BJBE Symposium - April 25, 2023
Save
Copy
Add to Collection
Export to Google Docs
ShareMany Paths to God - R. Dov Baer of Mezeritch, Hayim v’ Hesed, #19 – God In All Moments, p. 49
Serve God in all you do…
There will be times when you are engaged in conversation, and you will be unable to study Torah. At such times, join yourself to God internally…
This is also the case when you travel and cannot pray or study as you usually go. At such times, serve God in other ways.
Do not be upset by this, because God needs us to serve Him in all that we do…
This is why God presented you with the opportunity to travel or to speak with other people; it is so that you may serve God in these particular ways.
Serve God in all you do…
There will be times when you are engaged in conversation, and you will be unable to study Torah. At such times, join yourself to God internally…
This is also the case when you travel and cannot pray or study as you usually go. At such times, serve God in other ways.
Do not be upset by this, because God needs us to serve Him in all that we do…
This is why God presented you with the opportunity to travel or to speak with other people; it is so that you may serve God in these particular ways.
Holy Sparks - Tzava’at HaRivash, #109 – God in All Moments, p. 55
“The Torah is concerned about Israel’s livelihood” (b. Yoma 39a).
Why is this so?
In making use of your clothing, food, and other physical objects seek to derive benefit from the Divine force inherent in each of these teachings. For without this essential vitality, nothing could exist. Further, recognize that these objects contain “holy sparks” that relate directly to the root of your soul.
I have heard that this is why one person may love something and another may hate it.
Therefore, when you eat or make use of an object—even if for a physical need—you can restore the sparks in that object. They are restored when you use the strength –given to you by the garment, the food, or any other object—to serve God.
When you have restored all the sparks that relate to your soul’s root, God takes the object from you and gives it to another. He does so because the remaining sparks relate to that person’s soul.
“The Torah is concerned about Israel’s livelihood” (b. Yoma 39a).
Why is this so?
In making use of your clothing, food, and other physical objects seek to derive benefit from the Divine force inherent in each of these teachings. For without this essential vitality, nothing could exist. Further, recognize that these objects contain “holy sparks” that relate directly to the root of your soul.
I have heard that this is why one person may love something and another may hate it.
Therefore, when you eat or make use of an object—even if for a physical need—you can restore the sparks in that object. They are restored when you use the strength –given to you by the garment, the food, or any other object—to serve God.
When you have restored all the sparks that relate to your soul’s root, God takes the object from you and gives it to another. He does so because the remaining sparks relate to that person’s soul.
Face to Face - Sefer Baal Shem Tov, Ki Tissa,# 15, p. 109
Exodus 33:11
יא וְדִבֶּר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה פָּנִים אֶל-פָּנִים, כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל-רֵעֵהוּ…
And God spoke to Moses face to face, in the way a person speaks with their friend.
Proverbs 27:19
ט כַּמַּיִם, הַפָּנִים לַפָּנִים--כֵּן לֵב-הָאָדָם, לָאָדָם.
As water reflects a face back to a face, so is the heart of a man to a man.
The verse says, 'As water reflects a face back to a face, so is the heart of a man to a man.' The Baal Shem Tov explained that when a man stands near the water his shadow is spread far out over the water.
When he bends over to the water, his shadow gets smaller. The more he bends closer to the water the smaller the shadow of his face is. [This continues] until the shadow approaches the size of his own face.
The same is with the heart of a man. When a person thinks he is great, then his friend will consider himself great. The more he makes himself smaller then his friend, his friend will make himself smaller before him. This will continue until he cannot make himself smaller. His friend will likewise do the same, and they will be equal.
That is what was said about Moses. 'And God spoke to Moses face to face as a person speaks to his friend.' This means that just like one person makes himself small before his friend, likewise his friend will make himself small before him. Their faces will become equal.
Likewise Moses, after he made himself small before God, then God as it were, made himself small and spoke to Moses face to face. From this we see that the face of God was like a shadow that was made according to the face of Moses. This is a level that no person outside of Moses could comprehend.
Exodus 33:11
יא וְדִבֶּר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה פָּנִים אֶל-פָּנִים, כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל-רֵעֵהוּ…
And God spoke to Moses face to face, in the way a person speaks with their friend.
