B”H
BECHUKOSAI
VITALITY, FRAGRANCE, COMPREHENSION, SUCCESS, REFINEMENT, HUMILITY AND SOULS
Hidden Blessings
There are two places in which the Torah describes in vivid detail the horrible consequences of sin. These very frightening threats or curses are referred to as the tochecha or words of reproof. The first recitation of the tochecha is in this week’s parsha.
Chassidic masters have always taught that we must look beneath the tochecha to find positive meanings.
The curses mentioned here are associated with our long and painful journey through Galus-exile. Thus, the hidden meaning of the blessings that underlie the curses are expressive of the process of Redemption, which reverses the negativity of Galus and reveals its inner positivity.
The following is an expanded version of the interpretation of a verse in this week’s parsha found in the Chassidic work, Yashreish Yaakov, supplemented with an application of its meaning to the dynamic of Galus and Redemption.
The Torah states the following “curse” (Leviticus 26:22):
“I will send the wildlife of the field against you and it will bereave you, exterminate your cattle, and diminish you; and your roads will become desolate.”
Based on the reinterpretation of this verse in the work Yashreish Yaakov, the verse can be retranslated as follows:
“I will instill within you vitality, a life imbued with the fragrance [of Shabbos-paradise]. This will cause you to comprehend and succeed and, which will diminish your animalistic tendencies and cause you to be humble. All of your paths shall be dominated with souls.”
Wildlife versus New Life
The word for “wildlife” - chayas - is related to the word chai-life because undomesticated animals are much more energetic than their domesticated counterparts.
The first “curse” converted into a blessing is therefore that G‑d will send, i.e., instill within us, more life and vitality. Galus conditions create lethargy and depression. This condition is said to come from the element of “earth” within our Animal Soul, one of the four classical elements: earth, wind, water and fire (as explained in Tanya at the end of Chapter one).
Not only does Galus cause lethargy and depression, lethargy and depression cause Galus in return. As it says in the second version of the tochecha (Deuteronomy 28:47) curses were caused: “Because you did not serve G‑d with joy…” Depression causes Galus and Galus causes depression. One feeds on the other.
To get out this vicious cycle, G‑d sent us the Ba’al Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, to instill within us new life and vitality and to pave the way for the Redemption.
Hence the words “I will send the wildlife” can now be retranslated as “I will send new life and vitality into your lives.” Indeed, this is what G‑d did with the advent of the Chassidic movement and its life-enhancing spirit.
“…of the field.”
The verse states that the location of the wildlife that G‑d will send will be “of the field.” In Kabbalistic literature, the field is a metaphor for the Garden of Eden, which, like an apple orchard, is filled with a pleasant aroma and fragrance. Furthermore, this fragrance is the hallmark of Shabbos, when the heavenly delight of the celestial apple orchard-Garden of Eden envelops us.
This new vitality that G‑d directed to us is characteristic of the delight of Shabbos. The period of Galus is likened to the six days of the work-week, with all the hardships that are associated with work. But in the end, on the Sabbath, we are able to sit back and reap the benefits and savor the delight of our accomplishments during the long and difficult week.
The same is true of Galus. When Galus transitions into Redemption we will be able to savor all of the delights that underlay the hard work and trials of the six millennia of the world’s existence, starting when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Throughout these last moments of Exile, we have been exposed to the delightful teachings of Chassidus and the joy it has engendered with its taste of the future.
The verse continues in our parsha with its hidden blessing:
“It will give you comprehension and success”
The original word shiklah, which is superficially translated as “bereave,” has now been transformed into “comprehension and success.”
The result of the newfound vitality that G‑d sent us will be our ability to successfully comprehend the spiritual revelations.
This may be said to allude to the teachings of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad Chassidus, who introduced the spiritual teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov through a comprehensive intellectual system. His objective was not academic but rather to allow the abstract and lofty teachings to become internalized within us and permeate our entire beings. This guarantees that the spiritual vitality that we receive from the exposure to the spiritual teachings will not dissipate. This will ensure that we will be successful in getting out of our internal Galus.
The verse continues:
“Exterminate your cattle.”
This can now be retranslated: “it will eliminate the animalistic [aspect of your personalities].”
Once we are imbued with the spiritual teachings of Chassidus and have internalized it successfully, we will no longer be plagued by or dragged down by the Animal Soul’s penchant for materialistic and hedonistic desires. Our spirits will have become refined and our entire being, both our G‑dly Soul and our Animal Soul, will be imbued with a love and passion for G‑d.
The verse continues:
“…and diminish you”
Once we are filled with vitality and enthusiasm and have even harnessed our Animal Souls to strive for G‑dly matters, we will reach the next level: true humility and self-abnegation. As long as we are in a Galus mindset our egos will remain our greatest obstacle. Once we have conquered our Animal Souls, we will no longer need to worry about our egos because our egos will become a reflection of G‑d’s Ego. Our self-esteem will become a G‑dly esteem.
Finally, the verse concludes with the ultimate blessing:
“…and your roads will become desolate.”
The word for desolate here is
neshamos, the Hebrew consonants of which are identical with neshamos-souls. Thus, these words can be retranslated and interpreted as:
“All of your pathways will be dominated by your souls.”
Use of the plural of the word “souls” suggests that the ultimate blessing will be when our Animal Soul realizes its lofty source. The Kabbalists identify that source as the powerful spiritual world of Tohu-Chaos. Tohu possesses more energy than the source of the G‑dly Soul, which is the world of Tikkun-correction, where G‑d’s light is more measured and attenuated. When the Animal Soul is fully refined it can add much more power and energy to the G‑dly soul as well.
Moreover, the ultimate spiritual revelation of the Messianic Age will come when we have internalized the powerful light of the world of Tohu and safely absorbed it within the ample and broad vessels of the world of Tikkun. When both Souls work for the same cause, we enjoy the best of both worlds. We then experience the robust revelation of the light of Tohu (the source of the Animal Soul) into the receptive vessels of Tikkun (the source of the G‑dly Soul). In that moment, the world will reach its state of perfection and we will celebrate the end of sin, pain and suffering; all negatives will transform into positives.
