Speaker: Rabbi Nasan Maimon. This halakha is based on Likutey Moharan 66.
00:00 – PARAGRAPH 19. “Hashem, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking falsehood…” (Siddur and Berakhos 17).
02:00 – אֲדֹנָי שְׂפָתַ֣י תִּפְתָּ֑ח וּ֜פִ֗י יַגִּ֥יד תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ Hashem, open my lips, and my mouth will recite Your praise” (Tehillim/Psalms 51:17)
*04:00 – What is the gateway to Hashem? Tzaddikim. As in זֶֽה־הַשַּׁ֥עַר לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה צַ֜דִּיקִ֗ים יָ֘בֹ֥אוּ בֽוֹ – “This is the gateway to Hashem, the righteous will enter there” (Tehillim 118:20).
*04:38 – Chasing after mitzvos – even if a person doesn’t succeed in a mitzvah, it’s good to continue trying to fulfill it.
07:06 – Note: Rav Noson of Nemirov ז”ל overcame many difficulties in his life through the principles explained in this halakha.
08:02 – PARAGRAPH 20. Mikveh means both “a gathering of water” and “hope”. The importance of immersing in a mikveh in the pre-dawn hours before Ayeles HaShachar of Shavuos. מִקְוֵ֚ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה כָּל־עֹֽזְבֶ֖יךָ יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ וְסוּרַי֙ (כתיב יְסוּרַי֙) בָּאָ֣רֶץ יִכָּתֵ֔בוּ כִּ֥י עָֽזְב֛וּ מְק֥וֹר מַֽיִם־חַיִּ֖ים אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה – “Hashem Who is the Source of the hopes of Israel, all that forsake You shall be shamed, and whoever turns away from [Hashem] will be marked out on the earth that they have forsaken the Source of Living Waters, Hashem” (Yirmiyahu 17:13). All the holiness of immersing in a mikveh throughout the year draws from the holiness of mikveh on Shavuos [for men]. Mikveh is the source of Pi Shneyim – a double portion of holiness.
11:14 – כָּל־הַנְּחָלִים֙ הֹֽלְכִ֣ים אֶל־הַיָּ֔ם – “All streams flow to the sea…” (Koheles 1:7) refers to all of the sefiros flowing into Malchus. “El HaYam” also spells Elokim. All bounty comes to the world by means of Yisod – the tzaddik , as in וְ֜צַדִּ֗יק יְס֣וֹד עוֹלָֽם – “…and the righteous [man] is the foundation of the world” (Mishlei/Proverbs 10:25).
12:55 – Miketz. Through Yosef Hatzaddik in Mitzrayim, Hashem taught the world that everyone needs the tzaddik.
* 16:40 – It’s impossible to receive the Torah on Shavuos completely without immersing in the mikveh first.
17:30 – Mikveh on Shavuos is an aspect of the Fiftieth Gate so it’s one of the main sources of Pi Shneyim – double spiritual power.
20:00 – Through the power of mikveh those who hate Am Yisrael are defeated. By going under the water, a person who immerses in the mikveh achieves bitul – nullification of self.
22:25 – The main kavana – intention – when immersing in the mikveh is to reach a higher level of kedusha – holiness – by transforming a new, holy ruach – spirit – from potential into actual. Through doing this, the person’s obstacles are overcome. “When the kedusha goes up, the sutra achra goes down.”
24:07 – מִקְוֵ֚ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה – (Yirmiyahu 17:13). Rashi: This is the prayer of the Navi – prophet – Yirmiyahu.
*25:58 – מִקְוֵה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מֽוֹשִׁיע֖וֹ בְּעֵ֣ת צָרָ֑ה לָ֚מָּה תִֽהְיֶה֙ כְּגֵ֣ר בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּכְאֹרֵ֖חַ נָטָ֥ה לָלֽוּן – “Hope of Israel, Who saves during a time of trouble…” (Yirmiyahu 14:8). It’s a strong Breslov tradition that whenever there’s any type of crisis – “the first thing is mikveh”.
27:24 – Reference to Likutey Moharan 2, Torah 7.
31:00 – The word mikveh means ” hope”. ל֗וּ֗לֵ֣֗א֗ הֶֽ֖אֱמַנְתִּי לִרְא֥וֹת בְּטֽוּב־יְהֹוָ֗ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּֽים – קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהֹ֫וָ֥ה חֲ֖זַק וְיַֽאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֜קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה- “Had I not believed in seeing the good of Hashem in the Land of the Living! Hope to Hashem, be strong and He will give your heart courage, and hope to Hashem” (Tehillim 27:13-14). Rashi: “A person needs to hope and then continue hoping.” One of the things that gives a person the strength to keep striving for holiness is immersing in a mikveh.
33:31 – Account from the life of Rav Naftali ז”ל who was one of Rebbe Nachman’s closest students. One Rosh Chodesh morning before shacharis, Rebbe Nachman told him to go to the mikveh before tefilah.
35:33 –“Rabbi Akiva said: ‘Fortunate are you Yisrael! Before Whom do you purify yourself? And Who purifies you? Your Father in Heaven!…And it also says: ‘The mikveh of Yisrael is Hashem.’ Just as a mikveh purifies the impure, so does The Holy One Blessed Be He purifies Yisrael.” (Yuma 85b).
36:46 – Reference to Sefer HaMidos about staying underwater as long as possible in the mikveh, if circumstances allow. This is an aspect of the mesiras nefesh of Nachshon ben Aminadav at the Red Sea.
41:19 – Q&R about Tzaddik Yisod Olam, the River of Eden, and Yosef HaTzaddik. The word nahor – river – b’milui begematria is bris.
*43:18 – Q&R – For women or for anyone who can’t get to a mikveh, saying the Tikkun HaKlali is equivalent to immersing in the mikveh if one has in mind that immersion is their kavana – intention.
43:50 – Mikveh is hatikva which is begematria 516. Chiddush heard from Rabbi Rosenfeld about purifying a beriya – entire living creature.
45:08 – Liquid measurements for the minimum volume required for a mikveh: 40 seah. A seah is six kabin, and a kav is 4 lugim. So mikveh has to contain 960 lugim. According to one opinion, 960 seah can remove the impurity of a beriya from a non-kosher mixture.
46:45 – Hashem gives the month of Elul the power of 12 months.
48:34 – PARAGRAPH 21. Sefiras HaOmer. Overcoming obstacles through mikveh, especially mikveh on Shavuos. 49 begematria is Lev Tov.
51:33 – The test that’s given to the isha sotah (wife suspected of adultery) is made of barley. Aishes Chayil is Am Yisrael.
54:57 – Counting the 49 days of the Omer intensifies Israel’s yearning for the Torah and enables us to receive Pi Shneyim – a higher level of spiritual light – on Shavuos.
*57:31 – Q&R – Giving tzedakah also helps a person overcome obstacles if he/she can’t get to the mikveh.
58:07 – Q&R about holding one’s breath under the water in the mikveh. Does this principle have application in tefilah? Yes, an example of using the breath to achieve bitul in tefilah – how Rabbi Rosenfeld ז”ל sustained the word hosheyana in Hallel as long as possible.
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