Parshas Haazinu[1]
1st Mamar “Haazinu Hashamayim[2]”
- Haazinu Hashamayim #1:[3]
A. Only a ray of the soul enters the body:[4]
While every Jewish body contains a G-dly soul, the entire G-dly soul does not descend and become invested within the body but rather a mere ray and glimmer. A ray and glimmer of the G-dly soul descends below into the body through contractions. However, the entirety of the G-dly soul and its source and root remains above in Heaven and is called a Mazal. On this it states that man contains a Mazal and that everything is dependent on the Mazal [as will be explained next that a healthy G-dly soul contains a constant communication with his Mazal].
B. The Function of the Mazal:[5]
The Mazal is the level of Ayin which is completely nullified to G-d and is not considered a separate existence from Him. The Mazal serves as the channel to drip G-dliness into the soul below and effect it with feelings of repentance, as the ray of the soul which descends into the body is not completely separate from its root and source above and hence remains connected to its Mazal to receive revelation from it. This, however, is with exception to one who transgressed a sin that is liable for excision, in which case the connection of the ray of the soul below with its Mazal has become cut off and disrupted and is thus unable to receive the messages from above.
C. The Jewish people do not have a constellation Mazal:[6]
The sages state that the Jewish people do not have a Mazal. This however is not in reference to the level of soul known as Mazal that every Jew contains in heaven but rather refers to the constellations of stars in heaven. You see, G-d arranged for each one of the idolatrous nations to have a minister and star constellation above in the heavens through which the blessing for that nation is drawn down. This, however, does not apply to the Jewish people who receive the sustenance directly from G-d without any intermediary. However, the source of the soul of every Jew known as the Mazal, every Jew certainly contains.
D. Repentance is to return the soul to the state of the Mazal:[7]
The essence of repentance is for the regular someone’s body to return back to its source and root known as the Mazal. This is accomplished through the service of Mesirus Nefesh, which is Bittul and self-sacrifice. This can be accomplished during prayer within the prayers of the Shema and Shemoneh Esrei. It is due to this that we are instructed to be our entire lives in the state of repentance, as each day our souls are returned to our bodies as will be explained next, and we are commanded to reattach our soul back to its source each day. To accomplish this, one is to scream to G-d out of absolute bitterness which touches the depths of his soul in order to attach to him with actual Mesirus Nefesh. This level of repentance applies to every individual even to one who never sinned throughout his life, nevertheless, the soul is invested within the body against one’s will [and experiences a natural distance from G-d even without sin]. This is the entire purpose of the descent of the soul below to this physical world, in order so one become a Baal Teshuvah for this reason.
E. The state of the soul during sleep:[8]
Every single night one’s soul returns to heaven, to the level of “Veata Nafachta Bi, and you blew into me.” This is the level in which the ray of the soul separates from the soul to descend into the body. At night, the ray of the soul which is in the body returns and becomes reincorporated and reunited with its source. This however only applies for those who merit this level of return based on their righteousness and cleanliness of heart. [Others, however, do not merit for the soul to return to this space.]
F. Why Yom Kippur is called the double Shabbos:[9]
In scripture, Yom Kippur is called Shabbos Shabbason, a double Shabbos. The reason for this is because all of the Shabbosim of the year in comparison to Yom Kippur are considered like weekdays. Yom Kippur is the main day of repentance, and each Shabbos only a mere glimmer and ray from Yom Kippur shines.
G. We confess on Yom Kippur to elicit revelation of G-d’s benevolence:[10]
The main aspect of repentance is the nullification of one’s will to turn darkness to light [and cause Hashem to once again shine His countenance on the person]. Now, on Yom Kippur the supernal will of the highest level is revealed. It is for this reason that on Yom Kippur we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, as forgiveness elicits the revelation of G-d’s will. This is similar to a man who asks for forgiveness from his friend even if he knows that his friend will not harm him for the wrong that was done against him, nonetheless, he asks for forgiveness for the sake of him no longer being in a state of anger with him.
