Two Paths

"... in the name of my Master Z"L, who explaind the dispute between the house {school} of Shamai and the house of Hillel {As mentioned in the Mishneh} "how does one dance before the bride {explained here by the Besht to mean the Shechina}? The house of Shamai says a bride as she is" {meaning} also in a general way, that {he} should know that his {Gods} honor, blessed be, hides in every place as mentioned above." And the House of Hillel says {a} bride pretty and pious {"noeh v'chasido"} {meaning} that one {should} know in a detailed way how there fell light of sparks of holiness inside the Husk {Klipeh} and they {there} came in {into his mind at} the time of prayer foreign thoughts to elevate them and {one} needs to differentiate and take off the Husk and to raise from within {The Husk} her sparks of holiness {these raised Sparks then serve} to adorn Her {the Shechina bride} to be pretty and pious vechulu and I have written on this in another place how one can transform this veculu"

Toldos, Bereishis, 7a

“for the dance is to raise Sparks, and to {bring} the lower up to he upper like a holy dance vechulu”

Toldos, ZP, 35d


Without getting into to the details of this homiletics of this vort, the Besht is saying that there are two different levels of how to approach foreign, unwelcome, thoughts.

One path is a very basic one, it involves facing off all forms of bad with a strong belief that god is really everywhere and that all is really good. While it does protect one from experiencing the full effects, or even –with strong faith- eliminate what would have been the symptoms, of the blow. Men on this path {I think it would include the best of our Heimishe yidden, who have long lost these Beshtian treasures}, however, have no answers as to how it goes down; what to do about the fact that the divine isn't revealed, i.e. that despite their belief in presence of god everywhere, they still experiences darkness, loss or pain of all varieties. Men on this path are essentially lost when the storm hits. All they could do is ride the storm out with faith {if they are connected enough to instinctively turn inward –I’m sure they’d think of it as upward- when tragedy strikes. For it is instinct that takes over ones being then}.

While the Besht validates this mode of existence {as long as one remembers that he is dancing before the Shechina}, he prefers the other, certainly more advanced, path.

This second path involves direct confrontation with darkness.

In order for one to confront darkness one must first understand the nature of darkness, its roots and causes. The Besht {in line with our beloved Freud} believed that there was no reason to work with cosmic darkness {although, in a later development by the Maggid, the perfect Zaddik does work on a cosmic level, but then also- it probably- works by chain of people and the share of cosmic evil present in them- more on this at a later date}, since it is present within ones self. One could only essentially work with one’s own darkness.

Now, our darkness is something we can explore. We can get to know it in an intimate way. We can get close enough to realize the divinity hiding underneath its cloak and thus its husk {the klipeh hiding it until now} falls away. What is left is a pure divine force which now finally works in harmony with ones true self.

This second path involves the controversial active ritual of "Haalo'as Ha’Nizoyzes", “The Elevation of {Holy} Sparks, i.e. the elevation, or transformation, of "Nizoyzes” {holy sparks hidden by the “klipeh”}, who are in exile within the Husk.

“Elevating the Sparks” first appeared in the Ariz”l’s Kabbala. Only in its original Lurian source it is only applied to objects etc., certainly not to thoughts. Seeing thoughts as realities of divine sparks, is either the Besht’s own innovation or a non-Lurian influence. When applied to objects, in a Lurian sense, it would mean elevating sparks to their “true existence,” this is done by remembering that this object to is just a divine manifestation. Once the “Tikkun” is done, it still remains the same object. Only it now is an expression of the divine flow of good, hence incorporated into divine reality.


The Baal Shem Tov personalized this concept {as he may have done with all Kabbalistic ideas} by saying that the Sparks that a person elevates, are Sparks of his or her own soul. And that all levels existed with the person, from Malchus all the way up to Azilus.

So, now, elevating the sparks no longer takes place on a cosmic level, one has to elevate to sparks hidden in the dark side of our brain {so to speak} to a place higher and deeper within ones self. {In other words, it filing work- we re-file the thought in its proper place in our subconscious. We want to place them in a place where duality and separation, do not exist. A place {according to the Besht conveniently located} within our Psyche called Bineh, where all is still pre-good and evil. Once it in its proper place it operates as intended, as a channel of good.

