The Wealth in Torah

Adapted from a Sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Shavuos 5718

Source:  "From the Rebbe's Treasure" written by the students of Seminary Bais Menachem, Montreal Canada


Our Rabbis taught: "When a poor, rich or wicked man will appear for Divine Judgment, he will be asked why didn't he study Torah?"

The poor man will be asked and if he will reply "I was so poor that I was always busy trying to earn a living", he will be told that he was no poorer than Hillel Hazaken who, despite his poverty, managed to study Torah and do mitzvos. Hillel's devotion to Torah despite poverty is demonstrated by the following story:

Every day Hillel would go to work and earn a tarpick (half a dinar.. Rashi Yoma 35b) of which he gave one half to the porter of the Beis Hamidrash (in order to enter and study, for not every one was admitted), and he used the other half to sustain his family. One day he didn't earn anything and the porter wouldn't admit him. He went up to the roof and swung himself over to an opening where he sat down to listen to the words of Hashem from the mouth of Shmaya and Avtalyon. It was an erev Shabbos in Teves and it began snowing and soon he was covered in snow.

The next morning, Shmaya said to Avtalyon "Why is it so dark? Is it such a cloudy day?"

They looked up and saw the figure of a man above the window. They rushed outside and swept the snow off Hillel, washed him, smeared him with oil and sat him down next to the fire. They then declared "Such a man deserves that the Shabbos be transgressed for his sake!"

The rich man will be asked why didn't he study Torah, and if he will reply "Because I was too preoccupied with my estates (and so had no time)", he will be told that he was no richer than Rabbi Elazar ben Charsum who managed to learn Torah. This is demonstrated by the following story:

Rabbi Elazar inherited one thousand villages and one thousand ships at sea. His servants managed his business affairs while he took a bag of food and travelled from place to place in order to learn Torah from other chachomim. One day his servants drafted him for a job, not knowing who he was (it was customary for landlords to have tenants performing civil duties for them - Rashi). He insisted that they let him go because he wanted to learn Torah. They replied "By Rabbi Elazar ben Charsum's life we will not let you go before you do your work." He gave them some money in order that they should release him so he could go and study, for he studied Torah by day and by night (and didn't concern himself with his business).

At the Divine Judgment, Hillel will bring about the conviction of the poor folk who did not study Torah during their lifetimes and Rabbi Elazar will bring about the conviction of the rich peole, even if these rich people had never heard about the deeds of Hillel and Rabbi Elazar, who proved to the world that it is possible to study Torah under any condition.

The message we can learn from this story is not limited to the way we perceive rich and poor. Chazal says [Nedarim 41a] "Ain ani ela bedaas ve'ain ashir ela bedaas" (Wealth and poverty apply to the mind). A rich man with a poor mind and limited knowledge is considered an ani (a poor man). Likewise, a poor person with high intelligence and broad knowledge is called an ashir (a rich man).

If an ignorant person argues that he cannot learn Torah because he does not understand it, we tell him, "you are not as poor as Hillel." No matter how ignorant (poor) one might be, he still has the obligation to apply himself and to learn, even if it requires the kind of mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) Hillel demonstrated in the story. Even if he merely reads without real understanding or studies extremely simple things, ultimately he will connect himself to Hashem.

As the Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya [ch. 4 and 5], when a person learns Torah, the subject that he studies is assimilated into his intellect. Being that the Torah is Hashem's chochma and thus one with Hashem, in the process of learning any subject in Torah, a person unites himself with Hashem. In the physical realm, there is no unity comparable to it, i.e. of two things as far apart as the human intellect and Torah (Hashem's intellect), yet so utterly united from every possible perspective.

Hence, in spite of his "poverty" and inability to engage in intense studies, even the study of the simplest subject of Torah will unite him with the Almighty; with respect to Hashem's greatness, differences in levels are irrelevant.

Analogously, no matter how knowledgeable (rich) a person might be, he should never think that he has studied enough Torah, and now he can attach himself to Hashem through different means. Learning Torah involves the use of the intellect, thinking, reasoning, concentrating etc, and thus the mitzvah of Talmud Torah is confined to the limitations of the human brain. Although he will attach himself to Hashem, this will come through a limited channel and in a restricted manner. On the other hand, the avoda of mesirus nefesh, which involves devoting himself to Hashem even if it means risking his life for that purpose, transcends the level of understanding and reasoning inherent in the mitzvah of learning Torah.

