The Desirous Ways of the True Tzadikim

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]  

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[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