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Orchard of Delights Bereishit
Level Service Experience
Worlds Searches To Uplift ££Rectifying the World £££Rectifying the World Rectifying the World
£
Souls Serves To Connect
Divinity Unites To Unite
The Torah concludes the story of Creation with the following verse:
The Ba’al Shem Tov’s second teaching is based on the beginning of the “God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it for on it He rested
verse – “a window you will make for the ark.” The Hebrew word for from His work which God created to make” (Genesis 2:3). The Rabbis
“window” is tzohar, which literally means “shining,” and the Hebrew have noted that the infinitive “to make” appears to be redundant
word for “ark,” tayva, also means “word.” The Ba’al Shem Tov taught and somewhat contradictory: if the verse has just signified the end
that when we recite words of prayer or Torah we have to make them of creation with the words “God created,” what can it possibly mean
shine, infusing them with deep meaning and intent. By doing so, by adding “to make”? Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, one of Kabbalah
we enable the words to reach all the physical and spiritual worlds and Chassidut’s foremost contemporary exponents, explains that in
– and ultimately God Himself – and to simultaneously illuminate this context “to make” means “to rectify;” God has made humanity
the deepest recesses of our souls. The ark becomes a metaphor for His partner in the ongoing rectification of the world. The words
how prayer saves us from the raging waters of the world, offering “to make” imply an ongoing creative process, not one definitively
us shelter and comfort in times of trouble by keeping us constantly finished at one point in time.
connected to God.
The Sages’ emphasize humanity’s partnership with God, thus
The Ba’al Shem Tov, based on his predecessors’ teachings,
especially those of the Arizal, emphasized the unique opportunity demonstrating that this concept belongs to mainstream Jewish
thought; however, when we think about this notion deeply, it is
prayer offers to directly connect to God. Reintroducing song and truly an amazing and awesome way for humanity to relate to the
profound kavvanah (deep intent) as integral elements of prayer, he world and God.
transformed the Jewish peoples’ prayer experience. What had become
for many a dry and unfulfilling experience was transformed into a The Arizal explains that this world is called Olam Hatikkun (the
joyous, deeply personal, and spiritual one. All Chassidic thought and World of Rectification) for it is made up of a previous world’s broken
custom derives from the Ba’al Shem Tov’s teachings on this matter. vessels. These immature vessels were not strong enough to contain
He forged a renewed sense of how to make the words of prayer truly the primordial light so they broke in a cataclysmic event known as
shine. the “breaking of the vessels.” Humanity is charged with repairing
the vessels and redeeming the light trapped in them.
The Ba’al Shem Tov’s disciples collected his various teachings
on prayer in a treatise called Amud Hatefilla (The Pillar of Prayer). This highly symbolic, yet entirely accurate, description of reality
This treatise was published in the portion of Noah in the book The is alluded to in the words “to make” and is encompassed by Isaiah’s
Ba’al Shem Tov on the Torah. Judaism’s quintessential prayer is the description of Israel’s role in the world – to be a light unto the nations
Amidah. Coming from the same root as “amud” (pillar), amidah (Isaiah 42:6). To accomplish this goal humanity, in general, and the
means “standing.” This name drives home the message that prayer Jewish people, in particular, need to search for, elevate, redeem, and
is the act of standing before God. Man who was created “in the image heal those sparks of light hidden within the gross material garments
of God” was from the very beginning granted the stature of standing of this world. In so doing, humanity fulfills its purpose of revealing
before God. the spiritual and Divine energy hidden in creation.

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