Bittul
ביטולSelf-nullification before Hashem — emptying the self so the Divine can be revealed. The Sfas Emes on bittul.
282 essays
Noach
Lech Lecha
- Two levels of hearing and bittulLech Lecha · תרל"ה · Essay 1
- Surrender first, then rectify the worldLech Lecha · תרל"ו · Essay 1
- Universal yichud versus Yisrael's loving mitzvosLech Lecha · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- Avraham's two avodos of unityLech Lecha · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- Wholeness through self-nullificationLech Lecha · תרל"ז · Essay 6
- The tzaddik's glory shines from contrastLech Lecha · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Bittul unlocks revelation beyond natureLech Lecha · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- Bittul to Hashem's word over one's own reasoningLech Lecha · תרמ"ט · Essay 4
- Forgetting the world to cleave to HashemLech Lecha · תר"ס · Essay 1
Vayeira
Chayei Sarah
- Eliezer the faithful servant's self-effacing bittulChayei Sarah · תרל"א · Essay 6
- From faithful servant to beloved sonChayei Sarah · תרל"ג · Essay 3
- Servant and son in avodahChayei Sarah · תרל"ה · Essay 3
- Teshuvah from love and the soul's rootChayei Sarah · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- Eliezer's bittul to the tzaddik's willChayei Sarah · תרל"ח · Essay 3
- The divine point overflows the bodyChayei Sarah · תרמ"ד · Essay 2
- Self-nullification makes a vessel for blessingChayei Sarah · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
- Binding every realm to its heavenly rootChayei Sarah · תרנ"ד · Essay 1
Toldot
Vayetzei
- Carrying the inner Shabbos point into galusVayetzei · תרל"ב · Essay 1
- Three flocks as threefold avodahVayetzei · תר"מ · Essay 2
- Maaser sanctifies the whole through its partVayetzei · תרמ"ג · Essay 5
- The Mikdash endures only through avodahVayetzei · תרמ"ה · Essay 3
- The well of Shabbos watering the weekdaysVayetzei · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
Vayishlach
Vayeshev
Mikeitz
Chanukah
Vayigash
- Approaching God Through SurrenderVayigash · תרל"א · Essay 1
- Inner Light Revealed Through SurrenderVayigash · תרל"ב · Essay 1
- Inner Point of TruthVayigash · תרל"ד · Essay 1
- Unity of Forces Toward GodVayigash · תרל"ד · Essay 2
- Surrender to Divine TruthVayigash · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- Unity of Judah and JosephVayigash · תרל"ט · Essay 1
- Selfless Compassion Awakens MercyVayigash · תר"מ · Essay 4
Shemot
Yitro
Mishpatim
Shekalim
- Lifting the head to Hashem through bittulShekalim · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- Unity of the klal through self-nullificationShekalim · תרל"ה · Essay 2
- Doing and bittul complete each otherShekalim · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- The half-shekel unites the soul's two portionsShekalim · תרמ"ד · Essay 1
- Half-shekel as departure from physicalityShekalim · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
Terumah
- Receiving Torah through emunah and ratzonTerumah · תרל"א · Essay 1
- Acquiring Torah by elevating all deeds to HashemTerumah · תרל"ב · Essay 1
- Hashem as the Place of all existenceTerumah · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- Berachos: recognizing all is from HashemTerumah · תרל"ב · Essay 3
- The will to give elevates every mitzvahTerumah · תרל"ג · Essay 1
- The wakeful inner point of generosityTerumah · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- Unity from joining the particularsTerumah · תרל"ט · Essay 4
- Mishkan unites vision and actionTerumah · תרמ"ב · Essay 1
- Elevating action through bittul lishmahTerumah · תרמ"ג · Essay 2
- Receiving the hidden light of Torah through bittulTerumah · תרמ"ד · Essay 2
- Three ascending levels of acquiring TorahTerumah · תרנ"א · Essay 1
- Infinite levels of Torah and dveikusTerumah · תרנ"ב · Essay 3
- The engraved point in the Jewish heartTerumah · תרנ"ה · Essay 2
Tetzaveh
Zachor
Purim
Parah
- Purification through bittul renews vitalityParah · תרל"א · Essay 2
- The inner point of "zos" and bittul of the parahParah · תרל"א · Essay 3
- Teshuvah without sin as return to rootParah · תרל"א · Essay 4
- Elevating the inner essence through truthParah · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- Parah adumah awakens inherited humilityParah · תרל"ח · Essay 3
