Home Page -Foreword - Introduction - One The Commitment at Birth - Two The Role of Shabbos - Three The Tzadik - Four Humanity’s Five Categories - Five Body Versus Soul - Six The Body Can Complement The Soul - Seven The Soul and Body of a Tzadik Eight The Five Parts of the Soul - Nine The Image of God Ten to Twenty Six – NOT ON THE WEB YET.

Lesson Seven

The Soul and Body of a Tzadik

The Tzadik first subdues and then entirely redirects his nefesh habahamis and only at the highest spiritual levels turns his body into a shining light thus uniting body and soul.

The physical soul primarily seeks selfish pleasure. The Tzadik struggles with those desires, and develops a hatred for the hedonistic attitude. The nefesh habahamis is said to receive its nourishment from the Sitra Achra literally the “Other side.” The material, mundane, and sinful are all part of the non-saintly domain. This area is called Sitra Achra because like two sides of a sharp divide, one can only stand in one side. It is impossible to straddle the fence and place one’s feet in both areas. Holiness is one world, material pleasure is a different one. To achieve sanctity materialism must be eschewed. The Tzadik is on the side of the saintly, he therefore totally rejects materialism and finds it revolting.[1] Tzadikim completely rid themselves of the external, physical perspective.

Rabbi Isaak of Kamarna[2] related that his entire life, starting from age nine, when he would see a woman, he would immediately see the name of God of aleph, dalet, nun, yud, which is the Godly manifestation that gives life to the feminine.

Evidently, he had suppressed his nefesh habahamis, abhorred its lusts and dictates, and eventually rid himself of lustful desires and therefore constantly found Heavenly displays in all physical sights.[3]

After the Tzadik truly abhors physical pleasure his nefesh habahamis transforms and he finds Torah and Mitzvos appealing, exciting, and delightful in a physical manner. He feels the infinite pleasure that can be accessed within the performance of Mitzvos, experience of genuine tefillah - prayer, and the joy of comprehending the Divine through Torah thought.[4]

In Berditchev the Grand Rabbi’s lighting of the menorah was a public event. Students of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok,[5] other great sages, and simple townsfolk would all gather to witness his devotions when he would kindle the Chanukah flames. One year, right when Rabbi Levi Yitzchok was to begin, the Rebbe (Grand Rabbi) seemed to needlessly delay. Eventually, Chatzkel the unsophisticated attendant of the Poritz (the Russian landowner) entered the room.

“Chatzkel, where are you coming from?” R. Levi Yitzchok called out.

“I just arrived from the home of the Poritz.”

“How’s the Poritz doing?” asked the Rebbe.

“Oh, life is good for him. He has expert chefs from Germany, Italy, and France who prepare for him the finest delicacies. And his table, what a table! The cutlery glitters and shines, and his plates are the finest china.” Chatzkel enthused.

“How does the Poritz sleep?” continued the Rebbe. “Wow! The Poritz sleeps well, he has it good”, gushed Chatzkel. “Rebbe, you sleep on a pile of straw. The Poritz has a mattress like the czar and a beautiful bed, with beautiful sheets, warm blankets, and soft pillows. And what a room! The floor is covered with antique Persian rugs, the walls are adorned with antique art and tapestries, and the ceiling supports the most exquisite chandeliers. Rebbe, the Poritz has it good!”

Finally, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok asked “Does the Poritz light Chanukah candles?” “Of course not,” replied Chatzkel with a laugh.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchok grew animated and shouted with fervor, “The Poritz stuffs himself with food, sleeps with feathers instead of hay? That is the good life? Without Chanukah candles!? We have it good! We have the joy of God’s Menorah!” With that, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok began to shout with delight the words of the blessings for lighting the Menorah.

Reb Levi Yitzchok’s nefesh habahamis was transformed. For him pleasure from Mitzvah observance dwarfed the physical comforts of the Poritz.

Rav Aharon Karliner’s Poritz loved sleigh riding. One summer he brought thousands of bags of sugar (a rare commodity) to simulate snow and he rode in his sled on the mounds of the confection. A Chasid once wistfully told the Rebbe about the pleasure the Poritz must experience when riding a sled in the heat of August. The Rebbe responded, “That pleasure is not nearly as powerful as the enjoyment I feel when I recite on Shabbos the prayer of “Nishmas Kol Chai Tivarech Es Shimcha Hashem Elokeinu” (“The souls of every living creature will bless your name God our Lord.”)

According to the Talmud, holidays are times when half of one’s day should be spent for oneself, engaged in physical pleasure, chetzyo lachem. The other half of the day should be dedicated to God and His service, chetzyo lahashem.

