Reb Sholom Brodt – Parshat Shabbat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim
And A Message from Reb Shlomo, z”l

בס”ד 

V’CHAI BA’HEM Know Your Source Of Your ‘Life’ – Being Alive In Judaism

“You shall keep My statutes and My laws…. asher ya’aseh otam ha’adam V’CHAI BA’HEM…. which if a man obeys them he shall live in them, I am Hashem.” [18:5]

Rashi explains that this means that by observing them he will be rewarded with ‘life’ in Olam Habah, the World to Come. Practice of the mitzvot gives us a portion in the World to Come.

The Slonimer Rebbe brings the following teaching concerning the way we do the mitzvot, from Reb Shloimeh Karliner, zy”a, who said that he heard that it was announced in Heaven:

“A Jew who keeps the Torah and the mitzvot, and keeps the Shabbos in all its details, but he [nebech] does not feel the joy of Shabbos, the “oneg Shabbos,” then when he will go up to the world most high they will give him his portion in the Garden of Eden for his keeping of the Shabbos, but it [his portion] will be like [being] a bench that is placed in the Garden of Eden, for there too he will not feel anything!”

We are taught that it is of utmost importance not only to do the mitzvot, but to do them with life and vitality. If we do the mitzvot as strangers, then we will feel like strangers in Gan Eden; we may be there but we may end up being bored there chas v’shalom.

The Torah and the mitzvot are, as we say in the Evening Shema blessing, “our life and the length of our days” in this world and in Olam Habah. The joy and the vitality with which we do the mitzvot is what makes them our lives in this world and in the World to Come.

The Chidushei Hari”m says that we need to do the mitzvot on such a level that we actually feel that they are our life nourishment and sustenance, to the point that we feel that even our physical lives depend on them. This has to become the truth of each individual: “My only source of life is from Torah and mitzvot.”

TO BE KADOSH – HOLY

VA’YIKRA CHAPTER 19 וַיִּקְרָא

א וַיְדַבֵּר ה’, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר
AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING:
ב דַּבֵּר אֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם–קְדשִׁים תִּהְיוּ: כִּי קָדוֹשׁ, אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
SPEAK UNTO ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND SAY UNTO THEM: YE SHALL BE HOLY; FOR I THE LORD YOUR GOD AM HOLY.

This week’s parsha is a real wake up call to holiness and unity. It connects to many deep issues between us and Hashem, between us and our fellow people, and between each one of us and ourselves.

To sense anything of holiness, you have to be connected to the Source of holiness: Hashem. According to Chassidut, at any given moment we are either connected to the Source of kedusha, or chas v’shalom we are not – there is no in-between.

We are composite beings, consisting of a divine soul and an animal soul. Our nefesh haElokis (the Divine soul), which is a veritable part of Hashem above, yearns to unite with its Source, the Source of all life and existence. But our nefesh haElokis is imprisoned within our bodies and within our nefesh habahamis (animal soul), which is always concerned with self-gratification. The nefesh habahamis screams and rebels all along the way, saying “I am I, and I don’t want to give up being I!” This inner struggle between the Divine soul and the animal soul is no small thing. It’s a major battle, and often we think that we no longer have the strength to keep fighting.

The Talmud describes the extent of the imprisonment and enslavement of the nefesh haElokis as follows: “a thief, even as he is breaking and entering to rob, prays to G-d.” The animal soul drags the Divine soul along with it as it is about to commit a crime and commands the Divine soul to pray so that they don’t get caught. Paradoxically, this means that in a sense we are always connected, even when transgressing.

But as we have been taught, a Jew never gives up! Every so often we hear Hashem’s voice calling within “Ayekah?” – Where are you? Even when we act against our deep G-dly connection, we remain “wired” to be connected. There is something in our spiritual makeup that arouses us to yearn to be close to Hashem, to unite with and be absorbed within Hashem.

