Prayer Points

A few points on prayer.
1.  The point of prayer isn't the result, its the act itself of coming close to Hashem. (See what my father wrote.)  Rav Chayim Kamil explains that is what we learn from Moshe's prayer.

2. The possuk in this week's parsha says כִּ֚י מִי־ג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל אֲשֶׁר־ל֥וֹ אֱלֹקים קְרֹבִ֣ים אֵלָ֑יו כַּי״י֣ אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ בְּכׇל־קׇרְאֵ֖נוּ אֵלָֽיו.  The Targum leans that this means Hashem accepts our prayers all the time.  [The Rambam at the end of his count of the mitzvot in the intro. to Mishne Torah learns the possuk this way as well.  He says the holiday of Purim was enacted to demonstrate that prayer works!  .אלא כך אנו אומרים, שהנביאים עם בית דין תיקנו וציוו לקרות המגילה בעונתה כדי להזכיר שבחיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ותשועות שעשה לנו, והיה קרוב לשווענו כדי לברכו ולהללו, וכדי להודיע לדורות הבאים שאמת מה שהבטיחנו בתורה, "ומי גוי גדול, אשר לו אלוהים קרובים אליו" (ראה דברים ד,ז; דברים ד,ח).] The question is that there are many times we find that prayers aren't accepted?  Rav Kamil tries to justify their explanation, עיי"ש. Based upon his previous idea, he says a different peshat in the possuk, the possuk means we can come close to Hashem through prayer at any time.

The Even Ezra answers the question on the Targum by adding one word שיענהו תמיד בכל אשר יבקש ממנו בחכמה.   You have to ask properly to get answered.  (Interestingly, the online edition that I was looking at, mg.alhatorah.org doesn't have the word בחכמה there.  According to Mossad Harav Kook in some כת"י  it doesn't exist, but without it was is he adding more than the Targum?) 

3.  Rav Baruch Povorski asks why in Shemonei Esrai do we end the blessing שומע תפילה as opposed to the additional blessing of a fast day, עננו which ends העונה בעת צרה, why don't we end in Shemonei Esrai as well that Hashem answers our prayers?  He explains that there are two types of prayer.  As Rashi says in Berashis (2:5)  כי לא המטיר - ומה טעם לא המטיר? לפי שאדם אין לעבוד את האדמה ואין מכיר בטובתם של גשמים, וכשבא אדם וידע שהם צורך לעולם התפלל עליהם וירדו, וצמחו האילנות והדשאים .  One type of prayer is just to open the door for the beracha/shefa to enter the world.  For that it's enough to say שומע תפילה.  As long as the person prayed, it is fitting for the beracha which is already ready, to now come down into this world.  However, a fast day, a day of an עת צרה needs more than that.  Then prayer needs to remove a bad decree that is already standing.  In order to be מחדש something new, to remove that decree, one needs their prayers to be answered.

Nechamah Within the Aveilus

Nechamah Within the Aveilus
Tisha b'Av 
Harav Hagaon Yehuda Wagschal Shlita

The Three Weeks, the Nine Days, Erev Tisha b’Av and Tisha b’Av are all full of minhagim of aveilus, to gradually bring us into the feeling of mourning for Yerushalayim. Surprisingly, however, among the minhagim of this time there are also some minhagim of nechamah. For example, on Tisha b'Av itself after chatzos, we start minimizing the aveilus, sitting on chairs and showing signs of nechamah. Similarly, the Shabbos after Tisha b'Av is called Shabbos Nachamu, and the minhag is to be marbeh a little in simchah on this Shabbos, reflecting the nechamah that we experience after the aveilus on Yerushalayim.

The minhagim of aveilus are certainly in place, because we’re still in a state of churban, but what place is there for minhagim of nechamah? What changed that should offer us consolation? We’re still in the midst of the devastating churban of the Beis Hamikdash, and we weren’t yet zocheh to its rebuilding and the rebuilding of Klal Yisrael. So why are we observing minhagim of nechamah?
The Gemara, at the end of Taanis, teaches: כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בשמחתה, and Rav Chaim Volozhiner wonders why this is phrased in the present tense. Shouldn’t the wording be יזכה ויראה בשמחתה? How can it be that right now, in middle of the aveilus, we’re zocheh to see the simchah?

He explains this in accordance with Rashi’s statement that Yaakov Avinu was not able to be comforted about his son Yosef’s death because the rule is that a mes is forgotten from the heart after twelve months, and since Yosef was actually alive, he could not be forgotten. Many hundreds of twelve-month periods have elapsed since the Churban Beis Hamikdash, whose aveilus is similar to that of a death, so the churban should have been forgotten already. If we are still crying and mourning for Yerushalayim, then, it must be that the Beis Hamikdash is still alive, for if it were completely dead, it would have long been forgotten. Therefore,כל המתאבל על ירושלים after all this time is זוכה ורואה בשמחתה— currently, right now, because his very ability to mourn proves that something of the Beis Hamikdash is still alive for him.

