The Yanuka Rav Shlomo Yehuda-“שומר פתאים השם” שו”ת מרתק עם הגאון הינוקא בסוכה מול חומות ירושלים מוצש＂ק חול המועד בסעודה שלישת

2:42 - I tell you, it can be a rich man who simply does not know the significance - that is less bad than that poor man. This is what the Rambam writes, as it were, [unclear]. - You are right in what you say, but according to the Yerushalmi in Pe'ah, chapter 1, halacha 1, it is implied from the Yerushalmi that the Holy One, blessed be He, measures a person's heart at the time of his mitzvah. That is to say, He sees the person's reality.

3:06 Many times a person is in a situation of difficulty. There the Yerushalmi says that the nations of the world sin out of much good and wealth, and the Jewish people sin out of the much sorrow and poverty that they have. And then the Holy One, blessed be He, sees this; He says: look, this one is miserable, things did not work out for him, he has no work, he has no livelihood, he is distancing himself from Hashem - because of this he sinned and fell. And there is one who, because things are so good for him, does not know what to do. He has money, so he goes from here to here to here, and out of that he sins.

3:34 We cannot come and measure him. How? In order to train the trait. In order to merit... how do you know? Yes, I understand. Basically, it is very hard for us to know the way of the tzelem, how it looks and everything - it very much depends. That is only the work of tzaddikim; they can know.

4:02 Also the tzelem that a person sees, like on Hoshana Rabbah - that is not the same tzelem, yes? It is not the same thing. We are speaking of a tzelem that is [unclear] - the person's tzelem; that is where his soul is found, above him. And then, in fact, what happens: the teshuvah that we do cleans the... suddenly our portion above shines very, very, very much; it shines, it radiates. Also at the time a person learns Torah and he is joyful, he prays and he feels a cleanness.

4:30 What is this cleanness? He makes his light shine above, and everyone sees his light. Right - you hear many times in the stories of tzaddikim: the Baal Shem Tov with the Ohr HaChaim - he stood here, he saw him there. What did he see? Did he see his body? He did not see his body. He saw his soul, which was shining in the upper worlds. Because he was so refined and holy and pure, he saw his light shining above, because they would see what is covered from our eyes.

5:00 As was told, that when the Ohr HaChaim passed away, he was alive... Ah, the washing of the hands. Right, correct, very nice. He said, 'The western lamp has gone out.' He is very right. About the holy Baal Shem Tov, that there was the secret of the washing of the hands - there is a secret of the washing of the hands that is always known. In every generation there are many secrets in the Torah that pass from generation to generation to the sages. And these are secrets that it is forbidden to speak about and impossible to teach. Only one knows, and when the earlier one passes away, it passes to the next.

5:29 So when the holy Baal Shem Tov was alive, when the Ohr HaChaim passed away, and the holy Baal Shem Tov went to wash his hands, he suddenly said, 'The western lamp has gone out', because he came to wash his hands, and then he saw with ruach hakodesh - he saw that this new insight was revealed to him. He had once wanted to attain it, and he understood that it was with the Ohr HaChaim, and when the holy Ohr HaChaim passed away, then the holy Baal Shem Tov received it, as it were, by inspiration from above, that he was the one who was the heir of the secret of the washing of the hands.

5:58 - He wrote him a letter about the tzelem - he wrote him, after all, about the tzelem: that when he makes an ascent of the soul, he will see whether he sees his whole tzelem above. - Right, whether he sees his whole stature. He sees the legs, and then he will reach, if... then he will understand, yes. - That is exactly what I understood. And when one does a tikkun, does that also repair the tzelem? Say, the Tikkun HaKlali that I say. - Everything; when you do the Tikkun HaKlali, when you do teshuvah, do everything - you repair the part, all that we damaged above, until it is made whole and shines above, and when it is made whole and shines above, its light, the light that the soul shines, shines on us, here.

6:31 And then you see the person happier, more alive, things are better for him, things open up for him more, everything suddenly shines, everything is joyful. It depends very much on the shining of the soul that shines. Now, what happens when one goes to tzaddikim? What happens? That tzaddik you go to has a soul - as they now say about Rabbi Nachman, that he repaired souls and merited awesome levels and everything. Now - it is not that you would come to him, and now he makes eyes at me, and does like this to you and repairs you, and then looks at that one and repairs that one, and then looks at that one and repairs that one. What would happen?

7:04 Because he has such a very, very great soul, the very essence of his soul, which is such power, in his chamber, his soul, shines now. And when you come to the body, above the body, what is there? There is the tzelem, that same soul. Now, it shines and radiates. Now, when you come to him, your soul also comes. So the souls above meet, and from the light of his power he shines upon your soul. From the light that he shines on you - it is like a sun shining - so all the kelipos, all of that, flee, flee from before our soul, because we come to that tzaddik; and so the soul is repaired by going to tzaddikim.

