The Baal HaSulam Connection

Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot - Part FOUR

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:30:00 +0000

Part FOUR of FOUR

111) These words seem puzzling from beginning to end. He says that one who performs one Mitzva, immediately sentences to a scale of merit, for he is judged by the majority. Yet, this refers only to those who are half unworthy and half worthy. And Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, does not speak of those at all. Thus, the essence is still absent.

Rashi interpreted his words as referring to the words, “One must always consider oneself half unworthy and half worthy.” Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, adds that one should also regard the whole world as though they are half unworthy and half worthy. Yet, the essence is still absent, and why did he change his words if the meaning is the same?

112) This is even more difficult on the object itself, meaning for one to see oneself as though he is half unworthy. This is a wonder: if one knows one’s many iniquities, would he deceive oneself saying that he is only half this and half that?

The Torah states, “keep thee far from a false matter!” Moreover, it is written, “one sinner destroyeth much good.” This is because one sin sentences the person and the entire world to a scale of sin. Thus, it is about the actual reality, not some false imagination by which a person should picture himself and the world.

113) And there is another bewilderment: can it be that there are not many people in each generation who perform one Mitzva? So how is the world sentenced to a scale of merit? Does that mean that the situation does not change at all, and there is nothing new under the sun? Indeed, great depth is required here, for the words cannot be understood superficially.

However, this does not concern a person who knows his sins are many, to teach him deception, that he is half this and half that, or to insinuate that he lacks only one Mitzva. This is not at all the way of the wise. Rather, this relates to one who feels and imagines himself as being completely and utterly righteous, and finds himself utterly whole. It is so because he has already been awarded the first degree of love by opening his eyes in the Torah, and He who knows all mysteries already testifies that he will not turn back to folly.

To him, the writing shows the way and proves that he is not yet righteous, but in between – half unworthy and half worthy. This is so because one still lacks one of the 613 Mitzvot in the Torah, namely the Mitzva of love.

The whole testimony of He who knows all mysteries that he will not sin again is only because of the clarity in one’s attainment of the great loss in transgressing. This is considered fear of punishment, and is therefore called “repentance from fear.”

114) We also learned above that this degree of repentance from fear still does not correct a person, but only from the time of repentance onwards. Yet, all the sorrow and the anguish one had suffered prior to being awarded the revelation of the face remain as they were, uncorrected. In addition, the transgressions one had made are not entirely corrected, but remain as mistakes.

115) This is why it is said that such a person, who is still short of one Mitzva, will regard himself as half unworthy and half worthy. Meaning, one should imagine that the time when he was granted repentance was in the middle of his years. Thus, he is still half unworthy, in that half of his years that had passed before he has repented. In that time, one is certainly unworthy, since repentance from fear does not correct them.

It follows, also, that he is also half worthy, in the half of his years since he has been awarded repentance onwards. At that time, one is certainly worthy, for he is certain that he will not sin again. Thus, in the first half of his years he is unworthy, and in the second half of his years, he is worthy.

116) He is told to think that if he performs one Mitzva, that Mitzva which he lacks from the number 613, he will be happy, for he has sentenced himself to a scale of merit. This is so because one who is granted the Mitzva of love by repentance from love, through it he is rewarded with turning his sins to merits.

Then, every sorrow and grief that he had ever suffered, prior to being awarded repentance, is turned into wondrous, endless pleasures for him. Moreover, he regrets not having suffered twice as much and more, as in the allegory about the landlord and the Jew who loved him.

This is called “sentencing to a scale of merit,” since all of one’s emotions, the mistakes and the sins, have been turned to merits. Thus, sentencing to a scale of merit means that the whole cup that was filled with sins has now been turned into a cup full of merits. In the words of the sages, this inversion is called “sentencing.”

117) It further warns us and says that as long as one is in between, and has not been granted the one Mitzva that is missing from the number 613, one should not believe in oneself until one’s dying day. He should also not rely himself on the testimony of the One who knows all mysteries, that he will not turn back to folly, but he might still transgress.

Hence, one should think for oneself that if he commits one sin, woe unto him, for he has sentenced himself to a scale of sin. This is because then he will immediately lose all his wonderful attainment in the Torah, and all the disclosure of the face that he has been granted, and he will return to concealment of the face. Thus, he will sentence himself to a scale of sin, for he will lose all the merits and the good, even from the latter half of his years. And as evidence, it brings the verse, “one sinner destroyeth much good.”

118) Now you understand the addition that Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, adds, and also why he does not bring the phrase, “half unworthy and half worthy.” This is so because there it speaks of the second and third discernments of love, while Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, speaks from the fourth discernment of love, the eternal love – the disclosure of face, as it truly is, Good and does good to the good and to the bad.

119) We learned there that it is impossible to attain the fourth discernment, except when one is proficient and knows all the dealings of the loved one, and how he behaves with all the others, none missing. This is also why the great privilege, when one is awarded sentencing himself to a scale of merit, is still not enough for one to attain whole love, meaning the fourth discernment. This is so because now he does not attain His merit as being good who does good to the good and to the bad, but only His Providence over him.

Yet, he still does not know of His Providence in this sublime and wonderful manner with the rest of the people in the world. Thus, we learned above that as long as one does not know the dealings of the loved one with others, until none of them is missing, the love is still not eternal. Hence, one must also sentence the entire world to a scale of merit, and only then does the eternal love appear to him.

120) This is what Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, says, “Since the world is judged by its majority and the individual is judged by its majority,” and since he relates to the whole world, he cannot say, as it is written, that he will regard them as half unworthy, half worthy. This degree comes to a person only when he is granted the disclosure of the face and repentance from fear.

Yet, how is this said about the whole world, when they have not been granted this repentance? Thus, one must only say that the world is judged by its majority, and the individual is judged by its majority.

Explanation: One might think that one does not become a complete righteous, except when he has no transgressions and has never sinned. But those who failed with sins and transgressions no longer merit becoming complete righteous.

For that reason, Rabbi Elazar, son or Rabbi Shimon, teaches us that this is not so. Rather, the world is judged by its majority and so is the individual. This means that after one is no longer considered medium, after he has repented from fear, he instantaneously attains the 613 Mitzvot and is called “medium,” meaning half his years he is unworthy, and in half his years he is worthy.

Afterwards, if one adds but a single Mitzva, the Mitzva of love, it is considered that he is mostly worthy and sentences everything to a scale of merit. Thus, the scale of sins becomes a scale of merits, too.

It turns out that even if one has a full scale of transgressions and sins, they all become merits. Then, one is as one who has never sinned, and is considered “complete righteous.”

This is the meaning of the saying that the world and the individual are judged by the majority. Thus, the transgressions in one’s hand from before the repentance are not taken into any account, for they have become merits. Accordingly, even “complete wicked” are considered “complete righteous” after they are granted repentance from love.

121) Therefore, he says that if an individual performs one Mitzva, meaning after the repentance from fear, then one is short of only one Mitzva, and “he is happy for he has sentenced himself and the whole world to a scale of merit.” Thus, not only is he rewarded, through his repentance from love, with sentencing himself to a scale of merit, as the verse says, but he is even awarded sentencing the whole world to a scale of merit.

This means that he is awarded rising in wonderful attainments in the Holy Torah, until he discovers how all the people in the world will finally be awarded repentance from love. Then, they, too, will discover and see all that wonderful Providence, as he has attained for himself. And they, too, will be all sentenced to a scale of merit. At that time, “sins will cease out of the earth and the wicked be no more.”

And even though the people in the world themselves have not yet been granted even repentance from fear, still, after an individual attains that sentencing to a scale of merit, destined to come to them in clear and absolute attainment, it is similar to, “You shall see your world in your life,” said about one who repents from fear. We said that one is impressed and delighted by it as though he instantly had it, since “all that is about to be collected is deemed collected.”

Also, here it is considered for that individual who attains the repentance of the whole world precisely as though they have been granted and came to repentance from love. Each of them sentenced their sins to merits sufficiently to know His dealings with every single person in the world.

This is why Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, says, “Happy is he, for he has sentenced himself and the entire world to a scale of merit.” From now on, one thoroughly knows all the conducts of His Providence, with every single creation, by way of disclosure of His real countenance, meaning the Good who does good to the good and to the bad. And since he knows it, he has therefore been granted the fourth discernment of love, namely “eternal love.”

Like the verse, so Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, warns that even after one has sentenced the whole world to a scale of merit, one should still not believe in himself until his dying day. Should he fail with a single transgression, he will immediately lose all his wonderful attainments, as it is written, “one sinner destroyeth much good.”

This explains the difference in what Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, writes. The writing speaks only from the second discernment and the third discernment of love; hence, it does not mention sentencing the whole world.

But Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, speaks from the fourth discernment of love, which cannot be depicted except by attainment of sentencing the entire world to a scale of merit. However, we must still understand how we attain this wonderful attainment of sentencing the whole world to a scale of merit.

122) We must understand what is written (Taanit 11a), “When the public is in grief, one should not say, ‘I shall go to my house and eat and drink, and have my soul at peace.’ If one does that, the writing says about him, ‘And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine – Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die!’ What does it say about that? ‘And the Lord of hosts revealed Himself in mine ears: Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die.’

Thus far regarding the attribute of medium. But it is written about the attribute of wicked, ‘Come ye, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day.’

What does it say about that? ‘The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart, …that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.’ Instead, when one grieves with the public, one is granted the comfort of the public.”

123) These words seem completely irrelevant. He wishes to bring evidence from the text, that one must pain oneself with the public. Hence, why should we divide and separate the attribute of medium from attribute of wicked? Furthermore, what is the precision that it makes regarding the attribute of medium and attribute of wicked? And why does it not say, “intermediate” and “wicked,” and why do I need the attributes?

Also, where does it imply that the writing speaks of an iniquity when one does not pain oneself with the public? Still more, we do not see any punishment in the attribute of the wicked, but in what is written, “The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart.” If the wicked sin, what does the righteous do that he should be punished, and why should the wicked cry if the righteous perisheth?

124) Yet, you should know that all these attributes, “medium,” “wicked,” and “righteous” are not in special people. Rather, all three are within every single person in the world. These three attributes are discernible in every person. During one’s period of concealment of the face, even before one attains repentance from fear, he is discerned as being in the attribute of wicked.

Afterwards, if one is granted repentance from fear, he is considered medium. Then, if one is granted repentance from love, too, in its fourth discernment, meaning eternal love, he is considered “complete righteous.” Hence, they did not say merely medium and righteous, but the attribute of medium and the attribute of wicked.

125) We should also remember that it is impossible to attain the above fourth discernment of love without first attaining the revelation of the face, which is destined to come to the entire world. That gives one strength to sentence the entire world to a scale of merit, as Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon says. And we have already learned that the matter of the disclosure of the face will inevitably turn every grief and sadness that came during the concealment of the face into wondrous pleasures, until one regrets having suffered so little.

Hence, we must ask, “When one sentences oneself to a scale of merit he certainly remembers all the grief and pains he had had during the concealment of the face.” This is why it is possible that they will all be turned into wondrous pleasures for him, as we have said above. But when he sentences the entire world to a scale of merit, how does he know the measure of grief and pain that all the people in the world suffer, so as to understand how are they are sentenced to a scale of merit in the same manner we explained regarding one’s own sentencing?

To avoid having the scale of merit of the entire world lacking, when one is qualified to sentence them to a scale of merit, one has no other tactic but to always pain himself with the troubles of the public, just as he suffers with his own troubles. Then the scale of sin of the entire world will be ready within him, like his own scale of sin. Thus, if he is granted sentencing himself to a scale of merit, he will be able to sentence the entire world to a scale of merit, too, and attain being “a complete righteous.”

126) Thus, if one does not pain himself with the public, then even when he is granted repentance from fear, namely the attribute of medium, the writing says about him: “And behold joy and gladness.” This means that one who has been granted the blessing, “You shall see your world in your life,” and sees the entire reward for his Mitzva, which is prepared for the next world, is certainly “filled with joy and gladness.” And he tells himself, “slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine – Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die!”

In other words, he is filled with great joy because of his guaranteed reward in the next world. This is why he says so gladly, “for tomorrow we shall die,” and I will collect my next world’s life from The Whole after I die.

Yet, it is written about that: “And the Lord of hosts revealed Himself in mine ears: Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die.” This means that the text rebukes him for the mistakes in his hand.

We learned that the sins of one who repents from fear become mere mistakes. Hence, since he did not pain himself with the public and cannot attain repentance from love, at which time the sins are turned to virtues, it is necessary that the mistakes in his hand will never be repented in his life. Thus, how can he rejoice in his life in the next world? This is why it is written, “Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die,” meaning the mistakes, “until you die,” meaning before he dies. Thus, he is devoid of repentance.

127) It is also written that this is the “attribute of medium,” meaning that this text speaks of a time when one has repented from fear onwards. At that time, one is considered “medium.”

Yet, what does it write about the “attribute of wicked”? In other words, what shall become of the time when he was in concealment of the face, which was then called “attribute of wicked”? We learned that repentance from fear does not correct one’s past before he has repented.

Hence, the text brings another verse: “Come ye, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day.” This means that those days and years that have passed since the time of concealment of the face, which he has not corrected, called “attribute of wicked,” they do not want him to die, since they have no part in the next world after the death, as they are the attribute of the wicked.

Therefore, at the time when the attribute of medium in him is glad and rejoicing, “for tomorrow we shall die,” and will be rewarded with the life of the next world, at the same time the attribute of wicked in him does not say so. It rather says, “and tomorrow shall be as this day,” meaning it wishes to live and be happy in this world forever, for it still has no part for the next world, since he has not corrected it, as it is only corrected by repentance from love

128) It is written, “The righteous perisheth,” meaning the attribute of complete righteous, which that person should merit, is lost from him. “And no man layeth it to heart …the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.” This means that because that medium did not pain himself with the public, he cannot attain repentance from love, inverting sins to virtues and evils to wonderful pleasures. Instead, all the mistakes and the evil one had experienced before he acquired repentance from fear still stand in the attribute of wicked, who sense harm from His Providence. And because of these harms that they still feel, they cannot be awarded being complete righteous.

The writing says, “and no man layeth it to heart,” meaning that that person does not take it to heart “from the evil to come.” In other words, because of the harm that one still feels in His Providence from the past, “the righteous perisheth,” meaning he lost the attribute of righteous. And he will die and pass away from the world as mere medium.

All that concerns he who does not pain himself with the public, and is not awarded seeing the comfort of the public, for he will not be able to sentence them to a scale of merit and see their consolation. Hence, he will never attain the attribute of righteous.

129) From all the aforementioned, we have come to know that there is no woman-born person who will not experience the three above attributes: attribute of wicked; attribute of medium; attribute of righteous.

They are called Midot (attributes) since they extend from the Midah (measure) of their attainment of His Providence. Our sages said, “one is measured to the extent that he measures” (Sutah 8). And they who attain His Providence in concealment of the face are considered wicked: either incomplete wicked from the perspective of the single concealment, or complete wicked from the perspective of the double concealment.

And because they feel and think that the world is conducted in bad guidance, it is as though they condemn themselves, since they receive torments and pains from His Providence and feel only bad all day long. And they condemn the most by thinking that all the people in the world are watched over like them, in bad guidance.

Hence, those who attain Providence from the perspective of concealment of the face are called “wicked,” since that name appears in them out of the depth of their sensation. It depends on the understanding of the heart, and the words or the thought that justifies His Providence do not matter at all, when it opposes the sensation of every organ and sense, which cannot force themselves to lie, as it does.

Hence, they who are in this measure of attainment of Providence are considered to have sentenced themselves and the entire world to a scale of sin, as it is written in the words of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. This is because they imagine that all the people in the world are watched over in bad guidance, as would befit His Name, “The Good that does good to the good and to the bad.”

130) They that are granted the sensation of His Providence in the form of the first degree of disclosure of the face, called “repentance from fear,” are considered medium. This is because their emotions are divided into two parts, called “two cups of the scales.”

Now that they have acquired the disclosure of the face, by way of “You shall see your world in your life,” at the very least they have attained His Good Providence as befits His Name, “Good.” Hence, they have a scale of merit.

Yet, all the sorrow and the bitter torments that were thoroughly imprinted in their feelings from all the days and years they received Providence of concealed face, from the time before they were awarded the above repentance, all remain standing and are called “a scale of sin.”

And since they have these two scales standing one opposite the other, in a way that the scale of sin is set from the moment of their repentance and before, and the scale of merit is set and guaranteed to them from the moment of repentance onwards, the time of repentance stands “between” the merit and the sin, and hence they are called “medium.”

131) And the ones who merit the disclosure of the face in the second degree, called “repentance from love,” when sins become as merits to them, are considered to have sentenced the above scale of sin to a scale of merit. This means that all the sorrow and affliction engraved in their bones while being under the Providence of concealment of the face have now been inverted and sentenced to a “scale of merit.”

This is because every sorrow and grief has now been turned into a wonderful, endless pleasure. Now they are called “righteous,” for they justify His Providence.

132) We must know that the above attribute of medium applies even when one is under Providence of concealment of the face. By great exertion in faith in reward and punishment, a Light of great confidence in the Creator appears to them. For a time, they are granted a degree of disclosure of His face in the measure of the medium. But the drawback is that they cannot permanently remain in their degrees, since standing permanently in a degree is possible only through repentance from fear.

133) We should also know that what we said, that there is choice only when there is concealment of the face, does not mean that after one has attained Providence of revealed face, one has no further labor or exertion in the practice of Torah and Mitzvot. On the contrary, the proper work in Torah and Mitzvot begins primarily after one has been awarded repentance from love. Only then is it possible to engage in Torah and Mitzvot with love and fear, as we are commanded, and “The world was created only for the complete righteous” (Berachot 61).

It is rather like a king who wished to select for himself the most loyal of his subjects in the country and bring them in to work inside his palace. What did he do? He issued a decree that anyone who wished, young or old, would come to his palace to engage in the works inside his palace.

However, he appointed many of his servants to guard the palace gate and on all the roads leading to it, and ordered them to cunningly deflect all those nearing his palace and divert them from the way that leads to the palace.

Naturally, all the people in the country began to run to the king’s palace. But the diligent guards cunningly rejected them. Many of them overpowered them and came near the palace gate, but the guards at the gate were the most diligent, and if someone approached the gate, they diverted him and turned him away with great craftiness, until one despaired and retuned as he had come.

And so they came and went, and regained strength, and came and went again, and so on and so forth for several days and years, until they grew weary of trying. And only the heroes among them, whose patience endured, defeated the guards and opened the gate. And they were instantly awarded seeing the King’s face, who appointed each of them in his right place.

Of course, from that moment on, they had no further dealings with those guards, who diverted and mislead them and made their lives bitter for several days and years, running back and forth around the gate. This is because they have been rewarded with working and serving before the glory of the king’s face inside His palace.

So it is with the work of the complete righteous. The choice applied during the concealment of the face certainly does not apply when they have opened the door to attain open Providence.

However, they begin their work primarily from the revealing of the face. At that time, they begin to march up the many rungs in the ladder set up on the earth, whose top reaches the heaven, as it is written, “The righteous shall go from strength to strength.”

It is as our sages say, “Each and every righteous is covered by the cover of his friend.” These works qualify them for the will of G-d, to realize His Thought of Creation in them, which is to “delight His creatures” according to His good and generous hand.

134) You should know this law, that there is disclosure only in a place where there was concealment. This is similar to matters of this world where the absence precedes the existence, since the growth of wheat appears only where it was sown and rotted.

It is the same with higher matters, where concealment and disclosure relate to each other as the wick to the light that catches it. This is because any concealment, once it is corrected, is a reason for disclosure of the Light related to that kind of concealment, and the Light that appears clings to it like light to a wick. Remember this on all your ways.

135) Now you can understand what our sages wrote, that the whole Torah is the names of the Creator.This seems puzzling, as there are many indecencies, such as names of wicked – Pharaoh, Balaam, etc., prohibition, impurity, ruthless curses in the two admonitions and so on. Thus, how can we understand that all these are names of the Creator?

136) To understand that, we must know that our ways are not His ways. Our way is to come from the imperfect to perfection. In His way, all the revelations come to us from perfection to the imperfect.

First, complete perfection emanates and emerges from Him. This perfection descends from His face and hangs down restriction by restriction, through several degrees, until it comes to the last, most restricted phase, suitable for our material world. And then the matter appears to us here in this world.

137) From the aforementioned, you will learn that the Holy Torah, whose Height is endless, did not emanate or emerge from before Him as it appears to us here in this world, since it is known that “The Torah and the Creator are one,” and this is not at all apparent in the Torah of our world. Moreover, one who engages in it Lo Lishma, his Torah becomes a potion of death for him.

Rather, when it was first emanated from Him, it was emanated and emerged in utter perfection, meaning in the actual form of “The Torah and the Creator are one.” This is called, “The Torah of Atzilut,” in the Introduction to the Corrections of The Zohar (p 3), that “He, His Life, and His Self are one.” Afterwards, it descended from His face and was gradually restricted through many restrictions, until it was given at Sinai, when it was written as it is before us here in this world, clothed in the crude dresses of the material world.

138) Yet, you should know that the distance between the dresses of the Torah in this world and the dresses of the Torah in the world of Atzilut is immeasurable. Yet, the Torah itself, meaning the Light within the dresses, is unchanged at all between the Torah of Atzilut and the Torah of this world, as it is written, “I the Lord change not” (Malachi 3:6).

Moreover, these crude dresses in our Torah of Assiya are not at all of inferior value with regard to the Light that is clothed in it. Rather, their importance is much greater, with respect to the end of their correction, than all its pure dresses in the Upper Worlds.

This is so because the concealment is the reason for the disclosure. After its correction, during the disclosure, the concealment is to the disclosure as a wick is to the light that grips it. The greater the concealment, the greater Light will cling to it when it is corrected. Thus, all these crude dresses that the Torah is clothed in, in this world, their value is not at all inferior to the Light that clothes it, but quite the contrary.

139) This is Moses’ triumph over the angels with his argument, “Is there envy among you? Is the evil inclination among you?” (Shabbat 89). It means that the greater concealment discloses a greater Light. He showed them that in the pure clothes that the Torah clothes in, in the world of the angels, the greater Lights cannot appear through them as they can in dresses of this world.

140) We thus learn that there is no change whatsoever from the Torah de Atzilut, where “The Torah and the Creator are one” through the Torah in this world. The only difference is in the dresses, since the dresses of this world conceal the Creator and hide Him.

Know that because of His clothing in the Torah, it is called “Teaching.” It tells you that even during the concealment of the face, and even during the double concealment, the Creator is instilled and clothed in the Torah. He is the “Teacher” and it is the Torah, but the crude clothes of the Torah before our eyes are as wings that cover and hide the Teacher who is clothed and hides in them.

However, when one is granted the revelation of the face in repentance from love in its fourth discernment, it is said about him, “yet shall not thy Teacher hide Himself any more, but thine eyes shall see thy Teacher” (Isaiah, 30:20). From then on, the clothes of the Torah no longer hide and conceal the “Teacher,” and one discovers for all time that “The Torah and the Creator are one.”

141) Now you can understand the meaning of the words, “Forsake Me and keep My law.” They interpreted, “I wish that they had left Me and kept My Torah – the Light in it reforms them” (Yerushalmi, Hagiga, p 6b).

This is perplexing. They mean that they were fasting and tormenting to find the revelation of His face, as it is written, “they delight to draw near unto G-d” (Isaiah 58:2). Yet, the text tells them in the name of the Creator, “I wish you would leave Me, for all your labor is in vain and fruitless. I am found nowhere but in the Torah. Therefore, keep the Torah and look for Me there, and the Light in it will reform you and you will find Me,” as it is written, “those that seek Me shall find Me.”

142) Now we can somewhat clarify the essence of the wisdom of Kabbalah, enough for a reliable perception in the quality of that wisdom. Thus, one will not deceive oneself with false imaginations, as the masses envisage.

You should know that the Holy Torah divides into four discernments, which encompass the whole of reality. Three discernments are discerned in the general reality of this world. They are called “World,” “Year,” “Soul.” The fourth discernment is the conduct of existence of the above three parts of reality, their nourishment, their conducts, and all their incidents.

143) The outer part of reality, like the sky and the firmaments, the earth and the seas, etc., that are written in the Torah, all these are called, “World.” The inner part of reality – man and beast, animals and various birds, etc. – brought in the Torah, which exists in the above places, called “outer part,” are called “Soul.”

The evolution of reality throughout the generations is called “cause and consequence.” For example, in the evolution of the heads of the generations from Adam ha Rishon through Joshua and Caleb, who came to the land, which are brought in the Torah, the father is considered the “cause” of the son, who is “caused” by him. This evolution of the details of reality by way of the above cause and consequence is called, “Year.” Similarly, all the conducts of the existence of reality, both external and internal, in their every incident and conduct, brought in the Torah, are called “the existence of reality.”

144) Know that the four worlds are named in the wisdom of Kabbalah, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya. When they came out and evolved, they emerged from one another like a seal and imprint. This means that anything that is written in the seal necessarily appears in what is imprinted from it, no more and no less, and so it was in the evolution of the worlds, as well.

Thus, all four discernments, WYS (World, Year, Soul), with all their modes of sustenance, which were in the world of Atzilut, came out, were imprinted, and manifested in their image in the world of Beria, as well. It is the same from the world of Beria to the world of Yetzira, down to the world of Assiya.

Thus, all three discernments in the reality before us, called WYS, with all their modes of sustenance, which are set before our eyes here in this world, extended and appeared here from the world of Yetzira, and in Yetzira from its superior.

In this manner, the source of the numerous details before our eyes is in the world of Atzilut. Moreover, even with the innovations that appear in this world today, each novelty must first appear Above, in the world of Atzilut, and from there hang down and appear to us in this world.

This is the meaning of the words of our sages: “There is not a blade of grass below that does not have a fortune and a guard above, which strike it and tell it: ‘Grow!’” (Beresheet Rabba, Chapter Ten). This is the meaning of the text, “One does not move one’s finger below, before one is declared Above” (Hulin p 7).

145) Know that because of the clothing of the Torah in the three discernments of reality, “World,” “Year,” “Soul,” and their existence in this material world, produce the prohibitions, impurities, and interdictions found in the revealed Torah. It has been explained above that the Creator is clothed in it by way of, “The Torah and the Creator are one,” but in great concealment. This is because these material dresses are the wings that cover and hide Him.

However, the clothing of the Torah in the form of the pure WYS, and their existence in the three Upper Worlds, called Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, are generally named, “The Wisdom of Kabbalah.”

146) Thus, the wisdom of Kabbalah and the revealed Torah are one and the same. Yet, while a person receives from a Providence of concealed face, and the Creator hides in the Torah, it is considered that he is practicing the revealed Torah. In other words, he is incapable of receiving any illumination from the Torah of Yetzira, not to mention from Above Yetzira.

And when one is granted the revelation of the face, he begins to engage in the wisdom of Kabbalah. This is because the dresses of the revealed Torah themselves were purified for him, and his Torah became the torah of Yetzira, called, “The Wisdom of Kabbalah.”

Even for one who is granted the Torah of Atzilut, it does not mean that the letters of the Torah have changed for him. Rather, the very same dresses of the revealed Torah have purified for him and became very pure clothes. They have become like the verse, “yet shall not thy Teacher hide Himself any more, but thine eyes shall see thy Teacher.” At that time, they become as, “He, His Life, and His Self are one.”

147) Let me give you an example, so as to bring the matter a little closer to your mind. For instance: While one was in concealment of the face, the letters and the dresses of the Torah necessarily hid the Creator. Hence, he failed, due to the sins and the mistakes he had committed. At that time, he was placed under the punishment of the crude dresses in the Torah, which are impurity, prohibition, and interdictions.

However, when one is awarded open Providence and repentance from love, when his sins become as virtues, all the sins and the mistakes he had failed in while being under the concealment of the face have now shed their crude and very bitter clothes, and wore the clothes of Light, Mitzva, and merits.

This is so because the same crude clothes have turned to virtues. Now they are as clothes that extend from the world of Atzilut or Beria, and they do not cover or hide The Teacher. On the contrary, “thine eyes shall see thy Teacher.”

Thus, there is no difference whatsoever between the Torah of Atzilut and the Torah in this world, between the wisdom of Kabbalah and the revealed Torah. Rather, the only difference is in the person who engages in the Torah. Two may study the Torah in the same portion and the same words, but to one, this Torah will be as the wisdom of Kabbalah and the Torah of Atzilut, while to the other, it will be the Torah of Assiya, the revealed.

148) Now you will understand the truth in the words of the Vilna Gaon in the prayer book, in the blessing for the Torah. He wrote that the Torah begins with Sod (secret), meaning the revealed Torah of Assyia, which is considered hidden, since the Creator is completely hidden there.

Then he moves on to the Remez (intimation), meaning that He is more revealed in the Torah of Yetzira. Finally, one attains the Peshat (literal), which is the Torah of Atzilut. It is called Peshat, for it is Mufshat (stripped) of all the clothes that conceal the Creator.

149) Once we have reached thus far, we can provide some idea and discernment in the four worlds, known in the wisdom of Kabbalah by the names, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya of Kedusha (holiness), and in the four worlds ABYA of the Klipot, arranged one opposite the other, opposite the ABYA of Kedusha.

You will understand that in the four discernments of attainment of His Providence, and in the four degrees of love. First, we shall explain the four worlds ABYA of Kedusha, and we shall start from below, from the world of Assiya.

150) We have already explained the first two discernments of Providence of concealment of the face. You should know that both are considered the world of Assiya. This is why it is written in the book, The Tree of Life, that the world of Assiya is mostly evil, and even the little good contained in it is mixed with evil and is unrecognizable.

From the perspective of the first concealment, it follows that it is mostly bad, meaning the torments and the pains that those who receive this Providence feel. And from the perspective of the double concealment, the good is mixed with the bad, as well, and the good is completely indiscernible.

The first discernment of revelation of the face is considered “the world of Yetzira.” Hence, it is written in the book, The Tree of Life (Gate 48, Chapter Three), that the world of Yetzira is half good and half bad. This means that he who attains the first discernment of revelation of the face, which is the first form of conditional love, considered a mere “repentance from fear,” is called “medium,” and he is half unworthy, half worthy.

The second discernment of love is also conditional, but there is no trace of any harm or detriment between them. Also, the third discernment of love is the first discernment of unconditional love. Both are regarded as the world of Beria.

Hence it is written in the book, The Tree of Life, that the world of Beria is mostly good and only its minority is bad, and that minority of bad is indiscernible. This means that since the medium is awarded one Mitzva, he sentences himself to a scale of merit. And for this reason, he is considered “mostly good,” meaning the discernment form of love.

The minute, indiscernible evil that exits in Beria extends from the third discernment of love, which is unconditional. Also, he has already sentenced himself to a scale of merit, but he has not yet sentenced the whole world; hence, a minority in him is bad, since this love is not yet considered eternal. However, this minority is indiscernible because he still did not feel any harm or detriment, even toward others.

The fourth discernment of love, the unconditional love, which is also eternal, is considered the world of Atzilut. This is the meaning of what is written in the book, The Tree of Life, that in the world of Atzilut there is no evil whatsoever, and there, “evil shall not sojourn with Thee.”

This is because after one has sentenced the entire world to a scale of merit, too, love is eternal, complete, and no concealment and cover will ever be conceived. This is so because there is the place of the absolute revelation of the face, as it is written, “yet shall not thy Teacher hide Himself any more, but thine eyes shall see thy Teacher.” This is because now he knows all of the Creator’s dealings with all the people, as true Providence that appears from His name, “The Good who does good to the good and to the bad.”

151) Now you can also understand the discernment of the four worlds ABYA of Klipa, set opposite the ABYA of Kedusha, as in, “G-d hath made even the one as well as the other.” This is because the chariot of the Klipot of Assiya comes from the discernment of the concealed face in both its degrees. That chariot dominates to make man sentence everything to a scale of sin.

And the world of Yetzira of Klipa catches the scale of sin – which is not corrected in the world of Yetzira of Kedusha – in its hands. Thus, they dominate the medium, which receive from the world of Yetzira, by way of, “G-d hath made even the one as well as the other.”

The world of Beria of Klipa has the same power to cancel the conditional love, to cancel only the thing that love hangs on, that is, the imperfection in the love of the second discernment.

And the world of Atzilut of Klipa is what captures in its hand that minority of evil whose existence in Beria is not apparent, due to the third discernment of love. And even though it is true love, by the force of the Good who does good to the good and to the bad, which is considered Atzilut of Kedusha, still, because he has not been awarded sentencing the whole world to a scale of merit, the Klipa has the strength to fail the love with regard to Providence over others.

152) This is the meaning of what is written in The Tree of Life, that the world of Atzilut of the Klipot stands opposite the world of Beria, not opposite the world of Atzilut. This is so because only the fourth discernment of love extends from the world of Atzilut of Kedusha. Hence, there is no dominion to the Klipot there at all, since he has already sentenced the whole world to a scale of merit, and knows all the conducts of the Creator in His Providence on people, too, from the Providence of His name, “The Good who does good to the good and to the bad.”

However, in the world of Beria, from which extends the third discernment, there is still no sentencing of the whole world. Therefore, there is still a hold for the Klipot. Yet, these Klipot are considered the Atzilut of the Klipa, since they are opposite the third discernment, the unconditional love, and this love is considered Atzilut.

153) Now we have thoroughly explained the four worlds ABYA of Kedusha and the Klipot, which are the “vis-à-vis” of each and every world. They are considered the deficiency that exists in their corresponding world, in Kedusha, and they are the ones named “the four worlds ABYA of Klipot.”

154) These words suffice for any observer to feel the essence of the wisdom of Kabbalah to some degree. You should know that most of the authors of Kabbalah books did not direct their books, but only to such readers that have already attained a disclosure of the face and all the sublime attainments.

We should not ask, “If they have already been awarded attainments, then they know everything through their own attainment. Why then would they still need to delve in books of Kabbalah by other authors?”

However, it is not wise to ask that question. It is like one who engages in the literal Torah who has no knowledge of the conducts of this world with respect to the World, Year, Soul of this world, and who does not know people’s behavior and their conducts with themselves and with others. And also, he does not know the beasts and the birds in this world.

Would you even consider that such a person would be able to understand even a single issue in the Torah correctly? He would overturn the issues in the Torah from good to bad and from bad to good, and he would not find his hands or legs in anything.

So is the matter before us: Even if one has been awarded attainment, and even at the level of the Torah of Atzilut, he will still not perceive more than relates to his own soul. Yet, one must know all three discernments, World, Year, Soul, in their every incident and conduct in full consciousness, to be able to understand the issues in the Torah that relate to that world.

These issues are explained in The Book of Zohar and the genuine Kabbalah books with all their details and intricacies. Thus, every sage and one who understands with his own mind must contemplate them day and night.

155) Therefore we must ask, why then, did the Kabbalists obligate each person to study the wisdom of Kabbalah? Indeed, there is a great thing in it, worthy of being publicized: There is a wonderful, invaluable remedy to those who engage in the wisdom of Kabbalah. Although they do not understand what they are learning, through the yearning and the great desire to understand what they are learning, they awaken upon themselves the Lights that surround their souls.

This means that every person from Israel is guaranteed to finally attain all the wonderful attainments that the Creator had contemplated in the Thought of Creation to delight every creature. And one who has not been awarded in this life will be granted in the next life, etc., until one is awarded completing His Thought, which He had planned for him.

And while one has not attained perfection, the Lights that are destined to reach him are considered Surrounding Lights. That means that they stand ready for him, but are waiting for him to purify his vessels of reception, at which time these Lights will clothe the able vessels.

Hence, even when he does not have the vessels, when he engages in this wisdom, mentioning the names of the Lights and the vessels related to his soul, they immediately shine upon him to a certain extent. However, they shine for him without clothing the interior of his soul, for lack of able vessels to receive them. Yet, the illumination one receives time after time during the engagement draws upon him grace from Above, imparting him with abundance of sanctity and purity, which bring him much closer to achieving perfection.

156) Yet, there is a strict condition during the engagement in this wisdom – to not materialize the matters with imaginary and corporeal issues. This is because thus they breach, “Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness.”

In that event, one is rather harmed instead of receiving benefit. Therefore, our sages cautioned to study the wisdom only after forty years, or from a Rav, and other such cautions. All of that is for the above reason.

To rescue the readers from any materialization, I compose the book Talmud Eser Sefirot (The Study of the Ten Sefirot) by the Ari. There I collect from the books of the Ari all the principal essays concerning the explanation of the ten Sefirot in as simple and easy language as I could. I have also arranged the table of questions and table of answers for every word and issue. “…and that the will of G-d will succeed in His hand.”

End of Part FOUR of FOUR

Original Post Link - Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot - Part THREE

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:31:00 +0000

Part THREE of FOUR

56) Now you can understand the words of our sages, “What is repentance like? When He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not turn back to folly.” These are seemingly perplexing words, for who would rise to the heaven to hear the testimony of the Creator? Also, before whom should the Creator testify? Is it not enough that the Creator Himself knows that the person repented and will not sin again?

From the explanation, the matter becomes quite clear: In truth, one is not absolutely certain that he will not sin again before he is rewarded with the above attainment of reward and punishment, meaning the revelation of the face. And this revelation of the face, from the perspective of the Creator’s salvation, is called “testimony,” since His salvation in itself, to this attainment of reward and punishment, is what guarantees that he will not sin again.

It is therefore considered that the Creator testifies for him. It is written, “What is repentance like?” In other words, when will one be certain that he has been granted complete repentance? For this, one is given a clear sign: “when He who knows all mysteries testifies that he will not turn back to folly.” This means that he will attain the revelation of the face, at which time one’s own salvation will testify that he will not turn back to folly.

57) This above-mentioned repentance is called “repentance from fear.” This is because although one returns to the Creator with his heart and soul, until He who knows all mysteries testifies that he will not turn back to folly, that certainty that he will not sin again is due to one’s attainment and sensation of the terrible punishment and wicked torment extending from the transgressions. Because of that, one is certain that he will not sin, just as he is sure that he will not afflict himself with horrible suffering.

However, at last, these repentances and certainty are only because of the fear of punishment that extends from the transgressions. It turns out that one’s repentance is only for the fear of punishment. Because of that, it is called “repentance from fear.”

58) With this we understand the words of our sages: that one who repents from fear is rewarded with his sins becoming mistakes. We must understand how this happens. According to the above (Item 52), you can thoroughly understand that the sins one makes extend to him from the reception of Providence through double concealment, namely concealment within concealment. This means that one does not believe in Providence of reward and punishment.

One concealment means that he believes in Providence of reward and punishment. Yet, because of the accumulation of the suffering, he sometimes comes to thoughts of transgression. This is because even though he believes that the suffering came to him as a punishment, he is still like one who sees his friend from behind, and might doubt and mistake him for another. And these sins are only mistakes, since, as a whole, he does believe in Providence of reward and punishment.

59) Hence, when one is granted repentance from fear, meaning a clear attainment of reward and punishment until he is certain that he will not sin again, the concealment within concealment is entirely corrected in him. This is because now he evidently sees that there is Providence of reward and punishment. It is clear to him that all the suffering he had ever felt was a punishment from His Providence for the sins he had committed. In retrospect, he made a grave mistake; hence, he uproots these sins.

However, this is not entirely so. They become sins. In other words, it is like the transgressions he made in one concealment, when he failed because of the confusion that came to him due to the multitude of torments that drive one out of one’s mind. These are only regarded as mistakes.

60) Yet, in this repentance, he did not correct at all the first concealment of the face, which he had had before, but only from now on after he has attained the revelation of the face. In the past, however, before he had attained repentance, the concealment of the face and all the mistakes remained as they were, without any change or correction whatsoever. This is so because then, too, he believed that the troubles and the suffering came to him as punishment, as it is written, “they will say in that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our G-d is not among us?”

61) Therefore, he is still considered incomplete righteous because one who is awarded the revelation of the face, namely the complete measure of His goodness, as befits His Name, is called “righteous” (Item 55). This is so because he justifies His Providence as it truly is, that He is utterly good and utterly perfect with His creations, that He is good to the good and to the bad.

Hence, since he has been awarded the revelation of the face, from here on he merits the name “righteous.” However, since he has not completed the correction, but only the concealment within concealment, and has not corrected the first concealment, but only from here on, that time, before he was awarded repentance, still does not merit the name “righteous.” This is because then he is left with the concealment of the face, as before. For this reason, he is called “incomplete righteous,” meaning one who still needs to correct his past.

62) He is also called “medium,” since after he attains repentance from fear he becomes qualified, through his completion in Torah and good deeds, to attain repentance from love, as well. Then one attains being a “complete righteous.” Hence, now one is the medium between fear and love, and is therefore named “medium.” However, prior to that, he was not completely qualified to even prepare himself for repentance from love.

63) This thoroughly explains the first degree of attainment of the revelation of the face, the attainment and the sensation of Providence of reward and punishment in a way that He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not turn back to folly. This is called “repentance from fear,” when his sins become as mistakes. This is also called “incomplete righteous” and “medium.”

64) Now we shall explain the second degree of the attainment of the revelation of the face, which is the attainment of the complete, true, and eternal Providence. It means that the Creator watches over His creations in the form of “Good that does good to the good and to the bad.” Now one is considered “complete righteous” and “repentance from love,” when one is granted turning his sins to virtues.

This explains all four discernments of perception of Providence that apply in the creations. The first three discernments, double concealment, single concealment, and attainment of Providence of reward and punishment are but preparations by which one attains the fourth discernment, which is the attainment of the true, eternal Providence.

65) But we have yet to understand why the third discernment is not enough for a person, namely attainment of the Providence of reward and punishment. We said that he has already been rewarded with He who knows all mysteries testifying that he will not sin again. Hence, why is he still called “medium” or “incomplete righteous,” whose name proves that his work is still not desirable in the eyes of the Creator, and there is still a flaw and blemish in his Torah and work?

66) First, let us scrutinize what the interpreters asked about the Mitzva of loving the Creator. How did the Holy Torah oblige us to a Mitzva that we cannot keep at all? One can coerce and enslave oneself to anything, but no coercion or enslavement in the world will help with love.

They explained that when by keeping all 612 Mitzvot appropriately, the love of G-d extends to him by itself. Hence, it is considered possible to keep, since one can enslave and coerce oneself to keep the 612 Mitzvot appropriately, and then he will also attain the love of G-d.

67) Indeed, their words require elaborate explanation. In the end, the love of G-d should not come to us as a Mitzva, since there is no act or enslavement on our part in it. It rather comes by itself after completing the 612 Mitzvot. Hence, we are quite sufficient with the commandment of the 612 Mitzvot, and why was the Mitzva of love written?

68) To understand that, we must first acquire genuine understanding in the nature of the love of G-d itself. We must know that all the inclinations, tendencies, and properties instilled in a person, with which to serve one’s friends, all these tendencies and natural properties are required for the work of G-d.

To begin with, they were created and imprinted in man only because of their final role, which is the ultimate purpose of man, as it is written, “he that is banished, be not an outcast from him.” One needs them all so as to complement oneself in the ways of reception of abundance, and to complement the will of G-d.

This is the meaning of, “Every one that is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory” (Isaiah 43:7), and also “The Lord hath made all things for His own purpose” (Proverbs 16:4). However, in the meantime, man has been given a whole world to develop and complete all these natural inclinations and qualities, by engaging in them with people, thus yielding them suitable for their purpose.

It is written, “One must say, ‘The world was created for me,’” because all the people in the world are required for a person, as they develop and qualify the attributes and inclinations of every individual to become a fit tool for His work.

69) Thus, we must understand the essence of the love of G-d from the properties of love by which one person relates to another. The love of G-d is necessarily given through these qualities, since they were only imprinted in humans for His name to begin with. And when we observe the attributes of love between man and man, we find four measures of love, one atop the other, meaning two that are four.

70) The first is “conditional love.” It means that because of the great goodness, pleasure, and benefit that one receives from one’s friend, one’s soul clings to one’s friend with wondrous love.

There are two measures in that: the first is that before they met and began to love one another, they did harm to one another. However, now they do not want to remember it, for “love covereth all transgressions.” The second measure is that they have always done good and helped one another and there is no trace of harm or detriment between them.

72) The second is “unconditional love.” It means that one knows the virtue of one’s friend to be sublime, beyond any imaginable measure. Because of that, his soul clings to him with endless love.

Here, too, there are two measures: the first measure is before one knows every conduct and deed of one’s friend with others. At that time, this love is considered “less than absolute love.”

This is because one’s friend has dealings with others, and on the surface he seems to be harming others out of negligence. In this manner, if the lover saw them, the merit of his friend would be entirely blemished and the love between them would be corrupted. Yet, since he has not seen these dealings, his love is still whole, great, and truly wonderful.

73) The second attribute of unconditional love is the fourth attribute of love in general, which also comes from knowing the merit of his friend. Yet, in addition, now he knows all his dealings and conducts with every person, none missing. He has checked and found that not only is there not a trace of flaw in them, but his goodness is greater than anything imaginable. Now it is “eternal and complete love.”

74) Note that these four attributes of love between man and man apply between man and G-d, as well. Moreover, here, in the love of G-d, they become degrees, by way of cause and consequence.

It is impossible to acquire any of them before one acquires the first attribute of conditional love. And after it is completely acquired, that first attribute causes one to acquire the second attribute. And after one has acquired the second attribute to the fullest, it causes him to acquire the third attribute. Finally, the third attribute to the fourth attribute, eternal love.

75) Hence the question arises, “How can one acquire the first degree of love of G-d, the first degree of conditional love, which is love that comes through the multitude of goodness that one receives from the loved one, when there is no reward for a Mitzva in this world?”

Moreover, according to the above, one must go through the first two forms of Providence by way of concealment of the face. In other words, His face, meaning His measure of goodness – the conduct of the good is to do good – is concealed at that time (Item 47). Therefore, at that time, one experiences pain and suffering.

Nevertheless, we learn that the whole practice of Torah and work out of choice is conducted primarily during that time, of concealment of the face. If so, how can it be that one will be awarded the second attribute of conditional love, being that the loved one has always done only wondrous and plentiful good, and never caused him any harm at all, and even more so when he attains the third degree or the fourth?

76) Indeed we dive into deep waters here. At the very least, we must fish out a precious gem from this. For that purpose, let us examine the words of our sages (Berachot 17), “You shall see your world in your life, and your end to the life of the next world.”

We must understand why they did not say, “You will receive your world in your life,” but only “see”? If they wanted to bless, they should have blessed wholly, meaning to acquire and receive his world in his life. We must also understand, why should one see his next world in his life? At least his end will be the life of the next world. Moreover, why did they place this blessing first?

77) First, we must understand how is this seeing of the next world in one’s life? Certainly, we cannot see anything spiritual with corporeal eyes. It is also not the Creator’s conduct to change the laws of nature. This is because the Creator originally arranged these conducts in this manner because they are the most successful for their purpose. Through them, one comes to cleave unto Him, as it is written, “The Lord hath made all things for His own purpose.” Therefore, we must understand how one sees one’s world in one’s life?

78) I shall tell you that this seeing comes to a person through the opening of the eyes in the Holy Torah, as it is written, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” It is about this that the soul is sworn before it comes to the body (Nida p 30), and “Even if the whole world says you are righteous, be wicked in your own eyes,” specifically in your own eyes.

In other words, as long as you have not attained “opening of the eyes” in the Torah, regard yourself as wicked. Do not fool yourself with your reputation in the entire world as righteous

Now you can also understand why they placed the blessing, “You shall see your world in your life,” at the beginning of all the blessings. It is because prior to that, one is not even awarded the property of “Incomplete Righteous.”

79) We have yet to understand, if a person knows within himself that he has already kept the whole Torah, and the whole world agrees with him in that, why is that not enough for him at all? Instead, he is sworn to continue regarding himself as wicked. Is it because that wondrous degree of opening his eyes in the Torah is missing in him that you compare him to a wicked?

80) Indeed, the four measures of people’s attainment of His Providence over them have already been explained. Two of them are in concealment of the face, and two are in disclosure of the face.

Also, the reason for the concealment of the face from the people has been explained: it is deliberately to give people room for labor and engage in His work in Torah and Mitzvot out of choice. This is because this increases the contentment of the Creator from their work in His Torah and Mitzvot more than His contentment from His angels above, who have no choice and whose work is coerced.

81) Despite the above praise for concealment of face, it is still not considered wholeness, but only as “transition.” This is the place from which the longed-for wholeness is attained.

This means that any reward for a Mitzva that is prepared for a person is acquired only through one’s labor in Torah and good deeds during the concealment of the face, when he engages out of “choice.” This is so because then one feels sorrow out of his strengthening in His faith, in keeping His will. And one’s whole reward is measured only according to the pain he suffers from keeping the Torah and the Mitzva, as it is written, “The reward is according to the pain.”

82) Hence, every person must experience that transit period of concealment of the face. When he completes it, he is rewarded with open Providence, meaning the revelation of the face.

And before he is rewarded with revelation of the face, and although he sees the posterior side, he cannot refrain from ever committing a sin. Not only is he unable to keep all 613 Mitzvot, since love does not come by coercion and compulsion, but one is not complete even in the 612 Mitzvot, since even his fear is not fixed as it should be.

This is the meaning of the Torah being 611 in Gematria (any Gematria is the posterior side), that one cannot properly observe even 612 Mitzvot. This is the meaning of, “He will not always contend.” In the end, one will be awarded the revelation of the face.

83) The first degree of the revelation of the face is the attainment of the Providence of reward and punishment in utter clarity. This comes to a person only through His salvation, when one is awarded the opening of eyes in the Holy Torah in wonderful attainment, and becomes “a flowing spring” (Avot 86). In any Mitzva in the Holy Torah that one has already kept of his own choice, one is granted seeing the reward of the Mitzva in it, intended for him in the next world, as well as the great loss in the transgression.

84) And although the reward is not yet in his hand, since the reward for a Mitzva is not in this world, the clear attainment is quite sufficient for him from now on, to feel the great pleasure while performing each Mitzva. This is so because, “All that is about to be collected is deemed collected.”

For example, take a merchant who made a deal and gained a large sum, even though the profit will come to him after a long time. But if he is certain beyond any shadow of a doubt that the profit will come to him in time, he is as happy as if the money has come to him immediately.

85) Naturally, such Providence testifies that from now on he will cleave to Torah and Mitzvot with his heart, and soul, and might, and that he will retire from the sins as if escaping from a fire. And although he is not yet a complete righteous, since he has not acquired repentance from love, his great adhesion in the Torah and good deeds help him slowly be granted repentance from love, meaning the second degree of the revelation of the face. Then one can keep all 613 Mitzvot in full, and he becomes a complete righteous.

86) Now we thoroughly understand what we asked concerning the oath, that the soul is sworn before it comes to this world: “Even if the whole world says you are righteous, be wicked in your own eyes.” We asked, “Since the whole world agrees that he is righteous, why must he still consider himself wicked? Does he not trust the entire world?”

We must also add, concerning the phrase, “Even if the whole world says.” What is the connection between this and the testimony of the entire world, since one knows oneself better than the rest of the world? It should have sworn him, “Even if you know for yourself that you are righteous.”

Yet, the most perplexing is that the Gemarah explicitly states (Berachot 61) that one must know in one’s soul if he is righteous or not. Thus, there is an obligation and possibility to truly be completely righteous.

Moreover, one must delve and know this truth. If this is so, how is the soul sworn to always be wicked in its own eyes, and to never know the actual truth, when our sages have obligated the contrary?

87) The words are very precise indeed. As long as one has not been awarded the opening of eyes in the Torah in wondrous attainment, sufficient for him for clear attainment of reward and punishment, he will certainly not be able to deceive himself and consider himself righteous. This is because he will necessarily feel that he lacks the two most comprehensive Mitzvot in the Torah, namely love and fear.

Even attaining complete fear, in a way that “He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not turn back to folly,” due to his great fear of punishment and the great loss from transgressing, is completely unimaginable before he is awarded complete, clear, and absolute attainment in Providence of reward and punishment

This refers to the attainment of the first degree of revelation of the face, which comes to a person through the opening of eyes in the Torah. It is all the more so with love, which is completely beyond one’s ability, since it depends on the understanding of the heart, and no labor or coercion will help here.

88) Hence, the oath states, “Even if the whole world says you are righteous.” This is so because these two Mitzvot, love and fear, are given only to the individual, and no one else in the world can distinguish them and know them.

Thus, since they see that he is complete in 611 Mitzvot, they immediately say that he probably has the two Mitzvot of love and fear, too. And since human nature compels one to believe the world, one might fall into a grave mistake.

For that reason, the soul is sworn to that even before it comes into this world, and may it help us. Nonetheless, it is the individual himself who must certainly question and know in his heart if he is a complete righteous.

89) We can also understand what we asked, “How can even the first degree of love be attained when there is no reward for a Mitzva in this world (in this life)?” Now it is clear that one does not need to actually receive the reward for the Mitzva in his life, hence their precision, “You will see your world in your life, and your end to the life of the next world,” indicating that the reward for a Mitzva is not in this world, but in the next world.

Yet, to know, to see, and to feel the future reward of the Mitzva in the next world, one must know it in complete certainty and clarity while in this life, through the wonderful attainment in the Torah. This is because then one still attains conditional love, which is the first degree of the exit from concealment of the face and the entrance to the revelation of the face, which one must have in order to keep Torah and Mitzvot correctly, in a way that, “He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not turn back to folly.”

90) And by laboring to observe Torah and Mitzvot in the form of conditional love, which comes to him from knowing the future reward in the next world, as in, “all that is about to be collected is deemed collected,” one attains the second degree of revelation of the face – His Guidance over the world from His eternity and truthfulness, meaning that He is good and does good to the good and to the bad.

In that state, one attains unconditional love and the sins become as virtues for him. And from then on, he is called “complete righteous,” since he can keep the Torah and Mitzvot with love and fear. And he is called “complete” because he has all 613 Mitzvot in completeness.

91) This answers what we asked: “One who attains the third measure of Providence, namely Providence of reward and punishment, when He who knows all mysteries already testifies that he will not turn back to folly, is still considered ‘Incomplete Righteous.’” Now we thoroughly understand that one still lacks one Mitzva, the Mitzva of love. Of course, one is incomplete, since he must necessarily complete the 613 Mitzvot, which is necessarily the first step on the door of perfection.

92) With all that is said above, we understand what they asked, “How did the Torah obligate us to the Mitzva of love when this Mitzva is not even in our hands to engage in or even somewhat touch it?” Now you see and understand that it is about this that our sages warned us, “I have labored and did not find, do not believe,” and also, “Let one always engage in Torah and Mitzvot in Lo Lishma because from Lo Lishma one comes to Lishma” (Pesachim 50). Also, the verse, “those that seek Me shall find Me” (Proverbs 8), testifies to that.

93) These are the words of our sages (Megillah p 6): “Rabbi Yitzhak said, ‘If a person should tell you, ‘I have labored and did not find,’ do not believe; ‘I did not labor and found,’ do not believe; ‘I labored and found,’ believe.’” And we ask about, “I labored and found, believe,” that the words seem self-contradictory, since labor relates to possession, and a find is something that comes without labor at all, absentmindedly. He should have said, “I labored and bought.”

However, you should know that this term, “find,” mentioned here, relates to the verse, “those that seek Me shall find Me.” It refers to finding the face of the Creator, as it is written in The Zohar that He is found only in the Torah, meaning that one is rewarded with finding the face of the Creator by laboring in the Torah. Hence, our sages were precise in their words, and said “I labored and found, believe,” because the labor is in the Torah, and the finding is in the revelation of the face of His Providence.

They deliberately refrained from saying, “I labored and won, believe,” or “I labored and bought.” This is because then there would be room for error in the matters, since winning or possessing relate only to possession of the Torah. Hence, they made the precision of the word “found,” indicating that it refers to another thing besides the acquisition of the Torah, namely the revelation of the face of His Providence.

94) That settles the verse, “I did not labor and found, do not believe.” It seems puzzling, for who would think that it is possible to attain the Torah without having to labor for it? But since the words relate to the verse, “those that seek Me shall find Me” (Proverbs 8:17), it means that anyone, small or great, who seeks Him, finds Him immediately. This is what the word “seek” implies.

One might think that this does not require so much labor, and even a lesser person, unwilling to make any effort for it, will find Him, too. Our sages warn us in that regard to not believe such an explanation. Rather, the labor is necessary here, and not, “I labored and found, do not believe.”

95) Now you see why the Torah is called “Life,” as it is written, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good” (Deuteronomy 30:15), and also, “therefore choose life,” and “For they are life unto those that find them” (Proverbs 4:22). This extends from the verse, “In the light of the king's countenance is life” (Proverbs 16), since the Creator is the source of all life and every good.

Hence, life extends to those branches that cleave to their source. This refers to those that have labored and found the Light of His face in the Torah, that have been imparted opening their eyes in the Torah in wonderful attainment, until they were imparted the revelation of the face, the attainment of the true Providence that befits His name, “Good,” and the conduct of the Good is to do good.

96) And those that won can no longer retire from keeping the Mitzva correctly, as one cannot retire from a wonderful pleasure that comes to his hand. Hence, they run from transgression as one runs from a fire.

It is said about them: “But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your G-d are alive every one of you this day,” as His love comes abundantly to them in natural love, through the natural channels prepared for one by the nature of Creation. This is so because now the branch is properly cleaved to its root, and life pours to him abundantly and incessantly from its origin. It is because of this that the Torah is called “Life.”

97) For that reason, our sages warned us in many places concerning the necessary condition in the practice of Torah, that it will be specifically Lishma, in a way that one will be awarded life through it, for it is a Torah of life, and this is why it was given to us, as it is written, “therefore choose life.”

Hence, during the practice of Torah, every person must labor in it, and set his mind and heart to find “the light of the king's countenance” in it, that is, the attainment of open Providence, called “light of countenance.” And any person is fit for it, as it is written, “those that seek Me shall find Me,” and as it is written, “I labored and did not find, do not believe.”

Thus, one needs nothing in this matter except the labor alone. It is written, “Anyone who practices Torah Lishma, his Torah becomes a potion of life for him” (Taanit 7a). It means that one should only set one’s mind and heart to attain life, which is the meaning of Lishma.

98) Now you can see that the question the interpreters asked about the Mitzva of love, saying that this Mitzva is out of our hands, since love does not come by coercion and compulsion, is not at all a question. This is because it is entirely in our hands. Every person can labor in the Torah until he finds the attainment of His open Providence, as it is written, “I labored and found, believe.”

When one attains open Providence, the love extends to him by itself through the natural channels. And one who does not believe that he can attain that through his efforts, for whatever reason, is necessarily in disbelief of the words of our sages. Instead, he imagines that the labor is not sufficient for each person, which is the opposite of the verse, “I labored and did not find, do not believe.” It is also against the words, “those that see Me shall find Me”; specifically, those that “seek,” whomever they are, great or small. However, he certainly needs to labor.

99) From the above, you will understand the meaning of, “Anyone who practices Torah Lo Lishma, his Torah becomes a potion of death for him” (Taanit 7a), and the verse, “Verily Thou art a G-d that hidest Thyself,” that the Creator hides Himself in the Torah.

We asked, “It seems reasonable that the Creator is hidden in this world, outside of the Torah, and not in the Torah itself, that only there is the place of the disclosure. And we asked further: This concealment that the Creator hides Himself, to be sought and found, why should I?”

100) From the above explained, you can thoroughly understand that this concealment that the Creator hides Himself so as to be sought is the concealment of the face, which He conducts with His creations in two manners: one concealment, and concealment within concealment.

The Zohar tells us that we should not even consider that the Creator wishes to remain in Providence of concealed face from His creations. Rather, it is like a person who deliberately hides himself, so his friend will seek and find him.

Similarly, when the Creator behaves in concealment of face with His creations, it is only because He wants the creatures to seek the disclosure of His face and find Him. In other words, there would be no way or inlet for people to attain the Light of the King’s countenance had He not first behaved with them in concealment of face. Thus, the whole concealment is but a preparation for the disclosure of the face.

101) It is written that the Creator hides Himself in the Torah. Regarding the torments and pains one experiences during the concealment of the face, one who possesses few sins and has done little Torah and Mitzvot is not like one who has extensively engaged in Torah and good deeds. This is because the first is quite qualified to sentence his Maker to a scale of merit, to think that the suffering came to him because of his sins and scarceness of Torah.

For the other, however, it is much harder to sentence his Maker to a scale of merit. This is because in his mind, he does not deserve such harsh punishment. Moreover, he sees that his friends, who are worse than him, do not suffer so, as it is written, “the wicked, and they that are always at ease, increase riches,” and also, “in vain have I cleansed my heart.”

Thus, as long as one has not attained Providence of revelation of the face, the abundance of Torah and Mitzvot he has performed makes his concealment of the face much heavier. This is the meaning of, “the Creator hides Himself in the Torah.”

Indeed, all that heaviness he feels through the Torah is but proclamations by which the Holy Torah itself calls him, awakening him to hurry and give the required measure of labor, to promptly endow him with the revelation of the face, as G-d wills it.

102) This is why it is written that all who learn Torah Lo Lishma, their Torah becomes a potion of death for them. Not only do they not emerge from concealment of the face to disclosure of the face, since they did not set their minds to labor and attain it, the Torah that they accumulate greatly increases their concealment of the face. Finally, they fall into concealment within concealment, which is considered death, being completely detached from one’s root. Thus, their Torah becomes a potion of death for them.

103) This clarifies the two names the Torah is called by: “revealed” and “concealed.” We must understand why we need the concealed Torah, and why is the whole Torah not revealed?

Indeed, there is a profound intention here. The concealed Torah implies that the Creator hides in the Torah, hence the name, “the Torah of the hidden.” Conversely, it is called “revealed” because the Creator is revealed by the Torah.

Therefore, the Kabbalists said, and we also find it in the prayer book of the Vilna Gaon (GRA), that the order of attainment of the Torah begins with the concealed and ends with the revealed. This means that through the appropriate labor, where one first delves into the Torah of the hidden, he is thus granted the revealed Torah, the literal. Thus, one begins with the concealed, called Sod (secret), and when he is rewarded, he ends in the literal.

104) It has been thoroughly clarified how it is possible to attain the first degree of love, which is conditional love. We learned that even though there is no reward for a Mitzva in this world, the attainment of the reward for the Mitzva exists in worldly life nonetheless. It comes to a person by opening the eyes in the Torah. And this clear attainment is completely similar to receiving instantaneous reward for the Mitzva.

Hence, one feels the wonderful benefit contained in the Thought of Creation, which is to delight His creatures with His full, good, and generous hand. Because of the abundance of benefit that one attains, wondrous love appears between a person and the Creator. It pours to one incessantly, by the same ways and channels through which natural love appears.

105) However, all this comes to a person from the moment he attains onwards. Yet, one does not want to remember all the torment caused by the Providence in concealment of the face he had suffered before he attained the above disclosure of the face, since “love covereth all transgressions.” Nevertheless, it is considered a great flaw, even with love among people, much less concerning the truthfulness of His Providence, since He is Good who does good to the good and to the bad.

Therefore, we must understand how one can attain His love in such a way that he will feel and know that the Creator has always done him wondrous good, since the day he was born onwards; that He has never, nor will ever cause him an ounce of harm, which is the second manner of love.

106) To understand that, we need the words of our sages. They said, “one who repents from love, his sins become as virtues.” It means that not only does the Creator forgive his sins, each sin and transgression one had made is turned into a Mitzva by the Creator.

107) Hence, after one attains the illumination of the face in such a measure that each sin he had committed, even the deliberate ones, is turned and becomes a Mitzva for him, one rejoices with all the torment and affliction he had ever suffered since the time he was placed in the two discernments of concealment of the face. This is because it is them that brought him all these sins, which have now become Mitzvot, by the illumination of His face, who performs wonders.

And any sorrow and trouble that drove him out of wits, and where he failed with mistakes, as in the first concealment, or failed with sins, as in the double concealment, has now become a cause and preparation for keeping a Mitzva and the reception of eternal and wondrous reward for it. Therefore, any sorrow has turned for him into great joy and any evil to wonderful good.

108) This is similar to a well-known tale about a Jew who was a house trustee for a certain landlord. The landlord loved him dearly. Once, the landlord went away, and left his business in the hands of his substitute, who was an anti-Semite.

What did he do? He took the Jew and struck him five times in front of everyone, to thoroughly humiliate him.

Upon the landlord’s return, the Jew went to him and told him all that had happened to him. His anger was kindled, and he called the substitute and commanded him to promptly give the Jew a thousand coins for every time he had struck him.

The Jew took them and went home. His wife found him crying. She asked him anxiously, “What happened to you with the landlord?” He told her. She asked, “Then why are you crying?” He answered, “I am crying because he only beat me five times. I wish he had beaten me at least ten times, since now I would have had ten thousand coins.”

109) Now you see that after one has been awarded repentance of the sins in a way that the sins became to him as virtues, one is then awarded achieving the second degree of love of the Creator, where the loved one never caused his loved one any harm or even a shadow of harm. Instead, He performs wondrous and plentiful good, always and forever, in a way that repentance from love and the turning of the sins into merits come as one.

110) Thus far, we examined only the two degrees of conditional love. Yet, we must still understand how one is awarded coming in the two manners of unconditional love with one’s Maker.

End of Part THREE of FOUR

Original Post Link - Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot - Part TWO

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:35:00 +0000

Part TWO of FOUR

31) There is a great need to explain once and for all why the coming of the Messiah depends on the study of Kabbalah in the masses, which is so prevalent in The Zohar and in all the books of Kabbalah. The populace has already discussed it pointlessly and it has become unbearable.

