THE LAME BRIDE

Dear Family,

Hope everyone is well.

We welcome Kerry Lee to our Family Group and wish her again long life for the loss of her father. You should have only happy occasions in the future Kerry Lee.

Mazal Tov to Talya on her birthday next week. We miss you Talya. Haven't seen you for such a long time!

We want to wish Shmuel and Rivky Mazal Tov on their move to LA. It should be meshaneh makom, meshaneh mazal for good!

I also want to mention something else about Shmuel.

When he was here for Yom Tov he got up to mischief and arranged with Dayan Raskin to learn Chassidus with me before Shacharis 2x / week. (Thanks for that Shmuel!!)

And so this week I am sharing a Maamer from The Alte Rebbe that we have been learning at this shiur.

Over the past few weeks we have been reading in Chumash about the marriages of Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchok and Rivka, and now in this weeks Sedra, Yaakov with Rachel and Leah.

And the Maamer I am learning was also focused on marriage ( Likutei Torah - Bamidbar - Veerasticha)

It is very intricate and I am only going to focus on one point ( and interestingly enough, todays Hayom Yom was on a very similar point)

The word kallah is a bride

But the word is also used in the context of yearning as in the phrase kaltsa nafshi, which is referring to the yearning of the Soul to cleave to its source ie Hashem, with all its might

Ie all Jewish souls are called by the term KALLAH for this reason.

Now there are 2 categories of Kallah - this Yearning of the Soul (Kalsa hanefesh) - as brought from Gemorra Ketubos

1. Kallah naeh (a beautiful kallah)

2. Kallah chigras oi stuma (A LAME KALLAH)

The beautiful Kallah refers to someone whose whole life is devoted to Hashem and Torah and Mitzvos and he or she does not divert from there left or right, and their G-dly soul dominates.

THE LAME KALLAH is one who is dominated by their Animal soul, and it is said of them that they have eyes but don't see etc. and there is no yearning of the soul because the G-dly soul is imprisoned within the body

And yet she is still a kallah albeit a Lame one.

And now the Alte Rebbe shows how this lame bride can reach a much higher level than even the Beautiful bride.

The restrictions of the body does not have to prevent 'her' or 'him' from libi ubesari yeranenu el keil chai -my heart and body will sing to the living G-d.

And how is this done?

When 'she' will meditate or think deeply at how great is the world, and Hashem is greater than the world, and even greater than above the world ie the skies, planets stars etc, and even there where it is beyond the Universe Hashem is higher than that, where our weak minds have no capability of grasping at all, and even beyond there where there is no longer even any connection at all to world or pre world.

And when we steep our mind in this understanding, there will be aroused in the heart a fiery awakening to relate to Hashem.

And from this very high position , it will also will translate to reach all the way back down to the persons physical life also.

And this will all be with a much greater intensity than the approach of the Beautiful Kallah, because there has been a transformation of darkness to light

As mentioned I was amazed to see how todays Hayom Yom (8th Kislev) was so similar to this theme, and I attach it for those who have the time.

By the way we are making a Chuppa and seuda for a Russian couple who need a small private wedding, in our home next Sunday. And of course whoever is able to come will be welcome.

WISHING EVERYONE WHO STILL NEEDS TO FIND THEIR TRUE MARRIAGE PARTNER, TO FIND HIM OR HER VERY SOON, and in the meantime wishing everyone a Gut Shabbos.