How to nullify all accusations - Parshas Ki Teitzei

00:00 In Parshas Ki Seitzei, we find a verse that, at first glance, seems out of place. The verse says: “But Hashem your G-d was unwilling to listen to Bilaam, and Hashem your G-d turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Hashem your G-d loves you.” The verse tells us that Balak, the king of Moav, sent for Bilaam and hired him, G-d forbid, to curse the Jewish people. But Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not want to listen to his curses. On the contrary, He turned “the curse into a blessing,” “because Hashem your G-d loves you”—because Hakadosh Boruch Hu loves us. What is this verse doing here? It would seem to belong in Parshas Balak. How does it come into Parshas Ki Seitzei? Looking at the plain meaning of the text, the whole matter is mentioned in passing. The Torah tells us that “an Ammonite or Moabite may not enter” the congregation of Israel, “because they did not greet you with bread and water”—they did not give the Jews food and drink—“and because they hired Bilaam against you” to curse you, G-d forbid, but Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not listen to him. And here the wording suddenly appears: “But Hashem your G-d was unwilling to listen to Bilaam.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not want to listen to Bilaam, and He turned the curses into blessings, “because Hashem your G-d loves you.” What, at first glance, is this verse’s connection to the weekly parsha? After all, we know what

01:49 the holy Shelah writes: the parshiyos read at a particular time of year are not read then by chance, G-d forbid, but by Divine providence. When a parsha is read at a certain time, it has a connection to that time of year. So it is also understood that, when we go through the verses of the weekly parsha, which deals with many different subjects, we find in sefarim, and especially in the teachings of Chassidus, many aspects of the parsha that relate to the time. This verse in particular, as explained in several sefarim, alludes to the time we are in now. When the months of Elul and Tishrei arrive, a time of days of judgment, the accusing Satan comes, as the verse in Iyov says: “And the day came when the sons of G-d came to stand before Hashem, and Satan also came among them.” As the Targum says: “And it was on the day of the great judgment.” During the days of judgment, and especially on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the accusing Satan comes, stands before Hashem, and seeks, G-d forbid, to bring accusations against Jews. About this the verse says: “But Hashem your G-d was unwilling to listen to Bilaam.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not want to listen to Bilaam at all. Bilaam is the symbol, the example, and the source of the whole idea of accusers. He was the accusing Satan of his time, who wanted to bring accusations against Jews and to search for and find bad things

03:24 about Jews. Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not want to listen to him at all. On the contrary, He turned all his curses around—“and He turned”—and they became blessings. The verse concludes: “Because Hashem your G-d loves you.” So this verse, at this time, in the month of Elul, during the days of mercy and forgiveness, arouses [unclear] that He will help us in those same matters today, at this time as well: that during the days of judgment, the days of trial, Hakadosh Boruch Hu will not listen to any of the things the accusing Satan wants to bring before Him, and that Hakadosh Boruch Hu, “because Hashem your G-d loves you,” will inscribe and seal us for good, for a good and sweet year. In his commentary on this, the Megaleh Amukos writes about the words “and Hashem your G-d turned it for you”: the Hebrew word for “for you” has a numerical value of fifty, referring to the fifty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Hoshana Rabbah. This is the principal time of judgment. About this he writes, “and Hashem your G-d turned it for you.” In other words, during these two months, Elul and Tishrei, through the work of teshuvah, the work of taking stock of ourselves, and the work we do when we increase and strengthen our Torah study and mitzvah observance, the “turning” takes place: the curse is turned into a blessing, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s love for Jews is revealed. When we look more closely at this verse, we find

05:07 that it contains three elements. There is “Hashem your G-d was unwilling to listen to Bilaam.” The Rebbe writes that there is a limit to “listening to Bilaam,” and the verse says, “Hashem your G-d was unwilling.” Then it says again, “And Hashem your G-d turned the curse into a blessing for you.” And then, a third time, “Because Hashem your G-d loves you.” That is a second point, and “because Hashem your G-d loves you” is a third. At first glance, there are three elements in the verse, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu is mentioned three times as “Hashem your G-d.” There is one central point here, but apparently three distinct elements. So one might say that “Hashem your G-d was unwilling” encompasses the whole matter: “unwilling to listen to Bilaam,” “turned the curse into a blessing,” and “because Hashem your G-d loves you.” Or: “Hashem your G-d was unwilling to listen to Bilaam,” “turned the curse into a blessing,” “because He loves you.” Why does it say “Hashem your G-d” three times? These are three separate points. And, apparently, they really are separate points. It says “Hashem your G-d” again, and then “Hashem your G-d” a third time. There really are three points here. Why is Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s name mentioned three times, “Hashem your G-d” again and again? What is the deeper meaning of the three points expressed in this verse? Especially since, at first glance, there seems to be repetition here. When we say, “Hashem your G-d was unwilling to listen to Bilaam,” it means that Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not want to listen to Bilaam. So what does “and Hashem your G-d turned the curse into a blessing for you” add? That is another point. And then “because He loves you”—that is the same thing. The verse could have said “and He turned” first and then “was unwilling,” or “was unwilling” and then “He turned.” What are all three

