Giving and Spiritual Transformation, Part II
Rabbi David Sears
We have been studying a Chassidic discourse
from Rabbi Nachman of Breslov about the spiritual effects
of giving tzedakah. In the first installment, we learned
that in order to cause Divine Providence to become fully
revealed in our lives, we must overcome the craving for
wealth. This is accomplished through tzedakah usually translated
as "charity," but which in the present context might be
rendered as "giving" or "altruism."
Rabbi Nachman relates this concept to a teaching
from the Zohar: "A ru'ach (wind, or spirit) descends
to cool off the heat of the heart; and when the ru'ach descends,
the heart receives it with the joy of the Levites' song."
This implies that man is a miniature Holy Temple, and that
charity is an expression of the spirit of giving that tempers
our desires and produces "holy music." Rabbi Nachman extends
the metaphor of holy music to include the spiritual state
in which we conduct our business dealings. If we do so with
emunah / faith, trusting in God and not succumbing to greed
or dishonesty, this challenging aspect of our lives, too,
becomes a kind of music and a source of joy.
Now Rabbi Nachman continues his exploration
of the Zohar's analogy:
This is the paradigm of the sacred incense
(Ketoret), which binds the heat of the heart with the ru'ach.
Compounded of eleven ingredients according to a carefully
guarded formula, the Ketoret-incense accomplished the nullification
of harsh decrees. For example, the Torah tells us that when
a plague broke out among the Israelites in the desert, Aaron
the High Priest ran into the camp with his fire-pan of incense,
putting a stop to the plague (Numbers 17:11-15).
The Zohar (ibid.) notes that the word Ketoret is similar
to katar, the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew kashar, meaning
to "tie" or "combine." By combining fire with sweet fragrance,
the Ketoret fuses the influences of Gevurah and Chesed, tempering
harsh decrees. Thus,
Ketoret shares the properties of tzedakah and the "wind" that
tempers the heat of the heart, transmuting it to gladness
and song.
Rabbi Nachman brings two scriptural verses to support this
comparison:
This is the meaning of "incense gladdens the heart" (Proverbs
27:9). It also corresponds to "They shall place the fragrance
of incense in Your nostrils (be-apekha)" (Deuteronomy 33:10).
For the paradigm of incense nullifies the paradigm of "By
the sweat of your brow (af) you shall eat" (Genesis 3:19).
With this, Rabbi Nachman discloses a new vista of meaning.
Adam was cursed with struggling for his livelihood when he
was banished from the Garden of Eden. By stating that sacred
incense nullifies this curse, Rabbi Nachman implies that tzedakah
(which a moment ago he equated with the incense) opens the
invisible gates that were locked after the first sin. Cultivating
a giving spirit not only tempers harsh judgments, but also
restores Paradise Lost.
One might ask: what is so special about tzedakah that it
can bring about such an encompassing spiritual rectification?
Tzedakah possesses this potency because it bears within
itself something of the Garden of Eden. The will to benefit
another person springs forth from the "inner Garden of Eden,"
which is the original condition of the soul. This is characterized
by the absence of any ontological division between self and
other: no ego. (Thus, Rabbi Nachman asserts that only the
essential humility of a person will arise at the Ressurection
of the Dead not the deluded "I," tainted with self-importance.)
This is an aspect of the revelation of Mashiach. Then the
craving after money will be nullified, as it is written, "On
that day, man will cast away his gods of silver and gods of
gold" (Isaiah 2:20). This reflects the paradigm of "The breath
(ru'ach) of our nostrils (af), the Mashiach [literally, 'anointed']
of God" (Lamentations 4:20).
"As long as the idolatry of money exists in the world, burning
anger (charon af) exists in the world" (Sifri on Deuteronomy
13:18). To the extent that this idolatry is nullified burning
anger is nullified, as in "the breath of our nostrils, the
Mashiach / anointed of God" (op cit.).
The craving for wealth is bound up with the perception of
nature as an autonomous entity, inexorably bound by its own
laws. Therefore the pursuit of wealth gives power to the divine
attribute of Gevurah, strict judgment, and arouses "burning
anger" (af). However, Mashiach bears the ru'ach of giving
that nullifies the idolatrous craving for wealth and concomitant
divine wrath. Indeed, this altruistic spirit is the Mashiach.
Then lovingkindness (Chesed) is drawn into the world, as
in "He performs chesed for His Mashiach / anointed one" (Psalms
18:51).
After the "burning anger" (af) has been nullified, Chesed can flow into the world. This is the underlying Divine intention
in creation.
When this lovingkindness is revealed, divine knowledge (Da'at)
becomes manifest. This is the "rebuilding of the House," indicated
by the verse, "And as for me, according to Your abundant kindness,
I shall enter Your House" (Psalms 5:8).
The Talmud (cited below) equates the Holy Temple to Divine
knowledge / Da'at, supporting this assertion by pointing out
that each term appears in a scriptural verse, couched between
two Divine Names. This suggests that Da'at is the inner aspect
of the Holy Temple.
Just as the Holy Temple will be restored during the Messianic
Age, this exalted knowledge will be the crowning touch of
the Redemption. Freed from the illusion of external appearances, all
humanity will perceive the essence of reality, which is Godliness.
As the prophet states: "And God's Glory shall be revealed,
and together all flesh will see it " (Isaiah 40:5).
As it is written in the Zohar (III, 220b): "And the right
side . . . has been readied for building the Holy Temple."
This is because Divine knowledge is the paradigm of the House,
as our sages of blessed memory state, "When one possesses
Da'at, it is as if the Holy Temple was built…" (Berakhot 33a).
The "right side" denotes the attribute of Chesed. Thus, the
act of tzedakah, as a paramount expression of lovingkindness,
nullifies all harsh judgments and "builds" the Holy Temple,
causing divine knowledge to illuminate the world. Then we
will see that everything is miraculous, and nature is but
a lens through which to perceive Divinity.
The Talmudic sages taught that the Final Redemption will
come about only in the merit of tzedakah.
Surely we hasten the Redemption with every penny we give to
a worthy receiver; but when we do so in a true spirit of generosity,
without self-serving motives, we actually experience the Redemption.
(Click here to return to
Part I)
See Rabbi Nachman Goldstein
of Tcherin, Parpara'ot le-Chokhmah, ad loc.
Likkutei Moharan II,
72. Rabbi Nachman also defines nullification of the ego as
the final spiritual hurdle to be overcome in his path of hitbodedut / secluded meditation and prayer. See Likkutei Moharan I,
52 (re. "eizeh davar," with Reb Noson's explanation in brackets).
Rabbi Chaim Vital, Eitz
Chaim, Sha'ar ha-Klalim, 1:1; cf. Likkutei Moharan I, 64:1,
ms. version.
Cf. Likkutei Moharan,
I, 1, which discusses seeing past externals in order to glimpse
the sekhel she-bekhol davar, the animating Divine intellect
within all things.
Shabbat 139a; Sanhedrin 98a; also see Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's explanation
of this in Likkutei Amarim: Tanya, Igeret ha-Kodesh, Letter
9.
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