Prayer: The Conversation of the Holy Seraphim

Words of the TzaddikParshat Behar – 5779Aleph: The Rav noted regarding prayer 1438 that Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) has rivers of sweat generated by those who sweat while dancing by him. All the drops of sweat that came out of a person through forbidden acts are rectified by dancing by Rashbi. Therefore, one must dance with all their strength and sweat.Bet: My prayers are wondrous prayers; there have never been tzaddikim who wrote such prayers. They heal both body and soul. One must spread them everywhere, and there should not be a single place where these prayers are not found.Gimel: The drops [of remedy] that I give—I could take simple water and heal with it. However, I take drops so that the healing will be clothed in nature, in order to leave an opening for people to say that it worked according to nature and not from the Rav.Dalet: I have never had fear of any person in the world, even when they wanted to send me to Siberia. It is forbidden to fear a human being or anything else, only Hashem. For any fear other than the fear of Hashem is heresy.Vav: When a person performs a mitzvah or does something that no one else can do, and he feels himself filling with pride, he clothes the mitzvah in soiled garments. This is considered stealing the honor of Hashem from the Holy One, blessed be He. Woe to that shame, and woe to that disgrace!Zayin: "Each man shall return to his ancestral heritage, and each man shall return to his family" (Leviticus 25:10). The Rav noted that the intention here is to return to our soul, and to the collective soul, which is the soul of Rashbi. This is the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu, which arrives anew in every single generation.Chet: Our soul is scattered like "scattered coins, scattered fruits, scattered sheaves" (Talmudic references to lost items). Everything here contains deep secrets, and on every Talmudic topic, one can write endless novel insights. "Scattered coins" refers to the souls, and it depends on who finds them. We must beg Hashem that He should find our soul and send the tzaddikim to discover our souls and take responsibility for us. Because either the tzaddik finds it, or the Satan finds it. If there is unity, then the Satan cannot touch our souls, because there is a siman (an identifying mark) on them, and these souls return to the Owner. Even tinokot shenishbu (Jews raised without Torah knowledge) have this identifying mark, and these souls return to their root. We ask Hashem to adopt us, because we have distanced ourselves and have not felt the warmth of our Father, which is Hashem. Therefore, we ask Hashem: "Adopt us!"Tet: "On that day you shall pay his wage" (Deuteronomy 24:15). We work for the Holy One, blessed be He, and we must "pay" for the fact that we receive life and gifts that Hashem sends us. We do this through Torah, mitzvot, good deeds, and Hisbodedus (personal secluded prayer). Whoever does not do this fails to fulfill the verse "On that day you shall pay his wage," and ultimately, he will have to pay it back with interest. The Holy One, blessed be He, is permitted to take interest! And Hashem also gives interest [abundant reward] to those who fulfill His mitzvot.Institute of Teachings and Prayers