שלהבות של אמונה י״חFlames of Faith 18

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1TIMES OF YOVEL

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2Yovel Moments and the Three Impure Kelippos

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3In our world, the Godly sparks caught within the three lower kelippos are irredeemable. Yovel is a revelation of a new World. In the world of Yovel all Godly sparks may return to their holy roots. Thus, when the light of Yovel glitters, even items of the three lower kelippos might become permitted. Sometimes, the atmosphere from a Yovel-like dimension might enter into our realm of existence.

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4According to Jewish law, when forbidden foods are mixed with permissible edibles, there is a law of bittul, “nullification.” This law states that if the mixture is found to contain sixty times more permitted material than forbidden, the entire combination is allowed. Apparently, through the preponderance of good, the evil is neutralized. Perhaps some of the principles we have discovered in earlier lessons help explain this law. Nullification means that an item loses its identity. We have learned that evil is predicated on arrogance. Loss of identity represents annihilation of ego, hence its ability to remove the strong kelippah quality that surrounds a prohibited food item. Bittul takes a member of the three lower kelippos (prohibited food) and transforms it into a display of nogah (permissible food). In nogah, the spark is closer to its source in holiness. Thus bittul is a light of the final redemption, the time of Yovel—return to Source.

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5Jewish law states, ein mevatlin issur lechatchillah, “One may not deliberately cause a bittul of forbidden foods.” Perhaps the reason for this is that we may not coerce God to bring the redemption; He will send it at the time He deems right.

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6Yovel Holidays

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7Some of the holidays contain emanations from the light of Yovel. The holiday of Chanukah is a time when the hidden light of redemption shines. Chanukah is an eight-day holiday, thus it is connected with Yovel, which is above the natural limits of seven. Yovel breaks through all kelippos, returning sparks and souls to their rightful place; similarly, the light of Chanukah pierces the darkest corners and frees sparks that are usually trapped. This is why even though Mitzvos are usually performed in the home, the Chanukah candles are to be lit in the reshus ha-rabbim, the public domain, which parallels the alma di-prodah, the realm of separation.³³³See Lesson Fifteen for an explanation why evil is represented by the do-main of the many. Ideally, the Chanukah menorah is to be placed on the outside of a door to a dwelling, its message declaring that the private domain really extends into the public street. Where there seem to be many, in truth, it is all One. This is an echo from the final redemption when good will reach everywhere.

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8A group of Chasidim once asked the Seer of Lublin³³⁴Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz was born in 1745 and he passed away in 1815, He was called the Chozeh, the Hebrew word for “Seer.” Due to a child-hood injury he lost physical sight out of one eye, yet due to his great spiritual level he had the ability to spiritually see that which was hidden physically. to curse a Jewish informer who was causing much hardship to his community. The rabbi asked them to write the name of the troublemaker on a piece of paper. When he saw it, he screamed, “I cannot curse this man! His soul is shining in the highest realms of Heaven.” The Chasidim were shocked and they made a shamefaced exit.

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9Life with the informer was intolerable. He continued to prey upon the Jewish community. He had no mercy. He would even report widows and indigent individuals to the authorities. He constantly demanded hush payments of money and honor. After a few months, the Chasidim decided to ask the Rabbi again to do something about the informer.

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10This time they gave the name to the Rabbi, and he immediately cursed it. The Rabbi explained, “When you first came, it was Chanukah, and at the moment I looked at his name he was lighting Chanukah candles. When one lights the menorah, even the worst sinner of the world, his soul shines in the highest points of Heaven. On Chanukah, there is a light from the ultimate age. Then there will be no evil and even the worst will be exceedingly righteous for their yechidah will be revealed. However, now it is a regular day, therefore, the informer is judged on his present level. Today, he does not deserve life.”

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11The holiday of Lag Ba-Omer, the thirty-third day of the Omer count, is also a time when the light of Yovel appears. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s birthday and Yahrtzeit, day of passing, is Lag Ba-Omer. Rashbi³³⁵The acronym of his name. revealed that there was a secret dimension to Torah.³³⁶The gematria of the phrase sod Hashem li-yire’av, “The secret of God is [revealed] to those who fear Him” (353) corresponds to the gematria of the phrase Adoneinu bar Yochai, “Our master the son of Yochai” (354). The discipline of gematria allows for a discrepancy of one, for God comes to complete the numbers (Tzion Ve-Arehah pg. 141). Chayah and yechidah are the parts of the soul that correspond to the sod, the secret part of Torah. His revelation caused the hidden part of Jewish souls to be revealed as well. Once the hidden soul emerges, all are united in a fellowship of perfect virtue.

