Parashat Ki Tavo: What it Means to be Mamlich Hashem on Rosh Hashanah

Topics

• Bikurim and Hakaras Hatov
• Malchiyos on Rosh Hashanah
• The Simchah of Bikurim
• A Tiny Word Later in the Torah
• Rashi on "You Were Not With G-d"
• Happiness and Avodas Hashem
• V’samachta B’chol Ha’tov
• The End of the Pasuk and the Rambam
• Simcha Through Giving
• Bikurim, Atzei Ma'arachah, and Simcha
• What the Romans Were Trying to Remove
• The Purpose of Creation
• Tafkid, Happiness, and the Fire of Avodah
• The Teneh of the Poor Man
• The Malbim on Value
• Bikurim and Intentions
• Bikurim, Samachta, and the Purpose of the Mitzvah
• Vaniso V’amarto
• The Inner Purpose of the Mitzvah
• Simchas Mitzvah and Connection to the Eibershter
• The Story of the Esrog in Wartime
• Bikurim, Simcha, and the Neshama of the Mitzvah
• Another Pshat in V’samachta B’chol Hatov
• Bikurim and a New Perspective
• A Story of Zikhron Dover
• The Niggun of “Zekher, Dovar” and the Tears It Brought
• The Bluzhiver Rebbe and the Weight of the Holocaust
• Bikkurim as Rebirth After Yissurim

Transcript

# Bikurim and Hakaras Hatov

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The mitzvah of Bikurim is, on the surface, obvious. The lesson is already brought by the Rishonim; Rashi quotes it. I am not a “coffee type,” I am a “makir type.” That is the basic yesod and ta’am ha-mitzvah: to express hakaras hatov to the Borei Olam.

As we stress in the pesukim, “Basi el ha’aretz asher nasan li Hashem.” The emphasis is clear: “My Yetziyas Mitzrayim, my binyanim, nasan li Hashem.” Everything is from You, Rabbeinu Shel Olam. That is hakaras hatov to the Borei Olam.

What does it mean to be makir tov to the Borei Olam? I think that with a proper understanding of what hakaras hatov to the Borei Olam requires, we will understand the avodah of Rosh Hashanah, Malchiyos.

# Malchiyos on Rosh Hashanah

What is Malchiyos? Chazal tell us, “Imru lefanai Malchiyos kedei she’tamlichuni aleichem.” And it is clear that it is not just to say it. There is a purpose in the saying: “kedei she’tamlichuni.” And not only “she’tamlichuni,” but “she’tamlichuni aleichem.” Because Hashem is already Melech ha’olam without that. The avodah of Malchiyos, the saying of the pesukim, is “kedei she’tamlichuni aleichem” — not just to be mamlich the Borei Olam, but to be mamlich Him upon you.

What does it mean to be mamlich the Borei Olam? In light of what we are saying about hakaras hatov, we will have a better understanding of what it means to be mamlich the Eibershter, or what it means on Rosh Hashanah, “tamlichuni aleichem.”

# The Simchah of Bikurim

It is interesting that the pasuk tells us, “V’samachta b’chol ha’tov.” Chazal tell us that because it says “v’samachta,” we learn that one brings Bikurim only b’zman simchah, from Shavuos until Chanukah. If the Torah only meant to tell me the time, then it should simply have stated the time. Why is it learned as a din from the word “v’samachta”? The word itself teaches that there is a requirement of simchah: “v’samachta b’chol ha’tov” — you should be b’simchah when you bring the Bikurim.

It is obvious: who would not be b’simchah? A person has parnassah, and he is bringing the first of his fruit. They made a parade, with singing and dancing in the streets. What does “v’samachta” add? We learn from here that simchah is a mitzvah.

Bring it to me by another mitzvah, by a mitzvah that is not so much b’simchah — a mitzvah that seems to be a dry mitzvah, if we may use those words. When the Torah tells us “v’samachta,” simchah is a mitzvah. By Bikurim, which is such a happy occasion, I need to be told “v’samachta”? I believe that there is a...

# A Tiny Word Later in the Torah

In the pasuk, I hold it so emotional. Thank you, Rabbi. I hold it so emotional. Thank you, Rabbi, that he was... gives me the strength to hold it to such a word. I hold it so emotional.

