Our Teacher, the Elder (the Alter Rebbe) – during the years that he would speak short teachings – said: “‘Know what is above you.’ (Avot 2:1) Meaning, you should know that all which is l’mala –‘above’ – in the transcendent s’firot and partzufim (Divine qualities and personas), all of it is mimkha – ‘from you’ – dependent on human avodah (spiritual practice).”
This radical Hasidic teaching takes a well-known mishna from Pirkei Avot and turns it on its head through a clever word play. The original aphorism says, “Know what is above you” – meaning simply that we should keep God in mind. But the Hebrew idiom for “what is above you,” mah l’mala mimkha – literally means, “what is above, is from you.” So instead of reading it according to the plain meaning of the idiom, “know what is above you,” he’s reading it very literally: “know that what is above you is actually from you” – meaning that God somehow comes from us – arising from, or created by, or dependent upon – us. What could this possibly mean? It sounds like it’s saying that we create God! How could this be? To understand, it is helpful to remember that there are two different modes of talking about the Divine: Ontological and Relational. The ontological mode refers to God’s existence, or being-ness. Normally, the religious person believes that God exists, and the atheist doesn’t believe that God exists. However, the esoteric understanding of God breaks down this duality, because in Kabbalah and Hasidut, God doesn’t exist, God is Existence; God is Being Itself – as the Torah says, Ayn Od – “There is nothing else” – meaning not that there are no other gods besides God, but rather that there is nothing else except God. And also Hashem Ekhad – “God is One” – meaning not that there is only one god, but that there is One God Only – God is All That Is. In this understanding, “God” is synonymous with Existence, Being, or Reality in the ontological sense. But if God is really just Existence, Being, or Reality, then why don’t we just call It Existence, Being, or Reality? Why bring the word “God” into it at all? Because “God” is also a relational word – “God” describes not merely something that exists, but the way in which we relate to that which exists. “God” is, we might say, the deification of Reality. What does that mean? To “deify” means to have reverence for, to surrender to, to hold up as supremely sacred. In this relational sense, Reality becomes God when we step into sacred relationship with It. So what does it mean to step into relationship with Reality as God? It means that this moment becomes the arena in which we meet the One; it means that the fullness of all that arises in our field of awareness, all experience as it appears now, consists of God’s words to us. It means that the movement of our breathing Now is received as a Divine gift. In this way, our words and actions become imbued with a new depth of intention to do our part in the relationship, to make our response beautiful and bring harmony to the dance of the ever-changing moment. This beautifying quality of Presence-In-Action is represented by the s’firah of Tiferet.
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מוֹרֵנוּ הַבַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב אָמַר: כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר אֲשֶׁר הָאָדָם רוֹאֶה אוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ, הוּא הוֹרָאַת הַנְהָגָה בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם. וְזֶהוּ עִנְיַן הָעֲבוֹדָה, לְהָבִין וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל מִכָּל דֶּרֶךְ בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם.
Our teacher the Baal Shem Tov said: Every single thing one sees or hears is an instruction for how to be led in the service of the Divine. This is the essence of avodah – to comprehend and discern from everything a path in which to serve Hashem. - HaYom Yom 9 Iyar, Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Shneerson This beautiful and radical teaching of the Baal Shem Tov has two different levels of meaning: on the surface, it’s saying that “everything you see and hear” is an instruction for your Avodat Hashem (service of God, or spiritual practice). If you look and listen carefully, you will receive a message from God about what you need to do – implying that everyone can be a prophet, at least in the sense of one’s own personal connection with the Divine. But look carefully – it’s actually saying something even more radical: not that within everything you see and hear is an instruction for your avodah, but rather, that whatever you see and hear can instruct you in how to be led in your avodah. In other words, the “seeing” and “hearing” themselves lead us into our spiritual practice. Why? Because “seeing” and “hearing” are forms of paying attention, and the essence of Avodat Hashem IS the act of paying attention! This is clarified by the next sentence, which says that the inyan – the essence or the point of Avodat Hashem – to find your Avodat Hashem in everything. With other endeavors this is not the case: when a doctor seeks to diagnose an illness, the point is not the seeking; the point is the diagnosis. When I have tech problems with my computer and I seek a solution, the point is the solution, not the seeking of the solution. But in this case, the seeking and the finding are one; the paying attention is itself the practice, and Everything we see and hear is “instructing” us in how to be “led” into this essential practice. This teaching is so clever because on the literal level, if we try to receive a message about our Avodat Hashem by paying close attention to everything we see and hear, then the effect will be that we become very attentive to the moment; we will become present. Then, once we are in this state of deep Presence, a profound shift begins to happen; the sacred Oneness blossoms into our lived experience, and we can recognize: this attentiveness is itself is the practice. Our Avodat Hashem is not something to do at some future time, but rather, this heightened alertness in the moment is the point. In Presence, we stand at Sinai once again; this is meditation.
