כְּשֶׁבָּא סֵפֶר חָדָשׁ לָעוֹלָם, וְזֶה מְבֹאָר אֶצְלֵנוּ
When a New Sefer Comes Into the World
Some new Torah insights are born through tears. When a new sefer made of such insights comes into the world, its tears stand against the harsh decrees of the nations and cancel them, for the nations' power comes from the tears of Esav. 'Bechiyah', weeping, is the initials of 'B'nei Yisrael k'chol hayam': as the sand holds back the sea, the tears protect Israel; and 'mispar', the number, hints at 'sefer', the book.
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1-minute recap
Explainer
Full shiur
הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
כְּשֶׁבָּא סֵפֶר חָדָשׁ לָעוֹלָם, וְזֶה מְבֹאָר אֶצְלֵנוּ, שֶׁיֵּשׁ חִדּוּשִׁים שֶׁנַּעֲשִׂין עַל־יְדֵי דְּמָעוֹת (כַּמּוּבָא בְּסִימָן רסב), אֲזַי אֵלּוּ הַדְּמָעוֹת שֶׁל הַחִדּוּשִׁים, שֶׁמֵּהֶם נַעֲשָׂה הַסֵּפֶר הֶחָדָשׁ, הֵם עוֹמְדִים כְּנֶגֶד גְּזֵרוֹת הָאֻמּוֹת, וּמְבַטְּלָן:
וְהַדָּבָר מְבֹאָר, כִּי כָל כֹּחָם הִיא מִן הַדְּמָעוֹת שֶׁל עֵשָׂו, וְעַל־כֵּן כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ אֵלּוּ הַדְּמָעוֹת הַנַּ"ל, הֵם עוֹמְדִים כְּנֶגְדָּם וּמְבַטְּלָן.
וְזֶה אוֹתִיּוֹת בְּכִיָּה – רָאשֵׁי־תֵבוֹת: בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם (הוֹשֵׁעַ ב) – מַה חוֹל הַיָּם מֵגֵן מִן גַּלֵּי הַיָּם, שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁטְפוּ הָעוֹלָם, כֵּן בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵגֵן עֲלֵיהֶם הַבְּכִיָּה וְהַדְּמָעוֹת כְּנֶגֶד גְּזֵרוֹת הָאֻמּוֹת כַּנַּ"ל.
וְזֶה: וְהָיָה מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם – מִסְפַּר הַיְנוּ מִסֵּפֶר הַנַּ"ל, מִשָּׁם בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם, הַיְנוּ בְּכִיָּה וּדְמָעוֹת שֶׁל הַחִדּוּשִׁין שֶׁבַּסֵּפֶר, שֶׁמֵּגֵן עֲלֵיהֶם כַּנַּ"ל:
Hebrew text: Likutei Moharan Tinyana - rabenubook.com via Sefaria (Public Domain) · Sefaria. Names of Hashem are written in the customary form.
Transcripts
1-minute recap
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty: when a new sefer comes into the world.
Some new Torah insights are born through tears.
Those tears, in a new sefer, stand against harsh decrees and cancel them.
As the sand holds back the sea, the tears protect Israel.
Our own reflection: a tear shed over Torah is never wasted.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty. A short teaching about tears, and the power of a new sefer.
Rebbe Nachman teaches elsewhere that some new Torah insights come through tears. When a new sefer, built from such insights, comes into the world, those tears stand against the decrees of the nations, and cancel them.
Why tears? Because all the nations' power comes from the tears of Esav, the tears he cried over the lost blessing. Holy tears stand against them.
The word bechiyah, weeping, is the initials of B'nei Yisrael k'chol hayam, the children of Israel like the sand of the sea. As the sand guards the world from the waves, the weeping and the tears guard Israel.
And the verse says: the mispar, the number, of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea. Mispar, from the sefer: from the book, with the tears of its insights, comes that protection.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. A tear shed over Torah is never wasted. When we learn from a sefer born in tears, we stand with its author against every harsh decree.
Full shiur
— Part 1: When a New Sefer Comes Into the World —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty. A shiur in one part: tears, new insights, and the sand of the sea.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty. Grey is a verse or teaching he quotes. Green is our own explanation. The Hebrew is the public-domain text from Sefaria; the English is our own paraphrase.
When a new sefer comes into the world, and we have explained that some new insights are made through tears, then the tears of those insights, from which the new sefer was made, stand against the decrees of the nations and cancel them.
The matter is clear: all their power is from the tears of Esav. So when these tears are present, they stand against them and cancel them.
Our explanation. When Yaakov received the blessing, Esav wept bitterly. The Sages teach that those tears gave his descendants their power in exile. Rebbe Nachman teaches that holy tears, shed over Torah, stand against them.
This is the letters of bechiyah, weeping: the initials of B'nei Yisrael k'chol hayam, the children of Israel like the sand of the sea. As the sand of the sea guards against the waves, so they do not flood the world, so weeping and tears guard the children of Israel against the decrees of the nations.
And this is 'the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea'. Mispar, number, is from the sefer: from there the children of Israel are like the sand of the sea, that is, the weeping and tears of the insights in the sefer, which protect them.
