“This Month Shall be the Head Month to You”

CHIDUSHIM FROM MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A ON PARASHAT PEKUDEI AND THE MONTH OF NISAN:

Moshe descended on the day after Yom Kippur and began to gather the people.  Until the Tabernacle was erected on the 1st of Nisan, Moshe would speak – “Moshe would speak and God would respond to him with a voice.”  This was for all six months from the 11th [of Tishrei, the day after] Yom Kippur until the 1st of Nisan, when the Tabernacle was erected.  He called to him and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting.  Previously, Moshe would speak, and God would speak together with him.  But now, Hashem said, “Do you want to hear My voice?  Come to the Tent of Meeting and from there, you shall speak.”

From the 11th of Tishrei until exactly six months later, minus eleven days – approximately five months and three weeks – “Moshe would speak, and God would respond to him with a voice.”  So for every mitzvah that Moshe would relate – so says Rashi – immediately after the giving of the Torah, a Heavenly voice would immediately follow and explain the mitzvah and tell all of its possibilities, all of its forms, 49 times pure and 49 times impure, along with all the explanations in the Gemara, Rishonim, Achronim, Mishnayot, everything that was said about it and would be said about it – everything – the Heavenly voice would say.  And this was all above time and space, and everyone would hear every mitzvah that Moshe would speak, and the voice would travel from end of the universe to the other.

The Noam Elimelech [Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk - Yahrzeit 21 Adar] does not write about Vayakhel, like how Moshe Rabbeinu was erased from Tetzaveh [that he was not mentioned in the entire parashah because he said, “Erase me”].  So during Vayakhel is the date of his [the Noam Elimelech’s] passing, so there is no Vayahkel.  There is Ki Tisa, Pekudei, but where is Vayakhel found?  Vayakhel is found in Devarim!  “Vayakhel (Gather) the entire congregation of Israel.”  This is found in, “Moshe spoke these words to the entire congregation of the Children of Israel.  So the “chidush” (novelty) is that what was supposed to be in Vayakhel is alluded to in, “These are the words that Moshe spoke to the entire congregation of Israel.”  “These are the words.”

The Noam Elimelech says that there is a chamber that is called, “All the Children of Israel.”  This is the chamber of Adam Kadmon (the world of “Primordial Man”).  Adam Kadmon is the root of all souls, the secret of the “hooks of the pillars,” which is the secret of the 370 lights that shine for Adam HaRishon.  It is written in Shaar HaKavanot that Adam HaRishon had 370 lights, 370 multitude (3,700,000) lights.  [Chava has] 150 multitude (1,500,000) lights, which are alluded to in the secret of, “Also the bird finds its home and the free bird its nest (‘KeN’ = 150).”  Because whoever merited to return all 370 multitude lights and the 150 multitude lights, merited to return King David.  So King David says in [Tehilim] 84, “Also the bird finds its home and the free bird its nest.”  Bird (tzipor [without the yud and vav]) and nest (ken) are [the numerical value of] 520.  “Give a good reward (sachar)” is 520, because when we say “give a good reward,” we need to intend to return the 370 multitude and 150 multitude lights that were taken from Adam and Chava.

PEARLS FROM THE HAFTARAH

Rosh Chodesh Nisan – “This month shall be the head month to you.  It shall be the first month of the year.”  Then fire began to descend from above.  “Such as this, see and sanctify” – Hashem showed to Moshe the moon, the moment of the “molad” (the moon’s renewal).  This is the most important moment.  “Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon and commanded them, saying, ‘This month shall be the head month to you.  It shall be the first month of the year.’”  He showed to him the moment of the molad: “Such as this, see and sanctify.”  He showed to him the moon in its renewal.  Then he spoke to him.  So tomorrow at 3:10, whoever merits to be wake, a fire will enter him from above – an immense fire from above that will be kindled within him for 24 hours a day.  He will merit to fire for all his life – anyone who merits to be awake during the molad.  Then a flame will stir within him all year long, all 24 hours, all 86,400 seconds, a fiery flame will be kindled within him.

For in a day, there are 86,400 seconds.  Multiply 24 by 3600 seconds and it comes out eight, six, four, zero, zero.  Eight is Chet, six is Vav, four is Dalet – this comes out exactly “duch (report).”  A person needs to give a report [an accounting] every day.  A person needs to give a hundred reports a day.  This is eighty and eight or seventy and four with two zeros.  This is a hundred reports.  He needs to give [a report] every second about what is happening with him.  If he will be awake tomorrow during the molad, then exactly then a totally new fire will descend and burn within him for the whole year; it will burn in him day and night.  It will turn the whole fire of the “Sitra Achra” (evil forces) into a holy fire, a flaming fire, a fire of prayer, a fire of Torah, a fire of the love of Israel.  Instead of stealing from the other person, stabbing him, making fun of him, he will receive tremendous love for him.  He will receive endless love for other people, love for every single Jew, to do the will of every Jew.

And with that same fire that he used to harm until today – from his day of birth until today, it only caused harm, because then, he didn’t know what to do with this fire.  Such fire came down – what is there to do with such fire!?  Now he will know to love every Jew with all his soul, to help, assist, search, to search for food for the other person, money for him, to sell to him, to help the other person day and night in order to gather a few pennies for him.  Everything will turn into a flaming fire for Hashem Yitbarach.

The Tzemach Tzedek sent one of his disciples to observe the Ruzhiner [Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin].  Then he saw that someone came to him with [a request for] a Haskama [approbation written at the beginning of books] for a book of stories about Tzaddikim, and another came to him with a Haskama for a book of Torah insights.  So first, he wrote the Haskama for the book of stories about Tzaddikim, and afterwards, he wrote the Haskama for the book of Torah insights.  At that moment, it was impossible to ask.  After two days, there was a Rosh Chodesh meal, where it seems to me that he asked him: “Rebbe, what is the idea of giving a Haskama first for stories about Tzaddikim, and afterwards, to give one for Torah insights?”  He said: “I behave like the Holy One Blessed is He.  It is written, ‘Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Torah only needed to begin with “This month shall be the head month to you.”’  Let it begin with mitzvot first.  [Hashem] put aside the mitzvah of sanctifying the moon and began with, ‘The power of His words He related to His people.’”

He began with “Bereishit (In the beginning),” stories about the creation of the world, Adam HaRishon, Noach, Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, the Heads of the Tribes, until Yitro.  All of this is stories.  [He should have started by explaining] the mitzvot.  Let’s leave the stories for the Mishneh Torah (Devarim), and you will know that there were Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, that Hashem created the world in six days, and that there was Adam HaRishon, Noach – all of this in two words.   However, the conversations of the slaves of the Patriarchs are more precious than the Torah of their descendants.  And not only those of the slaves of the Patriarchs, but also those of the slaves of the slaves of the Patriarchs, [as it is written,] “He placed water to wash their feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”  To make known that even [Avraham Avinu] washed the feet of his slaves, and his slaves’ slaves.  So the conversations of the Patriarchs’ slaves are precious – stories about “kefitzat haderech” (shorting one’s way through supernatural means], how Eliezer found Rivka.