ברכות הראיה ושאר ברכות פרטיות ב

He gave them the lands of nations; they inherited the wealth of peoples,

Hilchos Birchas HaPairos — Halachah 4 Part 1 (§§ 1–5) COMPLETE · Based on LM II:71

Topic of Birchos HaNehenin , precedence in fruits, and the importance of Eretz Yisrael fruits. Based on the Torah "Chavalim Naflu Li Ba'Ne'imim" ( Siman 71, Likutay II ) — see the entire Torah well from beginning to end.

§ 1 — Birchos HaNehenin : Connecting All Pleasures to No'am Ha'Elyon

This is the general aspect of birchos hanehenin . The essential berachah is to elevate the thing and connect it to the No'am Ha'Elyon [Supernal Pleasantness]. It is known that a person should not receive enjoyment and pleasure from the physical thing he eats and drinks, etc., but rather elevate the pleasure and love clothed in it — to elevate it to its supernal root in holiness. The supernal root of all loves and pleasures is the No'am Ha'Elyon , from which all pleasant tastes and pleasures descend and are drawn, in the aspect of "how beautiful and how pleasant — love among delights." All the loves clothed in all pleasures are drawn at their supernal root from the No'am Ha'Elyon — the aspect of Yosef, who was "beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance." For this reason one must bless on everything one wishes to enjoy. Through the berachah , one connects and elevates the thing to its root — to the No'am Ha'Elyon . For all berachos are songs and praises to Hashem — praising and blessing Hashem who created this thing. Therefore all berachos in the world are in the aspect of No'am Ha'Elyon : "for it is pleasant [na'im]; praise is fitting" — "sing to His Name, for it is pleasant [na'im]" — the aspect of "the pleasant singer [ne'im zemiros] of Israel" (Shmuel II, 23), which Rabbainu cites at the end of the aforementioned Torah . All berachos are songs, praises, and glorifications to Hashem, through which the essential connection to the No'am Ha'Elyon is achieved. For it is impossible to cleave to the Creator — to merit the No'am Ha'Elyon , "to gaze upon the pleasantness [no'am] of Hashem" — except through words of berachos , thanks, prayers, songs, and praises, which are all in the aspect of no'am , "ne'im zemiros," etc. This is the general principle of all berachos : one must bless on everything one enjoys — it is forbidden to enjoy this world without a berachah — to elevate and connect all enjoyments, tastes, and pleasures to their root, the No'am Ha'Elyon , which one merits through the berachah with kavanah — the aspect of no'am . Therefore the essential holiness of all foods is from Eretz Yisrael — the aspect of all mitzvos dependent on the Land, all involving types of food, the Seven Species as brought above. For the essential abundance of No'am Ha'Elyon is in Eretz Yisrael , as explained in the Torah . Therefore the essential holiness of eating is there. The essential holiness of eating is when one merits to connect the taste and pleasure to the No'am Ha'Elyon , which is the mochin of Eretz Yisrael . Therefore all berachos on food are derived from Birchas HaMazon : "if he blesses afterward, certainly beforehand." The essential berachah is to draw Eretz Yisrael holiness — the No'am Ha'Elyon . This is why fruits of Eretz Yisrael take precedence — the essential berachah draws Eretz Yisrael holiness, the no'am that is the supernal root of all tastes and pleasures. § 2 — Precedence in Berachos Derives from Kavod and No'am Therefore our Sages established laws of precedence in fruits according to their importance and status. For all kavod and importance in the world is drawn from the No'am Ha'Elyon , as explained — through the abundance of No'am Ha'Elyon , His kavod is revealed, the root of creation, the root of all Ten Utterances. Therefore one must apportion kavod to the fruits for purposes of berachah — giving precedence where due. Through the berachah , the No'am Ha'Elyon is drawn — from which the essential kavod and importance. Therefore most of the honor people give each other involves food and drink — when one enters another's home, one honors him with food or drink. Our Sages said regarding issur v'heter : "a piece fit for honoring." The essential kavod is drawn from No'am Ha'Elyon , clothed in all foods. This is the aspect of a royal table — "the King of kavod." The essential kavod is revealed through the No'am Ha'Elyon received at the holy table when one blesses properly. § 3 — The True Praise of Eretz Yisrael : No'am in Its Fruits This is why the Torah praises Eretz Yisrael with the Seven Species — that it has such good fruits and is "a land flowing with milk and honey." At first glance this is puzzling. Is this the praise of Eretz