Later on in the Torah, we find it is a tiny word.

# Rashi on "You Were Not With G-d"

You weren’t with G-d. You had everything, and you still weren’t with G-d. What does it mean?

Rashi says: you had everything, and you still weren’t with G-d. But the problem is that the pasuk does not say that. The pasuk does not say, “when you had everything with G-d.” You weren’t with G-d—who? Who? Rav Keil. From having everything? Having everything is not the reason you weren’t with G-d, Rav Keil. Maybe you weren’t with G-d in simcha; that is not what caused the tax that you lost.

If it means that even though you had everything, and still did not do it, then it should have said be. And Rashi indeed learns it that way: from having everything, having it and still not doing it. Having everything and still not doing it. So it should have said be. When you have Rav Keil, not me from Rav Keil.

And the simcha says that you have to change the beis; it means mem to beis, it means that. Me means beis. And it does not make up one of the Rashi’s. From having everything, from Rav Keil. Who taught you that without having everything, you did? From Rav Keil, it is still going to make you happy. For a character, it made you unhappy.

# Happiness and Avodas Hashem

Chazal tell us: you’re never happy. The Rav Keil, the more you got, you were hoping you’d be happy, and it didn’t bring you happiness. Tachas asher lo avadta es Hashem Elokecha, may Rav Keil. You weren’t happy. So what should have made you happy was the avodas Hashem. You turned to the wrong thing to make you happy. Tadas adalteinu from the pasuk: tachas asher lo avadta es Hashem Elokecha, may Rav Keil.

The Rav Keil took you away from being happy from Torah and mitzvos, because it led you on a witch hunt to find happiness, and you couldn’t find it. And the more you couldn’t find it, the more you searched for it. Ramay said: that’s not going to bring you happiness. Tachas asher lo avadta es Hashem Elokecha b’simcha u’vetov lev, may Rav Keil. The Rav Keil dragged you down a road of more and more, and less happy and less happy and less happy.

# V’samachta B’chol Ha’tov

Mir dach tzach yetz, dosh tapshat v’samachta b’chol ha’tov. Tov is telling us: you think you have a big house, with a big backyard, with a big field, acres and acres of land, and acres and acres of fruit and vegetables and parnassah. That made you happy? No. That’s still not going to make you happy.

Dal tlen t’she g’shtik aleh bikkurim that you brought, a little bit bikkurim. All of a sudden, v’samachta b’chol ha’tov. All of a sudden, v’tamal, all of a sudden, he realizes what really makes him happy: the fact that he is mekushar to the Ribono Shel Olam, knowing everything is from Hashem. Hashenos alecha Hashem Elokecha.

To understand gashmiyus, that from the gashmiyus you could see the hashgachah of the Eibershter, the chesed of the Eibershter. That is the simcha in the gashmiyus. The simcha in the gashmiyus is that you could see the naseh alecha Hashem in it, the chesed of the Eibershter. You could see that the Ribono Shel Olam is taking care of you. V’zaneh mefaneis l’kalei, u’meitiv l’kalei. Ki yim liyadcha ham leya. It comes liyadcha ham leya. Ah! Atodos simcha. Atodos hameire teike, v’samachta b’chol ha’tov. V’tischa b’beisai.

# The End of the Pasuk and the Rambam

I think we could explain the end of the pasuk: hashenos alecha Hashem Elokecha l’veisecha, ata, v’halevi, v’hager. The Rambam tells us that if a person sits at a Yom Tov table and eats, and fills himself up with the most delicate delicacies of goodies...

# Simcha Through Giving

But he does not bring broken, poor people to the table. That is not real simcha. That is called simchas kereiso, like a person who runs after gashmiyus and is not באמת happy. Real simcha is when you turn and take the asher nasan lecha Hashem, and you give it to the ani. That is what the pasuk is saying: "Vesamachta b'chol hatov asher nasan lecha Hashem Elokecha u'veisecha, atah v'haLevi v'hager asher b'kirbecha."

