Breishis - Start Right

What is the idea that the first verse of the Torah contains the entire Torah, and that the first word and the first letter do the same? Why does the Torah start with the letter 'Beis' and not 'Alef?' What is hinted to in the seven words of the first verse? What is hinted to in the twenty eight letters of the verse? How do we begin the year right?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 21:52

Breishis - Foundations

How was the Torah originally written and collated? Being that Moshe is the one writing the Torah, why doesn't he begin with a statement that Hashem told this to him, as we find by other prophets? What is contained in the Torah? Where are the secrets of the Torah to be found?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 26:22

Ki Savo - Commitment to Torah

What are the two aspects in any relationship? What is the idea of fear of Hashem? How do we retain our commitments in our relationships? What is the power of affirmation? What is the idea of 'upholding the Torah?' 

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 20:33

Tetzaveh - Lighting and Oil

What is the concept of Olive Oil? Why does the Torah specifically ask us to use it for the lighting of the Menorah in the sanctuary? Why are the Jewish people compared to an olive? How does this reflect the special nature of the Jewish people as a 'light to the nations?' How does the study of Torah serve to shine that light?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 24:37

Yisro - Lion's Roar

What is the idea behind Hashem being compared to a Lion Roaring as He reveals Himself on Mount Sinai? When is Hashem referred to as the 'King of the Nations?' What is the idea behind the mountain shaking and then the boundaries of the Torah? What is the concept of fear of Hashem? Why are the Jewish people, the Temple and Hashem all referred to as a Lion? What is the concept of rejoicing in trembling? Why was the entire world silent when Hashem said the words, 'I am Hashem your God?' How does this relate to the times of Moshiach?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 28:59

Vzos Habracha/Breishis - Ending and Beginning

Why do we read the final portion of the Torah on Shmini Atzeres, not on Shabbos? What is the difference between Atzeres (stop) and Shabbos (stop)? Why do we complete the Torah and then start it again immediately? Why does the torah conclude with blessings and the death of Moshe? What is Hashem's name which characterizes creation, and how does it compare to the name that denotes redemption? How is the name of redemption hinted to in the first verse of the Torah? What is the meaning of the Sefer Yetzirah's statment that 'the end is embedded in the beginning' and vice versa?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 27:18

Devarim-Tisha B'av - Unifying Duality

Why is the lesson of Devarim before Tisha B'av? How did Moshe become able to speak so eloquently when he originally categorized himself as 'heavy of tongue?' What does it mean that the Torah 'cures the tongue?' What is the significance of the teaching that a sefer Torah can be written in any language, or at least in Greek? What is the idea of the description of the tablets as being written 'on both sides?' Why is 'both sides' also the description of the fruit trees that grow from the river that flows from the Holy Temple of the future?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 26:50

Terumah - Receving Torah, Receiving God

Why is the story of the revelation at Sinai placed immediately before the command to build a Tabernacle for Hashem's presence? Why is the center of the Tabernacle the place that houses the Ark of the Covenant and the Torah that is within it? Why does the Midrash introduce the command of building the Tabernacle with a description of the greatness of Torah? How is the Torah compared to a princess whose father, the king, comes along with it?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 20:48

Ki Savo - Deep Listening

What is the understanding of our Sages statement that in the spiritual realms 'only a vessel that is full can hold more?' What is the concept of the word 'Amen?' Why does one merit to say Amen in the next world if one says Amen in this world? Why does one merit to 'hear the voice' in the future world if one 'hears' the Torah in this world? What is the depth of the concept of hearing?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 21:55

Devarim-Tisha B'av - Rectifying a Splintered Reality

Why did Moshe translate the Torah into 70 languages if the Jewish people at that time only spoke Hebrew and Egyptian? What is the curative power of the Torah? How does the Torah transport a person to the World to Come? How did Moshe go from a person who was 'not a man of words' to being able to speak 'all of these words?' Why is this parsha read before Tisha B'av? Why don't we learn Torah on Tisha B'av?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 26:21

Nitsavim-Vayelech - Song of the Heart

How does one access one's higher will - one's true will? What is the secret of 'Today?' What does it mean that the Torah is not far away, that it is 'in your mouth and heart?' What is the concept of the song of the Torah?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 20:12

Metzora - Process of Return

What is the power of the Torah that can penetrate into the deepest darkness? How does one access that light even in a state of distance from Hashem and one's felow man? What is the significance of the seven days that are part of the atonement process of the metzora?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running Time: 18:37

Yisro - Number Three and Relationships

What is the significance of the fact the Torah was given in the third month - the month of Sivan? Why is the Torah not given immediately after the Jews leave Egypt? What is the significance of the number three? What is the significance of the zodiac signs of Nissan - the sheep, Iyar - the ox, and Sivan - the twins? What do the twins have to do with the aspect of three and the giving of the Torah?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 23:29

Yisro - Stages of completion

Why is the story of Yisro the preface to receiving the Torah? What is the connection between the fifteenth of Shvat and the receiving of the Torah? Why do we eat fruit on this day, if it is not about the product, but about the first budding? What is the deeper meaning of the concept of 'the end product is in the first thought?'

