Maggid of Mezrich Ohr Torah on Parshat Ekev

“[And now, Israel,] what does HaShem, your God, ask of you [but to fear HaShem, your God, to go in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve HaShem, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of HaShem and His statutes, which I command you today, for your benefit...]” (Deut. 10:12)

The word elohecha- your God, is language which expresses power. Like the verse, “the mighty of the land he took away...(Ezekiel 17:13)”^[1]The meaning of this is that when one is learning or praying the word should come out of him with all his power. Like a drop of the seed that comes out of all of one’s limbs-- then all of one’s power is dressed up in that drop. In the same way all of one’s power can be dressed up in the word. By way of [the Baal Shem Tov’s interpretation of the quote from parshat Noach where it says] “you and all of your family come into the teivah (word or ark)”^[2]. For the Torah and the Holy Blessed One are one,^[3] however, the Holy Blessed One is dressed up in the Torah. And if one brings forth the word (teivah) with all one’s power, then also one’s power will be dressed up in the word (teivah), which is Torah. One’s power is the soul (neshamah) which is spread through the entire body. And “the neshamah is a piece of God from above.”^[4] In in way there is a complete cleaving of the part to its Source. For the souls of tzaddikim are the limbs of the Shechinah, so to speak. And this is the meaning of the unification of the Holy Blessed One and His Shechinah. This is what the Torah wants to saying with the words,“HaShem (YHVH) your God...”-- the name “YHVH” which is the Holy Blessed One should be with “your God--” your power-- which is His Shechinah.

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“[For if observing you will observe all of this commandment that I command you, to perform it, to love HaShem, your God, to go in all His ways and] to cleave to Him [HaShem will drive out all of these nations from before you, and you will drive out nations greater and mightier than you.]

The Rabbis may their memory be for a blessing said, “how is it possible for one to cleave one’s self to the Holy Blessed One, is He not ‘a devouring flame’^[5]? But rather attach to His attributes,^[6] just as God is Compassionate, so you are compassionate...”^[7] The meaning of this is that one should serve HaShem with fervor. This is a complete cleaving to Him may He be blessed. [But] this is not possible to do all the time, only ‘it is obtained and it is not obtained’^[8] like the way of a flame. For like a flame that if one ignites it and in the beginning puts it out, later the flame is big and the flame itself descends above and below and shakes. In the same way fervor is ‘obtained and not obtained.” For perpetual pleasure is not pleasure. This is what the Gemara had difficulty with when it mentioned “is God not a devouring flame?” It means that fervor is prevented you, and this is ‘obtained and not obtained.’ How is it possible then to cleave to Him may He Be Blessed? The answer is “cleave to His attributes”-- which means to his garnments-- to his letters. The meaning of this is that it is possible to always have one’s thoughts thinking about the letters of the Torah-- and the Torah is the Blessed One’s garment. Even when one is speaking to human beings one should only think of the letters of those words-- for these letters are also from the 22 letters of the Torah....

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[1] 

א  וַיְהִי דְבַר-יְהוָה, אֵלַי לֵאמֹר.

11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

יב  אֱמָר-נָא לְבֵית הַמֶּרִי, הֲלֹא יְדַעְתֶּם מָה-אֵלֶּה; אֱמֹר, הִנֵּה-בָא מֶלֶךְ-בָּבֶל יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיִּקַּח אֶת-מַלְכָּהּ וְאֶת-שָׂרֶיהָ, וַיָּבֵא אוֹתָם אֵלָיו, בָּבֶלָה.

12 'Say now to the rebellious house: Know ye not what these things mean? tell them: Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon;

יג  וַיִּקַּח מִזֶּרַע הַמְּלוּכָה, וַיִּכְרֹת אִתּוֹ בְּרִית; וַיָּבֵא אֹתוֹ בְּאָלָה, וְאֶת-אֵילֵי הָאָרֶץ לָקָח.

13 and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath, and the mighty of the land he took away;

יד  לִהְיוֹת מַמְלָכָה שְׁפָלָה, לְבִלְתִּי הִתְנַשֵּׂא, לִשְׁמֹר אֶת-בְּרִיתוֹ, לְעָמְדָהּ.

