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Torah and Chessed Institutions

Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva Weekly English Newsletter from Rav Shalom Arush's Yeshiva

Shmuel Hanavi 13, Jerusalem

Visit us on the web at www.Breslev.co.il

Vayikra, 5773

Words from Our Rosh Yeshiva

The Basic Truth!

In less than two weeks we will be celebrating the holiday of Pesach, the holiday of our redemption. During the week of Pesach, there are those that forbid working or doing any other type of activity not related to the holiday whenever possible. We must ask ourselves the question: Why? What’s the big deal if a person works even though working does not pose a financial loss for him? I heard a beautiful answer to this regarding the banquet in the story of Queen Esther, when Mordechai – who was the leader of the Sanhedrin – ruled that it was forbidden to go to King Achashverosh’s banquet. The people didn’t agree with Mordechai the Tzaddik and said to themselves. “All of the food has the highest standards of kashrut, the wine is the most kosher money can buy, the king wants to bring us close, and we are not allowed to diminish his honor by not going. In fact, not going will cause dissension among the Jewish community and the Persians.” Therefore, they ruled that they should go to the banquet. What was the result of their not listening to the Tzaddik? They were all nearly annihilated by the evil Haman.

Baruch Hashem, we have the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) that explains to us the basic halacha and how to keep it. Someone who wants to succeed in life should make it a point to study the halachot and fulfill them to the best of his abilities. For example, our sages told us the times when we can pray the Shacharit prayer. What about a person who wakes up at a quarter to 10 in the morning in order to pray at 10? According to the basic halacha, unless it is a rare case, such prayer is past the allowable time. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains in Sichot HaRan that someone who accustoms himself to pray Shacharit after the prescribed time is like one who buys the most beautiful Etrog on Pesach. Has he fulfilled the mitzvah of Etrog on Pesach? Of course not. The fact that there are 70 facets of the Torah doesn’t mean it’s the basic halacha. This is why Rebbe Nachman taught us to study the Codes each day in order to become proficient in them and fulfill Hashem’s will accordingly. We must avoid any type of speculation that will make us doubt what Hashem’s will is.

This is what happened with the sin of the Golden Calf that we read a few weeks ago. When the people didn’t see that Moshe Rabbeinu had returned, they began to reason on their own: “How can we survive without a leader? How

can we possibly come closer to Hashem without an intermediary?” However, Hashem had clearly commanded them not to have any images before Him. And yet, their speculation and their own “intellect” lead them on the path of destruction. A classic example of what the halacha says versus what people conclude with their own intellects is that we are forbidden to stray after our eyes. Our sages teach us that a person is not allowed to have his eyes wondering as he’s walking down the street. This halacha also applies, for example, to seeing a friend’s new car and desiring it. It’s best that you don’t look at that item if it will cause you to desire it. A person with emuna understands that Hashem commanded us not to follow after our heart’s desires, which are a result of what our eyes see, as our sages teach us: “What the eyes see, the heart desires.” Therefore, he believes that Hashem alone gives him what he needs and doesn’t go around looking at or desiring things that are not part of his mission in life. Guarding our eyes is not Chassidut or over-stringencies; this is the most basic halacha! The final 5 of the 10 Commandments have to do with man and fellow man. Our sages teach us that the reason why “You shall not covet” is the 10

th is because

the entire Torah stands on this principle. A person who does not look at what is not his does not murder, does not steal, etc.

Another example is how Hashem forbids us to speak loshon harah. There are some who completely ignore this and speak negatively about rabbis, tzaddikim and others. How could someone excuse himself into transgressing Hashem’s will? They either don’t know the halachot or they dismiss and replace them with their own distorted logic. A person who studies the halacha and doesn’t fulfill currently it should at least say to himself: “I know that the halacha says this and that; however, I don’t currently have the merit to fulfill this at this time. May it be Hashem’s will that I may be worthy of fulfilling His will accordingly.”

For example, the very first chapter of the Shulchan Aruch speaks about how a person should rise at midnight and recite the Tikkun Chatzot, crying over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. This is the halacha! Most people cannot fulfill this halacha for legitimate reasons and this is ok. However, one should not dismiss this halacha with all types of “logical” reasons and speculations like: “This is only for tzaddikim and kabbalists; it does not apply to simple folk like me.” Or, “In those days, they did not have accessible light…but today we have electricity….” What does that have to do with the halacha? It’s better to say, “I understand that this is Hashem’s will, but I have not merited fulfilling it because I have to work early in the mor-

ד''בס

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ning…I will continue praying over this and doing teshuvah over it, and surely Hashem will have mercy on me and allow me to fulfill it.” Such an attitude is one of truth and if a person truly desires to fulfill Hashem’s will, one day he will merit doing so. The main thing is to not allow ourselves to be fooled. Don’t give up on trying to come closer to Hashem and learning His will in order to properly fulfill it.

Why is it that today we have so many interpretations of the halacha? Why is it that there are so many dis-agreements and arguments as to how to fulfill it? People dismiss the most basic halacha and replace it with the 70 facets of the Torah. They reason that one can pray Shacharit at 1pm, since this will allow them get into the proper mental state, etc. What good is praying Mincha at 2am? Have I fulfilled Hashem’s will by doing so? Can someone observe all of the laws of Shabbat on a weekday and expect to get any credit for it? The halacha is the halacha, and we should not deviate from it. It is our guide to properly fulfilling Hashem’s will. If we would conduct ourselves with simplicity, following Hashem’s will according to the halacha, there would not be any arguments and dissension among ourselves. There would be peace.

Peace begins at home. The main goal of everyone should be to attain shalom bayit with one’s spouse. We have been sent to this world mainly to fulfill the commandments of man and his fellow man; and this begins at home. A person’s barometer of whether he gets along with others is measured by his behavior towards his wife and children. It’s very easy to be one person in public and a completely different person at home when no one’s looking. A person who lacks shalom bayit should devote his entire hour of daily personal prayer asking Hashem to grant him the wisdom to treat his wife with love and respect. This is the halacha: One is not allowed to cause suffering to another person, much less one’s spouse. How is it that people are careful not to hurt someone’s feelings with their speech and yet don’t think twice before lashing out at their spouse and children? The halacha is not clear to them and they replace it with their own logical reasons and excuses. Someone who does not have shalom bayit does not have anything.

Therefore, his main focus should be on this area alone. Baruch Hashem that we have books like The Garden of Peace for men and Women’s Wisdom for women, and “The Garden of Education” which teach us about the great benefits of having shalom bayit and how we can better raise our children in a peaceful environment. Everything written there is according to halacha, not opinions. Hashem commands us saying: “Walk with simplicity before Hashem your G-d.” We achieve this by learning His will and striving to fulfill it to the very best of our abilities, and putting our own intellects (which only serve to confuse us) aside. In this way, we can be assured that we will be following Hashem’s will and fulfilling our mission in this world. I bless you to merit obtaining the basic Truth and to serve Hashem with simplicity and happiness. Amen.

Rav Shalom Arush

Emuna Therapy

Recognizing Alien Philosophies

Dear Rabbi Ballen,

How are you? I hope this finds you and your family well. I have a quick question for you at this time:

I know that Rebbe Nachman was against philosophical speculation and arguments as an approach to building emuna. I therefore want to be able to recognize philosophical speculation when I see it, so I can decide whether it should be avoided. What are the specific criteria I should use in deciding if something (e.g., a book, an article, a lesson) constitutes philosophical speculation? These criteria will also help me decide which approaches might be best for spreading emuna.

Thank you so much for your help!

All the best,

Brian

Brian,

Thank you for your excellent question. As an emuna-based psychotherapist I am constantly being confronted by questions about whether particular methods of therapy and coaching are based on pure faith and the genuine wisdom of our sages and which are based upon philosophical ideas that are not grounded in the Torah.

One must be exceedingly careful in this area as systems of thought that are not based on the Torah can easily create doubts in one's mind whether the world is governed only by the Will of G-d or not, G-d forbid.