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 20:07

Bereshis - The snake and the Satan

Why does the snake cause man to sin? What does it mean that the spiritual being, the Satan, that 'rode' on the snake was jealous? How does an exalted spiritual being experience jealousy? What was the 'meat' and 'wine' that Adam ate in the Garden? What was the significance of naming the animals?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 20:24

Shavuos and redemption

What is the deeper significance of the custom to stay up all night learning Torah? Why did the Jewish people wake up late on the morning of receiving the Torah? What is the parallel to Yakov who also had a contrasting night of sleep and being awake? What is the connection to the future redemption?

Find out in this special edition of the Parsha Podcast.

Why Dairy?

One of the minhagim that many in Klal Yisrael perform on Shavuos is that they are careful to eat a Yom Tov meal that is dairy. At first glance, this would seem to be an unusual custom. What is its deeper significance, and why is it a custom that is specifically in tune with the concept of Shavuos?

Before we can understand this, we need to ask another important question about Shavuos. What is the significance of the fact that Shavuos is specifically referred to as the time of the giving of the Torah? This seems to speak only from the perspective of Hashem, the Giver, and not from our perspective as receivers of the Torah. What is the deeper meaning of this description?

The fact that we specifically refer to the giving of the Torah would seem to indicate that the focus of the relationship that is being forged when the Torah is given is specifically from the side of the giver. This hints to the fact that in a relationship between a giver and a receiver, the most energy is invested by the one who is giving, as opposed to the one who is receiving. Not only that, but the giver is the one who experiences a greater sense of satisfaction in the relationship. This is something we can sense intuitively if we think about our relationships with our children, as opposed to our relationships with our parents. The relationship is always viewed in a more intense way by the one who is giving in the relationship.

This idea is reflected in a statement of our chazal. "More than the calf wants to suckle, the mother cow wants to give milk." This is an analogy for the fact that the greatest satisfaction comes to one who is focused outwards, focused on giving, as opposed to being focused on receiving. This very analogy is used to speak of the one who is teaching Torah. The teacher who is overflowing with wisdom has a greater drive to give than his very students who thirst for the words of their teacher. The teacher also experiences a greater sense of satisfaction and feels a deeper bond with his students than they will feel.

With this in mind, we can understand why Shavuos is referred to as the day when the Torah was given. When it comes to our relationship with Hashem and our relationship with the Torah, we must always be aware that if we approach that relationship exclusively as a receiver, we will never experience the true satisfaction that is inherent in the relationship. The only approach that will gain us a true relationship with Hashem and His Torah is one where our approach is one of giving of the Torah as well.

This idea is complemented by an insight I heard from Rabbi Yechiel Perr, Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway. In the tefillah of Ahava Rabba, which we say before Shema each morning, we describe the great love of Hashem for His people that culminated in the giving of the Torah. We ask Hashem to help us to understand his Torah, to learn, to teach and to fulfill all of its laws. It is interesting that even before we ask to be able to fulfill the laws, which would be a natural outgrowth of learning, we first ask to be able to teach what we have learned. Intrinsic to being able to receive the Torah is the necessity to be ready to give the Torah to others.

Now we can understand the custom to eat milk products as part of our celebration of Shavuos. Milk is something that represents the loving relationship between a mother and her child. It serves to remind us of the statement of chazal that the greater satisfaction in the relationship is experienced by the mother, who is giving the milk. It therefore also has the potential to remind us of the proper focus we must try to engender in our approach to Torah - to focus not only on what we will receive from the Torah, but how we can give the Torah to others as well, so it can truly be called a חג מתן תורתינו, a holiday which celebrates our giving of the Torah.

Rabbi Perr on Shavuos

The following shiur is a very moving piece on Torah and Shavuos that was given by my Rosh Yeshiva in 5767. The running time is about 45 minutes, and there is much to be gained from listening to it.

Click here to hear the shiur.

Gr"a on Redemption notes V

In the previous post, we left off in the middle of the notes of R' Maltzin on chapter 11, number 6. Here we continue.

