Monday, September 8, 2008

Learn Rabbi Nachman all day

Here's a little piece I published in the comments of another site that is having problems acknowledging the absolute truth of Rabbainu and completely following his ways.
Rabbainu clearly said the utopia would be for a person to do hisbodudus all day, Rabbi Nussun goes to great length to show that this was the way of Rabbainu, we have the point case given of a long summer day that Rabbainu spent in it's entirety, from right after Shachris till nightfall, with one of the chasidim in an isolated cave crying to Hashem. Personally I do not think that means not to learn anything at all, but it means a very bare minimum. Rabbainu said because this is very hard to do, and can not be expected or demanded of people, therefore there is a bare minimum requirement, at least some of the day should be spent in hisbodudus, and the rest may be spent in study. It is quite clear from this, that since the studying is as a substitute for hisbodudus, that the more the learning is in the fashion of hisbodudus, the better. Thus the Saba's calling for the learning of Rabbainu's teachings all day, is the true way of Rabbainu. This in fact was one of the things that made me realize that the Saba, and only the Saba, had it right.
As far as the quotes from chasidishe masters about learning Gemura, even though they seem to dispute the Arizal and Ramchal I have quoted previously, this is also explained by what I have written here. Before the Baal Shem Tov anyone who was truthfully seeking G-d would have to follow the teachings of the Arizal which call for complete ingrossment in the study of Kabala and meditating on holy names of G-d and the like. After the world at large rejected this way, Hashem Y' sent the Baal Shem Tov who taught a new approach of seeking G-d. At the time of the Arizal if people would have applied themselves to the pure teachings of the Kabala they would have made it. In the time of the Baal Shem Tov it was too late for that. The Besh"t had to show people how to apply themselves. Thus the Besh't showed how to apply one self and serve and seek G-d in every way. Gemora came back as a very acceptable path and way for a person to learn how to apply oneself for G-d. However this is only when the Gemora is part of the general approach of chasidus, like the rest of the books from which these quotes where taken from. Thus it is true they may have advocated learning Gemura, but this learning was surrounded and engulfed with all the devotions and practices of chasidus. Rabbainu put everything back to perspective, he made it clear the highest approach would be to act in constant hisbodudus to Hashem (elevating the Kabala to it's epitome), and at the same time he also showed the systems of how to get there and what to do when one wasn't there.

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