Chasidut do Liczb 30:23
Noam Elimelech
Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of Israel (Numbers 30:2) - this is because, behold, the tzadik that wants to continue the Flows onto Israel needs to befriend other tzadikim, since through the talks that they have, the tzadik influences all of Israel, and they help him with this good to shut up the mouth of the Accuser through the merit of the many, which does not happen when one is alone because that demands great strength and a strong hand to shut up the Accuser in order not to let the Accuser dominate. And this is why Moshe our teacher says "how can I carry alone?" (Deut. 1:12) - meaning when I am alone without the companionship of other tzadikim it is a burden to me to continue to provide all that they need. And this is "Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes" - meaning that he befriended the tzadikim "of the Israelites" similarly to because of the Israelites, so as to continue the Flow to them. And don't overthink this.
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Flames of Faith
According to the Sages, when God declared in the Ten Command- ments, “Do not take my name in vain [through swearing],” the entire universe shook.38Shevuos 38b. Why did this command frighten the entirety of creation? Perhaps because a shevua summons all sheva, all the seven spiritual roots of creation, and invests them in the cause.39Nachmanides writes, “The secret is that the word shevua is from the word sheva” (commentary to Num. 30:3). See further Emunas Etecha, Parashas Chayei Sarah, pg. 70 s.v. ve-chein matzinu. A human is a miniature universe. Since I parallel the world, whatever I do with my soul causes a corresponding effect on the soul of the world.40See further Lessons Five and Six, where this concept is explained in greater detail. When I swear I arouse all the parts of my heart; the physical world then finds all the sources of its existence aroused as well. A false oath weakens every root of mine, and that causes all the channels through which God pours life down to the world to shake with instability.
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Kedushat Levi
Numbers 30,3. “when a man utters a vow, etc.;”
In a book called Shaarey Orah, (a kabbalistic volume by Rabbi Joseph ben Avraham Giktalia, earliest printing 17th cent.) the word נדר is broken down into נון דר, the letter נ referring to Israel’s faith in G’d, Who in turn supervises our fate in all His Mercy at all times and wherever we are, not abandoning us for even a second. When this letter is found in the Torah written in an inverted form, as in Numbers 10,35 or in Job 38,1, it points to G’d’s supervision of the various parts of His universe. While the letter נ in that verse in Job is not inverted but rather is a final letter in the middle of a word, our sages in Nedarim 8 concluded that a vow applies even to the promise to perform a commandment when it is the result of the person making this vow having experienced proof of G’d’s supervising His universe. On such an occasion the person who has had this religious experience decides to abstain even from matters which-as far as the Torah is concerned- he is within his rights to enjoy.
[In order to understand this, it is necessary to remember that the vows discussed in the Torah and the Talmud involve use of the name of G’d, something severely punished when used in vain, as per the third of the 10 Commandments. Although the Talmud in Nedarim uses a verse from psalms as the justification, our author feels that the remarks by the author of the book שערי אורה reinforce what we have learned in the Talmud. Ed.]
In a book called Shaarey Orah, (a kabbalistic volume by Rabbi Joseph ben Avraham Giktalia, earliest printing 17th cent.) the word נדר is broken down into נון דר, the letter נ referring to Israel’s faith in G’d, Who in turn supervises our fate in all His Mercy at all times and wherever we are, not abandoning us for even a second. When this letter is found in the Torah written in an inverted form, as in Numbers 10,35 or in Job 38,1, it points to G’d’s supervision of the various parts of His universe. While the letter נ in that verse in Job is not inverted but rather is a final letter in the middle of a word, our sages in Nedarim 8 concluded that a vow applies even to the promise to perform a commandment when it is the result of the person making this vow having experienced proof of G’d’s supervising His universe. On such an occasion the person who has had this religious experience decides to abstain even from matters which-as far as the Torah is concerned- he is within his rights to enjoy.
[In order to understand this, it is necessary to remember that the vows discussed in the Torah and the Talmud involve use of the name of G’d, something severely punished when used in vain, as per the third of the 10 Commandments. Although the Talmud in Nedarim uses a verse from psalms as the justification, our author feels that the remarks by the author of the book שערי אורה reinforce what we have learned in the Talmud. Ed.]
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Kedushat Levi
“in order to impose a prohibition upon his person.”
From the wording of the Torah it seems clear that permission to utter vows or oaths is granted only if the person doing so did so in order to strengthen his ability to obey certain commandments that he was in danger of violating had he not reinforced his determination by means of a vow or oath. An example of such a vow is found in the Book of Ruth 3,13, where Boaz reinforces his undertaking to be Ruth’s redeemer if a closer relative refuses to marry her, by adding the words: חי ה', “by the Life of Hashem”. He did so in order to bolster his resistance to the evil urge that might advise him not to enter into such an (apparently) inappropriate marriage.
From the wording of the Torah it seems clear that permission to utter vows or oaths is granted only if the person doing so did so in order to strengthen his ability to obey certain commandments that he was in danger of violating had he not reinforced his determination by means of a vow or oath. An example of such a vow is found in the Book of Ruth 3,13, where Boaz reinforces his undertaking to be Ruth’s redeemer if a closer relative refuses to marry her, by adding the words: חי ה', “by the Life of Hashem”. He did so in order to bolster his resistance to the evil urge that might advise him not to enter into such an (apparently) inappropriate marriage.