7:47 - Even without doing teshuvah? Even without anything? - Essentially, a person only needs to know to whom he is going. - So how is it that after he [unclear]? - No, to me there is no difference. - What is the difference? Tractate Berachos, page 18, side a. 'The righteous, in their death, are called living.' Rav, you say that the Ohr HaChaim 'went out', [unclear] - tzaddikim - 'the western light has gone out'.

8:12 That when a person dies, it is as if the light goes out. So how, here, with tzaddikim, as you told just now about Rabbi Nachman, that the light still remains, and also, where does it remain - does it remain at the grave, or does it remain everywhere? - He is called the western lamp. It is a borrowed expression, [unclear], no... - No, he is right, but I understand what he is asking. He says: how can it be that a person - when this tzaddik - his light has now, as it were, departed - so what, his light has disappeared?

8:39 That is what you are asking, right? So basically his imprint, basically, departed upward, and we now need to reveal this light, and to reveal it is much harder. When he was alive, then it was much easier to take from him. Now that he has passed away, you need to toil a great deal in order to bring down from his light to us. And so it is said about Elisha and Eliyahu: 'Let there be, I pray, a double portion of your spirit upon me.' He asked now that I merit a double portion. Why specifically double? Why not ten times, five times, ten times? What is this 'double portion'?

9:13 The secret: to reveal in me all that I learned from you, and give me what you are about to take with you above. Because now the tzaddik is gathered in, so he also gathers in all that he attained. He does not leave an inheritance here. He takes everything, because he cannot rely on anyone to manage these lights and attainments the way he attained them. So he gathers it in with him. And then we need, through toil and effort, to gather from the tzaddik what he toiled for in this world, and he brings it down to us through learning his Torah, going to his grave, or receiving from him, or faith in him, and so on, which draws the flow down to us. As Calev did, with the Graves of the Patriarchs - he goes to prostrate himself at the Graves of the Patriarchs.

9:56 What is going to the Graves of the Patriarchs? What is prostrating oneself there? He went to gather from what our holy forefathers had gathered and was hidden, and they took it with them above. - Rav, can a person's sins be atoned for through teshuvah? - I told you, for that one needs a great deal of understanding. How will there be teshuvah? If a person does not direct his mind, as if, about what is he... No, what are you talking about? I did not say such a thing. I do not understand. - The day itself atones. No - Yom Kippur.

10:22 But what is 'the day itself atones'? In Tractate Yoma, on page 85... [unclear]. Yes, [unclear]. 'I will sin and repent, I will sin and repent' - he is not given the chance to do teshuvah. But when a person comes to do teshuvah - if a person now comes to do teshuvah, he comes to the tzaddik, he comes with the aim of receiving from him a tikkun and a way, and he comes to return - that is a kind of teshuvah. But if a person just comes to him because he wants more blessing and more success, and more blessing and more success, to go on living out his ugly deeds, then what kind of tikkun is that?

10:57 You understand? - Yes, it brings him a thought of teshuvah, but without - when a person returns, when a person reaches maturity, he cannot now go in a way like [unclear], to say: I will go to the tzaddik and... - get a hechsher. - Exactly, get a hechsher on it. One must go and take upon ourselves to change, to do teshuvah.

11:22 - Like a person who goes to a doctor. - Like a person who goes to a doctor: whether he comes to the doctor so that he will treat him and fix him, or he comes to the doctor only so that he will give him a pill. - He can get a pill. - He will not get it. And the other way, I will tell you: if a person comes properly to the grave of a tzaddik, he can even gather from his spirit to himself. How? Make a preparation, make a preparation, take it upon yourself, come, learn, learn about the tzaddik, learn from the Torah of the tzaddik. Tractate Yevamos, page 97, [unclear] Rabbi Chiya, Rabbi Yochanan said: every Torah scholar from whose mouth a teaching is repeated, his lips murmur.

12:05 You say his words now - you bring him to life. - So, and the main thing is so - so what really is the main thing? What is his intention? What he said - what is the main thing? The main thing is to know [unclear]. - Right. One sees in another teaching that the main thing is not to [unclear]. - Right. All along the way, in the end, his way that he built - he builds the Torah, he explains what he wants to say, he covers much, much of what he attained, therefore it remains sealed, hidden and very deep, but in the end he brings out for you many, many pieces of advice and conclusions: what is worth your doing, and what you need to do, and what you need to beware of.

12:48 You need to pick and gather all these pieces of advice and practices, and then, in fact, you understand the essence, at least to take away: what do I need to do. And then from here comes the advice and the practice, and my rising and my drawing near toward Heaven. To take, to gather from the advice: in practice, how to behave, how to draw near to Hashem, blessed be He. Because that, in the end, is the true purpose of all the tzaddikim who gave us the Torah and brought us all the advice and practices - it is in order to bring us near to Hashem, blessed be He.

13:17 None of them brought us this so that we would draw near to him as well. Today there is a difference of heaven and earth between true tzaddikim, who bring a person near to Hashem, blessed be He, and those through whom a person does not draw near to Hashem, blessed be He. He can stay 60, 70, 80, 100 years, and not once will they say the words 'the Holy One, blessed be He'. There was once a very beautiful story, and I will tell a very beautiful story about him, whose hilula is coming now - may his merit protect us. I think this story will truly teach about his power and about his cleaving to the Holy One, blessed be He.

