CHASSIDIC PEARLS BY RABBI LAZER BRODY PARSHAS DEVARIM
"Tophel and Laban" (Devarim 1:1).
Many people ask about the underlying rationale of "ma'asiot", the Chassidic stories in general, and the famed thirteen tales of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in particular. The answer, if I'm not mistaken, lies right here in the beginning of Parshat Devorim, with the mention of two seemingly innocent places, "Tophel and Laban".
The entire Chumash Devorim, or Book of Deuteronomy, is Moshe's (Moses') parting sermon to the entire people of Israel before he dies. Moshe wants to chastise Hashem's chosen people for their sins, yet desires to strengthen them constructively while not embarrassing or offending them.
The Midrash cites Rabbi Yochanan's comment, mentioned by Rashi, namely that "we have reviewed the entirety of Scripture, but we have not found any place with the name Tophel or Laban!" Our sages conclude that Moshe merely alluded to the nation's sins by using place names or other veiled references.
Rashi says that "Tophel" is an acronym for the Hebrew taphlu, meaning "they complained", and "Laban" is the Hebrew word for white, which signifies the manna, the pearly-white heaven-sent bread that Israel ate for forty years in the desert. As such, "Tophel and Laban" is Moses' veiled admonition that the Children of Israel complained about the manna, an act of gross ingratitude to Hashem.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains the rationale behind the tzaddik's stories as such (Likutei Moharan I:164): If a sick person is given a medicine that's too powerful, he'll surely die. Thus, a tzaddik can't tell a person directly what to do in order to correct his or her ailing soul, because his advice could be too strong; the tzaddik must therefore veil the advice in a parable, and the person must reach his own conclusions. That way, the "medicine" is watered down somewhat and digestible.
Moshe relied on the above method described by Rebbe Nachman. Had he not, the people of Israel couldn't have accepted his admonishment. A direct scolding from the mouth of Moses would have been like a direct 1000 volt current running through a 60 Watt light bulb – the listener couldn't handle such direct power!
The Chassidic masters – with Rebbe Nachman in the forefront – have relied on ma'asiot to convey a message to their listeners for over 250 years.
"Tophel and Laban" (Devarim 1:1).
Many people ask about the underlying rationale of "ma'asiot", the Chassidic stories in general, and the famed thirteen tales of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in particular. The answer, if I'm not mistaken, lies right here in the beginning of Parshat Devorim, with the mention of two seemingly innocent places, "Tophel and Laban".
The entire Chumash Devorim, or Book of Deuteronomy, is Moshe's (Moses') parting sermon to the entire people of Israel before he dies. Moshe wants to chastise Hashem's chosen people for their sins, yet desires to strengthen them constructively while not embarrassing or offending them.
The Midrash cites Rabbi Yochanan's comment, mentioned by Rashi, namely that "we have reviewed the entirety of Scripture, but we have not found any place with the name Tophel or Laban!" Our sages conclude that Moshe merely alluded to the nation's sins by using place names or other veiled references.
Rashi says that "Tophel" is an acronym for the Hebrew taphlu, meaning "they complained", and "Laban" is the Hebrew word for white, which signifies the manna, the pearly-white heaven-sent bread that Israel ate for forty years in the desert. As such, "Tophel and Laban" is Moses' veiled admonition that the Children of Israel complained about the manna, an act of gross ingratitude to Hashem.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains the rationale behind the tzaddik's stories as such (Likutei Moharan I:164): If a sick person is given a medicine that's too powerful, he'll surely die. Thus, a tzaddik can't tell a person directly what to do in order to correct his or her ailing soul, because his advice could be too strong; the tzaddik must therefore veil the advice in a parable, and the person must reach his own conclusions. That way, the "medicine" is watered down somewhat and digestible.
Moshe relied on the above method described by Rebbe Nachman. Had he not, the people of Israel couldn't have accepted his admonishment. A direct scolding from the mouth of Moses would have been like a direct 1000 volt current running through a 60 Watt light bulb – the listener couldn't handle such direct power!
The Chassidic masters – with Rebbe Nachman in the forefront – have relied on ma'asiot to convey a message to their listeners for over 250 years.
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