HOW A YESHIVA BOCHUR CAN BE INTRODUCED TO PNIMIYUS? [#18735]

March 4, 2022

QUESTION:

A yeshiva bochur asked me that he wants to really serve Hashem and work on his pnimiyus (internal world) and he would like to learn some of the kavanos of the Arizal. What does the Rav think about this, and which sefer about pnimiyus does the Rav recommend for a yeshiva bochur who wants to serve Hashem?

ANSWER:

It is recommended to learn the sefarim of Reb Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin, such as sefer Tzidkas HaTzaddik, and also sefer Michtav M’Eliyahu. After learning these sefarim, one can move on to learning sefer Nefesh HaChaim, and also sefer “Chassidus Mevueres”. It is appropriate to begin with these sefarim, and at a more mature age one can go further from there.
When entering into the study of pnimiyus ha Torah, it is more appropriate to enter into this kind of study through developing one’s emotions of the soul, as opposed to studying kabalistic kavanos. At a later point, only if it is suitable for the person to do it, one can eventually learn the kavanos of the Arizal.