The Secret of Ascending Between the Worlds: The Path to Absolute Nullification to the Infinite

Lesson No. 251 | Cassette 251 Thursday, Parashas Beha'aloscha, the eve of 20 Sivan 5760 - A lesson for the lecturers of the Shadarim Kollels in Israel (at the Rav's house) Monday, Parashas Nasso, 2 Sivan 5760 - Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the Firstborn) ('Chen' Hall, Kiryat Sanz, Jerusalem)

A Jew's spiritual work begins with transforming his evil inclinations and character traits into holy angels, and continues with a gradual ascent through the spiritual worlds. Through the realization that there is no nature in the world and that everything is for the best, a person merits reaching absolute nullification to the Infinite (Ein Sof) and clinging to the Divine in the World of Atzilus (the World of Emanation).

A person must transform his hormones and physical drives into holy angels, and then he will merit holy children. A person cannot live without hormones. It is brought down in the holy books, in the "Heichal HaBracha" and by the Netziv (zt"l), regarding the verse:

"After I have withered, shall I have rejuvenation?"

Our mother Sarah wanted to give birth without hormones. She said, "I am already ninety years old; I want to give birth without hormones." But Hashem, may He be blessed, told her that this is impossible. These hormones are angels that were turned into demons, and now the spiritual work is to transform them back into angels.

Ever since the sin of Adam HaRishon (the First Man), everyone has billions of demons that they themselves created, and they must transform them into angels. The entire street is filled with demons that we have created, and we must transform them into angels. When a person travels through the streets, even for two hundred kilometers until he reaches the place where he will deliver a Torah lesson, if he travels with his eyes closed—he transforms all the demons into angels. By guarding his eyes, he cuts off all the Sitra Achra (the Other Side, forces of impurity) and brings everything back in teshuvah (repentance).

When a person speaks words of truth, hundreds of thousands of people will run after him. We are simply reading what is written in the holy Torah, in the Zohar, and in the wondrous commentaries. The moment one reads a pure, clean, and refined word of Torah that emerges from a holy mouth, the entire Jewish people will run to listen.

Ascending to the World of Atzilus

Our entire spiritual work is to reach a state of nullification, the level of "Mah" (what are we?), to be completely nullified to the Infinite. There are four spiritual worlds: Atzilus (Emanation), Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation), and Asiyah (Action), and they correspond to the four letters of Hashem's holy Name (Havayah) and the four elements. Above them are even higher worlds—Akudim, Nekudim, and Berudim. By ascending to these worlds, one reaches absolute nullification to the Infinite, the realization that there is absolutely nothing in the world besides the Infinite, blessed be He.

To merit this level of nullification, a person must be pure in all four elements. He must not have even a trace of arrogance, any bad contemplation, or any evil thought. He must nullify all of his bad character traits. This ascent is achieved through the order of spiritual work, step by step.

A person cannot skip any step, because each step corresponds to a different spiritual world. First, we rectify the lower worlds, and when we reach the peak of the ascent, we enter the World of Atzilus. There, in the World of Atzilus, lies the essence of nullification to the Infinite.

The Secret of Self-Sacrifice and Confession

After reaching the peak of the ascent, one arrives at the stage of absolute self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh), the aspect of "Nefilas Apayim" (falling on one's face in prayer). Through this self-sacrifice, all the sins a person has committed in all of his reincarnations are atoned for. At this moment, the person hands himself over completely to Hashem. This is the secret of the unification of Yaakov and Rachel, where they fall on their faces and surrender their souls to Hashem in absolute nullification to the Infinite.

Before reaching this level, we recite the Vidui (confession prayer): "Ashamnu, bagadnu, gazalnu..." (We have become guilty, we have betrayed, we have stolen...). One must engage frequently in verbal confession, because through confession, one reaches that very nullification to the Infinite.

Another central part of the ascent between the worlds is the recitation of the Kaddish prayer. The Kaddish is the bridge that elevates us from world to world—from Asiyah to Yetzirah, and from Yetzirah to Beriah. But the wonder is that between the World of Beriah and the World of Atzilus, there is no Kaddish! Why? Because the Malchus (Kingship) of the World of Atzilus is already included in the three upper Sefiros (Chochmah, Binah, and Daas - Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge) of the World of Beriah. When one reaches Atzilus, it is already a state of complete nullification, and therefore, there is no need for Kaddish there.

There is No Nature – Everything is for the Best

The goal of all this ascending is to reach the clear realization that "Havayah is Elokim" (Hashem, the God of Mercy, is the God of Judgment). When we recite Kaddish—"Yisgadal v'yiskadash Shmei raba" (May His great Name be magnified and sanctified)—the goal is to magnify His blessed Name, to know that there is none besides Him and the whole earth is filled with His glory. Only a Jew can declare that Havayah is Elokim. The Kaddish connects the Name Havayah (the attribute of mercy) with the Name Elokim (the attribute of judgment), and unifies them, just as it will be in the future to come:

"On that day, Hashem will be One and His Name will be One."

The Name "Elokim" in Gematria (numerical value) equals "HaTeva" (nature). A person must know that there is no nature in the world; everything is Hashem, blessed be He. As a person ascends from level to level, from Asiyah to Yetzirah, from Yetzirah to Beriah, and from Beriah to Atzilus, he merits understanding that all the events he experiences are for his own good. He understands that Hashem is entirely good and does good.

It is impossible to jump through all the worlds at once. One must ascend slowly, from level to level. We start from the bottom, ascend step by step, and when we reach the peak, we are included in the World of Atzilus. There, we reach true nullification, the realization that there is no world and there is nothing—there is only the Infinite. When a person knows with complete certainty that everything is for his good, this is the sign that he is already in the World of Atzilus.

Part 2 of 3 — Lesson No. 251

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