06:49 points? How does each relate to the next? To explain this, we will draw on maamarim of our Rebbeim: a maamar of the Tzemach Tzedek, the more extensive explanation of the Rebbe Maharash, and the even more extensive explanation of the Rebbe Rashab. There is also a maamar of the Frierdiker Rebbe. That is the foundation, especially the maamar of the Frierdiker Rebbe. It is the maamar “Hashkifah Mime’on Kodshecha Min Hashamayim,” whose opening words are “Hashkifah,” from 19 Kislev. It is a maamar of the Rebbe, given in [unclear]. But the wording and the subject are explained chiefly in the maamar of the Frierdiker Rebbe. A story is told there—one of the stories often told about the holy Rebbe of Berditchev. As is well known, the holy Rebbe of Berditchev is the defender of the Jewish people. The Rebbe said in the maamar that the Rebbe of Berditchev is known throughout all the worlds as one who always speaks in defense of Jews. There are many stories showing how the holy Rebbe of Berditchev always found merit in Jews, especially during these days, the holy days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the Days of Awe. This was truly a special form of service: speaking of the merits and virtues of the Jewish people. One story, among dozens, is that the holy Rebbe of Berditchev was once walking—it was Yom Kippur, or [unclear]—and a man approached him and said: “I have committed every sin in the world! Every sin in the Torah—I have done it all, all of it, all of it.”

08:42 And the Rebbe of Berditchev told him, “I envy you.” The man said, “What do you mean, Rebbe of Berditchev? I just told you that I have committed every sin in the world!” The Rebbe of Berditchev replied, “Yes, and that is why I envy you.” The man asked, “What do you envy me for?” The Rebbe of Berditchev told him, “The Gemara says that when a person does teshuvah, and especially teshuvah out of love, all his deliberate sins become merits for him. His sins turn into merits.” The Rebbe of Berditchev said, “If I want merits, I have to work hard: another mitzvah, another mitzvah, another verse of Torah, another good deed. Yes, each mitzvah is another merit. But you—if you do teshuvah out of love just once, all your deliberate sins will turn into merits. You will have an enormous number, a wealth of merits. That is why I envy you.” What was he bringing to light? During these days, the days of teshuvah, he revealed the spark, and so on. Similarly, there are dozens of stories about the holy Rebbe of Berditchev in which he brought out the virtues of the Jewish people. I want to tell one more story. It may not be so well known, but it is told that the Rebbe of Berditchev once entered a shul, and one of the weaker [unclear] was there. As he walked around and heard Jews davening and saying the words of the prayers, he saw a Jew standing there, a simple man, an unlearned person, making a great [unclear]. And the Rebbe of Berditchev sensed that this Jew, in his prayer,

10:29 nullifies all the decrees. The Rebbe of Berditchev approached him and asked, “What were you thinking about?” At first, the Jew did not understand what the Rebbe of Berditchev wanted from him. Finally, he understood and said that he had prayed with concentration on the verse we say in our prayers: “If our iniquities testify against us, Hashem, act for Your name’s sake.” We say to Hakadosh Boruch Hu that if our sins say things about us—bad things, G-d forbid—may He have mercy on us for His name’s sake. That Jew, a simple man who did not know better, interpreted it this way: “If our iniquities”—yes, we have sinned, but “anu banu”—we are children. He understood the word “banu” here as though it said that we are children. When a child does not behave as he should, his father has compassion for him, loves him, and forgives him. When a small child gets dirty, his father immediately forgives him and cleans him up. So, “If our iniquities”—yes, we have sinned, but “anu banu”—we are children. And the holy Rebbe of Berditchev took this interpretation and used it to make a whole case in defense of Jews, nullifying many decrees. And as we stand in these days, the Days of Awe, let us return to our verse, to the matter of the wicked Bilaam. The three elements in this verse correspond to three periods

