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    Shalosh Seudos1ofParshas Terumah 5767

    " : , , .

    , ; , ."

    And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half shall be the

    length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the

    height of it. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, within and without shall you

    overlay it, and shall make upon it a crown of gold round about.2

    Rashi explains: Within and without shall you overlay itBetzalel made three

    arks; two of gold and one of wood, and each had four walls and a bottom and were open

    from above. The wooden one was placed between the two arks of gold... A crown of

    goldit was [a border] like a crown that surrounded it from above at its edge. The

    outermost ark was made higher than the inner one so that it extended slightly above the

    thickness of the kapores. When the kapores sat upon the thicknesses of the walls of the

    inner two arks, the crown extended somewhat higher than the thickness of the kapores,

    and it was meant to represent the crown of Torah.

    The Soul of Moshe Rabbeinu

    It is well known that Moshe Rabbeinu was the root of all of the souls of future

    Torah scholars, and this is why the sages were also sometimes referred to as Moshe

    as in, Moshe, well said.3 There is an aspect of the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu that is

    enclothed within each and every limb of true Torah scholars. 4 However, this is on the

    1The lesson was delivered at the third meal of Shabbos.

    2Shemos 25:10-11

    3Shabbos 101b; SeeLikutei Moharan I:4.

    4Likutei Moharan I:72

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    condition that the scholar studies every part of the Torah, both its revealed and hidden

    elements, and does not only focus on a single subject.

    The soul of Moshe Rabbeinu comprises aspects of the souls of both redeemers,

    Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid. The former is associated with the hidden

    Torah, and the latter with the revealed Torah. For this reason, if a person wants a spark

    of the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu to be enclothed within him to the extent that he himself

    is called after Moshes name, he must study every part of the Torah. Then he will be

    able to render halachic decisions that are absolutely Torah-true. This conforms with theteaching of the Chida, zl, that it seems as though it would be impossible for any

    scholar to properly decide Torah law unless he derived from the tribe of Levi [who were

    blessed to be the teachers of the Jewish people]. However, by virtue of the scholar

    binding himself to the light of Moshe Rabbeinu who did indeed derive from the tribe of

    Levi, Moshe Rabbeinus soul is enclothed in him and he is able to render Torah-true

    judgments.

    Moshe Rabbeinu Transmitted the Torah to Yehoshua

    It is vital to be aware that the only one to receive the entire Torah was Moshe

    Rabbeinu, and he transmitted it with self-sacrifice to Yehoshua.5 [The term for

    transmission in Hebrew is mesirah, which is meant to also convey the concept of self-

    sacrifice or mesirus nefesh.] Yehoshua is the paradigm of the true tzaddikwho binds

    himself to the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu, and by doing so becomes worthy of receiving

    from him the entire Torah. Without such binding, the scholar is only learning Torah at

    the lesser levels of Yehoshuas transmission to the elders, and the elders to the

    prophets... This transmission was to multiple people at each level after the first, it is

    more diffused, and it is lesser than the receiving attributed to Moshe Rabbeinu alone. 6

    It was only Yehoshua who, by completely binding himself to the soul of Moshe

    Rabbeinu, merited to receive Torah in its entirety.

    5Pirkei Avos 1:1

    6Sefer Halikkutim, Parshas Ekev #8

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    The Mystery of Chanoch

    The Raavad in his commentary to the Sefer Yetzirah and the Bris Menuchah

    both explain that, to receive the Torah in its entirety, Moshe Rabbeinu had to ascend to

    the level ofMaTaT[this is the angel/spiritual channel responsible for the Divine conduct

    of the weekdays, and is associated with the Mishnah, Zeir Anpin, and the world of

    Yetzirah / Formation], the spiritual being into whom Chanoch ben Yered was

    transformed. [This is not meant to be understood literally; these are symbolic references

    to soul states.] Chanoch ben Yered was Moshe Rabbeinus spiritual mentor.

    7

    This iswhy any Jew who wants to merit to receive the crown of Torah must become

    incorporated within the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu, which is the revelation of the level of

    MaTaT / Chanoch. We know that Chanoch ben Yered was a shoemaker who made

    yichudim with each and every stitch. Rav Menachem Azariah MiPano explains that he

    recitedBoruch Shem with every single stitch.8

    Shoes represent all that exists outside the

    form of Adamthe lower worlds ofBeriyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah which have a

    character of division and separation. This was the greatness of Chanoch; that he was

    able to sew shoesto sew and bind up all of the lower worlds to their source bydrawing down the light of Hashems G-dliness into every area of obscurity.

    The letters of the word for sewing, " , are a re-shuffling of the letters of the

    word " , as in, Ben Porat Yosef...the biblical praise of Yosef HaTzaddik. The

    word [including its kollel] has a numerical value of 687, which is the total gematria of

    the permutations of the Divine Name: ",",",",",","

    [72+63+45+52+161+143+151=687]. This joining of the external and the internal is

    symbolized by the two golden keruvim that overshadowed the kaporesthe pair

    represented the angelsMaTaTand SaNDaL, each associated with the respective worldsofYetzirah and Asiyah, the respective aspects ofZeir Anpin [masculine] and Nukvah

    [feminine].9 The angel MaTaTconstantly unites the aspects of the Holy One and His

    7Likutei Torah,Bereishis

    8Asarah Maamaros III:22, Eim Kol Chai

    9See Kehillas Yaakov on the subject of the keruvim.

