Filed under: The Guide
Rabbenu Bachyah teaches us that he who acts with a faithful heart and pure soul his understanding will be illuminated. He will see the road to all high excellencies and the evil inclination will have no way to reach and seduce him. He will have the status of one treasured by God. There will be formed within him a new and unusual supernatural force, allowing him to partake of a permanent joy in this world and the next. Every hidden subject will become clear in his mind, and he will behold the true form of things with open eyes. The gate of high degrees will be open to him; the curtain between this person and the Creator’s wisdom will be rolled away, yielding divine vision. The exalted Creator will bestow Divine power on such a person. All this is the Glory of the Holy Exalted One. This is the good He bestows on His creatures, those who choose to come close to His Throne of Glory.
But it seems here we need to bring to mind the words of Rabbi Shimson Raphael Hirsch, who teaches that when a man endeavors to carry out not the will of God but solely his own he no longer has an eye for the Law of the All-One Whom all creatures serve. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches that when one sets out to serve God, One does not feel any accomplishments; one feels their worship is dry and life-less.
This will help take you there :
one should review his activities daily, seeing where he falls short of his potential and areas in which innovations may aid his divine service, as in the example given in the writing of our teacher Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, telling of one bringing the first fruits to the Temple. Of course, he chooses only the best fruits, he has an ox pulling a wagon bringing the fruit, the ox is adorned with gold on its horns and an olive wreath upon its head. The fruits themselves sit in a fine gold box. In a like manner we should learn to perfect each commandment that we perform.
Rebbe Nachman teaches us to make sure our days are very long. With each new day make sure the time is longer, fuller, richer with added holiness. Expand the days, filling them with more holiness and purity. In this way we will be perfectly united with our Creator in a revealed way, as it is explained in the Tanya of Rebbe Shneur Zalman, that the commandments are the inwardness of His Blessed Will without any concealment of the countenance whatsoever. The vitality that is in them is in no way a separate and independent thing but is united and absorbed in His Blessed Will, and they are truly one in a perfect union.
Just like it is written :
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of horns, a holy gathering.”
This is clearly His Blessed Will without any concealment of the countenance whatsoever.
Each commandment must be done with vitality. It must be an act lighted by inner devotion. This gives it wings. We must seek atonement for the wicked, as the Holy One does not yet want to destroy them. By doing so harsh decrees are nullified and gates of blessings are opened.
The Malbim teaches that to the extent a man possesses kedushah (Holiness) he surpasses nature; with the help of Divine Providence he achieves the goal. The sages describe the true descendants of Abraham as bashful, merciful, and benevolent. These traits are our true nature, and those we need to cultivate-but to bring the Divine Providence into being in this world, as spoken of above, we must surpass our natural endowment of these traits and others. Concerning surpassing our natures, Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai in the Midrash explains that love upsets the natural order, as Abraham got up early to offer Yitzhak, going against his natural inclination to sleep, so his providence is above the natural order.5 With a great love we can surpass all bounds, revealing holiness in even the lowest places.
But please beware: Just as love can break all bounds, selfishness and lack of understanding can cause equally great damage, as Rebbenu Bachyah teaches in Duties of the Heart- that the evil inclination beguiled us to neglect the cultivation of this world, depart from the way of our forefathers, and instead see life as an opportunity for hoarding and a time to increase in the wealth of this world till they sank deep into the sea. Everyone did what he saw his neighbor do. One who took from this world only what was sufficient for him was called an idler. It was said of one who delayed to increase what he had that his action fell short. One who was content with what was needed for him was regarded as a weakling. People went astray in the depth of folly and turned to the coarseness of idleness instead of being eager to serve God. Rebbenu Bachyah concludes that even among the religious people of today the evil inclination has gone as far as described here.6
Duties of the Heart 2:17.
Ibid. 2:279.
Rabbi Nachman’s Stories 37.
Path of the Just.
