28 Tamuz - Igeret Hatshuva

The queen was taken captive. We are going to free her...








There is a basic Jewish concept that is brought many times in Chsidus: "Kemayim hapanim la'panim" (like water: that reflects the face to the face) this concept tells us that when you act to a person in a certain way that person will react the same to you, reflecting back what you have given him . This applies to the spiritual structure as well.

When a person works and does Hitbuneneut (observance) he understands how far away and dirties his Neshama is and has Rachmanus (Mercy?) on his Neshama.
When a person feels this than Hashem also has Rachmanus on his Neshama.
When a person does Khataim (sins), the person is creating a tunel of G-dly light to the Klipah.

Man is a dispatcher of Hashems light.
Man was given a true choice to choose between god and bad with this choise man has a spiritual impact on the world he can funnel the light to klipa or kedusha.
And that is what teshuva really is . Teshuva = coming back.
Who comes back - the Shekhina !
The Shekina that was forced to be in the Klippa world and give its liveliness comes back...
Man has come to this world and went far from his source.
How does one come back to Hashem totally? It is not enough to stop doing Aveirot. The next stage is to practice and learn torah with true Ahava and Yiraa to Hashem.
Tshuva Tataa (Lower Tshuva) is to get rid of the dirt .
Tshuva ila’a (higher Teshuva) is to become one with the king.




Reb Wolf of Zhitomir was a shochet and mohel and a student of the Magid of Mezritch. One day he was returning from a journey and saw a fine building in which pious looking men were celebrating and saying words of Torah. He entered and joined their celebration. When he arrived in Mezritch the Magid refused to talk to him, for he told Reb Wolf that the place he had just spent time belonged to the Sitra Achara. What was Reb Wolf to do, he asked his master. The Magid told him that the only way to repair what he had done was to return to the same place and tell the people there that they are nothing!
He returned and they welcomed him back but he started to tell them that they were all nothing. "Such Hutzpah!" they all cried. He continued to tell them that they were all nothing and that his Rebbe said that they were all nothing. They asked him who is Rebbe was and he replied that he was the Magid of Mezritch. Their leader then produced a little book and said: "If your Rebbe's name appears in my book then you'll never leave here." He searched but the Magid's name was not to be found. All the people and their fine building all faded away and Reb Wolf was able to return to Mezritch..

-------------------------
A disturbing story no? If the great Reb Wolf was not able to discern between sitra achara folks and genuine hassidim then what hope to we have of knowing the difference?

Rav Daitch said that a similar question was asked of Reb Simcha Bunim of Peshischa. A Talmid once asked him how we know that all our service is real and not just fantasy and imagination. He answered that if you have a "hirhur teshuva"--a thought of returning home to Hashem--then it's no fantasy.