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D’ei Chochmah
L’nafshechah
“Let your soul know wisdom”
Parshas Ekev
“If only you listen to these laws and safeguard them to keep them, Hashem
your G-d will guard the covenant and lovingkindness that He swore to your
forefathers.”2
Rashi explains: “‘If only (ekev) you listen...’—if only you will take heed of
those ‘minor’ mitzvos that people often tread upon with their heel (ekev)—
‘Hashem your G-d will guard the covenant’—He will guard His promise to
you.”
1
The lesson was delivered at the third meal of Shabbos.
2
Devarim 7:12
3
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
him come closer to Hashem and awaken to true repentance. At first, a person
looks into various seforim to find his way—during one period, he is certain that
he will follow a particular path outlined in one sefer, then later he tries another
direction. When he sees that his efforts are not bearing fruit, he realizes that he
needs to follow the directive of the Zohar and get up before the dawn, to get up
for chatzos, “I will arise at midnight to praise You for Your righteous
judgments.”3 We learn from various sources that even if one does not rise at
exactly chatzos, there is nevertheless much to be gained spiritually from rising
before dawn. So, either way, this person rises at chatzos or before dawn thinking
that this is what will transform the rest of his day so that he will be able to serve
Hashem properly. After a time, though, he still finds himself at a loss, not having
achieved his goal. So he seeks another path, that of, “I am a friend to all who fear
You,”4 and connects with worthy people thinking that he will take part in their
successful avodas Hashem. And even though all of his efforts are valuable,
nevertheless he finds himself broken-spirited when he realizes that he is still very
far from the true goal.
3
Tehillim 119:62
4
Ibid., 119:63
5
Shir HaShirim 1:5
4
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
is a great deal of beauty to be found.6] We find that the prophet says in Hashem’s
Name: "אָמר הויה
ַ “—" ָשׁלוֹם ָשׁלוֹם ָל ָרחוֹק וְ ַל ָקּרוֹבPeace, peace, to the far and the
near, says HaVaYaH...”7 Rav Aharon of Strashuleh explained that this verse
refers to the two types of dveikus that can be reached: that which is external, and
that which is internal. When a person begins to grow spiritually, he does so in an
external or superficial way, and this is why it always seems to him that he is far
from the true goal and that his efforts aren’t bearing fruit. However, Hashem
actually takes great pleasure in this person’s attempts to draw closer to Him and
from the fact that he recognizes his distance and keeps on trying to overcome it.
Hashem values the person’s attempts to “find the princess,” the Shechinah, and
discover the place where she has been hidden, the “golden mountain and the
pearl castle” of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov’s tale.8 To those who are “far,”
Hashem calls out in peace—just as the prophet proclaims.
In contrast, the tzaddikim who serve Hashem from “near”—in the inner
aspect—reveal what it means to be “close.” They demonstrate that, “the thing is
very near to you, in your mouth and your heart, to do it.”9 They show that
Hashem is always with us, that He is orchestrating all the events of our lives, and
we have no reason to fear at all. They teach us that we need to abandon ourselves
to Him at every step along the way, and to turn to Him and pray at every
moment. Then, we can be confident that Hashem will lead us on the path that
will bring us to true rectification, completion, and repentance—and there is no
6
Ibid., Rashi loc cit.
7
Yeshayah 57:19
8
See the story of “The Lost Princess,” which is the first of the long tales by Rebbe Nachman.
9
Devarim 30:14
5
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
real possibility of failure. Anyone who believes that the Shechinah presents any
challenge or obstacle that does not have the power to bring him to realize all of
his spiritual potential makes light of her honor. The truth is that the Shechinah is
the only power that exists in the world [and so naturally there is no source of
challenge to a person that is not an expression of Hashem’s will and that does
not have the potential to bring him to completion]. It is about such tzaddikim that
Hashem declares through the prophet, “Peace to the near.”
This inner pathway of dveikus is the type that Adam HaRishon and
Avraham Avinu both followed, which we can see from the fact that they
observed all of the Torah’s laws even before they were revealed in the world
through Hashem’s command.10 Since they constantly turned to Hashem and
cleaved to Him, Hashem caused them to intuitively fulfill all of the mitzvos.
