DIVINE PROVIDENCE (PART 3)
THE BA’AL SHEM TOV’S TEACHINGS FROM THE GARDEN OF EDEN
DIVINE PROVIDENCE WHILE WALKING
We now turn to the Addendums to the collection of teachings from the Ba’al Shem Tov known as Keter Shem Tov. The addendums include quotes from the Chabad Rebbes regarding the Ba’al Shem Tov and his teachings. One of the central fixtures of the addendums is the seven teachings that our teacher, the Baal Shem Tov, said in Gan Eden on the 18th of Elul, 1892. This is a relatively unique phenomenon in Chasidic literature and documents what the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rebbe Shalom Dov Ber heard in his “soul elevations” (הָמָׁשְּתנַּיִלֲע) to the Garden of Eden.
The first and second teachings were both given as part of “a Hakhel [gathering], in the presence of the Ba’al Shem Tov's disciples and their disciples, with their followers and their wives” (and these are also included in the Hayom Yom). The first and second teachings heard are essentially identical, but in the second the Ba’al Shem Tov added a few additional points of elucidation. These first two teachings are on the verses regarding the bringing of the first fruit to the Temple, the mitzvah known as Bikurim. The Torah writes,
When you enter the land that Havayah your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must take possession of it and settle it. You must take the first of all the fruit of the earth, which you must then bring from your land that Havayah your God is giving you; you must place them into a basket and you shall go to the place on which Havayah your God will choose to rest His Name.
The way the Ba’al Shem Tov explained these two verses calls upon one of the foundations of Divine Providence.
“...You shall go to the place on which Havayah your God will choose.” A Jew must know that when he goes from one place to another, it is not that he is going, but rather that he is being led from above, and the intent is, “to rest His name there,” meaning to publicize the Divine Presence in the place where he is.
When the Ba’al Shem Tov repeated this teaching, he added:
“You shall go to the place... to rest His name there”—you must exercise mesirut nefesh [self-sacrifice] to rest the Divine Presence there. How does one publicize the Divine Presence? By reciting a blessing and with a verse from Psalms.
Here, there is a special emphasis on Divine Providence over a person’s walking, following the verse, “The steps of a man are established by God, and He desires his path,” which describes this exact situation whereby God leads the person to fulfill a mission—to make a blessing, to say a verse, or to perform a mitzvah, and elevate the sparks waiting in a specific place. This is not about repentance, equanimity, or prayer—all of which are considered Divine service relative to Divine Providence—but about the recognition that Providence sends the person on a mission.
Even when the person finds himself traveling for the purpose of business or some other reason, he should know that the mundane goal is not God’s inner intent; the revealed goal is only an exterior garment, cloaking what God truly wants from the individual, which is to illuminate the place they arrive at and publicize the Divine Presence there.
We have in the past taught about the “reasons” or “causes” (תּובִס) that Rebbe Asher Freund would speak of often. This is the origin of this notion in his thought. In Rebbe Asher’s language, everything that God does is an external “cause” or “reason” meant to be uncloaked and God’s true will be discovered inside.
Here, Divine Providence is specifically associated with the feet, in the person's walking, and therefore we can identify two additional elements. First, the vessel or instrument with which one can sense Divine Providence in general, and specifically in the context of “the law of the Land” (אּתּוכולַמְּא דָינִּד) of the Kingdom of Heaven, is lowliness (תּלוְפִׁש). It would seem that the instrument for sensing Divine Providence when walking (i.e., traveling) is modesty, as it says, “And walk humbly with your God.” The more a person practices walking with humility, the more they understand the Divine Purpose of their journey.
Walking requires both feet, which correspond to the sefirot of victory (netzach) and acknowledgment (hod). According to Kabbalah, it is the left foot, the sefirah of acknowledgment, that exercises control over the sense of walking, a concept captured in the verse, “When one walks with earnestness [the inner experience of acknowledgment] one walks confidently [the inner experience of victory]” (חַטֶּ בְךֵלֵם יֹתְּ בְךֵלֹהו).