H. The forgiveness and elicited revelation is commensurate to the person asking:[11]
It states in scripture “Salachti Kidvarecha/I forgive you like your word.” This means that G-d forgives the individual and shines his countenance upon him in accordance to the method of quality of his repentance and asking of forgiveness. Commensurate to the level of nullification of one’s will below from darkness to light will be the paralleled shining of G-d’s countenance to the person. Everything is dependent on man’s will and all the thoughts of man and his intellect and emotions act according to his will, and it is based on this that G-d’s will is revealed to him. This is the meaning of the term “Hamarbeh Lisloach/And he increases in forgiving” as there are many levels of forgiveness for each and every person in accordance to how he prepared his heart.
I. The effect of a sin and how it creates idolatry:[12]
All transgressions are called by the term “Elokim Acheirim/other G-d’s.” The reason for this is because whoever performs a transgression creates a prosecuting angel which comes from the Kelipos and the side of evil. It is these forces of prosecution that prevent and hinder the revelation of G-d from reaching the person.
J. The reason the first tablets were broken:[13]
The first tablets were given on Shavuos with loud sounds and lightning. It is for this reason that they did not last, as loud sound and lightning comes from the revealed worlds, Alma Deisgalya, which allow the forces of evil to nurture from it. This is in contrast to the second set of Luchos which were given discreetly and correspond to the concealed worlds, Alma Deiskasya, from which the evil forces are unable to nurture at all.
2nd Mamar “Haazinu Hashamayim[14]”
The written Torah is rooted in the supernal wisdom, which is not a known wisdom, and is above and beyond any comprehension. It is for this reason, that the written Torah contains mainly stories, as these stories conceal a great depth of mysticism which are incomprehensible to the human mind. Even the commands and laws which are written in the written Torah do not have much details and understanding and must resort to the oral tradition in order to be properly clarified. [Accordingly, one should not judge the written Torah as being a simple history book, as in truth it contains concealed secrets that are much higher than the greatest wisdom’s and are incomprehensible to the human mind.]
B. The Mitzvah’s draw G-dliness to the Torah:[17]
Every single Mitzvah that one fulfills draws a revelation of the infinite light of G-d into the Torah. This is because G-d is elevated above the level of divine wisdom which is represented in the Torah, and in order to bring G-d to reveal His infinite light into the Torah the fulfillment of Mitzvah’s are required.
C. Dressing G-d, figuratively:[18]
It is not the way of a king to personally get himself dressed as doing so is considered beneath his dignity. Rather, he has a servant dress him. The same applies regarding G-d. It is not possible for one to fathom G-d unless he is invested and enclothed within His garments, which is the Torah which is the will and wisdom of G-d. Now, who dresses G-d? The Jewish people. The drawing down of G-d into garments of the Torah is accomplished by the Jewish people.
D. Must precede love in prayer to Torah study:[19]
This ability for the Jewish people to dress G-d, and draw Him down into the Torah comes as a result of the service of prayer. The service of prayer must precede the Torah study as one who claims that he has only Torah, then even Torah he does not have. The reason for this is because one must first experience within the prayer of Shema a love of G-d to the point of Mesirus Nefesh for G-d’s unity in order to activate one’s ability to draw down G-dliness to the Torah.
E. True Mesirus Nefesh does have to be bombastic and noisy:[20]
The world believes that Mesirus Nefesh must involve screaming and excitement and eccentric behavior. This is not true. Rather, true Mesirus Nefesh is simply the fulfillment of the verse “and to you G-d I raise my soul,” which expresses that one does not desire to be a separate entity from G-d but rather desires to be nullified to him, to elevate one’s soul and spirit to G-d alone who is the source of life.
