A Jew? Sin?! Unthinkable!

A Jew? Sin?! Unthinkable!

Rabbi Y. Oliver

The Zohar[1] says that the verse, “Nefesh ki secheta”—“When a Jew sins,”[2] should be read as an expression of incredulity: “How could a Jew sin?!”

Just a second. What does this mean? Unfortunately, the reality is that almost everyone—even those who sincerely strive to do the right thing both in their relationship with Hashem and with other people, do slip here and there and sin, and in both of these relationships. And then there are “sins that a person tramples with his feet”[3]—behaviors commonly regarded as “not so terrible,” which are prevalent even among those who are otherwise observant. These include bittul Torah (neglect of Torah study), lashon hora (gossip), indulgence in permitted pleasures, and so on.[4] So how do we understand the Zohar’s shock?

The Hebrew word for world, olam, is etymologically related to the word he’elem, concealment, for the world conceals the true reality of Hashem. In our world, where Hashem’s presence is the most hidden, the world also conceals the spiritual processes that underlie the physical world around us. Thus, when we only consider things from a coarse, physical perspective, we are bound to reach incorrect interpretations and conclusions.

However, Hashem reveals His all-perfect, all-knowing wisdom to us in the Torah, and so gives us the inside scoop on deeper spiritual realities. Through Torah, the Jew is privy to the true perspective on everything in the world around us, while everyone else is confused, or interpreting worldly phenomena in a way exactly contrary to their true nature.

Similarly, when we approach a Jew, we should look to the Torah, and especially its inner dimension, to reveal to us a Jew’s true nature. By nature, not only does a Jew not sin, but the very thought of sin comes as a total shock. What? A Jew? Sin?? It makes no sense!

Rather, the sin is something superimposed, that comes due to the influences of the Jew’s non-Jewish environment; it is not his or her true inner core and identity. Thus, “Even while [the Jew] sins, his soul is still faithful to Hashem.”[5]

This is also the deeper meaning of the Previous Rebbe’s teaching: “Just as a Jew should know the shortcomings, so should he know his own strengths.”[6] One should know the shortcomings in order to correct them, and the strengths in order to be able to utilize them to perform to the utmost in one’s service of Hashem.

The Rebbe[7] points out the apparent inconsistency of the Previous Rebbe’s choice of words. When speaking of shortcomings, the Previous Rebbe said “the shortcomings,” without identifying the possessor of those shortcomings, while in reference to the strengths, he explains, “one’s own strengths.” The Rebbe interprets that the Previous Rebbe meant to make a statement about the fundamental identity of a Jew. Since a Jew’s virtues are true to the wishes of his Neshamah, they can be truly attributed to him; in contrast, when he sins and falls short, these are not his sins; rather, they are sins that attached themselves to him from without.

So when a Jew sins, he goes totally against his nature.

Let’s explain this more deeply. The Neshamah of a Jew consists of five levels (see here). The lowest is the level of Nefesh, which becomes vested in his body and sustains the Jew’s thought, speech, and action in Torah and Mitzvos.

Now, the Hebrew for “when a Jew sins” is “nefesh ki secheta”—literally, “when a Nefesh sins.” So Chassidus interprets the Zohar’s shock to mean that for a Jew, sin is totally unthinkable not only for the essence of the soul, but also for the four higher levels of the external manifestations of the soul—Ruach, Neshamah, Chayah, and Yechidah. Even for the lowest level, Nefesh—which is technically able to take part in a sin through the influence of the Bestial Soul—although sin is not unthinkable, it comes as a total shock![8]

When a Jew realizes that his sins do not define his true self; rather, they are an external force that somehow became stuck to him, this knowledge helps him keep his spirits up despite his low state. At the same time, it empowers him with the confidence that no matter what he did wrong, he can fix it. He is then motivated to do everything in his power to rectify his sins through sincere Teshuvah, and then Hashem will forgive and favor him as if he had never sinned.[9]

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[1] Zohar 3:13b, beg.
[2] Vayikra 4:1.
[3] Avoda Zara 18a.
[4] Tanya ch. 30.
[5] ibid. ch. 24, end.
[6] Likkutei Dibburim, Vol. 4, p. 581.
[7] Hisva’aduyos 5742, Vol. 1, pp. 53-54.
[8] Sefer HaMaamarim, Basi Legani, Vol. 1, p. 46.
[9] Mishneh Torah, Laws of Teshuvah, 7:4.



This post has been dedicated by Rabbi Shimon Cowen and family lizchus Zalman HaKohen ben Sarah, in the zchus of R' Dovid Fishel ben Rochel for a refuah shleima u'krova, and by Menachem Kovacs in honor of the Yahrzeit of his father, Eliezer ben Shalom ע"ה, on 17 Sivan.

Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.

Reaching a Higher Level of Consciousness

Reaching a Higher Level 

of Consciousness

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

There are two general perspectives or mental states that one can experience. In the terminology of Kabbalah and Chassidus: mochin de’gadlus, “higher consciousness,” and mochin de’katnus, “small-mindedness.”

