with Chabad it's always Torah AND mitzvos

 A king sent his precious son to other kingdoms to acquire wisdom and experience. The prince traveled far, squandering his wealth on newly discovered pleasurable excesses. He wound up lonely and penniless in a region so distant that nobody had heard of his father. Struggling for survival, he longed for home. The journey home was arduous, but when the king saw his long-lost son returning in genuine remorse, he forgave the prince for his errant choices and embraced him with passionate love. We are G-d’s children. He sends our souls on distant journeys into corporeal bodies to study Torah and perform mitzvot so we can earn an unprecedented ascent. We grow corrupted through love for our bodies, money, and human cravings. Our immersion in pleasures leaves our souls terribly distanced from G-d— where He is not recognized. Our souls forget their former spirituality, becoming impoverished spiritually and materially, a condition aggravated by our protracted exile. When a Jew suddenly returns to G-d, as we do during Tishrei, G-d’s mercy erupts at the sight of His lost beloved son. G-d absolves our waywardness on Yom Kippur, and He warmly embraces us during Sukkot. As our Sages state on the verse, Take [the lulav] for yourselves on the first day… (Leviticus 23:40): “This is ‘the first day’ for reckoning sins,” because our record was cleansed on Yom Kippur. G-d embraces us, enveloping us with the sukkah walls and the sechach, as it is stated, His right arm embraced me (Song of Songs 2:6). Focus: Your journey was challenging, but now you are home: Sit in a sukkah, immersed in G-d’s loving embrace. Keter Shem Tov Available at Kehot.com סיפור חסידי Once Upon a Chasid The Test Once the Baal Shem Tov sat with his disciples for the festive meal of Rosh Chodesh, and his face was serious. The disciples knew from previous occasions things that would put their Rebbe in a more joyous mood, and they tried, but with no success. Then, a certain village-dwelling Jew entered, named Reb Dovid. Immediately upon his entry the Baal Shem Tov became full of joy—he treated him warmly, gave him a place to sit, and also gave him a piece of his “hamotzi” (bread).

can't start with gemara

 Q

How can we train young boys to make a laining on a piece of gemara, to be able to read a gemara on their own, without the agmas nefesh that a lot of children and parents suffer through? 

A:
To help young boys make a good laining, I would say as follows. When someone begins to learn gemara but he’s not prepared for it, it’s like climbing a high mountain with a heavy pack on your back. You must first lighten the load. 

I would say that the first thing is to let the child learn all of Pirkei Avos. And he should be able to translate every single word. It’s not difficult, but it takes time. And he must be able to translate every word. And once he’s able to daventhrough Pirkei Avos without any hesitation, then give him an old mishnayis, without nekudos, and let him say Pirkei Avos. And when he learns to daventhrough Pirkei Avos without nekudos, now he’s ready to start Elu Metzius. Take Rabbi Lomner’s Elu Metzius. It’s a linear translation – a very easy gemara to use. Let him learn Elu Metzius. Even if he doesn’t know the meanings of the ideas – even though he doesn’t catch on to the arguments, nevertheless let him know how to translate Elu Metzius from beginning to end.

Now once he does that, then he’s ready for gemara. Yes, I guarantee you that a boy who follows this system, and he can, after a while, bentch Elu Metzius from beginning to end, he’s ready. He’ll start catching on.

Then, the problem is no longer the style of the gemara – the idiom. He knows all these things already. Now it’s the arguments of the Gemara that he’s faced with. And arguments alone he’ll be able to deal with. But without this preparation that I’m telling you about – if he’ll have to deal with the arguments plus the translation of the words and also the gemara’s style – that’s too much for him. And most boys therefore stumble on that big problem. They never had any preparation. They were never prepared properly. And I guarantee you that following this system will lead to success. 

