The Uniqueness of the Creator / Lesson - Sep. 1, 2017
1. Baal Hasulam, Letter 1
Everyone believes in private providence, but do not adhere to it at all.
The reason is that an alien and foul thought cannot be ascribed to the Creator, who is the epitome of the “Good that doeth Good.” However, only to the true workers of God does the knowledge of private providence open, that He caused all the reasons that preceded it, both good and bad. Then they are cohesive with private providence, for all who are connected to the pure, are pure.
Since the Guardian is united with its guarded, there is no apparent division between bad and good. They are all loved and all clear, for they are all carriers of God’s vessels, ready to glorify the revelation of His uniqueness. It is known by instinct, and to that extent they have knowledge from the end that all the actions and the thoughts, both good and bad, are the carriers of God’s vessels. He has prepared them, from His mouth they’ve come, and at the end of correction it will be known to all.
However, in between it is a long and threatening exile. The biggest trouble is that when one sees some wrongful action, he falls from his degree, clings to the famous lie, and forgets that he is like an ax in the hand of the cutter. Instead, one thinks of oneself as the owner of this act and forgets the reason for all consequences from whom everything comes, and that there is no other operator in the world but Him.
This is the lesson. Although one knows it at first, still, in a time of need, one does not control this awareness and unites everything with the cause, which sentences to a scale of merit.
2) Baal Hasulam, Shamati 38, The Fear of God Is His Treasure
Our sages said, “Everything is in the hands of God, but the fear of God,” is because He can give everything except fear. This is because what the Creator gives is more love, not fear. Acquiring fear is through the power of Torah and Mitzvot. It means that when one engages in Torah and Mitzvot with the intention to be rewarded with bringing contentment to one’s Maker, that aim that rests on the acts of Mitzvot and the study of Torah brings one to attain it. Otherwise one might stay. Although one keeps Torah and Mitzvot in every item and detail, one will still remain merely in the degree of Holy Still.
It follows that one should always remember the reason that obligates one to engage in Torah and Mitzvot. This is what our sages meant by, “that your Holiness will be for My Name.” It means that I will be your cause, meaning that your entire work is in wanting to delight Me, meaning that all your deeds will be in order to bestow.
Our sages said (Berachot 20), “Everything there is in keeping, there is in remembering.” This means that all those who engage in keeping Torah and Mitzvot with the aim to achieve “remembering,” by way of, “When I remember Him, He will not suffer me to sleep.” It follows, that the keeping is primarily in order to be awarded remembering. Thus, one’s desire to remember that the Creator is the cause for keeping Torah and Mitzvot. This is so because it follows that the reason and the cause to keep the Torah and Mitzvot is the Creator, as without it one cannot cleave to the Creator, since “He and I cannot dwell in the same abode,” due to the disparity of form.
3) Baal Hasulam, Letter 18
One has no choice but to direct all the present and future moments to be offered and presented to His great name. One who rejects a moment before Him, for it is difficult, displays his folly openly, for all the worlds and all the times are not worthwhile for him because the light of His countenance is not clothed in the changing times and occasions, although a person’s work certainly changes because of them. This is why the faith and confidence above reason have been prepared for us by our holy fathers, and one can use them in the tougher times effortlessly and tirelessly.
This is the meaning of “By this comes lightly, ready for all His works on those six days.” The letter Hey, which is the root of Creation, is a light letter, and laboring to enhance its level does not help at all, for it is thrown as in “no reason and no end.” Therefore, one who assumes the complete burden of the kingdom of heaven finds no labor in worshipping the Creator, and can therefore be attached to the Creator day and night, in light and in darkness. The rain—which is created in coming and going, changes and exchanges—will not stop him because the Keter, which is Ein Sof, illuminates to all completely equally. The fool—who walks under a flood of preventions that pour on him from before and from behind—says to all that he doesn’t feel the cessation and the lack of Dvekut [adhesion] as a corruption or iniquity on his part.
Had he sensed it, he would certainly have strained to find some tactic to at least be saved from the cessation of Dvekut, whether more or less. This tactic has never been prevented from anyone who sought it, either as in “the thought of faith” or as in “confidence,” or as in “pleas of his prayer,” which are suitable for a person specifically in the narrow and stressed places, for even a thief in hiding calls upon the Creator. For this reason, it does not require Mochin de Gadlut to keep the branch from cutting from its root.
4) Rabash, Vol 2, Article 6 (1990) When A Person Should Use Pride, in the Work
When engaging in Torah and Mitzvot, one has to walk in two lines, right and left, meaning in time of wholeness and time of deficiency. Since on one hand we have to thank the Creator, certainly one who feels that he received many favors from the Creator is more able to give greater thanks. It follows that when a person engages in Torah and mitzvot this is the time to be in wholeness, meaning it’s as if the Creator invited him to be one of the king’s servants. However one should not deceive himself saying that he feels that he is serving the king when he does not feel so. If so then how can one give great thanks for the nearing if he does not feel it.
Rather one must then say that even though he is in the state of utter lowness meaning that one is still in a state of self love, and he is still unable to do anything above reason, in any case the Creator gave him the thought and desire to engage in Torah and mitzvot. And He also gave him some force to overcome the state of “spies” who speak to him and pester him with their claims, but in any case one has some hold in spirituality. Then one has to take notice of it and believe that the Creator takes care of him and guides him to walk on the path that leads to the king’s palace.
Hence one rejoice in that the Creator looks after him and as well as gives him descents. Meaning that one must believe what he understands, that the Creator gives him the ascents, that one certainly cannot say that he received the ascents on his own but rather that the Creator wants to bring him closer, therefore He gives him ascents. Likewise one should believe that the descents that the Creator also gives him is because He wants to bring him closer. Therefore each and every action that one is able to perform, one should do it as if he is in a state of ascent. It follows that whatever one overcomes during a descent, this is called “an awakening from below” and each action one performs, believing that this is the will of the Creator, from this one is rewarded with greater nearing, that is one begins to feel that the Creator brought him closer.
5) Rabash, Vol 1, Article 24 (1986), The Difference between Charity and Gift
In the work of the Creator, in the beginning of his work he had energy and confidence, and great importance for Torah and prayer because at that time he had grace of holiness, and felt that the work of the Creator is important. However, this was still not considered a “deficiency” that the Creator will satisfy, a deficiency is called Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator, since the lack and pain of not having Dvekut with the Creator was still not felt in him as he has not exerted for it because he has just begun the work.
But when he does not see results over a long period of time of making efforts, and he does not see a satisfaction of his deficiency, torments and pain begin to form in him because he has made efforts but sees no progress in his work. At that time the thoughts begin to come one-by-one. Sometimes it is with sparks of despair, and sometimes he grows stronger, but then he sees once more that he has fallen from his state, and so on repeatedly. Finally, a real deficiency forms in him, which he has obtained through exertion in ascents and descents. These ascents and descents leave him with pain each time at not having been granted Dvekut with the Creator. Finally, when the cup has been filled sufficiently, it is called a Kli. Then the filling of it comes from the Creator, since now he has a real Kli.
It follows that his seeing that now—after several years of work—he has retreated, this happens deliberately so he will ache at not having Dvekut with the Creator. It turns out that each time he must see that he is approaching the making of the Kli, called “real deficiency.” That is, his gauge of Katnut [infancy/smallness] and Gadlut [adulthood/greatness] of the deficiency is to the extent of the suffering he feels at not having the filling, which is called here “Dvekut with the Creator,” where all he wants is only to bring contentment to the Creator.
6) Baal Hasulam, Shamati 16, What Is the Day of the Lord and the Night of the Lord in the Work
The day of the Lord will mean that Providence – how the Creator leads the world – will be clearly in the form of benevolence. For example, when one prays, his prayer is immediately answered and he receives what he has prayed for, and one succeeds wherever one turns. This is called “the day of the Lord.”
Conversely, darkness, which is night, will mean concealment of the face. This brings one doubts in the benevolent guidance and alien thoughts. In other words, the concealment of the guidance brings one all these alien views and thoughts. This is called “night” and “darkness.” Namely, one experiences a state where one feels that the world has turned dark on him.
Now we can interpret what is written, “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! Wherefore would ye have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light.” The thing is that those who await the day of the Lord, it means that they are waiting to be imparted faith above reason, that faith will be as strong as if they see with their eyes, with certainty, that it is so, meaning that the Creator guides the world in benevolence.
In other words, they do not want to see how the Creator leads the world in benevolence, because seeing is contradictory to faith. In other words, faith is precisely where it is against reason. And when one does what is against one’s reason, this is called “faith above reason.”
