Here we are, after the two weddings. Both grooms with the name “Shalom/Peace.” “Peace, peace, says Hashem to the far and the near. And I will heal him.” A person’s name is not a simple matter. We are privileged to have two grooms with the name “Shalom.” It is a double peace, an external peace and an inner peace. These are awesome mysteries. The Baal Shem Tov says that a person’s name involves awesome mysteries. A person has to live according to his names—he has to know all the ramifications of his name, because that is the root of his soul. This is true of every name, especially a name like “Shalom,” which is also one of Hashem’s Names. “And His Name will be called…Shalom.” Shalom is one of Hashem’s Names.
    Every person has a spiritual root which is in accordance with his name. Everyone has to understand his or her name. A person lives according to his name. All of a person’s vitality—all of the essence of a person’s vitality—is his name, so he has to know to which Tzaddik he is named after. Sometimes, G–d’s Name is a part of a person’s name, as in the case of “Shalom.” “Peace, peace, says Hashem to the far and near, and I will heal him.”
    All types of healing are at a wedding, because one can draw down every type of healing at a wedding. This is concept of the music at the wedding. At a wedding, the ten types of song are revealed—at each and every wedding. Sarah [the name of one of the brides] is related to “sharah,” and the name comes from the root of the word “shirah,” song. This was how it was with Sarah [Rabbi Nachman’s daughter] and Yitzchak, from whom the Rebbe said that Moshiach would descend. Reb Nosson says that every single bride and groom could be worthy of bringing Moshiach, if they only know how to sanctify themselves.
    This is what is written in the Sulam’s commentary on the Zohar, Parshas Vayelech. When king Achaz closed all of the synagogues and study halls, Yeshayahu the prophet came to him and said, “It will not help you! There are children here, and with these children, the redemption will come. These children will bring the redemption to the Jewish people.” The moment that holy and pure children come into the world, they can bring the redemption to the Jewish people.
    In the Zohar, Parshas Vayelech, subsection 35 it explains, “‘This song…’ ‘And those who mock me will be scorned.’ ‘The heavens will reveal his sin, and the earth will exact vengeance of him.’” 
    “And Moshe spoke this song” means that every single stone broke out into song.  When they entered Eretz Yisrael, song burst forth from every single stone. “My secret to me, my secret to me” means that everything is the Tzaddik.  In the Zohar, Parshas Vayelech, subsection 18 it is written, “My secret to me, my secret to me. This is a lofty secret, the holy spirit, woe is me over those who dwell here.”
    Even if we see that the other side is getting stronger, then on the other hand this means that holier children are being born. As the other side gets more powerful, Hashem sends down souls that are greater, souls that can handle it. So Yeshayahu said to Achaz, “You think that you can fight with G–d? The more impurity you bring into the world, the more I, Hashem, will send holier souls down that have the power to get rid of your impurity as easily as if it was dust set flying by the breeze, or a fleeting dream, or a cloud that dissipates in the wind. It says, “My secret to me, my secret to me.” You think that you’ll succeed with your impurity, but the more you intensify the impurity, the holier the souls will be that are born.
    Those Tzaddikim and Tzidkanios that sanctify themselves draw down into these completely dark—these pitch black generations souls that are very great. These souls can drive away all of the impurity in a flash, with a puff of breath from their lips. “Praise to the Tzaddik. Praise to the Tzaddik.” 
    There was “praise to the Tzaddik” coming forth from every single stone. Song came forth from every stone. “From all the corners of the earth, we heard songs. Praise to the Tzaddik, praise to the Tzaddik.” They entered Eretz Yisrael, and they heard praise to the Tzaddik.
    So Yeshayahu took the children. “I and the children that G–d gave me in this, for signs and wonders in Yisrael.” They are now going to bring such holy children into the world; there are now such holy grooms and such holy brides that they can even bring Melech HaMoshiach. For as soon as they sanctify themselves and purify themselves, it is possible to even bring Moshiach. Yeshayahu the prophet took these children—a few young men—and taught them the ways of holiness and purity. 
