"And he led the flock deep into the desert" (Exodus 3:1)

On the surface, this is a simple description of a faithful shepherd seeking pasture for his flock. However, our Sages see this as a profound spiritual journey: Why "deep into" (literally: after) the desert? Because Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) was not satisfied with the ordinary desert; he sought the most secluded and distant place, where no human foot treads and no voice disturbs. It is specifically there, in solitude and detachment from Olam Hazeh (this world), that a person can truly draw close to his Creator, free himself from the illusions of matter, and understand that physical reality is a passing imagination.

The message is clear – if you want to discover the "diamond within," you must stop polishing the box and start polishing the soul.

These are the holy words of our teacher, Rabbi Berland shlit"a:

What does "after the desert" mean? What is "and he went after the desert"? Did Moshe go to look for better pasture? A more choice pasture? Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam says – Moshe went to seek desert after desert; he was not satisfied with just any desert, he sought a desert that was far from all other deserts, a desert where no one passes, where no person ever goes, where no foot treads. Only there could he reach his perfection, to truly cleave to Hashem, to know that "there is none besides Him," to know that he has no connection to Olam Hazeh (this world), no connection to anything, and thus reach the ultimate bittul (nullification of the self).

A person must be stripped of all gashmius (materiality), to know that there is no materiality, that there is no world at all—this world is a dream, it is an imagination. The Zohar HaKadosh (Parshat Shelach Lecha) says – In the future to come, not a single trace of Olam Hazeh (this world) will remain, not even a hair's breadth, nothing! No houses, no assets, no problems, no troubles; nothing will remain of this world. As long as a person still has a memory of this world, he cannot reach his tikkun (rectification), unless he is purified and refined from the ta'avos (desires) and the imaginations of this world until he forgets everything, so that he has no trace of this world left! A person cannot enter Olam Habah (the World to Come) if he still has something of the body, something of this world. For in Olam Habah there are no houses, no food, there is nothing; everything is completely different, the body turns into soul, and not a single point of this world will remain.

It is told of Reb Shimshon from "The Forest" – who was a Breslov Chassid who served Hashem day and night with great strength and enthusiasm. Suddenly, he passed away, and he appeared in a dream to Reb Avraham Berenyo, the grandson of Rebbe Nachman, and told him the entire order of his histalkus (passing): "Reb Noson came to me and took me to Rebbe Nachman. The Rebbe said to me: 'Who says you are a Breslov Chassid? You were in Uman, you went up to the Tziyon (grave site), you had self-sacrifice? This is all true, but being a Breslov Chassid is not so simple, it doesn't come easily. I have a notebook, let's check the records.' The Rebbe took the notebook and said... 'It's okay, you are recorded in my notebook, you are a Breslov Chassid, but you still have a smell of Olam Hazeh (this world)!'" As long as a person has some point of connection to this world, some affinity for this world, some scent of materiality, of the desires of the world, he cannot reach his place in Heaven. "Two angels came and took me to the Nehar Dinur – a river of fire – and immersed me... how can I describe the magnitude of the suffering and pain in that immersion? It was beyond all measure, there is no such suffering in the whole world. However, the magnitude of the pleasure that follows the immersion is also beyond measure. After the immersion, Reb Noson returned with me to Rebbe Nachman zy"a. Rebbe Nachman looked at me and said, 'Olam Hazeh is still felt in you; go immerse a second time.'" It is forbidden for there to be any belief in this world, any connection to the world, any belonging to the world. Until every scent of the world and all the filth of this world leaves a person, he cannot enter Olam Habah. "And Reb Noson returned with me to immerse a second time. When I returned to Rebbe Nachman, the Rebbe said to me: 'Now, indeed, you have been purified.'"

We want eternal life. The body is just a box; the body is only a box for the soul. Why did Hashem create a body for us? It is only so that the soul does not ascend above before its time. The soul has nothing to do here in this world; it always wants to return above to its root. It has no connection to this world – to eat again, to drink again, it is already fed up! A person must eat because otherwise the soul will flee; the moment he doesn't eat, the soul will depart and return to its root. The soul does not want to be here! 120 years is the absolute limit for it; it no longer has any strength, it already asks to leave here, it wants to go. Until 120 years it manages to hold on, but it only holds on through food, which is why one must always care for the needs of the body. But in truth, the body is just a box for the soul, like a diamond inside a box, and there is one who spends all day worrying about the box, renovating the box –

You polish the box all day, caring for it, but there is a diamond inside—the main thing is the diamond! The main thing is the soul! Renovate the diamond! Polish the diamond! You are a Divine thing, why are you polishing the box?! So that it will have a shine? You polish it all day, and in the end, it won't even have a shine from all the polishing, because nothing will remain of this body, of this box. This box covers something; there is a diamond inside! Look for the diamond. Every person has two paths, as it is written – "See, I have set before you life and good, and death and evil... and you shall choose life." Does one really need to tell a person not to choose death?

It is written "life... and good... death and evil." Who is so foolish as to choose evil? Who chooses death? Rather, it is a sign that here in this world everything is confused, everything is upside down. Death is imagined as life; materiality and desires seem to a person like a good life. And life – the Torah and holiness – seem like death. Therefore the Torah says: Be careful! It could be that what you think is life is actually death. Watch out! You could die. "And you shall choose life" – choose Torah, holiness, and purity.

Every single person has long, long battles. There were so many who entered into holiness and the service of Hashem, and there were many who could not deal with the trials, who could not hold on. The moment evil thoughts or desires come, a person simply breaks; he says, "Maybe this war isn't for me." Do you have another way?! "And you shall choose life" – there is good and there is evil... there is no middle ground, there is no such thing as "it's not for me." If you don't choose life, you are choosing death! You can deteriorate, you can leave the Torah, fail in forbidden sights, etc. Therefore, you must choose life.

Because in truth, if a person wants to draw close to Hashem, if he only wants it, then nothing stands in the way of the will (ratzon); nothing will stand before the Divine will. Whatever a person wants, he will achieve. As Reb Noson brings in Likutey Halachos – people who wanted to get rich would travel to diamond mines, traveling great distances into jungles, among Indians, through deserts, and most people would be killed on the way. They traveled with self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh) just to earn a kilo of gold, a kilo of diamonds. So for Hashem, for holiness, will a person not have self-sacrifice? Let him learn from the Sitra Achra (the "Other Side"/evil) how people exert themselves for the Sitra Achra. People in universities sit through the nights, studying all night without sleep for a few things of vanity, of a passing world. So we, for holiness, shall we not study Torah? Shall we not exert ourselves?