Oatzar HaYeerah – Yeerah & Avodas Hashem §§126–135

In truth, it is exceedingly difficult to begin fighting the war of Hashem [ milchemes Hashem — the ongoing inner battle of divine service ] — to clarify the holy sparks from the depths of the forces of impurity — until one first feels some initial glimmering and illumination of the pleasantness of holiness and the pleasantness of divine service, and begins to ascend level by level in serving Hashem. And likewise, it is impossible to ascend higher and higher, from level to level, until one first clarifies the holiness from the forces of impurity and rectifies what one has damaged. And in truth, one does not know where to begin . Therefore, great wisdom is required for this — to leap from matter to matter [ l'daleg me'inyan l'inyan — to skip and jump: sometimes engaging in this mode of service, sometimes in that mode; not completing one thing before beginning another, but moving fluidly between different dimensions of service as wisdom dictates ]: sometimes this mode of service, sometimes that mode of service. And this is well understood by the discerning person from the order of the Temple service as arranged by Abayé [ the Talmudic sage Abayé in tractate Yoma gives the precise order of the daily Temple service — and notably, many of the tasks were not performed in a simple linear sequence; one service was begun, set aside, another begun, then the first resumed ], where it is explained that several services were not performed in strict order — not finishing one service completely before beginning the next. Rather, first the large woodpile [on the Altar] was arranged, but the two additional logs were not yet placed upon it until the second woodpile of the K'tores [incense offering] was first arranged. And there are many wondrous variations in that order: sometimes one is engaged in an outer service [ avodas chutz — the outer courtyard service: the Altar, the offerings ], and before finishing it, returns to an inner service [ avodas p'nim — the inner service: inside the Sanctuary itself ], and so forth, as is brought within. And all of this is because of what was described above — that one must leap wisely from service to service , from outer service to inner service and from inner service to outer service. And who is greater for us than the service of the Kohen Gadol [ the High Priest ] — on Yom Kippur he too alternated each time between outside and inside, from inside to outside and from outside to inside [ on Yom Kippur the Kohen Gadol made multiple journeys: from the outer courtyard into the Holy of Holies and back out again, repeatedly — itself a paradigm of the rhythm of ascent and return ]. And because the battle is intense each time, and the service must be conducted with great wisdom as described above, and at each and every service the forces of impurity renew their attack — therefore many stumbled and fell and were unable to stand firm in the battle. And from this came the destruction of the First and Second Temples and all that has passed over Israel. Therefore, the primary consolation now is the Torah — as our Sages of blessed memory taught: "From the day that the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One Blessed Be He has nothing in His world except the four cubits of Halachah" [Berachos 8a] . For the holy Torah encompasses all the modes of holy service in the world — and when one engages in Torah truly, it is as though one is engaged in all the inner and outer Temple services alike. And in Torah study one does not need to carefully arrange the order or leap from service to service as described above — for Torah encompasses everything , and through engaging in Torah alone, all the rectifications are made automatically and completely, each in its proper place. And therefore our Sages truly said: " Y'karah hi mip'ninim — It [the Torah] is more precious than pearls [ p'ninim ]" [Proverbs 3:15] — more than the Kohen Gadol who enters the innermost inner sanctum [ the Talmud (Sanhedrin 59b) reads p'ninim as lifnai v'lifnim — beyond the innermost: Torah is greater than the Yom Kippur service of the High Priest ], for engaging in Torah truly surpasses all the holy services — even the services of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur — and enters more deeply inward than even the Holy of Holies. For the Torah encompasses all the rectifications simultaneously, and whatever order is needed in one's service, the Torah itself will inform and guide each person the proper order of service as it is needed — for this is why it is called "Torah" : because it instructs the way [ Torah from the root horaah — instruction, guidance ] to those who return, to every person in the world, in every place. And therefore our primary consolation is the Torah — the aspect of the four cubits of Halachah , which is the aspect of the four cubits that every person has in every place he finds himself, as our Sages of blessed memory taught. (Source: Likutay Halachos, ibid. [Hilchos Yisomim], sub-sections [ osios ] יא and יב — passages 11 and 12 of that Halachah.)