13:49 You know that many apikorsim returned in teshuvah because of him - people who were really at the forehead of the snake, in such heresy, in the kelipah and in a lack of faith, and he instilled in the world a great, great deal of faith. One of the ways he taught is that one must believe in Hashem [unclear] with simplicity and wholeheartedness, and without investigations and without cleverness, because when a person enters this place of investigating too much, in the end he will come to many errors.

14:17 And that is not a right way. Therefore one must always know that... to be simple, and faith in Him, blessed be He - simple faith. 'And they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant.' Simple - no - without many investigations and intellect. To be a simple Jew: 'Hashem guards the simple' - this is the level of simple faith that a person reaches. Now I will explain something to you. What is important is that there was once a story that truly teaches a great, great deal of mussar - to merit to understand, only briefly, his root essence, of what he wanted to bequeath to the world.

14:59 They tell that once there were some important wealthy men who would go - they had a rule: they had a deal in some city, they go to that city, they go in there to try to [unclear] some business there in this city, they go in, they go to the Rebbe of the city, they give him a pidyon nefesh, a pidyon, and they ask for a blessing for success in the deal.

15:25 And that is how they would do. Every time they arrived from city to city, they would come for a blessing, and so it was: a person goes from here, goes from here. They arrived at this city; immediately after that they give the pidyon nefesh coins, they do it with this tzaddik and that one. After that they go on to this place. Once they came to Rabbi Nachman. They came to him, to his city. He was in the middle of a derashah.

15:51 Now, they waited for him to finish. He will say a few words of Torah, surely he will finish soon. 'Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya...' He is finishing... he does not finish. He goes on speaking and speaking and speaking... Well, another half hour passes, another hour passes, another two hours, and their deal already has to be carried out; they could lose the deal. So right away, what they did - they went up to him, stood beside him in the middle of the words of Torah - important wealthy men whom everyone knew - and they saw that he was paying no attention to them.

16:24 They took out gold coins and put them on the table next to him, and saw that he was paying no attention to them. They lifted his hand, put the gold coins under his hand, put his hand on the gold coins, and he paid no attention to them. And they had to go, so they went outside and continued on their way. And then, when the people were outside, in the market, they said: we usually go to every Rebbe, but a Rebbe like this — he speaks only and exclusively of the Holy One, blessed be He. We have never seen such a thing.

16:54 He only speaks about the Holy One, blessed be He. He did not stop saying the words 'the Holy One, blessed be He', 'Kudsha Brich Hu'. I think this story already comes to tell a person that a person who wants G-dliness and wants to come close to Hashem must always hear about how to truly come close to the Holy One, blessed be He, because that is the true purpose; because what we are here in the world for, our purpose here, is to overcome all the concealments there are here in this world and all the obstacles and all the tests, in order to truly light up for us how to come close to the Creator, blessed be He. And when a person rises above it, and overcomes it, and rises, then Hashem, blessed be He, Himself is a light for him and lights up all the paths for him.

17:32 And suddenly he succeeds, and suddenly he is happy, and suddenly he is joyful; he suddenly feels the goodness and the abundance, and he feels the true purpose. Like the pleasure — look what holiness, now, here in the sukkah, praying, what holiness we feel — a taste of the World to Come. And nothing in the world can give us this feeling in this world. No physical pleasure. The more spiritual a person is, the more he will feel it; but a physical person will get more out of physical things.

18:01 A simple cake will make him happier now than rising higher and learning Torah. - The question about the sukkos: there are actually all kinds of small sukkos. There's a problem with stepping over someone, if he's asleep, stepping over him; and if there's someone for whom it's a problem, and you have to go back, what is the matter with this? About what? Not over a sleeping person; he has to [unclear] the problem of stepping over him.

18:27 Is there a concern in this or not? Is there a concern about this thing? Is there any basis for this thing? That a person... People are very particular that [unclear] over them. It's proper to [unclear], it's proper not to [unclear] the table, not to pass over the... this is a person who is lying down, and like, someone... - Ah, all these things of superstition, when a person sits at the corner of a table, breaking a mirror, all these things.

19:09 when [unclear] go out forty days from the house. Go out forty days. Well, look, these are all kinds of things that... maybe there was a tradition, and things that were heard from the mouths of sages, things that were not written in books. - Passing a baby over a table too, Rav, [unclear]. - Why, what, like, what is the problem? - I don't know, they told me not to pass it over.

19:34 [unclear], no... - Passing a baby over the table? Why, because the table is an altar? What, as if a person gives, so to speak, so that it won't be a sign that a person... I didn't understand. Again?

20:01 - If there's a table in the middle, not to pass him to someone on the other side. - Not to pass — to [unclear] the baby on the table? - No, not to hold him — to pass him to someone on the other side. - Not to do it, like? Or to do it? - Not to do it. - Ah, not to do it. - No. Understood. But this is like [unclear], a person lording it over them, like a leader over the public, like... when, say, the Romans would put they would take their idol worship and put the face of Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha the High Priest — put it [unclear] on top — and ride, making it, as it were, a mockery, that the Jew is, as it were, Yaakov, and Esav, as it were, rides on top of him,

20:47 and then, as it were, that is lording it over. But this isn't... A person who wants to pass, it's hard to compare it, ordinarily; it's maybe... It doesn't matter — a person needs to pass and he passes [unclear] [unclear] people won't pass; all the more so a person needs to [unclear], there is a prayer or something, it is permitted; all the more so when a person is sitting, that he... Think good, be happy, one need not worry about such things, that they...

21:20 one need not be afraid of such things, but you know, it could be that these are things that really came once from elders, and things that were not written and were heard from the mouths of certain people, or customs and things like that, to be concerned about it — I would not be concerned. No, these are not things written for us in books and told to us, that we heard from the mouth of the Almighty. But 'Hashem guards the simple', If you ask me — I believe in all kinds of... I have a very simple faith.

21:50 You can bring me some old man now and tell me, do you hear? This old man is a kabbalist, he knows about things and so on — I believe. I'm like that. I have simple faith. Anything of faith, I believe right away. That's my way, to believe in everything. 'Hashem guards the simple', right? 'Hashem guards the simple' — nice.

22:16 - Rav, [unclear]. What is the difference between lighting a candle for a deceased person and lighting a candle for a tzaddik, and what does it do in this world or in the World to Come? - Basically, lighting a candle for a tzaddik or for a deceased person is mentioned in the responsa Torah Lishmah of Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim, in siman [unclear] of Rabbi Yosef Chaim; there he writes about it, that there is a very great virtue in lighting a candle for a deceased person, in his house — so he writes — in the synagogue especially, that is the great virtue. - What, every day?

22:48 What is it? They light every day? - They used to light in the house of the deceased. - Right, it's the first year. - Yes, to light this candle — 'The soul of man is the candle of Hashem' — and Rabbeinu Bachya on Parashas Terumah. these in fact mention the virtue of a person who lights some candle for the elevation of the soul of the deceased, and there is some virtue in it. Of course, the greatest virtue it can have is inside the synagogue, because of 'With lights, honor Hashem'.

23:17 The fact is that on Yom Tov one does not light a candle — just like that, it's a candle for nothing. But if you want to light candles in the synagogue, you may light. Why? Because of 'With lights, honor Hashem'. It's added light in the synagogue. So it's a mitzvah, so you may light. Why? Because it's more beautiful for the house of Hashem, it's more beautiful. So if one already wants to light a candle for the elevation of a soul, I always recommend to people: light in the synagogue.

23:42 Put a candle in the synagogue, put candles in the synagogue for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes, or whoever you want, added light for the synagogue, and everything. What you can also do, if you have a lamp at home, a desk lamp in the study room — you can turn on the lamp and say, this will be for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes, and learn for two hours by the light of this lamp — you have done for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes the greatest elevation, because the greatest elevation is light for the honor of Torah learning. The meaning of the candles: once, in their time, they would use a great, great great deal of money, giving it for the elevation of the souls of such holy tzaddikim, for the candles of the lamps of the synagogue where everyone prays — it makes an addition

24:27 of light, and it also makes the soul greater, it gives more longing and desire and closeness to Hashem; so correspondingly it raises the soul of the deceased. 'The soul of man is the candle of Hashem' — it's a very similar thing. So writes Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim. There are some who say there is no source for this, and it's just nothing. I have heard some who spoke that way about it, but if they look into Rabbeinu Bachya on Parashas Terumah and the responsa Torah Lishmah of Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim, siman [unclear], they will see that there is indeed a source for it, and great Rabbis did speak about it.

24:57 And not those I heard — I saw that some also wrote that it has no source. I don't know now. - But is there also a difference between wax and oil? - If you light with olive oil, it is a greater enhancement, a greater virtue, and it can also save from [unclear] — this is already written in Sefer HaMiddos. The perpetual candle that is lit for tzaddikim is a very great thing. Ashkenazim sell, on Simchas Torah, in the synagogue, they sell the oil for the light for the whole year — as if a person [unclear] to pay for the electricity of the whole year. It's a great thing.

25:30 Also when giving a donation in the synagogue, it's worth having in mind that it be for the elevation of a soul — the electricity, the lamps, the lighting. It's a great thing. - [unclear] asks which book? - The light of the house, I said — that's if one really wants now, there's a Torah class at home. It's a very... one can also do this. It can have the effect.

26:01 Yes, by the light of the candle, yes, I understand, I understand. It's like, yes. It's a segulah, as you say, yes. But still, in the end, what is really needed is that from this light there will be Torah learning. Because if now, say, there's no light, then we can't learn Torah. That means the light helps us learn Torah. And in the merit — how? Your chairs, [unclear], anything that works, so that [unclear] can learn Torah. - Right. One can also bring food.

