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This series is a continuation and should be read in order. If you are not familiar with previous posts you may have trouble understanding later ones.
And now Chapter 10.01
And now that we have explained in the first section of the book - Chapters 1 through 9 - that one must perform Hisbonenus on all of the particulars of the Hishtalshellus, it is necessary to understand, in a particular way, all of the details of the four worlds of ABY"A (Atzilus, Briyah, Yitzirah, Asiyah - Emanation, Creation, Formation, Action). Namely, these particulars are all of the specifics of the concept of the ten Sfiros (Emanations) of ABY"A, their lights and their vessels, as well as how they are enclothed one within the other and all of these must be understood with all of their details. Even as far as how each Sfirah divides into specifics within specifics, even as far as the level of Chesed (Kindness) of Malchus (Kingdom) within Chochmah (Wisdom) within Malchus of Chesed and the like, in other words a sfirah of a sfirah of a sfirah etc., as well as the concept of their unification and inclusion within the level of Kesser (Crown) of each of their respective worlds. Which this level of Kesser is the intermediary between each world and the world below it, as it is known the general rule, in short, that from the level of Malchus of an upper world comes the level of Kesser of the lower, and so the worlds connect in this manner, until the highest heights so that all of the worlds connect like a chain the lowest level of an upper world connecting to the highest level of the next lower world, and it is for this reason that it is called Hishtalshellus, which means a chaining, indicating the cause and effect relationship, as per the term ‘a chain reaction.’.
This was a summary of what will be explained in this book and all of these concepts will be explained later. Also it is important to bear in mind that though this book does not directly address each of the infinite details of the Hishtalshellus, however, as the Mittler Rebbe points out himself in Chapter 6 - from what he does explain one can understand much more, for he gives the basic structure needed and through Hisbonenus on these explanations one can come to understand everything else.
The Mittler Rebbe now begins to systematically explain the Hishtalshellus from the top down.
However first, before learning all of the details of the worlds and their Sfiros, etc. it is necessary for everyone who is to perform Hisbonenus to first perform a thorough Hisbonenus on the first source which is called "the source of everything," which is in the level of the essence of the infinite light before the "first" Tzimtzum (-lessening or contraction of the light), which, this Tzimtzum is also called "the empty place" as mentioned previously. The Hisbonenus preformed even on this level must also be done in a detailed manner and this study of the details of the infinite light before the Tzimtzum is what is called elongating the word ‘one’ of the verse "Hear o’ Israel," indicating that one must have long drawn out contemplation specifically on the simple unity of G-d.
It is obligatory of every Jew to recite the series of verses beginning
with the verse "Hear O’ Israel" twice daily, morning and night. In
addition Jewish law prescribes that when one reads the word ‘one’ of
the verse "Hear O’ Israel" one is to elongate it and it says that anyone
who elongates the word ‘one’ is blessed with long life. Now the
Hebrew word for one is
and the
law dictates that the elongation is to be done on the last letter the letter
, but
being careful not swallowing the letter
.
However, in actual pronunciation this is a virtual impossibility for the letter
is
pronounced like the letter ‘D’ (save according to the pronunciation
of some Sfardic Jews who pronounce a plain letter
‘th’ or ‘dh’ as in the word
and only
pronounce a hard
when it
has an accent mark called a dagesh, like this
, then
they pronounce it "D") and pronouncing it ‘duuuh’ is adding a letter
that is not there. Therefore, the law dictates that one is to elongate the word
‘one’ by pausing after pronouncing it and to contemplate on
G-d’s oneness in the interim (this is so even according to those Jews who
do elongate the word ‘one’ in actual pronunciation, for this
contemplation is still meant to accompany the pronouncement of the word). In
addition, this contemplation is meant to be preformed in accordance with the
letters of the word sjt, whose numerical values are respectively 1, 8, and 4,
indicating that G-d’s unity - the 1 - remains equally one as it is found
within the 8 - the seven heavens and the earth - and over the 4 corners of the
earth. Similarly, these numbers represent the ten Sfiros (Emanations) 1
indicating Chochmah (Wisdom) 8 the next eight Sfiros from
Binah (Understanding) through Yissod (Foundation) and the 4
representing Malchus (Kingdom), because it transmits to the next level
the four sfiros Tiferes (Beauty), Netzach (Conquest), Hod
(Splendor), and Yissod, (also, aside from the numerical value of the
letter Dallet -
hinting
at the sfirah of Malchus, in addition its name, which is related
to the word meaning poor, hints at Malchus, which is called poor for it
has nothing of its own, but rather it is like an empty vessel that has only
what is put into it from the other nine sfiros). Also this that in this
elongation one is to stress the
so long
as one doesn’t swallow the
, serves
to indicate that the essential point of ones Hisbonenus is to be on how
G-d unites with our physical world, only that one must not completely disregard
the spiritual worlds for the understanding of how they are in truth nullified
and unified to G-d is essential in achieving a true recognition of this fact in
our physical world, for they are like the middle links in the chain that
connect the top to the bottom, as explained previously. Only after one realizes
how these middle links connect us to G-d can one truly perceive how G-d is one
with us essentially even without the middle links, as per the analogy of the
necklace, where the last link is itself connected back to the first link.
So, in short, elongating the word ‘one’ means to dwell in long Hisbonenus on the details of G-d’s unity, specifically how He unites with all aspects of creation and, as mentioned previously, any Hisbonenus must come back to this general and central point.
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The material in this series is copyrighted by Rabbi Yossi Markel