May you continue in your inspiring and vital work, & may blessings shine done upon you in abundance; physically, materially, &spiritually.
And may all of Chabad’s emissaries around the world have only success & good in all things.
~~~
As I was winding through the cobblestone streets in the old town of Riga this afternoon, I found myself listening to a Torah class on my Ipod (Perhaps fulfilling part of G-d’s Original intention in creating Steve Jobs?) In it, I heard a beautiful thought that I would like to share:
Sometimes we find ourselves in a skeptical, if not hopeless, spiritual state of affairs.
“How can someone like me, someone so lowly, so busy with ‘worldly’ things (let’s not expound, each of us have our vices ), how can I hope to have any real connection to G-d or anything spiritual? And even if I could a little, what do I matter in the big scheme of things? Why should I even bother learning Torah or doing a mitzvah, celebrate a holiday or go to pray?
It’s a very valid question.
But let’s take a look at an interesting law in Torah, which may help shine some light on these Q’s.
The 11th century great sage Maimonides, in his “laws of Mikvah” [a spa where a Jew immerses for purity, traditionally a married woman once every month], writes: that when collecting water for this spa, there needs to be 40 ‘seah’ of water (a little bigger than most Jacuzzis).
However, if immersing in a "ma'ayon" - living waters (i.e. a lake or ocean), any amount is fine, as long as the person iscompletely immersed, from the tips of their hair down to their toes.
This law insinuates, that theoretically, if you could take a drop, just 1 drop, of ‘living waters’ and spread it so thinly that it covered the entire person, it would be enough to completely purify them!
Kabbalah teaches us that water is likened to Torah. Many reasons are given, for example: water naturally descends from a high place to a low place (unlike fire which naturally reaches upward), which is like Torah which is a Divine wisdom that descended to this earth. Every law in Torah has deeper levels to it. If 1 drop of living water is capable of purifying, than 1 drop of Torah can do the same. 1 mitzvah can do the same. 1 prayer can do the same.
When one learns a single teaching of Torah, he or she is completely immersed in G-d’s Infinite Wisdom, for “He, His Will, and His Wisdom are all One.” (see Tanya Ch.’s 4 & 5)
So no matter how “impure” we think we are, or how impure of an environment we find ourselves in, we must always remember that at any moment we can immerse our entire being into this 1 “drop.” It may help if we decide to direct our entire beings into the drop; i.e. immerse our mind and heart completely into the teaching being learned or the prayer being uttered. But whatever the case, the moment one decides to immerse in Torah or a Mitzvah, he or she is completely bound up with G-d in a bond that has absolutely no comparison in this world. For even the ultimate bond of 2 human beings in marriage is still 2 separate beings who are cleaving to one another. But when you study Torah, your mind is now 1 with G-d’s Mind.
You are now thinking His Thoughts. There is no separation.
So too in action - when a Jewish male for example puts Tefillin on, there is an opinion in Jewish law that says one is supposed to stand out of respect when he passes by, b/c at this moment he is now completely connected to the Infinite Light of G-d. But what if he just did so and so wrong? No qualifications are mentioned here – it doesn’t matter if he’s an 8o yr. old righteous scholar, 50 yr. old stock broker, or a 13 yr. old comic book lover.
The ultimate connection is there.
As the summer approaches (try telling that to Eastern Europe ) I wish you all safe dipping – both physically and spiritually!
Shabbat Shalom!
Daniel
Riga, Latvia
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