26:28 - One can also bring food, yes. But it's not like the added light — that there is light, and now people enjoy learning, like Oneg Shabbos, which is the added light. - Air conditioners? - Also, so air conditioners too, you're right, we'll accept that too. But light is the most basic thing for learning; if you have no light you cannot learn, it's basic. - Yes, right, yes. What is the reason for lighting the Shabbos candle? If you have no air conditioner, if you have no chair, if you have no table, you can learn.

26:54 It doesn't matter, you can learn standing. [unclear], but right. - Rabbeinu, Rabbeinu. - Look, basically, basically, anything that adds some comfort that can help Torah learning is excellent. But above everything is the light. Because in the end, the purpose of lighting the Shabbos candle is for Oneg Shabbos, the enjoyment of Shabbos.

27:22 It's the lighting. So that a person won't trip, won't get hurt, can talk with his wife, with the children, talk with them about the weekly Torah portion, teach them Torah. And you see that light brings about peace, it brings about Torah, it brings about elevation, joy. So in particular, the Rokeach also writes about it, that they used to light with candles in the synagogue. So one can, as it were, turn on the electricity at home — now there's a Torah class, people come to someone's house, let him turn on his lamp for the elevation of a soul; he now has several lamps to turn on where they learn, he can turn on the lamp and say, this will be for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Meir [unclear], and for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Nachman, and for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and for the elevation of the soul of the holy Ohr HaChaim,

28:07 and then at the class at home, those sitting at the table, all the benefit there is from the light — it will help more than if they had lit little candles like these on the table. Yes, in a moment. It will help more. Yes, turn it off for a moment. Turn it off. I'm not joking. I'm not joking. - What happens with a woman who has no candles to light? What does a woman who has no candles do? - Why?

28:32 Because it is the light. One can make the blessing on it. That's not right, it's not so hard to... So first of all you turn it off. I did not say one must do this. I simply — since you are already asking about a virtue, I gave, I am giving you the solutions according to what is written. I'm not saying now to turn off the electricity [unclear]. If anything, really, I'm thinking together with you how to merit fulfilling the segulos of the tzaddikim.

29:02 I also want it that way. - You see, 'Me'orei HaEsh' — can one do it on electricity that [unclear]? - No. 'Me'orei HaEsh' is not possible. You need actual fire. Tractate Pesachim, page 54. See — actual fire. The substance of fire. This — fire was created on Motzaei Shabbos. We need — we make the blessing on the fire itself. - Rav, what is the matter of [unclear]... what is it? I'm not saying — if you don't give something to the synagogue, you give something to the class, you bring something for [unclear], so wouldn't the Rav [unclear] say, it sounds [unclear]?

29:42 The Rav said: after all, if the class were held for the lighting of this deceased person, what [unclear] the deceased? [unclear] that he now said it is [unclear], if he does something, what is its meaning? to make a class, so that it will be kept more, so that the blessing will rest more. - That's right, correct, absolutely.

30:16 A person must try to do something that will be of benefit, so that the blessing will rest on something. Also with a blessing one receives, it's always good to give some coin, something, at the grave of a tzaddik, meaning that giving is a kind of vessel for abundance. - But why do I think it happened that the Rav spoke about electricity? Why? They light. No. So there will be only the main thing, and whoever wants to light.

30:41 - On the contrary, on the contrary. We light with candles in order to keep the mitzvah, but there are those who are careful to do, before that, the turning on of the electricity, and then when they light, they do the lighting together — both the electricity and the candles. There is also something in the flame — in candles there is a very lofty matter. In the candle there is 'Remember' and 'Keep' — in the candles — and this is a very, very great virtue. And there are those who go by the number of the household members too, you understand? With candles it's more exact; with electricity it's less exact.

31:12 That's the reason for the lighting: by candles, not by the house. [unclear] the household members — there is no source at all for it. Only in the Ra'avyah — I saw it in the Ra'avyah once, I remember where it is: in the Ra'avyah, on Tractate Shabbos, I think page siman 199 in the Ra'avyah, he writes — he derives it from Chanukah — this is the reason one lights according to the household members. - There is a talk of the Rav brought in [unclear] of the Kerem Shlomo on Sukkos, and there the Rav speaks about the matter, about the importance of a person serving Hashem on his own level.

31:49 And the Rav also explained that this is the saying of Hillel, who said, 'If I am here, everything is here; and if I am not here, who is here?' And the question is: how can a person know, what is the sign that he knows he is serving Hashem on his own level and not above and not below his level? - Right, he also needs joy in the service; and on the other hand, a person needs to feel that he won't feel the strain, when a person won't feel that he is pressing himself and suffocating.

32:33 You understand? It's like if I told you now: read the whole Tehillim ten times. Can you? - Hard. - A bit exaggerated, right? Twice is still possible, three, fine, but what will happen to you? I'll tell you: read all of Tehillim once, learn twenty pages of Gemara, read a bit of the weekly Torah portion, ten chapters of Mishnayos, a book, like this, a little like this, some Midrash — it will be easier for you, right?