A knowledgeable man might think that he already has ascended to the point of attachment to Hashem through Torah and that now it is time to stop learning and proceed to the avoda of mesirus nefesh. To him, too, the answer is "you are not as rich as Rabbi Elazar ben Charsum..." you must learn more, and this is the only way you will truly attach yourself to Hashem. This can be achieved only if he doesn't let his "wealth" distract him from his learning, following the example of Rabbi Elazar.

In practice, it is important to remember that we should always learn Torah, not just to minimally fulfill our Halachic obligation which is a perek echad arvis vepereh echad shacharis (one chapter in the evening and one in the morning). Whether we are very busy or simply ignorant, we must set aside time to learn with determination and enthusiasm.

The Punishment of Debt

Art: Maryana Beletskaya

If the Torah were written in order, we would know the precise reward and punishment for each commandment.

There are sins whose punishment is debt. [See Likutey Halachos (Choshen Mishpat) Gevias Chov MeYesomim 2]

One who is punished for such a sin is constantly in debt. All the merit in the world does not erase his punishment. He can do every possible good; still he must remain a debtor. These sins can even cause others to fall into debt. When such transgressions become common, there are many debtors in the world.

The (tikkun) remedy for this is to repent in general for all your sins. Even though you do not know what sin is causing these debts, repent in general and ask G-d to also save you from this particular sin. In times like these, it is very difficult for a religious person to have wealth. To obtain riches, one must lower himself very greatly. But even if he abandons the way of devotion, there is no guarantee of wealth, for even the wicked man can be poor. But if one is truly religious, then he is always far from riches.

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When the Temple was destroyed, all wealth left the core and fell into the realm of the evil husks (klipot). It is written [Lamentations1:9] "And she fell with wonders". "Wonders" in Hebrew is PeLAIM. Reverse the letters and you have ALaPHIM, the thousands of wealth. We then read the verse: "And the thousands fell". The thousands of wealth have fallen with wonders. They have fallen so deeply, it is a wonder. If one covets these thousands, then he too must fall with them. But even then he is not sure of riches.

Therefore, it is very difficult for a truly religious person to become wealthy. There are some rich Tzaddikim, but their wealth causes them great difficulty and keeps them from G-d. And though they seem wealthy, they still do not have the ready millions of the irreligious. For true wealth and G-dliness are not found together.

My grandfather, Rebbe Nachman Horodenker ob"m once spoke on the verse [Prov. 3:16] "Long life is in her right hand, and in her left, wealth and honour." The Talmud asks if this means that the right hand of Wisdom can provide only long life, but not wealth and honour. It answers that long life is there, and more certainly wealth and honour.

My grandfather explained that this wealth can be logically derived from the verse, but is not actually there. It is fitting that the righteous have wealth, but it is not actually theirs."

Source: "Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom" by Rabbi Nathan of Nemirov

The Three Levels of Forgiveness

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. [Oscar Wilde]

The people criticized G-d and Moshe: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There's no bread and no water, and we're sick of this unwholesome (manna) bread." G-d sent venomous snakes upon the people, and they bit the people. Many people of Israel died. The people came to Moshe and said "We have sinned! For we have spoken against G-d and against you! Pray to G-d that He should remove the snakes from us!" Moshe prayed on behalf of the people. [Chukas 21:5-7]

Even after the people criticized Moshe heavily, resulting in a punishment of venomous snakes, we nevertheless find that Moshe did not bear a grudge and prayed for the people to be saved. "From here we learn" writes Rashi, "that if a person asks you for forgiveness you should not be cruel and refrain from forgiving."

This principle is recorded by Rambam in his legal Code, the Mishneh Torah, in three places and there are a number of variations which need to be explained.

1) In Laws of Personal Injury, Rambam describes the method and process of forgiveness. "Once the attacker has asked forgiveness once, and then a second time, and we know that he has repented for his sin and he has abandoned the evil that he has done, then one must forgive him". However in Laws of Teshuvah these details are omitted. Instead, we are told that "When the sinner asks him for forgiveness, he should forgive him with a full heart and a willing spirit." Similarly, in Laws of Moral Conduct: "If the person returns and aks him for forgiveness, then he should forgive."

