Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Sicha Level 3 - Beis Sivan

(this might be missing a bit but I think it's all the main ideas....)

We always read Parshas Bamidmar before Shavuos, so this must be part of the preparation for shavuos. On beis sivan Moshe began to prepare them to get the Torah (and in this year bamidbar was read on beis sivan).

Every year we get the torah on a higher level – there’s a new chiddush

We have to do the same preparations then like they did before matan torah

We see in Halacha:

From rosh chodesh till ches –Don’t fast, don't say tachnun

Beis:

The year they got the torah, Monday was rosh chodesh

On Tuesday he told them be a priestly nation

Wednesday told them the mitzvah of hagbala – don’t touch the mountain

Thursday – 3 day mission – stay away from wives

v’atem tihiyu li – be a priest – this is the proof that he starts talking to them about matan torah

Question 1: there were so many other pasukim that day – ko somar libeis yaakov, atem raietem, etc.

Why that pasuk as a proof that they started preparing to get the Torah?

Not atem raitem…- that’s talking about the past – not talking about what happened –

But there’s another pasuk

V’atem tehiyu li segula…you’ll be special from all the other nations – that one comes earlier. Why not that one?

Question 2:Mamleches kohanim:

1. a kingdom of people that serve Me (rambam)

2. ministers (rashi)

mamleches kohanim – serve me through torah and mitzvos – so it works according to rambam but what does rashi’s peirush have to do with matan torah?

Question 3:  The pasuk continues goy kadosh – leaves that part out in the proof and just says vgomer – why does he leave it out and only hint to it?

Gimmel: To understand, first we have another question. Didn't Rashi himself say in Parshas vayigash that anywhere it says Cohen it's talking about meshares l'elokus - serving Hashem? So why does he say it means ministers here?

The answer: It says you should be a mamleches kohanim AND a goy kadosh. So if mamleches kohanim would mean serving Hashem and kedusha, then why would it need to go on and say you have to be a goy kadosh also? What's it adding? So therefore Rashi says it means sarim. 

So in the Pasuk there are 3 levels, one above the other:

1- vhayissem li am segula - know that you are a treasure of Hashem, different than the other nations

2. mamleches kohanim - be sarim that connected to the country

3. goy kadosh - even though you're in the world, be separate and holy - don't associate with unholiness

Daled: These 3 levels apply to a person's avoda. 

Vhayisem li am segula: know that Hashem chose you. Choosing shows something on the person that's doing the choosing, not the thing that's being chosen. If it's a real choice then both the options are equal, it's not anything special about the thing that's being chosen, but it's some desire that the chooser has for that thing. What makes us special and separate is the fact that Hashem chose us. 

In the avoda of a yid there are 2 aspects. 1: working with things that are permissible, making sure you do them lshem shamayim (bichol derachecha dei'aihu) 2. learning torah and keeping mitzvos

And this is the difference between the 2 explanations - mesharsei Hashem and sarim. 

Mesharsei Hashem: you're removed from the world, your whole focus and existence is just serving Hashem and just standing before Hashem. We have to do this and be a goy kadosh and connect to Hashem through torah and mitzvos. 

Sarim: when we're working with what's permissible, doing business etc, we have to do it lshem shamayim, he has to be a leader in the world and rule over the world - which automatically means being involved in the world - and he can elevate the world and make it into a keili for kedusha

Hey: What we just said is generally speaking. Now more specifically there are two methods within serving Hashem:

1. we learn torah and keep mitzvos to connect with Hashem- this is being separate from the world and just serving Hashem 

2. we learn torah and keep mitzvos to elevate our body and nefesh habahamis and our part of the world, to make a dira btachtonim. (working with the world). 

*********************************** oops didn't realize we only have to know till here

Vov: There's the whole story how the malachim wanted the torah and Hashem showed them what it says in torah (honor your mother and father- do you have a mother and father? etc) We see that the whole point of the torah is to be DOWN HERE - not separate from the world - we are purposely down here in gashmius among many other nations so we can be SARIM and rule over our yetzer hara. We see  how matan torah introduced this new level. 

The avos kept torah but it didn't have any affect of purifying or elevating gashmius - gashmius stayed gashmius and ruchnius stayed ruchnius - but they served Hashem amazingly - but they were separate from the world - after matan torah we have the power to make physical spiritual

Zayin: 

Now we see why it ends with v'gomer - our main avoda is to be mamleches kohanim - sarim - using the world and ruling over the yetzer hara - only once we've worked really hard on that should we go and be goy kadosh - separate 

Ches: To connect parshas bamidbar to beis sivan: all of bamidmar is mainly talking about counting. Levi is counted seperately and there's 3 pratim in their counting. 

Tes: The explanation: When something is counted it has chashivus and it can't go away. Once they're counted by Hashem, they have a new status so they can't disappear. The first step of realizing how precious we hare - know that you were counted so you'll never disappear between the other nations -- you are special

Yud: ......................





No comments: