The Secret of Tears: The Power to Bring Down Lofty Souls in a Generation of Darkness
Class No. 174 | * Sunday, Parashas Va'eira, Eve of 23 Teves 5759 - Awakening Gathering in Netanya
In a generation where the forces of impurity run rampant and the world seems to be collapsing, the solution lies in bringing down holy souls who will illuminate the darkness. This article reveals how, specifically from within the greatest darkness, a mother's cries and prayers can draw down children into the world on the spiritual level of Avraham Avinu (our Patriarch Abraham), who will bring the Geulah (Redemption).
We are facing a period in which winds of impurity blow so fiercely through the world that it seems no person could possibly stop them. This is exactly why Lesson 37 in Likutey Moharan was written—to halt these terrible forces of impurity. This secret is connected to the mystery of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the two Cherubim, about which it is stated:
"And when Moshe went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the cover that was upon the Ark of the Testimony, from between the two Cherubim."
The goal is to renew the spiritual illumination of the Exodus from Egypt. When the Jewish people sank into the forty-nine gates of impurity, only the power of the tzaddik could pull them out. Today, when the evil inclination runs rampant and people are on the verge of falling into the fiftieth gate, only the power of Rebbe Nachman can pull us out of this. No other advice will help in the face of the new light that must shine upon Zion.
Blindness in the Face of a Collapsing World
In previous generations, the streets were holy and pure, but today the evil inclination rages within a person, and he does not know how to stop it. The only solution is to shine the true Divine light, just as Avraham Avinu did. Avraham was born in a generation of peak impurity, under the rule of the wicked Nimrod, yet he feared nothing. Even though he stood alone against an entire world, he rose up and smashed all the idols.
The Midrash HaGadol recounts the argument between Avraham and his father, Terach. Avraham placed food before the idols, smashed them, and claimed that the largest idol had done it. Terach became angry and said, "Do not tell me stories! They do not see, they do not hear, and they do not know how to hit!" Avraham answered him: "Let your ears hear what your mouth is saying! You admit that they do not see and do not hear, so why do you worship them?"
Terach countered, "Are you smarter than everyone else? For 1,700 years, since the generation of Enosh, everyone has been practicing idolatry and bowing to statues. Are you the only wise person in the world?" But Avraham did not give up and replied, "Where is your intellect? Open your eyes! The world is collapsing!"
The people in Avraham's generation saw the disasters but excused them with natural explanations. Regarding the Flood, they said, "There was a cloudburst, everything was washed away, so let us build tall towers." Regarding the Tower of Babel, which reached a height of tens of kilometers and collapsed, they said, "It was an engineering mistake." Avraham cried out to them: "Do you not see? The ground is slipping out from under your feet! At any moment, the world could cease to exist!" People see disasters, they see death and destruction, but they do not understand that it is their sins and the blemishes of their eyes that bring destruction upon their homes and their children.
Illuminating the Darkness of Achaz
We need a true sun, a Divine pleasantness that will burn away all desires and foolishness, just as Avraham Avinu, who was entirely light, healed and brought to teshuvah (repentance) everyone who came near him. A similar situation occurred in the days of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) the Prophet. Yeshayahu expected that from King Yosam, who was a flawless tzaddik, the King Mashiach would emerge. But to his astonishment, the wicked Achaz was born.
Achaz closed all the synagogues and study halls, bringing a terrible darkness down to the world. For sixteen years there were no yeshivas, and everything was turned into clubs of impurity. Yeshayahu the Prophet saw the terrible darkness and asked himself what could be done. His answer was:
"Behold, I and the children whom Hashem has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel."
The holy Zohar says that Yeshayahu gathered his students and taught them how to draw holy souls down into the world, souls on the level of Avraham Avinu, who could stand against the impurity. When such darkness descends upon the world, the solution is to bring down holy and pure children who will perform signs and wonders, open the heavens, and illuminate Divine lights for everyone.
The Secret of the Dust of the Mishkan and an Ocean of Tears
How does one merit such children? The Gemara in Tractate Sotah says that if a woman drinks from the dust of the Mishkan and is proven pure, or if she does true teshuvah (repentance) and sheds oceans of tears over her sins, she merits a son like Avraham Avinu. When a person transforms himself into 'dust and ashes,' he is able to draw down supernal souls.
This was the case with Chana, who cried out to Hashem at the age of one hundred and thirty. From her tremendous weeping, a Heavenly voice emerged and promised her a son who would bring the entire world back in teshuvah (repentance)—Shmuel the Prophet, who was equal to Moshe and Aharon. The darker the generations become, the more Hashem brings down wondrous and greater souls. From the great darkness of Achaz, a new sun appeared in the world—King Chizkiyahu.
Achaz wanted to burn his son Chizkiyahu in the fire of the Molech, just as is done today when children are thrown into the fire of immorality and clubs. But Chizkiyahu's mother was a righteous woman. She smeared him with the blood of a salamander and saved him from the fire. Everything depends on the mother. If the mother truly returns in teshuvah (repentance) and sheds tears like water, she can give birth to the King Mashiach and bring the Geulah (Redemption).
Do Not Forsake the Teaching of Your Mother
The Zohar Chadash asks why we attribute King Solomon to Batsheva, and the answer is that the entire building of the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) came about in the merit of her prayers during her nine months of pregnancy. Therefore, King Solomon says:
"Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother."
The father is at work or in the yeshiva for long hours, but the child absorbs the essence of Torah and holiness from the mother. The Arizal explains in Eitz Chaim that Hashem arranged for pregnancy to be with the woman because she is the one who prays from the depths of the heart, recites Tehillim (Psalms), and yearns for Hashem. The child receives all the foundations of his life from the tears and yearnings of his mother.
Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 174