Integral Torah Perspectives

The pouring of the water on the chag is mixing the water into the wine that is poured onto the mizbeach. This correponds to the mixing of water and wine at meal since a persons table is a mizbeach. Their is always only joy at a meal (like on the chag) corresponding with the All-mighty's kindess in giving food to all with out regard to the receivers merit. (on the chag as well, offerings were brought for all nations, regardless of merit.)   Tolat Yakov

ב''ה The 'otzar of yirat shamayim' is compared to a king who takes out the most precious treasures from the depths of his kingly storehouse to win a battle. This treasure is so precious the king never showed it to anyone or even looked at it. To win the battle he sells it to give to the soldiers. This corresponds with the concept of 'hakol beyedei shamayim chutz me yirat shamayim." All is in the hands of heavens except for the fear of heaven. This fear of heaven is so precious it was hidden away, even from the king, so to speak. Given to the solitary soldiers to choose good and win over evil.   Basi Legani 5746

ב''ה A murderer transgresses all 10  commandments when he kills since the dead man could have fulfilled them all. Even if he was a wicked man, its still possible that his children would. With this we can understand the conversation between Hashem and Kayin. Hashem asks, "Ei Hevel achicha?" Where is Hevel your brother, he can no longer fulfill the mitzvos? Kayen answers, "Hashomer achi, 'Anochi'? Was my brother so righteous that he would gaurd (the 10 commandments that begin with) "Anochi"? Hashem Responds: "the voice of your brothers blood(s) are calling to me from the earth." - His children that would have been able to keep the 10 commandments. Divrei Yehonatan - Breishit

Just a piece of metal becomes warm just by being close to a fire, without the fire having to 'do' anything to the metal, so to the soul makes the body alive just by being near it (inside it) without having to 'do' anything to the body to make it alive. Admur Ha'rayatz 5682

In shemona esre, I learned, the bracha of hashivenu corresponds to teshuva for negative commandments while slach lanu corresponds with positive commandments. Why do we hit our chest then, I ask, for slach lanu and not for hashivenu? If the minhag of hitting ones chest means that one has sinned in the heart, it would seem to make more sense to hit for the negative things we have done, out of our wayward hearts desires, than for the positive things we have simply not done, out of negligence, perhaps with no thought given to it at all? Perhaps it is because the positive commandment that we are asking forgiveness for, mostly, is bitul torah -lack of Torah study. Since we are obligated to constantly study, if we spend our time doing other things it shows a lack of constant devotion in the heart. Ve'hegata bo yomam valayla.

BH We ask, if we are like sons, have mercy on us like a father. If like a servant, we look up to you hopefully for mercy (but not as sure as a son.) It is brought in the Holy Zohar that the yomim tovim are days of judgment above. This is one reason we do not do melacha on the yom tov, to show that we are like sons, not servants, and should be granted mercy accordingly. Tiferet Yehonatan - Emor

The nations accused the Jews of imorrality. 'Im be'gufan hayu sholtin, kol she'chen be'nishotehem.' - 'If they were in charge of their bodies, how much more so of their wives.' Just as when we left Egypt and Hashem had Moshe send a bitter branch into the waters to test the Jews as you would a sotah, so to we do this every year in miniature. For this reason, Hashem checks us like a sotah each year to show 'Pischa' is the same letters as 'chaspa' - Pesach is the same letters as 'pottery'. This coressponds to the pottery cup that the sota would drink from. You have to place something bitter inside the sota water, this is the marror. The matza corresponds with hashems name that would go in the water. The omer on pesach was from barley, like the korban sotah, and was waved, just as the korban sotah was. Tiferet Yonatan Emor