Parshas Ki Tisa, Shabbos Parah 5786 - Vayechal Moshe and Parah Adumah - Transforming bitter into sweet

00:00 In 5751, there was the great war known as the Gulf War. At the time, Israel had an enemy whom those of us who lived through that period remember. His name was Saddam Hussein. He was the leader of Iraq, and he said again and again that he wanted, G-d forbid, to wipe out the Land of Israel. He said all sorts of terrible things against the Land of Israel and against the Jewish people. The Rebbe spoke at the time; there was a major sicha, and nothing can be added to what the Rebbe said about how to regard the situation. The Rebbe said, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps,” and, “A land upon which the eyes of Hashem your G-d are always set, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year,” and so on. There were rabbis then who spoke in a different language. They frightened people, saying there would be troubles and worries for Jews, that something was wrong and needed to be corrected. They spoke a different language, one of threats, which was, first of all, the opposite of speaking about the virtues of the Jewish people. Then came 17 Tammuz of that year, 5751, a few weeks before the war broke out. The world was in an uproar; everyone was talking about all sorts of things, all sorts of imaginings and predictions, threats and fears about what was going to happen. And the Rebbe spoke in a sicha. On 17 Tammuz, the Rebbe would customarily deliver words of inspiration. After Minchah, the Rebbe delivered a very powerful sicha and spoke of the praises of the Jewish people. Among the things the Rebbe spoke about then was a theme he continued afterward, on Shabbos Vayechi and for several more weeks, Shabbos after Shabbos. In a very powerful sicha, the Rebbe spoke about the praises and virtues of the Jewish people. It was deeply moving to see that expression of Ahavas Yisroel, the love and preciousness seen in every Jew—and not only in Jews, but in every person—even in a Jew who is far from observing Torah and mitzvos. These were very powerful words, because they reached

02:16 this point. One of the points I remember the Rebbe speaking about then was this: In the wording of the Selichos for 17 Tammuz, we say only the opening verses. They bring the verses “Redeem Israel, O G-d, from all his troubles” and “And He will redeem Israel from all his sins.” This is a combination of two verses, from chapters 25 and 130 of Tehillim. First it says, “Redeem Israel, O G-d, from all his troubles,” and then, “And He will redeem Israel from all his sins.” The Rebbe asked: Shouldn’t the order be reversed? First should come teshuvah. “And He will redeem Israel from all his sins”—that is teshuvah. Only afterward should we ask, “Redeem Israel, O G-d, from all his troubles.” The Rebbe says: No, the wording is specifically in this order. The wording we say in Selichos, and then in Tachanun according to our nusach—we say it every day at Shacharis and Minchah—begins, “Redeem Israel, O G-d, from all his troubles.” With Jews, this is understood: the first thing, the Rebbe says, must be “from all his troubles.” Then comes “And He will redeem Israel from all his sins,” and then we do teshuvah. From there, the Rebbe began to speak about the praises of the Jewish people in general. Every Jew is a descendant of Yaakov Avinu. Of every Jew it can be said, “His descendants are alive,” and because his descendants are alive, he too is alive. Every Jew carries within him a soul that is truly a part of G-d above, and that is his essential reality. All his troubles and worries are external things, an outer shell; they are not who he himself is. The Rebbe went on to speak very powerfully, with joy and song. The Rebbe said then that this generation is a generation of firebrands saved from the fire, and there is