ב כְּאַיָּל, תַּעֲרֹג עַל-אֲפִיקֵי-מָיִם– כֵּן נַפְשִׁי תַעֲרֹג אֵלֶיךָ אֱלֹקים

ג צָמְאָה נַפְשִׁי, לֵאלֹקים– לְאֵל חָי
מָתַי אָבוֹא; וְאֵרָאֶה, פְּנֵי אֱלֹקים
Psalms 42:2 As the deer pants [thirsts] after the water brooks, so my soul thirsts to You Elokim.
42:3 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: “When shall I come and appear before God?”

Quiet down, listen to your soul, and you will hear it. As long as we continue to yearn to be closer to Hashem, as long as we continue to appreciate holiness, we should be dancing joyously, just because thank G-d, we have such feelings – because these are our inner spiritual heartbeats, because we are still alive spiritually!

If I’m not mistaken, I believe that it was the Riziner Rebbe zt”l who said that believing that “G-d created man in His image” means that you have to believe that deep inside, each person is seeking to be close to Hashem and wants to be better. Each one of us hears Hashem’s calling, “Kedoshim tee’heyu” (you shall be holy). Each one of us can receive the strength that Hashem is ready to provide to come closer to Him.

If someone wants to put a great and very precious gift into your hand, you have to drop everything else in your hand to receive it; even if you are holding a chunk of gold in your hand, you have to drop it. There are so many things that we hold on to and have such a difficult time letting go of, even when we know that they are interfering with our relationships, whether between us and Hashem or between us and one another. Letting go of our egocentric nonsense is not at all easy. We need good friends, we need holy souls who care, to encourage us never to give up. Be blessed with excellent loving friends and be a great friend yourself!

BEING HOLY

“Heilige brider und shvester” – Holy brothers and sisters. This is how Reb Shlomo zt”l used to greet us or call for our attention when he was about to teach us something deep. Even though I (and maybe you too) would sometimes protest, because I didn’t think or feel that I was holy, he never stopped calling us holy brothers and sisters, stirring up deep memories within. Memories of moments of holiness, which may have lasted only one second, somewhere a long time ago, maybe while yet in our mothers’ wombs – moments of eternity. Memories which we thought were totally forgotten or no longer existed were still there, and it was so good to be reminded, “heilige brider, heilige shvester” – holy brother, holy sister; yes it’s true. Sometimes we may be out of touch with our souls, but we can be reminded that deep inside we would still like to be holy.

But how could it be true? I’m so far away from there, at most it’s only a faint memory. Then he would say it again, “heiligeh brider, heiligeh shvester,” holy brothers, holy sisters, listen to this, listen from the depths of your soul, open your hearts. Yes, it is true – there is a part of us that is always holy B”H.

BE HOLY! WHO, ME?

“Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the entire assembly of the children of Yisrael, and say to them: You shall be holy for holy am I Hashem your G-d” (Lev. 19:2). All the commentators ask, “What does it mean to be holy?”

Often when learning this verse with students of all ages, I would ask them to close their eyes and quickly visualize someone that they considered holy. Then I would ask them to describe the appearance of this holy person. More often than not the holy person they described was an older male person, dressed very differently from them and of very different appearance. Dressing our holy people so very differently from ourselves illustrates that we consider them to be somewhere far away from us, off in the distant yonder. The problem is that by doing so, we reinforce the idea that we ourselves are so very far from holiness, and that being holy is beyond our reach!

Therefore Hashem says to Moshe, “Speak to the entire assembly of the children of Yisrael.” Make sure that everyone is present, for everyone must personally hear Hashem’s instruction “Kedoshim tee’heyu” (you shall be holy). Says the Maor Vashemesh, each one of us is capable of being holy. Holiness is not meant for a few select individuals in each generation. It is meant for each one of us. The fact that each person is commanded to be holy is proof that each person is capable of attaining holiness.

“You Shall Be Holy!” How?

