but not consumed

Today was the hillulah of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai. Lag Ba'omer. The 33rd day of the Omer and the 18th day of Iyyar.

Masechet Shabbat 33b describes the story of how Rabi Shimon escaped the Emperor's edict of death. The story involves a number of miracles and wonders, but it also involves some curiosities that I wish I knew more about. Until I do, I will present here a number of questions: 

1. I find it interesting that he buried himself to his neck with sand, in hebrew the word for sand is synonymous with something mundane or unholy. 
2. Why could he learn Torah unclothed but fully concealed, whereas one must pray fully clothed? Does halachah support this idea? What do clothes have to do with prayer? Clothes represent the mitzwoth, so how does this tie in to prayer?
3. When they leave the cave, he is shocked that people involve themselves with worldly affairs. The expression he uses is chayay sha'ah. This is an expression (that at least) the Komarna uses regarding prayer [and yichudim.] 
4. When the Bat Kol chastises them for destroying the world, the word used has the same root as the Karab tree with which they were provided. (as well as being a veiled reference to Har Sinai (Horev.) Which is referenced later when Rabi Shimon says to his son that the two of them suffice the whole world for Torah learning.)
5. The second time they meet a Saba involved in preparation for Shabbath. [Saba is also a term for a person on a very high spiritual level, that of bitul to ayin.]
6. Finally, the state in which they left the cave, where Rabi Shimon would heal whatever Rabi Elazar would ignite, is reminiscent of the imagery of the burning bush that was alight but was not consumed.

the difficulty with simplicity

Today, 10th of Iyyar, is the 25th day of the Omer, Netzah she'be'Netzah, and it is also the Yahrtzeit of the Rebbe Yitzhak Isaac Yehudah Yechiel Safrin of Komarna (ben R' Aleksander)

Perhaps when you have gone through a number of his works, or at least various parts of them, the most amazing thing, and probably the most overlooked is, like Rebbe Nachman and many of the Hassidic Rebbes, his stress on being simple and sincere with HaShem.

He totally rejects and derides philosophy (or whatever else you might call it Rationality, Intellectualism) and stresses simplicity.

Ok, fine, simple, we get the point.

BUT.

But? BUT. I've never encountered a system as thoroughly complex and convoluted as that of the Kabbalah.

Try being simple and sincere while wrapping your mind around a system more complex than anything ever devised by scientist or mathematician.

The truth is you can't really make progress until you decide to experience that system spiritually, simply, sincerely, and this is what Reb Yitzhak Isaac was talking about.

People can spend a lifetime memorizing every letter combination of every name etc etc, and never touch anything true. Not so if you approach the same structure and complexity through simplicity, through sincerity.

This is the difference between relating to HaShem via Hochmah, and relating through Binah. Binah requires structures and understanding, Hochmah only works through simplicity and sincere yearning.

Compelling life

I'd like to claim that I have some connection to my father in law. [Meir Benayahu[english link], who passed away this week, ב אייר התשס"ט, the 17th of the omer, Tiffereth she'beh Tiffereth] Something more than just having snuck in under the radar and married his daughter. So, I offer up this hidush in the hope that I can explain my deeper relationship with my father in law. It's curious that 40 days before the fetus is formed a bat kol from shamayim proclaims the daughter of ploni (is destined) to (marry) ploni.

Why is the woman mentioned first? And why isn't she mentioned in her own right?It seems to me that one could say the following: when a daughter is born into the world a new chidush is introduced and as with any chidush, it begins with a question. The husband is the answer to the question posed by the wife.

From this it follows that the introduction of the wife can be said to require, perhaps even bring about, the necesity for the husband.

In this way I can say that the whole reason for my existence rests first and foremost with my father in law who posed the question of the chidush that HaShem placed me here to answer.

So far this is nice theorizing but it is all purely theoretical. I'd like to illustrate one of the most profound examples of this idea and perhaps you will agree with me: HaShem created the Torah and the Torah itself required that Bnei Yisrael come into being as her intended. Har Sinai was a celebration of the union of the question and answer, the chidush the whole world was created to reveal.

That's why the Torah begins with the word bereishith - for the sake of Israel and the sake of the Torah both of whom are called reishit. How can they both be considered the first? They are the question and answer that collectively represent the chidush upon which all else was founded.

