Azamara - What's the Nekudah Tovah to be Found In One's Self?

Here's another translation of a short section from a chapter in the upcoming sefer of the young Talmid Chacham, Rabbi Ronen Shaharabany. You can download the Word file of the whole chapter HERE by "left clicking" and selecting "Save Target As."

[Rebbe Nachman] writes in Likutei Moharan (Torah 282) that one must judge every man favorably, i.e. to find a merit and a good point in every person, even in one who is totally evil. One must search and find some little bit of good, and in that little bit of good, he is not wicked. And through finding this little bit of good and judging him favorably, one truly lifts him up to the side of merit and cause him to be chozer b'teshuva.

One can explain that this good point in every Jew referrs to his Bris Milah. This is according to Chazal in Menachos 43b, which says, "בשעה שנכנס דוד לבית המרחץ וראה עצמו עומד ערום, אמר: אוי לי שאעמוד ערום בלא מצוה. וכיון שנזכר במילה שבבשרו נתיישבה דעתו, לאחר שיצא, אמר עליה שירה, שנאמר: "למנצח על השמינית מזמור לדוד" (תהלים יב, א), על מילה שניתנה בשמיני." "When Dovid Hamelech entered the bathhouse and saw that he was standing naked, he said 'Woe is me that I will stand naked, without mitzvos!' Once he remembered the Milah on his flesh, his mind was calmed. After he left, he sang a song of praise, as it is said in Tehillim 12, "For the conductor on the sheminith, a song of David.' regarding Bris Milah, which is given on the eighth day."

The Chassidic masters have explained (The Toldos Yaakov Yosef and brought in the name of the Baal Shem Tov), that the intent that through seeing himself naked, he realized that this is how he would be standing in the world to come, naked, without the garments of the Mitzvos, and that he would not be carrying anything in his hands. He suspected of himself that due to his many sins, he did not fulfill the Mitzvos of Hashem. Rather, he [felt that they, the mitzvos] were mixed with foreign thoughts and ulterior motives that were not for the sake of Heaven. That is why he says "Woe is me that I will stand..." i.e. in the world to come, "naked, without mitzvos," meaning that [my Mitzvos] are not complete. But once he remembers the Bris Milah in that was engraved on his flesh when he was only a baby, when he had no ulterior motives or foreign thoughts that were not for the sake of Heaven, this calmed him because then he knew that he had at least one Mitzvah which was done perfectly.

After he left [the bathhouse], he sang "For the Conductor on the Eighth" about his Bris Milah, because it was given on the eighth day after he was born, specifically when he was such a young child because this was a pure and clean Mitzva, free of any ulterior motive. This would not have been the case if we would fulfill the Mitzvah of Milah when the child is already older. Then it would be possible that there would be mixed into the mitzvah some ulterior motive that is not for the sake of heaven, e.g. to show others his righteousness, that he is sacrificing for Hashem, or the like.

כתב בספר ליקוטי מוהר"ן (תורה רפב) שצריכים לדון את כל אדם לכף זכות, היינו למצוא זכות ונקודה טובה בכל אדם, אפילו מי שהוא רשע גמור. וצריך לחפש ולמצוא בו איזה מעט טוב, שבאותה המעט אינו רשע. ועל ידי זה שמוצא בו מעט טוב ודן אותו לכף זכות, מעלה אותו באמת לכף זכות, ויוכל להשיבו בתשובה.

ויש לבאר, שהנקודה הטובה שבכל איש יהודי היא הברית מילה שלו, וזה על פי דברי חז"ל במסכת מנחות (דף מג ע"ב): בשעה שנכנס דוד לבית המרחץ וראה עצמו עומד ערום, אמר: אוי לי שאעמוד ערום בלא מצוה. וכיון שנזכר במילה שבבשרו נתיישבה דעתו, לאחר שיצא, אמר עליה שירה, שנאמר: "למנצח על השמינית מזמור לדוד" (תהלים יב, א), על מילה שניתנה בשמיני עכ"ל.

וביארו בעלי החסידות (תולדות יעקב יוסף, וכן הובא בשם הבעל שם טוב) שהכוונה שעל ידי שראה את עצמו ערום עלה במחשבתו כי כן יעמוד בעולם הבא ערום בלא לבושי מצוות, ולא ישא בידו מאומה, כי לרוב ענוותנותו חשד את עצמו שלא קיים המצוות לה', רק היה מעורב בהם איזה מחשבה זרה ופנייה שלא לשם שמים. וזה שאמר "אוי לי שאעמוד", ר"ל לעתיד בעולם הבא, "ערום בלא מצוות", רוצה לומר שאינם בשלמות. אך כיון שנזכר במילה שבבשרו שנימול בקטנותו, ואז לא היה לו שום פניה או מחשבה זרה שלא לשם שמים, בזה נתיישבה דעתו שיש לו על כל פנים מצוה אחת שהיא בשלמות, ולאחר שיצא אמר עליה שירה שנאמר "למנצח על השמינית מזמור לדוד", על מילה שניתנה בשמיני ליום הולדתו, דוקא בגיל קטן כזה, שעל ידי כן מצות מילה טהורה ונקיה מכל פנייה שלא לשם שמים, מה שאין כן אם היו מקיימים מצות מילה כשהילד כבר גדול, אז היה אפשר שיהיה מעורב בו איזה פנייה שלא לשם שמים, כגון להראות לבריות צדקתו שמוסר את נפשו להשי"ת וכדומה ע"ש.

