Welcome to TorahInEnglish.com. We are here to provide English speaking Jewry throughout the world access to important books on all facets of Judaism: Halacha, Chassidus, Mussar, and many other important Torah topics. As our site develops through the hard work of volunteers whose recompense is in the next world, we bring you your daily dose of the Mussar from the CHOK L'YISROEL.
PARSHAT VA'EIRA - MUSSAR FROM CHOK L'YISROEL
Yom Rishon - Sunday
Mussar - Zohar, Part II 2a
There are three categories of people who, speaking in human terms, push the Divine Presence out of the world and cause the Holy One, Blessed is He, to, G-d forbid, withdraw from the world, with the result, that people cry out [in prayer] and are not heeded. These three categories are:
(1) One who has relations with a woman in a state of menstrual impurity. For there is no impurity as impure as menstrual impurity. He becomes defiled, and anyone who is close to him becomes defiled with him. The Divine Presence departs from wherever he goes. Furthermore, he causes terrible sicknesses to himself and to the children he sired in his defilement. A spirit of defilement is drawn upon him and all his life, he will be in a state of defilement. For this building and foundation were in the severest defilement, harsher than any other defilement in the world. For, as soon as he has contact with a menstruant, that defilement jumps upon him. As it is written in the book of Leviticus, 15:24, "[The impurity of] her menstruation will be upon him."
(2) The second category is one who has relations with a non-Jewish woman. For he brings the sign of the holy covenant into the domain of the other side (Sitra Achra). As it is written in Malachi 2:11, "And he had relations with a daughter of a foreign god." And there is no jealously before the Holy One, Blessed is He, like the jealousy for the holy covenant, which is the secret of the holy Name and the secret of the faith. Whoever brings the sign of the holy covenant into the domain of the other side, it is as if he denies the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He; for whoever denies the king's seal, denies the king. He has no share in the G-d of Israel unless he constantly repents.
(3) The third category is one who kills his unborn child: His wife is pregnant and he causes it to be killed in her womb. Such a person destroys the building made by the Holy One, Blessed is He, May G-d save us and bring us back in complete repentance, may this be His will.
Yom Shani - Monday
Mussar - Zohar, Part II 2b
One who causes an unborn child to die in his wife's womb commits three evil things that the world cannot tolerate, so that little by little the world becomes diminished without it being known. The Holy One, Blesses is He, withdraws from the world and the sword, famine, and disease come upon the world. The three are: (1) he kills his children, (2) he destroys the edifice built by the King, and (3) he pushes away the Divine Presence. And the world suffers all the aforementioned tragedies. Woe to that man! Woe to him; woe to his soul! It would have been better for him had he never been created! Fortunate are you, Israel, who were may tens of thousands who were in exile and guarded themselves from menstruants, non-Jewish women, and from killing their children. Even when it was decreed: (Exodus 1:22) "Every boy who is born must be thrown in the river," there was not a single person who killed a fetus in its mother's womb, and certainly, not an infant after it was born. In this merit they were redeemed from exile. Fortunate is the man who guards the sign of the holy covenant. For, if one does not do so, in addition to the terrible punishment that befalls him, he causes exile to the Jewish People. May G-d, in His mercy, bring us back in complete repentance.
Parshat Va'eira for Wednesday
Parshat Va'eira for Thursday
Yosef L'Chok - Seder HaYom Daf 37b
If a person made a habit of the sin of blemishing the covenant, his sin is too great to bear. These are the people who bring G-ds wrath to the world, who bring epidemics and death of various kinds to the world. And this is especially true if his evil inclination incited him and he committed this evil act in front of other people or friends or if he incited other people to do the same. For he desecrated G-d's Name, sinning and causing others to sin; his sin grew very, very severe, reaching up to the heavens. This is even more so if his thirst was not satisfied by this, and went on to have homosexual or incestuous relations, for this is licentiousness; this is a horrible sin and an abomination before G-d. How can he raise his head? How can he eat or drink? How can he dress in beautiful clothes while the clothing that is upon him filthied every aspect of his soul, to the point that they drove him far away from the Master of the whole earth and the daughter of the glorious King [i.e., the soul], whose glory and honor is blessed and exalted. He made her filthy and treated her like a vile thing. How can he be happy and rejoice? How can he fill his mouth with laughter? How can he look upon other people's laughter?
Parshat Vaeira for Friday
Yosef L'Chok - Seder HaYom Daf 38a
A person who blemished the covenant: If he wants to repair this destruction, let him dress in black, wrap himself in black and afflict himself by fasting day after day until he sees himself that he is humbled, broken and afflicted; until his fat and blood are consumed and his desire and pleasure are diminished; until he can say that he will not return to those terrible sins. Let him wear sackcloth, sit on ashes and flog himself every day until G-d looks down from Heaven and sees. For our G-d is gracious, merciful, and generous in goodness, and He does not desire the death of the dead, but rather, that he return from his evil ways [and live]. Nothing stands in the way of complete repentance for His right hand is extended to receive penitents who come with their whole heart and soul, regretting their sins; whose hearts are bitter, groaning, upset and in turmoil over all that has happened to them, who will never again return to foolishness.