Tag Archives: Shabbos

Tell the Truth!

(In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl)

 

The fourth of the Ten Commandments is, “Remember the Shabbat day” (Exodus 20:8). Its parallel is the ninth commandment, “Do not give false witness against your countryman” (v. 13). [One sense of “parallel” is that when the Ten Commandments are written in two columns of five, the fourth and the ninth align with one another.] Rebbe Yosi pointed out that Shabbat is called “testimony.” So a Jew must testify to the following, “For in six days God made the Heaven, the earth, the sea and everything in them, and He rested on the seventh day” (v.11).

Since Shabbat contains within her all the other six days, a Jew who testifies to God’s resting, testifies to God’s having created Heaven and Earth.

Rebbe Yosi also said, “Do you know what ‘Give truth to Yaakov’ (Micah 7:20) is alluding to? This: ‘The Children of Yisrael will keep the Shabbat’ (Exodus 31:16). A Jew who observes Shabbat is living proof of God’s having created the world.

“One who gives false witness testifies falsely against the honest testimony and truth of Shabbat. And one who lies about Shabbat—by desecrating it—declares the whole Torah a lie, because the two are inter-dependent.”

Zohar 2:90a

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Shabbat, Ours and Yours

(In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl) 

Ours and Yours 

[Summary: The holy Zohar teaches that as a people, the Jews are protected on Shabbat by the holy Shekhinah aka “Sukkat Shalom.” This is in addition to the personal protection a Jew has via the neshamah yeteirah, additional Shabbat soul.]

When the Shabbat spirit settles in the world, all the negative energy and evil blamers leave. There’s no need to pray for protection; Shabbat spirit and the outspread wings of Sukkat Shalom shield Yisrael.

“Wait!” you say. “The Talmud says that one shouldn’t not travel solo on Tuesday or Friday nights! He must be on the alert for evil forces. So how can you tell me there is no need to pray for protection?”

On Tuesday nights it’s true, that danger lurks because the moon was cursed and wounded. {The moon was created on the fourth day of the week, which begins Tuesday night and ends Wednesday night.–OB} Its dimmed light give license and power to the dangerous and spiteful.

But Friday night, they retreat to the Sinkhole. When they get there, they won’t have any control. But, they aren’t beamed up—or down—to the Sinkhole. They walk, slowly. So if a Jew runs into them, he could get hurt. And some of them {apparently with excess arrogance-OB}, like to leave the Sinkhole and scare a lone Jew, even though they can’t hurt him. So if you’re alone on a Friday night—watch out! Pray to God to protect you!

Now, it looks as if the Sukkat Shalom protection is not foolproof. After all, those bad guys can frighten or damage someone. But there is a difference. Yisrael, the Jews, as a people are protected. Nothing to worry on that score. But as private individuals, we are protected not by the Sukkat Shalom, but by our personal neshamah yeteirah. Your neshamah yeteirah is strong enough to protect you, but it is fragile. You have to make sure to give the full respect it deserves. If not, God forbid, those evil thugs might chisel themselves underneath the neshamah yeteirah and cause a great deal of grief, you shouldn’t know from it—or them.

And no matter what, even if you don’t fully honor your private guard (neshamah yeteirah), Sukkat Shalom does offer a fair amount of protection.

Zohar 2:205a

 

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Sukkat Shalom

(In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl)

Extra Protection

[Summary: The holy Zohar tells us that as Shabbat begins the sacred Shekhinah spreads her wings over the world and settles herself in the world. As a result, the “outside,” i.e., negative, forces are forced into hiding and can exercise no authority on the world. The world has an extra measure of protection on Shabbat; even the denizens of Hell get the day off. This is why the closing of the final Maariv blessing differs from its weekday version.]

The holy Zohar says:

 

Come! Expand your vision!

As the sun sets Friday afternoon, the Sukkat Shalom (canopy of peace) settles and expands into the world. Who is Sukkat Shalom? Shabbat, the Shekhinah. All the evil demons—subtle and fierce and in-between—and every carrier of impure energy, goes into hiding. The simple presence of Shabbat sanctity weakens them; they cannot stir themselves. The impure spirit flees from the sacred.