What really is left of Beis Hamikdash? There was a churban, and Yerushalayim was destroyed, so what remnant of the Beis Hamikdash exists that enables us to be זוכה ורואה בשמחתה now?
In the following words, the Gra offers a deep understanding of what the Churban Beis Hamikdash is (cited in Likkutei HaGra):

כי מעת שחרב הבית יצאה רוחנו עטרת ראשנו ונשארנו רק אנחנו הוא גוף שלה בלא נפש. ויציאה לחוץ לארץ הוא הקבר ורימה מסובבת עלינו ואין בידינו להציל מן העובדי כוכבים האוכלים בשרינו. ומכל מקום היו חבורות וישיבות גדולות עד שנרקב הבשר והעצמות נפזרו פיזור אחר פיזור. ומכל מקום היו עדיין העצמות קיימות שהתלמידי חכמים שבישראל מעמידי הגוף עד שנרקבו העצמות ולא נשאר אלא תרווד רקב מאתנו ונעשה עפר שחה לעפר נפשנו. ואנחנו מקוין עתה לתחית המתים התנערי מעפר קומי.

The Gra is saying that the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash was akin to the death of Klal Yisrael. It was as if our neshamah departed, leaving us with a lifeless body. But the process of Churban didn't stop there. Just as the body is buried in the grave after death, Klal Yisrael went into galus, which is compared to the grave. In galus, the Jewish people continued to deteriorate as a result of the surrounding influences, just as the flesh of the body decays in the ground. Yet even then, there were still great yeshivos and groups of Torah scholars. But eventually the flesh of the body becomes so decayed that the bones scatter – which is what happened to Klal Yisrael when the yeshivos dispersed. At that time, the bones are no longer bound together in one form, but they still exist. Just as the bones give support to the body, the talmidei chachamim give support to Klal Yisrael and keep them strong. As time went by, however, even the bones – the talmidei chachamim – decayed into dust. That's what happened to Klal Yisrael.

The Gra is teaching us a tremendous chiddush: that the Churban Beis Hamikdash wasn't a one-time event, but rather an ongoing, continuous process. This process began with the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, but just as there is a process of decay that continues after death, there continues to be yeridas hadoros through the generations of galus, and that's a direct result of the Churban.

How is it Possible for us to Mourn?
The Gra is also giving us guidance on how to be misabel for Yerushalayim. Many people find it hard to mourn, and part of the reason is that we don’t really have a concept of what we are missing. What does hashraas haShechinah mean? What does gilui Shechinah mean? Yet although we can’t appreciate what was lost, we are still obligated to mourn for Yerushalayim. How is this possible?
The Gra is teaching us that in order to be misabel on Yerushalayim, to feel the churban, you don’t have to look back two thousand years. You don’t have to look far at all, in fact. Every bit of yeridas hadoros, every churban that we see in front of us right now, that’s all a continuation of Churban Beis Hamikdash. Churban Beis Hamikdash marked the yetzias haneshamah from the body, but so much more destruction has happened since then. And the steady decay of the very foundations of Klal Yisrael – from ten years ago to five years ago, from five years ago to now, from one year ago to now – persists right before our eyes. So many of the basic foundations of Klal Yisrael are crumbling.

This deterioration is not a new phenomenon, but rather a direct continuation of Churban Beis Hamikdash. So if you want to be misabel on the churban, and you know how to appreciate what hashraas haShechinah was, then gevaldik! That’s greatest form of aveilus a person can observe. But if you feel distant from the actual churban, you don’t have to look far to find reasons to mourn. You can look right outside your window; you can look right inside yourself. Any decay and any deterioration that we see in the fundamentals of Klal Yisrael – in Torah, in tefillah, in emunas chachamim, in kedushah – that’s reason for mourning the churban.

At the same time, however, the fact that the churban is an ongoing process of decay also means that there must be something left of the Beis Hamikdash. Because if there is something that can decay, there must be some bit of life left. True, the churban is becoming progressively worse, but there’s still something for us to grab onto. The same decay and deterioration that gives us reason to cry also gives us the ability to be זוכה ורואה בשמחתה, because our ability to mourn the churban affords us some connection to the original source of what the Beis Hamikdash was. And that’s the reason we can have a little bit of a nechamah.

The Rema relates that Yirmiyahu Hanavi was sitting at the site of the ruins of the Beis Hamikdash and crying, when a non-Jewish philosopher noticed that he was crying and asked two questions about this. One of the questions was: “A wise person does not cry over the past; whatever happened, happened. You are a wise person, so why are you crying over the past?”

Yirmiyahu Hanavi responded that he is unable to answer that question, because it’s something that the philosopher would not be able to understand. Yet although that non-Jew, who was a great philosopher and man of wisdom, could not understand the answer, a Jew can and does have to understand. The answer lies in the above teaching of the Gra.

