PERCEPTION AND REVELATION OF GODLINESS Sometimes we see a person experience a sudden burst of enthusiasm during his prayers. A stream of words suddenly pours from his lips with tremendous fire. In His love, God opens the light of the Infinite and it radiates to him. When the person sees the radiance — and if he himself doesn’t see it, his mazal, his guardian angel, sees it (Megillah 3a) — his soul takes fire with a passion to bind himself to the light of the Infinite. As long as the revelation lasts, the words pour forth with intense devotion. He surrenders himself, throwing his entire energy into them. For these moments he becomes nullified before the Infinite, and he is in a state of unknowing, as it is written: “and no man knows” (Deut. 34:6). He himself has no knowledge even of himself. But it is impossible to remain in such a state. If he did, he would die before his time, God forbid. But during his lifetime the only way to attain this state is in a mode of “running and returning” (Ezekiel 1:14). God does not want us to die! He wants us to live in order that we should serve Him. Only when the time comes for God Himself to take one’s soul is it possible to remain in this state of self-nullification, and then he will be merged with the Infinite completely in accordance with his merits (Likutey Moharan 4:9).
הַשָּׂגוֹת וְהִתְנוֹצְצוּת אֱלֹקוּת
א. זֶה שֶׁאָנוּ רוֹאִים, שֶׁלִּפְעָמִים נִתְלַהֵב הָאָדָם בְּתוֹךְ הַתְּפִלָּה וְאוֹמֵר כַּמָּה תֵּבוֹת בְּהִתְלַהֲבוּת גָּדוֹל, זֶה בְּחֶמְלַת ה' עָלָיו, שֶׁנִּפְתַּח לוֹ אוֹר אֵין סוֹף וְהֵאִיר לוֹ. וּכְשֶׁרוֹאֶה אָדָם הִתְנוֹצְצוּת הַזֹּאת, אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ לָא חָזֵי מַזָּלֵיהּ חָזֵי, תֵּכֶף נִתְלַהֵב נִשְׁמָתוֹ לִדְבֵקוּת גָּדוֹל לְדַבֵּק אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּאוֹר אֵין סוֹף. וּכְשִׁעוּר הִתְגַּלּוּת אֵין סוֹף, לְפִי מִנְיַן הַתֵּבוֹת שֶׁנִּפְתְּחוּ וְהִתְנוֹצְצוּ, כָּל אֵלּוּ הַתֵּבוֹת אוֹמֵר בִּדְבֵקוּת גָּדוֹל וּבִמְסִירַת נַפְשׁוֹ וּבְבִטּוּל כֹּחוֹתָיו. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁנִּתְבַּטֵּל לְגַבֵּי אֵין סוֹף, אֲזַי הוּא בִּבְחִינַת וְלֹא יָדַע אִישׁ, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ מֵעַצְמוֹ, אֲבָל זֹאת הַבְּחִינָה צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת רָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְקַיֵּם יֵשׁוּתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִסְתַּלֵּק קֹדֶם זְמַנּוֹ חַ"ו. כִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא רוֹצֶה בַּעֲבוֹדָתֵנוּ. בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה צָרִיךְ שֶׁלֹּא יִשָּׁאֵר כֵּן, אֶלָּא עַד עֵת שֶׁיָּבוֹא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ וְיִטֹּל נִשְׁמָתוֹ, אָז יִתְבַּטֵּל בָּאֵין סוֹף בְּתַכְלִית כְּפִי מַה שֶּׁיִּזְכֶּה: (לק"א סי' ד' אות ט')
PERCEPTION AND REVELATION OF GODLINESS
Sometimes we see a person experience a sudden burst of enthusiasm during his prayers. A stream of words suddenly pours from his lips with tremendous fire. In His love, God opens the light of the Infinite and it radiates to him. When the person sees the radiance — and if he himself doesn’t see it, his mazal, his guardian angel, sees it (Megillah 3a) — his soul takes fire with a passion to bind himself to the light of the Infinite. As long as the revelation lasts, the words pour forth with intense devotion. He surrenders himself, throwing his entire energy into them. For these moments he becomes nullified before the Infinite, and he is in a state of unknowing, as it is written: “and no man knows” (Deut. 34:6). He himself has no knowledge even of himself. But it is impossible to remain in such a state. If he did, he would die before his time, God forbid. But during his lifetime the only way to attain this state is in a mode of “running and returning” (Ezekiel 1:14). God does not want us to die! He wants us to live in order that we should serve Him. Only when the time comes for God Himself to take one’s soul is it possible to remain in this state of self-nullification, and then he will be merged with the Infinite completely in accordance with his merits (Likutey Moharan 4:9).