The spiritual service required of our generation

The work of Sifting good from evil stretches from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge until the period perceding the coming of the Messiah. In our generation--the last generation of exile and the first generation of Redemption--the Lubavitcher Rebbe said that "the work of Sifting has been completed" (from a talk on Rosh Hashana 1987).

The determination that the work of Sifting was complete requires further explanation, because on a practical level it appears as if the world is not perfect, and there is still a reality of evil -- beginnning with the reality of consciousness itself as existent, without subjugating itself to God, all the way to the reality of real evil that operates according to God's will.

On a basic level, we must understand the words of the Rebbe as a directive that although there is still work - after all there is still a reality that requires rectification and upliftment - it is the NATURE of our work that changes as we approach the coming of the Messiah. We are no longer taking part in the work of Sifting that was known throughout all generations; our generation has a different task altogether.

What is the additional work, that is left after the work of Sifting? According to the Rebbe there are three accepted interpretations by way of Kabbalah for the new, additional work that takes place after the work of Sifting with which we were occupied throughout our Exile

A) The Stages of Sifting through good & evil

The work Sifting is the general name for the raising of the holy sparks scattered throughout physical reality back to holiness, but when we look closer at the content of this work it becomes evident that there are two major phases, as explained in Kabbalah and Chassidut, that the work of Sifting is comprised two separate "clarifications", and that when the Rebbe said that the work of Sifting was completed, his intention was that the work of the first stage had culminated, and that now our work is to move to the next stage of the work.

The beginning of raising up a holy spark within the mundane reality that hides G-d, is clairfying that part of reality that is "willing" to surrender itself to G-d--that point of reality which "feels" its dependence on G-d and is ready because of this to nullify itself to Him, to nullify its individual experience for the sake of fulfilling G-d's will. This subservience to Hashem is not identification with G-d's will and complete nullifcation to Him, but rather an awareness that despite my will to do otherwise, I must fulfill G-d' will--this is "nullification of What Is", which "feels" itself as existant and possessing of a searate will, but nullifies itself and subjugates itself to God's will. Finding this point of "nullification of What Is" in reality is the first clarification--the sifting and extrication of the element ready to nullify itself to G-d, amidst the evil that opposes G-d.

After the first clarification, the spark itself is not yet experienced as God, and therefore the second clarification is necessary to raise the spark up to be reunited with the divine will and to identify with it. After the second clarification, there is no subjugation of an existant, independent reality to God's will, but rather a desire, a longing for G-d, an identifying with His will, all the way to a complete nullification before G-d's presence--"nullification in reality". The second clarification takes place in Atzilut, where there is no reality other than G-d.

B) The Beinoni and the Tzaddik

The transition from the first to second clarification is in essence the transition from the work of the Intermediate (Beinoni)--"the level accessible to every person, for which everyone should strive"--to the work of the Tzaddik. First, when we compare the two levels of clarification to the different levels in spiritual service, the first clarification is parallel to the level of Itkafya (Subduing)--the self-imposing work of the intermediates, who do not identify with the will of God but who submit themselves to act against their nature--whereas the second clarification is parallel to the work of Ithapcha (Transmuting) -- the work of tzddikim who turn their animalistic traits into divine attributes, who desire on their own accord in the existence of divine goodness.

During exile, the intermediate was instructed that it was not within his reach to reach the level of true trasmutation, to an essential shift in the character traits of his animal soul, and that at the most he could submit them through Subduing.

Yet in order to bring the Messiah every member of Israel is required to do perform the spiritual service of the tzaddik--to reveal the level of soul about which was said "all of your people are righeous"==and everyone can reach Transmuting. After all, after the work of Subduing, the person is left--his mind and character traits (as opposed to his thoughts, speech and action) are in Inner Exile, unredeemed from the negative desires of the anmalistic soul, and he does not "flow" with the stream of Divine Goodness. In order to reach Redemption in the world, a person must reach the Inner Redemption of the Soul--complete liberation from the evil impulses and desires, and identification with the divine will.

to be continued...

~ The Jewish Nature: the Way to Natural Consciousness, by Rav Yitzchak Ginsburgh, pp.199-202, adapted to English

The Greater Chesed

Art by Josephine Wall

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935), a modern philosopher and mystic, and the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, composed a line-by-line, word-for-word commentary on ana b’khoach, a Kabbalistic acrostic for the 42-letter name of God. For Kook, the first line of the prayer, “ana b’khoach gedulat yemincha”, “Please with the Power of Your Great Right,” is calling upon the Right side, which in Kabbalah refers to chesed:

The exalted Right of God -- The stronghold of chesed that cycles through the world, and the fundamental trajectory of all of existence, For “a world will be built on loving-kindness (chesed).

