The Secret of the Broken Heart: From Nullifying Pride to True Love for the Jewish People
Class No. 90 | Tuesday, Parashas Bechukosai, 20 Iyar 5757 | Old Class
An in-depth class explaining how doubts and pride blemish one's service of Hashem, and how specifically a broken heart and true joy lead to deveikus (attachment to Hashem). Through stories of tzaddikim, it is revealed that the true test of Torah study is whether it brings a person to Ahavas Yisrael (love for fellow Jews), humility, and giving to others, or, Heaven forbid, to pride and division.
The moment a person has a question or doubt about the tzaddik, this question turns into a snowball that continues to grow. It was with this kind of question that they committed the sin of the Golden Calf. Sometimes, a person brings his friend a small question, a slight doubt, or a bit of confusion. From this, the confusion intensifies until, after a month or two, it leads to making the Golden Calf.
In Egypt, the Jewish people had no confusion whatsoever regarding Moshe Rabbeinu. They cried out to Hashem from the hard labor and knew that their troubles came to them because of their sins. However, in the desert, after they went out surrounded by the Clouds of Glory, manna descended for them from heaven, and water flowed from the rock—suddenly, a doubt about Moshe Rabbeinu popped into their minds.
"The one who brings doubt about the tzaddik is called Amalek. Every doubt about the tzaddik stems from a distraction of the mind."
The Power of a Broken Heart
Sometimes a person exempts himself from serving Hashem, such as the daily hour of hisbodedus (secluded prayer), and turns this into an ideology. He tells his friend, "It's not suitable for you either." Instead of rejoicing in his friend's success, he tries to break him. On the other hand, there is a person who does not merit to fulfill a certain practice, and as a result, he acquires a terribly broken heart. Specifically through this broken heart, he merits to ascend higher and higher.
This was the case with a certain disciple of the Chozeh of Lublin. The eve of Pesach arrived, and he had absolutely nothing for the holiday. His wife pleaded with him to ask the Chozeh for help, but he refused, believing with perfect faith that the Chozeh sees everything. After the morning prayer on the eve of Pesach, the Chozeh instructed one of the wealthy men to provide this disciple with all the holiday necessities. His home was filled with every good thing—matzah, wine, meat, and fish.
The disciple, seeing how he had merited such abundance in the merit of his trait of bitachon (trust in Hashem), conducted the first Passover Seder with tremendous enthusiasm and immense joy. But in the morning, when he came to the synagogue for prayer, the Chozeh wished a "Kosher Pesach" to everyone, yet ignored him completely. The disciple was shattered into pieces: "Woe is me, how have I sinned and what is my transgression?"
On the second Seder night of the Diaspora, he was no longer capable of conducting the Seder because he was so broken. He fell asleep at the table out of sheer sorrow, and only an hour before dawn did he wake up and conduct the Seder hurriedly, with his heart shattered into a million pieces. In the morning, the Chozeh approached him with a joyful face and blessed him warmly.
The disciple asked in astonishment: "Rebbe, I conducted the first Seder with such enthusiasm and you didn't even look at me, and now, when I barely did anything, you shine your face upon me?" The Chozeh answered him: "When you said 'yes'—they said 'no' in Heaven. What you say, they do not say in Heaven. Everything is the opposite of what a person thinks."
True Joy and Submission
A person might think that his spiritual service is unsuccessful, but specifically then, his Torah study ascends. Conversely, there is a person who studies Torah and embodies the aspect of Lavan the Aramean—full of pride from his learning. It is difficult to distinguish when joy stems from pride and when it stems from deveikus (attachment) to Hashem.
True joy is the recognition that everything is a gift from Hashem. "The joy must be such that a person sees the gift—that Hashem had mercy on a sinner and transgressor like me." As Rabbi Nasan said: The more you feel like a sinner and a transgressor, the greater your joy over Hashem's mercy should be.
This is the essence of the joy of Purim. The disciples of the Baal Shem Tov explained why Purim is greater than Yom Kippur: On Yom Kippur, we stand in the synagogue in deep deveikus, facing the wall. But on Purim, a person is told to dance, eat, and drink—and amidst all this physical involvement, to keep his mind attached to Hashem. This is a much harder and higher level of spiritual service.
The wicked Haman came to Achashverosh and claimed that the Jews only celebrate: "Today is Shabbos, today is Pesach," and the king derives no benefit from them. Haman used tremendous sorcery, as Rabbi Nasan explains (Hilchos Geviyas Chov MiYesomim, Halacha 3), sorcery from the fiftieth gate of impurity. But Mordechai's power lay in prayer. He refused to ascend to places of pride and impurity, and in the merit of this, Hashem turned the curse into a blessing out of His immense love for the Jewish people.
The Aspect of Yaakov vs. the Aspect of Lavan
"How goodly are your tents, O Yaakov, your dwelling places, O Yisrael."
The power of Yaakov is love and unity—no one sees the flaws of the other. In contrast, the aspect of Lavan is to study Torah in order to boast, to insult, and to mock others. A person finishes studying a page of Gemara, and sits with his friends for a "friendly chat" whose entire purpose is to laugh at this person or that person.
Rabbi Nasan and the disciples of Rebbe Nachman laughed at the world, but they laughed at the lusts—at the lust for money and honor. They did not laugh at people. "When is a prayer fulfilled? Only when a person fulfills 'Do not despise any man.' When he has true compassion and love for every single Jew."
Yaakov Avinu (our Patriarch Jacob) took the stones and united them into a single stone – he connected all the hearts of the Jewish people with love. But in the morning, when he arrived in Charan, it says: "And he lifted up his voice and wept." Why did he weep? Yaakov saw through Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) how in the future, people would take the Oral Torah (which is compared to Rachel), and instead of it bringing about love and bittul (self-nullification), it would instill hatred, division, and arrogance in people.
The True Test of Torah Study
The true test of Torah study is chesed (loving-kindness). After learning, do you look for ways to help another Jew? Hillel the Elder saw a wealthy man who had lost his fortune and was ashamed to go out into the street without a servant running before him. What did Hillel do? He went himself and ran before him like a servant.
As brought down in the words of Reb Noson (Halachos of Netilas Yadayim, Halacha 6), Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair found two se'ah (measures) of barley that Jews had forgotten at his place. Instead of taking it for himself, he planted it, harvested it, guarded the grain, and planted it again and again for seven years. When those Jews returned, they found entire storehouses of grain waiting for them, all out of compassion and Ahavas Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew).
The same was true of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, who found chickens that were forgotten at the entrance to his home. He raised them, sold them, bought goats, and established entire flocks for their true owners. When the neighbors complained about the noise, he miraculously proved to them that his goats did not steal anything.
The holy Torah teaches us the aspect of Yaakov: Instead of persecuting another in the name of false "justice," we must be ready to help and support every Jew out of true love. If a Jew lacks a horse to ride on, or if he is ashamed of his situation – our role is to care for him, to fulfill his needs, and to greet him with a shining countenance.
Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 90