Divrei Torah Noach
Divrei Torah Noach
Torah Table of Contents
The Sweet Combination, Divrei Yisrael, Parshas Noach Starting from Our Youth, Divrei Yisrael, Parshas Noach Parshas Noach, From Reb Motti Rosen z"lbased on a ma'amar in Divrei Yisrael, Parshas Noach
"And he [Noach] sent out the raven, and it departed. It went back and forth until the water had dried up from the land's surface." [Breishis, 8:7]
A Chassid once came to Rebbe Yechezkel of Kuzmir and asked whether or not he should engage himself in business for a livelihood. The Rebbe replied that certainly it is good and proper for a Chassid to be involved in business. One who says that he should refrain from working because it will interfere with his avodas Hashem [Divine service], knows nothing at all about the ways of Chassidus. We find that the Gemara [Kiddushin, 40b] says that one who is involved with Mikra [Scripture], Mishna and Derech Eretz [earning a livelihood] will not easily sin, as it says, "The threefold twine will not quickly unravel" [Koheles, 4:12]. A threefold twine is made from three individual pieces, each of which may not be so strong on its own. By combining them together, each one strengthens the other. So it is with one who engages in Mikra, Mishna and Derech Eretz - each one strengthens the other. For example, Torah learning is not time bound - and one who combines it with a livelihood, his business will be above time as well. Even if he finds himself in a situation that isn't such a good time for a business deal to take place, he will still profit, because his business is above time. Similarly, one can learn Torah at any time - even at the time of the fair/ convention [yerid, which was usually the best time to do business] - and he need not worry that this will diminish his business. On the contrary, it will help his business.
One's business can also add to his Torah studies, for when he is busy at work, and he has a great desire to learn, when he later approaches his learning, he will learn with great fervor and intense desire. This came from his yearning for learning that he had while engaged in business and away from his studies. We see the same scenario in a child from a poor family, who is often stronger than one from a wealthy family, even though the latter has "everything in the world." This is because when he lacks, for example, food, he develops a great desire - hunger - for it. When he finally satisfies his hunger, the food gives him tremendous strength. Thus by depriving himself of the food [at first] he subsequently gets tremendous energy from it. The same is with Torah study - when one is deprived of it, he builds up a tremendous thirst for it, and when he later is able to sit and learn, he finds a very pleasant and sweet taste in it. In addition, when one is engaged in his business and not in Torah, there is no reason for him to be haughty - for what should he be proud of? This will also aid him when he comes to learn, for the Gemara explains the verse [Devarim, 30:12] "the mitzva [Torah] is not in Heaven," to mean that it cannot be found in the haughty of spirit [Eruvin 55].
To summarize, by engaging in business, one finds a sweet and pleasant taste in his Torah learning which follows. The Baal Shem Tov explains the statement of our Sages, that sometimes the bitul [non-engagement] of Torah is its foundation, as follows: by engaging in mundane matters, eating, drinking, business, etc. which take a person away from learning Torah, the neshama [soul] rests from its fervor, and is strengthened to return to an even greater dveykus [attachment to Hashem], as the verse says, "And the Chayos [angels] run back and forth...[Yechezkel, 1:14].
Our souls were sent into this world, so that we should not eat the "bread of shame." This entire idea is alluded to in our verse above - "And he [Noach] sent out the raven, and it departed. It went back and forth..." 'He sent' - Hashem sent our neshamos into this world, so that "orev" [literally, the raven] - that we should experience the sweetness and pleasantness [areivus] of our Service. The bread of shame is not sweet to the palate; we need to work in this world, to find the sweetness therein. This is done by "going back and forth" - going out to work, and returning [home, or to the Beis Medrash] to learn Torah. This will enable us to find the sweetness and pleasantness in our Torah-learning. When Moshe Rabbeinu was challenged by the angels that the Torah belongs in Heaven and not on Earth, one of his responses to them was, "is there any business amongst you" in Heaven, that you need the Laws of the Torah that deal with business? The verse concludes, "until the water had dried up from the land's surface." The word for drying up is "yevoshes", and when its letters are rearranged, they spell Tishbi, a reference to Eliahu HaNavi [who is also called Eliahu HaTishbi]. This indicates, concludes the Divrei Yisrael, that this is our service to Hashem, until Eliahu HaNavi will come, and we will experience the "day which is always Shabbos." Amen!
Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid
based on a ma'amar in Divrei Yisrael, Parshas Noach
For the inclination of man's heart is evil, from his youth(Breishis, 8:21)
The Divrei Yisrael points out that the word min'urav - from his youth - is mentioned in two places. Here, and in Megillas Eicha (Lamentations, 3:27) where it says, "Tov lagever ki yisa ol min'urav - it is good for a man to carry a yoke from his youth." These two verses propound contradictory concepts. In the Parsha it says how a person is bad from his youth onward. Yet in Lamentations, it says how a person can be good from his youth!
But continuing with the concept that is found throughout his works, the Divrei Yisrael says that there is no contradiction. Every morning when a person wakes up, the evil inclination is already there to take him on the wrong path. The person's obvious task is to combat the evil inclination, by starting the day with Torah v'Avoda - prayer and Torah study.
Thus the two verses are explained as follows: In the morning - when the day is young - the evil inclination is already working on a person. The remedy for this is to accept upon oneself ol malchus Shamayim - the yoke of heavenly kingship - immediately when one wakes up, when the day is young!
This is also the same concept as what Hashem told Cain (Breishis, 4:7), when he said, " L'pesach chatas roveitz - at the opening, sin is lurking. At the opening of the day, the evil inclination is waiting to entrap you. But v'ata timshol bo - you have the capability of ruling over him", by doing Torah u'Mitzvos - learning Torah and performing good deeds.
Translated by Reb Yehuda Nathan of Brooklyn, a Modzitzer Chassid
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What does Hashem Elokecha ask from you, but to fear Hashem Elokecha and to
walk in His ways? (dvorim, 10:13)
A Dvar Torah from Reb Motti Rosen z"l, grandson of Harav Shaul the Second Rebbe
1. "Tzohar Taseh LaTayvah" . Rashi offers two explanations for the word "Tzohar". One, a window to provide light in the Ark and two, a precious stone that gave off light. The Yisah Bracha(on daf lamed alef) brings down from the Zohar that the Tayvah represents Yom HaKippurim, because the Targum explains Tayvah from the word Litayvuso which is a lashon of Teshuva. It is interesting that the word HaTayvah - Hey, Tof, Bais, Hey has a gematria of 412. It is the same gematria as the words Yom HaKippurim - Yud, Vov, Mem and Hay, Kof, Pay, Vov, Resh, Yud, Mem. Also interesting is that the words of Rashi "Aven Tovah Hameira Lahem" (a precious stone that gave light for them) has the same gematria - 412. The word Tzohar contains additional remazim to Yom Kippur. The Tzaddik is a remez to the word Tzom which represents Teshuva. The Hey is a remez to the five Tefilos we daven on Yom Kippur. The Resh is a remez to Tzedakah - The numerical value of Resh is 200 and the gematria of the word Tzedakah is 200. So "Tzohar Taseh LaTayvah" - Hashem was telling Noach that Teshuva, Tefilla, and Tzedakah are all that are needed to overcome the Gezarah of the Mabul.
2. "MiPnei May HaMabul" (7:7.) The Pasuk tells us that Noach, his sons, his wife and his son's wives entered the tevah before the waters came. Why does the Torah find it necessary to tell us something so obvious, of course they went into the tevah before the waters came. Rashi explains that Noach was from "Kutnei Emunah", people of little faith. He didn't believe the Mabul would come until the water actually came to his knees. This Rashi is difficult to understand. Noach was a Gadol, a leader of his generation, how can it be that he had very little faith. He wasn't a man of little faith. If you read the words of Rashi just a little differently the meaning is completely different. "Af Noach B'kutnei Emunah Haya Mamin ", Noach believed in those people who had very little faith. He believed they would do teshuva. "V'eino Mamin Shyavo HaMabul" and he didn't believe the Mabul would come. Hashem had already said that if they did teshuva the waters would become "Mayim Shel Bracha", water of Bracha. That is why Noach did not go into the tevah until the waters came, because he was waiting for the people of his generation to do Teshuva.
Submitted by Chumi Friedman, daughter of Reb Motti Rosen z"l
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