Nachal novea; makor chochma -
A flowing river; the source of wisdom (Mish. 18:4)
"Ya'akov's firstborn, Re'uven([The firstborn possessed an extra measure
of holiness, which is from the spiritual energies of joy. This entitled
him to take a leadership role in serving Hashem. Only those who are
strongly connected to joy are permitted to lead in the service of
Hashem]." (Genesis 35:23) "Hashem saw that Leah was unloved, so [to take
away her depression and connect her to the spiritual energies of joy],
He opened her womb...Leah conceived and bore a son, and she
[prophetically] called his name Re'uven, declaring, 'Because Hashem has
discerned my affliction, for now my husband (Ya'akov) will love me [The
spiritual energies of joy that were associated with Re'uven could
neutralize the sadness caused by affliction, replacing it with the joy
of being loved].'" (Genesis 29:31, 32) "'Because Hashem has heard that I
(Leah) am unloved, He has given me this one also [to cheer me up],' and
she [prophetically] called his name Shimon [Since Shimon's essential
quality was joy, he w as able to neutralize the spiritual energies of
depression that result from being unloved].'" (Genesis 29:33) "This time
my husband will become attached to me [in love and joy]...therefore, He
[Hashem prophetically inspired Ya'akov and Leah] to call his name Levi
[The spiritual energies of connectedness and love that were associated
with Levi brought joy to those who were alone and unhappy]." (Genesis
29:34) "'This time let me (Leah) gratefully praise Hashem,' therefore
she [prophetically] called his name Yehudah [Praise and thanks can only
come from one who is joyful. The spiritual energies of joy associated
with Yehudah inspire praise of Hashem, connecting an individual to the
source of all joy]." (Genesis 29:35)
"'Hashem has judged me (Rachel), He has also heard my voice and has
given me a son'. She therefore [prophetically] called his name Dan [Joy
results when Hashem answers one's prayers. The energies of joy,
associated with Dan, enabled Rachel to connect to Hashem through prayer,
giving her access to what she was lacking, which brought greater joy.
Lack is associated with sadness, and when there is no lack, there is
joy]." (Genesis 30:6) "'Sacred schemes have I (Rachel) maneuvered to
equal my sister, and I have also prevailed!' She [prophetically] called
his name Naphtali [Victory over sadness, the spiritual make-up of
Naphtali, enables one to joyfully serve Hashem]." (Genesis 30:8) "And
Leah declared, 'Good luck has come!" So she [prophetically] called his
name Gad [The energies of a good destiny, which are associated with the
spiritual essence of Gad, enable one to connect to Hashem, causing
joy]." (Genesis 30:11) "Leah [prophetically] declared, 'In my good
fortune! For women have deemed me fortunate!' So she called his name
Asher [Good fortune, the essence of Asher, enables one to connect to
Hashem, and causes rejoicing]." (Genesis 30:13) "And Leah
[prophetically] declared, 'Hashem has granted me my reward'...So she
called his name Issachar [Reward, brought about through serving
Hashem--the essence of Issachar--brings rejoicing]." (Genesis 30:18)
"Leah said, 'Hashem has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband
will make his permanent home with me for I have borne him six sons
[which has brought so much joy into the world].' So she [prophetically]
called his name Zevulun [An endowment brings security, which permanently
connects one to the Tzaddik (saint)--the epitome of the man of joy.
Permanent connection to the man of joy causes one to be joyful, and is
the spiritual essence of Zevulun]." (Genesis 30:20) "Hashem has taken
away my disgrace [nullifying disgrace brings one to joy]. So she
(Rachel) [prophetically] called his name Joseph, saying, 'May Hashem add
on for me another son. [Adding on, growth i.e. growth in spirituality,
which is the essence of Joseph, always makes one joyful]." (Genesis
30:23, 24) "His father (Ya'akov) [prophetically] called him Benjamin
(lit. son of the right) [When one faces east, one's right hand is
precisely aligned with the direction to the land of Israel, which is the
physical source of and contains all the spiritual energies of joy on
earth. Thus, the basic nature of Benjamin is rooted in the spiritual
energies of joy, associated with the land of Israel]." (Genesis 35:18)
All Jews derive their spiritual nourishment from the patriarchs and the
twelve tribes, who were rooted in joy. Therefore, the Torah informs us,
through these and countless other verses, that Jewish survival is
dependent upon connection to joy, through performing Hashem's will. This
principle is particularly apropos when the Jews are in trapped in exile
or during times of peril, as was the case when we were enslaved in
Egypt.
