Tanya Kuntres Acharon 3a- Davening w Kavana, focused intent and feelings of Love & Awe- RC Dalfin

So, we're learning sorry a essay 3. I'm using the lessons in Tanya. It's on page 279. I'm going to read the uh note the explanation that they they use here because it's very very good. Um and and I'll explain as we go along. In chapters 39 and 40 of Tanya Dereba spoke of the various works worlds the various worlds to which souls namis ascend as a result of the study and spiritual service their level in each case is determined by the individual's intention at that time one's kavana if the study and prayer and dvening were accompanied by love and awe by a ya generated by the contemplation on hashem's greatness then they rise to the world of bria the world of comprehension if the love and awe fear are merely inst in instinctive in as much as they are inherent within every Jew then the study and prayer and davin ing ascend only to the world of the world of the spiritual emotions. Do you need me to explain this? Cuz this we learned in Tanya before. I mean if if if basically each velv has a description a message. When we say what is the the description of Mabria? It's called comprehension. It's the world in which it's the it's the platform of intellect of understanding comprehension. When we talk barak about the world of we're talking about the world of emotions. Now this is a generality. There are proim details within within the generality. So when you learn there are myim in which they'll focus on the the detail within the generality. But we must not lose focus of what the ola of of what the as a general rule represents. This is what we what we just learned. Now, okay. The altered also stated there in chapters 39 and 40 that the tra and spiritual service itself ascends to the which are the godliness of the world worlds. Okay, we have to stop and explain this. There is the and then there is the within the okay many times barak these two things are not clear and and we mesh we mix them together but if you look carefully study Tanya carefully you'll see that there's a distinction the am is the platform is the domain the are the are the elus within that domain. In other words, when we say the world of comprehension, there can be secular comprehension, there could be um light comprehension, there could be heavy comprehension, but it's still not bor. It's still not godly comprehension in Hebrew. It's not elois which where do we find the theis element within a world that's in the spir within the world. That's what we just said over here. Next paragraph, third paragraph in lessons on page 279. All this however applies only when the TA study and the spiritual service are motivated by a kavana a pure intent born out of a lover or of hashem. If however this intent is lacking such as when one studies ty out of habit this study does not ascend to the spheres of the worlds for the spirit are the godliness of the world and without love and fear they cannot ascend and stand before God. Such a great of study ascends only as far as the is the external aspect of the worlds where the angels abide. You hear that? When you learn Tyra, but you're learning, you're learning Tyra to be a rabbi. You're learning Tyra because you feel, you know, you missed so much that you got to make up. You're learning Tyra to impress the the the the woman who you want who was in your life. Whatever you lying for your grandchildren they shouldn't call you ndaramas for whatever reason right that's not called a that's called now we know that you know from the but but the facts are it's says when you learn it doesn't ascend to the within the It just ascends to the world which is the abode of the platform but there's no holiness associated with it. Concerning the next paragraph concerning this the quoted who states that study that is uninspired that's uninspired by proper kavana creates angels in the world of while commandments fulfilled with proper and kavana create angels in the world of I'm skipping the next paragraph now we're in the next page 280 lessons in Tanya In any event, we see that even without proper creates angels in the world of of and this and th and this it can do only by having risen to that world. So now why should this be different from prayer? Now we're getting to the question that the alterb is going to ask in the essay number three of which we're going to begin in a moment. Why should this be different than prayer than right? Because until now what are we talking about? We're talking about says, "But we find the difference between and and ding without and learning without kavana." And he says, "Why is it that when study and fel are performed with proper intent, they both rise to the same world, whether it be bri or y. While when they lack the proper intent, the TA rises to Yata and creates angels there while the prayers remain below in this world. That's his question. Let's go inside to understand what's written in the chapter 2. What's written there that when you learn without intent without create angels in the world of over there he brings for the quote the last there is no voice lost from this world except the voice of the ascends and pierces the heavens. It