The Secret of the Great Tikkun, the Tree of Knowledge, and the Fiery Torches of Mashiach

Lesson No. 263 | * Monday, 3rd day of Chol HaMoed Sukkos, Eve of 18 Tishrei 5761 - Yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of Rebbe Nachman in the Beis Midrash at Ido HaNavi

A profound discourse explaining the secret of the 'Great Tikkun' (rectification) accomplished through the tears of women, the power of Torah study to generate physical and spiritual abundance, and the ability to attain the level of prophecy and the spark of Mashiach ben David through the dancing at the Simchas Beis HaShoeivah (Water Drawing Celebration).

The sin of Adam HaRishon (the First Man) was that he left his wife with the snake; he did not go to lift her up and save her. Now, the holy Arizal says, a great tikkun (rectification) is made for women. This tikkun is expressed by creating a section for them above the men's section.

The Great Tikkun and the Tears of Women

In the past, the women were inside and the men were outside, and later the men were inside and the women were outside, but they saw that each time they would intermingle. Therefore, they decided to make a "great tikkun." The Bnei Yissaschar explains that the great tikkun is like a paradigm of the upper realms. Through all the women uniting, with their crying, their spiritual awakening, and their tears, they elevate the prayers of the men. It is brought down in the holy books that the women, with their weeping, are the ones who actually lift the prayers on high.

For this reason, they placed the women's section above, and through this, the great tikkun is accomplished—that now they elevate Rachel (representing the Divine Presence in exile), they elevate emunah (faith), and they elevate her to the level of Da'as (Divine Knowledge). On Rosh Hashanah, Rachel has not yet merited to see Da'as, but on Yom Kippur, she already ascends to Da'as. She ascends to the Da'as of Binah (Understanding) during the Chazzan's repetition of the Shacharis (morning) prayer, then reaches Chochmah (Wisdom) and Binah during Mussaf (the additional prayer), and reaches Kesser (Crown) during the repetition of the Ne'ilah (closing) prayer.

The Arizal asks: If all the tikkunim (rectifications) are made in Rachel, why do the men need to fast? The answer is that since it is impossible to separate men and women and say that the women will fast and the men will not, everyone fasts. But in truth, all the tikkunim are in Rachel, and this is the great tikkun.

The Light of the Torches and the Renewal of Creation

This great tikkun is also accomplished during the Simchas Beis HaShoeivah. In the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple), they would dance until morning, and they obligated the women to come and watch all the dancing, the songs, and this awesome spectacle of dancing with torches of light. We learned that a woman would sift wheat by the light of the torches of the Simchas Beis HaShoeivah. The Bnei Yissaschar says: Sifting wheat means that she merited to rectify the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, because our entire spiritual work is to rectify the sin of the Tree of Knowledge.

Regarding the verse, "When you come into the land and you shall plant every tree for food," the Aptar Rav (author of the Ohev Yisrael) says: Moshe Rabbeinu told the Jewish people to start planting trees. Seemingly, did Moshe turn them into "kibbutzniks" (farmers)? After all, it is stated:

"And you shall meditate therein day and night"

The Gemara in Tractate Kesubos and the Midrash relate that when the tribe of Zevulun would go out to conquer, the fruits were enormous—every fruit was the size of a room in a ship! They were asked: What kind of scientists do you have? The answer is that when one learns Torah, everything grows on its own. There is no need to plant, sow, or water. The rains fall, and through Torah study, everything sprouts, grows, and rises higher and higher.

The Power of Torah to Bring Down Wealth

The Gemara relates that Rabbi Chiya bar Abba was the teacher of Reish Lakish. Once, Reish Lakish did not come to the yeshiva for three days because he was busy with his parnassah (livelihood). He saw a massive crop and enormous clusters of grapes, and he was afraid they would rot, so he went to harvest them. When Rabbi Chiya asked him why he was absent, Reish Lakish told him: "On the first day, I found a cluster the size of a se'ah (a large biblical measurement), on the second day two clusters, and on the third day already three clusters the size of a se'ah!"

Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said to him: "If you had not gone to harvest, it would have continued to grow! You should have let it grow and you would have had an enormous cluster sufficient for the entire year, and the rest you would have sent abroad with the sailors of Zevulun, and you would have been the wealthiest person in the world." Because all wealth descends during the holiday of Sukkos, and it descends solely through Torah study.

The Taste of the Tree Like the Taste of the Fruit

The book Imrei Yosef brings a profound explanation in the name of the Aptar Rav for the verse, "And you shall plant every tree for food." Moshe Rabbeinu is saying to the Jewish people: I want you to reach such a spiritual level that every tree you plant in the Land of Israel will be on the level of the trees in the Garden of Eden—that the taste of the tree will be exactly like the taste of the fruit. The tree itself will be edible food!

If they had not sent the spies, they would have reached such levels. The reason that today the tree is not edible is because we are blemished and full of superficiality and kelipos (spiritual impurities). When we are filled with evil desires, the trees are also filled with kelipos.

The Fiery Torches of Mashiach and Prophecy

But the moment a person has no evil desires whatsoever, he will be entirely a flaming fire for Hashem, may He be blessed. The "luminaries of fire" will transform into "luminaries of light," and the person will be a torch of fire. The torches that we see, the torches of fire (lapidei eish), have the same gematria (numerical value) as "Mashiach ben David" (lapid = 124, eish = 301, together 425. Mashiach ben David = 424, and with the kollel [adding one for the entire concept] it is 425). Every torch of fire is a spark of Mashiach ben David. The spiritual work is to transform the luminaries of fire into luminaries of light.

Because of this, Devorah the Prophetess was called "Eshes Lapidos" (Woman of Torches). Everyone can receive prophecy now! When dancing with the Torah scroll at the Simchas Beis HaShoeivah (Water Drawing Celebration), one can receive prophecy, exactly as Yonah the Prophet prophesied from the Simchas Beis HaShoeivah. When one truly dances with the torches and with the Torah, without talking or playing around in the middle, they can reach the level of Yonah the Prophet with the torches of fire, which is a spark of Mashiach ben David. And may we merit that the Geulah (Redemption) will come and the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) will be built speedily in our days in the blink of an eye, Amen.

Part 3 of 4 — Lesson No. 263

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