The Torah is giving us havanah, hadrachah. What is happiness? What makes a person happy? And you know what makes a Yid happy? The answer is bikurim, and giving matnos aniyim to the Levi and to the ger, matnos kehunah — to give, to give. Then you are happy. If you are a taker, and it is all about your house, all about your parnassah, your backyard, you are not going to be happy. Atah das is the "vesamachta b'chol hatov."

# Bikurim, Atzei Ma'arachah, and Simcha

There is an interesting din by bikurim. Bikurim, as I told you, was brought with a tremendous parade, a tremendous parade. There is a Gemara in Taanis, daf chaf-ches, that the Romans wanted to stop this parade. They stopped bikurim from being brought to the Beis HaMikdash, and they also tried to stop atzei ma'arachah, the wood for the fire on the Mizbeach.

Chazal tell us there in the Gemara that they came up with an idea how to sneak the bikurim into the Beis HaMikdash. They took a basket and said that they were just bringing figs, a fig basket, but the truth was that they were bringing the bikurim to the Beis HaMikdash.

The Maharsha asks why these two things in particular did the Romans try to stop: the fire to the Beis HaMikdash and the bikurim. The Maharsha says that these two things bring simcha. Bikurim is "vesamachta," and the second thing that is simcha is bringing the fire to the Mizbeach. The Gemara says that those who brought the wood had a Yom Tov; the day they brought the wood was a Yom Tov for them. They did not say Tachanun; it was a Yom Tov. So we see that these are yemei simcha, and that is what they tried to be mevatel.

# What the Romans Were Trying to Remove

The pashut pshat is that they knew a Yid on simcha cannot be conquered. That is the pashut pshat: simcha is such an essential part of avodah, as we say in the pesukim. Therefore they tried to take away simcha.

But I want to say that the pashut pshat is not that they took away the simcha from the Yid. They knew that the way to get the Yid and take the Yid out is by taking away the things that bring him simcha. It is not to take the simcha from the Yid; that is not what the mashal did. Which is also an emes'nikudah: they tried to take the Yid and get rid of him. How do you get rid of the Yid? By taking away what the Yid stands for.

What does a Yid stand for? You know what a Yid stands for: avodas Hashem and to be moser to the Ribono Shel Olam. The translation of the word Yehudi is a moser. Inherently, let us use a better term, in the DNA of the Yid is to be moser to the Ribono Shel Olam. So if you take that away, you are directly assaulting the Yid, the Yehudi.

# The Purpose of Creation

The Ramban tells us at the end of Parashas Bo: why was man created? And when we mean man, we do not mean all the goyim; we mean the Yid. Why were they created, says the Ramban? This nekudah: to come to shul, l'chaidish heila v'izbarech, to be moser to the Ribbono Shel Olam. This is the core of creation, why we are created. Why are we created? We are created l'chaidish.

# Tafkid, Happiness, and the Fire of Avodah

So if you do what your tafkid is in the briyah, you are happy. If you take away what man is meant to be, you take away his tafkid, you take away his purpose, why he was created. That is not what he was created for.

If you take that away, he will go to Olam HaZeh to find his happiness. But the Yid does not find happiness in Olam HaZeh, because he was not created only l’chaidos, Yehudi. And the Roman understands this. Therefore he tries to take away the avodah, and we could say in a Chassidic phrase, the fire of the avodah, the fire of the avodah. That is a maracha avodah. He is on fire when it comes to the avodas Hashem, and that they take away.

And the inyan of Yehudi, bikurim, to be makriv to Rabbeinu Sholeilom—you know, bikurim was supposed to be a lesson, a hadrachah, in what brings happiness in Olam HaZeh, and the importance and the connection between a Yid and a ma’aseh tov to the Ebershter, and a ma’aseh tov to the Ebershter. How essential it was to the whole making of a Yid. Until then, it is not for samachta. He could not have been happy.

# The Teneh of the Poor Man

It is interesting: where did they bring bikurim? They brought it with a teneh, a basket. What is this teneh? A teneh is a woven basket. The Sifri says this teneh was not a teneh that everybody brought. The ashirim brought gold vessels. They were rich people, so they brought gold vessels, and in them was the bikurim. The oni brought the teneh. The teneh was something that the poor man brought, and this teneh was brought to the Beis HaMikdash, and the kohen took it. "V’lakach haKohen haTeneh mi’yadecha," says the Sifri: it was a chelek of the bikurim. A part of the bikurim was the bikurim with this teneh. And who made the teneh? Only the oni, because the ashirim were told to take their gold vessels back home.

