Lessons in Derech Mitzvosecha, Publisher's Foreword to Volume 1

 Lessons in Derech Mitzvosecha, Publisher's Foreword to Volume 1

Publisher's Foreword to Volume 1

By Rabbi M. M. Shneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek); Translated by Eliyahu Touger

Saying the Unsayable

“What constitutes the difference between Chassidus and the works of medieval Jewish philosophy (Chakirah) that preceded it?”

R. Yechezkel Feigin, the personal secretary of the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, and a mashpia in the Tomchei Temimim Yeshivah, grappled with that question in one of his articles in the chassidic journal HaTamim.1 He explains that the Jewish philosophers built the logical structures that characterize their works on the foundation of mortal reason.2 Thus even after they reached the fundamentals of faith, their explanations were dimmed by the trappings of mortal thought and the full power of Divine light could not be felt.

Chassidus, by contrast, seeks to arouse the fundamental point of faith that stems from the essential G‑dliness that each one of us possesses within his soul. The intellectual dimension of the teachings is a doorway leading to the light of pure faith. For this reason, Reb Yechezkel continues, a maamar does not necessarily conform to the patterns of mortal reason. It is not an encyclopedic treatise on a spiritual subject, but the communication of G‑dly truth. As such, as it descends into the realm of mortal reason, it creates and defines its own structures.

It is said: “No thought can grasp Him,”3 for G‑d’s essence transcends our mortal reach entirely. And in that vein, it is said:4 “Were I to know G‑d, I would be G‑d,” for our limited faculties cannot grasp His infinity. And yet, referring to that statement, the Rebbe Rashab5 once said:6 “When I open a Likkutei Torah (a classic chassidic text), I have both the knowledge of G‑d and the experience of G‑d.” For Chassidus communicates the dimension of G‑dliness that cannot be put into words, and indeed, cannot even be comprehended by our most abstract thoughts. Though a maamar contains a thought structure that can be understood, its focus is G‑dly truth that surpasses understanding. Its intellectual content serves as a handle, enabling a student to connect to this fundamental G‑dliness.

The above is true of the Torah as a whole. The Ten Commandments begin with the word Anochi which is, as our Sages explain,7 an acronym for the Aramaic words meaning: “I wrote down and conveyed Myself.” When a person studies the Torah, he is not studying a particular law or reading a story; he is connecting to G‑d’s essence.

In the Torah as a whole, however, this G‑dly dimension is often hard to appreciate, for a law must be understood as a law and a story as a story. When studying a passage in the Shulchan Aruch, one must be careful to comprehend how to apply the teachings in actual practice. Yes, one must know that he is studying G‑d’s Torah, but while studying Torah Law, it is the legal dimension and not the inner G‑dliness, that commands attention. In Chassidus, by contrast, the focus is on G‑dliness itself. The various intellectual structures used to communicate it are of secondary importance.8

From Another Vantage Point

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares G‑d, the L‑rd, ‘when I will send forth a hunger in the land — not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but to hear the words of G‑d.’ ”9 Today, that hunger is felt throughout the world. Men and women are looking for more in their lives than material satisfaction. They want a connection to G‑d.

When such a person studies the Torah, he is certainly looking for its G‑dly dimension, not merely its intellectual side. The Torah commands his attention, not only for the knowledge and guidance that it offers, but primarily because of the bond with G‑d it creates.

But place yourself in his shoes. Imagine walking into a library filled with books, aware that they contain G‑dly truth, but you are not able to read them because you do not know the language in which they are written. Or sometimes, you may know the language, but the nuances and the terms used by the text make it inaccessible. The thirst is overpowering.

When another person appreciates a friend’s thirst, he has a natural tendency to try to satisfy it. Once Reb Yoel Kahn, one of the leading contemporary authorities on chassidicthought, described one of his mentors: “People say that he was a brilliant teacher. That’s true, but it’s only part of the picture. Why was he so successful in teaching? Because he loved people and wanted to share with them. He was touched by Chassidus, appreciated its value and desired to give others a taste of it.”

We all can identify with that desire. After studying a maamar and understanding it, one wants to communicate it to others. It’s as if the G‑dly energy invested in the maamar refuses to allow us to sit back and remain content with understanding it ourselves alone.