Yisrael which is so holy? Hashem promised Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov with many promises to give the Land to their descendants, and informed Israel through Moshe many times that He would fulfill His promise. The entire Torah is filled with the praise of Eretz Yisrael — every time He exhorts them to keep Torah and mitzvos , He mentions Eretz Yisrael : "to come and inherit the land." Is all this commotion just to eat such good fruits? In truth, the essential intent is that Eretz Yisrael has such good and sweet fruits that receive their taste and pleasant sweetness from the No'am Ha'Elyon . Specifically there, one can connect to the No'am Ha'Elyon through its good fruits — by meriting to fulfill the mitzvos dependent on them, practiced specifically in Eretz Yisrael . The essential intent when praising Eretz Yisrael with the Seven Species is the root of their taste — the No'am Ha'Elyon accessible specifically in Eretz Yisrael . This is certainly a great and awesome praise, for a person's essential service all his life is to merit the No'am Ha'Elyon , "to gaze upon the pleasantness of Hashem" — to recognize His greatness: "one thing I asked of Hashem, that I seek... to gaze upon the pleasantness [no'am] of Hashem." § 4 — Obstacles to Eretz Yisrael : Chovlim Falling into Ne'imim As explained in the Torah : Eretz Yisrael is the aspect of no'am , and therefore the essential mochin are there — "there is no wisdom like the wisdom of Eretz Yisrael" — for the essential mochin are drawn from the No'am Ha'Elyon that flows in Eretz Yisrael . But the mochin of chutz la'Aretz are the aspect of chovlim [literally: destroyers/injurers; also: ropes/portions] — the aspect of machlokes [strife]. Because these mochin of chutz la'Aretz seek their own tikkun — and their tikkun comes when they receive the No'am Ha'Elyon through a vessel made through tzedakah — then the chovlim come and fall into the ne'imim [pleasantnesses] to be rectified. But sometimes the chovlim are so blemished that they cause damage to the mochin of Eretz Yisrael too — rather than being rectified by the no'am , they blemish it. From this comes the machlokes that exists even in Eretz Yisrael chas v'shalom . This is the aspect of the great suffering one must endure before coming to Eretz Yisrael , and the immeasurable obstacles that must be broken. As our Sages said (Berachos 5): Eretz Yisrael is acquired through suffering. The essential suffering is the obstacles to Eretz Yisrael . All this derives from the chovlim — which is also the language of chavalah [damage] and suffering, i.e. obstacles, which are the aspect of machlokes . The truth is: this is a great principle in serving the Creator — all obstacles in the world are only obstacles of the mind. Whatever a person truly wants, he can accomplish, and no obstacle can prevent him. The essential obstacle is only that he does not yet believe in his mind with completeness that he must do this thing, and that his eternal life depends on it. If a person believed in the holiness of Eretz Yisrael as it truly is, certainly no preventer in the world could prevent him — all obstacles would not be considered obstacles at all. And in truth they are not obstacles at all! The great obstacle is that one must cross two seas for such a distant journey. But we see thousands upon thousands traveling to far more distant places for the possibility of profit — one travels to Marseilles, one to London, one to America which is very far — certainly to Istanbul and Akko where many travelers pass. If the obstacle is money — we see how many poor people marry off their sons and daughters at great expense, far more than the cost of travel to Eretz Yisrael . How do they take these expenses? Only because they yearn so much to marry their children, and they look to Hashem until He helps them with everything necessary. How much more so — if they truly yearned and thought and schemed to come there, Hashem would certainly help them without doubt. Therefore if a person believed in Eretz Yisrael's holiness even a thousandth of what it truly is, certainly every person would run and fly to Eretz Yisrael — like someone who knew he would certainly find millions of gold coins there, who would run with all his might, borrow, sell everything, and fly there in great urgency. How much more so if one put to heart the praise of Eretz Yisrael ! The entire Torah from beginning to end is filled with it. Torah begins "In the beginning G-d created" — and Rashi explains: Torah should have begun from "this month is for you" — why begin with Beraishis ? Because of "the power of His works He told His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations." All