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Dvar Torah for Parshah Vayak'hel
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"Don't fear the Reaper" or anyone else!
As I write these words, what may well be the beginning of World War Three is upon us; this is no exaggeration. Is emunah enough for such times? Yes!
As I write these words, what may well be the beginning of World War Three is upon us; this is no exaggeration. Is emunah enough for such times? Yes!
PRAY FOR UMAN and Ukraine, But Do Not Fear!
"Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me-Uman"
"Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me-Uman"
Everything that is happening is taking place because human beings desire it to be so. Some of it out of greed, some out of fear, or media lies, or for myriad other reasons. But know that ALL of it is the works of our hands collectively.
"But I don't want to rule Ukraine!" "I don't want to threaten Russia or China!" "I don't want to be the cause of the destruction of the United States," God forbid!
Why is God allowing these things to happen when most people the world over simply want peace and security? It's just a tiny minority of evil Globalists doing these things. Why God? I do not understand!
Rebbe Nachman teaches:
"There are many searching questions about God. But it is only fitting and proper that this should be so. Indeed, such questions enhance the greatness of God and show His exaltedness. God is so great and exalted that He is beyond our ability to understand Him. With our limited human intelligence, we can't possibly understand His ways. Inevitably many things will baffle us, and this is only fitting. If God's ways were in accordance with the limits of our meager understanding, there would be no difference between His understanding and ours, and this is inconceivable -- Likutey Moharan II, 52
Perhaps one will ask, "then it is God's will that I am terrified?"
No, it is His will that we trust Him alone! Emunah (motivating faith) and bitachon (trust) are easy when things are good but hard times build these vital traits.
"You must have faith in yourself!" The Rebbe tells us.
"You must have enough faith in God's goodness to believe that you are important to Him. Have faith that you are precious in God's eyes. So great is God's goodness that every person is great and important in His eyes.
Being humble doesn't mean you put yourself in a state of constricted consciousness. That is fake humility! Constantly ask God to bring you to true humility and have faith in yourself because He does. Some Tzaddikim suffer opposition only because they do not have emunah in themselves! -- Sichot Haran #140
Again,
"Understand that there are various kinds of emunah. There is faith that is only in the heart or mind. But a person must have so much faith that it spreads to all his limbs. Thus the Kabalistic writings mention that when washing one's hands to eat bread, one should raise them towards the head to receive holiness. Your faith must extend into your hands so that you will believe that by raising them, you receive holiness. Without Emunah, it is a meaningless gesture: "All your commandments are faith" (Psalms 119:86).
If you are strong in your faith, you will eventually understand what you believe. The stronger your emunah, the greater your understanding will become. At the outset, you have no option but to have faith because you cannot understand the matter, but you will come to understand it through emunah and bitachon.
"There will then be new and evermore exalted levels still hidden from you, but you will eventually transcend them when you are ready. Here again, you will have to make an effort to believe. You must always start with faith regarding the yet hidden levels, but eventually, you will realize them as well. Emunah is an ongoing process. Your faith must be so strong that it spreads to every one of your limbs. This faith will bring you to true wisdom -Likutey Moharan I, 91
As Menachem Begin said, "The Jew bows before no one other than God.
But perhaps you will say, "but I am weak. How can I stand against these evils?"
Be wise. As the sages say: A little is also good."
Again our Rebbe assures us:
"God takes pride in every individual Jew, even the most minor, even the sinners of Israel, as long as they go by the name of Israel. God takes exceptional pride in every Jew and even in each of his limbs and every movement he makes. Sometimes a lowly Jew makes a slight movement with his peyot, and God takes great pride in this too!
Therefore, one should never despair of God's help regardless of any wrong he may have done because God's love for him will never cease. We can always return to God -- Likutey Moharan I, 17
"Great atheism is coming to the world as a test from on high. The world's many sins are causing a terrible lack of emunah. Happy is the person who stays firm in his faith in these times.