does not remain below but ascends. When you have the proper kava ai in davening you create where in the world of bria as as as similar to when you have dur when you study and you have but when you study without I'm sorry when you d without the the the dabing is repelled utterly downward. It it it remains here on earth. Now we now we wonder why does my not help because it hasn't gone up. There was no as it says in the holy quote into the lowest heaven when is not as it should be when it is it when it is without proper intent. It is banished into the lower of the heavens that govern the world. And this is such an important point what the Zora says and it answers why aren't myas answered because you didn't have if you didn't have kavana it stays here in the lower worlds it never ascended so what do you expect that's why it's it's important very important to have kavon when you d and of course it's hard to have kavon in entire ding so pick a paragraph Rabbi Gaffne may be well invased told me when I interviewed him years ago that he he daved every day with you know what's called inabad at length and it caused him and he and at I think 11:00 you know he had the bala program in Kabad before years ago it caused him to come Right. So he was in with the Rebba and the Reb told him he shouldn't do that because teaching has a priority over your own Davening, right? But the Reb told him he should do what the old of the of generations here is the here's what they would do. Borak remember this quote. in they used to make a fold in their sitter right here's their sid here's their so one day they had like this and the next day they had this in other words every day they took a par a line a paragraph whatever and they focused on it and that was their kavana then they made a fold a so that the Next morning when they dive in again, they'll know that yesterday I focused on this line and today I'm going to have focus of another line. And the Reb told this to Rabbi Gothnne and he told this he shared it with me which is brilliant advice. This way you can get to your shar your talid and your students are waiting for you. At the same time you get credit for for dabbing with Cavana or al all be it. It's not the entire thing. Anyway, so one thing's for sure this governing for it to soar on high and make a difference in your life requires cavana. Now there's different kavanas. You know what is kavana? What is intent? of Brisk writes in terms that if you don't know before who you're stand you're standing the amida you haven't ded now he doesn't say there you have to read davin okay but the rebba would bring this answer to those that criticize kabad for davening late and the rebba said that if someone does hasn't yet in his in his day developed a realization that when he dabs he's standing before Hashem and he needs more time of meditation according to there's a basis for it again doesn't say those words and theb didn't say this is the but in in spiritual idea that's the reason now of course of course when it's abused It's not acceptable, you know, to get up at 9 10:00 and then say, "I'm going to dab at 112." That's hypocrisy. That's wrong. We're talking about someone who gets up early and if he goes to the mik he goes to the mikah and he learns and he meditates and reflects and it takes him time to realize that there's a hashem in the world and what's going on and where am I and and he dabbing slow and he you know and do the minion goes ahead of him and the clock continues and he ends up dabbing after the rebba in his letters uses this as a justification if it's done in the proper way. I want to make it clear that is not telling you you have to do it this way. Okay? So no one should say the says we should start our minion at 10:00 every morning every day to to to to miss. He doesn't say that. This this is how people walk away with mistakes and bubble mices where they they take one part of of of an answer or um a sika and and and they and they build it the way they want to have the answer to be. Okay. But at the same time that Ebba does answer in these letters that if someone legitimately gets up early and Davins and he and he's and he's in the middle of a meditation and it and it and he's not ready, he doesn't know before who is Davin. And you're going to say, you're probably wondering what does that mean? You don't know. You're standing before God. The answer is no. Really? You're standing before God? Yeah. Do you feel the fe the awe in your bones? Like you're being judged now. It's you're going to jail or you're not going to jail. I'm just that's an extreme. That's what you feel when you say shaman. Do you feel now you're on the verge of uh finding the treasure or not? You feel that every morning when you say yeah right told me there was a famous mashp innov of the yeshiva in Bruna in France told me that he he saw he saw once a a regular m a Tuesday Wednesday night the man stands from a and the minion standing for tears ears are just rolling down. The man's what? What happened? Rab Rabel Khan who who's the genius was was so impacted. He's just like there's something else going on by this person. He and believe me, he wasn't crying. He wasn't having