Files

FILE #0362

The Apple Brief

Hashem must forgive us.

Reb Levi Yitzchok would say: On Yom Kippur, we make a bracha in Shemoneh Esreh that says Hashem is the “King who forgives and pardons.” But how can we say that? How can we be so sure that He will forgive us? And worse, if He doesn’t, we will have made a bracha l’vatalah, chas v’shalom! The answer can be understood with a mashal: A smart young boy asked his father for an apple, but his father wouldn’t give him one. The boy went ahead and made a bracha, “borei p’ri ha’etz,” with Hashem’s name and everything. He stood there, saying “nu, nu, uh,” waiting for his father to give him the apple so it wouldn’t be a bracha l’vatalah. The father didn’t want his son to end up with an aveirah, so he had no choice and gave him the apple. So too with us. We’re making this bracha, a real bracha with Hashem’s name, and we’re saying that Hashem forgives us. That’s exactly why we trust that He will indeed forgive, because He doesn’t want us, His children, to have made a bracha l’vatalah!

FILE #2901

The Case of the Exiled Nation

We want Moshiach now!

One year, before the shofar blowing, Reb Levi Yitzchok said: “Master of the World, You’ve commanded us that this day should be ‘yom t’ruah, a day of shofar blowing.’ And based on that one commandment, we blow 100 shofar blasts, along with many hundreds of thousands of Jews who are doing the same. And we have all been doing this for thousands of years. All we’ve asked of You is to blow one shofar blast to free us from our galus, and You still haven’t sounded Your shofar!”

FILE #0204

In Defense of Stumbled Words

Hashem understands His children even when we don’t speak clearly.

One Rosh Hashanah, Reb Levi Yitzchok said a great defense for those Yidden who would not pronounce the words properly when they davened. He said, “Master of the World, it is the way of a father to understand the subtle hints and phrases of his children, even his unspoken intentions. Your children, whom You’ve always loved — the children of Avrohom — may sometimes trip on the words when they pray, but You shouldn’t punish them, because You understand their inner desires and love their mistakes, as it says (Shir HaShirim 2:4), ‘ודלגו‭ ‬עלי‭ ‬אהבה — their omissions are beloved to You!’”  

FILE #0310 

The Wealth Clause

Shefa ad bli dai

Once, before the shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah, Reb Levi Yitzchok saw that a harsh decree had been passed, and many Jews would lose their source of parnasa. During his drasha, he cried out to Hashem: “Master of the World, You chose the Jewish people to marry Yourself to us. The foundation of our worthiness for this marriage is that we have amazing yichus (lineage), being the descendants of Avrohom, Yitzchok, and Yaakov. But You, Hashem, bring us nothing in the way of yichus, as You have no father at all! But You do bring neverending wealth! And You promised to give from that wealth and provide our livelihood in abundance. Therefore, bless us with parnasa!”

FILE #0006 

Hashem’s Own Tefillin

Mi ke’amcha Yisroel

Reb Levi Yitzchok said, quoting the Tanna d’bei Eliyahu: It is a mitzvah to say over the praises of the Jewish people, and Hashem has a special type of nachas ruach from this. This is because it is forbidden to take our minds off of the Tefillin while we wear them. And we know (Brachos 6a) that Hashem also has Tefillin. The parshiyos in His Tefillin all contain verses that speak of the greatness of the Jewish people, such as “mi k’amcha Yisroel, goy echad ba’aretz.” Therefore, we are required to also be occupied with these ideas and not take our minds off of them, and to show Hashem that His parshiyos are kosher and mehudar!

FILE #0529

The Case for Constant Advocacy

Be a meilitz yosher

Often the Gemara will refer to a certain tanna or amora as a great person because he “didn’t walk four amos without Tefillin.” But this seems impossible, because we don’t wear Tefillin on Shabbos or Yom Tov, or while in the bathhouse or similar places. Rather, Reb Levi Yitzchok explained as follows: Whenever these great people would remove their own Tefillin, they would occupy themselves with Hashem’s Tefillin, which contain verses about the praises of the Jewish people. They would be meilitz tov about every Jew, bringing up their greatest qualities in their favor. In doing so, they truly never went four amos without Tefillin, either their own pair of Tefillin or Hashem’s.

