AMAZING TORAH AND TEHILLIM

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Mendel and Freida on the Bris and naming of their son Dovber. This was a beautiful crowning of our trip to California BH. Wishing you much nachas from him, with joy and continued growth together.

Shavuos is coming up next week on Motzei Shabbos BEH.

Shavuos is the time when we received the TORAH from Hashem, and it is also the time of the yohrtzeit of Dovid Hamelech, who wrote the Book of Psalms (TEHILLIM)

In a Maamer said by the Rebbe Parshas Shemini 5699, the Rebbe explains how our Sages saw an amazing deep connection between Torah and Tehillim, besides the obvious connection that they are both comprised of 5 Books.

And just as an introduction, the Tzemach Tzedek said ' If we only knew the power of the verses of Tehillim, we would recite them constantly. They shatter all barriers, and ascend higher and still higher with no interference, and prostrate themselves in supplication before the Master of all worlds, and they effect and accomplish with kindness and compassion.'

If you remember a few weeks ago (Parshas Shemini), we discussed THE MIDDLE LETTER OF TORAH, which was the vav of gachon, and this letter was written in larger than normal size. We did not explain much about its meaning then.

Gachon means the belly of the snake, and the parsha was describing the non-kosher creatures which crawl on their bellys.

The Maharshah explains that this is referring to the snake which seduced Adam and Chava to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and that the antidote to the seduction of the snake, is by applying oneself to the STUDY OF TORAH.

The challenge of the snake is the inability to navigate between right and wrong, and Torah strengthens our ability to do this.

And why the VAV?

The shape of the VAV represents a line drawing down from ABOVE, DOWNWARDS.

The Torah was given from upon High, in order to have a positive impact on this lowly world

Similarly the MIDDLE LETTER OF THE BOOK OF TEHILLIM has been marked.

If you look in Chapter 80 posuk 14, you will see the letter ayin of the word miyaar, is smaller than normal, and is higher than the baseline.

This is the middle letter of the Book of Tehillim.

Miyaar means the forest , and the verse is referring to the 'swine of the forest.'

The explanation for this is that swine is referring to Esav.

This is because the pig has split hooves but doesn't chew the cud, and is therefore not kosher. But what does it do? It shows its hooves and pretends to be kosher. This is how Esav acted with his father, pretending he was very pious.

And so Tehillim comes as an antidote to the schemes of Esav, because Tehillim strengthens our emotional disposition to Torah and Mitzvos.

Tehillim is a form of prayer through which we humans down BELOW, REACH UPWARDS, and that is why the key letter here, the ayin, is written above the line.

In prayer we reach up to Hashem himself, who is higher than Torah.

The challenge of the snake is the inability to navigate ones life between right and wrong.

The challenge of Esav is the apathy to matters of Holiness

Torah and Tehillim are the antidotes.

Gut Shabbos and Gut yom Tov to all, with the well known blessing to 'To receive the Torah with Joy and Inwardness.'