AiynBase with R' Paltiel 2/8/10 Monday 24 Shevat 5770
Page 12 – about a third from end of the page - “she kol ze”.
We saw there are two kinds of hashpah – ohr and shefa. With shefa there is an actual transfer – giving of the actual understanding – so the recipient has it on his own. Ohr is only a reflection from the real thing – the essence is not given over. The sun is not affected at all that it is giving off light.
Similarly in ohr ein sof, baruch hu, that is only haarah levad – there is no essence in it. For this reason it is called “ein sof – no end” and not “ein techilah – no beginning” since it does have a beginning. The beginning is the etzem from which the ohr is coming. Even as it exists outside the source, it still functions because it is attached to the source.
But there is also a superior quality in ohr over shefa – the ohr cleaves to the source, and without the connection it would not exist. But shefa does not have this connection to the source. Like in throwing a stone, the koach is separated from the hand, which means that when the koach carries the stone, the hand is at rest. Because ohr stays connected it is like the essence of the illuminator, but in shefa the hashpaa is not like the mashpia himself.
In the case of shefa, the sechel still started with the mashpiah – the sechel is reflective of the etzem. In secular thought you have the idea of evolution and the big bang – woldly explanations for the world – in contrast to this we say the world is rooted above world, made and sustained by the Creator. How did these opposing views originate? Each presented kfi ofen ha etzem – as is the essence – when one sees himself as a metziut then he sees the world that way and explains it as such. Evolution says each thing is trying to enhance its own metzius.
As opposed to this you have a sechel based on the nefesh elokis – which is ein / nothing. Thus all that is encountered is reflective of this. Thus all is elokus. And if there is a metziut it is because elokus is concealed.
Since the sechel is according to its etzem there is difficulty since the idea of evolutions seems to grasp the world – the nefesh ha bahamit attests to its truth.
Shefa presents it the way etzem would think of it, but not as the etzem is itself.
AiynBase with R' Paltiel 2/7/10 Sunday 23 Shevat 5770
Page 12 – top of the page.
The angels were running back and forth – this refers to the G-dly life that comes into the worlds.
This means that it has this aspect of “back and forth”. This is also the case of the nefesh enlivening the body. It is a constant pulse – rising upward and spreading forward. This is like the pulse of the heart with its two movements. This is how the life flows. It rises to its source and becomes rejuvenated and then brings down new life into the body/world.
Also the ohr eloki is constantly in the state of ratzu ve shuv / back and forth as it gives life to the world.
Malchus is constantly in a state of ratzu / running back – not to be in a state of metziut.
The 10 sphirot are compared to a flame attached to a coal.
The root of the light speaks to them in a manner of ratzu ve shuv.
The cause of the ratzu is understood by first looking at ohr ein sof. The fact that it is call ein sof / without end, rather than “without beginning” which seems like greater praise, as it says all kadmon / primordial is nitzchi / eternal, and not every nitzchi / eternal is necessarily kadmon / primordial.
This seems to show that it is nitzchi / eternal, without being kadmon / original.
So why is it called “ein sof”? This is because it is just an haarah, ie it does not have an essential presence. It is called ohr since it is only a reflection. There is a difference between ohr and shefa – both are bestowal, but shefa is where the essence / etzem is comes along.
The same is the case in kochot ruchni – it gives in the form of shefa not ohr. An actual source is being exerted to cause the effect. This is like throwing a stone – the koach of the hand drives the stone onward, overcoming its nature to fall down.
With giving of sechel the rav can give only the haarah, not the essence. He can give however the etzem of this level, so it is a shefah, not ohr and this occupies the rav at this time.
The ray of light in contrast to the haarat ha sechel, takes up no space in the sun. the haarat ha sechel, “takes up space” in the mind.
Ratzon in contrast to sechel, takes up no time. Sechel has to be vested in the mind. In this way sechel is not an etzem / essence, like ratzon is. Chochmah is the inception of the sechel, as it comes from ratzon. Then there is a glimmer of this that can be translated as a metziut.
AiynBase with R' Paltiel 2/5/10 Friday 21 Shevat 5770
Page 11 – about a third from the end of the page - “de gan edan”.
The rebbe is saying that the bitual hayesh, achieved by torah from below is more phenomenal than the bitul that occurs under intellectual influence, since it is not limited to keilim.
He starts out by using mind to find the truth, and then goes beyond this and becomes aware of what is underlying this bitul and relates to the truth itself – this is bitul hayesh. He realizes the yesh and all its ramifications is only what the Creator makes. Now he's a real metziut. The yesh realizes that his presence is due to the Creator and not due to its own efforts / structure. Now the yesh can directly relate to its creator.
In the Garden of Eden there is a revelation that is not limited to the seder hishtalshalus – you recognize it not by the parameters of your world, but in terms of what is created above.
This is like the third temple – it will be built by human effort and into it will descend the G-dly structure. The yesh itself is not self supporting and the yesh is no longer oriented to himself – he becomes light – the vessel becomes like the ohr that it contains.