A non-Jew cannot see himself as part of a continuous process that goes back thousands of years. He lives in his box, wherever he is at that moment. But a Yid knows that he’s not alone: he’s not the end, and he’s not the beginning – he’s part of a continuous chain. The aveilus that the Gra describes, linking Churban Beis Hamikdash with all the subsequent tzaros and yeridas hadoros that Klal Yisrael faced over the generations in one long process, that’s not something that a non-Jew can comprehend; only a Yid can understand that.

Yirmiyahu did not answer the philosopher because he couldn’t explain to him that the churban is not the past – it’s the present! A Yid knows that the churban of the present is actually a continuation of what was before. And if we’re being misabel on Yerushalayim, we’re not just mourning the past – we’re being misabel on the continuation of that churban.

Yet as we said, the fact that the churban is an ongoing process is also a source of some nechamah, for when we see that we’re part of this continuous chain, we can be comforted by the realization that there’s still something left of the gadlus that was then.

Our job, as we’re being misabel, is also to feel that there’s something left, and that’s the source of the bit of nechamah that we observe on Tisha b'Av after chatzos and on Shabbos Nachamu. For if we were zocheh to be misabel, then we’re also zocheh – currently – to the simchah, knowing that there’s still something left of the greatness of Klal Yisrael and the Beis Hamikdash.

Love The Student

The Sifri in this week's parsha says לבניך - אלו תלמידיך. וכן אתה מוצא בכל מקום, שהתלמידים קרויים בנים, שנאמר "בנים אתם לה' אלהיכם", ואומר מלכים ב ב "ויצאו בני הנביאים", וכי בני הנביאים היו? והלא תלמידים היו! - אלא מכאן לתלמידים שהם קרוים בנים.  Why does the Torah not just spell out תלמידיך?  I heard in the name of Rav Meir Chadash that the Torah calls the talmiddim בנים to teach the melamed that he must have a relationship with his students like that of a father to his son.  He pointed out that actually the love for a talmid may and possibly should extend beyond the love for one's children.  The Gemorah says that Rav Yochanan would comfort mourners by saying דין גרמא דעשיראה ביר – זו העצם של בני העשירי because he lost 10 sons (Berachot 5b.)  Yet, despite having to bear the pain of losing so amny chidren in his lifetime, R.Y. moves on to become the great scholar that he was.  Yet, the Gemorah in Bavva Metzia (84a) says that when his talmid Reish Lakish, R.Y. was in such a state of anguish that the chachamim prayed for him to die.  We see that R.Y.'s loss of one talmud hit him much harder than the loss of 10 sons!
This obligation of a Rebbe to a talmid is highlightedin the Lev Eliyahu.  He cites from the Alter a diuk in the Gemorah, וכשחלה רבי יוחנן בן זכאי נכנסו תלמידיו לבקרו כיון שראה אותם התחיל לבכות.  Why did he cry specifically when he saw them?  Because it was when he saw the students that he thought maybe I didn't give them the proper care and devotion and because of that I will get punished.  With this principal, the alter explained the possuk אֵ֥ין צַדִּ֖יק בָּאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּ֖וֹב וְלֹ֥א יֶחֱטָֽא:  Why the extra words אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּ֖וֹב?  He explains that it is possible for a person to be a tzaddik, separate from the world and avoid sin.  But a tzaddik אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּ֖וֹב, that teaches us others, gives to the world, is impossible to be be perfect and not be lacking in some manner in his mannerism with his students.

Interesting point in Rav Eliyahu Baruch's sefer on this possuk:

Build With Daas

The Gemorah in Berachos (33a) says וְאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: כׇּל אָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ דֵּעָה כְּאִילּוּ נִבְנָה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בְּיָמָיו.  Why is having דעה as if one rebuilt the Mikdash?
Rashi in Vayigash says the crying of Yosef and Binyomin one each other's necks alluded to crying for the Mishkan and Mikdash.  The connection to the neck and Mikdash is already found in Chazal on Shir Hashirim (4:4)  כְּמִגְדַּ֤ל דָּוִיד֙ צַוָּארֵ֔ךְ בָּנ֖וּי לְתַלְפִּיּ֑וֹת.  Why is the Mikdash connected to the neck?
A person naturally has the desire to do the right thing.  However, that is a mere intellectual truth, not the way a person feels.  There is a great distance between mind and heart.  When one goes to the Mikdash and feels the experience שמשם שואבין רוח הקודש, that distance is mitigated.  That is why the Mikdash is referred to as the neck, the bridge between the mind and the body. 
Chazal mean by אָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ דֵּעָה as one who's hearty and mind are connected.  One who has דעת is one who's emotions and feelings line up with their intellectual understanding.
 ידע שור קנהו וחמור אבוס בעליו ישראל לא ידע עמי לא התבונן.  What is the comparison, the animal's only though process is to get food, man is bothered by great questions of saving the world from pandemics, social justice and all other great endeavors; man has the ability to rebel?  Because at our base we recognize Hashem just as the animal recognizes its master.  It is only the lack of  ישראל לא ידע, the lack of דעת that distracts us.

