JULY 9, 1999 VOL 2, ISSUE 41 25 TAMMUZ 5759

Chabad of Northern Beverly Hills, 409 Foothill Road . Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Rabbi Yosef Shusterman 310/271-9063

PARSHAT MATOT-MASEI

The Torah portions of Matos and Masei are combined and read on the same Shabbos in two cases: when that Shabbos precedes the month of Menachem Av (and is thus the day during which the month is blessed), or when that Shabbos is itself the first Shabbos of Menachem Av. Our Rabbis comment that all the Torah portions are connected to the time period during which they are read. It follows that the portions of Matos and Masei are connected with the month of Menachem Av. This connection is even more germane than the link between these portions and the three-week period of quasi-mourning known as Bein HaMitzarim, when these two portions are invariably read.

It is the Jewish custom - Jewish custom itself being considered as sacred as Torah - to refer to the month of Av (while blessing this new month) by the name Menachem Av. The literal meaning of "Menachem Av" is "Consoling the Father." The Jewish people console their Father in Heaven, as it were. And G-d, our Father, is in need of consolation, in light of the statement of our Sages that G-d says: "Woe to the Father who exiled His children." The connection between Menachem Av and the Torah portions of Matos and Masei will be understood accordingly. A Jew wishes for consolation during this month. But he wants consolation not so much for himself as for his Father. This concept is stressed in the portion of Matos as well as in the portion of Masei:

The Torah portion of Matos relates how G-d commanded Moshe to battle the Midianites, saying: "Exact the retribution of the people of Israel from the Midianites...." However, when Moshe relayed this command to the Jewish people he said: "...to exact the retribution of G-d from Midian." Comments the Sifri: Moshe said to the Jewish people: "You are not avenging flesh and blood; you are avenging He who spoke and the world came into being." This theme is mirrored in the portion of Masei, when the verse states: "You shall not defile the land... in which I dwell; for I, G-d, dwell among the Jewish people." Says the Sifri: "Jews are loved [by G-d]. Even when they are defiled, the Shechinah is in their midst... Jews are loved [by G-d]; wherever they are exiled the Shechinah is with them... and when they return, the Shechinah returns with them."

Thus, exile affects not only the Jewish people; the Shechinah, too, is in exile, as it were. The Jews' redemption is thus a redemption for the Shechinah as well. Understandably, the redemption of the Shechinah is of greatest import. This is why Menachem Av - "Consolation of the Father" emphasizes G-d's consolation. Still, we must understand why it is that Menachem Av does not mention the sons' consolation - the consolation of the Jewish people? This is because a Jew is rooted so deeply in G-d that his wants, desires, state of exile, etc., are not considered his alone; if he is exiled, his Father is automatically in a state of exile, as it were. Conversely, the Father's consolation is the consolation of His children. There can therefore be no greater consolation for the children than Menachem Av - the "Consolation of the Father." (From: Wellsprings, Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. XXIII, pp. 214-220.)

"These are the journeys of the children of Israel." (33:1) Our chapter opens, "These are the journeys of the children of Israel." However, it then proceeds to recount the 42 encampments at which they stopped during their wanderings in the Sinai Desert! But these encampments were not ends unto themselves - only way- stations and stepping stones to advance the nation of Isreal in their goal of attaining the Promised Land. So the stops themselves are referred to as "journeys". - The Rebbe

Once Rabbi Hillel of Paritch was struck with an immense longing to spend Shabbos with his Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch. But to realize this desire was quite another matter: it was already late in the week, and the distance from Babroisk (where Reb Hillel lived at the time) to Lubavitch formidable. There seemed no way to make it to the Rebbe in time

for Shabbos. But then a young chassid offered to make the trip. His sleek new coach and superb horses could do the job, he insisted. However, time was of supreme essence. So Reb Hillel must agree to two condition: they would take the highway (as a rule, Reb Hillel refused to make use of the paved roadway constructed by the wicked czar Nikolai) and Rabbi Hillel would not take too much time with his prayers. Under the circumstances, Reb Hillel agreed. That night they slept at a wayside inn. In the morning, the young fellow prayed and breakfasted and then looked in on Reb Hillel. Still praying. After a while he checked again - same story. Hours went by, and still the elder chassid continued to pour out his heart before his Creator. When Reb Hillel finally finished, his companion was quite upset: "I don't understand - you wanted to spend Shabbos with the Rebbe, and you promised to hurry with your prayers. Now you've ruined all our chances of reaching Lubavitch on time!" Answered Reb Hillel: "Say you wished to journey to the Leipzig fair to purchase some rare merchandise, available nowhere else. But on the way you met another merchant, who is offering the very same wares at a good price. Only a fool would say: `But I must go to Leipzig!' The purpose of the journey is not some town or another, but the sought-after merchandise. "Why does one go to the Rebbe, if to not seek his counsel concerning the `service of the heart', if not to learn how to arouse oneself to the love and awe of G-d in prayer? So if on the way to Lubavitch my praying goes well, should I dump the merchandise and run to Leipzig?" (From: Once Upon a Chassid by Yanki Tauber)

A DOSE OF HALACHA

1. It is a positive commandment to affix a mezuzoh to every doorway in one's home. Even if one's home contains several rooms, and each room contains several doors made for entrance and exit, a mezuzoh is required for each of them. This applies even when one ordinarily uses only one of them. Furthermore, even if the number of people living in the home decreases and there is a need for only one entrance, it is necessary to affix mezuzos on all of them.

2. Gates to courtyards, alleyways, cities, and countries require mezuzos, as [Deuteronomy 6:9] states: "and on your gates."

3. The mezuzoh must be affixed on the doorpost at a person's right side as he enters. If it is affixed on the left, it is unacceptable and must be removed and affixed on the right side. The blessing must be recited when correcting this error. In this regard, there is no difference whether one is left-handed or not.(Shulchan Aruch, Mishna Brura Chapt 11: 1-3, Project Genesis www.torah.org )

INSIGHTS ON REDEMPTION

Since the Redemption must occur in all the spiritual worlds, and since every spiritual occurrence is actualized by means of the Torah, it follows that it is essential in these last days of the exile that our Torah study should penetrate the worlds of all levels. And this is achieved through studying all four levels of the Torah together, for these four levels whose acronym is Pardes [pshat - the plain meaning of Scripture; remez - meanings implied by allusion; derush - insights arrived at by means of a non-literal, homiletic interpretation, as in the Midrash or Talmudic Aggadah; and sod - the Kabbalistic mysteries of the Torah] correspond [in reverse order] to the Four Worlds - Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. In our days, therefore, how vital it is to study the revealed levels of the Torah together with its inner dimensions. (From a talk of the Rebbe Shlita - Shabbos Parshas Haazinu, 5743 [1982], From Exile to Redemption by Rabbi Alter Eliyahu Friedman)

Shabbos Mevorchim draws down blessings for the coming month. The previous Rebbe directed to hold a Chassidic farbrengen on Shabbos Mevorchim, through which extra blessings are effected. The greatness of any Chassidic farbrengen is seen from the Alter Rebbe's adage that a Chasssidic farbrengen can effect more than can angel Michoel. -The Rebbe

In Torah-study the person is devoted to the subject that he wishes to understand and comes to understand. In Davening the devotion is directed to what surpasses understanding. In learning Torah the Jew feels like a pupil with his master; in Davening - like a child with his father. (From Rebbe's Hayom Yom Tamuz 26)