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Shalosh Seudos1ofParshas 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
Rashiexplains: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.
TheMochin that Descend at the Time ofMilah
Bris milah comprises three stages: the milah itself which is the cutting, thepriyah which is the exposure of the corona, and hatafas dam which is the drawing of the
blood. The Arizalwrites that each of these three stages reveals one of the three mochin,
or mentalities. The milah reveals the mochin ofBinah / Understanding, through the
mohel. Priyah, reveals the mochin ofChochmah/ Wisdom through the infants father.
Hatafas dam reveals the highest mochin ofKesserthrough 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, "e k de z , k d e,
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 The lesson was delivered at the third meal of Shabbos.2Bereishis 18:13Bava Metzia 864Daniel 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 ofZeir Anpin (the lower six sefiros from Chessedto 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 ofdalet) can open to release the child at birth.] This is thelesson of the sealed final mem )( that appears out of place in the verse "
) a ( e n - " That the rule may be increased and of never-
ending 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
shepherd. The verse says: " i e" That which was, is what willbe...
7
The acronym formed by the initials of the phrase is Moshe Rabbeinubecause 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:
"e z k' " Be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am
5Taamei HaMitzvos, Ki Teitzei; Likutei Moharan II:4;Bechoros 45a;6Yeshayah 9:67Koheles 1:98Shaar Haleshem I:12:1; Tikkunei Zohar69:131a9Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Naso10Devarim 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 holyofruach 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 soulsinto a dwelling place for the Shechinah. These are the three elements ofmilah.
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 ofChochmah/ Wisdom, whose
11Vayikra 19:212Bereishis 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 ofArich 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 ofShema. 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 adwelling 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
withDaas / 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
13Devarim 6:414Bereishis 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 oftzaddikim, etc. But the main way in which this is
accomplished is by spreading the light of the Torah throughout the worlds, because allof material existence is really animated by the Torahs holy letters. When the Torah
says, And the spirit ofElokim 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 mustultimately come to the place of revealing Hashems Kingship even as he conducts the
normal business of his life.
The Three Elements ofBris 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 ofBinah,
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 ofAtzilus/ Emanation:
Arich Anpin,Zeir Anpin, andMalchus.15
The generation of the flood sought to damage
the level ofArich 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 ofArich 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 HashemsNamethe level ofZeir 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 ofmilah, Avraham was able to envision Hashems Lightin every single thing that he looked upon.
ConstantDveikus
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.
20Niddah is itself a conjunction of the terms -' the
hei (which representsMalchus and the Shechinah) has wandered. [This is the spiritual
15Abba/Chochmah andImma/Binah are subsumed withinArich Anpin.16Emek HaMelech 305b17Bereishis 11:1018 The deep meaning of the sins of these three generations has already been discussed in depth in many ofthe deeper works, especially those of Rav Aharon HaLevi Horowitz of Strashuleh. We will not delve into
them more closely at the present time.19Zechariah 9:920Sanhedrin 98a;ZoharIII:276a
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root of the actual state ofniddah, 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 ofEruv [ ="+" 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 theyounger 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 calledZeir 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 ofAmalek 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 NameEHYeH
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 songthat will be sung in the future.
21This 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
21Tikkunei Zohar21
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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 ofAtzilus with the letter Yud; it continues to the world
ofBeriyah 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 ofAsiyah with the finalHei.
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 ofAsiyah.]
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
22Toras 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 bespiritual 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 ofAtzilus, 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 duringMinchah time oferev 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
23Tehillim 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.
24Bereishis Rabbah 50:1025Shabbos 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, wemust 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.
26Likutei Moharan I:26227 From the Shabbos zemerDror Yikrah, based onMishlei 24:14.
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Yam Hachochmah 5772
Light is Sown for the Righteous, Part 41
TheMakifim that Surround Us
It is well known that there are two makifim [surrounding lights] that surround a
personthe makifofchayah and the makifofyechidah [the two highest faculties of the
soul], as explained at length in the Arizals writings. The makifofchayah 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 45thShaarofEitz
Chaim. There, it discusses the makifin ofAtzilus 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
makifofyechidah 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 ofsefiros 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 makifwhich 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 ofyechidah[even
though yechidah seems to be the highest of all] for there are always more and more
1The lesson is found in Yam Hachochmah 5772, Maamar Ohr Zarua laTzaddik, p. 722-760,
and this particular segment was part of a shiurgiven at the third meal of Shabbos in Tzfas, in
honor of theyohrtzeitof the Arizal, Parshas Devarim, 5771.2Eitz Chaim, Shaar42, Chapter 1
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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 ofchayah andyechidah are the makifin ofAtzilus, but there
is an even more all-encompassing makifwhich derives from the level ofAdam Kadmon,
which includes within it all of the houses of the city.3
TheMakifin 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 tzaddikhimself, 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 makifis 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 tzaddiksurrounding the entire city], if a person contemplates into it
deeply and merits to feel it, he grasps a makifthat 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 makifof the house [yechidah]. But
the makifthroughout the entire city in which he lies is the greatest of all, and it parallels
3SeeEitz Chaim, Shaar Igulim vYosher,Anaf#4.
4The great tzaddikRav 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 thetzaddik haemes [the Arizal, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, all of the great tzaddikim buried in the
Galil], and Yerushalayim representsMalchus and the building of theBeis Hamikdash. Yesod
dAbba establishesMalchus, 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.
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the makifin ofAdam Kadmon and the Olam HaMalbush. [Note: Olam HaMalbush is a
figurative idiom, used by several disciples of the Arizal to refer to the Divine meta-
plan for all Creation before the constriction of His infinite light. In chassidus its state is
described as, G-ds conceiving within Himselfin potential all that was destined to
become actual. We can see that this master level is associated with the tzaddik, since
the true tzaddiklives 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, andso 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 tzaddikkrevealed [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 tzaddikand 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 nairdgave 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
5SeeLikutei Moharan II:5
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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 makifof 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 tzaddikis
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 theBeis 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 ofDaas, 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 ofAdam Kadmon and the Olam HaMalbushthepele 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 withcertain 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
6 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.
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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 sonwould 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 ofMalchus 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 itseclipse, we must first retreat back up to Tzion, the tzaddik, and seek it there. If we
want to discover the Shechinah and thepele yoetz, we need to follow the path of Tzion,
the true tzaddikim.
The Baal HaTanyas Words inIgeres 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:
7The 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.
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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 tzaddiklives 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 desireslife 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 shadowwe 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 Zoharthat, When the
tzaddikdeparts 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 Zoharthatthe 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 tzaddikdeparts 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 thelines 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 tzaddikis not a physical life but a spiritual life,
consisting of faith, awe, and love. Of faith it is written, And the tzaddiklives 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 chessedwill find life, and chessedrefers 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 tzaddikwas 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 isstated in the bookAsarah 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 ofGehinnom 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 inhis 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 ofthese 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 radiatingto 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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