Weekly Story: What Do We Really Desire

by Rabbi  Sholom DovBer Avtzon

Being that the Yomim Tovim of Tishrei are all interconnected with each other, as the possuk states, bakehseh liyom chageinu, which Chassidus translates to mean, what is concealed on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, comes out in a revealed way on Sukkos, I decided to post a parable that chassidim use to explain what is our quest throughout the month of Tishrei, and indeed our entire life. 

Furthermore, this is also connected to the Taste of Chassidus which comes after the story and for some may make it easier to comprehend it.

As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and most welcomed. 

A king had a daughter who loved to spend time in the garden and observe the beauty of the myriad of flowers and plants that were growing there. Sometimes she would ask the Royal gardeners to explain to her the origins and other details about the various flowers, etc., that were growing there and most of them gave her very brief answers. 

One day a new gardener was hired and the princess immediately noticed that he tended to each plant with much more attention and care than the previous gardeners did. To her happiness, when the flowers blossomed, they looked healthier and much more beautiful than they did in previous years. Additionally, when she asked him questions about them she was surprised at his vast knowledge about all of these hundreds and thousands of different plants and flowers, the health benefits that each one of them possess  and she really enjoyed his insights in them. 

From then on, she decided that a few days a week she would watch him tend to the plants and would often get into conversations with him. After spending many months in the garden, one day she came to her parents and told them that my conversations with the gardener mean much more to me than my conversations with the men of nobility that wish to marry me. He is very knowledgeable in so many aspects, and I have decided that the best husband for me will be none other than this gardener. If he is so devoted to give each plant what that individual plant needs, I am positive his devotion to me will far surpass what any of the young men whom you might want me to marry would do for me.

Her father the king, was not very happy about this unexpected announcement, but he felt that if he forces her to marry somebody else she will be miserable for the rest of her life. At this point any other marriage will not be a happy marriage and it won’t be the husband’s fault. 

He replied, if that is whom you have decided to marry, you may marry him. However, you should know that when you marry him, you must join him in his house and not that he will join you in the palace. The princess wasn’t too happy about this condition, however, she reasoned that living in his house wouldn’t be such a terrible thing, as long as he will be devoted husband that she knew he would be.

The wedding took place and the princess was in 7th Heaven, her husband indeed paid close attention to everything that she was interested in and she was taken by his tremendous knowledge. Additionally, she was able to live as she wanted, without being told that she must wake up at a certain time, or wear certain clothing etc. She was experiencing what she called “freedom”. 

During the next few months her smile radiated true happiness and pleasure and even her parents were surprised to see how happy she seemed to be. 

But one day when her husband came home, he saw that her smile was no longer there. He immediately inquired if she’s feeling okay, if everything’s all right.  Yes, everything is perfect she replied, just I was thinking about all the things I no longer have.

Her husband remembered all of the exotic fruits and vegetables that were brought to the royal chef and decided to surprise his wonderful wife. Tomorrow he would not be bringing home the same basic fruits and vegetables that he brought almost every day, but he will surprise her with some of those very fruits and vegetables that she was accustomed to enjoying when she was at her parents’ table. This way she would not be missing the benefits and enjoyment which she was used to.

The next day while he was in the field attending to all the plants, he chose a variety of fruits and vegetables that he knew blended together perfectly, and prepared the dish before he came home. He was hoping this surprise would liven her spirits and she would return to her happiness of the past few months.

She was his wife who was used to exotic dishes and a tremendous variety of foods. She would be served with the same splendor she was accustomed to. To top it off he went to the brook and caught a fresh fish. This would be a dinner meal she would remember. 

When he laid it out on the table, he expected a gasp of happiness but to his shock his wife burst out into a painful cry, with tears pouring down her cheeks. 

Turning to her he asked painfully, my dear wife, “what is the matter, did I insult you? Is there something wrong with what I brought to you?” 

No, not at all was her reply, I see that you put in tremendous effort to make me happy, and I really appreciate it, but you don’t realize that my sadness was not because of a lack of food or attention. My sadness is because I remember my life at the palace. There is no one as wonderful as you are, yet this house could never have the feeling that the palace has for me. What I gave up is irreplaceable.

The mashpiim explain, that the wife is the neshoma which was sent down into the world which is the garden. The new gardener is the body in which the neshoma is enclothed in and subsequently they married, meaning that the neshoma is living in worldly pleasures and not under the warmth of the Shechina. 

Here in this world, a whole new horizon appears and the Neshoma is initially taken by it, thinking it is indeed a beautiful experience to witness. But then the neshoma awakens and begins to remember it’s life before it left the palace and entered the world and its enjoyments. Then it dawns on it, that as wonderful as the pleasures of the world may seem be, they are completely insignificant in comparison to what Hashem has to offer. The Neshoma realizes that all the pleasures of the world are not giving it the sustenance it needs.

By indulging even in some of these pleasures, it has distanced itself from its source and where it really belongs to be. At that moment of realization, no worldly pleasure is going to satisfy it. Is this worth to  giving up my essential bond to Hashem for this temporary and fleeting pleasure.

That is the cry of the Shofar, the cry of “Father, I desire to return to you. I desire to be connected only with You!”

A Taste of Chassidus Likkutei Torah (Devorim) 78c  

U’shiavtem Mayim B’suh’son

This maamar explains the deeper or inner meaning of why we pour water on the mizbey’ach, and why there was such tremendous joy and festivity celebrating this. [This celebration is known as Simchas Beis Hasho’eiva.] 

One of the basic fundamental teachings of Chassidus is that the Torah is eternal in all times and all places and is applicable to every Jew no matter where or when they live.

This point is stressed by the Alter Rebbe in this maamar, as he notes that while the law of drawing water and pouring it on the misbayach is no longer applicable until the third Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt, may it be speedily in our days, nevertheless, each and every person must find a way to implement its concept into their daily service to Hashem. Furthermore, every service in the Beis Hamikdash has a daily application for each and every one of us. 

In other words, while we are not allowed to physically do the service of the Beis Hamikdash when it is not standing, nevertheless, we are to fulfill those mitzvos in a spiritual way.

In order to explain the significance and inner meaning of pouring the water on the mizbayach, as a service to Hashem he explains how we can see how the two mizbayachs in the Beis Hamikdash are applicable to our personal service to Hashem.  

The larger altar was in the open courtyard on which the blood and fats of all sacrifices were burnt. [While the smaller one was inside the chamber, and on it the fragrances were burnt twice daily]. By every person these two altars are expressed in the two ways the heart expresses itself; there is a time when a person expresses their feelings openly with noticeable emotion and that is symbolized by the mizbayach in the courtyard, which everyone who was present was able to see and witness what was being done. But then there are times that a person has a feeling in the depths of their heart, and it’s not expressed to others and that is symbolized by the inside Mizbayach which no one can witness what was happening when the Kohen was doing the service of burning the incense on it. 

In Chassidic terminology, the outside mizbayach symbolizes the external (chitzoniyous) part of the heart, while the inside mizbayach symbolizes the internal (pnimiyous) part of the heart.

After this introduction we can explain what the significance of the pouring water is and why we celebrate it with such tremendous celebration! 

The outside Mizbayach is used to burn the fats and blood of all sacrifices. The reason that we specifically burn the fats and blood of all sacrifices is in order to demonstrate and inspire the person who is bringing the sacrifice that he should burn, meaning getting rid of all fats and blood (i. e. his desires and passion for  worldly aspects) and that he should remain only with a desire and passion for Hashem. 

Nowadays that we do not have the physical Mizbayach, this concept of disconnecting from worldly interests and being connected to Hashem is expressed by every person when they daven. Tefilla which is commonly translated to mean to daven, is explained in Chassidus to mean, to become connected, that the person connects themselves to Hashem. 

In other words, first the person feels that they have a foreign desire and or passion which prevents them from cleaving completely with Hashem. and that is burnt on the outside mizbayach, and once that passion and desire is eradicated from within them, then they come to a deep connection with Hashem. 

This can be compared to a prince (a child) who is separated and distanced from their father, the king. At that time, they loudly express their deep longing and fiery desire to be reunited. However, once they have succeeded and become reunited with their father the king, then they are engulfed in an embrace, there is no loud outburst as words cannot express the child’s happiness. 

So the fire on the outside altar represents or symbolizes when the child feels that they are distanced from their father, (before their desire to become reconnected and embraced by their father is actualized). It is to burn away and get rid of all the aspects that are causing a separation between us and Hashem, however, once that is accomplished and they become reunited, that thirst is quenched, then the fiery expressions are still, and we pour water onto the Mizbayach.

Being that the two altars symbolize our heart, which is the source of all emotions, in Chassidic terminology these two aspects of bringing fire and pouring water on the mizbayach represent two various levels of love: one is a fiery love, and one is a love of contentment. 

In our service of Hashem, the fiery love is when the Jew feels that they must come closer to Hashem, they must get rid of (burn) any desire that they may have for something else and desire one thing only, and that thing is to be one with Hashem. While the love of contentment is when the first objective is successfully accomplished and they are truly connected to Hashem. 

So it can be compared to a thirsty person whose thirst was quenched with a good drink of water. This explains why we celebrate the pouring of water on the mizbayach. It symbolizes that we finally attained this higher level of love, a love of contentment.

The problem is that it happens that when a person concludes davening, this inspiration and heightened level of awareness may become weaker or disappear completely. How can a person maintain it in them on a constant basis?

That is accomplished by learning the Halachos of the Torah. Therefore, at the conclusion of Simchas Beis Hashoeiva/Sukkos, we immediately celebrate Shimini Atzeres-Simchas Torah, so that this awareness remains firmly entrenched in our thought, emotions and actions.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can bntacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com.