F. Souls are higher than angels; so why must we contemplate them?[21]
Although souls are on a much higher level than angels, nonetheless, one must contemplate the love and fear experienced by the angels in order to arouse love and fear within oneself, as contemplating these matters intrigues the intellectual soul [which is a section of the animal soul and is not higher than the angels]. This is the meaning of the verse, “Venasati Eisev Besadecha Livhemtecha / and I will give fodder in your field to the animals,” as the fodder refers to the angels and the animals refer to the animal soul, as the animal soul receives from the angels.
3rd Mamar “Haazinu Hashamayim[22]”
- Haazinu Hashamayim #3:[23]
See Volume 1 of our Chassidishe Parsha Torah Or Series under Parsha Haazinu where we covered the following matters of this Mamar in detail:
- The two types of souls-Baalei Torah and Baalei Eisek
- What is higher: Heaven or Earth-Torah or Mitzvos?
- Rain and plant Growth-How to absorb Torah into one’s soul
- The animal soul recites Elokaiy Neshama
- The G-dly soul is seeded into the animal soul, which is the earth
- The purpose of Mitzvos is for the animal soul
- The source behind the animal soul’s inner power
- The Mitzvos are only effective when performed by a Jewish soul
- The G-dly soul arouses the love of the animal soul, which in turn makes the Mitzvos effective
- The two types of Torah learning-rain and dew
- The message Hashem gives to both souls
A. Is heaven boring? An infinite amount of levels of comprehension:[24]
[Every pleasure is only enjoyable when it comes intermittently. A constant pleasure becomes boring and is no longer stimulating. The question is thereby raised regarding our experience in heaven in the garden of Eden and as to whether our souls ever become bored of the experience.] The world to come was created with an infinite amount of G-dly revelation, which consequently allows for an infinite and constant pleasure. The pleasure of the souls in the world to come, derive from its comprehension of G-dliness, and G-d created in the world to come an infinite amount of levels of comprehension one higher than the other for infinity. [Accordingly, the souls in the garden of Eden never become bored of their pleasure as they are constantly experiencing new pleasures upon their constant journey from level to level of comprehension.]
B. The experience of the Serafim and Ofanim angels:[25]
Amongst the many angels there exist two camps of angels, one known as the Serafim and the second known as the Ofanim. The difference between them is as follows: The Serafim are of very high level intellect and are positioned in a very high level in heaven in which they comprehend high levels of G-dliness, which contain the level of Chabad of Atzilus. They comprehend that G-d fills the entire world and that everything is nullified before Him. This is in contrast to the camp of angels known as Ofanim who are of low-level comprehension, and when they even hear the camp of Serafim angels saying the words Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, they lose their senses and begin screaming and shouting because they cannot handle the revelation that comes as a result of the statement.
C. Emotions are rooted higher than intellect:[26]
It is known that the root of the emotional attributes are higher than that of the intellect. [It is for this reason that the emotions contain much greater intensity than the intellect, and it is for this reason that even after the intellect which aroused the emotion has subsided, the emotion still remains. It is likewise for this reason that we have such a hard time controlling and maneuvering our emotions, as while they can potentially be guided by the intellect, they are their own independent entity, and the wilder they are, the greater of an intellectual guide they require. This is similar to a horse and its rider, that a more tamed horse does not require a skilled rider while a wild horse would require an experienced and professional rider.]
D. One’s clothing are his honor and both express and conceal his personality:[27]
Rebbe Yochanon the sage was accustomed to refer to his clothing as his honor. The reason for this is because clothing expresses one’s elegance, and are a revelation of one’s character. It is for this reason that the attribute of wisdom of G-d is referred to as honor, as the attribute of wisdom for G-d is a mere garment which He uses to express Himself. However, as much as the garment reveals the person it also conceals his true essence. [In other words, that while one’s clothing can express a certain aspect of his personality, it conceals the expression of the remainder of his character.] This can be readily seen regarding human intellect which is a garment for his souls essence, and although it allows him to express intellect, it conceals G-dliness from him, as will be explained next.
