Nachal novea; makor chochma -
A flowing river; the source of wisdom (Mish. 18:4)
The difficulty in having to deal with the limitations and harshness of
this world and the struggle for self-discipline, not submitting to one's
evil urges, helps repair the damage done to the mind and body caused by
Adam's sin, just as applying friction to a soiled garment cleanses it.
The more disciplined and purified a man becomes by adhering to G-d's
ways, the clearer his mind becomes, allowing him to perceive and be more
connected to G-d (this is referred to as Tikun HaBris). Therefore. G-d
made man's life more difficult to give him the opportunity to repair the
damage caused by his sin.
The Jewish People inherited the awesome mission from Adam to rectify the
world. What Adam should have been, became the goal of all mankind. What
all of mankind should have been, was realized by Abraham, the first Jew,
and henceforth became the legacy for all Israel. The verse openly
teaches us this: "You [Israel] are [exclusively called] Adam." (Ezekiel
34:31). "The entire house of Israel is [and bears the title and mission
of] Adam." (Ezekiel 36:10). The Talmud comments on this verse: "You
[Israel] are called Adam, but the nations of the world are not called
Adam [and therefore do not have this awesome mission] (Talmud: Yevamos
61a).
Considering oneself as wicked or of little worth and saying that one's
soul is insignificant is not an act of humility. Such an attitude only
causes a person to think that since he is not so important, it doesn't
matter if he sins. Adam had this false humility and thought the same
way, which brought destruction to the world. Positive self-worth makes a
person realize how important he really is and that his acts do impact on
the entire universe.
Once the holy Ari was walking with his students past the great Yeshiva
of Rebbe Yochanan in Tiberias and pointed to a stone in the wall of the
Yeshiva and said: "This stone is a reincarnation of the soul of a Jew
and is crying out to me that I should pray for her [to rectify her], as
the verse says: 'For the stone will cry out from the wall.'" (Habakkuk
2:11).
Another time the Ari was walking with Rabbi Moshe Gilanti by the grave
of Rebbe Yehudah bar E'law'ee in Zefat to pray there. When they
approached the grave, a raven perched itself on an olive tree and made
a great ruckus. The Ari then turned to Rabbi Moshe and said that the
raven was the reincarnation of a tax collector well known in Zefat,
named Shapsee, who was a very cruel and evil person. The raven told the
Ari that, because of his cruelty toward the poor, taking even the last
drop of clothing and bedding from them, forcing them to pay their taxes
when they didn't have the money, he was punished to come back as a raven
and he now requested that the Ari pray for him. The Ari turned to the
raven and said: "Rasha! (wicked one) go on your way and I will pray for
you." As soon as he finished these words the raven flew away.
Once the Ari attended a wedding of a great young Torah Scholar. At
the wedding feast, the atmosphere was very joyous. However, the groom
suddenly swallowed a bone, which became lodged in this throat and he
choked, gasping for air. Within a few minutes he died before the eyes of
everyone. They were all shocked and began to cry hysterically,
especially the groom's relatives. The people then noticed that the
Ari was the only one in the room who sat calmly and didn't seem he
concerned. The people realized that the Ari knew something they didn't
and they asked him to tell them what he knew. The Ari explained as
follows: "This young man who just died has just rectified all the flaws
of all of his previous lives and it is no longer necessary for him to
ever come back down to this earth ever again, therefore I don't feel
badly about his death." (Stories of the Holy Ari)
[Ed Note: One should not make the assumption that the Jewish concept
of reincarnation is similar to eastern concepts. It is impossible to
know exactly what rectification is needed in one's life, so one still
needs to fight to return to G-d in every way possible, and with all
one's strength. Rabbi Nachman teaches: "G-d does not do the same
thing twice. Even when a soul is reborn, it is not completely the
same. The soul has a level of Nefesh and a level of Ruach, and the
two are never brought back in the same combination. A Nefesh may be
reincarnated, but always with a different Ruach. The complete soul
is not the same, for G-d does not do the same thing twice." (Sichos
HaRan 9)]
Aid me in expressing myself to You at all times. Help me tell You
everything that is in my heart. You know how many needs I have. My heart
is so troubled that I find it too much to express and explain everything
I need and want. Please take pity on my poor soul and help me talk to
You about everything I have in my heart. Put pure and pleasing words and
entreaties into my mouth, so that I will be able to arouse Your
compassion and bring You to accept my prayers with love.
