Thursday, August 27, 2015

Likutei Moharan I, Torah 6 (Part 1)

The exact wording of Rabenu [Nahman] z"l, given on Shabbat Shuva in the year 5563 (1803) in Breslov.
"And HaShem said to Moses, call unto Joshua..." (Deuteronomy 31)

1. Everyone must decrease his own honor and increase the honor of The Place (HaShem). For one who runs after honor doesn't attain honor of God, rather [he attains] honor of kings of which it is said, "The honor of kings is an investigated thing" (Proverbs 25). All inquire of him and ask: 'who and what is he that he is allotted this honor?' However, one who runs from honor, decreasing his own honor and increasing the honor of The Place - then he merits honor of God, thus people do not inquire of his honor, whether or not he is worthy. About him it is said, "The honor of God is a concealed thing" (Proverbs 25); for it is forbidden to inquire of this honor.

2. And it is impossible to come to this honor except through repentance; and repentance is essentially when one hears his disgrace and insult and remains silent. "For there is no kavod (honor) without the letter kaf" (Zohar, Pinhas). "And kaf is kether (crown)" (Tikunei HaZohar), corresponding to AHYH (a Divine Name meaning "I will be" which is associated with the Sefira called Kether), corresponding to repentance since AHYH means 'I am ready to be'. That is, before repentance one hadn't had existence, as if he hadn't yet been in the world, for it was better that he hadn't been created than having been created. And when he comes to purify himself and repent, then he is in the aspect of AHYH; that is, that he'll have existence in the world, meaning 'I am ready to be'.

This is the aspect of kether (crown), for kether is the language of waiting, corresponding to repentance, as our Sages of blessed memory said, "One who comes to purify [himself] is helped" (Talmud, Yoma 38). An example is one who comes to buy a persimmon and they say 'wait', etc. This is the aspect of kether, as it is written, "Katar (wait) for me a little and I will tell you..." (Job 36). However, before repentance, the aspect of AHYH is in hidden-face from him; for he has not yet prepared himself to be in the world. And the hidden-face of AHYH is the numerical value of dam (blood). (An explanation: the backward sequence of the Name AHYH is the numerical value of dam, as brought. That is, when spelling the name in backwards sequence, like א, אה, אהי, אהיה (A, AH, AHY, AHYH), that you return back each time [to the start of the word], it reaches the numerical value of dam. This is the turning back and concealment of the face of AHYH that reaches [the numerical value of] dam.)

That is, spilling of blood and insult, according to "those who despise Me will be disgraced" (I Samuel 2). For the blood is yet in the left chamber of the heart which is the dwelling place of the evil inclination as it says, "The heart of the fool is at his left" (Ecclesiastes 10). It (the evil inclination) is still attacking and strong and for this reason insults and bloodshed come upon him - for this is the aspect of the concealment and turning back of AHYH, the numerical value of dam (blood). The remedy for this is to change dam into dom (silence); to be among those who hear their disgrace and do not reply nor be exacting about the insult of their honor. When one fulfills 'be silent before HaShem', then the Holy One Blessed is He throws down causalities [HaLaLim] for him (that is, He takes down that person's enemies), as it says, "Be silent before HaShem and wait [hitHoLeL] for Him..." (Psalm 37), "And he will take down casualties (HaLaLim) for you" (Talmud, Gittin 7). That is, "My heart is hollow [HaLaL] within me" (Psalm 109); that means, through decreasing the the blood that is in the left chamber/hollow [HaLaL] it is the aspect of sacrificing the evil inclination. Through that, one merits Godly honor, as it says, "One who sacrifices a thanksgiving offering honors me" (Psalm 3). The Sages of blessed memory commented, "[This is] about sacrificing the evil inclination" (Tal. Sanhedrin 43).


3. One must hold to the characteristic of repentance, "For who can say, 'I've purified my heart, I've become clean of my sins'?" (Proverbs 20). For at the time a person says 'I've sinned, I've transgressed, I've committed crimes' - even this is impossible to say with [complete] purity of heart without alternation. (That is, who can say 'I've purified my heart, I've become clean of my sins'? Who can say his heart is clean and pure of alternation even at the time of saying 'I've sinned', etc, as in "Who can say... I've become clean of my sins", that is, clean of [the confession] 'I've sinned, I've transgressed, etc' which he stated, for even then he is not clean and pure of alternation.)
Hence, one must repent over the first repentance, that being the [confession of] 'I've sinned, etc' that he said, because about this it is said, "With their lips they honor me..." (Isaiah 29) since honor of HaShem comes through repentance, [but] "...they've distanced their heart from me." (Isaiah 29, continuation of the verse).


