JNET CHAI ELUL LEARNING CAMPAIGN | 1jnet.org/media/pdf/980/gucK9803252.pdf · JNET CHAI ELUL...

JNET CHAI ELUL LEARNING CAMPAIGN | 1


CREDITSJNET - THE JEWISH LEARNING NETWORKA DIVISION OF MERKOS L’INYONEI CHINUCH, SUITE 302

CHAIRMAN

Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky

LEARNING CAMPAIGN TEAMDIRECTOR

Rabbi Yehuda Dukes

PROJECT MANAGER

Sarah Mizrachi

ENGLISH ADAPTATION

Rabbi Shimon & Chaya Dubinsky

EDITORIAL TEAM

Rabbi Yehuda Dukes

Mrs. Elky RaitportLeigh HershkovichSarah Mizrachi

SPANISH CAMPAIGN & ONLINE CLASSRabbi Chai Kohan

DESIGN & MARKETINGRabbi Yanki Baindman Rabbi Eytan Waxman

LAYOUT

Rabbi Levi Groner

PRINTINGThe Print House

SPECIAL THANKS TORabbi Zalman BlecherRabbi Mendel ChaitonRabbi Yosel LiberowDr. Robert Norman

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Chai Elul Learning CampaignShnas Hakhel 5776

The Eighteenth of Elul (this year corresponding to Wednesday, September 21, 2016) marks the

birthdays of both Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), founder of the chassidic movement, and the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), founder of the Chabad movement.

Honoring this occasion, JNet is having a study campaign, encouraging all Jews to unite through studying a sicha (talk of the Rebbe). ‘Totally In’ is a sicha that looks into the theme of the Torah portion which is always read during the week of Chai Elul. Relating the Torah portion to the role the two Great Luminaries had in shedding light at the world’s purpose and goal, that as long as the world has not reached its ultimate potential, G-d’s relationship with the world will always remain somewhat external.

To participate in the learning campaign:

▸ Learn the sicha (on your own or with a friend).

▸ Submit your Hebrew name and your mother’s Hebrew name online www.jnet.org/18elul or by text message to +1347-770-JNET (5638)

Your name will be entered in a Duch and Prize Drawing.

Share your input by answering the three questions www.jnet.org/18elul

The winner will be announced on our website on Monday, 23 Elul (September 26th).


Learn this Sicha with JNet director,

Rabbi Yehuda Dukes

JNet director, Rabbi Yehuda Dukes, will be presenting a live interactive talk on Wednesday evening,

Chai Elul (September 21) at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Visit www.jnet.org/18elul for more details.

ContentsJNet Featured Member .............................................................................................4

JNet Update .................................................................................................................................5

Volunteer Today! .................................................................................................................6

Totally In 7.......................................................................................................................... שיחה

Additional Reading ........................................................................................................19

Questions .....................................................................................................................................21

Glossary .........................................................................................................................................22

23....................................................................................................................... שאלות מהשיחה

Hebrew text of באופן מושלם - שיחה .................................................. 29

Dr. Robert Norman, a dermatologist and family practitioner of over 25 years, began learning weekly with Rabbi Blecher over two years ago. To date, the pair have learned fifteen chapters of Tanya together, as well as study the weekly parsha and discuss other world events. Regardless of his extremely busy schedule, Dr. Norman makes sure never to miss an opportunity to learn with Rabbi Blecher. Dr. Norman shared that he often connects what he has learned with Rabbi Blecher to his medical background, which brings the material to life even more. What inspires him to continue learning, he shared, is Rabbi Blecher’s knowledge base and gift for teaching, a helping soul and a wonderful open sense of humor.

Their weekly learning sessions quickly blossomed into a friendship. Though the two have never met face to face, their connection has grown far beyond the hourly phone calls they share each week. Shortly after they began learning together, Dr. Norman— who is the National Chairman of Doctors for Israel for the Jewish National Fund—was in Australia for a work conference. There, he

was introduced to Rabbi Blecher’s parents. Dr. Norman insisted on having dinner with them, during which he shared all that he had learned with Rabbi Blecher. The family connection does not end there.

As the two have continued to learn throughout the past two years, they have not only shared many engaging and enlightening discussions about Yiddishkiet, but have also become close friends, sharing simchas such as the birth of Rabbi Blecher’s first child. Dr. Norman shared that since he began learning with Rabbi Blecher through JNet, he feels more in touch with Hashem; he sees and understands how Torah and Chassidus influence his daily life as a medical practitioner. The two chavrusas are eagerly waiting to meet face to face in the near future.

