercy and kindness because they are invigorated by their knowledge of the Torah and Hashem’s Name. This is what gives us strength and courage—it makes us like Boaz, “strength is in him.”

This is the inner meaning of the children having all of their questions answered, “Here the son asks,” this is the time when all that we ask for is answered for the good. This is the night when we receive an infusion of azus d’kedushah from above so that we can ask for all that we require materially and spiritually, so that we can conquer every battle without getting confused on whether what we seek is lishmah or not. These are the tools we need to receive the light of the redemption, and each person has unique holy sparks that only he needs to repair in order to help bring the geulah.

From where do we get this azus d’kedushah so that we can redeem prayer? From the Torah itself, which is the aspect of Rachel and which shines brightly on Pesach night. It illuminates prayer, and then this confident and strong prayer empowers the person to contemplate the light of G-dliness and the Torah alone. It is forbidden for a person to allow himself to fall into doubts about the efficacy of his prayer, because that is a sure path to melancholy and sadness since one must avoid speculation and philosophizing in the world of Asiyah completely. If one just holds strongly to his azus d’kedushah and the knowledge that every single word of prayer is precious and accepted, he will be able, in the merit of the tzaddikim, to draw down the light of Da’as and understand that his driving off the doubts was itself the holy spark that he needed to repair. This allows him to re-enter Hashem’s service with freshness and energy. On Pesach night, he can sit confidently like a little child who trusts that his parents will give him all the gifts—he will know with certainty that Hashem will provide him with all of the salvation that he requires. This is how Yosef saves Yehudah/Dovid.

Shabbos HaGadol

The Chasam Sofer taught that Shabbos HaGadol is particularly auspicious for the arrival of Moshiach. The K’sav Sofer explained that even though the Arizal taught that Eliyahu HaNavi will not come on Shabbos, nevertheless Moshiach will come before Shabbos and remain hidden until he is revealed on Shabbos. This Shabbos [before Pesach] is especially suited to the revelation of the concept of, “His Name is sure”—that the Jewish people have the ability to bring the redemption provided that they do not fall into doubts about the worthiness or effectiveness of their prayers. “His Name is sure”—we certainly can bring about the required salvation. In the merit of this faith, the redemption is drawn down.

This is the meaning of the haftarah of Shabbos HaGadol: that Hashem derives pleasure when a person connects with the holiness of prayer and doesn’t fall into the doubts of the world of Asiyah. Rather, the night of Pesach empowers him to attain clear and pure faith that Hashem hears ours prayers. This is why the redemption really depends on achieving a yichud in the world of Asiyah, which in turn strengthens us to beg for the redemption just as they cried out in Egypt. “And we will cry out to Hashem our G-d, and Hashem will hear our voices and see our affliction.”

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The Small Alef in Vayikra - Reb Itchie Mayer on the Parsha - Hebrew & English PDFs

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayikra, 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.

“And Hashem called to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying...”[1]

The Small Alef

The Arizal revealed that he achieved all that he did by virtue of the joy he felt in fulfilling mitzvos.[2] He was as supremely happy with every single mitzvah that he fulfilled as a person would be if he had profited by a million golden dinars. In the merit of this joy, all of the worlds opened before him and he was privileged to ascend and travel through all of them, from level to level. In this way, his soul was completely incorporated within the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu.

Similarly, the holy Baal Shem Tov—about whom Rav Mendel of Vitebesk testified that he was absolutely unique, and there had never been nor ever would be another like him—rose to all of the limitless levels that he did by virtue of being completely at one with every single Jewish soul.

These traits—joy in mitzvos and unity with other Jews—are both expressed by the small alef of the initial word of Vayikra. The small alef symbolizes being small in one’s own estimation in comparison with every other Jew, no matter who he might be. One cannot just remember that there is a mitzvah of ahavas Yisrael when someone is ill or tragedy strikes, G-d forbid. Even though it is true that, at such times, the bond between Jews is sparked into life, nevertheless this is not true love of one’s fellow Jew. The Baal Shem Tov achieved all that he did because he honored every single Jew with total self-nullification, and it was this that brought him to complete incorporation within the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu to whom the little alef of Hashem’s call referred directly. He sought to embody the little alef absolutely. As the Zohar teaches, “He who is small is great [רב]”—by making oneself small before everyone, one becomes incorporated within the truly great, the true Rav.

