2022-08-08 – LH4 – YD1 – Yayin Nesech 4 – Para. 11-13 – Chukas – Why Moshe Rabbeinu Struck the Rock; Free Will; The Dangers of Loshon Hara – Slander; The Power of Mesiras Nefesh

Yayin Nesech 4, Para. 11-13. Speaker: Rabbi Nasan Maimon. This halakha is based on Likutey Moharan 36. Topics: Chukas – Why Moshe Rabbeinu Struck the Rock; Free Will; The Dangers of Loshon Hara – Slander; The Power of Mesiras Nefesh. Balak, Ekev, VeEschanan.
00:00 – Dedications.
01:00 – PARAGRAPH 11. Wine either expands or confuses the mind. What determines the effect is the purity of the mind’s vessel: the bris kodesh.
03:11 – PARAGRAPH 12. The free will of every individual in Am Yisrael is rooted in the the free will of the great tzaddikim. Parshas Chukas: the main test of a tzaddik is his decision about when to add something to something Hashem has commanded. The true nature of Moshe Rabbeinu’s error in striking the rock: the rebelliousness of Am Yisrael disturbed his judgement.
06:11 – On whatever path a person wants to go on, Hashem will lead him (Talmud). לֵ֖ךְ אֱמֹ֣ר לָהֶ֑ם שׁ֥וּבוּ לָכֶ֖ם לְאָֽהֳלֵיכֶֽם – “Go, say to the: ‘return to their tents’…” (Devarim 5:27, VaEschanan).
*10:06 – The soul of Moshe Rabbeinu is in every generation (Zohar HaKodesh). כִּ֥י הָעֹ֖שֶׁק יְהוֹלֵ֣ל חָכָ֑ם וִֽיאַבֵּ֥ד אֶת־לֵ֖ב מַתָּנָֽה – “For taunt makes the wise foolish, and it destroys the understanding, which is a gift” (Koheles 7:7). כִּי־אָ֛ז אֶהְפֹּ֥ךְ אֶל־עַמִּ֖ים שָׂפָ֣ה בְרוּרָ֑ה – “For then I will convert the peoples to a pure language” (Zephaniah 3:9).
12:00 – וְנָֽתַתִּ֨י לָהֶ֜ם לֵ֚ב אֶחָד֙ וְדֶ֣רֶךְ אֶחָ֔ד לְיִרְאָ֥ה אוֹתִ֖י – “And I will give them one accord and one way to fear Me all the time” (Yirmiah 32:39).
13:23 – Q&R about Moshe Rabbeinu striking the rock instead of speaking to the rock.
14:12 – Bilaam and his donkey. וַיַּֽעֲמֹד֙ בְּמָק֣וֹם צָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֛ר אֵֽין־דֶּ֥רֶךְ לִנְט֖וֹת יָמִ֥ין וּשְׂמֹֽאול – “…and he stood in a narrow place, where there was no room to turn right or left” (Bamidbar 22:26-35, Balak). Whatever path a person wants to go on, Hashem supports him.
16:35 – וְאִם־אֲסוּרִ֥ים בַּזִּקִּ֑ים – “And if they are bound with chains…” (Iyov 36:8). Even if a Jew is bound in chains he will return to Hashem because every Jewish soul has the ability to hear Hashem. Ekev – heel. When a Jew feels that he’s being stepped on, he turns to Hashem. We acknowledge that all suffering is to bring us back to Hashem.
19:15 – Parshas Toldos. וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֨זֶת֙ בַּֽעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב – “…and his hand was grasping Esau’s heel, and he named him Jacob” (Bereishis 25:26, ). Yaakov was holding onto the foot of Esav.
21:03 – The blessing of Shevet Dan. Shimshon is an aspect of Moshiach.
21:45 – NOTE: heard from Rabbi Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld ז”ל brought from the Yalkut HaReuveni: The father of Moshiach will come from shevet Yehudah: Yud – Kay – Vuv – Key and the Daled of Dovid HaMelech. The mother of Moshiach will come from Shevet Dan.
22:36 – PARAGRAPH 13. The three instances when a Jew should allow himself to be killed, rather than transgress.
*25:11 – Mesiras nefesh – self nullification. The most terrible mistake is to call good “evil”, and to call evil “good”, as in ה֗וֹי הָאֹֽמְרִ֥ים לָרַ֛ע ט֖וֹב וְלַטּ֣וֹב רָ֑ע – “Woe to those who say of the evil that it is good and of the good that it is evil; who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet and sweet as bitter” (Yeshiyahu 5:20).
30:00 – The greater the person, the greater his yetzer hara (Sukkah 52). וְעָלָ֣ה בָאְשׁ֗וֹ וְתַ֙עַל֙ צַֽחֲנָת֔וֹ כִּ֥י הִגְדִּ֖יל לַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת – “…and its ill savor shall ascend, for it did great things” (Yoel 2:20).
35:00 – The danger of making fun of tefilah (prayer): כְּרֻ֥ם זֻ֜לֻּ֗ת לִבְנֵ֥י אָדָֽם – “…when that which appears basest to the sons of men is elevated” (Tehillim 12:9).
37:30 – The connection between tikkun habris and loshon hara – slander. Leaders who don’t know their place convince themselves that it’s a mitzvah to persecute sincere Jews through loshon hara.
43:00 – Example of how slander leads to bloodshed: Yosef HaTzaddik and his brothers.
44:00 – Mesiras nefesh is the only way to withstand loshon hara and makhlokes (strife). Deep withing every Jewish soul is a readiness to sacrifice their life for Hashem.
47:37 – Q&R about the mother of Moshiach coming from Shevet Dan.
48:46 – Closing blessings – Shabbos Nachamu.

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