What does it mean to be holy? The opinions of Rashi and the Ramban are very well known. Rashi understands “to be kadosh” (holy) as a commandment to separate oneself from arayot (forbidden sexual practices) and from all transgressions. The Ramban, however, states that just guarding and separating oneself from transgressions is not enough. Indeed, one can be gross within the boundaries of the Torah laws! Therefore, the Ramban explains the mitzvah “to be holy” as, “kadesh es atzmechah b’mah sh’mutar lecha” – sanctify yourself in that which is permissible to you. Certainly we have to separate from the forbidden, but to be holy means even more than that. Even when I am eating the most strictly kosher food, I may be eating in a holy or an unholy way. Maybe I am being very careful not to tell any lies and not to speak any lashon harah, but that does not yet mean that my speech is kadosh. Thus the Ramban defines holiness as doing permissible things in a holy way.

BE HOLY – BE TRANSPARENT TO YOUR SOURCE

There is a beautiful Chassidic teaching that to be kadosh means to be transparent to your source. Imagine you are listening to two equally gifted and talented musicians. What is the difference between the “holy” musician and the not yet holy one? The one that isn’t yet holy is playing beautifully, but your attention is drawn to him. But when you are listening to the holy musician, the musician is transparent and you are able to connect directly to the source of the music.

The holy person wants all honor to go to Hashem; he does not want to take any of Hashem’s honor for himself. When you are serving a cup of tea to your guest, when you are giving tzedakah, it is really Hashem who is providing the tea and the tzedakah – you are just the fortunate messenger. To be kadosh means to allow other people the opportunity to feel closer to Hashem without getting in the way. After all, it is Hashem who gave you the opportunity to do something for your guest or for the poor man! The honor and thanks belong to Him. So we are given the mitzvah “Kedoshim tee’heyu” – be holy; be transparent to your source. Hashem is giving you the opportunity to let others connect to Him through you, so don’t block their view of Hashem’s light. Don’t steal the light for yourself.

TO BE CONNECTED TO HASHEM – ALL IT TAKES IS BITTUL HA-YESH

Chassidut explains that only Hashem is holy. Thus we can experience Kedusha only by being connected to Hashem, the Source of all holiness. To be connected to Hashem requires that we make space for the indwelling of the holy Shechinah. This is accomplished by complete bittul ha-yesh (self-abnegation).

Once when the Kotzker Rebbe was still a young child, someone offered to give him a coin if he could tell him where G-d is. Immediately the Kotzker replied, “Wherever you let Him in!” On another occasion someone said to him, “I’ll give you a coin if you can show where G-d can be found.” The Rebbe told him, “I’ll give you two coins if you can show where He cannot be found.”

The Chidushei Hari”m once asked his Chassidim the same question: “Where is G-d?” Naturally they were astonished by the question. Isn’t Hashem everywhere? The Rebbe then told his Chassidim that though Hashem is everywhere, for “the entire world is filled with His glory,” nevertheless the holy Shechinah dwells only where it is totally welcomed. Hashem does not enter into a place where He is welcomed only temporarily, be it for an hour or for a day. To merit the indwelling of the Holy Shechinah within ourselves, our bittul ha-yesh (self-abnegation) must be total and complete; we must invite Hashem to be present in our lives at all times.

BE READY TO RECEIVE THE SHECHINAH

The Ishbitzer explains being kadosh as being ready to receive the Shechinah, being ready to attach yourself to Hashem, “ki kadosh Ani Hashem Elokeichem,” for I Hashem your G-d am always ready for you.

Imagine you’re walking down the street and someone is coming towards you. Are you ready for Hashem to be with you when you say good morning to this person? Are you ready to see them with “good eyes,” eyes through which the light of Hashem is shining? Reb Shlomo zt”l taught that ayin tovah (a good eye) is an eye that doesn’t cut down another person, but that helps the person see their potential and allows and encourages them to grow.

