Parshas Bamidbar - The Power of In-Depth Torah Study to Create New Worlds

Receiving the Torah Anew and Purity of Thought

Rebbe Nachman says here:

"Every single nation is bound to one specific character trait more than all other traits."

This relates to the Giving of the Torah. Now we are reading Parshas Yisro—the Torah portion of the Giving of the Torah. When Hashem came to Mount Sinai, it is written:

"He appeared from Mount Paran."

So Hashem came and said, "You shall not murder." The descendants of Esav responded, "What do you mean, 'You shall not murder'?" They were alarmed. But what does it mean that they were alarmed? Is murder permitted in Russia? Is it permitted in America? In England? In France? Anyone who murders receives life imprisonment or the death penalty! So what is the meaning of this? On the contrary, the descendants of Yishmael should have asked, "What does 'You shall not murder' mean?" After all, isn't there a death penalty for murder?

When He came to the Arabs and said, "You shall not steal," the Arabs asked, "What is this?"

"A wild man, his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand against him."

After all, in Saudi Arabia, to this very day, don't they cut off hands? If a person steals in Saudi Arabia, they simply cut off his hand! This is a custom that has existed for thousands of years and continues today; among the Arabs in Saudi Arabia, they cut off the hands of a thief. So what does this mean? Rather, "You shall not murder" means that a person is forbidden to harbor even a single bad thought about another person! No lashon hara (evil speech), no gossip. And not only is lashon hara and gossip forbidden, but even in thought, it is strictly prohibited.

And now, when Parshas Yisro arrives—which is the Giving of the Torah—every single person can receive the Torah anew! But how does one receive the Torah anew? A person must agree to rid himself of every bad character trait, every bad word, every bad look, and every bad thought. Only then will he begin to receive the Torah anew!

Delving Deeply into the Ten Commandments

Receiving the Torah means receiving the Torah b'iyun (with in-depth study)! Because everyone knows that it is forbidden to murder, everyone knows that it is forbidden to steal, everyone knows that it is forbidden to covet, and everyone knows "I am Hashem your God." Rather, the entire concept is to delve deeply into the Ten Commandments! What does "You shall not murder" mean? No one here has murdered, no one has stolen. So it comes to teach us that this applies even in thought! Because in action, it is obviously forbidden! And if a person is not careful with his thoughts, he will eventually come to the action, Heaven forbid!

But as long as a person has not yet worked on breaking out of his bad character traits, then the Torah portion of the Giving of the Torah arrives, he hears the Ten Commandments, and it doesn't seem to relate to him at all! "You shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet"—yet he covets, and covets, and covets, and is jealous, and hates, and he doesn't even feel that the Torah is speaking to him!

Therefore, the nations of the world draw spiritual sustenance, and that is why they rule over the entire world—because we lack the true fulfillment of "You shall not covet," we lack "You shall not steal," we lack "You shall not murder," and we lack the guarding of our eyes, which is the essence of "You shall not commit adultery." From this, the nations draw their spiritual nourishment, and therefore they dominate the world. Furthermore, to the extent that a person is entrenched in bad character traits, the Torah flees from him. He cannot delve deeply into the Torah, and he cannot study the holy Torah, Heaven forbid!

The Yoke of Torah and In-Depth Study

When the Torah portion of the Ten Commandments arrives, a person must make a decision: "Now the portion of the Giving of the Torah is here, so I am accepting upon myself the yoke of Torah." What does Rebbe Nachman mean when he says to accept the yoke of Torah? A person might say, "From now on, I will learn all day—I will hold a book all day, I will recite Tehillim (Psalms) all day." But that is not enough! Even if you say, "I will recite the entire Talmud all day"—it will not be enough for you!

Rebbe Nachman asks, what does it mean to accept the yoke of Torah? Rebbe Nachman tells us: Someone who learns *b'iyun* (in-depth), only someone who learns *b'iyun*! That is what it means to accept the yoke of Torah.

Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet) once found someone and asked him, "Why aren't you learning?" Apparently, Eliyahu HaNavi was sent from the Upper World—perhaps by the man's grandfather, who knows who sent him?—to bring him back in teshuvah (repentance)! Because his grandfather had prayed for him. So there was this simple Jew whom Eliyahu HaNavi approached. He met him on the road and asked him, "Did you pray?" "Yes!" "Then why aren't you learning Torah? Why aren't you in a yeshiva?"

The man answered him, "Me, in a yeshiva? I am an ignoramus! I have no intellect, I have no knowledge. I am just a simple Jewish laborer, why are you suddenly telling me to go to a yeshiva?" Eliyahu asked him, "What do you mean? Why not?" The man replied, "I simply don't have the brains for it." Eliyahu HaNavi asked him, "What is your profession?" He answered, "I repair fishing nets."

Eliyahu said to him, "To repair fishing nets you have the intellect, but to learn Torah you don't have the intellect?" The man was so deeply shaken by these words that he immediately ran to learn Torah, and he eventually became a great Torah scholar, one of the Amoraim (Talmudic sages).

