English translation — עמוד 371

1.

This week's portion — Parshas Eikev — is one of the seven of consolation, in which not only the haftorahs are a matter of consolation,

but also the Torah portions.

For the haftorahs are indeed,

for the most part,

related to the Torah portion.

Therefore, since the haftorah speaks about the consolation of the redemption,

one must say,

In truth, the entire Torah speaks about redemption,

for "there is no truly free person except one who engages in Torah study" 1 ,

through engaging in Torah study the soul is freed from the exile of the body and the animal soul,

and through this the body is also freed from physical exile in its simple sense.

But in the entire Torah, it speaks about other matters,

and through them there is the redemption,

but in the portions of the Seven of Consolation, it speaks about redemption alone.

One finds oneself now in exile,

so in order to explain the matter of the redemption,

one first gives an understanding of the exile and the reason for the exile,

and when one knows the reason for the exile,

one knows how to rectify the reason,

and while one rectifies the cause, then automatically also the effect becomes rectified,

and thus one arrives at the redemption.

For example, a sick person in physicality: when he knows that he is a sick person and knows also in what his illness consists,

he will go to a doctor,

because he knows that he is a sick person; he will know what to say to the doctor,

because he knows in what consists his sickness,

and consequently,

the doctor will know what kind of a medicine to give him,

and thus around he will be healed.

The knowledge that he knows that he is a sick person and in what his sickness consists,

the knowledge itself — is already a half cure,

and it will bring about in time also the other half of the cure,

so that he will become completely healthy.

With the knowledge that one explains the matter of the exile,

and what is its cause,

begins already the redemption,

because knowing what the exile is,

one seeks how to heal it and to go out from it to a good and spacious land.

2.

At the time when the Jews came into a land good and broad

(for the first time)

they first passed through a great desert,

and then they went out from the desert and arrived in the land of Israel.

The deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children.

That which the Torah tells us about the desert in which the Jews found themselves before they came to the land of Israel,

is that — a sign for the children,

that also the exile in which we find ourselves now,

Thus, the knowledge that we will have about the desert in which the Jews found themselves at that time,

That this is also a knowledge about the exile in which we find ourselves today,

Through this we will know how to heal the exile.

In this week's Torah portion,

as one of the seven [haftarot] of consolation,

they tell about the wilderness.

The verse designates the wilderness with the name "the great and terrible wilderness, [with] fiery serpents and scorpions and thirst, where there is no water 2 ,

these are all various details about the wilderness,

and also about the present exile.

As said earlier,

Are the details of the knowledge about the exile a source of consolation,

Because through the knowledge we will know what one needs to heal,

and [how] to go out from exile to a good and broad land.

3.

A desert is a place that is not a settlement of man,

not an inhabited place of people.

He says about the desert: the great desert,

a great desert.

"Adam" refers to the Jewish people,

"You are called Adam."

As the Shelah explains 3

Adam from the word adamah (earth) for the Supernal One.

The Jewish people are likened to the Supernal Man who is on the Throne.

The great wilderness,

The place that is not a settlement of human beings is greater than the place of settled human habitation.

as he says in the verse 4

: "For you are the fewest of all the peoples,"

Jews are a minority among all the nations.

so also among Jews themselves,

are the Jews who observe Torah and commandments as it needs to be - for the time being and for the moment - still not the majority.

The first word with which the verse designates the exile is—the great wilderness.

The first cause and the first step of the descent,

from which the exile begins,

is that which one holds the surrounding world greater than oneself.

One considers the settled place—Jews and Judaism—as a small place,

and the surrounding world,

the wilderness of the nations,

for a great place,

a greater thing than Jews.

In truth, no thing in the world can have any control over Jews.

On the contrary,

everything is nullified before Jews,

as he says in today's haftarah,

"And kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers."

And as the Gemara says 5

on the verse 6

"And all the peoples of the earth shall see... and be afraid of you,"

these are the tefillin that are on the head.

At the time that on the head there is for him the "Shema Yisrael, Hashem our G-d, Hashem is One,"

and his intellect is encompassed with the knowledge,

that the Supreme One is the sole Master of the entire world,

then it is "And all the peoples of the earth shall see and be afraid of you,"

everything is nullified before him.

