Breath

1 Kislev 5782

“And may the Lord give you of the dew of the heavens and [of] the fatness of the earth and an abundance of grain and wine.” (Bereishis 27:28)

Rashi explains why the Divine Name signifying G-d’s attribute of Justice is used here. He explains that when Solomon arranged the prayer, he would state, “And give to every man [Israelite] according to his ways.” About the gentile he would say, “You shall hear in heaven, etc., and do according to all that the stranger calls upon You for.” He knew that the Jew has faith and justifies the Divine decree upon himself, he would never complain about Hashem. The gentile however should receive whether he is deserving or undeserving, so that he should not complain about Hashem.

“The angels elevate the breath of school children to Atzilut.” (Kuntres Acharon, end of Essay 3)

The breath of school children is completely innocent, because they are completely innocent. An adult who is engaged with the corporeality of this world must toil so that his breath (loud study of Torah) be innocent, while he himself isn’t fully. In a sense his breath has an even greater effect on the world than that of a child. He knows that good and evil exist and constantly fights with himself and the environment around him, nevertheless, he always remains with Hashem.

“Fortunate are all who put their trust in Him” (Tehillim 2:12)

We too should strive to be such a person. Eventhough the Divine decrees on us sometimes don’t make sense immediately, we should nevertheless have faith in Hashem and His justice. This is the unique heritage of our Nation, as described above, and we should live with it. “With pure faith and heartfelt simplicity … thereby constantly united with G-d at all times and in all places.” (Tanya, as above)