וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה .
And Yisro Rejoiced: All the Joys Together
At a wedding, one person enjoys the food, another the music, the families the wedding itself, and one is only jealous of the match; no one rejoices in everything at once. Complete joy comes from looking up, 'over all the good', to the root from which every good flows, where all is one. There all joys join together, each shining into the other, and the light grows very great. So 'vayichad Yisro': Yisro rejoiced in all the good together, yachad.
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה (שמות י״ח:ט׳).
כִּי אֵצֶל סְתַּם בְּנֵי־אָדָם אֵין הַשִּׂמְחָה שֶׁל כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד, כִּי יֵשׁ חִלּוּקִים רַבִּים בְּעִנְיַן הַשִּׂמְחָה. לְמָשָׁל כְּשֶׁבָּאִין עַל חֲתֻנָּה, יֵשׁ מִי שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִן הָאֲכִילָה שֶׁאוֹכֵל, דָּגִים וּבָשָׂר וְכַיּוֹצֵא, וְיֵשׁ אֶחָד, שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִן הַכְּלֵי־זֶמֶר, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִדְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִן הַחֲתֻנָּה עַצְמָהּ, כְּגוֹן הַמְחֻתָּנִים, שֶׁאֵינָן מַשְׁגִּיחִים עַל אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, רַק שְׂמֵחִים מִן הַחֲתֻנָּה עַצְמָהּ, וְכַיּוֹצֵא שְׁאָר חִלּוּקִים.
אֲבָל אֵין אָדָם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַשְּׂמָחוֹת בְּיַחַד. וַאֲפִלּוּ מִי שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַדְּבָרִים הַנַּ"ל, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵין הַשִּׂמְחָה מִכָּל הַדְּבָרִים בְּיַחַד, רַק מִכָּל אֶחָד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ בָּזֶה אַחַר זֶה. גַּם יֵשׁ אֶחָד, שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שׁוּם שִׂמְחָה כְּלָל, לֹא מִן הָאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וְלֹא מִשְּׁאָר דְּבָרִים, וְאַדְּרַבָּא, יֵשׁ לוֹ קִנְאָה וָצַעַר, שֶׁמְּקַנֵּא עַל הַשִּׁדּוּךְ, עַל שֶׁזֶּה נִשְׁתַּדֵּךְ בָּזֶה.
אֲבָל שְׁלֵמוּת וְגַדְלוּת הַשִּׂמְחָה הִוא, מִי שֶׁזּוֹכֶה לִשְׂמֹחַ מִכָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד. וְזֶה אִי אֶפְשָׁר כִּי־אִם כְּשֶׁמִּסְתַּכֵּל לְמַעְלָה עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה, דְּהַיְנוּ עַל הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם נִמְשָׁכִין כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת. וְשָׁם בְּהַשֹּׁרֶשׁ הַכֹּל אֶחָד, וַאֲזַי שִׂמְחָתוֹ מִכָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד,
וְאָז הַשִּׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד, וּמְאִירָה בְּאוֹר גָּדוֹל מְאֹד. כִּי עַל־יְדֵי הַכְּלָלִיוּת שֶׁנִּכְלָל שִׂמְחָה בַּחֲבֶרְתָּהּ, נִגְדָּל בְּיוֹתֵר אוֹר הַשְּׂמָחוֹת.
וְכֵן כָּל מַה שֶּׁנִּכְלָלִין יוֹתֵר רִבּוּי הַשְּׂמָחוֹת זֶה בָּזֶה, נִגְדָּל וְנִתּוֹסֵף אוֹר הַשִּׂמְחָה בְּיוֹתֵר וְיוֹתֵר, כִּי נִגְדָּל וְנִתּוֹסֵף הָאוֹר מְאֹד, עַל־יְדֵי הִתְנוֹצְצוּת שֶׁמִּתְנוֹצֵץ מִשִּׂמְחָה לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ. וְכָל מַה שֶּׁיֵּשׁ יוֹתֵר שְׂמָחוֹת שֶׁנִּכְלָלִין בְּיַחַד, נִתּוֹסֵף בְּיוֹתֵר וְיוֹתֵר אוֹר הַהִתְנוֹצְצוֹת. וְעַל־כֵּן כְּשֶׁנִּכְלָל הַשִּׂמְחָה שֶׁל כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד, אֲזַי אוֹר הַשִּׂמְחָה גָּדוֹל מְאֹד עַל־יְדֵי רִבּוּי הַהִתְנוֹצְצוּת מִזֶּה לָזֶה וּמִזֶּה לָזֶה כַּנַּ"ל.