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    Shechinah in the most lofty manner; he rises to the level ofSaNDaL through sewing

    shoes, and by bestowing Hashems light onto the darkest places, he merits the light of

    the source of the Torah, the Torah ofAtikah Sesimaah.

    The Three Lights ofChashmal

    Before his sin, Adam HaRishon existed on the level ofnefesh-ruach-neshamah

    within the world ofAtzilus and embodied the aspect of the supernal shine.10 Chanoch

    was also at this level of the supernal shine, and the verse referred to him when it said,

    I have been a youth and I have also aged, and I have never seen a tzaddikabandoned

    and his progeny begging for bread.11

    First, Chanoch came to the aspect of holy youth

    or the mochin dachor [Divine awareness which is less complete and requires

    preliminary explanation], then he came to the aspect of holy age or mochin dpnim

    [Divine awareness that is more complete], and finally he arrived at the level where he

    was able to make use of both types of awareness. [This is the implication of, I have

    been a youth and I have also aged...] This is the meaning of his name: Chanoch ben

    Yered, Chanoch who yarad, descended, to ensure that the lights of the highest levels

    reached all the way to the lowermost places so that they could be bound up with their

    source.

    These three levels are alluded to in the concept of Chashmal [this is the

    electric flashing fire of Yechezkels vision, which comprises the chash or quiet

    energy, along with the mal or noisy energy].12

    At first, the true tzaddikapprehends the

    Torahs teachings in the aspect of malin that he speaks words of Torah and shares

    them with the public. Afterward, the tzaddikascends to the level ofchash, of silence,

    when he begins to apprehend Hashems light that transcends the Torahs teachings that

    can be shared orally. This is the aspect of the Torahs inner dimension and mysteries

    which are not meant to be shared publicly. Whatever the tzaddikactually shares is in the

    10Zohar Shir HaShirim, Maamar Adam vChanoch;Emek HaMelech 5:32;Nahar Shalom 22b

    11Tehillim 37:25

    12Yechezkel 1:27

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    aspect of mal, the externalized aspect of the Torahs secrets and not the secrets

    themselves.

    At first, the tzaddikexists in the state of holy youthwhen he reveals Torah

    teachings publicly. Later, he ascends to the state of holy agewhen he is silent. When

    that happens, it is possible to receive more illumination from him through seeing his

    face than it is from hearing his words of Torah. Ultimately, the tzaddikreaches the level

    ofChashmal, where both aspects of youth and age exist simultaneouslythis is called

    the 370 lights of the crown. At this stage, the tzaddikresumes sharing Torah teachingsorally without it being any kind of a descent from the level he achieved in the silent

    state. He has ascended so high that he is bound up with Hashem Himself, and he is

    transformed into a spinner of parables like Shlomo HaMelech and other tzaddikim,

    and those stories are associated with the light of Chashmal as the Baal HaTanya

    explains.

    The tale /maaseh/ " contains the same letters as the compound "-" ,

    that the aspect ofMH/Zeir Anpin can approach the level of the 370 lights of the

    crown ( " ). This is the inner meaning ofMegillas Esther; it is a deep tale that is at thehigh level of the 370 lights, like the stories of the tzaddikwho makes use of the mochin

    dachor [which requires the use of introductions and parables] in order to get to the

    mochin dpnim, complete Divine awareness which is at the heart of the matter. Then, the

    aspects of youth and age are combined into something that is greater than the sum of its

    parts.

    The construction of the ark embodies the process of attaining these three

    levels. First, the outermost level is of gold; the tzaddik shares Torah teachings

    publicly, teachings that are more desirable than gold, than an abundance of thefinest gold.13 Then, the tzaddikenters into the state of silent dveikus. This parallels

    the middle-most box ofshittim [cedar] wood, because in the silent state, the tzaddik

    appears to be a shoteh, a fool, who has nothing worthwhile to say. Afterward, the

    13Tehillim 19:11

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    tzaddik comes to the ultimate level of unified Chashmal, at which his words of

    Torah have been infused with the light of dveikus. He returns to the aspect of gold,

    but this time for the purpose of sharing the crown of Torah with even the most

    benighted of Jewish souls.

    The two keruvim assumed the form of children to teach us that this is what

    Hashem really wants from us; to connect to Him in a simple and childlike way that

    surpasses logic and thinking, and that even surpasses lights and feelings. Just as

    a father, out of love for his child, will lower himself to teach his son the alphabet,so too does the surrounding crown sit upon the outermost ark, which represents

    reaching out to teach the Jewish people. The crown rises up past the level of the

    kapores and approaches the keruvim to represent the preciousness of the efforts of

    even the simplest Jew to connect to Hashem.

