5386 —לימוד לעצמו לצד חינוך הזולת, סדר סעודות השבת בזהר, ושאלות בפירש"י ובמדרש בענין שבט גד

B"H, 20 Nissan, 5717
Brooklyn.

The veteran Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored^[1], etc., Reb Zev, may he live long^[2]

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter of 13 Nissan, the day of the hillula of the Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek^[3], and of the one before it^[4].

I hasten to answer it: your previous letter caused no displeasure at all; and in general, displeasure and the like are not my way.

I hope that by the time you receive this letter your health has already improved, and that you are increasing in bringing the hearts of Jewish children close to our Father in Heaven through education in holiness and purity, for there is nothing greater than this. At the same time, it is understood, and even obvious from the verse "and do not hide yourself from your own flesh"^[5], that you must also add in fixed times for studying the revealed Torah and Chassidus, and also work to spread the wellsprings outward. The order in this, however, must^[6] accord with what is written in the Alter Rebbe's Laws of Torah Study, chapter 1, sections 11 and 12^[7]. May G‑d grant you success, so that you share good news about this.

As to what you write about the Shabbos meals^[8], that on this there are seeming contradictions among the passages of the Zohar:

The order is as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai states (Zohar II 88b)^[9], and as we say in "Askinu Seudasa": Chakal Tapuchin Kadishin, Atika Kadisha, Zeir Anpin^[10]. As for what is written in Zohar II (88a), "One meal corresponds to Atika Kadisha… a second meal corresponds to Chakal Tapuchin Kadishin…", the Or HaChamah there already explains that it follows the order of the verse and not the order of the meals^[11]. Likewise, what is written in Zohar III 288b, end of side b, follows the order of the rank of the levels, as the Or HaChamah writes on Zohar II 88b^[12]. And in the Alter Rebbe's Siddur, in the discourses on the Shabbos meals, the matter is explained according to Chassidus^[13].

On your question about Rashi's comment, "you betrayed me"^[14], seeing that she herself gave her to Yaakov: it can be explained simply, because he did not refuse. One can also say, according to the opinion that even a wife who gives permission, if she has not been appeased, grieves in her heart^[15] (see the commentaries on Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 76:5)^[16].

On your question about the saying of our Sages (Bereishis Rabbah 71)^[17] that "and she conceived" is not said of Zilpah because she was young, whereas at the birth of Pinchas too "and she conceived" is not said^[18]: it is not clear how you know that Pinchas's mother was not young. See Chizkuni on Shemos 2:22^[19]. There would seemingly be a difficulty from Shemos (6:20), where "and she conceived" is not said^[20], and she was 125 years old at the birth of Miriam^[21]. But in fact there is no question to begin with, for Bereishis Rabbah infers it from the change, as it says: "With all of them conception is stated, except…"^[22] And the Chizkuni's exposition must perforce be only a supporting allusion^[23].

On your question about the change Deuel – Reuel^[24]: this too is not difficult, for several people in Scripture had more than one name, such as Yisro – Chovav^[25].

With blessings for good news^[26].

Because of the holiness of the festival, the Rebbe shlita did not sign, and I sign in his name^[27],

The Secretary

Publisher's notes

Reb Zev (מו"ה זאב): Weber, Jerusalem. Further letters to him: above, vol. 13, letter 4280*, and the references in the notes there.

In Rashi (בפרש"י): Vayetzei 30:11, s.v. "Ba gad".

Reb Zev: See also below, vol. 18, letter 6656 (to him, 24 Teves 5719, on the Rashbam's wording on "Dan shall judge": pshat and derush).

Notes

1. The veteran Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored (הוו"ח אי"א נו"נ): הוו"ח = הוותיק וחסיד; אי"א = איש ירא אלקים; נו"נ = נעלה ונכבד.

2. Reb Zev (מו"ה זאב): Weber, Jerusalem. R. Zev (Tzvi) Weber of Jerusalem, an educator who often asked the Rebbe about matters in his learning (in letters 3852 and 4280* he is named "Zev Tzvi"): on giving tzedakah before prayer (3710), on mazal and kelipas nogah (3806), on receiving the Torah with joy and inwardness and on studying Tanya (3852), on the serpent in Gan Eden (4087), and on the angels who saved Lot (4280*). In this letter he is answered on the order of the Shabbos meals in the Zohar and on three questions on Rashi and the Midrash, all of them about the tribe of Gad: Gad's name, his birth from Zilpah, and the name of the father of Gad's prince. Later he also asked about the Rashbam on "Dan shall judge" (below, vol. 18, letter 6656).

3. The Tzemach Tzedek (כ"ק אדמו"ר הצמח צדק): R. Menachem Mendel, author of the Tzemach Tzedek, the third Rebbe of Chabad, who passed away on 13 Nissan 5626.

4. And of the one before it (והקודמו): That is, the recipient's previous letter. Of that letter the Rebbe says at once that it caused no displeasure, apparently because the recipient feared he had written something improper in it.

5. "And do not hide yourself from your own flesh" (ומבשרך לא תתעלם): Yeshayahu 58:7: הלוא פרס לרעב לחמך ועניים מרודים תביא בית כי תראה ערם וכסיתו ומבשרך לא תתעלם, "Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the poor who are cast out into your house; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and do not hide yourself from your own flesh?" Simply, not to ignore one's kin; here the Rebbe applies it to the person himself: though educating others is the greatest thing, one must not neglect oneself, but must also add in one's own learning.

6. Must (צ"ל): צ"ל = צריך להיות. Likewise below: השי"ת = השם יתברך, "G‑d, blessed be He".

7. Laws of Torah Study, chapter 1, sections 11 and 12 (בהלכות תלמוד תורה לרבנו הזקן פרק א' סעיף י"א וי"ב): Section 11: "Any teacher of children who leaves the children and goes out, or does other work while studying with them, or is lax in teaching them, is included in 'Cursed is he who does the work of G‑d deceitfully'"; section 12: "A teacher should not stay awake too much at night, lest he be sluggish in teaching by day; nor should he afflict himself in eating and drinking, and certainly not fast… for all these things prevent him from teaching well." That is: his additional learning and work in spreading the wellsprings must not come at the expense of his work as an educator.

8. The Shabbos meals (בהסעודות דש"ק): במ"ש = במה שכתב; דש"ק = דשבת קודש. The recipient asked to what each of the three Shabbos meals corresponds, since the passages of the Zohar give different orders.

9. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Zohar II 88b) (רשב"י (זח"ב פח, ב)): There Rabbi Elazar asks, "How are these meals arranged?", and Rabbi Shimon answers: on Shabbos night "the Matronita is blessed, and the whole holy field of apples… one should eat the meal of the Matronita"; on Shabbos day, at the second meal, "Atika Kadisha is revealed… and it is certainly his meal"; and "at the third meal of Shabbos… this is the meal of Zeir Anpin". That is: Friday night, Chakal Tapuchin (Malchus); Shabbos day, Atika Kadisha; the third meal, Zeir Anpin.

10. Chakal Tapuchin Kadishin, Atika Kadisha, Zeir Anpin (חקל ת"ק, ע"ק ז"א): "the holy field of apples", "the holy Ancient One", "the Small Countenance". These follow the "Askinu Seudasa" songs in the Siddur, composed by the Arizal for the three meals: on Friday night, דא היא סעודתא דחקל תפוחין קדישין; on Shabbos day, דא היא סעודתא דעתיקא קדישא; at the third meal, דא היא סעודתא דזעיר אנפין.

11. It follows the order of the verse (שמפרש ע"ס הכתוב): The Or HaChamah is a commentary on the Zohar by R. Avraham Azulai. The Zohar there (88a) reads: "Whoever completes three meals on Shabbos, a voice goes forth and proclaims of him: 'Then you will delight in G‑d' – this is one meal, corresponding to Atika Kadisha; 'and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth' – this is the second meal, corresponding to the holy field of apples; 'and I will feed you the heritage of Yaakov your father' – this is the completion in Zeir Anpin." The meal of Atika Kadisha is listed there before the meal of Chakal Tapuchin because the Zohar there follows the order of the verse it expounds, Yeshayahu 58:14: "Then you will delight in G‑d" (Atika Kadisha), "and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth" (Chakal Tapuchin), "and I will feed you the heritage of Yaakov your father" (Zeir Anpin), and not the order of the meals themselves.

12. The order of the rank of the levels (ע"ס מעלת המדות): זח"ג רפ"ח סע"ב = Zohar III, folio 288, end of side b (in the Idra Zuta); אוה"ח = Or HaChamah. There too the list is not in the order of the meals, but in the order of the levels' rank one above the other.

13. In the Alter Rebbe's Siddur (ובסי' לרבנו הזקן): סי' = סידור; נת' = נתבאר. In the Alter Rebbe's Siddur with Chassidic discourses, the discourses on the Shabbos meals explain the three meals according to Chassidus.