Proverbs 27:19
ט כַּמַּיִם, הַפָּנִים לַפָּנִים--כֵּן לֵב-הָאָדָם, לָאָדָם.
As water reflects a face back to a face, so is the heart of a man to a man.
The verse says, 'As water reflects a face back to a face, so is the heart of a man to a man.' The Baal Shem Tov explained that when a man stands near the water his shadow is spread far out over the water.
When he bends over to the water, his shadow gets smaller. The more he bends closer to the water the smaller the shadow of his face is. [This continues] until the shadow approaches the size of his own face.
The same is with the heart of a man. When a person thinks he is great, then his friend will consider himself great. The more he makes himself smaller then his friend, his friend will make himself smaller before him. This will continue until he cannot make himself smaller. His friend will likewise do the same, and they will be equal.
That is what was said about Moses. 'And God spoke to Moses face to face as a person speaks to his friend.' This means that just like one person makes himself small before his friend, likewise his friend will make himself small before him. Their faces will become equal.
Likewise Moses, after he made himself small before God, then God as it were, made himself small and spoke to Moses face to face. From this we see that the face of God was like a shadow that was made according to the face of Moses. This is a level that no person outside of Moses could comprehend.
R. Nachman of Breslov on Disagreement and Creation (Likkutei Mohoran, 64:4)
In this teaching, Nachman is building on the Lurianic creation story. In that story, God created the world by drawing back Divine light to leave an empty space in which the world could be created through speech. But the withdrawn light was too powerful and shattered the vessels that were supposed to hold it. This caused “husks,” or broken pieces of the vessels, to come into being, which hide sparks of that Divine light and introduce separation and suffering into the world. Still, Nachman teaches, in an argument there is a precious opportunity to create new realities through speech.
Understand that a disagreement is a kind of creation of the world. For the essence of the creation of the world was that it required an empty space, since without it, everything would be the infinite presence of God and there wouldn't be any place for the creation of the world. So God pulled the light back to the sides and the empty space was created and in it God created everything, days and measures, using speech, as it is said, “By the word of God the heavens were made (Ps. 33:6).” Similarly, this is the nature of disagreement. If the sages were united, there wouldn't be a place for the creation of the world, which only happens through the disagreements between them. They move away from each other, each one pulling back towards a different side. Thus a kind of empty space is created between them, which is like pulling back the light to the sides. This is where the creation can happen through speech.
But you must be careful not to speak too much; say only what is needed for creating the world and not more. In the original moment of creation, the vessels could not contain the greatness of the light and they shattered. That there was too much light and the shattering of the vessels led to the existence of husks that mask the Divine in the world. If one sage talks too much he causes husks to come into existence. It is like too much light that leads to the breaking of the vessels which leads to the existence of the husks that mask the Divine.
In this teaching, Nachman is building on the Lurianic creation story. In that story, God created the world by drawing back Divine light to leave an empty space in which the world could be created through speech. But the withdrawn light was too powerful and shattered the vessels that were supposed to hold it. This caused “husks,” or broken pieces of the vessels, to come into being, which hide sparks of that Divine light and introduce separation and suffering into the world. Still, Nachman teaches, in an argument there is a precious opportunity to create new realities through speech.
Understand that a disagreement is a kind of creation of the world. For the essence of the creation of the world was that it required an empty space, since without it, everything would be the infinite presence of God and there wouldn't be any place for the creation of the world. So God pulled the light back to the sides and the empty space was created and in it God created everything, days and measures, using speech, as it is said, “By the word of God the heavens were made (Ps. 33:6).” Similarly, this is the nature of disagreement. If the sages were united, there wouldn't be a place for the creation of the world, which only happens through the disagreements between them. They move away from each other, each one pulling back towards a different side. Thus a kind of empty space is created between them, which is like pulling back the light to the sides. This is where the creation can happen through speech.
But you must be careful not to speak too much; say only what is needed for creating the world and not more. In the original moment of creation, the vessels could not contain the greatness of the light and they shattered. That there was too much light and the shattering of the vessels led to the existence of husks that mask the Divine in the world. If one sage talks too much he causes husks to come into existence. It is like too much light that leads to the breaking of the vessels which leads to the existence of the husks that mask the Divine.