There is a single point in the universe that attracts us with an irresistible force. It is a place of ultimate desire and yearning, where Man and God merge, the “meeting place.” It is here where all existence is nullified, since it is from here where the entire Universe burst forth. It is the place of teshuva, which precedes the Creation of the world. It is an all-inclusive point, encompassing all souls and is the essence of being realized during hitbodedut, the practice of speaking to God in your own words. This same point is the good point within yourself and others. It is the point of Truth, the Tzaddik, the Shechina. There are many names for it, but ultimately, it is the same point. The “good point.”
Rebbe Nachman teaches that there are two dynamic forces in Creation: the Pulling Force and the Repelling Force (see Likutey Moharan 70 and Likutey Halachot: Hilchot Yom Tov 5). The Pulling Force draws us back to our point of origin and is eternal. The Repelling Force compels us away from anything holy and thrusts us towards the physical. All of the barriers to holiness we experience, as well as every physical craving, come from the Repelling Force. Although both forces are very strong, one is eternal and the other temporal. The power of the Repelling Force operates while it is allowed to; when removed, the Pulling Force is unhindered and we are attracted with great intensity back to our soul root. Because we live in a physical world, sometimes we become confused as to which is which, since practically, both forces may feel somewhat similar. A person can be pushed and pulled in two opposite directions and not know to where he is being drawn. By understanding the difference between them, we can begin to overcome the Repelling Force and return to the point of Truth.
It is important to know that as strong as the Repelling Force may seem, the Pulling Force is much greater, because it flows from the point and root of Creation and is eternal. The Repelling Force is temporary and only exists in this world because of the materiality that blocks spiritual perception, like a thick veil. The risk of living here is that we are easily pushed away from our origin and catapulted into exile, since it is the inborn disposition of the body to be drawn toward physical desires. On the other hand, the nature of the soul is to yearn for its Divine spiritual root. The struggle between body and soul is the essence of free choice. The moment the soul is released from the body, free choice instantly vanishes and we are drawn to our source, the good point.
But this does not mean that the body must be rejected altogether. The challenge is to subdue and elevate our physical desires by remembering that there is a God. For example, when we eat, not only do we have to say the proper blessings, but we should also remember why we are eating in the first place: to receive strength in order to do what God wants. Overcoming our physical desires repairs our souls, and creates exquisite vessels to receive holiness. This helps those who spiritually depend upon us; and in turn, others who depend on them are helped. Healing and repair are brought into the world.
The struggle between these two forces is central to our purpose here in the world. Most of the time, it feels like a losing battle. However, through connecting to someone bigger than us, called the “Tzaddik,” we can gain the upper hand. This connection actually shifts the balance of power between the two forces since by connecting to the Tzaddik, we bind to our soul root. This connection is defined as learning his teachings, whether from a book or from someone who personifies his teachings, and giving charity to causes that perpetuate his light. This bond helps enormously in our struggle to overcome the Repelling Force, because the drawing power of the Tzaddik is much greater.
There is a particular spiritual quality possessed by those exceptional individuals whom Breslev teachings refer to as “True Tzaddikim.” It can be described as an all-inclusive center point and is the characteristic that allows them to be bound to every single Jew. They have within their souls the root of not only one, but all Twelve Tribes, representing the general point of the Jewish people. This quality gives them the power to enlighten and arouse the whole nation to return to God. This is not an unprecedented phenomenon. The same attribute existed in the soul of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. This is why he was able to effect atonement for the entire Jewish people every year on Yom Kippur, when he entered the Holy of Holies, which was the place of ultimate longing.
The desire and yearning of the point within the Holy of Holies was so great that only the Kohen Gadol could enter once a year on Yom Kippur. The Pulling Force was so extreme that even then, he was only able to enter in the highest state of purity and holiness, with utterly pure and good thoughts. The service of the Kohen Gadol possessed a delicate balance, since there was always the risk that the Pulling Force would overpower him and his soul would leave the body out of intense yearning for its root. Even the clothing he wore was significant, since it affected which of the two forces was dominant. He had to change clothing many times, alternating between gold and white garments in order to maintain spiritual equilibrium.
YOM KIPPUR & CHANUKAH
Yom Kippur and Chanukah are deeply connected. According to the level of atonement reached on Yom Kippur, we are able to attain the holiness of Chanukah. In other words, the holiness of Chanukah is drawn through the forgiveness of Yom Kippur (Likutey Moharan Tinyana 7).
The holiness of Chanukah is also bound to the Jewish Temple: by performing the mitzvot of Chanukah, we unite with the holiness of the Temple. The extent to which we can accomplish this depends upon the pardon of our sins on Yom Kippur. The whole point of merging with the holiness of the Temple during Chanukah is to enlighten our minds with Daat, i.e., clear knowledge that God runs the world and is present everywhere.
The oil of the Chanukah lights signifies holy intellect and wisdom, the pure mind, and this is exactly what we are striving for on Chanukah. Chanukah is the festival that celebrates the victory of holiness via a single vessel of pure oil miraculously found by the Maccabean Kohanim. This represented the triumph of purity of mind over the materialistic and impure philosophy of Greece, the quintessential barrier to perceive anything “holy.” A lucid and clean mind is a prerequisite for any perception of Godliness. Purity of mind is epitomized in the Kohen, as well as the Tzaddik, since their intellect is whole and complete.
The light produced by the menorah has unfathomable spiritual power. By kindling the Chanukah lights, we connect to the point of ultimate yearning and can experience an intense arousal of desire for God without limit. The light from the menorah not only illuminates our homes, but nullifies spiritual darkness and misdirected desire, which binds our heart to the Divine. It also helps us to discern the good point in ourselves and others. The all-inclusive good point of the Tzaddik is also more accessible, because the face of the menorah is like the face of the Tzaddik: they both radiate the light of the Shechina. And finally, our hitbodedut is strengthened, since by speaking to God, we experience our center point more strongly which helps us to sense the path back to the root we all came from, the only point of truth in this world.
Thus, we can gain the upper hand over the Repelling Force, and let the Pulling Force draw us back to the good point in all of Creation. When this happens, the world brightens and is seen in a completely different light.
May we all merit to light the Chanukah menorah at the proper time this year and be illuminated with the “light hidden for the Tzaddikim.”
TZADDIK Magazine archive, Chanukah 5761 / 2000
Comments