Nachal novea; makor chochma -
A flowing river; the source of wisdom (Mish. 18:4)
Adam's sin brought depression to the material world and every activity
associated with it, as the verse says, "Cursed is the ground [and
everything rooted in the earth i.e. anything associated with the
material world] because of you (Adam) [for violating Hashem's will]."
(Genesis 3:17) When someone violates Hashem's will, he creates a barrier
between himself, Hashem and thus happiness, for Hashem is the source of
all happiness. Therefore, everything that the Torah defines as forbidden
and sinful leads to and is associated with depression. Although, because
of the need to maintain the balance of free-choice, one experiences
sweetness and pleasure in the initial stages of sin, all sin eventually
becomes sour, dull, and stales with age. One's character flaws and sins
cause a separation from those specific aspects of Hashem and joy to
which those faults are energetically connected. In order to promote both
spiritual and physical healing, Hashem forces each person to confront
specific types of adversity which are symptomatic of and associated with
the specific type of spiritual illness and depression that has become
attached to him through his character flaws and sins. When one remains
cheerful, not yielding to temptation or depression in the face of
adversity, the negative spiritual energies of depression associated with
that specific situation are tranformed to joy, which promotes healing
within oneself and the world. Although this is not so easily
accomplished, it is the only way to eliminate the negative spiritual
energies created by the sins of Adam, society, and the person himself,
that separate him from Hashem, happiness, and spiritual healing.
The next phrase of this verse, "[Go] from your birth place..." denotes
the pain and sorrow associated with the birth process. Included is that
the desire for intimacy, which ultimately results in and leads to the
birth process, is a thirst which can never be quenched. The pain
associated with having a desire that cannot be fulfilled causes
unhappiness and emptiness, as the verse says, "Behold in iniquity was I
fashioned and in sin did my mother conceive me." [This refers to
producing children as a result of the urge for intimacy. Although it is
Hashem's will that we produce offspring and for this, desire is
necessary, since this craving can never be quenched, and over-indulgence
can cause a person to fall away from Hashem, therefore these aspects of
this desire can lead to unhappiness]." (Psalms 51:7) The message of this
verse is that we must avoid excessive material desire in order that we
can achieve true and eternal joy.
In summation one of the main purposes for the episodes mentioned in the
Torah is to teach us that the main weapon of the forces of evil and the
road to destruction is despair and depression. Man was placed on earth
to earn eternal closeness to Hashem, the source of all joy. In order to
earn his eternal reward, man must first struggle and contend with the
evil of despair and depression until he is able to conquer it, which
then entitles him to the eternal joys of the hereafter, as the following
verses say, "Then [after our victory over the evil of depression] will
our mouths be filled with laughter..." (Psalms 126:2); "Those who sow in
tears will reap with joyous song." (Psalms 126:5); "And she (the soul)
shan rejoice at the final day." (Proverbs 31:25)
One of the crowning achievements of Avraham and Sarah was that they
remained happy, and thus connected to Hashem, through their many years
of adversity and suffering. This was attested to and manifested by the
fact that Hashem Himself added the letter "hay" to both of their names,
the letter which, as mentioned above, contains the spiritual energies of
joy. Those energies of joy enabled them to produce the first child born
a Jew with the holiness of IsraeL Yitzchak (Isaac). The literal meaning
of the name Yitzchak is "he will laugh." In the end, after all the
setbacks in the Hves of individual Jews and the Jewish people as a
whole, Yitzchak's descendants will laugh and be joyous. This explains
why, at Yitzchak's birth, his mother, the great prophetess Sarah,
prophetically exclaimed, "Hashem has made laughter for me; whoever hears
will laugh for me [just as I and my husband suffered a lot, so will
Yitzchak and his future descendants, but after all the hard work, the
traits and tribulations, there will be great laughter]. " (Genesis
21:6)
Avraham and Sarah laid the spiritual foundations of the holy Jewish
nation. Since they were not bom Jews, they were not automatically
connected to Hashem and the spiritual energies of joy that are
associated with being born into the holy nation. Therefore, they needed
many of the external spiritual mechanisms that promote and connect one
to joy, such as living in the holy land and the addition of the letter
"hay" to their names. Today, each Jew can draw from the energies
of joy that Abraham and Sarah created and bequeathed to all of their
descendants. Therefore, now it is not necessary for each individual Jew
to add the letter "hay" to his name in order to be connected to
the spiritual energies of joy. the source of all holiness. However,
Rabbi Nachman suggests that if a couple is experiencing difficulty
having children, it may be the result of insufficient joy. In such a
case, the wife should wear the letter "hay" engraved in silver
(silver contains the spiritual energies of kindness) upon her person.
