Thursday, January 12, 2006

LESSONS IN TANYA: Friday, January 13, 2006

B"H

Tevet 13, 5766 * January 13, 2006

===============================
L E S S O N S I N T A N Y A
===============================

Today's Lesson:

Likutei Amarim
Chapter Eleven
--------------

[Having described in chapter. 9 the ongoing battle between the divine
and animal souls to capture and dominate the body, the Alter Rebbe
proceeds, in chapter 10, to define the term tzaddik within the context
of this struggle.

He explains there that tzaddikim are classified in two general
categories. The first is that of the "complete tzaddik," also known
as the "tzaddik who possesses (only) good." Such a tzaddik has
succeeded in completely transforming the evil of his animal soul to
good and holiness.

A tzaddik of the second category, that of the "incomplete tzaddik,"
or the "tzaddik who possesses evil," is one who has not yet completely
converted his animal soul to good; he still retains a vestige of its
native evil. This remaining fragment of evil, however, is completely
nullified within the far greater proportion of good.

In chapter 11, the Alter Rebbe now addresses himself to the definition
of the rank that is the antithesis of the tzaddik - that of the wicked
person, the rasha. In direct contrast to the tzaddik, whose divine
soul overpowers his animal soul, the rasha is one whose animal soul
overwhelms his divine soul.

The rank of rasha, too, is divided into two general categories:
the "complete rasha," or the "rasha who possesses only evil," and
the "incomplete rasha," or the "rasha who possesses some good."
These categories will be defined in this chapter .

(Note: Following the Talmudic expressions which the Alter Rebbe
employs, these terms are henceforth translated as the "rasha who
knows (only) evil," and the "rasha who knows good," respectively.)]

(1) "One is the opposite of the other": the "rasha who knows good"
is the antithesis of the "tzaddik who knows evil."

This means, that the good that is in [this rasha's] divine soul,
which is in his brain and in the right part of his heart [these being
the chief dwelling places of the divine soul, as explained in ch. 9],
is subservient to, and nullified within, the evil [of the animal soul
which stems] from the kelipah, which is in the left part [of the
heart, as explained in ch. 9.

Thus, in the "rasha who knows good" the evil of the animal soul
overpowers the good of the divine soul, to the extent that the good
is subservient to the evil and is nullified within it].

This rank, too, is subdivided into myriads of degrees.

[Just as the rank of the "tzaddik who knows evil" is subdivided into
myriads of degrees with respect to the nullification within him of the
evil to good, so too are there numerous subdivisions within the rank
of the "rasha who knows good" with respect to the nullification of
good to evil, as the Alter Rebbe continues]:

[The difference between these myriad sublevels lies] in the quantity
[i.e., the extent] and the quality of the nullification and
subservience of the good to the evil, G-d forbid.

[The "quantitative" difference between one "rasha who knows good"
and another is indicated by whether the good is merely outweighed by
a majority of evil, or whether the evil is (say) sixty times more
prevalent than the good, and so on.

The "qualitative" classification hinges on what aspect of the divine
soul is subservient to its evil counterpart: in one rasha the divine
soul's holy capacity for affection may be subservient to the animal
soul's affection for forbidden matters, while in another rasha the
subservience may lie in another area. The Alter Rebbe now provides
practical illustrations of different levels within the ranks of the
"rasha who knows good]."

There is one in whom the subservience and nullification [of good to
evil] are exceedingly minor, and even these minor degrees are not
permanent, nor recurrent at frequent intervals.

Rather, only on infrequent occasions does the evil prevail over
the good, conquering the "small city," i.e., the body [which, as
mentioned in chapter 9, is likened to a small city, whose conquest
is the objective of both the divine and animal souls.

Furthermore, even when the evil does conquer the body], yet not all
of the body falls under its dominion, but only part of it, subjecting
it - [that part of the body] - to its discipline, and causing it to
be a "chariot" to the evil, [i.e., as subservient to the evil as is
a chariot to its driver] and [further causing that part of the body]
to serve as a "garment" wherein one of the animal soul's
aforementioned three garments will be clothed.

[As mentioned in chapter 6, the garments of the animal soul are sinful
thought, speech and action.

In the case of the rasha now described the evil of the animal soul,
even on those rare occasions when it does prevail over the good, can
do no more than express itself in one of these areas or "garments".

Furthermore, even in this restricted field of expression, the evil
is further limited in that it can motivate this rasha to commit only
minor transgressions, as the Alter Rebbe now continues]:

Namely, [the animal soul prevails] either in deed alone, in the
commission of minor transgressions [only], not major ones, G-d
forbid - [for his animal soul has not the power to prevail to such
an extent]; or [it may prevail] in speech alone, [but merely] in
the utterance of that which borders on slander or scoffing, [the
evil being too weak to cause him to engage in actual slander or
scoffing] and the like; or [the evil may prevail] in thought alone,
in contemplations of sin which are [in certain respects worse than
actual sin. (2)

[Thought is more refined than speech and action, and of the soul's
three garments, it is the one most intimately connected with the soul
itself. Therefore, contemplations of sin can befoul the the soul even
more than the sinful deed itself].

[This is the case] even where one does not actually contemplate
committing a sin, but merely indulges in contemplation on the carnal
union of male and female in general, whereby he violates the
admonition of the Torah, (3) "You shall guard yourself from every
wicked thing," [which our Sages interpret as an injunction that] (4)
"one must not harbor impure fancies by day [so that he will not become
polluted at night"; thus, contemplation on such matters violates
a command of the Torah], or [another area in which the evil may
prevail in the case of such a partial rasha]: when, at a time fitting
for Torah study, he turns his heart to inane matters, as stated in the
Mishnah, Tractate Avot: (5) "He who awakens at night [when he has time
to study Torah ...] and turns his heart to vanity, [is guilty against
his own soul."

