Connecting to The Shechinah Through Humility:
My grandfather, Rav Mordchele of Nadvorna zy”a, in his Sefer Maamar Mordechai, writes, explains this pasuk to be saying: “Hayesh Elokim b’kirbeinu” – how can a person know if Hashem is in his midst? “Im ayin” – if he is nothing. If a person is humble and considers himself to be nothing, Hashem will be with him, as is stated (Yeshaya 57:15): “With the lofty and the holy ones I dwell, and with the crushed and humble in spirit.”
Healing a Sick Man Through Shabbos:
The following story is related in Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen: There once was a man who was getting on in years and still had not been blessed with children. As he advanced in age, his first wife passed away. He married a woman who already had children from a previous marriage and had a son with her. This man wanted to see nachas from this son and to know his grandchildren. Being that he was already 60-years-old, he decided to marry him off young.
He wanted to marry off the boy when he was 13. However, before his bar mitzvah, the boy became very sick. The old man immediately traveled to Rav Yitzchok of Neshchiz zy”a, arriving on erev Shabbos after midday. He ran into the Rebbe’s room and cried, telling him about his troubles.
Hearing the man cry, Rav Yitzchok screamed, “Shabbos! Shabbos! Shabbos!” The father walked out with a broken heart. He had no idea why the Rebbe had yelled at him.
When it was time for Minchah, he entered the bais medrash to daven. Later that night, he attended the Rebbe’s tish. Rav Yitzchok would dance with much enthusiasm at the tish, and when he began to dance, the old man started to dance with the rest of the crowd. He got very into the dancing and momentarily forget his worries.
As he joyfully danced, an acquaintance who knew about his problems walked over and asked how he could be so happy when his son was near death. The old man replied that he had remembered that 25 years earlier, the Rebbe had spoken about the holiness of Shabbos and explained that Kayin was strengthened by this sanctity. Remembering this speech infused him with hope and encouragement and he decided that he must be joyful in honor of Shabbos.
On Motzoei Shabbos, a messenger arrived with a letter from his home, informing him that his son had taken a turn for the better and his life was no longer in danger. He immediately went to the Rebbe to give him the good news. Rav Yitzchok told him, “When you came to me, I saw that the decree had already been sealed and there was no way that I could save your son. Therefore, I yelled the word ‘Shabbos’ at you three times, so that you would remember my speech about how Kayin was strengthened by Shabbos and you too would be strengthened by Shabbos. In this way, I knew that your salvation could come about in the merit of Shabbos.
“And, in fact, I did succeed at bringing joy and d’veikus into your heart, and through this joy and the power of Shabbos, you put your pain out of your mind and Shabbos itself spoke up on your behalf and annulled the decree against your son.”
(In the speech, the Rebbe quoted the pasuk that says that Hevel was a shepherd and Kayin worked the land (Bereishis 4:2). He asked why the word “vayehi”, which connotes pain, is used for Hevel, while the word “haya”, which connotes joy, is used for Kayin. He answered that Hevel did not desire earthly things such as eating and drinking. Therefore, when he had to work as a shepherd, he was pained by this. Kayin, on the other hand, enjoyed the pleasures of this world.
When Kayin killed Hevel, Hashem told him that he would have to wander the land. He would have to be a “nah v’nad”. This means that he would have to wander around and would not be able to enjoy ruchnius or gashmius,
The verse later says that Kayin was a “nad”. This means that he received the punishment of being unable to enjoy gashmius but not the punishment of “nah”, which meant that he would be unable to enjoy ruchnius. The reason he was still able to enjoy ruchnius was because he complained to Hashem that he could not bear the punishment of losing both ruchnius and gashmius. In response, “Hashem gave Kayin a sign.” This sign was Shabbos. Through the joy of Shabbos, he was still able to have a share in ruchnius, as Shabbos removed all of his pain and worry.)
The Merit of Seeing Him:
In the year 5618, Rav Yitzchok visited the city of Kolik. Rav Yitzchok arrived late at night and all of the local residents gathered to get a glimpse of him. The peek into the windows of the house he was staying in, and the homeowner wanted to close the shutters so that he would have some privacy. However, the Rebbe told him to leave them open. On the contrary, he told him to open the actual windows in order to give the people a clearer view. He went and stood next to the open window and said, “If Jews want to look at me, let them look.”
He then quoted his father, Rav Mordechai of Neshchiz zy”a, who said, “Today, it is considered a big zechus to have seen the Baal Shem Tov. Perhaps there will come a day when it will be considered a big zechus to have seen me.”
How He Merited Long Life:
When the Sar Shalom of Belz zy”a lost his eyesight, he sent one of his sons to spend the Yomim Noraim with Rav Yitzchok and to ask him to daven for him to have a refuah sheleimah. Rav Yitzchok told him to tell his father, “He should not be stubborn and he should accept his blindness.”
