When Rav Nachman speaks of the ‘Torah’ – he is speaking of a higher Torah, the source of everything that is to be found in reality. Every creation, phenomenon or process has an internal logic, a spirit, a particular understanding and awareness. This is the elevated Torah within them, and it is this that creates a variegated reality.
c
c
Medicine and Language
Know that for every single utterance that emerged from God’s mouth, an angel was created (Chagiga 14), and every single utterance consists of a number of sparks, as with the element of “like a hammer shattering rock” (Jeremiah 23), so too some angels were created, by the masses of sparks…and every single angel is appointed to some thing, such that even the trees and grasses have their appointed angels, as our sages (of blessed memory) said: “There is no grass below that does not have an angel above.” (Bereishit Rabba 80). And every angel gets life from the utterance, and impresses it upon his appointed charge, whichever grass or thing he is appointed to. And these two forces – the angel’s ability to receive and to give, to influence – are grounded in the element of ‘hands’; with the right hand he receives life, with the left he leaves an impression.’ It is as with the element of “And he hits him and says, ‘Grow'” (Ibid.): the strike is the element of the left hand. Thus, we find that all the remedies rely on the Torah, the element of “And he heals all his flesh” (Proverbs 4), for the Torah gives strength to angels, the angels influence the grasses, and the grasses heal with the Torah’s power.
Rav Nachman famously opposed regular medical assistance and avoided turning to ‘doctors.’[1] The conceptual basis for his approach can be found in this teaching, although its primary focus is the faith of the Sages. Rav Nachman claims that the healing powers of grasses (which were the only remedies of his day) actually stems from the spiritual energy – which he identifies as the Torah – found in each one.
As is evident in a variety of teachings, Rav Nachman creates his interpretations, teachings and suggestions with the help of ‘elements’ (בחינות) – in an oftentimes surprising way – that draws connections between different disciplines and spiritual journeys through the phrase ‘and this is the element of…’ One of the most prominent aspects of his teachings is the mutual renewal – through associative connection – of two topics, sayings, verses or sources that may seem distant at first. In this teaching, too, Rav Nachman draws ties between angels, the word of God, the Torah and the healing powers of grasses. Later he will continue, connecting the body’s health to trust in the sages. Thus, he connects both physical and spiritual problems, as is his way in all of his teachings. The implicit idea in Rav Nachman’s words is the understanding that the source of every sickness and infirmity is not physical but rather has a spiritual element; and every physical phenomenon has a spiritual source. The physical world draws its energy from the spiritual world. Thus, if we deepen our spiritual understanding of the physical sickness and take care of it from that framework, Rav Nachman thinks that we will succeed in healing. Specific health issues can be treated in a tangible way. For example: although a headache has a physical element, oftentimes we may assign spiritual corruption to such pain, or to a spiritual distress whose pain is felt.
Rav Nachman explains that the spiritual elements of these healing grasses are chains of angels, who in turn receive their strength from the Torah, which is the very life-force of all reality. According to Chaza”l and the Kabbalists, the Torah as it was revealed to us – the written Torah, Gemara and halacha – falls under the term of ‘נובלות של מעלה’ (unripe fruits above).[2] Yet above that are the even higher torahs, until one arrives at the Torah of אצילות (level of emanation) from which all creation emerges. When Rav Nachman speaks of the ‘Torah’ – he is speaking of a higher Torah, the source of everything that is to be found in reality. Every creation, phenomenon or process has an internal logic, a spirit, a particular understanding and awareness. This is the elevated Torah within them, and it is this that creates a variegated reality.
We can explain this in a Platonic approach: the physical table is not just an item but the revelation of a table essence – which is its life-force – and it is manifest in the form of a tangible table. This is the notion of every thing having its source which is embedded in the Torah. It has a beginning, logic and reason that is drawn from divine wisdom. Rav Nachman’s image is a result of transmission: the Torah is passed along the angels that pass energy to the divine utterance. I think that Rav Nachman’s approach proposes a parallel system of forces to that of science (which also describes a system of acting forces on reality). The angels, too, are forces – but they are neither material nor spiritual.
c
c
[1] See: ‘Regarding doctors and treatments he spoke at length, and derided the matter of treatments and doctors, and warned each person who values his life and that of his children and household to distance himself greatly from engaging in this matter. And even if someone in his household is sick – and even very dill – he should still rely on his God, and not reach out to doctors and remedies. Even in a place where doctors are common, still he should not depend on them, nor lay his life in their hands, for they are closer to death than life (Sichot HaRa”n, 50)
[2] See Bereishit Rabba, Parsha 17. For the explanation, see the Ar”i: “When the sages said: ‘There are three ‘unripe fruits’ above, the unripe fruits of the knowledge of the Torah from above’…The meaning of this matter is that the father (אבא) is called ‘knowledge’ (חכמה) of ’emanation’ (אצילות), and from the father the descendants (אחוריים) fall down to the feminine space (נוקבא) of emanation, as above. And Jacob is the Written Torah, made of the falling of the unripe fruit from the upper Knowledge which is the Father…It is understood from the verse, “Moses commanded us the Torah, a heritage for the community of Jacob”(Deut. 33:4) because knowledge is the element of a ‘fundamental vessel’ of father dressed in glory (תפארת) of זעיר אנפין, and from the strength of the lights that come out and fall from it, outside of the זעיר אנפין , that is where the element of Jacob is called ‘Torah.’ (Etz Chayim, 37:1, and see also Pri Etz Chayim, Kriyat HaTorah: 1).
