The Secret of Expanding the Mind: The Power of Gemara Study in Building the Beis HaMikdash
Class No. 44 | Tuesday Morning, Parashas Bereishis, 23 Tishrei 5756, Isru Chag Sukkos at the Yeshiva. (Continued in No. 45)
Rabbi Berland explains how true humility and the attainment of Da'as (spiritual knowledge) are equivalent to building the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple). The only way to expand the mind and be saved from constricted consciousness is through absolute immersion in the study of Gemara, abandoning illusions of 'influencing others' in favor of genuine toil in Torah.
When a person tastes the delight of Shabbos and begins to feel true humility, when the blood of humility begins to flow through his veins—he merits eternal life. But for this, one needs an illumination of the mind; the mind must begin to shine. For these things, a person must have Da'as, because without Da'as, nothing will help. The mind and Da'as are the spiritual concept of building the Beis HaMikdash, and whoever attains true humility merits the building of the Beis HaMikdash.
"Anyone who has knowledge, it is as if the Beis HaMikdash was built in his days" (Berachos 33a).
If there were just a few people with such true humility, the Beis HaMikdash would simply be built in our days. True knowledge is the recognition that 'I am an absolute zero,' as the Noam Elimelech zt"l said about himself out of his immense humility. They wanted to make him a banner for Gehennom (Hell), and he said that for him, they would have to create a new Gehennom. Whoever has knowledge—and knowledge is humility—it is as if the Beis HaMikdash was built in his days, each person according to his mind and his knowledge.
The main thing is to 'saw' the mind (a Kabbalistic concept of separating and elevating the intellect). During the twenty-two days of the holidays, we worked with the 'saws' of dancing, prayers, and the journey to Uman. People stood on their feet and sawed for twenty-four hours without a break. Now we need to see how many klipos (spiritual husks) we have removed from the mind. Whoever merited that the Da'as from those days shines within him has literally built the Beis HaMikdash. If there were ten such people, we would see it tangibly, eye to eye.
The Only Way to Expand the Mind
To merit this, a person must insert himself into Da'as. "Put your head into Da'as—into the Gemara and into Rashi." Do not put your head into cola or cake; rather, be entirely immersed in the Gemara, until you see nothing but it.
The more a person engages in expanding his mind and his Da'as, the more he is engaged in building the Beis HaMikdash. Everyone wants the Beis HaMikdash to be built—so expand your Da'as! Mashiach ben David can come today, at this very moment, and the Beis HaMikdash will be built right now, if only we expand our Da'as. And the only way to do this is exclusively through the study of Gemara.
While holy books like Likutey Halachos, Lev David, Mesillas Yesharim, Pinchas Koritzer, Likutey Moharan, and Siach Sarfei Kodesh are extremely important, the only thing that actually expands the mind in practice is the study of Gemara. Whoever thinks otherwise, slowly but surely, his place will not be here. There are those who think it is possible to be a Breslov Chassid without Da'as, without learning Gemara all day, claiming that they learn in one hour what others learn in ten hours. Such an approach only disrupts the entire Yeshiva and takes the wind out of the sails of the other learners.
The Toil of Torah and the Power of a Group
When a person sees everyone learning, even if he weakens for a moment, he lifts his head, sees that everyone is immersed in the Gemara, and returns to learning. But if one person gets up, yawns, stretches, and walks around to drink tea, he weakens everyone. Therefore, a person must put his head into the Gemara.
"Torah is acquired only in a group" (Avos 6:6).
It is impossible to learn alone at home. Everyone needs a group and a Yeshiva. When a person weakens, he sees his friend learning, chanting the Talmudic melody, and making an effort, and this strengthens him. Do not step outside of the Gemara! Even if your head is exploding, take twenty small books for yourself. Learn Gemara for fifteen minutes, then five minutes of Siach Sarfei Kodesh or Mesillas Yesharim, and then return to the Gemara again. The main thing is not to take your head out of the books.
Saving the Mind from Shrinking
Why specifically Gemara? The Written Torah is indeed the highest, from Sinai and from Moshe Rabbeinu, but everything there is secrets and we do not understand the true depth. Even if we learn Etz Chaim (the primary text of Lurianic Kabbalah) all day, we will not understand. We must learn that which expands our Da'as, and that is the study of Gemara.
There is a scientific article claiming that starting from the age of twenty, the brain gradually shrinks every year by significant percentages, until at an older age, large parts of it no longer function. The only advice to expand the mind and not let it shrink is the study of Gemara. The learning acts like a 'vise' that stretches the mind and prevents it from getting smaller. Without this, the mind is simply in danger.
The Danger of Illusions and True Influence
Any other pursuit that a person engages in instead of learning is not the will of Rebbe Nachman. The Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) sends young men all sorts of ideas and illusions: 'I can influence others! I can bring people closer to Rebbe Nachman!' Rebbe Nachman writes in Torah 1 of Likutey Moharan about 'Tzutzisa d'nura chivrasa b'reisha'—a white flame of fire burning in a person's head, which is actually an illusion from the Ba'al Davar (the evil inclination) who wants to sink his spiritual ship.
True influence comes only from learning. This was the case with R' Itzele Otrikcer, who returned from Uman, sat in the Yeshiva, and did not speak with anyone. He just sat and learned Gemara with a tremendous mind. In the merit of his immense immersion in Torah, within a month, ninety out of the one hundred and twenty Yeshiva students became Breslov Chassidim! The Mashgichim (spiritual supervisors) tried to expel him, but when they saw him sitting in the women's section crying while reciting Tehillim (Psalms), they were afraid to touch him. He was the root of everything.
Therefore, a person must simply learn. He needs to stop talking and stop trying to 'strengthen' others. A yeshiva student, especially before his wedding, must hold onto nothing but the Gemara. If he does not learn, after the wedding his wife will find herself miserable and deeply disappointed; she thought she was marrying a Torah scholar, only to discover an idler who sleeps until noon.
"Learning Gemara is the greatest agony, and this is an agony one must endure." This is the only thing that expands the mind, builds the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple), and frees us from the illusions of the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination). Everything a person does other than learning Torah falls into the category of that illusion. A young man is capable of learning for sixteen hours straight, praying, and sleeping just a little. The main thing is to immerse himself in Da'as (Divine knowledge), because the essence of building the Beis HaMikdash is Da'as.
Part 3 of 3 — Lesson No. 44