[Note: This will work only if the reason for the inability to conceive
is due solely to a lack of joy and not some other spiritual or physical
reason.]
Now we can better understand why Rabbi Nachman always cmphasized
"Mizvah g'dolah l'hiyot b'simcha tamid." It is a great
commandment to always be happy!" (Lekutai Halachot: Orach Chaim: Hilchot
Ho'daw'ah 6:14-17)
There was once a poor man who earned a living by digging clay and
selling it. Once, while digging clay, he discovered a precious stone
which was obviously worth a great deal. Since he had no idea how much it
was worth, he took it to an expert to tell him its value. The expert
answered, "No one here will be able to afford such a stone. Go to London
the capital, and there you will be able to sell it." The man was so poor
that he could not afford to make the trip. He sold everything he had,
and went from house to house, collecting funds for the trip. Finally he
had enough to take him is far as the port. He then wanted to board a
ship. but he did not have any money. He went to a ship's captain and
showed him the jewel. The captain immediately welcomed him aboard the
ship with great honor, assuming that he was a very trustworthy person.
He gave [the poor man] a special first class cabin and treated him like
a wealthy man.
[The poor man] sat in his cabin and was constantly looking at the
diamond and rejoicing. One day, as he sat down to eat his meal, with the
diamond placed on the table, so he could enjoy looking at it, he dozed
off. Meanwhile the mess boy came and cleared the table, and shook the
tablecloth with its crumbs and the diamond into the sea. When he woke up
and realized what had happened, he almost went mad with grief. Besides,
the captain was a ruthless man who would not hesitate to kill him for
his fare. Having no other choice, he continued to act happy, as if
nothing had happened. The captain would usually speak to him a few hours
every day, and on this day, he put himself in especially good spirits so
that the captain would not be aware that anything was wrong. The captain
said to him, "I want to buy a large quantity of wheat and I will be able
to sell it in London for a huge profit. But I am afraid that I will be
accused of stealing from the king's treasury. Therefore. I will arrange
for the wheat to be bought in your name. I will pay you well for your
trouble." The poor man agreed. But as soon as they arrived in London,
die captain died. [The entire shipload of] wheat was in the poor man's
name, and it was worth many times as much as the diamond.
[Rabbi Nachman] concluded, "The diamond did not belong to the poor man,
and the proof is that he did not keep it. The wheat, however did belong
to him, and the proof is that he kept it. In truth. he got what he
deserved only because he remained happy." (Rabbi Nachman's Stories:
Bresiov Research Institute: POB 5370, Jerusalem Israel)
The Zohar says that each Jewish soul is a segment of Hashem Himself
Hashem is the source of all happiness. This tells us that joy connects
the soul to Hashem which is the soul's natural environment where it
receives spiritual nourishment helping it flourish, grow, and develop.
Conversely, depression causes the soul to shrivel, diminishing its
potential and resources. Therefore, depression is a form of imprisonment
and exile for the soul. The blight of despair is the evil inclination's
most effective weapon against the soul in order to prevent it from
attaching itself to Hashem. Therefore, Rav Noson says, it is essential
that each person use every possible means to help his soul avoid
depression and stay cheerful. Even if one must resort to foolish
behavior in order to stay cheerful, he should do so-, so important is it
to stay away from depression.
Every good deed we perform connects us with the spiritual energies of
joy, the intensity of which depends on the degree of enthusiasm and joy
in which the deed was performed. The energies of joy elevate and release
one's trapped soul from the forces of evil which hold the soul captive
in a prison of depression. Rav Noson points out that even minor good
deeds and commandments performed by even the most estranged Jew are like
little islands of refuge which shelters us against the great tide of
despair, the main weapon of the forces of evil. Rav Noson exhorts us to
make every effort to avail ourselves of these little islands of refuge,
created from the few good deeds we are able to salvage during the course
of the day, by directing our full attention to them and totally ignoring
the bad. Each good deed and commandment that we perform is so valuable
in Hashem's eyes, and creates so much spiritual light that it
illuminates all the darkness created by our mistakes and outweighs all
of the unrelenting evil that has managed to overwhelm and entrap us.
