Day Thirty-Eight
(יד) ״הלא אם תיטיב״ ותשריש עצמך בסוד התשובה ״שאת״, תסתלק שם בסוד הטוב המשרש שם.
(14) “Surely if you will make yourself good” and implant yourself within the Secret of Teshuvah, then “Elevate!” – you shall rise up to there through the Secret of the good that is rooted there.
You Know the Truth!
The Ramak uncovers HaShem’s care and love, embedded in the words He communicated to Kayin. “Surely” a word introducing an indisputable, undeniable statement, implies that Kayin subconsciously knew his soul was good and holy. It was towards this subconscious awareness that HaShem directed His words: “Surely if you will make yourself good and root yourself in the Secret of Teshuvah— ‘Elevate!’ – you shall rise up to there through the Secret of the good that is rooted there.” HaShem conveyed to him, “Kayin, you know in your inner being that you are good! By consciously validating your goodness, you will access the essence of true Teshuvah!”
Two Exceptional Principles
Two exceptional principles emerge from the Ramak’s profound words, perhaps the two most essential insights of this book:
HaShem revealed to Kayin that Binah (Divine Enlightenment), the “root of his soul,” contained a powerful and boundless reservoir of Holiness. Indeed, his soul’s Sanctity contained the potential to rectify even the supreme bitterness and undiluted evil that was the legacy of the Serpent’s venom. How much more so does the inherent Holiness of our souls, not born as a Nest of Impurity, contain the power and potency of Holiness that prevails over all impurity. Indeed, the “roots of our souls” generate infinite worlds of Holiness, just as the living root of a tree produces countless fruits!
A person is not defined by his actions, words, or thoughts, rather by his intrinsic goodness. By defining himself as good, he transforms his actions, words, and thoughts to good — past, present, and future!
The Symptoms and the Source
The fundamental purpose of Teshuvah Elyonah (Supernal Repentance) is to affect man’s universal rectification and perfection. By ascending to his holy root, a person’s authentic essence is revealed. Implanting his being in goodness, his past negative actions are retroactively transmuted to goodness and he attains complete sanctification. In contrast, conventional Teshuvah rectifies particular actions, rendering a limited rectification.
This can be compared to different aspects of medical treatment: One aspect focuses on alleviating the patient’s symptoms, while another focuses on treating the illness’ underlying cause: “Conventional” Teshuvah can be compared to the former, while Teshuvah Elyonah is comparable to the latter, and results in a perfect spiritual healing.
Man’s Holy Soul
HaShem told Kayin, “Surely if you will make yourself good” — and implant yourself within the Secret of Teshuvah… you shall rise up to there through the Secret of the good that is rooted there.” If we analyze this statement we see that the essence of Man is his holy soul, i.e., “the Secret of the good that is rooted there.” The Ramak reveals that “the Secret of the good” refers to Man’s holy soul.Yet, on the other hand HaShem told him “if you will make yourself good,” implying that “you” and “your holy soul” are two different entities. In light of this, if Man’s true essence is his holy soul, who then is the “you” in the phrase “if you will make yourself good?”
Rather, without question, the essence of Man is his holy soul, a free gift that HaShem bestows upon every human being. Whereas, “if you will make yourself good” refers to the free-will of man to define himself as good by virtue of his holy soul. His intention “to make himself good” harmonizes his free-will with his holy soul!
The Super Speed of Thoughts
Thoughts travel at a super velocity and rocket to the lofty heights of Heaven. Scientists calculate the speed of light to be 186,000 miles per second. This is the greatest velocity of any material entity. Whereas thoughts are spiritual entities that HaShem creates, and they are unencumbered by any material element. Who can ponder the mystery of a thought? When we attain Teshuvah Elyonah, we immediately access Eternity and Gan Eden!
Confidence!
We mentioned above that He Washes Away Sin is one of the thirteen Attributes of Compassion discussed in relation to Keter (Crown). As we saw, when a person performs Teshuvah, HaShem forgives him by virtue of Washing Away His Sin.
In his discussion on another of the thirteen Attributes: He Vanquishes Our Iniquities, the Ramak explains that Mitzvahs have a special energy that allows them to ascend Heavenward, unlike transgressions, which are Divinely relegated by the Merciful One to exist in a low state. Of course, the imperative to engage in Teshuvah is one of the most important Mitzvahs, as the Talmud (Brachos 17a) states, “A pearl from the mouth of Rava: ‘The purpose of wisdom is Teshuvah and good deeds.’” We might have thought that Torah wisdom is the primary Mitzvah, as it says (Peah 1), “Torah study is equal to them all.” However, Rava clarifies that the purpose of Torah is to contemplate Teshuvah! If so, the Mitzvah of Teshuvah certainly “rises before Him.” Therefore, HaShem both (1) brings his Mitzvah of Teshuvah into His Presence, and (2) Washes Away His Sin.
A person performing Teshuvah Elyonah (Supernal Repentance) automatically awakens these two aforementioned attributes of Keter (Crown), simply by intending to “elevate himself.” The activation of the purifying and elevating aspects of Keter enhance and augment his quest to perform Teshuvah Elyonah. Thus, his intention “to elevate” will certainly uplift him to his holy root, “causing Binah to illuminate all of his days” and “rectify every flaw”!