Even if a person himself knows that he repented completely, even so he must repent over the first repentance because when he repented originally, he did it according to his attainment [of awareness, as it was then]. Afterwards when he repents, he definitely recognizes and attains [awareness of] HaShem more. Hence, according to his current attainment, [he realizes that] his original attainment was definitely categorically worldly. Hence, he must repent over his first attainment, over having materialized the loftiness of HaShem's Godliness.

This is the aspect of the world to come which will be entirely Sabbath; that is, entirely repentance, as it is written, "You shall return/repent [ShaVTa (same letters as 'Sabbath')] unto HaShem your God" (Deuteronomy 30); for the world to come is mainly the attainment [of awareness of] HaShem's Godliness, as it is written, "And they will know me, from their littlest to their greatest" (Jeremiah 31). Hence at every time they will attain a greater awareness, then they'll repent over their previous attainment.

This is what our Sages of blessed memory, "Everyone who sacrifices his inclination..." (Tal. Sanhedrin 43), meaning the aspect of repentance, corresponding to "My heart is hollow within me", "Be silent before HaShem", corresponding to [the Divine Name] AHYH, kether (crown), honor, [all] as mentioned above - "...and confesses over it..." (continuation of Tal. Sanhedrin 43), meaning he confesses over the sacrifice of his inclination, that is, he repents over his previous [incomplete] repentance and attainment [of awareness of HaShem] - "...it is as if he honored the Holy One Blessed is He in two worlds" (continuation of Tal. Sanhedrin 43). For the original repentance was the aspect of honor [of HaShem] in this world, and after that repentance that he merits a higher attainment and recognizes the loftiness of HaShem's Godliness more, thus repenting over the first repentance - this is the repentance that is the aspect of honor [of HaShem] in the world to come.


This is what our Sages of blessed memory stated, ""A bright light and darkness" (Zechariah 14) - a light that is bright in this world will be dark and dull in the world to come" (Tal. Pesahim 3). Hence, in the world to come when people will merit a greater attainment [of awareness of] HaShem's Godliness, they will definitely become remorseful and repent over the attainment of this world. For the attainment of this world is in the aspect of rain/physicality compared to the attainment in the world to come. This is like honoring the Holy One Blessed is He in two worlds: the sacrifice of the [evil] inclination is the original repentance, which is honor [to HaShem] in this world. And the confession over the sacrifice of the [evil] inclination, the second repentance, corresponds to the honor of the world to come; that the first honor is made dark and dull compared to the second honor.

And this is what the Holy One Blessed is He says, "You did these and I remained silent, you imagined I would be [AHYH] like you..." (Psalm 50), for a person, through being silent, attains [the aspect of] AHYH (meaning 'I will be'). However, the Holy One Blessed be He, when he remains silent towards a person, it is not for [the aspect of] AHYH, God forbid, for this is not appropriate to the Holy One Blessed is He; [rather, Him remaining silent] is only that people will receive their punishment in the world to come, because there they set out one's sins before his eyes, and they reprimand him to his face. This is [the second part of the verse from Psalm 50], "...I will reprimand you and weigh before your eyes."

(Continued here)

Monday, August 17, 2015

Likutei Etzot (Compilations of Advice), Knowledge 7-14

Knowledge (continued)

7. One who damages the honor of the true tzadik has the light of the intellect and knowledge closed and he is unable to attain new insights in the Torah. He is also considered a dead man. (From Likutei Moharan I, 21)

8. Sometimes the mind and knowledge become hidden, and then crying out [works] well for a person, whether during prayer or [learning] Torah. Through this he births forth mind and knowledge. (There^)

9. A person is essentially intellect and knowledge. Therefore, wherever the intellect ponders is where that person is. Therefore, one must very much run away from evil thoughts, in order to not set one's place there, God forbid. One must bend and force himself to [think] good thoughts, in order that he'll merit to know and to reach awareness of HaShem. Hence, that he'll be there, exactly, and incorporated in HaShem. All the more one knows, the more he is incorporated into him and merits eternal life and merits to wholeness of knowledge and is saved from all lack. (There^)

