Weekly Message

And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, but the people with me did not see it; yet a great terror befell them, and they fled into hiding.

Daniel 10:7

But if they did not see the vision, why were they terrified? Because though they themselves did not see, their souls saw.
Talmud, Megillah 3a

On the ninth day of the month of Av ("Tishah B’Av") we fast and mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Both the First Temple (833–423 bce) and the Second Temple (353 bce–69 ce) were destroyed on this date. The Shabbat preceding the fast day is called the "Shabbat of Vision," for on this Shabbat we read a chapter from the Prophets entitled "The Vision of Isaiah."[i]

But there is also a deeper significance to the name "Shabbat of Vision," expressed by Chassidic master Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev[ii] with the following metaphor:

A father once prepared a beautiful suit of clothes for his son. But the child neglected his father’s gift and soon the suit was in tatters. The father gave the child a second suit of clothes, but this one, too, was ruined by the child’s carelessness. So the father made a third suit. This time, however, he withheld it from his son.

Every once in a while, in special and opportune times, he shows the suit to the child, explaining that when the child learns to appreciate and properly care for the suit, it will be given to him. This induces the child to improve his behavior, until it gradually becomes second nature to him—at which time he will be worthy of his father’s gift.

On the "Shabbat of Vision," says Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, each and every one of us is granted a vision of the third and final Temple—a vision that, to paraphrase the Talmud, "though we do not see ourselves, our souls see." This vision evokes a profound response in us, even if we are not consciously aware of the cause of our sudden inspiration.

The Divine Dwelling

The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was the seat of G-d’s manifest presence in the physical world.

A basic tenet of our faith is that "The entire earth is filled with His presence"[iii] and "There is no place void of Him."[iv] But G-d’s presence and involvement in His creation are masked by the seemingly independent and arbitrary workings of nature and history. The Holy Temple was a breach in this mask, a window through which G-d radiated His light into the world. Here G-d’s involvement in our world was openly displayed by an edifice in which miracles were a "natural" part of its daily operation[v] and whose very space expressed the infinity and all-pervasiveness of the Creator.[vi] Here G-d showed Himself to man and man presented himself to G-d.[vii]

Twice we were given the gift of a Divine dwelling in our midst. Twice we failed to prove worthy of this gift and banished the Divine presence from our lives.

So G-d built us a third temple. Unlike its two predecessors, which were of human construction and therefore subject to debasement by man’s misdeeds, the Third Temple is as eternal and invincible as its Architect. But G-d has withheld this "third suit of clothes" from us, confining its reality to a higher, heavenly sphere, beyond the sight and experience of our earthly selves.

Each year, on the "Shabbat of Vision," G-d shows us the Third Temple. Our souls behold a vision of a world at peace with itself and its Creator, a world suffused with the knowledge and awareness of G-d, a world that has realized its Divine potential for goodness and perfection. It is a vision of the Third Temple in heaven—in its spiritual and elusive state—like the third set of clothes in the analogy, which the child sees but cannot have. But it is also a vision with a promise: a vision of a heavenly temple poised to descend to earth, a vision that inspires us to correct our behavior and hasten the day when the spiritual Temple becomes tactual reality.

Through these repeated visions, living in the Divine presence becomes more and more "second nature" to us (as Rabbi Levi Yitzchak says in his analogy), progressively elevating us to the state of worthiness to experience the Divine in our daily lives.

The Wearable House

The metaphors of our sages continue to speak to us long after the gist of their message has been assimilated. Beneath the surface of the metaphor’s most obvious import lies layer upon layer of meaning, in which each and every detail of the narrative is significant.

The same applies to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s analogy. Its basic meaning is clear, but many subtle insights are enfolded within its details. For example: Why, we might ask, are the three Temples portrayed as three suits of clothes? Would not the example of a building or house[viii] have been more appropriate?

The house and the garment both "house" and contain the person. But the garment does so in a much more personal and individualized manner. While it is true that the dimensions and style of a home reflect the nature of its occupant, they do so in a more generalized way—not as specifically and as intimately as a garment suits its wearer.

On the other hand, the individual nature of the garment limits its function to one’s personal use. A home can house many; a garment can clothe only one. I can invite you into my home, but I cannot share my garment with you: even if I give it to you, it will not clothe you as it clothes me, for it "fits" only myself.

G-d chose to reveal His presence in our world in a "dwelling"—a communal structure that goes beyond the personal to embrace an entire people and the entire community of man.[ix] Yet the Holy Temple in Jerusalem also had certain garment-like features. It is these features that Rabbi Levi Yitzchak wishes to emphasize by portraying the Holy Temple as a suit of clothes.

For the Holy Temple was also a highly compartmentalized structure. There was a "Women’s Court" and a courtyard reserved for men, an area restricted to the kohanim (priests), a "Sanctuary" (heichal) imbued with a greater sanctity than the "courtyards," and the "Holy of Holies"—a chamber into which only the High Priest could enter and only on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. The Talmud enumerates eight domains of varying sanctity within the Temple complex, each with its distinct function and purpose.[x]

In other words, although the Temple expressed a single truth—the all-pervasive presence of G-d in our world—it did so to each individual in a personalized manner. Although it was a "house" in the sense that it served many individuals—indeed the entire world—as their meeting point with the infinite, each and every individual found it a tailor-made "garment" for his or her specific spiritual needs, according him or her a personal and intimate relationship with G-d.

Each year, on the Shabbat before Tishah B’Av, we are shown a vision of our world as a Divine home—a place where all G-d’s creatures will experience His presence. But this is also a vision of a G-dly "garment"—the distinctly personal relationship with G-d, particularly suited to our individual character and individual aspirations, that we will each enjoy when the Third Temple descends to earth.[xi]

________________

FOOTNOTES:

[i]. Isaiah 1:1-27. This reading is the third of a series of readings, called the "Three of Rebuke," that are read on the three Shabbatot preceding the 9th of Av.

[ii]. 1740-1810.

[iii]. Isaiah 6:3.

[iv]. Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 57.

[v]. Ethics of the Fathers 5:5.

[vi]. The Talmud (Yoma 21a) relates that the Temple and its furnishings defied the most fundamental characteristic of physical objects—that they take up space—in that "The space of the Ark was not part of the measurement." The Holy of Holies measured 20 cubits (approx. 30 feet) by 20 cubits; the Ark which stood in its the center measured 2.5 x 1.5 cubits; yet the distance from each of the outside walls of the Ark to the walls of the chamber was a full 10 cubits. In other words, the Ark, though itself a physical object with spatial dimensions, did not take up any of the space in the room.

[vii]. Exodus 23:17, as per Talmud, Sanhedrin 4b.

[x]. Talmud, Keilim 1:6.

[xi]. Based on the Rebbe’s talks on Shabbat Chazon, 5742 (1982) and 5744 (1984), (Likkutei Sichot, vol. XXIX, pp. 18-25).

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Moshiach in the Parsha

The past ten months we have been reading in the Torah about what happened from when the world was created up to the point where the Jewish people were ready to enter the Promised Land. This week we will start the book of Devarim. Hashem had told Moshe that he would not take the people into Israel. (A true leader always stays with his people. All the people that Moshe had taken out of Egypt were buried in the desert; Moshe was buried there too.) Before giving over the leads to Yehoshua, who had been appointed his successor, Moshe gives a long speech to prepare the Jewish people for the future. This speech is the book of Devarim.

“It was in the fortieth year…Moshe started clarifying the Torah.” Obviously the Torah had been clarified and explained by Moshe as soon as it was given on Mt. Sinai. Our sages tell us that what it means is, that he explained it to them in the seventy languages. (The Torah always takes on the number seventy for languages existing in the world. These were the seventy languages that were spoken when Hashem mixed up all the languages by the tower of Bavel. All other languages are based on these seventy.)

Later on in the Torah we will read that Moshe commands the Jewish people to write down the Torah on stones as they cross the Jordan River into the Holy Land ‘in a clear manner’. There, too, ‘clear’ is understood to mean the seventy languages.

There was once a non-Jewish king by the name of Talmai. He got five great (Jewish) scholars to translate the Torah into Greek for him. That day was to the Jewish people “as hard as the day the golden calf was made, because the Torah couldn’t be translated properly”, we are told.

This statement needs a lot of clarification.

From the fact that Moshe asked for the Torah to be written in all languages it seems that it is a positive thing to do. Why then was it such a tragedy that it was translated again many years later?

“The Torah couldn’t be translated properly.” Why weren’t those scholars able to translate the Torah properly if the translation had been made many years earlier?
Greek is one of the seventy languages!

“The Torah couldn’t be translated properly.” This is a general statement. From this it would seem that not only was there a problem with the Greek translation, rather NO language would be able to properly translate the Torah.

To find this statement in connection with the Greek language is very interesting.
We all know, that Torah scrolls and tefilin are written in Hebrew. The law is that if they were to be written in any other language, they wouldn’t be valid. The only exception to this rule is Greek!
Even more: The Jerusalem Talmud tells us that after trying to translate the Torah into different languages, the conclusion was made that the only language that would give over the content of the Torah properly is Greek!

The hardest to understand though is the comparison between not being able to translate the Torah properly and the day the golden calf was made. This seems to be a very extreme statement.

