Bayis - A person's Home - Part 4

00:01 The hemshacha in continuation to the earlier installments on the concept of a home, a bayis, bayis Yehudi, a Jewish home. We now continue with installment number four, discussing additional insights from the Rebbe as of what are the values and the goal of a bayis Yehudi, a Jewish home for the entire family. In Nisicha Shabbos Parsha Vayeitzei, Tov Shin Yud Alef, late 1950, it was within the year of the Istalkos, the passing of the previous Rebbe. And on that Shabbos, seems like there was a ufru fanish, a chason was called up to the Torah in honor of the Shabbos before the wedding. And the Rebbe spoke on this event and connected it with the Parsha, Parsha Vayeitzei. In Parsha Vayeitzei, we learn benegea to Yankev Avinu as he left his parents in Be'er Sheva and he went to Choron to look for a shidach. And the lessons that we derive while he was on his way looking for a shidach, he stopped and he davened and connected with Hashem. And through this, he merited to raise a home of twelve tribes, twelve shvatim. So the Rebbe says this is something that is relevant also benegea to every chason and every kallah that plan to found a home, to establish a home, be Yisroel, that they have a special keyach from the previous Rebbe, that their house should be, as Yankev Avinu said in the Parshas Vayeitzei, yi yebeis elokim, it will be a house, a dwelling place for Hashem, a Jewish home, a warm home and

02:20 an illuminated home. And the Rebbe continues, a Jewish home needs to also be a warm home. Because at times, it could be that a Jewish home may be cold in the same sense that a Yid himself, a Jew himself may sometimes be cold in his attitude. And therefore, there needs to be warmth. In addition, it needs to be a lichtikes tub, an illuminated home, a home that illuminates the environment around her. And the keyach for all this is through pnimis hateira, through the inion of chsides that inspires the person and teaches the person how he can accomplish warmth and light around him. In Nesicha Tov Shin Nun Alef 1991, when the Rebbe was speaking about a home, the Rebbe said that a house is a greater size than a garment. A garment is made customarily for one person, a house is wider. And therefore, it also accomplishes a true broadness in the person. It seems that the Rebbe was referring to the famous quote from our sages that one of the three things that broadens the mind of a person is dir anoa, a beautiful home. A beautiful dwelling place is something that broadens the mind of a person. In Nesicha Tov Shin Mem Hei 1985, the Rebbe said the following. It says, you should make for me a mikdash, a sanctuary, and I will rest in them. It doesn't say in him. It says in them, which implies that this refers to every individual Yid, that Hashem dwells by every Yid. Which means that

04:46 every Yid needs to exert himself that his individual home should be a place for drawing down, inviting the Shechinah, godliness. Similar to the revelation that took place and was fulfilled in the Mishkan, in the sanctuary, when the V'shachanti B'seicham was fulfilled, that Hashem is dwelling in them. Likewise in the Beis HaMikdash, since the Beis HaMikdash, the temple, is also included in the commandment of the Osili Mikdash, that you should make a Mikdash, a sanctuary, a temple for me. And this also includes an eternal commandment benegea to every house of a Yid, an individual Jew, everywhere and at all times. Also in the time of exile and also outside of Eretz Yisroel. And surely in Eretz Yisroel, about which it is stated, That constantly the eyes of Hashem are upon the land from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. And the Rebbe says in simple words this means the matzias, the entry of every Yiddish that he was created to serve his creator. And since a very distinguished part and a very important part of the day, a person finds himself in his house, in his residence. The true meaning of a house and a residence is where the person finds himself with his whole essence. And the Rebbe says we also find it in Halacha, B'neger Toan Eilev, which should allow two domains to connect one to another, to allow them to carry from one to another, which is otherwise on Shabbos not allowed. So this is also based on

07:01 the place where the person makes his meal, where the person designates his sudar. This is what the Eilev decides. And the malev then, this becomes his dwelling place because this is where he is. So the Rebbe says, simply put, this means that the house of a Yid should become a meeting place for scholars, for hakhamim, a place of teida and also a house of tefila. The word tefila also is from the word tefu koheches. Tefu means gluing. He is glued, he is connecting to, he is attaching himself to Hashem. And this is by accomplishing that everything that is done in the house relates to tefila and brocha, prayer and blessing, request or thanking Hashem. In addition to the fact that a person says krishma shalamita in the house, through this the house becomes similar to a shul, similar to a study hall and beis medrash and a mikdash me'at, so similar to the beis hamikdash where sacrifices were offered. And the word karben, which means sacrifice, also means kirov, closeness, that a person brings all his keches, all his character traits, he elevates them and connects with Hashem.