Lag Bomer Blessings הנה מה טוב ומה נעים שבת אחים גם יחדA New Kabbalah class Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz

Welcome to this week's class on Seder. Today is a very very special day for us here as it's Arab Lag B'Omer and in Israel already it's Lag B'Omer. Lag B'Omer as we know is the passing of Shimon bar Yochai and Shimon bar Yochai said on his day of passing we should all be joyous, we should be happy and we should celebrate. And there's no greater greater celebration and there's no greater way to connecting to Shimon bar Yochai by learning one of his teachings and especially the way it's explained by the Rebbe. So there's a famous teaching of Shimon bar Yochai on Psalm 133 kuf lamed gimmel on the verse where it says shir hamalos l'Dovid hinei mah tov uma na'im achim gam yachad. How sweet it is sheves achim gam yachad. And we'll see in the Seder discourse where the Rebbe brings this teaching and the way the Rashbi explains it and the Rebbe adds beautiful insight and we'll appreciate and understand the whole chapter of Psalms in a very very beautiful spiritual way where I can and pray you never ever appreciated or understood it before. Also we're going to learn very very powerful ideas in this Seder discourse about the whole idea of blessings. A lot of people always have questions how blessings work and how prayers work and how Torah study and about the importance of studying mysticism and about unity our relationship with Hashem. Very very beautiful Seder discourse that the Rebbe gave in tough shin kuf bais which is 58 years ago and it was actually certified and edited by the Rebbe in tough shin nun 30 years ago. So the the Seder discourse is based on as we mentioned before on the verse shir hamalos l'Dovid hinei mah tov uma na'im sheves achim gam yachad. And the Rebbe quotes from his father-in-law the previous Rebbe that he asked a question. What does it say in the verse sheves achim that the brothers are sitting together. So if you're sitting so why is the verse say gam also yachad in oneness? Seemingly it's redundant. And the previous Rebbe explains that sheves achim is a reference to male and female chasan and kallah. And sheves achim is referring to the first stage in the relationship the way they're they're they're only engaged they're not married yet. Sheves achim. Gam yachad is once they get married so now they become really really one and gam yachad is where the the relationship gets upgraded into from engagement to marriage. Then the previous Rebbe quotes from the Zohar and the Zohar says a different insight to the same verse and the Zohar says sheves achim is a reference to the relationship with Hashem and the Jewish people. Gam yachad is not only the way the Jewish people exist on a spiritual level but even the way the Jewish people exist on a physical level down here the relationship with Hashem is one and unified. And the Rebbe says the truth is they're really connected because this whole idea that we have chasan and kallah that are connected is it's a extension from the chasan and kallah maila above which is Hashem and Hashem and the Jewish people and that creates that unity. So it's really saying the same the same idea those obviously on different spiritual levels. But the Rebbe goes on to say that the truth is even though we mentioned that the it's chasan and kallah it's the Hashem and the Jewish people but the simple definition is that achim sheves achim is referring to brothers sisters the Jewish people getting along. So the Rebbe says there's two different levels in getting along. There's sheves achim where we get along but we have relationships but it's me and you. But then there's gam yachad we all get along with literally we're literally as one. And base and and based on that the Rebbe says that how do we how we able to be one? Because when we connect to the idea that Hashem and us are one and we really we really connect to that idea that we're one with Hashem we're not two separate entities we're really one gam yachad that will allow us to have true love and friendship one with the other we really become one. And based on this the Rebbe will explain later on the Seder discourse what the verse in Psalms the second verse where it says k'shemen hatov al harosh like this good oil on the head which goes down drips down on the beard of Aaron which goes down onto the middos and the emotions. But again in detail later on in the Seder discourse. So the Rebbe begins off and he says and he brings a piece from the Zohar. And the Zohar quotes the famous story and this is possibly the main reason why the Rebbe is saying this Seder