YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
Shiur #41: Prayer (continued)
Discovering the Divine Presence within Oneself
A person’s ability to pray rests on the knowledge that a spark of the Divine Presence resides within every Jewish soul. Before praying, this spark must be revealed:
This is the entirety of our ability to pray to God – the fact that the blessed God is within us, at all times.
When a Jew is ready to pray he must first reveal the manifestation of the Divine Presence that descends upon us, in [its] exile, and is to be found within ourselves, but is covered with external trappings. One locates and reveals it through one’s prayer, as encapsulated in the words, “From the depths I call out to You, Lord…” … Through the Divinity that one reveals within himself [in this lower world], he prays to God, and then the prayer that he utters is – as Kedushat Levi writes[1] concerning the verse, “And He called: The Lord, the Lord…” (Shemot 34:6) – [as it were] like the blessed God calling to Himself…
Prayer is man’s perfection of himself, and through prayer he reveals the Divinity within himself, and it is with this Divinity that he prays…[2]
It is a central teaching of Chassidism that the Divine Presence is not transcendant but also immanent and part of the world, and as such is manifest also in the innermost essence of man.[3] In addition, the soul is part of God,[4] and as such it serves as the foundation for God’s presence within man. The first part of the necessary preparation for prayer is contemplation of one’s innermost essence and awareness of the Divine spark within him:
In truth, the essence of prayer is always only if God prays. As the gemara teaches, “How do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays?”[5] In other words, in the prayer that a Jew utters, God is always also praying. For if this were not so, of what use would his prayer be, as the utterances of [mere] physical substance, in having any effect in the heavens and turning [Divine] anger to mercy? But the Divine spark that is within a person does not always engage in prayer. [It happens] only in someone who is closely bound up with his Divine essence, such that his body and soul are not two independently operating entities, like flatmates that share the same home but who are separate from and unrelated to one another; only when the body, too, yearns to be subservient to the soul, and the body is not moved by physical wants, but only by that which moves the soul. When this is the case, then when he is ready to pray, the Holy One, blessed be He, prays, as we have explained. “From the depths I call to You, O Lord…” – the words of the prayer are not my words; rather, they emerge from [the Divine spark that is in] my innermost depths.[6]
This is a wondrous concept. It seems that a person simply needs to be awakened to and aware of the fact that Divinity speaks out from his midst; his “I” is, in fact, the Divine Presence that prays within him.[7] A similar idea is expressed by early Chassidic masters, such as R. Yissakhar Ber of Zlotshov:
“And Yehuda drew close to him and he said, ‘I pray you, my master…’”: This may be understood in terms of an interpretation of the words of the prayer on Shabbat, “There is none comparable to You and there is none but You” (ein arukh lekha ve-ein zulatekha). We find in the gemara, “A person prays only if he makes himself as naught” – i.e., that he thinks about the greatness of the Creator and His exaltedness, that there is no place that is devoid of Him, and all is Divinity, and that other than Him there is nothing. Any person who wishes to pray with this in mind and to first think about the greatness of the Creator finds that right from the start, as he starts to think about the greatness of the Creator, he is struck by tremendous awe, and he says to himself, “Who am I, miserable and despicable mortal that I am, a putrid drop, to pray before such a great, elevated and exalted King?” But afterwards, when he thinks further about the greatness of the Creator and understands that there is no place that is devoid of Him – and that even he himself is part of God’s Divinity – then he prays with great fervor, seeking to cleave to his [Divine] root, assuring himself, “I myself, too, am [part of] Divinity.” And this is the meaning of the words, “There is none comparable to You”: There is no-one that can be measured against Your greatness; all creatures are lowly in comparison and unworthy of offering You praise and exaltation. But afterwards he says, “There is none but You” – for there is no place that is devoid of Him, and he himself, too, is part of Divinity and worthy of cleaving to the blessed God. And this is the meaning of, “And Yehuda drew close to him” – at a time when a man of Yehuda [i.e., a Jew] approaches to pray before God, “and he said” – i.e., he thinks to himself. And he must consider the fact that “there is no place that is devoid of Him,” such that “bi adoni” [interpreted to mean “my Master is within me”) – i.e., within me, too, there is a part of Divinity. And then he is able to pray. Understand this.[8]
A sense of God’s presence within man and his aspiration to pray and to cleave to his supreme Source is something that the soul years for; it is a revelation of the Divine Presence in one’s midst. This awareness brings a person to a state of intense fervor.
Indeed, chassidic teachings offer various formulations of this sort of Divine service. One variation, which is oriented to individuals of superlative standing who achieve a very high level of self-nullification and thus become vessels for revelation of God’s word praying from within them, is offered by R. Uziel Meizlish. He describes the chassidic fraternity as a society of prophets over whom God’s spirit hovers and from whose throats the Divine Presence speaks:
We know concerning Moshe Rabbeinu that the Divine Presence would speak from his throat. And although no [prophet as great as] Moshe has arisen [since], there have been some people who merit this level of having His powerful Presence give praise from their throats. And this may be what Chazal mean when they say, “From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays…” For this is called, “the high praises of God in their throat” (Tehillim 149:6). Meaning, that the exaltation of the Divine Presence is in their throats – that His powerful Presence speaks, as it were, from the throats of the righteous, and then “a double-edged (pifiyot – literally, ‘with two mouths’) sword in their hand.”… This is the meaning of, “My Lord, open my lips…” – for one who merits this level is a person who is but a channel into whom words pour from on High, and the person merely opens his mouth…
This is the meaning of the verse, “The Song of songs which is unto Shelomo.| It means that this song is holy of holies unto Shelomo – the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself. Meaning that His powerful Presence itself speaks and sings from the throat of the tzaddik. And in the same manner, he concludes, “Let Him kiss me…” – meaning that this is achieved through the Holy One, blessed be He, joining Himself to his mouth in this lower world, from His mouth in the upper world…[9]
In this description, a person is like a prophet, serving merely as a channel to carry God’s word. Here, God is in fact the subject Who is praying, rather than man. At the same time, it is clear that this level cannot be achieved by everyone. It is a special level reserved for tzaddikim who nullify themsleves before God.
We find a different situation in which a person is a partner in the Divine prayer described by R. Shelomo of Radomsk:
This is also the meaning of the gemara: “From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays? As it is written, ‘And I shall cause them to rejoice in the House of My prayer.’ It does not say ‘their prayer,’ but rather ‘My prayer’” (Berakhot 7a), for this is also the measure of prayer that is desirable: [the question of] if the Holy One, blessed be He, is also praying, as it were. And this is why it says, “It does not say, The house of their prayer” – unless it is also “the House of My prayer,” as it is written, “The word of the Lord tested him (tzerafat-hu) (or ‘joined him’)” (Tehillim 105:19). Meaning that when his prayer joins with (tzeruf im) the word of the blessed God, his prayer is heard. And this is the meaning of the verses, “And Moshe cried out to the Lord, saying” (Shemot 8:8); “And I pleaded to the Lord at that time, saying” (Devarim 3:23) – in other words, the Holy One, blessed be He, said this, and then his prayer was accepted.[10]
In this situation, a person stands in prayer together with the Holy One, blessed be He; it is not a state of complete self-nullification as described by R. Uziel.
To which description, then, is R. Kalonymus referring? Does he have in mind a state of complete self-nullification before God, such that it is in fact God alone Who is praying, as described by R. Uziel, or does he refer to the sort of prayer described by R. Shlomo of Radomsk, in which man and God are “partners”? Although there are conceptual similarities with both teachings, I believe that R. Kalonymus presents a third model: not God alone praying from within the person, and not the person praying in partnership with God, but rather a person praying with God’s help: “With [the aid of] the Divinity that is revealed within him, he prays to God.”
Let us consider this option more closely.
What is the meaning of God being within a person? How do we feel this? How do we go about revealing the Divinity within us? R. Kalonymus explains that one of the manifestations of the Divinity within us is the attributes – which are in fact the sefirot – that are imbedded in us, such as love and fear.[11] However, in normal, day-to-day situations in which a person is occupied with his affairs, he is not aware of them, “and they are covered in the dust, and he treads upon them with trifling matters of no importance.”[12] Awareness of these attributes is awareness of the Divine Presence within us. When when a person is about to sin and he feels a twinge of fear and says, “I hope no-one can see me,” according to the Ba’al Shem Tov, this represents a manifestation of his Divine spark, for God condenses the fear of Him within a person to this low level, in order to save him from sinning. The same applies also to God’s mercy; an awakening of love for God represents an awakening of the Divine impression of loving-kindness within him.
Before praying, a person has to make the proper preparations in order to reveal the Divine attributes that are imbedded within him and with the help of which he prays. The rungs of the ladder are ordered as follows: The first step is to separate oneself from the world and its affairs, and by clearing the consciousness one allows the Divine forces to start to become manifest. We discussed this stage at length under the heading of “quieting extraneous thoughts.” The second stage entails arousing the forces of love and fear that are within him:
Prior to prayer, one must separate oneself from the world and concentrate on the fact that he is now drawing near to speak with God, as it were. And when he separates himself from the world and its bustling, then the garments with which the Divine spark is clothed [within him] – his abilities, his thoughts, his desires, and all his actions – disappear, and the Divinity that is within them is revealed to the extent that he is now separated from the world and his closeness to God.
And while he prays, he must subjugate all his strength so that the love and fear [of God] can be active, and operate even through his physical facilities, in the sense that “Anyone who answers Amen with all his strength…”[13]
R. Kalonymus also offers another piece of advice for helping a person to feel the Divine Presence within him. This Divinity is concealed by a person’s egocentrical needs: the need to make a living, the need for respect, and so on. Therefore, if one succeeds in halting the flow of such thoughts, he will discover within himself feelings of pure love and fear, whose source is in the world of atzilut. To this end, he needs to prepare himself through a period of waiting before prayer. In addition he should consider it his last day of living in the world.[14] This will serve to arouse within oneself pure love and fear, which are a manifestation of Divinity, and with these he prays:
The following is also advice for how to achieve an awakening and revelation of the spark of Divinity that is within him, without arousing his own selfish needs, and going beyond the practice of waiting for a certain time before praying. For in truth there exists within every Jew, in all his affairs, a spark of the Divine, but a person conceals it with his thoughts and desires and all his occupations, such that even holiness – and even a holy attribute such as fear, when it is revealed to him through his occupations – appears in the form of fear that no-one should see him. If the person would spend a period of time blocking all his thoughts and wants, this spark of Divinity would appear to him without any garments. But since a person chases after his thoughts about what he will do tomorrow, how he will make money, and how he will gain honor, therefore his thoughts flow without interruption. And this is what the mishna means when it says, “And repent a day before you die” – that a person should think that, heaven forfend, he has no tomorrow, and he has no reason to think about tomorrow, and he should not let it disturb his thinking. Then pure love and fear, emanating from his atzilut, will be revealed to him.[15]
The love and fear within a person are a manifestation of Divinity within him. In order for his prayer to rise up to the upper worlds, he must recognize these attributes and their Divine source. He makes use of them during prayer by arousing the love and fear within him. If he does this, then the force motivating his prayer is God, Who is revealed within him through His attributes, by means of which the person prays.
The following story that is told about the Ba’al Shem Tov highlights these attributes and their importance in having one’s prayer accepted in the upper worlds:
I heard that the holy Ba’al Shem Tov once came to the doorway of the Beit Midrash, and he stood and the doorway and did not wish to enter. They asked him why he did not wish to enter, and he answered that he could not, for [the place] was full of Torah and prayer. They continued to question him with great wonder, saying, “But surely if it is a holy place, which is full of Torah and prayer, then it is even more appropriate to enter it!” But then he opened their eyes to help them understand well what he meant: that is is not a virtue of a house of prayer that it be full of Torah and prayer, for this means that the Torah and prayer that those inside engaged in was not uttered with love and fear, and it did not rise up.[16] Everything remained below, and it was for this reason that the place was full of Torah and prayer, from wall to wall, and there was no room to enter. If they had studied and prayed there with proper concentration and with the proper love and fear, then all the teachings and all the prayers would have ascended on High, and nothing would remain below, and then this house of holiness would be empty and there would be plenty of room to enter.[17]
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] R. Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, Kedushat Levi, Parashat Ki Tisa.
[2] Derekh Ha-Melekh, 2-3.
[3] R. Nachman of Breslov writes: “For Israel are literally part of the supernal God; they are literally parts of the Divine Presence” (Likkutei Moharan [Jerusalem, 5753] Kama, siman 260.
[4] For example, R. Chaim Vital writes: “Because man is created from both substance and form – i.e., psyche, spirit, and soul, which is part of God on High, as it is written, ‘And He breathed into his nostrils a living soul…’” (Sha’ar Ruach Ha-Kodesh im Perush Yosef Da’at, 9b).
[5] Berakhot 7a: “R. Yochanan said in the name of R. Yossi: From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays? It is written, ‘I shall bring them to My holy mountain and cause them to rejoice in the House of My prayer.’ The verse does not say ‘their prayer,’ but rather ‘My prayer’ – and hence we deduce that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays.”
[6] Derekh Ha-Melekh,266: “‘Middaber’ – meaning that the words emerge on their own, as in, ‘And he heard the voice speaking (middaber) to him from above the covering that was upon the Ark of Testimony, from between the two keruvim’ (Bamidbar 7:89).”
[7] The following teaching is recorded in the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov: “I heard from my teacher [the Ba’al Shem Tov] that the Divine Presence is called ‘prayer,’, as the verse states, ‘And I am prayer’” (Ba’al Shem Tov al Ha-Torah [Jerusalem, 5767], #126). R. Elimelekh of Lizhensk writes: “‘I’ is the Divine Presence, which is called ‘I’…” (No’am Elimelekh [Jerusalem, 5752], Parashat Vayeshev).
[8] R. Yissakhar of Zlotshov, Mevasser Tzedek (Berdichev, 5577), VIII 2-3.
[9] Tiferet Uziel (Williansburg, 5751), Shir Ha-Shirim. For more on the Divine word being revealed from within man as a sort of propecy, see R. Schatz, Ha-Chassidut Ke-Mistika (Jerusalem, 5748), 110-121.
[10] R. Shelomo of Radomsk, Tiferet Shelomo al ha-Torah (Jerusalem, 5728), Parashat Vayera.
[11] It is well known that Chassidut emphasized that the sefirot are not only to be found in the world of atzilut, but are also manifest in man’s psychic and physical build. See M. Idel, Kabbalah: Hebetim Chadashim (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv, 5753), pp. 161-168.
[12] Derekh Ha-Melekh, 1.
[13] Ibid., 2.
[14] We have discussed a similar idea – imagining the day of one’s death – but there the purpose was different; the technique was not meant to be used as preparation for prayer.
[15] Derekh Ha-Melekh, 5.
[16] Tikkunei Zohar (Jerusalem, 5746), Tikkun 10, 25b.
