Rav Moshe Weinberger - Shalosh Seudos Drasha - Parashas Shemini 5752

Below is a write-up of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Seudos drasha from this Shabbos, Parshas Shemini. You can see past write-ups of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Sheudos Torahs here and get thousands of his shiurim in mp3 format at ravmosheweinberger.com.

Rav Moshe Weinberger
Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Shemini 5752

Reb Moshele Vishnitzer: Being truly "alive".

(Original text of the Maadanei HaShulchan (Shemini p.67) is in regular font. Rav Weinberger’s comments are in italics)

Reb Moshele of Vishnitz זצ״ל was recently niftar and they have started to print out his torahs. He was a Gaon in learning and in Avodah and hopefully we'll see a lot more of them coming out soon. This torah gave me a lot of Chizuk.

He starts by bringing down a torah from his ancestor Reb Mendele Vishnitzer zy"a.

My holy zaidy the Tzemach Tzaddik זי״ע comments on the passuk in our parsha (Vayikra 18:47) "להבדיל בין הטמא ובין הטהור ובין החיה הנאכלת ובין החיה אשר לא תאכל" (To distinguish between the impure and the pure, between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten). The commentaries have been bothered about the passuk seeming out of order. The first section opens with "the impure", but the last section opens with "the animal that may be eaten", meaning "the pure". We would have expected the last section to also open the with "the animal that may not be eaten", and only then "the animal that may be eaten", as in the initial order.

We can explain that true "life" cannot derive it's meaning exclusively from this world. If we draw all our "chiyus" (life-force) from physical things, from objects, from finite things, from money and honor, from all those "weekday" (וואכענדיגע) things, then you can't really call that "life". Rather one is just walking around in the world, just going here and there. The opposite of this is one that draws his "chiyus" from eternal things. Hashem Yisborach is eternal, the Torah is eternal, the Mitzvos are eternal. This is a completely different path, the one of real true "Life". 

Of course we have to eat and do all kinds of other physical and material things, but that's not what being "alive" is about.

This is "להבדיל בין הטמא ובין הטהור" (To distinguish between the impure and the pure). Where do we see the difference? "ובין החיה הנאכלת" (between the animal that may be eaten), "חיה" (lit. Animal) comes from the word "חי" (alive). If his "chiyus" comes from the things that are "eaten" (that are consumed and disappear), he is in the aspect of "הטמא" (impure) as it's written at the beginning of the passuk. He lives in a world of foolishness. "ובין החיה אשר לא תאכל" (the animal that may not be eaten), if his "chiyus" comes from things that are eternal, things that are "not eaten" (eg. Torah learning; serving Hashem, Tefilah; good deeds; rectifying our Middos; sensibility for the holiness of Shabbos, not simply knowing that it's the seventh day of the week) he is then in the aspect of "הטהור" (pure). He is a pure creation and is truly "alive". This is why the passuk brings first "ובין החיה הנאכלת" (between the animal that may be eaten), and only later "ובין החיה אשר לא תאכל" (the animal that may not be eaten).

 If we were to ask anyone if they want to "live", he would obviously answer "yes". However, if we were to ask him what is he doing about it? The answer would be that he is taking some kind of medication or a natural remedy, or something similar (he is probably speaking about medications for anxiety and depression. Note of the translator) however this can still not be called "life".

When I was young I remember hearing in the news about these new units in the police department. They would spend thousands of dollars training these guys to go and convince people to come down before jumping off a bridge. It doesn't matter how much money you spend, it's not going to make any of those people feel any more "alive" inside. The question will always be: "now that I'm not dead, why an I alive?".

I have spoken about this to explain the nusach of the "Blessing of the Month" in the prayer service. "חיים של ברכה, חיים של פרנסה, חיים של עושר וכבוד, חיים של חילוץ עצמות" (a life of blessing, a life of sustenance, a life of wealth and honor, a life of physical health). But when it comes to Torah it's written "חיים שתהא בנו אהבת תורה" (a life where in which we will have a love of Torah). And regarding Yiras Shamoyim (fear of heaven) it's written "חיים שיש בהם יראת שמים ויתר חטא" (a life in which there is fear of heaven and fear of sin). We have to question why the language is changed for these requests and not the others. Why do we not say "חיים של אהבת תורה ויראת שמים" (a life of love of Torah and fear of Heaven)? The answer is that regarding material things we ask the we should receive an abundance of wealth and honor. But even if we end up not being deserving of them, we will still have a "life". However if we don't have a love of Torah and fear of Heaven we don't have a "life".

What is "life"? "שיש בהם יראת שמים ויראת חטא" (a life in which there is fear of heaven and fear of sin). "A life". But what is "life"? "שתהא בנו אהבת תורה ויראת שמים" (a life in which we will have a love of Torah and fear of Heaven). Because without them it can't be called a "life" at all. A person can deceive himself into thinking that he is "alive", but it's just an empty dream. Without fear of Heaven, it's not part of the concept of "life".

The  Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh explains the passuk in parshas Nitzavim (30:19) "ובחרת בחיים למען תחיה אתה וזרעך" (choose life so that you may live, you and your offspring). And what is the purpose of such a "life"? The passuk continues and explains "לאהבה את ה׳ אלוהיך ולדבקה בו, כי הוא חייך" (to love Hashem your G'd and to attach yourselves to Him, because He is your life). That's "life"! "חייך" (your life) in this world, "ואורך ימיך" (the length of your days) referring to the World to Come. He then asks a piercing question: "because what life does man have if it's not His will?" it's terrifying! To earn more or less money, to eat more or less food, what value does any of it has? That's not the will of the Creator! These words from the Ohr Hachayim burn like fire in anyone who meditates upon them.

