Often, the process is greater than the goal. A lot of us struggle with having clear goals and attaining them. Usually, this is because we tend to be near-sighted; only noticing the immediate struggle and the grind of being consistent. How can we be expected to have a meaningful Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur? How can we ensure that we stick to the resolutions we make? Elul is coming, and we have the opportunity to come face-to-face with G-d Himself….
Pinchas: A Sicha Part 2 Read Part 1 here. But How is He Going to Make a living? It’s a fair question. Your shvigger asked the question about you and your wife will ask it about your future son-in-law. The simple answer is: G-d wants us to have a relationship with materialism and yet remain above it all. Now we can understand why the issue with Pe’or happened before entering the land of Israel after the first generation of Jews in the…
Pinchas: A Sicha Part One :וְהָיְתָה לּוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר קִנֵּא לֵאלֹקיו וַיְכַפֵּר עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל “It shall be for him and for his descendants after him [as] an eternal covenant of kehunah, because he was zealous for his G-d and atoned for the children of Israel.” (Pinchas 25:13) The situation with Pinchas happened after the Jewish people began sinning with the Moabite women and doing serving idols (avoda zara) of Ba’al Pe’or with them. Rashi tells us that…
Part Two: Conceptual Background to Part Two: I. Elokeinu means, “our G-d.” In Chassidus, “Elokeinu” also is the type of relationship G-d has with us. He chooses to relate to the world as a king, i.e., Melech Ha’Olam (King of the universe), He chooses to relate to us as a father as well. As a general principle, in Chassidus, “Elokeinu” means “our strength and our vitality.” In Hebrew it’s “kocheinu v’chayuseinu,” which connotes our physical life itself, our energy, enthusiasm, life dedication, etc., as explained at…
Here the Alter Rebbe explains that higher level t’shuva (t’shuva ilaa) is a result of fixing things at their root. For example: the sin associated with young men “nicks” the mind, the correction and the t’shuva is to become engrossed in learning Torah (which comes from Chochma of Aztilus) and to double the quantity. Like kissing, where the breath of one united with the other, when we learn, our minds think G-d’s thoughts, our mouths speak G-d’s words etc. The…
Previously, the Alter Rebbe explained to us how t’shuva tattoh (lower level t’shuva) is done. Now that the t’shuva tattoh is done and the clouds have been cleared,” we can engage in t’shuva i’la’ah (higher level t’shuva). This happens through becoming emotionally engaged in learning Torah, which is a woundrous union between G-d and Jew. The this emotional state during intimacy with G-d is a result of binah (analysis and contemplation) and is also results in the return of the…
In the Alter Rebbe’s siddur, Torah Ohr, in his introduction to Tikkun Chatzos, defines yirei boshes as follows: Yirei boshes is for example, the internal feeling of shame one feels in the presence of a great man in one’s generation, a tzaddik, etc. The fear is from motivated from within himself: this is called yira ilaa, to become shy in the presence of the Light of the Endless One Boruch Hu, who integrates Himself into the Chochma of Atzilus… before…
Part Five: This Car Has Good Handling ה) וְזֶהוּ ״יְהִי הַוֲיֶ’ אֱלֹקֵינוּ עִמָּנוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה עִם אֲבוֹתֵינוּ,״ This then is the meaning of, “May G-d, our G-d be with us just as He was with our forefathers.” דְּבֲּעַבוֹדַת הָאָבוֹת מּוּדְגָשִׁים שְׁנֵי עִנְיָנִים הַנִזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל The Forefathers’ service to G-d underscored the two types of humility we mentioned earlier (self-sacrifice as result of a decision vs. self-sacrifice as a result of being humbled by G-dliness). שֶׁקִיְימוּ כָּל הַתּוֹרָה עַד שֶׁלֹא נִיתְּנָה, דְבָּזֶה מוּדְגָשׁ שֶׁעַבוֹדָתָם הָיְתָה (לֹא מִפְּנֵי…
Part Four: Understanding the Language, Shedding Light on a Deeper Reality Translation and Integrated Translation of the Ma’amer ד) דְּהִנֵה לָשׁוֹן ״עִם״ שַׁיָיךְ כְּשְׁיֵשׁ דִמְיוֹן בֵּין שְׁנֵי הַדְבָרִים. כְּדְרָשַׁת רַבֹּתֵנוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, עֲל הַפָּסוּק וְהִתְיַצְּבוּ שָׁם עִמָּךְ, עִמָּךְ בְּדוֹמִין לָךְ The use of the word “with” is relevant only when there is a relationship between the different elements at play. For example, on the verse where G-d tells Moshe Rabeinu (BeHa’alos’cho, 11:16), “…And have them [the seventy elders] stand there…
Part Three: Personal Relationship With the Divine. Humility and Self-Sacrifice “ג) דְהִינֵה הַטַעֲם עֲל זֶה שׁהַיִרְאָה בָּאָה בּעִיקָר עֲל-יְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת הָאָדָם, יֵשׁ לוֹמַר, כִּי יִרְאָה הִיא בִּיטוּל. וּבְּפְרַט יִרְאַת הַמֶלֶךְ, ״שֹוֹם תָּשִֹים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ״ שֶׁתְּהֵא אֵימָתוֹ עָלֶיךָ The reason why fear is specifically a result of our personal effort is, that fear is humility: especially the fear associated with a king. A possible reason why fear is humility can be understood by the following. Fear is, as defined in Chassidus, the…