D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

Shalosh Seudos of Parshas Kedoshim 5768

‫ ִאישׁ‬.‫יכם‬ ֶ ‫ ְקד ִֹשׁים ִתּ ְהיוּ ִכּי ָקדוֹשׁ ֲא ִני ה' ֱאל ֵֹק‬,‫וְאָמ ְר ָתּ ֲא ֵל ֶהם‬ ַ ‫ֲדת ְבּנֵי יִ ְשׂ ָר ֵאל‬ ַ ‫" ַדּ ֵבּר ֶאל ָכּל ע‬ ".‫יכם‬ ֶ ‫וְאת ַשׁ ְבּת ַֹתי ִתּ ְשׁמֹרוּ ֲא ִני ה' ֱאל ֵֹק‬ ֶ ‫יראוּ‬ ָ ‫וְאָביו ִתּ‬ ִ ‫ִאמּוֹ‬ “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Yisrael and say unto them: You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am holy. Each man shall fear his mother and father, and you shall keep My Sabbaths: I am Hashem your G-d.”1

Rashi explains: “‘Speak to all the congregation of the children of Yisrael’—This teaches that this parshah was relayed at the hakhel gathering because most of the corpus of Jewish law depends upon it. ‘You shall be holy’—Separate yourselves from forbidden relationships and from sin, for everywhere that we find the boundary of forbidden behavior delineated, that is where we find the designation of holiness. ‘A harlot or profaned woman [they shall not marry]...I am Hashem who sanctifies you.’ ‘He shall not profane his seed...I am Hashem who sanctifies him.’ ‘They shall be holy...a harlot or profaned woman [they shall not marry].’” The Ramban explains: “‘You shall be holy’—‘Separate yourselves from forbidden relationships and from sin, for everywhere we find the boundary of forbidden behavior delineated, that is where we find the designation of holiness.’ This is the language of Rashi. But in the Toras Kohanim I have seen that ‘holy’ means simply ‘separate,’ as in, ‘Separate yourselves,’ and this is what the sages taught there. ‘And you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy...’—‘Just as I am holy, so too shall you be holy. Just as I am separate, so shall you be separate.’ In my own opinion, this separation does 1

Vayikra 19:2-3 3

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

not mean separation from forbidden relationships [alone] as Rashi indicates, but rather it means the perishus or abstinence that is always indicated by that term in the Talmud, whose advocates are known as perushim or ascetics.” The Two Parts of Avodah The first objective is to understand the juxtaposition of the command to sanctify ourselves and the mitzvah to revere our parents. And so we begin with the teachings of the Ramchal and the Baal HaTanya on the subject of personal sanctity. A person must certainly expend as much effort as he can to sanctify his actions, speech, and thoughts with self-sacrifice. Even so, there is an aspect of ‫עבודת מתנה‬, the “gift of Divine service,”2 because sanctity has two parts to it—one involves effort and the other is a gift from above. When Hashem sees that a person is striving for holiness He grants the person a gift of Divine assistance so that he will, indeed, be able to sanctify himself and rise ever higher. Rav Tzvi Hirsch of Nadvorna taught on the verse, “And it was after these things that G-d tested Avraham,” that there are two types of prophecy. Although it is an article of Jewish faith that Hashem reveals Himself prophetically to those tzaddikim who are worthy, nevertheless there is one category of prophecy that is certain—“Sure is His Name, as is His praise”—and another that, while it is indeed a G-dly revelation to a tzaddik, is nevertheless not a sure prophecy.3 This is what is referred to in the verse, “And G-d tested Avraham.” It is obvious that if the command to perform the akeidah was clear and unequivocal, if it had been a “certain prophecy” of the former type, then there would not have been any test for Avraham at all. When Hashem commands with an absolute and clear mitzvah, any Jew would certainly run to do His will. If the command to Avraham had been clear, like any of us he would have raced to do it. (The Zohar Chadash similarly states that the prophecy that was given to Yaakov Avinu was also not one of the former clear type, 2 3

