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			    MILAYOMIT Digest 203

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) MILA YOMIT:VHHY- ROSH CHODESH CHESVAN- 
	by "M.Y." <[log in to unmask]>

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From: "M.Y." <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Mila Yomit: The Torah Word By Word" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: MILA YOMIT:VHHY- ROSH CHODESH CHESVAN- 
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 01:25:12 -0700
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MILA YOMIT: THE TORAH, WORD BY WORD
by Rabbi Itzchak Marmorstein.
--------
"May the Torah shared and learned through Mila Yomit serve as a Bracha:
Blessing and Tefilla: Prayer for a Refuah Shleima: Complete Healing for
Amitai Bar Or Ben Sara ve Itzchak, all those on the Mila Yomit Healing List
and all  who need a healing. We invite anyone reading this to offer a short
prayer for these people."

"We pray for the recovery of Israel's cabinet minister, Rehavan Ze'evi who
was
shot a few hours ago in Jerusalem.. And for all the ongoing wounded."
=========================================================
MILA YOMIT:ROSH CHODESH CHESVAN- VHHY-
5762

--------------

Shalom:

It is Rosh Chodesh CHESVAN-Scorpio.
Formed by the letter NUN, whose numeric is 50. [significant for me as I
enter my 50th]

Baruch Sheheecheyanu...Blessed are we to be living.

The month of Tishrei just passed was eerily filled with death and
destruction
as we prayed to be written and sealed in the Book of Life.
And as we entered our succas, the air bombardment in Afghanistan began.
Anthrax delivered everywhere.
And today another attempted assassination in Israel.

These are intense times and history is moving and shifting
without a clear picture of direction and outcome.
The Kabbala is explicit about the unfolding of TOV-Good
being the inner story of it all, but sometimes the RAH-Negative
is that which stimulates the TOV to greater and greater efforts.
May we be so blessed.

It was in the month of Chesvan that the completion of the construction of
the Temple by King Solomon. "...the eight month from Nissan, the House was
completed." (Kings 1: 6-38)

Espescially in such challenging and hate-filled times, I  am reminded by Rav
Kook of what can be
and will be.

When Jacob reunited with Esau after 22 years of exile, he said to Esau:
"I have seen you,it is like seeing the face of God." (Gen. 33:10)

Rav Kook in a letter written in 1908 comments on this:
"His word [Jacob's] shall not go down as a vain utterance.
The brotherly love of Esau and Jacob, of Itzchak and Ishmael,
will assert itself above all the confusion that...has engendered.
It will overcome them and transform them to eternal light and compassion.

This broad concept, sweetened by the enlightenment of the true teaching of
the Torah,
must be our guide on all our ways in the end of days,
to seal our understanding of the Torah with the Messianic imprint by turning
the bitter to sweet,
and darkness to light." (Bokser, P. 339)

The Midrash teaches that the third temple will be rededicated during
Chesvan.
May we be worthy of such a blessing in our lifetime.

----------------------
'...the enlightenment of the true teaching of the Torah' is an allusion to
the Kabbala.

We have learned that each of the twelve months is another permutation of
YHVH.
This month CHESVAN is VHHY.

The following is Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh's (inner.org )presentation on the
month of Tishrei, according to Sefer Yetzira;
and its letter, NUN.

CHODESH-month is also the word CHADASH-new.

May this month be full of new TOV.
Chodesh Tov
Itzchak.
====================================================================

Kabbalah and Modern Life - Living with the Times

The Month of Cheshvan

According to Sefer Yetzirah, each month of the Jewish year has a letter of
the Hebrew alphabet, a zodiac sign, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, a
sense, and a controlling limb of the body that correspond to it.

Cheshvan (or Mar-Cheshvan): the eighth of the twelve months of the Jewish
calendar.

In the Bible, Cheshvan is called chodesh bul, from the word mabul, "the
flood." The flood began on the 17th of Cheshvan, and ended the following
year on the 27th of Cheshvan. The following day, the 28th of Cheshvan, Noah
brought his sacrifice to G-d and G-d swore never again to bring a flood upon
the earth to destroy all mankind, and then revealed the sign of His covenant
with the world, the rainbow.

Cheshvan is the only month which has no holidays or special mitzvot.We are
taught that it is "reserved" for the time of Mashiach, who will inaugurate
the third Temple in Cheshvan.

Letter: nun.

Nun is considered to be the letter of Mashiach, as is said (with reference
to Mashiach): "before the sun, is his name Ye-non [from nun]" (Psalms
72:17). As a verb-root, nun means "to reign." As a noun, it means "the heir
to the throne" (from nin). The eighth month is the month of Mashiach, for
eight signifies the eternal revelation of the supernatural (the consummate
state of rectified nature being the secret of the number seven). Whereas the
"harp" of this world possesses seven strings, the harp of Mashiach possesses
eight strings. Just as 8 transcends 7, so does 50 (the numerical value of
nun) transcend 49, 7 squared. In this world, the nun is bent over, confined
by the boundaries of nature. With the coming of Mashiach, the nun
"straightens out" (the shape of the final nun), breaks through the
boundaries of nature, and descends "below the line" into the subterranean
realms of reality in order to reveal there G-d's all-encompassing Infinite
light.

