Emes VaTzeddek (Volume One of Otzar
HaYirah)
Chapter: Bittul El Ohr Ein Sof
(“Self-Nullification
Within the Infinite Light”)
excerpted from Rabbi Noson Sternhartz’s Likutei Halachos
by his disciple, Rav Nachman Goldstein of Tcherin
Nothing But God
Anyone can experience the Infinite Light, at
least for a limited time. Just close your eyes and meditate on the fact that
nothing exists but God, until you forget yourself completely. Then
automatically all your sufferings will cease.
Wherever You Stand
King David declares: “Even when I shall walk in
the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for You are with me”
(Psalms 23:4). According to the Ari z”l, even in the lowest levels of
the World of Action (Asiyah), an emanation of the Infinite Light is present, concealed in the many “garments” of materiality. Thus, one who wishes to cleave
to God may do so anywhere, in all circumstances without exception. All that is
necessary is a strong resolve.
Just Close Your Eyes
When spiritual darkness and harsh judgments
threaten to overwhelm you, whether concerning matters of Divine service or
everyday life, the best advice is simply to close your eyes and nullify
yourself, realizing that the Ultimate Reality is absolute Oneness and absolute
goodness, beyond all dualism. Then all your sufferings will depart.
Everything Depends on You
When the soul comes to perceive the Infinite
Light in a manner of “reaching, but not reaching,” all the worlds, above and
below, attain their ultimate unification.
All of My Goodness
Through self-nullification in the light of
the Infinite One, the soul transcends the realm of the Sefiros, transcends all
Divine Names; as the Sefer Yetzira asks, “In the presence of Oneness,
what can you count?” However, it is impossible to remain in this state of self-nullification
for long without expiring altogether. Therefore, one must return to the
mundane, in a manner of “the Living Angels advanced and retreated” (Ezekiel
1:14).
Then one receives new life-force from the
“afterglow” (reshimu) of the Divine Light - and in so doing, elicits a manifestation of the
Thirteen Divine Attributes of Mercy through which all harsh judgments are
tempered.
It is this afterglow of the Divine Light to which the Torah refers in
describing the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy to Moshe
Rabbeinu; as the verse states, “I will cause all of My Goodness to pass by your
face...” (Exodus 33:19). This is the radiance that shines upon the face of
whoever experiences the Divine Light, when he returns from the state of self-nullification.
These Thirteen Attributes of Mercy also
correspond to the Thirteen Principles by which the Torah is expounded – for the
entire Torah proceeds from this residue of light. This is called “all of My
goodness,” because through this illumination one comes to know that everything
is One, and everything is good.
Gazing Above
When God decreed destruction upon the world at the time of the biblical flood, He told Noah to build an ark, instructing him:
“Make a window for the ark, and to a cubit finish it from above” (Genesis
6:16). By entering the ark, Noah desisted from gazing upon the temporal world
and raised his eyes above, toward the ultimate spiritual goal. Similarly during
the battle with Amalek, whenever Moshe’s hands were raised, Israel looked
heavenward and prevailed. For the main victory over all harsh judgments,
sufferings, and confusions is accomplished by gazing beyond the world’s
limitations and nullifying oneself to the Ultimate Reality.
The Early Chasidim
“The Early Chasidim (members of an ancient
pietistic sect) used to meditate for one hour before praying and one hour
afterward” (Berachos 32b). They meditated one hour before praying in
order to direct their minds and hearts toward God, that they might enter into
the encompassing Divine Oneness. For this is the perfection of prayer. They
meditated one hour after praying in order to draw forth an afterglow of the
Divine Light, causing it to permeate their minds and hearts. From this residue
of spiritual illumination, their Torah insights were formed, and they gained
the vessels to receive Divine beneficence and blessings. Thus, our sages added,
“Since they were Chasidim, their Torah was preserved, and their labors were
blessed” (ibid.).
God Is One
The entire reason for the creation of humankind
is “in order to know God” (Zohar II, 42b). This knowledge is a
consequence of the experience of self-nullification within the Infinite
Light, and the subsequent return to mundane consciousness. The afterglow of
Divine Light enables the mind to grasp that God is both transcendent and
immanent – “Hashem is Elokim” -- that everything is One,
and everything is good. This is the root of the entire Torah. And the main
purpose of the Torah and its commandments is to sanctify the physical, so that
it, too, may become a vessel to receive this residue of Divine Light.
When the body is spiritually damaged by any
transgression, one cannot properly attain this state of transcendence. Even
when one does reach such a state, the experience lasts only briefly; due to the
body’s spiritual deficiency, it cannot receive the afterglow. Following these
peak experiences, one still tends to forget about God. Therefore, in order to
sanctify the body that it may receive the Divine radiance, God gave us the
Torah’s commandments. Through studying and performing them, the light can be
bound to us firmly, and we can remember God. at all times.
To be sure, this itself presents a formidable
difficulty. In truth, only the great tzaddikim
who have sanctified themselves completely can fully attain these lofty
spiritual perceptions. Closing their eyes completely to the illusory
attractions of this world, they purified and removed themselves from all
physical desires, even permissible desires, to the utmost degree. Nevertheless,
the Merciful One gave all Israel the Torah through Moshe, the “Master of All
Prophets.” By virtue of our intrinsic spiritual connection to Moshe Rabbeinu,
we, too, can remember God by fulfilling the Torah’s precepts and purifying our
bodies, at least sufficiently to experience some degree of illumination from
the afterglow of Divine Light.
Self-Nullification
Self-nullification is attained by removing
your awareness of physical sensation altogether, even such involuntary
sensations as eyes movements, until your body is perfectly at rest. Your eyes
are still, your lips are still, your limbs don’t move, all physical sensations
cease; for the body has become nullified completely to the Infinite Light, to
the Ultimate Reality that is absolute Oneness, absolute goodness.
However, after returning to ordinary
consciousness, you must bind the afterglow of Divine Light to your heart and
soul, as well as to all your physical senses; for through them you may become
attached once more to the things of this world, and forget the holiness of
transcendence. Even your wealth and material possessions must be permeated with
this residue of Divine Light, for they are the bearers of your material
desires -- until you have nullified everything in your love of God.
This corresponds to the prayer: "Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad...
Hear O Israel, Hashem our God, Hashem is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
The “Shema” prayer is
the very paradigm of self-nullification and dissolution into the Divine
Oneness; for when reciting these words we should willingly offer up our lives
for the sanctification of God’s name. Thus, it is customary to close our eyes
while reciting the “Shema” prayer, in
order to remove our eyes from all worldly attachments. Then we recite the
passage: “And you shall love Hashem,
your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might...”
(ibid. 6:5-9), which our sages interpret to mean “your wealth” (Berachos 54a). For it is necessary to
nullify everything in your love of God.
Waters of Deliverance
The Prophet refers to God as the “Hope (mikveh) of Israel, its Deliverer in time
of trouble...” (Jeremiah 14:8). [The word mikveh
can also mean a ritual bath used for spiritual purification.] By immersing in
the waters of a mikveh, one receives
the afterglow of Divine Light that follows the experience of self-nullification.
For these are the “waters of deliverance” from all suffering and affliction
that cleanse us of all impurity.
Counting to One
The Tikkunei
Zohar states: “You are One,
but not one that can be counted...” (Hakdama).
Then it describes the Ten Sefiros and the parts of the human form to which they
correspond. That is, the encompassing Divine Oneness that cannot be counted is
grasped through self-nullification - then the afterglow of Divine Light that shines
into Creation is expressed through the Ten Sefiros.
Meditation and Prayer
When you find it impossible to nullify yourself
and focus your vision on the Ultimate Reality, this is due to spiritual
agitation produced by your worldly attachments. To overcome this, you must pray
to God and cry out to Him exceedingly. In truth, these two practices are
interdependent. For the perfection of prayer is attained through meditation and
self-nullification. And the ability to fix your attention on the Ultimate
Reality and nullify the ego depends upon the words of prayer. [Moreover, the
benefits of such gazing affect every area of your life and spiritual practice.]
For just as you gaze toward God, so does God watch over you from above. As our
sages say of the celebration of the festivals in Jerusalem: “Just as He comes
see you, so does He come to be seen by you” (Chagigah 4b).
Advance and Retreat
God created everything so through their Divine service
and their deveykus (cleaving) to God, Israel, the holy nation, would spiritually
elevate all of Creation. When this task is complete, everything will return to
its original Source and become reincorporated within the Infinite One.
However, as long as the world exists, this deveykus
must be in a manner of "advance and retreat." God wants the world to
endure, so that we may serve Him through the mundane. Indeed, this is God's
entire pleasure and delight.
Labor Pains
Sometimes a person's former wisdom and spiritual
perception seems to elude him. Then it is good to cry out to God in a loud
voice, both during prayer and Torah study. Through this, one gives birth to
higher intellect.
All essays and translations by
David Sears © 2001 The Breslov Center.