MIGHTY
WATERS AND FIERY LOVE
Rabbi
Shaul Leiter
Translated
and abridged from a classic Chassidic discourse, Mayim Rabim, of
Rabbi Shneur Zalman in Torah Ohr (Noach). As it is a difficult text,
you may need to read it more than once. The translator‘s clarifications
are in a smaller type face.
“MAYIM
RABIM [great waters] will not be able to extinguish the love,
and rivers will not wash her away. If a person would give all of his
wealth to lure you away from this love, he would most certainly be
ridiculed” [Song of Songs 8:7].
Great waters symbolize all the worries, trials and tribulations about
one‘s livelihood, and thoughts concerned with the other troubling
aspects of the physical world. Yet, the verse states that none of
these should be able to extinguish the love a person has for G-d.
In
relating to G-d, every person has the capacity for two types of love.
There is the love that comes from an investment of time and attention
as we each intellectually and emotionally delve into our own personal
relationship with the Almighty. There is also the ‘hidden love’ that
is an innate part of every Jewish person by virtue of the G-dly soul
that is within each of us. The nature of the G-dly soul is to continually
rise in order to be merged into the Supernal, like a flame that without
any assistance constantly strives to rise. It is to this second type
of love that the above verse refers (note also the verse that precedes
it [ibid. 8:6], “its glowing coals are the flame of G-d”).
What
we call the G-dly soul is, in essence, a spiritual flame that originates
from above. Before its journey to become enclosed in the physical
body, it was united completely with the Infinite One, blessed be He,
and its whole reality was enjoying the radiance of the Shechina
[‘Divine Presence‘–G-d‘s feminine aspect]. Even after becoming enclothed
in a physical body, which allows it to be involved in the physical
aspects of the world that are called ‘great waters,‘ these trials
and tribulations cannot extinguish the continuous love and wondrous
longing of our souls to rise and to be included in the Supernal, as
before. Indeed, through the immersion in ‘great waters,‘ a person
can attain an even higher level than was previously possible before
it came down into this physical world, as will be explained, and this, therefore,
is the purpose of the soul‘s (temporary) descent.
* * * *
This
concept implied by the sciptural words ‘Great Waters’ is also called
Mei Noach–‘Noach‘s Waters.’ Referring to the great flood, G-d
said: “I have sworn not to release the waters of Noach again on the
earth” [Is. 54:9].
In
Hebrew the word Noach, both as a name and as an adjective,
refers conceptually to naicha d‘rucha [a Zoharic Aramaic expression
meaning ‘rest of the spirit”], the essence of relaxation, as experienced
emotionally when a person withdraws totally from his work. In the
verse, “And He ‘ceased’ [lit: ‘shabbated’] on the seventh day”
[Gen. 2:2 and Kiddush], Onkeles translates ‘shabbated’
as ‘nach,” meaning ‘And G-d rested”. Because the word nach,
spelled the same as Noach, is used for G-d‘s resting, it demonstrates
that the name Noach also is connected to the essence of resting
and relaxation, and not just the cessation of effort and work.
The
word Noach is doubled in the opening of the Weekly Reading
[Gen. 6:9], indicating that there are two types of rest and relaxation:
a lower level of rest and a higher. These two are connected to the
lower level experience of Shabbat that each of us can experience now,
and a higher level of Shabbat that will only be fully experienced
in the future. Of the latter, it is written, “A day that is completely
Shabbat.” This is not the case with the lower level experience of
Shabbat, which is not complete, as will be explained.
This
connection between Noach and the essence of rest can be further
understood through a contemplation of the true nature of the flood.
For if the entire purpose of the flood was to eradicate the sinners,
why was it necessary for there to have been such a great tumult? Certainly
G-d could have removed them in an instant, even without the flood.
Rather,
the true purpose of the flood was to purify the earth–the spiritual
as well as the physical environment–which had become “filled with
iniquity.” Water has the ability to purify impurities. Therefore,
the flood was called “waters of Noach” because it brought about
naicha d‘rucha, the total rest that followed the difficult
period of tribulation and upheaval.
Note: The
flood happened for specifically forty days and nights to invoke the
imagery of a mikveh, which purifies those who have become impure only
when it contains a minimum of 40 se‘ah of water (approximately
200 gallons).
* * * *
The
reason why the emotional and physical enslavement we all experience
making a living in this world, the ‘great waters,” is also called
‘Noach‘s waters’ can also be explained in a manner that relates to
our own lives.
