Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Demand for Truth p: 50


AyinBase with R' Paltiel p: 50 5/17/2011 Tuesday 13 Iyar 5771

Page 50 – 2 lines from the end of the page (line starts: ubehistalshalus... ) 

In the realm of histalshalus, what we have explained, that the effect is from the ha-arah/reflection not the essence, this is seen in the process of ilu ve alu / cause and effect. The cause and the effect are 2 separate entities. This is reflection/ha-arah of a reflection/ha-arah!

Ha-arah/reflection is external and has an effect. Chochmah and binah are ilu ve alu. If you recognize something in chochmah this draws one to decipher what has been seen. The chochmah itself is only a ha-arah – 'it is a view of something – a pure view of something'. It is not that thing itself.

Take the experience of seeing the sunlight. We are intrigued – we ask 'what is this? How does it work?' Yet we don't ask what is the sun? This is because the sun is not a ha-arah, it is an entity a mahus. We have sechel and sechel says that everything has a fundamental reality. 

For the rav to give sechel to his student, he has to draw a reflection to give him. Sechel is a ha-arah/reflection, that is imparted to him, so why can't an animal have sechel? An animal can be trained to act in a certain way, but not to think in a certain way. The principle of sechel is rooted in the special nefesh/soul of the human. And this is above sechel. 

We know right and wrong, which is a sechel principle. When things are wrong we are uncomfortable – it irks our soul. A person can go on mesirat nefesh to address this. Sechel is a statement that, 'this is nefesh ha-adam / soul of man', which demands there has to be a truth, a reality. Sechel is a ha-arah of this statement of the soul.

Why couldn't Avraham/Abraham accept the idea that day and night are made by different forces? He says 'there is an owner to the world', this is a different element, this is not a sechel demand, his soul rejected that the effect is the reality. He wanted the primary reality.



We say there is unity in the world, 'it is all one'. The reality of world is not world! The reality is the Creator of the world! This is above sechel, and is sensed in the soul.

The rav/teacher is in touch with his nefesh and his sechel originates from there.

The essence of man is not just, 'how to live' but rather, 'what is the meaning of being here?'

Our animal soul is not a regular animal. It is different. It is not just smarter, it is sechel based, except its basis is from world/bottom rather than the top. The human animal soul develops a rationale for its actions. So in this respect it is worse than an animal, yet because he has sechel he can be shown the other side and with proper discipline he/the animal soul can appreciate the other side – finer qualities, real life.     

No comments:

Post a Comment