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Dei Chochmah LNafshechah Parshas Ki Tisa
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Shalosh Seudos1ofParshas Ki Tisa 5767
" , - - -- , : , --
, '".
This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are numbered, half a
shekel after the shekel of the sanctuarythe shekel is twentygerahhalf a shekel
for an offering to Hashem.2
Rashi explains: This they shall giveHashem showed Moshe a vision like a coin
made of fire whose weight was half a shekel. Hashem said, Like this they shall give.
(Midrash Rabbah)
It seems as though we need to understand why Hashem showed Moshe a vision of a
coin that was specifically of fire. We also need to grasp the connection between Parshas
Parah and Parshas Ki Tisa when it is read, as well as why the heifer had to be red in
color.
The Secret of the Half-Shekel
The half shekel represents Zeir Anpin, which parallels the letter vav of the
Shem HaVaYaHthat serves as the balance point between the upper and lower letters hei
of the Divine Name. This balance-point is known as the masklah [mishkal, balance
scale], and is the six [gematria of the letter vav] lower sefiros from Chesseduntil Yesod.3
Since the human form parallels the metaphysical structure of the upper worldsFrom
my flesh, I see G-d4this point also has its referent in the human body. The head
1The lesson was delivered at the third meal of Shabbos.
2Shemos 30:13
3ZoharII:158a
4Iyov 19:26
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represents the world ofKesser, and the narrow parting that divides the hair that is free of
hair is called the plugta dsaarei, the splitting of the hairs, which also assumes the
linear form of the letter vav.5
This parting is associated with the half-shekel, the
machatzis hashekel offering.
TheZoharteaches that six hundred and thirteen pathways branch outward from
this parting, and they are the roots of the six hundred and thirteen commandments of the
Torah. This area of the head is associated with the aspect of the serpent.6 The Gemara
explains that there are male and female aspects of the serpent: the nachash briach andthe nachash akalason, the straight serpent and the round surrounding serpent.7
According to the Kabbalists, these two serpents parallel the aspects of mmalei kol
almin [that Hashems light fills all worlds] and soveiv kol almin [that Hashems light
surrounds all worlds].8
These two aspects are the ways in which Hashem reveals
Himself in His universeso the half-shekel which parallels the parting between the
two sides of the hair actually embodies the kav or line of light that was extended by
Him from His infinite light into the epicenter of the darkness of the vacated space which
unites the two aspects. This line is the inner meaning of Kings golden scepter, whichbrings life to whomever it touches.9 [This is an allusion to the extension of the scepter to
Queen Esther when she was in a state of penitence, fasting, and prayer, and approached
Achashverosh for a sign of clemency.]
The Zohar teaches that the creation of the universe was an aspect of the mana
bigula or round vessel, which is represented by the letter yud.10 When Hashem
constricted His infinite light, a point of it was left within the sphere of the vacated space,
and afterward there was a further constriction within this point that was within the
round vessel. This point is the essential expression of Malchus dMalchus [the
5ZoharIII:136a, 288b, 293a
6See the writings of Rav Menachem Mendel of Shklov, one of the main disciples of the Vilna
Gaon,Likutim #375.7Yeshayahu 27:1;Bava Basra 74b
8See the commentary of the Vilna Gaon to the Sifra DTzniusa, chapter 1.
9Esther4:11
10ZoharII:42
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lowermost aspect ofMalchus within Ein Sof], and it is the source and root of all of the
revelations of G-dliness to the worlds that exist below it. It is from this point that the
line of Hashems light is drawn out to illuminate all the worlds, and it is the middlemost
point that unites the aspect of the kav with the aspect of the surrounding sphere. This
point parallels the middle parting of the hairs upon which everything depends, and is
that which joins the aspects ofmmalei kol almin and soveiv kol almin. It is the head of
the golden scepter.
A New Torah
The Torah will come forth from Me...11 The sages commented on this, The
Holy One said: A new Torah will come forth from Me.12 The Baal Shem Tov taught on
their words that the new Torah of the ultimate post-Messianic future will be from
Me. The Torahs revealed teachings are rooted in the light ofBinah/ Understanding,
and its hidden teachings are rooted in the light of Chochmah / Wisdom, however its
main revelation in the ultimate future will be from Merooted in the light ofKesser/
Crown, and it is the Torah of the direct experience of G-dliness. Whether one will learn
the revealed or the concealed aspects of the Torah, he will know how to connect to the
King of the universe through that study.
