The Secret of the Song of Faith and Returning the Lost Object to the Souls of Israel
Lesson No. 74 | * Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Vayeshev, the eve of 27 Kislev, the 3rd candle of Chanukah 5757 - A lesson for the young men of the group in the Kloyz in Beis Yisrael
An in-depth article on the power of the tzaddik's melody to awaken the song of faith and draw souls out from the depths of heresy. The Rav explains how faith itself becomes an advocate for the most distant ones, and why eating with holiness brings the Geulah (Redemption) closer.
"On that day, Hashem will be One and His Name One."
During Chanukah, parnassah (livelihood) and all the abundance in the world are drawn down. The oil of Chanukah represents the aspect of wisdom, and it opens the eyes, as it is stated: "And the eyes of both of them were opened" – referring to wisdom.
Oil opens the heart and grants understanding, as it is stated: "Oil and incense rejoice the heart." The oil alludes to wisdom, and the incense alludes to understanding. The oil of Chanukah draws down upon us a tremendous abundance of wisdom, and then our eyes are opened.
The holy Rebbe Nachman says that a person lives a hundred and twenty years only to merit seeing his own lowliness. When a person merits to recognize his lowliness, he attains complete faith. From this faith, a song is born, as it is stated: "You shall sing from the peak of Amana (faith)."
Rebbe Nachman brings down in Torah 64 in Likutey Moharan that there is a special song – the "song of faith." The moment we reach this song, at that very moment the Geulah (Redemption) will arrive. A person's entire spiritual work is to reach this song and this melody, and the more he merits this, the more wisdom is bestowed upon him.
The Power of the Tzaddik's Melody
Through the melody of the true tzaddik, who embodies the aspect of Moshe Rabbeinu, it is possible to elevate all the souls from heresy and from the Vacated Space. When the tzaddik plays his melody, he draws the lost souls out of the darkness.
We must know that the heretics are not to blame. They simply lost their faith. Just as a person loses a precious object, gold or a diamond, so too their faith was lost to them due to an overwhelming amount of desires and sins. Our role now is to return their faith to them – to fulfill the mitzvah of returning a lost object for them. Regarding this it is stated: "And you shall return it to him; you cannot hide yourself." We must advocate for them, pray, and beg for mercy on their behalf.
The True Wealthy Ones and Eating with Holiness
Rebbe Nachman says (Torah 62) that when a person merits faith, he is obligated to advocate for everyone. A person who has an abundance of gold has pity on the poor who do not even have a piece of bread. A person without faith is a person without a piece of bread – he has no vitality, he has nothing to live for. Those who have merited faith are the "true millionaires."
When people of faith eat with holiness, through every piece of food they put into their mouths, they unify the Holy One, Blessed be He, and His Shechinah (Divine Presence). This is the secret in the verse: "And Boaz said to Ruth at mealtime, 'Come over here.'"
Boaz wanted to test Ruth through her eating. He said to her, "Come eat, let us see how you eat. If you eat with holiness, it is a sign that you are worthy to be my wife and to bring forth the King Mashiach." When a person sanctifies his eating and eats without physical desire, he becomes so holy and pure that he can bring the King Mashiach.
The Chamber of Faith and the Advocate
When a person merits perfect faith, the faith itself advocates for all those who are distant. In Heaven, there is a chamber called the "Chamber of Faith." Faith stands before Hashem, Blessed be He, and begs for mercy on all those heretics who walk in darkness, without any vitality, not knowing what to do with their lives.
Seemingly, what merit can be found for a heretic who does everything to anger Hashem? But faith comes and says, "This person simply lost his mind. There is no greater loss than the loss of the mind, and the true mind is faith."
Faith itself advocates before Hashem, Blessed be He, and says: 'What do You want from these people? They have lost their hearts, they have lost their minds, they are operating without a brain.' Thus, in the merit of the perfect faith of the tzaddikim, tremendous mercy is awakened for all those who are distant, and faith itself asks Hashem to draw them back under the shadow of His wings.
The Danger of Nature and the Human Intellect
The fall into heresy begins when a person thinks that everything operates according to nature, and that "the world pursues its natural course." This was exactly the mistake in the sin of the Golden Calf. The question is asked: How is it possible that the "generation of knowledge," who had just stood at Mount Sinai, could err and make a calf immediately after forty days?
Rebbe Nachman explains (Likutey Moharan Part II, Torah 32) that they had deep intellectual rationalizations. The holy Arizal says that the Golden Calf was made corresponding to the face of the "ox" in the Supernal Chariot. They saw the revelation of Hashem in the Chariot and mistakenly thought they were permitted to make an image and likeness of one of the angels of the Chariot.
This same mistake was repeated by Yerovam ben Nevat, who set up two calves and misled Israel. Rebbe Nachman says that if even a single page from the books of Yerovam ben Nevat had remained, there would have been no survival for Israel. His rationalizations were so convincing that on one clear day, everyone left Jerusalem and went to Dan and Beit El, with actual mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice), in order to worship idolatry. If, Heaven forbid, a single page of those external wisdoms had remained, everyone would have been convinced and it would have been completely impossible to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed.
Part 1 of 3 — Lesson No. 74