Our parsha begins with the powerful encounter between Yehudah and Yosef.  “Then Yehudah approached him and said, ‘If you please, my lord, may your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears and let not your anger flare up at your servant- for you are like Pharaoh.”  (Chapter 44, Verse 18)

Based on Yehudah’s words to Yosef that he is like Pharaoh, Reb Noson reveals to us an important lesson about the power of good thoughts and the battle which is going on in our mind all the time.  Reb Noson says that the evil inclination is called Pharaoh, which in Hebrew can mean the language of revelation, פרוע.  This means that he shows people all of the entrances to impurity and tries to fool them into choosing one of his entrances.  Reb Noson says therefore that the main battleground and our main test with the evil inclination is in our thoughts.  We have a choice.  A person needs to think, says Reb Noson, thoughts about the Torah and about how to serve Hashem.  Thoughts of faith.  However, immediately when a person tries to think in these matters the bad thoughts of the evil inclination stand in his way and want to pull him into impurity.  A person who is trying to serve Hashem and come closer to Hashem will turn his back to these bad thoughts and not consider them at all.  As a result, these openings to impurity will be closed to him.  On the other hand, if someone is drawn after these bad thoughts and temptations, G-d forbid, then the gates of impurity are revealed to him.  This is how a person falls into sin and impurity and distances himself from the path of serving Hashem.  This whole matter, Reb Noson emphasizes, happens in a person’s thoughts.  This is why Yehudah approached and drew near to Yosef the Tsaddik.  This is the aspect of the Jewish people connecting themselves to the true Tsaddik.  In contrast to the bad thoughts which the evil inclination uses in order to tempt a person into sin, the tsaddik has the power to shine the light of truth upon a person and to help them find openings to leave their personal darkness and return to Hashem. (Likutei Halachot, the Laws of Theft, 5^th teaching)

The Holy Zohar says that everything will be clarified in our thoughts.  What advice can help us strengthen positive thoughts?  How do we fight the battle?  Rebbe Nachman spoke a lot about the importance of guarding ourselves from bad thoughts and that we always have the power to choose a different thought.  It is impossible for a person to think two thoughts at the same time.  Rebbe Nachman teaches in the book Advice that when a person enters into his mind external thoughts, bad desires or other bad thoughts, he causes spiritual damage to his soul.  Therefore it is a great rectification and the main aspect of teshuva (repentance) when someone strengthens himself to remove from his mind any kind of negative thought.  We don’t need to let our thoughts control us.  The main advice to be saved from negative thoughts is only through a lot of prayer, says Rebbe Nachman. We can pray: ‘Hashem please heal me from bad thoughts’, just like we pray for physical healing.  In addition, he teaches that when bad thoughts attack us, we can replace them with good thoughts- thoughts of faith, Torah, prayer, or even business matters.  This will push away the bad thoughts from our mind, because as we said, it is impossible to have two different thoughts at the same time. (Advice, עצות המבוארות, Thoughts, teachings 2 and 3)

I have been reading the past few months an amazing small booklet that I bought in Uman this year.  It is selected letters from Reb Noson’s books of letters, Healing Leaves.  The letters are filled with incredible faith, hope, determination, advice and love.  Most of them are letters which he wrote to one of his sons, Yitchzak.  One of the things he repeats there many times is to focus on our good thoughts.  We have the power to choose to think thoughts of faith and Torah thoughts, and to leave behind our negative, disempowering thoughts.  Reading a letter each day is helping me to fight the daily battle to find strength, happiness and composure, and to not focus so much on negativity and things which bother me.

We should all merit during this time of year when the winter nights are long and dark to strengthen our good thoughts, our thoughts of truth and faith. Amen!

(The image is courteous of Chabad.org)

May we all merit to connect to the special light of kindness and faith that our forefather Avraham brought to the world and to the Jewish people.  Shabbat Shalom!

https://www.breslev.co.il/articles/torah_portion/heart_of_the_parsha/vayera__keep_trying.aspx?id=35202&language=english

BH, the Parsha articles which I merited to write last year are now being syndicated on the website Breslev.co.il.

Here is a link to Parshat Bereshit:

https://www.breslev.co.il/articles/torah_portion/heart_of_the_parsha/bereishit_the_power_of_renewal.aspx?id=35071&language=english

Blessings for a healthy and successful winter!

