Rebbe Nachman's Torah

31: 16 God said to Moses, "Behold, you will lie with your fathers. Then this nation will rise up and stray after the gods of the non-Jewish nations of the lands into which they are coming. They will abandon Me and annul My covenant that I made with them

Behold, you will lie with your fathers, and rise

The construction of the Hebrew verse Hinkha shokheiv im avotekha ve-kam (הנך שכב עם אבתיך וקם, behold, you will lie with your fathers, and rise) hints at the Future Resurrection.

God was telling Moses that as soon as he "lay down" (i.e., passed away), he would "rise," because tzaddikim merit to an immediate resurrection to eternal life (Likutey Halakhot II, p. 215a).

The Resurrection is called “standing”or "rising." At that time, all will arise and not fall again (ibid., I, p. 92a).

31: 17 "My anger will burn against them on that day and I will desert them. I will hide My face from them and they will become prey. On that day, when they experience many evils and troubles, they will say, 'These troubles have come upon me because God is no longer with me.'"

I will hide My face from them and they will become prey

When God hides His Countenance, a person’s gluttonous desires increase, he falls under the influence of the forces of nature, and he does not see Divine Providence (Likutey Moharan I, 31: 9).

I will hide My face from them and they will become prey

Ve-hayah le-ekhol (they will become prey) literally means "they will be food." Thus,this verse can be understood as follows

" I will hide My face from them"—

when God conceals his face, He conceals Divine Favor and love for the Jewish and allows the attribute of judgment to reign .people Why does He do this? Because "they will be food"— since the Jews have not broken their desire for eating and instead behave like gluttons, they bring judgment upon themselves (Likutey Moharan I, 47: 1 ) .

I will hide My face from them and they will become prey

When a person’s eating is blemished , he loses his own spiritual countenance, as well as the ability to discern God’s Countenance (Likutey Moharan I, 67: 2 ) .

These troubles have come upon me because God is no longer with me

When one doesn’t feel God within himself, he will feel the troubles that overtake him (Likutey Halakhot II, p. 252 ) .

Because God is not within me

Ein Elohai be-kirbi (because God is no longer with me) may also be translated as "because God is not within me." When God is hidden from man, man does not feel His presence and experiences his suffering alone. But when he finds God within himself, he is fortunate, for he experiences God even while he experiences pain (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 342