12:04 during the month of Tishrei: the time of Rosh Hashanah, then the time of Yom Kippur, and then the time of Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres. The three elements in the verse correspond to these three periods. By way of introduction, as the matter is explained: To understand the nature of the wicked Bilaam, who stood in opposition to Moshe Rabbeinu as his counterpart on the side of evil. Regarding the verse “Never again did a prophet arise in Israel like Moshe,” written at the end of the Torah, saying that there was no prophet like Moshe Rabbeinu, the Gemara says: In Israel, among the Jews, none arose; but among the nations of the world, one did. And who was that? Bilaam. So Bilaam was on the same level—on the side of evil, of course, on the negative side—but on the same level as Moshe Rabbeinu. The Midrash gives an analogy of two people who moved about in the king’s palace: there is the minister, who knows what goes on in the palace, and there is the cook, who also moves about in the palace. Of course, they are two completely different people: one is the minister and the other is the cook, but both move about in the king’s palace. So it was with Bilaam and Moshe Rabbeinu. For daas is found in both of them. Moshe Rabbeinu had supernal daas. Moshe Rabbeinu, the faithful shepherd—his level was that of daas. Bilaam, too, is described as one who “knows the knowledge of the Most High”; he, too, had daas. The difference is as great as could be: with Moshe Rabbeinu,

13:32 it was daas on an exalted level, holy daas, while with Bilaam, G-d forbid, daas was the opposite: daas of the opposing side, daas of kelipah. What does this mean? Chassidus explains: What is daas? And what must we learn from it about the matter we are discussing here—how we should look at Jews? Chassidus explains that daas means recognition and feeling. Daas is not a matter of understanding. Understanding belongs to chochmah and binah; daas is recognition and feeling. This is something much deeper and subtler, because it cannot be put into the words of an explanation. It is a kind of sense, a recognition and feeling that lets a person perceive and grasp something far more subtle. There are things that cannot be explained in words. You cannot see them, and you cannot spell them out. But someone with the power of daas, of recognition and feeling, penetrates inward and sees the point, the hidden point, revealing it and bringing it out from concealment into the open. And there lies the difference between Moshe Rabbeinu and, in stark contrast, the wicked Bilaam. Moshe Rabbeinu, who had holy daas, looked at Jews and saw the Jewish essence within them. He saw the goodness, holiness, and warmth that

15:01 are present in every Jew. A Jew might, for that matter, be a sinner and a wrongdoer. When you stand and look at him and see his conduct, it is not good at all. He has not behaved as he should. But Moshe Rabbeinu, who had a good eye, looked at him with his power of daas, his power of recognition and feeling, and sensed the true goodness, the Jewish essence, the holiness and purity within that Jew—even if he was, G-d forbid, the greatest wrongdoer and the lowliest of the low. He looked at him and saw his true Jewish essence. With that gaze, with the good eye Moshe Rabbeinu had, he drew out the good that was hidden and brought it into the open. In this way, he always spoke in defense of Jews. When we read in the Torah about the sin of the Golden Calf and the sin of the spies, in the most difficult times, when it seemed that the Jews’ conduct was not good at all, Moshe Rabbeinu, with his good eye, immediately perceived the good within them and awakened their Jewish essence. And through this he [unclear]. This was Moshe Rabbeinu’s distinction; this is holiness. In stark contrast, the wicked Bilaam also had this ability, but at the opposite extreme. He had

16:28 an evil eye, as the Mishnah says in chapter five. And because he had an evil eye, his perception and feeling always led him to see and search for the bad point, the undesirable point, in another Jew. When he saw another person, even if that person’s conduct was fine and good, he looked for where his weakness lay. And among Jews, he searched for where he could find the bad in them. He had a sense and a feel for it, and he drew it out from concealment into the open. This is what we see in Parshas Balak, in the account of Bilaam: Bilaam was constantly looking for all sorts of things that might expose a weakness among the Jews. He went here and there, said this word and that word, trying to find their weak point and draw it out. That is why he advised Balak about the daughters of Midian, idol worship, and all those things. He was constantly trying to find where he could seize upon a weakness in them and bring that bad out from concealment into the open. This is the greatest contrast between the kelipah of Bilaam and, in stark contrast, the holiness of Moshe Rabbeinu. And this ability Moshe Rabbeinu

