Judging Good and Bad

In todays Chok Bresluv we learned Sefer Hamidos – Harchakus Rishuim – distancing from evil people, in Simon Vuv (sixth principle), 'whoever judges an evil person favorably, he to is called an evil person' (ספר המידות – ערך הרחקת רשעים סימן ו', ז"ל מי שמלמד זכות על רשע, גם הוא נקרא רשע, ע"כ). The question is how does this not contradict the famous teaching of Rabbi Nachman (Likutay Moharan 282) to always judge everyone, even the most evil person, favorably, and in fact in today's Chok this teaching is brought down in Likutay Eitzos ( ישתדל בכל כחו למצא זכות וטוב בכל אחד מישראל, ואפילו אם נדמה, חס ושלום, לרשע, ישתדל למצא בו נקודות טובות ששם אינו רשע, עד שיהיה כל אחד מישראל יפה ונאה בעיניו, ע"ש).
Here are a few possible solutions. The first, one following the teachings of Rabbainu will judge even an evil person favorably even though for this itself he himself will be call evil, even still he will be loyal to the teachings of Rabbainu and in the end, both will be found righteous.
A second possible solution, which I once heard applied to a similar contradiction found by the Berditchiver, when judging a person in one's own mind or in solitary communication with G-d it is necessary to realize and decide the goodness, however the person being judged should not be complimented or shown off to others.
A third possible solution, from the language of the Likutay Eitzos it seems that the evil things done are not to be judged favorably, rather they should not be paid attention, attention should be paid only to finding good points, and by concentrating only on seeing the good points all the bad will fall away or be turned around. So it is definitely in place to say that it is forbidden to judge an evil person favorably, and whoever does so will also be called evil, what should be done is to find the good things that the evil person did, and judge that good to his and its favor.
The first solution we will call cute, and consider it of the derech of Ishbitz, the second we will call yeshivish and what that means depends on who we're addressing.... The third solution seems to be right on the money.
Nanach.
Over two years have past since I wrote this post I am reviewing it on the same day I learned Likutay Moharan Tora 55, which teaches that in order to be saved from the evil eye of the evil one has to judge them favorably, and to this end even G-d judges them favorably, in order to save the righteous from their evil eyes. This teaching seems to me non comparable to what what discussed above, because it is clear in Tora 55 that even though the evil are to be judged favorably that is just in term of their success, that is to say that the judgement isn't whether or not they are wicked or righteous, they are for sure evil, the judgement is whether or not they should be successful. However this might not be so simple and it need much more thought and consideration.
Nanach.

Parshas Chukas

Last weeks Parsha - Chukas has direct information fundamental for Nanach.
1-3. The verse says that the people spoke against G-d (elokim) and Moshe, Rashi comments that the people equated Moshe to G-d! These people are referred to as the generation of knowledge, that means that when you are really really smart, that's when you begin to suspect that the tzadik is very close to G-d, and there is danger of even equating the tzadik to G-d. This needs explanation, true the Tzadik is very close to G-d and completely above our comprehension, but how can the tzadik be equated to G-d?
A second question is: When the people repented the verse relates that they told Moshe that they sinned by speaking against Hashem (YHVH) and Moshe, it seems that the people were still equating Moshe to G-d.
The answer to these questions I believe is, obviously the people never equated Moshe to G-d himself, when they spoke against G-d and Moshe, they referred to G-d by His attribute Elokim, Moshe Rabbainu is in fact referred to, by G-d Himself, as Eesh HuElokim, the master of Elokim. Thus it seems that the sin the people erred was by judging the prediciment they were in, as under the attribute of Elokim in which case they were equating the status of Moshe to that which they were undergoing. Upon repenting they realized that they were in fact under the eye of Hashem himself, YHVH, in which case there is no room at all for any equation.
We learn from this the utter supremecy of the tzadik, and the necessity to always view our lives as run by Hashem Himself.
The people upon repenting, even after they realized that their lives were being conducted by G-d Himself, knew that they were at the hands of Moshe, thus they went to Moshe, and confessed to Moshe their sins (Rabbi Nachman teaches the necessity to confess before the Tzadik, c.f. Likutay Moharan Tora 4, this is just one of the fundamental princibles the christians borrowed from the Jews, mistorted terribly, and after the Jews did not merit to retain their own, the practice was acreditted to the mistorted) pleaing with Moshe for him to pray to G-d and save them. That is the atitude we must have. Know that everything is completely from G-d Himself, and know that it is G-d's will that we subject ourselves to His Tzadik.

4. The Israelites sing a song of praise and thanks to G-d, they do not mention G-d name in it, Rashi explains that since they were unable to mention the name of Moshe (because Moshe was punished on their account, when he hit the rock, so it is out of place to mention him when praising G-d for the miracle of the rock), therefore they were unable to mention the name of G-d! Rashi gives a parable to someone inviting the king, the king replies if my friend is there, I will attend, if my friend is not there I will not be there either!
This makes it quite clear that we have to put the holy name Na Nach Nachmu Nachmun MayUman everywhere, so that G-d will grace us with His presence everywhere!
This is one of the reasons that often when you tell someone Nanach, they will reply Hashem, for by you saying Nanach, you have made it possible to mention the name of Hashem, who is always present just waiting for us to so to speak allow Him in.

Divrey Tora. Find G-d In Your Tora Study. Party.

At the end of shmone esray we say 'psach leebee bisorusecha' פתח לבי בתורתך, this could be interpretted as the following, open the 'bee' בי, in your Tora. The 'bee' בי, refferring to G-d as it says: כי בי ירבו ימיך. That is we are praying that G-d should allow us to find Him in His holy Tora (which is His name). This is a very important pshat-kavana to have, for this is the true intent required when studying the holy Tora.