2) The person who forgives is given a different name in each of the three laws. In Laws of Moral Conduct he is called the "forgiver"; in Laws of Teshuvah a "person", and in Laws of Personal Injury he is called the "injured party".

3) One further detail is that in Laws of Teshuvah a person is told not to be "difficult to appease". Why does Rambam use this phrase, and why only in Laws of Teshuvah?

The Explanation

Forgiveness can be carried out on three levels:

1) When one person sins against another, he becomes liable to be punished for the sin that he committed. In order to be relieved of this punishment he needs to appease both G-d and the person that he sinned against. Therefore, through forgiving a person for his sin, one alleviates him from a Heavenly punishment.

2) A higher level of forgiveness is to forgive not just the act of sin but the sinner himself. i.e. even though one person may forgive another for a particular bad act (thus relieving him from being punished) there still may remain a trace of dislike for the person in general. Thus, a higher level of forgiveness is to forgive the entire person completely for his wrong, so that there remains no trace of bad feeling between them.

3) The highest level of forgiveness is an emotion that is so strong and positive that it actually uproots the sins of the past, making it as if they never occurred at all. After such a forgiveness, the sinner will be loved by the offended party to the very same degree that he was loved before the sin.

It is these three types of forgiveness which Rambam refers to in his three different laws:

1) In Laws of Personal Injury, Rambam discusses the laws of compensation for specific damages that one person causes another. Thus, when he speaks there of forgiveness for a sin, he is speaking of the forgiveness that is required to relieve the sinner from the punishment of that specific sin. Therefore, Rambam spells out the precise method of forgiveness that is required to achieve atonement ("when the attacker has asked forgiveness once, and then a second time, and we know that he has repented for his sin etc. then one must forgive him"), because only by following this precise method can we be sure that the sinner will be acquitted of this punishment.

To stress the point further, Rambam speaks in terms of an "injured party" and the "forgiving" of the injury, as we are speaking here of a specific sin and its atonement.

2) In Laws of Moral Conduct, the focus is not on the actual sin and its atonement, but rather, the character of the forgiver. And, if a person is to be of fine character, it is insufficient to forgive a person just so that he will be freed from punishment. Rather, one should forgive another person completely (i.e. the second level above). Therefore, in Laws of Moral Conduct, Rambam stresses that "When one person sins against another, he should not hide the matter and remain silent" for it would be a bad character trait to harbor resentment, keeping one's ill feelings to oneself. Therefore "it is a mitzvah for him to bring the matter into the open".

Thus, we can understand why Rambam omits here details of the process of forgiveness, for the main emphasis here is not the atonement of the sinner, but the required character traits of the victim.

To stress the point further, the person is termed here not as the "injured party" but as the "forgiver".

3) In Laws of Teshuvah, Rambam is speaking of the highest level of forgiveness which is required for a person to achieve a total "return to G-d". For this to occur, the forgiveness must be done in a manner that is so deep that one uproots the sin totally; as if it had never occurred at all. This is because total forgiveness is a crucial factor in the sinner's overall return to G-d, as Rambam writes: "Sins between man and his fellow man... are not forgiven until... the person has been asked for forgiveness..."

Thus, Rambam stresses here that "A person should be easily placated and difficult to anger, and when the sinner asks him for forgiveness, he should forgive him with a full heart and a willing spirit" (despite the fact that these details are more appropriate to Laws of Moral Conduct), because the goodwill of the victim is a crucial part of the sinner's teshuvah. Only when the victim is completely forgiving - to the extent that the sin is uprooted, as if it never existed - can we be sure that the sinner has returned to be as close to G-d as he was prior to the sin.

