28 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva

The queen was taken captive. We are going to free her...








There is a basic Jewish concept that is brought many times in Chsidus: "Kemayim hapanim la'panim" (like water: that reflects the face to the face) this concept tells us that when you act to a person in a certain way that person will react the same to you, reflecting back what you have given him . This applies to the spiritual structure as well.

When a person works and does Hitbuneneut (observance) he understands how far away and dirties his Neshama is and has Rachmanus (Mercy?) on his Neshama.
When a person feels this than Hashem also has Rachmanus on his Neshama.
When a person does Khataim (sins), the person is creating a tunel of G-dly light to the Klipah.

Man is a dispatcher of Hashems light.
Man was given a true choice to choose between god and bad with this choise man has a spiritual impact on the world he can funnel the light to klipa or kedusha.
And that is what teshuva really is . Teshuva = coming back.
Who comes back - the Shekhina !
The Shekina that was forced to be in the Klippa world and give its liveliness comes back...
Man has come to this world and went far from his source.
How does one come back to Hashem totally? It is not enough to stop doing Aveirot. The next stage is to practice and learn torah with true Ahava and Yiraa to Hashem.
Tshuva Tataa (Lower Tshuva) is to get rid of the dirt .
Tshuva ila’a (higher Teshuva) is to become one with the king.




Reb Wolf of Zhitomir was a shochet and mohel and a student of the Magid of Mezritch. One day he was returning from a journey and saw a fine building in which pious looking men were celebrating and saying words of Torah. He entered and joined their celebration. When he arrived in Mezritch the Magid refused to talk to him, for he told Reb Wolf that the place he had just spent time belonged to the Sitra Achara. What was Reb Wolf to do, he asked his master. The Magid told him that the only way to repair what he had done was to return to the same place and tell the people there that they are nothing!
He returned and they welcomed him back but he started to tell them that they were all nothing. "Such Hutzpah!" they all cried. He continued to tell them that they were all nothing and that his Rebbe said that they were all nothing. They asked him who is Rebbe was and he replied that he was the Magid of Mezritch. Their leader then produced a little book and said: "If your Rebbe's name appears in my book then you'll never leave here." He searched but the Magid's name was not to be found. All the people and their fine building all faded away and Reb Wolf was able to return to Mezritch..

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A disturbing story no? If the great Reb Wolf was not able to discern between sitra achara folks and genuine hassidim then what hope to we have of knowing the difference?

Rav Daitch said that a similar question was asked of Reb Simcha Bunim of Peshischa. A Talmid once asked him how we know that all our service is real and not just fantasy and imagination. He answered that if you have a "hirhur teshuva"--a thought of returning home to Hashem--then it's no fantasy.

27 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva

The Rebbe said: Why does a person feel sad after committing a sin? Because the Yetzer Hara really wanted the person not to listen to him, and when the person listened the Yetzer Hara becomes sad and that's what makes the person sad.

So what's a person to do in such a situation?

Say to the Yetzer Hara: Don't worry. Next time I won't listen to you, and then you'll be happy!

26 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva

Talking about Faith;
Faith is a basic power that people are born with
The Rebbe said that you will not find a kid that doesn't have Emuna (Faith).
The Russian communist system had a clear agenda against having any kind of faith.
They worked hard using their educational system and tried to erase the religious faith. When a of Russian Jews came to learn Torah with a group of Chasidim there where many arguments and disputes. One of the Chasisdim told the Russians: “Look, I don’t understand why you are arguing with us so much. You believe that 13 is an unlucky number, if you see a black cat in a certain position you react in a certain way. If the cat is in a different position you do something else…”
The Chassid went on and pointed out a long list of common Russian believes.
“You guys are the omnes who have the faith.
Look at all these weird things you believe in that are far from being logic! – I would say you believe in many believes, we have only one!”

Rabbi Wolf Z”L from Benei Brak is one of those figures of a time that is gone.
I (Rav Dietch) had the honor of meeting him. He said that in our times the Kofrim became Maaminim and Maaminim have become Kofrim!
It doesn’t take much explanation for someone to see a building and come to a conclusion that it was designed by an architect.
On the other hand - in order to say that this building was created randomly - you need a strong Emuna!
The Nimshal is understandable.