This means that they believe that the guidance of the Creator over the creatures is benevolent. And while they do not see it with absolute certainty, they do not say to the Creator, “We want to see the benevolence as seeing within reason.” Rather, they want it to remain in them as faith above reason.
But they ask of the Creator to impart them with such strength that this faith will be so strong, as if they see it within reason. It means that there will not be a difference between faith and knowledge in the mind. This is what they, meaning those who want to cleave to the Creator, refer to as “the day of the Lord.”
In other words, if they feel it as knowledge, then the Light of God, called “the Upper Abundance,” will go to the vessels of reception, called “separated vessels.” And they do not want this, since it would go to the will to receive, which is the opposite of Kedusha (Sanctity), which is against the will to receive for self-gratification. Instead, they want to be adhered to the Creator, and this can only be through equivalence of form.
7) Rabash, Vol 3,Article 5. Concerning Sins Become Merits
Concerning “Faults turning to Attributes”, we should understand that if a person was questioning, which is certainly a great sin, and his doubt could cause him to fall to the klipah, God forbid, which is called “questioning the origins”. If he repents out of fear, namely, he strengthens himself and does not pay attention to this thought, then it turns for him into “mistakes”, meaning that it is not considered to him a sin but a mistake. Hence it would have been better for him if he did not have any strange thought, but since it had come, he has no choice except to strengthen himself with the work of heaven.
There is also behinat repentance from love, which is accepting upon himself anew the work of heaven, out of love, because he receives the work with love, namely, he is happy that the Creator gave him the strange thought, by which he is able to keep this mitzvah.
It is like a flame on a wick, meaning that the strange thought is called wick, and he wants to introduce a faulty wick into his work, meaning that the strange thought allows him to understand that the the work of the Creator is not done with the mind and reason. And when one receives a strange thought, saying that he is not interested in making any excuses, rather, everything that his reason tells him is right, except that he is following the path of faith, which is above reason.
Hence the flame of faith is tied together with the wick of the strange thought, and only now he can keep the commandment of faith properly. It follows that his fault turned into merits for him, since otherwise he would have not been able to receive any merits from behinat Emunah (faith). This is called “Joy in suffering”, and even though he is suffering, because his strange thought grieves him, and brings gossip and evil tongue to His work, nevertheless he is happy because only in times like this he is able to keep behinat faith above reason, and this is called the joy of the mitzvah.
8) Rabash, Vol 3, Article 42. Serve the Creator With Gladness
The holy Zohar asks, is it not written “the Creator is near to the broken hearted”. A servant of the Creator means one who directs his intention in order to bestow, must be happy because he is serving the king. If one has no joy in this work it is a sign that he is lacking appreciation of the greatness of the Creator. Hence when one sees that he has no joy, one must correct, namely, think about the greatness of the king. If one still does not feel it, he should pray to the Creator, that the Creator will open his eyes and his heart to feel the greatness of the Creator.
This is where the two behinot developed: 1) One should regret that he does not feel the greatness of the Creator. 2) One should be happy with the sorrow that he receives from his deficiencies, unlike other people, because all the deficiencies that they regret are only in order to receive.
And one should know who gave him this knowledge, that one should regret in spirituality, and this should make him happy, that the Creator sent him thoughts of spiritual deficiency, which in itself is called the salvation of the Creator, hence one should be glad.
9. Rabash, Vol 2, Article 15 (1991) What is the Blessing “that He Made a Miracle for Me in this Place”
One must accustom oneself in everything to make comparison between times of suffering and times of pleasure, to give blessing for the miracle that the Creator brought him out of the suffering to a state of pleasure. With this one can give thanks to the Creator and receive pleasure in new vessels that were now added to him when he weighed both times one against the other. From this one is able to advance in the work. This is as Baal Hasulam said, it does not matter what one receives from the Creator, whether it is a big thing or a small thing, rather it is important that one gives thanks to the Creator. In the measure that one gives thanks to that extent the giving increases, which the Creator gave. Therefore one should be careful to give much thanks, meaning to appreciate the Creator’s gift in order to draw closer to the Creator. Hence when one observes always during the time of ascent in what state he was at the time of descent, namely what feeling one had during the descent, one can already discern the state of “advantage of light over darkness” and one already has new vessels to receive joy and give thanks to the Creator. As it is written that one must bless “Blessed is He who made a miracle for me in this place”, meaning in the place of ascent where one is now, since it is impossible to be there if the state of descent did not first precede it.