Reconstructing Rachel: Returning to Jewish Nature

The 11th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan, is the yahrtzeit ("day of passing") of our Matriarch, Rachel and has been declared the "International Day of Unity for Jewish Women."  Rachel represents the promise of the return of the Jewish People to their Land and to their true nature. The following is an excerpt from Rabbi Ginsburgh's lecture in Chicago in Kislev 5764 (Dec 04).

Return to National Jewish Nature

Kabbalah teaches that our matriarch Rachel (our patriarch Jacob's wife) symbolizes the Jewish People. The exile of the Jewish People is referred to in Kabbalah as the exile of Rachel. Rabbi Izik of Homil, the deepest philosopher of Chabad, explains that the return of the Jewish People from exile to the Land of Israel is the reconstruction of the spiritual figure of Rachel. In exile, the spiritual figure of Rachel is unable to manifest. It regresses to a point and is vulnerable to destruction. In the Land of Israel, this point expands to a line and then to an entire area. This area is the reconstructed figure of Rachel, called in Hebrew binyan partzuf Rachel.

The last words in the Torah's account of creation (Genesis 2:3) are:

asher bara Elokim la'asot, "all that G-d created to do."

the sages explain that "to do" means "to rectify." G-d left the essential rectification in creation to us, so that we may make this world His dwelling place. The numerical value of la'asot is 806, the same value as binyan partzuf Rachel. Included in the last words of the account of creation are G-d's instructions for its perpetuation. We must reconstruct the figure of Rachel on a personal, communal and universal level.

Rabbi Isaac of Homil explains that reconstructing Rachel is our return to Jewish nature. In exile, that nature is concealed, unknown even to us. It has returned to a point, with no expanse. When we return to Israel we also return to our true identity. Jewish nature is much more than observance of the commandments. It is a return to our natural, Jewish state of consciousness -- when our entire identity is motivated by our connection to G-d.

The Immune System and the Identity Crisis

The most basic task of the immune system is to identify its own self -- the body. Once it has identified itself, it can go on to distinguish between friend and foe, allowing positive elements to be integrated into the body and expelling the negative.

This basic model applies to the Nation of Israel as well. The most fundamental problem plaguing the Jewish People today is its lack of identity. Because we are so far from our Jewish Nature, we are far from knowing who we are, who is our friend and who is our foe. This is an immune illness, causing all the other ills that the Jewish People in Israel and the Diaspora face today.

Kabbalah explains that the immune system in the body corresponds to the sefirah of hod. By rectifying the attribute of hod in our personal and national lives, we will come closer to achieving Jewish nature, reconstructing the figure of Rachel for ourselves, for our People, and for the entire world.

The Five Meanings of the Sefirah of Acknowledgment

In order to understand how to rectify our sefirah of acknowledgment, we must understand what it means.

Every sefirah has five levels that correspond to the four letters of G-d's essential Name, Havayah, and the superational crown above it. These five meanings are the secret of G-d's essential signature in the given sefirah.

Let us now explore the five meanings of hod.

1) Splendor: This is the level of keter "crown." There are eight synonyms in Hebrew for beauty, each with its own subtle meaning. Splendorous beauty implies an aura, such as an aura surrounding the head.

2) Confession: This is the level of the yud of G-d's Name, which corresponds to chochmah, "wisdom." Spiritually, this is the attribute of bitul, "self nullification." In relation to hod, this is one's ability to confess that he was wrong and to ask for forgiveness.

3) Acknowledgement: This is the level of the first hei of G-d's Name, which corresponds to binah, "understanding." In relation to hod, this is one's ability to acknowledge that he previously did not understand something. He now understands, confesses that he was wrong and acknowledges that the other person/concept etc. was right.

4) Thanksgiving: This is the level of the vav of G-d's Name, which corresponds to the six emotions of the heart. In relation to hod, this is one's ability to give thanks, which is rectified Jewish Nature. The great book of Jewish ethics, "Duties of the Heart," explains at length that the first ethical principle that one must rectify in his soul is the ability to give thanks. Otherwise, he may be ungrateful, which is the source of all evil properties of the soul. Thanksgiving is the emotion that follows the understanding of acknowledgment.

