Pre-recording of Seudah Shelishi class: “עֲשֵׂר
תְּעַשֵּׂר – Tithing the Head, Ruling the Heart” 

Join us as we explore how Ya‘akov Avinu’s pledge of ma‘aser
teaches us to crown the mind over the heart, turning even the yetzer hara
into a force for good through the joy of Torah. 

Introduction 

My friends,
as we gather this Shabbat afternoon, I want to take you straight into the heart
of our parashah — Parashat Re’eh based on the teachings of the Shvilei
Pinchas – Rabbi Pinchas Friedman  

The Torah
tells us: 'עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר אֵת כָּל תְּבוּאַת זַרְעֲךָ, הַיּוֹצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה,
שָׁנָה שָׁנָה'

— “You shall surely tithe all the produce of your seed that comes forth from
the field year by year” (דברים יד, כב). The language is striking: עַשֵּׂר
תְּעַשֵּׂר — a double command. Not just “give,” but “give and give again.” 

Chazal in
the Midrash Tanchuma (Re’eh 11) tell us something astonishing: רַבִּי לֵוִי
אוֹמֵר — Yisrael are purified before HaKadosh Barukh Hu through two great
merits: the merit of Shabbat, and the merit of ma‘asrot. 

Think about
that. We often speak about Shabbat as the great purifier of Am Yisrael — the
day that uplifts, the day that sanctifies. But here the Midrash tells us: ma‘aser
— giving a tenth of our produce, our income — has a similar purifying power. 

And then the
Midrash takes us deeper. It connects this mitzvah of tithing to another pasuk
later in Devarim (כו, יא): 'וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּכָל הַטּוֹב, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְךָ
ה’ אֱלֹקֶיךָ' — “And you shall rejoice in all the good that Hashem
your G-d has given you.” 

But wait —
Chazal immediately ask: What is this “טּוֹב” that the Torah speaks of?
And they answer with a principle that reverberates through all of Torah: אֵין
טוֹב אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה — There is no true good except Torah.

As it is written in Mishlei (ד, ב): 'כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם, תּוֹרָתִי
אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ'. 

So here is
the puzzle that sets the stage for our shiur today:

Why does the Torah tie together three seemingly different things — ma‘aser,
simḥah, and Torah?

Why does giving a tenth of our field’s produce connect me to the ultimate joy
of “כָּל הַטּוֹב”?

And why do Chazal insist that this “טוֹב” is not grain, not wine, not wealth —
but only Torah? 

This, my
friends, will be our journey this afternoon. We’re going to take a lesson from
the Zohar and structure this class so that we move from level to level and in a
way travel together through seven halls, or seven heichalot, each one
opening a window into the mystery of עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר, the joy of וְשָׂמַחְתָּ
בְּכָל הַטּוֹב, and the eternal truth that אֵין טוֹב אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה. And along the way, as always, we’ll weave
stories — from the Talmud, the Midrash, the great Chassidic masters — stories
that will bring this journey to life, so that when we walk out of this Beit
Midrash, we don’t just understand the mitzvah of ma‘aser, but we feel it, we
live it, we carry its joy into our homes.