Buried Alive!

"When Jacob finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet onto the bed;he expired and was gathered to his people"(Gen. 49:33). While by Abraham, the Torah explicitly states:"And Abraham expired and died (Gen. 25:8), and by Isaac as well,"And Isaac expired and died"(Gen 35:29), the Torah does not tell us anywhere that Jacob died. From this we can logically conclude that Jacob did not in fact die. Jacob was embalmed, and eulogized and buried but he didn't die?
In Jeremiah 30:10, G-d speaks directly to Jacob:"But as for you, do not fear, My servant, Jacob, the word of Hashem, and do not be afraid, Israel; for behold, I am saving you from distant places and your descendants from the land of their captivity..." From this prophecy, we see that the future redemption of the Jewish people, Jacob's descendants, will take place simultaneously with Jacob's personal redemption. So Jacob remains in the same state of spiritual living in this world as his descendants. In other words, the continued spiritual survival of the Jewish people is essentially linked to the continued spiritual existence of Jacob's soul in this world.
From this we see the importance of focusing on the good side of every Jew and emphasizing their connection to G-d, the true source of life. Because by doing this, we are seeing their true value as descendants of Jacob and the fulfilment of Jeremiah's prophecy that Moshiach is coming to redeem a living Jewish people along with their living ancestor Jacob.

Based on the Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

When the Angels come calling...

Following his circumcision, Avraham is all of a sudden visited by three "men"(Gen. 18:2), who later in the text are revealed to be angels (Gen. 19:1). These angels come to tell Avraham that he and Sarah are finally going to have a son together. But their opening remark is puzzling: "They said to him,"Where is Sarah your wife?"(Gen. 18:6). Why do the angels need to know where Sarah is in order to fufill their mission?
Our sages point out to us that it is proper conduct for a guest to inquire as to the welfare of the host as well as the host's wife.  At this critical juncture in the birth of the Jewish people, the Torah is teaching us about politeness? Yes, just like a soul cannot function alone in this world without a body, so also a spiritual lifestyle must be accompanied with a respect and endearment for those around them. Bringing down G-d's light to the wold also involves nourishing the emotional and personal needs of those with which one is involved.
It's evident that all of Avraham and Sarah's lives have led up to this moment. Their legacy and work can only be preserved in the way of a son like Yitzchak. If they can transfer their ideals to the next generation, it means that they have connected to the ultimate truth, which is eternal. This truth can only be fostered in an environment of warmth and caring, where every guest receives the attention they deserve, and the host and hostess are recognized and thanked for their efforts.

I did it G-d's Way

The Torah tells us that man was created in G-d's image: "For in the image of G-d He made man"(Gen. 9:6). Yet at the same time we know that G-d has no physical form, so what could it mean that man was created in G-d's image?
There are four levels of life forms in the world - inanimate, vegetable, animal and man. Man has a different relationship with G-d unique from all other life forms as we are told:"and He blew into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living being"(Gen. 2:6). The soul of life that was planted in man is unlike that of any other creation and manifests itself in our ability to contemplate our existence and change our environment both from a technological standpoint as well as a moral standpoint. Our G-d given intellect is to be used for making the right choices and dedicating our life to elevating the world around us.
And yet, what is the underlying intention of the Torah in informing us that we have this intellectual advantage over all other life-forms, that makes us more G-d-like? Here the Torah is coming to help us escape one of the greatest philosophical quandries. Philosophers posited that if G-d gave us a mind, aren't we supposed to use it autonomously to decide what is good or what is bad? Why do we need some "book of rules", an ethical code, by which to run our lives? Why can't we decide individually by using our intellect what is the right moral code for us?
Here the Torah teaches us: the fact that our intellective soul, was created in G-d's image means it is being breathed into us constantly. The energy and vitality of the mind hinges on this very fragile connection with G-d. When we use our mind for mundane activities, our mind becomes jaded by the physicality of the world, and the connection with G-d becomes weakened, and our intellectual prowess and uniqueness weakens as well.
However, in order to make the right moral decisions, we need to to have full access to the energy and vitality of our breath connection with G-d. How do we reconnect the intellective soul to its source? By attaching ourselves to his Wisdom and Will as embodied by the Torah's commandments. Moreover, the Zohar teaches that the life and vitality of every Jew is distributed to them through the leading Torah Sages of the Generation, the Heads of the Jewish People. By seeking the guidance of our teachers and mentors, we are reconnected to our head and our life source in G-d and then we are certainly empowered to make the right decisions.

Crimes of Passion - A Feasible Start for Humanity

The beginning of the Flood is described twice in Genesis Ch. 7. First in Gen. 7:12, "And the rain was upon the earth forty days... Then again in Gen. 7:17, "When the Flood was on the earth forty days, the waters increased..." The rain came down as a last attempt to awaken mankind to repent. But since they did not, it became a flood that wiped out the world. The first ten generations rebelled against      G-d with defiance, transgressing intentionally to anger the One Above. Their defiance was to such an extent that even as the floodwaters came down, they refused to repent.
 The generations between Noach and Abraham also acted immorally. And yet they were not wiped out. Rather, out of these ten generations came Abraham, who began the proces of making G-d's Kingdom down here in this world. In fact, even when these generations openly rebelled against G-d, they were not punished severely (Gen. Ch.11). Furthermore, we also see in Abraham's interaction with Pharaoh and later with Abimelech, that both these kings repented immediately when they realized they had acted against G-d will (Gen 12:17-20, Gen. 20:3-17).
The Torah is teaching us here that there are two kinds of negative energies in the world. One type of negative energy is so empty that the only way to deal with it is by washing it completely out of one's life. The other negative activity is also self-centered but nevertheless it can also come to benefit others and make the world a better place by transforming it into a constructive activity. One energy is based on a dogmatic selfishness, around which a whole system of laws and relationships is built. The other immorality manifests itself in the form of passion and heat.
In our own lives, there is a dogmatic selfishness that can only be washed away over time through the "floodwaters" of life's travails. Our passions, on the other hand, can be transformed and channeled always towards a positive and creative purpose.

What doesn't Begin, and never Ends?

"In the beginning, G-d created the Heaven and the Earth" (Gen. 1:1). This is how the Torah begins. And the astute reader asks, what are the words, "in the beginning", coming to teach me?

The Torah is a book of laws for upright moral behavior but it is also a portal between the physical dimension and G-d. How can the two connect? How can the limited and finite connect with the unlimited and infinite. These are what the words, "in the beginning", are describing. They are describing the connecting piece between us and G-d. "In the beginning" means that prior to creation was created already the potential for G-d and created beings to connect.

Inside the world, is nested the potential for bridging that gap. However, this also means that the Five Books of Moses are predicated on the understanding that there is the One Above who has no beginning and no end, and it is our intention to bond with Him through our observance of His Torah. "In the beginning" also means that our world has a beginning, but our G-d does not. He is not defined or limited.

The giving of the Torah is compared to a marriage. The first stage in a marriage is that the newly-weds come closer - they open up to each other. Nevertheless, any good relationship hinges on the recognition that there will be aspects of the other person that I will never understand or relate to. The Torah can describe to us certain aspects of G-d and bring us closer to Him. But it is predicated on the understanding that there are aspects of the relationship that go beyond words and these aspects we cannot even "begin" to describe

Taking the Egyptians out of Egypt

In several places the Torah warns us against returning to Egypt:"He will not return the people to Egypt...for Hashem said to you,"You shall no longer return on this road again."(Deut.17:16), "For as you have seen Egypt today, you shall not see them ever again"(Exod. 14:13), as well as Deut. 28:68.

In the same vein, ancient Egypt was such a cesspool of immorality and outright wickedness that the Torah testifies about Egyptians that only after a conversion and three generations of waiting are they really ready to become completely Jewish (Deut. 23:8-9). Nevertheless, we have a tradition that the people inhabiting the land of Egypt today are only made up of a small minority of the original Egyptian nation. However, since the rest of the populace does nothing to subdue or combat their negative influence, their negativity still impacts all of Egypt in a way that makes it forbidden to dwell there even today.

But when an Egyptian today chooses to leave behind their Egyptian identity and join the Jewish people, they have completely removed themselves from the influence of this pernicious minority, and statistically it is extremely unlikely that this Egyptian convert has actual blood ties to the ancient Egyptians. Therefore, they are not bound by the Torah's limitation regarding Egyptian converts of old.

