The Secret of Miriam's Well: The Source of All Torah Insights and Spiritual Intellect
Shiur (lesson) No. 185 | Thursday, Parashas Vayikra, 1 Nissan 5759 - Hachnasas Sefer Torah (Torah scroll dedication) at the Yeshiva
The Torah, at its core, is absolute spirituality. When a person learns without seeking honor or materialism, their mind can expand infinitely without forgetting. This article reveals the secret of the soul of Miriam the Prophetess, through whom all Torah insights and explanations flow to all the tzaddikim (righteous ones) in every generation. It also explores the immense power of her well, which is destined to burst forth from the Holy of Holies and heal the entire world.
The Torah is absolute spirituality; there is no materialism in it whatsoever. The ceremony of a Hachnasas Sefer Torah (Torah scroll dedication) is an aspect of Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah), an aspect of the revelation of the Two Tablets that were given with thunder and lightning. In truth, the body is merely a garment for the soul. Before the sin of Adam HaRishon (the First Man), humanity had "garments of light" (spelled with the Hebrew letter Aleph), and everything radiated. The heel of Adam HaRishon shone brighter than the sphere of the sun.
The Sfas Emes (on Parashas Ki Sisa) says that everyone can reach the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, who merited to completely strip away his physical body until the skin of his face radiated and blazed like the sun. As the Rambam writes in Hilchos Teshuvah (The Laws of Repentance), every Jew can reach the level of Moshe Rabbeinu. Everyone can bring down Torah with thunder and lightning, because the Torah in its entirety is spiritual.
The Secret of Memory and Forgetfulness in Torah Study
A spiritual entity does not take up physical space, and therefore the Torah can expand and reside within a person's mind infinitely. However, if someone materializes the words of Torah and turns them into something tangible—for example, if he learns in order to receive honor and thinks about how he will look and be considered important among others—then the Torah becomes limited and measured in how much his mind can grasp.
The physical mind is restricted and fills up quickly. The moment the mind becomes filled with the honor of what he has already learned, he loses the desire to learn new things. And if he wishes to attain more, what has already entered his mind will be pushed out. If a person turns the Torah into something tangible and material, he forgets everything. This is where forgetfulness comes from. But if a person transcends materialism and does not make the Torah into anything physical, he will learn and learn, and he will remember everything.
The Three Luminaries: Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam
The holy Zohar and the Vilna Gaon explain the verse:
"And I sent before you Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam."
Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam walk before us in every generation. Moshe Rabbeinu brought us the Torah, Aharon protects us through the Clouds of Glory, and Miriam brings us all the water and drink. The Zohar says that these are the three luminaries visible in all generations: the sun, the moon, and the stars. The illumination of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam shines in all the firmaments, in all the Sefiros (Divine emanations), and among all the angels. Moshe was Chochmah (Wisdom), Aharon was Binah (Understanding), and Miriam was Daas (Knowledge). All the Torah intellect that we merit is in the merit of Miriam's Well.
The Soul of Miriam: The Conduit for All Torah Commentators
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov reveals a tremendous secret (Likutey Moharan, Torah 20): All Torah explanations and all novel insights are revealed in the merit of Miriam's soul.
"And know that there is a soul in the world through which all novel insights, all explanations, and all commentaries are revealed, and she is burdened with suffering... Bread with salt you shall eat, water in small measure you shall drink, and upon the ground you shall sleep, for such is the way of Torah."
This soul is the one that channels the entire Torah to all generations. All the Torah commentators, all the tzaddikim, the Rebbes, and the Roshei Yeshivas in every generation—they all receive their Torah from the soul called Miriam. She receives from Moshe and channels it to us. Whoever is connected to Miriam, no barrier will stand before him; he will break through all obstacles, and his mind will open up to grasp everything.
The Power of Miriam's Well in the Desert and in the Future to Come
The Gemara and the Tosefta in Tractate Sukkah describe the immense power of Miriam's Well. In the desert, the well was a giant rock that rolled along with the Jewish people on their journeys. When they would encamp, the rock would stand suspended in the air opposite the entrance of the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting) and begin to pour forth mighty streams of water until the entire desert turned into an ocean.
The waters flooded the entire desert, and the tents stood like islands. The Children of Israel would sail in boats from tent to tent. The currents were so powerful that anyone who wished could reach any corner of the world in the blink of an eye and bring back diamonds and precious stones. If a person is connected to Miriam's Well, he will lack nothing, neither in spirituality nor in materialism.
And so it will be in the future to come. Miriam's Well is currently hidden beneath the Even HaShetiyah (Foundation Stone) in the Holy of Holies, waiting for the moment to burst forth. In the future to come, waters will flow from there that will wash over the entire world, stream into the Dead Sea and the Hula Sea, heal all the waters in the world, and bring a cure and life to all of creation.
The Fire of Torah and the Histalkus (Passing Away)
In order to receive holiness from the Torah, a person's words must be like fiery coals. Only when a person speaks with a flaming fire, with tears and a trembling heart, can he draw down chidushim (novel Torah insights) from the Well of Miriam.
When Miriam passed away (histalkus), all the explanations of the Torah departed with her. Suddenly, darkness descended in the middle of the day. The Children of Israel returned from the burial and their minds were blocked—they opened a Gemara and could not understand, they opened a Mishnah and could not understand. They ran to Moshe Rabbeinu and cried out, "What happened here? What darkness has come to the world!" This is because all spiritual attainments, all opening of the mind, and all the light of the Torah depend on the connection to that supernal soul, to the Well of Miriam.
Part 1 of 4 — Lesson No. 185