    In truth, it is possible to hear all of the ten types of melody at a wedding. It comes down from the ten commandments, from the ten Names [of G–d] EHYeH. This is the meaning of the name Sarah, for the bride rules over the entire world. She sings over the entire world—her name is the aspect of song. “And singers and dancers alike will say, ‘All my springs are in You.’” 
    “If your wife is short, bend down to hear her advice.” (Baba Metzia 59a) The advice is to be found by the wife. Hashem said to Avraham, “All that Sarah says to you, hearken to her voice.” The wife understands how to train the children—she understands better than the husband does. She said to him, “Throw Yishmael out of the house.” Listen to her, throw Yishmael out of the house. Listen to her advice.
    The truth is that a G–d fearing woman is the aspect of advice, and advice is specifically to be found with women. Prayer is the aspect of Malchus, and all advice comes from prayer. One prays word by word, letter by letter, then he becomes worthy of receiving all the advice. For prayer is called Malchus, and the woman is the sefirah of Malchus. There are nine sefiros, and the tenth is the sefirah of Malchus. “With ‘this’ (‘zos’ / her) Aharon will approach the Sanctuary.” “Zos” refers to Malchus. “Who is this (“zos”) rising?” (Song of Songs 3:6). “Who together with her is rising?” [This is the Kabbalistic reading of that phrase that indicates the sefirah of Malchus.]
    When prayer is in the aspect of Malchus, meaning that it is said with humility and self–effacedness, “Your wife is short.” This is the aspect of humility. Then the luminary needs to be uplifted. There are two great luminaries. Before the sin, Adam and Chava were the two great luminaries. Adam couldn’t even look Chava in the face, because she shone so brightly. They were the two great luminaries. That is why we say to the bride and groom, [in the marriage blessings] “As your Creator made you rejoice in Gan Eden of old.” For seven days, the couple is in Gan Eden. Now we have to see how it is possible to remain in Gan Eden for the rest of your lives. Seven times Malchus, for seven days, at each festive meal.
    The Eitz Chayim says, “In Gan Eden of old—the two great luminaries.” “Whisper to her”—accept her advice, for prayer ascends when it is spoken in a whisper. The is why the bride is called a “kallah,” as in, “Consume (“kalei”) them in wrath, consume them that they may be no more.” The bride consumes everything; the holy bride destroys all of the other side. This is the concept of techeiles, the aspect of David HaMelech, of the harp of David. “It consumes all, it destroys all.” Holy Malchus nullifies the kingship of the other side, for holy Malchus is revealed at each and every wedding. The bride is the aspect of techeiles, which consumes and destroys everything. This is the meaning of the verse, “All of you (kulchem) are alive today.” The bride is the aspect of techeiles. “David king of Yisrael lives and exists.” This is the bride. The Rebbe is saying a profound new concept here.
    The Rebbe says that the ideas, “It consumes all and destroys all;” “All of you are alive today;” and “David king of Yisrael lives and exists” are all referring to the bride. Each and every bride is the aspect of David, of Moshiach. Each and every bride, “consumes all, and destroys all.” She completely destroys the other side. She is the harp of David—she is the Kinneret. Each and every bride is the techeiles. She is the aspect of David the king of Yisrael, because she longs for Hashem. He soul faints (“kalsa”) for Hashem. “And David’s soul fainted.” Each and every bride, says the Rebbe, is the aspect of, “David king of Yisrael lives and exists.” The moment that one merits a holy bride—we are privileged to have had two such holy weddings—then this is the moment when the entire other side is destroyed. The end has come. The end has come for the entire kingship of the other side. For the holy bride brings the redemption, and she can bring the Moshiach. That is why we say, “Peace, peace, to the far and near said Hashem. And I will heal him.”
    This is similar to that which Rav Moshe Cordovero says, that the Tzaddik draws everything down. All of the flow of spiritual and physical abundance comes from the Tzaddik. He turns fire into water, water into fire, and he draws down all heavenly abundance. 
