What is the pinnacle of human experience? In the East, they aspire to Nirvana – an enlightenment that brings one to blissful serenity. Western philosophy, as formulated by Kant, describes the peak as the experience of the sublime – a disinterested awe in the face of the 'purpose without purpose' felt in the magnificent order and beauty of reality. These descriptions, which do not necessarily include a conscious standing before the face of God, are the 'hindpart' of King David's request – "One thing I ask of God, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of God all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of God…"
The delightful exhilaration from Divine revelation is certainly lofty and desirable, but is a 'Jewish Nirvana' of this sort truly the summit of our aspirations?
The experience of "the pleasantness of God" is essentially a taste of the Garden of Eden, and one who merits to consistently reach its illumination can be said to have entered the Garden of Eden in his lifetime. Our Sages enumerate nine men and women throughout human history who entered the Garden of Eden alive. Surprisingly, the vast majority of figures in this fascinating category are 'peripheral characters.' The list does not include the Patriarchs, Moses and Aaron, King David, the prophets whose prophecies were written for generations, or the great sages of the Mishnah. Instead, it is a list of less-famous individuals who entered the Garden of Eden by virtue of a good and important deed, more or less known, in which they took part – they came "to behold the pleasantness of God" and remained in that illumination forever. It appears, then, that the truly great figures of the Jewish people had an even higher goal than entering the Garden of Eden while alive.
In Chasidic terms, the wondrous pleasure of "the pleasantness of God" belongs to the inner dimension of Keter (Crown), to a deep layer of the super-conscious. Yet, this level is only the second head of Keter. This level has a parallel in the realm of impurity, and therefore can appear, in its 'hind' aspect, as eastern Nirvana or as the philosophical sublime. However, in holiness there is an even higher level, without parallels – the upper head of Keter, where faith is concealed, the source of Jewish self-sacrifice for the sanctification of God's Name. Thus, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, a great and fascinating scholar, entered the Garden of Eden alive – but Rabbi Akiva, the greatest of the sages of the Mishnah and pillar of the Oral Torah, longed all his days to fulfill "with all your soul" and merited to be the primary figure among the Ten Martyrs.
To bring about the Redemption, it is not enough to retreat into an experience of eternal illumination of calm and tranquility – we must achieve absolute victory over death, a complete rectification even in the lowest realms of reality. Nevertheless, among those who entered the Garden of Eden, we also find the Mashiach. As we approach the Redemption, we must transform the self-sacrifice of previous generations, which demanded a life of sorrow and hardship, suffering and death – God forbid – into self-sacrifice from a place of comfort and abundance, both material and spiritual.
We must experience the Divine pleasure, be awestruck by the beauty and wonder in reality, and feel "the pleasantness of God," yet simultaneously maintain a firm stance of spreading light to the entire world and demanding complete Redemption. Instead of entering the Garden of Eden while alive, we must transform this entire world into the Garden of Eden, a "dwelling place in the lower realms" where God is revealed to the eyes of all living beings.
