CHAPTER FIVE
Ruach HaKodesh and Prophecy
A tzaddik’s ability to perform miracles was discussed in the previous chapter, accompanied by several stories involving miracles performed by tzaddikim. A common reaction to a miracle is often the excitement and the “wow” it elicits, but more important is the G-dly purpose of this phenomenon in our lives.
Regardless of the depth of our academic knowledge of G-dliness, witnessing a miracle enhances our spiritual awareness well beyond the confines of intellect. It refines and attunes us to the existence of higher realities and spiritual subtleties, and this helps us greatly in our G-dly practice.
At chapter’s end, an analogy was given comparing an ordinary person’s view of the world and the tzaddik’s ability to perceive the G-dliness that exists beyond the veils of nature.
In this chapter, this G-dly perception of a tzaddik will be explored in more detail.
The Holy Vision of a Tzaddik
A tzaddik possesses the ability to see and perceive spiritual realities unknown to, and concealed from, the ordinary eye and mind.
Knowledge of the future, spiritual decrees such as those placed on people, countries, or crops, events transpiring in heaven, the spiritual purpose and outcome of worldly events, and a deep understanding of G-dliness are all part of the tzaddik’s ability to perceive higher realities.
A tzaddik can also see deeply into a person’s soul and view the past, present and future of that person’s life. Even the events and spiritual consequences of a person’s past lifetimes can be perceived by the tzaddik, as well as the corrections that need to be made as a result of them.
This holy vision is known by the terms “ruach hakodesh” or “prophecy,” otherwise known as Divine inspiration. Divine inspiration is as the term implies — inspiration (or spiritual revelation) that comes from G-d. A tzaddik’s Divine inspiration allows him to experience deeper spiritual awareness of people and events which he often then communicates in order to assist people in their spiritual growth and Divine service.
As with the other aspects of a tzaddik’s special gifts and abilities discussed in this book, the belief that the spiritual vision of a tzaddik is a phenomenon that originated with the chassidic movement is a common misconception. His ability to possess these qualities is a fundamental principle of Jewish belief. Our increased focus on a tzaddik’s holy vision is a function of the spiritual necessity of our generation, but the holy vision of tzaddikim has existed since the beginning of time.
Prophecy
The entire Jewish religion is founded on the “Thirteen Principles of Faith” as compiled and written by the Rambam. The sixth of these fundamental principles is the belief in prophets and prophecy. In his work Mishneh Torah, the Rambam writes that certain men and women who devote their entire life to G-dliness and live a pure G-dly life in thought, speech and action; who always act according to G-d’s will and never violate it any way, have the possibility of raising themselves to the spiritual level of a navi (prophet), a person in whom the spirit of prophecy descends and dwells.
By definition, therefore, a prophet is someone who possesses the above qualifications.
What is prophecy? Simply put, it is the ability to receive G-dly insights that include knowledge of past and future events here on earth, events taking place in heaven, and deep levels of G-dliness.
The most well-known instances of prophecy include the prophecy of Moses and that of the other prophets of the Bible, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. On a level of his own, Moses is known to have received direct communication from G-d, while the lesser prophets received G-dly communication through dreams and visions.
Levels of Prophecy
The Rambam writes that as many prophets as there were, there were that many different levels of prophecy, much as different people have all different levels of intellect.
If we were to categorize a section of the population as highly intelligent, for example, there would still be as many different levels of intelligence as there are people in that group. The same is true of prophecy: there are many levels, and each prophet receives prophecy according to his or her own spiritual capacity.
Prophecy in the Present
Many people believe that all prophecy ceased after the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdash. This misconception is based on a misinterpretation of the wording of the Talmud. The Talmud did indeed say that the era of prophecy ceased — i.e., that prophets are no longer as common as they used to be — but not that prophecy itself ceased to exist. It does state, in fact, that exceptional people do still exist who can be called prophets as defined by the Rambam.
In addition, even though we don’t find many prophets today, a tzaddik possessing ruach hakodesh is much more common. This was true not only before and after the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, but in our day as well.
The difference between ruach hakodesh and prophecy will be discussed in the next two sections.
Seeing One’s Past Lifetimes Through Ruach HaKodesh
Then we find that the tzaddik’s spiritual ability goes beyond perceiving the past, present and future of a person’s lifetime and extends to a person’s previous lifetimes. This is a Torah principle known as gilgulim: the possibility of a soul incarnating several times in order to rectify some untoward action from a past life, complete something left incomplete, or fulfill a certain purpose.