We are entering Chodesh Iyar tonight, a Chodesh that is mesugal (suited) for all kinds of Refuos and Yeshuos (cures and salvations). This the month where the Ikkar (essence) of the Sefiras HaOmer takes place, with all it's  amazing Tikkunim (rectifications) Bein Adam le Chavero (between man and his fellow) and Bein Adam Lamakom (between man and G'd). But the biggest Refuah for everything is to have a "life". And for that we have to work on filling it with the meaning that comes from our Torah and Yiras Shamoyim.

Hashem Yisborach should help us that we should all be blessed with "ובחרת בחיים, למען תחיה, אתה וזרעך" (choose life, so that you may live, you and your children), and that we should all see together the Geulah HaSheleima VeHaamitis בב״א.

Hashem's Love for the Jewish People - Reb Itchie Mayer on Eikev

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

“And it shall come to pass, because you heed these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that Hashem you G-d shall keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.”[1]

Rashi explains: “‘And it shall come to pass, because you heed’—If you heed the little mitzvos that people tend to trample on with their heels [עקב] and do them, Hashem your G-d will keep His blessing for you, and will love you and make you numerous [which is the continuation in the next verse].”

Hashem’s Love for the Jewish People

The Arizal taught: “‘And He will love you and bless you and make you numerous’—The sages said that everything that the Jewish people eat [enjoy] in this world is from the blessing of Bilaam the wicked. But the merits of the Jewish people are kept in reserve for them for the world to come. As the verse says, ‘And Hashem your G-d will keep...’ The sages learned this from our verse here, from a parallel use of terms—here the term, ‘He will love you’ is bound to the term, ‘He will bless you.’ The verse says of Bilaam, ‘And Hashem your G-d will overturn for you the curse to a blessing, for Hashem your G-d loves you.’ In no other place in the Torah do we find blessings juxtaposed with the expression of Hashem’s love other than in connection with Bilaam. If so, the promise of Hashem to love and bless and make us numerous is the blessing of Bilaam.”[2]

In the section detailing Bilaam’s blessings the verse says, “A star has gone forth from Yaakov, and a tribe has arisen from Yisrael.”[3] The star coming forth from Yaakov refers to Moshiach.[4] The Messianic era is one that will be characterized by the total revelation of Hashem’s love for the Jewish people even to the lowest level of the world of Asiyah. This is why all of the blessings uttered by Bilaam refer to all of the blessings and abundance that reach the Jewish people in the world of Asiyah [which we call “this world”]. Its main revelation will be when Moshiach arrives.

Uplifting the Heels

The verse’s promise of Hashem’s love is really that we will merit to experience the full revelation of Hashem’s presence in the lower worlds when Moshiach arrives. But it all depends on, “If you will heed these ordinances...”—if we heed the aspect of the עקב, the heels [which is the lowermost world of Asiyah], then we will merit the arrival of Moshiach and the full expression of Hashem’s love for us.

The main blessing is that Bilaam’s curse should be transformed into a benediction; that the physicality of the world of Asiyah should be transformed into a revelation of G-dliness. Even when a person is in a lowly place and the yetzer hara challenges him, G-d forbid, even so he must make efforts to bind himself to the light of Hashem’s presence. This is the mission of the Jewish people, to reveal G-dliness in the lower places. In the ultimate future, Hashem will transform the yetzer hara into the joyful pleasure of Torah study, as the Zohar teaches. This is really the main joyful pleasure of Torah—to reveal Hashem’s presence in the lower worlds, because this is what rectifies all evil and creates a platform for the good.

[1] Devarim 7:12
[2] Sha’ar Hapesukim, Parshas Ekev
[3] Bamidbar 24:17
[4] Devarim Rabbah 1:20

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Possible Answer From Bilaam on Tzadikim Knowing Our Thoughts/Deeds/Actions

When I asked how it could be that many Tzadikim don't seem to know hidden things about me, I didn't expect to find my answer in this past Shabbos' parsha! For those who didn't see the post, I quoted a ma'amar a commenter pointed out to me from the Mittler Lubavitcher Rebbe, which mentioned that it is well known that one's thoughts, deeds, and plans are revealed to Tzadikim. I pointed out that I have met with several Tzadikim, and while it was always a good experience, I still got the impression that they did not know more about me than I revealed to them or which was apparant from whatever I did say/do.

But in this past week's parsha, Balak, Hashem appeared to Bilaam at night and asked him, "Who are these men with you?" The Midrash Raba (Bamidbar 20:6) indicates that Bilaam thought that Hashem's question meant that He is not always aware of what was happening on earth, so that he might be able to curse the Jews effectively.

I see from this medresh that it is a sign of ga'ava for someone to think that just because someone great acts as if he doesn't know something, that he doesn't actually know it.

