Self-Nullification

The one concept Chassidus teaches that intrigued me most, which I had to struggle with most, back when I was turning religious, was the concept of "self-nullification" (ביטול).

Basically that means you must nullify your personal considerations in favor of what G-d would want you to do instead; That you prevent your ego, your pride, or your professed wisdom from interference with G-d's wishes. You first need to override your selfish desires before you can absorb properly the dictates of Hashem.

We can illustrated this concept as follows. If you have a glass that contains a small amount of dirty water, and you want a drink of water, you would first need to empty out the dirty water before you pour clean water into the glass, otherwise all the water becomes dirty.

Similarly, in order to appreciate and eventually understand the benefits of keeping G-d's commandments, you must first empty yourself of your own presumptions and professed wisdom, which will only interfere with the divine knowledge you wish to finally acquire.

Just as the seed placed into the earth cannot develop and blossom into the tree it is meant to become unless - at first - it undergoes a decomposition! The planted seed must first start to rot before it can grow into a big, beautiful fruit tree!

Similarly, the Jew who won't set aside his ego cannot ever get a good perspective of chassidus or divinity and all that these entail. To learn Torah and chassidus with commitment, or to become observant, cannot be accomplished without first negating all prior presumptions you had regarding the subject. On the other hand, if you allow the psychological space required for this study, then you're suited to dive in.

Another way to regard "self-nullification" is "a descent for the sake of an even greater ascent" (ירידה לצורך עלייה). It's analogous to an Olympic high-jumper who wants to achieve a high jump; He must first take a few steps backward, so he can launch forward and achieve greater heights.

(Like in organic chemistry, where you need first arouse a higher, more volatile, energy state, the transition state, in order for an exothermic reaction to settle at a more stable energy state.)

Is this concept not inherent in the saga of the Jewish people's existence? Which people knows better than Jews that they first require the deep descent into the Diaspora (exile) before their ultimate elevation to be acquired in the Era of Final Redemption (soon to be revealed)?

Only with humility can a Jew become righteous and sagacious.

What "Converted" this Reform Rabbi?

A successful commercial once had as its main line, "Try it, you'll like it!"

This is the precise formula by which to understand Judaism. This formula launched, and therefore characterizes, the Jewish nation. The Jews, emancipated from Egyptian diaspora in 2448, became a nation by defining their existence based on this principle. When asked whether they could commit to G-d's demands, Jews exclaimed (Ex.24:7),
"We will do and we will understand!" "נעשה ונשמע"
The Jews determined steadfastly, first of all, to accept G-d's Torah blindly! They will unquestioningly take it upon themselves to do as it prescribes. Then, and only then, will they also seek to understand. This conditional statement demonstrated their full trust in G-d.

One might argue that the discovery of a hidden benefit can first be investigated before committing oneself to certain conduct. Maybe one can first try to understand Torah, and then, based on a new understanding, commit to it.

Not with Judaism! The life of an observant Jew cannot be appreciated or understood WITHOUT relevant activities to serve as pre-requisites. Behavioral "input" of Mitzvot offers the mind a new dimension by which to appreciate and comprehend Jewish tradition. The key is doing first, and then grasping its value. Not the other way around. There are some things that you can never like unless you first try them!

Need proof of this Jewish phenomenon? Look about you and see how orthodoxy and "ultra" orthodoxy thrives among Jews. What these Jews believe in outsiders may well consider patently absurd - like Jews wearing strings on a 4-cornered cloth, praying with boxes on their arm and forehead, fasting 24 hours twice a year, believing a Messiah will "redeem" them, always covering their heads with caps, eliminating all form of work one day a week, considering some foods or combination of foods forbidden, and many other "weird" behaviors and beliefs.

Yet, many such "lunatics" abound. Even among people who are generally considered by the world to be rather smart!

How could such absurdity prevail when it makes more common sense to throw off all shackles, to abandon what appears to be ancient practices and blend in with "modern" society!

The answer is simple. Torah truth can be appreciated only when actualized in practice!

