Bayis - A Person's Home - Part 7

00:00 The continuation to the earlier installment where we discussed the Rebbe's insights on the woman i-in the house, the homemaker, and what role she plays. We now continue with installment number seven, discussing the lesson from a sabbatical year and the sacred and spiritual atmosphere that is implemented by the woman in her home. The mitzvah in regards to sabbatical year is stated in the beginning of Parshas Behar towards the end of Chumash Vayikra. We'll read here the English translation of some of the verses. "When you enter the land that I as-assign to you, the land should observe a Shabbos of Hashem, Shabbos Hashem. Six years you may sow your field, and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in the yield. But in the seventh year, the land shall have a Shabbos of complete rest, a Shabbos of Hashem. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard." The question that our and the Rebbe elaborated on this many times is why is the order of this commandment in such a manner that first when you enter the land that I assign to you, the land should observe a Shabbos of the Lord? Then it discusses the six years of labor, and then again the seventh year should be a Shabbos. Why does it begin immediately with a Shabbos, that when you enter the land, the land shall observe a Shabbos? So the Rebbe explains that this teaches us that even the six years that come before the seventh year, they should all be

02:12 permeated with the seventh year, with the theme of the seventh year. Which means that although a person is laboring and toiling on his land for six years, he's involved in earthly matters, physical matters. Nevertheless, the goal of all this is the seventh year, the year that is a spiritual year, a sacred year, a year that he can devote more time to Torah, as the commentaries explain it on the Chumash. Likewise, in regards to the conduct of the house, and in the same sense, this is reflected every week. The six days of the week are permeated with the ultimate goal, which is Shabbos. And here the Rebbe derives from this in regards to the personal home of every family. And in the same sense, the Rebbe says this is also a directive to every Yid in his own land. As mentioned earlier, when you enter the land, the land means the house, the ownership, and especially for the , the homemaker. It is the homemaker in which is dependent the setting of the house, the spirit, the atmosphere of the entire house. According to the , according to the structure of life, it is necessary that in the Jewish home there should be an investment of energy, exertion on things which, when a person looks at them with his flesh eyes, he does not see any holiness. The house needs to be clean in its simplest terms. Everything taking place in the house has to be with a system, with an order, in a very orderly

04:38 fashion. The items in the house need to be positioned on their appropriate place and so on. And all this is related and connected with the , with the conduct of the house, which on the surface we don't see the difference between a Jewish house and a non-Jewish house. Nevertheless, it is demanded from a Yid and expected that every Yid should make sure that his house should be different, and not only on Shabbos and Yom Tov, but also in the weekdays and in the mundane matters. The to this, it would be noteworthy to mention a long response that the Rebbe wrote to a person who was in Yechidus, in private audience together with his wife in regards to certain issues that they had. And the Rebbe writes as follows, "In reference to what was discussed while they were," speaking about in the third person, the husband and wife in Yechidus in my room. The Rebbe continues, surely that the conduct has to be based on the directives of our sages, and that is for the benefit of the person, not only the spiritual benefit, but also the physical benefit of the person. And since our sages have stated that when it comes to worldly matters, a person also has to take in consideration the opinion of the wife. Therefore, when it comes to the conduct and to matters that relate to the house, fixing the house, et cetera, it needs to be also based on the opinion of his wife. And understandably, that it needs to

06:55 be done with joy since this is the directive of our sages. And definitely, the path to pressure the wife that she should forcibly agree on what she did not wanna agree, the Rebbe says this is not the path how to do it, how to accomplish in the house. And the Rebbe adds, it is also poshet that the greatness of a true person is when he fulfills his mission and he conducts himself in a manner that brings about a nachas, a pride to the people in the family and his environment. And not to try to jump over the second person in regards to secondly, secondary matters, in regards to secondary ma-matters or the looks of the house, beauty of the house. And then the Rebbe continues and concludes that he should speak with his wife and explain to her that he's doing all this with joy and gladness of the heart, and that in his spare time, he will try to help her in the matters of the house, and he should also exert himself to speak with his children, discuss with them what they learnt, et cetera. Im yirtze Hashem, in the next installment, we will discuss the Rebbe's insights on the uniqueness of the kitchen.