From Feeling to Deed

In this spirit, we would like to present the translation of the chassidic classic: Derech Mitzvosecha, by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, the third Lubavitcher Rebbe(5549[1789] — 5626 [1866]). In keeping with a longstanding tradition in the Rabbinic world in which an author is identified by the name of his halachic magnum opus, he is universally known as “the Tzemach Tzedek.”

R. Menachem Mendel composed this work in his early adulthood.10 It focuses on many of the 613 mitzvos of the Torah. The Tzemach Tzedek begins his treatment of each mitzvah by quoting Sefer HaChinuch, the landmark workthat lists all 613 mitzvos and their motivating rationales. Occasionally, it cites other sources in Nigleh and then briefly outlines the mysticalsecrets the Kabbalah associates with this mitzvah. Afterwards, he explains these ideas within the context of Chassidus and in the course of doing so, provides his readers with many fundamental concepts applicable in their Divine service.

From the time of its first publication in 5671 (1911), it has become an indispensable element of every chassidic library and an integral part of the process of education in Chassidus. For some, it was the first text of Chassidus that they studied. For others, it was the second or third building block in the development of their base of chassidic knowledge. Almost universally, for a youth growing up in a Lubavitch home or for an adult beginning the study of Chassidus, it features as an important element of the transition between wanting to study Chassidus and actually doing so.

When asked what works of Chassidus people should learn, the Rebbe replied in several of his letters11that it was difficult to advise people without knowing more details about their skills and background, but that in addition to Tanya, it would be valuable to study Derech Mitzvosecha. And he counseled12 a person unfamiliar with the teachings of Chassidus to begin by “studying Derech Mitzvosecha by the Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, which is written in a more familiar style, and to a certain extent, every concept is explained independently.”

Despite the widespread popularity of the text, there are still many for whom it remains inaccessible. As we began contemplating its translation, we realized that presenting the entire work would turn into several oversized volumes. Instead, we decided to produce a sampler, choosing nine maamarim. They were selected because they are often referred to by the Rebbe in his letters and sichos and/or serve as texts that are studied in yeshivos.

Just as the original work in the Holy Tongue cannot be understood by an untrained Hebrew speaker, so, too, merely rendering it into English would not make it accessible to every English reader. Instead, the presentation of this work in English involves teaching, not just translation. With that intent in mind, we have produced “a shiur on paper.” Translator’s additions have been grafted into the text in a different type-face and references have been added as footnotes. To illustrate, using a sample page:

There is, however, one dimension of the text where this approach was not followed in a complete manner. As mentioned above, at the beginning of the maamarim — and in some instances, throughout the text — many references are made toKabbalisticconcepts. A complete elucidation of terms used and the implications of the analogies employed would have diverted focus from the primary goal of the text. Hence, in this area, our explanations were kept to a minimum.

In Appreciation

No work of this scope could be achieved by one individual. Instead, this translation was a team effort combining the synergistic efforts of many individuals, including:

Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, who translated the text and composed the notes;

Rabbi Aharon Leib Raskin of the Chabad Research Center, who provided the references and the explanation of many difficult concepts and who checked the accuracy of the translation;

Rochel Chana Schilder, who edited the text, refusing to look at it as a mere professional job, but instead asked question after question until she felt satisfied a reader would understand;

Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky, whoclarified many questions regarding the kabbalisticterms used in the text;

the Namvar family of Los Angeles, for sponsoring the publication of this text;

Yosef Yitzchok Turner, who designed the layout and typography; and

Rabbi Yonah Avtzon, who supervised and participated in every dimension of the project, translating it from an abstract ideal to a polished work.

The appreciation of Chassidus as fundamental G‑dly truth enables us to understand the cause-and-effect relationship implied when Mashiach told the Baal Shem Tov that he would come when the wellsprings of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings would spread outward.13 For spreading the essential awareness of G‑d that these teachings communicatethroughout the world prepares it to become a fit vessel for G‑dliness.

May this translation play a part in leading to the fulfillment of this purpose and the dawning of the age when “No man will teach his colleague... because they will all know Me.”14

Sichos In English

Yud Shvat, 5778 (2018)

FOOTNOTES

1.

See HaTamim, pp. 490-491.

2.

By making this statement, he was not discounting the influence of ruach hakodesh, Divine inspiration. Nevertheless, the starting point of their work was mortal logic and that endowed it with its fundamental character.

3.

Cf. the passage beginning Pasach Eliyahu, Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction II (p. 17a).

4.

Sefer HaIkarim, Discourse II, the conclusion of ch. 30

5.

R. Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe.

6.

See Sefer HaMaamarim Melukat, Vol. II, p. 12.

7.

Shabbos 105a, as explained in Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar, p. 48d.

8.

See Inyana Shel Toras HaChassidus (On the Essence of Chassidus, Kehot Publication Society, Brooklyn, NY 2003), sec. 2.

9.

Amos 8:11.

10.

The Rebbe’s Foreword to the 5713 (1953) edition states that the text was composed between the years 5574-5588 (1814-1828). The preliminary drafts of certain maamarim were, however, written during the lifetime of the Alter Rebbe, who passed away in 5573 (1812), when the Tzemach Tzedek was 23 years old. See the Introduction to the first printing, printed as an addendum to Derech Mitzvosecha.

11.

See the Rebbe’s Igros Kodesh, Vol. IV, p. 484, Vol. V, p. 89, Vol. XIII, p. 231, Vol. XIV, p. 108.

12.

Op. cit., Vol. XV, p. 292.

13.

The Baal Shem Tov’s letter, printed at the beginning of Kesser Shem Tov.

14.

Yirmeyahu 31:33.

By Rabbi M. M. Shneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek); Translated by Eliyahu Touger

Rabbi M. M. Shneersohn [1789-1866], the third Rebbe of Chabad, known as the "Tzemach Tzedek," was renowned not only as a Rebbe, but also as a leading scholar in his generation in both the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah.

Rabbi Eliyahu Touger is a noted author and translator, widely published for his works on Chassidut and Maimonides.

More from Rabbi M. M. Schneersohn, the Tzemach Tzedek  |  RSS

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Pirkei Avot 6:10

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חֲמִשָּׁה קִנְיָנִים קָנָה לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְעוֹלָמוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, תּוֹרָה קִנְיָן אֶחָד, שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ קִנְיָן אֶחָד, אַבְרָהָם קִנְיָן אֶחָד, יִשְׂרָאֵל קִנְיָן אֶחָד, בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קִנְיָן אֶחָד. תּוֹרָה מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (משלי ח), ה' קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ קֶדֶם מִפְעָלָיו מֵאָז. שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (ישעיה סו), כֹּה אָמַר ה' הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי אֵי זֶה בַיִת אֲשֶׁר תִּבְנוּ לִי וְאֵי זֶה מָקוֹם מְנוּחָתִי, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים קד) מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ ה' כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ. אַבְרָהָם קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (בראשית יד), וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ. יִשְׂרָאֵל קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו), עַד יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ ה' עַד יַעֲבֹר עַם זוּ קָנִיתָ, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים טז) לִקְדוֹשִׁים אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ הֵמָּה וְאַדִּירֵי כָּל חֶפְצִי בָם. בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו), מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ פָּעַלְתָּ ה' מִקְּדָשׁ ה' כּוֹנְנוּ יָדֶיךָ. וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים עח) וַיְבִיאֵם אֶל גְּבוּל קָדְשׁוֹ הַר זֶה קָנְתָה יְמִינוֹ:

Five possessions did the Holy Blessed One, set aside as his own in this world, and these are they: The Torah, one possession; Heaven and earth, another possession; Abraham, another possession; Israel, another possession; The Temple, another possession. 1a) The Torah is one possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written, “The Lord possessed (usually translated as ‘created’) me at the beginning of his course, at the first of His works of old” (Proverbs 8:22). 2a) Heaven and earth, another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is said: “Thus said the Lord: The heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool; Where could you build a house for Me, What place could serve as My abode? (Isaiah 66:1) And it says: “How many are the things You have made, O Lord; You have made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions” (Psalms 104:24). 3a) Abraham is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written: “He blessed him, saying, “Blessed by Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 15:19). 4a) Israel is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written: “Till Your people cross over, O Lord, Till Your people whom You have possessed” (Exodus 15:16). And it says: “As to the holy and mighty ones that are in the land, my whole desire (possession) is in them” (Psalms 16:3). 5a) The Temple is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is said: “The sanctuary, O lord, which your hands have established” (Exodus 15:17”, And it says: “And He brought them to His holy realm, to the mountain, which His right hand had possessed” (Psalms 78:54).

 

I like to call out to all my Jewish friends:

Zechariah 8:23

 

23So said the Lord of Hosts: In those days, when ten men of all the languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."		כגכֹּֽה־אָמַר֘ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָאוֹת֒ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔מָּה אֲשֶׁ֚ר יַֽחֲזִ֙יקוּ֙ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל לְשֹׁנ֣וֹת הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְֽהֶחֱזִ֡יקוּ בִּכְנַף֩ אִ֨ישׁ יְהוּדִ֜י לֵאמֹ֗ר נֵֽלְכָה֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ אֱלֹהִ֥ים עִמָּכֶֽם:
ten men: from the seventy nations. This equals seven hundred for each corner. For the four corners of the tallith there will be two thousand and eight hundred.		עשרה אנשים: משבעים לשון הרי שבע מאות לכל כנף וכנף הרי לד' כנפי הטלית אלפים ושמונ' מאו':

That may come in fulfillment in our days:

Our souls are bearing the ‘sparks’ (divine aspects) of Messiah.

It is forbidden to pray to bow down to any other (god), and/or messiah, and/or before any image or to lift up a human being as a god…… or to put any other (god), and/or messiah, and/or any image before or instead or between HaShem and us. ('It suf')

“The redemption will come about only through the study of the Torah. And the essential redemption depends upon the study of the Kabbalah” According to: R. ELIYAHU, THE VILNA GAON (Evven Shelemah (a ‘complete, without defect stone’) 11:3)

When Yehuda and Ephraim come to unity (again) Messiah Ben Joseph 'died' and Messiah Ben David shall be revealed and anointed by the Israeli people as the Messiah-King of Israel. As YeshaYahu is teaching:

Isa 11:9 – 16 They do no evil nor destroy in all My set-apart mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of Adonai as the waters cover the sea.

Rashi: knowledge of the Lord: [lit.] to know the Lord.

10 And on that day, there shall be a Root of Yishai, standing as a banner to the people. Unto Him the nations shall seek, and His rest shall be esteem.

Rashi: as a banner for peoples: that peoples should raise a banner to gather to him.

11 And it shall be in that day that Adonai sets His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Ashshur and from Mitsrayim, from Pathros and from Kush, from Ěylam and from Shin‛ar, from Ḥamath and from the islands of the sea.

Rashi: a second time: Just as he acquired them from Egypt, when their redemption was absolute, without subjugation, but the redemption preceding the building of the Second Temple is not counted, since they were subjugated to Cyrus.

and from the islands of the sea: the islands of the Kittim, the Romans, the descendants of Esau.

And he shall raise a banner: Perka, perche in O.F. [i.e., the verse is literally referring to the pole upon which the banner is attached.] And it shall be for a sign to gather to him and to bring the exiles of Israel to Him as a present.

12 And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of Yisra’ěl, and assemble the dispersed of Yehuḏa from the four corners of the earth.

13 And the envy of Ephrayim shall turn aside, and the adversaries of Yehuḏa be cut off. Ephrayim shall not envy Yehuḏa, and Yehuḏa not trouble Ephrayim.

Rashi: Ephraim shall not envy Judah: The Messiah, the son of David, and the Messiah, the son of Joseph, shall not envy each other.

14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they plunder the people of the east, their hand stretching forth on Eḏom and Mo’aḇ, and the children of Ammon shall be subject to them.

Rashi: And they shall fly of one accord against the Philistines in the west: Heb. בְכָתֵף. Israel will fly and run of one accord against the Philistines who are in the west of Eretz Israel and conquer their land. [כָּתֵף, lit. a shoulder, is used in this case to denote unity. The word שֶׁכֶם, also lit. a shoulder, is used in a similar sense.] Comp. (Hoshea 6:9) “They murder on the way in unison (שֶׁכְמָה) ”; (Zeph. 3:9) “One accord (שְׁכֶם אֶחָד).” And so did Jonathan rendered it: And they shall join in one accord to smite the Philistines who are in the west.

and the children of Ammon shall obey them: As the Targum states: Will hearken to them. They will accept their commandments over them.

15 And Adonai shall put under the ban the tongue of the Sea of Mitsrayim, and He shall wave His hand over the River with the might of His Spirit, and shall strike it in the seven streams, and shall cause men to tread it in sandals.

Rashi: And… shall dry up: [lit. shall cut off] to dry it, so that the exiles of Israel will pass through it from Egypt.

over the river: The Euphrates River, for the exiles from Assyria to cross.

with the strength of His wind: Heb. בַּעְיָם. This is hapax legomenon in Scripture, and according to the context it can be interpreted as “with the strength of His wind.”

into seven streams: into seven segments, for the aforementioned seven exiles: from Assyria and from Egypt, etc. Those from the islands of the sea are not from that side.

and He shall lead: the exiles within it.

with shoes: on dry land.

16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, those left from Ashshur, as it was for Yisra’ěl in the day when he came up from the land of Mitsrayim.

Rashi: And there shall be a highway: in the midst of the water for the remnant of His people.

Please Judah if a righteous gentile tries ‘to grasp your ‘tsi-sit’ and say:  "Let me go with you, for I have heard that God is with you." Open your heart for him/her and share all our Torah. The Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu as it is written and spared and is teaches in the Tanach and all scripture of Rabbinical Judaism………

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Petition click: 1 Million for a Jewish Temple Mount!

It should be most honest:

'Israeli MK proposes dividing Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims

**AMIT HALEVI'S PLAN WOULD GIVE MUSLIMS CONTROL OF THE SOUTHERN END OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT COMPLEX, WHICH CONTAINS THE AL-AQSA MOSQUE, WHILE JEWS WOULD RECEIVE THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AREAS.

(JUNE 8, 2023 / JNS)**

A Likud lawmaker is proposing a plan to divide Jerusalem’s Temple Mount between Muslims and Jews and to remove Jordan’s custodial status over the holy site.

Speaking to the Zman Yisrael Hebrew news site, Knesset member Amit Halevi outlined a plan whereby Muslims would control the southern end of the 37-acre complex which contains the Al-Aqsa mosque, while Jews would receive the central and northern area, where the Dome of the Rock sits.

According to Halevi, the reorganization makes sense from a religious point of view because that part of the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, where it is believed the First and Second Temples stood. The Foundation Stone at the center of the Dome of the Rock is where Jewish sources place the Holy of Holies.

“This is the place of the First Temple and the place of the Second Temple built by Babylonian immigrants. No one needs to examine the stones to know that it is ours,” he said.

Halevi also wants to end Israel’s agreement with the Jordanian Waqf whereby the Islamic trust controls and manages Islamic edifices on the Temple Mount.

“Why not give them status in the Dizengoff Center [a large shopping mall in Tel Aviv] as well? This is a terrible mistake. This status should be abolished. I know it’s an agreement between countries, but we have to deal with it. It requires change, even if the process will take time,” he said.

In addition, Halevi wants to give Jews the same access to the Temple Mount enjoyed by Muslims. Currently, the Waqf only allows Jews and non-Muslim tourists access to the Temple Mount via the Maghrebi Gate and only at certain hours when the gate is open.

“We will take the northern end and pray there. The entire mountain is sacred to us, and the Dome of the Rock is the place on which the Temple stood. This should be our guideline,” he said. “Israel is leading. It will be a historical, religious and national statement. If this does not happen then you are not actually the owner of the house. You are a klutz. Why are you even going in there?”

Source: https://www.jns.org/israel-news/jerusalem/23/6/8/293752/

Please let we all, Jews and all their friends, take the Har HaBayit and start building the Temple and restoring her service?

כִּ֤י אִם־הֵיטֵיב֙ תֵּיטִ֔יבוּ אֶת־דַּרְכֵיכֶ֖ם וְאֶת־מַעַלְלֵיכֶ֑ם אִם־עָשׂ֤וֹ תַֽעֲשׂוּ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט בֵּ֥ין אִ֖ישׁ וּבֵ֥ין רֵעֵֽהוּ׃

No, if you really mend your ways and your actions; if you execute justice between one party and another;

גֵּ֣ר יָת֤וֹם וְאַלְמָנָה֙ לֹ֣א תַעֲשֹׁ֔קוּ וְדָ֣ם נָקִ֔י אַֽל־תִּשְׁפְּכ֖וּ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאַחֲרֵ֨י אֱלֹהִ֧ים אֲחֵרִ֛ים לֹ֥א תֵלְכ֖וּ לְרַ֥ע לָכֶֽם׃

if you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow; if you do not shed the blood of the innocent in this place; if you do not follow other gods, to your own hurt—

וְשִׁכַּנְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם לְמִן־עוֹלָ֖ם וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃

then only will I let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors for all time.

Ariel your Representee, Representee of Ephraim and adviser (not a rabbi but friendly adviser) of Bet Yisrael international on the Har HaBayit.

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