When Reb Uri of Strelisk[6] would complete his holiday prayers he would tell his community, “We have just completed, chetzyo lachem, (the physical half of the day). Now that we are going to eat our holiday meal we will fulfill the chetzyo lahashem, (the half of the day that must be given to God).”[7]

R. Uri’s body had been transformed, after all the years of battling his urges, he experienced prayer as a sensory pleasure. To him, eating was difficult and was an obligation performed solely because Jewish law demands food ingestion on the holiday. That is why in his holiday experience the prayers were the physical enjoyment while eating was the spiritual duty.[8]

Some Tzadikim reach an exalted state. They are personifications of an Atzilus type existence. Atzilus is a Heavenly universe whose name is derived from the word Etzel meaning next to. In this world light and vessel are one. In this universe body and soul are a total unity,[9] with oneness that transcends verbal description. A Tzadik who is on the level of an Atzilus-type manifestation is like a head to the body, and leads his generation. Atzilus is integral for life of the spiritual worlds that are lower than it. Just as the head provides life to the body and if it’s attachment is severed the body dies, this type of Tzadik is the life for the rest of the universe, and is Atzilus-like.

To better understand the nature of the universe of Atzilus, we must study all five of the spiritual universes. Understanding the parts of the Godly soul within man will facilitate comprehension of the heavenly universes that are the soul of the physical world.

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[1] The lack of selfishness and desire for physical pleasure allows the Tzadik to engage in seemingly questionable behavior. The Talmud in Kethuboth (17a) relates that Rav Acha would carry the bride on his shoulders when dancing at weddings. When the propriety of such behavior was questioned, Rav Acha replied that it is permissible to carry on a man’s shoulders an adult woman who is not his wife if in his mind she is like a log of wood. Rav Acha was teaching that he had a Tzadik like quality. He had risen above lust, to him a woman on his shoulders was like carrying inorganic matter. C.f. Rabbi Tzadok Hakohen of Lublin, Yisrael Kedoshim page 12.

[2] Rabbi Yitzchok IsaakYehudah Yechiel of Kamarna was born in 1806 and passed away in 1874. He was blessed with remarkable spiritual abilities from birth. As a child he had the ability to reveal hidden mysteries and to predict future events. His uncle, Rabbi Zvi of Zhiditchov, was afraid that his spiritual gifts might lead him to weakness in the realm of fear of Heaven, and as a result, at age six he lost his ability to see “from one end of the world to the other.” He authored many important Chassidic works such as Heichel Habracha, Derech Emunah, Otzar Mitzvosecha, Zohar Chai, and Megillas Setarim among others.

[3] Perhaps the goal of seeing divinity in all is the theme of Psalm 29. Rabbi Hirsch explains the very first verse of that psalm in the following manner; “ ‘Havu lahashem kavod vaoz’ ‘The verse may also be read in the accusative form; i.e., ‘Bring unto the Lord, attribute and ascribe to Him everything that you admire as being endowed with strength.’” C.f. Rabbi Hirsch’s, “Commentary to the Psalms” page 204 -210.

[4] The Chassam Sofer explained that the eating of an apple dipped in honey on Rosh Hashana is a prayer that our good deeds, symbolized by an apple, should be sweet and enjoyable. We are praying to find their performance pleasurable, the way a Tzadik experiences Mitzvos.

[5] Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev (c. 1740-1809) was one of the most beloved personalities of Jewish history. He was a student of the Maggid of Mezeritch and after the passing of the Maggid (19 Kislev, 5533; December 15, 1772) he served as the leader of Ukrainian Chassidus. He was a man of great love of God and love of Israel who would argue with Heaven, during his prayers, advocating blessings for all members of Israel. His work Kedushas Levi is one of the classics of Chassidic literature.

[6] Reb Uri was born in 1757 and passed away in 1826. He was a student of Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin. He was a renowned Tzadik who would pray with such passion and displays of fervent feeling that he was called the saraph, literally, “The fiery angel.” He had a great impact upon Rabbi Sholom of Belz.

[7] Imros Tzadikim, Klausenberg, page 24 story # 1

[8]Rav Wolfson added that R. Moshe Leib of Sassov was also a Tzadik who experienced the spiritual as physically pleasing.

R. Moshe Leib was renowned for his dedication to redeeming Jewish prisoners. He would also frequently fast and pray for success in his dangerous exploits. One day, after a long and exhausting fast, he went to a Russian nobleman who was holding a Jew captive. When he entered the room the nobleman’s lunch was brought in as well. Weakened with hunger, Rabb. Moshe Leib swooned at the aroma of the nobleman’s food. He felt an overwhelming desire to request a taste of the dish. Intellectually, however, he knew that the food was not kosher. To overcome his hunger he thought of Shabbos. His spiritual feelings were so potent that considering Shabbos and its holy food brought him so much pleasure that his body no longer hungered for the gentile’s meal. (Rav Wolfson)

[9] “In the book Orach Latzadik R. Elazar the son of R. Elimelech of Lizhensk related; ‘My father said several times, “I wish people would have souls as pure as my body.”’ This is something remarkable, consider how high a human can reach! We have no sense of how holy the body of R. Elimelech was.” (Imros Tzadikim, Tzanz Klausenberg pages 26-27)