Everything About Everything

In parashath Paqudhei, the final parasha of Shemoth, Midrash Raba comments on the beginning of the parasha where the word 'mishkan' is doubled. It states, basically, that the Mishkan is related to the word 'mashkon', meaning a pledge or a loan. Thus as it's written in the Torah "mishkan, mishkan" and the Sages in M"R state to read it "mishkan, mashkon".

Running and Returning

Raso washov, from Yehezqel 1:14, meaning 'running/going out and returning'. This concept is mentioned multiple times by R' Nahman in Liquttei Moharan, at least in 6, 13 and 79 of the first part.

(Sorry for these westernized renditions of Yehezqel's vision. They're entertaining, at least.)

While Rabenu offers fresh, original, and new hidushim on this concept from one Torah to the next, I just understood a very practical understanding of this concept that is something based mostly on what Torah 6 of L"M teaches about it.

How Halakha Works

A lot of people are confused about what is and isn't halakha. That isn't very surprising, since the whole subject of halakha and minhagh isn't really explained. Instead, many people are left with books and volumes of halakhic codes without much explanation of what has taken place for such a book to be written. However, when it comes to religious individuals either not knowing the difference in many important cases, or not properly distinguishing it themselves - this can be disheartening and problematic. Especially when someone tries to claim a halakhic monopoly by insisting that you must submit to what the majority of Jews customarily practice.

Likutei Etzot, Speech 18-23 (end)

Speech (continued)

18. Speech in holiness; that is, words of Torah, prayer, and fear of HaShem, are very high and precious, because holy speech is an aspect of the Divine Presence, an aspect of the revelation of HaShem's kingdom and faith. It is [also] an aspect of the spirit of the Messiah, an aspect of ruah hakodesh, an aspect of the resurrection of the dead, an aspect of the unification of the Holy One Blessed is He and His Divine Presence. (From Likutei Moharan I, 78)

Likutei Etzot, Speech 1-9

Speech
The greatness of its power for good, and the opposite, God forbid.

1. Poverty comes through lashon hara and idle talk, but through [giving] charity to a Torah scholar, this is fixed and one merits wealth. (From Likutei Moharan I, 4)

2. By speaking out Torah in words, the speech enlightens the person in all the places he needs to repent, until he merits complete repentance. By this, one merits to come to understandings of the Torah in its depth (see sec. Torah Learning, #1-11). (From Likutei Moharan I, 11)

3. Via wholeness of holy tongue, meaning holiness of speech, wherein one increases speaking words of Torah, prayer, supplications, requests, and conversations between himself and his Creator, and he is careful not to speak defective words which include lashon hara, lies, etc - through this [holiness of speech] one merits tikun habrit. Also, to the opposite: through tikun habrit one merits wholeness of holy speech. (From Likutei Moharan I, 19)

4. Speech that isn't listened to and received isn't called speech at all. The rectification for speech, that it will be listened to and received, is through praise of the true tzadikim - this is [in fact] the overall rectification of speech. (From Likutei Moharan I, 29)

5. Words are the vessels of abundance [from HaShem]; abundance is received by them. According to speech, thus is the abundance [received] - if speech is whole and in its fullness [in holiness], then one can receive much abundance through it. For this reason is it necessary to speak prayer [and not merely think it]. (From Likutei Moharan I, 34)

6. When one blemishes speech, which is the breath of the mouth of the Holy One Blessed is He, then through the blemish, the breath (ruah) of his mouth is made into a storm wind (ruah). The storm wind is the great Accuser, that from him come all the prosecutions and tests [that a person goes through], and he "assaults the bodies of human beings" (Tikunei HaZohar, Tikun 18). All the bad informing (tattling) that people speak about a person comes from this storm wind, because it is the aspect of "the end of all flesh" (Genesis 6), since he makes an end and finality to all flesh. All of this comes from a blemish in speech. (From Likutei Moharan I, 38)

