The lesson from Tohu – When too much spirituality is catastrophic:[1]

One of the famous doctrines of the wisdom of Kabbalah is the world of Tohu and its eventual destruction and shattering of vessels that took place. The world of Tohu represented the divine service of Ratzo, which is spiritual ecstasy and passion to a level that is above and beyond one’s capability. The world of Tohu contained intense divine revelation but little receptacles to be able to handle such intense force, hence leading to its destruction. This concept can also be found down below within man’s service of God, as when man takes upon himself too much spirituality, more than his body or soul can handle, it leads to a destruction of his vessels. Historically, this occurred to three of the great sages who entered Pardes and could not handle the revelation of mysticism that they were exposed to, which led to their demise. One of them became insane, while another one left the Jewish religion, while the third one actually died.[2] [From this, it can be inferred that small, manageable resolutions in spiritual practice are preferable to overly ambitious ones. Many well-intentioned resolutions fail because they exceed a person’s capabilities at the time. Incremental growth is more sustainable than large leaps that may lead to failure. It is better to grow in small steps that  will be lasting then taking large strides that will cause one to fall. As the saying goes “Tafasta Meruba Lo Tafasta/Grasp all, lose all.”.[3]” Hence, doing too much spiritually can be just as catastrophic as doing too little in spirituality.]

[1] Sefer Hamamrim 5668 p. 52-53

[2] Chagiga 14b

[3] Rosh Hashanah 4b; Yuma 80a; Sukkah 5a; Sifra Metzora Parshas Zavim 5:7 in name of Rebbe Akiva