33:06 - More interesting. Less hard. - Yes, because there's some variety. I gave a bit of this too, a bit of that too, a bit of the Torah portion, a bit of Midrash, Gemara, a bit of all kinds of interesting things. A person feels more room to do the things, right? But if now I give you one thing to do, could it be that it will be hard for the person?

33:31 Therefore one needs to do all kinds of things, so that a person will have desire, an awakening, and a little more, also to learn all kinds of things, so that a person has an order also in Midrash, also in things, so that he won't feel the situation of being pressed. One always needs to feel the... - But maybe this strain is a test. - How? - Maybe this strain is a test right now. - The strain is a test — one must always say it; there is always strain, there is always difficulty. I mean a situation where a person does something that is beyond his strength.

33:58 I gave an example: few are those you will see finishing all of Tehillim five times. Why? Why don't people do it? A very great virtue. They say in the name of Rebbe Elimelech that whoever finishes Tehillim three times on the same day, it's like fasting seven times from Shabbos to Shabbos — do you know this? In the name of Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, there is another thing that counts like seven times from Shabbos to Shabbos: what is said in Chullin, page 89: The whole world endures on whoever restrains his mouth at a time of quarrel, as it says, 'He hangs the earth upon belimah' — restraint.

34:28 A person who wants to say some word that's not good about his friend, and at that very moment he takes upon himself: 'I will not say it.' He wanted to speak lashon hara, he says, 'I will not say it.' He restrained himself, he stopped, says Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, this moment is counted for him as if seven times Shabbos to Shabbos. As if he fasted seven times, Shabbos... This is easier, it is better to do this, than three times the Tehillim.

34:55 - All the things the Rav says, counted as equal - is it the same level? - It's if you believe in it, you truly believe in it and you value it, it's how a person measures. In the measure a person measures, so too in Heaven. If you value the mitzvah that you fulfill, and the good practice you do, in such a way that it is so important in your eyes, and you have truly complete faith in this thing, then so too in Heaven it will truly be counted the same.

35:27 Do you know the story with [unclear], the one who put the showbread, put the bread inside the holy Ark, thought it was the showbread, and the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoiced in it, and he reckoned that this was the most important thing. And in Hashem's eyes it is the showbread. In Heaven they will count it for him: it is the showbread. If today a person does some practice or a mitzvah, or some beneficial thing, and he believes in it with complete faith, 'that this benefit will be such-and-such for me, and Hashem will save me,' and he believes in it, and he knows that Hashem hears him, and that it is capable of it, then certainly it can be.

36:02 Because everything depends on the strength, how much you believe. Now, the Chasam Sofer: that is, we find many who were blessed by tzaddikim and sages, and it did not work. Why did it work for this one and not for that one? Why? Because the greater the faith a person has in the sage and the tzaddik, the blessing will take effect much more strongly and take root in the root of the person's soul. But a person who believes less in the blessing, or who doesn't want to receive, or who is sort of dismissive, why should his blessing take effect? Now bring some person to receive a blessing from Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

36:34 He doesn't believe in Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, he comes like this: 'We'll get a blessing, what can happen? What do I care?' Rabbi Shimon will tell him blessing and success and salvations and everything. Now does such a one deserve to have salvations and blessing and success? Why? He doesn't believe in Rabbi Shimon at all. So the blessing will not take effect. So first of all a person needs to have vessels. A person needs to have faith, and to have a desire in order to bestow on others. He should truly have a desire to be blessed in order to bestow much good.

37:02 I see no reason that a tzaddik's blessing would not take effect on him. It all depends on the faith. But if a person is already a tzaddik in his own eyes, he knows what to do, welcome, do it yourself. - Let's sharpen the previous question, let's sharpen the question: usually, do people fail more in serving the Holy One, blessed be He, below their level, or more beyond their level? - Usually we fail by doing less.

37:29 We can do much more, much, much more. - Regarding tzitzis at night, [unclear], what should one do about tzitzis at night? - One is not obligated. 'And you shall see it.' Today we have electricity, so one does see. So it's as if back then, in their time. It's a stringency. If a person wants to put it on, it is effective for being saved from nocturnal impurity, a person who sleeps at night.

37:54 - Can one spread the tzitzis over the blanket? Does that help? - No. It doesn't help. Either he wears it or he doesn't wear it. Yes, no, yes. Only that a person wears it and so on. He should wear it on himself. If it's not comfortable for him or something, a person is not obligated to [unclear]. This of course, it is a great virtue, it is protection from harmful forces. - Say one lies down during the day, and it's not comfortable for him to wear tzitzis in the day; he wants to go rest at 2 to 3.

38:19 - It's a pity, it's actually a virtue. Actually at night it's preferable, if he already wants, at night; but in the day, every moment is a mitzvah. But fine, if he wants. So in the day, if lying down, it's preferable that he wear tzitzis. Yes. In the day yes; at night, not obligated. One who gets up at eight o'clock. What is true: it can guard him from impurity at night. And from frightening dreams. There was a daughter of Rabbi Chaim Mordechai of Nadvorna, she used to go about with tzitzis at age a hundred. It is written that there were also women who put on tefillin: Michal the daughter of Shaul, Tractate Eruvin, page 96, side a. The Gemara says she used to put on tefillin.

38:54 So today, tefillin - no, one can [unclear], a tallis. - [unclear] about the women of the holy Or HaChaim, [unclear], that they put on tefillin? - I heard that, yes, but not... I heard. 'Hashem guards the simple.' I believe. - But the tallis katan, what size should it be? - The size: it should be about 48 by 48, 50 centimeters by 50, by 50. [unclear] this whole part at the top.

39:24 The bigger the tallis is, too, in its virtue it is surrounding light, the tallis; so in this way there is a great virtue. The bigger the size you put, also for the tallis gadol, so too the surrounding light will be greater. Therefore there is a very great virtue in wrapping oneself in a tallis that is huge in its size. Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira and many of the holy ones, the Kabbalists, used to wrap themselves in a big tallis, because it is surrounding light. So if you have such a small tallis, you put it on and it's very small, it's barely like a children's one, then it's less of a virtue, because it is surrounding light.

39:59 Put on as big a one as possible, put it in the gartel, here at the belt, put the corners, the right and left corner, put them here and in front, in front, and then the white garment will wrap the whole body. This is a very, very great virtue. I try to wrap myself in the biggest tallis on Rosh Hashanah, on Yom Kippur and on Hoshana Rabbah. - Thank you very much. Can one wrap the head too? - Yes, with the head. Our master the Arizal was careful that during the whole time of prayer the head-covering of the tallis be over the head, because he said that it humbles the heart.

40:32 When a person has a tallis over his head, it humbles his heart. - How? - There is, in the name of the Maharil, that once they were accustomed to put it, but not... One can also have big stripes, and specifically black stripes are needed. Or black and white. It is mentioned in the name of the Maharil, that they were accustomed to put it, but not... for Yosef's coat of stripes. - What is that?

40:56 - When they used to wear such tallisos, blue instead of black. One can put them, it is not [unclear] or anything. Yes, Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg used to put on really very, very many tallisos.

41:24 In principle there is some reason in it, but it's as if, so to speak, what they attained: probably they wanted to bring merit to the Jewish people or wanted to do good actions or good things with it, but each one probably attained some attainment at the level of what he wanted to do. Fortunate is the Jewish people. - The tallis katan is inner light and the tallis gadol is surrounding light, so it's worthwhile that they [unclear] the body, that's good.

41:55 - It's good, yes. But you know, to put on so many tallisos, if a person wants to put... - On the shirt, on the shirt, on the shirt, [unclear]. - No, according to our master the Arizal, one must cover the tallis katan, cover it.

42:29 If for a person it gives him fear of Heaven and strengthens him, and he feels so good, and it's comfortable, and uplifting, and it's good for him, why [unclear]? Why not do it? - What does this surrounding light help? - This, look: the more we actually increase light, it's added light, it gives no hold to the outside forces.

42:58 It's like power. - The tallis gadol - surrounding light. Can one look at the [unclear]? - No, there is inner light. The tallis katan is inner light, the tallis gadol is surrounding light. Also no. This is according to the Kabbalists. I'm only telling you what is written. I'm truly a simple man, I don't understand these things. What one does need to be careful about, already in our master the Arizal: he says the tallis gadol should not touch the tallis katan.

43:24 Surrounding light should not be on inner light. That is, not to put the tallis gadol on the tallis katan. There needs to be some separation in between. - What? - Not obligated, no. Only that there be something surrounding, which is a separation. The inner light needs to be covered. It sort of needs to be inner. A covering, it doesn't matter, only that it be covered. That it be covered, the inner light. The tallis katan needs to be covered, according to the words of our master the Arizal, and the surrounding tallis, the surrounding light, should be big. So he puts on the tallis katan, and over it a shirt, and over it, and over that, yes.

43:59 There are also those who do, in winter, now that it's cold - you're here in Jerusalem, so there are those who are perhaps cold, so they put on the tallis, and they're cold, so they put the coat over the tallis, so according to our master the Arizal, this is not good, because it is forbidden to cover surrounding light. So if you put on the tallis and you put the coat over the tallis, you're sort of covering it. Ah, a transparent coat? Maybe that's a patent, invent it.

44:23 So there's no problem: when you have rain and you want to cover it because you're walking to the synagogue - then only at the time of prayer. Whenever you pray - but when you pray, take it off. You've arrived at the synagogue, take off the coat. Yes. It's as if a person - look, in the end, even a person who doesn't go with tzitzis is not doing anything forbidden.

45:01 The obligation to put tzitzis is on a four-cornered garment. You sort of create such a garment, and then you obligate yourself in tzitzis. So first of all the obligation begins with four corners. If there are no four corners, one is not obligated to put tzitzis. So there are, like, two mitzvos a person would fulfill. A person wants to fulfill a mitzvah, yes, but you know, it would better suit the sages, the tzaddikim who are famous for piety, that it be more comfortable for them to fulfill. You know, now if every person puts on many, many tzitzis, it might look a bit strange, people might not look at him in a pleasant way: [unclear], he wants to be pious.