discourse on Lag B'Omer and was and edited on Lag B'Omer because the story is about Shimon bar Yochai. The story was that the Jewish people needed to have rain. There was a there was no rain there was a drought. So they came to the Rashbi. So the Rashbi went ahead and he took out the book of Psalms and he said a Kabbalistic insight into the book of into into the into a a verse in a chapter in the book of Psalms this specific verse where it says hinei mah tov uma na'im sheves achim gam yachad and the the verse taught a Kabbalistic teaching which we're going to learn later the teaching a little later on and all of a sudden rain came down. Which is awesome. Can you imagine? You got a problem you walk into your rabbi he pulls out a book he tells you a Kabbalistic teaching and all the problems go away. That's awesome. So that's the story in the Zohar. So the Rebbe says we all know the question on this it's the simple simple question because we all know it's brought down in many places especially in Shulchan Aruch that what happens God forbid if there's a drought and there's no rain so we know that we add certain blessings in the Shmone Esrei there's certain fasts that you fast there's actually specifically you add six blessings in the Shmone Esrei there's actually 13 fasts that you fast and we all know the famous story with Choni HaMa'agel when the there was no rain he made a circle and he stood in the circle and he prayed he a lot of effort went into it. And here the Rashbi doesn't do anything. He doesn't add an extra prayers he doesn't go ahead and tell people to fast he doesn't make no circles he he sits where he is and what it seemingly what seems to us without any tremendous effort he goes ahead and gives a Kabbalistic teaching on this verse and all of a sudden the the the rain comes down. So question what is that all what is that all about? So the Rebbe explains as follows. He says why is it what we just say that when there's a when there's when when there's a tremendous need for rain so what do you have to do? You have to add six blessings you have to fast a lot of effort goes into it. What why is that? So the Rebbe explains because basically what's the whole idea of prayer? Prayer is that we are making tremendous spiritual efforts we're opening up our heart we're pouring out our soul we're we're we're turning to God. In Kabbalah the world of Kabbalah that's called milmata l'maila which means from down here we're reaching out to Hashem. Now normally we do it every day in prayer services it's always milmata l'maila but now when you really want something which is not there it's a it's been there's been a drought there hasn't been any rain so you have to put in extra effort. And when you put in the extra effort and there's an expression l'ma'aseh yedecha tifsaf when you put in effort into something Hashem pays back. So when you put in the effort in prayer then it comes down. So that makes sense why when you're coming to pray and you want something special you have to put extra effort into it an extra blessing in terms of rain or fasting or obviously more kavanos just in general more meditation that will cause tremendous blessings. Now but on the other hand the Rashbi didn't do that. He just pulled out the Psalms taught us some Kabbalistic teachings and it came down. So the Rebbe explains because what do we say? Tefillah how does tefillah work? It's milmata l'maila. You put the effort in and the tremendous blessing comes down. Torah on the other hand the Torah is from Hashem. We didn't write the Torah. All we do is we open up and we study Torah. Torah spiritually is called a gift milmaila a gift from Hashem l'mata. So since Torah comes from Hashem it's not our initial effort. It's basically it's a gift from Hashem we're studying but what are we studying? We're studying Torah of Hashem. So then spiritually it's called milmaila l'mata. Therefore you don't have to put in the extra effort. Take out a take out a Chumash prophets the writings and just learn so the effort is you're learning but really the big effort was Hashem gave us this tremendous gift. That's why it was able to come down automatically. Now um So what happens? Rashbi so if that's the case why did he have to go ahead and give give a special teaching? Because the Rebbe explains that what happened was like this. There's no rain. So you need and you want there should be now a change because even though naturally there should be rain all of a sudden when there's no rain so you want to be there should be a change in the world. Now so in order for there to be a change in the world you have to put in effort. Like the in Tanya it says that through prayer and when you put effort into prayer and special meditation into prayer or like we mentioned before extra blessings or extra fasting that causes the the the blessing the blessing to come down. But however by by by the Rashbi his teaching of Torah had the the same quality of prayer. And because it had the same quality of prayer, it was able to affect change in the world that caused rain to come down um through Torah. So, here we see something really really profound. Prayer, because it's tremendous work and tremendous effort, it causes change in the world. Torah, on the other hand, it's a gift from above, so normally it shouldn't cause change in the world, but the Torah of of of R' Shimon bar Yochai was able to cause change in the world. And the question is, how is that so? It was factually we know it's so cuz we saw it work with R' Shimon bar Yochai, but the question is how how is that so? So, the Rebbe explains, based on we know there's different ways to connect to Hashem. One way we mentioned before is through Torah, through studying Torah. You study Hashem's Torah, you're connecting to Hashem through Torah. Then there's another way to connect to Hashem through through prayer. So, we we have to understand the difference between Torah, the way the way how that works, and the way prayer works. So, the Rebbe first gives an is introduction to understand the way Torah and and prayer works. He says, "Let's first try to understand the difference between we all know a bracha, a blessing." So, a lot of times you come to someone, "Give me a blessing." Whether it's a simple person or a more spiritual person, and we all know it says in the Talmud that even a simple person can give you a blessing. You shouldn't look down, God forbid, any blessing from a from the simplest to the most greatest human being. So, we know there's a power of blessing. Now, what is the difference between um between a blessing and prayer? So, again, as we mentioned before, that tfila, in the words of Kabbalah, is called milmatta l'maala, which means you're here, you don't have it, and you're beseeching, you're doing a lot of spiritual work, where you meditate and you prepare yourself, and you pour your heart and soul out, milmatta, and then you that prayer goes to Hashem, it opens up a special place in Hashem, and all of a sudden Hashem gives you tremendous gifts of whatever you need. Blessing, on the other hand, is something which is called milmaala l'matta, which means, we all know that Hashem, for example, gave Abraham the power to bless. What does that mean? He gave him the ability that he has the power, if someone needs something, go to Abraham and Abraham's descendants, and ask them for a blessing, and they'll bless you, and you'll receive what you need. Or, for example, we know that the priests were were commanded to bless the Jewish people. So, when you go to a priest, a a kohen, and ask him to bless you, it's milmaala l'matta. He has in his storage house a lot a lot of blessings. He has a lot of opportunities to help people, and you ask him for a blessing, and he blesses you. That's called milmaala l'matta. Now, so again, a prayer that we work on for ourselves, and Hashem showers us down with with with with whatever we need, and when he obviously when he wants to, and blessing is it's there, and all you have to do is go ahead and command, and the blessing should come down. So, the Rebbe says like this, so what's the difference? By a blessing, seemingly, the person giving the blessing is in a much higher place. Why? Cuz he has blessings, he's showering you with gifts, he's showering you with whatever you need, which is true. Prayer, tfila, I'm a poor person, I have nothing, I'm I'm beseeching you, Hashem, Hashem, help me. So, the Rebbe says very simple, by a blessing, even though it's a blessing, so to speak, automatic, but nevertheless, it doesn't reach so high. It's automatic. It's a it's a push, but it's it's not it's not a major gift. However, through tfila, through prayer, you can reach a very very very high place. So, in other words, a simple example the Rebbe says very simple, if you go to someone for a blessing, and you ask him to bless you, as long as he has the blessing in stock, he can give it to you. And he'll give it to you, and you'll have it right away. But what happens if he doesn't have it in stock? He says, "Oh my gosh, it was not I don't have that blessing for you. You're coming to me to ask me for this blessing, I don't have it." Then could he help you? He can't help you. On the other hand, the power of prayer is that you can affect