5) Echo: This is the level of the final hei of G-d's Name, which corresponds to malchut, "kingdom." Spiritually, the attribute of kingdom is true lowliness. In relation to hod, that lowliness manifests as an echo. It is our ability to realize that all that we accomplish in this world is simply an echo of the energy coming from G-d. In Chronicles 1 29:14 King David says to G-d: "From You is all and from Your hand I give back to You." That sense of giving back to G-d all that is His is the echo. It has a deep component of confession and acknowledgment. Giving thanks naturally and sincerely is also an echo, projecting energy back from the receiver to the giver. Thus we see that typical to malchut, this meaning of hod reflects all the preceding meanings of the concept.

Applying the Meanings of Hod on a National Level

National Splendor -- Jewish Pride

The first task of the immune system is to identify itself -- its body. This self-identity is Jewish pride. As we learned in the previous chapter, Splendor, the level of hod at the Crown of G-d's Name (keter), is an aura. The splendor principle is the aura of Jewish pride. Jewish pride is not chauvinism or ego. It is the Jew's essential connection to G-d. To be proud to be a Jew means to accept that G-d chose the Jewish People to take responsibility for bringing His light to the entire world. This innate feeling that it is good to be a Jew, hardships notwithstanding, is the splendor of Jewishness. It is the aura around every Jew and around the Jewish People.

At the level of keter, a healthy national immune system will identify who we are and take pride in being Jewish.

Confession -- Taking Responsibility for Wrongs

The immune system must identify negative forces threatening the body. On a national level, these negative forces are the wrongs committed as a result of lack of Jewish pride. Our essential connection to G-d produces the courage to confess that we have erred and strayed from our responsibility to bring G-d's light to the world. The inability to confess points to a self-destructive immune system. At the level of chochmah, a healthy national immune system will identify those forces that are destroying the body from within and without, take responsibility for them and expel them.

Acknowledgement -- Identifying Positive Forces

The immune system must identify friendly forces. This identification is the trait of acknowledgment. Acknowledgement comes after the confession of wrongs. It is the admission that "I was wrong, you were right, and you were a positive force."

Another aspect of acknowledgement in Jewish Nature is the ability to recognize the miracles that G-d brings about at every moment of existence. Living as if all is natural is unnatural for a Jew. If a person does not have Jewish Nature, he is afraid of miracles, and may view them as a threat. In actuality, he is afraid of being a Jew. At the level of binah, a healthy national immune system will acknowledge that those who warned against erring were right, while also acknowledging the miracle of the existence of the Jewish People, and the myriad miracles that are woven into the very fabric of daily life in Israel.

Thanksgiving -- Gratitude to Others and to G-d

After the immune system identifies the friendly forces, it must integrate them into the body. This is the level of thanksgiving. At the level of the six emotions of the heart, a healthy national immune system will show gratitude to all those factors that help it to thrive and be healthy, integrating them into the national system. Most importantly, a healthy national immune system shows gratitude to G-d, Who gives miraculous life to the nation.

Echo -- Reflecting Torah Life

Now that the immune system has identified itself, expelled negative forces and integrated the positive, the body is healthy. At the level of malchut, a healthy national immune system will reflect the nation's connection to G-d at all levels of its being. As the Torah is G-d's truth and His instruction to the Jewish People, the healthy national immune system will reflect the Torah's truth in every aspect of national life. This echo will be predicated on the recognition that all the Jewish pride, health and miraculous existence of Israel is a gift from G-d, which we acknowledge with gratitude as we strive to spread G-d's light to all creation.

Seven Paths in Service of G-d

From the Ba'al Shem Tov we learn that there are seven paths in the service of G-d, corresponding to the seven sefirot from chesed to malchut. The Ba'al Shem Tov delineates three basic types of people who are not walking in the path of G-d -- be it because they never learned about G-d or because they have fallen from a higher level of Divine service. Each of the three types reacts to their situation in a different manner:

A person who is not walking in the way of G-d, but does not feel that anything is amiss.

A person who knows that he is not walking in the way of G-d, but who continues in his ways and does not pray for Divine intervention to help him to mend his ways.

A person who is not walking in the way of G-d, but cries out to G-d with all his heart to help him.

Blithe Self-Deception

The first type of person described above is in the very worst way. Not only is he not conscious that his ways are negative, but he is quite satisfied with his life and actions, convinced that his ways have proven themselves to be right. Immersed in evil, this person is so self-centered and proud that he may even develop theories to explain how his behavior is actually the most true and rational.

Natural Despair

The second type of person knows that his ways are wrong, but despairs of any possibility of change or rectification. He believes that life is unchanging and inflexible -- what was in the past will be in the future -- one has little or no power to make a change. This person is not necessarily unhappy and does not necessarily feel a desperate need to change. He is conscious that he should improve his ways. However, he flows along with the natural tide of his life, convinced that real change or improvement is beyond the realm of his capabilities.