Thus in opening the prayer by calling on God’s Right, we are calling upon the ultimate source of Chesed in the world, and in doing so, invoking the fundamental purpose of this world—the desire to bestow good upon an Other. For Kook, invoking God’s Right and the original intent of creation are key, since the world, “which emerged contracted and degraded,” is characterized, in contrast, by boundaries. While absolute loving-kindness may have been the initial impulse of creation, the means to dispensing this goodness was limitations (gevurah). In the words of Chagigah 12b, “When God said ‘Let there be a firmament’, the world kept stretching and expanding, until God said, ‘Enough!’ and it came to a standstill.” Our very existence as independent autonomous beings seems to be predicated on a degree of separateness from God, on the concealment of His light from some places. Just as water requires a vessel to be useful, so goodness requires boundaries in order to be fully appreciated. Yet although limitations may be necessary for our separate existence, we open the prayer by invoking the original impulse to create the world, and the goal of existence, which is and always was loving-kindness.

Kook continues to delineate three levels of chesed: Yemin, Gedulat HaYamin, and Koach Gedulat HaYamin (the Right, the Great Right, and the Power of the Great Right), the third of which is the most precise address of this prayer. In the first distinction, Kook explains the difference between koten hayamin, the Lesser Right, and Gedulat HaYamin, the Greater Right:

Indeed, the Right has both Great and Small: The Lesser Right, is when goodness is allotted according to the limited capacity of the receiver, to the extent that one can bear. But the Greater Right, is the aspect of goodness that gives love greater than the capacity of the receiver, and if one cannot bear the excess of love, then the love is so great, that it gives over from its love also the ability and strength to hold the receiving of the good and the love.

Whereas the Lesser Right gives according to what a person can bear, and no more, the Greater Right gives in such a way that lifts up the receiver so that he or she can receive even more than their capacity. The lesser chesed may correspond to the notion of middah k’neged middah, giving based on what a person deserves, or more broadly, giving according to what a person can appreciate. The greater chesed blurs the boundaries between giver and receiver, by refusing to take the receiver’s qualities as a given, and withholding nothing from the act of giving. In the human realm, the greater chesed may correspond to the love of a parent to a child, or a lover to a beloved, in which one gives of the deepest part of oneself to the other, and changes the receiver in the process. Thus we pray not only to the Right, but to the Greater Right, to lift us up to a place where we can receive even more, as it says in Kiddushin 100a: “The Blessed Holy One gives strength to the Righteous to receive their portion.”

Yet for Kook, the greater chesed is still limited in some way: no matter how grand the love may be, all chesed, once actualized and applied to our reality, becomes inherently limited, marred somewhat by the “characteristic limitations and constrictions of the world.” For Kook, it is only chesed in Potentiality, the koach of gedulat yemincha, that carries within it the full range of possibilities and the most potent potential of God’s desire to give. Only potential chesed will be free of the inherent restraints of reality, and will offer a truly satisfactory resolution to boundedness. If the world was initially created with the goal of chesed, but boundaries and limitations accumulated in the process, we are praying to renew the world with its original intent: that chesed flow uncompromisingly into this world. Thus, we pray: With the Power of Your Great Right, Release the Bound.

Can ultimate chesed penetrate a world defined by limitations, or egos predicated on separateness? In praying to “release the bound,” are we asking to undo the very nature of reality? In his commentary on the prayer’s closing line, Kook describes the final goal:

And when the Power of the Great Right releases the binds, then everything will be drenched in complete freedom, with absolutely no limitations and constrictions. And life will ascend to the exalted heights to be reunited with the body of the king (l’ishta’ava begufa d’malka), and to be illuminated with the light of all life. Then all hindrances, which at some instance could impede the flow of holiness and the upper wholeness from appearing, will be subdued. And forever and ever blessing will abound, and all of existence will sparkle in God's light.

Apparently, while this world may be inherently limited, existence in general is not inherently limited. According to some schools of Kabbalistic thought, this “contracted and degraded world” was not the only possibility for existence, nor was it the original intent. Rather, because of a cosmic accident (the shattering of the vessels) or human error (eating from the tree), the world in its perfect, ideal state became severely contracted. Thus, in looking ahead to the future, we can yearn for a world that both allows our individuality and existence as others, and at the same time, one that openly demonstrates the unity of the world with its source, and enables Benevolence to emanate unobstructed. As in Sefer Ha-Pliah, the world began with ‘A world will be built on loving-kindness,’ (chesed) progressed to ‘In the Beginning Elohim created’ (din), and reached a resolution with ‘“On the day that YHVH Elohim made earth and heaven.” The power of this prayer is to ask that God overcome the very limitations that currently restrict reality, so that this world itself can become a container for God’s infinite chesed: 

And the light of Shechinah (the indwelling Presence) will be illuminated by the light of Ein Sof (the Infinite), without any limitations.

