Pinchas - The Key To The Redemption

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This week's parsha, Pinchas, begins, "Pinchas... diverted My anger from upon the Children of Israel by zealously avenging Me among them..." Therefore, "I hereby bestow My covenant of peace upon him." And Hashem then gave him "eternal priesthood," meaning, that "him and all of his descendants after him," will be Kohanim. 

The reward for his actions was that he became a Kohen. You can't earn to be a Kohen, neither can you be rewarded it. Hashem made Aaron and his children who were anointed with him Kohanim and all the children who would be born from them from that point and on would be naturally holy. Hashem put it into nature, that their descendants, and only their descendants, would be Kohanim. 

Rashi tells us about being a Kohen, that just as Hashem separated between night and day, and no matter what, nothing can change that, so too, he separated Aaron and his sons to be holy, and nothing can change that. 

Pinchas was born before and he wasn't anointed with his father, Elazar. So how could he be awarded for his actions and efforts, "zealously avenging Me among them," to be a Kohen? 

Parshas Pinchas continues with the fallout of the Midian episode and Pinchas's act of zealotry - the command to go to war with Midian and the counting of the Jewish people, to see how many were left after the plague that Pinchas ended with his act of zealotry - then it continues with things that pertain to the land of Israel - the way they would divide the land of Israel, the appointment of Yehoshua, who would lead the Jewish people into the land, and the parsha ends with the routine sacrifices, of which some of them would be brought first when they enter the land. - 

Being that the name of the parsha is Pinchas, and the name of a parsha encompasses the theme of the entire parsha, that means that the entry into the land of Israel has a direct connection to Pinchas. What is the connection between Pinchas and the entry into Israel? 

Pinchas represents his actions, that he was zealous for Hashem. So the real question is: How does Pinchas's way of serving Hashem connect to the entry into Israel? 

Our sages say about the entry into Israel, If not for their sin, the final redemption would have come as they entered the land the first time. That means that the first entry into the land, even though the final redemption didn't come, it was similar to it and we can take a lesson from the details of the first entry for the ultimate, final and complete redemption, that we are waiting for. 

Pinchas definitely has to do with the final redemption, as our sages say, "Pinchas is Eliyahu," the one who will herald the final redemption. 

In the time of Moshiach, "no longer will your Master be covered." That the essence of Hashem from beyond existence will, shine openly in existence, even in the physical world. 

We are created in the image of Hashem, meaning that our spiritual makeup is in the image of Hashem. Just as Hashem is in existence and beyond existence, so too, our neshamas are in existence and beyond existence. The neshama has five parts, there is the nefesh, ruach, neshama and chaya, that work within existence and then there is the yechida, that is one with Hashem's essence beyond existence. 

In order to bring Moshiach we have to tap into our yechida, in order to draw Hashem's essence that is beyond existence into the world. 

This is the meaning of what our sages say, "If Israel (the Jewish people) will do teshuva, they will be redeemed, and if they don't do teshuva, they won't be redeemed." It is clear that the word teshuva in this saying, doesn't mean plain repentance, because it says,"and if they don't do teshuva, they won't be redeemed." That means that every one of us has to do teshuva. But what if somebody is good and doesn't have to do teshuva? We must conclude that teshuva here is something much greater, something that even the greatest Tzadik could do. 

There is a deeper level of teshuva, to return to your essence, your yechida, the part of you that is one with Hashem's essence beyond existence. And when you tap into your yechida, all the blemishes that were caused by sins automatically fall away, because it's Impossible for our essence to have flaws. So if you tap into your yechida, all sins automatically fall away and you draw the essence of Hashem beyond existence into the world. 

How does one tap into the yechida? 

It is through serving Hashem with true self sacrifice, and that is what Pinchas did. He acted for Hashem, even though it put him in harms way. He wasn't thinking of being a hero or what he's going to get out of it, he wanted to do what Hashem wants and to put an end to the plague that killed 24,000. 

There are different types of self sacrifice. The is the one who when he is faced with a situation that might require self sacrifice, he turns to the code of Jewish law or to his rabbi, to see if he should sacrifice his life or not. This is calculated self sacrifice, not pure self sacrifice. 

Then there is the self sacrifice of Pinchas. Where everything Hashem wants is done with self sacrifice, without any calculations, this is pure self sacrifice. 

