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6
The Emptiness of Temptation
The evil inclination <yaitzehr huhruh,
usually spelled: yetzer hura> resembles someone who goes and runs amongst
people with a closed fist, and no one knows what is inside it. And he deceives
people, and asks each one: “What am I holding?” And to each one it seems as If
he is holding what he (-that person) desires. And therefore everyone runs after
him, because each one thinks that he (-the yetzer hura) has in his hand what he
(-each person) desires. And afterwards he (-the yetzer hura) opens his hand and
it has nothing in it.[1]
Similarly mamash (-exactly) [is] the evil inclination in that he deceives the
entire world, and everyone runs after him, and he deceives each and everyone,
so that it seems to each and everyone as if he (-the yetzer hura) has in his
hand what he (-each one) desires, each one according to his folly and his
desire, and afterwards in the end he (-the yetzer hura) opens his hand, and
there is nothing in it, because there is no one who fills their desire by him.
All the desires of the world are also
similar to beams of light that enter the house from the light of the sun,
ostensibly they appear to be shafts due to the shining of the sun. And it is they
want to grasp those beams of light, so they grasp and grab but there is nothing
in the hand[2],
so too are all the desires of this world.[3]
7
Cajole Your Father In Heaven – Keep Cool and Collected
[These words were said after Shavuos 569
(1809)[4]]
It is very good
for someone who is able, to pour out his words before Hashem Yisburach
piteously and pleadingly, like a son who yearns before his father, for behold
Hashem Yisburach already called us sons, as it is written (Deuteronomy
14:1), “You are sons to Hashem your G-d.” Therefore it is very good to
express one's words and troubles before Him Blessed He like a son who complains
before his father with cute and endearing motions which are called “piyestin”-
(playing, cooing), and even if it seems to someone that in accordance to his
conduct he is not like a son before Him Blessed He, even still, behold Hashem
Yisburach called us sons, as mentioned above, (because (Kedushin 36a), either way (-whether or
not Israel act befittingly) they are
called (by
You) sons[5]), and if now He banishes me Heaven forbid
from the aspect of a son, He shall do what is good in His eyes, (but) it is on me to do my part, to make myself as a son,[6] as
mentioned above. And how good it is when one can arouse his heart with entreaties
until he cries and sheds tears[7] like
a son before his father.[8]
And I heard a story about my grandfather
Rabbi Nachman[9]
o.b.m., when he was on a boat. One time they didn’t have bread, and they didn’t
eat for a few days, until they arrived at some city, and there weren’t any Jews
there, just Arabs. And one Arab took the aforementioned Rabbi Nachman and gave
him to eat, and he had already not eaten many days, and he washed his hands and
made the blessing of “hamoatzee (produces bread from the earth).” And before he
began to eat, a thought came to him: “Do not (partake the) bread of the bread
of the stingy (“evil eyed”) (Proverbs 23:7),” “And our thoughts are not vain
whatsoever,” (so said Rabbi Nachman my aforementioned grandfather when he
related this story), “and I did not know what to do, because I had already made
the blessing of “hamoatzee,” but even still my mind was set to abstain
altogether from eating because of this thought.” Afterwards a thought came to
him: “And the ravens I have commanded to provide for you (Kings 1:17:4. Hashem
sent Elijah the Prophet food via ravens, known for their greed and cruelty),”
and then he ate[10].
(And Rabbainu o.b.m. said, when he was relating this: “And this is deserving
and very favorable in my eyes that which he set it based on his thought, that evidently
if it came to his mind that it was so, certainly it is truly so[11]).
Similarly regarding all the thoughts that
come to a person to confuse him, afterwards Hashem Yisburach helps him and
sends him a different thought of drawing close. Like the matter mentioned above,
that sometimes it seems to a person that he isn’t worthy of being like a son
before Him blessed He and so forth, even still, it is incumbent on him to do
his (part) as mentioned above, and afterwards Hashem Yisburach will help him,
and send him thoughts of drawing close. Because in reality all of Israel, they
are all called sons by Him blessed He, and therefore it is appropriate for us
to express our words and our distress before Him blessed He as a son who
complains before his father.
8
When learning matters of calamity, like
when learning the laws of mourning and so forth, one shouldn’t study there a
lot, because there is no need (-it should be avoided) to delve one’s thought in
these places, because thought has great power, as is explained elsewhere[12], and
therefore it is necessary to pass quickly through these places.
9
In the name of the Baal Shem Tov o.b.m.,
that a knife is not given as a present, that is, that one should not give his
friend a knife as a present.
[1] See also the Story of the Pump
(published after the 13 Stories of Ancient Times).
[2]
See Yichud Ha-Yeeruh of the
Ramchal (pg. 313) that the physicality of this world can be likened to a room
whose window is a prism, the sun light strikes it and makes all types of colors
in the room, and those in the room can only imagine that the sunlight is like
that etc. see there.
[3]
See also Likutay Moharan 72,
that just like today thoughts of idolatry have no substance and are just folly,
so too the (physical) beauty and allure of women in reality is just emptiness
and folly, see there.
Also, with regard to food, see Likutay Moharan
19, how one can merit to taste and draw sustenance only from the holy letters
which are the essence of the food.
See also the Stories of Rabbi Nachman, the
Story of the Seven Beggars each beggar negated a different sense or paradigm of
this world. The first one, the Blind Beggar didn’t look at this world at all.
