Becoming Tethered to the Ribbono shel Olam with a Sustained Connection
Why Rashbi Merited Pnimiyus HaTorah
With One Sustained Knot
The Zohar HaKadosh (Parashas Ha’azinu) says, “Rabbi Shimon opened and said (expounding on the words in Shir HaShirim) לדודי אני תשוקתו ועלי, I am my Beloved’s and He longs for my perfection. For all my days in this world, I was tied to HaKadosh Baruch Hu with one knot—and therefore He longs for me.” This refers to the fact that the Ribbono shel Olam and all His Heavenly legions came down to hear the great תורה סתרי, the phenomenal Torah revelations, that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai disseminated prior to his passing.
That is, all these deep revelations came to him because Rabbi Shimon was constantly tethered to the Ribbono shel Olam for all his days, with one consecutive knot. The result of this great tethering קטירא בחד, with one unbreakable knot, was the great Torah lesson that Rashbi revealed to us. Thus, let us learn this inyan that is so resonant for us as we approach the exalted day of the hilula of Rabbi Shimon.
Going Deeper
We know that Rabbi Shimon merited to bring down to this world an entirely new level of Torah—the entire הנסתר תורת, the hidden Torah—and everything that emanated from it, including all of Kabbalah, which is the Torah of the Arizal, Rav Chaim Vital, and so many others over the centuries. All of it is rooted in the Torah revealed by Rabbi Shimon.
All this, the Zohar HaKadosh tells us, is the result of the “one knot” with which Rabbi Shimon tethered himself to the Ribbono shel Olam. This Torah, the תורה סתרי of Kabbalah, isn’t an added source of wisdom, a “new” Torah, chas v’shalom—rather, it is a deeper understanding of the revealed Torah. It is the same Torah—but the hidden Torah enables us to understand everything in הנגלה תורת on a deeper level.
Sometimes, a person who has mastered the masechta of Bava Basra now delves into Maseches Yebamos. This person has now acquired a different, additional area of the revealed Torah. Not so הנסתר תורת, which isn’t new but instead provides a deeper understanding into the revealed Torah and its mitzvos.
The Revealed Torah Holds Much Meaning
When it comes to the hidden Torah, we see clearly that it isn’t a matter of amassing more knowledge and wisdom; instead, it is a way to appreciate the חכמה on a deeper level, on a more foundational level, in a more פנימיות'דיג way, and in a more illuminated manner.
To understand this on our level, let us take as an example the mitzvah of Shabbos. Why must we observe Shabbos? In the revealed Torah, there is much that explains this mitzvah. It is a time to remember that the Ribbono shel Olam created the world, and that He conducts all matters in the world. It is a special bond between the Ribbono shel Olam and Klal Yisrael—a sign that we are special and beloved. Every word in Kiddush has tremendous אור according to the revealed Torah. We proclaim Hashem’s creation of the world, and His sovereignty over the world. We fulfill the d’Oraisa obligation of לקדשו השבת יום את זכור.
We explain everything that transpired during the Six Days of Creation and the subsequent rest on Shabbos. We declare that the Ribbono shel Olam desired us and chose us, and He bequeathed the holy Shabbos to us following the Exodus from Mitzrayim, a time when we could appreciate being elevated and chosen, and when we could understand that the world is really a spiritual place. Every word in Kiddush makes perfect sense the way we simply understand it—and it is indeed filled with light and meaning.
Beyond the Revealed
But when we enter the realm of הנסתר תורת we understand the entire concept of Shabbos in a completely different light. When we open a Zohar HaKadosh and read about Shabbos, entirely new levels become revealed to us—even just from what we recite in the zemiros.
There are seventy words in Kiddush: חמשין גבי על עיטורין שבעין—seventy crowns with which we coronate the Ribbono shel Olam. There is a whole world of light... with תיקונים and ייחודים that take place when we recite Kiddush. It’s the very same mitzvah! But it is understood in a much deeper light.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai merited to perceive this new world and to reveal it to Klal Yisrael. And just as Rabbi Shimon saw and understood all this depth in every aspect of Torah, and in every mitzvah, so too did he perceive the essence of what a Yid truly is.
