“Arousal of the Heart” p: 164-5

AyinBase with R' Paltiel Thursday 24 Sivan 5772  

Page 164 – 2^nd last line of the page (line starts, 'ushlilit...') For text, see link top right of the blog. Or for text right click here.

We started yesterday, to bring a relevance to the concept of Essence/atzmus. How do we begin to talk about something when there's nothing 'to talk about'. The basis is the Zohar quoted in Tanya, where it says, 'No thought can grasp You...' The Alte Rebbe explains and says, 'the ratzon/will of the heart does have a grasp/cognizance.

This is a high level in terms of the soul and refinement of the body. But in general everyone has in some sense this cognizance. This is what distinguishes the human being from everything else. 

Chochmah/wisdom is based on the knowledge that 'there is a first Being'. So how is this known before chochmah/wisdom. There is knowledge before wisdom. This is 'arousal of the heart'. ratzon/will of the heart is the real foundational knowledge.

The presence and consciousness of the nations is based on experience. There is one place of real knowledge, based on truth, not experience. This is knowledge beyond process.

The thinking of the world is that there is no truth. A Jew and the human being is distinguished from this because he represents emet/truth/real presence. A human being is a reality, not a creation in this context.

We have a paradox. We see a world of relativity, not truth. On the other hand we sense, 'there is something very real here! You look at the world and see a huge living body, with unending resource'. This is the 'arousal of the heart' sensing 'this is a reality, not just cause and effect, and this reality is what we live with!'

And he sees this reality is really real. He sees he did not fabricate this reality but was a recipient of it. The lack of description, is not because of weakness of our intellect, but because it is greater than description. This is Essence as we perceive it. 'There is something there, and everything comes from this reality...'

We say the world is created and the Creator is involved. Only if you lose connection to the reality can you say, He made it and the left the world alone. We say there is a basic reality. We say the host is here and that's why we can eat the meal. So Essence is remote and impossible to understand, yet it is a principle in our live and activities...!

And the Rebbe asks, 'where does light come from? And how does it come from Essence? And how is Essence found in the light/revelation?'