Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov - the "Degel Machaneh Ephraim"

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov - the "Degel Machaneh Ephraim" Yahrzeit - 17 Iyar Resting place - Medzhybizh   The Rebbe of Sudilkov was the grandson and disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov – the son of his only daughter, Adel. He was raised in Medzhybizh by the Besht, who transmitted to him many secrets of the Torah. His parents were Rabbi Yechiel Ashkenazi, a kabbalist who came from Germany to Podolia. There he married Adel, whose soul, according to her father the Baal Shem Tov, was of untouched purity. His brother was the famous Rabbi Baruch of Medzhybizh. The Baal Shem Tov loved his grandson Moshe Chaim very much; he guided and taught the little boy, and considered him "an outstanding genius in learning." After the passing of the Baal Shem Tov, Moshe Chaim studied under the Maggid of Mezeritch and Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polonne, the author of "Toldot Yaakov Yosef." He settled in Sudilkov, where he became a rabbi and maggid, and lived his whole life in poverty. Just before his death he returned to Medzhybizh, where he was ultimately buried beside his grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov. In his book "Degel Machaneh Ephraim" he gathered the teachings of the Besht – commentaries on the weekly Torah portions. This book is considered one of the fundamental works of Chassidic teaching. In this book he presents his own thoughts interwoven with those of his great grandfather.   The Mother's Name for a Refuah Shleimah The grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov ("Degel Machaneh Ephraim"), explains that in Moshe's prayer for his sister Miriam there is a hint at the custom of mentioning a sick person's name together with their mother's name when praying for them. The phrase רְפָא נָא – "Refa na" – (please heal her) from Moshe Rabbeinu's eleven-letter prayer: אֵ֕ל נָ֛א רְפָ֥א נָ֖א לָֽהּ (El na refa na lah) – has the gematria of 332 – "Refa" = 281, "na" = 51 = 332. The exact same gematria is found in the names Miriam and Yocheved: מרים = 290 and יוכבד = 42   Reciting Tehillim and the Throne of Glory The letters of the phrase וְהִגַּדְתֶּם לְאָבִי אֶ'ת-כָּ'ל-כְּבוֹדי בְּמִצְרַיִ'ם – "and tell my father of all my glory in Egypt" (Vayigash 45:13) – form the word תלים, and this hints that anyone who reads Tehillim daily merits to stand at the Throne of Glory – תחת כסא הכבוד.   "Ve'eleh Hamishpatim" (And these are the judgments) The Zohar HaKadosh on "Ve'eleh Hamishpatim" says that hidden here are the secrets of reincarnation. The commentators ask, what is the connection? The book "Degel Machaneh Ephraim" writes that sometimes a Beit Din (Jewish court) orders a person to pay, even though it knows he is innocent. Do not ask how the law of the Torah could condemn an innocent person. He must be guilty from a previous lifetime, and the time has come for him to answer for it. Thus the Zohar connects the message of reincarnation with "And these are the judgments," so that we may understand the true justice of the law of the Torah. "You shall be holy, for I, the L-rd your G-d, am holy" (Vayikra 19:1) Every person can be as holy as G-d Himself, so to speak. The soul is the divine part of a person, and this part can expand and encompass everything. In fact, the ultimate purpose of creation for a person is to become like G-d. ("Degel Machaneh Ephraim")   The World Was Created for Me "And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn." (Bereishit 32:25) Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim: "And Jacob was left alone" – the Gemara says that everyone must say to themselves: "The entire world was created for my sake." This idea carries several implications. When you understand that the entire world was created for you, and not for anyone else, it means that you are the only one in the whole world, and the survival or destruction of the world depends on your choice between good and evil. Since you are alone, you should not concern yourself with the opinions of others in your service of G-d; everything around you is secondary. When you look at life from this perspective, you serve G-d with genuine devotion, free of any hidden motives or confused thoughts. You then knock down all the klipot – the outer barriers that prevent you from attaining holiness. The verse "And Jacob was left alone" alludes to this idea. He reached the highest spiritual level of faith – believing that he was the only person in the world, and that the continued existence of the world depended on his righteousness. In striving for this ideal, his service of G-d became pure and complete.   The Burning Bush and Moshe Rabbeinu "Degel Machaneh Ephraim" views the burning bush as an example of the phenomenon of prayer that seems to have no effect. Each of us has our own "thorns" – character traits we would prefer to be rid of. Through fervent prayer and service of the Almighty, we hope that these "thorns" will be burned away. But sometimes, like the thornbush that "burned with fire yet was not consumed," no matter how hard we try, we still fail to rid ourselves of these flaws in our character. Our "thorns" do not burn away. Moshe was commanded to remove his shoes while standing near the burning bush, because that place was holy. It turns out that even though the thorns of the bush were not consumed, holiness was present there. This means that even the flaws in our character are part of the great plan of creation, and the Almighty loves us despite them. May the merit of the tzadik Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov protect our people! (http://acjc.ru/moshe-rabejnu-i-goryashhij-kust/)