14. "You betrayed me" (בגד בגדת בי): Rashi on Bereishis 30:11, on "Leah said, 'Ba gad'": דבר אחר, למה נקראת תבה אחת "בגד"? כמו בגדת בי כשבאת אל שפחתי, כאיש שבגד באשת נעורים, "Another explanation: why is it read as one word, 'begad'? As in 'you betrayed me (bagadta) when you came to my maidservant', like a man who betrays the wife of his youth." The recipient's question: Leah herself gave Zilpah to Yaakov (ibid., 9); where is the betrayal?

15. Grieves in her heart (מצטערת בלבה): יל"פ = יש לפרש; י"ל = יש לומר; מ"ד = מאן דאמר. Two answers: (a) the complaint is that Yaakov did not refuse her; (b) even when a wife gives permission, if she was not first appeased she grieves inwardly.

16. The commentaries on Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 76:5 (נ"כ שו"ע אה"ע סע"ו ס"ה): נ"כ = נושאי כלים; אה"ע = אבן העזר; סע"ו ס"ה = סימן ע"ו סעיף ה'.

17. Bereishis Rabbah 71 (ב"ר פע"א): Cited in Rashi on Bereishis 30:10: בכולן נאמר הריון חוץ מזלפה, לפי שהיתה בחורה מכולן ותינוקת בשנים ואין הריון ניכר בה, "With all of them conception is stated, except Zilpah, because she was the youngest of them all, a girl in years, and the pregnancy was not noticeable on her" (Bereishis Rabbah 71:9).

18. At the birth of Pinchas (בהולדת פנחס): Shemos 6:25: "Elazar the son of Aharon took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as a wife, and she bore him Pinchas", with no "and she conceived". The recipient asked: was she too young? The Rebbe answers: how do you know she was not?

19. Chizkuni on Shemos 2:22 (חזקוני לשמות ב, כב): "She bore a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, 'I have been a stranger in a foreign land.'" The Chizkuni there: ותהר לא נאמר, ללמד שהיתה בחורה והריון אין ניכר בה, "'And she conceived' is not said, to teach that she was young and the pregnancy was not noticeable on her", in the very words our Sages use of Zilpah. So no question arises from Pinchas's mother, who may also have been young.

20. "And she conceived" is not said (דל"ק ותהר): דל"ק = דלא קאמר. "Amram took Yocheved his aunt as a wife, and she bore him Aharon and Moshe", with no "and she conceived".

21. 125 years old at the birth of Miriam (בת קכה בלידת מרים): Following Rashi on Shemos 2:1: ובת מאה ושלשים שנה היתה... כשנתעברה ממנו היתה בת מאה ושלשים, "she was 130 years old… when she conceived him she was 130"; and Miriam was older than Aharon, who was three years older than Moshe (Shemos 7:7). Yocheved was certainly not young, yet "and she conceived" is not said of her, so seemingly the absence of the word cannot show youth.

22. "With all of them… except" (בכולן נאמר הריון חוץ): The Midrash does not derive Zilpah's youth from the mere absence of "and she conceived", but from the change: at the births of all the other tribes there, "and she conceived" is said, and only with Zilpah does the verse depart from it. That is why the Rebbe stresses the words "all of them" and "except". With Yocheved and Pinchas's mother there is no such departure from the surrounding verses.

23. Only a supporting allusion (אסמכתא בעלמא): עכצ"ל = על כרחך צריך לומר. An asmachta is an allusion attached to a verse, not a full exposition; for with Gershom too there is no change from the surrounding verses.

24. Deuel – Reuel (דעואל - רעואל): Bamidbar 1:14: "For Gad, Elyasaf son of Deuel"; but Bamidbar 2:14: "The tribe of Gad; the prince of the children of Gad, Elyasaf son of Reuel". ג"ז = גם זה, "this too".

25. Yisro – Chovav (יתרו חובב): Rashi on Shemos 18:1: שבע שמות נקראו לו: רעואל, יתר, יתרו, חובב, חבר, קני, פוטיאל, "He was called by seven names: Reuel, Yeser, Yisro, Chovav, Chever, Keini, Putiel."

26. Good news (בשו"ט): בשו"ט = בשורות טובות.

27. Because of the holiness of the festival (מפני קדושת המועד): 20 Nissan is Chol HaMoed Pesach; therefore the Rebbe did not sign, and the secretary signed in his name. כ"ק אדמו"ר שליט"א = "our holy master, teacher and Rebbe, may he live long and good days, amen".

Summary

The Rebbe reassures an educator in Jerusalem that his earlier letter caused no offense, urges him to keep bringing children close to Torah while also adding in his own study, within the bounds the Alter Rebbe sets for a teacher, and answers his questions: the order of the three Shabbos meals in the Zohar, and three questions about the tribe of Gad in Rashi and the Midrash.