the Torah from Beraishis to "this month" is so we can conquer Eretz Yisrael . All the stories — creation, the Avos' birth and their journeys — all make a highway to Eretz Yisrael in every person and every era. Hashem revealed Eretz Yisrael's greatness to Avraham immediately: "go for yourself... to the land." Then Bris Bain HaBesarim . Then to Yitzchak and Yaakov — each promised many times in many expressions. All of Sefer Beraishis revolves around the promise of Eretz Yisrael . As Rashi explains on "these are the generations of Yaakov — Yosef" : "these are their generations and circumstances until they came to settlement" — to Eretz Yisrael . And all of Sefer Shemos — the Exodus — was to come to Eretz Yisrael , as stated at Hashem's first revelation to Moshe at the Bush: "I will bring you up from the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite... a land flowing with milk and honey." And: "I will bring you to the land I swore to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov." And much more throughout Torah. From all this one can see the awesome greatness of Eretz Yisrael — in the Gemara, Midrashim, and all the books, and especially in Rabbainu's words where he explains in many Toros the holiness of Eretz Yisrael and that every Jew's holiness depends on it. Therefore if a person truly put this to heart, certainly no obstacle could prevent him. The essential obstacle is only the mind's obstacle — from the chovlim that come and fall into the ne'imim when the No'am Ha'Elyon is awakened through yearning for Eretz Yisrael . The evil within the chovlim confuses the mind so one cannot perceive Eretz Yisrael's greatness and conjures obstacles. All these obstacles from Eretz Yisrael are comprised in the Seven Nations — the Canaanite, Hittite, etc. — who occupied the Land, covering and concealing the taste of its holiness. From them come all the suffering and obstacles. Therefore they are seven nations — corresponding to the Seven Species, the aspect of no'am . As it is written: "to bring them up... to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite" — conquering the seven nations depends on believing in the Land's praise. Whoever overcomes them and believes Moshe Rabbainu and all the true tzadikim who extol Eretz Yisrael , will certainly break all obstacles comprised in the seven nations and come to Eretz Yisrael . "A land flowing with milk and honey" — milk is the aspect of birth: blood transforms into milk (Bechoros 6) — drawn from the No'am Ha'Elyon , from which the sweetness of all tastes — the aspect of honey. Therefore Eretz Yisrael is conducive to children — there the No'am Ha'Elyon flows, from which birth derives. § 5 — The Meraglim : Contradicting Themselves This is the blemish of the meraglim — who brought evil report of the Land: "we came to the land you sent us to, and indeed it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people are fierce." They said there are seven nations deriving from the evil within the chovlim that do not allow one to come to Eretz Yisrael , to the no'am . They did not believe Israel had the power to break and nullify the chovlim and overcome all obstacles. They said one thing and its opposite. ✦ End of Part 1 (§§ 1–5) · Continues in Part 2 (§§ 6–11) ✦ Na Nach Nachma Nachman May'Uman Hilchos Birchas HaPairos — Halachah 4 Part 2 (§§ 6–11) COMPLETE · Based on LM II:71 § 6 — Pharaoh's " Tichbad Ha'Avodah ": Chovlim Resist the Geulah This is what Pharaoh said: "let the work be heavier." As soon as the sprouting of the horn of salvation awakened — the geulah whose essence is coming to Eretz Yisrael , which is no'am — immediately the chovlim were awakened and fell into the ne'imim . The evil within them surged, inciting Pharaoh to make the labor heavier, to prevent Israel from the geulah , from returning to Eretz Yisrael . From this intensity came Dasan and Aviram, who confronted Moshe and Aharon saying: "may Hashem look upon you and judge" — the aspect of machlokes drawn from the chovlim , awakened by the No'am Ha'Elyon at the onset of geulah . The essential exile of Egypt was drawn from machlokes , the chovlim aspect. The exile was set in motion through the brothers' machlokes with Yosef — who is the aspect of no'am , as explained. The ba'al davar provoked them to quarrel specifically with Yosef. Through this, the chovlim / machlokes prevailed and they descended to Egypt — the exact opposite of Eretz Yisrael / no'am . Egypt is the counterpart of Eretz Yisrael . Therefore they are steeped in immorality — the desire for women derives from blemishing the No'am Ha'Elyon , falling to the love of women. When Yaakov heard the brothers accused as meraglim — hinting at