Beha'alotcha
בהעלותךKindling the Menorah
31 translated essays · 66 total
תרל"א(1870)
Mitzvos Drawing Torah Light Inward· Essay 1
במדרש ה’ חפץ כו’ יגדיל תורה כו’. דכתיב נר מצוה ותורה אור. In describing the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah, The midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:2) says that the lighting of the Menorah is not for HaShem’s sake, but rather for…
Holy Desire Versus Selfish Craving· Essay 2
In the following section, the Sfas Emes discusses the difference between doing what ‘I think’ is the correct thing and doing HaShem’s will even though ‘I don’t think it’s the best for me’. In particular the discussio…
Aligning Your Will with Hashem· Essay 3
ר’ מאיר אומר כל העוסק בתורה לשמה כו’. R, Meir expounded the great gifts of learning Torah Lishma פי’ הפשוט כדי לעשות. The simple understanding is that he is learning the Torah in order to perform it וזה שם תורה כדי להורות …
תרל"ג(1872)
Raising the hidden spark in everything· Essay 1
In Rashi: that the flame should rise of its own accord — for in everything there is a point of vitality from Hashem; only that everything depends on the avodah of man to awaken the flame of enthusiasm and to turn everything toward Hashem. R…
Rectifying and unifying all desire toward Hashem· Essay 2
"Make His will like your will," etc. The Sefas Emes opens with the maamar Chazal from Pirkei Avos: make Hashem's ratzon into your own will. He will now show how this is achieved. It is counsel to rectify the will (ratzon): according to how …
Beha'aotcha תרל"ג
תרל”ג ברש”י שתהי’ שלהבת עולה מאלי’ Rashi (Bamidbar 8:2) when lighting the menorah, Aharon is commanded to keep the fire by the candles until the candles light up on their own. כי בכל דבר יש נקודה חיות מהשי”ת רק…
תרל"ד(1873)
Revealing the hidden light of Torah· Essay 1
In the Midrash on "even darkness is not dark to You" (Tehillim 139:12) — with a parable about an ordinary man's lamp — the meaning is that from Hashem's perspective there is no darkness in the world at all; rather, Hashem Yisborach conceale…
Serving Hashem through unchanging bittul· Essay 2
And in Avos it says: "Make His will like your will, so that He will make your will like His will." (Avos 2:4) The Mishnah teaches that when a person makes Hashem's will his own, Hashem in turn fulfills that person's will — and the Sefas Eme…
Beha'alotcha תרל"ד
במדרש גם חושך לא יחשיך ממך כו’ משל כו’ כלי הדיוטות כו’ פי’ שמצדו ית’ אין חושך בעולם רק השי”ת העלים האור בעוה”ז כדי שיהי’ לנו במה לכבד אותו ית’ למצוא אור הגנוז בעולם ומצד זה אינו דומה להמ…
Beha'alotcha תרל"ד
תרל”ה ויעש כן אהרן. שלא שינה. יש לפרש כי עשה מעשה המצוה כל ימי חייו בכוונה ורצון אחד. כי דרך כל אדם. שבהתחלה מתעורר לטוב. אח”כ נשכח ממנו. וצריך לחפש התעוררות באופן אחר תמיד. והאמת כי ההתפעלות הראשון הוא המובחר לזאת נאמר על אהרן …
תרל"ה(1874)
Holding fast to first inspiration· Essay 1
"And Aharon did so" (Bamidbar 8:3). The verse describes Aharon kindling the Menorah exactly as commanded; the Sefas Emes will explore what "and he did so" is coming to praise. "That he did not deviate" (Rashi). Rashi explains the praise of …
Nefesh and ruach paths of avodah· Essay 2
"And the mixed multitude (asafsuf)… felt a craving… Gather to Me seventy men…" (Bamidbar 11:4, 11:16). The Sefas Emes opens with the episode of the people's craving in the wilderness and Hashem's command to Moshe to gather seventy elders. W…
תרל"ו(1875)
Serving Hashem while beholding His revealed glory· Essay 1
"Toward the face of the menorah shall the [seven lamps] give light..." and "he did so..." (Bamidbar 8:2-3). The Sefas Emes opens with the pesukim about Aharon kindling the menorah, which he will probe for their deeper meaning. [We must] und…
The Leviim chosen through bittul to the whole· Essay 2
In the name of my grandfather, of blessed memory, on what Rashi wrote — that Bnei Yisrael are mentioned five times in the verse, that they are beloved like the Five Books of the Torah. Citing his grandfather (the Chiddushei HaRim), the Sefa…
Matching deeds to one's true will· Essay 3
