Levels of desire and how to pray...

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/31/09 Friday 10 Menachem Av 5769 Pay Gimmel

Page pay gimmel. Line starts with the words "avodah ve yegiah" (9 lines from the bottom).

Explaining that the nefesh elokis is elokus in essence and this is what it relates to – to something that is intrinsically true. And yet it is made to go down into the body and integrate with it, till it loses its sense of elokus. It loses its ability to sense and relate to elokus despite that its essence is still elokus. It is surrounded by the guf and the nefesh habahamit.

It takes great work to pry open this encasement till the nefesh elokis can relate directly to elokus.

When one is sunk into and engaged fully in wordly matters of business etc (not anything inappropriate), the involvement further gives the nefesh habahamit the upper hand over the nefesh elokis and it becomes even more difficult for it to surface. The desires of the nefesh habahamis makes it even more difficult – these desires are satisfying to it and thus go beyond reason – even permissible desires.

The proof that permissible desires conceal is that if satisfied for their own sake can lead to desire for prohibited things. If satisfaction becomes a significant aspect in a person's life then a chasm opens up.

If satisfaction becomes the criteria it is a slippery slope – as opposed to values being the primary orientation of the person.

This is the matter of timtum halev and timtum hamoach – the heart and mind get rough and insensitive. This means he can no longer distinguish between permissible and non permissible – this is a state of mitzraim.

In order that there should be exodus from there, to step out from the general enclothement in the nefesh habahamit, this is effected by prayer/tephilah. The word tephilah means connecting – it is not merely standing and expressing one's needs and desires. It is when one connects with and recognizes the reality of elokus - and connects to this reality.

This connecting to the reality of elokus, for the moment changes his perception of the world. He is connected to the reality of existence. All expressions of the greatness of creation means that it is no longer enticing in and of itself – it enhances the awareness of the greatness of the Creator. You connect to the principle truth and then to how that truth is manifest in the world!

The nefesh habahamit relates to the world as the world, whereas the nefesh haelokus relates to creation as a manifestation of elokus. Learning is involvement in sichli/mind or it, but tephilah is a personal connection.

Before davening the neshamah is only “in his nose” - meaning he feels the breathing, but through davening he feels the neshamah spreading through the whole body.



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At the wedding hall

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/28/09 Tuesday Night 7 Menachem Av 5769 Pay Gimmel

(...and notes from today's shiur are seen below those of last night...)

Page pay gimmel. Line starts with the word kulhi (at the end of the line).

Avraham sought to do chesed without anyone there. But what is a melech without a people? We say ein melech bli am – there is not king without a people. We don't say ein ish chesed bli ish ani – there's no man of chesed without a poor recipient.

But we say atzmiut hamalchus is a point that is all encompassing – not by virtue of its giluim.

Atmius is all encompassing – it is everywhere.

Meor means that it is capable of giving off light. The atzmius of malchus – contains all – all the great developments in the world are there due to the elokus in the world – the developments are for us to recognize – it is all there already since it is Hashem's creation.

When the Fredikke Rebbe came to this country is was from a relatively backward area, and the minute he came he said immediately, “in this country there is a big emphasis on popularizing things and we have to utilize it for Torah and Mitzvahs.” It took him no time to acclimate to the new environment. He came to it from an essential state. Our Rebbe went into the subways with pamphlets spreading the words of the Fredikke Rebbe's campaign – other's couldn't relate to this.

How did the Rebbe grasp this? Not from acclimating to the developments in the country, but by relating to it from the essential level – from its inception.

The Rebbe gathered children in the old 770 drieveway and had a rally there.

There is the principle of exodus from Egypt continually – this means to say there is Egypt and Exodus each day. Mitzraim is the dressing of the nefesh elokis in the nefesh ha-bahamis. Getting fully integrated in the nefesh habahamis – although the nefesh elokis is rooted in the higher levels of holiness and in essence is elokus.

This is in contrast to being world – the nefesh elokus is a true present, not dependent on its yeshus. From its essence is is a true receptacle for gilui ohr.

Ohr is an illusive presence – intangible – not a metziut on its own – it is only an emanation of its source and remains an emanation. The world cannot relate to gilui ohr – it needs something tangible that it can bite into.

Nefesh elokus can relate to elokus and relate constantly – not through working and reflecting, but by just being with elokus. This is the experience of the neshamah above it its source in gan eden. Gan eden is the place of gilui elokus.

Chitzoni is external logic – a structure. Sechel pnimi gives meaning to the sechel. Sechel atzmi is the truth of it – seeing the unity and G-dly presence. In every thought the neshamah experiences there shines for it a revelation of G-dliness. It doesn't understand gashmius.

The neshamah doesn't understand things by a sechel process – it grasps by a direct appreciation. She is constantly in a state of bitul. The neshamah does not relate to a precarious/tangible/fleeting/circumstantial reality.

