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Goals of the True Tzadikim to Aspire
Ultimately, everyone will be judged
before G-d, our Sages obm urged, in many different ways and places, for people
to preempt that judgment by making their own self judgment on a regular basis.
Much of this falls under the category of hisbodidus, for which we printed the
book Hisbodidus – Alone Time. Here we are going to study one query presented in
Tana Divay Eliyahu (25), “that every single one of Israel is obligated to say, ‘When
will my deeds reach the deeds of my forefathers, Avrohom Yitzchok and Yaakov’?”
What was so special about our
forefathers that HY chose them and favors them over everyone, and we are told
to emulate them,[1]
and pray to emulate them [- in the blessing before Shema, ‘for the sake of our
forefathers who trusted in You, and You taught them the laws of life – to do
Your will with a complete heart, so (too) be gracious with us and teach us’]?
To date I have found in the Rishonim
two main approaches.
The First Approach
The first approach is presented almost[2] explicitly
in the Torah itself (Genesis 18:17-18), “And Hashem said, will I cover up from
Avrohom what I am doing? And Avrohom will surely become a large and powerful nation,
and they will be blessed through him, all the nations of the earth. For I know
him [-an expression of affection and cherishment, not just an acquaintance] ‘limaan’-
because he will command his children and his house (/household) after him, to adhere
to the way of Hashem, to do charity and justice etc..”
Here Hashem tells
us that the reason why Avrohom was so special is because he gives over the holy
way of Hashem. Our Sages recounted numerous ways and enterprises Avrohom employed
to spread the true faith in Hashem. In The Life of Our Leader Rabbi Nachman
(Cha-yay Moharan 395), Rabbi Nachman describes how Avrohom would enter a city
and run around screaming, “Gevald gevald (-woe/astonishing-far out)”, until
everyone was chasing him as they used to chase the crazy, and then he would
reverse the tables on them, and challenge their idiotic belief in idolatry, he
was a tremendous expert, with 400 full treatises on the subject, and he would
detoxify them from their abhorrent beliefs and rehabilitate them, see there at
length. Maimonides also describes at length (in his laws regarding idolatry,
chapter 1) how Avrohom figured out the truth and found Hashem and went on to bring
the masses to the true faith.
Thus, in a very
general sense we see why Avrohom was and is so special and beloved by HY. However,
it gets more complicated. Shem (-son of Noach) and Aivehr (-great grandson of
Shem) had a yeshiva where they taught true knowledge of HY, day and night, the
forefathers learned in their yeshiva[3]. So
why and how were the forefathers so much more special than them?
This question is slightly broached
by Reyevid in his glosses to the aforementioned Maimonides. The Reyevid asks, how
is it that only Avrohom objected the worship of idolatry, what about Shem and
Aivehr, how is it possible that they didn’t object? The Reyevid answers that
perhaps Shem and Aivehr did object, but the people hid their idolatry from
them, so there was never a direct confrontation like Avrohom had, so only Avohom
actually smashed and destroyed the idols.
