Please Pass the Salt

The website is getting better and better each week. Just love that picture; puts one in a frame of mind. That Goat (or is it a male sheep?) is striking. And thank you very much for the mp3s because sometimes we miss the orig show. Will the Rabbi tell us in a minute or two about his experience with the NSA

Thanks for that music, healing for the soul, and thank you Schottenstein's as always!

The stream is in high resolution. If you experience any abrupt stops, please use the alternate link right below the video.

It is lower resolution but very smooth.

It is working very smoothly.

Thank you for all of this great work.

the alternate links actually works perfectly. AND as always the shiur is GREAT

I just listened to the shiur in its enirety. I wuld like to congratulate Rabbi Jacobson on another insightful class revealing muliple layers of meaning into the weekly Parsha and thank the Schottensteins who have really gone beyond the call of duty for each of our sake in our attempt to become better people. A question and a comment: 1)How does this shiur and the meaning of this mitzvah relate to the life of a Tzaddik whom according to the Alter Rebbe has no Evil whatsoever? An d=interesting vort I heard in regards to Hashem Placating the lower waters using them for Nisuch Hamayim. The Verse in Tehillim says, On the rivers of Babylon there we sat and also cried. The question is why the word also - Gam Bachinu if the Jews were the only ones there at the time? The answer is - is that they had crying partner at that point in time - the waters themselves were crying. God had destroyed the Temple and the commandment of Nissuch Hamayin was no longer.

If I understood correctly, salt represents the challenges in our life. While not the same as mine, the Tzadik does have his own set of challenges. That's his salt. Maybe this is why some Tzadikim are said to eat very salty foods?

Thank you for all. Tonight it was perfect: It started on time, the stream was smooth and loud, for those with lower internet quality there was an alternate link. Good job. Keep it up. Thanks.

The shiur, as always, was uniquely compelling. I found it so original and enlightening that you didn't just connect texts one to the other, but showed a kesher between all the commentators, parallel to the didn't levels of man. It was great food for the soul and mind (with salt - as a tavlin). And the technololgy is getting better every week.Thank you and of course hakaras ha'tov to the Schottensteins. A question: My brother (z"l) always used to tell me that he had heard from those privileged to be present at the Rebbe's Seder -- that the Rebbe put a tremendous amount of salt on the matzah. Any connection to your application? Thank you.

Kings II, Chapter 2 verses 14-22 14. And Elishah took Elijah's mantle that had fallen off him, and he struck the water and said, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" He too struck the water and it divided on this side and on that side, and Elisha crossed. 15. And the disciples of the prophets who were in Jericho saw him from a distance, and they said, "Elijah's spirit has rested on Elisha." And they came toward him and prostrated themselves before him to the ground. 16. And they said to him, "Behold now, there are with your servants fifty able men. Let them go now and seek your master, perhaps a wind from the Lord has carried him off and thrown him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys." And he said, "You shall not send." 17. And they urged him until he was ashamed. And he said, "Send." And they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him. 18. And they returned to him when he was staying in Jericho; and he said to them, "Did I not say to you, 'You shall not go'?" 19. And the people of the city said to Elisha, "Behold the city is a good place to live in, as my lord sees, but the water is bad and the land causes people to die. 20. And he said, "Take me to a new jug and put salt therein," and they took to him.21. And he went out to the source of the water and threw salt there; and he said, "So has the Lord said, 'I have cured these waters; there will no longer be death and bereavement from there.' 22. And the water became cured to this day, according to the word of Elisha that he spoke. This story fits very well with the idea of this shiur, about the channeling and tranformation of salt to holiness and sweetness.

The paradoxical components of salt is clear from these sources: 1. The wife of Lot is transformed into a pillar of salt as a punishment: "And his wife looked from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." (Genesis 19:26) 2. You shall offer salt on all your sacrifices. (Leviticus 2:13) 3. In a bloody story Avimelech (the corrupt son of the Shofet Gideeon) destroys the city of Shechem: "And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he captured the city, and killed the people that were therein. And he broke down the city, and sowed it with salt." (Judges 9:45) 4. Elisha sweetens water with salt: "And he went out to the source of the water and threw salt there; and he said, "So has the Lord said, 'I have cured these waters; there will no longer be death and bereavement from there.'" (Kings II 2:21) 5. A prophetic retribution for the wicked: "Therefore, as I live-says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel-for Moab shall be like Sodom, and the children of Ammon like Gemorrah; a rattling of nettles, and a salt mine, and desolation forever. The remnant of My people shall plunder them, and the remnant of My nation shall inherit them." (Tzfaniah 2:9) 6. The kingship of David is compared to salt: "Should you not know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom to David over Israel forever, to him and to his sons, [with] a covenant of salt?" (Chronicles II 13:5)

