Parshat Tazria/Metzora - Bringing Joy to the Lepers

 BH

The Spiritual Meaning of Tzara’at

Parshat Tazria and Metzora deal with the laws of tzara’at, a spiritual affliction. According to Rashi, tzara’at is the punishment for speaking lashon hara—slander. But the punishment goes far beyond the surface. Once declared impure by the Kohen, the metzora is exiled from all three camps in the desert: the Mishkan, the camp of the Levi’im, and the camp of Israel. He must dwell alone—“badad yeshev”—and even announce his impurity to others lest they draw near.

The Zohar explains that this person has experienced a segira denahora ila’ah—a closing of the supernal light. In the framework of Likutey Moharan Lesson 24, this means he’s been cut off from access to the infinite light. Why? Because lashon hara isn’t just a sin of speech—it reflects a much deeper internal problem: a soul disconnected from joy.

Lashon Hara Begins With Unhappiness

Why do people speak negatively about others? Rebbe Nachman teaches that someone who is unhappy with himself will inevitably start seeing others through the same negative lens. A person filled with simcha finds the good in others; someone disconnected from his own goodness becomes critical, negative, and eventually slanderous.

So at its root, lashon hara flows from a lack of simcha. A person who isn’t in touch with his own nekudah tovah—his small but real point of goodness—becomes jealous, cynical, and bloated with self-importance. This is what leads to the inflated ego and arrogant behavior that precedes lashon hara.

The Metzora’s Purification Process and the Root of the Sin

The Torah hints at the root of the problem in the metzora’s purification process. Once he begins to heal, the Kohen comes to check him, and a unique ritual follows: two birds are taken, one slaughtered and the other dipped in its blood along with a bundle of cedar wood (erez), hyssop (ezov), and crimson wool (tola’at). Rashi explains the symbolism: the cedar represents pride, while the hyssop and crimson wool—whose name tola’at also means “worm”—represent humility.

The metzora must confront the truth: his arrogance came from inner emptiness. He lacked joy in his good points and instead inflated himself to feel better. But rather than being uplifted, this arrogance led him to lash out at others, and ultimately to isolation—both spiritual and social.

Joy as the Key to Spiritual Elevation

In Likutey Moharan 24, Rebbe Nachman explains that joy is the foundation of spiritual growth. When a person performs mitzvot with simcha, it empowers the mitzvah to rise and draw blessing down into the world. That blessing then opens the gateway to the infinite light. But someone who is unhappy with himself cannot reach that simcha. He cannot lift his mitzvot or his life.

The metzora’s isolation reflects his internal spiritual blockage. Cut off from others, he is also cut off from divine light. Only when he humbles himself and begins to appreciate his own small goodness can he begin to return—both to the camp and to Hashem.

The Kohen as the Channel of Blessing

We can now understand more deeply the role of the Kohen in the process of tzara’at. The Kohen is central—not only in declaring the person impure but also in declaring him pure. This isn’t incidental. The Kohanim are the designated conduits of blessing in the world, as revealed through Birkat Kohanim—the Priestly Blessing. Their hands become vessels through which divine bracha flows, making every instance of Birkat Kohanim a profound spiritual moment.

In Likutey Moharan Lesson 24, Rebbe Nachman teaches that bracha is drawn through simcha. When a Jew performs a mitzvah with joy, it elevates the mitzvah and activates blessing, which in turn opens the way to higher levels of divine perception. The Kohen, as the one who embodies blessing, must therefore be the one to declare whether the leper—a person who lost access to blessing—is pure or impure. Only the Kohen, source of bracha, can restore it.

The Leper and the Root of His Fall

Why is the metzora sent outside all three camps? Why must he sit alone? The Torah wants him to internalize the message. As we saw earlier, the root of his lashon hara is haughtiness. And that haughtiness itself stems from a lack of joy. There is an oral tradition that Rebbe Nachman famously said, “I can help anyone except for a baal ga’avah.” A haughty person refuses help. He cannot receive guidance or correction because he is too full of himself. And until he humbles himself, no remedy can reach him.

