Ki Tetzei: Retrieving Our Lost Strengths

by Rav Yosef Naveh, Hassidic Educator and Torah Coach, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Ki Tetzei (Deuteronomy 21,10 through Chapter 25) begins with this verse: "When you go out to war with your enemy, and G-d gives him into your hand, and you take captives…"  Though this is referring to a physical enemy, as the succeeding verses indicate clearly, it can also be understood, as the saintly R. Simcha Bunem of Pshischa explained, as referring to one's personal battle with his own negative inclinations and urges.

In the work HaLekach v'HaLibuv by R. Avraham Schorr (son of R. Gedalya Schorr), he asks how "taking captives" can be understood in the context of a battle with the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination). He also asks why the Hebrew word here for "captives" is shivyo, implying that the captive we might take was previously captive in the hands of the enemy; how can this be understood?

R. Schorr answers as follows, based on the Sfat Emet: Later in the Torah portion, we read, 'Do not see your brother's ox or sheep wandering lost – and ignore them; return them to your brother… But if you don't know who the owner is, they shall remain with you until he comes to collect them.'" There are different types of things that a person can lose – and must later retrieve.

For in truth, every individual person is granted many strengths from Heaven – strengths of the soul and of the bodily organs – for the purpose of using them to fulfill G-d's will, to fulfill His commandments and learn His Torah. But when a person uses these abilities to satiate his own needs and lusts, or to actually violate G-d's word and will, these strengths are then taken from him, and then much hard work is needed in order to restore them to his domain.

The Talmud states (Betzah 16a): "G-d gives an 'extra soul' (neshama yetera) to a person on Sabbath eve, and it is taken from him when the Sabbath departs – as written (Sh'mot 31,17): "He ceased and rested, shavat vayinafash [the first syllable of the second word is pronounced vay, an expression of sorrow]: Once He ceased, then vay - the soul [nefesh] was lost."

The Baal Shem Tov famously asks: "The verse speaks of the beginning of the Sabbath, so why did the Sages derive from it a lesson regarding the end of the Sabbath?"

The Sfat Emet answers that when the Sabbath arrives, a person senses what he lost during the days of the week, and the thirst to find his lost spiritual items is aroused within him. That is to say, throughout the workweek, a person is lost in his This-Worldly pursuits, and he "forgets" to seek out his lost spirituality. Instead, his desires are for material matters, not those that G-d specifically wills. But on the Sabbath, the "day of souls," a person's grasp of the truth becomes stronger and he remembers that which he lost, and he says, "Vay, my true soul was lost!" And then, by remembering and searching for it, he can retrieve the lost object.

This also explains why the Torah implies here (from the word shivyo) that the "captive" was previously held in the enemy's hands: This is referring to the strengths of the soul that were lost and taken captive by the Yetzer Hara during the work-week when a person was in his weaker state.

But when a person fulfills "When you go out to war with your enemy," and charges out to fight his negative urges – he merits to restore his lost powers, and take back his captives that had been lost to the yetzer hara.

We read in Proverbs: "Distance your way from [the strange woman] ... lest strangers be sated with your strength and your labors be in the house of an alien" (5,8-10). This can be understood to mean that when one sins, strangers – external forces – come and take his strengths and become satiated from them. One who has fallen into this trap is then advised to 'You alone shall have them, and strangers shall have nothing with you" (ibid. 17). Righteous ones tell us that the Hebrew initials of the last four words in this verse spell out Elul, which is the month of repentance – telling us that when we repent completely of our sins and do good deeds, we merit that our spiritual forces remain only for ourselves ("you alone"), and will not be used by evil forces; strangers will no longer have control over them.

As stated, when one's energies have been lost to the Yetzer Hara, they are held captive by it – but when he does teshuvah and seeks back these strengths, he can restore them to his own domain.

Elul is also an acronym for other significant phrases. The Sfat Emet cites the verse (Yeshayahu 48,11), "And I will not give My glory to another" (V'chvodi L'acher Lo Eten). He explained that during the days of Elul, the gates of mercy are opened for our return to Hashem. And the most famous acronym in this regard is "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine" (Ani L'dodi V'dodi Li, Shir HaShirim 6,3).

Therefore, the forces of evil have no ability to hide G-d's countenance; "I will not give My glory to another." For in the month of Elul, man is able to take and restore the lost spiritual forces that were in the "other's" jurisdiction. Elul is the unique time for awakening and seeking out and restoring our lost energies. This is done via the blowing of the shofar during each weekday of Elul, which arouses our will.

For G-d most certainly fulfills the commandment of "returning lost objects," as the Sages said: "A Heavenly voice goes out every day from Horev [Mt. Sinai] and declares, 'Woe unto mankind for the insult to Torah" (Pirkei Avot 6,2) – reminding us to seek out what we have lost.

And this is the special nature of the holy days of Elul: Buried within them is a unique force that arouses man from his slumber, calling on him to seek out that which he has lost over the year, in order to finally merit that which is alluded to in the verse above, "until [you] come to collect it."

Vayeira: Sitting by the Tent and Hoping for Guests

by Rav Yosef Naveh, Hassidic Educator and Torah Coach, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Vayeira (B'reshit 18-24) begins with this verse: "G-d appeared to him [our Patriarch Avraham] in Elonei Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance to the tent, in the heat of the day." 

R. Natan of Breslov, in Likutei Hilchot Ishut, tells us the connection between the two parts of the verse: "In order to reach the high level of 'G-d appeared to him' – i.e., perceiving Divinity and closeness to G-d – a person must pass through 'sitting at the opening to the tent in the heat of the day.'"

Let us quote his words, and then explain them:
              "… but one who does not want to fool himself, but rather thinks truly about his eternal objective, does not allow himself to ever go backwards, no matter what. He rather remains and waits at the entrance for many days – as long as it takes. And even if he is not allowed into the tent, and the heat bears down heavily upon him – even so, he does not leave his place, but rather waits there at the tent of the righteous people until G-d has mercy on him – just like Avraham sat outside the tent in the heat of the day."  

In every person’s life there are ups and downs. There are states of mohin d'gadlut, “expanded consciousness” — when everything is bright and clear in his service of G-d, and he does what is required of him freely and with joy, loving his spiritual state. But there are also states of mohin d'katnut, "constricted consciousness," when one's thoughts and urges confuse him and cast doubts even on his faith in G-d; he might actually feel that he has no place in Judaism, and wonders what meaning and value his actions have.

