Chasidut su Deuteronomio 8:78
Kedushat Levi
In support of the arguments just quoted, our author sees further proof in Song of Songs 8,1 where Solomon says: מי יתנך כאח לי, יונק שדי אמי, אמצאך בשוק אשקך, ”if only, when I find You in the street you were like a brother to me, someone who had nursed at my mother’s breast; so that I could kiss you in the street” (a public place, without feeling ashamed). In this verse Solomon alludes to two types of “love,” i.e.אהבה מגולה , “love openly displayed,” and אהבה מסותרת, “loves that is concealed.” The love between a man and his wife is considered as “hidden love,” as it is expressed within the privacy of their home. The love between brother and sister, on the other hand, is described as a love that is openly displayed; so much so, that on occasion brothers and sisters are observed kissing in public and no embarrassment attaches to this display of their fondness for one another in spite of that love being displayed openly.
Solomon portrays the כנסת ישראל, the collective soul of the Jewish people, expressing the wish to be able to display its fondness for G’d and G’d’s fondness for the Jewish people openly, publicly; [although, ideally, the relationship of G’d and the Jewish people is portrayed (allegorically) as like that between groom and bride, a brother-sister type relationship also has its advantages as it may be displayed openly before the gentiles. Ed.] This is an allegory of G’d’s proximity being found in the form of the previously mentioned “sparks” of the Shechinah, in the most unlikely places, “on the street,” as opposed to “inside the synagogue or Yeshivah.” This loving relationship is completely devoid of any physical attraction or desires between the parties concerned. Love such as this, has been described as אהבה עזה כמות, a love as powerful as death, in Song of Songs 8,6. It is recognizable when the person concerned is able to accept painful afflictions as willingly and even joyfully, as he would welcome manifestations of G’d’s grace discernible as such to any ordinary human being. Our sages in B’rachot 54 explain the word מאדך in the first paragraph of the keriyat sh’ma as referring to this kind of love, where the Torah asks us “to love the Lord your G’d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your capacity.” (Deut.6,5) The word מאד there is understood as an alternative for the word מדה, i.e. we are to accept with love every attribute of G’d with which He sees fit to relate to us. For a person who is truly convinced that everything that the Creator does is intended for our benefit, even if this is not immediately apparent, it is possible to say, without being hypocritical, גם זו לטובה, “this (unwelcome blow of fate), is also meant for the best.”
When a person has attained this level of spiritual maturity, what had been intended by G’d as a reminder that he must perfect himself further, will be converted into an act of Mercy rather than an act of Justice and reproof. When looked at allegorically, this is the message of Deut. 8,15 that “G’d makes water come out of a rock in the desert that is as hard as granite.” The word מים is usually a symbol of “life-giving” material, whereas the word צור, symbolizes something rock-hard, unyielding. The manner in which a person is able to accept what must at first glance appear as a harsh decree by G’d determines the extent to which it is converted into a benevolent decree, something that will be recognized as such retroactively by the person concerned. Yaakov was able to accept what appeared as harsh in such a spirit, thereby displaying what Solomon described in Song of Songs as אהבה עזה, a powerful love for G’d. This is why he was now able to settle in the land in which both his forefathers had always remained “strangers,” though they sojourned there many years, Yitzchok during all of his life. Our author understands the word מגור in the verse above as derived from ויגר, “he was afraid,” i.e. as opposed to his father who was never at ease.
Solomon portrays the כנסת ישראל, the collective soul of the Jewish people, expressing the wish to be able to display its fondness for G’d and G’d’s fondness for the Jewish people openly, publicly; [although, ideally, the relationship of G’d and the Jewish people is portrayed (allegorically) as like that between groom and bride, a brother-sister type relationship also has its advantages as it may be displayed openly before the gentiles. Ed.] This is an allegory of G’d’s proximity being found in the form of the previously mentioned “sparks” of the Shechinah, in the most unlikely places, “on the street,” as opposed to “inside the synagogue or Yeshivah.” This loving relationship is completely devoid of any physical attraction or desires between the parties concerned. Love such as this, has been described as אהבה עזה כמות, a love as powerful as death, in Song of Songs 8,6. It is recognizable when the person concerned is able to accept painful afflictions as willingly and even joyfully, as he would welcome manifestations of G’d’s grace discernible as such to any ordinary human being. Our sages in B’rachot 54 explain the word מאדך in the first paragraph of the keriyat sh’ma as referring to this kind of love, where the Torah asks us “to love the Lord your G’d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your capacity.” (Deut.6,5) The word מאד there is understood as an alternative for the word מדה, i.e. we are to accept with love every attribute of G’d with which He sees fit to relate to us. For a person who is truly convinced that everything that the Creator does is intended for our benefit, even if this is not immediately apparent, it is possible to say, without being hypocritical, גם זו לטובה, “this (unwelcome blow of fate), is also meant for the best.”