The DAY the Torah was translated was like the DAY the golden calf was made.
It is interesting to note that the emphasis here is put on the days. The golden calf was made a day BEFORE it was served as an idol. Aharon had given the idea of making the calf saying: “There will be a holiday for Hashem tomorrow.” In his mind the calf would keep the people occupied for another day till Moshe’s return the next morning.
If all had gone well and they wouldn’t have gotten up very early the next morning, Moshe would have returned and everyone would have realized that the calf was worthless. Then indeed it would have been a true holiday for Hashem. It would have proven His existence to all the idol worshippers. In other words, the making of the golden calf in itself could have led to a ‘holiday for Hashem tomorrow’ and wasn’t necessarily a sin. Still, it is considered a bad DAY, because it was a day focused on making an idol; not a day focused on Hashem. It was a day that had a potential to have a very negative outcome. (Which is what happened.)

Similarly we can say that the actual translation to Greek wasn’t the main issue. It was the potential danger it contained. Since it wasn’t possible to translate the Torah properly, it would be possible for Talmai, and later others, to misinterpret sections of the Torah.
We find that this same king Talmai, on a different occasion, gathered the seventy two elders and put them up in seventy two different houses without revealing his intentions of why he was doing so. Then he instructed each one separately to translate to Torah into Greek. In this way he would be sure to get the real translation. If one of the sages would make a change, he would realize it immediately by comparing it to the other translations. A miracle occurred and all seventy elders made the same changes!
All the changes they made were necessary to prevent Talmai from interpreting the Torah the wrong way. To give an example: the first words in the Torah are Bereishit Bara Elokim. Literally translated, this would read “In the beginning created G-d.” This could be understood as “bereishit – name of a being, created A) G-d B) the heavens and the earth. That would imply that there is another supernal being aside for Hashem. The sages therefore changed it to “Elokim bara bereishit.” -G-d created in the beginning. In this way it could only be understood as ONE G-d creating the heavens and the earth.

The comparison of the DAY the Torah was translated to the DAY the calf was MADE (but not worshiped) is in that, that they both had a potential danger to have a negative outcome.

Obviously, when the Torah makes such a comparison there is a deeper connection between the two occurrences mentioned other then being potentially dangerous.

Why did the people, who had just witnessed the strongest G-dly revelation ever, create an idol? Didn’t they know that gold isn’t a substitute for the creator of the world?
The Torah commentators explain at length what the source of their mistake was. They were not looking for a substitute for Hashem; rather they were looking for a substitute for Moshe. Moshe was the connection between man and G-d. He was called ‘ish ha’elokim’ – ‘the G-d man’. His entire being was so closely connected with Hashem, that one would think he saw G-d when looking at Moshe. Moshe was the example of how one should be. Being an ‘ish’, man, but at the same time totally devoted to G-d. Not only BELIEVING that there is a G-d, but KNOWING He exists.
Because Moshe did not return after the forty days, as he had promised, (we al know that they had miscalculated the days) the people decided to find a new link between them and Hashem. Only this time they would do it even better. Not only where they looking for another HUMAN to be their connection, they wanted a PHYSICAL OBJECT to be their connection. This would be able to connect G-dliness not only with their bodies, but also with they rest of the physical world. The idea in itself wasn’t so bad.
Hashem Himself actually asked for a physical house to be built for him for that same reason. “Build me a house so I will dwell within you”. The reason why today we face east when we pray is because the PHYSICAL city of Jerusalem (and there, the place of the temple) is the place where all our prayers go up to heaven.
The medrash explains the reason why, out of all animals, a calf was chosen to serve as this connecting object.
When Hashem revealed himself on Mt. Sinai, he came down in a chariot. This chariot is obviously not a physical car. It is a spiritual being that we read about in the prophets. One of the four carriers of this ‘chariot’ is a being with the face of an ox. Kabalah explains exactly what this means. (What it DOESN’T mean is that there is a being with the face of an ox.)
The calf was ‘taken’ (to quote the medrash) from this chariot.

The mistake was that all these beautiful ideas came from man’s mind. At that time the only existing connection with the higher worlds was going through Moshe. The connection through a physical object only became possible after HASHEM commanded his people to make Him a dwelling. The calf did not have the ability to connect the physical with the spiritual because it was not built by Hashem’s command.
When the medrash tells us that the calf is the ‘ox’ from the chariot, it teaches us the same idea. The calf was TAKEN AWAY, disconnected, from the chariot. It was a spiritual being when it was serving Hashem by carrying His chariot. Once it came down as a physical calf, DISCONNECTED from the chariot, it became a source of idol worship.
Creating a physical being, even with positive intentions, but not by command of Hashem, can lead to idol worship. The day that happened is therefore also recorded as a negative day even though it had a potential to be a ‘holiday for Hashem tomorrow’.

“The day the Torah was being translated was like the day the golden calf was made because it couldn’t be translated properly.”
If it had been translated literally, it would have left room to think there is more than One G-d, as we explained before. This is exactly the same that happened the day the calf was made. There was a potential cause for not accepting Hashem’s unity.

