Deey Chochma Lenafshekha English Ekev 2009

Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Ekev 5769

D’ei Chochmah L’nafshechah “Let your soul know wisdom” Parshas Ekev From the discourses of Moreinu v’Rabeinu the Gaon and Tzaddik Shlit”a - not for general circulation -

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D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

Parshas Ekev

Shalosh Seudos1 of Parshas Ekev 5767 '‫יתם א ָֹתם וְ ָשׁ ַמר ה‬ ֶ ‫ֲשׂ‬ ִ ‫וּשׁ ַמ ְר ֶתּם ַוע‬ ְ ‫"וְ ָהיָה ֵע ֶקב ִתּ ְשׁ ְמעוּן ֵאת ַה ִמּ ְשׁ ָפּ ִטים ָה ֵא ֶלּה‬ ָ ‫ֱאלֹק‬ ".‫יך‬ ָ ‫ ַה ֶח ֶסד ֲא ֶשׁר נִ ְשׁ ַבּע ַל ֲאב ֶֹת‬-‫ ַה ְבּ ִרית ְו ֶאת‬-‫יך ְל ָך ֶאת‬ “If only you listen to these laws and safeguard them to keep them, Hashem your G-d will guard the covenant and lovingkindness that He swore to your forefathers.”2

Rashi explains: “‘If only (ekev) you listen...’—if only you will take heed of those ‘minor’ mitzvos that people often tread upon with their heel (ekev)— ‘Hashem your G-d will guard the covenant’—He will guard His promise to you.” The Innermost Desire of Every Jew The opening word of the parshah—‫ עקב‬/ ekev—alludes to the attribute of Malchus, which is associated with the earth upon which we tread with our heels. [Malchus is the lowermost of all the sefiros.] The attribute of Malchus is emunah itself, which is always “stepped on” and underappreciated. Of course, each and every one of us—Jews on every level—long to attain yiras shomayim and serve Hashem. Everyone seeks out the path that will help 1 2

The lesson was delivered at the third meal of Shabbos. Devarim 7:12 3

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him come closer to Hashem and awaken to true repentance. At first, a person looks into various seforim to find his way—during one period, he is certain that he will follow a particular path outlined in one sefer, then later he tries another direction. When he sees that his efforts are not bearing fruit, he realizes that he needs to follow the directive of the Zohar and get up before the dawn, to get up for chatzos, “I will arise at midnight to praise You for Your righteous judgments.”3 We learn from various sources that even if one does not rise at exactly chatzos, there is nevertheless much to be gained spiritually from rising before dawn. So, either way, this person rises at chatzos or before dawn thinking that this is what will transform the rest of his day so that he will be able to serve Hashem properly. After a time, though, he still finds himself at a loss, not having achieved his goal. So he seeks another path, that of, “I am a friend to all who fear You,”4 and connects with worthy people thinking that he will take part in their successful avodas Hashem. And even though all of his efforts are valuable, nevertheless he finds himself broken-spirited when he realizes that he is still very far from the true goal. “Peace, Peace, to the Far and the Near” The Shechinah which is an aspect of Malchus is also called, “black”:"‫חוֹרה ֲאנִ י וְ נָאוָה‬ ָ ‫“—" ְשׁ‬I am black, but beautiful.”5 [Black here represents the “lowly” and diminished state of Malchus, but even in that “blackness” there

3

Tehillim 119:62 Ibid., 119:63 5 Shir HaShirim 1:5 4

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is a great deal of beauty to be found.6] We find that the prophet says in Hashem’s Name: "‫אָמר הויה‬ ַ ‫“—" ָשׁלוֹם ָשׁלוֹם ָל ָרחוֹק וְ ַל ָקּרוֹב‬Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says HaVaYaH...”7 Rav Aharon of Strashuleh explained that this verse refers to the two types of dveikus that can be reached: that which is external, and that which is internal. When a person begins to grow spiritually, he does so in an external or superficial way, and this is why it always seems to him that he is far from the true goal and that his efforts aren’t bearing fruit. However, Hashem actually takes great pleasure in this person’s attempts to draw closer to Him and from the fact that he recognizes his distance and keeps on trying to overcome it. Hashem values the person’s attempts to “find the princess,” the Shechinah, and discover the place where she has been hidden, the “golden mountain and the pearl castle” of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov’s tale.8 To those who are “far,” Hashem calls out in peace—just as the prophet proclaims. In contrast, the tzaddikim who serve Hashem from “near”—in the inner aspect—reveal what it means to be “close.” They demonstrate that, “the thing is very near to you, in your mouth and your heart, to do it.”9 They show that Hashem is always with us, that He is orchestrating all the events of our lives, and we have no reason to fear at all. They teach us that we need to abandon ourselves to Him at every step along the way, and to turn to Him and pray at every moment. Then, we can be confident that Hashem will lead us on the path that will bring us to true rectification, completion, and repentance—and there is no 6