I know we put salt on our bread before eating it, as a remembrance of the sacrifices, which were always salted. In light of the shiur I have a new question/thought. Is there, accordingly, a spiritual -- chassidic - kabbalistic -- interpretation of the function of salt on bread in our own lives?

Thank you Rabbi for the very intriguing Torah class. Are you planning a class on the special blessing of the sun we have this year?

Monday, March 30, 8:00pm: Here Comes the Sun... Mark your calendar and your heart for Judaism's once-in-28-year special event.

Monday, March 30, 8:00pm: Here Comes the Sun... Mark your calendar and your heart for Judaism's once-in-28-year special event.

על פי השיעור מובן בטוב טעם הסיבה לניסוך המים בחה"ס, כי אז היא תשובה מאהבה, זדונות כזכיות, ושמחה עצומה דזמן שמחתנו, ובמילא אז נתעלים מים התחתונים למקורם. משא"כ בכל השנה כולה שהעבודה היא במלח דוקא, המלח המגיע מהמים התחתונים, מהתחתוניות של המים. והדברים נעימים

This form of learning, is called Yichudim, unification of Torah and everything, relating it to the essence, it is very important for the Geulah Sheleima. כתר שם טוב העתק האגרת שכתב הרב הקדוש ר' ישראל בעש"ט זלה"ה לארץ הקדושהב ושאלתי את פי משיח, אימת אתי מר, והשיב לי, בזאת תדע, בעת שיתפרסם למודך ויתגלה בעולם ויפוצו מעיינותיך חוצה מה שלמדתי אותך והשגת, ויוכלו גם המה לעשות יחודים ועליות כמוך, ואז יכלו כל הקליפות ויהיה עת רצון וישועה.

during the lecture its stops and freezes every few sentences very annoying is there anything we shuld do in our computer to fix it or its on your end ?????please advise thank you yyshar koach

עיין באריכות באות חיים ושלום להרה"צ ממונקאטש זי"ע שמבאר על פי זה מדוע טובלים במלח ג' פעמים, כנגד ג' ההכנות לג' בתי מקדש שכולם קשורים עם מלח, יסורי הגלות, ולחצי היצה"ר, ויש להפך המלח ללחם, כמבואר בהשיעור, בחינת לחמי לאשי, ומובן גם על פי המבואר בכתבי האריז"ל שמלח הוא ג' הוויות, ג"פ שם הוי', וכן לחם, ולכן גם נאמר המלה מלח ג"פ בהפסוק, כי יש ג' התקופות דמלח ויש להפך כולם וכולם נעשים חלק מהקרבן. ובספר ניצוצי אור יש תשובה מהגה"ק מליובאוויטש זי"ע על ג' הוויות שבתיבת לחם, וכן יעויין בשיחתו דשבת קדושים תשמ"א ובהמצויין לשם למאמרי אדמו"ר הזקן זי"ע. והדברים מלוחים ומתוקים

thank you for this project

This was a wonderful class whose power was lost in the rush to conclude and the distraction of the lyrics of the song competing with the rabbi's voice. I got it up until the chasidus part.

Baruch HaShem

The issue discussed here has been my worst nightmare for long. It is not the darkness that I have problem with. It is the voice of evil inclination. When I see a person, disgusting images come to my mind. I studyed Tanya and I know the moment an evil thought comes to my mind, if I dismiss it, there is no problem. However, Evil inclination always tells me that I am horrible to have such evil thought even a moment. That has been the pain for me. From now on, with honoring you for this shiur, I tell myself, it is HaShem's Tainug that unholy people subjugate unholiness.
My mission is to turn the salt of my soul into delicacy.
I will come back and tell you the result. Thank you.

I concur that the music comes on too soon at the end - both distracting and detracting from the conclusion's quintessence!
Thank you for the wonderful shiur. Rabbi Jacobson, you have a knack for being particularly relevant every time I listen.

You make me cry. Thank you for using the gifts that Hashem has given you.