Parshas Behar^[1]

1^st Mamar “Ki Savou El Haaretz …”

1. Ki Savou El Haaretz:^[2]
2. Sister love for G-d:

Scripture describes the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people as a husband and wife and brother and sister, as written in the verse “Pischu Li Achosi Rayasi/Open for Me My sister My wife.” In this verse G-d is requesting from the Jewish people that they open their hearts towards Him in order so they become the level of sister and wife in tehri relationship with G-d. Now, while the Jewish people are always on this level of sister and wife to G-d, nonetheless, it is not always in a revealed and conscious state, and hence G-d is requesting for us to bring these feelings the forefront of our hearts. All we have to do is open our hearts, which is to remove the concealing cover that hovers over it, and it will then immediately become revealed. What remains to be understood however is the essence of this form of love of sisterhood, as well as the cover that conceals it and how it can be broken.

What is sister love? The term sister in Hebrew is Achosi which comes from the Talmudic term “Ichiuy Alexandris.” This term refers to a certain type of stitching that was local to Alexandria in which they would sew and attach two things together and turn them into one single item. Accordingly, we see that the term sister refers to a unity and connection between two different entities. This relates to the natural love that is found in the souls of every single Jew as a result of the root and source of his G-dly soul above which is absolutely united with the infinite light of G-d Himself. Even after the G-dly soul goes through a state of creation, going from the state of nothing to something so it can become invested within the animal soul and physical body, nonetheless, it retains this love. This love is readily experienced by the righteous due to the G-dly soul that is consciously felt within them and causes them to experience a passionate love and desire to become incorporated within the light of G-d and be nullified in existence to Him with expiry of the soul from the depth of the heart. Thus the righteous are in a constant state of nullification to G-d as this has become their second nature. This is similar to the love of a brother and sister, as the love between them is set and established within their very nature on its own due to birth without it needing to be aroused at all. This is true love that comes from the point of truth of the heart that does not have any interruption and stands forever.

Non-sister love: Non-sister love is a temporary love that becomes revealed on occasion and then dissipates and disappears as if it didn’t exist. This love is not set and established and planted within the heart of man unless he personally arouses it. In regards to love of G-d, this represents the love that is aroused on occasion during the prayer due to contemplation, and then after the prayer disappears as if it never existed to begin with. This type of love, being that it dissipates, is not considered an absolutely true love, as truth never stops. Nonetheless, it is not absolute falsehood, and thus it maintains some element of truth to it being that at the time that it is aroused, it is truly aroused from the central point of his heart, each to his level. Likewise, also after the prayer has concluded there remains a remnant of this love within his heart, for which reason as soon as he remembers G-d throughout the day a feeling of warmth and affection.

What blocks the heart from feeling the sister love: Earlier we stated that there is a covering that sits over the sister style love that is found in the heart of every Jew for which reason it is not experienced by people who aren’t on the level of the righteous. The matter the covers over this love is the animal soul. More specifically, this form of love is invested and concealed within the general power of lust for physical matters that is found in the animal soul. This lust itself that is found in animal soul is rooted in arrogance of the spirit, which is the serpent skin that surrounds and conceals the sister love the one has for G-d.

Every person has a different serpents skin: Now, the covering that conceals the natural sister love is not equal within every Jew, as this concealment contains many different levels of thickness. A person who is on a very low spiritual level has a very thick covering of serpent skin that conceals the natural love in his heart, while a person of a high spiritual level has a very thin covering of serpent skin covering over the natural love in his heart. This is expressed as follows: One person has a very strong and intense feeling of ego and pride while another person has a very low and shallow feeling of ego and pride. Whatever the case, everybody has to remove their serpent skin and ego and pride whatever its thickness may be, in order to experience love for G-d. The reason for this is because our sages state that G-d cannot reside with one who is haughty, and hence the love of G-d which derives from the G-dly revelation that is embedded in the G-dly soul within the heart cannot spring out, if it is covered with a skin of pride and ego.

How to open the covering and tear the serpents skin: Just as the only method to remove a wall is to cut a hole within it, hence breaking a piece of the wall until a passageway has been made, so too it is with regards to the covering of the serpent skin over the heart. An individual who desires for the love to be established within his heart needs to enter it into the inner dimensions of his heart into its very depths. He needs to bring himself to experience expiry of the soul and complete nullification of his existence to G-d. The breaking of the cover is accomplished through breaking one’s spirit in order to remove the pride and power of lust for physical pleasures that causes one to desire to be separate from G-d.

