The Soul Doctor’s Prescriptions2 min read

“Give ear, heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” (Devarim 31:2)

In Likutei Moharan, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov teaches that the mark of a great tzaddik is his ability to relate to two different kinds of Jews in two very different ways. To a Jew who thinks he has already reached great levels of Torah and avodah, the tzaddik reveals, by showing him the true greatness of Hashem and the awesome depth of the Torah, that he hasn’t even begun to serve Him. On the other hand, to a Jew who feels sunk in the mire of physicality and has despaired of ever achieving closeness with the Master of the world, the tzaddik whispers that Hashem’s presence is to be found everywhere – even on even the lowliest spiritual levels. He shows this brokenhearted Jew that there is yet hope and that he can yet connect to Hashem from where he is and begin his ascent to the greatest heights of holiness and purity.

The holy Ishbitzer finds this idea hinted to in the opening verse of our parsha. As we have discussed in a previous message, lashon hakodesh features two primary words for speech – “Dibbur” and “Amirah”. Chazal teach that the difference in connotation between “Dibbur” and “Amirah” is that “Dibbur” implies harsh speech while “Amirah” implies soft spoken words. Listen to the way the Ishbitzer reads this verse.

“Give ear, heavens, and I will speak (dibbur)”: There are certain Jews who think that they are “in the heavens”, that they have already reached the loftiest levels and have nothing more to achieve. To them, the tzaddik speaks harshly (“adabeirah”), prodding them onward by reminding them how much more there is yet to attain. “And let the earth hear the words of my mouth (amirah)”: On the other side of the spectrum, there are Jews who are sunk in the earthiness of their physical desires and feel that there is no longer any chance they can taste the sweetness of Torah and tefillah. The tzaddik speaks to them with soft words of encouragement (“imrei fi”), reminding them that “there is no despair in the world at all” and that Hashem is close to all that call to Him in truth.