In addition to his medical background, Dr. Norman is also the author of thirty-two books, and the recipient of many prestigious awards such as Tampa Bay Medical Hero Award (2008), and the Hadassah Humanitarian Award (2012).

Name: Dr. Robert Norman

Age: 61

Location: Tampa, FL

Occupation: Physician

Learning with JNet: Since 2013

HIS CHAVRUSAHNAME: Rabbi Zalman Blecher AGE: 27 LOCATION: Yardley, PA

OCCUPATION: Shliach at Chabad Lubavitch of Yardley

Shortly after marriage, I studied at the kollel in

Crown Heights. My kollel study partner once mentioned to me that he was involved in JNet and encouraged me to join. I called to volunteer and was paired up with Dr. Robert Norman from Tampa, Florida. We have been learning Tanya weekly for over two years

now and it has been great. I thoroughly enjoy Robert's active participation in the study, as well as his questions and thoughts. We are no longer just study partners but also good friends. I have since moved to Yardley, PA, where I serve as a Chabad shliach, yet I still continue to learn with Robert each week.

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WWW.JNET.ORG/VOLUNTEER OR CALL (718) 467-4400

WE MUST SEEK TO PERSUADE OTHERS Chof Ches Shvat 5773

When we meet a fellow Jew, we should ask him if he has already designated a time for Torah study. If yes, we should encourage him to add to that time-and perhaps even give over to others what he studies; if, however, he has not yet set aside such a time, then we must seek to persuade him with a heartfelt words, “b’chol l’vov’cha uv’chol nafsh’cha,” so that he indeed designated time for Torah study. Shabbos Bereishis 5745

יש להשתדל לפעול על אחרים כ"ח שבט תשע"ג

כאשר פוגשים יהודי ברחוב - ישאלו אותו אם יש לו כבר שיעור בתורה. אם יש לו כבר שיעור בתורה - צריכים לפעול עליו להוסיף בזה עוד יותר, ומה טוב ומה נעים - לפעול עליו להיות "מגיד שיעור"; ואם ח"ו אין לו עדיין שיעור בתורה - יש להשתדל בדברים היוצאים מן הלב,"בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך", כדי לפעול עליו

שיתחיל ללמוד שיעור קבוע בתורה.

WHAT OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE SAYING

“I'm definitely gaining as well. Unlike when one learns himself, here you need to learn it out loud which makes your understanding as well as memory of what you learned greater. I work 15 hours a day, aside from the shiurim I attend to on Shabbos, this makes spending time for learning harder. Here I'm forced to pause and take the time and learn. Aside from what J. is gaining from our chavrusa, I appreciate this small amount of time during the week which I too can get to learn. This is also something my children really respect and look up to.”

ZUSHIE RIMLER, BROOKLYN, NY

“Learning with a JNet chavrusa is from the things that both chavrusas gain not only in the world to come, but there is true and palpable benefit in our lives. Not only do I have a set time to further my learning, with a knowledgeable and committed chavrusa, it has also become a focal point for my children in that all my children know and respect that Tatty learns with his chavrusa. You will quickly see that it has tremendous value.”

ITZIK YARMUSH , BROOKLYN, NY


Totally InAdapted from Likutei Sichot

Vol. 19 pp. 244-249


INTRODUCTIONFrom the diaries of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, the Frierdiker Rebbe:1

“It was Tuesday the seventeenth of the month of Elul 5653 (1893). When I finished my studies, my father2 instructed me: ‘Tomor-row before dawn, immerse yourself in the mikvah and omit the penitential paragraphs in prayer…’

“Ordinarily I would end school at seven o’clock… That Wednes-day at four o’clock, Rabbi Mendel, who served as my father’s sec-retary, entered and spoke with my teacher Rabbi Nisan. He said that the Rebbe—my father—requested permission that I leave at four o’clock as he wanted to see me. Rabbi Nisan granted permis-sion and I was off to see my father.

“When I entered my father’s room, I found him in an uplifted mood. As soon as I entered, my father happily pronounced: ‘It is a happy holiday for us. Today marks the birthday of our “two great luminaries.” Monday, the eighteenth of Elul 5458 (1698) is the day the ‘Baal Shem Tov’ was born. Wednesday, eighteenth of Elul 5505 (1745) was the day that the Alter Rebbe was born.’”

“My father then got up, walked over to the adjacent room, and put on his Shabbos garments. When he returned, he instructed me to close both doors, and he then delivered to me a Chasidic discourse entitled ‘Fifty Gates of Wisdom Were Created in the World.’”

