2025-09-30 – LH7 – CM1 – Sheluchin 5 – Para. 17-18 – Parshas Ekev

Sheluchin 5 – Parshas Ekev – Passing of Aharon HaKohen – Finding the Tzaddik – Loyalty of Shevet Levi – Elazar – Successor to a Tzaddik – Asniel Ben Kenaz – Pilpul Amiti vs. Pilpul Shel Hevel – Speaker: Rabbi Nasan Maimon.
Hilkhos Sheluchin 5 is based on 2Likutey Moharan 8.
00:00 – PARAGRAPH 17. Parshas Ekev. וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל נָֽסְע֛וּ מִבְּאֵרֹ֥ת בְּנֵי־יַֽעֲקָ֖ן מֽוֹסֵרָ֑ה שָׁ֣ם מֵ֤ת אַֽהֲרֹן֙ וַיִּקָּבֵ֣ר שָׁ֔ם וַיְכַהֵ֛ן אֶלְעָזָ֥ר בְּנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו – “The children of Israel journeyed from the wells of B’nei Ya’akan to Moserah; there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son served as kohen in his stead” (Devarim 10:6, Ekev). Am Yisrael didn’t really feel the loss of Aharon until they realized their past mistakes.
08:00 – Am Yisrael could only access the holiness of Aharon HaKohen after his passing through his son, Elazar.
11:00 – Amalek attacks Am Yisrael when their faith in the Tzaddik is weak. The essential power of evil in the world is loss of faith in tzaddikim. A chossid nofeyl – a righteous person “falling away” from faith – is one of the worst things that can happen.
15:00 – כִּ֚י לֹ֣א הֶֽ֖אֱמִינוּ בֵּֽאלֹהִ֑ים וְלֹ֥א בָֽ֜טְח֗וּ בִּישֽׁוּעָתֽוֹ – “Because they did not believe in HaShem and did not trust in His salvation” (Tehillim 78:22).
17:00 – *The members of Shevet Levi did not allow themselves to be pulled into the mistake of the people who opposed Moshe Rabbeinu. By doing this, they insured the continuity of the world.
20:50 – *Eulogizing tzaddikim strengthens the emunas chokhomim of Am Yisrael.
24:50 – After Am Yisrael mourns the loss of a tzaddik, we are then obligated able to find the holiness of the son or student who fills the position of the tzaddik who passed away.
26:00 – ***Q&R – How does one search for the tzaddik in our present generation? One way is by searching for the one who is fit to take his place, and another way is by visiting the gravesite of the tzaddik. Before a great tzaddik passes away, HaShem makes sure there is another tzaddik to continue in his ways. But it’s not easy for a generation to find and then accept the new leader. (Yuma 38).
34:30 – ***When a tzaddik passes away, we need to eulogize him, but not make the tragic mistake of saying “there’s no one who can replace him. Because the tzaddik is definitely alive in his children and in his students. Therefore a person must search more than ever before to connect with that remaining holiness, because it is more hidden.
38:00 – PARAGRAPH 18. During the mourning period for Moshe Rabbeinu, 300 halakhos were forgotten, but Asniel Ben Kanaz restored what was forgotten.
40:00 – Reference to Likutey Moharan 21. ***The purpose of eulogizing the tzaddik is to infuse life, but not to pull us down and say “There’s no one who compares to him – no one can help us now” – chas veshalom.
45:50 – ***Asniel Ben Kenaz realized that HaShem doesn’t want us to adopt the attitude “there’s no hope” when a tzaddik is niftar and therefore he strengthened himself to return to joy and took up the task of restoring the 300 forgotten laws through Pilpul Amiti.
48:00 – Pilpul Amiti vs. Pilpul Shel Hevel. – Applying Torah to life situations brings a person happiness, as in פִּקּ֘וּדֵ֚י יְהֹוָ֣ה יְ֖שָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵ֑ב – “The orders of HaShem are upright, causing the heart to rejoice…” (Tehillim 19:9). Pilpul Shel Hevel is Torah study that doesn’t result in practical application.
52:00 – ***After the mourning period for a tzaddik, it’s essential for his students to renew Torah study so that, as Asniel Ben Kenaz, we too can search and find what was lost.
54:20 – Closing blessings.

Indexing and Notes by S.Y. Wurtzel.