But just like by the calf, there was a potential for a positive outcome too. When the Talmud discusses whether or not it is permitted to write Torah scrolls in different languages, it gives permission to write them in Greek, as a RESULT of what happened with Talmai.
A Torah scroll not written in Hebrew has no holiness to it. Translating the Torah without being commanded by Hashem is as useful as making a golden calf. The holiness of the Torah will not enter the foreign language. Only when translated as per instruction from above, as was done by Moshe, and later by the Jewish people as they were crossing the Jordan, does the holiness get transmitted to the foreign language.

After the Torah had been translated to Greek, in a way that it wouldn’t leave room for doubts about Hashem’s unity; it became permissible to use that language in the future too. It had been ELEVATED to a level similar to the level of holiness the original Hebrew has.
The day the Torah was translated could have led to idol worship, but instead it showed Hashem’s unity to the nations.
The day the calf was made unfortunately had a different outcome at that time. However, since Aharon pronounced the following day as a holiday for Hashem, there will come a time hat it will indeed be a holiday. That day was the 17th of Tamuz.
This year it was still a fast day and the beginning of the three weeks commemorating the destruction of the temple, but next year after Moshiach has come, it will be a holiday, as the prophet tells us.

Although we don’t have the power to elevate the remaining sixty-nine languages to the level of holiness which allows them to be used for writing Torah scrolls, we can use them anyway to teach the world the unity of Hashem.
May the writing of this Dvar Torah in English be the ‘deed that tips the scale’ to bring Moshiach so that we will celebrate the Yom Tov of 9 Av in Yerushalayim with Moshiach NOW!!!!

* * *

"See, I have set the land before you. Come and possess the land G-d swore unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give unto them and to their descendants after them." (Devarim 1:8)

Rashi comments: "'Come and possess the land' - there is no one to contest the matter, and you need not wage war. Indeed, if they had not sent the spies, they would not have needed any weapons."

The Almighty Himself had promised the Jewish People that He would give them the Land of Israel, thus, obviously, no one can contest this.

The People of Israel, therefore, could have taken possession of the land without a battle, and even without any armor that would scare off a potential enemy.

Unfortunately, however, the people lacked faith.

They did not rely on G-d to bring them into the land in a miraculous way. They demanded, "Let us send men ahead of us, to explore for us the land and to bring us back a report..." (Devarim 1:22) Thus they spoiled that opportunity.

Their attitude and conduct made it necessary for them to follow natural procedures in taking over the land: they met opposition on the part of the in habitants which forced them to wage wars in order to assert their Divine right to the land.

There is a moral in this for our own times and present condition:

Of the future redemption by Moshiach it is said that it is analogous to the exodus from Egypt: "As in the days of your going out from the land of Egypt, I will show them wondrous things." (Michah 7:15)

In fact, the wonders and miracles of the Messianic redemption will exceed those of the exodus.

If, then, the entry into, and settlement of, the Land of Israel by those who were freed from the Egyptian exile was supposed to be in a miraculous way - "There is no one to contest the matter, and you need not wage war" - how much more so will this be the case with the Messianic redemption in our own days!

Nowadays, too, just as then, this matter depends on the Jewish people themselves.

We must show absolute faith in G-d and His promise that the entire Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel!

We must not be afraid to inform the nations of the world, clearly and unequivocally, that the Land of Israel is Israel's eternal legacy.

"Should the people of the world say to Israel, `You are robbers, because you took by force the lands of the seven nations (of Canaan),' they can respond to them: `The whole earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He. He created it and gave it to whom He saw fit. (The Land of Israel) was given to (the nations) by His Will, and by His Will He took it from them and gave it to us!'" (Rashi on Genesis 1:1)

When we shall demonstrate this true and absolute faith in G-d, we shall merit immediately that "No one will contest this, and there will be no more wars nor the need for any weapons": "I shall break from the earth the bow, the sword and warfare, and I shall make them lie down securely!" (Hosea 2:20)

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Tales for the Shabbos Table

This week's section is always read on the Shabbat before the Ninth of Av; the fast day commemorating the most tragic incidents in Jewish history:

On this date some 3,300 years ago the entire Jewish nation refused to enter the land of Israel and was consequently punished with 40 years of wandering in the desert. Nine hundred years later the first Temple was destroyed and 490 years thereafter the second Temple met the same fate. Millions of Jews were killed and almost 2,000 years of exile and torture began for the Jewish people. All on the 9th of Av.

This Shabbat is also called Shabbat 'Chazon' after the harsh 'HafTorah' portion from Isaiah (for example 1:4): 'Ho! A nation of sinners, an people laden with sin, an evil seed, criminal children that have abandoned G-d, scorned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs!" that reminds us (as do the majority of the sentences in our Torah portion) that ALL these disasters were SOLEY because of our sins.

Nevertheless, this Shabbat is supposed to be the happiest of the year. We are supposed to eat meat, drink wine and be merry as though nothing ever happened.

In fact, the famous Chassidic Rebbe, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Breditchev said that on this Shabbat we can actually see a 'VISION' (Chazon) of the Third Temple!!

This is all very hard to understand and even more so to actually do; if one feels the awesome horror of this day then how is it possible to be happy a few days beforehand?

To understand, here is a story.

The Baal Shem Tov (Besh't for short) had many pupils and followers. One of them was Rabbi Wolfe Kitzes. Reb Kitzes was a truly humble man, a servant of G-d, a genius and a genuine pauper. He virtually didn't have a penny (kopek) to his name which made his life difficult and marrying off his daughter impossible.

One day the Besh't called Reb Kitzes to his office, and when he arrived the local matchmaker (shadchan) was also standing there holding a list of names in his hand.

Pick one," said the Besh't. "The time has come for your daughter to marry."

Reb Kitzes looked at the list in horror. "But, but these are the wealthiest families in the..." He stammered as he looked up, wide-eyed. But the Besh't just stared at him and with no other choice he made his choice and the shadchan set off to the city where the prospective in-laws lived to finalize
the match.

When he arrived everything went smoothly. The family agreed to the match on the condition that the Rabbi would pay a dowry of two thousand rubles (a small fortune) for their son, they shook hands, made a l'chiam and the shadchan returned home with the good news.

But, needless to say, when Rabbi Kitzes heard the news he had trouble being happy. It was a custom for the bride to send gifts to the groom and he had nothing to his name. He'd been wearing the same shoes for twenty years, where would he find money to send gifts?

Two weeks later he received a letter from the father of the groom asking why he hadn't received the customary gifts and hoping that everything was all right.

Rabbi Kitzes ran to the Baal Shem with the letter but all he got from the master was a vague smile and an assurance not to worry.

Then, two weeks later another letter arrived demanding an explanation. Why had they ignored the previous letter?! But when the Baal Shem saw it he reacted just as calmly as the first time.

A month later the third letter arrived; the groom's father was really angry; if a reply was not received immediately the engagement was off. Reb Kitzes read it again and again and each time became more depressed, scared and completely confused; he desperately wanted the match but he also couldn't stop being realistic. Maybe it was better to just call the whole thing off.

He took the letter to the Besh't.

This time the Besh't said that he should write back, apologize for the delay and invite the groom and his entire family to Mezibuz (the city of the Besh't) to rejoice together with the Besh't several days before the wedding at which time all the gifts and moneys would be paid in full. Rab Kitze's spirits rose a bit. But two days later they came crashing down to reality!!

Two days later he received a letter saying they were on their way!

Suddenly it hit him full force. True, he should have more faith. True, Chassidim are supposed to always be happy! True, he should have more trust in the Rebbe. But what would happen if...things just stayed the way they are?! After all, who was he that G-d should make him a miracle? He had been poor all his life, why should things be different now?

With a heavy heart he stood and prepared to go show the letter to the Besh't. As he was walking a stranger stopped him in the street and asked for directions to the Baal Shem Tov. "Come, I'm going there myself." He replied and they walked silently together, both sunk in their own thoughts.

When they reached the house and entered they were both ushered into the Baal Shem's office although they had no connection to one another.

The Besh't asked them to be seated and, seemingly ignoring Reb Kitzes, turned to the stranger and said, "I would like to tell you a story if it's alright with you." Surprised by the question the stranger shook his head in agreement and the master began.

"About fifteen years ago a certain rich Jewish businessman from the Ukraine was on his way home on a long journey in his personal carriage, with his
personal driver. He was returning from Prussia where he had just made a small fortune, about forty thousand rubles, on a lumber deal. He tucked the money under his seat and despite the noise and the bumpy ride drowsed off to sleep, satisfied with his fortune.

"Suddenly he woke abruptly; the wagon had stopped in the middle of a forest! He opened the door and shouted out to the driver if everything was all right and when there was no answer he got out of the carriage to have a look for himself.

"But no sooner did his feet touch the ground then his 'trusted' driver jumped from behind him, pushed him to a tree, tied his hands and, waiving a sharp hatchet in the air, threatened to kill him if he didn't hand over all the money immediately.

"He pleaded with the driver to leave him at least some of the fortune but when he saw that he meant business he told him what he wanted to know. The driver tied him to the tree, went inside the carriage, found the money, climbed back on the wagon, took the reins in his hands, then paused a moment, climbed back down walked over to the bound Jew and announced.

"'I've decided to kill you! If I leave you alive for sure you'll go to the police."

"The poor businessman wailed, begged and promised but the thief just declared mockingly 'You can shout as loud as you want, Jew. We are so deep in the forest no one will ever hear you.. Or find you!! I'm giving you ten seconds to pray' and yelled out 'Ten! Nine! Eight!....

"The Jew began to weep bitterly. He prayed to G-d with all his might and even swore that if he was saved he would give a tenth of all his wealth to the poor, even a half.. Even everything!!"

"Suddenly a rifle shot rang out! The Jew opened his eyes to see the driver standing with his hands raised above his head yelling 'don't shoot'. The overseer of the lands had 'happened' to be passing by and, hearing the commotion decided to see for himself. G-d answered his prayers!! He had been saved!!

"Yes, it was the miracle he had prayed for," continued the Besh't. "But unfortunately weeks later, after all the confusion and joy died down, he returned to life as usual and completely forgot his vow."

"Years passed. The Jew was blessed with children, a beautiful girl and boy, but he refused to open his heart or hand to the poor; every time he had another excuse not to give charity. Even when, several years ago, his daughter became sick and tragically died he did not connect it to his vow.

"Now, just weeks ago his son also became similarly ill and when the doctors gave up hope he heard about me and decided to come here for a blessing."

Before the Besh't could say another word the stranger yelled out, "It was ME!! It was me!! I completely forgot about that vow! Oy! OY! That was me!!"

"It's not too late" The Besh't replied. "Don't worry. I'm not going to ask you to give all your wealth or even half. Give ten percent as you first vowed. Here!" he pointed to Reb Kitzes, "Give him the four thousand rubles you promised"

The stranger gave him the money right then and there. The Besh't invited him to stay for the wedding and a week later when the wedding was in progress the stranger received a letter that his son had fully recovered.

Maybe this is an answer to our questions. In the Medrash (Peticha d'Eicha Raba 9) it says that when the High priest would enter the Holy of Holies every Yom Kippur he could tell if G-d was angry with His people or not. If He was pleased, the two Keruvim (golden statues on the Ark cover of children's faces with outstretched wings) would be facing one another, and if not, they would be looking away. Interestingly when the Romans entered the Holy of Holies the Keruvim were actually intertwined in an embrace!

The reason for this is the same reason that Reb Kitzes should have rejoiced even before he got the money...because in the inside of it all, G-d loves the Jewish people. And the Baal Shem Tov revealed that He loves EACH Jewish person.

And just like in our story, the more we feel how much we are lacking, the more desperate things seem; the CLOSER the miracles really are.

And that is why we should rejoice this Shabbat. Because the true redemption; the arrival of Moshiach and the beginning of a new wondrous era; an era which is void of hatred and suffering and full of meaning, joy and blessing is MUCH closer than we think.

If we look we can see the third Temple.

Or, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe said "All we have to do is open our eyes and we'll see...

Moshiach NOW!!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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Tales for the Shabbos Table

This section is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av; the date that both the first and second Temples were destroyed, and it contains a message very relevant to that day.

It begins: "These are the words (D'vorim) that Moses spoke to the Jews before they entered Israel"

Rashi explains that these were really words of reproof chastising the Jews for their sins in the desert and exhorting them to repent.

This is a very fitting message to read before this tragic holiday; if we repent the third Temple will be built.

Or is it? After all, these reproofs have been read by the Jews for over 3,300 years with no results. Exactly the opposite! In the course of that time both Temples were destroyed and we have been dispersed throughout
the world because of the same sins.

So how does G-d expect us, the lowest generation of all time, (according to Judaism the further the generations get from the Revelation on Mt. Sinai the lower they are spiritually), to be better than the previous
generations?

Even more; the Lubavitcher Rebbe has said time and time again that OURS is the generation of the complete redemption!

Perhaps this story will help us understand.

When the Baal Shem Tov began revitalizing Judaism by advertising his deep and inspiring ideas called "Chassidut", he met with great opposition.

Judaism at that time was seriously divided into two classes; the learned class and the ignorant class and there was little or no contact between them.

The Baal Shem, on the other hand, stressed that each and every Jew, learned or not, is a "son" of G-d and that Moshiach, the goal of Judaism, will show the true value of simplicity and humility.

This raised the scholarly Jews up in arms; the Besh't (Short for Baal Shem Tov) was threatening their status and doubting the supremacy of intellect.

He was branded as an apostate and he and his followers were ostracized and even beaten. But despite their wrath the Besht's opponents never
managed to find real facts to support their accusations and the Chassidic movement gained more and more followers.

Now, among the opposition was a G-d fearing scholar and Kabalist by the name of Rabbi Dovid Forkis.

He was violently opposed to the Chassidim but, because one day it dawned on him that it is forbidden to condemn them only from hearsay, he decided that he had to see for himself.

He first sent a pupil of his to attend one of the Besht's Shabbat meals and the pupil returned with the following report: The Besh't had all types of followers some simple people and some great scholars. But one interesting thing was that when they all sat down to eat and the Besh't washed his hands before eating bread, everyone fell asleep for several
seconds until he took his first bite.