For us this means that we must also strive to think little of ourselves in comparison with others and not to cause any kind of pain or suffering to any Jew. Quite the contrary; we must be willing to sacrifice ourselves for their sake, and this is the uppermost yechidah aspect of one’s soul—to suffuse the soul of every single Jew you meet with joy and vitality, no matter who he is. Although, on the surface, this might appear to be a level that everyone can easily reach, it is not so simple. The alef means to teach[3]—humility demands great study and is not a simple avodah at all. To really intensify one’s love of his fellow Jews every single day and unite with all of their souls is a very deep kind of learning, and it was this that opened all of the gateways of heaven before the Baal Shem Tov just as simchah shel mitzvah had for the Arizal. One must actively contemplate and delve into the good that is in every single Jew.

The Baal HaTanya teaches that all of the Torah’s secrets are a manifestation of Chochmah, and the light of dveikus and experiencing delight in Hashem’s presence is a manifestation of Kesser. We have a general principle in Kabbalah that when one reaches a higher level, one automatically attains all of the levels below it. For this reason, when a person really takes pleasure in Hashem’s presence in a holy way of dveikus, he naturally also experiences the light of Chochmah. In just this way did the Baal Shem Tov attain all of the levels—by binding himself to the light of Kesser which is a “lover of all of Yisrael.” This bound him to each and every Jew, and once he was attached to the root of everything, he also merited the light of all of the other sefiros.

Rav Avraham b’Rav Nachman taught that this is why Moshiach is called “Prince of Peace.” Ultimately, Hashem will open all of the heavenly gates before Moshiach by virtue of his being a tzaddik who constantly seeks to foster peace among all Jews. The Baal Shem Tov shared a soul-root with Moshe because his main focus was also the avodah of the “small alef,” and in its merit he was privileged to hear Hashem “call to Moshe.”

[1] Vayikra 1:1
[2] Mishnah Berurah 669:10
[3] Iyov 33:33

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Theft of the Ox or the Sheep - Reb Itchie Mayer on Parshas Mishpatim

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Mishpatim, 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.

Whenever the tzaddikim fall to the level of learning Torah not for its own sake, the result is that the simple people descend to the level of, “If a man shall steal an ox or sheep, and slaughter it, and sell it...”[1] The verse has a hidden meaning: that the yetzer hara snatches a person and places him under its power, and it “slaughters” him—the person sinks into the lusts of this world—and “sells” him—the person falls into the lust for money. Even though the person still appears to be studying Torah and praying, nevertheless he has been “sold” to a foreign people, to the lust for money and honor. The halachah demands that the thief “pay four or five times”—and this too has a hidden meaning. The “four” represents the dalet of the name Dovid, and the “five” stands for the yud of Yosef. When the yud is inserted into the dalet, it forms the letter hei, which equals five.

How is the fallen situation to be rectified? The tikkun is found through discovering the inner meaning of the laws pertaining to Jewish slaves, maidservants, and Canaanite slaves. The Jewish maidservant represents the world of Beriyah, the Jewish slave parallels the world of Yetzirah, and the Canaanite slave the world of Asiyah. Hashem instructed Moshe to deal with these souls from the lower worlds of BY”A and raise their lower and more external forms of avodah up to his own level of avodah in the world of Atzilus. The avodah of Asiyah—acceptance of the yoke of the commandments—that of Yetzirah—the emotions of Divine love and fear—and that of Beriyah—mental contemplation of Divine love and fear—all have to be vitalized and uplifted by the highest and innermost avodah of Atzilus and self-nullification that is the level of Moshe Rabbeinu.[2]

Most people only serve Hashem at the lower and more superficial level of BY”A, they “eat and drink,” and this is why they don’t even realize that the sitra achra has “made off with them” and caused them to forget [גניבת דעת is literally, “stolen their minds”] that there is a higher form of avodah of the world of Atzilus. But we learn in the deeper Kabbalistic works that there is a process known as the “development of the Partzufim,” which means that through development of the higher levels, the lower and more external levels are influenced for the good and also evolve. So even if a person has fallen at the lower levels, if he develops the higher level within himself that corresponds to Atzilus, he will find that he will be able to repair the damage that he caused in his personal worlds of Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah.

