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November 11, 2016 R’ Tzvi then said ‘I am willing to be Moser Nefesh to י' חשון תשעז like it was given דברי אלה-ים חיים Hashem with love to hear פרשת לך לך Are you really enjoying by Sinai. If my soul departs from my body, I am doing the At times we may observe one who behaves in a will of Hashem.’ At that time, a new spirit was endowed secular manner saying he had a great time. Is that really to him from the heavens. He then saw the fire of Hashem true? Many times those behaving this way are left with a in the house which was inconceivable. Then when the כי עזה כמות אהבה וגו' שלהבתיה feeling of emptiness. Their bragging is just a cover. Rebbe recited the Pasuk ; …its flashes are flashes of fire from the flame of Hashem, R’ from the great (כמעט נתבטל במציאות) This can be compared to a fish that is out of Tzvi nearly lost his life water as it jumps around uncontrollably. Although it fervor and passion. Hashem then helped R’ Tzvi until his 9 appears that the fish is really alive, we know the opposite Rebbi finished Shir Hashirim. is true since his real habitat is in water. That is when he is truly living. The same applies to when a Jew strays from Everyone has a need to connect to the Creator. If the proper path. Although it seems like he is having fun he doesn’t, then the need manifests itself in gratifying הנפש לא by jumping around- with alcohol, the opposite gender the body in material ways. This is what is meant in his wants are never satisfied, as this can be in ;תמלא 1 and the like- the truth is he is like a fish out of water. 10 נפשי חולת we sing ,ידיד נפש A Jew needs spirituality or physicality. In 2.וידגו לרב -Indeed, we are compared to fish אהבתך 5 4 3 my soul pines for your love. An alternate ; .אין מים אלא תורה to live in water. Torah that is, as in translation is our soul is sick in the area of love meaning Just as when a fish is returned to water we see instead of serving Hashem, we indulge in worldly the return of the vitality of the fish, the same is with a pleasures. Jew. When he is put into the waters of Torah, we can see 6 his strength return. Although it may appear that one who is confined to the Torah is limited, the truth is that this is when his The following incredible account is brought in potential can be brought forth. A violin string can only R’ Tzvi Zidichover was once in express music when it is tied down. Likewise, we can only 7.בוצינא דנהורא the Sefer 11 Mezibiz where he hid in the room with another Chassid to express ourselves when we are subjected to the Torah. hear Shir Hashirim from the holy R’ Baruch Mezbitzer.8 ************************************************ When he began to recite Shir Hashirim with zeal and Unconditional love passion, the Chassid said to R’ Tzvi that he was We need to realize that no matter what we do 12 ,That is .אוהב עמו ישראל disoriented from the abundant fire that was in the heart Hashem loves us and as we say is in present אוהב of the Rebbe, R’ Baruch Mezbitzer. When the Rebbe Hashem always loves us, as the word .it literally appeared as if there tense ,ודגלו עלי אהבה... אני recited was a fire surrounding him. The Chassid then ran away 13 ,my firstborn son ;בני בכרי ישראל since he couldn’t tolerate the awesome fire. R’ Tzvi saw We are called thunder and fire in which the house was completely the Jews. This was said when we were in Mitzrayim, on no בנים engulfed in. He strengthened himself and managed to the lowest of levels. So, Hashem calls us Hashem continue to stay there as he wanted to be in the presence matter what level we are on. אני of such holiness. Then the Rebbe reached the Pasuk When someone has a bad odor, people keep a .At this point, R’ Tzvi nearly lost his mind .לדודי ועלי תשוקתו distance from him. However, when it is one’s own baby such as a bad odor from a dirty diaper, the parents don’t 1 This is analogous to a chicken’s head that is chopped off and is have any revulsion. Not only that, but they will continue jumping around although it is really dead. playing with the child while showing signs of love. It is 2 Breishis 48:16. The saying goes “it is better to be on the almost like they don’t even smell the bad odor because of outside looking in, than on the inside looking out.” their love for their child. Similarly, we are Hashem's 3 הבן Devarim 20:19). children even if we smell badly from sins and as it says) כי האדם עץ השדה -Man is compared to a tree Just as a tree grows and becomes stronger through watering it, likewise, this is how we grow and become spiritually stronger- .אין מים אלא תורה –through water, Torah 4 We see what an amazing, superior existence one lives when he 9 Shir Hashirim 2:4, 7:11, 8:6. R’ Tzvi Zidichover later remarked that when he would fall in his Avodas Hashem he would .אם בחקתי תלכו... lives a Torah life from Vayikra 26:3-13- 5 Taanis 7a. We know that in the Mishkan there were no remember these special moments that he heard Shir Hashirim windows. This is because a window is necessary if there is from such a person where his eyes were lit up. either עולם הבא something to look at. Since all Kedusha is in the Mishkan, there 10 Koheles 6:7. It has been said that a Jew goes to is no need for windows. The same applies to genuine Torah through suffering with the Yetzer Hara or through Gehinom. We learning, as one doesn’t need to see the secular material of the should therefore take advantage and acquire the next world outside world. with overcoming the Yetzer Hara. 6 Once one lives a better lifestyle he sees that it doesn’t 11 It is obviously no coincidence that both holidays of Torah- This is .עצרת Shavuos and Simchas Torah- are both called אשר ראה את compare to the old one. This is similar to what it says means to restrain and the Torah disciplines us, as עצרת those who saw the first Beis Hamikdash knew that because ;הבית הזה... Hashem created the Yetzer Hara and the ;בראתי יצר הרע... the second one was inferior to it (Chagai 2:3). in Torah as its antidote (Kidushin 30b), and that the Torah was ובשם .Also in Taanmai Minhagim, pg 123, s.v 7 .(strong willed (Beitza 25b ;עזין R’ Baruch Mezbitzer was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov and given to us because we are 8 מעריב of ברכה a student of the Magid of Mezrich as well as R’ Pinchas Kpritzer. 12 second He became Rebbe in Mezibiz around 1782 and died in 1811. 13 Shemos 4:22 my favorite son was killed by a scud missile during the gulf war, the only… ;יקר לי אפרים אם ילד שעשעים...רחם ארחמנו 14 or delightful child…I will surely take pity on him. victim of the 39 missiles. A neighbor of this boy in Ramat Gan was so amazed at seeing the hand of Hashem in this .times. The episode that he became a Baal Teshuva 3 אתם With regard to Yom Tov it says 15 אתם אפילו שוגגין, אפילו מזידין, אפילו -Gemara learns from this that the Yomim Tovim that Beis Din declares One who doesn’t internalize what he knows can -מוטעין (through their designation of Rosh Chodesh) are valid be compared to a cup that is placed in water. If it is not even if they chose the wrong date for Rosh Chodesh in submerged in the water, only the external part will get error, deliberately or if they were misled. R’ Simcha wet. we are ;בנים אתם לה' אלה-יכם in אתם Bunim drew a parallel to This explains why Esav is compared to a pig as אתם אפילו שוגגין, children to Hashem.16 That is, even when 21 sin by accident, on purpose or are Rashi tells us a pig stretches forth its hooves as if to say I ;אפילו מזידין, אפילו מוטעין misled, we remain Hashem's children! am pure. However, since the pig doesn’t chew its cud, it is ************************************************ not Kosher. It therefore comes as no surprise that only along with the מערת המכפילה Living the belief Esav’s head was buried in the and many greats buried there, since he knew what was right מעלה גרה For an animal to be Kosher, it needs to chew its cud and have a split hoof.17 in his head but he didn’t internalize it to the rest of his ;מפריסי פרסה 22 Figuratively, these two signs of purity are what a Jew body, to his actions. needs to draw close to Hashem. Chewing the cud Avraham was able to figure out that there was a Split hoof 23 .מעלה גרה -symbolizes thinking about an idea means a God and as the Midrash relates an analogy of one who פרסה represents taking things step by step as palace that was lit ;בירה דולקת was traveling and saw a step.
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  • Vayikra Sources of the Call 5779

    Vayikra Sources of the Call 5779

    Vayikra 5779 I know that many of us this evening feel a dual call. There is the call to be in community in prayer, to experience Shabbat as Shabbat, and also the call to be in solidarity at the Eugene Islamic Center. Some of us were able to attend the solidarity vigil at the Islamic Center at 1:30 pm, but for those who were not, the pull is acute. The reality is that we often feel dual pulls when it comes to the call of our spirit. Should we spend our free time with community, or recharging in nature? Should we engage in activism, or in rest? There is a hint at the reality of dual calls in the very first line of this week’s parashah, Vayikra, the opening Torah portion of the book of Leviticus, which יִּ קְ רָ ֖ א אֶ ל ־ ֹ מ שֶׁ ֑ ה :contains all of the instructions for the sacrificial system. It opens Hashem called to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent ,וַיְדַבֵּ֤ ר יְהוָה֙ אֵ לָ֔ יו מֵ אֹ֥ הֶ ל מוֹﬠֵ ֖ד of Meeting. Now, where is this call coming from? What is this ohel moed, this Tent of Meeting? In the Torah portions dealing with the building of the tabernacle, back at the end of Exodus, the ohel moed seems to be a synonym for the mishkan, the Tabernacle, the dwelling place for the divine presence around which the entire Israelite camp is oriented. But there is also another tent. In Exodus 33, in Ki Tissa, after the Israelites commit the transgression of Golden Calf, Moshe takes a tent outside of the camp to communicate with God, who in this instance is presumably too angry with the Israelites to make any sort of divine call in the center of their camp.