Rav Naftoli Tzvi Horowitz zt"l
הרב נפתלי צבי בן מנחם מנדל הורוויץ זצ"ל
Iyar 11 , 5587
Rav Naftoli Tzvi Horowitz zt"l
Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz [6 Sivan 5520 (the same day as the Baal Shem Tov's passing!) - 11 Iyar 5587] became the rebbe of many thousands of chassidim. He was noted for his sharp wit and humor and his elusive sparkling aphorisms. Some of his teachings are collected in his works, Zera Kodesh, Ayalah Sheluchah, and Imrei Shefer. Many stories about him appear in the book, Ohel Naftoli.
Stories of Rav Naftoli Tzvi Horowitz zt"l
The Shinover Rav, mechaber of Divrei Yechezkel, did not refrain from saying Tachanun on the yahrzeits of various tzaddikim. Similarly, he did not have the custom to visit the gravesites of tzaddikim. There was one exception: He observed the yahrzeit, and visited the tziyun of the heilige Ropshitzer Rav, mechaber of Zera Kodesh to whom the Shinover Rav felt he owed his very life. This is the story why: When Rav Yechezkel Shraga was seven-years old when his life was almost cut short by a terrible accident. Rav Yechezkel Shraga’s uncle, Rav Avigdor of Dukla, was in town visiting his brother, Rav Chaim of Sanz in Rudnick. At the end of the visit, when Rav Avigdor entered his carriage to leave, he realized that he had forgotten something back in the house and sent young Yechezkel Shraga on an errand to fetch the forgotten object.
In his zeal to help his uncle, he dashed across the street. A passing wagon carrying a heavy load of lumber came careening down the road at high speed, running him over! The heavy wheels had crushed his body. When the doctors rushed to examine his mangled body, they shook their heads. They despaired for his life as the surgeon determined that the wheel had sliced his liver in half!
Hearing the terrible diagnosis, Rav Avigdor raised his hands heavenward and cried, “Ribbono Shel Olam – Master of the World, if I am destined to have a son, I would gladly exchange him so that this young man’s life be spared.” And so it was that Rav Avigdor never had any sons born to him, only daughters.
The holy Divrei Chaim examined his son’s broken body and each limb he touched, the bones grew back together and straightened themselves out! Even later, in his old age, people would remark – especially the physicians – how straight and stately a stature the Shinover Rav had!
The Divrei Chaim still feared for his young child’s life, as Yechezkel Shraga’s internal organs had been damaged beyond natural repair. He sent word with one of the chassidim to his own rebbe, the great tzaddik, Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer, to daven for his son’s life. The Rebbe did this and more: he sent back a flask of pure olive oil with instructions to anoint and massage the child’s body. In a short while, miraculously, the child healthy again.
In the weakened state of old age, the Shinover Rav would recount his miraculous salvation. He would recall how when he was massaged with the oil sent by the Ropshitzer, he could feel his bones repair themselves and how his organs regenerated and straightened themselves until his body became healed and whole again. He would then sigh and remark longingly, “From where could we get such pure, holy oil today if we needed it?” (Divrei Yechezkel pp. 2–3)
The following tradition was related by Rav Avigdor, the Av Beis Din of Novo Sanz, who heard it from his grandfather, the Divrei Chaim:
When the two Tzaddikim, Rebbe Reb Melech of Lizhensk, and his brother, Rebbe Reb Zusha of Hanipoli, were wandering together in self-imposed exile, they suffered extreme deprivation, going from place to place like beggars, sleeping on benches in the Bais Medrash, often fasting for lack of food, simultaneously loving and drawing their fellow Yidden to teshuva, Ahavas Hashem and Ahavas Yisrael wherever their holy feet led them. This journey served as a kappora for all Klal Yisrael, as well as to perfect themselves, and lasted some nine years. Toward the end of their travels they ended up in Linsk for Shabbos.
The Rav of Linsk was the renowned Gaon, Rav Mendel Linsker, the father of Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer. The two holy brothers came dressed in rags and tatters, and this is how they appeared in the Bais Medrash of the Linsker Rav. No one took any notice of them all Shabbos long. No one invited them to partake of a Friday night meal and they were reduced to eating whatever crumbs of bread they carried in their packs. The same scenario repeated itself Shabbos day and at Sholosh Seudos, when they drew close to hear the Divrei Torah. They thought it was strange that no one took any notice or invited them at all and wondered at this fact even as they drew close on Motzo’ei Shabbos to hear the berocha of Havdola and recite borei me’orei ho’aish on the candle.
It was then that the young lad Naftoli laughed at them and poked fun, calling them silly names. “Ha! Ha!! Meleich – Freilich, and Zisha – Kishya!!!”
His father, Rav Mendel Linsker, turned to the two holy brothers and remarked, “You think I don’t recognize you or know who you are? If I had wandered in self-imposed exile as long as you two, my face would look better and more radiant than yours! You would do better to rectify the world by eating more than by fasting!”
He gave them three coins for charity and sent them on their way. When they examined the coins, they discovered them to be three silver francs, a princely sum indeed. They were worried that this was a mistake, but Rebbe Reb Zusha exclaimed, “Wait, the Rav told us to serve Hashem by eating. Let’s see if this money is enough to purchase all the food we need, then we can give back the change; if not, we will know it’s no mistake.” They spent an additional year this way in golus and when they again stopped in Linsk, the Rav snapped his fingers and said, “Now you have succeeded in fulfilling my intentions!”
Later, the Rebbe Elimelech became well known as a great Tzaddik and Rebbe. When the Linsker Rav passed away, his son Rav Naftoli wanted to travel to Rebbe Reb Elimelech and study under him and become his talmid. He was deterred, however, by the memory of how he had poked fun at the Tzaddikim as a young boy. Nonetheless, after some hesitation, Rav Naftoli decided to approach Rebbe Reb Elimelech, ask his forgiveness and to ask the Rebbe to accept him as a talmid.
The Rebbe Reb Elimelech had the ability to know from Wednesday on who would be his upcoming guests for Shabbos. As soon as Rebbe Reb Melech felt that Rav Naftoli was traveling to Lizhensk for Shabbos he warned his gabbo’im and his shamash, “When the Ropshitzer arrives, do not let him into my rooms without my express permission!”
When Rav Naftoli arrived in Lizhensk, the shamash came straight to Rebbe Reb Elimelech to report on his arrival. When Rav Naftoli approached the threshold, Rebbe Reb Elimelech stopped him from entering through the doorway, and declared, “Here comes the son of that murderer!” and he slammed the door in his face, barring his entry. At that moment the Ropshitzer fainted.
Rebbe Reb Elimelech gave him some brandy to revive him and sent him on his way. The Ropshitzer took the remaining brandy with him and went to the Bais Medrash. There he found a throng of Chassidim in heated discussion about an upcoming simcha, a wedding to take place that evening between two orphans. The problem was that the chosson lacked a tallis as his gift and there were no drinks or food to be had! The chasuna was in danger of being canceled.
When Rav Naftoli heard this news, he went into town and, since he was from a wealthy family, he had no trouble borrowing some money and purchasing other goods on credit. Quickly he bought all the missing items: a new tallis for the chosson and food and drinks for the wedding feast! Soon the chosson and kalla were brought in and the Ropshitzer set a lavish banquet before them. Then he got up and stood himself on the table in front of all assembled and he began to recite badchonus – grammen, rhymes, jokes and all manner of witty and clever songs and dances to bring cheer to the crowd and a smile to the lips of the chosson and kalla! Everyone was overjoyed and there was great simcha!
(The sefer Ayala Shelucha describes one of the gematrias that Rav Naftoli employed during his badchonus, how he blessed the couple that their union should be beautiful and good – der zivug zol oleh yafeh.)
Meanwhile, Rebbe Reb Elimelech was expecting Rav Naftoli to come back, but after waiting he told his shamash that he had no choice but to daven Maariv, even though he could see it would not be successful. He then said that he would eat supper, but delayed in favor of reciting Tikkun Chatzos, mourning the destruction of the Bais HaMikdosh. However, this tefilla too was unsuccessful and Rebbe Reb Elimelech was left dissatisfied with his unsuccessful attempts at Maariv and Tikkun Chatzos. The Rebbe was downcast and he reasoned that if both his Maariv and Chatzos had failed, perhaps he was guilty of some wrongdoing.
“There is a chasuna tonight; perhaps boys and girls are engaged in mixed dancing or some other sinful behavior and I need to protest,” he reasoned. “Please go and see if anything improper is going on and report back to me,” asked the Rebbe of his shamash.
Meanwhile, the Ropshitzer had dressed up as a hunchback and used flax to make himself a long, silly beard, and he stood disguised on the table engaged in badchonus, rhymes, jokes, dancing, and playacting. The shamash did not recognize him, but Rav Naftoli recognized the shamash all right! He jumped off the table, grabbed the shamash and began to dance with him until the shamash felt all his bones mending and straightening out. The shamash felt a great spiritual bliss and was drawn in, mesmerized by the performance, standing transfixed with no desire to go back.
Seeing that the shamash had left and not returned, Rebbe Reb Elimelech decided, “I must go myself and see what needs to be done!” When the shamash saw Rebbe Reb Elimelech approaching from afar, he quickly ran out to him and said, “Please, Rebbe, don’t go in there. It’s not honorable for your stature – there is some crazy lunatic in there who grabs random newcomers and dances with them on and on. Surely he will grab you too, Rebbe! Also, there is no improper behavior at the chasuna itself. Hearing these words, the Rebbe turned to go back home.
In the morning, the Ropshitzer barged through Rebbe Reb Elimelech’s door and asked, “So, Rebbe, how was your Chatzos last night?”
“Naftultshe, how do you know about my chatzos?” countered Rebbe Reb Elimelech.
The Ropshitzer answered, “We were together on high; they forbade Your Honor to enter, yet I was allowed access. The reason I was given a pass to enter is because I made everyone happy at the chasuna and in shomayim they did not want your mournful Chatzos to disrupt the simcha of the wedding.” (Gan Hadasim p. 7–10)
In Warsaw sat a bochur named Asher Yeshaya in the Bais Medrash engrossed in his learning. The Ropshitzer, mechaber of Zera Kodesh, was visiting. He entered the Bais Medrash and found the bochur sitting and learning, and began exchanging Divrei Torah with him. The bochur found great favor in his eyes. He asked the bochur about his father, and when he found out that he was a tailor, he inquired as to where he worked, for the Ropshitzer Rav’s bekeshe was torn and he needed someone to mend it.
As he stood watching the tailor mend his torn clothes, the Ropshitzer entered into a discussion with the tailor and offered to make a shidduch between his own daughter and the precious young budding Torah scholar, Asher Yeshaya, whom he had met in the Bais Medrash. The tailor, seeing the Ropshitzer’s ripped clothes, imagined him to be someone with no means and he laughed, shrugging off the suggestion with a backhanded gesture.
“I have already been offered some good suggestions from my own townsfolk and I turned them all down, even though they offered me thousands of rubles in dowry and upkeep. Until now I have not agreed to any suggestion at all.”
“Go and tell the Rav of the town, the Chemdas Shlomo, that the Ropshitzer Rav is suggesting you make a shidduch with him.”
Hearing that he was a Rav, the tailor took the matter more seriously and ran off to the Chemdas Shlomo, who told him to seize such a good opportunity.
According to the She’eiris Boruch, by Rav Boruch Rubin, who heard these traditions and stories from his father Rav Meir of Gloguv, who heard them in turn from Rav Yosef Dombrover, his father-in-law, the minhag was that the Chassidim and talmidim of the Chozeh (among whom Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer was counted) came to Lublin with shidduch suggestions and wrote the names of the suggested match, chosson and kalla, on a kvittel and presented it to the Chozeh; he would then declare if it was a good match.
The Ropshitzer had two choices for his only daughter Ratzchi: Rav Asher Yeshaya and another possibility. He came to Lublin to ask the Chozeh which shidduch he should choose to complete. The Chozeh actually thought the other chosson was a good match, but the Ropshitzer, in his wisdom, realized that Rav Asher Yeshaya would be a better match, and so he immediately traveled to Warsaw and completed the shidduch with Asher Yeshaya. He then returned to Lublin to ask the Rebbe, the Chozeh, to wish him Mazel Tov as was customary on finishing a shidduch. When the Chozeh read the kvittel with the chosson’s name and saw it was not the one he had suggested as a match, the holy Chozeh remarked, “Nu? Chochom adif minovi – A sage is better than a prophet!” alluding to the superiority of the Ropshitzer’s choice, for he was well known as a sage and the Chozeh was so far-seeing with Ruach HaKodesh that he was like a prophet. The Chozeh then concluded,“A sheina Korban Pesach’el! – What a nice Pesach offering!” No one understood this remark at the time, but many years later, when Rav Asher Yeshaya Rubin was niftar on Erev Pesach, the Chozeh’s remark was understood. His soul was accepted on high as the Korban Pesach that year.
Other traditions tell us that the Ropshitzer made the shidduch first and then went to Lublin after the tenno’im, and the Chozeh was not happy with his choice. Afterward, when the young chosson was orphaned of both parents, the Ropshitzer took the chosson to Lublin to meet the Chozeh. When the Chozeh actually met him, he was pleased and remarked, “Chochom adif minovi.” After the chasuna and during Shabbos Sheva Berochos, the Chozeh honored the young chosson with leading Birkas HaMozon. When this scenario occurred again during the daytime Shabbos meal, the Ropshitzer told the Chozeh that he was afraid of ayin hora and the Chozeh remarked about Rav Asher Yeshaya, “A Kosher Korban Pesach’el!”
