In this week’s Parsha, the Torah speaks about Yosef’s dreams, which he interpreted to mean that he would one day become a ruler. In the Parshios of Vayeishev and Mikeitz, we find dream interpretation to be of great importance in the life of Yosef and his family. Therefore, we see how vital dreams and their interpretations are to the entire future of the Jewish People.
The Alter Rebbe will explain the significance of dreams in our service of Hashem. He begins by quoting a verse that teaches us that our life in the time of Exile is analogous to a dreamlike state:
It says in Tehillim, (126:1) “A song to Hashem sung on the steps of the Beis Hamikdash: When Hashem returns us from being in Exile, then we will look back and consider ourselves like people who were dreaming.”
What is the meaning of comparing our being in Exile to dreaming? To explain this, we first need to understand the general idea of dreams:
A dream can combine two opposites into one thought and merge opposites together as if they were meant to be united.
Because during sleep, the power of intellect, which differentiates between opposites, is not revealed in the consciousness, and all that remains in the consciousness is the power of imagination.
The power of imagination can combine two opposite things. For example, one can imagine a boat flying in the air, which is not physically possible, as the Rambam writes in the introduction to his commentary on Pirkei Avos, known as “Shemona Prakim.”
It is only when a person wakes up that the power of intellect is awakened and takes control over the power of imagination, not allowing it to combine opposites, since his intellect recognizes that opposite things cannot coexist.
So too, regarding the exile of the spark of divinity in the soul of man, which is “sleeping” and its power of intellect is hidden, then the person can merge two opposites:
On the one hand, he is occupied in his business all day, as it says in Yeshaya, (56:11) that “every man seeks to make a profit,” “one person involved in his olive tree business, and others involved in other businesses,” etc.
On the other hand, during prayer, he awakens a love for Hashem to the point that he wants to remove himself from being invested in material concerns so that he can focus only on attaching himself spiritually to Hashem. This love comes during prayer because of his contemplation on Hashem’s Oneness during the recital of Shema, when he thinks about the Higher Level of experiencing Hashem’s Oneness as the divine soul does and the Lower Level of experiencing Hashem’s Oneness as the animal soul does.
In the second part of the Tanya, titled Shaar Hayichud Vehaemuna, the Alter Rebbe gives a lengthy explanation to show how we can recognize and experience the truth of Hashem's Oneness. Besides being the only Creator and the only one who really runs everything in the world, Hashem is the only True Existence. The Alter Rebbe begins by quoting the Zohar, which states that the verse, “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Eloikeinu, Hashem Echad” is the “Higher Level of Unity,” and the verse, “Baruch Sheim Kvod Malchuso Leolam Vaed” is the “Lower Level of Unity.” He explains the concept that Hashem is constantly re-creating all of existence every moment. He also explains that even as we exist physically, we continue to exist in our spiritual source in Hashem (even though we don't feel it). He then continues to explain that these two levels of “Unity” are two levels in experiencing the reality of Hashem's Oneness. The Higher Level of Unity is how Hashem’s Unity is experienced in the world of Atzilus, where the reality that we are included in our spiritual source is fully revealed. The divine soul relates to this experience, since it is from that spiritual level. The lower level of Hashem’s Unity is how Hashem’s Unity is experienced in the lower worlds, including the physical level, where we don’t sense that we are always included in our spiritual source, but can at least appreciate that everything originally comes from Hashem. This is the level to which our animal souls relate.
Despite this awareness of Hashem during prayer, after prayer, the love of Hashem slips away, and he doesn’t take to heart that this loss of the love of Hashem and his current emotional investment in material concerns is the opposite intent of his contemplation during prayer, and he imagines in his heart that he can combine and merge two opposites together as if they were one thing, when in truth they are totally separate and removed from each other.
The love of Hashem and the love of physical needs and desires are two opposite feelings. Yet, we don't fully recognize the contrast between them, and we imagine that it makes perfect sense to feel love for Hashem during prayer, and a love for materiality following the conclusion of prayer.
This is despite what is written in the Torah, (Vayikra 25:3) “For six years you will plant your field,” implying that material pursuit is something Hashem expects, and not something that is a contradiction to the love of Hashem.
Similarly, in the Shema it is written, (Devarim 11:13-14) “And if you will serve Hashem with all of your heart... then I (Hashem) will give rain in your lands, ...and you will gather in your grain, wine, and oil.” We see that Hashem wants us to gather crops and have our material needs.
The main intent of all those verses is the spiritual service of Hashem that can be accomplished in our physical life, as is known, that everything in this physical world contains a way to serve Hashem.
The deeper meaning of what is written, (Vayikra 25:3-4) “For six years you will plant your field, and on the seventh year you will rest from working the field,” is the concept of refining and elevating the sparks of holiness that are found in the “six years” of this physical world and the elevation of all existence in the “seventh year,” as explained elsewhere. Everything depends on the person’s intentions in material pursuits.
Hashem commanded us that in the Holy Land, we can only work the fields or do other agricultural work for six years at a time, followed by the seventh year of letting the land “rest.” During that year, we are forbidden to farm the land. This seventh year is called “Shemita,” and this seven-year cycle is called the “Shemita” cycle.
