The Secret of Emunah (Faith) and Bittul (Self-Nullification): The Power to Stand Against Any Enemy
Lesson No. 173 | Wednesday, Parashas Shemos, the eve of 19 Teves 5759 - Awakening Gathering at the Breslov Beis Midrash, Kiryat Herzog, Bnei Brak
The Torah is not a history book, but a Torah of life that teaches us how to awaken the point of emunah (faith) hidden in our hearts. Through connecting to the true tzaddik and reaching absolute bittul (self-nullification), every Jew can merit miracles and stand heroically against any test and enemy.
Everything in the Torah is eternal. The Torah is not a history book; the stories about Moshe Rabbeinu, Daniel in the lions' den, or Eliezer the servant of Avraham, are not merely events that happened in the past. As Reb Nosson of Breslov explains:
"The story of Moshe and the story of Daniel are not history... They come to teach us in every single generation, at every single moment, and for every single person."
This is the conclusion of this lengthy halachah, and there is much more to elaborate on this, because this is the foundation of emunah.
The Foundation of Emunah: Miracles Belong to Every Jew
When we learn about how a sword was placed on the neck of Moshe Rabbeinu and he was saved, we must know that this is the secret of emunah. The message is that every Jew, at any given moment, can attain such tremendous miracles.
Even if a person feels that he is very low in spiritual stature, the most degraded of all, and does not even reach the ankles of those awesome tzaddikim from ancient times—nevertheless, he must know that he can stand against any hater and against any murderer.
A Destiny of Life Filled with Joy and Dveikus (Attachment to Hashem)
There are indeed generations of persecution or special decrees, as in the case of Rabbi Akiva, whose destiny was to sacrifice his life for Kiddush Hashem (the sanctification of God's Name). His tikkun (rectification) was to show all generations how to cry out:
"Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad" (Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One)
Even when his flesh is being combed with iron combs. Moshe Rabbeinu yearned for the death of Rabbi Akiva, and therefore merited to return as a reincarnation of his soul in order to fulfill this mitzvah of mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) for Kiddush Hashem.
However, aside from rare cases where a person's destiny is to die for Kiddush Hashem out of absolute dveikus, for the most part, the will of Hashem, may He be blessed, is the exact opposite. Hashem wants to save us and give us a long life, so that we may merit to live all our one hundred and twenty years in perfection, filled with joy, dancing, love of Hashem, enthusiasm, and dveikus.
Discovering the Emunah Hidden in the Heart
All the tests a person goes through during his life—the struggles against enemies, murderers, or any other trouble—are nothing but tests designed to reveal the emunah hidden in his heart. The goal is that a person should not fall into despair because of any enemy.
When a Jew is strong in his mind, even the smallest of the small can be like Moshe Rabbeinu, like Daniel, and like King David. When he knows that only Hashem is One, and all other things in the world are illusions that are completely null and void, he will certainly be able to stand against them all.
The Power of the True Tzaddik and the Secret of Bittul
The main thing is emunah in the true tzaddik. It is very difficult for a person to reach such pure and clear emunah on his own. Only one who is attached to a true tzaddik can merit that the tzaddik will awaken and open this point of emunah within him, until he can truly use it in his life.
The true tzaddik is entirely bittul. He has no independent existence or sense of self; he constantly directs his heart and exists in complete bittul to Hashem, may He be blessed.
And whoever merits to draw close to such a tzaddik and receive from him this awesome and lofty level of bittul—merits that all his enemies and all those who seek his harm will bow and fall before him. They will perish from the world, while he will stand firm, and not a single word of his Torah will ever be nullified.
Part 2 of 2 — Lesson No. 173
All parts: Part 1 | Part 2 (current)