To Enlightenment Unedited Internet Version V1 [08.02.2018]
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TORAH WAY TO ENLIGHTENMENT UNEDITED INTERNET VERSION V1 [08.02.2018] Adapted from hebrew shiurim of דע את נשמתך by the author of Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh http://bilvavi.net/sugya/daes.nish Torah Way to Enlightenment | 1 Translator’s Introduction ........................................................................................................... 2 Author’s Preface ......................................................................................................................... 3 01 | The Concept of Hisbodedus/Jewish Meditation ................................................................ 4 02 | Revealing The I - As A Neshamah ..................................................................................... 14 03 | Seeing The Spiritual In Yeish-Material.............................................................................. 24 04 | Seeing Ayin-Nothingness .................................................................................................. 49 05 | Nullifying The Sense of Sight ............................................................................................ 58 06 | Seeing Through The Five Layers of the Soul ..................................................................... 76 07 | Seeing The Infinite ............................................................................................................ 84 08 | Introduction To The Power of Thought ............................................................................ 89 09 | Thoughts of Nefesh – Basic Awareness ............................................................................ 96 10 | Thoughts of Ruach – Emotional Intelligence .................................................................. 108 11 | Thoughts of Neshamah – Building Your Torah Thinking ................................................ 116 12 | Thoughts of Chayah – Vitality Source & Self-Nullification ............................................. 127 13 | Thoughts of “Yechidah” .................................................................................................. 158 14 | Bonding With The Creator Through Thought ................................................................. 168 15 | Meditating On The Creator Through Thought ............................................................... 185 16 | Bonding With The Creator Through Hearing.................................................................. 188 17 | Bonding With The Creator Through Scent-Movement .................................................. 204 18 | Bonding With The Creator Through Speech .................................................................. 222 Epilogue .................................................................................................................................. 244 Torah Way to Enlightenment | 2 Translator’s Introduction You may have heard about hisbodedus before and you may have read about it in other places, but in this sefer, you will study it as never before, seeing it in an entirely new light. This is a sefer that spans the fundamentals of religious Jewish life, of our values, of how we can reach our purpose on this world that we were created for, of how we can use the soul and all its powers to reach our desired purpose. Throughout this sefer, you will encounter three general levels, alternating back and forth between them as you advance. The first level can be called “Self”, where you connect to your soul, via the five layers of the soul: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chayah, and Yechidah. At this first stage, you are learning about yourself, the different parts that are in you, and in turn you become more connected with your true self. Ultimately, by connecting to your true self, you can connect your being with Hashem, and that should be your underlying motivation. But in this stage, you are mainly involved with simply getting in touch with your self, with your soul. The second level can be called “Bonding.” These parts explain how to utilize your soul with its five layers to develop your relationship with Hashem. The third level can be called “The Level Beyond.” It can be described as a non-ego state, in which you “let go” of your sense of self. We present the English adaptation of this special and holy sefer, with the hope that it will benefit those who are interested in hisbodedus and with a tefillah to Hashem that the study of this sefer will bring us closer to ourselves, and to Hashem - each on our own level. Torah Way to Enlightenment | 3 Author’s Preface Man is comprised of a body and a soul, and it is his avodah (inner work) to divest himself of his guf (body) and to reveal his neshamah (soul). The direct path to achieve this is through emunah (faith in the Creator), exerting oneself in learning the holy Torah, carrying out the mitzvos as carefully as possible, and fixing one’s middos (character traits). This is the way which our great leaders traversed throughout all the generations. However, only a few have truly achieved their life’s task through doing all of this, and because this was so, they sought additional ways to achieve it. This sefer has come to explain one of those ways that were added on throughout the generations: hisbodedus (inner solitude). Yet, the reader should be wise and ‘use his head’ properly. Don’t turn what is secondary into priority, and don’t neglect the priorities. The matters discussed in this sefer are only secondary to our main tasks, which are: to have emunah, learning Torah diligently, doing all the mitzvos, and fixing our middos. Thus, the reader should be aware that only few great leaders traversed the paths described in this sefer; in addition, the learning of this sefer should only be regarded as secondary to one’s Torah learning. We are stating this specifically because there will be readers here who will think that the learning of this sefer must become top priority in their life, while the truth is really the opposite: the matters of this sefer are only secondary to our main tasks in life. We were very doubtful about putting out this sefer, as most people do not need it, and in addition, many people are prone to be mistaken about the matters of this sefer and misunderstand it. However, since there are many people who learn about these matters, it was seen to fit to produce this sefer, so that these matters can be given the proper guidance that they require. The purpose of this sefer is therefore not meant to deliberately cause people to become interested in these matters. It is simply coming to give guidance to those who would anyhow learn about these matters. We hope that this sefer will indeed help those who need that guidance. Torah Way to Enlightenment | 4 01 | The Concept of Hisbodedus/Jewish Meditation 1. Introduction Often, when people learn of something new, there is a general tendency to jump to what the practical outcomes of the ideas are going to be. However, it is said, “Sof maaseh b’machshavah techilah”, “The end of actions, is first with thought” – before we learn about what to do in the practical sense, one first needs to go through a preliminary stage, of learning and understanding the concepts well, before learning of how to apply it practically. We must see what the structure is, what the details are based on, and then we can get down to the practical aspects. It is written, “With wisdom, a house is built.” In order to build a house, you need careful planning, and then you can build it, now that you have understood how to build it. Therefore, before we learn how to do hisbodedus [to meditate in solitude and thereby bond with the Creator] – we must first know what hisbodedus is on a conceptual level, and where it came from. 2. The Roots of Hisbodedus Hisbodedus is not a new idea that started some twenty or thirty years ago, or even a hundred years ago. It has been around for a very long time. The first sefer to mention hisbodedus is Sefer HaMaspik L’Ovdei Hashem, which was written by Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam – one of the Rishonim, who lived over a thousand years ago. There, he writes that all of our forefathers practiced hisbodedus; they were all shepherds who sought solitude out in the quiet fields as they tended to their sheep. Our Avos (forefathers) led lives of solitude, looking to be in quiet places, where they were free to reflect on their Creator. Thus, hisbodedus is not a new idea. If we think that hisbodedus is only for certain types of Jews, we will be limiting the gains from it. We have so far learned here that it is the way of our Avos, our prophets, and our earlier leaders. Let us go in their footsteps and search to get back to the ways of old, which our holy Avos took, and which Moshe Rabbeinu and Dovid HaMelech and other great tzaddikim took. Certainly, there are many ‘colors’ to hisbodedus – all different kinds – which have been recently introduced in the later generations. But the concept itself of hisbodedus is not new at all; it is the way which our holy forefathers traversed. So let us be clear, before we start, that we are not coming to say anything new here about Judaism. We are not coming to involve ourselves with something that is only for certain types of Jews in the world, and we are not talking about anything novel that has been introduced at different stages of Judaism. That is the very basic point to know, before we begin. 3. External and Internal Hisbodedus Torah Way to Enlightenment | 5 The concept of hisbodedus is a multi-layered matter. As we know, the Torah is “longer than the earth in measurement, and it is wider than