To stress this point further, Rambam writes "It is forbidden for a person (not an "injured party" or "forgiver") to be cruel and difficult to appease" - i.e. here we are not talking merely of the minimum forgiveness that is required to relieve the sinner from his punishment. Rather, here we are talking of the victim as a "person". And one can hope that he will not merely "forgive" his fellow who hurt him, freeing him from punishment, but that he will allow himself to be "appeased" completely, thereby helping his fellow Jew to come to a complete Teshuvah.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos Vol 28 Lubavitcher Rebbe

The Portrait of the King

Once there was a king who had a wise man. The king said to the wise man:

"There is a certain king who designates himself  'a mighty hero', 'a man of truth', and 'a humble person.'  As to his might, I know that he is mighty, since the sea surrounds his country, and on the sea stands a fleet of ships with cannon, and they do not let anyone approach. And inland there is a big swamp surrounding the country. Through the swamp there is only one narrow path and on the path only one man can walk at a time, and there, too, there are cannon. When someone comes to fight them, they shoot the cannon, and it is impossible to approach. But why he designates himself 'a man of truth' and 'a humble person,' this I do not know. And I want you to fetch me the portrait of that king."

That king (who spoke to his wise man) had all the portraits of all the kings, but no portrait of the king who had designated himself (with these titles) was available because he is hidden from men, since he sits under a canopy and is far from his subjects.

The wise man went to that country. The wise man made up his mind that he had to know the essence of the country. And how could he know the essence of the country? By the country's jokes. Because when one has to know something, one should know the jokes related to it. There are several kinds of jokes. Sometimes one really intends to harm his friend with his words, and when the friend becomes angry, he says to him: "I am joking as is written: 'As a madman casts firebrands, arrows, and death.' " (It is like one shoots arrows into his friend's heart and says, "I am joking.") And sometimes one does not intend it as a joke, even so his friend is harmed by his words. Thus there different kinds of jokes.

Among all countries there is one country which includes all countries (in that it serves as the rule for all countries), and in that country there is one city which includes all cities of the whole country which includes all countries. In that city is a house which includes all the houses of the city which includes all the cities of the country which includes all countries. And there is a man who includes everybody from the house, etc. And there is someone there who performs all the jests and jokes of the country.

The wise man took with him much money and went there. He saw that they were performing all kinds of jests and jokes, and he understood through the jokes that the country was full of lies from beginning to end because he saw how they were making fun, how they deceived and misled people in commerce, and how, when he turned for justice to the magistrate, everyone there lied and accepted bribery. He went to the higher court, and there, too, everything was a lie and in jest they faked all those things.

The wise man understood through that laughter that the whole country was full of lies and deceit, and there was no truth in it. He went and traded in the country and he let himself be cheated in commerce. He went to trial in court and he saw that they were all full of lies and bribery. On this day he bribed them, and on the next they did not recognize him. He went to the higher court, and there, too, everything was a lie, until he reached the senate and they, too, were full of lies and bribery. Finally he came to the king himself.

When he came to the king he stated: "Over whom are you king? For the country is full of lies, all of it, from beginning to end, and there is no truth in it!"

He started telling all the lies of the country. The king bent his ears toward the curtain to hear his words, because he was amazed that there was a man who knew all the lies of the country. The ministers of the kingdom who heard his words were very angry with him but he continued to tell about all the lies of the country.

That wise man concluded: "And one could say that the king, too, is like them, that he loves deceit like the country. But from this I see how you are 'a man of truth.' You are far from them, since you cannot stand the lies of the country."

He started praising the king very much. The king was very humble, and his greatness lay in his humility. And this is the way of the humble person: The more one praises and exalts him, the smaller and humbler he becomes. Because of the greatness of the praise with which the wise man praised and exalted the king, the king became very humble and small, till he became nothing at all. And the king could not restrain himself, but cast away the curtain, to see the wise man: "Who is it who knows and understands all this?" And his face was revealed. The wise man saw him and painted his portrait and he brought it to the king.

from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, translated by Joachim Neugroschel

Guarding the Eyes

Art: "Forgotten Sunglasses" by Vladimir Kush

Written by Yosef Peretz, Mirrer Yeshiva Kollel, Jerusalem

The Talmud (beginning of Tractate Berachos) compares a person's soul to G-d himself; just like G-d sees but is not seen, so too the soul of a person sees but is not seen and just like G-d fills the entire world, so too the soul of a person fills his entire body, etc.. What does this mean and from where does the soul "see"? The Kabbalah answers that the soul of a person "sees" through his eyes.

If you look into someone's eyes, you're not just looking at a biological camera. You are accessing the deepest recesses of the person.

In contrast, any animal, even the most intelligent gorilla, lacks this completely. If you look in the eyes of an animal, you'll see a dead emptiness there. The hebrew word for animal is "behema". Which means "bah ma" - what is in it? Behind those eyes, there is nothing beyond the physical creature. An animal is just a machine.

"The candle of G-d is the soul of man".

"A mitzva is a candle and Torah is light".

The Talmud teaches, "sin extinguishes a mitzva but sin doesn't extinguish Torah".

The Zohar explains: sin extinguishes a mitzva and mitzva is a candle. So sin extinguishes a candle. But which candle? The candle of G-d - which is the soul of man. So, when a person sins, he extinguishes his own soul. He then walks through life in darkness (until he repents). Conversely a righteous person who has reached a high level of purity, has eyes that literally glow with a tangible spiritual light. I know from experience that looking into the eyes of such a person can have a life-long effect.

Having said that, a person should be very careful what he exposes his eyes to. Whatever you expose your eyes to, know that you are exposing your deepest essence - your soul. If you look at the wrong things, you literally extinguish some of the spiritual light in your eyes. Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler taught (Michtav m'Eliyahu) that if a person does not sense holiness inside himself, it's a sign that his soul has left him.

This is why, according to the Talmud, it is forbidden to look at the face of a wicked person. When you look at his (or her) face, your soul absorbs some of the ruach (spiritual energy) of this person. Your soul which is beyond the physical, senses all the deeds and all the twisted drives and views of this person through his eyes and you become a little bit like him.

This is why children inherit the character traits of their parents. By constantly looking into their eyes, they absorb all of their parents' deepest spiritual traits.

The Torah forbids accepting a convert from the nations of Moab and Amon for all generations. Why? Because these nations demonstrated a lack of hakaras hatov (gratitude) to the Jewish nation when they were about to enter Israel. But why are their descendants excluded for all time to convert? Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian z''l explains (beginning of Lev Eliyahu) since their parents did not have proper gratitude, they will transmit this evil trait to their offspring and their offspring to their offsprings, and so forth forever and ever. By constantly looking into their parents' eyes, the children will inherit completely all of their spiritual traits.

Conversely, looking in the eyes of a Tzaddik (righteous person) elevates you. A person who has reached a high spiritual level has eyes that shine forth with a spiritual light. This is why it is so important to learn Torah from a great Rebbi and not just from books. The Talmud says, if your Rebbi does not look like an Angel of G-d, do not learn Torah from him. Only if you sense "Sinai" in this person should you learn Torah from him. Such a person will transmit to you the non-verbal, "internal" part of the Torah and the proper character traits which can only be transmitted through eye contact. No amount of learning in books can help you here.

I heard from Rabbi Simcha Wasserman zt''l that "when you review your lesson, picture your Rebbi's face while he was giving over the lesson. This way, you will review not only the verbal part of the lesson but also the non-verbal messages in the lesson".

The Steipler wrote (beginning of Kareina D'Igarta) every interaction with a person leaves a spiritual mark on you. The Chafetz Chaim said, the first time he saw a Jew willfully transgressing the Shabbat, he cried for an hour. The second time it lasted only 20 minutes. Why the change? He had exposed his eyes and therefore his soul, and was now no longer on the same level of purity as before.

One who is constantly surrounded by people with no faith is in great danger of becoming like them. This is not because of sharing their ideas. No! During every interaction, your soul absorbs some of the "ruach" (spiritual essence) of the person. If you don't strengthen yourself continuously, you will slowly become more and more like him. This is why it is so important to live in an area with a strong Jewish community. The Rambam wrote, if you can't find a community of righteous people to live in, you should move to the desert.

On a deeper level, everything you come across contains the "ruach" (spiritual essence) of it's source. I heard from Rabbi Shmuel Nussbaum of Gateshead (who is now a Rosh Kollel in Israel) that every book you read, contains part of the soul of the author. If you read the book of a tzadik, you are not only receiving the information he wrote. The soul of the tzadik also has a hashpa (a spiritual influence) on you.

Conversely, when you read the news from CNN or some novel, you should know that you are not just reading innocent information. You are putting your mind into the mind of the author, absorbing the spiritual energy and the drives and mentality of this person and you will tend to become like him (or her). Watch out! They didn't tell you that in the fine print!