Indeed, in moments of mohin d’katnut, when a person feels unwanted before G-d, there is a danger that he will seek vitality and excitement outside of Torah and Judaism, imagining that there he will find meaning and light in his life.

But he must be strong and of valor: sturdy and steadfast in his mind, determined that as long as his soul is within him, he will never abandon Hashem, no matter what. For this is what measures a person’s true greatness - that even when his yetzer hara (evil inclination) overpowers him with the burning heat of lust for forbidden pastures, as in "the heat of the day,” he will not abandon his place and will not retreat. He rather continues to “sit at the entrance of the tent,” waiting and hoping for G-d's salvation.

Generally, at times of mohin d'katnut, one's yetzer hara manages to convince him that Hashem does not care about him or what he does, and doesn't need or appreciate the "unimportant" things he does. And in this way, the person is led to abandon everything – even that which he can do well.

But the S'fat Emet, the second Gerrer Rebbe, teaches us that just like Avraham sat near the tent's opening, so too "a person must leave one little point open, and through it his entire body will be drawn after this illumination." 

That is to say: Mainly during the "downs" in one's life, and during the "heat of the day," he should make sure to leave at least a little opening, a point of connection to Hashem, from which, when the time comes, he will be able to return to the holiness of Israel completely. 

An example of this is found in the life story of the Holy Rebbe Rav Yitzchak Isaac Yehuda Yechiel Safrin, Rebbe of the Komarno Hassidic dynasty in Ukraine. He wrote about his own years of tribulations until he merited to have "Vayera," i.e., "G-d appeared to him." He wrote as follows: 

“This poor, afflicted man [myself] — a lowly and dark creature, trampled underfoot. ‘A thousand tastes of death’ I tasted in this world, and many troubles, poverty, humiliation, pain, and exile – I became like dust to be trodden upon… Know that everything you are about to read in my writings came only after years of toil and struggle. And only because I held firm did I merit what I merited."

And he continues: 

“[Finally] the heavens were opened for me, granting me a tremendous comprehension of the sacred unifications and the secrets of the Torah, to elucidate its mysteries and commandments. G-d in His mercy and kindness shines upon me from His light, His radiance, and His splendor of Torah and mitzvot — a truly wondrous light, a taste of the World to Come, beyond measure or description — to the point that I have become truly a new being. The tefillin shine upon me like the light of the seven days of Creation, I no longer feel any worldly sensation, and my mind has expanded with a joyful heart.”

[Ed. note: The message is thus: No matter how down you might feel, spiritually or otherwise, always remember to keep even a little window open to the joyous, uplifting possibilities that are always there. Do one mitzvah a day, keep one good friend who can influence you positively, keep positive thoughts always on hand – and when the time comes, they will help you return to your soul and to G-d."

Shmot: Eyes and Heart in the Service of Israel

by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

We read in this week's Torah portion, which opens the Book of Shmot (1,1 – 6,1): "Moshe grew up and went out to his brothers, and saw their affliction, and saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brothers." Rashi explains that he "set his eyes and his heart to feel badly for them." The Gerrer Rebbe writes in Beit Yisrael that the beginning of the exile in Egypt was marked by the blockage of the eyes and hearts of the Israelites, and the beginning of the redemption therefrom was the opening of the eyes and heart of Moshe Rabbeinu - and it was this that brought about G-d's seeing and attention to redeem Israel.

The Lekach v'haLibuv writes regarding this: "A Jew has a 'good eye,' one that is not closed up to his friend's suffering; he rather feels the other's sorrow as if it were his own. This is what is known as 'the eye and heart of the Children of Israel.' During the Exile, their eyes and hearts were closed, and they did not feel their brothers' suffering."

But when this changed, the Redemption began. Moshe restored Israel's true eyes and heart, by noting with his eyes his brethren's troubles and taking them to his heart, and attempting to help them.

It is brought down that the name Yisrael (Israel) is an acronym for Yesh Shishim Ribo Otiyot Latorah, meaning, "There are 60 myriad letters in the Torah" – one letter for each Jew. Just The Tiferet Shlomo says that just like a Torah scroll is not kosher if one letter touches another one, so too when one Jew touches another and harms him, the entire Torah scroll is disqualified.

That which will bring about Redemption is when each member of Israel is concerned for the entire Clal, the nation as a whole. For then we will experience again "And G-d knew" (Sh'mot 2,25) – on which Rashi explains that G-d "set His heart and eyes upon Israel," marking the beginning of the Redemption.

The initial letters of these coming weekly Torah portions, starting with Sh'mot, spell out the Hebrew word Shovavim (troublemakers). We thus call these days the period of Shovavim, and they are widely regarded as days of fasting and atonement. During this period it is also appropriate for us to show extra concern for G-d's children, because this is the way of brothers – and especially for those who, most unfortunately, have strayed from the path of Torah and mitzvot. And when we awaken to this need here down below, from above too G-d will also awaken His love for us, measure for measure.

Kabbalah books tell us that each month has a different combination of the letters of the Havayah Name, and the combination of the current month of Tevet stems from the verse, "Exalt G-d with me and we will exalt His name together." It is also stated that each month of the year is associated with a particular tribe, and Tevet is connected to that of Dan. The connection is that when the Israelites journeyed in the desert, the last one to march was Dan, "he who gathers for all the camps." This means not only physically, but also that he gathered up the souls of the laggards and tired ones who were expunged by the Cloud, those tired and weary Jews who do not fear G-d, and who have given up trying, and who feel that there is no more hope for them. The tribe of Dan would gather them back into the camp of Israel, and teach them how they too can magnify and glorify the name of G-d.

Dan teaches us not to give up on any soul of Israel, and that even the lowliest and most sinful Jew can be strengthened and encouraged to return to the compassionate G-d. This is done by being "dan l'kaf z'chut," judging each Jew favorably, finding merit in him and finding his good points. With faith in the hidden good of every member of Israel, we can extricate him from the evil net in which he is trapped and bring him anew into the sanctity of Israel.