04:16 a verse in Tanach about Yeshayahu the prophet, in which Yeshayahu said something even about Jews that was the opposite of praising them: “And I dwell among a people of impure lips.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu immediately sent an angel, who placed a burning coal on his lips, on his mouth, scorching him. This was so that he would do teshuvah for saying something that was the opposite of praising the Jewish people. And here, in the haftarah of Chaggai, there is a verse that uses the expression that every Jew is “a firebrand saved from the fire.” What does “a firebrand saved from the fire” mean? It means that our generation, which went through all the persecutions, threats and troubles—and “affliction will not arise a second time”—which went through the war and so on eighty years ago, is a generation in which every person is a firebrand saved from the fire. And Hakadosh Boruch Hu takes pride in those Jews who went through all these things, in their mesiras nefesh. Our work must be to reveal this through Ahavas Yisroel, by speaking in praise of the Jewish people. So the Rebbe continued to speak in their praise and cited the way Moshe Rabbeinu acted: even when the Jews committed the sin of the Golden Calf, instead of coming and shouting and delivering words of rebuke, Moshe Rabbeinu did the opposite—he highlighted their virtues. And through this, Moshe Rabbeinu merited that Hakadosh Boruch Hu

05:44 would atone and forgive, saying, “I have forgiven, as you have said.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu atoned for the Children of Israel who had sinned. And the Gemara says in tractate Avodah Zarah that “Israel were not suited to commit that act.” In other words, the Children of Israel have no real connection to what happened with the sin of the Golden Calf; it all happened only to reveal in them the power of teshuvah and raise them to higher levels in serving Hashem. That is how it was then, and “those days are recalled and reenacted.” That is why we are sitting here: to revisit those themes. When we speak in praise of the Jewish people and reveal their virtues, that is the greatest protection: that “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” will be fulfilled for the Children of Israel; that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will protect them; that all the Children of Israel will be healthy and strong; and that there will be no harm whatsoever, G-d forbid—only blessing and success, and good health for all the Children of Israel. Especially in the Land of Israel, may what the verse says be fulfilled: “You will lie down with none to make you afraid,” “I will grant peace in the land,” and “I will lead you upright,” together with the complete Geulah through our righteous Moshiach. And this week in particular has a special combination: we have Parshas Ki Sisa, and this year it is also Parshas Parah. In his maamarim, the Rebbe speaks about these parshiyos and explains the connection between Parshas Ki Sisa and Parshas Parah: both reveal the virtues of the Jewish people. The sin of the Golden Calf takes place in Parshas Ki Sisa, and there we find that Moshe Rabbeinu turned things around.

07:18 That is Moshe Rabbeinu’s greatness: he transformed darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness. He transformed a situation in which bitter things had happened, with accusations against the Children of Israel, G-d forbid. Moshe Rabbeinu was able to turn the bitter into sweet for them. Similarly, there is the same idea with the Red Heifer. The Red Heifer is associated with Moshe’s name because Moshe Rabbeinu merited this. With the Red Heifer, too, impurity is transformed into purity: through it, he brings a person from impurity to purity. This is transforming darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness: even from the impurity of contact with the dead comes purity, and this is associated with Moshe’s name. And regarding the passage, [unclear] the waters were bitter, and they could not drink the bitter water. [unclear] He had to take a tree that would turn bitterness into sweetness. That was what happened with the bitter waters. The verse continues: “And Hashem showed him a tree,” “and the waters became sweet.” The Midrash says that “showed him” also means “instructed him”: Hakadosh Boruch Hu taught him about the tree, or gave him the advice, how to take the bitter waters and make them sweet. And He told him that a time would come when he must know that this

09:36 would not succeed. And here, when the bitter situation arose, when they stumbled and fell into the sin of the Golden Calf, it was a bitter situation. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted, in the words of the verse in Tehillim, “He said He would destroy them”—Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted, G-d forbid, G-d forbid, [unclear] the Jewish people. But Moshe Rabbeinu stepped forward. Moshe Rabbeinu was the attendant of the Jewish people, and so he says that now bitterness can be transformed into sweetness. How does he transform it? How does he turn the bitter into sweet? He does it through the power of teshuvah, and the whole story of the sin of the Golden Calf is transformed from darkness into light and from bitterness into sweetness. That is the point of Moshe Rabbeinu’s words. Moshe Rabbeinu, the faithful shepherd of the Jewish people, does not look at you as you appear right now. He sees you as you are deep inside. Rashi himself brings a parable there: Moshe Rabbeinu says that you are not, G-d forbid, [unclear]; she is the betrothed, the bride of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, whom people saw with the maidservants and then slandered. That is why it was necessary to break the Tablets, to tear up the marriage contract, in order to reveal that she truly is the betrothed, the betrothed of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, [unclear]. In other words, Moshe Rabbeinu sees the inner virtue of the Children of Israel, and through this he transforms darkness into light and gives them the power of teshuvah. This idea is discussed in Chassidus, in the maamarim of the Tzemach Tzedek. The Rebbe mentions it at a farbrengen on Shabbos Parshas Ki Sisa, sixty years ago. That year marked one hundred years since the passing of the Tzemach Tzedek; in a few weeks, it will be one hundred and sixty years since his passing.

11:32 This is 3 Nissan. And the Rebbe says here, citing the words of the Tzemach Tzedek, [unclear] the words of the Tzemach Tzedek, that he discusses both the sin of the Golden Calf and the Red Heifer in these days. The two are connected, especially in Chitas, where we study them together. And so we come to the sin of the Golden Calf, in which Moshe Rabbeinu transformed darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness. This is the entire purpose of the soul’s descent below: to transform darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness. When a Jew descends below, when the soul comes into this world, it enters a world of darkness. The world is physical, full of kelipos and the sitra achra, as the early authorities write and as the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya. The Jew, though, is light; he has a soul. He has an illuminating soul, which is “the lamp of Hashem.” And he fulfills mitzvos, of which it is said, “A mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah is light.” So a Jew has the ability to transform darkness into light. He takes this world, with its compounded darkness—takes the darkness itself, with its kelipah and kelipas nogah—and uses it for a mitzvah. He takes physical things, which belong to kelipah, as the Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya, and turns them into objects of holiness, objects used for a mitzvah. In this way he transforms darkness into light, illuminates the world, and makes a dwelling place for Him, may He be blessed, in the lower realms. That is transforming darkness into light. And beyond that, he transforms bitterness into sweetness—through teshuvah. Even if, Heaven forbid, he has stumbled, and even stumbled in grave matters, in the sin of the Golden Calf, Moshe Rabbeinu nevertheless steps forward and reveals the

13:02 Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. He gives the Jews what enables them to reveal their hidden love and, through the power of teshuvah, to transform darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness—so that through teshuvah, the bitterness becomes sweet. This is the greatness and distinction of Moshe Rabbeinu. The Rebbe explained that this is like what we find with Nachum Ish Gam Zu, with whom he has a connection. Transforming darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness also applies to suffering and to undesirable events. As the story goes, Nachum Ish Gam Zu would say, “This too is for the good.” It says in Kabbalah that Nachum Ish Gam Zu had a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu’s soul. Nachum Ish Gam Zu, after all, said, “This too is for the good.” In other words, amid the bitterness, the darkness, the undesirable events, he saw the “this too is for the good.” He transformed the opposing darkness and made sweetness out of bitterness. That is what happened when they took his silver vessels, gold vessels, and precious stones and put earth in their place: he said, “This too is for the good.” That brought about the entire miracle that saved the [unclear] of his time. Nachum Ish Gam Zu received this quality from Moshe Rabbeinu. Where do we find it in Moshe Rabbeinu? The Midrash says that in the verse “for he, too, is flesh,” the word “for he, too” has the same numerical value as Moshe. It is a verse in Bereishis. Yes, that—

14:29 The Rebbe said of the verse “for he, too, is flesh, and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years” that the Hebrew word for “for he, too” has a numerical value of three hundred and forty-five—the same as Moshe Rabbeinu. Why is Moshe Rabbeinu alluded to specifically in that word? It is the same idea as “this too is for the good.” Even in things that outwardly appear bitter and dark, we find Moshe Rabbeinu’s quality: he transforms the “this too” and reveals the good. We saw this plainly with the sin of the Golden Calf. Likewise, when undesirable events involving concealment occurred, Moshe Rabbeinu revealed the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, transformed bitterness into sweetness and darkness into light, and brought light. This also connects to the Red Heifer, which carries the same message. There is a state of impurity—not just any impurity, but impurity contracted from a dead body. And with that impurity, by the laws of nature, [unclear]. As the Midrash says, even Moshe Rabbeinu’s face darkened when he heard about the impurity of a dead body [unclear]. As the Rebbe said there, this is what the Red Heifer brings out: “the heifer that is called by Moshe’s name.” Through the power of Moshe Rabbeinu, who also possessed the power of “this too is for the good,” even such impurity—the impurity of a dead body—can be transformed. Chassidus also explains this in terms of a person’s inner life: even a Jew

15:52 who has fallen to the lowest depths and reached the state of a meis mitzvah, as though he were completely dead, without any vitality in holiness, spiritual greatness, or Jewish life; he has reached the state of a meis mitzvah, completely cut off, Heaven forbid, from holiness—nevertheless, the mitzvah of the Red Heifer can reach him. Through a drop of living water, the living water that brings purification—“living water into a vessel”—when he connects to Moshe Rabbeinu, even a single drop of living water can turn him from impure to pure, free him from the impurity of death, and bring him back to life. This is what the Red Heifer is about. Once, at a farbrengen, the Rebbe gave a wonderful explanation of Rashi’s statement that the reason for the Red Heifer is connected to the Jews’ sin with the Golden Calf: “Let its mother come and clean up her child’s mess.” The Red Heifer is the cow, the calf’s mother. The Jews sinned with the Golden Calf, so they bring the Red Heifer, the calf’s mother, to clean up after it. The Rebbe asks: What a strange thing to say! What kind of expression is this? There is a cow and a calf, and something needs to be cleaned up. What does it mean? At first glance, the Red Heifer is a decree beyond reason, yet Rashi is telling us something here. And the Rebbe explains it in a way that turns our understanding completely around.

17:14 “Let its mother come and clean up” means that a mother, like a Jewish mother who loves her children, responds even when a child has stumbled, poor thing, and done something wrong. The father is angry and wants to shout at the child and punish him—but the mother comes and says: What do you want from him, the poor thing? It isn’t his fault at all; he didn’t do anything. It’s not his fault; his friends, they all [unclear]. In other words, the mother says the dirt is something external. “Clean up”—it needs to be wiped away. It isn’t who he is. Why are you giving that impression of him? He is a good child, a sweet child, a holy child. So what happened? A little dirt stuck to him. “Let its mother come”—the mother comes, “and clean up”—she wipes it away and says: Everything is fine; everything is good. The Rebbe says that the same applies here. The Jews stumbled in sin, [unclear], in the sin of the Golden Calf. Then the accuser comes and wants to make them out to be [unclear], and to cry out that Jews have committed such a sin, [unclear]. And [unclear], the holy advocate, [unclear]. This is the point that the nations of the world, the enemies of the Jewish people, keep making: “Ah, do you know where

18:23 the Red Heifer comes from? It comes from the sin of the Golden Calf.” To this we say: “Let its mother come and clean up.” There is a mother, and the mother says that it is something external; it can be wiped away. Every Jew is, in essence, pure, luminous, alive, and holy—truly a part of G-d above. This is the lesson of today’s parsha, which comes after the days of Purim, when we see “it was turned around.” The very same thing happened there. The Jews were at their lowest point: they had stumbled by “bowing to the image” and by “enjoying the feast of that wicked man.” The accuser, the wicked Haman, came to accuse them: “There is one people, scattered and dispersed among the peoples.” Then Mordechai the Jew came and revealed the “one.” He revealed “Go, gather all the Jews”—that Jews are always connected to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and that within the Jewish people there was self-sacrifice. Through this he brought about “it was turned around,” reversing the entire decree—“they ruled over those who hated them.” “And these days are remembered”