Focus on action, not visions or gematria; while full of depth, Torah revelation begins with practical commandments; deep understanding must come after mitzvah observance; Not losing sight of the primacy of action
By the Grace of G-d
... 5734
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Greeting and Blessing . . .
P. S. With reference to your writing about various visions and similar experiences — you surely know the saying of our Sages, which is the basic principle on our Jewish way of life, namely “The essential thing is the deed.” It goes back to the time when our Jewish people became a nation with Mattan Torah at Sinai. It is noteworthy that all the Ten Commandments have to do with practical observances in the daily life. This despite the fact that the Jewish people had just left Egypt, the most advanced country in the world at the time, with various philosophical systems connected, of course, with paganism. To be sure, the Ten Commandments, which proclaimed pure monotheism begin with the commandments “I am your G-d” and “You shall have no other gods,” which contain profound doctrines of true monotheism, yet they do not delve into their philosophical aspects, nor even metaphysics, such as prophecy, visions, etc., but immediately emphasize the practical aspects, namely “Who brought you out of Egypt,” something which our people saw with their own eyes and similarly (with regard to the second commandment), “You shall make no graven image.”
Needless to say, Moshe Rabbenu, who was eighty years old at the time, who was brought up in the palace of Pharaoh and had to deal with the Wise Men of Egypt, was thoroughly versed in all matters of theology and philosophy, etc. But nevertheless, the emphasis throughout the Torah is on the practical aspects of Judaism, namely the observance in the daily life of the “do’s and don’ts” of the Divine precepts. This then, is the basic instruction to each and every one of us as the main goal of the individual. It is of course expected of a rational and intellectual person that the observance of the mitzvos should be accompanied also by pure faith and a deep understanding of the mitzvos to the best of his ability, but never losing sight of the fact that the first thing is the practical observance of the mitzvos, which is clearly revealed to everyone, and only afterwards follows the study into their deeper and hidden aspects — not because the latter is, G-d forbid, of secondary importance, for the hidden aspects of the mitzvos are as important and essential as their revealed aspects; but only because this is the proper order which the Torah prescribes for the Jew, as has also been emphatically brought out at the acceptance of the Torah by our people on the principle of Naaseh first, and then Nishma.
The same is true also in regard to the study of Chasidut, which is a profound study of the inner and deeper aspects of the Torah and mitzvos, yet the very first part of Tanya emphasizes that its main objective is to bring out in the Jew the basic mitzvos of ahavat HaShem and yirat HaShem. No doubt you have the English translation of the Tanya, which has also been translated into other languages, for this declared purpose.
After the above lengthy introduction and with all due respect, I would strongly suggest that you should not, at this time, concentrate on those experiences in terms of visions and gematriot about which you write, at any rate, you should not engage your attention in them for the time being, but your efforts should be concentrated on advancing from strength to strength in the daily life of Torah and mitzvos in accordance with the principle, “The essential thing is the deed” mentioned above.
And in as much as V’ahavta l'Re’acha Komocho is one of the most important practical mitzvos, your efforts should also include making use of every opportunity to influence your relatives and friends and other Jews in the community, that they too should order their life in accordance with the Torah, Torat Chayim, in the fullest measure. Only after your are fully satisfied with your achievement in all this, is there time to think about giving attention to those experiences that you mention.
I might also add that many of our great who had experienced such visions and revelations, have used them primarily to reinforce the practical aspects of their daily life in accordance with the Torah and mitzvos.
With blessing,