Bamidbar 18:7 Tzamach Hashem L’Tzvi, Bereishis 22:1 4

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

rather it was in the category of a dream.) This is the greatness of the akeidah, because this was the main element of the test, that Hashem did not approach Avraham Avinu in the manner of prophecy but rather in the way of personal revelation or gilui. During the actual akeidah, Avraham Avinu had many tests and doubts whether or not Hashem was really revealing Himself to him or not. The Challenge of Uncertainty Rav Tzvi Hirsch of Nadvorna continues along this theme and explains that when a person feels that a direction in serving Hashem is crystallizing in his mind he has to be very firm in his convictions. And even if, afterward, he is challenged by doubts as to whether this is really Hashem’s will, even though it seemed so clear beforehand that it was, he must hold strong. Because it is the way of the evil inclination to sow confusion in his mind that this is not Hashem’s will. The tzaddik, however, strengthens himself against this test and is not swayed by it at all, just as Avraham Avinu stood firm against the many challenges posed by the Soton on the way to the akeidah. This is the main avodah of the tzaddikim: to be constantly bound up in the upper worlds with each and every motion down below, even when beset by the Soton that tries to convince them that they are headed in a direction against Hashem’s will. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov similarly wrote that this was the main element of the free will of Moshe Rabbeinu, that he had to add an additional day prior to Matan Torah. Hashem had told him, “Sanctify yourselves today and tomorrow,” and Moshe Rabbeinu intuited that Hashem wanted him to add an additional day of perishus of his own volition.4 This is likewise the main challenge that confronts the tzaddikim, because every age has its matters that are not absolutely clear in a number of points, and when a tzaddik decides what the guideline should be based on his own understanding he afterward undergoes doubts sowed by the yetzer hara that he has chosen a path that will impede rather than enhance his dveikus. Whenever the Soton attacks a person with 4

Likutei Moharan I:190 5

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

doubts the person feels unsure of Hashem’s will, and then it becomes very difficult to achieve dveikus because the mind is disturbed. The way of the tzaddik, however, is to hold very firm in his decision and to ignore completely the potential for doubt with which the Soton tries to infect him. Like Avraham Avinu on the way to the akeidah, he strides straight toward his goal with total self-sacrifice. He nullifies himself completely before Hashem and acts with mesirus nefesh to fulfill Hashem’s will. Even when beset by doubts, he bears in mind that this is the work of the Soton and knows that, quite the contrary, he must encourage himself with the certainty that what he does will bring about a yichud on high. And this applies to every single Jew no matter what his level may be. Even when a person is on a very low level and he has other, apparently more serious tests facing him, nevertheless this challenge applies to him as well. He wonders what Hashem really wants from him and he undergoes doubts as to Hashem’s real will for him. However, if even he would know clearly exactly what Hashem wants he would run to fulfill His will. “For My Sake, I Will Do It” Even though this appears to be a simple matter, it is actually very subtle because the entire subject of making a yichud and liberating the Shechinah from her exile has many levels to it and is very hidden. The Shechinah is hidden in a place that is unknown, and all of the tzaddikim seek to release her from exile by activating their emunah. In the Kabbalistic works we find that yichud has several aspects to it; there is what is known as a “full zivug,” an “incomplete zivug,” and in the Zohar we find that during the exile there is also an aspect of yichud that is like yibum.5 The redemption will involve making a yichud in the manner of yibum, and this itself has a number of manifestations.

5

Eitz Chayim 15:1; Tikkunei Zohar 60b 6

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

Regarding yibum, the sages taught: “Since he did not build, he shall not build.”6 [If the brother of a man who died without issue chose not to perform yibum with his sister-in-law and instead performs chalitzah, he cannot change his mind afterward and do yibum with her. She is no longer permitted to him.] In a deeper explanation of this dictum, the Zohar states that if a person failed to redeem his soul in the proper way, by serving Hashem with all his heart, then it appears as though he will not be able to hope to fulfill his purpose completely. It would seem as though, “he did not build, and so he shall not build.” If that is the case, what hope do the Jewish people have? The simple and straightforward way has not been followed; the Jewish people did not walk a straight path of serving Hashem completely on the way toward redemption. How, then, will we reach our goal of a complete yichud and the redemption of the Shechinah from exile? It was for this reason that the tzaddikim struggled to reveal the infinite extent of Hashem’s mercy, that it is active all the way to the heights known as the “head that is not known”—Reisha d’lo Isyadah. This is the state of Shechinah in exile, the hidden place that is not known, and it is also the root of the challenge that the tzaddikim face— not knowing clearly where they stands, what their level of avodas Hashem is. If all of this would be known to each tzaddik, he would be on the straight and clear path toward a full yichud—but he would not resonate with the real situation of the Shechinah, which requires a higher level of intervention that transcends our “not knowing.” This is also called, “For My sake, for My sake, I will do it.”7 Hashem will do it, not us. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov described this final state of not knowing by way of a parable in the first of his long stories, “The Lost Princess.” At the end of the story, we are told that the tzaddik eventually did redeem the princess from her exile, “but he did not relate how he released her.” It is impossible to reveal the exact path of the liberation of the Shechinah from exile because that would then lower the Shechinah to the place of “known,” rather than the higher place of the “head that is not known” where His mercies 6 7

Yevamos 10b Yeshayah 48:11 7

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

are so much more extensive. But, because of this, it is necessary that every Jew pass through the state of uncertainty as he seeks to refine and purify himself. Each person’s individual redemption depends on this, as does the collective redemption of the Jewish people from exile. It all depends on how we weather the test of doubt in the rightness of our choices in avodas Hashem—a matter that is “not known” with certainty, even among the tzaddikim in their own way. This is not to say that just because a person suffers doubt he necessarily has reason to. When a person sincerely serves Hashem in the way of the Torah and following the guidelines of the true tzaddikim, he really has accessed Hashem’s will for him—“Sure is His Name, as is His praise”—however, he still will be tested by doubts fomented by his yetzer hara. They are designed to weaken his resolve and prevent him from releasing the Shechinah from her exile. However, when a person holds fast to his direction and transcends his doubts, when he rises above “rhyme and reason,” he draws down salvation from the higher place of, “For My sake, for My sake, I will do it.” By overcoming doubts, he slaughters the sitra achra. The Highest Form of Yirah Now we can better understand the juxtaposition of verses at the beginning of the parshah. First we have the mitzvah to sanctify ourselves, and then the mitzvah to revere our parents. The Kabbalistic works emphasize that the concept of kedushah, “holiness,” is associated with Chochmah. The tzaddik must, as a matter of course, be completely holy and nullified before Hashem, and it would seem as though this level is sufficient to bring about a full and final redemption. However, beyond the level of Chochmah/Binah, there is the level expressed by the verse, “Each man shall fear his mother and father.” The aspects of Imma / Binah and Abba / Chochmah themselves stand in awe and receive from the source of the abundance that reaches them above them—Atika and Arich Anpin, which are the roots of Chochmah and Binah, respectively. The concept is further developed in the continuation of the verse, “...And keep my Sabbaths.” Real holiness is only attained when the tzaddik binds himself to a higher level of holiness—this is the 8

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

level known as the “supernal Shabbos,” which is the source of all of the mochin. Rebbe Nachman explains this concept as follows: the tzaddik must have several levels to his yiras Hashem. He must have the awe appropriate to one’s Torah teacher which is like that for “one’s father’s father.”8 The father represents Chochmah, but there is an even higher level of yirah that is associated with Kesser. It is the reverence expressed in the catchphrase, “So did I receive from the house of my father’s father.”9 Genuine holiness always is in doubt of its real level and value, and that is why one must always reach for higher and higher levels of yirah and love of Hashem which parallel Chochmah and Binah respectively, just like the true tzaddikim. [It is the doubt itself that propels a person onward, because otherwise he would run the risk of complacency and would stop developing. This is one reason why the doubt is essential.] The Yibum of the Week and the Yibum of Shabbos The yibum of the week of the sort we have already described: the straightforward and sure path of avodah, but its drawback is that the human contribution is not sufficient to redeem the Shechinah from an unknown place. For this reason, we rely on the yibum of Shabbos, the yichud that Hashem reveals from above, the assistance that Hashem provides so that a person can sanctify himself “above all rhyme and reason.” Shabbos shines with a light from the level of Atika and it “guards” [as in, “guard my Sabbaths”] the spiritual root of yirah. It is from this level that a person is empowered to drive away the doubts that afflict him and strengthen himself with the believe that Hashem is close to him at all times and delights in every single one of his good points. This is what gives him the strength to strive to rise higher and higher through self-sacrifice in avodas Hashem until he reaches his source in Hashem’s supernal attributes of mercy. When we speak of the yichud of yibum, we find that the yibum of the week is also known as the “yichud of the little brother” which is the aspect of Yaakov. At the 8 9

Likutei Moharan I:60 Berachos 10a 9

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

higher level, there is the “yichud of the older brother” which is the aspect of Yisrael. On Shabbos, however, the aspect of yibum rises to its highest level, which is that of the “yichud of the father,” which is the yibum of Yehudah and Tamar, which is when the light of Atik and Arich shine to bring about the final rectification. This is the expression of the “Torah of Atika Sesima’ah” that will be revealed in the ultimate future, on the “day that is entirely Shabbos.”10 All of the different spiritual tikkunim of yibum are accomplished through selfsacrifice, just as the sea was only split through the mesirus nefesh of Nachshon ben Aminadav, the head of the tribe of Yehudah. This is the paradigm of the self-sacrifice of all of the tzaddikim in every generation in their avodas Hashem. When they are up to their necks in a sea of doubt they forge on anyway without looking back, so they can do Hashem’s will beyond all natural reason. This transcendence raises them up to the level of the yichud of Abba and Imma that is illuminated by the Shabbos light of Atik and Arich, and they experience higher and higher levels of yiras Hashem that bring them ever closer to their Creator. They feel only the infinite delight in Hashem’s absolute existence, the state of ayin or nothingness [lack of self-awareness] which is so far beyond Chochmah itself. "‫“—"וְ ַה ָח ְכ ָמה ֵמאַיִ ן ִתּ ָמּ ֵצא‬Wisdom, it comes from whence [ayin or ‘nothingness’]?”11 Compared to the higher state of ayin at the level of Atika and Arich Anpin, even Chochmah is considered a state of yeish, of self-awareness. Holy Certainty It is well known that when the Baal Shem Tov was once performing yichudim while smoking his pipe, he lit it with a tallow candle in accordance with the opinion of the poskim that it is permitted. However, while in a state of dveikus, the Soton planted in his heart a doubt as to whether the action was permitted—perhaps he had derived enjoyment from the forbidden fat? After a moment’s hesitation, he decided that from that point on he would only use a tallow candle when making yichudim. This would 10 11

Likutei Moharan I:49:6 Iyov 28:12 10

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

completely subdue the sitra achra that had come to confuse him with doubts about halachah in the middle of his avodah. This is the way of the sitra achra—to convince a person that he cannot make yichudim, because such lofty rectifications can only be accomplished through holy certainty: “Sure is His Name, as is His praise.” "‫ה‬-‫“—"וַיְ ָב ֶר ְך ָדּוִ יד ֶאת יהו‬And Dovid blessed Hashem...”12 The acronym formed by the initials of the phrase spells ‫—ודאי‬ “certain.” When a person is struck by self-doubt and dismay, when Amalek ( = ‫עמלק‬ ‫ )ספק‬attacks him, he cannot achieve dveikus with his Creator or “bless Hashem.” Even though we all need to do teshuvah all the time, nevertheless we must still rejoice in our lot and abandon ourselves to delight in Hashem’s unity and study His Torah: “Yisrael rejoices in its Maker.” The word for rejoice, ‫ישמח‬, is a rearrangement of the letters ‫—משיח‬Moshiach. By rejoicing in Hashem we can achieve dveikus, and this will bring about the essential tikkun. When we only focus on the delight in Hashem’s existence alone we achieve a yichud of Chochmah and Binah, and this allows us to “be holy” and attain a kind of ruach hakodesh. Then, “I am Hashem, your G-d”—we form a yichud of HaVaYaHELOHIM that empowers us to sanctify ourselves in the highest possible way. Hashem ascertains that, for each and every person, at every single moment, there is a way for Him to bestow His Shechinah and the light of emunah upon him so that he can attain the level of Kesser that is suited to him, at his level. And so each person is tested in his own way as to whether he is willing to sacrifice himself to do Hashem’s will even if his external feelings and impressions stand in his way. This is the deeper meaning of the prohibition against building the Mishkan on Shabbos itself. The highest “crowning” aspect of communion with Hashem must be built by Him from above, which is the essence of the holiness of Shabbos and the light of Kesser, and not by us from below.

12

Divrei HaYamim I:29:10 11

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

‫ ִפּ ְריוֹ; ָשׁלֹשׁ ָשׁנִ ים יִ ְהיֶה ָל ֶכם‬-‫ֲר ְל ֶתּם ָע ְר ָלתוֹ ֶאת‬ ַ ‫ ַוע‬,‫אָרץ ְוּנ ַט ְע ֶתּם ָכּל ֵעץ ַמ ֲא ָכל‬ ֶ ‫לה‬ ָ ‫"וְ ִכי ָתבֹאוּ ֶא‬ ‫ֹאכלוּ‬ ְ ‫ישׁת תּ‬ ִ ‫וּב ָשּׁנָה ַה ֲח ִמ‬ ַ .'‫לּוּלים ַלה‬ ִ ‫יעת ִי ְהיֶה ָכּל ִפּ ְריוֹ ק ֶֹדשׁ ִה‬ ִ ‫ ָשּׁנָה ָה ְר ִב‬.‫ֵאָכל‬ ֵ ‫ לֹא י‬,‫ֲר ִלים‬ ֵ‫ע‬ ".‫יכם‬ ֶ ‫ ֲא ִני ה' ֱאל ֵֹק‬:‫הוֹסיף ָל ֶכם ְתּבוּאָתוֹ‬ ִ ‫ֶאת ִפּ ְריוֹ ְל‬ “And when you shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then you shall count its fruit as orlah; three years shall it be orlah to you; it shall not be eaten. And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy for giving praise to Hashem. But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit that it may yield to you more richly its increase; I am Hashem your G-d.”13

The Secret of Orlah The Baal HaTanya explained that the first three years of the tree’s production parallels Netzach-Hod-Yesod, which are “external” attributes that embody the fact that Shechinah is still in exile and the klippos still have a grasp upon it. Malchus [the Shechinah] is expressed by the faculty of speech, since Hashem’s Kingship is mainly revealed in the world through the holy words that one speaks with Him. But all the while that the Shechinah is in exile a person cannot really speak pleasing and complete words before Hashem that bring Him genuine satisfaction This is because Chessed and Din which parallel Yehudah and Yosef are not united [in a properly balanced way]. But when these aspects are redeemed from exile, holy speech flows freely and a person can fully express himself in Torah and prayer. However, all the while that speech is superficial and does not shine with the inner redeemed light of Malchus, Ze’ir Anpin does not have the necessary light from Chochmah so that it can positively influence Malchus. The light of Chochmah associated with Moshiach ben Yosef needs to unite with Malchus which is associated with Moshiach ben Dovid, and when it cannot this is called the state of orlah. The innermost nature of speech is disassociated from its external aspects.

13

Vayikra 19:23-25 12

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

During the fourth year, though, the produce is, “holy for giving praise to Hashem.” Malchus then rises to the level of Tiferes and the light of Moshiach ben Yosef begins to shine. This generates “praise to Hashem,” which exemplifies the state of yichud and the beginning of the ability to really pray in a rectified manner. In the fifth year Malchus rises completely out of the state of dalet [“4”], which symbolizes poverty or ‫דלות‬, the fifth aspect [the hei] is completed and Malchus is finally able to receive all of the light of Chochmah so that the joining of both redeemers is accomplished and light of the final redemption is drawn down. Orlah came into existence because Adam HaRishon attempted a yichud before the time was ripe, three hours before the onset of Shabbos. These three hours are the root of the three major klippos and the three years of orlah that must pass before one can enjoy the fruit. The state of yichud that is premature is the yichud of Yisrael Sabba u’Tevunah, where the light of Chochmah does not penetrate to its fullest extent. This makes the “yichud of the week” into one that both emerges from, and contributes to, a state of mental confusion. The way in which this state is rectified is through the avodah of the “fourth year”—complete subjugation of the self in praise and gratitude to Hashem. "‫“—"מודים אנחנו לך ה' אלקינו‬We give thanks to You, Hashem our G-d.” We give thanks to Hashem for the aspect of Elokus, for the fact that He allows the light of His G-dliness to shine everywhere, into every situation. When we recognize this, we are brought to feel true gratitude and bitul which brings us closer to Hashem. “In the fifth year you may eat of its fruit”—to really reach the goal of attaining holiness, one must develop the attribute of Dovid HaMelech, whose entire essence was focused on raising up Malchus from the dalet state to the completed hei state. To do this, one must learn how to transcend all self-doubt as we have already mentioned and only devote himself to simply fulfilling Hashem’s will with absolute self-sacrifice, out of pure desire to unite with Hashem. Then the trials of Avraham Avinu, “And G-d tested [‫ ]נסה‬Avraham,” assumes its alternate meaning: “And G-d uplifted [‫ נס‬is an upraised banner] Avraham.” 13

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

It is part of the process of personal and collective redemption that the levels that are attained are later withheld. The way in which the yetzer hara works on a person to sow doubt within him is a manifestation of the conflict between Rachel and Leah over the three thirds of Tiferes. The lower avodah associated with the weekday yichud is perpetually in a state of conflict with the upper avodah, and this is the spiritual root of all of the inner conflicts that a person goes through about prioritizing his avodas Hashem. They are always fighting over territory, over which has precedence, and this is also the spiritual root of conflict and theft that goes on between seller and buyer, the upper and lower aspects that “steal” the middle thirds of Tiferes back and forth. Through holding strong and not losing faith or confidence in Hashem’s closeness and redemption, however, all of the “thefts” are restored and the highest levels can be reached in a balanced and complete way.14 “You Shall be Holy” If a person really wants to do Hashem’s will, he must begin by resolving to sanctify himself. The potential for sanctity is to be found, as the Ramban teaches, in every bit of food we eat, in every single word we say. Sanctifying one’s [thoughts, speech, and] actions is possible in everything because it touches upon every single mitzvah in some way or another. When one speaks, it isn’t enough to simply avoid impure language; one must really strive to imbue every word with a spirit of holiness. The same is true of every bite and every movement. And we become more holy in a general sense by connecting with true tzaddikim and spending time every day contemplating Hashem, praying to Him, striving for dveikus with our Creator. We must seek out the Shechinah constantly and try to enhance kedushah in our lives every single day. One should never feel that he has reached some level of holiness, because holiness is not in the attainment but in the struggle. Kedushah is the essence of yichud, and a yichud must be effected in a spirit of absolute freshness. This is the way of the tzaddikim: to constantly be ‫ מתקדש‬while also being ‫—מתחדש‬ 14

Eitz Chayim, Sha’ar Hona’ah 14

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

renewing themselves. The Arizal taught that self-renewal is a form of creating chiddushei Torah, and when one reveals chiddushim it brings the greatest pleasure to one’s mother and father in Gan Eden. The Month of Iyar The permutation of the Divine Name associated with the month of Iyar is ‫יהה"ו‬, which is the acronym formed by the verse, ‫ ַה ְשׂ ֵכּל וְ ָיד ַֹע‬,‫ ְבּזֹאת ִי ְת ַה ֵלּל ַה ִמּ ְת ַה ֵלּל‬-‫"כּי ִאם‬ ִ "‫אוֹתי‬ ִ —“But let him that glories [“is praised”] glory in this: that he understand and know Me.”15 This phrase is associated with the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam because this is the order of parshios in those tefillin [according to the initials of the first verses of each segment]. They embody the mochin of Chochmah and holiness. The month is also called “Ziv” or “shine” because this is the month when one must be worthy of receiving the light of the Torah’s secrets—Lag B’Omer is the Matan Torah of the Torah’s secrets. As the Baal HaTanya taught, after completing the “thirty-two pathways of Chochmah,” one merits to receive the light of Lag [33] B’Omer, when the Torah’s mysteries are revealed. These secrets are not simply given out; one must seek out the Shechinah because, “Hashem’s Torah is pure”—she is untouched and it requires effort to “split the sea of wisdom” and penetrate to her depths. One can only achieve this if he receives assistance from heaven after making all of his efforts, he needs to receive help from the “head that is not known” in the merit of the Avos who acted with total self-sacrifice. The month of Iyar is the time when the light of ‫ יהה"ו‬shines, which is the time when Malchus rises to the state of being a “crown to her husband.” This is the time when we can rise to higher levels of sanctity and receive the light of the Torah’s secrets transmitted by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai—who was himself the embodiment of the light of Atika and Arich Anpin.

15

Yirmiyah 9:23 15

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

If we will only sanctify ourselves to the degree that we are able, in every word and every bite—because we can experience the light of Shechinah while we eat16—we will come to “understand and know Me,” which is the ultimate goal. “Let Your Soul Know Wisdom” This is the meaning of: "‫“—"דעה חכמה לנפשך והיא כתר לראשך‬Let your soul (nefesh) know (d’ei) wisdom (Chochmah) and it will be a crown (Kesser) for your head.”17 Nefesh refers to the immature yichud of the weekday, of the “little brother,” and Chochmah must be drawn down into it so that the sitra achra does not infect a person with doubts about the value of his avodah and the choices he has made. Then it will be a “crown to your head”—you will reach the level of total self-sacrifice in Hashem’s service and the self-forgetting that allows you to simply rejoice in the Creator Himself. “Guard your holy mitzvos”—one dedicates himself completely to fulfilling Hashem’s will at every moment—“Guard Your holy Shabbos”—and he will then enjoy the higher light of the yichud of Shabbos, of Atik and Arich Anpin and the final redemption “for My sake, for My sake,” in great mercy. May Hashem help us so that all of the Jewish people will strengthen themselves to attain greater holiness in every aspect of their lives, and even if they are afflicted with some doubt may He shine the light of Atika so that we transcend all confusion and simply delight in Him alone.

Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.

16 17

“...At the time of eating, approach nigh.” (Ruth 2:14) From the Shabbos zemer “D’ror Yikrah,” based on Mishlei 24:14. 16