Elul (5786) The New Torah of the Bal Teshuvah

Shalom Aleichem and welcome back to our series of Sfas Emes Parshas Ki Savo Tetzaveh tonight. We're not going to learn a piece of Sfas Emes on the Parsha, but rather a piece of Sfas Emes on Chodesh Elul or holding more than halfway through Chodesh Elul and it's worthwhile to go ahead and take examine, to explore, to learn, to understand, to live with the Torah from the holy Sfas Emes on Chodesh Elul on Shuva and preparing ourselves for the Yom HaDin, preparing ourselves for Yom Kippur Habah L'Tova and to understand what our Avodah is in Chodesh Elul. We all know that the reason why we have these days which are called Chodesh Elul which are Meah Rotzon is because after Klal Yisrael did the terrible chet of the chet HaEgel, Moshe went and davened to the Ribono Shel Olam for 40 days to get a Kaparah for Klal Yisrael. The Ribono Shel Olam told him "Salachti K'Divarecha" and Moshe Rabbeinu went up a third time for 40 days to receive the Luchos Shniyos. When were those 40 days? From Rosh Chodesh Elul up until Yom Kippur when he came down with the second set of Luchos. So Moshe Rabbeinu came down with the Luchos Shniyos on Yom Kippur and that that day became established L'Doros Doros as a day of Slichah Kaparah for Klal Yisrael that every person on their own version of their own chet HaEgel is able to go ahead and do Teshuvah, Kaparah, Slichah, Kaparah and be able to go ahead and to receive this Indian called Luchos Shniyos. But the Sfas Emes in Likutei asks a very simple question from his holy grandfather, the Kedushas Aryeh Zayda, "I don't understand the question. The Kedushas Aryeh I don't understand. I understand why Moshe Rabbeinu had to go up the first 40 days to receive the Torah. I understand the second set of 40 days because that was necessary for Moshe Rabbeinu to be distressed by the Ribono Shel Olam, to go ahead and to beg the Ribono Shel Olam to forgive Klal Yisrael and not Chalilah to wipe out Klal Yisrael." But says the Kedushas Aryeh, "What was the purpose, what was the goal of the third set of 40 days? Moshe Rabbeinu had already learned all of the Torah by the first Luchos. Of course the second Luchos were not on the same level, they were on a level which was different, they were written by Moshe Rabbeinu, but but the content was exactly the same. Why did Moshe Rabbeinu have to go up and receive the second set of Luchos after learning for 40 days? Well the Torah everything that every Talmid Vatik Asil L'Chadesh was already taught to Moshe Rabbeinu the first time around and there were no Chidushim. Why did Moshe Rabbeinu have to go up for this third set of 40 days? The 40 days that we're right now experiencing from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur, what new chiddush did Moshe Rabbeinu learn when all he brought down was a second set of the same luchos with the same content with the same mitzvos and Torah? Nothing had changed l'chora. What exactly was Moshe Rabbeinu doing in this third set of 40 days? Zog this Vayishlach Moshe in the name of the Chiddushei Rim in the Likutei. Zog this Vayishlach Moshe with the tiyuvta amru Chazal b'makom she'baalei teshuvah omdim, ein tzaddikim gemurim mechallelin l'amod. Says this Vayishlach Moshe, we know from the Gemara in Yoma that in the place that a baal teshuvah stands, not the physical space but the spiritual space that the baal teshuvah can the baal teshuvah is able to go out and occupy after going and doing teshuvah is on a greater level, a much greater level, than the place that a tzaddik is able to be. A tzaddik is able to go ahead and be in a great level, but he's not able to go ahead and to come close to the place that a baal teshuvah is able to do. A baal teshuvah is on a on a spiritually much greater plane, much greater playing field, than the tzaddik. And b'makom she'baalei teshuvah omdim, ein tzaddikim gemurim mechallelin l'amod. Zog this Chiddushei Rim. Moshe Rabbeinu went up and he received the first set of luchos, but that was the luchos that were given over to tzaddikim. That's the level of tzaddikim. Klal Yisrael they left they left Mitzrayim and they were tzaddikim, they were on the level of malachim. They were on the level of Adam HaRishon k'ilu umelah, they were getting the Torah, the Torah that's given over to tzaddikim. Klal Yisrael did a terrible chet, the chet called the chet ha'egel. Moshe Rabbeinu got the teshuvah for the chet ha'egel, but now Moshe Rabbeinu needs to go ahead and receive a brand new Torah. What Torah is that? It's a Torah of b'makom she'baalei teshuvah omdim, ein tzaddikim gemurim mechallelin l'amod. The teshuvah which is on a much higher level, a much greater level, the teshuvah and the Torah which is given over to the baal teshuvah. As we say every day in davening, Hashiveinu Avinu l'Torasecha. It doesn't just mean to the learning of Torah, it means to the Torah that's shiyach to me. There's a level of Torah that's shiyach to a person when a person is a tzaddik, and there's a much greater, higher