Dei Chochmah LNafshechah

Parshas Yisro

Shalosh Seudos of Parshas Yisro 5769 " , , , ' ... , , ". ,

Now Yisro, the priest of Midian, Moshes father-in-law, heard of all that G-d had done for Moshe and for Yisrael His people, how Hashem had brought Yisrael out of Egypt. And Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him, and they asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.1

The Influence of Yisro The Arizal teaches that Yisro was Kayin, and Moshe was Hevel his brother. There is a hint to this in the initials of the verse, "" I am your father-inlaw Yisro2 ,"my brother.3 When the verse then says, And they asked each other of their welfare, this signifies that Kayin and Hevel were joined together, and this is what drew down the true light of Matan Torah. Even though some say that Yisro only came to join with the Jewish people after the revelation at Sinai, nevertheless the Torah records it as though it occurred beforehand, because this spiritual joining is a necessary precondition of the revelation of Torah and the redemption. This process is encapsulated in one of the names of Moshiach, prince of peace, because the redemption unfolds when peace is increased among human beings. At the end of Parshas Vayishlach, we find the order of the seven kings of Edom who ruled and died until the eighth kingMelech Hadarcame to the fore. The Zohar
1 2

Shemos 18:1,7 Ibid., 18:6 3 Shaar Hapesukim, Parshas Yisro 3

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explains that this short segment of the Torah holds within it the roots of the spiritualevolutionary downward development of all of creation, from its source until its lowermost extreme. One of the kings of Edom was named Hadad ben Bedad, and he also appears in the verse, And Chusham died; and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moav, reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Avis.4 The Arizal explained that this king represents the sefirah of Tiferes, which smites Midian in the field of Moav. This is the impure spiritual force of Midian, whose city was .The deeper works explain that the letters ayin and reish can be interchanged [since they are both gutturals, from one of the five origins of sound in the mouth]. When we exchange the ayin for the reish, we have the letters ,which can then be rearranged as ,Yisro. Yisro was himself the king called Hadad ben Bedad who came from Midian.5 The Ramchal, in his work Adir Bamarom, teaches that Yisros aspect was that of Tiferes which is the epicenter of the bestowal of influence and bounty within the structure of the sefiros. We find a parallel to this in the Gemara, More than the calf wants to suckle, the cow wants to nurse.6 This dynamic is alluded to in the name Hadad ben Bedad, which contains references to the bosom, the place of the .] [ In truth, the one who has the ability to bestow abundance wants to give a great deal, but it can only give what the recipient is able to receive. The Zohar explains that in the upper worlds there is a heavenly chamber of love from which love is bestowed from on high upon the souls of the Jewish people. This is associated with the concept of Eldad and Medad [the two elders who received prophecy in the camp], which is the ultimate source of all of the milk and abundance that flows down to the souls of the Jewish people.7 So too, in the uppermost realms that transcend even the sefiros, there is also within the Shechinah a source from which the flow of abundance to bestow good and
4 5

Bereishis 36:35 Eitz Chaim, Shaar #9, chapter 2. 6 Pesachim 112a 7 Bamidbar 11:26; Likutei Moharan I:97 4

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reveal Hashems love for His people exists. This source is much higher than the Torah [which is associated with the lower aspect of the sefirah of Tiferes]. Hashem loves the souls of the Jewish people with a power and unconditional love, and He wants to constantly bestow upon each and every Jew every kind of spiritual and physical benefit. So the real teshuvah that we have to do is for causing Hashem suffering, so to speak, because He wants to shower us with so much good and we do not have the vessels prepared to receive it. As it says in Shir HaShirim, We have a little sister, and her bosom is still immature8 [This is the state of the Jewish people in spiritual immaturity; we cannot receive what Hashem wants to give us, and so we are also suppressing His ability to nurse us, so to speak.] The main means of preparing the necessary vessels to receive from Hashem is through feeling longing and yearning for Him, by constantly begging Him for help, and to be like a nursling upon his mother, as Dovid HaMelech described. Just as this dynamic exists in holiness, it also has its parallel in the realm of impurity. The constant longing to receive is the klippah of Midian, the Midianite woman, Kozbi bas Tzur. This is the unholy force of wanting to receive and it has the power to cause the Jewish people to fall, G-d forbid. It was only foiled by Pinchas ben Elazar when he girded himself to destroy it. In the realm of holiness, however, this desire to receive is associated with Malchus, with the final hei of the Shem HaVaYaH, and its roots are in the lofty heights of Reisha dlo Isyadah. We must engage this force of desire within Malchus for holiness, because at the beginning of creation a flaw was engendered within it and it requires our participation so that it can be uplifted. The Rashash wrote that the segment of Eitz Chaim that discusses this flaw is extremely hidden. In it, we find that when Hashem first brought all of the spiritual worlds into existence, He established each world with all of its aspects except for the level of Malchus within each level.9 The Kabbalistic works explain that even though the full complement of the five levels of Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah-Chayah-Yechidah were
8 9

