The Secret of Mesirus Nefesh: How We Break Through the Klipos of the World of Asiyah

Lesson No. 13 | * 22 Iyar 5755 (Continued from No. 12)

In the World of Asiyah (Action), there are immense klipos (spiritual husks) created from a person's sins, and the only way to break free from them is through mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice). When a person accepts upon himself the agonies of death, he awakens the merit of the Ten Martyrs, causes supernal yichudim (spiritual unifications), and brings down new souls into the world.

In the World of Asiyah, there are terrible klipos. When a person sins and falls into lusts, he essentially makes a contract with the Satan. And when he tries to do teshuvah (repentance), the Satan comes with claims and tells him: "You have a contract with me, why are you running away? After all, He who exacted retribution from the Generation of the Flood and the Generation of the Dispersion, will exact retribution from one who does not keep his word. How are you suddenly running away from me?".

The World of Asiyah is a world filled with terrible and thick klipos, and there is absolutely no way to break through them except by a person sacrificing his soul to death for the sanctification of Hashem's Name (Kiddush Hashem). Twice a day, a person must surrender himself to death: once during the recitation of the Shema, and a second time during Nefilas Apayim (falling on the face during Tachanun).

Visualizing Death and Actual Mesirus Nefesh

During the recitation of the Shema, when saying "Hashem Echad" (Hashem is One), the spiritual work is to visualize death in one's thoughts. A person must know that he deserves the punishment of the four death penalties of the Beis Din (Rabbinical Court)—stoning, burning, decapitation, and strangulation—for the sins he has committed. This thought alone is enough to atone, since accepting the agonies of death in one's mind achieves its intended effect.

Regarding this, Rabbi Akiva said:

"All my days I was troubled by this verse: 'With all your soul'—even if He takes your soul. I said: When will the opportunity come to my hand so that I may fulfill it?"

By accepting the tortures, Rabbi Akiva acted not only for himself but for all generations until the end of all generations. And whenever a person accepts upon himself the agonies of death, he connects himself to Rabbi Akiva and to the Ten Martyrs.

Afterward, when reaching Nefilas Apayim, in the mystical secret of "Rachum V'Chanun" (Merciful and Gracious), a person actually surrenders his soul in practice. Not just in thought like during the Shema, but he surrenders himself to death out of a genuine desire: "I want them to stone me, and burn me, and cut me with swords, and hang me with ropes."

The Struggle Against the Yetzer Hara and the Agonies of Death

Regarding the verse about the sin of Adam HaRishon (the First Man), it is stated:

"For on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die."

The meaning is that from the day a person sinned, he cannot escape the control of the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) except through the agonies of death. When a person does teshuvah (repentance) and grows a beard and peyos (sidelocks), the Yetzer Hara mocks him: "Do you think I am frightened by your beard and peyos? After all, we were good friends, we danced together and ate together. I can strangle you along with your beard and peyos!"

Therefore, to break free from the sins to which a person has become accustomed, he must undergo the agonies of death. He needs to say to the Yetzer Hara: "We are done! Either I slaughter you, or I slaughter myself. One of us is going to be slaughtered right now." Regarding this it is said: "For Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are considered as sheep for the slaughter." A person must be willing to jump off a roof just to avoid committing a sin.

The Creation of New Souls and the Sweetening of Judgments

When a person is willing to accept upon himself the agonies of death in practice, he awakens Above the merit of the Ten Martyrs who literally surrendered themselves to death. Through this mesirus nefesh of the lower realms, he elevates all the sparks of holiness that fell into the klipos, and causes supernal unifications—the unification of Zeir Anpin (the Divine emotional attributes) and Malchus (Kingship), and the unification of Abba (the Divine Father/Wisdom) and Imma (the Divine Mother/Understanding).

As a result of this inner unification, new angels are created and entirely new souls are born. These angels accompany the person and perform miracles and wonders for him, in the mystical secret of the verse:

"For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."

Bringing down these new souls into the world is the only way to fight against apikorsim (heretics) and heresy. This is also the mystical secret of the Shemitah (Sabbatical) year and the Yovel (Jubilee) year, during which entirely new souls descend through those who sacrifice themselves for Kiddush Hashem.

The Power of the Tzaddik and Coping with Evil

Through his mesirus nefesh, a person throws himself into the klipos in order to extract from there all the sparks that he himself caused to fall. Every person elevates the sparks belonging to the root of his soul, extracting them from evil and the mundane into holiness, and by doing so, he transforms Gehennom (Hell) into Gan Eden (Paradise), darkness into light, and bitter into sweet.

The true tzaddik, through the ascent of his soul Above and through his histalkus (passing away) from the world, elevates the sparks of the entire world and of all generations. Therefore, when a person comes to the grave of the tzaddik, the goal is not just to pointlessly cry out "Rebbe, Rebbe," but the goal is to receive the strength to truly break free from evil and to practice mesirus nefesh.

Sometimes, specifically after drawing close to the tzaddik, it seems to a person that the evil within him is only growing stronger. But the truth is that this is the very same evil that was hidden within him from all his past gilgulim (reincarnations) and from the sin of Adam HaRishon. Until now, he simply did not notice it, and now, when he wants to be holy, he begins to feel the intensity of the struggle. The only way to win this struggle and break free from the evil is solely through true mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice).

Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 13

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