- Bittul and Torah's life-force unite for taharahParah · תר"מ · Essay 2
- Bittul as the path to renewalParah · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Taharah as the gateway to TorahParah · תרמ"א · Essay 4
Vayakhel
Vayikra
- Giving the inner self through Klal YisraelVayikra · תרל"א · Essay 3
- Selfless intent draws down the highest holinessVayikra · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- Embodied souls cannot stand like angelsVayikra · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- Naaseh and nishma as endless ascentVayikra · תרל"ח · Essay 3
- Humility as the Fruit of ClosenessVayikra · תרמ"ב · Essay 2
- The loving call: dveikus before every mitzvahVayikra · תרמ"ד · Essay 1
- Daas as humility and dveikusVayikra · תר"נ · Essay 2
- Uniting body and soul through bittul, like MosheVayikra · תרנ"ז · Essay 1
HaChodesh
Tzav
Shabbat HaGadol
Pesach
Shmini
- Hashem's command outweighs all human intellectShmini · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Avodah as preparation for bittulShmini · תר"מ · Essay 1
- Closeness to Hashem through bittul and commandShmini · תרמ"א · Essay 3
- Aharon's bittul and the path of teshuvahShmini · תרמ"ה · Essay 2
- Teshuvah's hidden songShmini · תר"נ · Essay 2
Tazria
Metzora
Acharei Mot
Kedoshim
- Sanctifying the physical through the inner divine sparkKedoshim · תרל"א · Essay 2
- Awakening holiness in all creationKedoshim · תרל"ד · Essay 2
- Three partners in man and bittulKedoshim · תרל"ז · Essay 4
- Planting every thing back into its rootKedoshim · תרל"ח · Essay 3
- Holiness through unity of Klal YisraelKedoshim · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- Existence sustained through bittul to HashemKedoshim · תרמ"ג · Essay 2
- Mitzvos through unity with the collectiveKedoshim · תרנ"ב · Essay 1
Emor
- Daily renewal and the second sayingEmor · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- The yoke of Torah as total bittulEmor · תרל"ב · Essay 3
- Light won through struggle in darknessEmor · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- Kiddush Hashem through bittul to the collectiveEmor · תרל"ז · Essay 3
- Torah's pure words purify through bittulEmor · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- Bittul through martyrdom versus a lifetimeEmor · תרמ"ג · Essay 2
- Man and beast: the beinoni's bittulEmor · תרמ"ו · Essay 2
- Radiating holy light through space, time, and soulEmor · תרמ"ו · Essay 4
- Revealing inner holiness through self-sacrificeEmor · תרנ"ב · Essay 2
- Body nullified to the soulEmor · תרס"א-תרס"ב · Essay 2
- Unity at the root through bittulEmor · תרס"ד · Essay 1
Behar
- Shemittah and the bittul of aweBehar · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Resting reveals Hashem's hidden governanceBehar · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- Speech, the Holy Tongue, and bittul as the path to TorahBehar · תר"מ · Essay 2
- Shemittah, bittul, and returning yesh to its SourceBehar · תרמ"ה · Essay 2
- Shemittah, trust, and receiving the TorahBehar · תרמ"ז · Essay 1
- Blessing flows through cessation and bittulBehar · תרמ"ח · Essay 2
- Living as a temporary stranger in the worldBehar · תרנ"א · Essay 2
- Bittul and contentment inherit both worldsBehar · תרנ"ב · Essay 1
Bechukotai
- Toil in Torah as bittulBechukotai · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- Bittul to Klal YisraelBechukotai · תרל"ב · Essay 3
- Toiling in Torah elevates the physical worldBechukotai · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Reasoning as a path to bittul beyond reasonBechukotai · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- Sons who become servants through accepting the yokeBechukotai · תר"מ · Essay 3
- Torah refines the physical worldBechukotai · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Daily spiritual renewal through TorahBechukotai · תרמ"ג · Essay 3
- Receiving Hashem's renewal as giftBechukotai · תרמ"ו · Essay 1
- Toiling in Torah beyond comprehensionBechukotai · תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Chukim rectify Adam's sinBechukotai · תרנ"א · Essay 1
- Nullifying intellect to Hashem's TorahBechukotai · תרנ"ב · Essay 1
Bamidbar
- Bittul to the root through humility and emunahBamidbar · תרל"א · Essay 2