The Deeper Essence of a Yid
What is the essence of a Yid? Everyone knows that a Yid is the descendant of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. We understand that a Yid was chosen by the Ribbono shel Olam. We understand that as Yidden, we’re one nation united...and that the Ribbono shel Olam will redeem us all, as we say in shemoneh esrei, באהבה שמו למען בניהם לבני גואל ומביא. There are many aspects of the uniqueness and the specialness of a Yid that we can understand in a very obvious way.
But Rabbi Shimon looked at the essence of a Yid in a completely different light. Tzaddikim tell us that Rabbi Shimon is an advocate for every single Yid—לפחותים אפילו, even the lowliest among them. Rabbi Shimon testified that he could absolve the entire world from judgment! Rabbi Shimon—who, as we learn in the Zohar HaKadosh, knew the severity of an aveirah more than anyone else—saw through the exterior... and knew that even the lowliest Yid is filled with mitzvos!
Rabbi Shimon saw a different Yid... what a Yid really is. Thus, pnimiyus haTorah gives us a much deeper understanding into every concept that we know from nigleh—and it revealed to us layers and layers in Torah and Yiddishkeit that aren’t apparent on the surface.
A Deeper Connection
What is the difference between a simple, plain understanding of these matters and a deeper, more illuminated view?
The first answer concerns the level of connection we have with those concepts; that is, how davuk we are to it. When a person has only a superficial understanding of something, he can’t properly connect to that knowledge... there remains a chasm, a distance. The deeper he understands that concept, the more he can connect to it on an inner level.
When two friends first become acquainted, they don’t know each other very well, and their connection and their relationship are superficial. The more they get to know each other and everything about each other, the deeper their connection becomes. The same applies to a relationship between spouses: their bond becomes stronger with the passage of time—because they come to know each other on a deeper and deeper level.
The reason behind this phenomenon is that when we know another person on a deeper level, we come to understand that we’re all derived from the same source, that all barriers and differences are only superficial, and knowing this breeds love and connection. This understanding causes true friends to derive chiyus from one another. The more pnimiyus a person has in something, the greater is his deveikus in it.
Getting to Know the Essence
Knowing Breeds Connection
We find this idea in Rashi (Parashas Vayeirah). When Hashem revealed to Avraham Avinu that He will overturn Sedom, the pasuk says about Avraham, אחריו ביתו ואת בניו את יצוה אשר למען ידעתיו כי, for I have loved him because he commands his children and his household after him, and they keep the way of Hashem, doing charity and justice (Bereishis 18:19). Rashi explains that the word ידעתיו, literally knowing, connotes connection: “cherishing the person, drawing him close, knowing him, and understanding him.” Hashem loved Avraham Avinu because He knew him!
This is one of the instances in which Rashi refers to a kabbalistic concept, explaining that the root of דעת has two meanings: knowledge and connection. This is because one brings about the other. When we have a deeper understanding of something, we become connected to it—because we come to realize that any perceived barriers and differences are only superficial. At the root, we’re really one.
He Perceived It
Rabbi Shimon’s ability to advocate for all Klal Yisrael (as we say, ימליץ בעדינו טוב)... and the fact that he was able to absolve all of us from judgment and to proclaim that a Yid didn’t really sin came from the fact that he merited to perceive what a Yid really is at his core.
We all can repeat what we have learned in the revealed Torah about the uniqueness and the exaltedness of a Yid and how much Hashem loves every Yid—but to perceive it on a level that will overwhelm us with awe requires התורה פנימיות. And this is what Rashbi revealed to the world.
Who Can Advocate
One may say, why can’t all of us advocate for Yidden? After all, we can say that the person didn’t really mean it... he is really a tzaddik.... Why can’t we mimic the words of the great tzaddikim who defended Yidden and advocated for them? There are countless stories and anecdotes of the great יושר מליץ, the Berdichever Rav, who saw only the good in Yidden and construed their every action for good. Why can’t we do the same?
