Connecting to the Tzaddik of the Generation

WHY WE NEED TO CONNECT TO THE TZADDIK OF THE GENERATION

On the 7th Adar, all fifty gates of holiness are opened. Everyone will merit to [get to] the 50th gate of holiness. The ikker (main point, essence) is to expand the mind. The Gemara is just stories, stories about Agrippas.

Just now, we read that if a person doesn’t know who the true talmid chacham in the generation is, if he doesn’t know who the Tzaddik of the generation is, if he doesn’t know who is raising up all the prayers – then he’s called an am ha’aretz, an ignorant person. Then, he’s called a boor.

> If a person isn’t connected to the Tzaddik of the generation, then Rabbi Yannai says that he is called a Cuthite.

If a person isn’t connected to the Tzaddik, then he’s called a Cuthite! Rabbi Acha Bar Yaakov says that he is called a sorcerer.

Rabbi Acha Bar Yaakov chopped the seven heads off a snake, that was in the yeshiva of Abaye. There was a snake there with seven heads, and who chopped them off? Ravvi Acha Bar Yaakov. He was a gilgul (reincarnation) of Yaakov Avinu…

WE NEED TO ATONE FOR THE SINS OF YAAKOV AVINU, WHO BOWED TO ESAV.

Yaakov’s biggest sin is that he bowed to Esav. It’s forbidden to bow to the Arabs, or to the Druze. It’s forbidden to bow to anyone. Bowing to Esav was the biggest sin of all….

Now, we have come to rectify the transgressions of Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov. Avraham said: “from what will I know, that I am to inherit it?”[1] And Yaakov married two sisters, so he had to return as Job, to atone for the fact that he took two sisters [in matrimony]….

Translated from the Shivivei Or Newsletter, #88

[1] Parshat Lech Lecha, 15: 8, when Avraham questions how he will know that his descendants truly will inherit the land of Israel.