10. All of the judgments, God forbid, are drawn from a lack of knowledge, causing anger and cruelty. Therefore, one who is sick [is one whom] judgments are out upon him and his mind is detracted; therefore, he is angry. However, through greatness of knowledge are all judgments sweetened and canceled out [as well as] anger and cruelty being canceled out, meriting great mercy and knowing that all that comes across a person is all for good because it is entirely good. (There^)

11. All of the greatness and good that the nations of the world have now - it is all for our good and greatness. Even though now it is impossible to understand all this, for one cannot deny the reality - even so, in the future, knowledge will increase until even the nations of the world themselves will know and understand that all their greatness and good - all of it was for our good. (There^)

12. The main comfort of all sorrows and the main hope and the main life of the world to come and it's delight is only an attainment of holy knowledge, which is to know HaShem truly. All will become pure and merit this in the future, even the nations of the world, as it is written "for the world will be filled with knowledge of HaShem..." (Isaiah 11). However, there will be a great difference and distinction between their [the nations'] awareness and our awareness, because that which will be considered a great and wondrous attainment [of knowledge] by them will be a joke and a simple matter by us. Also, between Israel themselves there will be a great distinction between each tzadik, and especially so between a tzadik and the wicked; for everyone will attain [awareness] according to his service [of HaShem] and his strain and bother which he hassled, strained, and suffered the bitterness of this world for Hashem. Even great tzadikim, when they will arrive to the world to come on the attainments that the great tzadik attained in this world, they will be amazing things by them and they'll blaze and be enthused by them. And by this great tzadik, from them, it will be a simple thing, for also in this world he attained these attainments; and that which he will attain in the world to come will be much, much greater, and thus [it will be] between a person and his friend. Understand well and place your heart well on these matters, that you'll see to prepare for yourself life for eternity, and if you'll have been wise, you'll have been wise for yourself. (There^)

13. When a person thinks good thoughts about Torah and service [of HaShem], through this he merits to understand more at each time. Through that, he is saved from ambush and assault, and all of the destructive [forces] will run from him and he won't fear them at all. (There^)

14. The month of Elul a time that is a segula for knowledge; that is, that one will merit to attain the makifin of the intellet and to make the makif internal, until he will have other makifin and through this he makes garments for this soul and is spared from every ambush and assault, as stated above. (There^)

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Likutei Etzot (Compilations of Advice), Knowledge 1-6

Knowledge

1. Knowledge is mainly in the heart. For also the idolatrous nations have knowledge, but it is without heart; rather, knowledge is mainly when it is in the heart. And there in the heard is the place of dear, that is, the know HaShem in one's heart and not in his brain alone. That is, that he should draw and attack his mind into his heart, until terror, fear, fright, and fear fall upon him from the greatness of HaShehm - until he awakens to serve him in truth, until he merits to fear of the loftiness [of HaShem, as opposed of fearing his punishment], that he'll know who he should fear. And this is merited through hitbodedut, through self-judging oneself , and through this the hidden light is merited. (From Likutei Moharan I, 15)

2. All of the sorrows, troubles, exiles, and lacking that a person has - be it [in] livelihood, children, or health of the body - all is only according to the measure of lack of divine knowledge; and when the divine knowledge is made whole, then the lacking is made whole (meaning there is no more lack). The eternal life in the future will be mainly because of knowledge, that knowledge will increase and everyone will know HaShem and through this will be included in his oneness and then they'll live eternal life like him. For through the knowledge of him are [people] included within him, which is the main yearning of the world to come. Therefore, it is necessary to guard divine knowledge and [one's] thoughts very well, that they'll be in holiness, to guard from the evil thoughts and to always dwell on thoughts of Torah and service [to HaShem] and to endeavor to arrive to holy knowledge, upon which everything depends. ((From Likutei Moharan I, 21)