It was about such connection that the verse spoke: For forgiveness is with You,
in order that they come to fear [You].13 When we will begin to speak and think about
Hashem Himself, as we find in the verse: For with You is the source of life,14 our
study of the Torahs revealed and concealed aspects will become like garments that
enclothe the inner essence of connecting with Hashem. By entering into the mindset of
with You, all of our sins will naturally be forgiven. Then, they will come to fear
Youall of the world will come to recognize Hashems greatness and power. They
will come to see the greatness of Queen Esther, of the Shechinah, and the direct
11Yeshaya 51:4
12Vayikra Rabbah 13:3
13Tehillim 130:4
14Ibid., 36:10
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experience of Hashems light which is itself the light of prophecy that shines forth when
one enters into the Kings inner chamber to seek Him out by studying His Torah.
Hashem said: Take for Me an offering...15
The Holy One said to the Jewish
people: The Torah is Mine and you took it; take Me along with it...16 The word Torah
originates in the concept of teaching or showing [horaah, moreh], because it
demonstrates and reveals Hashems glory among the lower worlds. One must study all
aspects of the Torah with the further goal of seeking out Hashems light. As the verse
says, And those who blacken themselves [with diligent study] will find Me.
17
Thosewho diligently seek out Hashems light as they study are sure to discover that which
seek and come to cling to Hashem and feel His light. This was the entire purpose of the
giving of the Torahthat the Jewish people should receive a new heart and a proper
spirit, to seek after the innermost point, whether it is by way of the line or by way of
the sphere, by way of the squared-off final mem or the rounded-off letter samech.
These two letters and the spiritual work that they represent are alluded to in the
mask [] that Moshe placed over his face to conceal its light.18
[This mask is called
the masveh, and the word includes both the mem and the samech.] The first letters of theword representMaTaTand SaNDaL [two names of angels, or spiritual channels], while
the finals letters vav and hei representZeir Anpin andNukvah/Malchus, respectively.
Naturally, the mask is more superficial than the face itself, which is actually the point
where the direct and inner experience of Hashems G-dliness is expressed upon the
person. [Note: In Hebrew, the word for face, panim, is the same as the word for that
which is inward,pnim. This is because the face expresses the inner state of connection
with Hashem.] This is why Moshe Rabbeinus face shone with light. His direct
experience of G-dliness completely rectified the outer skin [of his face], which was a
reflection of the rectification of the damage caused by the sin of the Tree of Knowledge.
15Shemos 25:2
16Midrash Tanchuma, Terumah 3
17Mishlei 8:17
18Shemos 34:33
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I Am Black, but Beautiful
The half-shekel is a matter that has to do with fire, or as we have already
explained the revelation of Hashems light. And the Torah, which is associated with the
kav and the half-shekel is likewise a matter of fire and the revelation of His light. And
there is an inner point within the machatzis hashekel or the round vessel that parallels
the parah adumah or red heifer [whose ashes were used to ritually cleanse those who
had come into contact with the dead], which is also fiery redit is the point that joins
the aspects of mmalei kol almin and soveiv kol almin, it is the place ofMalchusdMalchus within the Ein Sof. This point is the epicenter of tzimtzum or constriction;
with respect to the worlds above it, it is the lower level ofMalchus, but with respect to
the worlds below it, it assumes the aspect of Chochmah. Compared with the worlds
above it, it is black and saturated with din and constriction, but compared with the
worlds below it, it is beautiful and suffused with Hashems light. This is like Queen
Esther, who was ugly on the surface, but who shone with an inner grace that charmed all
who saw her.19
I said I will Gain Wisdom, but She is Far from Me
One must delve deeply to seek out the meaning of the red heifer, because it is
very difficult to grasp. This is meant to teach us that it isnt enough to enter the aspect of
the machatzis hashekel, to experience the light of the Torah which is really Hashems
light. Rather, one must struggle to gain the innermost point within the machatzis
hashekel, which is the point of the red heifer. We learn of the parah adumah that it is
two years old [literally, born of two ] because it unites the two aspects of
the line and the sphere, of mmalei kol almin and soveiv kol almin, which are
masculine and feminine aspects respectively. Everything that has to do with the
preparation of theparah adumah involves sevens: seven kohanim, seven washings, etc.