[17] Ba'al Shem Tov al Ha-Torah, Parashat Va’etchanan, 55.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
Shiur #42: Prayer (continued)
During Prayer
Praying with Fervor
Prayer should be characterized by fervor (hitpa’alut), like a person who has some precious object presented to him or who meets his beloved son who he has not seen for a long time, and his excitement is such that he could forget to eat and drink and sleep during that time, since the dearness of his son affects him so deeply that his entire being, his psyche, and his spirit are secondary to it; even hunger fades into insignificance beside it.[1]
In Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, R. Kalonymus uses term “hitlahavut” (passion) to indicate a state in which one forgets one’s body and its needs. Indeed, it seems that he uses the terms “hitpa’alut” and “hitlahavut” interchangeably, for in his attempt to distinguish between them he writes:
Young scholar – we can offer you a yardstick by which to know, when you feel fervor, whether it is mere emotional intensity or whether it may properly be called passion (hitlahavut).[2]
Thus, prayer requires emotional intensity, fervor, and passion. A person should savor the connection with God in prayer, which offers a taste of the Garden of Eden:
In a place of song of praise – there shall prayer be, for one cannot exist without the other. A Jew must feel the range of emotions and passions in his Torah and in his prayer, for any spiritual passion and pleasure that a Jew feels is like the sensation of pleasure of the Garden of Eden.[3]
We earlier discussed at length the idea of serving God with fervor and passion, the necessity of these attributes, and why true chassidic Divine service is impossible without them. Thus, we can understand the importance of these inner movements (fervor, emotion, and passion) in prayer. Admittedly, R. Kalonymus’s intention is to broaden these movements to encompass observance of the other commandments a well, so that they exert their effect throughout a person’s day, but it is clear that in the realm of prayer, at least, they are simply indispensible.[4]
The road to fervor in prayer starts with contemplating before Whom one stands and investing powerful thought in this meditation.[5] In his sermon for Parshat Noach in the year 5690 (1929), R. Kalonymus draws a distinction between a person who thinks of prayer as a means for satisfying his needs and one who treasures the opportunity to draw close to God:
For a Jew – even a simple individual – when he prays to God for his needs and engages in powerful thought about how he is currently standing before God, Who holds the life of all the worlds in His hands and Who possesses the power and sovereignty to send salvation for all of his physical and spiritual needs, and how his own vitality, and that of the members of his household and of all of Israel, and all their other needs, are dependent on this moment as he stands in prayer and supplication before God – then he pours out his soul before God, such that he is altogether taken up in his fervor, and all his powers are subjugated and nullified before God.
And all the more so in the case of a person who has the heart and mind capable of fervor even when he is not asking for his needs, but merely declaring, “Blessed are You, O Lord…,” and who thinks, “How close I am to God right now,” such that he truly talks to God in the second person – “You.” And he feels that he has broken his way through all the worlds, all the barriers and curtains separating him, to arrive directly before God, and he now stands before His majestic holiness and His awesome majesty, declaring, “You, O Lord, are blessed.” How passionate and full of fervor he is in view of this! All his physical aspects are overridden, and he is completely subservient to God, from the radiance of His holiness that rests upon him.[6]
The Maggid of Mezeritch is well-known for his teaching that a person should not pray for his own needs (“like a dog that barks” for its needs to be met),[7] but rather should pray for the rectification and restoration of the Divine Presence, which is a higher and more general need of all of Israel, and a tikkun of atzilut. In this teaching of R. Kalonymus, there is similarly a distinction between a “requesting” prayer, in which a person asks for what he wants and needs, and a prayer that does not “request,” but his perspective is different from that of the Maggid of Mezeritch. R. Kalonymus argues that one may arrive at a state of fervor even when asking for his own personal needs, which is quite legitimate. However, a person on a higher spiritual level is able to achieve fervor in his prayer even when he makes no physical or spiritual requests of God; the mere fact of standing before God arouses in him a powerful and meaningful sense of closeness to Him.[8]
Signs
R. Kalonymus offers the worshipper signs by means of which he can gauge whether he is indeed achieving passion and fervor in his prayer. The importance of these signs lies in the fact that a person can use them to measure his spiritual state, since spiritual service is like a ladder, and person who aspires to ascend this ladder should know where he stands.
It is possible to discern whether a person has reached the stage of “passion,” which is a higher level than emotional intensity (hitragshut). The sign of this transition is that one’s intensity is such that he can no longer maintain a state of cool detachment. This may be ascertained as follows:
Try to halt all movement. If you have indeed reached the level of hitlahavut, then your burning psyche will not allow you to rest; you will cry out, you will experience great longing, you will weep and you will rejoice… But if, when you desist from all movement, all is at rest, with no resistance and no emotion, just quiet and calm, and you would even be able to carry on a mundane conversation if you were not standing in prayer, this is a sign that your movements were forced and coerced, with no effect… for a young scholar chassid who prays with true emotion – when he suddenly halts, he should feel a pang in his heart caused by longing for God… no less than he longs for his parents or his children when he travels and is far removed from them.[9]
Another sign that R. Kalonymus proposes is the length of the prayer in which the worshipper manages to maintain his state of intensity. He argues that only servants of God who are on a high spiritual level are able to maintain their passion throughout the prayer service. It is not something that anyone can achieve, certainly not someone who is only starting out on the path of Divine service. Even if one is able to concentrate on the meaning of the words throughout the prayer, he will not be able to maintain the same level of passion throughout; he will only feel it in certain parts of the prayer. By the end,
If it seems to you that it was all uttered with [the same level of] passion, then you should know that you did not even achieve [real] emotional intensity; whereas if you experienced ups and downs, patches of light and patches of shadow, then it is possible that you did indeed achieve emotional intensity.[10]
A person may run into real difficulties if he uses these signs improperly. Instead of being immersed in prayer, he will be constantly examining and evaluating himself as he prays, and thus destroy any possibility of concentrating and truly cleaving to God. R. Kalonymus is aware of this danger, and while he regards these signs as important indicators, he explains the need to limit one’s use of them.
The most important principle is that one’s prayer must be “simple in its power and its intention”; passion will develop on its own. While engaged in prayer, a person should not be busy investigating and measuring the quality of his prayer, or whether or not he has achieved “passion” or “intensity”, for then he will end up losing out on meaningful prayer altogether.
The proper time for this evaluation and the use of these signs is not during prayer itself.[11] However, it is important that a person evaluate himself from time to time, for one tends to see only the good in oneself, and he may waste a good portion of his life laboring under the illusion that he is praying as he should, while if he would make use of the signs and learn how to direct and apply his emotions during prayer, he could achieve much more.[12]
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 6. This teaching was written around the time of Parshat Noach in the year 5690 (1929).
[2] Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, p. 13. For more on the distinction between these two concepts, see chapter 5 (shiur #22)).
[3] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 95.
[4] See Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, p. 2.
[6] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 7.
[7] R. Dov Ber of Mezeritch, Maggid Devarav Le-Yaakov (Brooklyn, 5732), par. 12.
[8] Similarly, R. Kalonymus elsewhere draws a distinction between “prayer” (tefilla) and “requesting” (bakasha); the latter is an expression of an “extraneous desire,” while the former is service of the heart, emanating from the recesses of the heart (Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 295).
[9] Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, p. 57.
[10] Ibid., p. 58.
[11] A difficulty arises here. On the one hand R. Kalonymus writes that a person should evaluate himself in this regard only after praying (Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, p. 58), but on the other hand he proposes signs that can only really be applied when one is in the midst of prayer – for instance, ceasing all movement while praying and evaluating the effect of this on one’s emotional state (ibid., p. 57). This seeming paradox requires further inquiry.
[12] Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, p. 58.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
Shiur #43: During Prayer (continued)
Focus (Kavana) in Prayer
During your prayer, stand in one place by the wall, or with your eyes closed, and pray aloud. Not mere shouting with no concentration [behind the words], but rather with focus and with the hope that by means of this [prayer] your soul will be awakened from its sleep and emerge from its hiding towards its King and Maker, before Whom it stands.[1]
Mental focus and concentration are the essence of prayer. Mere recital of the words and psalms in a mechanical manner, without the investment of one’s longing, desires, and love and fear of God, is like a body without a soul.
What should one concentrate on during prayer? Kavana (focus) might be understood as a type of interpretation. One can pray and focus on the plain meaning of the words – “Heal us,” “Hear our voice,” etc., but how is one to think literally of the words, “Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him on High”? We live on the earth; can we truly speak on behalf of the angels? The problem becomes even more complicated when we speak of kabbalistic kavanot. Consider, for example, the formula that R. Chaim Vital, disciple of the Ari, establishes in his Sha’ar ha-Kavvanot as the kavana for the Kaddish following “U-Va Le-Tzion”:
The third Kaddish, after the Amidah and prior to Ashrei Yoshvei Veitekha: The kavana is that first we raised up all the worlds so that all the worlds would be included in the world of Atzilut, so as to effect the supreme unification of Tiferet and Malkhut alone, while all the other worlds become like wings protecting and covering them, as per the secret of the “round goblet” (agan ha-sahar) mentioned in a teaching of the Zohar, in a manuscript entitled Sitrei Otiot shel Hashem Yitbarakh. Following that unification we have to once again raise up the worlds so that they may receive the abundance that is produced by that unification that was performed. It is for this reason that we now recite Kaddish, in order to once again include all of Creation in Atzilut, so as to receive the outpouring of that unification, and therefore the kavana for this Kaddish is through the Name of God in the form where each of the letters comprising the Name is in turned spelled out, with the variation that uses the letter yud […] and then all of Creation receives and additional measure of holiness, from the holiness of U-Va Le-Tzion.[2]
We shall not attempt to explain this kavana; our intention is merely to present something of its character and to show how obscure and inaccessible it is for those unfamiliar with kabbalistic concepts. One has to engage in extensive study of Lurianic kabbala before it can be applied, although it is a relatively “simple” kavana; the writings of the Ari contain concepts and kavanot that are far more complex. Chassidism, as we know, followed in the steps of Lurianic kabbala in many areas (for example, in the text [nusach] of the prayers), since this body of kabbala is held as second in importance only to the Sefer Ha-Zohar. At the same time, chassidic teachings reflect reservations with regard to the kavanot of prayers as taught by the Ari and his disciples. The main reason for this is that while knowledge of the esoteric secrets of kabbala and the combinations of letters in the world of Atzilut are unquestionably capable of impacing the upper worlds, it is difficult to achieve devekut (closeness to God) – which is a supremely important value in chassidism – through these channels. Praying with the kavanot of the Ari, with all the myriad details, requires a high level of concentration, while prayer with devekut requires a completely different inner movement: an outpouring of the soul, bodily movement, and powerful emotional investment.
A chassidic parable distinguishes between these two approaches to prayer by comparing them to the two possibilities for opening the lock on a safe: One possibility is to use its secret code; the other is to break the lock by force. Chassidut preferred devekut, which breaks down the barriers between man and God, over a focus on yichudim and kavanot, which are like secret codes. The parable might also be interpreted in a different way: The spiritual level of the generations is on a decline, and we can no longer know the proper kavanot as they were known to the Ari and his disciples. Therefore, what is left to us is prayer from the depths of the heart, which is capable of opening the gates of heaven.[3]
R. Kalonymus, who was well-versed in Kabbalah in general and Lurianic kabbalah in particular, also expressed his view with regard to the kavanot of the Ari. He agreed that someone who is capable of focusing on the kavanot as well as arousing his emotional energy should do both, but he recognized that this is not possible for everyone:
One who is unable to effect both – to focus on the kavanot and to arouse himself – should rather forgo the kavanot and not use them when he is at prayer.[4]
In this matter, he bases his approach on that of his predecessors, who argued that in our times, it is possible to achieve all the kavanot of the prayers by using all of one’s inner emotional and psychic forces while reciting the words of the prayer:
And in the holy book Maor Va-Shemesh, written by my saintly grandfather, in Parshat Ekev it is written explicitly that in our generations there is no need to focus on the kavanot of the Divine Names during prayer, because the essence of the kavana of the Names is based on the punctuation, cantillation marks, and the crowns on letters, and we know that the cantillation marks, punctuation, and crowns parallel the nefesh, ruach, and neshama. Therefore, when a person invests his nefesh, ruach and neshama in the letters and words of he prayer, he thereby effectively achieves the unification of the Divine Names, and this kavana transcends all the kavanot. For it is clear that our generations nowadays are different from previous generations in the matter of focusing on the kavanot, and also that a person’s nefesh, ruach, and neshama are [themselves] the essence of the kavana, not just that which is on high.[5]
Elsewhere, R. Kalonymus emphasizes the value of the letters and words of the prayer. Even the prayer of someone who is not familiar with the kavanot of the Ari can be effective. If one is aware of the value of the letters comprising the words of the prayer and of the supernal Divine light that is concealed in them, then when he prays he can think about what a great privilege it is to be able to use these letters and words. The passion and fervor arising from this meditation then elevate the spiritual light of the prayer “higher than the holy yichudim”:
This is the matter of the kavanot in prayer: Along with the basic focus on the meaning of the words, the letters themselves also have meaning, as we know from the holy Zohar and from the Ari z”l, [teaching] how the shape of each letter, its punctuation, its gematria, and the combinations of letters, all have meaning. And even someone who is unable to think about the kavanot of the Ari z”l and to effect yichudim must also know that the [effect of his prayer] is not limited to the meaning of the words, and he fulfills his obligation not merely by concentrating on the meaning of the words, but also the letters have inherent holiness of their own.
And as the great Maggid, of blessed memory, taught concerning the verse, “You shall make a window for the ark (teiva),”[6] with regard to the word (teiva) that you utter in prayer, too, you should make a “window” – i.e., light. The words and the letters have their own inherent holiness, and when one prays out loud, with kavana that every letter and ever word is a piece of the upper world and a component of the [Divine] Chariot, then he will be passionate in his utterance of every letter and every word, filled with joy and amazement at the parts of the Chariot that are emerging from his own mouth.[7]
One of the features that makes R. Kalonymus’s approach to kavanot so special is his emphasis on the need for a person to create his own unique kavanot in accordance with his own needs and wants. He attributes this idea to his grandfather, the “Seraph of Mogielnica”:
In his book Avodat Yissakhar, the holy R. Berish of Wolbórz… writes: Our sainted rabbi and teacher, the Rebbe of Mogielnica, taught concerning the matter of kavanot that whatever kavanot a Jew chooses for himself – they are all accepted from him in Heaven.[8]
The creation of a personal kavana is in fact the interpretation of a verse in light of the circumstances and state of mind of the worshipper. R. Kalonymus writes:
When one prays, he can define the kavanot of the words of the prayer in accordance with his own bodily and spiritual needs, and in accordance with his level of spiritual arousal. In the Torah, although every verse has a plain and simple meaning, the Sages nevertheless illuminate individual words, and even individual letters, with their own meaning. Likewise in prayer – although the entire prayer is a single entity on the plain level, a person can nevertheless imbue every word with special meaning, in accordance with his spiritual state. There is a tradition recorded in the name of my father and teacher, who had a special focus in the Nishmat prayer on the section starting with the words, “Who awakens the slumbering”: He said that his kavana was that God should awaken the soul of the Jewish People, which was imprisoned in an endless slumber, oblivious of their holiness. And when one says, for example, “Who straightens the bowed over,” a person might ask of the Master of the universe, “I am bowed over – both with regard to my body and with regard to spirituality. Please ease the yoke of physical and spiritual challenges, and help me to stand upright” – etc.[9]
Following in the footsteps of his forebears, R. Kalonymus opens the door for every individual to find himself within the prayer service. The prayer formula is fixed, but one’s interpretation and experience of it – the content of his kavana – is in accordance with his own world and experience. Just as there are “seventy facets to the Torah,” so there are endless ways of interpreting and understanding prayer. Every individual may and should find the way to apply the content of the prayer to himself and his own experience.