In the latter two instances, then, the animal soul's garment of
thought has prevailed and manifested itself in his body].

In any one of all these instances, or their like, [i.e., whenever one
commits even a minor transgression in thought, speech or action], he
is called rasha, wicked, at that time; [the term rasha] meaning that
the evil of his [animal] soul prevails within him, clothing itself in
his body, inducing it to sin and defiling it.

Afterwards, [after this person has transgressed in any of the above-
mentioned matters], the good that is in his divine soul asserts
itself, and he is filled with remorse [over his transgression in
thought, word or action]; he will seek pardon and forgiveness of
G-d [for his transgression], and if he repents with the appropriate
penitence, in accordance with the counsel of our Sages of blessed
memory, G-d will indeed forgive him, with [one of] the three forms of
pardon expounded by Rabbi Yishmael, (6) as explained elsewhere. (7)

[The three forms of pardon:

(a) If one transgresses a positive precept and repents, he is pardoned
at once;

(b) if he transgresses a prohibitive commandment and repents, the Day
of Atonement together with his repentance atones;

(c) if his transgression carries the penalty of karet (spiritual
excision) or execution at the hands of the court, then after having
repented and undergone the spiritual cleansing of Yom Kippur,
suffering brings about full atonement.

However, as the Rebbe notes, the divine pardon elicited by
this person's repentance does not change his status of rasha in the
true sense of the term, but only in the borrowed sense of the terms
rasha and tzaddik as applied to reward and punishment. Indeed, when
weighed on the scales of merits and sins, such a person - who sins
rarely, only in minor matters, and then repents immediately - is
deemed a tzaddik and deserves reward, since the overwhelming majority
of his deeds are good.

But this usage of tzaddik is merely a borrowed term, as explained
in chapter 1. As true definitive terms, tzaddik and rasha describe
the quality of the good or evil in one's soul. Viewed in this
perspective the person described above is classified as a rasha
even after he repents and is pardoned, for he still retains his
predisposition toward sin, and his animal soul still tends to
dominate him.

Thus far the Alter Rebbe has discussed a higher-level rasha - the
"rasha who knows good" - one in whom the animal soul rarely prevails,
and then only in one of the three soul-garments of thought, speech and
action].

There is, however, another [type of "rasha who knows good"], in whom
the evil prevails more strongly.

All three garments of evil clothe themselves in him - [he transgresses
in thought, in speech, as well as in action]; also, the evil causes
him to commit more heinous sins, and [to sin] more frequently.

Yet [he, too, is nevertheless described as a "rasha who knows good,"
for] intermittently between one sin and the next he experiences
remorse, and thoughts of repentance enter his mind, [arising] from the
aspect of good that is [still] in his soul, that gathers a degree of
strength in the interim.

However, the good within him does not strengthen itself sufficiently
to vanquish the evil so that he can rid himself entirely of his sins,
and be as one who confesses [his sins] and abandons [them once and for
all].

Concerning such a person, the Rabbis of blessed memory have said,
(8) "The wicked are full of remorse," [i.e., between sins. It is also
possible that even while sinning they regret their actions, but feel
themselves unable to master their desires].

These represent the majority of the wicked, in whose soul there still
lingers some good - [and it is this good which causes these feelings
of vexation and remorse in their mind and heart.

We thus see that there are many levels within the rank of the "rasha
who knows good," ranging from one who sins only rarely, only in minor
matters, and with the involvement of only one soul-garment, to him who
sins often, grievously, and with all three soul-garments.

Yet they all come under the same heading of the "rasha who knows
good," the difference between them being to what degree the good
within them is dominated by the evil - in direct contrast to the
rank of the "tzaddik who knows evil," where there are various degrees
of dominance of the evil by the good.

Having defined the "rasha who knows good," the Alter Rebbe now turns
to consider the "rasha who knows (only) evil"]:

But he who never feels contrition, and in whose mind no thoughts of
repentance at all ever enter, is called a "rasha who knows (only)
evil."

For only the evil in his soul has remained in him, having so prevailed
over the good that the latter has departed from within him, and the
good now stands in a manner of makkif over him, [i.e., the good hovers
over him, so to speak, in an aloof and external manner, so that he has
no conscious awareness of it.

Yet, since he still possesses good, albeit as a makkif, for after all,
he possesses a divine soul] -

Therefore have the Sages said, (9) "Over every [gathering of any] ten
Jews rests the Shechinah (the Divine Presence)."

[That is to say, even if they are all in the category of the "rasha
who knows (only) evil," the Shechinah still hovers over them; for they
too possess good in a manner of makkif. Since at such a gathering the
Shechinah is present only in the externally encompassing way of
makkif, not entering the consciousness of those assembled, therefore
their correspondingly makkif level of good is sufficient to enable
them to receive this revelation.

With regard to the subject of the Jew whose animal soul prevails over
his divine soul, the following story bears mention.

A certain freethinker once asked of the Tzemach Tzedek: The word
Yehudim ("Jews") is normally spelled in the Book of Esther with one
letter yud before the final letter. Why is it that when the word is
used there in connection with the harsh decree against the Jews, it
is spelled with two letters yud?

