The Midbar Generation
דור המדברThe wilderness years — the mann, the clouds of glory, the spies, and the generation shaped in the desert. The Sfas Emes on the midbar.
132 essays
Beshalach
- Manna Preparing for TorahBeshalach · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Sanctifying the Physical BodyBeshalach · תרל"ח · Essay 4
- Nourishment from Divine SpeechBeshalach · תרל"ט · Essay 2
- Hunger That Receives TorahBeshalach · תרמ"א · Essay 4
- Manna and Tree of LifeBeshalach · תרמ"ה · Essay 3
- Beshalach 5646 תרמ"וBeshalach · תרמ"ו
- Knowing Through Not KnowingBeshalach · תרס"ב - תרס"ג · Essay 3
Yitro
Pesach
Bamidbar
- Bamidbar 3 תרל"אBamidbar · תרל"א
- Torah lishmah as total bittul of selfBamidbar · תרל"א · Essay 4
- Bamidbar תרל"גBamidbar · תרל"ג
- Bamidbar תרל"דBamidbar · תרל"ד
- Acquiring Torah through wilderness humilityBamidbar · תרל"ד · Essay 1
- Emptiness merits the form of TorahBamidbar · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- The desert as bittul, the gateway to TorahBamidbar · תרמ"ד · Essay 2
- Torah in the wilderness and Yisrael's onenessBamidbar · תרנ"ד · Essay 2
- Bittul as the root of placeBamidbar · תרנ"ט · Essay 3
Beha'alotcha
- Holy Desire Versus Selfish CravingBeha'alotcha · תרל"א · Essay 2
- Two modes of unity: Written and Oral TorahBeha'alotcha · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- Binding the branches into unityBeha'alotcha · תרל"ט · Essay 3
- Unity below sustains the heavenly palaceBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ג · Essay 2
- Drawing Heaven Down and Preparing the Vessel BelowBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח - תרנ"ב · Essay 5
- Two Paths to Dveikus: Heaven and the SeaBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח - תרנ"ב · Essay 6
- Rise and fall between nefesh and ruachBeha'alotcha · תרנ"ז · Essay 2
Shlach
- Mitzvos as Divine MissionShlach · תרל"א · Essay 1
- Faith Beyond Outward SeeingShlach · תרל"א · Essay 2
- Man as Hashem's agent in the worldShlach · תרל"ג · Essay 2
- A failed mission that paved the wayShlach · תרל"ג · Essay 4
- Shlach תרל"הShlach · תרל"ה
- Bittul as the shliach's protectionShlach · תרל"ה · Essay 1
- Trusting Divine help over self-relianceShlach · תרל"ה · Essay 2
- Inner leaders bound within the collectiveShlach · תרל"ה · Essay 3
- The straight and crooked path back to HashemShlach · תרל"ה · Essay 4
- Shlach תרל"וShlach · תרל"ו
- Life as a dangerous mitzvah-missionShlach · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Calev's reward of mesirus nefeshShlach · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Pure mission nullifies self-willShlach · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- The spies' test of hidden meritShlach · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- The eternal inner point and mitzvos as Torah's messengersShlach · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- Evil is an illusory shadow; cleave to the tzaddikShlach · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- Shlach תרל"טShlach · תרל"ט
- Divine will above nature and the spies' failure of emunahShlach · תרל"ט · Essay 2
- Descending for the sake of avodahShlach · תרל"ט · Essay 3
- Shlach תר"מShlach · תר"מ
- The spies and reliance on HashemShlach · תר"מ · Essay 1
- Self-perception shapes outer realityShlach · תר"מ · Essay 2
- Spies failed a mission requiring angelic bittulShlach · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- The spies' error: self-reliance over Divine chesedShlach · תרמ"ב · Essay 1
- Longing for Hashem transcends time and natureShlach · תרמ"ג · Essay 2
- Entering the Land above natureShlach · תרמ"ד · Essay 1
- Descending into the physical to elevate itShlach · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- Uniting Torah with physical deedShlach · תרמ"ו · Essay 1
- Torah Ohr versus Ner MitzvahShlach · תרמ"ז · Essay 5
- Inheriting the Land through the Merit of the AvosShlach · תרמ"ז · Essay 6
- Tzitzis, tefillin, and the world of emunahShlach · תר"נ · Essay 1
- Conquering the Land through bittulShlach · תרנ"א · Essay 1
- Eretz Yisrael as hidden treasure to be soughtShlach · תרנ"ב · Essay 2