Today more than ever we see the end nearing for this small minority of people stubbornly clinging to its wicked and destructive lifestyle. The self-serving, morally corrupt ways of the Egyptians of old are reflected in the traditional authoritarian government systems in the Middle East. However, as dawn of the age of Redemption is breaking forth, more and more of the citizens of these countries are accessing their power and privilege to free themselves of their evil and narrow-minded rulers.

We must take these events of dramatic change to heart and allow them to inspire us to become more free of the old self-serving model, and prepare to enter an age of inspiration, harmony, and rapid spiritual development.

Gifts on the Road to Mental Freedom

"But when you send him [the Hebrew slave] away from you free , you shall not send him away empty handed. Adorn him generously..."(Deut. 15:13-14)

The Torah commands us to give a gift upon sending away the person who has worked for us. What is the nature of this gift? Is it part of the payments and benefits that a master owes to his worker or is it a form of tzedaka (donation) unrelated to wages. It seems clear that the latter is a more accurate description from the next verse in the same passage. "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Hashem, your G-d, redeemed you; therefore I command you regarding this matter today."(Deut. 15:16)'

The release from Egypt of the Jewish people was the ultimate show of free kindness and generosity on G-d's behalf. The miracles that G-d wrought and the riches that the Jews left with cannot be considered as a wage or reward for their work in Egypt. Rather, they are an example of a free gift. So also the commandment of "adorning" a released Hebrew slave involves giving a free gift beyond any legal financial obligations. We have to reenact the "coming out of Egypt" for our workers through fulfilling the "adorning" commandment.

In spiritual terms, a servant and master represent two opposite states of consciousness - restricted consciousness and expanded consciousness. Restricted consciousness comprising very basic mental functions while expanded consciousness describes the ability to delve deeply and meditate on a certain idea at length, until it becomes internalized completely in all its aspects. Usually, a student's mental state compared to his teacher is like the relationship between restricted and expanded consciousness, or the relationship between a slave and a master. While a teacher is obligated to teach the student so that they will eventually be able to reach parity with their teacher's normal restricted mentality, the free gift from the teacher involves giving the student the tools to even reach the level of the teacher in his expanded mental state.

When I am teaching someone a certain concept, I need to teach them the basic principles and definitions. But I must also reveal to them the added levels of complexity that make up a mature understanding of the idea. The student must be given a glimpse of the challenges as well as benefits involved in studying and living with the idea for many years. The expanded consciousness of the teacher is a vision of the ultimate freedom that can be achieved with the proper toil and self-application.

Play it again...Moses?

"These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel"(Deut. 1:1). The book of Deuteronomy, literally the "second law" is known to be Moses' review of the laws in the other books of the Torah. Certain passages are repeated almost word for word such as the retelling of  the Ten Commandments (Deut. 5:6-18).  This begs the question, if G-d is perfect and gave over the Torah to Moses in the first four books, why does Moses, a mortal, need to get involved in retelling it according to his finite understanding.
In order to understand this better, we must better understand the two ways of teaching or explaining a system of laws and values. One way of giving it over is by rote. The teacher passes over the material word for word as he himself learned it but adds nothing of his own. This is Moses' role in the other books. He merely serves as a bridge between the people and G-d. However, there is a deficiency to this method of teaching in that the giving of the material is by rote, the receivers cannot relate to the material in a personal way. On the other hand, when the teacher internalizes the material and gives it over according to his grasp, then his audience and students have a better chance of understanding the material and internalizing it as well.

This is also the role of all the other prophets of the Jewish people, as well as Rabbis and teachers throughout the generation. Their role is to explain the Torah to their audience according to their understanding so that they can keep its laws and apply its teachings to every situation. This is also why Samuel's mother, Hannah, calls G-d the Master of Legions in her prayers (I Samuel 1:11). 

Samuel initiates the era of the Prophets, the era in which the Torah begins to be translated and applied further through Divine Revelation in the prophets' minds.  This translation and elaboration means that G-d's Word is made more accessible and comprehensible to His Legions, to the plurality of his creations down in this world. Through the prophets, and afterwards the Rabbis, the teachers of each generation, the Five Books of Moses can have more of a personal significance and relevance to their students and followers.

Note on "Fortified and Motile"

See Epistle One in "The Holy Epistle" in Tanya, that the Ba'al HaTanya compares the learning of the Oral Law, the details of the Biblical Commandments, to loins that hold up the head and facilitate moving the feet to bring the body from place to place.

Our Rebbe comments on this that the main teaching from this metaphor is in regard to how the loins hold up the head which is the meditation prior to prayer. The motiity aspect of the metaphor is not addressed. The Rebbe suggests that prayer itself involves motion as it is compared to climbing up a ladder. However, based on the Rebbe's Talk in Vol. 18 of Selected Talks, this second part of the metaphor is also clarified. The fortification of one's faith, the "girding of one's loins", is achieved through studying the Oral Law. This helps to reveal the Impregnable part of the soul. When this aspect is revealed it also reveals the Journeying, or striding, abilities of the soul to "move from place" or to climb from one realm of holiness to a higher one.

Fortified and Motile - The Wandering Jew (End of the Book of Numbers)

At the end of the book of Numbers, the Torah describes the war of the Jewish people with the Midianites and then also lists all the journeys of the Children of Israel in the desert. These journeys represent a complete cycle - the summary and closure of 40 years of wandering to become a mature people ready to enter the Promised Land. The entry into the Land also involves much journeying, and it also involves conquest and fighting.

Here, however, it's important for the Torah to emphasize to us that these two activities - conquest, leading to military security, and journeying, or constant growth and development, are intrinsically related in their spiritual roots. Historically, fortifying one's position and motion or growth represented polar opposites. Warriors either engaged in constant motion, or guerilla type warfare, or fortifying their position limiting their presence to a particular geographical locale.

However, in one's spiritual life, the same limitations do not hold true. The source of fortitude in one's spiritual life relates to the level of the soul called the "Eitan", or the Impregnable. This level of the soul reveals itself only in situations where absolute commitment is necessary to achieve the desired result. It is the revelation of ones eternal connection to the One Above, a point that can never swerve from its constant faith with the Infinite.When one acts with perseverance and fortitude in bringing about a certain goal, this is a revelation of the soul-level of Impregnable.

The revelation of this level of soul is also the reason that the soul journeys from its heavenly abode to become garmented in a physical body, where its faith in G-d is constantly tested. These trials bring about the revelation of the Impregnable level of the soul, and transform it from a Stationary being, an unchanging entity, to a Journeying being, one who is always growing and transforming in their journey to self-perfection. And this is the promise (Zech. 3:7):"I will give you strides [or ones who are able to stride] among those who stand here [the angels who always remain stationary, on one spiritual level]."

Most of the tests we experience throughout our lives involve being strong and impregnable. Preserving the values with which we were raised, often means taking time out from the rush of events to reaffirm our faith in our principles and our Creator. This is why it is so essential to set aside times for the learning of the practical laws and details of the Biblical commandments. This is the foundation of our faith and fortification towards being a Journeying being.

Based on the Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Vol. 18

The "Gloom and Doom" Warriors (Numbers Ch. 25, Jeremiah Ch. 1)

"Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you left the womb I sanctified you; I established you as a prophet unto the nations...Do not fear them for I am with you to rescue you" (Jer. 1:5,8). G-d warns Jeremiah from underestimating his own powers in influencing his listeners.
Jeremiah's mission seemed to be to forecasting doom and destruction. He was sent to tell the Jewish people, as well as other nations, of the desolation and exile that would occur as a result of their sins. It is for this reason particularly that G-d has to strengthen him and assure him of his capabilites in terms of getting the message across. In contrast, the book of Isaiah is called the book of "comforting and consolation".

However, we find elsewhere in the Torah a definite advantage to the less subtle approach.  For instance, in Numbers Ch.25.  When the Jewish people sin with the Midianite women, Pinhas son of Elazar responds swiftly and directly. "He followed the Israelite man into the tent and pierced them both, the Israelite man and woman into her stomach - and the plague was halted..."(Num. 25:8). And although his response seems to be an act of rash and unwarranted cruelty, G-d testifies about him that he "turned back My [G-d's] wrath from upon the Children of Israel...I give him my covenant of peace...for him and his offspring...a covenant of eternal priesthood."(Num. 25:12-13). 