Even if a person has sinned, as long as he sincerely chooses to seek the point of
emunah, Hashem will not abandon him and will guide him along the path of
truth.
Just as Hashem chooses the “far,” He also chooses the “near”—“I have
chosen the path of emunah.”11 He wants to be discovered through the inner path
of emunah by all of the Jewish people. This is why Hashem used the term
emunah when He censured Moshe and Aharon for failing to reveal this pathway:
“Because you did not have emunah in Me, to sanctify Me before the eyes of the
entire Jewish people.”12 This path is very deep, and one must simultaneously
bear in mind that while avodas Hashem is difficult and far from us, nevertheless
10
Bereishis 2:15; Zohar I:27a; Kiddushin 4:14
11
Tehillim 119:30
12
Bamidbar 20:12
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D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
it is also easy and near to us. One need do nothing but sincerely repent of
wrongdoing and turn to Hashem constantly, seeking emunah, and everything will
be repaired as a matter of course and one will attain all of the holiness that he
needs to. This is on the condition that he never lets his mind stray from Malchus,
which is also called “a path,” or derech.13 This path will lead a person up to the
King’s palace.
“I Am Black”
This path of emunah, however, is mostly hidden from people, as we find
in the writings of the Arizal, that, “the 288 [judgments] of Malchus are found in
a very deep place.”14 The “( רפ"ח288) of Malchus” is associated with the Shem
HaVaYaH when it is written out in the step-down form of י' י"ה יה"ו יהו"הwhich
has the numerical value of 72 [and 4 x 72 = 288, since there are four aspects of
the rectification of Malchus]. This fourfold Name is also called the “song that
will ring out in the ultimate future” [when Hashem’s chessed ( = חסד72) will be
revealed].15 This melody is very complex and twisted [which we see from its
“turning back upon itself” in this form known as achorayim], and the pathway of
emunah that it represents is still very hidden. Anyone who wants to follow the
way of emunah must know that there is a great coldness there, in the sense of:
ָ “—" ִמ ֶבּ ֶטן ִמי יOut of whose womb came the ice?”16 [The word מ"י
"?ָצא ַה ָקּ ַרח
(50) refers to Binah which is known by its fifty gates, and which is also called
the root of all judgments.] Emunah is revealed specifically in the places where
13
Sefer Halikutim, Tehillim 77
14
Otzaros Chaim, Sha’ar Rapach Nitzotzin
15
Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun #13
16
Iyov 38:29
7
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
harsh judgments prevail, and all of this is because not everywhere who wants to
come and take hold of the Name [and approach holiness] can just come and do
so. Hashem does not want the wicked to have the ability to grab hold of this
point of holiness and enter Eretz Yisrael, Yerushalayim, the Beis Hamikdash,
and all the more so the holy of holies. The person who enters must be one of the
“King’s men,” and even though all of the Jewish people are princes, nevertheless
there is a manner in which one must [work to] become one of the King’s trusted
people. In the palace, there are an abundance of judgments and obstacles, and not
everyone can draw close as he pleases—he needs to be one of the King’s men.
While it is true that a person must also come to dveikus through the path
of Malchus, through the higher yichud of recognizing that there is nothing but
Hashem and one need just turn to Him and cleave to Him in order to reach
completion, even so there is a preliminary stage of having to pass through the
blackness and the judgments. When Malchus is “below” she is black and
completely obscured in order to keep the unworthy out of the realm of holiness.
At that point, she rests upon the earth and everyone steps on her, because people
do not want to be in the place of darkness and challenge.
17
Berachos 54b
8
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
“Somchos said, ‘Whoever draws out the word echad [of Shema] will have his
days and years drawn out. Rav Acha bar Yaakov added, ‘the dalet [of echad is
what should be drawn out].’”18 This dalet is a reference to Malchus, who is
known as being dalah—impoverished.19 [This is one of the reasons why the
Kabbalists taught that one should only use a four-legged table to eat upon—dalet
is equal to four.] Like the table which in the Beis Hamikdash was on the northern
(tzafon) side, Malchus is tzafun—hidden. And those who choose to follow its
path must accustom themselves to the drawn-out nature of its process of
development, so that the dalet will be bound together with the alef and ches of
echad—which two letters represent Ze’ir Anpin. The upper yichud is made in
absolute darkness so that the wicked will be deterred. It is only a person who
“draws out upon his table,” who knows to draw down the light of Ze’ir Anpin,
which is the lower yichud, to struggle in his avodas Hashem toward Malchus,
who succeeds to illuminate Malchus and empower her.