The fact that I am predicting this will not prevent the increase of Godlessness and confusion. Long ago, Daniel and others made it known that this would happen in the days before the Mashiach. Daniel wrote: "Many will purify themselves and be refined, and make themselves shining white. But the wicked will do evil. and only the wise shall understand" (Daniel 12:10 ).
Knowing that this has been foreseen, it would seem that it should not be such a great trial for people to remain strong and firm in their emunah. But the truth is that even though the prophets made this known long ago, it will still be a great trial. Many will fall by the way, which is why it is written: "the wicked will do evil."
I am revealing this for the sake of the few pure souls who will remain firm in their faith. They will undoubtedly face great battles, even in their minds, but it will give them greater strength and encouragement when they see that this has been predicted already -- Sichot Haran #35
Our Rebbe laments at Chayey Moharan #546:
"Many of the misguided follies of primitive times such as child-sacrifice to Molech (Leviticus 20:2) have now disappeared. But the folly of war has still not been abolished. What kind of wisdom must the scientists possess to invent incredible weapons that can kill thousands of people at once! They think they deserve praise, but is there anything more foolish than to kill so many people for nothing!"
How foolish our so-called leaders are today in every area of life! HaShem, protect us from partaking in their foolishness.
In closing, our Rebbe advises us:
"Throw aside all wisdom and clever ideas and serve God with simplicity. Make sure that your deeds are more significant than your so-called wisdom because the main thing is not study but its practical application. This wisdom applies to most ordinary people's clever ideas, which are mere folly, but it even applies to genuine wisdom.
When it comes to serving God, even a person with genuine wisdom should set it all aside and serve God with simplicity and innocence.
Sometimes it may even be necessary to behave in a way that seems foolish in order to serve God and carry out His will. We may have to roll around in mud and mire for the sake of serving God and keeping His commandments. This principle applies not only to explicit mitzvot. Anything that God wants us to do is also called a mitzvah. Sometimes one has to throw oneself into the mud and mire to perform a certain deed that will be pleasing to God.
One whose love of God is sufficiently strong becomes His dearly beloved child. God will show him abundant love and kindness, permitting him to explore the King's hidden store-chambers and even to understand what is beyond wisdom, including the deepest of all secrets, such as why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper" -- Likutey Moharan II, 5
Shabbat shalom mishpaka.
"But I don't want to rule Ukraine!" "I don't want to threaten Russia or China!" "I don't want to be the cause of the destruction of the United States," God forbid!
Why is God allowing these things to happen when most people the world over simply want peace and security? It's just a tiny minority of evil Globalists doing these things. Why God? I do not understand!
Rebbe Nachman teaches:
"There are many searching questions about God. But it is only fitting and proper that this should be so. Indeed, such questions enhance the greatness of God and show His exaltedness. God is so great and exalted that He is beyond our ability to understand Him. With our limited human intelligence, we can't possibly understand His ways. Inevitably many things will baffle us, and this is only fitting. If God's ways were in accordance with the limits of our meager understanding, there would be no difference between His understanding and ours, and this is inconceivable -- Likutey Moharan II, 52
Perhaps one will ask, "then it is God's will that I am terrified?"
No, it is His will that we trust Him alone! Emunah (motivating faith) and bitachon (trust) are easy when things are good but hard times build these vital traits.
"You must have faith in yourself!" The Rebbe tells us.
"You must have enough faith in God's goodness to believe that you are important to Him. Have faith that you are precious in God's eyes. So great is God's goodness that every person is great and important in His eyes.
Being humble doesn't mean you put yourself in a state of constricted consciousness. That is fake humility! Constantly ask God to bring you to true humility and have faith in yourself because He does. Some Tzaddikim suffer opposition only because they do not have emunah in themselves! -- Sichot Haran #140
Again,
"Understand that there are various kinds of emunah. There is faith that is only in the heart or mind. But a person must have so much faith that it spreads to all his limbs. Thus the Kabalistic writings mention that when washing one's hands to eat bread, one should raise them towards the head to receive holiness. Your faith must extend into your hands so that you will believe that by raising them, you receive holiness. Without Emunah, it is a meaningless gesture: "All your commandments are faith" (Psalms 119:86).