Reb Noson explains this further by analyzing the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot: Kin’ah, ta’avah, and kavod remove a person from the world. A person might struggle with jealousy or desires and still be reachable. But once kavod—honor and haughtiness—is added to the mix, there’s no longer an opening. Haughtiness closes the door to teshuvah.

The Role of the Bird and the Crimson Wool

The purification ritual reflects this message vividly. One bird is slaughtered, and the other is dipped along with hyssop, a cedar branch, and crimson wool—a mix of opposites. The tall cedar represents arrogance; the hyssop and crimson wool (tola’at—also the word for worm) represent humility. The leper must internalize this contrast. He spoke excessive gossip, like a bird that chatters nonstop. He inflated himself like a tall cedar. Now he must bring these down into the lowliness of the hyssop and worm.

Falling Back as a Prerequisite for Ascent

Rebbe Nachman outlines a spiritual process in Lesson 24 that mirrors the leper’s journey. When a person serves Hashem with simcha, this simcha elevates his actions and draws bracha. The bracha leads him toward the Keter—the crown—which is the entryway to the infinite light. But the Keter pushes a person back. This betisha—the sudden recoil—is not a punishment, but a divine mechanism that forces humility. If the person receives the pushback with joy, sees it as Hashem’s message to slow down and internalize, and continues to serve with joy, he then builds the vessels that will later hold the infinite light.

Total Isolation: The Extreme Pushback

However, the leper is not just pushed back—he’s pushed all the way out. Total isolation. No one consoles him. No one encourages him. No books, no chavruta, no chizuk. Not even a rabbi. Why? Because the root of his fall—ga’avah, haughtiness—demands complete breakdown. Rebbe Nachman teaches that this kind of person must be forced into solitude. Only by being badad yeshev—completely alone—can he begin to truly humble himself and turn inward.

And what happens in that aloneness? The opportunity for hitbodedut—deep, personal prayer without distraction. The leper has to confront himself, with no one to blame, no support to lean on. Only in that place of true humility can he begin the path to purification.

The Kohen Returns: Renewal Begins

When the person has truly been humbled, the Kohen—the representative of blessing—comes out to him. The one who once declared him impure now comes to declare him pure. This initiates a long process of purification, culminating in korbanot and sprinkling the leper with both blood and oil.

One of the key rituals involves putting the blood of a korban on the leper’s right middle ear (the tenuch), right thumb (the bohen), and right big toe (also bohen). Afterward, the same three spots are anointed with oil.

Three Gateways: Feet, Hands, Ears

These three are symbolic of ascending spiritual levels:

• Feet: The feet represent movement—specifically, the momentum created when mitzvot are done with joy. Joy gives a mitzvah “legs”. Without simcha, the mitzvah remains static. With simcha, it runs upward.

• Hands: The hands are channels for bracha. The Kohanim bless with their hands, because the hands transmit divine energy. When a person brings joy into their service, they activate the “hands”—activating the flow of blessing.

• Ears: The ears connect to deep understanding. “The heart understands through the ears.” Once a person has activated joy and blessing, he can then begin to access spiritual insight and receive clarity.

So although the Kohen begins by applying the blood and oil from top to bottom, the true path of spiritual ascent works in the opposite order: from the feet (action with joy), to the hands (blessing), to the ears (understanding).

Slander comes from haughtiness, and haughtiness comes from not being happy with one’s good points

The Five Voices of Joy

This brings us back to the hei of simcha—the five pathways Rebbe Nachman reveals for attaining joy, rooted in the verse from the wedding blessings: Kol sason v’kol simcha, kol chatan v’kol kalah, kol omrim hodu la’Hashem ki tov.

These five kolot—voices—reflect five practical tools for generating joy:

1. Jokes and silliness: Break the seriousness, shake yourself out of heaviness. Even forced humor has power.

2. Music and movement: Dance, clap, sing, use nigunim to stir the soul.

3. Finding good points: Locate the spark of goodness in yourself and others.

4. Gratitude: Once you see the good, thank Hashem for it.

5. Joy of the future: Even if the present is dark, be happy knowing that the Final Redemption is coming, and everything will turn out for the best.