This reform rabbi's story is a case in point (LINK). Hear him explain his "conversion" to orthodoxy and you will note he cannot really pinpoint what actually changed him or what had been missing in earlier years. I'm pretty certain he himself hasn't yet discovered that what really changed him was his "Let me try it" attitude. And then, of course, after he tried it, he liked it, in characteristic, authentic Jewish fashion.

When the Jew Must Fight

Just before Jews made their way into the ocean, with Pharaoh and his army of chariots in hot pursuit, God told Moshe to tell the Jews there was no need doing battle with the Egyptians because God will do the fighting for them. (Ex.14:14)

Four weeks later, when Amalek pounced on the Jews, Moshe tells his people "Go out and fight Amalek!" (Ex.17:9)

Why should Jews sometimes let God do the fighting for them, while other times Jews must put up a fight?

Depends on the enemy's agenda. Egyptians wanted to take the Jews back to slavery. Amalek, on the other hand, sought to prevent Jews from their association with Torah.

Whenever a Jew confronts that which would prevent him from learning Torah, he must fight off this enemy!

Expression of Jewish Instinct

A week after their flight to safety, Jews fleeing Egypt felt a sudden fright. Suddenly they saw a mighty, rumbling army in fearsome array, rapidly advancing in pursuit after them.

Torah testifies (Ex.14:10):
 "וייראו מאד ויצעקו בני ישראל אל יהוה"

The Jews were trapped in a beach enclave with no flank to escape to, caught between the desert and the sea. These were dreadful moments. King Pharoah himself, in armored chariot, led the charge. The mighty empire's army, a juggernaut excited for victory, kicked up dust as they charged forward.

Jews acted on instinct; They turned to God. Out of fright, their prayers issued forth as screams from the pit of their hearts.

The unique context of their present situation gave these prayers its vocal character. Jews always prayed to God, but any other time of day or day of the week, they would have evoked a different sort of prayer. This special situation they found themselves in is what now cast their form of invocation.

(Only after they saw their prayers go unanswered they turned on Moses to complain.)

Prayer to G-d comes natural for the Jew. Abraham, Isaac and Yaakov worked hard on this form of worship, so much so that this inculcation projected and bequeathed a congenital instinct to their children. They prayed - not because they elected for something in particular this one time, but rather because prayer of the Jew connects him to God! Prayer is the vehicle by which the Jew bonds to G-d. He prays every day, year in year out.

It's not so much a Jew wants something for himself when he prays. Rather, the Jew wants to bond with Hashem. Yes, the Jew asks for personal and selfish concerns too, but all the while he rates his personal desires less than primary. Worship of Hashem is what is paramount in a Jew's life.

The Torah is quite specific; "They were frightful, so they screamed." Any other moment of the day their prayers would have manifest differently, but pray - they always would.

But why pray now - with the Egyptian army ready to steamroll them; If they trusted God will spare them, again, there was no need for prayer now; And if they held doubts about God's salvation, then what good would prayers do?

Rashi explains (Ex.14:10): Because Jews always first prayed to God - for anything - because they worshipped God and always wanted to cleave to Him. Any other day, it could have been in quiet earnestness, but at this point in time - they cried out.

The Real Reality

Funny how some people think they are real. Because they sense physicality and feel sure they will live another day, they assume they are real and their environment is real.

Why is that a problem? Because it's untrue and, as all things untrue, it may well lead to false conclusions.

We are only real insofar as we think it's real. Beyond that, only God is real. We are nothing but automatons made to feel as if we're independent. That feeling of independence would melt away were we in the form of animals, with less intellect than we have. And were we, instead, in the form of a plant, our independent feelings would be dealt a heavier blow, always anchored to the soil. Our feeling of independence would vanish entirely were we merely in the form of inert matter.

But since we have intellect and have no constant connection to one place on earth, we pompously flout our freedom and interpret it, incorrectly, as being independent. Independence means you can subsist on your own.

Obviously you cannot fare well on your own to be alive. I'm sure you can think of many people without whom you'd not survive.

That you require oxygen to live the next minute should be enough proof how thoroughly dependent you are on - that which is real!