-Dixie Yid

(Picture of Dixie Kid and his Mohel, Rabbi Pesach Krohn, courtesy of David Berger)

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Guarding the Covenant - Translation & Selection from Upcoming Sefer

I would like to share my translation and the original Hebrew of a small section from an upcoming sefer by a young Talmid Chocham, Rabbi Ronen Shaharabany. He wrote his first sefer on halacha, hashkafa and Kabbalah related to Nisuin, marriage. He wrote this sefer between the time he got engaged and the time he got married. Copies of the sefer were distributed to all of the guests at the wedding and I am priviliged to a have a copy of this great sefer as well. You may download the full chapter from which this selection came in THIS WORD DOCUMENT. Just "right click" on the link and select "Save Target As" to view the original hebrew Word file.

It comes out that one who guards the covenant (is careful not to stray innapropriately with his eyes, thoughts or actions) will always feel satisfied. This is because he will be a proper vessel to receive brachos and hashapa'os (Divine blessings) in spirituality and phisicality, and Hashem will always cause him to be happy. The secret of this matter is that feeling satisfied is a reward for guarding the covenant. This is because the root of guarding the covenant is from the aspect of "starving it" (as in the Gemara in Sukkah 52b "אבר קטן יש לו לאדם, מרעיבו שבע, משביעו רעב," "Man has a small organ. When he starves it, it is satisfied and when he feeds it, it is hungry."). For then, he will be satisfied and guarded. as a reward for the person starving his desires and holding onto the trait of being-satisfied, Hashem will bless him with the blessing of contentment and satisfaction, joy and every good in spirituality and physicality.

It comes out that the result of guarding the covenant, the aspect of "starving it," is that he will be "satisfied and always content with what he has in the aspect of "שמח בחלקו," being happy with what one has. (There is an amazing hint to this in that "בחלקו" is the letters of "in the portion of the letter "vav." The letter vav cooresponds to the covenant and the mida of Yesod to hint that the person will be happy because of his portion in guarding the covenant. This is also the secret of the bracha, "ברוך את ה' הזן את הכל" Blessed are you Hashem, who sustains everything. "זן," "sustains" is the aspect of satiety. and the intent is that Hashem sustains and satisfies specifically those who are in the aspect of "כל" everything, i.e. one who guards the covenant. (See later on in in the full piece, that "כל" cooresponds to the mida of Bris.) However, one who feeds [his desires] will remain hungry and will never be satisfied at all.

In contrast to this, it is known that the root of depression and sadness comes as a result of abusing the covenant. By abusing the covenant, one holds onto the powers of impurity and thereby automatically dwells in complete sadness. So too, holiness will not dwell on him and he will not be a vessel capable of receiving any hashpo'os or brachos. He will never be satisfied with what he has and he will not be happy with his portion. He will always feel empty and lacking, which is the opposite of one who guards the covenant. The secret of the matter is that all of this is a result of abusing the covenant. The root of abusing the covenant comes through trying to "satisfy" [one's desires]. Then, one ends up wanting more and more. He runs after his desires and tries to fulfill all of his wishes. The punishment from Heaven is that he will always feel "hungry," and he will want more and more and he will never be satisfied or happy with his portion, even if he would get all of the wealth in the world.

נמצא שאדם שמשמר את בריתו, לעולם מרגיש מסופק, שהרי הוא כלי מוכן לקבל את כל הברכות וההשפעות ברוחניות וגשמיות, והקב"ה תמיד משמחו. וסודם של דברים, שזה שמרגיש מסופק הוא שכר לשמירת בריתו, שהרי שורש שמירת הברית היא בחינת "מרעיבו", שאז הוא "שבע" ומשומר, ובשכר שהאדם מרעיב את תאותו ואוחז במידת ההסתפקות, ה' מברכו בברכת ההסתפקות של שמחה וכל טוב ברוחניות וגשמיות. נמצא שהתוצאה של שמירת הברית, בחינת "מרעיבו", הוא שנעשה "שבע", שלעולם מסופק במה שיש לו, בבחינת "שמח בחלקו" (ורמז נפלא לזה, ש"בחלקו" אותיות בחלק - ו', והאות ו' כנגד הברית ומידת היסוד, לרמוז ששמח על ידי חלקו בשמירת הברית. וזה גם סוד ברכת "ברוך את ה' הזן את הכל", ש"זן" הוא בחינת שביעה, והכוונה שה' הוא זן ומשביעה דווקא את מי שהוא בבחינת "כל", ששמור את בריתו (עיין לקמן ש"כל" כנגד מדת הברית), אולם המשביעו נשאר רעב ואינו ניזון מה').