7. The rectification of speech is through the Torah learned in poverty and hardship at a time when a person is pressed. A cord of mercy is drawn over a person from this, and all prosecutors and the whole side of impurity (evil forces) are banished from him. [Also] through this, speech is rectified and elevated to it's source. Then, the speech comes out in song, praise, and glorification of the Holy One Blessed is He, [and one] merits to to pray to, thank, and praise HaShem. By this, one will merit to speak between himself and his Creator with a blaze of power, arousing himself to [true] service of HaShem, until he'll merit to true speech - to the choicest truth within the speech, meaning he'll speak before HaShem in great and full truth, and he'll spread out his conversation and speak with the heat (passion) of the heart words of truth within the heart, with great arousal to repentance, until he'll see his [own] insignificance and the greatness of the Creator until he comes to great shame from this, becoming ashamed from before Him over the greatness of his sins.

Through this, one merits the light of tefillin, which are an aspect of devekut to HaShem, the aspect of the radiating skin of the face (Exodus 34). By [attaining all of] this, all of one's transgressions are forgiven and one clings himself to the Tree of Life (see Shame and Brazenness, #2). (There^)

8. One must be careful not to hear words from a knowledgeable wicked person because his words are venomous air of promiscuity and they give birth to promiscuity in the listener. (From Likutei Moharan I, 43)

9. Words that are not holy words, cause the awakening of the sukot of the Christians, the suka of the nations of the world, and the right hand of falsehood overpowers, the exile increases, and [the Jewish people] is distanced from the holiness of the Land of Israel. And [also] through this, the Rabbi of truth is ignored, and conflict and dispute increase, and the Divine Presence comes into dispute with her children (Israel) in exile (Tikunei HaZohar) who had been exiled from their Father's table and had left their Land.
However, through holy speech, which is powerful prayer, the truth overcomes (see sec. Prayer, #45). (From Likutei Moharan I, 48)

Likutei Etzot, Knowledge 43-54 (end)

Knowledge (Continued)
43. Via anger, one's wisdom leaves him and the image of God leaves his face and he no longer has the face of a human (see sec. Anger, #5). (From Likutei Moharan I, 57).

44. The main sustenance of [divine] knowledge is by three aspects, they are:
a. One must teach his wisdom to others and to draw them under the wings of the Divine Presence.
b. One must precede fear of sin to his wisdom.
c. One must also exacting in how to present his wisdom, that his words will be the words of the mouth of a pleasing sage and not be contemptible [words].
Then, through the knowledge one merits to draw three influxes: food, drink, and clothing. (From Likutei Moharan I, 58)

45. When wisdom is in its fullness and wholeness, then one is able to subdue all of the oppressors who chase after the weak-of-strength among Israel, and to draw them (the latter) into the service of HaShem. Through this, one merits to conceive new Torah insights on the Sabbath, doubly.

46. The main pleasure of the world to come is to give thanks and praise to His Great Name, and to know and recognize Him, for through this is one close and right next to Him. For the more one knows and recognizes Him, the more one is right next to Him; because everything else will be annulled in the future, and nothing will be left in the future besides this thing: to thank, praise, and know Him - and this is the whole delight of the world to come. (From Likutei Moharan II, 2)

47. The essence of a person is his [divine] knowledge. One who does not have [divine] knowledge is not among civilization and he is not called "human" at all. Rather, he is an animal in the form of a human. Knowledge is mainly holy knowledge, the knowledge of our holy Torah, to know that there is a God who rules and oversees the earth, and to do His will and His commandments. When a person merits this [kind of] knowledge in wholeness, he is saved from all sins and transgressions. For [as our Sages said], 'a person does not sin unless a spirit of folly enters into him'. However, when a person draws upon himself this holy knowledge, remembering HaShem at all times, he will definitely be spared from sinning. (From Likutei Moharan II, 7)

