Noach's Ark in the Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov - Rabbi Asher Perkesh

00:02 There is a story about the holy Maggid, the Maggid of Mezritch. As is known, in his youth he was a student of the Pnei Yehoshua. Later he became close to the holy Baal Shem Tov and was among his most prominent students; afterward, he succeeded the holy Baal Shem Tov. The well-known story goes that years later, when the Maggid of Mezritch was already a student of the Baal Shem Tov and a Rebbe, he met an old friend. This friend knew the Maggid from earlier years, before the Maggid had become a student of the Baal Shem Tov. The friend saw how the Maggid of Mezritch davened—and apparently, the Maggid davened for many hours, at great length. After davening, they spoke. The friend asked the Maggid of Mezritch why he davened for so many hours. He knew that the Maggid was well versed in many subjects: not only a genius in the revealed parts of Torah, but also very knowledgeable in the writings of the Arizal. So he also davened with the kavanos in the Arizal’s siddur and writings. But the friend thought: Certainly he has all those kavanos in mind, but why does davening take so long? Why must the Maggid devote so many hours to it?

01:56 So many hours for the kavanos of davening, for the davening itself, and so on. The Maggid of Mezritch asked him how he earned a living. He replied that he had a small store in his town, selling all sorts of goods and items. Usually his wife sat in the store; she did the selling and tended to their livelihood so that he could sit and learn and daven, and devote himself to Torah and avodah. But to obtain everything he needed to sell, he had to travel to a fair from time to time. In those days, fairs were held several times a year. People from all the surrounding towns would come to a place in one of the cities. All kinds of things were sold there: food, animals, clothing, and other goods. Anyone who needed something bought it there. People came from the surrounding towns, bought everything they needed at the fair, and then each returned to his own town and made a living selling those goods. He explained that this was how his work revolved around the fair. He had a store in his town,

03:35 where he worked throughout the year, selling what he needed to sell. But when the fair came around, this was what he had to do: for several weeks of the year he would set out on the road. The trip to the fair took several weeks. He then had to stay there for a few more days to buy everything he needed, to sell and buy, and so on. Afterward he traveled back to his town, and by the time he returned, he had everything ready. Then he could sit and learn and daven, [unclear]. The Maggid asked him: [unclear] You have a good head, a clear mind. You could sit [unclear] and save yourself the trip. Why do you need to travel all that way to the fair, [unclear] and spend a whole day there? You could picture it all in your mind, [unclear] imagine yourself at the fair, [unclear] all the things you need to buy, [unclear] the entire journey. [unclear] Why do you need to set out on a trip when you can do it in your mind [unclear]?

05:33 [unclear] the Maggid of Mezritch, I heard him, but it’s simply [unclear]. You have to be there. The point is that you really must travel there, be there, and take hold of the goods. But the Rebbe said that, after all, you have to be there. Being there takes a long time. A person can study the writings of the Arizal and learn his kavanos. Someone with a good mind can study for a single night and know the Arizal’s kavanos. But what is lacking in the approach of Chassidus? It rests on the fact that you have to be there. In other words, all these kavanos have an inner meaning that you must carry with you and feel. So you really have to be there, actually be there: wholly immersed, truly inside the heart of what is being discussed. That does take a long time, until it becomes real for a person, and it requires a lengthy process. In Parshas Noach there is the account of the ark: “Come into the ark,” “And Noach did all that he was commanded,” and so on. Entire verses deal with the ark Noach built and with Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s command to enter it. The holy Baal Shem Tov’s teaching on this is well known; it is one of his foundational teachings. As is known, the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings are recorded briefly in Kesser Shem Tov, in Nechamah [unclear], and in Degel Machaneh Efraim.

07:30 In the sefarim, and particularly in Chabad Chassidus, the details of the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching on the verses and on “Come into the ark” are explained at length. The holy Baal Shem Tov explains that the word for “ark,” teivah, also means a word: the words of Torah and the words of davening. He explains “Come into the ark” to mean entering the words to escape the Flood. The Flood, as is known and as explained at length in Torah Or, relates to “Many waters cannot extinguish the love.” When we speak of the Flood, we mean the turbulent waters, the “many waters”—the worries of earning a living. The soul comes into this world and is enclothed in a body and an animal soul. Over time, through that involvement with the world, the body, and the animal soul, a person inevitably faces worries. There are hardships, confusion, anxieties about earning a living, and other concerns that preoccupy a person and interfere with his Torah study and avodah. This is the Flood that threatens to sweep a person away. About this the Rebbe says that [unclear]. And this is the idea of “curtains from below” and “curtains from above” [unclear], which is the meaning of “Come into the ark.” This is how one must enter the words of both Torah and davening. That is, a person must enter them; to enter means to go into them inwardly. It is not enough to say the words of davening or of what one is learning merely with one’s lips. It must

