LIGHTS OF OUR RIGHTEOUS TZADDIKIM בעזרת ה ' יתבר A Tzaddik, or righteous person , makes everyone else appear righteous before Hashem by advocating for them and finding their merits. Kedushas Levi, Parshas Noach (Bereishis 7:1) VA’ES CHA NAN _ CHASSIDUS ON THE PARSHA + Dvar Torah Deciphered Messages The Torah tells us ( Shemos 19:19) that when the Jewish people gathered at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah , “Moshe spoke and Hashem answered him with a voice.” The Gemora (Berochos 45a) der ives from this pasuk the principle that that an interpreter should not speak more loudly than the reader whose words he is translating. Tosafos immediately ask the obvious question: from that pasuk we see actually see the opposite: that the reader should n ot speak more loudly than the interpreter. We know, says Rav Levi Yitzchok, that Moshe’s nevua (prophecy) was different from that of the other nevi’im (prophets) in that “the Shechina was speaking through Moshe’s throat”. This means that the interpretation of the nevuos of the other nevi’im is not dependent on the comprehension of the people who hear it. The nevua arrives in this world in the mind of the novi and passes through the filter of his perspectives. The resulting message is the essence of the nevua. When Moshe prophesied, however, it was as if the Shechina spoke from his throat directly to all the people on their particular level of understanding. Consequently, his nevuos were directly accessible to all people. In this sense then, Moshe was the rea der of the nevua , and Hashem was the interpreter. Moshe spoke the words of the nevua , but Hashem , speaking through his throat, made sure that everyone among the people, from the greatest to the smallest, was able to receive the nevua 1 Va’eschanan / [email protected] directly and to understand it. n Story On one of his many journeys, Rav Levi Yitzchok stopped in a market town during the week of the trade fair. The town was abustle with a large influx of merchants, traders and brokers. Rav Levi Yitzchok took a room in a Jewish inn where many young Jewish businessmen were also staying. Everyone was focused on the fair, and no one paid any particular attention to Rav Levi Yitzchok. The young men gathered at the crack of dawn for Shacharis the following morning. There was only one pair of tefillin to go around, so they all took turns putting them on and rushing through the appropriate passages in the siddur . After Shacharis , the men ran for the door, their minds already on the opportunities available at the fair. Rav Levi Yitzchok managed to catch one of them before he left. “Young man,” he said, “can I have a word with you?” The young man hesitated for a moment, but then respect won out. “Of course,” he said. “All right, listen carefully. Kdbrr flpptn bklxtn …” The young man gave him a quizzical look. “What did you say?” Rav Levi Yitzchok repeated his incomprehensible gibberish. “What you’re saying makes no sense,” said the young man. “Of course it doesn’t,” said Rav Levi Yitzchok. “But I learned this language from you. Before, when you put on your tefillin , you opened the siddur , and these are, more or less, the words that came out of your mouth. You didn’t say a single coherent word.” The young man shook his head. “I understand that you’re criticizing me, but I have to disagree. Think of a tiny infant babbling and gurgling in its cradle. If you would walk by it would mean nothing to you, just jumbled sounds. But when his mother hears him, she understands what he needs. Perhaps he is thirsty. Perhaps he has soiled himself. The mother understands. We are the children of Hashem , and even if what we say when we open the siddur may sound like gibberish to other people, He understands exactly what we are saying.” Rav Levi Yitzchok’s eyes widened with amazement when he heard the young man’s words. He kissed the young man on his head, and then he danced joyously around the shul . “Master of the Universe,” he cried out, “listen to how this young man advocates for Your beloved people. Take his words to heart. Even if they speak so rapidly to You that their words sound like