Each of these five, Rebbe Nachman teaches, is a spiritual lever to restore joy—and from joy, the entire healing process begins.

Blood, Oil, and the Path to the Infinite Light

Once the leper has gone through the humiliation, the isolation, the personal hitbodedut and the sincere humility—now the Kohen returns to apply both blood and oil to the three key gateways: the ear, the thumb, and the big toe.

• Blood represents submission. When the blood is removed from an animal, its life force halts—symbolizing humility and hachna’ah. The Kohen places the blood on the leper’s ear, thumb, and toe to symbolize full-body submission, from understanding to action, to movement.

• Oil, especially olive oil from the Temple, represents simcha—joy. As the verse says, “Shemen u’ketoret yesamach lev”—“Oil and incense gladden the heart.” Joy is essential for spiritual ascent.

The Symbolism of the Body

Each point of application contains deep symbolic meaning:

• The foot represents mitzvah performance with momentum—joy in action. The pressure point of a person’s physical movement is the big toe. That’s where joy must be felt and expressed.

• The hand—specifically the thumb—represents the channel of bracha. The Kohanim bless with their hands. Joy in mitzvot awakens blessing.

• The ear is the gateway to understanding and connection with the infinite light. The ear must be infused with both humility (blood) and joy (oil).

The Kohen’s order—top to bottom—starts with the ears, to awaken da’at, and then moves downward, but Rebbe Nachman explains the actual spiritual path ascends from bottom to top: joy in action (feet), leads to blessing (hands), and ultimately perception and light (ears).

Bohen and Tenuch: Secret Codes

Even the names themselves hint to the journey:

• Bohen (the Hebrew word for both thumb and big toe) contains bet, hei, and nun:
  • Bet for bracha—blessing,

  • Hei for the five forms of joy,

  • Nun for 50, alluding to the 50th gate of understanding—the Keter.

• Tenuch, the term for the middle of the ear, resembles Tanakh—the written Torah. This reminds us that true spiritual hearing begins with immersing in the Torah itself, the foundation for all spiritual growth.

The Core Lesson: Joy in the Small Things

All of this circles back to the source: slander comes from haughtiness, and haughtiness comes from not being happy with small good points. The leper is punished by being thrown out entirely, but that same isolation is what makes him capable of returning.

He learns to value the smallest sparks of good within himself—nekudot tovot. From there he rebuilds: joy → bracha → perception → Keter → infinite light.

This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/bringing-joy-to-the-lepers/ 

For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/TmDLP7E64Ok

Help support Breslov Therapy: linktr.ee/breslovtherapy

This class is based on Likutey Moharan lesson 24. For more on this lesson: linktr.ee/breslovtherapy_lesson_24

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Shabbat Shalom.

Meir Elkabas

Parshat Shemini - Korban Rosh Chodesh: Finding Hope in the Diminished Moon

 BH

Recap of the Creation of the Sun and the Moon

Parshat Shemini follows Pesach and brings with it a deep and practical teaching. To understand this week’s insight, we need to recap the story at the beginning of the Torah in Parshat Bereshit. The Torah teaches that Hashem created the “two great lights,” meaning the sun and the moon were originally equal in size and brightness. Yet, shortly after, the Torah says that Hashem made the “greater light” to rule the day and the “lesser light” to rule the night. What happened?

Rashi, based on the sages, explains that the moon complained to Hashem: “It is impossible for two kings to use one crown.” In response, Hashem said, “You’re right. Diminish yourself.” The Midrash describes a back-and-forth—Hashem attempts to appease the moon by giving it the stars, by linking Jewish holidays to the lunar calendar, by associating the names of tzaddikim with humility and smallness. Yet the moon is still unsatisfied. Finally, Hashem says, “The Jews will bring a sacrifice in the future to atone for My ‘sin’ of diminishing the moon.” This is the famous Rosh Chodesh offering—the “Chatat Lashem,” a sin offering for Hashem.

