Translation:Likutei Moharan/52

by Nachman of Breslov

Rabbi Chanina the son of Chachinai said: HaNeior Balaylah (He Who Stays Awake at Night) and who goes on his way alone and makes room in his heart for empty thoughts — he is liable for his own soul (Avot 3:4).

[Necessary Reality]

There are heretics who say that the world is a necessary reality. Based on their evil and erroneous opinion it seems to them that they have proofs and examples of this, God forbid, from the way the world functions. But in fact their mouths spew foolishness. For the truth is that the world and all it contains are a contingent reality.

Only the Holy One must necessarily exist. However, all the worlds and all they contain need not necessarily exist. God created them creatio ex nihilo. For God had the ability, the power and the alternative to create them or to not create them. Therefore the world and all it contains are certainly a contingent reality.

Yet what is the basis of this mistake that makes it possible for people to incorrectly conclude that the world is a necessary reality, God forbid? Know, this stems from the fact that now, after the souls of Israel have already been issued and brought down—now the world is certainly in the aspect of necessary reality. For the world and all it contains were created only for Israel, as is known. And Israel rules the world. So certainly now, after the souls of Israel have been issued and created, God is obliged, so to speak, to create and maintain the world. It was on account of this that He issued the souls of Israel, in order to create for them all the worlds. But the souls of Israel themselves, when they were issued, they and all the worlds that are dependent upon them were all a contingent reality. This is because He had the alternative to issue and create them or to not create them.

Yet as soon as the Holy One resolved to issue the souls of Israel, then the entire world took on the aspect of necessary reality. For after the souls of Israel were issued, He was then obliged, so to speak, to bring the world into being. It was on account of this that their souls were created, so that all the worlds would be created for them and they would rule over everything. Understand this well.

And from this evolves and develops the mistake of the heretics who say that the world is a necessary reality, God forbid. But in truth only God alone is a necessary reality, whereas all things are a contingent reality, as explained above.

[Source]

Now the main intention behind His creating the entire world for Israel was so that Israel should carry out His will, and so that they should return and cleave to their Source — i.e., that they should return and be encompassed in God, Who is a necessary reality. It was for this that everything was created.

We see then that whenever Israel does the will of the Omnipresent and is enveloped in its Source, Who is a necessary reality, through this the entire world, which was created for them, is encompassed in necessary reality. This is the primary purpose for which the world was created. And only because of this is God obligated, so to speak, to create and maintain all the worlds for Israel; so that they should carry out His will, as explained above.

And so it is specifically then, when they carry out His will, that the world is encompassed in the aspect of necessity reality. For the more they carry out His will, the more they are encompassed, together with all the worlds that are dependent upon them, in necessary reality. For by doing His will they return and are encompassed in Him, He being a necessary reality, and so all the worlds that are dependent upon their souls are encompassed together with them in necessary reality, as explained above.

[Bitul / Self-Negation]

However to merit this, to be encompassed in one’s Source — i.e., to return and be encompassed in the oneness of God, Who is a necessary reality — is possible only through bitul (self-negation, transparency). A person has to make himself totally transparent, until he is encompassed in the oneness of God.

And the only way to attain bitul is through hitbodedut. By secluding himself and speaking at length with his Master, through this a person merits negating all his physical desires and bad character traits to the point where he merits negating all his corporeality and is encompassed in his Source.

But the main [time] for hitbodedut is at night, when people are free of the preoccupations of this world. For during the day, because people chase after the things of this world, this disturbs a person and prevents him from cleaving and being encompassed in God. Even if he himself is not preoccupied, still, since most people are preoccupied then and are chasing after the vanities of this world, as a result it is difficult to attain bitul then.

In addition, the hitbodedut should take place in a special place — i.e., away from the city, on a secluded road, in a place not frequented by people. For a place frequented during the day by people who chase after this world, even if at present they are not there, nonetheless disturbs the hitbodedut and he is unable to attain bitul and be encompassed in God. Therefore a person has to go alone at night on a secluded road, in a place where no one else is, and there engage in hitbodedut, emptying his heart and mind of all worldly matters. He should negate everything, until he truly merits the aspect of bitul.

In other words, at the outset he should pray and speak a great deal in hitbodedut at night on a secluded road, as explained above, until he merits negating one thing — i.e., negating a particular trait or desire. Then he should again engage a great deal in the hitbodedut mentioned above until he negates a different trait or desire. And he should continue practicing hitbodedut for a long time, at the time mentioned above and in the place mentioned above, until he negates everything. After this, there is still something of him left… and afterwards he negates this as well, until there is nothing of him left.

{The explanation is: It is possible that after a person has negated all the physical desires and bad traits, there is still his “nothing” left — i.e., he has still not completely negated the egotism and pride, so that he considers himself to be something. A person therefore has to labor at and engage extensively in the above mentioned hitbodedut, until there is nothing of him left, so that he is truly in the aspect of naught — until he truly merits the aspect of bitul.}

And then, when he truly merits the aspect of bitul, his soul is encompassed in his Source — i.e., in God, Who is a necessary reality. Then together with his soul, the entire world is encompassed in his Source, for he is a necessary reality because everything is dependent upon him, as explained above. And so through him, the entire world is in the aspect of necessary reality, as explained above.

[Liable for his own Soul]

Now you will see something very amazing, how all this is now clearly elucidated in the Mishnah brought above. This is: {Rabbi Chanina the son of Chachinai said: HaNeior Balaylah (He who stays awake at night) and who goes on his way alone and makes room in his heart for batalah (empty thoughts) — he is mitchayev (liable for) his own soul.}

He who stays awake at night — This follows its simple meaning. In other words, he stays awake at night and secludes himself and speaks at length with His Master.

and who goes on his way alone — In other words, as explained above, he goes specifically on a secluded road, in a place which people do not frequent. For this is the essence of ideal hitbodedut: at night and specifically on a secluded road, because especially then one can attain the aspect of bitul, as explained above. And this is:

and makes room in his heart for batalah — In other words, he empties his heart of all the matters of this world — for BaTaLah, in order to merit the aspect of BiTuL. Then he merits having his soul encompassed in necessary reality. And then together with his soul, all the worlds are encompassed in necessary reality, as explained above. And this is:

he is mitchayev his own soul — The entire world is encompassed together with his soul in the aspect of necessary reality. For through the hitbodedut mentioned above, he merits the aspect of bitul, until his soul becomes encompassed in necessary reality, and through this the entire world becomes encompassed together with his soul in necessary reality. Thus his soul and the entire world are in the aspect of meChuYaV reality, as explained above. And this is the explanation of “he is mitChaYeV his own soul.”

[Ayin / Nothingness]

Here you have leshon Rabbeinu z’l of this lesson, which he composed with extreme brevity:

Who goes on his way alone. He who stays awake at night…

Know, the essence of bitul — that a person negates his corporeality and becomes ayin (nothingness), becoming encompassed in the oneness of God — is achieved only through hitbodedut.

Now the hitbodedut requires a special place and time so that he is not disturbed by distractions. The time is at night — i.e., He who stays awake at night — for then everyone is asleep. The place is on a secluded road, and not a public road, so that he is not interrupted by people passing by. Rather, it should be specifically a road not frequently travelled — he should go there and seclude himself. This is: Who goes on his way alone. Then he will be able to empty his heart of all <dross and waste>, and be able to attain a bitul of all <his> corporeality <and become naught and nothing>. This is: and makes room in his heart for batalah. And then, when he is entirely transparent, he is encompassed in the oneness of God. He then attains the aspect of mechuyav (“necessary”), for the Holy One is a necessary reality, whereas all things are a contingent reality. Thus when a person is transparent and is encompassed in His oneness, he then leaves the aspect of contingent <reality> and is encompassed in meChuYaV <reality>. And this is the aspect of he is mitChaYeV his own soul.