The Egyptians increased their control over the Jews by activating the
spiritual energies of despair through bitter oppression,. The more
depressed the Jews became, the more control the Egyptians and the forces
of evil were able to exert over them, driving the Divine Presence deeper
into exile. How could the Jews ever expect to be redeemed from such a
no-win situation? The only hope was to draw to themselves the spiritual
energies of joy associated with the names of Ya'akov and his twelve holy
sons, which would connect them to Hashem and enable them to activate the
spiritual energies of joy within themselves. Doing this eventually
brought the redemption, as the verse says, "For [the only way] you shall
go out [from exile is by activating the spiritual energies that are
associated] with joy." (Isaiah 55:12)
Rav Noson points to another episode that illustrates how joy brought
about a particular individual's salvation. Before David became king, he
was involved in an incident with Achish the king of the Philistines.
David was at Achish's mercy, facing certain death. However, he was aware
that the only way to escape evil is to be joyful, therefore he acted
like a fool in order to activate the spiritual energies of joy: "And he
(King David) changed his behavior before them (the Philistines), and
feigned madness in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate,
and let his spit fall upon his beard. Then Achish said to his servants,
you see the man is mad, why have you brought him to me? Have I need of
mad men, that you have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my
presence? Shall this fellow come into my house? David therefore departed
from there and escaped( (Rabbi Nachman says that acting like a fool is
sometimes the only way to access joy.)" (1 Samuel 21:14-6, 22:1)
It was a lack of true joy, the results of severing their connection to
Hashem, that brought the Jews down from their political heights in Egypt
to the depths of slavery almost overnight. And it was the regaining of
this lost joy that brought about the redemption. Just as joy brought
about the redemption from Egypt, it will once again bring about the
final redemption and the coming of the Messiah Amen! This is why Rabbi
Nachman always emphasized that it is a great mitzvah (a virtuous deed)
to be happy, always!
When the holy magid of Kuznitz passed away, they led him to paradise
through the road that passes through purgatory, which is not an uncommon
practice. As they reached the road, the magid stopped and refused to
continue on and said, "I will not move from here until you allow all of
the souls of the seven levels of purgatory to accompany me into
paradise. This caused a great uproar amongst the angels. The angels then
asked, "What should be done with this elder?" The magid then pleaded his
case, "Master of the Universe, You know that I was born to my parents in
their old age. All of my life I was physically weak, but I still served
You with love and I performed all of Your commandments with great love,
feeling, and warmth. I greatly longed for the redemption all of my life.
Now I want You to give me all of the souls from the seven levels of
purgatory so that I can rectify them and bring the final redemption." A
voice rang out and said, "Fulfill the magid's request!" Then all of the
souls contained in the first level of purgatory were released into his
care. This did not satisfy him and he wanted to release all of the souls
from the next level. This additional request created a great stir in
heaven, for this would hasten the final redemption before its time.