48. That which the world is far away from HaShem and don't draw closer to Him is only a result of them not having a settled mind, and [that] they don't settle themselves. The main thing is to try to settle one's mind well, [on] what is the purpose of all lusts and all the matters of this world; whether they be the lusts that enter the body or lusts that are in the body like, like honor and the like, for example. Then, [when a person looks at the purpose and end to all of these, he will realize they are all vanity and] he will definitely return to HaShem. (Likutei Moharan II, 10)

49. The main settling of the mind is via joy, because by joy, the mind is settled and one can lead the mind according to his will, to think about his eternal purpose. However, by depression and melancholy, the mind and knowledge are in exile and it's hard for one to settle his mind. Hence, depression is a major obstacle in serving HaShem. (There^)

50. One who has whole knowledge knows that all the time in the world is nothing, for time is essentially [a byproduct] of a lack of knowledge. However, the more the intellect is grown, the more one sees and understands the nullification of time (see inside Likutei Moharan II, 62 which explains this well).
Also, in reality we very much see the sprouting of time as a passing shadow and like a disappearing cloud, very much. If you pay attention to this, you will be immensely spared from the worry of this world and you'll be strengthened to snatch up whatever you can at any time, that which will cause you to succeed for eternity, for there it is above time completely, because it is the eternal world. (Likutei Moharan II, 61)

51. There are several idiocies that cling and attach to the mind, particularly confusions in faith. Through sleep, they are separated from the mind, and sleep exceedingly benefits faith. (From Sihot HaRan 110)

52. Via seeing oneself with the true Tzadik, one's mind and knowledge shines. Through this, one receives greatness and authority according to [the amount] his mind shined. [Also] through this, one merits to attain new Torah insights appropriate to him, and by that one merits shame, repentance, and true humility, which is the aspect of the eternal life of the world to come (see sec. Pride and Humility, #30). (From Likutei Moharan II, 72)

53. Wisdom is essentially when one determines that wisdom is far from him. And it is a great wisdom and a great work to make oneself as an animal [in a certain kind of good way, not as brought above in #47], see sec. Innocence. (From Likutei Moharan II, 83 and Sihot HaRan 15)

54. One needs a great merit to be able to sit oneself down for one hour each day and to be remorseful for that which is necessary to regret - for not every person merits settling their mind. Therefore, all must greatly strengthen to see to it to settle oneself well, in regard to all one's actions and deeds, [to determine] if it is fitting to spend one's days with actions like these. (From Sihot HaRan 47)

Open My Eyes and I'll See Wonders from Your Torah I

Use Rabenu's Torah in everything you learn.

In Yalqut Shim`oni on Bereshith 50, it states about the burial of Ya`aqov:

בתחלה עד שלא ראו כבודן של ישראל לא נהגו בהן כבוד, ולבסוף שראו כבודן של ישראל נהגו בהן כבוד, שנאמר: ויבואו עד גרן האטד. 

וכי יש גורן לאטד? 

אמר רבי אבהו: 

מלמד שהקיפו כתרים לארונו של יעקב, כגורן זה שמוקף לו אטד. שבאו בני ישמעאל ובני עשו ובני קטורה למלחמה, וכיון שראו כתרו של יוסף תלוי בארונו של יעקב, נטלו כולן כתריהם ותלאום בארונו של יעקב.

The important information above is that the sons of `Esaw, Yishma`el and Qettura (descendants of Yishma`el's brothers) came to wage war among each other and they saw Yosef's crown placed at the head of Ya`aqov's sarcophagus. Instead of fighting they came and placed their crowns upon Ya`aqov also.

What does this mean?

In the books of Kabbalah and Breslov:

- Ya`aqov signifies the idea of da`ath (and tifereth), which is knowledge of HaShem and Torah.

- Yosef signifies the sadiq who is called such because of the purity of sexuality he attained, which is considered as keeping the whole Torah. Only one who guards the brith, keeps pure sexuality, can truly attain da`ath. One who damages it throws his da`ath out the window, because semen is derived from "drops of the mind/brain".