    Bearing the Ark

    We find in the Gemara that Dovid HaMelech was punished because he called

    Torah teachings, melodies.14 As the verse says, Your injunctions were melodies to

    me...15

    He called them melodies because he had reached the level of the 370 lights, "

    ,, where the Torah is a pure delight and where he took pleasure ., in his study

    However, the sages taught that Dovids statement led to the Divine orchestration of his

    stumbling into an error that even young children would have known to avoid: he had the

    returning ark carried on a wagon rather than borne on the shoulders of its carriers, as the

    Torah mandates.16

    The shoulders are associated with the mochin dachor, the youthlike mentality

    where holy concepts still must be explained through introductions and parables, and it is

    precisely on such shoulders that Hashem wants the ark to be carried. The bearing of the

    ark on the shoulders symbolizes Hashems desire that we serve Him not only when His

    14Sotah 35a

    15Tehillim 119:54

    16Divrei HaYamim I:13

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    words are melodious to us, but when we must put our shoulder to it and carry the yoke

    no matter what we are going through in our lives. And it is only those tzaddikim who

    lower themselves to share Torah with even the simplest of Jews who really have a soul

    connection with the entirety of Torah; the word Yisrael itself is an acronym of the

    phrase There are six hundred thousand letters to the

    Torahand each Jewish soul parallels a letter. Only tzaddikim like Moshe Rabbeinu

    and Mordechai HaYehudi, who worked to save the greatest to the least, from the

    youngest to the most aged,

    17

    merit to receive the crown of Torah. All of this isrepresented by the shoulders, for it was upon the shoulders that the kohen gadol bore the

    ephodwhere all of the names of the twelve tribes were inscribed. Only those who bear

    the twelve tribes on their shoulders are worthy of receiving the crown of Torah.

    This was Dovid HaMelechs errorthat he placed the ark on the wagon. The

    word for wagon, , has a numerical value of 108, which is the sum of the two Divine

    Names " and [21+87=108]. These two Names are associated with the levels

    ofBinah and Malchus within the world ofAtzilusand this teaches us that Dovid

    HaMelech was only connected at that time to the feminine aspect in the highest of thefour worlds, at a time when he needed to be connected with all of the souls in the lower

    three worlds, to draw down Hashems light so that these souls would be uplifted. In the

    end, however, the sages taught that Dovid HaMelech did bear the ark upon the shoulder,

    and was worthy of the crown of Torah.

    Standing before Hashem

    A tzaddikwith the character of Chanoch ben Yered, who has passed through

    these three levels into the center of the ark where the tablets actually rest, doesnt make

    distinctions between the times when he feels more or less elevated spiritually. It doesnt

    matter to him whether or not he feels inspired by Shabbos or by his prayers, because he

    is living the truth of the teaching of the Baal HaTanya, that when a person really knows

    that he is speaking directly to Hashem in prayer, it isnt possible for him to lose his

    17Esther3:13

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    focus. He is always in the state of face-to-face contact with Hashem. So too, anyone

    who wants to experience the Torahs light face-to-face must also never lose his focus.

    Even if he is temporarily in a slump, even if he is feeling the bitterness which is the

    work of Amalek [ "="= ; Amalek has the same gematria as the word for

    pride as well as bitterness] and despairs of ever reaching his spiritual goals, he must

    learn to do as the tzaddikim do. They ignore these feelings and doubts which are the

    work of Amalek and which are only designed to make them forget that they are in

    Hashems presence, and return to the awareness of the face-to-face relationship thatexists. When facing Hashem, there isnt any time to pay attention to thoughts of

    bitterness and doubt, the experience is one ofdveikus, and it is in the merit of such focus

    that they come to have the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu enclothed within them.

    This is also true of Torah study, since the Torah is constantly being given by the

    Giver of the Torah, Hashem Himself. One must study Torah in the face-to-face state,

    just as the Torah was givenHashem spoke with you face to face...18

    When we fail to

    do this, the Torah falls into the hands of the Pelishtim, as it were, who were the first to

    place the ark within the wagon when it was captured among them. They placed it thereto obstruct the Jewish peoples ability to bear it on the shoulder, to reveal Hashems

    glory in every single place and situation. The essence of the Pelishtim was cynicism,

    and their mission was to dampen the enthusiasm of the Jewish people for dveikus.19

    This

    is the exact opposite of our purpose here in this worldwe are to stand against the

    heretical opinion of Amalek and his ilk who claim that it is impossible to have a

    relationship with Hashem. There is no situation that is divorced from the possibility of

    dveikus.

    This lesson can be learned from the verse, I will fulfill the number of your

    days...20

    The sages taught that this indicates that Moshe Rabbeinu died on the same day

    18Devarim 5:4

    19Avodah Zara 19a

    20Shemos 23:26

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    he was bornthe seventh of Adar.21

    The light of Hashem is revealed from the very

    place of darkness and obscurity, and the tzaddik is not discomfited by the challenge

    because he knows that Hashem wants him to uplift all of the Divine sparks from the

    furthest places. This is why the name of Shlomo HaMelech, who married a thousand

    women from every nation in his attempt to rectify the klippas nogah, bears the same

    letters as the word, to Moshe. Only someone like Shlomo HaMelech merits to

    have the soul of Moshe enclothed within him.

    The Power of Simplicity

    We find in the verse that when the Pelishtim placed the ark on the wagons, the

    heifers began to sing.22 [Literally, the phrase means that the cattle took

    the straight way even though they were not driven, however the use of the word

    vayashorna can also be read to mean, and they sang.] When the Shechinah descends

    like Esther into the place of impurity, into the three lower worlds, and the Jewish soul

    feels distant from Hashem, we must remember the secret of the heifers that sang when

    the ark was upon them. The song of the cattle represents the singing of the angels that

    are compared to different holy paradigms of beasts. Whenever a Jew feels bitter because

    of his distance from Hashem, he should feel abashed for having forgotten that he is

    really always standing before Him. The feeling of distance was only orchestrated from

    above so that he would remember the secret of the heifers that sang. If he will only

    continue to do his simple Divine service of praising Hashem and reciting prayers and

    Tehillim, he will merit to embody the loftiest service of the angels who also sing

    Hashems praises.

