Parshas Pinchas - The Secret of Tikkun Chatzos and Weeping for the Shechinah

The Destruction of the Temple and the Illusion of Comfort

During the days of Bein HaMetzarim (the Three Weeks of mourning for the Temple), everyone sits on the floor, recites Tikkun Chatzos (the midnight lament over the Temple's destruction), and cries. One can even cry in the middle of the day, sitting on the floor and reciting Tikkun Chatzos. When the Three Weeks arrive, everyone sits on the floor, places ashes on their head, and cries like babies.

If a person truly knew what the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) was, he would cry and mourn every night at midnight, and not just during the days of Bein HaMetzarim. But almost no one feels its absence; almost no one feels they need the Beis HaMikdash. Everyone has cake at home, they have good food, they have drinks at home—they do not need the Beis HaMikdash. Baruch Hashem (Thank God), everyone feels fine until 120 years of age. However, there are those who do feel the lack of the Beis HaMikdash, and they cry every night while reciting Tikkun Chatzos.

The Roar of the Midnight Lions

Fifty years ago, all of Jerusalem would wake up for Chatzos (midnight prayer); it was an unbreakable rule. Now, people have become weak, and it is difficult for them to recite Tikkun Chatzos every night. But the real problem is that they also weaken others who do want to wake up for Chatzos, and this is the tragedy! Are you weak? Keep quiet! Sit on the side! Let your children wake up for Chatzos, let your students wake up for Chatzos—just keep quiet! Do not tell anyone that you are weak and cannot wake up at midnight.

From time immemorial until today, the nations of the world have sought to annihilate the Jewish people. There are constant harsh decrees, and there is no counsel or understanding to be saved from them other than through Tikkun Chatzos. We need the roars of midnight, as it is written, "He will roar mightily over His dwelling place" (Jeremiah 25:30). When we say the words "He will roar mightily" during Tikkun Chatzos, it casts fear upon all the nations of the world and upon all the wicked, preventing them from causing us any harm.

There are 370,000 spiritual lions in Heaven, and those who recite Tikkun Chatzos awaken these lions above. There are such mighty roars in Heaven that even the greatest evildoer can no longer do a thing. All the wicked tremble in sheer terror; with every single roar, an immense dread falls upon them all. With every roar, the wicked are shaken to their core and cannot move a hand or a foot out of sheer fear.

Awakening Mercy for the Captive Soul

A person must begin to awaken supernal mercy, to arouse compassion for his soul and spirit, crying out to Hashem, "What about my Godly soul?" He must awaken mercy over the fact that he has disconnected himself from the holy Name of Hashem, and that his soul has fallen into the ten crowns of impurity (the lowest depths of spiritual defilement). Now, his life-force comes from blemishes of the covenant (immorality), from inappropriate matters, from idle chatter—now, he is giving life to the palaces of the Sitra Achra (the Other Side, the forces of evil).

Through evil thoughts and spiritual blemishes, he gives power to impurity—he literally gives life to terrorists, murderers, and Nazis. He causes the Shechinah (Divine Presence) to remain in exile, as it is written:

"The King is held captive in the tresses" (Song of Songs 7:6, referring to Hashem being bound by our physical desires).

A person often has no idea that he is submerged in the ten crowns of impurity; he does not even know that he needs to start having pity on his own soul. He is comfortable with his lusts, he is fine with his evil thoughts—he feels great, he is having fun. He does not feel bad about it at all, and he makes no attempt to escape it.

So how does one begin to have mercy on their soul? You sit on the floor, place a little ash on your head, recite Tikkun Chatzos, and cry to Hashem. And when you say the words "The crown of our head has fallen" (Lamentations 5:16), you should have in mind that the "crown of our head" is the soul. How is the soul held captive by the armies of impurity and the Sitra Achra? How does the physical body imprison the soul? How does the body overpower the soul? We cry over the soul that has fallen into the depths of the Kelipos (spiritual husks of impurity), crying, "The crown of our head has fallen," and "Woe to us, for we have sinned."

There is no greater insult than taking a Godly soul—hewn from the Throne of Glory, an actual piece of His very Essence, blessed be He—and imprisoning it inside a physical body filled with lusts and such lowly desires. Each and every person, according to their own intellect and understanding, must begin to feel bitter over this, asking, "Where am I holding? How can I be thinking about such nonsense?" If a person recites Tikkun Chatzos with such a broken heart and such deep submission, then this Tikkun Chatzos, said with this specific intention, will draw down an abundance of life to all his 248 limbs and 365 sinews, and he will merit all forms of salvation.

