Bayis - A person's Home - Part 14

00:01 The hemshach, in continuation to the earlier installments on the concept of a Bayis Yehudi, a Jewish home, we now continue with installment number 14, discussing additional insights of the Rebbe, where he elaborates on various aspects of the home, which our rimozim alluded to in the Hebrew name of a home, Bayis, or its minimum space, and likewise end their lesson. This reflects the unique quality what a home represents. We'll begin with a short story that took place in Yechidas in the year Tov Shen Chav Ches, 1968, as the story is relayed by Harav Sholom Ber Shapiro. Sholom Ber tells the following. It was around the time that we were getting married in Tov Shen Chav Ches. Chasanim were entering into Yechidas private audience by the Rebbe before the Chasana, and sometimes they went in on their own without the Kallah. The Rebbe would speak with the Chasan on various aspects. One night, a Chasan who I know entered into Yechidas, he's one of the Bachan Delunim 770, and generally the Yechidas were very short. But this time we paid attention that the Yechidas took a minute, five minutes, ten minutes, the Chasan is still in the room. We were puzzled and wondering from moment to moment for what reason is the Chasan, who was not a Rav at the time, who is not a activist in any way, he just went in to receive a Bracha from the Rebbe for the Chasana. How did he merit such a long Yechidas? The end, the Chasan went out

02:25 after 25 minutes. Over the course of the evening, after he calmed down from his raxious emotional state in which he found himself in, the Chasan agreed to reveal to me what took place in Yechidas. When I went in, the Rebbe received me with a smile, illuminated face, and began asking how are the preparations to the wedding, how are they going. I answered, Baruch Hashem, everything is in order. The Rebbe continued and asked, what did you prepare? I responded, I bought a table and chairs. And what else? The Rebbe asked. We bought kitchen furniture. And what else? The Rebbe asked. We bought furniture for the bedroom. And that's how the Rebbe continued and asked again and again over the course of long moments and in a very calm way. And what else? And every time I answered, we bought this or we set up something else, either it was for the house matters after the wedding or for the wedding itself, either it was the hall or the music and so on. And the Rebbe constantly asked, and what else? I specified every detail. I even added that as every Chasan, I bought a Sirtuk, I bought a Kapote. When it seemed like I didn't have anything else to answer on the Rebbe's questions, the Rebbe's face became serious and the Rebbe began speaking. And he said, when you build a Jewish home, you post a mezuzah on the door. The mezuzah is comprised of three factors. The mem, the zayin and vav, and the zayin

04:43 and hei. That is how the word mezuzah is spelled out. Mem, zayin, vav, zayin, hei. The mem refers to Torah. It is the written law that was given to Moshe Rabbeinu on Mount Sinai over the duration of 40 days and 40 nights. The oral law, Torah Shebal Peh, the Talmud, beginning from the Mishnah. The Mishnah begins in the Talmud with a mem, me'ema say Torah neshamah. And the Mishnah concludes at the end of the Talmud, Hashem yevarech es amei vasholim, concludes with a mem. So the Rebbe says this is the concept, the major factor, the mem, the inyan of the written law and the oral law. Then comes the zayin and vav. The zayin and vav, the Rebbe says, this is female, feminist. This is Knesset Yisrael. This goes on the Jewish nation. And is the woman in every house that she needs to make sure that the house should be full of Torah and open for guests as the house of Avraham Avinu. And finally, the inyan of zeh That refers to Hashem. As we say in the Shirah Sayam, in the song of the Split of the Sea, Zeh Keili Vanveu. Pointing with a finger. And the Rebbe concludes that when a man and woman are zecha, they merit Shechinah, the godly energy is found amongst them. And the Chason concludes and says that the Rebbe taught me what are the appropriate preparations for a chasunah and what are the foundations for building a Jewish home. In a sicha of Heishainarabe Tov Shin

06:56 Mem Tes, late 1988, the Rebbe speaks beneger to the house, that a house is a domain and a domain needs to be at least four amas by four amas. An ame is one and a half feet, so it's four times one and a half by four times one and a half. That is basically the basics of a domain, of a space for the person. So the Rebbe says the number four reflects the four letters of Shem Avaya, Hashem's name, which is Yud Keivavke. And therefore the Rebbe says since one reflects the other, when one looks at a house that has four amas by four amas, it reminds him the four letters of Hashem's name. In an additional sicha, Yem Simchas Teyla, one of the years the Rebbe speaks about that the beginning of the Teyla begins with the letter Beis, which symbolizes the union of Bayis. Beis is the abbreviation of Bayis, a house, and Binyan, a structure. And although the Beis is only one letter from the word Breishes, which is the first word in the Teyla, nevertheless it has a contents for itself. And that is, as it's referred to, as Beis. Beis, a Beis is spelled Beis Yud Sof, which means a house. The Talmud tells us in the tractate of Shabbos, in regards to the letters Aleph and Beis, that that symbolizes, implies the concept of Aleph Bino, teaching wisdom. And in Avedah Sa'adam this means that when a person studies Teyla, a Yid becomes a Balabos and is able to

09:17 make this world into a dwelling place for Hashem.