The Ramchal (in
Adir Bamuroam, Michon Ramchal 19-20) directly addresses this issue. His primary
question, which is also part of our query, is what is so special about Rabbi
Shimon bar Yoachai that he and his Zohar are the key to the entire redemption
and revelation, and all the supernal souls of the tzadikim, and all the angels,
do not cease to sing his praise.[4]
“Rashb”i zlh”l,
all the matters were always clear before him, like a person who sees something
and it is pictured in his heart, and there was no fuzziness or murkiness in his
knowledge. However, before him, after the destruction (of the Temple) it is
said (Psalms 74:9), and there is no one with us who knows “ad mah (-anything),”
“ad mah” is like “without anything”. Meaning – there is no one that know the
matter that will be, that is – nothing. And see, that it doesn’t say: and there
isn’t in/amongst us, rather: and there isn’t with us. And this is because in
truth, even still, there wasn’t a complete lack of some great scholars in
Israel. However the matter is like, from Noach until Avrohom, because behold
there were righteous men like Shem and Aivehr and their court, but they didn’t
mingle with the rest of the generation. And their generation didn’t find from
them great benefit, because they stood to themselves, and their good wasn’t
passed on to the others. So it was when prophecy ended from Israel, behold
(even still) there remained many scholars. For behold in the era of the Tana-im
there was great wisdom in Israel, however, even still behold they knew secrets
(-of the Torah), every one of them, but the matters were not settled well in their
hearts, just, every one knew what they conceived/attained (-hasagah), and the
matters were like a sealed book. Because someone who doesn’t stand (-comprehend)
on the true content of the matter, behold the matters are extremely blocked, because
their way is concealed from the intellect of man. Behold so you see also after
Rashb”I ascended to the house of his resting (-passed away), that the scholars
(who came after him, when talking of the secrets of the Torah) stammered in
their tongue, and did not speak outright. And even still, behold they were
great noted scholars, knowledgeable of the Kabala on its formulations, however,
they did not establish a yeshiva to make a great composition like the Sefer HaZohar
which the supernal and the lower ones entered in it. Just, they stood to themselves
and did not join the others, and so the world was missing this knowledge.
Therefore it says: and there is not with us the knowledge of anything, because
what is with us, there isn’t knowledge of anything, because it isn’t called
knowing anything [-but it doesn’t say there isn’t in/among us, because there
were great scholarly saints amongst them that did have knowledge, but even
still in the broader scheme their knowledge was obsolete].”
See there
amazing wonderous revelations at length.
The Ramchal
makes an explicit corollary between the prominence of Avrohom, who was chosen
by God as the first forefather of Judaism, to Rashbi. The Ramchal seems to me
to be making two definitive qualitative distinctions of these over their peers
and the rest of their eras. The first point is the clarity and mastery of the
matters settled well in their hearts, which seems to have opened them up and
empowered them to the second point, their sharing and spreading their knowledge
with the others, what the Ramchal calls intermingling. Shem and Aivehr had a
large yeshiva (see also beginning of Bris Menucha), but their knowledge and
teachings remained isolated and confined to only those who studied by them, whereas
Avrohom brought the faith and knowledge to the masses. Rashbi did not overtly
engage with the masses, but the Ramchal explains how he purified all the souls
of Israel, even releasing them from gehenim, and fixing them in their soul’s
roots, the entire creation is incorporated in the Zohar [This is already closer
to the second approach of the desirous ways of the true tzadikim]. It could be
that this way of the Rashbi of not physically intermingling, was only possible
after the giving of the Torah to the Jews, when all the Jews became responsible
for one another, whereas in the time of Avrohom there was a need for actual
physical interaction. Also, Rashbi really only laid the foundation for the
redemption, because there was an edict for 1000 years of exile (Zohar Pikuday
227b, Tikunim Chadashim of Ramchal beginning of Tikun 59 see the footnotes
there for further references), and the Zohar was hidden. The Baal Shem Tov
seemed to have two objectives, training the elite, and strengthening the commoners.
Rabbi Nachman sought out and addressed the entire world equally, from the
greatest saintly scholars to the heretical maskilim (-“enlightened” Jews).
The Arizal says
that there is a play off between being intermingled with everyone, to educate
and elevate them, and self perfecting. The Arizal says that Chanoch (-preflood)
abandoned his generation and focused just on perfecting himself, until he attained
the spiritual state of an angel, whereas Moshe Rabbainu didn’t merit to achieve
that, because he sacrificed his own personal gains to intermingle with everyone.
The Chasam Sofer seems to draw upon this exact teaching (although he doesn’t
cite it, but he probably refrained in general from citing works of kabala, or
perhaps unconsciously he drew upon it from his memory), proving and building from
it a principle that it is most important to spread the true faith, more than
anything else, including Torah study, for this was the way of our forefather
Avrohom and Moshe Rabbainu.
The Choavas
Halevuvos (Duties of the Heart, Shaar Ahavas Hashem – Love of Hashem, Chapter
6) wrote that even if a person would be able to be almost like an angel in perfecting
himself, it would not reach the merit of someone who brings people back to the
true faith.
Also see Sefer
Hamidos, entry of Prayer item 1, a person needs to yearn and long for the
general good, even if this will draw upon him personally, a loss. Also pursuant
to this conversation is the matter discussed at length in tractate Megila, that
some of the Sanhedrin did not approve of Mordichai’s role and efforts as they
detracted from his Torah learning, and his name is listed in a lower spot
amongst them – whereas according to the holy books he was the tzadik of the
generation - so why isn’t he first?!
Rabbi Nachman
revealed in Likutay Moharan 53 that the tzadikim do not lose out by their
endeavors to bring back people in repentance. Rabbi Nachman explains that each wayward
person has some point that is obfuscating him, and the tzadik is missing these
points, and needs them to complete his perfect knowledge, therefore the
tzadikim would chase after the sinners to return them in repentance, in order
to perfect their own daas (reality of knowledge).[5]
If the
preeminent devotion to HY is spreading the faith, this teaching of Rabbi
Nachman is astonishing, why would he need to explain why the tzadikim are so
proactive in returning people to HY (-answering, to complete their daas), there
is nothing higher?! From here it is evident that the state of the masses is not
the ultimate goal, just, they are an extension of the tzadik, as the Talmud
says everyone was only created to prop up the tzadik (“litzehves”) Indeed the
Ramchal presented this goal (-of rectifying the masses) only as a derivative of
his first criteria, the clear mastery of the knowledge, and this leads us to
the second approach.
The Second Approach of the Desirous Ways of the True Tzadikim
The Sefer
Chasidim writes (article 165): And why does the Holy One blessed He love the
forefathers, because the entire day and the entire night, their hearts didn’t
veer from contemplating the desires/objectives of Heaven, as it says (Proverbs
23), “just with the fear of Hashem the entire day,” etc. because the entire
twenty four hours [in one order] they were not distracted from the
desires/objectives of Heaven, even in a dream etc., see there.
Similarly, in
the Iggeress Hakodesh – attributed by some to the Ramban, it says, how the forefathers’
minds were bound to the supernal light without even a moment of interruption,
see there[6].
Uniting the Two Approaches
Faith is simple,
it is above all intellect and sophistry. However, there are many levels of
faith, and between these layers, depending on the level, there are tremendous systems.
HY is One, yet He created the vast universe and its workings, and man is a microcosm
of it all. Everything has a purpose and function, and everything is delivering messages
from HY every second, according to the exact time and place. Everything is
proclaiming the glory of HY, but it is now sunken. The glory is raised when even
the estranged and alienated, even the idolaters come to recognition and acknowledgment
of the greatness of HY. However, it is impossible to reach out to them, except by
means of the Torah. When the glory is restored, there is awe of HY, which is
completion. With completion there is a personal peace – in one’s microcosm.
From there one can pray for and bring peace to the entire world. This is a very
succinct incomplete summary of the secret of Chanuka revealed in Likutay
Moharan 14.