# The Malbim on Value

The Malbim says: what is the pshat? Why would it be that the teneh of the oni becomes part of the avodah, part of the bikurim, and enters the Beis HaMikdash? Mashiach came, the vessel of the ashir—there are a dozen. The Malbim says: we want only expensive things in the Beis HaMikdash, and therefore we took the oni’s woven basket. What? Fakert, expensive things? The ashir’s golden barrel is expensive, over the teneh, which is nothing, just a woven basket.

The Malbim says: no, no, you do not understand. How was this teneh made? The oni himself made it. The oni went with his hands and made this basket. The ashir went to the store and bought a gold thing. Since the oni made it, that is more expensive than the gold that the ashir brings. Fakert, do not think it has to do with the oni buying a cheap thing and the ashir buying something expensive. No—the opposite. It is the oni who brings the expensive thing. But it is less expensive than what the ashir brings? The answer is: you do not understand what expensive is. Erech, value. The teneh, which is made from pennies, can be much more valuable than the gold that the ashir brings.

# Bikurim and Intentions

What is the pshat, havaysei? Because that is bikurim. Bikurim was a small piece; it was nothing. The ashir even asked the question: do you understand how little this bikurim was? It was a cluster, it was nothing. So you went and got this—it was a kleinekeit, one thing, mamash a spoonful. That was it. And because of this, they made a whole... And the answer is: because it is not about size, and it is not about the amount of money. Value is what is inherently hakaras hatov, the intention. The intentions behind it. You see? It is the intentions behind it.

# Bikurim, Samachta, and the Purpose of the Mitzvah

Behind the trabeza, yes? That has more value than... More value — that is the taj, you see? Bikurim is teaching a person: you think that with *samachta*, you are happy for what? You are happy because you have a big house, a big bed, a big yard, and a big field? No. With *samachta*, it is this little, little bikurim that you bring that will make you happy. Focus. Learn, understand. It is *hadrachah* of what is true. *Eylem haza* means purposeful *eylem haza*, *eylem haza* that brings happiness. That is, *ha’shenos ha’lecha Hashem*: praising and connecting with the *Be’er Eylem*, and appreciation for the *eylem haza* that He gave you. Otherwise it is not for *samachta*; otherwise you will not be happy.

# Vaniso V’amarto

With this, rabbeisai, I want to tell you over a very nice pshat. It says in the pasuk, *vaniso v’amarto*. What is *vaniso v’amarto*? You come to the Beis HaMikdash, you turn to the kohen, and you tell the kohen, *einani kofi tov*, right? That is what you do. You walk into the Beis HaMikdash, *hegarati, v’amarto eylem*. You come to the kohen — what do you tell him? Rashi says *she’eincha kofi tov*. You are not a *kofi tov*. Of course you are not a *kofi tov*. You are bringing bikurim, and you are thanking the Rabbeinu Sholeilam, so that is what you are doing. So why do I have to come and say *eincha kofi tov*?

Maybe you do not have to say the words; maybe *vaniso v’amarto* just means that this is what you are inherently saying. By bringing the bikurim, you are saying it. But Rashi is mashma that you are actually saying it: that I am not a *kofi tov*. So the question is, why do I have to announce that I am not a *kofi tov*? Let us just say: you are bringing the bikurim, obviously you are a *makir tov*.

Im yirtzeh Hashem, we are going to talk about why it has to be the reverse, *she’eincha kofi tov*. It should say the opposite: *she’eincha makir tov*. You do not have to say the negative, that I am not a negative *kofi tov*; it should say the positive, I am a *makir tov*. Why does it have to say it in the negative? It should say it in the positive. There is *shlili* and *chiyuvi* — say it in the *chiyuvi*: I am a *makir tov*. Do not say *shlili*: I am not a *kofi tov*. We will talk about it soon.