The explanation of this matter is expressed in the Tikkunim (corrections) of The Zohar (Tikkun 30). Abbreviated translation: When the Holy Divinity went into exile, this spirit blows upon them who engage in the Torah because the Holy Divinity is among them. They are all as hay-eating beasts, every grace that they do, they do for themselves. Even all those who do study the Torah, every grace that they do, they do for themselves. In that time, the spirit leaves and does not return to the world. This is the spirit of the Messiah.

Woe unto them that make the spirit of the Messiah leave and not return to the world. They make the Torah dry and do not want to delve into the wisdom of Kabbalah. These people cause the sprouting of the wisdom, which is the Yod in the name HaVaYaH, to depart.

The spirit of the Messiah leaves, the spirit of holiness, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord. “And G-d said: ‘Let there be Light.’” This is the Light of love, the love of Mercy, as it is written, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.”

It is said about that, “if ye awaken, and if ye stir up love, until it please…,” then it is love not in order to receive reward. This is because if fear and love are in order to receive reward, it is a handmaid… “a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.”

32) We shall begin to explain the Tikkunim of The Zohar from toe to head. He says that the fear and the love one has in the practice of Torah and Mitzvot in order to receive reward, meaning while hoping for some benefit from the Torah and the work, this is considered the maid. It is written about her, “a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.”

This is seemingly perplexing, for it is written: “One will always engage in Torah and Mitzvot, even Lo Lishma,” and why “the earth doth quake?” In addition, we must understand the correlation of the engagement in Lo Lishma specifically to the handmaid, and also the parable that she inherits her mistress. What inheritance is there here?

33) You will understand the matter with everything that is explained above in this introduction, that they did not permit the study in Lo Lishma but only since from Lo Lishma one comes to Lishma, since the Light in it reforms. Hence, engagement in Lo Lishma is considered a helping handmaid, who assists and performs the ignoble works for her mistress, the Holy Divinity.

This is because at last, one will come to Lishma and will be imparted the inspiration of Divinity. Then the maid, which is the engagement in Lo Lishma, will also be considered a holy maid, for she supports and prepares the holiness, though she will be considered the world of Assiya of the Kedusha (holiness).

However, if one’s faith is incomplete, and he does not engage in the Torah or in the work only because the Creator commanded him to study, then we have seen above that in such Torah and work the Light does not appear. This is because one’s eyes are flawed, and like a bat turn the Light into darkness.

Such a study is no longer considered a maid of Kedusha, since he will not acquire Lishma through it. Hence, it comes to the domain of the maid of Klipa (shell), which inherits these Torah and work, and robs them for herself.

Hence, “the earth doth quake,” meaning the Holy Divinity, called “earth.” This is so because those Torah and work that should have come to her, as possessions of the Holy Divinity, that evil handmaid robs and lowers them to be a possession of the Klipot (shells). Thus, the handmaid is heir to her mistress.

34) The Tikkunim of The Zohar interpret the meaning of the oath, “if ye awaken, and if ye stir up love, until it please.” The precision is that Israel will draw the Light of the Upper Hesed (Mercy), called “Love of Mercy,” since this is what is desired. This is drawn particularly by the engagement in Torah and in Mitzvot not in order to receive reward. The reason is that the Light of the Upper Wisdom is extended to Israel through this Light of Mercy, appearing and clothing in this Light of Mercy, which Israel extends.

And this Light of Wisdom is the meaning of the verse, “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11). It is said about the King the Messiah: “And He will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the dispersed of Israel, and gather together the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” This is because after Israel extends the Light of Wisdom through the Light of Mercy, the Messiah appears and assembles the dispersed of Israel.

Thus, everything depends on the practice of Torah and the work Lishma, which can extend the great Light of Mercy where the Light of Wisdom clothes and extends. This is the meaning of the oath, “if ye awaken, and if ye stir up.” It is so because complete redemption and assembling the exiles are impossible without it, since so are the channels of holiness arranged.

35) They also interpreted “and the spirit of G-d hovered over the face of the waters.” What is “the spirit of G-d”? During the exile, when Israel were still occupied in Torah and Mitzvot Lo Lishma, if they are in this way because from Lo Lishma one comes to Lishma, then Divinity is among them, though in exile, since they still have not reached Lishma.

This is the meaning of the text when Divinity is in concealment. However, they are bound to attain the revelation of Divinity, and then the spirit of the Messiah King hovers on the engaging and awakens them to come to Lishma, as it is written, “the Light in it reforms them.” She aids and prepares for the inspiration of Divinity, which is her mistress.

Yet, if this learning in Lo Lishma is not suitable to bring them to Lishma, Divinity regrets it and says that the spirit of man that rises upward is not found among those practicing the Torah. Rather, they suffice for the spirit of the beast, which descends, whose engagement in Torah and Mitzvot is only for their own benefit and pleasure.

The engagement in the Torah cannot bring them to Lishma, since the spirit of the Messiah does not hover on them, but leaves them and will not return, because the impure maid robs their Torah and inherits her mistress, since they are not on the way to come from Lo Lishma to Lishma.

Even though they do not succeed through the practice in the revealed Torah, since there is no Light in it, and it is dry due to the smallness of their minds, they could still succeed by engaging in the study of Kabbalah. This is because the Light in it is clothed in the clothing of the Creator – the Holy Names and the Sefirot. They could easily come to that form of Lo Lishma, which brings them to Lishma, and then the spirit of G-d would hover on them, as it is written, “the Light in it reforms them.”

Yet, they have no wish at all for the study of Kabbalah. And thus they cause poverty, looting, ruin, killing, and destruction in the world, since the spirit of the Messiah leaves, the spirit of holiness, the spirit of wisdom and understanding.

36) We learn from the words of the Tikkunim of The Zohar that there is an oath that the Light of Mercy and love will not awaken in the world before Israel’s deeds in Torah and Mitzvot will have the intention to not receive reward, but only to bestow contentment upon the Maker. This is the meaning of the oath, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem.”

Thus, the length of the exile and affliction that we suffer depends on us and waits for us to merit the practice of Torah and Mitzvot Lishma. And if we only attain that, this Light of love and Mercy, which has the power to extend, will immediately awaken, as it is written, “And the spirit shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding.” Then we will be granted complete redemption.

It has also been clarified that it is impossible for the whole of Israel to come to that great purity except through the study of Kabbalah, which is the easiest way, adequate even for commoners.

However, while engaging only in the revealed Torah, it is impossible to be rewarded through it, except for a chosen few and after great efforts, but not for the majority of the people (for the reason explained in Item 24). This thoroughly explains the irrelevance of the fourth and fifth questions at the beginning of the introduction.

37) The third question, which is the fear that one will turn sour, well, there is no fear at all here. This is because the deviation from the path of G-d that occurred before was for two reasons: Either they broke the words of our sages with things that they were forbidden to disclose, or because they perceived the words of the Kabbalah in their superficial meaning, as corporeal instructions, breaching “Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image.”

Hence, until this day there has indeed been a fortified wall around this wisdom. Many have tried to begin to study, but could not continue for lack of understanding and because of the corporeal appellations. This is why I have labored with the interpretation, Panim Meirot and Panim Masbirot, to interpret the great book, The Tree of Life, by the Ari, to make the corporeal forms abstract and to establish them as spiritual laws, above time and place. Thus, any novice can understand the matters, their reasons, and explanations with a clear mind and great simplicity, no less than one understands Gemarah through the interpretation of Rashi.

38) Let us continue to elaborate on the practice of Torah and Mitzvot Lishma. We must understand that name, “Torah Lishma.” Why is desirable and whole work defined by the name, Lishma, and undesirable work named Lo Lishma?

The literal meaning implies that one who engages in Torah and Mitzvot to aim his heart to bring contentment to his Maker and not to himself should have been referred to as Torah Lishmo (for His Name) and Torah Lo Lishmo (not for His Name), meaning for the Creator. Why, then, is this defined by the name Lishma and Lo Lishma, meaning for the Torah?

There is certainly something more to understand here than the aforementioned, since the verse proves that Torah Lishmo, meaning to bring contentment to His Maker, is still insufficient. Instead, the study must be Lishma, meaning for the Torah. This requires explanation.

39) The thing is that it is known that the name of the Torah is “Torah of Life,” as it is written, “For they are life unto those that find them” (Proverbs, 4:22); “For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life” (Deuteronomy 32:47). Hence, the meaning of Torah Lishma is that the practice of Torah and Mitzvot brings one life and long days, and then the Torah is as its name.

And one who does not aim his heart and mind to the aforesaid, the practice of Torah and Mitzvot brings him the opposite of life and long days, meaning completely Lo Lishma, since its name is “Torah of Life.” These words are explained in the words of our sages (Taanit 7a), “One who practices Torah Lo Lishma, his Torah becomes a potion of death for him; and one who practices Torah Lishma, his Torah becomes a potion of life for him.”

However, their words require explanation, to understand how and through what does the Holy Torah becomes a potion of death for him? Not only is his work and exertion in vain, and he receives no benefit from his labor and strain, but the Torah and the work themselves become a potion of death for him. This is indeed perplexing.

40) First, we must understand the words of our sages (Megillah 6b), who said, “I labored and found – believe. I did not labor and found – do not believe.”

We must ask about the words, “labored and found”; they seem to contradict each other, since labor refers to work and exertion that one gives in return for any desired possession. For an important possession, one makes great efforts; for a lesser possession, one makes lesser efforts.

Its opposite is the find. Its conduct is to come to a person absentmindedly and without any preparation in labor, toil, and price. Hence, how do you say, “labored and found”? And if there is effort here, it should have said, “labored and purchased” or “labored and acquired,” etc., and not “labored and found.”

41) The Zohar writes about the text “and those that seek Me shall find Me,” and asks, “Where does one find the Creator?” They said that the Creator is found only in the Torah. Also, regarding the verse, “Verily Thou art a G-d that hidest Thyself,” that the Creator hides Himself in the Holy Divinity.

We must thoroughly understand their words. It seems that the Creator is hidden only in corporeal things and conducts and in all the futilities of this world, which are outside the Torah. Thus, how can you say the opposite, that He hides Himself only in the Torah?

There is also the general meaning, that the Creator hides Himself in a way that He must be sought; why does He need this concealment? And also, “All that seek Him shall find Him,” which we understand from the verse “and those that seek Me shall find Me.” We must thoroughly understand this seeking and this finding, what are they and why are they?

42) Indeed, you should know that the reason for our great distance from the Creator, and that we are so prone to transgress His will, is for but one reason, which became the source of all the torment and the suffering that we suffer, and for all the sins and the mistakes that we fail in. Clearly, by removing that reason, we will instantly be rid of any sorrow and pain. We will immediately be granted adhesion with Him in heart, soul, and might. And I tell you that that preliminary reason is none other than the “lack of our understanding in His Providence over His creations,” that we do not understand Him properly.

43) If, for example, the Creator were to establish open Providence with His creations in that, for instance, anyone who eats a forbidden thing would suffocate on the spot, and anyone who performs a Mitzva would discover such wonderful pleasures in it, like the finest delights in this corporeal world. Then, what fool would even contemplate tasting a forbidden thing, knowing that he would immediately lose his life because of it, just as one does not consider jumping into a fire?

Also, what fool would leave any Mitzva without performing it as quickly as possible, just as one who cannot retire from or linger with a great corporeal pleasure that comes into his hand, without receiving it as swiftly as he can? Thus, if Providence were open before us, all the people in the world would be complete righteous.

44) Thus you see that all we need in our world is open Providence. If we had open Providence, all the people in the world would be completely righteous. They would also cleave to Him with absolute love, for it would certainly be a great honor for any one of us to befriend and love Him with our heart and soul and cleave unto Him without losing even a minute.

However, since it is not so, and a Mitzva is not rewarded in this world, and those who defy His will are not punished before our eyes, but the Creator is patient with them, and moreover, sometimes think the opposite, as it is written (Psalms 73), “Behold, such are the wicked; and they that are always at ease increase riches.” Hence, not all who want to take the Lord may come and take. Instead, we stumble every step of the way, until, as our sages wrote (VaYikra Rabba, 2) about the verse, “I have found one man out of a thousand, that a thousand enter a room, and one comes out to teach.”

Thus, understanding His Providence is the reason for every good, and the lack of understanding is the reason for every bad. It turns out that this is the axis that all the people in the world circle, for better or for worse.

45) When we closely examine the attainment of Providence that people come to sense, we find four kinds there. Each and every kind receives specific Providence by the Creator, in a way that there are four discernments in the attainment of Providence here. In fact, they are only two: concealment of the face, and revelation of the face, but they are divided into four.

There are two discernments in Providence of concealment of the face, which are “single concealment” and “concealment within concealment,” and two discernments in the Providence of revelation of the face: Providence of “reward and punishment,” and “eternal Providence.”

46) The verse says (Deuteronomy 31:17), “Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our G-d is not among us? And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.”

When you regard these words, you will find that in the beginning it states, “Then My anger shall be kindled... ...and I will hide My face,” meaning one concealment. Afterwards, it states, “and many evils and troubles shall come upon them... ...And I will surely hide My face,” meaning double concealment. We must understand what is this “double concealment.”

47) We must first understand what is the meaning of the “face of the Creator,” about which the writing says, “I will hide My face.” It can be thought of as a person who sees his friend’s face and knows him right away. However, when he sees him from behind he is not certain of his identity. He might doubt, “Perhaps he is another and not his friend?”

So is the matter before us: Everyone knows and feels that the Creator is good and that it is the conduct of the good to do good. Hence, when the Creator generously bestows upon His creations, it is considered that His face is revealed to His creations. This is because then everyone knows and senses Him, since He behaves according to His name, as we have seen above regarding open Providence.

48) Yet, when He behaves with His creations the opposite from the above mentioned, meaning when they suffer affliction and torment in His world, it is considered the posterior of the Creator. This is because His face, meaning His complete attribute of goodness, is entirely concealed from them, since this is not a conduct that suits His name. It is like a person who sees his friend from behind and might doubt and think, “Perhaps he is another?”

The writing says, “Then My anger shall be kindled... ...and I will hide My face.” During the anger, when people suffer trouble and pains, it means that the Creator is hiding His face, which is His utter benevolence, and only His posterior is revealed. In that state, great strengthening in His faith is required, to beware of thoughts of transgression, since it is hard to know Him from behind. This is called “One Concealment.”

49) However, when troubles and torments accumulate to a great extent, it causes a double concealment, which the books name “concealment within concealment.” It means that even His posterior is unseen, meaning they do not believe that the Creator is angry with them and punishes them, but ascribe it to chance or to nature and come to deny His Providence in reward and punishment. This is the meaning of the verse, “And I will surely hide My face in that… they are turned unto other gods,” that is, they become heretic and turn to idol worshiping.

50) However, before that, when the writing speaks only from the perspective of one concealment, the text ends, “they will say in that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our G-d is not among us?” This means that they still believe in Providence of reward and punishment, and say that the troubles and suffering come to them because they do not cleave to the Creator, as it is written, “these evils come upon us because our G-d is not among us.” This is considered that they still see the Creator, but only from behind. For that reason it is called “One Concealment,” only concealment of the face.

51) Now we have explained the two discernments of the perception of concealed Providence, which people sense: “one concealment” and “concealment within concealment.” One concealment relates only to the concealment of the face, while the posterior is revealed to them. This means that they believe that the Creator gave them the affliction as a punishment. And although it is hard for them to always know the Creator through His posterior side, which brings them to transgress, even then they are considered “incomplete wicked.” In other words, these transgressions are like mistakes, because they come to them as a result of the accumulation of the affliction, since, in general, they believe in reward and punishment.

52) Concealment within concealment means that even the posterior of the Creator is hidden from them, as they do not believe in reward and punishment. These transgressions of theirs are considered sins. They are considered “complete evil” because they rebel and say that the Creator does not watch over His creations at all, and turn to idolatry, as it is written, “in that they are turned unto other gods.”

53) We must know that the whole matter of the work in keeping Torah and Mitzvot by way of choice applies primarily to the two aforementioned discernments of concealed Providence. And Ben Ha Ha says about that time (Avot, Chapter 5): “The reward is according to the pain.”

Since His Guidance is not revealed, it is impossible to see Him but only in concealment of the face, from behind, as one who sees one’s friend from behind and might doubt and think he is another. In this manner, one is always left with the choice to either keep His will or break it. This is because troubles and the pains he suffers make him doubt the reality of His Guidance over His creations, whether in the first manner, which is the mistakes, or in the second manner, which are the sins.

In any case, one is still in great pain and labor. The writing says about this time: “Whatsoever thy hand attaineth to do by thy strength, that do” (Ecclesiastes 9). This is so because he will not be granted the revelation of the face, the complete measure of His goodness, before he exerts and does whatever is in his power to do, and the reward is according to the pain.

54) When the Creator sees that one has completed one’s measure of exertion and finished everything he had to do in strengthening his choice in faith in the Creator, the Creator helps him. Then, one attains open Providence, meaning the revelation of the face. Then, he is rewarded with complete repentance, meaning he cleaves to the Creator once more with his heart, soul, and might, as though naturally drawn by the attainment of the open Providence.

55) These above attainment and repentance come to a person in two degrees: The first is the attainment of Providence of absolute reward and punishment. Besides attaining the reward for every Mitzva in the next world in utter clarity, he is also rewarded with the attainment of the wondrous pleasure in immediate observation of the Mitzva in this world.

In addition, besides attaining the bitter punishment that extends from every sin after one’s death, one is also rewarded with the sensation of the bitter taste of every transgression while still being alive.

Naturally, one who is imparted this open Providence is certain that he will not sin again, as one is certain that he will not cut in his own flesh and cause himself terrible suffering. In addition, one is certain that he will not neglect a Mitzva without performing it the instant it comes to his hand, as much as one is certain that he will not neglect any worldly pleasure or a great profit that comes into his hand.

End of Part TWO of FOUR

Original Post Link - Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot - Part ONE

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:43:00 +0000

Part ONE of FOUR

1) At the outset of my words, I find a great need to break an iron wall that has been separating us from the wisdom of Kabbalah, since the ruin of the Temple to this generation. It lies heavily on us and arouses fear of being forgotten from Israel.

However, when I begin to speak to anyone about this study, his first question is, “Why should I know how many angels are in the sky and what their names are? Can I not keep the whole Torah in all its details and intricacies without this knowledge?”

Second, he will ask, “The sages have already determined that one must first fill one’s belly with Mishnah and Gemarah. Thus, how can one deceive himself that he has already completed the whole of the revealed Torah, and lacks only the wisdom of the hidden?”

Third, he is afraid that he will turn sour because of this engagement. This is because there have already been incidents of deviation from the path of Torah because of engagement in Kabbalah. Hence, “Why do I need this trouble? Who is so foolish as to place himself in danger for no reason?”

Fourth: Even those who favor this study permit it only to holy ones, servants of the Creator. And not all who wish to take the Lord may come and take.

Fifth, and most importantly, “There is a conduct in our midst that, when in doubt, keep this: Do as the people do,” and my eyes see that all those who study Torah in my generation are of one mind, and refrain from studying the hidden. Moreover, they advise those who ask them that it is undoubtedly preferable to study a page of Gemarah instead of this engagement.

2) Indeed, if we set our hearts to answer but one very famous question, I am certain that all these questions and doubts will vanish from the horizon, and you will look unto their place to find them gone. This indignant question is a question that the whole world asks, namely, “What is the meaning of my life?” In other words, these numbered years of our life that cost us so heavily, and the numerous pains and torments that we suffer for them, to complete them to the fullest, who is it who enjoys them? Or even more precisely, whom do I delight?

It is indeed true that historians have grown weary contemplating it, and particularly in our generation. No one even wishes to consider it. Yet the question stands as bitterly and as vehemently as ever. Sometimes it meets us uninvited, pecks at our minds and humiliates us to the ground before we find the famous ploy of flowing mindlessly in the currents of life as always.

3) Indeed, it is to resolve this great riddle that the verse writes, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Those who keep the Torah and Mitzvot correctly are the ones who taste the taste of life. They are the ones who see and testify that the Lord is good, as our sages say, that He created the worlds to do good to His creations, since it is the conduct of The Good to do good.

Yet, those who have not yet tasted the taste of life in keeping Torah and Mitzvot, cannot feel and understand that the Lord is good, as our sages say, that when the Creator created us, His sole purpose was to benefit us. Hence, we have no other counsel but to keep the Torah and Mitzvot correctly.

It is written in the Torah (Parashat Nitzavim): “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.” This means that prior to the giving of the Torah, we had only death and evil before us, as our sages say, “The wicked, in their lives, are called ‘dead.’” This is because their death is better than their lives, as the pain and suffering they endure for their sustenance is many times greater than the little pleasure they feel in this life.

However, now we have been granted Torah and Mitzvot, and by keeping it we are rewarded with the real life, joyful and delightful to its owner, as it is written, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Hence, the writing says, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good,” which you did not have in reality at all prior to the giving of the Torah.

And the writing ends, “therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.” There is a seemingly repeated statement here: “choose life, that thou mayest live.” Yet, it is a reference to life in keeping Torah and Mitzvot, which is when there is real life. However, a life without Torah and Mitzvot is harder than death. This is the meaning of the words of our sages, “The wicked, in their lives, are called ‘dead.’”

The writing says, “that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.” It means that not only is a life without Torah joyless to its owner, but one also cannot delight others. One finds no contentment even in one’s progeny, since the life of his progeny is also harder than death. Hence, what gift does he leave for them?

However, not only does one who lives in Torah and Mitzvot enjoys his own life, but he is even happy to bear children and bequeath them this good life. This is the meaning of, “that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed,” for he receives additional pleasure in the life of his progeny, of which he was the cause.

4) Now you can understand the words of our sages about the verse, “therefore choose life.” It states, “I instruct you to choose the part of life, as one who says to his son: ‘Choose for yourself a good part in my land.’ He places him on the good part and tells him: ‘Choose this for yourself.’” It is written about this, “O Lord, the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup, Thou maintainest my lot. You placed my hand on the good fate, to say, ‘This take for you.’”

The words are seemingly perplexing. The verse says, “therefore choose life.” This means that one makes the choice by himself. However, they say that He places him on the good part. Thus, is there no longer choice here? Moreover, they say that the Creator puts one’s hand on the good fate. This is indeed perplexing, because if so, where then is one’s choice?

Now you can see the true meaning of their words. It is indeed true that the Creator Himself puts one’s hand on the good fate by giving him a life of pleasure and contentment within the corporeal life that is filled with torment and pain, and devoid of any content. One necessarily departs and escapes them when he sees a tranquil place, even if it seemingly appears amidst the cracks. He flees there from this life, which is harder than death. Indeed, there is no greater placement of one’s hand by Him than this.

And one’s choice refers only to the strengthening. This is because there is certainly a great effort and exertion here before one purifies one’s body to be able to keep the Torah and Mitzvot correctly, not for his own pleasure, but to bring contentment to his Maker, which is called Lishma (for Her Name). Only in this manner is one endowed with a life of happiness and pleasantness that come with keeping the Torah.

However, before one comes to that purification there is certainly a choice to strengthen in the good way by all sorts of means and tactics. Also, one should do whatever his hand finds the strength to do until he completes the work of purification and will not fall under his burden midway.

5) According to the above, you will understand the words of our sages in the Masechet Avot: “Thus is the path of Torah: Eat bread with salt, drink little water, sleep on the ground, lead a sorrowful life, and labor in the Torah. If so you do, happy you will be; happy in this world and happy in the next world.”

We must ask about their words: How is the wisdom of Torah different from the other teachings in the world, which do not require this asceticism and sorrowful life, but the labor itself is enough to acquire those teachings? Even though we labor extensively in the Torah, it is still not enough to acquire the wisdom of the Torah, except through the mortification of bread with salt and a sorrowful life.

The end of the words is even more surprising, as they said, “If so you do, happy you will be; happy in this world and happy in the next world.” This is because it is possible that I will be happy in the next world. But in this world, while I torment myself by eating and drinking and sleeping, and lead a sorrowful life, would it be said about such a life, “happy in this world?” Is this the meaning of a happy life in this world?

6) However, it is explained above that engagement in Torah and Mitzvot correctly, in its strict condition, is to bestow contentment to one’s Maker and not for self-gratification. And this is impossible to achieve except through great labor and exertion in purifying the body.

The first tactic is to accustom oneself to not receive anything for one’s pleasure, even the permitted and necessary things for the existence of one’s body, such as eating, drinking, sleeping, and other such necessities. Thus, one will detach oneself completely from any pleasure that comes to him, even in the necessities, in the fulfillment of one’s sustenance, until he leads a sorrowful life in its literal meaning.

And after one becomes accustomed to that, and his body possesses no desire to receive any pleasure for itself, it is now possible for him to engage in the Torah and keep the Mitzvot in that manner, too, in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker and not at all for his own pleasure.

When one acquires that, one is rewarded with tasting the happy life, filled with goodness and delight without any blemish of sorrow, which appear in the practice of Torah and Mitzvot Lishma. It is as Rabbi Meir says (Avot 86), “Anyone who engages in Torah Lishma is granted many things. Moreover, the whole world is rewarding to him, the secrets of Torah are revealed to him, and he becomes as a flowing spring.”

It is about him that the verse says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” One who tastes the flavor of the practice of Torah and Mitzvot Lishma is endowed with seeing the intention of Creation by himself, which it is to do only good to His creations, as it is the conduct of The Good to do good. Then he rejoices and delights in the number of years of life that the Creator has granted him, and the whole world is rewarding for him.

7) Now you will understand the two sides of the coin of engagement in Torah and Mitzvot: On the one hand, it is the path of Torah, meaning the extensive preparation one must make to prepare the purification of his body before he is actually rewarded with keeping Torah and Mitzvot.

In that state, he necessarily engages in Torah and Mitzvot Lo Lishma (not for Her name), but mixed with self-gratification. This is because he has not yet purified and cleansed his body from the will to receive pleasure from the vanities of this world. During this time, one must lead a sorrowful life and labor in the Torah, as it is written in the Mishnah.

However, after one completes the path of Torah, has already purified his body, and is now ready to keep the Torah and the Mitzvot Lishma, to bring contentment to his Maker, he comes to the other side of the coin. This is the life of pleasure and great tranquility, to which the intention of Creation – “to do good to His creations” – refers, meaning the happiest life in this world and in the next world.

8) This explains the great difference between the wisdom of Torah and the rest of the teachings in the world: Acquiring the other teachings in the world does not benefit life in this world whatsoever. This is because they do not even render mere gratification for the torments and suffering one experiences during life. Hence, one need not correct one’s body, and the labor that he gives in return for them is quite sufficient, as with all other worldly possessions acquired in return for labor and toil.

However, the sole purpose of engagement in Torah and Mitzvot is to make a person worthy of receiving all the goodness in the intention of Creation, “to do good to His creations.” Hence, one must necessarily purify one’s body to merit that Godly goodness.

9) This also thoroughly clarifies the words of the Mishnah: “If so you do, happy you will be in this world.” They made this precision deliberately, to indicate that a happy life in this world is only for those who have completed the path of Torah. Thus, the mortification in eating, drinking, sleeping, and a sorrowful life that are mentioned here apply only while being on the path of Torah. This is why they meticulously stated, “Thus is the path of Torah.”

And when one completes this path of Lo Lishma in sorrowful life and mortification, the Mishnah ends, “…happy are you in this world.” This is because you will be granted that happiness and goodness in the intention of Creation, and the whole world will be rewarding for you, even this world, and all the more so the next world.

10) The Zohar (Beresheet p 31b) writes about the verse, “And God said: ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light,” there was Light for this world and there was Light for the next world. This means that the acts of creation were created in their full stature and form, meaning in their fullest glory and perfection. Accordingly, the Light that was created on the first day came out in all its perfection, which contains the life of this world, too, in utter pleasantness and gentleness, as expressed in the words, “Let there be light.”

However, to prepare a place of choice and labor, He stood and concealed it for the righteous at the end of days, as our sages say. Hence, they said in their pure tongue, “Let there be Light for this world.” However, it did not remain so, but “let there be Light for the next world.”

In other words, they who practice Torah and Mitzvot Lishma are rewarded with it only at the end of days, during the end of days, after the end of the purification of their body in the path of Torah. Then they are rewarded with that great Light in this world, too, as our sages said, “You shall see your world in your life.”

11) However, we find and see in the words of the sages of the Talmud that they have made the path of Torah easier for us than the sages of the Mishnah. This is because they said, “One should always practice the Torah and Mitzvot, even Lo Lishma, and from Lo Lishma he will come to Lishma, because the Light in it reforms him.”

Thus, they have provided us with a new means instead of the penance presented in the above- mentioned Mishnah, Avot: the “Light in the Torah.” It bears sufficient power to reform one and bring him to practice Torah and Mitzvot Lishma.

They did not mention penance here, only that engagement in Torah and Mitzvot alone provides one with that Light that reforms, so one may engage in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bring contentment to his Maker and not at all for his own pleasure. And this is called Lishma.

12) Yet, it seems we must question their words. After all, we have found a few students whose practice in Torah did not help them to come to Lishma through the Light in it. Indeed, practicing Torah and Mitzvot in Lo Lishma means that one believes in the Creator, in the Torah, and in reward and punishment. And he engages in the Torah because the Creator commanded the engagement, but associates his own pleasure with bringing contentment to his Maker.

If, after all one’s trouble in the practice of Torah and Mitzvot, he will learn that no pleasure or self-benefit came to him through this great exertion and strain, he will regret having made all these efforts. This is because from the very beginning, he has tortured himself thinking that he, too, would enjoy his exertion. This is called Lo Lishma.

Nonetheless, our sages permitted the beginning of the practice in Torah and Mitzvot in Lo Lishma, as well, because from Lo Lishma one comes to Lishma. However, there is no doubt that if this student has not been rewarded with faith in the Creator and in His law, but still dwells in doubt, it is not about him that our sages said, “from Lo Lishma he will come to Lishma.” It is not about him that they said that by engaging in it, “the Light in it reforms” them.

This is so because the Light in the Torah shines only to those with faith. Moreover, the measure of that Light is as the measure of the force of one’s faith. Yet, to those without faith it is the opposite, for they receive darkness from the Torah and their eyes darken.

13) Sages have already presented a nice allegory about the verse, “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! Wherefore would ye have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light” (Amos 5). There is an allegory about a rooster and a bat that were waiting for the Light. The rooster said to the bat: “I am wait for the Light because the Light is mine. But you, why do you need the Light?” (Sanhedrin 98b).

Clearly, those students who were not endowed with coming from Lo Lishma to Lishma, due to their lack of faith, did not receive any Light from the Torah. Thus, in darkness they walk and shall die without wisdom.

Conversely, those who were imparted complete faith are guaranteed in the words of our sages that because they engage in the Torah, even in Lo Lishma, the Light in it reforms them. They will be imparted the Torah Lishma, which brings a happy and good life in this world and in the next world, even without the prior affliction and sorrowful life. It is about them that the verse writes, “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth.”

14) Concerning such a matter as the above, I once interpreted the saying of our sages, “He whose Torah is his trade.” The measure of his faith is apparent in his practice of Torah because the letters of the word, Umanuto (his trade), are the same (in Hebrew) as the letters of the word, Emunato (his faith).

It is like a person who trusts his friend and lends him money. He may trust him with a pound, and if he asks for two pounds he will refuse to lend him. He might also trust him with one hundred pounds, but not more. Also, he might trust him enough to lend him half his properties, but not all his properties. Finally, he may trust him with all his properties without a hint of fear. This last faith is considered “whole faith,” and the previous forms are considered “incomplete faith.” Rather it is partial faith, whether more or less.

Similarly, one allots oneself only one hour a day to practice Torah and work out of the measure of his faith in the Creator. Another allots two hours, according to the measure of one’s faith in the Creator. The third does not neglect even a single moment of his free time without engaging in Torah and work. Thus, only the faith of the last one is whole, since he trusts the Creator with all his property. The previous ones, however, their faith is still incomplete.

15) Thus, it has been thoroughly clarified that one should not expect that engagement in Torah and Mitzvot in Lo Lishma will bring him to Lishma, except when one knows in one’s heart that he has been granted faith in the Creator and in His Torah appropriately. This is because then the Light in it reforms him and he will attain “the day of the Lord,” which is all Light. The sanctity of faith purifies one’s eyes to enjoy His Light until the Light in the Torah reforms him.

Yet, those without faith are as bats. They cannot look at the Light of day because the daylight has been inverted for them to a more terrible darkness than the darkness of the night, as they are only fed in the darkness of night.

In this manner, the eyes of those without faith are blinded to the Light of God; hence, the Light becomes darkness to them. For them, the potion of life is turned into a potion of death. It is about them that the writing says, “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! Wherefore would ye have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light.” Thus, first, one must make one’s faith whole.