The same is with the holy Torah. When a person learns, his soul is absorbing the spiritual energy of the Almighty himself! (Although in this case, the Almighty provided two conditions in order for the Torah to transmit the spiritual light (see Derech Hashem Vol.4:Ch.2). The first is proper Yira (reverence) and tikun hamaase at all times - striving to fulfill what you are learning. Without that, learning Torah is like reading a science book.)

Rabbi Yisrael Salanter says a person can learn the laws of an ox that gores a cow, and it will help him in controlling his mouth from saying lashon hara (slander). Why? The light in the Torah, elevates his soul and gives him the spiritual strength needed to fight off the evil inclination to slander.

Think before you look as it says by Avraham in the Akeida - "And Avraham lifted his eyes". Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm zt''l says that from here, we learn that even lifting your eyes should be a calculated and weighed decision. Watch your eyes. Be careful what you read and what you look at. Try to attach yourself to a righteous person and you will become like him. Look at the picture below and in the eyes of the holy Tzadik - Rav Kook zt''l and you will taste greatness.

The Secret of Existence



Art by Walfrido



Rabbi Bachya Ibn Pakuda wrote his classic book Chovot HaLevavot in Arabic in the year 4921 (1161), in Spain. It was translated into Hebrew by Rabbi Yehudah ben Tivon. The following is from Lev Tov, an adaptation of the Hebrew text into a simpler style:

Said the Soul: Teach me the secret, what was the purpose of my formation? What was Hashem's intention in bringing my neshama, Divine soul, into this world? Which activities am I forced to do and which ones can I choose to do or not? I do not want to be like that King who did not know what was good for him. And this is his story:

On a small island in the Indian ocean, the inhabitants decided that every year they would take a stranger and make him the king. After the year was over they would strip him of everything he had and send him away, and he would return to the status he had before he came.

One year they chose a fool who knew nothing about what would happen to him after the year was up. He built palaces and hoarded a fortune, and fortified the island, but sent nothing home from the island. On the contrary, he brought his property, his wife, and his children to the island.

When the year was finished the islanders sent him away empty-handed, seizing everything he had built and possessed before and after his arrival. He greatly regretted the work and effort that he had put into building and amassing a fortune, all of which passed to someone else's hands.

Afterwards, the islanders selected a wise and understanding man. Once he was crowned, he made friends with one of the islanders and showered him with favours. He then asked him what had happened to the previous king. This man revealed the secret to the king. Once he knew the secret, he did not follow the previous king's example at all. He put all his effort into exporting as many valuables as he could from the island to his home, and there he amassed wealth.

He was not affected by the honour accorded to him by the islanders. The whole time he was among them he had mixed feelings of grief and joy. On the one hand he was grieved when he realized he would be banished shortly, and the treasures he had succeeded in exporting were, in his estimation, few. If he could only stay longer, he would have been able to bring out much more.

On the other hand, he was glad that he would soon leave the island and live at home where he had many treasures waiting for him, and he could enjoy them continually with peace of mind and security.

And after his year was up, he was not upset about leaving. On the contrary, he was quick to do so with joy and desire, taking pleasure in his work and effort. He was going to have a good future, honour, and constant happiness. He was happy about the time he spent on the island, and was joyous in the period after he left. He achieved success in both places.

Said the Soul: This is the story I heard, and I'm afraid that what happened to the foolish ruler will happen to me. He lost everything he had in both places. Since G-d gave you to me to be my advisor, please teach me about my status. What do you know about the secret of my coming into this world and how to use it for my benefit?

The Intellect answered: In the story you related, you have already given a picture of your situation in the world, which resembles the situation of the two kings you mentioned. You clearly realise that you are a stranger here and will soon depart from this world. Therefore, you should act as the wise and understanding king, and act in this world the way he did on the island. If you will do otherwise, my words will be of no use to you, my fine language will not bring you any benefit.

The secret of your existence is that the Creator created you out of nothing along with all the spiritual beings He created. His purpose is to exalt you and raise your spiritual level to the high degree of His beloved, pure, chosen ones, who are nearest to the light of His glory. He does so for your good and out of His loving kindness towards you.

But you will only be worthy of this after the Creator has prepared you with three conditions:

1) He removes the curtain of foolishness from you and enlightens you with His wisdom

2) You are tried and tested as to whether you will choose His service or rebel against Him

3) He disciplines you in this world with the yoke of His service.

