Mystical Insights In The Torah Portion – Lech Licha Sefer Hasichos 5749
| Why Did God create the year in such a way, that we go from the month of Tishrie – filled with festivals – to the month of Cheshvan, lacking any festival? (see next insight) | Sefer Hasichos 5749 |
| Through the entire year, every month besides Cheshvan has a festival – Tishrie, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkois Simchas Torah – Kislev – Chanuka – Teves, The last days of Chanuka – Shvat – Tu B’Shvat – Adar – Purim – Nissan – Pesach – Iyar – Lag B’omer and Pesach Sheini – Sivan – Shavous – Tammuz -The 17th of Taamuz (which will become a festival when Moshiach comes) Av, the 9th of Av (see last parenthesis) Elul – a month of mercy and the 18th of Elul. | Sefer Hasichos 5749 Note 6 |
| The reason that Cheshvan comes after Tishrie generally is understood, for we are attempting to manifest the inspiration of Tishrie in the “real” world. | Sefer Hasichos 5749 |
| Parshas Lech Licha is always read in the beginning of the month of Cheshvan. | Sefer Hasichos 5749 |
| Chassidus brings the teaching of the Zohar, that Lech Licha refers to the soul’s descent from heaven to earth. | |
| The soul in Heaven is in state of union with God, beyond even the world of Atzilus, it then descends through the three worlds of Biriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah, descending into this world, where only miraculously, does the Omnipotent One, fuse it within a body. | |
| Lech Licha “Go from your land, your birthplace, your father’s home” represents the descent of the soul through the three world of Biriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah. | Note 11 |
| “Go to the land that I will show you” is explained as “the dark and low land” and the Zohar comments – “this world.” | Note 12 |
| Though this descent of the soul from heaven to earth, is from the loftiest heights to the lowest depths, this is precisely the greatest benefit to the soul, for as God told Avraham, through this descent your essence will be revealed (and the essence is God-Himself, hence far greater than any other soul state.) | |
| When the Soul is in Heaven, its true essence is obscured, for it is experiencing the infinite radiance of God (and as we know, an experience is but an expression, not the essence of self.) | |
| Additionally the soul is standing humble in the presence of the king’s glory and as we know, in the state of utter humility, in an awestruck state, it’s the awe (not the self) that is being experienced. | Note 15 |
| It is only on earth – in the darkness – that the soul’s inner light can express itself – through which the individual becomes a continuously growing being! which is far more lofty than whatever spiritual nirvana it experiences in heaven. | |
| The Soul’s revelation on earth far surpasses its state in Heaven, for the ability to express something which inherently is concealed (namely the soul’s essence) must draw from a force which is beyond both concealment and revelation (namely, the Creator’s Omnipotent Being.) | |
| Just as the Soul must descend from Heaven to earth, similarly, the individual must move out of his comfort zone. | |
| A person must move beyond both his physical and spiritual comfort zone – “your land” refers to your desire, “your father’s home” refers to your mind and “your birthplace” refers to your habits – a Jew is challenged to go forth in order to teach Torah and Mitzvos. | |
| Avraham was challenged at the age of 75 to abandon all his previous accomplishments and his story in the Torah begins from this clarion call. | |
| Though prior to this call he had many great accomplishments this call was to bring the name of God to the world – not only the fact God exists, but existence is God. | |
| There are a number of opinions as to when Abraham recognized God, either 3, 40, 48, 50 (elsewhere it is explained, that each time his rediscovery was so intense, as to qualify it as a new discovery.) | Note 22 |
| The beginning of Abraham’s glorifying God worldwide was with the Bris. | |
| The command of Lech Licha was intended for the Bris. | Note 27 |
| The idea of Lech Lichah was for Avraham to abandon his own lofty spiritual stature in order to make God felt though the universe. | |
| Many Chassidim had the Custom to learn the Chassidisheh Parsha (Torah Ohr in winter and Likuitie Torah in Summer.) In fact, many would teach it to their family even children – although obviously not as, in depth. | Note 29 |
| The Mitzvah of Mila was the introduction, as well as the first Mitzvah to merging (elyoinim in Tachtoinim) the Divine light in the physical universe. | |
| Specifically going away from one’s comfort zone – quite literally, one’s birthplace where one’s accustomed habits are part of their (proper) society – in a new place, where alone, standing on one’s own two feet, can it be discerned what a person is made of. And the ability to express oneself comes from the force which is beyond all. | |