- Crown refers to the maqifin, attainments of knowledge, awareness, and information in Torah. It is Ruah HaQodesh, "divine inspiration" as commonly translated. Torah 21 of Liqutei Moharan explains this and how to attain it.

So, what we see in this story is Yosef, the sadiq, leading all Israel at the passing of their father Ya`aqov, who signifies da`ath. The crown is placed upon Ya`aqov/da`ath, meaning that the people of Israel, under the Sadiq, achieve tiqun habrith (pure/corrected sexuality) and thus achieve divine knowledge, then the nations see this and react. Annulling their warfare against each other because they attain a higher perception of da`ath of HaShem - symbolized by placing their crowns on Ya`aqov. Greater da`ath leads to the annulment of idolatry and greater mercy. This is what the prophets speak about that in the future the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and that the nations won't wage war anymore.

Filter this through the fact that the war of Gog uMagog must happen as it is a great mercy to Israel and a vengeance upon the 70 prototype nations who are divided 35-35 under the dominions of `Esaw and Yishma`el (Hayyei Moharan 6) - this short passage in Yalqut Shim`oni means this:

After or during the war of Gog uMagog, when the Messiah will come and bring Israel into an elevated state of purity through tiqun haklali/tiqun habrith and wage war against them to throw their control off of the people of Israel, the nations will eventually cease their fighting and attain a higher state of da`ath - perhaps initially through revelation of an inexplicable miracle from Heaven - through which they will cast away their idols, their false religions, and they will submit to Torah and to King David's restored kingdom. All war will cease and we will enter into the days of Messiah, which should come soon and speedily in our days.

The Secret of the Mishkan and Humility of Moses

Liquttei Moharan 70

(As I translated from Hebrew, any errors or mistakes here are mine, all additions in parentheses and brackets are mine)

"And it was on the eighth day, Moses called to Aaron and to his sons and to the elders of Israel..." -Leviticus 9

Everything is on the earth, as we see in reality,that everything grows from the earth and everything and all humans walk on and are set on the earth. It is impossible that anything will leave and be distanced from the earth except by way of a counter force. In other words, through something that forces the object and takes it up from it's place, from the ground, and distances it from the earth. And according to the strength of the counter force is the amount that the object is distanced. Afterwards, when the counter force is spent, the object returns to the earth.

For example, if a person throws something up into the air, through his strength the object is forced and it separates from the earth. According to the persons strength is the distance the object is separated from the earth up into the air. Then, when the strength he sent into the object by throwing it is spent, it comes back falling to the ground.

This is because the earth has the power of pulling (gravitational pull) and pulls everything toward it. For if not, nothing would be able to be sustained on it, since it would be natural to fall from the earth, since the earth is round and all mankind stands about it from all sides, as is known. Therefore, when the the counter force is spent, and the object falls down to the earth, everything that draws closer more below, the more it speeds up in its fall (i.e. the acceleration of gravity). This is a result of the object drawing closer to the pulling force of the earth; therefore it falls faster below.

Now, the sadiq (righteous one) is the aspect of dust because the sadiq is the foundation of the world (as dust is the foundation of the earth) as it says in Proverbs 10, "The sadiq is the foundation of the world" and everything stands on him and he has the pulling force to draw all things to him. This specific Sadiq who is the foundation of the world is a single entity in the world from whom all things are drawn. And even all the other sadiqim are only branches of him - everyone according to his aspect. There are those who are branches of him [the main sadiq] and those who are branches of branches.

This singular sadiq in the world is very humble and low and he places himself like the dust, in the aspect of Genesis 18, "And I am dust and ashes...", therefore he is the foundation of the world, in other words dust, that all things are upon it as stated above. And this is what we request [in the sidur] "may my soul be like dust to all", i.e. that our souls will have the pulling force  to draw everything to it like dust does. And this sadiq draws all the influxes/abundances to the word, in the aspect of Job 28, "The gold dust...", that all the influxes/abundances are drawn from the aspect of dust (humility).

