Friday Nissan 18 5703, * 3rd day of the Omer **
Torah Lessons (5703)	Chumash: Acharei Mot, Shishi with Rashi. Tehillim: 88-89. Tanya: Now, all his (p. 215)...been stated previously. (p. 217).

Patach Eliyahu is said before Mincha, but not Hodu (p. 124/125).

In 5608 (1848) the Tzemach Tzedek delivered a Maamar on the verse "If you lend money..." [1] The Hebrew word Kessef ("money") connotes the soul, because the soul has a desire and longing (Kossef) to rise to the heights.

This is expressed in the passage, "It is the spirit of Man which rises upward to the supernal heights." [2]

"Man" (Adam - in this verse) refers to the souls of Israel, as in the statement, "You (Israel) are called adam." [3]

The soul is "on loan" to man, and it is written "Days are formed" [4] i.e. there is a fixed number of days that each man shall live, and if one day is missing - one garment is missing. [5]

   

Notes:

1. (Back to text) From today's Torah-reading; Sh'mot 22:24.

2. (Back to text) Kohelet 3:21.

3. (Back to text) Yevamot 61a.

4. (Back to text) Tehillim 139:16.

5. (Back to text) Performance of mitzvot during life provides "clothing" for the soul.

   * This day marks the birth, in 5638 (1878), of Rav Levi Yitschak Schneerson of blessed memory, father of the Rebbe Sh'lita.

   It also marks the day of Brit Mila of the Rebbe Sh'lita, in 5662 (1902), at which occasion Rav Levi Yitschak explained at length the inter-relationship of these two events.

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Day three

Tiferet of chesed

There is love and there is beautiful love. True love includes empathy and compassion which makes it a beautiful love. Love is often fostered in expectation of reciprocity. Real love is expressed even when one gets nothing in return; even when the other doesn't deserve love. Tiferet is giving also to those that have hurt you. It acknowledges the discipline of gevurah and says that, nevertheless, compassionate love calls for helping all.

Exercise for the day: Offer a helping hand to a stranger.

From:

A Spiritual Guide to the counting of the Omer

Forty-Nine Steps to Personal Refinement

The Forty-Nine Days of Sefirah

by Simon Jacobson

$7.95 Soft Cover

Copyright © 1996 by - Vaad Hanochos Hatmimim

788 Eastern Parkway - Brooklyn NY 11213

718-774-6448 - email: wisdomreb@aol.com

He should also reflect how the light of the blessed Ein Sof, which encompasses all worlds and pervades all worlds, and which is identical with the Higher Will, is clothed in the letters and wisdom of the Torah.

[Previous chapters have stated that G-d's Will is the source of the life-force that animates all worlds in both a transcendental and an indwelling mode.

(The light of the blessed Ein Sof is clothed) in the very letters of Torah that the person utters and in the Torah wisdom that he comprehends, G-d's Will is to be found.

As explained in chapter 4, the Divine Will clothed itself in the ink and parchment of the Torah scroll, and similarly clothed itself in the wisdom of Torah.

Thus, when the wisdom of the Torah determines that a certain object is either kosher or invalid, it is expressing the Divine Will.

Accordingly, before a person commences his Torah study, he should ponder on how the Ein Sof-light - the Divine Will - is vested in the letters and wisdom of the Torah he is now about to study], or, [if his meditation takes place before he puts on his tallit and tefillin, he should contemplate how the Divine Will is clothed] in these tzitzit and tefillin, [it being G-d's Will that a Jew wear them], and through his recitation [or study of the Torah], or by his wearing [tzitzit and tefillin], he draws upon himself His blessed light, that is, over the "part of G-d above" - [his soul] - which abides in his body, [and animates it.

This he does with the intent] that it may be absorbed and nullified in His blessed light.

[The individual's intent, then, is that the aforementioned study and performance have an effect on his soul.

In particular, as will soon be explained, the intellectual and emotional faculties of the soul are affected by tefillin].