If Pinchas would have asked, he would have been told no, even though the law was on his side. This is one of the cases in Torah, where the law is that zealots could take matters into their own hands, but as a matter of policy, we don't direct people to do it, as a matter of fact, if they ask, we tell them no. 

Now in the time right before Moshiach, in order to draw Hashem's essence that is beyond existence into the world, we have to tap into our yechida, and in order to do that we have to do everything Hashem wants with self sacrifice. Every mitzvah, learning Torah and even the most mundane daily activities could be done for Hashem with true self sacrifice. 

Even though our service to Hashem is finite, because we are finite, it draws Hashem's infinite essence. And that is what is going to happen when Moshiach comes, the reward for our efforts will be the revelation of the essence of Hashem that is drawn by our finite service and He will bestow upon us His infinite essence beyond existence, there will be a meshing of the two. 

That is also what happened to Pinchas. One can't earn or be rewarded to be a Kohen, so we must conclude that being Aaron's grandson, he was able to be a Kohen, but it wasn't until his act of true self sacrifice that Hashem bestowed upon him "eternal priesthood," to be a Kohen, infinite in finite. This is hinted to in the verse, "I hereby bestow My covenant of peace upon him." To make

peace is to bring opposing sides together, the meshing of opposites. 

And this is perhaps the reason that more times than not, we read parshas Pinchas in the three weeks, when our Temples were destroyed and we were driven into exile. And parshas Pinchas is the remedy and the key to bringing Moshiach. May he come soon. 

Mothers Over Fathers

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This week's parsha, Balak, tells us how Balam set out to curse the Jewish people, but instead, he blessed them. In his words he said, "For from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks and I behold them as hills." 

The Midrash tells us that mountain peaks refer to our patriarchs and hills refer to our matriarchs. 

One of the differences between a father and mother in relationship to their children, is the way they contribute to the birth of their children. The father gives a cell, which includes the baby in potential, but in the cell you don't see any details. The mother takes the cell and over nine months in her womb, she develops it into a complete baby with all the details, head, shoulders, knees and toes, and the rest of the limbs and organs. That is the reason that more times than not, a child is closer to his or her mother than their father, because the mother created her child with all the details. The mother's relationship to her child is commonly one of love and closeness, on the other hand, the father's relationship to his child is commonly one of fear and distance. 

The same is true about our patriarchs and matriarchs, the relationship between us and the patriarchs, is one of awe and distance, and our relationship to the matriarchs, is one of love and closeness. That is why the patriarchs are the mountain tops, far and aloof, and the word used to say that he sees them is arenu, which means to gaze from a distance. On the other hand, the matriarchs are hills, which are closer, and the word used to say that he sees them is ashurenu, which means to see at close range. 

Everything in the physical world has its source in the spiritual. What is the spiritual source of a father and mother giving birth to a child? Emotions are called the children of the mind. For example, it is the understanding of the mind that produces the love or fear we have for Hashem. The deeper the understanding the more mature are the emotions. 

The mind that gives birth to the emotions is divided into two parts, chachma and Bina, which are the father and mother. 

Chachma is the father, it is the conception of an idea, the eureka moment that comes to you in a flash, you have the whole concept, but if you don't stay with the idea and contemplate its details, you will lose it. 

Bina is the mother, it is contemplation, which is the breakdown of the idea into all of its details, solidifying the idea and making it yours. It is Bina that gives birth to the emotions and it's closer to the emotions than chachma, because there is a degree of separation between chachma and the emotions. 

Chachma and Bina are the first of the ten attributes of the soul. The first three are the attributes of the mind, the next six are the emotions, and the last one determines how the six emotions express themselves. 

The ten attributes of the soul are a reflection of the ten attributes of Hashem, the way He relates to the world. Just as chachma and Bina give birth to the emotions, so too, the Divine chachma and Bina give birth to the Divine emotions, which are the building blocks of creation. Since Bina actually gives birth to the building blocks of creation, it relates to the physical world, on the other hand, chachma doesn't relate to the world, because it is separate. 

Chachma represents the view from above, that only Hashem exists, when you see things from this perspective, your entire existence is nullified, because there is only Hashem. Bina represents the view from below. From this perspective everything exists, but you see everything as part of Hashem, you are part of Him as well, and your ego is nullified before Hashem. 