The fifth Chabad Rebbe proclaimed that which perhaps only a Rebbe can pronounce: He declared the eighteenth of Elul (Chai Elul, in Hebrew) an official Chabad holiday.

What is it that these two ‘great luminaries’ introduced to the Jewish people? What did the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe teach us that was revolutionary to the typical Jewish attitude of their day?

To answer that, let us look into the theme of the Torah portion of Ki Tavo, which is always read during the week of Chai Elul. Indeed, the

1 The sixth Chabad Rebbe, in a talk on the eighteenth of Elul 1943. (Sefer Hasichos 5703; beginning on page 140.)

2 The fifth Chabad Rebbe.


theme of every holiday is interwoven within the Torah portion of that week3, for the time when each holiday occurs is predetermined from above, and has an intrinsic connection to the Torah reading of that time.

WHEN YOU WILL COME“It will so be, when you will come into the land which I give you as an inheritance, and you possess it and settle in it: You shall take of the first fruits of the ground, which you will bring from your land which G-d, your L-rd, gives you. You shall place it in a basket and go to the place where G-d, your L-rd, will choose to dwell His name.” 4

After forty years of wandering through the vast wilderness, the Jewish nation, in its entirety, was finally about to enter the land of Canaan. G-d had promised the great patriarch Avraham, that He would give his descendents the Holy Land and drive away the evil nations that dwelled there. The time to fulfill His vow had finally arrived. It was then that G-d introduced the mitzvah of bikurim to the Jews.

The bikurim (lit., blossoming), is an offering of thanks to G-d for the land He gave us. After sowing, plowing and planting, the Jewish owner would walk into his garden to see his very first fruits blossoming. He would take from the first of the fruit and bring it to the Temple in Jerusalem. There, he would lift the fruit above his head, and tell the story of our exile in Egypt. Then, he would gratefully declare: “...The L-rd then took us out of Egypt...and He brought us to this place, He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought from the first fruit of the ground which you, O L-rd, have given to me.”

Then, the fruit bearer would fulfill the Torah’s instructions: “Then, you shall lay it before the L-rd, your G-d, and prostrate yourself before the L-rd, your G-d.”

Logic would dictate that the Jew should fulfill this special mitzvah as soon as he received his portion in the land and grew his garden. How-ever, the mitzvah of bikurim began only fourteen years after the Jews entered the land. For seven years, the Jews drove away the Canaanite

3 Shalah beginning of Parshas Vayaishev, section Torah Shebichtav.4 Deuteronomy, 26; 1. Beginning of the Torah portion read in the week of the eighteenth of Elul (Ki

Tavo).


inhabitants, and for another seven years, they divided the land and settled in it. G-d wanted that the mitzvah only be enacted after those long fourteen years. Even if certain individuals received their portion before that time, as did the tribes of Gad and Reuven, they were not to perform the mitzvah of bikurim just yet.

This most interesting law—that the mitzvah of bikurim was to be launched only after fourteen years—is derived from the precise word-ing of the verse quoted earlier: “It will so be, when you will come into the land.”

Our sages taught5 that whenever the Torah uses the expression “when you will come in” (כי תבואו), it means when you will come in entirely. “A partial entry,” they said, “is not considered an entry.”

Even if a small element did not enter, it’s as if nothing entered. A similar case occurs when one immerses in a mikvah: he is only ren-dered pure if his entire body is enveloped in the water. If even one hair was sticking out of the water, the immersion was invalid.6 Here too, if even one Jew had not yet settled in his portion of the land, it is as if the entire Jewish nation had not yet settled in their respective territory. If even one Jew had not yet received his land, every other Jew could not feel comfortable in his own settings.

But this seems strange: The Jews fought wars and were victorious over nations which were mightier than they. They subdued evil kings that were disproportionately stronger than Moses their leader. It was only by Divine intervention and by supernatural occurrences that they won one battle after another. After witnessing all those miracles, G-d delivers to each family, on a silver platter, a portion in the holy land. Wouldn’t any decent person want to thank his benefactor at the first opportunity? Why was this precious mitzvah withheld from the Jews for fourteen years? True, the Jews were like one family. They sym-pathised with their brother who had not yet settled in his estates. But why can’t the individual alone thank G-d for the real-estate given to him? Why must he wait?

The answer to this follows from the very logic of the mitzvah itself. As we mentioned, the mitzvah of bikurim is to thank G-d for all the good.

5 Chulin, 33; 26 Eruvin, 4; 2. See the responsa of the Tzemach Tzedek, Yorah deah siman 158; se’if 1.


But the attitude of the Jew is that, “As long as there is one Jew who has not yet attained the good I have, my good is not complete.”