Pinhas' unique response was his way of letting the Children of Israel that they needed to return and fix their ways. His reward was an eternal covenant since his act made a permanent impact on the Jews. Unlike Moses' approach of awakening G-d's mercy on the people through his prayers, Pinhas went straight to the ones causing the problems and awakened them to repent. This kind of approach has an eternal impact on the environment and therefore its reward is an eternal covenant of priesthood.

We all have a unique approach to serving the Creator. When we share our viewpoint with others in a pleasant and non-judgemental fashion, we can bring about a real change, and therefore, an eternal impact.

The American Dream - In G-d We Trust (Micah 5:6)

"The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many people like dew from Hashem like raindrops upon grass which is not hoped for from man and awaited from a human being"(Micah 5:6)

The prophecy of Micah is a foreshadowing of the period prior to the end of days, characterized by a dew-like relationship with our world. What does this mean? It means that prior to the ultimate redemption, we will avail ourselves of our dependence on our physical environment and cling more to the supernatural way of life. Dew represents something that is generated spontaneously without any prior causes. Our behavior in the times right before the Messiah's coming have to reflect our faith that every detail of our life is generated spontaneously by G-d for some specific benefit that we can accrue from it. This is the belief in one G-d as it reaches its fulfilment in these times.

The Torah, G-d's Word, delineates three levels of belief when it comes to worldly matters. The lowest is stated in Jeremiah (17:5): "Accursed is the the man who trusts in people and makes flesh and blood his strength". This is said about one who is so "sold" on the worldly reality that they turn away completely from observing the Divine Law and turn to cheating and stealing to earn their livelihood.

The second level is stated in Psalms (118:8) "It is better to take refuge in Hashem than to rely on man". Here, the Torah does not issue a curse to one who "relies on man" but only states it is better to "take refuge in Hashem".  Since the Torah itself states (Deut. 15:18) "And Hashem your G-d will bless you in all that you do" - that the vessel for blessing is one's own doing - and so one's doing in the physical realm is what draws down the blessing from G-d. And so one is allowed to "rely on man", to rely on one's own actions in this world.

Nevertheless, the prophet Micah tells us that the proper preparation for the Era of the Messiah is in relating to our livelihood "like dew from Hashem". This does not preclude making a worldly vessel into which G-d's blessing can come down. Rather, we must realize that the physical goodness coming down is purely G-d's prerogative and not that we have "earned" it in any way shape or form. This is the highest level of trust in G-d.

This is reflected by the inscription "In G-d We Trust" on the one dollar bill. The source of our livelihood has to be seen as merely another channel through which we interact with G-d and express our trust in Him. If we succeed in doing so, we will not only act honestly in financial matters, observing the laws of business dealings as delineated in the Written and Oral Law. But also, we will not allow financial worries to distract us and interfere with our spiritual activities, the work of prayer and giving charity.

Through this personal redemption from worldly veils, we will then bring about the ultimate redemption of the world -"Many nations will go and say,'Come let us go up to the Mountain of Hashem to the Temple of the G-d of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways and we will walk in His paths. For from Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem" (Micah 4:2)

Based on the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

For the Love of a Nation (Num. Ch. 14)

"And now may the strength of my Lord be magnified..."(Num. 14:17) This verse is the turning point in Moses' appeasement of G-d's wrath against the rebellion of the Jewish people. The Zohar, the fundamental text of Jewish mystical teachings, comments on this verse:"Meritorious are the nation of Israel from all the idolatrous nations of the world that the Holy Blessed Be He desires them, is called by them, and shows off their beauty..."

What is the connection between the verse and this teaching from the Zohar? Moses' plea for the "magnification" of G-d's strength is a response to the negative report of the spies that the land of Canaan will be too difficult to conquer. How could the spies make such a report after seeing the open miracles that G-d made for the Children of Israel both in Egypt and in the desert? But rather the spies' report was based on the assumption that once they come into the land, the open miracles will cease and they will have to fend for themselves.

To this, Moses replied "may the strength of my Lord be magnified". Even though the display of open miracles will diminish, but the strength of the Lord, and the strength of his people can be magnified through added dedication and commitment to serving him in this world.

The spies' mistake is that they saw the relationship with G-d as a one-way street. G-d in his grace gave to the Jewish people, and our success and failure depends on His grace alone. In retort, Moses shows them that G-d's commitment to his people is a reflection of their commitment to Him. We all have the power to increase G-d's presence and open revelation in our lives by laboring to increase and reveal our dedication to his Will.

This is also the idea to which the Zohar is alluding. The Jewish people are the people of G-d because they bear with them constantly the potential to magnify His strength in this world. It is this potential and its actualization that drives the relationship between G-d and His people, and just as we will never fully gauge all the untapped resources that lie below the earth's surface so also we will never fully gauge the potential for serving G-d that is contained in each individual Jew.

(Based on the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe)

It's Never Too Late for a Fresh Start...(Num. Ch. 9)

"If any man will become contaminated through a human corpse or [will be] on a distant road...he shall make the pesach-offering for Hashem in the second month on the fourteenth day...(Num. 9:10). Even though the commandment of bringing a pesach offering is on the fourteenth day of the first month, here we are being taught that if one missed the original date, the offering can be "made up" a month later.

If the idea behind this commandment of a "second" pesach offering it is merely to "make up" for a missed opportunity, then why is this the only time and the only commandment where a make up opportunity is available?

But rather the paschal lamb is essentially tied to the idea that we are able to come out of Egypt, come out of what is oppressing and enslaving us (namely to escape from our own limitations and inhibitions) and live a truly free life. This is the idea behind the first paschal offering on the "fourteenth day of the first month". The second paschal lamb is coming to remind us that every day we have to see ourselves as coming out of Egypt again. We can't make Passover, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur annual events- they must be in our consciousness and part of our service to G-d on a daily basis.

Every day of our lives is an additional opportunity to experience the kind of excitement and ecstasy that we experience on the special days, the festivals, that mark the Jewish calendar. Knowing that there is today another opportunity to experience the added completeness and freedom from limitations is a constant challenge. We are challenged to see that reaching beyond ourselves is not something that is reserved only on for special days but rather it is a privilege extended to us anew every day of the year.

A Meaningful Repetitiveness (Numbers Ch.7)

One of the greatest puzzles that readers of the Bible struggle with is why there are certain (very important) realms of Biblical Law that are only hinted to in the written text and expounded on at great length in the oral tradition.  While on the other hand, there are very lengthy passages in the written text that do not seem to teach us very much. The gifts of the Heads of the Tribes to the Dedication of the Altar (Num. Ch. 7) is one such lengthy passage in the written text where the Torah repeats the same information twelve times over with no clear justification.
Each head of a tribe brings the exact same offering as the one before: 1)one silver bowl, 2)one silver basin, 3)one gold ladle 4)one young bull, one ram, one sheep 5) a he goat 6)two cattle 7)five rams five he goats and five sheep. If we compare the basic nature of the offerings, the first three are inanimate in nature while the last four are all animals. There is a contrast here between the inanimate and animate worlds.

The whole function of the altar and the Tabernacle is for bringing up offerings to G-d.  What are we doing when we are bringing an offering? We are raising up the life force, and consciousness of the animal from a mere beast of the field to its spiritual source in the supernal worlds. Jewish Mysticism explains that our main task in this world is to elevate sparks of holiness that are lying dormant and "awaken" their Divine consciousness.  When the animal (or plant) is consumed by us, or offered up on the Altar, if it is consumed with the right intentions, then its divine spark is awakened and gets raised up to its source, which triggers a reaction from above that provides us with the life energy we need.

With a live offering this becomes much more revealed and especially so in the Tabernacle. With every offering, a fire would descend from heaven to consume its earthly matter. "A fire went forth from before Hashem and consumed upon the Altar the burnt offering..."(Lev. 9:24). With inanimate objects this was not the case. An inanimate object that has no life force cannot be transformed in the same revealed way as an animal offering.

The first three gifts of the Heads of the Tribes were inanimate representing the relationship of the world to G-d prior to the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and the building of the Tabernacle. Until that point in time, the world was not a fitting vessel for the open transformation and elevation of the mundane up to the holy. While the animal sacrifices represent the increasing revelations and transformations that began to occur once the Children of Israel received the Torah and began their mission of actively refining the world and bringing down light into the earthly reality. This important message about the purpose of the Creation and the role we play in it justifies the repetition of these same sacrifices twelve times.