[1] Shemos 21:37
[2] Derech Mitzvosecha, Mitzvas Yei’ud

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The Avodah of Tu B’Shevat - Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on B'Shalach

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

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Va'eira - pdf & English Translation

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayigash, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form

We have a tradition from the Baal Shem Tov that when a tzaddik is occupied with the more external avodah of banishing the klippos from below by raising up a holy fire from below, even though he is simultaneously occupied with the internal avodah of bitul, he still must descend to the state of katnus or lo lishmah. This does not mean that his Divine service is actually not for the sake of heaven, rather, he enters somewhat into the aspect of doing it for his own sake in order to magnify the power of his will and desire, since the external avodah of Aharon HaKohen depends on longing and on the will. That lo lishmah aspect of desire is harnessed by the tzaddik to fire the external avodah, even as his internal avodah of bitul renders the klippah powerless to draw him into self-seeking. While he holds onto the “staff of Moshe” within, he is able to grasp onto the “staff of Aharon” which devours all of the serpents and snakes of impure desires that could otherwise occupy the human will. This idea finds expression in a teaching of the Vilna Gaon, that whenever a person sees Torah scholars who seem to have a will and desire that is not lishmah, he should understand that it is only a kind of external parallel to the deep longing and desire that a tzaddik has to connect with Hashem when he learns His Torah.

For this reason, “A person should always study Torah [even] not lishmah...”[1] Even though the tzaddik is entirely l’shem shomayim in his innermost being, nevertheless he must descend to the state of katnus externally in order to magnify his longing and desire, which is an aspect of lo lishmah. He refines his desires through the power of his trust in Hashem to make them overcome any desire associated with the klippah.

The main power that the serpent and idolatry has over a person is that he should believe that he can have anything [material] that he wants. So Aharon HaKohen grabs hold of the staff that turns into a serpent in his hands—he capitalizes on all of the external forces of desire for the purpose of avodah—while filled with trust in Hashem. Then all of the force of the will that might be directed toward impurity is null and void in comparison with the longing that he has to raise up an eternal flame before his Creator. Then, when the serpent has turned back into a staff (as Rashi explains), it completely devours all of the impure serpents that had been in the hands of the sorcerers of Egypt.

[1] Nazir 23b

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Vayigash - English Excerpt & Full Text

Sorry for the delay but here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayigash, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form.

“Then Yehudah approached him, and said: ‘Oh my lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying: Have you a father, or a brother? And we said unto my lord: We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.”

Rashi explains: “‘And [Yehudah] approached him...speak a work in my lord’s ears’—May my words enter your ears. ‘And let not your anger burn’—From here we learn that he spoke harshly to him. ‘For you are even as Pharaoh’—Its simple meaning is that you are as important in my eyes as Pharaoh. The Midrash teaches that, ‘Your end will be to be struck with leprosy just like Pharaoh was by my grandmother Sarah, for having kept her over one night.’ Another interpretation is, ‘Just as Pharaoh makes decrees that he doesn’t fulfill and promises that he doesn’t keep, so do you. Is this what you call “placing an eye” upon someone, that you said that you only want to “place your eye on him?”’ Another interpretation is, ‘You are just like Pharaoh—if you fight with me, I will kill both you and your master.’”

We find in the Zohar on the opening verse of this week’s parshah: “‘And Yehudah approached him’—Two worlds approached one another, to join one to the other so that they would become one, because Yehudah is a king and Yosef is a king. One came close to the other and they were joined one to the other.” This indicates that at the time of Yehudah’s approach toward Yosef, they were united. Yet this appears to contradict the Midrash that Rashi cites, that Yehudah spoke harshly to Yosef and went on the defensive with him.

...The path of contemplative avodah that leads to complete self-forgetting within Hashem’s light is that of Yosef HaTzaddik who reveals the “white light.” The path of contemplation in the manner of tzimtzum—meditation upon the limits and boundaries that serve to further adorn and highlight that which is limitless—is the path of Dovid HaMelech who reveals the “black light.” These are the two “worlds approaching one another, the two pathways of Yehudah and Yosef that one must know and appreciate individually as well as in conjunction with one another. Anyone who does not know how to join them has spiritually descended to Mitzrayim. Exclusive focus on Yehudah-type fiery yearning and effort will deprive him of serenity in his avodah, while exclusive focus on the cool meditative waters of Yosef will sap him of the ability to expend effort in avodah so that he will not be able to achieve completion. This inevitably leads to dissatisfaction and joylessness in his Divine service.

...After all of the contemplation and meditation and dveikus, everything must return to the state of self-nullification, to the “black fire” of realizing that no matter how much one apprehends G-dliness, it is all black and occluded when compared with the truth of Hashem’s light, which is beyond all apprehension.[1] When a created being comes to realize its nothingness and limitation, this realization becomes a vessel that can contain a spirit of prophecy, so that Hashem’s spirit can dwell within him. All the while that a person believes that he actually has the power to achieve closeness to Hashem through his own efforts and does not realize how dependent he is on Hashem’s mercy, he has no proper vessel in which to draw down a spirit of life and vitality from Hashem. He therefore must “return to dust,” to the aspect of Malchus, and understand that all of the levels that he can possibly reach are only reflections of the light that Hashem reveals, but they are as null and void when compared with the truth of Hashem’s light.

[1] Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun #70

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Kavanah For Lighting the Menorah on Parshas Mikeitz - R' Itchie Mayer Morgenstern

Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Mikeitz and Chaunkah, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form, just in time for the last day of Chanukah!

Even when a person seeks dveikus [Yosef] with all of his might, he still requires the level of Dovid-Yehudah [desire] to complete his Divine service. Although Yosef was kodesh kodashim, all the while that he was separate from Yehudah’s aspect he could not leave his imprisonment. Even when a person seeks the spiritual pleasures of the level of Chochmah, he still must be filled with yearning to access true closeness to Hashem. Avshalom is an example of a person who accessed the level of Chochmah without yearning for further improvement and closeness to Hashem. He had a “bad eye,” or a negative attitude that tainted his imagination. This made him unworthy of ascension to the throne of Dovid-Yehudah.[1] Clearly, we too must take care to always work on strengthening our yearning for holiness. Without its force, we run the risk of remaining fools who wander around spiritually without ever really achieving anything lasting.

Every desire for holiness is a form of prayer before Hashem. This is how Rav Pinchas of Koretz explains the folk adage of his day: “If a person’s house burns down, he’ll become wealthy.” This is because when people see how miserable he is, their hearts go out to him. They then feel a strong desire that he recover from his personal catastrophe. These desires act as petitions before Hashem, and sometimes they are so abundant that they transform the sufferer into a wealthy man.

Rebbe Nachman teaches a similar concept, but he explains that the desire is much more powerful when one expresses it in words, since it actually assumes the character of prayer. After a Jew reaches the aspect of mikeitz-kamatz, he arrives at the next level: “And Pharaoh dreamed.” This means that he accessed the positive aspect of the imaginative faculty which is the avodah of Yosef who was called, “master of dreams.”[2] At this level, one is able to make yichudim, holy unifications, in his thoughts.

