Page
17 of pamphlet – (top
line of the page. Line begins: 'hagvul...'). Page 12 of the book. For text see below.
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The
feet are activated by 'getting to the destination', but the feet have
no conception of this level.
Breathing
does not take place by your initiative, but because life is being
breathed into you.
The
sechel is trying to understand something that is not within its realm
and thus will say things that are contradictory.
Sechel/mind
is uniquely human – it does not exist in any other creature – it
is in the world, but it is not world based. It is not built on
worldly parameters. It is based on nefesh/soul. And this is the
meaning of 'I understand' – it means, 'I hear what the soul is
telling me'. I cannot get to it by experimentation.
In
atzilus there are vessels, but they are without limit. A human being
is a metaphor for this. God said he would make a human being and
that he would 'reflect Us' – the way it is above. So the human is
both a creation and Godly.
Even
though the vessels are without limitation in the world of atzilus,
nevertheless, even as the vessels are in atzilus they have the aspect
of midot/emotions and kochot/faculties, and they are not the soul
itself.
Page
16 of pamphlet – (4th
line from end of the page. Line begins: 'chochmah vechesed...').
Page 12 of the book.
For text see below.
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Going
somewhere is much higher than the activity of walking. And the feet
cannot relate to a destination. The 'destination' is representative
of the 'ohr ein sof'.
Page
16 of pamphlet – (6th
line from end of the page. Line begins: 'atah...'). Page 12 of the
book.
For text see below.
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Each
faculty has a specific location. The faculty is speech is revealed
specifically in the mouth.
But
we don't say, 'his mouth is speaking', we say 'he is
speaking'. And this is the correct way to describe what's happening.
If
you see a man walking you see the world of intellect and the world of
body. The intellect descends, and unites with the body, so the feet
respond and help with 'getting there'. The feet have no
comprehension regarding why he is moving.
So
too above, the ohrot are the lights that correspond to the level of
sechel/mind/purpose. And the vessels/keilim correspond to the
physical elements.
Keilim/vessels
are the means by which specific functionality is identified in
something that is infinite.
A
rock is steady, not because it grabbed a certain position, but
because God places it this way.
We
learn and perceive with the intellect. The principle reality of the
intellect is not observation and experimentation. It looks to the
source. The First Being that creates all. And so the rock
represents the work of Him, who gives it a place and a presence.
Page
16 of pamphlet – (7th
line from end of the page. Line begins: 'ohr ein sof...'). Page 12
of the book.
For text see below.
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Despite
the physical metaphors we have for light in vessels, yet still the
truth of the matter is only true in our intellect. It does not have
a physical manifestation.
And
the intellect gets this insight from the soul/neshamah.
And
what is meant by 'the neshamah'? The soul is beyond
understanding... but we can say, 'it is something provided from
above. We don't come to it by stumbling upon it or by
experimentation.'
Soul/nefesh
does not exist, but for the fact that there is Source for it. It is
not an entity unto itself. It is a living element, representing the
Source of life.
The
Rambam says the first principle of all intellect is to know there is
a First Being. Everything in our world had a means by which it came
to be. The First Being is beyond that scope.
We
sense this. We have life and don't know from where it comes. It is
so real. More real than anything you can discover with your
sechel/mind. We rely on Him to keep us alive.
A
vessel is able to go into the lake and bring out water to drink.
The cup is like the intermediary – the means by which infinity
comes to us... this is a gross metaphor, but we are speaking to our
intellect.
The
intermediary connects the highest level to the lowest.
An
intermediary can relate to the infinity and bring it down to
the finite level. Atzilus has this ability.
Atzilus
connects ohr ein sof (essence) and world.
The
ohrot/lights are that which emanate directly from essence. The
keilim/vessels are what can contain them and reveal the functional
element.
The
vessels can relate to limit and definition.
And
you cannot say He can work only in the infinite realm and not in the
area of limit and definition, then you are limiting His completeness.
He is equally present in infinity and finitude.
One
who has limited vision often has greater acuity in the sense of
hearing. This additional acuity is not the ear per se – it is the
faculty of hearing, which is rooted in the soul itself.
The
intellect solicits from the soul... and says, 'I need to know what's
going on. I need to orientate on the functional level' and the soul
responds via the various functioning faculties, and says, 'here know
this. I will help you hear and smell better...'
This
is to say the soul is here in the world and relates to the world and
wants to accomplish things and brings out faculties that will
facilitate this.
The
soul lights a fire. It has the purpose of warming and enlivening the
whole body.
This
is true of our soul. And this is true of ohr ein sof!
This
is the way the infinite soul is providing for the practical defined
world...
We
travel distance one step at a time. The soul is above distance and
unites all points. The way to make it happen is 'step by step' –
this is the vessel.
The
world doesn't 'just exist'. All is His creation. This means there
is intention and meaning behind it. 'Time' is what provides for
accomplishment - it is not nothingness. And what is there to
accomplish? It is that which comes from the soul – 7 midot, and
eternity is where all the faculties are inter-included – 7 x 7 –
so this is a kind of eternity...
This
is God's world and there are definitions for things...
Page
16 of pamphlet – (6th
line from end of the page. Line begins: 'atah...'). Page 12 of the
book.
For text see below.
Please feel free to
leave comments below or collaborate with us in Slack - for an
invitation to Slack and questions: dailychassidus@gmail.com
We
are looking at how atzilus is unified with its source and at the same
time a new creation that relates to the lower worlds.
To
understand this we are looking at the principle of an
intermediary/memutzah that can relate to two very distant realms. It
enables the higher to relate to the lower and the lower to relate to
the higher level.
We
are looking at how this works in the higher realms. Ohr ein sof and
atzilus and biyah. There is a means to identify the principles at
play at a much lower level – to bring it into our own experience.
The means to do this is by means of a mashal/metaphor. A mashal is a
Godly gift. When we graspit on the lower level we must make ever
attempt to grasp the nuance, rather than to apply the structure to
how it is above.
The
mashal we are using here is halachic: if on Shabbat (when you may not
carry from a private to a public domain) you carry a crumb of bread
it is to small to be a violation, since it is too insignificant. And
if you carried this crumb on a plate you may think it is a violation.
And he carried the crumb on a plate or 2 spoons of soup in a cup he
is not liable because the vessel is serving the food – it is
nullified to the food and he is not carrying it for its own sake.
The
cup does not appreciate what it contains, but it holds the soup and
becomes united with it, to the extent it is considered a non-entity.
The
cup or plate is a receptacle and represents its contents and unifies
with its content – this is the principle of bitul/nullification.
In
another metaphor: the wise man who relates to reality says, 'I choose
the king', even though it will be of no practical value – they
won't 'hang out together' and he's not receiving any favors. The
wise man says, “the fact that I won't experience it doesn't matter.
I know I will be in proximity to the real thing! I pick him. This
is more important to me than anything I can experience. All else
matters naught to me.”
The
wise man can translate the king's will into the world of action. He
jumps at the opportunity to fulfill his command, even though his
appreciation of the command is limited or non-existent!
The
wise man has bitul/nullification to the king – to the king who is
of a higher level, but he remains something unto himself. He is an
intermediary.
God
is not relegated to the realm of infinity. He is present also in the
defined world. The sphirot are the beginning of the expression of
limitation from Him.
The
limitation/gvul element of the sphirot refers to the keilim/vessels.
