This Possuk has two ideas which this Ma’amar develops in to three based on the Possuk ואשים דברי בפיך ובצל ידי כסיך לנטוע שמים וליסוד ארץ ולאמור לציון עמי אתה. The idea is that there is Torah which is Essence that is above the two ideas of Mitzvos and Tefilla. Torah is ציון. Mitzvos and…

Class One. This מאמר is מוגה. This מאמר begins typically enough but then turns on its head. (In this class we learned the beginning and the end of the מאמר. The middle we’ll do next time). The first explanation is: ציון are Yidden who stand out in Galus and deserve “משפט” redemption; while שבי’ה are…

The meaning of the recalling the Masei- the Journeys of the Jews as they left Egypt and traveled towards Eretz Yisroel. Two different Chassidic interpretations, provide different versions of these Pesukim, one based on the idea that the Journey is about elevating God’s world with Godliness and the second is about the “Yerida Tzorech Aliya”…

These Journeys set up all the Birurim in history. Though the desert has nothing to elevate (Birurim) and settle (Dira BiTachtonim), it is the defeat of the Shoresh of Klipa, so that the lesser Klipos can have an Aliya.

Class One. The classic discussion of Chassidus on this Possuk is repeated here. The journeys from Egypt and through the desert are ירידה צורך עלי’ה on two levels: 1) The Yidden have an Aliya. 2) They took along and elevated the sparks of Mitzrayim. Thus the departure is really taking Egypt along. Thus the reference…

This Ma’amar explains that the Torah is an eternal practical lesson and in that spirit the 42 journeys are explained. The life of the person and the day of the person have 42 journeys from leaving the exile and constraint of the womb and the bed until one reaches the highest levels. Each higher level…

מילי דחסידותא is the same idea as זה הדבר words bring the greatest holiness down! There are four types of Jews: רשע who corresponds with ‘עשי, the בינוני who corresponds to יצירה, then the צדיק who corresponds to בריאה, but even he is subject to imperfection (particularly as the word צדיק is used in the…

The difference between Yosef and his brothers (and -even- the Avos) highlights the reason why the בני גד ובני ראובן wanted land east of the Yarden to be pastoralists. This was due to their worldliness עובדי הוי’ בגופם which required them to choose a life far from the material world, as opposed to their brethren…