The Yanuka - The sanctity of the Land of Israel (Zefat) - English CC

4:18 you know, in Tzfas they receive Mashiach, so says Rabbi Avraham Azulai, it is in Tzfas... from here they receive Mashiach, this is something that plainly teaches everything, with the help of Hashem, blessed be He... And Rav Zamir has merited, who is one of the great people who have done very, very much here in Tzfas, Rav Zamir...

4:45 that precisely in his place there will be unity and joy and blessing here, and blessed are those who come in the name of Hashem. May you merit many pleasant and good years, Amen and Amen! This is a very great hour, a precious and important hour, in which the honor of the Torah is revealed in its beauty and splendor, that our master and teacher has come to honor this great gathering, the Gaon of Israel, Rabbi Yehudah Shlomo, may he live for long, good days, for whom the whole Torah, in its length and its breadth, shines for him in a most astonishing way...

5:55 there is no doubt that this is a soul unique of its kind, that came down to the world at such an hour, in these turbulent days, a stormy sea whose waves pound the storm-tossed ship at sea...

6:28 And with the help of Hashem, blessed be He, his standing, his merit, of the Rav, the merit of his Torah, which he draws from and has drawn from... as I heard, at the age of 15 he had already merited to finish the whole Shas...

6:53 I heard him: 'The paths of the heavens are as clear to him as the paths of Nehardea'... I also merited to be together with him for some time, and we spoke, and I saw his greatness and his power...

7:22 We will receive him with joy, with honor and with trembling, we will honor the holy Torah that dwells within him, and we wish him, with the help of Hashem, blessed be He, length of days and years of life, and that the evil eye should not harm him, the evil eye should not harm him, not in whole and not in part, may he prolong his days in goodness and his years in pleasantness, to continue to make the Torah great and glorious with power, as we see today.

8:03 Many places have also merited to host him, and great people came around to hear the sound of his words, fortunate is he and fortunate is his portion, a very great merit for this generation... May it be His will that in his days Judah and Israel will be saved.

12:02 - With the permission of the whole holy congregation, with the permission of our masters and teachers, the holy Rabbis, with your permission, with the permission of the whole holy congregation, with the permission of this holy city - Tzfas... a holy and pure and very, very, very awesome city...

12:57 There is a book by Rabbi Avraham Azulai... in the 'Chesed L'Avraham' he writes, in Spring 3, River 13, about the matters of Jerusalem and the holy city, that there is... He says that Jerusalem comes to the number (in reduced value) 19, and Malchus, Kingship, comes to the number (in reduced value) 19, and he also writes that Tzfas corresponds to the Name Ekyeh (in reduced value), and that the thirteen 'mechilan d'rachamei' (Attributes of Mercy) are aroused upon all who stay in it...

13:32 It is a very holy city, whose air is the purest, and it has much help and support for the service of Hashem, blessed be He, and very great mercy is aroused for those who live in it, and thirteen Attributes of Mercy are aroused for those who stay in this city, and to this day it has an imprint - that there is a positive mitzvah to set up a city of refuge, that the punishment, that a person is exiled to a city of refuge, that is exile...

13:57 and the city of Tzfas is also considered a city of refuge (so the Chesed L'Avraham writes there), and they also explain this at length on this matter of this holy and pure city of Tzfas... And moreover, especially since very, very, very holy and awesome ones are buried here, our master and teacher, our Rebbe the Arizal, of blessed memory, and Maran the 'Beis Yosef', and the Ramak, Rav Alkabetz, and all the holy and pure ones, each and every one, the awesome ones who are here - in this city...

14:32 There is in Shaar HaGilgulim, in Introduction 37, that perhaps it is also explained there why our Rebbe the Arizal wanted specifically to be in this city, that he chose to settle in it... It is written there in Introduction 37 of Shaar HaGilgulim... after all, near Meron, there was Rabbi Shimon and the holy group who engaged in the 'Idra' and in all the secrets, and our Rebbe the Arizal wanted to be there, because it is as close as possible to Meron, and he could be close and in view, overlooking and seeing toward the holy place of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and also, of course, because of the matter of the souls, and all the tikkunim he engaged in here, in this city...

15:18 to rectify the souls and to bring about tikkunim... and so he chose to settle in this holy city - in the city of Tzfas... whose air, and its light, and the mercy there is upon it... that it has upon it an imprint that was not removed... so it is written in the 'Me'or VaShemesh', Parshas Pinchas... also in the 'Me'or Einayim' by Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, in Parshas Matos, he also writes this matter, that there is...

15:43 But there is perhaps another reason for our Rebbe the Arizal choosing to settle in this city, for it is written in the Zohar, Vayeira, page 119a... It is also in the Zohar, Shemos, page 9a, and in the Zohar, Vayakhel, page 220a, and it is written: 'In sixty-six, the King Mashiach will be revealed in the land of the Galilee', that the time will come, and from here the light of the redemption will sparkle - from this place...

16:15 And our Rebbe the Arizal held that from here, from this city, there is the light of the redemption, and it will come from here... although there are many who explained according to the opinion of Maran the Chida (Nitzotzei Oros on the holy Zohar, Shemos 7b), what is written in Tractate Rosh Hashanah, page 31b, that the Sanhedrin was exiled to ten places, and in the end was exiled to Tiberias, and Rabbi Yochanan said that from there they will be redeemed, that from there the redemption will come, but this is also the opinion of Maran the Chida. But there was a posek in Egypt, the author of the 'Mateh Yosef' - Rabbi Yosef son of Rabbi Moshe Chaim...

16:50 he has the responsa 'Mateh Yosef'; in Part 2, Siman 10 (first printing), he writes there that in fact the Zohar's meaning in 'the land of the Galilee' is toward Tzfas, and so he explains that the matter of Tzfas is on a level far higher than this matter of Tiberias...

17:15 and so it remains sealed and closed whether the redemption will come from Tzfas or from Tiberias, and in fact, according to his opinion, this is the matter of Tzfas, according to the opinion of our Rebbe the Arizal, and according to the opinion of this Zohar, that this is 'the land of the Galilee', it is these places of the Galilee, the higher up toward Tzfas... And of course this is the reason Rabbi Shimon settled in Meron, and more and more, that there are a great many virtues in this for all who live in the north, who merit to settle in this holy place, in this holy and awesome city, where in every four cubits Eliyahu HaNavi, may he be remembered for good, walked here with our Rebbe the Arizal, and holy and pure ones stepped in every four cubits... about this whole matter...

