The Secret of Noah's Dove and the Revelation of the Soul of the King Mashiach in Cheshvan

Class No. 158 | Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh Parashas Bereishis, the eve of 28 Tishrei 5759 - Melaveh Malkah (post-Shabbos meal) for Shadarim (emissaries) at the home of the Rav in the Old City

The month of Cheshvan holds within it the power to subdue the Satan and merit the building of the Third Temple, specifically through overcoming the lust for money and delaying physical gratification. The dove that Noah sent is not a regular bird, but a supernal secret that accompanies the souls of the tzaddikim, and it is the one destined to place the crown on the head of the King Mashiach.

The dove that Noah sent from the ark is no ordinary bird. The holy Zohar reveals a tremendous secret regarding the verse: "And he sent forth the dove." The Zohar asks: Who is this dove? It answers: This is a dove known in the upper worlds. It is appointed over all the fragrances of the Garden of Eden, and it is appointed over the souls. Its role is to bring the souls of the tzaddikim down to the world and to accompany them.

When the soul of a tzaddik descends into our dark world, tens of thousands of angels, Seraphim, Cherubim, and birds descend with it, accompanying it until it reaches the very depths of the World of Asiyah (the physical realm of action). That distinguished and well-known dove is the one appointed over the revelation of the soul of the King Mashiach.

The Secret of the Month of Cheshvan and the Building of the Third Temple

Parashas Noach is read in the month of Marcheshvan. It is brought down in the sefer "Ahavas Yisrael" that this is the month in which we can defeat the Satan. The word "Cheshvan" has the numerical value (gematria) of 364, exactly the same as the word "HaSatan" (the Satan).

Why did our Sages specifically choose the name Cheshvan, when in the Torah and the Book of Kings it is called "the month of Bul"? In this month, King Solomon completed the building of the First Temple, yet he waited eleven months until "the month of Eisanim" (Tishrei) to perform the dedication of the Sanctuary. He waited for the Sefirah of Netzach (the divine attribute of victory and eternity) of Rachel, upon which all victories depend, because through the Holy Temple they would conquer the entire world.

However, the month of Cheshvan is the month fitting for the building of the Third Temple. In this month, on the 11th of Cheshvan, the day of the passing of his mother Rachel, Binyamin was born. Binyamin merited that the soul of the angel Metatron (the chief angel of the divine presence) was impregnated within him, and therefore he never sinned. In order to bring down such a soul, Yaakov and Rachel had to ascend to the highest spiritual levels of Adam Kadmon (the primordial spiritual realm). If we merit it, the Third Temple will be built in this month, because in it the Satan will be completely eradicated.

Transforming Bitterness into Joy

Our Sages added the prefix "Mar" (bitter) to the month of Cheshvan. The word "Mar" has the same numerical value as "Amalek". This means that in the month of Marcheshvan, it is possible to eradicate both the Satan (Cheshvan) and Amalek (Mar).

How do we do this? The letters of "Marcheshvan" can be rearranged to form the words "Samach Ron" (rejoice and sing). It is impossible to subdue Amalek and the Satan except through singing and dancing. When a person sings and dances, he transforms all the bile, all the bitterness, the pains, and the mourning—everything is transformed through "Samach Ron".

Specifically then, the Zohar says, the dove comes and is revealed with the soul of Mashiach ben David. The spirit of purity descends specifically to those who travel in the arid and desolate deserts, in places of snakes, fiery serpents, scorpions, and thirst, and bring holiness there.

An Olive Leaf and the Secret of Melodies

When the dove returns to Noah, the Torah relates: "And behold, an olive leaf was torn in her mouth." The holy Zohar asks: Why should we care what kind of leaf she brought? If she had brought fig leaves, perhaps that would have been better, since the Tree of Knowledge was composed of all the Seven Species.

Rather, the Zohar explains, an olive leaf alludes to the soul of Mashiach ben David, who is anointed with olive oil, and about whom it is said: "But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God."

Noah endured terrible suffering for twelve months inside a closed ark. Hashem could have performed a miracle for him and left him on the peak of a high mountain, like Everest, without him having to suffer the stench of the animals in the ark. Why was he punished like this? Noah blemished the secret of Chesed (loving-kindness), the secret of the lion in the Divine Chariot, which is the secret of melodies. He did not know that with songs and melodies, it is possible to bring the entire Jewish people back in teshuvah (repentance). Because he did not do this, he was locked in an ark that was worse than a dungeon. But after he went through this hell, he was finally worthy of bringing down the soul of Mashiach ben David, who was supposed to be his fourth son.

Noah's Mistake: Delaying Gratification and the Lust for Money

What prevented Noah from bringing the Mashiach? His mistake was with the vineyard. It is brought down in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer that Noah saw a vine branch fall from the Garden of Eden. He said to himself: "A branch that comes from the Garden of Eden—let us plant it first."

Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein zt"l explains: A matter of pleasure and lust—one must always push it off to the end. Even if you have a superb dish at the Shabbos meal, do not jump to it immediately. Every physical pleasure, even if it appears to be a "branch from the Garden of Eden," must be delayed as much as possible.

Before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, everything was supposed to be a spiritual life of the Garden of Eden. After the sin, we fell into an endless array of physical things. The hardest lust of all is the lust for money. Rabbi Nasan of Breslov explains that the lust for money is the punishment for the lust of immorality. While with other lusts a person feels ashamed, with the lust for money people boast. A person counts his billions and feels that fortune is smiling upon him, without knowing that this is the "Lilith" (the demonic force of illusion) putting him to sleep for 120 years, until everything is burned and lost.

Utilizing Travel for Torah and Spiritual Elevation

When a person travels on the road, he must be careful not to fall into the lust for money. The mind is composed of thousands of layers, and one must occupy six-sevenths of it with words of Torah, prayer, Tehillim (Psalms), the names of the tzaddikim, and the books of Rebbe Nachman. A person who sets out on the road should say to himself: "I am not thinking about money. Even if they tell me that money is a holy thing, I am only thinking about the Torah, only about how to bring people back in teshuvah (repentance)."

When a person utilizes his time on the road for Torah study, he returns home illuminated. When he enters his home and immediately sits down with a book of Tehillim or Gemara (Talmud), his wife will see this and appreciate him infinitely more. A person can bring his wife to tremendous spiritual levels, to the point that she attains Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration).

It is told about Reb Chaikel, who used to intervene in the affairs of Rebbe Nachman. When a daughter was born to the Rebbe, he waited three weeks and did not give her a name. Reb Chaikel pressured him, and the Rebbe agreed to name her "Chaya." Immediately afterward, the news arrived that the Rebbe's mother, Feiga, had passed away. Then Reb Chaikel realized his mistake—the Rebbe had been waiting in order to name his daughter after his mother, who was on the level of a prophetess and possessed Ruach HaKodesh. From this, the Rebbe says: A person can bring his wife to tremendous spiritual levels. If the husband truly elevates himself for the sake of Heaven, the wife and children also ascend, and the entire household is elevated, just as the Gemara relates about Chama bar Bisa, who was absent from his home for 12 years to study Torah, and when he returned, he found his son sitting in the Beis Midrash (study hall).

The Crown on the Head of the King Mashiach

If Noach had not fallen into the lust of the vine (intoxication), he would have merited to bring the Mashiach. The dove that brought him the olive branch actually brought him the soul of Mashiach ben David.

The holy Zohar says: That same dove of Noach is the one destined to bring Mashiach ben David in the future to come. She is the one who will place the crown upon his head, in the mystical secret of the verse: "You set a crown of fine gold upon his head."

Two eagles will take the crown and give it to the dove, and she, with her beak, will place the golden crown upon the head of the King Mashiach. By overcoming the lusts of this world and transforming bitterness into joy, we will merit that this same dove will bring the complete Geulah (Redemption) and place the crown upon his head, speedily in our days, Amen.

Lesson No. 158