When a person has attained this level of spiritual maturity, what had been intended by G’d as a reminder that he must perfect himself further, will be converted into an act of Mercy rather than an act of Justice and reproof. When looked at allegorically, this is the message of Deut. 8,15 that “G’d makes water come out of a rock in the desert that is as hard as granite.” The word מים is usually a symbol of “life-giving” material, whereas the word צור, symbolizes something rock-hard, unyielding. The manner in which a person is able to accept what must at first glance appear as a harsh decree by G’d determines the extent to which it is converted into a benevolent decree, something that will be recognized as such retroactively by the person concerned. Yaakov was able to accept what appeared as harsh in such a spirit, thereby displaying what Solomon described in Song of Songs as אהבה עזה, a powerful love for G’d. This is why he was now able to settle in the land in which both his forefathers had always remained “strangers,” though they sojourned there many years, Yitzchok during all of his life. Our author understands the word מגור in the verse above as derived from ויגר, “he was afraid,” i.e. as opposed to his father who was never at ease.
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Mei HaShiloach
And you will remember Ad-nai your God, who is the Giver of your strength to do valor. It is a main principle to remember the giver of anything. And as we find regarding the tithes (Deut. 26:13) "I did not transgress Your command and I did not forget" and in the Gemara we read "I did not transgress not blessing You and I did not forget to mention Your name over the produce" (Brachot 40b). And even regarding the words of Torah, if a person did not remember to say "Giver of the Torah" one's wisdom does not amount to anything. And therefore the Holy Blessed One set it so that the Human cannot exist without food, so the Human will lack something, and your creations will take great effort, and you will remember the One who brings about the Flow - and this is the level of Israel: they remember the One who brings about the Flow constantly. And through this they receive the inner energy of food, since in truth every thing has a specific quality, such as "wine that gladdens the heart of people" (Ps. 104:15) etc, and dates that make worry go away , as it is written in the Gemara (Ketubot 10b). And the opposite we also find in the Gemara, such as that the flour of barley is hard on the intestines (Brachot 36a), and so too the five grains there is a depth that precisely those five grains give strength and power to humans, and this is why the minimal amount is a olive-size. And regarding oil too, it indicates that "the beginning of wisdom is the awe of God" (Tzidkat HaTzadik 147:1) - and in this it is all the idea that a person must not say "my strength and my power brought me all this", one should constantly remember that "from all that comes from the mouth of God does a person live" (Deut. 8:3), that the essence of existence is what comes from the mouth of God, which is found in the essence of all things , and from this one should bless so that strength and force will flow from what one brought inside oneself, so that one will be able to serve God with that strength, as it is written [wisdom says] "for through me your days will increase, and years be added to your life. " (Proverbs 9:11)
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Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut
This “voice” is the inner voice. It was then revealed to Israel that the entire world is filled with God’s glory, and that He gives life and being to everything, at every moment. Consider the following passages in the Zohar: Rabbi Shimon said, come and see! The voice of the shofar is the place of the voice. To explain this, consider the verse, “for on all that comes out of God’s mouth does man live.” What is, “that which comes out of God’s mouth?” It is the voice of the shofar.
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Flames of Faith
The King in the parable is God, the Ultimate Sovereign. The Jewish nation is the crown prince, as we are called in the Torah, “children of God.” The Torah refers to our relationship with God in paternal terms (see Deut. 8:5). The wise professor who saved the prince was Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov,2He was born circa 1698 and passed away in 1760. The phrase Baal Shem Tov lit-erally means “master of the good name.” He had a good name for he always judged the deeds of others favorably, and his prayers for others brought about miracles. known by the abbreviation “Besht,” who started a movement of ecstatic Jewish observance, Chasidus.
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Kedushat Levi
Exodus 19,3. “meanwhile Moses had ascended to G’d, [lowest of the celestial domains, Ed,], and Hashem called out to him from the Mountain, saying: ‘thus you shall speak to the house of Yaakov and tell in detail to the Children of Israel.’”
We need to analyze a number of points in this verse (paragraph). 1) What precisely is the meaning of the word כה? Why could the Torah not simply write: ויקרא אליו ה' לאמור לבית יעקב, “Hashem called to him to say to the house of Yaakov, etc.?” 2) Why, in verse 4, does G’d refer only to the Exodus from Egypt as examples of what He had created? 3) What is the meaning of the line (verse 5) והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים, “you have become more precious to Me than any of the other nations,” after the condition: "if you will surely listen to My voice and observe My covenant?“ Are we to assume, G’d forbid, that if we had not been given the covenant and had accepted it enthusiastically, that we would not be superior to the other nations? Does G’d love us only on account of our being loyal to the covenant? Moreover, G’d should have said that if we observe the covenant we are also dearer to Him than all the angels, as when we –who are free to choose- observe the covenant, we are on a spiritually higher level than the angels, even?
It appears to me that the answer to all these questions can be found already in the Midrash. [I have not found this Midrash. Ed.] which describes Moses’ reception in the lowest of the seven layers of the celestial regions. When Moses arrived at that level he found himself surrounded by many thousands of different categories of angels, including the holy seraphim, all of whom were standing in awe and reverence [before the Lord, I assume, Ed,] so that he was overcome by a great fright and was trembling not knowing with whom he should commence to speak. He remained in this condition until G’d Himself spread some of the brilliance of His Presence over him.
We find numerous occasions when other prophets when addressed by G’d, stood in awe and trembling before G’d so much so that their normal senses became totally disoriented and dysfunctional.