Advice
. Tanya 159
Malbim parsha Lech lacha
Midrash Rabba Bereshith
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When a man performs one precept the Holy One, blessed is He, gives him an angel to his charge: if he performs many precepts, He gives him half his camp.44
Rabbi Chaninah ben Avohu teaches, concerning man’s angels, that God provides each man one thousand angels to his left and ten thousand to his right. He must sustain them, but they do not request that he feed them.45 If one brings divinity into the Earth through Torah and mitzvot (commandment), then the angels are nourished,s and then, the sages say, the Torah guards those who possess it. 46 God gives each of us potential, but it is left for each of us to develop, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi teaches: man can be saved by the Holy One as a beast; or as Rabbi Eliezer ben Menachem teaches: the righteous have an Eden for themselves.47 As a reward for one’s religious duties and righteous deeds, God renews His countenance.48 Concerning renewal, Rabbi Nachman teaches that just as the moon is constantly renewed, so are we by the month and year constantly. When one perfects the concept of renewal, this is the root of memory.49 Rabbi Chananya ben Gamliel teaches that if one performs a mitzvah his soul is granted him,50 and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai teaches that as long as man refrains from sin he is an object of awe and fear. 51 With the renewal of the righteous, his soul is granted to him. That which was concealed is revealed, thus raising him in the creation toward becoming the awesome image of which he was created, taking his proper place in the scheme of creation. As the sages teach, the Torah was given in the wilderness, which is neither sown nor tilled, so if one accepts the yoke of Torah, he is relieved of the yoke of earning a living. Just as one is not charged taxes for growing crops in the wilderness, so scholars are free men in this world. 52
It is even taught that if one carefully observes the commandments, even the ones that seem less important, a curse cannot arise upon him. for he is like the Shechinah, their names being merged.53 Concerning the effect of this unity, Rabbi Yashi teaches in the Zohar, the righteous are as kings united to their thrones that He sets forever and remain established to rule over the world. 54 These things may be hidden from the eyes of some now, but Rashi explains that there will come a time when the Holy One will reveal His love. People will learn Torah from His mouth; their position will be higher than that of the Ministering Angels. 55 They will enjoy the Light of the blessed Ain Sof, as explained by Rabbi Schneur Zalman in the Tanya, that by the fulfillment of the commandments a makif (surrounding) light, being an efflux from the Essence of the Light of the blessed Ain Sof (Infinite Divine light), radiates as a garment for the ten sefirot of the worlds of Atzilus, Briah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. Eventually this radiance unites itself with the Ohr P’nimi (Internal Light). This is called the unification of HaKodesh Baruch Hu (God) and his Shechinah (Presence at any given time in the world). From this makiff (surrounding) garment is made in the upper and lower Gan Eden (garden of Eden) for the Nefesh, Ruach, and Nashamah (Levels of soul ) of man, enabling him to attain pleasure, appreciation, and illumination of the light of the blessed Ain S0f56 Further, concerning this illumination, Rabbenu Bachyah teaches in Duties of the Heart that when you act with a faithful heart and pure soul, your understanding will be illuminated. You will see the road to all high excellencies. The evil inclination will have no way to reach and seduce you. You will have the status of those treasured by God. There will be formed within you a new and unusual supernal force. You will partake of permanent joy in your world here and the next. Every hidden secret will become clear in your eyes. The gate of high degrees will be open to you. The curtain between you and the Creator’s Wisdom will be rolled away, yielding Divine Vision. The exalted Creator will give you Divine Power. 57
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Kallah Rabbati 54b.
-
Midrash Rabba Shemot 30: 18.
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Ibid. Bamidbar 11: 1.
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Ibid. Shemot 32:6.
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Ibid. Bamidbar 12:3.
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Ibid. Shemot 33:6.
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Ibid. Vayikra 27: 1.
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Ibid. 28: 1.
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Rabbi Nachman’s Stories 365.
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Midrash Rabba Bamidbar 5:4.
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Ibid. 11 :3.
-
Ibid. 19:26.
-
Ibid. 20:21.
-
Zohar 1: 164a.
-
Rashi Bamidbar.
56.Tanya 397.
57.Duties of the Heart 2:279
Rabbi Levi teaches that students of Torah impose their will on the upper (Angels) and lower beings when they are living in purity 34 taking part in the creation, as Rabbi Yehoshua of Saknin teaches that the supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, sat and took counsel with the righteous before creating the world.35 Even in the beginning the righteous were taking an active part in the forming of the creation.
Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Meir that the Holy One says to Israel, “Follow My oath and I shall make you like the Heavenly Hosts” 36 This all helps us to understand how Rabbi Yehuda states in the Zohar that the B’nei Elokim (Sons of God; see Genesis 6:2) are the Great Beth Din (Supernal Court).37
Not only in this world does one find a place in the unfolding of Heaven from the Torah; all the more so in the World to Come. We learn from Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish that in the World to Come a porter will not dwell with a Torah scholar. Only like craftsmen dwell together and there are infinite levels of each type of craftsman. 38 As the sages teach in tractate Avot d’Rabbi Nathan, if two men dye a fabric in the same vat, the one who is greater in righteousness gets a deeper color. He even enjoys his food more. 39 This is because, as our sages explain, the Holy Blessed One does not deprive any creature of its reward. Whoever labors with self-sacrifice will get his reward.4o The more one gives to God, sacrificing himself beyond his own nature, the more God will have nature itself favor him-even above the laws of nature, if needed. All is in His control to do as He sees fit. We know, as is taught in tractate Kallah Rabbati, that the Torah that is acquired through forty-eight distinctions crowns its owner with health to the flesh and bones, peace to the heart, life with honor, protection, and the World to Come,41 but the actual benefits with which the Creator rewards His creatures are too diversified to number because of His infinite nature.
In the Midrash, Rabbi Meir teaches us that God gave the Torah to the Elders of Israel, just as the Sanhedrin sits before Him on high. The sages teach also in the Midrash that all who direct their courses forthrightly in His Presence shall be among the men in His council 42 The Torah is the Law of God by which He rules over Heaven and earth. Like the Beth Din below, the one above is ruled from God’s Torah. The holders of the Torah, the ones who hold the Tree of Life, are, as Rabbi Meir says, the Sanhedrin above.43 The spiritual forces become subjugated by such a man, as the sages state:
When a man performs one precept the Holy One, blessed is He, gives him an angel to his charge: if he performs many precepts, He gives him half his camp.44
Rabbi Chaninah ben Avohu teaches, concerning man’s angels, that God provides each man one thousand angels to his left and ten thousand to his right. He must sustain them, but they do not request that he feed them.45 If one brings divinity into the Earth through Torah and mitzvot, then the angels are nourished, and then, the sages say, the Torah guards those who possess it.
This is very deep stuff some explanation of this text will follow, there is a lot to say..
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Ibid. Song of Songs 1 :2.
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Midrash Rabba Bereshith 8:7.
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Ibid. Song of Songs 2:7.
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Zohar Pinchat.
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Bechorot 31 b.
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Avot D’Rabbi Nathan 32a.
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Midrash Rabba Bamidbar 12:9.
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Kallah Rabbati 54b.
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Midrash Rabba Shemot 30: 18.
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Ibid. Bamidbar 11: 1.
-
Ibid. Shemot 32:6.
-
Ibid. Bamidbar 12:3.
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Filed under: hell-Gehenom, The Guide | Tags: Eternal life, secrets in Spirituality
Sorry for the spacing but it would not go away
It cannot be expressed enough how transient our stay in this world is,
People live their days in this world like they are going to be here forever, but this is just not the case their body will eventually be left to rot in the ground. You “soul” is the “real” you so you better learn to live with it . As you body wont take you to far.
We can view a bit of this knowledge from the teaching of our sages in tractate Horayot-that a scholar takes precedence over a king of Israel. If a scholar dies, there is no one to replace him, but any in Israel can be king.25 We can see that the highest position in this physical world, that of being king, is of no value. The only thing that should be of concern is a concern of the soul.
It is the “Divine knowledge” of the wise man that lives forever, this directs his upright kind behavior. A Holy wise man who can call forth mercy from heaven is more valuable to the world then a king who is not a wise man, See how Moses so many times saved thousands of lives in the Bible by evoking Mercy. Many times the God makes a decree as he wants prayer from those who are below. Again if you dont ask you may not get.
Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yochanan both teach that the Torah was given in forty days and the soul is formed in forty days, so that whoever keeps the Torah, his soul is kept; whoever does not, his soul is not kept, as is taught in tractate Menachot. 26
The soul is formed in the first 40 days a fetus is in the womb, before this it has no permanence in the body. So to to receive Torah (Divine Awareness) takes a considerable amount of effort and time. People can lose their soul in the next world if they pay no attention to its needs in this world.
