Inner Chasid

This past Saturday night, Rabbi Altein told me that the measure of a "Chasid" (a follower of the ways of the Ba'al Shem Tov) is the extent to which s/he believes that the withdrawal of the Creator's Infinite Light is not literal. Rabbi Altein was referring to the rolling back of the Infinite Light at the dawn of creation to make room for a finite reality. He continued that the stronger one's belief in the literal ever-presence of the Infinite Light, the stronger one's inner "Chasid" is.

This also applies to the ever-presence of every past, present and future expression of the Infinite Light as well. As the Infinite Light did not literally withdraw, neither have his expressions ~ as they are inseparable from him.

So in this sense, all the expressions are still happening: the Torah is still being given at Mt. Sinai, all the holy teachers of Torah throughout the ages are still here, the Messiah was always here, the world is still being created by the "ten utterances", the miracle of Chanukah is happening now, etc.

Chag Chanukah Same'ach :)