Let my prayers rise up to the greatest heights. Give me the power to
arouse the Upper Eden through my prayers, so as to open up a flowing
channel of love, supreme wisdom and G-dly knowledge. Let the emerging
river flow down to water the Garden - the Torah - which is where our
souls are rooted. Let my soul grow and blossom. Let the pathways of the
intellect be truly open to me, and bring me to attain wisdom,
understanding and knowledge.
Help me devote myself to Your Torah in the proper way, and give me the
ability to clarify Torah law, so that in each case I will come to the
right decision. Help me study the law codes, and inspire me with the
necessary wisdom, understanding and knowledge so as to be able to"
clarify the final decision and distinguish between what is permitted and
what is forbidden,, what is pure and what is impure, what is valid and
what is invalid.
(Lekutai Tefilot 12, The Fiftieth Gate: Breslov Research Institute:
1201 Beach 9th Street, Far Rockaway, N.Y. 11691)
Volume 3, Issue 1
When G-d created the world he placed man in paradise called the Garden
of Eden. In the garden, man had a life of joy, free of pain and
suffering. His goals [to serve G-d] were simple and clear and little
effort was required to accomplish them. His intellect was even above
that of the angels. Man was able to clearly perceive and access G-d and
closeness to Him came with great ease. When Adam ate from the forbidden
fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, this all changed. Man's life became
filled with toil, suffering, and sorrow. Man lost the clarity of his
mind and purpose. His quality of life became greatly diminished and
worst of all, finding and connecting himself to G-d became extremely
difficult, such that he could even come to doubt G-d's existence.
Because Adam's mind had become polluted and damaged through his sin, his
outlook on reality and the true purpose of life became distorted and foggy
which caused him to degrade himself through corrupt behavior,
unbefitting a human being. That being the case, existence in paradise
with its boundless access to material ease would whet man's appetite for
and increase his capacity to do evil, impeding his growth and ability to
seek out G-d. Therefore, due to his diminished spiritual capacity and
clarity of mind and purpose, and to prevent him from harming himself
further, G-d expelled man from paradise, that, through the difficulties
which he would experience outside of paradise, the evil part of his
nature would be muzzled. The Talmud teaches: "Rabban Gamliel son of
Rebbe Yehuda HaNassi said: 'The toil of both Torah study combined with
an occupation causes sin to be forgotten [for devoting oneself to these
two things leaves little time left for sin]." (Talmud: Avoth 2:2).
Despite man's expulsion from paradise, his mission and goal on earth had
not changed, but his environment and circumstances, through which to
accomplish those goals, had. We know that man's mission had not changed,
for the verse defines man's mission before the sin: "And the L-rd, G-d
took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to work it
['work' at this point meant spiritual work - praying in order to
accomplish his goals] and keep it." (Genesis 2:15). When Adam was
expelled from the garden of Eden after his sin, the verse says:
"Therefore. the L-rd, G-d sent him [Adam] from the garden of Eden to
work the ground [meaning that he would have to physically work to
develop and improve his polluted physical body, which was derived from
the ground] from which he was taken." (Genesis 3:23). This tells us that
the goal of reaching the Tree of Life had not changed.
Only worthy people, who are able to merge themselves with G-d and His
ways in this world (of free-choice) are permitted access to the Tree of
Life, as a reward. [The Tree of Life is a spiritual apparatus by which
an individual becomes merged with G-d, deriving spiritual nourishment
from Him, showering that person with unbounded pleasure and true eternal
life]. Therefore, G-d placed angels "to guard the way to the Tree of
Life" allowing only worthy individuals to enter. Today, the Tree of
Life can orly be reached through studying and practicing the ways of
G-d, as enumerated in the Torah, as the verse says: "[The Torah] is a
Tree of Life to those who grasp on to her." (Proverbs 3:18). Obtaining
the rewards (which are the fruit from the Tree of Life) which come
through the toil of Torah study and practice is not easy. Man, by eating
from the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge became mentally
damaged and therefore lost the privilege of having a life of ease,
eating and enjoying the fruits from the Tree of Life. Therefore, G-d as
a corrective measure for man's sin (not as an act of revenge), placed
within man the evil inclination (which was external before the sin). The
evil inclination is actually an angel who tries to distract man from the
true goal of reaching the Tree of Life. The verse says: "He [G-d]
placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim [a type of angel]
and the flaming sword which revolves, to guard the way to the Tree of
Life" (Genesis 3:24). The angels that "guard the way to the Tree of
Life" refer to the evil inclination which utilizes "the flaming sword
which revolves", to keep unworthy people out. "The flaming sword which
revolves" is the constant turning of one's thoughts -- the confusion of
mind which occurs when trying to choose between following one's passion
for sin and forbidden pleasure or adhering to G-d's laws and wishes.