Based on the Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Why it's good to be the king

"You shall be to me a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation..."(Ex. 19:6) What is the difference between a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation? A kingdom bases itself around the theme of kingship, of having a king, and of each member of the society being therefore an extension of the king's rulership and power. How do we manifest this kingship in our daily lives? By seeking to emulate the ways of the king.

The one major characteristic of a king which is manifest in all monarchies is that of supremacy and aloofness, rising far beyond the common people. In Torah, this aloofness manifests itself in terms of absolute security in G-d's protection and experiencing many miracles throughout one's life. There have been three kings of the Jewish people who have particularly displayed this supernatural success in all matters. The first king of the Jewish people was Moses, and he is renowned for all the miracles he wrought in Egypt as well as throughout the desert wanderings of the Children of Israel. King David was the first king of the Davidic dynasty and throughout his life experienced many miraculous rescues from the hands of his enemies. Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem was a leader of the Jewish people who also initiated the Chassidic dynasty of leaders of the Jewish people. His life was so miraculous that after him was coined the expression, "a ba'al shemske ma'ase", a miraculous event (literally an deed worthy of the Ba'al Shem Tov).

These three leaders opened up channels of faith in G-d in three different periods. Moses led the Jewish people in times of complete freedom from worries of livelihood, when all their needs were fulfilled by G-d in a miraculous way. King David led the Jewish people in the Land of Israel when the worries of livelihood were already a part of their daily lives, and the Ba'al Shem Tov led the Jewish people in the time of exile when their physical existence was constantly in peril. Each leader in his own period nurtured the faith of the Jews of his time, and strengthened them in terms of their commitment and self-sacrifice for learning of Torah, and the fulfillment of its commandments.

All these three leaders represent for us three ways in which our unswerving commitment to G-d must be expressed at all times. Moses represents every Jew's costant commitment to learning Torah, while King David with his Psalms represents the Jew's faith in G-d's power to intervene at all times as expressed in the act of prayer to G-d. Finally, the Ba'al Shem Tov channeled to every Jew a self-sacrifice for the fulfillment of the practical Mitzvos.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle...(Num. 1:1-4:20)

"These are the offspring of Aaron and Moses...These are the names of the sons of Aaron..."(Num 3:1-2). Aaron's children are listed while Moses' children are not listed.  Why aren't Moses children listed?

Moses's children are not listed here because the Torah is listing here only the Priests, the Kohanim, and Moses' children are not Kohanim. But if so, why are the children of Aaron called also the "offspring" of Moses ("These are the offspring of Aaron and Moses")? To teach us a very important principle. Anyone who teaches and guides another individual in the ways of studying and observing G-d's laws they are considered to have given birth to them. Aaron's children are counted here as Moses' children because Moses was their teacher in the ways of the Torah, and so it is as if he gave birth to them.

This can be explained further based on the verse in Psalms (119:89):"Forever, Hashem, Your word stands firm in the heavens"- meaning that the world was created and is forever being created with G-d's speech: "G-d said, Let there be light...G-d said...G-d said...etc. (Gen. 1:1-29). So every object, physical or spiritual (light, firmament, land, organisms, etc.) was created through a process that could be best compared to speaking. This is a power reserved for the Infinite One to create ex-nihilo, something from nothing, and must continue at every moment in order to keep the creation from collapsing back into Him.

How do we preserve the creative process and raise an object's or individual's longevity? By revealing in them their role in G-d's creation. The more the creation becomes aware of its purpose, the more it is maintained as part of the ongoing creative process. This is why we say of the Torah and its commandements that "they are our life and length of days". So also when a Jew learns Torah or fulfills one of their 613 commandments they are endowed with life and length of days beyond what they received when they were born, so it is as if at this moment they are born again, and the person who helped to teach them is like their parent.

Walking the Walk (Leviticus Ch.26-27)

"If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them"(Lev. 26:3). This verse seems to be repeating itself - what is the practical difference between "following statutes" and "observing commandments"? A statute or decree is a formal law passed by a governing body that does not require any proof for its justification. As opposed to "common law" which develops in an organic manner through a series of judicial decisions.  G-d is telling us that the basis for observing all the commandments is to view them as statutes, as "carved in stone" and not subject to change based on the spirit of the generation.

In this century, we have seen a number of attempts at building a society around human logic.  Fascism and communism both developed as practical applications of lofty utopian visions. However, when practically applied, these approaches proved to be the most destructive and immoral forms of governance ever known to man. Morality, by definition, must be "carved in stone". It cannot be left up to human understanding to decide what is ethical. If one peers into the philosophy and thinking upon which Western democracy is founded, it is a philosophy based around the ethics of the Bible, around a Divine morality.

Chassidus explains that one meditation concerning the world's unity with G-d is that of letters carved into a precious stone.  The letters are barely distinct from the surface of the stone.  The expression, "carved in stone", is not coincidental. It implies something so intrinsic that it does not require logic for its justification. A statue is a law that does not need to be proven because it is so obviously necessary, either because of its Divine origin, or because it is essential to the society's well-being.  Believing in one G-d, in one authority leads to a belief that the world operates only according to one set of rules.  These laws are so carved into the fabric of creation that as soon as we begin to follow them, to define ourselves as well as our goals and ambitions by these laws, we automatically experience blessings in our day-to-day life as a result, as G-d promises us in the next verse:

"...and the land will give its produce...I will provide peace in the land, and you will lie down with none to frighten you...I will make you fruitful and increase you; and I will establish my covenant with you."(Lev. 26:4-9)

It was the Best of Times...(Leviticus Ch.25)

Leviticus Ch. 25 begins: "Hashem spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai..."- why is Mt. Sinai only mentioned in regard to this particular portion? Furthermore, the Children of Israel when they stood on Mt. Sinai where on the highest level of spirituality and unity with G-d. Here, in this portion, we are speaking of the Jewish people on a completely different level, once they are settled in the land, and working the land, immersed in the material mundane life.


To what extent do the Jewish people become immersed in the material and mundane? To the extent that when we are commanded to stop working the land for a year (Lev. 25:4):"But the seventh year shall be a complete rest for the land...", they turn around and ask (Lev. 25:20): "What will we eat in the seventh year?" (As if Hashem intends for them to starve).

Essentially it's all about mitigating these two opposites? On the one hand, living according to a Law that was handed from G-d himself at Mt. Sinai, while at the same time being immersed in the material reality in the Land. The answer is (Deut. 6:4)"Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One" - from the ultimate Divine perspective there are no opposites, since everything emanates from Him. By nullifying oneself to Hashem, becoming His agent and servant in the world, I'm able to adopt His perspective, that two opposites can coexist without contradicting one another - there can be a Divine Law, and work of the Land, and one does not detract from the other.

This also the secret behind the teaching of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Tractate Avot, Ch. 4, Mishna 13) that the crown of the good name is above all the other accomplishments. Even though Rabbi Shimon is the author of the Zohar and his whole life was immersed in the deepest mystical teachings of the Torah, nevertheless he emphasizes that the teachings flourish along with a good name, involvement in good deeds down here in this world.

This is also the explanation why the author of the Tanya ends his seven chapter discussion of meditations useful for awakening Love of G-d, with the idea of speaking words of Torah, since the highest most intense love is requited only by an outward expression in the action world (and moving one's lips and speaking is considered an action in the realm of Torah study).

Based on the Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

A Time to Rest from Resting (Leviticus Ch. 23)

Leviticus 23:3-4: "For six days labor may be done and the seventh day is a day of complete rest...These are the appointed festivals of Hashem." To any astute reader of the Five Books of Moses this verse presents a problem: chapter 23 of Leviticus deals with the various festivals celebrated by the Jewish people throughout the year. What is the connection here with the upholding the Sabbath?

The festivals and the sabbath are very similar in character, both defined primarily as days when labor is forbidden, as defined by constructive activities involved in building the Tabernacle (see Exodus Ch. 31).  However, they are also different in many ways. As we see in Exodus 12:16 that we are allowed to cook on the Festival, and hinted to in Leviticus Ch. 23, in the phrase "you shall do no 'laborious' work" which is repeated by each of the festivals.
Furthermore, even if we are being reminded of the sanctity of the Sabbath in order to inspire us and encourage in regard to upholding the festivals, it is still not clear what the beginning of the verse is coming to tell us. Why are we told that for six days labor may be done?

