Chochma vs. Bina - Practical Manifestations - Part 3

Please click here for the introduction to this series (highly recommended).

Chassidus and the GR"A:

We will [now] speak about the dispute between the GR"A, zy"a, and Chassidus. The explanation is that the GR"A was the aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef (as was stated by the students of the GR"A and received by the Maharil Diskin). One of the purposes of Moshiach ben Yosef is to wage war with the Klipa (husk) of the Erev Rav (other Jews in our midst who infiltrate illegitimate ideas from within) which gets stronger before the redemption. The klipa of the Erev Rav is the klipa of the Haskala (the "Enlightenment") whose roots were beginning in those days. In truth, Chassidus was the counterpart (ze leumas ze) of the Klipa of the Haskala. And the Klipa of the Erev Rav of the Haskala was related to the 50th gate of impurity, which is the aspect of Amalek, which is called "Reshis Goyim," the first of the nations (Bamidbar 24:20), (as the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh said in parshas Shmos, that before the redemption there would be a strengthening of the 50th gate of impurity). Therefore, the Maskilim ("Englightened Ones"), may their name be blotted out, attempted to disseminate impure forms of wisdom which eminated from the 50th gate of impurity. (The wisdom of holiness is, l'havdil, a counterpoint to this, and is a revelation of the aspect of Keser, Crown, the 50th gate of holiness.) Chassidus was the cure that preceeded this disease because it was a revelation of the Yechida [the highest of the 5 "parts" of the soul], the 50th gate of holiness. Chassidus revealed the Holy Englightenment of the revelation of G-dliness in Chochma-Bina-Daas, which is the cure which preceeds the Klipa of the Haskala.

Therefore, the GR"A, who was related to the aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef, is the aspect of the Sefira of Chochma (as we said earlier). The Sefira of Chochma pushes away the Chochma of impurity in a way of waging war, because the method of clarifying between good and evil is the job of the Sefira of Chochma, "כולהו בחכמה אתברירו. (Zohar)" And therefore the GR"A had to wage war with the Klipa of the Erev Rav. But the revelation of Chassidus, which relates to Moshiach ben Dovid, the Sefira of Malchus, whose destiny was planted at the beginning in the Sefira of Keser, is the remedy to the sisease of the Wisdom of Impurity. It is a repair and a remedy by spreading the Wisdom of Holiness. When the kingdom of Moshiach ben Dovid will be in its perfect state of repair, receiving [he'ora-illumination] from Keser, then he will be able to repair the world without the use of war. [As opposed to the time of] the birthpangs of Moshiach and the wars that preceed the redemption, which relate to Moshiach ben Yosef [before] he is included [joins] with Moshiach ben Dovid, about which this is not the place to expound). [The GR"A's job was to fight against the Wisdom of Impurity with war, under the flag of Moshiach ben Yosef. Chassidus is the aspect of Moshiach ben Dovid, post war, and is the aspect of Moshiach ben Dovid.]

Due to our sins, the GR"A confused his friend for his enemy, Chassidus for the Haskala. Therefore, Tzadikim said that had the GR"A seen the face of the Baal haTanya, zy"a, he immediatly would have retracted his dispute [with him], because he would have immediately seen that he [the Baal haTanya] was not the Klipa of the Erev Rav. And in actuality, in the generations after the GR"A, the students of the GR"A (R' Yitzchak from Volozin zt'l) and the Tzemech Tzedek zy"a fought together against the Klipa of the Haskala, which was the true Klipa of the Erev Rav.

There is an aspect that had the GR"A and the Baal Hatanya met, there would have been a unification of the two Moshiachs, Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid, and the complete redemption would have been awakened. This is because the torah of Chassidus relates to the revelation of Moshiach ben dovid (and the Baal Hatanya was a direct male descendant to the Maharal from Prague, who was a direct male decendant of Dovid Hamelech). Therefore, the Satan strengthened himself to prevent that meeting between them.

In truth, the GR"A's war was a heilig war, which did bear fruits and had positive outcomes in sublimating the Klipa of the Erev Rav for generations. [This is because] even though outwardly the GR"A waged a great war with Chassidus, the holiness of that war actualized its self by sublimating the Klipa of the Erev Rav, similar to what Rebbe Nachman, zy'a, said, that in truth, no one opposes him. And those that oppose him have painted an imaginary picture of him, and it is that that they oppose. But no one opposes he, himself. Similarly, the GR"A never opposed Chassidus, only the Erev Rav. But he thought that the Klipa of the Erev Rav was found in the form of Chassidus. But in truth, he never opposed [actual] Chassidus.

A deeper explanation: The aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef relates to the Sefira of Chochma, and Moshiach ben Dovid relates to the Sefira of Bina. Therefore, the GR"A, who was the aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef, made his primary involvement with Kabbalah, which is related to Chochma. and the Baal Hatanya merited to write the Shulchan Aruch HaRav in revealed Torah and in halacha, which relates to Bina. (The GR"A never received permission from Shamayim to do this, as his children wrote in the introduction to the GR"A's explanation on Shulchan Aruch.) And just like it is received in the name of the Divrei Chaim [of Tzanz] that the GR"A was greater than the Baal Hatanya in hidden Torah, so too was the Baal Hatanya greater than the GR"A in the revealed portion [of Torah]. [remainder of paragraph omitted from translation]

Do not question, based on reality's appearence, that those who were tied to the GR"A did not study the hidden Torah, and the Chassidim did involve themselves very much in the hidden Torah. The reason is that once the unification of the two Moshiachs did not materialize, there was an aspect of shattering in Moshiach ben Yosef. Thereby, all of those tied to the GR"A distanced themselves from learning the hidden Torah. During the lifetime of the GR"A, his main involvement was with the hidden Torah, and he taught his greatest students (like the Nefesh Hachaim and the RaMa"M from Sokolov and others)the hidden Torah. After his peira, those who continued in his way stopped learning the hidden Torah, because once the two Moshiachs did not unite, there was an aspect of death in Moshiach ben Yosef. And because of this, the aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef fell from Atzilus (the highest world) to Bria-Yetzira-Asiya, the aspect of the revealed Torah. However, since at the end of the day, their root is still in Chochma, their learning in the revealed Torah is in the way of "lamdanus," which is the aspect of Sod [secret] that is within the revealed Torah.

Afterwards, even the mantle of Moshiach ben Yosef and Chochma fell upon the students of the holy BeSh"T, and the Baal Hatanya transformed into the aspect of Chochma , relative to the other students of the holy BeSh"T... [translation of remainder of paragraph omitted]

By the Chassidim it is the opposite. In truth their root is from the aspect of Bina, which is tied to learning the revealed Torah. However, since they did not go out of Atzilus, (the aspect of death is in Moshiach ben Yosef, and not Moshiach ben Dovid), they are tied to Kabbalah, since Atzilus is Kabbalah. But, they learn Kabbalah, its self, in the way of the revealed aspect of secrets. Meaning: Most chassidim learn Kabbalah in a way of [practical] Avodas Hashem (since Avodas Hashem is the aspect of Bina), the exception being Chabad, who have become the aspect of Chochma, as I mentioned earlier.

One finds in the statements of some Rebbes of great Chassidic groups that glorify the superiority of the students of the BeSh"T over the GR"A, zy"a. The reason is tied to the secret that we mentioned erlier, that the GR"A was related to the aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef, and the revelation of Chassidus was related to the aspect of Moshiach ben Dovid. Therefore, there is an idea of, and a need for, teaching and revealing that "Ben Dovid is at the head."

Click here for Part 4, Chabad and Breslov.

-Dixie Yid