For the history of the forty-two letter name of God and the prayer Ana B'Choach in the Jewish Mystical tradition, see here

On Leadership

'And Moses was the shepherd of Yitro's sheep' (Ex 3:2)

God does not bring a person to greatness, unless He has tested him first, as it says 'God tests the righteous; with what does he test them? By making them shepherds.' (Midrash)

In the verse above the Torah could have said that Moses "became" Yitro's shepherd, at this very point in time, but it speaks in past tense, telling us Moses already was a shepherd, to teach that because he already was a faithful shepherd, God revealed Himself to Moses at the Burning Bush, and the people of Israel were given to him to lead.

Even though God is omniscient, and nothing is hidden from Him, it is still the case that when a person's level is actualized, in reality, as in the case of the faithful shepherd leading his sheep, this serves as grounds for this person to rise to greatness, in actuality. If there was not something to test him, his righteousness would not be revealed at all, and there would be no grounds by which he could rise to greatness on a practical level. For greatness on a practical level, must have a cause on a practical level.

Because everything comes from God in the appropriate amount: if one's righteousness is found on practical level--his greatness will be found on a practical level. If there is no revealed righteousness--there will be no revealed greatness. Therefore, he was tested to begin with, and when he was found to be righteous in a revealed way, he was great in a revealed way as well.

And this will explain why there are people who raise theological questions regarding the tests given by God to the righteous. They say, God knows the future, so he already knows the outcome of the test! Surely, this is true. But for something to be revealed, there needs to be a cause as well that is revealed (not only in potential), and if a a righteous person's virtues are not actualized, the reward of the righteous could also not be actualized, and so with every thing that is drawn to the righteous person.

And this matter is very deep, and this matter is very clear.

~ The Maharal of Prague 

Naturally Aware

Naturally Aware: Developing Consciousness in Light of Kabbalah and Chassidut

adapted to English from the book ‘Natural Awareness’ by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh © 5759 Israel
 
Introduction

With the arrival of Chassidut and the revelation of the way of the Ba’al Shem Tov, the way that is equal to every soul, every person can now serve God in the way of ‘the world to come’. 

Until the Ba’al Shem Tov appeared, the world operated on rote. This world is the illusory world--it appears to us that the world is a reality separate from God. Therefore when we take action in a fallen and dark reality such as this, a reality which is “mostly bad and slightly good,” we must direct all our actions (and even every thought and utterance) in order to separate and extract the revealed bad from the hidden good, the illusion from the divine truth.

This is the work of “Sifting” through this world, which at the very basis is done by strictly keeping the laws of the Torah, which create the consciousness of a servant fulfilling the commands of his master, and who has no relation of sense of belonging to the reality in which he operates, rather it belongs completely to his master. So it is when we operate from an awareness of a reality separate from Hashem, we do not identify with the awareness from which the mitzvot derive, rather we do what is commanded out of the innocence of a faithful servant.

In halacha we see, that the essence of the work of Sifting is to remove the waste from the edible, to remove the bad from the good. This is by way of the verse: ‘Avoid evil and do good’ (Psalms 34), i.e. first, move away from evil and thereby turn your attention away from the very existence of evil in order to remove it and move away from it, and only afterwards, after a person is ‘clean’ from evil, focus on the doing good. For only in a clean and pure state will a person’s good actions illuminate in the light of ‘it was good’.

The Ba’al Shem Tov introduced a new way: ‘Avoid evil and do good’ -- Move away from evil; do not address it and do not become involved with it, instead--’do good’--because through doing good, you will naturally and truly avoid the evil that has already clung to you--avoid, i.e. clean yourself, from evil precisely by doing good, for ‘A small amount of light banishes a great amount of darkness’ (Tanya Ch. 12). One should focus less on the reality of the existence of evil--because in these generations, which are weak in relation to the former, we do not have the strength to truly overcome the evil and cope with it head-on (because of this we were given a “high road” from above)--and focus more on the doing of good and the reality of good in every place, and in every act in the world. The good of our holy Torah is the “essence of good” (which has no corresponding evil) whose light is not dimmed by the reality of evil, but rather has the power to completely banish and nullify all negative reality. 

This interpretation of the Ba’al Shem, represents the transition from the work of “Sifting” through this world, to the work of “Unifying” of the world to come. According to the Baal Shem’s interpretation, a person has to sift the good from the bad, to accentuate the good, because then the evil self-nullifies and naturally falls away. From now on we are closer to the secret of sweetening, to sweeten the essence of reality, to see what until now was “illusory”, from the perspective of the world of truth--to see God in each and every thing--there is no place devoid of Him (Tikkunei Zohar 57). 