A person can
not just bind their mind to HY at all times. Each second has a different property
and import, and there will be different challenges throughout the different
times and phases of life. In order to master all these challenges people
engaged in hisbodidus and hisboninus, secluding themselves in training how to
always be connected meaningfully to HY.[7] When a
person reaches higher levels, when their soul already encompasses many, their
connection to HY is going to be on a much higher scale, especially as they
reach perfection. This is what Rabbi Nachman wrote in Likutay Moharan that the
true tzadikim ran after the wayward to return them in repentance, in order to
gain perfection of their own daas. Daas is reality of knowledge of HY – real
time connection. In any given second or place, they might need that persons
point for their connection to HY. The tzadikim outreach was based on their own
mastery of faith and true Divine knowledge, which is live and working intellect
of the Divine which runs the entire world. With this knowledge settled in their
hearts they proceeded to spread the true faith to the masses. However those who
didn’t master the Divine knowledge, even if they were privy to huge amounts of
Divine secrets, but didn’t merit to have mastered it in its live working order,
couldn’t develop it further to students or the masses.[8]
[1]
The Ramchal in Derech Aitz Chaim wrote:
“Being that the Holy One Blessed He desired that man
should be the possessor of yetzer (-inclination), that he could equally be won
or victorious, there [He] put in them (the) knowledge, just (that it is) sealed
like a coal, and so that it can spread out like a flame, and the becheeruh
(-choice) is in the hands of the man. And our Sages o.b.m. said (Bava Basra
78b): “‘Therefore the rulers say come (plural) to Cheshboan (name of a
city)/accounting (Numbers 21:27),’ ‘The rulers’, these are the rulers over
their yetzer (-inclination), ‘Come to Cheshboan/accounting’ come and let us
reckon the reckoning of the world!” Because someone who does not rule over his
yetzer (-inclination), will never set himself to this, however, those who rule
over their yetzer, they will do this matter, and they will teach it to others
to do it. Behold, a man is destined to reckon the accounting of his business,
the business of temporal life, so why would he not put his heart, even for one
hour, also for this, to reckon a reckoning of substance: What is he? And why
did he come to the world? Or, what does the King of the kings of kings, the Holy
One Blessed He, ask of him? And what will be the end of all his matters? This
is the greatest and strongest antidote that one can issue against the yetzer
(-inclination), and it is easy, and its enterprise is great, and its fruit
(-effects) abundant, that a man should hold up every day for at least one hour,
free of all other thoughts, to contemplate just upon this matter which I said.
And he should ask in his heart, “What did the early ones, the forefathers of
the world, do, that Hashem so desired them?[1]
What did Moshe Rabbainu (-Moses) r.i.p. do? What did David the
Messiah/anointed/chosen of Hashem do? And all the greats who were before us?”
And one should raise (the idea) in his mind, how good it would be for a man to
do so all the days of his life as well, and it will be good for him!
“Then he should channel his thoughts to know, in what
condition he is to be found and standing, in accordance to the coveted way
which these men of historical repute traversed, or not? Or if the power of the
yetzer (-inclination) is too much for him, and he can’t contend with one
stronger than him?
It is for this the holy Rabbi Shimon son of Yochai was
solicitous and screamed like a crane, in his Tikunim (-rectifications – Tikunay
Zohar), the tenth Tikun, and this is a quotation: “Veye <woe> upon the
people whom the Holy One Blessed He is incarcerated with them in exile, ‘And he
(Moses) turned this way and that, and he saw that there was no man (Exodus
2:2)’, just (each) person turned to his way, in their occupation, in their
ways.”
[2]
According to Rashi’s rendering of the verse presented here, the Torah actually
states the cause of Hashem’s ‘knowing’ Avrohom. However, there are other
interpretations which don’t retain an actual statement of cause, nevertheless
in the context, Hashem is clearly quantifying why He favors Avrohom and will
not keep him in the dark.
[3]
Even still, in Likutay Moharan 142 Rabbainu says that Avrohom had no one to
learn from, see there.
[4]
Rabbi Shimon’s teacher was Rabbi Akiva, of whom the Talmud in Menuchos says the
highest praises. [Rabbi Akiva said to Rabbi Shimon (Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 1:2), “It
is sufficient for you, that I and your Creator recognize your power.”] Rabbi
Akiva was a disciple of Rabbi Eliezer who said (Sanhedrin 68a), “A lot of Torah
I learned, and/but I didn’t deplete from my teachers even as much as a dog laps
from the ocean; a lot of Torah I taught – and/but my students didn’t deplete
from me, just as much as a brush in a tube.” Rabbi Eliezer was a disciple of
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai (-and both only said over what they received from
their masters – Succa 28a). Rabbi Yochanan be Zakai was the smallest student of
Hillel Hazukain (Bava Basra 134a). So how is it that Rabbi Shimon, who is a student
of a student in a chain of diminishing prowess, is considered the most prominent.