You should really address your question to Rabbi's who are more qualified to answer this than I am. However, in the mean time, I'm sending you the following guidelines which I use for myself. I found them in Rebbe Nasan of Breslev's book Advice, which gives me a practical grasp on Rabbi Nachman's main teachings. The book has been translated into English by Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum.

Here are the guidelines:

* Avoid any ideology or philosophy that seeks to combine or adapt the genuine wisdom of the Torah as part of their system of thought.

* True wisdom is clear, simple and uncomplicated. It does not raise questions that are beyond our ability to answer (for example the paradox of free will).

* Avoid any sources that are not firmly grounded in the

Talmud and Midrash.

* Don't even open a book of philosophy; even one written by our Sages.

*Avoid all books of speculative science.

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*The books of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai were highly recommended by Rebbe Nachman who said that we should go through them again and again.

Rebbe Nachman tells us why these guidelines are so critically important. He says that literally all of our problems, deficits and sins come from the abusing the sanctity of the mind. This takes place when we knowingly or unknowingly admit alien thoughts and ideologies into our minds, G-d forbid. The intelligence of a person's soul is diminished in proportion to the space taken up by foreign ideas in his mind. The Rebbe says that the way we can repent and cleanse ourselves from any heretical ideas that we've consumed is through giving charity and doing good deeds. These holy acts have the power to wipe a person clean and enable him to start again.

Obviously there are many searching questions that thinking people have about G-d. But how, with our limited intelligence, says Rebbe Nachman, can we ever understand how G-d is running and supervising the world? Yes, there's much that baffles us about life. Yet, the greatness and exaltedness of G-d are only magnified when we humbly admit that there are questions that are simply beyond us to solve.

With blessings for a wonderful Shabbos,

Dr. Zev Ballen

If you would like advice about a situation in your life, feel free to email Dr. Ballen at: zevballen@yahoo.com or visit his website at: www.zevballen.com.

To schedule a private appointment with Dr. Ballen: Dial from the US: 1-718-577-2975 ext.1; Dial Israel direct: +972-2-532-3339 ext.1. The hours to call for appointments are between 3pm and 11pm (Sun. – Thurs.) Israel time.

All letters published in this column have been altered to protect the identity of those who wrote them. By writing, you not only help yourself but you help others too. Please indicate, on your letter, whether or not you grant us permission to publish it.

A Story for the Shabbat Table

The Price of a Mitzvah

After WWII, the Poles decided to build a highway through an old Jewish cemetery. The local Burial Society had to remove all the bones to a new resting place. To their amazement, they found one body that had not decomposed! It is considered a sign of great righteousness. But even more to their wonderment, he was buried in the robes of a priest!! They quickly made enquiries among the elders of the town, and this is the story that was revealed.

Reb Naftali was the Gabbai Tzedakah of the town. He was well respected and he would always distribute the funds fairly. One day, after he had already collected quite

a large sum of money for a dire emergency, a man knocked on his door. “Naftali, please you must help, I have nowhere else to turn”, he begged. The man, already burdened by the expenses of a large family had a child who was very ill, and the medical bills were putting the family under undue financial distress. Naftali went out to collect again; and people helped, but not like the first time. He returned home exhausted, but satisfied that he had done the right thing. Then there was a knock on the door again. A man whose roof had caved in on his house was in the doorway. The family of 10 souls was homeless. Naftali couldn't go around collecting three times in one day...but he did.

He went to beseech the young son of a wealthy merchant who was entertaining some of his friends at the local pub.

“Don't tell me you that are collecting again”, he screamed in disbelief. They all began to ridicule Naftali mercilessly.

Suddenly, the young man had an idea. “Naftali, we will give you the entire amount of 20 zlotys that you need. All you have to do is to walk through the main street of town wearing priest’s robes.” Naftali agreed.

They all walked behind him singing hooting. Other townspeople, seeing Naftali, shouted curses and pelted him with eggs. But he got the 20 zlotys, plus an extra 20

so that he didn't have to go collecting again that day.

Naftali went home a broken man. He threw the priest's robes in the back of his closet and collapsed into bed.

