Earning a Living — Earning a Life

Parshat Ki Tzetze 5766 — August 27, 2006
by Chaim Kramer
Breslov Research Institute © 2006

The Battle

“When you go out to war against your enemies, and God your Lord delivers them into your hands and you take some of them captive…” (Deuteronomy 21:10).

Having seen that earning a living is very exalted work and serves to rectify the fallen sparks of holiness, it I easy to understand why earning that living is not easy. It is, in fact, a battle, a very serious, long-drawn out battle. Our mission is to enter into that battle and also to survive. How can we do it? And, frankly, it’s not an easy battle to fight. The following Lesson by Rebbe Nachman illustrates this quite clearly (Likutey Moharan I, 280). Rebbe Nachman begins by explaining how all business reflects the Torah–for all business must be conducted according to Torah law–and what happens if the person disassociates his business from the Torah. “In truth all business activity is Torah. For example, the law ``someone who barters a cow for a donkey'' is Torah, and it is certainly all the more so Torah when one actually performs the act itself, {as is related in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory). Therefore, when a person engages in business, he must bind his thoughts only to the Torah and the laws embodied there.” The Rebbe then teaches:

All business activity must include faith. That is, one must engage in the masa u'matan (give-and-take) faithfully, speaking words of truth, as [the Sages] said: “Have you conducted your business affairs faithfully?” (Shabbat 31a). This is because the maSA u'maTaN is the aspect of our menaSAEin (taking) and raising up the issue, and our noTeNin (giving) and restoring it to its place.

There are fallen elements of holiness–i.e., the aspect of sparks that have fallen–and by means of business activity we take and raise them up, and return them to their place. This is the aspect of the masa u'matan of business.

And the separation of the sparks from the forces of evil is mainly by means of faith. It is common for faith to reside with these holy sparks, in the aspect of “This is Yerushalayim (Jerusalem); I placed her among the nations, and surrounding her are the lands” (Ezekiel 5:5). Yerushalayim is “the faithful city” (Isaiah 1:21)–the aspect of faith; she resides “among the nations, and surrounding her...,” for she is among them always,. These sparks that fell thus cleave and attach themselves round about faith, and she raises them up from there.

A person must therefore engage in the masa u'matan faithfully, because it is by means of faith that we elevate the sparks. This is the essential aspect of business activity, to elevate the sparks.

Rebbe Nachman then continues explaining this idea within the Kabbalistic teaching of the ascension of the lower worlds to the higher worlds. He states, “Now, this is the aspect of the inner essence of ChaBaD of Asiyah ascending to Yetzirah, and Malkhut of Asiyah ascending from the forces of evil.”

ChaBaD is the acrostic of Chokhman (Wisdom), Binah (Understanding) and Daat (Knowledge). These are the three highest sefirot (“luminations”; out of a total of 10 sefirot) and they represent God’s energies which He placed in this world for people to harness, in order to ascend the spiritual ladder and come to recognize God. (These sefirot represent the “mentalities,” as opposed to the seven lower sefirot which represent “characteristics” or “attributes.”) When a person ascends the ladder of the lowest world, that of Asiyah (the World of Action), he can enter into the lowest level of the next and higher world, Yetzirah (World of Formation, the angelic world and level.) (It should be pointed out that the lowest of the sefirot on any level is known as Malkhut (“Kingship”) and Malkhut corresponds to “faith.” This correspondence between Malkhut and faith will be discussed in our essays a while down the road.) Rebbe Nachman continued:

Yetzirah (World of Formation) is the aspect of the vav, which is the aspect of the Torah. When a person binds his inner thought (the mentalities or ChaBaD of Asiyah) to the Torah (Yetzirah) while engaging in business activity, as explained above, this represents the inner essence of the mentalities of Asiyah (World of Action). That is, the business activity, which is the aspect of Asiyah (business or trading), ascends to Yetzirah–i.e., the Torah–as explained above. And Malkhut of Asiyah–i.e., the aspect of faith within business activity–ascends from the forces of evil, for it separates the sparks and ascends from those forces. In addition, due to the ascent of ChaBaD to Yetzirah–i.e., by one binding one’s thought to the Torah–faith acquires the power to separate the sparks from the evil forces and to elevate them. For without this power, there would be the possibility that the evil forces, too, would attach themselves to faith, God forbid. However, because we bind the inner mind to the Torah, faith receives the power to ascend. And then, there is a war, for it is necessary to fight against the Other Side in order to remove the sparks from them.

Rebbe Nachman then explains this idea within the opening verse of this week’s Torah reading. He explains the differences between Torah study and business, using the Tribes of Yissachar and Zevulun as examples. The Talmud teaches that these two tribes made a business deal and partnership between them: the Tribe of Yissachar would commit itself to Torah study, to become the Torah Scholars and leaders, while the Tribe of Zevulun would become businessmen and would provide sustenance to their partner. They would split the “rewards.” Both Yissachar and Zevulun would share the income from Zevulun’s business activities, and both would share the rewards for Yissachar’s Torah study in the World to Come. The Rebbe taught:

“When you go out to war against your enemies, and God your Lord delivers them into your hands and you take some of them captive…” (Deuteronomy 21:10).

When you go out – This is the aspect of business activity, the aspect of “Rejoice, Zevulun, with your going out...”(Deuteronomy 33:18), because business activity is called the aspect of “your going out.” Although Zevulun and Yissakhar are equals–since Zevulun would provide for Yissakhar, and it is said of him, “Rejoice, Zevulun”–it is in any case called “your going out; and Yissakhar, in your tents,” because the service of Torah is nevertheless more intrinsic and loftier than the service of business activity.

Although business activity is a great service–it provides for the Torah scholars–it is in any case called “your going out” vis-à-vis the service of Torah, which is “Yissakhar, in your tents.” This is because the service of Torah is nevertheless loftier. The same is true of each level vis-à-vis the level above it; the lower level is called “your going out” vis-à-vis the level above it, which is called “your tents.” And even someone who serves God with intense devotion, vis-à-vis a still greater level than this, even intense devotion is called the aspect of “your going out.”

This is “When you go out”–i.e., the aspect of business activity. And this is:

to war against your enemies – It is then a time of war with the enemy, for it is necessary to separate and elevate the sparks from them. And this is:

and God your Lord delivers them into your hands – This is the aspect of faith, as it is written (Exodus 17:12), “his hands were faith.” Through faith we elevate the sparks, as explained above. And this is:

and you take some of them captive – This is the aspect of Torah, as it is written (Psalms 68:19), “You ascended on high, you took a captive.”

That is, when you go out to do business, you are actually at war. You have to fight the forces of evil and impurity, who wish to retain control over the sparks of holiness. Your mission, if you wish to accept it, is when you “go out” is to wage that war, the war of faith of belief in God that it is He Who can provide. Then you are winning the war. You will “take captives”–you will merit to ascend to higher levels and to enter the world of Torah, where everything becomes Torah, your business, your mundane activities and everything about you. You have entered a much higher and greater world!

Have a good week,

Chaim Kramer