3. To arrive to a wholeness of knowledge is impossible except by sanctifying the mouth, nostrils, eyes, and ears. Meaning to guard himself from bringing deceit out of his mouth; that he'll have fear of Heaven, which is the holiness of the nostrils; that he'll have faith in the Sages, which is the holiness of the ears: to believe in them and to listen to their words; and that he'll close his eyes from seeing evil. And through this, he'll merit whole knowledge upon which all depends. And through that, he'll merit holy enthusiasm of the heart, for enthusiasm of the heart is born from movement of the intellect. Therefore, when a person thinks of Torah and service [to HaShem], through this his heard is enthused to HaShem. And all the more one grows his mind and moves his intellect in holiness, thus his heart is heated and enthused more, And through holy enthusiasm of the heart, one purifies his heart, for juxtaposed to [the heart] being enthused and burning for a transgression or an evil lust, God forbid, that from this the heart is made impure - juxtaposed to this one's heart must be enthusiastic and burn for HaShem in Torah and prayerl through that, his heart is purified and he merits a pure heart through which he merits to speak between himself and his Creator with new words each time, which is the aspect of ruah hakodesh. (There^)

4. Also, through a person being humble, lowly, and patient, and not raging his anger over his humiliation, he sanctifies the nose completely. Through him being the "faithful of spirit covers up a matter", and when he has a secret revealed to him and he is careful to keep it and not reveal it to another - through these he sanctifies the ears and through all of his one draws influx of knowledge. (There^)

5. Through the sanctification of the mouth and the ears, [eyes, and the nose], which are the seven candles, through this one merits to draw wondrous intellect which is the Godly influx, which is the wholeness of divine knowledge that one reaches without any previous parable (which would help him understand the concept; meaning without this he simply merits to receive an influx of divine knowledge directly to his mind without anything preceding it), rather [it is received] through Godly influx [alone], which is the aspect of ruah hakodesh. (There^)

6. The paradoxical matters by which we're confounded, like knowledge and choice (meaning how free choice can exist even though HaShem ultimately knows beforehand what we will choose) - know that the human brain cannot understand this knowledge. For this intellect is the aspect of a makif that this intellect is very, very great until [the point that] the brain cannot handle it, and it doesn't enter into the mind except that it is a makif (literally: it surrounds it) from the outside; and if he would know this intellect, he would be in the category of an angel and not [any longer] in the category of human.
Know, that this is the main power of choice (free will): that which isn't the intellect (awareness) of [foreknown] knowledge [of HaShem] and (as opposed to) [our own free will and] choice. And in the future, when the human intellect will become greater and [then] it will be revealed to the human [mind the reason of how HaShem can have fore-]knowledge and [yet we still have] choice - then, truly, choice will be nullified because then through the greatness of the intellect one will exit the vcategory of human and go up to the category of angel and choice will be annulled. From this, understand that your ideas about the matters of this paradox of knowledge and choice, and things like it, shouldn't confound you, because now it is impossible to understand this intellect (awareness) of knowledge and free choice in any way; for all of these [paradoxes] correspond to a makif that is impossible to bring into the mind in this world which is the world of choice. For this is the main power of choice, not knowing the intellect (awareness) of knowledge and choice. (There^)

Monday, August 10, 2015

Likutei Etzot (Compilations of Advice), Pride and Humility 17-32 (end)

Pride and Humility (continued)

17. The more a person makes himself small (insignificant), the more he has the force of pull; that is, to draw the divine presence of [HaShem's] Godliness to those on the lower levels, that he (God) will dwell among us - which is HaShem's desire from the day he created his world. Thus, to draw people to him and to draw them near to serving HaShem, and also to draw good influxes and blessings to Israel. As such, he merits to be drawn to and to come closer to the true tzadik. (From Likutei Moharan I, 70)

18. Through the holiness of the Sabbath one merits true humility. That is, to see one's [own] lowliness and to recognize the importance of Israel and to give over his life for their sake, like Moses our teacher, peace be upon him. (From Likutei Moharan I, 79)

19. Humility is mainly that one holds himself below his [actual] level, lower than what he is. But in any case, he should never go out of his place to hold himself above his [actual] level. (There^)

20. Through humility and lowliness, no one can take him out of and put him off from his place, that is, to infringe on his livelihood, God forbid. (There^)

21. Through humility one is spared from promiscuity. However, through greatness (pride), the evil inclination for this lust overpowers him. (From Likutei Moharan I, 130)

22. A segula for being spared from greatness (pride) is to honor the holy days and receive them with joy and in wideness of heart according to one's ability. (From Likutei Moharan I, 135)

23. Being close to the tzadik annuls greatness (pride). Therefore, this is a sign whether one is attached to the true tzadik, if he has [true] humility. (There^)