| The purpose of going from one’s place to a new place is similar to the idea of life itself – ups and downs both physical and spiritual – for in all these circumstances the purpose is to reveal the inner soul of the Jew (that notwithstanding the reality, he fulfils his mission of spreading Judaism.) | |
| The verse states “Seven times a Tzaddik falls and rises” which represents not only seven but continuous ascents (which obviously must be preceded by descending from the previous ascent, leaving room for a new one.) | Note 39 |
| The journey from Tishrie to Cheshvan is similar to the journey in life (mentioned above, from comfort zone to work) for as long as we are in the spiritual nirvana of Tishrie it may just be, the aura of the holiness is what is motivating us – only by putting our feet to the fire and actualizing our good intents, do we see that the person has grown. | |
| One can only see a person’s own growth when they truly are in a completely new situation – this is the concept of descending from the high of the festival of Tishrie to the low of Cheshvan, which parallels the soul’s descent from the heights of heaven, to the materialistic low physical plane. | |
| It is this transformation, from Tishrie to Cheshvan, that empowers us to do our spiritual work of lighting up the darkness through the entire year. | |
| This transformation is so deep that it represents that not only during the weekday the Jews essence is his motivating force, but even on Shabbos or a festival (it is his essence not the aura of holiness that drives him.) | |
| In other words even when there are future transformations, the power of the transformation from Tishrie to Cheshvan represents that each one of these is an infinite transformation (representing an entirely new leap.) | |
| The soul living in a body, is on an infinitely different plain, even to as it exists in the lowest level of Heaven; therefore it necessitates the Omnipotent Power of God. | Note 42 |
| This is similar to what it says, that no matter how much one would “degrade” spirituality, it could never turn into physicality – so the fact that it does, can only be the Omnipotent Power of God | Note 42 |
| The clarion call to every Jew through God’s call to Abraham continuously resounds – Go forth! Go from your comfort zone and transform the world into God’s home! by spreading Torah and Mitzvos to all Jews whom you can reach and goodness and justice to gentiles. | |
| One may assume “but working on my own study of Torah and performance of Mitzvos will refine myself” – “No” says the Torah “through reaching out to others, it is specifically in this way that you reveal yourself and you draw down an energy source which is far beyond what you could otherwise access” even higher than Abraham! | |
| If this clarion call was in every generation, it is so much more so in ours, when the previous Rebbe has challenged every Jew to reach out in spreading both the revealed and inner dimension of Torah. | |
| The reason God didn’t tell Abraham where he was leading him to, for this was to add to his reward, for it became a double test. | Note 45 |
| The call of our generation is the obligation and honor the Previous Rebbe put on us, is to not only go out to a new location and then happily help those who come to you – rather to make the effort to find all who need either physical or spiritual assistance. | |
| In addition, this mission automatically bestows tremendous potential, far beyond what a person could achieve in his comfort zone, granting him miraculous Divine assistance. | |
| It would be amazing if people would maximize this incredible bestowal of Divine miraculous potential. | |
| One might assume that one would need much prepitory time for undertaking such a lofty spiritual mission, but the Rebbe has told us that in our generation time is of the essence. | |
| Today as soon as someone has the basic Judaic knowledge he is immediately urged to go forth – which as mentioned, is his personal transformation – and encourage every Jew to increase their observance. | |
| This is also relevant to mention, that though one may have done much to the extent that his disciple even exceeds him, he must reach out to more Jews and even inspire himself more, so he can teach more. | |
| This relates to the International Gathering of Shluchim soon to take place that the main point is not only the benefit of camaraderie but the practical results. | |
| This is obviously stressed, seeing that despite all the many good works, we are still awaiting the coming of Moshiach (hence the necessity to add.) | |
| The more one does and especially with alacrity on Shlichus, the more it adds to the ability to do and the blessings in health, wealth and nachas. | |
| The complete idea of Shlichus is to purchase (or build) a new home in the area which shows on the permanence. | |