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בִּגְדֵי־קֹ֣דֶשׁ הֵ֔ם וְרָחַ֥ץ בַּמַּ֛יִם אֶת־בְּשָׂר֖וֹ וּלְבֵשָֽׁם׃ They are sacred vestments; he shall wash his body in water and then don them. - Leviticus (Vayikra) 16:4 Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak gives us a profound and practical teaching on this verse, from the collection of teachings known as HaYom Yom: From a siha of my father (Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Shneerson): Hasidut demands that one “...wash their flesh (et b’saro) with water, and clothe oneself in them (the priestly robes).” The power of the mind is the element of Hasidut that “washes” the body and rinses away the impulses coming from the body. These impulses are alluded to by the word et in the quoted verse, signifying that which is comes from the body, meaning: the impulses that emanate from the body. Only then can one “clothe” oneself in the “sacred garments.” Contemplating Hasidut, discussing Hasidut, and the practice of hasidim to meditate (hitbonenut) before davening – these are the “sacred garments,” that are given to us from the heights of holiness. But it is we who must “wash their flesh with water...” Meaning: the “garments of the soul” are given to us from Above. But “washing away” distracting and destructive impulses and making the body itself holy – this is achieved by one’s own efforts. This is what Hasidut demands; it is for this ideal that our great teacher (the Alter Rebbe) devoted himself totally and selflessly. He opened the channel of total devotion, sacrifice, for serving Hashem through prayer, to be bound up with the Essence of the Ayn Sof, the Infinite Divine. Hasidut places a hasid face to face with the Essence of the Ayn Sof. On the surface, the above quoted verse is merely a description of how a kohen (priest) must prepare for service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle), or later, the Beit Hamikdash (Temple): before putting on the sacred garments, he must first wash himself in water. But on a deeper level, both “washing” and “donning sacred garments” are metaphors for particular practices, which we might call the two stages of meditation. וּלְבֵשָֽׁם – …and don the sacred garments. The “garments” consist of hitbonenut – the contemplative practice of bringing into awareness that there is only Hashem, and that everything is part of the Divine. This is the recognition we must cultivate before “entering the temple” – that is, engaging in prayer. But there is a problem – this level of consciousness is easily blocked by the ordinary concerns, stresses, and pains of life. That’s why we first need to “wash with water.” וְרָחַ֥ץ בַּמַּ֛יִם אֶת־בְּשָׂר֖וֹ – v’rahatz bamayim et b’saro – he shall wash his body in water… To “wash the body” means not the physical body, but the inner world of impulses, thoughts, and emotions that arise from it. Here Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak does an interpretive play on אֶת et. The word אֶת et doesn’t translate into English; it simply indicates the direct object of the sentence. But the two letters alef and tav are the first and last letters of the alphabet, representing the whole world. And so “washing et the body” means cleaning out our inner world. But how do we do that? On this the text is silent. However, the simplest way to approach this is through the breath. When you bring your attention to the sensation of breathing—just noticing it, not trying to change it—something begins to shift. All the mental noise, the emotional turbulence, the background tension—it begins to clear. It’s like when the air is full of dust or smog, and then it rains. The rain pulls out all the impurities, and the air becomes fresh, clean and cool; awareness of breathing can function in the same way. In the morning, before doing anything, notice what’s going on in your mind; notice what you’re feeling. Then, bring your attention to the sensation of breathing; this is the first stage of meditation: “washing.” From here, see how your consciousness shifts, how a deeper contemplation of the Reality becomes possible. “What is this Reality I am now meeting? What is this Reality that I Am? Is it not the One Reality present in all things?” This deeper contemplation of the Divine Oneness is the second stage, hitbonenut: “Donning the Sacred Garments.” From here, we are ready to “enter the temple” – prayer becomes authentic, real, and transformative – not mere words and ritual obligations: Modeh/Modah Ani Lefanekha – I give thanks before You for returning my soul…
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The festival of Pesakh is a remembrance and celebration of the Exodus from Egypt. But in Kabbalah and Hasidic teaching, this is not only the Exodus that happened on the physical level 3,300+ years ago, but rather, it is a symbol for spiritual liberation, which is also the goal of many different esoteric traditions.
