The Secret of the Drops from the Garden of Eden: How to Attain the Wisdom that is Renewed Every Moment
Lesson No. 43 | 18 Tishrei 5756, 3rd day of Chol HaMoed Sukkos - Yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of the Holy Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman), at the Yeshiva
An in-depth discourse explaining how a new explanation of the Torah descends to the world every single moment, and how one can merit to attain that supernal wisdom and the drops from the Garden of Eden. The secret lies in performing true kindness and fulfilling the mitzvos with immense joy and enthusiasm, which elevate a person above the limitations of time.
In the book "Imrei Pinchas" (by Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz zt"l), a tremendous foundational concept is brought down: Every single hour, the explanation of the entire Torah changes. Every moment, a completely new explanation descends from Heaven. The question arises: How can a person merit to have such a pure mind that can absorb the new explanation descending to the world every hour?
The holy Rebbe Nachman relates in his Sipurei Ma'asiyos (Tales of Ancient Times, in the Tale of the Seven Beggars, on the third day) about the wise man who was "as wise as an entire day." That wise man told all the other wise men that if they were to gather all their wisdom from the beginning of Greek philosophy, someone with a pure mind could learn it all in just one hour. In contrast, he is as wise as an entire day. The beggar with the heavy speech asked him, "Which day are you as wise as?" The wise man replied that he is not merely twenty-four times wiser than the other wise men, but rather he is as wise as any given day you might choose—for example, the 1st of Tishrei 5756, or the 1st of Tishrei 5757. He knows all the new wisdoms that are revealed every single day, every moment and second, until the end of all generations.
True Kindness and Honoring Parents with Mesirus Nefesh (Self-Sacrifice)
Despite the immense wisdom of that wise man, he admitted before everyone: "This heavy-mouthed beggar who asked me the question is even wiser than I am." How is it possible to be wiser than someone who knows all the wisdom that Hashem, may He be blessed, bestows every second? The answer is that the heavy-mouthed beggar possesses literal Divine comprehension.
To understand this, one must know that this is merited through performing true kindness. True kindness is an act of grace done solely for the sake of Heaven, without any expectation of reward, honor, or salvation. A clear example of this is the mitzvah of honoring one's father and mother with mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice). It is told of Rabbi Dovid of Lelov zt"l that when he was a young boy of thirteen, a blazing fire for Hashem burned within him, and he ran away to study under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt"l for half a year. When he approached his home upon returning, his father, who was a fierce "Misnagged" (opponent of Chassidus), realized that his son had become a Chassid and searched for a stick to beat him with.
Since the father was elderly and had difficulty searching, little Dovid said to him, "Father, I will find the stick." He searched, found the stick, and handed it to his father, saying, "Father, take the stick and hit me as much as you want." When a person fulfills the mitzvah of honoring his father and mother in such a manner, all the blessings come upon him and overtake him with tremendous speed.
48 Drops from the Garden of Eden
The holy Zohar reveals a tremendous secret: Four times a day, drops from the Garden of Eden drip down into the world. A great river flows out of the Garden of Eden and divides into four headwaters, and from them, 48 drops of the Garden of Eden drip each day. A person can literally live in the Garden of Eden in this world, provided that he guards his holiness and his eyes.
"One who goes out to the marketplace should view himself as if he has been handed over to an executioner" (Shabbos 32a)
Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz explains that the word "view himself" (literally "in his eyes") hints at guarding one's eyes. Every time a person goes out into the street, it carries the danger of blemishing the eyes, and a person must feel as if he is condemned to death if he stumbles; in this way, he will protect himself.
Who merits those 48 drops? The Gemara in Tractate Megillah states that there were 48 prophets in Israel. Each prophet merited only a single drop from the Garden of Eden once in his life, and from this one drop, he became a prophet for the rest of his days! In contrast, Adam HaRishon (the First Man), even after he was banished from the Garden of Eden, continued to receive all 48 drops every single day. From this, we can understand what immense wisdom Adam HaRishon possessed, ascending from wisdom to wisdom from moment to moment.
Ascending Above Time: The Secret of Joy in a Mitzvah
Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Chaver zt"l, a disciple of the Vilna Gaon zt"l, explains the secret of these drops. He clarifies that the shattering and the spiritual blemish in the upper worlds occurred only in the seven lower Sefiros (Divine emanations: Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchus). These Sefiros govern the world and the dimension of time. However, the three upper Sefiros (Keser, Chochmah, and Binah—representing the highest levels of Divine intellect and will) exist above time and above free choice. Great tzaddikim who merit to ascend and reach the spiritual intellect of "Keser, Chochmah, and Binah" elevate themselves above the limitations of time and begin to receive those supernal drops from the Garden of Eden.
To reach these spiritual levels, a person must know that "there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world" (Kiddushin 39b)—it is impossible to receive the reward for the essence of the mitzvah in this physical world. A mitzvah is a tremendous, infinite spiritual light that is beyond all comprehension. The Baal HaTanya zt"l brings the example of Nebuchadnezzar (Baladan the son of Baladan), who, for taking three steps in honor of Hashem, was granted dominion over the entire world. If he had taken a fourth step, he would have destroyed the world. If so, how is it even possible to pay a Jew in this world for a single step taken toward a matter of holiness?
The Chida zt"l, in his book "Lev David," reveals a wondrous foundational concept: Hashem determines the reward in this world not based on the essence of the mitzvah itself, but rather on the joy experienced in performing the mitzvah! The main thing is to rejoice in the mitzvah even more than the mitzvah itself—to dance, to be enthusiastic, and to rejoice until the joy reaches one's very heels.
"Greater is one who enjoys the labor of his hands than one who fears Heaven" (Berachos 8a)
The Chida asks: How is it possible that a person who works with his hands is greater than a God-fearing person who studies Torah? Rather, the explanation is that "the labor of his hands" refers to a person who exerts himself over a mitzvah—he dances, leaps, and jumps out of joy while performing it. Such a person, who fulfills the verse, "I rejoice over Your word like one who finds great spoil," will merit great spoil and tremendous abundance in this world in the merit of his joy, while the reward for the mitzvah itself remains preserved for him in the World to Come.
Moharnat (Reb Noson of Breslov zt"l) explains that only through joy and enthusiasm can a mitzvah ascend higher and higher. Through joy, a person elevates the mitzvah from the Sefirah of Malchus (the lowest level of Divine manifestation) up through all the Sefiros, until it reaches the supernal intellects—Keser, Chochmah, and Binah. Only when one reaches there out of the joy of a mitzvah does he merit to receive those supernal drops from the Garden of Eden and attain the Divine wisdom that is renewed every single moment.
Part 2 of 3 — Lesson No. 43