| This is why as soon as Avraham came to Israel he built there. | |
| We thus see that the goal of Shlichus is to build permanent structures, not only a home, building, but even a neighborhood or a city. | |
| This greatly contributes to an individuals expression of self as we see that person in his own home feels free to express himself. | |
| And through this we reveal the essence of God much higher than he is in the lofty spiritual realms. |
Mystical Insights In The Torah Portion – Lech Licha Sefer Hasichos 5750
| Why is the first command to a Jew Lech Licha (move)? It must be as in all cases of the Torah that even something that serves as a preparation for a Mitzvah itself has incredible significance. | |
| From the command of Lech Licha the preparation to Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah) when the Jewish people became a nation began. | |
| Therefore it is understood that Lech Licha represents the fundamental service of God. | |
| The general novelty of a Jews service of God is notwithstanding that he was born into the natural world and the nature of man is to assume identities (from the people around him, and gentiles (even other Jews) see the world limited to its natural format) nevertheless through dedicating oneself to God (Torah and Mitzvos) one places oneself beyond the natural confinements, ultimately uplifting everyone else too. | |
| As the Medrash teaches, during Matan Torah the ability for heaven to permeate earth was bequeathed to the service of the Jews. | |
| Lech Licha fundamentally challenges a Jew to grow – beyond the three factors that naturally shape a person, their inherent disposition, their cultural disposition and their familial disposition (which in fact is even stronger than cultural as we see empirically). | |
| Additionally these three levels (artzicha, moiladiticha and beis avichah) exist within each person innately – there are our instinctual desires (food, sexual relations etc.) there are our assumed desires (decisions we have desired, say lose weight, hobby etc.) and there is our general opinions. Lech Licha means let go of all of these. | |
| Lech Lichah means to exit all of the above (see above two paragraphs) and enter into a new relationship with God. Not based on your emotions and opinions, rather in which, wherever God will instruct you to go, as you identify with God you will happily oblige. | |
| The reason for the necessity to exit our own personality to enter into God, is because even our holy heartfelt emotions and opinions are connected to our ego (and ego is the source of separation and disunity. | |
| We see this clearly with Avrohom himself, for though he was highly involved in spirituality when at 75 he was told Lech Licha, nonetheless in order for him to unite with God, he needed to leave spirituality based on his perception and enter into God’s. | |
| In Lech Licha there are two necessary components, the exiting of self and entering in God; the first is predicated on understanding who the self is (instincts, desires and intellectual opinions, even holy ones) and entering, is allowing God’s will to be your soul’s direction, until it becomes your will. | |
| Now we can comprehend why Parshas Reah (see – And God Appeared To Abraham) follows Lech Licha, for through entering and identifying and unifying with God’s will, he was unified to the point of “seeing” God. | |
| Not only did Avrohom embark on Lech Licha but we see he took his family along – in other words, the true journey of Lech Licha, is not that you ascend beyond your comfort zone into God’s will, but you likewise get your circle. | |
| Furthermore Avrohom didn’t suffice with his family but in his time he encouraged successfully the entire word. | |
| Furthermore Avrohom didn’t only deal with good guys – even Lot who was wicked was encouraged and we find that he actually was prepared to sacrifice his life for having the Mitzvah of welcoming guests. | |
| As we know the parents is the childrens destiny – similar (to Abraham) we are destined to attain this level of seeing God. | |
| As Lech Licha is this new type of service – relegating one’s spirituality aside in favor of God’s (which is actually the unique Jewish approach, for all other faiths lehavdil, use human perception of spiritual values) hence this is the first appearance of Avrohom in the Torah. | Note 50 |
| As Avrohom did it, so to every Jew (his children) can exit, even one’s lofty spirituality in favor of uniting with the Divine will, ultimately transforming both oneself and the world into the Divine dwelling. | |
| This is why following the Lech Licha, Avrohom could have a bris which represents the true oneness of God and man. | |
| This level in fact is the greatest novelty (chidush) for creation is set in a natural order but when a person goes beyond the norm (Lech Licha) this is supernatural – to the extent, when one’s desires merge with God’s, they become true partners. | |
