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Dear
Naaleh
Friend,
This week we have featured a class from Rabbi Hershel Reichman's
Naaleh.com Pesach series,
Chassidic Interpretations of the Mitzvot of Pesach.
In this first class of the series, entitled
The Spritual Characteristics of Chametz, Rabbi Reichman explains the prohibition of chametz from a Chassidic perspective. The Shem MiShmuel presents the negative spiritual characteristics which chametz represents, and explains how one should work on eradicating those characteristics during the time of Pesach.
Watch this first class from the series by clicking on the image below:
This week's Torat Imecha Parsha Newsletter on Parshat Metzora is available now below.
Click here for the printer friendly version, to share at your Shabbat table. Be sure to visit the homepage as well, for many more inspiring Torah classes!
Shabbat Shalom!
-Ashley Klapper and the Naaleh Crew
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e-experiencing the Redemption - Pesach
Based on a Naaleh.com series by Mrs. Shira Smiles
While the other
mitzvot
associated with Pesach are rather straightforward, the
mitzvah
to see oneself as if one personally left Egypt, says the Gra seems particularly difficult. Certainly one cannot achieve this mindset immediately. Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz notes that one needs to begin the process well before the night of the Seder and build upon multiple experiences involved in preparing for Pesach. If you go through the preparation and the rituals, says Rav Dessler, you may not feel that you are re-experiencing the exodus, but on a deep spiritual level, your soul knows, for this is the season of our freedom. The
mitzvot
enter our memory bank and become imprinted on our souls so that we can enter the experiential "zone" of this holiday.
The Netivot Shalom says
there are several instances when the Torah commanded us to stand and see: at the miracle of the sea, at the giving of the Torah, and before entering Eretz Yisrael, and at Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Eval. At each of these places the souls of all of
Am Yisrael,
past, present, and future were joined in the experience. The soul therefore, never forgets the experience.
The soul may never forget, but as living human beings, we must also engage the body in the experience. Our imaginations are rich and powerful. Imagine yourself mixing the straw; let your mind hear the taskmaster scolding you. Create the imagery and reenact it. The rituals of the Seder help us taste the freedom of the exodus as well as the oppression of the servitude.
Rabbi Dovid Cohen notes that we physically left Egypt during the day. Yet the Seder is conducted at night. What we are commemorating, then, is the redemption of our souls from the impurity of Egypt through the revelation of Hashem's Divine Presence. And for this, says the
Abudraham
, we need to offer thanks. The
Hagadah
is not about history but about gratitude, and therefore most of the text comes not from the story of the exodus as related in
Shemot
, but from the ceremony of the
bikkurim
, the first fruits. Therefore, says the
Darash Dovid
, we stand during
Hallel
of the morning prayers and bear witness to the miracles of prior times, but at the Seder we sit. The purpose of this
Hallel
is to sing praises to Hashem for having saved us and redeemed our souls.
The entire point of the Seder, says the
Shom Davar
, is to teach us that each of us has a personal relationship with Hashem, and that His providence extends to each of us individually. Every detail of the Pesach story prompts is to recognize that, "This is
my
God." Study the plagues. Learn from the events of the exodus, see that God orchestrates every second of our lives. Believe that just as we say, "For me was the entire world created," so are we to believe that, "For me were my forefathers redeemed from slavery in Egypt."
Hashem examined each Israelite to determine if he was personally worthy of redemption. Since past, present, and future are merged in Hashem's eyes, we can extrapolate that my forefathers were saved because Hashem deemed me to be worthy of being born generations later. Therefore we begin our blessing over the second cup of wine by putting ourselves before our fathers, "Blessed are You ... Who redeemed us and redeemed our ancestors from Egypt." I was deemed worthy. I was chosen to have that special relationship with Hashem and to have the privilege of serving Him.
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The Holiday of Pesach
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller
The Arizal teaches that the story of
Galut Mitzrayim began in
Gan Eden. The snake convinced Chavah to eat of the fruit by saying, "You could be like Hashem, knowing good and bad."
A good choice made in an autonomous fashion has much greater power than a choice made while in a robotic state of mind. The snake meant to say that if you integrate evil within you and you continuously choose good despite it, you can attain a much higher level. This was true, except that Adam and Chava weren't ready for it yet. If they would have waited for Shabbat, they could have achieved this lofty state.
After the sin, humanity was doomed to an ongoing battle with the yetzer hara. Adam and Chava could have accomplished ultimate rectification but instead they caused fragmentation. Now billions of people over thousands of years would each receive a specific mission to draw Hashem back into the world throughself-rectification and rectification of the world.
At the end of Parshat Bereishit we see failure. The people sunk lower and lower until Hashem brought the Great Flood upon them. This created a partial rectification. Just witnessing so much death and seeing the force of life, water, turn against them, made the people aware of their finite nature. It may have stilled their passion towards promiscuity, but the drive for autonomy which brought them to idol worship and rebellion was still alive and well.