14 that his might be a lowly kingdom, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

[2] Genesis 7:1

[3] Zohar I 24a, Zohar II 60 a, 90b

[4] Job 31:2

[5] Deut. 4:24

[6] Shabbat 133b

[7] Ketubot 111b

[8] Zohar 16b

Hebrew:

או יאמר מה ה' אלהיך שואל מעמך. אלהיך לשון כח, כמו ואת אילי הארץ לקח. פי' כשלומד או מתפלל יצא ממנו התיבה בכל כחו, כמו טיפת הזרע שיוצא מכל איבריו, ואז כחו מלובש בהטיפה ההיא. כן בהתיבה יהיה מלובש כל כחו, על דרך בא אתה וכל ביתך אל התיבה. כי אורייתא וקב"ה [כולא] חד הוא, אלא שהקב"ה מלובש בתורה. ואם מוציא [מפיו] התיבה בכל כחו, אז גם כחו מלובש בהתיבה שהיא אורייתא, וכחו היא הנשמה המתפשטת בכל הגוף, והנשמה היא חלק אלו"ה ממעל. ובזה הוא דביקות גמור החלק לשרשו. כי נשמת הצדיקים הם איברי השכינה כביכול. וזהו יחוד קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתיה.

וזהו א"ת ה' אלהיך, רצה לומר עם שם הוי"ה שהוא קב"ה, יהיה אלהי"ך כוחך, שהיא שכינתיה.

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-----  מקורות ומראה מקומות  -----

אוה"א לו, ב. שמועה טובה נו, ב

מה ה"א שואל מעמך גו' – עקב י, יב. ואת אילי הארץ לקח – יחזקאל יז, יג. ראה יבמות כא, א. טור או"ח סי' ה. בא אתה גו' – נח ז, א. אורייתא וקב"ה חד הוא – זח"א כד, א. זח"ב ס סע"א. שם צ, ב. חלק אלו"ה ממעל – איוב לא, ב. איברי השכינה – ראה זח"ג יז, א. שם רלא סע"ב. תקו"ז תכ"א נב, א.

-----  הערות וציונים  -----

על דרך בא אתה כו' – ראה סי' יח-יט ובהערות שם.

שהקב"ה מלובש בתורה – להעיר משבת קה, א אנכי כו'. שמ"ר לג, ו. וראה לקו"ת לאדה"ז שלח מח סע"ד.

והנשמה היא חלק אלוה ממעל – ראה תניא רפ"ב.

יחוד קוב"ה ושכינתיה – מבואר בלקו"י סי' סה.

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ולדבקה בו, ואמרו רבותינו ז"ל וכי אפשר לדבק עצמו בהקדוש ברוך הוא והלא אש אוכלה הוא, אלא הדבק במדותיו, מה הוא רחום אף אתה רחום ע"כ. פי' כי לעבוד את ה' בהתלהבות, וזהו דביקות גמור בו יתברך, זה אי אפשר להיות תמיד, רק מטי ולא מטי, כדרך אש. כי כמו אש שאם מנפחין אותו תחלה הוא נכבה, ואחר כך גדל המדורה, והאש גופה יורד מעלה ומטה ומתנענע. כן ההתלהבות הוא מטי ולא מטי, כי תענוג תמידית אינו תענוג. וזהו שמקשה בגמרא והלא אש אוכלה הוא, ר"ל ההתלהבות נמנע ממך, וזהו במטי ולא מטי, וכי אפשר לדבקו בו ית', ותירץ הדבק במדותיו, פירוש בלבושיו, באותיותיו, ר"ל כי זה אפשר תמיד להיות במחשבתו לחשוב באותיות התורה, והתורה לבושו ית'. ואפילו כשמדבר עם בני אדם לא יחשוב רק באותיות הדברים ההם, (והם) [כי הם] ג"כ מכ"ב אותיות התורה.