The Lekach V'halibuv quotes Rabbeinu Tzadok who says that our primary work during the period of the Footsteps of the Mashiach is that of the Tribe of Dan, to extricate the pure from the impure. That is, the charge of the hour, and especially now in Tevet, is to bring Jews closer, and thereby help our entire nation overcome our enemies, the descendants of Esav – just as Hushim, the son of Dan, killed Esav [when he sought to be buried in the Machpelah Cave]. So too, if we grasp on to this power of Dan, the result will be Mashiach ben David, for as is written, the letters of Hushim are the same as the letters of Mashiach.

During these Shovavim days, every Jew is concerned for his eyes and heart – eyes that saw what they should not have seen, a heart that had sinful thoughts – and wants to correct what he can during this opportune period. By paying attention to and seeing Israel's distress, by taking care to help and correct others, by bringing those who feel rejected back to Judaism, by extricating them from their tribulations, whether via helping them physically or giving them money or praying for them - this is how we correct our own eyes and heart, and all of Israel as well.

Mattot-Masei: From Kinot to Tikkun

by Rav Yosef Naveh, Hassidic Educator and Torah Coach, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The weekly portion that we read in the synagogue this Shabbat is a double one: Mattot-Masei (beginning in Bamidbar 30,2 until the end of the book). It begins by stating, "These are the journeys of the Israelites who went out of the land of Egypt." The Sfat Emet gives several reasons why the Torah connects these journeys with the Exodus from Egypt: "It would seem that [it is based on the fact that] the Exodus is mentioned 50 times in the Torah, as the Holy Zohar tells us (Part 1, 261b) – alluding to their having left [on their journeys mentioned here] the 49 Gates of Impurity and entering the 50 Gates of Wisdom."

The Sfat Emet continues: "According to the words of our Sages (Rosh Hashana 21b), the 50 Gates of Wisdom were given over to Moshe Rabbeinu except for one, as is written, "You have made him a bit less than G-d" (Tehillim 8,6)." That is, the 50th gate symbolizes divine perfection, and Moshe Rabbeinu, though he was the highest of the human species (Arvei Nachal, Sh'mot 1), was not perfect, but rather necessarily flawed.

According to Rabbe Nachman of Breslov (Likutei Moharan 1, 89), a literal understanding of this verse indicates the remarkable concept that whatever is missing from a person, whether spiritually or physically, is actually a lack in the Divine Presence.

We are currently in the period of the Three Weeks, known as "Between the Straits," in which we mourn for that which is missing from the world. We grieve over the great lack inherent in both the general reality and our personal circumstances. In actuality, Hashem is telling us of what He is missing. This entire situation of "lacking" stems from the fact that He does not have an abode, a Home, in This World in which to have His Presence dwell in our midst – which will be the "completeness of reality" that we long and strive for.

When the letter nun is missing from a word, this shows that something significant is missing and that a rectification is required. How so? Nun is equivalent to 50, and symbolizes completeness and the highest spiritual level – "above all the Gates," in the words of the above-cited Sfat Emet.  Therefore, when it is missing, something has to be fixed.  

This can help us understand the following teaching from the Zohar and Rabbe Nachman. The Zohar states (Raya Mehemna, Tzav, 27b) that whenever there is a teku, an unresolved Halakhic issue, we must be stringent, as teku is tikun without a nun, i.e., it has no rectification. Rabbe Nachman adds that it is missing the nun of completeness and rectification. We also know that there are two types of nun: One at the end of a word, which is a simple straight line, and one in the middle of a word, which is a bent line, like a backwards L. Rabbe Nachman notes that the nun of tikun is a straight line, and when it is missing, thus forming the word teku, "unresolved," the four letters of teku plus the bent-over replacement nun will then spell the word kinot, songs of sadness like the dirges recited on Tisha B'Av. He concludes: "May G-d redeem us and may the kinot be turned into tikun."

Just like teku refers to unclear situations when we don't know what is G-d's will, so too, there are times when we ourselves face contradictory considerations and don't know how to act or what G-d would like us to do. The solution to this, says Rabbe Nachman (Likutei Halachot, Gittin 3), is "to pray very very much to Hashem, that [we] should merit to receive true counsel so that [we] can return and do the right thing." He explains that the "50^th Gate" is the true counsel that certainly exists for every situation and that will guide us as to what precisely we should do in order to fulfill G-d's will without doubts. And when there is no Beit Mikdash, we are all in a state of deficiency and lack, because it was from the Holy Temple that Torah instruction went out to Israel (Taanit 16a).

When Moshe made one of his final demands on Pharaoh to send the Israelites out, he angrily told him what was going to happen (Sh'mot 11,8): "Your servants will come to me and bow down to me and say, 'Get out! You and all your people that follow you!'" The Hebrew words used here literally mean 'all the people on your feet' – and Rabbe Natan says the following remarkable thought: Shoes symbolize walking along a sure path, where one knows his destination with confidence. On Tisha B'Av we mourn for the Beit HaMikdash, whose absence means that we no longer have a sure guidepost to tell us how and what to do – and this is why on Tisha B'Av we are not allowed to wear [leather] shoes!

The tikun for this state of affairs is to recite kinot. Similarly on Tisha B'Av we recite the Scroll of Eichah (Lamentations), which are the same letter as Ayekah, meaning, "Where are You?!" We cry out to G-d and say, "We are lost, we don't know what to do! Where are You?!"

Rabbe Natan concludes: "In the future, everything will be rectified, the teku will be rectified, and all the doubts will be resolved, and the kinot will once again become tikun."

Holidays: "Pull and Take" the Passover Lamb

by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

When the Israelites were preparing for the Exodus, Moshe Rabbeinu told their elders: "Pull and take for yourselves sheep for your families, and slaughter the Pesach sacrifice" (Sh'mot 12,21). The fulfillment of this charge involved no small miracle, in that sheep were the Egyptians' god, yet they were powerless to stop the Jews from using and slaughtering them.

Shabbat HaGadol – the Great Sabbath, the last one before Pesach – was set as the day on which we remember this miracle and Israel's dedication to fulfilling G-d's word. As the Tur explains in Orach Chaim: "The Sabbath before Pesach is called Shabbat HaGadol, because of the great miracle of that day." He explains that we were commanded to take the sheep on the 10^th day of Nissan, which came out that year on the Sabbath, as the Exodus took place five days later, on Thursday.