- Hashem's choice outweighs all human deedsBamidbar · תרל"א · Essay 3
- Torah lishmah as total bittul of selfBamidbar · תרל"א · Essay 4
- Uncovering the true inner point and honoring HashemBamidbar · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- Torah's light reaches the wilderness withinBamidbar · תרל"ג · Essay 1
- Acquiring Torah through wilderness humilityBamidbar · תרל"ד · Essay 1
- Rooted in the Avos, blessed without limitBamidbar · תרל"ד · Essay 3
- The banners and cleaving above one's levelBamidbar · תרל"ה · Essay 4
- Increase flows from bittul to OnenessBamidbar · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Diminishing self to increase Hashem's honorBamidbar · תרל"ו · Essay 4
- From number to infinite OnenessBamidbar · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- Emptiness merits the form of TorahBamidbar · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- Rest and fulfillment through bittul and Hashem's salvationBamidbar · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- Closeness to Hashem demands bittulBamidbar · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Humility magnifies Hashem's honorBamidbar · תרמ"ג · Essay 4
- The desert as bittul, the gateway to TorahBamidbar · תרמ"ד · Essay 2
- Humility as a vessel for Hashem's honorBamidbar · תרמ"ד · Essay 3
- Nullifying one's will earns the heart's desiresBamidbar · תרמ"ח · Essay 3
- Becoming Torah through self-effacement like the wildernessBamidbar · תרנ"ו · Essay 1
- Fire, water and wilderness as preparation for TorahBamidbar · תרנ"ח · Essay 1
- Bittul as the root of placeBamidbar · תרנ"ט · Essay 3
- Inner love for Hashem actualized through the tzaddikBamidbar · תר"ס · Essay 1
- Shabbos as preparation for receiving TorahBamidbar · תרס"ד · Essay 2
Shavuot
- Torah as the Tree of LifeShavuot · תרל"ד · Essay 3
- Fear as preparation for Matan TorahShavuot · תרל"ה · Essay 2
- Two kinds of yiras ShomayimShavuot · תרל"ו · Essay 4
- Shavuos renews creation's root through TorahShavuot · תרמ"ה · Essay 2
- Holy speech and bittul at Matan TorahShavuot · תרמ"ה · Essay 3
- Servant and son: two levels of avodah from Pesach to ShavuosShavuot · תרמ"ו · Essay 5
- Self-nullification gives Torah eternal lifeShavuot · תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח - תרמ"ט · Essay 7
- Humility lifts the soul higherShavuot · תרס"ב · Essay 1
- Torah unites Yisrael into onenessShavuot · תרס"ב · Essay 3
Naso
- Finding the inner life-force in the physical worldNaso · תרל"א · Essay 2
- Weekdays as pillars joining will to deedNaso · תרל"ד · Essay 1
- Torah rooted through deedNaso · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Torah's freedom rectifies the realm of deedNaso · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- Individual greatness serves the collectiveNaso · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- Bittul to Hashem as the source of all blessingNaso · תרמ"ו · Essay 2
- Revealing the soul's hidden inner formNaso · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
- Yearning and restraint as creation's purposeNaso · תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Dust and ashes: foundation and refinementNaso · תר"נ · Essay 3
- Blessing flows through the inner point of wholenessNaso · תר"נ · Essay 4
- Dust as the fertile foundation of refinementNaso · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
Beha'alotcha
- Raising the hidden spark in everythingBeha'alotcha · תרל"ג · Essay 1
- Serving Hashem through unchanging bittulBeha'alotcha · תרל"ד · Essay 2
- Nefesh and ruach paths of avodahBeha'alotcha · תרל"ה · Essay 2
- Serving Hashem while beholding His revealed gloryBeha'alotcha · תרל"ו · Essay 1
- The Leviim chosen through bittul to the wholeBeha'alotcha · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Matching deeds to one's true willBeha'alotcha · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Hashem joins thought to deedBeha'alotcha · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- Holy shame that makes our deeds riseBeha'alotcha · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- Elevating the Self Through MitzvosBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ב · Essay 2
- Mitzvos as vessels for the hidden Torah-lightBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח - תרנ"ב · Essay 1
- Accepting hardship with love nullifies the selfBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח - תרנ"ב · Essay 9
- Humility as the channel for prophecy and ShabbosBeha'alotcha · תרנ"ט · Essay 1
Shlach
- Every Jew is an emissary of mitzvosShlach · תרל"ב · Essay 1
- Seeing the hidden Shechinah through tzitzis and bittulShlach · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- Man as Hashem's agent in the worldShlach · תרל"ג · Essay 2
- The body as a vessel for holinessShlach · תרל"ג · Essay 3
- Bittul as the shliach's protectionShlach · תרל"ה · Essay 1
- Inner leaders bound within the collectiveShlach · תרל"ה · Essay 3
- Evil is an illusory shadow; cleave to the tzaddikShlach · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- Descending for the sake of avodahShlach · תרל"ט · Essay 3
- Spies failed a mission requiring angelic bittulShlach · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- The spies' error: self-reliance over Divine chesedShlach · תרמ"ב · Essay 1
- Descending into the physical to elevate itShlach · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- Conquering the Land through bittulShlach · תרנ"א · Essay 1
- Pure intent elevates every mitzvahShlach · תרנ"ה · Essay 3
- Two levels of remembrance in tzitzisShlach · תרנ"ז · Essay 2
Korach
- Bittul and unity versus KorachKorach · תר"מ · Essay 1
- Korach's flaw: self-made wholeness vs bittulKorach · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Dispute for Heaven versus selfKorach · תרמ"ב · Essay 2
- Aharon's silence and the power of bittulKorach · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- Holiness is drawn down from AboveKorach · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- Dispute for Heaven's sake ends in unityKorach · תרמ"ז · Essay 1
- Aharon's bittul versus Korach's graspingKorach · תרמ"ח · Essay 3
- Korach split from the root by grabbing giftsKorach · תרמ"ט · Essay 2
- Three stages of ascent and Korach's separationKorach · תר"ס · Essay 2
- Holy dispute and unity through bittulKorach · תרס"ב · Essay 1
- Receiving Torah through bittulKorach · תרס"ג · Essay 1
- Self-seeking versus communal TorahKorach · תרס"ד · Essay 1
Elul
Rosh Hashanah
- Three tens, three brachos, three AvosRosh Hashanah · תרל"ג · Essay 2
- Man as the unifying root of creationRosh Hashanah · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Bending in humility to arouse mercyRosh Hashanah · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- Humility turns the remnant into the beginningRosh Hashanah · תרמ"ח - תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Shofar as wisdom of self-nullificationRosh Hashanah · תר"ס · Essay 4
Shabbat Shuva
Yom Kippur
Sukkot
- Torah as inheritance and giftSukkot · תרל"ב · Essay 4
- Shemini Atzeres: receiving through yirah and bittulSukkot · תרל"ד · Essay 9
- Torah as fire, joined through bittulSukkot · תרל"ד · Essay 11
- Choosing penimiyus and unity on SukkosSukkot · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Sukkos as ingathering of the year's avodahSukkot · תרל"ז · Essay 8
- Shemini Atzeres: clinging to the GiverSukkot · תרל"ז · Essay 10
- Elevating the lower world before the selfSukkot · תרל"ז · Essay 13
- Torah as the root of all creationSukkot · תרל"ז · Essay 15
- Bittul and joy as the path to TorahSukkot · תרל"ח · Essay 9
- Power of the humble aravahSukkot · תרל"ט · Essay 6
- Finding one's portion through bittul to the klalSukkot · תר"מ · Essay 3
- Humble bittul as the ladder to salvationSukkot · תרמ"א · Essay 9
- Israel's bittul as living testimony to Hashem's kingshipSukkot · תרמ"א · Essay 10
- Humility at Sinai cherished over breaking throughSukkot · תרמ"ב · Essay 5
- The willow as the Jew's essential bond with HashemSukkot · תרמ"ו · Essay 5
- Lulav and sukkah as Yaakov and YisraelSukkot · תר"נ · Essay 6
- Hoshana Rabbah: salvation through humilitySukkot · תר"נ · Essay 8
- End of Torah joined to its beginningSukkot · תר"נ · Essay 11
- Humility and rectifying the animal soulSukkot · תרנ"א · Essay 8
- Sukkah of bittul, Shemini Atzeres of receivingSukkot · תרנ"א · Essay 12
- Lowliness and the seed of truthSukkot · תרנ"ה · Essay 2
- Sukkos and the Daled Minim unite IsraelSukkot · תרס"ב · Essay 1
- The lowly willow and humilitySukkot · תרס"ה · Essay 4