Listening to Life's Messages - Part 5

00:00 The hem shech in continuation to the earlier installments where we discussed that one can and needs to derive lessons in life by listening to life's messages and incorporating or internalizing them in one's personal service to the Creator. We now continue with installment number five, elaborating on additional messages in life as they were articulated in the previous Rebbe's and primarily in the Rebbe's talks and writings. We begin with the professional title, coal miner. Coal, which is one of our most vital sources of energy, can only be extracted by digging deep beneath the surface of the earth. The miners who descend into a coal mine must follow an expert's directives on where to dig and how to find the coal. However, while the miner can rely on the guide's directives for where to dig, no one can breathe for him. Each miner must be connected to a supply of air way up above the place where he is working. If not, he will not be able to remain alive. The study of Hasidus, the inner aspect of Torah, is analogous to this descent. The knowledge gained from learning Hasidus imparts light and warmth, but one must delve deeply into it in order to fully appreciate its brilliance. And like the miner, the study of Hasidic thought must remain connected to his spiritual source if his divine service is to have life. Then, as with coal, one must light a fire, approach the material to be studied with warmth and enthusiasm if it is to provide light and

02:10 warmth on a daily basis. The second professional title which we're discussing now is a dry cleaner. A garment before being worn is completely clean, smoothly ironed, and lies properly on the wearer. After it is worn for a while, it usually becomes creased, dusty, or stained. Of course, one does not throw away the garment. Rather, it is taken to a dry cleaner to have it restored to its original condition. To treat the garment, the cleaner will place it in a machine and then add a hot liquid and various chemical agents to remove the dirt which is on the garment. Afterwards, he will iron the garment by pressing it with a weight and the garment will once again be as good as new. From this process, we gain insights into the soul, the neshamah of a yid. When Hashem gives a neshamah to a yid, that soul is pure, ironed smooth and a perfect fit. As we say in our daily morning prayers, neshamah shanasata b'tahirohi, the soul you have given me is pure. With time, however, as the soul becomes involved in worldly matters and if it is not used to fulfill the will of Hashem, it tends to become creased. Dirt may cling to it if the person neglects a mitzvah or commits a forbidden act. Whatever the case may be, Torah teaches us that we must not despair over the condition of the soul and its fitness to sustain the individual's spiritual life. To restore the soul to its original state, we must place

04:21 it in a conducive environment and infuse it with the warmth of Torah and mitzvahs. The warmth must also be moist so that the soul will cling to all that is holy. This can be accomplished through heartfelt prayer. As it is written, shifchi kamayim libech, pour out your heart like water. And through concentrated Torah study, as stated, hei kol tzoma lechu lamayim, all who thirst go for water. Ve'ei mayim ela Torah, there is no water but Torah. To complete the spiritual cleansing process, other ingredients must be added, such as generous contributions to charity, keeping kosher and observing Shabbos. Then, if a person places the weight of Torah observance upon himself, which initially may seem a heavy burden, it will prove not to be an hindrance, but an enhancement, a process that will quote-unquote iron out the neshamah and return it to its original unblemished condition. The third professional title is the engineer. Rebbe writes in a letter, an engineer designs machines consisting of many parts, some more important than others. Although some parts seem to the layman to have no function at all, the engineer understands how each one is necessary for the machine to function. Because he lacks the engineer's knowledge and expertise, a layman may mistakenly assume that the machine can still operate if a screw is taken away or added. This metaphor can be applied to the existence of the world and the fulfillment of the mitzvahs, the six hundred and thirteen biblical and certain rabbinical precepts through which a person can attach

06:40 himself to Hashem. If one violates the injunction, which is, lo sisifu v'lo zisguru, do not add or subtract from the mitzvahs. Although the addition or deletion may seem insignificant to him, the mitzvah that he is lacking or has altered will diminish his attachment to Hashem. In the same way that every part of the machine has a distinct yet integral function, Hashem provided each individual with a special, specific task, his personal sphere of influence in perfecting the world. All of the individual pieces are part of his master plan of creation. We will, im yirtze Hashem, continue in the next installment.