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The Joy of Repentance\Guilt-Free
Based on Tomer Devorah by the Holy Ramak
Authored and Published by the Salant Foundation
Distributed by Feldheim
A Sweet Aroma
וּבְסוֹד “וַיָּרַח ה’ אֶת רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ", יַחְזֹר הַהִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת הַהוּא שֶׁל חֲרוֹן אַף אֶל מְקוֹרוֹ.
(8) And through the secret underlying the verse (Beresheis 8:21): And God smelled the pleasant aroma [of the offering made by Noach after exiting the Ark], this outspread [of Divine wrath] returns to its source.
A Sweet Aroma
The notion that the enticing scent of a roasting offering should appease the Almighty’s wrath seems extraordinary, to say the least! The Torah is obviously alluding to something deeper than a physical scent. How can we begin to understand this? To shed light on this enigmatic phenomenon, we refer to a relevant passage in the holy Zohar (Noach 70a):
The verse regarding the incense offering states (Devarim 33:10): They (the ministering Kohanim) shall place incense in Your nose. For the fire (i.e., the pleasant-smelling smoke of an incense offering), returns to its place, that is, the “Divine Nostril.” The aroma is drawn through that breath into the inner recesses, to the point where all is unified and returns to its place, and the entirety is drawn into [the realm of] thought, and becomes a unified will. And this is similar to [the concept that God finds the aroma of offerings] to be a “scent [that is] pleasant;” meaning, ’Wrath was put to rest and became Pleasantness’’…And regarding this it is written: “God smelled the pleasant aroma:” like one who smells a pleasant scent and inhales it in its entirety and brings it all inside, to its place.
The Ramak’s Elucidation
The Ramak, in his Pardeis Rimonim (Gate 8, Chapter 12) sheds light on this esoteric passage. He explains: “When a person smells a fragrance, it ascends to his brain, wherein the sense of smell is centered. It thus transpires that ’that breath,’ which delivers the pleasant fragrance of the offering, returns to its source.”
In the previous passage, regarding the Nahar Dinur (River of Fire), the Ramak revealed that the Divine Wrath was discharged — or “exhaled” — from Binah (Divine Enlightenment). By stating “the breath returns to its source,” the Ramak indicates that it was not inherently separated from its root in the pure goodness that is Binah; rather, it was drawn out from there and is now merely returning to its original, proper location. We can express this as follows: When Judgment awakens, the “breath” is “exhaled,” descending from Binah and the Upper Realm and entering into the Lower Realm, where Judgment is operative. Thus is the Divine Wrath, i.e., “the fire” kindled. However, the pleasant aroma of the offering transmits the fiery breath back to its root. The fragrant smoke ascends to the “Divine Nostril” in Binah, where it converts back into a sweet fragrance. In keeping with this, the verse states: “And God smelled the pleasant aroma,” meaning, through the sweet fragrance of the offering, the bitter judgment converts to sweet forgiveness.
The Sweet Wine of Binah
The Ramak enlightens us further regarding the secret of an offering’s ability to “sweeten all the Judgments.” He writes (ibid): “There are two phases of Judgment. One is “Wrath and Judgment”; while the other [i.e., the source of Judgment] is the Wine of Binah, which brings Joy and not drunkenness. And now, through the return of the Judgment to its source, it becomes pleasantly scented, and reverses into Joy.”
The Ramak thus reveals that the Wine of Binah is the attribute of Joy – the polar opposite of Wrath. Therefore, the primary classification of “Judgment” is literally an expression of Joy – the Wine of Binah. Judgment may be likened to the opposite effects that drinking wine has on different people. Some people become happy, loving, and compassionate when they ingest wine, while others become belligerent. So too, the source of Judgment is the “Wine of Binah”, which “brings Joy and not drunkenness.” The source of Judgment is the sweet “Wine of Binah,” the retraction of the Divine Wrath to its proper place in the Compassionate Realm of Binah. As stated in the Zohar, “God smelled the pleasant aroma: like one who smells a pleasant scent and inhales it in its entirety and brings it all inside, to its place.”
Rejoicing on Rosh HaShanah
Similarly, although Rosh HaShanah is the Day of Judgment, its observance is marked by joyful practices and behavior. For example, we freshly groom ourselves and don our finest attire. We feast and rejoice, and even eat foods that we hope will serve as an omen for a good and sweet year, like an apple dipped in honey. Trusting that the Holy One, Blessed Be He will gaze favorably upon us and miraculously pronounce us for “Life.”
In part four of the Introduction, we noted the principle brought in the Zohar that joy opens the gates of Binah. These teachings regarding the Wine of Binah and the joy we experience on Rosh HaShanah align perfectly with this idea. As the Zohar states (Terumah 165a): “One who ascends before the Sefira (One of the Ten Divine Lights) of Binah must do so with joy, and with no anguish nor sadness whatsoever.”
The Awesome Task That God Entrusted to Man
In making his point on how the Divine Wrath is converted into Sweetness, the Ramak cites the verse (Beresheis 8:21): “And God smelled the pleasant aroma.” As we noted, this verse refers to the sacrifice offered by Noach upon exiting the Ark. In this we see confirmation of another idea mentioned in the Introduction; namely, that Binah’s ability to “sweeten Judgment” depends solely upon Man’s initiative. The Divine Wrath was only sweetened and appeased after Noach’s action awakened Binah, for the Sefirot (System of Divine Lights) only function in consonance with Man’s actions.
How awesome is the privilege the Holy One, Blessed Be He entrusted to us! Even though the Ramak writes: “Binah functions to “sweeten all the Judgments and to neutralize their bitterness,” the Sefira doesn’t spring into action on its own accord. Rather, Binah awaits to be awakened by us. Just as Noach did by offering his sacrifice, so too, we are privileged to do so by our prayers, Teshuvah (Repentance), and Divine Service. In this light, there is little wonder that Man holds the power to perform Teshuvah Elyonah (Exalted Repentance) and “rectify every flaw” by activating the Light of Binah.
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