May this shabbat bring each of us comfort and peace.

hilulah of the arizal 5768

We look at the world and are fascinated by the similarity between foreign objects. This is the essence of patterns, finding a similarity or a larger unity in an array of objects. Fractals, repetitive patterns that build on themselves in multiple dimensions, are comforting to us. They allow us to see that all of the complexities of the world boil down to a few simple comprehensible rules.

This is the modern outlook, the perspective that grew out of science. It is wonderous and miraculous, and when we look with this eye, we can take joy in the world testifying to HaShem's unity, to the fact that all ultimately derives from one.

This, however, is part of the sheker, the lie, of this world. Olam haZeh, olam haSheker. These are the training wheels. The whole world presents itself to us, as self-referential patterns, fractals, so that we won't be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of HaShem.

As we grow, part of that growth is to temper ourselves to be able to witness the true unique nature of everything in creation. What at first might seem like things that can be generalized, when seen with further introspection, can be recognized and an utterly unique expression of God's reality.

What does this really mean, in practical terms? Everything about the humanity we know about is a tremendous pattern-engine. We recognize, find, create, and imagine patterns. Everything we know and want to know is based in the interplay of relative information.

This is the nature of humanity. And, HaShem wants us to break that nature.

Letting go of the patterns, of the general rules, until every moment is a sheer unfiltered revelation of Godliness.

This isn't for everyone, and we even know that there are boundaries to this, but nonetheless, the Ramchal (in Da'ath Tevunoth) tells us this is the sole purpose of creation. Everything that was created was created specifically to enable this higher awareness.

Like everything else, including the mitzwoth, the Baal Shem Tov, explains that really we can't accomplish anything on our own. The impetus and the success are entirely dependent on HaShem's direct intervention in our lives. But we have to be open to, and seek out that intervention. We have to start somwhere, and grow from there.

If you open a hole for me, like the eye of a needle, I will open an opening for you the size of a ballroom. That's HaShem's promise to us.

All we have to do is start small and keep at it. That's not just another category, it's not a person, a hand, a flower, a plane or a nose, it's a unique portal that looks out onto everything.

It seems the Arizal teaches us that the small hole to open is happiness.

Make yourself a little happy for HaShem, and watch the miracles unfold.

hillulah of Rav Meir Yehudah Getz

Today is the 11th yartzheit of Rav Meir Yehudah Getz. [wikipedia entry in hebrew] He rebuilt Yeshivat HaMekubalim Bet El (as mentioned in the Ben Ish Hai, once under the leadership of the Holy Rashash) in the old city of Yerushalayim. [wikipedia entry in hebrew]

To me he was most important as the Rav of my Rav; but my parents met him one misty Shabbat night in Tsfat long before I was born.

give and take

Today is the hillulah of Rabbi Menachem Azarya of Pano

He shared this truly awesome Torah: (quoted from nehora.com)

The word "Tzedakah" -- Tzadi, Dalet, Kuf, Hey -- when transposed into its At-Bash equivalent (whereby each letter, according to its order in the alphabet, is interchanged with the letter in the corresponding place starting from the other side of the alphabet. Thus the first letter (Aleph) becomes the last (Tav), Bet becomes Shin, etc.) comes out to be the exact same word spelled backwards -- Hey, Kuf, Dalet, Tzadi! This may be meant to demonstrate that whatever charity a person gives is bound to return to him in the opposite direction, as "charity" from God! Give charity, and God will safeguard your wealth.

This is just amazing. If you want to see it in action, you can use my simple gematria engine (it gives you the atbash אתב"ש of the word as well as all the words in chumash that share the gematrias in question) You can also find a brief explanation of Atbash and a table of the permutation here. (it's the about page from the gematria engine)

the light of life

A year ago to the day, I woke up in the morning and remarked to my wife that (although it was still early early morning) the day was absolutely full of light. It was such a spiritually bright day that I knew it was something really special, but I had no idea why. Later on that day, I looked on the internet and discovered that it was the hillulah (the death anniversary) of the Ohr HaHayyim (A Rav who is referred to by the name of his greates work, literally, "the Light of Life.")

Today is the hillulah of the Ohr HaHayyim haKadosh. R' Hayyim ben Atar. The Chida (R' Hayyim David Azulai) was his student for just one year, but still he called him the teacher from whom he learned everything he knew.

