Becoming a Person Who Sees God The goal of our holy group is that you will be transformed into a person of spirit and thought—and not merely thought, but pure, intense thought. Conquer your senses, and a new, holy sense will become manifest to you. When you recite the beginning of a blessing, “Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the world,” you will see the “You” and the “King of the world.” Your eyes will of themselves open wide to see the King Who embraces the entire world and you. They will gaze at and pierce all of the world that separates us from the “You,” the “King” Who surrounds it. Your eyes will grow powerful and gaze, and you will see God Who fills the world, so that He is before you: “You are King of the world.” You will experience delight, and you will melt.
Why doubt this, why be skeptical about this sense that will become manifest within you? Trust God that you can analyze and understand this. A physical sense, like your sense of smell—can you understand it? Couldn’t someone without a sense of smell ask, “If someone hasn’t tasted or touched it, how can he distinguish between spices and mustard? And what pleasure does he derive from spices and myrtle?” And you will not have a ready answer. You only know that you have this sense, and this is its nature, although you do not know how to think into it.
In addition, do not object that I am trying to make a prophet out of you, after the age of prophecy has ceased (for our many sins). In regard to this, Hillel the Elder said of every Jew, “Although they are not proph-ets, they are the children of prophets” (Pesachim 66b). And in regard to the prophets themselves, we see that although God told Moshe, “no man shall see Me” (Exodus 23:20), Isaiah and Ezekiel both said, “I saw God” (Isaiah 6:1). There are many levels. That which Moshe wanted to see cannot be seen by any living person. But Isaiah and Ezekiel saw a lower level. And a much lower level, extending far down, remains for you, the offspring of prophets, to see.
Besides this, do not be dismayed at yourself and ask, “I am a sinful, lowly person. How can it be possible for me to see the ‘You, King of the world,’ even on the lowest level?” I am very cognizant of your situation. Yet I am nevertheless certain—certain in God and in the holiness of Israel within you—that you will see this if you are one of the people whom we described in the chapter that delineates the nature of the group (conditions one, two, three, four and five). To review: 1. He must be a person who truly feels pain and sorrow at his distance from God. He not only recognizes his low state intellectually—which everyone realizes this intellectually, unless he is insane or drunk—but in his heart he truly feels the pain because of an embittered soul. This causes him no less concern than do his physical problems. Not only that, at times this weighs so heavily upon him that he cries over the sufferings of his soul and the lowness of his being. 2. He must be a ben Torah, dedicated to learning and keeping Torah—to a greater or lesser extent. 3. Be he a merchant, craftsman, or whatever, he must meet with the group at least three times a week. And he must meticulously adhere to the group regulations, which will be described further on, God willing. 4. He must not be inconstant by nature, impetuously coming to a decision one day and forgetting about it the next, casually trampling upon his commitments and “overturning the pot.” 5. He must not be a liar, a dissembler immersed in his own falsehoods.
Even if you do not experience this vision at all times, you will at any rate do so many times. At such instances, you will literally rise from the lusts and ugliness associated with your body. You will be purified and sanctified. Even if you fall back at times to your previous coarseness (heaven forbid), you will again stand and rise, with the help of God.
וְזֶהוּ תַּכְלִית הַחַבְרַיָּא קְדושה שֶׁלָּנוּ, שֶׁתִּתְהַפֵּךְ אַתָּה לְאִישׁ הָרוּחַ וְהַמַּחֲשָׁבָה וְלֹא מַחֲשָׁבָה בִּלְבַד רַק הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה טְהוֹרָה הַחֲזָקָה, הִתְגַּבֵּר עַל חוּשֶׁיךָ וְחוּשׁ חָדָשׁ קָדוֹשׁ יִתְגַּלֶּה בָּךְ, שֶׁכְּשֶׁתֹּאמַר, בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ד' אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, תִּרְאֶה אֶת "הַאַתָּה" וְאֶת "מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם", עֵינֶיךָ מֵעַצְמָן יִפָּתְחוּ לִרְוָחָה לִרְאוֹת אֶת מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁמַּקִּיף אֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם וְאֶת עַצְמְךָ, יַחְדְּרוּ וְיַבִּיטוּ דֶּרֶךְ כָּל הָעוֹלָם הַחוּצָה אֶת "הַאַתָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ" הַמַּקִּיפוֹ, יִתְעַצְּמוּ עֵינֶיךָ וְיִסְקְרוּ וְתִרְאֶה אֶת ד' שֶׁמְּמַלֵּא אֶת הָעוֹלָם וְהוּא לְנֶגְדְּךָ, אַתָּה מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, וְתִתְעַנַּג וְתִתְמוֹגֵג.
Becoming a Person Who Sees God
The goal of our holy group is that you will be transformed into a person of spirit and thought—and not merely thought, but pure, intense thought. Conquer your senses, and a new, holy sense will become manifest to you. When you recite the beginning of a blessing, “Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the world,” you will see the “You” and the “King of the world.” Your eyes will of themselves open wide to see the King Who embraces the entire world and you. They will gaze at and pierce all of the world that separates us from the “You,” the “King” Who surrounds it. Your eyes will grow powerful and gaze, and you will see God Who fills the world, so that He is before you: “You are King of the world.” You will experience delight, and you will melt.
וְלָמָּה תִּתְקַשֶּׁה וְתִתְפַּלֵּא כל כך אַחַר חוּשׁ הַזֶּה שֶׁיִּתְגַּלֶּה בְּךָ בֶּטַח בעזרת השי"ת לְחָקְרוֹ וְלַהֲבִינוֹ, הַאִם גַּם חוּשׁ גּוּפָנִי כְּחוּשׁ הָרֵיחַ אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ תּוּכַל לְהָבִין, וְלָמָּה זֶה חֲבֵרְךָ אִם נֶעְדָּר חוּשׁ הָרֵיחַ הוּא מִתְקַשֶּׁה עָלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר הֲלֹא אֵינוֹ אוֹכֵל וְאֵינוֹ מְמַשֵּׁשׁ וּמֵאַיִן יוֹדֵעַ הוּא לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין בְּשָׂמִים לְחַרְדָּל, וּמָה תַּעֲנוּגוֹ מִבְּשָׂמִים וַהֲדַס, גַּם אַתָּה אֵין לְךָ תְּשׁוּבָה נוכחַת, רַק חוּשׁ כָּזֶה יֵשׁ לְךָ וְחֻקָּה הִיא, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְךָ לְהַרְהֵר אַחֲרֶיהָ.
Why doubt this, why be skeptical about this sense that will become manifest within you? Trust God that you can analyze and understand this. A physical sense, like your sense of smell—can you understand it? Couldn’t someone without a sense of smell ask, “If someone hasn’t tasted or touched it, how can he distinguish between spices and mustard? And what pleasure does he derive from spices and myrtle?” And you will not have a ready answer. You only know that you have this sense, and this is its nature, although you do not know how to think into it.
וְאַל תִּתְקַשֶּׁה שׁוּב לִשְׁאוֹל הַאִם נָבִיא רוֹצִים אָנוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת מִמְּךָ שֶׁבָּטְלָה בעונותינו הרבים, על זה כְּבָר אָמַר הִלֵּל הַזָּקֵן עַל כָּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, "אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָם נְבִיאִים בְּנֵי נְבִיאִים הֵם" , גַּם בַּנְּבִיאִים רוֹאִים אָנוּ שֶׁלְּמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָנָה ד' ית' כִּי לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם, וִישַׁעְיָה וִיחֶזְקֵאל אָמְרוּ כָּל אֶחָד וָאֶרְאֶה אֶת ד'. מַדְרֵגוֹת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת יֶשְׁנָן, אֶת אֲשֶׁר רָצָה מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ לִרְאוֹת אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְאָדָם חי לִרְאוֹת, וּמַדְרֵגָה לְמַטָּה מִזּוֹ רָאוּ יְשַׁעְיָה וִיחֶזְקֵאל, וּמַדְרֵגָה נְמוּכָה הַרְבֵּה, הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת אַחַר הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת הַרְבֵּה נִשְׁאֲרָה גַּם לְךָ אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּן הַנְּבִיאִים לִרְאוֹת.
