In the beginning of "Machshivos charutz" R' Tzadok Hacohen of Lublin explains the deepest secrets of milchemes hayetzer. He explains that there are two "drachim" in milchemes hayetzer that are both legitimate only when used together. IE: Although some people have more of a connection to one way and some to the other, neither one is enough by itself.

One way is the way of Yoseph Hatzadik whose concentration was on constantly building himself up to be an "Adam Hashalem". He therefore concentrated very much on building up his self-control.

The other way is the way of Malchus Yehudah where the concentration is totally on living with Hashem and relying on Him to save us from the yetzer.

{Chazal say that the way of Yoseph is more dangerous because if you c'v fall, you can loose everything. R' Shimshon Pinkus Zt"l used to talk about this a lot. He kept on saying that what's going to bring the geulah is the "Yehudah way" and he brought many proofs to this.}

R' Tzadok explains that the holy sons of Yaakov Avinu had a very small imperfection. While Yoseph excelled in his way and everyone else excelled in Yehudas way, each side felt that the other way is a contradiction to his way: How can I fully rely on Hashem, if I am working on my self-control? The shevatim felt that such a focus on self-improvement and self-control is a complete contradiction to their way of bitachon in Hashem!

This -he says- was the root cause of "Michiras Yoseph".

It was also the reason that Klal Yisroel did not fully except the Torah willingly by Har-Sinai. They had experienced "Yetzias Mitzrayim" which was the greatest manifestation of the Yehudah way. The Jews in Egypt had fallen extremely low and they were so desperately dependent on Hashem, that Hashem broke all the laws of nature for them. The last thing they wanted was to build themselves up to be a Mamleches Kohanim, because that would seem to make them less dependent on Hashem and they wouldn't be eligible for such Divine intervention.

R' Tzadok goes on to explain that when the meraglim gave their report about how great and fearful the giants of Eretz Yisroel were, the Jews said: How in the world could we be expected to fight forces that are so much greater than us? "Let us return to Egypt" - let us go back to being totally powerless and desperate and have Hashem fight our battles.

So the obvious question is: Didn't they have a mighty good point?

The answer is - says R' Tzadok- that if you understand that הקב''ה לבן של ישראל then the question doesn't start. Yes of-course we need Hashem, BUT HE'S RIGHT THERE INSIDE OF US! Yes we need to take responsibility, yes we need to build up our self-control, yes we need to turn ourselves in to holier and holier people, yes we need to fight our own battles, but all this is done only through the power of Hashem.


By the great miracle of Purim, Klal Yisroel was finally able to grasp this and that is why we willingly accepted the Torah completely. This was because we saw that we don't need "Yetzias Mitzrayim" style miracles - we don't need Hashem to brake the laws of nature. (In-fact it was all only meant to be a one time occurrence.) We don't need Hashem to "take over". We don't need it because Hashem is with us always within nature. We don't need to be powerless and passive, we just need to tap in to our inner core. When we realize that everything we do is only with the power that Hashem is constantly giving us, then there is no limit to our power.

כלב בן יפונה tried to tell it to us 1000 years earlier " עלה נעלה וירשנו אותה כי יכול נוכל לה", but we didn't want to listen. That was the root of all golus אתם בכיתם בכיה של חינם . And there lies the key to ge'ulah- both the general ge'ulah (יחזקאל ל''ז) and also our personal ge'ulah from the clutches of the y'h.

That is (very b'kitzur) what R' Tzadok says and today Hashem gave me an important insight. I realized what it all has to do with Amalek. We know that Amalek caused the Name of Hashem to be "incomplete" by attacking Klal Yisroel. How does attacking the Jews effect the Name of Hashem?

Everything in the creation -in all levels- works with the concept of guf and neshomoh or Kli and ohr. There must always be both parts. The guf or kli of the Shechina in this world is Klal Yisroel, as it says ושכנתי בתוכם. Amalek is the enemy of the Shechina Hakidosha, he can't stand Hashem's presence in this world (He actually wrote about it in "mein kampf" he calls it conscience). That is why he attacked us and by injuring us, he greatly damaged the vessel for Hashem's presence in this world.

Now, we have learned from R' Tzadok that the very thing that Amalek is out to destroy is precisely the key to our success. Amalek has no problem with Hashem as long as He's not over here. But הקב'ה לבן של ישראל  is what we are dependent on. It's no coincidence that at the same time (by the nes of purim) that there was a great weakening of Amalek, there was also the new and complete Kabolos Hatorah.

So this Shabbos Zachor and this purim, let us all make our personal internal michiyas Amalek, let us drill in to our hearts that Hashem is within us - right here and right now! לא בשמים...בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו - Hashem is in our hearts and our power of speech can be used to awaken the connection. (See "Torah Tavlin" thread.)
Once we bust our personal Amalek (like it says in the Megilah "המן בלבו" ;D) we will reach the highest level of simcha -עוז וחדוה במקומו. This is the ultimate meaning of נכנס יין יצא סוד -the deep secret hidden inside can come booming out in it's full glory.

