QUESTION:
1) According to Breslev (especially Reb Noson and Mohorosh) a person can do teshuvah right away if he starts talking to Hashem right away and regrets all of his sins, telling Hashem that he wants to do teshuvah and return to Hashem. What is the source for this kind of teshuvah? How can a person do teshuvah so quickly with just a few words? Also, from the Gemara and the Rambam, teshuvah is not simple at all to do: Every sin requires 4 aspects (abandoning the sin, regret, confession, accepting not to do it again). And according to Rabbeinu Yonah, every sin requires 20 aspects. So where is Breslev coming from? Is it based on Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya who did teshuvah very quickly and fixed everything in one moment (or one hour) just by regretting his sins and crying to Hashem?
ANSWER:
The main teaching found in Bresslev (Rebbi Nachman and his students who came after him) is to talk to Hashem, because this is the illumination of Mashiach, which means to “converse”, to be masiach l’fi tumo, to talk simply, with Hashem, from temimus (earnestness) and peshitus (simplicity). Part of Mashiach’s illumination is to return the entire world to teshuvah. This is rooted in the fact that Mashiach (ben Dovid) comes from Leah, who represents the realm of binah, which is the root of the power to do teshuvah. However, this is only the root of teshuvah, and it needs to be coupled with the “garments” that are necessary for this root power, which is to actually fulfill all of the halachos of doing teshuvah (which are explained in the Gemara and Rambam).
QUESTION
2) The Rav has said that the avodah in our generation is to be like Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya, who did teshuvah and fixed everything just through having mesirus nefesh, being willing to give himself up for Hashem in one instant. What is the source that our generation is supposed to be reflecting Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya specifically? Why him over the other holy Sages of our past?
ANSWER
It is because in the final days, the illumination of the Keser is shining, and it will be complete when it shines completely in its full zenith, where “And it will be given to You, the crown of royalty.” The Keser is identified as ratzon (wanting to do the will of Hashem), as explained by the Rema m’Pano and the Gra, and in many other places. That is why the most important thing in our times is to reveal our inner ratzon, our will, to want to do Hashem’s will. That is why Bresslev teachings places so much importance on having spiritual yearnings and wishes. However, it needs to be coupled with like-minded thinking and acting upon the yearnings [because the yearnings alone aren’t enough]. Our ratzon for Hashem isn’t complete if we just have yearnings for Hashem. It needs to become complete in the active sense, which is by having mesirus nefesh, by actually giving up our desires, for Hashem – to actively give up our ratzon for Hashem. Understand very well that there is a difference between “potential” ratzon, which is by yearning for Hashem, and “activated” ratzon, which is to actually have mesirus nefesh for Hashem.
QUESTION
3) The Rav has said that our generation is in the revelation of “Arikh”, which was the level of Rebbi Meir, and elsewhere the Rav said that our current period is reflective of Rabbi Akiva, who personified the level of Atik. Elsewhere the Rav said that our generation has the avodah of Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya (as mentioned earlier). Which one is it??
ANSWER
Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya’s avodah of mesirus nefesh was part of the Keser revelation. In the realm of the Sefiros, the highest point is called Keser, and in the realm of the Partzufin (the “persona” of the Sefiros), the Keser divides into two levels: Atik (higher Keser) and Arikh (lower Keser). So there are different ways of saying what the avodah of the current generation is. The perspective of Arikh corresponds to Mashiach ben Yosef, and the perspective of Atik corresponds to Mashiach ben Dovid.
QUESTION
4) Is there a view that maintains that a person doesn’t need to strive for shleimus (self-completion) and that a person shouldn’t learn Mesillas Yesharim because it just breaks a person by making him want to strive for so many levels in trying to perfect himself? Is this the view of Novhardok, which maintains that a person should focus on his qualities and just be happy and positive and have bitachon?
ANSWER
The sefer of Novhardok’s school of thought is sefer Madreigas Ha’Adam, and the approach of that sefer is very different from what you have described. I do not recognize any Novhardok approach other than sefer Madreigas Ha’Adam.
QUESTION
5) Is there a way for a person to directly access the highest point, Atik? Or does a person always need to first go through the point of Arikh (mesirus nefesh) in order to get to the Atik?
ANSWER
Usually, no. There are only a few exceptional individuals whose soul root is Atik and they are already born with this power already revealed in them.
QUESTION
6) Since Arikh and Atik can both be subdivided into the levels of Arikh and Atik, can the Rav please explain the divisions of (1) Arikh within Arikh, (2) Atik within Arikh, (3) Arikh within Atik, and (3) Atik within Atik.
ANSWER
a) Arikh within Atik is when one goes through a process of jumping to the highest level, by progressing level by level through having mesirus nefesh. This is because there are many levels to mesirus nefesh, just as with everything else which subdivides into many levels [and one can traverse many different levels of mesirus nefesh in a gradual process, step by step].
b) Atik within Arikh is when one has total mesirus nefesh in one moment, like “those who acquire their share in the World To Come in one hour” [as it was said of Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya].
c) Arikh within Atik is when one gains a glimmer of the higher dimension and reflects it on his own level, where the higher dimension becomes ne’etak (“copied”) into the lower dimension, and in a way that one keeps returning to that higher perception, where he is shifting back and forth between reaching it and pulling away from it and he hasn’t yet grasped it fully.
d) Atik within Atik is when one completely ‘copies’ the higher dimension onto the lower dimension.
QUESTION
2) The Rav has said that the avodah in our generation is to be like Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya, who did teshuvah and fixed everything just through having mesirus nefesh, being willing to give himself up for Hashem in one instant. What is the source that our generation is supposed to be reflecting Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya specifically? Why him over the other holy Sages of our past?
ANSWER
It is because in the final days, the illumination of the Keser is shining, and it will be complete when it shines completely in its full zenith, where “And it will be given to You, the crown of royalty.” The Keser is identified as ratzon (wanting to do the will of Hashem), as explained by the Rema m’Pano and the Gra, and in many other places. That is why the most important thing in our times is to reveal our inner ratzon, our will, to want to do Hashem’s will. That is why Bresslev teachings places so much importance on having spiritual yearnings and wishes. However, it needs to be coupled with like-minded thinking and acting upon the yearnings [because the yearnings alone aren’t enough]. Our ratzon for Hashem isn’t complete if we just have yearnings for Hashem. It needs to become complete in the active sense, which is by having mesirus nefesh, by actually giving up our desires, for Hashem – to actively give up our ratzon for Hashem. Understand very well that there is a difference between “potential” ratzon, which is by yearning for Hashem, and “activated” ratzon, which is to actually have mesirus nefesh for Hashem.
QUESTION
3) The Rav has said that our generation is in the revelation of “Arikh”, which was the level of Rebbi Meir, and elsewhere the Rav said that our current period is reflective of Rabbi Akiva, who personified the level of Atik. Elsewhere the Rav said that our generation has the avodah of Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya (as mentioned earlier). Which one is it??
ANSWER
Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya’s avodah of mesirus nefesh was part of the Keser revelation. In the realm of the Sefiros, the highest point is called Keser, and in the realm of the Partzufin (the “persona” of the Sefiros), the Keser divides into two levels: Atik (higher Keser) and Arikh (lower Keser). So there are different ways of saying what the avodah of the current generation is. The perspective of Arikh corresponds to Mashiach ben Yosef, and the perspective of Atik corresponds to Mashiach ben Dovid.
QUESTION
4) Is there a view that maintains that a person doesn’t need to strive for shleimus (self-completion) and that a person shouldn’t learn Mesillas Yesharim because it just breaks a person by making him want to strive for so many levels in trying to perfect himself? Is this the view of Novhardok, which maintains that a person should focus on his qualities and just be happy and positive and have bitachon?
ANSWER
The sefer of Novhardok’s school of thought is sefer Madreigas Ha’Adam, and the approach of that sefer is very different from what you have described. I do not recognize any Novhardok approach other than sefer Madreigas Ha’Adam.
QUESTION
5) Is there a way for a person to directly access the highest point, Atik? Or does a person always need to first go through the point of Arikh (mesirus nefesh) in order to get to the Atik?
ANSWER
Usually, no. There are only a few exceptional individuals whose soul root is Atik and they are already born with this power already revealed in them.
QUESTION
6) Since Arikh and Atik can both be subdivided into the levels of Arikh and Atik, can the Rav please explain the divisions of (1) Arikh within Arikh, (2) Atik within Arikh, (3) Arikh within Atik, and (3) Atik within Atik.
ANSWER
a) Arikh within Atik is when one goes through a process of jumping to the highest level, by progressing level by level through having mesirus nefesh. This is because there are many levels to mesirus nefesh, just as with everything else which subdivides into many levels [and one can traverse many different levels of mesirus nefesh in a gradual process, step by step].
b) Atik within Arikh is when one has total mesirus nefesh in one moment, like “those who acquire their share in the World To Come in one hour” [as it was said of Rebbi Eliezer ben Dordaya].
c) Arikh within Atik is when one gains a glimmer of the higher dimension and reflects it on his own level, where the higher dimension becomes ne’etak (“copied”) into the lower dimension, and in a way that one keeps returning to that higher perception, where he is shifting back and forth between reaching it and pulling away from it and he hasn’t yet grasped it fully.
d) Atik within Atik is when one completely ‘copies’ the higher dimension onto the lower dimension.
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