The Mitzvah to Rebuke
יז לֹא-תִשְׂנָא אֶת-אָחִיךָ, בִּלְבָבֶךָ; הוֹכֵחַ תּוֹכִיחַ אֶת-עֲמִיתֶךָ, וְלֹא-תִשָּׂא עָלָיו חֵטְא.
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart;
thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.

הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך – You shall surely rebuke your friend

The souls of Israel are intertwined, and therefore we are responsible for one another. For this reason we are commanded to rebuke one another when appropriate. If we don’t, we have a share in each other’s transgressions. However, this is a very sensitive mitzvah. There are a number of important conditions that must be observed carefully when one wishes to rebuke.

We find the following lesson in the Talmud, Massechet Arachin 16b:

Whence do we know that if a man sees something unseemly in his neighbor, he is obliged to reprove him? Because it is said: “Thou shalt surely rebuke.” If he rebuked him and he did not accept it, whence do we know that he must rebuke him again? The text states: “surely rebuke” – always. One might assume [this to be obligatory] even though his face blanched, therefore the text states: “Thou shalt not bear sin because of him.” [i.e. if you rebuke someone in a manner that is insulting, you have committed a sin!]

Already two thousand years ago, we find the rabbis of the Talmud declaring that no one really knows how to rebuke properly and that there may not be anyone who is capable of receiving rebuke properly. Note the following discussion very carefully.

It was taught [in a Baraitha]: R. Tarfon said, “I wonder whether there is anyone in this generation who [is ready to] accept reproof, for if one says to him: ‘Remove the mote from between your eyes,’ he would answer: ‘Remove the beam from between your eyes!’” R. Eleazar ben Azariah said: “I wonder if there is one in this generation who knows how to reprove!” [In the Ayn Yaakov this statement is attributed to Rabbi Akiva.]

We also find a statement in the Talmud that says, “just like it is a mitzvah to speak up when your words will be received, so too it is a mitzvah to be silent when your words will not be accepted.” [Yerushalmi Chagiga 1:8]

Rebbe Nachman says that if this was true in Rabbi Akiva’s generation, then it is all the more true in our times. When someone is not on the level to rebuke properly, not only is his rebuke not helpful, it makes things worse! Because his rebuke surrounds the one whom he is rebuking with a foul odor; his rebuke actually arouses the bad smell of the individual’s wrongdoings and bad character traits! The following lessons from the Baal Shem Tov will help us understand this.

The commentators [Toldos Yaakov Yosef – Kedoshim d”h B’shem HBS”T; also BS”T alHaTorah Kedoshim 14 footnote 13] have written that the one who is rebuking should include himself in the rebuke. This means that he should be aware that he has a part in the transgression. As it says, “you shall not carry [place] the sin upon him.” In other words, he should not cast the entire transgression upon him, but rather he should intertwine himself with him (i.e., he should accept his share of responsibility for what the other did), and he too should do teshuvah for the transgression. The result will be that his fellow will sense this and he too will be aroused to do teshuvah. If the rebuker does not do his part in the necessary teshuvah, he is not really motivated with sincere love for Hashem; instead he is casting his own filth onto the other and just making things worse.

In the sefer Baal Shem Tov al HaTorah, there is an awesome teaching from the holy Baal Shem Tov zy”a. Briefly, the BeSh”T taught that everything that happens is by Divine Providence. This includes the people you meet and see at any given moment. If you happen to see your friend doing something forbidden, it is because you are presently being judged in Heaven for the same thing. You may not have done the same exact thing that you see your friend doing, but you have done something similar.

The Heavenly court needs the defendant to agree to the judgment that was passed on him. How does the court get you to accept the judgment? It is arranged that you should see another person doing the same thing that you did, or a similar thing. By passing judgment against your friend, you are consenting with the decision of the Heavenly court against yourself. But if you find a way to judge your friend favorably, not only are you doing him a favor, you are actually saving yourself. Furthermore, by recognizing that you too have to do a tikkun in this matter, and by doing teshuvah, you are making it easier for your friend to do teshuvah as well.