24. Through humility [to the point that] one is literally nothingness, this one merits Torah and greatness in one place. However, without this it is hard for them, Torah and greatness, to be together [in one place]. (From Likutei Moharan I, 162)

25. When a person has greatness (pride), it is a sign that trouble will come to him, God forbid. And thus to the opposite, when he is humble and lowly, he'll come to great honor. (From Likutei Moharan I, 168)

26. Of the idea of the sword of pride that comes through converts, see [the section] Honor, [number] 28. (From Likutei Moharan II, 5)

27. The main honor and greatness of kingship, of a leader or ruler is through humility. The more the king or ruler has humility, his kingdom and rule spread more. (From Likutei Moharan II, 16)

28. In the idea of submission, the world errs much, see inside [the quoted section in Likutei Moharan]. And one must guard himself from invalid humility, and to pray to HaShem much about this, that he'll merit true humility as is HaShem's will. (From Likutei Moharan II, 22)

29. The main resurrection [of the dead] in the future, that [the dead] will live and arise at the resurrection, it will be only for the lowliness of each one. That is, that only the lowliness of each and every one will be made living and will arise at the resurrection. For the wondrous pleasure which is eternal life of the world to come is impossible for a person to receive except for the lowliness and humility of everyone - that [aspect of the person] itself will merit living, the pleasure, and the eternal life of the world to come. (From Likutei Moharan II, 72)

30. The lowliness and humility of Moses our teacher is rooted within each and every one among Israel, in each and every limb. However, this humility and lowliness is hidden from everyone in an aspect of death. Therefore he doesn't himself feel this lowliness and he is therefore far from this lowliness and humility. However, through drawing himself closer to the true tzadik and seeing him, and all the more so when he merits to hear Torah from his mouth, through this he merits shame and repentance. And through this, he merits that this lowliness and humility will be living by/in him and her thereby merits true humility which is the aspect of eternal life of the world to come. (There^)

31. One must pray and request a lot from HaShem that he'll merit true lowliness and humility, for we do not know, at all, what true lowliness and humility is. For it is definitely not the ultimate end to be despised and a sluggard which they call a shleimazelnik. For humility is the main vitality of each limb, it's all the pleasure of the world to come; and it's definitely not the main goal of the world to come to be despised and a sluggard, etc, God forbid. Therefore, one needs to just request from HaShem that he'll help him merit true humility and lowliness which is the main life and main pleasure of the world to come. (There^)

32. When a person himself sees that things are not going for him the right way, he should know that he has greatness (pride), and he should repent and throw himself down [so that] he'll be the aspect of 'what', and then it will go back to going the right way for him. (From Likutei Moharan II, 82)

Friday, August 7, 2015

Likutei Etzot (Compilations of Advice), Pride and Humility 1-16


Pride and Humility

1. Through humility of the true tzadikim until [the point that it reaches] the aspect of 'nothingness', through this he [the true tzadik] can atone sins. (From Likutei Moharan  I, 4)

2. Through humility one merits the spreading of physicality and is included into Ein Sof and he [comes to] know that all that all the events [that occur to him] are all for his good; this is the aspect of a glimpse of the world to come. (There^)

3. Through pride comes poverty, God forbid. (There^)

4. Through humility one merits repentance, because the essence of repentance is through feeling one's [own] lowliness, smallness, and his many damages; and he understands that it is definitely proper for him to suffer insults and bloodshed in order to draw closer to the truth. This is the essence of repentance. (From Likutei Moharan  I, 6)

5. Even one who fasted and mortified himself shouldn't become proud and think that he's already a tzadik and can do pidyonot and pray prayers [to cause things that only tzadikim can accomplish]. For he must contemplate himself and see that after all the fasts and mortifications, all his lusts remain attached to his body, and also, the filth of the lust of his father at the time of conception - this is also attached to his body still. When he looks at this, great dread will definitely fall upon him and he won't err [in believing] that he is a tzadik; and he will endeavor to bring and return all the prayers to the true tzadikim because only they know to pray and to raise up prayer properly, and the Holy One Blessed is He desires their prayers and sends an ordered prayer to their mouths. (From Likutei Moharan  I, 10)

6. These arrogant ones who prevent themselves and others from going to the tzadikim for [them, the tzadikim] to pray over them - they delay HaShem's desire. (There^)

