Explanations of the Prayer - Hodu - Part 11

00:02 Speaker 1 Verses of mercy. After speaking about all the things Hakadosh Boruch Hu did in the past and what Hakadosh Boruch Hu will do in the future, and about Hashem’s greatness, he arouses mercy: that Hakadosh Boruch Hu should have mercy on us, and that all these things should already come to pass. So he begins, “And He, being merciful, forgives iniquity and does not destroy.” He speaks about the idea of “[unclear],” that Hakadosh Boruch Hu should not close the wellsprings of His mercy to the Jewish people, to us. After that, we need compassion again. But here we are speaking about arousing abundant mercy, that Hakadosh Boruch Hu should have mercy on us through this kindness and mercy. Then all the divine influence and kindness will be drawn down specifically to the Jewish people. So he continues, “Give strength to G-d; His majesty is over Israel, and His strength is in the heavens.” Now that mercy is drawn down to the Jewish people, that brings about “His majesty is over Israel.” We discussed this last week. “Give strength to G-d; His majesty is over Israel”—meaning that Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s greatness, His majesty, is drawn down specifically to the Jewish people and concerns them. In the same way, he now continues in the following verses, speaking about arousing Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s mercy so that the influence of that mercy will be specifically for us. Through this, Hakadosh Boruch Hu will forgive us for all the things that were not good and bestow upon us every blessing, everything good. So he quotes several verses that continue this theme. He says, “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries.” Here we’re up to this, right? Huh? Awesome. “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries; He gives strength and might to Israel, His people. Blessed be G-d.” The plain meaning of “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries” is that it speaks of how wondrous Hakadosh Boruch Hu is. “Awesome”—the greatness

02:30 Speaker 1 of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. “From Your sanctuaries” refers to the Beis Hamikdash. Yes, that is where it is revealed. After all, we are speaking here about Hakadosh Boruch Hu having mercy on us, and His divine influence being revealed specifically to the Jewish people. Yes, all this majesty—that Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s divine influence is specifically for the Jewish people, for them and not for the nations of the world. So “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries” means that the awesomeness, the wondrous greatness, of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed through the Beis Hamikdash, the place where His divine influence upon the Jewish people is revealed. As the Gemara says: Why were there lamps? Why did they light the lamps in the Beis Hamikdash? Does He need their light? Rather, it is testimony that Hakadosh Boruch Hu dwells among the Jewish people. The Beis Hamikdash was testimony to the whole world that the Shechinah dwells among the Jewish people. In other words, through the Beis Hamikdash, the Shechinah’s presence specifically among the Jewish people was revealed. So he says, “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries; He gives strength and might to Israel, His people. Blessed be G-d.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives strength and might—all the power, all the fortitude—to His people, the Jewish people. For this we say, “Blessed be G-d.” That is the plain meaning of the verse. Now there is also an interpretation brought in the Midrash. It appears in Rashi on the weekly parsha, I think. Possibly. “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries”—it was in this week’s Chitas. Does anyone here have a Chitas? I think “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries” was in Rashi this week. If I’m not mistaken, it was just in Rashi. One moment. “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries.” All right, so here I am.

04:50 Speaker 2 [unclear].

04:51 Speaker 1 Huh?

04:51 Speaker 2 [unclear].

04:52 Speaker 1 No, not in Chukas, I think. What was that? In Parshas Chukas.

05:01 Speaker 2 Somewhere on the side.