(Based on She’eiris Boruch Vol. II p. 9 #40 and Ohr Rabbeinu Asher p. 7–8)
The Heilige Ropshizter used to daven quite quickly while the Chozeh of Lublin, who was also one of the Ropshizter’s rebbes, davened quite slow. The Ropshizter once led the Chozeh’s minyan and as usual despite his best to keep a slower pace to match his rebbe’s he still finished quickly. Why do you daven so fast? Asked the Chozeh. As usual the Ropshitzer answered back with wit and jest, “If one likes the food he gobbles it up quickly – (alluding to his love for each and every word of davening),” “Ahh I see,” replied the Chozeh, “I too like the fare, however I prefer to savor each morsel and draw out the flavor in each mouthful!” The Ropshizter, though would not be outsmarted or outdone his retorted jest followed: “Rebbe your food is piping hot and so you need to eat it slow, whereas my own . . .” (Luach haHillula)
There was once a Sheila – a complicated halachic query about a chicken that was brought before the Ropshitzer rav to answer. The Rav ruled that it was kosher and his talmidim began to argue and dispute the ruling trying to bring support for their decision that the chicken was treif and that the Ropshitzer’s pesak was mistaken. After the discussion went on for some time the Ropshitzer halted the talmidim in midstride, cut them off and announced “I pasken and rule that this chicken is Kosher and that is that nothing you say can change my words or sway my ruling decision!” Just then in walked a deathly ill man with a kvitel and asked the Ropshitzer for a beracha. The Ropshitzer replied aloud: “Just now a chicken with supposedly the very same ailment as this sick Jew was brought before me for a pesak, and I ruled that the chicken was kosher, therefore I tell you it is not treif you can surely live even with such a condition,” and he turned to the sick Yid and declared, “Do you hear my ruling? I say you can live and so you too shall have a refuah sheleima!” And he did. (Luach haHillula)
When Rav Naphtali Ropshitzer first came before the Rebbe Reb Melech of Lizensk author of Noam Elimelech, the rebbe sent him away and said he wasn’t looking for meyuchasim, those of illustrious lineage. Rav Naphtali was very brokenhearted and he cried as he left. Just then his ears caught notes of joy and music. He inquired after the songs and merriment and found himself at a Yiddishe Chassunah. As was the custom the wedding needed a badchan to tell jokes and make everyone happy. Rav Naphtali used his wit and clever ways to use joke and rhyme to compose grammen and to delight and enrapture the audience and bring joy to Chosson and Kallah with words as Rashi on Berachos 6b explains.
Meanwhile the holy Rebbe Reb Melech was trying to recite the lamentations of Tikkun Chatzos and something was preventing him. Something was holding him back. He sent his shamash to seek out the disturbance, perhaps somewhere in the vicinity there was a sinner and a criminal whose tainted deeds were holding his prayers back? The shamash searched to no avail. He back empty handed. The rebbe was undeterred and he sent him forth again to seek and search, this time he came upon the wedding and in the midst of the celebrations he spotted the same yungerman who his holy rebbe had cast out. This must be the cause of the rebbe’s disturbance. He went back and reported to the Rebbe Elimelech that surely the yungerman’s jokes and frivolous banter was what was obstructing his prayers. “No, you and I have it all wrong,” explained the Rebbe Elimelech as realization dawned on him, “this yungerman has caused all the entire heavenly hosts on high to delight and rejoice in the simcha of Chosson and Kallah. Therefore that is why my sad lamentations are unacceptable on high. This is why I cannot recite Tikkun Chatzos for making them happy is like rebuilding one of the ruins, the very same ruin mentioned in Berachos 3a, there it says that in the ruins a voice like a dove calls out and cries Woe to My children, because of their sins I destroyed My house, burned My sanctuary and dispersed them to be exiled among the nations! And now though when there is such joy, who can cry and lament at a time like this!” ended the Rebbe Elimelech. (as heard from R’ Moshe Weinbach shlit'a, Mashpia Ruchani of Clevelander Shul – Beitar Elite)
Rav Elimelech Biderman shared the following story: There was once a Jew who desperately needed a yeshuah, salvation for some personal matter and so as was customary he wrote down his name and his request on a slip of paper known as a kvitel and approached the reknowned tzaddik the holy Chozeh or Seer of Lublin. However, when he entered the rebbe’s inner sanctum and placed the kvitel before the tzaddik and petitioned him for salvation to answer his request, the tzaddik remained silent. The Jew understood that his salvation must be far and distant and difficult to achieve, therefore he tried his luck another way, he reminded the Chozeh that they were related, Rebbe please help one of your own flesh and blood! He pleaded. The truth was that they were related through being second and third cousins through their shared grandparents and so the Chozeh answered back “Nu it’s a distant relation.” And left the matter settled. The Jew turned away sadly and left. Just then the Chozeh’s disciple the holy Rav Naphtali of Ropshitz saw the Jew walk out so despondent and with his face so down, he approached him asking the matter. The Jew spilled out all his woes concluding with the story of his failed reminder of his and the rebbe’s family ties. Smiling Rav Naphtali said to the Jew, “Don’t worry I know just the thing, soon the rebbe will go an daven mincha, while he is in the midst of the afternoon prayers when he recites the first blessing of the silent amidah he will say the words “G-d of our forefathers, G-d of Avraham, G-d of Yitzchok and G-d of Yaakov,” listen in and seize the moment, as soon as the rebbe says that, whisper back at him his own words of retort, “Nu its just a distant relation!” Surely that will work!” said the Ropshitzer. The Jew did what he was told and as the tzaddik davened when he reached the place in the prayers where we remind Hashem of our zechus avos and we mention our forefather the patriarchs the Jew whispered to the rebbe “Nu its just a distant relation!” After the prayers the Chozeh approached the Jew and delighted him by saying, “you have succeeded and you have achieved the salvation, let me just ask you one thing, tell me, if this wasn’t one of Naphtali’s tricks?!”
Related by the rav of Madin, a grandson of the Ropshitzer:
Rebbe Elimelech had a custom that after the afternoon minchah service he would converse with his close followers. He would then proceed to a special private room to pray the evening ma’ariv service in seclusion, purity, and sanctity. Rav Naftali Ropshitzer, a disciple of the Rebbe, yearned to also be in that room. He constantly wished to observe the deeds of his Rebbe and so wanted to see how he prayed there. Once, he stole into the room unnoticed and hid beneath the bed. The holy Rebbe entered and closed the door behind him. He took out his gartel and proceeded to fasten it about himself.
The first time the Rebbe wound the gartel about his waist, the entire room was filled with an awesome unbelievable light. The second time he tied the gartel, the light grew in intensity until the Ropshitzer could no longer endure it. He grew weak and found himself feeling faint. He could not help himself and called out in a loud voice. Rebbe Elimelech heard the cries of distress coming from his disciple and recognized their source. “Naftali, my son, are you here?” the Rebbe asked. “Fortunately you did not remain here for the third and final time I wound the gartel. If you had remained, your soul would have surely left your body from the intensity of the great light.”
(Eser Tzachtzachos 27; Ohel Elimelech 248)
The son-in-law of the Rebbe of Dzikov once related that the holy master Rebbe Naftali of Ropshitz was eating shalosh seudos with his teacher, the Noam Elimelech. He sat at the table, observing the Rebbe, and realized that if Rebbe Elimelech continued in his state of rapture, his soul could, Heaven forbid, expire and leave his body. The Ropshitzer banged on the table and said jokingly, “The verse says that Hashem will turn to us from His place in mercy. One can ask: Are there brooms in Heaven with which to sweep?” (The Yiddish expression kehern, to turn, is the same word used for sweeping with a broom.) “The answer is that the verse simply means that He should turn from His place with mercy.”
This witty remark disturbed the Rebbe, for it had interrupted Rebbe Elimelech’s state of rapture. Rav Naftali Ropshitzer, not wanting to face the Rebbe’s disapproval, fled, running from the table back to his lodgings.
Rebbe Elimelech sent someone to call him back. When Reb Naftali returned, Rebbe Elimelech said to him, “How dare you interrupt my state of deveikus and ecstasy!”
Reb Naftali told his holy teacher, “We still need the Rebbe to remain here in this world.”
Rebbe Elimelech realized that his talmid’s intentions had been honorable and said, “Yasher ko’ach!” and he honored the Ropshitzer with leading the bentching.
(Devarim Areivim, p. 21; Ohel Elimelech 300)
The Ropshizter was well know for his witty and humorous wisecracks, in which he hid his true Divine and G-dly wisdom. There is another final crack he is known for, the crack that stretches across his matzeiva in Lanczut where he is buried.
Before his passing the Ropshizter commanded his family and followers that they should inscribe on his matzeiva stone – “Yachid beDoro BeChochmas Elokim” which translates as – One of a Kind or Unique in his generation in G-dly Divine Wisdom.
The nusach of his matzeiva reads: “Here lies the man of G-d passed away in a good name on 11 Iyar Tav Kuf Pay Zayin on this our hearts weep and our eyes are darkened Woe is to us because the crown of our heads has been removed, Admor our master and teacher, the holy rav renowned and a scion of prestigious lineage and pedigree, unique and one of a kind in Divine G-dly wisdom, and other praises we are forbidden from writing as we were commanded by him, Rav Naphtali Tzvi Av Beis Din Ropshitz son of the renowned Rav Menachem Mendel Av Beis Din of Liska, May his soul be bound up for everlasting life.” (Yud Gimel Oros Vol II p165)
They fulfilled his wishes but not completely, because he also commanded them not to add any other praises at all. Unfortunately they did not heed his words and added to his name common praises and titles such as “The crown of our heads, our master and teacher Admor, the holy Rav, renowned and of holy lineage and yichus” and these words were obviously against the Ropshizter’s wishes. We assume so, anyway because the matzeiva cracked and the crack that stretches straight across the matzeiva from one side to the other erasing those very words, the extra words of praise and the titles that the heilige Ropshizter ordered them to omit! (As seen and eye witnessed by me every time I have been there.)
The Yashnitzer Rav was once asked by his students to relate some wondrous tale about his Rebbe, Rav Naphtali Ropshitzer. He told the following:
When I was a youth in Rymanow, I had a friend, and together we traveled often to the holy Ropshitzer. The Ropshitzer’s custom was that he personally distributed the challos to his disciples and Chassidim who came to the tisch to eat at their Rebbe’s Shabbos table. Whenever my friend and I came before the Rebbe, he would always hand us two challos that were still attached to each other. Since we were good friends attached to one another, we took this as a sign from our Rebbe that he acknowledged our great friendship and how we were well-matched and suited to each other to the extent that we stuck together! One day we had a disagreement and argued over some matter that caused our friendship to fracture. That Shabbos, at the Friday night tisch, when the Rebbe handed us the challos, he handed each of us a single challah, for he could feel our hearts were not together. After the seudah I sought out my friend and we renewed our bond of friendship. Sure enough, at the Shabbos day seudoh, we once again came before the Rebbe, and he handed us two challos, attached once more!
The Divrei Chaim of Sanz once told Rav Shimon Sofer of Cracow regarding his father the Chasam Sofer that:
“It was no chiddush that your father the Chasam Sofer was so great and holy and rose to such heights when he had a rebbe such as Rav Nassan Adler.
Regarding whom I heard from my own rebbe Rav Naphtali of Ropshitz who heard in turn from his rebbe the Rebbe Reb Melech of Lizensk author of Noam Elimelech who said that ‘for many years a soul such as Rav Nosson Adler’s had not descended to this world besides the soul of the Baal Shem Tov.’”
Divrei Torah of Rav Naftoli Tzvi Horowitz zt"l
strengthning ourselves with emuna and simcha - even in galus
The pasuk in Tehillim (92:3) says, “to proclaim Your chessed (loving-kindness) in the mornings and Your emuna (faith) in the nights.”
The heilige Ropshitzer in Zera Kodesh explains that based on this pasuk, Chazal, our sages, instituted (Berochos 12a) the berochos of Emes Ve’emuna at night [following the Shema in maariv].
This is because we require the extra chizuk to encourage ourselves at night, which is compared to Golus (Zohar Chodosh 12b). During the day, and during the time of the Geula, Hashem’s chassodim are revealed and easily discernible. During the night and darkness, however, which is compared to Golus, then Hashem’s chassodim are not as readily seen or felt. At night we therefore need extra chizuk, which is why Chazal instituted Emes Ve’emuna. We must hope and yearn for the redemption and for a yeshua, davening to Hashem that He should save us and redeem us. But our primary tefilla should be for Hashem Himself, that He not suffer during our Golus, when we are estranged from Him like children from their father. Then Hashem reciprocates and davens for us in turn, as Chazal say (Berochos 7a) that Hashem davens.
The Ropshitzer tells us in the name of Chazal that Yaakov’s actions should serve as a sign and lesson for us to imitate and follow. (Bereishis Rabba 68:13) [maasei Avos siman labonim.] The pasuk in our Parsha thus teaches us that when Yaakov left Be’er Sheva for Choron, he was leaving Eretz Yisrael and going into Golus – into Chutz La’aretz. Since the Golus resembles the night, a time of darkness when all Hashem’s great light has dimmed, and His chassodim have departed, darkness spreads out over the land, and now we must daven for Hashem.
This is why the pasuk continues to say that Yaakov – yifga baMokom – he davened for the Mokom – for Hashem. The Ropshitzer says that this idea is hinted at in the word Mokom, which equals Hashem’s name in gematria: Haka’a – where yud and hei and vov and hei are multiplied as yud - times - yud [10x10=100], hei - times - hei [5x5=25], vov - times - vov [6x6=36] and hei - times - hei [5x5=25], which equals a total of 186, equivalent to the gematria of Mokom [mem=40,kuf=100=vov=6, mem=40=186]. (See Shaar HaKavonos Derushei Amida, Derush 2.)
Here, in this place, Yaakov established Maariv – the evening prayer (Berochos 26b), which represents the tefilla that we daven now during Golus, which is compared to the night, when we have to daven for Hashem. The pasuk continues, “And he [Yaakov] slept there, for the sun had gone down”. Yaakov strengthened himself in emuna because the light of Hashem’s chassodim was extinguished and all had gone dark. The pasuk then says, “And he lay down,” which represents going into Golus (Tikkunei Zohar 144a), and which is spelled in Hebrew as vayishkav, which in turn can be read as veyesh kaf-bais – and there are twenty-two letters of the alef-bais (Tikkunei Zohar 132b). The Ropshitzer explains that these letters represent the holy Torah, which is all we have left in Golus, as we recite in selichos on Erev Rosh HaShana: “Ein lonu shiyur rak haTorah hazos – we have nothing left except this Torah,” written with the twenty-two letters of the alphabet of Loshon Kodesh.
Now the Ropshitzer explains how we need chizuk to strengthen ourselves during the Golus: We must strengthen ourselves with emuna and simcha! Because a father rejoices when he sees his children are happy and content, so Hashem, our Father in Heaven, rejoices when He sees His children joyful and glad. We must therefore strengthen ourselves as much as we can with emuna and simcha.
“And he dreamed” – the word for dream, chalom, can be read as chalim – to reattach and strengthen oneself (see Rashi’s commentary to chalim in Menochos 35a). Yaakov strengthened himself with chizuk to reach a level of simcha.
How do we reach such levels of emuna and simcha? By absorbing the following lessons that the heilige Ropshitzer teaches us in the next pesukim:
“Behold there was a ladder rooted on the ground, whose head reached the heavens.” The Ropshitzer says: Everything depends on man. Even now, when we are on the lowest of levels, and we are firmly planted on the ground, still our heads reach heavenward!
The pasuk says (Tehillim 147:2), Boneh Yerushalayim Hashem – “Hashem is building Yerushalayim” – in the present tense. The Ropshitzer teaches us that Hashem is actively rebuilding Yerushalayim through the mitzvos and maasim tovim (good deeds) that we do. And we say uvnei osa bekorov beyomeinu binyan olam – “And build it soon, in our days, a permanent structure.” The Ropshitzer explains this as he does in Parshas Ki Seitzei, that through each day that we serve Hashem, do mitzvos and good deeds, we help to build Yerushalayim a little, a bit more each day until IMY”H, speedily in our days, it will be built permanently.