The neshamah sees the G-dly quality. Wedding halls are full of G-dly reality and principles, but the human qualities are more apparent to us. The cat perceives even less – just a nice meal. The neshamah has bitul and this facilitates that it sees the ohr eloki – and only ohr eloki.

The Tana-im saw gilui shchinah in the kallah – they would pick her up and dance with her – the saw the G-dliness - that was the level of purity.

As the nefesh elokis descends into the nefesh habahamit it is covered by it, till it takes an enormous amount of work and labour till the nefesh can get back some light. It takes a lot of work till a person can recognize and say, “yes, I do relate, I do understand. I can relate to elokus.”

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Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/29/09 Wednesday 8 Menachem Av 5769 Pay Gimmel

7 lines from bottom of pay gimmel. Line begins with ubeprat.

Rebbe is saying mitzraim and exodus is present all the time and each day there must be an exodus.

The exile is the containment of the nefesh elokis in the nefesh habahamit. The nefesh elokis is G-dly, and sees in all the pure G-dliness. Even when it comprehends with sechel it sees the G-dly point in it.

Then this nefesh elokis becomes contained in the nefesh habahamit and it is not capable of having any sensitivity to elokus at all and much labour is needed to reveal that sensitivity. The nefesh elokis does not intrinsically change, but it is contained in the nefesh habahamit and can only see things thru its eyes. So 'tho it has the inner desire to see something more true it cannot find it.

As much as the nefesh is sunk in worldliness and worldly desires it feels unsatisfied it feels a lack. The nefesh elokis goes along with and experiences all that the nefesh habehamit does.

The first step is to have the nefesh elokis re-identify with something G-dly (to experience and find G-dliness as a reality) and then there is the battle to overcome the opposition from the nefesh habahamit.



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The fear itself

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/28/09 Tuesday 7 Menachem Av 5769 Pay Gimmel

A third from the top of page pay gimmel. Line starts with the word “gum”.

Revelation from the essence of malchus brings a yirah higher than yirah ilaa – this is yirah elyona. Yirah elyona is a yirah that is not within the creation – it is above. This is a yirah that comes from etzem – etzem hamalchus.

Normally malchus is related to the am – and the people are a recognizable presence that reveals the malchus. But atzmus hamalchus is universal and independent of the am/people's substantiation of it – thus the yirah that it represents is not a reflection from the mata/level below – it is the esssential yirah.

This yirah is of the level moreh gadol – as seen at yetziat mitzraim. This gilui took them out of Egypt even when they were in the extreme darkness/distance of that exile. Since this great yirah reaches everywhere and does not need keilim to be sensitive to it.

Yirah seems to be a reaction to something. In the presence of something great the little man is affected with yirah. So we should say gilui elokus/shchinah – not gilui yirah.

Since we are talking about atzmus and atzmus hamalchus which is independent of the am – and it is everywhere so therefore the statement of atzmus itself is a statement of greatness – that all is butel and there is nothing but him. Yachid is also a manifestation of atzmus. Yachid is a statement. What is the statement – it is of yirah.

Yirah is a state of being where one recoils – butel. Yachid – nothing exists, but him. The way for us to recognize this yachid quality is through yirah. Neshamas yisroel are rooted in this yachid – certain experiences, like sight persist even after the event.



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Levels of fear...

Aeter - R' Paltiel 7/27/09 Monday 6 Menachem Av 5769 P: Pay Gimmel
Eight lines from top of page pay gimmel.

When there was a gilui from elokus that brings yirah.

When atzmus is revealed there as yirah gadol.

Like a great king – awe of his presence is great. When the king shows his romemus then there is great fear. Whereas when he reveals a small corner of his greatness, then the fear/yirah is much less.

Likewise when the aspect of malchus ein sof was revealed – its very essence then the fear was very great.

The fear is on different levels – a midah in the heart – and there is a higher level of fear – a supreme level – yirah ilah – a superior kind of yirah is caused by a different experience. This is due to chochmah. The other lower yirah is due to binah and daas. Chochmah is different from binah in that it has a revelation of gilui mehus ha-or and the yirah flows from this.

Yirah elyona is a level of yirah that is higher that yirah ilah. Yirah elyona is from “bechinat malchuto yisborach mamash.”

to explain: sight is a miracle – you experience the object because it truly exists (not due to a personal experience). So too in chochmah. Gilui ha mehus is knowing the thing itself and it is an extreme experience, still, just like in sight you don't become one with the thing you see – you can close your eyes – you do see the mehus, but you see it from outside, through a faculty. The same is true of chochmah. You have to focus in on it. Not like knowing oneself. Chochmah is wonderful, but need focus – not intrinsic – needs to be refreshed continuously.

Chochmah brings yirah ilaa, since it is a true recognition, but you remain separate. Then there is gilui malchuto yisborach mamash – malchus is shchinah – the whole world is encompassed by the malchus – you're in it you're part of it – you're encompassed by it. This yirah you cannot describe – this is yirah elyonah.

You experience something that is not you – and you don't experience it through a faculty – you're encompassed in it.

Thus when there was revelation of the shchinah – this is the malchus utzmo – which results in yirah elyona – this is beyond experience/faculties.



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In the text

Don' get too excited

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/26/09 Sunday 5 Menachem Av 5769

Second line from top of page pay gimmel.
Atzmius of malcus is is in etzem and has no need to go thru a tzimzum – it is entirely self fulfilling. The king is everywhere and everything is contained in the king.

There you can have a king without a people and he is a full king.

The inyan of name is a subtle concept – on the one hand it has not significance to the person. It is just a reference on the other hand this reference is to the entire person – to him himself.

The fact that the wold has reached a level of sophistication and technological development represents not the keili/computer, but the reality itself of the unity of the world. It is all rooted in He – He is everything and everything is Him.
Principle of malchus is that the presence of the king is not limited to what and who he is.

Normally with ana emloch and the machal of the king we think of him that he incorporates land and people. This is true of all levels up to ana emloch, but there a tzimzum is needed to create a world. But the utzmus of malchus does not need to be expressed to know that it is everywhere. It is there by virtue of what he is – not like on a lower level where you have a difference between the king and his reign.

There is not place that is devoid of atzmus and there is nothing that atzmus does not have. The space of the cup potentially contains everything that can be placed in this space – this space has in essence everything that can be place there. Atzmus is the very basis of existence – hence it is everything and everywhere. Relationship of malchus and the king is very unique (in contrast to other qualities like wisdom – which can be described as an entity – so when you say the melech understands everything these are 2 entities) – malchus is inseparable from the melech. Malchus is different in this way from all the other sphirot.

Now we are coming to a conclusion of this inyan... this is as mentioned in the Haggadah – gilui shchinah – and the rebbe asked, but that's just what comes down below? And he answered this by bringing that etzem hamalchus is also called shchinah! The shchina that comes down connects the “down below” to the etzem of each higher level back to etzem malchus itself.

Romemus – exaltedness – just as a chocham gadol does not get involved in pettiness and you can't get him excited about a small idea – this is because he sees the same piece of wisdom that gets you all excited, from a different perspective. He sees it from an essential perspective and the small thing, “goes without saying” and saying it diminishes the situation by implying that this is something that needs to be identified by itself. It shows narrowness of mind.
Malchus of einsof has everything not because it has everything, but because it has a full perspective.

When this malchus was revealed in Mitzraim everything by butel.

Usually we say yirah and ahavah are from our perspective – our level of appreciation. In this way yirah is deeper, which is from far, because “i dare not come close and I don't grasp nor appreciate his quality..” so in yirah you don't get to know the inyan – it is bitul and you know it is above you. This is yirah chitoni, since you don't experience it through and through.

Then there is a yirah pnimi – to really appreciate the awesomeness – to relate to it – this is yirah pnimi and has to involve an experience of ohr.

We saw before the running to the king and the being with the king. The king is usually in his palace and the yirah of the king is throughout the kingdom. Coming into the presence of the king – does the yirah dissapate? (For a shoteh yes, he involves himself with himself in the kings presence.) The yirah doesn't dissipate - this is yirah pnimi – and his self is butel.

Pasuk says yirat Hashem is life – yirat hashem hi chaim. To have the sensitivity of G-dly presence and that he lives in Hashem's world – and that this is what the world stands for and this is the significance of all his activities - that is yirat hashem. If a person has a grasp of this level of sensitivity he is alive – that is being alive.



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Seeing the table (and everything else)

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/24/09 Friday 3 Menachem Av 5769

Second line from top of page pay gimmel.

In atzmus malchus is inherently present.

Even before the creation of the world there was “He and his name alone” - aztmus is everywhere and the everywhere is atzmus.

The Alter Rebbe explains that the guf is totally dependent on the neshama, nevertheless with all its dependency the neshama and the guf are two separate things. There you can say the neshama is everywhere and the guf depends on it. The guf and the neshama are equally butul and representative of atzmus.

Atzmius ha malchus – what is this term is pointing to? We said that middot hamalchus is that he extends everywhere. This extending everywhere has a principle behind it – what is the concept?

Seeing a table one knows that this table did not make itself – someone put it together. This deduction is chitzoni hasechel and does not say anything about what the table is. It is possible to argue differently, but not to disprove the counter argument.

Deeper sechel says – this is a keili that has a function – the real reason that we know it was put together is because there is here in the table a function that is beyond the wood. Chitzoni hasechel is a derivative of pnimius hasechel.

Etzem hasechel is at a different level completely. Usually one sees the gashmi. From etzem perspective, one sees at first glance of the table, the human presence – human design and concept. Then the question of did it make itself, is completely moot. We have chitsoni because we have this essential insight.