The commenters on that previous post suggested that for one reason or another, the Tzadikim today may not have ruach hakodesh and that is why they don't know my deeds, thoughts, and plans. But it could be that they did know, but for one reason or another, chose to act as if they didn't. It could be a sign of anava on their part, so as not to appear like a wonder-worker. It could be that they wanted to give me the chance to confess my inner life to them of my own free will because it wouldn't have been productive for them to throw me into that situation if I didn't initiate it. In any case, this Midrash with Bilaam shows that there is a lot more going behind the scenes that what is apparant when Hashem or a Tzadik appears not to know "what's going on in the world."

Kol tuv!

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei - Heb. & English pdf

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei, 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.

"אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת, אֲשֶׁר פֻּקַּד עַל-פִּי מֹשֶׁה: עֲבֹדַת הַלְוִיִּם בְּיַד אִיתָמָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן... וַיְהִי מְאַת כִּכַּר הַכֶּסֶף לָצֶקֶת אֵת אַדְנֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֵת אַדְנֵי הַפָּרֹכֶת: מְאַת אֲדָנִים לִמְאַת הַכִּכָּר, כִּכָּר לָאָדֶן."

“These are the accounts of the Mishkan, even the Mishkan of the testimony, as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moshe, through the service of the Leviim, by the hand of Itamar, the son of Aharon HaKohen... And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the Mishkan, and the sockets of the veil: a hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.”[1]

Rashi explains: “‘The sockets of the sanctuary’—[the sockets] of the forty-eight boards of the Mishkan, which had ninety-six sockets, together with the four sockets of the paroches makes a total of one hundred. The Torah says that all of the other sockets were of copper.”

Upholding the Mishkan

The main support of the Mishkan was from the placement of the boards within their sockets, which were donated by the Jewish people through the fixed rate of the half-shekel regardless of the wealth of the individual donor. It is this that the verse describes when it lists the measure of the hundred talents of silver, one talent for each socket. These were the sockets that upheld the boards which formed the structure of the Mishkan itself.

Reb Nosson of Breslov explains why it was necessary that the silver of the sockets come equally from every Jew: “They were commanded to each bring a half-shekel to teach us that no Jew is complete on his own; he has to join together with his fellow. The main rectification is achieved when everyone is brought together in love and unity, when each one is just a half until he is united with his friend, and that friend with yet another, until all of the varieties of opinions and personhoods become one within the absolute and simple unity of Hashem Himself. This process is most precious before Hashem. This is why, ‘The wealthy shall not add and the poor shall not give less’—so that there should be no division or difference among them.

It is necessary so that, ‘Each man’s wealth will atone for his soul, and the poor will not hear rebuke’[2]—so that the wealthy will not lord it over the poor and they will all achieve the rectification of tzedakah, which is to support the Torah in mutual love and respect. The main objective is to be united and subsumed within Hashem’s oneness, and this is only possible when a person is humble and self-effacing, when he nullifies his ego before his fellow Jews, when he, ‘Does not regard the wealthy above the poor.’[3] The giving of a uniform half-shekel demonstrates that all are equal before Hashem and everyone has a part to play in the establishment of the Mishkan, and through this Hashem’s absolute unity is revealed in the midst of variety and multiplicity. This is also why all the other offerings for the Mishkan were given in accordance with the person’s means, as Rashi explains at the beginning of Parshas Terumah. The unique nature of the half-shekel offering was to highlight to the wealthy that there is nothing to be prideful in their resources, because Hashem could just as easily build the Mishkan through the offerings of the poor, and He has the power to enrich the poor and impoverish the wealthy in any case. Although He does choose to give the merit of charity to those whom He has blessed with abundance, nevertheless the actual framework of the Mishkan is provided by each person equally. And the wealthy have no cause for pride, ‘For all is from You, and from Your hand do we give to You.’[4] The main act of tzedakah is in supporting Torah scholars who give birth to halachos, because this is a manifestation of the Mishkan built by Moshe Rabbeinu in every generation. And the main way in which we accomplish this is by revealing Hashem’s absolute oneness from among a multiplicity of actions.”[5]

This means that the basis of the integrity of the structure of the Mishkan derives from a relationship of equality between Torah scholars and those who support them, that they should be in a state of complete unity of the soul—that the silver sockets and the boards they support should be all of a piece. It is only when the supporters are unified with the talmidei chachamim and do not feel above them and the scholars do not feel superior in their scholarship that they are truly bound together and equal. Then the holiness of the boards also rests upon the sockets and the structure can stand securely, and the light of the yichud can shine brightly.

[1] Shemos 38:21,27
[2] Mishlei 13:8
[3] Iyov 34:19
[4] Divrei HaYamim I:29:14
[5] Likutei Halachos, Hilchos Apotropos #1

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*This* Shall Be Done for the Man Whom the King Wants to Honor - Reb Itchie Mayer on Tetzaveh

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

This is the level that the tzaddikim reach—of throwing themselves heart and soul into their avodah, and at the same time feeling certain and utterly secure in the fact that everything is done by Hashem alone, without it being contingent on their effort at all. This is the level of the “crown of crowns”—כתר כל הכתרים—which has the initials ככ"ה, as in, "כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ"—“So shall it be done for the man whom the king wants to honor.”[1] The tzaddikim bind together the external avodah of effort with the internal avodah of serene dveikus which is the level of the fiftieth gate. Although they are constantly in the state of the fiftieth gate of prayer and dveikus, they do not fall into the danger of abandoning the effort of Torah study in its plainest sense. The oil is to be crushed “for the light, and not for the menachos.”