Reb Noson’s Explanation: Growth Through Setbacks

Reb Noson, based on Likutey Moharan lesson 24, explores the meaning behind this story. He explains that the ultimate secret of spiritual growth—receiving the “infinite light” of Hashem—depends on a process of “reaching and not reaching,” or “running and returning.” If a person only advances without any pushback or delay, the light and inspiration are overwhelming; there is no space to internalize and make them his own. Instead, a person would lose his own existence in the intensity of divine revelation.

So Hashem created the world with an inbuilt mechanism: after every advance comes a setback. This “bounce back” or delay is not a punishment or a flaw, but a necessary part of creating vessels for the light. The moon’s diminishing represents this retreat—a necessary step so the light can be received properly. The sun symbolizes advancing, shining light and inspiration; the moon, by diminishing, represents the humility and patience to accept setbacks and integrate the light.

The Paradox of the Sin Offering for Hashem

But if this system of advance and retreat is necessary for healthy spiritual growth, why does Hashem refer to it as a “sin” that needs atonement? Why create the sun and the moon as equals, only to then diminish the moon and require a sin offering every Rosh Chodesh? If setbacks are so essential, why the sense of regret?

The Korban Rosh Chodesh is every Jew’s invitation: No matter how great the darkness, no matter how many times we fall, the path back remains open through this korban and the light of the tzaddikim

The fundamental answer to the paradox of the moon’s diminishment is that it’s not something fully logical. If everything made sense, there wouldn’t be any diminishment. The whole secret here is that there are aspects of reality and God’s ways that remain unanswered, hidden, and impossible for human logic to fully grasp. This is the essence of diminished perception itself: not everything can or should be explained.

Rebbe Nachman, in Likutey Moharan II:1, calls Rosh Chodesh an incredible gift. This is especially significant because Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, is also Rosh Chodesh. On that day, when the world stands before Hashem’s judgment, we know our chances are slim—especially in a generation so confused and dark, as Rebbe Nachman describes it, “our faces darker than the bottom of a pot.” How can anyone stand in judgment? The answer is: through Rosh Chodesh.

The Opening of Rosh Chodesh—A Sin Offering for Hashem

On Rosh Chodesh, the Jewish people offer a sin offering not for themselves, but for Hashem—“Chatat Lashem”—to atone for Hashem’s “sin” in diminishing the moon. What does this have to do with us? Rebbe Nachman, quoting the Zohar, explains that the cycle of the moon—waxing and waning—reflects our own spiritual journey. When the moon is full, there is clarity and light; as it diminishes, so does our perception and understanding. The Jewish people, tied to the moon, are meant to illuminate the world with Hashem’s light. But when the moon is diminished, so is our ability to perceive, to know, and to serve Hashem without falling.

Here comes a bold teaching: Rebbe Nachman, and Reb Noson in his prayers (Likutey Moharan and Likutey Tefilot II:1), write that on Rosh Hashanah, our one opening, our one plea, is that since Rosh Hashanah is also Rosh Chodesh, we offer a sin offering for Hashem—for diminishing the moon. And since all the darkness and stumbling comes from this diminishment, it’s as if we say to Hashem, “You are responsible for my falling, for my sins. You diminished the moon; You created the darkness and confusion that allows for mistakes and frustration and failure.” This is the opening—the point of appeal on the Day of Judgment.

Setbacks as Part of the Divine Plan—Nadav and Avihu

Despite the pain and confusion, this system of “running and returning”—of going forward and then back—is the way Hashem designed the world. Reb Noson connects this concept to the tragedy of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, who died at the dedication of the Mishkan. Moshe tells Aaron, quoting Hashem’s words, “I will be sanctified through those who are closest to Me.” Rashi explains that Moshe thought the sanctification would come through either himself or Aaron, but in the end, it was Nadav and Avihu.

