Thursday-Daily Chitas [Chumash, Tanya] & Rambam Summaries [20th Iyar 5783]

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Thursday, 20th Iyar 5783/May 11, 2023

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Parshas Behar Bechukosai

Chamishi if connected to Behar

  • You will still be able to eat from the old fruit when the new harvest arrives.
  • I will place my Tabernacle amongst you and will not become disgusted of you. I will walk amongst you and will become a G-d for you and you will become for Me a nation. I am Hashem who took you out of Egypt from being slaves. I broke the pegs of your yoke and I led you erect.

 

  1. The curses received for disobeying G-d’s commands:
  • If you do not listen to Me, do not obey all these commands, despise My statutes, and are repulsed by My laws to break My covenant, then I will do the following to you:
    • I will make you panic and make you waste away.
    • You will get fever, causing your eyes to sting.
    • Your sowing of the seed will be in vain as your enemies will eat your produce.
    • You will fall before your enemies and they will rule over you.
    • You will flee even though no one is chasing you.
  • If you still do not listen to me, I will increase tormenting you in seven ways for your sins:
    • I will break your pride.
    • I will turn your heavens into iron and your land like copper.
    • You will exert your energy in vain as your land will not give off produce and its trees will not give off fruit.
  • If you still do not listen to me, I will increase tormenting you in seven ways for your sins:
    • I will send wild animals to attack you and bereave you.
    • I will exterminate your cattle and diminish you.
    • Your roads will be destroyed.
  • If despite these you still do not listen to me, I will increase tormenting you in seven ways for your sins:
    • I will bring upon you an attack by the sword to avenge my covenant.
    • You will gather in your cities and have a plague sent against you.
    • You will be delivered to the hands of the enemies.
    • I will break for you the staff of your sustenance.
    • Ten women will bake bread in one oven and bring the bread back by weight.
    • You will eat but not be satiated.
  • If despite this you still do not listen to me, I will increase tormenting you in seven ways for your sins:
    • You will eat the flesh of your children, the flesh of your sons and daughters.
    • Your towers and idols will be destroyed.
    • I will pile your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols, and I will despise you.
    • I will destroy your cities and Temple.
    • I will not smell the scent of your offerings.
    • I will make your land desolate from you and your enemies.
    • I will disperse you amongst all the nations and empty the sword after you.
    • Your cities will be put to ruin.
  • Appeasing the Shemitah years: Through the above, the land will become appeased from its Shemitah years, from all its years of desolation. All its days of it being desolate it will rest for whatever it did not rest during the years you dwelled on it.
    • The survivors, I will make them paranoid in the lands of their exile. They will flee from the sound of the rustling of a leaf and they will fall without anyone chasing them.
    • You will die from the sword of a friend without anyone chasing you.
    • You will be unable to overcome your enemies. You will become lost amongst the nations and will be consumed by them.
  • You will suffer due to the sins of your forefathers. Then you will confess your sins and the sins of your ancestors due to ignoring my commands. I therefore also treated you with ignorance and brought you to the land of your enemies so that the hardness of your heart become humbled and you will then receive appeasement for your sins.

 

  1. The salvation after the suffering:
  • I will remember the covenant with Yaakov and Yitzchak and Avraham and remember the land. The land will be bereaved of you and receive appeasement.
  • Even when you are amongst the enemies, I will not abhor you or reject you, to destroy you and the covenant I made with you, as I am Hashem Your G-d. I will remember that I took you out of Egypt and to be a G-d onto you.
  • These are the laws that Hashem gave the Jewish people on Har Sinai through Moshe.

Tanya end of Chapter 49 

1. Contemplating the above creates a passion to attach to G-d:

  • When one contemplates the above matters deeply in his thoughts and heart, will consequently cause a reflective emotion of passionate and rapturous love to be revealed within his heart, and he will decide to overcome all impediments in order to attach to G-d and be incorporated within his divine light in a great form of intimacy of hugging and kissing and attachment of the soul.

 

2. Torah study-Attaches one to G-d and elevates the world:

  • In-depth Torah study: Now, how does one accomplish the above attachment to G-d, attaching his soul to the spirit of G-d? This is through the study of Torah, as the main unification of kissing is accomplished through attaching one’s intellect to the intellect of G-d through studying Torah in-depth.
  • Verbalizing the words of Torah: In order to accomplish the above unity of kissing, one’s mouth is required to verbalize the words of Torah that he is studying. This exhales the breath and connects one’s spirit with the spirit of G-d.
  • The verbalization draws down the G-dliness: One does not fulfill his obligation of Torah study through mere thought and deep contemplation, until he actually verbalizes the words. The reason for this is because it is the verbalization of the words that has the power to draw the infinite light of G-d below onto the animal soul which is found in the blood of man and is made up of the inanimate, and vegetative and animal kingdoms.
  • The G-dliness elevates the world: This G-dliness that is drawn down as a result of one’s verbalized Torah study then elevates all the matters of the world back to G-d and include it within his unity, so that His G-dliness shine throughout the world and those who dwell in it.
  • The purpose of the world: The above is the entire purpose of the progressive descent of all the world’s, so that the glory of G-d fill the entire earth in a revealed manner and turn darkness to light and bitterness to sweetness.
  • The purpose of man’s divine service: This is also the entire purpose and intent of man’s divine service, to draw down the infinite light of G-d below.
  • Must first preface the passion to give up everything for G-d: Nonetheless, in order for one’s Torah study to have the above effect one must first preface it with “feminine waters” which refers to the exercise of the heart and mind during the recital of the Shema in which one resolves to give up everything of his life and soul and money for G-d’s sake.

