Chapter 40 - The Next World from a Torah Scholar's Perspective

The Alter Rebbe tells us the only way for our Torah to shine in the higher spiritual realms is by re-learning it with new intentions. The inner dimension behind this is that for a person to truly strip a concept of its physical garments, one has to peel back layer after layer of physicality.

Even though the metaphor was given as a vessel that must also be taken at face value - the inner light inside of it is only revealed after laboring to get inside of it and investing your own energy into it.

For instance, in any relationship between two people, in order for one person to strip back the shields and masks that surround their mate, one has to remove some of their own shields and masks. You have to put yourself out on the line for the other person, making yourself vulnerable in the process to rejection and ridicule.

Of course, in the modern world, there's lots of different ways that a person can go out on a limb while still staying within the warm confines of their home. One can send an email or leave a voice mail, and await a response. In the same way, in the pursuit of wisdom, we're able to take baby steps towards unveiling our true selves and await a response.

Chassidus does not require that one become a tzaddik overnight. The Rebbe says in a sicha, on Chanuka, that just like we add just one candle each night, so we must also realize that moving forward is just one small step at a time. We can't leap forward and try to reveal something that's not yet ready to be revealed. The Torah will wait for us to come back to it when we are ready to go to the next stage and the next level of understanding, and peel back another layer in the quest for the hidden light that shines from it.