וְזֶהוּ: וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה – שֶׁהָיָה שָׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד. וְזֶהוּ: עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה, כִּי הָיָה מִסְתַּכֵּל לְמַעְלָה עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה, הַיְנוּ עַל הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ, שֶׁשָּׁם הַכֹּל אֶחָד, וְשָׁם נִכְלָלִין כָּל הַשְּׂמָחוֹת יַחַד, וְעַל־כֵּן הָיָה שָׂמֵחַ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד 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 four: and Yisro rejoiced, a second teaching.
At a wedding, one enjoys the food, one the music, the families the wedding itself.
But no one rejoices in all of it at once.
Look up to the root of all the good, where everything is one, and all the joys join, shining into each other.
Our own reflection: find the One behind every good thing, and your joys will become one great light.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty four. A second teaching on vayichad Yisro: Yisro rejoiced over all the good.
Most people, he says, do not rejoice in all the good together. Go to a wedding: one person is happy with the fish and the meat, another with the musicians, others with other things. The families are happy with the wedding itself, and hardly notice the food.
No one rejoices in all the joys at once. Even someone who enjoys everything enjoys each thing in turn. And one person enjoys nothing at all: he is only jealous of the match.
The fullness of joy is to rejoice in all the good together. That is only possible by looking up, over all the good, to the root from which all good flows. There, at the root, all is one.
Then the joy is very great, and shines with great light. Each joy, joined with its companion, shines into it, and the more joys join together, the more the light grows.
That is vayichad Yisro: he rejoiced in all the good yachad, together, because he looked over all the good, to the root where everything is one.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. The food, the music, the people: each is a separate pleasure. See the One who gives them all, and they become a single joy, and envy has no room.
Full shiur
— Part 1: All the Joys Together —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty four: vayichad Yisro, a second teaching. A shiur in one part: rejoicing in all the good together.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty four. 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.
'And Yisro rejoiced over all the good.'
For with ordinary people the joy of all the good things is not together; there are many differences in joy. For example, at a wedding: one is happy with what he eats, fish, meat and the like; another is happy with the musicians; another with other such things; and some are happy with the wedding itself, like the families, who pay no attention to food and drink, but rejoice in the wedding itself; and other such differences.
But there is no one who is happy with all the joys together. Even one who is happy with all these things is not happy with them together, only with each one by itself, one after the other. And there is one who has no joy at all, not from eating and drinking and not from anything else; on the contrary, he has envy and pain, jealous of the match, that this one was matched with that one.
Our explanation. Yachad means together. Not one pleasure, then the next, but all the joys at the same moment. Rebbe Nachman says this is possible only at the root, where everything is one.
But the fullness and greatness of joy is for one who merits to rejoice in all the good together. And this is impossible unless he looks up, over all the good, to the root from which all the good is drawn. There at the root all is one, and then his joy is from all the good together,
and then the joy is very great, and shines with a very great light; for through the joining, as each joy is included in its companion, the light of the joys grows more.
And the more joys are included in one another, the more the light of joy grows and grows, through the sparkling that sparkles from one joy to its companion. So when the joy of all the good things is joined together, the light of the joy is very great, through the many sparkles from this to that, and from that to this.
This is 'and Yisro rejoiced over all the good': he rejoiced in all the good together. 'Over all the good': he looked up, over all the good, to the root, where all is one, and there all the joys are joined together; so he rejoiced over all the good together.