This physical-spiritual interdependence is further clarified in the teaching of Elijah the Prophet, from whom we learn that if a man reads the Five Books of Moses, the Prophets, the Writings, Halachah (Law), Midrash (mystical writings,secrets of the Torah), and attends to the business of the yeshivah (house of Spiritual study), showing less concern for the business of the marketplace, the Holy One will say this world and the World to Come will be Mine and yours together, the Temple will be Mine and yours together.27 These things the Holy One wishes to share with us, as Rabbi Yitzchak teaches in tractate Menachot that men lure each other from the way of life to the way of death, but the Holy Blessed One lures one from death to life, out of the narrow mouth of Gehenom (hell), its mouth being so narrow to keep the smoke in though it is deep and large.28
again we can not stress how insignificant our stay in this world is, if you don’t recognize the work of your soul while you are here. Not only do you have to learn to connect to the source of your soul above to drawn down divine energy for the betterment of the world ,but also for you own personal growth. To reveal your higher soul powers you know not of. But here we are informed that mouth of Hell, its mouth being so narrow to keep the smoke in though it is deep and large. This is telling us that the way to hell is not always obvious. One must be careful where they walk, their path could God forbid take them down. Know Hell is like a washing machine, every one goes there for no more than 11 months. Then a choice is made whether the soul requires physical incarnation again or will they stay in the upper worlds. Hell is said to be large as there are many damages one can do to themselves. Do not turn your life into a living hell !
The deliverance from Gehenom (Hell) is not the only reward of the Torah, as it says: “Tables of Fatness.” When a man has right conduct and study of the Five Books to his credit, he is given one angel. If he has the Five Books, Prophets, and Writings to his credit, he is given two angels to guard him. When one has all these and also Mishnah, Midrash, Halachah, and Aggadah, and puts himself under the guidance of the sages, the Holy One Himself keeps watch over him, as is taught by Elijah the Prophet.29
These spiritual forces we inherit influence our lives and will give you insight, but this requires great refinement.
All these supernal gifts and much more than can be described are the good for the righteous, but even on the physical level, Rabbi Shimon ben Akashiya tells us in tractate Kinnim the intellect of uninstructed people becomes distracted as they age, while this is not so with scholars of Torah: the older they get, the more their minds become composed. With aged men there is wisdom and understanding in length of days.30
This is so as they connect to the source of their soul’s supernal intellect. Much like how Samson in the Bible had supernal strength.
In the Book of Lamentations, the Prophet states, ”Arise, cry out in the night at the beginning of the watches; God will see Thee” (Lam. 2: 19-20). Concerning this, Rabbi Chayah teaches us in
tractate Tamid that for one who learns Torah at night, the Shechinah faces him. The disciples of the wise increase peace in the world,31 and this increase of peace is not only from His inward peace, which is a treasure in and of itself, but, as Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel explains in tractate Avot-d’Rabbi Nathan,whoever makes peace in his house, the Torah ascribes to him as though he has made peace for every individual. Each person is a king in
his own home.32Concerning the Crown of Torah, Rabbi Abba ben Surangeya teaches that from much Torah study, God will remove your evil passions and you will hear good tidings, you will become a Angel.33
In the next world.
Sanhedrin 90b 92a, 2a,Avodah Zarah 3b,Horayot 13a.,Menachot 99b,Tanna d’Bei Eliyahu Zuta, ch. 14,Menachot 99b,Tanna d’Bei Eliyahu Rabbah. ch. 18,Kinnim 25a,Tamid 32b.,Avot d’Rabbi Nathan 28a,Midrash Rabba Bamidbar 14:4.
We also learn concerning the treasure of this repleteness and its value over the things of this world, in tractate Bava Batra, from the words of King Menaboz: ”My fathers gathered for this world, I gathered for the next; my fathers gathered treasures of money, I gathered treasures of souls,” 19
One who lives for the spiritual, working on himself developing the powers of his soul and helping others making the world a better place, doing the will of the God will find great “ repleteness” , Treasure in the world which is to come. When he comes to that world all those souls he helped will be to his credit before the Supernal court and the God.