| The question is asked, why should a Mitzvah (unlike all others) Milah involve pain – the answer is, that the intent of Milah is the merging of God within the physical body hence the normal procedure of a cut is that it involves some pain (in other words, to exit one state does involve a temporary element of loss though for an infinite gain.) | |
| Normally Avrohom wouldn’t have felt pain but intense joy from doing a Mitvzah (contrast this with the joy to take his son to the akeida) however as the entire point is the permeation of the Divine into the physical body therefore It was all about allowing the natural course. | |
| Just as through the Mitzvah of Lech Licha this resulted in Vayeira (God’s appearance) similarly through the Mitzvah of Milah which is imbuing God withing the physical. | |
| Similarly every Jew, through his Bris he becomes unified with God. | |
| As is known the Rebbe Rashab when a boy of 4 or 5 cried to his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzeddek why doesn’t God appear to me (as he did to Avrohom) which indicates that through the proper desire – crying, beseeching – this will occur. | Note 78 |
| The sequence is as follows from the flood came a new world, in other words, a world in which it will always exists (as God promised) this allowed for the next phase, for man to go beyond it and ultimately bring God into it. | |
| The idea of the month of Cheshvan is a Jew goes to a new spiritual level in which God and his way merge. | |
| This is similar to the Tzemach Tzeddeks famous saying “Make Israel Here” that within your current physical corporeal location, it becomes imbued within the Divine essence. | |
| The idea of exiting your personal comfort zone and even spirituality to enter into God’s, is not a one time event, rather like a mountain peak that you scale and then come off it, to scale an even bigger one, it is a matter of continuously leaving your current comfort or spiritual zone and encouraging others to do so as well. | |
| Practical Directives
1. We should gather every Shabbos in Shul and there we should study a pertinent subject, including making good resolutions in the study of Torah and the fulfillment of Mitzvas and especially looking after the needs of the community (as we know one may plan the communities needs on Shabbos.) |
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| 2. In order to unite all the communities it would be a good if we have a – at least one – unifying theme which all Synagogues study both in the revealed and concealed part of Torah. | |
| We may say that the study of the inner dimension of Torah unites Jewish people more than the halachic which relates to the different requirements (based often on gender, location etc.) while the inner dimension which is to inspire relates to the six constant mitzvahs. | |
| 3. Firstly one should study the Parsha of the week with at least one commentary from Niglah and Chassidus. | |
| 4. Additionally there is the commentary of the Tzemach Tzedek – Ohr Hatorah – which has the Chassidic explanation of many versus including the first and last which by nature is most desired. | |
| 5. One of the most important Mitzvahs is to give Tzeddakah – especially in our generation right before the coming of Moshiach – and Tzedakah is equivalent to all the other Mitzvahs combined. | |
| 6. In order to inspire more giving of Tzeddakah, it would be worthwhile that the Director of the institution should distribute charity to the students and the teachers (and other staff) – the main intent being to serve as role model. | |
| 7. This should be done once a week – particularly before the students go home on Shabbos (as there is the need to help the poor for Shabbos.) | |
| 8. This should also be emphasized in every Jewish organization that the director should give the employees Tzedakah at least once a week. | |
| 9. This should also be implemented in non-Jewish businesses and organizations especially in this country (America) whose central pillar is the giving of charity. | |
| 10. This should be publicized everywhere and its success certainly will far exceed the effort (expended in the publicity.) | |
Mystical Insights In The Torah Portion – Lech Licha Sefer Hasichos 5751
| There is a well known custom amongst the Jewish people to study the Rambam who collected the Jewish laws in his 14 volume Mishneh Torah in a 3 chapter daily study cycle which concludes the entire work in (under a) year. | |
| The Rambam states that a Jewish custom has the validity and obligation of a Torah commandment. | Note 2 |
| Whenever we finish a study cycle, though it is the morrow that it begins, we should always begin some of it on the very day. | Note 8 |
| It is a Jewish custom that we make a siyum (conclusion party) upon finishing any study cycle or Mesachta (book.) | |
