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Shalosh Seudos1 of Parshas Vayeira 5767

". ' "
And Hashem appeared to him by in Elonei Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.2 Rashi explains: And Hashem appeared to himHashem came to visit the ill.3 Rabbi Chama bar Chanina taught that it was the third (and most painful) day after Avrahams bris, and Hashem came to ask after his welfare. In Elonei MamreiMamre was the one who had advised Avraham to go through with the circumcision, and it was to honor him that Hashem appeared to Avraham on his property. The Mochin that Descend at the Time of Milah Bris milah comprises three stages: the milah itself which is the cutting, the priyah which is the exposure of the corona, and hatafas dam which is the drawing of the blood. The Arizal writes that each of these three stages reveals one of the three mochin, or mentalities. The milah reveals the mochin of Binah / Understanding, through the mohel. Priyah, reveals the mochin of Chochmah / Wisdom through the infants father. Hatafas dam reveals the highest mochin of Kesser through the sandek, the person who has been honored with the holding of the child during the circumcision. This last aspect is alluded to in the verse, , k d e , e k d e z " "...d k ...And one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was as white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne...4 [The custom is to seek out an

1 2

The lesson was delivered at the third meal of Shabbos. Bereishis 18:1 3 Bava Metzia 86 4 Daniel 7:9

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elder tzaddik for the special honor of being the sandak who serves as a throne on which the bris is performed.] The Vilna Gaon taught that these mochin are not only associated with the masculine aspect of Zeir Anpin (the lower six sefiros from Chessed to Yesod), they are also from the feminine aspect of Nukvah (Malchus, but nukvah literally means feminine). The feminine aspect possesses two doors, which take the form of two dalets.5 [The womb is likened to a final mem, a chamber, that has hinges so that its doors (the literal meaning of dalet) can open to release the child at birth.] This is the lesson of the sealed final mem () that appears out of place in the verse " " - e n (a )That the rule may be increased and of neverending peace...6 When the doors are opened, the child is born. The two doors and the child itself parallel the three elements of the bris, and the two doors themselves symbolize Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid. They are the two main preliminaries before the birth of the child, the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu, the faithful i e "That which was, is what will shepherd. The verse says: " be...7 The acronym formed by the initials of the phrase is Moshe Rabbeinu because our first redeemer will also be our final redeemer.8 Our sages taught that the universe was created because Hashem desired for Himself a dwelling-place in the lower worlds.9 This is the inner meaning of the phrase, " - k "As the days of heaven upon the earth...10 The days of heaven are meant to infiltrate the earththe absolute nadir of creation. Hashem wants His people to be G-dly as well, that each of us should come to the level of Moshe the man of G-d and be a nation of prophets. The Torah commands us: " ' k e z "Be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am

5 6

Taamei HaMitzvos, Ki Teitzei; Likutei Moharan II:4; Bechoros 45a; Yeshayah 9:6 7 Koheles 1:9 8 Shaar Haleshem I:12:1; Tikkunei Zohar 69:131a 9 Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Naso 10 Devarim 11:21

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holy.11 The Alshich explains that the verse comes to teach us that every single Jew must come to the level of holyof ruach hakodesh, which is the spirit of prophecy. The fact remains, however, that the divided nature of this world makes it difficult for a person to be like a ladder standing on the ground whose top reached to the heavens and cleave to Hashem.12 Even so, since it is Hashem desire to dwell here, with us, in this lower world, He sent down three lofty soulsMoshiach ben Yosef, Moshiach ben Dovid, and Moshe Rabbeinuwho light the way for us to cleave to our Creator as we should. By following their illuminated path, we too can transform our bodies and souls into a dwelling place for the Shechinah. These are the three elements of milah. Moshiach ben Yosef, Moshiach ben Dovid, and Moshe / Moshiach The main impediment to our cleaving properly to Hashem is the divided and distracting nature of this physical world. Our problem stems from the fact that we are not constantly preoccupied with the spiritual work of Moshiach ben YosefTorah study, the contemplation of Divine Names, and effecting supernal unificationswhich has the power to purify and refine a persons vision. Both the Ramak and the Baal HaLeshem taught that the beginning of spiritual growth lies in the refinement of his body and soul through meditation upon the holy sheimos. All the while that a person is preoccupied with thoughts about all the worldly things and events that surround him, he will not be able to properly connect with his Creator. It is for this reason that Moshiach ben Yosef draws the hidden light of the Torahs inner dimension down into the Jewish people, to purify them so that they will be able to advance spiritually. Moshiach ben Dovid, represented by the second dalet, then draws down into the Jewish people the awareness that this work of contemplating the Divine Names is still insufficient. Rather, they must come to cleave to Hashems Infinite Lighta level that is beyond all Names and attributes, which is akin to absolute , or nothingness. While the soul of Moshiach ben Yosef is rooted in the sefirah of Chochmah / Wisdom, whose
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Vayikra 19:2 Bereishis 28:12

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nature is contemplative, the soul of Moshiach ben Dovid is rooted in Binah / Understanding, which extends up to the level of Arich Anpin or Kesser / Crown. The level of Kesser, or of , is where one never loses sight of Hashems absolute existence, and that, in truth, nothing exist besides Him. Even when a person is contemplating the Divine Names, he must bind his thoughts with the overarching awareness of Hashems absolute existence, that He is One, Alone, and Uniquethis is the meaning of the recitation of Shema. Hear, Yisrael, Hashem our G-d, Hashem is One.13 In order to give birth to the third and highest elementthe child itself, the soul of Moshe Rabbeinuone must open the two doors of the two redeemers by following in their respective paths. Doing so clears the way for the light of Moshe Rabbeinu, which is light of the lofty level of Divine awareness that will exist in the ultimate future, can descend to the world. The manifestation of this level of awareness, where, The world will be permeated with knowledge of G-d, like water covers the seabed, will occur when Moshiach ben Dovid receives a special additional aspect of soul, which is a spark of the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu. This is how Hashem will have a dwelling place in the lower worldswhen this lofty level of awareness will be able to descend into the lower strata of our existence. At first, when a person is still in the Moshiach ben Yosef state of contemplation, he is unable to draw down this lofty level of awareness. However, once he reaches the level of Moshiach ben Dovid, where he realizes that there is no true existence outside of Hashem, it is possible for him to draw the awareness of Moshe Rabbeinu down. This principle is encapsulated by the acronym formed by the phrase, " " [In the beginning, Hashem created] the heavens and the earth.14 The initials of the phrase form the Name EHYeHI will bethe Name associated with Daas / Knowledge [and Hashems revelation to the Jewish people through Moshe Rabbeinu just before the exodus]. The phrase alludes to the fact that this lofty level of
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Devarim 6:4 Bereishis 1:1

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awareness is only accessible when a person exists both in the heavens and on the earth. In this state, the existence of the material world does not serve as an impediment to Divine awareness; quite the contrary, it brings the person to ascend and contemplate yichudim at an even higher level. This is what is meant by uplifting the creation to its Source. Naturally, the first step to this level is focusing on looking at things that are spiritually edifying, like the faces of tzaddikim, etc. But the main way in which this is accomplished is by spreading the light of the Torah throughout the worlds, because all of material existence is really animated by the Torahs holy letters. When the Torah says, And the spirit of Elokim hovered over the waters, the sages taught, This is the spirit of Moshiach that hovers over the facets of the Torah. This is the spirit of Moshe Rabbeinu [the ultimate level of Moshiach], which contains the awareness and power to uplift all material reality to a state of bonding with its Source. He knows how to focus on the letters of the Torah which served as the building blocks of creation, and rectify the world so that all of material reality reveals the glory of Hashems Kingship. These three levels are part of the spiritual evolution of every Jewhe must ultimately come to the place of revealing Hashems Kingship even as he conducts the normal business of his life. The Three Elements of Bris and the Three Redeemers Until Avraham Avinu was circumcised, he was unable to reveal the unique avodos of the three future redeemers. Although he was able to share with the world a spark of the general meaning of the three paths, he could not reveal the light of Binah, Chochmah, and Kesser completely. Right after his bris, however, Avraham was empowered to really enter into these three paths. We can see this from the fact that the three angels stood over himthey are the three pathways that were revealed to him providentially. Avraham Avinu began to rectify the profound sins of the generations of the flood and the dispersion as well as those of the people of Sodom. Those three groups
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had inflicted spiritual damage within the partzufim of the world of Atzilus / Emanation: Arich Anpin, Zeir Anpin, and Malchus.15 The generation of the flood sought to damage the level of Arich Anpin and sin against the light of Hashems Essence, so to speak. We can see this from the fact that they lived incredibly long lives, nearly a thousand years, which parallels the inner nature of the level of Arich Anpin, which is associated with length of days or longevity.16 [Arich Anpin literally means the long facebut it has the further meaning of patience, which is associated with extreme longevity.] The generation of dispersion [the tower of Bavel] sinned against Hashems Namethe level of Zeir Anpin which is associated with His Nameand we see it from their cry: Let us make a name for ourselves...17 The people of Sodom sinned against the principle of justice itself, which is associated with Malchus / Kingship.18 However, as soon as Avraham Avinu completed his bris, Hashem appeared to him at Elonei Mamreto enable Avraham to reveal Hashems existence even in the outermost reaches of spiritual obscurity. This is the concept of Elonei Mamrei comes from the language of , vision. Once he had passed through the three pathways of the redeemers, the three stages of milah, Avraham was able to envision Hashems Light in every single thing that he looked upon. Constant Dveikus In truth, the avodos described are not at all simple. Moshiach himself is described as being, Poor [], and riding on a donkey.19 The sages taught that the word poor () is an acronym of the initials of three tractates: , , Eruvin, Niddah, and Yevamos.20 Niddah is itself a conjunction of the terms '-the hei (which represents Malchus and the Shechinah) has wandered. [This is the spiritual
Abba / Chochmah and Imma / Binah are subsumed within Arich Anpin. Emek HaMelech 305b 17 Bereishis 11:10 18 The deep meaning of the sins of these three generations has already been discussed in depth in many of the deeper works, especially those of Rav Aharon HaLevi Horowitz of Strashuleh. We will not delve into them more closely at the present time. 19 Zechariah 9:9 20 Sanhedrin 98a; Zohar III:276a
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root of the actual state of niddah, where the feminine aspect is in a state of exile.] There are places and situations in this world where Hashems presence cannot be seen, she has wandered from her place, however even in this state it is possible to retrieve ones awareness of the Divine. One can come to the state of Eruv [" + " = The word Eruv, which means a mixture, symbolizes the mixing of unifying of the Chassadim and the Gevuros. The numerical value of the word Chessed (") is 72, and the numerical value of the word Gevurah (") is 216.] One can also attain the state of Yibum; in its halachic sense, yibum is where it is possible to unite with the younger brother because the older brother can no longer be accessed (is deceased). In its Kabbalistic sense, yibum is what happens when a person manages to attain a degree of unity with Hashem and effect a yichud through his thoughts on a lower level (the younger brother called Yaakov) despite the fact that the channels to the upper level (the older brother called Zeir Anpin) are closed to him. Even though the tzaddikim occupy themselves with both paths of Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid, nevertheless they are not able to complete completely remove all of the spiritual obstacles which are the manifestations of the klippah of Amalek that obscures the light of Hashem and His Torah from creation. The goal is to reach the level of Avraham Avinu, who did come to these three levels completely by virtue of his bris milah. He was " and " he cut away the veils that obstruct one from seeing Hashem, and exposed His Name. Then he was able to draw bloodthe word blood () has the same numerical value (44) as the Name EHYeH when it is written in the progressive articulation known as achorayim. [ " + " + " + = 44] This progressive expansion is associated with the evolution of Divine awareness that will come in the ultimate futurewhat is knows as the four-fold song that will be sung in the future.21 This is evolution is the ultimate goalthat Divine awareness should permeate even the lowest levels of creation. It is precisely when this happens that Hashems Name is revealed in all its glory, much as the Divine Name
21