17:59 and they gazed and looked toward heaven, and cried out to Hashem, blessed be He, from this place... and the prayers, and the firmament and everything here is very, very refined, beyond measure... and the holiness with which they sanctified the place, and the place was sanctified from their holiness - of all the holy ones who were here...

18:25 According to this one can also explain that this is the reason that this holiness of the tzaddikim, which they brought into all of Israel, all the holy and pure ones who brought to all of Israel, who were in every generation, and especially when they walked on the holy soil...

18:53 when they were in the Land of Israel, and walked here, and stayed, and prayed, and did everything so that Hashem would have satisfaction, and so that there would be unity, and that Hashem, blessed be He, would hurry and hasten the End... and then their holiness took hold for generations, and so too the holiness of each and every tribe continued, and so too the Land of Israel was settled... which is the settling of the Land...

19:28 And this is the reason for the prohibition of 'Lo sechanem', 'do not show them favor', that it is forbidden to give an idol worshipper a foothold in the Land of Israel, as it is written in the Sifrei at the beginning of Parshas Re'eh, that this is 'and you shall possess the land', that to the extent that you in fact do not give them... that we do not give them, Heaven forbid, a foothold in the Holy Land, and we will also want not to let them rent from it, then certainly this will also be a help and a support for us to have more settlement of the Land of Israel, and we will inherit the Land...

20:01 which is what the Sifrei explains. And perhaps it is also worth having this in mind, that the more Jewish settlement there is, so much more the redemption is brought closer... that more of the holy people will settle on the holy soil, and through this they will bring about closeness before Hashem, blessed be He, in all matters... that this is the reason for 'Lo sechanem', not to give an idol worshipper a foothold...

20:28 And this is what our Sages taught us in Tractate Avodah Zarah, on page 20a and 20b, and on page 21a, where they taught about the prohibition of 'Lo sechanem', that it is forbidden to give an idol worshipper a foothold and to rent to them, that it is forbidden to give them, Heaven forbid... or to sell land, or a field, or a house... to give them... But they said that to rent, to give them for storehouses and inns, this was permitted to rent... as the Rambam brought in practice in the Laws of Avodah Zarah, Chapter 10, Halachah 3, and as the Shulchan Aruch ruled in Yoreh De'ah, Siman 151, in Se'if 7, and 8, and 9 and 10, there the Shulchan Aruch ruled on this matter...

21:05 But this is truly the prohibition, that an idol worshipper comes in... and they would also forbid giving them, Heaven forbid... giving them one house, or renting them two houses, whether to one non-Jew or to several - it is a prohibition... And the reason for the prohibition, in fact they explained it, is because of 'You shall not bring an abomination into your house'...

21:29 for with an idol worshipper, idol worship applies, and then they bring idol worship in... and when idol worship comes into the Land of Israel, then, Heaven forbid, the severity is much greater, that here they serve idols, in the place of the dwelling of Hashem, blessed be He... therefore the severity is very terrible... and it is forbidden to give them the foothold and the land in the Land of Israel. And so in fact the Rambam also ruled in the Laws of Avodah Zarah, Chapter 10, Halachah 4...

21:56 it is the halachah after 3, that he wrote... and in Se'if 10 in Siman 151, where the Shulchan Aruch ruled this... because of 'You shall not bring an abomination into your house'... And so in practice it was forbidden. And the reason for this is what Tosafos wrote on page 21a in Avodah Zarah, on what Rabbi Yossi says, that 'one may not make a neighborhood of non-Jews', so Tosafos say: so that there will be no harm, Heaven forbid, to the Jews, that because it is being given to the Jewish people, and there will also be a neighborhood of non-Jews outside the Land, then this can be a harm to the Jewish people, because for this reason there can be, Heaven forbid, harm to a Jew...

22:29 from this matter - that there will be many, many non-Jews, and by their living in the same place, there can be, Heaven forbid, harm to the Jewish people... And so in practice, the reason that today it would be possible to be lenient is what is also written in the Rosh on Avodah Zarah, Chapter 1, Siman 22, as they brought in the name of Tosafos, in the passage beginning 'Af', on page 21a, where they say...

22:57 that what the Shulchan Aruch in fact stated without distinction, that it is because of 'You shall not bring an abomination into your house', that is certainly fixed worship, that they certainly bring it... but if there is nothing fixed, as today they certainly do not always bring it, and not every idol worshipper brings idol worship into the house, then that is the reason they were lenient in this, and of course as the Shach also wrote, and the Gra in Se'if Katan 17... that the Shach also brought there, to be lenient in this... But of course it is proper to be stringent, not to give them any land and any foothold...

23:25 And everything we said is about renting, and not about selling, Heaven forbid, so that they will have no ownership in the Land of Israel... for this is something that can bring near and bring about the End, of the redemption. And especially the holy city of Tzfas, which must be sanctified, and to rise even higher in it, and to learn and to pray... which is a help and a support for the holy ones too, and it has in it a light of the redemption...

23:54 a light that can bring us closer to the purpose before Hashem, blessed be He, which is the joy before Hashem. And so it is written in the Gemara, Tractate Gittin, page 8b, there they learned... in Rashi, in the passage beginning 'Mishum', Rashi writes that the Gemara says that even on Shabbos it is permitted to take from an idol worshipper, to come and buy his land from him, his field - even on Shabbos...

24:24 so that he will have no connection to the Jewish people, so that he will have no connection and no land of the Jewish people... So they also learned in Bava Kamma, page 80b, which the Rambam in fact brought in the Laws of Shabbos, Chapter 6, Halachah 11, who brought it as halachah, that the reason it is permitted to tell them is what they said, 'How does he do it?'... this is in the name of the Yerushalmi, in Moed Katan, Chapter 2, Halachah 4, with Reish Lakish and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi...

24:52 who would say, 'How does one do it?' He shows him a purse of dinars, and he shows him a document, and he takes it out for him, so that he will write the document... the non-Jew will write the document. And even though they said that telling them is a prohibition of shevus, from the Rabbis, then of course, because of the settling of the Land of Israel, they permitted it... in order to fulfill the mitzvah of settling the Land... and this is the reason they permitted this matter, for the settling of the Land of Israel, so that the Land will be settled...

25:16 So this is how he shows him a purse of dinars, and right away he does it... and this is how in practice they take from him even on Shabbos... And of course each person should act by asking a Torah scholar, since today there are already many options... but they permitted it to such a degree, in order to explain the holiness and the greatness of the Land of Israel... that idol worshippers should have no hold in the Land of Israel, so that they can take their portion from them, even on the holy Shabbos... even at a time when it is forbidden...

25:46 but in this matter, which can be of benefit, and for the mitzvah of settling the Land, the Sages permitted this matter... in order to fulfill the honor of Heaven, which is the honor of the Land of Israel. And for this one must be careful about the holiness of the Land of Israel, and, Heaven forbid, not to speak badly, and not to dirty it, Heaven forbid, and to guard its holiness, and not to throw anything in it, for it is very holy and awesome.

26:17 It is written about Rabbi Chanina, on page 112a in Tractate Kesubos, that he would repair the roads, so Rashi says that it was so that no bad name would go out, Heaven forbid, about the roads of the Land of Israel, and they would see that all its roads are in good repair, he would repair the roads, so that everyone could come to the Land of Israel, and they would not give a bad name, Heaven forbid, to the roads...

26:43 And also Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi, when they sat in the time of the heat they would go to the shade, and if it was cold, then they would go a little to the warmth, only so that they would not, Heaven forbid, give out a bad report of the Land, and Rashi explains, so that there would be no complaint, Heaven forbid, against the Land of Israel, and that they would not come, Heaven forbid, to anything that could be a complaint against the praise of the Land of Israel...

27:07 only because of the honor of the Land of Israel... because the greatness of the Holy Land has such importance... And especially since we are in the Holy Land, and we are also inside a very holy and awesome city, about which we said that the 'Chesed L'Avraham' explains that Jerusalem corresponds to Malchus, Kingship, and Tzfas in fact corresponds to the Name Ekyeh, which corresponds to Keser, the Crown, which corresponds to the Name Ekyeh, so he explains that in reduced value they come out equal to each other...

27:33 So perhaps this will be understood, why... that the light of the redemption is from here... for this is the Crown, this is the light that everyone needs... And this is Tzfas - which is a very awesome city, which is the dwelling place of our holy Rabbis, all our holy Rabbis who stayed in the land of the Galilee, and spread the light of Hashem, blessed be He, in the whole world...

27:57 And for this, the holiness of the Land, to come in order to... to explain that the whole Jewish people is bound up with the holy soil, and every Jew has a connection, wherever he may be... And one needs to study it very well... And there are several pages above... about five, six pages... that Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl writes in Parshas Matos about the matter of the sparks of holiness that are in each and every place, about that same thing and matter that comes before a person at the same time that he is there, that everything is arranged for him...

28:29 So he says, the 'Me'or VaShemesh' in Parshas Pinchas, that in fact the level of the Land of Israel is so holy that all the sparks came together in the Land of Israel, that everyone sifts out the sparks of holiness in the Land of Israel, and therefore the Land of Israel is unique among all the lands, in that it drinks first, before the whole world (Tractate Taanis, page 10a), that the rains that fall in the Land of Israel - which is the rain, which is the prayer...

28:56 for the Land of Israel is entirely prayer, for it came to our forefathers through prayer, and it comes through people praying... so this is in fact written in the Yerushalmi, Taanis, Chapter 3, Halachah 3... The Yerushalmi explains that the rains that fall on the world are in the merit of kindness, and in the merit of suffering, and in the merit of the Land... in the merit of the Land of Israel rains fall...

29:21 Even when rains fall in the world, the Yerushalmi explains that it is in the merit of the Land of Israel that the rains fall... in the merit of the holiness of the Land, in the merit of its holiness... in the merit of the holiness, the rain flows and comes down from heaven... And therefore prayer - that the Jewish people pray to Hashem, the prayer - it brings down the water, because we pray 'Who makes the wind blow and the rain fall', and we pray 'Bless for us', and we ask before Hashem, blessed be He, that He make the wind blow and give water, 'and the ground will give its produce', and that it will be a help and a support...

29:57 So it turns out that the whole Land of Israel - all its life is the prayer of the Jewish people, for it is the place in the whole world that has no life-force, and everything that is received is only from the Land of Israel, from its holiness... And it is the delight of all our forefathers, and all the tzaddikim, and all the holy ones, and all the pure ones who were... And therefore when a person...

30:21 when there is a drought, and no rains fall, then one must wait until enough rain falls 'to soak the ground', and then when the rains in fact fall, one says, 'We thank You, Hashem our G-d, for each and every drop that You brought down for us', and if a person has a field in partnership, that he needs... he says the blessing 'HaTov VeHaMeitiv', and if he has a field on his own, then he says the blessing 'Shehecheyanu'... Of course today there are many water reservoirs, so one need not say the blessing...

30:47 But of course a person should put on a new garment, and rejoice that rain falls for him... for certainly it is for a benefit, that it will be of benefit to him... which in fact is also brought in the Ran, on Taanis, page 6b, and in Berachos, page 59b, and as the Rambam ruled in the Laws of Berachos, Chapter 10, Halachos 5 and 6, and the Shulchan Aruch in Siman 221, Se'if 1, who brought it in practice as halachah... But of course today there are many water reservoirs that can be of benefit, so that is the reason that in practice one need not say the blessing, only by putting on some new garment, and wearing something new for this, in honor of the rainfall, to bless before the Master of heaven and earth, as thanks for the gift He brought down - for the water, for the water He gave,

31:28 so that the ground will give its produce... that it will be a help and a support, that they will lift their eyes to heaven... for the Land of Israel receives all its life from prayer, and therefore the awesome tzaddikim who were here, who were in the Land of Israel, chose to settle in a place from which all their thought and all their intent... is solely the saying of Rabbi Shimon, that the redemption will come, and for this they settled...