Since we are all descendants of our patriarchs and matriarchs, we all inherit both perspectives. The view of our patriarchs, Hashem's oneness from above, which nullifies existence, and the view of our matriarchs, the oneness of Hashem from below, which nullifies the ego. 

Since the most important thing is to make a home for Hashem in the physical world, to make this world into a vessel for G-dliness, therefore the matriarchs perspective is more important, as Hashem said to Avraham, "everything that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice." 

Every Jewish home is a small world, it has all the ten attributes. The father is chachma and the mother is Bina, and just as the matriarchs, the mother's role in the home is more important. Although she receives from the father as Bina receives from chachma, she knows what her husband wants and she implements it, as our sages say, "Who is a kosher woman? One who does the will of her husband." She is the one who can make it happen, because she is the one who is in charge of the home and spends more time with the children. 

And if her husband doesn't want to go on the proper path, then we can read an alternate translation to the words of our sages, "Who is a kosher woman? One who makes the will of her husband." A wife is in a position that she could influence her husband, using her womanly wisdom she has the ability to motivate him to reach ever higher. 

When you do that, Hashem dwells in your home and it is filled with blessing. 

I am blessed to see this in my own personal home, as my wife Dina is always pushing me to be a better father, a better husband, a better rabbi, a better Yid and a better person. I owe so much to her. The real hero in my life is Dina. 

May we merit to see the coming of Moshiach, when we will see the woman's part in bringing of Moshiach, when the feminine will be greater. May it happen soon. The time has come. 

Dedicated to my son Shalom who is celebrating his bar mitzvah this week, and to my wife Dina who is the backbone of our home. 

When Your Actions Lack Heart

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This week's parsha, Korach, tells us about the rebellion of Korach. Seder Olam proves that the rebellion was after the story of the spies. Why did he wait until after the incident with the spies? 

Korach's complaint was about the leadership of Moshe and the appointment of Aaron as Kohen Gadol. He asked, "The entire congregation - all of them - are holy... Why do you raise yourselves above the congregation of Hashem?" 

Aaron was appointed Kohen Gadol in the month of Nissan, four and a half months earlier, as the sin of the spies was on Tisha B'Av, the ninth of Av. If so, why did he wait until after the incident of the spies? We must conclude that the rebellion was somehow triggered by the incident of the spies. How? 

The spies wanted to stay in the desert, where they could live a completely spiritual life and bask in the light of Torah. Moshe told them that the main thing is the action, the main thing is the performance of mitzvos and mitzvos are done with the physical, infusing it with holiness, making the physical world into a home for Hashem, which can only be done by entering the land and engaging in the physical. 

Now Korach's complaint begins to make some sense. Moshe was a king over the nation, which is a position that is so far beyond the people, that there is no relative relationship between them. It is not like the relationship between a teacher and a student, where one is smart and the other one is smarter. A king is head and shoulders over the people, beyond any relative status. And at the same time, the king is connected to every single person in his kingdom. 

If action is the main thing, mitzvos in the physical, and when it comes to mitzvos all Jewish people are equal, as the simpleton wears the same Tefillin as Moshe, and the same is true about all mitzvos. So "Why do you raise yourselves above the congregation of Hashem?" 

When it comes to Torah study, everyone is different. One person understands more than the other, each according to their ability. Obviously Moshe, who received the Torah directly from Hashem, was beyond and above all of the Jewish people, because not only did he get it before, but he got it in a deeper way. So it is understandable that we need him to raise us to the highest levels of Torah, because without him, we can't possibly reach our highest level. 

However, when it comes to mitzvos, which are our actions, there are no levels, everyone is equal. So "Why do you raise yourselves above the congregation of Hashem?" Why do we need to be reliant on Moshe? 

Korach was making a big mistake. Mitzvos are commonly referred to as maasim tovim, good actions. They should be called actions, why are they called good actions? Because they should shine, they should be full of meaning and be done with the right intentions. Action alone is still a mitzvah, but doesn't shine. The mitzvos done this way don't affect the physical and make it into a home for Hashem, until a time when he or she does teshuva, and those mitzvos are turned into merits and begin to shine. 