When we look at the world and its harmony, we see also behind it – hashamayim mesaprim kvod kel (“.. the skies declare the glory of G-d... -Ps”) - looking at the world one sees G-d.

The world doesn't speak for itself – it represents the one who made it – this is the etzem. It is beyond logic and beyond pnimi. We see it this way since we have a soul.

Atzmius hamalchus is similar. What is behind the recognition that he extends everywhere? This is the atzmius hamalchus – like looking a the world and not seeing world at all. We see world at a true presence and the truth of its presence is G-d.

At this level you see that everything is elokus and elokus is everything – not that the object is subservient to it and wouldn't survive without it.
He and his name – the name is the way we express who he is.




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Even if the king is hidden...

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/23/09 Wednesday 2 Menachem Av 5769

Four lines from the bottom of page pay base.

Threee levels of malchus de ein sof are discussed. Before tzimzum and after. Ana emloch is a level before tzimzum, and the cause for it, and malchus al am is after zimzum.

In malchus ein sof there is hisnaasot atzmi, which is a primary exaltedness, that has nothing to do with the am. That is to say, there can be a king belo am.

Hamelech hakosdesh – is the level of the king unto himself, without any relationship to the people. Last night it was explained that the inyan of melech, is that the king has a quality that knows no limits – this is melech. So when we say ein melech belo am, it shows how he encompasses everything and he extends over a level and a people that is much lower and doesn't understand him at all – and yet there too his presence can be found.

Like torah and mitzvot – naaseh ve nishmah – understanding enables you to see how it pertains to you, but we put naaseh first, saying that “even if I am
unaware and the king is hidden somewhere in his palace, he is nevertheless here with me. Why is he here with me? Since there is no place devoid of him and I will act according to his will even in his seeming absence.”

This is malchus in seder hishtalshalus.

Then there is malchus in atzmus itself.

At this level everything is full/complete in and of itself. So what is malchus at this level? There is no need for a people. The matter that atzmus extends to all levels and doesn't have to show itself – this is the malchus of atzmus. All humans, bottom to top, are all ready to say, “thank G-d” - even the communists. Those who denied the king still acknowledge. Why? Because G-dly presence is recognized and present universally and not substantiated by your intellect or emotions.

This melucha is not limited to ruling over humans. In the time to come the animals are going to recognize the king.

This level of malchus is contained in atzmus, even before the world was created there was, “He and his name alone”. There was “He” this is atzmus and “His name” is revelation of his atzmus.

Why the name – who is there to call him?

A king is present in his kingdom, by virtue of the fact that his name is on them. Name refers to the expansion of the king indefinitely. At the level of atzmus, this is an inyan if yachid, not echad. At the level of yachid all is automatically included.



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The world is rooted in essence.

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/22/09 Wednesday 1 Menachem Av 5769

3rd from bottom of page pay bet.

Just as it is with malchus of atzilus, that it not only descends, but it gives of itself – so too with the malchus of ein sof.

Just as malchus becomes atik for briya, and thus the creation exists “before it exists” – it has a primary existence even though it is a creation.

Atzilus vs briah. Atzilus is also a world, but not a created world. It is ohr and revelation, but it is the ohr as it comes straight from the source. In atzilus there is the sense that this is also elokus – the light carries a primary presence. There is atzilus de briah and atzilus de klalus. At a much higher level, it is called malchus de ein sof.

Briah de klalus is called a creation relative to the atzilus de klalus.
This overall atzilus is the ohr ein sof before the tzimzum and malchus de ohr ein sof becomes atik for ak.

We have no grasp of these inyanim whatsoever, but in relative terms as comparison between levels, that we can speak about: original machshavah that ani emloch, refers to a state where there are no giluim.

Myself before any revelation. To use a mashal for etzem we use the sun, but the sun has to make light. It doesn't have a choice and it doesn't have an etzem that is beyond making light. Since the shemesh is an essence of ohr and doesn't come from consuming a wick, therefore the inyan of light in the shemesh originates not a the point of production, but in its essence.

The ohr is mushrash in the essence of the sun. there it is the etzem. The sun is a physical entity, but we can project the concept that the light exists in the sun not because that is what it produces, but because that is what the sun is.

This is a means to relate to “ana emloch” - there is no malchus, only etzem, but in the ana itself there is the root for it (it doesn't have the limitation that it can't exist without it). This starts the whole process. At this level there is no giluim, and tzimzum came to satisfy this...

Ana emloch – the inyan of melucha needs there to be something separate/outside.

Here we can see atik more clearly, the inyan of worlds have a root in the very essence itself – not at some lower “functional” level.

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An underlying truth to everything...

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/21/09 Tuesday 29 Tammuz 5769

Page pay bet - middle. Line starts – et shabbotie.