But one must not believe that the benefits the Master bestows on His servants are only in the next world, which does abound with treasure, if one fulfills Divine Will. Yet Rabbi Avdimi of Heafi teaches that since the day the Temple was destroyed, prophecy has been taken from the prophets and given to the wise.2o
That right, powers of Divine revelation in the form of “intuition”, creative inspiration visions dreams and of course unique divine providence will come to visit you ! Prophesy will return with the coming of the Messiah.
In Deuteronomy it states: ”You who cleave to God are alive this day.”
In tractate Sanhedrin it is explained that just as you are alive today so shall you be in the World to Come.21 This cleaving to the Holy One is life, as it states in the Song of Songs: ”love as strong as death”; just as you are alive today so shall you be in the World to Come.
The desires which you develop in this world are what you take with you to the next so make sure these desires you can act upon if you do not have a physical body. Make all your desires those of you soul.
This idea of assuming our position in this world as in the World to Come is as Rabbi Sheshbesh’s teaching that whoever teaches Torah in this world will do so in the next-and again this teaching does not only prepare us for the World to Come but. as Rabbi Elazar teaches, every teacher that leads his community with mildness in this world shall lead them in the next.22
So in this world be a kind caring person
The sages teach that each good deed we do will testify for us in the World to Come. 23 At that time the Holy One, blessed is He, shall take the sun from its sheath and from this the righteous will be healed, but this shall be punishment to the wicked. as we learn from Rabbi Shimon Ben Lakish in tractate Avodah Zarah. 24
16.Bava Kamma 17a.
17.Bava Metzia 88b.
18.Bava Batra lOa
19.Ibid. lla.
20.Ibid. 12a.
21.Sanhedrin 90b.
22.Ibid. 92a.
- 23.Ibid. 2a.
- 24.Avodah Zarah 3b
By the study of the Torah the world is brought into proper order, as Rabbi Chayah teaches; when the Torah is observed and studied in the world, the foundations of the world are consolidated.11
As the world is continually being created animated from emanations of energy of its letters.
The judgments that come to the world become mitigated by the mercy of the Holy One. Rabbi Chayah further teaches that whoever concentrates deeply in the Torah sustains the world. As it was from the Torah that God created the world, so man by looking into the Torah sustains it. Hence the Torah is the cause of the world’s creation and also the power that maintains its existence. Blessed is he who is devoted to the Torah, as he is a preserver of the world. 12
Rabbi Yose teaches concerning the twelve properties of the Torah that inequity can be purged even without sacrifices of flesh but with words of Torah. Even if punishment is already decreed against one, it can be annulled. Words of Torah can purify those who are unclean. He who studies Torah is first purified and then sanctified. 13
In simplicity word of the “covenant” , its love nullifies the evil we bring up on the world and ourselves by our stupidity and errors. The words of Torah arouse the Divine Love and mercy then does prevail. Mercy has many ways, sometimes we don’t understand.
Ultimately, one who is near to the king is ever in joy, free from sorrow and depression.14 This is because the Shechinah (the Divine Presence) finds a home in the land only through Torah and finds a home above only through Torah. 15
The Truth of the Torah is found in many places as the Tao , Plato and of course the Bible. But outside of The Torah one must sort the “wheat” from the Chaff.
By making a home for the Shechinah, one brings oneself under the protection of Divine Providence. It is also taught by Rabbi Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, in tractate Bava Kamma, that whoever is involved with Torah study and acts of righteousness is worthy of the inheritance of two tribes, represented by the ox, this being our forebear, Joseph the Tzaddik (righteous); and the donkey, this being the tribe of Issachar. 16 This shows us that if one decides to direct his path in Torah study and righteousness, he can merit these at their highest level. It is known that Joseph perfected the trait known as righteousness, or in Hebrew tzedek, so he is known as Yoseph HaTzaddik, while the tribe of Issachar were known to dedicate all their time to Torah study as the tribe of Zevulun worked, raising money to support them in this venture. So the heights of Torah study and righteousness are an inheritance waiting for those who seek it. Concerning reaching the goal of this inheritance, Rabbi Yirmiyahu teaches, in tractate Bava Metzia, that he who humbles oneself for the Torah in this world is magnified in the next; one who makes himself a servant to Torah learning in this world is free in the next. 17
He lives in both worlds.