That's why we need Moshe for mitzvos as well, because the part of the mitzvah that makes it shine, is the Torah of the mitzvah and for that we need Moshe who can take us to the highest level of the mitzvah. 

The same is true for every generation, in every generation there is a Moshe. In order to reach the highest levels of Torah and mitzvos, we need to connect to the Moshe of our generation. 

Both the spies and Korach were making a mistake, and some of us make the same mistakes. Some of us think like the spies, that in Judaism the main thing is the spirituality, the heart, the neshama. Others think like Korach, that the main thing is the performance of mitzvos, the action, the deed, "As long as I'm doing what Hashem wants." Even if it is lacking feeling and meaning. 

Hashem wants both, of course the action is the main thing, but the actions have to shine and then we are fulfilling Hashem's desire, to make a home in this physical world. And when we connect to the Moshe of our generation, we are able to do it at the highest level. 

This is also true about marriage as well. Love is not enough to make a good marriage, providing, taking care of the family and home is not enough. There has to be both, the action and the love. And when I say love, I mean that you know each other deeply. The way you get to know each other deeply, is by talking to each other and by listening. 

This week is the week of Gimmel Tammuz, when the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, was freed from Russian prison. He was incarcerated because of the work he was doing to save Judaism in the former Soviet Union. It is the yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Both of whom were the Moshe of their generation. They both took strides to ensure the welfare of the Jewish people, that they had what is needed to do the action of the mitzvos, and at the same time, gave us the deepest teachings of the Torah. 

Through connecting with the Moshe of our generation, we take our Torah and mitzvos to the highest level possible and make a home for Hashem in the physical world. And when we complete the home, Moshiach will come and Hashem will dwell openly in this physical world, the home that we made for Him. May Moshiach come soon. The time has come. 

The Spies Mistake, A Marriage Lesson

Dear friends, 

This is what I was writing for last Shabbos, but Hashem had other plans. My eyes just were not connecting with the computer. I hope that you enjoy it, it has a beautiful lesson. 

With Hashem's help I will have the new one before Shabbos. 

Yitzi 

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This week's parsha, Shelach, tells us the story of the spies. They returned from their tour of Canaan and reported, "That the nation that is settled in the land is strong..." For this reason, they claimed that the Jewish people can't go up to engage in war with them, because "They are mightier than us." Our sages say that the spies were saying that they are mightier (heaven forfend) than Hashem, "If it's possible, the Owner of the house can't even get His things out of there." And thus they frightened the Jewish people. 

It is difficult to understand how the Jewish people could have possibly be frightened by the words of the spies, after all the miracles that Hashem did for them. 

They were living in a desert, where they were living with miracles. They were protected by the clouds of glory, they witnessed daily how the clouds killed the terrifying snakes and scorpions that were in the desert. They ate manna that fell from heaven, they had the Well of Miriam, which was water that came out of a rock that traveled with them and more. 

They also witnessed miraculous victories over powerful nations like Egypt, and they saw amazing miracles such as the Splitting of the Sea. So how is it possible that they were frightened by the report of the spies? 

Even a bigger question is Calev's response. Why didn't he mention any of the miracles, wouldn't it have been the best proof that they shouldn't be afraid? All he said was, "Ascend we will ascend and we will inherit it." Why didn't he mention anything about the miracles? 

You might think to say, that since Canaan had thirty one kings, all of who were strong and powerful, maybe they were more powerful than Egypt, and that is why they were afraid. But it wasn't so, because Egypt was the superpower of the world at the time, they ruled all of civilization, and the Canaanite kings paid homage to Egypt. 

When Egypt was destroyed, the Jewish people all sang together the Song of the Sea, which says, "All the inhabitants of Canaan melted." And this lasted until the conquest of the land forty years later, as the spies Yehoshua sent to Yericho heard from Rachav, whose house in Yericho they were at, about the Splitting of the Sea, "...that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away because of you. For we have heard how Hashem dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds for you when you came out of Egypt..." 

The Alter Rebbe explains that the reason why the spies didn't want the people to go into the land, is because they didn't want to deal with the physical world. 