We see this dual state in Mordechai HaTzaddik. Inside, he was always in the state of, “And Mordechai knew all that was happening.”[2] He knew within himself that there is nothing but Hashem, and his every movement and thought was only directed in prayer and dveikus to his Creator. He knew that the battle is to be won, “not by might and not by power.” But that is the internal avodah. From outside, he donned sackcloth and ashes and threw himself into the avodah of self-sacrifice. And the two are not mutually exclusive; the light of dveikus is what gives the tzaddik the energy to burn with a continuous flame in his external avodos.

It was to this unification of avodos that Hashem referred when He commanded Moshe Rabbeinu, “And you shall command the children of Yisrael,” you shall bind for them the internal and external aspects of avodah. Like you, they must know that everything is done by Hashem alone, and He does not require our contribution. At the same time, the building up of the Shechinah does demand effort on our part, that we should “crush” ourselves for the sake of the Shechinah and the Torah. The fact that the tzaddik can hold both of these avodos together in his mind and intentions is not self-contradictory—both are needed for the completion of avodah. The external effort creates a vessel so that the freely-given light of Hashem can enter. “Those who blacken themselves for Me [with effort by going to learn early and diligently] will find Me.”[3] “Whoever blackens himself for the sake of Torah will merit to shine in the world to come.”[4]

[1] Esther 6:11
[2] Ibid., 4:1
[3] Mishlei 8:17
[4] Sanhedrin 100a; Zohar II:140a

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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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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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The Zoo Keeper and Latkes - Rav Shmuel Brazil

Rav Shmuel Brazil has written an amazing Drasha on Parshas Toldos called The Zoo Keeper and Latkes. Definitely worth reading!

As you may know, this is is from Rabbi Brazil's new Yeshiva, Ziv HaTorah. You can hear many of Rabbi Brazil's drashos HERE.

HT to Tuvia Heller.

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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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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Shabbos Shuva - Excerpt & Full PDFs

Many people believe that they will accomplish great things spiritually, but when it comes to action they don’t get anything done. This is why a person must learn to unite the potential with the actual, and this is the very beginning of teshuvah—to resolve to complete that which one planned to accomplish in avodas Hashem. This is what the true tzaddikim taught us, and this is where we must begin. The entire redemption depends on this. This is what is meant when the Gemara states that in the ultimate future the shuls and batei medrash of Bavel will eventually ascend to Eretz Yisrael.[1] These “minor sanctuaries” which symbolize all of the revelations of the tzaddikim that are presently in the diaspora state, will ascend to Eretz Yisrael, to the world of thought so that one’s mind can always consider them and their application.

In general, one must realize that all true spiritual growth depends on consistency; one cannot waver in one’s mind or actions, but must instead focus his thoughts on the Divine Names as taught in the Zohar and by the Arizal and the Baal Shem Tov. And the completion of this practice is in bringing it down to the level of action, to consider the teachings of the tzaddikim and learn them in order to fulfill them. Then the beauty of the tzaddikim shines forth. Until we see their teachings in a real light, we cannot possibly appreciate their greatness—our own sins make us insensitive to their holiness. The same can be said of a person who distanced himself from the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael; he cannot possibly honor the land properly. The more that we begin to honor and appreciate Eretz Yisrael, the more we will be able to really raise her up on her rightful pedestal.

[1] Megillah 29a

To see all of Rav Morgenstern's "Toras Chochom" on Parshas Ha'azinu/Shabbos Shuva, click on one of the following links:

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern On Vayeilech - Full Text & Translation

A selection from Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah this week discusses an inyan in Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech. That piece follows and Rav Itchie Mayer's full Torah from this week on the Parsha is availible for download after this selection in pdf format below:

...This explains why we say Selichos. We admit the truth and tell Hashem that we recognize the magnitude of our sins and that we wish to refrain from such negative behavior in the future. And Hashem says, “I have forgiven in accordance with your words.”

Although Hashem is with us wherever we may be even when we sin, we must take care not to allow this to serve as an excuse for continuing negative behavior.[1] Instead, one should think simply that Hashem wishes us to acknowledge our sins, not to falsify His Name. We must do teshuvah with clear understanding and honest acceptance to change for the better.

This is similar to the famous gemara that if even a completely wicked man asks a woman to marry him on condition that he is a completely righteous person, she must get a divorce from him, since perhaps he had honestly entertained a thought of teshuvah at the time.[2] We see that teshuvah is a process in the mind, in one’s Da’as.

This is how the verse in Parshas Vayeileich will be fulfilled: "כִּתְבוּ לָכֶם אֶת-הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת"—“Write for yourselves this song...”[3] Although this verse is referring to Parshas Ha’azinu which is to follow, we can also understand this as an exhortation to restore the letters [of the commandments that were violated, and which are “etched on one’s bones”[4]] to their original place, so that the beautiful fourfold song of the ultimate future will ring out.[5] [Our sages teach that when a person develops true understanding it is as though the Beis Hamikdash has been rebuilt in his time.[6] We see that, for him at least, the rectification has already materialized. It follows that one who restores his understanding by doing teshuvah accesses this song to a certain extent.]

This is why it is important for a person to travel to the tzaddik on Rosh Hashanah so that he can search for what he has lost. He does this by searching out his heart to ensure that he speaks truthfully from his heart. This is the only way to complete one’s mission in Divine service by truly returning to Him, heart and soul, and meriting redemption, speedily in our days, Amen!