Shir HaShirim 8:8 Eitz Chaim, Shaar Hamelachim 5

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formed in full, nevertheless in the application of the details of each level within each world, there was some degree of lack within the attribute of Malchus. This, then, is the task of the Jewish people, that we should not, see My face empty-handed. Every blessing, every bit of avodah, must be directed toward bringing completion to the mochin of yenikah, the state of spiritual nursing and development, so that Malchus should be complete and connected with all of the other levels. This completing of the mochin of yenikah is associated with the spiritual root of numbers, which is also related to Malchus. The completion of Malchus depends on it receiving the full influence of the level of Netzach-Hod-Yesod which is also the gathering together of all of the aspects of numbers. These concepts are extremely deep, and we must examine how they apply to our personal avodas Hashem. Hashems Oath G-d made man straight, but they sought to make many calculations.10 In truth, Hashem wants to give to every single Jewish soul every good, and He longs to bestow the entirety of Torah upon each and every one of us. Even though the Torah is deep as the ocean and broad as the earth, nevertheless Hashem promised the Jewish people that it is something light.11 This seems to be very perplexing, since we know that one can only believe a person to have acquired the Torahs wisdom if he exerted himself a great deal for it.12 As the Maharsha explains on the verse, I believed when I said, I am greatly afflicted. I said in my haste, All men are false.13 It is only through effort and affliction that a person acquires the Torah; if it is in haste, it is not a true acquisition. How, then, can Hashem promise us that the Torah is something easy? When Hashem first created the universe, He wanted to bestow upon the universe His simple and great mercy, to reveal to the Jewish people the Divine light which is the light of the Torah. However, in order to receive this great abundance, we
10 11

Koheles 7:29 Devarim Rabbah 11:6 12 Megillah 6 13 Tehillim 116:10 6

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have to have the necessary degree of enthusiasm and desire. To receive the revelation of Hashems light and mercy, we need the right vessel, and it is only formed when the aspects of Dovid and Shaul are joined together. Shaul is the aspect of Yesod [he is from the children of Rachel], and Dovid is the aspect of Malchus.14 [As mentioned before, the full measure of the influence of Netzach-Hod-Yesod needs to descend to Malchus so that its number will be made complete.] This is why Dovid HaMelech worked so hard to win Michal the daughter of Shaul. Had Shaul only given himself freely and completely to Dovid as his own son Yehonasan did, the rectification would have been complete. For us, this joining of the two aspects teaches us to what extent we have to become willing and wanting recipients of Hashems bounty. As the verse in Koheles teaches, Hashem made every single Jew straight; He wants to help each and every one of us, but if the aspect of longing which is Malchus is not developed and we do not turn to Hashem with yearning and prayer to receive His aid like an infant who wants to nurse, then that straightness is twisted and we wind up seeking many calculations. This refers to the world of Nekudim, where the primordial spiritual vessels were formed through the gazing of the light of the eyes which was off-kilter and so they were flawed and destined to shatter. When the klippah of Midian afflicts the Jewish people, we lose our ability to channel our desire toward Hashem. This leaves our avodah a shell that is purely intellectual, because it lacks the fiery devotion and dependence on Hashem that is the hallmark of true temimus and faith. The Self-Sacrifice of Rabbi Akiva To correct this, we must begin to live with self-sacrifice. The Midrash teaches that Hashem did for Rabbi Akiva and his friends that which He did not do for others. More was revealed of the Torah to Rabbi Akiva and his fellow martyrs than to anyone else. His eyes saw every precious thing15this is Rabbi Akiva and his friends. 16
14 15

