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: ......................

Sichos Level 3 - Lag B'Omer

Rabbi’s akiva students

Well obviously you don’t just get 24,000 students at once – so it must be over time. So you would think that the problem of not having kavod zeh lazeh didn’t start overnight – it was also gradual. So why did they all die suddenly?

 

Beis: rabbi akiva’s main thing was viahavta lirayacha kamocha – so out of everyone it was HIS students that had this problem? They’re missing the main thing of all his torah. The fact that they were talmidim of rabbi akiva brought them to not have kavod!

In the gemara: no 2 minds are alike, everyone took rabbi akiva’s shiur with their own approach and tried to apply it to his own life. So then when he heard how is friend understood it and now according to his friend, he’s not learning it right – he’s distorting the words of my Rebbe!

Because of the emphasis on ahavas yisroel everyone cared so much for everyone else that they couldn’t take it if they understood the torah ‘wrong’ – it’s not like he can just ignore it and not care. 

Another situation – 24,000 died because an ayin hara cast a spell on them. Bperek achad – because there was ayin hara a sin that would be really small got a big punishment. Both contributed to the other – need the combination of ayin hara and the chet – if they were tzaddikim ayin hara wouldn’t matter.

Bidcha dridcha – a boiling time – during a time when Hashem has the midda of gevura

the lesson: we all have to have the ultimate of ahavas yisroel even if someone’s the ultimate sinner

connection to r’ shimon bar yochai: when he came out of the cave he said ‘there’s something that needs to be fixed’ and his talmidim told him that there’s a place where there’s a safeik tuma – so the kohanim had to walk a longer way

he first comes out and the FIRST thing he does is fix this so they shouldn’t have longer to walk

Sicha Level 3 - Kedoshim

(sicha beis chelek yud zayin)

Alef:

Viahavta lirayacha komacha – rebbi akiva: zeh klal gadol btorah

Hillel: What you don’t like, don’t do to your friend and this is the whole torah.”

Q1: Rashi is a book of pshuto shel mikra, not a book of emotions or inspiration. So what’s rashi saying here? What’s he explaining? There’s nothing hard to understand about vihavata lirayacha kamocha.

Q2: Why does Rashi quote the person who said it? Only if there’s a specific message from the person who said it we quote the person.

Beis: There’s a classic question. Q: If we have this mitzvah of love your fellow as yourself – then why do we need all these mitzvos that you shouldn’t steal, kill, etc. obviously you don’t want that done to you! That’s why it says ‘zeh klal gadol btorah’. It’s a klal, but in that klal there are many different pratim.

Challenge the answer: Usually you the say the klal first and then say all the details. But here these pratim are before, and even spread out all over torah. That’s why rashi says ‘klal gadol’. This is not a regular klal. Some of the pratim are also klalim of other things.

Gimmel: How can you have a command to love something – that’s a feeling? A person can dominate his actions, but not everyone can create an emotion. And not just one person – EVERY single jew. And like YOURSELF! In regards to any mitzvah that has to do with emotions, rashi says ‘viyareisa me’Hashem elokecha’. Have to have certain fear of Hashem in emotion.

Based on this we have a question: Why is there no mention of fear here? If this is such a big klal in torah, if anywhere it should be highlighted here! Especially since it’s KAMOCHA – VERY emotional. Why doesn’t Rashi say anything about it?

 

Daled: When something is a klal there are pratim. You attain the mitzvah of the klal from doing the pratim. Rashi DOES say viyareisa me’Hashem elokecha about this mitzvah – in the PRATIM.

Rabbi Akiva has a klal – your life takes precedence of the life of your peer. According to this how can you say ‘kamocha’? Your life comes before your friend. That’s why it says ‘CAmocha’ LIKE you – but not completely.

Yosef – paaroh said ‘kamocha k’paroh’ – Rashi says that he’s LIKE paaroh in Paroh’s eyes. The whole Egypt thought Yosef was another paaroh. When when it comes to paaroh himself, he thinks he’s greater than him. So apply that to our idea: When it’s a matter of life and death then you come first, but in general every day life

Hey: But still, if it’s not life and death can I have that sense of love for every single person at every minute? The same torah that says to punish them says you have to love them. Rabbi Akiva has another quote, “all jews are the children of Hashem and all Jews are brothers & sisters” you have this connection – you can’t be happy if your sibling is suffering. You automatically act that way. 

Vov: Q: I viahavta lirayacha kamocha is such a big klal why isn’t it said at the beginning of the Torah? Why way later on in kedoshim?

A: in the gemara rabbi akiva holds that the klallim and pratim were all said at har Sinai, so it was re learned in this Parsha

 

Zayin: The difference between zeh klal gadob btorah – and this is the whole torah & the rest is commentary. Zeh klal means there is one klal and there are many klalim BAtorah – in Torah.

This is why Rashi would choose r’ akiva – pshuto shel mikra – this sounds more realistic, not that he’s so excited about it & exaggerating it.

But it happened in the opposite order – hillel said it first and then rabbi akiva seems to lessen it.

Ches:

What’s the connection between loving peace, rodef shalom, and bringing them close to torah? The connection to bring them close to torah?

Don’t let your love for them get ahead of doing mitzvos – he’ll feel more comfortable about coming to shul, it’ll get him to shul if there’s not a mechitzah

but this doesn’t seem like the pashtus of it. It seems like loving them brings you to bring them close to Torah – the love is expressed by you bringing them close to torah. Like it says in Tanya – even someone who’s far from torah so that his only merit is that he’s a briya – have to have ahava

how does my ahavas yisroel have to bring me to bring someone closer to torah? What does one have to do with the other?

If the reason we love a yid is because of his neshama, and not for a practical reason like for the outcome of bringing him closer to Torah – then why does it connect it here to mikarvan ltorah?

Tes: Hashem’s thought of a yid came before torah and the world.

A yid is higher than everything, even Torah. But yisroel connect to Torah and Torah is the will of Hashem – have to go through that torah. But what if they don’t go through torah? Don’t they still have this neshama?

The yidden’s source is higher, in their atzmiyus. Their essence transcends Torah – you’re a chelek eloka mimaal mamash. A yid’s neshama is so bli gvul that torah & mitzvos can’t sever that connection, nothing can stop it. But the neshama is down here in a guf and that means that you have to abide by the law of the country – and that is Torah & mitzvos. 

Yud: Because we’re in this world we have to have ahavas yisroel in the way the Torah wants us to do. How can the same Torah tell us we have to hate a person also? In regards to ahavas yisroel there’s also 2 extremes. 1 – goes beyond Torah and everything 2. Our world is dominated by Torah and our ahavas yisroel has to fit into that. 

Yud Alef: Our atsmiusdike aspect expresses ourselves through torah. So if you have love for them and they don’t come close to torah, that means that it’s not a real love because atzmiyus expresses itself in practicality

Yud Beis: Now we can come back to r’akiva versus hillel:

Rabbi akiva is speaking about ahavas yisroel how it is down here – practically – when we’re limited by our body

Hillel isn’t talking about every day life – he’s talking about your perspective looking at other yidden – that yidden came before torah, that the torah was FOR bnei yisroel, torah is here to bring out the mayla of yidden – that IS the whole torah.