Parashas Lech Lecha - The Secret of Learning Shas

"Go forth from your land, and from your birthplace, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you... and I will make your name great."

"And I will make your name great" (va'agadlah shmecha) hints at the study of Shas (the Talmud). The word shmecha (your name) has the numerical value (Gematria) of 360, which is exactly the same numerical value as Shas (360). We must know that if a person does not learn Shas, he has nothing. He lacks the Divine image (tzelem Elokim); he is not even considered a human being.

A person's entire name and essence are built from learning Shas. The entirety of a person is nothing but Shas. This is what Hashem promised Avraham Avinu: "And I will make your name great" — meaning that his descendants would engage in Torah and learn Shas (shmecha). This alone is called temimus (wholeness and purity).

As it is written:

"Praiseworthy are those whose way is perfect (temimei darech), who walk in the Torah of Hashem." (Tehillim 119:1)

Temimus is achieved only when a person learns Shas. Rebbe Nachman brings down in Likutey Moharan (Torah 1):

"Know that through the Torah, all the prayers and all the requests that we ask and pray for are accepted. And the grace and importance of the Jewish people are elevated and exalted before anyone they need, whether in spiritual or material matters."

Only through the Torah are all prayers and requests accepted. Whenever a person sees that a prayer was not answered, it is because he is not learning enough Shas.

The Secret of Grace and Building the Intellect

All the grace and importance of the Jewish people depend on those who learn Shas, because the Torah is called "a loving hind and a graceful doe," which bestows grace upon those who study it. The Torah literally bestows grace upon a person. When a man comes home, if he has learned Torah, he has acquired grace. His wife sees that he has grace, the Shechinah (Divine Presence) rests upon him, and there will be joy in the home. But if he comes home without Torah, without grace—if he comes home broken and irritable—then there is no joy in that home.

Now, due to our many sins, the grace and importance of the Jewish people have fallen. Today, the primary importance is held by the nations of the world, by the wicked. This is due to one reason only: people are not learning Shas.

"For a Jewish person must always look at the intellect within every thing, and bind himself to the wisdom and intellect that is in every thing, so that the intellect within every thing will illuminate for him. For the intellect is a great light, and it illuminates all his ways."

True intellect is only the study of Shas; aside from this, there is no intellect in the world. What illuminates a person and guides him is only the intellect. A person must ensure that his intellect continues to shine, illuminating and growing, as it is written, "Shining ever brighter until the height of day."

A person's entire spiritual work is simply to expand his intellect. To the extent that he expands his intellect and learns Shas, he builds the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple). If we want to build the Beis HaMikdash and hasten the Geulah (Redemption), we must expand our intellect and increase our daas (spiritual knowledge).

As our Sages, of blessed memory, said:

"Anyone who has daas, it is as if the Beis HaMikdash was built in his days."

And according to how much he expands his daas and intellect, so does he build the Beis HaMikdash. The reason the Beis HaMikdash has not yet been built is because people are not learning Shas with deep analysis and profundity. Today, building the Temple simply means learning Shas. The moment a person learns Shas, the Sitra Achra (the Other Side; forces of evil) will fall.

We must sharpen our intellect. A person's work is to sharpen his intellect and learn Torah—so that he will have a quick and sharp mind, an illuminating mind. As Rebbe Nachman says, "It is a great mitzvah to sharpen the intellect." The Chesed LeAvraham says that there are ten screens over the mind, ten kelipos (spiritual husks) covering the brain. Everyone must remove these kelipos, polish them away, and cleanse them. This is achieved only by learning Shas with depth and intense focus.

Breslov, Gemara, and Nullifying Heresy

A person must know that Breslov and Gemara are one and the same. The core point of Breslov is that we follow what is written, not our own feelings and opinions, and not what is comfortable. "Go forth in the footsteps of the flock, and pasture your kids by the shepherds' tents" (Shir HaShirim 1:8)—meaning that we must listen to the voice of the tzaddikim, the voice of the shepherds.

If you are a Breslov Chassid, you must listen to the teachings of Likutey Moharan. First of all, in Likutey Moharan (Torah 1), it is written that a person must have intellect, that he should study Shas (the Talmud), and only this is called temimus (earnest simplicity). A person must know that Breslov Chassidus did not come, God forbid, to nullify even a single stroke of a letter, nor any custom of the Jewish people, nor anything accepted among the Nation of Israel. It only came to add more things—to add more fear of Heaven, more guarding of the eyes, more holiness.

A person has apikorsus (heresy) in his heart; he does not believe that Hashem stands before him at every moment. The reason a person lacks concentration in prayer and does not feel that Hashem is standing before him is because he has heresy in his heart, because he does not believe that Hashem is present. When a person speaks with a friend, he is careful to think about every word that comes out of his mouth. Especially if he is speaking to a king, he is even more careful so that he won't be caught making a mistake, God forbid.

When he speaks with a friend, he doesn't just talk aimlessly; he can speak for 10 hours because he sees a "person" before him with a face, hands, and feet. Yet Hashem, the Living and Enduring King, is right in front of us and we do not feel Him. This shows that we have no intellect, we have no mind. When a person does not feel Hashem and does not concentrate in prayer, it is only because he lacks intellect.

Just as there are illnesses where people lose their minds and do not recognize their own parents, so too is a person without intellect, without Torah—he does not recognize his Father and Mother, which is Hashem. If a person could, he would transplant a brain into himself, but they still haven't figured out how to transplant a brain.

And to acquire intellect and a mind, says Rebbe Nachman, is only through studying the Talmud in depth, through the study of Torah. And when one studies Torah, he merits to nullify the heresy in his heart, to feel Hashem, to attain grace and importance, and his prayers and requests are accepted.

In the Light of the King's Countenance: The Connection Itself is the Reward

Hashem promised the Land of Israel to the Patriarchs, yet the Patriarchs saw that Hashem had not yet fulfilled His promise, and they did not question Him. Avraham Avinu (our Patriarch), in order to bury Sarah, had to beg, plead, and purchase a plot, yet he did not question Hashem.

He is connected to Hashem through the very speech of Hashem, through His very utterance. The Divine reality is not the external outcome of things—whether I received it right now or didn't receive it, whether they gave it to me or didn't give it to me, whether I merited it or didn't merit it. The very connection with God is the reward.

I need to thank Hashem for granting me the merit to be part of the entire unfolding of Godliness into the world. So now He told me that I will have the Land of Israel, and I will receive the Land of Israel, but I haven't received it, or I did receive it, or I received it partially, or I will receive it—when I will receive it has nothing to do with me at all. What has to do with me is that I have a connection with God.

The connection with God is a person's connection with his very vitality, with his soul. To enjoy, to delight in Hashem, to know that we receive our life force from our connection with Hashem. And what is this connection? Whether it is three prayers a day, whether it is reciting Tehillim (Psalms), whether it is Torah study, whether it is good deeds—each and every person sees what fits his life, what he can do, and what ways he can find to strengthen this connection.

But primarily, the entire essence of the connection is in the heart, in the mind. Obviously, it needs to receive its reinforcement through speech, which is prayer, and afterward through action. Otherwise, it disappears. It slips away.

The Infinite Power of Thought

A person might say that with speech, with prayer, it doesn't work out with his schedule. And with action, it certainly doesn't work out. But with thought, thought is infinite. It is not limited. You don't need a special time for it. A person thinks even while sleeping.

And throughout the entire day, he is constantly immersed in thought. And this thought—if he has enough words and actions that can serve as vessels for the light of his thought—then there, in his thoughts, he can build himself up. He can believe that his destiny, what Hashem wants from him, what is good for his soul, what will give him life, and what will bring him joy, is his connection with Hashem.