    Rav Yisroel of Ruzhin taught that the recitation ofTehillim is the hardest Divine

    service of all for the tzaddikim; in truth, it is the loftiest form of service to recite

    Tehillim just as the simplest Jew does, with complete simplicity, like the heifers that

    sing. It was for this reason that Mordechai was known as Mordechai HaYehudi

    21

    Yalkut Shimoni,Devarim #322

    Shmuel I:6:12

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    Mordechai the Jewbecause it was his highest aspiration to be a plain, simple Jew.

    This means knowing that we are always face-to-face [ , which also means

    in the innermost place of the ark], that the only thing that really exists is Hashem

    Himself. When a person knows that, he is constantly inspired to sing Hashems praises

    and is in a constant state of dveikus. Then, the keruvim embrace and the smoke of the

    offerings rises straight to heaven, to symbolize that closeness with Hashem and all of

    our fellow Jews is the real offering that Hashem desires from us. He wants us to make

    no distinction between the greater and the lesser, just as He wants us to pay noattention to the difference between how we feel when we are succeeding more or

    less in attaining our spiritual goals.

    Let Your Soul Know Wisdom

    This is the meaning of: " " Let your soul

    (nefesh) know (dei) wisdom (Chochmah) and it will be a crown (Kesser) for your

    head.23 We must acquire the Torahs wisdom in a way that it can penetrate down to the

    level ofnefesh, Malchus. This relates to the Talmudic teaching that Mordechai taught

    the laws ofkemitzah to the scholars of his time. Kemitzah is the technique of taking an

    exact handful for part of the offerings, but it also alludes to contraction within oneself

    the need for a person to occasionally close himself off from others so that he can

    develop a one-on-One relationship with Hashem. Afterward, he needs to take the light

    of this private contact with Hashem and use it to uplift other Jews, like the terumah and

    tenufah offerings, and help them to learn Torah in a state of dveikus. Through this, he

    will come to another meaning ofkemitzahthe aspect ofKesser[which is associated

    with the vowel komatz]. It will be a crown to your headto the three head-points of

    the Kesserwhich allude to the three parts of the ark.

    For this reason, Mordechai HaTzaddik, the Baal Shem Tov, and many other

    tzaddikim taught children, because they were like the keruvim and teaching them is the

    ultimate expression of their ability to descend to the level of each and every Jew to help

    23From the Shabbos zemerDror Yikrah, based onMishlei 24:14.

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    them become closer to Hashem. Similarly, the megillah itself appears to only be a

    simple story, yet it is filled with hints and allusions to the Divine Namefor the tzaddik

    is always revealing that which is hidden [Megillas Esther= megaleh hester= revealing

    the hidden].

    May Hashem help us to enter into all of these aspects of Divine service so that

    we will never be thrown off course by any darkness in any situation. On the contrary,

    may any encounter with darkness inspire us to devote ourselves to study Torah in the

    way of the face-to-face relationship. The clearest and best way to do this is to reciteKriyas Shema with love for Hashem. May we merit to study Torah knowing and feeling

    how vital it is for us, in a state of dveikus. Then we will come to the level of the two

    keruvim and raise Queen Esther, the Shechinah, out of her exile with the arrival of our

    righteous redeemer, speedily and in our days. Amen

    Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.

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    Nesiv Chaim 11

    The Light ofBitul

    Nesiv Mitzvosecha,Nesiv Emunah, Pathway 2.4:

    "'Whether Hashem is in our midst or not [ayin]'1 Whether it is Ze'ir

    Anpin which is called 'Hashem,' or whether it is Atika Kadisha, which is called

    'Ayin'" The speculative statement, "Whether Hashem is in our midst or not," is

    actually referring to two different forms of Divine conduct. The "rule of Torah" is called

    Ze'ir Anpin, and it indicates justice. If a person serves Hashem as is fit, he receives

    reward. And if he sins, he receives punishments. This is the Divine conduct referred to

    asZe'ir Anpin. But there is another form of Divine conductthat ofAtika Kadisha. It is

    the rule ofyichud, and under it the main task of a person is to trust in Hashem, to know

    that there is a way to rectify any sin, and to believe in Hashem's mercythat if he will

    repent, everything will be repaired.

    The Jewish people asked ifHaVaYaH was in their midst, or Ayin: "In which

    manner of Divine conduct are we being led now? Is our task to expend great effort in

    Torah study and keep the focus of our belief on reward and punishment, or is it that of

    Ayin, where our main mission is to rely on Hashem's simple and abundant mercies?"

    But if this question was of such great depth, why then were they punished for

    having asked it? The Zoharexplains that it was because they made as if there was a

    division between the two forms of Divine conductas if they are not, truly, all one.

    "Why, then, were they punished? It was only because they made a

    division, and they did it as a test and did not [ask the question] from love" While

    it is permitted to contemplate G-dliness in an attempt to understand Hashem's ways, the

    question cannot be posed in a manner that is provocative and divisive. Rather, it must

    come from a place of love for the Creator.

    1Shemos 17:7

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    "The implication of this is as follows: One must not try to investigate as

    to whether he has a place in the world to come" In general, a servant of G-d who

    studies mussarworks is following the path of conduct ofZe'ir Anpin; this is clear from

    all of the Torah works on ethicsif you merit to do good deeds, you are rewarded. And

    each and every mitzvah comprises many details that one must perfect until he can fulfill

    them completely. On the other hand, if a person sins he will be punished, G-d forbid.

    One must therefore fast a great deal in order to repent what he has done wrong.

    Truthfully, this is the Divine conduct in accordance with the Torah from a superficialperspective, and it is known as the conduct ofZe'ir Anpin.

    Nevertheless, at the internal level, the innermost truth is that there are two

    manners of Divine conduct that work in tandem. While superficially we have the

    "justice" form of conduct, deep within there is the potential to bind oneself to the

    tzaddikim and arouse G-d's simple and abundant mercies. This is also a potential within

    the Torah, because the thirteen attributes of mercy are found in the Torah itself. What

    appears to be two distinct forms of conduct are actually two manners that operate as

    one.If a person lives only along the lines of "justice" he is always scrutinizing

    himself to see where and to what extent he has erred, and this can make him feel as

    though he is a lost cause and his final destination is going to be the lowest rung of

    Gehinnom. All day long this person is obsessed with whether or not he is righteous, if

    he has a place in the next world or not. The problem is that all of this hyper-focus is the

    product of his ego, and because his vision of Hashem's conduct of the world is so

    threatening to his sense of self, he is always broken and afraid. This is why the Komarna

    Rebbe teaches us that this path is incorrect.

    "The reason is as follows: One should not try to investigate as to whether

    he has a place in the world to come, or seek to know for oneself what effects all of

    his actions and prayers and mitzvos have on high, because this stems from ego.

    Harsh judgments apply to such speculations, and sometimes it causes [the reward]

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    to be deferred. Many times, it is of great benefit for a person to completely lose

    hope of reward in this world and the next. In this world, a person faces all kinds of

    troubles that discourage him a great deal, and this also makes him lose hope of the

    next world. He sees that there is no one in the world as bad off as him"

    This is describing a person who feels broken to pieces because he imagines that

    he has no portion in the world to come since he has failed in his avodas Hashem. He has

    no life in this world because the only thing he really wants is to serve G-d, but he also

    feels like he has lost the next world because his avodas Hashem has not yielded thefruits for which he had hoped. No matter what he does, he feels as though his learning is

    deficient, his prayers are deficienthe doesn't have this world or the next world. The

    "many discouraging troubles" that the Komarna Rebbe speaks of here are the multitude

    of internal voices that tell a person that he doesn't learn and he doesn't pray, and he is

    nothing. He doesn't have this world or the next. This makes him feel like the most

    miserable and worthless person that exists. We will see, however, that this outlook is a

    lie.

    "[When a person comes to such a state of bankruptcy in himself], if it isentirely truthful, he can actually reach a level of self-nullification until he loses all

    sense of self entirely because of the great light that shines upon him from above.

    'From where [Ayin, which is also the state ofbitul] will my help come?'2

    He literally

    becomes one with the Shechinah"

    UpliftingZe'ir Anpin to Mercy

    Hashem created the Divine conduct that follows the course of justiceZe'ir

    Anpinbut this system receives its vitality from a world that is much higher thanBinah,

    higher than Chochmah, higher than Kesser. The level ofKesseris associated withAyin

    or bitul. Just as the avodah of Torah study and prayerthe work of Ze'ir Anpin and

    Malchusare part and parcel of a system of obligation which is "justice," nevertheless

    2Tehillim 121:1

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    the innermost essence of all avodah is Shema Yisrael. This is the point ofyichudthat

    must be made through all of our duties performed, and this is accomplished through

    focusing the mind on revealing G-dliness in the world. We do this with the faculty of

    Binah, by contemplating reality to discover G-dliness inherent within it; the faculty of

    Chochmah, by nullifying the self to Hashem; and the level ofKesserby achieving total

    loss of awareness of self with absolute self-sacrifice. When a person feels that all of

    existence is against him and he has no portion in this world or the next, and despite that

    he is determined and binds himself to Hashem, he approaches the bitul ofKesser. Whenhe reaches this point, he uplifts Ze'ir Anpin toAyin above, which is the highest form of

    yichud.

    When Ze'ir Anpin receives from Binah, a "small" yichud is formed; when it

    receives from Chochmah it makes the yichud of Shabbos; and when it receives from

    Kesserit makes the loftiestyichud, which is that of Shavuos. Whenever a Jew occupies

    himself with Torah study and mitzvos he certainly arouses someyichud. But the loftiest

    yichudof all, of total self-nullification, is really the path of the tzaddikim since it is a

    very difficult avodah to do. It is possible sometimes for Ze'ir Anpin to be uplifted toKesserall at once, to "jump," so to speak. That is what happens when a more ordinary

    person feels utterly broken from his failure to attain his spiritual goals and feels like he

    has lost his place in both worlds. At that instant, when he feels like absolutely nothing,

    he uplifts Ze'ir Anpin all the way to Kesser, and everything that he has accomplished

    becomes infinitely valuable. [Note: We are not speaking here of a person who is a state

    of depression and despair because his goals and desires haven't been fulfilled. The

    person described here is someone who really does want to serve Hashem, but he has

    fallen short and feels completely at a loss because his genuine yearning for G-dliness

    does not seem to have brought him anywhere.]

    This sentiment was echoed by Rav Abahu when he quoted the verse, "And I

    said: I have toiled in vain."3

    It can seem to the tzaddik that he hasn't accomplished

    3Yeshayah 49;Bereishis Rabbah 62:2

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    anything, but at the same time he nullifies himself absolutely to Hashem, and in this way

    he merits to make ayichudbetween Hashem and His Shechinah which is at the highest

    levelthe level of Shavuos andMatan Torah.

    "All of this is when a person has complete faith that there is no reality

    other than Hashem, and he pours his soul out to Hashem, and all of his deeds are

    for the sake of heaven. Then he can come to this level."

    Moshiach within Every Jew

    When even an ordinary person reaches this point of self-nullificationdisappointment with himself and endless yearning for G-dlinesshe comes into contact

    with the point of Moshiach that exists within him. [Note: Dovid HaMelech's attribute

    was humility. The sages said that when he studied Torah he was as meek as a worm, and

    when he went out to battle he was upright and strong as a beam. Since the absolute

    humility of the tzaddik does not stem from depression or other negative traits, his

    meekness does not preclude him from accomplishing great things boldly when Hashem

    sends him to do them.] When the Komarna Rebbe speaks about the point of Moshiach

    within each person, he does not mean the universal Moshiach; rather, he refers to theindividual redeemer, the degree to which a person taps the potential of redemption

    within himself. When the entire Jewish people awaken this point within themselves

    fully, it will certainly trigger the general redemption as well. This is the point of

    yechidah within the soul, and we touch it when we strengthen ourselves and give

    ourselves chizukat the moment when we feel most lost.

    This quality was demonstrated by Dovid HaMelech. Even when his opponents

    broke him to pieces he acted with complete self-sacrifice to begin again. It was

    specifically when he was humiliated and hounded that he merited to be anointed as

    Hashem's chosen king. Every person can come to this, if he only takes advantage of the

    opportunity presented by the failures that break him. If, from the state of ayin, he pours

    his heart out before Hashem, he will give rise to his own salvation at that moment.

    Nesiv Mitzvosecha,Nesiv Emunah, Pathway 3.1:

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    "It is an axiom of faith implanted within the heart of the Jewish people,

    that all vitality both physical and spiritual, and all movements that a person makes,

    everything stems from the light of Ein Softhat pours down from His light

    constantly. And He is the one who gives life to all and who causes everything to

    exist. There is nothing separate from Him, and there is no reality that exists

    without it being His will, with wondrous wisdom. And existence was created in a

    single instant, and this is its rectification"

    When the Komarna Rebbe writes of every single movement in the world hemeans both physical"children, health and livelihood"and spiritualTorah, prayer

    and mitzvah observance. All of reality is a reflection of Hashem's infinite light; it is

    revealed in everything and it gives existence and vitality to everything.

    "But the Jewish person binds his vitalitythat he lives by virtue of the

    Hashem's infinite light that shines upon him constantlyand all of his actions and

    his every movement will be for the sake of heaven" The main element ofavodas

    Hashem is that ofyichudthat a person contemplates Hashem's absolute existence and

    nullifies himself completely before Hashemuntil Hashem's light shines upon him atall times. The tzaddikim reach one level of bitul after the other, and they make true

    yichudim with their every motion, as we know from the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov.

    How did they come to be able to do this? Their self-nullification before Hashem made it

    impossible to forget Him, and so they naturally were bound to the Shechinah, to faith, to

    the Torah and the holy sheimos. This is what enabled them to make yichudim at all

    times, with every motion.

    The Ramban taught that the "heart of [the tzaddikim] is not with them" "

    " . Even when a tzaddikspeaks of some matter with another person, his heart isburning constantly before Hashem and he is completely nullified before Hashem. On the

    surface, he still appears to be like any other person having a conversation.4

    4Sichos HaRan #16

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    "As the light of Yisrael [the Baal Shem Tov] taught on the verse, 'I take

    myself walking in the broad streets'I can walk through the markets and the

    thoroughfares and speak with each and every person'For I have sought Your

    teachings'5and everywhere I go, I am seeking yichudim and ways to uplift and

    adorn the limbs of the Shechinah. And I believe with complete faith that there is

    nothing, small or great, that exists without life-force and the will of the Ein Sof

    providing it with G-dly vitality; it is only that it is hidden because of iniquity and

    sin. And when a person repents, he should have faith that Hashem's great light willbe revealed to him, a sweet delight of the light from above, without the distortion

    that derives fromklippas nogah"

    The obfuscation and error caused by klippas nogah is due to the effect of sin. If

    a person repents and nullifies himself before Hashem completely, he will be worthy of

    experiencing the Divine light upon him without the distortion ofklippas nogah.

    When a person's dveikus is only at the level ofBinah-type contemplation, he is

    prone to falling into klippas nogah because his good intentionsproper prayer, for

    exampleare mixed together with his impulse to impress those around him by makingcertain motions or speaking in a certain way. But the moment he reaches true bitul,

    everything in the world around him only helps him to achieve greater dveikus.

    "Because every motion and vitality derives from the infinite light, he

    should make certain that every motion is for the sake of heaven, without ulterior

    motives. Then he will accept and meet each person with joy and a happy heart, and

    makeyichudim with every matter small and great, and it will be good for him"

    All of the souls of the Jewish people are part of a single organic whole, and

    every single Jew helps the tzaddikim be incorporated within G-dliness. The Baal Shem

    Tov taught about the two jokers who merited great spiritual reward for having brought

    joy to the Jewish people. Through joy, the souls of the Jewish people are bound up with

    Hashem at all times. In general, a person who bring joy and unites Jewish souls lives in

    5Tehillim 119;45

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    a state of constant yichud. In contrast, a person who puts others down and draws

    divisions among Jews cannot really attain dveikus with Hashem. This is why the

    Komarna Rebbe warns us to accept every person with joy. It is this joyful bonding of

    Jewish souls that enables the seeker to make yichudim through everything he

    encounters, both small and great. Then it is truly good for him.

    We now return to our study of the Arizal's teachings in Otzros Chaim. In prior

    lessons, we discussed the nature of the lights of the "ear, nose and mouth" ofAdam

    Kadmon. During those discussions, we learned that there are two types of light: innerand surrounding. That concept is also to be applied here, to the teachings we have just

    learned from the Komarna Rebbe. The "inner" light [ ] parallels that of the

    Divine conduct ofZ"A and "justice"light that fits within a vessel is, by its nature,

    limited by the capacity of the vessel. That is a measure of justiceonly so much and no

    more. However there is also a "surrounding" light [ ], and it parallels the higher

    Divine conduct which feeds into the lower, measured form but which far surpasses it in

    quantity and quality.

    We learned that the lights of the "ears" are at the maximal distance; those thatemerge from the "nose" are somewhat closer; and those that are sourced in the "mouth"

    emerge together from a single place. It is at this point that the world ofAkudim emerges

    and it extends there. After it, the world of Shevirah emerges from the "eyes" ofAdam

    Kadmon and it extends downward until the "navel" ofAdam Kadmon. After it, the world

    ofBerudim which is that of repair emerges from the "forehead" ofAdam Kadmon and

    also extends from the "navel" ofAdam Kadmon down through the rest of its length. This

    is the world ofAtzilus rectified.

    Sha'ar Ha'Akudim, Chapter 1:

    "Afterward came the lower musical notes that sit beneath the lettersthey are like

    the lights that emerge from the mouth ofAdam Kadmon, from there and outward.

    Here the lights joined together in an absolute bond because they emerge from a

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    single channel. All the while that the lights are at a distance and spread outward

    down below, it is possible to apprehend them and receive them. That is why there is

    no worry if the surrounding lights join with the inner lights as one. But here,

    because the surrounding and inner lights already joined, from this point vessels

    begin to be formed, yet they are still most exceedingly refined, as we have written.

    Therefore, only one vessel is revealed here, but the lights actually subdivide into

    ten parts, and these lights are calledAkudim"

    We can now return to what we began earlier. We are learning now about the"mouth" of Adam Kadmon, which is the world ofAkudim. They are "bound" lights

    because they emerge so close together that both the surrounding and inner lights are

    essentially joined. At the level of the "ears" and "nose," the two basic forms of Divine

    conduct are distinct, they even contradict with one another. In any case, they do not

    meet. This distinction has many manifestations, such as in the paradoxical relationship

    between Divine foreknowledge and human free will. We can rely on the explanation

    that free will applies before the choice is made, but afterward we have to bind ourselves

    to the light of Divine foreknowledge and affirm that everything was determined byHashem. When we discuss it that way, it seems to reconcile the two concepts,

    nevertheless even this contains a certain degree of contradiction. The way in which the

    two are reconciled is by setting one concept in one place, and the other in another, and

    we can then contemplate the two aspects one after the other. This parallels the "ear" of

    Adam Kadmon, where the inner [left side, Z"A, free will] and surrounding [right side,

    Kesser, Divine knowledge] lights are distant from one another. At the level of the "nose"

    they come together a bit more, but they still do not meet at a single place.

    This is not so when it comes to the "mouth" ofAdam Kadmon. There, G-d's

    manners of justice and mercy join, as do bechirah andyediyah, being and nothingness.

    It is the place where two contradictory concepts join together, and when they do there is

    a beating between them that gives rise to a vessel.

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    The Vessel of Faith

    It is important to understand that it would seem as though the order should have

    been reversed; we would think that if the lights emerged from a higher place, they ought

    to be more connected since they are closer to their source. The Arizal therefore

    explained that there is a reason why the lights emerged from the "ear" are more

    distantif they had been joined too high, the light would have been too lofty for created

    beings to receive. Hashem therefore made it so that they would only join at the mouth.

    The mouth represents faith"Malchus is the mouth." Faith is a mystery,because with faith it is possible to believe two things that seem to contradict one

    another. Its power to unite two contradicting concepts is because it is below the ten

    sefiros, and so it is a vessel that can receive opposites. [Note:Malchus receives all of the

    influence that comes from above it, whether it descends via the right-hand side or the

    left.] It can receive them because it can accept them without requiring an explanation.

    The tzaddikenters into the path of faith and prayerhe speaks before Hashemeven if

    he fails to grasp much at the level of the understanding (Binahear) or the emotions

    (Z"Anose). Yet through the power of the mouth it is possible to express faith anddevelop a bond with Hashem through faith, and to know that there really is no

    contradiction between the concepts and both are true.

    At the very moment that Hashem acts through the system of justice by

    rewarding those who do His will and punishing those who violate it, he simultaneously

    acts with His simple mercyone can, at any time, repent and repair everything in an

    instant. Even though one cannot contemplate this too much since the inner and

    surrounding lights at the level of the ear are distant, one can have some sense of itat

    the level of the nose, the lights are closer together. Closer, but still not together. It is

    only at the mouth, the place of faith and prayer, that the lights are truly joined as one.