| Certainly if one makes a Siyum on a single Mesachta one should do so upon completing the entire Mishneh Torah. | |
| Even when we make a Siyum for the sake of the public on a different day to the actual day when we finish, it still is good to have some kind of Siyum on the day. | Note 10 |
| Whenever there is a Siyum, even those who did not actually learn the text are full fledged celebrants. | |
| One of the reason that the celebration of a Siyum is a celebration of all Jews is because all of Torah is interconnected hence their celebration is yours. | |
| The Rashba teaches, that the number seven represents the completion of the circle – we see this in the fact that a week has seven days (and generally the world is said to have seven thousand years, 6000 to Moshiach and 1000 following – though this obviously doesn’t mean literally, for Moshiach is already coming and the world will continue to exist after, however it cycles in seven thousand year periods.) | |
| Also the completion of the Jewish people is related to the number seven which represents the seven branches of the Menorah which represent the seven emotional traits (representing how different Jewish groups emphasize different emotional qualities but all together it is complete.) | |
| Our sages teach “all sevenths are special.” | Note 21 |
| It states, “From Moses to Moses (the Rambam) there was none like Mosses.” | Footnote |
| 8 is a number which as the Rashba says is utterly unique, it both stands beyond our reality and yet it is the source of it. | |
| The Kli Yakar says, “7 is a mundane number but 8 holy for it represents God.” | Note 29 |
| 8 also is the number of redemption – as it stated that the harp o the Bies Hamidsoh had seven strands but of Moshaich will be 8 – the value of 8 over 7 is like the value of the messianic era over the galus. | |
| The year 5751 in Hebrew had the same letters of the verse “your kingdom will be raised” for Moshiach will raise the house of David. | |
| 5751 also was an acronym for “This Will Be The Year I Will Show You Wonders.”
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| Shabbos both encompasses and includes the entire week preceding and following it as it is the future blessing empowering it. | |
| The main aspect and true kingship will be Moshiach. | |
| The Rambam writes that Avrohom began to search and recognize God at three, but at 48 he had complete wisdom. | |
| At 75 Avrohom achieved the lofty state that the mind had absolute complete control over all emotions. | |
| When Moshaich comes, we will come to the realization of the number 8 which represent not only intellect that dominates controls and achieves emotional perfection, but as it is its own entity. | |
| 8 is also the day that a baby has his bris. | |
| MIlah is a command only to Avrohom and his descendents. | |
| Practical Directive:
We should encourage everyone at their level whether three, one or sefer hamitzvos, in addition to generally studying Torah which hastens the coming of Moshiach.
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| The Rebbe quotes – the only free person is one who toils in Torah study. | Note 65 |
| The Torah was given to manna eaters, as their freedom from obligation enabled their minds the freedom to properly study. | Note 65 |
| When Torah is engraved in the Jewish minds and hearts, there is no nation that can have any power over them. | Note 65 |
| The urgency to spread Judaism and especially Chassidus falls under the category of literally saving lives (as many people from depression commit suicide which could be prevented if they had the knowledge of Chassidus). | |
| When someone great helps someone not at his level he is able to immediately raise him to the greatest heights. | |
| The mechanism to inspire is not to talk down, rather to understand the worldview and the world the individual you are talking to and level. | |
| The Rebbe quotes, “Welcoming guests is far greater than speaking to God.” | |
| To accompany guest to the door, is even greater than feeding them (I’m not sure why – maybe a sign of true hospitality – in any event) the Rambam writes, this is the trait we received from our forefather Avrohom. | Note 71 |
| When the angels came to visit Abraham they didn’t only appear as humans their bodies became like human. | |
| When one wishes to influence another they cannot do it from their ivory tower – we must exit our space and enter into theirs. | |
| The Rambam wished to live in Israel – in fact he wrote when he signed his name “the one who transgresses three prohibitions daily” (for there are three places where the Torah prohibits living in Egypt) – perhaps the reason he was compelled (he was the Doctor to Saladin) to live in Egypt, was because his soul’s mission was to enlighten the exile, especially Egypt. | |
| Though it is greater to visit Israel during our lifetime, many righteous people (including the Rambam Yaakov Yosef) made sure to be buried there. | |