# The Inner Purpose of the Mitzvah

But what is the pshat that you are announcing that you are not a *kofi tov*? In the mirror, when I came to the mirror, I heard this vort. Maybe it is from Nachum’s; I do not know whose vort it is, but it is a beautiful vort. A person could come with a mitzvah and get so wrapped up with the details of the mitzvah that he could forget what the *im azaktu b’chasidim v’nisham* of the mitzvah is. What is the point of the mitzvah? What is the soul of the mitzvah? What is the *taam* of the mitzvah?

Therefore, the first thing is: I walk in and I announce, let me tell you what I am here for. I am here to bring out what is inside me, the feelings that I have that I am not a *kofi tov*, I am a *makir tov*. Now I can bring it and make all the *diyukim*, the *dikdukim* of the mitzvah, to do it like this, and I raise — this is a *tazad diyuk*, *mitazad dikduk*, *mitazarah kneich*, okay. But it is important in this mitzvah to identify the purpose of the mitzvah and the *tachlis*, the feelings that you have inside.

And the way we are learning, it is very gishmak. Why? Because this mitzvah, the details of it might even be the *hechsher mitzvah*, if I may use those words. The *yesod* and the *etzem* of the mitzvah is to be *makir tov* to the Rabbeinu Sholeilam. So we do not want you to lose sight of the main thing, which is to express — express, *higadti hayom* — I have to express my feelings of *hakaras hatov*. So in order to make sure that that is properly presented, I announce clearly, as soon as I come in, I am not a *kofi tov*.

We do not want that a person should overlook what is going on inside him and make the mitzvah *chitzoni*, because then you lose the whole *pnimiyus* of the mitzvah. I want to tell you over a major gemara... See, we are starting to understand that a person could do...

# Simchas Mitzvah and Connection to the Eibershter

And if he lacks the primus, the connection to the Eibershter through the mitzvah, then it is not v’sameachta. Simcha in a mitzvah is really a Rambam. The Rambam says: what is called simchas mitzvah? He says, to be v’sameach in a mitzvah that the Ribono Shel Olam commanded. You want simchas mitzvah? I have spoken about this many times. The Rambam in his laws says it is not enough just to do the mitzvah because it is a mitzvah. You have to tap into the ahavas Hashem of the Ribono Shel Olam that was in the mitzvah, because otherwise the simchas mitzvah cannot come out.

So the v’sameachta has to come together with the asher nasan l’cha Hashem Elokecha, that I connect to the Eibershter. I am not going to take it to the Ribono Shel Olam. And therefore it is important that when I come, I clearly state the objection. What is the objection? The tachlis is that I am not going to take it to the Ribono Shel Olam. I want to tell you, I am ready to come out soon.

# The Story of the Esrog in Wartime

The Baba of the Rebbe, the Gidush Hashian, the father of the Baba of the Rebbe who lived here in Brooklyn, zichrono livrachah, Gidush Hashian, during the war, together with many gedolim, was stuck in a place called Lutsk. It was Sukkos. They wanted to take lulav and esrog, and there were no lulavim and esrogim to be bought. So they sat and tried to think of a way how they maybe could be matir the esrog from the previous year, which is a shaylah halachah. An esrog from a previous year is yavesh, it is dry, it is pasul, but if it is preserved, maybe you could still use it. How to preserve it? Pashut, there is no such thing. Any esrog, especially in those days, you could be pretty sure that by the next year, and the year after, it was yavesh. They could not come up with any solution.

So the Gidush Hashian said, I want to tell you a maaseh. The Tzanz Rebbe, my zeide, probably from Tzanz, the Tzanz Rebbe zichrono livrachah, would tell over the following story. Satan Yetzer Hara was walking down the street. His cousin, Sheker—that is how he said it—his first cousin Sheker turns to him and says, “My dear cousin Satan Yetzer Hara, what are you so down about? You look like, madua panecha zayafim. Why do you have such a sour face?”

He said, “I will tell you. It is Elul. Not a good time for business. In Elul, Yidden do not do aveiros; they are busy saying selichos. I am out of business. Then comes Yom Kippur, and then comes Sukkos. They are busy with the lulav and the esrog and then the sukkos. Six weeks of no parnassah. I have six weeks that I cannot do any business. Business is slow. What do I do?”