The main avodah of Chanukah is to draw down the light of Hashem into our every limb, in the manner of the yichud of ner. This yichud is composed of combining each of the Divine Names EHYH, ELHIM, and ADNI with the Sheim HaVaYaH. The first combination with אהי"ה represents CHaBaD; the second with אלהי"ם alludes to CHaGaT; and the third with אדנ"י to NH”Y. These six Names have a total numerical value of 250, the same as that of נ"ר, or candle. [יהו"ה = 26; 3 x 26 = 72; אהי"ה = 21; אלהי"ם = 86; אדנ"י = 65; the total including another 6 for the kollel of each of the six sheimos = 250] This is the yichud that we make by lighting the Chanukah candles.[1]

Practically, this means that through the lights of Chanukah we purify ourselves from our desire for food which corresponds to CHaBaD, for money which corresponds to CHaGaT, and from our base urges which correspond to NH”Y. [On a simple level, this is because one eats with his mouth which is in his head which is the seat of the mentalities of CHaBaD, one does business transactions with his hands which is in the realm of the torso of CHaGaT, and the baser urges are sourced in the lower realm from the waist down.] Our task when we light the menorah is to beg Hashem to bless us with true purity in these areas. We must take pleasure in Hashem and also feel a powerful yearning to increase in holiness, just as we light another candle each night of Chanukah.

[1] Pri Eitz Chaim, Chanukah
[2] Likutei Moharan, loc cit.
[3] Ibid

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Vayishlach - Excerpt & Full PDFs

Below is an excerpt from the English translation of the drasha given by Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Vayishlach. Below that are links to download the full Hebrew and/or English translation texts in pdf format...

"וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר. וַיַּרְא כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ, וַיִּגַּע בְּכַף-יְרֵכוֹ;
וַתֵּקַע כַּף-יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּהֵאָבְקוֹ עִמּוֹ."

“And Yaakov was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Yaakov’s thigh was strained as he wrestled with him.”[1]

Rashi explains: “‘And Yaakov remained’—he returned to retrieve some small vessels he had forgotten. ‘And there wrestled [וַיֵּאָבֵק] a man’—Menachem explains this word means that Yaakov got dusty from the dirt [אבק] that got kicked up during their struggle. But I think this comes from the Aramaic word that means to bind oneself to another, since this is the way of two people when they fight. They grapple with each other, each attempting to fell his opponent. Our rabbis teach that this was Eisav’s heavenly counterpart, his “angel.”

The Tzaddik without Arms and the Tzaddik without Feet

Rebbe Nachman teaches in the “Seven Beggars,” which is the last of his remarkable tales, that there are two different types of tzaddikim. The first tzaddik is “without hands.” [Because of the illusory nature of this world, he appears to be deficient in the attribute that he has actually perfected. This tzaddik actually has wondrous spiritual power in his hands.] The task of this tzaddik is to heal the princess [the Jewish soul, the Shechinah] from the arrows shot at her even after they have already inflicted harmful wounds. This tzaddik alludes to Moshiach ben Yosef who embodies the general level of chayah. [Chayah is equivalent to Chochmah; it is the intense vitality and spiritual wakefulness that is the gift of Chochmah.]
This is the secret of the Tikkun HaKlali, the “general remedy” that expresses the fourfold song that will be sung in the ultimate future. This new song is described in the Tikkunei Zohar as a “single, double, triple, and quadruple song.”[2]

Rebbe Nachman did not speak at length about the second tzaddik “without legs,” but Rav Avraham ben Rav Nachman reveals that the beginning of the story sheds light on his task at the end. In the beginning of the story, we find that the prince fell to heresy. We see that the tzaddik without legs is Moshiach ben Dovid whose task will be to cure the King’s son of the ills of apostasy.

These two aspects allude to the two major klippos that cause Jewish souls to sin. The first attacks Yesod / Foundation and breaches personal purity and is symbolized by serpents. The task of Moshiach ben Yosef is to heal Jewish souls of these blemishes that are known as “snake venom.” He must inject powerful sanctity in us all to counter all such negative effects. The second aspect of Moshiach ben Dovid will rectify blemishes in Malchus [accepting Hashem’s Kingship], which are the many heresies and negative philosophies that abound. This second evil is stronger than the first and is much harder to heal.

The Arizal taught that the supernal light of Chanukah and Purim rectify both blemishes of the wound of Yaakov through the powers of Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid.

The Avodah of Chanukah: Moshiach ben Yosef

On Chanukah our task is to gaze at the candles and contemplate that the entire creation is from Hashem, since nothing exists but Him. We must think about this deeply until we are filled with a powerful yearning to serve Hashem through “running and returning.”

We must remember that the candles are ideally lit with olive oil that has been “crushed to give light.” This means experiencing the passionate subsuming of the self within the absoluteness of Hashem so that one becomes willing to sacrifice himself to serve Hashem with holy fire. At the same time, we must ascend and be included with the Primal Cause and feel the pleasure of connection with Him.

One who follows this path will stop falling prey to his physical desires, since what is really drawing a person to indulge is the G-dliness that is trapped within physical reality. The moment that tzaddikim feel drawn to partake of an unnecessary physical pleasure, they transform the impulse into a vessel that receives the light of Hashem. Through self-sacrifice, they merit the deep pleasure of oneness with Hashem. And the more material and slowly the craving, the stronger the vessel forged by rejecting it with self-sacrifice. The more that evil tries to entice a person and prevent him from ascending on high, the more his fiery yearning makes a ner tamid, an eternal flame, that embodies both nullification of the self and taking pleasure in the Creator.

Devarim 4:35
Bereishis 32:25-26
Tikkunei Zohar, pg.
21b. See Likutei Moharan II:24 and 92
[1] Bereishis 32:25-26
[2]
Tikkunei Zohar, pg. 21b. See Likutei Moharan II:24 and 9

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Vayeitzei

Below is an excerpt from the English translation of the drasha given by Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Vayeitzei. Below that are links to download the full Hebrew and/or English translation texts in pdf format...

“And Yaakov went out from Be’er Sheva and went toward Charan. And he touched upon the place, and he tarried overnight, for the sun set suddenly. And he took from stones of that place and placed them beneath his head, and he lay down to sleep in that place.”[1]

Uniting the Stones

Rashi explains that Yaakov placed the stones beneath his head to form a protective barrier since he was afraid of wild animals. The stones began to bicker among themselves, since each stone wanted the exclusive honor of supporting the head of the tzaddik. Hashem immediately joined them together as one stone, as we see from the verse that follows: "וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הָאֶבֶן אֲשֶׁר-שָׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו"—“And he took the stone that he had placed beneath his head...”[2]

Rashi explains that the words, “And he lay down to sleep in that place,” are meant as a qualifier—Yaakov lay down to sleep in that place, but during the entire duration of his fourteen-year hiatus in the yeshiva of Shem and Ever, he did not lay down to sleep. [This means that during his time with Shem and Ever, he did not sleep in a designated place, but rather would fall asleep briefly over his studies when he had no more strength to learn, and only in order to renew himself for further study.]

The second statement of Rashi seems very difficult. How can we say that Yaakov, the vehicle for the Tiferes of Atzilus,[3] [which is the spiritual source of Torah[4]] stopped learning and went to sleep? Surely, just as he never forgot Torah for an instant for the fourteen years he was in yeshiva, he would never knowingly disrupt his thoughts from their involvement in Torah? The answer to this question is that even Yaakov’s sleep was an aspect of Torah. The Tikkunei Zohar teaches that this is the deeper meaning of the words of the verse, "וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא"—“And he lay down in the place.”[5] The word ישכב—“lay down”—spells יש כ"ב—“there are twenty-two.” This refers to the twenty-two letters of the Alef Beis that form the Torah through which Hashem created the world. [In the Sefer Yetzirah, these are called “twenty-two stones”—the essential building blocks of creation.] Yaakov went to sleep in the place of these twenty-two letters.

This is similar to the statement of Rav Michel Zlotchover regarding his slumber. “I have never been in the state of oblivion that most people call sleep. Whenever I go to sleep I have an aliyas neshamah, my soul ascends to the upper realms on high.”

The deeper works explain that the verse, "אָכֵן יֵשׁ ה' בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְאָנֹכִי לֹא יָדָעְתִּי"—“Surely Hashem is in this place, and I knew it not”— indicates that until that time Yaakov had not understood just how much a person can grasp of Hashem while he sleeps.[6]

[1] Bereishis 28:10-11
[2] Ibid., 28:18
[3] Zohar I:157b
[4] Ramak in Tomer Devorah
[5] Ibid., 28:11
[6] See the Baal Shem Tov Al HaTorah and the Ohev Yisrael on this verse.

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Toldos- Excerpt & Full PDFs

Below is an excerpt from the English translation of the drasha given by Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Toldos. Below that are links to download the full Hebrew and/or English translation texts in pdf format...

Parshas Toldos

The first step is to follow the way of Yaakov. We all must “sit in the tents of Shem,” study Torah and pray with intense dveikus with our Creator. But this is not enough to imbue a person with a spirit of prophecy. One can only really become holy by drawing down the illumination that he grasps with his mind and using that light to sanctify the material reality, which is Eisav’s realm. This entails binding our hearts with Hashem even while we are occupied with physical activities, and it is one of the hardest avodos. We must sanctify our thoughts while we are involved in the pleasures of this world, and this can only be attained through continuous effort by knocking on the gates of holiness with real obstinacy. We must be willing to wait until the gates open and we are afforded truly deep dveikus, since it is not enough to be satisfied with a lower level of dveikus which is easily attained. We all must toil to grasp a very deep and meaningful dveikus with Hashem in our innermost being.

The first step towards attaining this dveikus is to focus on it during prayer, since one is closest to entering the gates of connection with Hashem at that time. Once the spirit of Hashem rests on a person during prayer it is much easier to learn Torah with fiery enthusiasm and dveikus too. This is in keeping with Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev’s statement that if one recites Shacharis with abundant vitality and dveikus, the Torah he subsequently learns will also be imbued with fervor and freshness.

But what is one to do if his prayers were not filled with dveikus? In that case he must make an even greater effort to at least learn Torah with passionate attachment to Hashem. When a person consistently learns and prayes with dveikus and focuses on the Divine Names formed by every word of Torah and prayer, he will be filled with the light of ruach hakodesh, of Divine inspiration. However, even this is still not enough to merit redemption. The redemption will only come when true prophecy is restored to us. Prophecy means that the light of Hashem rests on a person’s physical body so that he purifies the entire material reality, since his every act is for the sake of heaven.

This is why the soul of Dovid HaMelech was originally hidden in Edom, as indicated by the name Admoni which signifies Edom. But the Shelah HaKadosh teaches that he is the positive manifestation of Edom, unlike Eisav.[1]

[This is the meaning behind Yaakov’s donning Eisav’s “desirable garments” that he had stolen from Nimrod so that he could receive the blessing from Yitzchak.] We all must elevate the aspect of Edom which is represented by the physical body, since it is only through the physical that we build vessels to receive the light of prophecy. We must purify even the lowest aspects of physicality through an intensely powerful dveikus from the innermost depths of our being. This is because the more corporeal something is, the higher the light that is necessary to sanctify it.

[1] See Shelah Hakadosh, Bereishis, Parshas Vayeishev, #9

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Vayeira - Excerpt & Full Text

The following is a section from Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's drasha from this past week on Parshas Vayeira. You can get the links to download the full pdf versions of the write-up of these shiurim in both Hebrew and in English translation below:

People tend to stumble through the physical world like blind men who walk in darkness. As a result of the great impurity that pervades the physical world, we are like a חולה—a sick person—which itself has a numerical value of forty-nine, the forty-nine gates of impurity that affect us all in one way or another. When a person who is bound to impurity learns Torah and prays, he does this in a very dry manner, with no vitality or light. It is for this reason that Avraham Avinu commanded us to be like angels in the way we have already described until Hashem “appears to us,” “visits the sick,” and delivers us by lifting us up from the forty-nine gates of Binah to the fiftieth gate. This is the only way to be truly freed from the deep darkness of the physical world—by powerful contemplation of Hashem’s Name in the manner of the fiftieth gate of Binah.

