Parashat Devarim - The Secret of Rebuke, the Depth of Hitbodedut, and Sharing in the Pain of the Shechinah (Divine Presence)

"These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel across the Jordan, in the wilderness, in the Arabah, opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Chatzerot, and Di-Zahav."

The Secret of Hinted Rebuke and the Sweetening of Judgments

"And Di-Zahav," Rashi says, refers to the sin of the Golden Calf. When Moshe Rabbeinu rebukes Israel for the most terrible and greatest sins, he only speaks in hints. This is difficult to understand: Moshe could have spoken explicitly, so why did he need to speak in hints?

The Komarno Rebbe explains that Moshe Rabbeinu was afraid that judgments would be awakened against Israel, because it is forbidden to ever give direct rebuke. When we give rebuke, a person can become an intentional sinner (mezid). Until now, he sinned, he didn't pay attention, he didn't know what was happening to him, he forgot about his sin; he was an unintentional sinner (shogeg). But if you rebuke a person, reminding him of the sin, and he does not awaken, then he becomes an intentional sinner. So Moshe was afraid that perhaps Israel would not feel remorse and would not do teshuvah (repentance) properly. Therefore, he was afraid to state the rebukes explicitly, and only rebuked them through hints.

Moshe gained two things: First, if someone did not awaken from the hints, did not remember that he sinned, did not awaken to teshuvah (repentance), and did not understand the hint, then there would be no judgment upon him (he remains in the category of "unintentional"). The second gain was for those who study Torah with depth and intense concentration, for the rule is that through studying Torah with depth and intense concentration, judgments are sweetened.

To them, Moshe spoke in hints, so that here too they would merit the sweetening of judgments through delving into and contemplating every single word he spoke. Because when a person delves into and contemplates the hints of the tzaddik, every single word, what the tzaddik means, this alone sweetens the judgment for him and is itself his teshuvah (repentance). Consequently, he will merit to awaken and achieve tikkun (rectification) for his sins.

The Way to Bring Mashiach: Hitbodedut and Nullification of the Ego

To bring Mashiach, Reb Noson says, means sitting on the ground, crying and mourning over the Destruction. And what do we mourn over? Over my own sins, believing that I am destroying the Holy Temple—only me, and no one else besides me. When I do not guard my eyes, I am destroying Jerusalem and causing a spirit of impurity in Jerusalem. And when a person does hitbodedut (secluded prayer), nullifies himself, examines his deeds, and attributes the Destruction to himself, only then will the Geulah (Redemption) come!

What is hitbodedut? Hitbodedut is only one thing: to reach nullification (bittul), to know that I am zero and nothing, and that there should be no pride or substance in me. Because a person thinks all day long, "I am the smartest, I am the most clever, the most successful, the most educated." For 24 hours he thinks thoughts of pride about himself, and he has "proofs" for it—that he is the most successful, has the best luck, and is the most clever. His head works all day long. Because the mind is infinite. If we were to open the brain, we would see a million thoughts a second: "I am the most clever, the smartest, the most successful..."

Hitbodedut is very simple: we start for one full hour to stop the flow of these thoughts. We need to calm down a bit; you are not the most, the most, the most... There are other smart people in the world, there are other successful people in the world, there are other understanding people in the world. Your soul is suffering; it cannot return to its root. It wants to be "nothing" (ayin). The soul is Divine; it does not want to hear these illusions. Give it rest for one hour a day!

And the essence of hitbodedut, the Rebbe [Rebbe Nachman] says, is at night.

"For then is the main perfection of hitbodedut, because specifically then one can attain the aforementioned state of nullification" (Likutey Moharan I, 52).

And for this, we specifically need the night, the quiet, when no one is really thinking right now about how to get dollars and how to run to the bank, etc. At an hour when everyone is sleeping, slumbering, then you should sit and do hitbodedut and work on humility. And only such hitbodedut cancels all harsh decrees and all judgments.

And if, God forbid, one sees a harsh decree during hitbodedut, it is a sign that I did not do hitbodedut correctly. I did hitbodedut to become Moshe Rabbeinu, I did hitbodedut to see Eliyahu HaNavi, to bring the Mashiach. These are all wonderful wishes, but this is not the ultimate purpose of hitbodedut. In truth, when a person does hitbodedut, sits on the ground, and knows—every moment I am making a mistake, every thought of mine, every criticism of mine, every judgment of mine, and every perspective of mine, it is all mistakes. Then the complete Geulah (Redemption) will come immediately, speedily in our days.