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] Bnei Machshava Tova, p. 49.
[2] R. Chaim Vital, Sha’ar Ha-Kavvanot (Jerusalem, 5738), Derushei Ha-Kaddish, derush 1: Kavanat Ha-Kaddish Ha-Shelishi. Sha’ar Ha-Kavvanot is the fundamental work used by the kabbalists and their students who follow the path of the Ari.
[3] For more on this see R. Schatz, Ha-Chassidut Ke-Mystika (Jerusalem, 5748), chapter 10; M. Idel, Ha-Chassidut Bein Ekstaza Le-Magia (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv, 5761), chapter 4.
[4] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 227.
[5] Ibid. p. 227.
[6] This verse, recorded in the Torah as God’s instrution to Noach while he was building the ark (teiva), is given a different interpretation in chassidut, with the word teiva understood in its other meaning – “word.” There are many teachings in this regard that are recorded in the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov, their essence being that one must discover the Divine light and the worlds of meaning concealed in the words of the prayer, since the tzohar (window) represents an opening through which one is able to ascend to the upper worlds. The following tradition is recorded in the name of the school of the Maggid of Mezeritch:
“You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a handbreadth from the top” – The Ba’al Shem Tov, of blessed memory, said: “You shall make a window for the ark” – the teiva (in this context, word) should illuminate (matzhir, from the same root as tzohar, window). For every letter contains entire worlds and souls and Divinity, and these ascend and combine and achieve union with one another, [and] with Divinity, and then the letters connect and unite to form words, and then they form real unificiations with Divinity. And a person must include his own spiritual essence in each and every part of this, and then all the worlds unite as one, and they ascend, and a great, immeasurable joy and pleasure are created […] After the word leaves his mouth he does not see how it ascends on High, just as one is unable to look at the sun, and this is the meaning of the phrase, “you shall finish it from the top” [or, in this context, “it is lost to you as it disappears on High”]. What you are able to do, however, is, “Enter the ark [word] – you and all your household” – meaning, invest all your body and strength into the word. (Ba’al Shem Tov al Ha-Torah [Jerusalem, 5767], Parshat Noach, 15).
[7] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 9.
[8] Mevo She’arim, p. 227.
[9] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 101.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
Shiur #44: During Prayer (continued)
Visualizing During Prayer
As discussed previously, identification with and personal investment in prayer is of critical importance. If there is no emotional arousal, then prayer is essentially sterile. Hence, while an understanding of the meaning of the words is important, it is not sufficient:
Make a conscious effort to intend the meaning of the words. There are several ways to do this. It is possible to simply translate in your mind as you read, so we would say, “Hallelu” (give praise); “et Hashem” (to the Holy One); “min ha-shamayim” (from the Heavens); and so on. This mode of “intending the prayers” does not awaken the spirit.[1]
Such prayer is deficient because it takes place on the level of mind:
He is looking at mere words, and he understands their meaning, the literal denotation… In other words, his prayer and his Divine service remain in the realm of knowledge and comprehension, above him, for he dwells [below] in this physical, material world, while his prayer exists in the world of intellect and understanding.[2]
This is not to say that intellect and comprehension are in any way negative. On the contrary, they originate from a high place – too high, in fact, and thus disconnected from the worshipper’s earthly, material world, where comprehension and intellectual grasp will not suffice. One has to invest additional inner forces. Prayer is “service of the heart,”[3] not “service of the mind.” Hence, a person must be fully invested in the content of his prayer:
Rather, the essence of “intending your prayers” means that when you say, “Praise God from the Heavens,” and so on, you are addressing all of creation and commanding it to praise God. You, who are formed of matter yourself, you are endowed with a soul, and so you have the authority to command. It is your power and your duty to remind every level of creation – angels, microbes, grass in the field – “Praise Him from the Heavens, Praise Him… stars… [and] light…” This is what it means to pray with intention. This is rousing to the spirit.[4]
The worshipper is transformed from a reader of texts into a participant in a drama, and this transformation can in turn revolutionize his relationship with and attitude towards the content of his prayer. He is no longer a neutral onlooker; now he is actively involved. He initiates, he remembers, he cries out, he beseeches, praises, and commands; he identifies with the prayer. The longing, the liturgical praise, and the prayer are the soundtrack of his own life.
Elsewhere R. Kalonymus expands on this idea, demanding that the worshipper engage all of his inner capacities in prayer, including his imagination. We have discussed previously the importance of the imagination; here we find it pressed into service in prayer, along with the faculty of contemplation:
It is different when you apply your thought, your imagination, and your emotions… Then your Divine service is internalized and becomes tangible for you. When you say, “For every knee will bow to You,” even if you feel only the slightest feeling as you utter the words, you will perceive that you – and the whole world with you – are bowed before God and completely nullified before Him. Likewise, when you say, “Praise God from the Heavens…” with intensity, then you are standing and commanding the entire universe – the upper and lower worlds, which are right in front of you – “Stand and give praise; sing with us to God!”[5]
Here R. Kalonymus explains how one makes use of his imagination:
It is not a matter of visualizing the sun and moon, which perhaps are not actually visible right now. Rather, your speech, thoughts, and emotions flow and develop into a texture that you can almost physically see. “For every knee shall bow to You” – how pleasant is this statement! You and all of the universe, in the heavens and in the earth below, are now bowing together to God.[6]
Here R. Kalonymus raises a familiar problem: Is it only in my imagination that all of Creation joins with me in bowing before God? He offers a most interesting answer, proposing that all spiritual awakening in Divine service that emerges from a place of truth expresses a situation that is real. Thus, if a person feels that all of Creation is joining with him in a song of praise to God, then that is in fact real and true:
Do not say, “If it feels this way, it is nothing more than a product of my imagination. I alone am imagining that we – the upper and lower worlds – are all united in bowing and prostrating ourselves, singing and giving praise together before God… It is not merely a product of your imagination. Since this is what you perceive in your fervor and through your imagination that has been sanctified and strengthened, so it really is. The angels of heaven – all beloved, all flawless, all holy; the ofanim and the holy chayot, with great noise; the sun and the moon; the earth and all its fullness, and you in the midst of it all – give voice in unity and harmony to songs of praise to God.[7]
Solitary Meditation
If someone is still unmoved, uninspired, and unexcited by prayer that does not concern his own personal needs, R. Kalonymus suggests heading out of the synagogue to the forest, where one can commune with nature and awaken his spirit:
Have you ever experienced the bliss of prayer that is devoid of ulterior motives or personal interests? Have you ever cried before God as you uttered His praises or been greatly aroused when speaking to Him? Did you feel then His Presence pressing through the limits of your heart and mind, and you yourself could not grasp or understand it? Any tears you will shed during your prayers are like those of a child crying for a toy or a sweet as long as these experiences are beyond you.
This, then, is the way to reach them if you want to: Let go of this world for an hour or two – its hustle and bustle, its cunning deceptions, and all your earthly aspirations. Seclude yourself in privacy – go out into a forest if possible. Let yourself become a simple creature in God’s world. With the sun, the moon, the birds, and the trees, sing songs of praise to Him. Reveal the greatness of God to the world, and fill it with a sense of that greatness.
In this state of mind, begin by reciting, “Adon Olam – Master of the universe…,” “Yedid Nefesh – Beloved Companion of my being…” See how your soul then rushes out to greet the approach of its Maker. God has come, so to speak, to hear your sweet song, and a holy passion engulfs you. Only the gushing of your warm tears will be able to calm your passion.
Then you will know why Moshe prayed to become a bird of the sky after his passing (Bereishit Rabba 11:9);[8] he yearned to sing praise to God as a simple creature before Him.[9]
Meditation is not a chassidic invention; it is a tradition going back to the time of our earliest forefathers. R. Avraham ben ha-Rambam writes in his Ha-Maspik Le-Ovdei Hashem that the reason why the forefathers chose to be shepherds was because of their desire to commune with God and to distance themselves from human company, which disturbs one’s inner peace.[10] R. Nachman of Breslov includes a recommendation to meditate in many of his teachings, but he is not the only Chassidic master who endorses this practice. R. Elimelekh of Lizhensk, for example, writes:
Before praying, one must meditate, as our Sages taught: “The early pious ones would pause for a while before prayer, and for a while after prayer…” And this is called, “the outskirts of the wilderness” – the “wilderness” is meditation.[11]
The meditation described here is a quieting of the mind. To prepare one’s consciousness and clear it of all disturbances prior to prayer, one need not necessarily go out to a field or a forest; the same process can happen in the synagogue.
But the meditation described by R. Kalonymus has a different purpose. As noted, he proposes it for someone who finds himself incapable of fervor and passion in prayer that is not related to his personal needs – from which we deduce that when this person has a personal problem (his health, his livelihood, his family, etc.), he has no problem focusing on what he is saying. The problem arises only when the prayer is unrelated to himself – e.g., prayers of praise and thanksgiving. This meditation, undertaken in the forest, seeks to locate the individual within the backdrop described in the prayer. R. Kalonymus proposes that a person become a “simple creature in God’s world.” Here the individual is not looking in from the outside, but rather comes to feel that he is a partner and comrade of all creatures that exist in nature; he is part of them and one of them, along with the sun and the moon, the birds, and the trees of the forest, all of which join in song to God. He sings in the choir that is comprised of all of Creation. This is altogether different from the situation of someone who observes the picture from the side. No matter how beautiful the picture may look to him, he will always be outside of it.
The experience is conveyed eloquently in such prayers as Barkhi Nafshi, which is recited as part of the morning prayer on Rosh Chodesh:
Bless God, O my soul. Hashem, my God, You are exceedingly great; You are garbed in majesty and splendor. You are cloaked in light like a garment, stretching out the heavens like a curtain. He who covers over His upper chambers with water; He Who makes clouds His chariot; He Who walks on wings of wind; He makes the wind His messengers, the flaming fire His attendants. He established the earth upon its foundations, so it would not falter, forever and ever. The watery deep – You covered it as with a garment; upon the mountains water would stand… He sends the springs into the streams; they flow between the mountains. They water every beast of the field, they quench the wild creatures’ thirst. Near them dwell the birds of the heavens; from among the branches they voice their song… There where the birds nest, the stork with its home among cypresses; high mountains for the wild goats… He made the moon for festivals the sun knows its destination. You make darkness and it is night, when every forest animal stirs… (Tehillim 104:1-20)
Could anyone imagine a more appropriate setting for this prayer than out in nature, as R. Kalonymus proposes, where man has a sense of belonging to his natural surroundings?
R. Nachman offers a similar suggestion and illuminates the advantage of this setting from a different angle:
Know that when a person prays in the field, all the vegetation enters into the prayer, helping him and strengthening him in his prayer. It is for this reason that prayer is called “sicha” (conversation), alluding to “the shrub (siach) of the field” (Bereishit 2:5), since all the shrubs of the field empower and assist his prayer. This is also the meaning of, “And Yitzchak went out to commune (la-suach) in the field” (ibid. 24:63), for his prayer was with the help and the power of the field. All the shrubs of the field aided and strengthened his prayer, as explained above. And it is for this reason that prayer is called “sicha,” as noted.[12]
In the teachings of R. Nachman, solitary meditation occupies a central place in Divine service, not only for the purposes of prayer, as for R. Kalonymus, but rather as a separate form of Divine service, with its own defined time and place and characterized by daily soul-searching and dialogue with God. For R. Kalonymus, in contrast, meditation is yet another technique for arousing fervor in one’s Divine service in general, and in prayer in particular.
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] Bnei Machshava Tova, p. 49 (Conscious Community, p. 82).
[2] Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, p. 70.
[3] “What kind of service is performed by the heart? This refers to prayer.” (Ta’anit 2a)
[4] Bnei Machshava Tova, p. 49 (Conscious Community, p. 82)
[5] Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, p. 70.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid. p. 71.
[8] See Avot De-Rabbi Natan, addition 2 to version A, ch. 4; Otzar Midrashim (Eisenstein) (New York, 5688), p. 366.
[9] Tzav Ve-Ziruz, p. 336 (To Heal the Soul, pp. 43-44).
[10] R. Avraham ben Ha-Rambam, Ha-Maspik Le-Ovdei Hashem (Jerusalem, 5733), pp. 177-186.
[11] R. Elimelekh of Lizhensk, No’am Elimelekh (Jerusalem, 5752), Parashat Beshalach.
[12] R. Nachman of Breslov, Likkutei Moharan Batra, 11.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
Shiur #45: During Prayer (continued)
The Great Miracle
We can grasp something of the intensity of the inner work that is required of a person at prayer from the following excerpt, which R. Kalonymus cites in the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov:
It is a great kindness on the part of the blessed God that a person remains alive after praying, for in the natural course of events he should die, having no life-force left, after spending it all on prayer in the intensity of his kavana.[1]
A different version of this teaching reads:
In the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov, of blessed memory, who said that it is a great miracle when a person remains alive after prayer, that his soul did not leave him with the intensity of his cleaving.[2]
One way of explaining the danger involved is that the soul might disengage from the body as a result of the intensity of longing for unification with God, and that God in His mercy grants a person vitality that keeps him alive.[3] Another explanation focuses on the sorrow of completing one’s prayer: “When he remembers that following prayer, he returns to this world, it is truly a miracle that his soul remains within him…”[4] The unbearable pain of “parting from God” with the conclusion of the prayer is a threat to a person’s continued existence.
R. Kalonymus teaches that this state is not reserved for people of the stature of the Ba’al Shem Tov, but rather belongs to everyone. In other words, every person should experience such utter closeness to God when he prays that he feels and appreciates the Divine kindness of being kept alive afterwards.[5]
This great longing in prayer is expressed in other ways, too. A person’s main encounter with God takes place during prayer. One should therefore wait with anticipation for the time for prayer, when he can pour out his heart and tell God everything that is happening in his life, like a child who waits to tell his father what he is experiencing and to request his help where necessary.[6] The climax of this sense of closeness comes at the end of the prayer:
Therefore the crux of the yichud (unification)[7] is at the end of the prayer, in other words, in the Shemonah Esrei, which comes after the Pesukei De-Zimra (psalms of praise) and recitation of the Shema, because the Jewish soul bursts forth there with all its strength with love and awe, wanting and longing.[8]
The “unification” is an expression of the longing of the soul to cleave to and become one with God. The entire course of the prayer leads up to this climax, and after such intense spiritual activity it is clear why it is only through Divine mercy that the worshipper is still alive and able to go on.
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] R. Dov Ber of Mezeritch, Likutim Yekarim (Jerusalem, 5741), ot 2, 31; Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 108.
[2] Ba’al Shem Tov al ha-Torah (Jerusalem, 5767), Introduction, ot 43.
[3] Concerning mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice) in prayer and how a person is spared this death, see the fascinating teaching by R. Tzadok Ha-Kohen of Lublin, Dover Tzedek (Bnei Brak, 5733), Acharei Mot, ot 4.
[4] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 109.
[5] Ibid. p. 108.
[6] Ibid.