31:56 for all their work and their tikkun was for this. And for this Rabbi Shimon says, in the Zohar, Vayeira, page 108b, 'The Land of Israel is nourished first, and afterward the whole world', the Land of Israel is fed first, first of all, the Land of Israel is fed first, and after that, 'and afterward the whole world'... after that the whole world receives its food, after that all the abundance comes down upon the entire world.

32:24 There is also the Maharsha on Kesubos, page 111a, where the Maharsha in fact explains about the Land of Israel, he says that it is similar, that it is like... there is nothing at all that one can compare this to, but it is only to give an idea, what he explains, for Adam HaRishon - he says that his body was from Babylon, and his head from the Land of Israel, and his limbs from the rest of the world, so it turns out that the head of Adam HaRishon was made from the Land of Israel, so the Maharsha brings in Chiddushei Aggados, he explains it in a way that of course one needs to go deep into it in order to understand...

32:59 but the matter is understood about the Land of Israel, for the Land of Israel was in fact sanctified with a very awesome holiness, it was sanctified with holiness, as the 'Kaftor VaFerach' explains... this is also written in the Mishnah (Keilim), Chapter 1, Mishnah 6, that 'the Land of Israel is holier than all the lands'... but there is also the 'Kaftor VaFerach' in Chapter 10, where he writes that in fact the holiness of the Land of Israel is that it is sanctified already with a holiness from our forefathers, that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Land of Israel, so it was sanctified already then with holiness, that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave it to our forefathers, that Hashem, blessed be He...

33:37 'to give them, as the days of the heavens upon the earth', that is the Land of Israel, which is bound up between all the worlds. So the Holy One, blessed be He, chose to give it to them, while this holiness, through what there was... that the Shechinah is upon it, the 'Kaftor VaFerach' explains, and also through the conquest of Yehoshua, seven years, and after that through those who came up from Babylon and Ezra the Scribe, and the holiness they continued upon the Land of Israel, from this holiness... by the power of this holiness, in fact, then in fact it is turned around, and then 'darkness is turned into light', the darkness turns into light, and through this the light of Hashem, blessed be He, shines in all the worlds...

34:15 which is the light and the radiance of the Land of Israel, which stretches from one end of the world to the other, that everyone sees the light of the Land of Israel... for the more one feels its holiness, and the more one understands its holiness, and understands what is done there, then in fact one can receive from it the light hidden in it...

34:42 for when a person has no hold and no faith in a thing, he can never receive the salvation or the holiness from it, and when a person does not have the Land of Israel, does not understand the holiness of the Land... to explain this... that the holiness of the Land - it is in fact impossible to take it away, as the Rashba, and the Meiri, and the Ritva discuss this, this is what is said in Tractate Gittin, page 47a, there is a dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbah, whether a non-Jew who bought land has ownership in the Land of Israel...

35:21 whether in fact it takes it away or not... whether it takes away the holiness of the Land or not, which makes a practical difference for terumos and ma'asros on what he acquired, whether one must separate them from it or not, from what the non-Jew bought (of the soil of the Land). So according to Rabbah, who says that a non-Jew has no ownership in the Land of Israel, that he does not take away its holiness, and the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer is that a non-Jew does take away its holiness. But the Ritva in fact gives a reason... which is very, very understandable, what the Ritva explains in Avodah Zarah, page 21a, there he explains... the Ritva gives a reason...

35:55 that he says it is forbidden to take away the holiness of the Land, for taking away the holiness of the Land in fact is robbing the tribe it belongs to, that when we take away the holiness of the Land, Heaven forbid, we are taking from that tribe to which the Land belongs. So it turns out that no one has, according to this Ritva...

36:21 what he explains... which is in fact the opinion of Rabbah... that a non-Jew can never cause the holiness of the Land to be taken away. For notice how much holiness the Land of Israel was sanctified with, and especially that it is impossible to take hold of it... and then in fact it returns... for it in fact belongs to that tribe, and from the tribe it returns to Hashem, blessed be He. And then it will be understood why Hashem, blessed be He, is so strict about the prohibition of 'Lo sechanem', not to give them a foothold in the Land of Israel, for it is so holy and awesome... for the lands in the whole world...

36:59 and especially when we speak about the Land of Israel, which is the root of all the lands, and Hashem, blessed be He - it is His delight that He chose this Land. And therefore the spies, who slandered the Land, this is written in Parshas Shelach Lecha, in Bamidbar, Chapter 13, who spoke, Heaven forbid, evil talk about the Land of Israel, and spoke lashon hara, then Hashem, blessed be He, was strict, for the Land of Israel, at its root, is all the souls of the Jewish people, that when we speak about the Land of Israel, and that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Land of Israel...

37:38 So as I explained, the Land of Israel corresponds to prayer, and when the Land of Israel corresponds to prayer, then it turns out that the root of the Jewish people is within prayer, And when one speaks of removing the holiness of the Land, that means taking it, Heaven forbid, from the Jewish people - that is the reason, which is in fact as the Ritva explains about robbing the tribe, of the portion that belongs to the tribe... and with this it will be better understood why, and the meaning is that the Land of Israel, which comes from our prayer, and all of Israel pray in each and every generation...

38:16 let everyone think how much they prayed, and how much they longed for it, and how much they wanted to be in it... whether it is Moshe, the Faithful Shepherd, and all the holy ones who wanted to be in this soil, and to be within the holy ground, in this awesome holiness, and in this thought. And therefore the Land of Israel is a land that is entirely melody, all the songs and the melodies in the world come from the Land of Israel, all the songs...

38:48 That is why it is written in the prophet Yeshayahu, chapter 24, verse 16: 'From the edge of the earth we have heard songs: glory to the righteous', 'From the edge of the earth we have heard songs' - this corresponds to the Land of Israel, for the Land of Israel is entirely songs, this whole land... If we would incline our ear, we could hear that the Land of Israel is song...

