I’ll elevate it, part 2

In the part 1 I described that chassidish yetzer horah sometimes tells us that we will be able to elevate something which we clearly know is forbidden or not advisable for us (on whatever level) as a chassidish excuse to engage in it. E.g., a bochur tells himself that he will do kiddush Hashem or have a mivtzoim opportunity by going to a baseball game, while in truth he just wants to go to the game.

But the opposite perspective is also true. Baal Shem Tov teaches us that anything that the animal soul desires has a spark of G-dliness in it which the G-dly soul could elevate — and that is the ultimate reason why a Jew desires this thing. Sure, at the moment he desires it with his animal soul, but the animal soul would not even pay attention to it, if the G-dly soul did not sense an opportunity for itself there too.

There is also a story about a righteous Jew, who had an opportunity to commit an aveira with something and resisted the urge. After a while, he was presented with an opportunity to do mitzva with the same thing. Had he succumbed to his first urge, he’d still be able to elevate the phenomenon through teshuva, but because he resisted his inclination, he was able to go through an easier and cleaner path.

The Rebbe teaches us the same thing in one of Bosi LeGani’s. He asks: how could Adam sin? He further asks: if we say that yechida (the innermost core of our soul) is naturally attracted only to kedusha, and it is specifically through yechida that we are granted freedom of will, how is it that we can sin? The answer is: the yechida “senses” the opportunity of G-dliness even in the sin — in a form of a possibility to do teshuva b’dieved.

Of course, the Rebbe adds, darkness may be stronger than light, but Hashem said “it is good” regarding the day. So, l’hatchilo, we should choose the light.

This just shows that Baal Shem Tov took the concept of ein od milvado, “there is nothing but G-d”, quite literally. There is nothing but G-d — even in the un-G-dly things. Baal Shem Tov’s teachings state this, and Chassidus Chabad explains how this is so.

As for the avoida lesson, I think the above is enough. I find it fascinating that whenever I have an urge to do something against Torah, it means there is a spark of G-dliness inside this thing! That’s an even greater impetus not to use it for an aveira. It’s one thing to take something that is completely evil and hollow and use it for evil. But to take something G-dly and use it for evil? Or, using the loshon of Tanya, to take the face of the king and dump it into the dirt?.. G-d forbid.

[The picture above a curtesy of my hunting friend Adam from New Orleans.]