YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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Introduction to the Thought of Rav Nachman of Breslov

By Rav Itamar Eldar

Shiur #9b: "Where is the Place of Your Glory?"
CONTINUED

	In last week's shiur, we saw that Rav Nachman believes that sometimes it is the lack of possibility for utterances of holiness - the lack of ability define or to locate the Divinity itself becomes the inner part of that place.  Inability itself can become an encounter and dialogue with that point when it is directed toward Hashem. R. Nachman conveys the same idea, through his wonderful use of metaphor and symbol, in one of his sichot:

...A difficulty is posed by the first letters [kuf, shin, yud and alef] of the words, "Hear, O God, my voice when I cry out" [shema Hashem koli ekra] (Tehillim 27:7). In all circumstances, Hashem hears his voice, and that is his salvation. It appears to me that there is something missing there.  The whole point is that the cry in his heart is itself a reflection of faith. Despite all of the great heresies and questions that arise in him, because he cries out, there must certainly still be in his heart a spark and point of pure faith, for if (heaven forefend) he no longer had any spark of that faith at all, he would not cry out. Hence the cry itself represents faith.  Understand this? Also, through the cry one merits to achieve faith. For the cry itself is a reflection of faith, as mentioned, but the faith here is extremely limited. Through the cry itself, one may merit to achieve faith – i.e., to raise and enlarge the faith until all his questions leave him. And even if he does not merit to achieve this, nevertheless the cry itself is very good, as mentioned above (Likutei Moharan 146). 

R. Nachman, who is well known for his use of the wisdom of the Hebrew letters, reveals that the word "kushia" (a difficulty) is made up of the first letters of the words "shema Hashem koli ekra" (Hear, O God, my voice when I cry out).  In a previous shiur we saw that the response given to problems, Divinity is to be found, for within the utterances of holiness all of man's situations of distress are answered, Now R. Nachman teaches us that Divinity is to be found already in the problem or difficulty itself, when it turns into a cry of "ayeh." This cry exposes the most inner point, which is indefinable. It is not the response to difficulties, nor is it the solution to problems. It is, all in all, a cry. A cry that expresses the hidden and most primal foundation to be found in existence – the concealed and Infinite foundation.

Let us return to the continuation of this teaching:

And this is a reflection of teshuva, for the crux of teshuva is when a person desires and seeks after Hashem's glory, and sees that he himself is far removed from His glory. He longs for it, and asks in distress "Ayeh (where is) the place of His glory?" This itself is his teshuva and his repair.

We are now able to fully understand the concept of the past shiurim.  The Torah, to R. Nachman's view, belongs to the aspect of Hashem's revealed glory, which extends to the edges of the polluted places but does not enter them. It is not appropriate for Hashem's glory to dwell within impurity. The Torah takes pains, as R. Nachman emphasizes, to observe the distance between Hashem and man between Hashem's loftiness and the lowliness of material beings. In this way the Torah truly represents that glory that does not dwell in murky places. But as we have seen, there is a revelation that is higher than Hashem's glory, and this revelation finds expression in a spiritual movement on the part of man: teshuva.

Teshuva, teaches R. Nachman, is based on the fact that "there is no place that is devoid of Him," even polluted places. There is a Godliness that is even higher than the glory of Hashem presented in the Torah. It is a light that is not revealed a Godliness that is undefined, and hence conflicts less with different realities. The higher the Godliness, the more the differences that are clarified in the process of revelation are blurred. And when there are no differences and no boundaries, then Godliness can dwell even within impurity and live with it. But it should be remembered that the essence of this Godliness is that it is devoid of boundaries and definitions. This Godliness establishes teshuva, which allows man, even in those places, to revive himself with the Godliness that is to be found there. For this reason R. Nachman encourages us by teaching that since teshuva is higher than the Torah, a person is able to revive himself in that place where Hashem's "Torah" glory cannot reach, but Hashem's sealed and hidden glory is to be found there. It is specifically the loftiness of this glory and its elevation beyond any definition or realization that gives it the ability to dwell in polluted places.

This paradox, whereby the highest thing is able to dwell in the lowest place, represents a fundamental principle in man's life. For this reason, for example, R. Nachman's tzaddik can descend to the lowest places without suffering harm. Similarly, the most elevated teacher is the one who is able to teach the lowest students (as we saw in shiur #6). The divisive reality and its contrasts and contradictions is a function of the descent and incorporation of ideals. The higher one climbs, the greater the degree to which the contradictions are gradually nullified and unity is gradually strengthened, until we reach Infinity, the dwelling place of Unity where Hashem is One and His Name is One.