The four directions of the world [ arba ruchos ha'olam — North, South, East, West ] correspond to the aspect of the four elements [ Fire, Air, Water, Earth — as in §118 above ], whose root are the four letters of the [Divine] Name [ the Tetragrammaton — י-ה-ו-ה — whose four letters are the roots of all four elements and four directions, as is known in Kabbalistic teaching ]. And when one rectifies the four elements — that is, when one merits to purify and sanctify oneself properly in all the character traits and desires that flow from the four elements — then one rules over all four directions [ mastery over one's inner elements is reflected in mastery and expansiveness in the outer world ], which is the aspect of the inheritance of Yaakov , of whom it is said: " Ufartztah yamah vakaidmah — And you shall burst forth westward and eastward [and northward and southward]…" [Genesis 28:14] . (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Neighboring Rights — Hilchos Metzranus , Halachah 4, sub-section [ os ] ג — passage 3 of that Halachah.)

The essential ultimate purpose and true perfection of the Jewish person is to merit to be absorbed into the Infinite [ l'hikkalel b'Aïn Sof — to be encompassed within the Infinite Light of G‑d ], until his Torah and prayer become literally the Torah of Hashem and the prayer of Hashem [ not merely his Torah and prayer, but G‑d's Torah and G‑d's prayer — as though G‑d Himself is the one studying and praying through him ]. And for this purpose was the primary creation of the human being — to come to this ultimate goal. However, it is impossible to arrive at this immediately — for since the person is in this world, within a physical and material body, he must first fulfill the Torah and the commandments within the body . And as long as his physicality and materiality have not yet been completely dissolved, all his Torah, commandments, and prayers are still in the aspect of his Torah and his prayer — for he has not yet been absorbed in his root in the Infinite. And the more he fulfills the Torah and serves Hashem, the more he exits from level to level , each time further dissolving the hold of the body, and being absorbed ever more in his root in the Infinite — until he merits to arrive at the ultimate goal: that the body is completely dissolved and he is entirely absorbed in the Infinite. And then he merits to the aspect of the Torah of Hashem and the prayer of Hashem literally — and it is then, as it were, as though Hashem Himself, may He be blessed, performs the mitzvos that he performs — since the one performing the mitzvos is truly absorbed in Him, may He be blessed. But before a person merits this — to be absorbed in Him, may He be blessed, completely and entirely — the person himself is performing these mitzvos, and he is then only in the aspect of an agent who is commanded and carries out his agency [ shaliach shemitzuveh v'oseh sh'lichuso ]. And in exactly the same way he is the commanded agent and carries out the agency of the Creator, may He be blessed — for this is why he was sent to this world: to carry out His agency, may He be blessed, and to fulfill the Torah and the mitzvos he is commanded in. And even though in truth this mode of service [carrying out Torah as an agent] is not the ultimate perfection — for the essential goal is to be absorbed in Him, may He be blessed, until all one's service is as though Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself is performing it — even so, it is necessary for a person to first fulfill Torah and mitzvos in the mode of agency [ sh'lichuss ]. For it is impossible to arrive immediately at the higher level of total absorption — for then free will would be entirely nullified [ G‑d preserves free will by not drawing a person to total absorption from the outset; the gradual journey through agency is itself the mechanism that safeguards genuine choice ]. Therefore it is necessary that a person first fulfill Torah and mitzvos in the mode of agency as above — and through this he himself earns his way to be absorbed in Him, may He be blessed, completely. For every mitzvah that a person fulfills, even with the body in the mode of agency and commandment as above, is nonetheless counted as though Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself is performing it — for through an arousal from below, an arousal is stirred Above [ b'is'arusa dil'tata is'ar l'eila — Aramaic: the Zoharic principle that every human act of holiness awakens a corresponding divine response ], and the service is a need of the Most High [ tzoreich gavoha ]. And afterward, through fulfilling the mitzvah and carrying out His agency, may He be blessed, completely — through this one merits to be absorbed in Him, may He be blessed, and then all the mitzvos one performs, Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself performs them — and then they are certainly at the ultimate perfection. And this corresponds to what our Sages of blessed memory said: "A person's agent is as himself" [Kiddushin 41b — the principle of agency in Jewish law: the agent's act is the sender's act] — and also: "It is preferable for one to do the mitzvah himself rather than through an agent" [Kiddushin 41a] — for the ultimate goal is that the aspect of agency be dissolved — that is, to merit to be absorbed in Him, may He be blessed, Himself, until one's service is in the aspect of the Torah of Hashem and the prayer of Hashem literally — not in the mode of agency as above. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Agents — Hilchos Sh'luchin , Halachah 2, sub-sections [ osios ] ב, ג, ד — passages 2, 3, and 4 of that Halachah.)