Our explanation, step by step. Tears give birth to new Torah insights. The insights become a new sefer. And like the sand that holds back the sea, the tears in that sefer hold back the harsh decrees.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. A tear shed over Torah is never wasted. When we learn from a sefer born in tears, we stand with it against every harsh decree.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 30, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.30
English: our own paraphrase of the Hebrew, written for these videos. It is not copied from any published translation.
Verses and teachings of the Sages appear only as Rebbe Nachman quotes them inside this Torah.
How the text is shown
The Divine Name is shown as ה' and voiced as Hashem. Other Names are written in the customary form (אֱלֹקִים, קֵ-ל, קָהּ, שַׁ-דַּ-י, אֲדֹ-נָ-י, אֶקְיֶ-ה, צְבָקוֹת). No full Name is written or voiced.
Parenthetical source references inside the printed Hebrew are left off the screen to save space; the citation line names the source instead.
Long paragraphs are shown in consecutive pieces. Every Hebrew word on screen is from the edition above; nothing is reworded.
Cards labelled EXPLANATION (green), and every line marked 'our own reflection — not a quote', are our own words, not quotations.
Notes
Part 1, scene 3: He refers to his teaching in Likutei Moharan I, 262, that some new insights come through tears.
Every on-screen quotation in the full shiur, by part
Part 1 — When a New Sefer Comes Into the World
Scene 3 · LM II:30 §1 · paragraph §1.1
כְּשֶׁבָּא סֵפֶר חָדָשׁ לָעוֹלָם, וְזֶה מְבֹאָר אֶצְלֵנוּ, שֶׁיֵּשׁ חִדּוּשִׁים שֶׁנַּעֲשִׂין עַל־יְדֵי דְּמָעוֹת, אֲזַי אֵלּוּ הַדְּמָעוֹת שֶׁל הַחִדּוּשִׁים, שֶׁמֵּהֶם נַעֲשָׂה הַסֵּפֶר הֶחָדָשׁ, הֵם עוֹמְדִים כְּנֶגֶד גְּזֵרוֹת הָאֻמּוֹת, וּמְבַטְּלָן:
EN (our paraphrase): When a new sefer comes into the world, and we have explained that some new insights are made through tears, then the tears of those insights, from which the new sefer was made, stand against the decrees of the nations and cancel them.
Scene 4 · LM II:30 §1 · paragraph §1.2
וְהַדָּבָר מְבֹאָר, כִּי כָל כֹּחָם הִיא מִן הַדְּמָעוֹת שֶׁל עֵשָׂו, וְעַל־כֵּן כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ אֵלּוּ הַדְּמָעוֹת הַנַּ"ל, הֵם עוֹמְדִים כְּנֶגְדָּם וּמְבַטְּלָן.
EN (our paraphrase): The matter is clear: all their power is from the tears of Esav. So when these tears are present, they stand against them and cancel them.
Scene 6 · LM II:30 §1, on Hoshea 2:1 · paragraph §1.3
וְזֶה אוֹתִיּוֹת בְּכִיָּה – רָאשֵׁי־תֵבוֹת: בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם – מַה חוֹל הַיָּם מֵגֵן מִן גַּלֵּי הַיָּם, שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁטְפוּ הָעוֹלָם, כֵּן בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵגֵן עֲלֵיהֶם הַבְּכִיָּה וְהַדְּמָעוֹת כְּנֶגֶד גְּזֵרוֹת הָאֻמּוֹת כַּנַּ"ל.
EN (our paraphrase): This is the letters of bechiyah, weeping: the initials of B'nei Yisrael k'chol hayam, the children of Israel like the sand of the sea. As the sand of the sea guards against the waves, so they do not flood the world, so weeping and tears guard the children of Israel against the decrees of the nations.
Scene 7 · LM II:30 §1 · paragraph §1.4
וְזֶה: וְהָיָה מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם – מִסְפַּר הַיְנוּ מִסֵּפֶר הַנַּ"ל, מִשָּׁם בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם, הַיְנוּ בְּכִיָּה וּדְמָעוֹת שֶׁל הַחִדּוּשִׁין שֶׁבַּסֵּפֶר, שֶׁמֵּגֵן עֲלֵיהֶם כַּנַּ"ל:
EN (our paraphrase): And this is 'the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea'. Mispar, number, is from the sefer: from there the children of Israel are like the sand of the sea, that is, the weeping and tears of the insights in the sefer, which protect them.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: הֵם עוֹמְדִים כְּנֶגֶד גְּזֵרוֹת הָאֻמּוֹת, וּמְבַטְּלָן:
Scene 3 · §1.2: כִּי כָל כֹּחָם הִיא מִן הַדְּמָעוֹת שֶׁל עֵשָׂו,
Scene 4 · §1.3: בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם
Scene 5 · §1.4: וְהָיָה מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁיֵּשׁ חִדּוּשִׁים שֶׁנַּעֲשִׂין עַל־יְדֵי דְּמָעוֹת,
Scene 3 · §1.1: הֵם עוֹמְדִים כְּנֶגֶד גְּזֵרוֹת הָאֻמּוֹת, וּמְבַטְּלָן:
Scene 4 · §1.3: מַה חוֹל הַיָּם מֵגֵן מִן גַּלֵּי הַיָּם, שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁטְפוּ הָעוֹלָם,