Our explanation, step by step. Usually each person enjoys one part of the celebration. Looking up to the root of all good, where all is one, the joys join together. Each shines into the next, and the light becomes very great.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. The food, the music, the people: each is a separate pleasure. See the One who gives them all, and they become a single joy, with no room for envy.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah thirty four.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 34, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.34
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.
Every on-screen quotation in the full shiur, by part
Part 1 — All the Joys Together
Scene 3 · LM II:34 §1, on Shemos 18:9 · paragraph §1.1
וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה.
EN (our paraphrase): 'And Yisro rejoiced over all the good.'
Scene 4 · LM II:34 §1 · paragraph §1.2
כִּי אֵצֶל סְתַּם בְּנֵי־אָדָם אֵין הַשִּׂמְחָה שֶׁל כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד, כִּי יֵשׁ חִלּוּקִים רַבִּים בְּעִנְיַן הַשִּׂמְחָה. לְמָשָׁל כְּשֶׁבָּאִין עַל חֲתֻנָּה, יֵשׁ מִי שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִן הָאֲכִילָה שֶׁאוֹכֵל, דָּגִים וּבָשָׂר וְכַיּוֹצֵא, וְיֵשׁ אֶחָד, שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִן הַכְּלֵי־זֶמֶר, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִדְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִן הַחֲתֻנָּה עַצְמָהּ, כְּגוֹן הַמְחֻתָּנִים, שֶׁאֵינָן מַשְׁגִּיחִים עַל אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, רַק שְׂמֵחִים מִן הַחֲתֻנָּה עַצְמָהּ, וְכַיּוֹצֵא שְׁאָר חִלּוּקִים.
EN (our paraphrase): For with ordinary people the joy of all the good things is not together; there are many differences in joy. For example, at a wedding: one is happy with what he eats, fish, meat and the like; another is happy with the musicians; another with other such things; and some are happy with the wedding itself, like the families, who pay no attention to food and drink, but rejoice in the wedding itself; and other such differences.
Scene 5 · LM II:34 §1 · paragraph §1.3
אֲבָל אֵין אָדָם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַשְּׂמָחוֹת בְּיַחַד. וַאֲפִלּוּ מִי שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַדְּבָרִים הַנַּ"ל, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵין הַשִּׂמְחָה מִכָּל הַדְּבָרִים בְּיַחַד, רַק מִכָּל אֶחָד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ בָּזֶה אַחַר זֶה. גַּם יֵשׁ אֶחָד, שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שׁוּם שִׂמְחָה כְּלָל, לֹא מִן הָאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וְלֹא מִשְּׁאָר דְּבָרִים, וְאַדְּרַבָּא, יֵשׁ לוֹ קִנְאָה וָצַעַר, שֶׁמְּקַנֵּא עַל הַשִּׁדּוּךְ, עַל שֶׁזֶּה נִשְׁתַּדֵּךְ בָּזֶה.
EN (our paraphrase): But there is no one who is happy with all the joys together. Even one who is happy with all these things is not happy with them together, only with each one by itself, one after the other. And there is one who has no joy at all, not from eating and drinking and not from anything else; on the contrary, he has envy and pain, jealous of the match, that this one was matched with that one.
Scene 7 · LM II:34 §1 · paragraph §1.4
אֲבָל שְׁלֵמוּת וְגַדְלוּת הַשִּׂמְחָה הִוא, מִי שֶׁזּוֹכֶה לִשְׂמֹחַ מִכָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד. וְזֶה אִי אֶפְשָׁר כִּי־אִם כְּשֶׁמִּסְתַּכֵּל לְמַעְלָה עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה, דְּהַיְנוּ עַל הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם נִמְשָׁכִין כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת. וְשָׁם בְּהַשֹּׁרֶשׁ הַכֹּל אֶחָד, וַאֲזַי שִׂמְחָתוֹ מִכָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד,
EN (our paraphrase): But the fullness and greatness of joy is for one who merits to rejoice in all the good together. And this is impossible unless he looks up, over all the good, to the root from which all the good is drawn. There at the root all is one, and then his joy is from all the good together,
Scene 8 · LM II:34 §1 · paragraph §1.5
וְאָז הַשִּׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד, וּמְאִירָה בְּאוֹר גָּדוֹל מְאֹד. כִּי עַל־יְדֵי הַכְּלָלִיוּת שֶׁנִּכְלָל שִׂמְחָה בַּחֲבֶרְתָּהּ, נִגְדָּל בְּיוֹתֵר אוֹר הַשְּׂמָחוֹת.