16) This answers yet another question in the Tosfot (Taanit p 7): “He who practices Torah Lishma, his Torah becomes to him a potion of life. And he who practices Torah Lo Lishma, his Torah becomes to him a potion of death.” They asked, “Yet, they said, ‘One will always practice the Torah, even in Lo Lishma, and from Lo Lishma he will come to Lishma.’”

According to the explained above, we should divide it simply: One who engages in Torah for the Mitzva of studying Torah, and believes in reward and punishment, but associating self-pleasure and benefit with the intention to bring contentment to his Maker, the Light in it will reform him and he will come to Lishma. And one who studies not for the Mitzva of studying Torah, because he does not believe in reward and punishment in that measure, to labor so for it, but exerts only for his own pleasure, it becomes a potion of death for him, since for him, the Light in it is turned to darkness.

17) Hence, the student pledges, prior to the study, to strengthen himself in faith in the Creator and in His guidance in reward and punishment, as our sages said, “Your landlord is liable to reward you for your work.” One should aim one’s labor to be for the Mitzvot of the Torah, and in this way, he will be imparted the pleasure of the Light in it. His faith will strengthen and grow through the remedy in this Light, as it is written, “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (Proverbs 3:8).

Then one’s heart shall rest assured that from Lo Lishma he will come to Lishma. Thus, even one who knows about himself that he has not been rewarded with faith, still has hope through the practice of Torah.

For if one sets one’s heart and mind to attain faith in the Creator through it, there is no greater Mitzva than that, as our sages said, “Habakkuk came and stressed only that: ‘the righteous shall live by his faith’” (Makkot 24).

Moreover, there is no other counsel than this, as it is written (Masechet Baba Batra p 16a), “Rabbi said: ‘Job wished to rid the whole world of judgment. He said before Him: ‘Oh Lord, Thou hath created the righteous; Thou hath created the wicked; who holds You down?’’”

And Rashi interprets there: “Thou hath created righteous by means of the good inclination; Thou hath created wicked by means of the evil inclination. Hence, none are saved from Thine hand, for who holds You down? Coerced are the sinners.” And what did the friends of Job reply (Job 15:4)? “Yea, thou doest away with fear, and impairest devotion before God, the Creator has created the evil inclination, He has created for it the spice of Torah.”

Rashi interprets there: “Created the Torah, which is a spice that revokes ‘thoughts of transgression,’” as it is written (Kidushin p 30), “If thou cometh across this villain, pull him to the Beit Midrash (seminary). If he is hard, he will soften. Hence, not coerced are they, for they could save themselves.”

18) Clearly, they cannot rid themselves of the judgment if they say that they received that spice and still have thoughts of transgression, meaning that they are still in doubt and the evil inclination has not yet melted. This is because the Creator, who created it and gave the evil inclination its strength, evidently knew to create the remedy and the spice liable to wear off the power of the evil inclination and eradicate it altogether.

And if one practices Torah and fails to remove the evil inclination from himself, it is either that he has been negligent in giving the necessary labor and exertion in the practice of Torah, as it is written, “I have labored but have not found, do not believe,” or perhaps one did put in the necessary amount of labor, but has been negligent in the quality.

This means that while practicing Torah, they did not set their minds and hearts to draw the Light in the Torah, which brings faith to one’s heart. Rather, they have been absent-minded about the principal requirement demanded of the Torah, namely the Light that yields faith. And although they initially aimed for it, their minds went astray during the study.

Either way, one cannot rid oneself of the judgment by arguing coercion, for our sages strictly state, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created for it the spice of Torah.” If there had been any exceptions in that, then Job’s question would remain valid.

19) Through all that has been explained thus far, I have removed a great complaint about the words of Rabbi Chaim Vital in his introduction to Shaar HaHakdamot (Gate to Introductions) by the Ari, and the introduction to Th?Tree of Life. He writes, “Indeed, one should not say, ‘I shall go and engage in the wisdom of Kabbalah before he engages in the Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud.’ This is because our sages have already said, ‘One should not enter the PARDESS [1] unless he has filled his stomach with meat and wine.’”

This is like a soul without a body: it has no reward or act or consideration before it is connected in a body, when it is whole, corrected in the Mitzvot of the Torah, in 613 Mitzvot.

Conversely, when one is occupied with the wisdom of the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud, and does not give a share to the secrets of Torah and its concealments, as well, it is like a body that sits in the dark without a human soul, God’s candle, which shines within it. Thus, the body is dry and does not draw from a source of life.

Thus, a wise disciple, who practices Torah Lishma, should first engage in the wisdom of the Bible, the Mishnah, and the Talmud, as long as his mind can tolerate. Afterwards, he will delve into knowing his Maker in the wisdom of truth.

It is as King David commanded his son Solomon: “know thou the God of thy father and serve Him.” And if that person finds the study of the Talmud heavy and difficult, he is better off leaving his hand off it once he has tested his luck in this wisdom, and engage in the wisdom of truth.

It is written, “A disciple who has not seen a good sign in his study within five years will also not see it” (Hullin p 24). Thus, every person whose study is easy must dedicate a portion of one or two hours a day to study the Halachah (Jewish code of laws), and explain and interpret the questions in the literal Halachah.

20) These words of his seem very perplexing: he is saying that before one succeeds in the study of the literal, one should already engage in the wisdom of truth. This contradicts his former words that the wisdom of Kabbalah without the literal Torah is as a soul without a body, having no deed, consideration, or reward.

The evidence he brings of a disciple who did not see a good sign is even more perplexing, for our sages said that he should therefore abandon the study of Torah. But certainly, it is to caution him to examine his ways and try with another Rav or in another portion. But he must certainly not leave the Torah, even the literal Torah.

21) It is even more difficult to understand, both in the words of Rabbi Chaim Vital and in the words of the Gemarah. It is implied in their words that one needs some specific preparation and merit to attain the wisdom of Torah. Yet, our sages said (Midrash Raba, Portion “And This Is the Blessing”), “The Creator said unto Israel: ‘Regard, the whole wisdom and the whole Torah is easy: anyone who fears Me and observes the words of the Torah, the whole wisdom and the whole Torah are in his heart.’”

Thus, we need no prior merit here; and only by virtue of fear of God and the keeping of Mitzvot is one granted the whole wisdom of the Torah.

22) Indeed, if we examine his words they will clarify before us as pure heavenly stars. The text, “he is better off leaving his hand off it, once he has tested his luck in this [revealed] wisdom,” does not refer to luck of wit and erudition. Rather, it is as we have explained above in the explanation, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created for it the spice of Torah.” It means that one has delved and exerted in the revealed Torah, and still the evil inclination is in power and has not melted at all. This is because he is still not saved from thoughts of transgression, as Rashi writes above in the explanation, “I have created for it the spice of Torah.”

Hence, he advises him to leave his hands off it and engage in the wisdom of truth, for it is easier to draw the light in the Torah while practicing and laboring in the wisdom of truth than in laboring in the literal Torah. The reason is very simple: the wisdom of the revealed is clothed in external, corporeal clothes, such as stealing, plundering, torts, etc. For this reason, it is difficult and heavy for any person to aim his mind and heart to the Creator while studying, so as to draw the Light in the Torah.

It is even more so for a person for whom the study in the Talmud itself is heavy and arduous. How can he remember the Creator during the study, since the scrutiny concerns corporeal matters, and cannot come in him simultaneously with the intention for the Creator?

Therefore, he advises him to practice the wisdom of Kabbalah, as this wisdom is entirely clothed in the names of the Creator. Then he will certainly be able to easily aim his mind and heart to the Creator during the study, even if he is the slowest learner. This is so because the study of the issues of the wisdom and the Creator are one and the same, and this is very simple.

23) Hence, he brings good evidence from the words of the Gemarah: “A disciple who has not seen a good sign in his study after five years will also not see it.” Why did he not see a good sign in his study? Certainly, it is only due to the absence of the intention of the heart, and not because of any lack of aptitude, as the wisdom of Torah requires no aptitude.

Instead, as it is written in the above study: “Regard, the whole wisdom and the whole Torah is easy: any one who fears Me and observes the words of the Torah, the whole wisdom and the whole Torah are in his heart.”

Of course one must accustom oneself in the Light of Torah and Mitzvot, and I do not know how much. One might remain in waiting all his years. Hence the Braita warns us (Hulin 24) to not wait longer than five years.

Moreover, Rabbi Yosi says that only three years are quite sufficient to be granted the wisdom of the Torah. If one does not see a good sign within that length of time, one should not fool himself with false hopes and deceit, but know that he will never see a good sign.

Hence, one must immediately find himself a good tactic by which to succeed in achieving Lishma and to be granted the wisdom of the Torah. The Braita did not specify the tactic, but it warns to not remain seated in the same situation and wait longer.

This is the meaning of the Rav’s words, that the surest and most successful tactic is the engagement in the wisdom of Kabbalah. One should leave one’s hand entirely from engagement in the wisdom of the revealed Torah, since he has already tested his luck in it and did not succeed. And he should dedicate all his time to the wisdom of Kabbalah, where his success is certain.

24) This is very simple, for these words have no connection to the study of the literal Torah, in any thing that one must actually practice, for “it is not the ignorant who is pious, and a mistaken learning makes for evil, and one sinner destroyeth much good.” Hence, one must necessarily repeat them as much as it is necessary to not fail in one’s practice.

However, here it speaks only of the study of the wisdom of the revealed Torah, to explain and scrutinize questions that arise in the interpretation of the laws, as Rabbi Chaim Vital deduces there himself. It refers to the part of the study of the Torah that is not performed de facto, or to the actual laws.

Indeed, here it is possible to be lenient and study from the abbreviations and not from the origins. However, this, too, requires extensive learning, since one who knows from the origin is not like one who knows it from a brief scan of some abbreviation. In order to not err in that, Rabbi Chaim Vital says at the very outset of his words that the soul connects to the body only when it is corrected in the Mitzvot of the Torah, in 613 Mitzvot.

25) Now you see how all the questions that we presented in the beginning of the introduction are complete folly. They are the obstacles that the evil inclination spreads in order to hunt innocent souls, to dismiss them from the world, robbed and abused.

Examine the first question, where they imagine that they can keep the whole Torah without the knowledge of the wisdom of Kabbalah. I say to them: Indeed, if you can keep the study of Torah and the observance of the Mitzvot appropriately, Lishma, meaning only in order to bring contentment to the Maker, then indeed, you do not need to study Kabbalah. This is because then it is said about you, “One’s soul shall teach him.” This is because then all the secrets of the Torah will appear before you like a lush spring, as in the words of Rabbi Meir in the Mishnah (Avot), and you will need no assistance from the books.

However, if you are still engaged in learning Lo Lishma, but hope to merit Lishma by this means, then I ask you: “How many years have you been doing so?” If you are still within the five years, as the Tana Kama says, or within the three years, as Rabbi Yosi says, then you can still wait and hope.

But if you have been practicing the Torah in Lo Lishma for more than three years, as Rabbi Yosi says, and five years, as the Tana Kama says, then the Braita warns you that you will not see a good sign in this path you are treading! Why delude your souls with false hopes when you have such a near and sure tactic as the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah, as I have shown the reason above that the study in the issues of the wisdom and the Creator Himself are one?

26) Let us also examine the second question, which is that one must fill one’s belly with Mishnah and Gemarah. Everyone agrees that it is indeed so. Yet, this is all true if you have already been endowed with learning Lishma, or even Lo Lishma, if you are still within the three years or the five years. However, after that time, the Braita warns you that you will never see a good sign, and so you must test your success in the study of Kabbalah.

27) We must also know that there are two parts to the wisdom of truth: The first, called the “secrets of Torah,” should not be exposed except by implication, and from a wise Kabbalist to a disciple who understands in his own mind. Maase Merkava and Maase Beresheet belong to that part, as well. The sages of The Zohar refer to that part as “the first three Sefirot, Keter, Hochma, Bina,” and it is also called “the Rosh (Head) of the Partzuf.”

The second part is called the “flavors of Torah.” It is permitted to disclose them and indeed, a great Mitzva to disclose them. The Zohar refers to it as the “seven lower Sefirot of the Partzuf,” and it is also called the Guf (Body) of the Partzuf.

Every single Partzuf de Kedusha (of holiness) consists of ten Sefirot. These are called Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod, Malchut. The first three Sefirot are considered the “Rosh of the Partzuf” and the seven lower Sefirot are named the “Guf of the Partzuf.” Even the soul of the lower person contains the ten Sefirot in their above names, as well, and every single discernment, in the Upper and in the lower.

The reason why the seven lower Sefirot, which are the Guf of the Partzuf, are called “flavors of Torah” is as the meaning of the verse, “and the palate tasteth its food.” The Lights that appear under the First three, namely the Rosh, are called Taamim (flavors), and Malchut de (of the) Rosh is called Hech (palate).

For this reason they are called Taamim of Torah. This means that they appear in the palate of the Rosh, which is the source of all the Taamim, which is Malchut de Rosh. From there down it is not forbidden to disclose them. Quite the contrary, the reward of one who discloses them is immeasurable and boundless.

Also, these First three Sefirot and these seven lower Sefirot expand both in the general and in the most particular segment that can be divided. Thus, even the First three Sefirot of the Malchut at the end of the world of Assiya belong to the section of the “secrets of Torah,” which are not to be disclosed. And the seven lower Sefirot in the Keter of the Rosh of Atzilut belong to the section, “ Taamim of Torah,” which are permitted to be disclosed, and these words are written in the books of Kabbalah.

28) You will find the source of these words in the Mishnah Pesachim (p 119), as it is written (Isaiah 23), “And her gain and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord; it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her gain shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat their fill, and for stately clothing.” “What is ‘stately clothing’? This is what covers things that Atik Yomin covered. And what are those? The secrets of the Torah. Others say, this is what reveals things that Atik Yomin covered. What are those? The flavors of the Torah.”

RASHBAM interprets, “Atik Yomin is the Creator,” as it is written, “and Atik Yomin sits.” The secrets of the Torah are Maase Merkava and Maase Beresheet. The meaning of “Name” is as it is written, “This is My Name for ever.” The “clothing” means that He does not give them to any person, but only to those whose heart is anxious. “This is what reveals things that Atik Yomin covered” means covering the secrets of the Torah, which were initially covered, and Atik Yomin disclosed them, and gave permission to disclose them. And one who discloses them is granted what he said in this verse.

29) Now you evidently see the great difference between the secrets of Torah, where all who attain them receive this great reward for covering them and for not disclosing them. And it is to the contrary with the Taamim of the Torah, where all who attain them receive this great reward for disclosing them to others.

There is no dispute on the first opinion, but only examination of the different meanings between them. The Lishna Kama states the end, as it says, “stately clothing.” Hence they interpret the attainment of the great reward for covering the secrets of Torah.

Others say it states the beginning, which reads, “eat their fill,” meaning the Taamim of the Torah, as it is written, “and the palate tasteth its food.” This is because the Lights of Taamim are called “eating”; hence, they interpret the attainment of the great reward mentioned in the text regarding one who discloses the Taamim of the Torah. (There is no dispute between them, but one speaks of the secrets of the Torah and the other speaks of the Taamim of the Torah.) However, both think that the secrets of the Torah must be covered, and the Taamim of the Torah must be disclosed.

30) Thus you have a clear answer about the fourth and the fifth questions in the beginning of the introduction. And what you find in the words of our sages, as well as in the holy books, that it is only given to one whose heart is worried, meaning the part called “secrets of the Torah,” considered the First three Sefirot and Rosh, that it is given to only concealed ones and under certain conditions, you will not find even a trace of them in all the books of Kabbalah, in writing and in print, since those are the things that Atik Yomin covered, as it is written in the Gemarah.

Moreover, do say if it is possible to even think and picture that all those holy and famous righteous, which are the greatest and best in the nation, such as Sefer Yetzira (Book of Creation), The Book of Zohar, and the Braita of Rabbi Ishmael, Rabbi Hai Gaon, and Rabbi Hamai Gaon, Rabbi Elazar of Garmiza, and the rest of the Rishonim (first ones) through the RAMBAN, and Baal HaTurim and the Baal Shulchan Aruch through the Vilna Gaon (GRA), and the Ladi Gaon, and the rest of the righteous may the memory of all be blessed.

From them we received the whole of the revealed Torah, and by their words we live, to know which act to perform so as to be favored by the Creator. All of them wrote and published books in the wisdom of Kabbalah. And there is no greater disclosure than writing a book, whose author does not know who reads the book. It is possible that utter wicked will scrutinize it. Hence, there is no greater uncovering of secrets of Torah than that.

And we must not doubt the words of these holy and pure, that they might infringe even an iota on what is written and explained in the Mishnah and the Gemarah, that are forbidden to disclose, as written in Masechet Hagigah.

Rather, all the written and printed books are necessarily considered the Taamim of the Torah, which Atik Yomin first covered and then uncovered, as it is written, “and the palate tasteth its food.” Not only are these secrets not forbidden to disclose, on the contrary, it is a great Mitzva (very good deed) to disclose them (as written in Pesachim 119).

And one who knows how to disclose and discloses them, his reward is plentiful. This is because on disclosing these Lights to many, particularly to the many, depends the coming of Messiah soon in our days Amen.

[1] See explanation in the essay PARDESS.

End of Part ONE of FOUR

Original Post Link - Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Introduction to The Book of Zohar - Part THREE

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Part THREE of THREE

49.

And when he has been rewarded with the great Light called “the Light of Neshama,” each of the 613 organs in that Partzuf Light fully shine in their own unique way, each as an independent Partzuf. Then there opens before him the possibility to engage in each Mitzva according to its genuine aim, for each organ in the Partzuf of Neshama lights the path of each Mitzva related to that organ.

And through the great power of those Lights, one purifies the speaking part of one’s will to receive and inverts it into a desire to bestow. And to that extent, the point of the Light of Haya, dressed within him, is built in its spiritual 248 organs and 365 tendons.

When it is completed into a whole Partzuf it rises and dresses the Sefira of Hochma in the spiritual world of Assiya, which is an immeasurably pure Kli. Therefore, it extends a tremendous Light to it from Ein Sof, called “the Light of Haya” or Neshama to Neshama. And all the elements in the world of Assiya, which are the still, vegetative, and animate related to the Sefira of Hochma, aid him in receiving the Light of the Sefira of Hochma to the fullest.

And it is also called “Holy Speaking,” since it corresponds to the purification of the speaking part of man’s body. And the value of that Light in G-dliness is as the value of the speaking in the corporeal SVAS. This means that one obtains the sensation of others in a way that the measure of that Light over the measure of the spiritual still, vegetative and animate is as the advantage of the corporeal speaking over the corporeal still, vegetative and animate. And the Light of Ein Sof, dressed in this Partzuf, is called “the Light of Yechida.”

50.

Indeed, you should know that these five Lights, NRNHY, received from the world of Assiya, are but NRNHY of the Light of Nefesh and have nothing of the Light of Ruach. This is because the Light of Ruach is only in the world of Yetzira, the Light of Neshama is only in the world of Beria, the Light of Haya only in the world of Atzilut, and the Light of Yechida only in the world of AK.

But everything that exists in the whole appears in all the items, too, down to the smallest possible item. Thus, all five discernment, NRNHY, exist in the world of Assiya, as well, although they are only NRNHY of Nefesh. Similarly, all five discernments, NRNHY, are found in the world of Yetzira, which are the five parts of Ruach. And also, there are all five discernments, NRNHY, in the world of Beria, which are the five parts of Neshama. And so it is in the world of Atzilut, which are the five parts of the Light of Haya; and so it is in the world of AK, which are the five parts of the Light of Yechida. The difference between the worlds is as we have explained in the discernments between each of the NRNHY of Assiya.

51.

Know that repentance and purification cannot be accepted unless they are totally permanent, that he will not turn back to folly, as it is written, “When is there Teshuva (repentance)? When He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not turn back to folly.” Thus, as we have said, if one purifies the still part of his will to receive, he is rewarded with a Partzuf of Nefesh of Assiya, and ascends and clothes the Sefira of Malchut of Assiya.

This means that he will certainly be granted the permanent purification of the still part, in a way that he will not turn back to folly. And then he will be able to rise to the spiritual world of Assiya, for he will have definite purity and equivalence of form with that world.

But as for the rest of the degrees, which we have said are Ruach, Neshama, Haya, and Yechida of Assiya, corresponding to them, one should purify the vegetative, animate, and speaking parts of one’s will to receive, so they will clothe and receive those Lights. Yet, the purity does not need to be permanent, “until He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not turn back to folly.”

That is so because the whole of the world of Assiya, with all its five Sefirot KHBTM, are actually only Malchut, which relates only to the purification of the still. And the five Sefirot are but the five parts of Malchut.

Therefore, since he has already been rewarded with purifying the still part of the will to receive, he already has equivalence of form with the whole of the world of Assiya. But since each Sefira in the world of Assiya receives from its corresponding discernment in the worlds Above it, thus, the Sefira of Tifferet of Assiya receives from the world of Yetzira, which is all Tifferet and the Light of Ruach. And the Sefira of Bina of Assiya receives from the world of Beria, which is all Neshama. And the Sefira of Hochma of Assiya receives from the world of Atzilut, which is all Hochma and the Light of Haya.

Thus, although he has permanently purified only the still part, if he has purified the remaining three parts of his will to receive, even if not permanently, he can receive the Ruach, Neshama, and Haya from Tifferet, Bina, and Hochma of Assiya, though not permanently. This is because when one of the three parts of his will to receive awakens, he immediately loses these Lights.

52.

After he permanently purifies the vegetative part of his will to receive, he permanently rises to the world of Yetzira, where he attains the permanent degree of Ruach. There he can also attain the Lights of Neshama and Haya from the Sefirot Bina and Hochma that are there, which are considered Neshama and Haya of Ruach, even before he has been granted with purifying the animate and speaking parts permanently, as we have seen in the world of Assiya. Yet, this is not permanent, for after he has permanently purified the vegetative part of his will to receive, he is already in equivalence of form with the whole of the world of Yetzira, to its Highest degree, as written about the world of Assiya.

53.

After he purifies the animate part of his will to receive, and turns it into a will to bestow, “until He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not turn back to folly,” he is already in equivalence of form with the world of Beria. And he rises there and receives the permanent Light of Neshama. And through the purification of the speaking part of his body, he can rise up to the Sefira of Hochma and receive the Light of Haya that is there, although he has not yet permanently purified it, as with Yetzira and Assiya. But the Light, too, does not shine for him permanently.

54.

And when one is rewarded with permanent purification of the speaking part in his will to receive, he is granted equivalence of form with the world of Atzilut, and he rises there and permanently receives the Light of Haya. And when he is further rewarded, he receives the Light of Ein Sof, and the Light of Yechida dresses in the Light of Haya, and there is nothing more to add here.

55.

Thus, we have clarified what we asked, “Why does man need all the Upper Worlds, which the Creator had created for him? What need has man of them?” Now you will see that one cannot bring contentment to one’s Maker, if not with the help of all these worlds. This is because he attains the Lights and degrees of his soul, called NRNHY, according to the measure of the purity of his will to receive. And with each degree he attains, the Lights of that degree assist him in his purification.

Thus, he rises in degrees until he achieves the amusements of the final aim in the Thought of Creation (Item 33). It is written in The Zohar (Noah, Item 63), about the verse, “He who comes to be purified is aided.” It asks, “Aided with what?” And it replies that he is aided with a holy soul. For it is impossible to achieve the desired purification for the Thought of Creation, except through the assistance of all the NRNHY degrees of the soul.

56.

And you should know that the all the NRNHY we have spoken of thus far are the five parts, by which the whole of reality is divided. Indeed, all that is in the whole exists even in the smallest element in reality. For example, even in the still part of the spiritual Assiya alone, there are five discernments of NRNHY to attain, which are related to the five general discernments of NRNHY.

Thus, it is impossible to attain even the Light of still of Assiya except through the four parts of the work. Therefore, there is not a person from Israel who can excuse himself from engaging in all of them, according to one’s stature. And one should engage in Torah and Mitzvot with intent, in order to receive the level of Ruach of his stature. And he should engage in the secrets of the Torah, according to his stature, to receive the level of Neshama according to his stature. And the same applies to the Taamim (flavors) of the Mitzvot, for it is impossible to complete even the smallest Light in Kedusha (holiness) without them.

57.

Now you can understand the aridity and the darkness that have befallen us in this generation, such as we have never seen before. It is because even the worshipers of the Creator have abandoned the engagement in the secrets of the Torah.

The RAMBAM has already said about it that if a line of a thousand blind walk along the way, and there is at least one amongst them who can see, they are certain to take the right path and not fall in the pits and obstacles, since they are following the sighted one who leads them. But if that person is missing, they are certain to stumble over every hurdle on the way, and will all fall into the pit.

So is the issue before us. If the worshipers of the Creator had, at least, engaged in the internality of the Torah and extended a complete Light from Ein Sof, the whole generation would have followed them. And everyone would be certain of their way, that they would not fall. But if even the servants of the Creator have distanced themselves from this wisdom, it is no wonder the whole generation is failing because of them. And because of my great sorrow I cannot elaborate on that!

58.

Indeed, I know the reason: it is mainly because faith has generally diminished, specifically faith in the holy men, the wise men of all generations. And the books of Kabbalah and The Zohar are filled with corporeal parables. Therefore, people are afraid lest they will lose more than they will gain, since they could easily fail with materializing. And this is what prompted me to compose a sufficient interpretation to the writings of the Ari, and now to the Holy Zohar. And I have completely removed that concern, for I have evidently explained and proven the spiritual meaning of everything, that it is abstract and devoid of any corporeal image, above space and above time, as the readers will see, to allow the whole of Israel to study The Zohar and be warmed by its sacred Light.

And I have named that commentary The Sulam (Ladder) to show that the purpose of my commentary is as the role of any ladder: if you have an attic filled abundantly, then all you need is a ladder to reach it. And then, all the bounty in the world will be in your hands. But the ladder is not a purpose in and of itself, for if you pause on the rungs of the ladder and will not enter the attic, your goal will not be achieved.

And so it is with my commentary on The Zohar, because the way to fully clarify these most profound of words has not yet been created. But nonetheless, with my commentary, I have constructed a path and an entrance for any person by which to rise and delve and scrutinize The Book of Zohar itself, for only then will my aim with this commentary be completed.

59.

And all those who know the ins and outs of the holy Book of Zohar, that is, who understand what is written in it, unanimously agree that the holy Book of Zohar was written by the G-dly Tanna (sage) Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Only some of those who are far from this wisdom doubt this pedigree and tend to say, relying on fabricated tales of opponents of this wisdom, that its author is the Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe De Leon, or others of his contemporaries.

60.

And as for me, since the day I have been endowed, by the Light of the Creator, with a glance into this holy book, it has not crossed my mind to question its origin, for the simple reason that the content of the book brings to my heart the merit of the Tanna Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai) far more than all other sages. And if I were to clearly see that its author is some other name, such as Rabbi Moshe De Leon, than I would praise the merit of Rabbi Moshe De Leon more than all other sages, including Rashbi.

Indeed, judging by the depth of the wisdom in the book, if I were to clearly find that its writer is one of the forty-eight prophets, I would consider it much more acceptable than to relate it to one of the sages. Moreover, if I were to find that Moses himself received it from the Creator Himself on Mount Sinai, then my mind would really be at peace, for such a composition is worthy of him. Hence, since I have been blessed with compiling a sufficient interpretation that enables every examiner to acquire some understanding of what is written in the book, I think I am completely excused from further toil in that examination, for any person who is knowledgeable in The Zohar will now settle for no less than the Tanna Rashbi as its writer.

61.

Accordingly, the question arises, “Why was The Zohar not revealed to the early generations, whose merit was undoubtedly greater than the latter ones, and were more worthy”? We must also ask, “Why was the commentary on The Book of Zohar not revealed before the time of the Ari, and not to the Kabbalists that preceded him”? And the most bewildering question, “Why were the commentaries on the words of the Ari and on the words of The Zohar not revealed since the days of the Ari through our generation”?

The answer is that the world, during the six thousand years of its existence, is like one Partzuf divided into three thirds: Rosh (head), Toch (interior), Sof (end), meaning HBD (Hochma, Bina, Daat), HGT (Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet), NHY (Netzah, Hod, Yesod). This is what our sages wrote, “Two millennia of Tohu (chaos), two millennia of Torah, and two millennia of the days of the Messiah” (Sanhedrin 97a).

In the first two millennia, considered Rosh and HBD, the Lights were very small. They were regarded as Rosh without Guf (body), having only Lights of Nefesh. This is because there is an inverse relation between Lights and vessels: with the Kelim (vessels) the rule is that the first Kelim grow first in each Partzuf; and with the Lights it is the opposite – the smaller Lights dress in the Partzuf first.

Thus, as long as only the upper parts are in the Kelim, the Kelim HBD, only Lights of Nefesh dress there, which are the smallest Lights. This is why it is written about the first two millennia that they are considered Tohu. And in the second two millennia of the world, which are Kelim of HGT, the Light of Ruach descends and clothes in the world, which is considered the Torah. This is why it is said about the two middle millennia that they are Torah. And the last two millennia are Kelim of NHYM (Netzah, Hod, Yesod, Malchut). Therefore, at that time, the Light of Neshama dresses in the world, which is the greater Light, hence they are the days of the Messiah.

This is also the conduct in each particular Partzuf. In its vessels of HBD, HGT, through its Chazeh (chest), the Lights are covered and do not begin to shine open Hassadim, which means that the appearance of the sublime Light of Hochma occurs only from the Chazeh down, in its NHYM. This is the reason that before the Kelim of NHYM began to show in the Partzuf of the world, which are the last two millennia, the wisdom of The Zohar in particular and the wisdom of Kabbalah in general were hidden from the world.

But during the time of the Ari, when the time of the completion of the Kelim below the Chazeh had drawn closer, the Light of the sublime Hochma was revealed in the world, through the soul of the G-dly Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Ari), who was ready to receive that great Light. Hence, he revealed the essentials in The Book of Zohar and the wisdom of Kabbalah, until he overshadowed all his predecessors.

Yet, since these Kelim were not yet completed (since he passed away in 1572), the world was not yet worthy of discovering his words, and his holy words were only known only to a chosen few, who were prohibited to tell them to the world.

Now, in our generation, since we are nearing the end of the last two millennia, we are given permission to reveal his words and the words of The Zohar throughout the world to a great measure, in such a way that from our generation onwards the words of The Zohar will become increasingly revealed in the world, until the full measure is revealed, as the Creator wills it.

63.

Now you can understand that there really is no end to the merit of the first generations over the last, as this is the rule in all the Partzufim (plural for Partzuf) of the worlds and of the souls, that the purer one is the first to be selected into the Partzuf. Therefore, the purer Kelim, HBD, were selected first in the world and in the souls.

Thus, the souls in the first two millennia were much Higher. Yet, they could not receive the full measure of Light, due to the lack of the lower parts in the world and in themselves, which are HGT NHYM.

And afterwards, in the two middle millennia, when the Kelim of HGT were selected into the world and in the souls, the souls were indeed very pure, in and of themselves. This is because the merit of the Kelim of HGT is close to that of HBD. Yet, the Lights were still concealed in the world, due to the absence of the Kelim from the Chazeh down, in the world and in the souls.

Thus, in our generation, although the essence of the souls is the worst, which is why they could not be selected for Kedusha thus far, they are the ones that complete the Partzuf of the world and the Partzuf of the souls with respect to the Kelim, and the work completed only through them.

This is because now, when the Kelim of NHY are being completed, and all the Kelim, Rosh, Toch, Sof are in the Partzuf, full measures of Light, in Rosh, Toch, Sof, are now being extended to all those who are worthy, meaning complete NRN. Hence, only after the completion of these lowly souls can the Highest Lights manifest, and not before.

64.

Indeed, even our sages asked this question (Masechet Berachot, p 20): “Rav Papa said to Abayei: ‘How were the first different, that a miracle had happened to them, and how are we different, that a miracle is not happening to us’? Is it because of the study? During the years of Rav Yehuda, the whole study was in Nezikin, whereas we are learning the six volumes (the whole Mishnah). And when Rav Yehuda delved in Okatzin, he said, ‘I saw Rav and Shmuel here, whereas we are learning thirteen Yeshivot in Okatzin. And when Rav Yehuda took off one shoe, the rain came, whereas we torment our souls and cry out, and no one notices us.’ He replied, ‘The first gave their souls to the sanctity of the Lord.’”

Thus, although it is obvious, both to the one who asks and to the one who answers, that the first were more important than they, with respect to the Torah and the wisdom, Rav Papa and Abayei were more important than the first. Thus, although the first generations were more important than the latter generations in the essence of their souls, because the purer is selected to come to the world first, with respect to the wisdom of the Torah, it is increasingly revealed in the latter generations. This is so for the reason we have mentioned, that the overall measure is completed specifically by the latter ones. This is why more complete Lights are extended to them, although their own essence is far worse.

