Meditation 2

A more in-depth analysis for advanced students

The Hebrew word for meditation, "hitbonenut" is a derivative of the word binah, which is usually translated as "understanding". It means much more than that. The Mitteler Rebbe (Dovber, son of the Alter Rebbe, Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi), explains that hitbonenus is the "powerful and concentrated examination of the depths of a concept", which is called "iyyun" in the Gemara. This is obviously only a very basic definition, as will become clear. It is generally translated as "meditation."

There are basically three stages of hitbonenut/meditation:

1. Study-meditation: having understood the concept clearly, one contemplates on the concept in depth, until the "essentiality" of the idea itself becomes clear to him.

2. Before prayer: here the main purpose is to feel the chiyut i.e. the vitality of the concept which he has learned.

3. During prayer: the purpose of which is to experience the G-dliness of the concept which he has learned. (Hayom Yom Tammuz 20, and at length in Igrot of the Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 3 pp. 525-529).

Understanding is also divisible into three parts: 1. The source and essential point from which the understanding develops. 2. The understanding itself with all its related concepts, explanations, and ramifications. 3. The effect of this understanding on the emotions, character traits, actions etc. (Ma'amarim Kuntreisim part 2 p. 672)

It seems to me that these three aspects of understanding parallel the three stages of hisbonenus, that is to say: Stage 1: Study-meditation is the search for the essential idea which underlies the concept one is contemplating. Stage 2: The vitality of the concept (how he lives with it, or it with(in) him) is directly related to the breadth of his understanding. Stage 3: The G-dliness of the concept affects his emotions bringing them to full maturity (gadlut hamidot) and his actions, ultimately even changing his nature, "changing the nature of his emotional traits" (see Likutei Dibburim part 1, p. 56a). Naturally all of this requires lengthy explanation, which is beyond the scope of this introduction.


Each of these three stages of contemplation may be divided into the following subcategories: 1. The aim of contemplation. 2. The psychology of contemplation, i.e. how it works. 3. The methods, i.e. how you do it. 4. The results.


STUDY-MEDITATION

1. The aim:
I will explain this idea of "abstraction" (mentioned above) at greater length, since this is the essence of contemplation on the subject that one learns, as expressed in Chabad Chassidus. What follows is more or less a free translation of original Chabad texts, with some commentary and interpretation:

In truth, you are not used to this way of (abstract) thinking, only to intellectualization based on sense perception, and even in this we find it necessary to use "signs" i.e. letters by which we define and limit the concept in order to make it accessible to thought. But in fact the essence of thought is that which is prior to its enclothement and limitations in letters (or images). It is therefore self understood that "pure thought" is
the "ayin" (nothingness), without being clothed in letters, and that the process of enclothement in fact hinders the process of pure thought... for in truth everything is as nothing and void...It is only out of habit that we see the coarse physicality of this
world... (compare the statement of the Ba'al Shem Tov - One should cleave so much that what one sees is the Blessed Creator, and not the creation! Keser Shem Tov #200). This is the ultimate purpose of pure thought, to nullify the heart and mind from sense perception in order to perceive the pure thought. The essence of pure thought is "Chochma comes from Ayin (nothingness)."

(From Igrot Kodesh of the Alter Rebbe, Milu'im, #2)

At the time of hitbonenut one must understand and grasp clearly the concept on which he is meditating. Nevertheless, while actually learning, the awareness of intellect is predominant, whereas during contemplation on one's learning, the awareness of Godliness should predominate.

The study of Chassidus is then a deep knowledge of Godliness, from the lowest levels to the very highest. This knowledge is, specifically, understood clearly and grasped firmly in intellect. In this way one can (ultimately) "grasp" Godliness. But it should be clear that the (Godly) concept (i.e. the concept being explained in the Chassidic discourse which you are learning), and the Godliness are two different things. For example, let's say the topic being discussed in the discourse are the sefirot Chochma and Binah. The concept of Chochma or Binah is the clear understanding and firm grasp of "how Chochma is, how Binah is above", i.e. what is Chochma, what is Binah? Having understood this clearly (understanding the ma'amer), one now attempts to examine, or search for the source of these concepts, i.e. the essential point from which these concepts derive, i.e. E-lokut (Godliness) as manifested in Chochma, E-lokut as manifested in Binah. The same process applies to any concept being contemplated such as the Immanent and Transcendent aspects of the Or Ein Sof etc. Through clear knowledge and understanding of the concept being discussed, you grasp the E-lokut.