Mazal: akrav (Scorpio--scorpion).

Our sages teach us that the scorpion is the most deadly member of the
general category of poisonous creatures whose archetypal figure is the
primordial snake of Eden. The word akrav derives from the word akev, "heel,"
as is said: "and you [the snake] shall bite him [man] at the heel" (Genesis
3:15). Thus the akrav symbolizes the consummate "bite" of the snake at the
heel of man. While in general, the poison of the snake is "hot," the poison
of the scorpion is "cold." The Mashiach is the one and only soul who can
overcome, kill, and ultimately revive the primordial snake (in order to
convert it to good). (The soul of Mashiach and his continuous state of
consciousness manifest the ultimate rectification of "heat," "burning"
solely in his love for G-d and Israel, as well as that of "cold"-absolutely
"cold" to the false vanities of this world.) This is the secret of the
numerical equation: Mashiach (358) = snake (nachash). Akrav (372) = Mashiach
(nachash) plus David (= 14; nun is the 14th letter of the alef-beit). The
root-letters of Cheshvan permute to spell nachash (in Cheshvan the nun is
"straightened out;" in nachash it is "bent over").

Tribe: Menasheh.

Menasheh is the firstborn of Joseph. Deriving from the word "to forget"
(literally "to leap, up and away"), Menasheh implies the power of the tzadik
(Joseph) to make us forget the hardships, trials and tribulations of this
world, with the coming of Mashiach. By the power and sense of Menasheh, all
of the pain of this world will transform and metamorphose into the pleasure
of the Messianic era. The name Menasheh permutes to spell neshamah, "soul."
Menasheh represents the sense to reveal the Divine soul in Israel. In the
Bible, Moses is called Menasheh, for Menasheh is Moshe (Moses) with an
additional nun (the letter of Cheshvan). Of Moses is said: "he is the first
redeemer and he is the final redeemer" (See Shemot Rabbah 4:2; Zohar 1:253a;
Sha'ar HaPesukim, Vayechi; Torah Or, beginning of Mishpatim). In his first
lifetime (as "the first redeemer") he did not achieve the "50th gate of
understanding" (the understanding of G-d Himself, as it were, and His
deepest intention in the creation of the universe). When he returns as
Mashiach, he will be given forever the "50th gate," the nun of Mashiach, the
secret of Menasheh (Moshe-nun. In the Zohar we are taught that when Moses
first passed from this world he received the "50th gate" and was "buried" in
the Mishnah, another permutation of Menasheh, Moshe-nun. Through the study
of Mishnah (in the time of exile) we reveal the neshamah of Israel and
thereby merit the redemption of Moshe-Mashiach and the revelation for all on
earth of the "50th gate."

Sense: smell.

The sense of smell is the most spiritual of all senses. The Hebrew word for
"smell," rei'ach, is cognate to that for "spirit" (ruach). Our sages teach
us that smell is the one and only sense that "the soul enjoys and not the
body." "Soul" (neshamah) is a permutation of Menasheh, as mentioned above.
The sense of smell is the only sense (of the five common senses) that did
not participate, and thereby was not blemished or polluted, in the
primordial sin of man in the Garden of Eden. It is the sense which saved the
Jewish people in the time of Mordechai and Esther, who are called Mor
veHadas ("myrrh and myrtle," the two primary sources of fragrance). It is
explicitly stated that the sense of Mashiach is the sense of smell. "And he
shall smell in the awe of G-d"--"he shall judge by smell" (rather than by
sight or hearing. Isaiah 11:3; Sanhedrin 93b). By his sense of smell (his
ruach hakodesh, "holy spirit") the Mashiach will know how to connect each
Jewish soul to its Divine root, and thereby identify its tribe (branch) in
Israel.

Controller: intestines.

The word for intestines (dakin) derives from the word "minute" (dakah) or
"particle" (dak). It implies the power to dissect into fine, refined parts.
In the process of preparing the incense for the Temple (the consummate
expression of the sense of smell in the Temple service), one would say (over
and over), "grind well, grind well" (hadek heitev, heiteiv hadek: hadeik
from dak). All of the sacrifices in the Temple service are meant to produce
a "satisfying aroma" (rei'ach nichoach) and please the Divine sense of
smell, which implies the Divine "satisfaction" with the service of His
children Israel in particular and with His creation in general. Our sages
interpret the phrase rei'ach nichoach as "I am satisfied (nachat ruach), for
I have spoken and My will has been fulfilled." This Divine satisfaction with
man and creation was first expressed on the 28th of Cheshvan, when Noah
offered his sacrifice to G-d. Due to His satisfaction, G-d swore to Noah
never again to destroy the world by flood. As is expressed explicitly in
laws of the Torah, it is the fats of the intestines that when offered on the
altar produce the "satisfying" aroma for G-d. For this reason the intestines
are seen to control the sense of smell.