    This is why faith and prayer have qualities and advantages that surpass even

    contemplation and emotional arousal. Even though the mouth is lower than all the

    others, at its root it is actually higher.

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    [This is why the Komarna Rebbe warns us not to focus on whether we have

    reward in the next world or not. One must focus on the Divine conduct ofZ"A only

    enough to arouse in oneself a fear of sinning, and immediately transfer his focus to the

    light ofKesser, which is faith that Hashem accepts our teshuvah at all times.]

    The Baal HaTanya taught that when one lives with faith in theyichudof justice

    and mercy, one merits to apprehend a greater revelation of G-dliness. Emunas ha'yichud

    gives rise to the words of Torah. Because he makes no division between the light ofZ"A

    andAtika, his faith gives birth to the vessel of Torah.The level ofAtika withinAtzilus receives its vitality from Reisha d'lo Isyadah,

    and it, in turn, receives its vitality from the world ofAkudim where there is faith that

    everything is one. At the "mouth" ofAdam Kadmon, it is as though Hashem Himself

    speaks words of Torah.

    The Unity ofAvodah

    "But here, because the surrounding and inner lights already joined, from this

    point vessels begin to be formed, yet they are still most exceedingly refined, as we

    have written. Therefore, only one vessel is revealed here, but the lights actually

    subdivide into ten parts, and these lights are calledAkudim"

    The Me'or V'Shemesh writes that there are people who serve Hashem, and when

    you ask them what their Divine service consists of, they say, "I do a number of things. I

    learn Torah, I pray, I have a connection to the tzaddik, I work on my personal purity,

    love and fear of Hashem, joy, etc." But there are also people who don't have many

    avodosthey really only have one, which is that they seek Hashem. They seek the

    Creator, and this winds up including all other forms ofavodah.

    When a person is bound to the lower world, he has ten vessels with which he

    serves Hashem [the ten lights that are the sefirah-subdivisions of the light from the

    mouth ofAdam Kadmon]. But when he is bound to the higher world, to the world of

    Akudim which is the root of the world ofAtzilus, he only has a single vessel.

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    The Baal HaSulam once said while traveling to the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar

    Yochai in Meron, "At the start of the journey, I have myriads of thoughts about what to

    ask for and focus on when I reach the tzaddik. The further we travel, the fewer requests I

    have, because I begin to see that a number of issues that I thought were separate are

    really part of a single matter." In the end, he would only pray for a very brief moment in

    Meron and then he would return home. Everything was part of a single request; this is

    the path ofAkudim, where everything is bound up into a single vessel, which is faith.

    "We can understand the matter through that which is written in the verse. 'AndI saw in the dream, and behold the he-goats that came upon the flock were banded,

    spotted and grizzled.' The verse also says, 'I have seen all that Lavan does to you'

    This verse hints to all of these aspects of which we speak here, because Lavan

    represents theLoven Ha'elyon [supernal whiteness] which precedes all of this

    Atzilus and it was that which made all of these aspects, which areAkudim,

    Nekudim, u'Verudim for the purpose ofAtzilusso that it should emanate after

    them. This is what is called Yaakov"

    "I have seen all that Lavan does to you"I have seen all that simple faith[supernal whiteness, the light where everything is one] at the level ofAkudim does to the

    tzaddik, who is the aspect of Yaakov,Atzilus.

    "He began withAkudim because the light that emerges from the mouth ofAdam

    Kadmon is where the vessels began to be revealed through ten inner and

    surrounding lights that are bound together as one within a single vessel. For this

    reason they are calledAkudim, from the language of, 'And he bound Yitzchak,' as

    we will explain. But the upper lights of the ears and the nose were not referred to

    clearly because at their level the existence of the vessel is not yet revealed.

    Afterward we will explainNekudim andBerudim.

    "Now, the inner and surrounding lights are joined together at the mouth, and

    when they emerge together from the mouth bound as one they bang against each

    other and beat against one another, and from their contact the existence of vessels

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    is formed. That is why this place is called a mouth [], because that word has a

    total value that is equal to thegematria of " [one of the permutations of the Shem

    HaVaYaH] and the twenty-two letters of thealef-beis. The letters are themselves

    vessels, as is known, and this is why the mouth alludes to the 63-Name together

    with the twenty-two letters, to hint to what was written, that the revelation of the

    existence of vessels originated there, revealed by the twenty-two letters"

    Reconciling Contradictions

    The "beating together" of the lights has its application to our personal Divineservice as well. Sometimes two concepts "strike one another" like two people who argue

    over their difference of opinions. With one thought the person knows that the basis of

    avodah is good action and improving himself, with another he is certain that the main

    thing is working on bitul. This "conflict" causes the beating described by the Arizal

    [betishah]. When a person who really seeks Hashem immerses himself in the former

    avodah, he is involved so deeply that there is nothing else for him but refining himself

    further and further. And when he considers that there is nothing but Hashem, this

    thought drives away everything else. In this way, the concepts "beat against each other"within him. And the two really do contradict one another because effort is the product of

    the self, and bitul is the nullification of the self and the realization that everything is

    Hashem. They really do seem to conflict. To rise above this, one must get to the place of

    emunah, where there is no conflict. The person expends all of the effort that he can, and

    at that very instant he believes that success is not in his hands at all. Now the concepts

    collide, and the collision produces Torah [because he is in a state of bitul and still

    produces all of the effort needed to clarify Torah] at the place of his mouth.

    Blessed is Hashem forever. Amen, amen.

    Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.