The Secret of the Small Hair: The Virtue of Nullification, Humiliations, and Igniting the Spark

Lesson No. 267 | Continuation of Wednesday, Parashas Noach, Eve of 4 Cheshvan 5761

A profound discourse on the power of nullifying oneself to the tzaddik and the secret hidden in accepting humiliations with love. Through the secret of the hair in the tefillin, Mount Tavor, and Devorah the Prophetess, it is revealed how lowliness and a broken heart are the key to achieving perfection, and from them grows the ability to go out and awaken every Jew to teshuvah (repentance).

The Power of Nullification to the Tzaddik

The Tribe of Zevulun was completely nullified to King David, in the ultimate state of self-nullification. The Midrash Rabbah on Parashas Kedoshim teaches us a tremendous foundational principle: Whoever is nullified to the tzaddik with all his heart, even if he does not always manage to have the proper intentions or concentrate properly, the very act of nullification merits him to win every battle. Even though the men of Zevulun did not always have the heart to focus with perfection, in the merit of their absolute nullification, they would emerge victorious in all their campaigns.

The Secret of the Hair in the Tefillin

From the head tefillin emerges a tiny hair, a millimeter or two in size. According to Kabbalistic secrets, this tiny hair is greater and higher than the entire tefillin themselves. What is the secret of this hair? It symbolizes the person who undergoes humiliations. When a person is degraded and insulted, he becomes "microscopic." From so much humiliation, he becomes completely nullified, to the point where he can no longer even be seen.

"The wicked watches the tzaddik, and seeks to slay him" (Tehillim 37:32).

The wicked "watches" and completely nullifies the tzaddik. Yet, specifically from that point of nothingness, the person ascends to the highest spiritual levels—to Arich Anpin (the Divine manifestation of infinite patience and mercy), to Atik (the most concealed, ancient level of Divine will), and to Adam Kadmon (the primordial spiritual realm). He is absorbed into the Ein Sof (the Infinite), becomes "Ayin" (nothingness), and unites completely with the Creator, may He be blessed.

Mount Tavor: Joy in Humiliations

Regarding Devorah the Prophetess, it is stated:

"But they that love Him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might" (Shoftim 5:31).

The Sages interpret this verse as referring to "those who are insulted but do not insult, hear their reproach but do not reply, act out of love and are joyful in suffering." Joy in insults does not merely mean dismissing the one who humiliates you by saying, "So-and-so is crazy" or "So-and-so is wicked." As explained in the Biur HaLikutim, truly accepting humiliation means experiencing it to the fullest and admitting: "I deserve this, I am truly flawed, I am truly lowly and worse than everyone."

This is the secret of the victory of Devorah the Prophetess at Mount Tavor. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov reveals (Likutey Moharan, Torah 11) that the secret of Mount Tavor (תבור) lies in it being "broken" (שבור - shavor). Mount Tavor is the place where one attains a truly broken heart and absolute lowliness. Devorah attained this aspect of Mount Tavor—four parsas (miles) of lowliness and brokenness, the inner recognition that I am worse than all the tzaddikim, all the Admorim (Chassidic Rebbes), all the Roshei Yeshivas, and all the Rabbis. Everyone is a tzaddik, and only I am not a tzaddik.

The Perfection in Humility

Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk zt"l would say: "What difficulty is there in working on the trait of humility? After all, every Jew is presumed to be kosher and upright. Surely everyone guards their thoughts and their eyes. The only criminal is me! Could there possibly be a bigger criminal than me?"

Rebbe Nachman once testified that he only saw true perfection in Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk. True perfection is humility. This is the same perfection of Devorah at Mount Tavor, the deep recognition that I am less than everyone—not only less than all the tzaddikim, but even less than all the average people and all the wicked people.

The Call to Go Out and Awaken to Teshuvah

From that very point of lowliness, we understand that everyone is destined to return in teshuvah (repentance), and therefore the obligation rests upon us to go out right now and awaken the Jewish people. We must dedicate time to this, but it must be done with holiness and proper preparation.