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Noam Elimelech
[Any] man who vows a vow [yidor neder] etc (Numbers 30:4) - It appears to me that behold, a person has a piece of God Above, and any person needs to prepare and make a pleasant living space [dirah] for that piece, meaning, in the upper worlds. "When one vows" [yidor] is connected to the expression "living space", "to Ad-nai" indicates the piece of God Above, and this is what the sages said "an unspecified selling of a living space is for a minimum of 30 days" (Arukh HaShulchan, Choshen Mishpat 312:12). This is a hint for a person who would like to acquire a living space for their piece of Above: one needs to fix their actions every 30 days, meaning, direct their thoughts to teshuvah and review [lehader, also praise or embellish] their deeds every 30 days, and this is why the sages have established fasting every erev Rosh Chodesh [day before the beginning of the month] so one could rummage through their deeds, and because of this they hinted that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would review his learning every 30 days. (Brachot 38b)
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Noam Elimelech
"Or swears an oath" (Numbers 30:3) - meaning, shevuah (oath) comes from the expression "seven". A person needs to work through 7 levels, just as "six days you will do your labor, and on the seventh it is Shabbat". This is a hint that one needs to fix six corners, and after that one comes to the seventh level which is the holiness of Shabbat, and this is "swears an oath", meaning, the seven levels, each and every one of them made of of another seven.
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Noam Elimelech
"To impose a prohibition on his soul" (Numbers 30:3) - this is a hint that, after a tzadik goes through all these levels, they should always see in their mind that they have not fulfilled their obligation regarding their service, and it should always look in their eyes as if their service fell short, and the tzadik should always find in themself lackings and sins and transgressions, so that through their rummaging of their deeds they will connect with the world below, and will tie themself with them so as to continue the great and good Flow to their needs. And this is "to impose a prohibition on his soul", meaning, find something, always, that they did wrong.
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Kedushat Levi
Numbers 30:3 “he must not profane his word.” “he must act in accordance with all that he said.”
When someone does not profane, dishonor his promises, he assists in perfecting the world we live in with every word he utters. Our verse alludes to this ability of the righteous to govern the universe when instead of שבטים, “tribes,” the Torah used the word מטות, which has a dual meaning, also meaning “להטות,” to incline, i.e. to alter an existing status, to effect change in the celestial court, converting decrees based on the attribute of Justice to decrees based on the attribute of Mercy.
When someone does not profane, dishonor his promises, he assists in perfecting the world we live in with every word he utters. Our verse alludes to this ability of the righteous to govern the universe when instead of שבטים, “tribes,” the Torah used the word מטות, which has a dual meaning, also meaning “להטות,” to incline, i.e. to alter an existing status, to effect change in the celestial court, converting decrees based on the attribute of Justice to decrees based on the attribute of Mercy.
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 6,15 “You are to construct it according to this blueprint.” (The author continues with an approach bordering on the mystical, involving the difference between the words זה and כה when they appear in the Torah. He elaborates on this theme also in Parshat Vaeyrah, on Exodus 7,16)
There are tzaddikim who allow themselves to be guided by letters, i.e. the two letters in the word זה in our instance. Other tzaddikim such as Moses, are far more articulate, and the word זה is merely a prelude for them of the words that follow. Sifri, on Mattot, 2, explains this with the following words: although both Moses and other prophets introduced their prophecies or prophetic announcement with the word כה, i.e. כה אמר ה', “thus said the Lord,” Moses is the only prophet whose pronouncements were sometimes introduced with the word זה, i.e. זה הדבר אשר צוה ה', “this is the word that the Lord has commanded.” (Numbers 30,2). Moses’ advantage over other prophets, sometimes described as that he received a clearer vision than the other prophets, also consisted in his formulating the prophecy instead of merely repeating what he had seen or heard. In the words of our author, he was מנהיג את הדיבור “formulating the wording.” When G’d said to Noach: זה אשר תעשה אותה, “this is how you shall construct it (the ark),” Noach was granted the same level of clear vision as was granted to Moses when we understand the word תיבה as word, דיבור [his reincarnate 800 years later. Ed.]
There are tzaddikim who allow themselves to be guided by letters, i.e. the two letters in the word זה in our instance. Other tzaddikim such as Moses, are far more articulate, and the word זה is merely a prelude for them of the words that follow. Sifri, on Mattot, 2, explains this with the following words: although both Moses and other prophets introduced their prophecies or prophetic announcement with the word כה, i.e. כה אמר ה', “thus said the Lord,” Moses is the only prophet whose pronouncements were sometimes introduced with the word זה, i.e. זה הדבר אשר צוה ה', “this is the word that the Lord has commanded.” (Numbers 30,2). Moses’ advantage over other prophets, sometimes described as that he received a clearer vision than the other prophets, also consisted in his formulating the prophecy instead of merely repeating what he had seen or heard. In the words of our author, he was מנהיג את הדיבור “formulating the wording.” When G’d said to Noach: זה אשר תעשה אותה, “this is how you shall construct it (the ark),” Noach was granted the same level of clear vision as was granted to Moses when we understand the word תיבה as word, דיבור [his reincarnate 800 years later. Ed.]
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