39:16 it is a sound of melody and a sound of song, the whole Land of Israel is melody and songs. And therefore, when it is written in our parshah, in Parshas Mikeitz, chapter 43, verse 11, where he spoke and said to them: 'And Israel their father said to them: If so, then do this: take of the song of the land in your vessels, and bring the man down a gift: a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.'

39:43 'And bring the man down a gift, and take for yourselves of the song of the land in your vessels', for 'the song of the land' is the Land of Israel, for the Land of Israel is entirely songs, and the Land of Israel is entirely melody. And because the Land of Israel is entirely songs and entirely melody, if we take it according to the view of Rabbi Eliezer, that Rabbi Eliezer holds that a non-Jew removes it - then, Heaven forbid, we would say that the melody ceased, and the soul ceased, and the Hashgachah ceased, but if we say according to the view of Rabbah, for what Rabbah says is that a non-Jew does not remove the holiness of the Land...

40:16 then because a non-Jew does not remove the holiness of the Land, according to Rabbah, then in practice it will be understood why, in practice, the Land of Israel will forever be songs, songs and melody, so that they will understand its greatness, the greatness of the Land of Israel. This is also in Likutei Moharan Tinyana, siman 116, it is written there; the Zohar on Terumah also brings it, and also the Zohar on Vayakhel, page 209, it is written there, that the sky of the Land of Israel is a sky that is different from the other skies, that of all the skies of the world, in fact, one whose sight is pure can discern the distinction and the difference between this sky and the other skies, to understand the difference between this sky and the other skies,

41:05 through the view of the Land of Israel, because of the holiness and the greatness of the Land of Israel, because of its holiness. And then, in practice, it will be understood why the holy Maharsha, who explained in his Chiddushei Aggados that this corresponds to Adam HaRishon, it corresponds to the head, and in fact the rest of his limbs correspond to the rest of the world, but his body was from Babylonia, and his head from the Land of Israel, for the head of Adam HaRishon is in the Land of Israel, and the head corresponds to the Crown, and the Crown corresponds to the Name Ehyeh, and Ehyeh, as the Chesed Avraham writes, is Tzfas, and 'from the land of the Galilee' (that the Geulah will come) - this is 'in six and sixty and six', which is the secret of the sixty, of the Samech, to break open the closed Mem,

41:49 for the breaking open of the closed Mem, in fact, will be done only when the Geulah comes, and then it will be 'Mitzraymah' and not 'Mitzrayim', when the closed Mem is broken open, and then it will be a Hei, which is 'the Hei, the Shechinah in exile, to unify the Name Havayah, blessed be He, and its sum is Tal' (Pesach Eliyahu), which in fact rises to the Tikkun of the Name Havayah, and then the Name Havayah, blessed be He, is made complete. And in fact the Pnei Yehoshua, whom I explained, in fact gives a reason...

42:20 this will also be understood: why the world does not understand the holiness of the Land, that also the matter of the enactment of Hallel... that even though everyone is close to the Land of Israel, and there is joy, but to say Hallel, one needs for this, of course, for this one needs the majority of Israel on their land, so that for the enactment of Hallel, so that they can enact it, in order to say it at its set time and season, of course this is done so that the majority of Israel will be on their land.

42:47 Therefore the Rambam ruled simply that it is Rabbinic - Hallel, whereas according to the Ramban, on the festivals it is from the Torah, following the view of the Baal Halachos Gedolos, who held that it is from the Torah, for what was with the offerings is certainly from the Torah, but what the Ramban explains, that the matter of Hallel, that we want to say Hallel... one must know that the world says Hallel at a time when there is joy, I am speaking about the matter of the Land of Israel, but the reason it is impossible, because of this reason, so that it will be understood, because, as the Rambam explains, if we do it according to the festivals that are from the Torah, which is what the Ramban holds, the opposite of the view of the Rambam,

43:32 but with this it will be understood that the majority of Israel must be on their land, And what is the reason for the majority of Israel being on their land? Because there is a connection between the Land of Israel and the Jewish people, there is a connection; one depends on the other. This comes up several times; commentators wrote about it, it is in the Ramban on Parshas Bechukosai, chapter 16, and in Rabbeinu Bechaye on Bereishis, chapter 17, and in the Malbim on chapter 49 of Yeshayahu - it is several times that it is written in the commentators that the Land of Israel in fact gives life, that it knows who is in it, that when the Jewish people were not on their land, then the Land of Israel knows that the Jewish people are not on their land,

44:21 and when the Jewish people are on their land, then the land gives its produce, and then in fact it will be possible to say Hallel, for there is a majority. This is the reason for the majority of Israel on their land, for the law of the majority of Israel on their land will be understood according to the Ramban and Rabbeinu Bechaye, and according to what I explained in the Malbim about the holiness of the Land. And the Pnei Yehoshua explains an awesome and tremendous thing, for we know that according to the Ramban the mitzvah of settling the Land of Israel is a positive commandment from the Torah, and the Pnei Yehoshua explains on page 111a, in his novellae on Tractate Kesuvos, the Pnei Yehoshua explains that a person who settles in the Land of Israel - for as I explained,

45:02 in order to come to the holiness of the Land, and to hear the melody, for the Land of Israel is song, as it said, 'take for yourselves of the song of the land in your vessels', for the Land of Israel is songs, 'and from the edge of the earth we have heard songs', for the root of the Land of Israel is in melody, and that going up to Jerusalem was with melody, and this is the secret of David's harp, and the whole matter of the melody of the Land of Israel, and that Moshe Rabbeinu toiled five years, in the Midrash Rabbah on Bereishis (54:4), that for five years the son of Amram toiled to teach the Levites the wisdom of melody, for this whole matter of melody was for the sake of the Land of Israel,

45:42 so that they would come to the Land of Israel and sing before Hashem, sing before the great, mighty and awesome G-d, and sing before Him, and praise His great Name, praise the Name of G-d, blessed be He, the people, the creatures - all will praise Him. So the Pnei Yehoshua explains a thing - this is of course for one who holds so, but certainly one should hold like him and be concerned for his view.

46:12 If we explained that the Land of Israel, that one hears its song and its melody, that 'one who lives in the Land of Israel dwells without sin', that 'whoever lives in the Land of Israel is like one who has a G-d', in Kesuvos, page 110b, which is 'like one who has a G-d', that is... that is... that is, a person who 'lives in the Land of Israel is like one who has a G-d', and 'whoever lives in the Land of Israel dwells without sin'.