the sin that blemished Eretz Yisrael / no'am (for they too blemished Yosef/ no'am ) — he commanded: "take from the song of the land [mizimras ha'aretz] in your vessels" — fruits of Eretz Yisrael , in which the No'am Ha'Elyon is clothed. To show that Eretz Yisrael is dear to them, and to draw the holiness of No'am Ha'Elyon there, nullifying the chovlim from which all their suffering at Yosef's hands derived. "Mizimras" — the aspect of "ne'im zemiros Yisrael" — the no'am . § 7 — Why Moshe Could Not Enter: Chovlim Overwhelm Even the Greatest From the intensity of the chovlim's resistance at the onset of geulah — making labor heavy, causing machlokes of Dasan and Aviram — they prevailed so greatly that "oppression makes a wise man foolish" — even Moshe said: "why have You done evil?" All from the chovlim's assault. Therefore Hashem told him: "now you will see" — and our Sages said: "'now you will see' — but not what will be done to the thirty-one kings" — hinting he would not enter Eretz Yisrael . Since he could not rectify the chovlim — they even confused his holy mind until he said "why have You done evil" — he certainly could not enter Eretz Yisrael . For upon entering, the chovlim would intensify further, and if he could not rectify them, they would damage Eretz Yisrael's holiness even more. This is why smaller people enter Eretz Yisrael easily while the greatest tzadikim have enormous obstacles. Moshe could not come. Near our generations, the Ba'al Shem Tov and Reb Naftali could not come. For according to Moshe's immense greatness, had he entered, all the chovlim from Adam HaRishon's sin onward would have needed rectification through him. Since the time had not yet come for this — it will not be complete until Mashiach comes and removes the spirit of impurity from the land — they would have caused even greater damage. Therefore Yehoshua, whose level was lesser, entered — the chovlim awakened only proportionally, and this he could rectify through his master Moshe's merit. This is why the commander of Hashem's army came to Yehoshua saying "now I have come" — this is Metatron , comprised of the six orders of Mishnah , where the holy root of the chovlim lies (the machlokes of the Tanna'im and Amora'im who debate — one permits, one forbids). He came to Yehoshua before entering Yericho, the first border of Eretz Yisrael — the chovlim falling into ne'imim for rectification. "You will not be able to destroy them quickly, lest the beasts of the field multiply... little by little I will drive them out until you are fruitful and inherit the land." One must conquer Eretz Yisrael holiness gradually — driving out the evil within the chovlim little by little. We cannot sort the good within them all at once. As the no'am is drawn little by little, the chovlim are rectified accordingly. "Until you are fruitful" — the no'am from which holy birth derives — "and inherit the land" — whose holiness is from No'am Ha'Elyon . This is the struggle every person faces whenever he wants to enter Hashem's service — the more one strives, the more the ba'al davar resists: "whoever is greater than his fellow, his yetzer is greater" (Sukkah 52). The essential holiness of every Jew is drawn from Eretz Yisrael , the No'am Ha'Elyon , the entirety of Torah: "its ways are ways of pleasantness [no'am]." Therefore one must overcome anew each time — to subdue the evil in the chovlim and transform them into no'am , until all mochin are the mochin of Eretz Yisrael . § 8 — Machlokes Causes Exile; Shalom Brings Geulah This is what Moshe said: "indeed the matter is known" — seeing two Hebrew men quarreling. Rashi: "I see they deserve to be in exile." Seeing machlokes in Israel, he understood the reason for exile — the chovlim / machlokes . So now too: the exile's length is from machlokes . "The second Bais HaMikdash was destroyed only because of baseless hatred." The essential exile is being exiled from our Land — from the chovlim , the chutz la'Aretz mochin that oppose the Eretz Yisrael mochin . Therefore before geulah , Eliyahu will come to make shalom : "Eliyahu comes only to make shalom in the world." The essential geulah — returning to Eretz Yisrael — depends on shalom , through which we merit the No'am Ha'Elyon , the mochin of Eretz Yisrael . § 9 — Tzedakah Before Eating Creates the Vessel for No'am Therefore the essential tikkun of eating in holiness is through tzedakah — as stated in the Zohar and all the sefarim : one should give tzedakah before eating and invite a poor person to one's table. This is the essential tikkun of eating. Through tzedakah , a vessel is made to receive the No'am Ha'Elyon — the essence of rectified eating — meriting to connect the food's