Exodus 31:17 provides an answer:"Between me and the Children of Israel it is a sign forever that in a six-day period Hashem made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed." The world was pre-programmed with a connection to the six days but the on the seventh day G-d rested and was "refreshed", meaning the creation reverts and reconnects with its pre-Creation relationship with G-d. This is also the inner meaning behind Genesis 2:1:"Thus the heaven and earth were consummated and all their array." The creation is "consummated" with a desire for G-d, and so the seventh is a fulfilment of the creation's desire to reunite with its Maker, a chance to rest from being a creation and therefore be refreshed.

This is what we the festivals are coming to teach us as well. Even on an ordinary Sunday or Wednesday, while still inside the six-day scheme, we can exprience a sabbatical from the workaday life. This is because rest is not imposed on us from outside but is as natural a part of life as breathing, and just like G-d created the mundane weekday for work so also he created the Festival weekday for rest, both are essential aspects of life in this world.

Spiritual Boundaries and the Natural Order (Lev. Ch. 19)

Ch. 19 of Leviticus contains numerous instructions regarding the correct conduct in terms of one's worldly possessions as well as social conduct.  In regards to planting and reaping, we are first directed (Lev. 19:9-10) "you shall not complete your reaping to the corner of your field...for the poor and the proselyte shall you leave them." And a few verses later (19:19)"...you shall not plant your field with mixed seed". The question arises why we are taught two commandments regarding our fields in such close proximity to each other but in seemingly the opposite order, first the commandment regarding reaping and afterwards the commandment regarding sowing.

In order to understand this relationship, it's important to highlight that when it comes to the commandment of Peiah, the leaving of the corner of the field to the poor, the focus is on our obligation to leave the corner, not on the outcome, which is the poor person being fed. This is the universal approach of the Torah when it comes to matters of charity. My obligation to feed the poor does not emanate from my compassion for the needy but rather from the justice of separating out the part of my income that doesn't belong to me and was given to me by the Allmighty purely to fulfill the commandment of giving. This is why the word for charity in Hebrew is Tzedaka, meaning the expression of Tzedek, justice.
The commandment of leaving a corner of the field is the plainest expression of this concept. We take "our" field and portion it off, clearly demarcating the part that is ours and the part that isn't.
On the other hand, the commandment of not mixing seeds, or Kilayim, as explained by the early commentaries focus more on preventing certain outcomes in the world through  the commandment. Inter-species mating, disrupt the natural order of Creation, the natural boundaries that G-d instilled into the Nature. We are commanded to do everything in our power to prevent this natural order from being disrupted.

We can now perceive why these two commandments are placed in proximity to one another. This teaches us that by clearly making a boundary in our lives between what belongs to us and what doesn't, the boundaries of Nature are also easier to uphold. Everything in the outside world is directly affected by the way we run our inner world. Inner order and discipline results in a world that is more orderly. Not just a world that is more orderly but also a world that is more fruitful and productive, as inter-species reproduction as in the case of the mule results in an inability to produce further offspring.

This is is also true when it comes to the human realm. The greatest results in terms of the upbringing of the next generation occur when there is a context and an environment based on generations of tradition and cultural background. The foundation for a stable nurturing environment is one where the child can clearly distinguish boundaries between what is allowed to them and what is not.

Lighting a candle against Tzaraat - Leviticus Ch.13-15

Leviticus 13:46: "All the days that the affliction is upon him he shall remain contaminated; he is contaminated. He shall dwell in isolation; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." What is the affliction of tzaraat? The whiteness of the skin symbolizes the departure of vitality from the person, and the hairs represent the vulnerability of the individual to negative behavior and forces. This is brought about by egotisitical frame of mind and a feeling of superiority to those around him. Such a person often speaks openly about the faults of those around him or her, and makes no effort to help out their fellow when the opportunity arises. This is why the cure/punishment for such an individual is to isolate themselves until they are humbled and learn to appreciate human company.

The word "dwelling" in the verse is superflous. It would have sufficed to say "he shall dwell in isolation outside the camp". This extra word comes to teach us that not only his own house becomes contaminated by his negativity but also any house he walks into becomes impure. This completes his isolation - if he tries to enter a neighbor's house during his affliction, everything in that house becomes impure - all the metal and wooden vessels have to be purified and all the earthenware vessels thrown out.

If a metzora (one afflicted with tzaraat) enters a house without permission, does the house become impure nevertheless? Rabbi Yehuda one of the Tannaitic Sages teaches that the owner of the house has a time period equivalent to the time it takes to light shabbat candles to tell the metzora to exit the house.

Why did Rabbi Yehuda choose the lighting of a candle to define this time period? Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Shneerson explains that the lighting of a candle is equivalent kabbalistically to the drawing down of Wisdom illumination down to the world. The metzora is also cured by coming to the Kohen who represents the side of Wisdom and Divine illumination. The candle flame parallels the purification ritual of the metzora and therefore as long as the owner of the house is busy lighting the candle, the house stays pure from the impurity of the metzora.

Furthermore, whenever a woman lights shabbat candles she helps to bring this special light into the home. Light enables us to see objects that were previously hidden but light may also show us things that are flawed and undesirable. Only the light of shabbat or chanuka candles has this special trait that it only illuminates and makes us aware of the positive aspects of our surroundings. Therefore, in these times when the darkness of the materiality of the world is increasing, we can counteract it by having our daughters also light shabbat candles from the earliest age that they are able to.

Furthermore, when we engage in educating and illuminating another person, about a mitzva, we also draw down this light and are able to see the positive. Instead of adopting the metzora attitude of focusing on the negative aspects of our surroundings, we must purify our environment by striving to educate ourselves and the people around us, and when we engage in education, our surroundings light up with positive light.

Lessons in Education from the Wrath of Elisha

In Kings II 5:25-26, the prophet Elisha rebukes his servant Gehazi for accepting gifts from an appreciative Naaman, the commander of the armies of Aram, who had just been cured by Elisha of his "leprosy" . As a result of his accepting this compensation, Elisha curses his servant:"Naaman's 'leprosy' shall therfore cleave to you and to your children forever".
The harshness of this curse is compared by the Rabbis, the teachers of the Oral Tradition, as pushing Gehazi away with both hands. From this episode they learned that in any relationship, especially the relationship between a teacher and a student, there should be two opposite forces at work. The left hand should be pushing away and the right hand bringing closer. However, it must first be the left pushing away creating a space of mutual respect between the two parties, before there can be a coming together and affection.
Why is distance and mutual respect a necessary first step in any relationship? Because a productive relationship involves an exchange between two individuals. In order to be a proper receptacle to receive from the other person, I must have respect and even adulation for them. And then only after I have learned from them, can I strive to come closer to them by working to assimilate their perspective into my own life.

Finally, once I have assimilated their approach and adopted their ways into my life, I can come to live with them very intimately in that I a am able to look at the world through their eyes.  This is what is described as receiving the mind-consciousness of one's teacher.

When it comes to most people, though, especially children, one cannot initiate a relationship with distance. Rather, there has to be a stage where affection and closeness are exhibited at the start of the relationship arousing the desire in both individuals to start relating to each other in a more personal way. Only then can distance and mutual respect be introduced into the relationship. This why the Talmud tells us that Rava, one of the top educators and Jewish leaders in Talmudic times (100-200 ACE) would begin his classes with a joke.

The joke would cause the students to laugh but then they would also be ready to receive the teachings
of their master. The process of receiving, assimilation and mind consciousness of one's teacher is parallel to that of impreganation, gestation and the giving birth. Also historically, this is the process described by the Children of Israel leaving Egypt, traveling to Mt. Sinai in the desert and finally receiving the Torah.  This is also paralleled in the three names of the holiday of Passover: the Holiday of Matzot, the Time of our Freedom, and Passover.

Based on the Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Passover: The Modern Matzah

The verse in Ex. 12:18:"In the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening shall you eat matzos...", seems to be saying that eating matzos on the eve of the Jews' redemption from Egypt was a commandment that they had to fulfill. However, later in the same chapter (Ex. 12:39): "They baked the dough that they took out of Egypt into unleavened cakes (matzos), for they could not be leavened..." that the formation of the matzos happened on its own not requiring any interference on the part of the Jewish people.

