REVEALING THE HIDDEN WISDOM OF THE MYSTIC MASTERS
From Master Bunam
כי בשמיה תצאו — ווען א מענש איז בשמחה, פרייליך, האָפנונגספול, איז ער ביכולת ארויסצוגיין פון אלע דאגות און צרות.
Ki b’simcha teitsei’u ["For you shall go out with joy" Isaiah 55:12] — When a person is b’simcha, happy, hopeful, he is able to go out from all worries and troubles.
Post # 150!
ישמח לב מבקשי יהוה — ס’איז די טבע פון א מענש, בעת ער זוכט א פארלארענע זאך ער בשעת דעםזוכער זײַן פול מיט צער און וועהטאָג. א פרעהליכער ווערט ער, ווען ער געפינט די אבדה, די ’’מבקשי ד’ ” די וואס זוכען גאָט זיינען פרייליך, האָבען גרויס הנאה באלד ווען זיי זוכען אים.
Yismach lev m’vakshei Hashem (Joyous of heart are those who seek Hashem) [Psalm 105:3] — It is human nature to be sad when one is looking for something that’s lost. But one becomes happy upon finding the lost [item]. The m’vakshei hashem, those who seek Gd, will assuredly experience great pleasure promptly when they look for Him. (R’ Simcha Bunam)
צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִרְדֹף
tzedek, tzedek tirdof
justice, justice shall you pursue
(D’varim 16:20)
צדק צדק תרדף — זאל ביי דיר ניט זיין דער כלל „אז דער ציל הייליגט דאס מיטעל.“ נאָר נאכיאָגען זאָלסטו צדק מיט צדק. די מיטעל וועלכע דו וועסט באנוצען צו דערגריידען א גערעכטען ציל, זאל אויפ זיין גערעכט. (ר’ רבי בונם)
Justice, justice shall you pursue — don’t go by the adage “the end justifies the means.”* You should only pursue justice with justice. The means which you utilize to attain a just goal must also be just. (R’ Rebbe Bunam)
*Idiomatic translation. The literal translation of the phrase “az der tsil hayligt dos mitel,” would be “that the goal sanctifies the means.”
Traditionally, the first teaching of the week has been that of the Master of the Week. In this case, that would be Simcha Bunam. The treasury has but two contributions by Bunam for Parshas Balak. One is about a page and half long, which I may try to summarize at some point during the week. The other is but one sentence long, though it is a very convoluted sentence. I shall attempt a loose-ish translation. Anyone with better rendition, please send it along.
In this pasuk (verse) Balaam is speaking to Balak:
לְכָה, אִיעָצְךָ, אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה הָעָם הַזֶּה לְעַמְּךָ, בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים
l’chah, i’atscha, asher ya’aseh ha’am hazeh l’amcha, b’acharit hayamim
Come, and I’ll announce to you what this people will do to your people in the end of days. (Numbers 24:14)
„באחרית הימים“ פאר ביאת הגואל וועט מען פּרואווען באווירקען דעם „העם הזה“ די אידען „לעמך“ זיי זאולן אויפפיהרען זיך ווי די גויים איבערנעמען און פּראקטיצירען די מנהגים און מידות פון די פעלקער, צווישען ללעכער זיי לעבן. (ר’ בונם)
“The End of Days” before the coming of the Redeemer people will attempt to influence “this people” the Jews. “Your people” they should behave like gentiles and incorporate (into their) practice the customs and qualities of the nations among whom they live.
R’ Simcha Bunam
This rather droll looking character is Simcha Bunam of Peshischa, b. 1765, d.1827. He was a student of the Maggid of Kozhnits, Yaakov Yitzchok of Lublin, and the Yid HaKadosh. Upon the death of the Yid HaKadosh, many of the Holy Yid’s followers began to follow Simcha Bunam. Though he did not officially succeed the Yid HaKadosh, he became the defacto rebbe for many his followers.
