הפקר ונכסי הגר ב

Rabbi Yisrael Dov Odeser o.b.m.

There is an allusion here. For “orphans” [yesomim] refers to those who are far from His service, blessed be He. For all the mitzvos and good deeds that a person does — everything is through the aspect of the levushim [garments] that he has from his father and his mother, as is brought. And when he sins, G–d forbid, then he loses his garment, G–d forbid, and he becomes clothed in soiled garments. Therefore he is in the aspect of an orphan without a father, since he has lost his garment. For the essential thing that one receives from the father is the garment, as above.

And these orphans need an apitropos [guardian], which is the tzaddik who leads the generation. He exerts himself for the betterment of the orphans mentioned above — to bring them close to His service, blessed be He. For the apitropos — who is the tzaddik who leads the generation — exerts himself for the betterment of these orphans to bring them close to His service, blessed be He. For the apitropos is their father of orphans, as Rashi explained. For he is literally their father, since he repairs them. And then he strips from them the soiled garments and clothes them in clean garments. And therefore he is literally their father, as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said:

Student of Rabbi Yisrael Karduner o.b.m. (Sanhedrin 19b): “Whoever teaches his fellow’s son Torah — it is as if he gave birth to him.” For he is as if he literally gave birth to him, through the tikkun of the garments, as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: that the apitropos dresses from the property of the orphans, so that he should be honored and his words should be heeded. For honor is fitting for him, in the aspect of: “Those who honor Me, I will honor” (Shmuel I 2:30). For this is the essential honor of Hashem, blessed be He — when one brings the distant close to His service, as Rabbeinu, may his light shine, wrote in siman 14. And this is the aspect of: “And you shall honor him — honor him with clean garments,” which is the aspect of the tikkun of the clean garments, as above, as Rabbeinu, may his light shine, wrote there.

Student of Rabbi Moshe Breslover o.b.m. And therefore, since through him the honor of Hashem, blessed be He, is greatly magnified and elevated, it is fitting that the apitropos mentioned above should be honored, in the aspect of: “Those who honor Me, I will honor,” as above. And this is the meaning of his dressing from the assets of the orphans. For the tzaddik who brings souls close — he clothes himself in their souls. For they become the aspect of precious garments for him, in the aspect of: “She is more precious than pearls” (Mishlei 3:15) — that the talmid chacham is more precious than the Kohein Gadol who enters lifnai v’lifnim [the innermost sanctum], for he [the talmid chacham] is lifnai v’lifnim, and they [the souls] clothe him. As Rabbeinu, may his light shine, brought all of this in the teaching “Ashrei ha’am yod’ai seruah” of Hashgachah Shleimah (siman 13). And this itself is his honor, for the essential kavod is through the garments, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Bava Kamma 91b): Rabbi Yochanan called his garments “my honorers” [mechabdusa].