No, not that oxygen is real, and no, neither are the trees that provide oxygen real, and no, not the earth that provides growth is real. Only He Who created the universe - He and only He is real. All the rest is but a product of His doing. He gave us that which makes us imagine things.

This is the meaning of the verse of Shema that we say about 5 times a day in our prayers. This common interpretation, "Hear O Israel ..." actually should be translated correctly to mean "UNDERSTAND you Jewish people..." - that "God is ONE". "One" does NOT mean unique, first, or any other term that implies the existence of other entities, God forbid. It means that everything about the entire universe is nothing but AN ASPECT OF THE ONE AND ONLY REAL THING THAT EXISTS. The Shema says - Understand Jews that utterly everything in this universe, despite the fragmented appearance of particulates therein, constitutes an aspect of the ONE GOD. That this is difficult to decipher by intellectual analysis is notwithstanding!

Are there physicists among you? How does physics explain the fact that this closed system, the universe, humungous as it is, does not deteriorate into a state of randomness or disorder, but rather continues to function naturally by Nature? Is it not evident that some external source of continuous energetic input keeps it all going in beautiful harmony and organization? If physicists cannot imagine God, or will not allow themselves this luxury, what worth is all their physics training if so simple a question they must skirt?

So if we're not real, what will become of the future? We will remain with a life of imaginations, only we'll have, in the world-to-come, a much greater appreciation of the REAL ONE-AND-ONLY.

P.S. Update: Commenter Yankev adds a most important point hereto overlooked.

One Jew at a Time

A Floridian Jew encounters one of the Rebbe's Chabad emissaries. One small step for mankind, one Jew at a time.

Some Israelis that harbor disgust for religion and its adherents call this behavior "Missionary" work. Of course, out of sheer ignorance, they compare Judaism to all other religions and see them all as taboo, when, in fact, all but one, luckily theirs, although they know not of this yet, represents the ultimate truth.

The reason one Jew wants to help out another and bring him to the guiding light was well explained by the Rebbe. Being that the Jewish people constitute one collective body, to be sure, then, said the Rebbe,"When the left hand is itchy, the right hand wants to relieve the itch by scratching it." Similarly in such cases where we feel the loss suffered by the ignorant Jew, for surely his soul is restless until he discovers the source of truth, we seek to help him out and provide proper direction to a rudderless soul.

This is hardly the reason Gentiles pursue missionary work. They seek to justify their own lie and could care less about the Jew they seek to trap into their web of deceit.

A Small Act of Enormous Consequence

Walking the sidewalk, a man spots an oncoming woman with a feature he finds attractive. As she walks towards him, he can avert his eyes from looking at her, or he can take a closer look at what lured him.

The intentional effort of diverting his eyes, letting the woman pass without the additional glance, has no vital import - were he a Gentile. But as a Jew, that small but purposeful effort not only rescues him from a spiritual deterioration, it also alters the spiritual state of the entire world. That's the power inherent in a Jew.

That diversionary tactic of turning his head or eyes to avoid the additional glance, however slight it may seem, achieves a transformation of spiritual darkness into a spiritual light; Because such behavior is the currency with which God and Jew negotiate reward and punishment.

God's ultimate goal in this world, which will manifest as the Era of Redemption, is "to feel at home" among His people on earth. Tiny, effortless gestures is really all God requires of His people so He can feel at home among them.

As innocent as that extra "look" might seem, it is enough to take the man down, no matter how trivial the instance can be rationalized away. In fact, that may be the evil inclination's only way to sneak his way into the psyche's domain, through that which ostensibly appears to be an insignificant crack.

Even if the man does not let his eyes "follow" her, by turning his head to "feed his eyes" a little longer, as is common in Gentile culture, or as would a dog in heat, that extra glance can begin the slide downward. A tiny submission can lead to immense deterioration, as sure as an inadvertent pornographic pop-up window on a browser that holds the eye an extra second can lead to catastrophe that may take years to recover from.

The Torah tells us this propensity for transgression is, in fact, natural and built-in, as it says,
"אשר אתם זונים אחריהם".