something totally new. That means even though in the source there's no room for that blessing, in other words, as the Rebbe says, for example, there was a decree there was a decree that someone should God forbid be sick, so therefore, that's what's in the cards. A blessing is not going to help you there. But through prayer, you can affect, and I'll the quote from the Rebbe, a new hamsacha, a new drawing down of light and energy from ohr ein sof, from the infinite Hashem, which is higher than anything that's in store for anybody. And that's why the Rebbe says, when it comes to a prayer, it says "Yehi ratzon." It should be the will of Hashem. What does that mean, "Yehi ratzon"? That you have the power to create a new will. And again, why does that work? Cuz l'maaseh yadecha tichsof, cuz we have the power, Hashem gave us the power that we put in maaseh yadecha, we put in the effort, we will see tremendous work tremendous rewards. So, in other words, through the avodah, our avodah, we can reach the infinite Hashem, which is higher than hishtalshelus. So, again, to recap, blessing, on one hand, you come for a blessing, boom, it's available right away. But it's only available what they have. Prayer, on the other hand, you don't just walk in the shul, "I'm here." No, you have to meditate, and you have to pray, and sometimes people fast, and sometimes people pour their heart out, and it's not necessarily there, but you're able to draw down blessings that did not exist, and God forbid there was decree against you or against what whoever it may be, you have the power to draw down tremendous tremendous blessings. Now, so that is the difference between what? Prayer and blessing. So, the Rebbe says, this power that prayer has, that it can draw down new blessings that doesn't even exist, cuz you're going into ohr ein sof, which is higher than hishtalshelus, and you can draw down powerful new blessing that never really existed before, so the same thing happens by by by by learning Torah, or for example, by a rabbi that gives a psak din, a ruling that you can literally through the ruling you can can change reality in the world. In other words, the Rebbe says you can make a davar chadash, which does not even exist in the world. Now, why is that? And the Rebbe explains very simple, because we all know that Torah is higher than the source of the world. You have the world, oilam, but Torah is much higher. And through Torah, you're able to draw down power and blessings from a high place that doesn't even exist in this world. So, in other words, like this, in Torah, you have two components. On one hand, you have the power of just like prayer, that you can draw down a new energy, but also you can also do it also has the power of blessings, that it that it comes automatically. So, in other words, like this, there's pros and cons in prayer, and there's pros and cons in a blessing. The pro in a blessing, boom, you got it right away. The con is, you can only get what's available. The pro in a in a in a prayer is, you can draw down blessings that did not exist and don't exist. The con is, you have to work hard for it, and it's not automatic. Torah, the Rebbe says, has both. One hand, it's automatic, but on the other hand, it's also can draw down brand new blessings. And as the Rebbe says, that we know it says "Man malcha d'rabbanan." Who are the kings today in the Jewish world? Are the rabbis. Why? Because when they learn Torah, how do they learn Torah? One of the key ingredients of being a rabbi is being a God-fearing human being. In Kabbalistic language, it's called holding having bittul, having humility. Because what happens is, when you're teaching Torah with humility, so if you really have humility, who's teaching the Torah? Not you. If it's humility, if you don't exist, I'm just sharing what Hashem has to say, so who's really teaching? Hashem is the one teaching. The Rebbe says, the melech himself, melech malchei hamlachim, Hakadosh Baruchu, Hashem is the one that's giving off the ruling. And since Hashem is the one that's giving off the ruling, so then it comes brand new, and it comes automatically. And based on this, the Rebbe explains, that's why we have many many stories of of of a tanna and amora, people from the Mishna and from the Talmud, that through their learning Torah, again, cuz they had the component that they were able to draw down brand new blessings, and it was automatically cuz they learned with humility, like the famous story the Rebbe quotes of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair, where he came to the water, he said, "Hey, split the water." And guess