Made a crack in G-d will help you make a hole: Our sages teach us that all we have to do is make a hole, even if it is as small as the hole of a needle, and G-d will then open up for us a hole that is as large as the opening of the sanctuary of the temple. [This means that when we make the effort to try to break through our animal soul and its serpent skin, G-d will then help us in the process. All you have to do is pick up the sledgehammer and G-d will do the whacking.] The reason for this is because there is a general rule that if a person comes forward to become pure then G-d assists him to remove all of the aspects and levels of arrogance and pride, to elevate him to the highest of levels.

1. Dealing with a dry Torah learning experience:

Although the Torah certainly comes from a very high place up in heaven, when we study Torah down here below we do not feel or experience any pleasure and G-dly attachment in its comprehension. This is very different from the souls in the garden of Eden whose entire pleasure derives from their experience of Torah study above in which they bask in a ray of the infinite light of G-d. Specifically, this applies in the higher garden of Eden which is found within the world of Beriya in which the intellectual attributes of the infinite light of G-d shine, which corresponds to the light of Torah. In this level of the garden of Eden, the souls receive pleasure from their intellectual comprehension of the G-dliness that is found in the Torah. Now, in truth even this level of comprehension of Torah in the higher garden of Eden is incomparable to the original source of Torah within the supernal wisdom of G-d in the world of Atzilus. Now, what happened to the Torah below that when it is studied one does not feel any holy and G-dly joy or pleasure? At most, one will only feel the natural pleasure involved in intellectual comprehension of a wisdom and concept, but nothing too spiritual or G-dly. So, the answer is that when the Torah traveled below from its high state in the spiritual worlds, it took upon itself a physical connotation to the point that its spiritual pleasure and G-dly intellect is no longer recognizable. To the physical brain and intellect, all it contains are dry statutes and laws dealing with physical matters the world.

Those who plant with tears harvest with joy: It states in scripture that those who plant with tears will harvest with joy. [The simple meaning of this verse refers to a farmer who spends time planting seeds. Planting involves an investment of both time and money and one doesn’t get anything out of his investment until much later on after the produce grows and is ready for harvest. Hence, he plants with tears over the amount of time and money he must spend in the planting. However, he then later on harvests with joy when he reaps the benefits of his investment.] Now, how does this likewise apply with the study of Torah? As the studying of Torah is exactly similar to the planting of a seed. How so? As when one studies Torah it draws a light of Torah into the supernal ground in heaven and plants it there. The light of Torah which derives from the wisdom of G-d that is planted in the supernal ground in heaven is nullified to the power of growth which is the aspect of wisdom, and hence creates a growth of spiritual revelation above, just as a plant grows from a seed. The growth is the reward of the Mitzvah, which is the Divine ray of the Mitzvah itself within the garden of Eden. Within the garden of Eden the righteous sit and benefit from a ray of the divine presence and receive pleasure from the comprehension of G-dliness that they experience there. [In other words, the pleasure of the souls in the garden of Eden derives from the revelation of G-dliness that grows and is elicited from one’s Torah study below. Hence, although in this world one does not feel any pleasure from the Torah study, just as one does not feel any pleasure from eating the seeds of the plant, or in the strenuous agricultural work of planting seeds in the ground, nonetheless, in the future he will receive pleasure from his Torah study within the garden of Eden.]

One creates his own future reward: Based on the above explanation, it is understood that the reward and pleasure that souls will receive in the future era will be the fruits of one’s very own labor, as the ray of G-dliness that he will be given to take pleasure in will be the growth from the Torah study that he did in this world. [It is similar to the farmer enjoying the delicious and luscious fruits that grew from the trees that he planted.]

How the Torah study below causes a growth above: The study of the detailed physical laws of the Torah below are considered the elevation of feminine waters from below to the wisdom and will of G-d above which then elicit a return revelation from above.

The need for Bittul in order for the plant to grow from one’s seed of Torah study: Just as in the physical realm of agriculture it is not possible for a plant to grow from a seed until the seed first rots into the ground so too it is with the study of Torah. The rotting of the seed allows it to bind with the earth which causes the earth to grow from it a plant similar to it. So too with Torah study; for the Torah study of a person below to be effective above in heaven to elicit a growth of a ray of G-dliness which he will enjoy in the future era in the garden of Eden, it is necessary that the Torah study contain an element of Bittul. This means that he studies Torah and fulfills Mitzvah’s with the intent of handing over his soul to G-d. His Torah study seed must have ability to “rot” and become nullified, in contrast to being hard and impenetrable.

Studying Torah for the right intent: A person should contemplate the above message prior to the study of Torah so that his Torah study be for the correct purpose which is to serve as an elevation of feminine waters [to cause a growth of G-dliness above which will be used on behalf of his souls future pleasure in G-d]. He should not make his main focus on the secondary which is to make his entire focus on the Torah as it exists below in its physical connotations [to comprehend the physical wisdom, as he would do with any other field of wisdom]. Rather, he should place his hearts focus on the inner G-dliness hidden within his Torah study which is rooted within the supernal wisdom of G-d. He is to understand that he is literally having a discussion with the word of G-d Himself. When a person studies Torah with this in mind then his Torah study will act as feminine waters that are elevated above and unite with their root and source in the supernal wisdom. In contrast, one who says that he only cares about the physical connotations of the Torah then even Torah he does not have.

• The Divine lesson: In today’s Orthodox educational system, boys spend a good portion of the first 20+ years of their lives dedicated to full-time Torah study. Great emphasis is placed on scholastic achievement, to know and understand well the material and conquer one Misechta after another. Those who don’t have such a good head for learning end up falling through the cracks, and either drop out of yeshiva, or remain in it for the social environment but don’t really learn anything all year. The above teaching can help veer both the successful and unsuccessful yeshiva student back onto the right track. The Torah Masmid, and those on the top of their Shiur, must recognize that their main focus is not simply to conquer and comprehend the material subject that they are learning, but to literally create for themselves an investment of G-dly light on behalf of their future. Their study is one of agriculture in which they take the precious tasteless seed of the wisdom of G-d as found in the Torah of the material world, and plant it in the heavenly spheres through studying it with Bittul to Hashem. This same teaching should also be used as a motivating factor for those who don’t have such a good head for learning. Even if it is clear that they will not become the next Gadol Hador, they should know that their Torah study, as shallow as it may be, contains the same preciousness as the Torah study of the Masmid, and when they study Torah for the right reasons to attach to G-d through studying His wisdom, they are planting the seeds of their future Gan Eden in which they too will merit to bask in G-dliness. Just because one doesn’t have the ability to plant a hundred acres of fruit trees doesn’t mean that he should also not try plant one in his backyard.

1. Studying Torah immediately after prayer:

The most opportune time to study Torah with the correct motivations and intents, as explained above, is immediately after the morning prayers. The reason for this is because one who prays properly arouses a feeling of love for G-d which leads him to study Torah for the purpose of quenching this love. Accordingly, it is the most opportune season of time to plant the seed of Torah above, as he proper plowing has been performed to the earth of the soul below.

1. Trimming the garden and removing the weeds prior to planting Torah:

One who plants a vineyard needs to work on cutting away the thorns that interfere with the vineyards growth. This is an integral part of agriculture and of the planting process as seen regarding the Shabbos and Shemita Melachos, in which we rule that one who prunes the tree and removes the thorns, known as Hazomer, is liable for the planting prohibition, as its purpose is to help the fruits grow. Now, earlier we explained that the study of Torah is similar to the planting of a seed. How then do we perform the agricultural work of Zemira with regards to Torah study? So, first and foremost it is performed within the learning itself.

The importance of studying Talmud including its rejected ideas: In order to properly research a matter in Torah one must sift through all the sources and details, similar to the style of the Babylonian Talmud which brings queries and contradictions to analyze a statement in order to come to a proper conclusion. All of the initial answers and solutions which the Talmud later rejects are similar to the thorns which need to be cut in order to allow growth of the fruit which is the true solution to the subject. Hence, the study of Talmud contrasts the study of Mishneh in the fact that Mishneh does not contain any analysis or questioning and simply brings conclusive statements of Jewish law. The study of Mishneh is similar to the eating of bread which is the product that comes out from the agricultural work that was done in the field. The study of Talmud however is that agricultural work which produced the bread. [Accordingly, one should not feel that he is only considered to be truly studying Torah when he studies the final conclusions of the Talmud and not when he studies all of the analysis and correspondence involved in getting there, as in truth studying the analysis or correspondence, including those which are later rejected and are known as a Hava Mina, is an integral part of the agricultural work involved in Torah study.]

Refining one’s character: Aside for the intrinsic agricultural work of pruning and weeding involved in Torah study as explained above, one must also integrate the refining of his character and soul in order for his Torah study to be properly effective. Every single individual needs to work on his soul and his character to cut the thorns which refers to the negative traits of his animal soul. This includes negative traits such as jealousy, hatred, and lust for the pleasures of the world and the like. This character refinement is necessary in order separate the good from the bad of the soul, in order so the soil of his heart be sustainable for growth of Torah. [Just as one must clear away the worms and other seed eating parasites from the soil that he uses to plant the seeds, so too one must remove all of his bad and negative traits from his heart and character in order so the Torah that he studies actually feeds his G-dly soul and creates a growth above. Otherwise, his study can simply feed his animal soul which is the growth of his ego and self-centeredness, which is similar to a person planting seeds in the earth to feed the worms that are there.]

[1] Likkutei Torah p. 39b-45a

[2] Likkutei Torah p. 39b-41a