Explanations of the Prayer - Hodu - Part 13

00:00 Speaker 1 Every day. [unclear], what does it mean that there is another judgment every day? Isn’t there already a judgment on Rosh Hashanah? On Rosh Hashanah, we are judged as to what influence will be drawn down to a person, but that is on a spiritual level, in Atzilus. Afterward, every day there is a new judgment: what will be drawn down here into this physical world. Now he explains that for any influence to come from Atzilus and descend into this physical world, it has to pass through various stages, much as we see with a person. A certain thing arises in a person’s will, and from there it takes a whole process before he actually does it. First he has to think about it. There is a give-and-take: Is it worth doing or not? It has to reach the emotions. At each point there is a new give-and-take; every stage of descent brings a new deliberation: Should it be brought down further, or should it remain there and go no farther? From the emotions to thought, from thought to speech, and then to action—each time there is a new reckoning, a new deliberation over whether to bring that power down. But this applies when the action is not connected with pleasure. If there is pleasure in it, there is no need for that. Once a person takes pleasure in something, pleasure is such a powerful force, so far beyond limitations, that it reaches down very quickly, without deliberation, from the higher intellectual and emotional faculties all the way to the lowest level. That is what he wants to explain. He brings the verse “Day unto day utters speech,” connecting it there with various verses about the words of tzaddikim: “His word runs swiftly.” The words of tzaddikim bring about an influence from beyond the order of hishtalshelus. And therefore, since it

01:52 Speaker 1 comes from beyond the order of hishtalshelus, it arrives in this way because of the pleasure within it. The influence comes without delays, without accusations—at the very time we call, immediately. So that is the meaning of what we say here: “Hashem, save us; may the King answer us on the day we call.” “On the day” means on that very day, at that very moment: the answer should come together with the call. It is like “Before they call, I will answer,” where the answer comes together with the request, and even before the request. Here it says “on the day we call”: it should not have to pass through all the accusations and the entire sequence of deliberations. Rather, as soon as we call, the answer should come immediately from Above. That is our request—that Hakadosh Boruch Hu answer us immediately. Also, when it comes immediately, it comes without measure or limit. When it comes through deliberation, there are constrictions as well. It does not descend through the whole order of hishtalshelus; it arrives “on the day we call,” without all that deliberation. So it descends abundantly, without accusations along the way. I once heard a saying about “Hashem, save us; may the King answer us on the day we call.” People used to say it this way. I don’t remember now where the saying came from. It was a Chassidic saying that circulated among chassidim: the meaning of “Hashem, save us” is that “the King” refers to the Rebbe. We ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu that the King—that is, the Rebbe—“answer us on the day we call.” We ask for things; a chossid writes to the Rebbe with a request, asking for what he needs. So “may the King answer us on the day we call”—may the Rebbe answer us and give us the response when we ask. That is why it says, “Hashem, save us; may the King answer us.” There is also an explanation involving a supernal unification. All right, we won’t go into that; let’s continue. So, just one more saying

04:02 Speaker 1 about “answer us on the day we call.” It is a good saying that relates to the Geulah of Moshiach. The Gemara relates that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked Moshiach, “When will you come?” He answered, “Today.” The day passed, and Moshiach had not come. So he asked, “What happened? What did you mean by ‘today’?” “Today, if you heed His voice.” If you heed His voice, it will be today. But if not—so that is the meaning. Chassidus explains accordingly that this is the meaning of “Hashem, save us on the day we call”: it should be today. People start making calculations about “immediately.” “Today, if you heed His voice”—he told him “today.” In other words, the Rebbe always says that a Jew’s request must always be accompanied by confidence that it will be today, without calculations. If the day passes and it has not happened, then there are explanations. But from the outset, one’s faith and confidence must be that it will be today. That is the meaning of “Hashem, save us on the day we call.” We ask that it be today, that it not be put off, with any excuses, to another day or another time. Then it says: “Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them and lift them up forever.” Yes, we are saying here that all these verses are requests. We ask that all these things—all the revelations of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and everything else—be things we see tangibly, with our physical eyes. That is the idea of Moshiach. So he says, “Save Your people.” We are speaking about “save.” What is the salvation we are asking for? What kind of salvation do we seek? He explains it in detail: “Save Your people.” We ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu to save “Your people”—the people of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the Jewish people. “And bless Your inheritance”: draw down blessing. Blessing can be given to “Your inheritance.” “Your inheritance.”