After yomtov, he related, “In Shomayim, there was an empty space in the front row. They wanted to fill it by promoting someone from the second row, and they would fill the space in the second row with someone from the third row and so on. This would leave an empty space in the last row. It was decided that the Belzer Rebbe should fill that space. Therefore, I davened that he should become blind. Since a blind man is considered dead, he would be allowed to remain alive. (Kisvei R’ Y. Prager, Ois 129)
Hashem Derives More Pleasure From Man Than From Angels:
Chazal say (Pesachim 109A) that there is no joy without meat. Rav Yitzchok explains (in Sefer Toldos Yitzchok) this to mean that although Hashem has many angels who serve Him, He only derives joy when flesh and blood humans overcome their yeitzer hara and serve Him. This is because angels have no evil inclination and it is easy for them to obey him, whereas humans have to work hard to do the right thing.
The Toldos Yitzchok (on Tehillim) goes on to quote his father, Rav Mordechai zy”a, as using this idea to explain the pasuk in Tehillim (63:4): “For Your kindness is better than life (chaim); my lips will praise You.” Hashem is saying that the kindness of man in praising Him with their lips and serving Him is better than the “chayos”, the Divine angels. Therefore, He only derives pleasure from the praises of man.
The Kavanos of the Daled Minim:
Rav Yitzchok related that he was in Berditchev during the last year of the life of Rav Levi Yitzchok zy”a. One day, Rav Levi Yitzchok called for him and said that he wanted to teach him the proper kavanos for the lulav and esrog. Rav Levi Yitzchok’s children were jealous and asked their father why he was teaching the kavanos to him and not to them. He replied, “When I meet Rav Mordechai of Neshchiz in the next world and he asks me what I taught his son, I will have to have an answer for him. That is why I am teaching him the kavanos for the daled minim.” He then closed the door and taught him in private. (Ohalei Shem, Ois 24)
Sent to the Kozhnitzer Magid:
Rav Yitzchok related that his father once told him that he should travel to the Magid of Kozhnitz zy”a. He said, “There are some people who do not support Kozhnitz (they were suspicious of him because he gave out kemeyos). But he is the crown of the Jewish nation. Therefore, you should go to him.” And he went. (Kisvei Rav Y. Prager, Ois 119)
Trusting Hashem for Parnassah:
The Gemara (Kiddushin 82A) states: “Rav Shimon ben Elazar said: Have you ever seen an animal or bird that has a job? But they receive their sustenance without pain and they were only created to serve Hashem. I also was created to serve Hashem. Shouldn’t I be able to receive sustenance without pain? However, because I corrupted my actions, He withholds my parnassah.”
Rav Yitzchok (Sefer Toldos Yitzchok, Likutei HaShas, Kiddushin) quotes his father, Rav Mordechai, as explaining that, in truth, one’s parnassah should come to him, and, just like it is with animals, one should not have to work hard in pursuit of his livelihood. However, because of our “corrupt actions”, we must pursue parnassah. This corrupt action is the mindset that we must work to earn a living, which symbolizes a lack of trust in Hashem to provide for us. Because of this lack of bitachon, we must toil for our sustenance.
The Reason For Sleep:
Rav Yitzchok said the following in the name of the Baal Shem Tov zy”a: Why do people need to sleep? This question can be answered with a moshol of a prince who goes out to war. Before he leaves, his father, the king, commands him to send back to the castle whatever plunder he takes from the battlefield. Rather than waiting until he amasses a large amount of booty, he should send home whatever he captures as soon as he obtains it.
The prince asks his father, “Wouldn’t it be better for me to take everything home in one shot? I would get much more honor if I would come home with a huge treasure!”
His father replies, “No. I am worried that the enemy might overpower you and take back whatever you have. Therefore, it is better to send it home as soon as you get it.”
The nimshol is that every Jew obtains much Torah and many mitzvos every day. When we go to sleep, our neshama goes up to Shomayim to store our treasures there in a protected area. We always have to worry that the yeitzer hara may overpower us some day and take whatever we have. Therefore, we sleep every day in order to send our Torah and mitzvos “home”, so that the yeitzer hara can’t take it from us.
With this in mind, Rav Yitzchok explains the Medrash that says that before Matan Torah, Klal Yisroel was asleep until Hashem came and woke them up. Why were they sleeping at this momentous time? Because the preparations for receiving the Torah created a great spiritual arousal that they needed to protect from the yeitzer hara. They went to sleep to take all they had already obtained to Shomayim in order to keep it safe. (M’Gedolei Hatorah V’Hachasidus, page 71)
May his memory be a blessing for all of Klal Yisroel.