ולעומת זאת, ידוע ששורש העצבות ומרה שחורה באה כתוצאה מפגם הברית. שעל ידי שפוגם בבריתו אוחזים בו כוחות הטומאה, וממילא שרוי בעצבות גמורה. וכן אין קדושה שורה עליו ואינו מוכן לקבל שום השפעות וברכות. ונמצא שלעולם אינו מסופק במה שיש לו ואינו שמח בחלקו, ותמיד מרגיש ריק וחסר, הפך מזה ששומר את בריתו. וסוד הדבר, שכל זה הוא תוצאה משום שפגם בבריתו, שהרי שורש פגם הברית הוא על ידי בחינת "משביעו", שרוצה עוד ועוד, ורודף אחר תאותיו ומנסה למלאות רצונותיו. והעונש הוא שמן השמים לעולם ירגיש "רעב", שרוצה עוד ועוד ולא יהיה מסופק ושמח בחלקו, ואפילו אם יהיה לו כל הון דעלמא.

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of afterimagegallery)

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Who is Honored? One Who Cleanses Others.

Over Shabbos, I was in another community for a family Bar Mitzvah and I was zoche, by Shalosh Sheudos, to meet a gevaldigeh Yid and a Talmid Chacham named Rabbi Ronen Shaharabani, who shared some interesting insights with me. One of those that I wanted to share was an insight into the meaning of the Mishna in Avos 4:1, " איזה הוא מכובד? המכבד את הברייות." "Who is honored [by Hashem]? One who is 'מכבד,' honors others."

Rabbi Shaharabani heard from a friend of his the following vort, which he expanded greatly upon: His friend pointed out that the word "מכבד," honors is the same as the word that is used to mean "cleans" or "sweeps," as in when one cleans the house, as the Gemara in Shabbos 95a says, "תנו רבנן ... המכבד ... בשבת חייב חטאת." "One who sweeps (is 'מכבד') [his house] on Shabbos must bring a sin offering [when it's a dirt floor and he did so negligently]." His friend suggested that this could mean that a pshat, explanation for the Mishna in Avos is the following: "Who is honored by Hashem? One who cleans another Jew (i.e. is a kli [vessel] to be mekarev him to Hashem)"

Then Rabbi Shaharabani suggested that you could take this vort a step further. When one sweeps his house, what does he sweep? Is it the stains that are insepperable from the floor its self? No. Rather, it's the dirt and dust that rests on the floor but it not attached to it. We don't bother sweeping things that are attached to that which we are cleaning. Similarly, this would mean that when a Jew is mechabed, helps clean another Jew, it is only with the recognition that all of the aveiros that this Jew has done are only dust upon their neshoma, but that underneath them, that Jew is still a pristine Neshoma. It is like that which the Tanya said in the second perek; "עמי הארץ ופחותי הערך ועם כל זה עודינה קשורות ומיוחדות ביחוד נפלא ועצום במהותן ועצמותן הראשון שהיא המשכת חכמה עילאה." "Ignorant Jews and those of the lowest level are nevertheless still tied and unified with a wonderous and awesome unity with their original existance and essence, which is a drawing down of the Supernal Chochma [of Hashem, k'vayachol]."

He further suggested that the fact that Hashem honors one who cleanses other Jews is mida keneged mida, measure for measure. He is helping sweep off the shmutz from the other Jew because he recognizes that underneath the shmutz, he is still a chelek Eloka Mima'al, a portion of the Living G-d, kevayachol, as it were, so he's really honoring Hashem by believing that the "portion of Hashem" within the other Jew is not pagum, blemished. So by sweeping the other Jew because of a recognition of the unblemished G-dliness within him, he is really honoring Hashem. So Hashem therefore decrees that the reward for that is that Hashem honors him, which is measure for measure reward for his honoring of Hashem.

May we be zocheh to recognize the nekuda within our and others' neshamos that will always remain pure. Haneshoma she'nasata bi tehora hi!" "The neshoma that you have placed within me is pure!" Let this recognition give us chizuk never to give up hope on ourselves or others, no matter what we have done. There will always be a pure neshoma that we can work to access and uncover!

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of hroshi.net)

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