In addition, do not object that I am trying to make a prophet out of you, after the age of prophecy has ceased (for our many sins). In regard to this, Hillel the Elder said of every Jew, “Although they are not proph-ets, they are the children of prophets” (Pesachim 66b). And in regard to the prophets themselves, we see that although God told Moshe, “no man shall see Me” (Exodus 23:20), Isaiah and Ezekiel both said, “I saw God” (Isaiah 6:1). There are many levels. That which Moshe wanted to see cannot be seen by any living person. But Isaiah and Ezekiel saw a lower level. And a much lower level, extending far down, remains for you, the offspring of prophets, to see.
וְכֵן אַל יִפֹּל לִבְּךָ בְּקִרְבְּךָ לֵאמֹר אִישׁ חוֹטֵא וְנָמוּךְ אֲנִי וְאֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר לִי לִרְאוֹת אֶת הַאַתָּה מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲפִלּוּ בְּמַדְרֵגָה נְמוּכָה שֶׁבַּנְּמוּכוֹת, יָדַעְנוּ אֶת מִצָּבְךָ גַּם יָדַעְנוּ, וְעִם כָּל זֶה בְּטוּחִים אָנוּ בד' וּבִקְדֻשַּׁת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ שֶׁתִּרְאֶה, אִם רַק אַתָּה מִן הָאֲנָשִׁים שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ בְּפֶרֶק תֹּכֶן הַחֶבְרָה תְּנָאִים א' ב' ג' ד' וה'.
Besides this, do not be dismayed at yourself and ask, “I am a sinful, lowly person. How can it be possible for me to see the ‘You, King of the world,’ even on the lowest level?” I am very cognizant of your situation. Yet I am nevertheless certain—certain in God and in the holiness of Israel within you—that you will see this if you are one of the people whom we described in the chapter that delineates the nature of the group (conditions one, two, three, four and five).
To review:
1. He must be a person who truly feels pain and sorrow at his distance from God. He not only recognizes his low state intellectually—which everyone realizes this intellectually, unless he is insane or drunk—but in his heart he truly feels the pain because of an embittered soul. This causes him no less concern than do his physical problems. Not only that, at times this weighs so heavily upon him that he cries over the sufferings of his soul and the lowness of his being.
2. He must be a ben Torah, dedicated to learning and keeping Torah—to a greater or lesser extent.
3. Be he a merchant, craftsman, or whatever, he must meet with the group at least three times a week. And he must meticulously adhere to the group regulations, which will be described further on, God willing.
4. He must not be inconstant by nature, impetuously coming to a decision one day and forgetting about it the next, casually trampling upon his commitments and “overturning the pot.”
5. He must not be a liar, a dissembler immersed in his own falsehoods.
וְאִם לֹא תִּרְאֶה בִּרְאִיָּה זוֹ תָּמִיד, על כל פנים זְמַנִּים הַרְבֵּה יִהְיוּ לְךָ שֶׁתִּסְתַּכֵּל בִּרְאִיָּה זוֹ, וְאָז תִּתְעַלֶּה בְּפֹעַל מַמָּשׁ גַּם מִן הַתַּאֲווֹת וְכִעוּר הַגּוּף, תִּזְדַּכֵּךְ וְתִתְקַדֵּשׁ, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם ח"ו שׁוּב תִּפּוֹל לִפְעָמִים בְּגַסּוּתְךָ שֶׁמִּכְּבָר, שׁוּב תָּקוּם וְתִתְעַלֶּה בְּעֶזְרַת ה'.
Even if you do not experience this vision at all times, you will at any rate do so many times. At such instances, you will literally rise from the lusts and ugliness associated with your body. You will be purified and sanctified. Even if you fall back at times to your previous coarseness (heaven forbid), you will again stand and rise, with the help of God.