Torah Ohr Daf 55 - Beginning Parshas Va'eira w/ Rabbi Dovid Leib Shmerling From Fetus to Birth & Beyond

Summary

“Vaeirah el Avraham…”. This appearance of Hashem happens to every Jew, whose neshama includes aspects from all of the Avos. We need to understand what this appearance means.Galus= gestation., Geulah= birth. The analogy of gestation in Galus:All of our sensory orifices are closed. This means that we are unable to sense Elokus in our world.Our sustenance flows directly into our digestive system, bypassing the mouth, heart, and brain. This means that our fulfillment of the Mitzvos is not done with emotion and understanding, but out of habit. Moshiach= we are aware of and experience Elokus and the consequent emotions of that experience. This happens through our current avodah in which we try to instill Love of Hashem in ourselves. Hashem is really beyond all of creation (Yachid), which is also why He is present in all of creation (Echad). However, we are not aware of this. But we are able to become aware of it (Shema Yisroel), and thereby reveal Elokus in the world and in ourselves (our Middos, through Iskafyah/Hishapcha).The ultimate Avodah of Ahavah is that it leads to action, Simcha shel Mitzvah. Simcha= Milk, which originates in blood, which originates in food:Now that we don’t have a Beis Hamikdash, we cannot initiate the process of “sacrificing” our NH”B. Nowadays, the process is the following: through Brachos and Mitzvos, we draw Elokus into the lower worlds, and then into our neshama (Food, which connects the body and the soul/Hashem and this world), which is a prerequisite for Ahavah and Yiraah. This awakens ones spiritual sensitivity (Blood) which leads one to feel repulsed by those aspects of himself which are not dedicated to Hashem (Yitzchak)This in turn leads to Pity on one’s neshama (Yaakov), which leads to Simcha, when one realizes that although his body may make it difficult to relate to Elokus, he also has a Neshama. This is why “slach lanu” is only after Shema: One needs to accept/be sensitive to Elokus in order to realize ones faults.  [Awareness of Elokus--- awareness of one’s lack (NH”B)--- awareness of one’s inherent value (NH”E)----- Joy (Simcha shel Mitzvah]Ultimate joy and pleasure in Elokus (chalav/simcha shel mitzvah) comes from one’s contemplation on (dadim=Binah) 1) Hashem’s greatness, and 2) that Hashem chose us to be His people. ConceptsEvery Neshamah has aspects of the Avos.Galus= Gestation, Geulah=Birth.Yachid vs. Echad.Galus is only perceptual. Support the show