Shabbos Shira: Sing During the Galus

For Parshas B'Shalach, here is a story and vort that I have heard numerous times from the Rebbe about his father-in-law, HaRav Yisroel Avrohom Stein, Rav of Faltichan, Romania:

Seder Hayom (6): Renewing Faith

In the First Thoughts post we mentioned that one of the main things we should be focusing on is the kabbalas ol malchus shomayim. See Seder Hayom (3): First Thoughts, from the Cherkasser and Reb Motele that a person should think about the fact that he was recreated in the morning for the sole purpose of revealing Hashem in every thing that we do, through acting in accordance with His will.

In another maamer in Pele Yoetz (Shelach, Reishis), Reb Motele, zy”a, quotes the Zohar Hakadosh (Behar, 108a) that one must accept the yoke of Heaven as does an ox when the yoke is placed upon it. Reb Motele explains, “Just like an ox cannot turn away from the yoke, not to the right nor the left, so too must a person accept upon himself the yoke of Heaven not to turn right or left from the will of Hashem.”

The Chess Game Called Life

This morning the Rebbe spoke about man's ability to choose his own course of action freely, and how that ability does not interfere with Hashem's control over the outcome of history. The Rebbe mentioned that every place a person finds himself is as a result of his own choices, but that place is just as fitting to find Hashem as was the place he was at before. It may be different, he may be different because of the choices he made, but Hashem immediately offers him new custom-tailored opportunities to continue on the path that will ultimately bring him to where he needs to be. See also Drops of Rain, entitled Knowing That We Do Not Know (Parshas Sh'lach).

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Medrash: Chukas 5771

In this week's Medrash Shiur, the Rebbe spoke about Moshe hitting the rock. Here are some main highlights from the parts that were more l'maaseh:
1. Everything is suffused with Hashem's presence and glory. You don't need to fight against the world. If approached correctly the world will surrender itself to you
2. While there is a concept that we don not rely on miracles, nothing is beyond Hashem and each and every one of us have every right to ask anything from Hashem. Nothing is removed from Him.
3. We must be prepared to do whatever it takes to bring about the honor of Heaven, no matter what is at stake, even or own ruchniyus or eternity.
4. Never, ever underestimate your words of Torah and tefilah, your acts of kindness, or anything else that you do. To do so is to underestimate Hashem Himself.

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Yahrtzeit of Rebbe Shulem Leizer'l of Ratzfert

Rav Shulem Leizer of Ratzfert

The 16th of Sivan is the yahrtzeit of Rebbe Shulem Leizer Halberstam of Ratzfert. Born in 1862, he was a son of the saintly Divrei Chaim of Sanz and hence a brother-in-law to the Rebbe Reb Motele. He was a son-in-law as well as Reb Shulem Leizer married Reb Motele's daughter, Sarah Mariam.

Pirkei Avos 5771: Walking Alone At Night

One day last week, the Rebbe decided to give a short shiur between Mincha and Maariv. Here it is almost word for word:

רבי חנינא בן חכינאי אומר: הנעור בלילה, והמהלך בדרך יחידי, ומפנה לבו לבטלה, הרי זה מתחייב בנפשו

Rebbe Chanina ben Chachinai said: One who is awake at night and who goes on the road by himself, and he turns his heart to wasteful things, this person is taking his life in his hands.

Let's take a look at this al derech avoda, which means looking at a statement from the standpoint of what its implications would be if we were trying to read in the words of Chazal some advice above and beyond the practical, as though it were addressing our spiritual struggles.

Drops of Rain: Behar 5771

Great news!

The Rebbe gave the weekly gilyon an official title: Drops of Rain. It is based on the Medrash in Parshas Vayechi on the pasuk of וידגו לרב בקרב הארץ, v'yidgu larov b'kerev haaretz. The Medrash says, "Just as fish who live in water rush to the surface to catch a drop of rain from above, so too Bnai Yisroel who live in the waters of Torah, when they hear a new Torah thought, rush to receive it eagerly, as though they had never heard Torah before."

Here is the first official edition of Drops of Rain, for Parshas Behar.

Metzora: It's Not How It Appears

"And he shall tell it to the kohen saying, 'like a negah appears to me'." (Vayikra 35:15)

Rashi comments that even a talmid chacham who knows the laws of tzaraas and knows that this is definitely a negah should not rule on it like a clear matter and say "I saw a negah". Rather, he too should tell the kohen, "I saw something that looks like a negah."

The Rebbe said that many times something bad will happen and we are tempted to immediately call it for what it is -- bad. But we know that everything is ultimately good. We may learn something, we may become stronger, it may be an atonement, it may lead to something clearly good. If you pasken on something that is apparently bad and label it as assuredly evil, you are denying the inherent good in everything and you are denying Hashem's love and care and intimate involvement in every detail of life. Although it may be a negah, there is always a treasure trove buried beneath it (as the previous Rashi mentions). You can't call something that leads you to vast riches an affliction. It is certainly "like an affliction", but clearly or inherently bad it is not.

When we experience something painful or uncomfortable, we must never declare it to be evil. We must remember that the underlying essence at hand is Hashem's profound and boundless love, His exquisite intervention and His ultimate, overall agenda on our behalf.

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Ki Sisa: Trust in Hashem's Cheshbon

The Gemara (Brachos 7a) and Medrashim on the verses הודעני נא את דרכך and הראני נא את כבודך say that Moshe was asking to know why “good things happen to bad people”. The Chasam Sofer says that Hashem answered: ופני לא יראו, you can’t see beforehand, but וראית את אחורי, you will know what the cheshbon was at some point after the fact.

The Rebbe, shlit”a, added the following: הנה מקום אתי, if you have faith that there is place here with Hashem, meaning that there is a cheshbon and loving hashgacha pratis on every single thing that happens - that Hashem is here as well, and ונצבת על הצור - if you stand committed in that faith and reliant on the Rock of Israel, צור ישראל וגואלו, and you remember that everything is “oisg’cheshboned”, then I will take you into Me and into that cheshbon, I will bring you inside ושמתיך בנקרת הצור, I will put you into the cleft of the “Rock” and until such time I will cover you with My palm, I will protect you, until I have passed. And then I will take off the mask and you will see the why, for the complete good, did it have to be this way. 

(Heard from the Rebbe on Shabbos Chol Hamoed 5767)