Even a tzaddik who really is one of the “King’s men,” one of the “faithful
men of Yerushalayim,” has to struggle in order to draw down the light of Ze’ir
Anpin into Malchus and effect a lower yichud. The concept of struggling in
avodas Hashem is sourced in Binah, which is the spiritual root of Ze’ir Anpin,
while Malchus has its spiritual root in Chochmah.20 When Malchus is
illuminated by Ze’ir Anpin, the tzaddik can then effect an upper yichud, and
when that happens its “blackness” is transformed into the color techeiles (which
is the blue of the sky and sea), which represents having achieved the tachlis,
18
Ibid., 13b
19
Pri Eitz Chaim, Sha’ar Hatefillah
20
Zohar III:258a
9
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
absolute completion.21 He knows that it is only Malchus, the Shechinah, that will
bring him to his complete rectification.
21
Likutei Moharan I:18:7
22
Yeshayah 61:10
10
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
Hashem, He will lead him in the smoothest way possible. Unfortunately, while
most people know that Hashem’s providence is absolute, this knowledge does
not penetrate enough so that it frees them to rejoice in Hashem and in their
avodah. Their Divine service is “far” and external because they are disconnected
from the innermost point of emunah, of the Shechinah, of illuminating Malchus
so that it shines.
23
Ruth 2:14
11
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
him to shine into her and raise her up again. Therefore, the tzaddik sanctifies
himself for the sake of heaven when he sits down to eat and drink and binds
himself to Hashem through studying Torah, praying, or meditating while he eats.
This is how he comes to feel spiritual pleasure within the experience of physical
pleasure, and he knows that really there is nothing in the universe but the Divine
light.
Each of us has the ability to cleave to Hashem while we eat. And if we
find ourselves feeling drawn after the pleasure of this world, we need to
remember that the Shechinah is waiting for us to raise her up and redeem her. By
making efforts to serve Hashem at that time, the Shechinah is uplifted and
illuminated—and then his eating and feeling delight in connection with Hashem
is transformed into an avodah in which Hashem Himself takes pleasure.
12
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
13
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
that Ze’ir Anpin “has its back to Malchus.” What this means for us is that,
although they appear to be facing away from one another, they are actually very
close—but one must make the effort to “turn” Ze’ir Anpin so that its light can
shine into Malchus.
May Hashem help us be worthy of accepting Hashem’s Kingship upon
ourselves in everything that happens to us in our lives. May we never think that
our successes are contingent on anything other than His will. The Arizal taught
that the final generation before the redemption will suffer from a famine—each
and every Jewish soul will hunger to achieve this or that avodah—and this is all
for the purpose of coming to accept Hashem’s Kingship upon ourselves. This is
the inner meaning of the verse, “And He afflicted you and starved you and fed
you the manna.” All of the hungers and afflictions and feeling of failure and lack
is only so that we will come to apprehend the level known as the —מ"ןthe
“feminine waters” of the mikveh of the fiftieth gate—the light of Shavuos when
“two kings wear one crown” and Ze’ir Anpin and Malchus shine into one
another.
24
From the Shabbos zemer “D’ror Yikrah,” based on Mishlei 24:14.
14
D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah Parshas Ekev
sin because they parroted the words that “everything is Elokus” and didn’t
realize how much honor one must give the King. They didn’t realize that the
work of Da’as is long and drawn out,25 and that one must pursue two seemingly
contradictory paths at the same time: to struggle in avodah as if it all depended
on my efforts, while knowing that absolutely everything is in Hashem’s hands.
When one relies absolutely on the King, He is certain to fulfill one’s needs.
Then, “it will be a crown for one’s head”—we will come to experience the light
of the redemption.
Please feel free to send comments, questions, and any feedback to:
tc7@neto.bezeqint.net .
25
Likutei Amarim Tanya, Chapter 3
15