Hechsher Keylim 4 – Korach – מכח אל הפעל – From Potential to Actual – Opening the Gates of Blessing – Tzitzis and Techeles – Speaker: Rabbi Nasan Maimon.
Hilkhos Hechser Keylim 4 is based on Likutey Moharan 66.
00:00 – PARAGRAPH 49. Parshas Korach. Insights about the punishment of Korach. וַתִּפְתַּ֤ח הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ אֶת־פִּ֔יהָ וַתִּבְלַ֥ע אֹתָ֖ם וְאֶת־בָּֽתֵּיהֶ֑ם וְאֵ֤ת כָּל־הָֽאָדָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְקֹ֔רַח וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־הָֽרְכֽוּשׁ – “The earth beneath them opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses, and all the men who were with Korach and all the property” (Bamidbar 16:32, Parshas Korach).
06:01 – Drawing blessing through openings. Rotzo v’shov – מכח אל הפעל – from potential to actual. Reference to Likutey Moharan 66.
10:01 – פִּתְחוּ־לִ֥י שַֽׁעֲרֵי־צֶ֑דֶק אָֽבֹא־בָ֜֗ם א֘וֹדֶ֥ה יָֽהּ – “Open for me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter them and thank Hashem” (Tehillim 118:19).
12:00 – לֹֽא־אָמ֥וּת כִּֽי־אֶֽחְיֶ֑ה וַֽ֜אֲסַפֵּ֗ר מַֽ֘עֲשֵׂ֥י יָֽהּ – “I shall not die but I shall live and tell the deeds of Hashem” (Tehillim 118:17). Gaining access to pi sheneyim – double portion of spiritual light – is achieved through overcoming obstacles.
16:07 – פִּתְח֖וּ שְׁעָרִ֑ים וְיָבֹ֥א גֽוֹי־צַדִּ֖יק שֹׁמֵ֥ר אֱמֻנִֽים – “Open the gates, so that a righteous nation, awaiting the realization [of Hashem’s promise], may enter” (Yeshayahu 26:2).
16:32 – Korach. כִּ֤י כָל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדשִׁ֔ים וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם יְהֹוָ֑ה וּמַדּ֥וּעַ תִּתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל יְהֹוָֽה – “You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and Hashem is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above HaShem’s assembly?” (Bamidbar 16:3, Parshas Korach). Korach’s punishment was appropriate to his crime: because he closed the potential for an opening to the spiritual realm, he was swallowed by an opening to the physical realm.
21:10 – וידע כל פעול כי אתה פעלתו – “And all creatures will know that You created them.” The tzaddik has the ability to open gateways to both the upper and lower realms.
25:04 – Q&R about the practical creation and use of openings to holiness. Every time a person encounters an obstacle to holiness and then overcomes that obstacle, an opening is created. Sometimes obstacles serve as protection: example of Rabbi Akiva and his students.
27:55 – PARAGRAPH 50. The principle of death originates from the sin of Adam HaRishon. If he had not sinned, he would have achieved spiritual perfection during his lifetime and there would have been no need for death. As a result of Adam’s sin, the soul needs to separate from the body in order to be perfected.
30:14 – The process of the dead coming back to life depends on the concept of “opening the gates of holiness”. This process is alluded to in וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה בְּפִתְחִ֣י אֶת־קִבְרֽוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם וּבְהַֽעֲלוֹתִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִקִּבְרֽוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם עַמִּֽי – “Then you shall know that I am HaShem, when I open your graves and lead you up out of your graves as My people” (Yechezkel 37:13).
*32:25 – PARAGRAPH 51. Korach’s argument began with the mitzvah of tzitzis because this commandment is an aspect of drawing the upper Ruach to the lower Ruach.
33:42 – This is also the concept of tekheles – blue-violet dye used for the tzitzis. Reference to Likutey Moharan 49. Zohar: tekheles represents the destructive power of the Shekhina – Presence of HaShem in the physical world.
40:26 – Korach’s question about a house filled with seforim needing a mezuza also showed his denial of opening gateways to holiness. The mezuza is placed in an entrance-way.
42:33 – Korach’s third question about the purification of a leper. Impurities also has entrance-ways. Reference to Likutey Moharan 66.
46:58 – בַּמֵּתִ֗ים חָ֫פְשִׁ֥י כְּמ֚וֹ חֲלָלִ֨ים | שֹׁ֥כְבֵי קֶ֗בֶר אֲשֶׁ֚ר לֹ֣א זְכַרְתָּ֣ם ע֑וֹד וְ֜הֵ֗מָּה מִיָּֽדְךָ֥ נִגְזָֽרוּ – “I am considered among the dead who are free, as the slain who lie in the grave, whom You no longer remember and who were cut off by Your hand” (Tehillim 88:6).
48:31 – Q&R about the concept that there are many different levels of impurity.
50:42 – Q&R about Likutey Moharan 66 and the connection between pi sheneyim and bringing potential to actual.
55:37 – Q&R about how to ask a Torah question without falling into the destructive aspects of Korach’s questions.
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