Joining in the Weeping of Rachel Imeinu

When we hear that a Jew has passed away, God forbid, we must immediately cry out! If a Jew is severely injured, God forbid, we must immediately recite a few chapters of Tehillim (Psalms)—perhaps we will succeed in reviving him. Every Jew is a soul from the Throne of Glory; from every single Jew, 600,000 souls can descend. Why should a Jew lose his life? We must cry over this every single day, and especially at midnight. And the main thing is to realize: My own sins caused this! I am the one who makes a joke out of everything, making a joke out of the service of prayer, making a joke out of the spiritual work of waking up for Chatzos.

A person must know that "Rachel weeps for her children" (Jeremiah 31:14). If Mother Rachel is crying, then we must wake up at midnight and cry together with our Mother; we must join in her weeping. Our Mother cries over the six million who were murdered in the Holocaust; our Mother cries over all those who are killed every single day; our Mother cries for the souls to return in teshuvah (repentance). How can one know that Mother Rachel is crying at midnight and busy themselves with other things during this time?!

Rachel is the holy Shechinah (Divine Presence)! Is it beneath you to join with Rachel? Is it beneath you to join in her weeping? A person needs to have a drop of a Jewish heart, a drop of feeling. To recite Tikkun Chatzos, to feel the weeping of Rachel, the pain of all the generations, of all those who were killed. We have a Mother who can accomplish anything. Rachel can do everything; it is all in her hands. She is alive and enduring, and she can take us out of the exile this very second, at this very moment—she just wants to see who is crying with her.

A Prayer to Merit Tikkun Chatzos

Please, Merciful and Gracious One, have pity on me and grant me the grace that I should never miss the holy and awesome moment of Chatzos from now until eternity, and that I should not waste my days in vain nor my years in confusion.

Please, Merciful and Gracious One, have pity on me so that I may merit to feel the Divine revelation that is revealed at Chatzos (midnight), for then Hashem goes out with the entire heavenly entourage and strolls with all the tzaddikim in the Garden of Eden, and with all the tzaddikim who are awake at that hour in this world.

Torah Insights: The Secret of the Good Eye

"When a person has an evil eye, he says, 'This is not good, and this is not good, and this is not good.' Therefore, it is impossible to illuminate within him the light of Hashem, the Divine point within him. When a person has an evil eye, that is where his troubles begin, because then the evil eye of others affects him. Yosef had a good eye, and therefore no evil eye affected him. But when he had a slight evil eye toward his brothers, he was thrown into the pit.

When a person is connected to Hashem, and he does not need people, and he does not need them to say good things about him, and he does not wait for honor, and he is not jealous of people, then the evil eye of people does not take hold of him, because every species clings to its own kind. If a person is pure, he only believes in Hashem—everything is from Hashem, and whatever Hashem gives me is good, and whatever Hashem does not give me is also good. A person might say, 'Oy, I don't have, but the other person has, and why did this fate happen to me?' When a person walks with a good eye, then an evil eye cannot grasp him at all. But since everyone has some evil eye, that is why the evil eye of others takes hold of him.

An evil eye begins with arrogance, because when there is arrogance, one feels, 'I deserve it, and how is it that he has more than me?' If a person looks to the sides, he will always have an evil eye. Because if he has this, then he doesn't have that, and if he has that, then he doesn't have something else. Then he always has someone to envy, because he is always lacking something that others have.

A person must strive for a state of 'not needing creations.' I do not care about creations. Not about their money, not about their honor, not about what they think of me, not about what they have, and not about what they don't have; I have no need for them for my soul—I need Hashem! Therefore, I respect people, I host people, I work with people, I strengthen people, I am strengthened by people, I learn from people, everything. But I do not need them; I need Hashem. I do not look to the sides. This is difficult! That is why so many die from the evil eye.

And in truth, the tikkun (rectification) of the world is the good eye. David, the Mashiach, had beautiful eyes, with such good eyes; Shaul persecuted him, others persecuted him, and he did not touch them, nor did he blame them. He was willing to accept the most difficult things, and he withstood all the tests, always looking at everyone with his good eyes. And even though only Mashiach will complete the tikkun of the evil eye, none of us is exempt from doing everything we can to merit a good eye. And when there is a good eye, Hashem gives endless abundance."