Specifically, through tefillin, [he should intend that] the attributes of wisdom and understanding which are in his divine soul should be nullified and absorbed into the attributes of wisdom and understanding of the blessed Ein Sof, these being clothed, in particular, in the passages of Kadesh and Vehayah ki yeviacha. [4]

[In these passages, both of which are found in the tefillin, G-d's wisdom (Chochmah) and understanding (Binah) are enclothed, wisdom in the former and understanding in the latter.

By putting on tefillin, the individual's wisdom and understanding are absorbed in G-d's. How does this find expression]?

That is to say, that he should use the wisdom and understanding that are in his soul, for G-d alone - [only in pursuit of Torah and mitzvot, and for understanding G-dliness].

Similarly, [he should intend that] the attribute of Daat [the third of the three components of seichel] in his soul, which includes both the Chesed [kindness] and Gevurah [severity], i.e., fear and love, in his heart, be nullified and absorbed into the attribute of the Higher Knowledge.

[The attribute of Daat comprises kindness and severity insofar as these attributes exist on an intellectual level.

Moreover, as is explained at the end of chapter 3, the profound and involved meditation that characterizes the level of Daat actually creates love and fear, insofar as they exist independently on an emotional level.

This faculty of Daat, then, should - be nullified and absorbed into the attribute of the Higher Knowledge] - Daat HaElyon, - which comprises kindness and severity, and which is clothed in the passage of Shema and Vehayah Im Shamoa.

This accords with the statement of the Shulchan Aruch, [5] [that while putting on the tefillin one should intend] "to make one's heart and brain subservient to G-d."

[In this way, then, the divine soul as a whole, and its intellective and emotive faculties in particular, are affected by one's wearing tefillin].

And while putting on the tzitzit one should bear in mind what is written in the Zohar, namely, that he should draw upon himself His blessed Kingdom, which is the Kingdom over all worlds; [nevertheless, [6] we should intend and endeavor] to focus [G-d's Kingdom] specifically over ourselves, through this mitzvah - [for the commandment of tzitzit is peculiarly effective in enhancing one's acceptance of the yoke of heaven].

This is similar to [the commandment]: "You shall surely set a king over yourself." [7]

[The Rebbe Shlita notes: The verse implies [8] that before one set a king over himself he had no king, and it is he who now sets the king over himself].

In such a case, [i.e., having contemplated this matter], then: even though after all this [meditation] no fear or dread descends upon him in a manifest manner in his heart, nevertheless, since he accepts the Kingdom of Heaven upon himself, and draws upon himself the fear of Him in his conscious thought and rational volition, and this submission [to G-d and his fear of Him] is beyond doubt a sincere one - for it is the nature of all Jewish souls not to rebel against the blessed Holy King - then the Torah he studies or the commandment he performs because of his submission to the heavenly yoke and because of the fear that he has drawn into his mind, are termed "complete service," [of the kind that can result only from a fear of G-d, as the Alter Rebbe soon goes on to say], like all service [performed] by a slave for his master or king, [which is, of course, prompted by fear and awe.

All this can be accomplished by arousing - even if only in his mind - at least a minimal level of fear, and utilizing it in the study of Torah and the performance of the commandments].

On the other hand, if one studies [Torah] and performs a commandment with love alone, in order to cleave to Him through [the study of] His Torah and [the performance of] His commandments, then this is not termed "service of a servant," whereas the Torah has declared: [9] "You shall serve (vaavadetem) the L-rd your G-d...."

[This verb is cognate with the noun eved (servant or slave), and signifies service motivated by the fear and awe of G-d; and it is likewise written]: [10] "Him shall you serve (taavodu)...."

As explained in the Zohar (Parshat Behar): "Just like the ox on which one first places a yoke in order to make it useful to the world,...so too must a human being first of all submit to the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven,... and only then engage in divine service; and if this [submission] is not found in him, holiness cannot rest within him...."

And (in Ra'aya Mehemna, ibid., 111b) it is written that every man must [in his divine service] belong to two categories and levels, namely, the category of a servant, [who serves his master out of fear], and the category of a son, who serves his father out of love.

And although one may find a son who is also a servant, it is impossible to attain to this degree without the prerequisite of [the higher level] of fear and awe known as yirah ila'ah, as is known to the initiated.

