Yearning Towards the Pleasure of Emunah
The light of Kesser is the highest light. It is desire and pleasure mixed together as one, leading to the secret of emunah. The Rebbe Rashab zy”a spends a lot of effort trying to clarify the essential attitude of Kesser. On the one hand, we associate it with “Ratzon,” will and desire. But on the other hand, we find that it is directly connected to the experience of “Taanug,” joyful pleasure. Which one is it? The Rebbe Rashab explains that Kesser is, in truth, composed of two elements: an upper (inner) and a lower (outer). The upper part of Kesser is referred to as “Atik Yomin,” and the lower part is referred to as “Arich Anpin.” Atik is associated with joyful pleasure, and Arich is associated with will and desire. Practically speaking, this means that the outer level of Kesser is a yearning desire, which leads to the inner level of Kesser, which is joyful pleasure. For the Rebbe Rashab, Kesser means the will-towards-pleasure. Anything we place our will and intention towards is ultimately rooted in our expectation of pleasure: the hope towards joy and fullness. If Kesser were depicted as a three-pronged crown, the left side represents Arich/Will/Desire, while the right side represents Atik/Joy/Pleasure.
But then we are left to explain the middle pillar of the crown, the middle path of Kesser that is neither the will of Arich nor the pleasure of Atik. The answer to the mysterious third and central pillar of Kesser is the highest light of
all, the light of emunah. Faith is not something that a person comes to because it makes sense. It is not something that is even convincing. Rather, it is a pure choice; each and every conscious moment of awareness is another opportunity to uncover the hidden light of choosing the path of faith.
Kesser, like the three-pronged crown, is a three-stage process: The cultivation of desire towards something which is always based on the expectation of pleasure (Arich Anpin). The experience of pleasure that comes when we finally reach the place we’ve hoped for (Atik Yomin). And finally, the innermost point of pleasure, not something sensual or even graspable, but rather the deep joyful pleasure of choosing emunah in this very moment (Radla).
These three pillars correspond to Tefillah (rooted in Desire); Torah (rooted in Pleasure); and Mitzvos (rooted in Emunah). Every parent gives a crown to their children, and every child wears the crown of their parents. Like the gift of Kehuna, the light of Kesser, the pleasure of gratitude and faith, flows from one generation to the next, up until the coming of Moshiach, the one who will reveal the true Kesser
within each and every Yid no matter where they are in the world.
The gift of Kesser is the gift of blueness, the techeles that reminds us where true Kingship comes from. Flowing with the light of the Beis Hamikdash, the blue calmness of the flowing waves and the openness of the sky hint towards the light of emunah. The work of the Beis HaMikdash will be the work of the blue crown, the Malchus of Hashem’s crown revealed for all to see.
In the future, every Yid will receive a crown from Hashem. But we can also begin to experience it before Moshiach comes. To live with your crown that you have always had, is to live with the light of emunah and mitzvos.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 45.