E. The Bittul of animals versus humans – Why grown animals are more submissive than even young children:[28]
We readily recognize that animals have a unique capability of being tamed and subjugated by their master, to the point of absolute submission. Even a very young child is able to make an animal submissive to him and have it follow the child’s every order. What gives the human this unique capability to rule and control the animal kingdom? The answer is the intellect. Animals are lacking wisdom and intellect and therefore contain much greater Bittul, potential submissiveness. Humans on the other hand are intellectual, and this intellect is what gives the human the ego to control and take charge of others. Intellect comes hand-in-hand together with grandeur and desire to control others. The intellect serves as a garment which conceals the level of submission found in the essence of the soul of the human. In essence, every creation contains natural submissiveness similar to the animal, which results from its aspect of Ayin from which all creation derives. The human intellect, which is the level of Chochmah, conceals this level of Ayin, and hence causes him to feel entitlement and elevation over others which leads to his natural sense of rule and control of those beneath him. This itself is due to the fact that human intellect which is the level of Chochmah comes from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which gives man the sense of self independence and hence draws him to feed his ego. This quality of intellect and ego is found even in a small child, and hence even a small child lacks submission and desires to not be controlled by others, and is able to control others on a lower level than he, such as in the animal kingdom. [The above teaching of the Alter Rebbe is highly revealing with regards to understanding the human psyche, and from it we can learn several points: 1) Having a higher sense of intellect and comprehension can naturally lead to feelings of entitlement over those of lower intellectual status, hence lending to the creation of the hierarchy systems in our society, and the desire of the upper class to rule and govern the country irrelevant of whether they are the majority. 2) Dictators are a natural symptom of the ego and entitlement that a human naturally has as a result of his intellect which draws him to want to control everything beneath him, which includes not just animals but also all the citizens of his country. 3) Babies and toddlers can naturally be extremely rebellious to their parents wishes despite never having gone through a system in society which can influence them to have such behaviors. Who influenced the toddler to throw a tantrum because he wants to wear a red shirt rather than the white shirt which his mommy is trying to dress him with? The answer is that this is not due to any outside influence, and is rather due to the natural ego that results from the attribute of intellect found in the child which does not allow him to be controlled by others and rather wants to take control of others. 4) Studying and mastering the wisdom’s of Torah, or Lehavdil the external wisdom’s of the world for the sake of Parnasa, is certainly a most prestigious goal and accomplishment. Nonetheless, it comes with the danger of giving one a higher sense of entitlement, as the stronger the intellect, the stronger the ego. Thus, together with one’s intellectual growth, one must likewise work on his personality and Bittul to Hashem and others. While superficially a person greatly excelling in Torah study and Torah knowledge may seem virtuous, it may be the root and source of his downfall if it strengthens his ego to the point he is incapable of controlling his lusts and loathing of others. On this the Talmud states, “If one does not merit his Torah study becomes a poison.” 5) Perhaps the above can also explain the known phenomenon of some children of teenage years who behave as if there is nothing they don’t know and that their parents have very little knowledge.[29] Perhaps this is due to the fact that they have just begun to develop their intellectual abilities after becoming Bar or Bas Mitzvah, and are indeed using it to understand the world and gather information from whatever sources are available to them. This new sense of intellectual power brings together with it a feeling of hierarchy and entitlement over others, i.e. a boosted ego. It is similar to how a young teenager acts on the road with his brand-new convertible, versus a middle-age man driving an expensive Mercedes. The young teenager may act as if he owns the road as the excitement of his newly found toy knows no bounds. So too, the child’s fresh introduction to his intellect and his use of it gives him a false sense of greatness and understanding.]
