Page 23 - 20780

10 | A New Light Chapter Two: | 23 18 | A New Light
Chapter One: midst of difficulties. He sees Hashem’s presence in the entire course soul is far from anything that partakes of even a trace of falsehood,
of his life, and he binds himself to Hashem. This bond is the result dishonesty or any lack of integrity. Something that is unearned
The Highest Torah of his free will and effort, and it is therefore a true bond that is lacks a degree of integrity, because it is something that a person
wanted to gain without having worked for it. Therefore, it is hateful
associated with delight and genuine fulfillment.
to the human spirit.
Many great and important tsaddikim came together to be That is the stature of the tzaddikim. Initially, they experienced
within the circle of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder and leader difficulties and struggled a great deal with the evil inclination. They Even Laban the Aramean, the unscrupulous schemer, understood
of the Hasidic movement. They comprised the holy group of his succeeded in serving God until they came to despise evil—which is that receiving something for nothing constitutes a flaw in one’s
students, and as such they received his teachings and adopted his to say, this entire world and its desires—and to choose good. They character. Therefore, he told Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman,
practices. When the Baal Shem Tov left this world, the greatest of worked, toiled and strove in order to purify their bodies until their should you work for me for free?” (Genesis 29:15). Ramban explains:
his students, Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezritsh—the Maggid (“Preacher”) bodies were drawn after the soul and were attracted to good, as “I know that from now on you will work for me, because you are
of Mezritsh—took over the mantle of leadership. The Hasidim in the poem, “My heart and my flesh will sing to the living God.” a moral person who will not earn a living at the expense of others.
who had followed the Baal Shem Tov when he had been alive now When they learn Torah and serve Hashem, they experience great And I too do not want the work that you do for me to be gratis,
streamed to Mezritsh and clung to his great student, the Maggid. delight. This is not considered the “bread of shame,” because they without full wages. So tell me what you request for your wages,
receive this as a reward for their holy work. “Praise the righteous and I will pay it.” Receiving something without having earned it is
In the Hasidic way of life, the peak of the student’s bond with his man, because he is good, because he will eat the fruit of his deeds” repugnant to a moral, virtuous and rectified person—and certainly
rebbe occurs when he comes to spend the Sabbath at the rebbe’s (Isaiah 3:10). to the soul, which is by its nature true and whose traits are unflawed.
court. There, he is intoxicated by an elevated, unique atmosphere. Therefore, when the soul receives delight without having earned it,
He sees the face of the tzaddik, he greets him and is greeted and Everyone can attain this goal. Everyone can live a life it suffers unceasingly.
blessed by him, and they pray together. And the high point of of true delight even in this world—and precisely because
the Sabbath is the tisch—literally, the “table”—the gathering for a this world accommodates evil. As Elijah the prophet testifies: “I In this world, nothing is free. Anything that is free is only a trap.
ceremonial meal. During these hours, the tzaddik descends “from bring as witness heaven and earth that it does not matter whether As the holy Ohr Hachaim states in the name of the Zohar (Terumah
the mountain to the people,” and raises them from the physical one is a Jew or a non-Jew, a man or a woman, a male servant 128a), the powers of impurity are called “unearned,” and they
world to a reality consisting entirely of flames of holy fire. Everyone or a maidservant, the Godly spirit that rests upon a person is in rule over everything that comes without having been earned (Ohr
is bound together into a single entity of song and yearning for accordance with the deeds that he performs” (Tana Devei Eliyahu 9). Hachaim on Exodus 21:4). The pure soul wants to earn its true delight
the living God. At the pinnacle of the meal, the rebbe opens his with its toil and effort, and not receive it for free. Therefore, the
mouth with wisdom and delivers a sermon in which he combines “We Will Sanctify Your Name in the World” soul suffers terribly from the shame it experiences when it receives
elevated ideas from the weekly Torah reading and current events unearned delight. The suffering of that shame is the greatest suffering
with practical advice and guidance. Just as a person can attain perfect delight specifically because he possible, even in this world. Every person is prepared to die rather
exercises free will, so too the Creator receives complete delight and than be disgraced and shamed before others—and how much more
The holy Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye, author of the Toldot satisfaction only from a person who uses his free will to choose and is that the case in the world of truth. As Rabbi Nachman teaches,
Yaakov Yosef, was a member of the Baal Shem Tov’s holy desire God despite all of the evil influences that have ceaselessly “The suffering of shame is much greater than the punishment of
circle—in fact, one of his greatest students—who in his holy books enticed him to choose this world and its desires. We find that the Gehennom” (Likutei Moharan I 22).
recorded the essence of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings. After his Creator Himself, as it were, receives delight and satisfaction from
master passed away, Rabbi Yaacov Yosef was at a loss. He felt His creation: “Hashem, may He be blessed, foresaw the pride and Judged in Fire and Water
like an orphan without a father, and he longed to fill the gaping delights that He would receive from [the people of] Israel…. And
void. He yearned profoundly for the heavenly Sabbaths that he had because of that He created the entire world” (Likutei Moharan I 17). Everyone can understand from his own experience the bad feeling
experienced in the courtyard of his rebbe, for the wondrous tisch And Rabbi Nachman also speaks about how “Hashem, may He be caused by the “bread of shame.” Consider: how would you feel if
and for his rebbe’s deep insights. blessed, receives delight from Israel” (ibid. 73). Hashem’s principal you were to sit down to eat at a wedding to which you hadn’t been