The number seven represents the sefirah ofMalchus. On the other hand, the parah
adumah is associated with Chochmah, like the letter yud that has three apexes that
19Megillah 13a
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parallel the three substances that must be used in the preparation of the parah adumah:
cedar wood, hyssop, and tolaas shani; the three processes of slaughter, burning, and the
gathering of the ashes.
Even after a person has studied the Torah and experienced its light, even after
he is already considered wise [because he has attained Chochmah vis--vis the lower
levels], nevertheless he must seek a higher level of connection and plumb to the
innermost point so that he becomes worthy of prophecy, of the direct experience of G-
dliness.
The Paradoxical Nature of theParah Adumah
This inner point of the parah adumah is the spiritual root of the souls of the
Jewish people, and it has a paradoxical nature. The tzaddik, who immerses himself all
day long in the fire of the Torah, finds it difficult to lower himself to the souls of the
Jewish people [in order to teach them and help them spiritually], however if he fails to
do so he lacks the light of prophecy because he is disconnected from this inner point. So
he has no choice but to lower himself, and this is how the parah adumah defiles the
pure. At the same time, it purifies the impure, because in the act of lowering himself
to reach the souls of the Jewish people, he comes into contact with this inner point of the
parah adumah which is really the root of all creation and receives a wondrous new level
of holiness.
The Threefold Rectifications
We find in Likutei Moharan that, whenever ayin hara [the evil eye, usually
associated with jealousy] prevails in the world, breath is doubled [quickened].20
This
doubling of the breath can be understood in the light of the teaching of the Arizal, that
the verse, All breath [for every single breath, or for every
breath and breath] will praise G-d,21 refers to the joining ofMaTaTand SaNDaL [as
20Likutei Moharan I:55
21Tehillim 150:6
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mentioned earlier]. When ayin hara prevails, there is no real unity between these two
spiritual aspects, between the mem and the samech of the masveh, and the root of the
problem lies in the three main spiritual blemishes that parallel the three apexes of the
yud: heresy, disparagement of the tzaddikim, and licentiousness. These blemishes make
it impossible for the tzaddikim to pray properly and activate the aspect of the parah
adumah which is associated with prayer.
Heresy damages the sefiros of CHaBaD [the uppermost triad of Chochmah-
Binah-Daas]; licentiousness damages the [middle-level torso triad of the] heart;
22
andthe shaming oftzaddikim damages the sefiros ofNetzach-Hod-Yesod. As the verse says
[that Rachel declared after the birth of Yosef HaTzaddik, the paradigm ofYesod], G-d
has gathered in my shame...23
When the tzaddikim are denigrated, they cannot shed
their light. All of these flaws result in it becoming impossible to properly draw down
Divine abundance from the inner source ofMalchus, which is the inner point of the
parah adumah. However, through the preparation of the parah adumah, these three
flaws can be repaired. The cedar wood effects rectifications at the level of CHaBaD,
since it tends to be the most distinguished [the cedar is tall and stately] who developheretical ideas; the hyssop [the smallest and humblest of plants] effects rectifications at
the level ofChessed-Gevurah-Tiferes since it is usually the lowlier people who fall into
temptation in the realm of personal purity; and the tolaas shani effects repairs at the
level ofNetzach-Hod-Yesod.24
The slaughter of the parah adumah slaughters all heresies, the burning of its
body rectifies the burning heart25
of the person who has fallen in the area of personal
purity by transforming all of that fervor and energy into a burning desire for Hashem,
and the gathering of the ashes rectifies the denigration oftzaddikimG-d has gathered
up my shame...
22He who commits adultery with a woman lacks a heart... (Mishlei 6:32)
23Bereishis 30:23
24Likutei Moharan I:55
25Tehillim 39:4
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The Sfas Emes taught that all of these rectifications can be achieved even now
through meditating on the inner meaning of the preparation of the parah adumah, and
this is all the more true during the days of Purim, when the gates to all of the Torahs
inner dimensions are opened.
Let Your Soul Know Wisdom
Moshe Rabbeinu attained the highest expression of the mask as well as the
point of light, the point of the parah adumah, within the mask of the Torahs fire. He
embodied both the aspect of Chochmah as well as the aspect ofMalchusthe word
(to Moshe) has the same letters as the name Shlomo, the epitome ofMalchus.