When you are in a state of mochin de’gadlus, you see the big picture, the vast plan, and the underlying purpose of everything around you. Hashem’s absolute reality is real, unquestionable, even tangible, and so you view all worldly things as trivial and fleeting. This awareness naturally brings to vibrant passion and zeal in your divine service (see here).

Likewise, your deep connectedness with higher, spiritual truths makes you ready to have self-sacrifice for a noble cause. You do not care to give up personal preferences and do things that are difficult and demanding, because you believe so deeply in the worthiness of your mission, to which you have been summoned by a higher calling.

However, in a state of mochin de’katnus, you fail to see the vast plan and the deeper meaning behind the world around you. You miss the forest for the trees, and so you get bogged down with material and even trivial concerns. Although you still believe in Hashem and perform the mitzvos, there is a sense of distance and detachment from the truth of His reality, and this is also reflected in a diminished sense of excitement and inspiration in your divine service. You dwell on superficial, material realities, and lack patience and true joy. You think that material pleasures will bring you true fulfillment, while the thought of efforts at growing spiritually is anything but pleasurable. You are preoccupied with satisfying your immediate conveniences, desires, and needs, and serving Hashem is the last thing on your mind. 

Another way of putting it is the distinction between maturity and immaturity. There is a fundamental difference between a mature mentality and a childish one. As the Alter Rebbe writes: “The emotions are commensurate with the intellect, for a child desires and likes petty things of meager value, for his mind is small and too narrow to appreciate more precious things. Likewise, he is angered and enraged by trivialities, and the same goes for [the child’s] boasting and other emotions” (Tanya ch. 6). So the direction of the emotions is dictated by one’s intellect. Thus, the child’s undeveloped mental capacities result in emotional immaturity. This is why a child becomes very excited over sweets and toys, and angered when deprived of them. Conversely, he does not grasp the meaning of wealth and power, and thus he does not truly desire them (cf. Kuntres HaTefillah, p. 16).

Similarly, someone who is physically an adult can be in a state of mochin de’katnus spiritually. They may have little or no interest in tefillah (prayer), Torah study, or anything more than the most basic observance of mitzvos. Their life revolves around superficial things—amassing wealth, prestige, or satisfying material desires. They do their religious duties mechanically, out of rote, waiting impatiently for the moment they will be “free.” They view anyone inspired about spiritual things with disdain, and dismiss them as “religious fanatics.” Ultimately, one who goes down such a path is at risk of renouncing observance of Yiddishkeit altogether, may G–d save us.

A variation on this theme is someone who is apparently very strong in his or her Torah observance, but approaches it in a way of mochin de’katnus, small-mindedness. This could manifest itself in various ways. One example is a person who follows Halachah meticulously and beyond the letter of the law, which is of course very positive, but falls into severe depression, or gets angry and irritated, whenever he fails even to a minute degree. Or he is obsessively critical of every minute fault in others, and certainly of major ones, but somehow forgets to notice even the minor ones in himself. And so on.

In these cases and many others, the person is not truly thinking about Hashem. He may be keeping Torah and mitzvos in the technical sense, but he is not truly serving Hashem because he does not think about Hashem; instead, he thinks incessantly about technical rules, do’s and don’ts, all the while missing the main thing—that these rules exist in order to bring us to fulfill our inner potential for goodness and holiness, to refine our inner selves and unite us with Hashem and with all around us—which is the mochin de’gadlus perspective.

In any case, keeping Torah and mitzvos, and especially living according to the teachings of Chassidus, means following a program which, if followed correctly, with the right guidance, is designed to lift up our perspective from mochin de’katnus to mochin de’gadlus.

So, how indeed does one alter one’s mental state from mochin de’katnus to mochin de’gadlus, or help someone else to achieve this goal? Well, it should be noted that even before we embark on the journey, we have to fix our eyes on the goal. The first step to change is simply recognizing the urgency of the need and cultivating the desire to fill it. But even once one has the desire to grow and change and rise more and more often to a higher state of consciousness, he should realize that it is a gradual process, and although rising ever higher is attainable, it will be a lifelong struggle, that will involve ups and downs. 

How exactly do we attain it? I will leave that for another post...

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This post has been dedicated by Yehoshua Solomon l'ilui nishmas Avraham Eitan ben Getzel Yosef, in honor of the Yahrzeit on 2 Tammuz, and by Menachem Kovacs in honor of the Yahrzeit of his father, Eliezer ben Shalom ע"ה, on 17 Sivan.

Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.

Refining the sparks: An individual mission

We are told, “All your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven,”[1] and “In all your ways, you shall know Him.”[2]

The Rambam explains,[3] “One should attune all one’s actions to recognizing Hashem alone. One’s resting, rising, speaking, and everything else, should be for this end. How so? When one conducts business deals, or works for payment, one’s intention should not only be to amass money; rather, one should do business or work for payment in order to be able to obtain the things that the body needs, such as food, drink, a house, and a wife.”

There are no exceptions to this rule. We are obligated to treat all our mundane involvements, all our wealth, and every single object that we own, as items to be used to serve Hashem.[4]

Why is it so necessary to have the proper intention in all one’s mundane involvements?

