Emulating the avos - water, fire, wind and earth - a personal relationship with Hashem inspired by the Chariot

Avraham, whose midda is chesed, corresponds to the element of water, which represents Torah and desire to serve Hashem, bringing revealed strengths from the visible world to care for others.  He has two sons, one who represents a kelipa of chesed and then he merits to have Yitzchok.

Yitzchok, whose midda is gevurah, corresponds to the element of fire, which represents passion for Torah, bringing hidden strengths from the concealed world within the boundaries of Torah. He has two twins, one who represents a kelipa of strength and Yaakov.

Yaakov, whose midda is compassion, corresponds to the element of wind, which represents an integrated speech where speech and action bring compassion because they express a thought from tzelem elokim freed from kelipas.

Dovid HaMelech, whose midda is malchus, corresponds to the element of earth, which represents the physical receiving bowl for all the other middos.

Adom is composed of the earth and the impure elements of earth wind water and fire are part of our natural existence.  It is incumbent upon us to comprehend and use intellect to transform the impure elements of earth wind water and fire.  To do so, we model the middos of our forefathers.

Chesed:  the source of all vitality is Hashem.  Whatever I desire, Hashem is the Source for all my needs. By conforming my desires to His Will, I rectify the element within me of water. May my teshuva be deep and also be a merit for klal yisrael.  It is incumbent upon us to expand our consciousness to this reality, because the natural reality is to experience a lowering when we are denied our desires, which is the source of hating others.  Unbounded water floods and is destructive.

Gevurah: the  anger, fear, and outrage that we may experience is the experience of the Shechina that naturally exists or that we trapped within our self-referencing goals.  It is important to understand that all self-referencing, although natural and experientially close to us, is based on a belief in separate existence.  Yitzchok understood that our natural existence is sourced in Hashem and that there is an important strength to be gleaned from re-setting our understanding of who we are to being inseparable from Hashem and here to serve Him.  The natural reality is to experience anger and to do destructive things when we feel abandoned – we try to annihilate those we blame for that abandonment, which is the source for many crimes and it has a faulty basis to justify revenge, despite the logic of the emotions.  When we are disciplined to understand that everything is from Hashem including our negatively charged emotions so that we can bring a certain passion from them into service of Hashem, we are remembering that there is no other power, including me.  Fire is destructive and represents arrogance although it can also be a source of heat and light when properly channeled in Hashem’s service.

Compassion: the merciful speech and deeds we do bring together the concealed inner world of thought that we correct with gevurah with the revealed kindnesses of speech and deed that we correct through choosing chesed.  The element is wind, which can in an unrectified way create damage on its own or by stirring water up that floods.  By combining water and fire, the wind can bring a delightful breeze.

Malchus: Earthiness can be laziness and sadness or it can be a solid vessel to carry substances within the world.  All the elements, wind, water, fire and earth, contain an element of earthiness. Thus it is important to make an effort, to rise like a lion, to push against inertia, when faced with our challenges and not to succumb to depression or laziness.   Bringing into the actual earthy elements the compassion takes real work and effort, through free willed choice.

Each time we have a challenge, if we break it down into its elements of water, fire, wind and earth, it may help us draw out the impurities and permit our higher soul to heal those elements as they exist within our free will points.  It may seem like we are working on ourselves in this way our whole lives. That is actually true.  However, each time we do, we bring a little more light to those elements in general, uplifting them, filling them with Hashem’s Glory, and in time, if we continue to have in mind to reveal within us Hashem’s Glory, the elements within us are affected and once that happens, there is also a merit for the soul of klal yisrael. We are all one soul when each of us approaches this work, we are able to add to the revelation of His Glory in this world.

May the light we shine soon bring a new light and redemption b’ahava.