Friday, April 20, 2012

Dvar Torah from Chaim

Hey everyone


i hope you are all doing well and felling good and been feeling all the blessing Hashem has blessed us with.


When we think about trief we think about one animal and one animal only the pig.


In this weeks parsha when listing the guidelines for kashrus and some different types of animals the pasuk says,(Shmini11:7) וְאֶת הַחֲזִיר כִּי מַפְרִיס פַּרְסָה הוּא וְשֹׁסַע שֶׁסַע פַּרְסָה וְהוּא גֵּרָה לֹא יִגָּר טָמֵא הוּא לָכֶם:-And the pig, because it has a cloven hoof that is completely split, but will not regurgitate its cud; it is unclean for you.


Says the Ohr Hachaim hakadosh that if we look at the pasuk there is a very deep lesson we can learn. But before we look at the pasuk, lets understand a little more about this amazing tzaddik, known as the Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh.


Born in 1696 in Morocco, he was known as the Ohr HaChaim (Light of Life) because of the commentary of the same name that he wrote on the Torah. Many Jews study this commentary on the weekly Torah portion each week.He fulfilled a life-long dream and moved to the Holy land in 1742, just a year before his death – but managed to establish two yeshivot in Jerusalem during that short time, one in Kabbalistic studies and one for Talmud and Jewish Law.


The Ohr HaChaim is one of the few Jewish Sages who earned the title "the holy." Some explain that this was because of the emphasis he placed on the special, treasured nature of the Nation of Israel and its holiness. The Baal Shem Tov was said to have said that the Ohr HaChaim had a "spark of the Messiah" and was worthy to be the Messiah himself.


Asks the Ohr Hachaim, why is it that the the pig is called הַחֲזִיר .The Or Hachaim Hakadosh explains, that this passuk is teaching, us that as long as the pig does not chew its cud it is prohibited; but when it starts chewing its cud it will be Mutar to eat. This will take place LeAsid Lavo - in the time of Mashiach. That is why the pig is called the Chazir. Because it will returnהַחֲזִיר, and become kosher in the future. What an amazing, inspirational, and uplifting message i think we can learn from this. Right now, we veiw the pig as being low, trief and unholy. We view the ultimate source of unholiness as being the pig, but the Ohr Chaim Hakadosh is teaching us, is that it is never too late to change. There is nothing in the world NOTHING AND NO ONE, that does not have the ability to transform themselves into something kadosh someone holy. To be someone who reaches high levels of spirituality, bein adam, lamakom and bein adam lichavaroh. Each one of us has this ability.We can all accomplish our hopes and dreams, that turn us into the people we always dream of one day becoming..

All we have to do is remember that we have this ability, to always return.


GUT SHABBOS
GUT PURIM
GUY YUR
Yosef Chaim Yissachar

1 comment:

  1. What a beautiful and inspirational dvar Torah! Thank you. I was tremendously saddened to read that the writer who wrote it was niftar. May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion & Yerushalayim.
    My daughter, Gabrielle, is finishing up her post-high school year at Sha'alavim for Women.
    Again, I wish you my deepest condolences on your tragic loss. Baruch Hashem, Yosef Chaim was able to leave us all with a thoughtful and inspirational and positive thoughts before he left us.

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