Nevertheless, Torah asks us to please conquer this animal-like nature by: "ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם".

The eye follows the lead of the heart. The emotional, lustful heart sends a signal up to the brain, and the eye contact becomes the action that may oblige. However, the brain, as easily as it can fall prey to indulging the emotion, can just as easily consider God's will and direct his eyes elsewhere.

Averting the eyes cancels out the heart's provocation. Only the fool will feel deprived of an "opportunity". When man controls that slight urge, he slams shut the door on his evil inclination. He will feel better for it, more noble and with more fortitude, to go on his merry way. Chalk one up for that person because that small gesture converts darkness to light, by providing that much more space in which God can "feel at home". Disregarding God's wish makes God "feel" unwanted. And chalk one up for all of the world, which thereby advances another step towards the blissful, eternal Era of Redemption.

The Long Short Road

Many ways serve to promote worship of Hashem, except Chabad's modus operandi is unique for taking the "long, short road". That is, to "get it" quickly, you first must cultivate "it" properly.

Two examples of this technique:

1) Take the case of a thief trying to break into a home to steal. When the owner realizes what is going on, he starts screaming to chase the thief away. But doing so did not solve the problem. On another day, the thief will try again in another way, and one of these days will succeed.

There's a harder way to take to try and thwart the thief; Doing it indirectly. While he's in the house, get him to sit at the table and convince him that stealing is counter-productive. Although this approach calls for ingenuity, this will get to the root of the problem and he will quit.

2) Take the case of someone whose blood vessels suffer integrity and this brings about lesions on his skin of his whole body. An unwise doctor might take some cream formula and treat the wounds as they show up. Although the cream might help, it will not halt new lesions from appearing, nor will any be amenable to cure.

The better way is to treat the problem at its root, by curing the blood vessels. Doing this will likewise cure the dermatitis.

Similarly, many non-chassidic, and even some chassidic, approaches base their ways to bring one closer into God's service by chasing "behavioral symptoms" and trying to cure these. They "put out the fires" as they apply cream to a skin wound, or take a stick to chase away anger, arrogance, jealousy, lust, etc. These are but temporary solutions that do not change the person from within. The Chabad chassidic way to deal with these problems is to influence and change the essence, which will likewise already cure much of everything else.

Without first expending energy and ingenuity with proper inculcation, the shorter road is nothing but an illusion, whereas after taking the long road, any problem thereafter can easily resort to the short road.

Free Choice - Ordained by Torah

A most fundamental Judaic principle relates to "free choice". Man, and only man, benefits from this privilege. The opening verse of Torah portion "Re'eh" teaches this tenet. It says, "... I offer you blessings and curses ...".

Two words here deserve focus. The word "I" is the same word with which the segment of the "Ten Commandments", in an earlier portion, starts off with. The word "offer" connotes a gift; As this verse does, which speaks of offering blessings. But how then can these two words that imply beneficence also be used to provide curses?

Every aspect of Torah is perfect and therefore we must understand how the offering of curses is indeed a good feature.

Imagine then the world without the presence of bad. If goodness were the only reality, if humans had no tendency to do bad, thereby being forced into constant good behavior, man would lack the capability for free choice.

Of all creatures in the world, only man has free choice. Without capability to also choose bad, mankind would be no different than any other, lower creature.

It turns out, therefore, God's granting to man "curses" as well as "blessings", raises mankind to a unique position among the world's creatures. By implanting the inclination for evil as well as for doing good renders mankind its exalted status, without which it would be relegated to being merely another specie of animal.

The rewards for choosing right from wrong is another issue, and in fact involves another tenet of Judaism - how rewards for free choice are distributed. For this also involves the belief in the world-to-come, the world of truth that awaits one who passes on from this world of good-mixed-with-bad. For rewards for deeds in this world can be held back until the person reaches the world-to-come. So let not the irony of seeing a righteous person who suffers while an evil person enjoys a lavish lifestyle in this world confuse you.

For if the free choice option embedded in your psyche be misconstrued as an arbitrary device, you will have missed the whole point of its benefit, for which you can only hurt your own destiny.

The Month of Elul - A Time for Self-Evaluation

The month of Elul is a time for self-accounting. Elul (אלול) in Hebrew is the acronym of "I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me." (Song of Songs 6:3)

אני לדודי ודודי לי

On the other hand, in verse 2:16 it says, "My Beloved is to me and I am to Him."

דודי לי ואני לו

Why here do we read these terms in reverse order?

Commentaries explain that the "me" refers to the people of Israel, and the "Beloved" refers to God. The Song of Songs portrays a loving relationship between God and the Jewish people.

This love affair can come about in one of two ways. Either God initiates the relationship, showing man the love He has for him, and man thereafter returns the love, as implied by the verse "My beloved is to me and I am to Him." Or, on the other hand, man can initiate the affair, showing his love to God first, and then God reciprocates by showing His love to man. This is connoted by "I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me."

To illustrate, there usually exist two sorts of stories by those who have "returned" to God. Some of these people speak of some divine revelation or intervention that occurred to them, as on some mountain peak in Thailand, or during a horrible traffic crash, or some special moment, when they felt the loving Hand of God. Such a situation relates to "My Beloved is to me ...".

In contrast, other such people never experienced a revelation or special miracle. They simply arrived at an intellectual conclusion they need to investigate the path of Judaism, and after a long process of search they concluded that truth lies in Torah, so they began to serve God. Only at a later stage did they begin to feel the love that God has for them. This type of affair is alluded to by "I am to my Beloved ...".

Were we to ponder the Jewish calendar, we'd find two months that parallel these two situations: The months of Nissan and Elul.

Nissan in Hebrew means "miracle". During Nissan, many miracles happened to the Jewish people during their exodus from Egypt, when God demonstrated His strong love for them, even though they did not deserve it on merits. Only at a later time did the Jewish people reciprocate with love of their own. The month of Nissan therefore fits the verse "My Beloved is to me ...".

But Elul is void of miracles, Godly revelations or special holidays. It's a month of working on oneself, of learning Torah and doing mitzvot, a time of thoughtful prayer and inner, self-reckoning. It's a time for climbing, of exerting oneself. When man achieves, on his own initiative, a closer relationship to God, God will then respond to him or her with love. Our sages illustrate this relationship as follows, "Wedge for Me an opening the size of a pinhole, and I'll expand it for you to the size of an auditorium".

Which is why Elul reflects "I am to my Beloved," - which then draws down "and My Beloved is to me".

The Alter Rebbe (the 1st Lubavitcher Rebbe) provided a metaphor for the month of Elul. It is that of a king who all year dwells in his palace. Only a privileged few can gain face-to-face access to him in his inner chambers. But there is one period during which the king makes himself available to the commonfolk, by going out to them in the fields. These folk, even dressed in their work clothes, now have the opportunity to meet the king. From there they can accompany the king to his palace.

This king is God. All year long God is in His heavenly palace, and in order to receive his attention, people have to achieve incredible spiritual heights or exceptional deeds. But during the month of Elul, God is near every individual, present at our location wherever we are, and gives us the chance to change, listens to us and responds by responding with a kind countenance and a smile.

Let us therefore exploit these days of mercy by examining our behaviors to see where they can be improved and thereby get closer to God. As it says, "Return to Me and I will return to you!" (Malachi 3:7)

Orthodoxy - I'll Take Mine Plain, Thank You

I am a member of a mislabeled group, the "Ultra-Orthodox". Chances are high we got this name, and why the name persists, because of derision or condescension. In truth, however, it should be labeled "Orthodox".

Another circle of Jews call themselves orthodox - these are your so-called "Modern Orthodox". It seems, however, that a better name for this "modern" element would be "Shaven Orthodox", for mostly this feature alone distinguishes them from the Ultra crowd.

Which brings me to my point. We ought simply to be called "Orthodox", without the Ultra prefix, because the only feature suggested by Ultra is already indicated by removal of the Modern prefix. There ought to be only two streams of Orthodox, the Modern variety and the Plain variety. So thank you very much for dropping and avoiding the Ultra adjective because it implies, quite inappropriately, that we are "too much" orthodox - which is laughable! That's like saying someone is "too-pregnant"!