Source: "King for a Moment" by B. D. Kvutzat

Justice, Charity and Illegal Earnings

"Justice, justice shall you seek, that you may live..." [Deut 16:20]

The evil inclination may put the following thought into your head: "He who hates gifts shall live" [Proverbs 15:27]. How can I give a gift to the poor if it means taking his life away?"

The Torah teaches: "You shall surely give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing Hashem your G-d will bless you in all your work and in all that you put your hand to" [Deut 15:10] - and through G-d's blessing, you will get back more than you gave.

As our Sages taught "More than the rich do for the poor, the poor do for the rich" [Vayikra Rabbah 34:10]. The money you give the poor is therefore not called a gift.

What if the rich man received his money illegally?   In this case, G-d will not reward him for giving, since G-d  "hates robbery [even] in an offering" (Isaiah 61:8). When the rich man gives to the poor and receives nothing in return, there is a problem of "He who hates gifts shall live".

The verse therefore warns the poor man "Justice, justice shall you seek, that you may live..."

You shall seek and accept charity that comes from just and honest money. Then you shall be counted among those who hate gifts, and you shall live.

Aderet Eliyahu, Shoftim - from the writings of the Ben Ish Hai

11 Cheshvan Yarzheit Rochel Imeinu

Jewish Mother's Day The 11th of Cheshvan  [Tuesday 19 October 2010]

by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh

One of the most important days in the month of Cheshvan is the 11th, which commemorates the day of passing of our matriarch Rachel. Rachel was Jacob's most beloved wife and was the principal of his household and thus the principal of the entire house of Israel. From the first day of the year, the 1st day of Tishrei, the 11th day of Cheshvan is the 41st day. 41 is the numerical value of the Hebrew word "eim," which means "mother," thus the 11th of Cheshvan is truly the Jewish Mother's Day.

"Rachel cries for her children, she will not be comforted…"

Rachel constantly mourns over the exile of her children, the Jewish people, and the Almighty comforts her with the words: "Withhold your voice from crying and your eyes from tearing, for there is a reward for your actions… and the children will return to their border." Literally, "return to their border" refers to the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. But, more deeply, it refers to the return of our people to our natural spiritual environs: Judaism and our ancestral Jewish nature. These are the borders that truly circumscribe the uniqueness of our people. Amazingly, numerically, the value of the Hebrew word for "border" (g'vul / גבול) is exactly the same as the value of the word for "mother" (eim / אם); both equal 41.

In Hebrew, Cheshvan is written with the four letters: חשון. The borders (the first and last letters) of Cheshvan are chet - ח and nun - ן, which together spell the word chein - חן, meaning "beauty." The word chein - חן, "beauty" equals 58. The 58th day of the year is the 28th day of Cheshvan.

Rachel is described as the most beautiful woman in the Torah. The numerical value of the two middle letters, shin and vov, שו, is equal to isha -אשה , meaning "woman." Thus, the name of the month itself hints at the special and unique grace endowed to women.

King Solomon says that external beauty by itself is deceitful. If external beauty is all that a woman seeks then the name of the month becomes Marcheshvan, which means Bitter-Cheshvan. It is of such a woman King Solomon says: "And I find the woman to be more bitter than death." But, of true beauty, the beauty of a Jewish woman that emanates from within, he says: "The woman of beauty shall support honor." This true beauty is given to us, the Jewish people, by G‑d through the Torah, for "there is no truth but Torah" and "there is no honor but Torah."

It was Rachel, who was first endowed with this real beauty. Rachel is described as the most beautiful woman in the Torah, "She had a beautiful face and a beautiful figure." Thus, Rachel was the embodiment of the verse: "A woman who fears G‑d, she shall be praised," praised both for her grace and true beauty.

The beauty of the Jewish woman is not just a passive agent of spirituality. The sages teach that the offspring of Esau and his grandson Amalek can be defeated only by the children of Rachel.

Who embodies the spirit of Amalek in our day and age? In Hebrew, the words "Amalek" (עמלק) and "doubt" (safek / ספק) have the same numerical value. Thus, the spirit of Amalek that continues to plague each and every Jew is doubt; doubt in our faith, doubt in our Torah, and doubt in ourselves and the moral justification of our path.