And this is the task of each and every one of us, to attain the innermost point of the
parah adumah where Chochmah and Malchus are joined. When a Jew prays, he must
rise to the level of CHaBaD and subdue all of the false ideologies that exist, just as
when the tzaddikprays he must rise to that level and draw down the light of soveiv kol
almin and destroy heresy through his experience that there is nothing but Hashem at all
in the universe. Then the tzaddikrises to the place ofCHaGaTand rectifies the blemish
of illicit desire by meditating on the root of all desire, which is the unalloyed thirst for
Hashem Himself. Through experiencing this powerful desire for Hashem, the tzaddik
unites the aspects soveiv kol almin and mmalei kol almin, the aspects of the sphere
and the line. Then the tzaddikrectifies the blemish of denigrating the tzaddikim by
rising to the level ofNHY and meditating on the fact that everything in the universe
bespeaks Hashems glory. Then he is able to rearrange the words of the detractors of the
tzaddikim into new combinations that declare the glory of the King and the greatness of
the tzaddikim.
Once the tzaddikhas made these rectifications, he attains the aspects of dust
and ashes of theparah adumah; he is empowered to enter and walk freely through the
chambers of the upper world as he prays with those tzaddikim who are already dust,
and to experience the temporary sloughing off of his material existence and sense of
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self, as in, And I am dust and ashes.26
Then the body is suited to be a true vehicle for
holiness, to express Hashems light.
This is the meaning of: " " Let your soul
(nefesh) know (dei) wisdom (Chochmah) and it will be a crown (Kesser) for your
head.27
Ones prayer must rise to the aspect of theparah adumah, which is the source
of both Chochmah andMalchus (nafshecha), and then one will be worthy of receiving
the new revelation of Torah which is the crown of the Torah of KesserAtikah
Sesimaahwhich is the Torah of the ultimate future. Like Avraham Avinu whonullified all of the false ideologies of his time and merited to reveal that only Hashem
exists, the tzaddikconstantly reveals Hashems absolute presencethe light of soveiv
kol alminin a way that is always fresh and wondrous.
May Hashem help us so that, in the merit of such prayer, we become worthy of
the new Torah that will come forth from Me, and to see the Shechinah in our hearts as
described in theZohar. And our eyes will see Your Kingship, with the coming of our
righteous redeemer, speedily and in our days. Amen.
Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.
26Bereishis 18:27
27From the Shabbos zemerDror Yikrah, based onMishlei 24:14.
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Nesiv Chaim 13
Nesiv Mitzvosecha, Pathway 3.4:
"The main principle in this is that all of the aspects ofMazla which is called
Ayin have also an element ofMalchus which is called Ani'it acts in accordance
with its own opinion'and contains within itself some element ofyeish. However,
this aspect ofAni [self or awareness of independent existence] is only in sufficientdegree to maintain the existence of creation, so that they do not revert to the aspect
ofAyin[total subsuming withinEin Sof]. For this reason, a Jew should not hold on to
any more of a degree ofyeish and Ani than is necessary to maintain his existence.
Anything more than that should be banished. And he should humble himself like a
hyssop and a worm, and only expand hisda'as to the extent that it is necessary for
his pure service of Hashem and in order to maintain his physical existence"
We are all aware of the sages' statement, "There is no [] mazal for the Jewish
people."1
Mazal refers to the level ofKesser, and this is why Ayin ] is the] mazal ofthe Jewish people. The world ofKesseris our mazal. Within Kesserthere is the concept
of the Dikna ["beard" with its thirteen points, paralleling the thirteen attributes of
mercy], and the Dikna comprises two mazlinupper and lowerand this is why it is
referred to asMazal. [Note: The concept ofmazal orMazal when referring to Kesseris
that of a flow of Divine influence that comes from above to below. The root of the word
mazal is flowing, like the manner in which liquid flows from above to below.]
We learn from the Komarna Rebbe's words cited earlier that each person
contains his own levels ofKesserandMalchus, that ofAyin andAni, because the entirespectrum of the ten sefiros are found within all of us. A person's Kesser-aspect makes
him constantly seek to act with self-sacrifice and nullify himself before Hashem, while
his Malchus-aspect longs to assert itself and experience its own existence. These two
1Shabbos 156a
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inner forces are perpetually in conflict. The tzaddikim are always racing after the level
ofAyin, but it is impossible to completely nullify theAni-force, because it is an integral
part of the soul and is necessary for maintaining existence.