The pasuk then says, Vehinei Hashem nitzov olov – “and behold Hashem is standing over him” – Hashem stands over us, safeguarding us from all evil! When we consider all these concepts, we will reach a new level of simcha.
May Hashem help us to reach true emuna and simcha even during the lowest points and darkest times, and may we help Hashem by davening for the yeshua and building Yerushalayim each day, Amen!
breaking down the barriers to rule over ourselves and draw down shefa
“Now Yosef was the shalit – the ruler – over the land; he was the mashbir – the provider – to all the people of the land” (42:6)
Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer, a talmid of the Rebbe Reb Melech, cites the above quoted peirush from his Rebbe in his own sefer, the Zera Kodesh, and expands upon it.
The Ropshitzer cites a Medrash that Yosef merited to rise to power as viceroy because he was able to overcome the advances of Potiphar’s wife. He suggests that the Medrash must understand mashbir to mean “he who breaks his desires”, similar to what the Noam Elimelech taught, as we explained above.
The pasuk is therefore telling us according to the Medrash that because Yosef broke his own desires, subjugating and ruling over himself, he was therefore called a mashbir, and consequently became a ruler – a shalit. By a person breaking his own evil desires, passions and inclinations toward negative behavior, says the Zera Kodesh, he becomes a ruler, ruling over himself with the power to break down any further barriers and draw down an abundance of blessings. He thus becomes a ruler and a Tzaddik.
Really, explains the Ropshitzer, Hashem is constantly sending us shefa and blessings, pouring them down to us in abundance from on high on a daily basis, as it says in davening, “Every day He opens the doors and gates of the East and breaks open the windows of the firmament” (Birkas Yotzer Ohr on Shabbos). The word for “window” is chalon, spelled ches lamed nun and can stand for the acronym notzer chessed lo’alofim –Hashem has abundant loving-kindness for us in the thousands! This is sent to us as an influx of shefa, an abundance of berocha from the thirteen attributes of divine mercy. However, there are various obstacles and barriers that prevent this berocha and shefa from reaching us. Just like a window shade prevents the light from penetrating the window, there are things that prevent the flow of shefa and berocha through the heavenly windows: our desires and sins. When we break down these barriers, all the shefa from the thirteen attributes can flow down unchallenged. [Translator’s note: the Arizal teaches (Pri Etz Chaim 19:4) that on each night of Chanuka the thirteen divine attributes of mercy are awakened when we light the candles – see below where the Ropshitzer connects these teachings to Chanuka in another way.]
chanukah - a time for teshuva and simcha
“Now Yosef was the shalit – the ruler – over the land; he was the mashbir – the provider – to all the people of the land” (42:6)
In the sefer Ayala Shelucha, the Ropshitzer further expands this teaching and explains that our pasuk is saying that Yosef was the shalit because he was the mashbir; the reason Yosef became a viceroy was because he broke his desires. He then became a mashbir, providing sustenance for the entire world! He who breaks down his desires and rules over his yetzer is a Tzaddik, called a mashbir, who then has the power to break down any barriers that separate us from Hashem, drawing down shefa and sustenance onto the whole world.
In Ayala Shelucha, the Ropshitzer observes that our Parsha always falls on Chanuka, and he connects the power to break down barriers to the power of the Chanuka candles. Hashem commanded us to light the Chanuka candles in order to instill in us the power of teshuva by awakening our hearts to remember and see that Hashem will shine favor on us, just as he did for our forefathers, in those days, at this time. Now, during the exile, our eyes are shut and our hearts are blocked. Because of our sins, we sit in the darkness of Golus, ruled over by other nations, and a great barrier is erected between us and Hashem, and we cannot gaze on the light of His countenance. We are prevented from seeing be’ohr pnei Melech Chaim (Mishlei 16:15) from Avinu Shebashomayim! As Hashem says, “I shall hide My face…because of the evil that they have done” (Devorim 31:18). This concealed divinity causes us great darkness, like it says in Tehillim 18:12: “His darkness conceals Him”.
So it was in the exile of Golus Yovon, among the wicked Greeks who defiled our oils, which represent our wisdom as is known (Menochos 86 and Zohar III 34a). In their wickedness they defiled our wisdom and our Jewish minds, our sechel (intellect) was rendered tomei (impure) and our hearts forgot divine wisdom. When the hands of the Chashmono’im were victorious and they guided us to do teshuva, saving us from our enemies and subjugating the Greek rulers, they purified the defilement and they refined and purified our wisdom and minds by drawing down supernal wisdom, insight and knowledge from on high to us, the holy nation of Klal Yisrael. This enlightened our eyes with a pure, white light of holy divine wisdom to understand how to do teshuva, as we say, “They purified Your Mikdosh and lit candles in Your holy chambers”.
The Ropshitzer sees this idea hinted at in the gematria of lehadlik ner Chanuka, which equals the gematria of ohr chodosh:
Lehadlik Ner Chanuka:
(lamed=30+hei=5+dalet=4+lamed=30+yud=10+kuf =100 = 179) (nun=50+reish =200 = 250) (ches=8+nun=50+vov=6+kaf=20+hei =5 = 89) = 518 plus the kollel = 519
Ohr Chodosh:
(alef=1+vov=6+reish =200 = 207) (ches=8+dalet=4+shin=300 = 312) = 519
The roshei teivos (initial letters) of lehadlik ner Chanuka are lamed, nun and ches, spelling chalon – a window. This is the window that allows the pure light to illuminate His wisdom to flow toward us, as we say in davening, “Every day He opens the doors and gates of the East and breaks open the windows of the firmament (Birkas Yotzer Ohr on Shabbos).
Therefore, explains the Ropshitzer, we celebrate these days in every generation to awaken in our hearts the desire for teshuva, to recognize that our King will deliver us, and in Him shall our hearts rejoice, for simcha only comes from an abundance of goodness and favor – as we see that people who have children, wealth, silver and gold are happy of heart. Therefore, we should rejoice over all the goodness and favors, the miracles and kindness that Hashem has done for us in those days past. He removed from us the wicked Greek rulers, who wished to prevent us from fulfilling Hashem’s mitzvos, as Chazal say (Megillas Antiochus) that they tried to prevent us from keeping Shabbos, Mila and Chodesh, whose roshei teivos are shin, mem and ches and spell same’ach – joy.
Therefore we recite the thirtieth perek of Tehillim, Mizmor Shir Chanukas Habayis – whose roshei teivos are mem, shin, ches, hei, which spells simcha, and the words of the berocha lehadlik ner Chanuka equal the same gematria as nogila venismecha bo – we shall rejoice in Hashem!
Lehadlik Ner Chanuka
(lamed=30+hei=5+dalet=4+lamed=30+yud=10+kuf =100 = 179) (nun=50+reish =200 = 250) (ches=8+nun=50+vov=6+kaf=20+hei =5 = 89) = 518
Nogila Venismecha Bo
(nun=50+gimmel=3+yud=10+lamed=30+hei=5 = 98) (vov=6+nun=50+shin=300+mem=40+ches=8+hei=5= 409) (bais=2+vov=6 = 8) = 515 + the three words themselves = 518
three pieces of advice for better prayer
The holy Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer teaches us in Zera Kodesh that the Torah is teaching us (here) how to daven to Hashem. A person might say to himself, “How can I dare stand before Hashem? I am so unworthy to beseech Him, especially in light of my past misdeeds.”
The Ropshitzer explains that the Torah gives us three pieces of advice to open our hearts and daven:
To remember zechus avos
To remember that we each have a divine soul
To remember that Hashem directly helps us and davens with us side by side
The Ropshitzer then describes these pieces of advice in detail:
The first piece of advice is that even when you feel yourself to be unworthy of davening to Hashem because you and your deeds are worthless, you should come before Him with your zechos avos – with the merit of your holy forefathers, Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, so that even if you lack merit, through their zechus your prayers may be answered. He gives a moshol to illustrate this idea: Yaakov’s inheritance and portion is known as Yaakov chevel nachaloso. A chevel also means a rope or cord. If we tie ourselves to the avos, binding ourselves tightly to the chain of their dynasty that links us, we can use this rope to achieve our goals. Just as someone down below who grasps the end of the rope and shakes it causes the top of the rope to respond to his movement below, so do we shake and move the higher world through our bond to the Avos (see Shela HaKodosh, Toldos Odom Bais Hashem Bais Dovid #16). Even if I am lowly, I am still a member of the family of Klal Yisrael and through my lineage I have the power to use my prayers to awaken all the heavenly worlds, so that Hashem should answer my tefillos, giving Him nachas.
The second piece of advice is to remember that we all carry within ourselves a divine portion – the neshoma – a chelek Eloka mimaal – a G-dly portion from above. When I daven, I am reattaching my neshoma to its origin, reconnecting myself to the source. This alone is good reason for me to be allowed to approach Hashem in prayer, just as in each word we utter many letters, bringing them together to form words, and each word we say comes from various parts of the mouth (the Sefer Yetzira teaches us how the mouth, teeth, tongue, throat and lips form the five groups of sounds of speech which are the guttural, lingual, labial and dental). Who has the power to connect all these disparate sources and bind them into one force of tefilla? Is it not my holy neshoma that gives me the power to daven and bind all these as one? This too should give us the push to feel we can and should pray.
The third and final piece of advice is to remind ourselves of the words of Chazal (Berochos 7a) that Hashem Himself davens as well. Furthermore, the Sages said (Zohar III 232a) that the Shechina spoke through Moshe. Likewise, Hashem, as it were, speaks through us, clothing Himself in our mouths when we daven. Although I may feel small, insignificant and unworthy to daven before Hashem, when Hashem in His great mercy and kindness witnesses that we hesitate, He clothes Himself within our mouths and davens with us, side by side.
Let us explain how the Ropshitzer rereads these pieces of advice in our Parsha: Yehuda stands for tefilla. In Bereishis 29:35 we learn that he was named Yehuda because his mother said, “This time I will thank Hashem.” Thus, we see that his name indicates thanksgiving and praise. Yehuda also contains the four-letter Shem Havaya as well as an additional dalet. The dalet stands for deleis leih migarmei kelum, an Aramaic phrase that means “I myself am nothing”. When a person reaches such a state of humility as represented by the dalet, whose literal meaning is “poor”, he thanks Hashem because he realizes that without Hashem he is nothing. This is why Chazal say that kol haneshoma tehallel Kah – the soul praises Hashem for each and every breath – al kol neshima uneshima (Bereishis Rabba 14:9). The humble person realizes that everything he receives is a gift from above and that he is nothing without Hashem. This is what the dalet in Yehuda symbolizes – poor, humble thanksgiving to Hashem.
Let us now reread our pasuk:
The initials of Vayigash eilov Yehuda – “And Yehuda approached him” –– are alef, yud and vov – ayo – “from where?” This is the question we must ask ourselves when we step forward to approach Hashem in tefilla – from where do I seek to find the merit to have my prayers answered? I know I have past misdeeds; from where do I draw the zechus to daven to Hashem? From where do I know that Hashem will stand close by me and answer me when I call to Him? Our pasuk hints at the three pieces of advice above: Vayigash eilov Yehuda – the final letters shin, vov and hei form the word sheva. These three letters represent the three Avos, Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, in whose merit we ask Hashem to answer us even if we are unworthy: The hei was added to Avrohom Avinu’s name, changing it from Avrom to Avrohom. The shin replaced the tzadi in Yitzchok’s name when he is called Yischok (see Tehillim 105:9). The vov is added to Yaakov’s name, spelling it out completely as Yaakov. Thus, sheva reminds us to use zechus avos.
The pasuk continues, Bi adoni – “Please, my master”, alluding to the second piece of advice, remembering that we have a G-dly portion within us that we reconnect to the source; bi adoni – “Hashem is within me!” This knowledge gives me the right to daven and to be answered. The pasuk continues, Adoni sho’al es avodov – “My master asked of his servants” – this alludes to the Master, Hashem, making requests in prayer alongside us, His servants. This is the third and final piece of advice. Sho’al also means “lend”; Hashem “lends” us His divine portion, the soul, and, using this neshoma, we daven.
The heilige Ropshitzer also tells us that sheva has the same gematria as the name of the healing angel – the Maloch Refoel (shin=300+vov=6+hei=5 = 311) = (reish=200+pei=80+alef=1+lamed=30 = 311)
This teaches us that the merit of the Avos alluded to by the sheva (as we explained) draws down healing and refua. Refua itself contains and includes all manner of salvation. This is proven by the fact that even though usually a Maloch only has one shelichus (Bereishis Rabba 50:2), when the Maloch healed Avrohom Avinu, he also saved Lot. This, says the Ropshitzer, proves that healing includes all other forms of help and salvation. Since sheva equals Refoel – the zechus avos draws down healing as well as all other forms of aid.
May the zechus of the Avos draw down refuos, yeshuos and hatzola for all of Klal Yisrael, Amen!
descending into the depths of impurity in egypt
“Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Come (with Me) to Paroh…in order that I may place these signs of Mine within him” (10:1).
Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer teaches in Zera Kodesh that Hashem did a wondrous chessed for us by entering Mitzrayim to take us out. This act of mercy and loving-kindness is one we must in turn emulate to our children when we teach and instill in them emuna. He sees this demonstrated by the Medrash Rabba (Shemos 15:5): “And I passed through Egypt”:
Rav Shimon said, The love for Bnei Yisrael is so great that Hashem revealed Himself in a place of idolatry, a place of filth and impurity, in order to redeem them. Like a moshol, a Kohen whose teruma fell into the cemetery. He asked himself, What should I do? I cannot defile myself and go in; on the other hand I cannot leave the teruma in there either! Better that I defile myself once and later purify myself again and not lose my teruma. In this way, our forefathers were Hashem’s teruma lost among the graves of the bechoros in Egypt, where “there was no household where there was none dead” (Shemos 12:30). Hashem said, I must descend into there to redeem them and save them.
We see, explains the Ropshitzer, that Egypt was a place of great tuma (impurity). It was ervas haaretz, a land of licentiousness and depravity, especially Paroh’s household, for that was the center and source of the tuma, where it was concentrated. Surely no Tzaddik [like Moshe] would ever wish to go there, into such a dirty, defiled place, especially to speak to such a tomei and despicable entity like Paroh. Hashem therefore said to Moshe, “I know you do not want to go there and enter this impure household and speak with an impure person. Still I say, come together with Me to Paroh, like a friend says to his fellow, “Bo – come together with me.” That is why it says, “I hardened his heart and the heart of his servants” – I, Hashem, so to speak, dwell there and harden their hearts.