EN (our paraphrase): and then the joy is very great, and shines with a very great light; for through the joining, as each joy is included in its companion, the light of the joys grows more.
Scene 9 · LM II:34 §1 · paragraph §1.6
וְכֵן כָּל מַה שֶּׁנִּכְלָלִין יוֹתֵר רִבּוּי הַשְּׂמָחוֹת זֶה בָּזֶה, נִגְדָּל וְנִתּוֹסֵף אוֹר הַשִּׂמְחָה בְּיוֹתֵר וְיוֹתֵר, כִּי נִגְדָּל וְנִתּוֹסֵף הָאוֹר מְאֹד, עַל־יְדֵי הִתְנוֹצְצוּת שֶׁמִּתְנוֹצֵץ מִשִּׂמְחָה לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ. וְכָל מַה שֶּׁיֵּשׁ יוֹתֵר שְׂמָחוֹת שֶׁנִּכְלָלִין בְּיַחַד, נִתּוֹסֵף בְּיוֹתֵר וְיוֹתֵר אוֹר הַהִתְנוֹצְצוֹת.
EN (our paraphrase): And the more joys are included in one another, the more the light of joy grows and grows, through the sparkling that sparkles from one joy to its companion. So when the joy of all the good things is joined together, the light of the joy is very great, through the many sparkles from this to that, and from that to this.
Scene 10 · LM II:34 §1 · paragraph §1.7
וְזֶהוּ: וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה – שֶׁהָיָה שָׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד. וְזֶהוּ: עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה, כִּי הָיָה מִסְתַּכֵּל לְמַעְלָה עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה, הַיְנוּ עַל הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ, שֶׁשָּׁם הַכֹּל אֶחָד, וְשָׁם נִכְלָלִין כָּל הַשְּׂמָחוֹת יַחַד, וְעַל־כֵּן הָיָה שָׂמֵחַ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד כַּנַּ"ל:
EN (our paraphrase): This is 'and Yisro rejoiced over all the good': he rejoiced in all the good together. 'Over all the good': he looked up, over all the good, to the root, where all is one, and there all the joys are joined together; so he rejoiced over all the good together.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.2: כְּשֶׁבָּאִין עַל חֲתֻנָּה, יֵשׁ מִי שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִן הָאֲכִילָה שֶׁאוֹכֵל, דָּגִים וּבָשָׂר וְכַיּוֹצֵא,
Scene 3 · §1.3: אֲבָל אֵין אָדָם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַשְּׂמָחוֹת בְּיַחַד.
Scene 4 · §1.4: עַל הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם נִמְשָׁכִין כָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת.
Scene 5 · §1.5: וְאָז הַשִּׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד,
Scene 6 · §1.7: שֶׁהָיָה שָׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַטּוֹבוֹת בְּיַחַד.
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.2: כְּשֶׁבָּאִין עַל חֲתֻנָּה, יֵשׁ מִי שֶׁשָּׂמֵחַ מִן הָאֲכִילָה שֶׁאוֹכֵל, דָּגִים וּבָשָׂר וְכַיּוֹצֵא,
Scene 3 · §1.3: אֲבָל אֵין אָדָם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׂמֵחַ מִכָּל הַשְּׂמָחוֹת בְּיַחַד.
Scene 4 · §1.4: וְשָׁם בְּהַשֹּׁרֶשׁ הַכֹּל אֶחָד,