Rabbi Nachman once asked Rabbi Nussun how his Shabbosim were. So Rabbi Nussun said that sometimes he experienced some fear and awe of G-d. Rabbi Nachman then told Rabbi Nussun that the main thing on Shabbos is to be very happy and joyous. Previously I have already published on nanach.net a story regarding this (a simple person who hardly even knew he was Jewish, but he would throw a huge party every Shabbos, and Heaven was very pleased with this, equating his devotion to that of the leading holy men of his generation). As we know, Likutay Moharan is the beginning of the redemption, and Na Nach Nachmu Nachmun MayUman, which is Rabbainu's signature on the seventh line of the Petek, is in itself a complete aspect of redemption, so it therefor understood that the Nanach are living in an aspect of Shabbos. It is thus understood that the Nanach main avoda-devotion, is not to be serious and working on fear, but to be extremely joyous and happy. So party on.

Drinking On Purim

In Parsha Ki Sisa (32:32) Moshe Rabainu tells Hashem Yisborach that if He doesn't forgive Klal Yisroel etc. Vi-eem Ayin Michaynee Nu Meesifrichu, which many already know, if read from left to right, reads, Ani Nachman, and the acronym is MayUman. This was a huge madraiga of Moshe Rabainu to sacrafice his very existence, his name in the Tora, for the sake of Klal Yisroel. The Ariza"l says that the letters of michaynee nu can spell out may noach, because Noach did not have this self sacrafice for his generation, and thus Moshe Rabainu brought tremendous rectification of the problems of the Generation of the Flood.
Our Rabbis teach that since Moshe Rabainu told Hashem to take his name out of the Tora, even though he said it conditionaly, his name is not mentioned in Parshas Titzaveh, why Titzave wil Bez"h be discussed. This is a huge advancement for Moshe in which he is given qualities of the hiddeness and concealement of Hashem, just as Hashem is unseen and it is forbidden to just say His name, so to in Parshas Titzave Moshe Rabainu remains unseen and unmentioned (this is also the case in the Hagada Shel Pesach, but there the main reason is that tradition says that the Hagada was authored by Eliyahu Hanuvee, who is considered to be the voice of Moshe, therefore Moshe's name isn't mentioned, because he's doing the talking. This is because the whole idea of the Seder is to comemerate that night in Egypt when Moshe brought all the Jews together and began to take them out of Egypt. So the most integral part of the Seder is to be with Moshe Rabainu. That is why the Na Nach's capatalize on this Awsome occasion to sing and dance Na Nach, to make clear our loyalty with our redeamer, nishmas moshe, and to make clear our belief that Na Nach is in actuality freedom from all slavery and bondage!).
Parshas Titzave discusses the clothing of the Kohanim and other topics of the building and functioning of the mishkan. The mishkan was a testimony to G-d having forgiven the sin of the golden calf. In actuallity every jew is a microcosm of the mishkan which is a microcosm of creation, if not for the sin of the golden calf this would have been the working reality. Moshe Rabainu, is the daas of Klal Yisroel, and he would have been completely connected to each and everyones personal mikdash. Because of the sin they were unworthy, but because of Moshe's great devotion to G-d and Klal Yisroel he remains available to conduct the utopian way, so that in Parshas Titzave when there is discussion to the secondary mode, of how the Kohanim are going to do the service, Moshe isn't mentioned.
At the end of Parshas Titzave there is an allusion to the deaths of Nuduv and Avihu (29:43 Rashi) who died because they drank wine prior to entering the mishkan. Why did these tzadikim, who were in certain aspects greater than Moshe Rabainu, conduct themselves in such a seemingly impropiate manner? Our Rabbi's say that nowadays if one wants to bring wine libations on the alter how can he do so? He should bring wine to the throats of the Tzadikim. This is the concept that the Tzadikim are in themselves the mishkan. Therefore Nuduv and Avihu were operating on a level of devotion to G-d that they would drink the wine themselves, and this was higher than for them to bring it on the alter. The problem was that they wanted to bring the Kitores in the mishkan to elevate all of Klal Yisroel to their level, but that was uncalled for, and it was ruling before their master Moshe Rabainu who's in charge of Klal Yisroel.
Purim, our Rabbis teach is the utopia of the secondary, Yom Hakeepurim, which literaly means the day that is like Purim. On Yom Kipur the Kohen Gadol would enter the Holy of Holiest. On Purim we reach the level where each and everyone of us is the mikdash, so we drink the wine ourselves, but it forbiden for us to bring the incence (those who understand...) we must negate ourselve to accept the true daas of our Master Na Nach Nachmu Nachmun MayUman!! This is the final tikun of Noah, because Noah saw the whole world disobeying G-d and he saw the holocaust and complete anhilation of the world, can one imagine what his sentiments were?! Noah didn't withstand the ordeal and he got drunk etc.. Rabainu Na Nach Nachmu Nachmun MayUman knows the whole deal and even still holds steadfast in complete belief and faith in the goodness and oneness of G-d. Thus it is through him that we can succeed in restoring the Kingdom Of G-d in such a way that every jew is a Mikdash, and we will drink to this until we know of no other way!
[The acronym of Na Nach Nachmu Nachmun MayUman has a numerical value of 240, Rabbi Nachman taught that the last letters of Sheva Yepol Tzadik Vikum spell out Amulaik, however this can not be the complete tikun because the verse says Raishis Guyim Amulaik, the complete tikun and obliteration of amulaik therefore is in the raishis, the first letters of Na Nach which have a numerical value equivalent to Amulaik].