The Ropshitzer explains that Hashem accomplished this by being in Mitzrayim, yet placing a dividing barrier between Himself and the tuma of that unholy, defiled place. This concept is explained by the holy teachings of the Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh, which the Ropshitzer cites here in Zera Kodesh:
the divine revelation on har sinai - seeing hashem face-to-face
“Hashem spoke once (and) I heard this twice” (Tehillim 62:12).
The heilige Ropshitzer cites the Medrash that quotes our pasuk, saying, “Anochi Hashem Elokecha – I am Hashem, your G-d”. The Medrash adds, “As it says: “Face-to-face Hashem spoke with you” (Devorim 5:4).
The Ropshitzer reminds us here in Parshas Yisro of what he says in his derushim to Shavuos: “I heard from my teacher and master, Rav Menachem Mendel of Rymanow, regarding the pasuk in Tehillim (62:12), ‘Hashem spoke once and I heard twice’ the following: Perhaps, said the Rymanower, we heard from the Holy One’s mouth nothing but a single letter, just the alef of the word anochi…” From this, says the Ropshitzer, we understood the rest of the Aseres HaDibros (Ten Commandments). Perhaps, adds the Ropshitzer, we heard just komatz alef [the first nikud taught to a cheder yingel], the alef vowelized with the nikud of komatz, as explained elsewhere at length.
He continues in his derushim to Shavuos to explain this in greater detail, saying that we can try to understand this idea based on the sweet words of our forefathers, who said that Shivisi Hashem lenegdi somid is a klal godol baTorah – “Placing Hashem before me at all times is a great general principle in the Torah”. Notice that they did not say it is a great rule in Avodas Hashem (serving Hashem) – no, they said “in Torah”!
the message of building a mishkan: do what you can for hashem according to your kochos
“And they shall make an Aron from atzei shittim” (25:10)
The heilige Ropshitzer cites two Medroshim from the Medrash Rabba that illustrate how infinite Hashem is and how seemingly pointless it is to attempt to build Him a sanctuary or any type of dwelling place in the form of an earthly, physical structure and yet Hashem does not expect us to do the impossible; rather we can achieve this end based on our own abilities, each one of us according to what we can do:
(Bamidbar Rabba 12:3): At that time when Hashem said, “They shall build for me a Mikdosh and I shall dwell in their midst,” Moshe asked, “How can anyone build a Mishkon wherein Your presence can dwell? ‘Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain You, and surely not this Temple I have built,” (Melochim I 8:27); and it says in Yirmiyohu (23:24), ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ and it says Yeshayohu (66:1), ‘The heavens are My throne and the earth My footstool; what house could you build for Me and what place could be My resting place?’” “I do not ask,” said Hashem, that they do this according to My ability; rather, said Hashem, all I ask for is that each person should do according to his abilities…all I ask for are twenty amos on the south side and twenty on the north side and eight along the west.”
(Shemos Rabba 5:9) See how the Heavenly voice [at Mount Sinai] went forth to every person, each according to his ability to receive it [individually tailored to his personal level]: the elders according to their ability, the young men according to their ability, the children according to theirs, the infants according to theirs and the women according to theirs. Even Moshe received and heard the voice on his own level, as it says (Shemos 19:19): “Moshe spoke and Hashem answered him with a voice” – with a voice that he was able to accept and handle. Similarly, it says in Tehilim 29:4, Kol Hashem ba’ko’ach – “The voice of Hashem comes in power”. It does not say bekocho – according to Hashem’s power – it says bako’ach, meaning according to the abilities of each person on his level and according to his capabilities to receive it.
Having cited the Medrash and demonstrating how Hashem expects from us only what we can do for Him according to our kochos, the Ropshitzer cites another Medrash, the Tanchuma Teruma, ch. 10, which teaches us that the atzei shittim allude to teshuva. The Medrash says: (They are named) Shittim – because just like Bnei Yisrael angered Me by sinning at the Golden Calf, these Shittim trees should now come and atone for their Shetusim (their acts of foolishness). Another idea is that Shittim is an acronym for sholom, tova, yeshua and mechila (peace, good, salvation and atonement)] because Shittim is a word that derives from the word for nonsense and foolishness – shetus, and Chazal say (Sota 3a) that a person only commits a transgression if a spirit of shetus enters him. The Medrash Tanchuma (Vayakhel ch. 8) also teaches that the atzei shittim atone for the sins of licentiousness that took place at Shittim with the daughters of Moav (see Bamidbar 25:1). So we see from these Medroshim how the atzei shittim atone for sin.
Now the Ropshitzer says that Shittim has the gematria of the Soton: shin=300, tes=9, yud=10, mem=40 = 359; shin=300, tes=9, nun=50 = 359. This teaches us that the atzei shittim atone for actions that a person did when under the influence of the Soton who is the same angel as the yetzer hora (Bova Basra 16a). We can now see clearly how the atzei shittim allude to teshuva.
Chazal say (Kiddushin 30b) that the Torah is a tavlin (remedy) for the yetzer hora, and the best piece of eitza (advice) to overcome it is through Torah study. This is what our pasuk means, explains the Ropshitzer: “And they shall make an Aron from atzei shittim” – Atzei means an eitza and shittim means shetus – [sins committed while under the influence of a spirit of] foolishness and stupidity. Thus, the wood used from the atzei shittim to build the Aron alludes to an eitza against the yetzer hora, which influences us to act foolishly and transgress. That advice, explains the Ropshitzer, is the Torah, which was placed in the Aron, alluding to the idea that the power to break the hold of the Soton, the yetzer hora, whose gematria is equivalent to shittim, is through the Torah which was placed in the Aron made of atzei shittim. This is why the Aron’s measurements were fractions rather than whole numbers, alluding to the power to fracture the power of the yetzer hora through the study of Torah. If a person is broken-hearted over his past misdeeds, this too is a form of teshuva and a way to break the yetzer, because Hashem does not overlook broken hearts.
The primary form of teshuva is through Torah study, as Chazal say (Yalkut Mishlei ch. 3:935), “If you usually study one page, then study two.” The primary form of Chassidus is also Torah study with diligence and hasmoda. Chazal say (Zohar II 114b), “Who is considered a Chassid? He who acts with chessed toward his Maker.” Since Hashem and the Torah are one and the Torah is called a Toras Chessed (Mishlei 31:26) and we say that Hashem’s chessed is continuous (Tehillim 52:3), if you wish to act as a Chassid toward Hashem your Maker, you must attach yourself in dveikus to Hashem and His Torah which is chessed – and then you will be a Chassid.
This is how the Zera Kodesh explains our pasuk and the Medroshim cited above: “And you shall make an Aron from atzei shittim” – and Hashem does not expect you to do more than your own capabilities and efforts, because the Aron alludes to teshuva. A person might say to himself, “How can I ever rectify my past misdeeds? How can I ever fix my sins and transgressions? There would be no end to the number of fasts and self-flagellations that I need to undergo! Hashem therefore said, “I expect of each of you only what you can do on your level, just as My voice and Presence at Matan Torah went forth individually to each person according to his ability to perceive Me.”
why is moshe's name missing - moshe's ultimate self-sacrifice and unity
“And you shall command Bnei Yisrael” (27:20).
As we well know, Moshe Rabbeinu’s name is absent from our Parsha. To explain this omission, the heilige Ropshitzer quotes the Zohar HaKodosh (III 246a), which tells us that when Bnei Yisrael sinned at the chet ho’egel, Moshe responded to Hashem’s threat to wipe them out by saying, “Erase me from Your sefer.” Hashem complied by erasing Moshe from this Parsha.
The Ropshitzer expands this idea: When Moshe sacrificed himself for Bnei Yisrael, this act of mesirus nefesh on their behalf was an act of fusion. When Moshe gave himself in self-sacrifice to ensure their continuity, he was effectively fusing himself and connecting himself to the body of Klal Yisrael to the ultimate degree – his entire individual self was subsumed into their whole, negating his individual self.
Moshe was able to do this because his soul comprised the entire soul of Klal Yisrael (Mechilta Yisro 1:1). The Ropshitzer cites the Maamar Chazal found in several places (such as Tanchuma Pekudei 9; Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:3) that one woman gave birth to six hundred thousand children at once, referring to the birth of Moshe, whose soul was a collective one that incorporated all the six hundred thousand archetypal souls of all of Klal Yisrael (see Shela HaKodosh, Toldos Odom, Bais Chochma 31). This is how the Ropshitzer reads our pasuk: Ve’ata tetzaveh es Bnei Yisrael – the word tetzaveh comes from the same root as tzavsa (a unified group) and can thus mean attachment or connection. “And you, Moshe, shall attach and unify yourself to Bnei Yisrael.” Therefore, concludes the Ropshitzer, Moshe is not mentioned in our Parsha, because he was unified and absorbed fully into all of Klal Yisrael.
The Ropshitzer offers another idea as to why Moshe is missing from the Parsha. He begins by explaining the deeper meaning behind the garments of the Kohen, describing the differences between the various garments. The Ropshitzer notes that there are layers to our garments; there are inner garments and there are outer garments. Sometimes we wear inner garments that are very important in function or purpose. These garments are protected by outer garments, which shield them from ruin. These outer garments are therefore of lesser importance, since their sole purpose is to protect the more important inner garments.
So too there are strata in the nation and the body of our people. The heart of the nation is its important inner core, made up of Tzaddikim; the outer layers are the common people, who act as protective outer garments, shielding the Tzaddik.
As an example, the Ropshitzer teaches that Tzaddikim are sometimes forced to clothe themselves in even baser, more soiled garments when they interact with the wicked in order to elevate them or to give outside forces some foothold so that they take their sustenance from the outer layers of the wicked rather than from the inner layers of the righteous. He cites the vision in Zecharia 3:1–5 as an illustration of how the Novi was clothed in soiled garments so that the Soton, the accuser who stood at his right hand, could have a hold on them; afterward, he was clothed in pure, clean garments from his good deeds.
The Mishkon was built in a similar form. The inner vessel was the aron ho’eidus, which contained the luchos. These are the most inner and important keilim. They were inside a structure made of lesser external materials: wooden boards covered with animal skins.
Hashem asked us to construct a Mishkon, so that He could dwell within us – besochom. This refers to the aspect of Moshe, the central inner figure who represents the inner daas of all of Klal Yisrael. For this reason, Moshe is absent from the Parsha, for he symbolizes the inner daas of all the other middos. This is also why, of all the garments, the tzitz is also not mentioned – because it was worn on the forehead, the seat of the mind, alluding to Moshe, the inner mind of daas.
The Ropshitzer ties this idea to Purim, since the miracle of Purim was an inner, hidden miracle. Ultimately, we desire openly revealed miracles that publicize Hashem’s Name in the world, similar to a person who becomes wealthy and does not care exactly how he gets the money. This is what it means that (Esther 8:15) “Mordechai went out…in royal garments” – it is not just a story, explains the Ropshitzer. The pasuk is telling us that the miracle was clothed and hidden in royal garments so that the nations could mistake the miraculous story of Purim for a sequence of natural events that follow natural laws. Mordechai was a leader like Moshe in his generation; therefore he too alludes to the concept of the inner Tzaddik clothed in garments.
This lack of publicity for Hashem, this failure to recognize and see Hashem’s kingship is the true exile of the Divine Presence known as Golus HaShechina. We rectify this state by recording the nissim in a sefer like the Megilla. By writing these miraculous events in a sefer that is read, we are publicizing miracles and converting a once-hidden miracle into an openly revealed one.
isha ki sazria veyolda zochor – “if a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy…” (12:2).
The heilige Ropshitzer Rav says that we ask Hashem, “Bring us back to You and we will return” (Eicha 5:21). Hashem says to us, “Come back to Me and I shall come back to you.” (Malochi 3:7)
Surely, explains the Ropshitzer, even though Hashem asks us to repent and return to Him first, of our own volition, still Hashem will fulfill the will of His children, especially when they are asking that He bring them back. We then do the opposite: we nullify our own will before His and we do teshuva first. Then both our words and Hashem’s are fulfilled.
Chazal say that Hashem asks us to open for Him a small opening the size of a needleprick and He will open for us a large opening the size of a grand hall (Shir HaShirim Rabba 5:3). This Medrash reflects the will of Hashem that we act first; even if our action seems small and insignificantly tiny, Hashem responds with help by enlarging the small opening we made. The Ropshitzer observes that Chazal say in Kiddushin 30b regarding the battle we wage against the yetzer hora that without Hashem’s help we simply fail; we cannot overcome the evil yetzer without Hashem’s help!
The Ropshitzer concludes that the small opening we make the size of a needleprick also requires Hashem’s help! Even that small effort requires strength that we don’t have; without Hashem perhaps we cannot even open that small hole. This is why we cry out, calling to Hashem, “Return us to You, Hashem, and then we will return!” Hashem then considers this outcry to be the small opening of the needle and He enlarges it to open the gates of teshuva, bringing us inside!
When Hashem creates the soul, He grants her the power to overcome the evil yetzer and to do teshuva. However, this power is latent potential waiting for us to actualize it and to strengthen its bonds through Yiras Hashem. When we gather this strength from all our limbs we can be strong enough to overcome the evil yetzer.
This is why our pasuk begins saying, Isha ki sazria veyolda zochor – “If a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy…”, alluding to our first seed; the planting of our seed is the effort we contribute when we push open that small opening the size of a needleprick. The sowing of seeds is the first step before germination and conception; the process of birth begins with seed, and the final stage is the actual birth of a baby boy. This is similar to the two songs: the feminine song of exile – Golus – and that of the first Geula called (Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:36) Shira Chadosha which was a song about the redemption which was temporal, for there was another exile that followed and another redemption that would follow as well. It is in the feminine form because it is like a female who gives birth several times and can have many children. But the future song that will herald the Final Redemption will be called Shir Chodosh because it is masculine and men cannot give birth. That is the song we aim for when our pasuk concludes with the birth of the baby boy.
isha ki sazria veyolda zochor – “if a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy…” (12:2).
The heilige Ropshitzer Rav says that we ask Hashem, “Bring us back to You and we will return” (Eicha 5:21). Hashem says to us, “Come back to Me and I shall come back to you.” (Malochi 3:7)
Surely, explains the Ropshitzer, even though Hashem asks us to repent and return to Him first, of our own volition, still Hashem will fulfill the will of His children, especially when they are asking that He bring them back. We then do the opposite: we nullify our own will before His and we do teshuva first. Then both our words and Hashem’s are fulfilled.
Chazal say that Hashem asks us to open for Him a small opening the size of a needleprick and He will open for us a large opening the size of a grand hall (Shir HaShirim Rabba 5:3). This Medrash reflects the will of Hashem that we act first; even if our action seems small and insignificantly tiny, Hashem responds with help by enlarging the small opening we made. The Ropshitzer observes that Chazal say in Kiddushin 30b regarding the battle we wage against the yetzer hora that without Hashem’s help we simply fail; we cannot overcome the evil yetzer without Hashem’s help!
