The Secret of Faith in the Letters and the Creation of a New Heart

Lesson No. 265 | Wednesday Morning, 4th day of Chol HaMoed Sukkos, 19 Tishrei 5761, at the Wall - Part 2

When Jews suffer from distress and persecution, the inner root of this lies in a lack of intention and faith in the holy letters. This article reveals how a lack of enthusiasm in serving Hashem stems from a root of heresy, and how through studying Halachah (Jewish law) and standing in absolute nullification before the King, one can create a new heart and transform every humiliation into a song of praise.

When we see a harsh reality where Jews are harmed and their blood is spilled, we must know that the true root of all this begins within us. The world tries to find external solutions, sitting for years in universities analyzing society and sociology, but the truth is that the root begins with the fact that we do not stand before the Creator of the world with true intention. "The root begins with me, that I do not pray with intention, that my blood boils and burns and I do not pour water on the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination)." The evil inclination departs only through tears and weeping, as it is stated:

"Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord."

The Root of Heresy in the Heart

The reality in which a person approaches the service of Hashem without intention indicates that a drop of heresy has been cast into him, each person according to his level and aspect. We must serve Hashem with both inclinations, so that the evil inclination will be subjugated to the good inclination, and our hearts will not be divided against Him.

When a person knows with a whole heart that the whole earth is filled with His glory, and that Hashem stands and hears every word, he approaches everything completely differently. "Hashem waits for every letter that we say with intention, with awe, with reverence and love, and with tears, because through each and every letter He can bestow upon you all the abundance in the world."

If a person believed with complete faith that Hashem would help him through the holy letters, he would certainly be filled with great enthusiasm and be very precise in directing his words. The lack of enthusiasm stems from the fact that the person does not truly believe in the power of the letters, and this is exactly the root of the heresy that Rebbe Nachman of Breslov speaks about.

Drawing the Garden of Eden into Life

A person must cry out to Hashem and thank Him for all the good—for family, for health, and for a life of tranquility. We must utilize life to draw the Garden of Eden into our reality. "Draw down the Garden of Eden throughout your entire life through true intention, because this intention is the Garden of Eden itself."

The less a person believes that the holy letters will help him, the less precise he is with them. The lack of knowledge and the concealment of faith stem from the evil inclination in the heart, which hardens a person's heart. In order to merit true intention, Rebbe Nachman reveals to us that we must study many Poskim (halachic authorities) and the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law). Specifically through studying the laws and clarifying what is permitted and forbidden, a person merits to purify his mind and direct his heart.

Creating a New Heart

Rebbe Nachman explains (Likutey Moharan, Torah 55) that the heretics and philosophers are essentially people "without a heart," similar to the well-known story of the Chacham Tzvi regarding the chicken that was found without a heart. They do not have a heart that can contain their intellect, and therefore they fall into sins, as it is written:

"In my heart I have hidden Your word, so that I might not sin against You."

By truly directing our hearts, we accomplish a tremendous tikkun (rectification)—we create a new heart for all those who are far away, and establish complete and true faith within their hearts.

Standing in the King's Palace and Transforming Humiliations into Honor

An essential part of this spiritual work is the ability to transform all humiliations and disgraces into honor. When a person stands in the King's palace, he must completely nullify himself. In such a state, he sees nothing but the King Himself.

In truth, all the disgraces a person experiences are actually songs of praise to Hashem and to the Torah he studies, except that the person's ear is "crooked" and infected with a spiritual inflammation, and therefore he hears things backwards. "A person reverses the combinations of letters. They say something to him, and he hears the exact opposite, imagining that they are disgracing him."

When a person truly stands before the King, he understands that he does not exist at all in his own right. This was the tremendous virtue of Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the most humble of all men. He felt that he was "Ayin" (nothingness), that he did not exist at all, because he saw the King face to face.

Part 2 of 3 — Lesson No. 265

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