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Updates on Tehillim names. Please continue to daven for:
Leah Bracha bas Shoshana Basya-a seminary girl who was injured in the bombing attack in Jerusalem.
Michoel Pinchas ben Fraycha Fani- recovering in rehab, having serious vision trouble
Chaim Yissachar ben Chaya Mishkit- feeling weak and sick despite completing a cycle of chemo
Chaim Tzuriel ben Naomi- about to have another skin graft in one area which has not been healing
Chaim Zev ben Ettil Chaya- spoke for the first time since his stroke, still paralyzed on one side
Chaim Yisroel Pesach ben Chaya Mirel- in and out of the hospital for cancer treatments
Eliyahu Baruch ben Penina Perel- a fourteen year old boy with serious infection
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Dear Naaleh Friend,
As we approach Pesach, the festival of our redemption and establishment as a G-dly nation, celbrate by renewing your commitment to studying G-d's words, the Torah. Naaleh has many Pesach shiurim available, as well as the Pesach edition of the Torat Imecha, below. Click here for the printable version.
Wishing the greater Naaleh family a kosher, joyous, and inspired Pesach.
Next year in Jerusalem!
Ashley Klapper and the Naaleh Crew |
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Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi
Torat Imecha- Women's Torah
Volume 3 Number 9
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The Significance of Four
Based on Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Hershel Reichman
 The number four plays a paramount role at the seder. There are four questions, four cups of wine, four expressions of geulah, four sons, and four letters in Hashem's name, yud keh vav keh. The Shem Mishmuel explains that this corresponds to the four levels of the soul, nefesh, ruach, neshama, and chayah-the biological, emotional, intellectual, and divine aspects of the self.
Our sages say that the Jewish people are characterized by three traits - rachmanim, bayshanim, v'gomlei chasadim, (mercifulness, bashfulness, and generosity). These attributes stem from our forefathers. Avraham signified chesed. Yitzchak, the pillar of yirat Hashem represented bayshanut-humbleness and bashfulness. Yaakov was merciful, a combination of din and chesed. These three middot were passed down to the Jewish people.
The positive side of any spiritual entity has a reverse negative aspect. The evil side of the three middot of the Avot are the three cardinal sins, idol worsip, adultery, and murder. All the sins of the world fall within these three categories. The root of these sins are, jealousy, desire, and honor. Desire is the source of adultery, honor is the root of idol worship as one gives honor to something other than Hashem, and jealousy is the cause of murder. Adultery was counterbalanced by the chesed of Avraham. Yitzchak, with his constant fear of Hashem rectified idol worship. Yaakov, the paragon of mercy, corrected the sin of murder. Moshe, who had the closest relationship with Hashem, symbolizes the divinity in man as represented by chayah. He is the fourth model. The divine image is the key to uniting all the conflicting parts of a person's soul in order to serve Hashem.
The Jewish people went through four subjugations: Bavel, Paras, Yavan, and Edom. Bavel represents idol worship. Paras symbolizes immorality. Yaven signifies murder-a division between Hashem and the world. Edom personifies loshon hara which encompasses all three sins. Egypt was the archetype of all exiles. It was the birthplace of the Jewish nation and it was there that they were tested on all four levels of the soul. Pharaoh issued four decrees. Avodah kasha which affected the nefesh-physical level, killing the male babies before they born which affected the ruach-emotional level, throwing the babies in the river which affected the neshama level. The final decree to collect the straw was meant to wear them out and destroy their divinity. The Shem Mishmuel says that the first two decrees which focused on the physical and emotional level were implemented by the Egyptian people. The last two decrees which were aimed at the Jewish people's higher self- their intellect and divine spirit, were devised by Pharoah. This represents the physical observable world versus the hidden world.
Chazal tell us that the Jewish people merited to leave Egypt in the merit of not altering their garb, language, or name. This was their nefesh, ruach, and neshama expressing itself. Name is nefesh, language is sechel-neshama, and garb is ruach. There was a unity, a wholesomeness, and a tikun at the chaya level. On Pesach we rectify each of the four aspects of our soul. Pesach is the nefesh, marror is the ruach, and matzah is the neshama. Chametz is falsity, a distortion, a lot of hot air. Refraining from consuming chametz rectifies the fourth level, chaya-our divine image.
As explained by the Shem Mishmuel, the number four is important on every level of tikun and the development of the perfect personality. The challenge of Pesach is to achieve sh'leimut. May we merit to experience the tikun klali-the final fixing on all four levels of the soul.
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Maggid: Bluepring for Self Improvement, part II
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller
In Yachol M'Rosh Chodesh, we say, one would think that the redemption should be celebrated from Rosh Chodesh when we received the first mitzva. However, it had to wait until the Jews could move away from rational thought into a state of submission to Hashem. We then recite Me'tchila. We speak about Terach and our unholy beginnings to remind us that life is not about perfection but about a process. Avraham had to decide who he was not and then find out who he was. This is true for all of us. We come from the same place of negativity and have to move away from continuous definition of self to a final identity. Although we may sometimes feel that our lives are unbearable, every day takes us to a new place. The ability to say yes to inspiration and no to what distances us from Hashem takes us toward our true purpose.
Lavan wanted to destroy everything. He was a sorcerer. By forcing Yaakov to marry the wrong zivug at the wrong time he hoped to uproot the Jewish people at their core. Paro wanted to decimate the heart of being a Jew. He enslaved us so that we would not have time to discover ourselves. We do this too. We are so caught up in mundane matters that we lose track of who we are and our purpose on this world.
Approximately sixty years before the actual Exodus, the beginnings of the redemption were already apparent. Moshe went down to his brethren, saw their suffering, and empathized with them. The Meam Loez notes that he would speak to the Jews and offer them words of comfort and consolation. He gave them a sense of their purpose. He found the good inside of them, embellished it, and gave them a way of relating to their suffering. He gave them Shabbat.
There are two ways to reach Hashem, through fasting, seeing what we are not, and eating, seeing who we are. The work week is analogous to fasting, we say no to what is prohibited. Shabbat represents eating. It is a time of simplicity, of finding ourselves, of letting Hashem sustain us.
This is the hope that Moshe gave them. It left an imprint that was so profound, that when he returned they were ready to be redeemed. We must learn to say yes. We must celebrate Shabbat with joy and let our sense of happiness radiate outwards to include others.
The Haggadah teaches us to accept people as they are, whichever one of the four sons they happen to be. It teaches us to be humble enough to ask questions, to see Hashem providing us with everything we have and need, including the answers. It teaches us to approach life from a place of giving, rather than taking. May we internalize these timeless lessons and may it lead us to the final redemption.
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Hallel At The Seder
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Shimon Isaacson
 Hallel at the seder is very different than the rest of the year. The Taz notes that the usual practice is to recite Hallel while standing. At the seder we sit. Hallel is inherently a day mitzvah as derived from the verse, "Mi'mizrach shemesh ad m'evoah. At the seder we say Hallel at night. Usually before we begin Hallel, we recite a blessing. At the seder we do not. While women are generally exempt from reciting Hallel during the year, they are obligated do so at the seder.
Tosfot explains that women are obligated to say Hallel at the seder because it is linked to the mitzvoth of the four kosot. The Ran in Pesachim quotes Rav Hai Gaon who explains why there is no blessing on Hallel at the seder. There are two types of Hallel. There is Hallel which is chiyuv kriah like kriath megilah and kraith haTorah which requires a blessing. But there is also Hallel Shira, an outpouring of song which does not. Hallel Chiyuv Kriah commemorates an event. Hallel Shira is an expression of praise while experiencing the event. At the seder we re-live the miracle of the Exodus once again. Our Hallel is an outpouring of song. it would be illogical to recite a bracha at such a spontaneous moment. Women are obligated in this Hallel since they too were part of the miracle. We can say this Hallel at night because the daytime requirement is only for mitzvath kriah.
Rav Zolty offers a different explanation. The Rambam and the Chinuch note that the mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus is not just recounting the episode but hallel and hodoah (praise and thanks). Therefore Hallel at the seder is not really Hallel but rather a facet of the mitzvah of Sipur Yetziat Mitzrayim. There is no blessing on this mitzvah because there is no limit to it. In addition, we generally do not make a bracha on mitzvoth that are related to middot such as bikur cholim or hachnosot orchim. Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim is about hakarat hatov, gratitude and thanks to Hashem for all the wondrous miracles we experienced.
The Netziv writes that the seudah in middle of the seder is a remembrance to the Korbon Pesach. The Korbon Pesach was eaten in a group, it was consumed quickly, and it could not be left over. He draws a comparison between this sacrifice and the korbon todah. The Gra notes that the Jews had an obligation of korbon todah. They were redeemed from slavery, crossed the desert and the sea, and recovered from illness. The Korbon todah is a huge animal that is brought with many loaves of bread and matzah. It too must be eaten quickly and none of it may be left over. Therefore the person bringing the sacrifice must invite other people to share it with him. He is compelled to publicize his personal miracle. This is what korbon Pesach is. We recount the miracles of Egypt and praise and thank Hashem. Shulchan Orech, the festive meal, is not just a break from the long test of the Seder. It is an integral part of the Seder, when we sit with our family and tell over the miraculous story of our redemption. In Hallel, we say, "Lecha ezbach zevach todah,"-We will bring the korbon todah, "U'vshem Hashem ekra,"-and we will call out to Hashem. We bring the sacrifice, but we also tell over the story with praise and thanks to Hashem. "B'chatzrot beit Hashem,"-The korbon is offered in the Beit Hamikdash, "B'tocheichi Yerushalayim,"-but it spreads outward to the people of Yerushalayim.
As we praise and thank Hashem at our festive seder tables, let us be cognizant of the myriad miracles He performed for us and continues to do for us every day.
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Achieving Balance Class #13
Excerpted from Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller's Question and Answer series on Naaleh.com
Question:
How do we understand the low spiritual level of the Jews in Egypt? Wasn't it supposed to be the kur habarzel (the smelting furnace) that would refine them?
Answer:
The Arizal teaches that the generation of Mitzrayim was a reincarnation of the dor hamabul and the dor haflaga. The dor haflaga created a human-centered world. They equated themselves with Hashem. Therefore they needed to go through the torment of exile in order to subjugate their physical selves and acknowledge that ultimately Hashem was in control. Suffering serves as an atonement. It uproots the core of sin but not necessarily the sin itself. It is true that the Jews in Egypt worshipped idols. They did not know why they were in exile. However the experience served to loosen the roots of sin which ultimately prepared them to receive the Torah.
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