But this raises the following question: It's true that the miracle happened on a Sabbath, but why shouldn't we commemorate the miracle on the 10^th day of Nissan every year, no matter what day of the week it falls out on?

The Chidushei HaRim writes that the 10^th day of Nissan is like the 10^th day of Tishrei – Yom Kippur, the day of atonement for all our sins. (This explains the custom of reciting the Pesach Haggadah, up to the words "to atone for all our sins," on Shabbat HaGadol.) That is to say, this Sabbath is a time to do teshuvah (repentance), a time to shore up our powers of improving ourselves and our deeds.

To do teshuvah, one must strive and work steadily – and what type of work? That of thinking and meditation. The word gadol (as in Shabbat HaGadol) is of the same letters as dilug, skipping; this Shabbat empowers us to do the skipping type of teshuvah, that is, teshuvah in which we skip the difficult stages between "Pull" and "Take" and go directly from one to the other. When a Jew fulfills "pull," pulling himself away and detaching himself from his bad deeds, he can immediately reach the stage of "take," in which he is taken to become the essence of that which is acquired to the Creator, for His purposes.

Of course, however, there is no guarantee. When one's service of G-d is done in the mode of "skipping," there are liable to be some falls and tumbles, because what he acquired quickly in terms of spirituality can sometimes be lost quickly as well, as it takes time for it to be well-grounded in one's soul. But via the special qualities of the Sabbath, which is kvia v'kayma [permanently fixed, precisely every seven days, week in and week out – as opposed to the Festivals, which are dependent on the rabbinic court's determination based on the sighting of the moon and other factors], these new spiritual qualities are rendered more permanent.

This is why our Sages chose to mark the taking of the lamb on the Sabbath every year, and not on the 10^th of Nissan – which generally falls out on a weekday – for weekdays do not have the power of stability and permanence.

This Shabbat grants us the ability to "pull" all at once, to withdraw our hands from any contact with foreign items, to purify our morals and actions. "Pulling" in its simple meaning is a legal form of acquisition; in our context, it means that we become "acquired" to G-d as His servants by pulling ourselves away from all unacceptable behavior and anything that is the opposite of the holiness of Israel.

Another reason can be given as well to explain why the Sages chose the Sabbath as the commemoration of the great miracle. We ask in our Sabbath prayers that G-d grant us a day of "love and desire." The Divine desires that we can arouse on the Sabbath cannot be activated on weekdays, and without the Sabbath, Israel would not be able to arouse within itself a strong and internal will to truly be G-d's servants. It is therefore specifically the Sabbath, with its boost of upper-level desire, that was chosen as the Shabbat HaGadol.

And on this Sabbath, we begin to draw to ourselves and accept the lights of the holiday of Pesach. The Talmud states (B'rachot 17a): "Our will is to do Your will, but the 'yeast in the dough' – i.e., our evil inclination – and our subjugation to foreign kingdoms prevent us." On the night of Passover, there is no 'yeast in our dough.' On this night, we are totally free to reveal our inner spirituality, our true inner will to perform G-d's desire.

We read in Psalms: "to do Your will, my G-d, I have desired, and Your Torah is within me" (40,9). The author of Lev Simcha explains the last words as alluding to the non-fermented matzah that enters our bodies, thus naturally helping us fulfill the first part of the verse – doing G-d's will. For on the night of Pesach, we burn out the bad, and come to have a true desire to wholeheartedly do G-d's will.

Holidays: The Month of Turning Sins into Merits

by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

We have entered into the great light of the month of Nissan, which is the month of Redemption both past and future. I saw written in the work HaLekach v'HaLibuv in the name of the Avnei Nezer that these days are considered "very precious, in which each hour is considered a day." How so?

Given that these days are so exalted, every hour of Torah study, good deeds, and prayer is counted in the Heavenly court as a complete day of service of G-d. Why? Because on these days, great light and abundance of spirituality, and of closeness between ourselves and Hashem, descend to the world.

We know that the month of Tishrei – the High Holy Days and Sukkot – is a time for repentance, teshuvah, that stems from fear and awe of G-d, and of the day of judgement. On the other hand, Nissan is a time for repentance based on love of G-d. The latter type of teshuvah is so sublime, the Gemara teaches, that even purposeful sins can turn into actual merits – as amazing as that sounds

It occurred to me that these two concepts can be connected, as follows.

The first concept is truly astonishing, in that when a person spends an hour or so in the month of Nissan preparing for the holiday, collecting mitzvot, etc. – G-d counts this time as a full day of mitzvot! That is, He sees the abundance of holiness of this person - but He also sees the many hours of the past year in which he did not do mitzvot, and might have actually done purposeful sins!  What does G-d then do?

With His great compassion, He spreads the merits that the person created in Nissan, and uses them to fill in all the hours and days of the rest of the year in which he did not do good deeds! That is, all the hours of Nissan that became full days of merits, now fill in for the missing hours and days in which sins were committed – and thus the sins become merits!

These days of Nissan are very exalted from another angles as well. The Rebbe of Lublin said that specifically the first 12 days of Nissan are aligned with the 12 months of the year. That is, the first day of Nissan corresponds to the entire month of Nissan, the second day is aligned with the month of Iyar, and so on. 

What this means is that a person can make a difference and can determine what will be each month of the year – according to how he behaves on the corresponding day! That is, if he increases extra Torah study, mitzvot, and prayer, spiritually and physically, on the fourth day of Nissan, for example, then the fourth month – Tammuz – will be accordingly successful for him.

May this be a catalyst for a good and blessed month! 

Holidays: Starting Anew on Purim

by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

As we continue to read in our weekly Torah readings from the Book of Leviticus – the book of the Holy Temple and the sacrificial service – it is worthwhile to delve into the significance of the sacrificial offerings.

The S'fat Emet – one of the most commonly consulted Hassidic works, written by the Gerrer Rebbe, R. Yehuda Leib Alter, in the second half of the 19th century – cites the Talmudic saying that on the Sabbath, individual sacrificial offerings are not brought (Tr. Temurah 2,11). Why is this? Because, he explains, "on the Sabbath, there is no need for the practical. For on the Sabbath, work is forbidden – and therefore, on Sabbath it is enough that one desires to sacrifice his soul to G-d, and this desire itself is the sacrifice."

That is to say, the virtue of the Sabbath is so great, and we are so close to G-d in our very desires, to the point that there is no need to actually offer up a sacrifice so as to reveal this desire. 

The sacrifices, though they may seem foreign to us, are not simply a relic of the past, from the times of the Beit HaMikdash. Neither are they just an external, physical act of placing a slaughtered animal atop the altar. Rather, their inner meaning is that we thus reveal the "hidden" place in our heart which is exclusively dedicated to G-d. As the S'fat Emet writes: 

"We are commanded to bring the sacrifice in the northern part of the Temple; north in Hebrew is tzafon, from the same root as tzafun, meaning 'hidden.' For the main aspect of the sacrifice is our desire to give our soul to G-d, and this is its hidden aspect [as stated above]. And this is something that we can relate to nowadays as well, in our potential desire to feel completely subjugated to G-d."

Within each Jewish person is hidden a deep point of longing to come close to his or her Father in Heaven. Even regarding a Jew who externally appears to be far removed from the sanctity of Israel, we believe that within him is the desire to truly devote himself to G-d and His glory, and that the time will certainly come when this deep desire will be revealed and expressed. 

We are in the month of Adar, just a few days after Purim, which has a message related to this idea of "bringing to the fore" our true desires. 

Desire to Act!

It is said in the name of the Arizal that each of the 12 months of the year corresponds to one of the 12 Tribes – and that Adar is matched with Naftali. The Torah tells us that Naftali is "a deer running free" (B'reshit 49,21) and "totally satisfied" (D'varim 33,23). The Lekach V'halibuv writes that this shows that Naftali is always in eager action – the opposite of Amalek (Haman's ancestor) who seeks to imbue Israel with despair: "He encountered you along the way [out of Egypt] when you were tired and exhausted" (D'varim 25,18). Amalek came to us in a place called Refidim, from a similar Hebrew root of rifyon, meaning weakness. Tiredness, weakness and despair bring a person to laziness. 

The Lekach V'halibuv continues: "The power of one's will is that which brings him to the attribute of quickness and promptness. Our will is our human force of motivation. Ratzon, desire, is of the same root as ratz, which means 'to run' – for one runs in accordance with his power of will, as the will is that which overcomes weakness."

Special Will on Purim

This "will" is something that we receive and renew on Purim, as the Sages derived from a verse in the Scroll of Esther: Israel received the Torah on Sinai, but not totally voluntarily, and received it a second time – this time willfully – on Purim. Thus, on Purim we are bestowed with a new heart, and we are extra motivated to do the will of our Father in Heaven.

Rabbe Nachman of Breslov writes that although today we don't have sacrifices, we still have the ideal of motivation: One who strives to pray with devotion, one who does not despair because of his failures, but rather works to pick himself up and start again – all this is a type of "sacrifice," of working on our desire to come close to G-d.

Korban – the Hebrew word for "sacrifice" – stems from the same root as kiruv, "coming close." We say in our daily blessings that G-d imbued within us everlasting life – for within every Jew lies a great passion to live a life of truth and faith. There are times that this sense is dormant, but during these days of Purim we have the ability to ignite anew the flame burning within our heart. The joy of Purim gives us the strength to awaken our desire to make a new beginning in Judaism. 

After the Scroll of Esther is read aloud in the synagogue, we recite a passage that features this sentence: "To announce that all those who hope for You will not be shamed, and all those who take shelter in You will never be humiliated." Thus, the message of the Megillah of Esther is: "There is nothing to despair about in the world!" All that's needed is to want to improve, and to desire to do good in G-d's world. We must not make light of even the simple things that we are able to do and accomplish. We must rather believe and know that everything we do, no matter how small, is very significant – as long as we always long for G-d, Rabbe Nachman says.

Emuna: To Live a New Life!

by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

With Purim only a month away, let us discuss a topic that has more to do with Purim than is generally thought: Teshuva, repentance. 

The renowned Sfat Emet (the Gerrer Rebbe, R. Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter, d. 1905) compares two types of teshuva: When we repent in the month of Elul, in preparation for the High Holy Days, it stems from fear and awe of the Day of Judgement – but during Adar, the month of Purim, the teshuva can be of happiness and love for G-d, as happened on the first Purim itself: "Israel reaffirmed their acceptance of the Torah during the days of Ahashverosh," the Talmud tells us, meaning that they received the Torah anew, of their own free will. 

The author of HaLekach v'HaLibuv (R. Avraham Schorr, nephew of Rosh Yeshivat Torah Vodaas Rav Gedaliah Schorr) cites a verse in B'reshit in which Yehuda says to his father, "If not that we delayed, we could have returned already [from Egypt] twice by now." He notes that the Hebrew for "if not" in the verse is lulei, which is "Elul" spelled in reverse, referring to fear-based teshuva. On the other hand, the word for "already" is zeh, spelled zayin heh, 12 in gematriya – an allusion to the 12th month of the year, Adar, in which our teshuva is love-based. 

The verse also says "twice," referring to the double value of love-based teshuva in that it turns sins into merits. Rabbi Schorr adds that the primary aspect of this type of teshuva is alluded to by yet a fourth word in this verse: atah, "now." That is, the teshuva must also be now-based, as he explains: 

"The way a Jew can overcome the husk of Amalek, may his name be blotted out, is by not thinking about the past at all – but only about now! For the Amalekite weakness is manifest in the force that tells us, "You can't serve G-d; you're a sinner, you have failed!" This raises doubts within us as to whether we can really do good – and Amalek and safek, doubt, are the same gematriya. On the other hand, the opposite of safek is vadai, whose gematriya is the same as that of G-d's name Ehyeh, which literally means "I will be," – or, "From now on, I invite myself to 'be.'" That is, one must see only the future and try to do good, and not look back at what was." 

The Moharosh, the Rebbe of Yavne'el near Tiberias, explains this point in his inimitably straightforward manner: "The main point of complete teshuva is to forget the past totally, as if you have no past, and to begin from scratch a new life! Think that from now on, 'I will start anew to be a Jew, to study Torah, to fulfill the mitzvot, to pray to G-d… And when a person forgets his past, he can then make progress in his life…" 

Rav Y.M. Charlop writes that Purim is a time in which we have the potential to attain great spiritual depths in Torah and spirituality. In this connection, let us consult an interesting – but unfinished! – passage by Rabbe Nachman of Breslov: 

"For at first, all the beginnings were on Pesach, and that's why all the mitzvot are as a memento of the Exodus, zekher liy'tziat Mitzrayim. But now – [and he did not finish]."  

What does it mean that he didn't finish? Two explanations have been offered. Reb Nosson, the Breslover Rebbe's primary student, said that he understands from other writings of the Rebbe that he meant to say that whereas Pesach used to mark the beginnings, now Purim has taken on that role (as alluded do in the first letters of five consecutive words in Sh'mot 23,15 having to do with leaving Egypt, which spell out "Purim"). 

The other explanation, by R. Levi Yitzchak Bender, of saintly blessed memory, takes a different approach, based on the Rebbe's teaching regarding the war with Amalek. Moshe told Yehoshua, "Go out to battle with Amalek tomorrow" (17,9) – because Amalek stands for "postponement," for "procrastination." The power of Amalek gives us thoughts such as, "I'll do it tomorrow, not today! I'll start serving G-d better tomorrow, I'll study tomorrow, etc. etc." But the Rebbe teaches that what we need for true service of G-d is precisely the opposite; the way to beat Amalek is to do it "now!" We should do a mitzvah now, and start our new spiritual path now. It doesn't matter what was; now is the time to start revealing what we really want; do it now!

This, then, is what is meant by "he, the Rebbe, didn't finish" – because there is no end to new beginnings! Begin now! The goal is to do and to want and to please G-d more and more. Don’t be weak in your own eyes, but rather know that with even the smallest act or littlest desire, you can sanctify G-d's name. As Maimonides taught, one should always imagine that the world is on the scales, and the worthy and unworthy parts are perfectly balanced – and your next little act of goodness can make the difference and tip the scales for goodness!

Reb Nosson also writes that Purim is like pirurim, crumbs; just as we gather crumbs, we should also snatch up our good points, no matter how small, and realize how important they are. Thus a person will build himself up, step by step, and also attain true happiness. 

Noah and the Power of Shabbat

by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

We find that the Holy Zohar says that Noach represents the aspect of Shabbat. What does this mean? Rabbi Avraham Schorr, a prominent rabbi in Brooklyn, NY, explains in his work Lekach V'haLibuv how we can utilize the Shabbat-Noach connection to strengthen our service of G-d. 

We know that the Torah tells us, in the verse just prior to this week's Torah portion of Noach (B'reshit 6,9 – 11,32), that "Noach found favor - Hebrew: ḥen - in G-d's eyes." The same word, ḥen, is also used in the Sefer Yetzirah regarding the Shabbat.

It is taught by the righteous that just as Noach was saved from the "evil waters" of the flood by the Ark, so too, in our generation we can be saved from the flood of heresy and deception by the Ark of the Shabbat. That is, a person must sanctify and exalt the Sabbath, and recognize that it is his lifeline and anchor amidst all the challenges and tests that he faces throughout the week. 

The holy Sabbath gives every Jewish man and woman the ability and strength to overcome the various trials he faces; to install G-d as King over himself at every moment; and to serve Him in every place and every time. And thus he will find favor, ḥen, in the eyes of his Father in Heaven, as he remains in his ark, untouched by the evil waters.

The Hebrew word for "flood" is mabul, from the same root as bilbul, "confusion." Sadly, we are witness to a flood of foreign and false ideas that are introduced into our consciousness from every angle. The winds of confusion and blurring of the differences between truth and lies, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations – blow with great strength. The danger is ever-present that a person will drown in untruths and will thus lose his share in the Eternal World. 

We are well-advised, then, to totally enter the Ark of the Sabbath, and to utilize this holy day to rest our soul, and calm and cleanse our mind.

The special quality of the Sabbath will have its effect upon whomever observes its laws in a spirit of connection and love and awe of G-d. This will help grant him protection from the "evil inclination" throughout the days following the Sabbath. 

Noach and his family were told to "come into the Ark" (7,1) – and we too must enter, during the week, the atmosphere of the Ark that we built on the Sabbath day. We must remember during the week the light of the Sabbath, in order to bring upon us vitality, renewal, and connection to the potion of life. 

During the week, we are faced with the danger of falling into the "flood" of heresy and physical lusts – and this is why we must take with us during those weekdays the light and holiness of the Sabbath, and remember the Divine ideal to which we belong and for what purpose we have been placed in this world. 

What is the significance of ḥen, favor or grace? 

Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Charlop (d. 1951), a close student and colleague of Rav Kook, explained in his work Mei Marom (on prayer) the difference between external beauty, known as yofi, and inward beauty, known as ḥen. 

On the holy Sabbath, the splendor and beauty of Creation – i.e., the Nation of Israel – is revealed, in accordance with one of the Medrashic interpretations of the first verse of the Torah: 

"B'reishit bara Elokim" – For the sake of the reishit, the beginning - namely, Israel - G-d created the world. (Vayikra Rabba 36,4)

We, Israel, are unique in our understanding that there is a deep purpose and meaning for all of creation even in our physical pursuits. We note how everything in the world has an inner and hidden intention, through which we can serve G-d and fulfill His will.

This is the special ḥen that Israel has, but which the nations of the world do not – because the nations either separate themselves totally from everything material, or they go to the other extreme and sink themselves totally into the physical pleasures of This World. 

Only we, the Nation of Israel, have the special ability to find the right balance between materialism and spirituality – and this is our glory that gives us the front-running role among all the other peoples: We serve G-d in every aspect of life. As is written: "Know G-d in all your ways" (Proverbs 3,6).

The Sages (Tanna D'vei Eliyahu Rabba) teaches that we must "make the Sabbath entirely of Torah." Perhaps this means that one should study Torah the entire Sabbath day – but it can also be explained to mean that the power of the Sabbath is that it can enable man to sanctify even that which is physical; all of his deeds, both physical and spiritual, will be of Torah. 

And therefore we are bidden to enjoy the holy Sabbath day physically as well, such as with plentiful food and drink – for everything is uplifted in sanctity on this day. As we recite in our blessings, "Everything was created for His honor."

Sukkot: The Four Species of Sukkot - Victory!

by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The Holy Zohar writes (Vay'chi 221a) that between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, a war is waged between the People of Israel and the Nations of the World, between good and evil. How will we know who was the victor? The Zohar has a surprise answer: The contender that remains holding his battle weapons in hand is the victor. The reference, of course, is to the Four Species of the Sukkot holiday: lulav, etrog, myrtle branches, and willow branches.

Rabbe Nosson of Breslov, the prime student of Rabbe Nachman, asks two questions about this: First, why do we have to declare a winner? Isn't it obvious who's the winner and who's the loser? The one with the trophy, medallion, or whatever – he's the winner, while the loser is lying prone on the floor!

Secondly, why would he have to still be holding the weapons in his hands? He certainly doesn't need them anymore, so why can't he put them down if he wants without losing his title? 

Rabbe Nosson explains a very important principle in the service of G-d, which can be summed up in three words: Never give up!

The questions stem from a mistaken impression that success in a physical war is akin to success in a spiritual war. It's true that in a physical or material battle, the victor can wave his medal and show off his trophy, and he no longer needs his "tools of war." But a spiritual contest is very different. Here, even if your yetzer hara (evil inclination) has toppled you to the ground and you’re lying there with bruises and pains, you have not yet lost! As long as you don't give up, and continue to fight – you are the winner! 

These are Rabbe Nosson's words (Likutei Halachot, Shabbat 7):

     "… the war with Amalek is a very very long one – for Amalek is eternally that which whips Israel when it rebels. The main fight is the war with one's evil inclination, of which Amalek is the outside shell, always seeking to entrap a person totally and topple him down to the ground. Therefore, in order to defeat it, one must be strong in every aspect of what happens to him, and to make sure not to slip up in any trial he faces…"

     "Thus, in this war that everyone wages with his yetzer hara - a facet of the war with Amalek - every victory is when he strengthens himself and makes up his mind, with the strength of the tzaddik, to hold himself and face head-on any challenge that comes his way. As long as the person does not allow himself to despair, but rather strengthens himself to start over anew each time… and [doesn't quit the field but rather] continues the battle, in which the main weapon is prayer – he is considered the winner! For in truth, a person himself can't win the battle without G-d's help…"

As written in the final verse in Parashat B'Shalach (Sh'mot 17,16), "the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." The victory is G-d's issue, and not yours! Your job is just to hold on, not to give up, and never to abandon your desire to do good! The yetzer hara fights against you on one front only: that you should quit wanting to do good, that you should despair! But our task in this world is to want more and more to struggle to do good – and this is our victory. The very fact that I continue to hold my weapons of war - prayer and my will - in my hands means that I have won.

And if a person stumbles and falls and sins – what then? The answer is that if you picked yourself up and didn't give up – you have won! If you catch yourself and realize that what G-d wants from you now is to keep going despite all, this is the victory. But as opposed to a victory on the soccer field or elsewhere, your "small" spiritual win is not accompanied by cheers from the fans or an article in the paper; "G-d was not in the ra'ash [earthquake, but also means 'noise']" (Kings I 19,11), but rather just in a "still, gentle sound" (ibid. verse 12). 

Rabbe Nachman of Breslov famously taught: Sometimes the evil inclination gives you a slap in the face, and sometimes you give him one, and so on and so forth – but the main thing is to make sure that you be the one to give the last slap!

Shoftim: The Torah Portion and the Unique Month of Elul

by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

This week's Torah portion of Shoftim (Deut. 16,18-21,9) begins with this verse: "Appoint for yourselves judges and police for your tribes in all your settlements that G-d your Lord is giving you, and make sure that they administer honest judgment for the people" [translation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan]. 

The Sfat Emet (by the Gerrer Rebbe, R. Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter, 1847-1905) explains that the "judges" correspond to the head tefillin, and the "police" to the hand tefillin. A person judges with his head and brain how to do things in the best and truest way, while police use physical force, represented by the hand, to enforce and execute the judgements determined by the head. 

The author of HaLekach v'HaLibuv (R. Avraham Schorr, nephew of Rosh Yeshivat Torah Vodaas Rav Gedaliah Schorr) challenges this explanation: "We know that the prescribed order of putting on tefillin is hand first and head only afterwards, whereas the Torah states here 'judges' before 'police' - first the head and then the hand. Can this be reconciled?"

R. Schorr explains that the matter must be understood based upon the second verse in the weekly portion, the commandment not to take bribes: "Do not slant judgement… do not take a bribe, for it will blind the eyes of the wise" (Deut. 16,19). When a judge takes a bribe from one of the litigants, he is no longer able to judge a true judgement. As the Gaon Rav Elchanan Wasserman explained, the bribe that most effectively sways correct judgement is that which grants a person physical, this-worldly pleasures, causing him not to see the true path. One must therefore get rid of all physical pleasures in order to be able to see the way of truth.

Hands Purify, Head Decides

And this is represented by the order of tefillin: First we put on the hand tefillin, so that we may purify our physical pleasures, and only then do we put tefillin on our head so that it can now judge according to real truth, without being blinded by physical pleasures.

And when a person merits, by virtue of the head tefillin, to have his mind rule over his heart, to calculate his ways in Divine truth, and to remember that all his life-forces are from the blessed Creator Who, every moment, grants him the ability to see, speak, hear and smell - he will naturally not want to do anything with his body in contrast to the will of his Father in Heaven.

Once a person overcomes his physical inclinations and subjugates his lusts to G-d, he merits a true judgement – as is written, "The rulers [or, parable-makers] will say, come to Cheshbon!" (Numbers 21,27) That is, though Cheshbon is a place-name, it also means "calculation," and this verse therefore is used as an exhortation to make proper moral calculations, and thus merit a true judgement. 

The Hassidic work Bnei Yisaschar (R. Tzvi Elimelech Shapira, 1783-1841) states that the numerology of Elul – the month of repentance which we begin tonight – is 67, the same as that of the word Binah, which means "understanding." That is, we must utilize these days of Elul for careful and calm consideration and self-accounting regarding our path in life. "Let us search our way and delve [into them], and we will return unto G-d" (Eicha 3,40). Binah corresponds to the emotions of the heart, as is written, "his heart will understand (yavin) and he will repent and will be healed" (Yeshayahu 6,10) – perfectly appropriate for the month of Elul. 

We recite Psalm 27 precisely 100 times a year: morning and evening of the 30 days of Elul, and the same for 20 days of Tishrei. Verse 8 states: "To you my heart said, 'seek My presence.'" This is a difficult phrase, and Rashi explains: "On your behalf, my heart says to the Israelites [that they should] seek My presence." 

That is, G-d sends to my heart a thought of "seeking My presence," an arousal to seek out and find Him. Based on the context of the verse, R. Schorr explains that the worshiper here is praying for a Divine arousal and that he should merit to be Divinely answered and receive from G-d the desire to seek Him out.

The first letters of these Hebrew words that we are discussing – vaaneni l'cha amar libi – spell out the word Elul (so wrote the Lev Simcha, the Gerrer Rebbe from 1977 to 1992). This is a very appropriate allusion, as our work in the month of Elul is to cleanse our hearts so that we may judge ourselves with truth and fix that which needs to be fixed. In Elul we also increase our prayers, so that the heart will always long for closeness to G-d. As this Psalm 27 concludes: "Hope for G-d, be strong and He will give your heart courage, and hope for G-d."

Hukat: The Messiah Will Teach us How to Speak

 by Rav Yosef Naveh, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Chukat (Numbers 19-22,1) recounts the story of Moshe hitting the rock for its water, instead of speaking to it as G-d had commanded. Extracting water from a rock by speaking to it would have made an amazing impression upon the Israelites, and therefore G-d was not happy with what Moshe had done. As we read: "G-d said to Moshe and Aharon, 'Since you did not … sanctify Me before the eyes of the Children of Israel, therefore you will not bring this congregation into the Land that I have given them.'"

The Hebrew word for "therefore" is lachen, and the Baal HaTurim points out that the gematriya of this word is 100 – precisely the same as the words for "measure for measure," midah b'midah.

The question is asked by the author of HaLekach V'haLibuv: "What exactly is 'measure for measure' about the punishment of not entering the Land of Israel for the sin of hitting the rock? What is the connection between them? And he answers that in the subsequent verses, we read that Moshe sent emissaries to the King of Edom to ask for permission for Israel to pass through his land on their way to the Promised Land. Moshe explained to the king that G-d had heard Israel's prayers, saved them from the Egyptians, and freed them to go to the Land of Israel. [Which prayers did He hear, and in what merit?] Rashi notes that G-d heard their prayers in the merit of Yitzchak's blessing to Yaakov when the latter came to be blessed, dressed as Esav, and Yitzchak said, 'the voice is the voice of Yaakov.' That is, the "voice of Yaakov" is a special merit, leading G-d to answer Israel's prayers. To this, the King of Edom responded: "You take pride in what your forefather bequeathed you? I will come out against you with what my forefather [Esav] bequeathed me [when Yitzchak later blessed him]: the power of the sword!"

Our Sages taught that, "If Moshe Rabbeinu had entered the Land, Israel would not have had to battle for it, nor would they have needed weapons; instead, the situation would have been as Moshe told the Israelites at the Sea of Reeds: "G-d will fight for you; you just be silent." The Meir Einei Chakhamim explains that Moshe Rabbeinu is the power of Torah for all of Israel, i.e., the complete revelation of 'the voice of Yaakov." And even though he had speech impediments (Sh'mot 4,10; 6,12), this was only physically – but spiritually, he spoke perfectly. As the Medrash says: "Moshe was 'not a man of words' (4,10) before receiving the Torah, but afterwards, his tongue was cured and he began to speak [impressively]."

In this Torah portion, G-d told Moshe to speak to the rock. It was His will that Moshe would rise and connect Israel to his high level of speech, where it would be the dominant force. At the same time, Israel was supposed to rise up themselves and not complain bitterly about the lack of water, but rather be drawn to Moshe's level of spiritual speech perfection. But they did not (Bamidbar 20); they rather detached themselves from Moshe and contended with him. As a result, they could not rely on the "voice of Yaakov," and instead were forced to use weapons and war with the Canaanites.

Soon afterwards in their journey to the Land, Israel met up with the Emorites, whom they defeated in battle. The Emorites' name in Hebrew refers to speech, and they battled against the "saying" - the "message" - of Israel. Yaakov Avinu had blessed his son Yosef: "I will give you an extra portion, which I will take from the Emorites with my sword and bow" (B'reshit 48,22). Rashi explains there that this sword and bow refer to Yaakov's "wisdom and prayer" – teaching us that words of Torah wisdom and prayer are a tremendous force against the Emorite kings. 

The Greatest Mitzvah

The renowned Gaon of Vilna wrote: "It is known that the greatest mitzvah of all is the study of Torah – and speaking words of nonsense and mockery, the opposite of Torah, is the worst thing. This explains why speaking such things gives more joy than other sins – because the spirit of impurity is so great, as it is the opposite of the constantly gushing well of Torah." 

The Kabbalistic works tell us that the Jewish People's task in our generation, and particularly during these months of Tammuz and Av, concerns the holiness of our speech. The recent weekly Torah portions recount specifically sins of speech: Miriam speaking negatively about Moshe, the spies' report, Korach's rebellion, the complaints – all of these remind us of the sanctity of speech. Our work during these months is to make amends for the sins that occurred during these months by both avoiding bad and doing good. The sin of the spies occurred in the month of Tammuz and at the beginning of Av; it is the sin that ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple; thus is the power of evil and wanton speech, when we place no guardrails on our open mouths. 

We must desist from the bad, taking upon ourselves to say nothing bad about any Jew, under all circumstances [unless permitted for the various specific reasons outlined in Jewish Law - HF]. And we must actively do good, by engaging in the beautiful inheritance that G-d bequeathed us, namely, the holy Torah; we must use our time to the best advantage, studying the Torah as often as we can, and especially on the holy Sabbath, when we have the ability to fortify our "voice of Yaakov" in Torah study and recitation of Psalms to bring us closer to G-d. On the Sabbath, too, we should have Sabbath meals with special Sabbath songs and words of Torah. 

And certainly our rectification of our speech habits will help us merit to see the arrival of the Mashiach and our Redemption. Rabbe Nachman of Breslov taught that the Hebrew word for Mashiach stems from the same root as sichah, which means "speech" – for Mashiach will teach us the rectification and perfection of our speech, rendering it pleasing to the Creator.