05:04 Speaker 1 Somewhere. He brings up “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries” there. In any case, we would have to look for it, and I don’t have time to look for it now and use up the time. But it is well known. It is also brought in Rashi earlier. In any case, the interpretation given there of “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries” is that “Your sanctuaries” means the tzaddikim. “Your sanctuaries” refers to tzaddikim. The meaning of “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries” is that when Hakadosh Boruch Hu judges the tzaddikim, His wondrous greatness is revealed: even “Your sanctuaries,” even tzaddikim. When people see that Hakadosh Boruch Hu judges even the tzaddikim, even people of such great stature, it brings about fear of Heaven. In other words, it brings about awe of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Even “from Your sanctuaries.” That is the interpretation in the Midrash: even “Your sanctuaries”—the Beis Hamikdash, or “Your sanctuaries,” the great tzaddikim. As Rashi brings up in connection with Nadav and Avihu, who were great tzaddikim, and nevertheless Hakadosh Boruch Hu judged them. What happened, happened: they were burned there and died. So that causes people to be in awe of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries”—specifically through the judgment of the holy ones and the tzaddikim, Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s exaltedness is revealed even more. Chassidus gives an interpretation of this. It says in Chassidus that the meaning is as follows: “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries; He gives strength and might to Israel, His people. Blessed be G-d.” There is a very deep meaning here: when Hakadosh Boruch Hu judges the tzaddikim—“from Your sanctuaries”—then through that He “gives strength and might.” That is precisely what gives strength to the Jewish

07:01 Speaker 1 people. What does that mean? It is like what the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya: when there is a tzaddik’s passing, it brings about “salvations in the midst of the earth.” Yes, he explains in Tanya, in the letters about a passing there, in chapters 27 and 28, that on the day of a tzaddik’s passing, a very great light is drawn down into the world, and this brings about “salvations in the midst of the earth.” So that is the meaning here as well: “Awesome is G-d from Your sanctuaries.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu judges the tzaddikim, and a tzaddik passes away. He should have continued to live, and nevertheless there is an act of judgment concerning him, a passing—“from Your sanctuaries,” concerning the tzaddik. It sounds like a passing, but the meaning is not, Heaven forbid, that something negative comes of it. On the contrary, through the judgment of the tzaddik, the Jewish people receive strength and might. This is the idea of “salvations in the midst of the earth.” Specifically through this, the Jewish people gain additional strength and encouragement. This is brought in Chassidus. And then we say, “G-d of vengeance, Hashem; G-d of vengeance, shine forth.” In other words, it all follows the theme of our request that the attribute of mercy be aroused for the Jewish people, and consequently that there be vengeance against those who trouble them. So we say: If G-d is awesome even “from Your sanctuaries,” then surely those who oppose the Jewish people and cause them trouble will receive punishment. And therefore we continue, “G-d of vengeance, Hashem; G-d of vengeance, shine forth”—that the G-d of vengeance should be revealed and take vengeance upon the nations for all they do to the Jewish people. After that it continues, “Rise up, Judge of the earth; repay the arrogant what they deserve.” That follows on from it: that Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the Judge of the earth, should be revealed and exalted, and then

09:06 Speaker 1 He will punish all the nations. So how does that follow from the mention of the Jewish people and what came before it? The preceding point is that when strength and might are revealed for the people, when Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives strength to the Jewish people—“He gives strength to Israel”—that is the whole idea of Moshiach. Moshiach will come, there will be a Geulah for the Shechinah, and the flow of blessing will go specifically to the Jewish people. At the same time, there will also be vengeance against the nations of the world. As it says, “And I and Your people shall be distinguished from every people on the face of the earth.” When Moshiach comes and there is a Geulah for the Jewish people, all those who interfered with them will be punished at that same time. On the contrary, Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s punishment of the nations and of those who interfered with the Jewish people will strengthen the whole world’s recognition of the Jewish people’s greatness. They will see that Hakadosh Boruch Hu exacts vengeance from all those who interfered with the Jewish people, caused trouble, and behaved improperly. These are the things that will happen when Moshiach comes. On the one hand, there will be vengeance against everyone who interfered with the Jewish people, and at the same time, the greatness of the Jewish people will be revealed. What, then, is the meaning of “G-d of vengeance, Hashem; G-d of vengeance, shine forth”? There is a teaching of our Sages in the Gemara: “Great is knowledge, for it was placed between two Names, and great is vengeance, for it was placed between two Names.” Knowledge appears between two Names in the verse, “For El is a G-d of knowledge, Hashem.” The word “knowledge” stands between El and Hashem. Likewise, vengeance appears between two Names. The Gemara says, “Great is knowledge, for it was placed between two Names.” The Gemara asks: If so, is vengeance great too? And it answers: Yes, vengeance too is something great, for it was placed between two Names. What does Chassidus say about

