"And He Saw That Rest Was Good" - Parshas Vayechi by Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a
Parshas 'Vayechi' – by the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a
"And he saw that rest was good... and he bent his shoulder to bear" (Genesis 49:15).
Issachar represents the only soul among all the tribes that had absolutely no connection to this world! Issachar is the soul that possesses nothing in the world other than Torah study. This is the soul that everyone else must serve. Every other tribe does something: Zebulun engages in commerce—"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out"; Judah wages wars; Levi serves in the Temple. But Issachar is the soul that has nothing in this world... only Torah study!
Issachar is purely Torah, because Torah study is greater than the service in the Temple, as it is written, "It is more precious than pearls" (Proverbs 3:15)—it is greater than the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies. A mamzer (illegitimate child) who is a Torah scholar is greater than a High Priest who is an am ha'aretz (ignoramus). Even if he is a mamzer, even if he was born through prohibitions and terrible blemishes, if he studies Torah day and night, he is greater than the High Priest. This is because it is impossible to escape the Evil Inclination except through Iyun (in-depth Torah study), and specifically when a person toils over it himself. He must toil to the point of death, to the point where he is willing to die for it—"This is the Torah: when a man dies in a tent" (Numbers 19:14). One must exhaust oneself over the Torah, to kill oneself over it, not to study Torah out of laxity or comfort.
Torah study is not about relaxation! A person has all kinds of desires, and he also has a desire for comfort. All desires are hinted at in the chieftains of Esau, and one of them is the "Chieftain of Comfort" (Aluf Nachas). A person loves to walk in comfort, to be at ease, to study in comfort. But in truth, the real comfort, the true rest, is only the Torah: "And he saw that rest was good... and he bent his shoulder to bear"—referring to the yoke of Torah (Rashi).
True rest is peace of mind (menuchas hanefesh). Through Torah study, one polishes the soul, cleanses it, scrapes away all the filth, casts all the filth outside, and merits peace of mind. A person must know that he is responsible for the Act of Creation; every day he must create the world anew. The world runs according to those who study Torah; through Torah study, we create the world. "For all the innovations in the Act of Creation that Hashem, blessed be He, renews every day constantly, are all through the Torah... that on this day there is much rain, and on that day there is drought, and at this time it is cold and damp, etc., and similarly regarding other changes" (Likutey Halachos, Yibum 3).
Rebbe Nosson explains that you create the world. You create the world! If you slept, a disaster happened. If you dreamt or spoke to someone during study time, a disaster happened. A person needs to realize there is no point in reading newspapers and no point in knowing what is happening in the world. If you take an interest in the world for even one second, a disaster occurs. A person must believe that the moment he neglected the Torah, a disaster happened! You must know that all the changes in the world proceed according to your Torah study. When a Jew learns, the whole world begins to love us. For all the nations sometimes love us and sometimes hate us; anyone who has studied history knows that one year they love us, and one year they hate us and want to cut off all the Jews. This is because everything depends on our Torah study, not on politicians and not on anything else.
When a person studies Torah with Iyun (depth), and he puts his intellect into the Torah, he creates new worlds! He creates a new reality! Suddenly, there are new laws for him! He has money to travel to Uman! Suddenly he has abundance in spirituality, abundance in materiality! Because he created a new world. Previously, he was in a world where he had no money, and now he is in a world where he already has money! Because it has become a completely new world. Every moment, a person creates new worlds. If a person studies Torah with depth, he creates new worlds every second.
Rebbe Nachman brings in Torah 101 (Likutey Moharan I): "When a person commits a transgression, Heaven forbid, the transgression and the iniquity are engraved upon his bones, as it is written (Ezekiel 32): 'And their iniquities shall be upon their bones.'" The Rebbe says: You want to atone for your sins? You want to erase your sins? It is difficult! After all, your sins are engraved on your bones; the sins have made the bones broken. All of a person's bones are broken—he hurts here, he hurts there—it is all from the sins. Every single sin makes an engraving on the bone. "And their iniquities shall be upon their bones." The bones are hollow; they are already engraved; they are shattered from so many engravings.