[7] The term is meant here in the sense of “devekut” – closeness. For more on this yichud, see R. Waks, Be-Sod Ha-Yichud: Ha-Yichudim Be-Haguto Ha-Kabbalit-Chassidit shel R. Chaim ben Shelomo Tyrer Mi-Czernowitz” (Los Angeles, 2006), pp. 155-160.
[8] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 109.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
Shiur #46: During Prayer (continued)
“Running and Returning” in Prayer
The intense climax of prayer is inevitably followed by a withdrawal and descent. It is a well-known Chassidic principle that life follows a pattern of “running and returning” – ascents and descents. It is impossible to remain stagnant, nor can one sustain a perpetual ascent. Human existence, in both the physical and the spiritual realm, is characterized by movement, fluctuation, ebb and flow. It is specifically because of the tremendous uplifting that one experiences in prayer that he is in danger of a great fall. The greater the ascent, the harder the fall. A teaching of the Ba’al Shem Tov establishes the following rule:
It is an important principle that a person cannot maintain the same [spiritual] level, for vitality [or “living beings;” see Yechezkel 1:14) runs and returns. If one is unable to ascend higher, then he will necessarily fall, even from his [lofty] level, for it is impossible to remain static. One is either ascending higher or falling from the level that one had achieved.[1]
In a teaching about the alternating “running and returning” in prayer, R. Nachman states that without the movement of “return,” the worshipper would be in danger of being completely consumed and nullified by his intense cleaving:
When we see sometimes how a person grows passionate in his prayer and utters a few words with great fervor, that is evidence of God’s great compassion towards him, for He exposes him to the light of Ein Sof and grants him illumination… And when he nullifies himself in relation to the Ein Sof, he is in a state as described by the verse, “And no man knew…” (Devarim 34:6) [concerning the place of Moshe’s grave]. For even he himself is unaware of himself. But this state must be [subject to] “running and returning” in order that he may continue to exist.[2]
In R. Kalonymus’s teachings, we do not find the movement of “running and returning” treated in this way. Instead, he emphasizes a different message – that a person should not fall into despair or decline following his prayer, although there is a need to step back and rest. R. Kalonymus asserts that the Maggid of Mezeritch managed to maintain his state of spiritual intensity even after he concluded his prayer, and as a result was able to ascend higher and higher. His friend, in contrast, would revert after concluding his prayer to his original state, and thus had to repeat his ascent from the start each time anew:
The Maggid went from strength to strength. The reason for this was that he exerted himself, even after his prayer, to remain in the same spiritual state that he had been in during prayer, and thus the next time he prayed he was able to ascend even further… His friend, after praying, would revert to the same state that he had been in before praying, and thus every day he faced the challenge of uplifting the first prayer in the chain… Every person needs to rest, just as someone who is climbing a very tall tree needs to rest along the way. But then he must stay strong and make the effort to grasp and hold onto the tree so that he will not fall off, but rather remain where he is…[3]
R. Kalonymus follows in the path of the Maggid, asserting that a person is able to grow closer to God by means of prayer and then, after praying, to rest while maintaining the closeness that he has achieved, so as to continue his progress.
The Impact of Prayer
Prayer has the power to make a difference, and its impact is measured on different levels. Sometimes the effect is felt during the prayer itself; sometimes the results become manifest only afterwards. R. Kalonymus cites a teaching of the Maggid of Mezeritch concerning a person’s state in the wake of prayer:
It is taught in the name of the Rebbe, R. Dov [Ber of Mezeritch], of blessed memory, who brought in the name of the Ari that after prayer that is favored, there remains a certain reshimu (impression) of the mochin (consciousness), and that is the submission that remains within the person. In other words, even though a person cannot constantly be in a state of mastery of the mind and the heart, as when he is at prayer, nevertheless the consciousness – the submission – remains with him.[4]
This teaching seems to be taken from Yosher Divrei Emet by R. Meshulem Feibush of Zbarazh, who was a disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch and the Maggid of Zlotchov:
Indeed, in a later work by R. Dov Ber, of blessed memory, which I have in my possession, it is written that the sign of a prayer that is favored by God to any degree is [the worshipper’s] submission – in other words, whether, after the prayer, he retains submission in his heart. This is called the reshimu [impression] of the prayer, as mentioned in the teachings of the Ari z”l, that after the prayer there remains a impression of that consciousness. In other words, even though after one’s prayer is over there can no longer be the same mastery of the mind of the heart, as during prayer (as achieved by every individual according to his level), nevertheless there remains the reshimu [impression], in the form of submission and humility. And if this is not so, then certainly [the prayer] was not favored at all. One might perhaps merit this sometime.[5]
R. Meshulam, who elaborates at greater length on the concept originally articulated by the Maggid of Mezeritch, teaches us that the sign of whether one’s prayer was favored by God is whether the person attained “submission.”[6] Submission is a parallel expression of a state of lowliness.[7] Commenting on the verse describing King Menashe, “And when he was in distress, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers” (Divrei Ha-Yamim II 33:12), R. Elimelekh of Lizhensk taught: “A person who wishes to acquire sanctity and the service of God needs total submission, as per the Tannaitic teaching, ‘Be exceedingly humble.’”[8] In other words, a person can achieve a state of expanded consciousness and an elevated spiritual state while at prayer, but may then find that when his prayer is over he returns to the same state he was in before he began praying. The Ari z”l and the Chassidic masters teach that if his prayer was worthy, it has a lasting impact on him; it makes an impression in the form of the submission that remains.[9]
Nevertheless, this state of “submission” still requires clarification. R. Kalonymus states that “true submission in a person comes from the illumination that rests upon him. If this is not [the source], then it is not [true] submission.”[10] This is because a sense of lowliness can be a manifestation of spiritual emptiness and debilitation, which can hardly be called “submission.” Rather, submission is when a person is enriched by Torah and filled with strength and positive energy. It is specifically in that situation that he must examine himself to see whether he is in a state of submission:
The way of Torah, is to be “brazen as a leopard…” (Avot 5:20) – a strong person of strong mind and will to perform Divine service, but nevertheless submissive – not because he is empty, but rather because of the inner light that dwells within him, such that he nullifies himself and submits to it… For the light within him nullifies itself and submits to holiness, and even after his prayer, an impression is left behind and he remains submissive.[11]
Let us take a closer look at the matter of this light. During prayer, the worshipper is illuminated by a heavenly light, as we learn from a teaching of the Ari z”l:
One must not offer a prayer in sadness, for if he does so, his soul cannot receive the Supreme Light that extends to him during prayer.[12]
This light is not an image or metaphor: “Prayer is illumination and an imbuing of light…”[13] It is a real light that can change a person’s state.[14] If he is worthy,
The light surrounds his entire body and penetrates all of his inner essence, and the Supreme Light is impressed upon his whole body and all its functions and powers. Then one is also submissive in prayer, and even after prayer, some impression of that remains within him.[15] This is not the case where sanctity did not surround his entire body and did not permeate his entire inner being, inside and out. Even though his thought might have been directed towards his prayer, his body was not aroused to fervor, and the Supreme impression of white fire was not inscribed in his body, such that his body would be submissive and recognizable as such. Therefore, the whole subject of kavvana is treated in the gemara in terms of “kavvana of the heart” – whether he directed his heart – even though kavvana is mainly through one’s thought, which involves the mind. But kavvana of the mind is not sufficient; it all depends on their also being kavvana of the heart, which includes the entire body.[16]
In order for a person to merit that his prayer has an effect on him and leaves a real impression, it is not enough that he concentrates his thought on what he is saying. He needs to direct and focus his heart, with fervor and passion, to the point where his entire body offers prayer. Attention should be paid to the fact that the light that extends to a person at prayer affects not only the psyche or soul, as mentioned by the Ari z”l, but also his body. This fits well with R. Kalonymus’s teaching that the main innovation and message of chassidut as taught by the Ba’al Shem Tov concerns revelation of the light within the vessels and within the body.
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] Ba’al Shem Tov al ha-Torah (Jerusalem, 5767), Parashat Ki Tavo 9.
[2] Likutei Moharan (Jerusalem, 5753), siman 4.
[3] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 110.
[4] Ibid., p. 6.
[5] R. Meshulam Feibush of Zbarazh, Yosher Divrei Emet (Avraham Yitzchak Kahn edition, Jerusalem, 5734), p. 41.
[6] Here the tzaddik is talking about a sign that allows us to gauge whether our prayer was acceptable and favored by God. The mishna offers a description of R. Chanina ben Dosa: “It was said of R. Chanina ben Dosa that he would pray for those who were ill, and he would say, ‘So-and-so will live, so-and-so will die.’ They said to him, ‘How do you know this?’ He answered, ‘If my prayer emerges smoothly, then I know that it is accepted; if not, I know that it is obstructed” (Berakhot 5:5). This level of knowing directly whether one’s prayer is accepted is uncommon and limited to singular individuals; this is not what our sources are talking about.
[7] The Ba’al Shem Tov taught that every time one speaks words of Torah or prayer, there should be a process of “submission, separation, and sweetening” (see Ba’al Shem Tov al ha-Torah, Bereishit 121), but I find no echo of this teaching in the works of R. Kalonymus, and so I shall not elaborate here.
[8] R. Elimelekh of Lizhensk, No’am Elimelekh (Jerusalem, 5752), Parshat Ki Tisa.
[9] The concept of leaving an impression is reflected in the story of Yaakov, who leaves Beer Sheva and heads to Charan (Bereishit 28:10). Rashi asks, “[Seemingly,] all the verse needed to say was that he went to Charan. Why does the verse also mention that he left [Beer Sheva]? To tell us that a tzaddik’s departure from a place leaves an impression. So long as a tzaddik dwells in a place, he is its majesty, he is its glory, he its splendor. If he leaves, the place loses its majesty, it loses its glory, it loses its splendor…”
[10] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 6.
[11] Ibid.
[12] R. Chaim Vital, Sha’ar Ha-Kavvanot (Jerusalem, 5738), Derushei Birkat Ha-Shachar.
[13] Derekh Ha-Melekh, pp. 94-96.
[14] Another example that illustrates the impact of this light on a person and the sense of its presence is to be found in R. Kalonymus’s guidance in Chovat Ha-Talmidim. Here he explains to the young student that if he sanctifies himself with Torah study, he will be able to sense the light “that extends from above your head to your very toes.” If one does not feel this after every study session, then the feeling with surely come with time, after he has worked on it. See Chovat Ha-Talmidim, pp. 177-178.
[15] The process of the formation of this impression that is made by the departure of the Supreme Light is described by R. Chaim Vital as part of the process of the creation of the worlds that preceded our present reality )R. Chaim Vital, Etz Chaim [Jerusalem, 5670], sha’ar 7, chapter 1). The Maggid of Mezeritch and R. Kalonymus borrowed the terminology of these and other sources. According to their approach, the laws of the worlds of Atzilut apply also to the world of Asiya and also to man in our material world.
[16] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 6.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
Shiur #47: Prayer in the Ghetto
Prayer That Makes God a Presence
Thus far, we have focused on R. Kalonymus’s teachings about prayer in a normal context. We will now address some of his teachings in Esh Kodesh, which was written during the Holocaust, in the Warsaw Ghetto. We will try to understand how the unfolding reality influenced prayer and its place and role in the lives of the Rebbe and his chassidim. The teachings included in Esh Kodesh are dated from Rosh Hashana 5700 (September 1939) to Av 5702 (August 1942).[1]
On Yom Kippur 5701 (October 12, 1940), during the Ne’ila prayer, a radio announcement in German ordered all Jews in Warsaw to move into the ghetto. On November 16, the ghetto was closed, the property of thousands of Jews remaining outside its boundaries. The Jews, who comprised 30% of the city’s population, were now crammed into 2.4% of its area.
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of the ghettos created during WWII, at one point holding some 450,000 Jews. Living conditions were hellish: The lack of basic sanitation bred sickness and disease; the lack of any employment possibilities other than the German slave-labor enterprises, as well as the difficulty in procuring basic foodstuffs, led swiftly to widespread and acute starvation. Entire Jewish families languished along the sidewalks, bloated with hunger. At curfew time, when the streets were quiet, the cries of young children could be heard begging for bread. The best that their parents or compassionate neighbors could offer were crumbs. In the morning, the sidewalks at the ghetto gates were piled with bodies – mostly of children – covered with paper; during the night, their clothing had been taken. In addition to all of this, the terror sowed by the Nazis and their periodic forced roundups for transport to the death camps made it all the worse.
In R. Kalonymus’s sermons from this period, we hear an echo of the terrible decrees, the death and the mourning that occupied such a central place in ghetto life. Even during these dark times, R. Kalonymus continued to encourage his chassidim and maintained his faith in the power of prayer to achieve closeness to God.
The utter incomprehensibility of a horrific reality can bring a person to turn away from God, whether out of a sense of abandonment by God or out of a religious belief in the inscrutability of the Divine decree, such that God is perceived as infinitely distant and unreachable. R. Kalonymus emphasizes that even in the harshest reality, God is close by, anguished along with Am Yisrael and weeping with them:
This is the difference: The weeping and pain that a person experiences by himself, alone, may have the effect of breaking him, to the point that he is incapable of doing anything. But when one weeps together with God, that strengthens him. He weeps – and he is strengthened; he is broken – but nevertheless exerts himself to study and to serve Him. It is difficult to raise oneself up, time and again, from the tribulations, but when one really tries, stretching his mind to connect to the Torah and Divine service, he enters the Inner Chambers,[2] where the Blessed Holy One is to be found; he weeps and wails together with Him, as it were, and even finds the strength to study Torah and serve Him.[3]
R. Kalonymus teaches his chassidim that the only consolation for their suffering is the knowledge that God has not forsaken them and they are not suffering alone; He is with them in their pain:
What encouragement can one give oneself… at a time of such dismal disintegration? First of all, through prayer and the conviction that it is impossible that God, the merciful Father, would cast away His children from before Him to such a degree…
But how shall we console ourselves over the martyrs who have already been killed?... And how shall we uplift ourselves even slightly in the face of the terrifying rumors, both old and new, that tear us apart and crush our hearts? Through the knowledge that we are not alone in our suffering; rather, God suffers along with us, as it were – “I am with them in trouble” (Tehillim 91:15).
R. Kalonymus seeks God’s closeness for himself and for his chassidim. He seeks the intimacy and comfort of joint weeping, of mutual empathy and consolation, and asserts that prayer is an effective way to achieve this closeness.
In his sermon for Parashat Ki Tetzei 5700 (1939), he chooses to talk about the intimacy that a person is able to achieve in prayer. He cites a teaching of the Maggid of Mezeritch, that the fact that man is granted the possibility of being able to say, “Blessed are You” is itself a Divine mercy. R. Kalonymus elaborates and explains that the very fact that the Men of the Great Assembly enacted that our prayer is recited partly in the second person unquestionably affects
the manifestation of Divinity, to the point that God is a tangible presence for us, and we are truly able to say “You,” and it is not a blessing uttered in vain, heaven forfend.[4]
Let us dwell for a moment on this assertion: When a person says “You” in relation to God, this in itself helps him to effect a revelation of Divinity. Moreover, if it were not possible to attain the presence of God through prayer, the Men of the Great Assembly, with their prophetic inspiration, would not have formulated the blessings in this way, for we would be reciting blessings in vain!