3 Points

A few points on the laws of the 9 days and 9 Av.
1. The Levush 551:14 explains the reason one can't wash clothes is שלא להסיח דעתו מן האבילות but garments of a baby that are constantly soiled, one may wash them שאין בכיבוס זה משום שמחה.  But how does that remove the issue of הסיח דעתו מן האבילות?

2. The Rema 5558 says one can't eat meat the night after 9 Av even if it was Shabbos and pushed to Sunday (when its not the 10th when the Mikdash burnt,) מפני אבילות של יום.  What does that mean, what סברא  is that?

3. From Rabbi Karp - learning דברים הרעים on 9 Av is part of saying kinnot.

I See Destruction

The Meor Einayim on the Gemorah Gittin about ענוותנותו של רבי זכריה בן אבקולס החריבה את ביתנו.  The lesson to take out is that even if you see destruction coming through a Divine vision, one can never see the power of teshuva and good deeds that may come and overturn that decree. 

The Holiday Of 9 Av

This blog once cited the idea of the Baal Shem Tov that greater than being distant and hidden from Hashem, is not to realize that you are in an imperfect state at all.  That is how he explains אנכי הסתר אסתר פני, the double terminology of  הסתר means that we are ignorant of the fact that we are in a state of הסתרה.  Rav Yeruchem Levovitz explains a similar idea as to why ט אב is called a מועד.  How is the saddest day of the year a מועד, a time of meeting with Hashem?  Because we are making an accounting of the fact that we are distant from Hashem.  The recognition of where we are holding, the sate that we are in, is itself a מועד.  It means we aren't living in a state of ignorance, unaware of the great darkness we are plunged into (cited in Aley Shor volume 1 second shaar.)
This is what we highlight in מגילת איכה.  The איכה is a derivative of the original איכה,  "where are you" that Hashem asked Adam.  As cited before on the blog, the Alter Rebbe the question was where are you holding, where are you headed in life?   In the time of the חורבן the people didn't realize how bad things were.  They ignored the prophets, thought the Mikdash would never be destroyed, they had no answer for G-d's question of איכה.  We attempt to fix this through reading מגילת איכה, through contemplate not merely on the past, rather were are we headed.  Are we interested in living a life that will be Mikdash centered?  Of living in Moshiach times where the whole עסק will be 'לדעת חכמת ה, (see Rambam end Laws of Kings)?  Are we living a life of כל ימי חייך להביא ימות המשיח?       

70 Languages

  בעבר הירדן בארץ מואב הואיל משה באר את התורה הזאת לאמר: רש"י -   "באר את התורה" - בשבעים לשון פירשה להם

Why did Moshe write the Torah in 70 languages if everyone understood lashon hakodesh, and if someone didn't understand , then he should have explained it in the other languages earlier?

Many of the Chassidic books explain (see Kedushas Levi, Ohav Yisroel on Chodesh Shevat, Sfas Emes 5631) that Moshe gave the power to elevate us even where we are stuck in golus, under the rule of strange languages.  The idea (according to my understanding,) is that the language of a nation reflects the unique quality of the nation.  There are 70 languages that correspond to the 70 nations that correspond to all the middot and their extensions (7*10=70.)  Each one of those traits has a holiness in it that is hijacked by the gentile nation that embodies it.  It is through learning Torah in that language that enables the kedusha to be sucked out.   Moshe explained the Torah in all the languages to ensure that through the various exiles, we will always be able to tap into the kesusha that is embedded into that nation and not fall into the deviled ways of the nations.  

Disorderly Mob

The Netziv:

The Kli Yakar adds: פרט הדבר ומן קריבה זו שהיתה שלא כהוגן נראה לי ליישב מה שאמרו רז״ל (חגיגה יד:) ח״י קללות קלל ישעיה את ישראל ולא נתקררה דעתו עד שאמר ירהבו הנער בזקן. וכי הנביאים היו שמחים לאידם חלילה עד שאמר שנתקררה דעתו. אלא כך פירושו שבכל הקללות חם לבו בקרבו משריפה אשר שרף בו הספק לדעת למה זה ועל מה זה הפלא ה׳ את מכותם ואי זו עון פרטי גרם להם כל זה, ולא נתקררה דעתו על בלי הגיד לו לבו מבטן מי יצאו כל התלאות האלה. עד שאמר לו הש״י ירהבו הנער בזקן. אז נודע לו שכל העונשים הללו נמשכו מן חטא המרגלים שהיו הילדים דוחפים את הזקנים ובזה קבעו בכיה לדורות. ועוד היום לא הטהרנו ממדה רעה זו הלא היא המחרבת שני בתי מקדשים ועוד ידה נטויה עד אשר ישקיף ה׳ וירא.  
I know this isn't exactly the point that they are saying but we see the sin of the meraglim that started the whole downward spiral of the 9th of Av is highlighted as being caused by a lack of seder!  It is the ערבוביא, the complete disarray that foreshadows what will come.  As cited last year from the Maharal, the essence of golus is a lack of seder. 

