Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Our Gashmi (physicality) is Not the True Gashmi

What we see as physical is not physical, it is only something attached [to the physical] that we indeed have to separate. This that the Time to Come will specifically be in a physical body, and this that the physical is brought into being -- this is not what we see. Because what we see is a result of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge [...] before the sin it was different, Noga was in another manner. What we see is only the העדר non-existence.

Toras Sholom, p. 211

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Monday, December 29, 2008

The body, the garment

It is know [to mekubalim] that the body of man is not the man himself, because it is called "the flesh of man", as is written (Iyov 10:11) "Enclothe me in skin and flesh, and cover me with bones and sinews"[...]. Thus, the man is the pnimiyus [inner aspect], but the body is a single garment in which is enclothed the Nefesh Hasichlis ["thinking soul"], which is the man himself for as long as he is in this world. After he passes away he removes this garment from himself and enclothes himself in a refined, clean, spiritual garment, as the verse states (Zecharia 3:4) "remove the filthy garments...I have clad you with clean garments"[...]

Just as a garment for a man's body is made by an artisan in the form of the limbs of the body, so too [Hashem] makes the body, which is the garment of the nefesh, in the exact form of the nefesh with 248 evarim [limbs] and 365 giddim [sinews] which connect the limbs [just as the nefesh has] and so the limbs and organs of the nefesh perform their actions via the limbs and organs of the body like an axe in the hand of the chopper. The proof of this is that the limbs and organs of the body do not do anything unless the nefesh is within them, the eye which sees and the ear which hears, etc., and when the nefesh leaves the body the [eyes] go dark and all the senses of the limbs cease.

In this way the 365 spiritual giddim of the nefesh are enclothed in the 365 giddim of the body, and draw the bodily nutrition, which is the blood, to the 248 evarim of the body with the inner spiritual nutrtion within it to nourish the 248 evarim of the nefesh. After his passing there is no life-force coming [from the nefesh], and the giddim of the body separate and decay as though the 248 evarim never existed. Thus we see that the man himself is nothing but the Nefesh Hasichlis which is enclothed in the body, which is called its garment in this world.

And know that after Adam Harishon sinned and ate from the Eitz Hada'as Tov v'Ra (tree of knowledge of good and evil) he intermingled his nefesh and his body with good and evil, and this is the zuhama of the nachash ("pollution of the primordial snake") that [the nachash] put into Chava and Adam, and this evil and zuhama caused illness and disease and death to their nefesh and their body, and this is what is written: "on the day you will eat from it you will die", death of the nefesh and death of the body.

R' Chayim Vital, Shaarei Kedusha, Chelek I, part I

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Yosef's Dream: Bowing down to the Tzaddik

As the soul descends into this world, it becomes enclothed in the body and the animal soul. The latter are characterized by an awareness of self, and of one’s distinction from others. The soul’s task “in the field” is to nullify this sense of self and separation engendered by the animal soul, and to bring together all its potentials in the service of G-d.

This cannot be done unless “your sheaves… bowed down to my sheaf”; the brothers must bow down and negate themselves before Yosef HaTzaddik.

To explain: The entire Jewish people can be described using the analogy of a large body. In the human body, there are three organs, the brain, the heart, and the liver, which control the functioning of the whole, and all the other organs must allow themselves to be controlled by these three. More particularly, this applies with regard to the brain. Only when the body is controlled by these three organs, and in particular by the brain, is it healthy.

Similar concepts apply with regard to the Jewish people. It is not sufficient for a person to carry out the service of “binding together sheaves in the field,” nullifying the influence of the body and the animal soul and uniting them in them service of G-d. Even after a person himself becomes “a sheaf,” i.e., an element of this service, he must negate himself before the “sheaf” of Yosef HaTzaddik, the Rebbe, the leader of the generation, the head of the Jewish people. The leader gives directives for the entire Jewish people and controls their functioning, as a head controls the function of all the body’s limbs and organs.

Indeed, even the success of the mission of “binding together sheaves,” is dependent on “bow[ing] down to [Yosef’s] sheaf,” making a commitment to the tzaddik of the generation. For a Jew’s ability to carry out his mission in “the field,” our material world, stems from the inner commitment of his soul to Yosef HaTzaddik. In practice, however, a Jew’s Divine service must ascend step by step. Thus he must first carry out the task of “binding together sheaves,” and afterwards, he negates his sheaf, i.e., his spiritual achievements, to the leader of the generation.

