Parsha Post: Nesivos Shalom

Well, three flocks around it, big rock on well’s top.  Medrash has different takes on the well. Key here, is the rule that the Torah doesn’t tell plain old stories, and from each part there’s what to learn for the path of a Jew.This applies to the well.   The world is a field.  We can grow beautiful fruits.  And also we can grow thorns and thistles.  So too with all creation. On the one hand we can reach high levels and on the other hand it is a lowly and physical world. When HK”BH - the Holy One Blessed Be He sends a Jew’s soul from the soul quarry to this low world, He prepares a well in the field, a place to take nourishment/nursing to fulfil our task and purpose in this world. And the field, the source of nourishment,  has several aspects: First of all is Shabbos.  It is THE well in the field, the source of nourishment for a Jew here.  Zohar :All blessings above and below depend on the seventh day.   The high blessing for the high ones,...

  The Nesivos Shalom cites the Medrash on the pasuk that reports Avraham saying to the young men that accompanied him to the Akeidah that he was going to bow and then come back: "All is in the merit of bowing. We are never told that Avraham actually bowed on the mountain of the Akeidah. The entire act of what he did was one big bow of self abnegation before G-d. Our purpose in life is to humble ourselves before G-d. And that's what Avraham did at the Akeidah. There are three times in the history of the Jewish People when bowing was key, in a metaphorical way, humbling ourselves before G-d. 1 - When we left Egypt. 2- When we got the Torah. 3 - For all future redemptions.

  This parsha mentions most of the ten tests of Avraham, we learn from Pirkei Avot - he faced ten tests and withstood them all… The Torah doesn’t just contain stories - but its stories are main parts of Torah. We are all tested with our ten life challenges as Avraham was. Like him, we’re all tested with ten tests (or categories of tests) repeatedly, to show how much G-d loves us, to make us aware.  Ramban: The test was great for Avraham, this - his passing the tests - made him stand out, more than keeping the Torah.  The key for all of us is how loyal and faithful we stay in the time of being challenged. Chazal: 3 things are present in a student of Avraham - positive/generous eye - seeing the good, humble spirit, nefesh shefeila, a lowered appetite for the physical- holding it down vs nastiness of the eye, haughtiness, strong physical appetite). One could also say that whoever passes his 10 tests is a student of Avraham Avinu, paralleling his major greatness.  And ...

We say this on the night of Rosh haShanah which teaches of the designation and purpose of the world and all that fills it - all for G-d, to bring a Jew closer to G-d.  Relates to this world being ike an antechamber before a hall, the point of this world is to go through it on your path to The Hal/Parlor/Place To Bel. This world is a pathway.  Yet it can seem that this world of desire does the reverse of bringing you to Heaven.  Also we need to understand the concept of Dirah BeTachtonim, the the Lower will be a place where the higher resides. How can that be?  Answer: Maggid of Mezirich - The world is filled with kinyanechah - not things G-d owns, but things through which we gain ownership of/connection to G-d. All the loves and lusts - arousals -  in the world are manufactured in a way, in essence, to bring us to acquire connection with G-d.  Fits w Baal Shem Tov’s statement that no bad descends from Heaven.When seemingly bad lust or love rises in a person...

We say this on the night of Rosh haShanah which teaches of the designation and purpose of the world and all that fills it - all for G-d, to bring a Jew closer to G-d.  Relates to this world being ike an antechamber before a hall, the point of this world is to go through it on your path to The Hal/Parlor/Place To Bel. This world is a pathway.  Yet it can seem that this world of desire does the reverse of bringing you to Heaven.  Also we need to understand the concept of Dirah BeTachtonim, the the Lower will be a place where the higher resides. How can that be?  Answer: Maggid of Mezirich - The world is filled with kinyanechah - not things G-d owns, but things through which we gain ownership of/connection to G-d. All the loves and lusts - arousals -  in the world are manufactured in a way, in essence, to bring us to acquire connection with G-d.  Fits w Baal Shem Tov’s statement that no bad descends from Heaven.When seemingly bad lust or love rises in a person...

From Bamidbar, where we're told about the chatzotzrot: 1 - When a war comes to your land, regarding the tormentor who torments you, you will make sounds (vehereiotem/teruah sounds) with the chatzotzrot… (next pasuk) 2 - and on your happy days andand holidays you will make sounds (utekatem) with these chatzotzrot/trumpets (over the olot and zivchei shalom, before G-d). 2 ideas of tekiah  1 - War in inside you and, coming to you, strife inside your gates.  This is the enemy inside you that you must chase away. You blow to announce the war of chasing the tormenting enemy away.  2 - Coronating the king, accepting his kingship with joy, on your happy, holidays. When blowing in the first case it says ve’harei’otchem - a moaning, groaning, howling (genuchei genach, veyelule yalil) The second instance is utekatem, the blowing of victorious rejoicing. These 2 elements combine in the blowing of RH,  1 - Uprooting the bad, chasing and cleaning out our internal enemy, chasing hi...

Divrei Shmuel - Se’u she’arim rosheichem hints to all the holidays 4 words start w 4 letter of shofar - Tehillim 24 -  Se’u she’arim - RH VeHinasu pitchei olam - YK, the eternal opening is the kodesh hakodashim, first the gate, then deeper through the opening Veyavo melech hakavod  - Sukkos, culminating in yichus of G-d and us These letters form the word shofar because it opens the gateway to all the holidays.  The Medrash cites Yoel - G-d sent His voice/sound before the host… The day of G-d is awesome and great.  This sending is the shofar, the host is Israel, shocked and trembling from the shofar’s sound and doing Teshuva to be meritorious is din on YK.    The upper and the lower tremble because of the sound- this is the gateway to all of the holy parts of this exalted time, the month of the mighty ones. Moshol - King sends son away to fulfil a task, writes to him everyday.  Enemies use sabotage and block the letters from arriving, trying to cut...