TAPE # E-198 (November 1999

the act of charity which is superior to them all

 וממנו למדו רז״ל לקיום כל המצות בכלל, ובפרט מעשה הצדקה העולה על כולנה

Indeed, it was from [the example of Abraham], and with the power that he vested within all his descendants, that our Sages (of blessed memory)18 learned [that alacrity is required] in the fulfillment of all the commandments in general, and in particular with respect to the act of charity which is superior to them all,19

LESSONS IN TANYA: Thursday, September 28, 2023

copy post of A Kiruv Organization Tells All: Recruiting Women, College Students

 

A Kiruv Organization Tells All: Recruiting Women, College Students

     I recently found Rabbi Yitschak Rudomim's website for the Jewish Professionals Institute: Adult Education and Outreach organization. At first I assumed, incorrectly, that I'd have to spend a lot of time trying to prove that they were using certain tactics to appeal to non-orthodox Jews in order to draw them in. Well, I was wrong. JPI's statement of purpose specifically mentions that Rabbi Yitschak Rudomim and his organization are fighting an "unconventional war on Jewish ignorance" and that they are "called upon to adopt the methods of marketing, salesmanship, and advertising in order to "sell" Judaism to Jews, because of my love for my fellow Jews."1 Whether this is an effort to be transparent to all who are interested in his work, or simply a way to gain additional financial support, or perhaps an oversight (maybe he doesn't expect that people will be criticizing his tactics) on his part, Rudomim is telling you exactly what he and all kiruv organizations do.
     Rudomim clearly states that there is no place that is off-limits to outreach rabbis, including (but not limited to) "the home, work, college, or any informal domain,"2 and that it is his goal "to penetrate these other areas."3 Rudomim's end goal is "to touch the lives of so many of our ignorant (Jewishly) brethren and inspire them through deed and thought to undertake the quest for self-betterment through increased commitment to study and observance of Judaism."4

Jewish Professionals Institute: Statement of Purpose
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         I've included a letter of recommendation for Rabbi Rudomim and JPI written by Rabbi Yehudah Fine, director of The Jewish Family Institute which, according to Seattle, Washington's Jewish Transcript, is both an orthodox rabbi and a family therapist whose "Jewish Family Institute provides outreach to families in crisis, including individual and family counseling, crisis intervention, outreach for individuals and families in need, lectures and seminars for Jewish communities and youth groups."5 Back when the article was written "Fine said that he was probably best known for his work in counseling Jewish families dealing with a family member who has joined a cult."6 Yes, you read that correctly.
     Within Fine's letter of recommendation he uses emotional manipulation as part of his request for financial support. He refers to the "silent Holocaust of American Jewry," using the Holocaust as a marketing tool in order to gain monetary contributions and appeal to people's emotions. He then lists several statistics without citing his sources, which makes me wonder if these statistics are even legitimate.

Letter of Recommendation for JPI by Rabbi Yehudah Fine
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Recruiting Women

     Director of JPI, Rabbi Rudomim, includes a piece on his site entitled "Women of Valor" in which he details kiruv's expectations of the women who are recruited to an ultra-orthodox lifestyle. He appears to understand that "it is not a simple matter for today's liberated Jewish woman to accept separation of the sexes, the laws of Family Purity, bearing many children, covering her hair and many of the other observances by women leading Torah lifestyles."7 and then he states that due to kiruv efforts, these women now "run to accept more, not less, of what Yiddishkeit proclaims to be the role of the true woman of valor: A devoted and loyal mother and wife."8 Through outreach, these formerly non-orthodox women "then go on to marry and establish Torah homes."9 Rudomim briefly mentions a few seminaries, including the well-known Neve Yerushalayim women's seminary, that were created in order to deal with the "special needs" in terms of recruiting young, non-orthodox women. He mentions Rabbi Manis Friedman of Chabad, "one of the most charismatic teachers of previously secular Jewish women in America." Rudomim appears to celebrate such charismatic leaders. In this case, they are expected to convince people to change their perspective, their views, and even their lives.
     Rudomim mentions The Jewish Women's Journal, put out by the Jewish Renaissance Center in Manhattan and clearly states "this special newspaper . . . whose motive is outreach" uses a "sophisticated style and accessibility [to] appeal to even estranged Jews. It provides a non-threatening glimpse into Jewish life."10

     What Rudomim fails to mention is what these women are giving up in order to embrace an ultra-orthodox lifestyle. He doesn't mention the careers that may be put on hold, the family discord that is often caused but less-often talked about, and the relationships that suffer as a result. But he is honest, at least, about what he believes to be the role of the Jewish woman--that of wife and mother of many.

"Women of Valor" Rabbi Yitschak Rudomim
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Women of Valor, Part One
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Women of Valor, Part Two
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Recruiting College Students

     Rabbi Rudomim's article about college students traveling in Israel describes in alarming accuracy the tactics employed by kiruv professionals in Israel to recruit impressionable college students to an ultra-orthodox lifestyle. He mentions that the phenomenon of traveling college students has been a boon to kiruv because "many young assimilated college students go off to explore Europe and Israel . . . [and so] and entire outreach apparatus has evolved to provide yet another option for these wandering happy-go-lucky young people."11 Rudomim brazenly states that "Indeed, at the Kotel, (Western Wall), there is a polished network of outreach professionals who specialize in offering hospitality, and an opportunity to learn Torah, to the previously disinterested Jewish traveler."12 It's true--I was once one of those "previously disinterested Jewish travelers," Rudomim's words, not mine. What I failed to understand at the time was that I was falling for pickup lines, marketing strategies, and salesmanship that were, and still are, used on "on [the] thousands, yes thousands, of young Jews [who] have been enrolled in famous Baal Teshuvah Yeshivot in this fashion."13

     Rudomim admits that Aish HaTorah's famous Discovery Seminar is meant to sweep people off their feet. He writes:

Fascinating lectures proving the validity of the Torah, existence of G-d, and the relevance of Judaism to modern life are presented, and more importantly, accepted by many listeners. Enough to convince them to stay on for a few weeks, or months, or years, and even make Aliyah.14

Rudomim is not hiding the fact that Aish is offering a program meant to convince unsuspecting young tourists that they ought to stay in Israel--attending kiruv programs meant to push them into ultra-orthodoxy--for lengthy amounts of time that weren't originally in their plans. Again, I recall sitting in the office of a prominent Jerusalem rabbi as he tried to convince my husband and I (we were newlyweds in our early twenties) that we should stay in Israel and attend yeshiva and seminary programs. Our response was that it was irresponsible, since we both had jobs and school, but this didn't deter him from his hard-sell tactics. Instead, we agreed to allow a prominent New York kiruv rabbi to contact us upon our arrival home. While our curiosity was piqued, we were definitely turned off by the exorbitant amount of pressure put on us to stay and change our plans. To be honest, I remember feeling intimidated by this rabbi,  but strengthened by the fact that my husabnd (and best friend) and I were in this together. Had I been alone, I might have been afraid to say no to someone I perceived to be a spiritual leader. But I digress.
     Rudomim also mentions that Aish's Jerusalem Fellowships are supported by the Israeli government because they see this as an opportunity that could lead to more people making aliyah, a permanent move to Israel. Politically, this is good for Israel, as it keeps the population growing.

Traveling in Israel, Part One
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Traveling in Israel, Part Two
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Traveling in Israel, Part Three
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      To be completely honest, I was completely thrown off by Rudomim's Jewish Professionals Institute's site. Rudomim's blatant explanation of what kiruv organizations do and how they do it was shocking and unexpected. I'm sure that my readers who are pro-kiruv are smiling and saying "happy now?" because one of my criticisms of ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach is that there is a lack of this type of information. (In truth, this information is lacking and still inaccessible to people unfamiliar with the lingo needed to plug in appropriate search terms, but that should be understandable.) Let me take a second and address the question as to whether or not I'm happy to have found this information.
     On a personal level, I realized that my experiences in Israel were contrived and that the warmth and hospitality I experienced as a student, and then as part of a newly married couple, were contrived. In many ways, this makes me second-guess the integrity of those I encountered who tried to sell me experiences that were not real or unique--I was just another warm Jewish body.
     Speaking on a professional level as a critic of kiruv, I'm curious as to why Rudomim gives all of this information away so easily. Who is the expected audience of his website? Surely, it isn't me or those who kiruv professionals are recruiting. If so, why tell people that they're simply clients being manipulated by deft salespeople with polished techniques? Will this help to bring us in?
     As a final thought, the articles on JPI's website reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe's stories, in which the guilty party cannot keep the secrets and details of his crime to himself. Through a series of events--both psychological and physical--Poe's protagonists often lead the police, the other characters, and the reader right to the scene of crime, exposing the gory details because the guilty party can no longer bear his secret.
     As always, I welcome reader comments.