Since a basic precept in the belief in One G-d is that He is all-knowing, present, past and future, especially since everything that exists is through His knowledge, and He knew that the dough of the Jewish people would not rise when they left Egypt. The command to eat matzos,therefore, seems redundant since He knew that such a commandment would not be necessary as the only food they would have on leaving Egypt would be the matzos.

The answer is that there were two matzos described in this chapter in Exodus. The commandment to eat matzos was in regard to the Passover meal that the Jews had prior to midnight where they ate the matzos and the Paschal lamb. The unleavened bread that happened on its own was after midnight, after the firstborn of Egypt were struck down and the Jews were actively preparing to leave Egypt. The matzos that were baked and eaten before midnight needed to be guarded from leavening. Hence, the explicit warning (Ex. 12:17) "You shall safeguard the matzos". The matzos that were baked after midnight were baked in a hurry due to the circumstance and the Jews did not need any command from G-d in order for these matzos to form on their own as they did.

This duality is also hinted to by the fact that the word "matzos" in the commandment in 12:18 is written without a vav (מצת) while the "matzos" in verse 39, that became unleavened without the need for safeguarding are written with a vav (מצות).  Chassidus teaches that the vav, a line, represents the drawing down of light, a revelation of light from above to below. Therefore, it makes sense that the matzos that were baked after midnight are spelled with a vav, to show they were imbued with a special revelation of Divine Light which occured at midnight.

The matzos that we eat today are also imbued with that special divine revelation even though we eat them before midnight. Furthermore, the revelation is higher as it does not just happen on its own but rather is brought about by our learning of Torah and performance of the mitzvos throughout the year prior to Passover. In addition, the eating of matzah on Passover night is one of the 613 commandments commanded to us by G-d Himself at Mt. Sinai.

Nevertheless, since our main intent on Passover is to celebrate our freedom, the most important aspect of matzah that needs to be mentioned is the one that resulted from our being freed from Egypt primarily, the matzah that is purely orchestrated from above, through the revelation of G-d's Divine Light.

Based on a Discourse by the Lubavitcher Rebbe ("This Matzah" 5749)

Tzav (Lev. 6:1-8:36) - Inauguration of the Almighty

(Lev. 8:33):"You shall not leave the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the day when your days of inauguration are complete, for you shall be inaugurated for a seven day period." What is the necessity for this inauguration period? Why does it not happen instantaneously? Inauguration means both appointment of a leader and investiture of that leader with the powers of office. The root of the word, inauguration, augur, means a "priest and official in the classic world"  and although some want to connect this word with the idolatrous practice of divining G-d's will from natural occurrences, the more likely root is augos or augere - "to increase, to prosper".
This fits well with the Hebrew word "Milu-im" which is translated as inauguration and literally means to fill. The function of the Tabernacle, or the Temple, is to connect Heaven and Earth and act as a window and a channel for G-d's will down here in this world. It is supposed to be a filling or "fueling" station for all those who seek G-d to come and experience the Divine and take that experience and inspiration with them out into the world. As in Ex. 40:34: "The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Hashem filled the Tabernacle."

In Chassidus and kabbalistic texts, the idea of the Filling Light of Hashem is the tangible presence of G-d's life force in the physical world. All created beings are vivified and animated by this Filling Light. But since the life force of this physical world is very contracted and has to pass through many veils and filters in order to reach us, the light is compared to that of the moon, which also only projects a light that originates in the sun and is reflected from its surface down to us.

In the Messianic Age, though, the prophet Isaiah reveals that "The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun"(Isa. 30:26). This means that the wan physical life force that we experience now will be revealed as the very essence of Divine energy and light. Our "mundane" existence will be transformed into a luminary for all of creation to glory in. What we experience in exile as darkness and gross physicality, will turn to sources of spiritual inspiration and fulfilment. This is the process that began when G-d's presence began to fill the wooden beams and animal hides of the Tabernacle, transforming them into vessels for His Infinite Light, but transforming the physical is a very gradual process as it requires that darkness reveal its inner light. This process must come in stages as evidenced in the stages of G-d's revelation to His people, first through the Patriarchs, then through Moses, and only gradually through the Priests in the Tabernacle, and the Prophets and Sages of every generation.

Based on Likutei Torah of the Baal HaTanya, and Selected Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Volume 12

VaYikra (Lev. 1:1-5:26) - Calling for the Animals

Lev. 1:2: "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man from [among] you brings a sacrifice to the Lord". Why does the verse add in the words "from among you"? These words seem superflous. But rather the Torah is hinting to us that the offering has to be brought from among ourselves, meaning from our very own being.

The first offering mentioned in the Torah is that of Cain. Gen. 4:3-5: "...Cain brought an offering to G-d of the fruit of the ground; and as for Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and from their choicest. G-d turned to Abel and to his offering, but to Cain and to his offering he did not turn..."

So we see that the first criteria for an offering is that it must be the choicest. If we want G-d to turn to our offering it must reflect our greatest accomplishments in life, being willing to give those up or use them for G-d's purposes. And Moses is the shining example for the Jewish people in this regard.

Num. 12:3: "Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth!" How could Moses with all his accomplishments as a leader, as a man of faith, and a revolutionary remain humble? Because he maintained that if anyone else was granted access to the abilities and soul powers that he, Moses, possessed, they could perform better than he had at his tasks. How did Moses offer himself up to G-d? By looking at his accomplishments from G-d's perspective, realizing that all his powers were granted from on high and his achievements were all the result of these gifts and talents that he himself did not create.

Moses knew that he had great accomplishments. He knew the nature of the offering, but at any moment he was able to attribute these accomplishments back to their source - to bring what could be the source of pride and superiority back to his Creator to Whom he attributed all his successes.

VaYakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20) - The Sabbath that Built the Mishkan

Ex. 35:1:"Moses assembled the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and said to them...the seventh day shall be holy for you..."

Why does the Torah restate the significance of the Sabbath as a preface for the work of building the Tabernacle? Also, why does Moses have to assemble the entire Jewish people in order to tell them about the Sabbath?

The restatement of the Sabbath's importance, is in order to prevent the building of the Tabernacle to disrupt the Sabbath rest. The Jews may have thought that they would be allowed to desecrate the Sabbath in order to accomplish the building of the Tavernacle and the indwelling of G-d's presence in this world quicker. Comes the Torah and tells us that the Sabbath precedes the Tabernacle in importance. Essentially, we are being told that the ends do not justify the means.

As much as we know that G-d desires certain actions, even more significant is that these actions should be performed with purity and mindfulness, to the point that we are allowed to delay our actions in order to assure that underlying cleanliness of spirit.

The Alter Rebbe explains in the first chapter of the Epistle on Return, that the essential point of Return (aka Repentance) is to leave behind his past rebellion against the kingship of G-d and re-accept the yoke of heaven. The mitzva of Return is to stop and purify oneself before going out into the world to do G-d's will. This is the first priority before returning to the task of accomplishing one's material and spiritual goals in the world.

Ki Tisa (Ex. 30:11-34:35) The Silver Light

Ex. 30:12 literally reads:"If you shall raise up the heads of the Children of Israel..." but is translated by some - "when you take the census". Obviously raising and counting are related for in order to count one has to usually pick up the object that is being counted. Nevertheless there is a special connection between this connotation of raising up the individual, with the act of giving the half-shekel in order to be counted.

The Zohar explains that the concept of half a shekel or half of a certain weight of silver signifies splitting a certain measure in half. This is similar to taking a certain compound and splitting it into its individual elements. When a person gives of themselves for the good of the whole they are splitting themselves into the part of the giver and the part that is being given. By giving up a part of myself, I bring about a revelation of the part of me who is the giver, and the influencer.

By splitting up my world into what is essential and what is superflous I open myself up to reveal an inner light which can transform my surroundings and my environment into a better world. Everyone has an inner light that when it reveals itself can distinguish intrinsically between right and wrong, good and evil. By revealing this inner guiding light I can pick out the good parts of my world and work with them to create a new reality, along with new sources of light.

How can I raise myself up by my own bootstraps? By letting go of what is unnecessary and distracting and clinging to the essential oneness that is within.  This oneness then radiates out to every aspect of my life and transforms it from a barren selfish and separate element into a fruit-bearing living organic being.

Based on Derech Mitzvosecha by the Tzemach Tzedek.

