reds. Peanuts have both levels of peels: a woody outer shell, and a thin inner peel that could be eaten or discarded, as you wish. This idea of peels and shells is used in Chassidus as a metaphor for different levels of existence. The word in Hebrew is ‘kelipos,’ (literally ‘peels’ or ‘shells.’) In this realm of kelipos, there are four levels. The three lower levels of kelipa are totally impure. Into this level of existence, the highest holy sparks of Divinity fell, and ‘got stuck.’ We can compare the life on these 3 levels to the inedible shells that we cannot possibly eat. When the Torah tells us that something is not kosher, or some action is not permissible, it is not simply a matter of ethics, or right and wrong. The Torah is teaching us that the life in that object, or the life energy in that kind of behavior, is not for us. It is too high for us to deal with in a positive and meaningful way. It is too powerful for us. On the contrary, it will harm us, and drag us down like undertow, and contaminate us spiritually. We will not be able to use it in the service of Hashem. So the Torah puts up a warning sign that says, Stay Away. Do not bathe here. Poison. Radioactive. Dangerous. Assur. Assur means forbidden. Assur also means ‘in captivity.’ A prison is called a Beit Assurim, a house of confinement. Food that is Assur, is confined, tied down, imprisoned in the realm of these three impure kelipos. If a foolhardy person thinks he can partake of the forbidden and then learn wisdom or do good, the Torah warns him, that the energy in his activity will not be included in the wisdom he learns or the good deed he may do. More likely, his learning will be deeply flawed, and his good deed will be selfish or misguided. These are laws of life itself. However, there is a fourth level of kelipos, called Noga. Noga means to SHINE. The sparks that fell into Noga give life to ALL THE THINGS IN THE WORLD THAT ARE PERMISSIBLE for us to eat and to do. When a substance (food or drink) is kosher, ie, permissible for us to eat or drink, it means its life force, the spark of G-dliness that is its essence, is from this level of Kelipas Noga. When we use that food or drink according to the guidelines of Torah, the life is released. And yes, all the kosher things in the world, all the kosher activities, which are not Mitzvos per se, and which are not forbidden (by the Torah or by the Sages), get their life from Hashem through Kelipas Noga. By eating kosher food, and doing Mitzvos, we take these items from the realm of Noga, and transform them into holy objects. We liberate them, and elevate them to Kedusha, holiness, and enable them to SHINE. We take the skin of a cow, M-o-o-o-o, and turn it into a mezuzah, or tefillin, or a Sefer Torah. We take wool of a sheep, B-a-a-a-a, and turn it into tzitzis. We take grapes and turn them into wine to make Kiddush on Shabbos and Yom Tov. Or we take a slice of bread and say Ha-Moitzee, and then use the energy to learn Torah or do a good deed. Then the spark of holiness in the food, which was formerly getting its life from the Noga-level, is released, and returned to its original source in Holiness. That’s why the word for permissible, Mutar, literally means ‘released.’ Because the life-spark can potentially be released from its ‘minimum security’ imprisonment in a material shell, and be reunited with its Divine Source. This is the clear distinction between that which is tied down in the 3 lower levels of Kelipa, (and is Assur), and that which can be ‘released’ (ie, which is Mutar), and can be used in the service of Hashem. In the Torah, we have positive commandments and negative commandments. We perform positive commandments with things that are Mutar, permissible, from the realm of Noga. We do negative commandments by staying away from those things that get their life through the three impure kelipos. They are repositories of negative, destructive energy from a very high source. By avoiding them, rejecting them, and silently resisting them, we elevate them. And they thank us. The Zohar relates a parable of a king who commands a beautiful harlot to seduce his son, the prince, in order to test his character. She, being loyal to the king and his family, does not want the prince to give in to her charms. Nonetheless, she carries out her orders with all her seductive skill, all the while hoping that she will not succeed. In this dual capacity of doing good and not doing the opposite, we elevate the sparks of holiness in the world, and together with them fulfill our designated task, of making this world a ‘dwelling place for Hashem… where He can be found.’ A good Shabbos. Your good friend, Dovid Sholom PS: Please say an urgent prayer for Chaya Chana bas Golda Sima, Chana bas Dina, Zilpa bas Itke, Golda Leah bas Chaya, and Faigel bas Leah,
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:02:03 +0000
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