Those who violate G-d's wishes are unable to reach the Tree of Life and
enjoy it's fruit.
G-d, by withholding the rewards derived from merging oneself with the
Tree of Life (following G-d's ways) until the hereafter, prompts a
person to work hard in seeking Him out and rectifying the damage done to
the world as a result of Adam's sin. If man would receive his reward
without delay, he would lose his motivation to complete the mission or
tasks for which he was sent to earth. In addition, the doubts engendered
by not seeing the rewards of the hereafter until one has completed his
assigned tasks on earth causes man to serve G-d by virtue of his free
choice, which gives man's service its value such that it merits reward.
Man is better motivated to fulfill his assigned work in this world
through delayed reward, believing that he eventually will receive his
due, just as a worker does his job well, believing he will eventually
earn a raise; or as a carrot at the end of a stick motivates a horse to
pull the wagon, knowing that he will be fed when he arrives at his
destination.
Rabbi Nachman taught that another corrective measure employed by G-d to
undo the damage caused by Adam's sin is through utilizing the chamber
in Heaven known as Heichal Ha'T'muros "the chamber of exchanges"
(Zohar: Parshas Va'Yechi page 221). According to the Zohar, the
spiritual energies that come from this chamber are responsible for the
changes that occur in the world. The Heichal Ha'T'muros works much like
the agitator of a washing machine -- clothes which start out on top can
suddenly end up on the bottom, exchanging places with those which start
out on bottom. However, whereas in the case of the washing machine, it
makes very little difference in the cosmos which clothes are on top or
bottom, the Heichal Ha'T'muros exchanges the position of things that, in
G-d's Plan, really would otherwise belong on the top or on the bottom.
This explains why the Jews, who are G-d's chosen people, have been on
the bottom for the last two millennia while other nations have dominated
and controlled the world. King Solomon alluded to this concept as
follows: "I have seen slaves on horses [who have undeservedly risen to
the top] and princes walking like slaves upon the ground [who have
fallen to the bottom and really belong on top].' (Eccl. 10:7).
Repairing the massive damage to the entire universe caused by Adam's sin
is a humungous job, requiring centuries of gruelingly difficult work.
Furthermore, this task, to be accomplished required that the Jews be
scattered throughout the four corners of the world, to be involved in
and have contact with every known culture and society found on earth, so
they could reclaim the lost holy sparks that had fallen to these places.
G-d had informed Jacob of this: "And you [Jacob and all Israel] shall
spread [and dwell throughout the world] to the west, and to the east,
and to the north, and to the south ..." (Genesis 28:14). When any Jew,
even the biggest sinner, is sent to any place on earth (this is brought
about by G-d), he gathers the lost holy sparks (invisible units of
sparks of G-dliness which provide life and power to those who possess
them) that have become scattered as a result of Adam's sin, restoring
them to the side of holiness. When these lost sparks have been restored
to the side of holiness, they are used to build the upper spiritual
structure, which when completed, will empower the Messiah to bring the
final rectification to the world. When all the rectifications have been
completed, the Jews will be returned to their rightful place on top (not
to rule as dictators, but as guides to show the other nations how to
come close to G-d). The verse openly states this: "And kings [from the
other nations] shall be your [the Jews] nursing-fathers [and perform
other menial chores, which will be an honor for them, which is the
respect due to one's teacher -- for you will teach them about G-d], and
their princesses, your nursing mothers; with their faces toward the
earth, they shall bow to you, and the dust of your feet shall they lick
up; and You shall know that I am G-d, Who will not allow those who hope
in me to be ashamed." (Isaiah 49:23) Since the major responsibility for
rectifying the world was placed upon Israel by G-d Himself, they have
had to be sent out to experience every possible situation. (both from
the top and from the bottom of) society, place, and culture. This is why
we find that Jews are sometimes placed in positions of great power and
at other times they arc very down-trodden. Therefore, the changes and
ups and downs that the world continually experiences, and in particular
the Jews (for they are most responsible for rectifying the world), is
brought about through the chamber of exchanges, the Heichal
Ha'T'muros mentioned above. Whenever all of the holy sparks of a
particular situation or place have been collected, G-d activates the
Heichal Ha'T'muros to revolve and change an individual's or a
nation's situation in order to uncover the holy sparks of the next
situation and place to be collected. G-d determines when, how, and where
to bring these changes about. This is a main reason why the Jews have
experienced exile and migration, persecution, poverty, pogroms,
holocausts, etc. as well as eras of prosperity and power as in the times
of kings David and Solomon. It all follows from Adam who, in paradise,
was as the top, but fell to the bottom. Adam's situation can be compared
to the story of a father who sent his son off to school to learn
business administration. After the son graduated, the father made his
inexperienced son the president of the company. The father knew that his
son, although schooled in running a company, lacked the necessary
practical experience. Therefore, the father instructed his son to follow
his every instruction until he would gain enough experience to run the
company himself. The son agreed, but on his first day on the job, became
impatient, wanting to make decisions on his own, not to humble himself
to his experienced father and be dependent on his advice. The
inexperienced son therefore made a major decision on his own, against
the advice of his knowledgeable father. The son felt that his decision
was good and that this act would show that he could function without his
father, that he could now rid himself of his father's control. The son's
decision was disastrous and nearly ruined the company. The father then
realized that his inexperienced son could make other such mistakes and
lacked the discipline to listen to his advice. Therefore, the father had
no choice but to place his son in the lowest level job in the company
until he would learn the entire business from the bottom, starting in a
position where he could do the least harm until he gained more
experience. So too, Adam in Eden, G-d placed Adam on top -- president of
paradise, but due to his bad decision, based on inexperience and
self-pride, he was forced to the bottom in order to repair the damage
and gain experience outside of paradise.
In order to rectify every situation and aspect of a soul's spiritual
root and to complete its contribution to the great spiritual structure
that was mentioned above, a person could be on top in one incarnation
and in a second incarnation he could have a low status. The holy Ari
says that this is why we will sometimes find that an ignorant person
was a great sage in a previous lifetime. The reason he doesn't reflect
his previous greatness in his present incarnation is that he had already
nourished his soul in a previous life with Torah and because of his
constant devotion to intensive Torah study, did not have time to
perform many of the physical commandments. So, in his present
incarnation he isn't adept at understanding the Torah because, for
now, G-d wants him to concentrate on performing the physical
commandments, which his soul is lacking. The Ari adds that a person
must come back to this world as many times as it takes for his soul to
fulfill the 613 commandments in order to complete every aspect of
his soul.
All the changes and exchanges that occur in the world cause a
manipulation of holy sparks, which purify and repair the world from the
damage caused by Adam's sin and the sins of all the people who were born
born after him. This explains why Abraham married Hagar, his
maidservant, an Egyptian princess. Hagar bore Ishmael who disputed his
half-brother, Isaac's legitimate rights to be the sole heir to Abraham.
(The practice of marrying a non-Jewish slave became forbidden after the
giving of the Torah). When a man has relations with a woman, he
transfers parts of his soul to the woman, which remain with her for
eternity. Sarah was a holy woman and performed the marital relations
with the utmost purity, thus attracting to her own soul the holy
elements of Abraham 's soul (which joined together to produce Isaac).
Since Hagar was not as holy as Sarah, she absorbed the impure elements
of Abraham 's soul (forming Ishmael). Therefore, Abraham was able to
transfer all of the spiritual filth that he had absorbed before he came
close to G-d and through his dealings with the many people who were
estranged from G-d, while trying to bring them closer to Him. After he
had purged all of this spiritual pollution, transferring it to his son
Ishmael, all that remained was complete purity, which he transferred to
Isaac, his true heir. Isaac did the same with his two sons, transferring
the filth to Esau (this actually came from the impure elements found
within Rebecca, derived from the wicked Bethueal, her father, as well as
a trace of impurity remaining in Isaac. In contrast, Sarah gave birth to
Isaac at age 90, after a lifetime of purifying herself from the evil
elements derived from her parents), and the pure elements to Jacob.
Thus, Esau was the biological first-born and Jacob, the spiritual
first-born, which made Jacob have to trick Esau to obtain what was
rightfully his. [The exchange of their true positions allowed Jacob to
first purify the lower levels and then, after he obtained the right of
the first-born he purified the upper levels (constraints of space
prohibit further explanation of this very deep subject)]. The Ari
explains that this is why we find that men who started out as great
Tzaddikim (saints) end up becoming very evil, such as Doeg, Achitofel,
Jeraboam ben Navat and others and we find those who started out
estranged from G-d later become very righteous, such as the Baal
Teshuvah (pennants) phenomenon of recent times.
King David prayed at great length to be saved from the negative results
caused by the Heichal Ha'T'muros: "Into Your [G-d] hands do I give my
soul; redeem me [from the negative consequences of the chamber of
exchanges] L-rd, the G-d of truth." (Psalms 31:6). It was king David who
prayed to be protected from negative exchanges of the chamber of
exchange more than anyone else for he was responsible for rectifying
this chamber more than any other Tzaddik (saint), since he is the
ancestor of the Messiah who will completely rectify this chamber. This
is why King David's ancestors were Lot - who produced a son from
relations with his daughter; Yehudah and Tamar - who were father-in-law
and daughter-in-law; and Ruth - a convert who had been an a idol
worshiper. King David himself was so holy that G-d gave him a very
strong evil urge and obstacles to match his abilities and holiness. Thus
he was confronted with troubles and trials all of his life. G-d did not
give him more than he could handle. By breaking the evil that confronted
him, King David was able to greatly purify himself and the world. One
would think, looking at all of King David's troubles, that he was not a
holy man, but in truth the magnitude of opposition he encountered from
the forces of evil indicates that his soul was very precious and
valuable. Every Jew must be aware that part of the Messiah is in him
just as it was in King David, for every good deed any Jew does brings
the Messiah closer. Therefore, every Jew should ignore his present
position and status in this temporary world for this is only due to the
chamber of exchanges, which brings rectification to the world. This is
why all Jews have the troubles they do, just like King David, but to a
lesser degree. Every Jew should took at his true spiritual position,
which is actually the highest of realms and is beyond description. Rabbi
Nachman, taught that thousands and thousands of spiritual worlds are
controlled by and dependent upon each and every vein contained the
physical body of every Jew. Therefore even the lowest Jew is so lofty
that it is beyond description. We do not see this in this world so as to
maintain the balance of free choice. Therefore, every Jew must be aware
of his true worth and value and not violate G-d's wishes, behaving like
an animal, behavior unbefitting such a lofty and noble creature. The
verse says: "You [the Jews] are children to G-d land should conduct
yourselves in an appropriate manner befitting this status]' (Deut.
14:1).
The Talmud tells us that at the time before the arrival of the Messiah,
the wicked will gain control of the world and impose their ways on
society: "Arrogance will prevail and the truth will be a rare
commodity." (Talmud: Sotah 49). During this final era, the wicked and
the estranged from G-d amongst the Jews will have great wealth and power
and, for the most part, become the leaders of the Jews, imposing their
destructive ways upon the rest. The worthy Jews will generally be poor,
having little influence, and they will be mocked. The Zohar says: "In the
final exile [before the coming of the Messiah] the [descendants] of the
mixed multitude [of Gentiles who left Egypt together with the Jews] will
become the heads [and leaders] of the Jewish people and those who fear
sin will be despised and considered [as low] as dogs in their eyes [the
descendants of the mixed multitude]." There will even be great disputes
between the true Tzaddikim (saints) and therefore it will be very
difficult to find the truth. Therefore, Rabbi Nachman taught that when
these happenings occur, the only solution is to pray to G-d and beg Him
to lead us to the true Tzaddikim and to attach himself to them. (Lekutai
Halachoth: Orach Chaim: Hilchoth Birchos Ha'Shachar 3:1-9)
A few instances where the Holy Ari encountered reincarnations which were
products of the Heichal Ha'T'muros:
Rabbi Nachman taught that as well as reciting the mandatory daily
prayers contained in the prayer book, we should also speak to Hashem,
just as we would confide in our best friend: in seclusion, in the
language and style with which we feel most comfortable. This is based on
the advice of our sages, just to mention two sources: "Rebbe Yitzchak
said: 'Why were our forefather's barren? Because Hashem desires the
prayers of the righteous.'" (Talmud: Yevamoth 64a) "Hashem seeks nothing
other than to hear the prayers of Israel." (Medrash Tehillim 116:1). In
these sessions, one can openly discuss anything and everything with
Hashem. One can praise Him, unload and unburden his feelings,
aspirations, problems and wants. These encounters not only strengthen
one's faith in Hashem, relieve stress and worry, help to accomplish
goals, sharpen the mind and build an intimate and personal relationship
with Hashem, but they cultivate the notion that Hashem really exists and
can be counted on for all one's needs. The following is an example of a
Hithbodeduth session: