Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 12

12 - When a Person Goes After His Intellect and Wisdom

When a person goes after his intellect and wisdom, one can fall into errors and many stumbling blocks and come to grave spiritual harm, G-d forbid. And there are those who spoiled much, such as the very great wicked ones who are famous, who misled the world, and all was through their wisdom and intellect.

And the main thing of Judaism is only to go in simplicity and innocence, without any wisdoms at all. And to ensure that in every action, Hashem, blessed be He, is present. And not to pay attention at all to one’s own honor, only if there is in this the glory of Hashem, blessed be He, one should do it, and if not, not. And then certainly one will not stumble forever.

And even if one falls, G-d forbid, into doubts, and the fall is exceedingly great, Heaven save us, that one falls into doubts and thoughts, and ponders after Hashem, blessed be He, even so the fall and the descent is the ultimate of the ascent. For know, that the root of all creation is the glory, for all that the Holy One, blessed be He, created, He created only for His glory, as it is written: "Everyone that is called by My name, and for My glory I have created it," etc. [Isaiah 43:7; Yoma 38a]. And since all was created for His glory, blessed be He, it is found that His glory, blessed be He, is the root of all creation.

And even though all is one, nevertheless in creation there are parts, and in every part and part of creation there is in it the aspect of particular glory, which is its root as above. And this is the aspect of (Avot chapter 5): With ten utterances the world was created, but could it not have been created with one utterance? But for the sake of reward and punishment it was created with ten utterances. And in every utterance and utterance there is in it the aspect of particular glory, which is its root, for the glory is the root of all as above.

And this is the aspect of: "And in His temple all say glory" [Psalms 29:9], that in every utterance clothed in it is His glory, blessed be He, through which the world was created, for the whole earth is full of His glory [Isaiah 6:3]. And even in transgressions, where His glory is absent, G-d forbid, the aspect of: "And My glory I will not give to another" [Isaiah 42:8], that there is a boundary to the glory that shall not spread to there. And even though the whole earth is full of His glory, nevertheless there is a boundary when it reaches the aforementioned places, that it shall not go out there, the aspect of: and My glory I will not give to another as above.

And there is a boundary to every glory and glory, that is clothed in every utterance and utterance from the ten utterances as above, that it shall not spread to the external places as above. But know, that even so certainly they also receive the vitality from Him, blessed be He. And even the defiled places or houses of idolatry need also to receive the vitality from Him, blessed be He. But know, that they receive from the aspect of closed utterance, which is Bereishit closed utterance (see Etz Chaim, Shaar Shabbat s.v. mem stumah, ma’amar satum [hidden divine creative force]), which includes all the utterances, and all receive the vitality from it. And the glory of the closed utterance is closed and hidden in the ultimate concealment. And from there they receive the vitality, for from the aspect of the glory and the revealed utterances it is impossible for them to receive the vitality from there, the aspect of: and My glory I will not give to another as above. Only from the closed utterance which is hidden in the ultimate concealment, from there they receive the vitality. And this thing is impossible to understand, and it is forbidden to ponder this at all.

And therefore when a person falls, G-d forbid, to the aspect of these places, that is, to the aspect of defiled places, and falls into doubts and thoughts and great confusions, and then begins to look at oneself, and sees that one is very distant from His glory, blessed be He, and asks and seeks: Where is the place of His glory? Since one sees in oneself that one is distant from His glory, blessed be He, since one fell to such places, Heaven save us. And this itself is one’s rectification and ascent, the aspect of descent is the ultimate of ascent, which is brought in books. For "Where is the place of His glory" this is the aspect of the supernal glory of the supernal utterance, that is, the closed utterance Bereishit as above, from which the vitality is drawn to these places. "Where is the place of His glory" in this itself one returns and ascends to the supernal glory which is the aspect of ayeh (where), from the greatness of its concealment and hiding He enlivens these places. And now, through that one fell there and then seeks where is the place of His glory, and in this itself returns and attaches oneself to there, and enlivens one’s fall and ascends in the ultimate of ascent.