The Tzemach Tzedek answered: Yud is numerically equivalent to ten; it
represents the ten soul-powers possessed by both the divine and animal
souls. There are Jews who conduct their lives solely according to the
dictates of the divine soul's ten powers, while in other Jews the
animal soul prevails, and their conduct is dictated also by the animal
soul's ten powers. Haman planned to exterminate all the Jews, even
those who were of two yuds, i.e., those ruled by the ten evil soul-
powers as well.

But the man persisted: Why then is the word spelled several times with
two yuds even after the decree was repealed? To which the Tzemach
Tzedek responded: After suffering under Haman's evil decree and
ultimately witnessing G-d's salvation, even those Jews repented and
became equals of their brethren whose lives were led by the dictates
of the divine soul and good inclination. Thus, concluded the Tzemach
Tzedek, the two yuds (yud, or yid, is also Yiddish for "Jew") became
equal.]

Footnotes:

1. Kohelet 7:14.
2. Yoma 29a. Cf. Chiddushei Aggadot of Maharsha, ad. loc.; Netivot
Olam of Maharal, Netiv HaPerishut.
3. Devarim 23:10.
4. Ketubbot 46a.
5. 3:4.
6. Yoma 86a.
7. Tanya, Iggeret HaTeshuvah, ch. 1.
8. Nedarim 9b. (So cited in early sources, though not to be found in
current editions of the Talmud).
9. Sanhedrin 39a.

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"TODAY'S DAY": Friday, January 13, 2006

B"H

Tevet 13, 5766 * January 13, 2006

=======================
"T O D A Y ' S D A Y"
=======================

Monday, Tevet 13 5703

Torah lessons: Chumash: Vay'chi, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 69-71.
Tanya: It is written, however (p. 35)...to burning
coals. (p. 37).

Where a lantern is placed, those who seek light gather around -
for light attracts. (1)

Footnote: (1) See Likutei Sichot, Vol. 10, p. 294.

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Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe. Note: day of week and Torah lessons indicated are from 5703 (1943).

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TODAY IN JUDAISM: Friday, January 13, 2006

B"H

Tevet 13, 5766 * January 13, 2006

=================================
T O D A Y I N J U D A I S M
=================================

* Laws * Customs * Jewish History * Daily Quote * Daily Study *

Today is: Friday, Tevet 13, 5766

===========
Daily Quote
===========

Indeed, you intended evil against me, but G-d designed it for good

- Joseph to his brothers, Genesis 50:20

===========
Daily Study
===========

Chitas and Rambam for today:

Chumash: Vayechi, 6th Portion Bereishit 49:27-50:20 with Rashi
• English Text:
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/rashi/default.asp?tDate=1/13/2006&src=ds

Tehillim: Chapters 69 - 71
• Hebrew text:
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• English text:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tehillim.asp?tDate=1/13/2006

Tanya: Likutei Amarim, Chapter 11
• Lesson in Tanya:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tDate=1/13/2006
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Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/seferHamitzvos.asp?tDate=1/13/2006
• 1 Chapter: Mechirah Chap. 25
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/rambam.asp?tDate=1/13/2006&rambamChapters=1
• 3 Chapters: Ma`aser Chap. 7, 8, 9
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/rambam.asp?tDate=1/13/2006&rambamChapters=3

Hayom Yom:
• English Text:
http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/hayomyom.asp?tDate=1/13/2006

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DAILY MITZVAH (Maimonides): Friday, January 13, 2006

B"H

Tevet 13, 5766 * January 13, 2006

==================================================
D A I L Y M I T Z V A H (M A I M O N I D E S )
==================================================

Today's Mitzvah (Day 133 of 339):

Positive Mitzvah 127
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Positive Mitzvah 127: The First Tithe

-Numbers 18:24 "But the tithes of the Children of Israel which
they offer as a gift"

We are commanded to give a tenth of all the land's produce to the
Levites.

The Levites were not given an inheritance of land as were the other
tribes.

Instead, this share of our crop is considered their inheritance.

Since there are other types of "tithes," (which means: a tenth of
the amount), this one is called: "The First Tithe."

* * *

PLEASE NOTE: The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily
study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are
instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively
while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth
track.

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CHASSIDIC STORY: The Palace

B"H

Tevet 12, 5766 * January 12, 2006

=============================
C H A S S I D I C S T O R Y
=============================

The Palace
From the Chassidic Masters
--------------------------

The two men were among the privileged few to be granted an audience with the king.

At the appointed hour, the first man arrived at the palace; but as soon as he entered the anteroom he froze, awestruck. A wealthy man himself, he was in a position to truly appreciate the grandeur which lay before him. For hours he stood, reveling in the finery and opulence which intoxicated his rich-man's soul. For hours he stood, and the king... he never did quite see the king.

The second man also arrived at the same entrance hall, but he was a man unaccustomed to such riches. His impoverished taste failed to appreciate what so enthralled his more sophisticated fellow. Much to the wealthy man's dismay, the pauper made straight for the king's door.

* * * *

In telling this story, the Lubavitcher Rebbe commented:

A great man [1] once said: "I pray with the mind of a child." A child's perception of G-d, he felt, is, in a way, truer and purer than the accomplished kabbalist's deepest comprehension of the Divine attributes and manifestations.

The spiritual connoisseur who approaches G-d with an eye to the "experience" of this or that nuance of divinity, can lose sight of what the point of it all is. Only by acknowledging our basic spiritual illiteracy can we truly relate to the all-transcendant essence of G-d.