09:05 come from love for Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This is “Come into the ark”: enter the words and cleave to the letters and words of Torah and davening. The Baal Shem Tov said that for those who can engage with kavanos—who can learn and have in mind the inner kavanos, the kavanos of Chassidus—this means cleaving to the inner meaning of the words of davening. Why? In every word. Yes, as explained in detail. Every word of Torah and davening has, as the verse says of Noach’s ark, three levels: “lower, second, and third.” The Baal Shem Tov explains these as three levels of kavanos in davening. What are these three levels? He says that in every single word of davening there are three kavanos. One relates to the worlds. In other words, the words of davening speak of the creation of the world, the life-force of the world, animals and plants, and all such things—all created beings, matters relating to the worlds. Then there is a part of davening that deals with souls: the souls of the Jewish people, their avodah, their distinction, and a number of other...

10:33 matters. And there is the dimension of G-dliness. In general, one could say that some verses speak about the creation of the worlds, some speak about souls and the Jewish people, and so on, while others speak about G-dliness, about Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But more specifically, as the Baal Shem Tov says, every single word of davening can be understood in three ways: as it relates to the worlds, as it relates to souls, and as it relates to G-dliness. These are the three levels of “lower, second, and third” in the kavanos of davening. The Baal Shem Tov then said that for those who cannot engage with lofty, higher kavanos, even simply saying the words is “Come into the ark.” For ordinary people, whose connection is to the words of davening and Torah themselves, the very act of saying words of davening, words of Tehillim, and words of Torah—and saying them in a way of “Come into the ark”—means saying the words with vitality. As the familiar expression goes: learn with vitality and daven with vitality. Saying the words of Torah and davening with vitality is itself a form of cleaving to those words. That alone saves a person; it puts a Jew in a position where he can be saved. This is

11:54 Noach’s ark in a person’s inner service. This is how the verses continue: first it says, “Come into the ark,” and then, “Make a light for the ark.” The Baal Shem Tov explains that “make a light for the ark” means to make a light in the very word itself: a person brings light into the words of Torah and tefillah, illuminating the words. For words, on their own, are letters, and letters by themselves are like inanimate things—letters without life. But when a Jew reflects with intention and connects to G-dliness, the letters become living letters. He gives them life; he illuminates them. That is “make a light for the ark”—to illuminate. When we daven with vitality, enthusiasm, and joy, we illuminate the words of the tefillah. And as we said earlier, the letters of “tzohar,” light, can also be arranged to spell “tzarah,” trouble; there are various ways this can happen, even to the point of [unclear]. The letters of “tzohar” are the same letters as “tzarah”: tzadi, reish, hei—tzadi, hei, reish. And there is the matter of “the foe who oppresses.” The Baal Shem Tov cites a verse from Parshas Behaaloscha: “When you go to war in your land against the foe who oppresses you, you shall sound the trumpets.” “The foe who oppresses” refers to the animal soul and the yetzer hara, which comes and wants to draw a person into distracting thoughts and confusion, into [unclear], into things that conceal G-dliness. And one must transform

13:25 transform “the foe who oppresses.” Especially since there are times of trouble, times of difficulties, disturbances, and obstacles, then [unclear]. Yes, the Baal Shem Tov said that when studying the combinations of these letters, it is explained that “hatzar,” “tzarah,” “tzohar,” and “ratzah” are combinations of the same letters, and “ratzah” relates to ratzon, will. In other words, when a person awakens his will and brings his desire, intention, and vitality into the letters of the tefillah, he transforms the trouble and the distress into a light. He brings what is in his mind into his heart. Yes, he transforms this matter, the “foe” and the confusion, into a light. “It is a time of trouble for Yaakov, and from it he will be saved,” as the Baal Shem Tov explains: there is a state of trouble, and from it—from the trouble itself—salvation comes. The point is not to flee from the trouble. Rather, the depth of the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching is that we transform the trouble itself. That is the strength and power with which one can transform [unclear]. The story of Nachum Ish Gamzu, of “This too is for the good,” in which the matter [unclear] itself, when he awakens his will within himself. In the service of tefillah, when we learn with vitality and daven with vitality and say the words of