17:49 passed on to every Jew. The Alter Rebbe says in Tanya that Moshe Rabbeinu, who possessed this holiness, is the faithful shepherd of Israel, and he passed on the power of daas to every Jew so that each one could find the good and holy point within himself—the opposite of the wicked Bilaam. This is also the nature of the accusing Satan. When the days of judgment arrive and there is an accusing Satan, [unclear], the nature of these accusations is the evil eye, which notices the bad and brings it out from concealment into the open. And here, this is the avodah required of Jews. Therefore, during the days of judgment, in the months of Elul and Tishrei, the work Jews do on themselves is to be like Moshe Rabbeinu: to have this holiness, to recognize and feel the good in a Jew, to see his virtues and bring them out from concealment into the open. As we have heard many times in the Rebbe’s sichos during the months of Elul and Tishrei, how much this matters, how important and precious it is—throughout the year, and especially at this time of Elul and Tishrei—to reveal the virtues of the Jewish people, to speak of their kindness, to uncover and bring out from concealment into the open the goodness, holiness, warmth, and preciousness found in Jews, to reveal all this, and

19:15 thereby speak in defense of Jews. This is the main avodah required of us in these days: when we share words of Torah for Rosh Hashanah, when we seek to awaken Jews, when we are in a time of teshuvah, we must emphasize the virtues of the Jewish people and thereby inspire teshuvah—not, G-d forbid, the opposite, as was Bilaam’s approach, in stark contrast. According to this, there are three levels in this interpretation of the avodah required of us now, and consequently also Above, measure for measure. When a Jew acts this way, he arouses conduct Above in the same way. And there are three stages to this. The first is, “Hashem your G-d did not wish to listen to Bilaam.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu, out of His compassion and love for Jews—and that is the meaning of “Hashem your G-d”: the name Havayah signifies compassion, and “your G-d” means your own G-d—the first level, stemming from Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s attribute of compassion, is that He “did not wish” to listen. Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not want to listen to the accuser at all. An accuser comes and wants to point out weaknesses, to emphasize a weakness in a Jew, to say perhaps a word that, G-d forbid, suggests the opposite of the virtues of the Jewish people—and Hakadosh Boruch Hu says, “I do not wish to. I do not want to hear what you have to say at all.” As the Tzemach Tzedek writes in a maamar on this verse, there is a well-known story that took place in the days of the Baal Shem Tov. He tells the story there.

20:49 In his days, there was a time of accusation in the judgment Above. When the Samech-Mem came with grave accusations against Jews, G-d forbid, it was not a time to summon him and argue with him. Instead, they drove him away from every level. They pushed him—“not there”—pushed him farther and farther out, until they had sent him far away. “He was unwilling”—Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not want to hear his claims and drove him away completely. This is the avodah of Rosh Hashanah. On Rosh Hashanah, a Jew stands in a state of devotion to Hakadosh Boruch Hu and does not want to deal with undesirable matters at all. On Rosh Hashanah, specifically, we do not mention undesirable matters. We do not speak about transgressions, teshuvah, or sins. On Rosh Hashanah, we do not yet mention sins or transgressions at all. A Jew says, “Our Father, our King, we have no king but You,” and gives himself over to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He does not want to hear about anything else. The same applies to speaking in favor of the Jewish people. On Rosh Hashanah, a Jew places himself in a state in which his whole concern is to speak in their favor. As is well known, it is explained and quoted in the name of the Rebbe Maharash that hundreds and thousands of angels wait on the night of Rosh Hashanah for one Jew to wish another, “May you be written and sealed for a good year.” Through this, the greatest spiritual blessings, the greatest abundance, and the greatest blessings are drawn down. As he goes on to say,

22:18 the angels know that Hakadosh Boruch Hu longs to hear praise of the Jewish people. Hakadosh Boruch Hu, so to speak, waits to hear their praise even more than He waits to hear the words of tzaddikim. When a Jew stands on Rosh Hashanah in a state of uplift, setting aside his own will and giving over his desires to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and does not look unfavorably at another Jew or see fault in anyone—on the contrary, he sees only the good and gives himself over to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, asking Him to help—he thereby merits “Hashem your G-d was unwilling”: Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not want to hear the accuser’s words at all and drives him away from every level. Then Yom Kippur arrives, and here the avodah is on a higher level. It is not only that “He was unwilling.” “He was unwilling” means: I reject these things, but they still exist. I do not listen to them; they do not concern me; they are thrown out. But a certain reality still remains here, and it could come up again. Then Yom Kippur arrives, the time of teshuvah, when a Jew recites confession and, through teshuvah out of love, transforms deliberate sins into merits. This is the theme of Yom Kippur, the theme of the incense. As is well known and explained in Chassidus, among the ingredients of the incense there is even something that comes from a non-kosher animal. Myrrh, as the Alter Rebbe cites in Biurei Berachos, comes from a non-kosher animal. And with this, he brought out the verses.

23:43 This is the transformation in the incense, the central avodah of Yom Kippur in the Holy of Holies. The avodah of Yom Kippur is that deliberate sins become merits for him. This rises above “Hashem your G-d transformed the curse into a blessing for you”: not only does the curse become a blessing, but Hakadosh Boruch Hu changes it so that a transformation takes place. The avodah of meals and Ahavas Yisroel is to take even [unclear] and transform [unclear]. One takes even [unclear] and transforms deliberate sins into merits. And this reaches still higher, when deliberate sins are transformed into merits. Here, the meaning is not simply “transformed,” but “transformed.” The first level of “transformed” is the attribute of mercy, which seeks to extend downward [unclear]. This is a level of bittul, but something opposed to it still exists. And more than that: “transformed” is the attribute of mercy, for it is known that there are several levels in the name Havayah. Chassidus discusses [unclear] how the name Havayah is the attribute of mercy. Above that is abundant mercy, a level beyond the attribute of mercy. And when deliberate sins are transformed into merits, the Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya that this happens through teshuvah out of love: because the thirst comes specifically from having been distant, specifically from having been in a parched land and the shadow of death, [unclear], deliberate sins are transformed into merits. This is what is missing from “transformed”—“the curse into a blessing.” Here, deliberate sins are transformed into merits; they become merits, in a way even deeper than ordinary merits. This is the avodah of Yom Kippur. But that is not enough. What must we do after that?

25:33 We must do [unclear]. That is already a transformation. But ultimately, it is still something that must be nullified and transformed. There is something deeper: the essential bond between Jews and Hakadosh Boruch Hu, which is altogether above deliberate sins and the nullification of those sins. In other words, even when the animal soul and the kelipah are completely nullified, effort is still involved. There is the very essence of a Jew’s soul, which is one with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This is above “transformed.” What is the third level? When we arrive at Shemini Atzeres, Simchas Torah, and Sukkos in general—the time of joy—after all of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, then the essential love of Jews for Hakadosh Boruch Hu and of Hakadosh Boruch Hu for Jews is revealed. It has no connection to any of that. It has nothing to do with the yetzer hara or the animal soul; it involves no effort and no deliberate sins. Nothing needs to be transformed. There are no deliberate sins here at all, only Jews alone with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. As is well known, Shemini Atzeres is “Israel and the King alone together.” Jews alone with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, without anything [unclear]. And what does the Torah say in Parshas Vayigash about Yosef? Yosef Hatzaddik—“Yosef could not restrain himself,” and “No one stood with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers.” No one was there when Yosef revealed himself to his brothers. This refers to Shemini Atzeres. Then “Israel and the King alone together” is fulfilled: Yosef and his brothers—the Jewish people, Knesses Yisroel—together with the Shechinah. “No one stood with him”—accusers do not enter there [unclear]. This is revealed through the—

27:21 joy of Shemini Atzeres. Then “Israel and the King alone together” is fulfilled: the essential love of Hakadosh Boruch Hu for Jews. This is the third level, above “transformed.” It is the very essence of the blessed Ein Sof, Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself together with Jews, when the souls of the Jewish people are one with Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself. This exists and is revealed at the time of joy, on Sukkos and Simchas Torah. And as the Torah tells us [unclear], it comes specifically [unclear]. We must know that when a Jew places himself in such a state of Ahavas Yisroel—loving another Jew as he is, revealing his essential love for another Jew, and revealing [unclear] to another Jew—then we speak [unclear] of the Jewish people. Through this, we are treated from Above measure for measure: not only “Hashem your G-d transformed the curse into a blessing for you, because Hashem your G-d loved you,” but the essential love of Hakadosh Boruch Hu for us, and ours for Him, is revealed. Through this, we are certain and assured that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will write and seal all of us for every good decree and blessing, materially and spiritually. May this year be a year of Geulah, a year of salvation, and may it happen soon in our days, amen—the true and complete Geulah through Moshiach Tzidkeinu.