Rebbe Nachman's Hilula: The Secret of the True Tzaddik Who Takes Upon Himself the Sins of the Generation

Lesson No. 2060 | * Yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of Rebbe Nachman in Shuvu Banim 5751 - (Clear) "Regarding Drawing Close to the Tzaddik" Rosh Hashanah (from Ofir) - until half of side B.

The true tzaddik takes upon himself the evil inclination and the sins of all generations in order to cleanse the minds of the Jewish people. This teaching explains the immense power of the tzaddikim, their mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) in descending to this world, and how specifically after their histalkus (passing away) they bring about even greater salvations than during their lifetimes.

The Gerrer Rebbe explains in Parashas Balak that the true tzaddik takes upon himself all the sins of all the generations. He takes all the evil inclination, all the sins, and all the impure thoughts. He has the power to draw out from people's minds and concentrate within himself all the evil inclination of all the generations. This is what happened with Rabbi Zusha and Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk; the Ba'al Davar (the evil inclination) came to them and said, "Look what I will do to you, since you have taken upon yourselves the entire evil inclination of the whole Jewish nation." The holy brothers answered him, "You will do yours, and we will do ours."

The Mistake of Zimri and the Secret of Samson

Based on this foundation, the Gerrer Rebbe explains a tremendous novel insight regarding the sin of Zimri ben Salu. Zimri was present at the Giving of the Torah and saw Hashem face to face. He wanted to do what Rabbi Zusha and Rabbi Elimelech did—he saw what was going to happen and requested, "Master of the Universe, place the entire evil inclination upon me; I will take it and defeat it." But herein lay his mistake. Zimri thought he was on the spiritual level of Moshe Rabbeinu, who truly would take upon himself the evil inclination of the entire Jewish nation from all generations.

Every Rebbe can take on the evil inclination of his chassidim, provided they come to him, nullify themselves before him, and desire his guidance. From Heaven, he is granted the strength to take their evil inclination. If Zimri had only wanted to take the evil inclination of the tribe of Shimon, he would have succeeded. But to take the evil inclination of the entire Jewish nation—that was already an act of arrogance. Only a completely true tzaddik, who is on the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, can take the evil inclination of the entire Jewish nation upon himself.

This was also the case with Samson the Mighty, who possessed the soul of Mashiach. Samson wanted to take on the evil inclination of all of Israel, but during his lifetime he did not succeed because he took on too much. However, in his death, since he had already shed his physical body, he defeated all the kelipos (forces of impurity), as it is stated:

"And the dead whom he killed in his death were more than those whom he had killed in his life."

Following Samson's death, there was quiet from the evil inclination for twenty years. There was absolutely no evil inclination in the entire Jewish nation, and the generation was completely pure, reflecting the verse, "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner-pillars carved after the fashion of a palace." The true tzaddik, the genuine leader of the generation, slays the kelipos (forces of impurity) in his death even more than in his lifetime.

The Danger of Falling and Saving the Congregation

This was the mistake of all the great figures who fell—they took upon themselves too much. The holy Arizal explains that Yochanan the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) fell because he wanted to elevate souls that did not belong to him. He wanted to bring a tikkun (rectification) even for the heretics and the Hellenists, and this was already impossible for him. Heresy is worse than murder, because it contains the settled mindset of denial, reflecting the verse, "None that go unto her return."

The Chasam Sofer explains regarding the verse:

"Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers."

The Sanhedrin merited to judge favorably, fulfilling the mandate, "And the congregation shall save." Rabbi Akiva said that if he had been the head of the Sanhedrin, no person would have ever been put to death. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel asked him, "How long will you multiply bloodshed in Israel?" but Rabbi Akiva did not answer him. Rabbi Akiva was the true tzaddik. He knew that if a murderer were to come to the Sanhedrin and see him, the murderer would immediately do complete teshuvah (repentance) and sit down to learn Torah twenty-four hours a day. When the Torah said, "And the congregation shall save," it was referring to a tzaddik like Rabbi Akiva, whom anyone who sees is immediately awakened to teshuvah.

The Power of the Hilula: Cleansing the Muck from the Mind

This is the secret of the true tzaddikim, who possess the soul-spark of Moshe. On the day of their Hilula and yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing), they have the power until the end of all generations to pull people out of their evil inclination, out of idleness, and out of the muck. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov said, "I can extract the muck from the mind." The entire purpose of the tzaddik is to cleanse the mind of its filth. This is a labor that takes decades. The tzaddik cleanses the mind cell by cell, and it is a tremendous effort.