taste and pleasantness to its root, the No'am Ha'Elyon . § 10 — Rosh HaShanah, the Shofar, and Pekidas Akaros This is Rosh HaShanah . As explained: the essential supernal root of creation is the No'am Ha'Elyon , the mochin of Eretz Yisrael . Through tzedakah , one receives it — and from it comes the birth of man, the essential purpose of creation: through this, His kavod is increased, and kavod is the root of the Ten Utterances. On Rosh HaShanah the world was created — Adam on Rosh HaShanah . He is the essential world; all creation was for man — to recognize his Maker and increase His kavod . Therefore on Rosh HaShanah we must awaken the No'am Ha'Elyon from which man's creation derives. This is the shofar . The shofar's sound is the aspect of the ten kinds of melody — "play well with trumpeting." The ten melodies are "ne'im zemiros Yisrael" — through them one awakens and draws the No'am Ha'Elyon . Through melody one cleaves to Hashem and merits "to gaze upon the pleasantness of Hashem." Through the shofar — melody — one draws the No'am Ha'Elyon , the essential mochin / Eretz Yisrael mochin . As known in the kavanos : through the shofar , mochin are drawn — the no'am . Therefore all Israel give much tzedakah before Rosh HaShanah — to merit receiving the No'am Ha'Elyon awakened by the shofar , through the vessel of tzedakah . Through the no'am , birth is drawn — more people, more kavod . This is pekidas akaros [remembrance of barren women] on Rosh HaShanah — Sarah, Rachel, Channah were remembered then. Birth is drawn from the no'am . Therefore we read the birth of Yitzchak on Rosh HaShanah — the first born in Israel's holiness. Avraham himself was not born in Israel's holiness; Yitzchak was the first. His birth is creation's essential completeness — the more Israel are born, the more kavod increases. The ten shofros , ten malchuyos , ten zichronos — all correspond to the Ten Utterances revealed on Rosh HaShanah through the kavod increased by Israel's birth. The essential kavod is on Rosh HaShanah : "let the King of kavod enter" — "and so, give kavod" — "reign over the entire world in Your kavod." Our entire engagement on Rosh HaShanah is to reveal His malchus / kavod . Therefore the essential holiness of Eretz Yisrael is revealed on Rosh HaShanah : "the eyes of Hashem are constantly upon it, from the beginning of the year" — on Rosh HaShanah is decided what will be at its end. § 11 — Yericho Conquered by Shofar ; " Kinnor Na'im " = Subduing Kena'an Therefore Yehoshua's first conquest of Eretz Yisrael was through the shofar . Yericho — the first city he conquered — was taken through shofros . Through the shofar 's sound — Rosh HaShanah holiness — one draws the No'am Ha'Elyon , Eretz Yisrael holiness, subduing the seven nations/ chovlim . This is "a pleasant harp with a lyre — sound the shofar on the new moon" — the shofar is melody, "kinnor na'im." As brought in the book Tov HaAretz : the initials of " k innor n a'im ' im n evel" spell Kena'an . Kena'an — the totality of the seven nations, the obstacles to Eretz Yisrael — is subdued through the sweetness of melody, "kinnor na'im," the Rosh HaShanah shofar that draws the No'am Ha'Elyon . Immediately following: "a testimony for Yehosaif He placed it" — Rashi: on Rosh HaShanah Yosef left prison. Yosef is the no'am — therefore freed on Rosh HaShanah when the No'am Ha'Elyon flows. ✦ End of Part 2 (§§ 6–11) · Continues in Part 3 (§§ 12–16) ✦ Na Nach Nachma Nachman May'Uman Core teaching (LM II:71): No'am Ha'Elyon [Supernal Pleasantness] = root of all tastes and loves = mochin of Eretz Yisrael = Yosef. Chovlim [destroyers] = chutz la'Aretz mochin = machlokes. When no'am flows, chovlim come for tikkun but can damage the no'am instead. §§1-3: All berachos connect pleasure to No'am Ha'Elyon. Fruits of EY take precedence. The true praise of EY is the no'am flowing through its fruits. "To gaze upon the no'am of Hashem" = life's purpose. §§4-5: All obstacles to EY are only obstacles of the mind. Seven nations = seven chovlim vs seven species = no'am. The meraglim said a thing and its opposite. §§6-8: Egypt's exile from machlokes with Yosef. Moshe couldn't enter because the chovlim would be too strong. "Little by little." Machlokes = exile; shalom = geulah. §§9-11: Tzedakah = vessel for no'am. Rosh HaShanah: shofar = melody = no'am; pekidas akaros; ten malchuyos, zichronos, shofaros = ten utterances. Yericho conquered by shofar; kinnor na'im = Kena'an. §§12-16: Pharaoh's dream: store the good years (holy impressions) to survive the bad (chovlim). Visit graves on Erev RH; ten Tehillim = tikkun habris through no'am. Israel's fruitfulness in Egypt = no'am → geulah. Come to EY through simchah.