[5]
This seemingly disputes the aforementioned teaching of the Arizal, that there
is a play off between the two goals. It would seem to me that in the quest for
spiritual heights, there are ways of reaching very high levels like Chanoch
did, even surpassing Moshe Rabbainu, however it is lacking breadth. The souls
of Israel are much much higher than angels, and in order to properly build the holy
soul one needs the breadth – which predominantly is a question of mastery over
bechira (free choice), and the soul can emulate the perfect knowledge minus
five points as explained in Likutay Moharan, and therefore the tzadikim, who
chose with their bechira to sacrifice their own spiritual attainments for the
sake of humanity, they are busy gathering all these points which add to the breadth
of their soul. In the short-term Chanoch jumped ahead, but ultimately the prominence
rests with all of Israel, with the tzadikim at the head. [Also see Likutay Moharan
2:2:5 that even the mitzvos of the weekdays are an aspect of sadness, because they
are under the jurisdiction of Mata”t, the aspect of slave, but Sabbos is the
aspect of son – ‘ben’, see there. Chanoch is Mata”t, and the Yicheeda is known
as Ben Choarin].
Perhaps this is what Rashi
says that Chanoch was taken before his time, because he was easily prone to
falling to sin. This is astounding for someone who attained almost the highest spiritual
height, that of Chaya. Perhaps, in order for his to ascend to the very highest
level of Messiah, the level of Yicheeda, he would already have to intermingle
with the people, and for that he never was prepared.
[6]
Brought down in Shaaray Kedusha of Rabbi Chaim Vital 4:2:13. “And understand
from it a great secret in the matter of ‘The G-d of Avrohom, G-d of Yitzchok,
and G-d of Yaakov’ etc., and also when they were engaged in eating and drinking
and conjugation, and the other bodily functions, our Sages obm asked, and said
as well, ‘what will be of the Torah (Kedushin 66. i.e. when will they have time
to study), and the answer was, that also in all the bodily engagements, all
their intentions were for the sake of Heaven (- the Talmud resolves in the end,
that since they were chasidim, their Torah was preserved), and their thoughts
did not detach from the supernal light even for a single second, and from [the
midst of] this Yaakov merited to beget twelve tribes, for all of them were
perfect tzadikim, without a twist or intransigence, and they were all worthy of
being in the image of the order of the world, the bearers of the vessels of
Hashem, because his thoughts didn’t detach from the supernal bond, even at the time
of coupling and conjugating, and understand this well, and therefore King Shlomo
obm said in his succinct parables, ‘in all your ways know him’ etc..”
[7]
The booklet Ikray Emuna explains the hisbodidus the Bal Shem Tov do achieve
this constant state of awareness, communication, and unity with HY. The
Rishonim, especially cited in Shaaray Kedusha of Rabbi Chaim Vital (-in the
fourth gate which was only published many years after the original work for fear
of divulging secrets) stipulate that before one can embark on such a goal, they
first must reach a state of hishtaavus – equanimity, being equal and impartial
to anything meted out to him, the Chovas Halevuvos speaks of being urinated on
RL, and not be fazed at all, everything being equal to him, be it being blessed
or cursed. This is achieved with complete faith in HY, that everything is from
Him, in exactitude. From this level one can proceed to practice the
aforementioned hisbodidus [-today the term hisbodidus is used much looser to
include any devotion of seclusion with HY].
[8]
Many years ago when I was first grappling with the explanation of the Ramchal,
I formulated a crude parable, we hear about famous professors of physics, who
despite being geniuses and so forth, are unable to fix their own car engine. Whereas
we hear of kids who have dropped out of school and are extremely proficient in
putting together or fixing a car engine, and in no time at all they have it
revving and roaring. So maybe in some sense that is what the Ramchal is saying
about Rabbi Shimon’s prominence, that he knew how to put everything together so
that it was all very much alive and working – a huge profound difference. This
is in fact the secret of all the Kaballa, to know how it all comes together in
the Image of Man – In the Image of G-d. Unlike the parable, with Rabbi Shimon’s
attainment he would automatically merit to everything else.
Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman
