The Stuchiner Rav, Rav Mottel Zilber shlita will be speaking in English this Sunday in Kew Gardens Hills!
Three and a half years and 1,463 posts ago, when I put up my first couple of posts, I was in the middle of the winter break after my first semester of (evening) law school.
In preparartion for Shvuos, below is the link to the video and audio of this week's shiur by Reb Yerachmiel Goldman on the topic of Yedidus, titled: The "Yedidus" of Shavuos and Our Every Day.
This just in. Thanks to Tuvia for putting these 19 shiurim up that Rav Itamar Shwartz, the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh and Da Es Atzmecha seforim. Click on the link below to listen to or download all of the Rav's U.S. shiurim given this week on topics relating to how to prepare ones self for Kabblas Hatorah.
Here is the next tefillah chaburah from Reb Yerachmiel Goldman, given at the Baltimore Community Kollel.HT Raisin' Soul & Zachariamusic.com
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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
Somehow, Rabbeinu Raisin' Soul got a'hold of the audio of the musical portion of the Lag B'Omer Hillula for Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai at Aish Kodesh this past Motzoi Shabbos (which was awesome!). Eitan Katz, Nochi Krohn, and Avi Feinberg made the music and Rav Weinberger gave the Torah. Enjoy!
Rav Itamar Shwartz, the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh seforim, will be in the New York area in the week and a half leading up to Shavuos. He will be speaking in different communities on the topic of how to prepare for Kabbalas Hatorah.The seminar with the Rav will be at Rabbi Mayer Fund's Shul, Cong. Sheves Achim in Flatbush, Brooklyn (1517 Ave. H, off corner of East 16th [across from Q Train]). The shiurim will be at 12, 3, & 6 PM. All proceeds are going to publish more seforim by Rav Shwartz. $20 admission $200 sponsorship (includes private meeting with the Rav). CLICK HERE or call 516-668-6397 to register.
Monday, May 10th - Monsey, NY6:30: Private Meetings: Please call 718-249-6047 for an appointment8:30 Drasha: Toshnad Hall (2 Howard Dr., Spring Valley)
For information on the time and location of the drasha, please call 732-363-6821. Leave a message and he will call you back with the information.
6:00-8:30 Private Meetings with the Rav: Please call 718-249-6047 for an appointment.
8:30 PM: Drasha -Talmud Torah Toldos Yaakov Yosef Skver– 1373 43rd St. (at 13th Ave.)
Oneg starting at 9:30 @ home of Dov & Allyson Perkal @ 858 Fiske St in Woodmere with Rav Shwartz
8 AM Shabbos Morning: Kahal Nesiv Hatorah (Rav Binyomin Forst's shul) 45 minute drasha after davening - 444 Beach 6th Street
Shabbos afternoon 6:35 Drasha at Cong. Aish Kodesh @ 894
Woodmere Pl. )near corner of W. Broadway & Woodmere Blvd. - 7:35: Mincha,
Seuda Shlishis, & Maariv
The Satmar Rav was once talking to a gvir from the more modern sectors of Yiddishkeit, meaning he was clean shaven, beardless. Some of the chassidim were chuckling to themselves, wondering why is the Rebbe speaking with such a person? The Rebbe recognized their confusion and said to them: when he dies the heavenly court is going to ask him "Reb Yid, where is your beard?" but when you die they are going to ask you: "Reb beard, where is your Yid?"via: Raisin' Soul
There was a clean-shaven Litvishe Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Leib Mehlman who was very close with the Satmar Rov. He always got into Reb Yoilish whenever he wanted to and the Satmar Rov even did something very rare with him. When he walked Reb Leib out, he walked him all the way to the street, an unusual honor. Some of the Chassidim were a bit jealous of him and weren't happy that he got in to see their rebbe immediately when it took some of them weeks to get an appointment.Ouch!
Finally, one of the choshuveh older Chassidim came up to the Rebbe and asked him why he was honoring Reb Leib Mehlman so much. He wasn't even one of his chassidim and didn't even have a bord, a beard!
So the Satmar Rov answered him, "It's a gut kashe. So when he goes up to shomayim, they're going to ask him, "Ah Yid un a bord!?" "A Yid without a beard?!"
But when you go up to shomayim, they're going to ask you, "Ah bord un a Yid?!" "A beard without a Yid?!"
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
Below are the latest shiurim from Reb Yerachmiel Goldman, given at the Baltimore Community Kollel. Sorry for not posting these shiurim recently but Pesach and other factors interupted our normal shiur publication process.