The reason is that the mission of refining the sparks is not purely collective; if it were, although only Jews could refine these sparks, it would be irrelevant which Jews would refine which sparks. Rather, the purpose of the descent of each individual Jew’s soul into a body is to refine specific sparks, a task with which he alone has been charged.

This is the meaning of the statement of our sages, “One person cannot encroach upon that which has been designated for his fellow.”[5] The true reason that our income comes from one source and not another is not the whim of mere mortals, but divine decree alone.

Likewise, Hashem orchestrates our lives such that we live in a specific place, come into contact with specific people, undergo certain experiences, and earn our living in a particular way, in order to enable us to refine our specific quota of sparks. Even if one tries, G–d forbid,[6] one cannot rob another person of the opportunity to refine the sparks that have been predestined for that person to refine.

Thus, the Talmud teaches: "Forty days before the child is formed, a Heavenly voice proclaims that the daughter of so-and-so will be his wife, that a certain house will be his home, and that a certain field will be his field."[7]

This also explains the fact that one may notice an important task that needs to be done that is being overlooked by everyone else, even scholars and leaders far greater than oneself.[8] Hashem is deliberately preventing them from noticing this breach, because it is not their personal task. Instead, Hashem brings someone else, even one of lesser stature, to notice the need because he is meant to accomplish this task. This is the reason that Hashem hid even from Moshe Rabeinu the Halacha concerning how to act when one sees a Jew publicly engaging in relations with a gentile woman, and only Pinchas remembered it—even though Moshe Rabeinu was the one to teach it! Hashem put this thought in Pinchas’ mind because he was meant to carry out this task so that he would acquire the status of a Kohen.[9]

This, the Baal Shem Tov teaches, is also the reason that some people have a natural strong liking for one thing, while another person despises that thing, and has a strong liking for something else.[10]

When you eat, it is not only about satisfying your body’s desires or maintaining its survival; when you sleep, it’s not only about resting your body; when you do business, it’s not about amassing money, whether out of a desire for wealth, or even simply to pay the bills. And the same goes for your possessions: Your cabinet, dining table, pillows, alarm clock—and even apparent luxury items, such as your tennis racket, iPod, and chess set—they all contain sparks of holiness that belong to you and you alone.

This is also the meaning of “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven.”[11] You think that you chose the décor of the lounge room because it looks pretty, that you bought your chess set because you like the marble it’s made of, that you chose to live in the city because you like the hustle and bustle. Think again. The only decision we can truly make is whether to do a Mitzvah or not, or whether to sin or not. And the reason that Hashem is deciding the course that the person takes in the physical world is in order to direct him along the path in which he will have the opportunity to refine the specific sparks of holiness that belong to his soul.

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[1] Avos 2:12.
[2] Mishlei 3:6.
[3] Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Dei’os, 3:2.
[4] Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 12, p. 118.
[5] Yoma 38b; cf. Rashi there.
[6] Hisva’aduyos 5749, Vol. 2, p. 480.
[7] Sotah 2a.
[8] Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 2, pp. 342-343.
[9] Bamidbar Rabba 20:24.
[10] Tzavaas Harivash §109.
[11] Berachos 33b.

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Dedicated by Menachem Kovacs in honor of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin's arrival in New York on 28 Sivan 1941 (70 years ago), which began their countless accomplishments based in the USA.

Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.

Preparation for Gimmel Tammuz

Dear readers,

The holy, awesome day of Gimmel Tammuz is fast approaching, and in order to grow as we should from this day, we ought to prepare appropriately. Below is a compilation of posts that I wrote in past years that would surely assist in this preparation.

May we be reunited with the Rebbe now, and be privileged to again hear Chassidus from his holy mouth on Gimmel Tammuz of this year!

• Gimmel Tammuz: A test of faith
• The faithful shepherd
• Rebbe and chossid: Imagining the reunion
• Gimmel Tammuz: Hiskashrus before and after
• Rebbe and Chossid: An ever-increasing bond
• Despite kashes, our mission is clear
• Coping with the post-Gimmel Tammuz situation
• The Rebbe will find a way to answer I and II
• Why should we miss out?!
• Rebbe and chossid: An ever-increasing bond
• 27 Adar: Now it’s our job
• Hiskashrus: Yes, we can!
• The Rebbe forewarned us
• The Rebbe rules on himself
• The Rebbe’s public will I and II
• The Rebbe answers post-Gimmel Tammuz questions
• Rising with the Tzaddik
• The key to Hiskashrus after Gimmel Tammuz
• Passionate yearning, determined action
• Testing our love
• We want and need the Rebbe down here!
• Why no new Rebbe?

Dressing Like a G-d-fearing Jew

The Rebbe relates:

A well-known story is told that once, in Lubavitch, a shochet was fired because he began to wear boots. How, then, was it that in later times, the Rebbe’im themselves wore boots?

The reason for this is simple. The shochet wasn’t fired because it is somehow forbidden to wear boots; rather, in that historical context, this act revealed that the shochet was loose and not G–d-fearing. During that period, only the impious would wear boots, while G–d-fearing Jews would not. So when that shochet deviated from the standard conduct of the G–d-fearing community, and began to wear boots, like empty people, this expressed that he was not G–d-fearing.*

However, once G–d-fearing Jews began wearing boots as well, then circumstances changed; obviously, there is nothing inherently wrong with wearing boots.