According to the holy Zohar, there is in the world of kedusha a heichal zchut (chamber of merit), and there is in the world of klipah a heichal chovah (chamber of guilt). In the heichal zchut, all those present are seeking ways to find you righteous, whereas in the heichal chovah all those present are seeking ways to pronounce you guilty. The Baal Shem Tov teaches that you can tell which chamber you are in by the way you are judging people.

ואהבת לרעך כמוך – You shall love your fellow as you love yourself

We explained ואהבת לרעך כמוך as a causative verb, referring to the mitzvah of loving Hashem. For where do we find (in the Torah) that a person should love himself – that it should say כמוך? Rather the meaning is that you should make Hashem beloved by your friend, as He is beloved unto you. This is as the Rabbis have taught (Yoma 86a) ‘ואהבת את ה – you shall love Hashem – “make the Name of Heaven beloved” [via how you live your life].

In accordance with the effort one makes to love Hashem, he will bring love for Hashem into the heart of his friend. That is why they [Rabbi Akiva] said that this mitzvah is a כלל גדול בתורה – a great principle in the Torah. Sfas Emes 5643 [p149]

ואהבת לרעך כמוך – You shall love your fellow as you love yourself

In Torat Kohanim we learn “Love your neighbor as yourself – ואהבת לרעך כמוך” – Rabbi Akiva says that this is a “klal gadol baTorah” – a “great principle” in the Torah. Ben Azzai says, “This is the book of the generations of man” is an even greater principle!
The essence of fulfillment in practicing Torah and mitzvoth is achieved by doing them “within” klal Yisrael – the community of the People of Israel. For it is through the community that we merit Kedusha – receiving and absorbing holiness. This is as the explanation given by the Rabbis as to why this mitzvah to be holy was given in the assembly of the entire community. Therefore, it is necessary to do each and every mitzvah “in the name of all of Israel.” This requires the Jewish servant of Hashem to nullify/absorb himself into the community.
Since Rabbi Akiva said this is a “great principle” we understand that there is also a “small principle.” The lesser principle is that in doing a mitzvah it must be done with all of our 248 limbs (we must be fully present) – for man is called an “olam kattan” a “small world” – a microcosm. The “great principle” is [to be fully present in] the entire community of Israel.
Ben Azzai adds that the verse “This is the book of the generations of man” is an even greater principle! Meaning that you not only have to do the mitzvoth in the “name of all of Israel,” as we learn from ואהבת לרעך כמוך, you also have to connect and include yourself with the souls of all generations. This is an even “greater principle” – to include all souls [in your service of Hashem] as they were all included in Adam. For all souls are interconnected and dependent on one another.
We must guard this principle of doing the mitzvoth “within” the community of all of Israel, for then the “Name of Heaven” connects with our doing of the mitzvoth as it says “ani Hashem – I Am Hashem.” ואהבת לרעך כמוך “Love your fellow as yourself, I Am Hashem. When we nullify ourselves into the entire community, then “I Am Hashem” – Hashem’s Name is present and is connected with the mitzvah you are doing.
“You shall love” means – that as in every doing of a mitzvah there is a will and love to improve and fix one’s own being, and also as one who is highly motivated to do a mitzvah “for the sake of Hashem’s Name,” blessed be He, so that he should merit to cause Him “nachas” and pleasure, likewise, “you should love your fellow” – in your performance of the mitzvah, Kedusha should be drawn “to our brothers, B’nai Yisrael, and that the Holy One b’H should have “nachas” from all of us.
When mitzvoth are done in this manner then the strength of the community helps and supports us further in achieving this. Sfas Emes Parshat Kedoshim 5652 – 1892 (pages 156-157)

V’AHAVTAH L’REY-ACHA KAMOCHA – LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

Holiness in living finds its ultimate expression in the mitzvah, “and you shall love [unto] your fellow as you love yourself, I am Hashem” (Lev. 19:18). Who is this fellow, this neighbor that the Torah is talking about? On many occasions when learning this verse with students, I would ask them (you may want to try it yourself) to close their eyes and listen to the verse as I read it to them, and then think of someone in relation to this verse. Then I would ask them if the person they thought about was in the room. Almost always, they were thinking about someone who was not there in the room. The implications of this are interesting. Now listen to this amazing teaching from Reb Shlomo zt”l.