65.

Hence, we could ask, “Why, then, is it forbidden to disagree with the first in the revealed Torah?” It is because, as far as the practical part of the Mitzvot is concerned, it is to the contrary, the first were more complete in them than the last. This is because the act extends from the holy Kelim of the Sefirot, and the secrets of the Torah and the Taamim (flavors) of the Mitzva extend from the Lights in the Sefirot.

You already know that there is an inverse relation between Lights and vessels: in the Kelim, the Higher ones grow first (see Item 62), which is why the first were more complete in the practical part than the last. But with the Lights, where the lower ones enter first, the last are more complete than the first.

66.

Bear in mind that in everything there is internality and externality. In the world in general, Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are considered the internality of the world, and the seventy nations are considered the externality of the world. Also, there is internality within Israel themselves, which are the wholehearted workers of the Creator, and there is externality – those who do not devote themselves to the work of the Creator. Among the nations of the world, there is internality as well, which are the Righteous of the Nations of the World, and there is externality, which are the rude and the harmful among them.

Additionally, among the servants of the Creator among the Children of Israel, there is internality, being those rewarded with comprehension of the soul of the internality of the Torah and its secrets, and externality, who merely observe the practical part of the Torah.

Also, there is internality in every person from Israel – the Israel within – which is the point in the heart, and externality – which is the inner Nations of the World, the body itself. But even the inner Nations of the World in that person are considered proselytes, since by cleaving to the internality, they become like proselytes from among the Nations of the World, that came and cleaved to the whole of Israel.

67.

When a person from Israel enhances and dignifies one’s internality, which is the Israel in that person, over the externality, which are the Nations of the World in him, that is, when one dedicates the majority of one’s efforts to enhance and exalt one’s internality, to benefit one’s soul, and gives minor efforts, the mere necessity, to sustain the Nations of the World in him, meaning the bodily needs, as it is written (Avot, 1), “Make your Torah permanent and your labor temporary,” by so doing, one makes the Children of Israel soar upwards in the internality and externality of the world as well, and the Nations of the World, which are the externality, to recognize and acknowledge the value of the Children of Israel.

And if, G-d forbid, it is to the contrary, and an individual from Israel enhances and appreciates one’s externality, which is the Nations of the World in him, more than the inner Israel in him, as it is written (Deuteronomy 28), “The stranger that is in the midst of thee,” meaning the externality in that person rises and soars, and you yourself, the internality, the Israel in you, plunges down? With these actions, one causes the externality of the world in general – the Nations of the World – to soar ever higher and overcome Israel, degrading them to the ground, and the Children of Israel, the internality in the world, to plunge deep down.

68.

Do not be surprised that one person’s actions bring elevation or decline to the whole world, for it is an unbending law that the general and the particular are as equal as two peas in a pod. And all that applies in the general, applies in the particular, as well. Moreover, the parts make what is found in the whole, for the general can appear only after the appearance of the parts in it, according to the quantity and quality of the parts. Evidently, the value of an act of a part elevates or declines the entire whole.

That will clarify to you what is written in The Zohar, that by engagement in The Book of Zohar and the wisdom of truth, they will be rewarded with complete redemption from exile (Tikkunim, end of Tikkun No. 6). We might ask, what has the study of The Zohar to do with the redemption of Israel from among the nations?

69.

From the above we can thoroughly understand that the Torah, too, constrains internality and externality, as does the entire world. Therefore, one who engages in the Torah has these two degrees, as well. When one increases one’s toil in the internality of the Torah and its secrets, to that extent, one makes the virtue of the internality of the world – which are Israel – soar high above the externality of the world, which are the Nations of the World. And all the nations will acknowledge and recognize Israel’s merit over them, until the realization of the words, “And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord” (Isaiah 14, 2), and also “Thus says the Lord G-d, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my standard to the peoples: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried on their shoulders” (Isaiah 49, 22).

But if, G-d forbid, it is to the contrary, and a person from Israel degrades the virtue of the internality of the Torah and its secrets, which deals with the conduct of our souls and their degrees, and the perception and the tastes of the Mitzvot with regard to the advantage of the externality of the Torah, which deals only with the practical part? Also, even if one does occasionally engage in the internality of the Torah, and dedicates a little of one’s time to it, when it is neither night nor day, as though it were redundant, by that one dishonors and degrades the internality of the world, which are the Children of Israel, and enhances the externality of the world – meaning the Nations of the World – over them. They will humiliate and disgrace the Children of Israel, and regard Israel as superfluous, as though the world has no need for them, G-d forbid.

Furthermore, by that, they make even the externality in the Nations of the World overpower their own internality, for the worst among the Nations of the World, the harmful and the destructors of the world, rise above their internality, which are the Righteous of the Nations of the World. And then they make all the ruin and the heinous slaughter our generation had witnessed, may G-d protect us from here on.

Thus you see that the redemption of Israel and the rise of Israel depend on the study of The Zohar and the internality of the Torah. And vise versa, all the destruction and the decline of the Children of Israel are because they have abandoned the internality of the Torah. They have degraded its merit and made it seemingly redundant.

70.

This is what is written in the Tikkunim (corrections) of The Zohar (Tikkun 30): “Awaken and rise for the Holy Divinity, for you have an empty heart, without the understanding to know and to attain it, although it is within you.” The meaning of it is, as it is written (Isaiah 40), that a voice pounds in the heart of each and every one of Israel, to cry and to pray for raising the Holy Divinity, which is the collection of all the souls of Israel. But Divinity says, “I have no strength to raise myself off the dust, for ‘all flesh is grass,’ they are all like beasts, eating hay and grass.” This means that they keep the Mitzvot mindlessly, like beasts, “and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field, all the good deeds that they do, they do for themselves.”

That means that with the Mitzvot they perform, they have no intention of doing them in order to bring contentment to their Maker. Rather, they keep the Mitzvot only for their own benefit, and even the best among them, who dedicate all their time to engagement in the Torah, do it only to benefit their own bodies, without the desirable aim – to bring contentment to their Maker.

It is said about the generation of that time: “A spirit leaves and will not return to the world,” meaning the spirit of the Messiah, who must deliver Israel from all their troubles until the complete redemption, to keep the words, ‘for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.’ That spirit had left and does not shine in the world.

Woe unto them that make the spirit of Messiah leave and depart from the world, and cannot return to the world. They are the ones that make the Torah dry, without any moisture of comprehension and reason. They confine themselves to the practical part of the Torah, and do not wish to try to understand the wisdom of Kabbalah, to know and to understand the secrets of the Torah and the flavor of Mitzva. Woe unto them, for with these actions they bring about the existence of poverty, ruin, and robbery, looting, killing, and destructions in the world.

71.

The reason for their words is, as we have explained, that when all those who engage in the Torah degrade their own internality and the internality of the Torah, leaving it as though it were redundant in the world, and engage in it only at a time that is neither day nor night, and in this regard, they are like blind searching the wall, by that, they intensify their own externality, the benefit of their own bodies. Also, they consider the externality of the Torah higher than the internality of the Torah. And with these actions they cause all the forms of externality in the world to overpower all the internal parts in the world, each according to its essence.

This is so because the externality in the whole of Israel, meaning the Nations of the World in them, overpowers and revokes the internality in the whole of Israel, which are those who are great in the Torah. Also, the externality in the Nations of the World – the destructors among them – intensify and revoke the internality among them, which are the Righteous of the Nations of the World. Additionally, the externality of the entire world, being the Nations of the World, intensify and revoke the Children of Israel – the internality of the world.

In such a generation, all the destructors among the Nations of the World raise their heads and wish primarily to destroy and to kill the Children of Israel, as it is written (Yevamot 63), “No calamity comes to the world but for Israel.” This means, as it is written in the above corrections, that they cause poverty, ruin, robbery, killing, and destruction in the whole world.

And through our many faults, we have witnessed to all that is said in the above-mentioned Tikkunim, and moreover, the judgment struck the very best of us, as our sages said (Baba Kama 60), “And it start with the righteous first.” And of all the glory Israel had had in the countries of Poland and Lithuania, etc., there remains but the relics in our holy land. Now it is upon us, relics, to correct that dreadful wrong. Each of us remainders should take upon himself, heart and soul, to henceforth intensify the internality of the Torah, and give it its rightful place, according to its merit over the externality of the Torah.

And then, each and every one of us will be rewarded with intensifying his own internality, meaning the Israel within us, which is the needs of the soul over our own externality, which is the Nations of the World with us, that is, the needs of the body. That force will come to the whole of Israel, until the Nations of the World within us recognize and acknowledge the merit of the great sages of Israel over them, and will listen to them and obey them.

Also, the internality of the Nations of the World, the Righteous of the Nations of the World, will overpower and submit their externality, which are the destructors. And the internality of the world, too, which are Israel, shall rise in all their merit and virtue over the externality of the world, which are the nations. Then, all the nations of the world will recognize and acknowledge Israel’s merit over them.

And they shall follow the words (Isaiah 14, 2), “And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord.” And also (Isaiah 49, 22), “And they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.” That is what is written in The Zohar (Nasoh, p 124b), “through this composition,” which is The Book of Zohar, “they will be delivered from exile with mercy.” Amen, would that be so.

End of Part THREE of THREE

Original Post Link - Introduction to The Book of Zohar

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Introduction to The Book of Zohar - Part TWO

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:50:00 +0000

Part TWO of THREE

26.

We have already stated that the first state necessitates the third state, to fully materialize as was in the Thought of Creation – in the first state – not omitting a single thing (see Item 15). Therefore, the first state necessitates the revival of the dead. That means that their excessive will to receive, which had already been eradicated and rotted in the second state, must now be revived in all its exaggerated measure, with no restraints whatsoever, meaning with all its past flaws.

Then begins the work anew, to convert that excessive will to receive to be only to bestow. And then we will have doubled our gain:

We would have a place to receive all the delight and pleasure and gentleness in the Thought of Creation, since we would already have the body with its greatly excessive will to receive, which goes hand in hand with these pleasures.
Since our reception in that manner would only be in order to bestow contentment upon our Maker, that reception would be regarded as complete bestowal (see Item 11). And that would bring us to equivalence of form, which is Dvekut (adhesion), which is our form in the third state. Thus, the first state absolutely necessitates the revival of the dead.

27.

Indeed, there cannot be revival for the dead, but only near the end of correction, towards the end of the second state. For once we have been rewarded with denial of our excessive will to receive, and have been granted the will to only bestow, and once we have been endowed with all the wonderful degrees of the soul, called Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida, through our work at negating this will to receive, we have come to the greatest perfection, until the body could be revived with all its excessive will to receive, and we are no longer harmed by it by being separated from our Dvekut.

On the contrary, we overcome it and give it the form of bestowal. And indeed, this is done with every corrupt quality that we wish to remove from it. First, we must completely remove it until there is nothing left of it. Afterwards, we can receive it again and conduct it in the middle way. But as long as we have not fully removed it, it is impossible to conduct it in the desired, medium way.

28.

Our sages said, “The dead are destined to be revived with their flaws, and then be healed.” This means that in the beginning the same body is revived, which is the excessive will to receive, without any restraints, just as it grew under the nourishment of the impure worlds before the Torah and Mitzvot have purified it in any way. This is the meaning of, “in all their flaws.”

And then we embark on a new kind of labor – to insert all that exaggerated will to receive in the form of bestowal. Then it is healed, because now it obtained equivalence of form. And they said that the reason is “so it will not be said, ‘It is another,’” meaning so it will not be said about it that it is in a different form from the one it had in the Thought of Creation. This is so because that excessive will to receive stands there, aiming to receive all the bounty in the Thought of Creation.

It is only that in the meantime it has been given to the Klipot for purification. But in the end, it must not be a different body, for if it were diminished in any way, it would be deemed entirely different, thus unworthy of receiving all the bounty in the Thought of Creation, as it receives there is the first state.

29.

Now we can resolve the above second inquiry: what is our role in the long chain of reality, of which we are but tiny links, during the short span of our days? Know that our work during the seventy years of our days is divided in four:

The First Division is to obtain the excessive will to receive without restraints, in its full, corrupted measure from under the hands of the four impure worlds ABYA. If we do not have that corrupted will to receive, we will not be able to correct it, for “one cannot correct that which is not in him.”

Thus, the will to receive imprinted in the body at birth is insufficient. Rather, it must also be a vehicle for the impure Klipot for no less than thirteen years. This means that the Klipot must dominate it and give it their lights, for their lights increase its will to receive. That is because the fulfillments that the Klipot provide the will to receive with only expand and enhance the demands of the will to receive.

For example, at birth, he has a desire for only a hundred, and not more. But when the Sitra Achra provides the one hundred, the will to receive immediately grows and wants two hundred. Then, when the Sitra Achra provides fulfillment for the two hundred, the desire immediately expands to want four hundred. And if one does not overcome it through Torah and Mitzvot, and purifies the will to receive to turn it into bestowal, one’s will to receive expands throughout one’s life, until eventually he dies without attaining half his desires. This is regarded as being under the Sitra Achra and the Klipot, whose role is to expand and enhance his will to receive and make it exaggerated and unrestrained in any way, to provide one with all the material he needs to work with and correct.

30.

The Second Division is from thirteen years and on. At that point, the point in his heart, which is the posterior of holiness, is given strength. Although it is dressed in his will to receive at birth, it only begins to awaken after thirteen years, and then one begins to enter the system of the pure worlds, to the extent that one observes Torah and Mitzvot.

The primary aim of that time is to obtain and intensify the spiritual will to receive, because at birth, one has only a will to receive for corporeality. Therefore, although one has obtained the excessive will to receive before he turned thirteen, it is still not the completion of the growth of the will to receive, for the primary intensification of the will to receive is only to spirituality.

This is because if, for example, prior to turning thirteen, one’s will to receive wishes to devour all the wealth and respect in this corporeal world. This is apparently not an eternal world, and for all of us it is but a fleeting shadow. But when one obtains the excessive spiritual will to receive, one wishes to devour, for one’s own delight, all the wealth and delights in the next, eternal world, which is an eternal possession. Thus, the majority of the excessive will to receive is completed only with the will to receive spirituality.

31.

It is written in New Tikkun (97b) about the verse (Proverbs 30, 15), “The horseleech hath two daughters: ‘Give, give.’”: “A leech means Hell. And the evil caught in that Hell cry as dogs ‘Hav, Hav (Hebrew: Give, Give),’” meaning “give us the wealth of this world, give us the wealth of the next world.”

Yet it is a much more important degree than the first, since aside from obtaining the full measure of the will to receive, giving one all the material one needs for one’s work, this is the degree that brings one to Lishma (for Her Name). It is as our sages said (Pesachim 50b): “One should always engage in Torah and Mitzvot lo Lishma (not for Her Name), as from Lo Lishma, one comes to Lishma.”

Hence, this degree, which comes past the thirteen years, is deemed holiness. This is considered the holy maid that serves her mistress, which is the Holy Shechina (Divinity). This is because the maid brings one to Lishma, and he is rewarded with the inspiration of Divinity. Yet, one should take every measure suited to bring one to Lishma, since if one does not strain for that and does not achieve Lishma, he will fall into the pit of the impure maid, which is the opposite of the holy maid, whose role is to confuse a person, that the Lo Lishma will not bring him to Lishma. It is said about her: “handmaid that is heir to her mistress” (Proverbs 30, 23), for she will not let one near the mistress, which is the Holy Divinity.

And the final degree in this division is that he will fall passionately in love with the Creator, as one falls passionately for a corporeal love, until the object of passion remains before one’s eyes all day long and all night long, as the poet says, “When I remember Him, He does not let me sleep.” Then it is said of him: “but desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13, 12). This is because the five degrees of the soul are the Tree of Life, which stretches over five hundred years. Each degree lasts a hundred years, meaning it will bring him to receive all five Behinot (discernments) NRNHY (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida) clarified in the third division.

32.

The Third Division is the work in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma, in order to bestow and to not receive reward. This work cleanses the will to receive for oneself and replaces it with a will to bestow. To the extent that one purifies the will to receive, he becomes worthy of receiving the five parts of the soul called NRNHY (below Item 42). This is because they stand in the will to bestow (see Item 23), and cannot clothe one’s body as long as the will to receive – which is opposite, or even different in form from the soul – controls it.

That is because the matter of dressing and equivalence of form go hand in hand (see Item 11). And when one is rewarded with being entirely in the will to bestow and not at all for oneself, he will be rewarded with obtaining equivalence of form with his Upper NRNHY, which extend from one’s origin in Ein Sof in the first state, through the pure ABYA, and will immediately extend and clothe him in a gradual manner.

The Fourth Division is the work conducted after the revival of the dead. This means that the will to receive, which had already been completely absent through death and burial, is now revived in its excessive, worst will to receive, as our sages said: “The dead will be revived in their flaws” (Item 28). And then it is turned into reception in the form of bestowal. However, there are a chosen few who were given this work while still living in this world.

33.

Now remains the clarification of the sixth inquiry, which is the words of our sages who said that all the worlds, Upper and lower, were created only for man. It seems very peculiar that for man, whose worth is but a wisp compared to the reality before us in this world, much less compared to the Upper, Spiritual Worlds, the Creator would go to all the trouble of creating all that for him. And even more peculiar is what would man need all these vast Spiritual Worlds for?

And you must know that any contentment of our Maker from bestowing upon His creatures depends on the extent that the creatures feel Him – that He is the giver, and that He is the one who delights them. For then He takes great pleasure in them, as a father playing with his beloved son, to the degree that the son feels and recognizes the greatness and exaltedness of his father, and his father shows him all the treasures he had prepared for him, as it is written (Jeremiah 31): “Ephraim, my darling son, is he joy of his parents? For whenever I speak of him, I earnestly remember him still. Hence, My heart yearneth for him, I will surely have compassion upon him, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31, 19).

Observe these words carefully and you can come to know the great delights of the Lord with those whole ones that have been granted feeling Him and recognizing His greatness in all those manners He has prepared for them, until they are like a father with his darling son, the joy of his parents. And we need not continue on that, for it is enough for us to know that for this contentment and delight with those whole ones, it was worth His while to create all the worlds, Higher and lower alike.

34.

To prepare His creatures to reach the aforementioned exalted degree, the Creator wanted to affect it by an order of four degrees that evolve one out of the other, called, “still,” “vegetative,” “animate,” and “speaking.” These are, in fact, the four phases of the will to receive, by which the Upper Worlds is divided. For although the majority of the desire is in the fourth phase of the will to receive, it is impossible for the fourth phase appear at once, but by its preceding three phases, in which, and through which, it gradually develops and appears, until it is fully completed in the form of Phase Four.

35.

In Phase One of the will to receive, called “still,” which is the initial manifestation of the will to receive in this corporeal world, there is but a collective force of movement for the whole of the still category. But no motion is apparent in its particular items. This is because the will to receive generates needs, and the needs generate sufficient movements, enough to satisfy the need. And since there is only a small will to receive, it dominates only the whole of the category at once, but its power over the particular items is indistinguishable.

36.

The vegetative is added to it, which is Phase Two of the will to receive. Its measure is greater than in the still, and its will to receive dominates each and every item of its items, because each item has its own movement, expanding through its length and breadth, and moving towards the sun. Also, the matter of eating and drinking and secretion of waste is also apparent in each item. However, the sensation of freedom and individuality is still absent in them.

37.

Atop that comes the animate category, which is Phase Three of the will to receive. Its measure is already completed to a great extent, for this will to receive already generates in each item a sensation of freedom and individuality, which is the life that is unique to each item separately. Yet, they still lack the sensation of others, meaning they have no preparation to participate in others’ pains or their joys, etc.

38.

Above all comes the human species, which is Phase Four of the will to receive. It is the complete and final measure, and its will to receive includes the sensation of others, as well. And if you wish to know the precise difference between Phase Three of the will to receive, which is in the animate, and the fourth phase of the will to receive in man, I shall tell you that it is as the worth of a single creature compared to the whole of reality.

This is because the will to receive in the animate, which lacks the sensation of others, can only generate needs and desires to the extent that they are imprinted in that creature alone. But man, who can feel others, too, becomes needy of everything that others have, too, and is thus filled with envy to acquire everything that others have. When he has a hundred, he wants two hundred, and so his needs forever multiply until he wishes to devour all that there is in the whole world.

39.

Now we have shown that the Creator’s desired goal for the Creation He had created is to bestow upon His creatures, so they would know His truthfulness and greatness, and receive all the delight and pleasure He had prepared for them, in the measure described in the verse: “Ephraim my darling son, is he joy of his parents?” (Jeremiah 31, 19). Thus, you clearly find that this purpose does not apply to the still and the great spheres, such as the earth, the moon, or the sun, however luminous they may be, and not to the vegetative or the animate, for they lack the sensation of others, even from among their own species. Therefore, how can the sensation of the Godly and His bestowal apply to them?

Humankind alone, having been prepared with the sensation of others of the same species, who are similar to them, after delving in Torah and Mitzvot, when they invert their will to receive to a will to bestow, and come to equivalence of form with his Maker, they receive all the degrees that have been prepared for them in the Upper Worlds, called NRNHY. By that they become qualified to receive the purpose of the Thought of Creation. After all, the purpose of the creation of all the worlds was for man alone.

40.

And I know that it is completely unaccepted in the eyes of some philosophers. They cannot agree that man, which they think of as low and worthless, is the center of the magnificent Creation. But they are like a worm that is born inside a radish. It lives there and thinks that the world of the Creator is as bitter, as dark, and small as the radish it was born in. But as soon as it breaks the shell of the radish and peeps out, it claims in bewilderment: “I thought the whole world was the size of the radish I was born in, and now I see a grand, beautiful, and wondrous world before me!”

So, too, are those who are immersed in the Klipa (singular for Klipot) of the will to receive they were born with, and did not try to take the unique spice, which are the practical Torah and Mitzvot, which can break this hard Klipa and turn it into a desire to bestow contentment upon the Maker. It is certain that they must determine their worthlessness and emptiness, as they truly are, and cannot comprehend that this magnificent reality had been created only for them.

Indeed, had they delved in Torah and Mitzvot to bestow contentment upon their Maker, with all the required purity, and would try to break the Klipa of the will to receive they were born in and assume the desire to bestow, their eyes would immediately open to see and attain for themselves all the degrees of wisdom, intelligence and clear mind, that have been prepared for them in the Spiritual Worlds. Then they would themselves say what our sages said, “What does a good guest say? ‘Everything the host has done, he has done for me alone.’”

41.

But there still remains to clarify why would man need all the Upper Worlds the Creator had created for him? What use has he of them? Bear in mind that the reality of all the worlds is generally divided into five worlds, called a) Adam Kadmon, b) Atzilut, c) Beria, d) Yetzira, and e) Assiya. In each of them are innumerable details, which are the five Sefirot KHBTM (Keter, Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut). The world of AK (Adam Kadmon) is Keter; the world of Atzilut is Hochma; the world of Beria is Bina; the world of Yetzira is Tifferet; and the world Assiya is Malchut.

And the Lights clothed in those five worlds are called YHNRN. The Light of Yechida shines in the world of Adam Kadmon; the Light of Haya in the world of Atzilut; the Light of Neshama in the world of Beria; the Light of Ruach in the world of Yetzira; and the Light of Nefesh in the world of Assiya.

All these worlds and everything in them are included in the Holy Name, Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, and the tip of the Yod. We have no perception in the first world, AK. Hence, it is only implied in the tip of the Yod of the Name. This is why we do not speak of it and always mention only the four worlds ABYA. Yod is the world of Atzilut, Hey – the world of Beria, Vav – the world of Yetzira, and the bottom Hey is the world of Assiya.

42.

We have now explained the five worlds that include the entire spiritual reality that extends from Ein Sof to this world. However, they are included in one the other, and in each of the worlds there are the five worlds, the five Sefirot KHBTM, in which the five Lights NRNHY are dressed, corresponding to the five worlds.

And besides the five Sefirot KHBTM in each world, there are the four spiritual categories – Still, Vegetative, Animate, and Speaking. In it, man’s soul is regarded as the speaking, the animate is regarded as the angels in that world, the vegetative category is called “dresses” and the still category is called “halls.” And they all robe one another: the speaking category, which is the souls of people, clothes the five Sefirot, KHBTM, which is the Godliness in that world. The animate category, which are the angels clothes over the souls; the vegetative, which are the dresses, clothe the angels; and the still, which are halls, revolve around them all.

The dressing means that they serve one another and evolve from one another, as we have clarified with the corporeal still, vegetative, animate and speaking in this world (Items 35-38): the three categories – still, vegetative, and animate – did not extend for themselves, but only so the fourth category, which is man, might develop and rise by them. Therefore, their role is only to serve man and be useful to him.

So it is in all the spiritual worlds. The three categories – still, vegetative, and animate – appeared there only to serve and be useful to the speaking category there, which is man’s soul. Therefore, it is considered that they all clothe over man’s soul, meaning to serve him.

43.

When man is born, he immediately has a Nefesh [1] of Kedusha (Holiness). But not an actual Nefesh, but the posterior of it, its last discernment, which, due to its smallness, is called a “point.” It dresses in man’s heart, in one’s will to receive, which is found primarily in one’s heart.

Know this rule, that all that applies to the whole of reality, applies to each world, and even in the smallest particles that can be found in that world. Thus, as there are five worlds in whole of reality, which are the five Sefirot KHBTM, there are five Sefirot KHBTM in each and every world, and there are five Sefirot in every little item in that world.

We have said that this world is divided into still, vegetative, animate and speaking (SVAS), corresponding to the four Sefirot HBTM. Still corresponds to Malchut, vegetative corresponds to Tifferet, animate to Bina, and speaking to Hochma. And the root of them all corresponds to Keter. But as we have said, even in the smallest item in each species in the SVAS there are four discernments of SVAS. Hence, even in a single item of the speaking category, meaning even in one person, there are also SVAS, which are the four parts of his will to receive, where the point from the Nefesh of Kedusha is dressed.

44.

Prior to the thirteen years, there cannot be any emergence of the point in one’s heart. But after thirteen years, when he begins to delve in Torah and Mitzvot, even without any intention, meaning without any love and fear, as is fitting when serving the king, even in LoLishma, the point in one’s heart begins to grow and disclose its action.

This is so because Mitzvot do not need an aim. Even acts without an aim can purify one’s will to receive, but only in the first degree, called “still.” And to the extent that he purifies the still part of the will to receive, one builds the six hundred and thirteen organs of the point in the heart, which is the still of the Nefesh of Kedusha.

And when one completes all six hundred and thirteen Mitzvot in action, it completes the six hundred and thirteen organs in the point in the heart, which is the still category of the Nefesh of Kedusha, whose two hundred and forty-eight spiritual organs are built by keeping the two hundred and forty-eight positive Mitzvot [2], and its three hundred and sixty-five spiritual tendons are built through observing the three hundred and sixty-five negative Mitzvot, until it becomes a complete Partzuf (spiritual face) of Nefesh of Kedusha. Then the Nefesh rises and clothes the Sefira (singular of Sefirot) of Malchut in the spiritual world of Assiya.

And all the spiritual elements of still, vegetative and animate in that world, which correspond to that Sefira of Malchut of Assiya, serve and aid that Partzuf of Nefesh of one who has risen there, to the extent that the soul perceives them. Those concepts become its spiritual nourishment, giving it strength to grow and multiply, until it can extend the Light of the Sefira of Malchut of Assiya in all the desired perfection, to Light man’s body. And that complete Light aids one to add exertion in Torah and Mitzvot and receive the remaining degrees.

And we have stated that immediately at the birth of one’s body, a point of the Light of Nefesh is born and dresses in him. So it is here: when his Partzuf of Nefesh of Kedusha is born, a point from its adjacent Higher degree is born with it – the last degree of the Light of Ruach of Assiya – and dresses inside the Partzuf of Nefesh.

And so it is in all the degrees. With each degree that is born, the last discernment in the degree above it instantaneously appears within it. This is because this is the whole connection between Higher and lower through to the top of the degrees. Thus, through this point, which exists in it from the Upper One, it becomes able to rise to the next Higher degree.

45.

And that Light of Nefesh is called “the Light of the holy still in the world Assiya.” This is because it corresponds to the purity of the still part of the will to receive in man’s body. It shines in spirituality like the still category in corporeality (see Item 35), whose particles have no individual motion, but only collective motion, common to all the items equally. So it is with the Light of Partzuf Nefesh of Assiya: although there are six hundred and thirteen organs in it, which are six hundred and thirteen forms of receiving the bounty, these changes are not apparent in it, but only a general Light, whose action enfolds them all equally, without distinction of details.

46.

Bear in mind that although the Sefirot are Godliness, and there is no difference in them from the head of Keter in the world of AK, through the end of the Sefira of Malchut in the world of Assiya, there is still a great difference with respect to the receivers. This is so because the Sefirot are considered Lights and Kelim (vessels), and the Light in the Sefirot is pure Godliness. But the Kelim, called KHBTM in each of the lower worlds – Beria, Yetzira, Assiya – are not considered Godliness, but are rather covers that conceal the Light of Ein Sof within them and ration a certain amount of Light to the receivers. Each of them will receive only according to the level of its purity.

And in this respect, although the Light itself is one, we name the Lights in the Sefirot NRNHY because the Light divides according to the qualities of the Kelim. Malchut is the coarsest cover, hiding the Light of Ein Sof. The Light it passes from Him to the receivers is only a small portion, related to the purification of the still body of man. This is why it is called Nefesh.

The Kli of Tifferet is purer than the Kli of Malchut. The Light it passes from Ein Sof relates to the purification of the vegetative part of man’s body, because it acts in it more than the Light of Nefesh. This is called “the Light of Ruach.”

The Kli of Bina is purer still than Tifferet, and the Light it passes from Ein Sof relates to the purification of the animate part of man’s body, and it is called “the Light of Neshama.”

The purest of all is the Kli of Hochma. The Light it passes from Ein Sof relates to the purification of the speaking part of man’s body. It is called “the Light of Haya,” and its action is beyond measurement.

47.

In Partzuf Nefesh, which man one attains through engaging in Torah and Mitzvot without the intention, there is already a point from the Light of Ruach clothed in there. And when one strengthens and keeps Torah and Mitzvot with the desired aim, he purifies the vegetative part of his will to receive, and to that extent builds the point of Ruach into a Partzuf. And by performing the 248 positive Mitzvot with intention, the point expands through its 248 spiritual organs. And by observing the 365 negative Mitzvot, the point expands through its 365 tendons.

When it is completed with all 613 organs, it rises and clothes the Sefira of Tifferet in the spiritual world of Assiya, which extends to him a greater Light from Ein Sof, called “the Light of Ruach,” which corresponds to the purification of the vegetative part in man’s body. And all the items of the still, vegetative, and animate in the world of Assiya, related to the level of Tifferet, aid one’s Partzuf of Ruach to receive the Lights from the Sefira of Tifferet in all its entirety, as was explained above with the Light of Nefesh. Because of that, it is called “holy vegetative.”

The nature of its Light is like the corporeal vegetative: there are distinct differences in motion in each of its elements, so in the spiritual Light of vegetative there is much strength to shine in unique ways for each and every organ of the 613 organs in Partzuf Ruach. Each of them manifests action-power related to that organ. Also, with the extension of Partzuf Ruach, the point of the next degree Above it extended from it, a point of the Light of Neshama, which dresses in its internality.

48.

And by engaging in the secrets of Torah and the flavors of the Mitzvot, he purifies the animate part of his will to receive, and to that extent builds the point of the soul, dressed in him in its 248 organs and 365 tendons. When the construction is completed and it becomes a Partzuf, it rises and dresses the Sefira of Bina in the spiritual world of Assiya. This Kli is much purer than the first Kelim, TM (Tifferet and Malchut). Hence, it extends a great Light from Ein Sof, called “Light of Neshama.”

And all the items of still, vegetative, and animate in the world of Assiya, related to the level of Bina, aid and serve one’s Partzuf of Neshama in receiving all its Lights from the Sefira of Bina. And it is also called “holy animate” because it corresponds to the purification of the animate part of man’s body. And so is the nature of its Light, as we have seen with the corporeal animate (Item 37), which gives a sensation of individuality to each of the 613 organs of the Partzuf, that each of them is alive and free, without any dependence on the rest of the Partzuf.

At last, it is discerned that its 613 organs are 613 Partzufim (plural for Partzuf), unique in their Light, each in its own way. And the advantage of this Light over the Light of Ruach, in spirituality, is as the advantage of the animate over the still and the vegetative in corporeality. And there also extends a point from the Light of Haya of Kedusha, which is the Light of the Sefira of Hochma, with the emergence of Partzuf Neshama, and dresses in its internality.

End of Part TWO of THREE

Original Post Link - Introduction to The Book of Zohar

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

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[1] Translator’s note: By Nefesh he means the first degree in NRNHY.

[2] Translator’s note: Positive Mitzvot are precepts you have to perform in action, and negative Mitzvot are precepts you keep by avoiding certain actions.

