“Plain Talk” p: 64

AyinBase with R' Paltiel Wednesday 2 Tevet 5772  

Page 64 – about at the middle of the page (line starts, 'shemimadregah...')

See link (top right) for link to all pages of the text.

We are saying the reflection from a higher level has advantages over the essence at a lower level.

We see this in Torah, 'the plain talk of the servants of the fore father's house is more beloved than the torah of the sons'. This refers to Eliezer, the servant of Abraham going to get a wife for Yitzchak, and his internal dialogue is seen twice in the Torah. And yet other places the Torah is very terse - even in places where you would think it should be expansive.

son's refers to Jews – the children of G-d. They have an essential connection. Torah too is essential flow from the Source. Yet still the 'plain talk' is preferable. And the 'plain talk' is just a reflection of the essence.  

And we learn the 'plain talk' since it is not vanity, but surely it is not preferable to flow from chochmah, Torah of the son?! The answer is that it was 'plain talk' from the father's house. Avot is chochmah and binah and above that, 'over the river' which is arich anpin – thus even a reflection from there is greater than the aspect of the essence of a lower level.

(Arich means long. Arich anpin means literally, 'in the great manner'. Ze'er anpin means in the 'small manner'. Emotions that are aroused by sechel are on the level of ze'er. The real origin of the emotions are above sechel, in the crown – these are called arich anpin – emotions, 'in the big/grand state.)

This is like “the chocham is greater than the navi” (“the sage is greater than the prophet”) and this seems strange since prophesy is the revelation and sight of the essence. As it says, 'G-d appeared to him'. And seeing is the matter of, 'the real thing'. Sight is connecting to the essence itself. And chochmah on the other hand is not having the essence, but rather of the subject's presence.

This is because prophesy reaches up to the level of netzach and hod. It is really the essence, but the essence at the exposed level. But chochmah relates to a higher level. As the Rashbi and Ari Zal spoke of very high topics, reaching above the world of Atzilus, yet it was only knowing the metziut rather than the mahus.