Hisva’aduyos 5743, Vol. 2, p. 759. Cf. Igros Kodesh, Vol. 9, p. 460.

*Elsewhere (Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 18, p. 460), the Rebbe adds: “In the time of this shochet, boots were a new thing, and only the Jews who dressed and acted like the pritzim [sing. poritz—the wealthy non-Jewish landowners], took part in their wild parties, and the like, would dress that way. If someone dressed like this, people knew that he had strayed from the proper path. In the end, it became known that this shochet and his family had indeed strayed from the proper path.”

In various times and places, G–d-fearing Jews wore various garments. What is important to consider is not the exact garment worn, but the simple fact that for whatever reason (and I don’t think that the superficial reason that this particular “fashion” was adopted really matters here), it has become accepted that in a particular time and place, a G–d-fearing Jew dresses in this particular way. So, as superficial as it sounds, one who fears Hashem naturally wants to conform to this way of dress, in order to make his identity as a G–d-fearing Jew known to others.

Conversely, if the person make a point of dressing differently from the way that G–d-fearing Jews typically dress in his particular cultural milieu, and davka imitating the dress of the non-Jews around him, he is making an unmistakeable statement about his degenerate values and low spiritual level. He lacks fear of Hashem, and therefore identifies with the goyishe culture of his time, instead of following the Torah’s mandate for the Jewish people to distance and distinguish themselves from non-Jews and their culture (see here).

Some further comments:

Despite the above, of course, one has the ability to be hypocritical, so although a pious person will dress the part, as above, pious dress does not in itself prove piety.

It should also be noted that nowadays, this principle may not always apply. This story occurred during an era in which the vast majority of Jews were Torah-observant, and the ones who abandoned observance were the exceptions, and moreover, they had been raised observing Torah and Mitzvos. However, the majority of Jews today are not yet Torah-observant, and they have been raised without Torah observance. In this context, those who are slowly finding their way back to their heritage from a world of secularism may continue to wear somewhat non-Jewish looking garments not because they are on the verge of leaving the fold, but because they are still in the process of entering it—a journey along which one must progress gradually, as explained here.

This post has been dedicated by the Weinberger family לעילוי נשמת Melech ben Mordechai Shmuel ע"ה, and by Menachem Kovacs in honor of the Yahrzeit of his father, Eliezer ben Shalom ע"ה, on 17 Sivan.

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Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.

The inner harmony behind the conflict of souls

The inner harmony behind
the struggle of Souls

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

In order to enable us to have free choice, such that the task of refining the sparks be earned through our efforts, we were created in a way that we must constantly struggle.

Generally speaking, a Jew possesses two souls—the Bestial Soul, and the Divine Soul, or Neshamah. At first glance, the desires of these two souls are opposite. The Bestial Soul is drawn to the physical and coarse, while the Neshamah gravitates to the spiritual and G–dly.

The Bestial Soul seeks survival, self-interest, and self-gratification, while the Neshamah desires to serve Hashem, draw close to Him, and ultimately become subsumed within Him (Tanya ch. 19).

The Jew (with rare exceptions) was born to spend his entire life waging an intense struggle between the Bestial Soul and the Neshamah. These two souls struggle for total, absolute control of the Jew’s thought, speech, and action. This is akin to two kings locked in constant battle, each fighting for total control over a small city, with neither willing to allow one inch for the other (cf. ibid. chs. 9, 27, 35).

A deeper perspective

Despite this constant state of vehement conflict between the Neshamah and the Bestial Soul, when we view our inner selves as purely in a state of conflict, then once we follow the desires of the Bestial Soul and become immersed in the physical, we typically neglect the spiritual.

Yet this dichotomy is only true on the superficial level. The Baal Shem Tov teaches (as explained recently here) that the true reason for our attractions to particular material pursuits is that the Neshamah is pulling us in that direction because it senses the sparks of holiness that it needs to refine there. By being mindful of this, in a sense one has seen through the conflict (along the lines of the parable from a prostitute discussed here), and the struggle is no longer. Now, the goals of the Neshamah and the Bestial Soul can consciously converge.

How will this manifest itself? On the one hand, the person will not inappropriately pull away from the physical, thinking that any involvement with it is damaging to the Neshamah. At the same time, the awareness that the Neshamah in fact desires that one be involved with the physical grants one the inner strength not to become immersed and inappropriately preoccupied with one’s material pursuits. After all, if the true reason for one’s physical desire is the urging of the Neshamah, then that desire ought to be obtained in a way that the Neshamah would wish. (This is also the concept of balancing ratzo and shov—see here and here).

For example, a businessman will make sure to attend the Minyan, and fix times for Torah study. Likewise, he will be scrupulously honest in his business dealings, despite the constant temptations that he faces. Similarly, eating, drinking, and the like will be done in a refined manner and in moderation.

