The Secret of Recognizing the Creator: Rectifying the Sin of Adam HaRishon and Attaining the "Yechidah"

Class No. 278 | Thursday, Parashas Vayigash, Eve of the 10th of Teves 5769 - Yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of Moharnat zy"a - Part 1

This teaching of Rabbi Berland shlit"a reveals the ultimate purpose of creation—the absolute recognition that Hashem guides the world in every breath and movement. Through the secret of the sin of Adam HaRishon (the First Man), the shattering of the souls into six hundred thousand root souls, and the danger of saying "I," it is explained how the true tzaddik leads us to complete tikkun (rectification) and a life of tangible emunah (faith).

The entire world and all the spiritual realms—Asiyah (Action), Yetzirah (Formation), Beriah (Creation), and Atzilus (Emanation), the Ten Sefiros (Divine emanations), angels, and seraphim—have waited since the day the world was created for this revelation of the Rav and the disciple. This is the revelation of the level of "Yechidah" (the highest level of the soul, representing absolute unity with the Divine), about which Rebbe Nachman said: "I have attained Yechidah at the absolute highest level." The purpose of this attainment is to know that there is none besides Him, that everything is Hashem, and that nothing will confuse a person into diverting his attention from the Creator.

The Rebbe came to reveal to us that Hashem is in the world. This is not merely an intellectual knowledge. It is like the story of the chassid who returned from the Chozeh of Lublin and told his father that the Rebbe taught him that Hashem is in the world. The father called the maidservant and asked her, "Who created the world?" and she answered, "Hashem." The son said, "She says it, but I know that a person must conduct himself according to this." The ultimate purpose is for a person to truly know that Hashem is in the world, and this is what will guide him in every movement, every thought, every word, and every glance.

The Secret of the Snake and the Shattering of the Souls

The Rav and the disciple are the only ones who show us how to practically live according to this recognition, and through them, the tikkun of all the worlds is completed in absolute perfection. The tikkun that will take place now, after the sin of Adam HaRishon and all the spiritual damage of the generations, will be a more wondrous and awesome tikkun than if man had never sinned at all.

The Rema of Fano, in his book Asarah Maamaros, explains that Adam HaRishon contained within him all the souls of all generations. The moment he was enticed and listened to the advice of the snake, his soul shattered and split into six hundred thousand (600,000) root souls, which return anew in every single generation and engage in the tikkun of the world.

"The word 'HaNachash' (the snake) in Gematria (numerical value) is exactly equal to six hundred thousand. How so? You multiply the letter Hei by Nun, which comes out to 300. Nun multiplied by Ches is 400. 400 multiplied by 300 comes out to 120,000, and multiplied by Hei, it comes out to exactly 600,000."

Every particle of Adam HaRishon split apart. There are souls that originate from the toe, from the right finger, from the pinky, or from the hair. Today, we are in the aspect of the "heels," the hard skin of the heel that has no feeling whatsoever. People can live a hundred and twenty years without any spiritual feeling. Only the Rav and the disciple can break through the hard skin of the heels, so that we can begin to feel that Hashem is in the world.

The Complete Tikkun: Transforming Sins into Merits

Specifically through the terrible spiritual descents that everyone goes through, we will merit that everything will be transformed, and the tikkun of the world will be much more beautiful than if Adam HaRishon had never sinned at all. The tikkun is accomplished when sins are transformed into merits, through a broken heart, humility, and lowliness.

The Sages say: "If only the Jewish people would keep two Shabboses, they would immediately be redeemed." All six weekdays are the preparation and tikkun for Shabbos. Adam HaRishon was supposed to rectify the world immediately, in the last three hours of Friday (from the 9th to the 12th hour), solely through prayer. Because the tikkun of the worlds is accomplished only through prayer.

If Adam HaRishon had not sinned, he would have achieved the tikkun of all the worlds immediately. All barren trees would have been fit for eating, and just as it will be in the Future to Come—the earth is destined to produce ready-baked rolls (cakes). All fruits would have tasted like the most delicious cakes, and every day new cakes would have grown on the trees. The entire creation would have turned into the Garden of Eden, without any sorrow, destruction, suffering, or illness.

Shattering the Illusion: Man Does Not Run the World

The ultimate purpose of all creation is to recognize His blessed Name. Adam HaRishon, before the sin, thought for a moment: "I am running the world." Even today, a person thinks he is the ruler of the world—he walks, he breathes, he achieves success. But from Heaven, they show him the truth in a single second.

It is enough for something tiny to shift in the body, just a thousandth of a millimeter, and immediately surgeries, tests, and scans begin. Suddenly, the person sees that he is not God, he is not an angel, and he does not rule over the world. The whole reason we came into the world is to know that we do nothing. We do not speak or think on our own—our thoughts are a signal from Hashem. A person receives a small blow to the head and can no longer think.

If Adam HaRishon had not sinned with the Tree of Knowledge, he would have immediately seen that everything is Hashem. Now, we have to work for 120 years, and sometimes endure illnesses and suffering, just to understand that we are built with "many openings and many cavities." Before a person can truly believe and recite the "Asher Yatzar" blessing (thanking Hashem for the body's functioning) with proper intention, he has to reach the age of sixty, after having already gone through accidents and illnesses, and only then does he understand that if one of these organs were to rupture or become blocked, it would be impossible to survive for even one hour.

The Danger in the Word "I"

A person earns money, builds buildings and yeshivas, and feels like a "big shot." But if he does not know that Hashem did it, it is all considered the "Tower of Babel." As King Solomon said: "I have surely built a house of habitation for You"—the moment a person says "I built," it is decreed upon the house to be destroyed.

By the Maggid of Mezeritch, it was forbidden to say the word "I." It is told that when the Baal HaTanya brought him his book Birkos HaNehenin, the Maggid did not want to look at it. The Baal HaTanya forcefully pushed the book toward him, until the Maggid asked, "Who made this?" The Baal HaTanya answered, "I did." By the Maggid, saying "I" was considered the destruction of the world! Afterwards, they caught the Baal HaTanya on the road in an inn and beat him mercilessly, and he cried out, "Not I! Not I!" When he asked why this happened to him, they answered him, "Because you said 'I'."

All of the Torah, the learning, and the prayers are meant for us to know that Hashem does everything. We do not move a hand, we do not move a foot, and we do not breathe on our own. "Let every soul praise God" — for every single breath, we must dance and sing, and recognize the Creator of the world.

Part 1 of 2 — Lesson No. 278

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