46:58 In practice the Rambam also ruled this, in the Laws of Kings; the Rambam copied it in chapter 5, halachah 11, and he explains that 'one who lives in the Land of Israel dwells without sin'. The Rambam ruled this, and he also brings that 'whoever walks four cubits in it, all his sins are forgiven, and whoever dies in it is atoned for, for it is as if under the altar', as it were, he is inside the altar when he is in the Land of Israel; so the Rambam ruled. But the Pnei Yehoshua gives a new insight and a note on this, on 'one who lives in the Land of Israel dwells without sin', on page 111a; so the Pnei Yehoshua explains that this will not be for everyone, explains the Pnei Yehoshua, that a person who is in the Land of Israel - perhaps, says the Pnei Yehoshua,

47:39 he lives in it by chance, that is, it is his hometown, or he settled in it because of trees and stones, or because of anything - its appearance, or anything for which he lives in it, and that is the reason he settled in the Land of Israel, explains the Pnei Yehoshua; but if he settled in it with intention - the Pnei Yehoshua explains that settling requires intention. And of course they hold that today it is Rabbinic - settling the Land, but of course one must be concerned for his words, for the Pnei Yehoshua explains it simply, that the mitzvah of settling the Land 'requires intention', he must intend, understanding where he has settled, that he is not settling in a land because it is his birthplace, or a land because of its beauty, or its fruits, or some home,

48:28 or to plant trees for himself, or houses, and that is the reason he stays in it, explains the Pnei Yehoshua, rather, he must truly settle with intention, to understand where he is, to understand the holiness of the Land. And the Pnei Yehoshua explains that a person who understands the holiness of the Land, and a person who understands where he is, then, explains the Pnei Yehoshua, his sins are truly forgiven, and so on, that is, Heaven forbid, all the things he did will certainly be forgiven, for the Pnei Yehoshua explains that this is the matter of 'one who lives there dwells without sin', for intention is required for this matter of the Land of Israel, to be concerned for this, that one must intend the mitzvah of settling the Land, especially when we settle in it,

49:09 so that it will not be as the Pnei Yehoshua explains, that a person settles in it because he was born in it, and a person settles in it because he arrived there, and a person settles in it because his fathers lived in it, so because of this the Pnei Yehoshua explains that, as it were, he did not intend it for the sake of settling the Land, and because of this he does not feel its holiness, and for this one must have intention. And the very fact that we have now explained it, and know of it, and will intend it, and everyone will think that they are living in the Land of Israel for the sake of the mitzvah of settling the Land of Israel, for the sake of bringing pleasure before the Master of heaven and earth,

49:41 for the sake of the precious land that Hashem, blessed be He, gave to the Jewish people, gave it as an inheritance to our fathers, so that there would be pleasure before Him, for this we live in the Land of Israel, for this reason, for the Land of Israel in fact - that we dwell in the Land of Israel - we are repairing the sin of the spies, who slandered the Land, in Parshas Shelach Lecha, chapter 13, that they slandered, and then they spoke evil speech about the Land of Israel, and as I explained, all the souls of Israel are included in the Land of Israel, and that when one settles in the Land and feels its holiness, then presumably his sins are forgiven, according to the view of the Pnei Yehoshua, who explains that only then, when one understands the holiness of the Land,

50:27 then it bestows, and then one feels it, and then one receives it, and then it flows, and so on, all the abundance and the promises concerning the Land of Israel flow forth. And then in fact one can also come to love for every Jew, and then the Jewish people will not suffer, and then they come to judging favorably, for they repair the sin of the Golden Calf, the sin of the spies, all the sins in which we spoke rebelliously against Hashem, blessed be He, which corresponds to the sin of the Calf, all that we spoke in evil speech, this is the repair of the sin of the spies, and of the whole chain that came from it.

51:03 So the good speech, when a person judges his fellow, when each one is judged favorably - that is in fact the repair of the sin of the spies. As we explained, one depends on the other, that the Land of Israel blossoms because of... the Land of Israel blossoms and brings forth all its produce because of the Jewish people, because the Jewish people dwell there, and the majority of Israel is on their land, so this is something that brings it even closer to its purpose, that it will bring forth its growth and its fruits like a well-watered garden, for benefit, and of course to bestow. For the Land of Israel is called the secret of Malchus, Kingship, for then in fact it is repaired and it rises to the Crown, corresponding to Ehyeh, that it itself rises, that it itself...

51:49 like every mitzvah and object that is done all year, on a day of ascent and great light, so here they bring the Land of Israel itself, which is the secret of Malchus, which is David's harp, to ascend to such a high level, that we cleave to Hashem and reveal His Hashgachah, and then in fact the Jewish people judge one another favorably, which is what is written in chapter 1, mishnah 6, of Tractate Avos: 'Judge every person favorably', so the Rambam explains - in his commentary on the Mishnah the Rambam explains what is meant by judging favorably, that a person does not know the deeds of the other, whether he is a tzaddik or wicked, how will you judge him? How does one judge a person? What does it mean to judge him?

52:39 So there is a difference of wording in the Talmud, from the wording in Avos... for it is written in Shevuos, page 30a: 'And judge your fellow favorably', and in the Mishnah in Avos it is 'Judge every person favorably'. What is the difference? What is the distinction between the words 'your fellow' and 'a person'? In fact there are many who learned from this, such as the Chareidim (the complete edition) in chapter 9, and Rabbeinu Chananel (there, in Shevuos), who derived from it, and also in the Shaar HaOsiyos (the letter Kaf) of the holy Shelah, who wrote to conclude from this that the meaning is that a person judges favorably.

53:13 And it is also written in the Chinuch, mitzvah 235, there the Chinuch writes that it is included in a positive commandment, that a person judges his fellow. Some say it is a custom, or a good practice, and some say it is a mitzvah from the Torah, as is the view of Rabbeinu Chananel; so is the view of the Chinuch in mitzvah 235, so is the view of the Chareidim in chapter 9, who wrote this matter, that it is a mitzvah from the Torah to judge one's fellow favorably. So the holy Shelah gives a beautiful answer, that truly settles this matter, as the holy Shelah explains, that when a person judges his fellow favorably, he judges his fellow favorably, and he shines light into his fellow...