level of Torah which is shiyach to a person is a baal teshuvah. Hashiveinu Avinu l'Torasecha. We understand that when we go ahead and do teshuvah, we're able to rise to a greater madregah, a madregah that's not shiyach with tzaddikim. And then Moshe Rabbeinu had to go up and receive the luchos, a brand new set of set of luchos where all the content was the same. Although the mitzvahs don't completely change, but the level that is given over on Rosh Hashanah the service there is on a much greater and higher playing field than the Torah that was given over in the Shavuos. And therefore Moshe Rabbeinu went up and learned the Torah, the Torah of the baal teshuvah. Like the Sukkos writings of my mom and on Sukkos, the reason why has this many to go ahead and begin building the Sukkah right away is on a simple level to go ahead and to be involved ourselves in mitzvahs right away after Yom Kippur. But why Sukkos? Why not Sukkah? Why not why not go and do why not give why not something else? Why specifically building a Sukkah? Says the it's so simple cuz after Yom Kippur every year is about teshuvah. And you can't live in the same place that you lived before. The world you lived in before it was the world of maybe the tzaddik or maybe the rasha, but it wasn't the world of the baal teshuvah. Post Yom Kippur after Yom Kippur every year is about teshuvah. And when you walk out of Yom Kippur you are a different place and you are in a different you are in a different world. And then you can't live in the same space. You have to go and create a mini base in your backyard a place where then now you the baal teshuvah are able to go ahead and able to live in that place to go and to live in that place. And the tzaddikim and the baal teshuvah are different. This is what Moshe Rabbeinu received and this is what all of Israel is receiving during these 40 days. We're receiving a brand new Torah. A Torah where although the content may be may be the same, the context is very very different. It's a context of the baal teshuvah and it's a higher more elevated loftier Torah. A Torah that's given over to tzaddikim. This brings down for the baal teshuvah that a muscle to go and to understand why the baal teshuvah and the tzaddikim and he explains that there's a difference between a tzaddik and a baal teshuvah. A tzaddik is like one strong rope. He's like a strong rope attaching him to the he's like a strong rope attaching him to the in a very strong way. A and a means that there's been a separation. That the rope has been severed. Not the full rope, but a part of the rope has been severed. Says this in the name of the Bal Tanya, what do you do when a rope gets ripped? You have to go ahead and re-tie it. And in that place where you go ahead and create a knot, it's much stronger than it was before. It may not be straight anymore. It may not be look It may not look as beautiful and as perfect as it did before, but if you want to know the strength of that rope, it's so much stronger now that you went ahead and tied a tight knot in that place where it was ripped, it's so much stronger than it was before. It's harder to rip that place where you tied it. It's harder than it was to rip before. It's not straight. It's not perfect. It's not beautiful. And it has knots in it. But those knots in the In that place of the knots, it's stronger and it's on a greater and stronger level than it was before. And this is the level that every kid is able to reach. This is Sukkot. There's another thing which is worthwhile to end with. This is a beautiful She says that we know that we find that every day that the went ahead and created something, the said that every day was twice, but the says every day is and this means the level of as every day created the world, there was some aspect within the day of creation. The able to so to speak be able to recognize and be able to reveal to all of us was something. But says this one day when the doesn't just say but all of us. When is that? That's an Shabbat. Says this is the regular level of You know what is? is what and did in Shabbat. and did the terrible of eating something that all of the whole the whole world and every one of us individually and collectively are suffering up until today. But then they went ahead and they did and therefore the day of cuz means the regular level of cuz it's the first level of cuz it comes to take of it's very good cuz it's the level of a level of a higher and greater level. It's a level of and we're able to be elevated to a level which called this new to be think about it when we go out and we help me elevate myself to a greater higher level of the cuz help me go out and do because I recognize that in that place that I do when I'm able to that rope that part of the rope that's been severed I'll be that much stronger and that much tighter with you and love than it was before. to utilize these 40 days properly and to be able to go ahead and recognize to strengthen our bond with in a deep real way and to be able to be the great day.