- Translated/adapted by Yanki Tauber in Once Upon A Chassid (Kehot 1994)

Footnote:
1. The "Rivash," Rabbi Yaakov bar Sheishet, 1326-1408?.

(To view this story online, or to post a comment, please click here: http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=345665)

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Vayechi - Jacob's Unrequited Desire
By Moshe New

“Jacob called for his sons and said, ‘Gather and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days”. Rashi explains: He attempted to reveal when Moshiach would come, but the Shechinah withdrew from him. So he began to say other things.

http://www.chabad.org/336034

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Parshat Vayechi

Parshat Vayechi

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Rabbi Bolton will be appearing in Chabad Houses in
Las Vegas, California and elsewhere in three weeks time!

Details to come, G-d willing.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

This week's section begins on a strange note: The Patriarch Jacob on his
deathbed gathers his twelve sons around him for a final message but he
didn't succeed.

The Talmud tells us (Pesachim 56a) that Jacob wanted to reveal the end of
days to his sons (i.e. the date of the arrival of Moshiach) but the Shechina
(G-d's presence) left him and he wasn't able to"

Does this make sense? First of all, what is so important about the date when
Moshiach will arrive? Second, why couldn't he tell? It's only a date,
certainly he didn't forget it! And it couldn't be that G-d told him not to
reveal it. Exactly the opposite - the Shchina departed from him!

Perhaps we can understand this better from the following story. (Otzer
Sipuri Chabad vol. 8 pg. 62)

The first Chabad Rebbe; Shneur Zalman of Liadi was a known miracle worker
and Tzadik. Just as Moses did some three thousand years earlier (Rambam,
Y'sodi HaTorah 8:1); the miracles he did were only to help people,
especially Jews, and to better the world. In fact this was the way of all
those Tzadikim who followed 'Chassidut'; the way of the Baal Shem Tov.'

But in general the Chassidim tried to 'bother' the Rebbe with only spiritual
matters, like how to better serve the Creator. Only rarely did they come to
him with mundane issues, unless they had no other choice.

For instance, once there was no rain in the area of Liozne. The farmers had
spent all their resources; money, time and energy, plowing and planting but
without rain it meant nothing. The fields lay barrenly plowed; parched and
drying in the sun with only the farmers' tears to irrigate them. Prayer,
fasting, charity, good deeds, more prayer.. the farmers tried everything but
the skies remained deathly pale and clear. Their only recourse was the
Rebbe.

Five of the older farmers, who were also Chassidim of the Rebbe, were
selected to travel to Liozne and the next day they were in the Rebbe's
office pleading for their lives and those of all the children, women,
orphans and widows in their village and the surrounding area. There were
also thousands of gentiles that would suffer.

But the Rebbe did not answer. In fact, he didn't react at all. He just sat
silently, almost ignoring them, looking to the side as though to say there
was nothing he could do.

The farmers stood almost paralyzed looking at the Rebbe with eyes begging
for mercy, hoping against all hope that he would say something or even
glance at them. But it didn't happen.

After several minutes one of them quietly began to back up toward the exit
and they all followed suit. Once outside the room they closed the Rebbe's
door and all burst out crying. They were helpless.. even G-d didn't seem to
want to help.

But it just so happened that the Rebbe's grandson, Menachem Mendel
(nicknamed the Tzemach Tzedek who was a young man at the time and would
become the third Rebbe of Chabad) and two other well-known great Chassidim,
one of whom was Rabbi Issac of Homel a known Tzadik, were sitting nearby
learning Talmud together with great vigor but stopped when they heard the
wailing.

They stood and approached the farmers and asked for an explanation. "How can
it be that you fellows are sad? Who cries after leaving the Rebbe!? Every
Chassid that comes out of Yechidut (private meeting with the Rebbe) is happy
and dancing!! Why are you different?"

But when they heard the explanation they fell silent in deep thought. The
Rebbe's grandson broke the silence.

"Don't worry!" He said with certainty, "I just thought of a solution that
will surely work."

He called to the fellow that had been chosen to be the Rebbe's assistant
that night; a simple but devoted Chassid who had been given charge of
letting people into Yechidut, and said.

"My friend! We three Rabbis constitute a judicial court and you must. we are
commanding you to. follow our orders."

The simple fellow had never been in such close proximity to such great and
legendary Chassidim and was awestruck. He shook his head in amazed
agreement. The Rebbe's grandson wrote something on a paper, handed it to him
and said:

"Remember, one who disobeys a judicial court is punishable by ostracism from
the community (Shamta). Therefore we command you to read to the Rebbe what
is written here.

When the Chassid read what they had written on the page he began trembling
from head to toe and almost fainted. He couldn't do it! He wanted to say no
and walk away, but a Judicial court! He had no choice.

He entered the office of the Rebbe and when the Rebbe looked up said meekly,
"Rebbe, I have been adjured by a bait din (Torah court), your grandson, Rab
Issac and another to read this to you, and if I don't do it I could be
punished." He looked intensely at the paper so as not to see the Rebbe's
face, cleared his throat and read:

"If you are able to help the farmers that just left your room and you don't,
then you are a thief. Why not give them what is due to them? And if the
reason you didn't help them is because you can't, then how can you accept on
yourself to be the leader of thousands of Jews?! You are a fraud! '

The Rebbe folded his arms on the table before him and lowered his forehead
on them for a long moment. what seemed to the servant an eternity. He just
wanted to silently back out of the room. but he was afraid.