tears because his cow didn't give milk or his stock dropped that morning cuz he didn't have a cow and he didn't have stocks. He was thinking about Hashem something and you know and it overtook him right. So when when we say and you know right says abi you need to know you're standing up you're doing silence you're standing before Hashem who is this God that you're standing before so naturally is there an end to that answer no but at the same time there is a beginning a basic beginning so I'm just saying this I'm I'm I'm I just elaborate for a moment moment because the he brings that without the the the prayer is repelled utterly downward. That's that's heavy statement and at the same time that statement should should motivate us to dive in with more kavana. I don't want my Hey, I just came from Shu. What do you mean? I wasted my I I technically did, right? I If I don't know who I was standing, I I wasted my time. I don't want to I don't I don't like that. Doesn't feel good. If I get up early and I run the shoe to make the Viking minion in particular, whatever. I'm saying, right? Right. You're exerting yourself. You can sleep an extra hour. You can exercise before you can whatever and you push all that aside for ding with that you want you you believe that the kavana accomplish something says desire does it makes your sore on high if it soarses on high into the right chamber in the right area it's going to have fruitful results let's continue the When prayer is not as it should be, when it is without without proper intent, it is banished banished into the lowest of the heavens that governs the world. that these prayers are called invalid prayer that goes on to say this is not this quoting from excuse me it it's very heavy I mean invalid prayers mush sometimes you have to hear you have to hear it you got to hear it yet then you understand what you need to do let's continue top of 282 two quote. If it is a seemingly word, if a prayer is prompted by a proper intent, then the angel appointed as warden of prayers kisses it. Kisses it and elevates it. Thus prayer ascends only when is propelled by a proper kavana. If so then since ta and pray are similar when they are performed with the proper kavanum. Why when the proper intent is lacking is ty still able to create angels in the world of while without proper intent is repelled into the lowest heavens. This is the question is just bringing different sources to strengthen the question. We haven't answered the question. So the question again is in simple words misha you with me that if you if you don't have kabana when you learn and you don't have kavana when you dyra still ascends to the world of y and remains below why the difference m you want to say something no okay go ahead yeah just real just I When when the is speaking about is he speaking like the gammor speaks like we're talking about or in general I would say in general but in particular okay um and and if it's a good question and if you're asking like you know I go through the ding I don't have kavon when it comes to and we see this I'm sure you See kesh there are people that stand long shamoness and and and and it seems like that they're really focusing more during shimoness and I would say one of the reasons is for that one of the reasons is because the real isn't is but but as a generality if you say you don't know what you're really saying And not just the words you don't you know it's also lacking but yes usually the the concept is is tighter it's tighter associated with the amita. Yes AI AI go ahead. So hi how you doing? So here that if you have kavana it goes up through ria and uh y and uh but if you don't let's say have 50% of it and it stays down in a sea is so maybe what it doesn't sound like it's effective it's not so encouraging I don't know I don't have today. Maybe I should stay home, go to work. That that that's why I said earlier the answer is no. Why? Because first of all, so the fact that you get up and you push yourself to go to a to go with and for some reason you don't have the in that itself is worthwhile. It's definitely worthwhile. But yes, the without kavana has not risen that morning and it needs rectification by the next morning dvening twice as good. That's number one. Number two, Avi, you said 50%. That's why I told you the story with Rabbi Gaffne and the Reb that if you take a sentence, a word, forget it, a word, a sentence or a paragraph, right? And you have kavana on one word or one sentence and one and and one or one paragraph each day, then in that word it it soarses on high and it makes a different difference. So, so why not why doesn't it go all the way up to coop? Why is it stopped just under at Coop with uh with Bria and Okay, that that's that's another question. A good question. We we really answered it quickly in one of the previous you were in, but I'll answer. Oh, no. No. I'll basically we're talking here about either an emotional experience or an intellectual experience. Y is the world of emotions. Bri is the world of intellect. He said a word earlier in in the essay number one mamush that that's a transcendental experience and and for the average person we don't experience that again. Can you experience it? Can you have that that high, you know, where it comes out of just you just Yeah. I mean we saw this with we see this with people October 7th with people mameish you know amongst the katuim that you know we we we see uh we see um transcendence transcendence it's not just it's not just like an emotional experience an intellectual experience because emotionally they were drained intellectually they were drained so what happened here that they didn't eat bread for eight days and they almost hide you know I'm just saying but but the on the average so when you learn this inra there's a cl you have to always remember the hatra alab the Torah when it speaks it speaks about the majority it it doesn't speak about the individual's exception so is it possible for someone to have a a such a do experience where it goes boom poof all the way up to yes absolutely but it's not usual so when when in in kabala too in the zish inal when it's makes these these statements overall it's talking about the general situation and that's this an important uh caveat when you learn but um so as I said I I I'm glad you brought it up we shouldn't walk away with what's What's my davening worth if I only focused on one word? Halavi would be able to say that on Sunday I focused on one word on Monday and the second word and on Tuesday on the third word a salah six words. Each day you're going to think about another word. You're gonna you're gonna focus on that word. Trust me. If one can do that, the next week his dominant will be twice as good where he's going to focus not just on one word but two words and the third week is going to be three words because you you get into a a system where you start paying attention. Asher, fortunate, lucky, grateful. I should be grateful really. and and you focus on that and that kind of drives your domining I when it comes to it it wore off right when it comes to you don't feel the ashray the fortunate the lucky the gratefulness okay got to you got to work more to tomorrow you'll do another word so so again when the zod says and I'm not saying this to plate anyone here or to plate ourselves, you know, to make us feel good, you know, that that's not my style. There's no feel good Judaism here. It is what it is. So the kadesh does say what it says and as the alterba mentions in it here but he's talking about the overall when you when you when you succeed in one area of doning be it a word a sentence a paragraph that goes that goes up now I I nor any we don't know like you asked so does it make a a 50% difference. If I had to if I had to guess, I would say yes. Out of my 50%. Yeah. In other words, it's like the braha through, right? We're asking for something, health, parosa, safety, right? And we know stories of the bump and the sadikim that the braha came into one area, didn't come. And they came to the bump and they said, "No, you gave me a brah. what's going on. He says, "What would you rather have, children or life?" Now, there's a it's a tough It's a tough, right? It's a very tough answer, a very tough position to accept. But when you think about it, the same thing with fela. It accomplishes one area, not another one. You d better, you get two areas. And I always jokingly said to my my my girls, uh, most of them are married now. I said, make I heard this from a friend and it's a great line when it comes to y you're going to start soon having with so you should know this so uh write down write down what you want in a guy or a girl whatever write down what you're looking for and give me and and give me the and give me the note give me the piece of paper and bring it back one two three four five six seven eight okay so those are eight things you want now it takes the paper. We take the paper. We tear it up and we say, "Now write down two things that you need. Not things you want, but you need and you don't get more than two and be happy with two days." And it's this way in life too. Of course we want this and we want this and and a is a can give a self but remember that so why am I saying this it's the same thing in we can't look at ding like look I ded and and I I requested paros and I requested good health and I requested more children and I requested and I requested this and the next day the next week the next month the next here it still didn't happen. The answer is maybe you requested too much at one time or maybe accept that Hashem knows and it's good that you requested but he knows what's best for you. Okay. Oh, it's already 8:15. Yeah. Rabbi, I just just on the last point what you just said. Yeah. My father Alasham used to say he always had a song from the 60s with Torah. He said the Rolling Stones had a song. It was called you don't always get what you want but you get what you need. Yeah. Okay. I didn't know the Rolling Stones had that. But you see we take that we bring it into into Kadusha. Yeah. Yeah. Very good. Very good. Anyway, we'll see everyone uh Monday. We have a great Shabas. Um Shabas Shabas is the Reb's brother's yard who's buried in and then Shabas of then there is Pesi. So make the best of it and we'll we'll see everyone together in Mashem on Monday. Good. Take care. Bye. Take care.