In this perspective, God unites with his world completely, as Abraham spread Godliness in the world: “And he called there in the name of Havaya God-World [El Olam]”--“God-World” and not “God of the world,” because He is not “God” of “the world” separate from him at its essence, but rather “God World”--everything is truly One. When a person thinks, speaks and performs all his actions from this perspecive, this is the work of Unifying.

Also in the work of Unifying, in which Natural Awareness is key, there is a unique order of Subduing, Separating, and Sweetening. Subduing is the existential state of the soul in which it is aware of the lowliness of the human being, and this is what prepares the soul to stand ‘empty’ and ready for the flow of divine awareness into her. Separating in the work of Unifying is the continuous concern with ‘beautifying the mitzvah’ that derives from love of Hashem and love of the mitzvah (which is not identical to the stringencies of the mitzvot that derive from fear). On a higher level, Separating is expressed by the desire of the soul to be reunited back in her Creator, like Rebbe Akiva’s passion: “My whole life, I was sorry over this verse ‘with all your soul’ -- even to the point that he takes your soul. I said, when will this come to my hands, that I can fulfill it?’ (Brachot 61b) The Sweetening of the work of Unifying is the continuous concern with the revelation of divinity in each and every thing in the world, as in the complete surrender of Abraham to walk in the world from place to place and to call the name of Havaya: God-World.

In the work of Unifying, there are three stages: our current period, during which the work of Unifying is to hasten the coming of Mashiach, when the essence of the work is to awaken the upper arousal, interest and desire from above to end the exile and transition to the period of “the days of Mashiach.” This awakening, the arousal from above, awakens by means of the Natural Awareness that searches after the root of Nature and awakens it to realize that revealing Godliness is its own innermost desire.

In the period of “the days of Mashiach”, the essence of the work of Unifying is to fulfill all the commandments as ‘commandments of your desire,’ out of complete perfection, and out of the innermost and highest intention of the miztvot, and thus to unify the world with its creator, by revealing the great and special concern that God has for each and every detail of reality, that he tailored a supernal commandment and special intention, through which God’s light would be revealed, precisely through a particular detail of reality. In this work, the Natural Awareness is awareness of the divine nature of the mitzvot.

In the time of the “Resurrection of the Dead”, the time during which the commandments are nullified (see Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh 26, quoted later), the work of Unifying is concerned with Godliness Itself and the unification and mating of the different levels and manifestations through which God is revealed to us. The Natural Awareness of a person concerns itself with awareness of God’s nature itself and the direct relationship between God and us.

In the work of Unifying, a person in all of his actions makes the intention ‘for the unification of Kudsha Brich Hu [the Holy Blessed One] and Shechintay [His Shekhinah]’, to nullify the illusory separation between the holiness of God and His light, and the created reality. A person’s intent in the mitzvot is not to sustain his own soul but rather as a chasid fulfills them, ‘who is the Chasid, he who does Chesed with his Creator -- with His nest’ (unifying the Creator [koneh] with the Nest [ken=Shechinah], Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction).

The purpose of the work of sifting is to extract the diamond from the rough (see Jeremiah 15:19), to sift and redeem from exile the 288 holy sparks--the holy “souls”--who fell into reality during the “breaking of the vessels”. In other words, to reveal and bring to light the points of good and truth that are hidden deep within each and every thing in the world, even though it may seem “bad” from a superficial view. A redemption like this, is akin to ‘leaving Egypt’, the exodus of the children of Israel (the holy souls--holy sparks--who were buried in 49 gates of impurity) from the nakedness of the land (Genesis 42), the place of impurity and pollution. 

On the other hand, the work of Unifying is akin to the arrival in the Promised Land, the Land of Israel, “the land which Havaya your God desires, the eyes of Havaya are always on her” (Deuteronomy 11). Here “the air of the land of Israel awakens” a person to see God and His personal hashgacha (providence) over every thing. Here it is revealed that God is everything, and everything is God. Here there are no longer any sparks held hostage in the lower material realms, rather, after being sifted and separated from the bad, they have become like messengers here to elevate the world entirely and to merge it back with God. This is the awareness of the true and complete redemption by our Messiah (may it be speedily in our days).

The way of the Ba’al Shem Tov fulfills the p’shat of the verse “Know Him in all your ways” (Ecclesiastes 3:6), that even permitted things (i.e. non-commanded activites such as eating, drinking, sleeping) be included in the service of God, and a person should know God in each and every experience that divine providence brings him. This way enables a person to arrive at cleaving to and continuous knowing of the Creator. Serving God in this way is the complete and encompassing service that is called in Kabbalah ‘the work of Unifcations’. [This is what Mashiach told the Ba’al Shem Tov when he ascended to heaven on Rosh Hashana. The Besht askd, When will the master come? Mashiach answered, I will come when everyone is able to do the unifications that you perform; i.e. when the work of Unifying (rather than sifting) becomes the normative, popular and known way of serving God].

to be continued...