On Leviticus 1,1 ויקרא אל משה אליו מאהל מועד, “G’d called to Moses from the Tent of Meeting,” Rashi comments that the words following: וידבר אליו, “He spoke to him,” might be understood as a repetition as at first G’d’s voice was not loud enough, therefore the Torah writes both in Numbers 7,89 and Deuteronomy 8,20, את הקול, “the ‘well known’ voice.” G’d’s voice was powerful but could not be heard outside the confines of the Tabernacle. The Bible repeatedly refers to the powerful voice of G’d being such that it felled cedars. (psalms 29) If a human being is fortunate enough to hear the voice of G’d proclaim the words: אנכי ה' אלוקיך אשר הוצאתיך וגו', “I am the Lord your G’d Who has taken you out, etc.;” each Shavuot, this is proof of how one must prepare oneself in order to hear the Lord’s voice. [Alas, none of us has been found meritorious enough to hear that voice. Ed.] We have a tradition that the tens of thousands of angels were overcome with trembling whenever they heard the voice of G’d. How much more so must we mortal human beings be overcome with such tremors if even the angels are described as being in such a state of terror? The three days of preparation described in the Torah as preceding G’d’s revealing Himself to the people at Mount Sinai are totally inadequate. Even if we were to prepare ourselves for a whole year this would not suffice for us to tolerate G’d’s voice without becoming seriously disoriented. Our verse indicates that although Moses had prepared himself for the encounter with G’d that he would face, and he had assumed that what G’d had to say to him was on a level that the people could not comprehend, G’d told him that this was not necessary, as what He had to say to him was intended for him to teach to the people.
We need to analyze a number of points in this verse (paragraph). 1) What precisely is the meaning of the word כה? Why could the Torah not simply write: ויקרא אליו ה' לאמור לבית יעקב, “Hashem called to him to say to the house of Yaakov, etc.?” 2) Why, in verse 4, does G’d refer only to the Exodus from Egypt as examples of what He had created? 3) What is the meaning of the line (verse 5) והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים, “you have become more precious to Me than any of the other nations,” after the condition: "if you will surely listen to My voice and observe My covenant?“ Are we to assume, G’d forbid, that if we had not been given the covenant and had accepted it enthusiastically, that we would not be superior to the other nations? Does G’d love us only on account of our being loyal to the covenant? Moreover, G’d should have said that if we observe the covenant we are also dearer to Him than all the angels, as when we –who are free to choose- observe the covenant, we are on a spiritually higher level than the angels, even?
It appears to me that the answer to all these questions can be found already in the Midrash. [I have not found this Midrash. Ed.] which describes Moses’ reception in the lowest of the seven layers of the celestial regions. When Moses arrived at that level he found himself surrounded by many thousands of different categories of angels, including the holy seraphim, all of whom were standing in awe and reverence [before the Lord, I assume, Ed,] so that he was overcome by a great fright and was trembling not knowing with whom he should commence to speak. He remained in this condition until G’d Himself spread some of the brilliance of His Presence over him.
We find numerous occasions when other prophets when addressed by G’d, stood in awe and trembling before G’d so much so that their normal senses became totally disoriented and dysfunctional.
On Leviticus 1,1 ויקרא אל משה אליו מאהל מועד, “G’d called to Moses from the Tent of Meeting,” Rashi comments that the words following: וידבר אליו, “He spoke to him,” might be understood as a repetition as at first G’d’s voice was not loud enough, therefore the Torah writes both in Numbers 7,89 and Deuteronomy 8,20, את הקול, “the ‘well known’ voice.” G’d’s voice was powerful but could not be heard outside the confines of the Tabernacle. The Bible repeatedly refers to the powerful voice of G’d being such that it felled cedars. (psalms 29) If a human being is fortunate enough to hear the voice of G’d proclaim the words: אנכי ה' אלוקיך אשר הוצאתיך וגו', “I am the Lord your G’d Who has taken you out, etc.;” each Shavuot, this is proof of how one must prepare oneself in order to hear the Lord’s voice. [Alas, none of us has been found meritorious enough to hear that voice. Ed.] We have a tradition that the tens of thousands of angels were overcome with trembling whenever they heard the voice of G’d. How much more so must we mortal human beings be overcome with such tremors if even the angels are described as being in such a state of terror? The three days of preparation described in the Torah as preceding G’d’s revealing Himself to the people at Mount Sinai are totally inadequate. Even if we were to prepare ourselves for a whole year this would not suffice for us to tolerate G’d’s voice without becoming seriously disoriented. Our verse indicates that although Moses had prepared himself for the encounter with G’d that he would face, and he had assumed that what G’d had to say to him was on a level that the people could not comprehend, G’d told him that this was not necessary, as what He had to say to him was intended for him to teach to the people.
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Kedushat Levi
Deuteronomy 8,1. “The entire commandment that I enjoin upon you this day is so that you will live (thrive) and multiply and be able to take possession of the land, etc.";
We have a rule that even if a person is unable to observe all of the commandments of the Torah, especially in exile, when we are all unable to fulfill the commandments which are applicable to people resident in the Holy Land, as long as such people yearn for the day when they will be able to observe these commandments, G’d will help them to be able to fulfill these commandments in the Holy Land in due course.