But when he makes a calculation — "the great and terrible wilderness,"

he gives an importance to the world,

he argues that the world is great and he is small,

and consequently,

he asks the question,

"Who will stand up for Jacob, for he is small."

The question itself,

the giving of importance to the world,

this causes for him a state of exile,

a concealment and hiding,

that the world can have a mastery over him.

This is the beginning of the exile.

But when he remembers,

that "You have chosen us from all the nations, etc., and exalted us,"

he is not impressed by anyone,

knowing that Jews are higher than everyone,

and then there is no exile for him,

the Almighty provides him with a livelihood,

he can conduct his business according to the ways of the Torah,

and there remains for him time for setting fixed times for Torah.

D.

From the fact that he perceives the world as a "great desert,"

he can come to a further descent,

"Great" means

that the other is greater than him,

but nevertheless an existence in its own right of a minority at the very least he also is.

But "terrible" means

that he is afraid of the other,

because he considers that that one has a dominion and a power over him.

When he considers the world merely as a great desert,

it is only when he comes into contact with the world and its affairs that he becomes influenced by it,

because he acknowledges its greatness,

but when he is within his four cubits,

he holds himself strong.

But when he thinks,

that the world is a great and terrible desert,

then even when he finds himself within his four cubits,

he finds himself in the synagogue,

in the yeshiva or at home by himself,

even then he is afraid of the world,

he is afraid to fulfill Torah and commandments in public,

he trembles,

lest the world will find out about it,

and what will the nations say?

H.

In the book *Erech HaKinnuyim* 7

he brings that the serpent's venom is hot.

The poison of a snake is a hot one.

This means,

that he begins to boil in the boiling and heat of the world.

And through the fact that it has a boiling in the world,

this diminishes for him the boiling in holiness.

From this can come to an even greater descent - burning .

The agitation in the world becomes for him so strong,

that not only does this diminish the agitation in holiness.

Rather it burns entirely the agitation of holiness.

From this can come to an even greater descent - scorpion .

Regarding scorpion,

brings he in Arachai HaKinuyim 8 ,

that its poison is - cold.

The poison of a scorpion is cold.

This is worse than serpent and venomous snake.

Because when he has a passion and a heat,

although this is with him in worldly matters,

it is nevertheless a sign of vitality.

Consequently one can exchange this for a vitality and a passion in holiness.

But when he is cold,

which this is a sign of the opposite of life,

is this much worse.

And in the manner of the deficiency of this regarding an ox that gores 9 .

From this can come to an even greater descent - thirst which is without water .

Even when from above one awakens him,

through the heavenly voice and the like,

as explained in Chassidus,

and there comes to be in him a thirst,

even then it is not for water .

"Water" refers to Torah 10 ,

he does not know for what the thirst is; he is thirsty and does not feel and does not know for what,

because he has become so distant that he has no connection and does not know of the entire existence of holiness.

From what does all this begin?

From the great desert,

That which one considers important,

one makes significant,

The desert — the world,

this is the first step to all descents, even to: “and thirst, where there is no water.”

From this it is understandable that to rectify all the descents,

one must rectify the first cause: have a strength in Judaism,

remembering that "You have chosen us from all the nations and elevated us."

And then one becomes free from exile and one goes to a land good and broad through Moshiach our righteous one speedily in our days.

6.

With this one will understand the Gemara 11 :

: A snake coiled around his heel — he should not interrupt,

When he is in the middle of praying and suddenly a fever from the world takes hold of him,

a snake coiled around his heel,

although it is indeed not fitting,

Nevertheless, he should not interrupt,

he should not interrupt from praying,

he should continue praying.

After all, since he has within himself vitality,

He will transform that vitality and heat into holiness.

a scorpion coiled around his heel,

he is in the middle of praying and a coldness seizes him,

Although this is only wrapped around his heel,

the scorpion whose venom is cold,

the coldness has not seized him in the brain and heart,

only in the heels,

Nevertheless he shall interrupt his prayer.

Because if in the middle of praying a coldness can seize him,

absence of vitality,

it is a proof that his entire order of divine service is not proper,

therefore he should interrupt from that order of divine service and take himself to a new order in divine service,

A divine service with vitality and with a liveliness that comes through study of the inner dimensions of the Torah,

which is the Tree of Life.

(From the sicha of Shabbat Parshat Eikev,

20th of Menachem Av,

5716)