From here we see that it is humility that will allow us to bow before the will of God, fulfilling the Holy One’s desire in every moment like Yoseph, and the study of the Torah is like that of Issachar, a full-time occupation. So one must be a servant to his learning; this is how the inheritance is earned. Being a servant to the Torah means, as Rabbi Nachman ben Yitzchak teaches in tractate Bava Batra, that students who banish sleep from their eyes in this world the Holy One invites to a feast with repleteness of the Shechinah in the World to Come. 18
They are not like that of this world, that is why they are up when others sleep
11.Zohar 2: 155b.
12.Ibid. 2: 161a.
13.Ibid. 3:80b.
14.Ibid. 3:221a.
15.Ibid. 3:268a
16.Bava Kamma 17a.
17.Bava Metzia 88b.
18.Bava Batra lOa
Rabbi Banah teaches that whoever occupies themself with the Torah (The Infinite Spirituality of God) for its own sake, his learning becomes an elixir of life as it states in the holy proverbs of King Solomon: “It is a Tree of Life for those who hold fast to her”l (Proverbs 3: 18). Not only is the Torah (The Infinite Spirituality of God) life for one who meditates upon it, but it gives life to the whole world, as the sages teach us : “If you recite Torah, you do a good deed for the world, for if it were not for the Torah the world long ago would have been reduced to a state of primeval waste and desolation.”2 This notion is further clarified in the teaching of Elijah the Prophet, as he makes known that from the Holy One’s Presence every day angels of destruction come down intending to destroy the whole world and everyone in it. If it were not for the places of prayer and houses of study in which People sit and occupy themselves with the Torah, these angels would have at once destroyed the world and its people.3
Meditation on Torah arouses the love of God, by this Judgments that have been evoked are nullified. Not always though some times God uses these Judgments for the betterment of the world. At other time the force of the love of God evoked changes the nature of the world at a future time.
Know, the spiritual gifts earned by one spiritual works for the most part now are concealed. This is the nature of the providence guiding the world now. There will come a time in the future when the full power of all the Divine works will be revealed, all in the world will be surprised.
It is the light brought forth from the Torah that repels the severe judgments of heaven. Each little thing toward this end that we do has lasting effect, as our sages teach us a good deed never ceases to reappear in one’s house.4
The impression of its energy is there forever, it is always benefiting those present. Many times in ways presently unseen.
More insight into the impact of Torah is found in the teachings of Rabbi Elazar in the Holy Zohar, as we learn there that Torah gives life and freedom in this world and adeptness in the World to Come, earning its devotees fullness of days. 5
By Meditation on these Divine thoughts, it is like one lives in 2 worlds as the Torah is really not from this world.
Also in the Zohar, Rabbi Chayah teaches that whoever labors in the Torah upholds the world and enables each part to perform its function, and the whole world is as one organic body.6
Everything is more connected than we know !, again some times the results may not appear immediately or as we may expect but keep up the good work as its effect are so far reaching.
This is especially true in our time in this dark exile from Divinity, as Elijah taught Rabbi Chayah: “As long as the sages cling to the Torah, even if Jerusalem is fallen, the evil has no dominion over them.”7 But aside from the benefits Torah provides this world, for the immortal soul, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai teaches, he who has not laid up provisions for the journey from this world will have nothing to eat in the other world.8 In both worlds the spiritual and the physical Torah is the elixir of life, as Rabbi Yitzchak teaches; the Torah was given in fire and darkness so that those who study and occupy themselves in it are spared from the fire Of Gehenom (hell) and the darkness of exile.9 And specifically Rabbi Shimon teaches that if a man wakes at night to study the Torah, the Torah makes known to him his sin not through chastisement, but as a mother who gently chides her son. 10
Build that “intimate” relationship with the God.
1Taanit 7a.
2Midrash Rabba Devarim 8: 15
3. Tanna d’Bei Eliyahu 432.
4. Midrash Rabba Shemot 4:2.
5. Zohar 1:131b.
6. Ibid. 1: 134b.
7. Ibid. 1:151b.
8. Ibid. 1: 196b.
9. Ibid. 2:83b.
10. Ibid. 3:23b.
Filed under: other dimensions, Renewal, Running and Returning-Ratzo v Shuv, teshuva, The Guide, Transformational Experience
How can one not feel shame and loathe past behavior when he realizes, as taught by Rabbi Chaim Volozhin in Nefesh HaChaim, that each transgression causes damage in the upper worlds. The level of one’s understanding determines the extent of damage that results.13 Obviously an unlearned unintentional sinner14 does less damage than the sin of a holy man who has revealed the essence of his soul, because at that level, Heaven forbid, from his transgression the damage begins, affecting many worlds, while the unintentional sinner was only acting with his animal soul so the damage is less widespread.
This is one reason it is difficult to ascend into Holiness, to reveal the higher powers of your soul. One who only has a Nefesh, his sin only damages in peoples “animal souls”. If one acquires their Ruach, they by sin can damage the flow of Divine abundance going to Ruchot “the emotional soul”. If a man acquires his Nashama “Soul of Divine intellect”, he can damage the way people think by his errors, God forbid. Such a man by his foolish thoughts can lead many astray by the power of their thoughts and their words.
Rebbe Nachman teaches that in order to avoid temptation one must direct his mind away from the object of his desire completely; he must not confront the desire at all. Nor should he speak, think, or wonder about it; he should totally avoid letting his thoughts confuse him. 15 This applies to the unlearned man, but the scholar all the more so, so that he does not defile his intellect with impure thought; he should turn to the Torah and meditate upon it, putting sin out of mind.
In the prophecy of Ezekiel, it says: “The Chayot ran and returned” (Ezek. 1: 14). The sages say that this running is entering into holiness, contemplation of the divine, and returning is descending back to the more physical level. We too,
12.Tanya 155.
13.Nefesh HaChaim..
14.Rabbi Nachman’s Stories 21.
15.Duties of the Heart 295.
when faced with temptation, can run, approaching God and freeing ourselves from the temptation, and when we return we’re in a different place. King Solomon is talking about this running in the Song of Songs when he says, “Draw me and I will run after thee; the king has brought me into his inner chambers” (Songs 1: 4). Elijah the Prophet explains this as meaning that the Holy One has an innermost sanctum in the innermost chambers of the Torah that he has composed, so the disciples of the wise, each and every one of them, have an innermost sanctum in the innermost chambers of the Torah. If you see afflictions creeping up nearer and nearer to you, run to words deep within the Torah, and afflictions will at once flee from you as Isaiah teaches, “Come my people, enter into thy chambers … until the indignation is past” (Is. 26:20).
There are many Holy places to go to with your soul!
This idea of running and returning also applies in the physical sense, as it is known that wandering causes humility and a lowly spirit fitting for teshuvah(returning to God) . The breaking of arrogance of spirit by wandering is like the decomposition of a seed before it begins to grow; likewise in spiritual growth the ego must be broken so that divinity may permeate. The breaking of the seed coat from sprouting of Godly revelation can be difficult to handle at times but one must always remember, as the Malbim teaches, that all precious things together cannot compare with the survival of the soul, which is the end purpose of man and of his hopes. 16 It is taught, in tractate Magilla, that snow is good for mountains, heavy rain good for trees, gentle rain for fruits of the field, and drizzling rain to seeds under a hard clod. A young scholar is like a seed under a hard clod; once he has sprouted he soon shoots forth. A scholar is inflamed by the Torah, and should be as hard as iron that can break a rock into many pieces. When the young
16.Malbim parsha Chayah Sarah
scholar’s seed coat is breaking and he finds it difficult, let him become inflamed by the Torah and his difficulties will be as nothing, as he is then as hard as the iron that breaks rock. From becoming inflamed by the Torah one can see, as Rebbe Nachman teaches, that there is always rejoicing in the Holy One’s presence-so even if one falls one must remain happy. Whenever a person falls it is for the sake of ultimately elevating them further; when a person remains happy he will eventually reach the higher level. 17 And one should never despair no matter how bad the situation may look, for as Rabbi Avraham teaches in his book Meditation of the Sad Soul when God is angry with those that fear Him He punishes them in a natural way, but when He delivers them He employs wonders and supernatural means. 18
We are talking about a complete transformational experience here. It is and will be dramatic. But by this “reassembly” you will become purified and refined, you can acquire the higher levels of your Soul your Ruach, Nashama, Chayah and Revelation of Yachida.
17.Rabbi Nachman’s Stories 355.