F. The Ofanim angels request from G-d supernal wisdom which reveals and does not conceal:[30]
The two camps of angels known as the Serafim and Ofanim have two distinct experiences above in heaven. While the Serafim calmly state Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh, the Ofanim shout out the words “Baruch Kevod Hashem Bimikomo.” What are they shouting about and what are they requesting in the statement? So, as stated above, the term Kavod which means honor, can refer to a garment as one’s clothing are referred to as one’s honor. Specifically, they are referring to the garment of wisdom, that is supernal wisdom, Chochmah of Atzilus and are making the following request from G-d: We, the Ofanim, are found in the low level of Assiyah and experience wisdom of a concealing nature similar to the Human, which conceals G-dliness and causes the buildup of independence and ego. We thereby request from you O G-d to please send us wisdom from the level of Kevod Hashem, which is the 32 paths of Chochmah of Atzilus. Please send it from Your place in Atzilus to our place in Assiyah. In this level of Atzilus, not only does wisdom not conceal G-dliness but on the contrary, it reveals it and is hence not a concealing garment but a revealing and expressive garment. It is similar to the level of wisdom that existed prior to the sin of the tree of knowledge which does not contain any evil or concealment of G-dliness. This request to receive from G-d’s supernal wisdom is only necessary by the angels in the camp of the Ofanim being that in their world of Assiya they lack revelation of G-dliness, in contrast to the Serafim which are found in the world of Beriyah and experience G-dliness on a constant basis.
G. The purpose of the souls descent below to the body is to become a Baal Teshuvah:[31]
Prior to the souls descent below into the body it was on the level of a Tzadik which naturally desires to cleave and attach to G-d. Its descent below into the body caused this desire for attachment to G-d to become concealed. It is for this purpose, states the Zohar, that the soul descended below, in order to return the Tzadikim to G-d and have them repent. This refers to the soul that is within the body regaining its desire to cleave to G-d hence becoming a true Baal Teshuvah who screams to G-d from his darkness and concealment with much greater intensity than the Tzadik. Thus, the aspiration for one to become a Baal Teshuvah must be maintained by everyone, even one who has not sinned, as everyone experiences this concealment of G-dliness which he must desire to break and return his soul to its old feelings and desires of cleaving to G-d. [While generally, the above teaching is understood to refer to the G-dly soul, from this discourse it seems that it refers to the animals soul and is saying as follows: The animal soul which was taken from a very high level of Pnei Shur was originally on the level of a Tzadik, and its descent below is what caused it to become course and animalistic. The reason the G-dly soul descended below is in order to cause the animal soul, who was originally on the level of a Tzadik, to become a Baal Teshuvah and return to its roots. Seemingly, both are correct, as both the animal and G-dly soul as they are found in the body need to be returned to their root and source.]
[1] Likkutei Torah pp. 71b-78b
[2] Likkutei Torah p. 71b
[3] Likkutei Torah p. 71b-73b
[4] Likkutei Torah p. 71b
[5] Likkutei Torah p. 71b
[6] Likkutei Torah p. 71b
[7] Likkutei Torah p. 71b-72b
[8] Likkutei Torah p. 72a
[9] Likkutei Torah p. 72b
[10] Likkutei Torah p. 72b
[11] Likkutei Torah p. 72b
[12] Likkutei Torah p. 72b
[13] Likkutei Torah p. 72b
[14] Likkutei Torah p. 73b-74
[15] Likkutei Torah p. 73b-74
[16] Likkutei Torah p. 73b
[17] Likkutei Torah p. 73b
[18] Likkutei Torah p. 74a
[19] Likkutei Torah p. 74a
[20] Likkutei Torah p. 74a
[21] Likkutei Torah p. 74a
[22] Likkutei Torah p. 73b-74
[23] Likkutei Torah p. 74a-
[24] Likkutei Torah p. 74b
[25] Likkutei Torah p. 74b
[26] Likkutei Torah p. 74b
[27] Likkutei Torah p. 75a
[28] Likkutei Torah p. 75a
[29] An old proverb states that when a teenager turns 20 years old he asks his parents how they became so smart in only one day.
[30] Likkutei Torah p. 75a
[31] Likkutei Torah p. 75a
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