Monday, August 10, 2009

A personal recognition of the truth


Aeter with R' Paltiel 8/9/09 Sunday 19 Menachem Av 5769 Pay Dalet

Page pay dalet. 3 lines from the top of pay hay at the end of the line (see page above - double click to enlarge).

Malchus of ein sof is revealed through malchus of atzilus.

We looked at how the root is not independent of the result, but continues into it.
This explains how we get a moreh gadol to get us out of mitzraim.

The two hay's – matzah was the hachanah / preparation to receive that gilui – yirah tata represents bitul hayesh – meaning that it is not bitul be etzem, since there is not as yet gilui ohr – just that he makes himself butul by means of kabalus ol malchus shamayim or by means of hisbonenus.

To understand this, let's revisit yirah – it can indicate something superficial, where one is “scared for himself” and this fear can sometimes have no relation to reality – this is not what is meant by yirah and bitul hayesh.

Yirah relates to someone who is in full self confidence. Yirah at any level entails a recognition of the G-dly truth.

He recognizes in whose presence he exists. The lower level of this is bitul hayesh – the principle of bitul is the means by which he opens up his finer qualties and becomes sensitive to a greater reality. Without bitul we are locked in outselves and the only yirah we have is for our own security/safety which is not what we mean by yirah.

Real bitul makes one sensitive to what is going on around him and this gives him a level of respect. This is called bitul hayesh. He is not in essence butul since there is as yet no gilui ohr. The metzius of a nivrah is a result of helem ve hester – when one is aware exclusively of oneself even though he is a creation then there is no yirah. First step is bitul hayesh.

If there is giui ohr then he clearly senses reality and what his metziut represents.

Sunlight is butel to the sun – and thus it doesn't become a seperate metzius and the metzius of the light is true, since it is connected to the sun.

Bitul ha yesh – he's senses only himself, nevertheless he at the same time senses that, that which he experiences is not the real truth. And he imposes on himself bitul by one of two ways, kabalos ol malchus shamaim or hisbonenus.

Hisbonenus is mentioned, not learning. Learning it will not affect yirah tata or bitul hayesh. Learning can be like a possession. It may not become the basis for his thinking. It is conceivable that one can know “breshit barah elokim...” and it just enhances his yeshus.

Hisbonenus is a completely different function from learning. It is when one stops learning and asks what does this mean to me – how does it affect my metziut. He imposes it on himself, but it is real – a personal recognition of the truth. This is the activity of hisbonenus and there can be a resultant bitul hayesh – he recognizes that he is not independent and this makes him sensitive and opens him up to what is the truth.

Then there is a deeper level – to have kabalas ohl malchus shamayim one needs to be more pure – one needs to be sensitive without hisbonenus. This is not just knowledge, but he has a personal sense that he is not the truth and that he is here for a purpose. This is also an inherent quality – the ability to recognize that the truth is much greater than himself.

We spoke many times about sechel enoshi and the principle of obligations and responsibilities – if one is aware only of himself, how can one demand responsibilities? This is possible because every human being knows that the world does not really belong to him. Even though he may not know to serve the creator he has to know that he doesn't own the world and it is not his to destroy.

Yidden go further – not only is the world not mine, but there is a creator to the world – this is kabalos ol malchus shamaim.

He doesn't see the creator, but he imposes it on himself. This is a more direct connection than through hisbonenus.

Generally an intelligent person wants to relate to the truth. A yid's sechel enushi is sensitive to the ultimate truth and he wants to relate to it – his sechel enushi leads him and opens him to it.

Aristotle was a profound thinker and the Rambam and the Zohar talk of him. But it was all in the sechel - all was at the academic level – all for the purpose of fulfilling his intellectual desire, rather than finding out who he is and what his purpose is. There was a time Aristotle failed – his students asked him you teach ethics and we saw you failing morally – how is this possible? He answered, “that is my animal”. There was not a soul desire to get to the truth and it didn't push him further. By yidden there is a soul connection that takes him further.

A yid doesn't just want to live a good life in the world – he wants the ein, the truth in the world.

The Baal Shem Tov uncovered that the simple yid shows greater neshamah quality than the greatest scholars.

Where does he get it from? He has it.

This is yirah tata and bitul hayesh – it is a meaningful bitul, but it is imposed by his own work/effort – not that he experiences gilui ohr.

The alter rebbe explains the difference between a navi and chacham. It is said that a chacham is greater than a navi. Moshe rabenu was the greatest navi possible – he brought from lower levels of atzilus. The navi sees the reality. But we talk about atzmus and levels above atzilus – chochmah is relating to levels beyond what the navi can see. Through hisbonenus he imposes it on himself, and it is a sensitivity, but it is a sensitivity to something real.

When there is gilui ohr then he recognizes that he is part of the source.

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