The world has then an extra measure of protection. There is no need to pray for it as we do on weekday: “Who protects His People, Yisrael, forever.” It’s a blessing made for the weekday because on weekdays the world needs protecting!

But not Shabbat! With the Sukkat Shalom spread over the world, guarding the world from all sides—even the Hell dwellers are safe and resting—all the worlds, upper and lower, are peaceful and tranquil.

So on Shabbat the blessing closes, “Who extends the Sukkat Shalom over us, over all His people Yisrael and over Jerusalem.” Why “Jerusalem”? Because Jerusalem is where the Shekhinah resides.

And we need to invite the Sukkat-Shekhinah who has spread her wings over us, to be with us and watch over us, as a mother does for her children. Then we will have no need to fear the Sitra Achra.

Zohar 1:48a

 

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Don’t Say It! (Redux)

(In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl) 

 

Summary: Sort of a scorecard to Gehenna. If you’ve ever read a book that describes a Holocaust concentration camp, this will sound familiar, albeit without the gory details, thank God. We will also find some guidelines about what to avoid doing—and thinking—at night.

[The scorecard]

Three ministers serve in Gehenna, under Dumah. They are Mashchit, Af and Cheimah (Destroyer, Anger and Fury). They oversee all the deputies. The deputies rush to and fro, punishing the wicked.

All the troops of thug-angels fill Gehenna with pandemonium. Their yells are heard in the sky. In Gehenna, the wicked scream, “Oy! Oy!” but no one pities them.

The verse has something to say about these three ministers and the deputies, the bands of thug-angels. “A racket sounds (kol) from the city; an uproar (kol) from the Beit HaMikdash/Temple! God’s thunder (kol) as he deals retribution to His foes” (Isaiah 66:6). Three kols, one each for the overseers who rule Gehenna during the weekdays.

Throughout the night, from the time of Maariv (the nighttime prayer), the wicked are punished for their deeds done in the dark, and for the fantasies and schemes they hatched in bed. “Oy! Those who hide their plans deep from God! Who do their work in the dark and say, ‘Who sees us? Who’s going to know it was us?’” (Isaiah 29:15). “Oy! Those who plan iniquity, designing evil while in their beds. At first light they rush to do it—because they can” (Michah 2:1).

Once they’ve started punishing, they continue into the day until every sin is accounted for. But it starts at nightfall. This is why the thug-angels are called Leilot (Nighters). As Rebbe Alexandrei commented on the verse (Song of Songs 3:8), “… because of the terror of Leilot”—from the terror of Gehenna.

This is why they established that the weeknight Maariv begin with the verse, “He [God] is compassionate. He atones crime and does not yashchit, destroy; He keeps His af, anger, securely in check and does not arouse all His cheimah, fury” (Tehillim 78:38). From the moment it becomes dark, the destroyers—Mashchit, Af and Cheimah—begin punishing the wicked. They are all referred to in this verse.

They established, but only for the weeknights, not for Shabbat. Because when Shabbat enters the world, Din, Judgment, exits. Th wicked in Gehenna have some rest. From the moment the day is sanctified, the thug-angels have no authority over them. Therefore, we don’t say the verse, “He is compassionate …”—it provokes the thug-angels.

It’s forbidden to say because it also insults the King. On Shabbat, He is the one Who protects the wicked. Not reciting “He is compassionate…” indicates that Din has exited the word and the destroyers may not destroy. An analogy: The officer who flogs the convicts is visited by the King, who has come to protect the convicts. If the flogger even threateningly picks up his whip, has he not insulted the King?

Shabbat is the king. He stands behind the wicked and protects them. Anyone who picks up the whip to frighten them insults the king. For the same reason, we don’t conclude Maariv’s last blessing with the weeknight ending, “The Protector of His people Yisrael.”

Zohar Chadash, Ruth 97a

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A Gift of Soul

(In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl) 

The Secret of the Additional Soul

Summary: At the close of the Hashkiveinu blessing in the Shabbat Maariv, we invite the holy Shekhinah to be our guest (as it were). She responds by wrapping us in her protective embrace, and by gifting us with the neshamah yeteirah (Additional Soul). Finally, the zohar explains how Shabbat is the World to Come in miniature.

 

Says the holy Zohar:

Come! Expand your vision!

