Parshas Beshalach[1]

1^st Mamar “Vayehi Beshalacha Pharaoh Es Haam”

1. Vayehi Beshalacha Pharaoh Es Haam:[2]
2. The Jewish people are G-d’s grain:

Regarding when the Jewish people were in the Egyptian exile, it states in scripture that they were planted by G-d in the land. Likewise, elsewhere Scripture states the Jewish people are considered the first of the grains of G-d. Why are the Jewish people compared to grain and planting? The reason is as follows: When one plants a seed of grain it leads to the growth of a stalk that contains dozens upon dozens of kernels. Hence, planting is a small investment for large returns. The same applies regarding the Jewish people. G-d planted his seed, which are the Jewish people, within the world to perform Torah and Mitzvah’s and through doing so they will add much more G-dliness in the world. This is accomplished specifically during the times of exile in which the performance of every Mitzvah reaps much more reward and revelation of G-dliness and hence gives G-d back a large return in exchange for his small investment.

 

1. Kelipa precedes the holiness it contains:

It is known that the peel of a fruit precedes the creation of the fruit itself. This applies not only to agriculture but also spiritually above in heaven, as it states that the kings in Edom preceded the kings of the Jewish people. This refers to the preceding of the side of evil to the side of holiness. Now, this does not literally mean that G-d literally created the side of evil before the side of holiness, but rather that the G-dly revelation that is found in a state of exile within the side of evil, derived from a very high level of holiness and G-dliness. All of the divine lights and sparks that have fallen and have been exiled within Kelipa come from the world of Tohu which is a much higher level than the regular level of holiness in Atzilus. Accordingly, it is not the actual Kelipa or evil that preceded the side of holiness, but rather the holiness that is found within it which has preceded the regular levels of holiness.

1. Why the gentiles and wicked merit wealth, honor, longevity, and blessing:

It states in the Mishneh that there were 10 generations from Adam until Noah, and 10 generations from Noah until Avraham to show us the great compassion and patience that G-d has towards the wicked. All these generations were quite wicked and transgressed G-d’s will and nonetheless G-d delayed punishing them waiting for them to return to Him. This level of G-d’s patience is known as Erech Apayim and Rav Chesed and is the G-dly source from which the nations of the world receive their sustenance and blessing. Even the Gentile and idolatrous nations all receive their sustenance from G-d and from His holiness, as it states in the verse “and You give life to everyone.” G-d is infinite and all capable, including being capable of giving sustenance to those who rebel against Him, and to feed life to those who conceal Him. It is for this reason that we find amongst the Gentile nations and the wicked, that they have much wealth and honor despite them not deserving it and it not being commensurate to their behavior. They receive their sustenance and vitality from the G-dly energy that has fallen into the Kelipos as a result of the breaking of the vessels as is well known to those versed in the Kabbalistic teachings. This divine energy is concealed from the wicked and does not shine to them in a revealed manner. It is rather found in the state of double darkness and concealment, to the point that the wicked can deny the very existence from which their life derives and is sustained from. This is in stark contrast to the side of holiness which receives from G-d’s countenance in a revealed manner.

1. The elevation of Divine sparks – The mystical meaning behind the exile of the Divine presence into Babylon:

Our sages state the when the Jewish people were exiled to Babylon the divine presence was exiled with them. This is in reference to the spark of G-dliness that is found within the soul of every Jew. This spark of G-dliness is found in a state of exile within the G-dly soul. This is expressed in the fact that its passion and desire to cleave to G-d up until the point of expiry, is suppressed and concealed to the subconscious. Nonetheless, this exile has a purpose; its purpose being for the sake of gathering all of the sparks of G-dly energy that have fallen with the breaking of the vessels and elevating them back up and connecting them once again with the living G-d. How is this accomplished? Through doing business with matters of the world that are under the dominion of Kelipas Noga, as our sages state that there is no blade of grass that does not grow without a spiritual mentor telling it to grow.

How to elevate the sparks – Don’t cheat and steal: Now, the elevation of the G-dly energy only occurs if one guards G-d’s will and commands within his business, such as by avoiding lying, cheating, stealing, and robbing, and other forbidden matters of the like. All sparks of G-dly energy that are retrieved through forbidden methods, such as those listed above, are not able to be elevated at all, as they are stuck within the evil forces that surround them. The elevation of the G-dly sparks also occur through the fulfillment of Mitzvahs, which involve the physical objects of the world, such as Tefillin and Tzitzis. These items are made using the physical components of the world, such as wool to make the Tzitzis and parchment to make the Tefillin. Now, these physical items were originally under the dominion of the minister and governor that gives energy to all living creatures [i.e. Noga]. This energy is taken from the holiness of G-d that has fallen through the breaking of the vessels, and hence all these objects contain a spark of G-dliness that is exiled within them. Through using them for holy purposes to serve G-d one elevates and returns the holy energy back to its root and source and transforms darkness to light.

• The divine lesson: The above teaching is easier said than done. When a person enters the workforce in order to make an income to support his family, eventually purchase a home, and finance all the various expenses that are needed or desired, the amount of income one brings makes all the difference of what he can afford. Although individuals, especially if they come from a Torah and Yeshiva background, will not be robbing banks or mugging people on the street to make extra money, they may do other more advanced forms of stealing and cheating, which keeps their guilty conscious at bay, but in all seriousness transgresses the prohibition against stealing, lying, and cheating. For example, falsifying local, state, or federal documents in order to gain access to certain funds and social services that one would otherwise not be given is at the very least lying and cheating and at times even considered a Biblical form of stealing. Not disclosing the truth of one’s income and assets, for all intents and purposes is equal to falsifying such documents. Omitting crucial details from an insurance claim in order so it be honored is both lying and stealing. Not being forthright with a client about the true details and risks of an investment is a form of lying and cheating. Running up debt on a credit card, or taking a loan, without any means or intent to pay it back is a form of lying and stealing. All in all, all of these more sophisticated forms of cheating and stealing can become a challenge even for an Orthodox Jew to avoid, being that he doesn’t translate it as actual robbery even though that is exactly what it is. The claim that everyone does it makes it even more challenging to avoid. However, when busts occur on federal and state levels, the desecration of G-d’s name that comes out of it is astounding and paints a blemish on all Orthodox Jewry. This is aside for the intrinsic prohibitions involved in the matter. The above teaching should be a wake-up call. Our purpose in this world, within this exile, is to elevate the Divine sparks back to G-d. This can only be accomplished through permitted means. If one achieves the sparks through forbidden activity, such as above, they can never be elevated irrelevant of what one does with the added income, including if he gives it to charity. Hashem provides an individual with the means of making enough kosher and honest income so he can elevate the sparks that he is required to elevate in his lifetime. Cheating the system cheats no one but the person himself and the sparks that could have been elevated by someone else and are not.

 

1. True Mesirus Nefesh – Suppressing one’s lusts and desires and instead serving G-d:

[When we hear the term Mesirus Nefesh we often think of a person being put to death for his belief in the Jewish religion or practicing it in opposition to an oppressive regime. However, we underestimate that Mesirus Nefesh can also be fulfilled without dying, but rather by living. The act of living like a Jew can involve Mesirus Nefesh similar to one who dyes like a Jew. How so? In this teaching, the Alter Rebbe clarifies this matter and gives us new motivation and insight into our every day challenges which we overcome.] Every act of suppression that a Jew performs towards his bodily lusts and passions, and in its stead, he draws his heart closer to serving G-d, is an aspect of Mesirus Nefesh, as what does it matter if one kills the entire evil inclination or only kills part of it [i.e. Mah Li Katla Kula, Mah Li Katla Palga].

1. Robin Hood – Robbing the sparks from their potential elevation:

The giving of charity is of the greatest of Mitzvah’s and has the ability to elevate many exiled sparks of G-dliness, as the verse states “charity elevates the nation.” This, however, is only possible if the charity money was not obtained through stealing. Stolen money can never be elevated even if given as a charitable contribution.

 

1. In times of the Temple prayer was short:

The entire purpose for why the sages instituted the prayer is for one to reach the state of love of Bechol Meodecha to love G-d with all one’s heart and passion, to reach the level of a Baal Teshuvah in contrast to that of a Tzaddik. For this reason, it was not customary to lengthen in prayer in the Temple era as much as is done today, [as they were able to reach this state of love and passion in a much shorter time, as they were on a much higher level than us today^[3]].

1. For growth to occur one must be of humble spirit:

Just as it is not possible for a plant to grow from a seed until the seed first decomposes in the ground, so too it is not possible for one to reach a true jubilance and joy in the light of G-d unless it is preceded by a broken heart and spirit. When one breaks his heart and spirit he ends up breaking the coarse and grub spirit of the side of evil that is within him, and causes it to decompose.

1. Even an hour of contemplation is not enough to arouse love:

In previous times it sufficed for the men of piety to contemplate G-d’s greatness for a mere hour prior to prayer in order to arouse love and passion for G-d. However, this does not suffice for us today and we must in addition to the contemplation also establish set times to arouse bitterness within our soul and break the coarseness of the side of evil that resides within it, so it give room for the experience of true love. When is the opportune time for a Jew to humble his heart? By midnight. After midnight he should then learn Torah with great joy, as light shines more within darkness.

 

1. Losing our joy in G-d after the destruction of the Temple:

After the destruction of the temple, due to our sins we lost the ability to arouse complete joy and jubilance in G-d which we had once experienced when we lived in tranquility in Israel. This was given as a measure for a measure of our sin. Scripture states that the reason for the exile and destruction of the temple is because we did not serve G-d with joy. Hence, following the rule of Mida Kineged Mida, Hashem took away our capability of feeling this joy with the destruction of the Temple.

 

1. Rebbe Akiva laughed at the wealth and riches of the idolatrous nations – The greatness of our future reward:

Our sages record that when Rabbi Akiva saw a city of idol worshipers [and all of the worldly pleasures which they were enjoying] he laughed and said that if even transgressors [i.e. Over Ritzono] receive this level of pleasure than all the more so will be the pleasure of those who obey G-d’s will. Superficially, the above is stating the obvious, that those who obey G-d will receive even greater pleasure than the pleasure that is witnessed amongst the idolatrous nations. However, there is also a deep and mystical message behind this statement of Rebbe Akiva in which he addresses the root cause that is responsible for the pleasure of the idolatrous nations and the reason why those who are righteous and obey G-d’s will do not receive this pleasure today. He likewise addresses the reason why in the future the pleasure that will be given to the righteous who obeyed His will, will be of much greater magnitude than that which was experienced today by the transgressors.

The source of affluence for the transgressor and gentile nations: The explanation is as follows: The ability for the transgressors and wicked to receive wealth and enjoyment of life comes from a very high spiritual level that is above the order of the world’s, known as Seder Hishtalshlus. This is a level which is above the will of G-d and is known as “Over Ritzono,” above the Divine will. On this level, G-d does not care, so to say, of the behavior of the creations below, whether they sin or do good. On this level, the actions of creations are completely irrelevant to G-d. On this level, sin and transgression have no effect and do not block the G-dly flow of energy from reaching below even to the undeserving. It is the level of “Im Tzadakta Mah Titen Lo, Verabu Pishaecha Mah Taaseh Lo/If you have done righteousness what have you given Him, and if you have done much iniquity what have you affected Him.”

The lack of affluence for the righteous and Jewish people: In contrast to the above level, is the level of will, Ratzon, which can be reformulated to spell the word pipe or channel. This corresponds to the order of the world known as Seder Hishtalshlus. In this level there exists law and order, and the G-dly energy and light can only descend below through the channel of G-d’s will, which is through fulfilling His commands as written in the Torah. Now, the Gentiles receive from the level of above Seder Hishtalshlus, and hence they are able to live in wealth and affluence as a result even if they do not obey G-d. However, the Jewish people receive from the level of Seder Hishtalshlus and can only receive wealth and affluence in accordance to their deeds and even this is received in a limited fashion as it must be contracted to fit through the channels of the world’s. On the outset, this system that G-d created seems very unfair, however in truth the temporary advantage of the Gentiles eventually becomes a liability, and the temporary disadvantage of the Jewish people will turn into the source of our reward in the future era.

The future reward for the righteous and Jewish people: The Gentiles currently receive from above Seder Hishtalshlus not because G-d wants to give it to them but simply because on that level G-d does not care to dismiss them from receiving it [similar to a king who does not take the time to banish a spider that is sitting in the corner of his inner chamber]. Hence, they receive from a distance. However, the Jewish people who receive from within Seder Hishtalshlus are considered the true intended recipients from G-d whom He willingly desires to give to. We receive in the form of closeness. With this said, we can now understand the statement of Rebbe Akiva. If even a transgressor who is distant from G-d, and is a parasite onto the G-dly revelation of above Seder Hishtalshlus, can receive this level of pleasure, then all the more so will the Jewish people in the future era. In the future era the world will be elevated and we will receive from above Seder Hishtalshlus, and hence we will receive a much greater G-dly pleasure than the gentiles of today, as we will not be receiving it as a parasite from a distance but rather as the intended recipient of the divine revelation. [In the parable, the Gentiles are compared to the spider in the king’s chamber who remains there simply because the king doesn’t bother to banish him, and not because of his merits. The Jewish people however are compared to the honored guests of the king for whom the chamber is intended for to begin with. It is obvious that the honored guests will receive much more of the delicacies and splendor of the Kings chamber than the spider who hides in the corner of the room.] The reason that in the future the Jewish people receive from above Seder Hishtalshlus is because in the future all of the sparks of G-dliness that fell below will be elevated and these parts of G-dliness come from above Seder Hishtalshlus, above G-d’s will. The Jewish people who elevated these sparks will then benefit from the revelation which will be of a much higher level than the level from which the Gentiles receive from today, as they will retain the advantage of light over darkness, and hence the joy and jubilation will be of infinitely greater intensity.

• The divine lesson: The wealth and affluence that people who are not exactly the most righteous are witnessed to enjoy can be a real test to our faith. What great and righteous acts have the rich and famous performed to merit it? Walking through an affluent neighborhoods, let alone through multi-million-dollar mansions, which are filled with glitz and glamour, can leave one in a state of awe at the riches and wealth that some people get to merit to enjoy. Some may become disheartened upon seeing this looking back at their own quite limited resources and style of life, and begin to question why they work so hard to be a simple law-abiding Jew. Rebbe Akiva in the above teaching provides one the antidote to such thoughts. The wealth and affluence of the undeserving are the mere benefits of the parasite spider in the king’s palace which the king has not bothered to banish. This spider however will never truly be invited to remain in the king’s palace, let alone his inner chamber. The simple Jew who is barely making ends meat and pushes himself day and night to fulfill G-d’s will and abide by His Torah, is likened to the simple subject of the king who lives in a primitive hut in a faraway land but is working on receiving an invitation to come live with the king in his palace. Exile is not the time for this invitation to be given and is rather the time to work to merit to receive it. In the future, when this invitation will be given we will receive the benefits of being in the king’s inner chamber and hence our pleasure and joy will be ten folds greater than the parasite palace spider who we envied today.

 

1. The Egyptian exile and slavery to Pharaoh elevated the sparks:

It states in scripture that Pharaoh sent out the nation. This does not just refer to the people of Israel who were sent out of Egypt but also to the Divine sparks that were stuck in the Egyptian exile who were sent back up and elevated to holiness. The slavery and servitude of the Jewish people in Egypt caused the sparks of G-d that fell there through the breaking of the vessel to become elevated. This is also the inner meaning of the verse which states “and Pharaoh Hikriv/made close the Jewish people,” as he caused the hearts of the Jewish people to become closer to their father in heaven.

1. The Kelipa of the Pelishtim – superficial joy in service of G-d:^[4]

It states in Scripture that G-d did not desire to bring the Jewish people through the land of the Philistines. Mystically, this means as follows: The term Pelishtim comes from the word Mefulash which is used in Halacha to refer to an alleyway, which is called a Mavuiy Mefulash. In Kelipa this refers to lightheadedness, a joking and frivol attitude towards all that is holy and important in life, taking nothing in life seriously. This Kelipa makes scorn of that which is true and precious and prevents service of G-d.

Meaning in Avodas Hashem:^[5] In service of Hashem, this refers to one who serves G-d with an external excitement which is not a direct reaction to the emotions one feels. It is similar to one who dances and claps to music which simply shows momentary excitement that will leave just as it came. It makes no real change in the person. The same applies with love of Hashem. Showing an external love that is filled with verbal announcements and movements may be good for the time it lasts, but leaves no further fear of G-d or love of Him in one’s heart after his external excitement fades. It is due to this that the Torah states “And He did not lead us through the land of the Pelishtim,” as Hashem does not desire that we follow this path in service of G-d. Rather, Hashem desires that we work and toil to create true feelings of love in our hearts, as the verse states “because you did not serve Hashem with joy,” thus proving that Simcha is an Avoda that does not come through simple external stimulation.

 

[1] Torah Or p. 61a-66b

[2] Torah Or p. 61a-61b

[3] See oras Menachem Vol. 77 p. 275

[4] Torah Or Beshalacha p. 61d

[5] Torah Or Beshalacha p. 61d

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