Sunday, May 18, 2014

“Purification of Darkness; Real Sleep” p:60

AyinBase / Ayin Beis with R' Paltiel 



Sunday 18 Iyar, 5774

Page 60

At the last third of the page – (line begins: "may-hishtalshalus”) For text, click: Here.

We are looking at how you bring out the essence and create a dwelling place for Him...

We have been explaining how this is due to the transformation of the animal soul. You come from darkness. You come from an animal state. And the purification of this state brings essence.

We have looked at how the absence of good – the negativity can reach the essence of a person's animal soul to motivate change...


On the level there could be gradations and relative value. But the absence can affect the person more deeply.


The Zohar points out that there is supremacy of wisdom over folly like that of light over darkness... so what's the point? Obviously wisdom and folly differ. The point is that there is a correlation. There is an advantage attained by light from the purification of darkness...!

For us darkness is the absence of light. And if just the absence of light brings darkness, it indicates that the fundamental reality is darkness. The purification is to take away the preeminence of darkness!


Avodah/service giving yourself over. Your whole orientation changes. It is risky. It involves daring. And falling. You go to where you don't have sure footing. How do you do that? How do you go to a place of 'lack of definition'? It is based on a 'no, before a yes'. “That which I understand is not the basis for truth” and you want to go for the inherent truth not for the identifyable truth.

You say, “that which I have now is not worth maintaining. I want the Godly truth and I have no definions. But that doesn't stop me. I work from within that which I cannot identify”.

At the end of the day you sleep not to escape the pressures of the day. You sleep to get refreshed. This is because even in the darkness is the Godly truth. There is rejuvenation, which is the real test of the truth of your principle.

How do you come to identify with the essence of light? It is through the darkness. The Tzaddik falls, but he knows he is within Godly reality. You fall till your orientation according to your defined reality is nullifed and you reach a new reality...

Just like in darkness you dont see anything, so too in essence you cannot define anything. But the essence is the exact opposite of darkness.

This is the Zohar's statement. Light benefits from the experience of darkness. The darkness shows us a fundamental reality, which we would otherwise not have known in the world. And then we can see the fundamental reality in light...

The purification of darkness in practical terms. Think of a 'soldier's sleep'. The sleep is service. He goes to a level he could not have reached in the normal order of things...

Real sleep is service – clearing out the consciouse mental process and starting all over again. You have seen the sunrise many times, but each has its own novelty.


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