No Need For Teshuva In Elul

From the sefer דעת משה on Chukas:

Learn To Achieve

From Mictav volume 1:

When the presence of the revealed Shechina is diminished by lack of Mikdash, it must be replaced by learning more Torah.  That way one can each achieve a deeper, inner connection with Hashem, בגדר חכם עדיף מנביא.

Beis HaBechirah

Why does the Rambam call the Laws of the Beis Hamikdash, Hilchos Beis Habechirah, why use the term Beis Habechirah when the Rambam always calls it Mikdash?  In fact the other laws he calls Kli Mikdash and he describes the mitzvah to nuild a Mikdash, not a Beis Habechirah?  The Rambam wants to highlight what is special about the Mikdash in Yerushalyim over the Mishkan Shilo etc?  The place of the Mishkan wasn't intrinsically special over any other palce, merely the Mishkan happened to be there a place for people to come to offer sacrifices.  The Beis Hamikdash is different.  It is the place 'אשר בחר ה, the place itself and the Mikdash built there have kedusha because Hashem desired this place.  It is the the chosen place, the Beis HaBechirah (based on Likutay Sichos volume 24 Reah sichah 1.)
With this idea we can also understand why in the דיינו of the הגדה it uses the term Beis Habechirah as well; why that term specifically?  Because we are explaining what's the big deal we are making about leaving Egypt if at the end of the day we are back in galus?  Because we were chosen and no matter what the circumstances, we remain with that eternal connection to Hashem.  That is reflected in the Beis Habechirah, the chosen place for the chosen people.  (Based upon Toras Menachem 5626 second night Pesach.)

Desert Travel

The possuk in Yechezkal (20:35) says והבאתי אתכם אל מדבר העמים ונשפטתי אתכם שם פנים אל פנים.  Rashi learns that this is a prophecy for the future that we will be lead through the same Midbar as we went to on the way to Eretz Yisroel from Egypt.  מדבר העמים" - הוא המדבר שהלכו בו ארבעים שנה וכן ניבא (הושע ב) והולכתיה המדבר.  The Raavad in Edyut (2:9) also learns its a prophesy for the future but he learns that the geulah will start and then we will be led through the desert and only the fittest will survive  וכן לימות המשיח כשיגאל אותם הקב"ה לא יכנסו מיד לארץ אבל יוליך אותם למדבר העמים כנבואת יחזקאל כ': There are other interpretations as well, see here.  What is the point of the geulah being preceded by a journey through he midbar?

The midrash (23:4) says אַתְּ מוֹצֵא עָתִיד הַמִּדְבָּר לִהְיוֹת יִשּׁוּב וְהַיִּשּׁוּב עָתִיד לִהְיוֹת מִדְבָּר, וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁעָתִיד הַיִּשּׁוּב לִהְיוֹת מִדְבָּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי א, ג): וְאֶת עֵשָׂו שָׂנֵאתִי וָאָשִׂים אֶת הָרָיו שְׁמָמָה, וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁהַמִּדְבָּר עָתִיד לִהְיוֹת יִשּׁוּב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה מא, יח): אָשִׂים מִדְבָּר לַאֲגַם מַיִם.  What is the significance and point of this?  The Sfas Emes (5659) says במדרש המסעות שקיבלו בנ"י עתידין להיות ישוב ע"ש. כמ"ש ימצאהו בארץ מדבר, וכ' לא תהו בראה לשבת יצרה. וישוב העולם תלוי בנפשות. ולפי שיש נפשות של תהו בעולם לכן יש מקומות של תהו ולכן נקראת מדבר העמים. כי ע"י העמים שיש בנפשות יש בעולם מדברות ולעתיד אז אהפוך אל עמים שפה ברורה יהי' הכל מיושב. ובנ"י נכנסו באותן המקומות להביאם לידי ישוב. וכן איתא כשהצדיק בעיר הוא הודה זיוה הדרה ולכן זכו בנ"י בכח התורה לעבור בזה המדבר אשר לא ישב אדם שם ופי' [*חז"ל] אפילו אדה"ר לא [*הי'] יכול לעשותן ישוב וע"י בנ"י בכח התורה מתקנים התהו לעשותו ישוב:   
There are ישוב souls and מדבר souls.  The ישוב souls follow the natural order.  Then there are מדבר souls that are lost in society.  The point of going through the מדבר is to straighten out those souls as well.