Likutei Torah, Shmuel I Iyov 28 7

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Rabbi Akiva repaired the mayin nukvin [power of yearning] within Binah through his self-sacrifice, and this brought completion to Netzach-Hod-Yesod. He brought about a yichud between Abba-Chochmah and Imma-Binah through the force of his mesirus nefesh, and we must also follow his path of devoting every single motion and every bit of life-force to Hashems service. This is what it means to focus properly on the recitation of Kriyas Shema [as the Noam Elimelech said in the tzetl katan, that one needs to focus on dying all four forms of death penalty in order to confirm Hashems unity to be considered to have properly recited Shema]. The Vayakhel Moshe explains that there are even higher levels of self-sacrifice than that of Rabbi Akiva, because there are even more rectifications that need to be made. Rabbi Akiva only brought about spiritual repair to the level of Arich, but one must rise even higher, from Arich to Atik in order to fully rectify the force of desire that resides within Malchus so that we will constantly feel our full dependence and yearning for Hashem. This is what destroys the klippah of Midian completely. Although Avraham Avinu was certainly greater than Noach, nevertheless the verse points out a virtue in which Noach was greater. And G-d walked with Noach.17 Rashi explains there that when the verse describes Avraham Avinu, it says that he walked before Hashem. Noach, however, required Hashem help and support in order to advance. This aspect of knowing how dependent one is on Hashems aid is a great virtue, because then he can develop the quality of being like a nursling upon his mother, and feel great longing for Hashems constant present and assistance. We can also enter into this avodah and draw down the light of Moshiach and the redemption every time we meet a friend. Whenever two Jews are together, they exist in a relationship of giver and receiver [and this can change back and forth]. When I focus on receiving the good that my friend has to share with me in a spirit of love and unity, it brings completion to the final hei of Hashems Name and generates a spiritual atmosphere of yearning for Hashem. We must avoid the pitfall of the klippah of Midian
16 17

Bamidbar Rabbah 19:6 Bereishis 6:9 8

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which is only about taking and taking, and instead realize that our purpose is to receive positive influence and also share it in turnto give delight to the One who wants to bestow good upon us, just as the cow wants nothing more than to bestow good upon her calf. Two Levels of Mesirus Nefesh There are two levels of self-sacrifice: the first is serving Hashem with actual mesirus nefesh, through positive action; the second is in having the essential desire to be completely dependent on Hashem. This latter level is an adornment for yichudit is the basic resolution to become a vessel that is able to receive. Although there are certainly deeds that wait to be done with self-sacrifice, nevertheless the uppermost point is developing the willingness to be utterly dependent on Hashem. Yisro was the priest of Midian, the priest of Ohn; he transformed himself from the side of klippah to the side of holiness. He was the one to suggest to Moshe Rabbeinu that he establish a system of intervening judges so that he would not be overwhelmed by the demands of the people. [This is a Kayin-aspect of kinyan, which imparts mastery over the practical applications of holiness.] Yet there was something in this suggestion that also lacks completion, since every single Jew must really have an overpowering yearning to come into contact with Moshe Rabbeinu, and now there is a network of leaders standing between Moshe and the people. Just as it was an error for the Jewish people to have sought to hear the Torah through Moshe Rabbeinu as opposed to directly from Hashem at Sinai, so too was it something of an error for them to have lost the opportunity to learn directly from Moshe Rabbeinu. The Zohar teaches that those souls that protested and wanted to continue hearing Torah directly from Hashem are the ones to merit to learn the teachings of Kabbalah throughout every generation. The Work of Betzalel The sages taught, Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: Betzalel knew how to combine the letters with which the heavens and the earth were created. As the verse
9

