Thursday, June 02, 2005

Challah (Today's Blatt)

Several notes, cobbled here together:

Date: Friday, May 04, 2001 2:31 PM

It requires more thought to develop this to a full blown discourse, but:

Bikkurim, first fruit, Chochmo - Reishis Chochmo Yiras Hashem -
Undifferentiated Knowledge.
(The Maharal calls this a Nesina to HKB"H from that which is not
yet murkav - corresponding to the Olam of Seichel -
undifferentiated hashpo'oh - Chochmo.)

Ma'asros, multiple separations and distinctions, Bina, Categorization and
Classification of Knowledge.
(The Maharal calls this a Nesina to HKB"H from that which is a
harkava shichnis - a non-complex combination - the Olam of
Galgalim, - or, I believe, Malachim - i.e., where hashpo'os are
already distinct - Bina.)

Challah, from a finished product that is complex and complete, Da'as - the
chibbur of Chochmao and Bina (Widsom - there is a Chazal "Yosif Da'as
Yosif Mach'ov - when a child can eat bread he is considered to have Da'as).
(The Maharal calls this a Nesina to HKB"H from that which is a
harkava mizgis - a complex combination - the Olam ha'Tachton - already
developed, and, of course, the water in the dough - Torah - is an
integral part of Da'as.)

As to Se'udos Shabbos, this requires a lot more work, but Friday night is
Chakal Tapuchin Kaddishin - an orchard - corresponds to Bikkurim (also,
Yitzchok and Yiroh). Shabbos morning is Attikah Kadisha - corresponds to
Challah (Mattan Torah - "Lechu Lachmu b''achmi" (also Avrohom - first
mention of bread in the Torah, I believe, Va'yeira - and Ahavah). Shabbos
afternoon is Ze'eir Anpin - corresponds to Ma'asros (given to Lev'im and
brought to Yerushalayim - connecting Elyonim and Tachtonim (also Ya'akov -
"aser a'asrenu lach", and given in Chu"l - and Tiferes). As I said, more
work is necessary.

BTW, one can do something with Challah - gematriya 43, and its shiur - 43



A bit more explanation plese. Like for example what is "murkav"? What is
"harkava shichnis"? what does the chazal "yosif daas yosif mach'ov" mean?
what is "mach'ov"? what is "harkava mizgis"? what is "chakal tapuchin
kaddishin"? what is"attikah kadisha"? what about "lechu lachmu b"achmi"?
what is chu"l?

One more question. Why did the kohanim eat challa the night of

Pesach? Explain please. Also explain kometz ha'mincha on why al pi
kabbalah/chassidus one cannot make an entire dough chassidus?


I will expand, but b'kitzur. These concepts are best explained b'al peh,
but you can get a lot out of R' Immanuel Schochets "Mystical Concepts
in Chassidus" or, more comprehensively, R' Aryeh Kaplan's "Inner Space".

The "murkav" terminology is actually from the Rambam, I believe, and is
used extensively by the Rogatchover. Murkav means combined. Something
that is not murkav is not combined. "Harkava Shichnis" is a simple
combination of many things adjacent ("shochen') to each other. "Harkava
Mizgis" is a complex combination, or fusion, such as a chemical compound.

Bikkurim is taken at the stage of individual fruit - no Harkava. Ma'aser
is taken at the stage of gathered grain - Harkava Shichnis. Challahis
taken when the grain has been made into a dough - Harkava Mizgis. The
parallel to Chaba"d is relatively simple.

The parallel to Se'udos Shabbos is more intricate and far more speculative.
The Arizal in the Tikkunei Shabbos ("Askinu Se'udoso") identifies Shabbos
night as Chakal Tapuchin Kaddishin - the aspect of our Avodas Hashem
consecrating Shabbos - much as our work creates a crop in an orchard - and,
thus, when Yitzchok smelled Ya'akov's fragrance he used the term "sadeh
asher beracho Hashem." That is why Shabbos is called, in Friday night
Shemoneh Esrei in all nuscha'os, "bah" - Shabbos receives from us, and that
is why we are botzei'ah on the bottom challah. (This bechina is attributed
to Yitzchok)

Shabbos morning is Attikah Kadisha in the Arizal: The opposite concept,
Hashem imparting to us, in turn, Kedusha via Shabbos from on high - this is
the crown of the neshama yesira ("klil tiferes") that comes down to us.
That is why, in many nuscha'os, Shabbos is called "bo", and we are
botzei'ah the top challah (Shabbos imparting to us). (Avrohom)

Shalosh Se'udos is Ze'eir Anpin - the connection and flow from on high to
below and vice versa - the harmonious reciprocity. Shabbos is called "bam"
(plural, both roles in tandem), and, I believe, the we are botzei'ah side
by side. (Ya'akov).