Why So Long

In ספר החיים by the Maharal's brother, in the chapter on galus and geulah he starts with the reason's of the lengthy golus.  The first two reasons are bittul Torah and lack of proper teshuvah which is probable a test for every generation.  His third reason rings a little more relevant specific to our times, even though surprisingly he wrote this in Europe hundreds of years ago when Jews were downtrodden and poor.  (Though he did live at the tale end of the paradisus iudaeorum so things might have been better but as we know from the golem stories there was already opposition cropping up.)

                                                              To live a Eretz Yisroel life:

You Are Destroyed

From דעת חכמה ומוסר ח"ב:

Why is שנאת חנם a קלקול פנימיות?  Simple understood, because it is a destruction of the person's middot, which define the essence of the person.  But then this should be true by any lack of middot, not just שנאת חנם?  It may be true by every problem in middot, it just happens to be that in Beis Sheni the problem was in שנאת חנם, however I believe it may be precise. 

In the very last chapter of the second volume of Aley Shor, Rav Wolbe brings a vort from Rav Eizak Sher:

A person is only complete when have friends, when they work with others.  If one maintains שנאת חנם and doesn't get along with others they are in essence destroying themselves.

Sprouting From Bitachon

The Gemorah Shabbos 139a (and Yoma 9a) says רשעים הן אלא שתלו בטחונם במי שאמר והיה העולם לפיכך מביא הקדוש ברוך הוא עליהן שלש פורעניות כנגד שלש עבירות שבידם שנאמר לכן בגללכם ציון שדה תחרש וירושלים עיין תהיה והר הבית לבמות יער.  Rashi explains ג' עבירות - בשחד ישפוטו במחיר יורו ונביאיה בכסף יקסמו:,ג' פורעניות - שדה תחרש עיין תהיה ולבמות יער:  This means that the three punishments correspond to the three sins.  However, what is the לפיכך, why is the בטחון a reason to be punished according to the crime, what does the בטחון add?  The Maharsha says a different interpretation.  He says לפיכך ר"ל שתלו מיהת בטחונם בו מביא הקב"ה עליהם ג' פורעניות על ג' עבירות לא בכליון גמור כמו בסדום דהיינו ציון שדה תחרש ויהיה ראוי לזריעה וירושלים לעיים והר הבית לבמות יער שיהיה מיהת דבר הצומח ולא כליון גמור כמו בסדום שנאמר בו וה' המטיר וגו' גפרית ואש וגו' ויהפוך את הערים וגו' וצמח האדמה וק"ל:  The element of בטחון left room for regrowth.  It is because of בטחון that a new plant, a new Mikdash can come forth.  Why does בטחון leave room for regrowth?  בטחון comes from the very depth of the soul of a Jew.  As long as a person has בטחון, it means s/he retains their connection to Hashem and from there can sprout forth a stronger connection to Hashem.  The Yalkut Tehillim (719 on possuk 32:10) says רַבִּ֥ים מַכְאוֹבִ֗ים לָרָ֫שָׁ֥ע, וְהַבּוֹטֵ֥חַ בַּי-הוָ֑ה, אפילו שהוא רשע, חֶ֝֗סֶד יְסוֹבְבֶֽנּוּ.  It is בטחון that allows for one to remain in contact with Hashem.  (Based upon Aley Shor volume 2 on בטחון Ch. 13.)

The Gemorah in Taanis (30b) says תניא נמי הכי כל האוכל בשר ושותה יין בט' באב עליו הכתוב אומר (יחזקאל לב, כז) ותהי עונותם על עצמותם:  The Ritva explains: פירש שאין לעצמותיו תחיה בתחיית המתים העתיד להיות בבנין בית המקדש לאותן שמתו בגלות וחכו לישועה שעליה׳‎ אמר הכתב אשרי המחכה ויגיע לימים.  Since it is בטחון that allows for regrowth, only those that retain their בטחון in the גאולה will merit to sprout forth from the earth and see the third Mikdash.   

The Chida (מדבר קדמות מערכת ק.):

