The Secret of Diminishment and the Cry: The Path to Attaining the Infinite Light
Lesson No. 4 | Sunday, Parashas Emor, 1 Iyar 5755 Monday, Parashas Emor, 1 Iyar 5755
The article discusses the virtue of spiritual work specifically from a feeling of lack and a diminishment of intellect (mochin). The Rav explains how the cry of a baal teshuvah (returnee to Judaism) and perseverance in prayer with a minyan (prayer quorum), even when there is no desire or understanding, build vessels for an exalted Divine light that cannot be attained through regular human intellect.
A person must reach a state where his soul cries out and weeps on its own. It needs to yearn for long prayers, for praying with a minyan and in the yeshiva, to the point that he will not want to go home. Sometimes a person asks himself, "What is the point of praying with a minyan if I am not concentrating? I am just mumbling anyway, so maybe it is better to pray at home or in the shtiblach (small neighborhood synagogues)?"
But the truth is that within the minyan, your heart and mind will suddenly open up without you knowing how it happened. The crying out and weeping of the congregation around you open the spiritual channels. This is the secret of modesty that Rabbi Nasan speaks about, which is based on the holy Zohar:
"The moon asked to be completely hidden, so that no one would see its service... The tzaddik does not want anyone to know that he is doing anything, that he is crying out to Hashem; he is completely hidden."
The Virtue of Crying Out Over the Departure of Intellect
The aspect of modesty is that a person must cry out and weep to Hashem specifically over the departure of his intellect (mochin), over his lack of desire and absence of will. Sometimes there is no desire to pray or to wake up in the morning. The birds and animals wake up at dawn and sing to Hashem, and a person must learn from them. If you have no desire to get up, ask someone to roll you out of bed; the main thing is to stand with the minyan.
Even if you are standing next to the shtender (prayer stand) and just swaying, without knowing what you are saying – do not give up. If a person withstands this test, he will ultimately merit an intellect and desire that no one else has. The greater the departure of intellect, the more immense the light that will follow it.
The Vessels for the Infinite Light
Hashem orchestrates things so that sometimes a person feels he has no mind and no desire, and everyone sees his disgrace. This is the meaning of the verse:
"Walk modestly with your God."
Specifically through this disgrace and by conducting oneself in modesty and secrecy, a person builds vessels to attain an exalted intellect that cannot be achieved in any other way. Hashem gives each person light according to his intellect, and in order to create a greater intellect that can receive the Infinite Light without burning up, a person must pass through the aspect of the "diminishment of the moon."
Hashem takes away a person's intellect so that he will begin to cry out and weep, and then he receives a new intellect that has never been revealed before. This is the secret of Malchus (Kingship) which ascends to the Infinite specifically when it is at its peak of diminishment.
The Importance of Praying in the Place of Study
There is supreme importance in praying specifically in the yeshiva where a person learns. Do not look for shortcuts or fast minyanim. Arrive early, practice Hisbodedus (personal secluded prayer), and recite Tehillim (Psalms) and the Korbanos (sacrificial offerings) slowly and deliberately.
It is told of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lelov that he would wash his hands for half an hour, because he knew that the secret of the Pidyon Nefesh (redemption of the soul) is hidden within the washing of the hands. There are tzaddikim who recite a single blessing for fifteen minutes. Prayer is the foundation, and it is forbidden to treat it lightly.
Your Wife is Short – The Depth of a Woman's Understanding
The Sages say in Tractate Berachos: "If your wife is short, bend down and whisper to her." There is a deep hint here: the lower or smaller something appears, the more intellect is hidden within it. Scientists say that shorter people live longer, and the spiritual reason is that the mind and the heart are closer to each other, and the flow between them works continuously.
The same applies to a woman – she possesses an "extra measure of understanding" and exceptional astuteness. A husband should let his wife manage the affairs of the home so that he can free himself for Torah study.
Gladdening a Groom and Removing Every Trace of Sadness
The Gemara asks why we say "a beautiful and graceful bride" but do not praise the groom in this way. The reason is that the groom is sometimes immersed in sorrow and apprehensions about the future. The role of those bringing joy is to remove every trace of sadness from his heart.
Whoever succeeds in removing the sadness from the groom merits the five voices and the Giving of the Torah. This joy is the highest thing in the world, because it allows a person to ascend to the supernal chambers (the Hebrew word for bride, Kallah, shares the same letters as Heichal, meaning chamber).