This is the message Moses conveys to the people at this juncture when speaking of כל המצוה, “the entire complex of commandments.” If you will yearn, starting now, to perform these commandments as soon as the opportunity will present itself, you will surely enjoy the merit of doing so in person.
The word תשמרון in this verse is to be understood in the same way as when Yaakov is reported when reacting to Joseph’s dream in which 11 stars and sun and moon bow down to him. At that point (Genesis 37,11) the Torah writes: ואביו שמר את הדבר, “his father looked forward expectantly to the matter.” [Contrary to Joseph’s brothers, who were outraged by Joseph’s dream of lording it over them, his father did not dismiss it out of hand, although he pointed out that Joseph’s deceased mother could certainly not bow down to him. Ed.]
We have a rule that even if a person is unable to observe all of the commandments of the Torah, especially in exile, when we are all unable to fulfill the commandments which are applicable to people resident in the Holy Land, as long as such people yearn for the day when they will be able to observe these commandments, G’d will help them to be able to fulfill these commandments in the Holy Land in due course.
This is the message Moses conveys to the people at this juncture when speaking of כל המצוה, “the entire complex of commandments.” If you will yearn, starting now, to perform these commandments as soon as the opportunity will present itself, you will surely enjoy the merit of doing so in person.
The word תשמרון in this verse is to be understood in the same way as when Yaakov is reported when reacting to Joseph’s dream in which 11 stars and sun and moon bow down to him. At that point (Genesis 37,11) the Torah writes: ואביו שמר את הדבר, “his father looked forward expectantly to the matter.” [Contrary to Joseph’s brothers, who were outraged by Joseph’s dream of lording it over them, his father did not dismiss it out of hand, although he pointed out that Joseph’s deceased mother could certainly not bow down to him. Ed.]
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Baal Shem Tov
“…lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the LORD your God…” (Devarim 8:14) They said in the gemara (Sotah 5a) This is a warning to the proud in spirit, as it is written ‘lest your heart grow haughty and you forget.’ The Rav Moshe m’Kotzi counted this as a negative commandment and wrote that God revealed to him in a dream, that the essential warning of all the Torah is the commandment to remember and that forgetting, which is its opposite, God forbid destroys the whole Torah. And the Holy Ba’al Shem Tov explained - when the blood is clouded, then one is in the aspect of the ‘back end’ which has the numeric value of ‘and you forget’ because memory flows from the names of zachor and forgetting from the ‘back end’ of Aba and Ima which is the numeric value of ‘and you forget’ as is written in the Yichudim (Sha'ar Ruach ha-kodesh, tikun 26 (daf 17, column 3)). As it is with an individual, so it is with humanity – exile flows from forgetting and redemption from remembering. “The words of a wise man’s mouth find favor…” (Kohelet 10:12)
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Likutei Halakhot
This corresponds to "elimination of leaven is only by burning" (Pesachim 5b). For, "they emerged from fire and fire will consume them". (Ezekiel 15:7). Providence in nature corresponds to day and night, light and darkness, as said, and also corresponds to luminaries of light and luminaries fire. Luminaries of fire dominate when the luminaries of light disappear, which is at night and in darkness. For, 'they emerged from fire and fire will consume them'. Ezekiel 15:7. Providence in nature corresponds to day and night, light and darkness, as said, and also corresponds to luminaries of light and luminaries of fire. Luminaries of fire dominate when the luminaries of light disappear, which is at night and in darkness. See LM I 67. Fire corresponds to the intensity of judgment that is drawn from nature, which is why G-d created fire after the Sabbath, through Adam, as our sages said (Pesachim 54a). This alludes to nature, in that providence disappeared. Nature corresponds to (Deuteronomy 8:17), "my power and the make of my hand have accomplished", like fire, which was created by a human act. Therefore nature is most strongly attached to fire, which represents the intensity of judgment. And therefore we recite the havdalah after Shabbat over fire. Because this is the essence of differentiation and separation. The power of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is mainly from the power of nature, which corresponds to fire, and by our reciting the havdalah over fire, we thereby separate the good and subdue the bad that is attached to the fire as nature, and then the fire itself is transformed into holy nature. For the truth is that even nature is Providence, since G-d himself guides nature as He wills, and when we believe and know that everything is Providence, and even nature becomes Providence, and then even fire is sacred. This is represented in 'who creates the luminaries a fire', which we recite after the Sabbath during havdalah, declaring that we believe everything to be from G-d and that fire is an aspect of the nature that G-d himself created, for nature is Providence. Then, everything is sacred, representing the rectification of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Specifically through this, evil falls away, as in, 'they emerged from fire and fire will consume them', for its main power is from fire, from nature, and when it becomes evident that even fire, nature, is also from G-d this itself subdues it. This corresponds to burning leaven with fire, for divine providence has been revealed, and then we know that everything is from G-d, and that even nature, represented by fire, was created by G-d alone. Then leaven, representing natural sciences, corresponding to the power of the nations, is subdued and eliminated specifically by its own source, by fire, for 'they emerge from fire and fire will consume them'.
