Israel and Divine Providence

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Adapted from Likutei Moharan II, 8, sections 1and 10
Translated by David Sears

When the world is renewed in time to come, everything will be conducted in a miraculous manner - that is, through Divine providence alone, which transcends nature.

For the renewal of the world will come forth from the holiness of the Land of Israel. The main quality of the Land of Israel is that it reflects the paradigm of: "The power of His deeds He recounted to His people…" (Psalms 111:6). Rashi cites this verse in his commentary on the first verse in Genesis, "In the beginning, God created heaven and earth…" The Midrash states that the nations of the world are destined to accuse the Jewish people of being robbers for reclaiming the land occupied by the seven nations of Canaan. To this, the Jewish people are instructed to respond: "All the world belongs to God. He created it, and gave it to whomever He chose. Of His own will, He gave the land to them, and of His own will, He took it away from them and gave it to us." Thus, the Land of Israel reveals "the power of His deeds," for it makes known that God created the world.

In the future, God will renew the entire world. Then it will be revealed that God created everything, and all the world will be renewed through the holiness of the Land of Israel.

Of the Land of Israel, the verse states: "Constantly the eyes of the Lord, your God, are upon it, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year" (Deuteronomy 11:12). This is the source of its holiness.

In the future, when God renews the entire world, everything will be governed by Divine providence alone, just as in the Land of Israel. The illusion of nature as an autonomous entity will be nullified; the world will operate according to Divine providence, through wonders that transcend nature.

Then a new song will be awakened. As the verse proclaims: "Sing unto God a new song, for He has performed wonders…" (Psalms 98:1). This is the song of the future world, the song of Divine providence - the paradigm of the miraculous. For then the world will be governed through Divine providence and wonders.

It is written: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament bespeaks His handiwork" (ibid. 19:2). This is a song of nature, a song of the heavenly bodies in their constellations and orbits. This is the song of the present state of reality, in which God guides His world through the order of nature.

However, in the future a new song of wonders will be awakened, a song of Divine providence alone. This new song will be a fourfold song: simple, doubled, tripled, and quadrupled. This corresponds to the successive revelation of the essential Divine Name Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey: the simple song is Yud, the doubled song is Yud-Hey, the tripled song is Yud-Hey-Vav, and the quadrupled song is Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey. Through this, the four worlds of Emanation, Creation, Formation, and Action attain unification and harmony.

Altogether, this combination of holy letters bears the gematria (numerical value) of 72, corresponding to the gematria of chesed (kindness). For this song is bound up with the fulfillment of the Divine promise: "The world will be renewed with kindness (chesed)" (ibid. 89:3). Thus, it will be played on an instrument of 72 strings.

This song is the sound of the shofar (ram's horn) on Rosh Hashana. It is the sound that awakens the soul from its sleep. It is the voice of the tzaddik, who knows how to give holy reproof without poisoning the spiritual fragrance of those to whom he speaks. It is the pristine river that waters the Garden of Eden and splits into four tributaries. It is the song of the Divine Oneness from which everything comes forth, and to which everything returns.

© 2001 The Breslov Center