Suddenly a cold wind rattled the window and the the room became gradually
darker. The skies were becoming overcast with clouds! The Rebbe sat up for a
few seconds, seemed to be in another world and repeated the scene a second
time. But this time small drops of water began pattering on the window pane.
The Rebbe did the same thing a third time and a minute after he put his head
down rain began pouring in torrents.

Outside the Rebbe's room the farmers saw the rain and ran into the street
arms raised and faces to heaven, weeping and hugging each other, drenched to
the bone, dancing and falling in the mud.

Rab Issak of Homel looked to the Tzemach Tzedek, turned his palms up
questioningly, shrugged his shoulders in amazement and asked for an
explanation; where had he learned that trick?! And how could he have been
so certain that it would work!?

"It was simple" the Tzemach Tzedek answered, "It is written explicitly in a
story found in the Talmud in Tractate Taanit, page 24b.

"Once there was a drought and the farmers went to the great Amora (holy wise
men after the time of the Mishna) Rav Pappa to ask him to pray for rain. Rav
Pappa declared a fast and everyone prayed and fasted. It was a difficult
fast and in fact Rav Pappa himself became so weak that had to eat some
porridge to keep conscious and continue praying. But after all this the rain
didn't come.

"At this point another Amora, Rav Nachman bar Ushpazti came up to him and
said sarcastically, "Rav Pappa, maybe if you eat yet another bowl of
porridge do you think rain will fall them?!" The Talmud tells us that Rav
Pappa was ashamed and rain began pouring.

"I always wondered" The Tzemach Tzedek continued, "What the Talmud was
teaching us with this story, certainly it can't be encouraging one scholar
ridiculing another, G-d forbid? But just now, suddenly I understood what it
means. Rav Pappa was the leader and holiest man in his generation but
sometimes such a Tzadik gets so pure and removed that he has no connection
to this world and has to be brought down to give blessings. That is what
Rabbi Nachman did. And that is what I did to my grandfather, the Rebbe.
That brought the Rebbe down to the physical world of people and events."

This is the lesson from our section.

Yaakov wanted to tell his sons that the time for the redemption was now. He
wanted to draw down to them the power, blessing and ability to change
themselves and the world: to reveal the Oneness of the Creator in the entire
creation and bring Moshiach immediately.

But he became so spiritual and removed at this intensely holy moment that
the 'Shechina'; namely the ability to make this extra measure of G-dliness
dwell (Shochain) into his sons, departed from him.

And, unlike our story, there was no one to 'bring him down to earth'.

This is the job of the Baal Shem Tov and his teachings of Chassidut (if you
have never learned Chassidut please visit your nearest Chabad House): to
bring G-dliness down to earth; into our minds, hearts, daily lives and even
our most mundane matters.

Namely, to return the world to real consciousness (Tshuva); so that even the
most distant Jews, the most distant recesses of our Jewish souls and
eventually the entire world, will awaken to a true desire for Moshiach and
the awareness of the Creator that he will bring.

This is what the Lubavitcher Rebbe announced time and time again: The time
for redemption is here!! The goal of the Baal Shem Tov and all the Tzadikim
after him has been completed.

We have the power, the blessing and ability to manifest Jacob's fervent
desire and bring....

Moshiach NOW!!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

To Subscribe/Unsubscribe: www.ohrtmimim.org/subscriptions

ONCE UPON A CHASID: When Less Is More (Vayechi)

B"H

Tevet 12, 5766 * January 12, 2006

===================================
O N C E U P O N A C H A S I D
===================================

Parshat Vayechi
---------------

- "Not so, my father, for this one is the elder. Place your right hand on his head..." "I know my son, I know. Also he shall become a nation, also he shall be great; but his younger brother shall be greater than he..." (Genesis 48:18-19)

* * *

When Less Is More
-----------------

The two men were among the privileged few to be granted an audience with the king. At the appointed hour the first man arrived at the palace; but as soon as he entered the anteroom he froze, awestruck. A wealthy man himself, he was in a position to truly appreciate the grandeur which lay before him. For hours he stood, reveling in the finery and opulence which intoxicated his rich-man's soul. For hours he stood, and the king... he never did quite see the king.

The second man also arrived at the same entrance hall, but he was a man unaccustomed to such riches. His impoverished taste failed to appreciate what so enthralled his more sophisticated fellow. Much to the wealthy man's dismay, the pauper made straight for the king's door.

_

Says the Lubavitcher Rebbe:

A great man once said: "I pray with the mind of a child." A child's perception of G-d, he felt, is, in a way, truer and purer than the accomplished kabbalist's deepest comprehension of the Divine attributes and manifestations.

The spiritual connoisseur who approaches G-d with an eye to the 'experience' of this or that nuance of divinity, can lose sight of what the point of it all is. Only by acknowledging our basic spiritual illiteracy can we truly relate to the all-transcendant essence of G-d.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Featured Audio Class on Chabad.org:

Vayechi - Jacob's Unrequited Desire
By Moshe New

“Jacob called for his sons and said, ‘Gather and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days”. Rashi explains: He attempted to reveal when Moshiach would come, but the Shechinah withdrew from him. So he began to say other things.

http://www.chabad.org/336034

More Audio/Video

http://www.chabad.org/multimedia

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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FRIDAY NIGHT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: Hear O Israel (Vayechi)

B"H

Tevet 12, 5766 * January 12, 2006

=========================================================
F R I D A Y N I G H T F O R Y O U N G P E O P L E
=========================================================

Parshat Vayechi
---------------

Hear O Israel
- - - - - - -

It was a crisp Sunday morning, and the sun shone down on the river bank. Ben and David were carrying a large model boat down to the river for a test sail. Ben had started building this boat about four months before, every day after school he would add something to it. It was now very impressive, with sails and a radio-controlled rudder.