In the Mishnah: "Do His will as your own will, so that He will do your will as His will." The Sefas Emes opens with the Mishnah in Avos urging a person to make Hashem's ratzon (will) his own, with the promise that Hashem will then fulfill t…
תרל"ז(1876)
Hashem joins thought to deed· Essay 1
"Toward the face of the menorah shall the lamps give light," etc. And in the Midrash: a parable of a king for whom a feast was prepared using a commoner's vessels; and when the king arrived in the glory of his greatness, the commoner hid aw…
Compelled to fulfill the King's decree· Essay 2
On the verse "And the people rose up…" The Sefas Emes takes up the verse describing how the people rose to gather the quail. And one must wonder: we find in all other places that when Bnei Yisrael sinned and HaKadosh Baruch Hu was angry wit…
Guarding the holy power of speech· Essay 3
On the matter of remembering Miriam. The piece opens by taking up the mitzvah of remembering what happened to Miriam, who spoke against Moshe Rabbeinu and was stricken. "What Hashem your God did to Miriam... when you came out of Mitzrayim."…
תרל"ח(1877)
Holy shame that makes our deeds rise· Essay 1
"Toward the face of the Menorah the seven lamps shall give light" (Bamidbar 8:2). The Sefas Emes opens with the verse commanding Aharon to kindle the lamps facing the central stem of the Menorah. And it is difficult: it should have said "th…
Two modes of unity: Written and Oral Torah· Essay 2
In the Midrash: "Gather to Me seventy men" (Bamidbar 11:16) — this is what is written: "He who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and has founded His bundle (agudah) upon the earth etc." (Amos 9:6) The Midrash connects the command to …
תרל"ט(1878)
Torah's light elevated through mitzvos· Essay 2
In the Midrash: "Hashem desired… to make the Torah great and glorious…" — as it is written, "A mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light" (Mishlei 6:23), for the Torah is a Tree of Life and the mitzvos are the branches that spread out from i…
Binding the branches into unity· Essay 3
In the Midrash on "Gather for Me seventy men": "He who builds His upper chambers in the heavens... and has founded His bundle (agudah) upon the earth" (Amos 9:6) — a parable to a structure built atop bound-together ships, etc. The Midrash l…
תר"מ(1879)
תרמ"א(1880)
תרמ"ב(1881)
Mitzvos as the soul's lamp purifying the body· Essay 1
In the Midrash on "Hashem desired, for the sake of his righteousness..." (Yeshayahu 42:21). The Sefas Emes opens with the verse the Midrash applies to Hashem's gift of Torah and mitzvos to Israel. As stated in the Mishnah: "The Holy One, bl…
Elevating the Self Through Mitzvos· Essay 2
Regarding the parable of the "commoners' vessels" brought in the Midrash. The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash that likens the lamps of the Menorah to ordinary, lowly vessels, and proceeds to draw out its inner meaning. One can find a hint…
Arousal from below awakens the light above· Essay 3
In the Midrash: "Gather for Me…" — "He who builds His upper chambers in the heavens… and has founded His bundle upon the earth…" The Midrash pairs the command to gather the seventy elders with a verse from Amos describing Hashem building "a…
תרמ"ג(1882)
Mitzvos have worth only as Hashem's will· Essay 1
In the Midrash on "Toward the face of the Menorah shall they give light" (Bamidbar 8:2): a parable of a king who told his beloved friend, "Know that I will dine at your house," and the friend prepared common utensils; when the king came, hi…
Unity below sustains the heavenly palace· Essay 2
On the pasuk: "Gather to Me seventy men..." (Bamidbar 11:16), and in the Midrash: "He who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and founds His bundle (agudaso) upon the earth" (Amos 9:6) — [this is compared] to a palace (palterin) built …
Youthful fervor guarded by elders' restraint· Essay 3
In the name of my grandfather z"l, on the pasuk "and from age fifty… he shall return from the host of the avodah etc." He cites his grandfather on the law that a Levi retires from the heavy Mishkan service at fifty. "But he returns to the l…
תרמ"ד(1883)
35 more essays from this section await translation.