The rebbe brings down that the inyan that hashem puts on tephilin has 2 meanings. One is hamshacha mochin in za. And the other is the it refers to kesser drawing down ohr into mochin.

These two meanings actually join since the drawing of light into emotion is the result of additional light being drawn down into the aspect of mind.

Shchina has to do with when there is hamshacha into za.

Mochin itself has chitzoni and pnimi, and then there is atzmi hamochin.

Chitzoni is construction by logical process. This doesn't mean anything to middot. In mochin there are deeper levels that become revealed when there is drawing down from higher levels (higher than mind) into mochin.

Mochin follows a logical trend since the mochin feels that things are not as they apprear – there is an underlying truth to everything – what I see has to have an overall reality – this is pnimius hamochin. Atzmiut hamochin is recognition of the thing itself and that the middos can also respond to.

Thus flow of kesser into mochin results in the middos becoming included and affected.

Malchus is called shchinah cos it connects etzem of atzilus with biya – not just that it provides chayus to biya.

Like in the beis hamikdash (temple) where the verse says, “I will dwell amongst them” - He that is above world in the world.

Atik means removed/ancient. The things which are at the level of the metzius and physical structure – also have a much superior aspect that gives them truth and presence. Briya is a creation – a creation exists only in the place where it exisits. Malchus of atzilus provides for creation the aspect of atik – this is malchus of atzilus. Atik gives it an essential quality – the nation insists on its existence due to the king that gives it a principle reality. It gives to the creation that it is an essential presence, not just the fact of existence. A yid can be doing torah since this is his habit, but if he faces a challenge his malchus comes into play. This is not something that exists in the world.

Atik is is more than a makif, 'cos atik means remote and a makif is more “directly involved” than that.

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Connections within the highest level

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/20/09 Wednesday 28 Tammuz 5769

On the second line from the top of page pay bet.

Looking at the matters in avodah that represent these two levels of malchus, which is two levels of knesset yisroel.

It can also be said that the two levels of avodah can be seen as metzach le za, which is ratzon levad and of shabbos it is ratzon that also includes tynug.

It is possible that to say that za is connected with atik. This explains that malchus is called shchina. Malchus connects atik/kesser with biya. Ratzon itself is an illusive concept.

Previously we looked at the connection between the highest levels and this world. In this section we looked at that connection within the highest level.
Binah allows middos to connect to ohr ha sechel. Daas is what imbues the sechel into the middos.

When there is additional light in mochin then there can be gilui mochin in za.
Malchus is called shchina, since it connects the etzem of atzilus and biya.

The point of this discussion is that when we speak of connection the upper to the lower, and there is a means of connection, though practically speaking it seems that the connection is by the lower level, but really there is a connection with the essence itself. Mochin increases so greatly that it can affect middos and za.

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Becoming Nothing

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/19/09 Sunday 27 Tammuz 5769

2 lines from bottom of page pay alef.

The rebbe is explaining the inyan or the 2 levels in malchus and how that reflects in avodah – in malchus. Both are arusa de liba.

One is the weekday level, which is active and seeking and the other is arusa deliba of shabbat - after arrival at the destination.

Ratzon of nefesh does not stop when you find what you are looking for, on the contrary now it experiences what it has.

Ratzon of nefesh is life itsef – not due to lack. It its a primary state.
When looking for the king and seeking elokus this is also arusa deliba. He recognizes what the king is and wants it for it's own sake.

Long time ago we looked at a deep point. When a person experiences hunger – he's looking for food and wants to satisfy his hunger, but deeper than that – the fact that he cannot tolerate hunger is actually a gilui of the nefesh – why can't he tolerate hunger? Cos the nefesh is shaleim – it is whole. Thus the real sense of feeling the lack is because of the positive.

Running towards the king is called ratzu – running. Reaching the king brings on bitul – bitul be metziut and this is called shuv – usually shuv means returning to oneself. Coming back to oneself is the yeshus, but here it is a state of bitul and it is called shuv.

His ratzu is expressing of what he wants and getting to the king is getting to his true essence – complete unity with the king, thus this bittul is expressing what the nefesh actually is – he has come back to himself.

A person that is aware of any part of his body – that is a sign of sickness, cos a healthy body is not aware of anything. Shuv is not an experience, it is life itself – active – like an internal fire – static cos it's not going any place else.
End of 3rd line from the bottom. Page pay aleph.

Shabbos is mochin de abba – level of bitul that is at the level of “mah de chocmah” - this is the ein of kesser. We need to understand that there are two implications of bitul – one: bitul hayesh and two: bitul ha metziut. We tend to say they are 2 different levels of one thing, but really they are 2 different states.
Bitul be metziut is used as a borrowed term. Bitul is usually used when there is an entity that needs to be mevatel, and this is the case in bitul ha yesh.
Focus of a yesh is on his yeshus. Bitul be metziut is a different level of experience completely.