When Yisrael blesses and invites the Sukkah of Peace (aka the Shekhinah) to be their sacred guest—when they say “the One Who extends the Sukkah of Peace”—Supreme Holiness descends and spreads her wings over them, sheltering them as a mother shelters her child.

All the evil types withdraw from the world, leaving Yisrael under the holiness of their Master. That is when the Shekhinah gives her children new neshamot (souls). Why is it that only on Shabbat she gives new neshamot? All neshamot reside within the Shekhinah and through her that they come into the world. Since it is on Shabbat that she is present with her children, embracing them, it is then that she gives each one a new neshamah.

Rebbe Shimon said more:

That Shabbat is the World to Come in miniature is related to the Shekhinah gifting new neshamot to Yisrael. This definitely accords with the secret teachings. They parallel Shemitah (the sabbatical year) and Yovel (the Jubilee year, once every 50 years). [OB: Shemitah is Malkhut, the “daughter;” Yovel is Binah, the Mother.”]

Where does that additional neshamah come from? It come to the Shekhinah from the Masculine [Z’er Anpin] who took it from the World to Come, Binah. This addition is given to the Holy People.

That extra soul cheers them. So they forget their weekday concerns and all their suffering and troubles. This is the Shabbat tranquility of, “And it will come to pass on the day that God gives you rest from your sorrow and your anxiety, and from the difficult bondage which was forced upon you” (Isaiah 14:3).

Zohar 1:48a–b

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Don’t Say It!

(In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl; Shabbos night, 3 of 10)

Don’t Say It!

Sometimes we honor the Shekhinah by what we don’t say. The start of Maariv Shabbos night is one of those times. Our words are powerful, more powerful than we are aware of. The sacred Zohar teaches:

The holy people may not begin honoring the Shekhinah by reciting a verse that alludes to the forces of judgment. For example, “He [God] is compassionate. He atones crime and does not destroy; He abundantly returns His wrath and does not arouse all His fury” (Tehillim 78:38). After all, the Shekhinah has detached herself from all the troublemakers and violence mongers. They have all fled from her, gone to hide in the Sinkhole.

Anyone who wakes them down here by reciting such a verse, awakes them Above. Then she who is the Holy Throne cannot wear the crown of Sacred. Whenever those violence mongers awake, though they hid before in the Sinkhole, they now venture forth, returning to their weekday venues. They crowd sacred spaces and holy places, stealing Shabbat tranquility.

But it’s not only this. We, the holy Jewish people, jumpstart what happens in Heaven. When we sanctify time in our world—we determine when the new month begins—in Heaven they open the sluice and the holiness roars forth.

So we must be careful on Shabbos! Crowned with that extra sacred soul to arouse tranquility, we must not say the wrong thing, even if it’s from the Torah. We need to be affable and loving, outside and in.

Zohar 2:135b

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Shabbos Night (2 of 10)

 (In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl)

K’gavna 

(In chassidic shuls, this piece of Zohar is said right before the start of Maariv, the nighttime prayer.)

Just as the six points of the sefirot unite Above to become one, the Shekhinah, too, unites her six points, Below. The two are aligned perfectly, in harmony, face to face (as it were). The Blessed Holy One is One. Above no one sits on His Throne of Glory until she—the Shekhinah—is as One in her realm as He is in His. This needs to happen in order for them to “unite” utterly. (We have been taught elsewhere {Zohar 2:134b] that Hashem is One and that His Name, aka the Shekhinah, is One.)

The secret of Shabbos? The Shekhinah’s name is Shabbos. This name has become unified in the One so that union with the One can take place.

The secret of the Shabbos (Friday) night prayer is linked one of the Shekhinah’s secrets. She is the secret of the Throne of Glory. She becomes fully integrated so that His August Royal Majesty will sit on His Throne.

When does the Shekhinah prepare herself? As Shabbos begins she becomes one within herself, totally detaching from the Sitra Achra (the Other Side, i.e., the evil side). All judgments leave and she remains, alone in union with the Holy Light. She crowns herself with many crowns, for the Holy King Who awaits her in the higher world, Atzilut.