[1] Tomer Devorah
[2] Kiddushin 49b
[3] Devarim 31:19
[4] Likutei Moharan I:4
[5] Ibid., II:8:1
[6] Berachos 33a

Click on the following links to get Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Ki Savo:

Toras Chochom on Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech
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Kol Brisk on Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל

Parshas Nitzavim-Vayelech

תשנ"ט

(this was written exactly two years before 9/11)

"For this mitzvah that I am commanding you today, it is not hidden from you and it is not distant. It is not in heaven, to say, who will ascend to heaven for us and take it for us, and instruct it to us and we will fulfill it. And it is not across the ocean, to say, who will traverse the ocean and take it for us, and instruct it to us and we will fulfill it. For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart to fulfill it."

What is the meaning of "it is not in heaven?" Rava said, it is not to be found in someone who raises himself through it like the heaven, and R' Yochanan said, it is not to be found in the arrogant.

Today, the world in which we live places great emphasis on the superficial; on buildings, on numbers. Success and development are defined by the popularity polls, by the ratings, by the whims and tastes of the masses. Someone affiliated with one of the very large and affluent Jewish institutions recently remarked that today, what is significant is no longer I.Q., intelligence, but E.Q., "effectiveness quotient." Meaning, that was goes today is flattery, glib talk, appeal to the ego; psychological tactics that soothe people's tensions.

In this context, the expression of lo bashomayim is reminiscent of the dor haflaga, who erroneously thought that they could succeed in ascending the heavens by building a tower, hava nivneh lanu ir umigdal v'rosho bashomayim. They looked for solutions to their mortal limitations through an enormous tower of bricks and mortar.

What a mix-up!

How does Yir'as Shomayim or mesirus nefesh or tikun hamidos figure in the E.Q.? Is Yahadus synonymous with big buildings? With large followings, great fame and broad popularity?? With psychological maneuverings?

Nowhere in the our sources do we find such conclusions; only to the contrary. We are the smallest of the nations, we were chosen not for our great numbers, we received the Torah in the desert, as a nation divested of any concrete home or building. Throughout the generations, our Gedolim always stood firm and uncompromising in their beliefs, fearless and unimpressed by any mortal. Chanifa, flattery, we are taught, is abhorred by G-d.

So, to the innocent Jew, looking to advance himself spiritually, in ruchnius, the scene can be very puzzling, frightening, intimidating. As he immerses himself in limud haTorah and kiyum hamitzvos in a sincere way, at best, he finds little applaud and attention and recognition; and often, he may find himself an object of disregard and derision and abuse in the community. His E.Q.??? Don't ask..

Lest this confusing state be chas veshalom a cause of despair, Moshe Rabbainu comes, in his parting words to Am Yisrael, and tells us, unequivocally,

Lo bashomayim he - You don't need to part of large enterprises, have great talent and fame and tall achievements to be an accomplished Jew!

Lo maiever layam he - You don't need extensive connections to get ahead in life's tasks!
Ki karov eilecha hadavar me'od bficha uvilvavcha laasoso - If you only try to utilize all the tools granted to you through your words, your thoughts and your deeds, then all your goals will be made attainable to you.

For before Hashem, the Ein Sof, the Infinite, the greatest height is insignificant. In His Eyes, the vastest distance is nil. However, if we truly humble ourselves, with complete surrender and acceptance of His Will, we make ourselves into instruments for the true refinement and advancement and building of ourselves and of our world. Not through compromising our values, not through diplomatic maneuvering our way through the powers that be, and not through watering down our ideals to make them pleasing and digestible to the opinion polls.

The great inspiration and example of this very profound theme, says R' Tzaddok miLublin, is Dovid HaMelech. Dovid Hamelech is the "stone despised by the builders who became the foundation of the building." Shmuel HaNavi was told that man sees only superficially when trying to determine who is fit to be Melech Yisrael. Dovid Hamelech, who is Moshiach, is the quintessence of utter nullification, of total surrender before HaKadosh Baruch Hu and His Torah. This bitul, submission to Hashem's Will, and taken nothing at all for granted is expressed primarily through tefillah, prayer.

Ki karov eilecha hadavar meod ..

It is accessible to all of us, especially now, in Chodesh Ellul.

The last Shabbos of the year, let us take advantage..

A gutten Erev Shabbos,
from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Ki Savo - Text & Translation

A selection from Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah this week on Parshas Ki Savo:

“You Have Avouched Hashem This Day to be Your G-d”

"אֶת ה' הֶאֱמַרְתָּ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹקִים וְלָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו, וְלִשְׁמֹר חֻקָּיו וּמִצְו‍ֹתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְלִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ. וַה' הֶאֱמִירְךָ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר-לָךְ; וְלִשְׁמֹר כָּל-מִצְו‍ֹתָיו."—“You have avouched Hashem this day to be your G-d, and that you would walk in His ways, and keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His ordinances, and hearken to His voice. And Hashem has avouched you this day to be His own treasure, as He has promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments.”[1] In Likutei Moharan, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explains this concept of “avouching” or separating and designating Hashem for our G-d and ourselves as His people in a very inspiring manner. [The word has the Hebrew root of אמר, whose main meaning is speech.]