I Have Been Very Zealous for Hashem, the God of Hosts

The Gaon Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, who served as the Chief Rabbi of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem, was known in Israel as an extreme zealot against those who abandoned the heritage of the forefathers. He came out against them at every opportunity with words hewing flames of fire and with vigorous moral rebukes. Once, distinguished guests from the Diaspora visited Rabbi Yosef Chaim. One of them asked the Rav: "Why does our teacher relentlessly rebuke so many of our Jewish brethren? Is it not the way of tzaddikim to advocate for the good of Israel, and to judge them favorably before God and man?"

The Jerusalemite Rav fixed his two wise eyes on the questioner and said: "Believe me, my masters and teachers, every single day I recite Tehillim (Psalms) and plead before the Creator of the world on behalf of all Israel—even the worst among them, who have distanced themselves from the path of the forefathers for various reasons. But all of this is only between me and the Holy One, blessed be He. However, when I turn to sinning and transgressing people, I am obligated to rebuke and chastise them with harsh and sharp words, so that they will return in teshuvah (repentance) while there is still time, and at the very least, refrain from trapping other people in their net..."

Rabbi Yosef Chaim paused his vigorous words for a brief moment, and then concluded, saying: "This path that I have taken all the days of my life is, in my humble opinion, the path of pure Chassidus: a vigorous demand from a person to mend his ways, while judging him favorably before Hashem, may He be blessed." (Bnei Tzion)

A Covenant of Peace: The Power of Unity

In the summer of 5567 (1807), immediately when Rebbe Nachman contracted tuberculosis, he instantly began to speak about his histalkus (passing away), and of his desire that we should have a connection with his grave. On the following Rosh Hashanah in the year 5568 (1807), he revealed the lesson "Chadi Rabbi Shimon" (Likutey Moharan, Torah 61), in which our followers saw the Rebbe's testament, and which also included the concept of spending Rosh Hashanah with the tzaddik. There were some among our followers who, in the intensity of their sorrow and worry, asked him explicitly: "What will we do? Upon whom will you leave us? And what will become of the words that were spoken, etc.?"

Rebbe Nachman strengthened them and told them that the main thing is that all our followers should hold themselves together in great unity and abundant love. Then, they certainly have nothing to worry about at all, because they will surely be upright and righteous just as he desires. Even anyone who joins them will also become an upright and righteous person, etc. (See all this and more in "Parparaos LeChochmah" on Torah 61, from letter 10 onwards).

Now, regarding this matter of the virtues of peace, Rebbe Nachman reached unknown heights. All his toil and self-sacrifice to reach the Land of Israel was for this matter of patience toward every person, removing anger and strictness from the heart regarding whoever it may be. He even said that if his greatest enemy were to stand over him and inflict all the suffering in the world upon him, he would not hold any strictness against him, even in his heart.

And Moharnat (Reb Noson), who suffered terrible torments from the dispute that was aroused against him—a life-threatening dispute from several sides, from the wicked, from great tzaddikim of his generation, and even from the disciples of Rebbe Nachman themselves—also elevated himself in this trait. He did not complain or hold strictness against those who stood against him, even in the intensity of his sorrow and suffering. Amidst all this, he also taught us how to judge one's friend favorably even if he behaves contrary to the truth in his opinion, even if he has evidence and proofs for it, and even if the truth is indeed so. Even then, he should believe that his friend directs his actions for the sake of Heaven, and he should not stand against him at all, nor maintain the dispute.

Likewise, when it seems to him that his friend intends to provoke and anger him, even if he sinned against him and did to him what he did, he must judge him favorably, believing that the other person truly did his actions innocently for his own needs and did not intend anything against him at all. And if indeed one must throw away his intellect in order to think contrary to the senses and contrary to the endless proofs that the other is a transgressor and wicked, is this not Rebbe Nachman and his greatness, that in his eyes there is no wicked person? Just as a person believes that everything he goes through is part of his tikkun (rectification), so too he should believe that what his friend goes through is part of his friend's tikkun, and everything will ultimately return and unite within the wondrous edifices of the Rebbe.

And now, as the time of teshuvah (repentance) approaches (the Hebrew initials of "Zman Teshuvah Memashmesh U'Ba" spell Tammuz), and each and every one of our followers is already busy fulfilling Rebbe Nachman's testament by preparing for the holy journey for Rosh Hashanah, this is the time to seek by the Rebbe the fulfillment of this testament as well—the testament of love and peace. As Rabbi Levi Yitzchak zt"l recounted that Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman said: "We cannot imagine what we could have received—what Rebbe Nachman would have given us—if we had held ourselves together..."