06:03 Speaker 1 That refers either to the Jewish people, who are called “Your inheritance,” or to Eretz Yisroel, which is also “Your inheritance.” This week’s parsha, Parshas Lech Lecha, has the whole theme of “Go forth from your land.” The inheritance—“Your inheritance”—refers to Eretz Yisroel. So “bless Your inheritance” means that blessing and all these things should be drawn down into Eretz Yisroel as well. That is why, over the years, whenever the Rebbe spoke about matters concerning Eretz Yisroel and settling the land, the Rebbe would ask for the niggun “Save Your People” to be sung. The Rebbe spoke about it several times too. As for the niggun “Save Your People” in general, during the first twenty years after the niggun was introduced in the year... it was sung a great deal. The Rebbe would often sing this niggun in connection with the Jews of Russia. “Save Your people” referred to the Jews of Russia. Later, when the problems over the territories in Eretz Yisroel began, they came to the Rebbe and sang it then too. The Rebbe also began singing “Save Your People” in connection with Eretz Yisroel. “Save Your people” refers to the Jewish people, and “bless Your inheritance” refers to Eretz Yisroel. Although, in a general sense, “Your inheritance,” Eretz Yisroel, also refers to the Jewish people. “And shepherd them and lift them up forever.” What does “shepherd them and lift them up forever” mean? Two things: “Shepherd them” means an inner form of influence—giving us everything we need. Like a shepherd who looks after his flock and makes sure they have everything. “Lift them up” means to elevate them, to raise them above everything. So on the one hand, “shepherd them.” According to Chassidus, what is the difference? “Shepherd them” is a more inward influence: the things we need to receive inwardly, whether in the material realm—children, life, and sustenance—or in the spiritual realm of Torah and mitzvos.

07:47 Speaker 1 Spiritual influence is an inward influence. “Shepherd them” is like the faithful shepherd, imparting it inwardly. By contrast, “lift them up” is an influence that comes in an encompassing way. “Lift them up” is an expression of elevation, and a nasi is a head; that is more connected with influence in an encompassing way. It is the influence of the nasi of the Jewish people. There are two kinds of influence: influence as a shepherd and as a nasi. There is the Rebbe as shepherd, who imparts inwardly, who teaches Torah; and the Rebbe as nasi. A nasi is a head, who brings about a more encompassing influence. And for us, in Chabad, he is both shepherd and nasi—both qualities, encompassing and inward. That is what we ask for here: both “shepherd them” and “lift them up forever,” without change, without interruption. Interestingly, there is a tape, a video, where you can hear the Rebbe singing this niggun in 5749 as well. The Rebbe sings it, and you can hear how the Rebbe says “forever.” The Rebbe says... yes, and there is a place where you can hear the Rebbe say “shepherd them and lift them up beyond the world.” But what is written there is “forever”; it is all here. The Rebbe actually spoke about this. I remember the sicha. It was on 4 Teves 5749 that the Rebbe spoke about the verse “Save Your people.” The Rebbe connected it with the verse that precedes it in Tehillim, “He is the strength of the salvations of His anointed one.” After that we say, “Save Your people and bless Your inheritance.” So first we ask for “the strength of the salvations of His anointed one,” the Geulah of Moshiach. Once Moshiach comes, only then will all that follows in these verses take place. Then it says, “Our soul waits for Hashem; He is our help and our shield.” We... These are several verses that come from one place. “Our soul...”

09:48 Speaker 2 “For in Him...”

09:49 Speaker 1 “Our soul waits, for in Him…” In Tehillim 185, at 81. 84, no? 84, yes. 85. 85. Those three verses. “Our soul waits for Hashem; He is our help and our shield. For our hearts rejoice in Him, for we have trusted in His holy name.” Yechezkel, huh?

10:08 Speaker 2 [unclear].

10:10 Speaker 1 Training. Oh, no, no, then I’m mistaken. I was mistaken.

10:18 Speaker 2 Tas.

10:19 Speaker 1 Tas is only one verse.

10:22 Speaker 2 Chas.

10:23 Speaker 1 Ah, Chas, yes. We can give them that. Yes.