The Fifth Level-The Essence of Torah

Kabbalah a Transparent Garment

In the foregoing essay, entitled “On the Essence of Chassidus,” the Lubavitcher Rebbe elaborates on the four levels of interpretation as they apply to Modeh Ani in particular.

In this landmark essay, the Rebbe demonstrates that Sod, though it is the highest level of Torah interpretation, it is, nevertheless, Torah as it is cloaked within a garment that cannot be shed. To be sure, it is the most transparent form of garment as it allows the G-dly light to shine right through it. Despite its radiance, it is nevertheless a garment that defines and limits the divinity of Torah and confines it to its own parameters and format.

Kabbalah is thus the G-dly energy that has the most imperceptible veil and is therefore the most esoteric, but it still possesses a cover that limits somewhat its Divine nature.

Chassidus: The Quintessential Level of Torah

The Rebbe proceeds to demonstrate that the essence of Torah transcends even the teachings of Kabbalah. This essence or the “quintessential” aspect of Torah, its “fifth level”– transcends the other four levels and defies characterization. The essential level of Torah, the Rebbe states are contained within the teachings of Chassidut that have been revealed through the Ba’al Shem Tov and his successors, and particularly through the masters of Chabad who have brought these teachings into intellectual comprehension.

Because Chassidut is the essence of all the Torah, it has the capacity to shed and instill light into all the four levels of Torah interpretation.

The Form of Sod: Incomprehensibility

In earlier chapters we have discussed how the teachings of Sod are actually beyond human comprehension. This is consistent with what the Rebbe says that even Sod has its form. The form associated with Sod is one that defies rational comprehension.

With the advent of the Chassidc movement, the barrier between Sod and rational thought was removed. What the Rebbe says in this essay is that Chassidic thought transcends the parameters of Sod. This too is consistent with our earlier assertion that Chassidut has removed the barrier.

Chassidut without a Garment

Because Chassidut is the essence of Torah that transcends any of its forms, be it P’shat or Sod, it is not bound by the constraints of being beyond logic any more so than it is constrained by the bounds of logic. Chassidic thought, therefore, should be understood, in light of the Rebbe’s analysis, as representing the essence of Torah that sheds light and instills life into all the forms of Torah.

The Chassidic Approach to Modeh Ani

In that classic essay the Rebbe reveals the Chassidic approach to Modeh Ani and proceeds to show how it reshapes our understanding of the other four levels.

The Chassidic understanding of Modeh Ani is that there is an incorruptible aspect of Jewishness that can never be contaminated. Therefore, we may and should recite Modeh Ani even before our hands our clean.

The Yechidah and Moshiach

In that essay, the Rebbe explains how the four levels of Torah interpretation correspond to the four levels of the soul. Chassidic thought parallels the fifth and essential level of the soul known as Yechidah. Identifying Chassidut with the level of Yechidah is important in understanding the relationship between these teachings and the Messianic Age.

Among the greatest luminaries, Moshiach is singled out as possessing the Yechidah of all souls. The revelation of Chassidut, the Yechidah of Torah, in our time, is thus a fitting prerequisite to the revelation of the Yechidah of all souls.

See the essay at length for one of the most profound expositions of the role of mysticism in general and Chassidic thought in particular and their interrelationship.

The Four Faces Of Genesis

THE FOUR FACES OF GENESIS: P’SHAT

Breishit: The First Biblical Verse

In order to appreciate what the four levels of Torah interpretation, it would serve us well to illustrate these levels using the very first word of the Torah- Breishit, In the Beginning.

To be sure, within each of these four levels of interoperation there are many sub-levels. Some P’shat interpretations can be close to Drush, and likewise the others. There may also be many different approaches to each of these levels. What follows is a small sampling of these four levels.