A Jew, so caring for his brethren, can’t thank G-d with a full heart when his fellow is missing his share. This is why the bikurim thanksgiving had to wait until the very last Jew had settled in Israel. For as we men-tioned, “I did not receive my land until my brother received his land.”

This is the theme of the weekly Torah portion read in the week of Chai Elul. In fact, the very name of the Torah portion is ‘Ki Tavo,’ or, ‘When You Will Come In.’

The sages declared7: “Whenever the Torah uses the term “When you will come in,” it means “After the division of the land, and after the Jew has settled.” How does this connect to the theme of Chai Elul, the birthday of the two Chasidic masters?

Let us first understand the idea of Chasidism which the Baal Shem Tov introduced to the world. In a fascinating letter to his brother in law, the Baal Shem Tov sheds light on the focal point of Chasidic teachings, and what his mission to the Jewish nation was. Let’s explore an excerpt of this letter:

WHEN YOUR WELLSPRINGS SPREAD TO THE OUTSIDE

“It was on Rosh Hashana of 1746. I performed by means of oath, an elevation of the soul... There were innumerable souls… All of them unanimously requested of me: ‘Because of your exalted honorable Torah status, as G-d has granted you with extraordi-nary understanding to comprehend and intimately know these [upper-worldly] ideas, ascend with us to serve for us as a support and crutch.’

“Because of the great joy I saw amongst them I agreed to ascend with them. I requested of my master and teacher to ascend with me for it is very dangerous to ascend to the upper worlds. From the day I came to be, I had never ascended to such high a level.

7 Kidushin, 37; 2. Also mentioned in Rashi’s commentary on Bamidmar, 15; 18.


“I ascended from one level to the next, until I entered the cham-ber of Moshiach where he would teach Torah with all the Rabbis of the Talmud, all the righteous men, and even with “the seven shepherds.” I beheld an outstanding joy; I did not know the na-ture of this joy… I asked Moshiach, ‘When will the master come [to redeem the Jewish nation]?’

“To which he responded, ‘This you should know: When your teachings will be publicized and will be revealed to the world, when your wellsprings, which I have taught you and of which you comprehended, will spread to the outside…’” 8

And so Moshiach himself, for whom the Jewish nation has waited for two thousand years, informed the Baal Shem Tov how to hasten his arrival: By preparing for the Messianic Era, through spreading the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings.

But what is it about the days of Messiah and redemption that requires preparation, and how do the teachings of Chassidus achieve this?

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed (the Arizal) in his cryptic Kabbalistic teachings, described the contrast between the days of exile and the Messianic era:

“All [the G-dly energies] radiated to the worlds at the present time [up until the time of the redemption], are from the external being of ‘the Ancient One.’9 It will only be in the redemption era, may it be speedily in our days, that the G-dly radiance will shine from the inner being of ‘the Ancient One.’” 10

To explain: The world was created with a purpose and goal, namely, that G-d make it His place of residence. This goal will ultimately be realized in the Messianic era. This is the meaning of the abovemen-tioned teaching of the master Kabalist Rabbi Yitzchak: as long as the world has not reached its ultimate potential, G-d’s relationship with the world will always remain somewhat external. Even in the most intimate moments of His revelations, it can’t be said that it was G-d

8 Porat Yosef, at the end. Keser Shem Tov Kehot edition (2004); page 4 (daled) 9 In general terms, ‘The Ancient One’ refers to G-d as in the prophecy of Daniel. See extra reading,

however, for the Kabbalistic and Chasidic explanations on this. 10 Pri Etz Chaim (by Rabbi Chaim Vital his student), Shaar Krias Shma beginning of fifteenth chapter.

Likutei Torah (of the Alter Rebbe), Shir Hashirim at the end.


Himself in the complete meaning of the word. Only when G-d will be able to call this world home, when He will reside within each one of us, will the relationship be with “the inner being of the Ancient One.”

But will this change our perception of reality? Will the face of the earth really be so different in the Messianic era? Of course it will change—in-finitely. Here is how it works: The universe is host to a diverse variety of things: planets, gases, mountains, oceans, trees, living creatures, radio-active waves, and particles. Each component of the cosmos has its own nature, contributing to the universe in its own unique way. But that is only how we perceive all these things at face value. For indeed, at the core of it all, there is a deeper reality; a reality which unites all things in the universe and boils them down into one: they are all continuous-ly being created by, and living off, a G-dly energy. But more important-ly, they were all created for one purpose: to serve G-d. Of course each thing has a unique energy, but when we dig deep we’ll discover that they are all playing different notes of the same song, for at the core of each creation there is one universal truth and purpose: to express the beauty of its creator.