25 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva

Beginning of Ch. 7 :

The Alter Rebbe (first Chabad Rebbi) begins the chapter with the words: "There is a "straight path" to teshuva"... Rav Deutch was by the Rebbe when the Rebbe was explaining Igeres Hateshuva. The Rebbe asked the question: 'Do you mean to tell me that all the teshuva spoken about til now in the book is not "straight?" Answer: People come to teshuva through different paths. Like the story in the Gemora of R. Elazar ben Durdaya who did all kinds of sins before coming to Teshuva. This is not a "straight" path to teshuva but a twisted one. The Alter Rebbe is telling us about a path to teshuva that we come to not through misdeeds...

24 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva

The Chidushei HaRim (the first rebbe of Gur) needed to make an urgent journey to Kotsk. he hired a wagon driver who drove the horses incessantly and one horse died. He continued to drive the remaining horse incessantly and upon arriving at their destination it too died. The wagon driver was upset at losing both his horses--his livelihood, and despite assurances from the Hasidim that they would provide him with new horses he became despondent and died that very day.
When the wagon driver arrived on High they did not know where to place him. They could not send him to Gan Eden as he had not shown any particular devotion in Torah and Mitzvot. They could not send him to Gehinom as he had done this one remarkable act of bringing the Rebbe to Kotsk at the expense of his horses. It was decided that he was to be given a special smooth road, a wagon and superb horses with which he could spend eternity riding up and down at great speed...

To which the Chidushei HaRim commented: "They did him the favor of showing him that it is all his imagination."
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A fly delights in excrement. If we would have the responsibility we would tell it that there are much higher delights in life.
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21 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva

Questions: What is better -- someone who learns hours of Hassidus every day and has wide knowledge of all the Sefiros, concepts in Hassidus etc... or someone who takes small doses of it but spends a lot of time thinking about it and trying to live it?

Is the "Chabad" (Chochmah-Binah-Daas = Wisdom*- Understanding - Knowledge) process the process of intellect - information processing/clarification/analysis, or is it the process of integration into one's life?
[*see also http://tinyurl.com/chochma]

Is Chochmah - Binah the intellectual process and Daas the process of making it real?
or the Binah is in actual action until the Daas "catches up"?

Pirkei Avos chapter 3 towards the end:
אם אין דעת אין בינה , ואם אין בינה אין דעת
"Im ain daas ain binah, v'im ain binah ain daas"
--Without Daas (Knowledge) there is no Binah (Understanding), and without Binah there is no Daas.

If so, then the question becomes: Is it better to have more Daas than Binah or more Binah than Daas?

I asked the Rav about this. He said that in Chabad the emphasis was always on daas and integrated knowledge rather than intellectual knowledge, that his mashpia said that the yetzer hara lets a person learn for four hours but won't let him contemplate even for a moment, that taking one idea and driving it home into your very being is more important than all the intellectual knowledge.

So why is the learning of hassidus emphasized so much?

Because, he answered, it's through learning Hassidus that you get the tools to drive the knowledge in to yourself.

Nowadays, he added, due to yeridas hadoros, people mainly talk about the learning of Hassidus rather than contemplation, since that's what we have...

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R. Avraham of Kalisk takes issue with the Alter Rebbe in a famous letter that the approach of presenting the masses with such a breadth and depth of spiritual concepts and learning is dangerous, that when he learned by the Maggid the talmiddim would take one little idea and work with it for months and years before moving on to another one.

The Rav said that the talmidim of the Maggid were all Rebbes in the making, all great people, but that the Alter Rebbe wanted to bring the message to regular people. There has to be depth and breadth--an ocean of hassidus--in order for us regular people to feel a drop.

19 Tamuz - Maymer Shabat Matot 1954

* This Shiur was given by Rabbi Segal
The Rebbe talks in this Maymer about Nedarim .
In our Parasha we learn that a person could make a Neder (Vow) to forbid something on him.
For example. A person can decide that a certain food will be forbidden for him for an X amount of time.
A basic question is asked: how can someone have the right to disable the ability of Berurim (sorting/ departing the good from the bad) for a substance in this world?
A large number of the substances (food materials etc.) in the world have the potential to get elevated to Kedusha, how can a person deprive that from them!?

