The Secret of the Birds and the New Wisdom: How to Merit the Hidden Treasures
Lesson No. 5 | Thursday and Friday, Parashas Emor, 4 and 5 Iyar 5755.
Every day, Hashem wants to reveal to a person wisdom and secrets that were never known, but the gates for this are open only from Chatzos (midnight) until Netz HaChama (sunrise). This article explains the secret of the "birds of the sky" and the difference between natural intellect and the supreme Divine wisdom revealed to those who rise early.
In the secrets of Kabbalah, it is brought that the Divine abundance descends through the upper worlds—from Abba and Imma (the supernal Father and Mother), to Zeir Anpin (the Small Face), and from there to the Sefirah of Malchus (Kingship), which is our spiritual "home." The holy Zohar describes this home and says:
"How many openings and chambers it has... and there the birds of the sky nest."
Those birds that begin to sing at dawn are not merely winged creatures. They hint at supernal illuminations drawn from all the worlds—Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. Every chirp and every song of the birds in the morning stems from the spiritual power of those who rose at Chatzos, during the night watches, or at dawn. The birds sit on the "tree" (Zeir Anpin) and nourish Malchus, but for this process to happen, they need the light of those who rise early.
The Window of Opportunity: From Chatzos to Sunrise
This home, the Sefirah of Malchus, thirsts to receive the illumination of wisdom. Those who draw this wisdom down to the world are those unique individuals who rise in the night. They are the ones who open the gates of wisdom.
One must know a tremendous foundation: the opening of the mind occurs only from Chatzos until sunrise. The choicest time is Chatzos, followed by the later night watches, and the final time is dawn. But after sunrise, the gates of wisdom close. A person who wakes up late gets up with a "blocked mind." He is not granted permission to have his mind opened to supernal comprehensions.
Every single day, Hashem wants to reveal new wisdom to a person, things that were never known. A person can learn the wisdom written in books, grasping whatever his human intellect is capable of, but there is a much higher level. There are secrets that have never yet been revealed, the concept of "that which a veteran student is destined to innovate." To merit this wisdom, a person cannot work with his natural intellect, his innate talents, or his character traits. He must reach the level of "Reisha d'lo isyada" (the unknowable head)—a place completely above intellect.
Breaking Free from the "Mind of the Snake"
Man is naturally born with the "mind of a snake." The Torah testifies: "And the snake was more cunning than any beast of the field." We are all born with natural intellect, sharpness, cleverness, and understanding, but this is the wisdom of the snake. We are clothed in the garments of the snake and think we are wise and understanding, but compared to the Divine truth, all our wisdom and understanding are vanity.
To receive the new wisdom, a completely different intellect is needed—an intellect of emunah (faith), the intellect of Moshe Rabbeinu. When the Jewish people stood before the Red Sea, human intellect collapsed. There were those who said, "Let us surrender," those who said, "Let us fight," and those who said, "Let us commit suicide." All these options were within the framework of earthly logic. But Moshe Rabbeinu brought a new intellect, an intellect no one had thought of—to split the sea.
Those who rise at Chatzos merit that supernal treasures are revealed to them, treasures that only Moshe Rabbeinu knew. Springs of wisdom open up for them, changing their entire perspective on reality. Suddenly, they understand the Gemara differently, the Zohar differently, and life itself differently. All contradictions are resolved, and a new path is revealed.
The Tikkun of the Wandering Souls
The holy Zohar reveals another secret related to the song of the birds. Many spirits roam the air of the world, "nishmas artilain" (naked souls) that have no body and no rest. They wander and roam, seeking a tikkun (rectification). Their tikkun depends on those tzaddikim who rise at Chatzos.
When a person rises at night and draws new wisdom down to the world, he creates a "garment" and a tikkun for those souls. They merit to become impregnated within the birds that chirp in the morning, and their song is actually the song of thanksgiving of the souls that merited a tikkun. Tens of thousands of souls receive their tikkun in the merit of the new wisdom revealed that night.
The Flame that Pierces the Gates
At Chatzos, a supernal wonder occurs: a flame of fire emerges and strikes the wings of the rooster (which hints at the angel Gavriel). This flame is a tremendous spiritual force that pierces all the screens and partitions.
Like a hammer shattering rocks, this flame breaks the "doors of copper and bars of iron" that block our hearts and our minds. It opens the hidden gates where wondrous wisdom is concealed. Then, one begins to hear supernal voices, and Hashem, as it were, begins to speak with the person. This is the time when the world is rebuilt anew, and whoever partners in this builds new heavens and a new earth together with Hashem.
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