The human being comes to this world in the capacity of an agent [ b'soras sh'lichuss ]. Just as one sends a person to a distant place to bring something from far away — so too the person comes to this world in order to raise and elevate the fallen holy [sparks] that are exceedingly far from Him, may He be blessed, and to rectify the entire world from its corruptions, as is known [in Kabbalistic teaching]. And this is the aspect of: " L'sakkunai sh'dartich v'lo l'avusai — I sent you to rectify and not to corrupt" [Aramaic — from the Talmud, Yoma 72b, in the context of the Torah itself: "I sent you for rectification, not for destruction"] . And one who is a faithful envoy to his Sender [ tzir ne'eman l'sholichaïv ] and carries out his mission in this world completely — merits through this to be absorbed in his root , and then the agent is encompassed in the Sender. [In the aspect of: "A person's agent is as himself" [Kiddushin 41b] .] And then he has dominion over all the [other] agents [ the angels, who are also agents of G‑d, become subordinate to the person who has fully completed his agency and been absorbed in the Sender ]. And this is the aspect of the dominion over the angels that the Tzadikim will have in the time to come — as our Sages of blessed memory taught — for the angels are in the aspect of agents, since malach [angel] means shaliach [agent/messenger] [ in Hebrew, both malach and shaliach mean "one who is sent"; the angel is simply a higher-order agent ]. And when the person comes to this world — so distant from His holiness, may He be blessed — and clothes himself in this physical body, and merits here to carry out his mission completely — then he is absorbed in the Sender Himself, as it were. And then he has dominion over all the angels, who are in the aspect of [lower] agents. And then the grip of the forces of the Other Side is automatically subdued and nullified at its root, as explained within [in the main teaching]. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Agents — Hilchos Sh'luchin , Halachah 2, sub-section [ os ] ז — passage 7 of that Halachah.)

The essential purpose of creation was only for the sake of free will [ ha'b'chirah ] — that is, for the sake of the lowly human being in this world, clothed in a coarse body, who has the choice to choose good or its opposite, G‑d forbid. And the matter of free will was absolutely necessary for creation — for all of creation was only in order that they should come to know Him [ from the holy Zohar: the entire purpose of creation is the recognition of G‑d — b'gin d'yishtam'dun laih — Aramaic: "in order that they should come to know Him" ]. For if there were no free will — that is, if even after creation everyone would know G‑d's divinity with complete and certain knowledge exactly as it truly is — then there would be no continued existence for creation, for the world would return to its root [ complete knowledge of the Infinite would absorb all existence back into the Source, dissolving the separate existence of the world entirely ]. For the essential reality is Knowledge, and through true Knowledge one is absorbed into His oneness, may He be blessed — as the philosopher said: "Were I to know Him, I would be Him" [ attributed to the medieval philosopher Rabbi Yosef ibn Tzaddik — the point being: total knowledge of G‑d would dissolve the knower into the Known ]. Therefore, if even after creation everyone knew the truth without any doubt at all, and there were no room for error — then creation would return to its primal source, and everything would be completely nullified in existence through true knowledge, which is His oneness, may He be blessed. Therefore, the essential continued existence of the world is only through free will — which came into being immediately after creation — that is, that if a person wishes to look upon the truth, he will see the truth: that all of creation flows and is drawn from His oneness, may He be blessed. And then he would be absorbed after creation in [what was] before creation. But he has within his power to choose the opposite, G‑d forbid — to deny entirely, G‑d forbid — and to separate "after creation" from "before creation." And because of the power of free will — which flows from the aspect of the concealing screen that separates the world from its root [ mosach hamavdil — the dividing curtain; the Kabbalistic concept of the "screen" that conceals the Infinite Light, creating the space within which the world and free will can exist ] — which is the concealment of knowledge, that not everyone knows the truth immediately with complete knowledge — this concealment of knowledge is the aspect of the beginning of the Tzimtzum [ tzimtzum — the primordial contraction or withdrawal of the Infinite, which creates the "empty space" — chalal hapanui — within which creation can exist ] of the empty space. Through this comes the essential continued existence of the world — the world continues to exist and does not return to its root on account of this dividing screen. But then: if so, the world would be nullified through the absence of life-force — for since there is, as it were, a dividing screen — from where would the world and its fullness receive life-force from the Source of Life, which is His oneness, may He be blessed, Who gives life to all? Therefore, in truth, the essential continued existence of the world is through the Tzadikim who choose life and believe in the truth — that all of creation flows and was created from His oneness, may He be blessed — and through this knowledge everything is absorbed in His oneness, may He be blessed, and is absorbed after creation in before creation — and yet the world continues to exist and is not nullified in its existence. For this total encompassing happens only in the mode of ratzo v'shov [ running and returning — from Ezekiel 1:14; the Kabbalistic concept of the oscillation between total absorption and re-emergence into distinct existence ], in the mode of matei v'lo matei — Aramaic: reaching and not-quite-reaching . For the Tzadikim who merit to recognize and know Him, may He be blessed, through the power of their free choice — thereby they refine the dividing screen to such a degree that it is transformed and becomes from it precisely supernal palaces to receive the light [ heichlin ila'in — the concealing screen, when refined, becomes a vessel for reception rather than a barrier; the very thing that hid the light becomes the palace that houses it ] and to be absorbed in His oneness, may He be blessed, in ratzo v'shov — in such a way that they are absorbed in Him, may He be blessed, truly, in the ultimate oneness — and yet they are not nullified in existence. Rather, they merit to attain and to know Him, may He be blessed — and this is the essential true ultimate goal . Fortunate is he who merits this. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Agents — Hilchos Sh'luchin , Halachah 3.)

