Tithing the Head - Ruling The Heart Re’eh

Pre-recording of Seudah Shelishi class: “עֲשֵׂרתְּעַשֵּׂר – Tithing the Head, Ruling the Heart”  Join us as we explore how Ya‘akov Avinu’s pledge of ma‘aserteaches us to crown the mind over the heart, turning even the yetzer harainto a force for good through the joy of Torah.  Introduction  My friends,as we gather this Shabbat afternoon, I want to take you straight into the heartof our parashah — Parashat Re’eh based on the teachings of the ShvileiPinchas – Rabbi Pinchas Friedman   The Torahtells us: 'עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר אֵת כָּל תְּבוּאַת זַרְעֲךָ, הַיּוֹצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה,שָׁנָה שָׁנָה'— “You shall surely tithe all the produce of your seed that comes forth fromthe field year by year” (דברים יד, כב). The language is striking: עַשֵּׂרתְּעַשֵּׂר — a double command. Not just “give,” but “give and give again.”  Chazal inthe Midrash Tanchuma (Re’eh 11) tell us something astonishing: רַבִּי לֵוִיאוֹמֵר — Yisrael are purified before HaKadosh Barukh Hu through two greatmerits: the merit of Shabbat, and the merit of ma‘asrot.  Think aboutthat. We often speak about Shabbat as the great purifier of Am Yisrael — theday that uplifts, the day that sanctifies. But here the Midrash tells us: ma‘aser— giving a tenth of our produce, our income — has a similar purifying power.  And then theMidrash takes us deeper. It connects this mitzvah of tithing to another pasuklater in Devarim (כו, יא): 'וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּכָל הַטּוֹב, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְךָה’ אֱלֹקֶיךָ' — “And you shall rejoice in all the good that Hashemyour G-d has given you.”  But wait —Chazal immediately ask: What is this “טּוֹב” that the Torah speaks of?And they answer with a principle that reverberates through all of Torah: אֵיןטוֹב אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה — There is no true good except Torah.As it is written in Mishlei (ד, ב): 'כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם, תּוֹרָתִיאַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ'.  So here isthe puzzle that sets the stage for our shiur today:Why does the Torah tie together three seemingly different things — ma‘aser,simḥah, and Torah?Why does giving a tenth of our field’s produce connect me to the ultimate joyof “כָּל הַטּוֹב”?And why do Chazal insist that this “טוֹב” is not grain, not wine, not wealth —but only Torah?  This, myfriends, will be our journey this afternoon. We’re going to take a lesson fromthe Zohar and structure this class so that we move from level to level and in away travel together through seven halls, or seven heichalot, each oneopening a window into the mystery of עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר, the joy of וְשָׂמַחְתָּבְּכָל הַטּוֹב, and the eternal truth that אֵין טוֹב אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה. And along the way, as always, we’ll weavestories — from the Talmud, the Midrash, the great Chassidic masters — storiesthat will bring this journey to life, so that when we walk out of this BeitMidrash, we don’t just understand the mitzvah of ma‘aser, but we feel it, welive it, we carry its joy into our homes.