If the core of everything is G-dliness, why is that not immediately apparent? What blindfolds us from the truth?

As the Arizal taught, in exile, our relationship with the Creator is lim-ited to “the external being of the Ancient One.” It follows that the true G-dly reality is not completely exposed, and therefore not appreciated by the inhabitants of the world.

When the kings of old, for instance, would casually treck through the countryside to inspect the ongoings of the land, they would encounter the simple peasants and farmers working in their fields. These farmers didn’t have the real “king experience” because the king was not in all his kingly uniform. For this reason, the true presence of the king was not felt and the devotion to the king not complete. When, however, the king would garb himself with his royal robes, don his majestic crown, and sit on his splendorous throne, then the experience was an entirely different one. The true prestige of the king was felt, and his essence shone forth. The layman would stand before the king with trepidation and would find no intrinsic value within himself in comparison to the exaltedness of the king. Electrified by the experience, this simpleton desired but one thing: to dissolve into this wondrousness, to somehow become a part of the king’s awesomeness.


So will it be when the glory of the Creator will become apparent. Every being in the world will come to realize that he is not just an indepen-dent individual, with his own life and plans. Rather, at his core, he is a player in the Creator’s master plan, and his purpose is to help perfect the world.

Every Jewish soul will break through its external garments, revealing that at his very deepest, he quests to be united with his Creator in the way only a Jew can unite: through Torah and mitzvos. What worth is there to man’s trivial aspirations when he stands in the presence of the Infinite?

“THOSE WHO TASTE IT HAVE MERITED LIFE”11

Our sages have taught that even before the onset of the holy day, it is a mitzvah to taste the delicious foods prepared for Shabbos.12 Already on Friday, Jews make a point to have a sample of the delicacies they are busily cooking. But this mitzvah is not only limited to the Shabbos of the weekly cycle, rather, it just as much extends to the time which is “entirely Shabbos,” referring to the seventh millennium and the Messi-anic era. Here too, the Jewish nation must have a taste of the redemp-tion experience. This was the Baal Shem Tov’s task for the world; to teach the Jews to experience a taste of the future.

Before the Baal Shem Tov came along, the focus of the typical Jew was to be very religious. Often, the importance of being deeply religious was forgotten; the objective of study was to cover many Torah tractates—not necessarily for the Torah to penetrate the heart of the student.

The attitude toward their fellow Jew was, “If you are learned and follow the rules, then you are perfect. Otherwise, you are undeserving of our attention.”

The feeling for Torah and mitzvos was turning more shallow, the expe-rience, much less of a deeply rooted one.

Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov came to awaken the Jewish nation to proper service of G-d. He taught that we are all brothers and sisters,

11 The Musaf prayer recited on Shabbos12 See Mishna Berura Siman 250; Se’if Katan 2


with one Father in Heaven who loves us each like an only child. So too, must we love each other unconditionally.

Inside of every Jew, the Baal Shem Tov would expound, shines a piece of the Creator Himself. Just as one may find, deep in the belly of the earth, precious stones and diamonds, so in the soul of every Jew, there lies a treasure chest loaded with fear of G-d.

But Rabbi Yisroel wasn’t finished just yet. There was another primary point to this that would fascinate the minds of these Jews: This G-dly spark inside of us is not some strange entity entombed in our hearts, locked out of our reach. Rather this holy soul which thirsts to unite with its Creator is who we really are.

These ideas not only changed the Jew’s attitude toward his fellow, it radicalized his perception of himself. As devoted as the Jew was to the service of G-d, as many hours as he would spend covering the pages of the Talmud, it had been an external experience. When one learns Torah or does a mitzvah, as the great Chasidic master taught, it should not be an intellectual endeavour of merely gaining knowledge, rather, one should be sensitive to the holiness of the Torah. When a Jew takes a moment and listens to the yearning of his soul, he’ll run to study the words of the Creator with love and awe, for it is through them that the Jew unites with The Holy One in the most intimate way.

With this mindset, Torah study came to have a whole new meaning; the followers of Rabbi Yisroel learned diligently and with intense vi-tality, the performance of mitzvos was done with the utmost care and vigilance. Instead of it being they felt they must do, their commitment to G-d became something they lived. The competition for who could devour more pages of Torah was replaced with introspective digging to find the passionate soul who cleaved to G-d in the most simple pure way.