The Ropshitzer concludes that the small opening we make the size of a needleprick also requires Hashem’s help! Even that small effort requires strength that we don’t have; without Hashem perhaps we cannot even open that small hole. This is why we cry out, calling to Hashem, “Return us to You, Hashem, and then we will return!” Hashem then considers this outcry to be the small opening of the needle and He enlarges it to open the gates of teshuva, bringing us inside!
When Hashem creates the soul, He grants her the power to overcome the evil yetzer and to do teshuva. However, this power is latent potential waiting for us to actualize it and to strengthen its bonds through Yiras Hashem. When we gather this strength from all our limbs we can be strong enough to overcome the evil yetzer.
This is why our pasuk begins saying, Isha ki sazria veyolda zochor – “If a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy…”, alluding to our first seed; the planting of our seed is the effort we contribute when we push open that small opening the size of a needleprick. The sowing of seeds is the first step before germination and conception; the process of birth begins with seed, and the final stage is the actual birth of a baby boy. This is similar to the two songs: the feminine song of exile – Golus – and that of the first Geula called (Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:36) Shira Chadosha which was a song about the redemption which was temporal, for there was another exile that followed and another redemption that would follow as well. It is in the feminine form because it is like a female who gives birth several times and can have many children. But the future song that will herald the Final Redemption will be called Shir Chodosh because it is masculine and men cannot give birth. That is the song we aim for when our pasuk concludes with the birth of the baby boy.
the connection between rabbi akiva's talmidim and yaakov avinu
The Ropshitzer notes in the name of Rashi, ''This Parsha was written behakhel when Bnei Yisrael were gathered together, as it says, ‘Speak to the entire congregation of Adas Yisrael.''
Adas, “congregation”, has the same letters as da’as, “attachment” (as in “Odom knew Chava” in Bereishis 4:1). The reason da’as means to attach two things together is because it serves as a bridge between thought and action; first we think and then we consider our actions. This is chochma and bina. Afterward, we make up our minds how to act – this is da’as. Later, we actually act on what we were thinking about. We see illustrated how da’as acts as a bridge, connecting and attaching thought and action.
Any connection joins two opposing poles or extremes, bridging them and closing the gap between them. This is the force of our forefather Yaakov, who was the bridge between Avrohom and Yitzchok. (Yaakov represents Tiferes, the attribute that bridges the opposing extremes of Avrohom’s Chessed and Yitzchok’s Gevura – translator’s note.)
Yaakov also spells yud akev – the heel and the letter yud – because he can connect (even the lowliest point in the body (the heel) to the rest of the body and mind represented by yud). Therefore, Rav Akiva is quoted as teaching us, Ve’ahavta lerai’acha komocha ze klal godol baTorah, that loving your fellow like yourself is a great principle in the Torah (Yerushalmi Nedorim 30:2).
The Ropshitzer connects the story of Rav Akiva’s talmidim to Yaakov in a most wondrous way. We know that Yaakov desired peace and therefore opposed Shimon and Levi’s slaughter of the people of Shechem after they had circumcised themselves (see Bereishis 34:30) This slaughter of the people of Shechem ended up coming back as the deaths of the talmidim of Rav Akiva, as Chazal teach us (Yevomos 62b) that they died because they failed to honor each other and they lacked togetherness, friendship and a connection to each other.
[The Megaleh Amukos and the Rama MiFano explain that there were three gilgulim or reincarnations of the slain people of Shechem who numbered 24,000, and the corresponding number of dead from the tribe of Shimon in Shittim and the same number of students of Rav Akiva who died between Pesach and Shavuos. This is why Rav Akiva championed the concept of loving each other – ve’ahavta lerai’acha komocha – because he saw the destruction brought about when these words were not heeded.]
The Ropshitzer explains that Rav Akiva’s students died between Pesach and Shavuos because it is the time of Sefiras HaOmer, days designated for us to work on ourselves, perfecting and correcting our middos (character traits) to refine them and the talmidim should therefore have attached themselves to each other.
This is why the mitzva to count the Omer begins after Pesach, which the pasuk calls Shabbos (Vayikra 23:15): “You shall count for yourselves from the day after the Shabbos”, because Shabbos encompasses all seven days of the week. Sefiras HaOmer is seen to symbolize a gathering together of disparate middos, a connection between opposing traits, a way to attach, connect and build bridges between opposing elements. This idea is hinted at in the gematria of lerai’acha (your friend) whose gematria (320) is equal to Omer (316 plus the four letters of the word), hinting that the Omer is a time for friendship, fraternity and attachment. In addition, ve’ahavta lerai’acha komocha is called a klal godol baTorah, and the word klal, which means “gather together” or “include”, also alludes to friendship and attachment, because we are rectifying our middos and bridging gaps between them; this is the primary avoda in a person’s life – to refine, fix and rectify his middos.
The Ropshitzer comments in the name of Chazal (Yevomos 61a) that only we, the Jews, are called by the name Odom (as opposed to Enosh or other terms for humanity). Odom has the same gematria as midda – forty-nine – like the forty-nine days counted during the Omer, when we count the seven traits times seven, which equal forty-nine combinations of these traits. Seven times the value of Odom equals Omer, teaching us once again that to rectify all our seven traits during the Omer is what makes us Odom.
The Ropshitzer concludes that Rav Akiva’s talmidim, who failed to honor and respect each other, lacked this connection and therefore died during the time of Sefiras HaOmer between Pesach and Shavuos, a time that should be one of unity. This unity is Yaakov’s attribute, as Rav Akiva said, “Ve’ahavta lerai’acha komocha is a klal godol baTorah,” connecting and attaching all the holy branches of Torah to each other. May we all merit this unity!
the connection between rabbi akiva's talmidim and yaakov avinu
The Ropshitzer notes in the name of Rashi, ''This Parsha was written behakhel when Bnei Yisrael were gathered together, as it says, ‘Speak to the entire congregation of Adas Yisrael.''
Adas, “congregation”, has the same letters as da’as, “attachment” (as in “Odom knew Chava” in Bereishis 4:1). The reason da’as means to attach two things together is because it serves as a bridge between thought and action; first we think and then we consider our actions. This is chochma and bina. Afterward, we make up our minds how to act – this is da’as. Later, we actually act on what we were thinking about. We see illustrated how da’as acts as a bridge, connecting and attaching thought and action.
Any connection joins two opposing poles or extremes, bridging them and closing the gap between them. This is the force of our forefather Yaakov, who was the bridge between Avrohom and Yitzchok. (Yaakov represents Tiferes, the attribute that bridges the opposing extremes of Avrohom’s Chessed and Yitzchok’s Gevura – translator’s note.)
Yaakov also spells yud akev – the heel and the letter yud – because he can connect (even the lowliest point in the body (the heel) to the rest of the body and mind represented by yud). Therefore, Rav Akiva is quoted as teaching us, Ve’ahavta lerai’acha komocha ze klal godol baTorah, that loving your fellow like yourself is a great principle in the Torah (Yerushalmi Nedorim 30:2).
The Ropshitzer connects the story of Rav Akiva’s talmidim to Yaakov in a most wondrous way. We know that Yaakov desired peace and therefore opposed Shimon and Levi’s slaughter of the people of Shechem after they had circumcised themselves (see Bereishis 34:30) This slaughter of the people of Shechem ended up coming back as the deaths of the talmidim of Rav Akiva, as Chazal teach us (Yevomos 62b) that they died because they failed to honor each other and they lacked togetherness, friendship and a connection to each other.
[The Megaleh Amukos and the Rama MiFano explain that there were three gilgulim or reincarnations of the slain people of Shechem who numbered 24,000, and the corresponding number of dead from the tribe of Shimon in Shittim and the same number of students of Rav Akiva who died between Pesach and Shavuos. This is why Rav Akiva championed the concept of loving each other – ve’ahavta lerai’acha komocha – because he saw the destruction brought about when these words were not heeded.]
The Ropshitzer explains that Rav Akiva’s students died between Pesach and Shavuos because it is the time of Sefiras HaOmer, days designated for us to work on ourselves, perfecting and correcting our middos (character traits) to refine them and the talmidim should therefore have attached themselves to each other.
This is why the mitzva to count the Omer begins after Pesach, which the pasuk calls Shabbos (Vayikra 23:15): “You shall count for yourselves from the day after the Shabbos”, because Shabbos encompasses all seven days of the week. Sefiras HaOmer is seen to symbolize a gathering together of disparate middos, a connection between opposing traits, a way to attach, connect and build bridges between opposing elements. This idea is hinted at in the gematria of lerai’acha (your friend) whose gematria (320) is equal to Omer (316 plus the four letters of the word), hinting that the Omer is a time for friendship, fraternity and attachment. In addition, ve’ahavta lerai’acha komocha is called a klal godol baTorah, and the word klal, which means “gather together” or “include”, also alludes to friendship and attachment, because we are rectifying our middos and bridging gaps between them; this is the primary avoda in a person’s life – to refine, fix and rectify his middos.
The Ropshitzer comments in the name of Chazal (Yevomos 61a) that only we, the Jews, are called by the name Odom (as opposed to Enosh or other terms for humanity). Odom has the same gematria as midda – forty-nine – like the forty-nine days counted during the Omer, when we count the seven traits times seven, which equal forty-nine combinations of these traits. Seven times the value of Odom equals Omer, teaching us once again that to rectify all our seven traits during the Omer is what makes us Odom.
The Ropshitzer concludes that Rav Akiva’s talmidim, who failed to honor and respect each other, lacked this connection and therefore died during the time of Sefiras HaOmer between Pesach and Shavuos, a time that should be one of unity. This unity is Yaakov’s attribute, as Rav Akiva said, “Ve’ahavta lerai’acha komocha is a klal godol baTorah,” connecting and attaching all the holy branches of Torah to each other. May we all merit this unity!
even if we fail to understand
The heilige Ropshitzer tells us that when we count the Omer, we draw down shefa and berocha. Even though we do not understand all the many kavonos of the Sefira and the various tikkunim and sefiros, still everything is rectified by the help of Hashem.
The Ropshitzer explains that this is similar to the nusach of Birkas HaMitzva that we all recite before performing any mitzva: Boruch ata Hashem Elokeinu Melech ho’olom asher kideshonu bemitzvosov – “Who has sanctified us through the commandments”. The Ropshitzer notes that the Nusach HaBerocha is not “Who sanctified us through the act of fulfilling the mitzvos”; that would have been asher kideshonu ba’asiyas hamitzva. The fact that we do not say that Hashem sanctified us through the act of fulfilling the mitzva proves that He sanctifies us through the very commandment, even if we do not merit to perform and fulfill the mitzvos as we described, with all the various kavonos, even if we do not know the kavonos and do not understand the lofty and sublime depth of what we are doing – still Hashem has sanctified us with His mitzvos, not with how we do them but with their very essence! We don’t need to understand it; they will still work and draw down the shefa of blessings for us as Hashem intended.
sefiras haomer
In Zera Kodesh to Behar, the heilige Ropshitzer Rav asks:
As a nation, Am Yisrael counts Sefira in order to purify our souls from filth and tuma. Is this some kind of segula? Is it some kind of supernatural process that we are automatically purged and purified just by counting the days of the Omer?
This cannot be, because we do see plenty of people who count Sefira and not only do they not cleanse and refine themselves for their past misdeeds, we see that they do not even desist from their current tumas chet, instead continuing their filthy activities, sinning and defiling themselves.
We therefore conclude, says the Ropshitzer, that the days of Sefira are meant to be days of teshuva. There are fifty gates of teshuva and counting the forty-nine days of the Omer leads us to the fiftieth gate, as the pasuk (Vayikra 23:16) tells us, “You shall count fifty days.” The pasuk says we begin counting for seven weeks the day after Shabbos. Since the week is seven days long and Shabbos is the seventh day and we begin counting “the day after Shabbos”, the day we begin counting is in effect the eighth day.
The eighth attribute among the Sefiros is Hod, associated with healing the sick, which is why at Matan Torah all judgments were sweetened and all the sick were healed (Tanchuma Yisro #8).
The Ropshitzer explains that the days of Sefira – these days of teshuva – therefore rectify and sweeten all judgments and transfer the judgments onto our enemies instead of us! The forty-nine days spell mem tes, which means to lower or push down, hinting at the wicked, now subdued and pushed down before the Tzaddik. Forty-nine is also the gematria of the words for a good heart – lev tov. This is because in order to count down forty-nine days towards Shavuos, Zeman Matan Toraseinu, we need to acquire a good heart – a lev tov. The gematria of the fiftieth year, the Yovel, is also equal to lev tov (with the kollel), because whoever acquires a good heart goes free!
Our pasuk therefore talks about Behar Sinai, the location of Kabbolas HaTorah, and also teaches us about Shemita, a preparation for receiving the Torah, because the counting of Sefira and Yovel achieve the same end – to sweeten judgments and acquire a good heart, a lev tov.
why was the torah given in the desert - a barren wasteland
In Honor of Shavuos – a Teaching About Torah
The pasuk says, bemidbar Sinai beohel moed (1:1). The Ropshizter explains that the reason the Torah was given in this way teaches us that just as the Torah came down to us, descending from such a lofty place to such a lowly place, so too even the lowliest of people can come to serve Hashem and rise to the highest of heights through Torah study!
This is why the pasuk emphasizes that Hashem’s speech was spoken in the desert wasteland – dibbur bamidbar – because the desert symbolizes the lowliest, most barren wasteland, where the klippos are at their strongest negative energy. This is why the desert is described as a place of dwelling for poisonous serpents and scorpions, and a thirst where there is no water (Devorim 8:15)! It is a place that lacks seeds, figs and grapevines (Bamidbar 20:5)! Nonetheless, in this barren, empty wasteland, Hashem chose to speak and rest His holy Presence, the Shechina, to dwell in the Ohel Moed. This demonstrates that the Sheleimus HaTorah, the completion that Torah can achieve, can spread to any depths and conquer all chasms, uplifting us all – even the lowliest, most humble, most despicable or despised. No matter how deep we have sunk, we are all uplifted by the Torah HaKedosha!
lo yihiyu - make sure you follow that path too
Ve'Ish es Kedoshav Lo Yihiyu – Bamidbar 5:10
It says in Pirkei Avos 5:21 Whoever finds merit and advocates on behalf of the public good . . . public merit is attributed o him (the merit of the masses belongs to him.)
The Ropshizter explains that this Mishna can be used to explain the meaning of our pasuk - Each person’s Kedoshuv, Lo Yihiyu – whenever a person sanctifies others with kedusha, causing them to repent and return to Hashem through teshuva, they are his, this shefa now belongs to him and Hashem sends down an influx of abundant blessings and supernal kedusha down unto him for this advocacy.