what? Since when does water split? It happened huge miracle when the Jewish people left Egypt, but for him it split. Why? Cuz again, he was coming from a place of Torah with humility, so therefore, it happened, even though it's not natural, and it happened right away. Which basically affected a real change in the world, which is the power of prayer, but it also happened based on his command, which is basically the power of blessing. Now, so again, so what do we see from here? So, you have blessing, which happens automatic. You have prayer, which makes a change in the world. But then you have what? Torah, which has both. What do you mean it has both? It has the aspect where it happens automatic, and it has the aspect that what? That it changes it it it's able to change the world. So, the Rebbe says, "One second." So, seemingly, Torah is much greater than prayer. Sit and study Torah all day. Why? Because prayer it accomplishes what prayer and it accomplishes it accomplishes everything. But the Rebbe says, "The truth is, there is a power in prayer over Torah." Why is that? Cuz what is Torah? Torah, we know, is Chochmah. Yes, Chochmah of Torah. Now, Chochmah, we know, is one of the Sefirot. Even on the high level of Sefirot, it's still a Sefirah. Ohr Ein Sof is the infinite light. Now, when a person prays, where do you draw down new change in the world? Where do you draw down blessings? From where? From Ohr Ein Sof, from the infinite light. When a person learns Torah, where you're drawing down light from? Chochmah. Which is one of the Sefirot. How can you compare Chochmah to Ohr Ein Sof? There's not even a comparison. Chochmah is one Sefirah, and Ohr Ein Sof is the infinite light. So, in other words, like this. So, through Chochmah, through Torah, you're only able to go to Chochmah. Through Tefillah, on the other hand, you're able to go to Ohr Ein Sof. And that's why through prayer, you can literally get and well, quote, a Ratzon Chadash, a brand new will, which comes from the infinite light, which is much higher than Torah. Now, however, so that is in generally between Torah and prayer. So, you see that prayer is prayer is much higher. But here is the novelty of the Rashbi. When they came to the Rashbi, it wasn't in store to have Torah. It wasn't in the place of Chochmah that the way the other rabbis, they found a place in Torah that they can reveal this blessing to come down to the world. They needed rain. There was a Gezeirah, there was a decree. So, the power of the Torah of Rashbi was that he was able to draw down rain, which is a huge huge miracle. In other words, all the miracles that we find in the Talmud was basically through Chochmah of Torah. They were able to get They were able to get that through the level of Chochmah. However, the Rashbi, when he said the Torah and Hinei Ma Tov U'Ma Naim Shevet Achim Gam Yachad, he There was no room to to have rain. However, he was able to reach through his Torah to Ohr Ein Sof, which is higher than the normal Torah, which is on the level of Tefillah. Now, so the question is very simple. So, we have like this. We have blessing. Blessing, basically, as we said, if it's there, you can have it. Prayer, on the other hand, what's prayer? Prayer can draw down something new, even if there's a decree against you or against the community, you can abolish it all through proper prayer. Torah, on the other hand, has the benefit of blessing and prayer, where it comes right away, and it can change things. However, there's one small glitch in Torah, there's one small thing that's lacking where prayer has the advantage, is that prayer can only reach Chochmah. If you need to bring in drawing greater blessings, you can't bring it in. But Tefillah, on the other hand, goes to the highest. Rashbi, on the other hand, through his Torah, was able to A, it came right away, and B, he was able to draw in where prayer reaches into Ohr Ein Sof, which is higher than obviously than Chochmah. So, the question is, how was he able to do that? And the Rebbe explains very simple. Because the Rashbi didn't just teach Torah. He taught, and this is key, Pnimiyus HaTorah. He taught the inner secrets of Torah. He taught Kabbalah, Chassidus, mysticism, whichever way you know it in English. He taught Pnimiyus HaTorah. The power that Pnimiyus HaTorah has, that in Pnimiyus HaTorah, the light of Ohr Ein Sof is totally revealed. So, when you're learning Chassidus and you're learning Kabbalah, you're learning mysticism, you are connecting to the Ohr Ein Sof, and it's revealed, and through that you can channel in the greatest and most powerful blessing that exists. And