Further on in this teaching, R. Kalonymus explains that while the Torah belongs to the entire Jewish nation and God “teaches Torah to His people, Israel,” there is also an aspect of God teaching every individual and speaking to each and every one. In order to achieve the level of personal tutoring with God, as it were, one has to make God present in one’s life, and this is made possible only through prayer:
How does one achieve this? Through prayer; by saying “You,” and thereby effecting a Divine revelation for himself. At that moment, God speaks to him and teaches him Torah individually; He addresses him similarly in the second person…
In order for our words of direct address to effect a presence, the individual who is praying must first reveal his own self in the words of his prayer. In other words, his own essence must be present in the words. Then, “as in water, face answers to face” (Mishlei 27:19), so a reciprocal mirroring of God’s presence is effected…[5]
A person has to yearn for God’s closeness in order to receive Torah from Him. This want leads him to reveal himself, his essence, before God, in prayer. Then, and only then, will God reveal Himself to the individual.
R. Kalonymus adds a comment that reflects the tribulations of the times:
Even if a person’s heartfelt prayer is prompted by catastrophe, heaven forfend, nevertheless since he pours out his heart in words of prayer, it has the effect of eliciting a direct personal revelation to him.[6]
Why does R. Kalonymus add this “even”? Because a prayer that emerges from distress – even such terrible suffering as in the Holocaust – would seem to be of a lower level than prayer that flows purely and wholly from a desire to achieve closeness to God and to learn Torah from Him. Nevertheless, R. Kalonymus insists, even such a prayer can have the effect of making God present so that one can learn Torah from Him.
When One Cannot Cry Out Loud
From one Shabbat to the next, from one festival to the next, the situation deteriorates, and this is reflected in R. Kalonymus’s derashot. He delivered his sermon for Parashat Nitzavim in the year 5700 in hiding with his disciples, and he spoke of the “inner cry.” From the content of the sermon, we understand that prayer with a minyan was forbidden, and so groups of Jews gathered to pray in secret. Obviously, they had to pray quietly, and no part of the service could be recited aloud. This need to pray silently was oppressive and difficult, since – as R. Kalonymus himself had written in his Haksharat Ha-Avrekhim prior to the war – praying aloud is important for achieving fervor and passion. Testimonies of students who studied at his yeshiva also indicate that R. Kalonymus encouraged praying aloud;[7] he would also sing and thereby inspire the congregation:
One who prays out loud, powerfully… grows passionate in his prayer, and as we find in the holy books: the voice elicits kavana…[8]
And when one prays out loud, and with kavana, such that every letter and every word is a fragment of the upper world and a piece of the Supernal Chariot, then he is filled with fervor as he utters every letter and every word, and he rejoices and is awed at the pieces of the Supernal Chariot that emerge from his own mouth.[9]
We can well understand the difficulty and pain experienced by the chassidim who were forced to change their style of prayer from passionate, vociferous expression to silent supplication that was entirely inward-directed. The lack of any possibility of giving voice to the cry of pain, bewilderment, fear and helplessness that cause one to turn to God only made it harder. R. Kalonymus offers the following advice for coping with this difficulty:
A Jew prays to God and cries out to Him, blessed be He, regarding any calamity that befalls him. And when the trouble is even greater, heaven forfend, he cries out even more, as it is written (Esther 4:1), “And Mordechai cried a great and bitter cry.” Even when there is no impending calamity, we pray to God because prayer itself is closeness to God. When we pray, we pray with a full voice, as it is written in the holy books, “The voice awakens kavana; kavana awakens the voice.” But what shall we do now that we are not permitted to cry out, nor even to congregate for prayer, and we are forced to pray in secret, and every Jewish heart must lament this alone? At least in the depths of his heart, every Jew must shout out to God over this.[10]
The transition from an outward cry to an inward one, in the wake of the Nazi decrees, demands that R. Kalonymus and his chassidim change not only a habit but also a whole way of thinking, since they are accustomed to fervent prayer that is recited aloud. R. Kalonymus offers an insight into this situation which demands that one pray “from the depths of his heart.” He focuses on the verse, “From the depths I call out to You, O Lord; Lord; hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my supplications” (Tehillim 130:1-2) and notes the seemingly redundant repetition of “Lord” and of what follows: Once we have asked “hear my voice,” does God really need our request that He be “attentive to the sound of my supplication”? He answers:
For this we pray, “From the depths I call to You, O Lord” – [I call] only from the depths of my heart, not aloud. “Lord, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive…” please make Your ears attentive, as it were, so You will still hear me. Take note that they do not allow me to pray, I can only do so in secret, so I must pray in a whisper. And for the anguish that this alone causes me, “Save me.”[11]
The prohibition on praying aloud leads a person to prayer that is more profound, from his very depths. He beseeches God to hear him even though he can no longer give voice to his prayer.
The verse “From the depths I call to You, O Lord” assumed additional significance on Shabbat Shuva of the year 5700 (1939), in between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The fervent hope on the part of the Rebbe and his chassidim that their prayers would help to nullify the Nazi decrees were dashed, and R. Kalonymus addresses the value of these prayers and the reasons why “we are not answered… and our troubles are only increasing.”[12]
On this Shabbat, the Rebbe acknowledged to this chassidim that he had thought that since their troubles were growing, their prayer would be more intense “and hearts would be poured out like a stream of water.” It turned out, however, that as time passed, people had less and less strength left to pray, and the passion that had characterized their prayers in previous years during the Yamim Noraim was gone. R. Kalonymus notes that he is not alone in sensing this change; other chassidim had noted it, too. Aside from the physical weakness, he attributes this phenomenon to the fact that the worshippers do not feel that their prayer is having any effect: on the contrary, “our troubles are only increasing,” and hence “a person’s heart falls and is not aroused in his prayers.” Another explanation that he offers is that the Jews in the ghetto are exhausted and weakened not only physically, but also spiritually; their faith and their joy are ebbing away. Nevertheless, R. Kalonymus does not lose faith in the power of prayer. He finds meaning in the words of King David that speak to their situation:
The same applies to spiritual arousal in prayer. A Jew may fall; he may be crushed, such that there is no-one left to be aroused in prayer. But King David says, “From the depths I call to You, O Lord” – not from one “depth,” but from “depths,” in the plural. This indicates that after I fell to the first depth and called to You, not only was I not answered and not saved, but I fell even further, to a depth within a depth. Nevertheless, I am gathering my strength and once again calling to You.[13]
The word “depths” assumes additional significance here, over and above what it meant in the sermon discussed above. Here the “depths” express the fathomless troubles; the compounded suffering and anguish. Nevertheless, even within these depths R. Kalonymus finds the strength to call to God, thereby teaching his chassidim to do the same.
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] R. Kalonymus Hy”d was killed on 4 Cheshvan, 5743 (November 2, 1943).
[2] Chazal teach that there is a place where God weeps and suffers anguish over the pain of Am Yisrael: “The verse states: ‘But if you will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret [be-mistarim] over your pride’ (Yirmiyahu 13:17). R. Shmuel bar Inya said in the name of Rav: The Holy One, blessed be He, has a place where He weeps, and its name is Mistarim. What is the meaning of ‘over your pride’? R. Shmuel bar Yitzchak said: God weeps due to the pride of the Jewish People, which was taken from them and given to the gentile nations. R. Shmuel bar Nachmani said: He weeps due to the pride of the kingdom of Heaven, which was removed from the world. But how can we speak of weeping with regard to the Holy One, blessed be He? Did R. Pappa not say: There is no sadness before the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated, ‘Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place’ (I Divrei Ha-Yamim 16:27)? There is no contradiction here. The former statement [that God weeps] is referring to the innermost chambers, where He can weep in secret, whereas the latter statement [that He does not weep] is referring to the outer chambers” (Chagiga 5b).
[3] Esh Kodesh, Parashat Ha-Chodesh, 5702, p. 179.
[4] Ibid. Parashat Ki Tetzei, p. 59.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Esh Kodesh, p. 60.
[7] Note should also be made of the influence of Karlin Chassidism on the teachings of R. Kalonymus, and to this day Karliner chassidim are known for their loud prayer. At the same time, chassidut also offers other models. For example, R. Dov Ber, the “middle Admor” of Chabad, among others, was known for praying quietly. In the book Tzvaat Ha-Ribash we find: “A person has to learn and practice praying – even the songs of praise – in a low voice and to shout in a whisper, whether he is singing songs of praise or studying Torah with all his might. This is as it is written (Tehillim 35:10), ‘All my bones shall say…’” (Sefer Tzvaat Ha-Ribash, Kehat edition, Brooklyn 5758, ot 33). Here prayer sounds quiet, but is in fact a powerful cry that is subdued and squashed. When one cries out inwardly, without any outward sound, the soundwaves are closed up inside the body, to the point that one feels the cry echoing in one’s bones.
[8] Hakhsharat Ha-Avrekhim, p. 16.
[9] Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 9.
[10] Esh Kodesh, Parashat Nitzavim 5700, p. 62 ( Sacred Fire: Torah From the Years of Fury 1939-1942, Translation by J. Hershy Worch, p. 124).
[11] Ibid., p. 63 (=p. 125). For the inner cry in the teachings of R. Nachman of Breslov, see Likkutei Moharan Tanina, 5. This teaching addresses a person who has experienced such a great and steep fall that crying aloud is of no benefit. R. Nachman proposes that he cry out from the heart, and as proof he cites the verse, “From the depths I cry out to You, O Lord.”
[12] Esh Kodesh, Shabbat Shuva 5700, p. 128.
[13] Ibid.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
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Dedicated in memory of Rabbi Jack Sable z”l and
Ambassador Yehuda Avner z”l
By Debbi and David Sable
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In memory of David Yehuda Ben Shaul z”l (Mr. David Goldstein)
whose shloshim fell this week
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Shiur #48: Prophecy
Introduction
Although Chazal teach that prophecy ceased among Am Yisrael upon the deaths of the last of the prophets – Chaggai, Zekharia and Malakhi[1] – over the generations there have been individuals who have attempted to attain prophetic vision and to revive prophecy.[2] The consensus, based on many different sources, is that prophecy will return in the future. Moreover, Chazal taught that while in the past prophecy was limited to individuals, in the future it will be part of everyone’s experience.[3]
R. Kalonymus dealt extensively with the subject of prophecy, its essence, and the connection between it and chassidut. His main contribution lies in the fact that he not only spoke and wrote about prophecy, but also instructed his chassidim in practical methods for renewal of “the service of prophecy.” These methods, previously known only to prophets, kabbalists, and other select individuals, were now addressed to the layman. R. Kalonymus sought to restore the Jewish People to their status as “sons of prophets.”[4]
The “Service of Prophecy”
Even R. Kalonymus notes that, sadly, “for a long time the gates of heaven have been locked, and we have neither prophets nor seers.”[5] All that remains of the words of the prophets has been codified in the holy books, with the accepted principle that prophecies that are relevant for future generations were committed to writing. But what were the functions of a prophet? Did he serve as a sort of “fortune-teller,” predicting the future; was his role to help search for lost donkeys, as Shemuel helped Shaul?[6] Was he supposed to bring blessing and supply flour and oil,[7] or was he charged with instructing the nation in anticipation of going out to battle? From the verses in Tanakh, we can learn something of the actions undertaken by the prophet, but we have no access to his essence, just as we cannot know the essence of a “tzaddik,” but rather only observe his actions,[8] since the tzaddik’s greatness is so far beyond what the congregation of chassidim is capable of grasping. However, study of the inner teachings of the Torah – the Zohar and other kabbalistic works – allows us to characterize the essence of the prophet.
Prophecy is a level of Divine service. Just as there are levels of a “chassid,” of a “tzaddik,” and of a “chakham,” there are levels of a prophet:
In other words, it is not the performance of wonders or the foretelling of the future that is the essence of a prophet, but rather his closeness to God.[9]
The main service of a prophet is his aspiration for closeness to God, and he achieves this through purification of his body and soul to the point that he attains devekut. Here R. Kalonymus bases himself on the teachings of R. Chaim Vital, the disciple of the Ari, in the introduction to his Sha’arei Kedusha. R. Chaim Vital claims that there are exceptional individuals who seek ways to achieve complete devekut, like the early prophets:
So says the small one, Chaim the son of R. Yosef Vital of blessed memory: I have seen exceptional people (bnei aliya) – and they are few – who yearn to ascend, but the ladder is hidden from them. So they contemplate the books of the early Sages to search and find the path of life, the road upon which to travel, and the actions to do, to elevate their soul to its root above, and to cling to the blessed God. For this is everlasting perfection, similar to the prophets, who cleaved to their Creator all their lives. And by virtue of this clinging, the holy spirit settled on them, showing them which path leads to light and enlightening them in the secrets of the Torah, as King David prayed: “Open my eyes that I may gaze at the wonders of Your Torah” (Tehillim 119:18). They would be led along a straight path, prepared by the men of aliya, to reach the place of civilization awaiting them with the bnei aliya.[10]
It should be noted that the fact that R. Kalonymus bases his idea on R. Chaim Vital in Shaarei Kedusha is highly significant, since the whole point of Shaarei Kedusha is the attainment of the level of ruach ha-kodesh. As the book explains, this is attained through working on one’s character, observing all of the Torah and the mitzvot, teshuva, sanctifying oneself, meditation, and visualization. According to R. Chaim:
With our own ears we have heard and with our own eyes we have seen singular individuals who have attained the level of ruach ha-kodesh in our times.[11]
R. Kalonymus concludes, on this basis, that there is a difference between prophecy and “the service of prophecy.” Even though prophecy proper ceased with the destruction of the First Temple, “the service of prophecy continues to this day.”[12] Therefore, even in our times, “even a person who does not merit to have God speak to him through prophecy still serves [Him] through the service of prophecy.”[13]
What is “the service of prophecy,” according to R. Kalonymus? The main requirement of a prophet, before he can receive prophecy, is to pursue devekut with both his body and his soul. He cannot suffice with elevating his soul to holiness, but rather must “remove the boundary between the holy and the profane”[14] and sanctify his body as well.
The prophet essentially serves as a point of contact between the Divine and the material. The question of the possibility of such contact arises at the very creation of the world. How could the infinite Divine light descend from its supernal lofty heights to the lowest, coarsest of worlds? Kabbala deals with this question at length, setting forth a system of descending, unfolding, and constricting. Ultimately, however, after all the progressive concealment of the Divine light, a person exists in this material world and cries out for closeness to God. Can he actually encounter the Divine light, or is he condemned to living his life in a world that is dark, bereft of God’s presence?
R. Kalonymus explains that there are places that offer a point of contact between the material and the spiritual. At these places, the physical and spiritual are one, and there a person can encounter the Divine light.[15] Mount Sinai was one such place; there God “brought the heavens down to the mountain.” The Mishkan was similarly a place where “the earthly and the heavenly kissed”[16] – the spiritual essence of the Mishkan was discernible even in its material form. The Temple likewise featured an interesting phenomenon, whereby the windows were narrow on the inside and wider on the outside, so that the light from within the Temple could illuminate outwards.[17] What effect would the windows have on the dissemination of the light of holiness? Is Divine holiness limited by the angle of the windows? R. Kalonymus explains that this teaches us that “in the Temple, boundaries are erased and there is no difference between the physical and the spiritual.”[18]
Now we can understand better the essence of the prophet: Since the way of the prophet’s service was to purify his body and to cleave to God, there was no distinction in him between the material and Divine holiness: “And he himself became a place where the earthly and the Divine met.” Via the prophet, the Divine light would spread amongst Israel, filling their bodies and souls with light. Not only God’s word was conveyed to Israel via the prophet, but also the will and desire to fulfill God’s word.