FILE #1601 

By the Plaintiff’s Own Admission

Hashem already said He forgives us.

One Yom Kippur night, Reb Levi Yitzchok said as follows: Chazal tell us (Megillah 16a): כל‭ ‬האומר‭ ‬דבר‭ ‬בשם‭ ‬אומרו‭ ‬מביא‭ ‬גאולה‭ ‬לעולם — one who says over a message and quotes the original source brings geulah to the world. Therefore, let us bring Geulah to the world by also saying something in the name of the One who originally said it: “ויאמר‭ ‬ה’‭ ‬סלחתי‭ ‬כדברך — Hashem said: As you asked, I have forgiven the Jewish people!”

FILE #0138 

Chometz v. Contraband

Yidden don’t need police to force them to serve Hashem

Reb Levi Yitzchok once said before shofar blowing: “Master of the World, there is no nation as holy as the Jewish people. You commanded them to get rid of all chometz before Pesach, and You appointed no one to oversee that they would do so or to punish anyone for not following through. And even so, on Erev Pesach, after bedikas chometz, I myself searched all the Jewish homes and couldn’t find even a k’zayis of chometz! I even offered a large sum of money to any Jew who would show me any leftover chometz, but it simply didn’t exist. On the other hand, when the local government decided to ban the import of one particular item, it had to appoint thousands of enforcers who were allowed to give harsh punishments, and even so, tons of that contraband item made it into the land. What a holy and pure nation You have!”

FILE #5570

The People v. The Satan

We have to defeat the satan however we can.

Once, on Rosh Hashanah, Reb Levi Yitzchok’s neshama traveled to the higher realms (where he would be shown some of what goes on there). When he returned, he told over what he had been shown. He said that he had gone up to shomayim and saw a place where people are judged. It was a large hall where the satan and all his helpers were bringing bundles and bundles of all types of aveiros done by Jews. He then saw that he himself had been chosen to serve as a defense attorney against these evil forces, and he didn’t know how he could possibly argue against them.

He then looked to his right and saw an entrance to Gan Eden, where the avos hakedoshim and holiest tzaddikim dwell. And on his left, he saw an entrance to Gehinnom, and he realized what was at stake and knew that he had to do something immediately. When the satan’s troops left to go bring more aveiros, he started grabbing the bundles and threw them into the entrance to Gehinnom, one by one, where they were entirely burned up.

When the satan and his camp returned and saw what had happened — that all their efforts were in vain and the “merchandise” they had gathered all year long had been stolen and destroyed — he let out a tremendous scream. He set his eyes on Reb Levi Yitzchok, understanding what he had done, grabbed him by his cloak, and brought him to the heavenly court for judgment.

They paskened — as is the ruling of the Torah — that a thief caught in the act has to pay back double what he stole, and if he has no way to pay, he must be sold into slavery. An announcement was made that the Bardichever Rebbe would be sold as a slave, and this caused a great stir in the upper worlds. The avos hakedoshim and the tzaddikim all left their place in Gan Eden and came to demand to redeem the Bardichever. The satan kept raising the “redemption” price for the Rav — no matter what the avos and tzaddikim would offer, he would say it would cost more to redeem him. Then, Hashem Himself stood up and gave the highest redemption price possible, and said: “I own everything in creation, and I am giving the highest price so that I will own the Bardichever as My own.” From that point, Reb Levi Yitzchok became a dedicated servant to Hashem.

He used this revelation to explain a phrase we say on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: “לקונה‭ ‬עבדיו‭ ‬בדין‭ ‬– to the One that acquires His servants in judgment.”