gibberish, accept their tefillos , because You know that they come from the depths of their hearts. You know that Your children love You, even if they sometimes fail to express themselves in the best possible way.” n n n 2 Va’eschanan / [email protected] הילולא The anniversary of the petira of a Tzaddik is known as a Hilula , which means “A Day of Joy”. One of the tools that Kabbola teaches is to connect to a Tzaddik (righteous person). The method to connect to a Tzaddik is to adopt the following ritual: 1) Learn the anniversary of his petira or, if this information is not available, the days of Erev Rosh Chodesh , Rosh Chodesh and the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month can be utilized for a connection. 2) Light a twenty-five-hour candle in his or her honor. There is no specific berocha . Some say the following: This candle is being lit in the merit of ______________. Others say that it is the custom within Klal Yisrael to light a yahrzeit candle on the day that a relative or a Tzaddik has passed away. The lighting has no accompanying blessing, and people would like to express themselves in a tefilla when lighting the candle. This is not only true on a yahrzeit but on every Yom Tov as well. The author of the Pele Yo’etz , Rav Eliezer Papo (1785–1828), did in fact compose such a tefilla . Rav Papo was the Rav of the city of Selestria in Bulgaria. Bulgaria was a part of the Ottoman Empire at the time. The tefilla of the Pele Yo’etz is reproduced and translated below, as a public service. Hebrew Tefilla for Lighting a Yahrzeit or Hilula Candle [ ְ ִ פי ָ לה ַ ה ִנ ְ מ ַ צ ת ַ ֵ ס ֶ פ ר אֶ לֶ ַ ה ָ מ ֵ ג ִ מ ַ ַ על ַ ה ֶ ֶ לא י וֹ עֵ עַ ל ָ ָ ר ַ ת ַו ֵי ֵ צ א עָ מ וֹ ד כ"ד] ַ ה ֵ רי ִ נ י מַ ְ ד ִ ל יק נֵ ר זֶ ה לִ ְ מנ& ַ חת & ְל ִ ע יל& י נִ ְ ַ מ ת ) ִ בי / ִ א ִ מי מ וֹ ָ ר ִ תי / ַ ה ַ צ ִ ד יק ____________ ֵ / ַ ת ____________, ְי ִ הי ָ רצ וֹ ִ מ ְל ָ פ ֶ ני- ה' ֶא/ֵקינ& ֵוא/ ֵ קי אֲ בוֹתֵ ינ& , ְֶ ַקֵל ְַרֲחִמי1 &ְבָרצוֹ 2ָל ַמֲע3ֶה הַ טוֹב ִֶני עו3ֶֹה , ֵי ְַמַחָָבה , ֵי ְִדי&ר , ֵי ְַמֲע ֶ 3ה ְו ִי ְ ה ֶ יה ַ ה ֹ 2ל ִל ְ זכ&ת & ְל ְ מנ& ַ חת & ְל ִ ע יל& י לִ ְ נ ָ מ וֹ ת עַ ְ מ- ִי ְ 3 ָ ר ֵ אל, & ִ ְ פ ָ ר ט לְ ֶנ ֶ פ ר& ַ ח & ְנ ָ ָ מה ֶ ל ) ִ בי / ִ א ִ מי / ַ צ ִ ד יק ____________. ְי ִ הי ָ רצ וֹ ֶ ִ ְ ה ֶי ָ נ ה נַ ְ פ וֹ ֵ תי ֶ ה 1 צְ ר&ר וֹ ת ִ ְ צר וֹ ר הַ ַ ח ִ יי1. Translation: Behold I am lighting this lamp for the resting and uplifting of the soul of my father/my mother/the Tzaddik _______ the son/daughter of ______________. May it be Your will before you, Hashem , our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, that all my good deeds whether in thought, speech or action be done for a merit and a resting and an elevation of the souls of your nation Yisrael. It should be especially for the soul of my father/mother/the Tzaddik _____. May it be Your will that their souls be bound in the bond of life. 3) Learn about the person including history, culture, writings and teachings. 4) Study some of his teaching or writings. See more at: www.yeshshem.com/hilulah.htm 3 Va’eschanan / [email protected] Y GEDOLIM BE'MISASAM YOSER Z YAHRZEITS FOR WEEK BEGINNING SHABBOS VA’ES’CHANA N http://www.chinuch.org/gedolim_yahrtzeits/Av Biographical information and yahrzeits compiled by Reb Manny Saltiel and www.anshe.org 15 th of Av ~ Begins Fri da y Night (Jul 23rd ) Nachum Ish Gamzu , Tanna and Rav Akiva’s Rebbe for twenty-two years, buried in Tzefas. He was known for saying, “ Gam zu le’tova ” (this, too, is for the best) for everything. There are many famous stories about Nachum Ish Gamzu LeTova; Rav Benzion Goldberg-Yadler , Maggid of Yerushalayim, (5722/1962); Rav Amram ben Diwan , a great Moroccan Tzaddik and famous miracle worker, (5542/1782); Rav Yaakov ben Rav Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izhbitza -Radzin, mechaber of Bais Yaakov , a full collection of the Aggodos from the Talmud , (5638/1878); Rav Meir Nosson ben Rav Chaim Halberstam (the Divrei Chaim ), father of the first Bobover Rebbe , (5615/1855); Rav Dovid Yosef ben Rav Shlomo Yechiel Biderman of Lelov, from the members of the Lelover family who did not move to Eretz Yisrael.