When a person pours out his heart before Hashem, telling all of his pain to the Creator, and when he confesses and regrets his many sins, the Shechinah stands opposite him. She also speaks out her pain and comforts this person who pours out his heart, since every sin also blemishes the Shechinah. The Shechinah encourages him to seek out effective stratagems to rectify what he has blemished, and in this manner he is comforted.

But this seems difficult, since of what value can these words of comfort be to us if we cannot hear them? We can understand the answer through a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov on the verse we say immediately before the Amidah: "ה' שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח"—“Hashem, open my lips...”[2] The Baal Shem Tov explains that the moment one intones even these preliminary words of prayer, the Shechinah enclothes herself within him and speaks from his throat. This means that all prayer is really an influx of prophecy through which the Shechinah communicates. [This means that one who prays in a way that is heartfelt and truly directed to the Creator will find the encouragement to truly change his sins from within. Of course, as with every other spiritual level, this takes time and effort.]

[1] Devarim 26:17-18 [2] Tehillim 51:17

Click on the following links to get Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Ki Savo:

Toras Chochom on Parshas Ki Savo
Toras Chochom on Parshas Ki Savo in English

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Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Ki Seitzei

Here is an excerpt from the English translation of Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's "Toras Chochom" that he gave over this week on Parshas Ki Seitzei. Below are links to the full English and Hebrew texts of Toras Chochom on Parshas Ki Seitzei.

During the month of Elul, we need to fulfill the verse in our parsha that describes the “beautiful captive woman”: “And she shall weep over her father and mother for a month of days.”[1] Each and every Jew must seek to merit ruach hakodesh and prophecy during these auspicious days. We must all work to find the path to rectify ourselves and change our ways.

The first step to holiness is the level called “matrimony in an aspect of Chochmah.” This means that one truly lives with the understanding that whatever he endures is from Hashem and is for the best, since there is nothing but Him.[2] But as we work on this feeling of the immanence of Hashem, the bonded closeness that parallels matrimony, we must advance to the levels of yibum and chalitzah which represent confronting the negative within us so that we can truly change our ways.

[1] See Likutei Torah, Parshas Ki Teitzei
[2] Devarim 4:35

Click on one of the following links ot get the full text of Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Ki Seitzei:

Toras Chochom on Parshas Ki Seitzi
English Translation of Toras Chochom on Parshas Ki Seitzi

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You Are What You Praise - Rav Shmuel Brazil, New Rosh Yeshiva of Ziv Hatorah

Parshas Ki Seitze
Rav Shmuel Brazil, Yerushalayim

At the end of the parsha we find the Torah describing Amalek as אשר קרך בדרך the nation that cooled you off on the way. What is the exact nature of “cooling one off on the way”?

In order for an individual to have personal growth in avodas Hashem, he must have constant yearnings to reach such a lofty goal. Our chazal say חייב אדם לומר מתי יגיעו מעשי למעשה אבותי אברהם יצחק ויעקב when will my deeds reach the deeds of our avos. This is not just a privilege to say but rather an obligation since our Chazal used the word חייב. Rav Gifter ztl as a young bachur had pictures of gedolim in his room posted on the wall. One frame however was missing the picture. When he was questioned what happened to the picture he would respond that it was his own picture in thirty years from now that was waiting to be placed there. He would claim that this aspiration for gadlus helped him to become the ben Torah that he was.

Some mechanchim came before the Chazon Ish ztl and asked that there was a gan mizrachi in the vicinity and they wanted to know if they could join with them for if not it would be almost financially impossible to do it separately. The Chazon Ish responded that it would be permissible only if they have pictures of gedolim exclusively on the walls. The gan refused and they did not join.

To blossom in Torah and Yiddishkeit one must have these yearnings and aspirations of gadlus. It is interesting to note that the word for yearnings is געגועים whose source word is גע which means to touch. To fulfill the obligation of מי יגיעו מעשה למעשה אבותי one must have the yearnings and inspirations to reach that goal and dream.

I once taught for a short period of time in a junior high school where as soon as you entered the building you were greeted with basketball and hockey trophies that this school’s team have won over the years. This was my Shalom Aleichem to the Magna Carta of what is esteemed in this school of torah education. It was obvious that to aspire to achieve this goal was the ultimate unchallenged success story that the educational staff thrived to convey and implant into the delicate minds and hearts of their students who every day would be reinforced with this ideal by passing by this “treifa,” I mean “trophy”. Then parents wonder why doesn’t my child have no interest at all in learning gemarrah or even chumash. “A trophy” awarded for all the energies invested for exceptional physical feats of man causes a sapping of spiritual energy and interest in our young children and an “atrophy” sets in, a diminution and wasting of ruchniyus growth. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not about sports and healthy exercise but rather only when we make an avodah zarah of it – the “my hero” syndrome.

The passuk says איש לפי מהללו that the measure of man is according to those that praise him. The Rabbeinu Yonah renders a different interpretation to this. That the measure of a man is according to what he constantly praises. One’s true essence can be determined to what he esteems and deems important and worthwhile. If in his conversations we always find the topic of rich people, then we know what he aspires for. If he constantly talks about gedolim then we also know where his heart lies. This Rabbeinu Yona in an incredible chiddush. For this means that is does not make a difference if one works the entire day or learns the entire day. It is what he praises that defines and is the barometer of who he really is and where he is truly holding. A little scary wouldn’t you say?

