Picture of the author

What Is Bitul? Shedding Any Thought That I Am Not Divine Light

When You See Yourself as the Divine Light & Vessel in This World, You Become Fully Alive

1 hr 10 min

Class Summary:

This is a text-based class by Rabbi YY Jacobson, on a Maamar, a Chassidic discourse by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Maamar V'hikrisem, presented by the Rebbe on Shabbos Parshas Matos-Masei, 26 Tammuz, 5712, July 19, 1952.

The class was presented on Monday, Parshas Matos-Masei, 21 Tammuz, 5780, July 13, 2020, streaming live from Rabbi Jacobson's home in Monsey, NY

Please leave your comment below!

  • R

    Rachel -3 years ago

    Listened to Monday’s chassidus. Wow, wow!!!
    When I live in a state of bitul, there is only one question to ask every morning when I wake up:
    God show me where you need me to express and shine my infinite light today? And then remain present and open for that guidance. When we live with that perspective of bitul we have entered into conversation with the Divine.
    When I live enslaved by my will then the questions about how to conquer each new day are infinite and the clashes between my will and God’s plans for me causes so much untold suffering. I see life through the lens of the survival of the fittest....
    What a painful existence to have to take on the world every morning.....When I’m not aligned with Infinity, I feel abandoned in a wrestling match against the Universe. My life is then filled with fear, anxieties, jealousy and a whole other hosts of pains.I often remain a bottomless pit of unfulfilled needs, wants and frustrations.....
    How liberating to wake up in the morning with only one question......

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • Anonymous -3 years ago

    Thank you !!

    Thank you!!

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • Anonymous -3 years ago

    If one would think about the source of his 'yeshus' that is comes from the fact that he is similar to the light of the divine it would help lead him to bitul that the only way to be truly similar to the divine is by removing this yeshus which disrupts his true connection to the divine.

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • SM

    Sara Metzger -3 years ago

    Question for Rabbi YY

    Bittel sounds like a good place to be. Why is it sometimes described in negative terms . Or am I misunderstanding?

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

    • M

      Moshe -3 years ago

      bittul sometimes needs one eighth of an eighth of yeshus, ego. 

      Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • Anonymous -3 years ago

    If the or keseder has to come on to the ratzon of hashem doesn't that mean it does not intrinsictly exist because his ratzon could make it stop?

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • M

    Moshe -3 years ago

    Question for Rabbi YY

    Bittul is removing all blockages and allowing the bittul that's naturally there to shine. Are then all angels, animals, vegetation and inanimate matter inherently bittul at all times?

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • M

    Moshe -3 years ago

    Our sense of autonomy comes from His essence

    So, was Pharaoh the pre-eminent example of this false sense of "I made myself"? 

    This sounds like the ego and yeshus on steroids. 

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • SL

    Shaynna Linda -3 years ago

    Question for Rabbi YY

    What is the meaning that HaShems light, when he holds one close in the balance, is a deep soft purple? Like a deep purple velvet. One can fee HaSheml essence in the not yet beyond, and it stays within my being.

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • A

    Aharon -3 years ago

    We have access to H" s ohr ie essence thru the Torah esp the Chumash    cuz    Alter Rebbe says (and he learned from previous teachers  ie Arizal, etc) that the 5 Books of Moshe are the ratzon of HaShem.    Is it right?   

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • SM

    Sara Metzger -3 years ago

    Question for Rabbi YY

    So when the yetzer harah comes, the first thing is to be aware that hes there, maybe not always easy. but if and when aware, what to do? Talk to yourself? Talk to someone you trust? Talk to Gd, Pray? Do a mitzvah? Read Torah?

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

    • M

      Moshe -3 years ago

      banish him

      Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • M

    Moshe -3 years ago

    Question for Rabbi YY

    What did one ray of light say to the other as they travelled together 186,000 miles per second? "Its shocking and mind boggling how slowly humans move. They walk 4 mph, drive at 55, fly at merely thousands of miles per hour. It's amazing they ever get anywhere.

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • A

    Aharon -3 years ago

    Takes 7 seconds (give or take!) for light to travel from the sun to the earth.

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • M

    Moshe -3 years ago

    Question for Rabbi YY

    Yeah, the yetzer never misses an opportunity to trip you up. But that's his job! He's doing his job well.. Usually we daven with a minyan. During the pandemic we were told that to serve Hashem then, we don't daven with a minyan. Like the story of R. Zusya and R. Elimelech. The more the yetzer tries, the more persistent and crafty he is, the better he is doing his job. Like the zona hired by the king to test and tempt the prince. She tries her hardest but deep down is so devoted to the king that she wants the prince to succeed by passing the test. One might think that she would think she failed if the prince passes but that is really her happiness. This is all part of the Grand Plan.

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • A

    Aharon -3 years ago

    "Learn and grow and strengtehn and inspire each other" - words from Reb Jacobson that are worth repeating!!

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

  • A

    Aharon -3 years ago

    R Shlomo Yosef Zevin brings a similar story as Rabbi Jacobson brought last week:

      In his childhood Reb Eliezer of Dzikov had got up to a mischievous prank, for which he was scolded by his father, Reb Naftali of Ropshitz.      "it's not my fault," the boy argued, "because i've got a yetzer harah that seeks to tempt me and i was enticed."         "All the more so," answered the father.  "Yo should take an example from the yetzer harah.  Look how faithfully he carries out his duty of seducing people, exactly as he was commanded to do."        "True" countered the boy, "but the yetzer harah hasn't got a yetzer harah to tempt him not to do his duty, whil with a person 'sin crouches at the door' - that's the yetzer harah - ready to mislead him."  

    Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

Chassidus: Maamer V'hikrisem, Matos-Masei 5712 #5

Rabbi YY Jacobson

  • July 13, 2020
  • |
  • 21 Tamuz 5780
  • |
  • 864 views

Dedicated by Azriel Zaretskiy

Related Classes

Please help us continue our work
Sign up to receive latest content by Rabbi YY

Join our WhatsApp Community

Join Now
Ways to get content by Rabbi YY Jacobson
Connect now
Picture of the authorPicture of the author