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Likutei Halakhot
This corresponds to the immersing of vessels: a vessel that is purchased from a non-Jew must be immersed in the ritual bath so that a Jew will be able to eat with it. (Yoreh Deah 120:1). When a vessel is in the possession of a non-Jew, who corresponds to nature, to the essence of impurity, the vessel cannot leave it to enter into the possession of a Jew, into holiness, other than by immersion in a ritual bath, corresponding to providence, to knowledge, as in (Isaiah 11:9) "for the earth will be filled with knowledge as the sea". This is because the food of a Jew must be very holy, and food is sanctified mainly by knowledge, which is a revelation of providence. This corresponds to eating matzo on Passover, because we reveal providence specifically by eating matzo. Adam caused a blemish when he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which corresponds to natural sciences, which are comprised of good and evil. This knowledge is of the realm of evil, a blemish of holy knowledge. This blemish was caused mainly by eating, for the main rectification of eating is specifically through faith, as in "remain faithful" (Psalms 37:3) as mentioned elsewhere. LM I 62. When a person does not eat with sanctity, knowledge, which corresponds to Providence, is blemished and the person falls into the mistaken belief of natural science, as written, (Deuteronomy 8:12) "lest you eat, be satiated and your heart becomes haughty and you forget G-d your Lord and you say in your heart my power and the might of my hand have accomplished this for me". In other words, the person attributes it to nature, as if his sustenance comes from his own power in the mind of his hand and he does not acknowledge Providence. This is the meaning of 'my power and the might of my hand', a blemish in the hands, in the 28 phalanges of the hands, in the 28 letters of creation. This is the meaning of (Deuteronomy 8:18) "remember G-d your Lord for He gives you power". Indeed, everything is the providence of G-d, who created everything with the 28 letters of creation, who oversees everything at all times, and who gives power, for G-d oversees and sustains the world through the 28 letters of creation. Therefore the Jewish people must greatly sanctify their food and eating. This is represented by many Commandments connected with eating and drinking, for the revelation of providence is mainly dependent upon the sanctity of foods. Thus, 'and be satiated and blessed G-d your Lord over the good land': bless G-d after eating, through knowing that everything is from His providence. And over the good land, for the land of Israel corresponds to Providence, as written (Deuteronomy 11:12) "the eyes of G-d your Lord are always upon it". This corresponds to the eating of the manna, as in (Exodus 16:4), "I will rain down for you bread from heaven", for it came down slowly through Providence each and every day, besides other miracles connected with it. Believing that sustenance comes only from G-d, solely in His providence, without any natural causes at all, for He gives power - this is eating manna, as in, the Torah was only given to those who eat manna. Mekhilta B’Shalach 17:17. Therefore when the Israelites first came near to their Father in heaven during Passover of the Exodus from Egypt, they had to eat matzoh, which represents the mind, knowledge, corresponding to manna for by eating matzoh on Passover great knowledge is evoked and we come to know that everything is only providence. This is the essential closeness of the Jewish people to their Father in heaven. And therefore a vessel that has been in the possession of a non-Jew, who represents the realm of impurity, for they attribute things to nature, which is from where judgments and the forces of evil draw their main power, that vessel is unusable for a Jewish meal unless it has been immersed in a ritual bath. In this way, the vessel leaves the realm of nature and enters the realm of knowledge, of providence, of the world of the future, represented by the ritual bath, as explained above. This corresponds to the purification of vessels (Numbers 31:23) "whatever passes through fire you shall pass through fire, for they emerged from fire and fire will consume them". Since forbidden food, which is impure, has been absorbed into the vessel, corresponding to nature, for all impurities and forbidden things are drawn from heresies, that vessel has no purification other than by fire, which is the source of nature, as said, for they have emerged from fire. But as long as forbidden food has not been absorbed into the vessel but has only left the possession of a non-Jew, thereby also leaving his knowledge, for a person's greatest possession is his knowledge, with which he aquires all of his belongings, as in "if you have acquired knowledge what do you lack"? (Nedarim 41a), therefore when the vessel leaves the possession, the knowledge, of a non-Jew, representing the realm of nature, then immersion in a ritual bath is sufficient. A ritual bath represents the world of the future, from where providence is drawn to break and eliminate the realm of nature, through which we move from impurity to purity, from the possession of a non-Jew to the possession of a Jew, who is above nature.