Feeling the Pain of the Shechinah (Divine Presence) and the Sorrow of the Collective

"The pain of the Shechinah (Divine Presence)" – A man once came to comfort a widow who had many sons, and every single one of her sons had very many troubles, sufferings, and terrible hardships. He began to comfort each and every child, each one with his own troubles... until he came to comfort the widow. Then the widow said to him: "Every single child has his own pain, but I, in addition to my own pain, suffer the pain of them all..." How can one describe the pain of this widow! This widow is the Shechinah (Divine Presence).

What happens is that we completely forget that there is a Shechinah (Divine Presence), we forget that there is the sorrow of the collective. Everyone is consumed with their own pains, everyone with their own sufferings, everyone with their own hardships... truly terrible hardships! But the greatest pain is that we are immersed in our own private pain; we fail to awaken and elevate ourselves to reach the root of all things where we caused a blemish, in the Cause of Causes and the Reason of Reasons, and there we failed and separated, through our sins, Hashem from the Shechinah (Divine Presence).

Usually, everyone is immersed in their own troubles. Even when hearing the troubles of another, one says "Oy, oy," sighs for them a little, helps them a little, comforts them, visits them, and then returns to themselves. But Tisha B'Av is a special day when we manage to elevate ourselves and shed a tear for the collective. Tisha B'Av is such a day that our Sages succeeded, through all the kinot (lamentations) and mourning, with all the tradition of all the Torah giants of Israel throughout the generations, to instill in the Jewish people the "sorrow of the collective," the pain of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), the true Destruction, which is the destruction of the entire nation, and that is to step out of individual sorrow and reach the sorrow of the collective.

It is told about Napoleon that he arrived at a synagogue on Tisha B'Av and saw an entire congregation sitting, crying, and mourning. He asked them, "Why are you crying? What are you crying about?" They told him, "Over the destruction of our Holy Temple." He asked, "When was the destruction?" They answered him, "Two thousand years ago." He said to them: "If so, I believe that you will be redeemed, I believe that you have a future, I believe that you have a holy mission in the world."

"Because if you are capable, an entire nation, in every place, in all synagogues, in all corners of the earth, not to forget what happened two thousand years ago, and to continue to cry and mourn, and to think about it, that means you are connected to your roots, and you have hope to reach the ultimate goal, to reach the rebuilding of your Holy Temple." And by each person sitting, crying, and mourning, connecting to their roots, to the Reason of Reasons, to the Cause of Causes, and sharing in the sorrow of the collective, in the pain of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), through this they will merit to see the Geulah (Redemption).

As it is written, "Whoever mourns over Jerusalem merits and sees her joy" (Taanit 30b).

Torah Insights: The Book of Mussar and the Secret of Confession

"These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel" (Devarim 1:1)

The entire Book of Mishneh Torah (the Book of Devarim) seemingly appears superfluous, God forbid—for all its words are a repetition of what was already said in the previous books. Yet, is this book, the Book of Devarim, any less in its value and holiness than the other books of the Torah? It is a definitive halachah: a Torah scroll that is missing or has one extra letter is invalid, because in every letter and crown (tag) in the Torah scroll, mounds upon mounds of halachot are hinted at (Menachot 29b).

If so, for what purpose did the Book of Devarim come, and what is special about it? Since, as stated, it repeats everything said in the previous books? Rather, the author of "Netivot HaMussar" says about this: The essence of the Book of Mishneh Torah is rebuke. For what is rebuke? Bringing things known to a person from the past, so that they positively influence his actions in the present and in the future. And this is the entire teaching of Mussar (ethics/reproof)—to repeat the things that have already been learned and bring them into the heart. Such is the Book of Mishneh Torah, which is entirely Mussar.

It is not for nothing that the "Holy Jew of Peshischa" would study a few verses every day in the Book of "Mishneh Torah"—the Chumash of Devarim—and he said that it was like a Mussar book for him, for it is as if he is hearing it from the mouth of the rebuker, Moshe Rabbeinu, and not merely reading from a book. The holy Rabbi Bunim of Peshischa, may his memory be a blessing, gave advice to a person whose soul desires to return in teshuvah (repentance), that he should study the Book of Devarim throughout the year, and thus his heart will be awakened to teshuvah (repentance). This is hinted at in the word "Eleh" (These) – which is an acronym for: Hashivenu Avinu L'Toratecha (Return us, our Father, to Your Torah) (Bnei Tzion).

"And you answered and said to me, 'We have sinned to Hashem'" (Devarim 1:41)

In the Vidui (confession) service of Yom Kippur, we say: "For the sin we have sinned before You with a confession of the mouth (b'vidui peh)." This is perplexing: Is confession a sin? The opposite is true, for confession is one of the stages of teshuvah (repentance)! Rather, the emphasis here is on the phrase "with a confession of the mouth"—meaning, a confession that is said only with the mouth while the heart is far from truly confessing...

We find this principle in our Torah portion, Parashat Devarim, in which Moshe says to Israel: "And you answered and said to me: 'We have sinned to Hashem'... And Hashem said to me, 'Say to them, do not go up and do not fight, for I am not in your midst.'" The question is asked: Why was Israel's teshuvah (repentance) not accepted? Why does Hashem say, "I am not in your midst"? After all, the Children of Israel confessed their sin, as it is written: "And you said to me: 'We have sinned to Hashem'"—and this is a clear confession.

Rather, our Sages say, the confession was only lip service, for the verse does not say: "And you said, 'We have sinned to Hashem.'" Instead, the verse is precise and says: "And you said to me, 'We have sinned to Hashem'"—only to me. They confessed their sin only towards Moshe Rabbeinu. But Hashem, who knows the thoughts of the heart, knows that this is not a true confession coming from the heart, and had they confessed with all their heart—He certainly would have forgiven them.

Stories for the Parashah: Hidden Miracles and the Defender of Israel

"And Chatzerot, and Di-Zahav...."

After the passing of the tzaddik Rabbi Shlomo HaKohen of Radomsk, a certain chassid came to his son, the tzaddik's successor, and told him about an incident that happened to him with his father: "Once I was in great financial distress, and I came before your father, the tzaddik, and detailed my troubles. The tzaddik asked me: 'From what is your parnassah (livelihood)?' I answered him that my wife goes to the courtyards of the noblemen and sells vegetables and the like there, and from this we live. The tzaddik said to me: 'It is written in the Torah, "And Chatzerot (courtyards), and Di-Zahav (enough gold)"—meaning, if one goes to the courtyards, there will be "enough gold".'

"I left the tzaddik's presence confused and wondering about his intention, and behold, a wonder—after some time, my wife found a package among the courtyards containing three hundred gold coins. With this money, I married off my daughter, paid my debts, and from the remainder, I established a business from which I draw my parnassah (livelihood) to this day." The son said to him: "My holy father was a man of wonders, who clothed his miracles and wonders in jokes and proverbs, so that the people would not sense the miracle."

"Distance yourself from a false matter..."

The tzaddik Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, known as the "Defender of Israel," once returned from the synagogue on the afternoon of Tisha B'Av, after the Shacharit prayer and the recitation of kinot (lamentations). Behold, he saw in one of the city streets a Jewish man sitting on the balcony of his house, eating for his pleasure in broad daylight.

The tzaddik approached the man and said to him in a whisper: "Reb Yid, it surely escaped your mind, for some reason, that today is Tisha B'Av!"

• "Not at all," the man interrupted the Rebbe's words, while chewing his food.
• "And perhaps you do not know that Tisha B'Av is a fast day by the decree of the early prophets?" Rabbi Levi Yitzchak asked again.
• "Even when I was a child, they taught me in the 'cheder' that the later prophets established a fast on Tisha B'Av, as a memorial for the destruction of the Holy Temple."
• "I assume, then," the tzaddik added and argued, "that you are not in good health, and therefore the doctors forbade you from fasting today!"
• "I wish I would be as healthy all my days as I am healthy today!" the man called out with a tone of chutzpah, and with a mischievous look toward the holy tzaddik.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak turned away from the dining man, lifted his two moist eyes upwards, and called out with emotion: "Master of the Universe! Look down from heaven and see how far the trait of truth, which is ingrained in the heart of every person of Israel, reaches! Behold this simple Jew, it is more comfortable for him to make himself out to be a transgressor, just so as not to utter, God forbid, a word of falsehood from his mouth..."