If a person wants to reconnect the bones anew, to build them anew, to escape the state of "their iniquities upon their bones," it is only through study with Iyun (depth)—to take tests, to be examined, to learn Torah in depth. Because for this blemish, regular teshuvah (repentance) does not help, for the bones are already broken, already engraved. So how is teshuvah relevant? One must now draw down new mochin (brains/intellect) into the bone, to renew the bone. And this is done through Torah study with depth. Through the Torah, you activate all the cells that were damaged, weakened, and had already begun to degenerate. The study renews them, activates them, gives them mochin. The Torah builds you and makes you a new person.
A person seeks advice on how to escape bad character traits, so he has Hisbodedus and Chatzos, and everything is wonderful and good. But if he does not have Torah with Iyun, nothing will help him. Because if a person does not study Torah in depth, the main thing is missing from the book; there is no brain at all. One receives the brain only from Torah in depth. So, it is as if a person does Hisbodedus but has no mochin at all, so there is nowhere to pour [the blessing]. Hashem wants to give to him! Tomorrow he will pray with intention (kavanah), but after the prayer, he runs away to eat, he has already fled here, he has already fled to talk to his friend. During Aleinu, he is already taking off his Tefillin, he is already talking to a friend.
So Hashem says to him: "I want to give to you after the prayer! If only you would say a verse, say 2 or 3 Halachos, learn a few lines of Gemara, then you would have a wonderful intellect and understand everything." Because after a person asks in prayer, "And put into our hearts understanding to understand and to be wise, to listen, to learn and to teach, to keep and to perform," Hashem wants to give him all the mochin right now. But here, he already starts talking to a friend, and here he runs away before Aleinu, and he is already taking off the Tefillin, and he is already outside, and he is already talking, and already fighting, and already eating. And Hashem says, "I wanted to give you wonderful mochin—where did you run away to?..."
So Rebbe Nachman says that without Torah in depth, there is no brain, and everything a person does—everything—lacks the main component. Because the main thing, the Rebbe says, is Torah with Iyun. Therefore, the Rebbe says that the habit of learning outweighs the fulfillment of all Mitzvos. The Rebbe brings in Sefer HaMiddos, section 33: "The habit of learning outweighs the fulfillment of all Mitzvos." One must get used to learning. We ask immediately in the morning, "And accustom us to Your Torah"—that we should be accustomed to Torah study. And the Rebbe says that getting used to it is not enough! If a person recites Gemara like Psalms, it is not enough. It requires "And accustom us"! To learn with Iyun is what is called "And accustom us"!
Take the Rashba, the Ramban, the Ritva, the Shitah Mekubetzet, the Rosh, the Rif, the Ran, the Nimukei Yosef—everything there is—and the Maharam Schiff, and the Maharsha, and the Bach, and everything possible. And if the Maharsha is difficult for you, take an easier commentary, but your head must be constantly in Iyun, constantly standing in depth.
So the Rebbe says that if a person stands in Iyun, "that he delves into and understands the wisdom of the Torah, then he merits that the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly cares are removed from him." This is only through study with Iyun, where one delves into and understands the wisdom of the Torah. Then he merits Anpin Nehirin (Illuminated Countenance/Shining Face). And when a person's entire thought is only on Torah in depth—in the Gemara, to understand the Gemara well, to understand the topic well, to understand all the Rishonim (early commentators) and all the Acharonim (later commentators), and to summarize it, and to write it down, and meanwhile to innovate a few more original insights—then at that moment, he merits such Anpin Nehirin that the whole world returns in teshuvah.
He receives such Anpin Nehirin that the entire world repents because of his face. "A man's wisdom lights up his face, and through this, the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly cares are removed from him." Then there is no yoke of government in the world—no Russians, no Arabs, no gentiles, nothing at all. No yoke of government whatsoever. One person who puts his head into the Torah with Iyun—Hashem is ready to remove the yoke of government from the world, all the yokes of governments, to nullify the governments so that only the Nation of Israel will rule, only the Torah will rule.