The prophets should therefore not be viewed solely as disciplinary figures who spouted rebuke, seeking to prevent the people from stealing and other crimes. They wanted to see all of Israel elevated to the level of prophets, as Moshe had said: “If only all of God’s nation were prophets” (Bamidbar 11:29). The prophets worked on improving and preparing the nation for the illumination of prophecy, and by virtue of their efforts, God was able to “dwell and be one with all of Israel.”
(To be continued)
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] Tosefta, Sota 13:3; Sanhedrin 11a. For further discussion, see E. Urbach, “Matai Paska Ha-Nevua,” Me-Olamam shel Chakhamim (Jerusalem, 5748), pp. 9-20.
[2] Many sources attest to aspirations to experience Divine inspiration (ruach ha-kodesh), heavenly voices (bat kol), revelations in dreams, meetings with Eliyahu, and even prophecy itself. See A.J. Heschel, “Al Ruach Ha-Kodesh BieYemei Ha-Benayim Ad Zemano shel Ha-Rambam,” Sefer Ha-Yovel Le-Khvod Alexander Marx (New York, 5710), pp. 175-208, including a special chapter on the Rambam’s attitude towards prophecy. Heschel maintains that the Rambam believed that he had achieved prophecy, since prophecy is a natural experience that comes to anyone who is worthy of it. See A.J. Heschel, “Ha-He’emin Ha-Rambam She-Zakha Le-Nevua,” Sefer Ha-Yovel Le-Khvod Levi Ginsburg (New York, 5706), pp. 159-188. See also Heschel’s comprehensive work on prophecy, A.J. Heschel, The Prophets (Evanston: New York, 1962). For manifestations of prophetic revelations in modern times, see E. Schweid, Nevi’im Le-Amam Ve-La-Enoshut: Nevuah U-Neviim Be-Hagut Ha-Yehudit shel Ha-Me’ah Ha-Esrim (Jerusalem, 5759).
[3] Tanchuma, Miketz 2.
[4] Concerning the appellation “sons of prophets,” which R. Kalonymus uses often, R. Yehuda Ha-Levi writes, in Sefer Ha-Kuzari III:1:
When the Divine Presence was still in the Holy Land among the people capable of prophecy, some few persons lived an ascetic life in deserts and associated with people of the same frame of mind. They did not seclude themselves completely, but they endeavored to find mutual support in the knowledge of the Law and in holy and pure actions which brought them near to that high rank. These were the “sons (or disciples) of the prophets.”
[5] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 171.
[6] See Shemuel I 9:9.
[7] See Melakhim I 17:1-16.
[8] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 174.
[9] Ibid., p. 175.
[10] Ibid., p 174; Rav Chaim Vital, Shaare Kedusha (Jerusalem, 5745), Introduction.
[11] Ibid., part III, sha’ar shevi’i, p. 149.
[12] Mevo Ha-Shearim, p. 176.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 177.
[16] Bava Batra 83a.
[17] As recorded in Bamidbar Rabba 15:2:
When a person builds a house, he makes windows that are narrow on the outside and wide on the inside, so that the light can come in from outside and illuminate inside. When Shlomo built the Temple, he did otherwise: He made windows that were narrow on the inside and wide on the outside, so that the light would emerge from the Temple and illuminate outward, as it is written (Melakhim I 6), “And he made for the Sanctuary windows that were narrow within and wide without [literally, ‘transparent and opaque’]” – indicating that it [the House] was all light, and there was no need for the light of the windows. And why did [God] command you [concerning them]? For your merit.
[18] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 178.
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Shiur #48: Prophecy
Introduction
Although Chazal teach that prophecy ceased among Am Yisrael upon the deaths of the last of the prophets – Chaggai, Zekharia and Malakhi[1] – over the generations there have been individuals who have attempted to attain prophetic vision and to revive prophecy.[2] The consensus, based on many different sources, is that prophecy will return in the future. Moreover, Chazal taught that while in the past prophecy was limited to individuals, in the future it will be part of everyone’s experience.[3]
R. Kalonymus dealt extensively with the subject of prophecy, its essence, and the connection between it and chassidut. His main contribution lies in the fact that he not only spoke and wrote about prophecy, but also instructed his chassidim in practical methods for renewal of “the service of prophecy.” These methods, previously known only to prophets, kabbalists, and other select individuals, were now addressed to the layman. R. Kalonymus sought to restore the Jewish People to their status as “sons of prophets.”[4]
The “Service of Prophecy”
Even R. Kalonymus notes that, sadly, “for a long time the gates of heaven have been locked, and we have neither prophets nor seers.”[5] All that remains of the words of the prophets has been codified in the holy books, with the accepted principle that prophecies that are relevant for future generations were committed to writing. But what were the functions of a prophet? Did he serve as a sort of “fortune-teller,” predicting the future; was his role to help search for lost donkeys, as Shemuel helped Shaul?[6] Was he supposed to bring blessing and supply flour and oil,[7] or was he charged with instructing the nation in anticipation of going out to battle? From the verses in Tanakh, we can learn something of the actions undertaken by the prophet, but we have no access to his essence, just as we cannot know the essence of a “tzaddik,” but rather only observe his actions,[8] since the tzaddik’s greatness is so far beyond what the congregation of chassidim is capable of grasping. However, study of the inner teachings of the Torah – the Zohar and other kabbalistic works – allows us to characterize the essence of the prophet.
Prophecy is a level of Divine service. Just as there are levels of a “chassid,” of a “tzaddik,” and of a “chakham,” there are levels of a prophet:
In other words, it is not the performance of wonders or the foretelling of the future that is the essence of a prophet, but rather his closeness to God.[9]
The main service of a prophet is his aspiration for closeness to God, and he achieves this through purification of his body and soul to the point that he attains devekut. Here R. Kalonymus bases himself on the teachings of R. Chaim Vital, the disciple of the Ari, in the introduction to his Sha’arei Kedusha. R. Chaim Vital claims that there are exceptional individuals who seek ways to achieve complete devekut, like the early prophets:
So says the small one, Chaim the son of R. Yosef Vital of blessed memory: I have seen exceptional people (bnei aliya) – and they are few – who yearn to ascend, but the ladder is hidden from them. So they contemplate the books of the early Sages to search and find the path of life, the road upon which to travel, and the actions to do, to elevate their soul to its root above, and to cling to the blessed God. For this is everlasting perfection, similar to the prophets, who cleaved to their Creator all their lives. And by virtue of this clinging, the holy spirit settled on them, showing them which path leads to light and enlightening them in the secrets of the Torah, as King David prayed: “Open my eyes that I may gaze at the wonders of Your Torah” (Tehillim 119:18). They would be led along a straight path, prepared by the men of aliya, to reach the place of civilization awaiting them with the bnei aliya.[10]
It should be noted that the fact that R. Kalonymus bases his idea on R. Chaim Vital in Shaarei Kedusha is highly significant, since the whole point of Shaarei Kedusha is the attainment of the level of ruach ha-kodesh. As the book explains, this is attained through working on one’s character, observing all of the Torah and the mitzvot, teshuva, sanctifying oneself, meditation, and visualization. According to R. Chaim:
With our own ears we have heard and with our own eyes we have seen singular individuals who have attained the level of ruach ha-kodesh in our times.[11]
R. Kalonymus concludes, on this basis, that there is a difference between prophecy and “the service of prophecy.” Even though prophecy proper ceased with the destruction of the First Temple, “the service of prophecy continues to this day.”[12] Therefore, even in our times, “even a person who does not merit to have God speak to him through prophecy still serves [Him] through the service of prophecy.”[13]
What is “the service of prophecy,” according to R. Kalonymus? The main requirement of a prophet, before he can receive prophecy, is to pursue devekut with both his body and his soul. He cannot suffice with elevating his soul to holiness, but rather must “remove the boundary between the holy and the profane”[14] and sanctify his body as well.
The prophet essentially serves as a point of contact between the Divine and the material. The question of the possibility of such contact arises at the very creation of the world. How could the infinite Divine light descend from its supernal lofty heights to the lowest, coarsest of worlds? Kabbala deals with this question at length, setting forth a system of descending, unfolding, and constricting. Ultimately, however, after all the progressive concealment of the Divine light, a person exists in this material world and cries out for closeness to God. Can he actually encounter the Divine light, or is he condemned to living his life in a world that is dark, bereft of God’s presence?
R. Kalonymus explains that there are places that offer a point of contact between the material and the spiritual. At these places, the physical and spiritual are one, and there a person can encounter the Divine light.[15] Mount Sinai was one such place; there God “brought the heavens down to the mountain.” The Mishkan was similarly a place where “the earthly and the heavenly kissed”[16] – the spiritual essence of the Mishkan was discernible even in its material form. The Temple likewise featured an interesting phenomenon, whereby the windows were narrow on the inside and wider on the outside, so that the light from within the Temple could illuminate outwards.[17] What effect would the windows have on the dissemination of the light of holiness? Is Divine holiness limited by the angle of the windows? R. Kalonymus explains that this teaches us that “in the Temple, boundaries are erased and there is no difference between the physical and the spiritual.”[18]
Now we can understand better the essence of the prophet: Since the way of the prophet’s service was to purify his body and to cleave to God, there was no distinction in him between the material and Divine holiness: “And he himself became a place where the earthly and the Divine met.” Via the prophet, the Divine light would spread amongst Israel, filling their bodies and souls with light. Not only God’s word was conveyed to Israel via the prophet, but also the will and desire to fulfill God’s word.
The prophets should therefore not be viewed solely as disciplinary figures who spouted rebuke, seeking to prevent the people from stealing and other crimes. They wanted to see all of Israel elevated to the level of prophets, as Moshe had said: “If only all of God’s nation were prophets” (Bamidbar 11:29). The prophets worked on improving and preparing the nation for the illumination of prophecy, and by virtue of their efforts, God was able to “dwell and be one with all of Israel.”
(To be continued)
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] Tosefta, Sota 13:3; Sanhedrin 11a. For further discussion, see E. Urbach, “Matai Paska Ha-Nevua,” Me-Olamam shel Chakhamim (Jerusalem, 5748), pp. 9-20.
[2] Many sources attest to aspirations to experience Divine inspiration (ruach ha-kodesh), heavenly voices (bat kol), revelations in dreams, meetings with Eliyahu, and even prophecy itself. See A.J. Heschel, “Al Ruach Ha-Kodesh BieYemei Ha-Benayim Ad Zemano shel Ha-Rambam,” Sefer Ha-Yovel Le-Khvod Alexander Marx (New York, 5710), pp. 175-208, including a special chapter on the Rambam’s attitude towards prophecy. Heschel maintains that the Rambam believed that he had achieved prophecy, since prophecy is a natural experience that comes to anyone who is worthy of it. See A.J. Heschel, “Ha-He’emin Ha-Rambam She-Zakha Le-Nevua,” Sefer Ha-Yovel Le-Khvod Levi Ginsburg (New York, 5706), pp. 159-188. See also Heschel’s comprehensive work on prophecy, A.J. Heschel, The Prophets (Evanston: New York, 1962). For manifestations of prophetic revelations in modern times, see E. Schweid, Nevi’im Le-Amam Ve-La-Enoshut: Nevuah U-Neviim Be-Hagut Ha-Yehudit shel Ha-Me’ah Ha-Esrim (Jerusalem, 5759).
[3] Tanchuma, Miketz 2.
[4] Concerning the appellation “sons of prophets,” which R. Kalonymus uses often, R. Yehuda Ha-Levi writes, in Sefer Ha-Kuzari III:1:
When the Divine Presence was still in the Holy Land among the people capable of prophecy, some few persons lived an ascetic life in deserts and associated with people of the same frame of mind. They did not seclude themselves completely, but they endeavored to find mutual support in the knowledge of the Law and in holy and pure actions which brought them near to that high rank. These were the “sons (or disciples) of the prophets.”
[5] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 171.
[6] See Shemuel I 9:9.
[7] See Melakhim I 17:1-16.
[8] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 174.
[9] Ibid., p. 175.
[10] Ibid., p 174; Rav Chaim Vital, Shaare Kedusha (Jerusalem, 5745), Introduction.
[11] Ibid., part III, sha’ar shevi’i, p. 149.
[12] Mevo Ha-Shearim, p. 176.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 177.
[16] Bava Batra 83a.
[17] As recorded in Bamidbar Rabba 15:2:
When a person builds a house, he makes windows that are narrow on the outside and wide on the inside, so that the light can come in from outside and illuminate inside. When Shlomo built the Temple, he did otherwise: He made windows that were narrow on the inside and wide on the outside, so that the light would emerge from the Temple and illuminate outward, as it is written (Melakhim I 6), “And he made for the Sanctuary windows that were narrow within and wide without [literally, ‘transparent and opaque’]” – indicating that it [the House] was all light, and there was no need for the light of the windows. And why did [God] command you [concerning them]? For your merit.
[18] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 178.
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Shiur #49: Levels of Prophecy
Chazal teach that “there were forty-eight men prophets and seven women prophets who prophesized for Israel” (Megilla 14a), but they also teach that “Many prophets arose in Israel, double the number of those who came out of Egypt” (ibid.). This suggests that there were not forty-eight prophets, but rather an immeasurably greater number, considering that Bnei Yisrael numbered six hundred thousand when they left Egypt.[1] The gemara resolves the discrepancy by concluding, “Prophecies that were relevant for future generations were committed to writing; those that were not, were not committed to writing” (ibid.).
R. Kalonymus finds it difficult to accept Rashi’s explanation (ad loc.) that the forty-eight men prophets and seven women prophets studied teachings and mussar that would be needed for future generations, while the other prophets spoke about future events to their generations alone.[2] Is it possible that all the other prophets did not also convey teachings and mussar? Surely not. Rather, argues R. Kalonymus, the function of the forty-eight men prophets and seven women prophets was to convey God’s word to all the generations, while the other prophets “enabled their own [respective] generations to receive and internalize God’s spirit.”[3]
But why was there a need for so many prophets to prepare and enable the people to receive prophecy? R. Kalonymus refers us once again to Sha’arei Kedusha, where we learn of the complex path of service required to prepare for the Divine spirit – “unimaginable, endless tikkunim and preparations.” Not only is the preparation for prophecy a complex and protracted process, but a great number of teachers of prophecy were necessary, so that a special tikkun could be devised and adapted for each and every individual. No single prophet could prepare and train the entire nation. R. Kalonymus in fact describes academies in which many prophets taught throughout the generations,[4] training people to receive prophecy.