Introduction to The Book of Zohar

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Part ONE of THREE

1.

In this introduction, I would like to clarify matters that are seemingly simple. Matters that everyone fumbles with, and for which much ink has been spilled, attempting to clarify. Yet we have not reached a concrete and sufficient knowledge of them. And here are the questions:

What is our essence?
What is our role in the long chain of reality, of which we are but small links?
When we examine ourselves, we find that we are as corrupted and as low as can be. And when we examine the operator who has made us, we are compelled to be at the highest degree, for there is none so praiseworthy as Him. For it is necessary that only perfect operations will stem from a perfect operator.
Our mind necessitates that He is utterly benevolent, beyond compare. How, then, did He create so many creatures that suffer and agonize all through their lives? Is it not the way of the good to do good, or at least not to harm so?
How is it possible that the infinite, that has neither beginning nor end, will produce finite, mortal, and transient creatures?

2.

In order to clear all that up, we need to make some preliminary inquiries. And not, God forbid, where it is forbidden, in the Creator’s essence, of which we have no thought or perception whatsoever, and thus have no thought or utterance of Him, but where the inquiry is a Mitzva (commandment/good deed), the inquiry of His deeds. It is as the Torah commands us: “Know thou the God of thy father and serve Him,” and as it says in the poem of unification, “By your actions we know you.”

Inquiry No. 1: How can we picture a new creation, something new that is not included in Him before He creates it, when it is obvious to any observer that there is nothing that is not included in Him? Common sense dictates it, for how can one give what one does not have?

Inquiry No. 2: If you say that from the aspect of His almightiness, He can certainly create existence from absence, something new that is not in Him, there rises the question – what is that reality, which can be determined as having no place in Him at all, but is completely new?

Inquiry No. 3: This deals with what Kabbalists have said, that one’s soul is a part of God Above, in such a way that there is no difference between Him and the soul, but He is the “whole” and the soul is a “part.” And they compared it to a rock carved from a mountain. There is no difference between the rock and the mountain, except that He is the “whole” and the rock is a “part.” Thus we must ask: it is one thing that a stone carved from the mountain is separated from it by an ax made for that purpose, causing the separation of the “part” from the “whole.” But how can you picture that about Him, that He will separate a part of His essence until it departs His essence and becomes separated from Him, meaning a soul, to the point that it can only be understood as part of His essence?

3.

Inquiry No. 4: Since the chariot of the Sitra Achra (other side) and the Klipot (shells) is so far, at the other end of His Holiness, until such remoteness is inconceivable, how can it be extracted and made from Holiness, much less that His Holiness will sustain it?

Inquiry No. 5: The matter of the rising of the dead: Since the body is so contemptible, that immediately at birth it is doomed to perish and to be buried. Moreover, The Zohar said that before the body rots entirely, the soul cannot ascend to its place in the Garden of Eden, while there are still remnants of it. Therefore, why must it return and rise at the revival of the dead? Could the Creator not delight the souls without it?

Even more bewildering is what our sages said, that the dead are destined to rise with their flaws, so that they will not be mistaken for another, and after that He will cure their flaws. We must understand why God should mind that they would not be mistaken for another, that for that He would recreate their flaws and then would have to cure it.

Inquiry No. 6: Regarding what our sages said, that man is the center of reality, that the Upper Worlds and this corporeal world and everything in them were created only for him (The Zohar, Tazria, 40), and obliged man to believe that the world had been created for him (Sanhedrin 37). It is seemingly hard to grasp that for this trifling human, whose value is no more than a wisp, with respect to the reality of this world, much less with respect to all the Upper Worlds, whose Height and Sublimity is immeasurable, that the Creator had troubled Himself to create all these for him. And also, why would man need all that?

4.

To understand these questions and inquiries, the only tactic is to examine the end of the act, that is, the purpose of Creation. For nothing can be understood in the middle of the process, but only at its end. And it is clear that there is no act without a purpose, for only the insane can act purposelessly.

I know that there are those who cast over their backs the burden of Torah and Mitzvot (plural for Mitzva), saying the Creator has created the whole of reality, then left it alone, that because of the worthlessness of the creatures it is not fitting for the Exalted Creator to watch over their mean little ways. Indeed, without knowledge they have spoken, for it is impossible to comment on our lowliness and nothingness, before we decide that we have created ourselves with all our corrupted and loathsome natures.

But while we decide that the Creator, who is utterly perfect, is the One who created and designed our bodies, with all their admirable and contemptible attributes, surely, there can never emerge an imperfect act under the hand of the perfect worker, as each act testifies to its performer. And what fault is it of a bad garment, if some no-good tailor has made it?

Such as this we find in Masechet Taanit, 20: A tale about Rabbi Elazar who came across a very ugly man. He said to him: “How ugly is that man.” The man replied: “Go and tell the craftsman that made me, ‘How ugly is this instrument you have made.’” Hence, those who claim that because of our lowliness and nothingness, it is not fitting for Him to watch over us, and therefore He has left us, do nothing but display their ignorance.

Try to imagine, if you were to meet some man who would create creatures, precisely so they would suffer and agonize their whole lives as we do, and not only that, but cast them behind his back, not wanting even to look after them, to help them a little. How contemptible and low you would regard him! Can such a thing be thought of Him?

5.

Therefore, common sense dictates that we grasp the opposite of what appears to be on the surface, and decide that we are truly noble and worthy creatures, of immeasurable importance, actually worthy of the Worker who had made us. For any fault you wish to perceive in our bodies, behind all the excuses that you give to yourself, falls only on the Creator, who created us and the nature within us, for it is clear that He had created us and not we.

He also knows all the ways that stem from the evil nature and attributes He has created in us. It is as we have said, that we must contemplate the end of the act, and then we will be able to understand everything. It is as the saying goes, “Do not show a fool a job half done.”

6.

Our sages have already said that the Creator created the world for no other reason but to delight His creatures. And here is where we must place our minds and all our thoughts, for it is the ultimate aim of the act of the creation of the world. And we must bear in mind that since the Thought of Creation was to bestow upon His creatures, He had to create in the souls a great measure of desire to receive that which He had thought to give them. For the measure of each pleasure and delight depends on the measure of the will to receive it. The greater the will to receive, the greater the pleasure, and the lesser the will, the lesser the pleasure from reception.

Thus, the Thought of Creation itself necessarily dictates the creation of an excessive will to receive in the souls, to fit the immense pleasure that His Almightiness thought to bestow upon the souls. For the great delight and the great desire to receive go hand in hand.

7.

Once we have learned that, we come to a full understanding of the second inquiry, in complete clarity. For we have learned what is the reality that can be clearly determined, which is not a part of His essence, to the extent that we can say that it is a new creation, existence from absence. And now that we know for certain that the Thought of Creation, to delight His creatures, necessarily created a measure of desire to receive from Him all the goodness and pleasantness that He had planned for them, that will to receive was clearly not included in His essence before He had created it in the souls, because from whom could He receive? It follows that He had created something new, which is not in Him.

And yet, we understand that according to the Thought of Creation, there was no need to create anything more than that will to receive. This is because this new creation is sufficient for Him to fulfill the entire Thought of Creation, which He had thought to bestow upon us. But all the filling in the Thought of Creation, all the benefits He had planned to render us, stem directly from His essence, and He has no reason to recreate them, since they are already extracted, existence from existence, to the great will to receive in the souls. Thus we evidently see that all the substance in the generated creation, from beginning to end, is only the “will to receive.”

8.

Now we have come to understand the words of the Kabbalists in the third inquiry. We wondered how it was possible to say about souls that they were a part of God Above, like a stone that is carved from a mountain, that there is no difference between them except that one is a “part” and the other is a “whole.” And we wondered: it is one thing to say that the stone that is carved from the mountain becomes separated by an ax made for that purpose, but how can you say that about His essence? And also, what was it that separated the souls from His essence and excluded them from the Creator, to become creatures?

From the above, we clearly understand that as the ax cuts and divides a physical object in two, the disparity of form divides the spiritual into two. For example, when two people love each other, you say that they are attached to one another as one body. And when they hate each other, you say that they are as far from one another as the east from the west. But there is no question of nearness or remoteness of location here. Rather, this implies the equivalence of form: when they are equal in form, and each loves what the other loves and hates what the other hates, they love each other and are attached to one another.

And if there is some disparity of form between them, and one of them likes something that the other hates, then to the extent that they differ in form, they become distant and hateful of one another. And if, for example, they are opposite in form, and everything that one likes, the other hates, and everything the other hates is liked by the first, they are deemed as remote as the east from the west, meaning from one end to the other.

9.

And you find that in spirituality the disparity of form acts like the ax that separates in the corporeal world, and the distance between them is proportional to the oppositeness of form. From this we learn that since the will to receive His delight has been imprinted in the souls, and we have shown that this form is absent in the Creator, because from whom would He receive, that disparity of form that the souls acquired separates them from His essence, as the ax that carves a stone from the mountain. And because of that disparity of form the souls were separated from the Creator and became creatures. However, everything the souls acquire of His Light extends from His essence, existence from existence.

It therefore turns out that with respect to His Light, which they receive in their Kli (vessel), which is the will to receive, there is no difference whatsoever between them and His essence. This is because they receive it existence from existence, directly from His essence. And the only difference between the souls and His essence is that the souls are a part of His essence.

This means that the amount of Light that they receive in their Kli, being the will to receive, is already separated from the Creator, as it is predicated on the disparity of form of the will to receive. And this disparity of form made it a part by which they were separated from the “whole” and became a “part.” Thus, the only difference between them is that one is a “whole” and the other is a “part,” as a stone that is carved from a mountain. And scrutinize this meticulously, for it is impossible to expand further on such an exalted place.

10.

Now we can begin to understand the fourth inquiry: how is it possible that the chariot of impurity and Klipot would emerge from His Holiness, since it is at the other end of His Holiness? And also, how can it be that He supports and sustains it? Indeed, first we must understand the meaning of the existence of impurity and Klipot.

Know that this great will to receive, which we determined was the very essence of the souls by creation – for which they are fit to receive the entire filling in the Thought of Creation – does not stay in that form within the souls. If it had, they would have to remain eternally separated from Him because the disparity of form in them would separate them from Him.

And in order to mend that separation, which lays on the Kli of the souls, He created all the worlds and separated them into two systems, as in the verse: “God has made them one against the other,” which are the four pure worlds ABYA, and opposite them the four impure worlds ABYA. And He imprinted the desire to bestow in the system of the pure ABYA, removed the will to receive for themselves from them, and placed it in the system of the impure worlds ABYA. Because of that, they have become separated from the Creator and from all the worlds of holiness.

For that reason the Klipot are called “dead,” as in the verse: “sacrifices of the dead” (Psalms 106, 28). And the wicked that follow them, as our sages said, “The wicked, in their lives, are called ‘dead,’” since the will to receive imprinted in them in oppositeness of form to His Holiness separates them from the Life of Lives, and they are remote from Him from one end to the other. It is so because He has no interest in reception, only in bestowal, whereas the Klipot want nothing of bestowal, but only to receive for themselves, for their own delight, and there is no greater oppositeness than that. And you already know that spiritual remoteness begins with some disparity of form and ends in oppositeness of form, which is the farthest possible distance in the last degree.

11.

And the worlds cascaded onto the reality of this corporeal world, to a place where there is a body and a soul and a time of corruption and a time of correction. For the body, which is the will to receive for itself, extends from its root in the Thought of Creation, through the system of the impure worlds, as it is written, “and a wild ass’s colt is born a man” (Job 11, 12). And he remains under the authority of that system for the first thirteen years, which is the time of corruption.

And by engaging in Mitzvot from thirteen years of age onwards, in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker, he begins to purify the will to receive for himself, imprinted in him, and slowly turns it to be in order to bestow. By that he extends a holy soul from its root in the Thought of Creation. And it passes through the system of the pure worlds and dresses in the body. This is the time of correction.

And so he accumulates degrees of holiness from the Thought of Creation in Ein Sof (Infinity), until they aid him in turning the will to receive for himself in him, to be entirely in the form of reception in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker, and not at all for himself. By that, one acquires equivalence of form with his Maker, because reception in order to bestow is regarded as pure bestowal.

In Masechet Kidushin it is written that with an important man she gives and he says – by that you are sanctified. Because when his reception is in order to delight her, the giver, it is deemed absolute bestowal and giving. Thus, one buys complete adhesion with Him, for spiritual adhesion is but equivalence of form, as our sages said, “How is it possible to cleave unto Him? Rather, cleave on to His qualities.” And by that, one becomes worthy of receiving all the delight and pleasure and the gentleness in the Thought of Creation.

12.

Thus we have clearly explained the correction of the will to receive, imprinted in the souls by the Thought of Creation. For the Creator has prepared for them two systems, one opposite the other, through which the souls pass and divide into two discernments, body and soul, which dress in one another.

And through Torah and Mitzvot, they finally turn the form of the will to receive to be as the form of the will to bestow. And then they can receive all the goodness in the Thought of Creation. And along with it, they are rewarded with a solid adhesion with Him, because through the work in Torah and Mitzvot they have been rewarded with equivalence of form with their Maker. This is deemed the end of correction.

And then, since there will no longer be a need for the evil Sitra Achra, it will be eliminated from the earth and death shall cease forever. And all the work in Torah and Mitzvot that was given to the world during the six thousand years of the existence of the world, and to each person for the duration of one’s seventy years of life, are to bring them to the end of correction – the above-mentioned equivalence of form.

The issue of the formation and extension of the system of Klipot and impurity from His Holiness has also been thoroughly clarified now: it had to be in order to extend by it the creation of the bodies, which would then be corrected through Torah and Mitzvot. And if our bodies, with their corrupted will to receive, were not extended through the impure system, we would never be able to correct it, for one cannot correct that which is not in him.

13.

Indeed, we still need to understand how the will to receive for oneself, which is so flawed and corrupted, could extend from, and be in the Thought of Creation in Ein Sof, whose unity is beyond words and beyond description? The thing is that by the very thought to create the souls, His thought completed everything, for He does not need an act, as do we. Instantaneously, all the souls and worlds that were destined to be created, emerged filled with all the delight and pleasure and the gentleness He had planned for them, in the final perfection that the souls were intended to receive at the end of correction, after the will to receive in the souls has been fully corrected and was turned into pure bestowal, in complete equivalence of form with the Emanator.

This is so because in His Eternalness, past, present, and future are as one. The future is as the present and there is no such thing as time in Him. Hence, there was never an issue of a corrupted will to receive in its separated state in Ein Sof.

On the contrary, that equivalence of form, destined to be revealed at the end of correction, appeared instantly in the Infinite. And our sages said about that: “Before the world was created there were He is One and His Name One,” for the separated form in the will to receive had not been revealed in the reality of the souls that emerged in the Thought of Creation. Rather, they were cleaved unto Him in equivalence of form by way of, “He is One and His Name One.”

14.

Thus you necessarily find that on the whole, there are three states to the soul:

The First State is their presence in Ein Sof, in the Thought of Creation, where they already have the future form of the End of Correction.

The Second State is their presence in the six thousand years, which were divided by the above two systems into a body and a soul. They were given the work in Torah and Mitzvot, in order to invert their will to receive and turn it into a will to bestow contentment upon their Maker, and not at all to themselves.

During the time of that state, no correction will come to the bodies, only to the souls. This means that they musteliminate any form of self-reception, which is considered the body, and remain with but a desire to bestow, which is the form of desire in the souls. Even the souls of the righteous will not be able to rejoice in the Garden of Eden after their demise, but only after their bodies rot in the dust.

The Third State is the end of correction of the souls, after the revival of the dead. At that time the complete correction will come to the bodies, too, for then they will turn reception for themselves, which is the form of the body, to take on the form of pure bestowal. And they will become worthy of receiving for themselves all the delight and pleasure and pleasantness in the Thought of Creation.

And with all that, they will attain strong adhesion by the force of their equivalence of form with their Maker, since they will not receive all that because of their desire to receive, but because of their desire to bestow contentment upon their Maker, since He derives pleasure when they receive from Him. And for purposes of brevity, from now on I will use the names of these three states, namely “first state,” “second state,” and “third state.” And you should remember all that is explained here in every state.

15.

When you examine the above three states, you will find that one completely necessitates the other, in a way that, if one were to be cancelled, the others would be cancelled, too.

If, for example, the third state – the conversion of the form of reception to the form of bestowal – had not materialized, it is certain that the first state in Ein Sof would never have been able to emerge.

It is because the perfection materialized there only because the future third state was already there, as though it is in the present. And all the perfection that was pictured there in that state is like a reflection from the future into the present. But if the future could be cancelled, there would not be any present. Thus, the third state necessitates the existence of the first.

All the more so when something is cancelled in the second state, where there is all the work that is destined to be completed in the third state, the work in corruptions and corrections and the continuance of the degrees of the souls. Thus, how will the third state come to be? Hence, the second state necessitates the existence of the third.

And so it is with the existence of the first state in Ein Sof, where the perfection of the third state resides. It definitely necessitates that it will be adapted, meaning that the second and third states will appear in complete perfection, no less and no more in any way.

Thus, the first state itself necessitates the expansion of two corresponding systems in the second state, to allow the existence of a body in the will to receive, corrupted by the system of impurity, thus enabling us to correct it. And had there not been a system of impure worlds, we would not have that will to receive, and we would not be able to correct it and come to the third state, for “one cannot correct that which is not in him.” Thus we need not ask how the impure system came to be from the first state, for it is the first state that necessitates its existence in the form of the second state.

16.

Therefore, one must not wonder at how it was that the choice had been taken from us, since we must be completed and come to the third state, since it is already present in the first. The thing is that there are two ways the Creator has set for us in the second state to bring us to the third state:

1. The Path of Keeping Torah and Mitzvot.

2. The Path of Suffering, since the pain itself purifies the body and will eventually compel us to invert our will to receive into the form of a will to bestow, and cleave to Him. It is as our sages said (Sanhedrin, 97b), “If you repent, good; and if not, I will place over you a king such as Haman, and he will force you to repent.” Our sages said about the verse, “will hasten it in its time”: “If they are rewarded, I will hasten it; and if not, in its time.”

This means that if we are granted through the first path, by keeping Torah and Mitzvot, we thus hasten our correction, and we do not need the harsh agony and the long time needed to experience them, so they will compel us to reform. And if not, “in its time,” meaning only when the suffering will complete our correction and the time of correction will be forced upon us. On the whole, the path of suffering is also the punishments of the souls in Hell.

But in any case, the end of correction – the third state – is mandatory, because of the first state. Our choice is only between the path of suffering and the path of Torah and Mitzvot. Thus we have thoroughly clarified how the three states of the souls are interconnected and necessitate one another.

17.

From all the above, we thoroughly understand the third inquiry, that when we examine ourselves, we find ourselves to be as corrupted and contemptible as can be. But when we examine the operator who created us, we must be exalted, for there is none so praiseworthy as He, as becoming of the Operator who created us, because the nature of the Perfect Operator is to perform perfect operations.

Now we can understand that our body, with all its trifle incidents and possessions, is not at all our real body. Our real, eternal, and complete body already exists in Ein Sof, in the first state, where it receives its complete form from the future third state, that is, receiving in the form of bestowal, in equivalence of form with Ein Sof.

And if our first state necessitates that we receive the Klipa (shell) of our body in the second state, in its corrupted and loathsome form, which is the will to receive for oneself alone, which is the force that separates us from Ein Sof so as to correct it and allow us to receive our eternal body in practice, in the third state, we need not protest against it. Our work can only be done in this transitory and wasteful body, for “one does not correct that which is not in him.”

Thus, we are already in that measure of perfection, worthy and fitting of the Perfect Operator who had made us, even in our current, second state, for this body does not defect us in any way, since it will expire and die, and is only here for the time necessary for its cancellation and acquisition of our eternal form.

18.

This settles our fifth inquiry: How could it be that transitory, wasteful actions would extend from the eternal? And we see that, indeed, we have already been extended as is fitting for His Eternalness – eternal and perfect beings. And our eternalness necessitates that the Klipa of the body, which was given to us only for work, will be transitory and wasteful. For if it remained in eternity, we would remain forever separated from the Life of Lives.

We have said before (Item 13), that this form of our body, which is the will to receive for ourselves alone, is not at all present in the eternal Thought of Creation, for there we are in the form of the third state. Yet, it is obligatory in the second state, to allow us to correct it.

And we must not ponder the state of other beings in the world but man, since man is the center of Creation, as will be written below (item 19). And all other creatures do not have any value of their own but to the extent that they help man achieve his perfection. Hence, they rise and fall with him without any consideration of themselves.

19.

With that, we also settle our fourth inquiry: Since the nature of the good is to do good, how did He create beings that would be tormented and agonized throughout their lives? As we have said, all this agony is necessitated from our first state, where our complete eternity, which comes from the future third state, compels us to go either by the path of Torah, or by the path of suffering, and to reach our eternal state in the third state (Item 15).

And all this agony is felt only by the Klipa of our body, created only to be perished and buried. This teaches us that the will to receive for himself was created only to be eradicated, abolished from the world, and to turn it into a will to bestow. And the pains we suffer are but discoveries of its nothingness and the harm in it. Indeed, when all human beings agree to abolish and eradicate their will to receive for themselves, and have no other desire but to bestow upon their friends, all worries and jeopardy in the world would cease to exist. And we would all be assured of a whole and wholesome life, since each of us would have a whole world caring for us, ready to fulfill our needs.

Yet, while each of us has only a desire to receive for ourselves, it is the source of all the worries, suffering, wars, and slaughter we cannot escape. They weaken our bodies with all sorts of sores and maladies, and you find that all the agonies in our world are but manifestations offered to our eyes, to prompt us to revoke the evil Klipa of the body and assume the complete form of the will to bestow. And it is as we have said, that the path of suffering in itself can bring us to the desired form. Bear in mind that the Mitzvot between man and man come before the Mitzvot between man and God, because the bestowal upon one’s friend brings one to bestow upon his Maker.

20.

After all that we have said, we come to the resolution of the first inquiry: What is our essence? Our essence is as the essence of all the details in reality, which is no more and no less than the will to receive (as written in Item 7). But it is not as it is now, in the second state, which is the will to receive for self alone, but as it stands in the first state, in Ein Sof, in its eternal form, which is reception in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker (as written in Item 13).

And although we have not yet reached the third state in actual fact, and we still lack time, it does not blemish our essence whatsoever, since our third state is necessitated from the first. Thus “all that is bound to be collected is deemed collected.” And the lack of time is regarded a deficiency only where there is doubt whether one will complete what needs to be completed in time.

And since we have no doubt about that, it is as though we have already come to the third state. And our body, too, given to us in its present, corrupted form, does not blemish our essence, since it and all its possessions are to be completely eradicated, along with the whole system of impurity, which is their source, and all that is bound to be burned is deemed burned, considered as though it never existed.

But the soul that is dressed in that body, whose essence is also purely a desire – but a desire to bestow, which extends to us from the system of the four worlds of the Holy ABYA (item 11) – exists forever. This is because this form of a desire to bestow is in equivalence of form with the Life of Lives and is not in any way exchangeable. (This matter will be completed below, from Item 32 on.)

21.

And do not be led astray by the philosophers who say that the very essence of the soul is an intellectual substance, and that it only exists through the concepts it learns, that it grows through them, and that they are its very essence. And the question of the continuance of the soul after the departure of the body depends entirely on the extent of concepts it has acquired, until in the absence of such concepts, there remains nothing to continue. This is not the view of Torah. It is also unaccepted by the heart, and anyone who ever tried to acquire knowledge knows and feels that the mind is a possession, not the actual possessor.

But as we have said, the whole substance of creation, both the substance of the spiritual objects and the substance of the corporeal objects, is no more and no less than a will to receive. And although we said that the soul is entirely a desire to bestow, it is only through corrections of Reflected Light that it receives from the Upper Worlds, from which it comes to us.

Yet, the very essence of the soul is a will to receive, as well. And the difference we can tell between one object and another is discerned only by its will, for the will in any essence creates needs, and the needs create thoughts and concepts so as to obtain those needs, which the will to receive demands.

And as human desires differ from one another, so do their needs, thoughts, and ideas. For instance, those whose will to receive is limited to beastly desires, their needs, thoughts, and ideas are dedicated to satisfying that will to receive in its entire beastliness. And although they use the mind and reason as humans do, it is, however, enough for the slave to be as his master. And it is like the beastly mind, since the mind is enslaved and serves the beastly desire.

And those whose will to receive is strong mainly in human desires – such as respect and domination over others – which are absent in the beast, the majority of their needs, thoughts, and ideas revolve solely around satisfying that desire as much as they can. And those whose will to receive is intensified mainly for acquisition of knowledge, the majority of their needs, thoughts, and ideas are to satisfy that desire as much as they can.

22.

These three desires are mostly present in every person, but they mingle in different quantities, hence the difference from one person to another. And from the corporeal attributes we can deduce about the spiritual objects, relating to their spiritual value.

23.

Thus, human souls, too, the spiritual ones, have only a desire to bestow contentment upon their Maker, through the dresses of Reflected Light received from the Upper Worlds from which they come. And that desire is their essence and the core of the soul. It turns out that once dressed in a human body, it generates needs and desires and ideas to satisfy its desire to bestow to the fullest, meaning to bestow contentment upon its Maker, according to the size of its desire.

24.

The essence of the body is but a desire to receive for itself, and all its manifestations and possessions are fulfillments of that corrupted will to receive, which had initially been created only to be eradicated from the world, in order to achieve the complete third state at the end of correction. For this reason, it is mortal, transitory, and contemptible, along with all its possessions, like a fleeting shadow that leaves nothing in its wake.

And since the essence of the soul is but a desire to bestow, and all its manifestations and possessions are fulfillments of that desire to bestow, which already exists in the eternal first state, as well as in the future third state, it is immortal and irreplaceable. Rather, it and all its possessions are eternal and exist forever. Absence does not affect whatsoever at the departure of the body. On the contrary, the absence of the form of the corrupted body greatly strengthens it, enabling it to rise to the Garden of Eden.

Thus we have clearly shown that the persistence of the soul in no way depends upon the concepts it has acquired, as philosophers claim. Rather, its eternality is in its very essence, in its will to bestow, which is its essence. And the concepts it acquires are its reward, not its essence.

25.

From here emerges the full resolution of the fifth inquiry: Since the body is so corrupted that the soul cannot be fully purified before it rots in the ground, why does it return at the revival of the dead? And also the question about the words of our sages: “The dead are destined to be revived with their flaws, so it will not be said, ‘It is another’” (The Zohar, Amor, 17).

And you will clearly understand this matter from the Thought of Creation itself, from the first state. Because we have said that since the Thought was to delight His creatures, He had to create an overwhelmingly exaggerated desire to receive all that bounty, which is in the Thought of Creation, for “the great delight and the great desire to receive go hand in hand” (Items 6-7). We stated there that this exaggerated will to receive is all the substance that He had created, for He needs nothing more than that, to carry out the Thought of Creation. And it is the nature of the Perfect Operator to not perform redundant operations, as written in the Poem of Unification: “Of all Your work, not a thing did You forget, omit, or add.”

We also said there that this exaggerated will to receive has been completely removed from the pure system and was given entirely to the system of the impure worlds, from which extend the bodies, their sustenance, and all their possessions in this world. When a man reaches thirteen years of age, he begins to attain a holy soul through engaging in the Torah. At that time, he is nourished by the system of the pure worlds, according to the measure of the purity of soul he has attained.

We also said above, that during the six thousand years that are given to us for work in Torah and Mitzvot, no corrections come to the body – to its exaggerated will to receive. All the corrections that come through our work relate only to the soul, which thus climbs the degrees of holiness and purity, which means enhancement of the will to bestow that extends with the soul.

For this reason, the body will ultimately die, be buried, and rot because it did not undergo any correction. Yet, it cannot remain that way, for if the exaggerated will to receive perished from the world, the Thought of Creation would not be realized – meaning the reception of all the great pleasures that He thought to bestow upon His creatures, for “the great will to receive and the great pleasure go hand in hand.” And to the extent that the desire to receive it diminishes, so diminish the delight and pleasure from reception.

End of Part ONE of THREE

Original Post Link - Introduction to The Book of Zohar

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Finding the Creator Within - Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:10:00 +0000

PART II of TWO

Question: Baal HaSulam writes in another place that the level of knowledge indicates the level of man's development. If follows that someone more knowledable is more alive than others?

He writes that a beast feels. It’s not aware, it feels. There is a difference. That is the difference between man and beast. What is inside man is the difference.

Question (cont.): What does it mean that there’s someone who’s more alive or less alive? What does it mean, more alive?

To be more alive means to know the reasons. That’s the whole learning, the awareness, to know the reasons, the circumstances, the formation, and the constituents.

We discern three periods in the body. The first from the time one comes to the world, when one has no knowledge, and all the knowledge that he needs for his sustenance, comes from his father and mother, and he lives through their keeping and wisdom. This is the state of Katnut Aleph (the first small state).

It's clear, right? He’s supported by the Upper One; he receives everything from the Upper One and is dependant on the Upper One; and knows that the Upper One provides everything. In other words, he’s aware of the fact that he is under the supervision of the Upper One.

The Bet is when he grows and acquires some knowledge and then he watches things that harm his body with a common guarding, both by the power of his parents and by his own power. This is KatnutBet (the second small state).

Now he becomes like a partner to the Upper One. Where by belonging to the Upper One, in return the Upper one gives him an addition that he still needs. What is the difference between the first state and the second state? In the second state he can already provide some part of the knowledge to himself. Where does it come from? From learning, from accumulating it, from bringing them from the example of Abba ve Ima, from the example of the Upper One. All of these steps are done consciously with a person, because we’re talking about spirituality here. In the other section he says "so exactly is man’s soul" and then he explains "three periods" even those as we discern in the body, but, it’s in the body of the soul.

Question: Is this the Ibur(conception)and Yenika (sustenance )?

Baal HaSulam divides it differently.

The Gimel is the state of Gadlut (adulthood), when one acquires sufficient knowledge for life to be guarded in the right measure in order to exist. Then he exits the authority of his mother and father, and acquires his own leadership; and that’s the Gimel (third) state which is a state of Gadlut.

I would answer your question, this way. There is no state of Ibur, because in the state of Ibur he cancels himself with respect to the Upper One and has no Rosh (head) at all. Here he’s talking about degrees of knowledge that he acquires from the Upper One. In the first degree he knows that there is an Upper One who guards him and he cancels himself with respect to the Upper One. But he is approaching the second degree. You understand what he’s saying, "that all the necessary knowledge for his sustenance through his father and mother, he exists through their keeping and wisdom."

It’s not that he cancels himself. He cancels himself with respect to their actions upon him. It’s more like Yenika or, you might also say both, Ibur and Yenika. Whereas the second is already Katnut, let’s say after two years, we see that Ibur and Yenika are actually two phases which are one phase. What does he get in Yenika? He gets the same blood that he did not receive at the time of the Ibur. This blood, which he did not receive at the Ibur rises up to Halav (milk), and thus the embryo through the passage that is called milk, once more makes blood out of the milk and turns it into meat. By that Ibur and Yenika, are like one thing that he receives from the Upper One, in a way that he is inanimate with respect to the Upper One.

But in Ibur, it is inanimate with respect to the Upper One in all of the Sefirot, meaning he cancels himself. In Yenika he cancels himself, but he also cancels himself not in all of the Sefirot, but, say, in just some of them.

He already has some freedom, but freedom in what? He doesn’t determine anything. He’s not similar to the Upper One in anything, he’s still not Katnut, when he learns from the Upper One. Yenika is when he participates in his own sustenance, in his own growth. But it’s still without a Rosh, and after Yenika comes Katnut, which is a gradual learning from the Upper One, a copying of forms on himself. Then he’s participating with Abba ve Ima (father and mother)—them a little, him a little, them a little, him a little—until he comes to Gadlut, where he acquired all of these forms from them, and can exist without them.

"Existing without them" means that he has the same Rosh andthe same Guf (body). It is because in spirituality, if you have similar things, then they are as one, then he has no opposite reality from the mother and father but he is exactly like Abba ve Ima, incorporated in them. When we said he has his own reality and that he acquired all the corrections from them, it’s a sign he came together with them. It’s the opposite of what seems to us in our world, because he reaches equivalence, Dvekut (adhesion) and then they are interconnected.

It is the same with the respect to the soul, one reincarnates until he acquires the wisdom of truth in completeness. Without them, the soul doesn’t reach its fullest measure. And it’s not that knowledge at one’s hand increased the level of the soul, but it is an intrinsic nature in the soul that it is not granted to its own action to grow before it acquires the knowledge of the spiritual nature.

This means that it is impossible without studying. First there is just mere study, the way we are studying today and then each person is learning it within one's own physical body. Without it, it’s impossible to enter spirituality. It is because spirituality appears in the Kli of a person to the extent that the Kli isscrutinized, to the extent that one sees it and all the connections in it, the attributes and relationships between them. To that extent, he feels livelihood in the Kli, that’s his life, that’s his world. There’s nothing else.

