Interfacing With The Divine

How is it possible that a person can hear Hashem? If you listen closely enough, you can hear Hashem talking to you through your own inner "still, small voice." What's going on? How can flesh and blood access spiritual information? To describe it in computer terms, a Macintosh computer cannot read Windows software unless it has the proper translation software. Do Jews posses this "translation software?" The answer is YES. The Jewish soul. The Jewish soul is not only translation software, it is also a networking cable connecting us the Divine mainframe. One aspect of the Jewish soul is part of Hashem and the other aspect of the soul is inside our bodies. The way to access this pipeline does not require any programming experience, and in fact is surprisingly simple.

Baal Shem Tov's New Avoda

Before the Baal Shem Tov introduced a new method of serving Hashem, people used to try and negate the body and its needs in order to access the Divine. The body was viewed as gross materialism, something that interfered with the soul's transmission. Therefore, many saintly tzaddikim would take upon themselves lengthy and prolonged fasts, denying themselves physical pleasure, some even rolling in the snow during winter or laying on the grass so that bugs would bite them during the summer.

But all this changed with the Baal Shem Tov. He taught that we need to integrate the body with the soul in the service of Hashem. That is why he instituted such practices as joy in serving Hashem, having proper kavana while eating and engaging in worldly pursuits, and the immersion in the mikve for purification. Gone were the fasts and other ascetic practices of previous generations. He said that this new avoda is the preferred method to reveal Hashem's light into the world and thus dispel the darkness and concealment of our exile. "Do not view your body as your enemy, resisting your soul's objectives, collapsing under the 'burden' of the mitzvot."

You may therefore be inclined to fight the body by denying its needs and mortifying it. Instead, the Baal Shem Tov is saying to aid your soul's "enemy." Purify the body. Refine it, do not break it. The Baal Shem Tov interprets the verse, "Seek peace and pursue it (Psalms 34:15)" as meaning one must seek and pursue means of making peace and establishing harmony between the material world and the G-dly life-force that vitalizes it.

It is known that the mind and body are integrated. We now speak of mind-body medicine and understand that they have the power to influence each other. Being that it is the mind that is the interface between the soul and the body, and therefore they are in actuality one unit, it is imperative that we maintain a healthy and hygienic mind and body.

Ohr Ganuz

From the Baal Shem Tov and onward there has been a radical shift in spirituality. There is now the fusion of the Divine with the physical. The Baal Shem Tov interprets the verse, "The earth shall rest a Sabbath to G-d" (Leviticus 25:2) as give materiality a rest; permeate the materiality with the Sabbath of spirituality and holiness. This is called in Kabbalistic terms "Ohr Ganuz," the hidden light that Hashem hid from the world after the sin of Adam. Prior to the sin, all of physicality was infused with spirituality. When Moshiach comes this will happen again. But it is a process. A process that was actualized by the Baal Shem Tov. From this perspective, the body and all its materiality is no less holy and spiritual than the most sublime spiritual entities. It is the body that is the vessel to contain this light, and the vessel to comprehend Divinity in concrete tangible terms. Therefore, engaging in health maintenance practices for the sake of serving Hashem with more vigor, vitality and concentration is a very big mitzvah.

The more aligned a person is with his personal avoda (mission) in the service of Hashem, the more ohr ganuz he will have, and the more ohr ganuz he has the clearer his soul's messages will be. On a macro level, the world is nearing its completed tikkun (rectification). Before the tikkun is complete and moshiach arrives, the Sages say that prophesy will return to the Jewish people. This is because the ohr ganuz is shining on the Jewish people more strongly now. And, in fact, we are witnessing a revival and flowering of hassogos in our generation.

Accessing the Still Small Voice

With the body healthy, the mind in control of the passions, (by virtue of its inborn nature, the mind rules the heart) and one's will subjugated to Hashem's Will, it is possible to access the "still small voice" that emanates from the soul. As was just said, it is "small" and "still," so if the body is in discomfort or the thoughts muddled, it will be difficult to hear.

Also, if one's will and desire are focused on materiality and self gratification it will be difficult to hear the still small voice. Why? Because the voice is a calling from your soul sending you instructions from Hashem, and if you are interested in your own agenda you will not pay attention to its message. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe has taught, the soul is the driver while the body is the passenger. We all know what happens when the passenger tries to take control of the steering wheel, the car keeps crashing. Let the driver drive the car.

Hashem speaks to us in many ways. As the Baal Shem Tov taught, every single thing that a person sees or hears is an instruction to him in his conduct in the service of G-d. The more hashgacha (Divine Providence) you have in life, the more real Hashem will be in your life. Hashem will relate to you in more personal terms.

No Kabbalah Required

The Baal Shem Tov used to say that he did not perform wonders by the use of mystical Divine names, but rather by concentrating on holiness and having Hashem close to him at all times. The Baal Shem Tov's prescription for holiness is simple: serve Hashem with humility and joy. The wholesome simplicity of the simple Jew touches on the utterly simple essence of G-d. Cleaving to G-d is the master key that opens all locks. Every Jew, including the most simple, possesses the ability to cleave to the words of Torah and prayer, thereby achieving the highest degrees of unity with G-d. Therefore, one does not have to be a Kabbalist or great scholar to have hassogos. What is required of a person is to be bitul to Hashem and have the desire to do His will.

Just as G-d commanded Noah to "Enter into the teivah" (literally translated as "ark", but can also be translated as "word"), one should enter into and cleave to the letters and words of Torah and prayer. This will protect the person and his entire extended family, enabling them to receive from G-d all their necessities. The Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Lubavitcher Rebbe) goes on to say that prayer without direction of the heart is like a body without a soul. Once you have the proper direction you need a vehicle for getting there, love of G-d and fear of G-d are the two wings by which a deed rises heavenward. If love and fear of G-d are the vehicle, ego is the brake which makes them drop. "Shall a man conceal himself in hidden places and I will not to see him(Jeremiah 23:24)?" The Baal Shem Tov interpreted this verse thus: Should "a man conceal himself in hidden places and I" - i.e., he retains his ego, his "I" - then, says G-d, "I will not see him."

The Two Brisim

To get back to our original question of how the physical body can receive spiritual information, we have to ask another question. Are the bodies of Jews different than those of the other nations'? The answer to this is yes. Upon having a kosher, ritual circumcision, a Jew enters a covenant with Hashem. The bris removes a very powerful klipa (spiritual impediment), allowing the Jew a close, unobstructed connection with Hashem. Furthermore, The Alter Rebbe goes on to teach that every Jew must also circumcise his heart. By circumcising one's heart, a Jew can fully express his unconditional love for his fellow Jew and thus develop unconditional, total love and awe for Hashem. As the Baal Shem Tov taught, there are three loves - the love of G-d, love of Torah, and the love of one's fellow - and they are indeed truly one. "Love your fellow as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18) is an interpretation of and commentary on "Love the L-rd, your G-d" (Deuteronomy 6:5). He who loves a fellow Jew loves G-d, because the Jew has within himself a "part of G-d Above" (Job 31:2; see Tanya ch. 2). When one loves a fellow Jew, he loves the Jew's inner essence, and thereby loves G-d. To love a fellow Jew is to love G-d. For it is written, "You are children of G-d" (Deuteronomy 14:1); when one loves the father, one loves his children.