The Ropshizter gives another interpretation based on the statement of Chazal in Bava Metzia 107b “Decorate yourself before asking others to do so,” before you rebuke others and teach them the correct path make sure you yourself are living the example. This then can be read as the meaning of our pasuk: Ve'Ish es Kedoshav – when you tell others to act in a manner of holiness and sanctity and instruct them how to behave, Lo Yihiyu – make sure you follow that path, so that you shall be Naeh Doresh veNaeh Mekayem – someone who fulfills well what he teaches others to do.
and the rabble (asafsuf) among them desired a desire and bnei yisroel also wept once more (11:4)
The Ropshitzer asks, “How could it be that the generation known as Dor HaMidbar, who were called a Dor De’ah – a generation filled with knowledge – could cry over something as trivial as meat?! Further, they ate the mon from Heaven every day – surely such a spiritual, ethereal food as mon was preferable to meat?
The Ropshitzer builds the kasha further, strengthening the question by differentiating between the Asafsuf (also known as the Erev Rav) and Bnei Yisroel. Why would Bnei Yisroel cry together with the Erev Rav? Surely they recited the same daily blessing that we do: “She’osoh Li Kol Tzorki,” Hashem has fulfilled all of my needs. Since Bnei Yisroel were a nation of strong emunoh, surely they believed that they were not reciting this berochoh levatoloh! And if it was not in vain, and Hashem was fulfilling their every need, He would have given them meat had they needed it! So why did they join the Erev Rav in their weeping?
The Yashnitzer Rav answers in the name of the Ropshitzer that when Bnei Yisroel saw how the Erev Rav desired meat, they introspected and realized that they too must have sinned in a similar manner, since we know that perception of a sin in another person is like a mirror reflecting a wrong that we ourselves must rectify (see, for example, Meor Eynaim, Chukkas, in the name of the Baal Shem Tov).
'and you shall speak to the stone'
The holy Ropshitzer taught that when Hashem told Moshe to strike the stone He was telling him to use the gematria format called striking – hako’a, where the letters are multiplied by each other. The Arizal teaches us in this Parsha that the word sela, spelled samech, lamed, ayin is equal to the gematria of Hashem’s name through hako’a.
Hashem’s name is spelled yud and hei and vov and hei. When you use hako’a you multiply the gematria value of each letter with the next one. Here, we multiply yud by hei, hei times yud, vov times hei and hei times vov [10x5=50 5x10=50 6x5=30 5x6=30 ] and this equals one hundred and sixty, the same numerical value as sela. Samech=60 + lamed=30 + ayin=70 = 160.
This is what is meant that the sela would give forth its waters. It means that the Chassidim of the Divine Name latent within it would be drawn out. Moshe erred and believed that to do this required striking the rock so that hako’a would cause the gematria of sela to be equal to the Divine Name of Hashem. However, there are Tzaddikim whose power of speech can achieve the same results as a forceful blow, which is an action rather than just speech. Moshe’s speech could have achieved this but he mistakenly thought he needed to act, because he was so humble that he did not believe his speech had such a power. However, he was on such a lofty level that he could have acted on speech alone.
why was yehoshua chosen? because of the ruach
“Moshe spoke to Hashem saying: May Hashem, G-d of the spirits of all flesh appoint a man over the assembly who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall take them out and bring them in and let the congregation of Hashem be not like sheep that lack a shepherd” (27:15–17).
“Take for yourself Yehoshua bin Nun, a man who has the spirit within him” (27:18).
Moshe had a Neshoma Klolis, which means that Moshe’s soul was a Neshoma that contained all the souls of the entire Jewish people. Therefore Chazal in Bova Basra 75a tell us that Moshe’s face was like the sun and Yehoshua’s face was like the moon. Moshe’s face shone like the sun, because the sun is always full, never waxing and waning like the moon does. This is because the soul is always spiritually at its fullest when the level of soul is called Neshoma, which always desires to draw near to her Creator. Yehoshua’s soul was a Ruach Klolis; he had the second type of soul called the Ruach and he contained all the souls of the level Ruach of the entire Jewish people. Yehoshua’s face is compared to the moon; just as the moon waxes and wanes, has periods when it is a full moon and others when it is just a sliver or crescent, so does the Ruach’s vitality ebb and flow. There are emotions such as a lofty spirit and a lowly spirit, feelings of greatness and pride and feelings of lowly despair, Ruach Kina, a spirit of jealousy and Ruach Tahara, a spirit of purity, and its opposite.
This is why Moshe prayed that Hashem save Yehoshua from the plot of the spies, because Yehoshua was a master of Ruach, which is susceptible to growth and diminishment, and the Ruach can change to several forms. Moshe therefore davened, asking that Yehoshua remain righteous. Chazal say that Moshe davened using the name Yud-Hei, which shares the bechina (aspect) of the Neshoma of Moshe.
The Ropshitzer tells us that he who has the aspect of the steadfast, never-changing Neshoma has a more difficult time advocating on behalf of Klal Yisrael and giving them limud zechus (the benefit of the doubt). Such a limud zechus would be to declare that, after all, they are flesh and blood and cannot guard themselves properly from sin because the evil inclination for sin is so great that even Hashem declared that it was a mistake to have created the yetzer hora (Berochos 31b).
However, because he has the aspect of Neshoma, his soul is so lofty that he is in a continuous state of attachment, yearning and connected to Hashem; to him it seems that there is no evil desire to do wrong in the world at all. He may fail to understand why anyone would stray or err, since his only desire is for dveikus to Hashem at all times!
Moshe, however, was considered the Shoshvina DeMalka – the Queen Shechina’s groom. He understood Hashem’s mercy as encapsulated within the thirteen attributes of Divine Mercy and drew down that mercy to the Jewish people. This was Moshe’s message of advocacy and his melitzas yosher before Hashem regarding Bnei Yisrael, namely, “Because You, Hashem, are merciful, please have mercy on them, even though they sinned.”
Whoever is on the everchanging ebb and flow level of Ruach, which waxes and wanes, realizes what the battle is and understands just what kind of war we are daily waging when we combat the yetzer hora; Hashem thus has mercy because of the difficulties involved in such a war.
This is the meaning of our pasuk, explains the Ropshitzer, illustrated by the above explanations: “Hashem, Master of Ruchos, appoint a leader who can take Bnei Yisrael out of impurity and bring them in under kedusha.” Therefore Hashem answered, “Appoint Yehoshua, for the Ruach is within him.”
treasures locked and hidden away
In his comments to the Haftora, the Ropshitzer points out that when a person has precious treasures and valuable secrets, he locks them up using the best locks and means to prevent their theft and abuse by others. So too did Hashem take the goodness hidden within the twenty-one days of the three weeks we call Bein HaMetzorim and locked them up behind the strongest lock and barrel, hidden away within a period of time that appears on the outside to be a time of pain, mourning and sadness. The Ropshitzer says that this is hinted at in the pasuk in Tehillim 73:1, ach tov leYisrael – that ach is really good for Bnei Yisrael. Ach is spelled alef kaf, which equals twenty-one in gematria, hinting at the twenty-one days of Bein HaMetzorim, which are actually as good and joyous as the twenty-one days between Rosh HaShana and Shemini Atzeres. However, these twenty-one days are so good that Hashem locked them up and hid them away until in the future we will deserve and benefit from them.
The Ropshitzer also tells us that the month of Av is so named because Av means a merciful and loving father, alluding to the mercy a father has for his children. In addition, Av is spelled using the alef bais in order, another hint at mercy (when letters are straightforward this alludes to mercy, when backwards, to harsh judgment).
the three weeks correspond to the three festivals
Eleh hadevorim (1:1):
The heilige Ropshitzer points out in Zera Kodesh that Rashi here (ad loc) cites the Sifri, which lists seven transgressions that correspond to seven locations mentioned in our pasuk: Bamidbar, Ba’arava, Mol Suf, Bein Poron, Uvein Tofel Velovon, Vachatzeiros, Vedi Zohov. These locations where Bnei Yisrael angered Hashem, rebelled and sinned are explained respectively: The sin of angering Hashem in the Midbar (Shemos 16:3), the sin of Ba’al Peor in Shittim and Arvos Moav, for angering Hashem and rebelling at the Yam Suf (Shemos 14:11) and Tehillim (106:7) as explained in Archin 15a, by angering Hashem in the case of the Meraglim (spies) in the Midbar of Poron, by complaining about the Mon (Bamidbar 21:5), at the machlokes of Korach and at the sin of the Egel, the Golden Calf, as it says that they used the gold for idolatry (Hoshea 2:10).
The Ropshitzer says that we seek to mesaken (rectify) these seven sins, which occurred in these seven locations, through celebrating the seven days of Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos. Although Shavuos has only one actual day of Yom Tov, the Ropshitzer points out that its korbonos (offerings) have seven days in which they can be made up (see Rosh HaShana 4b). Seven times three is twenty-one, corresponding to the three weeks or twenty-one days between the seventeenth of Tammuz and the ninth of Av. Why do days of mourning over the Destruction correspond to days of joy and festivity?
In the future [after the coming of Moshiach], explains the Ropshitzer, these three weeks will indeed be days of rejoicing and festivity; They will be days of Yom Tov just as the three festivals are and so they correspond to each other.
three maamarim/essays - tefilla transcends time 1) daven anytime
“And I entreated Hashem at that time, saying…” (3:23)
The heilige Ropshitzer points out in Zera Kodesh that the pasuk neglects to tell us at which time Moshe entreated Hashem. He explains that this omission of time is done on purpose to teach us the profound lesson that there is no set time for asking Hashem; we can always approach Him whenever we wish.
A person, says the Ropshitzer, should never say to himself, “Right now, at this moment, I don’t have the wits to pray. I am not in the correct frame of mind. Later, when I am free and I have the time and my mind is unburdened – then I will daven to Hashem.” This is an incorrect manner of thinking. Instead, daven now, at any time, in any way, in any frame of mind. There is no wrong time to ask and daven; daven at any time, no matter what time it is and what is going on with you and around you at that time.
This is the meaning behind the pasuk (Devorim 4:29), “And from there seek out Hashem, your G-d, and you will find Him”. There the pasuk also does not specify the time or location.
The explanation of that pasuk is similar: at any time and in any place, no matter where you are or when you are – from that place seek Hashem and you will find Him.
Another explanation given in Zera Kodesh is that Moshe asked Hashem to open up the gates of prayer for him at any time. And Moshe’s tefillos were indeed accepted, as Hashem said, “Climb up to the top of the mountain – Rosh HaPisga” (3:27). Moshe was asking, explains the Ropshitzer, that any type of tefilla that a Jew davens, at any time, should be included and incorporated into his own prayer. That is why the pasuk says “at that time” and does not specify when that time is. Moshe was saying that all future tefillos that will be said for all time to come will all be incorporated and included in this tefilla that he was davening.
Another explanation given by the Ropshitzer in Zera Kodesh is that Moshe davened and asked that Klal Yisrael should be able to daven properly whenever they wish, that even in Golus they should be able to daven properly.
That is why the pasuk says bo’eis hahi – “at that time”. The pasuk does not specify a time because it refers to all times, that we should be able to daven to Hashem at all times, even now in Golus, when we daven for the pain and anguish of the Shechina, so to speak.
Furthermore, the Ropshitzer cites the pasuk in Tehillim: 69:14 “And I, may my prayers be to You, Hashem, at an eis rotzon – an auspicious time”. The Zera Kodesh says that Moshe davened to Hashem asking further that whenever we daven, at any time, it should be an eis rotzon, a favorable and auspicious time to draw down Hashem’s will from the attributes of mercy, where Hashem said (Shemos 33:19) that He would favor whomever He found favorable, even if they are unworthy.
Another explanation that the Ropshitzer gives in Zera Kodesh is that a person must serve Hashem in all ways, even with the material world. Even through such physical acts as eating and drinking, a person should not think to fulfill his desires; rather, his intentions should be loftier: to eat in order to have strength to serve Hashem with Torah and tefilla. This is because when we use our mouths to vocalize our Torah study and tefillos, we release breath, called hevel.
The letters that spell hevel are hei, lamed and bais, alluding to hei, the five books of the Chumash and lamed bais, the first and last letters of the Torah (which begins with the bais of Bereishis and concludes with the lamed of Yisrael at the end of the last pasuk in Devorim). The letters of hevel also spell lahav, “flame” and halev, “the heart” because when we vocalize words of Torah and tefilla, the heat of our breath inflames us with excitement, which is generated from our hearts. This is why we eat – to have the strength to engage in Torah study and tefilla, and so we have demonstrated how to serve Hashem even through physical acts.
There are two limbs in the human body that correspond to these two types of divine service: the throat and the windpipe. The windpipe is used to express the heat of breath that forms the vocal sounds of our spiritual prayers and Torah study, whereas the throat is used to swallow food and drink to nourish the body physically.
Man must see to it that his actions by eating through the throat should serve the windpipe, that he should eat to nourish and strengthen himself so as to be able to properly express hevel and lahav from halev through his windpipe in vocalizing the words of Torah and tefilla. This is the primary reason for Creation – to serve and praise Hashem.
This counterplay between throat and windpipe and their conflict occurred between Kayin and Hevel. Kayin represents the throat, since his actions were performed to fulfill his desires, which is why his offering was rejected. Hevel, on the other hand, represents the windpipe and the hevel that it expresses, because he offered the choicest and fattest of his flocks to Hashem. Even of what he ate was made an offering and given over to a higher purpose: to uplift the hevel of Torah and tefilla.
This is what the Torah is teaching us: the throat must serve the windpipe and give the windpipe strength. Kayin and Hevel’s story is as an example for all future generations, teaching us that when Kayin murdered Hevel it was to satisfy his desires and fill his throat and stomach.
When Hashem asked (Bereishis 4:9), “Where is your brother Hevel?” He was asking, “Why are all your actions to fulfill desires? Where is your brother Hevel? Why are you not seeking to uplift your desires to express the hevel of Torah and tefilla?”
This is all hinted at in our pasuk: Vo’es’chanan El Hashem, whose initials are vov, alef, yud and spell ayo – “where?” Bo’eis hahi leimor – the initials are bais, hei, lamed and spell hevel, asking, “Where is Hevel? Where is the emphasis on serving Hashem with Torah and tefilla?” This is why Moshe, a gilgul of Hevel, was asking Hashem to let him see Eretz Yisrael. He knew that the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael had the power to rectify this error that had been promulgated by Kayin and Hevel.
breaking down the barriers to rule over ourselves and draw down shefa
“Now Yosef was the shalit – the ruler – over the land; he was the mashbir – the provider – to all the people of the land” (42:6)
Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer, a talmid of the Rebbe Reb Melech, cites the above quoted peirush from his Rebbe in his own sefer, the Zera Kodesh, and expands upon it.