Many tzaddikim were aware of the details of people’s past lives, the purpose of their subsequent reincarnations, and what needed to be done to achieve rectification or completion.
One such story involves the Baal Shem Tov. A man once traveled to the Baal Shem Tov, not really knowing what had propelled him to come. He stood staring at the Baal Shem Tov, not sure what to do or say. When the Baal Shem Tov asked if there was anything he would like to ask him, he declined, saying he was already blessed with health, children, and wealth. The Baal Shem Tov said, “If so, I will tell you a story.
“There were once two little boys who were close friends. They were so close that throughout their childhood, whenever either one of them would get any money, they would split it equally between them.
“Eventually they grew up and went their own way. Both were blessed with families and both became very successful businessmen. Eventually, one of them lost his entire fortune and became very poor; so poor, in fact, that he had to beg for food. Suddenly the thought flashed in his mind that he could go to his old friend and ask for a loan to reestablish himself in business. His friend lived far away and he didn’t have money for a horse and wagon. Even though it was winter and he was weak from hunger, he made the difficult trip on foot and finally arrived at the home of his friend.
“Joyous at seeing his old friend, he welcomed him with open arms, offering him a room and a bed in his home to recuperate. Instead of giving him a loan, he did something truly incredible. He took all the money he had, divided it in half, and gave one-half to his friend. ‘Just like when we were kids,’ he said warmly.
“The man went back home and invested the money in a business and became very successful.
“The wheel of fortune changed and the other friend now became poor. He lost his entire fortune and also had to beg in order to survive. One day, the thought popped into his head: ‘I’ll go to my dear friend whom I was so glad to help and he will surely help me.’ Making the long, difficult trip on foot, he finally arrived at his friend’s home, full of hope.
“But this friend was not so generous. Along with his newfound wealth came the insidious traits of selfishness and stinginess. When the poor friend came to the door, the servant said, ‘My boss can’t see you now. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.’
‘Tell him it’s me!’ cried the man. ‘Tell him my name!’ But the answer came back, ‘He is very busy today. He will see you tomorrow.’
“The man was so weak and physically broken from the trip that the hope of seeing his dear friend had been the only thing keeping him alive. But the disappointment of his friend’s reaction was the final blow, and now that that dream had been shattered, he crumbled in despair. Nobody knew he was by the door, and he died there of a broken heart.
“Now when the poor person’s soul went up to heaven, there was a tremendous uproar about how terribly his friend had treated him. It was decreed that the selfish friend should die and be sent to Gehinnom as punishment for what he did. He came up to the Heavenly Court but in the midst of being judged, the ‘good’ friend made very animated and adamant demands: ‘I won’t be able to enjoy my reward in heaven knowing that my friend is suffering. Don’t send him to Gehinnom!’
“Finally the Heavenly Court agreed that both souls would go down to the world again and the ‘bad’ friend would be given another chance to help the ‘good’ friend. If he did, his sin would be repaired and he would have a clean slate. So both souls reincarnated in the same predicament; one poor and the other rich.
“This time, though, they were strangers; neither was aware of their past connection. The rich person unfortunately hadn’t changed, and when the poor person knocked on his door for help, the same behavior repeated itself and he selfishly refused. Dejected and despondent, the poor man passed out and died outside the rich man’s door.
“Now when the poor person’s soul went up to the Heavenly Court, they wanted to bring up the rich person’s soul as well to give it the punishment it deserved. The ‘good’ friend said, ‘Please. I love him so much. Don’t punish him. Find a way for him to repent and correct his ways.’”
When the Baal Shem Tov concluded this story, the man to whom he was speaking paled and began to tremble. Indeed, just days before, a poor man died at his doorstep when he refused to give him charity. The Baal Shem Tov looked at him and said, “You are one of the souls in this story. Had you given your ‘friend’ the charity he requested, your whole life would have been rectified. But now, because of your friend’s kindness, Providence has led you here so I could help you rectify your deeds.”
The Baal Shem Tov used his holy vision to ascertain the remedy for the man’s terrible mistakes. If he would support the poor man’s family for the rest of his life and open his house so that poor people could come to get help, the slate with his friend would be clean.
In this and the other stories, only a tzaddik with ruach hakodesh or the gift of prophecy could accomplish such extraordinary feats of spiritual perception — all orchestrated to help a Jew rectify his past or receive blessings in the future.
The Benefit of Ruach HaKodesh
Knowing that a Rebbe can see the past, present, and future may enhance one’s appreciation of a Rebbe, but that’s not the main thrust of one’s relationship with a Rebbe.
