Parshas Naso[1]

1^st Mamar “Naso Es Rosh Bnei Gershon”

1. Naso Es Rosh Bnei Gershon:^[2]
2. The purpose of the Jewish peoples traveling through the desert:

[The history of the Jewish people in their travel from Egypt to the holy land includes a period of 40 years of travel within the Sinai desert. What was the purpose of this travel? Although, the 40 year stay was a punishment for the sin of the spies, nonetheless, certainly there was a divine purpose in this stay, and it is this matter that the Alter Rebbe clarifies in this teaching.] The root and purpose behind the travel of the Jewish people in the desert together with the tabernacle and all of its vessels was in order to subdue and crush the powers of evil. The desert is a wilderness that is empty of holiness and hence gives nurture to the forces of evil. This can be seen in the fact that the desert does not have any growth of plants or grass at all and is a place of complete desolateness.

Growth comes from holiness: The reason for this lack of growth is because growth and production can only come from the side of holiness, as the verse states “and you enliven everyone.” Likewise, another verse states “G-d is righteous,” which means that G-d provides charity and kindness for the world and He is the one who provides them with all life and blessing. The entire side of holiness contains this aspect. Now, kindness comes from the aspect of greatness as it states in the verse “Erech Apayim Ugedol Chesed.”

Kindness comes from Bittul: In the entire side of holiness, kindness derives from Bittul, from nullification to G-d and considering oneself like nothing in his eyes. It is only when a person views himself with self-effacement that he can feel the need to give to others whom he considers more important and significant than he. This was expressed in the words of Avraham who said to G-d, “and I am dust and ash,” and it is for this reason that he would do kindness with all people. This is in contrast to the person who has a strong feeling of self and ego and does not contain nullification, and therefore does not give to others as he thinks that he needs everything for himself and cannot be a Mashpia.

The evil of the desert: According to the above, it is understood that any area that is devoid of G-dly revelation and blessing consequently will not be able to grow anything, hence explaining the emptiness of the desert. This however also explains the desert becoming a haven for all the forces of evil. A desert is a place that is populated with  snakes  and scorpions which are all the epitome of the three completely unclean Kelipos, which are a Yeish and separate existence and do not have the aspect of Bittul and therefore they do not provide any Hashpah, any benefit for humanity. This explains the purpose of the traveling of the  Jewish people through the desert, in order to subdue and subjugate the side of evil.

The tabernacle mows away the evil in the desert: The purpose of the travel of the Jewish people and the tabernacle with the ark through the desert was in order to subdue the desert and the abundance of evil that grows within it. For this purpose, it was necessary for the Jewish people to travel 42 journeys within the desert, which corresponds to the divine name of G-d that contains 42 letter. This subjugation of the side of evil was accomplished through the revelation of G-dliness that the tabernacle shined into the desert while it traveled through it. The revelation of G-dliness caused the automatic eradication of evil, as the verse states like wax melts in the face of fire.

The long-term purpose of the cleansing of the desert: The cleansing of the desert from its forces of evil was a preparation for the future era, and was done in order to prepare this low area of the world for revelation of G-dliness, as it states regarding the future era, “Venigleh Kevod Havayah/and the glory of G-d will be revealed.” A prerequisite for this revelation is to first remove the source of concealment and feeling of separateness from G-d, as only when this concealment is removed, can there be a revelation in the future era.

First Iskafya and then Is’hapcha: The above concept that one must first cleanse the world from evil in order to allow for revelation of G-dliness, comes hand-in-hand with the concept of Iskafya and Is’hapcha in the service of G-d. First one must perform the service of Iskafya and only then may the service of Is’hapcha to turn darkness into light be fulfilled. Without first performing the service of Iskafya it is not possible for one to turn darkness to light. The same applies regarding the future era that in order for there to be revelation of actual G-dliness in the lower world and turn darkness to light there must first be a subjugation and subduing of the desert.

How the revelation will take place in the future era: The revelation of G-d that will occur in the future era will become possible being that in truth there is no concealment of G-dliness at all to the face of G-d Himself. Everything is like naught before G-d, and to G-d there is no change between before and after the world was created. Just as G-d was one and unique and alone before the creation of the world, so too today. The entire creation derives from the letters of the speech of G-d which is all nullified to G-d Himself, and hence how can His creation which comes from speech serve as a concealment before Him. It is only before man that the concealment exists and not before G-d. In the future era, all that will occur is that G-d will remove the concealment from before man, and hence the G-dliness that is already found within creation will become revealed within the world. This removal of concealment will be accomplished as a result of the revelation of G-d’s essence within the world in the future. This will allow for man to comprehend G-dliness in his physical mind. However, for all this to occur in the future we needed to travel through the desert in the past and clean it up from its evil forces.

• The divine lesson – Importance of productivity: Many lessons can be learned from the above teaching. First and foremost we can learn from the above teaching the importance of productivity. The Alter Rebbe explained that growth and productivity derives from holiness, while emptiness and desolateness, such as that found in a desert, derives from the side of evil. This was the desert in which the Jewish people traveled for 40 years. Accordingly, being unproductive is an expression of the side of evil, in which one takes from society and does not give anything back. Holiness is all about giving while evil is all about taking. Holiness is all about construction while evil is all about destruction. Even if one does not have the head to study Torah or be involved in a spiritual service, he should at least be involved in matters that can benefit the world. Even if he is not able to focus on work, such as at the end of a long workday, he should find something productive to perform. In today’s day and age with the proliferation of the Internet and smart phones, it is quite common for people to waste their time on their devices. Whether it be in the obsessive reading of news, or playing video games, or watching movies and clips in popular apps such as YouTube and tick-tock, or obsessive surfing on social media, the common denominator is that one is wasting time and not doing anything productive for the world. Even if one is not doing anything negative, the mere fact that he is not doing anything productive is itself an element of evil. It is for this reason that the Rebbe directed people to use their time wisely on Nittel Nacht and do something productive in the time that they are prohibited from studying Torah. To quote from that talk[3], “The Rebbe Rayatz related that his father was accustomed to play chess on the night of Nittel. We can explain this as follows, that even in a time period in which the main focus is simply not to do evil, the time should be used to do something productive and of benefit. It is for this reason that they play chess which is a game of intellect and has ability to sharpen the mind which can later assist in one’s comprehension of Torah. From here we learn a lesson that even when one cannot study Torah one should never waste his time heaven forbid and should rather be involved in productive activity of matters relating to wisdom, or adding in charity and kindness, or dealing with the household.” It is not for no reason that boredom leads to sin and depression, as not doing something productive or accomplishing is itself from the side of evil, and being involved in one form of evil creates a bridge to perform other forms of evil, as a sin causes another sin. This is similar to what occurred in the desert, that the lack of growth and production due to the evil that was found there created the environment for snakes and scorpions to thrive. Thus, even if a person feels that he needs a mental and physical break, a productive activity should be chosen such as spending time with the kids, cleaning up the home, and so on and so forth.
• The divine lesson – How to be kind: Some people have a very kind disposition in which they are naturally attuned towards doing acts of kindness for others giving up of their money and time on their behalf. Other people however have more of a tough disposition in which they find it difficult to share what they have with others, whether it be their time or their money. In the above teaching, the Alter Rebbe explains that this form of disposition is due to a strong feeling of self and ego. If one desires to change his nature to one of kindness and benevolence to others he must work on the state of his ego and feeling of self. Working on one’s humility and humbleness is the trick to naturally be inclined to share one’s blessings with others.

1. Making a tabernacle within the heart of one’s soul:

The concept of a tabernacle traveling through a desert is not just a matter of the past, but is a constant service within the life of every Jew. Every single Jew contains a tabernacle within his heart as the verse states, “and you shall make for Me a temple and I will dwell within you.” From here we learn that every single Jew is instructed with the task of making for G-d a tabernacle within his soul. This is accomplished through drawing G-dliness below into the soul through the service of the heart which is prayer. This G-dliness is revealed within one’s personal desert which is his animal soul and evil inclination. Hence, even today we are charged with the divine service of traveling through the desert for the sake cleansing it from its evil, however, this is not a physical desert, but rather the desert that’s found within one’s heart as a result of his animal soul.

2^nd Mamar “Mikdash Adniy Konenu”

2. Mikdash Adniy Konenu:^[4]
3. Creation is dependent on the constant unity of Chochma and Bina:

It states in the teachings of the Arizal that the unity of Chochmah and Bina is constant and eternal and will never be stopped. If the unity between Chochmah and Bina were to cease for even one moment, then all of creation would return to nothing. The chainlike descent of G-dliness which is responsible for the creation of something from nothing must be constant. This is necessary not just for the creation of physical matter but even for the creation of spiritual matters. This is the entire purpose of the unity between Chochmah and Bina. Chochmah is considered Ayin, nothingness, while Bina is considered Yeish. It is the infinite light of G-d that rests and resides within the nothingness of Chochmah that is united with the something of Bina that then allows for creation to take place something from nothing, drawing down G-dliness from the level of Ayin to the level of Yeish. Now this flow of G-dliness from Chochmah into Bina must occur constantly in order to ensure the continuity of creation. Nevertheless, this constant unity is only in relation to the flow of the external level of Chochmah to the external level of Bina, hence creating a constant unity of their external parts. However, an internal unity between Chochmah and Bina is not constant and only occurs on occasion upon there being an elevation of feminine waters.

1. The root of the Levites in the supernal attributes:

In majority of sources it states that the Levites come from the aspect of severity, Gevurah. For example, in Meorei Or it states that Levy comes from the aspect of Bina or Gevura and that the entire right side is the aspect of Kohen while the entire left side is the aspect of Levi. This also explains why there are three families that come from Levy; Gershon, Kehos and Merari, as there are three types of Gevuros. In other sources, however, we find that Levi corresponds to the attribute of Daas which is a totally different attribute to that of the side of Gevura. It is possible to answer this paradox with saying that both are correct and that the Levites are rooted both in the attribute of Daas and the attribute of Gevura. Indeed, the attribute of Daas includes within it both the aspect of kindness and severity, and incorporates the five different types of severities within it. Accordingly, the Levites are rooted in the aspect of Gevura of Daas.

3^rd Mamar “Vayidaber Hashem Nasso”

3. Mikdash Adniy Konenu:^[5]
4. An impediment to praying with concentration:

Prayer is considered a service of the heart, and ideally upon concentrating on the words of prayer and contemplating G-d’s greatness one should arouse feelings for G-d. Why is it then that many of us feel unsuccessful in accomplishing this? This is because sinful behavior, or even merely sinful thought, becomes an impediment between one’s heart and mind and prevents the heart from becoming aroused. Sin separates between man and G-d and causes him to be banished from G-d’s courtyard even during the time of prayer.

1. Man contains total control over his will and desires:

Our sages teach us that all that is required of man to be successful in serving G-d is for him to nullify his will and desires in face of the will and desire of G-d. This means that one who has wills and desires for forbidden matters should simply not desire them, and that if one does not have any will or desire to perform the positive commands, then he should simply choose to desire them. Meaning, that he should train himself to desire that which he currently doesn’t desire and train himself to not desire that which he currently desires. Through doing so and nullifying his will he transforms his nature from bitterness to sweetness. [This teaching sounds like a fantasy. Is it really that simple to just press a button and stop liking ice cream and press another button to desire broccoli and spinach? Control of one’s lusts and wills is the battle of life, takes much fortitude and sacrifice, is filled with failures, and is certainly not like the turning on or off of a switch. How then does one actually perform and live up to the above teaching?] The secret behind understanding the above teaching is understanding that the will of a person contains the ability to control the entire body. With proper will and desire, one can turn and change his nature, and nullify his personal wills to the wills of G-d. The power of will which is found in the soul is higher than the power of choice. For example, although a leg may not want to be placed into hot water, a person can choose based on his will to force his leg inside despite its protests. The reason for this is because will is even higher than choice and intellect and can control them.

• In Chabad leadership history:[6] The above teaching of the Alter Rebbe finds an interesting historical relation of the following episode: After the passing of the Alter Rebbe there was dispute amongst the followers as to who should take the mantle of leadership; his son the Mittler Rebbe or his prime pupil Reb Aaron Strashela. The brother of the Alter Rebbe wrote the following letter to Reb Aaron Strashela to try to persuade him to back down from his candidacy: “Why are you causing discord amongst the Jewish people. Even if you feel that you are the one being persecuted did we not hear from the Alter Rebbe that all of the suffering of the world is only considered suffering being that it is against one’s will and pleasure [and to solve one suffering all one has to do is simply remove his will and pleasure from the matter that is causing him the suffering]. So, why is it that you desire to receive pleasure from people being close to you and choosing you as their leader, due to which you feel suffering if you do not receive that what your heart desires. All you have to do is swerve your will and desire to sit in seclusion and then you will not have any pain and suffering from people not choosing you as a leader and on the contrary, you will have pain and suffering from them trying to anoint you.”
• The divine lesson: The most important ingredient necessary for us to battle bad habits and desires is to train ourselves to dislike them. For example, rather than face the challenge of self-control every time one sees chocolate, contemplate matters about chocolate and the adverse health effect that it can have and hence one can remove his desire from it all together. Finding a way to change one’s will is the permanent method to bring a lasting change on the ground.

[1] Likkutei Torah p. 20a-29a

[2] Likkutei Torah p. 20a-21a

[3] Hisvadyus 5750 Vol. 2 p. 50 [Sichas Vayeishev, Chanukah 5750]

[4] Likkutei Torah p. 21a-23a

[5] Likkutei Torah p. 21a-23a

[6] Sefer Hatoldos Admur Haemtzai p. 90