אוי לרשע ואוי לשכינו Elul, the breaking of evil, has effects on its neighbor, Av, to become Menachem Av. Neighbors have an effect for good or its opposite: עולם selling of real estate בר מצרא; זמן adding on from chol (mundane) to kodesh on Yom Kipur, Shabbos and Yom Tov; נפש “Woe to a Rasha, Woe to his neighbor”; how much more so for the good by a Tzadik.
The Rabbis on two occasions cried upon seeing the aftermath of the destruction based on the viewpoint of the present. Rabbi Akiva saw the future outcome and was happy due to:
- All that HaShem does, is done for the good
- Halacha takes into account the future benefit
- A hiddur in a Mitzvah takes precedence over a non-essential detail
Prayer is a service of below arousing the Above. Two ways of explaining the word ואתחנן: Requesting an unearned gift; or Praying (for a response after one’s actions below).
Two types of service:
- פתח – עבודת ברורים: Revealing sparks of G-dliness
- קרע – עבודת הנסיונות: Mesiras Nefesh beyond limits
Rashi negates inference to the miracles of leaving Egypt, rather it relates to Har Sinai when Jews saw a vision of HaShem’s unity אין עוד מלבדו; G-d provided the means not only to “open” the hidden but to “tear” apart the physical boundaries.
3 stages of a Jew’s service:
- Neshama going up at night
- Praying upon awakening
- Involvement in the world
Divine unity permeates all of creation ה' הוא האלוקים. The heavens above (spiritual) בשמים ממעל; The earth below (physical) על הארץ מתחת; The emptiness of the universe (lowest) אין עוד.
עשה לך רב and then, one will be able to bring out one’s potential. Rambam adds ומבקשיה, even a searching student has potential, so that the Rav goes into exile with him; so too, every Jew is searching and one’s Rav (HaShem) is always with the Jew.
In this era, where reward is limited, then “cause and effect” results (automatic). In the next era, the reward is unlimited and would be a separate act (miracle). In this world we receive some reward for observance of Mitzvos, but it is subject to obstacles and delays מקבל שכרם. In the World to Come we take our entitled reward, without delay at all ליטול שכרם.
A person should strive to learn at least once, the entire Talmud, since “forgetting” does not exist in the future. The lav of forgetting Torah applies only to willful separation from Torah; “normal” forgetting is not separation from Torah, since this does not cause a separation between the Torah and the person.
Rambam counts love and fear of G-d as two separate Mitzvos, almost opposites. Love is a movement of closeness; Fear is a movement of distance and nullification. Yet, the ultimate is a love which is related to awe in one heart achieved through contemplation about HaShem.