מה הוא רחום, פי' כי רחו"ם אותיות חומ"ר, ר"ל כי הקב"ה א"א לרחם על חומר עכור, והאיך יכול להיות במחשבה הדק מן הדק חומר עב עכור. רק אם יצמצם את עצמו ית' להיות במחשבתו חומר, אז מרחם עליו. ומהיכן בא הצמצום הלז, זה בא אם אדם הוא רחום, אז הוא פועל שהקדוש ב"ה מלביש עצמו בלבושים ומצמצם את עצמו כביכול, וגם כן מרחם עלינו. וזהו מה הוא רחום, וזה הוא מביא רחמנות.

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-----  מקורות ומראה מקומות  -----

צוה"ר סי' קיא-קיב. אוה"א כז, ב. כתבי קודש יח, ג (ונכפל שם לב, ג).

ולדבקה בו – עקב יא, כב. וכי אפשר לדבק כו' – כתובות קיא, ב. אש אוכלה הוא – ואתחנן ד, כד. הדבק במדותיו כו' – שבת קלג, ב. מטי ולא מטי – זח"א טז, ב. מה הוא רחום כו' – שבת קלג, ב.

-----  הערות וציונים  -----

תענוג תמידית אינו תענוג – ראה לעיל הערות לסי' לג.

הדבק במדותיו פירוש בלבושיו באותיותיו – ראה כש"ט סי' י, מד-א, צו-א-ב, וראה לקמן ריש סי' רמח.

והתורה לבושו ית' – ראה סי' צח ד"ה אמנם, וסי' קסב.

ואפילו כשמדבר עם בני אדם כו' כי הם ג"כ כו' – עיין כש"ט סי' שעג ובהערות שם. ורג"כ לקמן סי' רה-א ד"ה והכוונה. ועיין סי' רנב.

אם אדם הוא רחום אז הוא פועל כו' – ראה סי' קלד ד"ה וזהו על, ובהערות שם. לקמן סי' רמח ד"ה והנה נאמר. סי' רנה ד"ה וזה נ"ל. וסי' רסד, רצד, ש, תפ. ועיי"ע סי' קה מד"ה ושמעתי.

Maharal netzach yisrael 1 in honor of tisha beav

Maharal (Yehudah Loew) of Prague-- Netzach Yisrael 1:
(translation mine)
All this you should know, for the letters in the two words Galah (exile) and Ga’al (redemption) are the same, except for in the word Ga’al there is a hint of the Holy One (the alef- the number one, also represents divinity) who redeemed them from the four winds of the world and unified their scattering. And all unity in the world is in the middle. For the corners are divided, and the center is one. Therefore the alef which is Oneness/Unity and an ingathering from the scattering is in the center of the word. However the word galah is spelled with a heh, which is scattering. Scattering is in 4 directions in all the corners/edges and also in the middle. For something that is scattered is scattered throughout the area which includes the four directions and the middle. Even though the middle does not scatter, this thing that is in the middle comes to teach us that there still remains in Israel the power of unity and ingathering, as will be explained. This says to you that the exile by itself is a reason for redemption, for ingathering of the scattered, and for Israel to become one. Therefore the letters of galah are the letters of ga’al, only that scattering is turned into unity which is hinted at in the alef of ga’al.

וכל זה תבין, כי לשון "גלה" ו"גאל" אותיות שניהם שוות, רק שבלשון "גאל" נרמז בו, שהוא יתברך גאל אותם מכל ד' רוחות עולם, ומאחד את הפיזור שלהם. וכל אחדות בעולם הוא באמצע, שהקצוות הם מחולקים, והאמצע אחד. ולכך האלף, שהוא האחדות והקבוץ מן הפיזור, הוא באמצע התיבה. אבל "גלה" הוא בהא, שהוא פיזור, והפיזור הוא בד' רוחות בכל הקצוות, וגם באמצע. שהדבר שהוא מפוזר - הוא מפוזר בכל השטח, שהוא כולל ארבע רוחות וגם באמצע. אף שהאמצעי אינו פיזור, דבר זה מה שיש בהם האמצעי בא להורות כי נשאר בישראל כח אחדות וקבוץ, כמו שיתבאר. ולומר לך, כי הגלות בעצמו הוא סבה לגאולה לקבץ הפיזור ולהיות ישראל אחד. לכך אותיות "גלה" הם אותיות "גאל", רק שנעשה הפיזור לאחדות, שהוא נרמז באל"ף של "גאל...א"

Parshat Korah- Noam Elimelekh- Two teachings

Noam Elimelekh- Elimelekh of Lezhinsk

Korach

“Korach, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi took [vayikach]...”

