In
truth if kabbalah corresponds to the level of the soul called chaya,
then chassidus corresponds to the soul level called yechidah.
Notes from Chuna Silverman:
Chassidus as Light
Chasidus is rooted in Kabala but we say that Kabala is Chaya (shbenefesh) and Chassidus is Yechida. Chassidus brings it down into sechel and permeates one’s mind and heart and that translates into learning Torah and doing mitzvos- participating in the world. Yechida is elokus. The Chaya give chayus, so it has seemingly more relevance to us and the world, whereas Yechida is completely out of world. It’s a paradoxical question. How does Yechida result in life, and even more, specific avoda in the world? But actually this is exactly why chasidus can be presented to the human mind and have an effect- this fact that it is Yechida.
In class, we explained this week about ohr. Even b’gashmius we don’t realize how phenomenal the experience is- that with ohr you're connected directly, without an intermediary. You know what you see because the ohr shows it to you. That's why in halacha, only someone who only witnessed an entire event can give testimony. Regardless of whether someone missed a small detail etc, he still can’t act as a witness. He has to have more than lack of doubt. He needs the whole event because it’s actually that the Hebeshter is showing it to him- The Gdly reality of the event. The Testimony of the witness is as if he is saying "Hashem told me to tell you this." In Halacha someone may commit a capital sin. The judges are the Sanhedrin and they judge based on testimony of witnesses. So those are the judges. But who should execute the verdict? Not a henchman- the witnesses themselves. A human being can't kill another. It is entirely in the jurisdiction of Gd Hmself, not humans. They can't take away life. But the witnesses are messengers of the Gdly truth, so they administer the punishment. There’s a story of Shimon ben Shetach, who was Nasi of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple era. He once saw a man chasing another with the first holding a knife in his hand. Shimon followed the pursuit as they entered into a cave. Shimon entered the cave to see the victim dead on the ground with a pool of blood around him and the pursuer holding the bloody knife. Shimon declared that it is out of his hands to punish the murderer being he didn’t actually see the whole event.
Chasidus is ohr. It does not tell you what the thing you are seeing is, the thing itself tells you about itself. This is what light does. There is direct perception. Seeeing is profound. And that’s why there's such profound effect when learning Chassidus because the yid becomes one with the Gdly reality through the learning. Learning chasssidus is not a common method of learning, hence the mashul.
The world is created in the image of Torah. So everything we have here, they are the lower levels of that very thing higher up. Chochma is sight. Sight, which is the substantiator of the world, is chochma on the physical realm. Even though binah make sense- you elaborate, argue, bring proofs, even until it "can't be any other way”. But binah is based on chochma in that if you don't have that spark of truth (of chochma) you don't know what you're talking about. Just like the witnesses. Binah has insights only from chochma. This is its special value. To access what's in chochma, It enriches and elaborate and improves but it's main thing is the nekuda of chochma- the seeing it.
Whatever the process of life, blood stream etc. Imagine that the knowledge of life was based on the anatomy. That’s not knowledge of life at all. Only chochma can see life directly. Binah can come in and explain how it works in the physical level. We say asher yatzer etc. which has details of how we work. It’s amazing, ingenious. But this is only how the chayis is enabled to come through the gashmius. It's not THE chayis. Chassidus is the chayis itself. Seeing Gdliness directly. Showing us directly. This is a mashul, when we are taught about Gd given phenomenon.
Chochma itself is not explained in physical terms at all, and yet you see it. How do you see it and understand if you can't explain it? Because of the quality of chochma. You see what you see. Even I it doesn't make sense. Regardless, it's real. It’s actually impossible to even fathom murder. It's so contrary to reality. How can he see it then? Because sight doesn't depend on it making sense.
Hakhel
The revival of Hakhel was something the Rebbe initiated. Rabbi had a novel idea about Hakhel which was the following. Hakhel was when the King spoke to the people as well as read from Torah certain passages. The Rambam says that the mitzva was to stand and hear the King as if hearing directly from Hashem. For this mitzvah to be achieved, two things needed to be. Number one: the king needed to be 100% bitil to Hashem. Number two was much harder: for the people to be bitil to the Melech. The King is superior so it's easier for him to be bitil. But us? Well, that’s much harder. So Rabbi was thinking that The Rebbe pointing out and asking for Hakhel gatherings, this is a statement about us as chassidim! That we have that bitil. Rabbi then reinforced this thought. There was never such bitil to the Rebbe as today. It truly supersedes imagination. For example: A newlywed couple with a baby, they pack up move, and maybe even to a third-world country! Who’s taking care of the baby? No one is around. Not the mother in-law, no brothers no sisters. They just get up and go and start somewhere from scratch. Why? Because they are dedicated to fulfilling the vision of The Rebbe. (Note: Not even to be close in proximity to the Rebbe. But to fulfill the Rebbe’s vision of helping out a few Jewish souls.) Maybe not now, but back then they also suffered financially, and the education of the kids too suffered- no class experience. The Rebbe said that very small classes are not successful. (Though not > 25) So these shluchim’s children learn alone and who do they debate with?? It's a totally novel bitil. That level of spirit of dedication likened to the FR's effect on his chasidim and the mesiras nefesh of his melamdim. The FR thrived on mesiras nefesh. He made up in his mind that he would give no recognition to his captors. And he faced them and beat them. And Rabbi says that even from then, we are at a peak. This is rabbis own idea, that that that's why Hakhel was revived now.
Rabbi asked, “So what do you think?”
Yehoshua responded “Rabbi, I hear that there are some special people who show such sacrifice. But what about us?? It doesn’t seem that we have such mesiras nefesh.”
Rabbi answered, “It’s not true. Do you know the typical farbregen by the FR was one hour. How about by our Rebbe? It was a 5 hour farbrengen, and everyone was there- dancing in a crowded space, in one place in fact, precariously, with the real possibility of the bleachers collapsing and people getting hurt. But they stuck it out. Everyone stayed and came back the next time. I hear what you're saying but you're not correct. Think about this as well: Everyone goes on mivtzoyim. There isn’t even a second thought. People who you wouldn't approach in off places, chassidim make requests...tefilin, candles! This is the Rebbe’s "uftu"- his work.
The Rebbe was in Paris for a while and at that time, Yiddishkeit was so unavailable throughout all of Europe. The Rebbe said that this must change. A chosid who the Rebbe was speaking to asked the Rebbe how would you spread yiddishkeit? The Rebbe answered, “by talking to big crowds of people about it!” The Rebbe then got on a big box (or something higher up) and started to speak. A crowd began to gather and eventually there was quite a thing to behold. So much so, that the police came and interrupted the Rebbe and arrested the Rebbe for disturbing the peace. (This was the honor of the Frenchmen.)
Chasidus is capable of permeating the entire human being, intravenously. The Mittle Rebbe had a chosid who travelled much and the Rebbe asked him to chazer chasssidus at each stop. (If we think the Rebbe Rashab Is hard, the Mittler Rebbe’s chassidus is impossible. We have it after it has been processed and presented)... So the chosid said, “but they won't understand!” The Rebbe answered, “the Neshama hears!” It's intravenously. Chassidus affects us awares and unawares. Usually, with a procedure, they put you to sleep and operate or heal through a unawares process. Here chasidus wakes you up! Chochma can see something superior to understanding. O. Chasssidus terms. It becomes your blood stream.