R. Kalonymus goes on to explain that a distinction should be drawn between two types of prophets: The forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses “brought down the [Divine] light from the supernal worlds” into the physical, material world, while the other prophets of later generations concerned themselves with the repair and elevation of this world so that it would be ready for and capable of receiving the light brought down by the early prophets. Their method of impacting this world was by working to repair and prepare Am Yisrael to receive prophecy.[5] R. Kalonymus expresses great longing when he writes that through the activity of both types of prophets, all of Israel merited to be affected and influenced by prophecy. Even “the simplest of simple people… could not fail to draw close to God with prophetically-inspired closeness and elevation.”[6]
Absence of Prophecy Today
The reason for the absence of prophecy today is the simple fact that the gates of heaven have been shut tight,[7] and “the prophets who existed throughout all the generations are sadly lacking.”[8] However, what we lack today is more than just the experience of direct prophecy. Even the words of the prophets, handed down to us in Tanakh, are not fully accessible to us, because we lack the prophets who used to prepare Am Yisrael for prophecy. Thus, “we fail to grasp even the words of Moshe and the forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses in the fullness of their illumination.”[9]
The Sages of the Oral Torah as Kabbalists and Prophets
The end of prophecy does not mean a complete cessation of illumination to Am Yisrael. The light of prophecy passed to the masters of Halakha. The Men of the Great Assembly, the Tannaim, Amoraim, Geonim, and all the sages of the Oral Law, brought light from the supernal worlds into our material reality. R. Kalonymus bases himself in this regard on a teaching by R. Avdimi: “From the day that the Temple was destroyed, prophecy was taken from the prophets and given to the Sages” (Bava Batra 12a). The wisdom of the Torah is not just a reflection of human intellect; it also contains Divine light.[10]
The Sages of the Oral Law were kabbalists. The Oral Law itself, although generally regarded as belonging to nigleh – i.e., the “revealed” teachings – is actually based on mystical traditions, as stated explicitly in a teaching of the Zohar quoted by R. Kalonymus: “The Tannaim and Amoraim [i.e., the Sages of the Mishna and the Talmud] – all their teachings are based on the [mystical] secrets of the Torah.”[11] This fact has far-reaching ramifications, in view of the conventional perception that the “revealed” and “hidden” (i.e., kabbalistic) aspects are two distinct branches of Torah. Here we encounter the claim that the Oral Torah is in fact based on the hidden, inner teachings. At the same time, R. Kalonymus adds that although Kabbala was hidden within the Torah, and although the Oral Law was built on the foundations of Kabbala, R. Shimon bar Yochai and his colleagues were permitted to create an opening for the study of Kabbala as a special branch of Torah.[12]
The kabbalistic Sages occupy different levels. R. Kalonymus draws a distinction between those who “ascend with the [Divine] chariot” – i.e., those sages who entered the supernal “pardes” (literally, “orchard,” an abbreviation of the different levels of interpretation of the Torah) and “ascended to the firmament” and those (like R. Shimon bar Yochai and his colleagues) who effected a “drawing down” of Divine light, such that even those who are incapable of living on the spiritual level of those who rose up to the heavens could still study Kabbala and benefit from its illumination.[13] R. Shimon bar Yochai and his generation merited the revelation of great and profound secrets that King Shelomo and his generation did not merit to understand, even though the time of Shelomo was a period of “the moon in its fullness.”
Kabbala as the Continuation of Prophecy
It is no coincidence that the appearance of Kabbala, the revelation of Sefer Ha-Zohar, and the flourishing of kabbalistic literature that followed took place after the cessation of prophecy. What in fact happened was that fundamental aspects of prophecy took on a new form in Kabbala.
R. Kalonymus maintains that there is a great similarity between the kabbalists and the prophets. Both the prophet and the kabbalist use the power of the imagination to express their visions. The prophet envisions the heavenly Chariot, the holy “chayot” and the Throne of Glory, while the kabbalist, from the Sefer Ha-Zohar onwards, describes the four worlds – Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya – as well as the “partzufim” and sefirot. Both schools describe supernal perceptions by means of images, and therefore “the kabbalists, too, perceived not only Adam Kadmon, Tiferet, and Malkhut, but also prophetic visions.”[14] Elsewhere, in reference to the greatest of the kabbalists, R. Kalonymus writes, “The holy Zohar… is the revelation of real prophecy.”[15]
However, not only the giants of Kabbala, but all those who study the inner teachings of the Torah may “merit the spark of prophecy that is in Kabbala – each individual in accordance with his level.”[16] This is so because when one studies Kabbala, if he has prepared himself properly and purified his body and his heart, he may merit an elevated level of insight the likes of which he has not experienced before. R. Kalonymus describes this as “a sparkling before him of something of God’s greatness.”[17]
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] This is the number of adult men, without the women and children. See, for example, Shir Ha-Shirim Rabba 3:4: “Six hundred thousand [males] came out of Egypt aged twenty and upwards.”
[2] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 171.
[3] Ibid., p. 182.
[4] In the context of apprenticeship of prophets, it is interesting to note what Ramchal writes, although he is not cited by R. Kalonymus:
It is important to know that the prophet did not achieve the most elevated level all at once; rather, he ascended stage by stage until he achieved full prophecy. It involved a process of learning, like any other wisdom or craft in which a person gradually acquires proficiency. This is the meaning of the term “the children of prophets” – they stood before the prophet, acquiring proficiency in the ways of prophecy and its requirements. (R. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Derekh Hashem [Jerusalem, 5738] 3:4).
[5] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 184.
[6] Ibid., p. 185.
[7] Ibid., p. 171.
[8] Ibid. p. 183.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Mevo Ha-She’arim, pp. 185-187.
[11] Zohar, Ra’aya Mehimna, Pinchas 244b. The same idea is expressed by various kabbalists; see R. Wacks, Be-Sod Ha-Yichud: Ha-Yichudim Be-Haguto Ha-Kabalit-Chasidit shel R. Chaim ben Shelomo Tirer Mi-Tshernowitz (Los Angeles, 2006), p. 54.
[12] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 187.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid., p. 206.
[15] Ibid., p. 252.
[16] Ibid., p. 213.
[17] Ibid.
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Shiur #50: Kabbala, Chassidut, and Prophecy
R. Kalonymus devotes lengthy discussion to the Ba’al Shem Tov’s innovative teachings with regard to Kabbala. This discussion may aid us in understanding the connection between prophecy and chassidut, as R. Kalonymus understands it, since Kabbala is a way-station (both historically and in terms of its essence) between the generations of the prophets and the appearance of Chassidism.
Whereas the kabbalistic teachings of the Zohar and the Ari set forth the hierarchy of the sefirot and partzufim, the Ba’al Shem Tov emphasized the concept of “the entire world is full of His glory” (Yishayahu 6:3) – in other words, God is to be found everywhere, literally:[1] “The foundation of the teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov, of blessed memory, is encapsulated in the simple meaning that he revealed in the verse, ‘the entire world is full of His glory’.”[2] The verse indeed seems quite straightforward, R. Kalonymus notes, and seems to be making a clear statement, so why did the Ba’al Shem Tov face such fierce opposition and suffer such persecution for the crime of “corporealization of God”? The reason is that the Ba’al Shem Tov taught not only that Godliness is to be found everywhere, even within the physical, material world, but also that the physical world itself – the “garbs” and “vessels,” in kabbalistic language – are manifestations of Divine illumination. Even before the Ba’al Shem Tov’s appearance, the idea that God infuses all of Creation with life and its very existence was fundamental to Jewish faith. The claim that aroused such opposition – and which represents the essence of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s contribution – is that even the “vessels” are themselves Divine light: “Even physicality itself is the illumination of God’s holiness.”[3]
This assertion offers us a very clear understanding of the innovation that chassidut represented in relation to Kabbala. Until the appearance of the Ba’al Shem Tov, a person seeking spirituality and closeness to God approached his body and physical needs and desires as an all-out war. The strategy for achieving victory over the body and its base qualities was through repression and self-affliction. The aim was to arouse a sense of holiness from the depths of the soul and to “draw down Divine illumination” through the performance of mitzvot, prayer, and kavanot. The core of Divine service was located in the mind and was therefore mainly the province of the tzaddikim.[4]
Chassidut taught that the vessels also need to be sanctified. All the body’s inclinations – even those viewed in a negative light – are to be enlisted in serving God. Thus, Chassidut placed the emphasis on serving God with one’s body and one’s character. Kavanot and yichudim were set aside in favor of fervent and passionate prayer.[5] “By means of arousal of the senses, too, one is able to achieve holy passion.”[6]
Here R. Kalonymus raises the familiar question: How is it possible that we are given commandments that entail emotions, such as loving God and fearing Him? How can we be commanded to change something that we feel? He explains, in light of all of the above, that there is no real question here, and indeed chassidut awards it no serious treatment. If a person had no feeling at all, then the question would be a legitimate one. But since a person has many reasons and opportunities to arouse within himself feelings of love and fear with regard to this-worldly matters and to develop emotions such as anger and hatred towards earthly phenomena, such that he is able to apply his emotions as he wishes, there is no reason why he cannot enlist them in his service of God as well.
Chassidism and the Service of Prophecy
From R. Kalonymus’s words above, it would seem that Chassidism is identical, in terms of its manner of Divine service, to the service of prophecy. R. Kalonymus defines the service of prophecy as bringing one’s soul and body to cleaving to God,[7] and Chassidism has the same aim, as explained above in our previous discussions. Thus, R. Kalonymus leads us to the conclusion that the goal of chassidut is essentially renewal of the service of prophecy.
The similarity and identification of chassidut with prophecy are mentioned in several places in R. Kalonymus’s writings. We will review some examples.
In discussing the status of a simple, regular person in the eyes of prophecy and in the eyes of chassidut, he notes the great similarity:
This shows the similarity between chassidut and prophecy. In the case of prophecy, even a simple person who did not [stand] before the prophets – if he wanted to draw close to them and enjoy their illumination, he could himself become a different person and prophesy with them. And even if he did not prophesy for himself, and his prophecy ceased when he grew distant from them, in body and soul…. Likewise in the case of Chassidism. Even regular people – if they are God-fearing, wholehearted in their observance of the commandments, and possessing faith, they become chassidim, in accordance with their level, when they cleave to their Rebbe, even though chassidut is a very high level.[8]
It is interesting that Kabbala is different from Chassidism and prophecy with regard to this attitude towards regular, simple people. Kabbala – the study of the inner teachings of the Torah – is not available to the masses. “Not so prophecy, and certainly not chassidut, whose entire essence is to broaden and spread the light of God’s holiness even to the furthest places.”[9]
In describing the encounter between the chassid and his Rebbe, R. Kalonymus states that the Rebbe’s teaching is like prophecy: “The conveying of the [Rebbe’s] teaching and instruction is a glimmer of prophecy, and in prophecy, too, in accordance with the [level of the] people and in accordance with their needs, such prophecy is God’s word to the prophet”[10] – since, according to R. Kalonymus’s explanation, the prophet would devise a private, individualized tikkun for every individual in accordance with his level.[11]
The path of the Ba’al Shem Tov should be viewed as prophetic revelation. The appearance of the Ba’al Shem Tov and his interpretation of the verse, “the entire world is full of His glory,” effected new revelations. R. Kalonymus explains a fundamental principle relating to the manner in which Kabbala is transmitted: The vessel determines the nature of the revelation of light, since Divinity existed everywhere even before the Ba’al Shem Tov started talking about it, and obviously there is no disagreement between the Ba’al Shem Tov and the early kabbalists in this regard. However, the revelations of the Zohar were received in vessels of perception that were suited to previous generations; the same can be said for the Kabbala of R. Moshe Cordovero, and certainly the Kabbala of the Ari. When the Ba’al Shem Tov came along and revealed that the vessels themselves are brimming with Divine light, he thereby facilitated the revelation of that which was already known, in certain circles, but in “new vessels.” Thus, a seemingly “new path” in Divine service was created, and “the holy Zohar and the path of the Ba’al Shem Tov merged and united, and they manifest themselves in the same revelation.”[12]
When R. Kalonymus emphasizes the importance of Divine service and sanctification in order to achieve the level of chassidut, he identifies chassidut with prophecy:
For it is not in the mind or the intellect that one draws down Chassidic revelation, like prophecy, but rather by sanctifying one’s entire self, and this requires effort.[13]
Just as prophecy cannot be acquired purely through the application of the mind (at least according to R. Kalonymus), so chassidut cannot be acquired solely by means of the intellect. One has to internalize its values so that they become part of his personality, his character, and “all of his essence.”
“And Your Sons and Daughters Shall Prophesize”
We cited previously R. Chaim Vital’s description of people in his generation who merited prophecy.[14] According to R. Kalonymus, the same can be said of our own generations. In support of this claim, he cites a fascinating teaching by R. Elimelekh of Lizhensk, who quotes his great teacher, the Maggid of Mezeritsch:
We see that in our times, while we are in bitter exile, there are individuals who achieve ruach ha-kodesh more easily then was possible in the times of the prophets, when, as we know, it was necessary to engage extensively in vows and meditation in order to achieve prophecy and ruach ha-kodesh. The great Maggid offered a wondrous and beautiful parable in this regard: The situation may be compared to a king who is in his glorious home, in his courtyard, in his palace, and one of his trusted subjects comes by, seeking to invite him [the king] to a meal at his home. The king would certainly become angry at him, for it is not befitting the king’s honor to depart from his palace and go to someone else’s home, even if the meal were to be a great banquet. One could not invite the king to his home without making all extensive preparations and appointing respected intercessors and attendants to find favor in the eyes of the king, so that he would come to the meal. But when the king is on the road and wishes to sleep over somewhere, then if he finds suitable accommodation in a clean inn – even if it is in a village – then so long as it is clean, he is willing to stay over there. The meaning of the parable is clear: While the Temple stood and the Divine Presence resided in the Holy of Holies, if a person wished to imbibe ruach ha-kodesh or prophecy, he had to invest great effort – as we find in the case of Simchat Beit Ha-Shoeva, where they would literally draw out ruach ha-kodesh. But now, during our bitter exile, even the holy Shekhina is in exile along with us, and for our many sins it must roam and wander, and it yearns greatly to find a place in which it can reside. If it finds a resting-place in the form of a person who is merely clean of sins and transgressions, then there it will reside.[15]
Thus, paradoxically, it is precisely the deterioration of the generations since the destruction of the Temple and the exile that makes it easier for a person to encounter the King of the universe.
This tradition of ruach ha-kodesh and prophecy residing in the generations from the beginning of chassidut is interwoven in the teachings of Polish Chassidism. R. Kalonymus cites proof of this from Maor Va-Shemesh:
And it is known – and I have seen it myself – that the great tzaddikim, who cleave to the upper worlds, are divested of the garb of physicality; the Divine Presence rests upon them and speaks from their throats, and their mouths utter prophecy. And these tzaddikim are unaware, afterwards, of what they said, for they cleave to the upper worlds, and the Divine Presence speaks from their throats.[16]
In his famous Iggeret Ha-Kodesh, the Ba’al Shem Tov, trailblazer of the path of chassidut, describes the ascents of his soul to heaven. His disciples, following his wondrous example, left many sources indicating that chassidut viewed itself as reviving or renewing prophecy.[17] Hence, we might conclude that what R. Kalonymus writes about the connection between Chassidism and prophecy is not as radical as we might have thought.
However, this conclusion would be mistaken. Although in terms of the connection between Chassidism and prophecy, R. Kalonymus tells us nothing new, his innovation in relation to his predecessors lies in the setting down of a detailed program to revive and restore the “service of prophecy.” R. Kalonymus sought to bring back the service of prophecy not just to select individuals and tzaddikim, but to each and every Jew. He viewed this as an aim that pertained not only to adults; children, too, should be educated and habituated in the service of prophecy.
