The Secret of Bitul and Mission: From the Rectification of Souls to Entering Gan Eden

Lesson No. 497 | Tuesday, Parashas Nitzavim-Vayeilech, 19 Elul 5766 - General Lesson Part 2

A profound discourse explaining the difference between a Geulah (Redemption) that comes b'itah (in its designated time) and one that comes achishenah (hastened), revealing how personal biases blemish one's spiritual mission. Through the figures of Avner ben Ner, Yosef HaTzaddik, Yehoshua bin Nun, and Eliezer, the servant of Avraham, the secret of absolute bitul (nullification) to the tzaddik is revealed—a state that allows a person to shed their physicality and enter Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) alive.

There is a deep concept regarding the difference between a Geulah (Redemption) in the aspect of achishenah (hastened) and a Geulah in the aspect of b'itah (in its designated time). When the Jewish people were in Egypt, they said to Moshe Rabbeinu: "Let us wait another two hundred and ten years so that it will be a complete Redemption." Everyone saw through their ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration) that there would eventually be the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and they said it would be better to wait. However, Moshe Rabbeinu told them: "If we wait even one more day, we will sink into the fiftieth gate of impurity, and there will be no one left to take out. There will be no First Temple and no Second Temple. Go out now, and whatever will be, will be—sufficient is the trouble in its time."

The holy Arizal explains that if the Geulah (Redemption) comes b'itah, in its fixed time, everything proceeds according to order. The Jewish people have the strength to withstand the hardships, and every soul undergoes its tikkun (rectification) through reincarnation after reincarnation in an orderly fashion. However, if the Geulah is in the aspect of achishenah, the souls have not yet finished undergoing their rectifications. Therefore, when King Mashiach comes, all those who killed unintentionally during the two thousand years of exile—during times when there was no Sanhedrin and no witnesses—will have to reincarnate and undergo a tikkun. This will manifest in car accidents or people having objects fall on them from a roof, and they will have to be exiled to cities of refuge until the death of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) in order to complete their tikkun.

The Blemish of Avner ben Ner

Based on this secret, the matter of the death of Avner ben Ner is brought down. Avner was the tzaddik of the generation, the greatest among giants, who merited to be buried near the Cave of Machpelah alongside the holy Patriarchs. He was the greatest tzaddik after King David, and he was even supposed to ascend to the spiritual level of Binah (Understanding). The question is asked: If so, why was he killed?

The answer is because he lacked true *bitul* (nullification) to King David. Regarding this, King David said: "Should Avner die the death of a scoundrel?" Meaning, Avner died before his time. If he had lived a little longer and achieved complete bitul, he would have reached the immense spiritual level of King David himself. Since he lacked this bitul, his tikkun (rectification) was completed specifically through his being killed.

The Sin of Yosef HaTzaddik's Subtle Bias

The need for absolute bitul and purity from any personal motive also appears with Yosef HaTzaddik. In the book Zichron Yaakov, a tremendous novel insight is brought down: Yosef HaTzaddik went to check on the welfare of his brothers on the mission of Yaakov Avinu. If so, how is it possible that he was punished and sold as a slave while fulfilling the mitzvah of honoring his father?

The explanation is that Yaakov Avinu told him to go as far as Shechem and bring back word. Yaakov sat and counted the hours and days. Walking from Chevron to Shechem takes about three days, and another three days back, plus the time spent with the brothers. Yaakov calculated exactly when Yosef was supposed to return. However, Yosef arrived in Shechem, did not find them, and continued to Dothan—a journey of another day and a half.

Why did Yosef continue? Because he wanted to make peace with his brothers. But here, a personal negiah (bias) had already entered. The moment a person has a personal bias, even a holy desire to make peace with his brothers, he no longer has the complete merit of honoring his father and mother. Yosef should have thought only of the pain of his father, who was counting every minute and worrying that a wild beast might have devoured him. The moment he had the subtlest of subtle motives to feel good with his brothers at the expense of his father's exact command, the mission was blemished.

Self-Sacrifice Without Ulterior Motives

We find a similar blemish of personal bias with Haran, the brother of Avraham Avinu. Haran jumped into the fiery furnace in Ur Kasdim, and this was an immense act of mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice), in the merit of which he was privileged to have Sarah and Rivkah descend from his seed. However, he had a subtle ulterior motive—he hoped he would be saved from the fire just as Avraham was saved. Because of this motive, he was burned, and he had to reincarnate as Aharon HaKohen to rectify this through pure mesiras nefesh for the sanctification of Hashem's Name.

In contrast, with Yehoshua bin Nun, we see the perfection of humility and bitul. Many students secretly wait in their hearts for the leader to pass away so that they can lead the generation. This was the case with Avshalom, who waited for King David to die, and this is what the spies said to Yehoshua: "You want to enter the Land of Israel because you want to be the leader in place of Moshe." But Yehoshua was clean of any ulterior motive. He truly and sincerely wanted Moshe Rabbeinu to live and continue leading. This was the immense humility of Yehoshua, who merited to bring the Jewish people into the Land out of absolute bitul to his teacher.

Eliezer, the Servant of Avraham: Entering Gan Eden Alive

The most prominent example of absolute bitul in a mission is Eliezer, the servant of Avraham. His entire mission to find a wife for Yitzchak was contrary to logic. Avraham, who was commanded at the age of seventy-five, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace," was now sending Eliezer, when Avraham was one hundred and forty years old, back to that same birthplace and that same family to take a bride from there. Eliezer could have argued: "How is this possible? To return to a place of idolatry?" But Eliezer nullified his own understanding: The Rebbe said to go—he goes.

When Eliezer arrived and saw Rivkah, he saw through his ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration) that Esav was destined to descend from her (as hinted in the words "and her pitcher was on her shoulder" [vechadah al shichmah]—the acronym of which spells Esav). He wanted to return and say to Avraham: "What do you want to come out of this shidduch (marriage match)? Esav!" But he immediately overcame this and said to himself: "If I saw it, surely Avraham saw it too."

Eliezer continued to look with his ruach hakodesh hundreds of years ahead, and he saw the sin of the Golden Calf and the breaking of the Tablets that were destined to occur. To rectify this in advance, he gave Rivkah two bracelets, which represent the secret of the 'Second Tablets,' and thereby he continued the mission and performed a tikkun for her.

When Lavan came out to meet him and said to him: "Come in, blessed of Hashem," the Chiddushei HaRim explains that Eliezer faced his final and most difficult test. Eliezer was originally from the seed of Canaan, about whom it was said "cursed," and Avraham had told him that the cursed cannot attach to the blessed, and therefore his daughter was not fitting for Yitzchak. Now, when he heard a Heavenly voice telling him that he had left the category of cursed and entered the category of blessed, he could have returned to Avraham and said: "Look, I am already blessed! Take my daughter for Yitzchak!"

But Eliezer overcame this challenge as well. He said: "I am continuing to the end, whatever will be, will be. I am taking this shidduch for Yitzchak." In the merit of this absolute bitul, in which he erased all his own desires and personal biases for the sake of the tzaddik's mission, Eliezer merited something wondrous: A person who follows the tzaddik with closed eyes sheds his entire physical body and merits to enter Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) literally alive.

Part 2 of 2 — Lesson #497

→ Previous part

All parts: Part 1 | Part 2 (current)