therefore, when the Rashbi said the Torah, he was able to get guaranteed a return, guaranteed blessing, and obviously from the highest um places. Now, and now the Rebbe explains practically how it works, why that's so. And the Rebbe says like this. Because what happens is, what happens when you pray? Why is it that prayer is so powerful? So, there's something which is called in the world of Kabbalah, Man. Man stands for Mayim Nukvin, which means feminine waters, which means when a person puts in the effort. There's Mad, which is Mayim D'churin, which is basically that's the easy flow of energy, but Man is Mayim Nukvin, where a person puts in a lot of effort. When a person puts in a lot of effort, so it does two things. And that's what happens by prayer. One is it draws down the Ohr Ein Sof, which is higher than the Shta'alsos, that's number one that it does. And also, it makes you a vessel to receive the light. Because if you draw down this powerful light, and you don't pray first, you're not going to be a vessel to receive it. So, you need to accomplish two things. So, prayer accomplishes two things. Number one, it accomplishes that you can you're drawing down this powerful light. And the second thing it does is, and just as important, it makes you a vessel for it. Can you imagine you have all these blessings, but you're not a vessel? Or you imagine you're a vessel and you have no blessing. The prayer does both. It draws down the powerful light, and it makes you a blessing for it. And the Rebbe says that um the Rashbi, by teaching Chassidus, by teaching Pnimiyus HaTorah, he was able to do two things. Drawing down this powerful light through Chassidus, and also making you a vessel to be able to to be able to receive it. And that's why the Rebbe says interestingly, what what did he What What did the Arizal cause to happen? He caused Yeridas HaShemen. He caused the power for rain to come down, which basically is the same idea of Tefillah. Why? Because what's the whole idea of prayer? Prayer does two things. It draws down from the highest place, and it refines you that you're a vessel. How does How does rain work? So, we all know it says in the in the Torah, "Ve'ed Ya'aleh Min Ha'aretz Ve'hishkah Kol Pnei Ha'adamah." Which means that when the earth becomes moist, so then the rain comes down. So again, think about it. The rain is coming down from heaven. But why is it coming down? Because the because the ground is ready for it. So, that's why he was able to cause the rain to come down, to to send us a message that through learning Chassidus, what you do is you draw down the powerful light from above, but also you bring down you make yourself a vessel to be able to receive to receive the light. In other words, you refine yourself. So, by learning Chassidus, it's supposed to do two things. Number one is it brings in this powerful light, but more importantly, and as important, the two components, it makes you a vessel to be able to receive it. And and the Rebbe goes on a step further, and he says like this. So, in other words, like this. Just to recap and then before we go a little further. Again, a blessing brings down light automatic, automatic, but only what it has. Prayer takes a lot of effort, but you get the infinite light. Torah study has a blend of both. Regular Torah study, where it comes automatic, and you're able to get create new things to happen that's in store, at least up to Torah in the sphere of Chochmah. When you learn Chassidus, you have the power of it comes out automatic, like the blessing, but also it has the same effect of prayer, where it draws down the light from the Ohr Ein Sof, and as we learned, another component is it makes you ready and able to receive that powerful bless powerful blessing. Now, the Rebbe says goes a step further, and he says like this. Why is there a difference between in prayer we say that I have to work real hard, and it comes down from the infinite light, but it doesn't come right away. In blessing, it comes automatically, and only what's in store. In regular Torah, it can only come from Chochmah. So, the Rebbe says, "All these differences is in the level of the Neshamah, the way we are in Metzius." What does that mean we're in Metzius? The way the Neshamah is enclosed in a body, and this is I'm me, and you're you, and he's him, and she's she. So, once you have a Metzius, then we have different levels. There's me and you. So, we have Once you're creating levels, you're saying, "Okay, this is the level of Torah. This is prayer. This is a blessing. This is a regular Torah study. This is Chassidus." Over there, you have all