To Create New Worlds

So, at the very moment a person knows he has the intellect to repair nets, and he has the intellect to hammer nails into a board and join two pieces of wood together, then he can also connect two parts of a Talmudic topic! And two parts of verses! And two parts of statements in the Gemara! If a person knows how to fix a net or join two boards, then he certainly has the intellect to learn Torah!

But the moment he says, "I don't have the intellect," it is simply the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination), it is simply laziness, it is simply sadness. There is no such thing as being unable to learn Torah! Therefore, a person must immerse his intellect into the Torah, his understanding into the Torah. Thank Hashem, a person has an entire day; if he wants to rest, he can rest! If he wants to eat, he can eat! He only has a few hours to learn Torah in total, just a few solitary hours to learn Torah, and during this time, he must put his head into the holy Gemara with all his strength, into the Rishonim and Acharonim (early and later commentators), and into all the novel insights taught in the shiur (Torah class).

When a person learns Torah in depth, and he immerses his intellect into the Torah, he creates new worlds! He creates a new reality! Suddenly, he has new laws of nature! He has the money to travel to Uman! And 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 an entirely new world has come into existence, for at every moment, a person creates new worlds.

When is a Person Called "Adam" (Man)?

"And it is written, 'You are Adam (men)'; you are called Adam, and the idolaters are not called Adam."

So how are you called Adam? When are you called Adam? What is the difference between a Jew and an Arab? The Arab also prays, the Arab also stands there and screams in Jerusalem, making screams throughout the entire city. So what is the difference between you and an Arab? Rather, "You are called Adam, you are called Adam, and idolaters are not called Adam":

"Because there are seventy luminous faces [of Torah]."

So when is a person called Adam? When does he begin to be a true human being? When he enters into the seventy luminous faces of the holy Torah! When he listens to the shiurim! And reviews the shiurim! And understands the novel insights being taught to him in the shiurim! And he doesn't say, "I don't have the strength to learn, it's hard for me to learn, I'm leaving in the middle, coming last and leaving first, and running outside ten times in the middle."

Like this, a person will never be a Breslover! He will never succeed! Because if he doesn't put his head into his learning, with all his 248 limbs and 365 sinews [his entire being]. A person has talents, he has senses, he has the ability to know!

The Torah is the Secret of Health and Life

And why does a person not feel well, and it hurts him here, and he can't learn, and he can't concentrate! Why can't you concentrate? Because you don't learn, that's why you can't concentrate! Why can't you concentrate? Because you don't learn! Why does it hurt you here, and hurt you there? Because you don't learn! Why are you tired? Because you don't learn!

Start learning and you won't be tired; start learning and you won't hurt anywhere; start learning and you will be healthy; start learning and you will also be able to concentrate. Rebbe Nachman says that all the blemishes, weaknesses, and pains a person has are entirely due to the sins that come to him because he doesn't learn. Why does a person have sins? Because he doesn't learn! "I have sins, what can I do?" That's not true! You don't have sins; learn Torah in depth, and you won't have sins.

You don't learn Torah in depth, which is why you have sins. The sins break your bones, break your health, and dismantle your four basic elements, and therefore you don't feel well, and now you truly can no longer learn. And it is all because you don't begin to break through the first wall, the first front.

Break through the first wall, break through the first front, and start a shiur in Likutey Moharan. We go to the seder (study session), and everyone sits at the seder, and he doesn't speak with anyone; we learn until Maariv (the evening prayer), and we don't move from the chair. You sit with your chavrusa (study partner) and learn with enthusiasm, with desire, and you don't move, and you don't think about what will happen in another moment, what will happen in another hour, what will happen in another day.

I don't know what will be, what was; I know that there is Gemara, Likutey Moharan, Rishonim, Acharonim, and this is the mochin (intellect/mind), and this is the Adam, and this is the human being! A human being is not made by having a piece of bread today and a piece of meat another day. When a person learns Gemara, from this he truly becomes a human being; from this, a soul is formed; from this comes the Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah (levels of the soul), and the mochin.

So every time he learns, from this a soul is formed, and the heart of the person, and the intellect of the person, and this is the human being.

"You are called Adam."

This is the Gemara, this is the in-depth study. If not for in-depth study—then a person won't eat and will say, "I want to be like Moshe Rabbeinu, I am giving up food." He will die; after a week, he will die. He will say, "I wanted to be Moshe Rabbeinu and they didn't help me, what can I do? I wanted to be like Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai), to be in some cave, I waited for a carob tree and a spring to sprout for me, and Hashem didn't give it to me."

A person needs to eat bread! And to eat even more than bread, in order to feel strong. So all the more so, the holy Gemara, which is the true bread of a person:

"For man does not live on bread alone"

This is the true bread. A person must immerse all of his senses, all of his vision, and all of his intellect solely into the in-depth study of Torah. This is how a person truly becomes a human being; this is what makes him human. If you do not eat, the body will break down, the flesh will deteriorate. The exact same applies if a person does not learn Gemara—the body breaks down, the mind breaks down, the eyes break down, the mouth breaks down, the ears break down. Consequently, he listens to nonsense; everything falls apart, and he is no longer a human being at all. Therefore, Rebbe Nachman says that a person is formed only from the Torah, from learning Torah in depth. From this, a mind is formed; from this, eyes are formed...