Our parsha opens with the mitzvah of bringing the first fruits to the Holy Temple.  Farmers in the land of Israel were commanded to take the first ripened fruits to the Temple and present them to the Kohen, and to thank Hashem publicly for saving us from our enemies and bringing us to the Holy Land (Artscroll commentary) “Then you shall call out and say before Hashem your God, ‘An Aramean tried to destroy my forefather.  He descended to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation- great, strong, and numerous… Then we cried out to Hashem, the God of our forefathers, and Hashem heard our voice and saw our affliction, our travail, and our oppression.’” (Chapter 26, Verses 5-7)

Reb Noson teaches that the first fruits are the aspect of renewal.  A farmer was obligated to bring the new, first ripened fruits each year, as described above.  Hashem, with his kindness and wonders saved us from our enemies.  What does renewal mean?  A person needs to renew themselves all the time, and to start again from the beginning when they’ve fallen.  Don’t be startled by your thoughts, says R’ Noson, when you think of all of the obstacles, and trials, and attacks of the evil inclination that you’ve experienced.  Rather, a person needs to remind himself of Hashem’s kindnesses and miracles which he has seen until this moment, just as the Torah teaches us in the chapter about the first fruits.  Despite everything that the Jewish people went through in the Exodus, and everything that Yaakov our forefather experienced with his brother Esav and in the house of Lavan, nevertheless Hashem helped them and saved them.  So too on a personal level, each person goes through all of the same types of trials during their lifetime.  The evil inclination pursues a person and overcomes them and tries to knock them down every day, just as Lavan and Esav pursued and even wanted to kill Yaakov.  Nevertheless, Hashem helps each individual and the Jewish people as a whole every time, just as we say in the daily prayers: ‘and for your miracles which are with us every day, and for your wonders which are with us every moment… He who is good, because His kindness is eternal…”  There is no other advice, says Reb Noson, except emunah (faith), which is the aspect of renewal.  We can renew ourselves with the faith that Hashem is always helping us.  A person should know that they truly don’t see and don’t know at all the bigger picture of their life; therefore they just need to strengthen themselves in the holy faith which we, the Jewish people, received from our forefathers.  Don’t let anything you go through confuse you and startle you!  The Sages said that even if a person transgressed the entire Torah, many times, God forbid, nevertheless there is no despair in the world, and even this person can make a new start!  Hashem has pleasure, so to speak, from even the worst person, who is very far due to his sins, when he returns and comes closer to Hashem.  Therefore, a person needs to start anew every time, which is the aspect of the first fruits. (Likutei Halachot, the Laws of Meat and Milk, 4^th teaching)

This month is a powerful time to tap into the power of renewal and to contemplate how we want the new year of 5780 to be.  What do we want to change?  What do we want to improve?  The new year ahead is a totally new creation and there are so many possibilities which are open for us.  If this year has been, G-d forbid, a difficult and challenging year for you, the next year can be completely different!  Everything can turn around.  If this year was a really good year, we still need to strive to renew ourselves and to set new goals for ourselves.  Hashem is helping us prepare this month for the new year ahead by setting objectives for ourselves, as well as by helping us see the issues in our lives which we need to try to improve and rectify.  It is taught about the month of Elul that Hashem’s presence can be felt more closely and more strongly this month, the King is in the field.  Hashem comes toward us and wants us to come closer to him.  It is a time of mercy and love.

May we all merit as we prepare for the new year to renew our faith is Hashem’s loving presence and guidance, and may we seek His closeness when we pray and think about the new year ahead, amen.

(The image is courteous of Chabad.org)

One of the many mitzvas taught in our parsha is the mitzvah of returning a lost item.  “You shall not see the ox of your brother or his sheep or goat cast off, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely return them to your brother.  If your brother is not near you and you do not know him, then gather it inside your house, and it shall remain with you until your brother inquires after it, and you return it to him.”  (Chapter 22, Verses 1-2)

Reb Noson explains that the Tsaddik is the main person who can return all of the lost items of each and every person.  He exerts himself in his service of Hashem until he is able to find the lost items of each individual.  The Tsaddik constantly yearns to return to each person their lost items, their special light, the light of their soul, which is lost and hidden from them.  Therefore, Rebbe Nachman explains in Torah 188, in the first part of Likutei Moharan that a person needs to go to the Tsaddik in order to seek what he has lost.  These souls who come to the Tsaddik are coming to him to request their lost items.  The Tsaddik takes these souls and lifts them up and renews them with new Torah revelations and insights.  By way of this he returns to them their lost items, because the main thing which they have lost is the Torah which they forgot when they were born.  Each and every time that a person comes to pray by the Tsaddik, the Tsaddik raises up their soul and renews it.  He reveals to them more of the light of the Torah which they’ve lost.  In addition, Reb Noson explains, the Tsaddik illuminates their soul in such a powerful way through the Torah that he reveals to them, that they themselves receive the strength to begin looking for the lost items which they still haven’t found.  This process happens slowly over time.  However, the light of the Torah which is revealed to them by the Tsaddik is now like a candle for them, illuminating the way for them in the darkness.  (Likutei Halachot, the Laws of Lost and Found Objects, 3^rd teaching)