14:59 the tefillah with intention, we transform the form of the distress, so that the distress becomes a light. We can see tangibly how darkness turns to light and bitterness is sweetened—“bitterness into sweetness.” This is the meaning of Noach’s ark in the service of Hashem. So much for the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching on “Make a light for the ark” and “Come into the ark.” There are many more details to this, as explained in Chassidus, and particularly as the Rebbe explains in many sichos. When we look at the details of Noach’s story, we can discuss several other points. One is that the Flood involved two things: water that came from the heavens and water that came from the earth. In the words of the verse, there were “the windows of the heavens” and “the springs of the deep,” and both were opened. It was a complete flood; water poured from both places. In the service of Hashem, according to the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching, this means that there are two kinds of worries that cause confusion. Some worries are “the springs of the deep”—earthly, material things that confuse a person and bring him worries and confusion, so that he cannot serve

16:24 Hakadosh Boruch Hu, Master of the worlds. That is the meaning of “the springs of the deep.” But on the other hand, there are “the windows of the heavens”: a person’s preoccupations may not be material matters that confuse him, worries about earning a living, business, and the like. On the contrary, sometimes the preoccupations themselves come from heavenly things, from lofty matters. He is busy with elevated concerns, with matters of great importance. For example, attending to the needs of the community: he is busy with holy things, with matters of holiness, and his investment in these lofty matters does not allow him to devote himself to the service of tefillah. There can even be a Jew who is so absorbed in Torah study that when the time for tefillah arrives, distracting thoughts about the Torah he is studying come to him, and so on. About this he says that whether the preoccupations are connected to “the windows of the heavens” or to “the springs of the deep,” the answer is “Come into the ark.” When a person resolves that, as he stands to daven, he will enter wholly into the tefillah—yes, be completely there, as the Maggid of Mezritch said—then the person davening sits there, and nothing else exists besides the tefillah, the siddur, Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and the Jew standing face to face with Him. He davens to Hakadosh Boruch Hu and says the letters of the tefillah with deep attachment. That is “Come into the ark,” and through this, “Make a light for the ark” is fulfilled—the entire word becomes illuminated. And

17:47 there is a second point in “Come into the ark.” After all, the verse specifies not only “Come into the ark,” “you,” but also “your sons” and “your wife,” and then “your sons’ wives,” and even “of every living thing, of all flesh.” The explanation in a person’s inner service, continuing the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching, is that a Jew must know he cannot be a “tzaddik in a fur coat,” as in the well-known parable. A “tzaddik in a fur coat” means that a person is in a cold place, and the whole place is cold. He is in a beis midrash or somewhere else, and it is very cold there. So he puts on a fur coat, and now he is warm. But it is still cold all around him; he is wrapped in fur and feels warm. That is called a “tzaddik in a fur coat”: he thinks only of himself, his own holiness, his own Torah, and his own service of Hashem. The verse says: No. “Come into the ark” does not mean only “you”; you must bring your wife and children into the ark too, your grandchildren and your family, and together with them even “of every living thing, of all flesh.” And in the spiritual sense, in a person’s inner service, this means his own animal soul, or, similarly, a Jew immersed in material things, in a state of “every living thing, of all flesh”: the human being within him must be revealed, and the soul within him must be revealed.

19:11 And when you need to bring them closer to Yiddishkeit, you must take them along with you and open the way for them, so that they too experience “Come into the ark”: they should come with you and enter the words of Torah and the words of tefillah. Then, regarding “Make a light for the ark”—that in the service of tefillah there must be light, brightness, the light of midday—there is also much to say: how do we illuminate, and what are the ark’s sources of light? Rashi brings two views here. According to one view, the light came through a window, shining in from outside. According to the second view, there was “a precious stone that gave them light.” As explained in Chassidus, these are two forms of light. There is light that comes from the sun, light from outside. But there is also light for which one must take a precious stone, and the stone itself shines. In our service, these two things are engagement in Torah and engagement in tefillah, as stated in the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching. The difference between Torah and tefillah is that Torah is “the sun of Hashem.” Torah comes from above. It is light that comes from above. You open a window and let the light in, so that it illuminates a person within. That is the way of the window. Tefillah, by contrast, rises from below to above. In tefillah a person must take himself—