It’s like vision: if my vision is undeveloped, which is connected to the intelligence, then what can I see? You can say that a baby sees the world too. But what does it see—less than me? How many details, how many components can it see in his picture? With respect to the baby, the thought process, the wisdom, that is all acquired slowly. The extent that the wisdom is acquired we know how to use the senses. That’s what Baal HaSulam says:

It is also with respect to the soul a person reincarnates until he acquires the wisdom of truth in completeness.

Why acquire the wisdom of truth? I need it now. Now, let's say I reincarnated maybe thirty-forty times and now I have to reincarnate again? Isn’t it enough? What do I need it for now?

Yes, now the reason for the incarnations is to obtain the wisdom of Kabbalah, how to receive all the disclosure of the attribute of bestowal.

Without them, the soul does not reach its fullest measure. [And it is everyone’s duty to reach the root of his soul.] And it’s not that the knowledge in one’s hand increased the level of the soul, [Knowledge itself doesn’t do it.] but it is an intrinsic nature in the soul that it is not granted through its own action to grow before it acquires the knowledge of the spiritual nature. [Meaning the knowledge in of itself does not mean anything. But it grows through knowledge and] The growth of the soul depends on the extent of its knowledge.

Again, there’s an understanding of the operating of the soul and following it, there’s actual operation of it and then in the correct operation, what fills it is one’s world. That’s how it is tested. But how the soul is operated, is taught in the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is not an intellect, but we’re talking about knowing the relationships among attributes in a person. Not theoretical attributes: "I heard, I saw, I picture this and that." It’s all fictitious; it’s all abstract forms, G-d forbid.

We’re talking about a person examining, researching, and doing everything, practically, within his own attributes. When he arranges them correctly, each time more and more, and then comes to the maximum situation, whereby he has a perfect picture, and there are no examples from the Upper One anymore and in any way, that gives a person the knowledge that he’s reached his root—the end of his correction. Until then, he’ll have to continue reincarnating in a physical body too, even though actually he is evolving in the spiritual vessels of the souls.

Why does he have to do it? Because in each and every situation that the soul experiences, there are situations where he exits or replaces these states, drops and falls in his spiritual consciousness and even falls into corporeal consciousness, and then again returns to spiritual consciousness. He needs a permanent physical basis that is always there, like Shimon from the market. That is why there’s a reality in this body, even when he begins to correct the soul and identifies himself with that.

Question: First, Baal HaSulam said that it is not one's knowledge that makes his soul grow, and now he says that the growth of the soul depends on the level of its knowledge. It is not clear, he writes that i s it not the knowledge itself, but it is the reason for the action?

Knowledge about how to put the Kli together, about its formation, meaning how to mix correctly my desire to receive, the Masach (screen), Aviut (thickness); knowledge of how to work with two lines, how to put together the third line, and what I receive in the third line—this knowledge of Him, of His filling is called the "attainment of the Thought of Creation." So we have knowledge of how to operate the Kli, and of the attainment that I receive, as a result of operating the Kli correctly.

Question: Doesthis attainment mean knowing about the next state?

Absolutely not. In between two degrees, you have a complete cessation, it’s like a cut. We have cause and consequence, it is connected. It’s like from the degrees of vegetative to animate, from monkeys to people: they’re as if adjacent but in between them you have a cessation. After falling into an abyss, we then again ascend to the degree of a person.

Question: Can we see such states for example, as Shimon from the market who is a great Kabbalist or a genius at the university who is as at the level of the baby. Are there such situations?

What do you care about this or that, so you’ll see people?

Question (cont.): Evolutionary wise, is there a connection between the evolution of the brain and…?

That’s another question. Does the developed human brain say anything about the inner evolution of the soul? No. "Knowledge in the gentiles—believe; Torah in the gentiles—do not believe." 'Gentiles' is the will to receive; it has knowledge. You know how many smart people were in the world! You think there was only Einstein, a Jew, and that's it? There was Copernicus, and Galileo. These were great people in their philosophy, wisdom and understanding reality at its depth. It seems primitive to us, but they were very great minds. It has nothing to do with emotional development of the point in the heart, at all. It’s a completely different mind.

By the way, I don’t want to hurt you guys, I don’t want to offend you, but the people that come to Kabbalah that are not necessarily very smart or with a very developed mind, not at all. These are pretty ordinary people. I would say non-descript people. It has nothing to do with that. Excellence, in this world, is entirely dependant upon attributes, completely different attributes from spirituality. Don’t ever relate these things to one another. It’s not a question of the scientist or an actor, or whatever. It’s Shimon from the market.

Question: Does the point in the heart evolve after the greatest desire to receive? You said the mind is a tool for the desire. Would you agree that the smartest person is egoistic and as a result of that he is the closest to spirituality, to spiritual development?

I’ll tell you. Being smart stems from incarnations that a person has experienced, and the wisdom is in the Kli coming to a state that it sees that it is a waste of effort, there’s nothing to enjoy. The evolution in science, technology, medicine, art, music, in whatever—in all of that, people still feel that they have something to enjoy.

Again I’m looking at things from what we see. If we see, that a person is not evolving, perhaps he is in a state where all he cares about is soccer, going to the bar and just his friends, or whatever. Perhaps he’s not evolving because he’s already given up on evolution and that’s why he doesn’t want to learn it. That’s why he doesn’t want anything in life. He agrees to something life compels him to do, to go and do something in which he doesn’t have a choice, only to live. So superficially you can’t say about a person that his will to receive is still developing and he is at the level of an ordinary worker, or that he hasn’t activated his mind more than that, or maybe he’s already given up on all those big things, and is already at the level of the worker. He just carries on in life.

It’s difficult; we can’t see it from the outside, only according to the results. He comes here and then we see that he can’t fulfill himself in a different place. So he comes here and doesn’t go to Tarot cards or other fortune tellers. Also in his inner hunch, in his actual maturity, he doesn’t believe things that cannot be held in your hands. He demands a realistic, genuine solution.

Question: Can a state be attained by a stupid person?

'Stupid' meaning an ordinary person or someone not normal?

Question (cont.): Stupid as to intelligence.

Yes. I wouldn’t say he’s 'stupid' because the mind does evolve according to the desires. If his desires are so ripened that they say him, it’s pointless to do anything in life, then the person is not that developed in his intellect. Maybe he hardly finished school, and didn’t even go to a university. He feels, understands that he doesn’t know that much about the world. He doesn’t get what people want from him. Quite the contrary, he has an inner preparation to operate a different Kli. He’s not an idiot. He doesn’t have such deflections that come from a flaw in his sensation or intellect. He can be pretty strange compared to others, but normally these are ordinary people.

Look at your friends. They are common folk. It’s an example. You don’t need to look on the site for something or to go, to jails, to find someone, but these are the most ordinary people. They were looking here and there, thought they could realize themselves in someway or they didn’t have a choice went to something to realize themselves, and in the end, ended up being here.

Question: What does this despair come from?

The despair comes from the inner Kli. It doesn’t see before it any source of pleasure ahead. Why doesn’t it see? Because the source of the pleasure, after all the scrutiny, is in the vessel of bestowal. It shines for the vessel of bestowal; for me, it is totally dark. I don’t know, I don’t see, I don't want, I don’t feel any pleasure in it. After I evolve and despair from the pleasure of the will to receive, the pleasure in the will to bestow doesn't appear. Otherwise I would run from it like a thief, from within the will to receive. But darkness and despair appear before me. It shines a little for me, in order to draw me there, so I don’t drop into death. I do have some pulling of surrounding Lights from there. It’s like a ray of light through the cracks. But it still shines from afar, from a Surrounding Light.

Question: In concern to the discernment of smart and stupid, we should ask with respect to what? If I'm asking with respect to this world, then if someone is stupid, he should go to the university. If I’m asking with respect to the attribute of bestowal, someone who is stupid with respect to the next world, what should he do in order to be smart?

If he goes into a society and is lucky enough to submit himself, then he’ll progress very quickly. He’ll take their sensations, their intellect, even if he just brings them tea and coffee, if he doesn’t have any brains to do more than that. There are people here who work in the services, they build, they do things because they say, "I don’t have the brains to study." It doesn’t prevent them at all from progress.

Whatever exists in the general Kli pours from one to the other, just like that. To some extent they have to be here and hear about why or where to, what is the reason, what is the goal in general. All the other items that we discuss, wisdom, intellect or reason, all kinds of theories, clothing in the world, no, there’s no predilection toward it. They want to belong, it doesn’t matter how they belong. As Baal HaSulam says about the last generation, you just have to agree that you want to be with them. "Guys whatever you want me to do, I’ll do." And that’s enough. You have to accept him, you can’t reject him. For them it is a legitimate position.

And a person who grows in spiritual desires, grows also in his corporeal mind. He begins to understand the forces, particular desires that build his physicality, the animal in him, his humanness too, of course. He becomes smarter. Previously he was more stupid than everybody else, an idiot, an ordinary person. Idiot comes from the word ordinary. To the extent that he evolves in spirituality his ability for corporeality evolves too. Then he catches on to things more than any other smart guy.

Its growth depends on the measure of its knowledge. The reason is that if she could grow without the knowledge it would be harmed, like a baby that doesn’t know, and has no strength to walk. If he could walk on its legs, it would put itself into flames.

That’s obvious, because we progress from Kli to fulfillment. Hence, if I couldn't build my Kelim, desires, attitude correctly, according to the congruence between the Kli and the filling, I’d be harmed by receiving the disclosure of the attribute of bestowal before I was ready for it, (being) in equivalence of form with it. It would be harmful because then it would burn me, and I would run. Corresponding to an insufficiently corrected desire, it would be a terrible blow. Then I would be harmed; I’d break.

We learn in the wisdom of Kabbalah that the cause of the breaking was that the Kli was not intended to the disclosure on the attribute of bestowal in it. And because of this mismatch between the preparations on the part of the Kli and between the attribute that appeared in the Kli, the gap between the preparation and the corrected state that should be, that will appear, this is what caused the breaking. If I’d been shown that right now the kind of Michael I have to be, I would just freeze, because they would show me some angel Michael, the way you have to be at Gmar Tikkun, in such a way that it’s doomed from the beginning. That’s called the breaking.

You have to understand what it means that the Light appears in the Kli. When you get the real corrected picture of yourself, it knocks the wind out of our sails. That’s why he said that he would put himself in a burning fire—it’s like the burning flame of shame. First you need the preparation for the appearance of the attribute of bestowal, and accordingly as it appears, you feel in it a sigh of relief, tranquility.

Question: What are incarnations and how do they prepare the soul to receive the attribute of bestowal?

Physical or spiritual incarnations? In spirituality, every situation from beginning to end, every sinusoid when you first drop and then you rise up again—all that is called "an incarnation." Or are we talking about a physical life?

Question: The physical too…

How do they prepare it? Each time they add information from an exterior awareness to the inner awareness, whereas the inner and outer awareness are connected. When I leave this world, all acquired knowledge moves to the preparation of the soul. It’s like a seed that rots in the ground. What is the connection between the previous plant and the next plant? The conveyance of this information without the exterior form. From plant to plant, is as if it’s the same plant, but for us it is a difference between two degrees.

It’s in between two degrees: physical, when one is born, as well as spiritual when you also have a spiritual preparation for it. Because when you die, you stop feeling reality in the five senses, there is no difference between the mind that acquired reality in the five senses and the brain that acquires reality in the sixth sense. It’s the same Kli, except to us it seems like it goes through five physical senses.

We’re not a body either. It just seems to us that we are built this way, as is the corporeal world. Corporeality by definition in the wisdom of Kabbalah is in order to receive. Hence, by losing the five senses it is not the body that loses it. Rather, in the awareness, the inner point that doesn’t feel the reality through the five senses, it seemingly goes back to that one root, which develops.

What is our world and the sensation of the five senses? It is the same Kli of Ein Sof, only at its existence on a minimal level. This also that brings up the question, how can it be that at the same time I feel reality in five senses and in the sixth, the soul?

We see how Kabbalists attain both of them together. What kind of duality is it? What’s happening here? Why? How can that be? One Kli is divided into two such layers, is divided in some way. The thing is as it is said more than once, that in this general Kli there’s a part that can’t be corrected. This is called "this world." That is why the greatest Kabbalist is still sensing this reality. This does not bother him, because he doesn’t need to correct anything here. All of the corrections are among the souls. This is like a preparation.

Question: What do we need the five senses for, why do we need this exterior clothing?

In between reincarnations and each and every discernment, you have a measurement or a basis, from which you measure where you are in every state, and where you will be in a state where spirituality is temporarily removed from you. You have an unchanging reality that is not spiritual, called "this world."

You just have to understand what this reality is. It is just given to us for our existence, if you don’t have spirituality, you exist this way, you just feel self-existence. If you do have spirituality it suppresses this world, it doesn’t disappear but you feel yourself there. You see that here there’s nothing to correct, no actions are needed here, and you should be only completely oriented at Ruach (spirit). In this world we have no reasons, no results, no circumstances—all of the religions are a game with regards to this world. Everything we have here in this corporeal world is just so you exist until entering the spiritual world.

Whether in the corporeal or the spiritual worlds, there are ups and downs. In some ways you are here, you enter spirituality, then you exit. So when you are in spirituality it is possible to come back here to this world and then leave again.

If you use this reality to build spirituality over it, that's correct. That’s what you need to use.

Question: In your book, A Thousand Tips for a Good Life, there is a section there that says that there are reincarnations without a purpose. Contrary to what was said by Baal HaSulam in his writings.

I don’t know. I have to see it. They’re not tips for a good life in my book; they’re tips for a life.

Question: So how come we keep falling back into this world?

No, no it’s not about that. When we fall and rise it’s for the purpose of rising. G-d forbid that we should be in a permanent state in spirituality if it’s not Gmar Tikkun. And also in it too, you don’t remain permanently; there’s a lot of development, such evolution, it all flourishes. Are you trying to say that there’s a permanent state, which is a minimal state, the Katnut (smallness) and to that there’s an addition for Gadlut (adulthood). That’s with respect to other souls. With respect to yourself, it’s questionable what state you’re in. I can’t get into that right now. It’s a separate lesson.

Question: You say that at the end of every degree there’s going to be an abyss. What is the next phase after the abyss? The tiny bit after the abyss—what is it?

Malchut of the Upper One becomes the Keter for the other lower one or vice versa. Keter of the lower one becomes Malchut of the Upper One. You were great as a worker now you’re small as a manager. Then you’ve finished all of your Gadlut the degree of the first class manager, you want to become second class manager; you start there from zero too. The Gadlut in a small level becomes Katnut on a greater level, and in between you have the abyss.

What is the abyss? Everything is erased from you. You have to start over, because every level has a complete new awareness, you see a different picture.

Question: You have the Reshimot from the previous incarnation. What is the state of abyss?

You don’t, there’s nothing to rely on. You build it from scratch, in this world. You drop lower down and build yourself higher up. That’s how it is. Otherwise you’re working in your vessels of reception.

End of Part II of TWO

Original Post Link - Finding the Creator Within.

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Finding the Creator Within

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:53:00 +0000

PART ONE OF TWO

Talk 1

Lesson by Rav Michael Laitman, Bnei Baruch, Israel

February 19, 2006

Bold and in quotes: Original text of Baal HaSulam
Regular: Commentaries of Rav Laitman
lowercase italics: emphasized words
Capitalized italics: transliteration from Hebrew

Pri Hacham (Fruit of Wisdom) Articles, page 217, From Within My Flesh Shall I See G-d.

Qualification for the increase of the soul.

As one cannot sustain one’s body in the world without knowing a certain extent of the corporeal, natural knowledge arrangements. Knowledge such as that is a deadly drug and burning in detrimental things, therefore knowing an estimation of what is in one’s friend’s heart, without which he has no right to exist in the material world—just so is one’s soul is without a right to exist in the next world, except when it acquires some knowledge of the nature and systems of the spiritual worlds and their changes, Zivugim and consequences.

What is Baal HaSulam telling us here? To the extent that man controls nature, the laws of nature, by correctly using them for himself, to that extent he measures his life, his essence, and his status, both in our world, as well as in the spiritual world. Meaning, he has to know where he is, the kind of laws that operate on him, how he can operate them for his own benefit. Is it really for his own benefit? Maybe it just seems that way for a short term then he discovers that it’s the opposite. That’s at the corporeal level with respect to our body, when we are investigating and researching, this is what builds all our sciences. It’s the essence of all our sciences.

As we begin to study, through the soul, through the desire to bestow, we begin to learn the attribute of bestowal. The disclosures and the sensations that we discover within this attribute, is called, "learning the spiritual world."

Just as through the five senses, we discover in them all kinds of phenomenon, and feel within these five senses our "I," the environment and the relationship between them—a relationship, which we call the laws of nature. Similarly, out of this sixth sense, out of the Kli (vessel) called " Masach Ohr Hozer (screen and the Returning Light)" or "the attribute of bestowal," we discover within this attribute of bestowal all kinds of phenomena, which are divided into interior and exterior: a soul and its surroundings, its world—spiritual environment. There too, we discover all kinds of interconnections between the inside and the outside, between the soul and its environment, like a person in his environment, in this world. This is what we call the wisdom of Kabbalah. It’s not worldly teachings, but the wisdom of Kabbalah.

By learning what happens within the soul, we then see that this is higher and that it determines what happens at the level of the five physical senses. That’s why we say that this is Upper, and that is lower.

People who develop this sixth sense (meaning the attribute of bestowal), and through it feel reality, discover that their living body, or dead body with its five senses, that sense, this soul as it is called, remains. They remain in it as an eternal reality compared to the physical reality, which disappears and changes from zero to some dimension, then disappears and changes again. Meaning there is a permanent-like state that exists within the soul, and next to it there are wavelike movements that come with additional lower senses, being the five senses called a body.

Life depends on both. It just depends on the kind of life that we are talking about: eternal life, higher life, or a temporary one, a lower one. The rules are restrictive, in the soul and in the body. In the soul there are rules that come from the principle of bestowal. In the body, in the five senses, the rules come from the principle of reception.

The spiritual measure of livelihood in a person depends on the extent to which one develops that Kli, meaning the will to bestow. Through his will to bestow he then connects to all the phenomena in the will to bestow; where in the inner phenomenon of the will to bestow it feels the self, the environment, the souls, the Upper Force, etc.

Where does it discover all of that? Within his own will to bestow. He can’t feel anything outside of it. Just like in each of his senses in our world. This is what Baal HaSulam is saying.

…just so is one’s soul is without a right to exist in the next world [meaning, in the world it senses] , except when it acquires some knowledge of the nature and systems of the spiritual worlds and their changes, Zivugimand consequences.

Where are the spiritual worlds?

This is what the soul discovers as me and what is outside of me.

…and their changes, Zivugim and consequences.

Question: In reception, there is pleasure and pain that operates on a person. What operates on him in bestowal?

Pleasure and pain. Where do the pleasure and pain come from? Pains in me are called pain, pleasures in me are called pleasure, both in corporeality and spirituality. I feel something in my Kli. But with respect to the other person, are the phenomena in my Kli according to what the other has or contradicting to what the other has? If I feel good because the Kli of the other enjoys, then I enjoy not according to my intellect but according to his sensation.

Do you understand what I am buying? I’m buying his awareness. It’s not enough for me, I gave him a kilogram of bread, I see that his stomach is full. No, I have to test his pleasure, the measure of his pleasure, and from that will be my measure of pleasure. I acquire Kelim here, in a degree of awareness in the way that I relate to him—at that level I acquire the Kelim from him. Here I’m acquiring the intellect, the mind, even though it’s working on the physical level. It’s called the corporeality of the friend and is your spirituality. By that you buy spirituality because you buy a measure of his spiritual Kli, his awareness of things in that he enjoys from your giving.

Question: The greater his lack, the more I will suffer? Is that it?

The greater his lack the more you will suffer, and the more you will enjoy filling him.

Question: I acquire deficit and then I suffer from them?

Of course you suffer. First you are incorporated with affliction of the public and then you are awarded the comfort of the public, undoubtedly. This is called "progress in three lines." More questions.

Question: You talked about reality when a person lives in the sixth sense and in this world too .

What does it mean in this world too? He lives in both realities, in the will to receive and the will to bestow. He will then understand that everything that appears to him in the reality of this world is called the will to receive. There is no this world, there is no next world, there’s nothing. I have my will to receive which relates as it appears in the will to receive, and the will to bestow that relates to something that is called the spiritual world. That’s it. What are the worlds? What are the realities? It is where I feel myself and my environment as existing.

Question: There are many stories that a person, having the sixth sense or being in the next world, remembers what happened in this world. How can this be explained?

I'm not going to offer explanations about stories right now. I don’t know whose stories these are. If these are Kabbalistic stories, they don’t talk about remembering or not remembering them. These are situations we experience, and that’s how we call them: the past, present, future. There is no past, present, and future here. According to the Reshimot (reminiscences) that appear in me, I see this reality in a certain way; it reveals itself one way or the other. I then called it "cause and consequence."

It’s so simple, you can’t explain it. Just erase the worlds and this world, see yourself as a point that operates itself in order to receive—all the phenomena in it are called "this world," and when it operates itself in order to bestow, all the phenomena in it are called the "next world" and that’s it. You have those two kinds of emotions that you live in. The fact that you are attached to one sensation and you think it’s rock solid in existence is because you’ve got nothing to compare it with.

Question: Why does Baal HaSulam connect the issue of knowledge and livelihood?

What else do you have besides knowledge? In the knowledge you discover life.

If you erase knowledge, you erase the sensation of reality with respect to a person. I am now detached, unconscious. You tell me whether I'm alive or dead. Maybe someone else can say this with respect to me, but I can’t say it about myself. To the extent that I know that I’m alive even if I’m alive in the tiniest measure, then this is my awareness, this is my livelihood?

Question: At the time of preparation are we already acquiring knowledge about the spiritual world?

Yes. Even now you are acquiring knowledge about the spiritual world and a lot is now changing in each and everyone who is learning and listening, either on the radio, or on television—doesn’t matter where—on any media, here—even if a person doesn't know anything or understand what it’s about.

We evolved on earth in corporeality, from being the savages forty thousand years ago, and this whole period we were nothing more than animals and beasts. It’s just that we had a nucleus that would develop thousands of years afterwards. The same happens with us. There’s something in us that gradually develops in us. Of course all of these things that you’re now hearing, you will come to know and understand them more and more. Even a baby that lives in the entire world, what does it know about the world? It just has to evolve this way gradually, until it knows everything, that’s how we are.

Right now we are in the spiritual world too with everything in it, but it has to appear gradually. So there are a lot of things around you, perhaps you can picture it this way, in this corporeal way, the sense for it gradually evolves.

End of Part ONE

Original Post Link - Finding the Creator Within.

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Exile and Redemption

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:04:00 +0000

Harmony between religion and the law of development or blind fate

"And among these nations shalt though have no repose."

Deuteronomy 28:85

"And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all; in that you say we will be

as the nations, as the families of the countries."

Ezekiel 20:32

The Creator will evidently show us that Israel cannot exist in exile, and will find no rest as the rest of the nations that mingled among the nations and found rest, and assimilated in them, until no trace was left of them. Not so is the house of Israel. This nation will find no rest among the nations until it realizes the verse, “And from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him for you will demand him with all your heart and all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29).

This can be examined by studying Providence and the verse which states about us, “The Torah is true and all its words are true, and woe to us as long as we doubt its truthfulness.” And we say about all the rebuke that is happening to us that it is chance and blind fate. This has but one cure—to bring the troubles back on us to such an extent that we will see that they are not coincidental but steadfast Providence, intended for us in the Holy Torah.

And we should clarify this matter by the law of development itself: the nature of the steadfast Guidance that we have attained through the Holy Torah, as in the path of Torah in Providence (see “Two Ways”), a far more rapid development than the other nations has come to us. And because the members of the nation developed so, there was always the necessity to go forward and be extremely meticulous with all the Mitzvot of the Torah. And because they would not do it, but wished to include their narrow selfishness, meaning the Lo Lishma, this developed the ruin of the FirstTemple, since they wished to extol wealth and power above justice, as other nations.

But because the Torah prohibits it, they denied the Torah and the prophecy and adopted the manners of the neighbors so they could enjoy life as much as selfishness demanded of them. And because they did that, the powers of the nation disintegrated: some followed the kings and the selfish officers, and some followed the prophets. And that separation continued until the ruin.

In the SecondTemple, it was even more conspicuous, since the beginning of the separation was publicly displayed by unvirtuous disciples, headed by Tzadok and Bytos.Their mutiny against our sages revolved primarily around the obligation of Lishma, as our sages said, “Wise men, be careful with your words.”Because they did not want to retire from selfishness, they created communities of this corrupt kind and became a great sect called “Tzdokim,” who were the rich and the officers, pursuing selfish desires unlike the path of Torah. And they fought the Prushim and brought the Roman kingdom’s rule over Israel. They are the ones who would not make peace with the imperious, as our sages advised by the Torah, until the house was ruined and the glory of Israel was exiled.

The Difference between a Secular Ideal and a Religious Ideal

A secular ideal stems from humanness and hence cannot raise itself above humanness. But a religious idea, which stems from the Creator, can raise itself above humanity. This is because the basis for a secular ideal is equalization and the price of glorifying man, and he acts to boast in the eyes of people. And although one is sometimes disgraced in the eyes of one’s contemporaries, one still relies on other generations and it is still a precious thing for him, like a gem that fuels its owner although no one knows of it or cherishes it.

A religious idea, however, is based on glory in the eyes of God. Hence, he who follows a religious idea can raise himself above humanness.

And so it is among the nations of our exile. As long as we followed the path of Torah, we remained safe, for it is known to all the nations that we are a highly developed nation and they wanted our cooperation. They exploit us, each according to their own selfish desires. Yet we still had great power among the nations, for after all the exploitation, there still remained a handsome portion left for us, greater than for the civilians of the land.

But because people rebelled against the Torah in their aspiration to execute their selfish ploys, they lost life’s purpose, meaning the work of God. And because the sublime goal was swapped for selfish goals of life’s pleasures, anyone who attained fortune raised his own goal with glory and beauty. And where the religious man scattered his monetary surplus on charity, good deeds, building seminaries, and other such collective needs, the selfish ones scattered their surplus on the joys of life: food and drink, clothing and jewels, and equalized with the prominent in every nation.

By these words, I only mean to show that the Torah and the natural law of development go hand in hand in wondrous unity even with blind faith. Thus, the bad incidences in the exile, which we have much to tell of from the days of our exile, were all because we embezzled the Torah. And if we kept the commandments of the Torah, no harm would come to us.

Congruity and Unity between Torah and Blind Faith, and the Development of Human Calculation

Hence, I hereby propose to the House of Israel to say to our troubles, “Enough!” and at the very least, make a human calculation regarding these adventures that they have inflicted us time and time again, and here in our country, as well. We wish to start our own policy, as we have no hope of clutching at the ground as a nation as long as we do not accept our holy Torah without any extenuations, to the last condition of the work Lishma, and not for oneself, with any residue of selfishness, as I have proven in the article “Matan Torah.”

If we do not establish ourselves accordingly, then there are classes among us, and we will undoubtedly be pushed right and left as all nations are, and much more. This is because the nature of the developed is that they cannot be restrained, for any important notion that comes from an opinionated person will not bow its head before anything and knows no compromise. This is why our sages said, “Israel is the fiercest of the nations,” as one whose mind is broader is most obstinate.

This is a psychological law. And if you do not understand me, go and study this lesson among the contemporary members of the nation: While we have only begun to build, time has already disclosed our fierceness and assertiveness of the mind, and that which one builds, the other ruins.

…This is known to all, but there is only one innovation in my words: They believe that in the end, the other side will understand the danger and will bow his head and accept their opinion. But I know that even if we tie them together in one basket, one will not surrender to the other even a little, and no danger will interrupt anyone from carrying out his ambition.

In a word: As long as we do not raise our goal above the corporeal life, we will have no corporeal revival because the spiritual and the corporeal in us cannot dwell in one basket, for we are the children of the idea. And even if we are immersed in forty-nine gates of materialism, we will still not give up the idea. Hence, it is the holy purpose of for His name that we need.

Original Post Link - Exile and Redemption.

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Disclosing a Portion, Covering Two

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:12:00 +0000

There is an idiom among great sages when they come to disclose a profound matter: they begin their words with, “I am disclosing a portion and covering two portions.” Our sages took great care not to utter words needlessly, as our sages instructed, “A word is a rock; silence is two.”

This means that if you have a priceless word whose worth is one rock, know that not saying it is worth two rocks. This refers to those uttering needless words without pertinent content or use except to decorate the tongue in the eyes of the beholders. This was strictly forbidden in the eyes of our sages, as is known to those who examine their words. Hence, we must be attentive to understand this common idiom of theirs.

Three Kinds of Concealment of the Wisdom

There are three parts to the secrets of the Torah. Each part has its own reason for being concealed. They are called by the following names:

1. Unnecessary

2. Impossible

3. The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear Him

There is not a single fraction of this wisdom where scrutinies of these three parts do not apply, and I will clarify them one at a time.

1. Unnecessary

This means that no benefit will stem from its disclosing. Of course, this is not such a great loss because there is only the issue of the cleanness of the mind here, to warn of those actions defined as “so what,” meaning so what if I did this, there is no harm in it.

But you should know that, in the eyes of the sages, the “so what” is considered the worst corruptor. This is because all the destructors in the world, those that have been and those that will be, are the “so what” kind of people. This means that they occupy themselves and others in needless things. Hence, sages would not accept any student before they were certain that he would be cautious in his ways, so as not to reveal what was not necessary.

2. Impossible

This means that the language does not compel them to say anything of their quality, due to their great sublimity and spirituality. Hence, any attempt to clothe them in words may only mislead the examiners and deflect them to a false path, which is considered the worst of all iniquities. Therefore, to reveal anything in these matters, permission from Above is required. This is the second part of the concealment of the wisdom. Yet, this permission, too, requires explanation.

Permission from Above

This is explained in the book, The Gate to Rashbi’s Words, by the Ari, in The Zohar, Parashat Mishpatim, p 100. It reads as follows, “Know that some of the souls of the righteous are of the Surrounding-Light kind, and some are of the Inner-Light kind. Those that are of the Surrounding-Light kind have the power to speak of the secrets of the Torah by way of concealment and intimation, so their words will be understood only by those worthy of understanding them.

“Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai’s soul was of the Surrounding-Light kind. Hence, he had the power to clothe the words and teach them in a way that even if he taught them to many, only the worthy of understanding would understand. This is why he was given ‘permission’ to write The Book of Zohar.

“The permission was not ‘granted’ to write a book in this wisdom to his teachers or to the first ones who preceded them, even though they were certainly more proficient in this wisdom than he. But the reason is that they did not have the power to dress the matters as did he. This is the meaning of what is written, ‘Yochai’s son knew how to guard his ways.’ Now you can understand the great concealment in The Book of Zohar, written by Rashbi, that not every mind can grasp his words.”

His words in essence: Explaining matters in the wisdom of truth is not dependent whatsoever upon the greatness or smallness of the Kabbalist sage. Rather, it is about the illumination of a soul dedicated to this: the illumination of this soul is considered “giving permission” from Above to disclose the Higher Wisdom. We therefore learn that one who has not been rewarded with this permission must not make clarifications in this wisdom, as he cannot clothe the subtle matters in their suitable words in a way that will not fail the students.

For this reason we did not find a single book in the wisdom of truth that precedes Rashbi’s The Book of Zohar, since all the books in the wisdom prior to his are not categorized as interpretations of the wisdom. Instead, they are mere intimations, without any order of cause and consequence, as it is known to those who find knowledge, thus far understanding his words.

I should add, as I had received from books and from authors, that since the time of Rashbi and his students, the authors of The Zohar, until the time of the Ari there was not a single writer who understood the words of The Zohar and the Tikkunim (corrections) like the Ari. All the compositions before his time are mere inklings in this wisdom, including the books of the sage, Ramak.

And the same words that were said about the Rashbi should be said about the Ari himself—that his predecessors were not given permission from Above to disclose the interpretations of the wisdom, and that he was given this permission. And also, this does not distinguish any greatness or smallness at all, since it is possible that the virtue of his formers was much greater than the Ari’s, but they were not given permission for it at all. For this reason, they refrained from writing commentaries that relate to the actual wisdom, but settled for brief intimations that were not in any way linked to one another.

For this reason, since the books of the Ari appeared in the world, all who study the wisdom of Kabbalah have left their hands from all the books of the Ramak, and all the first and the great ones that preceded the Ari, as it is known among those who engage in this wisdom. They have attached their spiritual lives solely to the writings of the Ari in a way that the essential books, considered proper interpretations of this wisdom, are only The Book of Zohar, the Tikkunim and following them, the books of the Ari.