Well, this Maymer is along one and we will probably answer this question (and others) in the Posts to come. Today we will explain a basic concept in Klipa and Kedusha.

As many may know, the holy spiritual light, energy to this world is funneled through 4 main worlds: Atzilut, Bria, Yetszira, Assi’a
Atzilut is the closest world to “Endless light”. In the next world the light is less apparent and so on. The bottom world - the Assi’a world comes so low that physicality appears.

Well, we learn in this Maymer that the Klipa (Shell, external world that includes the “bad”) world has a similar division.
The 3 unholy Klipot and the 4th klipa – Noga also have 4 worlds.
The difference is that when you talk about Klipa the highest world Atsilut is the world that is the most far away from Endless light (G-d) !
Where do these worlds get their light energy from?
The (physical aspect of the) Assia world of Klippa and Kedusha are the same world – the world we live in!
The middle “Tier”, Klipat Nogga can go either way passing energy to the Klipot worlds from the Kedushha world…
Who is passing this energy? Us!


I’ll try to explain and elaborate more on this topic in future posts

14 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva CONTD.

Story from the Rav: Always wait until you calm down...

"I met a teacher who told me that he always comes to class on time but that one day the bus didn't come and he was delayed.
When he entered the classroom a kid in the front row pointed to his watch.




The teacher was furious.
Such chutzpah, he thought to himself.
I always come on time and this one time this child wants to chastise me!
He wanted to give the kid some terrible punishment right away but he had a general rule--never give punishments on the spot.

Always wait until you calm down...
So he gritted his teeth until the end of the class.
When the class ended the kid came over to the teacher and said:
"So what do you think of my new watch?
When I got it I said that I should show it to my beloved teacher first of all!"



"

--



Just imagine if the teacher would have reacted on the spur of the moment..



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13 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva CONTD.

Yehonatan:

The main ingredient of teshuva is accepting upon oneself to live differently from now on.

Suffering cleanses a person and one should not wait for it to come from Above but take the opportunity to involve oneself in it. Fasting, consciously accepting humiliation, denying oneself some pleasure, are all ways of cleansing oneself through suffering.

Ichi Masmid was one of the legendary hasidim of two generations ago. He would daven all day and fabreng with the hasidim all night. Reb Zalman Moshe took it upon himself to chastise Ichi Masmid periodically lest he fall into the trap of pride regarding his high spiritual level. On those occasions Ichi would drink in the words of rebuke as if they were something he thirsted for. Ah so what is the suffering in that? Yes even though he drank the words in thirstily they remained suffering.

--Not to answer someone's insult--to even rejoice in it as a cleansing bath--this is the kind of thing that sounds good in the shiur but when the opportunity comes to fulfill it I usually don't remember the shiur....

Yud Bet Tamuz farbrengen

The Farbrengen for Yud Bet Tamuz last night at Tzemach Tzedek
---> Note: text within '+' symbols (e.g. +++ text +++) is my personal thoughts and was not said in the Farbrengen

How do we deal with Nissyonot in our time.

There is no Russia today. Why are we celebrating Yud bet tamuz with such a Shturem?
What happened in Russia years ago is relevant to us. We are having the same battles today in a modern version.

There are two ways of AVODA.
The first is Avodat haberurim .
The second is Avodas hanisyonot.... (See previous posting)
The Nisyonot Avoda is a new order of Avoda.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I want the Rav to say something unusual. I want a change with my life. I want to be devoted in my work. Am I playing games here??

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Yetser Hara is the same Yetser but he changes his garments.
The Yetser of today is dressed in the garment of______ but it's the same Yetser of the old days.
Today we have the internet, back than we had the communist ideas!

===== A Niggun is sang: Lechatchila Aribber====

Every person should Mevarer his Nefesh Bahamit. There has to be good nitzos in every substance. Nothing could exist in this world if it didn’t have a holy nitsos in it.
A nissayon is on one hand a dimayon an imagination , it only seems like reality.
On the other hand all we see is darkness.
A good nitzos is so hidden, that you can't see anything . Even not a sliver of light.

Usually we can see 2 sides: the good part and the bad part, in a Nissayon you cannot see the good side.
the way to get over Nissayon is

• Bitul atzmi
• Tokef atzmi

(Bitul = canceling your self, being ego less, Tokef = strength)

If a person is in Bitul, how can he be in Tokef!?
where does the Tokef come from? this person has the Tokef of the Meshaleach - the person sending him.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I feel that the biggest Nissayon that i have is for me ro put up with me.
I get a weakness when i think about it and ask myself if i will ever overcome my bad habits.
What am i working for if there is no hope for change (assuming there is no hope)
I feel that this is an answer :
Don't think. do . no point arguing with an imagination!
Don't consider yourself to be anything - bittul , but walk this world with great Tokef .
Tokef that the Rebbe gives you.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Nisyonot of today are different but the remedy is the same .
Bitul and Tkifut.
And of course don't forget - it all your imagination!
How do u deal with a imagination - a dream - you don't negotiate with it! and don't fight with it
When there's a confusion you are having in your dream you try to argue. maybe there is someone that needs some convincing . Sometimes you realize you are only dreaming . Once you have discovered that you know that there is no point in arguing! what you are saying and what the opposition is saying is not important any more. its all part of the fog that creates the dream...

11 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva and more

When a person does a Mitzvat Asse (possitive commandment) he draws down a certain light.
This Mitzvat Asse brings down Or Ein Sof (G-d - Endless light) to this world.
Lo Taase (prohibition commandments) is drawing away Or Ein Sof.

A Mashal (parable) of the relationship between Asse and LoTaasse we get from a king that is invited to a simple man's home.
Cleaning the house for the king is like the Lo Taase Mitzvot.
The actual coming of the king to the house is like the Asse.
That is why "Asse Doche LoTaase" - when you have a prohibition commandments and a positive commandment together you do the latter.

It is more important to bring the king to the house than to clean the house for him!
The Rebbe said that when a Jew is far from Torah and Mitzvot, let him do Asse mitzvot first. The Lo Taasse mitzvot he is not keeping are not a good thing , but it is wise to start with the good, the positive.
Imagine a hungry starved person . The ideal thing for him will be to get a meal at a proper, clean table. we will all agree that it is not wise fro him to eat something that is not hygienic. Yet, if he literally starving , any food would suit him for now!

Kapara is in the sense of Kinuach - Cleaning , or literally: wiping the dirt.
Cleaning of the heavy dirt. The fine dirt will still need final cleansing with water.
Yom Hakippurim does the Kapara = the wiping of the heavy dirt . The final cleaning is done by Yessurim.

Yud Bet Tamuz

In every thing there's a Nitzots Eloki (G-dly spark) and man has to work on every physical thing that he does to do a Birrur of this Nitzots.
Sometimes the Nitzots is so covered that the only way to get to is by a Nissayon .
What is a Nissayon?
There is Etzem Haneshana (the essence of the soul) and the Hitapstus (spreading / expanding) of the Neshama .

In every day Avoda (spiritual work) it is enough to work with Hitpashtus of the Neshama. When things get difficult more than usual - that’s when a we have to use the essence of his Neshama.
And that is what came to us when the communism started in Russia. The communism started with a war against capitalism. But soon enough one of its main enemies where the religions.
At those times most of the Jews could not stand up against the Russians that did everything to up root Judaism. Before the Rebbe Rashab (the 5th Lubavitcher Rebbi) passed away he said : “theses people (the communists) are so evil I can’t live in one world with them!”
The miracle of Yud Bet Tamuz could only come through the work of Etzem Haneshama that can put up with the toughest Nissyonot.
… To be continued

10 Tamuz - Shaar Hayichud Ve'HaEmunah - chapter 11 CONTD.

On Friday we got into a discussion about "Shoresh Haneshamot" (the Soul's roots) .
On the one hand everyone's soul has a certain "root" in some spiritual realm and that root has a role in determining the person's spiritual level.
On the other hand there is an idea that we can all attain the highest levels.