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says, And He filled him with the spirit of G-d, with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. The verse says later, Hashem founded the earth with wisdom, and established the heavens with understanding. It says further, In His knowledge, the depths were split.18 It was with this spirit that Betzalel formed all of the vessels of the Mishkan, through the force of the Divine Names that he knew to manipulate. Nevertheless, the Torah also says that the Mishkan was put up by Moshe Rabbeinu, not that it was put up by Betzalel. The Rama MiPano explains that Betzalel did indeed manipulate the letters and Names, but nothing was accomplished until Moshe Rabbeinu gazed at him. Moshe Rabbeinus gaze parallels the avodah of the final hei of the Shem HaVaYaH, and this is the way in which we adorn the yichud, the way that we attain the state of the nursling upon his mother. This is the hei of the phrase, , the final summation of the creation on the sixth day. All of the labor of the six days of the week is like the formation of vessels accomplished by Betzalel. Yet it all exists in a state of incompletion until the hei arrives, the transition into Shabbos which is the gaze of Moshe Rabbeinu that indicates complete dependence on Hashem. Moshe Rabbeinu is called, The husband of the Matron; he was completely encompassed within the Shechinah. He knew absolutely that the main task is to repair Malchus at its roots. Although there is a priest of Midian there is also a true koheinMoshe Rabbeinu who is completely nullified to Hashem and only exists to do His will. This utter willingness to be a vessel is the higher root of the Torah. When a person lives with the awareness that he cannot accomplish anything without Hashem, he rises to the source of the Torah so that it can be revealed. May Hashem have mercy on us so that the city of Dovid, where he camped will be revealed in its wholeness, fully articulated by the yud that represents Yosef and Yesod [ ,]fully illuminated by the yichud of Michal the daughter of Shaul and Dovid HaMelech. It was by virtue of having achieved yichud with Michal that Dovid

18

Berachos 55a 10

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HaMelech was then able to go on and bear Shlomo HaMelech with Bas Sheva so that the secret of the yearning and enthusiasm for holiness could be revealed. Although we are very far from all of these levels and Yerushalayim is still in a state of limitation and katnus, nevertheless we beg that Hashem should have mercy on us and help us. At this time especially, since everyone certainly wants to receive the Aseres HaDibros this Shabbos, to receive the entirety of the Torah. We must, on our end, also resolve to act with mesirus nefesh and devote ourselves completely to Torah and prayer and to fulfill Hashems will. And, perhaps more importantly, we must throw ourselves fully into the yearning to become true vessels to receive Hashems blessings. May Hashem give us the understanding so that we will not waste the opportunities that He sends through His many emissaries to test how willing we are to receive all of the good influences that He wants to share with us. Without the good middos that are the necessary elements to foster peace, it is impossible to receive all that Hashem wants to give us. Let Your Soul Know Wisdom This is the meaning of: "" Let your soul (nefesh) know (dei) wisdom (Chochmah) and it will be a crown (Kesser) for your head.19 Mesirus nefesh is the aspect of nefesh and the six days of the week, and it must be illuminated by the gaze of the wisdom of the true tzaddik which is the aspect of Shabbos. We must make every move with mesirus nefesh, and abandon ourselves to Hashems mercy like a nursling upon his mother. This was the greatness of Dovid HaMelech, whose every word in Tehillim reflects his complete dependence on Hashem. This is the gaze of Moshe Rabbeinu upon the Mishkan, which parallels his gaze upon Eretz Yisrael which paved the way for redemption. This is like the custom of gazing at the cup of wine at Kiddush on Friday

19

From the Shabbos zemer Dror Yikrah, based on Mishlei 24:14. 11

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night, as we complete the process of . Gazing is the act of ,of anticipation, in the sense of anticipating and yearning for redemption. May Hashem have mercy on us and open our hearts and minds to Him. Honor your father and honorhonor your mind and your heart. The mind and heart hold within them incredible power, and one must respect them. The honor of parents is compared to the duty to honor Hashem, and both child and parent are fully obligated to devote themselves to Hashem.20 And it will be a crown to your headthe crown is the sign of kavod, of honor of Hashem. When we act with both levels of mesirus nefesh, we will come to crown of honor of Hashem and merit to receive all of the Torah that He has to give us. Then the light of Dovid and Shlomo will be revealed together with the light of the true tzaddikim, with the arrival of our righteous redeemer in mercy. Amen.

Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.

20

Sanhedrin 50a 12