Rogotchover

He can't find the Rambam. The Rogotchover is pacing back and forth. Browses a few pages in the Rambam on his desk. Continues pacing. Turns a few more pages and his face lights up! He found the Rambam! He excitedly lifts the sefer, gives it a kiss "Ah Rebbe, Zolst leben biz a hundert un tzvansik"!

Was I good? II

When something leads to bad it is bad. That's the way we (should) make decisions. And that's because our Yetzer Harah can come to us in a saints robe. Which would mean if I did something and it lead to bad then it came from my Yetzer Harah.

But wait, maybe when I did something good and it didn't lead to good, it didn't come from the Yetzer Harah it is the Yetzer Harah (Nefesh Habahamis). Because I did it to escape or the like, and that is just one of those things the Neha"b does (for good or for bad).

The Indirect Damage

Rabbah says: if someone burns his friend’s document, thus preventing his friend from being able to collect a debt, he is Patur (not obligated to pay). [The Talmud then goes on to quote the opinion of Ravah who disagrees, saying that he would be obligated to pay.]

If I were called upon to advocate on behalf of Rabbah position, I would put forth three points.

I. Although the defendant is Patur, he is still obligated to pay by the “heavenly court”, the court can therefore use indirect means to try to force him to pay. Such as to deny him the right to take an oath in any court until he pays up his moral obligation. Since the defendant damage was indirect, it follows that the court can only obligate him indirectly.

II. All agree that even if someone gives false information to his fellow thus causing monitory lose, the court can not obligate him to pay. Thus we have a precedent for being Patur if the damage was indirect.

III. The strongest point: the defendant did not damage the plaintiff. The guilty party is the borrower who lied, refused to acknowledge that he owes the money to the plaintiff. The defendant would have caused no damage without the borrower’s primary and leading role.

Baba Kama 98

Was I good?

I listened to a class online on Tzimtzum shelo kepshuto for an hour and a half, I spoke about it with someone for about an hour and then I thought about it for a while. I didn't daven properly afterwards. It must have come from the Nefesh habahamis. Because if it doesn't lead to doing more good then I really only did it for myself. So it didn't come from the yetzer harah it was my Nefesh habahamis for the neha"b is the soul in me that does things for myself.

The Holy and the Headache

When I was in the second grade, my teacher would not accept a headache for an excuse for anything. If anyone would claim to have a headache he would respond: "headache? I'll tell you what a headache is. A story is told, in the book of prophets, of a boy who was at work in the field with his father. The boy complained, he said: my head my head. Dad sent the complaining boy home to his mom, the boy laid down and died."

[Miraculously the child was revived by the prophet Elisha, who was the one who originally granted the parents a blessing for a child.]

Looking at the story carefully, you will notice that the child never said anything about his head hurting. He just cried: my head, my head. Dad knew something was wrong without his boy mentioning pain, because a healthy person does not feel his head, if you do, then something is terribly wrong.

The soul is the body's source of life. A healthy body stays out of the way, it's completely nullified to the soul's energy. If, however, a limb feels itself, if the limb does not submit to the soul's energy, it will be paralyzed. The same is true with regard to the vitality of the universe. When the recipient is transparent, allowing the spirit of Hashem to shine forth, then it is healthy and holy. Holy for it is transparent, allowing Hashem's energy to express itself.

In general I could divide my life into two. Moments when I am energized, I accomplish, give to others, allow the Torah and it's teachings to flow right through me, enjoy interacting with others. Then there are moments, that I am sluggish, Sad, lifeless, self absorbed. Not allowing room for any life to circulate.

I get to make the choice at every moment, what kind of moment do I want? Do I want to be full of life? Or do I want a headache.

Riding the Waves of Financial Worries

You're drowning. You're drowning in a never ending current of frightening thoughts, worrying whether you'll be able to take care of your family and provide for your loved ones. Even when you find the time to visit the park with you’re family you're mind is wondering, even while opening a prayer book in the synagogue, the torrents of worry catch up with you. You have nowhere to hide.

Financial worries can be as destructive as the biblical flood. In fact, just like all of the Torah, every detail of the Torah’s description of the flood is relevant to the spiritual journey of a Jew. The flood is the financial worries that threaten to drown us all; the protective Ark is the words of Torah and prayer. Just as the floods water lifted the ark to great heights, the financial worries actually lift the prayer and study to a higher plane.

Spiritual sustenance is necessary not merely to satisfy your yearning soul, or to intellectually entertain by broadening the horizon of human experience. It’s the secret to survival in a challenging world. The spiritual haven is most appreciated when you realize that it is your protective shelter.

You see, before the flood the ark will sometimes feel confining. Even while praying and studying part of you lured toward the attractive world. When the world is flooded you realize that the ark is a source of peace, having spent time within it’s protective walls, having captured it’s tranquility, you can then bring it’s peacefulness along wherever you go.

Conventional wisdom leads a person to think that "I need to work extremely hard until I have enough money to buy piece of mind", that doesn't work. As the Ethics of Our Fathers teach: "one who adds money adds worry". The opposite is true, first you must find your ark, the protective and comforting words of Torah and prayer, only then can you be sure that when you have money it won’t rob you of your most important possession: piece of mind.

(Torah Or, Noach)

The Letter “Hey”

Tough you could barley hear its sound and its voice is soft, the Hebrew letter Hey is powerful. Hey represents expression. When it came time for Avrom and Saray to have children, to give birth to an expression of their souls, Hashem added a Hey to their names. To quote the Midrash: “Avram can’t give birth, Avraham can. Saray can’t give birth, Sarah can”.

