fear the vessel

In Pirkei Avoth we learn that Yirah (fear/awe) must preceed one's Torah learning.

In the Midrash, we learn that HaShem created the world initially out of Din, (judgement/might) and then joined it with Rahamim. (Mercy)

The Ramhal (Rav Mosheh Hayyim Luzzato) along with other mekubalim, (like R' Immanuel Hai Reiki in Mishnath Hasidim) explains that this Gevurah (Din) is the initial Tzimtzum that created the empty space into which the world was created. As they explain, the Tzimtzum is the root of the creation of the kli, the vessel.

It seems to me that the reason our Yirah must precede our learning, our Hochmah/wisdom, is because we need to create the vessel first that will contain our learning.

The Notzer Hesed explains that learning the secrets of the Torah, in the Zohar and the recorded writings of the Arizal, gives us proper Yirah. He says that even young children should be educated in these secrets so that they will have proper Yirah.

From this we can perhaps even understand that the learning that we do that is not l'shmah (for its own sake) still leads to learning l'shmah, because it creates the vessel for our future learning. How does it create the vessel? Through our learning, we see how much we don't know, we learn that there is so much still to learn, we get the smallest glimpse of just how great HaShem and His Torah are. This brings us to awe, which creates the vessel for our future learning.

Sukkah and Mishkan

When one begins Masechet Sukkah it's hard to miss how hard the Talmud tries to learn out the different middot of the Sukkah from the Mishkan. It's a little bit ridiculous how extreme the examples and stretches of connections to the text get. Why all this pulling and stretching?

The Noam Elimelech towards the end of his commentary on Sefer Shemoth explains that the word Mishkan is from the word HamShachah, meaning to draw out or draw down. The Mishkan is peculiar in that it was always meant as a temporary edifice. In this sense the Mishkan represents the Reshimu, the imprint of the eventual drawing out of HaShem's godliness into the world.

The function of the reshimu is to give direction and shape, to flesh out the light that will flow into it. Just as liquid takes the shape of its container, the supernal light comes down taking the shape of the reshimu into which it is drawn. The creation of the world itself was a process of HaShem shining His divine light into the reshimu He had created through first clearing a (figurative) space in which to create the world.

From this perhaps we can see why Sukkah is learned out from the Mishkan. They share the same goal. In our yearly life, the Sukkah is the imprint of how we are going to relate to HaShem through our surroundings. From Shemini Atzeret and onwards through the rest of the year we are working on drawing down HaShem's light into the reshimu that was created over the seven days of Sukkoth.

hollowing out an altar

Regarding the layout of the Mishkan, the Noam Elimelech explains the proximity of the Mizbeah, (the altar) the Shulchan, (the table of the show-bread) and the Menorah. (the lamp)

The Menorah reminds us of HaShem's greatness and then the Shulchan reminds us of our lowly physical needs, the Mizbeah shows that to rise up to HaShem you need to cycle between these two other states. This is the meaning of the "sovev" the platform around the Mizbeah upon which the Kohanim were meant to walk which was called "sovev" or "to circle."

He relates this to the passuk דרשו את ה' בהמצאו - seek HaShem where he can be found. Because HaShem can only be found by virtue of His own tzimtzum, we must seek him out through our own personal tzimtzum.

This echoes nicely something I said in a previous post. Avakesh also posted on the topic of tzimtzum two days after my own post. [Which either means I'm channelling ASJ's ability to connect to the collective subconscious of (at least) the jblogosphere or that it is somehow a response to my own posting, perhaps fearful that I was getting lost in my own terminology.]

a theory to put into practice

In the past I've spoken about how tzimtzum (what is normally translated as the constriction of HaShem's light) can actually be seen in reverse, where HaShem reveals too much light, such that we cannot possibly receive it. In such a case, all that light appears to us as darkness.

How do we sensitize ourselves to receive more of HaShem's light? By relegating ourselves to the edges and making more space for HaShem in the middle, essentially performing our own personal tzimtzum. In essence we are opening ourselves up further, to be able to receive more light from HaShem transitioning from something that was once darkness (to us because of the overwhelming magnitude of HaShem's light) into a space of light.

We can learn this lesson from our own eyes. When there is little or no lighting, our eyes open as wide as possible, to gather more light. Similarly, when we are in a dark space spiritually, our souls need to open up as wide as possible to gather more of HaShem's light.

We find something very cool. That HaShem created the world through tzimtzum, to bring his light down to us, and then we return to HaShem through our own tzimtzum, making ever-greater levels of His light available to/through us.

This not only is the picture perfect image of a marriage, where both parties move themselves to the edges so that something much greater than the sum of its parts, a new house of israel, can take form in the middle; it is also the answer to a curious puzzle I raised previously. [here in a shield from death]

I was pondering why it seems that with any revellation of HaShem's being, there corresponds a fall in spiritual level, a kind of death. It seems here after this discussion, that the death that happens is the tzimtzum of the individual that brings about the revellation of HaShem. Rather than the death following the revellation of HaShem, it is possible to understand that the death actually happens first (as a form of tzimtzum) and only through the revellation of HaShem is life restored.

Even from the passuk this can be seen: לא יראני האדם וחי - man cannot see me and live. Instead we can read it like this: לא יראני - someone who is metzumtzam [לא is also א-ל the name that corresponds to din and tzimtzum] will see me. האדם - (which is gematria 50, the final gate of understanding (בינה) which is the level of אין (ayin) nothingness) become ayin [אדם also means 'red' which is the color of דין a midah which also relates to tzimtzum-- ie. האדם can mean become red--a command to undergo tzimtzum.], וחי - and live. (ie. and I will revive/revitalize you)

In short: "Only one who is metzumtzam cane see m; Undergo tzimtzum and live."

This is a Torah that came out of the seudah we had on Rosh Hodesh Av for the sake of the oneness and unity of klal yisrael.

[Note than when speaking of nothingness it isn't necesarily related to the nothingness of other meditational paths (that have nothing to do with Judaism) nothingness in this context (in which I am speaking) is davka the most supreme level of something-ness. Since we are understanding tzimtzum in a way opposite to the concept of 'constricting' or 'minimizing.' Only through tremendous growth and 'opening in order to receive' can you get to this place of tzimtzum.]

recreating recreation

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov brings down (Likkutei Moharan I:49) that our passion for closeness with God that persists in our hearts is akin to the state of God's light prior to creation. We need to moderate this passion and hollow out a place in our hearts to fill with good thoughts and intentions, so that we can bend our heart to God's service through good actions. This, he explains is our own personal tzimtzum. (contraction to make space for creation)

In this place of tzimtzum in our hearts we can form pure intentions, this is called the wisdom of our hearts. These intentions of our hearts can then draw down divine inspiration, drawing HaShem into our personal place of tzimtzum. Within this hollow of our hearts we can recreate the world anew.

I have to marvel at the revellation here that takes place and almost perfectly mirrors the original top-down creation of the world. This mirrored version is (obviously) bottom-up. Instead of pure undifferentiated Godly light, we start with our passion-filled heart. In this place of utter distance from God, recognized by its defining characteristic, an unquenchable thirst to connect to God, we hollow out a small space. In this space, we pour the highest thing we have to offer, our holy thoughts. Through the pouring of our holy thoughts into this tiny hollow, we draw down God's infinite light, the light that he first cleared away to make a hollow in which to create us.

Through this Torah we can really get a clear glimpse of how the awakening from below, is at once utterly different and startlingly similar to the awakening from above.

Rebbe Nachman says that it is in exactly this way that Tzaddikim can perform miracles and wonders.

For ourselves we can take away from this a new way to open ourselves to prayer.