You could hear the leaves crunching under their feet as David and Ben carefully made their way down to the river bank, carrying the boat between them, and a box of the operating equipment. "I can't wait to see it on the water" David said.

"I hope it doesn't sink," Ben said a little nervously.

"Why should it sink?" David asked. "Haven't you spent hours making sure it's perfect?"

"Well I have" Ben said thoughtfully. "It's just that now is the time to see if it was all worth it, to see if it is really going to work".

"It's a little bit like what we learned about Jacob in this week's Parsha", Ben said. "All the time Jacob lived in Israel, he couldn't tell if his children were really going to follow in his footsteps, because Israel is such a holy place".

"What do you, mean, follow in his footsteps?" asked David. "If he was in Israel he wasn't going anywhere".

"Are you trying to be funny?" asked Ben. "You know what I mean, serving G-d and all that, being a good person. Maybe they would only be good there, in Israel, but who could tell what would happen if they got to a place like Egypt, where people served lots of different idols and were cruel to each other? Perhaps they would forget what they had learnt from Jacob, and they would sink into the Egyptian style of life, forgetting about G-d. Sink, get it?".

"Sink," said David. "Got it. So long as your boat is sitting in your bedroom, there is no way one could know if it is a good boat, we don't know if it will float or maybe sink. Will the steering work or will it just drive in circles and things like that, but when you get to put it in the water then you get to see if it is working, and then you see if it was worth it. So okay, I've got it, I can see why you are worried. What happened with Jacob?"

"Well, the Parsha tells us he gathered all his children together to bless them. The Sages of the Midrash explain that he was worried, like I said. But then his children all said something, all together, that reassured him."

"What did they say?" asked David.

"Well, you know Jacob was also called Israel. They said to him 'Listen, our father Israel, don't worry, we really believe in G-d, and we know that G-d is one. So he was very happy. He said Baruch Shem…, blessed be G-d, thank G-d".

"That reminds me of something," said David. "I know, that is the first two lines of the Shema! Hear o Israel, G-d is One! Then the second line, Baruch Shem…!"

Ben was not listening. Instead he was intently climbing down to the water's edge, carefully holding his boat. He slowly pushed it out into the water. The two boys watched with bated breath as the boat floated away, controlled by Ben. "I guess there goes a lesson for us" he said, thinking out loud, "we've learned lots in school, now the question is can we float when we get into the real world".

"It's a good question" Ben said happily, "and it looks like the answer is "yes, Hear o Israel!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Featured Audio Class on Chabad.org:

Vayechi - Jacob's Unrequited Desire
By Moshe New

“Jacob called for his sons and said, ‘Gather and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days”. Rashi explains: He attempted to reveal when Moshiach would come, but the Shechinah withdrew from him. So he began to say other things.

http://www.chabad.org/336034

More Audio/Video

http://www.chabad.org/multimedia

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

By Dr. Tali Loewenthal, Director of Chabad Research Unit, London

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GARDEN OF TORAH: True Life (Vayech)

B"H

Tevet 12, 5766 * January 12, 2006

===================================================
I N T H E G A R D E N O F T H E T O R A H
===================================================

Parshat Vayechi
---------------

True Life
- - - - -

1. Yaakov’s Best Years

When the Tzemach Tzedek was a young boy, his cheder teacher taught him the verse: “And Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt for 17 years,” explaining that these were the best years of Yaakov’s life. The Tzemach Tzedek asked his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe: How was it possible that the best years of Yaakov’s life would be spent in a depraved land?

The Alter Rebbe answered him: Even before he arrived, Yaakov sent Yehudah to Egypt to establish a Yeshiva. When one studies the Torah, one comes close to G-d. This closeness allows one to live with true and genuine vitality, even in Egypt.

Indeed, the depravity of Egypt enhanced the vitality experienced by Yaakov. For the transformation of darkness reveals a higher quality of light. Yaakov’s establishment of Torah life amid the darkness of Egyptian society expressed the essential vitality he possessed and endowed to his children.

2. To Live with the Torah

True life can be ascribed only to G-d, as it is written: “And G-d your L-rd is true; He is the living G-d.” Just as Truth is uninterrupted and unchanging, so too life is in essence unchanging and eternal. Thus our Sages describe a stream as “living water” only when it flows constantly.

Mortal existence, by contrast, is ephemeral and subject to change. Nevertheless, by drawing close to G-d through Torah study, a person can tap a dimension of G-d’s immortality, as it is written: “And you who cling to G-d your L-rd are all alive today.”

This was the thrust of Yaakov’s entire life. When the Torah sets out to convey the nature of his personality, it describes him as “a simple man, dwelling in tents,” i.e., the tents of Shem and Ever, the leading houses of study of that age. In these domains, Yaakov’s character was shaped and molded.

And yet Yaakov did not remain in these houses of study forever. His life encompassed a variety of circumstances and challenges, allowing him the opportunity to prove that the connection to G-d he established through Torah study was genuine.

3. Light in Darkness

Yaakov reached the pinnacle of this lifetime journey in Egypt. There he was presented with challenges of a different nature than he had experienced previously, for he dwelt in fabulous wealth amid a land of decadent people. But as mentioned, even before Yaakov entered Egypt, he anticipated these difficulties by sending Yehudah to establish a Yeshiva there. By this act, he set the tone for his future in Egypt.

Moreover, not only did Yaakov himself study, he involved his children and grandchildren. Rather than accept the values of the surrounding culture, Yaakov’s descendants joined him in study. For them, the descent to Egypt represented a radical transition; the majority of their adult lives had been spent in Eretz Yisrael. Yet motivated by Yaakov’s example and guidance, they were able to extend the holy atmosphere of Eretz Yisrael into Egypt.

Yaakov’s unchanging and uninterrupted commitment to the Torah demonstrates the true life with which the Torah endowed him. His connection with G-d was all-encompassing.

4. Yaakov Still Lives

The above enables us to understand why the Torah reading is named Vayechi — “And he lived” — although it speaks of Yaakov’s death. As the events of the reading demonstrate, Yaakov’s life was one of connection to G-d that transcended material settings. And since he shared this quality with his descendants, it was perpetuated beyond his mortal lifetime. As our Sages say: “Yaakov, our ancestor, did not die. As his descendants are alive, he is alive.”

This concept applies to all Jews at all times. The vitality we experience in our Divine service today is made possible by the life of Yaakov our ancestor. And conversely, the connection to the Torah which strengthened Yaakov is the source of life for all his descendants throughout the generations.

True, within Jewish history, there have always been some Jews who — at least to outward appearances — do not conduct their lives according to the directives of the Torah. But that is merely the external reality. The truth is that they are alive inside, and their vitality stems from the Torah and its mitzvos.

Our Sages state: “Although a Jew sins, he remains a Jew” and the Rambam
rules:

A person whose evil inclination compels him to negate the performance of a mitzvah or to commit a sin... [still] wishes to be part of the Jewish people and desires to fulfill all the mitzvos and separate himself from sin. It is only his [evil] inclination which forces him [to do otherwise].

Regardless of his conduct, every member of our people remains a Jew and shares a connection to the entire Torah. “The Torah which Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.” This is the spiritual legacy which Yaakov bequeathed us, the sign of his continued life and of our own vitality.

(The above also encourages us to help each other express a connection to the Torah. Any potential tends to seek expression, and that tendency is enhanced by the very knowledge of its existence. Spreading the awareness of the inner nature of every Jew will spur the desire to have that nature realized through observance of the Torah.

This is more than theory; it is borne out by experience. Conversely, an approach which castigates Jews who do not observe the Torah and its mitzvos, threatening them with Divine retribution, does not encourage greater observance. Quite the contrary, it weakens many people’s feeling for Judaism and moves them further from teshuvah.)

5. Egypt is not Forever

Although his ability to create a Torah center for his descendants in Egypt is a sign of Yaakov’s life, it is not the culmination of his achievements. For the ultimate place for Yaakov and his descendants is not in Egypt, but in Eretz Yisrael.

Therefore, Yaakov called his sons together with the intent of revealing the time of the Redemption to them. He assured them that they would be redeemed from Egypt, promising: “G-d will be with you, and He will bring you back to your ancestral land.” For it is in Eretz Yisrael — and more particularly, in the Eretz Yisrael of the Redemption — that Yaakov and his descendants will truly flourish.

6. Strength and Encouragement

This Shabbos is called Shabbos Chazak, “the Shabbos of reinforcement,” because of the custom of declaring, Chazak, Chazak, Vinischazaik (“Be strong, be strong, and may you be strengthened”) at the conclusion of the Torah reading, in acknowledgment of the completion of the Book of Genesis.

The awareness nurtured by the reading of Vayechi generates strength. When a Jew knows he has been granted a heritage of life expressed through a connection with the Torah, and that there will come a time when this connection will blossom, he will acquire the inner strength to confront the challenges presented by his environment.

By heightening the expression of this potential in our people as a whole, we hasten the coming of its fruition in the Era of the Redemption. May this take place in the immediate future.

(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. X, p. 160ff; Vol. XV, p. 422ff; Sichos Shabbos Parshas Vayechi, 5751)

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FOR FRIDAY NIGHT: Incongruity (Vayechi)

B"H

Tevet 12, 5766 * January 12, 2006

===============================
F O R F R I D A Y N I G H T
===============================

Parshat Vayechi
---------------

Incongruity
- - - - - -

Goodness and holiness are universal concepts. The problem is that they are often seen as ethereal, beyond the world. When the ethereal ideal is put together with tangible reality, the combination may seem so incongruous that people cannot accept it at all. This affects the way people look at the Jewish presence in Israel. People find it hard to accept the idea that the Jews should defend themselves, that there should be a wall protecting them from attack, that Israel should have secure borders.

Let us assume we are not dealing with outright anti-Semites. There are people who say yes, the Jews are a historic people, with a great tradition. People who claim they are not against Jews at all. The only problem is, they say, why do they have to be so aggressive in defending themselves? Why do they have to be so aggressive in just existing? Let them be purely spiritual, that way we think they are wonderful. But please, no weapons, no army, nothing real.

This problem relates to the entire Book of Genesis, which our Parsha [1] concludes this week. Let us consider how it begins, telling us that G-d created the world.

The famous commentator Rashi takes a rather surprising approach. He asks why the Torah should begin with a description of Creation. The Torah is a book of laws. So let it begin with laws! Why should it begin with a description of Creation? He gives a striking answer. The account of G-d creating the world is written so that "If the nations of the world will say to the Jewish people, you have taken the Land of Israel unlawfully, the Jews can answer them saying 'the whole world belongs to G-d. He created it and He gave it to whom He pleased. By His will He gave it to the Canaanites, and by His will He took it from them and gave it to us" [2].

The Lubavitcher Rebbe makes an interesting comment on this. The nations of the world recognise that the Jews are a spiritual people, different to other nations. But, they feel, if the Jews are spiritual they are set apart from the physical world. Why should they claim a physical patch of land?

The claim of the beginning of the Torah is that spirituality should be expressed in the physical. Yes, the Jews are especially holy. But G-d desires that they express that holiness in their ownership of the physical Land of Israel.

At the very end of the Book of Genesis, the last verse tells us that "Joseph died aged 110, and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt". Surely this too is incongruous, to our own ears? Why should the wonderful Book of Genesis end on this gloomy note? And further, why indeed, should Joseph's remains have been left in Egypt? Jacob his father also died in Egypt but was buried in Israel.

The answer is that the presence of Joseph's coffin in Egypt is another example of the spiritual descending into the physical. The resting place of a Tzaddik is sacred. The fact that Joseph's remains were in Egypt, together with the Jewish people, was a spiritual force in the low physicality of Egypt. It helped the Jews survive their period of slavery so that eventually they could return to the Land of Israel.

This is the task of Creation, of the Torah and of the Jewish people: to bring holiness into the world. Hence the Jewish people were given a physical territory of land, and Joseph's coffin rested in the land of Egypt. The ultimate purpose is that the world, both Egypt and the Land of Israel, should become a dwelling for the Divine [3]..

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 47:28-50:26.
2. Rashi to Genesis 1:1.
3. Likkutei Sichot vol.30, p.249 ff

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CHASSIDIC DIMENSION: Ya'akov's Blessings (Vayechi)

B"H

Tevet 12, 5766 * January 12, 2006

=============================================
T H E C H A S S I D I C D I M E N S I O N
=============================================

Parshat Vayechi
---------------

Ya'akov's Blessings
- - - - - - - - - -

The Torah portion of Vayechi relates the blessings Ya'akov bestowed upon his children, the 12 tribes, prior to his demise.

In these blessings, Ya'akov blessed Yehudah with the strength of a lion, Binyamin with the hunting attributes of a wolf, Naftali with the swiftness of a deer, and so on.

Upon concluding the individual blessings, the Torah goes on to say: "All these are the tribes of Israel, 12 in all, and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them; each individual according to his blessing did he bless them."

Rashi notes that the verse should perhaps have stated: "each individual according to his blessing did he bless him." Rashi explains this in the following manner: "Since he gave Yehudah the strength of a lion, Binyamin the hunting attributes of a wolf and Naftali the swiftness of a deer, one may think that he did not include all of them in all the blessings. Therefore, the verse states "he blessed them."

Rashi thus informs us that Ya'akov intended that every tribe be blessed with all the aforementioned qualities. The difference between one tribe and the other was merely that the blessing mentioned for a particular tribe reflected that tribe's strong point. All the other qualities, however, were also received by them directly from Ya'akov.

Chassidus explains that a blessing involves the drawing down upon the individual who receives it of that which he possesses in his source above. A blessing thus reveals one's innate qualities and characteristics.

This is the meaning of "each individual according to his blessing did he bless them" - each tribe received the blessing which stemmed from its own source; it had already been designated from above as the quality of the selected individual was drawn down by Ya'akov.

In light of the above, we must understand Rashi's comment that all the tribes were included in all the blessings: Since a blessing involves the revelation within an individual of his latent qualities from his own unique source, how could these blessings be transmitted to the other tribes as well?

The difficulty resolves itself when we realize that Ya'akov blessed the 12 tribes, not as 12 distinct individuals, but rather as they were encompassed within himself, their father. At their source, all the brothers were truly one. When this unity is revealed, it becomes clear that all the above-mentioned qualities are possessed by each tribe; by blessing them as he did, Ya'akov brought all these qualities to the fore.

Thus, Ya'akov's blessings were indeed superior to blessings that tap only an individual's particular source; the Patriarch blessed his offspring with these qualities as they - the tribes as well as the blessings - existed within Ya'akov. Therefore, although each tribe had a dominant attribute, all the tribes received the other blessings as well.

There is an important lesson here in terms of our own spiritual service:

The fact that each Jew is descended from a particular tribe offers us a guide to our particular mode of spiritual service. / For example, some tribes excelled in commerce, or shone through their charitable endeavors, while others excelled in Torah knowledge.

The fact that each tribe received all the blessings teaches us that, while one may have his own aspect of Divine service, one can and should shine brilliantly while engaged in other aspects as well.

Thus, the business person engaged in Torah study can qualitatively achieve as much as the full-time Torah scholar. And conversely, the Torah scholar must engage in doing good deeds with the intensity of a person who devotes most of his life to helping others.

(Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXV, pp. 285-291)

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DAILY DOSE: Nothing to Fear

B"H

Nothing to Fear
---------------

There are some who are afraid of a new age.

They wonder: What will happen to my career? My whole lifestyle will have to change! What about all the acquaintances and connections I've spent a lifetime building? And what about all my worldly possessions, my retirement plan, my investments? Will they take my car away?

Even these people have nothing to fear.

The era that is coming is not something separate from our times. It is pieced together from everything we do now, and all that we know of shall remain. Only the negativity will vanish, and the G–dliness within each thing will be obvious for us to see.

A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman
Tevet 12, 5766 * January 12, 2006

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