    As it is written in Melachim. The wife of one of the prophets came and cried to Elisha when the creditor came to take her sons away as slaves. This creditor was Yoram ben Achav—he came to take her two sons as slaves.
Ovadiah hid one hundred prophets, and his wife would bring them oil. She would go from house to house and would collect drops of oil. It isn’t clear how she could possibly have collected enough oil for one hundred men. There were fifty pairs in the cave that needed oil to burn so that they could learn all night long. It was because of her incredible self–sacrifice, her holiness and purity, that the Midrash says that the little oil she collected continued to burn all night long. Measure for measure, she was worthy of having this great miracle done for her.
    “Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant did fear Hashem. And the creditor is come to take my two sons to him for slaves.’ And Elisha said to her, ‘What will I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?’ And she said, “Your handmaid has nothing in the house, except a pot of oil’” (Melachim II 4:1-3).
    The Targum on Melachim tells us, “The wife of one of the students of Eliyahu the prophet came before Elisha saying, ‘Your servant Ovadiah, my husband, died. And you know that your servant did fear Hashem when Izevel killed the prophets.’” After Eliyahu swore that there would be no rain or dew, Izevel went and killed all of the prophets. Those prophets—the religious, destroyers of Israel, haters of Zion! Murderers! They bring famine to the world. Because of them, there’s no food—no bread.
    She gave an order, and slaughtered all the prophets. Only Ovadiah and his wife hid fifty pairs of prophets, altogether one hundred men. He had had a lot of money. Yoram ben Achav went into business with Ovadiah. Yoram was the king’s son. Ovadiah went into business, Yoram ben Achav loaned him a lot of money at high interest rates, and now after Ovadiah died his widow was unable to pay the debt. So he came to take her two sons as slaves.
He spent all his own money providing for the prophets that he had hidden, since he didn’t want to use Achav’s tainted money to provide for their needs. After he was impoverished, Yoram came to take his children away as slaves. So Elisha said to her, “”What will I do for you? Tell me what you have in the house. And she said, “Your handmaid has nothing in the house but a pot of oil.” And he said, “Go and borrow empty vessels from all of your neighbors, and not a few.” The Midrash says, “Vessels, even broken ones.” She should bring every vessel, even those that are broken, and there will be a miracle and they will be made whole. For she used to collect oil every day for the prophets, and that small quantity, just the few drops, of oil miraculously burned the entire night. Hashem now performed a miracle for her involving oil.
    “And when you come in, you shall shut the door upon you and upon your sons, and shall pour out into all those vessels, and you shall set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her, and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, ‘Bring me another vessel.’ And he said to her, ‘There are not any more vessels.’ And the oil stopped flowing. Then she came and told the man of G–d. And he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and live you and your children from the remainder’” (Melachim II 4:4-7).
    In the Yalkut Shimoni, the Midrash says that this is the power of the prophets. Everything comes through the Tzaddik. The Tzaddik can draw down oil, to make something out of nothing. He can make rivers of oil out of a drop. This is what the Biur HaLikutim says, “And a river ran out of Eden.” This is Miriam’s well. Rivers of water flowed out of Miriam’s rock, and all of the wasteland and deserts were transformed into a pool of water—into entire oceans that flowed down into the Mediterranean, into all the seas. It could have been possible to travel along these streams out to every corner of the globe.
    You lacked for nothing for all the forty years that you traveled in the wilderness—you even had jewels and pearls. As they traveled, they were able to follow the waterways that streamed throughout the entire world from Miriam’s well. They were able to get gems and precious stones from every corner of the globe, and return right away.
This is Miriam’s well—this is the river that ran out of Eden. This is the candle, heh. There are five alephs. When they return, then the five alephs shine. The five alephs that are within Binah shine.
    The Rebbe says that at each and every wedding, the five alephs that are within Binah shine—at each and every wedding! These five alephs allude to the Name EHYeH that is within Keter, to EHYeH within Da’as that includes Chochmah and Binah, EHYeH within Tiferes that includes Chessed and Gevurah, EHYeH within Yesod that includes Netzach and Hod, and EHYeH of Malchus. [There are five Names EHYeH, each of which begins with an aleph. Together, they make a single heh.] All five alephs illuminate the holy bride. She has to bring the redemption; she has to bring the Melech HaMoshiach. She is the aspect of David king of Yisrael.