This is the secret to how the Parsha’s theme is in fact the same theme as the Besh”t’s teachings. Just as the Jews were not considered to have entered into the holy land until every last one of them was settled—“a partial entry is not an entry”— so too did the Baal Shem Tov teach that entering into the holiness of the words of Torah and G-d’s divine edicts must be a ‘complete entry.’

When one is at work, for instance, there is a degree of detachment between him and the work because he does not truly desire to work,


it’s simply a means to make money. This person will never really allow work to take over his life. If, however, one is put into a situation where he may lose a lot of money he worked to earn, he’ll be ‘totally into it’; he’ll drive himself crazy and lose himself in trying to ensure his hard earned money is safe.

Since the soul is our core, Chasidic philosophy depicts, when we boil away all the outside influences, all we are left with is the flame of the soul which longs to connect to our source. In this way, when a Jew learns Torah, it touches to the deepest point and he is totally ‘into it.’ There is not an aspect of his being that is not enveloped in the splen-dorous ray of G-dliness that is Torah.

This was the message relayed to the Baal Shem Tov by the Messiah himself that his reign over the world will only come to be once the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov have reached everyone, even “to the outside”; All the happenings of the great Messianic era are dependant on our conduct and service of G-d in the time of exile.13 When all of us will follow in the footsteps of the Baal Shem Tov, when the life of Torah and mitzvos becomes our life and it touches our very core, a similar reaction is reflected from above, and G-d relates with his nation and the world “from the inner being of ‘the Ancient One.’”

But it was the Alter Rebbe that completed the job that The Baal Shem Tov began, for the Besh”t told us where a Jew should be, but the Alter Rebbe taught us how to get there. Furthermore, the first Rebbe of Chabad also taught us how to bring the intense Torah experience, the life of faith and devotion to G-d— into every faculty of the human being on its own level.

ENERGIZING EACH FACULTY ON ITS LEVEL‘If the Torah is at our core,’ the Alter Rebbe taught, ‘then it must affect each part of our being. A source of energy is only complete once it en-ergized each detail.’ With this message, the Alter Rebbe led his follow-ers and introduced to them the motto of the movement called Chabad. But let us better understand what it was about the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings that needed some ‘touching up.’ What is the uniqueness

13 Tanya, 37th chapter


of the Chabad Rabbi’s philosophy over the remainder of the Chasidic masters’ teachings?

Even after one has brought life into his Torah and Mitzvos experience, after his life is totally engulfed with faith and trust in G-d, it still re-mains general, —perhaps even a bit abstract—from his own life. Let us take the physical life of a human for instance: An unconscious individ-ual is alive in the fullest sense of the word. Even one who is in a state of a coma, G-d forbid, is just as alive as anyone else. The soul of the human which generates life has two components: the all encompass-ing life, and the individual life. The one who is unconscious is being vitalized by ‘the all encompassing life’ but his ‘individualized life force’ which makes each limb alive on its level, is for the time being, in an abstract state.

Now, a quick analization would lead one to think that the all encom-passing soul-energy is the real life force; as opposed to the individual life force, this energy actually makes the person alive. The body which would have been as good as a lump of clay is now a live body. From an-other perspective, however, the individual life force has an advantage too: although the all encompassing life energy is the more powerful one, but it is incomplete since it cannot reach each limb on its level. The person who is in a vegetable state may be completely alive but his life is not complete. It is specifically through the ‘less powerful’ life force that the individual limbs are alive on their own level. Now his hand can lift, the eye can see and the feet can walk.

The Baal Shem Tov taught and energized every Jew with the deep love and passion to G-d. But that was only the first step of the process. The body of the collective Jewish nation became alive but it was still lacking a complete life. The Alter Rebbe wrote a guide book and gave many Chasidic discourses, to show the path to drawing the deep faith in G-d so that it resonate with the individual faculties of the human make up. Beginning with utilizing the faculties of the mind (which is what Chabad stands for) to meditate on G-dliness, for instance, the Jew must use each aspect of his life to serve G-d and allow it to become alive with the life of the Torah on its own level. Perhaps the Baal Shem Tov taught us that we must “enter the land” entirely, but the Alter Rebbe showed us how to actually “settle in it.” Indeed it was with the combination of the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe that Jewish life became illuminated with the light of Torah and mitzvos.


AFTERTHOUGHT The Talmud teaches that on the birthday anniversary of an individual, his luck (mazal) is strengthened and intensified. On the birthday anni-versary of the two luminaries, a great energy is generated to the world which gives life and vitality into the Jew’s performance of Mitzvos and study of Torah. In fact, the month of Elul as a whole is energized by this most amazing day – the eighteenth of Elul.