Avrohom Was Ashkenazi Yitzchak Was Sephardic

The Zohar Pinchas 218b-219a says וּבְגִין דְּאַבְרָהָם אִיהוּ מַיִם, שַׁוִּי זַרְעֵיהּ בְּגָלוּתָא דֶּאֱדוֹם וּבְגִין דָּא כָּבֵד לִימִינָא דְּאַבְרָהָם, וּמָרָה, דְּכָבֵד חֶרֶב דִּילֵיהּ, אִיהִי מָרָה, אִתְּמַר בָּהּ (משלי ה׳:ד׳) וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ מָרָה כַלַּעֲנָה. וְאִי חוֹבִין מִתְרַבִּין בִּבְנוֹי דְּאַבְרָהָם דְּאִינּוּן בְּגָלוּתָא דֶּאֱדוֹם, אִתְיְקַר בֵּיהּ מְרָע עָלַיְיהוּ מִסִּטְרָא דְּכָבֵד, דְּרוֹעָא יְמִינָא צָּרִיךְ לְאַלְקָאָה לְאָקָזָא דָּמֵיהּ מִנֵּיהּ, דְּמַאן דְּנַטְלִין מִנֵּיהּ מָמוֹנֵיהּ, כְּאִילּוּ שְׁפִיכוּ דָּמֵיהּ, וְאִשְׁתְּאַר עָנִי, דְּעָנִי חָשׁוּב כַּמֵּת. וְאִי חוֹבִין מִתְרַבִּין מִסִּטְרָא דִּבְנֵי יִצְּחָק, דְּאִינּוּן (ס''א בגלותא) בֵּין יִשְׁמָעֵאל, בֵּי מַרְעֵיהּ יִתְיְקַר מִסִּטְרָא דִּטְחוֹל לִשְׂמָאלָא, וְצָּרִיךְ לְאָקָזָא דְּרוֹעָא שְׂמָאלָא, וְלָא יַתִּיר. וְאִי חוֹבִין מִתְרַבִּין בִּבְנֵי יַעֲקֹב, דְּאִינּוּן אֲחִידָן לִתְרֵין סִטְרִין, דְּאִינּוּן מְפוּזָרִים בִּבְנֵי עֵשָׂו וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל, הָא מַרְעָא אִתְיְקַר עַל גּוּפָא, וּבָעֵי לְאָקָזָא ב' דְּרוֹעִין.  
Whatever is lacking, the fix is to go to the land of the opposite side and by having to fight against the opposite side, it will bring out the strength of the middah.  For ex. a lack in the middah of chesed when exposed to the gevurah of Edom will fight harder to come to the surface and hence its full potential will be brought out (explanation based on Matuk M'sdevash and Mittler Rebbe (chabad.))  It seems to come out from this that the Sephardic Jews are Yitzchak people and Ashkenazi Jews are Avrohom people.    

Didn't Dye In Vain

What was the great merit of the daughters of Zelophehad that they merited a parsha to be written in their sake?  Rav Simcha Zissel Broide suggested it not as most think that it is the daughter's of Zelophehad's actions that merited a parsha to be written in the Torah, rather it is the act of Zelophehad himself.  As Rashi notes, he was the the מקושש עצים who desecrated the Shabbos for noble purposes to show the harshness of violating Shabbos.  The act of Zelophehad was a true act of מסירות נפש.  He lost all of his עולם הבא just to teach a lesson.  Says Rav Simcha Zissel, it is because it was such a great act of מסירות נפש, even though he was culpable for his actions, that merits that a parsha is given his name.  He points out the parsha doesn't bear the names of the daughter's of Zelophehad , rather that of Zelophehad, the parsha of the בנות צלפחד.
Based upon this idea the Shlal Rav adds the Gemorah Sanhedrin (8a) says ראויה פרשת נחלות שתיכתב על ידי משה רבינו אלא שזכו בנות צלפחד ונכתב על ידן ראויה היתה פרשת מקושש שתיכתב ע"י משה רבינו אלא שנתחייב מקושש ונכתבה על ידו ללמדך שמגלגלין חובה ע"י חייב וזכות על ידי זכאי.  Why does it mention the בנות צלפחד before the מקושש, if the episode of the מקושש is first?  Because the Gemorah is explaining the merit of the בנות צלפחד was from their father; what was his merit?  Because he was the מקושש and although that was an act of חובה, it was an act of זכות as well.  The Gemorah means one act can contain an element of חובה and an element of זכות that are both noteworthy. 

The Ketzos's Rashba Isn't Your Rashba

Rav Shlomo Heiman

Sadly this is a general problem that the lay man can't recognize between a great leader and one who is not so great.  Too many people feel as long as the one they are following has a title of Rabbi stuck in front of their name, they are entitled to voice their opinion on issues just as much as anyone else who's title is Rabbi. And even better if his title is Rabbi Dr.  Despite the fact that these people may have never opened a Rashba in years and are completely unqualified to voice on opinion on any matter of Jewish law.  It is incumbent upon the זקנים, those that can discern to correct this error.