The human being — from the side of the root of his soul — is in the aspect of the Place of the World [ m'komo shel olam — one of the names of G‑d: "the Place of the World" — G‑d is the Place of the world, while the world is not His place; from Bereishis Rabbah 68 ], the aspect of the Throne of Glory [ Kisei HaKavod ], from which his soul was hewn. But he was sent to this world — which is in the aspect of time and place — so that he would have free will . And through each and every mitzvah he performs, he connects and binds the aspect of [earthly] place to the aspect of above place [ every mitzvah is an act that bridges the finite, physical "place" of this world with the infinite, transcendent "Place" that is G‑d — literally stitching together the finite and the Infinite ] — to the aspect of the Place of the World, where the root of his soul resides. And conversely — through every transgression, G‑d forbid, he is cut off and distanced from the aspect of the Place of the World and falls beneath the physical place, G‑d forbid — until he returns in repentance. And then he returns and ascends and is absorbed in the aspect of the Throne of Glory, the aspect of the Place of the World — the aspect of: " G'dolah t'shuvah — Great is repentance, which reaches up to the Throne of Glory" [Yoma 86a] . (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Agents — Hilchos Sh'luchin , Halachah 4, sub-section [ os ] ג — passage 3 of that Halachah.)

The essential fixed place of each person is when he merits to connect himself to the aspect of above place — to the aspect of the Place of the World [ m'komo shel olam — G‑d as the "Place" of all existence; see §131 ], for there is the essential place of each and every person. But as long as a person does not connect his place there, he is wandering and restless upon the earth [ an echo of the curse of Cain: "a wanderer and a rover shall you be" (Genesis 4:12) — the spiritual condition of one disconnected from his true root ]. For the human being is a stranger in this land — he has no fixed place in this world, as it is written: " Ki ger anochi immacha — For I am a stranger with You…" [Psalms 39:13] . And he is called a traveler [ holeich — one who is always going, always in transit ], for he is always journeying toward his eternal home — and he has no rest and no fixed place except when he merits in every time and wherever he is to connect his place to the aspect of the Place of the World — for there is the essential fixedness of place, and there is the essential rest and inheritance of each and every person . (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Agents — Hilchos Sh'luchin , Halachah 4, sub-section [ os ] ז — passage 7 of that Halachah.)

All the service of Torah and mitzvos that we were commanded to perform in this world are only preparations [ hachanois ] — we must prepare ourselves to receive the gift of His good hand [ matnas yado hatovah ] that He, may He be blessed, desires to give us in His mercy in the World to Come. For in truth, all the Torah and the mitzvos are light and pleasant to perform , as it is written: " D'racheha darchei no'am — Its ways are ways of pleasantness…" [Proverbs 3:17] . And all the good reward we will receive for them is only an unearned gift [ matnas chinam — a free, gracious gift; not earned in any true sense ], as it is written: " Ul'choh Hashem chesed ki attah t'shallaim l'ish k'ma'asaihu — And to You, Hashem, is kindness, for You repay each person according to his deeds" [Psalms 62:13 — the very fact that G‑d rewards "according to deeds" is itself described as chesed — pure kindness — for we have no true claim to reward] . And all the mitzvos are only preparations to receive through them the unearned gift from Him, may He be blessed — which is the reward of that mitzvah. And likewise, all the negative commandments [prohibitions] are also only in order to prepare ourselves to be pure and holy — so that we not be defiled, G‑d forbid — in order that we be able through this to receive the blessedness stored up for the Tzadikim and the abundant good hidden away for them in the World to Come [ asher ham'kuveh latzadikim and rav tuv hatzafun lahem — terms for the ultimate spiritual reward ], as is explained within. By way of parable : a king who made a great feast for his beloved, and wished to delight them with great bounty and to give them great gifts and precious s'gulos [ s'gulos — propitious, treasured possessions ], and warned them beforehand to prepare themselves for this, etc. And this is [the meaning of]: " Al tih'yu ka'avadim hamshamshim es ha'rav al m'nas l'kabbel p'ras — Do not be like servants who serve the master for the sake of receiving a reward" [Ethics of the Fathers 1:3] — for one must know the truth: that according to the root of strict justice no reward is owed to us at all , since everything is from Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: " Ki mimchoh hakol umiyadchoh natanu lach — For everything is from You, and from Your own hand have we given to You" [I Chronicles 29:14] , and it is written: " Mi hikdimani va'ashallaim — Who has preceded Me, that I should repay him?" [Job 41:3] . Rather, in truth the abundant good stored up for the Tzadikim is not in the category of wage and reward — on the contrary: the Holy One Blessed Be He desires to give merit to Israel, that they should have vessels with which to receive the free gift He desires to give them in the future. Therefore He multiplied Torah and mitzvos for them — for all of it is only for the sake of preparation, that through this we merit to be capable of receiving the aforesaid free gift. And this corresponds to: " Hiskayn atzmechoh baprozdor k'dai shetikanes latrakklin — Prepare yourself in the antechamber so that you may enter the banquet hall" [Ethics of the Fathers 4:21] . (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Gifts — Hilchos Matanah , Halachah 4, sub-section [ os ] ז — passage 7 of that Halachah.)