Hashem hinted to the angels to begin the recitation of the exalted
Kedusha prayer. When the magid heard this prayer uttered by the angels,
chanted with such sweetness, he was enflamed with such desire for
Hashem, that he ran out of purgatory to sing this prayer together with
them. As soon as he left purgatory, the angels locked the gates behind
him and he was not permitted to return. "Behold! Heaven has tricked me
too," the magid declared. "What could I or anyone else do? The only
thing is to wait for Hashem to hasten the final redemption speedily in
our days on His own." (Nif'la'ot Ha'Tzaddikim)
Any divergence from the path that leads to the life-giving energies of
joy can only result in great harm, just as a plant withers when it is
removed from its nourishing soil. The Talmud says that a person's name
tells us about his spiritual essence. The following is a brief list of
verses by which the Torah attests to the fact that the three patriarchs
and the twelve sons of Ya'akov were all connected to the spiritual
energies of joy: "And Abraham expired and died at a good old age, mature
and content. [Abraham was content and happy when he died, because he had
lived a life filled with joy and holiness.]" (Genesis 25:8) "Abraham
called the name of his son, Isaac...Sarah [prophetically] said, 'Hashem
has made laughter for me [through the birth of my son, Isaac, whose
essence is the spiritual energies of joy]; whoever hears will laugh for
me." (Genesis 21:3, 6) "Ya'akov will exalt [with gladness], Israel will
rejoice." (Psalms 14:7)
The verse says, "And these are the names of the Children of Israel who
were coming to Egypt...Reuben, Simeon, Levi etc." (Exodus 1:1-5) Rav
Noson asks, "Why is the word "names" included in this verse? It could
have simply stated, "And these are the Children of Israel who were
coming to Egypt." Rav Noson explains that there is a seemingly
unnecessary word, but we know that every single word and letter in the
Torah has a purpose. The Torah makes a point of introducing the topic of
the Egyptian slavery by listing the names of Ya'akov's sons to focus our
attention upon the concept of "names". The "extra word" emphasizes that
the Egyptian bondage, the redemption, and the names of Ya'akov's twelve
holy sons are somehow related.
Hashem created and continues to run the world through His speech, using
the words and letters of the Hebrew alphabet like inputs of a computer
program. And, similar to a computer program which creates accessible
files, every person's actions create eternal spiritual energies which
can always be accessed, even centuries later. Everything's and
everyone's spiritual essence is associated with its name, as the verse
says, "Whatever the man (Adam) called each living soul [referring to its
spiritual essence] that remained its name [because each item's name
contains its essence, therefore Adam, through Divine inspiration, named
everything in accordance with its spiritual nature]." (Genesis 2:19) So,
again, like a computer program or file can be recalled by people other
than the programmer if they know its name, the spiritual energies
created by each individual during his lifetime can be accessed after his
demise, simply by mentioning his name. Rav Noson says that the names of
the twelve holy sons of Ya'akov resonate with the spiritual energies of
joy because, during their lifetimes, they reached such incredible
spiritual heights which empowered them to perceive and fully imbue
themselves with the spiritual essence of joy. When we were embittered
and enslaved in Egypt, by focusing our thoughts and feelings upon the
names and legacies of our illustrious ancestors, we were able to draw
forth the spiritual energies of joy associated with their names. Those
energies gave the enslaved Jews the fortitude to withstand the bitter
Egyptian bondage. Thus, the opening verse lists the names of Ya'akov's
sons to introduce the Egyptian bondage. For by tapping into the great
light of joy via their names while mired in the harsh slavery the Jews
eventually came to realize, "And you (Jews) shall know that I am Hashem
your G-d, Who takes you out from under the burdens of Egypt." (Exodus
6:7) Hashem's goal in bringing us to suffer under the hand of the
Egyptians was that we discover how to actively acknowledge Him as the
Master of the Universe. There could be no better way to learn this
lesson.
Whatever happens in the world, down to the most minute detail, is
carefully orchestrated by Hashem. There is a rule governing the
spiritual realms that whatever comes first has an impact upon whatever
follows. Therefore, Hashem specifically arranged that the very first
people to be exiled in Egypt were Ya'akov and his twelve holy sons. As
mentioned above, they were all so holy, that together, they activated
the entire gamut of the spiritual energies of joy. Thus, they were able
to spiritually illuminate the darkness of Egypt and make that
illumination available to their descendants who would be slaves there.
Those energies of joy nourished the Jews throughout the entire 210 years
of bitter exile, giving us a glimmer of hope which prevented the
spiritual energies of depression, associated with slavery and the forces
of evil, from completely swallowing us up. Since the Divine Presence is
so strongly connected to the Jews, when we are exiled, the Divine
Presence is exiled with us. Whoever controls the Divine Presence,
controls the Jews and the world. Therefore, when we Jews perform
Hashem's will, which connects the Divine Presence to the spiritual
energies of joy, we enjoy independence and have greater influence in the
world, as was the case during King Solomon's time. However, when we sin,
it connects the Divine Presence to the spiritual energies of despair and
sadness, causing us and the Divine Presence to go into exile, to be
placed under the control of our enemies and the forces of evil.
SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE EXILE
Yosef (Joseph), the greatest of Ya'akov's sons was the first family
member to be sent into exile. Hashem orchestrated that Yosef was sold
into slavery. There is a concept that Hashem always sends the cure
before the malady. This was the case here. Yosef was so holy that he was
able to neutralize the negative spiritual energies of depression
associated with slavery and convert them to joy. Since Yosef, when he
first came to Egypt as a slave, injected the spiritual energies of joy
into the vibrations of slavery, which is associated with spiritual
sadness, it enabled the Jews to eventually find and connect themselves
to those energies of joy. It was this that enabled the enslaved and
embittered Jews to connect themselves to Hashem, which brought about the
redemption.
BEFORE THE ILLNESS (EXILE)
We mentioned above, that the only way for the enemies of the Jews to
gain control over us is when we separate ourselves from joy by
succumbing to the desire for excessive pleasure, which causes us to fall
into sin, thus severing our connection to Hashem. Ya'akov and his holy
sons transmitted to their offspring the valuable lesson how to activate
the spiritual energies of joy through serving Hashem, which would
prevent their enemies from mastering them. How then could the Jews, who
saw their holy forebears and were taught by them the pathways that lead
to Hashem, in such a short time lose their ability to connect themselves
to joy, and thus deteriorate into sin, which put them under the
Egyptian's control and brought about the oppressive slavery? The verse
says, "They (the Egyptians) embittered their lives with hard work, with
mortar and with bricks..." (Exodus 1:14) The Holy Zohar explains that
the word in the verse for hard is KaShaH, which can also refer to a
difficulty in understanding a Torah teaching. The word for mortar,
ChoMeR, can also mean material. The word for bricks, L'Vai'Nim, comes
from the same root as the word Le'ha'VeeN, to understand. Therefore, the
Zohar says the verse can be read, "They (the Egyptians) embittered their
lives with difficulties in understanding, [which caused the Jews to
forget the traditions and teachings they received from their ancestors,
which made them forget how to connect to Hashem and joy], with [the]
material [that their forebears had taught them] and with understanding,
[they didn't properly understand the teachings of their fathers,
therefore they didn't know how to respond to the hedonistic Egyptian
philosophies that enticed many of the Jews to assimilate, and therefore
many Jews abandoned the holy path of their heritage, and thus forgot how
to connect themselves to Hashem and joy]..." [Notice how this scenario
has been repeated countless times throughout history, especially in the
modern era, showing that the truths of the Torah are eternal]. Thus King
David prayed, "I am sunk in the mire of the shadowy depths [of
depression], and there is no foothold [since I am unable to free myself
from depression, I am unable to escape from my troubles]." (Psalms 69:3)
However, in the end the Jews were finally redeemed through the power of
the great Tzaddikim, such as Moshe (Moses) and Aaron, who were able to
reteach the Jews how to find Hashem and connect themselves to joy as in
earlier times. (Lekutai Halachot: Orach Chaim: Hilchot Ho'daw'ah
6:57)
OUR CONNECTION TO HASHEM
The spiritual energies created by the true Tzaddikim have the power to
bring redemption(It is well known that the holy magid of Kuznitz longed
all of his life for the final redemption. This desire went far beyond
what was typical of other Tzaddikim. When he became old and saw that the
redemption still hadn't come, he said to himself, "The passage of the
Talmud that says, "The son of David (the Messiah) will not come until
all of the souls have ended from the body," really means that the
Messiah won't come until all the souls are elevated and released from
the seven levels of purgatory. The holy Baal Shem Tov longed for the
Messiah as much as I, but when he passed away and was greeted by the
holy Ari and his holy students in the hereafter, his joy was so great
that he lost all interest in this world [and therefore no longer exerted
himself to bring the Messiah]. The Baal Shem's holy student, the Magid
of Mezritch, also longed for the Messiah as much as I, but when he
passed away and was greeted in the hereafter by the Baal Shem, his great
joy also caused him to lose interest for this world. These were all
tricks from Heaven, orchestrated to divert their attention from bringing
the Messiah before his time. However, when I pass away and go to the
hereafter, I will not let them distract me and divert my attention from
working my hardest to bring the Messiah.