Works Cited
1. Jewish Professionals Institute. www.jpi.org. website.
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
4. ibid.
5. Gordon, Richard. Former Bellevue Resident Heads Jewish Family Institute. The Jewish Transcript. September 11, 1986. p.11.
6. ibid.
7. Rudomim, Yitschak. Women of Valor. Jewish Professionals Institute. www.jpi.org. website.
8. ibid.
9. ibid.
10. ibid.
11. Rudomim, Yitschak. Traveling in Israel. Jewish Professionals Institute. www.jpi.org. website.
12. ibid.
13. ibid.
14. ibid.

remind you of kiruv? remind you of Meor in particular?

 “This was presented as a leadership course… but it was nothing of the sort. All the sort of learning games we played were designed to make us feel stupid or weak or to take our critical thinking skills and flush them down the toilet and say, “Oh, I’m not good at this. I’ve got to look to this leader guy for support in this. And it was all sort of tricky logic games that you couldn’t win.”  

Jordan Harbinger on his encounter with a cult

Why Do People Join Cults? | Steven Hassan - YouTube

The stages of kiruv

 The stages of kiruv

1 - Wisdom for your life or in the case of Meor meet a hot chick.

2 - Oh, we have a few actions for you. We call them mitzvos. But don't worry, they are wonderful and meaningful. They will enrich your life. Everything is done on your terms. Please ask your questions. We will gently explain. 

3 - We have many more mitzvos for you to do and you must do them or else be punished even as they completely take over your diet, your sex life, your weekends, your clothing, your finances, the way you put on your shoes. If they are not wonderful and warm, too bad. You are a servant. How dare you question! And stop talking to goyim and Modern Orthodox people. 

4 - Those mitzvos are nothing. We have even bigger edict called Gemara lomdus. You must do that every second of every day without pause. That's the only thing that matters. And forget about the wisdom and the hot chick. Just learn Torah!

dating and your faith

In some ways the women were more harmful than the rabbis. I saw early that the yeshivist rabbis were a bunch of ignorant tyrants for the most part. But you have to get married and the women -- at least the yeshivish ones -- are influenced by these men and insist that you be the slave of one of them for that is what the rabbis tell them. A solution is to find a guy who is more reasonable and talk to him now and again. You say he is your rav. It's a show. If she asks, do you have a rav? You say, I talk to Rabbi X as well as others. That way you are not lying. 

The modern women are barely religious. They keep Shabbos. The topic of the day is the latest TV show and they are allergic to religious talk. They also don't take dating seriously. The yeshivish women want you in a box. You have to find one that isn't one or the other or just is a nicer person. That's rare, but there's a few out there. Don't worry too much about her modernity because fact is all the really religious ones are married already. You are going to have to deal with it and grow as best you can. You probably have your own issues. If you find one, don't let her go. You may have to drop as much as 3 points on your looks scale and 2 points on your intelligence scale. It's worth it. We all lose our looks after 40 anyway. She's 30 now. So you'll spend 10 years with her before 40 and 40 after. I have seen many really amazing looking women become blobs after 40. It's amazing how that happens. 

I regret all the time I spent blind dating. It isn't a productive investment of time and energy for older singles. For the guy, it's 9 hours of work so he can be rejected in 9 seconds. I'm bitter about it. Blind dating is built for 19-year-old yeshivish people who marry the 3rd person they meet because his or her  brothers go to the right yeshiva. It's usually a waste of time with older singles who are particular about all kinds of things, particularly those that they can't even articulate. Blind dating with FFBs is nearly worthless for BTs. They don't want us. We are a step down in their minds, regardless of what they are. Your better bet is singles' events or mixed Shabbos tables. Let them decide then that they don't like your eyebrows -- before all the shlepping and paying. Let them ask their deal breaker questions then. If you are to blind date, insist on the deal braker questions being hashed out beforehand. Must the man have a nightly chavrusa in Gemara? What if the woman's parents are divorced. All of that can be inquired about beforehand. 