The Aramaic translation (Targum) of “vayikach Korach (and Korach took)” is “Korach separated [himself]”. For the creation of a person and their soul is done by carving them out from underneath the Throne of Glory. For this reason, one needs to make the main focus of their dwelling be the upper dimensions, and giving divine energies from the lower world all the way to Ein Soph, May It be Blessed. However, when a person commits a transgression, perish the thought, then he separates himself from the upper dimensions and they have no relevance for him whatsoever. His body and soul remain in this lowly dimension. This is why the Targum is “Korach separated himself”-- because he separated himself from the dimensions. This is the meaning of “HaShem loves the gates of Zion... [more than the dwellings of Jacob].” (Psalm 87) For the dimensions are gates through which a person may return there to the place from which they were carved out, and to the dwelling of ones soul underneath the Throne of Glory. This is the meaning of “HaShem loves the gates of Zion”-- they are the gates which are splendid to go through. And they are dimensions through which divine flow and life-force is given. When does HaShem love them more than the dwellings of Jacob? When Israel is dwelling beneath the Throne of Glory...

Noam Elimelekh

“Moses heard and fell on his face...”

One way of interpreting this is by means of derision. For in the Gemara it [says] that a person is forbidden from falling on their face (Ta’anit 14b) unless he is confident that he will be answered like Yehoshua etc... Moses our Rabbi was very humble and his opinion of himself was lower than everyone, and he was afraid to fall on his face, but after he heard that Korach said that he was the leader and the prince in Israel, and that greatness suited him, he began to fall on his face. For this reason it says “and Moses heard and fell...”

Maggid of Mezrich- Ohr Torah, Parshat Baha'alotcha

Maggid of Mezrich Ohr Torah Parshat Beha'alotcha

ג  וְהָאִישׁ מֹשֶׁה, עָנָו מְאֹד--מִכֹּל, הָאָדָם, אֲשֶׁר, עַל-פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה.  

" Now the man Moses was very humble, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth-" Numbers 12:3

An interpretation of this is that there are two levels to humility.  The first is that ones thoughts should be entirely [directed] above and separate from the material even in lower matters.

On the second level, one is not separated from the material that much. This is the meaning of when it says Moshe Moshe [at the burning bush] without a line separating [the two instances of the name]. When Jacobs name is repeated (gen. 46:2) [cfx. 22:11, I Samuel 3:10] there is a separating line. For there is a Moshe above and a Moshe below, and a Jacob above and a Jacob below. Therefore with Moshe there is no separating line for he was entirely one [unified]. Above and below he was one.  For he was entirely above, and he was separated from the material even in lower matters, and it is obvious [that he was this way] in upper matters as well.

In spite of this he held himself to the attribute of humility even in upper matters.

"...than all men [literally "all man] who were on the face of the earth." "Man"  here is referring to his thoughts all of which were "on the face of the earth". This means Moshe thought of himself as lower  even than that person who is entirely below.

Noam Elimelekh- Naso

Noam Elimelekh

Naso

“Lift up the heads of the children of Gershon them etc...” (Numbers/Bamidbar 4:21-22)

There is a reason why sometimes ״to their families" is written before "to the house of their ancestors", and sometimes "to the house of their ancestors" [before] "to their families." The answer is according to the passage "lift up the heads of the children of israel according to their gilgulotam according to their families etc..."(Bamidbar 1:1). For the tzaddik uplifts the entire world and he lifts them up by means of his devekut and by means of his holiness. By means of this he brings them close to the service of the Creator may his name be blessed. This is called "nesiut rosh"- the uplifting of the head. Therefore HaShem commanded that this uplifting of the head will conduct itself according to the gilgulim/reincarnations. For the tzaddik who knows the reincarnations of souls can know which man has a holy soul or from which world ones soul was taken. Moshe and Aharon were on this level and they knew the reincarnation of the souls. Therefore HaShem may He be blessed commanded "lift up the souls of the children of israel Le gilgulotam- " which means according to the gilgul of the souls-- this is how you should cause them to ascend above.

