Here’s another recent shiur given by Rav Berland.

Enjoy!

====

Shiur that was given after the Ma’ariv prayers, the evening of the 7th of Tishrei, 5785 (October 10, 2024)

In the writings of Rabbi Levi Yitzhak [Schneerson], the father of the Melech HaMoshiach, it’s written that the whole story about Sisera was on Rosh Hashana.

And this is:

“You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand, for what power is there in the heaven or on the earth that can perform according to Your deeds and according to Your mighty acts?”[1]

‘Yadecha hahazaka’ (‘Your strong hand’) – this is Sisera.[2]

==

Moshe wanted to subdue Sisera, to be Barak ben Avinoam, and so [he’s called] ‘Avinoam’ – which is ‘avi’ (father) of all the navi’im [prophets]. All the nevuot (prophecies) continue from ‘ben Avinoam).

He merited to the ‘Shirat Devorah’, which is greater than the Shirat HaYam (Song at the Sea), because Devorah was a spark of Moshe Rabbenu. And she merited to ‘twice as much’ as Moshe Rabbenu.

==

Every bat (lit. daughter, fig. girl / woman) is a spark of Moshe Rabbenu, because every bat who draws close to Shuvu Banim, she merits to be a spark of Moshe Rabbenu. Her ‘song’ is greater than the Shirat HaYam.

And so, it’s written:

“Blessed by women is Yael, wife of Heber the Kenite, by women in the tent will she be blessed.”[3]

Yael, she ascended all the [spiritual] levels.

Why was she called ‘Yael’? Because every woman, she ascends to all the levels. She merited to ascend to all the heights. She brought the geula to Am Yisrael.[4]

==

For a period of 40 years, Devorah ruled over Am Yisrael.

Because every woman can be a bat melech (princess), and the daughter of Caesar, the wife of Caesar, who rules over the whole world […text is missing in original…] shulchim l’galut (sent out to the exile.)[5]

But the wife of Caesar, she’s the one who rules over the whole world.

The wife is the sefira of keter.

“Eshet chayil ateret ba’alah.”[6]

==

Every woman from Shuvu Banim is the sefirat haketer, she merits to keter. She ascends from malchut[7] to keter.[8]

And so, Yael merited to:

Mey’nashim b’ohel te’vorech.

“By women in the tent will she be blessed.”

==

Te’vorech (will be blessed) is 622, and another 38 (= b’ohel), is exactly 678, and another 622, is exactly 1100.

Mey’nashim b’ohel te’vorech.

Mey’nashim  (by women) – 440, so 478 and another 622, te’vorech, this is 1,100.

This is also Sarah, and also Rivka, and also Rachel, and also Leah, 1806. And another 14 – David.

==

Each woman who merits to draw closer to Shuvu Banim, every woman who comes, her ‘song’ is the Shirat HaYam, it’s the ‘song’ of David, she’s a spark of David HaMelech.

Just as Yael merited to be a spark from King David, and like this, she merited to subdue the whole Sitra Achra (Dark Side).

Because every woman who merited to pray with the Rav on Rosh Hashana, she merited to subdue the whole Sitra Achra, and to bring the geula shleima (complete redemption), speedily in our days.

Amen.

==

FOOTNOTES:

Translated from Shivivei Or, 378.

[1] Parshat Ve’etchanan, Devarim 3:24.

[2] Possibly, the Rav is hinting to the statement that the stars ‘left their courses’ to come and fight against Sisera, causing the Kishon River to flood, and wash his 900 chariots away. The passage in Shirat Devorah (Judges, 5: 20-21) says: “From heaven they fought, the very stars from their orbits did battle with Sisera. Kishon Brook swept them away.”

[3] Judges, Shirat Devorah, 5:24.

[4] At least, from the oppression and the army of Sisera, and his 900 chariots of iron.

[5] The Rav is possibly making a play on words related to the shluchim, who are sent all over the world, especially as he begins this shiur by referring to the late Chabad Rebbe’s father, Levi Yitzhak Schneerson.

[6] “A woman of valour is the crown of her husband” – from Eshet Chayil, recited on a Friday night to honor the woman of the home.

[7] The lowest of the sefirot, associated with the woman in the marriage relationship, where the man embodies the other nine sefirot that ‘give’ to malchut.

[8] Keter is the highest of the kabbalistic sefirot.