The Secret of Spiritual Descents and the Ascent to Atika Kadisha
Lesson No. 303 | Tuesday, Parashas Behar-Bechukosai, 22 Iyar 5761 - Bris
A profound discourse explaining the secret of the spiritual falls and descents that a person experiences in their life, through the teachings of the Holy Ari.
The wife of On ben Peles saved him from the dispute of Korach. While Korach tried to incite him, she stood her ground and told him over and over again: "Moshe is a tzaddik! You will see that the day will come when this Korach will do evil to Moshe Rabbeinu, do not be his friend." Despite the temptations, this is the role of the woman, about whom it is said:
"The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down" (Proverbs 14:1).
That same doe, the Congregation of Israel, who lets out her roars from the straits, ascends to the highest possible place—to "Atika Kadisha" (The Holy Ancient One, representing the highest level of Divine will and mercy). When the Jewish people stood at the sea, they were at a loss. They did not know what to do: flee to the desert, fight the Egyptians, surrender, or perhaps jump into the water and drown. The main thing for them was that they should not be abused, that the Egyptians should not do to their sweet children what they had done in Egypt, for the Egyptians were bloodthirsty and could not calm down until they saw people bleeding. Some of them said: "Let us jump into the sea and drown; maybe a few will swim and cross to the other side, the main thing is that we do not die unnatural deaths."
And then Hashem said to Moshe:
"Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the Children of Israel and let them journey forth" (Exodus 14:15).
The matter depends on Atika (the highest Divine level). Hashem told them: Now you must ascend to Atika Kadisha. Cry out even more, elevate everyone to Atika. And this is what we merit now when we travel to Rashbi—we ascend to Atika Kadisha. Rashbi already ascended to Adam Kadmon (the primordial spiritual realm), was incorporated into all the Sefiros (Divine emanations), and ascended higher and higher to the level of "Yechidah" (the highest level of the soul) at the ultimate, supreme peak.
The First Spark That Splits the Sea
The Holy Ari explains in Shaar HaKavanos the secret of these days. On the night of the Seder, all the lights descended, all the forty-nine gates and all the forty-nine Sefiros. On the Seventh Day of Pesach, we already receive "Mochin d'Gadlus" (expanded consciousness). It is a reshimu (a lingering impression), a small spark, but with this spark, the sea is split.
Therefore, the Seventh Day of Pesach is a complete Yom Tov (festival), on which the Egyptians were drowned and the sea was split. Even though on Isru Chag (the day following the festival) an even greater consciousness enters, the main thing is the first spark. The main thing is the initial enthusiasm, which splits the sea, which breaks through everything. The importance lies in how a person becomes ignited with their first enthusiasm, and therefore Isru Chag is also not a completely ordinary weekday.
All the yichudim (Kabbalistic unifications) that take place during the forty-nine days of Sefiras HaOmer are still in the aspect of "Mochin d'Katnus" (constricted consciousness), until we reach the festival of Shavuos. Even though they contain aspects of expanded consciousness, everything is still called constricted, because Zeir Anpin (the Divine configuration of the lower emotions) has not yet grown to perfection.
The Secret of Descents and the Cry of Truth
In the Zohar (Parashas Beshalach, page 52b) regarding the splitting of the Red Sea, Rashbi said:
"In this matter, do not ask and do not test Hashem."
My teacher zt"l explained this teaching of the Holy Ari to us. Where people descend to and where people fall to—this is a secret of secrets that is forbidden to speak about. But the main thing is how one holds on, and how one cries out during the time of descent.
As Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman said: "A word of truth emerges only during a time of descent." When the intellect departs and everything is blocked, a person does not know where they are falling or where they are arriving in their falls. But then they cry out, they weep, they know that Hashem is God. What does it matter if I fell or didn't fall, if I learned or didn't learn? Hashem is here! Rashbi is here! The Holy Ari and the Zohar are here! The mind is blocked, so I cry for my mind to be opened.
Why is it specifically during times of descent that one receives the word of truth? Why is it specifically when all the Egyptians and all the kelipos (spiritual impurities) take over a person and turn them over from every side, that specifically then a true word emerges? Because then the doe is split open and then the birth occurs. One must go through such terrible descents just to let out one true cry.
The Raven and the Awesome Secret of the Ari
Rabbi Chaim Vital tells us where these secrets were spoken. He gathered all the fragments of the Holy Ari's words, and relates that once they were sitting in the field under the trees. Suddenly, a raven blacker than black passed by, squawking and calling out. The Holy Ari said: "Baruch Dayan HaEmes" (Blessed is the True Judge). He understood that at that moment, one of the greatest wicked men in Safed had passed away, and his soul had reincarnated into this raven.
The raven revealed to the Arizal who it was through its cawing. It said to him, "Rectify me, I am the wicked butcher who caused trouble for everyone and beat everyone; perhaps you can perform a tikkun (rectification) for me." The raven also hinted to the Arizal that his son would now die. The moment the Arizal spoke of these awesome secrets—why people go through such spiritual descents—it was decreed upon his son to pass away from the world. As soon as the Arizal arrived home, he saw that his son had a high fever that kept rising, and within twenty-four hours, he passed away from the world.
Holding On at All Costs
Why, indeed, must everyone go through such descents, falls, and blemishes of the covenant and the eyes, when a person does not want this at all? Everything depends on reincarnations. It is not that he suddenly became a tzaddik now; in all his previous reincarnations, he committed every sin in the world. He never traveled to Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai), but instead traveled to all sorts of questionable places. And suddenly, in his hundredth reincarnation, Hashem helps him and he remembers to travel to Rashbi.
Now he is given all the thoughts from all his reincarnations, and he must hold on. He just needs to hold on—hold on for thirty years, hold on for forty years! His mind does not open, he goes through terrible suffering, and he already wants to leave. He thinks, "Here they are not helping me at all, they bring me no benefit," and he does not understand that he is actually being driven away from the Tree of Life in order to test him.
But if, despite being driven away, he cries out:
"But as for me, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness I will come into Your house; I will bow down toward Your holy temple in awe of You" (Psalms 5:8).
Then he truly merits. The main thing is to be with Rashbi, not just to talk about Rashbi. The Arizal saw Rashbi standing on the grave, and to be with Rashbi is to be in Atika Kadisha (the Holy Ancient One, a high Kabbalistic level). This day is like Yom Kippur, on which all sins are forgiven.
Everyone who truly merits to be with Rashbi needs to know that the main thing is to hold on, each person in his own matters and his own tests, for these thirty or forty years until his mind opens. And then he will receive such a light, and he will ascend to Atika Kadisha. And each one of us who ascends to Atika Kadisha will be able to bring the King Mashiach and build the Holy Temple speedily in our days, in the blink of an eye, Amen!
Part 3 of 3 — Lesson No. 303