However, simple person whose souls isn't on that big of a level, they too need to ascend and lift up their heads. Why should they be harmed? And how can they be lifted up? Since they are below, for this reason the tzaddik needs to connect them to the holy ancestors who contain all of Israel. Then they will ascend above by means of the ancestors, and this is why it is written "to the house of their an ancestors" before "to their families" in order to lift them up into the remainder of the families of israel. But for the ones who are tzaddiks whose souls are from the higher world it is the opposite, they raise them according to the order of from below to above - first "to their families" and afterward "to the house of their ancestors" To attach them with the levels of the ancestors as well...

Noam Elimelekh BaMidbar (two selections)

Noam Elimelekh

Parshat Bamidbar

Or one may say [of the verse] “and He spoke...in the desert...” that here it [can be interpreted] through a father who cares for his children. If he sees any pain that they have then he has compassion and he gives him some kind of good food and good things that through them their minds will be comforted. However the distress and pain itself the father is not able to take away from them.

And the Creator, may He Be Blessed, when a person has any pain and prays to Him, may He be blessed, then it is not enough that He takes the distress away, but rather, in spite of this that He gives them all of the goodnesses, divine flow, and blessing. And this is the meaning of the verse, “and the cloud covered the mountain for six days, and He called to Moses on the seventh day...”:

The mountain refers to the attribute of judgement (Din) … and this indicates that during the six days of secularity the attribute of judgement has a power to rule, perish the thought.

However the tzaddik, in his holiness covers this very mountain.

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There is another interpretation of the midrash that we spoke of above in another way--that is the idea that the end action is contained in the initial thought. This is that humanity arose in thought to be created at first, and in the end they were created after all of the creations. This is that they were not also created first in order that they have choice. Therefore all of the worlds were created first and afterwards humanity cascaded into a level lower than all of them in order that they be manifested. And the soul of humanity is carved from under the Chair of Glory, which is the world of thought. And a person needs to serve the Creator, may He be blessed, until he returns to his engraver, and first Source.

And all of the good that is done for Israel is by means of an angel. But if a person is corrected in their level until their Initial Engraver they do not need an angel as a messenger, they simply are convey their own message because they are above the angel.

Consequently, whether it is done by means of an angel or by means of a person, when the messenger is an angel they cannot deviate from their mission to do anything greater or lesser, only what they have received. On the other hand, the tzaddik has permission to change and to add to the good.

The desire of the holy beings is to be messengers to do good for them, but rather when they come down a little bit below, they descend a bit from they holiness for they [normally] hover beneath the Chair of Holiness.........

And this is the meaning of the holy beings running and returning. They are running after their desire to be messengers and returning because they see in their descent that they are becoming physical, and this is very hard.

The only ones  completely corrected until their Initial Engraver were the avoteinu, Abraham, etc. They reached through their holy deeds until the Chair of Glory...n

Or one may say [of the verse] “and He spoke...in the desert...” that here it [can be interpreted] through a father who cares for his children. If he sees any pain that they have then he has compassion and he gives him some kind of good food and good things that through them their minds will be comforted. However the distress and pain itself the father is not able to take away from them.

And the Creator, may He Be Blessed, when a person has any pain and prays to Him, may He be blessed, then it is not enough that He takes the distress away, but rather, in spite of this that He gives them all of the goodnesses, divine flow, and blessing. And this is the meaning of the verse, “and the cloud covered the mountain for six days, and He called to Moses on the seventh day...”:

The mountain refers to the attribute of judgement (Din) … and this indicates that during the six days of secularity the attribute of judgement has a power to rule, perish the thought.

