• AY

  Avner YD -12 years ago

  Thank you
  B"H
  
  
  
  The last sentence answers the questions very clearly...
  
  
  
  "Accordingly, the Rebbe argues that unearned inspiration simply doesn’t reach the Animal Soul in a transformative way at all."
  
  
  
  Thank you!
  
  
  
  Avner YD

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• N

  Nusi -12 years ago

  nefesh hab'hamis
  In a practical sense, how does one engage the nefesh hab'hamis? 
  
  
  
  How do you get him to " come out and fight " so to speak,  when you have your tallis and tfillin on.\?
  
  
  
  I know he shows up when he wants to during davening but how do i get him to show up when i want to work with him?

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  • A

    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: nefesh hab'hamis
     Hartz hartz un nuch mer hartz! Passion! Daven with feeling and joy, out loud (where appropriate) and the excitement of the davening is the fight.
    
    Be aware of one the nasty Nefesh HaBahamis tricks, he waits for us to finish Davening and compliments us on a wonderful and heartfelt Davening and then almost immediately leads to ta’avos (temptations and lust) even permitted ones. He knows we are in a state of passion and to transfer the passion to animalism is a small step. This is (part of) the reason why after we Daven we should immediately sit down and learn Torah (which is not nearly as passionate an experience) to “lock the passion of the prayer” into something positive.
    

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• AY

  Avner YD -12 years ago

  Only Touches the נה"א
  ב"ה
  
  
  
  Shalom Rabbi,
  
  
  
  I appreciate your classes very much and apoligize for the relative length of the question.  I hope you will have time to respond. 
  
  
  
  (Line 74) "זו מגיע לנפש הא:לקית לבד..."
  
  
  
  This seems like a very strong statement.  
  
  
  
  How can we say that the נה"ב is totally unaffected by, for example, a Miracle (אתעדל"ע)?
  
  
  
  The נה"ב is trained/changed by external experiences/circumstances/influences.  Therefore, if it observes a new (if even for a moment) reality (in this case Infinite) this "naturally" changes the animals perception on how to react to FUTURE circumstance BECAUSE it is aware of previously unknown OPTIONS/EXPERIENCES.  
  
  
  
  ---
  
  
  
  For example,  a Baby Bear needs to learn how to hunt for food in order to eventually gain independence.   When Mother Bear figures that he is ready to learn, she takes him to Location A.  Location A, which is a land area, remains his training ground for an entire year.  
  
  
  
  At this point in Baby Bear's life, he understands Location A to be the only place for food to be found and hunted.
  
  
  
  After hibernating, Baby Bear wakes up and his Mother tells him to leave the cove and not come back until he has food for the family.  For a few days he tries to hunt in Location A but is overpowered by a different animal that has taken over the territory.  
  
  
  
  He is not too sure how he will come home, especially if he has no food.  So, he wanders.
  
  
  
  Eventually, Baby Bear stumbles upon a river and sees fish hopping up stream.  He has never seen this before, but is hungry.  So he tries for many hours to catch a fish.  Eventually he succeeds and carries home food for the family.
  
  
  
  Because of the presentation of a new option, Baby Bear's reality has undeniably changed.  As his options have opened up, so has He.  
  
  
  
  Maybe he will desire fishing more than killing land animals?  Maybe he will want to fish when its sunny and hunt land animals when it is cold, etc.  No matter the theoretical position that the bear ends up desiring most, the animal has changed by becoming witness to a New Reality.
  
  
  
  ---
  
  
  
  I believe with this, the question will be clear.
  
  
  
  When the Alter Rebbe says, "הנה הערה זו מגיע לנפש א:לקית לבד,"  what is he proposing?  It seems to me that this must be speaking of a specific form of arousal, because the נה"ב is also changed, albeit, not in the same way?
  
  
  
  Further, if it were such a general and all-inclusive statement, that the נה"ב is totally untouched by the אתעדל"ע, this would imply that the experience itself was not meant for the נה"ב to have witnessed, touched, felt, etc.  How can we say that the נה"ב has no purpose in experiencing the miracle itself, within the miracle, as the miracle occurs?  Should the conclusion not be that we MUST say the miracle, itself, IS ALSO FOR THE VIEWING AND REACTION OF THE נה"ב, because nothing occurs to any piece of reality without being under the kingship and careful placement of הקב"ה. 
  
  ______
  
  Similar example of the נה"ב changing through אתעדל"ע
  
  
  
  If a Yid has been introduced to the reality that prayer can alter physical outcomes, the next time that a Yid is in a life-threatening situation, the נה"ב will LOUDLY DEMAND that the individual take such action because it recognizes the Benefit of such a Choice.  
  
  
  
  ------
  
  
  
  Kol Tuv.
  
  
  
  Avner YD

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  • A

    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: Only Touches the נה"א
     
    

    
    The Maamr doesn’t speak of miracles. It speaks of inspiration.
    
    It is true that the Animal (or Selfish and short sighted and worried) Soul, is not moved by spirituality unless that spirituality speaks his (Selfish and short sighted and worried) language. This means either that the Soul is shown the selfish value in this or that it must be (for lack of words) “broken in” to G-dly ideas.
    
    Your question speaks of the former, while our Maamar is speaking of the latter.
    
    In other words the issue in this Maamar is the (ultimate) transformation (or at least submission and quieting) of the Animal Soul so the whole person (G-dly and Animal halves) can ascend upwards in prayer. For this to occur the Animal Soul must be inspired on its level and slowly raised up. So, you begin with passion which is its language and allow the passion towards G-d to which the Animal Soul relates to “tune it in” so that later we can speak to it a finer more G-dly Soul like language and it should continue being tuned in. The deeper parts of the Davening allow the G-dly Soul to soar without interference from the Animal Soul but at the same time it’s not leaving the Animal Soul out of the prayer but including it.
    
    Can the animal soul be moved by (the selfish benefits of) miracle or seeing the effect of prayer- sure, but then the Animal Soul remains an Animal and has gone through no transformation whatsoever! The inspiration therefore is meaningless in terms of raising the Animal Soul up.
    
    In other words the idea is not to make Judaism Selfishly rewarding (as your question supposes) but to make the animal soul somewhat selfless.
    
    Animals like the baby bear in your analogy have no possibility for anything but selfish motivation (they are after all animals). Human beings with G-dly Souls do, and to make that real, takes incredible effort. Accordingly, the Rebbe argues that unearned inspiration simply doesn’t reach the Animal Soul in a transformative way at all.

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• OA

  once again -12 years ago

  thank you
  very helpful
  
  
  

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• C

  chaim -12 years ago

  weekly
  Rabbi can we please go back to the one Maamar (subject) per week? If I miss a week I need to wait at times for 3-4 weeks before I can start again.
  
  
  
  Please give one class with a entire Maamar from start to finish in one week.
  
  
  

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  • A

    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: weekly
     
    

    
    Dear Chayim,
    
    the choice of one weekers or multiple weekers is dictated not by us but by the Likutei Torah. Last year we did the little ones that we were able to finish in one week, we simply don’t have many more. We’ll do our best in trying to make you and everyone happy. A Kosher and Happy Pesach.

    
    Rabbi Y. Paltiel.

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Yossi Paltiel

• March 25, 2012
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• 2 Nisan 5772
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• 206 views

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