You have to be true to yourself in this life. You can't become somebody else so that you can get married. It will never work. And turning yourself into a beast of burden is another form of not being yourself. The Torah does not require you to lose your dignity. 

most important

 

In other words, is there a god or isn't there? And god means good, god, not mean god. So the yeshivist god is questionable. 

 

manipulate sources

 The Zionists love to cite the Gemara that the one who lives outside of Israel it as if he has no god. But what about this Gemara:

Rav Yehuda said: With regard to anyone who resides in Babylon, it is as though he is residing in Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated: “Ho Zion, escape, you who dwells with the daughter of Babylon”  kesubos 111a

See how they manipulate sources? They don't tell you about the second one. 

Torah revives him but physical mitzvos are what drawn down the radiance of keter at techiyas ha-maysim

 

וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: ועטרותיהם בראשיהם, ונהנין כו׳

And this is the meaning of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory:1 “[In the World to Come — here meaning Gan Eden — there is no eating and drinking..., but the righteous sit] with their crowns on their heads, and they take delight [in the radiance of the Divine Presence].”2

עטרה היא בחינת מקיף וסובב

A crown (atarah) is something that encompasses and encircles,

This refers to an illumination that neither contracts nor adapts itself so that it can be vested in varying degrees within created beings; rather, it descends to the worlds3 and encompasses them all equally.

ונקרא כתר, מלשון כותרת

and is called keter, as related to koteret, the capital which crowns a column,4 as in the Beit HaMikdash built by King Solomon (I Kings, ch. 7).

Atarah is thus a crown worn on the head,5 while keter means (as well) the crown atop a column.

Since the illumination of light from the Sefirah of Keter that will be revealed in the World to Come results from the performance of the mitzvot that are likened to 620 תר״ך columns of light (corresponding to the 613 Torah commandments and seven Rabbinic commandments, numerically equal to the word כתר),6 the Alter Rebbe also explains the term “crown” as it applies to a column.

והוא בחינת ממוצע המחבר הארת המאציל, אין סוף ברוך הוא, להנאצלים

[The Sefirah of Keter] is an intermediary which joins the radiation and revelation of the Emanator, the blessed Ein Sof, to the emanated beings in the World of Atzilut,

The Emanator is infinite, while the emanated beings — which are within a world, and even the loftiest of worlds is bound by limitation — are finite. There must therefore be an intermediary between the two. It is the Sefirah of Keter that serves as this intermediary, for its internal dimension is related to the Emanator and its external dimension is related to the emanated beings. It is thus through the Sefirah of Keter that the [infinite] Ein Sof-light is drawn into the World of Atzilut and to the emanated beings which populate it.

ולעתיד יאיר ויתגלה בעולם הזה, לכל הצדיקים שיקומו בתחייה

and in the future it will radiate and become revealed in this world to all the righteous who will rise with the Resurrection,

ועמך כולם צדיקים כו׳

(7“And Your people are all righteous8...”).9

This transcendent degree of Divine light will thus be revealed to the entire Jewish people.

Accordingly, the illumination that presently is received only by those beings that inhabit the World of Atzilut will radiate in the World to Come to this physical world as well. For unlike the indwelling illumination of Gan Eden that is dependent upon the level and comprehension of each recipient, this revelation is an encompassing light from the Sefirah of Keter, which does not undergo contraction, but radiates to all equally.

This results in a state of total revelation, whereby the very Essence of Divinity is visually perceived (re’iyat hamahut), as it is written,10 “The glory of G‑d shall be revealed, and together all flesh shall see...”

וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: עתידים צדיקים שיאמרו לפניהם קדוש

And this is the meaning of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory:11 “In the future the righteous will be lauded as holy,” as G‑d is praised now.