All the demons created by anger, by haters and complainers flee—they can’t get out of her sight fast enough—to hide in the Sinkhole of the Great Deep. With their departure, no other force holds sway in the lower worlds, Beriyah, Yeztirah and Asiyah. All people, all beings, call out, loud and clear, in Hashem’s Name.

The Shekhinah’s face radiates the Holy Light. She is crowned by the prayers of the Jews; {Rebbe Nachman teaches* to say this next phrase with extra enthusiasm and joy} they, each and everyone, is crowned with a brand new soul, special for Shabbos. Now we can begin Maariv, to bless it joyfully, with shining faces. We can say, “Barkhu es Hashem hamevorakh”—”Hashem” means Hashem; “es” means the Shekhinah. We honor her by beginning Maariv with a blessing for her.

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* Sichot HaRan/Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #270

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Shabbos Night (1 of 10)

(In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl)

There’s a lot coming our way about Shabbos (Friday) night. And that’s before we get to the Friday night seudah (meal)!

Hellfire Rests on Shabbat

See this! With your mind and your faith. When Shabbos begins and that unholy ball of fire is buried in the Sinkhole of the Great Deep all harsh fires of judgment of the River Dinur and even of Hell are buried and quashed, burning nothing. The guilty in Hell have some respite (if they kept Shabbos in this world). In fact, all worlds, above and below have respite.

When Shabbos ends and Jews make the blessing on fire in Havdalah, each of the buried fires returns to its place.

One reason we are forbidden to kindle fire on Shabbat—”Wherever you live, do not light a fire on Shabbat”—is to not fan those flames.

Why then was the fire on the mizbeach, Altar, in the Beit HaMikdash? The origin of that fire is different and so it keeps the negative forces away (Zohar 2:208a).

At the beginning of Shabbos an announcement is made in all the Heavens: Cavalry and camps be prepared and ready to greet your Master! When they do, they are absorbed into the Shekhinah’s light and become part of her jewelry.

With that comes a wind out of the South, a wind of kindness to cloak these holy camps. This wind is called the gorgeous Shabbat clothing. The Shabbat tables of Jewish homes are placed in a special Heavenly chamber. You and your family are fortunate when your Shabbat table is properly set. You won’t suffer embarrassment if your table is set to the best of your ability.

Zohar 2:203b–204a

Shabbos is Special! Don’t Disrespect Her! 

If, God forbid, we break the Shabbos laws we disrespect her. It’s like we’re telling the Shekhinah we don’t care about her. Here the Shekhinah crowns us with an extra neshamah and we sort of fling it off our heads!

So we have to watch ourselves and not use our mouths to say anything unfitting to Shabbos; or our hands to do any prohibited weekday activity; or our feet to walk beyond the Shabbos boundary. Don’t diss Shabbos!

Zohar 2:207a

Extra Holiness! Handle with Care!

Shabbos night (Friday) the Shekhinah spreads her wings and her light over the entire world. The weekday staff that operates the world is removed. The Shekhinah’s staff takes their place in order to shelter the Jews with peace.

When the Shekhinah asserts her authority, a cleaner atmosphere prevails in the world. Each Jew then receives the neshamah yeteirah (additional soul). Depression and anger are forgotten, replaced by joy in the heavenly worlds above and in our world below.

This additional neshamah is so refined that before she can descend to our world she has to bathe in the fragrance of the Garden of Eden. Then she rests herself on a Jew.

When that neshamah leaves for the Garden, she doesn’t leave by herself. She’s accompanied by 60 “chariots.” They head for the six palaces in the Garden (east, west, north, south, up, down), crowning all the souls that are there. An announcement is made:

“How fortunate are you Jews, the holy nation! Your Master desires you even before you do anything for Him!”

If you’re familiar with “wisdom” {i.e., Kabbalah} there’s a deep secret here waiting to be discovered. The Jewish people are extremely fortunate when the breath of the nefesh, ruach and neshamah (levels of the soul) expands to encompass the earth and fill the air. This is the Shabbos-spirit that rests on every Jew.

Not only Shabbos, Hashem’s Kingdom needs protection, but the Shabbos-spirit that fills the world as well. This is why we are told (Exodus 31:17), “Protect es the Shabbos” (instead of just “protect the Shabbos”).

That spirit fills you. Be careful to keep Shabbos. Driving Shabbos out of the world drives it out of a person.

Zohar 2:204

 

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Erev Shabbat with the Zohar (Part 2 of 2)

(In memory of Chaim Barukh Yehudah ben Dovid Tzvi zl)

Up, Up and Away!

On erev Shabbat Rav Hamnuna the Elder would immerse in the local river in order to purify himself. When he came out he would look skyward and smile. What did he see?

He said that he saw the joy of the angels on High. Some were going up [to bring neshamot from the Lower Gan Eden (Garden of eden) to the Higher Gan Eden]. Others were coming down [to distribute to each Jew his/her neshamah yeteirah for Shabbat]. {OB: Wish my eyes were as holy as Rav Hamnuna’s!}

Every erev Shabbat a Jew sits in the rarefied atmosphere of Olam HaNeshmaot, the World of Souls. Fortunate is the one who knows the secrets of his Master.

Zohar 2:136a, Parshat Terumah

 

Shir HaShirim—It Contains the Past, the Present and the Future

It is an old and well-established custom to read the entire Shir HaShirim (the Song of Songs) erev Shabbat.

Do you want to get an idea of how “awesome” Shir HaShirim is? Read this.

  • It contains the entire Torah.
  • It contains the entire workings of how Creation was made.
  • It contains all the mysteries behind everything the Patriarchs did.
  • It contains the entire story of the Egyptian Exile and the Song of the Sea (Az Yashir).
  • It contains the Ten Commandments.
  • It tells the story of the Torah-giving at Mount Sinai.
  • It tells the story of Yisrael’s 40-year journey in desert and their entering the Land of Israel.
  • It contains the building of the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple).
  • It is the crowning of Hashem’s Holy Name in love and joy.
  • It contains Yisrael’s exile among the nations and her redemption.
  • It contains what will happen from Techiyat HaMeitim (the Resurrection of the Dead) until the day that is Hashem’s Shabbat (the Seventh Millennium).
  • It contains everything that happened, that is happening and that will happen on the Seventh Day, Hashem’s Shabbat.
  • It is all in Shir HaShirim.

This is why we are taught (Sanhedrin 101a) that if someone sings a verse of Shir HaShirim in a bar [yes, they had bars in those days], Shir HaShirim dresses herself in a burlap sack and goes to complain to Hashem, “Your children have made fun of me—in a bar.” Yes, it definitely does this.

So be careful. Make each word of Shir HaShirim a crown on your head.

Zohar 2:144a, Parshat Terumah

The Shabbat Candles—Children Who Radiate the Torah’s Light

Jewish women were entrusted with lighting the Shabbat candles. Our dear colleagues explain that is an opportunity for her to make amends; she extinguished the light of the world and lighting the Shabbat candles corrects that (Bereishis Rabbah 17:8). (When Eve caused Adam to sin, she “extinguished” his soul—made him less spiritually sensitive and aware.)

But there is a secret to why a Jewish woman lights the Shabbat candles. The Shekhinah, the Canopy of Peace, is the World-Queen. She contains all the “candles,” every Jewish neshamah. This is why Jewish women light—every one of them is a queen, part of the Queen’s retinue. She lights the Shabbat candles; the Shekhinah illuminates Jewish souls.

Lighting the Shabbat candles is a tremendous honor for a Jewish woman, so should do it gladly and with a happy heart. It earns her a great deal of merit, making her worthy of having children who illuminate the world with Torah, awe of God and who bring great shalom to the world. She also gives her husband a longer life.

Each of these is reason enough for her to make sure she lights and lights well.

Zohar 1:48b, Parshat Bereishis

 

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Erev Shabbat with the Zohar (Part 1 of 2)

Shalom! Welcome to Zohar-Shabbos (that’s Shabbat for some you). With the help of Hashem (God), on Thursdays I will post a piece or two from the holy Zohar that relates to Shabbat. I will try to translate Hebrew/Aramaic words that may be unfamiliar; if I miss one and you want to know what it means, please ask. Other feedback is also welcome. These pieces will be “rendered,” a fancy way of saying “loosely translated, not exactly translated.”