P’shat: Chronology

On the level of P’shat the word Breishit can have several meanings:

According to Onkelus, the famed and hallowed Aramaic translation of the Torah, it means simply “In the beginning [G-d created Heaven and earth.”] According to Rashi, whose commentary is also dedicated to P’shat, the word Breishit actually means:

“In the beginning of [the creation of heaven and earth, when the earth was desolate and void… then G-d said let there be light.] Both interpretations are an attempt at understanding the simple meaning of the text, which seems to be interested in telling us either what the chronology of events in the process of creation were (Onkeles), or what G-d’s first specific creation was after he had created heaven and earth (Rashi).

The Four Faces Of Genesis - Remez

The House Comes First

On the level of Remez, the word Breishit, when rearranged forms the two words: Rosh Bayit-The House is First. This can be an allusion to the fact that G-d’s house, the Beit Hamikdasb, was the first thing in G-d’s mind when He created the world.

Obviously, this is not the straightforward meaning of the text. But, because Torah is G-d’s infinite wisdom, one can find allusions to an infinite array of information in every word of the Torah. One way of doing that is by rearranging the order of the letters of a given word.

Alternatively, the Torah, by way of this hint, wishes to teach us that the first thing one should build is a home and then get married.

Another hint contained in the word Breishit is that each letter stands for a word: Brishona ra’ah Elokim sheyikablu Yisrael Torah. – In the beginning G-d saw that Israel will accept the Torah.

This is an allusion to the fact that the world was created with the understanding that there will be a Jewish people who will accept the Torah in the future. It is obvious that this message is not the straightforward meaning of the word Breishit, but a remote hint to a concept that is true and G-d wanted it transmitted to us via the method of Remez.

The notion that the world was created for Torah and Israel, is also found in Rashi who quotes this teaching and interpretation of Breishit as Drush, see below.

All Levels Connected

This points to the fact that the same teaching can be found in the text through alternative methods. The same concept can be mentioned clearly in the text (P’shat), alluded to in the through gematria, or the like (Remez) or deduced by drawing inferences (Drush) and may be elucidated on further by the level of Sod.

That the four levels can point to the same teaching is consistent with the assertion that the four spiritual worlds (that the four levels parallel) “evolve” or “devolve” from one another. One would expect to find everything that exists on a lower plane in its parallel place on a higher plane.

The Four Faces Of Genesis - Drush

Purpose of Creation

The word Breishit on the level of Drush can also be explained in many ways. The most famous Drush is cited by Rashi in his commentary that is normally reserved for P’shat.

In an uncharacteristic opening statement Rashi says “this verse begs to be interpreted according to the method of Drush.” This Drush is that the word Breishit is actually translated not as “in the beginning, but “because of the [two things that are called] beginnings [Torah and Israel], did G-d create heaven and earth.

This drash is not how one would translate the verse at face value, but after reflection and after confronting the difficulties in any other simple translation, one is compelled by the force of logic to conclude that the Torah is trying to impart a message. It is not just interested in telling us what G-d created first, but rather what was His purpose in creation.

If the P’shat is concerned with the order of creation, a chronology of events, the Drush method is interested what is the purpose of Creation. In other words, P’shat focuses on what happened, Drush dwells on the why.

What is our Mission?

Another drash that is based on the translation that In the beginning is connected to the next part of the sentence as in “In the beginning of G-d’s creating…and the earth was desolate and void.. G-d said let there be light. According to this simple translation one can draw an inference that the Torah only describes the initial state of the world in order to lead to the first G-dly statement of “Let there be light.”

This teaches us that of all the things that were created initially including heaven and earth, nothing was important compared to the creation of light.

From this Biblical text – and based on the translation of Breishit, one can deduce what the Torah considers the most important thing.

From this we can learn a valuable lesson for our lives. The greatest emphasis and the very first effort should be on introducing light. Our mission is to restore the light of the first day of creation that was concealed. This we achieve through the study of Torah and the observance of the Mitzvot.

From the book Safe Kabbalah, Part Two: The Fourth Dimension by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.