Parshas
Ki Teitzei
Arousing Mercy Through Torah Study
Transcribed
and translated from previous recordings of
HaRav
Eliezer Berland Shlit”a
“And with great
mercy I shall gather you” (from the Haftorah, Yeshaya 54)
"The world needs
great mercy, both spiritually and physically” (Likutei Moharan 105).
The world needs great mercy! Spiritually
and physically, everyone needs mercy. Everyone needs salvation, miracles,
shidduchim, and healing for their families and children. Everyone asks for
mercy. Everyone is asking for mercy, but they don’t know where the mercy is.
They ask, “Why don’t I have any money? Why aren’t we healthy? Why is this one
sick and that one sick? Where is the mercy?” People don’t even know how to ask
for this great mercy. In truth, Rebbe Nachman says, the mercy is within our
reach—it is not so far away. The mercy is nearby. It is for all to see, as it
is written (Devarim 30:11), “It is not far away, it is not in heaven…” Everyone
asks for mercy, but they don’t know where the mercy is. The Rebbe reveals that
mercy is something which everyone can see—it is right in front of your eyes!
Hashem wants to have mercy on you. Hashem wants to help you, to have mercy on
you. Hashem loves you. Hashem wants to give you all the mercy in the world—to
give you a good income, miracles, children, healing, Torah. He wants to give
you everything! Why did Hashem create you? He didn’t create you to suffer. He
wants to give you everything! Just be a “good boy”—listen to your Father.
Hashem isn’t so far away from you.
“There are two types of ‘mercy.’ One is
the simple mercy (rachamim pshutim of Zeir Anpin), and the other
is the great hidden mercy (rachamim gedolim of Atika Stima’ah). As it is
written, “With great mercy I will gather you” (Yeshaya 54). In truth, we
desperately need Hashem to have mercy on us—however, in this generation,
because of our many sins, there is no one who is able to pray in such a way as
to draw down the mercy. In fact, HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself has to pray about
this. And what is it that is going to cause Him to pray? Through the Torah.”
The Rebbe says that we need to awaken the mercy in the world, the great mercy
of Atika Stimaah, as it is written “with great mercy I will gather you.” And
there isn’t anyone who prays so well that he can draw down this great mercy,
because no one knows how great Hashem is, or how infinite He is, or how good
Hashem is, due to our distress and affliction. HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself needs
to pray about this. The best thing is that Hashem Himself should pray and draw
down the great mercy, because how well are we really able to pray? And even if
we should go to the Kotel and pray there—say the whole book of
Tehillim/psalms—that is certainly wonderful! But this is not yet true, complete
prayer. We need that Hashem Himself will pray! But how can we cause Hashem to
pray for us? It is only by studying Torah. The Rebbe is saying here a wondrous
idea. If we will only learn Torah then Hashem Himself will pray for us, and
take upon Himself to worry about us, and He Himself will give us everything:
income, healing, children, miracles, and salvation. If we want to awaken Hashem
to pray for us and to draw upon us great mercy, then we must learn Torah, for
who is able to sweeten the harsh judgments other than Hashem Himself! Hashem
wants to give us everything! Hashem only asks that we help him to pray. Hashem
wants us to give Him the strength to pray, so to speak, as in “I will gladden
them in My house of prayer” (Yeshaya 56:7). Hashem says, “I also pray! Help Me
to pray.” The moment that a person takes upon himself to learn Torah, then he
will already receive mercy. Hashem Himself will pray for him. A person thinks
that he can run the world without learning Torah—this is impossible! People
just don’t have any idea—they don’t really believe that by learning Torah they
will draw down mercy.
The Rebbe says that the world needs great
mercy but one cannot awaken the mercy other than by studying Torah—learning
b’iyun. Even if a person cries out, prays—if he doesn’t learn Torah then he
cannot awaken Hashem’s mercy, because Hashem asks, “What are you shouting
about? Why are you praying? Do you want to live? What are you living for? To
eat even more cholent, even more kugel, even more pizza? Is this the reason you
are alive?” You need to live to study Hashem’s Torah, so that you can activate
your mind. A person builds himself by learning Torah. Without Torah, there is
no person — you don’t have the Tzelem Elokim. You can only build yourself up
thought the letters of the Torah, through another letter and another Rashi, and
another Gemara—another Ritba. This is how you build yourself bit by bit. This
is how you build your mind. You are actually creating yourself through the
letters of the Torah. As long as you don’t have all of Shas in your head, you
are not called a human being at all.
The Rebbe says in Torah 105 that teshuva
(repentance) is learning Gemara. If you want to do teshuva, then start learning
Gemara. A person is full of resentment and bad thoughts—if he will learn Gemara
he won’t have any resentment or bad thoughts. Hold a Gemara in your hand and
everything will work out. Your thoughts will fix themselves. Everything will
work out fine! A person is scatterbrained—his mind flies in every direction.
This is why he needs to bind the parts of his mind together, which, according
to the Rebbe, can only happen by learning Torah.
When a person learns Torah b’iyun, he
puts his mind into the Torah. This is how he creates new worlds. Then he
creates a new reality! Suddenly a different set of laws applies to him! He has
wealth he has health! Suddenly, he has spiritual and material influx! This is
because he created a new world. Previously he was in the world in which he
didn’t have money, and now, he is in the world where he does have money! Now he
is in a completely new world, because every moment a person builds new worlds.
If a person learns Torah b’iyun, then he creates new worlds every second.
Good Shabbos!
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