Going out without praying Shacharis (the morning prayer) is worthless. One cannot go on an outreach journey just to "have fun," driving for hours, drinking tea, eating cakes, and returning late at night. If this is the nature of the trip, it is better to stay home. Success depends on going out with awe and love, in holiness and purity, guarding one's eyes, and after profound spiritual preparation: waking up for Chatzos (the midnight prayer), an hour of Hisbodedus (personal, secluded prayer), and praying Shacharis with deep intention. During the prayer, one should specifically focus during the blessing of "Hashivenu Avinu l'Toratecha" (Return us, our Father, to Your Torah), as written in the Siddur of the Arizal, that every person should have in mind their relatives, that they should all return in complete teshuvah (repentance).

The Emergency Hour of the Jewish People

We are in a period where the nations of the world are passing judgment upon us. The media portrays the people of Israel as war criminals and murderers, while they depict our greatest enemies as noble men of peace. We have reached an absurd situation where leaders declare the greatest terrorists to be "the most righteous and loyal people in the world," hugging and kissing them, while rabbis and Torah-observant Jews are presented as criminals and hypocrites.

For years, they have been broadcasting to the world that those who hate Zion are specifically the Haredi and religious Jews, while the lovers of Zion are supposedly our enemies. The entire world is issuing a harsh verdict against the Jews, and this is exactly the moment to bring the people of Israel back in teshuvah (repentance). Instead of waiting, we must act immediately.

Igniting the Jewish Spark in a Single Second

Every person can bring his brother back in teshuvah (repentance), and there is no such thing as a lost cause. Look at Yosi ben Yoezer, who brought his nephew, Yakum Ish Tzrorot, who was a massive criminal, back in teshuvah. Yakum rode a horse on Shabbat (and there is an opinion that it was on Yom Kippur), and mocked his uncle who was on his way to be hanged.

Yakum said to him: "Look who Hashem loves! To me, He gave a good life, a beautiful horse, and a luxurious villa. And what did He give you? A leaking hut, a shtender (study stand), and a narrow room of four amot (cubits). And look, now you are going to be hanged!"

Yosi ben Yoezer answered him with one crushing sentence: "If it is so for those who anger Him—how much more so for those who do His will!" Meaning, if to a wicked and brazen person like you Hashem gives such a beautiful portion in this world, imagine what awaits those who do His will in the World to Come. And if I, who did His will, have such an end in this world—what will your end be?

With these few words, Yosi ben Yoezer ignited the Divine spark within him. There is no need to talk much; sometimes you enter a house, say two words, and ignite the Jewish spark.

Fanning the Burning Coals

Rebbe Nasan of Breslov teaches that every Jew has a spark that burns twenty-four hours a day, consuming the body and the soul. It is told of the Maggid of Mezritch that he arrived in a certain city and did not succeed in awakening its residents to teshuvah. They asked him: "You succeed in awakening people everywhere, why not here?"

The Maggid answered them with a parable: A man brought a bellows to his home, and the maidservant pumped it for long hours but no fire came out. She claimed that he had been cheated, but he explained to her: "The bellows is meant to blow air where there are coals! You pumped it into an empty oven. I can only fan the flames where there are coals."

However, Rebbe Nasan stated a tremendous foundational principle regarding this: Every Jew has burning coals in his heart! Every Jew is a fiery oven! The problem is that the sand of sins, heresy, and disgraceful deeds covers the coals. Our role is only to bring one gust of wind that will blow away all this sand. This is exactly what Yosi ben Yoezer did—with one gust of wind, he blew away mountains of sand from the heart of Yakum Ish Tzrorot, and ignited a massive fire within him.

This is the time when it is possible to ignite the fire in every Jew. If we all go out as one man with one heart, out of prayer and humility, we will be able to awaken the entire people of Israel to teshuvah.

Part 2 of 3 — Lesson No. 267

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