The month of Elul in general is considered a special month where G-d makes Himself available to every Jew. This month which also serves as a month of preparation for the Jewish new year, is utilized by Jews for introspection, rectification of one’s character-traits and strengthen-ing our relationship to G-d. Our sages taught that the acronym of the Hebrew word Elul (אלול), is אני לדודי ודודי לי —I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me.

Indeed, eighteen in Hebrew is the numerical value of ‘chai’ (חי) – life. With the birth of the Baal Shem Tov and eventually through his Cha-sidic teachings, a great shine illuminated the path of Torah and much vitality was given into the Jew’s performance of Mitzvos, amplifying the intense energy of Elul. This was taken a step further and brought to completion through the Alter Rebbe of Chabad who brought down to earth by teaching on a practical level, how to channel the light into ev-ery aspect of our lives and make every experience of the Jew a holy one.

In the spirit of these Chasidic giants, this day is certainly an auspicious time for every individual to inspire himself and his fellow to make res-olutions regarding learning Chasidic teachings and bringing life into our Judaism so that it becomes something we live not just do. This will in turn cause, as Messiah reassured the Baal Shem Tov, the imminent arrival of our redeemer which will mark the beginning of the redemp-tion era. May this be speedily in our days.


Additional Reading

THE ANCIENT ONE“In the first year of [the kingdom of] Belshatzer king of Babylon, Daniel saw [a vision] in a dream… Daniel raised his voice and said ‘In my dream at night I saw: Behold winds were blowing from all four directions of the world, battling with the great sea…I saw as chairs were brought and The One of Ancient Days sat down. His clothes were as white snow, the hair of his head as pure wool, his chair fiery flames and the wheels a burning fire.’”14 In this vision, Daniel saw many things, all of which were parables and riddles for events that were to take place in the future.15 “The One of ancient days” is an analogy of G-d—He who has always existed.16

The Kabbalistic teachings expound on this by explaining the follow-ing: a child associates himself with little things, like small toys, while an adult is more mature and places his interest in bigger things. In heavenly spheres there are also levels referred to as “the child.” This is because these spheres are associated with the limited worlds which are “child’s play” in comparison to the splendorous beauty of pure G-dliness experienced in the higher spheres. “The One of ancient days” which Daniel beheld in his dream, is symbolic of the King in His purity, supernal and sublime from the limitations of the world. In fact, anoth-er way of interpreting Atik—which we translated as Ancient Days— is uprooted; it is the G-dly brilliance far removed from the spheres asso-ciated with the cosmos.

Let us, however, understand more in depth about Atik based on Chas-sidic sources by explaining the following: to give the possibility for the existence of a finite world, G-d minimized his infinitely brilliant shine and contracted it aside. Now that there was a vacant place where the

14 Dan. 7:1-915 See commentators there for the meaning of all the details of the prophecy. 16 See Even Ezra on this verse.


Omnipresence was not felt, G-d was able to give expression to a limited world.

An extraordinary genius-teacher, for instance, wanting to teach his class of beginners, the basics of quantum physics, must momentarily shrink his great knowledge in his mind to find a point which he can re-lay to his students and get them started on the subject. But even after the teacher toiled to limit the intensity of the complex subject, the stu-dents may be mesmerized, even bewildered by this new subject they’ve been introduced to, and they’ll have to search for the part of the teaching they are able to relate to. In other words, the teacher has to find an intermediate point within his vast knowledge, a limited spark in contrast to the teacher’s deep wisdom of which, abstract as it may seem to the student at first, will have some association to the realms of the student so that he can eventually internalize it. This lesson then, is a bit ‘lower’ than the teacher, and a bit ‘higher’ than the student.

How much more so would this be true when we apply it to the True Infinite reducing His G-dly shine to create a finite world. The brilliant G-dly ray must go through innumerable limitation-entities or contrac-tions to give room for our universe. But here too there has to be that intermediate point where the infinite and the finite can “touch”. There must be a bridge that connects the very ‘lowest’ of the G-dly ray to the ‘highest’ of the limited worlds. The name of this bridge is Atik Yomin or Atika Kadisha. Just as in the analogy mentioned above, the teacher must find a point in his great intellect that can relate somewhat to the student, so it is with Atik; at its essence it is an expression of the creator but together with that it also has an external element that can relate -to some degree- with the finite world.

This is the meaning of the Arizal’s teaching mentioned in the article: In the time of exile we can only have association with “the external of Atik”, the lower aspect of the intermediate which relates to the world. The “internal of Atik” which is an expression of the Creator Himself is out of reach as of yet. The student is still stuck in his own mindset and hasn’t come in touch with the lessons on the teacher’s level. In the days of Moshiach however, the relationship with G-d will be a true and complete one. The strive of the Jew to unite with his creator will be from his very core, and the attachment of G-d with his people will be a total one with nothing held back. Indeed, may we merit this speedily in our days.


DELETED SCENES When a human being works to make himself intune with spiritual spheres, as a general rule, he is only capable of ‘reaching’ the G-dliness which is manifest in the ten Sefirot. Above that is considered beyond the capabilities, and too much to handle, for the world.

But at times, the world does get ‘a dose’ of the sublime level called ‘the One of ancient days’. In Kabbalistic terms this is referred to as Atik Yomin and described as the crown of the king which transcends the ‘body’ of the king. In fact, another way of interpreting Atik is uprooted; it is the G-dly brilliance far removed from the spheres associated with the cosmos.

Miracles, for instance, are an expression of Atik Yomin; when the na-ture of the world is defied and perhaps reorganized, that is a sign that there was an experience of beyond the usual cosmic system of things.

In the Kabbalistic terms they are called the ten Sefirot or the ‘body’ of the king.

QuestionsShare your input by answering the following three

questions at www.jnet.org/18elul1. If the mitzvah of Bikurim is done every 7 years, why was its

first occurrence fulfilled only after 14 years?

2. According to what the Arizal writes, when will G-d’s relationship with the world reach its ultimate potential?

3. What lesson did you take from the sicha?


GlossaryAlter Rebbe: Literally ‘the old Rebbe.’ Refers to Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of the Chabad dynasty (1745-1812). The Alter Rebbe absorbed the teachings of his teacher, the Magid of Mezritch, who was a prodage student of the Baal Shem Tov. The Alter Rebbe then dug to the core of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings to find its essence. He took the pinnacle point of all those teachings and developed a core idea, which is what gave birth to the Movement—conceived by the Alter Rebbe himself— known as Chabad.

Baal Shem Tov: Literally ‘the master of a good name’. Rabbi Yisroel or The Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) was tasked with the divine mission of awakening the Jewish people who were in a state of spiritual slumber as a result of the unimaginable suffering they experienced by the massacres of the Cossacks during the years 1648-1649. The Baal Shem Tov taught that a Jew must love and support his fellow Jew without com-promise; for even the simple folk posses a part of G-d within

them, are loved by, and con-nected to G-d, just as a father loves his child with a most simple and unequivocal love.

Elul: The last month on the Jewish calendar.

Mikvah: The Jewish ritual bath used to purify oneself.

Rebbe: The Rebbe is the Cha-sidic leader of a particular cha-sidic sect. In our case this refers to the Chabad (or Lubavitcher) Rebbes. In each generation—of the seven generations of Chabad Rebbes—the Rebbe was referred to—-by his followers—simply as ‘the Rebbe’.

In the case of the Chabad Reb-bes, they were considered not only to be the leaders of their particular sect, but as leaders of world Jewry as a whole.

Tachanun: The section in the prayers where the one pray-ing confesses for his sins and pleads for forgiveness. On special days —such as holi-days— we omit this part of prayer since the holiness of the day suffices to alter the breach in our relationship with G-d caused by sin.


שאלותאנא, הביע את דעתך בתשובות לשלשת השאלות הבאות:

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מדוע . 1 ביכורים חלה אחת לשבע שנים, אם מצות הבאת עשרה ארבע אחרי נעשתה הראשונה הביכורים הבאת

שנה לאחר הכניסה לארץ?

הקב"ה . 2 של שכינתו מגיעה מתי ז"ל, הארי כתבי פי על בעולם באופן מושלם?

מהו מוסר ההשכל לשלמדת מהשיחה?. 3


באופן מושלםלקוטי שיחות חלק יט, חי אלול


מבצע לימוד תורה ליום ח"י אלול

שנת הקהל ה'תשע"ו

ח"י אלול, החל השנה ביום רביעי, 21 בספטמבר, הוא יום הולדתו של הבעל שם טוב )1698-1760(, מייסד תנועת החסידות, וכן יום

הולדתו של אדמו"ר הזקן, הרב שניאור זלמן מלאדי )1745-1812(, מייסד חסידות חב"ד.

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השיחה "באופן מושלם" עוסקת בפרשת השבוע 'כי תבוא' אשר בכל שנה נקראת בתקופת השבוע שחל בו ח"י אלול. הקשר של

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