The
‘great waters” refer to the trials and tribulations of the world that,
like a flood of water, threatens to engulf us. The ‘waters of Noach”
refer to the water that cleansed and purified the world. This cleansing
is a result of naicha d‘rucha, spiritual rest, which makes
possible the ‘Ark/Word of Noach” (the word taivah in these verses means ark,
but can also be translated as word, i.e. the Word of Noah).
The
‘Word of Noach” refers to words of prayer, so when G-d said to Noach,
“Come, you and all of your family, to the ark/word” [7:1],
it was also instruction to him (and to all subsequent generations) to use prayer to float above the flood.
Subsequently, “The water was exceedingly overwhelming” [7:19].
This refers to the effort of the animal soul to overwhelm the G-dly
soul with the struggle for livelihood and (the desire for) the physical aspects of this world.
The
benefit of resisting these flood waters is like the superiority of
light that comes from darkness. Thus, “And the Ark rode upon the
face of the water” [7:18] highlights that specifically due to
the challenge of the flood, the words of prayer reach higher and higher.
A common
misconception of people who work for a living is that they think they
are not capable of praying as well as those who study Torah all the
day. The very opposite is true! People who work can pray even more
effectively, a function of this principle of “the superiority of light
that comes from darkness.” Theirs is the love of G-d described as
“with all your might” (the renewed faith and clarity in G-d that is revealed in us
when we pray with all of our strength).
* * * *
For
us personally, the waters of Noach is the rest–naicha d‘rucha–experienced
on Shabbat, as it says “because on it [Shabbat] we withdraw/return
from all of our work.”
Note: The
letters of –Shabbat can
be rearanged to spell –‘will
return.
The
days of the week are days of work, action. “Said the Al-mighty:
‘Let there be light’...‘Let there be firmament’... ‘Let the grass
grow on earth,’” etc. During the six days of the work week, the
Kingship of G-d is drawn downward. Shabbat on the other hand is turning
away from our work of the weekdays and turning to our
G-dly soul. Therefore, Shabbat is called naicha d‘rucha, the
returning from the physical and also the emotional and psychological
aspects of work.
All
of the physical elements of the world that a person utilised during
the work week are elevated through that person on Shabbat back to
their source.
(Note: This is analogous to a craftsman, who while working on
his creation is unified with it both physically and emotionally. Once
he completes his work, all of the energy he has invested in his creation
is elevated and returned to him in the form of pleasure, or satisfaction,
in equal measure to the energy he invested. So it is with G-d, the
ultimate craftsman. Each Shabbat all of Creation is elevated to unification
in G-d. Because Man is made in G-d‘s image, a similar process happens
in each of our individual environments.)
The
difficulties, the ‘great waters,” we experience in making a livelihood
and struggling with the material world, also can be transformed and
elevated back to their source in G-dliness through our daily prayers,
for prayer can elevate the more spiritual aspects of the physical
world just as Shabbat does. In fact, prayer is also connected to the
energy of Shabbat and also is called (on a certain level) naicha
d‘rucha–rest of spirit.
* * * *
Nevertheless,
this aspect of Shabbat termed ‘rest of spirit” is considered the lower
level of Shabbat. There is another, higher, level of Shabbat that
we will experience in the Messianic Era, when the whole world will
exist on a level described by the phrase, “a day that is wholly Shabbat.”
(Note: The word ‘day” in this context also refers to the final
millennium of reality, which will come following the first 6 millennium,
modeled after the 6 + 1 relationship of the week and Shabbat, hinted
at in the verse, “A thousand years in Your eyes are like a day...
[Ps. 90:4].)
Also
at that time, another great love will ultimately be drawn down into
the world, from an even higher level than the level of love that can
be reached by ‘great waters.” However, this love will eventually be
revealed only as a result of our efforts now in overcoming the ‘great
waters.” It is discussed by the prophet: “I have sworn that the waters
of Noach should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I
will not be furious with thee, nor rebuke thee.
For the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed,
but my faithful love shall not depart from thee, neither shall the
covenant of my peace be removed, says the Lord that has mercy on thee”
[Is. 54:9-10]. This supernal kindness and great love that comes from
above–“His right hand hugs me” [Song 2:6]–parallels the concepts of
the higher Shabbat mentioned above.
May
it be soon.