    So the groom must illuminate her. The job of the groom is to draw down the five EHYeHs. Because, until now, the bride was called a maiden (“na’arah” spelled without the final heh). But now she receives the heh. This is the river that flows out of Eden. This is the candle. This is Miriam’s river. These are the five alephs. From the five alephs, a river flows out, a candle comes out. It becomes a river by virtue of the five alephs.
    This is what the Rebbe explains in Likutei Moharan I:32, “Binah, the heart.” They raise the bride until the heart. They raise her to such a high level that she can bring the redemption to the Jewish people. She can protect all of the Jewish people. A single woman can protect the entire Jewish people! Particularly when you see such dismal generations, then one woman is enough to protect the entire Jewish people. One woman who purifies and sanctifies herself, who collects oil so that scholars can learn Torah, such a woman can protect all of the Jewish people. She protects all of the Jewish people and she cancels all of the evil decrees.
    So the Rebbe says that it is through the lips, “Hashem open my lips and my mouth will speak Your praise.” Binah—the heart—raises the bride to the heart. “And you turned their hearts backward.” Eliyahu was supposed to uplift everyone, to uplift everyone to the heart, and afterward to Keter within Keter. Before this, the Jewish people were in the spiritual state called “back to back,” but he raised them up to Keter within Keter. That was how he nullified the decrees that were on them. Everyone cried out, “Hashem is G–d! Hashem is G–d!”
    And the judgments on the bride have to be sweetened so that they will then become the holy name ADNY—five times ADNY is equal to the gematria of the word “na’arah” / a maiden (written with the heh) who is fit to unite with her mate. When Yaakov married Leah, they were dancing and singing “Hai Lai” to hint to him that it was really Leah. “For in my heart, I secreted Your words.” One must draw down the five alephs that are within Binah, and that is the secret of the holy bride that protects the entire generation. She protects all of the Jewish people.
    And this is what Rav Abba said in the name of Rav Maneh, that were it not for the merit of the wife of Ovadiah, and the self–sacrifice of Ovadiah…She hid the students. If Izevel had known, she would have killed them. And she merited collecting oil from house to house. “Who are you collecting for?” “I hid some prophets!” She tells them the truth, “There are a few prophets that I hid, so make sure that you give me more than just a drop.” And everyone co–operated with her. They could have informed on her and she would have had to sacrifice her life.
    She reached such a level of self–sacrifice, that even though it was the generation of Achav and of Yoram his son, when every hill had idols erected on it, her merit protected the entire generation. Hashem didn’t bring Sancheriv or someone like him. The Jewish people continued to exist nearly another two hundred years in the merit of Ovadiah’s wife. If it hadn’t been for her, the Jewish people would have been finished, for it was only this worthy woman that saved the Jewish people. If it hadn’t been for Ovadiah’s wife, G–d forbid, the Jewish people could have gotten lost completely. And that is a single woman, a single, solitary woman!
    A single, solitary woman and there was no one who could compare to her. She alone saved the Jewish people and canceled all of the heavenly decrees despite the fact that all of Yisrael was serving idolatry, all except for a handful of prophets. She merited this through the oil that she collected drop by drop. She also experienced a miracle, that the oil burned until morning, because of this. And this was deep inside a cave, where the oil had to burn all twenty–four hours of the day. They were deep inside the cave. They were fifty pairs of scholars. They went maybe one hundred, two hundred, three hundred—who knows how many—meters into this cave. It was pitch black there, and the oil had to burn a full twenty–four hours. All the oil that she collected would burn until she arrived with more. In the merit of this, she was privileged to have her children live from the excess until the resurrection of the dead.
    We will bring the Melech HaMoshiach through every groom and bride, and we will bring the resurrection of the dead, and we will build the Temple speedily and in our days, instantly. Amen.
 

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