In this scheme, the highest madreigah is Shabbos morning (reflected in the
Halacha of Kavod Yom Adif). That is why it seems to me that in the order of
the three mitzvos it should be Challah in the morning - corresponding to
Da'as as the highest madreigah, with Bikkurim on Friday night and Ma'aser
at Se'udah Shelishis. But I am not prepared to commit to this.

Shabbos morning is the Shemoneh Esrei of Shabbos Mattan Torah (Friday night
is Shabbos Bereishis, Shabbos afternoon is Yom she'kullos Shabbos). This is
not necessarily the same order as that of the Arizal, but the Shabbos
morning davening is the idea of the Hashpo'oh from above, and that is
reflected in that Mattan Torah was on Shabbos (The Pesikta says that the
"edyam me'Chorev" removed after the Chet ho'Egel is restored to us by Moshe
every Shabbos). Torah is called lechem: that is the meaning of the pasuk
'lechu lachmu b'lachmi." Shabbos is "bechol moshvoseichem" - it gives its
kedusha to Jews wherever they are - even in Chutz la'Aretz (Chu"l) - like
challah, that applies even in Chu"l.

"Yosif da'as yosif mach'ov" is interpreted by Chazal (it's a psauk) to tell
us that when a kattan can eat wheat bread we must distance ourselves for
devorim she'b'kedusha from his excrement. That's the mach'ov: Unrealized
Da'as is more repugnant than non-Da'as.

Kohanim eat Challah the night of Pesach, says R' Tzadok, because Pesach is
the ultimate manifestation of total Hashpo'oh from Above: Ge'ulah when we
were unworthy and with only minimal zechus. That is the realization, even
after a human has created this extraordinary Harkava Mizgis, that
everything comes from the Hashpo'oh of HKB"H.

And, finally, says R' Tzadok, in Olam ha'Zeh nothing can be Kullo Tov: that
is only L'Osid Lavo: That is why it is inimical to the nature of Olam
ha'Zeh and its Avodah to make a dough completely Challah.



In the post on Challah and Se'udos Shabbos, I mentioned the two elements in
Shabbos - Friday night, our contribution to Shabbos, called "Is'arusa d'l'Tatta"
(Awakening from Below - IdT) vs. Shabbos morning, called: "Is'arusa d'l'Eila"
(Awakening from Above IdE).

R' Shlomo Fisher notes that Shabbos is, overwhelmingly, a manifestation of IdE,
as opposed to Yom Tov, which is IdT - except for Pesach, where the Ge'ulah was
an IdE - without Am Yisroel's merit, or even great longing (which is why, says
R' Tzadok, the Kohanim ate Challah the night of Pesach, and why, I believe - as
I kind of tikkun - we read Shir ha'Shirim - the ultimate statemet of IdT - on
Pesach).

RSF explains that this is why Pesach is called Shabbos ("Me'mochoras
ha'Shabbos"). He notes that this year we do no read the Haftara of the Dry
Bones, which R' Hai Gaon says we read because Techiyas ha'Meisim will occur on
Chol ha'Moed - because this year there is no Shabbos Chol ha'Mo'ed, and Techiyas
ha'Meisim is an IdT thing (I believe this why we say there is a *tal* shel
techiyah, not geshem - geshem comes down, IdE; tal condenses on the ground, IdT)
- it needs merit, and the first and last days of Pesach (Keriyas Yam Suf despite
"halalu ovdei Az v'halalu ovdei AZ) are IdE days.

Chol ha'Moed, on the other hand, is an IdT thing, because it is linked to
Sefirah, and Sefirah is our IdT to ascend towards Mattan Torah. (He links this
to Matzoh on Pesach vs. Chometz - Shtei ha'Lechem - on Shavu'os.)

He notes that all the days of Pesach correspond to days of the week of other
Yomim Tovim, and the Tur gives A"T Ba"Sh simanim for this. He adds one of his
own: The second day of Pesach - the initial day of Sefiras ha'Omer, is on the
same day of the week as Gimmel Adar. Gimmel Adar is the date that the pasuk in
Ezra says was the Chanukas haBayis of Bayis Sheni. Bayis Rishon was IdE - focus
on Nevu'ah. Bayis Sheni was IdT - focus on the creation of Torah she'be'al Peh.
Chacham (Bayis Sheni) adif me'Navi (Bayis Rishon) (BB 12a).


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