The Arizal teaches that the people who died in the flood were reincarnated in the generation of the tower of Bavel. Their test was to use their ability to understand and relate to the world and to serve Hashem. They failed, and the ensuing dispersion only accomplished a partial rectification. They were reincarnated third time in the generation of the people enslaved in Egypt.
The Baal Hatanya explains, sometimes you might feel as if there is a rock on you heart. You want to pray, yet your heart is hard as a stone. You've become so taken with the part of yourself that's coarse, vulgar, and sinful that your heart becomes locked. That doesn't mean this is the real you or that the door can never be opened again. But at the moment, while you're praying, you're thinking of everything in the world, but what you're supposed to be saying, because physicality has claimed you. The Zohar says if there's a rock blocking the entrance, take a hammer and shatter it.
The Egyptian exile was meant to break down the Jews' coarseness and physicality so that the holy soul hidden within them could shine forth. And indeed, the toil and suffering broke them. They could not listen to Moshe m' kotzer ruach, from shortness of breath. They found Hashem from the deepest and blackest place, and they cried out to Him from the depths of their heart. At that moment, they shattered the rock. They were close to attaining what Adam wanted when he integrated evil through eating the forbidden fruit. As soon as they reached that point, Hashem appeared to Moshe in the burning bush and initiated the process of redemption.
What gave the Jews merit to be redeemed? Even though they were at the 49th level of impurity, the Gemara says they didn't change their clothing, names, and language. Wasn't this hypocrisy? Every person has a huge gap between what he wishes to be and what he is. The desire to be more than one is, is still a holy desire.
The Talmud tells us that many Jews died during the plague of darkness. In the encampment of the Jews though there was spiritual light. Hashem showed them who they could really be. Anyone who wanted to get out of Egypt - both at the outer lever and at the inner level - lived. Anyone who wanted to stay exactly the way he was was doomed. Hashem responded according to the person's will. They needed the suffering to break through, but in the end they had to make their own decisions. Do I want to leave or not? And they had to concretize their decision. They had to be able to reach down deep into their very life blood, to their instinctive selves. They had to risk their lives by taking the Pascal lamb, spreading the blood on the lintels, and affirming their allegiance to the One who would redeem them, "from slavery to freedom and from darkness to a great light."
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Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Leah Kohn
The Jews endured horrific persecution in Egypt. Six hundred thousand able bodied men left Egypt. Yet while they were still enslaved, the Egyptians could take their newborn babies and throw them in the Nile with nary a whisper of rebellion. How did this happen? The Egyptian nation was a descendant of Cham, who was cursed to be a slave of slaves. Cham's great grandson was Nimrod. Rashi explains that he was called Nimrod because he rebelled against Hashem and forced others to do the same. The people of Cham denied Hashem so that they could pursue their animalistic desires without a conscience. Those who are slaves to their desires will enslave others to fulfill their desires and that is the difficult reality the Jewish people found themselves in.
It seems as if the Jews had achieved their goal after they were redeemed. But Hashem said no. Your mission is just beginning. Spiritual redemption unlike physical redemption is ongoing. The Torah tells us, "If your son will ask in the future, 'What is this all about?' you should tell him, 'With a strong hand Hashem took us out of Egypt from the house of slavery.' " The Jews were completely passive. It was impossible for a slave to escape from Egypt. Only Hashem could take them out. This teaches us that no matter what situation a person finds himself in, even if he is at the lowest point and sees no way out, he can be redeemed at any moment. It doesn't matter what a person can or cannot do. When Hashem feels we are ready for redemption He will take us out with a strong hand.
In Tehilim the verse says, "Barchu Hashem malachav giborei koach osei devaro." (You sohuld bless Hashem, o angels, mighty warriors who do His work.) All of nature are Hashem's messengers who fulfill His command. Throughout the winter every aspect of creation is hard at work fulfilling its task. In spring we see the results. If we also want to achieve the coveted state of spring, we need to commit to the will of Hashem. But unlike all of nature, which fulfills Hashem's commands instinctively, we can choose to do so out of our own free will. Although we may suffer we can still feel spring in our heart because we know it is leading us to our purpose. Hashem is constantly watching and counting our good deeds. Good choices made in difficult times hold greater value and tip the scales more quickly than a good deed under easy circumstances.
If we fulfill our destiny, we can bring ourselves and the world to its purpose. The key is fulfilling the will of Hashem. That helps us create a connection with Him and in turns brings Him into our hearts and homes. This is the secret of achieving everlasting spring. No matter what the situation, there is hope. And when we feel hope, we can feel inner joy and serenity.
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Exile as Part of the Master Plan
Rabbi Hershel Reichman |
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Pesach: Sipur Yetzias Mitzrayim
Rabbi Avishai David |
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Lowly Origins
Mrs. Chana Prero |
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