A FREILICHEN PURIM AND A FRELICHEN LIFE!

I was just thinking that we can learn an additional and very important point from all this. Sometimes a Jew can really hit rock-bottom. He feels totally and completely stuck and desperate and he just can't do anything. In his desperation he calls out to Hashem very much like the Jews in Mitzrayim, and Hashem lifts him up out of the darkness.

He might conclude from this that that is THE way to get Siyata Dishmaya, like the the Jews thought at the time of the meraglim. But the Torah teaches us that this is a fatal error. The rock-bottom is a one time thing. After that we need to remember that Hashem took us out (in the past tense). From now on He is with us, in-fact He is within us. ה' אתנו אל תיראום 

From now on it's up and up, higher and higher; farther and farther away from lust - closer and closer to Hashem. יכול נוכל

Thank you Reb battlworn for sharing these thoughts with us. Now i need to ingrain them. And i think that is the hard part!

Ayin Merash Tanchuma Tchilas parshas " Vayigasg Yehuda"     The nekudah of their milchama was that yosef couldn't suffer a fall, as you said, he couldn't stand busha... and he therefor hinted, and kept hinting to his identity, anything to not embarras the shevatim (as did happen). And the busha was SO GREAT "ki nivhalu lifanav"     which chazal compare to the great busha when HKB"H comes knocking on kevarim by techiyas hameisim and the eqivilant of 'Ani Yosef' "OY lanu Miyom Hadid Oy lanu Miyom Hatocheicha!!"

And yehuda, despite the ma'aseh with tamar, despite the great shame of facing a Beis din consisting of his tatte Yaakov (who could say REuvain rayshin oni), his zaydeh Yitzchak (pachad Yitzchak)and the ribono shel olam (?..ain beis din shakul..?).  And it was  before this beis din that  he said "tzadka...." and the ribino shel olam finnished it for him ...MIMENI"   .  And even so he picked himself up, Gur Aryeh Yehuda, and he would suffer no defeat to shame. He wouldn't slow, and souldn't allow himself to weaken his battle.

Read the medrash inside, there is no way to summerise it [the whole vikuach].
Here it is Bekitzur from Ois 3 (typed by word recognition software): א'ר׳ש בן לקיש משל לשגי
אתליטין תפושים זה בזה כיון שהרגיש אהד מהן שהוא בא להנצח אמר עכשיו יגצחגי ואגי
גחבייש בפני הכל מה עשה גשקו על ידיו ושככה חמתו של אתליטיה הגדול . אף יוסף ביון
שתרגיש שעלתה הטתו של יהודה גחירא שלא יחבייש לפגי חטצרים מיד אמר לאחיו אני יוסף אתיכם ולא יכלו לענות אותו
See it in print here http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14123&st=&pgnum=103
If you want additional printings here they are http://hebrewbooks.org/home.aspx and cut/paste this into the "Title" search box מדרש תנחומא

imtrying25 wrote on 24 Feb 2010 21:27:


Reb IT, I believe I can tell you how to do it. How about starting from today? Before each seder of learning take 3 minutes to talk to Hashem. Discuss with Him what you want the Torah to do to you and beg Him to make it work. Ask him to make the Divrei Torah open your heart etc. (ayin Torah tavlin thread).
And after a good seder of learning, at least once a day, take 15 minutes to learn Mesilas Yesharim making sure to say the words out with your mouth.

It's not a very expensive investment and I believe that by the time you get through the Mesilas Yesharim, you will have noticed a major change. Try it!

דִּרְשׁוּ יְה-וָה, בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ; קְרָאֻהוּ, בִּהְיוֹתוֹ קָרוֹב

Today is a day of great suplication. Lets all "seek" Hashem and call to Him when He is "close". This is one of the most powerfull Pesukim in Tanach. Anyone (i.e Battleworn) have anything to say on it? This whole Haftorah speaks directly to us, addicts. This Pasuk just about says it all: כִּי לֹא מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם, וְלֹא דַרְכֵיכֶם דְּרָכָי--נְאֻם, יְה-וָה . Hashem knows we are not perfect. We are not God. Oh what an amzing Haftorah!

Anyone have anything on it?

-Yiddle

Thought of something. Keep an eye on my Ha'oros as I hope to write it there....

Thank you Battleworn, this is a powerful and yesodosdike shtickle that bridges the gap between the "Torah Approach" and the 12-Step approach beautifully. I will share this in the Chizuk e-mail tomorrow, be"h, Erev Shabbos, the last chizuk e-mail before Purim.

Yosef Hatzadik wrote on 25 Feb 2010 19:07:


And here he writes