And there are many other matters contained in this, for when a person walks upon a path, or when he goes upon a path of spirituality, then the Torah goes before him, as we learn, "It will guide you in your ways." For it contains many aspects, since each person follows his own teaching. And before any Torah there is an aspect of doubt, as in the case of innovative teachings of Torah. Before one can create a new Torah thought, there are first certain doubts and confusions before he clarifies and explains the matter properly. And these doubts represent the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which itself represents "noga," and when he reaches the Torah itself, this represents the tree of life... 

R. Nachman considers it important to emphasize, specifically on the basis of bringing the polluted places into the realm of Godliness, that a fathomless divide nevertheless extends between these places and others. A person strive toward the tree of life, to the place where Godliness exists not only in concealment but also in revelation. As we saw in the first shiur in this series, the purpose of existence as a whole is revelation, and therefore a person must aspire to this, even though it is possible to encounter God in polluted places:

And this is the meaning of the statement, "If a person says to you, Where is your God? Tell him – in a great book of Rome," for even though they are full of gods and idolatry, even so Hashem is concealed there. And the principle is that if one falls to there, heaven forefend, then when he begins to ask, "Where is the place of your glory?" by means of this he revives himself through the vitality of holiness. For the vitality of the kelipot ("shells") comes only from concealment, since Hashem is concealed there in the most hidden way possible, to the point that He is not recognized there at all. But immediately when one asks, "Where is the place of His glory?" then it is clear that there is after all an awareness of Him, only that it is concealed and hidden, and hence [he asks] the question. By means of this itself he revives himself in the place of his descent, for it is a reflection of the "sealed utterance," from whence they receive their vitality, only the vitality of the kelipot is from the concealment. But he revives himself through the vitality of holiness in the place of his descent, by means of the seeking and searching "Where is the place of His glory?" And thereafter he merits to ascend from there altogether, towards holiness itself, i.e., to the place of revelation of Hashem's glory, for the essence of holiness is that Hashem's glory be revealed. Blessed be Hashem forever, amen and amen. (Likutei Moharan Tanina 12). 

R. Nachman draws an analogy between the two questions, "Where is your God?" and "Where is the place of His glory?" If we understand him correctly, that he seeks to identify these two aspects with each other, then he proceeds here beyond that which we saw shiur #8.

In that shiur, R. Nachman directed the person who asks "Where is your God?" seize the motive for the question as part of the dialogue between himself and his Creator. This question, to R. Nachman's view, arises from the fact that Hashem has hidden His face from that person. "Where is your God?" is an expression of the situation in which he finds himself – a situation of concealment.

Now R. Nachman seeks to go a step further, asserting that in one moment the question can change from an expression of concealment within the dialogue between the person and his Creator to an expression of encounter between them. R. Nachman's innovation here is that sometimes it is not the answer to the question that represents the encounter, but rather the question itself that can become an encounter. The "where" of "Where is your God" transforms the question into asking where is "the place of His glory."

Although in these places it is impossible to find Hashem, nevertheless here too there is a great repair through the fact that one seeks and inquires from there about Hashem, and asks and implores, "Where is the place of His glory?" And since he sees himself very far removed from His glory, he is distressed and asks and seeks even more, "Where is the place of His glory?" And because he seeks inquires and longs for Hashem's glory, and is imploringly crying out, "Where is the place of His glory?" – through this itself he ascends the essence of ascent, for he merits to ascend to the aspect of "ayeh" which is the very most supreme holiness. And this is the essence of teshuva, that one should constantly seek and aspire to, "Ayeh is the place of His glory," as discussed above, for through this his descent turns into a great ascent. And this is the meaning of, "Descent is the essence of ascent," as discussed in all the holy works – study this in the texts and understand it well, for it is profound." (Likutei Etzot, Hit-hazkut, 30). 

Indeed, it is profound!

Concealment, heresy and even the inability to encounter God are all part of the continuous dialogue between the Holy One and man. The ability to return, to engage in teshuva, is a part, and perhaps even the result, of the dialogue. Hashem never ceases to shine His light within the recesses of reality and of man, and man himself is always able to connect himself, to encounter and to grasp that point. Sometimes he does this through providing the answer to a question, other times through the utterance itself – and sometimes even by means of the cry that pierces and tears apart the heavens, which arrives and drags the person with it – right up to the Throne of Glory. To the place of His glory – concealed and hidden from all – "Where (ayeh) IS the place of His glory!"