Nadav and Avihu: The Dangers of Pure Ascent Without Restraint

The key distinction between Nadav and Avihu and Moshe and Aaron is their approach to divine service. Nadav and Avihu embodied the sun—unceasing light and unrestrained ascent. Their spiritual drive was all “running,” never “returning.” As a result, they acted without restraint — offering the Ketoret in the Holy of Holies at the wrong time, entering a domain reserved only for the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur. The Torah emphasizes their lack of balance: they were not married, they ruled halacha in front of Moshe—signs of lacking the quality of the moon, the power of diminishment, humility, and restraint. Their souls, consumed by divine fire, were removed from their bodies, which remained intact—burnt not by physical fire but by their inability to integrate the lesson of setback and limitation.

The Inauguration and Its Unique Sacrifices

This context leads us back to the historic events described in Parshat Shemini. It was Rosh Chodesh Nisan—the day the Mishkan was inaugurated. For eight days, Moshe erected and dismantled the Tabernacle; on the eighth day (Rosh Chodesh Nisan), it remained standing, and Aaron and his sons began their avodah. But amidst the excitement and divine revelation—the descent of fire from heaven—tragedy struck with the death of Nadav and Avihu. Still, the service and festivity of the day could not stop. The Torah lists three distinct Musaf sacrifices: the Rosh Chodesh Musaf offering, the special Musaf Shlamim of the inauguration (Miluim), and the unique Musaf of Nachshon ben Aminadav, the first of the 12 tribal leaders to bring his offering.

Two of these offerings—the Miluim and Nachshon’s Musaf offering — were once-in-history events. The Rosh Chodesh Musaf, however, was to be repeated every month for all generations. Despite the tragedy, Moshe instructed Aaron and his sons to continue the service and eat from the special korbanot, since the halacha permitted (and in this unique historical moment, required) their participation, even in a state of aninut (pre-burial mourning).

The Mysterious Burning of the Rosh Chodesh Offering

Here the Torah uses an unusual phrase—darosh darash—to describe Moshe’s inquiry regarding the goat sin-offering of Rosh Chodesh. The double expression highlights Moshe’s intense investigation: Why was the sacrifice burnt instead of eaten? Normally, if the blood was applied incorrectly in the sanctuary, the sacrifice was burned. But this was not the case. So why did the sons of Aaron burn the Rosh Chodesh sin-offering and refrain from eating it?

Moshe’s double inquiry reflects his confusion and his search for clarity — he pressed for an answer both regarding the burning and the abstention from eating.

The Halachic Drama: Eating the Rosh Chodesh Offering in Mourning

After the tragedy of Nadav and Avihu, Moshe turns to Aaron’s surviving sons, Elazar and Itamar, demanding to know why they burned the Musaf sin-offering of Rosh Chodesh rather than eating it. Moshe argues that their mourning status should not prevent them from eating—since a Kohen Gadol, even in aninut (pre-burial mourning), is commanded to continue the Temple service.

Elazar and Itamar remain silent, deferring to both their father Aaron and their teacher Moshe. Aaron himself then answers: yes, the Kohen Gadol serves while mourning, but to eat the sacrifice—an act associated with joy and wholeness—seems inappropriate in his current state, having just lost two sons. This, Aaron reasons, cannot be Hashem’s will. Remarkably, Moshe concedes—vayishma Moshe, vayitav b’einav—“Moshe heard, and it was good in his eyes.” Moshe admits to never having heard this halacha, or, as the Gemara suggests, he remembers being taught but had temporarily forgotten.

Darosh Darash: The Heart of the Torah and Its Message

At the center of this episode stands a striking Torah anomaly: the double expression darosh darash (“inquired, did he inquire”). Every standard edition of Chumash notes that this phrase marks the exact midpoint in words of the entire Torah—a literary and spiritual turning point. The message? The heart of Torah is found in honest inquiry, wrestling with questions, setbacks, and unresolved dilemmas.

