The Secret of Divine Wisdom: Turning 'Yesh' (Existence) into 'Ayin' (Nothingness)
Lesson No. 32 | Lesson 1 - (Continued from No. 31) Friday Morning, Parashas Matos, 23 Tammuz 5755
Hashem, Who is Infinite, created the world specifically through Tzimtzum (Divine constriction) and by turning the Yesh (existence) into Ayin (nothingness), thereby creating a Chalal Panui (Vacant Space). The foundation of Judaism and a person's spiritual work, as taught by Moshe Rabbeinu, is to follow this path: to nullify one's sense of self, to become Ayin, and to live in absolute humility.
On the verse "In the beginning, God created," Targum Yonasan ben Uziel translates: "With wisdom." The question arises: What is this wisdom? Does Hashem need wisdom to create the world?
The answer is that Divine wisdom was the ability to turn the Yesh into Ayin. Hashem is Infinite, "the whole earth is full of His glory," and He is entirely infinite existence. The difficulty, so to speak, for the Infinite is to create limited things. Therefore, the great wisdom of Hashem was that He nullified Himself, made Himself into absolute nothingness, and created a *Chalal Panui* (Vacant Space).
Within this Vacant Space, room was left so that we could perceive Godliness. However, because we are located inside this Vacant Space, we do not see anything tangible within it, and this is why there are so many heretics in the world.
Judging Favorably from within the Vacant Space
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says in Torah 62 that one must judge even heretics favorably. Why? Because they truly do not see anything. Hashem, Who was Infinite, created a Vacant Space, and now the heretic sees nothing.
So what can be expected of him? He does not see! You merited to see, but he did not merit it, and therefore you must have pity on him and judge him favorably here on earth. How will he be judged in Heaven? That is an entirely different calculation, but our role is to judge favorably.
A story is told of a girl who studied in a "Bais Yaakov" school and had heretical thoughts enter her mind. She decided to conduct an experiment and said, "I will eat now on Yom Kippur. If the ceiling falls—it is a sign that there is a God." She ate, and the ceiling did not fall. She remained with a clear conscience, certain that she had proven her point.
However, a month after she got married, her husband drowned in the sea. Then she understood that everything is from Hashem, and she published an article in a secular newspaper calling on everyone to do teshuvah (repentance). Hashem has time. He runs the world with immense patience, slowly but surely. He is not in a rush to punish immediately; rather, He waits for a person.
The Torah is Our Certificate
A similar incident occurred with a heretic who was arguing in an inn and demanding to see open miracles. A child arrived there with a certificate from school stating that he was "excellent in singing and playing music." The heretic demanded that the child sing to prove it, but the child refused.
When the child's father arrived, the heretic asked him, "Why don't you let him sing? I want to hear if he is truly excellent!" The father answered him, "Do you not believe his certificate? It is explicitly written here that he is excellent!"
The same applies to faith in Hashem. The Torah has already been written for thousands of years, and six hundred thousand of the Children of Israel stood at Mount Sinai and saw the thunder and lightning. The Torah is our certificate, and all the nations acknowledge the truth of the Torah of Israel. Hashem does not need to make thunder and lightning or earthquakes anew every single day for every person who demands proofs.
The Foundation of Judaism: Making Oneself into 'Ayin'
The tzaddik of Ruzhin, the "Irin Kadishin," reveals a tremendous foundation here which is the basis of all Judaism. A person thinks that serving Hashem means attaining more and more spiritual levels: becoming a greater Torah scholar, praying better, becoming holier.
But the truth is the exact opposite. All the wisdom of Hashem was to turn His existence into Ayin (nothingness). One Who is Infinite can create infinite worlds and souls, but the true wisdom is to turn Himself into Ayin.
And this is the entire spiritual work of a person in the world: to make himself into *Ayin* anew every single day. Not to seek to be a Yesh (an entity of importance)—a tzaddik, a holy person, or a scholar—but rather to turn himself into Ayin. Consequently, out of that Ayin, he will merit to become truly holy, pure, and a genuine Torah scholar.
Moshe Rabbeinu Versus Nadav and Avihu
This was the spiritual work of Moshe Rabbeinu, and this was the mistake of Nadav and Avihu. Moshe Rabbeinu built the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and when he finished, he said to himself: "I was merely a foreman, a contractor, or a simple carpenter. I have finished my work, I have received my wages, and I can go."
When Hashem called to him, "Moshe, Moshe," he thought that perhaps another child named Moshe had been born and Hashem was calling him. After all, there were eighty thousand young men named Aharon at that time, and perhaps there were also many children named Moshe who had already merited prophecy.
"The entire spiritual work of Moshe Rabbeinu was always: Who am I? What am I? Why on earth would they call me? Did I ascend to Heaven? Anyone can ascend to Heaven. Hashem spoke with me? Hashem also spoke with Bilaam."
In contrast, Nadav and Avihu thought: "Hashem is probably calling us. We are the chosen ones; we need to bring down fire from Heaven." They were great tzaddikim, but their mistake was thinking that serving Hashem means ascending from level to level out of a sense of self-importance and greatness.
The Secret of the Broken Heart and Dancing in a Circle
It is told of a certain chassid who drew close to a great Rebbe. That Rebbe elevated him every day to higher and higher spiritual levels. The chassid prayed with deveikus (deep devotion), learned with diligence, yet still felt a void and emptiness in his heart. He realized that he was missing something genuine.
He went to search for other tzaddikim, until he met a tzaddik who made him feel the exact opposite. With this tzaddik, every day he felt lower, more broken-hearted, and worse than the day before. Specifically then, he realized that he had reached the ultimate truth. He felt that he was worse than everyone else, and this is exactly the correct spiritual work—the breaking of the vessels and a broken heart.
This is the secret of dancing in a circle. When dancing in a circle, no one knows who is first and who is last. A person might think he is the first, but the truth is that he must consider himself the last of all.
"I enter the circle, we spin, dance, and sing, and I am the very last one here. And the one behind me—he is the first! I am the absolute end of the Jewish people."
When a person comes to a congregation, to a yeshiva, or to a minyan (prayer quorum), he must feel that he is the lowest and the last of everyone. Only one who constricts his soul and turns himself into ayin (nothingness), his vessel is ready to receive abundance from Him, may He be blessed, and he will merit true renewal.
Part 2 of 3 — Lesson No. 32