AyinBase / Ayin Beis with R' Paltiel ThursdayNight
21 Sivan 5773
Page
23 (chuf dalet). Five lines from the top of the page –
(line
begins: 'aval...') For text, click: Here.
Tzelem is a form –
a form that is exactly the essence/etzem itself.
God said, 'let's make
man in Our image' – and this 'image' is Torah.
Torah comes from His
chochmah/wisdom.
The root of Torah is
chochmah/wisdom. What is so special about chochmah? It says the
chochmah of man illuminates his face. And we know the difference
between mochin/mind and midot/emotions – and the principle of mind
is chochmah/wisdom.
And the difference
between mind and emotions... the midot/emotions are only a revelation
of a reflection of the person, and that's why emotions are focused on
relating to others. But mochin/mind is the essence of the person and
hence it can be 'unto itself'.
Both mind and
emotions are faculties of the soul.
This means that in
both cases there is a functional element.
Life is the essence
of the person, but we are not aware of it. Why? All the faculties
are functional and are dressed in the body of the person. The eye
sees. But we do not say the 'body lives'. This is the presence of
the neshamah/soul. Sight, touch etc are body experiences. Life is
not a body experience.
The human being is
life in a body. The animal is a living body.
Man exists on a
different plane. The animal lives in the physical plane. Man is
essentially soul.
Thus when we talk of
faculties, we are describing how they are part and parcel of the
body.
And this applies to
all the faculties. Starting with chochmah. And this is where our
'awareness' begins.
Mochin is the first
place where you are aware you have a soul. Emotions too, carry this
awareness. But there is a difference between them. A person acts in
the world, but he is not really in the world. His awareness is above
this. It is in the mochin/mind. The mind demands respect, decency,
truth...etc
Chochmah is a
reflection of the essence.
What is this essence
that is reflected? He is beyond world. He is essence, in a body.
The human being represents an essence.
The human emotions
contain an element of 'this is the right way to behave'. This means,
that just as mind represents that a human being is not bound by
anything in the world, so too on the emotional level. He may have an
inclination towards chesed/kindness, but he is above it. There is
an element of mind or independence in the emotions.
Real human self
respect cannot be bought or argued about, only acknowledged.
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