| The Sanhedrin will first return to Teveriah and from there to their rightful location in the Holy Temple (they had their last stop in Teveriah during exile.) | |
| The Alter Rebbe writes in his Shulchan Aruch, the time when Shabbos comes in varies in each location, for though Shabbos is like an aura that transcends time and place but in every place it descends in that time. | |
| When Moshiach comes the Rebbe quotes from the Rambam “In that era the entire striving of the world will be to understand God, therefore the Jewish people will be great sages and know great secrets and understand God, the extent possible by a human, as it states, the world will be filled with the knowledge of God as water covers the seabed.” |
Mystical Insights In The Torah Portion – Lech Licha Sefer Hasichos 5752
| Parshas Lech Lichah is both a general and all important Parsha, including the first command to a Jew, the promise of Israel to the Jewish people and the Mitzvah of mila. | |
| As these three things are the first command to the first Jew, the progenitor of the future Jewish people, it is obvious that they represent the essence of Judaism. | |
| From Avrohom the “two thousand years of Torah” as well as the preparation for Matan Torah begin. | |
| Every part of Torah is an eternal message for every Jew in every time. | |
| Whenever we read the weekly Torah portion we must relive it. | |
| Whenever we read the Torah portion (especially as we read it on Shabbos) the event once again (at least the spiritual energy) reoccurs. | |
| Not only does it reoccur, but as we know that all things in holiness ascend, it happens on an infinitely greater dimension. | |
| Therefore it stands to reason that Parshas Lech Licha which originally was the premise for the giving of the Torah reoccurs but on an ever greater scale yearly. | |
| Torah always ascends – so what we study today relative to yesterday is insightful and the same will be tomorrow. | |
| As God promised us Israel, it is an eternal inheritance, for God’s speech creates the reality (as we see empirically – never in history did any nation return after two thousand years to its ancestral homeland.) | |
| The commandant to Avrahom to walk the length and breadth of Israel was the idea of acquiring it (it had the legal “title deed”.) | |
| When God gave Abraham in his promise, Israel, he included even the extra three lands we will get when Moshiach comes, but in our reality it is happening in stages. | |
| When we get the extra three it will complete the entire land of Israel. | |
| Rabbeinu Tam states that Yovel was practiced in the times of the second Beis Hamikdosh for although it is only practiced when the majority of Jews live in Israel, nonetheless, according to his opinion, as there were Jews from each tribe, it was still obligatory. | |
| Hence until we have the extra three lands, Israel isn’t complete – therefore Jews were always awaiting these lands – however what is unique in the era of Moshaich, a time of love and peace, is, that the gentiles will happily give them to us (recognizing the greatness of the Jewish people.) | |
| Now we understand how Lech Licha applies to our Divine service today, for when Moshaich comes we will receive “the new Torah” hence Lech Licha represents the spiritual preparation for this. | |
| Matan Torah achieved the ability for spiritual to transform the material, whereby the material becomes spiritual (think a sefer torah.) | |
| The Rambam writes “when this powerful mind, from the age of three began to research, he arrived at the conclusion that there is a single Creator in charge of all his creations, he then went to teach the entire world” – despite the fact they all were idolaters. | |
| Avrohom was so successful that he shines the light of truth even in the darkest nooks and crannies (we find his father Terach did Teshuvah.) | |
| Through Avrohom’s service, especially listening to God by abandoning his homeland and moving to Israel he began the transformation of this world from a devoid of holiness to imbued with holiness. | |
| Avrohom was never content with his Divine service (though relative to everyone else it was loftier, for the nature of the Divine is no beginning nor end) hence he constantly transformed himself, growing infinitely – level by level. | |
| Avrohom worked in two directions simultaneously: on one hand he elevated people to Godliness and on the other he brought the highest levels of Godliness to people and in this way he became the father of all nations. | |
| These two directions are interdependent – because Avrohom was willing to descend to elevate even the lowest depths, therefore it caused that his greatest potential (his Divine soul’s essence) was revealed (it seems that as we increase our effort, this increases our abilities.) | |
| Furthermore specifically through one’s spiritual ascent do they become enabled to elevate even the most low, ultimately bringing them to the level when they and the Divine merge. | |
| The reason why Lech Licha is the third Parsha (Torah portion) is because Breishis the first, represents the Divine; Naoch the second, represents the world; and Lech Licha represents the super Divine essential core which merges the Divine into the reality of the world. | |
| The ability that we have post Matan Torah to imbue the Divine into reality is, through the Mitzvah of mila, and in general the Mitzvahs the forefathers did (paving the way.) | |
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The reason the Mitzvah of Mila in specific, serves as the forerunner to all other Mitzvahs, is because it has the uniqueness of being the highest in the lowest, the nature of all transformations. |
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| Through the Mitzvah of Mila, the person’s physical transformation of imbuing the Divine within, this enabled Avrohom to likewise transform the world. | |
| The purpose of Israel is the Jewish people transformation of a physical to spiritual land. | |
| It is self-understood, until God gives us the extra three lands, as Israel is incomplete, our service of God is as well. | |
| Today the seven lands represent that our Divine service is limited to emotional love and fear and love for fellow man etc. however when Moshiach comes, the three lands represented in the three intellectual faculties (chochmah, binah, daas) represent the completion of Divine intent, namely the integration and merging of the Divine within the human – this is achieved through Torah study (which creates a mind unity, in which the human and Divine merge.) | |
| From the above we understand that the completion of service is when a. we have the seven emotional qualities, we also have the three intellectual and finally we rise above and beyond any limited human level into the Divine. | |
| The completion of this will arrive when Moshiach comes, when we are promised that besides the three intellectual Divine levels, we will have “the new Torah from God” representing the level of infinity. | |
| And this exceptionally lofty level will descend as the verse states “as water (which descends) covers the seabed” – in other words, every level of this world will be recognize and imbue its Divine source. | |
| Practical Directive
1. Every Jew has the ability and directive to add through Chiddushim novel insights in/to Torah. |
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| 2. No matter how much Torah one has learnt as it is truly infinite (for unlike human wisdom that has a beginning and end, the Torah coming from God effectively has neither) therefore one can continually add. | |
| 3. Furthermore, as Torah is God’s wisdom, hence the study of any part of Torah empowers a person to add. | |
| 4. Torah novel insights have many levels but the ultimate level is whereby one reveals the essence of wisdom, namely the Divine. | |
| 5. To add based on the powers of your intellect is obvious – the goal is to be able to integrate the Divine intellect to the extent that one is perplexed how a person can actually come up with such insights. | |
| 6. The goal is to never be satisfied with how many students one has – rather and especially as there are always new bar and bas mitzvah girls eager to learn – one must continually when possible add students – however ultimately the goal is once again, not that the student should add in Torah using their insight, rather access the Divine spirit to add. | |
| 7. How does one know if one is using their spirit – as we are either too busy to assess ourselves or sometimes biased – we need to ask a trusted mentor. | |
| 8. Especially relevant is the study of Chassidus which comes from this Divine essence. | |
Mystical Insight for the Parshas Lech Licha – Mammer Motzia Shabbos Lech Lichah 5738
The command to Avrohom Lech Licha has two explanations: the first is a command to descend. For Avrohom represents the level which is beyond all levels (“the wisdom concealed from any thought”) and from there he was told to descend to the “land I will show you.”
“The land I will show you” has two explanations – the first is Malchus of Atzilus which is the place of revelation and the second, to the lowest depths – our universe; and it is from this descent itself that the greatness of Avrohom will be revealed, his own potential.
This is paralleled in the descent of every Jew’s soul from heaven to earth, that though our heavenly counterpart (as is know, the main part of the soul – its essence remains above) is so much beyond our universe nonetheless through the good that we do here, it elevates it!
The second explanation of Lech Licha is from the depth to the heights. Here Avrohom is commanded to leave Charoin (the place that angered God) and his father (an idolater’s home) and step by step elevate the world.