In the desert they were living a totally spiritual life, they were higher than the world. Their food was bread from the heavens, their water was from the Well of Miriam and their clothing grew with them. They didn't have to deal with the physical world, they were able to be separate, with no one to bother them and bask in the light of Torah. 

Once they entered the land the bread from the heavens was no more, they had to toil to make bread from the earth, which took a lot of work, sowing, planting, etc. etc. That is why the spies said, "The land eats its inhabitants," because the involvement in the land is all consuming. That is the nature of the physical world, to make a living sometimes takes all of your effort. They also became the land, preoccupied with the physical and there was hardly any time for spirituality. 

When they went into the land, the Well of Miriam stopped giving water and their clothing stopped growing with them. In other words, their involvement with the physical was complete. There was no more the spiritual pleasure associated with being cut off from the world. 

In truth, the spies were making a mistake. The main purpose of the Torah and Jewish people, is to make the lowest level, the physical world, into a home for Hashem. Life in the desert was only a preparation for the work of making a home for Hashem in the physical. 

The spies were of the opinion that the miracles that they were experiencing now, was because in the desert they were above nature, of course there were miracles, that is the way it is when we are above nature. But once you enter the reality of the settled land, there is no room for miracles, because the will of Hashem is that nature should rule. It is as if He has imposed on Himself that He shouldn't be able to act above nature and do miracles there. And being that this is the case, we have to take into account their natural strength in comparison to ours. That is why they said, "They are mightier than us," "The owner of the house can't even get His things out of there," Hashem Himself can't help us (if you can say such a thing). 

To that Calev answered, "If Hashem wants us," If it's His will, then we will surely succeed, "they are our bread... Hashem is with us, don't be afraid." Hashem is with us, and He will bring above nature into nature. Hashem is above nature and He is also beyond above nature, therefore He is able to mesh the two, He can bring above nature into nature, which means doing miracles within and through nature, which is a greater feat than a miracle that breaks nature. 

And how will they do it? "Ascend we will ascend and we will inherit it." Why does he say ascend twice? And why does he say inherit, shouldn't he have said conquer? 

We will ascend twice and join Hashem by going above nature and then beyond above nature. Therefore it was us that were able to conquer the land. We had miracles through nature and within nature when we were conquering the land. 

Now we will understand why he said inherit. Because when we were conquering the land, we were put in Hashem's position, as a son who naturally fills his father's position and this is true for the land of Israel and the rest of the world. That means that we can affect nature by infusing it with holiness from above nature, making this world into a home for Hashem. We can do it because we are with Hashem, beyond above nature. 

And how do we do it? Through our actions, by the performance of mitzvos and through doing our daily mundane activities for Hashem. When they entered the land this began. The time in the desert was only a preparation for the work of making a home for Hashem, and this work is the most important thing. 

And this was the mistake of the spies, they meant well, but it wasn't what Hashem wanted. 

That is why we have to be connected to the Moshe of the generation, he knows what Hashem wants and even with the best of intentions, we can be lead to do the wrong thing and sometimes it can be destructive, as it was in the case of the spies. 

We are all guilty of this one time or another. With the best of intentions and sometimes with righteous zeal, we do things that are wrong, hurtful or destructive. That is why we need a good guide to tell us the proper way. Sometimes the difference in the way we think and the right way is very subtle, but it makes all the difference. 

When it comes to Judaism, and religious matters, we have to turn to the Moshe of our generation. Even a rabbi has to turn to him for guidance and even a Tzadik is not immune to failure, as the spies were all Tzadikim, hand picked by Hashem. 

And this is true in marriage as well. With the best of intentions, we can be hurting the one we love most, it might be very subtle, but it is hurtful nonetheless. No one is immune to this and it works both ways, sometimes it is the husband that is the hurtful one and sometimes it's the wife. 

That is where communication comes in. A husband and wife have to learn how to communicate with each other and have the difficult discussions that will put them on the path to a happier marriage. 

If you are having a difficult time communicating, you should know that it's the most common problem between husband and wife, a good marriage counselor can help. Please don't be ashamed or hesitate to go to a marriage counselor, everybody goes, and you will be happy that you went. 

May we merit to see the coming of Moshiach, which will come when we finish conquering the world with our mitzvos and good deeds, and make it into a home for Hashem. And may we all have good and happy marriages, a little taste of Moshiach. May he come soon.