Rav Tzaddok HaKohen of Lublin teaches that after Hashem appeared to Avraham in the beginning of our parshah he was never again alone, since Hashem’s Presence accompanied him everywhere afterward. Hashem blessed Avraham with the ability to draw the revelation of Elokus into the oral Torah.[1] It is about this blessing that our sages commented on the verse, "הוֹשִׁבַנִי בְמַחֲשַׁכִּים"—“He has set me in dark places...”[2] Every Jew can follow Avraham’s legacy and perceive Hashem at all times, and especially when he is learning or praying, since Yitzchak inherited this from his father and passed it on to his son Yaakov. This is the meaning of the Midrash on the verse, "וְיִתֶּן-לְךָ הָאֱלֹקִים"—“‘And G-d will give you...’—He will give you Elokus.”[3] This indicates that Hashem enabled Yaakov and his descendants to cleave to Hashem at all times.

But this level cannot be attained all at once. Instead, one must slowly eject the darkness that is within him until he escapes the upheaval of the spiritual state of Sodom. As we find in the verse, "וּמְשַׁחֲרַי יִמְצָאֻנְנִי"—“Those who rise early diligently to seek Me will find Me.”[1] If we truly seek the Shechinah we will eventually merit to find Hashem.

[1] Mishlei 8:17

[1] Pri Tzaddik, Vayeira, #7
[2] Tehillim 143:3
[3] Bereishis 27:28; Bereishis Rabbah loc cit

Click on the following links to get the full pdf text of Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayeira:

Toras Chochom on Vayeira
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Marching Toward Eretz Yisroel - R' Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Lech Lecha

The following is a section from Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's drasha from this past week on Parshas Lech Lecha. You can get the links to download the full pdf versions of the write-up of these shiurim in both Hebrew and in English translation below:

The entire Torah is actually the word of Hashem cloaked in a seemingly physical form but which reaches the supernal worlds. The garments that reach the three lower worlds are the halachos, the pilpulim (complex reasonings), and the dikdukim (detailed exegesis). It is only through these aspects that the supernal worlds and all souls are rectified. But there is an even higher level of connection, the aspect of Atzilus, which one can access through the vital emunah that is hidden within. Our avodah is to attain the deep pleasantness and sweetness of the Torah, which is the source of our souls. Through this pleasantness we draw down such a deep illumination that we merit to receive the entire Torah. But one who does not strive to access this higher level will not truly attain the Torah.

This is the deeper meaning of Rashi who tells us that it is specifically through traveling to Eretz Yisrael that we merit “children,” that our Torah bears fruit through feeling a deep pleasure in our learning. It is only on this level that one truly attains a complete knowledge of the Torah.

“Every Step I Take is Toward Eretz Yisrael”

When a person first tries to turn his path toward Eretz Yisrael, however, the forces of evil tell him that he will never attain true mastery of the revealed Torah if he makes dveikus through Torah his goal. Since the way to Eretz Yisrael “diminishes children,” this can mean that one risks losing the revealed aspects of Torah that are symbolized by children since the offspring of the righteous are their good deeds. Another way to understand this is that the evil within argues that focus on dveikus will cause one to do less good deeds than if he would just act without trying to maintain any special intentions.

Another potential danger of the path to Eretz Yisrael could be that through focusing on dveikus one’s good name will suffer. [What will people think if he suddenly starts to serve Hashem with his entire heart? He might not fit in with the crowd, and this would tarnish his reputation.] Surely one who feels degraded will be unable to truly connect to Hashem anyway, since one’s name represents his mission in life. In addition, the yetzer claims that too much focus on the spiritual could make him lose his livelihood.

Hashem counters all of these claims by promising Avraham that his journey will bring him children, wealth, and renown. It is incumbent on every Jew to do some serious self-searching. Why doesn’t he feel the powerful light and vitality of focusing on the holy Names of Hashem? Why isn’t he like the holy tzaddikim who ascended to Eretz Yisrael?

Toras Chochom on Lech Lecha
Toras Chochom on Lech Lecha in English

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