The students of the Baal Shem Tov (who was a contemporary of the Ohr HaHayyim) say that on the day of the death of the Ohr HaHayyim, the Baal Shem Tov informed his students of his passing, even though the Ohr HaHayyim lived in Israel many thousands of miles away. How did he know what transpired? "There is a special secret intention in washing one's hands that is revealed to only one person in the world, and in our time it was revealed to the Ohr Hayyim," He explained, "and today that secret intention (kawannah) was revealed to me." [You can find the story with more detail over at Heichal HaNeginah]

I was blessed this year to make it to his kever motzaei shabbath before the crowds really started to show up.

Today is a powerful day for the Jewish people, a great day to perform mitzwoth and pray. May we all merit to serve HaShem with true intentions today through these challenging times ahead in the merit of the Ohr HaHayyim, the Light of Life.

the fire in your mouth

Today is the hillulah of Rabi Hanina ben Teradyon. [See also Zchus Avot] The Romans found him teaching Torah in public after their decree that teaching Torah was forebidden. They took the sefer Torah that he always carried with him, and wrapped him in it. They put wet sponges of cotton by his heart, and set him alight.

His students asked him what he saw. He said, "The scroll is burning but the letters are flying [up to heaven.]" They told him to open his mouth and let the fire in, that he should die more quickly and suffer less. He said, "It is better that he who gave [me life] should take it [from me.]" There was a Roman there who asked, "If I stoke the fire and remove the sponges [that you die more quickly] promise me you will take me with you to heaven." Rabi Hanina agreed, and the Roman did as he said, and promptly jumped into the fire as well. A voice from heaven proclaimed that both Rabi Hanina and the Roman were accepted into the world of life. (ie. the world to come)
[The story can be found on Avoda Zara 18a]

I wanted to draw attention to one particular phrase. The word used to say the letters were flying, אותיות פרחות, is the same word used to describe the souls of Bnei Yisrael at Har Sinai, with each commandment, their souls would fly out of their bodies and be returned anew.

The souls of Bnei Yisrael are the letters of the sefer Torah.

Here, the final moment of Rabi Hanina ben Teradyon, he was experiencing the klal of Bnei Yisrael receiving the Torah on Har Sinai.

What does he say? The text is unclear right here, אף אתה פתח פיך ותכנס בך האש one way to read it is that he says: "Even you, open your mouth, and the fire will enter it."

[כי בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו - because it is in your mouth, and in your heart to do it [uphold the Torah]]

Updated to add: I just realized what a level Rabi Hanina ben Teradyon was on.. Not only did he merit to a revellation of Har Sinai, but also a revelation of Gan Eden in this world. Where? In Gan Eden our Torah becomes our clothes (in addition to our food) .. yet Rabi Hanina merited to be clothed in the Torah in this world as well, when the Romans wrapped him in his Torah scroll.

a day full of light

Today is the yartzheit/hillulah of Rebbe Yehoshua of Dzikov, I don't know much about him, but I do know that today is full of light and I'm not sure why--i don't think it has to do with their new year. Anyways I found this torah of his via Chassidus.net. (Eerily related to yesterday's post on kriat shema.)

5. 'And Yisro heard.' (Shemos 18.1)

There are three things, according to the teachings of Chazal*, that can help a person to counter the Yetzer HaRah. 1. Learning Torah*. 2. Saying Krias Shema* 3. Remembering the day he will die. With these three things one can overcome his Yetzer HaRah.

This is what it says [in Rashi,] 'What did he hear? He heard the splitting of the sea and the war with Amalek'. Some Midrashim [like the Mechilta*] add [he heard about] the giving of the Torah [on Mount Sinai.]

The splitting of the sea is the sod* of Krias Shema as is explained in seforim. Split [the word] 'sea' [Heb. yom] in two. Half [of the word 'sea'] is 25. This is the mystery of the 25 letters that are in the verse of Krias Shema.

The war with Amalek is a remez that in the future Amalek will be destroyed, which is a remez to the day of one's death. And [with regards to the Midrash] who says the giving of the Torah [we have learning Torah. We see that] there is a remez to all three of these ideas [in this verse.] And by overcoming his Yetzer HaRah, Yisro came
and converted. (p. 70b sefer Ateres Yeshua teachings of Rebbe Yehoshua of Dzikov.)

I'll leave the quote on it's own without any additions from me..