Every dark thought, be it desire, sadness or sinful, is caused by realities of the dark side i.e. the Husks- they don’t just appear out of nowhere. We think of them because on some level or another they are a part of our psyche, our subconscious. Therefore, every time a dark thought {feeling, emotion or spirit} shows its ugly face, it is an opportunity to clean and purify our psyche.

Working on this second path would be like sitting on Freud’s couch 24/7 until one’s subconscious was completely free and clear of all disturbances:

Le’dugmeh- when a thought of murdering someone enters a peaceful human-being ‘s mind {clearly qualifying as a “foreign thought”}, being that he would much rather live without that thought, he could simply ignore that thought, by thinking positive thoughts in their stead. One could stop here, believe that the matter has been laid to rest, and go on. Until the next time… One would have to be on guard for the rest of his life to ensure that these thoughts never gain ground, lest they be expressed in speech or deed.

If, however, should someone want to solve the problem in a more through way, he would have to go through the trouble of finding out some things like: the nature of murder, where did that murderous thought come from? What was the particular nature of that thought {setting, felling and emotion}? What is the true nature of this thought?

The Besht, as stated above, believed {as did Freud} that that every thought came from ones own psyche- {whether one is aware of it or not} and that the only thing one needed to do {in order to transform this thought from being an intruding one to being a good, useful, thought} was to connect to that thought, get to its source, which is ultimately within us symbolized by one sefirah or another. The Besht fully believed that everyone could eventually trace back every one of their thoughts {and its influence on speech and deed} to god almighty himself {our true self, Azilus with us}. Going back to our example, one could perhaps come to understand by the specific hints of his particular thought, that the origins of their murderousness is in Gevureh {again, located within us}. One has thus carved his way from Malchus to Gevureh and is now well on his way to Bineh, where all is finally sweetened and transformed in its source.

Once that fallen spark was reunited with her source- “hamtokas ha’dinim,” the sweetening of judgment, has been accomplished. That ugly thought has now been elevated and continues to act as a part of their subconscious, only now it is a part of good in ones psyche. This thought will never again take shape as a murderous thought. Not that it ceased to exist, it has been transformed- it ceased to exist as an independent entity {the real of the Husk, where a thought such as this could actually appear as murder}, and is now exists as a part of revealed goodness, an expression of God’s unity.
.
Though the Toldos {in our text} mentions the two paths in relation to prayer, these two paths are mentioned in numerous places in the Toldos, some we shall encounter soon, as applying to learning ,eating etc. Etc.

The first path is the traditional path, its travelers strive to do all mitzvos at all times, stay away from darkness even at the cost of repression.

The second is to be in constant touch with our most inner aspects, it is this connection that is valued above all else.

noteworthy is that the Toldos say that its “would be impossible” to study in the 2nd path style, all the time. He, therefore, advises one to learn most of the time on the first path style, while taking some time “every day, that a little bit of time {when} his learning {should be} on the style of the second path, for Zivug {with the Divine}, meaning study with great cleaving, spirit with spirit vechulu with all 248 of his limbs. From physical “Zivug” one can learn {about} the Spiritual {Zivug}”{TYY, Shelach, 132c}

"Zochsoh Mishnoseinu" to special mention by the Misnagdim in Shever Poyshim {see Wilensky II 73}.

{B’maamar {me’od} Musgar, it is known the Alter Rebbeh’s claim that Reb Elijah –The Gaon- of Vilna disciples rejected the use of "the raising of the feminine waters," "elevating the sparks," since it is only mentioned in the works of the Ariz"l,-{not earlier}, and they {The Gaon and deciples} refused the Ariz”l’s innovation as they didn’t believe that every word of the Ariz”l is from "the mouth of Elijah [the prophet]."Whereas the Alter Rebbe and the Chassidim believe in the absolute authority of every word of the Ariz”l - as it is all "out of the mouth of Elijah the prophet." {a letter to ANa"Sh in Vilna, printed by Hilman, Igros Baal Ha’Tanye, 98}
This may not be the case, it was the Beshtian psychologicalization of the Ariz”l that they may have been opposed to. It seems to me more and more that it was the Litvak Kabbala world that was truly faithful to the Ariz"l's Kabbala- Chassidm {again- we are only discussing 1st and 2nd generation} on the other hand were loyal to no one school of thought- as everything was personalized, only the ideas that pertained to life were utilized. Whether the Alter Rebbe was truly loyal to every word of the Ariz"l is a good question that I will leave to those who are fortunate to study his works}.