53:50 So the holy Shelah explains: when a person judges unfavorably, then he diminishes the honor of Hashem, blessed be He. Why does he diminish the honor of Hashem, blessed be He? Because when a person judges unfavorably, then he shows Hashem that certainly the Jewish people are not such and such, and that there are people who anger Him, blessed be He, and do not act rightly, but when a person judges favorably, then he reveals and says: this person did not know before the King, this person erred before the King, and then the honor of Heaven increases, for the more one judges favorably, so through this the honor of Heaven increases, and as Rav Acha said: 'Whoever argues in favor of the Jewish people, the Holy One, blessed be He, raises him up' - in Sanhedrin, chapter 10,

54:31 Hashem, blessed be He, makes him great when he argues in favor of the Jewish people. And there are many more matters in this, but the thought is that the merit that one argues, through it the honor of Hashem, blessed be He, increases and grows. And certainly a person must also judge himself favorably, and this is also what is written in Likutei Moharan, Part I, siman 282, where he wrote this matter: to judge both one's fellow and oneself favorably, for it is written that it will be of benefit, for when a person judges himself favorably, by himself, then he can truly go out and reveal the light that is hidden in him.

55:06 But as we explained, that the view of the Chinuch, and the Chareidim, and Rabbeinu Chananel, whose words it is truly fitting to be concerned for and to hold so, that it is from the Torah, and to know that one fulfills a mitzvah every time one judges any person favorably. And as we explained, also not only this, but that through the favorable judgment itself one increases the honor of Heaven, according to the holy Shelah.

55:31 That a person should never be broken, Heaven forbid, for the more one judges favorably, the more one makes the Jewish people great, and when one judges unfavorably, one diminishes the honor of Hashem, blessed be He, and does not reveal the mercy of Hashem, blessed be He. And this is the reason that Rabbi Meir, may his merit protect us, Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess, whose burial place also - may his merit protect us - for it is written that he came to the Land of Israel, that he said to them... as it is written in the Yerushalmi...

56:02 it is in the Yerushalmi, Kilayim, chapter 9, halachah 3, and also in the Yerushalmi, Chagigah, chapter 2, halachah 1, all the favorable judgment that he gave his teacher, that he tried to judge his teacher favorably, and tried to repair him, that this is the secret of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess, that he could reveal mercy even in a sinner. Therefore, when he would say of the impure 'pure' and of the pure 'impure', and show him reasons for it, as it is written in Eruvin, page 13b, that he would show him reasons, and could declare even a creeping creature pure, that he could reveal the mercy of Hashem...

56:31 There is a book, Emes LeYaakov (by Rabbi Yaakov Ninio, of the early sages of Tiberias), who writes in the section 'Etz Chaim', under the letter Reish, he writes there: What is the reason that Rabbi Meir merited that the whole world vows to him, and donates, and follows him? And why do they not mention his teacher, Rabbi Akiva? Or his teacher's teacher, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai? Why specifically Rabbi Meir? There is also Rabbi Yosef Chaim; Rabbi Yosef Chaim also brings it...

56:59 who has a new insight in the Ben Yehoyada on page 18a, on Rosh Hashanah, where he wrote, on 'this one goes up to the scaffold, and this one cries out and is answered', which is a saying of Rabbi Meir. So he says that this will help, that the merit of Rabbi Meir will protect... But there, in the section of Reish, the Emes LeYaakov writes... that truly this is a very beautiful reason of Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim on this... But what the Emes LeYaakov writes, that the very thought of why the world follows Rabbi Meir, he explains it: that Rabbi Meir holds - in Kiddushin, page 36a, it brings his saying, that Rabbi Meir says... that there is the view of Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehudah there, that when you do the will of the Omnipresent, you are called children...

57:42 if you behave as children, then you are called children, and if, Heaven forbid, not, then not... So Rabbi Meir says that either way they are called children. So the Emes LeYaakov says that this is the help and the support, for Rabbi Meir ruled that 'either way they are called children', and this is the reason that he judges the whole Jewish people favorably, and this is the reason that everyone loves Rabbi Meir, and everyone travels to Rabbi Meir, and everyone is bound up with Rabbi Meir, for Rabbi Meir lit up the light of the Jewish people - that is the reason...

58:12 He gives a reason that settles the mind very well. One can also say this in a witty way, that 'a person does not utter his words in vain', which is also a saying of Rabbi Meir; Rabbi Meir said it (regarding vows), that a person is recognized as one who does not utter his words in vain, in Nazir, page 9a, it is written there... So one can say it in a witty way, to bind Rabbi Meir: that on page 18a it is written in Avodah Zarah that he said, 'G-d of Meir, answer me! G-d of Meir, answer me!', so this is a promise in the name of Rabbi Meir, that it will certainly be, for he promised in Nazir, page 9a, that one does not utter in vain, so it will certainly also be of benefit.

58:51 And so too what is written in Yoma, page 86b: 'It was taught: Rabbi Meir says, forgiveness is granted for the sake of an individual, as it says, I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him - it does not say from them, but from him.' So an individual who did teshuvah - they forgive him and the whole entire world, for 'My anger has turned away from him', has turned away... Hashem, blessed be He, forgives and pardons, and arouses His mercy upon all the creatures, upon everything.

59:20 Hashem, blessed be He, is endless mercy... And the main thing is that everyone should honor the Land of Israel, and guard the holiness of the Land of Israel, and honor the whole Jewish people, and honor our Sages, honor the sages of the generation, the great ones of the generation, the elders of the generation, every single person, and every Torah scholar, not to speak lashon hara, Heaven forbid, about any Jew in the world, and not to speak lashon hara about the Land of Israel...