"I want this and that, but I haven't merited it, and I haven't received this and that." But in truth, if a person is connected to Hashem and has a relationship with Hashem, then he has received everything. It is Hashem's business when to bring me this or that. It is not my business.

My business is to maintain the connection. My business is to preserve the bond. This will fulfill my soul; this will bring me joy. Any other type of joy—even though we all relate to it, to all sorts of other pleasures, as we are not yet among those who live in complete asceticism from the world—all those other things only have value if they are bound up with our connection to Hashem.

If they are connected to this bond, then they too essentially receive vitality. But if they are disconnected, then a person might feel some pleasure, he might feel that he is having fun, that he feels good, but somewhere deep down, he ultimately feels a certain atrophy in parts of his spirit and his soul. If a person lacks this connection, he is simply losing parts of his soul, losing all sorts of wonderful things that Hashem wanted to give him. (B'Ohr Pnei Melech Chaim)

Torah Tidbits: The Illumination of the Will

"To the land that I will show you" (Bereishis 12:1)

Rashi explains: "He did not reveal the land to him immediately in order to make it beloved in his eyes, etc." Because the main perfection of the Land of Israel is that there one merits the illumination of the transcendent will. Therefore, He did not reveal the land to him immediately, in order to make it beloved in his eyes, so that he would want, yearn, and desire more and more to go there.

And specifically through this, one will merit to come there and receive the holiness of the Land of Israel in perfection, whose essence is the will and yearning for Hashem. This is the underlying principle of all the obstacles that everyone faces when pursuing a matter of holiness: the greater the holy endeavor, the greater the obstacles it has.

All of this is because the essence of holiness is to merit this desire, which is the ultimate purpose. Therefore, a person is hindered so much in order to forge within him an even stronger desire. Through this, he will merit to attain the holy endeavor in its entirety, receiving it properly with a good will and wondrous yearning, which is the ultimate goal. For even afterwards, when one finally arrives in the Land of Israel or attains that matter of holiness, they must continue to strengthen themselves with good desires and great yearnings for Hashem, because this is the main thing.

This is the meaning of the verse, "And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great," where Hashem promised him children, wealth, and a great name (Likutey Moharan I, 7). Attaining a son represents the aspect of Ayeh (seeking Hashem's hidden glory), while attaining a student represents the aspect of Melo Kol HaAretz Kevodo (revealing that the whole earth is full of His glory). One must integrate them both together; through this, parnassah (livelihood) is bestowed, and through this, one merits the illumination of holy desire.

This is the aspect of the holy Da'as (Divine awareness) that one merits in the Land of Israel. Through the illumination of the son and the student, one merits parnassah and wealth. This is what Hashem promised him regarding wealth, as it is written, "and I will bless you"—referring to financial blessing. For through this Da'as, one merits money and wealth.

This is the meaning of "and make your name great." The more a person strengthens themselves with good desires and holy yearnings for Hashem, the more they become incorporated into His holy Name. Consequently, His Name is magnified in the world, and everyone yearns and desires to be included in Him and draw close to Him.

This is the significance of the letter Heh that was added to his name, as it is written, "Your name shall no longer be called Avram, but your name shall be Avraham." The letter Heh has no physical substance; it represents pure yearning and desire alone. This corresponds to the holy Name of MaH (the numerical value of 45), which is an expansion of the Tetragrammaton, Hashem's holy Name. Avraham merited this letter Heh through the immense magnitude of his desire and good yearnings for Hashem. Through this, he merited the Land of Israel and the magnification of his name.

As Rebbe Nachman teaches (Likutey Moharan I, 142), the primary spiritual service of Avraham Avinu was his good desire. He was the first "generous of heart," for the Torah had not yet been given, and his entire service consisted solely of desire, yearning, and good longings. Similarly, even now, after the giving of the Torah, the most essential thing is the good desire. (Likutey Halachos, Netilas Yadayim 6:26-27)

Stories for the Parsha: Torah and Greatness

"And Avram was very heavily laden with livestock, with silver, and with gold" (Bereishis 13:2)

The Rebbe, Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin, conducted his Chassidic court with great external splendor and royal majesty, which evoked astonishment from Chassidim and Misnagdim (opponents of the Chassidic movement) alike. Once, his close disciples asked him: "Let our master teach us, how does pure Chassidus reconcile with this extraordinary wealth that we see by the Rebbe shlit"a?"

Rabbi Yisrael answered his questioners: "Regarding Avraham Avinu, the Torah tells us, 'And Avram was very heavily laden with livestock, with silver, and with gold, and he went on his journeys from the south to Beis El...' The question arises: Why did the Torah find it necessary to specify this detail, that Avraham was blessed with such abundant wealth at that time?"

"Rather," the Ruzhiner Rebbe continued, "the Torah is emphasizing to us that when Avraham Avinu began traveling from place to place in order to publicly spread the word of Hashem, he made a point to take as much wealth with him as possible. This is because the way of the world is that people only show respect and deference to someone who has a coin in his pocket."

"We already find in Tractate Gittin (59a) that Moshe Rabbeinu, who gave the Torah; Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who compiled the Mishnah; and Rav Ashi, who redacted the Gemara—all three were wealthy men. In them, the concept of 'Torah and greatness in one place' was fulfilled."

The Ruzhiner added with a smile: "It is a good thing that it was so, because if they did not possess 'Torah and greatness in one place,' it is quite possible that people would not have accepted their Torah. We even find a hint to this in Tehillim: 'The Torah of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver' (Tehillim 119:72). This can be playfully interpreted to mean: whoever has 'thousands of gold and silver,' people also love to hear the Torah from his mouth..."

And His Name Shall Be Called in Israel: Avraham

"And these are the generations of Terach: Terach begot Avram" (Bereishis 11:27)

The Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham of Slonim, was once invited by one of his Chassidim to the bris milah (circumcision) of his son, and was honored with reciting the blessings following the bris. When he reached the words, "And his name shall be called in Israel...", he turned his head toward the baal habris (the father of the baby) so that he would tell him the name of the newborn.

However, for some reason, the father of the child hesitated. Therefore, Rabbi Avraham continued and announced on his own accord: "And his name shall be called in Israel: Avraham." At the conclusion of the blessings, the father apologized for his silence during the ceremony, but noted in absolute amazement that he had indeed intended to name the child "Avraham," after his father-in-law.

When the Chassidim heard about this, a great stir arose in the Beis Midrash over the Rebbe's open miracle, as he had precisely divined the intention of the baal habris, as if he could read a person's thoughts.

However, when word of this reached the Rebbe's ears, he cooled the Chassidim's enthusiasm, telling them: "There is no miracle or supernatural feat here. Rather, this is exactly what happened: When I looked at the face of the baal habris and saw him standing there frozen and silent like a 'Terach' (a Yiddish slang term for an old fool, referencing Avraham's father), I said in my heart: If the father is 'Terach,' it means it is only fitting to name the son 'Avraham'..."

Great is Milah

"And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and you" (Bereishis 17:11).

The Sages of Israel say: When a person fulfills any mitzvah, it is sometimes accompanied by a personal motive of attainment, material pleasure, or the acquisition of honor, which blemishes the value of the mitzvah. The exception to this rule is the mitzvah of milah (circumcision), which is fulfilled on the eighth day after a baby's birth.

This mitzvah is pure from any dross (impurity) and blemish, and is entirely disconnected from any calculations of material gain. Because of this, Chazal (our Sages) elevate it to the highest level, saying:

"Great is milah, for it is equivalent to all the mitzvos in the Torah" (Nedarim 32a).

Chazal also said: Any mitzvah for which the Jewish people had mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice), such as Shabbos, milah, and Torah study—these have endured in their hands and will never be taken away (they will never be nullified from Israel).