If you are strong in your faith, you will eventually understand what you believe. The stronger your emunah, the greater your understanding will become. At the outset, you have no option but to have faith because you cannot understand the matter, but you will come to understand it through emunah and bitachon.
"There will then be new and evermore exalted levels still hidden from you, but you will eventually transcend them when you are ready. Here again, you will have to make an effort to believe. You must always start with faith regarding the yet hidden levels, but eventually, you will realize them as well. Emunah is an ongoing process. Your faith must be so strong that it spreads to every one of your limbs. This faith will bring you to true wisdom -Likutey Moharan I, 91
As Menachem Begin said, "The Jew bows before no one other than God.
But perhaps you will say, "but I am weak. How can I stand against these evils?"
Be wise. As the sages say: A little is also good."
Again our Rebbe assures us:
"God takes pride in every individual Jew, even the most minor, even the sinners of Israel, as long as they go by the name of Israel. God takes exceptional pride in every Jew and even in each of his limbs and every movement he makes. Sometimes a lowly Jew makes a slight movement with his peyot, and God takes great pride in this too!
Therefore, one should never despair of God's help regardless of any wrong he may have done because God's love for him will never cease. We can always return to God -- Likutey Moharan I, 17
"Great atheism is coming to the world as a test from on high. The world's many sins are causing a terrible lack of emunah. Happy is the person who stays firm in his faith in these times.
The fact that I am predicting this will not prevent the increase of Godlessness and confusion. Long ago, Daniel and others made it known that this would happen in the days before the Mashiach. Daniel wrote: "Many will purify themselves and be refined, and make themselves shining white. But the wicked will do evil. and only the wise shall understand" (Daniel 12:10 ).
Knowing that this has been foreseen, it would seem that it should not be such a great trial for people to remain strong and firm in their emunah. But the truth is that even though the prophets made this known long ago, it will still be a great trial. Many will fall by the way, which is why it is written: "the wicked will do evil."
I am revealing this for the sake of the few pure souls who will remain firm in their faith. They will undoubtedly face great battles, even in their minds, but it will give them greater strength and encouragement when they see that this has been predicted already -- Sichot Haran #35
Our Rebbe laments at Chayey Moharan #546:
"Many of the misguided follies of primitive times such as child-sacrifice to Molech (Leviticus 20:2) have now disappeared. But the folly of war has still not been abolished. What kind of wisdom must the scientists possess to invent incredible weapons that can kill thousands of people at once! They think they deserve praise, but is there anything more foolish than to kill so many people for nothing!"
How foolish our so-called leaders are today in every area of life! HaShem, protect us from partaking in their foolishness.
In closing, our Rebbe advises us:
"Throw aside all wisdom and clever ideas and serve God with simplicity. Make sure that your deeds are more significant than your so-called wisdom because the main thing is not study but its practical application. This wisdom applies to most ordinary people's clever ideas, which are mere folly, but it even applies to genuine wisdom.
When it comes to serving God, even a person with genuine wisdom should set it all aside and serve God with simplicity and innocence.
Sometimes it may even be necessary to behave in a way that seems foolish in order to serve God and carry out His will. We may have to roll around in mud and mire for the sake of serving God and keeping His commandments. This principle applies not only to explicit mitzvot. Anything that God wants us to do is also called a mitzvah. Sometimes one has to throw oneself into the mud and mire to perform a certain deed that will be pleasing to God.
One whose love of God is sufficiently strong becomes His dearly beloved child. God will show him abundant love and kindness, permitting him to explore the King's hidden store-chambers and even to understand what is beyond wisdom, including the deepest of all secrets, such as why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper" -- Likutey Moharan II, 5
Shabbat shalom mishpaka.