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 by 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 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 desires, he essentially makes a contract with the Satan. And when he tries to do teshuvah (repentance), the Satan complains and says to 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 can you suddenly run away from me?"

The world of Asiyah is a world filled with terrible, thick klipos, and there is absolutely no way to break through them except by a person surrendering his soul to death for the sanctification of Hashem's Name. 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 one's face in supplication).

Visualizing Death and Actual Mesirus Nefesh

During the recitation of the Shema, when saying "Hashem is One," the spiritual work is to visualize death in one's mind. A person must realize that he deserves the punishment of the four court-imposed death penalties—stoning, burning, beheading, and strangulation—for the sins he has committed. This thought alone is enough to atone, because 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 these tortures, Rabbi Akiva accomplished this not only for himself but for all generations until the end of time. 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 "Merciful and Gracious," the person surrenders his soul in actual 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, burn me, cut me with swords, and hang me with ropes."

The Battle with the Yetzer Hara and the Agonies of Death

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

"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 choke you along with your beard and peyos!"

Therefore, to break free from the sins a person has grown accustomed to, 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 counted 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 actual agonies of death, 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 wisdom) and Imma (the Divine 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 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 surrender themselves for the sanctification of Hashem's Name.

The Power of the Tzaddik and the Struggle Against Evil

Through his self-sacrifice, a person throws himself into the klipos (forces of evil) in order to extract from there all the holy sparks that he himself caused to fall. Every person elevates the sparks that belong to the root of his soul, extracting them from evil and the mundane into holiness. Through this, he transforms hell into the Garden of Eden, darkness into light, and bitter into sweet.

The true tzaddik, through the ascent of his soul on high and his passing 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 merely to cry out "Rebbe, Rebbe" in vain, but rather the goal is to receive the strength to truly break free from evil and to practice self-sacrifice.

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 exact same evil that was hidden within him from all his previous incarnations and from the sin of Adam HaRishon (the First Man). 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 battle and emerge from the evil is exclusively through true self-sacrifice.

Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 13

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