The Rav responded that for these kinds of subjects one needs to ask a Mekubal and that he is only a Mekabel.
[** Mekubal (person who practises Kabala), Kabala (The teachings of the "secret" level of Torah) and Mekabel (a receiver) all come from the Hebrew root קבל K B L = received.]

Rav Dietch told a story:
R. Yitzel Druvitcher was the father of the famous R. Michele of Zlotchov (Talmid of the Baal Shem Tov). He was said to have possessed a very simple Neshama but through his efforts he raised it to the level of the Neshama of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai!

Every entity is made up of combinations and permutations ("tzirufim") of Hebrew letters. R. Shlomo of Karlin writes that one should pay attention to the permutations when dealing with any entity...

R. Moshe Kliers was Rav and Rosh Yeshiva in Tiveria last generation. One of his students was ill and the Rav advised him to go to the doctor. A few days later the Rav saw him and asked him how he was feeling. The student replied that he was feeling better. "And what did the doctor say?" asked the Rav.
The student was incredulous. The Rav repeated his question. The student made a face of disbelief. ...So it turned out that when the Rav had recommended that the student see a doctor, the student went to daven at the Rambam's resting place.
After all he is the doctor! And indeed after davening there the student began to feel better. But he simply couldn't understand the Rav's inquiry regarding what the doctor said!

8 Tamuz - Shaar Hayichud Ve'HaEmunah - chapter 11 CONTD.

I was late for the Shiur today. hope i can still catch something .
if not this content will be edited AY"H by listening to the video recording.
by the way the videos of these Shiurim are currently located here:chasidut.net
( The entire site is going under construction soon!)

A story:
The Rebbe Rashab would visit the resting place of his father, the Rebbe Maharash and his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzedek at the outskirts of Lubavitch. He would travel there and only allowed his wagon driver to accompany him on the journey. The Chasidim were curious about what took place there but since they were not allowed to accompany him there they decided to give the wagon driver some strong drink and have him tell them what takes place on those journeys.
When the wagon driver had taken his fill of drink he told the Chasidim: "You think that your Rebbe is so strong? Let me tell you. He's not strong at all. When we arrive in view of the the Rebbe's father's "tziun"(resting place) the Rebbe's face turns white. When we get closer I need to help him out of the wagon for he has no strength at all. But me? I tell you, I can walk around the cemetery there with no trouble at all!"

----It takes a certain sensitivity to be afraid...

A similar story.
One of the prominent Chasidim approached the Rebbe to write a letter in the Sefer Torah he had almost completed. The Rebbe replied: "Please don't be offended but I have never written a letter in a Sefer Torah. I am too afraid!"

7 Tamuz - Shaar Hayichud Ve'HaEmunah - chapter 11

As we we know the world was created by 10 Maamarot .
When we talk about Maamarot - "sayings" of Hashem we are basically talking about vessels for the the light .
In the human soul there are movements - midot . What are these Midot? they are potentials. A person is born with a certain nature and that are his natural Midot.
The Midot are expressed by the persons actions. This why we see that a person who has a strong Mida of Chessed will busy with giving.
Rabbi Yeruslavsky , one of the famous Chassisdim of our time, is a good example for this.
R. Yerusalvasky has established a large Chessed "factory" around his home . At times he would feed hundreds of people. The interesting this was that when he came to New York , to the Rebbe , he could not sit still without feeding someone! He would eat his meals at a restaurant and would always have a few people eating with him . Even as a guest he had his own guests! The actions he took later became the famous Hachnasat Orchim of 770 that runs toady.
Well, we see that when a person has the an urge for Chessed he gets special strengths to fulfill his essence.
The same goes for Hashem . Hashem has an abstract will for Chessed or Gevurah and this will comes down to a vessel that is referred to as "Letters" (Otiyot) or "Words" (Tei'vot). That is why we say that the world(s) was created by Hashem's Maamarot (Sayings) . We are basically saying that the world(s) where created using containers reducing (Metzanatsem) Hashems light.

Another thing about the Chessed Midda -
the Midda of Chessed means Hitpashtut (Extending) and not Tov (goodness) like most people think.
The Mida of Tov is referred to the Yessod Seffira, the action of Yessod is (Hashpaa) influencing .

Personal thought of today : I should start getting my personal Chessed Mida in to action a little more!