Reb Shlomo zt”l taught that the fellow person that the Torah is commanding you to love as you love yourself is the person who is next to you right now! Love them for no reason, love a love of true Oneness, as you love yourself. But is this possible? From the fact that we are commanded to do so, we understand that it is possible to accomplish this. Hashem does not ask us for the impossible. It does require a lot of work, to be sure, including joy, true humility, and true awareness of Hashem and of one’s higher self.

What does it mean to love someone as you love yourself? There are a number of different opinions about this. The Tzemach Tzeddek, in his sefer Derech Mitzvotecha, offers a realistic and practical explanation of this mitzvah. Each one of us knows that we are not perfect and that we make mistakes. Yet we usually tolerate our own mistakes and imperfections, and we still love ourselves, at least to the point that we do not refuse ourselves pleasure or kindness or self-love. For example, if I said something unkind to someone, or did not make a serious attempt at accomplishing all that I was supposed to today, nevertheless at the end of the day I do not refuse to have dessert, and I do not forbid myself the pleasure of listening to good music, etc. Likewise, says the Tzemach Tzeddek, we are obligated to accept our friends with their imperfections and mistakes, and we should not refuse them our kindness and love.

To further explain the connection between kedoshim tee’heyu and v’ahavtah l’reyacha kamocha, I had the following thought: Hashem wants us to be holy. So we come before Hashem and we say that we would like to be holy. But the Satan, the blocker, comes forward and says that we have no right to be kadosh because we have transgressed. So we say to Hashem, “please let us be close to You in spite of our mistakes, because we really want to be close to You. Please forgive us, please help us fix our ways, fix our wrongdoings, and please overlook our past and look at where we are now and where we want to be. Otherwise we don’t stand a chance at being holy.”

There is a very nice Chassidic reading of this mitzvah as follows: “V’ahavtah l’reyacha – kamocha ani Hashem.” In the same way that you love your friend, so too I, Hashem, will be with you!

Hashem is telling us, “If you want Me to overlook your mistakes, if you want Me to love you so much that I should be forgiving and accepting of you, that I should be kind to you even though you are not perfect, then you too must treat your friends this way. If you can do this for others, I will do this for you.”

If you really believe in teshuvah, the ability to return to Hashem, if you really believe that past mistakes and wrongdoings can be fixed, that you can be at one with Hashem again, that your desire to be holy is real, then practice this with your friends as well. Demonstrate that this is your truth in your own life, that you will not hate your brother in your heart, that you will not take revenge or bear a grudge against him, but rather you will love him as you love yourself. Then you will merit that Hashem will also treat you in this way.

THE WHOLE TORAH ON ONE FOOT
Remember when the convert came to Hillel and said, “Convert me, on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I’m standing on one foot.” The Sfas Emes explains that the convert was asking Hillel how he would be able to keep and live the Torah in this world of “one foot,” this world of lies. (In Hebrew, the letter kuf reaches lower than the other letters. The word emet (truth) is written aleph-mem-taf, and all three letters sit firmly on the line. However, the word sheker (lie) is written shin-kuf-resh. The kuf drops down below the other letters, as if it is standing on one foot.) And what was Hillel’s advice? 