This goal is accomplished best when the person is not just aware of the above concept in general, but he reminds himself of it every single time that he engages in anything physical. This is the idea of having kavanah—the conscious intention to refine the sparks that lie within the physical object from which the person is benefiting.

In this way, the sparks of holiness in the physical world will be refined most effectively, and the Neshamah’s mission in this world will be fulfilled in the fullest manner.

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Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.

The true purpose of thirst and hunger

Without intense Avodah (toil at self-refinement), most of us operate primarily on the basis of our natural desires, by the urgings of the Bestial Soul.[1] However, this level of motivation is superficial. On the conscious level, the Jew’s actions may be motivated by his Bestial Soul; however, in reality even these desires stem from the Neshamah.

E.g., on the external level, hunger and thirst for physical food and drink stem from the Bestial Soul’s desire to satisfy the body’s physical needs, or from the desire to indulge. For most of us in our default state of functioning, when we crave to sink our teeth into a succulent chop of steak, or lick a mouth-watering ice-cream with our tongue, or simply eat a tuna sandwich for lunch, we are following the lead of the body and the Bestial Soul. Fulfilling a divine mission is not at all on our minds.

However, the Baal Shem Tov teaches that deep down, our physical desires are motivated by pure, spiritual urges.[2] The Neshamah senses the sparks of holiness hidden in the physical (see here), knows that this is the entire purpose of its descent into the body, and yearns to accomplish this task.

Unfortunately, since regular people are not truly in touch with their Neshamos (only Tzaddikim are on this level—see Tanya, ch. 29, beg.), the Neshamah cannot communicate this directly to the conscious persona of the person. Instead, it must garb its message in the language of the Bestial Soul. So on the conscious level, the Neshamah’s craving for the spiritual manifests itself in an animalistic craving for the physical.

When it comes to food and drink, this urge manifests itself in pangs of physical thirst and hunger.

However, the same holds true for all aspects of life. The true reason that the Bestial Soul feels attracted toward anything is that the Neshamah is pushing the person to accomplish a certain spiritual task.

For example, the desire to enter into a particular line of work in order to earn a living stems from the sparks of holiness that this Jew has been charged with refining through doing such work.

Once, a Jew who was fit to become a rabbi chose for whatever reason to become a businessman instead. The Previous Rebbe wrote to him that the true reason that he chose as he did was that his Neshamah yearned for the sparks of holiness in the physical, and so he should not allow himself to become immersed in the desire for the physical and lose sight of the true purpose of his involvement there—refining the physical.[3]

Likewise, on a number of occasions, the Rebbe cited this teaching and used it to explain various phenomena:

· The desire to travel for a summer holiday to the mountains (“bungalow colony”), supposedly because of the clear air there, stems from the Neshamah’s desire for the opportunity to spread Torah and Mitzvos to an extent not ordinarily possible.[4]

· The desire to leave Eretz Yisroel and settle in the Diaspora stems from the inner desire to refine the sparks of holiness that those who leave are destined to refine in the Diaspora.[5]

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[1] Tanya ch. 29.
[2] Kesser Shem Tov §194.
[3] Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 1, p. 177.
[4] Toras Menachem 5712, Vol. 6.

[5] Toras Menachem 5712, Vol. 5, p. 155.

This post has been dedicated by the Sager family in prayer for a refuah sheleima for their son, Eliyahu David ben Rut Sara, and by Menachem Kovacs in honor of the Yahrzeit of his father, Eliezer ben Shalom ע"ה, on 17 Sivan.

Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.

The Jew's mission: Refining the sparks

Our entire physical universe is nothing but the lowest level in a mind-blowingly awesome, complex system of higher spiritual realms. This multiverse is known as Seder Hishtalshelus (literally, “The Order of the Chain [of worlds]”; for more explanation, see here).

The physical world in which we live is the lowest level of all.[1] Yet despite its lowliness, in our world there lie hidden, intensely lofty spiritual energies. How did they enter this world? During the preliminary stages to the process of the creation of Seder Hishtalshelus, sparks of intense divine light fell from the spiritual world of Tohu (lit., “chaos”), which is a level of intense divine revelation higher than all of Seder Hishtalshelus (further explanation of the concept of Tohu is beyond the scope of this essay), all the way down into the lowest level of Seder Hishtalshelus—our physical world.

What makes our world so low? The spiritual energy within it stems from the forces of Kelipah (lit., “shell”)—spiritual forces that conceal the true reality of ubiquitous G–dliness (for more explanation, see here). Moreover, ours is a world in which G–dliness is hidden to the utmost—to a degree more intense than in any of the higher realms. In fact, our physical world is filled with the forces of Kelipah.[1]

The forces of Kelipah in the physical world encompass the myriad sparks of holiness that fell from the world of Tohu, and hold them in a state of captivity.

How is this situation to be mended? The Jewish people have been charged with the mission of releasing these sparks of holiness from their captivity. And we have been endowed with the power to accomplish this through our having been given Torah and Mitzvos. By using physical objects either to perform Mitzvos or to serve Hashem “for the sake of Heaven”[2] in mundane matters (such as eating, drinking, pursuing a livelihood, etc.) according to the dictates of Shulchan Aruch (the Code of Jewish Law), the Jew extracts the divine sparks from within these objects, refines them, and elevates them back to their source in the world of Tohu.