Ibid., Rashi loc cit. Yeshayah 57:19 8 See the story of “The Lost Princess,” which is the first of the long tales by Rebbe Nachman. 9 Devarim 30:14 7

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real possibility of failure. Anyone who believes that the Shechinah presents any challenge or obstacle that does not have the power to bring him to realize all of his spiritual potential makes light of her honor. The truth is that the Shechinah is the only power that exists in the world [and so naturally there is no source of challenge to a person that is not an expression of Hashem’s will and that does not have the potential to bring him to completion]. It is about such tzaddikim that Hashem declares through the prophet, “Peace to the near.” This inner pathway of dveikus is the type that Adam HaRishon and Avraham Avinu both followed, which we can see from the fact that they observed all of the Torah’s laws even before they were revealed in the world through Hashem’s command.10 Since they constantly turned to Hashem and cleaved to Him, Hashem caused them to intuitively fulfill all of the mitzvos. Even if a person has sinned, as long as he sincerely chooses to seek the point of emunah, Hashem will not abandon him and will guide him along the path of truth. Just as Hashem chooses the “far,” He also chooses the “near”—“I have chosen the path of emunah.”11 He wants to be discovered through the inner path of emunah by all of the Jewish people. This is why Hashem used the term emunah when He censured Moshe and Aharon for failing to reveal this pathway: “Because you did not have emunah in Me, to sanctify Me before the eyes of the entire Jewish people.”12 This path is very deep, and one must simultaneously bear in mind that while avodas Hashem is difficult and far from us, nevertheless 10

Bereishis 2:15; Zohar I:27a; Kiddushin 4:14 Tehillim 119:30 12 Bamidbar 20:12 11

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it is also easy and near to us. One need do nothing but sincerely repent of wrongdoing and turn to Hashem constantly, seeking emunah, and everything will be repaired as a matter of course and one will attain all of the holiness that he needs to. This is on the condition that he never lets his mind stray from Malchus, which is also called “a path,” or derech.13 This path will lead a person up to the King’s palace. “I Am Black” This path of emunah, however, is mostly hidden from people, as we find in the writings of the Arizal, that, “the 288 [judgments] of Malchus are found in a very deep place.”14 The “‫( רפ"ח‬288) of Malchus” is associated with the Shem HaVaYaH when it is written out in the step-down form of ‫ י' י"ה יה"ו יהו"ה‬which has the numerical value of 72 [and 4 x 72 = 288, since there are four aspects of the rectification of Malchus]. This fourfold Name is also called the “song that will ring out in the ultimate future” [when Hashem’s chessed (‫ = חסד‬72) will be revealed].15 This melody is very complex and twisted [which we see from its “turning back upon itself” in this form known as achorayim], and the pathway of emunah that it represents is still very hidden. Anyone who wants to follow the way of emunah must know that there is a great coldness there, in the sense of: "?‫ָצא ַה ָקּ ַרח‬ ָ ‫“—" ִמ ֶבּ ֶטן ִמי י‬Out of whose womb came the ice?”16 [The word ‫מ"י‬ (50) refers to Binah which is known by its fifty gates, and which is also called the root of all judgments.] Emunah is revealed specifically in the places where 13

Sefer Halikutim, Tehillim 77 Otzaros Chaim, Sha’ar Rapach Nitzotzin 15 Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun #13 16 Iyov 38:29 14

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harsh judgments prevail, and all of this is because not everywhere who wants to come and take hold of the Name [and approach holiness] can just come and do so. Hashem does not want the wicked to have the ability to grab hold of this point of holiness and enter Eretz Yisrael, Yerushalayim, the Beis Hamikdash, and all the more so the holy of holies. The person who enters must be one of the “King’s men,” and even though all of the Jewish people are princes, nevertheless there is a manner in which one must [work to] become one of the King’s trusted people. In the palace, there are an abundance of judgments and obstacles, and not everyone can draw close as he pleases—he needs to be one of the King’s men. While it is true that a person must also come to dveikus through the path of Malchus, through the higher yichud of recognizing that there is nothing but Hashem and one need just turn to Him and cleave to Him in order to reach completion, even so there is a preliminary stage of having to pass through the blackness and the judgments. When Malchus is “below” she is black and completely obscured in order to keep the unworthy out of the realm of holiness. At that point, she rests upon the earth and everyone steps on her, because people do not want to be in the place of darkness and challenge. Drawing out the Meal The sages taught: “If a person draws out [his meal] upon his table, they draw out his days and years [and he will live a long life].”17 Rashi explained that this is referring to a person who extends his meal so that there will be more of an opportunity for the poor to come and eat with him. The sages similarly taught: 17