Hillel told the convert, “That which is hateful to you, do not do unto others. That is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary. Go and study.” In other words he told him, “v’ahavtah l’reyacha kamocha.” Love your neighbor as yourself. What Hillel was saying is that an individual alone cannot stand up against the lies of Amalek. It is only through connecting with all of Am Yisrael that we can push away the lies and live the truth. We must love each other if we wish to navigate in this world and reach our goals and destinies.

HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU / CAN YOU LOVE?

In the following (Free Translation) excerpt from the Tanya Chapter 32, by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), founder of Chabad Chassidism, the Alter Rebbe teaches us how we can achieve loving every one of our fellow people:

Fulfilling that which we have spoken of above – to view one’s body with scorn and contempt, and finding joy only in the joy of the soul alone – is a direct and easy way to attain the fulfillment of the commandment “Love your fellow as yourself” toward every soul of Israel, both great and small.

For, whereas one despises and loathes one’s body, while as for the soul and spirit, who can know their greatness and excellence in their root and source in the living G-d? Being, moreover, all of a kind and all having one Father – therefore, all Israelites are called real brothers by virtue of the source of their souls in the One G-d; only the bodies are separated. Hence in the case of those who give major consideration to their bodies while regarding their souls as of secondary importance, there can be no true love and brotherhood among them, but only [a love] which is dependent on a [transitory] thing.

This is what Hillel the Elder meant when he said in regard to the fulfillment of this commandment, “This is the whole Torah; the rest is but commentary…” For the basis and root of the entire Torah is to raise and exalt the soul high above the body, reaching unto the Source and Root of all the worlds, and also to bring down the blessed light of the Infinite upon the community of Israel, as will be explained later, i.e. into the fountain-head of the souls of all Israel, to become “One into One.” This is impossible if there is, G-d forbid, disunity among the souls, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not dwell in an imperfect place, as we pray: “Bless us, O our Father, all of us together, with the light of Your countenance,” as has been explained at great length elsewhere.

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The Talmud (Ta’anit 20:a-b) tells us an awesome story:

The rabbis taught, “A man should always be pliable as a reed, and let him not be stiff as a cedar!” Once it happened that Rebbe Elazar, son of Rebbe Shimon, was traveling [home] from Migdal Gedur, from the home of his master, riding on a donkey along the riverbank. He was very happy and also haughty, for he had studied a lot of Torah. He happened upon a man who was particularly ugly.
[Rashi and Tosafot say that in some editions it says that this man was Eliyahu Hanavi, Elijah the Prophet, who had come specifically to teach Rebbe Elazar (and all of us) a lesson.]

“Shalom – peace upon you Rabbi,” said the man, but he [the Rabbi] did not return any blessing to him. [Instead] he said to him, “Empty one (boor) how ugly is this man. Perchance are all the inhabitants of your city as ugly as you?” 

He replied, “I do not know. However, you should go to the Artisan who fashioned me and tell Him, ‘How ugly is this vessel which You made.’” 

Immediately realizing that he had sinned, he descended from his donkey and prostrated himself before him, saying, “I confess and submit myself to you, please forgive me.” 

The man said to him, “I will not forgive you until you go to the Artisan who fashioned me and tell Him, ‘How ugly is this vessel which You made.’” 

Rebbe Elazar kept following the man until they reached his city. The citizens had come out to greet the Rabbi, blessing him, “Peace upon you, Rebbe, Rebbe. Peace upon you my master, my master.”

The man asked them, “Whom are you addressing as ‘Rebbe, Rebbe’?” 

They said, “The one who is walking behind you.” 

He said to them, “If this man is a Rebbe, let there not be many like him in Israel.” 

They asked “Why [did you reply thus]?” So he told them, “The Rabbi had done such and such to me.” 

Said they to him, “Nevertheless, forgive him, for he is a great Torah scholar.” 

Said he to them, “For your sake, I will forgive him, on condition that he should not be accustomed to do likewise again.” (The Maharsha explains this as, that he should not be accustomed to feeling proud for having learned much Torah, for this led him to his transgression; surely he was never to insult anyone.)

