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Dvar Torah for Parshat ChukatBased on Likutey Moharan II, #25
Well, there's no getting around it, so for the sake of those whose Hebrew is a little rusty let's translate some of the words in the verse above. Moshlim has at least six possible meanings, one of which is rulers, people in charge. Cheshbon, in the simple meaning of the verse, is the name of a city. Ordinarily, however, it means accounting/reckoning. Sichon was the giant king of the Emorite nation, way back when. The word ir (city) is related to the word iranut, awakeness. Cities, as you've certainly noticed, are lively, awake places, with something always happening. Sichon is realated to the word sichah, conversation, which brings us to the point. Finally. No other feature of Rebbe Nachman's teachings so defines and captures the essence of Breslov Chassidut as does hitbodedut, secluded prayer. The "lesson" that most defines hitbodedut is the one that the Rebbe gave to Reb Noson shortly after Reb Noson first became the Rebbe's student. Rebbe Nachman and Reb Noson were taking a stroll. Some members of Reb Noson's family were creating serious obstacles that kept him from growing in his Jewishness. The Rebbe had given Reb Noson a number of suggestions about dealing with these difficulties so that he would be able to serve Hashem (God). And then he put his arm around Reb Noson and said, "And it's also very good to pour out your heart to Hashem as to a true, good friend." In our lesson, the Rebbe tells us quite straightforwardly: "Hitbodedut is a great level, higher than everything. Namely, to set aside a particular hour every day, in a room or in a field, and to speak to one's Creator. To present [to Him] your claim [to being a better Jew], to defend yourself in why you've failed; to present a good case on your own behalf, asking and beseeching Him to help you become a better Jew. And this you do in your native tongue, in your own words...." To explain the dynamics and mechanics would take us well beyond the confines of this space. Suggestions for "how to" can be found in Outpouring of the Soul, Crossing the Narrow Bridge and The Empty Chair, as well in Rebbe Nachman's and Reb Noson's own works. For those who already do hitbodedut it's unnecessary to describe how it feels. For those who haven't yet begun: The Rebbe said that as a young man, [after doing hitbodedut] in the forest or meadows, he would return with the feeling that the whole world was completely new. The world would seem entirely different from what it had been. It was not at all the same world as it had seemed to be before (Tzaddik #4). The moshlim, those that rule over the evil urge, encourage us to come to Cheshbon, to reckon our deeds. Each of us has to ask and honestly answer: How am I succeeding in living as a Jew? Are my behavior and my thinking in consonance with what the Torah teaches and for who I am at this stage of my life and Jewish development? We have to ir Sichon, bestir ourselves to talk to God to help us protect ourselves from what threatens us, to help us with the "what and how" of our next step. Reb Noson points
out that Sichon was a mercenary hired by the Canaanite kings to keep the
Jews out of the Holy Land. That it is, there is all sorts of
talk in the world, all sorts of meaningless and harmful words that keep
us away
from the promised land of spiritual growth. To overcome all the harmful
speech that pollutes and chokes we must do what we can to speak words that
are holy,
words that have Hashem's will as their focus. |
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