The 26th of Nissan: Yehoshua - part I

00:00 Today is the 26th day of Nisan. On this day, Yeshua bin Nun passed away. The Rebbe spoke on many occasions in regards to Yeshua and events in his lifetime and the lessons that we derive today. In one of the Sichas Parsha Kedeshim during the Fabregen in the year Tov Shin Dalad Mem 1984, the Rebbe said as follows, Before a person passes on, one cannot make a complete accounting of his life work. For even if most of his years have passed, he can still repent and change his ways. Only after a person has passed away can one measure and reckon the sum total of his service to Hashem. In our case, Yeshua was the one who received the Torah from Moshe. On a side note, the Rebbe in a Sicha in Tov Shin Mem Zayin 1987 explained that although the first recipient to whom Moshe relayed Torah, studied Torah with, was Aaron his brother. So how could we say that Yeshua is the one to whom Moshe gave over the Torah? So the Rebbe explains that this refers to the short time period before the passing of Moshe. It is then that Moshe relayed the Torah to Yeshua for the intention of passing on to the next generation. The Rebbe continues in the Sicha Parsha Kedeshim, which we just began reading from, and the Rebbe continued that Yeshua in turn passed it on to the elders who in turn passed it on to the prophets, thus perpetuating the chain of tradition for all generations. Although Elazar

02:27 and Pinchas also received the Torah from Moshe, nevertheless Yeshua was special in that he was the main one. In the words of the Rambam in his introduction to Mishnah Torah, he writes, And to Yeshua who was the disciple of Moshe Rabbeinu, Moshe passed on the oral Torah and commended him about it. The sum total of Yeshua's work then was his devotion to Moshe Rabbeinu, the concept of Torah, and to such an extent as it is told in regards to Yeshua that he did not move from the tent, the tent of Moshe. Although Yeshua was unique in his position of receiving and transmitting the Torah, we can learn from him for every Jew by nature wants that the Torah be given to him. In the words of Rashi in Chumash Devarim chapter 29 verse 3, On that day when Moshe gave the Sefer Torah to the children of Levi, all of Israel came before Moshe and they said to him, Moshe Rabbeinu, we too stood at Sinai and received the Torah and it was given to us. Why then do you give dominion over to the people of your own tribe? And Moshe rejoiced over this matter that the people longed for the Torah. As a result, Moshe when he blessed the Jews prefaced his blessings for each individual tribe with the words, The Torah that Moshe commended us is the heritage of the congregation of Yankiv. Thus today, the 26th of Nisan, the day when Yeshua passed on and the sum total of his work

04:21 receiving and transmitting the Torah is present, is an auspicious time for every Jew to increase in receiving the Torah. In a Sicha, Parshas Vo'era Tov Shin Mem Zayin, early 1987, the Rebbe discussed the first day of the leadership of Yeshua. And the Rebbe said as follows, Moshe Rabbeinu passed on on the 7th of Adar. And after the passing of Moshe, there was an extension of 30 days of mourning for Moshe. And then an additional three days of preparing to go into Eretz Yisrael. And they finally entered on the 10th of Nisan. So the Rebbe says all these days and weeks from the 7th of Adar till the 10th of Nisan is an extension of the time period of Moshe. And after that, the Rebbe says on Yud Alef Nisan, on the 11th of Nisan, began the leadership of Yeshua, the conquering that Yeshua accomplished.