“The Basis of Pleasure” p: 50

AyinBase with R' Paltiel p: 50 8/7/11 Sunday 7 MenachemAv 5771

Page 50 – 5 lines from the end of the page (hu beneshamo...) 


We are identifying the difference between essential mentorship, which creates something that is essentially made of the same stuff – the presence of the essence gives presence to the created being.


This is in contrast to mentorship that is ruchni. It is on the level of sechel/mind, where it is the development of the faculty of sechel in the student. The faculty is the possession of the student himself. It is not a replica of the teacher's sechel. It is the student's sechel that was deeply influenced by the teacher.


In essential hashpa – hashpa atzmius – the presence of the soul is a G-dly presence. Chochmah is the profound guide and reality of the human being.

This is awareness of the truth, but this is not what makes him. This is what reveals his life force. Then there is an inner level to this. This is essential. Pinimius chochmah, pnimius abba. The inner aspect of the faculty of chochmah/wisdom, is that which makes it function. This is pnimius of atik/tynug. The animal doesn't have this oneg. It tastes the earth when it eats. We're talking of a level that is beyond, 'feel good' and experience. The oneg of the nefesh is that which makes the soul live, make the soul present. Thus a person's life, even in the last moments is of immeasurable value. 


Sight allows us to 'see it all in one instant' and that is due to the fact that we are seeing not the space, but the truth behind the space... this is like the unity that precedes the 7 heavens, this world and its 4 dimensions. Thus we are looking at the total unity. This is true for Israel, the nations and the scientists. But they interpret this phenomenon as 'nothingness'. We say it is the G-dly truth that is preceding all existence. This the truth itself. This provides for presence.


This is a mashal/metaphor for pnimius atik / pnimius abba.

Rebbe Rashab, AyinBase, p 50 - right click to enlarge

The very presence of the soul is an aspect of the essential light.


This is all a transfer of essence. The fact that the body is alive is reflection, but the presence of life itself, the oneg/pleasure is the essence. This is the truth of the body itself.


Oneg/pleasure is the one point in us that we can relate to that needs no substantiation. Oneg is the under pinning of ein sof.


The basis of pleasure/oneg is that there is a real truth.


The concept of an essence is found only in chassidus, in Elokus, not in the world. The building block of the world is the ratzon eloki/G-dly Will and the G-dly presence. The tangible is given presence by the intangible. The reason the there is solidity to this table is because it is representing something beyond existence – mehus – presence that comes from non-presence.


In the world there are only composites.


What is the difference between oneg/pleasure and tyvah/not good desire? The gemarah says, none die having even satisfying half their desires. 'He has 100 and he wants 200'. but we say the same on the side of Holiness – he should not be satisfied with his spiritual level, and he should go 'from strength to strength'. The answer is 'strenght to strength' - you know the merit of what you have in spiritual accomplishment and you build on that. In the area of physical desire, it is the poverty of what you have that makes you desire more! It is an economy of scarcity – it is based on emptiness, in contrast to oneg, which is based on truth, truth of the soul and going 'strength to strength' – 'an economy of abundance' - it goes beyond experience.