Tikkunei Zohar 21

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unfolds from world to world, from above to below, but is only fully expressed in the lowest world of Asiyah / Action.22 [The four-letter Name of Hashem begins its downward revelation in the world of Atzilus with the letter Yud; it continues to the world of Beriyah with the letter with the Hei; it is further articulated in the world of Yetzirah with the letter Vav; and only finds full expression the world of Asiyah with the final Hei. Although the successively lower worlds are where, for the time being, the Divine light is more and more hidden, in the ultimate future this light will be revealed, with the greatest revelation taking place in the lowest world of Asiyah.] The Unslaughtered Offering With this in mind, we can more clearly understand the extent of the test of the akeidah, the binding of Yitzchak. Avrahams son Yitzchak is associated with the Gevuros and successive contractions of Hashems light that facilitated the creation and maintenance of an independent-seeming universe. The command to slaughter Yitzchak has the inner meaning of nullifying all of this lower material reality in order to bind oneself completely to Hashem. This would mean having no interest whatsoever in the things of this world, and being absorbed exclusively in the contemplation of the upper worlds. However, this kind of retreat from reality or deadening of ones material existence is not the end goalone is really meant to come to the higher level of touching and not touching, of being both in contact and distanced from material existence at the same time. [This is called being in the heavens and on the earth simultaneouslyas discussed earlier.] When a person comes to this higher level, instead of slaughtering Yitzchak, he can substitute a ramhe can subdue the evil inclination by having his Torah-vision illuminate his worldly experiences so that they are no longer distractions from his purpose that require removal. Then, Yitzchak can liveall of the system of contractions of Hashems light that serve as the spiritual infrastructure of the universe can remain in place, because they have become part of the

22

Toras Chochom 150b

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greater process of recognizing Hashem, of making a dwelling place for Him in the lower worlds. This is Hashems main delight [ = ]when the tzaddikim are not limited to abstract and removed spiritual work, but actively draw down the Divine awareness of Moshe Rabbeinu into their this-worldly experience, into every single thing that they learn. Their entire reality becomes material for further dveikus. In this way, their connection with Hashem is not limited to the time that can be dedicated to pure meditation, but instead, throughout the day, even experiences that would appear to be spiritual obstacles are transformed into vessels to hold Hashems light. The Birth of Awareness from the Darkness Avraham Avinu went down to Sodom, and it was precisely there that he stood to pray before Hashem. Those prayers still protect the Jewish people to this very day, and they will continue to do so until the end of time, they protect us when we are in Sodomin a spiritual free-fall. When a person binds himself to ten tzaddikim who parallel the ten sefiros of Atzilus, it is possible to uplift all of creation to its Source. Then it is possible to draw the light of Moshiach out of the mire of Lot and his daughters, who represent the moral paralysis of depression and melancholy. Avraham and Lot are diametric opposites; Avraham represents holy self-nullification and holy uplifting, while Lot represents the self-abnegation of depression and melancholy. Even if person goes down to Sodom with Lotthe one who dwells in that corrupt place and feels that he is miserably far from Hashemhe must remember that the tzaddikim revealed to us that it is still possible to bind oneself to Hashem even in the midst of the maelstrom and thick darkness that surrounds him. He can still unite the Chassadim and the Gevuros and mitigate all harsh judgments [through faith and prayer] so that even he can help to birth the light of Moshiach. Even the tzaddikim are not able to birth this light unless they are in the state of the obscuring of Hashems presence. Although it is possible for them to prepare for this extremity ahead of time, when they feel connection and Hashems presence is
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revealed, the actual birth can only come about through the challenge of the darkness. [Much as all the preparation for birth only helps an expectant woman so muchthe actual birth of a child is through toil.] In the Emek HaMelech we find that the time to pray for the redemption is specifically during Minchah time of erev Shabbos, and not on Shabbos or Yom Tov itself. Although one would think that such lofty times would be more auspicious, the deeper works teach us that it is precisely in the state of admixture (erev), of confusion and obscurity and precedes the entrance to the next level which is represented by Shabbos, that the time is ripe to bring the redemption. [Erev Shabbos is also, for many, the hardest time of the week because so much needs to be done and the time is short. This often leads to tension, which makes it all the more difficult to focus on the inner light of material reality. This is one reason why the rewards of tearing away the veils of obscurity at just that time can be so great.] This is our task now, at the end of this bitter exile. Hashem has already prepared and lighted the way for us to escape our prisonHe is asking us to spend time and energy on the kinds of spiritual work that have the power to hasten the redemption. We must open up the gates of the redemption by following the path of Moshiach ben Yosef, the path of contemplation, and the path of Moshiach ben Dovid, which is the way of focusing on Hashems absolute existence. Then we will be able to birth the Divine awareness of the ultimate redeemer, Moshe Rabbeinu, so that knowledge of Hashem can penetrate to every limit of creation. When we do this we will find that even if we fall into the melancholy of Lot, we will not become like the sinners of Sodom, G-d forbid. Rather, the darkness will goad us to discover the light of Moshiach from within the midst of the turmoil and destruction, to bind our material reality with its source in the upper worlds. This will reveal Hashems Kingship in all its glory. In the place where the sitra achra thought that no G-dliness could be revealed, the greatest light of Hashems unity will be found. As the sages taught on the verse: I found My servant Dovid23

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Tehillim 89:21

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Where did I find him? In Sodom.24 Where is the light of Moshiach ben Dovid revealed? From out of the greatest darkness. Chanukah, Purim, and the Light of Moshiach This light is the source of the unfolding lights of Chanukah, which illuminate all of the facets of the Torah with their thirty-six candles that parallel the thirty-six tractates of the Talmud. They draw down Hashems light into this lowest world, and they continue the unfolding process of redemption into Purim, when Amalek is destroyed. On Purim, Divine awareness expands exponentially [this is the mazal of the month of Adarthe fish that represent the explosive expansion of the awareness of the redemption]. This is the inner meaning of the Talmudic dictum: Anyone who brings delight to the Shabbos merits an inheritance that is without limits.25 A person who exists in the state of Shabbos, who unifies Hashems Name in the aspect of Shabbos, merits to reveal Hashems glory without being subject to the limits and boundaries of creation. The Tears between the Letters How does one come to be able to fulfill all that we have discussed? Through the study of the Torah itself. The Torah is the root of all creation, and it also encompasses all that every person experiences. This is why Amaleks main objective is to block the light of Hashem from shining through the straightforward meaning of the Torahs words. Amalek seeks to swallow up the letters of the Torah [and keep them disassociated from higher meaning and the emotional and spiritual arousal it brings], but the tzaddikim and the Shechinah have shed rivers of tears between the letters to prevent this from happening.

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Bereishis Rabbah 50:10 Shabbos 118a

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Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught that a person who wishes to innovate genuine new Torah concepts must weep first.26 These tears are an aspect of the inner meaning of the Torah that is hidden between the letters [much as we say between the lines]. It is only by virtue of these tears that the tzaddikim manage to reveal the true spiritual nature of the Torah. This process is described allegorically in Rebbe Nachmans story of the Lost Princess, the Shechinah, who wept copiously and wrote a message in tears on her scarf that could only be deciphered when held up to the sunlight. This is meant to teach us that it is not enough to learn what is written in the Torah, we must pray and plead with Hashem to decipher the tears, the pathways to dveikus, that are hidden among the letters. When we do, we will be able, like the tzaddikim, to discover the light of Hashems presence in every single situation, no matter how dark it may seem. 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.27 We must draw down the great light of Moshiach by unifying Chochmah and Binah, by letting the aspect called soul (Binah) join with Wisdom. Then we will be simultaneously treading the paths of Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid toward the Kesser, the Crown of Divine awareness of Moshe Rabbeinu, the faithful shepherd. We will observe Your holy mitzvos, those that were commanded to us by Moshe, and guard Your holy Shabbos, with the arrival of our righteous redeemer in mercy. Speedily and in our days. Amen.

Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.

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Likutei Moharan I:262 From the Shabbos zemer Dror Yikrah, based on Mishlei 24:14.

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Yam Hachochmah 5772

Light is Sown for the Righteous, Part 41
The Makifim that Surround Us It is well known that there are two makifim [surrounding lights] that surround a personthe makif of chayah and the makif of yechidah [the two highest faculties of the soul], as explained at length in the Arizals writings. The makif of chayah is also known as the returning makif and the near makif, because it first enters into the vessels and afterward it exits as a returning light, in the manner of hairs which closely surround the entire sefirah. [Note: These concepts are explored at length in the 45th Shaar of Eitz Chaim. There, it discusses the makifin of Atzilus and evokes the imagery of two levels of light that are too great for the vessels; one of them is so great that it cannot enter the vessels at all, and the other can enter but it has to exit again. This returning light is envisioned as hairs which emerge from the vessel of the head and then surround it.] This parallels the near makif of ones garments, which surround the body closely. The makif of yechidah is known as the straight makif as well as the distant makif because it illuminates [the vessels] from a distance without entering at all into them. It surrounds the entire partzuf [composite of sefiros of a particular level] as a whole. This parallels the chamberones homewhich is the analogue of ones Malchus.2 [The home surrounds a person at a further distance than his garment, but it still surrounds him.] There is an even larger makif which parallels the city in which a person resides, because it is an overarching perimeter that surrounds any number of houses. This makif derives from an even higher levela level more lofty than that of yechidah[even though yechidah seems to be the highest of all] for there are always more and more
1

The lesson is found in Yam Hachochmah 5772, Maamar Ohr Zarua laTzaddik, p. 722-760, and this particular segment was part of a shiur given at the third meal of Shabbos in Tzfas, in honor of the yohrtzeit of the Arizal, Parshas Devarim, 5771. 2 Eitz Chaim, Shaar 42, Chapter 1 15

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levels reaching higher and higher. The broadness and encompassing nature of the makifin of each level are proportionate to that levels higher degree. For our purposes, we will say that the makifin of chayah and yechidah are the makifin of Atzilus, but there is an even more all-encompassing makif which derives from the level of Adam Kadmon, which includes within it all of the houses of the city.3 The Makifin of the Tzaddik Now we can return to the focus of the lesson, which is on the nature of prayer and hiskashrus at the graves of the tzaddikim. A person needs to bind himself not only to the tzaddik himself, but also to his makifin. The primary makif is, as we have already learned, invested in the garments of the tzaddik [chayah], and the secondary and more broad makif is that of his house [yechidah]. There is a further makifthat of the city in which he resides or rests. Even though it is more rare for people to be able to sense this [presence of the tzaddik surrounding the entire city], if a person contemplates into it deeply and merits to feel it, he grasps a makif that is far greater than that which can be grasped within the immediate vicinity of the gravesite.4 Even though it is true that the main holiness of the tziun is focused in its immediate vicinity because it is the resting place of the tzaddik, nevertheless there are other levels of makifin that spread outward. The makif directly above the tziun itself parallels that of the garments [chayah], as explained by the Mittler Rebbe of Lubavitch. The four amos surrounding the tziun embodies the makif of the house [yechidah]. But the makif throughout the entire city in which he lies is the greatest of all, and it parallels
See Eitz Chaim, Shaar Igulim vYosher, Anaf #4. The great tzaddik Rav Gedalia Koenig, ztl, taught that the phrase, Sound the great shofar alludes to a deep secret. The gematria of is equal to that of , and the word is equal to that of . We can say that Tzfas represents Yesod dAbba and the tzaddik haemes [the Arizal, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, all of the great tzaddikim buried in the Galil], and Yerushalayim represents Malchus and the building of the Beis Hamikdash. Yesod dAbba establishes Malchus, much as the tzaddik haemes [Moshiach] must come to build the Beis Hamikdash. Similarly, we travel to Tzfas not for its own sake, but in order to return to Yerushalayim with greater energy, because it is only when we first reconnect with the tzaddik that we are able to return and truly discover the holiness of Yerushalayim. 16
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the makifin of Adam Kadmon and the Olam HaMalbush. [Note: Olam HaMalbush is a figurative idiom, used by several disciples of the Arizal to refer to the Divine metaplan for all Creation before the constriction of His infinite light. In chassidus its state is described as, G-ds conceiving within Himself in potential all that was destined to become actual. We can see that this master level is associated with the tzaddik, since the true tzaddik lives up to his full human potential. As we sing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: Let Us make man was said for your sake.] The tzaddik haemes himself was bound up with the concept of the kav that is associated with the Olam HaMalbush, and so the highest degree of his influence affects all of the houses within the city where he lies, because he brought the light of that highest world to the place when he still lived there. This can be sensed only by those who really delve into the inner nature of the level of the tzaddik. The makif that is directly upon the tziun allows a person to connect with the Torah and the mystical concepts that the tzaddikk revealed [chayah = Chochmah]. The further makif that is embodied within the four surrounding amos helps a person to experience the awareness of G-dliness and the yichud that the tzaddik revealed [yechidah = Yichud]. Throughout the entire town, one can access the loftiest makif, and this is expressed in the sense of the depths of the greatness of the tzaddik and the manner in which he binds together and unifies all of the houses of the town, which really means all of the souls of the Jewish people, into a single spiritual unity. It was of this dynamic that Rebbe Nachman spoke when he offered his unique interpretation of the sages statement about the rebuke that Moshe Rabbeinu directed toward the Jewish people at the beginning of Sefer Devarim.5 There, he only alluded to their sins in the wilderness by hinting at the places where the events took place. Rebbe Nachman said that this is a fulfillment of the verse, My naird gave off its aroma Even the incense that was offered at the sin of the golden calf is still said to give off an aroma rather than a stench, because the rebuke of the tzaddik did not arouse the negativity within the
5

See Likutei Moharan II:5 17

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Jewish people, rather it aroused the positive points within their souls. The recounting of the places where the sins took place alludes to the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu was able to awaken the souls of the Jewish people at the loftiest levelthe makif of the cities and unify them to draw them to Hashem. The redemption also depends on this kind of an arousalone that unifies all of the levels. Clear Advice The greatest advantage of accessing the highest of the makifin of the tzaddik is that it is a means of receiving true guidance about how we should behave in every matter. The fact is that everyone wants to be good; our only problem is that we stumble around in the dark and lack clear guidance as to what exactly we need to do in every circumstance. This is where the loss of the Beis Hamikdash is most acutely feltwe no longer have prophets or sages who can tell us unequivocally what path we should take. The main churban is the destruction of Daas, which is the loss of true advice in avodas Hashem, when wisdom is in eclipse. Then we truly mourn over the loss of our Beis Hamikdash, because we have no idea what to do in spiritual or in physical matters. To really access genuine guidance and eitzah, we need to reach a level that surpasses that of any prophet or sagewe need the guidance of Moshiach, who is called pele yoetz, wondrous advisor. The root of Moshiachs soul is that of Moshe Rabbeinu. We know that the name Moshe is an acronym for the phrase, That which was, will be. Just as Moshe Rabbeinu was the original redeemer, he will also be the final redeemer. Moshe/Moshiach will be able to give us the highest type of advice, the guidance that suits the exact nature of each of our souls at its source. It encompasses the two types of advice that are rooted in the makifin of chayah and yechidah, it transcends them, includes them, reconciles them. If a person only follows the advice rooted in the near makif, he may find at some point that at the point of the far makif, it was not really suitable. And even if it is in tune with the level of

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yechidah, it might not be in alignment with the absolute truth, which is the higher makif derived from the place of Adam Kadmon and the Olam HaMalbushthe pele yoetz. We can reach this level of advice by attaching ourselves to the ways of the true tzaddikim and the innermost nature of their avodahunbridled joy in Hashem, Yisrael will rejoice in his Maker.6 This enlivens the root of our souls with vitality from the very highest place, which parallels the place where the tzaddikim are secreted away, their burial place. This advice is a reflection of the far-off light of the Beis Hamikdash and Eretz Yisrael [in its fully spiritualized state], which will ultimately fill us with certain knowledge and guidance as to what we should do in both spiritual and physical matters. Even though the redemption has not yet arrived, when we enter deeply into the joy of the tzaddikim in Torah and prayer, we can already receive a taste of it. To overcome the dark uncertainty of exile, we immerse ourselves in the ways of the tzaddikim who teach us the depth of emunah, that everything is for the ultimate good and that everything is G-dliness. This will bring us to rejoice in Hashem in general and also in every particular. Yisrael will rejoice in his Maker. Seeking the Shechinah The search for this level of guidance is essentially the search for the Shechinah. And when we seek the Shechinah, great joy abounds on high. The exile of the Shechinah, her dwelling in the dust, is really due to our forgetting about the Divine presence. When people live their lives, suffer through their problems and dont feel that any solution is at hand, when the Shechinah is abandoned, then the Divine presence is truly in exile. But when we realize that the Shechinah can help every person because it
See the Introduction to Shaar Hamitzvos; in it we learn that the Arizal [and all of the other tzaddikim] only reached the incredible levels that he did in the merit of the joy that he felt in Hashem at all times. Although the intensity of his joy [which was more than what one would feel at having received millions of golden dinars] is beyond us, nevertheless we too can reach this level in a way that is appropriate to our own degree. And we see that the Arizals great joy made him worthy of revealing the most wondrous advice down to the level of precise action in spiritual and physical matters. We can also receive some of this light when we come to his city, to Tzfas, and rejoice in the Arizals great holiness. 19
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includes everything, when we realize that even though we are bereft of prophets we still have the Shechinah with us, then we enter into the mindset of the true tzaddikim. They never let go of the Shechinah for a moment, and it is from the Shechinah that their eitzah derives. The search is itself the finding, because it means that we know that the Shechinah is to be found among us. This is the meaning of the famous parable, of a father who played with his child and hid himself so that his son would seek him. When the child finally finds him, what rejoicing goes on! The essence of the joy is in the realization that the father never actually went anywhere, that he hid only so that his son would seek him.7 The verse says of Tzion, She has no seeker. Tzion, the city of Dovid, is not the Har HaBayis; it is like a preliminary. It is the burial place of Dovid and the other righteous kings of his line, and he is the exemplar of the true tzaddik that rejoices in Hashem and, in so doing, draws down the most wondrous guidance. During this time of churban, the aspect of Malchus loses its independent status and retreats back up to Yesod. Even though this concept is very esoteric, we can understand it in this context as follows: when we seek the clear eitzah embodied by the Beis Hamikdash during its eclipse, we must first retreat back up to Tzion, the tzaddik, and seek it there. If we want to discover the Shechinah and the pele yoetz, we need to follow the path of Tzion, the true tzaddikim. The Baal HaTanyas Words in Igeres Hakodesh At this point, it would help us to see the teachings of the Baal HaTanya that relate directly to this subject, in his letter to the chassidim of the Galil upon the death of Rav Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk:
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The ultimate level is to apprehend the three rishonos, the three uppermost levels which are symbolized by the three cities that border Eretz Yisraelthe Keini, the Knizi, and the Kadmoni. Even though such goals are far beyond us, nevertheless the Arizal himself did reach such levels by virtue of his joy in Hashem, and we therefore know that this is the path to follow in order to reach all of our own spiritual potential. We must learn to ignore all of the matters that confound and depress us, and focus exclusively on Torah and avodah with the utmost joy. This is the path to our personal redemption, as well as the collective redemption. 20

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My beloved brothers and friends who are [as dear to me] as my own soul May Hashem be upon them; they should live a life forevermore, and their offspring with them, and may they be fully righteousthey are blessed of Hashem now and forever. Following the inquiry after their welfare as is becoming those that love His Name, I have come to comfort those who sigh and groan, and to console them doubly for salvation with what my ear has heard and noted for itself on the saying of our sages, of blessed memory, He has left life unto all the living. The tzaddik lives by his faith, and by the fear of Hashem which leads to life, and by the flashes of fire of the flame of his love [of G-d, which to him] supersedes life, to absorb the life of his ruach all the days of his duration. And when it comes about that the Hashem takes up [and] gathers to Himself his ruach and neshamah, and he ascends from one elevation to anotherto the peak of levels, he, then, leaves the life of his ruach upon which he labored throughout his life among the Jewish people [the labor of the righteous is for the living], to every living being. That is, [he leaves it to] the soul of every living being bound to his soul by the thick ropes of a magnanimous love, and an eternal love, that will not be moved forevermore. For he who is the man that desires life to become attached to the Master of life, his soul will become attached through his service; [his soul] will be bound up in the bundle of life with Hashem, in the life of, the breath [ruach] of our nostrils of whom we said: in his shadow we shall live [safely] among the nations. [Note: This is a reference to Moshiach.] [This] he left to us, in each and every one corresponding to the degree of his genuine alliance and his pure love, a pure love of truth from, the inward of man and a profound heart. For, as waters [reflect] the face...; and spirit [ruach] rouses spirit, and brings forth spirit. Thus his ruach remains truly in our midst, when he sees his children, the work of his hands, in his midst sanctifying His blessed Name. For [Hashems Name] is magnified and sanctified when we walk in the right way that he has shown us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths forevermore.

