The Vision of the Man in the Circle

I will tell you what I saw. And you tell your children.

Someone was lying on the ground, and people were sitting around him in a circle. There was a second circle around the first, a third circle, and so on.

Around these circles sat some other people in no particular order.

The man who was sitting in the middle on his side was moving his lips, and everyone around him moved his lips like him.

Then I saw that the man in the middle was no longer there, and all the people sitting around him stopped moving their lips.

“What is going on?” I asked.

I was told that the man had grown cold and died. Since he had ceased to speak, the others had ceased to speak as well.

Afterwards, everyone began running.

I ran after them. I saw two beautiful palaces.

Two ministers sat there.

The people ran to the ministers and began to complain to them, “Why did you fool us?” They wanted to kill these ministers. Finally, the ministers ran out.

When I saw the ministers, I liked them very much. I ran after them.

From afar, I saw a beautiful tent.

People shouted from the tent to the ministers, “Go back! Find all your merits. Take them in your hand and go to the candle hanging there. There you will be able to accomplish everything that you want.”

The ministers went back and took their merits. There were bundles of merits. They ran to the candle, and I ran after them.

A lit candle was hanging in the air. The ministers came and threw the merits at the candle, and sparks fell from the candle into their mouths.

The candle [HaNeiR] turned into a river [NaHaR], and they all drank from it.

Creatures were formed within them. When they opened their mouths to speak, the creatures emerged.

I saw them running back and forth. They were neither human nor animal--just creatures.
Afterwards, the ministers decided to return to their place. They said, “How can we get back to our place?”

One of them said, “Let us send a message to the person standing there who is holding a sword from the heavens to the earth.”

They said, “Whom shall we send?”

They decided to send the creatures. The creatures went there, and I ran after them.

I saw a frightening being standing from heaven to earth with a sword in his hand that reached from heaven to earth, which had many blades.

One blade was sharp for killing; another blade was for poverty; another blade was for weakness. And there were other blades for other punishments.

They began, “It is a long time that we have been suffering because of you. Now help us and bring us to our place.”

He said, “I cannot help you.”

They asked, “Give us the blade of death and we will kill the people.”

But he did not agree.

They asked for another blade, but he did not want to give them any blade. So they left.

Meanwhile, an order was given to kill the ministers, and their heads were cut off.

Then things went back to what they had been before.

A person lay on the ground and there were circles of people about him, and they ran to the ministers, and so forth, all over again.

But this time, I saw that the ministers did not throw their merits at the candle. Instead, they took the merits, went to the candle and broke their hearts and began to beg before the candle. Sparks fell from the candle into their mouths.

They pleaded more and the candle turned into a river, and so on, and the creatures were formed. And I was told, “These will live. The first ones were guilty of death because they threw the merits at the candle and did not plead, as these had.”

I didn’t understand this.

I was told, “Go to such-and-such a room and you will be told what it all means.”

I went there, and an old man was sitting there. I asked him about this.

He grasped his beard and told me, “This beard is the explanation of the story.”

I answered him, “I still don't understand.”

He told me, “Go to such-and-such a room, and there you will find the explanation.”

I went there, and I saw a long, broad, endless room, full of writings. And wherever I opened up [a book], I saw an explanation of the story.

Chayei Moharan p. 36, #2

A Movement

Sometimes an ordinary Jew just makes a movement with his sidelock, and God takes great pride even in that.
Likutei Moharan 17:1

Charity

It is possible to draw God’s complete providence only when we break our lust for money.

We do that by giving charity.

“A spirit descends to cool the heat of the heart. When that spirit descends, the heart receives it with the joy of the song of the Levites” (Zohar Pinchas 244a).

This “spirit” is charity, which is “a voluntary spirit” (Psalms 51:14). With this, we cool of the heat of the lust for money. The verse “He cuts off the spirit of the princes” (Psalms 76:13) can be read, “The spirit cuts off the princes.” The spirit diminishes the lust for princeliness and wealth.

“The song of the Levites” is dealing faithfully in business—in other words, being happy in one’s portion and not rushing to grow wealthy. Song refers to business. In Hebrew, “business” is literally “lifting and giving.” This corresponds to the verse, “Lift up a tune and give the tambourine” (Psalms 81:32).

“The joy” is the fact that one is happy with one’s portion.

And this is the incense [that was offered in the Temple]. This incense connects the heat of the heart to the spirit. “Incense rejoices the heart” (Proverbs 27:9).

“They will bring incense for Your nostrils” (Deuteronomy. 33:10). That incense nullifies the curse, “by the sweat of your brow shall you eat” (Genesis 3:19). The words for “nostril” and “brow” in the above two verses are similar.

And this is the revelation of the messiah. At that time, there will be no lust for money. “On that day, a person will cast aside his gods of silver and his gods of gold” (Isaiah 2:20).

The messiah is “the spirit of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem” (Lamentations 4:20).

As long as the idolatry of money exists in the world, there is anger in the world (see Sanhedrin 113; Sifri Re’eh).

But when this idolatry is nullified, so is the anger nullified. “The spirit of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem.”

Then love is drawn into the world: “He performs love for His anointed one” (Psalms 18:51).

When this love will be revealed, consciousness will be drawn down. And that is the building of the Temple: “In the greatness of Your love will come to Your house.” (Psalms 5:8). And: “His right hand [which indicates love] will build the Temple” (Zohar Pinchas 220b).

Consciousness is a house. “If a person has consciousness, it is as though the Temple was built in his time” (Berachot 33a).

Likutei Moharan I 13:1

From the Conversation of Women

From the conversation of women, one can know the status of God=s Presence.

Mordechai would Awalk before the courtyard of the house of the women to know the welfare of Esther@ (Esther 2:11).

Esther represents God=s Presence (cf. Me=orei Or, Devash; and Netzutzei Orot Zohar I 240a; and Shaar Hakavanot, Derush 4 of Pesach with notes of Maharshu).

Mordechai understood and was able to know the welfare of God=s Presence from Athe courtyard of the house of the women@--from their conversation.

Likutei Moharan 203

The Cessation of Being

Each one of us has to see to it that we become assimilated into the root of who we are, to return and be assimilated into the oneness of God, Who is the One Reality.

This can be achieved only when we make ourselves totally stop, when we cease our being. And we can only come to this cessation through hisbodedus. When we are in seclusion with God, we can cause all desires and bad traits to cease. We can cling to God and be drawn into the root of who we are.

Likutei Moharan 52