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Likutei Halakhot
This corresponds to the immersing of vessels: a vessel that is purchased from a non-Jew must be immersed in the ritual bath so that a Jew will be able to eat with it. (Yoreh Deah 120:1). When a vessel is in the possession of a non-Jew, who corresponds to nature, to the essence of impurity, the vessel cannot leave it to enter into the possession of a Jew, into holiness, other than by immersion in a ritual bath, corresponding to providence, to knowledge, as in (Isaiah 11:9) "for the earth will be filled with knowledge as the sea". This is because the food of a Jew must be very holy, and food is sanctified mainly by knowledge, which is a revelation of providence. This corresponds to eating matzo on Passover, because we reveal providence specifically by eating matzo. Adam caused a blemish when he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which corresponds to natural sciences, which are comprised of good and evil. This knowledge is of the realm of evil, a blemish of holy knowledge. This blemish was caused mainly by eating, for the main rectification of eating is specifically through faith, as in "remain faithful" (Psalms 37:3) as mentioned elsewhere. LM I 62. When a person does not eat with sanctity, knowledge, which corresponds to Providence, is blemished and the person falls into the mistaken belief of natural science, as written, (Deuteronomy 8:12) "lest you eat, be satiated and your heart becomes haughty and you forget G-d your Lord and you say in your heart my power and the might of my hand have accomplished this for me". In other words, the person attributes it to nature, as if his sustenance comes from his own power in the mind of his hand and he does not acknowledge Providence. This is the meaning of 'my power and the might of my hand', a blemish in the hands, in the 28 phalanges of the hands, in the 28 letters of creation. This is the meaning of (Deuteronomy 8:18) "remember G-d your Lord for He gives you power". Indeed, everything is the providence of G-d, who created everything with the 28 letters of creation, who oversees everything at all times, and who gives power, for G-d oversees and sustains the world through the 28 letters of creation. Therefore the Jewish people must greatly sanctify their food and eating. This is represented by many Commandments connected with eating and drinking, for the revelation of providence is mainly dependent upon the sanctity of foods. Thus, 'and be satiated and blessed G-d your Lord over the good land': bless G-d after eating, through knowing that everything is from His providence. And over the good land, for the land of Israel corresponds to Providence, as written (Deuteronomy 11:12) "the eyes of G-d your Lord are always upon it". This corresponds to the eating of the manna, as in (Exodus 16:4), "I will rain down for you bread from heaven", for it came down slowly through Providence each and every day, besides other miracles connected with it. Believing that sustenance comes only from G-d, solely in His providence, without any natural causes at all, for He gives power - this is eating manna, as in, the Torah was only given to those who eat manna. Mekhilta B’Shalach 17:17. Therefore when the Israelites first came near to their Father in heaven during Passover of the Exodus from Egypt, they had to eat matzoh, which represents the mind, knowledge, corresponding to manna for by eating matzoh on Passover great knowledge is evoked and we come to know that everything is only providence. This is the essential closeness of the Jewish people to their Father in heaven. And therefore a vessel that has been in the possession of a non-Jew, who represents the realm of impurity, for they attribute things to nature, which is from where judgments and the forces of evil draw their main power, that vessel is unusable for a Jewish meal unless it has been immersed in a ritual bath. In this way, the vessel leaves the realm of nature and enters the realm of knowledge, of providence, of the world of the future, represented by the ritual bath, as explained above. This corresponds to the purification of vessels (Numbers 31:23) "whatever passes through fire you shall pass through fire, for they emerged from fire and fire will consume them". Since forbidden food, which is impure, has been absorbed into the vessel, corresponding to nature, for all impurities and forbidden things are drawn from heresies, that vessel has no purification other than by fire, which is the source of nature, as said, for they have emerged from fire. But as long as forbidden food has not been absorbed into the vessel but has only left the possession of a non-Jew, thereby also leaving his knowledge, for a person's greatest possession is his knowledge, with which he aquires all of his belongings, as in "if you have acquired knowledge what do you lack"? (Nedarim 41a), therefore when the vessel leaves the possession, the knowledge, of a non-Jew, representing the realm of nature, then immersion in a ritual bath is sufficient. A ritual bath represents the world of the future, from where providence is drawn to break and eliminate the realm of nature, through which we move from impurity to purity, from the possession of a non-Jew to the possession of a Jew, who is above nature.
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Likutei Halakhot
This corresponds to the immersing of vessels: a vessel that is purchased from a non-Jew must be immersed in the ritual bath so that a Jew will be able to eat with it. (Yoreh Deah 120:1). When a vessel is in the possession of a non-Jew, who corresponds to nature, to the essence of impurity, the vessel cannot leave it to enter into the possession of a Jew, into holiness, other than by immersion in a ritual bath, corresponding to providence, to knowledge, as in (Isaiah 11:9) "for the earth will be filled with knowledge as the sea". This is because the food of a Jew must be very holy, and food is sanctified mainly by knowledge, which is a revelation of providence. This corresponds to eating matzo on Passover, because we reveal providence specifically by eating matzo. Adam caused a blemish when he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which corresponds to natural sciences, which are comprised of good and evil. This knowledge is of the realm of evil, a blemish of holy knowledge. This blemish was caused mainly by eating, for the main rectification of eating is specifically through faith, as in "remain faithful" (Psalms 37:3) as mentioned elsewhere. LM I 62. When a person does not eat with sanctity, knowledge, which corresponds to Providence, is blemished and the person falls into the mistaken belief of natural science, as written, (Deuteronomy 8:12) "lest you eat, be satiated and your heart becomes haughty and you forget G-d your Lord and