Perek 55

[Bentzion Meltzer]

The Baal Shem Tov taught:

Someone who performs a great mitzvah, learns a lot of Torah or prays
with devotion should not allow thoughts of pride to enter his heart.
Rather, it was the Malkhuth [Indwelling Divine presence] – the ANI1
from AdoNaI – that is responsible. But when one prides oneself in
having done this, he causes the letter yud2 from ANI to disappear, and
then only AN is left.3

This is the meaning of, “Know from whence – from ayin – you come,”4
literally, from nothingness, because when a person considers himself
as nothing, then he comes close to G•d. On the other hand, when one
prides oneself that one has done something, then one goes away from
G•d – the yud has disappeared, and only an remains. This is alluded to
in the conclusion of the Mishnah, “To where – to an – you are going.”

1 Ani means, “I,” and is the same letters as ayin, which means
nothing. The implication of this is that each individual person’s “I”
is only a manifestation of the Divine “I,” but to connect with this
Higher “I” we must transcend our lower “I,” our egos, and realize that
ultimately, we are ayin, we are nothing.
2 The letter yud represents nothingness, since it is written as a
single point of ink. It also represents wisdom. Living with a sense of
our nothingness before G•d is true wisdom.
3 Until here is a quote from the Baal Shem Tov in Toldoth Yaakov
Yoseph, Korach #3. Regarding the remainder, the Toldoth in Ben Porath
Yoseph 77a is not sure if he heard this too from the Baal Shem Tov, or
if this is his own interpretation.
4 Tractate Avoth 3:1

Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Yehoshua Starrett and reprinted
with the kind permission of the Baal Shem Tov Foundation. Please visit
www.baalshemtov.com

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