The Fighter

The third type of person knows that his ways are wrong and truly wishes to change. This person also does not believe that he is capable of changing his ways. Unlike the second type, though, he does not fall into despair. When his own strength of will fails him, he turns to G-d, begging Him to extricate him from his straits. Although this person's actions are still not positive, the Ba'al Shem Tov said that he is on a spiritual level at which he effects unifications (of which he, himself is unaware.) Of all the types of people who are not walking in the way of G-d, this person is on the highest level.

The Types, the Sefirot, and the Axes

Now that we have a basic understanding of the three types, we can understand how they fit into the basic sefirotic model, and how the other types will also fit in. Common to the three types of people that the Ba'al Shem Tov described is the fact that they are not yet consciously serving G-d. They thus correspond to the lowest, most vulnerable triplet on the sefirotic structure -- netzach, hod and yesod.

Each of these three sefirot is positioned on a different axis on the sefirotic structure, right, left and middle, respectively. It is important to understand why each type corresponds to its particular sefirah, why each sefirah is positioned on its particular axis, and what implications this holds in our service of G-d.

The Higher Triplet

The three types enumerated by the Ba'al Shem Tov can be classified as two who have a consciousness of their negative ways and one who oblivious or proud of his negative ways. Of the two conscious types, one is willing to accept his current situation and the other strives to improve himself. In the higher triplet of types we can also expect to find two types with similar consciousness of their situation -- with one tending toward despair and the other to prayer -- and a third type with a more prideful consciousness.

The Haughty "Tzadik"

Parallel to the first type described by the Ba'al Shem Tov in the lower sefirot, the first type in the higher sefirot also suffers from a prideful consciousness. As this type is in the higher triplet of sefirot, he serves G-d -- performing His commandments, studying Torah and doing good deeds. However, he is bursting with pride of his "righteous" nature, certain that all of his deeds find favor in the eyes of G-d and that no one is more righteous than he.

Rote Service of G-d

Parallel to the person who despairs of improving in the lower triplet, the second type in the higher triplet also lives in despair. Unlike the first type, he fulfills G-d's commandments without feelings of pride. They are second nature to him. This very feeling of "second nature" prevents him from "taking off" and ascending to a higher, more heartfelt level of Divine service. Like his counterpart in the lower sefirot, he is convinced that he is incapable of achieving greater heights and filling his Divine service with deeper meaning.

The Indefatigable Prayer

Parallel to the person who strives to better his ways in the lower triplet, the third type in the higher triplet eternally struggles against what he sees as his base nature. Although he is actively involved in fulfilling G-d's will, he knows that there is much room for improvement, and strives to constantly better his ways. This person is well aware that all the good that he does is unnatural to him. He battles his evil inclination and knows that without Divine intervention he hasn't a chance to emerge victorious. This person constantly prays for G-d to help him to conquer his natural evil inclination. In his consciousness he is eternally thankful to G-d for helping him to overcome his evil. He simultaneously prays that G-d will continue to help him to come closer to Him. This person is the proverbial "Intermediate" (beinoni) of the book of Tanya -- a spiritual level that we must all strive to achieve.

A Deeper Understanding: Relating the Types to the Sefirot

The Right Axis: Flowing with the Natural Tide

A person who lives naturally, "flowing along" with things as they are in despair of the possibility to change his ways is located on the right axis of the sefirotic chart. This is the axis of natural flow and expansion. The movement of the right axis is the natural drift of water, gliding effortlessly from above to below. The right axis is the axis of love. When a person is motivated by love (watery love and not fiery love, which is characterized by actions over and above one's natural inclinations) his actions are natural and flowing.

When this natural flow in not rectified, it leads to despair. Nature is defined by the perpetuation of a given reality and the underlying belief in the cyclical nature of life. Service of G-d within the framework of nature is service that strives to be no more than "everyone else," incapable of changing the course of eternal reality. On a deeper level, the major force in unrectified and unmotivated natural flow is the law of entropy. Although at first glance the "natural types" may seem to be free flowing and unfettered, they in fact exist in straits from which they cannot escape.

In ancient times, the law of entropy -- the unrelenting disintegration of all reality – was most compellingly embodied by the Egyptian high priest. (The Hebrew word for "Egypt," Mitzrayim, is cognate to the Hebrew word for "straits," meitzarim). This belief reached its high point in the despair of Western religion in the possibility that man can change for the better. The unrectified flow of nature toward disintegration is the religion of Egypt -- the religious source of all that which limits and imprisons man in his present state.

The Lower Right Axis: Netzach

The person in the lower triplet on the right axis despairs of changing himself for the better. This is a flaw in the emotive power of netzach, whose inner dimension is confidence. The archetypal rectified netzach personality is Moses. His holy trait of netzach connects to the eternal and unchanging reality of G-d, which is above the ever-shifting human reality. The rectified trait of netzach in the World of Action is the power to fight despair, to overpower the disintegration of entropy and to initiate change and rectification. The personality that most exemplifies the struggle with unrectified netzach is Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, whose very name, Nachman, equals netzach (148) in Gematria. Among Rabbi Nachman’s most famous teachings are "There is no despair at all in the world," and "If you believe that something can be broken, believe that it can be fixed."

The Upper Right Axis: Chesed

The person in the higher triplet on the right axis corresponds to the emotive power of chesed. On the surface, it does not seem that a person who serves G-d with the cold despair of ever ascending to greater spiritual heights fits into the definition of chesed --which expresses giving and love. Chassidut explains that with all the will to give and expand typified by the emotive power of chesed, it is flowing but weak. The giving of chesed alone (without the addition of gevurah, "might") is giving that has become second nature, void of the strength of purpose to overcome obstacles and to give even more.

The Left Axis: Unnatural Effort

A person who lives unnaturally -- who does not flow with the natural stream of things and strives to overcome his nature and to ascend to greater heights -- is part of the left axis of the sefirotic chart. This is the axis of contracted gevurah, "might." The movement of the left axis is ascent, as fire that aspires upward in an attempt to free itself of the wick that confines it within the reality of nature. The person on the left axis is motivated by the understanding that he must exert effort to extricate himself from the confines of his natural state.

Significantly, the personality types that are on the left axis, as exemplified in a rectified manner by fear of Heaven, are considered more positive. When a person has basic fear of Heaven, he is more open to constantly improving his "natural flow." This is the most direct path to true service of G-d.

The Lower Left Axis: Hod

The person in the lower triplet of the left axis -- whose deeds are not positive but who prays to G-d to extricate him from his straits -- corresponds to the emotive power of hod. A hod personality is full of thanks while admitting that he has erred. He does not accept his present reality as a pre-drawn conclusion. As one of the character traits of hod is passivity, this person will not initiate action to extricate himself from his present reality. He will rather suffice with prayer to G-d. The upward movement of the left axis is expressed in the emotive power of hod as non-complacency with one's present reality.

The Upper Left Axis: Gevurah

The person in the higher triplet of the left axis is the beinoni ("Intermediate") of the book of Tanya. He serves G-d against his nature. For this reason, he is constantly in a state of thanksgiving to G-d and prayer to Him. This corresponds to the emotive power of gevurah. In gevurah, non-complacency with one's present state is expressed with initiative. This person constantly strives to overcome his evil inclination. Because he is conscious that it is not natural for him to overcome his evil inclination, he is in a constant state of awe (the inner dimension of gevurah), apprehensive of the possibility that he will fall from his present state of Divine service. This leads him to sincere and heartfelt prayer to G-d to always help him to ascend to greater heights.

Understanding the Middle Axis: The Axis of Self-Consciousness

The middle axis, whose root is in the sefirah of da'at ("knowledge"), is the axis of self-consciousness. In contrast to chochmah and binah, whose focus is on objective scrutiny of the matter being considered, da'at relates to matters subjectively -- through the prism of its own experience. The initial and unrectified nature of the middle axis is excessive self-consciousness.

In keeping with this principle, the sages teach that Adam and Eve attained self-consciousness specifically after eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The beginning of the middle axis is in the sefirah of da'at -- the essence of self-consciousness. The da'at then extends along the middle axis to tiferet, in which a person, if unrectified, prides himself on his good deeds. The end of the middle axis is in the sefirah of yesod, in which the unrectified person prides himself on his evil deeds.

The Lower Middle Axis: Yesod

In the lower middle axis, corresponding to the sefirah of yesod is the person who is proud of his negative deeds and even glorifies them as positive. The rectified attribute of yesod is actualization of one's positive potential through faithfulness to the truth. In its unrectified state, yesod becomes the "blemished covenant." Instead of faithfulness and connection to absolute values and principles, the person with a blemished power of yesod will be entirely focused on his own good and pleasure as an absolute value. Totally self-centered, his ability to make sound and objective decisions becomes distorted even to the point of insanity.

The Upper Middle Axis: Tiferet

In the upper middle axis, corresponding to the sefirah of tiferet, is the person who pompously extols his good deeds. This person does not distort or falsify the facts -- he really has done many good deeds. His excessive consciousness of his positive actions, though, severely blemishes his character and will eventually prevent him from any further positive action. He becomes so obsessed with the good deeds that he has done, repeatedly recounting them to himself or to others, that he loses the ability to focus on any additional positive action.

Malchut: Rectified Jewish Nature

In Search of Jewish Nature

The six ways of service of G-d discussed in our previous chapters seem to shed no light on our quest for service of G-d with Jewish nature. Even the level of gevurah the "intermediate type" of the book of Tanya, seems incomplete. His Divine service is performed with unnatural effort -- seemingly antithetical to the Jewish nature that we seek. The final sefirah in which we can seek Jewish nature is the sefirah of malchut ("kingdom").

Integrating the Upper Sefirot into Malchut

Although the source of Malchut is loftier than the sefirot that precede it, it is the lowest sefirah and has "nothing of itself." Malchut is like an empty vessel, waiting to be filled by the attributes and powers above it. We must understand how six sefirot that are incomplete in their Jewish nature can come together in the sefirah of malchut to create a new and comprehensive path of Divine service from which Jewish nature shines.

The incompleteness of the six previous types stems from the fact that each is only a fraction of the entire picture. This partialness becomes an essential flaw in each of the types. However, when the three axes are integrated in the vessel of malchut in the proper order, a unique and complete Jewish nature is created.

The Left Axis in Malchut: Creating a Receptacle

Kabbalah explains that a strong kingdom (malchut) is contingent on input, first and foremost, from the left axis. The main goal of the left axis in building malchut is to form it into a true receptacle. The effort to overcome one's primary, negative nature builds openness and a true will to receive Divine light from a source higher than what was originally possible. The left axis -- effort and exertion to overcome one's nature and to walk in G-d's path -- creates a receptacle that is open and equipped to receive true Divine light.

The Right Axis in Malchut: Filling the Receptacle

The vessel of malchut, initially created by the effort of the left to override nature can now be filled with the light of the right axis -- natural flow. Without the strength and effort of the left axis, the nature of the right is blemished and immature -- incapable of nonconformance and aspiration to achieve new heights. After the introduction of the left axis into the soul, though, the light of the right axis naturally flows in the way of G-d and fulfillment of His commandments. The right axis refocuses the person on the fact that his service of G-d is his true nature. Furthermore, this had always been his nature and it had always suited him. Until now, his true nature had simply been obscured by a thick shell of exile. The effort and exertion of the left axis was simply the method of removing the shell to reveal and redeem his true Jewish nature.

The Middle Axis in Malchut: Discovering Jewish Nature

Until now we have explained how the left and right axes unify in the vessel of malchut to create rectified Jewish nature. The most sought after unification, though, is the unification of the two male components of the middle axis – tiferet and yesod -- the sefirot of self-consciousness, with the female sefirah of malchut. In the process of his rectified, natural service of G-d a person is fairly unaware of himself. The unification with the middle axis -- the axis of self-consciousness -- gives one a rectified and balanced awareness of his actions. On the surface it would seem that this awareness could once again thrust him into the depths of pompousness, as described in the previous chapters. However, after proper construction of Jewish nature this consciousness is no longer negative and harmful. On the contrary, it perfects ones actions, revealing their complete and unique Jewish nature.

All is from G-d

When Jewish nature is properly constructed, its underlying awareness is that of the left axis: Walking in the path of G-d is not natural, and one must exert effort in order to do so. With this awareness in place and with the natural flow of the right axis filling the vessel of malchut, one understands that the very nature for which he strived is a gift of G-d. For this reason, his self-consciousness will not cause him to feel pride. Rather, it will be a consciousness of G-d's goodness that flows through him, arousing in him sincere and heartfelt thanks to Him.

In Chronicles A 29:14 King David, who exemplifies rectified malchut says:

For from You is all, and from Your hand we have given to You.

King David gave full expression to his awareness that his actions were not his at all -- but rather, a gift of G-d. The rectified self-consciousness of Jewish nature disregards all awareness of "myself" and "my" good deeds, instead relating them completely to G-d.

The sefirah of malchut unifies and integrates all the paths of Divine service, rectifying and elevating them to crystallize into true Jewish nature. May we have the merit to achieve this nature and reconstruct Rachel on both a national and personal level.