Therefore, the main thing that atones for a person is suffering. The sins are so terrible that the primary tikkun (rectification) comes through the suffering a person endures. The true tzaddikim have already fought the entire war, and they leave us with just a little bit of "homework," a little self-work and minor suffering so that we can have a share in the tikkun.

The Mesirus Nefesh of the Defender of Israel

The power of the tzaddikim is beyond all comprehension. It is told of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev that he freed an agunah (a chained woman unable to remarry) by bringing down from Heaven the souls of two deceased witnesses who had been killed in sanctification of Hashem's Name. One of them, even though he had been an ignoramus in his lifetime, began to debate complex Halachah with the Torah giants of the generation, because whoever is killed in sanctification of Hashem's Name immediately enters the heavenly chamber of the Minister of Torah. The second one remained silent, because he had jumped into the fire after the first one, and therefore he had to remain silent for a full year. From this we learn that when a woman exhibits mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) and jumps first, she receives spiritual intellect and comprehensions before the man.

The Berditchever himself was supposed to pass away on the 5th of Elul. He argued before Hashem like a friend to a friend: "Master of the Universe, what about the Selichos prayers? What about the prayers of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? What about Sukkos? Is it not a pity for You to lose all that?" They conceded to him in Heaven, and immediately after Simchas Torah, on Isru Chag (the 25th of Tishrei), the Samael (the angel of death) came to him and said, "We made an agreement; now you must yield." And so, the Berditchever passed away on Isru Chag.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov related that he himself was supposed to pass away from the world a year earlier. In Heaven, they asked who was willing to be a sacrifice for the Jewish people. Rebbe Nachman initially agreed, but then retracted. When the Berditchever (Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev) saw this, he said, "I am willing to be the sacrifice." And so, in the year 5570 (1809), the Berditchever passed away, and Rebbe Nachman lived an additional year, until 5571 (1810). Every year, there must be one of the tzaddikim of the generation who goes with self-sacrifice (Kiddush Hashem) as an offering, and without these tzaddikim, we would have no standing against the evil inclination and heresy.

The Tzaddik's Descent to the World: Immense Compassion

We have no comprehension whatsoever of these tzaddikim. The tzaddik is located in the supernal chambers; he is not down here at all. Rebbe Nachman said in the year 5569 (1809) that he had no desire whatsoever to return to this world. He saw all the shidduchim (marriage matches) from Adam HaRishon until the end of all generations, and said, "I received a parnassah (livelihood) to be a matchmaker."

When the tzaddik descends below, it is terrible suffering for him. He descends only out of immense compassion for us. He has no grasp on this world whatsoever. The word 'tzaddik' represents absolute nothingness; it is literal Godliness that descended to the world and contends with the evil inclination of each and every individual. The Baal Shem Tov and his disciples, the Arizal and his disciples, were "completely good" – they were in the supernal chambers, and only out of Hashem's mercy did they have some illumination that descended to the world to clothe the Torah in the garments of this world. Were it not for this illumination, we would not survive in these generations.

The Sleep of Yaakov and the Break of Dawn

At the time when the tzaddik passes away, he is, so to speak, going to sleep. Regarding our patriarch Yaakov, it is stated:

"And he lay down in that place"

The commentators ask: After all, Yaakov did not sleep for fourteen years in the house of Ever, so why did he suddenly go to sleep? Rather, Hashem told him: "Look a little at what is happening below. You only look above; look at the angels ascending and descending, at the people who are falling." In the one hour that Yaakov looked below, he managed to see everything that would happen until the end of generations.

Yaakov descended to the very heels, to the "Ikveta d'Meshicha" (the footsteps of Mashiach). He wrestled with the angel, and saw "and the socket of Yaakov's hip was dislocated" – the blemishes of the final generations, in which everyone has a "dislocation" in their mind and in their eyes. But nevertheless, after the dislocation – "and the sun rose for him." Now the dawn begins. At Chatzos (midnight), all the noise and tension begins, but one who merits, reaches Chatzos and already merits the light of Shabbos and the complete Geulah (Redemption).

Part 4 of 4 — Lesson No. 2060

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