=========================================================
The Hebrew Letters
The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters


NUN
The Messiah: Heir to the Throne

In Aramaic, nun means "fish." The mem, the waters of the sea, is the natural
medium of the nun, fish. The nun "swims" in the mem, covered by the waters
of the "hidden world." Creatures of the "hidden world" lack
self-consciousness. Unlike fish, land animals, revealed on the face of the
earth, possess self-consciousness.

The souls of Israel divide into two general categories, symbolized by fish
and land animals. The two prototypes of these categories are the leviathan
and the behemot. In the present, these two categories of souls correspond to
the two innate tendencies and attractions of the soul, to either the
concealed and secret or revealed and legal dimensions of Torah. In the
future, the two prototypes, leviathan and behemot, will unite in battle,
each "killing" the "ego" of the other, thereafter to blend together in true
union. Their "meat" will then be served as the feast for the tzadikim in the
World to Come. The souls of the tzadikim will actually consume the very root
of consciousness of our present level of soul, in order to integrate
("digest") it into a totally new and higher level of consciousness.

"Leviathan" equals in gematria malchut, ("kingdom," 496). In Kabbalah,
malchut, in the world of Divine Emanation, is represented by the sea, whose
tides are controlled by the power of the moon, the symbol of King David
(upon seeing the new moon we say, "David the king of Israel is alive
forever"). When malchut descends to enliven the lower worlds it is
symbolized by the earth. Thus, the leviathan is the symbol of the Divine
Source of "kingdom." In Hebrew, nun means "kingdom," and in particular, the
"heir to the throne."

The "nun" is the fourteenth letter of the alef-beit, which equals "David,"
the progenitor of the eternal Kingdom of Israel. The heir to David is
Mashiach ben David, of whom is said: "As long as the duration of the sun his
name shall rule." Our Sages teach us that one of the names of Mashiach is
Yinon ("shall rule"), cognate to nun. Mashiach is also referred to as "the
miscarriage," or, literally, the "fallen one." As we will learn in the
secret of the letter samech, the nun does not appear in Psalm 145, but is
supported by G-d's transcendent mercy, as expressed by the following letter,
samech. In general, nun corresponds in Torah to the image of falling. The
soul of Mashiach experiences itself as continuously falling and dying; if
not for the ever-present Hand of G-d "catching" it, it would crash to the
ground and shatter to death. The consciousness of fall is the reflection of
the egoless state of the fish, in its natural medium of water, when forced
to reveal itself on dry land. This is like the experience of a hidden tzadik
when forced from Above to reveal himself for the good of Israel and the
world. We find this exemplified in the life and teachings of the Ba'al Shem
Tov, and so will be epitomized in the life of Mashiach. Ultimately, the
"destiny" of Mashiach and his generation is to assume the level of sea on
earth, to experience, paradoxically, selfless-self-consciousness, as said in
the verse of Isaiah with which Maimonides concludes his Code of Jewish Law
(whose final section, "The Laws of Kings," culminates with the description
of the coming of Mashiach): "for the earth will be filled with the knowledge
of G-d, like waters cover the sea."


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

FORM

A "bent-over" vessel - the "bent-over servant."
The final nun - an extended vav descending below the line - the "unbounded
servant."

Worlds:

The receiving vessel.
The faithful one.
Subservience and faithfulness.
Souls:

Humility - the vessel of true insight into halachah.
Divinity:

The final nun - extension of the Infinite.
Light Above and below.
Moses - the faithful servant.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

NAME

Fish; kingdom; heir to the throne.

Worlds:

Fish of the sea - the symbol of reproductivity.
The selflessness inherent in "previous"-world consciousness.
The rectified state of the world.
Souls:

The souls of Israel are kings and children of kings. Heir to the throne -
Mashiach.
The ruling power of the soul.
Divinity:

The Shechinah - origin of the souls of Israel.
The kingdom of G-d on earth.
Moses, "the great fish."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

NUMBER

Fifty; the fifty gates of understanding.

Worlds:

The cycle of fifty years culminating in the Jubilee year.
"Fifty years to counsel."
The fifty queries into the nature of Creation which G-d poses Job.
Souls:

Fifty references to the Exodus in Torah.
"Her husband is known in the gates."
Divinity:

Fifty images in Torah "supported" by the Name of G-d.
Fifty days of counting the Omer between Pesach and Shavuot.
Fifty thousand Jubilees of the World to Come.

=============================================================





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