45:38 Tzaddikim who already conduct themselves this way and are famous for piety, strengthen their hands; fortunate are they and fortunate is their portion. We don't interfere in these things. What are the 'aspects'? The aspects: this thing is akin to that, and this is akin to that, and this is akin to that, and this is akin to that.

46:02 In the additions to the teachings, from the manuscript, in the things he said about his Torah, he said that his Torah is entirely 'aspects'. 'Aspect' means: this thing is this, but know that it is much more than this. But it is akin to this. And after that he tells you something that is much more than all I said before, and it includes this and that too, but it is much more than this, and this is akin to that, and this is akin to that.

46:28 He attained such, such lofty things in Torah, that he revealed only what could be gathered. You need to understand that every tzaddik who was in the world had the ability to bring down and reveal very, very much Torah in the world, but everything depends on the students. Do you understand? If now you would bring to Rebbe Nachman [unclear] to be his student, what would he [unclear] from him?

46:54 - [unclear]? - Yes, [unclear]. So you say, it depends very much on our vessels. The bigger your vessels are, it could be that you'll learn something and you'll open up tremendous things that will be much more than what is written, and you'll understand between the lines. Because every tzaddik, what he composed and revealed, he revealed to us his Torah, and inside he hid many, many more treasures, which only when you rise higher will you discover.

47:34 - No, it is not the innermost aspect, it is the aspect connected to the several that were included before it, and they are included together. There is Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman, who gave commentaries on these aspects, and explained it very beautifully, about the connection. That's roughly what I told you, from the things he explained. There are many more things one can expand on, to no end, without end, because it is something beyond measure.

48:03 Good, tzaddikim, with Hashem's help - I'm basically not leaving, let's do the Maariv prayer, with Hashem's help, and we're going to bring some niggunim. So I'm staying. I don't want to [unclear] you. Let's continue. - Gentlemen, the Rav once said - what you asked now. Yes, yes, wait, let's listen, yes. An older man is speaking, let's listen to him.

49:05 - It is a merit and an honor for me, in his honor, to make you a niggun on whatever you want, gladly. [unclear] a kind of 'Galeh'. [unclear]... There was 'Galeh' twice. There was 'Galeh' twice, 'Galeh'. He had a very great revelation of 'Galeh kevod malchuscha' that he made.

49:33 - [unclear] - Yes, [unclear]. His uncle came home, and he saw the [unclear], the [unclear] reached up to the ceiling, and it was [unclear] a revelation of the glory of Hashem's kingship. However he wants, however is comfortable for him. The main thing, the main thing, the main thing... is that he learn Torah.

50:00 If he now wants to sleep half an hour, strongly, to sleep well, and [unclear], he knows he will sleep half an hour, but he'll get up and learn more, and be strengthened more, and rise higher, and he'll be entirely in Torah, and he'll be focused, then let him do it. Let him take off the tallis for half an hour. - No, he goes to sleep at night. - Ah, what did I say? - No, he doesn't. Nu. - The Rav answered you on this too, on this question too. It doesn't matter. - If a person sleeps more soundly this way, and it's more strengthening, more learning, more... the main thing, the main thing, the main thing: what does a person do while he is awake?

50:31 That is the most important. Use the time to learn as much as possible. Learn Torah, grab Torah. This whole world is vanity, time passes and everything is wasting away. When you merit to grab in this world more Torah and another mitzvah and more holiness and more purpose and a path to Hashem, blessed be He - you have merited. That's what one can do, because everything a person does in this world is passing vanity. Here's another nice thing: if you love it so much, now in Likutei Moharan read Part One, Siman 3.

51:05 A very great virtue. 'The moon was created only for study' - but see what he writes there. Right, and [unclear]. Mainly Torah study - at night, Torah study. Right, it's actually an obligation. What is it? With the help of Heaven, to learn, yes. I tell you, with me, baruch Hashem, today it's only the learning; I have learning both night and day.

51:36 This is the very important way. One cannot neglect Torah study at night. One of the important things. And also, usually, what I learn at night I remember more than what I learn in the day. Learn 24 hours, whenever you want. The main thing is learn, the main thing is learn. The Rogatchover used to learn even on Tishah B'Av. They said to him: What, how do you do that? You will give an account! He said: I will give an account for it, [unclear].

52:01 - He wouldn't learn everything. - The Rogatchover did not stop learning, he learned everything. He even used to learn in the cemetery. Yes, [unclear]. They said to him: How do you learn in the cemetery? He said: In their lives they knew nothing, all the more so [unclear]. But learn, learn Torah at night, in the day, and be happy, and think good and be in joy. Let's [unclear]; I'm staying with you, I'm not leaving. Keep asking.

52:26 In general, we'll try niggunim, music, niggunim. - Wait, wait, seven twenty-six, seven twenty-six... I know, seven twenty-six, after all the questions and all the factors, also in the morning it was [unclear], the Rav will explain to whoever wasn't here in the morning, [unclear] the Jewish people.