Earlier, we presented the 5 verses of repentance taught by Rebbe Zusha. The focus then on the verses, “I have set Havayah before me always” and “In all your ways know Him.” Now the focus is on another of Rebbe Zusha’s verses of repentance, “You shall be earnest with Havayah your God” ("The one who walks with simplicity")—relating directly to the verse, “When one walks with earnestness....”
DIVINE PROVIDENCE EVEN IN THINGS THAT ARE MISSING
In the addendum to Keter Shem Tov, we also find a collection of comments made by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on these seven teachings from the Ba’al Shem. The Rebbe addresses the fact that in two places in these seven teachings, there is a notation that the teaching is ”incomplete.” These can be found at the ends of the third and seventh teachings, corresponding to the sefirot of beauty (tiferet) and kingdom (malchut), if we parallel them to the seven emotive faculties. The Rebbe says that the reason for the incomplete state of these two teachings is irrelevant (it might have originated with the transmission of the teachings by the Rebbe Rashab who heard them or by the Rebbe Rayatz who passed them on, or it might stem from the listeners who wrote them down and forgot. Either way, the incompleteness is by Divine Providence, just as everything in creation is, and particularly matters related to Torah), and we must find the lesson in it for our service of God.
Here, we once again encounter the Chabad principle that every person should engage his spiritual task in an active manner and not feel content with just passive belief that everything is under Divine Providence, and even that it pertains to the ultimate purpose of creation, but to seek a lesson in it for their personal service. The surprising lesson that the Rebbe learns here is that if there is something that is “incomplete,” it invites the person to fill it in and complete it.
The Rebbe brings other examples of how an incomplete teaching was completed. An example is found in the Tanya; at the end of Sha'ar HaYichud VehaEmunah [Gate of Unity and Faith], the word “incomplete” appears, and this appeared in the first few printings of the Tanya. As explained by the Alter Rebbe’s great disciple, Rebbe Aharon Halevi of Staroszele, in his introduction to his identically titled book: “time did not permit him to complete it according to his holy intent and will” (which is why the work remains incomplete). Nevertheless, in all subsequent editions of the Tanya, the word “incomplete” was omitted certainly with the knowledge, agreement, or instructions of our Rebbes. The omission of “incomplete” can be explained in the following manner. Thanks to all the elucidation of Chasidut provided by our Rebbes, who after the writing and printing of the Tanya shared their explanations of the matters elaborated upon in Sha'ar HaYichud VehaEmunah, what was left “incomplete” by the Alter Rebbe was properly rendered complete. Therefore the word “incomplete” was removed from the later editions.
When studying Sha'ar HaYichud VeHaEmunah, one can feel the “incomplete”—it is clear that it could have been written in much greater detail, as noted by his disciple, Rebbe Aharon (and it is nice to note that the Lubavitcher Rebbe here praises him). Indeed, in the first editions of the Tanya, the word “incomplete” was still printed. However, its omission in later editions signals a state of “silence is equivalent to acknowledgment,” that subsequent teachings of the Rebbe’s filled the lack.
The Rebbe then notes that,
An example and proof for this [that what was incomplete should be filled in by later generations] can be found in the revealed teachings of the Torah. It is written that, “Rabbi Yehoshua said, ‘I heard [such and such], but I cannot explain it’ [this is like an incomplete], and then Rabbi Akiva said, ‘I will explain it’ (thereby filling in what was left incomplete].”
Rabbi Akiva, the disciple of Rabbi Yehoshua, completes what his teacher could not. Likewise, every good disciple should strive to complete what is “incomplete” in their teacher’s words (whether in the original, or in the way it was transmitted, due to the forgetfulness of the students themselves, which is also part of Divine Providence). This injunction follows the saying, "And from my students, I learned more than from everyone else.”
The Rebbe then explains that regarding the “incompletion” in the teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov that were said in Gan Eden: the use of the word “incomplete” is meant to awaken the learner’s effort—from below to above—to add and complete that which is incomplete. This is in line with the saying, “Give to the wise and he will become wiser,” meaning that in addition to the matters that are given to the wise person, with a good eye (“All who give with a good eye are giving”), certain matters are left for them to struggle with on their own in order to increase their wisdom.
We can draw a parallel to the process of creation by the Creator. Even after the Creation was complete and all was described as being "very good," the Torah still writes, “all that God had created to do,” meaning “to perfect.” This implies that God leaves a deficiency for the person to correct through their work. Similarly, in this case, although the teachings are revealed, certain matters are intentionally left in a state of being “incomplete” so that the person will engage in effort and become wiser through their own efforts.
This is clarified further according to what was explained elsewhere, that the revelation of the seven teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov by the Chabad Rebbes, stresses a top-down revelation that emphasizes even more the need to complete that which was left “incomplete.”
Even though one may wonder who is worthy to approach and complete the “incomplete” in these seven teachings, following the great revelations revealed by our Rebbes until today, there is the possibility to "become wiser" even regarding the "incomplete" in the seven teachings.
When one gives to the wise—directly—he becomes wiser—by reflecting the light given to him. This means that the wise person must constantly feel a sense of incompleteness within himself, even after receiving much without effort. He then merits to see the fulfillment of the saying, that when “I have labored and found, [I may] believe it,” and know that I have filled the incomplete. Through this effort, they are able to discover supernal truths beyond measure.
Even in cases where there is no explicit “incomplete” left unsaid, such as in Kuntres HaHitpa’alut [A Treatise on Excitation] where the Mittler Rebbe assures the reader that he has left nothing hidden, there is still the need to carry opposites and know that even after all that has been revealed and explicitly stated, there is still a degree of “omission,” which even if it is not intended by the teacher (in this case, the Mittler Rebbe), certainly originates in the learner, who does not fully grasp everything properly. The learner must put in effort themselves to discover more things.
In a slightly harsh way, one could say that even at the end of the Written Torah, the Pentateuch (which is most precise in its letters, to the point that if any letter is missing or there is an excess letter, the entire Torah scroll is disqualified), one should feel that the word “incomplete” is written, inviting us to complete it with the entire Oral Torah that was developed throughout the generations. Again, the emphasis on "effort through one's own ability" is especially characteristic of the Chabad approach, the demand for strength from below to above, as opposed to the general Chasidic path, where the emphasis is on revelation from above to below.
In any case, there is a great novel principle to be learned here regarding Divine Providence—especially fitting for the Rebbe: that there is Divine Providence even in the negation and in that which is not complete. Divine Providence is not only when God does something in a positive way, filling me, but also when He does not do something, when there is an incomplete state. There is Divine Providence in the "yes," when something happens, and also Divine Providence in the "no." This is the secret of the words, “Not so My servant Moses,” where the “no” precedes the ”yes”). When something that was supposed to happen according to nature does not occur, there is even more noticeable Divine Providence than if the thing had happened as expected.
The “lack,” the negated or missing element illustrates Divine Providence in the form of an “embossed seal,” which calls upon the individual to act like an “engraved seal” making them into a source of positive influence. In today's science, the example of this is dark matter, which is completely incomprehensible—we have no access to it, no ability to sense it—but it fills the entire universe. The lack is a type of "unmoving driving force," an unseen force that moves and guides us.
In our generation, as the Rebbe emphasized, the most prominent example of this kind of Divine Providence is that despite that "all the deadlines for rectification have been crossed," and despite the fact that we cry out with all our might, "How much longer?!" and "Mashiach now," we still do not see the coming of Mashiach. This "lack," the missing redemption, as it were, demands that we do everything in our power to fill the void and bring Mashiach.
- These teachings are also mentioned in Hayom Yom for the 18th of Elul.
- Deuteronomy 26:1-2.
- Psalms 37:23 (and see Ma’or Einayim, Vayakhel).
- Micah 6:8.
- Every one of the Jewish months is endowed with a particular “sense” (ׁשּחו). The sense of walking belongs to the month of Sivan. Each of the senses is controlled by a bodily organ. See Sefer Yetzirah 5:7.
- Proverbs 10:9.
- Deuteronomy 18:13.