20:34 take himself, together with his body and animal soul, as in “a ladder set upon the earth, with its top reaching the heavens.” A person must work on himself and refine himself, rise higher and become more refined. Just as a stone becomes a precious stone, a stone that shines, he must transform the body and animal soul so that the body itself becomes illuminated, lighting up the person from within. These are the two aspects of “Make a light for the ark”: through a window and through a precious stone. There is the light from outside, the light of the sun of Hashem, the Torah that shines into a person. And there is the light from within, when the body and animal soul are transformed through the service of tefillah, and a person becomes a precious stone that shines. All this is included in “Come into the ark” and “Make a light for the ark.” And here there is another point, another lesson that I heard from the Rebbe. Once, in the year 5740, in the month of Tishrei, toward the end of Tishrei, the practice was that after Yom Tov, after Shabbos Bereishis, there was a time for yechidus. In those years, the practice was a general yechidus. A general yechidus meant that a larger group was present. In earlier years, each person would enter for a private yechidus with the Rebbe. But over the years, a situation developed in which there was—

21:53 There was a very large crowd, and it was not possible to hold private yechidus. So there was a general yechidus. The whole crowd went in; the guests formed one group. Afterward there was a second group, the Temimim. There were many young men, so a separate yechidus was held for them. And in both of these yechidus meetings, something very interesting happened. The Rebbe spoke then—it was the week of Parshas Noach, and the yechidus was a kind of “farewell in peace.” In other words, everyone was heading back to his city, his home, his yeshiva, and so on. The Rebbe spoke about Noach’s ark. After discussing the Baal Shem Tov’s interpretation of the ark, of “Come into the ark,” the Rebbe said: But later in Parshas Noach, after “Come into the ark,” comes “Leave the ark.” And the Rebbe said: Well, now the time has come to “leave the ark.” After “Leave the ark,” the verse says, “Bring out with you every living creature that is with you.” One must leave the ark together with all the living creatures, so that they all go out into the world and “multiply upon the earth.” What is the lesson in this, following the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov? The Rebbe spoke about this in two sections, offering two wonderful explanations. When he spoke to those we call householders, he addressed the crowd,

23:07 which was the first group of guests. The Rebbe explained that “Leave the ark” relates to the month of Tishrei. Throughout Tishrei, we spend most of our time in the study hall and the shul: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, Shemini Atzeres, Simchas Torah. We are occupied with holy matters, inside the ark. But the time comes to leave the ark. We must go out into the world to make a dwelling place for Hashem in the lower realms. Each person must go on his way in the world and make the world a dwelling place for Hashem. The same applies to daily life: the time of prayer is “Come into the ark.” But afterward, following prayer and a period of study, a person goes to his work: from the shul to the study hall, and from the study hall to his worldly occupations—to go out into the world, to go to work. He must know that at that point he needs to leave the ark, not remain in prayer all day, inside the ark. He must go out into the world and make it a dwelling place for Hashem through doing mitzvos, Ahavas Yisroel, setting fixed times for Torah study, and living by “All your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven” and “In all your ways, know Him.” The Rebbe also spoke to the yeshiva students, the young men in yeshiva. There the Rebbe explained “Leave the ark” in relation to a student who spends all day and all night immersed in Torah study and serving Hashem in yeshiva. For him, “Come into the ark” is understandable.

24:28 But what does “Leave the ark” mean? This question was once asked. The Rebbe explained that “Leave the ark” means this: A person, for example, may by nature be immersed in G-dliness, in closeness to Hashem, in love of Hashem and awe of Hashem. That is the ark. But there is also “Leave the ark.” In other words, he needs to understand what he studies, to use his head and his intellect, and to want to understand with his own mind everything written in a maamar of Chassidus and everything written on a page of Gemara. Using his own mind is leaving the ark. When he is in the ark, he is even [unclear] with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and he stands in love and awe, in closeness and G-dliness. When he is in the ark, his whole being is permeated with G-dliness. But when he goes out into the world—and when I speak of a young yeshiva student, “the world” for him is the world of intellectual understanding—he uses his own mind and wants to understand everything he studies. That is “Leave the ark” for each person in his own circumstances. And this is the sequence in Parshas Noach, which I think we always study at the beginning of Cheshvan, after the spiritual work of Tishrei. We tell a Jew that there is a time when

25:43 he needs to “come into the ark”—which, broadly speaking, is the month of Tishrei. Then comes the time to “leave the ark,” the month of Cheshvan, when each person, in his own circumstances, needs to “leave the ark.” The same applies to daily life: “Come into the ark” is the time of prayer and Torah study, when we are inside the ark. Afterward, we must take that inspiration, closeness and enthusiasm with us and go out into the world, making the world a dwelling place for Hashem in the lower realms and preparing it for the complete Geulah, may it come soon in our days. Then, as it says in Tanach, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea,” [unclear], and the world will be full of knowledge. Then there will be [unclear], and we will hear from King Moshiach. May this happen immediately, speedily in our days, amen.