So Sheker says to him, “You know, I have a good piece of advice for you. I will give you a good eitzah. You know, the esrogim come from Yaniv. The Chassidim used to take Yaniv esrogim, which is Greece, Greek esrogim. So when the boat comes, sink the boat. Like this, they will not have lulavim and esrogim. Like this, you will be able to get them on Sukkos.”

Six weeks later, he meets him again in the street, and he looked worse than he had looked six weeks before. “Did the boat sink?” Six weeks before, yes. He looked much worse. He looked better then. He asked him, “What happened? You did not do my advice?” He says, “I did your advice. It backfired. I sank the boat. I did not know esrogim, but guess what happened? It even came to shore on Sukkos.”

And he said, “Ribono Shel Olam, we do not have a lulav and esrog. But what is the point of the lulav and esrog? To be mekushar, to be connected with the Ribono Shel Olam. The lulav and esrog is the lev, the heart; the esrog, the Shem Havayah. It has the Name of Hashem. So it is a kesher. We cannot have a kesher with You, Hashem, through the lulav and esrog. Our hearts feel very mekushar to You. We feel very close to You.”

So this, instead of the lulav and esrog, says to Satan, “You know, you gave me a terrible piece of advice, because if they would have come with the lulav and esrog, I would have had a little hope.”

# Bikurim, Simcha, and the Neshama of the Mitzvah

Some people come to a little bit of an eshter, and it is not l’shem Shamayim. They come so that the fellow should say, “Wow, look at that guy’s eshter. Oh, that’s nice. Hey, look how excited he is. Look at the eshter box.” But when they came with their hearts and said, “We’re mekushar to Havayah,” that was so pure. I had nothing to do with that.

So you gave me terrible advice. “Shut up, you. What kind of advice did you give me? Get away from me. I’ll never listen to you again.” Sheker, you see, gave him advice, and it backfired.

The Stutchiner Rebbe, zt”l, would say over that he was there when the Kushat Sin said over this, and he said the chizuk they had was that even though they did not have a little bit of an eshter, they understood the neshamah of the mitzvah. What is behind the mitzvah? Sometimes we overlook the tachlis, the v’samachta, the happiness that comes from Hashem in the mitzvah. The Yid who understands the kesher with the Ribono Shel Olam in the mitzvah—that is where the simcha comes from. And sometimes we overlook that.

Because it was an announcement, I am not going to overlook that. With this, rabbeisai, I want to say a pshat. If you look, L’vrach says it is going on Torah. Torah is so good and unbelievable, and if you tasted the Torah, you would run after it like a drunk runs after a bottle of wine. Those are the famous words of the Aruch HaShulchan. We just have to do bikurim. It is an interesting thing: v’samachta, and Chazal bring bikurim—be happy also about your Torah.

The way I am explaining to you bikurim is that bikurim teaches what brings happiness. Bikurim is a lesson, a hadrachah, a mussar haskel to a person. You are not going to be happy with your gashmiyus. You have to learn what makes you happy. You have to realize that, look, finally you are happy. You bring a little bit of bikurim and you are happy. U’meileh, v’samachta b’chol hatov, Torah. This is going to lead to the next thing. Avodah makes you happy, mitzvos make you happy, and b’chol hatov, Torah is going to make you happy. But with the right understanding. You have to see it properly. If you do not understand bikurim as your happiness, then you will never understand Torah as your happiness.

A person is able to give up his Torah for her house. It is not going to make you happy. Once you see, take a look: the little bikurim makes me happy. Then the next step is v’samachta b’chol hatov, asher nasan lecha Hashem Elokecha.

# Another Pshat in V’samachta B’chol Hatov

Habeisai, I would like to say another pshat in v’samachta b’chol hatov. What does it mean, v’chol? V’samachta b’chol hatov. Now, lecha, there is another question. Like I said in the beginning, I mean, you are going to be happy externally anyway. So what is the v’samachta? So we said, tushim, okay. V’chol, even in Torah, u’kli is to give thanks. But there is a bigger lesson here as well, and I want to show you what I mean.

