The inyan of d’veikus is one commonly misunderstood or stam not understood whatsoever, being thought only to be a level for the Tzaddikim to attain to. This however is not true, it was indeed the entire tachlis of the Toras HaBaal Shem Tov that every Yid should attain d’veikus. There is an entire perek on this in the wonderful sefer B’Yam Darkecho by the hailige Breslover mashpia HaAdmo”r R’ Itche Mayer Morgenstern shlit”a wherein he outlines a path towards d’veikus and explains in detail how this is something for every Yid to attain.
In Keser Shem Tov, there are many lessons in the name of the hailige Baal Shem Tov about d’vekus. Iy’H we’ll be able to cover his other Toros on this inyan in due time. In this section however, he describes that there are some who say that d’veikus is saying one word for a very long time due to the great d’veikus he feels from that particular letter. Others say that this is when one does a mitzvah or learns Torah and turns the body into a throne for the nefesh, the nefesh throne to the ruach, ruach for the neshama, and the neshama throne to the Ohr HaShechina (light of the Shechina), from which point he is surrounded in light and rejoices with great trembling in the light of the Shechinah. This is one aspect.
To begin the next section, a shtikl is added from Sefer Ohr Ganuz LaTzaddikim that the Shomayim looks like half a sphere in all areas, and the person sees himself as standing in the center of the middle. He also brings from Sefer Chareidim a very interesting meditation. So he says the Tzaddik looking up to Shomayim is a hint to the higher world created with the letter Yud, from the earth to the Rakia (Firmament) is a distance of 500 years which alludes to the first Heh, the Tzaddik himself who is standing upright upon the earth alludes to the Vov, and the earth itself that he stands upon alludes to the final Heh. This whole process alludes to the awe of Heaven resting upon people, that the light of the Shechinah resting upon people’s heads is accomplished through this process.
The next section goes more into the specifics of how this is done through mitzvas tzitzis and other mitzvos. What is most important though is to focus on this particular meditation that the Baal Shem teaches us. Everybody has an aspect of the Tzaddik within them, this is clear from Rebbe Nachman in his Torah where he discusses friends giving each other advice in areas of avodas Hashem, where the one giving the advice is in the aspect of the Tzaddik. Our job is only to actualize our potential to become Tzaddikim. One of the best ways to do this is to engage in this particular meditation, seeing ourselves as in the middle of the earth looking up to the sky etc and visualizing each of the letters of Hahsem’s name in relation to us. Visualizing the Shemos HaKedoshim on the whole is incredibly important and clarifies the body and soul on all levels when done with regularity. This is one of the key aspects of spiritual growth and accomplishing Tikkunim when approaching Torah from a Kabbalistic perspective. Yes, we must keep poshut, but poshut doesn’t mean to avoid doing the deep parts of avodas Hashem, it just means not to think we’re so incredibly special for doing them.
Yismach Lev 