Just as the the sun's rays pour out upon the moon and stars, so too, in every generation, there is a spark of Moshe Rabbenu that shines through someone in the generation, pouring out its light on all the Torah scholars of the generation. All new Torah ideas that come into the world are through the influx of the light of Moshe Rabbenu (Tikkunei Zohar 42:3). His (Moshe's) light suffers with the Torah scholars who are disgraced in the final exile, and who are pursued by the Erev Rav. This is referred to in the Gemara (Sotah 49) that says, "The wisdom of the learned will be made repulsive, those who fear sin will be disgusting, those who steer away from evil will be seen as if they were mad." This is what we find in the verse (Yeshaya 53), "He is made profane for our sins..." The entire passage there is speaking about the Torah scholars in the current exile (*) (Tikkunei Zohar 41:2 117:4 118:1 74:3 Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 35:4 8:1 Raya Mehemna 38:2 17:2). This [suffering of the light of Moshe] is a punishment that corresponds precisely to the mistake that he made in allowing the Erev Rav to become part of the Jewish people. The result was that they made the golden calf, resulting in the destruction of the tablets, which causes the Torah to be forgotten in exile (Tikkunei Zohar 105:2). This is what the verse means when Hashem says to Moshe (Shemos 32), "Go down." This hints to the lowering and descent [we have just spoken of]. If one removes the letters of the word ר"ע, [which are רי"ש and עי"ן, from the word Erev Rav (ערב רב),] one is left with [the letters ר-ב-ב, whose numerical value is the same as the word] רד, go down (Tikkunei Zohar 41:1 97:4). Any generation that does not have the shine of the light of Moshe Rabbenu is not included in the calculation of fifty generations. This is the reason for the length of the exile, as [the light] does not find a place to reveal itself. Therefore the redemption from exile is dependent on the study of Kabbalah which is the teaching of Moshe Rabbenu (Raya Mehemna 77:1 82:2). (It seems to me that it must incarnate three times in order for him to attain the fiftieth level that he lost when he broke the tablets, which represented the dimension of freedom. See Raya Mehemna 15:1, Tikkunei Zohar 43:1 129:3 163:1.)

Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and those who stood with him were able to merit to commune with that spark of Moshe itself at the time they were redacting the Tikkunim and the Raya Mehemna, because these two books are connected to each other. Also, the concept of a maggid [angel] that comes to speak to a person is his soul itself (**), however its way is to speak with him mouth to mouth [i.e. directly]. It is enclothed in the commandments that he fulfilled (Raya Mehemna 75:2).

(*) It is interesting that the Christians take this verse to refer to their mistaken Messiah, Yeshu Hanotzri. The verse is actually referring to the suffering of the Jewish people, and specifically, as we see here, the great sages of the Jewish people, who suffer horrible indignation as a result of the sins of the world and the people of Israel. Ironically, the verses, when seen in context, are actually speaking of the recognition of the nations of the world when Moshiach comes, that it was the Jewish people who had suffered all along in order to bring about the full rectification of the world.

(**) This seems to mean Moshe's soul. Here, instead of being an indirect light which shines from the soul of Moshe via the great sage and into the the scholar saying a new idea, there is a direct communication with the soul of Moshe which reveals the idea in question. This is interesting, because I have seen other sources that say that a maggid is actually an angelic embodiment of the Torah that one has learned. Just as each mitzvah a person fulfills creates an angel, so too, an angel is created from the Torah one learns. The maggid is this very angel who reveals himself to the one who created him and explains to him the depth of the Torah. These two ideas could be reconciled by the fact that the Torah itself is referred to as the Torah of Moshe, and thus, it is, to a certain extent, the embodiment of the soul of Moshe that is being resuscitated, as it were, by the scholar who studies the Torah. This in turn communes with the scholar, revealing the depths of the idea he is learning. This is a very novel idea that may or may not be correct, and requires deeper thought.