“All the ways of torah are pleasant and the alleyways are of peace” - the way is wide and the alley is narrow – this is like the public thoroughfare and walking along a narrow plank – a river comes from from Edan to water the garden. The ways / derech is Edan itself and the alleyway is the water come out to the garden. This can be understood by looking first at “the angels are running forward and back.” This is explaining the back-and-forth manner of life coming to the worlds.
The life of the nefesh in vivifying the body is in a constant state of rising and returning to the body. This is also represented by the beating of the heart – with its two movements.
AiynBase with R' Paltiel 2/4/10 ThursdayNight 21 Shevat 5770
Page 11 – about a third from the end of the page - “ohr she lemayla mibechinat hakli”.
Looking at how the principle of bitul, at all levels are in a deep way related – birur / bitul of shem ban is a bitul where the nefesh habahamit recognizes there is a better way. This better way is still engaging its own metziut, thus at this point even though he is a keili to receive hashpaah, it is based on his level – for example being a vessel for the chochmah the wiser man will teach him.
This is wonderful, but it is not yet reaching the point that he will receive an ohr that is not dressed in a keli. He has the bitul to receive the wisdom that is above him, but it is in a keili.
The Alte Rebbe was being escorted by Avraham hamalach said to the wagon driver, “you have to hit the horse till it ceases to be a horse” or “you have to hit the horse till it knows its a horse”. This is like clearing the way for the nefesh habahmit to start dealing with nefesh haenushi – the level of sechel. This is like raising a child – the child's raising opens his mind to right and wrong and brings him out of himself.
First there is the training of the animal soul that it should be interested in sechel at all. But why should he give up what he is? How do you train him? Why give in to higher sechel? He submits to the truth. Sechel enushi says, behave like a human, not like an animal – there is a truth that man has been made to be human. The animal soul begins to recognize there is a truth. So there is a higher level of bitul / birur. The bitul ha yesh is effected by Torah – the animal soul is made to recognize and relate not jus the sechel, but to the source of the sechel – a recognition of the truth itself. The first birur leads on to this second level. The nefesh ha bahamit of man has sechel and can thus have a birur / refinement.
A building is based on a foundation, based on rules of engineering, using human sechel, but based on the principle that the earth is a solid base – the solidity of the earth is based on a G-dly will. So now we see “this structure stands because He wants it to stand”. If not for the fact that He builds a house, then the builders are engaged for naught. - Psalms.
This is birur of Torah – rules of how to behave in the world, but not base on the world – based rather on a G-dly will.
The keili becomes like the ohr – the same will that holds the world in mid space is what holds up the building – everything is a miracle.
Torah brings worldly rulings that are not based on world at all. Two are walking in the street, one with a beam and one with a glass jar – if the one with the jar stopped suddenly, you may think the beam carrier is exempt. If he stopped to rest – then yes, but if you stop to adjust the load then no the beam carrier is responsible. If the man with the beam was in front and the glass carrier behind, same applies.
What is behind the rulings, is not who broke what, but who did wrong. What's wrong with doing a wrong thing? The responsibility is not on the incident, but on the human – a human is under obligation to behave responsibly. Not being responsible is like a hillul hashem.
AiynBase with R' Paltiel 2/4/10 Thursday 20 Shevat 5770
Page 11 – about a third from the end of the page - “bechinat bitul hayesh”.
Looking at the pathway of Torah from below to above how the keli becomes like the ohr.
What does it mean, that the keili becomes like the ohr? This is done through bitul. Bitul can come like that of a chocham katan (a novice) in the presence of the chocham gadol (wise man). Why is he affected? Why is the novice not just interested in his chochmah? It shows that the whole basis of chochmah is based on elements of truth. The novice realizes that the chochmah of the wise man relates to the truth in a more profound way – and because he is seeking the truth and is affected in a profound way (if he was not seeking the truth he would not want to be in the presence of the wise man, since it would diminish his own chochmah).
What is the element of truth? That it does not represent itself – that it represents it's Creator. When one realizes that his whole presence is provided to him from above, this is the level of ohr. Through bitul ha yesh it is possible for the keili to reach the level of ohr – this is done through Torah. Torah gives directives, that are expressed on the level of the world, yet their basis is not at all based on world. This rises even the nefesh habahamit (the animal soul).
The keli becomes like the ohr, but they are different. Keli still recognizes metziut, but knows that it is sourced above. “not only is it not of my making, but its significance is that I recognize and serve the Maker with this thing.” “Lehiyot hakeilim kmo ha-ohr” - connection of the keili to it's Maker is what makes it significant.
A simple recitation of Psalms, by a simple man, not even knowing the meaning of the words, may be greater than that of the great scholar. This is a teaching of chassidus. “I don't know anything, I just know I am speaking to the One who lives forever.” Sometimes knowing the meaning of the words can interfere with the purity. This is the second kind of bitul – bitul before the truth, not because of his chochmah, but an essential recognition.
The keili then is able to receive a light that is beyond the level of relating to keili. Since “my grasp of it” is not important, then he can receive an ohr that is not graspable in a keli. He relates to the source itself. He knows his value is not what he is, but the presence of the Creator.
AiynBase with R' Paltiel 2/3/10 Wednesay 19 Shevat 5770
Page 11 – about a third from the end of the page (see toolbar on the right for text) - starting with the word, “havay-ah”.
The nefesh ha bahamit does not volunteer to be purified, it has to be affected by the sechel.
We have an animal and a human being. The human tells the animal to behave, and the animal starts to restrain itself, till it becames habitual and it becomes more refined. After some refinement it can develop a sense of why things are inappropriate and it becomes eligible to really sense the G-dly soul. The keilim become eligible to actually sense the ohr – binah becomes like chochmah.
This occurs as a process from below. The keilim become like the ohr. This is what torah brings about. This is a level where the animal soul has been guided in doing a mitzvah, not just restraining itself.
This is like the wood of the tree having the taste of the fruit – this is accomplished by the path of torah from below to above. This is in the way of bitul hayesh – the keili becomes like the ohr.
Bitul hayesh (nullification of self); there are two ways to purify the midot, one is through debate and contemplation, this is the effect of sechel on the midot. The other way is that sechel gives a directive of how to proceed and the midot are controlled by this decree – this is bitul hayesh.
A human has the ability to guide himself according to torah even though it goes against his desire.
The difference between these approaches is that initially the first approach seems more effective, but here the behayma is not affected, it is just put aside, there isn't a bitul hayesh. There is great value in bitul hayesh since the goal is not just to behave well, but to behave well, due to the G-dly presence. Yesh and Elokus don't fit together.
The behayma (animal soul) gets more “full of itself” if it gets its own way – if it gets a gift it builds its own arrogance – it rejects the sense of a G-dly gift.
When the nefesh habahmit accepts a decree unwillingly, it breaks it, allowing for G-dly presence.
B”H
2.2.10 (Tuesday, 18 Shevat) p.11 (few lines above middle) - Notes from Yehudah
Neshamos /souls are rooted in kalim (vessels) of atzilus and come down into this world, in order to rise up to a higher level (to the oros of atzilus).
Nefesh ha behamis (the animal soul) – can only relate to chumrius and gashmious (physicality).
Without avodah, the Nefesh ha behamis is drawn to chumri and gashmi and considers it the only reality. It is completely complacent in this. Doesn’t ask what am I here for? What do I accomplish when I eat this cake?
If he had any sense of bittel (self nullification), he would say yes I am chumri and gashmi, but it is meaningless.
Without avodah, he is drawn to chumri and gashmi and he justifies it. He only relates to his own presence.
Bittel ha yesh – Nefesh Elokis (G-dly soul) forces the Nefesh ha behamis to recognize that his mitzeus is not the end of the story. Nefesh ha behamis has seichel. Seichel is that he can understand things that are not of his own experience.
This is why the Nefesh ha behamis can understand that you are an entity that needed to be made (i.e. it was created) – without recognizing that someone made you and why you were made, you are not relating to the truth of your existence.
This is who I am, but this is not the full story. I want to relate to that which complements my story. Nefesh ha behamis of an animal couldn’t care less – can’t explain to it what it is. Human Nefesh ha behamis can act against its own preferences – an animal is not able to do this.
Difference between gashmi and chumri. Gashmi is the fact of gashmious. Chumri is the satisfaction of being gashmi – the disinterest in anything else – the coarseness of it.
AiynBase with R' Paltiel 2/1/10 Monday 16 Shevat 5770
Page 11 - 11 lines from top of the page - “kuli”.
As discussed yesterday, there is a depth to chochmah, which means that even the keli of chochmah is light / life.
The keli does not have an aspect of metziut. It does not have a presence outside of its presentation of the ohr. It does not have an outside presentation of itself.
This is the truth / light as it is unto itself.
Like sight – we see “more than meets the eye” - we see the reality of why it is here, beyond just what is here. This is like seeing the object as it is contained in it's inception. This is the essence, not the presentation.
Ein is the way chochmah perceives chochmah, it cannot understand it. But the inyan of chochmah, koach mah, perceives beyond that – to perceive what the kesser / crown is. This gives us a recognition / knowledge of the reality itself – we can actually know the reality of creation – the world is real to us since we know it from it's inception. Is the world real? As just a presence, no, but as a creation that He made, then it becomes very real.
This is the principle of the hamshacha mochin chadashim. This is a different level of mind. It is a flow of the essential shem mah.
This is by means of the Torah. Torah comes from chochmah and through it flows shem mah itself. This is the way / derech of Torah. It is a pathway by means of which there is a flow from above to below – it bypasses the whole seder hishtalshalus. It provides an increase that defies the seder hishtalshalus, which works according to light in vessels. Torah on the other hand reveals the essence of the crown. At the same time this chochmah is called a koach, since it is not a gilui of ratzon itself, which would not allow for existence of the world at all.
Torah is a new way. It brings the essence of kesser, but it does not defy world. It comes to us in pathways, instructing us how to treat everything in the world, but don't necessarily make sense in the world – they are above world.
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