In the Light of the King's Countenance: The Secret of the Concealment Within the Concealment

What is the Mishkan (Tabernacle)? Hashem promises us that He dwells within us, in all situations, in all moments, and during the most difficult emotions a person can experience. Even when everything is dry, when he has no spiritual vitality, and he feels entirely unable to revive himself. This dryness within the soul is the most difficult thing of all.

However, there is something even more difficult: when a person does not even feel the dryness within his soul, when he is completely unaware that Hashem is hidden from him. This is a concealment within a concealment. What is a regular concealment? A person does not feel Hashem, and it is difficult for him, so he cries out to Hashem: "What will be? I cannot concentrate in prayer, I feel nothing, everything is dry for me. What will become of me? What is happening to me? Will I continue to live like this? I cannot bear to see that You are hidden from me. I cannot pray when You are not with me." This is a single concealment.

But there is a much more difficult situation:

"I will surely hide My face"

This is when a person does not even know that he is in a state of concealment. This happens all over the world, and it happens to us as well. People in the world know nothing; they do not even know that they do not know. They have no idea that they need to ask, they do not know that they are in trouble, they do not know that they need to cry, they do not know that they need to scream out to Hashem, and they do not realize that their situation is dire.

They think everything is fine, everything is flowing smoothly. There is money in the bank, there are psychologists, advisors, and therapists for every issue. There are all sorts of external distractions, calculations, and plans. It turns out that a person has a solution for every problem, but for the main problem—the lack of Da'as (spiritual awareness), the need to ask for Da'as—for this, he has no solution.

If a person lacks Da'as, he does not know how to distinguish between the essential and the trivial. Sometimes a person can invest so much in the trivial that, in the end, he has nothing left for the essential. If he had invested just a little in the essential, the trivial might have resolved itself, and the work would have been done automatically. He would have experienced many miracles and succeeded in many other areas. In other words, Da'as is something incredibly lofty and infinite.

However, if a person does not know that he lacks Da'as, he does not know to ask for Da'as, and thus he is in a concealment within a concealment. Meaning, he does not know what is hidden from him, he does not know what he is losing, he does not know what to ask for, he does not know what to pray for, and he essentially does not realize how far away he is. All of these things are concealments within concealments.

Torah Insights 1: The Torah Was Given to You Personally

"I am Hashem your God" (Exodus 20:2)

Go out and see—the Sages of Israel say that the Ten Commandments were stated from beginning to end in the singular form. Through this, the Torah teaches us that each and every Jew must say: "The Commandments were given for me, and the obligation rests upon me to fulfill everything written in them."

Regarding this matter, the Chozeh of Lublin used to say: The Ten Commandments were stated in the Torah in the singular form to sound a warning in the ears of every Jew: Even if, God forbid, the entire world strays from the path of the Torah—you shall not follow them, because the Torah was given to you personally, as it is written:

"I am Hashem your God... You shall have no other gods"

(in the singular form), and so too with each and every commandment in the Ten Commandments. (Bnei Tzion)

Torah Insights 2: Two Types of Tzaddikim

"Bring near the tribe of Levi" (Numbers 3:6)

In the Midrash:

"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon"

For behold, there are two types of tzaddikim, and both are completely righteous. The difference between them is this: The first is constantly in a state of deveikus (cleaving) to Hashem, performing the service required of him, but he is a tzaddik only for himself and not for anyone else. That is to say, he does not impart his righteousness to others. The second, however, influences others and brings those who are far closer to Hashem.

This first type is compared to a "cedar," about which our Sages said that it does not bear fruit. He does not bring others back to the right path so that tzaddikim will be fruitful and multiply in the world; rather, "he shall grow" - meaning he increases his own reward. But the second tzaddik is compared to a "palm tree" which bears fruit. This is the meaning of "flourish like a palm tree" - meaning that he extracts the precious from the worthless, causing goodness to blossom and multiply in the world.

The second tzaddik is called a "Baal Teshuvah" (Master of Repentance). As the Sages say, "In the place where Baalei Teshuvah stand, completely righteous people cannot stand." This means that he is a master and lord over teshuvah (repentance), because he brought others back to the right path, turned many away from sin, and brought teshuvah into the world. His reward is multiplied many times over that of the first tzaddik, even though the first is also completely righteous.

The Leviim embodied the aspect of "the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree," because they demonstrated mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) to guide and teach Torah to the people of Israel.

Torah Tidbits 3: Soldiers in Hashem's Army

"From twenty years old and upward, all who are fit to go out to the army in Israel"

It is told of the Gaon Rabbi Chaim of Sanz, that when he was only four years old, he already knew all 613 mitzvos by heart, as arranged by the Rambam. They asked the toddler Chaim: What benefit did you see in learning by heart all 613\