Nowadays, this idea is not unusual – it is common to see the Exodus as a symbol for some kind of spiritual or psychological freedom, as well as political freedom for people around the world. And part of the life of a Passover seder is the sharing of different views and opinions around the table on what it all means. And while that’s all wonderful, it leaves us with a question: What is spiritual freedom really? Is it just whatever you want it to be or think that it might be? And if we turn to different contemporary spiritual teachers about this question, it gets even more confusing. There’s a story that was told by the infamous guru Osho, that a student came to his master by a river and asked, “How do I achieve Liberation?” The master grabbed his head, pushed it down under the water, held him there for a few moments and then let him to come up for air. He said to the disciple, “When you want Liberation as much as you wanted to come up for air, that’s when you’ll achieve it.” Contrast that with the often-repeated instruction of the well-known enlightenment teacher Adyashanti, who often instructs his students to simply “let everything be as it is.” It’s hard to imagine two teachings being more opposite of each other. Which is it? Fight for your life? Or let everything be as it is? The answer is hidden within the haftarah reading for Shabbat Pesakh – an amazing passage from the Book of Ezekiel, which describes a scene that sounds like it’s directly out of zombie movie. Ezekiel says (in chapter 37) Hashem’s hand came upon me. I was taken out by the Divine Spirit (Ruakh Hashem) and set down in the valley. It was full of bones. I was led all around them; there were very many of them spread over the valley, and they were very dry. I was asked, “Son of Adam, can these bones live again?” I replied, “O my Sovereign Divine, only You know.” And I was told, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of Hashem! Thus says the Sovereign Divine to these bones: ‘I will cause breath (ruakh) to enter you and you shall live again. I will lay sinews upon you, and cover you with flesh, and form skin over you. And I will put breath (ruakh) into you, and you shall live again. And you shall know that I am Hashem!’” I prophesied as I had been instructed. And while I was prophesying, suddenly there was a sound of rattling, and the bones came together, bone to matching bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had grown, and skin had formed over them; but there was no breath (ruakh) in them. Then [Hashem] said to me, “Prophesy to the breath (ruakh), prophesy, O son of Adam! Say to the breath (ruakh): Thus said the Sovereign Divine: ‘Come, O breath (ruakh) from the four winds (rukhot), and breathe into these slain, that they may live again.’” I prophesied as I was commanded. The breath (ruakh) entered them, and they came to life and stood up on their feet, a vast multitude. And I was told, “O son of Adam, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.’ Prophesy, therefore, and say to them: Thus said the Sovereign Divine: ‘I am going to open your graves and lift you out of the graves, O My people, and bring you to the earth (Admat) of Israel. You shall know, O My people, that I am Hashem, when I have opened your graves and lifted you out of your graves. I will put My breath (rukhi) into you and you shall live again, and I will set you upon your own earth (admatkhem). Then you shall know that I, Hashem, have spoken and have acted’”—the Word of Hashem. There’s so much going on here, but I want to look at something in the underlying structure that’s easy to miss. When the bones are about to be resurrected, God says to Ezekiel, “I will put My Ruakh (breath) into them.” But then, God tells Ezekiel to call upon the four winds, and we get the sense that the Divine breath is the four winds. Why four winds? Because as we look through the whole narrative, there are actually four different kinds of Ruakh that are mentioned. Let’s look at each of them. The first is called a Ruakh Hashem – understood in context as the “Divine Spirit,” so ruakh here has the meaning not of breath or wind, but of inspiration, which in English can mean “motivation” or “insight,” but is also related to breathing. This Ruakh Hashem is the initial impulse that Ezekiel feels to be the Divine conduit for what is about to happen. The second type of ruakh is God’s own breath that will enter the bones to bring them back to life. The third type of ruakh describes actual wind, the four winds of the earth, and these are somehow equated with God’s breath Lastly, we have a very strange anomaly. Flesh and skin miraculously grow over the bones and everyone is resurrected. They all stand up, alive and able to speak. But what do they say? Do they thank God for bringing them back to life? Do they sing hymns and prayers for the miracle of coming back from the dead? No! Instead they complain: “Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.” How can this be? Of course, if they were really dead, they wouldn’t be saying anything. Now that they’re alive, they’re kvetching that they’re dead! But God give them a promise: “My breath will enter and you will live again.” Live again? But they are already alive; it seems to not make any sense. But this is the whole point: we are given physical life, but we’re so distracted that we don’t even notice it! We don’t even appreciate it! We are “enslaved by Egypt,” the Mitzrayim of our thoughts and feelings, of our lives in time. And so, the only way we can be truly alive spiritually is to want it more than anything. More than all our cares and worries, more than all our aspirations, our fears, our regrets, our goals, we need to want Liberation. Why? Because letting go of your distractions and preoccupations takes tremendous will and focus. Fortunately, we have a wonderful tool: I will put My breath into you and you shall live. In other words, bring your awareness into your breathing, feel the Divine gift of each breath, allowing everything to be just as it is, and you become spiritually alive, resurrected from the deadening inertia of unconsciousness, and reborn into Presence. And this is the paradox: we need tremendous will and commitment; we need to want it like we would want air with our heads held under water. But the practice itself is the exact opposite – it is a letting go, an allowing of things to be as they are, a resting of awareness moment to moment on the simple act of breathing. And in this simple synthesis of letting go and focus, of will and surrender in one, is the true Exodus – the “going out” from the burdens and dramas of life in time, “coming in” to Life in Presence, Barukh Hashem.
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