I asked you a question: why do you announce, “I am not a coffee type”? Avada, if you bring a bikurim, you bring a makir tov. So we said that the pshat is to make sure you understand the object of the mitzvah, the tachlis of the mitzvah. I think there is also another mekor here that needs to be addressed and explained: why the reverse? Say, “I am a makir tov”; do not say, “I am not a coffee type.”

You know something very interesting. The person starts giving a whole speech about the history of Klal Yisrael, starting from what? Arami oved avi. The Gemara calls it maschil b’gnus, which means this is the low point of Klal Yisrael. The beginnings of Klal Yisrael were yissurim; it was not a rosy history. Arami oved avi, va’yeired Mitzraymah, va’yagor sham b’mesat, va’yehi sham l’goy gadol atzum v’rav. Va’yareiu osanu haMitzrim, va’ya’anu osanu, va’yitnu aleinu avodah kashah. It is a very sad record of history.

# Bikurim and a New Perspective

So what happens? You come now and you bring Bikurim. Now you understand the *bechol hatoif*. Hevanta, ha? Sakhita. Yeh pshat, Rav Esai. I think that’s the pshat: *v’samachta bechol hatoif*.

All of a sudden, everything opens up and says, wow! After everything I went through, I’m standing here to give Bikurim. Unbelievable. Who dreamt that one day we would be in Eretz Yisrael, able to give Bikurim? When we were in Mitzrayim, we were in the siyush, the yi’ush. We had no hope. Who ever dreamed for a second that one day I would stand in a Beis HaMikdash, with a parade, to bring Bikurim to the Am Yisrael? Pella.

*Melamei cheineni kofi toif* is not going on the Bikurim now, because now, of course, I’m a maka toif. I’m not going to be a kofi toif on the van Yisrael, Marta, or ami oy vidovi on the past either. I won’t overlook the good. That’s what it means. I won’t sit there and say, ah, terrible past. I’m starting to understand now that it’s all with a cheshbon, and I’m going to appreciate the past also. *G’sheim shemevarchim al hara, al hatoif, kach mevarchim al hara.*

That’s the lesson of Bikurim. Now I finally see the outcome. I have an entirely different picture. I’m not a kofi toif. When Yaakov Avinu said, the Ribono Shel Olam complained to him, how dare you complain and say you have a bad life? I am busy being mamlich your son in Mitzrayim. You think this was bad for you? This was the best thing that could have ever happened. This was the yeshuah of Klal Yisrael. I’m busy making your son the king in Mitzrayim so Klal Yisrael should be able to go through Mitzrayim, and then come out, and then go to the midbar, and then go to Eretz Yisrael, to the moment that you can bring Bikurim. You say *ma’at v’ra’im*? That’s the lesson of Bikurim.

The pasuk says that he gets up and says, Ribono Shel Olam, I won’t be a kofi toif. I’d rather not, now when I bring the Bikurim, because I’m saying I’m a kofi toif for the Bikurim. You don’t need to announce, I’m a *ma’at v’ra’im*, if you bring the Bikurim. What I’m saying is: I’m not a kofi toif, even the stuff that till now I didn’t understand. I’m going to start looking at it and saying, you know what? Maybe it wasn’t wrong. Not only maybe, but since the Ribbono Shel Olam gave it, it is toif.

That’s why it says it in the negative. If he meant the Bikurim, he would say it directly. But being that he’s saying it in the negative, on the raw, I won’t be a kofi toif, I’m going to rearrange the way I see things now. I’ll start having a new perspective, and that is: Ribono Shel Olam, everything You did was l’toif.

# A Story of Zikhron Dover

I want to tell you where you can buy some. It moved me very much. A story that is close to my heart: he was a Holocaust survivor. He lost his wife, his children, and grandchildren. Devastation. Tremendous yisurim. When he moved from Williamsburg to Boro Park, the first Yom Tov in his new beis medrash in Boro Park, the baal tefillah got up, and by the part of Hallel, *ma’ashiv laShem kol tagmulohi alai, kos yeshuos esa, uveShem Hashem ekra*, he sang the niggun of Zikhron Dover.

