The Secret of Drawing Close to the Tzaddik and Dealing with Questions
Lesson No. 71 | *Yahrzeit of the Holy Rebbe, Monday, Eve of 18 Tishrei 5757 *Continuation of Lesson No. 70 on the Yahrzeit of the Holy Rebbe.
On the day of the hillula, the tzaddik ascends to tremendous levels and can rectify every person, but many miss this when they are only searching for \
Rebbe Nachman writes at the end of Torah 62 that "the essence of all things is the beginning." A person must know that the day of the hillula is a new day that has never existed before. On this day, the tzaddik makes entirely new ascents and performs wondrous tikkunim (rectifications) that he does not do on any other day of the year. He ascends to infinite levels and degrees, and now he has the power to elevate each and every person and transform them from one extreme to the other.
Everything a person thinks about himself being elevated and uplifted – it is all illusions. With the tzaddikim, the reality is the opposite: the more they ascend, the more they only feel that they are descending and becoming lesser. They feel true lowliness, that they are beneath every person. This is the greatness of the tzaddik, in the aspect of:
"In the place of his greatness, there you find his humility."
This illumination of humility is the illumination of Yom Tov. Rebbe Nachman explains (Torah 135) that on Yom Tov, a person can see his true state and understand that he is worth nothing. In routine life, he has a schedule, a yeshiva, and fixed times for learning. But on Chol HaMoed, when the days of "Bein HaZmanim" arrive, he suddenly discovers that it is difficult for him to even open a book.
He wanders around for hours, moving to and fro, right and left, up and down, like a lulav to all six directions with eighteen wavings, until he finally opens the book – and immediately falls asleep over it. Specifically in these situations, a person can truly see where he is holding and what his true level is. This is exactly why one comes to the tzaddik – to receive this illumination of truth and humility.
The Danger of Searching for a "Flag" and Uniqueness
But unfortunately, sometimes a person draws close to the tzaddik and becomes a "Breslover," and immediately begins to feel that he is the most special of all. It is human nature to love feeling different and unique. He does not care if they call him Breslov, Satmar, or Gur – the main thing is that he has some flag to wave, so he can say: "I am not like everyone else, I am something new."
Ninety-nine percent of a person's drawing close sometimes stems from a search for social uniqueness, and not from a true search for Hashem. The proof of this is that it is difficult for him to open a book or pray with intention. He is looking for a new Chassidut or a new society just to feel special.
If this is a person's vitality – the desire to be "other" than the next person – it is a great pity that he came to the tzaddik. In this way, he loses out on all the wondrous tikkunim (rectifications) of the tzaddik, especially on the holy day of the hillula where there are such tremendous ascents.
The Tanakh Class of Achav, King of Israel
In the month of Tishrei, a revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi shines, in the aspect of:
"As Hashem lives, before whom I stand" (Kings I, 17).
Eliyahu HaNavi merited to stand before Hashem in the World of Atzilut. From there, he was sent to confront Achav, King of Israel. Achav would boast of his knowledge of Torah, to the point that he began delivering heretical "Tanakh classes." In one of his lectures in Jericho, Achav claimed that Yehoshua bin Nun was greater than Moshe Rabbeinu.
Hashem sent Eliyahu to listen to this lecture. Achav stood before the audience and proved his claim from the verses. He quoted the words of Moshe Rabbeinu in the reading of the Shema:
"And the wrath of Hashem will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain, and the earth will not yield its produce."
Achav turned to the audience and asked: "Moshe Rabbeinu swore in the name of Hashem that if we worship idols, the rain will be withheld. And behold, I have covered the entire Land of Israel with billions of idols. There is not a furrow of a plow that does not have an idol in it. And despite this – the sun shines, the rain falls in its season, everything is blooming, and there is tremendous abundance in the world! Where have the words of Moshe Rabbeinu been fulfilled?"
Why Do the Words of the Tzaddik Appear Unfulfilled?
In contrast, Achav continued, look at Chiel of Beit El, our mayor who rebuilt Jericho. Yehoshua bin Nun cursed whoever would rebuild Jericho: "With his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with his youngest he will set up its gates." And behold, every word of Yehoshua was fulfilled precisely in Chiel! His sons died exactly as Yehoshua prophesied. "If so," Achav concluded, "the words of Yehoshua are fulfilled, whereas the words of Moshe Rabbeinu are not fulfilled!"
At that moment, Eliyahu HaNavi stood up in the middle of the lecture and cried out: "As Hashem lives, before whom I stand! I swear right now that the words of the tzaddik will be fulfilled in their entirety. You have no right to ask questions about Moshe Rabbeinu!" At that moment, Eliyahu decreed that neither dew nor rain would fall.
From here we learn a tremendous foundation. When the tzaddik has mercy on the Jewish people and turns a blind eye to their sins, it seems to people that his words are not fulfilled. This situation gives birth to endless questions about the tzaddik. A person can live twenty-four hours a day with questions and wonderings about the conduct of the tzaddik.
The Secret of the Questions: The Perfection of the Tzaddik's Covenant
Rebbe Nachman explains that this is a necessary situation. The more questions a person has about the tzaddik, it only shows that the tzaddik is more true, pure, and refined, to the point that there is no grasping or comprehending him.
The true tzaddik is the aspect of "Covenant" (Brit) – the perfection of guarding the covenant, holy of holies, closed eyes, and completely pure thought. A person who is still immersed in evil thoughts and forbidden gazing cannot understand anything about the conduct of the tzaddik. Therefore, the questions and difficulties regarding the tzaddik increase from day to day.
With the tzaddik, the secret of "covering a handbreadth and revealing two handbreadths" is fulfilled. His conduct is hidden from our eyes, and a person is left with endless wonderings, until he merits to rectify himself and guard the covenant in holiness. Only then will he be able to begin receiving the mind of the tzaddik in perfection and understand that all his words are alive and enduring.
Part 1 of 4 — Lesson No. 71