The Ropshitzer cites a Medrash that Yosef merited to rise to power as viceroy because he was able to overcome the advances of Potiphar’s wife. He suggests that the Medrash must understand mashbir to mean “he who breaks his desires”, similar to what the Noam Elimelech taught, as we explained above.
The pasuk is therefore telling us according to the Medrash that because Yosef broke his own desires, subjugating and ruling over himself, he was therefore called a mashbir, and consequently became a ruler – a shalit. By a person breaking his own evil desires, passions and inclinations toward negative behavior, says the Zera Kodesh, he becomes a ruler, ruling over himself with the power to break down any further barriers and draw down an abundance of blessings. He thus becomes a ruler and a Tzaddik.
Really, explains the Ropshitzer, Hashem is constantly sending us shefa and blessings, pouring them down to us in abundance from on high on a daily basis, as it says in davening, “Every day He opens the doors and gates of the East and breaks open the windows of the firmament” (Birkas Yotzer Ohr on Shabbos). The word for “window” is chalon, spelled ches lamed nun and can stand for the acronym notzer chessed lo’alofim –Hashem has abundant loving-kindness for us in the thousands! This is sent to us as an influx of shefa, an abundance of berocha from the thirteen attributes of divine mercy. However, there are various obstacles and barriers that prevent this berocha and shefa from reaching us. Just like a window shade prevents the light from penetrating the window, there are things that prevent the flow of shefa and berocha through the heavenly windows: our desires and sins. When we break down these barriers, all the shefa from the thirteen attributes can flow down unchallenged. [Translator’s note: the Arizal teaches (Pri Etz Chaim 19:4) that on each night of Chanuka the thirteen divine attributes of mercy are awakened when we light the candles – see below where the Ropshitzer connects these teachings to Chanuka in another way.]
chanukah - a time for teshuva and simcha
“Now Yosef was the shalit – the ruler – over the land; he was the mashbir – the provider – to all the people of the land” (42:6)
In the sefer Ayala Shelucha, the Ropshitzer further expands this teaching and explains that our pasuk is saying that Yosef was the shalit because he was the mashbir; the reason Yosef became a viceroy was because he broke his desires. He then became a mashbir, providing sustenance for the entire world! He who breaks down his desires and rules over his yetzer is a Tzaddik, called a mashbir, who then has the power to break down any barriers that separate us from Hashem, drawing down shefa and sustenance onto the whole world.
In Ayala Shelucha, the Ropshitzer observes that our Parsha always falls on Chanuka, and he connects the power to break down barriers to the power of the Chanuka candles. Hashem commanded us to light the Chanuka candles in order to instill in us the power of teshuva by awakening our hearts to remember and see that Hashem will shine favor on us, just as he did for our forefathers, in those days, at this time. Now, during the exile, our eyes are shut and our hearts are blocked. Because of our sins, we sit in the darkness of Golus, ruled over by other nations, and a great barrier is erected between us and Hashem, and we cannot gaze on the light of His countenance. We are prevented from seeing be’ohr pnei Melech Chaim (Mishlei 16:15) from Avinu Shebashomayim! As Hashem says, “I shall hide My face…because of the evil that they have done” (Devorim 31:18). This concealed divinity causes us great darkness, like it says in Tehillim 18:12: “His darkness conceals Him”.
So it was in the exile of Golus Yovon, among the wicked Greeks who defiled our oils, which represent our wisdom as is known (Menochos 86 and Zohar III 34a). In their wickedness they defiled our wisdom and our Jewish minds, our sechel (intellect) was rendered tomei (impure) and our hearts forgot divine wisdom. When the hands of the Chashmono’im were victorious and they guided us to do teshuva, saving us from our enemies and subjugating the Greek rulers, they purified the defilement and they refined and purified our wisdom and minds by drawing down supernal wisdom, insight and knowledge from on high to us, the holy nation of Klal Yisrael. This enlightened our eyes with a pure, white light of holy divine wisdom to understand how to do teshuva, as we say, “They purified Your Mikdosh and lit candles in Your holy chambers”.
The Ropshitzer sees this idea hinted at in the gematria of lehadlik ner Chanuka, which equals the gematria of ohr chodosh:
Lehadlik Ner Chanuka:
(lamed=30+hei=5+dalet=4+lamed=30+yud=10+kuf =100 = 179) (nun=50+reish =200 = 250) (ches=8+nun=50+vov=6+kaf=20+hei =5 = 89) = 518 plus the kollel = 519
Ohr Chodosh:
(alef=1+vov=6+reish =200 = 207) (ches=8+dalet=4+shin=300 = 312) = 519
The roshei teivos (initial letters) of lehadlik ner Chanuka are lamed, nun and ches, spelling chalon – a window. This is the window that allows the pure light to illuminate His wisdom to flow toward us, as we say in davening, “Every day He opens the doors and gates of the East and breaks open the windows of the firmament (Birkas Yotzer Ohr on Shabbos).
Therefore, explains the Ropshitzer, we celebrate these days in every generation to awaken in our hearts the desire for teshuva, to recognize that our King will deliver us, and in Him shall our hearts rejoice, for simcha only comes from an abundance of goodness and favor – as we see that people who have children, wealth, silver and gold are happy of heart. Therefore, we should rejoice over all the goodness and favors, the miracles and kindness that Hashem has done for us in those days past. He removed from us the wicked Greek rulers, who wished to prevent us from fulfilling Hashem’s mitzvos, as Chazal say (Megillas Antiochus) that they tried to prevent us from keeping Shabbos, Mila and Chodesh, whose roshei teivos are shin, mem and ches and spell same’ach – joy.
Therefore we recite the thirtieth perek of Tehillim, Mizmor Shir Chanukas Habayis – whose roshei teivos are mem, shin, ches, hei, which spells simcha, and the words of the berocha lehadlik ner Chanuka equal the same gematria as nogila venismecha bo – we shall rejoice in Hashem!
Lehadlik Ner Chanuka
(lamed=30+hei=5+dalet=4+lamed=30+yud=10+kuf =100 = 179) (nun=50+reish =200 = 250) (ches=8+nun=50+vov=6+kaf=20+hei =5 = 89) = 518
Nogila Venismecha Bo
(nun=50+gimmel=3+yud=10+lamed=30+hei=5 = 98) (vov=6+nun=50+shin=300+mem=40+ches=8+hei=5= 409) (bais=2+vov=6 = 8) = 515 + the three words themselves = 518
three pieces of advice for better prayer
The holy Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer teaches us in Zera Kodesh that the Torah is teaching us (here) how to daven to Hashem. A person might say to himself, “How can I dare stand before Hashem? I am so unworthy to beseech Him, especially in light of my past misdeeds.”
The Ropshitzer explains that the Torah gives us three pieces of advice to open our hearts and daven:
To remember zechus avos
To remember that we each have a divine soul
To remember that Hashem directly helps us and davens with us side by side
The Ropshitzer then describes these pieces of advice in detail:
The first piece of advice is that even when you feel yourself to be unworthy of davening to Hashem because you and your deeds are worthless, you should come before Him with your zechos avos – with the merit of your holy forefathers, Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, so that even if you lack merit, through their zechus your prayers may be answered. He gives a moshol to illustrate this idea: Yaakov’s inheritance and portion is known as Yaakov chevel nachaloso. A chevel also means a rope or cord. If we tie ourselves to the avos, binding ourselves tightly to the chain of their dynasty that links us, we can use this rope to achieve our goals. Just as someone down below who grasps the end of the rope and shakes it causes the top of the rope to respond to his movement below, so do we shake and move the higher world through our bond to the Avos (see Shela HaKodosh, Toldos Odom Bais Hashem Bais Dovid #16). Even if I am lowly, I am still a member of the family of Klal Yisrael and through my lineage I have the power to use my prayers to awaken all the heavenly worlds, so that Hashem should answer my tefillos, giving Him nachas.
The second piece of advice is to remember that we all carry within ourselves a divine portion – the neshoma – a chelek Eloka mimaal – a G-dly portion from above. When I daven, I am reattaching my neshoma to its origin, reconnecting myself to the source. This alone is good reason for me to be allowed to approach Hashem in prayer, just as in each word we utter many letters, bringing them together to form words, and each word we say comes from various parts of the mouth (the Sefer Yetzira teaches us how the mouth, teeth, tongue, throat and lips form the five groups of sounds of speech which are the guttural, lingual, labial and dental). Who has the power to connect all these disparate sources and bind them into one force of tefilla? Is it not my holy neshoma that gives me the power to daven and bind all these as one? This too should give us the push to feel we can and should pray.
The third and final piece of advice is to remind ourselves of the words of Chazal (Berochos 7a) that Hashem Himself davens as well. Furthermore, the Sages said (Zohar III 232a) that the Shechina spoke through Moshe. Likewise, Hashem, as it were, speaks through us, clothing Himself in our mouths when we daven. Although I may feel small, insignificant and unworthy to daven before Hashem, when Hashem in His great mercy and kindness witnesses that we hesitate, He clothes Himself within our mouths and davens with us, side by side.
Let us explain how the Ropshitzer rereads these pieces of advice in our Parsha: Yehuda stands for tefilla. In Bereishis 29:35 we learn that he was named Yehuda because his mother said, “This time I will thank Hashem.” Thus, we see that his name indicates thanksgiving and praise. Yehuda also contains the four-letter Shem Havaya as well as an additional dalet. The dalet stands for deleis leih migarmei kelum, an Aramaic phrase that means “I myself am nothing”. When a person reaches such a state of humility as represented by the dalet, whose literal meaning is “poor”, he thanks Hashem because he realizes that without Hashem he is nothing. This is why Chazal say that kol haneshoma tehallel Kah – the soul praises Hashem for each and every breath – al kol neshima uneshima (Bereishis Rabba 14:9). The humble person realizes that everything he receives is a gift from above and that he is nothing without Hashem. This is what the dalet in Yehuda symbolizes – poor, humble thanksgiving to Hashem.
Let us now reread our pasuk:
The initials of Vayigash eilov Yehuda – “And Yehuda approached him” –– are alef, yud and vov – ayo – “from where?” This is the question we must ask ourselves when we step forward to approach Hashem in tefilla – from where do I seek to find the merit to have my prayers answered? I know I have past misdeeds; from where do I draw the zechus to daven to Hashem? From where do I know that Hashem will stand close by me and answer me when I call to Him? Our pasuk hints at the three pieces of advice above: Vayigash eilov Yehuda – the final letters shin, vov and hei form the word sheva. These three letters represent the three Avos, Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, in whose merit we ask Hashem to answer us even if we are unworthy: The hei was added to Avrohom Avinu’s name, changing it from Avrom to Avrohom. The shin replaced the tzadi in Yitzchok’s name when he is called Yischok (see Tehillim 105:9). The vov is added to Yaakov’s name, spelling it out completely as Yaakov. Thus, sheva reminds us to use zechus avos.
The pasuk continues, Bi adoni – “Please, my master”, alluding to the second piece of advice, remembering that we have a G-dly portion within us that we reconnect to the source; bi adoni – “Hashem is within me!” This knowledge gives me the right to daven and to be answered. The pasuk continues, Adoni sho’al es avodov – “My master asked of his servants” – this alludes to the Master, Hashem, making requests in prayer alongside us, His servants. This is the third and final piece of advice. Sho’al also means “lend”; Hashem “lends” us His divine portion, the soul, and, using this neshoma, we daven.
The heilige Ropshitzer also tells us that sheva has the same gematria as the name of the healing angel – the Maloch Refoel (shin=300+vov=6+hei=5 = 311) = (reish=200+pei=80+alef=1+lamed=30 = 311)
This teaches us that the merit of the Avos alluded to by the sheva (as we explained) draws down healing and refua. Refua itself contains and includes all manner of salvation. This is proven by the fact that even though usually a Maloch only has one shelichus (Bereishis Rabba 50:2), when the Maloch healed Avrohom Avinu, he also saved Lot. This, says the Ropshitzer, proves that healing includes all other forms of help and salvation. Since sheva equals Refoel – the zechus avos draws down healing as well as all other forms of aid.
May the zechus of the Avos draw down refuos, yeshuos and hatzola for all of Klal Yisrael, Amen!
all your actions are recorded and written down in a sefer
Rav Yosef Levenstein of Seratzk told how Rav Menachem Mendel of Rymanow once told Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer to go and teach Pirkei Avos together with the Chassidim.
They were studying the Mishnah Avos (2:1): “All your actions are recorded and written down in a sefer,” and the Ropshitzer explained this mishna as follows:
All the travels and journeys of Rav Menachem Mendel from Pristik to Rymanow and what he accomplished on all those trips and journeys will be recorded, as well as all of our travels and trips, of each and every one of us, all of these will be written and recorded in the sefer and they will form a new Torah, as in the pasuk, Torah chadosha me'iti teitzei – and it will be genuinely Torah, so much so that every person will recite upon it Birkas HaTorah as we do when we read from the Torah scroll. (Ateres Menachem 90)
Rav Menachem Mendel of Rymanow himself taught that all the travels of Chassidim to their Rebbes who were bonded and attached to them at the root of the souls will be inscribed in a sefer and this will form a body of new Torah (Imrei Chaim Shoftim 71b). The pasuk “A new Torah will come out from Me” means that even the tales and stories of the talmidei Ba’al Shem Tov and their travels and what happened to them on their journeys will all be blessed by the recitation of Nosen HaTorah the very same as recited over Krias HaTorah (ibid 72b).
Rav Menachem Mendel of Rymanow warned us often to study in depth (iyun). He highly praised this form of study when done lishma (sincerely, for the right reasons). He praised it as one of the forty-eight ways through which the Torah is acquired (Avos ch. 6) and taught that all the Tzaddikim in our generation only merited lofty spiritual levels through in-depth study (b’iyun).
why is moshe's name missing - moshe's ultimate self-sacrifice and unity
“And you shall command Bnei Yisrael” (27:20).
As we well know, Moshe Rabbeinu’s name is absent from our Parsha. To explain this omission, the heilige Ropshitzer quotes the Zohar HaKodosh (III 246a), which tells us that when Bnei Yisrael sinned at the chet ho’egel, Moshe responded to Hashem’s threat to wipe them out by saying, “Erase me from Your sefer.” Hashem complied by erasing Moshe from this Parsha.
The Ropshitzer expands this idea: When Moshe sacrificed himself for Bnei Yisrael, this act of mesirus nefesh on their behalf was an act of fusion. When Moshe gave himself in self-sacrifice to ensure their continuity, he was effectively fusing himself and connecting himself to the body of Klal Yisrael to the ultimate degree – his entire individual self was subsumed into their whole, negating his individual self.