"Let the congregation of Hashem not be as sheep that have no shepherd"

It is told about the Chafetz Chaim zt"l that a student who had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness once approached him to ask for a blessing. He told the Chafetz Chaim that the doctors had already given up on him, and had told him and his family that they knew of no cure for his illness. The Chafetz Chaim listened to the young student and told him that he would give him advice for his illness, on the condition that he would never tell anyone about it. Naturally, the student agreed immediately.

The Chofetz Chaim instructed him to go to a certain Torah scholar living in a small town, who would give him a blessing. The student did exactly that. He immediately went to this Torah scholar, and within a short period, incredibly, he recovered from his illness. He continued his studies in the yeshiva, eventually moved away from Radin, started a family, and, as instructed, never told anyone about these events.

More than twenty years later, this student's sister-in-law fell ill with a mysterious disease, may Hashem protect us. He quickly realized that she was suffering from the exact same illness he had endured in the past. However, he immediately remembered his promise to the Chofetz Chaim not to tell anyone about the method of his healing, so he said nothing to anyone. But his wife, who remembered that he had once mentioned a mysterious illness he had suffered from and recovered from, tried to draw it out of him. Yet, every time she brought it up, he evaded the topic and refused to speak.

The more he tried to obscure his words, the more his wife pressured him to speak, hoping his secret would help save her sister's life. His wife and sister-in-law persisted, begging him daily to reveal what had happened to him and how he was cured, but he stood his ground, explaining that it was a secret he was forbidden to disclose. Finally, his resistance weakened. He reasoned logically that after so many years of fulfilling the Chofetz Chaim's warning, he could now reveal his secret. Indeed, he told his wife what had happened to him, about his appearance before his Rebbe, and the tzaddik's advice to go to a specific Torah scholar in a small town far from Radin.

His wife and sister-in-law were filled with hope that this might be their salvation. However, shortly afterward, he suddenly began to feel ill. He was terrified and told his wife that he must travel immediately to the Chofetz Chaim. He made the long journey back to Radin to the Chofetz Chaim, who was by then old and weak. The Chofetz Chaim remembered their old meeting and listened quietly to the man's story. Then, the Chofetz Chaim answered him, softly and slowly: "I wish I could help you, but what can I do? When you first had the illness, I was young, and I fasted for forty days for you so that you would be healed. Today, I am already too old, and I cannot fast like I did back then."

Dear Jews, pay attention. Not only did the Chofetz Chaim fast for forty days for the healing of that student, but he also arranged things in such a way that it would appear as if the student was healed thanks to the blessing of another Torah scholar... These are the leaders of the Jewish people; fortunate is the nation that has it so. (Lekach Tov)

"And on the tenth of this seventh month... you shall afflict your souls"

Our Sages of blessed memory said: The numerical value (gematria) of "HaSatan" (the Satan) is 364—corresponding to the number of days in the solar year minus one (as the solar year has 365 days). Behold, throughout all the days of the year, the Satan has permission to accuse the Jewish people, except for one day—Yom Kippur.

Hashem said to the Satan: "You have no permission to touch the Jewish people. Nevertheless, go and see what they are engaged in on the holy day." When he goes and finds all of Israel fasting and praying, dressed in white garments and wrapped like ministering angels, he immediately returns in shame and disgrace. Hashem asks him: "What did you find among My children?" The Satan replies: "They are like ministering angels, and I cannot touch them." Immediately, Hashem binds the Satan in chains and brings the good tidings to Israel: "I have forgiven." (Bnei Tzion)

"He turned back My wrath"

We must understand where he turned it back to. I heard in the name of the pious genius, the Vilna Gaon, who explained this based on the teaching of our Sages: "Tzaddikim in their death are called living, and the wicked even in their lifetimes are called dead." Their intention is that for tzaddikim in their death, the body on the outside is dead, but the soul on the inside is alive. For the wicked in their lifetimes, it is the exact opposite: their body on the outside is alive, but their soul on the inside is dead.

This is hinted at in the word "חמתי" (chamati - My wrath), where the outer letters (ח-י) spell "חי" (chai - alive), and the inner letters (מ-ת) spell "מת" (met - dead). Pinchas atoned for the Children of Israel, and they attained the level of tzaddikim. Through this, he "turned back" the word "חמתי". One could say that he rearranged the word "חמתי" into the word "מחית" (machit), where "חי" (alive) is on the inside even when "מת" (dead) is on the outside. Furthermore, the root of "מחית" is an expression of life. (Pninei HaGra)