Torah Ohr Daf 57 - Snakes are Really Staffs w/ Rabbi Dovid Leib Shmerling

Detailed Daf Overview - Project Likkutei Torah

• “Vayomer Hashem el Moshe v’el Aharon kach es matecha…”

Q1: What is the inner meaning of the staff and the snake?

Q2: Why was this the first miracle performed by Moshe?

• It says that the BN”Y “emptied Mitzrayim”, which according to Kabbalah means that they elevated all of the nitzotzos that were in Mitzrayim. The basic idea of nitzotzos is that just as the body prevent the soul form having a direct awareness of Hashem, so too there are sparks of Elokus imbedded in the physical world, and in order to elevate them one needs to “crack” the shell of physicality which surrounds them.
• In the descent of the nitzotzos of Tohu, there are “rivers” in which they can go (umisham yirpared l’arbeh roshim) which corresponds to the four stages of Galus, each of which has its own character and amount of nitzotzos to be elevated.
• Birur/elevation of the sparks requires a crushing of the external shell which conceals them, and this allows the spark to ascend to their source. This is the purpose of the plagues and miracles in Mitzrayim.
• The way that miracles crush the shell of kelipah is by showing how every aspect of creation, and especially those which claim to be independent of Elokus, are in fact entirely dependent on Elokus for their continued existence. This is the meaning of the staff and the snake. The staff represents the divine flow of energy into all of creation (Seder Hishtalshelus) and the snake represents the source of Kelipas Mitzrayim. The message is that Mitzrayim/Paroh are, contrary to their assumptions, entirely dependent on Elokus. All feelings of independence are a veneer caused by a long line of Tzimtzumim.

Concepts

1. Sheviras HaKeilim/ Birur Hanitzotzos.
2. Miracles= the realization that everything is directed by and rooted in Elokus.

Lachein Emor Part 1

Summary

• Q: why is Yetzias Metzrayim so important?
• There are three manifestations of Mitzrayim/BN”Y: the historical, the supernal, and the internal.

Internally, here is what Galus and Geulas Mitrayim looks like:

• Binei Yisrel= our love for Hashem, which is the result of our contemplating that all of creation, and even the highst spiritual levels that can be experienced by the Neshama, are nothing relative to Hashem Himslef, whom we connect with through Torah and Mitzvos. This realization leads to Ahava and Simcha.
• Galus Mitzrayim= our inability to draw the conclusions of our above contemplation into our emotional life (meitzar hagaron). This is due to our overwhelming investment into all things physical (sar hamashkim, sar hatabachim). This stage is also compared to the difficulties in giving birth.
• Geulah 1: At this point, what is necessary are “birth pains”, i.e. our realization that we are distant from Hashem (merirus), through which we can access Joy, which allows us to overcome our coarseness. (This is one stage in Geulah (eretz Cannan), achieved through Tefillah.)
• Geulah 2= connecting the mind and heart through voice, i.e. the study of Torah Shebiksav. However, the ultimate is to reach Eretz Yisroel, which is “long and wide”. This refers to the study of Torah Shebaal peh, in which the dominant quality is that of scholarly analysis (over the emphasis of the letters themselves in Torah Shebaal Peh).

Concepts

1. Three kinds of Mitzrayim.
2. The differences between Tefillah, Torah Shebiksav, and Torah Shebaal Peh.

Support the show

★ Support this podcast ★