Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 193

193 - The Thought Has Great Power

Know that thought possesses immense power. If one strengthens and empowers his thought toward any matter in the world, he can bring it into being. Even if he intensely focuses his thought on acquiring wealth, he will certainly obtain it. The same applies to any matter – provided the thought involves the nullification of all physical senses. And the thought is so powerful that it becomes possible to surrender his soul through it literally. That is, he can feel the actual pain of death by accepting in his mind that he is willing to give his soul for the sanctification of the Name in any form of death.

It is possible to strengthen and empower the thought to such an extent that, at the moment he accepts in his thought that he is willing to surrender his soul to die for the sanctification of the Name, he feels the pain of death literally. This is what Rabbi Akiva said (Berachot 61b): "All my days I was distressed over this verse: 'When will it come to my hand so that I may fulfill it?' Now that it has come, and I would not fulfill it?" That is, during the recitation of Shema, when Rabbi Akiva would accept upon himself the four modes of capital punishment by the court, he would accept the giving of his soul in such a strong and powerful thought that he would feel distressed and experience the sufferings of death literally, as if they were stoning and burning him in actuality, without any difference.

And this is "all my days I was distressed: when will it come etc." – meaning, from what I estimated and accepted in my mind – "when will it come to my hand and I fulfill it" to surrender my soul for the sanctification of the Name – from this alone I was distressed and felt and endured the sufferings of death literally, as aforementioned. "Now that it has come to my hand in actuality, and I would not fulfill it?" – for haven't I always endured this pain literally from the acceptance in thought alone? And when one strengthens the thought in soul-surrender to this degree as aforementioned, he can die literally from this pain, as if he were dying from that death in actuality, for there is no difference between death in actuality and the pain felt from death in thought, as aforementioned. Therefore, one must prevent and distance himself from remaining in that state when he feels that his soul is close to departing, so that he does not die before his time, G-d forbid.

Hilula of Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid - 6 Cheshvon (Tonight-tomorrow) - MORTIFICATIONS

HH

This post is an excerpt from the book The Praises of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, article 24, in honor of Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid.

Also they understood from his words that he spoke with them, that in his youth when he toiled and labored for the service of Hashem, he had many (many) types of mortification, and according to what was heard and understood from his words, (that) he had all types of mortifications that there are in the world, be it rolling in the snow[1] etc. and so forth[2]. And he said, that the mortification of restraining oneself not to scratch oneself at all, this is the overly greatest mortification, that is, when a person is being bit (-irritated) by the things found close to his skin, and it is the way of everyone to scratch themselves whenever they feel the biting (-itching); and he accepted this as a mortification, to force himself not to scratch at all, not with his hand, and not with his body, and not with any limb, and he said, that this is a very great mortification, for the person is inert, and then the biting/itching grows stronger, and he is forbidden to move his hands or any limb, just to feel every bite in his mind, and it is a very great mortification. (And I have already heard this from other people, that this is a very great mortification). And he of blessed memory did everything, all the types of mortifications that there are in the world, and everything - with temeemus (unfeigned wholesomeness, wholeheartedness, simplicity, sincerity) and truth, until he merited to what he merited, fortunate is he.

---

[1] See Samuel (2:23:20) and the Talmud, Brachos 18b. The Arizal revealed some secrets regarding this mortification in Shaar Ruach Hakodesh, rectification 22 (R.A.K.). The Rishash revealed more secrets about it, and there are various allusions to this in the Scriptures. A famous rabbi once told me that the main intent of this mortification in particular and many of them in general is to shock the body so that the soul breaks free. However, various places in the holy teachings of our Sages and Rabbainu prove that the pain and self-sacrifice itself is the main goal. However, see Likutay Moharan 170, that through suffering the soul is enlarged.

[2] This needs further study, because there are some very wild mortifications brought down in the holy books which Rabbainu was definitely aware of, e.g. Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid (Sefer Chasidim 167) praises someone who stood naked by a beehive and was stung all over his body, and when he recovered he did it again. This would be almost impossible to do without anyone knowing. Perhaps Rabbainu did this on a lower scale, or there is a secret to this perhaps on the lines of what is revealed in Likutay Moharan, Torah-teaching 193, that a person can visualize upon himself the four capital punishments so vividly and realistically, that he will actual feel the suffering, and will be in actual mortal danger of dying.

After some contemplation B.H. it occurred to me that the aforementioned mortification brought down by Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid was done as an atonement and rectification for adultery, and all similar drastic mortifications especially when they are life threatening probably do not come under the category of regular “segufim” (mortifications) which are done to weeken the physical desires of the body and so forth, whereas these severe tasks were intended literally to flirt with death to absolve the person of the sin, culpable of death, which he transgressed, even open to the possibility that he might in fact die. Thus we can assert that Rabbainu did not mean that he did mortifications of that sort.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman!