Essence of Chassidus- SoulWords Rabbi Shais Taub

The most obvious expression of an essence is in its lowest manifestations. Indeed, the Torah which is beyond even the highest of worlds is described as being the remedy for the lowest problems of the lowest world.







(Chs. 18-19)

The conclusion reached by each of the four levels of Torah interpretation is compatible with that of all the others.







Furthermore, within each level we repeatedly see the theme of how the particulars are not in contradiction with the whole.







(Chs. 16-17)

We revisit the sod interpretation of Modeh Ani that souls are restored when Malchus unites with Yesod. How does chasidus explain this in a way that we can understand?







(Ch. 15.)

The remez interpretation of Modeh Ani is that it alludes to the Resurrection of the Dead that will occur in the times of Moshiach. How can we compare something as mundane as waking up each morning to something as monumental as the resurrection?







The drush interpretation of Modeh Ani is that just like Hashem returns our souls to us, so should we not hold on to the assets of a debtor even though such a prohibition may seem impractical and even senseless.







(Chs. 13-14)

The explanation of Modeh Ani according to chasidus is that nothing can defile the purity of a Jew's simple gratitude expressed in this prayer.







The pshat explanation as illuminated by chasidus is that the only true life is a connection with Hashem. From the perspective of the four levels of the soul, G-d enhances one's life. From the perspective of yechidah, G-d is one's life.







(Chs. 11-12)

The number of subjects dealt with in Torah is infinite. We will focus on the Modeh Ani prayer because of its foundational nature and use it as our example of how the four levels of Torah interpretation differ from one another as well as how chasidus illuminates all of them.







(Chs. 9-10)