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Iggeres HaT’Shuva: Beginning of Chapter Four; Tammuz 18, 5776

Iggeres HaT’Shuva: Beginning of Chapter Four; Tammuz 18, 5776

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Everything we mentioned earlier about fasting/ tzedoko is with regards to achieving wholeness of atonement and polishing of the soul. Like the olah offering, these things are to appease Hashem and restore the closeness/willingness in the relationship. T’shuva is returning to Hashem wholeheartedly. In kabbalistic terminology, t’shuva means, toshuv hei, or returning the “hei.” In Hashem’s name, Havaye, there is the final or lower “hei” and the first or higher “hei.” Returning the lower “hei” is called “t’shuva tattoh,” and…

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Neshoma Klollis (Core Soul) / Neshoma (Soul)

Neshoma Klollis (Core Soul) / Neshoma (Soul)

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A neshoma klollis is the soul of the leader of any particular generation or the yechida,some say the chaya-yechida.  Let’s start with basics in Jewish soul-logy: 1. A soul is an extension from G-d (Tanya ch. 2) revealed (a little) in a body. 2. There are 600,000 general souls that split into 600,000 more souls and each gets a body. There are five degrees of the soul: 1. Nefesh, gives life to the body. This is the “lowest” or most external…

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Will

Will

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Will transcends the body. The proof is, that as soon as you want to put your foot in fire, for example, or jump in cold water, your body obeys despite the nature of the body. Will comes from above intellect (from kesser, it’s called higher will) and as a result of intellect (from da’as it’s called lower will). The first kind of will stands firm in the face of adversity. The second kind of will can be changed if the logic…

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Iggeres HaT’Shuva: End of Chapter Three; Tammuz 12, 5775

Iggeres HaT’Shuva: End of Chapter Three; Tammuz 12, 5775

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Any person, if they want to be closer to Hashem will try to do the appropriate amount of fasts required do correct the damage caused by sin. Depending on one’s physical ability, one can fast in the winter, when the days are a shorter. One can do half-day fasts: one fasts 168 half-day fasts to accomplish 84 regular fasts (for the sin associated with young men). One can even eat in the morning, before daylight (provided one decided so before…

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Iggeres HaT’Shuva: Middle of Chapter Three; Tammuz 11, 5775

Iggeres HaT’Shuva: Middle of Chapter Three; Tammuz 11, 5775

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Nowadays we’re not able to fast like the great rabbis of old, and even they were only a select few who had the physical strength to do so. Nowadays we give tzedoko in place of the fasts (18 gedolim poilish). Check out this interesting forum on this subject. Note: I think the ma’amer quoted from 5746 is Margela B’Fumei D’Rovo.

Iggeres HaT’Shuva: Chapter Two; Tammuz 9, 5775

Iggeres HaT’Shuva: Chapter Two; Tammuz 9, 5775

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Earlier the Alter Rebbe explained that there is a difference between t’shuva and forgiveness/atonement. Today, the Alter Rebbe explains the need for fasting on top of the t’shuva and the forgiveness. If one wronged a king, for that matter, “sorry,” wouldn’t suffice. 1. There’s the t’shuva, which includes a resolution and verbal admission. 2. There’s the forgiveness, because G-d loves Jews. 3. Appeasement. Just because we were forgiven doesn’t mean we see eye to eye yet. This is where fasting comes in: In the…

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Shviras Hakeilim / Shattering of the Vessels / What’s With Physicality?

Shviras Hakeilim / Shattering of the Vessels / What’s With Physicality?

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Shviras HaKeilim, or the Shattering of the “Vessels,” refers to the shattering of the vessels of Tohu, chaos. Before the state of being we are in now, namely all of Hishtalshelus, there was (and because it transcends time, it still is) the world of chaos. In Tohu, everything exists in extremes; chessed exists as a polar opposite to g’vura and so forth. The issue with is they can’t exist at all. The reason is the “light,” or energy pumped into the “vessels”…

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Atzilus

Atzilus

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Atzilus. This definition truly won’t do it justice. This is the world where the vessels are literally the same material as the G-dly energy which creates them. Think, “maximum revelation,” that if there was any more light, or if the vessels where any less light, the whole thing wouldn’t be. The Alter Rebbe was known to not be able to finish writing the aleph and tzaddik of the word before falling into trance.  

Malchus

Malchus

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Malchus is the lowest sefira in any context. She is the universal recipient of any expression of any other (by definition higher) sefira: in the language of kabbala, “it has nothing to call its own.” Malchus manifests as the mouth, or speech, because the mouth expresses all of ones thoughts and emotions; speech, because words are little boxes (“teiva” means “word” in Loshon HaKodesh) to carry thoughts and emotions. Malchus manifests as earth and the womb since, like speech, they take a small…

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Tikkun

Tikkun

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In Tikkun, however, there is an added element of Hiskal’lus, inter-inclusion. Since there is now compatibility and integration, polar opposites no longer exist. That being said, dichotomies only exist in our mind and are tools by which we can understand abstract concepts. In Tikkun, chessed contains within it, chessed, g’vura, tiferes, etc., and g’vura contains chessed, g’vura, tiferes, etc. This will have tremendous (positive) ramifications, but is not relevant to ourma’mer.