The Secret of the "Baby" Aspect: The Power of Guarding the Eyes and the Soul-Impregnation of the Patriarchs

Lesson No. 258 | Cassette 258 Sunday morning, Parashas Re'eh, 19 Menachem Av 5760 in the Yeshiva | Monday morning, Parashas Re'eh, 20 Menachem Av 5760 in the Yeshiva, Lesson 1

The Creator's original intention in the creation of man was that he would remain in his purity like a baby, clean from the blemishes of the world. Yosef HaTzaddik symbolizes the aspect of the...

When Hashem said, "Let us make man," His intention was that man would remain a baby in his spirituality all the days of his life. Even when he has the body of an adult, he must maintain the innocence and purity of a yanuka (infant). Before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, Adam was in this aspect. But the moment he ate from the Tree of Knowledge and began to look in the streets, to search for impure things and to blemish his eyes – he lost the title "Adam" (man) and turned into the aspect of an animal running after lusts.

At the standing at Mount Sinai, when the people of Israel cried out "Na'aseh V'Nishma" (we will do and we will hear), they returned to the state of Adam HaRishon (the First Man) before the sin. Their impurity ceased and the sin was completely nullified. This was a state of the World to Come, the world of souls, a day that is entirely Shabbos without any troubles. But then the Erev Rav (mixed multitude) came, caused them to sin with the Golden Calf, and caused them to fall once again.

The Desire to Remain a Child Spiritually

Hashem wants a person to remain a baby his entire life. He should not think: "When will I already be a big boy and be able to do whatever I want?" The desire to "do whatever I want" is the counsel of the evil inclination and the spirit of impurity. A person should only desire to learn Torah, Gemara, and Mishnah. A baby can easily expel the spirit of impurity from himself, so that he will have no desire whatsoever for anything forbidden. We must learn Torah, Zohar, and Likutey Moharan, until we return to the state of Adam HaRishon before the sin.

The power of the pure baby is immense, to the point that he can heal all the sick people in the world. It is told that when Rebbe Nachman was ill, he asked his little five-year-old grandson to pray for him, saying: "The prayer of this baby is worth more than all the prayers."

The Secret of Yosef HaTzaddik: The Eternal Youth

How can we guard ourselves so that we always remain babies, that we will not want to see what is happening in the streets, and that nothing impure will attract us? The answer lies in Yosef HaTzaddik. The holy Zohar says that Yosef always remained in the aspect of a "youth" and a baby. Yosef was such a tzaddik who always guarded his purity, and therefore he merited that the souls of the Patriarchs would become impregnated within him.

When Yosef was born, Avraham Avinu (who had already passed away) immediately became impregnated within him (a spiritual process where a departed soul assists a living person). Later, when Yitzchak passed away, his soul also became impregnated within Yosef, and so too with Yaakov. When a great tzaddik passes away, whoever focuses their intentions on this can immediately receive the ibur (soul-impregnation) of his soul. In the merit of the Patriarchs' soul-impregnation within Yosef, when he entered the Land of Israel together with Yaakov, the Geulah (Redemption) was already prepared to come immediately. The only reason it was delayed was that the brothers feared the Geulah would come too early, believing that more souls still needed to descend into the world.

Closing One's Eyes to the Impurity of the World

Regarding these pure babies, the verse states:

"The blossoms have appeared in the land" (Song of Songs 2:12).

These are the babies who do not look at what is happening in the streets, exactly like Yosef HaTzaddik. Yosef guarded the covenant with absolute mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice). Even when they pierced him with irons and needles, he never opened his eyes to see evil. He even argued with his brothers about this. The brothers claimed: "We are tzaddikim, we do not see anything, it does not interest us." But Yosef answered them that this is not enough; it is forbidden to see anything impure, even if you are a tzaddik.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov teaches in Torah 65 that it is not enough to walk with closed eyes; rather, one must literally press their fingers into their eyes in order not to see anything evil. The moment we look at impure things or at secular people, we give them the power to live. If we do not look at them, the impurity will be eradicated and disappear. The moment one stops looking at impurity, it loses its power, and those involved either do teshuvah (repentance) or fade away.

Self-Sacrifice for Purity Brings Redemption

Yosef was alone in Egypt, the most impure place, and this is the hardest test of all. Despite this, from the day he was born until the day of his passing, he did not open his eyes to impurity. The Egyptians were angry with him: "Why do you walk around with your eyes closed? You are annoying everyone!" They stabbed him with knives, put him in shackles in prison, and regarding him it is said:

"His soul was placed in iron" (Psalms 105:18).

But Yosef did not care. He absorbed beatings and tortures, provided that he would not open his eyes.

Through those "babies" who guard their eyes and their purity, the holy Patriarchs are revealed, and they are the ones who will bring the Geulah (Redemption) to the people of Israel. Every person must strive to remain in the aspect of a baby, like Yosef HaTzaddik. Whoever merits to learn Torah and give charity in the Land of Israel, merits to have "breath of the mouth in which there is no sin."

Regarding this, Yaakov Avinu (our Patriarch Jacob) blessed Menashe and Efraim:

"May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the lads, and let my name be called upon them, and the name of my fathers."

Why did they merit this? Because they always remained "lads" and small children in their purity. Aside from the holy Torah, nothing else interested them, and therefore they merited to ascend to the spiritual level of the Avos (Patriarchs).

Part 3 of 3 — Lesson No. 258

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