The Silent Leader

Miriam doesn't get much mention in the Torah.  It is merely from a scriptural inference in Beshelach that we derive her prophesy of the berth of Moses.  Even the be'ar miriam, that in her merit the entire nation was supplied with water is only derived from the pessukim after her death.  This is in stark contrast from Moshe who is found in every parsha and even Aharon who is the Kohan Gadol and is found in many parshiout as well.  They are in the front, obviously leading the people but where is Miriam to be found?
We see from here that there are two types of leaders.  There are the leaders that are in the forefront clearly leading the people, setting forth policies and rules for the common folk. These people are openly recognized as the leaders.  There is a second type of leader as well.  That is the person taking care of all behind the scenes work.  They go unnoticed by the public but are by no means any less important than the leaders that are in the forefront.  She isn't in the public limelight but from behind she is pulling the strings.  That is the Miriam model.  Without Miriam indeed there is no Moshe; it was her prophesy that ensures that Moshe is born. 
(Based upon the observation by Rab Bakshi Doron, although he takes it as a lesson for the role of a woman, I think it can be a different model of a leader.)
The Gemorah in Moad Katan (28a) says א"ר אמי למה נסמכה פרשת מיתת מרים לפרשת פרה אדומה, לומר לך מה פרה אדומה מכפרת, אף מיתתן של צדיקים מכפרת.  Everyone wonders why compare it to the parah adumah and not to a korban?  And why is this limud stressed specifically by Miriam?   Possibly it is to allude to this idea.  The parah adumah is the חקת התורה, the quintessential chok.  Just as the parah's reason  is hidden, so too there are צדיקים that go unrecognized.  There death is not displayed across all the websites and billboards, yet their death is also if not more so, מכפר.

Want Kavod

Rashi says that Bilam said to Hashem בלק בן צפור וגו׳ – אף על פי שאיני חשוב בעיניך, חשוב אני בעיני המלכים.  Why would Bilam say something so ridiculous to Hashem, what is the חשיבות of being חשוב to a king against Hashem?  Rav Eliezer Lopian (son of Rav Eliyah cited in the back of Leb Eliyahu Shemos,) says we see from here the power of a bad middah.  It has such control over a person that it will make one do even foolish things so Bilam was led to say such foolishness because of his desire for honor and fame.
The footnote (not sure who wrote it) gives a different interpretation.  He bases it off an idea from Rav Leib Chasmon who asked what was the greatness of Shlomo that his wish was for a לב שומע, obviously a gift of great spiritual heights is much more important to request than riches and other physical benefits?  He explained that we see from here the pull of a person's middos, that even when talking with Hashem a person will still ask for physical benefits which are merely temporary. The person writing the footnote adds its not just that Shlomo asked for the right thing, that he asked the proper request.  The question Hashem asked was what does your heart really want, what is your true desire.  Shlomo answered that what was important to him was a לב שומע.  It was the fact that indeed it was his true desire that was indicative of a high level.  This is the peshat by Bilam as well.  Bilam didn't say I am חשוב to Balak but it was clear from his words what he felt.  The extra words בָּלָ֧ק בֶּן־צִפֹּ֛ר מֶ֥לֶךְ מוֹאָ֖ב give away what he was thinking, why the need to add the words מֶ֥לֶךְ מוֹאָ֖ב?  Because he was thinking about his כבוד.  That is what Rashi means, as he is speaking with Hashem, Bilam is still considered about his own כבוד.     

Water

Hilchos Parah Adumah (15:1) הנוגע במי חטאת שלא לצורך הזאה בין אדם בין כלים טמא ואינו מטמא בגדים בשעת מגעו שנאמר והנוגע במי הנדה יטמא עד הערב הנה למדת שמי הנדה אב מאבות הטומאות של תורה וטומאת מגען בכל שהוא ואם היה בהן כדי הזאה מטמאין במגע ובמשא והנוגע בהן או שנושאן שלא לצורך מטמא בגדים בשעת מגעו או בשעת משאו עד שיפרוש ממטמאיו שנאמר ומזה מי הנדה יכבס בגדיו
The Rambam in the short synopsis of the mitzvot in the intro. to Mishne Torah #108 says להיות מי נדה מטמאין לאדם טהור, ומטהרין מטומאת מת בלבד. וכל אלו הדינין של טומאות אלו, רוב משפט כל טומאה וטומאה מהן מבואר בתורה שבכתב.  The Raavad takes issue with this Rambam and wonders why the Ramban doesn't list this as two mitzvot, one mitzvah that it causes tumah and another that it causes tahara.  Rav Eitamar Gurwicz cites from his father the explanation of the machlokes is that the Raavad holds the water of the parah adumah is considered a cheftzah of tumah, just there is a special halacha that if one touches the water for the purpose of causing taharah he doesn't become tamah.  Since it is acheftzah of tumah, it should be counted as a separate mitzvah like all of the other things that cause tumah are counted by the Rambam as a separate mitzvah.  The Rambam however holds that the water isn't a cheftzah of tumah, there is just a law that one who touches them for an improper purpose becomes tamah, just like one who touches the cow becomes tamah, its a specific law of the water, its not a cheftzah of tumah to be counted as a separate mitzvah.

Why Are You Crying?

From the back of the Lev Eliyahu volume 1 - the Shvivay Or pg. 263

I believe it was a tishu b'av numerous years ago I heard a few women in the street asking why are we mourning a Temple that has been destroyed so long ago?  I guess they were מכוין to Plato.  Rav Simcha Zissul is saying we aren't crying as mourning for the past but the only way to build the Beis again is to cry about the Mikdash, to appreciate what the Beis Hamikdash is and understand how one must act to be ready for Mikdash.