you say in your heart my power and the might of my hand have accomplished this for me". In other words, the person attributes it to nature, as if his sustenance comes from his own power in the mind of his hand and he does not acknowledge Providence. This is the meaning of 'my power and the might of my hand', a blemish in the hands, in the 28 phalanges of the hands, in the 28 letters of creation. This is the meaning of (Deuteronomy 8:18) "remember G-d your Lord for He gives you power". Indeed, everything is the providence of G-d, who created everything with the 28 letters of creation, who oversees everything at all times, and who gives power, for G-d oversees and sustains the world through the 28 letters of creation. Therefore the Jewish people must greatly sanctify their food and eating. This is represented by many Commandments connected with eating and drinking, for the revelation of providence is mainly dependent upon the sanctity of foods. Thus, 'and be satiated and blessed G-d your Lord over the good land': bless G-d after eating, through knowing that everything is from His providence. And over the good land, for the land of Israel corresponds to Providence, as written (Deuteronomy 11:12) "the eyes of G-d your Lord are always upon it". This corresponds to the eating of the manna, as in (Exodus 16:4), "I will rain down for you bread from heaven", for it came down slowly through Providence each and every day, besides other miracles connected with it. Believing that sustenance comes only from G-d, solely in His providence, without any natural causes at all, for He gives power - this is eating manna, as in, the Torah was only given to those who eat manna. Mekhilta B’Shalach 17:17. Therefore when the Israelites first came near to their Father in heaven during Passover of the Exodus from Egypt, they had to eat matzoh, which represents the mind, knowledge, corresponding to manna for by eating matzoh on Passover great knowledge is evoked and we come to know that everything is only providence. This is the essential closeness of the Jewish people to their Father in heaven. And therefore a vessel that has been in the possession of a non-Jew, who represents the realm of impurity, for they attribute things to nature, which is from where judgments and the forces of evil draw their main power, that vessel is unusable for a Jewish meal unless it has been immersed in a ritual bath. In this way, the vessel leaves the realm of nature and enters the realm of knowledge, of providence, of the world of the future, represented by the ritual bath, as explained above. This corresponds to the purification of vessels (Numbers 31:23) "whatever passes through fire you shall pass through fire, for they emerged from fire and fire will consume them". Since forbidden food, which is impure, has been absorbed into the vessel, corresponding to nature, for all impurities and forbidden things are drawn from heresies, that vessel has no purification other than by fire, which is the source of nature, as said, for they have emerged from fire. But as long as forbidden food has not been absorbed into the vessel but has only left the possession of a non-Jew, thereby also leaving his knowledge, for a person's greatest possession is his knowledge, with which he aquires all of his belongings, as in "if you have acquired knowledge what do you lack"? (Nedarim 41a), therefore when the vessel leaves the possession, the knowledge, of a non-Jew, representing the realm of nature, then immersion in a ritual bath is sufficient. A ritual bath represents the world of the future, from where providence is drawn to break and eliminate the realm of nature, through which we move from impurity to purity, from the possession of a non-Jew to the possession of a Jew, who is above nature.
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Sefat Emet
In the parsha of "bread of faces (lechem hapanim), on Shabbat he shall arrange them etc" - and it is written "Come, eat My food" (Prov. 9:5). This is the receiving of the Flow of heaven, that clings to the Upper Root and this is the internalness (penimiut) of the Flow. As it is written in the Holy Zohar regarding the day of Shabbat, that even though manna did not come down on that day, all blessings are dependent on the seventh day, see there (Zohar 2:184a:7). And this is why the bread is called lechem hapanim, it is the internalness of the Flow, as it is written "not on bread alone does a person live, etc, comes out from God's mouth" (Deut. 8:3) - this is Torah. And a hint of this is what is written there: "Face to face did Hashem speak with you on the mountain, from the midst of the fire" (Deut. 5:4) - and here "bread of faces". And the root of the bread from heaven is that it flows from the holy Shabbat to all the days of the week, with the force of the Torah, according to the readiness of the children of Israel that Torah gave to them. And just as there are 53 parshiot in the Torah and in each Shabbat we read a different parsha, this is also true in heaven, see Zohar on Vayakhel. And this is that the Torah, being all made of Divine Names, still has the parsha that changes every week, and every Shabbat has different combination of phrases. This too is hinted by the bread of faces, that on every Shabbat is was set. And according to the 12 loaves that the children of Israel set in order, so too the Flow of heaven continues. And it is written "as face answers to face in water" (Prov. 27:19) and this is an aspect of the Torah, that is Oral and Written. And in our parshe it is written "on the day of Shabbat". There is Shabbat that comes from Above to Below and there is Shabbat that comes from Below to Above, as explained in the Holy Zohar. And therefore the Text said "according to the arranging of the of the bread on the day of Shabbat in a Awakening from Below, so too in the day of Shabbat from Above to Below it will be this arranging, and as it is written in Chagigah 26b "as its arranging is its taking away." And the Torah is a gift to the children of Israel, and according to their level is the Torah's revealing itself to them, since there are seventy faces to the Torah, and "face to face". And on every Shabbat the Flow is renewed through the force of the Torah. ["The One who renews each day Creation with goodness", Bereshit is Torah, which is called good, and regarding Shabbat it is written "it is good to thank Hashem", a hint that every moment a new interpretation is invited] and so too on Shavuot when the Torah was given there are two loaves of bread. And "on every Shabbat" is a level below "twelve loaves", since the Torah is understood and interpreted and gives life and sustenance to every level until this world. And twelve limits and twelve requests that are in the Prayer they are the Lower Supports of the Upper Root, as it is written in different places.