This leads ultimately to Hitamtut (from the word emet = truth), the clear vision of the ultimate truth (=emet). The "jump" between the understanding of the concept, and the grasping of E-lokus is achieved by hisbonenus i.e. the process of abstraction mentioned above.

(From a letter of the Rebbe Rashab to his son, the Fre'erdike Rebbe printed in Migdal Oz. See also Kuntres haT'fillah, ch 5-6).

...There are two opposite processes here, one - hafla'ah, which is the ascent from level to level of refinement of thought and from hidden level to hidden level, until absolute separation from all thought and ideas; and the second - the opposite of this, i.e. the power of descent and drawing down from hiddenness to revelation on even the lowest levels... The power of hafla'ah is the power of abstraction (hafshata) mentioned above, i.e. stripping every concept of the garments of thought, until one reaches the greatest depths and the innermost aspects, which are so refined that they cannot be grasped in the vessels of thought. This is because (at these levels) there is no limitation or form defining the concept because of its tremendous refinement. (However, this is not to say that it is not grasped at all, only that it is not grasped in thought). Then there is the descent and drawing down into the garments of thought (This will be explained, God willing, in stage 3 of contemplation -- contemplation during prayer).

Avodah with the inner aspects of the mind i.e. hisbonenus in the essence of a G-dly concept is the aspect of Neshama (as opposed to the avodah on the levels of Nefesh and Ruach explained earlier in the ma'amer.

There are five levels of soul, from lowest to highest, nefesh, ruach, neshama, chaya, yechida. Each has its particular type of avodah. The main avodah of neshama is hisbonenus. See Kuntres Ha'avodah; Inyana shel Torat Hachasidut from the Lubavitcher Rebbe ch. 5 ff. and references there).

There are however different levels: the grasping of the essential aspect of the Godly concept comes only after understanding through the garments of thought i.e when it is not possible for him to grasp the Godly concept as it is prior to "enclothement", but rather the concept comes clothed in understandable ideas and explanations through which he understands and grasps the Godly concept in all its details. Initially he must understand clearly the concept at hand, in all its details, through explanations and figurative analogies etc.

Then he negates and strips down and reduces the ideas of the "garment" which he initially used to understand the essential concept, until he arrives at the essential concept itself, absolutely abstracted from any material connotations, i.e. from any forms of thought, or conceptualization, or imagery whatsoever. (Nevertheless, since he used thought forms to arrive at the essence, the "absolute essence" is not revealed, only that level of Godly "light" which descends into the worlds in a state of Tzimtzum, contraction, and can be perceived by created beings). (Kuntres Ha'avodah p.7-8)

Avodah on the level of Neshama (i.e. the level of hisbonenus described above), is an intermediary stage whereby one arrives at the avodah of the essence of the soul, Chaya, which is higher than reason and understanding - ta'am v'da'at (the fourth level of the soul as mentioned previously, but called here the essence of the soul relative to the three lower levels). By means of the contemplation and understanding on the level of Neshama i.e. the aspects of Or Ein Sof as revealed in (limited) immanence, one comes to the level of transcendence i.e. knowledge and understanding in the hafla'ah (absolute abstraction from the worlds) and rommemus (sublimity) of Ein Sof Blessed be He. One also comes to know the essence of the Or Ein Sof. This is what is known as yedi'as hashelilah (what Or Ein Sof is not, i.e. grasping the unknowable to human intellect) and recognition of hafla'ah and hitamtut (clear vision of the truth). (Kuntres Ha'avodah p.9)

To be continued (God willing).