The Torah is referred to as a woman who has completed the first stage of marriage (ארוסה), as we find in the gemara (Pesachim 49), "Whoever learns Torah in front of an ignoramus [who will certainly misunderstand the intent of the Torah], it is as if he had marital relations with his ארוסה in front of him." It is referred to as an ארוסה because the first stage of connection was completed at Sinai, as we find in the verse, "Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance (מורשה)." Instead of reading it 'an inheritance' (מורשה), it can also be read 'betrothed' (מאורסה). It is not considered that one has completed the marriage until one has learned the Torah, like the verse says, "Only if the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and he studies his Torah night and day." At first, it is the Torah of Hashem, and then it becomes the scholar's Torah. The inner aspect of the Torah, however, was not even merited by Moshe Rabbenu to access completely (see Zohar Beha'aloscha 152:1, and Nefesh Hachaim Sha'ar 2, ch. 17), and therefore he did not merit to enter Eretz Yisrael. This occurred as a result of breaking the tablets and striking the stone. Because of this, he did not merit to enter Eretz Yisrael and to complete the marriage with his betrothed, the inner aspect of the Torah (*). It is all in Yisrael that did not merit to learn Torah from the tree of life, [and will not do so] until the future, when they will be alone like Yakov(**). See Nefesh D'Yakov. The people of Israel will return to Hashem in repentance, the Erev Rav will be destroyed, and the original tablets will return. [This will be their first encounter with the original tablets,] as they were never revealed to the Jewish people at all, because they were destroyed the moment they were brought down. (This is what it means there, that the people of Israel are His betrothed, because the completion of the marriage was dependent on the tablets being given over to them; once they were in the hands of Moshe, the betrothal had taken place, but they had not completed the second stage of the marriage. Tikkunei Zohar 42:4, 43:3 104:3-4 Raya Mehemna 67:2 68.)

(*) As we have discussed in the past, Eretz Yisrael is the place of ultimate connection between the physical world and the spiritual world. It is the 'bris' of the world, the point of connection between the male and female aspects of reality. Thus, as long as Moshe did not enter Eretz Yisrael, he did not merit the completed connection with the deeper aspects of the Torah, which embodies the true intimate relationship between man and Hashem. This is also the secret that underlies the special aspect of learning Torah in Israel. It is a spiritual fact that there is no Torah learning like that which is done here in Israel, and it is because the Torah, which represents the connection to Hashem, can only be properly learned to its fullest in the place where one experiences the greatest connection to Hashem that is possible.

(**) The Torah says that Yakov was alone when he went back to retrieve the small vessels. At that point, he fought with the angel of Esav, which represents the cosmic battle between the Jewish people and the forces of evil that culminates at the end of days. Just as Yakov was completely alone, so too the Jewish people will be alone in this final battle, with none to come to their aid. This scenario is clearly developing in the world today, and should not be cause for alarm, but rather, a clear sign of the redemption that awaits us in the near future. The end result of Yakov being alone was that he succeeded in vanquishing the forces of evil that were embodied in the angel of Esav, and he received the lofty name Yisrael. This name represents the ability of the Jewish people to rise up and become Hashem's partner in bringing His awareness into the world. This is rooted in the inner aspects of the Torah that are revealed to the Jewish people in the final stage, when they are truly alone in the world. This point will be the completion of the marriage that began at Sinai, and will also be the moment of the world's recognition that the Jewish people are the nation that Hashem has chosen to be His bride.

There is a similarity we find to the exodus from Egypt, where Moshe had difficulty with his speech and Aharon was sent to speak on his behalf. This means that Moshe would say a concept in an unclear manner, and Aharon would explain it. This is similar to how it will also be in the future. At the current time in our state of exile, the law is not clear in certain places, and there are many difficulties with no explanation to be found amongst the scholars. This is because the light of Moshe is not shining in them, as we said earlier. This corresponds to the concept that Moshe had 'difficulty in his speech.' In the future, Moshe will say the concept in a hidden way, the way we currently perceive it. The reason he will not say it clearly is so that people do not think that it is a new Torah, heaven forbid, or that it is not the Torah we have now. Eliyahu, who is really Pinchos, who is a descendant of Aharon, will be the one who will 'speak on his behalf'. This means that he will make it explicit, explaining all the difficulties, and it will be new to us (The Gra's explanation of Raya Mehemna 28:1, 78:1, Devarim 1:5). It seems that this idea is as we discussed above in Siman 21 in chapter 8, that as long as one does not understand the level of sod, even the simple understanding is unclear. In the future, since the secrets of the Torah will be revealed, as we saw above in Siman 11, the simple understanding will also be clarified along the way. See Heichalos Pekudei 48:2.

Behar-Bechukosai - Connection through disconnection

Why is Shmitah only in Israel, whereas Shabbos is all over the world? Not keeping Shmitah causes the Jewish people to be sent into exile. What is the connection? Why is the concept of Shmitah followed by the parsha of Bechukosai - to toil in Torah? What is עמלות? What is the significance of the fact that it is set apart from the words that follow, which speak about the positive and negative commandments? What is the significance of the fact that we find that שמיטה is a special time for עמלות בתורה?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.