However the tzaddik, in his holiness covers this very mountain.......

Elimelekh of Lezhinsk on Parshat Behar

Noam Elimelekh
 Elimelekh of Lezhinsk
 BeHar
 (Leviticus 25:20)  “And if you will say, ‘what shall we eat’ in the seventh year...’ and I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce for the three years.” [I have an interpretation] in the name of my brother, the righteous and the famous. We must be scrupulous with the grammar [of this passage] since the Torah departs from its [usual] way here. For the [usual] way of the Torah is that when it writes any extra language in the passage, even one letter, several difficulties will be answered . However, the difficuly [itself] is not [usually] written itself in the Torah. But here, the difficulty is written in the Torah. It would have been well if it had just said, “and I will command my blessing.” Immediately no one would have presented the difficulty by asking “what will we eat.” It seems that the Holy Blessed One when He created the world, He created through a flow of divine energy through his Goodness to create pipes which flow with divine energy for the needs of Humanity. And the way of divine energy is not to stop at all except when a person falls from their level, and they do not have trust in the Creator, may He Be Blessed, the One who is the Overseer of Truthfulness who Sustains creation without any pause. Then He makes this man through his thought. When a blemish is not purified, perish the thought, the divine energy will be stopped up. The the Holy Blessed One will need to newly command the divine energy, that it will proceed as it did in the beginning of the creation. This is the meaning of “and if you will say...etc...” That the Torah teaches a person the way of The Name that he will be whole in his trust in his G!d, and he will not ever ask “what will he eat”, for when, perish the thought, he will fall from the trust to think “what will he eat”, he will make a defect, perish the thought, in the divine flow and Heaven is troubled to newly command. And the meaning of “and when you will say” is when you will say thus, then you will trouble me to command, etc. But rather [the verse is teaching us] don’t behave this way, and trust in HaShem with all your heart, and then the shefa will proceed without any pause, one will never lack at all through It. "

וכי תאמרו מה נאכל בשנה השביעית הן לא נזרע ולא נאסוף את תבואתנו וציויתי את ברכתי לכם בשנה השישית ועשית את התבואה לשלש השנים". "ויש לדקדק היות שהתורה יצאה בכאן מדרכה שדרך הקרא לכתוב איזה ייתור לשון בפסוק אפילו אות אחת וע"י זה מתורץ כמה קושיות, אבל הקושיא לא נכתב בעצמה בתורה וכאן נכתבה הקושיא בתורה וטוב היה שלא לומר כי אם 'וציויתי את ברכתי' וממילא לא יקשה שום אדם לומר מה נאכל? ונראה שהשי"ת ב"ה כשברא את העולם השפיע מטובו צינורות מושכים שפע לצרכי בני אדם ודרך השפע שלא להפסיק כלל אלא כשהאדם נופל ממדרגתו ואין לו בטחון בבורא ב"ה המשגיח אמיתי הזן ומפרנס בריות בלי הפסק כלל אז עושה האדם ההוא במחשבתו ההיא אשר לא מטוהר פגם חלילה בעולמות העליונים ומתישין כוח פמליא של מעלה ר"ל ואז נפסק השפע חלילה וצריך השי"ת ב"ה לצוות מחדש השפע שתלך כמו מתחילת הבריאה וזה הוא: 'וכי תאמרו...' וגו', שהתורה מלמדת לאדם דרכי השם שיהיה שלם בבטחונו על אלוקיו ולא יאמר כלל 'מה יאכל', כי כאשר חלילה יפול מן הבטחון לחשוב מה יאכל, הוא עושה פגם חלילה בהשפע ואטרחו כלפי שמיא לצוות מחדש, וכי תאמרו – כאשר תאמרו כך, ואז תטריחו אותי – 'וציויתי את ברכתי...' אלא לא תתנהגו כך, ותבטחו בה' בכל לבבכם, ואז תלך השפע בלי הפסק כלל, תמיד לא יחסר כל בה".