The Neshama is Exempt From Liability:
Sefer Kol Mevaser (Chelek 1) quotes Rav Bunim of Peshischa zy”a as saying that every person receives his neshama as a loan from Shomayim, on condition that he is to for good purposes. However, the halacha is that a sho’el (borrower) is liable even for inadvertent damage that he causes (onsim). If so, how can a person exempt himself from liability for sins committed inadvertently?
The answer is that there is a rule that if damage occurs to a borrowed item while the owner is with the borrower, the borrower is exempt. So too, if a person accepts Hashem’s presence and spends his days “with Him”, he is exempt from liability.
Rav Bunim thus explains Dovid Hamelech’s words (Tehillim 27:4): “Achas sha’alti mei’eis Hashem.” He explains this to mean that the neshama is the one thing that a person borrows from Hashem. Dovid then says: “I request of You to dwell in the house of Hashem all the days of my life.” He asked to constantly be with Hashem and, in this way, to be excused from liability for damages to his borrowed neshama.
Klal Yisroel is Not Batul to the Nations:
It is stated in the Medrash (Vayikroh Rabbah 4:6) that a gentile asked Rav Yehoshua ben Korcha, “It says in your Torah that the ruling goes in accordance with majority. We are the majority, so why don’t you worship idols like us?”
There have been many debates throughout history with the non-Jews bringing this claim that the Jews should follow the majority and be like them. Why are they wrong?
The Baal Shem of Mikolshtadt zy”a was recognized as a genius at a young age. The local landowner heard about the young prodigy and wanted to test him. He invited him to his palace, which consisted of many chambers and rooms, in order to determine if he could figure out where he was. He told all of his servants and guards to leave the palace so that the child would have to find him on his own, with no assistance from anyone else.
The boy came to the palace and did not know where the Poritz was. He looked around the palace and noticed that the curtain was only closed on one door. He understood that this was a sign that the Poritz was behind that door, and he was correct.
When he entered the Poritz’s room, the man asked him, “How did you find me so quickly?” The boy explained how he found the Poritz and the man then asked, “What would you have done if my servants were here and they all tried to trick you by sending you to the different rooms?”
The boy said, “I would have went with the majority.” The Poritz then exclaimed, “If it is true that you go after the majority, why are you a Jew? The Jews are the minority!”
The child wisely answered, “Once I saw you sitting in this room, I knew you were here. At that point, even if all of your servants claimed you were in a different room, I would not believe them. I do not go with the majority when it is obvious that they are wrong. Therefore, even though the Jews are the minority, since I know that Judaism is the clear truth, I have no doubts and I do not follow the majority.”
Do Not Destroy The Body:
The Baal Shem Tov zy”a (quoted in Kesser Shem Tov, Ois 21) explains this pasuk as follows:
“When you see the chamor” – when you view your “chumrius”, i.e., your body, and think that it is “your enemy” because physical desires are in opposition to ruchnius, you should recognize that the body is “crouching under a burden”, meaning that Hashem granted the body the ability to become purified through accepting the burden of Torah and mitzvos. However, it is very difficult to do this and one might think that the way to purify the body is to “refuse to help him” by afflicting the body in order to destroy the chumrius.
The pasuk states that this is not the proper way. Rather, one should “help him” by purifying the body with Torah and mitzvos, rather than destroying it with afflictions.
Catching The Thief:
Someone once asked the Baal Hatanya zy”a what the Baal Shem Tov added by establishing Torah Hachasidus. Didn’t we already have Sefarim Hakedoshim, such as the Shlah and Reishis Chochmah? Weren’t there many big tzadikim even before the Baal Shem Tov?
The Baal Hatanya answered, “A homeowner has two ways to protect his home from thieves. The first way is that when he sees a thief in his yard, he can start to scream, and thereby scare him away. The second way is to let the thief enter his house so that he can catch him and hand him over to the police.
“If one uses the first method, the thief will run away, but he may return one day. But if he uses the second method, the thief will be imprisoned and he will not return. However, only a strong and smart person who is able to catch the thief can use the second method.
“Until the Baal Shem Tov’s days, the Sefarim Hakedoshim used the first method. They screamed that something is an aveirah, which led people to chase the sin away. The way of the Baal Shem Tov was to catch the sin and lock it away. That is the way that works best.”
One Who Serves Hashem is Healed:
The Saba Kadisha of Radoshitz zy”a was accustomed to provide remedies for the sick through various means. To some, he gave “shirayim” from his challah. To others, he gave water from a nearby stream that was piped into his house. He would give a cup of water to the sick person, and he would wondrously be healed immediately.
When chasidim expressed amazement about this open miracle, he said, “This is clearly hinted to in the Torah. It says that if we serve Hashem, He will bless our bread and water and remove all sickness from our midst. This means that when we serve Hashem, our bread and water will be blessed and given the power to heal the sick.”
One Who Serves Hashem Will be Healthy:
I heard the following explanation of this pasuk from the Admor of Pinsk-Karlin shlita, in the name of Rav Osher of Stolin zy”a:
It is known from the students of the Baal Shem Tov that there is tremendous spiritual benefit for chasidim to gather together and speak about matters related to avodas Hashem and chasidus, as well as the relate stories of tzadikim. (This is known by various names, such as “Sheves Achim”, “farbrenging”, “a zitz” or “butteh”.)
This concept is hinted to in the words of the pasuk. It says that “you shall serve Hashem” in the plural, indicating that when a group of people sit together, it is part of avodas Hashem. Generally, when people gather together, refreshments are placed on the table, such as cake and herring. Some people cannot partake of the food and drink for health reasons, as they cannot tolerate sugar, salt or alcohol. Therefore, the pasuk says that Hashem will bless the bread and water, meaning that they will not harm anyone who partakes in them. This is because when one gathers for avodas Hashem, they will be healthy and will not be harmed by the food served at such gatherings.