The second one, the Deaf Beggar didn’t hear the voices of this world at all, and
so forth.
Also, it should be noted that according to
science, if the world’s actual matter would be condensed together, without all
the spaces between the atoms, it would be the size of a ball (and so we find in
the holy words of our Sages that HY condensed the entire land of Israel and
placed it under Jacob). So even according to science most of the world we live
in is nothingness.
[4] The Life of Our Leader Rabbi Nachman
59.
[5] This is the position of Rabbi Meir (and he brings a
verse from Jeremiah 4:22),
and the Rashb”a in responsa 194 and 242 says that this is the halacha.
[6]
See a similar point in article
69, that even if a person feels that Hashem is rejecting him, he must persevere
and vanquish Hashem so to speak, see there.
[7]
In Likutay Moharan II,
Torah-teaching 95, Rabbainu says that thinking about trying to cry is a
distraction, rather one should concentrate fully on words of the prayer, and
the crying will come naturally, and if it doesn’t that’s also okay.
[8] This paragraph is brought in
Outpouring of the Soul, article 17, with similar teachings, see there.
[9]
As previously noted in the end
of article 4, Rabbi Nachman of Hordenka was a leading disciple of the Baal Shem
Tov, his son Simcha married Faygeh the daughter of Adel the daughter of the
Baal Shem Tov, and these were the parents of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Thus,
Rabbainu’s mother was a granddaughter of the Baal Shem Tov, and his father was
the son of Rabbi Nachman of Hordenka. Rabbi Nachman of Hordenka visited the
Holy Land for the third time in 524 (1764) and passed away there a year later,
and he is buried in the old cemetery of Tiberias with other great Chasidic
leaders. Rabbainu revealed that one of the reasons for his trip to Israel was
to arrange a new way of communicating with his grandfather (The Life of Our
Leader Rabbi Nachman 133).
When
Rabbainu made his pilgrimage to the Holy Land he was by his grandfather’s holy
tomb. Rabbi
[10]
See article 269 about not
being confused from thought to thought what to do, and in article 2 the advice
to give oneself over to HY so that everything one does should be as He desires.
Thus a true Tzadik is riding the desires of the narrative HY scripts to him in his
thoughts.
See also Koachvay Ohr, Miracles and Wonders Seen
By Rabbainu, article 40, someone asked Rabbainu for his approval to go do business
in a certain place which was at war, and Rabbainu’s way was not to be stubborn
and force any matter, but even still he wanted to restrain this fellow from
going, so Rabbainu told him, “take for yourself the affirmative and the
negative equally,” that it, it should be truly equal in his heart whether or
not to travel there, and afterwards he should say 5 chapters of Pslams, and
afterwards, whatever enters his mind, that is what he should do. So the fellow
did this, and afterwards came to Rabbainu and told him that it came to his mind:
yes. And Rabbainu was not pleased at all with this, because he knew clear as
day that in reality this fellow had not reached the equality in his heart
whether or not to go, as was instructed, because in reality because of his
desire for money he desired and wanted with all his soul to make the journey
etc. see there the full story.
Similarly in Likutay Halachos, Laws of Judges 3
(Brought down in Oatzar Ha-Yira, Din Torah 9), that a judge should look just
for the truth without any variation or leaning to any side G-d forbid, and both
sides should be truly equal in his eyes, and he should look for the real truth,
and then the light of HY which is the utter truth, will permeate him, and
thereby illuminate his eyes and he will merit to clarify the true justice.
It is brought down from the contemporary book
Shomer Emunim that when one has a thought and arousal to do something good,
even though afterwards he is plagued with all types of uncertainties and
seriously questions whether it is the proper course of action, he should stay
strong with the original thought. From the story of Rabbi Nachman of Hordenka
and from some of the citations above, this seems to be questionable advice from
beginning to end. First of all, only a Tzadik who lives with equality in his
heart, with his only true desire to do the true will of Hashem, only such a Tzadik
can rely on his thought. And after that Tzadik had such a thought and even
implemented it, he will easily shift and opt to fulfill another holy thought
that occurs to him. In his defense, he isn’t really talking about the first
thought, but the arousal, which is not in the same context.
As cited above, and from other references,
there is special significance to first thoughts, and even still it only applies
to people who have elevated thoughts, however, here we see that by the real
tzadikim every thought has critical significance.
[11]
See Likutay Moharan II
Torah-teaching 122, every thought has a full stature/structure, and II:53 the
awesome enormous power of a thought, and see Likutay Moharan 54 that every
thought, word, and action of a person are hints from HY how to draw close to
His service. Also see II:49 that for most people their thought is considered
action, because they exist and function only in the (lowest) world of action
(aseya). Also see the next article here (8) and the footnotes there.
[12] See Likutay Moharan 193, “know that
thought has great power, and if one strengthens and intensifies his thought on
any matter in the world, he can achieve that it should be so etc..” And see
also Likutay Moharan II 53, “The utter great preciousness of thought has become
known to me now, that thought is very, very precious, that from it is done
actually complete matters that endure all the days of the world’s existence etc..”
MORE:
WORDS OF RABBI NACHMAN &
#nanach #nanachnachmanachmanmayuman #translation #breslov #englishbreslov #wordsofrabbinachman #rabbinachman #thought #thoughts #present #knife #baalshemtov #rabbinachmanhordenka #breakbread #stingy #temptation #void #emptiness #evilinclination #yetzerhura
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