Between Ambition and Reality - I

At times we hear voices that are concerned about people who are jumping to higher levels of holiness, consequently, they encourage people to not think of these concepts so that they do not mistakenly live in fantasy-land unaware of their true place and level. While there are genuine concerns with striving for higher levels, taking an attitude that one has no connection to the heights of holiness is misguided and is not the way to prevent people from jumping to higher levels. In any endeavor would we encourage someone who is concerned about making a mistake to do nothing at all?
People also have concerns about giving up and erring. It can be frightening to think about achieving a higher level and it can lead someone to give up out of fear, but also to become dissatisfied with where he currently is in life. Some people, in order to avoid either outcome, choose to close their eyes to opportunities for advancement, and to distance from their minds and life any thoughts of these lofty concepts.
This is not the way to deal with fear of growth. Erasing holy concepts from one's mindset, even though it seems to calm the person, and allows him to be satisfied with his current state, will ultimately retard his self-improvement and is at odds with the deepest yearning of his soul which only finds satisfaction when it is connected to God.
ויחד לבבנו קכ"ח

Becoming Familiar with the Concept of Kavana - II

This basic understanding of Kavana needs to percolate in the heart and develop in the soul of a person until he becomes familiar with the richness of the worlds of Kavana and thought. Kavana is full of life, it is rich with different styles and manners. Similar to action and speech is is full and broad. When it comes to speech , we find different expressions, chants and tunes that rise and fall, fast and slow, soft and strong. These are all utilized in order to express different feelings in the soul. Joy versus supplication, whisper versus shout, power versus kindness. The way we speak during Pesukei D'Zimra, with a song in the heart that is driven towards God, with powerful song is unlike the speech during Shemoneh Esrei  in which the inner world is speaking as man stands before the King of the World.
Similar to this is the world of song in which there are many types of music that express different aspects of feeling and expression.
So, too, are the worlds of Kavana and inner thought. The world of Kavana has similar aspects to the worlds of action and speech. There are Kavannos of whisper, of kindness, soul level movement from above to below and below to above. Kavannos of sweetness and kavannos of purification and mercy. Each of these moves according to its unique form and concept.
Familiarization with these worlds which results from a person purifying himself and rising towards them, hand in hand with studying holy works which instruct people in the pathways of Kavanna, open the path before a person to recognize its richness and depth. Slowly, slowly his Neshama will shine within until he is an expert in these worlds and in the various types of Kavannos. He knows the expressions and movements of the soul and their various outcomes.
ויחד לבבנו פ"ד

Becoming Familiar with the Concept of Kavana - I

The world of Torah with which we are familiar is almost solely focused on actions and speech. The study of Torah revolves primarily around the revealed Torah which focuses on fulfilling the action Mitzvos, and results in knowledge of Halacha. By contrast, the study of the Inner Torah is intended to instruct the worlds of intent, the thoughts and desires of the heart in the exact same way that the study of Talmud and Halachic codes trains the action limbs in the fulfillment of Mitzvos.
The world does not yet appreciate the broad richness of the worlds of thought and intent. We stand before these inner concepts and they appear blurry to us. We believe what our Sages teach - that thoughts have an effect and intent makes a powerful impression, but within himself the person is not even close to understanding. He thinks that words and actions are much more powerful than thought. He sees thought as a tool for inspiration to action, but not as a force which acts directly.
However, the concept  and knowledge of Kavana is very blurry. What is Kavana in the heart? Is it scrunching up the face and moving rapidly while davening? Is creating wrinkles in one's forehead a means of concentration? We are standing before poorly understood concepts of which we only have the most infantile comprehension.
ויחד לבבנו פ"ד

Quashing the Childish Klipah

When a kernel of grain is growing the shell covering it cannot be removed. At this stage the klipah (shell) protects the grain and its ability to ripen. This teaches us an important principle, there are klipos of the soul that are there to facilitate its growth, and we must take heed not to try and remove them before their time or in an inappropriate manner. Doing so is likely to damage the development of the child's positive traits, that which is within, the fruit itself.
The klipos are the traits that appear in a manner that does not appear to be directed towards appropriate channels. We find children who are full of energy, that are not naturally drawn to expressing themselves in ways that are good and proper. The job of directing them down a good path, that of teaching them how to select the appropriate behavior to separate the good traits from the klipos and direct them on the right path, has to await the growth of the child into a healthy and strong person, only then can he be purified. Trying to separate them from their klipos before they are mature is likely to harm their unique abilities and their perfection. It can create a weak person who is lacking life, as the effort to show them the right path is full of criticism. If the parents criticize the child a lot as he is developing, they are likely to squash his good traits and ruin his fundamental will power.
Therefore, first we must show a child a lot of faith in his goodness, love and strength, so that he develops happy and healthy even as some of his character is drawn to that which is impure. That's all part of growing up. if the parents attempt to rip away the bad character by force, they will stunt his development, and weaken him internally.
לעול"ש ס"ט

Childish Adults

Every person has countless dreams and aspirations, but in order to succeed it is necessary to limit oneself at any given time to one thing and to focus on it. If the person is constantly overwhelmed with many desires he will be unable to fulfill any of them completely. The middah of gevurah directs a person to choose a defined objective, to focus upon it, to begin it and to make the effort to completely finish it and not to jump from project to project. Chesed cannot impact the world without gevurah to constrain it. Chesed can spread its wings in the spiritual realm where there is no need for limitation, and one can spread his wings to fly to limitless worlds, however, this world requires gevurah. In a dream one can desire many things, but practically there is a need to choose, to focus, to prioritize, i.e. to limit oneself.
The bottom line is that gevurah actualizes the greatest dreams. Without it and all that it entails, sticking to a schedule, following a program, focus, giving up on distracting temptations, stubbornness, one cannot rise in holiness. Chesed is the dreams, the great lights, but without vessels, without gevurah they cannot come to fruition.
But even with all of the focus of gevurah it is vital not to lose the freedom of chesed, the sweetness of dreams and broad ambition. In a certain respect childhood is the age of simple chesed, full of love and sweetness, before the person enters the complications and limitations of this world. This is why children are so full of sweetness, joy, and laughter because the bitterness of life has not touched and soiled them.
Adulthood, bagrut in Hebrew, carries the same root as gevurah, and is the age in which a person adds gevurah to his repertoire as he recognizes the limitations of life and acquires the tools to progress in life. Adulthood needs to serve the light of childhood and not to exchange childhood for adulthood. A person needs to remain a child in spirit and to never age. It is important to take heed to not be so impressed with his relationship with vessels and the complications of this world, to think that the simplicity of childhood is naivete and weakness. A person should not feel that adulthood is the time to awaken from the slumber of childhood.
The fact is that childhood is the wellspring of life and sweetness of the dreams, the simple chesed and love and adulthood clothes that in vessels that enables it to come to the world. But be careful not to exchange the light with the vessel, childhood for adulthood and optimism for pessimism.

Well Praying

Praying is like digging a well in that you need to dig into the depths of your soul where there is flowing water, thirst and pining, deep desires that are befitting like clear, clean water.
Initially, all you find is clumps of dry dirt, then the ground begins to become moist from the waters of the depths, subsequently water begins to trickle out, mixed with mud and dirt. Finally, there is pure, clear, flowing water. The same is true with the gates of the heart which are initially stopped up by lots of dirt, but they are always full of clear water deep within. Prayer consists of peeling away the dried and dirty layers to seek out and reveal what is flowing within, which is totally clear and pure, full of will and desire, connection and great pleasure.
בראשית שס"ז

Daas

Unlike Chochma or Bina (wisdom and understanding) which are acquired through logical analysis of general principles and details, Daas (knowledge) is achieved through finding that  the life force within oneself is in synchronicity with that which is being comprehended. Dass is not superficial contemplation of the matter being comprehended in the manner in which the intellect works, rather it is one's essence connecting with it. It is not expressed in knowledge about, but is united with. It is a life's experience which cannot be expressed verbally and is not delineated by thoughts. Daas is connection, a living meeting between the knower and the known. It creates an essential unity between them. Daas means to blend, to dissolve the external walls which separate and to touch the life force within which is the unity and identification of the knower with the known. Daas neutralizes multiplicity and reveals unity.
תפלה שנ"ז