Hayom Yom 13 Menachem Av - Speak words of Torah at all times

The daily Hayom Yom with Rabbi Yosef Katzman

בְּשַׁעַת קְרִיאַת עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת עוֹמְדִים וּפְנֵיהֶם אֶל הַסֵּפֶר תּוֹרָה

During the public reading of the Ten Commandments, the congregants stand and face the Torah scroll.

וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ גו

It is written: “You shall speak of them when you sit [in your home and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise].”

וְאָמְרוּ רַזַ"ל: וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר

Our Sages taught: “The command that ‘you shall speak of them’ refers to words of Torah.”

אָמְנָם בְּעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה גּוּפָא יֵשׁ כַּמָּה חִלּוּקֵי מַדְרֵגוֹת

[Every soul, in the course of its supernal prehistory and its mundane life story, passes through] several levels in its involvement in Torah study,

וּמְבַאֵר כַּאן כָּל הַמַּדְרֵגוֹת

and this verse alludes to them all:

בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ הוּא מַעֲמַד הַנְּשָׁמָה לְמַעְלָה בְּאוֹצַר הַנְּשָׁמוֹת

When you sit in your home refers to the soul’s presence in the spiritual realm, in the abode of souls,

קוֹדֶם יְרִידָתָהּ לְמַטָּה, וְעוֹסֶקֶת שָׁם בַּתּוֹרָה

where it is involved in Torah study before it descends below;

בְּלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶרֶךְ — קָאֵי עַל הַזְּמַן שֶׁהַנְּשָׁמָה יוֹרֶדֶת מֵעוֹלָם לְעוֹלָם וּמִמַּדְרֵגָה לְמַדְרֵגָה

as you walk on the road alludes to the time of the soul’s descent from one spiritual world to the next, and from one level to another,

עַד בּוֹאָהּ לְמַטָּה לָעוֹלָם הַתַּחְתּוֹן לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּגוּף גַּשְׁמִי

until it reaches this lowly world and is enclothed in a physical body,

וּמַתְחִיל לָלֶכֶת בְּדֶרֶךְ עוֹלָם זֶה עַד יְמֵי זִקְנָה וְשֵׂיבָה

to then make its way through the world, until it reaches old age —

עַד וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ בְּבוֹא יְמֵי פְּקוּדָּתוֹ

until the time when you lie down, the day when the soul is summoned [back to the higher world];

וְגַם אָז הִנֵּה הַתּוֹרָה תִּשְׁמוֹר עָלָיו

then, too, the Torah protects him,

כִּמְבוּאָר בְּשִׁשִׁי דְּאָבוֹת

as stated in Avos, chapter 66 —

עַד וּבְקוּמֶךָ כָּאָמוּר וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ גו

and until the time when you rise, as it is written, “And when you awake [at the Resurrection of the Dead, it shall speak for you].”

Text and Translation courtesy of Sichos in English

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