R. Kalonymus writes this explicitly in Chovat Ha-Talmidim, his Chassidic mussar work that is unique in that it addresses younger readers directly. He writes:
If you are discouraged because your immediate ancestry is undistinguished, lift yourself up and gaze beyond, deeper into your past. You are descended from holy men and women, from prophets, from the sages of the Mishna and Talmud, from great rabbinic masters and tzaddikim. The Talmud states (Pesachim 66a) that the people of Israel, if they are not prophets themselves, are at least the children of prophets. It is clear from the context that the Talmud is not referring to the distant past, but means to suggest that even now a spark of the prophetic power of his ancestors is to be found within every Jewish child. All you have to do is dig for it and you will discover it within you.[18]
These words, I believe, encapsulate the essence of R. Kalonymus’s great vision: exposing the prophetic potential of each and every Jew. R. Kalonymus uses the rest of the book to provide guidance to the reader as to how to bring this idea to realization.
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] For more on this concept see the earlier shiur on “God, the World, and Man”.
[2] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 214.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid., p. 223.
[5] For discussion of this subject in the teachings of R. Kalonymus, see R. Sacks, “Ha-Hitragshut Ve-Ha-Hitlahavut Be-Mishnato Ha-Chinukhit shel R. Kalonymus Kalmish Shapiro Mi-Piaseczno”, Hagut Be-Chinukh Ha-Yehudi 5-6 (5763-5764), pp. 71-88.
[6] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 227.
[7] See our earlier discussion on “The service of prophecy.”
[8] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 262.
[9] Ibid., p. 263.
[10] Ibid., p. 243.
[11] Ibid., p. 183.
[12] Ibid., p. 257.
[13] Ibid., p. 272.
[14] See our previous discussion of “The Service of Prophecy.”
[15] R. Elimelekh of Lizhensk, No’am Elimelekh (Jerusalem, 5752), Parashat Vayeshev.
[16] R. Kalonymus Kalman Ha-Levi Epstein, Maor Va-Shemesh (Jerusalem, 5748), Parashat Vayigash.
[17] See “Iggeret Ha-Kodesh," Shivchei Ha-Besht (Mintz edition, Jerusalem, 5729). The prophetic Kabbala of R. Avraham Abulafia played a central role in this. See M. Idel, Ha-Chassidut – Bein Ekstaza Le-Magia (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv, 5761), p. 111, and s.v. “nevua” (prophecy). There are some important sources quoted in R. Schatz, Ha-Chassidut Ke-Mystika (Jerusalem, 5748), chapter 8, esp. pp. 121-122. These sources indicate the possibility of the realization of prophecy in light of the idea of God’s presence in Creation, and the fact that the Divine Presence speaks through the throats of those who have prepared themselves for this. For prophets from pre-chassidic groups with links to Chassidism, see Y. Weiss, Chavurat Pneomatikanim Kedam-Chassidit, in D. Assaf (ed.), Tzaddik Ve-Eda (Jerusalem, 5761), pp. 96-97, who presents additional sources relating to individuals who prophesized in the context of Sabbateanism. See also G. Scholem, Shetei Ha-Eduyot Ha-Rishonot al Chavurat Ha-Chassidim Ve-Ha-Besht,” Tarbitz 20 (5710), pp. 228-240. Ben-Tzion Dinur views the Ba’al Shem Tov’s efforts to reach Eretz Yisrael as the beginning of “the preparation of the generation for redemption through the restoration of ruach ha-kodesh to Israel, which would follow this move [to Israel].” See B.Z. Dinur, “Reshita shel Ha-Chassidut Ve-Yesodoteha Va-Sotziali’im Ve-Ha-Meshichi’im,” Tzion 10 (5705), p. 162. In his article, Dinur cites several Chassidic texts that discuss prophecy and ruach ha-kodesh.
[18] Chovat Ha-Talmidim, p. 32 (= A Student’s Obligation, pp. 26-27).
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
The Path of the Piaseczner Rebbe
By Dr. Ron Wacks
Shiur #51: Developing the Imagination as Preparation for Prophecy
Another aspect of R. Kalonymus’s aspiration and activity to prepare “children of prophets” in his generation was his engagement of the imagination. As noted previously, one of the central characteristics of the service of prophecy is the use of the imagination.[1] In all of his books – in Chovat Ha-Talmidim, meant for students of school age; in Chovat Ha-Avrekhim, meant for young men; and in Benei Machshava Tova, meant for a select group of chassidim dedicated to inner work – R. Kalonymus offers instruction in using the imagination. Renewal of this capacity and skill, he maintained, would be one of the central preparations for the training of “children of prophets.”
R. Kalonymus has the following to say about this training:
These tikkunim [in preparation to receive prophecy] are not always the same. For every generation – and indeed, every person – must progress in accordance with his own nature, physical condition, and positive and negative attributes, and in accordance with the strength of his mind, his imagination, etc., and thus his tikkunim will be specific to himself… And so it is with the nation as a whole: Although their aim was not to become great prophets, but rather to be God’s people, the people of the prophets, they needed this sort of tikkun. And since these tikkunim are not preparation for regular, mundane service, but rather are preparation for prophecy and for drawing down ruach ha-kodesh, therefore only prophets were able to set the tikkun for this nation.[2]
Here, R. Kalonymus asserts that the preparation required for each person is individual, dependent on his personality, and it was the prophets who were responsible for this preparation. This does not mean to suggest that all of Am Yisrael were prophets; rather, they were “people of the prophets” – in other words, capable of receiving God’s word (prophecy) via the prophets.
R. Kalonymus’s vision of developing “children of the prophets” to achieve their destiny appears not only in Chovat Ha-Talmidim, intended for younger readers. His work Benei Machshava Tova, intended for a select group that sought an especially high level of sanctity, offers instruction as to how, through use of the imagination and focused thinking, a person is able to experience visions of Divinity. R. Kalonymus directs members of the group to perceive Divinity everywhere in existence. One might question this: Are we then all prophets? Are we all capable of seeing Divinity? R. Kalonymus answers:
We have formed this community in order to transform each of our members into a person of spirit and mindfulness, to convey a new way of thinking and perceiving. Your mind will observe with new depth and clarity. As you resist the distractions of your physical surroundings, a sense of focused spiritual concentration will unfold within you. When you recite, “Blessed are You, Holy One, Master of all creation,” you visualize the “You” and you visualize the “Master of all creation.” Your eyes observe the Presence of God, which animates and surrounds everything, including yourself… What you see in the Holy Presence of God…
Now, do not resist our ideas by rationalizing that we plan to make a prophet out of you and move you out of the realm of reality. Hillel the Elder has already taught us about this (Pesachim 66b). Every Jew, even if not a prophet, is the descendant of prophets. Even among the prophets there are levels. Moshe, our teacher, reached a point at which he was told: ‘Man cannot see me and live’ (Shemot 23:20). But Yeshayahu and Yechezkel both claimed, “I would see the Lord” (Yeshayahu 6:1). There are levels upon levels. What our teacher Moshe wished to see, a man cannot see and survive. At a lower level, Yeshayahu and Yechezkel perceived God, and after many more steps and permutations, you, a simple Jew, can come to perceive as well.[3]
Elsewhere, R. Kalonymus writes:
When a person with developed awareness has moments of powerful, clear perception, he can see what the Israelite prophets saw: that we are in the palpable presence of God, be He blessed.[4]
R. Kalonymus believe that in our generation, everyone can be a chassid – a “child of prophets.”[5] Not everyone can be a prophet – in other words, a chassidic tzaddik – but everyone is capable of receiving and implementing the vision of the Ba’al Shem Tov and of his holy disciples. Thus, every individual, in accordance with his level, can discover within himself that he is a “son of the prophets.”
Breaking Through the Veil to See God
It is natural that a believer desires to see God. A believer who serves his Creator by performing His commandments, who turns to Him in prayer, and who involves Him in all that happens in his life – his celebrations as well as his pain – desires to see the “face” of God and to award Him the most tangible presence. The psalmist, whose soul yearns for God, seeks to behold Him: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” (Tehillim 42:3). Although this verse may be interpreted as expressing the wish to go up to Jerusalem, to the Temple, the place where God resides, the plain meaning of the verse remains: A person seeks to “meet” God, face to face.
But is it possible to see God? Moshe asked to behold God and was told, “You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live” (Shemot 32:20). Instead of seeing God’s “face,” Moshe was permitted to see a certain aspect of Him: “I will take away My hand and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen” (Shemot 33:23). Elsewhere, however, we read about Moshe and Aharon and seventy of the elders of Israel who did merit to see, seemingly with no constraint or barrier:
And they beheld the God of Israel, and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the very heaven for clearness. (Shemot 24:10)
Further descriptions of seeing God appear in various books of the Prophets. Yeshayahu describes, “I saw the Lord sitting upon a Throne, high and elevated, and His train filled the Temple” (Yeshayahu 6:1). Yechezkel describes the heavenly Chariot and the Divine Throne: “And upon the likeness of the throne there was a likeness as the appearance of a man above it” (Yechezkel 1:26).
Jewish philosophy throughout the ages has grappled with this question of the possibility of an encounter between man and God. The scope of our discussion does not allow for comprehensive treatment of the range of views that have been offered in this regard. (Interested readers are referred to God in Search of Man, by R. Dr. Avraham Yehoshua Heschel.)
The possibility or impossibility of seeing God is connected to several fundamental questions, the most important of which concerns the nature of God – or, as the question was formulated in the Middle Ages, whether God is tangible or abstract. The second question flows from the first and focuses on human consciousness: Is man capable of perceiving God through his senses, through his intellect, or through some other faculty?
The third question concerns the nature of the reality in which we live and the connection between God and this world. For in plain terms, we cannot see God. In chassidut, the word “olam” (world) is understood as an allusion to “he’elem” (hiddenness) – the idea that God is hidden within Creation: "Truly You are God Who hides Himself" (Yeshayahu 45:15). The story is told of a child who came crying to his father, a chassidic leader, telling him that he was playing hide-and-seek with his friends, but they did not find him. His father had trouble understanding his misery: "But that's good; it means you hid well!" His son answered miserably, "But they didn't even come and look for me!" His father exclaimed, "That is exactly how God feels! He hides so that we will seek Him! The fact that He is 'God Who hides Himself' does not mean that He doesn't exist; it means that He wants us to exert ourselves to find Him! Sometimes we forget to see Him; we leave Him in His concealment….”
If God is indeed "hidden,” is there any way we can overcome this concealment and expose Him? Plato's metaphor of the dark cave prompted philosophical debate surrounding the idea of the dual nature of our reality, comprised of the world of the senses and the world of ideas. The metaphor describes a group of prisoners in an underground cave. The chains around their legs and necks do not allow them to turn and see behind them. The people living on the outside pass by the entrance to the cave, riding their donkeys and carrying their work implements, casting shadows on the inner wall of the cave. Thus, all that the prisoners know of the outside world is the shadows that they see moving on the wall. Those who were born into this situation and have never seen the world outside of the cave believe that what they see is the real world. In reality, it is a very partial and limited reflection. Only someone who has freed himself of his chains and has emerged from the cave to see the sunlight can encounter the real world. Plato maintained that the real world was the world of ideas and that man is capable of encountering this reality through his intellect. What the senses offer, in contrast, is not true knowledge, but rather a partial likeness of the intangible, concealed ideas. But we become convinced that what we see, hear and touch is real, just like the prisoners in the cave.[6]
R. Kalonymus maintains, in a similar way, that a person's life is covered by a screen, and he must find a way to see behind it. However, while Plato sought to reveal the world of ideas, R. Kalonymus seeks God:
Our true goal is quite different. In a single, powerful moment, you can remove the veil that blankets your perception of reality. You will see, in an unmistakable, unshakable flash, that you are standing in your place in the great chain of creation, among a huge camp of angels and holy beings. You yourself are one of them.[7]
With these words, R. Kalonymus expresses the duality of existence, comprising both "actuality" and "nothingness.” "Actuality" refers to that which appears real to mortal eyes, while "nothingness" refers to the Divinity that is clothed in "actuality" and gives it life. Chassidut demands that a person seek and expose the "nothingness,” constantly looking for God's hidden presence. In order to train his chassidim in this task, R. Kalonymus sets forth a practical program, based on group work in the framework of the "chavura.”
Purpose of the Chavura – To Perceive God
As we have seen, R. Kalonymus views the institution of the chavura as one of the ways to revive chassidut and restore it to its original glory. His writings on this subject include a special booklet that he intended for a group of select individuals, entitled Bnei Machshava Tova. The booklet, which addresses regular working people rather than full-time scholars, presents a program for spiritual development for anyone who feels “far from God.” The book would appear to be based on an actual group that was active with R. Kalonymus, as evidenced in the first-person plural formulation, such as, for instance, “our holy company,” “our society.”
The clearly-stated purpose of the group is to “see God”:
We have formed this community in order to transform each of our members into a person of spirit and mindfulness, to convey a new way of thinking and perceiving. Your mind will observe with new depth and clarity. As you resist the distractions of your physical surroundings, a sense of focused spiritual concentration will unfold within you. When you recite, “Blessed are You Holy One, Master of all creation,” you visualize the “You” and the “Master of all creation.” Your eyes observe the Presence of God, which animates and surrounds everything, including yourself. As you look around at all the physical world, what you see is the Holy Presence of God, pulsating and shimmering in everything. ‘You are the Master of all creation’; you are sept up in the pleasure of this understanding.”[8]
What is the meaning of this level of perception? How it is achieved? How does R. Kalonymus relate to the Rambam’s famous statement that anyone who attributes a bodily existence to God denies one of the central tenets of our faith, for God has no body and no bodily form? In order to understand R. Kalonymus’s approach, we must go back to two of the central tools that he employs: the mind and the imagination.
Translated by Kaeren Fish
[1] For more extensive discussion see our discussion of “The imagination and prophecy.”
[2] Mevo Ha-She’arim, p. 183.
[3] Bnei Machshava Tova, pp. 32-33 (= Conscious Community, pp. 49-50).
[4] Ibid., p. 13 (= p. 13).
[5] R. Kalonymus reiterated this idea of “the children of prophets” in his public sermons. An example is his sermon from Shabbat Parashat Beha’alotekha in the year 5690. See Derekh Ha-Melekh, p. 154-155, where he explains at length and in detail what it means to “see God” and how this may be achieved.
[6] A modern representation of the dual nature of human experience and reality can be found in the film The Matrix (Lana and Lilly Wachowski, 1999).
[7] Bnei Machshava Tova, p. 25 (= Conscious Community, pp. 34-35)
[8] Benei Machshava Tova, p. 32 (= Conscious Community, pp. 49-50)
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R. Kalonymus | R. Yehuda Albotini |
“… He should prepare his true thoughts to imagine, in his heart and his mind, hat he is sitting on High, in heaven, before the Holy One, blessed be He, and in the midst of the radiance and glow and majesty of His Presence. And you see, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, sitting like a king, imposing and elevated, with the entire host of the heavens, and angels and keruvim and beings of holy spiritual energy all standing before Him in awe and fear and trembling…”[4] |
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Educating the Young
Education and Negative Characteristics
Elevating One's Body
Practical Advice for Conquering the Evil Inclination and Improving One’s Character
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