There is such a clear and pure recognition of the truth – and the truth itself is not a metziut it is ein – and when one unites with truth/ein there is no metziut. There is only ein.

This bitul is not that, “I take something and nullify it”. It is from a recognition of what is the true metziut, which is ein.

There are 2 types of metziut – ratzon and sechel – sechel is something you come to know, it is added on to your life. When you come to ein you are recognizing something that does not have to come into existence – it is on a primary level – it is reality itself. The whole metziut is ein – ie not a metziut that had to come into being.

This sense of being able to perceive that which is not a metziut – truth itself – which does not come into being / and does not express itself – this is a miracle and this is bitul/chochma.

We always use sight to understand chochma, since sight and chochma are the same thing on different levels. Sight gives you a full reality and you never come into contact with the object. What is it that you know? What you know in sight is how the thing is unto itself. You know the truth itself. This is the aspect of the ein of kesser.

In sight you know the object not as it expresses itself to you, but as it is unto itself – chochmah is sensitive to ein of kesser – the absolute truth.
Truth is unto itself – since its own truth includes everything.

Hashem doesn't need the world and the world doesn't change him at all – so what does He do the whole day? We are not satisfied unless we do something, but Elokus is self contained, doesn't need any action or relationships to be satisfied.

All of this comes to neshamas yisroel by means of malchus, which is the connector of atzilus and biya.

In our world we have humans and animals. Basically they resemble each other physically – yet the animal is an animal – it has no sechel. Same thing with distinction between yisroel and the nations. Certain insights are impossible if you don't have it in you nefesh. To conceptualize the inyan of ein you can't have a nefesh of metzius.

Malchus enables the yid to connect to ein.

Real avodah of a yid is ben she naaseh eved.

He's a son, but he realizes that to get to the real essence of the king is to serve Him. Freddike Rebbe took a lot of moshke at a fabrengen and the rebbetzin came into the room and said, “you're not feeling well” and the rebbe replied, “not feeling good? Not good?” and then in a super human voice, “I am feeling very good, I am my father's slave!”

A yid is not looking to be a metziut – he's looking to be the truth. He wants to live in the world because this is where the truth of elokus is present.
People say about torah life that it is too full of physical actions/mitzvot and they want inspiration, but the G-dly act is devoid of spiritually and thus reflective of the ein. Elokus is not ruchnius – elokus is ein – thus etzem will be revealed in this physical world.



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Life Itself

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/17/09 Friday 25 Tammuz 5769

5 lines from bottom of page pay alef.

We are looking at the fact that there is a ratzon/desire that is not the desire to fill a void, but rather the active part of life itself.

Life is a constant thing. Are we conscience that we are alive? Is life an experience? Yes, life itself is a living experience, not in contrast to the outside, or to “non-life”. There is a will to live that is a positive aspect of life itself.

We can understand it, but to have a real handle on it is tough. Our world is teva/nature, which is all about cause and effect and contrast. Life itself, on the other hand is “superteva”, it is a presence of truth, not by negation of something that is not true. It is the unlimited quality of the experience of truth.

What is olam-haba? Tzaddikim sit in a circle with their crowns on their heads and nehenim be ziv hashchina. And we ask what are they doing/achieving? We don't have a real way to understand this. For us our concept of pleasure is related to having the rent taken care of.
Arusa de liba of shabbos is “he's there and he's living it”. There is also arusa de liba of the weekday, but there's structure and wanting to be some place.

Alte rebbe in the beginning of tanya defines good as good for its own sake, not for any other purpose or reason.

Real life/chayut is on a G-dly level.

The inyan of razu and shuv is chochmah and binah – like one who runs to see the king. When running he is still distant from the king. Why is he running to see the king? He's going to see him, not to gain any benefit. He recognizes the greatness of seeing him – this is also intrinsic value. But while running he's appreciating the value. When he gets to the king he is in a state of shuv and bitul – he is in the king's presence and if a wise person he is totally unaware of himself.
This is the element of chochmah.

Principle of human understanding even on the simple level is worlds apart from the computer. The human cares about the answer and the computer doesn't care. For the human the answer has to fit, it has to make sense. This is more than logic – it has to sit well – this is the ohr hasechel. Binah also has it, but it doesn't compare to that in chochmah. Binah is like the one who is running to see the king. He's still in the world and working with logic. Chochmah the logic is not present and he has the ohr hasechel exclusively.

for binah we have the mashal of having directions to go from place to place and you make the needed turns and you arrive – you have the desire to know how it worked, an overview, an orientation.

Chochmah is seeing the reality without the structure. This is shuv

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Heart's desire

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/16/09 Wednesday 24 Tammuz 5769

A third from the top of page pay alef. Line starts – mechaber.

Knesset yisroel is the higher level of malchus – knesset means gathering. Pnimius malchus is that in yisroel there are two levels – yisroel sava and yisroel zuta. Sava is grandfather, sava is young/small.

Yisroel zuta is a young lad, “and I love him” - the love comes on account of his youth. Yisroel sava is the grandfather and he has the element of atik. These are the 2 levels of knesset yisroel.

One level is that they receive the hashpah from the lower level and the other is they receive from the higher level.

Now these kabbalah terms will be explained.

These 2 levels correspond to 2 levels in malchus. Romemus al am and romemus atzmi. Romemus atzmi is from yisroel sava and romemus al am is from yisroel zuta.

In general the level of yisroel is “li rosh” (the word yisroel has letters that spell li rosh). This is the mind of za – the inner quality of za that is united with atik.

As is known also in za from the forehead and up is of the level that adam cannot dwell there.

Yisroel sava is the level of head of arich.

To summarise: Yisroel is the inyan of mochin and there are 2 levels. And that is why there are 2 levels in knesset yisroel. Sphirot are generally of the level adam, but there is an inner quality here that is of atik.

In simple terms this is the principle that the inner koach of middot is from ratzon even though midot are revealed through sechel. Atik is the koach of ratzon and atik. Even though za is lower than chabad, but the power of za is drawn from the koach of atik.

Since it is from the power of atik, thus within malchus/za itself is a quality that is beyond seder hishtalshalus.

These 2 levels in avodah – one is expressed in arusa de liba. The heart normally is related to midot/za. But in the heart there is also the desire/ratzon. This is the ratzon that comes forth on shabbos as a result of the avodah of ratzon hatachton – ie al pi taam ve daas. This is the work with the midot as they are formulated by sechel and the inner aspect here is ratzon.

This is the work of prayer – with tzakas halev – the inner scream from the heart. The davening of every day is the higher aspect or shabbos of every day. On shabbos itself there is also arusa de liba and this is yisroel sava.

To explain practically the difference between the two arousals of the heart it can be said that the one of the weekday is expressed as a scream/desire for kalot hanefesh. He is in a state of razu/running wanting. The arousal of shabbos is where he is actually absorbed – bitul be metziut. He is already in the kesser/elevated.

We can focus on some points. Our undersatnding is that wanting is for things we don't have. So on the 6 weekdays there is the desire, but on the shabbos he is already nichlal, yet this too is called ratzon.

It is hard for us to grasp this – the ratzon is an essential state, not “I got it now I'm going to sleep, rather I got it and now I'm living with it.”

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Tools of the trade and The space we're in.

Glossary (… to be continued and developed…)

• Bechinat – aspect
• Keili – vessel/container
• Ohr – light (pl: Ohrot or Orot)
• Hitlabshut – enclothement
• Kodesh – holy (lit: removed)
• Shaichus - connection
• Madrega – level
• Etzem – essence
• Muvdal – removed/separated
• Koach – power (as in: koach reiya – the power of sight. Pl: kochot)
• Dibur – speech
• Machshavah – thought
• Myseh – action
• Malchus – kingship
• Kesser – crown, encompassing level
• Etzem – essence
• Mekabel – recipient
• Mashpia – giver / mentor
• Misromem – exalted
• Ohr ein sof – infinite light
• Melech – king
• Meturgeman – translator / intermediary
• Tammuz – a Hebrew month
• Rav – teacher
• Sechel – mind

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7/15/09 Wednesday 23 Tammuz 5769 (Shiur Notes from Yehudah)

When the melech relates to the people, it is not just the second level that they get (romemus al am) but they get the primary romemus.

By relating to the people they get an essence quality from the king.

What is the principle of uniting all of space (as discussed yesterday – the aspect of echad)?

From the perspective of echad, being in this place and being in another place is exactly the same space.

From an external perspective space it is two different places.

From the perspective of “echad” (pnimius) it is exactly the same.

Pnimius (inner desire/intent) is what allows the objects / space to exist. It is all one creation.

This is a matter of looking from two different perspectives. What can I do with it vs. what does it stand for (manipulation vs. appreciation).

Look at it from chitzonius (an external perspective) – a person says you can do whatever you want.

Look at it from pinimious, you see it as a G-dly creation and that one is a warder that attends with care.

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Light can't get dirty...

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/14/09 Tuesday 22 Tammuz 5769

Page pay aleph – line starts, “ha orot” 9 lines from the top.

Special feature of kesser is that it can contain the ohr ein sof and it is a reflection of etzem.

In Pardes it says, this is why kesser is in helem and not revealed in the sphirot, just like ein sof is hidden. Malchus takes it from kesser.

Kesser and malchus are very similar on totally different levels – it is subtle and deep and we may get to it later.

Kesser is not revealed and does not express itself in the sphirot. You have the sphira and not the etzem on the level of revelation.

So orot that come from kesser are not revealing the etzem of the kesser.

According to this we have to say it is similar in malchus. The reason for the romemus of the king is due to the orot are hidden inside malchus/kingship. Thus the hisnaasut is essential – the principle that absorbs all the orot atzmi'im – this is not relative and al am – this is essential.