Rambam, Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah 

Chapter 7: Prophecy

 

Halacha 1: The fundament of prophecy in Judaism and who is eligible for it

  • It is a fundament of the Jewish faith that G-d provides prophecy to humans.
  • Who is eligible for prophecy: Prophecy is only given to a person with the following characteristics:
    • He is a great scholar.
    • He contains broad mental capacity.
    • He has a refined character.
    • He is always in control of his inclination and never allows his inclination to control him.
    • He has a complete and healthy body.
  • When does the above person begin to prophesize: When the person with the above characteristics fulfills the following steps then immediately upon reaching this state of spirituality and holiness, the divine spirit rests on his:
    • He enters into the study of the secrets of Torah known as Pardes.
    • He studies these deep mystical matters until he acquires great wisdom in them.
    • He sanctifies himself with holiness and separates from the ways of the masses who walk in darkness, to the point that his thoughts are filled only with understanding spiritual matters relating to G-d and the spiritual beings until he comprehends them and he does not ponder any of the nonsense of the world, then immediately upon reaching this state of spirituality and holiness, the divine spirit rests on his.
  • Becoming a different person: The moment that the divine spirit rests on the above individual, he becomes elevated to the level of the Angels known as Ishim and becomes a completely different person, comprehending that he is no longer the same person as before, and has rather become elevated above other sages, as stated regarding Shaul.

 

Halacha 2: The different levels of prophecy

  • The same way there are many levels of sages and degrees of wisdom, so too regarding prophecy, there are different degrees of prophecies and prophets.
  • Prophecy takes place during sleep and through a dream: All prophets receive their prophecy through a dream at night, or after falling into a deep slumber during daytime.
  • The effect of the prophecy on the body of the prophet: During prophecy, the body of the prophet begins to shake and tremble and he loses all of his strength and energy and they lose control of their senses. This allows the mind of the prophet to remain completely free to comprehend the prophecy.

 

Halacha 3: The prophetic message

  • Prophecies come in the way of a parable. Immediately after the parable is given the prophet will have engraved within his heart the interpretation of the parable.
  • When telling over the prophecy, some prophets would say over the parable with its interpretation, and some prophets would only say the parable and not the interpretation, and some prophets would say only the interpretation and not the parable.
  • An example by Yaakov: An example of this could be seen from the dream of Yaakov in which he saw angels going up and down a ladder which was a prophecy for the empires and the Jewish people subjugation to the nations.

 

Halacha 4: The auspicious times for prophecy

  • Prophecy does not fall onto a prophet whenever he desires.
  • A state of joy and happiness-no depression or laziness: Prophecy can only come to a prophet upon him preparing his mind for it and rejoicing his heart and secluding himself, as prophecy cannot come during a state of sadness or laziness but rather specifically in a state of joy.
  • Playing musical instruments: It is for the above reason that there were musical instruments being played in front of the prophets when they desired to prophesize.

 

Halacha 5: The students of prophecy

  • Those who desire to receive prophecy and prepare themselves accordingly are called the sons of the prophets.
  • Nonetheless, there is no guarantee that they will receive prophecy after the above preparations, and rather it is possible that the divine presence will reside on them and is it possible that it will not.

 

Halacha 6: The prophecy of Moshe in contrast to other prophets

  • The above rules apply to all prophets with the exception to Moshe who is considered the father of all prophets. The differences between the prophecy of Moshe and the other prophets are in the following matters:
    • Moshe received prophecy in an awake state while standing, in contrast to other prophets which receive it only in a dream or vision.
    • Moshe receives prophecy directly from G-d in a clear manner, in contrast to the other prophets who receive it through angels in a manner of parables.
    • Moshe retained his calm state even during prophecy in contrast to the other prophets who would fall in trepidation and panic.
    • Moshe would receive prophecy at all times whenever he desired, in contrast to the other prophets who can only receive prophecy at select times, irrelevant of their desire.
    • Moshe was not required to prepare himself for the prophecy as he was considered constantly in a state of readiness similar to the Angels. This is in contrast to the other prophets who required preparation in order to receive prophecy.
    • Moshe was considered a constant prophet, who was constantly in a state of prophecy, and therefore he could not return to his home and be with his wife. This is in contrast to the other prophets were considered like all other men after their prophecy, and would return home to their wives.
    • Moshe’s mind was constantly connected to G-d, and the glory of G-d never left him to the point that his skin shown with this divine light, and became sanctified like an angel.

 

Halacha 7: The purpose of the prophecy and how to authenticate the prophet

  • Not all prophecies are for the sake of giving a prophetic message to the public.
  • A prophet for personal gain of knowledge: Rather, some prophets experience prophecy for their own personal sake, in order to widen their knowledge [of G-d and His Torah].
  • A messenger prophet: Others would receive prophecy for the sake of giving messages to the public, either to the members of their city, or country, or the entire Jewish people. The purpose of the message would be to direct them in what to do or to prevent them from doing evil.
  • Testing the authenticity of the prophet: When a prophet comes with a prophetic message for the public, he needs to be tested for his authenticity so the nation know that he is truly a messenger of G-d. The test takes place through asking him to perform a miracle and wonder. If he does so, and as well is now to fulfill the qualifications of holiness which make him befitting of prophecy, then his prophetic messages are to be believed when he says that he is saying them as an emissary of G-d.
  • It is a mitzvah to listen to the words of such a prophet even though it is technically possible that he is lying, being that he is a very holy man and a great Sage and therefore is to be believed. This is similar to the command to accept testimony from two witnesses even though it is technically possible that they are both lying.
  • One who claims to be a prophet, and even performs a miracle, but is not known to fulfill the qualifications of holiness needed for one to prophesize, then he is not to be believed.

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