Moreover, this entire halacha—that a mourner may not eat the Rosh Chodesh sin-offering or any other sacrifice — is derived specifically from the unique Korban of Rosh Chodesh. Why? Because Rosh Chodesh, the renewal of the moon, symbolizes the Jewish people’s own cycles of diminishment and renewal, darkness and return.

The Power of Return: No Such Thing as Despair

The episode culminates in a radical idea, revealed only through the tradition of outstanding tzaddikim: there is no such thing as despair, no matter how low one has fallen or how many times the Torah has been transgressed. The Korban Rosh Chodesh, a sin-offering “for Hashem,” provides every Jew a way back, no matter the circumstances. It’s as if one could say, “Hashem, You caused me to sin,” and yet, through this mechanism, be welcomed back. This concept—otherwise unimaginable—becomes the heart of teshuvah and Jewish hope.

Korban Rosh Chodesh: The Doorway of Hope for Every Jew

The ultimate message of the Korban Rosh Chodesh, the special sin offering brought because Hashem diminished the moon, is profound and empowering. On one hand, diminishment is necessary for perception and spiritual growth; on the other hand, it causes confusion, darkness, and stumbling in life. In this paradox lies the secret of Jewish hope. We’re placed in a world where the setbacks are not just accidents, but part of the Divine plan—a plan that even allows us to turn to Hashem and say, “I fell because You set the stage this way. The darkness is Yours, and so is my return.”

This may sound audacious, but it’s the core teaching of Rosh Chodesh and its korban. By highlighting the episode where even Moshe Rabbeinu forgot the halacha and was angered, the Torah hints that sometimes even the greatest leaders must experience diminishment—making space for future true tzaddikim to reveal new openings for teshuvah and hope. The Torah itself marks this point with darosh darash, whose numerical value (504) hints at the spiritual light of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai and Rebbe Nachman ben Simcha (both names equal 504 with the 3 words), two outstanding tzaddikim who promised hope and return for even the lowest souls.

The Korban Rosh Chodesh is every Jew’s invitation: “Hashem, You diminished the moon, and from there my struggles began. But that is my very opening to return.” No matter how great the darkness, no matter how many times we fall, the path back remains open through this korban and the light of the tzaddikim. Especially in this month of Iyar, Rabbi Shimon’s month, we are reminded to seek out and connect to these tzaddikim, to activate the light of renewal and return.

May we have the courage and humility to use this Divine opening, to speak honestly before Hashem, to never give up, and to embrace even the setbacks as part of our journey home. 

This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/korban-rosh-chodesh-finding-hope-in-the-diminished-moon/

For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/aI5N_eM692o

Help support Breslov Therapy: linktr.ee/breslovtherapy

This class is based on Likutey Moharan lesson 24. For more on this lesson: linktr.ee/breslovtherapy_lesson_24

If you have been inspired by this class/lecture please share it with your friends. Thank you.

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Shabbat Shalom.

Meir Elkabas

Parshat Tzav - The Uniqueness of Giving Thanks to Hashem

 BH

This week’s Parsha, Tzav, falls on Erev Pesach, connecting two powerful energies: the daily Avodah in the Beit HaMikdash, and the renewal of redemption through the Exodus.

As we saw last week, the Torah lists five types of Mincha offerings that only a poor person would bring. Reb Noson, based on Rebbe Nachman’s teachings in Likutey Moharan 24, reveals that these five correspond to five pathways of accessing joy—each one adapted to different life situations. Of these, the fourth pathway—Hoda’ah, giving thanks—is the most developed form of joy. This week’s Parsha brings that idea to the forefront.

The Five Pathways to Joy

Rebbe Nachman teaches that true joy can be accessed in five primary ways:

1. Miley d’Shtuta – Lightness and Humor: Even fake joy is a beginning. Joking, laughter, and acting silly can eventually lead a person to real happiness.
2. Music and Dance: Moving the body—clapping hands, listening to music, and dancing—stirs the heart and uplifts the spirit.
3. Finding the Good Points: Looking within to find even the smallest good can bring a spark of joy to someone feeling lost or broken.
4. Giving Thanks – Hoda’ah: Recognizing and expressing gratitude for the good that is already present.
5. Looking to the Future: When the present feels too dark, we can borrow joy from the knowledge that in the end, everything will be made right.