This is the mission of the Jew in the world, the purpose of the descent of his or her soul into a body, and the collective mission of the Jewish people as a whole. When this task has been accomplished, Moshiach will come.[3]

(For more posts explaining this topic, see here, here, and here.)

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[1] Tanya ch. 36. Cf. ibid. ch. 24: "הרע שבעוה"ז החומרי הוא שמרי הקליפות הגסות כו' והוא תכלית הבירור וכו' ולכן כל מעשה עוה"ז קשים ורעים והרשעים גוברים בו"

[2] Avos 2:12.
[2] Tanya ch. 37.

This post has been dedicated in memory of Shaina Hinda bas Tzvi ע"ה, by Dr. Jeffrey Kaufman, and by Menachem Kovacs in honor of the Yahrzeit of his father Eliezer ben Shalom ע"ה on 17 Sivan.

Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for (at least) $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.

The Vital Need to Spread Chassidus in Print

The Vital Need to Spread Chassidus in Print

Rabbi Y. Oliver

When the Baal Shem Tov asked Moshiach, “When will my master come?” he answered, “When the wellsprings [of your teachings] break forth to the outside.” Thus, the coming of Moshiach depends upon the wide dissemination of Chassidus.

Although delivering classes in Chassidus is very important in this regard, it appears that the medium of text is the key to disseminating these teachings on a large scale. As the Rebbe writes:

It was with great joy and satisfaction that I received the report from our mutual friends, the young men who arrived from Shanghai, that you undertook the proposition to devote yourself to raise the means to print the texts of our holy teachers, the teachings of the living G-d, in Shanghai.

As is self-evident, I conveyed the matter to my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, who was exceedingly happy to hear this ... I am certain that, to you, it is unnecessary to elaborate on the immense merit generated by giving thousands of Jews the opportunity to study texts that contain the teachings of our Rebbeim. I would like, however, to touch on one example mentioned in the words of our Sages.

Our Sages relate that the entire difficulty of exile began as a result of lashon hara, undesirable speech, spoken by the spies [sent by Moshe]. Through this they brought calamities on themselves and on generation after generation that followed including our own generation.

The Talmud (Erchin 15b) relates that the advice to correct [this flaw] is through Torah study, as it states: "The remedy for the tongue is the Tree of Life." And "the Tree of Life" refers to the Torah.

The enormity of the punishment for undesirable speech—which is heard only by people in a specific place and at a specific time—gives us some appreciation of the great merit and reward that one receives for speaking [words of] Torah in a particular place and time. And from that we can extrapolate the magnitude of the merit and reward for printing [words of] Torah. For then the text and the words of Torah it contains reach people in all other lands. And the text remains and is studied tens and hundreds of years after it was printed.

I conclude with the wish that this great merit will sustain you in all that you need, and that you will continue to participate in similar projects. ...

From a letter of the Rebbe of 16 Menachem Av, 5706.

Understandably, assisting this endeavor also brings one tremendous personal blessings, as the Rebbe writes:

By helping publish a Torah text and disseminating it … motivating change, helping people find the proper path and resolve their problems ... the reward for this manifests in this world—with abundant material and spiritual good.

The Rebbe also states that awareness of the tremendous privilege one has to enable the publication of words of Chassidus should lead one to tremendous joy:

The tremendous greatness of printing Chassidus is evident, for when one prints one-and-a-half, or two thousand copies of a sefer [holy book] of Chassidus, words of Chassidus reach two thousand Jews, for surely the [presence of] the holy book will move the person to open it and delve into it. When one then prints two thousand copies of another sefer, one disseminates the wellsprings of Chassidus in a doubled manner, and more.

Thus, even a moment’s reflection on the greatness of this privilege will surely bring the person to great joy.

Hisva’aduyos 5749, Vol. 4, p. 324.

Please contact me to support my writing and publication of the teachings of Chassidus.

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Please join me in disseminating Chassidus

Dear Friend,

As you may know, for the last two-and-a-half years I have maintained a website, www.a-farbrengen.blogspot.com. On it I have produced a consistent output of high-quality articles and essays on various topics related to the teachings and the lifestyle of Chassidus. I have also distributed these postings via a growing e-mail list to subscribers worldwide, and you have been one of my loyal readers.

Do you like what you read? The articles I write require a lot of time and effort—for research, writing, and then reviewing.

My intention, with Hashem’s help, is to compile these articles into a series of books.

However, in order to continue this noble and holy work, I require significant financial assistance. Even once, with Hashem’s help, these writings are published in book form, the income from these books will be negligible when compared with the amount of money that I need to provide for my family.

Please make a donation in order to help support these efforts to publicize the teachings of Chassidus.

For just $36, please sponsor an article in honor of your loved one/s. I would suggest that you sponsor an article regularly in honor of your anniversary, in honor of the birthdays of your various family members, and in honor of the yohrtzeits of your departed loved ones. This donation can also be made lirefuah sheleimah, or in honor of a bris, wedding, or the like.