When a person wishes to approach holiness — to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to His Torah — then the confusions, fantasies, obstacles, and hindrances intensify and spread against him exceedingly , and the more he wishes to strengthen himself and overcome, the more they spread against him. And because of this, many stumbled and fell, etc., as explained within [in the main teaching]. And the essential remedy for this is: that one remind oneself at every moment of the greatness of His kindness and goodness, may He be blessed , and remember all the great kindness that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done for him — that He did not make him a gentile, and that he merited to draw close to Tzadikim and upright people, and that he himself also merited many and many good points [ nekudos tovos — the positive points within oneself; a central Breslov concept: even the most fallen person has good points, and one must find and build upon them ] — and all of this is only from the kindnesses of Hashem, may He be blessed. And one must know that His kindness and goodness, may He be blessed, is without measure . And all the hope for the World to Come that we await to receive from Him, may He be blessed, is only unearned kindness as above. Only He, may He be blessed, desires in His mercy that we prepare ourselves to receive His great gift — and the preparations themselves are also only from what Hashem, may He be blessed, gives us as an unearned gift. Therefore we must at every time and moment begin anew to prepare ourselves to receive His goodness and kindness, may He be blessed — and the essential [preparation] is through the will [ ha'ratzon — desire, will; as explained elsewhere: the will is always within our hands, even when action is difficult or impossible ], as is explained elsewhere — for the essential [thing] is the will, and this is always within our hands. And through all of this one can merit to overcome at every stage the great spreading of the forces of impurity that spread out at each and every level — and to pass safely through them. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Gifts — Hilchos Matanah , Halachah 4, sub-section [ os ] ט — passage 9 of that Halachah.)

The evil inclination — which is in truth utterly old and decrepit , as it is written: " Melech zakein uch'sil — An old and foolish king" [Ecclesiastes 4:13 — the evil inclination is described as an "old and foolish king": old because it has been peddling the same foolishness since the dawn of creation; foolish because its "wisdom" is in truth the deepest stupidity] — it constantly seeks to present itself as new , and rouses the person to its follies and vanities as though they were something fresh and novel . And the wondrous counsels of the Torah — it wishes to make them seem old and stale , G‑d forbid. But in truth it is the exact opposite — for the desires, follies, and confusions are ancient [ there is nothing new about them: they are the same temptations that have always existed, the same emptiness that has always disappointed ], as [Koheles says]: " Aïn kol chadash tachas hashemesh — There is nothing new under the sun" [Ecclesiastes 1:9] . But above the sun — which is the Torah — there are absolute novelties at every moment , for the counsels of the Torah are exceedingly deep and renew themselves each time. Therefore one must strengthen oneself anew at every moment , as our Sages of blessed memory said: " B'chol yom v'yom yih'yu b'einecha kachadashim — Each and every day let them be in your eyes as new" [Sifre, Deuteronomy 6:6 — the words of Torah should feel fresh and immediate each day, not habitual and stale] . And all of this one merits through the true Tzadikim, as is explained within. (Source: Likutay Halachos, Laws of Gifts — Hilchos Matanah , Halachah 5, sub-section [ os ] ד — passage 4 of that Halachah.)