בס״ד In loving memory of MRS. SARAH ISSUE 327 (CHARLOTTE) ROHR ַּפ ְַרׁשת ְַבּהר‑ ְַּבֻחּקֹתי • כ״ו אייר ה’תשע״ח Parshas Behar-Bechukosai 26 Iyar 5778 ַּפ רְ ַׁש ת בְ ַּהר‑ּבְחֻ ַּקֹתי COMMANDER’S RESOURCES COMMANDER’S GUIDE • ENGLISH SICHA • YIDDISH SICHA • TRANSCRIPT • PARSHAFIER • WORKSHEET Commander’s Guide “A COMMANDER’S GUIDE IN TRAINING TODAY’S CHAYOLIM” Since we are not tzaddikim, and must put in effort to outsmart the Yetzer Hora and do the right thing, we may sometimes make a mistake. We all, at some point, find ourselves in a challenging situations and we slip and don’t do the best we can. In n troductio What happens after you make a mistake? Do you sink into sorrow over what you have done? Do you begin to see yourself as a bad person? Do you feel unworthy? Do you get so upset at yourself to the extent that you can’t motivate yourself to do anything? Do you feel like you are only valued if you do everything perfectly? When we slip and do an aveira, chas visholom, the Yetzer Hora tries to add to the wrongdoing by making us feel so bad and lowly about ourselves. He wants us to believe that Hashem loves us less because we messed up a little. He uses our feeling bad against us. He wants us to be in such despair that we feel hopeless and don’t even try to make things right. This week’s parsha gives us the key to pull ourselves out of a gloomy mood and move forward even though we may have made a mistake. פרשת בחוקותי פרק כ״ו פסוק מ״ד "וְ ַ ףא ַּגם זִֹאת ּבְהָיֹותְם ּבֶאֶרְץאיֵבֶיהם ֹלְֽא ַמא ְסִּתְים וְֹלא ַגע ְלִּתים לְ ַכ ָלתְםלָהֵפְר ּבִרִיתִי אָּתִם ּכֲי ה׳ אִנֱיאֶֹלקיהם" “Even when they (the Yidden) will be in the land of their enemies, I will not be disgusted with them, reject them or destroy them. “ Torah 2 In the Zohar, Rabbi Elazar, the son of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, explains this posuk with a mashal. There was a man Chumash who loved his wife. He went to live with her in the marketplace where animal hides were tanned. The area had a very bad smell because of the way the skins were prepared. If not for his wife, the man would never have spent any time in the foul-smelling marketplace. Because this was where his wife was, though, the bad smells didn’t bother him; it seemed to him that he was in a place where pleasant smelling fragrances were sold. So it is with Hashem and the Yidden. The Yidden may be in a “foul-smelling” place, in “the lands of their enemies.” Yet, Hashem says, “I will not be disgusted.” Hashem does not find it repulsive at all, rather it’s as if it were a place with beautiful fragrances. How can this be? How can a terrible place please Hashem? The posuk continues with the word “L’kalosam.” L’kalosam which means “to destroy them” has the same shoresh as the word kallah. Because the Yidden are Hashem’s kallah and are very beloved to Hashem, wherever they may be will be pleasing for Hashem. Hashem’s love for the Yidden makes an offensive place seem good. Rabbi Elazar teaches us how precious the Yidden are to Hashem, even when they are in golus. A Yid must know that ever since Yitziyas Mitzrayim, a Yid is a free person, especially if he learns Rebbe Torah. Chazal tell us, “No one is free unless he studies Torah.” When he works hard and exerts himself to learn Torah, then he is truly liberated. This is why when a Yid is in golus, the golus does not affect his inner self. A Yid does not absorb and “swallow” the ideas and beliefs of golus. If he holds on to Torah, then his mind, heart and neshomo can soar even though his guf is in golus. A Yid in golus lives in a market, a busy street. This street is not visibly reshus hayachid, it is not obviously the place of Hashem, who is Yachid—One—in the world. There is a 3 bad smell in this place. It is not the smell of the Bais Hamikdosh, not the sweet smell of ketores nor the pleasant scent of the karbanos. It is the smell of golus. This smell surrounds the Jew from outside. Rabbi Elazar teaches in his moshul that even though the smell of golus is not a good smell, Hashem is still there, together with the Yidden. What is more, the bad smells turn into the fragrance of the finest spices in the world, because of Hashem’s love for his Yidden Hashem sees, with pleasure, that even when the Yidden are in golus, “the hide marketplace,” they