Speaker: Rabbi Nasan Maimon. This halakha is based on Likutey Moharan 66 – וִֽיהִי־נָ֛א פִּֽי־שְׁנַ֥יִם בְּרוּחֲךָ֖ אֵלָֽי – “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” (II Melachim/Kings 2:9).
PARAGRAPH 43. אַ֥ךְ אֶת־הַזָּהָ֖ב וְאֶת־הַכָּ֑סֶף אֶת־הַנְּח֨שֶׁת֙ אֶת־הַבַּרְזֶ֔ל אֶת־הַבְּדִ֖יל וְאֶת־הָֽעֹפָֽרֶת – כָּל־דָּבָ֞ר אֲשֶׁר־יָבֹ֣א בָאֵ֗שׁ תַּֽעֲבִ֤ירוּ בָאֵשׁ֙ וְטָהֵ֔ר אַ֕ךְ בְּמֵ֥י נִדָּ֖ה יִתְחַטָּ֑א וְכֹ֨ל אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־יָבֹ֛א בָּאֵ֖שׁ תַּֽעֲבִ֥ירוּ בַמָּֽיִם – “Only the gold, the silver, the copper, the iron, the tin, and the lead; whatever is used in fire you shall pass through fire and then it will be clean; it must, however, [also] be cleansed with sprinkling water, and whatever is not used in fire you shall pass through water.” (Bamidbar 31:22-23 – Parshas Matos).
02:16 – Zohar HaKodesh: אדם – adam – man – the Alef stands for machshava – thought. The Daled stands for dibur – speech. The Mem stands for ma’aseh – deed. Perfection of speech is brought about by the downfall of enemies who oppose Am Yisrael. And this downfall is brought about through אמת – emes – truth.
05:42 – Perfecting speech strengthens truth and brings about the downfall of enemies.
06:23 – The nekudos of the vowels in loshon hakodesh are brought about through kisufim – yearning, as in תּוֹרֵ֤י זָהָב֙ נַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ עִ֖ם נְקֻדּ֥וֹת הַכָּֽסֶף – “We will make for you rows of gold with points of silver” (Shir Hashirim/Song of Songs 6:23).
10:26 – The future downfall of Bnei Yisrael’s enemies will be through fire, as in כִּ֚י בָאֵשׁ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה נִשְׁפָּ֔ט וּבְחַרְבּ֖וֹ אֶת־כָּל־בָּשָׂ֑ר – “For with fire will Hashem contend and with His sword, with all flesh” (Yeshiyahu/Isaiah 66:16).
11:33 – יצרא – desire – is b’gematria אש – fire.
13:07 – A vessel is kashered according to how it is used. The concept of kashering utensils through fire is related to the downfall of enemies.
14:41 – חַם־לִבִּ֨י | בְּקִרְבִּ֗י בַּֽהֲגִיגִ֥י תִבְעַר־אֵ֑שׁ דִּ֜בַּ֗רְתִּי בִּלְשֽׁוֹנִי – “My heart is hot within me; in my thoughts fire burns; I spoke with my tongue” (Tehillim/Psalms 39:4).
15:05 – Ach es hazahav – “only the gold” – only the metal can be kashered – not the rust or residue on the metal.
17:00 – The word אך indicates exclusion. Removing extraneous material from the metal through kashering is an aspect of achieving the truth.
19:00 – Reference to Likutey Moharan 9 and Likutey Moharan 112: a critical component of tefilah is truth. Emes is a bright light.
19:47 – The Bnei Yissa’char on the words in shacharis: “A person should only speak the truth”. In tefilah every day, why do we say “I’m not a tzaddik?” Does it help to mention our shortcoming? Yes, because we’re acknowledging the truth. Anachnu mapilim tachnuneynu are roshei teivos “emes”. Removing the rust from the metal vessels is an aspect of removing whatever is false in order to purify the truth.
22:07 – Reference to Likutey Moharan 51 – truth is one.
22:58 – The gavnin – colors – of the different metals originate from a high spiritual source. Whenever a person depends on another, the gavnin are considered “fallen”.
28:11 – Q&R about individual words in the Torah hinting vital concepts. Every word of the Torah is infinite.
30:30 – Rebbe Nachman related the story of how a student wrote a peyrush for eight years on just one dvar Torah of the Baal HaTanya.
32:50 – Q&R – Hot water or cold water in a mikveh? Biographical note about Reb Michel Dorfman ז”ל who used to prefer going into a hot mikveh first, then a cold mikveh.
32:36 – Letter from Rav Nachman Tulchiner ז”ל about the word mikveh meaning both “gathering” and “hope”.
*33:27 – Q&R – practical guidelines for a man’s immersion in a mikveh. The first kavana – intention – is related to the concept that when putting on the tallis a person should be careful not to hit anyone standing nearby in the face! Similarly with mikveh: the first kavana should be to immerse in a way that is not at the expense of anyone else’s time. Additional practical guidelines for behavior in the mikveh.
37:09 – PARAGRAPH 44. יִפְקֹ֣ד יְהֹוָ֔ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָֽרוּחֹ֖ת לְכָל־בָּשָׂ֑ר אִ֖ישׁ עַל־הָֽעֵדָֽה – “Let Hashem, the Master of spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation” (Bamidbar 27:16 – Parshas Pinchas).
39:28 – Q&R about the actual impact of kashering cooking vessels on the downfall of enemies.
45:00 – Through having faith in the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael, Am Yisrael merits protection from enemies, as in לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר נְאֻ֚ם יְהֹוָ֨ה | לַֽאדֹנִ֗י שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹֽ֜יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ – “Wait for My Right Hand until I make your enemies a footstool at your feet” (Tehillim/Psalms 110:1).
42:57 – Closing blessings.
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