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12Rashbi had a spark of the soul of Messiah. That is why in the Messianic era, halachah will follow his rulings.³³⁷The Tiferes Shlomo to Parashas Shoftim writes that even though presently halachah is not in accordance with R. Shimon’s views, in the future when the world will be filled with the knowledge of Heaven, we will fully realize how correct his views are and halachah will follow his positions (Tzion Ve-Arehah pg.140-141). His lessons raise souls and reconnect them with their Root in Heaven. Rashbi’s day, Lag Ba-Omer, contains his light, the light of Yovel. That is why all types of Jews come to Meron³³⁸Meron is the town in Israel’s Galil region where Rashbi is buried. to celebrate at Rashbi’s grave on Lag Ba-Omer. There are observant and non-observant Jews there, for all souls sense that Rashbi is the one who restores them to their Source.

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13The holiday of Purim also contains a light from the world of Yovel. Purim celebrates the downfall of Haman, the wicked Persian Prime Minister, who sought to exterminate the Jewish race. Haman had a great hatred toward Mordechai, the leader of the Jews. To hang Mordechai, Haman constructed gallows that were fifty ammos (cubits) tall. The Maharal³³⁹Quoted in Afikei Mayim, Binyanei Chanukah U-Purim, pg. 192. explained Haman’s behavior with the concept of Yovel. Haman sought to arouse the fiftieth gate of impurity, a display of an impure parallel to Yovel. Hence a gallows fifty ammos tall, just as Yovel is the fiftieth year. When God caused Haman’s downfall and Jewry’s salvation, we merited that on the holiday commemorating these events, light of the fiftieth gate of holiness, Yovel, would shine in our world. According to the tradition of the Jewish calendar, in every year, the day of the week on which Purim takes place is identical to the day of the week on which we celebrate Lag Ba-Omer. Perhaps the reason for this link is that both days reveal the light of Yovel.³⁴⁰See Emunas Etecha, Volume 3, pgs. 50-52.

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14The Kelippah Copies the Holy

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15Evil attempts to externally copy the realm of holiness. Lesson Seventeen taught that Bethlehem is infused with the spirit of Yovel. The Messianic era will display an awesome revelation of Yovel. That time will be revealed through a descendent of King David, a child of Bethlehem, the place of Yovel. The souls of Gentile nations sense that Bethlehem contains the spark of redemption and that is why they claim that their leader was the Messiah and that he was born in Bethlehem. In truth, the real Messiah is a reincarnation of King David, a true child of Bethlehem.

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16In the book of Isaiah the prophet revealed that every single human possesses two souls (Isa. 57:16). What is the meaning of two souls? One soul is the breath of God. Lesson Five called this life force the nefesh Elokis. The other soul is the biological soul. It emerges from the kelippos, and in Lesson Five it was called the nefesh ha-bahamis. Since the kelippah copies the domain of the holy, we learned in Lesson Fourteen that the kelippah soul has parts that parallel the five parts of holiness, nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah, and yechidah.

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17Perhaps one can apply the concept of evil as an imitator in the following manner: The essence of life is the Heavenly soul. True life is the experience of serving God. The kelippah apes that concept. It presents physicality as the sum total of existence. To live a life of exclusively physical concerns is like buying a poor imitation of a master painting and paying the price of the original drawing.

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18The Holy Path

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19Lessons Six through Eighteen have revealed that the body can be transformed into holiness. The physical kelippah soul usually emerges from kelippas nogah. Nogah is a mixture of good and evil. The good within nogah is the reason why a tzaddik can transform his body into pure saintliness.

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20All of us can achieve some level of tzaddik-hood. The road map to success in the struggle for virtue is a strong understanding of the human personality. That knowledge can be achieved through defining the Sephiros and their function. Lesson Nineteen will attempt to explain the concept of Sephiros and how they are reflected within man.