Therefore, one who gives charity to this sadiq is immediately blessed because it is like sowing directly on the dirt which yields exponentially as in Hosea 10, "Sow for yourselves charity and reap according to kindness." However, if one gives charity to one who is not the aspect of dust at all (i.e. he has no true humility), it does not yield fruit. This is why Jeremiah cursed the people of Anathoth: "At the time of Your anger, do with them..", Jeremiah 18, [upon which the Sages comment in Talmud, Baba Qama 17:] cause them to stumble by poor people who are not fit [to receive charity]; i.e. that they won't be in the aspect of dust at all and therefore the charity that people give to them won't be like sowing at all [because it won't yield blessing].

Hence, it is proper that all people will be drawn to this sadiq who is in the aspect of dust and who has the gravitational pull. Only, through counter forces, people are pushed away and distanced from him. In other words, there are people that through their words and deeds, they compel other people to distance them from this sadiq. According to the power of the counter force is the distance the people are taken from the sadiq. Afterward, when the counter force is spent, the affected person will return and draw himself to draw closer to the sadiq who is the aspect of dust. For when the counter force is spent, the object returns to the dust, the sadiq who has the gravitational pull.

There are people who are very far from the sadiq for the fact that they are still caught up in the counter force which distances them; but afterward when the counter force is spent, they will return and draw closer [to the sadiq]. This we see, when a person travels to the sadiq, every bit closer he gets to the place of the sadiq, the more desire he has from the fact that he is drawing closer to the gravitational pull.

This is the aspect of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), for the Mishkan had gravitational pull, to draw Divine power to the place it was standing, as in Song of Songs 1, "Pull me after you and we'll run...", specifically "after you we'll run", because everyone who draws closer to him runs faster as a result of the gravitational pull. This is brought in Midrash Rabba Shemoth 31, that the word Mishkan is related to the word "mashkon" (a guarantee), as it was a guarantee to Israel that the Shekhina (Divine Presence) would dwell among them even if they sinned, as it is written, Leviticus 26, "And I gave My dwelling among you all and My soul will not be abhorred by you."

[Note: the word for pulling force, the word Mishkan, the word for dwelling, the word for guarantee, and the word Shekhina all come from the same root word M-Sh-K in Hebrew; meaning that their meanings are all interconnected.]

Hence, through the Mishkan, the Shekhina dwelt among Israel; for the Mishkan is the language of "pull me..." (see quote from Song of Songs 1 above), that it had gravitational pull, to draw Divine power to the place in which it stood. Therefore, it is impossible to erect the Mishkan except through the sadiq who is as humble as dust, the aspect of Moses who was "more humble than any man" as it is written in Exodus 40, "And Moses erected the Mishkan..." - no other would be able to build it except for specifically this sadiq who is the aspect of dust, gravitational pull, in order to draw Divine power.

This is the meaning of what is written in Deuteronomy 7, "Not for your greatness of numbers did HaShem desire you, for you are the smallest", upon which our Sages extrapolated (in Talmud, Hullin 89), "not... except because you make yourselves the smallest... did HaShem desire you". Because they made themselves small and insignificant they entered the aspect of dust which has gravitational pull, i.e. the Mishkan which draws Divine power to it. Therefore, HaShem desired them. This is the aspect of Isaiah 57, "I will dwell with the downtrodden", for through lowliness wherein a person makes himself like dust, he has gravitational pull to draw HaShem to him - that is the entire aspect of the Mishkan.

