Sunday, August 22, 2010

The purpose of the trip

AyinBase with R' Paltiel 8/22/2010 Sunday 12 Elul 5770

Click on the herring (in tool bar on the right) to see text.

Page 27 – 4th line from thestart of the ma'amar.

We start the ma'amar with 2 questions.

Why on shimini atzeres it says “to you”, but shavuot and pesech it says to Hashem, and also why is simchat torah set up at it's time and not on shavuot.

To answer this we say torah is “betzalmenu” - “in our form”.

Wood by nature has certain properties. The appearance of the wood corresponds to its properties. We can represent ourselves in ways that are not authentic, but this is a perversion.

The neshamah is in the body, not for its own benefit, but to purify the body and function in the world. So the purpose of the trip is not for the neshamah to understand something for itself, but for it to show/represent/reveal that understanding to the outside!

What do you need (vos du darfs) vs what you're needed for – this was said by the alte rebbe to one of his chassidim, not as a reprimand, but to explain the primary meaning of us being here. When all else failed, the rebbe reminded him that he has a job to do. This is the rebbe calling his name.

It can be that the name/reminder (tzura) can be higher than the level of his nature.

Tzurah (form) has to do with chochmah – it sees the object as it is, but still it is seeing it, rather than being unified with it. Seeing is so pure that one hardly notes that one is separate from what one is seeing – this is like sechel perceiving truth. How can sechel perceive truth? It is a metziut?! But it has the bitul and recognizes the truth. However it is still an observation and therefore it has to have some means, by which I observe it. A light has to reflect back into my eye. Thus there is an inevitable form in chochmah.

This is like seeing the nature of wood – we see its form. Chochmah aims not for the form, but the essence, yet when it views that, and relates to that vision it relates to the form in which it is expressing itself – tzurah atzmis.

In source, torah is from the pristine/primal chochmah. This is chochmah before it is revealed. This is like, Him, “knowing Himself”, so to speak.

This is helem ha-atzmi – it is so hidden and doesn't say anything. So how is it a root for anything and a root for torah? In the context of what we're learning, we've seen that the name by which something is known gives it its essence, but this is true only in the created world. Not his interaction with others makes him part of everything – this is the fact of his existence – he is part of everything. This truth is expressed by the name, not that the name creates the realationship. The truth of this is be helem (hidden) because it is not due to its function. The interaction does not make the connection, it is all inherently unified.

This is yachid, not echad. He knows one thing (yediayas atzmi)and by that he knows everything. This is the primal knowledge in Him.

Helem is how the revelation is in truth.

This becomes the root of the torah, but it is not revealed.

What's so special about helem? It is the truth of what later becomes revealed. We are connected, not because we interact, but because we are unified on a hidden level.

Not because there is nothing but Me, but because this Me is universal and provides for everything after it is revealed – this is the chochmah within the etzem.

In the yedias atzmi everything is there.

It is also said that torah is rooted in “the supernal playthings”. This is the essential pleasure, except that, this it is as it expresses itself in helem ha-atzmi of chochmah.

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... וחיי עולם

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