What’s Zikhron Dover? Zikhron Dover is a niggun that in Europe they used to sing. It was a song that reminded everyone of hope and tragedy. It was a tremendous niggun that all the Holocaust survivors sang, especially afterward. During the concentration camps and after, when they came broken and shattered, they sang Zikhron Dover. Remember Hashem.

# The Niggun of “Zekher, Dovar” and the Tears It Brought

What we went through. “Zekher, dovar le’avadekha asher yichaltani, zois nechamasi” — what was my only consolation, my only salvation? “Ki miTorasekha lo natisi,” that I kept the Torah.

Dovid HaMelech, it is a pasuk in Tehillim, and the song, with these words, brought out tremendous emotion, especially among those who had come through the Holocaust. The ba’al tefillah got up, as I told you, and he sang it with the niggun of “Zekher, dovar.” The Rebbe broke down in such tears, such crying; the whole beis medrash was in uncontrollable tears.

Afterward they went over to him and asked, “Rebbe, what happened that you started to cry like this?” He said, “I’ll tell you the truth. You sang ‘ma’aseh,’ you said the words ‘ma’aseh,’ you sang ‘ma’aseh’ with this niggun of ‘Zekher, dovar,’ and then you came to ‘L’kha ezbach zivchei todah’ — to You, Hashem, I will offer a thanksgiving offering. It reminded me of all the tragedy I went through, because I used to sing ‘Zekher, dovar’ in the camps and afterward, and I thought: how can I say the words ‘L’kha ezbach zivchei todah’ to such a niggun? I can’t do it.”

He said, “I just couldn’t do it. I started to cry. I can’t say ‘L’kha ezbach zivchei todah.’ I can’t do it. These words and this song — I couldn’t put them together. I couldn’t do it.”

# The Bluzhiver Rebbe and the Weight of the Holocaust

I want you to know how affected the Bluzhiver Rebbe, zt”l, was by the war. There is a ma’aseh in Gemara, and B’shnei said that his son Meir was a lost child. Meir was his oldest son. The Bluzhiver Rebbe came to him in Acharonah. B’shnei said that the only person who said something to him that consoled him was the Bluzhiver Rebbe. And what was it? The Bluzhiver Rebbe told him: “You, your son was taken, but you have a place to come to, to daven, a kever. I lost a wife, children, and grandchildren. There is no kever, no place for me to go and speak.”

B’shnei said that this was a consolation — at least a kever, at least a place of burial. This is the tragedy the Bluzhiver Rebbe carried in his heart about the Holocaust. And all of a sudden, the niggun that was a monument to that tragedy is being sung, and he could not do it.

People looked at him and said, “Rebbe, you always say to them emunah, you always bechazik everybody.” He said, “I’ll tell you what happened. I started to look upstairs.” You know, his shul, I guess, was on the first floor, and he lived on the top. “And I realized I have a new family. We’re married, he had children. I looked around — a new beis medrash, a beautiful new beis medrash. I looked around — new chassidim. I look in the street — there are goyim in the streets. I realized: don’t think about all the past. Think about the present. Look what came from that past.”

# Bikkurim as Rebirth After Yissurim

“L’kha ezbach zivchei todah,” I’ll tell you, B’shnei, B’shnei, till today the Bluzhiver Beis Medrash sings this niggun. You hear, Rabbi Yisrael? That is bikkurim. Bikkurim of a Yid comes to Rabbi Yisrael and says: look how much yissurim we went through until we came to this moment. Bnei Yisrael — I’m not a coffee type. I’m “L’kha ezbach zivchei todah,” B’shnei, meshach mekoron. Now I start to see the rebirth after all the yissurim. I see that we are chayim, we survived, and now we have to bring fruit.

It is interesting, the budding of a fruit. How does bikkurim work? You go out to the field and you see a fresh budding. It could be a siman, maybe a sign. The budding, the renewal — Klal Yisrael, the rebirth. After so much yissurim, the rebirth, the new fruit. It is fresh, it is a new start. Rebbeinu shel Olam, I do not look back; I look forward. “L’kha ezbach zivchei todah,” B’shnei, meshach mekoron.