The Teacher

Here is the problem.

The most important thing to understand is the genesis. A scientist who is studying the origin of the universe said: I have no interest in the universe the moment after the big bang.

In Chasidus, the beginning of the creation is the first Tzimtzum, The first contraction or concealment that left an empty space. The concealment was absolute, after that there was a "line" of light that was drawn into the empty space.

Chasidus spends a lot of time discussing the first contraction. I think that one of the deataile that we are trying to understand is how the light after the Tzimtzum compare to the light before the tzimtzum. We are trying to understand the nature of this new light.

So, the classic example that Chasidus gives is the example of the teacher. Now, the teacher is infinitely greater then the student. Anything the teacher tells the student will totally confuse him.

So the teacher has to totally black out all of his thinking on the issue, he is left with total darkness. After that a residue of his previous insight will appear in his mind, this insight can be comprehended by the student.

Now to me this example itself needs an example to explain it. What kind of teacher is infinitely greater then a student? How will the new light appear out of the blue?
~~~
Kfar Chabad, the Yeshivah.

It’s eight o’clock in the evening, you enter the lobby, the marble floor is a bit dusty, you turn to your left to the wide brown stairs and you go up to the Zal. You open the door and you get this shock. The first thing that hits you is a burst of brightness. The very wide, even longer hall, the ceiling about sixty feet high, the sounds of passionate study overwhelm you. The room is bright, as if to say that the idea’s and truths being studied and absorbed in this room bring light to the students and to the world at large.

On the left side of the room in the middle just by one of the legendary corners sits Reb Zalman. Two students are sitting at the table in front of him, as he shares an esoteric idea, perhaps about the mystery of G-dliness and the secrets of creation, or maybe the mystery of the human spirit.

Three years after I had the privilege of studying in the Kfar Chabad Yeshivash, I had returned for one night. I had the opurtunity to sit in on Reb Zalman's class, I’ve never had the chance before, this was my first time

Luckily for me the class was on a fundamental topic in Chasidus. This was a topic that I was somewhat familiar with, though it still needed a lot of clarification. I was about to experience the clarity of Reb Zalman’s “CHUSH HASBOROH” the talent to explain, to illuminate, to clarify, to breathe life into the topic, to make it come alive.

Reb Zalman began to speak in his Russian accent. The accent is a mystery, after all he lived in Israel for (all, or nearly) all his life, but he has that authentic accent that transforms you from the year 1998 in the modern state of Israel to the town of Lubavitch were the Chasidim knew nothing other then the yearning and love for Hashem, to live with and experience him through study and prayer.

Reb Zalman Jumps straight to the point. He starts to explain the famous Chasidic parable. He begins to depict the characters. Here is the teacher, struggling to convey his wisdom to his student. Here is the student who really wants to understand. But anything the teacher will say will fly right above his head. He just won’t get it.

The teacher is a product of a lifetime of contemplation and meditation on the teachings of Chasidus. He is on the level of “YICHUDAH ILAAH”. When he looks outside he does not see the beautiful world, what he sees is the awesomeness of the creator. His mind tells him to see the real truth. All of creation is renewed every moment; it’s being brought into existence by the word of Hashem.

The world is nothing. All it is, is an expression of G-dliness. In the words of the Torah “there is nothing beside him”.

The student is just beginning to take his first baby steps in the Chasidic philosophy. There is no way that he can appreciate this experience. He knows the world intimately that is his reality, the teacher is just out of touch.

The teacher must therefore block out his own point of view. He must adopt the perspective of the student. He must acknowledge that there is a real world. He must view the world through the eyes of the student.

After talking to the student for a few minutes, he can begin to enlighten the student. He can begin explaining how the great and beautiful and very real world is dependent on Hashem. He is the one who creates it, and He ultimately controls it. This perspective is called “YI-CHU-DAH TA-TA-AH”.

This newfound perspective, although very different from the original view, is an outgrowth from the previous teacher’s original understanding. [the first perspective will acknowledge that if theoretically the existence of the creation were a true reality, it would be dependent on Hashem who is it’s source.]

So there it is, in Reb Zalman’s words. I think I am one baby step closer to getting this parable. One thing is for sure, here is a man who struggles to understand, to experiences, he is a true student of Chasidus. That is what makes a great teacher.