When a chassid seeks the advice and spiritual insight of a tzaddik, he knows the tzaddik is using ruach hakodesh or prophecy to communicate to him what G-d wants him to know. That’s why a chassid is absolutely committed to following the Rebbe’s words because he is assured that G-d is personally communicating His desire and directive to him through the tzaddik.
Although the average Jew may not perceive the spiritual forces present in the world, experiencing a tzaddik’s ruach hakodesh or prophecy gives him the spiritual confidence necessary to develop a love and passion for G-d and elevate his Divine service to a whole new level. This is one of the most important functions of the Rebbe-chassid relationship.
Stories of Ruach HaKodesh
In one such situation, a wealthy person would often come to the Baal Shem Tov and beg him relentlessly for a blessing for children. Finally the Baal Shem Tov told him, “If you want such a blessing, you’ll have to accept the fact that if you have a child you will lose all your wealth.” The person mulled it over and finally agreed; and indeed, that is what happened: a baby was born but the man lost all his wealth.
The Baal Shem Tov explained that in heaven, the amount of chessed (kindness) the man was destined to receive was limited — enough for either children or wealth, but not both. Seeing this, the Baal Shem Tov was able to provide the man with a choice, which ultimately led to the fulfillment of his desire for children.
In another story, a chassid in the publishing business wanted to publish and print Torah books but needed a permit from the Russian Minister of Education. Since the Russian government was not too favorably inclined toward the Jews, and how much more so when it came to publishing Jewish books, the chassid was very concerned.
Not knowing what to do, he went to the Alter Rebbe for a blessing and advice. The Alter Rebbe told him to go to the city of Vilna and speak to a certain Torah teacher (melamed) who taught first grade in the city.
The chassid was puzzled because not only was the Minister of Education located in Petersburg and not Vilna, he could not imagine how a simple individual like a melamed could possibly be of help in this situation. Nevertheless, since the Rebbe sent him to Vilna, he went, and after much searching, found the melamed.
“Why on earth did the Rebbe send you to me?” asked the bewildered melamed. “I am an ordinary person with no connections and no knowledge of politics at all!” Stumped, the two of them went to a third chassid, one of the leaders of the Vilna community, to make a plan. Although this chassid did have some political connections, he also did not understand why the Rebbe would send the publisher to Vilna. Nevertheless, all three decided that if the Rebbe sent him there, something would eventually turn out.
Tired of sitting around for days waiting for something to happen, they walked to the center of town and wandered aimlessly around a local park to discuss their possible next steps. They noticed a well-dressed Russian official scrutinizing the melamed, and before they knew it, the official approached them and asked the melamed to meet him the next day at his hotel.
With trepidation, the melamed arrived at the hotel the following day, and to his surprise, the official was awaiting him with a warm smile. He asked the melamed if he recognized him, but the melamed had no idea how or where he would have met a Russian official of such high stature.
“Do you remember the town of Shklov, where you lived as a child? There was a boy in your town who was a bit wild, and after he violated the Torah in a very serious way, the community decided to punish him. In order to publicly embarrass the boy, they put him in a sort of cage-like structure and placed it in a well-trafficked section of town where everyone could see him. Needless to say, it was devastatingly humiliating for the boy. Finally, some kind soul broke the lock on the box which allowed the boy to run away.”
Hearing this sparked the melamed’s memory and he did, in fact, remember that he was the one who showed such kindness to the boy. Then, to his shock, the official identified himself. “I was that little boy. I have felt indebted to you all my life and wanted to pay you back, but I didn’t know your name or where to find you. As Minister of Education, I am in a position of great power and wealth and can arrange for you to have anything you want. Please allow me to pay you back for what you did for me.”
When the melamed heard these words, he almost fell off his chair. He told the minister that he didn’t want anything for himself but would like a favor for one of the friends who had accompanied him to the park. He proceeded to relate the story of how the Alter Rebbe sent this publisher to Vilna to obtain a permit for his printing house, knowing in advance how it would all work out.
Needless to say, all involved were overwhelmed by the great vision of the Alter Rebbe who foresaw every detail of this whole episode. Able to see the future, he knew that the Minister of Education would not be in Petersburg but in the city of Vilna, and that he had a debt to pay this melamed. And able to see the past, the Alter Rebbe knew the story of how the melamed freed the prisoner, as if the whole thing happened right before his eyes.
The ability to do this is only because of the ruach hakodesh, the spiritual capacity, of the tzaddik.
