Parshas Chayei Sarah - The Secret of Inner Work and Magen Avraham

In the Light of the King's Face is Life

The Importance of Inner Work

Because without inner work, a person remains with all of his nonsense: he feels deprived, he complains, he gets angry, he is sad, he is worried, he blames himself and others, he is arrogant, he is jealous, he eats too much, he looks too much, and everything he does is for his own success—for the honor they will give him.

A person who does inner work blossoms, grows, and changes. He draws closer to Hashem. He is constantly introspecting, asking himself: Where am I in the world? Am I connected or disconnected? What am I connected to? And what will be with me, Father? What will be my end? When will I start thinking about You instead of about myself and my own honor?

From Thought to Speech and Action

Thought has tremendous power. Everything is clarified in the mind. That is where the soul resides; that is where the will is found. A person reflects a little upon himself and his life, sees where he is holding, and then he moves from thought to speech: "Hashem, help me eat less. Look at the stomach I have grown. It distances me from You. It is impossible to cleave to You; the stomach gets in the way."

"Hashem, help me rejoice in what You give me and stop being jealous of others who suddenly learn without a break, who suddenly smile all the time. Help me to truly rejoice in my friend's success with genuine joy, so that I do not avoid meeting him just because I don't want to give him the pleasure of seeing him in his success."

And from speech, we move to action. Slowly, we merit to change. And then, life is truly wonderful. How much pity there is for someone who remains with all of his nonsense until the very end; he is already old, but in essence, he is still a child. For him, this is called the Chalal Panui (Vacated Space). Hashem is not there, Heaven forbid. But then we think a good thought, we pray with intention, we learn something, and all of these fill up the void.

Finding Hashem Within the Vacated Space

Hashem says to each one of us: Go to this place that is filled with Hashem, to your inner essence, to the place where Hashem is always present. Then you will be able to constantly awaken yourself from this point, without falling and without getting confused. Even though Hashem created the world with a Chalal Panui (Vacated Space), and there are constant troubles, and all sorts of things we do not understand, and we are constantly getting insulted, and we fall, and everything goes backwards for us, and everything is not good for us, and everything is bad for us—nevertheless, even when things are bad for us, we must remember that Hashem is everywhere.

We are Ivrim (Hebrews, meaning "those who cross over"). We cross over to the place where Hashem is found, we open our hearts, and we find Hashem within the heart. We find that protected point that connects us to Hashem. Avraham Avinu made for us the "Magen Avraham" (Shield of Avraham), which is greater than the resurrection of the dead.

"The First is Yours"

We begin the Shemoneh Esrei prayer with the blessing of Magen Avraham. Only afterward is there the resurrection of the dead. First, we need to be protected. "Your blessing is greater than My blessing," the Holy One, blessed be He, says to Avraham. "You are first, I am afterward; I resurrect the dead, which is the second stage."

Avraham Avinu protects this point, which is the silver (kesef), which is a palace of silver, which is:

"The wings of a dove covered with silver"

Yearning (*kisufim*, related to the word *kesef* - silver) and love for Hashem, which is the true joy. And in its merit and through its power, it is possible to overcome all troubles. The entire Jewish people is sustained by this point.

The Inner Point That Sustains the World

People have sinned, stumbled, ruined, and transgressed, and afterward, their children returned in teshuvah (repentance), and sometimes they themselves returned. Everything is in the merit of this point, a point that is enduring and sustains itself until the end of all generations.

Just as a baby wants his mother, constantly running to his mother, so too the whole world wants Hashem. The entire Jewish people stands upon this point. It stands upon Avraham Avinu. (B'Ohr Pnei Melech Chaim)