Editing Galus (Exile) (section)

== Personal Exile ==
In addition to the matter of the general exile - the exile of the Divine Presence and the Jewish people - in Chassidic teachings emphasis is also placed on the personal exile in the divine service of each Jew.

In Chassidism it is explained that the fact that the inner part of the heart, the essence of the Jew's soul is in concealment and hiding, and the Jew does not openly feel his divine soul whose desire to cleave to G-d overpowers all other desires - is because the divine spark in his soul is in exile, and it is covered and concealed in worldly matters and desires.

When a Jew transgresses, he causes a more severe descent and exile as he further conceals the revelation of his soul and draws divine influence to the kelipot (negative forces). When a Jew returns in teshuvah, he reveals his soul again and removes the influence of the Divine Presence from the kelipot back to its place, similar to the return of the general Divine Presence in the redemption.

Just as in the general exile of Israel it is said that "wherever they were exiled, the Divine Presence is with them," so too in the exile of the divine soul - a Jew must remember that despite being in a lowly state and not feeling the light of the soul, the Divine Presence is with him in that he is given the power to contemplate G-d's unity and thus feel G-dliness.

However, the power to leave the personal exile today is not complete; and although through contemplation a Jew can reveal the inner part of his soul during prayer and the like - in the end the soul will still remain in a certain concealment. And the complete exit of the soul from exile will only be when Moshiach comes in the general redemption, and the soul will be revealed in its completeness.