Similarly, when we go from the high of the month of Tishrie into the world (Yaakov Halach Lidarcko) we must begin at our heal – as it says about Avrohom that even his heal listened to God (in other words, our body) and then we must move it to our emotions and from there to our mind, that the mind should not be limited by its own thinking (rather absorbed in the clarity, light and Divine.)
We find on Simchas Torah the heal dances – this represent the energy of joy that uplifts the entire body – and finding ourselves in the mundane world it gives us the lift to overcome obstacles and joyously do our Divine mission.
These two explanations of Lech Licha (going from beyond to below and below to beyond) because they are on the same word, mean that ultimately we need to do both.
This is similar to the idea of the merging of the sun and the moon (in a leap year, where their cycles match up) for the sun represents the idea of the giver of light (generally the service of Tzaddikim who live in the light) while the moon represents the receiver of light (generally the service of Balaie Teshuvah who return to the light) and we should try to have both levels.
This leads to the ultimate messianic state when the presence of God, the creator of both the giver and receiver states, hence the ability to unify them – in other words, when the moon shall shine like the sun for God will imbue its light within it, which represents the unity of the Divine Being in the human, shall come to fore.
Note 8 The ability of Avram to descend comes from a level beyond Avram.
Note 11 The main idea of Lech Licha is that the individual becomes (unlike the status of the soul in heaven) a growing – permanently – state (for in heaven, souls and angels exist – though in rapture – but in the same rapture.)
Mystical Insights In The Parshah – Lech Licha Torah Ohr
| The purpose of God’s creation was in order to be able to give – this giving is the pleasure we receive, which gives God the pleasure of giving pleasure – now the bottom line is, that in order to receive revelation, we need two contradictory realities, the first is concealment which allows for the creation of individual identity – the second is the destruction of the identity, in order to make way for Divinity. | |
| The highest can cause light to come to the lowest.
For example, one person may know a wisdom but cannot teach it. However it states, King Solomon could break his wisdom down into three thousand examples. |
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| Similarly the Torah, though the wisdom of God, takes from the core, which is beyond wisdom, hence ironically cannot be grasped through human wisdom, but action. | |
| To God’s essence, the loftiest Torah wisdom (chochmah of Atzilus) and a physical rock are equidistant (similar to a circle which encompasses all.) | |
| Because God is infinitely beyond therefore he can infinitely be within. | |
| When a person loves another they judge the other favorably. | |
| Hence one cannot act from a pure emotional love for in this state one would enable evil (this in fact is why Yishmoel came from Avrohom) and the antidote is the path of Yaakov/the Torah which distinguishes. | |
| Everything God created was made in a way for man to fix – for example, we are born with an orlah/foreskin and it takes a human action to create a mohel/ circumcised person. | |
| The idea of idolatry is not that a person denies God but considers itself also. | |
| There are two kinds of weekdays – one completely selfish – the other, which draws from the spiritual vitality of Shabbos – hence Havdalah has the word Boruch which means, drawing, as the purpose of Shabbos is to imbue sanctity in the week. | |
| Through us Jews doing Torah and Mitzvos we cause the Divine will to continue to recreate – as is known, all matter continually gets recreated (in fact physicists have discovered that atoms are popping in and out of existence.) | |
| The mechanism of Divine revelation is called Chashmal which comes from two Hebrew words Chash and Mal, Chash comes from the word silence and Mal comes from speaking – in other words (contrary to how popular imagination might envision Divine revelation as an overwhelming being) it is a silent voice talking only when necessary, as well as directly to the recipient (in fact, our sages teach, that the voice of Mount Sinai was heard individually as each person felt that God had spoken individually.) | |
| God is, similar to our own soul, primarily intellectual – now the purpose of the intellect is to refine, control, create and or inspire our emotions – desires (to be good, not selfish or sadistic.) | |
| Revelation – funny thing – above and below must operate in exactly contrary mechanisms, for if God were to reveal, his light being infinite would not allow for the existence of anything (for example, if you tried to plug your toaster into the nuclear power plant) so for God to reveal he actually must conceal. | |
L'AcademyOfLife.Org & KabbalahWisdom.org 