Based on a Sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, from Likutei Sichos (English), vol VI, Vayeshev

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Tuesday, December 09, 2008

"One should love even a Jew like this"

...the Sages state that the churban (destruction of the Holy Temple) was due to the sin of sinas chinam (unwarranted hatred); this means lacking love for your fellow for no reason, with no basis. We, all Jews, want to come out of golus as soon as possible, and so therefore it behooves us to do away with the reason that caused the golus, the tikkun for which is "ahavas chinam" (unwarranted love), which means to love a Jew that the Jewish nation does not benefit from at all, and it is unknown whether any Jew will ever benefit from him, and there is a doubt whether it is possible to apply to him the verse "you shall love your fellow as yourself" because he is not your fellow, r"l, for he doesn't learn Torah and doesn't fulfill mitzvos; but "ahavas chinam" comes [and instructs] that one should even love a Jew like this. And when we behave in this way, we do away with the reason that cause the churban and golus, and through this a Jew illuminates his corner, and automatically light is generated in his portion of the world and additional light, until in the end he will illuminate the golus and we will merit the true and complete geulah in our time, via Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

Letter of the Rebbe, 4 Menachem Av 5711 (Igros Kodesh 4:405, letter #1124)

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Monday, December 08, 2008

"G-d forbid to say this was done to punish the Jewish people"

Before his passing, the Mitteler Rebbe spoke a Chassidic discourse explaining why Jewish boys of 5 or 6 years of age were being drafted into the Russian army. He explained:

The nature of a person is that when not allowed to do something, he is aroused witha desire to do it. In this case, Jewish soldiers are being forcibly denied the opportunity to do any mitzvos. Therefore, their desire to do a mitzvah is aroused in a very powerful way.

Right now, since many Jews are doing mitzvos without feeling, this decree will cause them to yearn for mitzvos.

G-d forbid to say this was done to punish the Jewish people; rather, it was done to correct a problem. Whatever Hashem does is for the good and benefit of his people.

Quoted in The Mitteler Rebbe, A Biography, by R' Sholom D. Avtzon

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Moshiach: Every Jew Has a Job to Do

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Sunday, December 07, 2008

Geulah: Eyes to See

"Moses called all of Israel and said to them, "You have seen all that the Lord did before your very eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land; the great trials which your very eyes beheld and those great signs and wonders. Yet until this day, the Lord has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear." (Devarim 29:1-3)

All that needs to be is that they will open their "hearts to know", and they will open their "eyes to see", and open their "ears to hear", and in this way -- to take advantage of [all their limbs] to learn pnimiyus Hatorah as it is revealed in Chassidus and fulfill the directive of the Rebbeim, including -- to learn the subjectof Geulah, in a way that it opens the heart and the eyes and the ears -- that they will understand, they will see, and they will feel simply in the physicality of the world -- the true and complete Geulah, and to learn the Torah of Moshiach (pnimiyus Hatorah) in a manner of visualization, that all of this is already prepared, and all that is needed is to simply open the eyes and they will see it!

Sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Vayeitze 5752 (1992)

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Saturday, December 06, 2008

The Only Thing Missing: Opening the Eyes!

It is understood that now we are found already in a state where the physical body and even the physicality of the world are already refined and purified completely, and they are a "vessel" ready for all the lights and spiritual matters, including mainly -- the light of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, the light of the true and complete geulah[...]

And the only thing that is missing is -- that a Jew should open his eyes appropriately, and see how everything is already prepared for the Geulah!

Sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Vayeitze 5752 (1992)

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Thursday, December 04, 2008

Esav has been Refined

[...the Jewish people] have already finished all the birrurim [refinements], including the refinement of "Esav he is Edom" [...] now Esav is already completely refined, as we see this also in the behavior in our time (in the exile of Edom) of the nations of the world who are related to "Esav he is Edom" via a country of chesed [i.e., the United States] (and this conduct is also spreading to other countries, as we saw and see...)

Sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Vayeitze 5752

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