This is why the tzaddikim insisted that all those who came to them for help in
their quest for absolute bitulespecially between the ages of thirty and fifty, which was
the period of service of the levi'imshould not make the mistake of shutting themselves
away completely from working with others, thinking that this would only feed the Ani.
Quite the contrary, they taught. During those years it is vital that a person maintain tosome extent hisAni for holy purposes, otherwise his spiritual existence will not survive
at all.
The NecessaryAni
In the world as a whole, the purpose of life is self-seeking, and people exert
themselves to make a living or to achieve the prestige of a rosh yeshiva. In general,
people become dissatisfied with simply sitting and learning in some kollel, but we
cannot look at this from merely a superficial view. The tzaddikknows that the root of
this need to "be something" is in Malchus, which is a vessel, and which holds itself to
have independent existence. Yet each person also contains a very high sefirah which is
the aspect ofKesser, and which tells him that the purpose of existence is only to attain
bitul before G-d. The tzaddikim know, however, that the Ani is meant to serve as a
vessel for bitul to the Ayin. The two are necessary, but the tzaddikim are not confused
about which aspect is meant to serve the other.
An average person might be confused when he sees that the tzaddikacquires
some beautiful new object, but the tzaddik only acquires it because the object is
necessary for his harchavas hada'as, so that his mind will be relaxed and free. There
were many tzaddikim who owned beautiful things, and they served as a throne for
holiness. Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin certainly did not appreciate the gold and silver that
surrounded him for their material sake; his mind was only occupied with dveikus and
self-sacrifice constantly. Nevertheless, Hashem made it such that the wealth that
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surrounded him enhanced his harchavas hada'as, and this matter is bound up with many
deep secrets.
Each person has his own limitswithin the boundaries, that which is necessary
for his spiritual life is vital, and anything beyond it is absolutely forbidden. The main
purpose is bitul before Hashem, and there is not general rule as to what is needed to
maintain a healthy spiritual existence, because it is completely individual. So everyone
needs to take their own accounting over the matter and also pray about itbecause self-
deception is easy, and one must not expand his yeish-aspect more than is reallynecessary, G-d forbid.
"And the sign [as to whether he is really acting properly with regard to his
yeish-aspect] is if suffering and failure and humiliation and poverty and pain comes
upon him, do they also expand his da'as for his Divine service? Does he accept it
with love and joy, without any expectation of prestige and pride forthcoming? 'The
wood that does not burn with the light of the soul is beaten [i.e. the suffering or
'beating' is meant to bring out more light from the person's soul]'2
and comes to the
aspect ofAyin. Then, 'the light of the soul shines within it' without limit, with joyand good-heartedness. But the 'lamp of the wicked' who always follow after the
aspect ofyeish andani, 'the serpent tempted me []' [the word for tempted is
a conjunction of and ] and drew me after the desires of this world, which are
nothing butyeish andani'I will rule' [ ]and therefore, 'the lamp of the
wicked will be put out.'3They are shamed and humiliated"
The main purpose is bitul, and when humiliations and oppression crush a
person, it is only so that the light of his soul will shine brighter. Even if a person suffers
failures or loses his zest for learning Torah, G-d fobid, he must accept it with love andnullify himself to the state ofAyin. Then his soul will go back to burning with a limitless
light, with joy and good-heartedness. The tzaddikis already focused onAyin and bitul,
and this is why obstacles do not throw him when he faces them. He can accept
2ZoharIII:168a
3Mishlei 13:9
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everything with love and joy, because the knew from the start that the goal is Ayin. In
contrast, "the lamp of the wicked will be put out"because the wicked are self-seeking,
the serpents always leads them on to further yeish that is fed by the lusts of this world.
This brings to real shame and humiliation. But it is also certain that when the wicked
repent, all of theyeish that was wrongly built up will be repaired retroactively.
