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Today is the fifteenth of the month, the day on which the moon is full, i.e., the day on which all the aspects of the month shine in a perfect manner. The Hebrew name of the month of Iyar is Ziv which means "ray." Thus, the complete shining forth of this month reflects a perfect revelation.

This perfect revelation in turn will permeate all aspects of the month, even the mundane matters associated with it. And thus when describing anything which occurred in this month, we will say that it took place in the month of Ziv, a month of revelation.

This revelation will enable every Jew to fulfill the purpose for his creation, the service of G-d as it is written, "I was created to serve My Creator" -- and this will fulfill the purpose of the creation of the world at large. Furthermore, this will be fulfilled in a manner reflected by the statements of the Zohar, "And the wise[181] shall shine forth as the brilliance of the heavens."

The latter is associated with the Future Redemption for it is the spreading forth of the wellsprings of Pnimiyus HaTorah which will lead to the redemption.

The complete shining of the month of Iyar affects the entire month, and surely it has an effect on the previous day, the fourteenth of Iyar, Pesach Sheni (the Second Pesach). The observance of Pesach Sheni has its roots in the heartfelt cry of several Jews who saw the entire Jewish people preparing for the Pesach sacrifice and protested, "Why should we be denied?" Although there was a genuine reason for them to have been prevented from offering the Pesach sacrifice -- they were ritually impure -- their heartfelt cry brought about the institution of Pesach Sheni and the lesson which it teaches that, "Nothing is ever lost."

This narrative provides a lesson for us at present. Although the entire Jewish people are impure, we have the right to cry out, "Why should we be denied?"

There is more emphasis on the above in the present year, the year of the ultimate redemption, the year when "I will show you wonders," and particularly at present, when we are in the midst of a three day continuum of unique days. The thirteenth of Iyar was Shabbos, and also as will be explained the yahrzeit of Rav Yisrael Aryeh Leib. The fourteenth of Iyar is Pesach Sheni, and the fifteenth, the day when the moon shines in its fullness.

This continuum of three[182] relates to the three Batei HaMikdashos and teaches how the principle "Nothing is ever lost" can be applied in this context, teaching that we have the right to demand the revelation of how "Nothing is ever lost" concerning these Batei HaMikdashos.

Surely, this demand applies in regard to the first two Batei HaMikdashos which were destroyed. In an extended sense, it also applies to the Third Beis HaMikdash, which although it has not yet descended from the heavens, nevertheless, possesses a dimension that relates to past history.

To explain: In the song sang by the Jews after the splitting of the Red Sea, they mention "the Sanctuary of the L-rd established by Your hands" which refers to the Beis HaMikdash to be built in the Era of Redemption. Thus, a foretaste of that era was already experienced at the splitting of the sea.

At that time, there were great revelations of G-dliness which reflect in microcosm the revelations to be experienced in the Era of Redemption when "Your eyes will behold your Master." Thus our Sages declared that "At the [Red] Sea,[183] a maidservant saw what the prophets did not see." The term maidservant refers to a Canaanite maidservant, i.e., the lowest level within the Jewish people, and yet such a person witnessed revelations which were greater than those appreciated by the prophets.[184]

Although G-d established a condition with the sea that it split at the very beginning of its creation, it was the mesirus nefesh of Nachshon ben Aminadav which caused the sea to actually split and which brought about the great revelation of G-dliness mentioned above. The revelations in the Era of the Redemption are associated with the splitting of a body of water, the splitting of the river. And this revelation also has its source in Nachshon's actions, the mesirus nefesh of a Nasi of the Jewish people, who led the entire people into the sea after him.

Thus, since there is a dimension of the Third Beis HaMikdash associated with past history, our demand "Why should we be left denied?" is also applicable to the Third Beis HaMikdash. Furthermore, our demand can be presented with far more force than the demand presented to Moshe. Those individuals were being denied the opportunity to offer a single sacrifice[185] and we are being denied the opportunity to offer all the sacrifices.

Surely, despite the fact that it has been almost 2000 years in which we are in exile, and have not offered sacrifices, "Nothing is ever lost." G-d will surely give the Jews the opportunity to compensate for this. This does not mean only that "the utterances of our lips will take the place of bulls," but rather the Jews themselves will be considered as the sacrifice.

The intent behind all sacrifices is that the person bringing the offering should make a commitment of mesirus nefesh to G-d. What greater mesirus nefesh could there possibly be than for a Jew to remain in exile and not raise a clamor that would disturb the entire spiritual order of worlds, protesting how the Jewish people, each one of which is considered as G-d's only son, could remain in exile for 2000 years! This applies even in the present era when we are living in a generous country which offers support to the Jewish people and allows them to study the Torah and observe its mitzvos in prosperity.

Surely, G-d will make this up to this Jewish people in the Future Redemption whose coming will be hastened by our gifts to tzedakah which like all mitzvos establishes a bond of oneness with G-d. Similarly, the coming of the redemption will be hastened by the distribution of a booklet of Chassidic teachings concerning the Redemption. This, "the spreading of the wellsprings," will lead to Mashiach is coming.

The above will also be enhanced by the influence of Rav Yisrael Aryeh Leib. His name is associated with the Hebrew words meaning "There are 600,000 letters in the Torah." Similarly, it reflects the fierceness of a lion which should be possessed by every Jew. As mentioned on Shabbos, the name Leib (üëî) also resembles the word Lev (üî) meaning "heart" and thus reflects the heartfelt desire of every Jew which is to fulfill G-d's will. This is a Jew's only true desire.[186]

The above also relates to the week of the Omer we are counting, the week that relates to the attribute of Hod ("glory") which is associated with the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on Lag BaOmer (Hod shebeHod). Rabbi Shimon fused together the teachings of Nigleh (the revealed dimensions of Torah law) with P'nimiyus HaTorah (the Torah mystic dimensions).

May we witness the coming of the Redemption even before Lag BaOmer and thus we will be able to celebrate Lag BaOmer in our Holy Land. The Jewish people have already decided Ad Masei, that we have spent long enough in exile. "All the appointed times for Mashiach's coming have passed." "We will not be denied." We -- the last generation of the exile and the first generation of the redemption -- will proceed to the true and ultimate redemption in its most literal sense. Now, Mamash, Mamash, Mamash.

   

Notes:

181. (Back to text) In particular, the word maskilim translated as "the wise" relates to the koach hamaskil, "the potential for intellect," i.e., the source for our intellect which transcends, but ultimately is expressed, in our processes of conscious thought. This also relates to Psalm 89 which begins Maskil l'Eitan.

182. (Back to text) There is a further connection between the number three and the previous Shabbos. On this Shabbos, we read from three Torah portions, two in the morning reading, and one in the afternoon reading.

183. (Back to text) The term "sea" refers to the levels of G-dliness which are too transcendent to be revealed within the natural order. Nevertheless, at the splitting of the sea, these levels also came into revelation.

184. (Back to text) The term "prophets" here refers to the prophet Yechezkel who witnessed a vision of the Divine Chariot.

185. (Back to text) Furthermore, the Paschal sacrifice offered in the desert lacked certain of the elements which were present in regard to the sacrifice as it was offered in the Beis HaMikdash. Nevertheless, despite the lack of these elements, the individuals were upset about being denied the opportunity to offer this sacrifice.

186. (Back to text) The revelation of this inner desire will be revealed in the Era of Redemption when the marriage bond between G-d and the Jewish people will be openly revealed.