Everything We Need is Already Here

There is a section in the teachings of the Noam Elimelech (Rav Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk, 1717–1786), which I love, that explains the importance of studying for the purpose of revealing Light, rather than merely studying for the sake of accumulating information.

The Noam Elimelech says that in Psalms 40:5, King David said to the Creator, “God, you have prepared so many great things, Your wonders and Your thoughts which for us...” And so the Noam Elimelech asks, “How can we awaken miracles to heal the sick and take somebody out of bondage? How do we have the strength to reveal great miracles?” The answer, he explains, is that we do not have the power, nor do we create these things anew. Having the consciousness that it is not we who are creating miracles to help heal someone or free that person from bondage can be the difference between whether we can bring miracles into the world or not.

When we find ourselves in difficulty, we think it is up to us to create a miracle out of nothing. The Noam Elimelech explains—and this is a tremendous awakening of consciousness—that all the Light we will ever need is already prepared and ready in the Supernal Worlds. All we need to do is a little bit of shaking, and the true Light of miracles, blessings, and healing will flow down into this world.

Everything the Creator creates has its source in the Upper Worlds; all the miracles we need are already there. Not only are these miracles of Light prepared for us, but this Light is literally overflowing in the Upper Worlds. All we need to do is a little positive action to draw this Light from the Upper Worlds into our world. We only need to shake things a little, and this Light will be revealed to us.

To understand this teaching requires a shift in our consciousness. When most of us find ourselves faced with a problem, we think we must do a lot of work to create a solution, to achieve our goal, to fulfill our need. This is one path, but it is a very long path, one that I am not sure many of us can complete. But there is another way, another consciousness, which is awakened on the Shabbat of Tetzaveh. In this state, we become aware that total fulfillment already exists, along with the solution to any problem. All we have to do is shake a little bit, and this Light will overflow down into this world.

To further explain this concept, Rav Ashlag uses a parable of a father who has prepared a beautiful room for his son. Inside the room, the father has placed gold and silver and many fine things, including a remarkable library, filled with wisdom. But there is one problem: The room is dark, so the son sits in the room and weeps helplessly because all he sees is darkness. Meanwhile, his father is thinking to himself, “Just open the window, because once you open the window, you will see that everything you need is already here.”

This may sound silly, but most of us are like this man’s son sitting in the dark. We see only the absence of the things we need, and we think it will be a very long and difficult process to fill those needs. This is a mistake of consciousness. When we make a shift in consciousness, we realize that all the Light we need is already here. All we have to do is open ourselves to it. Having the awareness that everything we need is already here changes everything.

The word tetzaveh also means “to give over” or “to create an opening.” The Creator is telling us we can tetzaveh: We can unleash a tremendous flow of blessings and mercy for ourselves and for the world because these miracles—this Light—has already been prepared. The Noam Elimelech awakens us to the understanding that the Creator is telling us we possess an innate ability to unleash miracles; the way we awaken the required consciousness is by understanding that the flow of Light is already waiting to descend for us to reveal from the Upper Worlds.

There are two aspects to this shift in consciousness. We must understand first that we ourselves do not need to, nor can we, create miracles and blessings, and second, that the Creator has already created all the Light—all the miracles, sustenance, and blessings necessary. All this Light already exists. The Noam Elimelech says that when we awaken these two understandings, we can do anything and everything.

This teaching is not so much about the dual understanding as it is about the awakening of this Light. It is important for us to know that when we study this teaching, we awaken the Light and gain the strength to do everything. It is that easy; all the Light for blessings, all the Light for sustenance, all the Light for wisdom has been prepared for us already by the Creator, and it is here now.

On the Shabbat of Tetzaveh, we become aware that total fulfillment already exists, along with the solution to any problem. All we have to do is shake things up a little bit, and this Light will overflow down from the Upper Worlds into our world…it is an unbelievably important understanding.