However, in order to push away the great darkness created by our
mistakes in addition to the darkness that is inherent in this world, we
must ignite the great light created by the few good deeds that we manage
to perform, by focusing on them, while ignoring the darkness, for a
little light pushes away a lot of darkness.
ISLANDS OF REFUGE
FROM SPIRITUAL DARKNESS
On the allegorical level, the Zohar says, every mention of the name
Avram in the Torah alludes to an indivual's soul. When Hashem added the
Hebrew letter "hay" to Avram's name, it changed his destiny for the
better. Much like a computer program functions according to the inputted
letters and symbols, the letters in the name of a person or object
contain spiritual energies that control and influence his or its destiny
and nature. The letter "hay" activates the spiritual energies of
joy. "Hay" is associated with the number five which corresponds
to the five voices, five different types of spiritual energies
associated with weddings, as mentioned in the Talmud. A wedding is one
of the most joyful events in the world, and it is that joy which
resonates with the letter "hay". As mentioned above, joy enables
the soul to flourish, grow, and reproduce. Therefore, Avram, whose name
lacked the letter "hay" was unable to produce children The sages
say that if a couple is experiencing difficulty in having children, the
husband should do everything possible to make his wife happy. This
teaching indicates that the soul becomes greatly weakened and cannot
produce or flourish when there is a lack of joy.
Productivity is a main goal of creation and what Hashem wants most from
His creatures, as the verse says, "Hashem said, 'Let the earth sprout
... fruit trees that yield fruit [the Zohar says that this alludes to
Hashem's desire for man to be productive, which is to live according to
His will, whether by learning Torah and doing mitzvos, teaching others
about Hashem, helping others, or meriting to produce and raise children
who will serve and acknowledge Hashem.]."' (Genesis 1:11) One can be
productive only if his soul is strengthened and nourished with joy, the
spiritual energies associated with Hashem's power. Therefore, Rav Noson
explains that the openingverse of our parsha allegorically exhorts every
person to be productive, which is accomplished through breaking out of
one's despair and striving to become happy. 'Hashem said to Avram
(Abram) go for yourself from your land, your birth place, and your
father's house to the land that I will show you." (Genesis 12: 1) "Go
for yourself" in this verse means go for your own benefit. "There (in
the land of Israel) I (Hashem) will make you (Avraham) into a great
nation while here (outside the land of Israel) you will not merit to
have children [because the spiritual energies of joy derived from living
in the land of Israel will nourish your barren soul to such a degree
that you will be able to be greatly productive]." (Rashi) The phrase,
"Go from your land ....", means that every individual must try to vacate
the negative aspects of the spiritual energies associated with earth,
i.e. depression. There are many verses in the Torah that associate the
negative spiritual aspects of earth with depression, e.g. "Cursed is the
ground because of you (Adam), through suffering [lit. depression] shall
you eat of it [and through depression will everything associated with
physicality come to you] all the days of your life." (Genesis 3:17)
The phrase, "[Go] from your father's house..." refers to
conflicts that can erupt amongst one's family. Although there
are countless benefits derived from living within a family,
there are also many negative aspects. When there is a conflict
of interest, family members can make each other suffer
greatly. Rav Noson points out that it is natural, in such a
case, that each opposing side try to coerce the other side into
conforming to their point of view and wishes, often through
demoralizing and abusive means, inflicting sorrow and
depression. Thus the verse tells us that we must avoid the
depression that arises from the conflicts and struggles within
one's family, by making every effort to compromise and avoid
strife which the Talmud says tears the soul asunder.
The next phrase of our verse, "[Go] to the land that I (Hashem) will
show you..." refers to the land of Israel, the spiritual source of all
earthly joy. There are countless verses in the Torah that associate the
spiritual energies of joy with the land of Israel. Rav Noson says that
there is a rule that everything mentioned in the Torah applies to all
people, times and situations. Therefore, although Hashem addressed this
command to Avraham, He was actually talking to all Jews, who are
spiritually connected to Avraham and the ways of Hashem. In other words,
this verse entreats everyone to avoid depression, no matter what its
source, even if it is caused by one's own family, friends, or community.