כי קדוש הוא בחינת מובדל

For “holy” signifies [lofty] separation;

שאינו בגדר השגה ודעת

it is not subject to apprehension and knowledge,

כי הוא למעלה מעלה מבחינת החכמה ודעת שבגן עדן

because it transcends by far the wisdom and knowledge which are attainable in Gan Eden.

כי החכמה מאין תמצא, כתיב

For Scripture states,12 “Chochmah shall be found from ayin (‘naught’).”

הוא בחינת כתר עליון, הנקרא אין בזהור הקדוש

This refers to the Supreme Keter which, in the sacred Zohar,13 is called ayin;

והשפעתו והארתו בבחינת גילוי, הוא דוקא כשהנשמה תתלבש בגוף זך וצח אחר התחיה

and the bestowal of its radiance is manifest, i.e., its essence is apprehended, only when, after the Resurrection, the soul is vested in a pure and clear body.

The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain why in Gan Eden, when the soul is not encumbered by a body, the light of Keter cannot be manifest, whereas — paradoxically — this revelation becomes possible only in the World to Come at the time of the Resurrection, when the soul is once again invested within a body.

(For, as is well known,14 the determining opinion is that of the Ramban,15 who states that the ultimate reward will be specifically at the time of the Resurrection, when the soul will again be found within a body.)

כי נעוץ תחלתן בסופן דוקא

For16 “Their beginning (i.e., the loftiest initial level) is wedged in their end.”

This is explained in the teachings of Chassidut17 as follows: “Beginning” refers to a level of Divinity that utterly transcends the evolvement of any created worlds. This level of Divinity is wedged in the last level preceding the creation of the evolving worlds, the Sefirah of Keter. Keter is revealed only in the “end” of all worlds — i.e., within this physical world — during the time of the Resurrection. Gan Eden, by contrast, is incapable of receiving this transcendent level of revelation in an internalized manner.

Thus, while the lesser radiance that is muted to match the respective limitations of the evolving worlds can be absorbed by the soul (in Gan Eden) in its disembodied state, the transcendent radiance issuing from Keter is revealed to the soul only when it is clothed within a body.

וסוף מעשה במחשבה תחלה כו׳, כנודע

Likewise, as is known,18 “The final deed — i.e., the last stage of creation: this physical world — was first in thought....”

Thought and creation both have aspects that are “first” and “last”; the “last” (i.e., lowest) level of creation, which is this world, is rooted in the “beginning” (i.e., in the highest level) of the Divine thought.

This is why specifically the deeds performed in this “last” world of creation, while the soul is clothed in a physical body, are able to elicit and drawn down the radiance of Keter. As explained here by the Alter Rebbe, this refers to the mitzvah of tzedakah, as well as to mitzvot in general, all of which are termed “tzedakah”.19 For it is the performance of physical mitzvot in this material world that arose first in G‑d’s thought and will, at the level of the Divine Keter, for the physical mitzvot are the ultimate purpose of creation.

Returning to the earlier discussion: It is now clear why in future time the righteous (and “Your people are all righteous”) will be lauded as holy: they will all have revealed to them that Divine radiance that is “holy” in the sense that it transcends apprehension. Moreover, they will become so unified with this revelation that the term “holy” will apply to them as well.

אך אי אפשר להגיע למדרגה זו, עד שיהא בגן עדן תחלה

But it is impossible to attain this level of being able to absorb the transcendent light of Sovev Kol Almin, until one has first been in Gan Eden,

להשיג בחינת חכמה עילאה כו׳ אפשר צריך להיות: כל חד כפום שיעורא דיליה

to apprehend a degree of the Supernal Chochmah,20 each21 according to his measure.

For, as explained earlier, the lesser Divine light that radiates in Gan Eden is received by each soul according to its own particular degree.

וטל תורה מחייהו

(The Rebbe adds here that the soul will then rise at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead through the “dew of the Torah,” for, as our Sages teach,22 “[Whoever engages in the study of the Torah,]) the dew of Torah revives him [at the time of the Resurrection].”

The verse upon which our Sages base this teaching reads:23 “Your dead shall be resurrected...; those who lie in the dust shall awaken and sing joyful praises; for the Dew of Lights shall be your dew....” It is thus clear that the revival effected by “the dew of the Torah” refers to the Resurrection of the Dead.

והקיצות, היא תשיחך גו׳, ודי למבין

(The Rebbe adds: Thereafter,)24 “When you will awaken, it (i.e., the Torah) will cause you to speak...,” and this promise, as expounded in Avot,25 refers to the time of the World to Come. This will suffice for the discerning.

In order to attain the level of Sovev Kol Almin at the time of the Resurrection, the soul must first be in Gan Eden and apprehend Supernal Chochmah according to is particular degree and level. For though in Gan Eden the soul apprehends no higher than the lesser, permeating Divine light called Memaleh Kol Almin, its perception is nevertheless augmented by the light of Keter which also illumines it. The soul indeed apprehends the latter enlightenment only to the extent of yediat hametziut (lit., “a knowledge of its existence”; i.e., by the “encompassing” perception known as makkif), rather than with the penetrating revelation of hassagat hamahut (lit., “an understanding of its essence”).26 Nevertheless, this added illumination enables the soul at the time of the Resurrection to comprehend the essence of the revelation of Sovev Kol Almin.

Since, as stated above, the soul in Gan Eden apprehends indwelling lights, its experience of Gan Eden consists of the revelation of the Torah within the soul, so to speak, for the Torah is likened to “food” (as in the verse,27 “for Your Torah is within my inward parts”) — i.e., something that affects one from within, as explained at length above, in Part I, ch. 5. However, Gan Eden is also illumined by a glimmering of the radiation that results from the performance of mitzvot, and these act as “garments” and “encompassing lights” for the soul in Gan Eden, as mentioned in the above letter.

At the time of the World to Come, at the time of the Resurrection, the superior light of Sovev Kol Almin will be revealed chiefly as a result of one’s present performance of mitzvot. This comes about through and together with the “dew of Torah” that “revives him” and “causes [him] to speak.”

The Alter Rebbe now returns to the above-quoted verse, “Your commandment is very wide.” Having earlier explained that “Your commandment” (in the singular) refers to G‑d’s own commandment, viz., tzedakah, he now goes on to explain the words, “is very wide”: the mitzvah of tzedakah is a vessel so capacious that it can contain the revelation of G‑d’s infinite light at the time of the Resurrection.

FOOTNOTES
1.	Berachot 17a.
2.	Note of the Rebbe: “The former phrase (`with their crowns on their heads’) alludes to makkif, the encompassing light; adding to this, the latter phrase (`and they take delight [in the Divine Presence]’) alludes to pnimi, the indwelling light.”
3.	At this point the Rebbe noted that although this illumination is present even in the lower worlds, it cannot be said that it illumines them with the same degree of luminosity as in its own inherent state. For while it is true that the light of “Sovev Kol Almin illumines all worlds equally, there yet remains an entirely separate question — whether it is revealed [to the worlds to quite the same degree] as it exists in itself [which indeed it does not do]. [By way of analogy:] Though a king’s august majesty transcends all of his subjects equally, their perception of it does not at all resemble its own intrinsic state. (Indeed, this is true not only with regard to the king’s objective essence, but even insofar as he is revealed to — and is aware of — himself.)”
4.	Note of the Rebbe: “I.e., this is the etymology that is relevant here, rather than that of katar li [Iyov 36:2; lit., `wait for me’], which implies silence and abnegation. (See Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 69a; beginning of Hemshech 5672.)”
5.	Cf. Tehillim 21:4.
6.	Cf. the prayer of R. Nechuniah ben Hakanah, cited and expounded in Epistle 29, below.
7.	Parentheses are in the original text.
8.	Yeshayahu 60:21.

So why am I posting this? Yeshivists only use Zohar for two purposes, to terrify you about gehennom or to promote Torah study. As an example, I recently saw a dvar Torah from a yeshivist Rosh Yeshiva who cited Rabbi Leib Bakst who said that