“Four entered P’R’D’S’ — Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher (Elisha ben Abuyah),^[1] and Akiba. Ben Azzai looked and died; Ben Zoma looked and went mad; Acher destroyed the plants; Akiba entered in peace and departed in peace.”   Chagiga 14b

There are concepts which are known to the many and others which the few tarry over. The finest portion remains only for the discoverer. When the crown of a generation exhales, not all which exalts the master can be shared.

This is like a man who sanctifies a particular woman and they become as “one flesh.” The pair is known in public as husband and wife, they acquire a distinct set of halachos, some revealed, some private, for their new station while the deepest elements, both physically and emotionally, of their bond are properly hidden, the intimacy of their knowledge relative only to each other and to HaShem.

The verses in Bereshis 2:24/25 stating:

2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.

2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

They are bonded to one another as two forces escaping the entropy of mazal and revealing one new unit, one kingdom among the kingdoms of Israel. Gathered on this new madrega, as the tents of Your people, in their wholesome design, perfect, and Your crown is exalted. The verse follows that in their shared space, they are not ashamed from their nakedness, their individual vulnerability, as they would be in an inappropriate context.

This is the ahava raba, the great love. All of us alive today, cleaving, remain bound up in this matrimony between HaShem and Israel and her splendid myriads, each of us a cherished spouse and our secrets, between soul and G-d, arrive expressed in novel words of Torah, deeds, the intimacy hidden. For His beloved, the treasures are not hid away in vaults or labyrinth, but rather exposed, residing in the open as the Land sits between the nations’ furies, the people, scattered as a remnant in strange lands, and Your Torah, dwelling in the clay vessels of the humble, approachable to all who seek them with sincerity.

Megillah 31a

Rabbi Jochanan said, Wherever you find the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He, there you find His humility. This is written in the Torah, repeated in the Prophets, and stated a third time in the Writings. It is written in the Torah: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty and awe-inspiring God, who shows no favouritism and accepts no bribe.” Immediately afterwards it is written, “He upholds the cause of the orphan and widow, and loves the convert, giving him food and clothing.” It is repeated in the Prophets, as it says: “So says the High and Exalted One, who lives for ever and whose name is Holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with the contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” It is stated a third time in the Writings: “Sing to God, make music for His name, extol Him who rides the clouds – God is His name – and exult before Him.” Immediately afterwards it is written: “Father of the fatherless and judge of widows, is God in His holy habitation.”

Through this trait of modesty, the expression of humility reveals worlds and, as we say by Havdala, where you find His greatness, there too you discover His humility and because of that dynamic, the greatest portions of this world are “hidden” in broad daylight where few search for them.

 

It is with great trepidation and fear that I approach the words of our holy master and teacher the R’M’K, ztkl. How may I approach such grand ideas? It is true, the text speaks of uniform concepts generally acknowledged to exhibit an understanding of the Kabbala, yet our holy Master’s primary concern is to effect transformation of character, to enable the Soul’s shine to greater enhance the body; to elevate the student that he/she may emulate Hashem through the 13 middos revealed in the verses from Micah. To be m’kabel, is to be humble, without the hindering effects of pride, since what is not known, may not be limited and in this state does the tree grow from a seed, and its form might then be described since, from Adam till now, we are established to define this world.

It is important to not lose touch with the goal our teacher sets before us: gather and shine onto this world light, delivered through instruction from our holy teachings, to make this world worthy of the Other, hidden from us, Who desires our return. This begins in the self and is completed in that smallest space. We must relent in a quest for quantifiable greatness and realize, as heard from my master, R’Y’A’b’A, even the sigh of a person, made over thoughts of doing teshuva, is an atonement and elevates him beyond measure and as my master taught me HaShem dwells over the broken, the ill, the dying, who have lost the desire for those matters which distract from the Eternal. The quest we are set on, does not require renown, the greatest of our saints were repulsed by fame, honor, having a strong, loud, presence. It requires our receiving the world HaShem gives us through the manipulation of our primal selves, our instinctual trust of those matters which are impermanent, into a forbearance for the understanding and drawing nearer our G-d and His letters to us, the holy Torah. We are given a pithy statement and the rest is for us to unearth. Here, humility allows the student to place difficult and cryptic concepts into a practical context, for there is nothing which is removed from us, rather it dwells in us, as the wellspring at Hagar’s feet (When the angel showed the well to Hagar, it is said (v. 19) “then God opened her eyes,” to which the Rabbis comment that everyone is presumed to be blind until God opens their eyes (as the well did not “fall from the sky” but had been present the entire time. Her anguish and avoidance prevented her from seeing it). Another exposition learns from this that Hagar lacked faith in God. She was afraid that there would not be enough water and the well would dry up, and so she first filled the skin, and then gave Ishmael to drink. (Tamar Kadari)).

Devarim

30:12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?”

 

30:13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?”

 

30:14 Rather,[this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.

 

In Pirke Avos, it is asked which trait is best and answered, the lev tov, for all other traits are elevated in its warmth. When we receive the world, as entities reflecting tov sholet ra, we increase the magnitude of light and good and increase the capacity for redemption to the worlds. This is far more powerful, despite being invisible, than actively cajoling the masses into political action, which generally increases strife since, when one opinion rules over another, for whatever purpose or intent, the under-thumb struggles for freedom, and to paraphrase from Sohlzhenitsyn in his Gulag Archipelago, they usually acquire it. This is the cycle of war in Exile.

When one dresses under the influence of the Tomer Devorah, and they recognize, see, the holiness of G-d’s creation emanating from each portion, each soul, in it’s proper manner, the world cannot help but be better. This is a personal redemption and alludes to the messianic day, that, while not knowing how this day will manifest, we understand certain choices will be so obvious, the yetzer hara will hold no sway just as today we shun from consuming the repulsive and those who do are considered mentally impaired.

In Brachos regarding Rebbe Meir and Bruriah, after davening for the hooligans to do teshuva, rather than be destroyed, the culprits do, in fact, come to teshuva. How could this be, if teshuva requires free will?

My master and teacher, R’Y’M’b’Y’A, shlit’a, taught regarding the amidah, all the brachas praise HaShem for what He provides us with, except one, the bracha for teshuva which states, HaShem desires it. The Abishter desires this from us! We can give to Him as well. Also, the Gemara, Brachos 33b states: “everything is in the hands of heaven except for fear of heaven.”  Obviously, these statements exist as goads to increase our understanding of G-d’s wisdom and it would be foolish to limit their meaning to superficial considerations when all of the world, this great garment, speaks of the wisdom our teachers have encapsulated via proverb and anecdote. By davening for the hooligans, Rebbe Meir and Bruriah generated more light into the world, that in turn made the decision to do teshuva more obvious to the group of delinquents and while still utilizing free will, their path toward a successful teshuva was less hindered with distortion, the decision more readily apparent. When you receive the world with correctly articulated kindness and compassion, the world, illumined, raises itself to you.