Please click on the Donate image below in order to make a secure donation via PayPal:

Or, to send me a check, get in touch with me via email (rabbioliver@gmail.com) for my contact information.

Thanks in advance,

Yours sincerely,

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

Ahavas Yisrael: Not just a slogan

It appears to me that Ahavas Yisrael (the Mitzvah to love one’s fellow Jew) has become a slogan, and not of the positive kind. The purpose of a slogan is to remind us of something, but at the same time it causes us to forget, because the constant repetition of the idea makes it so routine that the opposite happens—we forget what it actually means and why it was so important to emphasize in the first place.

Ahavas Yisrael, on the most basic level, means being really nice to another Jew. Friendly. Warm. Welcoming. Accepting. Kind. Sensitive. Respectful. Genuinely interested in his or her welfare.

To accomplish this, we need to develop empathy. We need to be able to pull ourselves out of our own natural box and try to to consider another Jew’s feelings and needs. And not out of a dry sense of obligation to Hashem (although this is indeed an obligation), but out of a true feeling that since this Jew is my brother or sister, I should care about him or her and unite with him or her as much as possible.

But by nature we are so distant from other people and so attached to ourselves. We don’t stop thinking about ourselves. I, me. And even when we do (albeit rarely) think about others, most of the time, we only think about how they can somehow benefit us. Subconsciously, each person thinks that the entire universe revolves around him or her.

Developing empathy means learning that other people really and truly matter. In fact, they matter just as much as oneself, if not more. And therefore they deserve the same amount of respect and caring that one would want for oneself.

Of course, since developing this feeling means changing one’s innate emotions, it doesn’t come naturally. It requires strenuous, sustained effort. In the parlance of Chabad literature, this effort is termed avodah.

As the Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya ch. 32, the key to ahavas Yisrael is bringing the Neshama (soul) to dominate in the body. For it is the Neshama that truly unites us, for all Neshamos stem from Hashem, just like all siblings, no matter how different they are from one another, stem from the same parents.

Thus, when a Jew exerts the effort necessary to attune himself to the needs of his Neshama, then ahavas Yisrael will come naturally. Then Ahavas Yisrael will no longer be a slogan; rather, it will be a normal part of life.

Conditional Pleasure

Conditional Pleasure

Rabbi Y. Oliver

Today, the 16th day of Iyar, is the day that the mon, the food that fell from Heaven while the Jews travelled in the desert, began to fall (in 2448).

It is written that the mon would taste like whatever one wished, no matter what that taste was. If one wanted it to taste like chocolate pudding, or vanilla ice-cream, or hot peppers, he would sense that taste. From bitter to sweet and everything in between, it all depended on what the person wished to feel.

But what if he did not desire any taste at all? It would seem that then the mon was tasteless.

Sometimes a person complains that he lacks geshmak, enjoyment in serving Hashem. He davvens, learn Nigleh and Chassidus, performs Mitzvos, attends farbrengens, sings Chassidishe melodies, hears stories of Tzaddikim, and is still apathetic. He then raises a kasheh (challenging question) that he feels is of awesomely earth-shattering importance: “But I’m not inspired!” Then the person starts doubting: “It’s not working out; maybe it’s not for me, and I need to look elsewhere.”

But in fact, the person has no one to blame but himself and his attitude. Serving Hashem is inspiring, and is able to create the most intense and fulfilling pleasure possible (see the aphorism of Reb Hillel Paritcher mentioned here). The real reason that none of these things are affecting him is simply that he doesn’t truly want them to.

When he genuinely desires and seeks inspiration, he will surely find it, for we have been assured that one who toils will find (Megillah 6b).

Pesach Sheni: A second chance

On Pesach Sheni (see Bamidbar 9:1-14) there were Jews who were ritually impure and unfit to offer the Pesach sacrifice in its time (14 Nissan). They came before Moshe Rabeinu and demanded a second chance to offer it. Moshe consulted with Hashem, Who told him that on 14 Iyar a second chance will be given to offer the Pesach sacrifice. This is Pesach Sheni, the “second Pesach.”

The lesson of Pesach Sheni, as discussed in HaYom Yom, is that es iz nishto kein farfalen—it’s never too late to rectify and make up for one’s misdeeds. According to some opinions, those who were ritually impure had put themselves in this state intentionally—and yet they were given the opportunity to rectify it. Likewise, even if one contaminated oneself by sinning intentionally, he can always rectify the damage he did.

One of the classic ploys of the evil inclination is to make the person feel that his situation is hopeless. He feels that the damage he has done is irrevocable and the opportunities lost are irregainable. He is tainted, corrupted, and irredeemable. History has been written. There is no rewind button, no time machine. Spilt milk cannot be gathered up. As the rhyme goes, once Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.

There is validity to this feeling, for according to the natural state of the world one can only change the present and rectify thing from now on, not the past. Nevertheless, Hashem, Who created nature and therefore transcends it, grants one the power to overcome it. In particular, Pesach Sheni comes to teach that no matter how low the Jew has fallen and how much damage he has done to himself and others, may Hashem save us, he should never lose hope. Hashem has endowed him with the ability to transcend nature. He can change himself, make up for and rectify the past, and start anew.