Mirror Image - by Divine DeliveryThe Psychology of Observation

If you see a fellow Jew doing something wrong, there are two ways you can look at him. You can see him in a positive light, or, you can see him projecting negatively.

You can see, in the whole picture, a good person, plus a misdeed you'd want for him to correct. Or, you see the person as having a blemished personality for which his transgression is evidence.

The difference is not insignificant. In fact, it's rather astounding. But first let's take a concrete example.

Suppose you see a Jew stealing in a store. You might think to yourself, "this guy is a lowlife." This would be seeing him in a negative light. On the other hand, you might view this as an opportunity to tell the person that The One Above is watching and perhaps returning the item is in order.

The difference is much more than just your attitude. Because the negative perspective, where you indict the personality of your subject - really means you're seeing the miscreant behavior in yourself.

In fact, this is one of G-d's ways to tell you of the problems you are having! Nothing in this world happens by mere coincidence. That which has been planted before your for you to see - is for you to see and learn from. It is from here where you can correct your personality.

The "dirt" you see in your subject reflects the "dirt" in yourself you have to clean up. If you saw a "lowlife" stealing, you most probably have that same stealing issue with yourself.

Had you wanted to correct only his behavior, and had still regarded him highly, you could not be implicated with any fault of personality, just as you saw no defect in that of your subject.

This is one lesson of the verse (Vayikra 19, 17), "Do not hate your brother in your heart; You must admonish your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him."

Notice that you have love of fellow man and admonition of his misdeeds - both in the same verse - to teach you they are related. You must fulfill the first command as a prerequisite before you admonish him, because then your admonition relates, not to his personality, only to his misdeed. Otherwise, were you to admonish him while seeing his personality in a negative light, why then you'd only make matters worse; Not only would you not correct his behavior, you may well distance him further, and thus, "bear sin because of" disliking "him."

So the next time a Jew triggers within you a dislike of some sort, here's the gist of it: Know - you're looking into a mirror! You'll then know what about your own personality you have to correct.

Otherwise, simply love the person, and go over to him and tell him how he can correct his behavior or reverse his transgression - for then you'll certainly be effective.

ADDENDUM

Here's an essay by Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson on this very subject:
LINK

A War of Inclinations

During class the teacher asked, "Anybody have a question?"

A girl raised her hand. She asked, "Why, from the moment we wake up until we go to bed, every moment is filled with obligations, like commandments to obey, Torah to learn, prayers to say, deeds to be done; Is this freedom? Can't we be free of obligations to live as free as animals in a forest? These animals are really free!"

The teacher waited a moment and, noticing a guitar sticking out of the student's bag, walked over to the student, took the guitar out and walked back to her desk. The teacher opened her drawer and pulled out a knife. The students looked on in wonder. The teacher moved the knife slowly and positioned it to cut the strings of the guitar.

The student shouted, "Don't you dare!"

"Why," asked the teacher. "The strings are taut; Under a lot of force. Let's free them from their daily tension."

"But then my guitar won't make music," said the student.

"Aha," said the teacher, "with freedom as you defined it, our souls too could make no music."

The holiday of freedom, Pesach (Passover) not only commemorates our release from bondage under Egyptian rule; It mainly symbolizes our freedom from bondage - to our evil inclination (which Egyptian rule symbolizes)! The evil inclination tells you NOT to do what you're supposed to do, or DO what you musn't do.

Unlike an animal that has no inclination for doing counter to what's right, man does have this inclination. It comes with his spiritual anatomy. He also possesses a good inclination, and how his brain governs his behavior after taking both inclinations into consideration determines his personality.

Man was born into a world that requires obligations of him. He cannot do as he feels without putting his good and bad inclinations on a scale. The animal can, but man cannot. Man's spiritual anatomy, unlike an animal's, is dichotomous.

Man cannot be relieved of his duties to G-d. It's part and parcel with his being. If his evil inclination carries more weight than his good inclination, he makes "bad music". If he follows his good inclination, he makes "good music."