Nesiv Mitzvosecha, Pathway 3.5:
"See Eitz Chaim at the end ofSha'ar #39, Drush #14. [Note: This is one of
the places in the Eitz Chaim where the Arizal quotes a teaching in the name of RavMoshe Cordovero. We know that when the Arizal first arrived in Tzfat, he studied with
the Ramak.] The sefiros are a direct lightKesser, Chochmah, Binah, Chessed,
Gevurah, Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malchusfrom above to below. And it
repeated at the time that it returned to its source, it illuminated and emanated
another ten sefiros from below to above: Kesser within Malchus, and Chochmah
within Yesod, until Malchus within Kesser. Their end is implanted within their
beginnings, and their beginnings within their ends. This relates to theAni and the
Ayin withinMalchus"The root of the Torah is, "I []am Hashem their G-d who took them out of the
land of Egypt"4
The entire Torah includes the Ani-Ayin, both Kesserand Malchus.
But it is important for us to clarify just why Hashem created the aspect of theAni, when
we know that the main thing is the Ayin. The entire purpose of creation is so that
Hashem should have a dwelling place in the lower worlds. The only way for a created
universe to experience the Ayin of Hashem is through the Ani that is accessible within
the created universea lower revelation of His presence which ultimately enables the
experience of the higher Ayin. The entire edifice of Kabbalah rests upon this dynamic
which appears at first glance to be self-contradictory. The Ani [revealed presence in the
lower worlds] seems to be an obstacle, and the ani of created beings also tends to serve
as an obstacle to bitul and the experience of the Ayin. Nevertheless, the tzaddikuplifts
4Shemos 29:46
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his personal ani as well as that of the world as a whole [its material and independent-
seeming nature] to the highest Ayin. This causes Hashem's Ayin to be revealed to the
highest possible degree.
This is why the light of the sefiros descended in the manner of "direct" and
"returning" light; so that the elements ofAyin [above to below] and Ani [below to
above] would be bound together. The main task of the created being is to take his ani
and return with it back to his Source.
"So too, in theKesser, in the three upper 'heads,' and also in Reisha d'loIsyadah there are the aspects ofMalchus-Ani. For this reason, when the lights
returned back to Ayin, there remained some very refined element ofAni within
them, so that they would not be nullified from their rectified existence. Therefore,
even though the reality is that within the three 'heads,' which is the root of all that
exists, they returned toAyin, the root of theAni, nevertheless in some ultra-refined
manner there is, He made there, some small screen that can hold some degree of
yeish andani, so that they should not completely cease to exist.
"Every aspect in the world, from the apex ofAdam Kadmon until his heels,and down until the crass material of the world ofAsiyah, there is within everything
that exists an aspect of both ayin and yeish-ani. Through the Torah and the
development of goodmiddos, they purify themselves of the ani-yeish and transform
it into ayin completely. Then only the slightest degree is sufficient, and he accepts
everything with love and joy. 'If I am not for me' [ ]this is the
bonding ofani andayin, 'who is for me?'in the ultimate future. 'And if I am only
for myself' what is my power? Dust and ashes, crass material.
This is, in short, all of chassidusto take the ani and make it into ayin. If I
don't do this avodah, "Who is for me?" How will I merit the next world otherwise, since
the next world is all bitul. Hashem's light only shines upon that which is nullified before
Him. And, even so, the slightest bit of ani-Malchus must remain, because the vessel
cannot be eliminated completely.
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Nesiv Chaim 13
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Nesiv Mitzvosecha, Pathway 3.6:
"Know that it is impossible to draw down any additional blessing andshefa
from theEin Sofwithout absolutebitulto theAyinseeEitz Chaim, Sha'ar Mochin
d'Tzelem and Sha'ar Kriyas Shema. Every time that one recites Shema and the
word Echad, and so too when saying 'King of the universe' in every blessing, the
mainavodah is to intend to havemesirus nefesh to enter into absolutebitul, because
only this can draw downshefa.
"One must know that the matter is that there are two joinings up above;one to give life to the worlds and maintain their necessary existence. This joining is
constant, because if it would be interrupted for even an instant, all of the worlds
would cease to exist. The second joining is in order to bring forth souls" This is
mentioned in the writings of the Rashash and the Baal Shem Tov, that it is necessary to
make ayichudto draw down Divine vitality into the world, and this is what is meant by
bringing forth souls. "And to give mochin and vitality and renewal to Ze'ir and
Nukva, the Jewish people, the holy people, which is the innermost essence of the
worlds. This union is not constant. Themayin nukvin ofBinah needed for the innermochin must be raised up by the children, by pouring out their souls until they
arouse supernal lights." We learn from here that the inner yichud is brought about
through the avodah of the Jewish people.
Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.