Immediately, R. Elazar son of Rebbe Shimon entered [the beit midrash] and taught, “A man should always be supple as a reed and not stiff as a cedar. Therefore, the reed merited to be used for writing Sifrei Torah, Tefillin, and Mezuzot.”

A LETTER FROM REB SHLOMO ZT”L
New York, Iyar 5746.

Every month has its own letter of the ‘alef-bet’, its corresponding tribe, and its specific fixing. According to the Ishbitzer, the letter of Iyar is ו Vav, the tribe is Issachar and what we have to fix is “hirhur” – “thinking”. In Hebrew there are two words for thinking – “machshava” and then “hirhur’. “Machshava” means what I’m thinking with my head. “Hirur”, the Gemara always says, is what I’m thinking in my heart.

In my head, my thoughts change every split second, and even if I think the same thing, I don’t think of it the same way. Then there’s “hirhur be-libo” – you know I can walk around with one thought in my heart my whole life, and the more real I am, the less it changes. And this is so deep, like the Gemara says, my heart is only telling my heart.

Now let’s talk about the tribe of Issachar – they know what to do in the moment. This is very important. A lot of people know what they have to do always – but what do you have to do in this moment? We were learning it at Purim – why is the megillah called a book and a letter? If I love someone very much, do I send them my book? A book is for the whole world … but a letter – this is from my heart. Remember what Amalek said to us just after we left Egypt. His vibratlons made us so cold; only 40 days since the [giving of the Torah, and after all the] miracles of Egypt – and we were so cut off that we made the golden calf. Amalek says to you, “Yeah, religion’s beautiful, G-ds beautiful, the ‘always’ you have, but [you don’t have] the moment…” I know what G-d is telling to all the Jews, to the whole world, but what is He saying to me [about right now]?

The truth is the Ribbono Shel Olam is sending each of us a letter every moment but you’ve got to know how to read it. And this is Issachar. Somebody says, “I don’t know what to do.” Watch the signs. How do you know how close you are to somebody? It’s how well they read your signs.

The Izbitzer asks,”What’s the letter Vav?” Most of the letters need other letters to pronounce it – alef is alef lamed pe, gimmel is gimmel mem lamed. Vav is the one letter that I only need the same letter וו to pronounce it. This means that nothing foreign gets to the inside of my heart.

The two וו Vavs represent Emet and Tiferet [– truth and beauty]. The Vav starts up in heaven and comes straight down, non-stop because the truth is non-stop. We have to know the truth in our heart and know the beauty in our hearts. But did you ever see anything more ugly than someone talking about their own beauty? How do you make somebody else beautiful, by giving them honor, right? Kavod knows no words, it comes from the heart. When the students of Rabbi Akiva couldn’t make each other beautiful, so to speak, the month itself couldn’t bear it. This month, Nature is mamish showing us how beautiful the world can be.

We have to work our whole life on this one letter – the Vav – truth and beauty. When Moshe Rabbenu came down from Mt. Sinai he knew Am Yisroel’s neshamahs were very high, but their heads were in the wrong place, so he had to break the tablets. But what did the Golden Calf teach us? It was the end, and Moshe Rabbenu went right back up the mount, back to the beginning. Gevalt, Hashem, I don’t want to learn from the Golden Calf this year; teach me how to learn right from the beginning.

Pesach and the redemption from Mitzrayim is G-d’s revelation. Sefiras ha-Omer means, what am I doing with it? Everybody has to count in order to fix his own neshamah. In one ways waiting for G-ds , His revelation, and in another I have to search and trust my own heart in the deepest way. lyar is the fixing of the heart. Nissan is the fixing of the head – a slave is listening only to his head. What does it mean to be in exile? It’s being so petty. Every year we are fixing again leaving Egypt until we receive the Torah. But this year I want to receive the Torah without making a golden calf.

Love,

Shlomo