18.Meditation of the Sad Soul 91.
It is a matter of the lower animal desires being subdued by divine inspiration, as it is explained by Rabbenu Bachyah, that ultimate submission to God arises from an inward urge in the mind that is innate in the nature of the human being, whose body and soul are joined together. Such a one is induced- to follow the Torah by reason, and reaches the
8. Malbim parsha Bereshith.
9. Malbim parsha Chayah Sarah.
degrees of the prophets and the elect of the supernal and the pious. His recompense here on earth is joy in the sweetness of the service of God , and in the world to come the highest illumination, which we are unable to picture or describe. The urge of the Torah is a revelation from God . 10 Concerning this inward urge, revelation from God , Rebbenu Bachyah further explains that to reach the stage where one is drawn to the service of God by the intellectual urge, one must realize the Creator has implanted in the mind to esteem truth; detest falsehood; chase righteousness; avoid injustice; requite benefactors with good deeds, expressing gratitude; punish and condemn the wicked; and keep peace with all human beings, acting beneficially towards them and forgiving transgressors when they repent. 11
Comprehending the idea of spirituality creates a love for the Holy One by revealing the righteous intellectual urge spoken of above, but we must be careful in our search for truth as misconceptions can, Heaven forbid, separate us from Divine inspiration as our thoughts lead us astray. It is explained that Adam made a mistake of this nature. He believed that by eating the fruit of knowledge he would be endowed with the evil inclination, making it more difficult to serve God . and thus believed this service. since it was a greater trial, would be more pleasing to his Creator. What he did not realize was the complete impact this act would have upon his overall perception. Of course intellectualization alone is not enough to ascend to holiness, especially in these later days. In the past the keys for ascending into holiness were known. but in these later generations few know those ways so the locks must be broken with the inner devotion of a broken heart.
10.Duties of the Heart 199-207.
11.Ibid. 233.
But do not be mistaken: One should not be depressed or sad, as this keeps one from divinity. Rebbe Shneur Zalman explains that a person should consider himself shameful and loathsome from a contrite heart and humbled spirit, while at the very same time he should be joyful; the shame is an aspect of the animal soul while the joy is from his divine soul. 12
Filed under: Controlling one's passions, Holy deviation, Holy Pleasure, The Guide
We need to set boundaries upon our desires so that we desire only permissible things. The rest is out of the picture and as inconceivable as a king wanting his son to marry a thieving harlot. Rebbenu Bachyah teaches that one may train himself through abstinence to see things that are forbidden to us but desirable to most, such as eating forbidden foods and improper sexual relations-things people are usually fond of doing-can become no longer a temptation but actually abhorrent to them, as repulsive as eating mice7 -resulting in the total abandonment of desire for and instead disgust of transgression. The hatred of evil is the revelation of the will of Hashem. Ultimately, we must reach the level of soul of man called Yechida. To reveal Yechida one must depart from the corporeal matters that one is immersed in, the most obvious and those hidden from the surface, meditate much upon the Torah, and do acts of tzedakah (charity), thus creating the
6. Duties oj the Heart 2:295.
7. Ibid. 2:315.
Godly feeling of one being drawn to Hashem. But before one can have the reward of this feeling, he must first depart from the corporeal matters that he is immersed in, which are not beneficial.
In identifying these the Malbim teaches that the difference between a pleasure and a tempting desire exists in the fact that the temptation exists even when the object of desire is not present.s It is by the same power that the animal soul is led astray that one may be driven to the opposite perspective. toward holiness. As the animal soul uses the intellect to rationalize temptations of pleasure, so can one be made to see there are pleasures of divine contemplation, as taught by Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. Just as there is deviation into foolishness so is there also into holiness, and this is reached by recognizing the levels of pleasures. The animal soul recognizes pleasures in deviant behavior and so too will it also recognize pleasures in higher things. For example. a deeper and more lasting pleasure may be found in music than in eating, and a greater pleasure from intellect than from emotional satisfaction alone. Only by recognizing the higher levels of pleasures is one truly a man and not an animal. It is taught by the Malbim that the essence of life is the life of the intellect and serving the Creator. and this is called human life, rather than the life of sense and instinct, which is a life of animals. 9
8. Malbim parsha Bereshith.
9. Malbim parsha Chayah Sarah.
