December 23, 2011
by Digital Maggid
וירא יעקב כי יש שבר במצרים
vayar ya’akov ki yesh shever b’mitzrayim
And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt
(Genesis 42:1)
ווען ר’שניאור זלמן לאדיער (דער בעל התניא) איז צוליב מלשינות געווארן ארעסטירט און פארשיקט קיין פּעטערבערג, האט ער געהייסען תיקף מודיע זיין דעם בערדיטשיווער, ווען דער שליח איז אריינגעקומען און אָנגעזאגט דעם בערדיטשיווער וועגען דעם ארעסט פונ’ם לאדיער, האט ער אויפגעעפענט א חומש וואס איז געלעגען אויפן טיש און האט גראָד אויפגעמישט די סדרה מקץ, דער פסוק “כי יש שבר במצרים.” אויסהערקנדיג דעם שליח, האט ער זיך א ווייל פארטראכט אינ’ם פסוק פון חומש און דעם שליח געענטפערט:
When R’ Shneur Zalman Ladier (the Baal haTanya) was arrested for slander and exiled to Peterberg, he immediately informed the Berditchever. When the messenger arrived and told the Berditchever about the arrest of the Ladier, the Berditchever opened a chumash (bible) that was lying on the table, and just happened to turn to the sidra (parsha) of Mikeitz, to the passage “ki yesh shever b’mitzrayim” (that there was grain in Egypt). Hearing the messenger, he pondered a while on the passage from the chumash and answered the messenger:
— דאגה נישט, דער פסוק אין דער תורה וואס איך האב אומגעריכט אויפגעמישט איז מרמז אז ר’ שניאור זלמן וועט באפרייט ווערן. די ראשי תיבות פון “שבר” מאכן “שניאור בן רבקה.” פונקט ווי יוסף הצדיק איז אין מצרים באפרייט געווארן פון בלבות, אזוי וועט דער לאדיער צדיק בקרוב ברפרייט ווערן פון זיין בלבול.
— Don’t worry, the passage in the Torah that I happened to turn to is hinting that R’ Shneur Zalman will be released. The word שבר (shever, grain) is an acronym for Shneur ben Rivkah. Just like Yosef the tsadik in Egypt was released from his confusion, so will the Ladier tsadik be released from his confusion.
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Posted in Aggodos | Sefer Ha-Aggadah, Agodes, Mikeitz, R' Shneur Zalman, R' Yitzchok of Berditchev, Roshi Teivos |
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October 13, 2011
by Digital Maggid
ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון — ראשון לחשבון עונות
and you shall take on the first day — first accounting of iniquities
אויב אין די ימים נוראים קען זיין אז די תשובה פון אידען איז מיראה, אז ס’קומט סוכות און אידען לויפען מקיים זיין מצוות סוכה, זעט מען אז די תשובה איז מאהבה און ביי תשובה מאהבה זאָגן די חז”ל ווערן די פריערדיק עבירות פאררעכענט פאר זכיות, ממילא חשבונ’ט מען איבער די עונות אויף זכיות.
IF… during the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe, i.e, High Holy Days) the tshuvah (returning) of the Jews can be (done) out of awe that Sukkos is coming and the Jews run to keep the mitzvah of sukkah, one can see that this tshuva is (done) out of love. Concerning tshuva from love our Talmudic sages say the prior offenses get reckoned toward (the side of) merit, automatically accounting (our) iniquities on (the side of) merit. (Berditchever)
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Posted in R' Yitzchok of Berditchev, Sukkos | Sukkot | סוכּות |
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August 26, 2011
by Digital Maggid
The Berdtichever brings us a tasty tidbit to moisten our palates before Shabbos.
This is a commentary on D’varim 14:23, and most specifically the last part of the verse:
“…to fear Hashem, your G-d, all the days.”