The “six years” and “seventh year” of the Shemita cycle correspond to a mystical concept: The world, as we know, exists for seven millennia. The first six thousand years correspond to the six years of the Shemita cycle, where working the field is permitted and encouraged. During the first six thousand years of the world, we need to work to refine and elevate the world and make it a dwelling place for Hashem through the Torah and Mitzvos. The seventh year of Shemita corresponds to the seventh millennium, when all of existence will be at such a high level that it won’t need to be further refined. Hashem will be fully revealed in the world. At that time, we will fulfill Torah and Mitzvos just to connect to Hashem and not to refine the world (just as during the Shemita year, we eat the fruits that grow on their own, but we do not work the land).
The point is that our material occupation in this world is for a higher purpose: to refine and elevate the physical world. When physical objects are used by a Jew who serves Hashem, the objects are also elevated and connected to Hashem. The true purpose of our work is not to earn our material needs, since Hashem can give us everything we need without our involvement in any material occupation. The purpose of our material occupation is only to connect the physical world to Hashem.
However, most people intend to amass material profit just to attain their daily bread. Their hearts are not thinking about and focused on the proper intention of refining the material world by connecting it to Hashem.
Their entire hope and desire seems to be to satisfy what their body is lacking, making their bodies the highest priority, and their spiritual needs a secondary priority.
This intention is entirely the opposite of the feelings that we awaken during prayer, entrenching in the heart a love for Hashem alone and nothing else, G-d forbid.
The question is, how do we explain this situation? During prayer, one only loves Hashem and seeks to do His Will, and after prayer, he prioritizes his own material needs above his fulfillment of Hashem’s Will. Does that mean that the feeling of love for Hashem during prayer was an illusion?
Now, even after these true words about the proper intention in material matters, one must not feel sad and think that his emotions and contemplations regarding Hashem during prayer are only empty imaginings and are therefore worthless.”
One might think the contradictory love for Hashem and for material things is merely similar to a dream, in which a person’s imagination can combine two opposites.
Since a person sees that after prayer his love for Hashem slips away and his heart turns to the love of his bodily needs, it is understood that even during prayer he didn’t completely remove his love for his body. The awakening of love for Hashem during prayer wasn’t entirely true.
It was merely an imagined dream that combines two opposites. He imagines that he loves Hashem yet still loves his body, even though they can’t exist at the same time. It comes from the power of imagination that can imagine things that are not real.
After a sincere appraisal of how he feels during prayer and how he feels during work, a person could understandably come to the conclusion that the feelings of love for Hashem were just his imagination, and that’s why they didn’t last after prayer.
The Alter Rebbe explains that really this is not the case, and that his love of Hashem during prayer has truth to it:
However, the truth is that this “dream” of contradictory love of both Hashem and material matters has a source Above and comes from a high level of Holiness:
This will be understood by first explaining what is written, (Zecharya 14:9) “On that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One.”
The Gemara (Pesachim 50a) asks, “Nowadays, is Hashem's Name not already One?” It answers, “Hashem's Name is not read the same way it is written.”
Hashem’s Name is written with the four letters of י -ה -ו -ה but is pronounced א-ד -נ-י .
This difference between how His Name is written and how it is pronounced is considered a lack of Oneness. However, after Moshiach comes, we will read His Name as it is written. Then it will be completely One.
The idea behind this is as follows: His “Name” is a reference to the Divine Presence which is presently in Exile, and is therefore not “read” as it is “written.” It's not expressed the way it really is. Rather, it’s as if it were a lamp covered by a garment or container that blocks out the intensity of its light.
Hashem’s “Name” (i.e., Divine Presence) is not revealed the way it really is, but only through layers of concealment. This is why His four-letter Name is only read through saying a different Name. If we said His Name directly, it would give additional life to the powers of unholiness that rule (as it were) in the time of Exile. The only way to express His Name during Exile is through the Name of א-ד -נ -י (which means Master), which expresses how Hashem rules even the beings that feel separate from Him.
Now, in the time of Exile, a person is as if in a state of sleep: When someone sleeps the deeper parts of his intellect withdraw and all that remains of his intellect is (as stated in the Holy Zohar) “the three Intellectual aspects of Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge the way they are included in the three emotional aspects of Kindness, Severity, and Compassion.”
When that happens, his soul draws down life for itself from Above, from a very high level of Holiness.
That level (that it receives life from during sleep/Exile) is called “Circles,” meaning that it is like a circle, which has no top or bottom. Rather, all points are equal. In this spiritual level of “Circles,” all aspects are equal and everything comes together without making any differences between things, in a similar manner to what our Sages said, (Eiruvin 13b) to explain how opposite opinions in Torah Law can both being true at the same time: “These opinions and these opposite opinions are both the words of the Living Hashem.”
The following diagram shows ten attributes in a circle. In a circle, all ten attributes are equally connected to each other. None is on top or bottom per se, and one can draw a direct line between each attribute and every other attribute. Thus, in the arrangement of “Circles,” all attributes are equal and exist together.