Moshe was able to do this because his soul comprised the entire soul of Klal Yisrael (Mechilta Yisro 1:1). The Ropshitzer cites the Maamar Chazal found in several places (such as Tanchuma Pekudei 9; Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:3) that one woman gave birth to six hundred thousand children at once, referring to the birth of Moshe, whose soul was a collective one that incorporated all the six hundred thousand archetypal souls of all of Klal Yisrael (see Shela HaKodosh, Toldos Odom, Bais Chochma 31). This is how the Ropshitzer reads our pasuk: Ve’ata tetzaveh es Bnei Yisrael – the word tetzaveh comes from the same root as tzavsa (a unified group) and can thus mean attachment or connection. “And you, Moshe, shall attach and unify yourself to Bnei Yisrael.” Therefore, concludes the Ropshitzer, Moshe is not mentioned in our Parsha, because he was unified and absorbed fully into all of Klal Yisrael.
The Ropshitzer offers another idea as to why Moshe is missing from the Parsha. He begins by explaining the deeper meaning behind the garments of the Kohen, describing the differences between the various garments. The Ropshitzer notes that there are layers to our garments; there are inner garments and there are outer garments. Sometimes we wear inner garments that are very important in function or purpose. These garments are protected by outer garments, which shield them from ruin. These outer garments are therefore of lesser importance, since their sole purpose is to protect the more important inner garments.
So too there are strata in the nation and the body of our people. The heart of the nation is its important inner core, made up of Tzaddikim; the outer layers are the common people, who act as protective outer garments, shielding the Tzaddik.
As an example, the Ropshitzer teaches that Tzaddikim are sometimes forced to clothe themselves in even baser, more soiled garments when they interact with the wicked in order to elevate them or to give outside forces some foothold so that they take their sustenance from the outer layers of the wicked rather than from the inner layers of the righteous. He cites the vision in Zecharia 3:1–5 as an illustration of how the Novi was clothed in soiled garments so that the Soton, the accuser who stood at his right hand, could have a hold on them; afterward, he was clothed in pure, clean garments from his good deeds.
The Mishkon was built in a similar form. The inner vessel was the aron ho’eidus, which contained the luchos. These are the most inner and important keilim. They were inside a structure made of lesser external materials: wooden boards covered with animal skins.
Hashem asked us to construct a Mishkon, so that He could dwell within us – besochom. This refers to the aspect of Moshe, the central inner figure who represents the inner daas of all of Klal Yisrael. For this reason, Moshe is absent from the Parsha, for he symbolizes the inner daas of all the other middos. This is also why, of all the garments, the tzitz is also not mentioned – because it was worn on the forehead, the seat of the mind, alluding to Moshe, the inner mind of daas.
The Ropshitzer ties this idea to Purim, since the miracle of Purim was an inner, hidden miracle. Ultimately, we desire openly revealed miracles that publicize Hashem’s Name in the world, similar to a person who becomes wealthy and does not care exactly how he gets the money. This is what it means that (Esther 8:15) “Mordechai went out…in royal garments” – it is not just a story, explains the Ropshitzer. The pasuk is telling us that the miracle was clothed and hidden in royal garments so that the nations could mistake the miraculous story of Purim for a sequence of natural events that follow natural laws. Mordechai was a leader like Moshe in his generation; therefore he too alludes to the concept of the inner Tzaddik clothed in garments.
This lack of publicity for Hashem, this failure to recognize and see Hashem’s kingship is the true exile of the Divine Presence known as Golus HaShechina. We rectify this state by recording the nissim in a sefer like the Megilla. By writing these miraculous events in a sefer that is read, we are publicizing miracles and converting a once-hidden miracle into an openly revealed one.
why was the torah given in the desert - a barren wasteland
In Honor of Shavuos – a Teaching About Torah
The pasuk says, bemidbar Sinai beohel moed (1:1). The Ropshizter explains that the reason the Torah was given in this way teaches us that just as the Torah came down to us, descending from such a lofty place to such a lowly place, so too even the lowliest of people can come to serve Hashem and rise to the highest of heights through Torah study!
This is why the pasuk emphasizes that Hashem’s speech was spoken in the desert wasteland – dibbur bamidbar – because the desert symbolizes the lowliest, most barren wasteland, where the klippos are at their strongest negative energy. This is why the desert is described as a place of dwelling for poisonous serpents and scorpions, and a thirst where there is no water (Devorim 8:15)! It is a place that lacks seeds, figs and grapevines (Bamidbar 20:5)! Nonetheless, in this barren, empty wasteland, Hashem chose to speak and rest His holy Presence, the Shechina, to dwell in the Ohel Moed. This demonstrates that the Sheleimus HaTorah, the completion that Torah can achieve, can spread to any depths and conquer all chasms, uplifting us all – even the lowliest, most humble, most despicable or despised. No matter how deep we have sunk, we are all uplifted by the Torah HaKedosha!
the divine revelation on har sinai - seeing hashem face-to-face
“Hashem spoke once (and) I heard this twice” (Tehillim 62:12).
The heilige Ropshitzer cites the Medrash that quotes our pasuk, saying, “Anochi Hashem Elokecha – I am Hashem, your G-d”. The Medrash adds, “As it says: “Face-to-face Hashem spoke with you” (Devorim 5:4).
The Ropshitzer reminds us here in Parshas Yisro of what he says in his derushim to Shavuos: “I heard from my teacher and master, Rav Menachem Mendel of Rymanow, regarding the pasuk in Tehillim (62:12), ‘Hashem spoke once and I heard twice’ the following: Perhaps, said the Rymanower, we heard from the Holy One’s mouth nothing but a single letter, just the alef of the word anochi…” From this, says the Ropshitzer, we understood the rest of the Aseres HaDibros (Ten Commandments). Perhaps, adds the Ropshitzer, we heard just komatz alef [the first nikud taught to a cheder yingel], the alef vowelized with the nikud of komatz, as explained elsewhere at length.
He continues in his derushim to Shavuos to explain this in greater detail, saying that we can try to understand this idea based on the sweet words of our forefathers, who said that Shivisi Hashem lenegdi somid is a klal godol baTorah – “Placing Hashem before me at all times is a great general principle in the Torah”. Notice that they did not say it is a great rule in Avodas Hashem (serving Hashem) – no, they said “in Torah”!
where are you? hashem searches for us as we search for him in galus
The heilige Ropshitzer cites the Medrash Eicha 1:1 that three nevi’im (prophets) all prophesied using the term Eicha. They were: Moshe, Yeshaya and Yirmiya. The Zera Kodesh points out that in the Medrash Bereishis Rabba (19:9) Chazal tell us that Hashem hinted regarding the Churban (Destruction) even to Odom HoRishon, when Hashem called him (Bereishis 3:9) asking Odom, “Ayeka – Where are you?” Ayeka is spelled exactly the same as Eicha, the lamentation over the Destruction. [The Medrash tells us that Hashem also lamented over Odom’s sin using Eicha.]
Says the Ropshitzer, Hashem is calling to each one of us, “Ayeka – Where are you? Hashem is searching for us, as it says in Hoshea 9:10 “like grapes in the desert I found Yisrael.” Then Hashem will find us, so to speak, and rejoice with us, since we searched for Him during the Golus, and we ask, “Ayei mekom kevodo – Where is His place of glory?” In the future Hashem will find us and we will find Him. Then we will be reunited and declare (Yeshaya 25:9), “This is Hashem, the One we were hoping for!”
Moshe, Yeshaya and Yirmiya all prophesied with Eicha, each saying a different pasuk of lamentation: Eicha esa, Eicha hoyisa and Eicha yoshva. The acrostic formed by the initial letters of each word following Eicha spells the roshei teivos Ayei – Where are You, Hashem? This hints at our search as we seek Hashem, saying, “Where is the place of Your glory?” Then Hashem seeks and asks where we are, just as He asked Odom HoRishon, “Where are you?”
The Ropshitzer seeks to understand the concept of reward and punishment. First, he points out that the two seem to be self-contradictory. Hashem is called ne’eman leshalem sochor (faithful to pay reward) (see, for example, Bamidbar Rabba 10:1) and yet He is also known as ne’eman lifroa (faithful to collect) (see Avos DeRabbi Nosson 16:5). How do we resolve this seeming contradiction?
Furthermore, if we posit that Hashem created the world in order to reward us, it means the world was created to benefit us, so how can there be any punishment? Isn’t the very concept of punishment or collection of dues owed against the concept of a world created for our benefit?
Since the world was created for Bnei Yisrael, anyone standing in their way or seeking to harm them will be and should be punished, and that is only right. However, this does not explain why we, Bnei Yisrael, ever get punished. The Zera Kodesh answers that what appears to be a punishment is actually a benefit for us. This is similar to a parent who punishes his child out of love for the child and care for his well-being and growth, as it says (Devorim 8:5), “Just as a parent disciplines his child, so does Hashem your G-d discipline you”. And the pasuk also rejoices over such disciplinary measure when it says (Tehillim 94:12), “Happy is the man whom Hashem disciplines”. This is the primary good. In the future, says the Ropshitzer, all hidden benefits and good will be revealed and all the things Hashem did to us in Golus will be understood and seen as invaluable.
When the nations of the world observe that even in Golus we have not forsaken Hashem, they too admit that we deserve only good. This is how the Ropshitzer understands the pasuk in Eicha (1:3): “All her pursuers caught up to her between the straits” – that during the three weeks known as Bein HaMetzorim, even our enemies recognize that we are a holy nation that never forsakes Hashem. This is why Hashem can simultaneously be faithful to reward and faithful to collect dues. Both stem from the desire to benefit us; the concept of reward and punishment are then two ways that achieve the same result: to get us closer to Hashem and attach to Him in dveikus.
treasures locked and hidden away
In his comments to the Haftora, the Ropshitzer points out that when a person has precious treasures and valuable secrets, he locks them up using the best locks and means to prevent their theft and abuse by others. So too did Hashem take the goodness hidden within the twenty-one days of the three weeks we call Bein HaMetzorim and locked them up behind the strongest lock and barrel, hidden away within a period of time that appears on the outside to be a time of pain, mourning and sadness. The Ropshitzer says that this is hinted at in the pasuk in Tehillim 73:1, ach tov leYisrael – that ach is really good for Bnei Yisrael. Ach is spelled alef kaf, which equals twenty-one in gematria, hinting at the twenty-one days of Bein HaMetzorim, which are actually as good and joyous as the twenty-one days between Rosh HaShana and Shemini Atzeres. However, these twenty-one days are so good that Hashem locked them up and hid them away until in the future we will deserve and benefit from them.
The Ropshitzer also tells us that the month of Av is so named because Av means a merciful and loving father, alluding to the mercy a father has for his children. In addition, Av is spelled using the alef bais in order, another hint at mercy (when letters are straightforward this alludes to mercy, when backwards, to harsh judgment).
the three weeks correspond to the three festivals
Eleh hadevorim (1:1):
The heilige Ropshitzer points out in Zera Kodesh that Rashi here (ad loc) cites the Sifri, which lists seven transgressions that correspond to seven locations mentioned in our pasuk: Bamidbar, Ba’arava, Mol Suf, Bein Poron, Uvein Tofel Velovon, Vachatzeiros, Vedi Zohov. These locations where Bnei Yisrael angered Hashem, rebelled and sinned are explained respectively: The sin of angering Hashem in the Midbar (Shemos 16:3), the sin of Ba’al Peor in Shittim and Arvos Moav, for angering Hashem and rebelling at the Yam Suf (Shemos 14:11) and Tehillim (106:7) as explained in Archin 15a, by angering Hashem in the case of the Meraglim (spies) in the Midbar of Poron, by complaining about the Mon (Bamidbar 21:5), at the machlokes of Korach and at the sin of the Egel, the Golden Calf, as it says that they used the gold for idolatry (Hoshea 2:10).
The Ropshitzer says that we seek to mesaken (rectify) these seven sins, which occurred in these seven locations, through celebrating the seven days of Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos. Although Shavuos has only one actual day of Yom Tov, the Ropshitzer points out that its korbonos (offerings) have seven days in which they can be made up (see Rosh HaShana 4b). Seven times three is twenty-one, corresponding to the three weeks or twenty-one days between the seventeenth of Tammuz and the ninth of Av. Why do days of mourning over the Destruction correspond to days of joy and festivity?
In the future [after the coming of Moshiach], explains the Ropshitzer, these three weeks will indeed be days of rejoicing and festivity; They will be days of Yom Tov just as the three festivals are and so they correspond to each other.
Segulos of Rav Naftoli Tzvi Horowitz zt"l
We all want Hashem to hear and answer our tefillos. The heilige Ropshitzer, in the Likkutim of Zera Kodesh, uses our pasuk to describe a segula for having our tefillos answered. That segula is achdus and brotherhood. There is a tefilla we recite before davening and doing mitzvos called leShem yichud – in order to unify the divine attributes. We ask in that tefilla that our prayers be accepted beshem kol Yisrael – “in the name of all of Klal Yisrael”. Through this achdus, explains the Ropshitzer, our tefillos are answered even if we ourselves are not so righteous. Even if we are unworthy and do not always walk the straight path of Torah observance as we should, nonetheless, if we unite as one body and daven together, beseeching Hashem in the name of Kol Yisrael, it is considered as if we too are among the righteous who do fulfill the Torah properly.
This segula is hinted at by our pasuk. Es achai – when I attach myself to all Yidden, united as brothers, then anochi mevakesh – I beseech of Hashem and ask. Then my prayers are answered, even if I am unworthy and not on the proper level of daas Torah alluded to by the word Dosan.
In the previous pasuk, the Ropshitzer finds an allusion to the idea that achdus leads to answered prayers: “And he sent him from the valley of Chevron” (37:14). The word emek (“valley”) forms the roshei teivos (acronym) – kabbolas ol malchuso – “the acceptance of the yoke of Hashem’s kingship”. Chevron shares the same linguistic root as chibur (“connection”). Through Chevron, hischabrus, then “we all accept the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven upon ourselves from one another and lovingly give each other permission”. (See Birkas Yotzer Ohr of Shacharis)
Reshus (“permission”) equals the gematria of the roshei teivos of the last stanza of the tefilla Ana Bekoach (authored by Rav Nechunia ben HaKana): shavoseinu kabel ushma tzaakoseinu yodeia taalumos, which translates as “Accept our entreaty and hear our cry, O Knower of mysteries”, through which our tefillos are answered. (Reshus = reish = 200 + shin = 300 + vov = 6 + sov = 400. Total = 906. The roshei teivos of the tefilla from Ana BeKoach are: shin = 300 + kuf = 100 + vov = 6 + tzaddi = 90 + yud = 10 + sov = 400. Total = 906). Through Emek Chevron, our tefillos are answered and heard; through hischabrus and accepting the yoke of Hashem’s kingship, we are granted reshus which is equivalent to having our prayers answered, as we find in Ana BeKoach.