7. To annul pride, which is idolatry, is mainly through drawing closer to the tzadikim. (There^)

8. Through annulling pride, wisdom is on its rectification, and one merits life and length of days, and judgments are sweetened; and one merits faith and great joy and to reaching the Torah [both in its] revealed and hidden [states], and [one merits] the aspect of Ruah HaKodesh. (There^)

9. Pride corresponds to idolatry. Through pride, one cannot open his mouth and he doesn't have strength of speech to speak illuminating words. And when Torah comes into his mouth, it isn't only that the words of Torah don't shine for him to return him to good, rather that even the Torah itself becomes physical and darkened there in his mouth. (From Likutei Moharan  I, 11)

10. Pride and promiscuity are interdependent, and when one guards his brit, he is saved from pride and merits the light that shines for him to repentance - until he merits to come to contemplation of the Torah in its depth.

11. There is humility that the ultimate end of is greatness, that is, that one is humble as a result of him knowing that greatness is very despised; therefore he is humble in order to become precious and honored. Hence, he is humble for greatness and honor. Hence, one must be wise over his matters and distance himself from greatness to the ultimate end until the other end, as our Sages of blessed memory said, "be very, very low of spirit", for greatness is the aspect of the seven houses of idolatry, that through this Israel was exiled from their land and through this we haven't yet returned; as a result of running after honor through the greatness. (There^)

12. A person does not merit Torah except through lowliness - that he'll break his pride from the four aspects of lowliness. For he must make himself smaller before those greater than him, before people according to his worth, and before those lesser than him. Sometimes - when he himself is the smallest of the small, he needs to make himself small according to his own level, and it will seem in his eyes that he is below his level. (From Likutei Moharan  I, 14)

13. One must guard himself from all the things that people make themselves great in, and they are three things: wisdom, might, and wealth. That is, he needs to break [any of] his pride that he has in all these things and be humble and lowly in all of them. (There^)

14. According to [the amount] that one breaks his pride, thus is the [amount] that he merits Torah. Through this he merits to draw those far away closer to HaShem, and through this HaShem's honor is made great and elevated, and [thus] he raises honor to its source and [through that] merits fear. Through this, he merits peace [in his] home, peace in his bones, and through this he merits prayer and through that he merits all-encompassing peace, peace in all the worlds. (There^)

15. Through greatness one falls into arrest [that is, being arrested by authorities]. (From Likutei Moharan  I, 22)

16. When [those of] the generation don't watch their mouths, through this the good people of the generation stumble, God forbid, into pride. Therefore these good people of the generation must much contemplate the greatness, splendor, and importance that comes to them, for every one according to his worth, little or much, to contemplate and to look upon himself that he doesn't stumble by pride which is the exile of the divine presence, God forbid. (From Likutei Moharan  I, 58)

(Continue to the next section)

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Likutei Etzot (Compilations of Advice), Clothes 1-5 (end)

Clothes

1. One must guard his clothing very much [so as] not to disgrace them but to keep them well from stains and dirtiness, because the clothes themselves judge the person if he does not respect them properly. The greater one is, the more he needs to guard his clothes; for the greater one is, the more meticulously scrutinized he is. (From Likutei Moharan I, 29)

2. Through not keeping one's clothes from stains, one makes a separation between the Holy One Blessed is He and his divine presence; and then the 'bad maidservant' rules, which is the evil kingdom, and he [the person not keeping his clothes] is like a rebel against the kingdom [of HaShem]. Through this, his livelihood [comes] with hassle and difficulty. (There^)

3. Through making nice clothing for the tzadik, one clothes the divine presence with shining garments and all judgments are sweetened. (From Likutei Moharan I, 42)

4. Clothes should be whole constantly and not torn, because when clothes are torn, God forbid, it is a damage in protection, for the clothes are the secret of hashmal which is protection. (From Likutei Moharan I, 127)

5. The ba`al davar and the forces of evil grab a person by his clothes, that is, that they bother a person with the hassle of his clothes and garments; for the hassle of the need for garments and clothes of a person confuses the person a lot and prevents him from serving HaShem. However, one whose heart it strong in HaShem doesn't pay attention to this - even though he doesn't have clothes to wear, he does his [duty] in serving HaShem according to what he is able [to do], until HaShem looks down and sees from Heaven. (From Sihot HaRan 100)