Even before the person starts working on changing himself, this very awareness should infuse him with the greatest joy. When a sick person who thought that his illness was incurable is told that in fact an effective, affordable cure exists, he jumps with joy. Likewise, when one learns that instead of feeling doomed to be perpetually weighed down by regrets and guilt, the Torah says that he can take out a new lease on life, he is elated and joyous even before he has started to do anything!

But then one needs to start taking the necessary action to rectify the past, which is an individual matter that depends upon the sin that one committed.

However, there is one crucial condition for this rectification, purification, and cleansing. According to the Torah’s account, the Mitzvah of offering the Pesach Sheni was only given to those who came and demanded, ”Why should we miss out?” Similarly, one can’t rectify the past through a rote ceremony or out of a sense of duty. He has to desire it and yearn for it from the depth of his heart.

In summary, Pesach Sheni gives one the encouraging message that the past can be rectified. Once one knows this, however, the onus lies on the person. If he reflects appropriately on this lesson, and truly internalizes it, he will be energized with the confidence that he can and will change, and this will spur him to invest the effort necessary to become a new person, and with the help of Hashem, he will ultimately succeed.

Learning Torah with humility

Learning Torah with humility

Rabbi Y. Oliver

At first glance, both Torah wisdom and secular wisdom (lehavdil) are wisdom, and should be treated similarly. However, this is not so. Since the Torah is divine wisdom, one should approach it in a way fundamentally different, and in some ways even opposite, from the way that one approaches secular wisdom.

In the realm of secular wisdom, no concept is sacred. Every concept must be examined critically and rigorously before it can be accepted. To do otherwise is to fail to employ the principles of reason and the laws of logic in the use of one’s mind.

This process is known as critical thinking, and for the secularist, this is the highest virtue, the greatest badge of honor, the key to greatness, and the only possible method of arriving at truth. Since the human mind is the supreme arbiter of truth, if a given concept stands up to intellectual scrutiny, it might be true; if not, not. Conversely, anyone who accepts any idea without having examined it critically is dismissed as a naïve simpleton.

In Torah, however, every teaching (assuming it was taught by a rabbi of sufficient caliber) is a revelation of Hashem's will and is thus inherently sacred. A corollary of this is the Torah’s perfection, for just as Hashem is perfect, so is His wisdom, as it is written, “The Torah of Hashem is perfect.”[1] Hence, the observant Jew accepts the teaching as absolutely true even before understanding it, and will continue to accept it even in the event that he has great difficulty understanding it.

However, this is not to say that questions will not arise, and that all concepts in Torah will be immediately clear and obvious. On the contrary, Hashem designed the Torah such that it can only be truly acquired through intense effort.[2]

When a question arises on an accepted concept in secular wisdom, one (rightly) entertains the notion that the current theory might indeed be faulty. In contrast, when a question arises in one’s studies in Torah, one’s faith in what the Torah teaches is not shaken whatsoever. Rather, one views the conceptual difficulty as simply one of countless opportunities that Hashem grants the serious Torah scholar to toil in Torah in order to discover the answer to the question. Moreover, the Talmud promises that one who toils will surely ultimately find the solution to his question.[3]

In fact, questions are not only possible in Torah study, they are inevitable. As any serious student of Torah knows, any discussion of a topic (known as a sugya) involves delving into some points in great depth, discussing others in moderate depth, and mentioning still others only in passing. Questions will likely arise on the points not as thoroughly discussed, and in order to resolve these questions and reach full understanding of these concepts, one must expend the effort necessary to seek other sources that elucidate them. Of this our Sages say, “The words of Torah are poor in one place, and rich in another.”[4]

In summary, the believing Jew approaches Torah study with intense awe and humility, and attributes any lack of understanding on his part to a shortcoming in his own puny understanding, not in Torah . Accordingly, on the verse, “For it is no empty matter for you” (“ki lo davar reik hu mikem”), our sages interpret: “It is no empty matter—and if it is empty, it is from you” (“ve’im reik, hu mikem”).[5] If the Torah appears to the person “empty,” i.e., lacking in wisdom, chas veshalom, he should know that this emptiness is “from you”—due to his own personal deficiencies.

(What deficiencies might prevent one from understanding Torah? As mentioned, if the Jew toils, Hashem promises that he will find the answer to his questions. So his lack of understanding may stem from not having toiled enough. Or he may have only studied the topic from sources that explain it superficially, and not bothered to track down the sources that explain it in depth, which hold the answers to his questions. He may be lacking in fear of Heaven, which prevents him from being a vessel to Torah and truly understanding it. And so on.)


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[1] Tehillim 19:8.
[2] Megillah 6b.
[3] ibid.
[4] Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashanah 3:5.
[5] Ibid., Shabbat 1:4; Shevi’is, 1:5.



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Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for (at least) $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.

28 Nissan: "Do Everything You Can to Bring Moshiach!"

Today is the auspicious day of 28 Nissan. See my former posts on the significance of this day here, here, and here. Moshiach now!