2024-10-09 – LH7 – CM1 – Aydus 4 – Para. 2-4 – Ki Sisa – Why the Torah Is Called Testimony – The 2 Luchos Are 2 Witnesses – Shema – When and Why Baruch Shem Kevod Is Said Quietly – The Light of Keser Is Thousands – Reason for Torah Parshios – Garments of Light – Origin of Death and Its Antidote – Tefillin – Ekev – Bereishis – Preferred Torah Commentaries

Aydus 4 – Para. 2-4 – Why the Torah Is Called Testimony – The 2 Luchos Are 2 Witnesses – Shema – When and Why Baruch Shem Kevod Is Said Quietly – The Light of Keser Is Thousands – Reason for Torah Parshios – Garments of Light – Origin of Death and Its Antidote – Tefillin – Ekev – Bereishis – Preferred Torah Commentaries – Speaker: Rabbi Nasan Maimon.
Hilkhos Aydus 4 is based on Sichos HaRan 93: “There is a singular light that shines in a thousand worlds”.
00:00 – NOTE about this year’s gathering in Uman for Rosh Hashanah.
02:00 – PARAGRAPH 2. וְהַ֨לֻּחֹ֔ת מַֽעֲשֵׂ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים הֵ֑מָּה – “Now the tablets were HaShem’s work…” (Shemos 32:16, Ki Sisa).
03:30 – עֵד֖וּת יְהֹוָ֥ה נֶֽ֜אֱמָנָ֗ה – “…the testimony of HaShem is faithful…” (Tehillim 19:8). It would be impossible for any human mind to invent the Torah. The wisdom of the Torah comes only from the Divine.
08:30 – NOTE: There are two ways to acquire knowledge – one is through Shefa Elokai. Reference to Likutey Moharan 21.
10:00 – PARAGRAPH 3. Why the Torah is called aydus – testimony. Reference to Likutey Halakhos.
11:00 – Tehillim 109. Through the study of Torah a person reaches deeper understanding of HaShem’s greatness.
12:45 – כִּ֤י עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ הָֽרֹאֹ֔ת אֵ֛ת כָּל־מַֽעֲשֵׂ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה הַגָּדֹ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עָשָֽׂה – “but your eyes, which have seen all the great work of HaShem, which He did” (Devarim 11:2,7, Ekev).
15:15 – Q&R – Torah study, when done properly, always increases wisdom.
16:10 – The Torah was given on 2 Luchos of Aydus because testimony requires 2 witnesses.
*18:40 – When and why the words Baruch Shem Kevod Malkhuso LeOlam VaEd are said quietly after saying the first verse of Shema. The people of Yericho disagreed with this Rabbinic ruling and did not say Baruch Shem Kevod (Pesachim 56).
22:45 – PARAGRAPH 4.
***24:00 – Bereishis – Garments of Light. The light of Keser is called “thousands” but cannot be received through human intellect until it’s broken down to smaller portions of light: “hundreds”.
***25:15 – The Written Torah is divided into parshios so we can receive its light.
28:00 – Reference to Likutey Moharan 223. Why the Torah preceded creation by 2000 years.
31:00 – HaShem counteracted the origin of death with His creation of “Garments of Light” – alluding to breaking down the light of Atik from thousands to portions of hundreds. This is done through the mitzvah of Tefillin.
34:20 – זָכַ֣ר לְעוֹלָ֣ם בְּרִית֑וֹ דָּבָ֥ר צִ֜וָּ֗ה לְאֶ֣לֶף דּֽוֹר – “He remembered His covenant forever, the word He had commanded to the thousandth generation” (Tehillim 105:8). Why the Torah was given after 26 generations.
***38:30 – Parshas Bereishis. וּמֵעֵ֗ץ הַדַּ֨עַת֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ כִּ֗י בְּי֛וֹם אֲכָלְךָ֥ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת – “But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die” (Bereishis 2:17, Bereishis). Why Adam HaRishon could not live more than a thousand years. כִּ֣י ה֤וּא חַיֶּ֨יךָ֙ וְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמֶ֔יךָ – “For that is your life and the length of your days…” (Devarim 30:20, Nitzavim). The main damage of Adam’s sin was preventing the Light of Atik – “Thousands” – from reaching man directly.
42:00 – Q&R – What is meant by studying Torah properly?
43:30 – Q&R about saying “Baruch Shem Kevod”.
49:50 – Q&R – Preferred Torah commentaries: Rashi, Gemara, RambaN and selected writings of the RaMBaM. Examples of commentaries we don’t study: RaalBaG and certain works of the RaMBaM.
50:45 – Closing blessings.