But, sometimes the spirit of Amalek becomes bolder and captures a Jew (whether he be a private individual or a political figure) to the point of driving him or her to unconscious or even conscious self-hatred. This can result in a Jew's cooperation with the enemies of our people.

Finally there are the direct spiritual offspring of Amalek: those enemies who threaten the lives of Jews and our return to the Land of Israel.

The sages say that beauty is a woman's weapon. With everything that we have said about Rachel, her role as our matriarch, as the progenitor of Jewish nature, and of her beauty, it should now be clear that our weapon for defeating Amalek is the special beauty and grace of the Jewish mother. Joseph the tzaddik (righteous one) inherited his mother Rachel's beauty and he too is described as having a beautiful face and a beautiful figure. That is why the prophet says about him that "the house of Jacob will be fire and the house of Joseph its flame and the house of Esau straw, and together they will ignite him and consume him; and there will be no remnant for the house of Esau."

True Jewish beauty and grace destroy the enemy indirectly but, beauty is no regular weapon. True grace and beauty work by attracting the sparks of holiness that are bound within the enemy. These sparks are G‑d's will that the enemy still exist. Yet, when they are redeemed by their attraction to true beauty, they escape the enemy's grasp, leaving him void of any Divine source and causing his demise. True Jewish beauty and grace destroy the enemy indirectly by leaving him void of any beauty or grace himself, making him irrelevant and powerless.

The battle against Amalek in our generation must be conducted primarily with our ability to communicate to all around us the true nature of Jewish beauty and grace. It is to this beauty of Jewish nature and character that we return during the month of Cheshvan by reconnecting with our matriarch Rachel, with our own Jewish nature, and with ourselves.

Also visit: http://rachelstomb.org

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Yiddishe Mama

Rachel lost her own spiritual luxury - the privilege of being buried in the Cave of Machpeilah - in order to help her children. This represents the unparalleled quality of the "Jewish mother" who is always willing to sacifice her own needs, spiritual or physical, for the sake of helping her children.

And this is the inner reason why Jewish identity follows the maternal and not the paternal route. For even though the father possesses a greater degree of spirituality - since he has the privilege of observing more mitzvos than a woman - the quality of a Jewish mother is nevertheless greater, that she is willing to forego much of that spirituality in order to enable her to raise a family with tender loving care. And since this quality is even more quintessentially Jewish than the spirituality of the man, it is the mother that actually makes her children Jewish.

Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Parshas Vayechi: Gutnick Chumash

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Mama Rochel understood that tending to a broken heart comes above even Kavod Hashem....

When Rochel, out of frustration, complained to Yaakov about not having children, Yaakov got angry with her. The mefarshim say, based on a medrash, that Yaakov was punished for getting angry at Rochel and telling her that she needs to daven to Hashem and not complain to him.

Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro points out that Yaakov was defending Kavod Shamayim (the honor of Heaven) and was correct that Rochel's complaints were unjustified. His mistake was that he addressed the words that she spoke and not the pain in her heart. Had he pierced the veil of her soul, he would have known that because of her anguish, the words escaped her mouth and she was not accountable for them. He should have been slower to defend Kavod Shamayim and faster to understand human suffering.

This he explains was the greatness of Rochel. After the destruction of the first Temple, when Bnei Yisroel went into Galus, all the Avos and Imahos came before Hashem with all their great zechusim but were turned away empty handed. All the heroism of the Akeida, Yaakov's Torah, and lives of pure mesiras nefesh to build Klal Yisroel, did not impress Hashem in that dark moment of history.

The only one who merited Hashem's attention was Rochel Imeinu. What was her great act that warranted this special treatment? That she gave the simanim to her sister and helped fool Yaakov. With this bravery, in her mind, she was sabotaging the history of the Jewish nation since she understood that it was her and Yaakov that were destined to build the nation. Nevertheless she chose to cast aside her own destiny and Hashem's grand plan in order to save her sister from a single embarrassing moment.

Only Rochel, who had such a deep understanding of another person's pain and how it carries more weight than the entire Jewish experience, can be Hashem's emissary to bring his children's pain before Him. Only tears from Mama Rochel can bring the Geula.