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Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut
And now, for the sake of our brothers and friends, who tremble at the word of God, seeking the Torah and loving its wisdom, I will now say, “Peace unto the lovers of God’s Torah!” Come, House of Yaakov, and you will walk in the light of God,481Yeshayahu, 2:5. may God be with us as He was with our forefathers, He shall not forsake us and He shall not forget us.482Melachim 1, 8:57 He shall forever lead us by peaceful waters, our rest shall be in our very progression from strength to strength, to ascend the ladder fixed in the ground which rises to Heaven! As for our revilers, who ask why we bother to invest so much contemplation into the Torah until our strength is exhausted? Who claim that the simple explanations of the written and oral Torah is enough. To them, I will offer noble words483See Mishlei, 8:6. which draw the heart of man. Come and consider, see and behold! Taste and see that God is good484Tehillim, 34:9 to those who yearn for their souls to be restored by His perfect Torah.485See Tehillim, 19:8. Those who contemplate it in the depths of their hearts will see and understand that those who taste its depths will merit life. These are the things that man will do and through them he shall live for eternity. Do you not see now that the house of Yaakov is faithful and the house of Yosef is your provider?486Bereshit, 42:6. From the time the house was established, he has been faithful to sustain Israel with every word that comes out of the mouth of God upon which man lives.487“…he would make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but rather by all that comes forth from the mouth of G-d” (Devarim, 8:3). Interpreted in hasidic terms, this means that it is not physical sustenance that gives life, but the Divine essence within the food that enlivens. So, too, the author rails against those who neglect or deny the deeper meaning of the Torah, which is like being concerned only with the body and not the soul. On a more personal level, he seems to be attacking those who deny the validity of the unique (and controversial) interpretative approach of his grandfather, R. Mordechai Yosef of Izhbitz, and of his father, R. Yaakov. Those who reject it have “no portion in Yaakov and no inheritance in the house of Yosef.” This shall cast away those who say that they have no portion in Yaakov and no inheritance in the house of Yosef. Their ways are crooked488Mishlei, 2:15 and they pervert the explanations of the Torah, hanging their misunderstandings like a lyre, preaching all of their logic which has no basis in God’s Torah, not in the words of the Tanaaim and Amoraim of the oral law, and all that they imagine they hang on a great tree489That is, claim that they can based their false interpretation on valid, earlier sources. Here, too, the author may be critiquing those who claim that Maimonides was a rationalist, who did not deal with the secrets of the Torah. The author proved that claim wrong in the first half of this work. asserting, “This is the meaning of the Torah.” For these, the House of Yaakov will be a fire and the House of Yosef like a flame!490Ovadia, 1:18. They will see and learn. They will see how to reveal the Torah of God from the plain meaning of the words, for are not His words like fire,491Yirmiyahu, 23:29. and all who desire its light with truth and faith can come and warm themselves? And likewise, as a flame it will burn all those who learn Torah in order to vex the scholars of the mysteries, and who wear it as a crown and wield it as an axe.492See the Talmud, Pirke Avot, 4:5 And now, House of Yaakov, walk in the light of God and come home. See and understand that all the words of the Torah written in this book are needed for every man of Israel, in every place and every time. And how all of the events recorded in the Torah can illuminate every soul and instruct him how to sustain his life and all that he goes through with justice.493Tehillim 112:5. For the words of the Torah are living and enduring for all eternity. All who contemplate the Torah grasp onto the tree of life, and it is life for those who hold onto it.494Mishlei, 3:18. May God illuminate our eyes to His Torah, and place His love and fear in our hearts, in order to do His will, and to serve Him with a whole heart.495From the liturgy of the morning prayer, in the blessing before the reading of the Shema Yisrael.
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Toldot Yaakov Yosef
(211) And for a person to reach this level at all, of checking themselves, there is one advice. A person is a mixture of good and evil, the body tends to what is physical and to bodily pleasures, and the soul tends to spiritual things, and in order to subdue the physical so the physical will too tend to spiritual things, and so that the physical becomes a shape, a person needs to break their desires of all those physical pleasures, and choose the way of Torah, that is " you shall eat bread with salt, and rationed water shall you drink; you shall sleep on the ground, your life will be one of privation, and in Torah shall you labor. If you do this, “Happy shall you be and it shall be good for you” (Psalms 128:2): “Happy shall you be” in this world, “and it shall be good for you” in the world to come" (Pirkei Avot 6:4). And the commentators already wondered regarding what is happiness in this world? And it seems to me that there is no privation greater than the great and permanent war against the evil inclination, which never stops day or night, as the great sage said "you came from a small war, prepare yourselves for a great war etc" (Duties of the Heart, Fifth Treatise on Devotion 5:6). And behold, the yetzer hara does not arouse itself only in regards to food and drink and physical pleasures, as it says "and Jeshurun got fat and kicked" (Deuteronomy 32:15); and "and you ate, you were satisfied and your heart grew haughty" (Deuteronomy 8:14); however, when a person conducts themselves in the ways of the Torah, the yetzer hara has no entrance to seduce that person, and therefore the person has rest from the great war, and from the sensation of privation of the yetzer hara, and so it is good for that person also in this world, as one is quiet and rests from the great war.
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