Sweetening Judgments Through Dancing -- Parashat Mishpatim by Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

HOW ARE JUDGMENTS SWEETENED THROUGH DANCING? HOW DO ALL CURES ENTER FOOD? CHIDUSHIM ON PARASHAT MISHPATIM FROM MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A “AND THESE ARE THE LAWS” – TO SING AND MAKE MUSIC Through dancing and clapping hands – hand against hand – judgments are sweetened.  The first thing is singing and melodies (niggunim) – so says Rabbeinu.  And how do laws turn into singing and melodies?  Because in truth, the words “Ve’eleh HaMishpatim – And these are the laws” are the same numerical value (“gematria”) as “shira – singing.”  Anyone who does the calculation will see that in the words “Ve’eleh HaMishpatim,” if you remove the conjunctive “vav -- and” and the definite article “heh – the,” the words “Eleh Mishpatim” is exactly the gematria of “shira.” All laws and judgments are in singing and celebration, because “eleh” is 36, and “mishpatim” is exactly 479; add 36,, and it’s exactly 515, the gematria of “shira.”  So already in the first words of the verse, “Ve’eleh HaMishpatim,” without the vav and the heh, the concept of singing and dancing is alluded to.  The entire idea of Rabbeinu is that you can sweeten judgments through dancing and singing.  Because Rabbeinu revealed this; the Baal Shem Tov revealed it first and Rabbeinu continued it.  Especially now, when we hear of such a decree on the Jewish people, that they want to launch missiles on Israel – missiles with bacteria [i.e. biological weapons].  They said that there is bacteria, God forbid, so certainly  only those who believe in Tzaddikim can sweeten this, and specifically through singing and dancing. Because the main greatness of HaKadosh Baruch Hu is when also the gentiles know that there is a God who rules, that a person knows that everything is God, that one doesn’t do anything in the world – “Without you, no one shall lift a hand or a foot in all the land of Egypt.”  Without the Tzaddik, you cannot lift either hand or food.  If a person thinks he can move a hand or food without the Tzaddik, this is already considered heresy. “AND HE SHALL BLESS YOUR BREAD AND YOUR WATER” – IN FOOD, THERE ARE ALL THE CURES ON THE CONDITION THAT YOU ARE FREE OF DESIRES Hashem can perform miracles and wonders now, and give you everything, and bless your bread and water. Rabbeinu says (Likutey Moharan II:1) that all the blessings are found in water, but one needs to be clean of three things, because one can be cured by anything, if not for three things: 1. Gilui Arayot (Immorality) – One must be clean from immorality. If a person doesn’t have shemirat eynayim (guarding one’s eyes), then he will not have a blessing in water.  All the cures are in water. 2. The Rebbe says Avodah Zarah (Idolatry), as we have said: Why do you throw yourself on the lost object?  Why do you prostrate yourself?  Why are you taking action?  A person doesn’t need to take any action!  To acquire money?  The money will reach you on its own!  Why are you taking action?  Why are you prostrating yourself?!  This already is not considered a rasha (a wicked person).  The Tosofot discuss there a poor person who turns over a stack [of sheaves].  He is holding onto the stack and now turns it over.  Now he struck olives and they fell – why are you taking them from him?  But here, he has stood up, so he has already acquired the lost object.  So why do you prostrate yourself again.  If he was touching it, that would be something.  But he still hasn’t touched it.  He only prostrates himself and breathes. He’s arrived here.  Apparently, the Rabbanit’s sister arrived from New Zealand.  Now he knows the entire Torah.  He learns alone in New Zealand.  You see souls in New Zealand, at the end of the earth.  You travel two or three days to come.  He travelled a week to reach here.  It’s possible to learn with him the entire subject of “Elu Mitziot.”  He tells me that this is international law.  There is a game called rugby, a game where they go wild; they grab and take down the ball.  I don’t know exactly.  By them, they throw it.  I have never seen it, but it’s the most unruly thing in the world.  So if a person prostrates himself on the ball, it’s possible to snatch it from him.  This isn’t considered that he took possession.  He says that this is what Tosofot say.  This is the rule all the world.  There is the game of Rugby, which isn’t football, where you kick and it enters the gate.  This is where they run and they snatch the ball from each other.  Whoever snatches it already takes possession, but if he doesn’t really grasp it, then they can snatch it from him.  So he says that if someone prostrates himself, it’s permitted to snatch it from him.  This is exactly what Tosofot say, that if he prostrates himself, it’s permitted to snatch it from him. This is exactly what the Rebbe of Kotzk says.  Why do you throw yourself on the ground?  Stand up, and it will reach you.  It’s already in your possession!  So someone who takes from him isn’t considered a rasha, because if you don’t have faith that it will reach you and you still are prostrated on the ground, then what of it? THE REBBE SAYS THAT IF YOU ARE FREE FROM A BLEMISH IN FAITH, THEN YOU CAN BE CURED OF ANYTHING, EXCEPT FOR IDOLATRY, IMMORALITY, AND BLOODSHED 3. Bloodshed: This is to not embarrass anyone, not to speak “lashon hara” (evil slander) about another. It says, “Do not murder.”  This include all lashon hara, all humiliation, all damages.  The Rebbe says, “Do not murder.”  So it is written, “His hands are rods of gold, studded with crystal.”  Rashi says, “Do not murder” – see all Baba Metzia, Baba Batra, and all Sanhedrin. In [the commandment of] “Do not murder” are contained all the halachot.  They saw to the end of the universe, everything that would happen until the end of all generations.  They saw Abaye and Rava.  They saw everything.  At the Ten Commandments, the heavens and earth opened before them, and they received such a revelation!  In “do not murder,” they saw all the halachot.  In “do not commit adultery,” they saw all [the tractates of] Ketubot, Gittin, and Kidushin, and all the halachot.  In “do not steal,” they saw all the halachot of custodians and everything that is.  At the moment that God said one halachah, just “do not murder, do not steal,” then everyone saw from one end of the world to the other.  They saw all the Gemarot, all the Mishnayot, all the Rishonim, all the Achronim.  Everything was revealed to them.  The “Asarah Maamarot” says that if they hadn’t sinned, then it would have truly been like this, to know everything, all the halachot in their minute details. All of this is written.  “And He shall bless your bread and your water.”  You can be healed with anything, except for three things.  If you want to “be healed with anything,” then you must have shemirat eynayim, don’t speak lashon hara, don’t embarrass anyone, don’t be jealous of anyone.  This is bloodshed, and together, it’s a blemish in faith, that you shouldn’t have a blemish in faith, that you shouldn’t have idolatry.  Know that everything will reach you.  Everything will come to you and will be given to you – “From what is yours will be given to you” -- everything is from Your hand.  Because Hashem only wants to give.  Just as he gives air, he wants to give money. It is written here in the weekly parasha, Mishpatim.  The Rebbe says that one is healed by anything, as long as one is clean of immorality, clean of bloodshed, and also clean of idolatry.  We see here in Parashat Mishpatim, here before the seventh [aliyah], “And He shall bless your bread and your water, and I shall remove illness from your midst.”  Just be clean of bloodshed and immorality.  Then may it be His will that Hashem will bless your bread and your water, and all the cures will be in water, all the cures will be in bread – all the cures in the world.  And I shall remove illness from your midst,” and there will be no illness. The shiur underwent editing.  If an error is found, it should attributed to the writer and not, God forbid, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a.