Amalek cools a person off from these aspirations of gadlus. He places these obstacles on the way of this journey and says after one falls and fails “see I told you so that this is not for you and that you can really never make an everlasting change. Forget about trying it will never ever work. Use your energies for something more constructive like becoming part of the Fortune 500. The malach of Esav attacks Yaakov and the passuk says ויאבק איש עמו and the chazal say שהעלו אבק that during the battle they brought up dust. What was this battle all about? The answer is in the word אבק which stands for the acronym אשר קרך בדרך . The grandson of Eisav inherited his role as cooling agent from his zaida and malach.

Our Chazal say that a man’s profession in this world should be to make himself an אלם which means a mute. We can interpret this to mean that one must speak about the aspirations of Torah and avodah that he yearns to achieve and be silent about other issues that would take him and others away from their true mission in this world. Note that the acronym of אלם is איש לפי מהללו. There is no mitzvah just to talk but rather to talk about issues that will bring awareness to the tzelem elokim that man possesses and not materialism and earthliness. Remember that איש לפי מהללו and that will help one to be silent from saying the wrong and inappropriate things. Even if one is silent he can still listen and learn. Note that the letters of silent spell listen!

In the month of Elul one must re inspire himself to Torah and avodas Hashem. Let us reevaluate what are the contents of our praise. Let us remove from our midst’s the trophies of the secular world that has become morally bankrupt and decayed right in front of our eyes. Let us recharge our dreams and aspirations for gadlus which everyone can reach in his and her own level. Let us once again feel the excitement and freshness of yearning for personal growth and coming closer to Hashem. Then our Elul will make our Rosh Hashana even more meaningful and meritorious.

Gut Shabbos
Beis Medresh Zeev haTorah
Audio shiurim of the week of Ki Seitze

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Justice and Kingship - Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Shoftim

Here is an excerpt from the English translation of Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's "Toras Chochom" that he gave over this week on Parshas Shoftim. Below are links to the full English and Hebrew texts of Toras Chochom on Parshas Shoftim.

Justice is itself associated with Malchus / Kingship [since ‘dinah d’malchusa dinah’—the law of the land is the law].[1] During these days of repentance leading up to the Yomim Nora’im, each and every one of us must judge himself honestly to be able to crown Hashem as King over himself. The Maggid taught that one can see the outcome of his heavenly judgment on Rosh Hashanah by closely evaluating the quality of his Divine service here below. His own self-judgment of his Divine service, his own scrutiny of his thoughts and intentions during his Torah study and prayer, have a lot to teach him about what his judgment on high is like.

As the day of judgment draws near, we enter into the aspect of, “You shall make judges and officers in all your gates”—everyone is seized by fear and trembling of what is to come, since, “Who is considered righteous before You?” For this reason, the Torah teaches us at precisely this time to pursue “justice,” to follow the attribute of Malchus, “that you may live and inherit,” so that the Shechinah will bring us to make the yichud of the ultimate future—the “beautiful” yichud symbolized by the beis din yafeh.

..All that we have learned sheds light on the final subject of our parshah, that of eglah arufah: “If one be found slain in the land which Hashem your G-d gives you to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who has struck him... And they shall speak and say: ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Forgive, Hashem, Your people Yisrael, whom You have redeemed...”[1] But all of the Jewish people are responsible for one another—so how can the elders say that their hands did not shed this blood and their eyes did not see it? Rather, this comes to teach us that true repentance really does make it as though no sin ever occurred post facto. But this is only possible if one truly seeks out the Shechinah who waits for us to open our eyes and turn toward her.

The vessels through which we can receive the light of Shechinah are generated by looking at the letters of the Torah themselves and by visualizing the Divine Names. We must work to see that there is nothing but Hashem, while at the same time never being complacent in Hashem’s presence, but always feeling the healthy fear of transgressing even the most minor halachah. We must repent fully for all of the commonplace infractions and spend this month of Elul investigating whether our deeds are in accordance with the Shulchan Aruch. This has been the practice of the Jewish people—to check their tefillin and mezuzos during Elul, which is only a reflection of the rigorous checking that we have to do into our own hearts and actions. At the same time, during this month the tzaddikim focused on Hashem’s thirteen attributes of mercy and on the Shechinah, and sought the greater purpose of revealing Hashem’s glory throughout all of the world, to activate the final redemption.

PDF of Toras Chochom on Shoftim in English
PDF of Toras Chochom on Shoftim in Original Hebrew

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Kol Brisk on Parshas Pinchas

לעלוי נשמת הגאון הר"ר אהרן בן הר"ר משה הלוי סאלאווייציק זצ"ל

Parashas Pinchas

הדבק במדותיו

The gemara instructs us: הדבק במדותיו, "cleave in His attributes".

The Baal Shem Tov points out that Chazal do not say hedavek l'midosov, "cleave to His Attributes."

The is is to teach us that we must strive to emulate the inner aspect of Hashem's Midos, rather than the external aspect. For example, if a person is acting only externally with the attribute of chesed, kindness, he is not acting with gevurah, strength. Externally, these two attributes are distinct and are opposites. However, the person who truly seeks to serve Hashem, seeks to cleave to the Inner Vitality of the attributes, for inwardly, there are no divisions (Hashem Echad), and within chesed is included gevurah, and within gevurah is included chesed.