Berachos 54b 8

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“Somchos said, ‘Whoever draws out the word echad [of Shema] will have his days and years drawn out. Rav Acha bar Yaakov added, ‘the dalet [of echad is what should be drawn out].’”18 This dalet is a reference to Malchus, who is known as being dalah—impoverished.19 [This is one of the reasons why the Kabbalists taught that one should only use a four-legged table to eat upon—dalet is equal to four.] Like the table which in the Beis Hamikdash was on the northern (tzafon) side, Malchus is tzafun—hidden. And those who choose to follow its path must accustom themselves to the drawn-out nature of its process of development, so that the dalet will be bound together with the alef and ches of echad—which two letters represent Ze’ir Anpin. The upper yichud is made in absolute darkness so that the wicked will be deterred. It is only a person who “draws out upon his table,” who knows to draw down the light of Ze’ir Anpin, which is the lower yichud, to struggle in his avodas Hashem toward Malchus, who succeeds to illuminate Malchus and empower her. Even a tzaddik who really is one of the “King’s men,” one of the “faithful men of Yerushalayim,” has to struggle in order to draw down the light of Ze’ir Anpin into Malchus and effect a lower yichud. The concept of struggling in avodas Hashem is sourced in Binah, which is the spiritual root of Ze’ir Anpin, while Malchus has its spiritual root in Chochmah.20 When Malchus is illuminated by Ze’ir Anpin, the tzaddik can then effect an upper yichud, and when that happens its “blackness” is transformed into the color techeiles (which is the blue of the sky and sea), which represents having achieved the tachlis, 18

Ibid., 13b Pri Eitz Chaim, Sha’ar Hatefillah 20 Zohar III:258a 19

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absolute completion.21 He knows that it is only Malchus, the Shechinah, that will bring him to his complete rectification. “If Only You Listen” "‫“—"וְ ָהיָה ֵע ֶקב ִתּ ְשׁ ְמעוּן‬And it will be, if you listen.” The word v’hayah is a rearrangement of the Shem HaVaYaH which symbolizes Ze’ir Anpin, and the word ekev represents the Shechinah. “If only you will listen”—listening means gathering together and making connections. If only you will gather together both aspects of Ze’ir Anpin and Malchus, you will make both an upper and a lower yichud. Although the tzaddik who serves Hashem in the “near” way of Malchus and emunah appears to be working just as hard as the tzaddikim who serve Hashem in the “far” manner, this is only because we can only observe his outer aspect. Within, he is firmly bound to the inner avodah of realizing that his goal of attaining closeness to Hashem is really close by, and that Hashem takes pleasure in his every effort. He extends effort, he “draws out his table” so that Malchus is illuminated with the light of Ze’ir Anpin, and so he comes to attain “long life”—which is an aspect of Arich Anpin [the higher light of Kesser]. At the same time, he knows that all one really needs to do to be close to Hashem is to turn to Him and rely on His mercy. When a person follows this path, his way is illuminated by emunah and so even the difficult avodos that he performs fill him with joy. “I will surely rejoice in Hashem, my soul will exult in My G-d.”22 He knows he has nothing to worry about in material or spiritual matters since if he will only be happy in 21 22

Likutei Moharan I:18:7 Yeshayah 61:10 10

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Hashem, He will lead him in the smoothest way possible. Unfortunately, while most people know that Hashem’s providence is absolute, this knowledge does not penetrate enough so that it frees them to rejoice in Hashem and in their avodah. Their Divine service is “far” and external because they are disconnected from the innermost point of emunah, of the Shechinah, of illuminating Malchus so that it shines. The Table that is Before Hashem All of this relates to the actual avodah of eating at one’s table. Whenever a person sits down to eat a meal, there is the possibility that he will fall into a lust for all of the delights of this world. However, it is precisely at this time that a person needs to know that the meal is the time when the Shechinah comes to his table. As the verse says, “At the time of eating, approach here...”23 The true tzaddik actually senses the arrival of the Shechinah at his table and he is seized suddenly by fear and yiras shomayim. In reality, whenever anyone sits down to eat, the Shechinah stands by, as it were, and seeks to join him at his table. And that is why the tisch is where all sorts of delights are revealed, because the Shechinah is the source of all pleasure and delight. [This is true both physically and spiritually, since the physical delights of the meal take place at the tisch where the tzaddikim teach their Torah.] If, however, a person falls into lusting after the pleasures of this world, it is as though the Shechinah falls to the lowest place and is enshrouded in darkness. When the tzaddik feels drawn after the delights of this world, he realizes that the Shechinah has fallen and is begging 23