Tetzave (Ex. 27:20-30:10) - Pure Pressed Oil

In Ex. 27:20:"Now you shall command the Children of Israel that they shall take for you pure pressed (well ground) olive oil..." There is a syntactical issue with this phrase.  The adjective pressed or well ground must be going on the olive.  Therefore, it would be logical to assume that the adjective, pure is also going on the olive. In short, the Torah is telling us that we should use pure (or clean and unblemished) olives and we should grind them well for this oil (see Ibn Ezra). However, Rashi rejects this reading of the verse and prefers to read the pure as going on the oil meaning oil that is clean of sediment.

The hint for this understanding is from the beginning of the verse. G-d addresses Moshe in the second person, "Now you". This means that Moshe himself is to supervise the oil for lighting the lamps in the Tabernacle. Moshe in the desert did not have olives from which to make oil.  All he had was ready made oil that the Jews would have brought out with them from Egypt. In this oil, one could not distinguish whether it was made from clean unblemished olives or not. The only criterion that would make sense in this case is that the oil should be clean of sediment. This would apply to the oil they had with them in the desert.

The inner meaning behind the pure pressed oil that comes out of the olives is the self-sacrifice of the soul when it is faced with the trials and tribulations of the Exile. Just like an olive that is pressed, and reveals its inner essence, so also the soul reveals its inner essence when pressed by the decrees of our oppressors. This is why the Torah emphasizes that this commandment is being overseen by Moshe in the Desert, which itself represents a state of exile. Finally, because this commandment has its context in the desert, in the exile, then the final outcome is judged on its own purity and not on the purity of its ingredients. There are many different levels of souls but the self-sacrifice that the soul reveals is of the same essence across the board.

Truma (Exodus 25:1-27:19) - The Personal Sanctuary

Exodus 25:8 - "They shall make a Sanctuary for Me - so that I may dwell among them." The verse should have read "that I may dwell in it (the Sanctuary)". But rather the Torah is teaching us that the true indwelling of the Divine Presence is not in a structure of inanimate components but rather in flesh and blood bodies of humans.

How do we bring the Divine Presence (Shechina) to dwell in our bodies. Through filling our minds with G-d's Word, the Torah, and occupying our limbs with the fulfillment of His commandments to us.  These two components, Torah and commandments, are parallel to the Tabernacle that was made up of external elements and internal elements.  The most external element was the outer cover of the Tabernacle made from skins.  While the most internal element are the First and Second Set of Tablets of the Ten Commandments contained within the (3-layered) Holy Ark within the Holy of Holies.

Our lives are also made up of external and internal elements. The external parts are the ones we do automatically without investing much thought or understanding why they're necessary, while the most internal are the ones we think about a great deal and we feel are most important to us. In fact, sometimes actions that seem insignificant and external in our eyes are actually essential in our relationship with G-d.  While certain aspects that seem central to us are actually peripheral to the relationship.

The work of building a Sanctuary for G-d is about taking worldly aspects and transforming them into the Divine. How do we do that? Simply by changing our perspective - by affixing greater importance to the tasks in our lives that relate to the refinement and elevation of our worldly reality, and by striving to make even the most mundane (and seemingly peripheral) actions, Holy and Divine.

Our success at accomplishing this hinges on beginning the day with prayer and meditation on the Oneness of G-d with his creation.

Based on Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Vol. 11 and a Discourse from 1983.

Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18) The Pierced Ear

Should a person be punished physically for surrendering his independence? The verse in Exodus 21:5-6 tells us that a Jewish bondsman who decides to stay with his master more than his allotted six year term is not rewarded for his loyalty to his master, to his new wife and children born to him in bondage. Rather, the Torah tells us "his master shall bring him to the court and...shall bore through his ear with the awl", a mark of shame for all time.

Why is he punished for wishing to remain with his master? And what is the significance of the piercing of the ear? Our sages explained that this relates to G-d's statement in Lev. 25:42 "For they are my servants". The obedience to the Torah's laws requires us to remember that first and foremost we are servants to G-d.  As explained in the Zohar: "Just like the ox on which one first places a yoke in order to make it useful to the world...so too must a human being first of all submit to the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven... and if this submission is not found in him, holiness cannot rest within him." A person can't have a dual allegiance. Independence from physical enslavement assures that one's forces can be submitted to the Master of the Universe.

Why the ear? Hearing is connected with understanding - with cogitating on and internalizing Divine wisdom. One who is enslaved to worries of this world, cannot have the peace of mind necessary to meditate and come to relate personally to the spiritual reality beyond our physical environs. Servitude to the Allmighty hinges on one accepting willingly the yoke of Heaven. This willingness comes about when one is free from their dependence on others and on the world around them.

This is what the Rebbe explains in the discourse "Ata Tetzave", that the true revelation of one's yechida occurs when one is completely free of external decrees and worries, and focuses only on experiencing the complete revelation of the Blessed Infinite Light in every aspect of reality. The build-up of the desire for the Light, brings about an increased willingness to subdue one's desires to the One Above, to the point of complete surrender of one's faculties expressed in utter self-sacrifice.

Yisro - the Wise Priest

In Exodus 18:1, the Torah tells us:"Yitro (Jethro), the 'minister' of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, heard everything that G-d did to Moses and to Israel, his people..." The word for minister,"cohen", has two connotations - one is minister and the other is priest.  Why is Yisro called the priest of Midian? To allude to his past life as an idolater, and not just any idolater, but the head of idolatrous practice for all the nation of Midian.  Why would the Torah juxtapose this detail, with the coming of Yisro to join the Jewish people especially since the Torah goes out of its way not to say anything negative about anyone (see Genessis 7:2, the Torah goes out of its way to call a animal that is impure "not clean").

The explanation is that according to the Zohar, Yisro's joing the Jewish people was the necessary precondition for the revelation of G-d on Mt. Sinai, and the giving of the Ten Commandments.  Yisro was the high priest of Midian for Idolatry, meaning he was the most well versed in astrology, in reading the paths of the constellations, and other stellar beings, in addition to understanding the relationships between angels in higher worlds and this world. This is what Maimonides explains was the basis for idolatry, obeisance to the intermediaries for bringing G-d's abundance into this world. This made Yisro one of the leading minds of his generation in earthly wisdom.

The Torah is Divine wisdom but in order for its light to first to be revealed in the world it has to be in a way of  "as light surpasses darkness" (Ecclestiastes 2:13) -the revelation and supremacy of the light has to come out of great darkness. As chassidus explains this verse, that the transformation of darkness is the source for the greatest light.  So also the transformation of Yisro, the greatest philosopher and scientist of the nations at the time brought about the greatest revelation of light the world has ever experienced.
(From the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Talks Volume 11)

Parshat B'Shlach - True Faith, True Prayer

Exodus 14:10 is a puzzling verse: "Pharaoh approached; the Children of Israel raises their eyes and behold!-Egypt was journeying after them, and they were very frightened; the Children of Israel cried out to Hashem". How can we understand the reaction of the Children of Israel in this verse. On the one hand, if after all their experiences of G-d's mighty hand in Egypt, they were not convinced that G-d was committed to taking them away from Egypt, why would crying out to G-d now help. On the other hand, if they were convinced, if they did believe in G-d's strength and commitment why cry out at all. It's clear that the Jews who came out of Egypt did believe in G-d and were willing to stake their lives on it.  For instance, in performing the first paschal offering in Egypt, they were risking their lives, by taking the lamb which was Egypt's "deity" (Exodus 8:22) and sacrificing it to G-d.

Rashi explains the difficulty in this verse. In crying out, explains Rashi, the Children of Israel "seized upon the occupation of their fathers." Meaning that it was the daily occupation of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to cry out to G-d. The holy of forefathers of the Jewish people would not just cry out to G-d in their time of need but rather on a daily basis as is alluded to in Genesis 19:27, Genesis 24:63, and Genesis 28:11.  So the Jewish people's crying out was not expressing a lack of faith. Rather the opposite, any person of faith when faced with a difficulty in their lives cries out to G-d even though they believe G-d will save them without crying out. Just like we need to share our troubles with the people around us, so we also need to share them with our Father in Heaven. 

And this is the meaning of praying and learning as an occupation. When one goes to work, it is not because there is anything particularly important happening at the office on that day.  It is simply part of staying connected to the source of one's mainstay. So also our connection to G-d is nurtured by daily prayer and learning, regardless of whether we have a special reason to do so or we are merely "clocking in" to seize onto the occupation of our fathers.

