Shavua Tov!

I have some interesting translations from the Rav for you the next couple of days.

We’ll start with this, a continuation of the Rav’s comments to the CHUT SHEL CHESSED Yeshiva from the 9th of Cheshvan 5785 (November 9th, 2024).

(You can see the first excerpt of the Rav’s comments HERE).

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I wanted to translate this bit, dafka, because recently there has been a discussion here on the blog about the difficulties of things like shmirat ha-eynayim and kedushat ha’brit.

And the Rav’s comments give a lot of chizzuk, and consolation – and also a reality check, that everyone struggles with this stuff all the time, and will continue to struggle until 120 years old….

And that’s the point.

And it doesn’t make them ‘bad’ – as long as they don’t give up.

Enjoy!

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So, this is what the Heichal HaBracha explains, that this was the ‘laughter’ of Sara, that how was it that she was suddenly going to be a girl again?!

[Sarah said]

What, I’m going to be a girl?! I already left that behind! You are returning me to this?![1]

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So, what did the Kedushat Yom Tov say, the rebbe from Sighet? This is the father of R’Yoel [Teltelbaum of Satmar].

In Chayei Sarah, he says that Hashem has enough angels. Hashem has billions of angels!

But, the whole matter after the sin of the Tree of Knowledge was to break this lust. This is the whole purpose of a human being.

Angels don’t need to fight against this ta’avah (lust). They don’t have ta’avah.

But man [does], after Adam HaRishon sinned with the Tree of Knowledge.

He said, and therefore, Adam HaRishon sinned with the Tree of Knowledge. He said [if there is no free choice to ‘sin’], there is absolutely no reward (i.e. for choosing good).

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Here it is, [in the] Kedushat Yom Tov, this is the father of R’ Yoel, the Admor of Satmar.

This is his father, the rebbe from Sighet.

My mother was born in Sighet, we were Satmar chassidim.

I used to go along wearing 3/4 length trousers, until the age of 14, until I already started to be embarassed [by them]. But at the beginning, I wasn’t embarassed. I didn’t understand why they were laughing at me.

At age 14, I acquired a drop of intellect, and then I understood that…[text missing in original].

Up until then, I went along with 3/4 length pants, and with socks up to the knees. And that’s how it was until age 14.

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So, the Kedushat Yom Tov explains that Hashem has enough angels….

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The RAMBAM writes that a ‘chassid’ only refers to someone to someone who has no ta’avot (lusts) at all.[2]

It’s written Tzaddik Elyon (Upper Tzaddik) Tzaddik Tachton (Lower Tzaddik).

We complete the SHAS with 310 worlds[3], and we also finish Bava Metzia with 310 words.

[The Rav is about to explain what this means].

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This is what the Semichat HaChachamim, R’ Naftali Katz says. 24th of Tevet will be his yahrtzeit.

So, he said that there is a Tzaddik Elyon, and Tzaddik Tachton, and between them, there is ‘YeReK’[4] (green / vegetable).

YeReK – this is 310 worlds.

How do we merit to 310 worlds? YeReK is 310 – how do we merit to this? How do we ‘pull up’ this YeReK?

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So, R’ Meir says, this belongs to Elyon.

What is this, ‘Elyon’?

There is a Tzaddik who doesn’t have any ta’avot. He already left them all behind, like Rabbenu [Rebbe Nachman of Breslov]. He nullified everything.

But, there is a tzaddik who has to struggle with this until 120 years – with shmirat eynayim (guarding the eyes), and with not looking, and each time, the yetzer hara reawakens anew.

So, this is already the ‘Tzaddik Tachton’ (Lower Tzaddik).

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So, R’ Meir comes and says that the YeReK, the 310 worlds, only the Tzaddik Elyon will merit to have this.

But who can become the ‘Tzaddik Elyon’?!

This is only Rabbenu (Rebbe Nachman), and on the eve of Rosh Hashana, he takes everyone across [to be signed in the book of merit].

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[The Tzaddik Elyon], this is the Tzaddik from the aspect of Leah.

This is a Tzaddik who doesn’t have any ta’avot at all. He nullified all his lusts.

The Rebbe said, I had tests, and I had ta’avot – I nullified everything! To the point of [finding the known ta’avah] loathsome! I nullified it to the point of finding it disgusting!

The Rebbe never sat with his wife, just once on Seder Night.

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And Rav Natan said, I passed by exactly [then], and I managed to see the Rebbe – how he glowed and blazed, and his face shone like the sun, on Seder Night.

So, the Rebbe totally nullified this, so the Rebbe is called the ‘Tzaddik Elyon’.

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But what [do we say] about the Tzaddik HaTachton – the Lower Tzaddik?

This is the Tzaddik who struggles with this every day, and who tries to have shmirat ha’eynayim, and to not look on the street.

R’ Mathias walked along with open eyes. [He said] I don’t see anything!

He walked around Kiev, he guarded his eyes, someone went with him.

He said, I don’t see!

A person can be with their eyes open, and still see nothing! He doesn’t need ‘to see’. If his brain is busy with Torah and prayer, he doesn’t see anything.

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So, to be without a yetzer hara (evil inclination) – this is only the angels.

Angels don’t have a yetzer hara.

So, the RAMBAM said that a true chassid has absolutely no inclination for evil.

[I.e. he’s a ‘Tzaddik Elyon’, like Rebbe Nachman]

But us? We need to break the yetzer hara!

All of our work is to fight against this yetzer hara, and to teach our women how to fight against it.

The women also want to fight against this.

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Translated from Shivivei Or 384

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FOOTNOTES:

[1] I.e. to having to deal with the tests of being a ‘teenager’ again.

[2] See the scanned sources of the RAMBAM in Hebrew, from Shivivei Or, below.

[3] It’s taught that every Tzaddik receives 310 worlds.

[4] Yud, resh, kuf = 310 in gematria.

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