Monday, August 3, 2015

Likutei Etzot (Compilations of Advice), Shame and Brazenness 1-4 (end)

Shame and Brazenness

1. Everyone needs to be very ashamed before HaShem, that he won't do [something] against his will, God forbid, and that all the more so he won't do some sin or transgression, God forbid. Shame is an extremely high level, for the essence of fear is shame, and if one doesn't draw upon himself holy shame in this world - he will be ashamed in the world to come, which is the hardest of all punishments. For the sorrow of shame in the future is very, very difficult and it is even more harsh than [the punishment of] the bitter Geihinnom. Even every tzadik will be ashamed before his friend who of a greater level than him. Our Sages of blessed memory said about this: woe to that shame, woe to that disgrace; and all the more so how the sinners will be ashamed, God forbid, that it is impossible to measure in this world the greatness of the sorrow and bitterness of this shame in the world to come, God forbid. And when a person merits holy shame [in order] not to sin, through this he merits prayer, joy, and holy brazenness and to draw closer to and be incorporated into the true tzadikim and to receive from them faith to the ultimate finality of completion. (From Likutei Moharan I, 22)

2. One must habituate himself to speak between himself and his Creator with great sincerity until he begins to speak words of truth [that are] in his heart, with the heat that is in the heart, in an arousal of repentance. [He should do this] until he sees his [own] insignificance and [sees] the greatness of the Creator, until he becomes very ashamed before HaShem. For until now, he threw his sins over his shoulder and didn't look at them; and now that he knows them, great shame then enters him over the greatness of his transgressions against the Mighty One, the Ruler, the essence and source of all the worlds.
And at the beginning, the shame is not yet in actuality before his face because his sins have stupefied his mind and awareness via the spirit of folly within him. Therefore, before he merits complete repentance, he doesn't have much divine knowledge to become ashamed properly, to be ashamed according to the vastness of his transgressions and according to the greatness of the Creator whom he sinned against. However, afterwards, when he repents and removes the foolishness from him and adds intellect in himself, then he will become exceedingly ashamed and the shame will be revealed on his face. This shame is the aspect of the light of the tefillin which are the sign of clinging to the Creator, the aspect of beaming light of the face, and through this shame all his transgressions are forgiven and he clings himself to the Tree of Life. (From Likutei Moharan I, 38; see sec. Speech 7)

3. One who brazenness of the forces of evil and doesn't become ashamed from the true tzadikim nor the [God-]fearers nor the [truly] good men - it is definite that his feet of his fathers did not stand at Mt. Sinai, and he damages the holiness of tefillin, which correspond to the Tree of Life, and he clings himself to the Tree of Death and [thus] he is banished from the Garden of Eden and he descends into Geihinnom. When he repents and is ashamed about his transgressions, through that he is immediately forgiven and he returns to himself divine knowledge and mind and he divorces the spirit of folly from his midst; he merits the aspect of the light of tefillin which corresponds to the beaming light of the face, the aspect of the Tree of Life. (There^)


4. The main repentance is through shame because a person must be very, very ashamed of himself. For a transgression is definitely shame, God forbid, because a transgression doesn't belong to and isn't appropriate to Israel at all. For the Israelite man is far from the source of transgression completely, and definitely it isn't attractive to the Israelite man to have transgressions, God forbid. However, also when he wants to do a commandment, it is proper that he should have great shame - because what merit does he have that he should merit to do the commandment? And how could be brazen his face to enter into the chamber of the King to do a commandment? He should weigh in his mind before who he is doing the commandment, and [he should also weigh] the degree of the commandment because the vastness of preciousness of the level of the commandment itself has no measure.
It is definitely proper that great shame should fall on him when he comes to do some commandment. How [can he] come to snatch tefillin, which are the crowns of the King, and place them on his head all the sudden? It is definitely proper that great feel should fall upon him. If a person had shame, he would be ashamed before HaShem even to take food into his mouth, for what merit does he have that he should have food? Yet, the main part of shame is merited through seeing oneself with the true tzadik, and through that repentance is merited, for repentance is essentially through shame. Through it, true humility is merited, which corresponds to the humility of Moses our teacher, which is the essence of life; [that is,] the aspect of eternal life of the world to come. (From Likutei Moharan II, 72)

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