This series of posts is in memory of a dear friend and teacher, Chaim Barukh Yehudah (b, Dovid Tzvi) Daskal, aka Chaim m’Yerushalayim z”l (may the mention of the righteous be for a blessing). What Reb Chaim did to honor Shabbat and to share Shabbat with others, I cannot describe. When I say “share Shabbat,” I do not mean the wine and the challah. I mean Shabbat herself. To spend Shabbos with him was to discover a new dimension of Shabbos. (Instead of writing these with tears at the thought of not being able to spend time with him again, I will try to write them with the joy that he brought to Shabbat and to life.)

Erev Shabbat (Part 1 of 2)

Shabbat is a day brimming with all sorts of kedushah, holiness.  Shabbat is both a destination—a day we can enjoy the fruits of our weekday labors, material as well as spiritual—and an experiential academy that teaches us how to make even more progress in our relationship with Hashem. (For convenience and brevity’s sake we will also call this “spiritual growth.”)

Spiritual growth is a gift, but it doesn’t come free. You have to work and work and work for it. This is an indication that you want it, that you are seriously interested in your relationship with Hashem. Working for it doesn’t necessarily include taxing physical labor or strenuous mental gymnastics. It does include making hard choices.

Since Shabbat is rich and powerful, those forces in the Universe which work against our spiritual growth try to keep us from accessing Shabbat as fully as we can. They scheme to have things go wrong, get us angry or upset, etc. It is crucial to know that Hashem put these “anti-holiness” forces there. The purpose is not to torture or test you. It is to raise you by having you develop the “muscles” of your neshamah (soul). As much as you a closer relationship with God, God wants a closer relationship with you even more.

Long-time Shabbat observers already know this and if you’re just starting to keep Shabbat, you’ll soon find out. Erev Shabbat, Shabbat eve (Friday afternoons) are crackling with energy. That energy is potential kedushah. The anti-holy don’t want us to have it. It’s our job to stay on the alert and not lose our cool.

A Dining Experience

Come, see! On Friday afternoon, as evening approaches, that ball of unholy fire leaps, raising itself up in order to enter with the other three unholier forces, in order to receive its nourishment by stealing some Shabbat holiness.

But at that time, if Jews are preparing food for the Shabbat meals and setting the table for Shabbat, an even stronger, and holier, spark emerges and collides with the ball of fire. Both going flying into the Sinkhole of the Great Deep, unable to cause harm. They remain there until motzei Shabbat (Saturday night, after Shabbat).

(Source: Zohar 2:203b, Parshat VaYakhel)

Washing Up for the Neshamah Yeteirah

Before Shabbat begins the people of the holy nation have to bathe and immerse themselves in the mikveh (ritual bath) to cleanse themselves from the weekday energy that powers and, too often, controls them. Why is this?

On weekdays there is a spirit, not of the holy kind, that mingles, hangs around and hovers over people. So when a person wants divest himself of that spirit and step into a holy Shabbat spirit he needs to bathe and immerse himself in order to do so.

{The Arizal writes (Shaar HaKavanot, 62a) that a person needs to dunk twice in the mikveh. The first time is to remove the soul’s weekday “clothes,” which hinder spiritual progress. The second time is to honor Shabbat by readying oneself to receive the neshamah yeteirah, the additional soul we are granted on Shabbat.}

(Source: Zohar 2:204a, Parshat VaYakhel)

 Cutting Edge

You should not grow your fingernails (or toenails) long. (“Long” means beyond the end of the finger [toe].) The longer they grow, the more you invite upon yourself spiritual troublemakers. [Fingernails are a representation of the more difficult situations of life.] You will feel uneasy.

You should keep your fingernails trimmed, but don’t throw the nail clippings underfoot. That’s disrespectful to the God’s agents you set up the difficulties; you can get hurt by them. [Life’s difficult moments are necessary. They are Hashem’s way of reminding us that we are accountable for what we do.]

This is similar to what goes on in the higher spiritual worlds. The Sitra Achra (forces of evil) tries to sneak up on the “back” of that which is holy. Its goal? To steal for itself some of the holiness. Throwing your fingernails (toenails) on the floor gives them easier access. We don’t need to do that!

(Source: Zohar 2:208b, Parshat VaYakhel)

 

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