This is the aspect of the honor which is stated about the Mishkan as it is written in Exodus 29, "It will be sanctified in My honor", and in Ex. 40, "The glory of HaShem fills the Mishkan." All of the honor that every person has, from small to great, is only received from this sadiq who is the aspect of dust and Mishkan, that from him everything is drawn. All of the honor and greatness is only by this sadiq, and everyone receives from him as it is stated in Talmud, Meghilla 31, "Every place where you'll find his greatness, there you find his humility." Hence, in the place of humility and lowliness is where all glory and greatness dwells. As it says (see above), "I will dwell with the downtrodden." Therefore, all leaders of the world receive their honor from this sadiq who is as dust.

The same is true with renewal of honor. For at every time when honor is renewed, when an appointee moves to a different position (when someone gets promoted at a job, for example), leadership and honor are renewed - this is all through this sadiq. For according to his raising the Mishkan every time, that from there comes honor, in the aspects of "the glory of HaShem fills the Mishkan" (see above), is the amount that honor and leadership are renewed.

And this is the meaning [of the verse that started out this Torah], "And it was on the eighth day, Moses called to Aaron and to his sons and to the elders of Israel."

For when the sadiq wishes to call the heads of the people, he calls them by this, that he erects the Mishkan, where honor is. Through that he calls them and they all come to him to receive honor from him.

That's the meaning of "on the eighth day...", that Moses erected the Mishkan. Through that he: "called to Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel", who are the heads of the people, from little to great. For through building the Mishkan, he called all the heads of the people, who are the aspect of Aaron and his sons, etc. This is what our Sages in Talmud, Rosh HaShana 1, "Nisan is the new year for kings", for that is when the Mishkan was built, from which the honor of kings, appointees, and leaders is drawn.

Therefore, the building of the Mishkan was specifically on the first day of Nisan [note: Rebbe Nahman was born on this same day, rosh hodesh Nisan]. For this is the aspect of rosh hodesh (head/beginning of the month, but literally "the head of renewal"), that through this all heads/leaders are renewed. Thus, "the beginning of the month of Nisan is the new year of kings".

[Note:

This idea of the Moses figure and also the idea from the Zohar about Moses-Messiah is mentioned several times throughout Liquttei Moharan. It is important to note that there is a concept that a Mosaic soul keeps returning to guide Israel with new Torah insights and advice. This soul had most notably come to the world as key sadiqim throughout the generations. The latest and final occurrence of this, before the coming of Messiah and the resurrection of the dead, was in Rebbe Nahman who was born on the head of the month of Nisan, the time when the Mishkan was built.

This Torah starts explaining how all human beings are naturally drawn to the specific Moses-sadiqim of which there are never two or more of at any one time. Naturally, if no one prevents it through false religions, false beliefs, or through agents of the Sattan who exist among observant Jews (all these are the counter force as explained in this Torah) - every sincere person looking for the truth will eventually find every Moses of the past including the Moses who is appropriate for their generation; in our case, Rebbe Nahman MeUman - because they have a gravitational pull from their humility.

If you ask how Moses could have written about himself, "Moses was the most humble man", or how Rebbe Nahman could have taught about his own greatness - how could this be humility? The answer is that humility is not self degradation. Humility is the recognition of one's own level. When a sadiq says "I am this great" or "I have reached this high a level", they are not taking pride in themselves for having achieved it, they are not being conceited like a normal person would naturally feel after saying such things. In actuality, it is testament that they are truly humble, if they are able to speak of themselves without feeling haughty and conceited. In other words, it depends on who they are, not on the words you see them say. An arrogant person could say "I am the most humble" and he would feel arrogance while saying it. You only know if someone is arrogant or humble by knowing them.

The difference between a humble sadiq and an arrogant person is that the former talks about himself without taking pride in his own actions, attributing all to HaShem. The arrogant take pride in themselves.

Another amazing point is that part of Exodus 32:32, which reads "If You will take up their sin...if not, erase me, please, from Your book...", wherein Moses is pleading with HaShem not to destroy Israel for the sin of the golden calf. If read backwards, it states "I am Nahman" and the letters after that are scrambled to read "from Uman". Moses himself stated that he was Nahman from Uman.]