Ruth 2:14 11

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him to shine into her and raise her up again. Therefore, the tzaddik sanctifies himself for the sake of heaven when he sits down to eat and drink and binds himself to Hashem through studying Torah, praying, or meditating while he eats. This is how he comes to feel spiritual pleasure within the experience of physical pleasure, and he knows that really there is nothing in the universe but the Divine light. Each of us has the ability to cleave to Hashem while we eat. And if we find ourselves feeling drawn after the pleasure of this world, we need to remember that the Shechinah is waiting for us to raise her up and redeem her. By making efforts to serve Hashem at that time, the Shechinah is uplifted and illuminated—and then his eating and feeling delight in connection with Hashem is transformed into an avodah in which Hashem Himself takes pleasure. The Crown of Torah This process of shining the light of struggle into Malchus / Shechinah / emunah also applies to one’s Torah study. If a person feels that after many years he still is far from achieving his goals and lags far behind the accomplishments of others who have mastered Shas, he must nourish his emunah that Hashem will certainly bring him to understand all of the Torah. Through re-doubling his efforts in the “near” way of faith and joy, all his efforts will eventually come to bear fruit. There are times when a person is given the gift of feeling the sweetness of closeness to Hashem, such as when he feels galvanized to serve Hashem after spending time with a tzaddik or learning a holy work or praying together with a

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large and enthusiastic group of people. However, sometimes a person finds himself at home or in a state of mochin d’katnus and all he feels is a yearning to recapture the closeness that he once felt at better moments. When that happens, he must realize that the source of all holiness and spiritual attainment is the Shechinah, and the light of Shechinah never really dims or changes. It only temporarily appears to be shrouded in darkness, but the moment that a person connects with the Shechinah he can experience all of the spiritual delight that exists—and he can do it in any place and under any circumstance. He just needs to remember that there is nothing but Hashem, and that He stands by him to support him at all times, and Hashem will bring him to his completion. This is the way of the tzaddikim who achieved all that they did, and this is the way of those who merited to have the souls of the early tzaddikim, the seven shepherds, and Eliyahu HaNavi reveal themselves to them. They believed absolutely that it was only in Hashem’s power to bring them to holiness. Guarding the Covenant The opening verse of the parshah promises that if we follow this process of shining the light of effort and struggle into Malchus and emunah, Hashem will “guard the covenant.” This refers to His commitment to bring “Eliyahu the angel of the bris” who heralds the redemption—to bring the geulah to the Jewish people as a whole. The earlier works teach us that prior to the full redemption, each and every one of us will merit to experience a revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi—and this is by virtue of binding ourselves to emunah and illuminating it with the genuine efforts associated with Ze’ir Anpin. The deeper seforim teach

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that Ze’ir Anpin “has its back to Malchus.” What this means for us is that, although they appear to be facing away from one another, they are actually very close—but one must make the effort to “turn” Ze’ir Anpin so that its light can shine into Malchus. May Hashem help us be worthy of accepting Hashem’s Kingship upon ourselves in everything that happens to us in our lives. May we never think that our successes are contingent on anything other than His will. The Arizal taught that the final generation before the redemption will suffer from a famine—each and every Jewish soul will hunger to achieve this or that avodah—and this is all for the purpose of coming to accept Hashem’s Kingship upon ourselves. This is the inner meaning of the verse, “And He afflicted you and starved you and fed you the manna.” All of the hungers and afflictions and feeling of failure and lack is only so that we will come to apprehend the level known as the ‫—מ"ן‬the “feminine waters” of the mikveh of the fiftieth gate—the light of Shavuos when “two kings wear one crown” and Ze’ir Anpin and Malchus shine into one another. “Let Your Soul Know Wisdom” This is the meaning of: "‫“—"דעה חכמה לנפשך והיא כתר לראשך‬Let your soul (nefesh) know (d’ei) wisdom (Chochmah)…”24 The wisdom of emunah and absolute acceptance of Hashem’s Kingship must be made “known” to one’s soul—it demands a great deal of Da’as to follow this path. Many erred in it, and walked in darkness because emunah was a dark place for them, and even fell into 24

From the Shabbos zemer “D’ror Yikrah,” based on Mishlei 24:14. 14

D’ei Chochmah L’Nafshechah

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sin because they parroted the words that “everything is Elokus” and didn’t realize how much honor one must give the King. They didn’t realize that the work of Da’as is long and drawn out,25 and that one must pursue two seemingly contradictory paths at the same time: to struggle in avodah as if it all depended on my efforts, while knowing that absolutely everything is in Hashem’s hands. When one relies absolutely on the King, He is certain to fulfill one’s needs. Then, “it will be a crown for one’s head”—we will come to experience the light of the redemption.

Translated and Adapted by Rav Micha Golshevsky.

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Likutei Amarim Tanya, Chapter 3 15