There is a difference between saying he doesn't get involved and it is impossible for him to be involved. Light shines on dirt and doesn't get dirt – on one level it doesn't get dirty and the essential level it would be impossible for it to get dirty.

Space – all that exists in our world – each thing needs the ingredient of space – without space there is nothing. The space is occupied by and becomes the article. When you move it to a different space the original space remains totally unaffected that a second ago it was occupied.

Here we have two contradictory things – on the one hand the space is an ingredient – on the other hand it remains totally unaffected. The space provides for the possibility of the article to exist – there are two levels – it allows for it since nothing else is in the space (this is an indirect relationship – the space doesn't relate to the object) on a second level the space actually provides for the objects – like the space demarcated by the rooms in a house call for specific furniture and provides for certain objects.

That space retains its neutrality gives the article that is there and infinite provision.

By having a king the nation and the people become more real.

Space is infinite and not made up of units, so what is it that we say echad that unites this infinity (as we say in kriat shma)? It is true it is completely neutral, but you can put objects in it – divide it – space is infinite, but not infinity – echad is infinity itself. It unites the entire space – ecahd says there is a oneness that is beyond up down and the four compass directions.

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Lost and gained in translation...

Aeter with R' Paltiel 7/13/09 Monday 21 Tammuz 5769

Page pay aleph - 4^th line from the top.

The meturgeman, which is a mashal for midot hamalchus receives the haspah from the rav and he fully absorbs it and it becomes one with him.

Thus there is also an effect on the ohr – it is no longer of the same purity as it was with the rav.

As explained elsewhere – the difference of something passing through or getting dressed in the mekabel.

Hislabshus/"dressed" mean it is the holding up of the light. Ohr usually flows unobstructed, but hislabshus holds it up at this level. This is what happens with sphirot as they enter into malchus – they get absorbed and “owned” by malchus.

Kesser elyon is the first garment for ohr einsof. Why is it able to contain and conceal the light there? This is since it is able to contain and conceal it – ohr ein sof is an ohr direct from etzem – reflects atzmus – then comes kesser that can hold this light – that means that kesser has a quality simitlar to atzmus. Sometimes kesser and atzmus are used interchangeably. Kesser has a atzmus quality.

In atzmus there are different aspects. One inyan in atzmus is kesser malchus – it has the romemus and stands aloof. Another aspect is that atzmus cannot be obstructed – it is all over. Atzilus is ohrot atzmi'im, Briya's lights are not atzmi'im.

Kesser is not revealed in sphirot.

Sechel is not concealed in the mind – you are conscience of it. Kesser is able to absorb the ohr ein sof and not be aware of it. Kesser and atzmus are used interchangeably – kesser is like a lower lever of meor. Kesser has ohrot atzmi'im.

This is why it is called kesser – it is a crown and a makif – but there is an essential message. Just like you put a crown on a king – why is kingship reflected through a crown? It is a circle around the head. Normally a person functions with the abilities that are in the head. The crown symbolizes that which is above the head. The king himself is what makes it happen – not his functional qualities. What is a king? His presence. This is the primary inyan of a melech.

Kesser absorbs and this reflects the advantage of kesser. Kesser malchus is rooted in kesser. So too what brings out the romemus of the king – that is not reflected below at all – is an essential hisnasut that is not the hisnasus that is al am.

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Aeter with R' Paltiel Friday 7/10/09 18 Tammuz 569

A third from the bottom of page pay – meir bezeh.

Malchus is a memutzah / intermediary between atzilus and biya.

A memutzah has to be able to relate to both and he has similarities to both – in malchus these aspects are called yam and aretz.

In every inyan of memutzah the upper aspect that receives from the higher level. This does not get to be transmitted to the lower level. The implication is that the reflection of this is given over to the lower level.

This is like the meturgeman – in time of gemara and chachamim this was a standard way of giving a shiur. The rav gave the shiur and the meturgeman did the “translation”. He received the shefa of the rav atzmo – but that he can do only for himself – ie the shefa of the rav stays with him and is concealed in him and what the meturgeman gives over is not the shefa of the rav. Why not give the shefa itself?

The meturgeman transmits the shefa of the rav as he understands it. Yet he understands the shefa harav so why not transmit it? The meturgeman has 2 levels. One level he understands the rav, but not as his own sechel – as the shefa of the rav. This means that there are things we understand, but not sufficiently to say on our own. They don't become his own – he gets the richness, but does not relate to it. He partially digests it and thinks of it on his own terms. This he transmits to others.

Every sechel has a source. The rav thinks from the source of the sechel. The rav sees the inyanim so when he puts it into words this is already a tzimzum. Because the rav takes it from a much higher level that hashpah cannot become a metziut itself. The meturgeman cannot fully comprehend, but he can receive it.

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