"And he saw that rest was good... and he bent his shoulder to bear" (Genesis 49:15).
Issachar represents the only soul among all the tribes that had absolutely no connection to this world! Issachar is the soul that possesses nothing in the world other than Torah study. This is the soul that everyone else must serve. Every other tribe does something: Zebulun engages in commerce—"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out"; Judah wages wars; Levi serves in the Temple. But Issachar is the soul that has nothing in this world... only Torah study!
Issachar is purely Torah, because Torah study is greater than the service in the Temple, as it is written, "It is more precious than pearls" (Proverbs 3:15)—it is greater than the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies. A mamzer (illegitimate child) who is a Torah scholar is greater than a High Priest who is an am ha'aretz (ignoramus). Even if he is a mamzer, even if he was born through prohibitions and terrible blemishes, if he studies Torah day and night, he is greater than the High Priest. This is because it is impossible to escape the Evil Inclination except through Iyun (in-depth Torah study), and specifically when a person toils over it himself. He must toil to the point of death, to the point where he is willing to die for it—"This is the Torah: when a man dies in a tent" (Numbers 19:14). One must exhaust oneself over the Torah, to kill oneself over it, not to study Torah out of laxity or comfort.
Torah study is not about relaxation! A person has all kinds of desires, and he also has a desire for comfort. All desires are hinted at in the chieftains of Esau, and one of them is the "Chieftain of Comfort" (Aluf Nachas). A person loves to walk in comfort, to be at ease, to study in comfort. But in truth, the real comfort, the true rest, is only the Torah: "And he saw that rest was good... and he bent his shoulder to bear"—referring to the yoke of Torah (Rashi).
True rest is peace of mind (menuchas hanefesh). Through Torah study, one polishes the soul, cleanses it, scrapes away all the filth, casts all the filth outside, and merits peace of mind. A person must know that he is responsible for the Act of Creation; every day he must create the world anew. The world runs according to those who study Torah; through Torah study, we create the world. "For all the innovations in the Act of Creation that Hashem, blessed be He, renews every day constantly, are all through the Torah... that on this day there is much rain, and on that day there is drought, and at this time it is cold and damp, etc., and similarly regarding other changes" (Likutey Halachos, Yibum 3).
Rebbe Nosson explains that you create the world. You create the world! If you slept, a disaster happened. If you dreamt or spoke to someone during study time, a disaster happened. A person needs to realize there is no point in reading newspapers and no point in knowing what is happening in the world. If you take an interest in the world for even one second, a disaster occurs. A person must believe that the moment he neglected the Torah, a disaster happened! You must know that all the changes in the world proceed according to your Torah study. When a Jew learns, the whole world begins to love us. For all the nations sometimes love us and sometimes hate us; anyone who has studied history knows that one year they love us, and one year they hate us and want to cut off all the Jews. This is because everything depends on our Torah study, not on politicians and not on anything else.
When a person studies Torah with Iyun (depth), and he puts his intellect into the Torah, he creates new worlds! He creates a new reality! Suddenly, there are new laws for him! He has money to travel to Uman! Suddenly he has abundance in spirituality, abundance in materiality! Because he created a new world. Previously, he was in a world where he had no money, and now he is in a world where he already has money! Because it has become a completely new world. Every moment, a person creates new worlds. If a person studies Torah with depth, he creates new worlds every second.
Rebbe Nachman brings in Torah 101 (Likutey Moharan I): "When a person commits a transgression, Heaven forbid, the transgression and the iniquity are engraved upon his bones, as it is written (Ezekiel 32): 'And their iniquities shall be upon their bones.'" The Rebbe says: You want to atone for your sins? You want to erase your sins? It is difficult! After all, your sins are engraved on your bones; the sins have made the bones broken. All of a person's bones are broken—he hurts here, he hurts there—it is all from the sins. Every single sin makes an engraving on the bone. "And their iniquities shall be upon their bones." The bones are hollow; they are already engraved; they are shattered from so many engravings.