59:51 for this is the reason, as we explained in Kesuvos, page 112a and page 112b, that we explained with Rabbi Chanina, and Rabbi Asi, and Rabbi Ami, that Rabbi Chanina would repair the roads, which Rashi says was so that a bad name would not go out over the stumbling blocks, and so too they would move from the sun to the shade, and from the shade to the sun, only so that the Land of Israel would have a good name, so as not to let out a bad word even about the state of the weather in the Land of Israel, and to guard its holiness, and to know that every moment here is holiness...

1:00:21 We are in a very, very, very holy and awesome place, and it is a merit that we are in the Land of Israel, and especially in this holy city - in Tzfas, the holy place, the dwelling place of our Rabbis, our holy leaders, whose merit will certainly protect us, protect everyone. May Hashem, blessed be He, bless everyone, give everyone help from Heaven, give everyone a good life, give you help from Heaven, and good abundance.

1:00:53 Another thing I wanted to say: in the last shiur, which was three days ago, on Thursday night, in Jerusalem... and on Motzaei Shabbos I had a new insight that truly fit with what we learned together... perhaps you will like the new insight...

1:01:19 This is how I thought of a way that would be in honor of our master, the Arizal, who loved gematrias, and of Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropoli... It is a truly special insight; there will be time to expand on it more... I explained it briefly; I will not go on at length about it... There are me'orei ohr, lights of light, and me'orei eish, lights of fire. There are me'orei ohr and me'orei eish, and the me'orei eish overpowered the me'orei ohr, and this is the reason for the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash.

1:01:50 And we explained that Yaakov merited to nullify the me'orei eish, and Yosef corresponded to the me'orei ohr. And on Motzaei Shabbos I prayed before Hashem that He give me a new insight, and I said, for this insight came about from what we learned together, and I wanted to have some new insight on it, and in the shiur itself this insight was not known to me, only on Motzaei Shabbos, when I thought more about what had been newly said, then I understood this new insight...

1:02:29 that the me'orei ohr and the me'orei eish in fact keep overpowering one another, and I explained that this is the reason one must light first, on Erev Shabbos, the me'orei ohr, and right after Shabbos, the me'orei eish, for if, Heaven forbid, we light the me'orei eish in the time of the me'orei ohr, then, Heaven forbid, they overpower, for the time of the me'orei ohr to rule is on Shabbos, and therefore on Erev Shabbos we light, and the me'orei eish are for Motzaei Shabbos.

1:02:58 And therefore it is forbidden for a person to light the me'orei eish on Shabbos, for then he kindles fire in the time of the me'orei ohr, and then the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash comes about - and this is the reason... I explained it at length, for the shiur was on this matter... And I explained the reasoning of the Rashba, as the Rashba wrote in the Responsa of the Rashba, Part I, siman 159, for the Rashba explains that it corresponds to a blessing of praise, and the Kol Bo, in siman 41, says that it is a blessing of enjoyment, and the Rosh (Berachos 8:3) says that it is in fact... that we bless a blessing of enjoyment, that one makes a blessing...

1:03:32 but this blessing is fulfilled for the whole week. I will not explain according to this whole matter, for the reason is in order to explain that the lights in fact correspond to the praise, and the praise is the lights... And I explained that the lights were in fact received by Yaakov, and therefore he wanted to meet Yosef, and so on... and this whole matter...

1:03:58 And when the me'orei ohr overpower the me'orei eish, then Hashem, blessed be He, will bring the Geulah near, when the rule of the me'orei ohr will be over the me'orei eish... And if you look, you will see that Eisav was in fact the me'orei eish, and therefore he tried to rule over Yaakov. And I explained what is written in Ovadyah, chapter 1, verse 18: 'And the house of Yaakov shall be fire, and the house of Yosef a flame', for 'the house of Yaakov fire' corresponds to Yaakov, and 'the house of Yosef a flame' corresponds to the me'orei ohr that Yosef merited, therefore it is me'orei eish and me'orei ohr...

1:04:34 So I had a new insight, for we know that among the descendants of Eisav were Titus and the Romans, all of whom destroyed the Beis HaMikdash... And then I explained that because of this the me'orei eish also rose and overpowered the me'orei ohr... For this one must listen at length, for it... I don't want to weigh on you and burden the public with this matter... So if we compute 'me'orei eish', it comes to the number 558, it comes out 558 is the number of 'me'orei eish', and 'Yaakov' and 'Eisav' are also exactly 558, which corresponds to the me'orei eish, as I explained.

1:05:23 And 'me'orei ohr'... if everyone computes it, they will see... Compute 'me'orei eish' - it is 558. And I explained that Yaakov overpowered Eisav, and therefore he met Yosef, and therefore the Third House corresponds to Yosef the tzaddik, 'And the house of Yaakov shall be fire, and the house of Yosef a flame, and the house of Eisav straw', so the third Beis HaMikdash - for there are Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, and Yaakov is Yosef, so one depends on the other, for Yaakov passed it on to Yosef; he nullified the me'orei eish, and Yosef - 'These are the generations of Yaakov: Yosef' - he nullified the me'orei eish, and he merited the me'orei ohr - Yosef the tzaddik.

1:06:01 So if everyone computes 'Titus', who destroyed the Second Beis HaMikdash, the last one, that was destroyed... the name 'Titus' comes to the number 94, ninety-four, and 'me'orei eish' is 558, and if we compute 'me'orei eish', which is 'Yaakov' and 'Eisav', minus 'Titus', that is 94, which is the Second Beis HaMikdash, it comes out 464, which comes to exactly the number of 'me'orei ohr', exactly, exactly the same thing...

1:06:32 And then I thanked Hashem that this insight came to me from Heaven, from Hashem, blessed be He. May it be His will that there be me'orei ohr for each and every one of you, for the whole Jewish people, that 'the Jews had light and gladness', and that all the Jews should have good, and that each one of you...

1:06:57 that the Holy One, blessed be He, save you with a complete salvation. And I am too small to speak before you, I truly ask forgiveness that I spoke before you, and that I spoke... I was very weak, I came from the road... and there is no settled mind coming from the roads... the hardships of the road for many hours...

1:07:21 And may it be His will that there be a settled mind, and that the Holy One, blessed be He, gladden you, and raise your strength and your fortune, and that there be joy and good abundance, and that all the Jews should have 'light and gladness, and joy and honor', and that you should have good abundance and a good life.