A few generations later, of Yakov’s four wives only Rachel, the only matriarch without the letter Hey in her name, was barren. What did Rachel do? She told her husband “Here is my maidservant Bilhah, marry her, and I too will be built from her”. Bilhah had two “Hey’s” in her name, Rachel felt that she “will be built” from Bilhuh’s double Hey.

Rachel had a harder time expressing herself then her sister Leah, for Laeh represents taught while Rachel represents speech. Leah had the easier job of expressing her idea’s in her own mind, Rachel had to find the words reach others.

When Rachel finally overcame her spiritual challenge and gave birth, her child was a master of expression. Joseph alone was able to articulate and express holiness to the Egyptians. Only He could find the words to bring the “outsider” into the family.

Ateres - Vayechi

“He placed His spirit within her”

Imagine a teacher and a student, most likely their relationship will not last a lifetime. The teacher and student may loose interest in each other. They will move on to other experiences and relationships.

What can the teacher do to maintain the connection? The kabbalists have a formula: The Teacher gives the student a spirit from within himself; the spirit pulls the student back to the teacher, who is then awakened by his own spirit to share even more of his spirit with the student.

They explain: the teacher should give part of his essence to the student. The teacher’s spirit which is now within the student yearns to reunite with the teacher who is its source. The spirit will continuously pull the student back to the teacher to hear more, because that is were the spirit is comfortable.

Ten years down the line when he’s pulled back to his teacher, who has since lost interest in teaching this student, he begins to talk and the teacher is awakened at once. The student’s words move him to once again be interested in sharing his great wisdom.

How did the teacher regain his interest? It can’t be because of the student, for the teacher is by now very removed from the student. The secret is that the teacher was inspired by his own spirit, the spirit that he left within the student. He hears himself in the student’s voice, and he is awakened to open up and share even more.

And so the cycle continues, teacher gives the student a spirit, the spirit pulls the student back to the teacher, who is then awakened by his own spirit to share even more of his spirit to the student.

And the cycle continues

[In kabalistic terminology: Z”a gives of itself to Malchut. The spirit of Z”a within Malchut draws Malchut back to Z”a, and awakens Z”a to share even more of itself with Malchut]

(Vayigash, Ateres.)

G-d's Essence

Firstly, Thank you for extending the invitation to contribute to this blog. Secondly, Menachem has urged me to post even if ideas are not polished. Together with that comes the real possibility that it might not be correct or even somewhat blasphemous. Please help me by responding and if there is a source that I am touching upon please quote it for me.


What is opposite of G-d and his Essence?
Non-existence of a Creator is not a possibility and therefore can’t be an opposite. Evil as well is not an option as it is a part of G-d just like every other creation. Rather, G-dly Revelation can be said to be the opposite of G-d’s Essence.
What does this mean to us? Well this explains why specifically mankind is able to achieve the purpose of creation. Angels receive too much G-dly Revelation to be able to draw down G-d’s Essence. Only in this lowest of worlds where G-d’s existence is not readily apparent can we Humans draw down G-d’s Essence.
But why is Essence and Revelation mutually exclusive?
Because by definition Revelation (Giluy) is Light (Or). What is being revealed is only one aspect of G-dliness just like visible light which is only a small slice of the whole spectrum of light.
But that was just trading languages and words. An example perhaps, when one looks into a bright light and then turns away one can’t see as well in the darkness. So not only does looking into the light not help your vision but actually hinders you from experiencing anything else. Revelation has this same effect perhaps.

Chavakuk and the Alter Rebbe

613 commandments is a large number to remember. Chavakuk the prophet was nice enough to narrow it down to one. He said, just believe, everything else will fall into place.

In the words of the Talmud: “613 Mitzvahs were given to the Israelites, Chavakuk came and placed them on one, ‘a righteous man will leave by his belief’”. Quite an accomplishment, we need only focus on the belief, and that will support all the rest of the commandments.

The Alter Rebbe, surprisingly, says never mind the belief, Chavakuk was talking about the joy that is the by-product of belief. The foundation and support of all 613 commandments, of the Jewish lifestyle, is the joy that comes from the belief that Hashem is always with us. We are always connected, never lonely.

Often you may see people whose belief doesn’t lead them to acting on all 613 commandments. I doubt you can find someone who feels the thrill of being with G-d, whose not actively pursuing all the 613 ways of hanging out with Hashem.

It’s not about belief, it’s about how happy and energetic your belief makes you.

(Tanya chapter 33)

Using our brains brings to purposeful living.

To be focused and to live purposefully, we must think. Think till we know everything we could know. We live our lives on crumbs of knowledge. So we're flaky. We do things randomly and regret them 3 seconds later.

Therefore we should think. For instance when we study Torah and we understand to the best of our ability, our G-dly soul comes out in its full potential and we become a man of purpose.

I look into the eyes of Zalman Moshe Yitzchaki, in the pictures. The first time I saw him I saw a Russian peasant, a wild man. When I looked again I saw in his eyes purpose. He lived on purpose and everything he did was on purpose. I think that comes through thorough thinking.

This is my understanding why in the beginning of chapter 4 of Tanya the Alter Rebbe says to be able to understand as much as your capable of understanding in Torah, as an explanation for thought not intellect.