[It is clear from all the above that even if one loves G-d, but lacks a fear of Him, his spiritual labors will not be of the kind that the Torah calls avodah, divine service. And should he fail in his attempts at awakening a fear of G-d in his heart, he should at least arouse a feeling of fear and awe in his mind].

   

Notes:

4. (Back to text) "As explained at length in the discourses on tefillin in Pri Etz Chayim; Siddur (edition with chassidic discourses); Imrei Binah; etc." (- Comment by the Rebbe Shlita.)

5. (Back to text) Orach Chayim 25:5.

6. (Back to text) "As explained at the beginning of the chapter." (-Comment by the Rebbe Shlita.)

7. (Back to text) Devarim 17:15.

8. (Back to text) See Likkutei Torah, Masei 90d.

9. (Back to text) Shmot 23:25.

10. (Back to text) Devarim 13:5.

This is not an error of duplication. The full-fledged version of this Mitzvah are many and change for those who are learning the one/three chapter a day. The Message for the day from "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth" at the end of this Mitzvah is different than that of yesterday.

Positive Mitzvah 153: The New Moon - Calculating the Months and Years
Exodus 12:2 "This month shall be to you the beginning of months"

Have you noticed how the moon changes its shape throughout the month?

At times, it shines brightly like a cream-colored ball.

Other times, we can compare it to a slice of honeydew. On some nights, it looks like a split banana! Sometimes, you can't see it at all!

While in bed watching the moon, take a peek through your window, shut your eyes for a moment and imagine a scene taking place many years ago in Eretz Yisrael.

In the Great Beit-Din, the chief Rabbi sits in his honored place, greeting the Jew who just arrived in the court.

"I saw the moon last night, Rabbi, and I believe it is the beginning of a new month," reports the Jew.

The Rabbi motions to a chart with many different moon shapes hanging on the wall. "Is this the shape you saw?" asks the Rabbi, pointing to a particular shape.

The man who witnessed the moon would be questioned until the judges were satisfied. When the judges heard proper testimony from at least two witnesses, they would declare that a new month had arrived.

Determining the new month is very important to the Jewish calendar.

HaShem commands us to celebrate specific holidays in their set seasons and on particular dates. In order to fulfill these commandments, we must know when a new month begins and count the days accordingly.

This way, we will be assured of celebrating the holiday on the correct date.

The Great Beit-Din (Sanhedrin) in Eretz Yisrael is commanded to determine and calculate the counting of the months.

The Rabbis knew when the moon would first begin to shine again. They informed the people to be alert and immediately report their findings.

Proper eye-witness testimony would serve as proof of the new month's arrival. Afterwards, news of the new moon would be spread promptly enabling all Jews to count the days of the month in a unified manner.

In this way, the Jewish calendar was set and followed.

In addition, HaShem commanded that the holidays of Pesach and Sukkot be celebrated in the spring and fall.

The Jewish calendar is a "Lunar Calendar" which means that it follows the phases of the moon. However, the seasons change according to the sun's yearly cycle.

There is an eleven and a quarter day difference between the cycle of the sun and the twelve lunar months.

Because of this, we might reach the proper Hebrew date for Passover, but the spring season will not yet have arrived!

There is a way to overcome this problem.

If such a situation arises, the Rabbis would foresee it and the Beit- Din would declare a leap-year.

The last month of the Hebrew calendar - Adar, would be doubled, (First-Adar and Second-Adar) and Pesach would then arrive in the spring time!

The Torah commands the Beit-Din to calculate the months and declare the necessary leap years. The manner in which it was done, as described above, applies only to the time of the Great Beit-Din in Eretz Yisrael.

Today, we follow the Jewish calendar which was established by Rabbi Hillel HaNasi, a descendant of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi.

He calculated the precise arrivals of the new moon and the years which would be considered leap years.

We rely on this calendar until the arrival of Mashiach, when we will return to the original method of the eye-witness report.

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Electricity is a hidden force within the Creation. It cannot be grasped with any of the five senses -- we can only know it from its effects and its causations. Yet from it we derive great light and power.

Electricity is a wonderful analogy for the mystical chassidic teachings.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com