The goal of every Mitzvah we do is to connect with Hashem at the highest of levels - and to also connect the entire Creation back to Hashem (צות from the word מצוה in Hebrew means to connect).
However, since this world in itself connotes sadness due to the concealment it presents to Hashem and His Infinite Light, it is not enough to do Mitzvot alone - one must do them with "joy" in order to properly elevate the holiness and light of the Mitzvah back to its source.
And when a person finally gets to do a Mitzvah with joy, this Mitzvah now has the energy to wake up and arouse the entire Creation - including everything within it - to serve Hashem.
This in turn allows for the flow of blessing to descend upon the person who performs such a Mitzvah.
However, if a person has his eyes set to the ultimate purpose of life, he will aim to activate the blessing of awareness of Hashem as opposed to just physical and mundane blessing.
And when such a person is finally blessed with this awareness and wisdom, he must not use it when actually serving Hashem. Rather he must serve Hashem out of pure Faith alone with no intellectual rationale as the basis for his devotion and service of Hashem.
With this combo of Faith and Intellect a person is then ready to perceive the Infinite Light of Hashem Himself.
However, it is technically impossible to perceive Hashem's Infinite Light.
Since it totally contradicts the concealment of this world and Creation, a person would simply cease to exist if he were exposed to this Light.
The only way to perceive it is in the format known as "reaching and not reaching" (מטי ולא מטי).
This requires that a person get "bounced" back from his intellectual pursuit of the Infinite Light.
This "bounce" back allows a person to settle his mind from the continual pursuit of Godly Intellect, allowing for a settling and organization of what the mind has already perceived.
And when a person properly accepts this bounce back with joy and faith that this is part of the growth process, and the only means to perceive Hashem's Light, he is then given access to this light, but only in this format of reaching and reaching.
Fortunate is the person who merits such an experience.
Reb Noson (Likutey Halakhot, Nefilat Apayim #4) relates all of these concepts to the period between Shabbat Shekalim leading up to Shabbat HaChodesh:
-Shabbat Shekalim recalls the donations given towards the sacrifices and incense offering in the Holy Temple, both being a source of joy (the sacrifices bring atonement while the incense extracts all holiness trapped in the evil side).
By reciting and hearing this Parshah we actually draw upon ourselves this joy, albeit in potential format.
-Shabbat Zakhor recalls how we must remember to blot out Amalek who is the main perpetrator of denying Hashem, believing only in "this world" and the vain enjoyments that it has to offer.
However this is Amalek's means and way to get people trapped in sadness and depression, so that even if they do perform mitzvot, they will be empty of joy, leaving people separated from Hashem's Infinite Light.
Our reciting this Parashah activates the power to know our enemy from within and to be careful to destroy him.
-Purim brings forth the actual joy needed to do all of the Mitzvot, which explains why people act silly, merry and funny - all for the purpose of wiping out the Haman-Amalek evil force from within.
As a result of this joy and the Purim miracle, we are then fit to draw upon ourselves true blessing, accepting upon ourselves renewed commitment to serve Hashem with heightened understanding and depth in our Torah study and perception.
-Shabbat Parah activates the Faith needed to serve Hashem.
For the Red Heifer is an irrational commandment (i.e. making impure the pure Cohanim involved in its preparation), one that requires faith alone to properly fulfill and accept it.
This applies to all the other mitzvot of the Torah as well, even those that the Torah gives a "reason" behind them.
Through this Parashah we receive the ability to serve Hashem and perform the mitzvot out of pure faith.
-Shabbat HaChodesh deals with the laws of sanctifying the New Moon along with some laws involved in the Pesach offering.
Initially the moon was created equal to the sun, but due to its complaining that "two kings cannot use the same crown" it was diminished.
This, Reb Noson, explains, is the set up of how to perceive the Infinite Light of Hashem.
Ideally there should be no bounce needed to perceive Hashem's Light, but since Creation dictates a "concealment of Hashem", we have no choice but to perceive Hashem's Light through the bounce back.
Both sun and moon represent the perception of the Infinite Light.
The sun represents the pursuit forward towards this unperceivable Infinite Light (similar to it being impossible to stare directly at the sun when in full blast).
However, the moon, with its waning cycle, goes in the opposite direction of light, where it is built up and then diminished.
This parallels the bounce back (when there is no light) and a person must strengthen himself with faith and joy.
It is specifically the moon that we sanctify when it begins the new cycle of light-advancement, since it is only with the bounce back that we can then begin to perceive the Infinite LIght of Hashem in the "reaching and not reaching format".
Thus, our accepting the waning process by "sanctifying" the moon when it begins to grow and shine again, is the key to properly perceiving the Infinite Light!!!
As a result of this we can then experience the Pesach offering - the redemption of skipping over all slavery/sadness and experience the Infinite Light at fuller proportion. This reflects the light experienced at the Pesach night Seder table.
All this is activated by hearing the recitation of Parshat HaChodesh!!!
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May we merit this year to truly be fit of perceiving the Infinite Light in a way that will bring the revelation of Hashem's presence in this world, so that the entire world will come back and serve Hashem, amen.
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Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov
Meir Elkabas
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