- Spies' Sin: Fearing the Land's DinShlach · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
- Eretz Yisrael won through human effortShlach · תרנ"ג · Essay 2
- Pure intent elevates every mitzvahShlach · תרנ"ה · Essay 3
- Living above nature and the spies' failure of emunahShlach · תרנ"ו · Essay 1
- The soul's mission overrides rest; the inner landShlach · תרנ"ז · Essay 1
- Moshe's teshuvah forges a new pathShlach · תרנ"ט · Essay 1
- Tzitzis as a lifeline for the soulShlach · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
- Yaakov and Yisrael: battle and rest in the spiesShlach · תר"ס · Essay 1
- The hidden inner goodness of Eretz YisraelShlach · תרס"א · Essay 1
- Tzitzis straighten the battling heartShlach · תרס"א · Essay 3
- Living above nature through TorahShlach · תרס"ד · Essay 1
Chukat
- Clouds of Glory RestoredChukat · תרל"ט · Essay 4
- Awakening the First GenerationChukat · תר"מ · Essay 1
- Mitzvos Reveal Ancestral LightChukat · תרמ"א - תרמ"ב · Essay 4
- Aharon's Clouds Guarding IsraelChukat · תרמ"ו · Essay 3
- Hidden and Revealed MiraclesChukat · תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Becoming Living Wells of TorahChukat · תרנ"ט · Essay 3
Balak
Matot
Masei
- Masei תרל"בMasei · תרל"ב
- Distance Grants Enduring ExistenceMasei · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- Masei תרל"גMasei · תרל"ג
- Masei תרמ"בMasei · תרמ"ב
- Mattos Masei Opening HeaderMasei · תרמ"ב · Essay 1
- Refining Sparks Through JourneysMasei · תרמ"ב · Essay 2
- Masei תרמ"גMasei · תרמ"ג
- Journeys That Carry MenuchahMasei · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- Journeys As Lifelong BattlesMasei · תרמ"ד · Essay 2
- Spiritual Journeys And BattlesMasei · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- Ascending Through Wilderness JourneysMasei · תרמ"ו · Essay 1
- Journeys That Rectify GenerationsMasei · תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח · Essay 1
- Returning To Rectify DeparturesMasei · תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח · Essay 4
- Journeys Above NatureMasei · תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Transforming Wilderness into SettlementMasei · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
- Settling the Wilderness Through TorahMasei · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
- Journeying From Level To LevelMasei · תרס"ב · Essay 2
- Finding Hashem Within DistressMasei · תרס"ד · Essay 1
Devarim
Eikev
Ki Tavo
Sukkot
- The three festivals and the love of HashemSukkot · תרל"ד · Essay 5
- Choosing to surrender free willSukkot · תרל"ה · Essay 2
- Sukkos and receiving honor safelySukkot · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Chesed earned through din enduresSukkot · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- The Sukkah's supernatural shade of emunahSukkot · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Teshuvah draws down the sukkah's radianceSukkot · תרמ"ד · Essay 1
- The sukkah as freedom above natureSukkot · תרמ"ד · Essay 2
- Sukkah as Protection and Test for SeekersSukkot · תרמ"ה · Essay 3
- The Sukkah as the Shade of EmunahSukkot · תרמ"ו · Essay 1
- Leaving nature to perceive the hidden lightSukkot · תרמ"ז · Essay 1
- Four Species and sukkah draw down supernal joySukkot · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
- The sukkah as the shade of emunahSukkot · תר"נ · Essay 2
- Sukkos as Aharon's chesed after judgmentSukkot · תר"נ · Essay 5
- Aharon's teshuvah and the Clouds of GlorySukkot · תרנ"א · Essay 7
- Sukkah as refuge from AmalekSukkot · תרנ"ב · Essay 2
- Sukkos: the war that brings peaceSukkot · תרנ"ג · Essay 2
- The Sukkah as True PermanenceSukkot · תרנ"ג · Essay 3
- Sukkah of peace and lulav of victorySukkot · תרנ"ד ותרנ"ו · Essay 2
- Sukkah as renewal of the true human formSukkot · תרנ"ה · Essay 1
- Shemini Atzeres as internalized restSukkot · תרנ"ה · Essay 3
- Following Hashem into the wilderness on pure faithSukkot · תרנ"ח · Essay 1
- Torah as our consolation for the desert loveSukkot · תרס"ב · Essay 11
- The sukkah as revealed providence and emunahSukkot · תרס"ג · Essay 1