Of these five, Hoda’ah stands out. It’s not reaching for happiness or fabricating it—it’s a response to real kindness. When a person feels genuine gratitude to Hashem, the joy is stable, lasting, and transformative.

Korban Todah – When Gratitude Becomes an Offering

The Korban Todah—the Thanksgiving Offering—expresses this elevated level of simcha. The Torah specifies that four types of people are obligated to bring this offering: someone who was imprisoned, someone who suffered serious illness, someone who traveled overseas, and someone who crossed through a desert. These are the people who also recite Birkat HaGomel today. The acronym of the word “Chayim” (chet-yud-yud-mem) hints to these four:

• Chet – Chavush (imprisoned)
• Yud – Yisurim (afflicted with suffering or illness)
• Yud – Yam (sea travelers)
• Mem – Midbar (desert travelers)

Reb Noson, in Likutey Halachot (Birkat Hoda’ah 6), explains that these categories also represent spiritual states:

• Feeling trapped and unable to serve Hashem—like being imprisoned.
• Being too weak or confused to function—like sickness.
• Experiencing great spiritual highs followed by intense crashes—like a stormy sea.
• Feeling lost, like wandering in a spiritual desert with no direction.

When someone is saved from these inner states—when clarity, energy, and strength return—they’re not just relieved. They’re thankful. That gratitude is so powerful that the Torah says it must be expressed with a Korban Todah.

The Four Breads of the Todah

Unlike other offerings, the Korban Todah comes with a unique accompaniment: forty loaves of bread. Thirty are made from matzah, and ten are chametz. The Torah specifies three matzah types:

• Chalot Matzot Belulot B’Shemen – matzah loaves kneaded with oil
• Rekikei Matzot Meshuchim B’Shemen – flat matzot smeared generously with oil
• Solet Murbechet Chalot Belulot B’Shemen – soft, boiled dough similar to a bagel, made with oil

And finally:

• Lechem Chametz – leavened bread, baked normally

These accompany the animal offering of the Korban Todah. While two of these breads echo offerings from last week’s Minchat Ani (the pauper’s meal offering), two are entirely unique to the Todah. This reflects how giving thanks—hoda’ah—is its own level of spiritual service, born out of real joy.

There is something beyond the struggle. There is light at the end of the exile.

The Pinnacle of Simcha: Giving Thanks

Reb Noson explains that the highest expression of joy is hoda’ah—thanksgiving. Even the joy found in performing mitzvot is meant to lead to a heart of gratitude. Whether one reaches joy through dancing, finding good points, joking, or envisioning future redemption, all of it funnels into giving thanks to Hashem. It is the culmination of joy, not just its source.

In fact, Reb Noson writes in Likutey Halachot that if Jews would give thanks properly, Mashiach would have already come. Such is the power of gratitude—it transforms, uplifts, and opens the gates of redemption.

Each of the four breads corresponds to a stage in the process of spiritual growth and joyful avodah. The first two—chalot matzot and rekikim—symbolize the early stages of serving Hashem with joy, elevating the sparks of holiness through thanks and simcha. From this comes bracha—blessing—and eventually the gift of da’at, inner awareness.

Yet da’at alone is not enough. It must be fused with emunah, faith. Only when intellect and faith work together can a person access what Rebbe Nachman calls the Keter—the crown, the interface between finite man and infinite light.

Boiling and Waiting – Murbechet and Chametz

Murbechet, the third matzah type, symbolizes the boiling, active mind—always thinking, always turning. Rebbe Nachman teaches that even in sleep, the mind is still processing. This boiling energy reflects a person’s inner spiritual work, striving with thoughts of Torah and closeness to Hashem.

But then comes chametz—the leavened bread. What creates chametz? Waiting. The dough sits, the yeast rises, and the bread puffs up. In Rebbe Nachman’s teachings, waiting—shehiya—is the very definition of the Keter. When a person rises too quickly or comes close to the infinite, the Keter pushes back. It places a boundary, a wall, and demands patience.

This waiting is not a punishment—it’s a purification. It forces the person to develop stronger vessels to contain the light he longs for. The Keter stops him so that he can deepen his emunah and prepare to receive something beyond his current capacity. The chametz in the Korban Todah reflects this ultimate level of simcha—the joy found in accepting delays, embracing waiting, and allowing Hashem’s light to unfold in its time.

Keter and Chametz – The Waiting That Elevates

Rebbe Nachman reveals a profound connection between Keter—the highest spiritual crown—and the concept of waiting. He draws this from a verse in Iyov (Job), where Elihu says, “Katar li ze’er v’achaveka”—“Wait for me a little, and I will show you more wisdom.” The word Katar, in Aramaic, means to wait—and shares a root with Keter, crown.

In this light, Rebbe Nachman teaches that the crown—the Keter—is specifically this moment of being held back, being forced to wait. When a person has built momentum and is moving toward holiness and spiritual light, the Keter may push him back. But this is not a rejection. It is a divine design: a spiritual delay that builds stronger vessels, deeper longing, and more refined faith.

And what does this delay allow? A glimpse of the infinite light—not directly, but in a hidden, subconscious way. A person may not perceive the light outright, but its influence strengthens him. Just a glimmer—imprinted in the soul—is enough to help him continue. 

This, says Reb Noson, is the power of the Korban Todah—thanksgiving. It is the ultimate joy. It is the gateway to the infinite.

Joy Leads to Thanks, Thanks Leads to Keter

Of the five pathways to joy that Rebbe Nachman outlines—jokes, dancing, good points, future hope, and thanks—it is thanks that is the culmination. The Korban Todah, representing this level of joy, is the portal to the Keter. Thanksgiving leads to blessing, to clarity, and finally, to this boundary known as the Keter. And it is through giving thanks that a person is elevated, even toward the infinite light.

Pesach: Jumping the Keter

Amazingly, all of this aligns with Pesach. On Pesach, chametz is completely forbidden. The process of making chametz—waiting for the dough to rise—is precisely the symbol of Keter. But on the night of the Seder, Hashem overrides the natural order. There is no waiting. There is no barrier. We leap over it. Pesach—from the word pasach, to skip—means Hashem lets us jump straight into the light.

Why? Because we’re still in Egypt. We’re still in bondage, constriction, and depression. If Hashem would demand patience now, if He told us to wait and go through the process—we might collapse. We’d give up. So instead, He gives us a gift. On the night of Pesach, every Jew—no matter how far, no matter how broken—is given a taste of the infinite light.

The Arizal says that the light revealed on Seder night doesn’t shine at any other time of the year. It’s far beyond our level. And yet, Hashem gives it anyway—to lift us, to awaken us, to show us what’s possible. The four cups of wine, the matzah, the telling of the Haggadah story—all of it is a vessel for experiencing this burst of divine closeness. And even if we don’t perceive it consciously, our soul is ignited.

By morning, it fades. The light departs. But it leaves behind an impression strong enough to carry us forward. That taste gives us the motivation to climb upward from the darkness. It tells us: there is something beyond this struggle. There is light at the end of the exile.

Returning with Thanks

Through the Parshah of Tzav and the Korban Todah, we are reminded of the incredible spiritual power of gratitude. And through Pesach, we are given a yearly gift—a glimpse of the infinite light, even before we’re ready. May we learn to harness the strength of Hoda’ah, of giving thanks, in all its forms. And may we be zocheh to leap over all boundaries and come back to Hashem with full hearts.

This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/the-uniqueness-of-giving-thanks-to-hashem/ 

For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/RF8hoG2MBww

Help support Breslov Therapy: linktr.ee/breslovtherapy

This class is based on Likutey Moharan lesson 24. For more on this lesson: linktr.ee/breslovtherapy_lesson_24

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Shabbat Shalom.

Meir Elkabas