The Ultimate Therapy

MyLife Essay Contest

The third Chabad Rebbe, R’ Menachem Mendel; known as the Tzemach Tzedek¹, once asked his grandfather; the first Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi², to explain the purpose of Chassidus. R’ Schneur Zalman replied: “The purpose of Chassidus is to change the nature of one’s personal traits.”

As a means of attaining the above mentioned objective, the Chabad movement is predicated upon the development of mind and character via the inner – Kabbalistic dimension of Torah.

Chassidus has revolutionized the way we view and analyze the inner human-self. Our human identity and operating system, as articulated in Chassidus, is paralleled by no other intellectual discipline, religious or secular.

While the need to include the rational power of the intellect in the service of the Almighty is in fact indigenous to Chassidus from its earliest inception, R’ Schneur Zalman was the first to distill the mysticism espoused by the Baal Shem Tov³ – founder of the Chassidic movement and his successor; the Maggid of Mezritch⁴ – into methodical philosophical articulation.

The late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson,⁵summarized the mandate to utilize the intellectual faculties in the service of the Supreme Creator, rather succinctly:

“To serve G-d with the emotions alone or with faith alone, or even with intellect alone, is not enough, this would be an incomplete service. There must be a fusion of all of these elements. Intellect is the ruler of faith and emotions. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, stressed that one must use his intellect and not be content with a service of G-d centered only in the emotions or in faith alone. The result is that each and every one of our character traits and emotions is used in the service of the Supernal Being.”⁶

R’ Schneur Zalman dubbed the profound Chassidic intellectual system – of which he served as the leading architect – “Chabad.” This name reflects the Kabbalistic terms of the “Intellectual Faculties” which the doctrine targets, namely: Chochmah, Binah, Da’as – Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge.

Yet the revelation of the esoteric facet of Torah did not by any means end with Rabbi Schneur Zalman. The hidden dimension of Torah is continually being made accessible, reaching farther and wider through the in-depth writings and teachings of each generation of Chabad’s dynastic leaders. As a result, even the ordinary Jew is able to grasp and internalize the transcendent spirituality of the Kabbalistic teachings. The more recent the Rebbe, the greater is the revelation and comprehension of the hidden dimension.

Through his prolific pen, Yiddish translations and memoirs, R’ Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn 1880-1950,⁷ has brought the profound light of the inner Torah to the “Lowest Hemisphere;”⁸ to the most remote corners of our planet.

The late Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, by means of his many thousands of hours of “Talks” – captured in a host of publications, particularly the series known as “Likutei Sichos,”9 as well as a vast collection of audio/video material – has disseminated the innermost wellsprings of Torah, dowsing the farthest and most unseemly of vessels.

An axiom that serves as a key component of Chabad Chassidic doctrine is the notion that the human psychological anatomy reflects that of the metaphysical cosmic structure.

The Biblical source of this ethos is a quote from the book of Job: “From my flesh I shall perceive my Lord.” Chassidus understands this to mean that through inner personal awareness; by examining the process of the human psyche on a microcosmic level, we can draw parallels with regards to the macrocosmic order and vice versa.

By using the individual’s own inner experience as an allegorical model for understanding the deepest mysteries of creation, Chassidus both expands the conceptual range of Kabbalistic thought and elevates man’s inner consciousness as well.

This process provides a more intrinsic understanding of both, our human metaphysical properties —“My flesh”— as well as the macrocosmic anatomy of the sublime creative process “Perceive My Lord.”

Since man’s psychological anatomy is modeled after the cosmic structure of creation, not only does it enrich our understanding of the Divine process of creation, but the converse is true as well. The discipline can be used as a mirror to achieve a better understanding of our existential-selves.

The latter would render Chassidus the ultimate source of human psychology. Hence, when properly studied, Chassidic thought could and should serve as the remedy to psychological perplexities and confusion. It should take the place of most all psychological therapy.

Because Chassidus is replete with Divine guidance, inspiration and empowerment based on the Kabbalistic supernal model, the embracement of Chassidic discipline should easily provide its student with the power and know how to eliminate depression, build better relationships and achieve one’s goals, at the very least.

The fact that not everyone is able to glean this type of practical information directly from the Chassidic teachings is because of one’s own deficiencies and not a lack on the part of Chassidus. For example, in order to derive one’s guidance from the discipline, one would have to be brutally honest in his self-evaluation for the sake of proper diagnosis, yet how many people are capable of that?

The deficiency here is quite obviously on the part of man’s inability to access it. Hence says R’ Schneur Zalman in Tanya: “Not everyone is privileged to recognize their specific instructions in the Torah.”

Still, psychology alone cannot take the place of Chassidus, since it is very limited in its scope. This is because at the core of every issue lies the “You;” your personality, your connection to your soul and self, your awareness of your thoughts and your feelings. But who is the actual “You?” In other words, when one says “I” or thinks about “Himself,” who or what is that referring to? The tragic fact of the matter is that psychology has no clear understanding of who is that “You” and that could make it very difficult to fix the problem with the “You” or the “I.”

Psychology’s answers are for the most part, based on the outside observance of the individual and educated guesses about what’s going on in the inside of his mind and heart that may be causing his particular issues. The result leads to interesting ideas and techniques, mostly through trial and error, but there is no real comprehension of the “Person;” what makes him tick, why he is experiencing his specific issues or why a particular technique would work or not work.

Chassidus by contrast holds the map of the human psyche. In fact, one of the more innovative and fundamental assertions of Chassidic thought is that we each possess two souls who are in constant battle with each other over control of our thoughts, speech and actions. Our conscious experience of self – our personality – is the balance between these two forces.

When one analyzes the Divine process of creation, as depicted in Jewish mysticism – interpreted through Chassidic philosophy – one acquires deeper insight and understanding of his very own essential being and Modus Operandi.

Chassidus stresses the analogy between the way the world came into being and the way in which psychological human action develops out of thought and emotion. There is a sequence by which the glimmer of a thought is developed into a fully-fledged idea invested with emotion and eventually turns into decision and action. Only the final stage of the process; the behavior is seen by others. But its essential meaning lies way back, in the first flash of thought which set the process in motion and even before.

The same is true on a cosmic scale. The world that we see with our eyes is only the last stage in the chain of descendance – Hishtalshelus. Like with human action; the macrocosmic “World of Action” – “Olam Ha’asiyah” – tends to mask the preceding worlds whence it stems and to which it owes its very origins. But if we were to travel backwards and inwards we would reach the originating reality – the four metaphysical worlds described in Kabbalah: Assiyah – Action, Yetzirah– Formation, Beriah – Creation, Atzilus – Emanation, perhaps even back beyond the first thought to the personality that conceived it, which is of course infinitely wider than any specific intention into which it is directed – Ein Sof (the G-dly essence).

The idea that Chassidic discipline would entail insights into man’s psychological and emotional dimension is fascinating. Psychology is basically the science of “Self;” the awareness of how we humans operate; what makes us tick. Yet it is amazing how little the average person learns and knows about this critical subject.

Is it not odd that every product we purchase, comes with an instruction manual that teaches how to use and care for it – from the most sophisticated mechanical or technological device, to the simplest junk toy or kitchen gadget – yet for the human being; the most complex creature, there is no such guidebook? In our schools we are taught about almost every essential topic in life, from literacy to mathematics, to history, science, biology, geography, economics etc. and nowadays even sexuality, yet about the most important thing of all; our very selves – our human emotions – there is nothing.

Despite the great strides made in the field of psychology in its attempt to understand the mysteries of human nature – advanced as scientific knowledge may be with regards to understanding our personality – it pales in comparison to the insights held by Chassidus vis-à-vis the nature of human thought, emotion and behavior.

Even within religion we find very little emphasis on psychology. Yes, the Torah is filled with stories that contain psychological lessons, as it does with regards to most every subject that pertains to man’s character, but those are selective and anecdotal. There isn’t a structured comprehensive religious curriculum on the psychology of man.

Chassidus appears to be the only such discipline. As mentioned above, Chassidus has revolutionized the way we view our inner-self; our human identity. It has in fact, introduced a vocabulary of its own with regards to man’s inner mental and emotional dimension. This lexicon, which is woefully deficient in the various secular disciplines of psychology, allows Chassidus to identify key elements of the human psyche, which in turn permits us a peek into our true and inner state. In the Tanya for example, we find several terms that describe a downtrodden, low and depressed spirit.

The greatest advantage of the Chassidic system over other psychological disciplines is the fact that it perceives and depicts man’s essential existence in the context of his soul. Whereas the scientific systems begin their analysis with the brain, Chassidus’ insight into human identity begins with man’s unique soul.

The distinction as to whether we commence our assessment of man’s identity with his brain or with his soul is huge. It can hardly be overstated. It may be compared to the examination of a person’s internal organs by prodding and probing in the dark with one’s hands versus the benefit of a CAT scan or MRI.

To perceive man’s essence beginning with his brain is to perceive only half the person, and the smaller half at that. For if man is comprised of body and soul, the soul is certainly the more significant partner. Hence, to try and construct a model of the human entity without the soul factor is like stabbing in the dark.

Most important however, is the contrasting places to which these divergent systems lead us. The secular psychological system inevitably leads to selfishness. For the more you follow the trail of that system back, the more you discover your physical core and the more you discover your physical core, the more corporeal you become.

In other words, if your intellect and feelings are the highest essence of your existence – cogito ergo sum – then it only makes sense to do everything to enhance and vindicate that essence. So you end up serving yourself, which is the definition of selfishness.

Thanks to the esoteric dimension of Torah, as articulated through Chassidus, we are fortunate to know our essential human-self in the context of our soul. This system inevitably leads to selflessness. For if at our core lies a Divine soul which is essentially a sliver of the Sublime existence, who is the only true being and source of all beings, then we are naturally humbled by that all-transcending reality.

This state of humility opens new channels for true joy and serenity; the joy of being part of something infinitely greater than oneself; the joy of being part of the ultimate and eternal truth.

Only when the person has an overriding all-encompassing relationship with a Higher Eternal Existence can he achieve the elusive blessing of inner satisfaction and fulfillment within life in this world and secure the highest memorialization for the afterworld. In the words R’ Schneur Zalman: “When one’s life centers on his relationship with the Almighty, he will soar far above all obstacles.” Meaning, if a person works at achieving mindfulness of the Divine presence, he will gain deep contentment, Tanya Ch. 33.

Footnotes and Sources