One must work toward the goal of happiness that is derived from the the
land of Israel's spiritual energies of joy, in order that the soul can
be productive.
The physical world always mirrors the spiritual situation or condition.
That the earth is spherical in shape indicates that just as the world is
always turning, so can one's spiritual situation. Rabbi Nachman taught
that there is a spiritual mecl=ism called the chamber of exchanges which
is responsible for altering or changing an individual's spiritual and
physical circumstances. The chamber of exchanges is responsible for the
many abrupt changes in life, such as going from rags to riches overnight
and visa versa , a sinner doing repentance and becoming righteous
overnight or a righteous person having a great spiritual fall, etc. A
person causes the chamber of exchanges to revolve when he fulfills
Hashem's will resulting in him being given more opportunities to come
closer to Hashem. Conversely, when one sins, he activates the chamber of
exchanges to lead him to paths and situations which can cause him to sin
even more, as the Talmud teaches, "Ben Azzai said, 'Run to perform even
a minor commandment, and flee from sin; for [the fulfillment of even]
one commandment leads to [the fulfillment of] another commandment, and
one sin leads to another sin; for the reward [in this world that Heaven
gives for the fulfillment ofl one commandment is [the opportunity to
fulfill another] commandment [so one can increase his eternal reward in
the hereafter], and the consequence of a sin is [that one is given
another opportunity to] sin. "' (Talmud: Avoth 4:2) At times the chamber
of exchanges can place a person in situations that are perilous to his
spiritual wellbeing, not as a result of his own sins, but because of the
sins of others who are spiritually connected to him, or due to the sins
of society, previous generations, or Adarn's sin.
Rav Noson points out that all the trials Avraham experienced,
such as being forced, as a result of a faniine, to leave the holy
land immediately upon his arrival and go down to hedonistic
Egypt; the abduction of Sarah his wife, and many other
adversities he experienced, are consistent with the concept of the
chamber of exchanges. When the chamber of exchanges throws
a person down to a certain place, it is in order that he rectify the
negative spiritual energies created by sin in that area. By
remaining cheerful and trying one's best to fulfill Hashem's will
when in these bad situations, one rectifies the negative spiritual
energies of that place and converts them to holy and positive
energies. Then, the evil in that area is eliminated and can no
longer harm anybody. Because the righteous possess the strength
and fortitude to prevail over and rectify the powerful negative
spiritual energies associated with bad situations, they are often
forced into these situations because weaker individuals lack the
great strength needed to accomplish such rectifications. When all
of the negative spiritual energies caused by sin, have been
rectified, the Messiah will come and bring the world to its
and true state of perfection.
JOY IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
In the merit of the rectifications accomplished through remaining cheeru
in the face of adversity and fulfilling Hashem's will to the best of
one's ability, one receives the blessings that were bestowed upon
Avraham as a reward for eliminating the forces of evil that separate man
from Hashem as described in the next verse of our parsha, "And I
(Hashem) will make you a great nation [your soul will become so powerful
and connected to joy, that it will be extremely productive] I will bless
you and make your name great and you [yourseff] shall be a blessing."
(Genesis 12:2) These blessings pertain only to one who is connected to
Hashem and happy. Blessing cannot rest upon a person urdess he is in a
state of happiness. Avraham, in descending to the depths of evil and
despair, conquered and eliminated all of the negative spiritual energies
in these places. Then, there were no longer any barriers that could
separate Avraham from Hashem and true happiness. Therefore, Avrahain not
only warranted the blessings mentioned in this verse, but many others as
well, as described in (Genesis 24:1), "And Avrabam was old, well
advanced in years, and Hashem had blessed Avrahain with everything." In
another verse it says, "And Avraham expired and died at a good old age,
mature and content..." (Genesis 25:8)
In order to break the negative spiritual energies that can separate one
from Hashem, one must remain happy, erpecially in adverse situations. So
illustrates the following parable written by Rabbi Nachman, who is
recognized, even throughout the academic world, as a master writer of
parables and stories: