Tuesday, August 13, 2013

“Essence, Delight and Function” p: 32

AyinBase / Ayin Beis with R' Paltiel Tuesday 7 Elul 5773


Page 32 (לב). At about a third into the page – (line begins: 'kuli...') For text, click: Here.

'Delight' is synonymous with life. There is no 'life' inherent in world. Life can only come from the living God. The world strives to identify all in relation to the functional world. They will even say 'a human being is the result of trying to save himself from the lion'. This is perverse. There is a central reality.

The soul delights in 'being what it is'. It is not filling any lack. And the happiness in 'being what it is' is because this joins it to the 'First Being'. Godly presence has no beginning and no functionality. It is way beyond the 'truth of existence...'

Delight is a 'surrounding light' (ohr makif) and essence is the source of that light. Oneg/delight, is making a statement, but there is no 'what' it is talking about. How can that be? How can something be without a 'what'? From our perspective everything needs a foundation. Oneg/delight has no basis. It does not need an explanation. So where does it come from and what is it based on? It is based on and sourced in the essential element of the soul. And essence cannot be defined. It is by definition 'not world'. It is Godly. Worldly means 'it has a source'. Godly means 'without a source'.


And this tells us the uniqueness of chochmah. Though it is a conscious faculty, it is satisfied being aware of 'essence', for which it has no definition nor handle. This is like the sage saying, 'I choose the king'.

And the chochmah is like sight. You and the chochmah are united. You see with your eyes not with your hands. The animal sees the tangible, not the visible. The human being sees the visible – the concept...

So oneg/delight/ענוג is a surrounding element that represents essence. Chochmah/wisdom is the conscious faculty that can bring these surrounding lights into the vessels of consciousness.

Chochmah/wisdom brings the soul into the world... and everything that is brought is a small reflection of an infinite resource.






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