A year later, the Divrei Chayim, R' Chaim of Tzanz passed through that same town. As he was [passing the house where Naftali lived he exclaimed, “I smell the fragrance of Gan Eden (Paradise) here.” They went into the house and began to question Naftali, what did he ever do that would cause the fragrance of Gan Eden to descend upon his house. Naftali remembered the incident of the priest's robes.

R' Chaim commanded the Burial Society that when Naftali's time comes, he should be buried in those same priest’s robes. The angels of destruction will not dare to touch him.

Courtesy of www.nishmas.org.

Gems of Rebbe Nachman

Anger

1) Avoid becoming enraged and you will not sin.

2) Getting angry after eating is physically very harmful.

3) A woman’s anger destroys her home.

4) Angel leads to depression

5) Anger shortens one’s life.

6) Giving charity eliminates anger.

“The Aleph Bet Book” translated by Moshe Mykoff.

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The Rebbe’s Promise

“When my days are over and I leave this world, I will still intercede for anyone who comes to my grave, gives a coin to charity and says these Ten Psalms. No matter how great his sins, I will do everything in my power, spanning the length and breadth of the creation to cleanse him and protect him. I will pull him out by his peyot from Gehinom. I’m very sure of everything I say, but I’m most sure in regard to the great benefit of these Ten Psalms.” The Ten Psalms, also known as the Tikkun HaKlali (The General Remedy) are as follows: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, and

150. They are also very beneficial to say at any time.

Kosher Humor

A religious Jewish woman gets on the bus in Jerusalem with her six children, the oldest of which is about eight years old. Seeing how the brave woman is struggling with all of her children, the double-stroller and the many bags of groceries, the bus driver tries to give her a word of advice for the future saying: “Lady, why don’t you do yourself a favor and next time leave at least half of your kids at home with your husband or someone else?” The lady replies, “What do you think I did?”

Announcements and Schedule of Classes

Rosh Hashana 5774 in Uman with Rabbi Lazer Brody!

Breslev Israel is back for our fourth year at the Inn Uman! Enjoy all of the wonderful benefits of staying with us, such as daily shiurim and spiritual guidance

by Rabbi Brody in a private, intimate atmosphere. We are Uman's premier location, with a new building equipped with 24-hour security and comfortable, American-style beds and an en-suite kitchen.

Enjoy our beautiful, state-of-the-art mikveh, which is only available to guests of Inn Uman. We are also pleased to offer to our guests the finest glatt-kosher chef-cooked meals in Uman, as well as 24-hour unlimited tea, coffee, and cake service.

We are also working on securing a private appearance and lecture by Rav Shalom Arush Shlit''a, which will be translated by Rabbi Brody! Those of us that attended in the past have

tremendously enjoyed this priceless gift!

Breslev Israel is doing our best to ensure another comfortable and spiritually enlightening Rosh Hashana for all of our guests.

Register now, as last year was completely sold out! For more details, visit www.innuman.com or call 054-543-2774 (Israel), 1-718-619-8600 (USA).

English classes offered at the Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva located at Shmuel Hanavi 13, Jerusalem)

Daily:

Rav Ruven Levy

9:00 – 10:00 Gemara – Chagigah

Rav Mordechai Naim

9:30 – 11:30 Hilchot Shabbat:

Tur Shulchan Aruch

Rav Dror Moshe Cassouto

10:30 – 11:45 Gemara – Berachot

12:00 – 1:00 Likutei Moharan,

“The Garden of Gratitude”

Rav Nasan Maimon (www.BreslovTorah.com)

10:30 - 11:45 Likutei Halachot

1:00 Mincha

Rav Yishai Tokayer

1:30 – 2:15 Kitzur Shulchan Aruch

2:15 – 3:00 Ulpan

Rav Mordechai Naim

3:00 – 4:00 Daf Yomi

Wednesday Evenings:

5:00 - 6:00 Rav Dr. Zev Ballen

(www.ZevBallen.com)

Wednesday Evenings (open to men and women):

7:15 - 8:15 Rav Lazer Brody

(www.LazerBrody.net)

Thursdays:

11:30 - 12:30 Rav Elchanan Elgrod

– Halacha

Rav Nasan Maimon (www.BreslovTorah.com)

11:30 – 1:00 – Likutei Halachot