keep Torah and mitzvos. They live in a Jewish way and give their children a Jewish education. Lesson Hashem sees that the golus that surrounds the Yidden has not weakened them. Instead it has awakened, deep within the Yidden, even greater powers. They try even harder to educate their children in the right way. They become a living example to other Yidden around them. When Hashem sees the Yidden serving Him in golus, they become even more precious in His eyes. By withstanding the trials of golus, they bring down a great light from above, because the brightest light comes from within the darkness. They hasten the Geula ha’amitis v’hashleima, through Moshiach Tzidkeinu. So, yes we’re in golus and we are surrounded by darkness and sometimes we slip and fall. But remember! The negativity only B’chein surrounds us, it doesn’t permeate us. it’s just like a smell that surrounds a person, but doesn’t define the person. Therefore, even when we do something wrong, the mistake doesn’t change or define who we are. The mistakes we do never become us. We must know that Hashem’s love for us is so great that even in glous when not everything is perfect, He is still with us then. Hashem’s love for us is not based on our actions, it’s there even when we do the 4 wrong thing. Even more so, it’s important for a Yid in golus to know, that challenges we have aren’t inherently bad. They give us an opportunity to reach even greater and deeper levels. When we overcome the distractions of golus, it gives Hashem the greatest nachas. There is no need to despair when we are challenged. We must realize that it is really an opportunity to give Hashem much nachas, more than we can provide if we were never faced with a challenge. 5 English Sicha “Even when they (the Yidden) will be in the land of their enemies, I will not be disgusted with them, reject them or destroy them.” In the Zohar, Rabbi Elazar, the son of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, explains this posuk with a parable: There was a man who loved his wife. He went to live with her in the marketplace where animal hides were tanned. The area had a very bad smell because of the way the skins were prepared. If not for his wife, the man would never have set foot in the smelly marketplace. But since his wife was there, it seemed to him that he was in a place where fragrant spices were sold. So it is with Hashem. The Jewish people may be in a disgusting place, in “the lands of their enemies.” Golus is a place that has a bad smell, like the market for hides. Even so, “I will not be disgusted.” Hashem does not find it disgusting at all, but rather like a place full of fragrant scents. Why? “L’kalosam.” Although L’kalosam means “to destroy them” it also has within it the word “kallah.” Hashem is not disgusted because the Jewish people are His kallah. Rabbi Elazar teaches us how precious the Jewish people are to Hashem, even when they are in golus. A Jew must know that ever since yitziyas Mitzrayim, a Jew is a free person, especially if he learns Torah. For Chazal tell us, “No one is free unless he studies Torah.” When he works hard and exerts himself to learn Torah, then he is truly a free person. This is why when a Jew is in golus, the golus does not affect his inner self. A Jew does not absorb and “swallow” the ideas and beliefs of golus. It is only that he lives in a market, a busy street. This street is not visibly reshus hayachid, it is not obviously the place of Hashem, who is Yachid—One—in the world. There is a bad smell in this place. It is not the smell of the Bais Hamikdosh, not the sweet smell of ketores nor the pleasant scent of the karbanos. It is the smell of golus. This smell surrounds the Jew from outside. 6 Rabbi Elazar teaches in his moshul that even though the smell of golus is not a good smell, Hashem is still there, together with the Jewish people. What is more, the bad smells turn into the fragrance of the finest spices in the world, because of Hashem’s love for the Jewish people. Hashem sees, with pleasure, that even when they are in golus (the market of hides) Jewish people keep Torah and mitzvos. They live in a Jewish way and give their children a Jewish education (even more and better than they have, since parents want more for their children than for themselves).