If a person wants to reconnect the bones anew, to build them anew, to escape the state of "their iniquities upon their bones," it is only through study with Iyun (depth)—to take tests, to be examined, to learn Torah in depth. Because for this blemish, regular teshuvah (repentance) does not help, for the bones are already broken, already engraved. So how is teshuvah relevant? One must now draw down new mochin (brains/intellect) into the bone, to renew the bone. And this is done through Torah study with depth. Through the Torah, you activate all the cells that were damaged, weakened, and had already begun to degenerate. The study renews them, activates them, gives them mochin. The Torah builds you and makes you a new person.
A person seeks advice on how to escape bad character traits, so he has Hisbodedus and Chatzos, and everything is wonderful and good. But if he does not have Torah with Iyun, nothing will help him. Because if a person does not study Torah in depth, the main thing is missing from the book; there is no brain at all. One receives the brain only from Torah in depth. So, it is as if a person does Hisbodedus but has no mochin at all, so there is nowhere to pour [the blessing]. Hashem wants to give to him! Tomorrow he will pray with intention (kavanah), but after the prayer, he runs away to eat, he has already fled here, he has already fled to talk to his friend. During Aleinu, he is already taking off his Tefillin, he is already talking to a friend.
So Hashem says to him: "I want to give to you after the prayer! If only you would say a verse, say 2 or 3 Halachos, learn a few lines of Gemara, then you would have a wonderful intellect and understand everything." Because after a person asks in prayer, "And put into our hearts understanding to understand and to be wise, to listen, to learn and to teach, to keep and to perform," Hashem wants to give him all the mochin right now. But here, he already starts talking to a friend, and here he runs away before Aleinu, and he is already taking off the Tefillin, and he is already outside, and he is already talking, and already fighting, and already eating. And Hashem says, "I wanted to give you wonderful mochin—where did you run away to?..."
So Rebbe Nachman says that without Torah in depth, there is no brain, and everything a person does—everything—lacks the main component. Because the main thing, the Rebbe says, is Torah with Iyun. Therefore, the Rebbe says that the habit of learning outweighs the fulfillment of all Mitzvos. The Rebbe brings in Sefer HaMiddos, section 33: "The habit of learning outweighs the fulfillment of all Mitzvos." One must get used to learning. We ask immediately in the morning, "And accustom us to Your Torah"—that we should be accustomed to Torah study. And the Rebbe says that getting used to it is not enough! If a person recites Gemara like Psalms, it is not enough. It requires "And accustom us"! To learn with Iyun is what is called "And accustom us"!
Take the Rashba, the Ramban, the Ritva, the Shitah Mekubetzet, the Rosh, the Rif, the Ran, the Nimukei Yosef—everything there is—and the Maharam Schiff, and the Maharsha, and the Bach, and everything possible. And if the Maharsha is difficult for you, take an easier commentary, but your head must be constantly in Iyun, constantly standing in depth.
So the Rebbe says that if a person stands in Iyun, "that he delves into and understands the wisdom of the Torah, then he merits that the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly cares are removed from him." This is only through study with Iyun, where one delves into and understands the wisdom of the Torah. Then he merits Anpin Nehirin (Illuminated Countenance/Shining Face). And when a person's entire thought is only on Torah in depth—in the Gemara, to understand the Gemara well, to understand the topic well, to understand all the Rishonim (early commentators) and all the Acharonim (later commentators), and to summarize it, and to write it down, and meanwhile to innovate a few more original insights—then at that moment, he merits such Anpin Nehirin that the whole world returns in teshuvah.
He receives such Anpin Nehirin that the entire world repents because of his face. "A man's wisdom lights up his face, and through this, the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly cares are removed from him." Then there is no yoke of government in the world—no Russians, no Arabs, no gentiles, nothing at all. No yoke of government whatsoever. One person who puts his head into the Torah with Iyun—Hashem is ready to remove the yoke of government from the world, all the yokes of governments, to nullify the governments so that only the Nation of Israel will rule, only the Torah will rule.
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