(Ideas are from the Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Vol. 11)

Parshas Bo - A Holy Convocation

In Exodus 12:16: "On the first day...and on theseventh day shall be a holy concovation for you, no work may be done on them, except what must be eaten for any person..." Unlike the Sabbath, the festivals, Passover, Shavuot and Succot (and Rosh Hashana) all have in common that we are allowed to cook on these occasions, and also carry food (and other necessities) outside into the public thoroughfare.  Is it a lower level of holiness than the Sabbath.  Chassidus teaches that on the Sabbath all the physicality loses a part of its realness.

 A certain component of G-d's creative force is removed from creation only to be renewed and drawn down again in greater force when the Sabbath goes out.  This is why the Sabbath is the source of blessing for all the days of the week.  This is why we desist from certain creative labors on the Sabbath to reflect the creative force of G-d which is withdrawn.  Our rest is parallel to G-d's "rest".

Is the festival any different?  No, what is different on the festival is there is also a commandment to be joyful. Deuteronomy 16:14-15 "...You shall rejoice on the festival...and you will be completely joyous." It is this commandment to be joyous to connect the physical body with the spiritual elation of the soul that requires us to be able to make additional food and carry it outside. For the ultimate joy is in sitting together with our fellow Jews with harmony and love, and the way we do this is with the meals. On the festivals, no one can go hungry because all the Jews are sitting together and whoever needs to eat should be able to find a place for this is the occasion of the year where we have the feel the ultimate goodness of the world, G-d creation, all the way down to our physical bodies.
(Based on a Sicha of the Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe)

VaEra (Exod. 6:2-9:35)- The Hail Didn't Come/Pour Down

At the end of this week's parsha, Exod. 9:33, Rashi points out an interesting choice of words.  In the verse:  "...and the thunders and the hail ceased and rain was not poured upon the earth." The word used for poured - "Nitach" has two different occurrences in the Bible. In Daniel 9:11 it is used in the context of reached: "And so there has reached us the curse and the oath" while in Ezekiel 22:22 it is used as poured: "As silver is poured out".  Both poured and reached are meanings contained in the word "Nitach".

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson points out that both meanings have significance in the verse of Exodus.  If the rain did not reach the ground it would mean that Moses prayer stopped the rain in midair while if we say it did not pour to the ground then it actually melted and transformed back into cloud form, a complete reversal of the rain process.

These two possibilities the rain being hung in midair, and transforming back into clouds reflect the two possible impacts of Pharao's repentance, and therefore can teach us about the power of repentance overall.  If repentance is stimulated by fear of punishment then it merely has the power to freeze the ongoing wickedness in one's life while if the repentance is motivated by a reawakening of one's love for G-d then it doesn't just freeze one's progress but it brings about a complete transformation and reversal - one's sins are transformed to merits.

Shmot - the Leper King

Exodus 2:23  Now it came to pass in those many days that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed from the labor, and they cried out, and their cry ascended to God from the labor. Rashi explains:  He was stricken (נִצְטָרַע), and he would slaughter Israelite infants and bathe in their blood. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:34]

There is a difficulty in this verse.  Why would the death of the Egyptian king cause the children of Israel to sigh from the labor - it would seem just the opposite - that the children of Israel would get some relief from Pharaoh's death.  So Rashi explains that he didn't die but rather was striken with Tzaraat or the biblical form of leprosy and the cries of the Jews were from the increased pain of having their children slaughtered to provide for Pharaoh's cure.

Chassidus explains that Tzaraat is brought about by a lack of nullification to the Almighty.  That lack of willingness to serve the One Above causes a withdrawal of the life force from the person signified by the spots of paleness on the person's skin.  The children represent the infusion of new life particularly in that children represent a natural inborn nullification to a higher authority and particularly to the One Above.

Our teaching from this verse is that our children have a natural humility and instinctively look for authority figures in their life and are naturally sensitized to recognize the Almighty.  Our job as parents and teachers is to nurture this sensitivity and teach our children how to apply it in prayer and performance of good deeds.

Vayechi - Overcoming the Challenges of Passing On

The Rabbis in their great wisdom made this one of the weekly portions that does not have a large space before it when you read it from the Torah scroll.  The reason for this they explained was because it is a portion that deals with the going up of a Tzaddik's soul.  When a Tzaddik's soul goes up, we are left with the feeling of no space and no light and the metaphor for this is the lack of space before this Torah portion (see first Rashi on the sedra).

The Tanya in the section of Epistles, Epistle 27, discusses the passing on of a Tzaddik according to the wisdom of the Zorhar and Kabbala that the soul of the Tzaddik is more revealed after it leaves the physical body since the body is merely a veil for the light of the Tzaddik's soul.

A central figure in our generation, the Rebbe, discusses at length the efforts involved in staying connected to the Tzaddik after his physical body is no longer with us.  The Previous Rebbe's discourse connected to the day of his passing is titled, Basi Legani, "I came to my garden".  It discusses the central concepts of making a dwelling place here in this world by our unflagging commitment (referred to in the discourse as the "foolish" (in the eyes of others) commitment to self-sanctification ) to rebuilding the Temple within ourselves through setting times for Torah learning in our day. This can be accomplished only through a constant struggle with the Animal soul to refine it and not give in to its temptation to sink to lower levels of involvement with the physical. The Rebbe elaborated on this point annually on the yahrtzeit of the Previous Rebbe.

In Tanya, Ch. 9, the Ba'al HaTanya discusses the struggle between the Animal Soul and Divine Soul. There he explains that the advantage of the Divine Soul and its "secret weapon" as it were is its unflagging commitment to G-d.  The Divine Soul has a constant connection to its source and  therefeore its commitment to G-d is based on the fact that it sees G-d .  Because it sees G-d it is unrelenting in its struggle to make this world into a reality where it can again see G-d without the veils of physicality.

The Rebbe explains (in his last discourse, Ata Tetzave) that the level of seeing G-d is insufficient for there is yet a higher level of commitment to the One Above made possible by the teaching of the Moshe Rabbeinu of the generation.  There the Rebbe points out that this connection on the level of Yechida can be honed to the point that the Jew himself is connected without external guidance, this is manifested by complete unity with all the Jews around them.  Therefore, the passing away of the leader of the generation, our forefather Ya'akov, in this week's portion should inspire us with a redoubled commitment to learning the teachings of our leaders and that they should become one with us to the point where we are connected to G-d and see His Blessed Infinite Light in this physical reality.

Hey Teves - Didan Natzach

The fifth day of Teves marks the landmark victory of the chassidim in federal court over the issue of the Rebbe's legacy as a continuation of the Chabad initiative.  To note that at the beginning of the Rebbe's leadership, when the Rebbe agreed to lead Chabad, the asked three elder chassidim to ask the Previous Rebbe's wife to give the book collection over into his oversight and at the time she refused.  So from the beginning the Rebbe saw that this would be a necessity in accomplishing his mission.

The victory in court was based on convincing a non-Jewish judge of the prevalence of the chassidims' claim to the book collection as the Previous Rebbe's spiritual heirs as opposed to the claim of his grandson as his physical heir. To note that the Alter Rebbe always called himself the spiritual grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov and in many ways eclipsed the physical grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov, Reb Baruch of Mezhibuzh (although Reb Baruch was a renowned Rebbe and Tzaddik in his own right).

That a non-Jewish court should recognize that this claim of the spiritual connection between the Rebbe and his Chassidim overrode the simple connection that exists between physical relatives seems quite supernatural.  The judge addressed the grandson at the end of the case and pointed out that his grandfather had made tremendous financial sacrifices in order to acquire the many books in his collection.  He asked the defendant, "Did your grandfather amass this collection so that you could come and sell it off?"  In short, the judge was able to recognize the timeless essence that characterized the Previous Rebbe's efforts - he saw that the continuation of this essential mission overrode the grandson's claims as a physical heir.

Our mission following Hey Teves is to continue to explain to the non-Jewish world the value and timeless essence of our service to the Creator.  When the Russians interrogated the Alter Rebbe regarding his statement about the origin of Non-Jewish souls, the Alter Rebbe merely smiled.  Simcha has the power to sweeten judgements.  As the world comes to terms with the timeless essence of our relationship with G-d, our role, those who are continuing in the path of the Alter Rebbe, is to smile bravely and continue to celebrate the victory of light over darkness.