Bunam did not take up the rabbinate as a career. He made his living as a pharmacist. He wrote no books and all his teachings were oral. His followers did transcribe his many of his teachings that were later compiled into a book called Kol Simcha.
Bunam’s noted followers include the Kotsker Rebbe, the Chidushei Harim, the Vurker Rebbe, the Mei HaShiloach and Rav Chanoch Heynekh of Alexander.
On which no yoke has come…. (Numbers 19:3)
צום רבי’ן ר’ בונםזיינען אמאָל געקומענ צוויי יונגעלייט פרעגען אן עצה מיט וואס צו האנדלען, זיי זאָלען מצליח זיין.
Once two young men came to the Rebbe, R’ Bunam, seeking advice on how to be successful in dealing (business).
— האנדעלט מיט יאָכטען, איך בין אויך א גרויסער סוחר פון יאָצכטען, און בין ב”ה מצליח
—”Deal in yokhten, I too am a big dealer, and I’ve been, thank G-d, successful.
— דער רבי מיינט יוכטען לעדער? — האבען די לייט געפרעגט.
— “Does the Rebbe mean yukhten ‘cowhide leather?’” the men asked.
— ניין, איך מיין יאָכטען „כשור לעול וחמור למשא,“ מיט’ן יאָך פון מלכוט שמים.
— “No, I mean yokhten – yokes – ”kashor l’ol v’chamor l’masah” (like an ox to yoke and an ass to burden), with the yoke of Malchus Shamayim (the Kingdom of Heaven).
✓ COMMENTS
Ok, it’s Tuesday already and we are still riffing on the first two words of the Parsha: Vayikach Korach, ”Korach took.” So one last vort on that pasuk (word on that verse), and we’ll move on. There’s still lots of interesting teitshes (teachings) to post.
This one comes from R’ Simcha Bunam:
די אותיות פונ’ם וואָרט ”קרח“ מאכען ”חקר.“ דאָס איז דאָך געווען קֹרַח’ס אומגליק, וואָס ער איז געווענ א ’“חקר’ן,“ אַן אויפגעקלערטער, א ”מַשׁפִּיל.“
The letters of the word Korach spell “Ch•K•R.” [A Hebrew root having to do with examination, exploration, inquiry, interrogation, research and the like.] This was obviously Korach’s misery, that he was a “KhaKRan” (philosophizer), an enlightened one, a “maskhil” (an intellectual).
Now despite the fact that our masters spent their whole lives immersed in the study of Torah, they did not consider themselves intellectuals. The distinction, I think, lies between heart and mind. The word “intellectual” implies that it is a discipline of the mind, and the mind only. But our masters were Chasids, and they did everything from the heart.
Ok, folks, this one had me befuddled. I mean, I understood what the words said, I just didn’t quite get the teaching. But after a couple times through it made more sense.
I’m doing this mostly all in translation because it is just too confusing otherwise. Here goes:
Numbers (B’midbar) 11:24
“Eldad and Meidad are prophesying in the camp”
According to Rashi, says Simcha Bunam,
“They prophesied that Moses died and Joshua replaced him.”
R’ Bunam asks:
Whence does Rashi deduce their prophesy?The Torah tells us that the daughter of Pharaohnamed him “Mo-She-H,” as she did, from“for from the water MaShitiHu, I drew him”
[ki min ha mayim mashitihu]
It should have stated ” MiMaYiM” [not min ha-mayim]
(meaning “from water” vs. “from the water”)which would result in the acronym“Moshe met, Yehoshua machnis“
(Moses died and Joshua took his place)
The nun “N” and the heh “H” are dropped.Thus, Eldad and Meidad came and spoke their prophecy, not“b’machnes” (in the camp), but “ba’mo’ach” ”with intelligence”In their prophecy, they saw the erasure of the nun, ”N” and the heh, “H.” And what is left,is, as a matter of course, MiMayim, from which the acronym is made, as Rashi stated, “Moshe Met, Yehoshuah Machnis” (Moses died, Joshua took his place).
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