And this is the aspect of burnt offering sacrifice that atones for the thought of the heart (Midrash Rabbah, Vayikra, parasha 7), as it is written: "and that which comes up upon your spirit" that the ascent atones for the thought (Psalms 38:19). "My heart whirls about" [Psalms 38:11], for there is a husk that bends and turns the heart in curvatures and turnings and many confusions, and it is the aspect of the husk of nogah [mixture of good and evil], and therefore it is called sechar char, translation of around: around around, the aspect of: "and its brightness around" [Ezekiel 1:27] (see in Likutay Moharan I, Torah 19). And therefore it is written in the language of translation.

And when a person falls to there, that is the aspect of defiled places, and then seeks and cries out where is the place of His glory, and this itself is one’s rectification, for one returns and comes back to the supernal glory, that is the aspect of ayeh as above (Genesis 22:7). "And where is the lamb for the offering" ayeh is the aspect of lamb for offering to rectify and to atone the thought of the heart that comes from defiled places as above. Ayeh is rectified and ascends from there as above.

And this is the aspect of what is brought at the end of Tikunim (Tikun Tinyana, p. 1a) Bereishit bara teish, that is, the lamb for the offering, that is made by the aspect of ayeh, which is the aspect of Bereishit closed utterance as above.

And this is the aspect of repentance, for this is the main repentance when a person seeks and searches after His glory, blessed be He, and sees in oneself that one is distant from His glory, blessed be He, and yearns and asks and grieves where is the place of His glory, and this itself is one’s repentance and rectification as above. And understand well. And there is in this still many things.

For when a person goes on the way or when goes on the ways in spirituality, then the Torah goes before him, the aspect of: "In your walking it will lead you" [Proverbs 6:22]. For there is in this several aspects, for each according to his Torah, and before each Torah there is aspects of doubts the aforementioned, such as in innovations of Torah before one innovates there are many doubts and confusions before one clarifies and whitens the thing properly. And these doubts are aspect of tree of knowledge good and evil which is aspect of nogah [mixture of good and evil]. And when one arrives to the Torah in itself this aspect of tree of life and belongs to above.

And this is the aspect of: if a man says to you where is your G-d say to him in the great city of Rome (Yerushalmi Taanit chapter 1), that also there that full of idols and idolatry also there He, blessed be He, is hidden as above.

And the general when falls to there G-d forbid then when begins to seek where is the place of His glory in this enlivens himself from vitality of holiness for vitality of husks is only from the concealment what Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden there in ultimate concealment until not know from Him, blessed be He, at all. But immediately when seeks where is the place of His glory it is found that knows on all faces that there is G-d, blessed be He, only that He is hidden and concealed and therefore seeks where is the place of His glory. And in this itself enlivens himself in place of his fall for ayeh is aspect of closed utterance that they receive vitality from there only vitality of husks is from the concealment. But he enlivens himself in aspect of vitality of holiness in place of his fall through the request and the search that searches where is the place of His glory as above.

And after all merits to ascend from there completely to the holiness itself that is in place of revelation of His glory, blessed be He [This Torah, and also discourse that begins these who glorify themselves etc. and all that is said on the way etc. such as hardened etc. the all one for all these discourses connected this in this and they hinted and hidden in words of our Rabbis of blessed memory (Shabbat 77b) in the wondrous Aggadah what Rabbi Zeira asked Rabbi Yehuda as was in cheerfulness of mind [bedicha da’ateih] and if wants from him all spaces of the world etc. and asked him several questions and they wondrous exalted very much such as what reason ox long horns etc. what reason chicken lifts eye etc. and all the questions said there all they wondrous great very and there hinted and hidden all the above and what brought above in matter joy and cheerfulness of mind [bedicha da’ateih] belongs also to this, and hinted also in the Aggadah the above that said there in time that was in cheerfulness of mind [bedicha da’ateih] also what brought in this discourse on verse and where the lamb for ascent hinted in the Aggadah the above that said there if wants from him all spaces of the world this secret aspect of empty space that is as if empty from His divinity blessed be He and in truth certainly impossible that not be there also Hashem blessed be He for if so from where receive vitality but this aspect of the above that receives vitality from aspect closed utterance aspect Bereishit etc. also what brought below in matter fear fear Shabbat belongs also to here for every fear has utterance etc. and there utterance includes all etc. as above also what brought below in matter providence belongs also to this on Aggadah the above. what reason chicken lifts eye and not merited to hear explanation all this].