11:02 Speaker 1 this? Chassidus explains that daas, knowledge, is the middle path that connects two different modes. That is what daas is: a middle path that connects two extremes, connecting the world. This is the meaning of its appearing between two Names. “El De’os Hashem”: one Name is connected with all the peoples, and the other Name is connected with all the peoples. Daas is the middle path, connecting the most essential levels with the entire world. That is the meaning of daas. But what about vengeance? Why do we say that vengeance, too, appears between two Names, El and Hashem? There is an explanation in a sicha of the Rebbe. The Rebbe explains the meaning of “El, G-d of vengeance, Hashem.” As is well known from the maamarim—we learned this as well this year in 5734—the kelipos receive their vitality in two ways. There is the vitality they receive through many tzimtzumim: the flow is contracted again and again, enabling the kelipos to receive vitality. And they also receive vitality from the encompassing light, through the encompassing light that is above the order of hishtalshelus. So when we say “El, G-d of vengeance, Hashem,” meaning that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will take vengeance on the kelipos, destroy them, and nullify them, this happens in both respects: through the Name El and through the Name Havayah. These are the two Names connected with the two kinds of flow: a flow that comes through contraction and a flow that comes from the encompassing light. Through this vengeance, Hakadosh Boruch Hu will take vengeance on the kelipos in both ways. “G-d of vengeance, Hashem; G-d of vengeance, shine forth.” Now, why does the word “vengeance” appear twice? There is “G-d of vengeance,” and again, “G-d of vengeance.” There is also a Midrash that says there are two kinds of vengeance: vengeance for harm and vengeance for good. That is, there is vengeance in which Hakadosh Boruch Hu takes vengeance on the kelipos and nullifies their existence. That is vengeance for harm: He takes vengeance on the kelipos. And there is vengeance for good, in which Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives the Jewish people all the powers that are in the kelipos.

12:56 Speaker 1 That is called vengeance for good. So these are the two aspects of “G-d of vengeance, Hashem; G-d of vengeance, shine forth.” On the one hand, Hakadosh Boruch Hu will take vengeance on the kelipos and the nations. And this also has a spiritual meaning in prayer, in relation to the animal soul. It concerns the animal soul and the yetzer hara, which come to interfere with a person’s ability to have kavana during prayer. The animal soul and the yetzer hara come and accuse him, as we said earlier, and interfere with his prayer. So we ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu to take vengeance on the yetzer hara and nullify its existence, and to direct all the powers, sparks, and flow within them to the Jewish people. That is connected with the flow of blessing: “G-d of vengeance, shine forth.” But then it says, “Rise up, Judge of the earth.” The “Judge of the earth” refers to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, Who judges the earth. Hakadosh Boruch Hu will administer judgment. “Rise up, Judge of the earth” means that the Judge of the earth will be exalted, revealed in His exaltedness, and “repay.” As long as the Judge of the earth, which refers to the attribute of judgment, is present in a contracted form, that gives the kelipos vitality. When the attribute of judgment is present in the world, it provides the kelipah with a flow of vitality, giving it strength and reinforcement. But when the Judge of the earth rises up, when He is exalted, that is the exaltedness of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Then, “Repay the arrogant.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu will take vengeance on the nations. The nations here are the kelipos, the concept of kelipah. They are the arrogant. In a person’s avodah, this refers to the yetzer hara and the animal soul, the arrogance within. So “repay the arrogant” means that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will punish and nullify the existence of the nations, of the kelipah, of evil—of the non-Jew and of the animal soul’s inclination—and then we will be able to serve Hashem. Then, “Salvation belongs to Hashem; Your blessing is upon Your people forever.” It will then be revealed that salvation belongs to Hashem, that the salvation is His, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu will channel

14:49 Speaker 1 all the blessings and flows of blessing specifically to the Jewish people.