THEMES of Featured Chasidic Masters Articles

A soul is called a flame. Just as the nature of a flame is to soar upward, striving to unite with its source - the original element of fire, so too the soul is driven upward - to be consumed in its source. This is its nature. As a son yearns for his father, so the soul yearns for G-d.

"…he is the most faithful of all the people."

The Chasidic masters teach that one of the most profound paths towards clarity in faith is a path of simplicity and humility. One should approach divine service with the innocence and security of a small child who believes with absolute faith and trust that his father and mother can do anything.

According to tradition, G-d said, "Let there be…" ten times in the story of Creation. The first word of the Torah, "Bereishit", is itself one of these Ten Utterances, albeit a hidden one. The Baal Shem Tov taught that the work of the Menorah corresponded to this first Utterance of Creation.

Animals can be thought of as both inferior and superior to humanity. In the physical realm, people eat meat, and it gives them life and strength. In this sense, the people depend upon and are supported by the animal kingdom; that is, the animal elevates the human.

On the other hand, if the person uses the energy he or she gained from the food - in this case, meat - for holy, spiritual, that meat (which previously had no link to such holiness) is elevated along with the person to a higher spiritual level. In this respect, the human elevates the animal.

The Torah describes the manna again here, a year after it's initial appearance in parashat Beshalach, The Beit Avraham of Slonim comments that the manna is the symbol of a stable livelihood. Manna came from heaven and each individual of the Jewish nation received a divinely allotted portion, as does one's livelihood.