Now the Hebrew word translated here as “to fear” is l’yir’ah. It implies fear in the sense of reverence and awe, not terror. So the Berditchever says:
Der mensh velkher dint dem Ribono Shel Oylam ois moyre, hot bloiz zich alein zinnen; er hot moyre far a greserer makht. Der ober vos dint G-t mechamas ahavah, fargest aingantsen in zich.
The person who serves the Master of the World out of fear has only himself in mind; he fears a greater power. But the one who serves G-d out of love forgets himself entirely.
Here, the master is using the word “moyre” which in Yiddish connotes apprehension, dread. [Hebrew: mora, may have different connotations but the teacher was speaking in Yiddish.] This seems to imply that the word l’yir’at, is most appropriately expressed through love. If one serves only out of a sense of wanting to avoid trouble, then one has only oneself in mind. But if one serves out of genuine love, then no thought of self enters into the picture.
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Posted in R' Yitzchok of Berditchev, Re'eh, Right Action |
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July 22, 2011
by Digital Maggid
In Numbers 32:16, the people of Gad and Reuven say to Moshe: גִּדְרֹת צֹאן נִבְנֶה לְמִקְנֵנוּ פֹּה, וְעָרִים, לְטַפֵּנוּ — gidrot tson nivneh l’mikneinu poh, v’arim l’tapeinu, we will build sheepfolds for our cattle here, and cities for our little ones. But in Numbers 32:24, Moshe reverses the order saying, בְּנוּ-לָכֶם עָרִים לְטַפְּכֶם, וּגְדֵרֹת לְצֹנַאֲכֶם — banu lachem arim l’tapechem, ug’derot l’tsonakhem, build cities for your little ones and sheepfolds for your cattle. Moshe then adds on another phrase in line 24: וְהַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיכֶם, תַּעֲשׂוּ — v’hayotsei mipikhem, ta’asu, and do that which has proceeded from your mouths. The Berditchever addresses this in the following teaching:
Why did Moshe reply to them in the reverse: “build cities for your little ones and sheepfolds for your cattle,” and what is the relationship here with “…which has proceeded from your mouths”?
The Chazal (sages of blessed memory) say that, once, people were fed on account of the innocent animals, cattle and sheep. As the Yerushalmi relayed in the story of Alexander of Macedonia:
Alexander of Macedonia once went into a country and attended the trial of two men. One of the men had purchased a ruin (old house) from the other and the buyer of the ruin found therein a great treasure. The buyer argued that he had purchased only the ruin and not what was inside it. Therefore, the treasure belonged to the seller. The seller argued that he had sold the ruin together with all that was found inside it and therefore, the treasure belonged to the buyer.
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Posted in Matos, Mayses (Stories), Moshe | Moses, R' Yitzchok of Berditchev, Right Speech |
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June 13, 2011
by Digital Maggid
Ant medicine? How’s that? Are we stealing from the Navajos now? Not at all! This is old Torah. And this teaching comes from the Berditchever, our master of the week. This teaching is quite well-known, actually, and it is floating around in cyber space (a little) in Hebrew, if not in English, though I learned it from the old Yiddish text.
Many thanks to Melamed Garry for helping me out with the Hebrew quotes from Rashi.
This is a commentary on Numbers 13:33 … the Hebrews have just arrived at the edge of the Promised Land and have sent spies to scope out the territory and report back on who’s there and what the place is like. Well, it’s a virtual paradise brimming with all manner of fruits and livestock and, mamish, it’s the “land of milk and honey.” Only problem is, it’s inhabited by giants. No kidding. Giants.
And our master quotes the Torah:
(.וכן היינו בעיניהם.“ (יג.לג”
v’khen hayinu b’eineihem
(13:33) “and so we were in their sight.”
◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊
”.שמענו אומרים זה לזה נמלים יש בכרמים כאנשים”
We heard them telling each other:
“There are ants in the vineyards that look like people.” (Rashi, Sotah 35a)
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Posted in Master of the Week, R' Yitzchok of Berditchev, Rashi, Shelach, The Parshas (Torah portions) |
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Digital Maggid