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And this is the meaning of the statement in the sacred Zohar that, When the tzaddik departs he is to be found in all worlds more than in his lifetime. That is, he is to be found more even in this world of action [this day to do them], because the action keeps sprouting secondary growth from the, light sown for the righteous in the field that is blessed by Hashem. [This light] radiates to the earth and the outside places, and also to usthose that are here this day, all of us that live in his ways, The holy way shall it be called. This is as regards the service of G-d, with respect to heavenly matters. As for mundane matters, it is stated explicitly in the sacred Zohar that

the tzaddikim shield the world, and after their death even more than in their lifetime. Were it not for the prayer of the tzaddikim in that world, the world would not endure a single moment. And whoever is closer to the abode of Hashem during his lifetime has precedence to the blessing. It is stated in the Zohar Hakadosh that when the tzaddik departs he is to be found in all worlds more so than in his lifetime... Now, this needs to be understood. For, granted that he is to be found increasingly in the upper worlds, because he ascends to there; but how can he be found more in this world? This may be explained along the lines of what I received on the saying of our sages, of blessed memory, that, He has left life unto all the living. As is known, the life of the tzaddik is not a physical life but a spiritual life, consisting of faith, awe, and love. Of faith it is written, And the tzaddik lives by his faith. Of awe it is written, The awe of Hashem is for life. And of love it is written, He who pursues tzedakah and chessed will find life, and chessed refers to love. These three attributes are prevalent in every world to the topmost of levels, all proportionate to the levels of the worldsone higher than the other by way of cause and effect, as is known. Now, while the tzaddik was alive on earth, these three attributes were contained in their vessel and garment on the plane of physical space. This is the aspect of the nefesh bound to his body. All his disciples receive only a radiation from these
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attributes, and a ray [from them] radiating beyond this vessel by means of his holy utterances and thoughts. That is why our sages, of blessed memory, said that a person cannot comprehend his master... But after his passing, as the nefesh [which remains in the grave] is separated from the ruach [i.e. these three attributes] which is in the Garden of Eden, whoever is near to him can receive a part from the aspect of his ruach [which is in Gan Eden], because it is no [longer] within a vessel, nor on the plane of physical space. The saying of our sages with reference to Yaakov Avinu is well known, that Gan Eden entered with him [when he approached his father for a blessing]. Likewise it is stated in the book Asarah Maamaros that the atmosphere of Gan Eden spreads itself around every person, and in this space are recorded all his good thoughts and his words of Torah and avodah. (This is also true to the contrary, chas vshalom. They are recorded in the atmosphere of Gehinnom which spreads itself around every person.] It is therefore very easy for his disciples to receive their part of the essential aspects of their masters ruach, i.e. his faith, his awe and his love with which he served Hashem, and not merely a ray of it which radiates beyond the vessel. For the essential aspect of his ruach is raised, elevation upon elevation, to become absorbed in

his neshamah which is in the upper Gan Eden, in the supernal worlds. Now it is known that something sacred is never wholly and totally uprooted from its place and original level, even after it has reached the highest point. Thus it is this original aspect, remaining below, in the lower Gan Eden, in its place and original level, which extends itself among his disciples; each one according to the level of his alliance and closeness to [the tzaddik] during his lifetime and after his death out of a magnanimous love. For the flow of anything spiritual is only accomplished by means of a magnanimous love. It is therefore stated in the Zohar Hakadosh that the spirit [ruach] animated by a willingness of the heart elicits a [matching] spirit from on high. He receives it only when he prepares himself towards his G-d with a great effort to receive these attributes in the way that his master taught him. As the sages taught: If you have labored and [claim to have] foundbelieve it.
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Now, there is yet another type of radiation to his disciples. However, it does not vest itself truly in their mindas is the case with the first onebut radiates over them, from above. It stems from the ascent of his ruach and his neshamah to the source from which it was hewn, to the orchard of the holy apples. [This ascent] effects a unification there [yichud] by means of the elevation of the mayin nukvin of all his doings, his Torah, and the Divine service which he offered all the days of his life. The most sublime lights are implanted within that heavenly orchard, corresponding to the lights that he left in the lower world, i.e. his Torah and avodah. The illumination of these supernal lights radiates over all his disciples who became servants of Hashem through his Torah and avodah. And this radiation, which is over them from above, instills in their heart thoughts of repentance and good deeds. And all the good deeds born from this radiation [radiating from the lights implanted in the orchard mentioned above] are called secondary growth. But this radiation is in great latency and concealment, just like the sun radiating to the stars from below the earth. Thus it is stated in the Tikunim, in reference to Moshe Rabbeinu, that after his passing his radiation extends in every generation to the sixty myriad souls, just like the sun radiating to the sixty myriad stars from below the earth. [Note: This is what the Baal HaTanya wrote to his relative-by-marriage, the rabbi and famous gaon, Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, to console him on the passing of his son, the pious rabbi, Rav Meir.]

Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.

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