these different levels. And when levels, you don't get everything. However, once you deal with a Neshamah, not as a level, but the way the Neshamah, your soul, is connected to Atzmus, to Hashem Himself, then what's the difference? If you're connected to the neshama is connected to Atzmus, there's no blessing, prayer, Torah study, you're reaching the level of chochma, Ein Sof. You're connecting with Atzmus, you're connecting with Hashem himself. Now, where do we come to the realization that we and Hashem are really, really one? That's specifically where in Chassidus. When you learn Chassidus, when you learn Kabbalah, when you learn Mussar, and what do you realize? Hashem, us, everything is one. So, once you learn Chassidus, what do you realize? It's all one. So, if it's all one, then there's no levels. And then you get the blessing automatically, and you get it right away. And that's why the Torah of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, when you learn the Torah of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, when you learn Chassidus, you come to the realization that we are connected not only to Ein Sof, we're connected to Atzmus. And once you're connected to Atzmus and you're learning Torah on that level, then the light comes right away. It comes from the greatest places, and we get the greatest blessings. Now, Now, the Rebbe explains, why did the Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai choose specifically to give his teaching on the verse Hinei ma tov u'manayim shevet achim gam yachad? If you're saying is it's all about Chassidus and learn Chassidus, you connect it to light, why did he choose this one? He could have chosen anything. Obviously, he chose specifically this verse, there must be a reason. The Rebbe says two reasons. Number one is because this verse speaks about in that psalm, in the third verse, about the way through shevet achim gam yachad, k'tal Chermon the dew comes down from Mount Chermon. So, you see there's a connection between rain and obviously that verse. That's what on a very, very simple level, on a revealed level. But then the Rebbe says that um the truth is he gives a a another reason, because what is the whole whole idea? That what we say the Zohar says. The Zohar says that what is shevet achim referring to? It's referring to the way Hashem and the Jewish people are one. Gam yachad, the way even the way we're down here in this world, we get distracted with the world, we we stay, we remain connected with Hashem on the most powerful level. In Hebrew, it's called the yichud of Kudsha Bricha u'Yisrael, the way the Zohar says. The Zohar says shevet achim is Hashem and the Jewish people. Gam yachad, we're totally one. Now, so what what what did the what did the what did the Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai try to accomplish? He tried to accomplish that we should be connected to Hashem on what level? Shevet achim gam yachad, we're totally one with Hashem. And that's why specifically in this teaching that he taught, he actually spoke specifically about the idea of Ahavas Yisrael. That people should love each other. And he and he and he taught in the teaching that in the beginning people were literally, I hate to say it, going to kill each other. There was so the opposite of Ahavas Yisrael, the people were going to kill each other. Physically, spiritually, they were going to kill each other. But then, after he taught the teaching that we're really one, we're one, shevet achim, one with the other, we're one with Hashem, there was such a level, and I'll tell it to you in the Aramaic words, in the words of the Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, b'richimusah d'achvah, there was such a compassion and such mercy and love one for another. So, he was able to create through this teaching true Ahavas Yisrael, which through Ahavas Yisrael it created the real oneness between one another, which created the oneness between us and Hashem. And because of that, so he he explains the words like this. Hinei ma tov u'manayim, how beautiful and how sweet it is, shevet achim, who is shevet achim referring to? The love that one had for each other. Now, how did that come about? Because we realized the greatness of Hashem, so gam yachad we were able to draw down the oneness of Hashem, that Hashem should be with one with be two within us. So, and then he could continue on to explain the rest the rest of the verse where it says, k'shemen hatov, the Rebbe explains. What is shemen? We know shemen is what is chochma. Shemen hatov, what is the good chochma? Pnimiyus haTorah. So, what happens is when a person learns Pnimiyus haTorah, and we know the Zohar says that shemen hatov is referring to Yesod in the Sefirah. Starting from chochma down to malchus, it's the second to the last Sefirah, Yesod. But Yesod of where? Of Atik. We know in Kesser there's two levels, there's Atik, the higher level, and the lower level, Arich. So, so Pnimiyus haTorah is connected to where? Not even chochma, it's actually connected into Kesser, the higher level of Kesser, Yesod. Yesod of Atik is Pnimiyus haTorah. And the revealed part of the Torah, Mishna, Talmud, etc., is connected to Arich, the lower level of Kesser. And but the Pnimiyus haTorah is connected to Atik. So, in other words, the shemen, this oil which is chochma, the tov, the better one which is obviously in Atik, which is referring to Pnimiyus haTorah. So, when shevet achim, when we get together and we love each other, how do we love each other? Not because we just say we love each other, through learning Pnimiyus haTorah and we're connected on a very, very deep level, so then we cause yoired has al hazakan shemen ha'tov, she yoired al pi midosav, that we cause it to go down on the beard of Aaron, goes down on the midos. And the verse says twice it goes down, which means it goes down into our chochma, binah, v'daas. That means we understand Chassidus, we don't just learn it. We learn it, we meditate on it, we understand it. And it goes down onto the midos, on our emotions. And as the Rebbe says specifically, it goes onto our our levushim, our garments, where we're totally permeated in an intellectual way of Chassidus and emotional way of Chassidus, then what happens is we have true Ahavas Yisrael in a way of shevet achim, we're getting along, ya, and up to the level of yachad where we totally become one with each other, one with Hashem. And when a person does that, you become a vessel ready to receive the tremendous blessings of Hashem. Which blessings? The blessings from Ein Sof that do not have a limit. Not even the limit, as the Rebbe says, of chochma of Torah, because we said Torah only goes to chochma, which is a limit. But but no, so there's no limit, which means we're not getting something from a limited place, from chochma or Ein Sof, we're getting from Hashem himself. And Hashem will give us, and the Rebbe says, rav tov, a lot of good, but not just good in the spiritual level. And the Rebbe says, b'tov hanireh v'hanigleh, in a revealed way. And what kind of revealed blessings? B'vanah, with children, chaya, life, which means sustenance, whatever you need to support your family and your community and your organizations. U'mazonah, food, revicha, with tremendous abundance. And that's how the Rebbe finishes off the Chassidic discourse. So, you see this Chassidic discourse is an extremely powerful Chassidic discourse. Why? Just to recap on the on the verse. The way that the Rebbe explains based on the Zohar is that Hinei ma tov u'manayim, how beautiful and how great it is, shevet achim, we get along, everyone gets along. Why do we get along? Because we love each other, we realize we're really, really one. Gam yachad, then we draw down the infinite light of Hashem, Ein Sof, which and and we do that by learning Chassidus. And what happens when we learn Chassidus? K'shemen hatov, the shemen hatov, the Chassidus that we learn, it comes down into our intellect and our emotions. And that causes us to receive and achieve the greatest powerful blessings. So, let's hope and pray that today is Erev Lag B'Omer here in America, and in Eretz Yisrael today is Lag B'Omer, we should connect to the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the teachings of Chassidus, the way the Rebbe explains it, and we'll all be blessed by getting along, loving each other unconditionally, drawing down the oneness of Hashem in our lives, and we'll have the greatest blessings, and as the Rebbe says, without limits, straight from Hashem. Physical blessings, spiritual blessings. Today is a tremendous day for blessings. I want to wish everyone not only a blessing, but a blessing of a Pnimiyus haTorah, that we should all have right away in a revealed way. The greatest blessings, any change that we need within ourselves, within our families, our communities, we should be blessed with the greatest blessings of Chassidus, and we'll all have the greatest blessings of Mashiach coming, we'll be reunited with all our people that we love, that are here with us or not here with us, and we'll all merit to the greatest blessings of being with the Rebbe in a revealed way. Thank you so much for joining us for our class on Chassidus in honor of Lag B'Omer.