According to this, we cannot define true chesed, kindness, as an act that a person does out of weakness of character (the push-over type), because this act would be devoid of gevurah, strength of character..
Nor can we define gevurah, strength, as an act that is motivated by anger, cruelty, impatience, because this deed would be devoid of love and kindness, detached from the middah of chesed.
This formula of striving to emulate the inner aspect of Hashem's middos is mandatory in order for a person to truly be emulating Hashem's Ways, in order that his deeds be of true kindness and of true strength.

* *

After the damage caused by Bilaam Harasha, when he incited the bnos moav on Am Yisrael, there was great danger pending over Klal Yisrael.
Pinchas, through his act of zeal, by slaying Zimri and Kosbi, caused the nation to have thoughts of Teshuva, repentance. Thus, he atoned for the nation, and saved them from destruction.

Tachas asher kinai l'Ailokov, vayechaper al Bnai Yisrael.
"because he was zealous for his G-d, and he atoned for Bnai Yisrael."

How can we accurately define קנאות, or righteous indignation?

קנאות translates as zealousness. When a person acts with idealism, in a situation where the odds are against him, and he stands no natural chance, he is called a קנאי, a zealot.
The medrash calls Avraham Avinu a קנאי. Avraham Avinu went to fight against the four kings, despite the fact that he was no match at all for them. They had already conquered an alliance of five kings in their quest for power and glory; yet Avraham was ready to fight them with only a handful of men. Avraham Avinu set out for battle, an act of gevurah, to save the world from tyrrany. Avraham Avinu was motivated by his great love for mankind, his chesed.

*

After Pinchas had slain Zimri and Kosbi, the tribes began mocking him. They accused him of taking after his maternal grandfather, Putiel or Yisro, who had fattened calves for idol worship. In effect, they were declaring that his act of kana'us was motivated by his murderous, angry nature, characteristic of the midianite nation of which he was a descendant.

In truth, Pinchas, like Avraham Avinu, was motivated by great love and compassion. "Pinchas, the son of Elazar the son of Aharon has turned My anger..when he was zealous for My sake AMONG THEM." He took after his grandfather Aharon HaKohain, the great אוהב שלום ואוהב את הבריות , in his deep love for Klal Yisrael. When he was zealous, it was "among them," he did not act out of superiority and disdain, but out of profound concern. Vayefallel Pinchas, Pinchas entreated G-d, saying, "Because of these two (Zimri and Kosbi), twenty-four thousand of Yisrael should fall?!"

It was no enjoyable task that Pinchas took upon himself, contrary to the tribes' claim. According to Rav (Sanhedrin 83a), as soon as Pinchas became aware of what was going on, he ran to Moshe Rabbainu. Did Moshe not teach, when he descended from Har Sinai, that in such a case, the sinner should be struck down by Kana'im?? "Let the one who reads the letter be the agent to carry it out," was Moshe's reply. (Moshe could not explicitly instruct Pinchas to kill Zimri. This is part of the halacha.)

He did carry it out. However, when Pinchas arrived at the scene, he became terrified at the sight of the multitudes gathered around. His soul departed, out of extreme fright. This certainly is not the picture of an angry, murderous character. He then was revived by receiving the souls of Nadav and Avihu, the deceased sons of Aharon, who had lost their lives in an act of great LOVE for Hashem.

In summary, Pinchas's קנאות was rooted in love and concern, not in anger and cruelty.

* *

So here we have a formula for any situation that calls for gevurah on our part. Do we want to have impact on our children, our society? Not with anger. Not with impatience. Not with feelings of superiority. Even if such an approach seems to be a quick-fix solution, it can have no permanent effect. This is because only Kedusha is permanent. And only acts of gevurah b'Kedusha, tempered with chesed have permanence.

Many of our Kehillos today have set themselves up in a very insular manner. Contact with people not sharing the exact same hashkafa is very limited. There is a very strong emphasis on strict and high standards of modest social behavior and dress code. School enrollment is carefully regulated to include only "good families". This insularity is very much a "gevurah" mode. This can be most commendable. We are taught - הן עם לבדד ישכן ובגויים לא יתחשב . Am Yisrael is supposed to stay separate from the goyim and from their ways and influences.

However-

In keeping with the Baal Shem Tov's guiding words of הדבק במדותיו , and his warning to beware of externally acting out the middos, let us check. How is the chesed aspect faring in our kehillos? Is the preoccupation with gevurah leading to feelings of superiority? Self-righteousness? Smugness and complacency? (Racism - in the extreme!) Anger and cruelty? Deep concern for all of Klal Yisrael would get expressed in the way we speak to and interact with others with whom we don't exactly identify. How much we are willing to put ourselves out for others? This would also get expressed in heartfelt tefillos about the physical and spiritual welfare of all of our brethren. כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה. We are responsible for one another.

There is a movement in Eretz Yisrael, leda'avonainu (to our deep regret and heartache), called Chazara b'She'aila. It is comprised of former ba'alei teshuva who have become fiercely anti-irreligious, and are intent on pulling whoever they can back down with them. The person who started this movement was at one time a ba'al teshuva. He was very talented and full of promise. He was treated very roughly and became alienated. I don't know all the details of his case. But I certainly know of many other horror stories of intolerable behavior toward newcomers and others.

הדבק במדותיו - this is the call of the hour.

A gutten Erev Shabbos
from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.