The next Friday Rav Dovid slept well so he would be sure to be fresh that night. Then after the Shabbat evening prayers he walked over to the Besht's Synagogue and arrived just as they were finishing their services.

Everyone sat down to eat and Rav Dovid sat among them. Then the Besh't came to the table and made "kiddush" and washed his hands from the vessel that was brought to him.

Rav Dovid suddenly felt very drowsy. He was accustomed to fight slumber but this time he felt helpless. His head drooped down on his chest and he fell into a deep unexplainable sleep.

Suddenly he found himself in a large celestial room. The Baal Shem was standing with his best pupil Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritz arguing with him with about the kabalistic meaning of N'tilat Yadaim (Washing before bread).

Rav Dov Ber contended that his master's explanation was too simple and not according to the Ar'i Zal (Rabbi Isaac Luria; the most outstanding Jewish Mystic of all time circ. 1600 c.e.) while the Besh't held that in our low generation even the Ar'i would certainly agree with his opinion.

>From nowhere appeared another Jew, a younger man of indescribable radiance and holiness, who joined the heated discussion and finally announced "The law is like the Baal Shem Tov!" It obviously was the Ar'i himself and Rav Dovid began trembling with awe.

Suddenly he awoke at the dinner table and all the Chassidim were singing, swaying back and forth.

The Besh't, however, was in another world. His eyes were closed and he sat perfectly still as though listening to some heavenly message.

Suddenly he cleared his throat, the room fell silent, and he began to speak.

Rav Dovid was all ears. The Besh't spoke about the commandment of washing the hands before eating bread. He connected it to the Torah section of that week and explained the connection from many angles bringing sources, exact quotes and pages, for every idea.

"Nice!" thought Rav Forkis to himself. "He is certainly a genius! But that doesn't mean much.

But when he began expounding Kabilistic ideas suddenly his prize pupil Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritz who sat in the closest seat to him mumbled an objection.

"That is not what is written in the Ar'i Zal! The Ar'i writes something different!" he said. And he began quoting by heart from the Shaar HaKavanot, (the book of kabalistic intentions).

"No no!" Answered the Besh't, 'I am right and even the Ar'i would agree! Our generation is different.

"And if you don't believe me just ask Rav Dovid Forkis, he just heard in heaven how the Ar'i agreed with me."

At that point Rav Dovid became one the Baal Shem Tov's most adamant followers.

Before we see how this relates to the question we asked above let us consider an interesting question and answer of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

The Rebbe asks; why did G-d create sleep? The Torah teaches us that reason man exists is to serve the Creator, but when he sleeps he can do nothing. So what is the purpose of sleep?

And he answers; if man did not sleep he would serve G-d at best like the angels do; without major changes. But G-d doesn't want that type of service and that is why He created man.

G-d wants service that is TOTALLY NEW and INCOMPARABLY BETTER than yesterday. And that is what can be learned from sleep; when we sleep we cease completely, and when we awaken we begin anew, hopefully in a totally higher way.

This is what happened to Rav Dovid in our story; his falling asleep enabled him to see things in a TOTALLY different way.

And this is what the destruction of the Temple can teach us; like sleep it is a cessation of one level to reveal an incomparably higher one; the second Temple was greater the first and the Third Temple will be incomparably greater than both of its predecessors. That is what Moses was chastising the people for and what they refused to learn for the next 3,300 years till this very day: True service of HaShem means complete renewal; to become a different person.

So this anwers our question. Our generation in one way is the highest; up to now no generation learned the above lesson and the Lubavitcher
Rebbe says that ours can and will be the first to do so.

That is the message of Moshiach. He will build the third Temple reveal the true nature of the Jewish people and transform the entire world to INCOMPARABLE good. It all depends on us changing completely; having a new, unlimited love for G-d (and His creations), for the Torah, for every Jew, and a burning desire to do all we can to bring....
Moshiach NOW!!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad Israel

Torah Online Site: http://www.ohrtmimim.org/torah

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Tales for the Shabbos Table

Parshat Devorim is always read on the Shabbos before the 9th of AV, the date that both Holy Temples were destroyed.

The story is told that when Napoleon saw Jews mourning on Tisha B’Av he was so deeply impressed that he said something like, “A people that can mourn for a building that was destroyed over 1,500 years ago must be eternal”.

Napoleon was a very evil man. Besides being a sworn atheist, he killed
millions of people in his desire to rule the world, but it seems that even
he (like Bilam thousands of years earlier) couldn’t deny the truth.

But at second glance, it’s not really so clear. Why DO we mourn?

Today we have returned to the land of Israel and have built thousands of new buildings! Why mourn about what happened to one building almost 2000 years ago?

Furthermore, even when the Temple was standing it was dedicated to the
slaughtering, and sacrificing of animals. Why should we mourn for such a
primitive thing?

And finally, the Temple was destroyed because of our sins. How can we mourn and expect that it will stand today when we are at an all-time spiritual how?

To answer these questions we must first understand why G-d made the
creation.

The Baal Shem Tov explained that G-d’s real purpose for making (and
constantly renewing) the world is that He wants to be revealed here.

This is also the main theme of the Torah.

G-d commanded Adam to ‘work’ in Gan Eden, Avraham to sacrifice Issac, the Jewish nation to build a tabernacle, to enter the land of Israel and to do all the commandments all for the same reason; in order to reveal His Oneness here in this physical world.

And the epitome of this revelation was in the Holy Temple.

Therefore the Temple was made totally of rocks, (unlike the tabernacle which had wooden walls and a ceiling of animal skins) the lowest of physical substances.

Similarly the Sacrifices require us to serve G-d with our lowest faculties.
(Because essentially it makes no real sense why G-d would command us to kill animals and how this atones for our sins).

This is the uniqueness (and the purpose) of the Jewish People, that they,
and only they, can reveal the Creator in even the lowest aspects of His
creation.

But with the destruction of the Temple this uniqueness became concealed; the Jewish people became a bit more like everyone else.

And that is why we mourn.

We mourn the loss of our feeling and our sensitivity to G-d. . (Like, l’
havdil, the Germans, when they lost their sensitivity they were able to kill
millions of Jews conscience free.) Today the insensitivity is so deep that
there are Jews that announce that G-d does not exist, the Torah is not true, and there is even no such thing as The Jewish People! (As we see today in Israel)

But really this descent is something like a man crouching in order to jump
higher; it is intended only to bring a higher revelation … the Moshiach.

The Moshiach will reveal, for the first time in history, that this physical
world is incomparably higher and more spiritual than even the highest levels of heaven! (The Lubavitcher Rebbe said that before he was three years old he was already consumed with the vision that the Moshiach will arrive and make sense out of these thousands of years of Jewish pain, suffering and unanswered prayers).

That is what the Torah is explaining to us in this week’s section; how to
bring Moshiach.

In this book of the Torah Moshe is preparing the Jewish people for a great spiritual decent; the entering into the land of Israel.

The nation that he was addressing had neither experienced the miraculous
Exodus from Egypt nor seen the revelation of G-d at Mount Sinai. They were not to receive free bread from heaven or be surrounded with protective clouds. In Israel they would have to work for food and even fight their enemies.

However Moshe comforted them; this descent was for an elevation; the Bait HaMikdosh would be built and G-d would be permanently revealed in this world.

But there was a catch … it all depended on them following the words of the Prophets.

When G-d Himself spoke at Mount Sinai, or when Moshe reported what G-d said, everyone listened.

But that is not what G-d created the Jews for. He created them to transform a real, physical world replete with real problems and real challenges, into a paradise of G-dliness; to enter Israel heed and the lesser prophets like Yeshiah, Yermiyahu, Yona etc. which would demand from them much more effort and faith.

That is why in the entire book of Dvorim it does not say even once “G-d
spoke to Moshe, saying:”, the whole book is Moshe speaking. In order to
prepare the Jews for the new type of prophecy they would be required to
follow in Israel to listen to PEOPLE.

But it didn’t work, the people shunned the Prophets and the Temples were destroyed.

The Maggid of Mezritch (Successor of the Besht) explained that that is the
reason that commandment to heed the Prophets is written twice in the Torah (Shmos 19:9 and Dvorim 18:15) because it is human nature to say:

“Of course we will follow every word of G-d’s prophets, but HIM! ….
Yirmiyahu?! Why, he is just a person like me! Why should I heed him?” So we need to repeat the commandment so they will listen to SPECIFIC prophets.

And it is never too late.

In our generation we have a true prophet. A Jew with all the properties that Mimonedies says are necessary, and that never erred even once in his
predictions.

In 1991, in a now famous speech, the Lubavitch Rebbe told his followers to advertise the fact that he is a prophet, and that his main prophesy is
“Behold, the Moshiach is coming!” He declared that we should learn as much as possible about Moshiach so we can prepare for him and do all in our power to hasten his arrival. We should try to help others a bit more, to give a bit more charity, teach more Torah, and have more brotherly love.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Braditchev said that on this Shabbos before Tisha B’ Av, Shabbos ‘Chazon’ (lit. ‘Vision’) when we read the HafTorah ‘Chazon Yishayahu’, it is possible to see a vision of the Third Temple.

And the Midrash says that on the Tisha B’AV that the Temple was destroyed the Moshiach was born (and this repeats itself every 9th of Av).

Moshiach NOW!

Tuvia Bolton Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim

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