The Tsaddik returns to us our lost items.  After reading this teaching I thought about the annual Rosh Hashanah gathering in Uman.  What draws so many people to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah from all different parts of the world?  If you go to the annual gathering you will see every different type of Jew you could imagine, and they are all there because something powerful draws them to travel to this small city in the middle of Ukraine.  I think that this is one of the main things which pulls people to come.  Even if a person might not consciously be aware of it, their soul is telling them- I’m lost, I feel lost, I need help to find the way.  I want to remember who I really am.  I want to find my way home to Hashem and to the Torah.  I lost the light of the Torah.  The Tsaddik, Rebbe Nachman, is helping each person who comes to pray by him to find their own way back to Hashem.  He helps them find again the special path which they saw clearly when they were still in the womb.

Elul is a time of remembering- remembering our connection with Hashem, and wanting to remember who we really are.  A time of remembering- what am I doing here in the world?  Before we were born we knew the entire Torah, and we knew our own personal, unique purpose and what we need to rectify during our lifetime.  Then everything was forgotten.  The Tsaddik wants to help us remember and re-discover the Torah that we’ve lost, and he wants to show us our soul’s special mission in life.  This month of Elul is a powerful time to search for our lost items.  We should all merit this month to find what we’ve lost along the way, and to shine the light of our soul more and more!

(The image is courteous of Chabad.org)

It’s good to be back, Baruch Hashem!

Our parsha begins with the command to establish courts in every city in the land of Israel to settle disputes between people: “Judges and officers shall you appoint in all your cities- which Hashem, your G-d, gives you- for your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgement.” (Chapter 16, Verse 18 and Artscroll commentary)

Reb Noson teaches that when the judges and the rabbis make a fair judgement between two people who have a dispute, this is the aspect of teshuva (repentance).  The judges help to return the stolen item, for example, to its proper place and to its root.  The person who tried to steal from someone else wanted to uproot the object from its root and bring it to a foreign, external place.  When the judges decree a ruling which is true and just by clarifying the truth of the case, then the money or the object is returned to its proper place and to its root.  This is the aspect of teshuva.  Therefore judgement is called a judgement of peace, as it is written, “Speak the truth with one another; and in your gates judge with truth, justice and peace.” (Zechariah 8, 16)  The main aspect of judgement is making peace between the quarreling parties. (Likutei Halachot, Laws of Authorization, 2^nd teaching)

Teshuva.  We have now entered the final month of the year- Elul.  When people hear the name Elul, they think about teshuva and about preparing for the days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.  Many times we feel excited for this special time of the year, and at the same time apprehension for the High Holy Days which are approaching.  How can we all connect to teshuva in a deeper way; in a way which awakes our ratzon (will) and not unnecessary fear?  What does teshuva mean beyond the important aspect of confessing our sins before Hashem and asking Him to help us change our ways?  Teshuva is returning something to its root.  When we pursue a life of teshuva, we return to our true place.  Slowly we feel inside more peace and more happiness that we are returning to ourselves and living a life of purpose.

Rebbe Nachman begins his collection of stories with the story of the Lost Princess, which contains an amazing message about the power of teshuva and our longing to return to our souls and to Hashem.  It’s about never giving up and longing to find the Lost Princess, who represents our souls.  The story begins: ‘On the way I told a story, and anyone who heard it would have a thought of teshuva.’  What does it mean to have a thought of teshuva?  A thought of teshuva is when we think to ourselves that I still have hope, hope to return to Hashem and to correct my ways, despite everything I’ve done and everything I’ve gone through in my life.  From this point I can choose a new path, I can change.  Even if I still haven’t done any actual steps of teshuva, this thought of teshuva, that I have hope and I can change, means that I’m changing my mistaken internal perspective which tells me that I have no chance.  When someone decides to lose weight, for example, it could very well be that it will take more time (or a lot more time) before they actually lose the weight they want to.  However, the decision to change, the internal desire that things will be different and the faith that it’s possible to live differently are the most important principles, when we begin the path of teshuva.  Rebbe Nachman teaches in Likutei Moharan, in the 35^th teaching in Part One, that teshuva means to return something to the place where it was taken from.  The beginning of the process of returning to our root, to our true selves and to a deep connection with Hashem, begins with these thoughts of teshuva. (Based upon a section from Ran Weber’s new book, Surely There is Love, page 36)

Rebbe Nachman explains in one of his main teachings about teshuva, in the 6^th teaching in the first part of Likutei Moharan that when we want to change and correct our mistakes and return to ourselves, then we begin to have a true experience of life in this world.  Teshuva is the aspect of the name of Hashem, “I will be” אהיה (with this name Hashem revealed Himself to Moshe at the beginning of the book of Shemot).  This means that we are saying before Hashem and to ourselves ‘I am ready to be’.  I am ready for the journey of teshuva.

Teshuva is embarking on the journey to being who we truly are.  We are beautiful souls, created and brought into the world by Hashem in His infinite love.  I am ready to be who I truly am.  Teshuva is returning something to its root, to its home.

(The image is courteous of Chabad.org)

We have now begun the 5^th and final book of the Torah, Devarim.  We also find ourselves in the final week of the three week mourning period before the fast of Tisha B’Av.  As I mentioned previously, Rebbe Nachman teaches in the 7^th lesson of Likutei Moharan, Part One, that the main expression of exile and the main reason we are still in exile is a lack of faith.  When we don’t feel in any given moment that Hashem is with us, that everything we are going through is for our good, and that everything which happens has a purpose and reason, then we are in a state of exile and distant from our faith.

What are some different aspects of the exile?  How does the exile express itself in our lives?

Reb Noson teaches that the exile of the Jewish people, the fact that we were exiled from our land and that we were treated in exile as second class citizens and much worse, stems from the aspect of being exchanged.  What does this mean?  That the true children of the king were exchanged with the children of the maidservant, as Rebbe Nachman describes in his story the Exchanged Children.  The Jewish people are the true sons and daughters of Hashem.  The main expression of our state of exile is the exile of our soul, which means that our souls are far from G-d and that we don’t feel that we are the children of the King.  This state of exile, not truly knowing and living as the children of Hashem, causes all of the sins and physicality and negative desires which people fall into.  Truthfully however, the main expression of kingship in this world belongs to the Jewish people, as we saw during the time of King David and King Solomon, and which we will see again with the coming of the Moshiach.  (Likutei Halachot, Laws of the Morning Blessings, 3^rd teaching, according to Otsar HaYirya)

Reb Noson says in another teaching that the main reason for the exile of the Jewish people in Egypt was due to strife (מחלוקת).  Yosef’s brothers argued with him and disagreed with him and eventually he was sold into slavery in Egypt.  Afterwards, Ya’akov and his family all needed to descend to Egypt, which is the opposite of the holiness of the land of Israel.  So too today in our times, the main aspect of exile stems from arguments and baseless hatred.  Strife and hatred distances the Jewish people from the holiness of Eretz Yisrael, which is the aspect of peace and pleasantness.  Therefore, concludes Reb Noson, before the final redemption Eliyahu the prophet will come to make peace in the world and amongst the Jewish people, because the redemption and the ingathering of the exiles depends upon peace.  (Likutei Halachot, Laws of Blessings on Fruits, 4th teaching, according to Otsar HaYirya)

Reb Noson also teaches that the bitterness of the exile is due to sadness and that they influence each other.  When the experience of exile gets heavier and heavier, then sadness increases; and when sadness increases, this causes the exile to get worse.  If so, how can we find help?  Reb Noson answers, that our strength to withstand the exile and our hope to reach the redemption comes from the true tsaddikim.  They shine to us hope and faith that the redemption will come.  They know how to dust off of us (so to speak) the dust, the sadness which overcomes our hearts, and help our hearts be ignited again to return to Hashem.  They help us turn the sadness and depression into joy, and through this the redemption will come. (Likutei Halachot, Laws of Giving Thanks, 6th teaching, according to Otsar HaYirya)

These teachings describe different aspects of how a lack of faith expresses itself in our lives and makes us feel distant from Hashem.  Not living as the children of the King, not feeling like His beloved children is an aspect of exile.  Arguments and hatred stem from jealousy and other negative emotions and are caused by not seeing the other person with the light of faith.  So too, sadness overtakes a person when they feel upset at what is happening to them, they don’t see Hashem in their situation and in their lives.  Sadness also causes us to feel disconnected from God.  Therefore, I think one of the main things we should be longing for this week and on the fast of Tisha B’Av is faith.  Longing and praying to feel Hashem’s presence, to feel and to know that He loves us and is truly close to us, even though we are still in a state of exile.  Praying to live our lives with more faith, more faith in Hashem and more faith in ourselves.

“May it be favorable before You, Hashem our God, that You have mercy on us and all of the House of Israel your people, to plant Your faith in our hearts, and we will merit to believe in You and in Your true tsaddikim with complete faith; and our faith will be pure and correct without any blemish and without any confusion at all, God forbid; and we will merit in Your great mercy that our faith will be so strong, that it will be as if we see with our eyes Your Godliness and Providence and Your Glory, which fills all of the world…” (Likutei Tefilot, 7^th prayer, Part One)

(The image is courteous of Chabad.org)

“These are the journeys of the Children of Israel, who went forth from the land of Egypt according to their legions, under the hand of Moshe and Aharon.” (Chapter 33, Verse 1)  In this opening verse of the final chapter of the book of Bamidbar the Torah begins to summarize the entire path of the Jewish people since they left Egypt until this point, poised to cross the Jordan and enter the land of Israel (Artscroll commentary).  What can the journeys of the Jewish people on their path to Eretz Yisrael teach us about our lives today, about our own special journey in life?

Rebbe Nachman teaches in Likutei Moharan, based on the opening verse in our parsha and a Midrash, that the journeys of the Jewish people throughout the generations bring atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf.  They atone for the sin of idol worship which part of the Jewish people fell into when they thought that Moshe would not return from Mount Sinai.  However, even when a Jewish person isn’t actually doing some sort of idol worship, nevertheless there is an aspect of the sin of idol worship when a person’s emunah (faith) is lacking and damaged.  The Baal Shem Tov teaches regarding the verse in the book of Devarim, “lest your heart be seduced and you turn astray and serve gods of others…” (Chapter 11, Verse 16), that when a person turns away from Hashem this is the aspect of idol worship.  This sin of idol worship is rectified by the journeys of the Jewish people. (Likutei Moharan, 62^nd teaching, Part Two)

How do our journeys rectify the sin of idol worship?  In Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom, Rebbe Nachman talks about the importance of our travels and journeys in life.  ‘A person asked him regarding the matter of travelling to a certain place, if he should go there or not.  Rebbe Nachman answered him: when a person sees that he has a trip in front of him he shouldn’t be stubborn and just sit at home.  He should go, because every trip which a person makes to different places he is able to rectify something.  Certainly in every place which a person travels to he performs there some act of holiness, such as praying and saying blessings.  Therefore this person needs to travel specifically to this place in order to rectify something which only he can correct.’ (Teaching 85)

It seems that in his answer Rebbe Nachman was referring to the teaching which I brought above about rectifying the sin of idol worship.  In every journey which we undertake, we too can help repair and atone for the sin of idol worship and rectify our faith.  When we travel we are out of the comfort zone of our homes.  Despite this change and possible discomfort, if we are also able to connect to Hashem and to serve Hashem wherever we might find ourselves, we merit to be part of atoning for the sin of idol worship.  This is especially true I think when we are searching for ourselves, for the pure soul inside which we might have forgotten along the way, due to the trials of life and the confusion of being in this physical world, as Rebbe Nachman teaches in a different source.

‘Before a child comes into the world he is taught and shown everything that he needs to do and to accomplish during his lifetime.  When he enters the world immediately everything is forgotten… and therefore a person needs to search and request what he has lost.  His lost item is by the Tsaddik, because the Tsaddik searches after his lost item until he finds it.  The Tsaddik then goes looking for the lost items of others too until he finds them, until he finds the lost items of the entire world.’ (Likutei Moharan, 188^th teaching, Part One)  The Midrash says that before a person is born, while they are in their mother’s womb, they learn all of the Torah with an angel, there is a candle lit above their heads and they can see from one end of the world to the other.  Right before they are born, the angel taps them on their top lip and they forget everything that they saw and understood.  The baby cries when they are born over the spiritual world they just lost.  In reality, all of the answers are inside of us, we’ve just forgotten what we need to do and what are special role is.  Only an impression remains.  Our life’s work is to remember, to remember the place of endless good where we really came from.  The main thing which we’ve lost is our special, internal point of connection to our true essence- to our souls.  This is what we need to be searching for in our journeys in life. (Adapted from a chapter in Ron Weber’s new book about marriage- Surely there is Love, 2019)

Just as the Jewish people journeyed forty years in the desert on their path to the land of Israel, on the path to their true destiny; so to for us today, every trip which we undertake can be an opportunity to discover more of the true good which we lost when we came into the world.

(The image is courteous of Chabad.org)