QUESTION:
1) What is the pain of the Shechinah?
ANSWER:
1) It is when there is a lot of restricted, limited level of the revelation of Hashem in His world. The word pain, tzaar, is from the word tzar, narrow, which implies tzimtzum, constriction. There is proper tzimtzum and then there is increased tzimtzum, and when tzimtzum is very much increased, it is pain of the Shechinah.
QUESTION
2) If I feel the pain of others is that called the pain of the Shechinah?
ANSWER
2) Yes! Every pain of a Jew is Hashem’s pain. The root of the pain on this world is in the pain above.
QUESTION
3) Is the Shechinah something that’s separate from our neshamos or is it a part of our neshamos?
ANSWER
3) The Shechinah is the root of all neshamos.
QUESTION
4) When I feel another’s pain do I also need to identify with the pain that the Shechinah has over this or is the mere fact that I am pained about a tragedy or another’s pain is enough to be called joining with the pain of the Shechinah?
ANSWER
4) Both. There is pain below by joining with the pain of other Jews down below on this world, and there is also the root pain, which is the Shechinah’s pain. Whenever there is pain below on this world (when a Jew has pain), there is also pain above. And when there is pain above, there will also be pain below on this world.
QUESTION
5) How can a woman connect to the pain of the Shechinah in day-to-day life?
ANSWER
5) Let it penetrate, and reveal a desire, to reveal Hashem and to reveal His glory on the world. This is the inner will of every Jew. When this will is uncovered, a person will feel pain that Hashem’s glory yet been fully revealed. To the extent that you want Hashem’s glory to be revealed on the world, that is how much pain you will be able to feel, over its absence.
QUESTION
6) How can we learn about the pain of the Shechinah?
ANSWER
I don’t know of a sefer that’s organized just on this topic. It is a matter that’s scattered throughout the words of our Sages. In the last couple years there are new editions of Kinnos that also collect together all the different words of our Sages, about the concept of the tzaar HaShechinah.
QUESTION
2) If I feel the pain of others is that called the pain of the Shechinah?
ANSWER
2) Yes! Every pain of a Jew is Hashem’s pain. The root of the pain on this world is in the pain above.
QUESTION
3) Is the Shechinah something that’s separate from our neshamos or is it a part of our neshamos?
ANSWER
3) The Shechinah is the root of all neshamos.
QUESTION
4) When I feel another’s pain do I also need to identify with the pain that the Shechinah has over this or is the mere fact that I am pained about a tragedy or another’s pain is enough to be called joining with the pain of the Shechinah?
ANSWER
4) Both. There is pain below by joining with the pain of other Jews down below on this world, and there is also the root pain, which is the Shechinah’s pain. Whenever there is pain below on this world (when a Jew has pain), there is also pain above. And when there is pain above, there will also be pain below on this world.
QUESTION
5) How can a woman connect to the pain of the Shechinah in day-to-day life?
ANSWER
5) Let it penetrate, and reveal a desire, to reveal Hashem and to reveal His glory on the world. This is the inner will of every Jew. When this will is uncovered, a person will feel pain that Hashem’s glory yet been fully revealed. To the extent that you want Hashem’s glory to be revealed on the world, that is how much pain you will be able to feel, over its absence.
QUESTION
6) How can we learn about the pain of the Shechinah?
ANSWER
I don’t know of a sefer that’s organized just on this topic. It is a matter that’s scattered throughout the words of our Sages. In the last couple years there are new editions of Kinnos that also collect together all the different words of our Sages, about the concept of the tzaar HaShechinah.
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