Student of Rabbi Nussun of Breslov o.b.m. And when one merits to have garments from the souls of Israel that he brought close to His service, blessed be He — there is no greater honor than this. For they are exceedingly precious garments, for the souls of Israel are very lofty, as is known, and he merits to make garments for himself from them. And as it is taught in the Zohar, the great honor that accrues to one who brings the distant close to Him, blessed be He. And this is the aspect of: “Strength and splendor are her clothing” (Mishlei 31:25), etc. — that one merits beautiful and strong garments. And this is through: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and a Torah of chesed is on her tongue” (Mishlei 31:26). That is, one who brings people back in teshuvah. For this is the aspect of “Torah of chesed” — which is one who learns Torah in order to teach it, as Rabbeinu, may his light shine, wrote in the teaching on drawing peace into the world (siman 14). And this is the aspect of middah k’negged middah [measure for measure]. For he repaired them and repaired the aspect of their garments, as above. Therefore, he merits precious garments, as above. And they are made from their very souls, as above. And this is the meaning of: the apitropos dresses from the assets of the orphans so that he should be honored. And similarly, the entire passage of “Eishes chayil mi yimtza” [“A woman of valor, who can find?”] (Mishlei 31:10) speaks about this — about one who brings people close to His service, blessed be He. As it is written: “She rises while it is still night and gives provision to her household,” etc. (Mishlei 31:15), which our Sages of blessed memory explained as referring to one who teaches Torah to students — and so the entire passage, see there. And there it also speaks about the aspect of tikkun of the garments, as it is written: “She makes linen cloth and sells it” (Mishlei 31:24). That is, she makes beautiful garments for others, whom she brings close, as above. And through this: “Strength and splendor are her clothing,” as above. And this is the meaning of: so that his words should be heeded in the affairs of the orphans. For he needs to exert himself on their behalf in all their betterment and to plead on their behalf. For it is the way of the orphans that there are claims and disputes and demands against them. For those who had become distant from Him, blessed be He — when they are then brought close, there are great accusations and obstacles against them on account of the soiled garments with which they had clothed themselves, as Rabbeinu, may his light shine, wrote there. And the apitropos, who is their father, pleads on their behalf and fights their battle, in order to rescue them from all the accusations and to repair them. And this is the aspect of: “A guardian appointed by the father of the orphans — he does not take an oath. Appointed by the beis din — he takes an oath” (Gittin 52a). For there are two aspects in one who is appointed to be a guardian and a leader of Israel. For Rabbeinu, may his light shine, wrote (siman 6) that there are two kinds of kavod [honor]. There is kevod Elokim [the honor of G–d], and this is merited by one who flees from honor. And when one merits this honor, which is kevod Elokim, then it is forbidden to investigate his honor, for it is in the aspect of: “The honor of G–d is to conceal a matter” (Mishlei 25:2). But one who pursues honor does not merit anything except kevod melachim [the honor of kings], which is in the aspect of: “The honor of kings is to investigate a matter” (Mishlei 25:2). And then everyone investigates his honor, etc. — see there. And this is the aspect of the two kinds of guardians — which is the aspect of honor and governance to lead Israel. For there is one who receives his honor from Hashem, blessed be He, Himself, in the aspect of kevod Elokim mentioned above — that Hashem, blessed be He, Himself gives him the honor. And this is the aspect of: “Appointed by the father of the orphans” — that is, by Hashem, blessed be He, Himself, Who is the “Father of orphans,” etc. And then he is not to be made to take an oath, for the oath means that they investigate after him and make him swear whether he has concealed or caused damage in his guardianship. And this one who was appointed by the Father of orphans Himself — which is the aspect of kevod Elokim — it is forbidden to investigate his honor, as above. Therefore he does not take an oath, for it is forbidden to investigate after him, as above. As it is written: “Hashem said to me: ‘You are My son… Ask of Me and I will give’” (Tehillim 2:7–8), etc. — that is, that Hashem, blessed be He, Himself said that I should be king and ruler, as Rashi explained there. “And now, O kings, be wise” (Tehillim 2:10) — meaning: now be wise and think of a plan to nullify my honor, G–d forbid — for it is entirely impossible, for it is even forbidden to investigate this honor, as above. But there is the aspect of a guardian who was appointed by the beis din — the aspect of kevod melachim, where one receives his honor and his appointment through the beis din. That is, through din, in the aspect of: “the law of the kingdom is law” [dina d’malchusa dina]. And the honor itself adjudicates the judgment, as Rabbeinu, may his light shine, wrote elsewhere (siman 131). And since he has not yet merited the aspect of kevod Elokim — “the concealment of a matter” — therefore everyone investigates him, as above. For he is always on the balance, according to strict judgment, in the aspect of: “Scales of righteousness” [moznei tzedek], as Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote. And therefore he must take an oath — that is, he must make clear that he conducts his honor and his guardianship in truth and faithfulness, for everyone investigates and inquires about him, as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: that he must take an oath, for he will not refrain from being a guardian on account of this, since he has the honor of being a guardian. For this one who is a guardian through the beis din — which is the aspect of kevod melachim, as above — he certainly desires the honor. For one depends on the other: because he pursues honor, through this he does not merit anything but kevod melachim, as above. And therefore they investigate after him and give him an oath. For he will not refrain [from serving] on account of this, since he desires the honor, as above. But the one appointed by the Father of orphans Himself does not take an oath, for it is forbidden to investigate after him, as above. For he flees from honor, and through this he merited the aspect of kevod Elokim — “the concealment of a matter,” as above.