The Secret of the Soul's Cleaving and the Sweetening of Judgments on Tu B'Av
Lesson No. 63 | Tuesday, Parashas Eikev, the Eve of Tu B'Av 5756 - For the young men of the Kloyz in Beis Yisrael
A profound discourse on the essence of Tu B'Av as a day of the Giving of the Torah and spiritual resurrection of the dead. The Rav explains how through mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) in prayer and cleaving to holy speech, one can nullify harsh decrees, merit a complete healing, and find their shidduch (marriage match) from the root of their soul.
Tu B'Av is a great and awesome day when one can achieve everything. There is nothing that cannot be attained on this day. On this day, harsh decrees and bad prophecies are nullified. All sorts of things that Hashem, blessed be He, seemingly decreed for generations, on Tu B'Av He seemingly retracts and nullifies these decrees. Now it is possible to nullify all decrees, even decrees that Hashem swore upon by the "Life of Hashem" — everything is nullified on the fifteenth of Av.
The first thing one must know is that this day is exactly like the day of the Giving of the Torah. Just like Yom Kippur, when the second Tablets were given, so too now — everyone receives the Tablets and can hear the Ten Commandments and the voice of Hashem. Regarding the Giving of the Torah, it is said:
"My soul departed when He spoke."
With every single utterance that emerged from the mouth of Hashem, their souls departed.
A person needs to reach such a spiritual level that with every single utterance, his soul departs. When he hears a word of Gemara, a word of Torah, a word from Rebbe Nachman, or from Likutey Halachos — his soul departs. The moment a person becomes so pure and holy, he can merit that with every single utterance, his soul literally departs. This, in fact, was the purpose of the creation of the world. If Adam HaRishon had not sinned, with every utterance of Torah and prayer his soul would have departed, creating a tremendous cleaving to Hashem, blessed be He.
Sins are what prevent our spirit from cleaving to Hashem, blessed be He, causing the spirit to cling to nonsense and forbidden thoughts instead. If not for the sin of Adam HaRishon, the state that existed at the Giving of the Torah would exist at every moment. With every utterance the soul would depart, and we would immediately receive a new soul. We would reach a state of cleaving of "spirit to spirit" — cleaving to Hashem, blessed be He, with every single word. Every word of Torah, every word of Pesukei D'Zimrah, the Korbanos, or "Ma Tovu," when said with complete mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice), brings us to this profound connection.
Mesirus Nefesh in the Shemoneh Esrei Prayer
We must pray with such mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) that the soul literally departs. One cannot simply recite the Shemoneh Esrei, stare blankly, and move on. We must approach the Shemoneh Esrei with such lowliness that truly, with every utterance, the soul departs. One must feel as though they are dying from every word. Only someone who is in a state of humility and lowliness merits this; then he truly feels that he could pass away with every utterance, completely detaching from all worldly matters.
The Maggid of Kozhnitz said that when one comes to pray, they must cast everything aside. A person might think he needs to rush to the emergency room with his child, so he prays Minchah in a minute and Maariv in a minute and a half, and runs. But if you had first prayed Minchah slowly and Maariv slowly, you would have discovered that everything worked out and the child is healthy. They would have told you, "It is good you did not come, it was a mistake, everything is fine."
They give you the blessing of 'Refaeinu' (Heal us), they give you 'Barech Aleinu' (Bless us), they give you all the salvations right inside the Shemoneh Esrei prayer. Where is your emunah (faith)? Do you believe that the doctor will heal the child? After all, we say: "For You are God, King, the faithful and compassionate Healer." Only Hashem is the sole Healer, He is the only faithful One. There is only one faithful Healer in Heaven, and He is the only compassionate One.
The Secret of the Tablets and the Resurrection of the Dead on Tu B'Av
For every utterance in prayer, one needs mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice), until the soul departs. And when the soul departs through the holy speech, you will receive a new soul, the baby will receive a new soul, the wife will receive a new soul, and everyone accompanying you will receive new souls.
This is the secret of the fifteenth of Av, this is the secret of the Giving of the Torah and the Tablets. At the Giving of the Torah, when Hashem said "I am Hashem your God," "You shall not murder," "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not steal" — seemingly, what is the novelty here? Rather, with every utterance the soul departed, because it was direct speech from Hashem. It is not just a law written in a book. Hashem in all His glory, the purest of the pure and the holiest of the holy, is the One who spoke these words. Therefore, "My soul departed when He spoke" — the soul departed with every single word.
Hashem wants us to reach this state with every utterance of ours. This is an aspect of the resurrection of the dead, and one can merit this on Tu B'Av, which is an auspicious day for spiritual resurrection of the dead.
Revealing the Root of the Soul and Finding One's Match
Since on this day we ascend to the roots of the souls and the roots of creation, it is a day especially auspicious for revealing shidduchim (marriage matches). On Tu B'Av, all sins are forgiven, and we ascend to the world where the souls were created, to the place where the souls were one single soul before they split into two following the sin of Adam HaRishon and the sin of the Golden Calf.
Now, everyone must search for their soulmate through prayers and tears. Hashem is with us, and we only need to reveal Him. The matter depends on weeping, on going out to the fields to cry out to Hashem, on guarding one's eyes, and on the holiness of the covenant. Through these, a person can accomplish on Tu B'Av that he will find his shidduch (marriage match). The holy Arizal says that the more hidden the match is and the more they seem like two opposites, it is a sign that it is a better fit, because two opposites are the true match.
This is the secret of the Tablets — the Tablets correspond to a groom and bride. If the Jewish people had received the Torah without sin, there would be no concept of searching for matches at all, and there would be no problem. From a young age, everyone would immediately know who their soulmate is. The entire essence of the fifteenth of Av is the return to that same aspect of the Giving of the Torah, of the cleaving of "spirit to spirit," where every utterance brings a new soul and a complete connection to Hashem, blessed be He.
Part 1 of 2 — Lesson No. 63
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