3. The Counsel of the Lord Is with Them that Fear Him

This means that the secrets of the Torah are revealed only to those who fear His Name, who keep His Glory with their hearts and souls, and who never commit any blasphemy. This is the third part of the concealment of the wisdom.

This part of the concealment is the strictest, as this kind of disclosure has failed many. From the midst of those stem all the charmers, whisperers, and “practical” Kabbalists, who hunt souls with their cunningness, and the mystics, who use withered wisdom that came from under the hands of unworthy students, to draw bodily benefit for themselves or for others. The world has suffered much from it, and is suffering still.

You should know that the root of the concealment was only this part. From here the sages took excessive strictness in testing the students, as they said (Hagiga 13), “heads of chapters are given only to a chief justice, and to one whose heart is worried,” and “ Maase Beresheet is not to be explored in pairs, neither is Merkava to be explored alone.” There are many others like that, and all this fear is for the above reason.

For this reason, few are the ones who have been rewarded with this wisdom, and even those who passed all their tests and examinations are sworn by the most serious oaths to not reveal anything of those three parts.

Do not misunderstand my words, in that I have divided the concealment of the wisdom into three parts. I do not mean that the wisdom of truth itself is divided into these three parts. Rather, I mean that these three parts stem from every single detail of this wisdom, since they are the only three manners of scrutiny that are always applied to this wisdom.

However, here we should ask, “If it is true that the firmness of the concealment of the wisdom is so strict, from where were all the thousands of compositions in this wisdom taken?” The answer is that there is a difference between the first two parts and the last part. The prime burden lies only in the above third part, for the reason explained above.

But the first two parts are not under constant prohibition. This is because sometimes an issue in the “unnecessary” is reversed, stops being unnecessary for some reason, and becomes necessary. Also, the part, “impossible,” sometimes becomes possible. This is so for two reasons: either because of the evolution of the generation or by being given permission from Above, as it happened to the Rashbi and to the Ari, and to smaller extents to their formers. All the genuine books written in the wisdom emerge from these discernments.

This is what they mean by their idiom, “I am disclosing a portion and covering two portions.” They mean that it happened that they revealed a new thing that was not discovered by their predecessors. And this is why they imply that they are only revealing one portion, meaning he is revealing the first part of the three parts of concealment, and leaves two parts concealed.

This indicates that something happened, which is the reason for that disclosure: either the “unnecessary” received the form of “necessary,” or “permission from Above” was granted, as I have explained above. This is the meaning of the idiom, “I am disclosing a portion.”

The readers of these tracts, which I intend to print during the year, should know that they are all innovations, which are not introduced purely as such, in their precise content, in any book preceding mine. I received them mouth to mouth from my teacher, who was authorized for it, meaning he, too, received from his teachers mouth to mouth.

And although I had received them under all the conditions of covering and watchfulness, by the necessity introduced in my essay, “Time to Act,” the “unnecessary” part has been inverted for me and became “necessary.” Hence, I have revealed this portion with complete permission, as I have explained above. Yet I will keep the other two portions as I am commanded.

Original Post Link - Disclosing a Portion, Covering Two.

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Concealment and Disclosure of the Face of the Creator

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:08:00 +0000

The second concealment, which the books refer to as “concealment within concealment,” means that one cannot see even the back of the Creator. Instead, one says that the Creator has left him and no longer watches over him. He ascribes all the sufferings he feels to blind fate and to nature, since the ways of Providence become so complex in one’s eyes that they lead one to denial.

This means (depiction) that one prays and gives charity for one’s troubles but is not answered whatsoever. And precisely when one stops praying for one’s troubles, one is answered. Whenever he overcomes, believes in Providence, and betters his deeds, luck turns away from him and he mercilessly falls back. And when he denies and begins to worsen his deeds, he becomes very successful and is greatly relieved.

One does not find one’s sustenance in proper manners, but through deceit or through desecration of Shabbat. Or, all of one’s acquaintances who keep Torah and Mitzvot (commandments) suffer poverty, illness, and are despised by people. These observers of Mitzvot seem impolite to him, innately brainless, and so hypocritical that he cannot bear to be among them for even a minute.

Conversely, all his wicked acquaintances, who mock his faith, are very successful, well to do, and healthy. They know no sickness; they are clever, virtuous, and good-tempered. They are carefree, confident, and tranquil all day, every day.

When Providence arranges things in this manner for a person, it is called “concealment within concealment.” This is because then one collapses under one’s weight and cannot continue to strengthen the belief that one’s pains come from the Creator for some hidden reason. Finally, one fails, becomes heretic, and says that the Creator is not watching over His creations whatsoever, and all that transpires, transpires by fate and by blind nature. This is not seeing even the back.

Depiction of Concealment of the Face

Suffering torments such as deficient income, poor health, degradations, failing to accomplish one’s plans, and emotional dissatisfaction such as keeping oneself from tormenting one’s friend.
Praying without being answered. Declining when bettering one’s actions, and succeeding when worsening them. Obtaining one’s sustenance in improper manners: deception, stealing, or by desecrating the Shabbat.
All of one’s honest acquaintances suffer poverty, ill health, and degradations of all kinds, and one’s wicked acquaintances mock him every day and succeed in health, wealth, and lead carefree lives.
All of his righteous acquaintances who keep Torah and Mitzvot seem cruel, egotistical, odd or innately stupid and impolite, as well as hypocritical. He finds it repulsive to be with them, even in the Garden of Eden, and he cannot bear to be with them for even a moment.

One concealment (depiction): His Face is not revealed; that is, the Creator does not behave towards a person according to His Name—The Good who Does Good. Rather, it is to the contrary—one is afflicted by Him or suffers from poor income, and many people wish to collect their debts from him and make his life bitter. His whole day is filled with troubles and worries. Or, one suffers from poor health and disrespect from people. Every plan he begins he fails to complete, and he is constantly frustrated.

In this manner, of course one does not see the Creator’s Good Face, that is, if he believes that the Creator is the one who does these things to him, either as punishment for transgressions or to reward him in the end. This follows the verse, “whom the Lord loves, He corrects,” and also, “the righteous begin with suffering, since the Creator wishes to eventually impart them great peace.”

Yet, one does not fail in saying that all this came to him by blind fate and by nature without any reason and consideration. Rather, one strengthens in believing that the Creator, with His Guidance, caused him all that. This is nonetheless considered seeing the Creator’s back.

Depiction of Disclosure of the Face

But once he has completely discovered the spice—the Light that one inhales into one’s body—through strengthening in faith in the Creator, one becomes worthy of Guidance with His Face revealed. This means that the Creator behaves with him as is fitting to His Name, “The Good who Does Good.”

Thus (depiction), he receives abundant good and great peace from the Creator and is always satisfied. This is because one obtains one’s livelihood with ease and to the fullest, never experiencing trouble or pressure, knows no illness, is highly respected by people, effortlessly completes any plan that comes to his mind, and succeeds wherever he turns.

And when he wishes upon something, he prays and he is instantaneously answered, as He always answers anything that one demands of Him, and not a single prayer is denied. When one strengthens with good deeds, one succeeds even more, and when one is negligent, one’s success proportionally decreases.

All of one’s acquaintances are honest, of good income and health. They are highly respected in the eyes of people and have no worries at all. They are at peace all day and every day. They are smart, truthful, and so comely that one feels blessed to be among them.

Conversely, all of one’s acquaintances who do not follow the path of Torah are of poor livelihood, troubled by heavy debts, and fail to find even a single moment’s rest. They are sick, in pain, and despicable in the eyes of people. They seem to him mindless, ill-mannered, wicked and cruel towards people, deceitful and such sycophants that it is intolerable to be with them.

His Name shows us that He is benevolent to all His creations in all the forms of benefit, sufficient for every kind of receiver from among Israel. Certainly, the pleasure of one is not like the pleasure of another. For example, one who engages in wisdom will not enjoy honor and wealth, and one who does not engage in wisdom will not enjoy great achievements and inventions in the wisdom. Thus, He gives wealth and honor to one, and wondrous achievements in the wisdom to another.

One’s request to become stronger in believing in His Guidance over the world during the concealment period brings one to contemplate the books, the Torah, and to draw from there the Light and the understanding how to strengthen one’s faith in His Guidance. These illuminations and observations that one receives through the Torah are called “the spice of Torah.” When they are collected to a certain amount, the Creator has mercy on him and pours upon him the spirit from Above, that is, the Higher Abundance.

Depiction of Disclosure of the Face

Reception of abundant good and peace, and obtainment of one’s livelihood with ease and to the fullest. One never feels paucity or ill health, he is respected wherever he turns, and successfully and easily accomplishes any plan that comes to his mind.
When one prays, he is immediately answered. When he betters his ways, he is very successful, and when he worsens his ways, he loses his success.
All one’s acquaintances who walk on the right path are wealthy, healthy, know no sickness, are highly respected by people, and dwell in peace and tranquility. And acquaintances who do not follow the right path are of poor income, filled with troubles and pains, are ill, and are loathsome in the eyes of the people.
One considers all the righteous acquaintances as clever, reasonable, well-mannered, truthful, and so comely that it is most pleasurable to be among them.

Original Post Link - Concealment and Disclosure of the Face of the Creator

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Building the Future Society

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:48:00 +0000

1.Building the Future Society

There is an allegory about friends who were lost in the desert, hungry and thirsty. One of them had found a settlement filled abundantly with every delight. He remembered his poor brothers, but he had already drawn far off from them and did not know their place. What did he do? He began to shout out loud and blow the horn; perhaps his poor hungry friends would hear his voice, approach and come to that abundant settlement filled with every delight.

So is the matter before us: we have been lost in a terrible desert along with all mankind, and now we have found a great, abundant treasure, namely the books of Kabbalah in the treasure. They fulfill our yearning souls and fill us abundantly with lushness and agreement; we are satiated and there is more.

Yet the memory of our friends left hopelessly in the terrible desert remains deep within our hearts. The distance is great, and words cannot bridge between it. For that reason, we have set up this horn to blow loudly so that our brothers may hear and draw near and be as happy as we.

Know, our brothers, -our flesh- that the essence of the wisdom of Kabbalah consists in the knowledge of how the world came down from its elevated, heavenly place, to our ignoble state. This reality was necessitated, as “the end of a matter is in the first thought,” and His thought acts instantly, for He needs no practical tools as we do. Thus, we were emanated in the Infinite in utter perfection from the start, and came to this world (meaning: in the thought of the Creator to do good to His creatures).

It is therefore very easy to find all the future corrections destined to come from the perfect worlds that preceded us within the wisdom of Kabbalah. Through it we know how to correct our ways from here on. Man's merit over beast is that the spirit of the beast descends, which means it only sees from it onwards, without the intellect and wisdom to retrospect so as to correct the future.

Man's merit over beasts, is that the spirit of man ascends into the past. Man retrospects as one looks in the mirror and sees one’s flaws so as to correct them. Similarly, the mind sees what has passed and corrects its future conduct.

Thus, beasts do not evolve; they are still, in the same state they were created in, for they do not have, as man does, the mirror by which to see how to correct things and gradually evolve.. Man develops day-by-day until his merit is secured and sensed. But all this refers to the natural and superficial ways, meaning the nature of our surrounding reality, our food and mundane affairs. For this, the natural mind is quite sufficient.

However, internally, in our selves, although we do evolve some, we evolve and improve by being pushed from behind through suffering and bloodshed. It is so because we have no artifice by which to obtain a mirror to see inside man, which they had in past generations.

It is even more so regarding the interior of the souls and the worlds, and how they came to such dreadful ruin as today’s; so great is the destruction that we have no safety in our lives. We will be subject to all sorts of slaughter and death in the near future, and everyone admits that they have no counsel to prevent it.

Imagine, for example, that some historic book were to be found today that depicts the last generations ten thousand years from now for you, describing the comport of both individuals and society. Our leaders would seek out every counsel to arrange life here accordingly, and we would come to “no outcry in our broad places.” Corruption and the terrible suffering would cease, and everything would come peacefully to its place.

Now, distinguished readers, this book lies here before you in a closet. It states explicitly all the wisdom of statesmanship and the behavior of private and public life that will exist at the end of days. It is the book of Kabbalah, where the corrected worlds are set. They emerged perfect, as it says, perfection emerges first from the Creator, then we correct it and come to complete and lasting perfection in the Upper World.

It stems from the Creator as “the end of a matter is in the first thought.” Because the incomplete stretches gradually from the complete, not instantaneously, and since there is no absence in the spiritual, they all remain existing and depicted in their perfect form and image, in particular and in general, in the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Open these books and you will find all the good comportment that will appear and the end of days, and you will find within them the good lesson by which to arrange mundane matters today as well. We can examine history and by that correct the future.

I have seen all of that, and I can no longer restrain myself. I have resolved to disclose the conducts of correction of our definite future that I have found by observation and by reading in these books. I have decided to go out to the people of the world with this horn, and I believe and estimate that it shall suffice to gather all those deserving to begin to study and delve in the books. Thus they will sentence themselves and the entire world to a scale of merit.

2.The Utter Necessity to Accept the Work of G-d

We have already said that nature necessitates that the human species lead a social life. This is simple. However, we should examine the commandments that nature compels us to follow as a result of that state, meaning that of leading a social life.

Generally speaking, there are but two commandments (precepts) we should engage with in society. These can be defined by the names “reception and bestowal”. It means that each member is obligated by nature to receive his or her needs from society, and also benefit society by means of his or her work. If one breaks any of these two precepts, he shall be punished mercilessly.

The precept of reception requires only little regard as the punishment for it is given instantly. Thus, we will never neglect it. However, the punishment for the second precept, that of bestowal upon society, is not collected instantaneously. It rather comes to us indirectly.

Consequently, this precept is not kept as it should, and for that, humanity is being fried on a grisly pan, and famine, ruin and their upshots have not ceased thus far. It is astounding that nature, like a competent judge, punishes us while considering our development. After all, we see how as humanity evolves, so the pain and suffering providing for our livelihood and well-being increase.

Thus you have before you an empiric, scientific basis, demonstrating that we are commanded by His guidance to keep the precept of bestowal upon our fellow person with our heart and soul in utter precision. Not a single member among us shall work any less than the required measure to secure the success of society and its happiness.

As long as we are idle in keeping it in full, nature will continue to punish us and take revenge on us. Besides the beatings with which we are stricken in this time, we must also take into account the vividly drawn sword of the future. We must draw the right conclusion, namely that nature will ultimately defeat us, and we shall be compelled to keep His precepts in the fullest measure required of us.

An antagonist might still claim that I have thus far only demonstrated that one must serve one’s fellow person, but where is the practical proof that one must adhere to this precept for the sake of the Creator? Indeed, history itself has troubled itself in our favour, and prepared for us an unyielding fact, sufficient for a full assessment and indubitable conclusions.

We can all see how such a great society as the state of Russia, with its hundreds of millions and a land exceeding that of the whole of Europe, with almost second to none possession of raw materials, has agreed to lead a communal life, and has effectively abolished private property. Each of them has no other concern but the well-being of society, and they have seemingly acquired the virtue of bestowal upon one’s fellow person in its fullest sense, as far as the human mind can reach.

However, go and see what has become of them: where they should have progressed and surpassed the capitalistic countries, they have declined ever downward. By now, they are incapable of benefiting the lives of the workers even a little more than those in the capitalistic countries. Moreover, they cannot even secure their daily bread and cover their flesh. Indeed, this is a perplexing truth, as judging by the wealth of this country and its multitude of people, one assumes it should not have come to that.

However, there is one sin this nation has committed for which the Creator will not forgive: all this precious and sublime work of bestowal upon one’s fellow person that they have begun to pursue should have been for the sake of the Creator, not for the sake of humankind. Thus, because they do it not for His name, they are denied their right to exist by nature itself.

Imagine if every person in this society would be as anxious to keep the precept of the Creator in the full measure of the words, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy G-d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Imagine also how to that extent every one would be attentive and stand ready to satisfy the needs and wishes of their friends in the full measure imprinted in humans to satisfy their own desires, as it says, “Love thy friend as thyself.”

If the Creator had been the purpose of every worker in his work for the common good, and if the worker would expect to cleave to the Creator, to the origin of all the truth, goodness, pleasantness and gentleness through this work for the society, there is no doubt that in a few years they would surpass in riches all the nations of the world put together. They would be able to utilize the raw materials in their rich soil and would indeed set an example to all nations; they would be considered blessed by the Creator.

However, when the entire work in bestowal to one’s fellow person is based solely on the well-being of society, it is a rickety basis, for who and what would make one strain for the collective? It is impossible to hope that any motivating power would ever stem from a dry and lifeless principle. This is true for evolved individuals, and moreover for undeveloped people.

Thus, we are faced with the question: Where would the farmer or the worker take the motivating power to prompt him to the work, when the measure of one’s daily bread shall not increase or decrease by wasting one’s energy, and no reward and pay face one (Motivating power: a force, purpose. It is the operating force that sets any body in motion and provides it with its ration of energy for the labour as the fuel does in a machine)?

It is known to natural scientists that one will not make even the slightest movement without a motivating force, meaning without benefiting oneself somewhat. For example, when one moves his hand from the chair to the table, it is only because he thinks that by this he will have greater enjoyment leaving his hand on the table. Had he not thought so, he would leave his hand on the chair motionless for the entire duration of his life; all the more so regarding greater efforts.

If you should say that this matter can be resolved by placing supervisors over the workers, to punish the idle by taking their daily bread away, I shall then ask: “Do tell me, where would the supervisors themselves find the motivating force to work?” Standing still and watching over other people and motivating them to work is also a great exertion, perhaps more than the work itself! Thus, it seems as though one wishes to turn a machine on without fueling it.

Hence, they are naturally doomed to ruin. The laws of nature will punish them for they do not adapt themselves to keep its commandments, meaning perform these acts of bestowal upon one’s fellow person for the sake of the Creator, keep it and through it reach the purpose of creation, namely adhesion with Him.

It has been explained that this adhesion comes to the worker as an increasingly abundant pleasure, to the desired measure for ascension in the recognition of His truth. It develops on until one acquires the great adornment implied in the words, “neither hath the eye seen a G-d beside Thee.”

Imagine if the worker and the farmer had this goal before their eyes as they worked for the happiness of society. They would certainly not need supervisors over them, as they would have quite sufficient motivating power for great efforts, enough to raise society to sublime elation.

While it is true that understanding the matter in such a manner requires great care and reliable order, it is also plain to see that they have no right to exist from the perspective of the obstinate, uncompromising nature. This is what I wanted to demonstrate here.

Thus, I have evidently shown from the perspective of empiric intellect, and through the actual history unfolding before our eyes, that there is absolutely no cure for humankind except in taking upon themselves the commandment of providence, namely bestowal upon one’s fellow person in order to bring contentment to the Creator.

The above must be done in the spirit of the two verses: “Love thy friend as thyself,” the attribute of the work itself. It means that the measure of the effort to bestow upon one’s fellow person for the well-being of society must be no less than the amount imprinted in one to care for his own needs. Moreover, one should place the needs of the other before one’s own.

The second verse is “And thou shalt love the Lord thy G-d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” This is the purpose one must have before his eyes while labouring for his friend. It means that one operates and strains only to be liked by the Creator, as it says, and they do His will.

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land,” for the poor shall cease to be, and every tortured and exploited shall no more be in the land; the joy of every person shall rise ever upward beyond measure and degree.

However, while you still refuse and wish not to come within the covenant of the work of the Creator in the fullest measure, as explained, then nature and its laws stand ready to take vengeance. It will not let go of us, as we have evidently shown, until it defeats us and we accept its rule in whatever it tells us.

Thus, I have presented before you a practical scientific research built on critical experimental intelligence, regarding the necessity of all people to take upon themselves the work of the Creator with all their heart and with all their soul and might.

3.Principles of the Future Society

1. Communism is an ideal, meaning it is moral. The goal “to work according to one’s ability and receive according to one’s needs” testifies to that.

2. Every moral must have a basis that necessitates it; education and public opinion are a very unsound basis, and the proof of that is Hitler.

3. Because any concept of the majority is sure to triumph, it is needless to say that the carrying out of the corrected communism is by the majority of the public. Thus, they must establish the moral level of the majority of the public on a basis that will necessitate and guarantee that the corrected communism will never be corrupted. The preordained ideal in humans is insufficient, as too few posses it, and they are insignificant compared to the majority of the public.

4. Religion is the only basis assured to raise the level of the collective to the moral level of “working according to the ability and receiving according to the need.”

5. Communism must be turned away from the concept, “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours”, which is sodomite rule, to the concept, “What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is yours”, meaning absolute altruism. When the majority of the public accepts this rule de facto, it will be time to “work according to the ability and receive according to the need.” the sign would be that every one would work like a contract-worker. Thus, until most people are ready to bestow upon their fellow person, the altruistic communist regime must not be established.

6. It is forbidden to nationalize the property before the public reaches this moral level. The collective will not have fuel for work before there is a reliable moral factor in the public.

7. If one is forbidden to exploit one’s friends, why should a nation be allowed to exploit its fellow nations? Which occupancy justifies one nation enjoying the land more than other nations? Therefore, international communism must be founded.

As there are individuals who have been privileged by diligence, chance, or inheritance from ancestry to a greater share than the negligent, quite so among the nations. Hence, why should war on individuals be greater than against nations?

In other words, which privilege and ownership of the raw materials of the earth does one nation have over others? Who established the occupancy law, especially that they have attained it by force of bayonets and swords? Why should one nation exploit another if this is unjust for every individual?

In a word, as it is just to annul private property, so it is just for all nations, for only then will there be peace on earth. Consider this: if possession and the law of inheritance do not impart ownership rights to the individual, why should it be imparted to a whole nation? Also, as there should be just division among the members of a nation, so there should be just and equal division internationally in raw materials, means of production and the accumulated property of all nations.

There should be no differences between black and white, civilized and primitive, just as among individuals of the same nation. There must be no discrimination among individuals, a nation, or all the nations of the world. As long as there are differences, war will not end.

8. The entire world is one family. The framework of communism according to the Torah should ultimately encircle the entire world in an equal standard of living to everybody. However, the actual process is a gradual one. Each nation whose majority accepts these basic elements practically, and who have already been brought up to bestow upon their fellow person and will have a sound cause for fuel, may enter the framework of the international communism right away.

All the nations that have already gone under the framework of international communism will have equal standards of living. The surplus of a wealthy or a diligent nation will improve the living standards of the failing or poor nation in raw materials and productive means.

9. The economic and religious form that guarantees communism will be one for all nations. It means that the religious form of all nations must first obligate its members to bestowal upon their fellow person in the form of “Love thy friend as thyself.” The aim is that the gifted and the lucky shall not enjoy society more than the backward members. This will be the collective religion for all nations that will come under the framework of the communism, excluding religious forms that do not concern the economic life.

On other matters of comportment, each will have his or her own form, which should not be changed. In other words: except for the matter of “Love thy friend as thyself,” each nation may follow its own religion and tradition, and one must not interfere with another.

10. The laws of the collective, equal for all, religion are as follows:

A. One should work for the well-being of people as much as one can and even more if needed, until there is not a single hungry or thirsty person in the entire world.

B. One may be diligent, but no person shall enjoy the society more than the backward. There will be an equal living standard for all souls.

C. Though there is religion, tokens of due honors should be imparted according to the religion; the greater benefit one contributes to society, the higher decoration one shall receive.

D. Refraining from working diligently to benefit society will induce punishment according to the laws of society.

E. Each and every one is committed to the labor of raising ever higher the living standard of the world society, so all the people in the world will enjoy their lives and will feel more and more happiness.

F. The same applies for spirituality, though not everyone is obligated to engage in spirituality but only special people, depending on the needs.

G. There will be a sort of high-court. Those who will want to dedicate their labor for spiritual life will to be permitted to do so by this court.

11. The world must not be corrected in religious matters before the economic correction is guaranteed for the entire world.

12. There should be a detailed program of all the above-mentioned rules and the rest of the necessary rules in this regard. Anyone who comes under the framework of the communism must take an oath to keep all that because G-d has so commanded. At the very least one must pledge to teach one’s children that G-d has so commanded.

Those who say that the ideal is enough for them should be accepted and tested. If it is so, they may be accepted. However, they must still promise not to pass their heretical ways to their children, but hand them over to be educated by the state. If one accepts neither, he should not be accepted, for he would ruin the efforts of his friends and he would lose more than he would gain.

13. First, there must be a small establishment whose majority will be altruists in the above manner. It means that they will work as diligently as contract-workers, ten to twelve hours a day and more. Each and every one will work according to his strength and receive according to his needs.

It will have all the forms of the government of a state. In this manner, even if the framework of this institution will contain the entire world, and the brute-force government will be revoked, nothing will need to be changed, in both government and work.

This institution will be like a global focal point with nations and states surrounding it to the farthest corners of the world. All who enter this framework of communism shall have the same agenda and the same leadership as the center. They will be like one nation in profit, in loss and in expenses.

14. It is absolutely forbidden for any one from the institution to turn to any of the establishments of the brute-force regime. All conflicts are to be resolved amongst themselves, meaning between the concerned parties. The public opinion, which condemns egoism, will condemn the guilty for exploiting the righteousness of his friend.

15. Altruistic Communism will finally annul the brute-force regime completely, for “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” It should not surprise us, as it was unbelievable that children could be educated by explanation, but only through the cane. However, today, most people have accepted that and reduce the forceful rule on children.

This regards children who have neither patience nor knowledge, but it is even more so regarding a collective of educated, knowledgeable people, brought up to altruism. They will certainly not need the brute-force regime. Indeed, there is nothing more humiliating and degrading for a person than being under the brute-force government.

Even courthouses will not be necessary, unless some unusual event occurs, when the neighbors will not influence an exceptional individual. In that case, special pedagogues will be needed to turn that person around through argumentation and explanation of the benefit of society, until that person is brought back in line.

If one is stubborn, and it is all to no avail, then the public will turn away from that person as though from an outcast, until that person rejoins with the rules of society. Otherwise, he may corrupt others from society as well.

It turns out that after there is a settlement established on Altruistic Communism, with a majority of people who have actively taken these rules upon themselves, they will immediately decide not to bring each other to any court, governmental agency or any other kind of force, rather everything will be done by gentle persuasion. Hence, no person is to be accepted into the society before he is tested to see if he is so crude that cannot be tutored into altruism.

16. It is a fact that the Jews are hated by most nations, and are made fewer by them. It is true for the religious, the secular and the communists. There is no counsel for it except bringing the true altruistic ethics into the heart of the nations.

17. If you lived on an isle of savages that you could not bring to law and order except through religion, would you then doubt it and let them destroy each other? It is the same with altruism: they are all savages and there is no counsel they will accept if not through religion. Who would hesitate to abandon them to destroy each other with hydrogen bombs?

18. There are three rudiments to the expansion of faith:

1) Satisfaction of Desires;

2) Proof;

3) Circulation.

A. Satisfaction of Desires: In every person, even secular, there is an unknown spark that demands unification with the Creator. When it awakens, it sometimes awakens one to know the Creator, or deny Him, which is the same. In other words, denying G-d comes also from that spark, for without it, one would have no feelings about G-d whatsoever. Instead people would live without any thoughts of the Creator, good or bad.

If someone generates the satisfaction of this desire in that person, he will agree to everything. To that we must add regarding the immortality of the soul, the reward in the next world, the glory of the individual and the glory of the nation, meaning that one will be the nation’s pride.

B. Proof: There is no existence for the world without it, all the more so in a time of atom-bombs.

C. Circulation: If done diligently, can also replace proof. Hence, people must be hired to circulate the above words in the public. For purposes of expansion and circulation, the suffering, poverty, corruption and war must be mentioned, as well as the widows and the orphans in the world, seeking salvation.

There is no remedy for them except in Altruistic Communism. In such a state people will not find it so hard to dedicate their entire life to it, to save them from ruin and dreadful pains. It is even more so with young people, whose hearts have not been stupefied by their own shortcomings. Those will certainly support it with their heart and soul.

19. Because of the craving for possessions, it is impossible for Altruistic Communism to come unless Egoistic Communism comes first, as all the societies that wished to establish Altruistic Communism have already shown, prior to Marxism. However, now that a third of the world has already laid down their rudiments on an Egoistic Communist regime, it is possible to begin to establish a durable Altruistic Communism based on a religious foundation.

20. It is important to make such a correction, that no person will demand his needs from society. Instead, there will be selected people who will examine the needs of every one and provide for every single person. Public opinion will denounce one who claims something for oneself, such as today’s thief and scoundrel.

Thus, everyone’s thoughts will be devoted to bestowal upon one’s fellow person, as is the nature of any edification that cultivates it, even before one feels one’s own needs.

All this is based on that fact that we see that we are like any other animal in our consumption. Also, every contemptible act in the world stems from consumption. On the other hand, we see that all the good and joyful deeds in the world come from the property of bestowal upon one’s fellow person.

Hence, we must reject parsimonious thoughts of consumption for self, and fill our minds with thoughts of bestowal upon our fellow person, which is possible in the above manner. We must remember that if we want to jump on a table, we must prepare ourselves to jump much higher than the table, and then we will land on the table. However, if we want to jump only as high as the table, we will fall down.

21. Admittedly, the Egoistic Communism is but a step on the way, a sort of “From Lo Lishma to Lishma” (from not for Her Name to for Her Name). But I say that the time for the second phase, namely Altruistic Communism, has arrived.

First, it must be established in one country, as a model. After that the countries in the first phase will certainly accept it. Time is of the essence, since the shortcomings and brute-force used in Egoistic Communism, deter most of the cultural world from this method altogether.

Thus, the world must be introduced to the perfect communism, and then most civilized countries in the world will undoubtedly accept it. It is of great concern that imperialism will abolish communism from the world, but if our perfect method will actually be publicized, imperialism will certainly be left as a king with no armies.

22. Clearly, no stable and proper social life is possible except when controversies among members of society are resolved by the majority. It therefore follows that there cannot be a good regime in a society unless the majority is good. A good society means that the majority in it is good, and a bad society means that the majority of it is bad. As I have said above, communism must not be established before the majority of the people operate with a desire to bestow.

23. No circulation can secure a coercive rule over future generations, and neither public opinion nor edification will help in this case, for they naturally weaken, as opposed to religion, which naturally strengthens. We see from experience that nations that have accepted religion first coercively and compulsively, observe them willingly in the following generation. Moreover, they are dedicated and devoted to it.

We must understand that although the fathers took upon themselves communism because they were idealists, there is no guarantee that their children will follow them in this regime. Needless to say, if the fathers adopted communism by coercion, as is the manner in Egoistic Communism, it will not endure for generations, but will ultimately be overpowered and revoked. A regime cannot be imposed except through religion.

24. When I say that communistic regime must not be instituted before there is an altruistic majority, I do not mean that they will be willingly idealistic. Rather, it means that they will keep it for religious reasons, in addition to public opinion. This coercion is one that will last for generations, for religion is the primary compeller.

25. Liars are those who say that idealism is a natural human trait or a result of upbringing. Rather, it is a direct upshot of religion. While religion had not expanded so widely in the world, the majority of the world was barbaric without any pangs of conscience.

However, after G-d’s workers have proliferated, the descendants of the agnostic became idealists. Thus, the idealist keeps the commandments of his fathers, but it is an orphaned commandment, meaning without a commandment. Should religion be terminated from the world, all governments will become 'Hitlers'; nothing will stand in their way.

The difference between religious and idealists is that an idealist’s acts are unfounded. He cannot convincingly explain to any person why he prefers justice and who necessitates it. Perhaps it is only for the weakness of the heart, as the philosopher Nietzsche asserted. That person would not have a single word of sense to utter, and that is why Hitler and Stalin overpower them. However, the religious will boldly answer that this is G-d’s commandment and would give his soul for it.

26. Altruistic Communism is a rare thing for the human spirit. Hence, the nobler nation, namely the nation of Israel, must take upon itself to set an example to the world. It is so because we are better qualified than all other nations, not because we are more idealists than them, but because we have suffered more than all other nations. For that reason we are more prepared than they to seek advice to end tyranny from the land.

Jewry must give the nations something new; it is what they expect from the return of Israel to their land. It is not other teachings, as in that we never innovated and were always their disciples. Rather, it is the wisdom of religion, justice and peace. In this, most nations are our disciples, and this wisdom is attributed to us alone.

27. The nation is in danger because each person will flee elsewhere before the economy is stabilized. Not everyone will endure the ordeal while they can live comfortably in other rich countries. They will slowly run from the pain until there will not be a large enough number to be called a state, and they will be swallowed among the Arabs.

It is even more so with the Kibbutzim. Their entire existence is built on idealism, which will naturally diminish in future generations, as ideals are not hereditary, and they will undoubtedly be ruined first.

In the method of Altruistic Communism, the ideal will shine for every person, providing sufficient cause to endure the suffering. They will also be able to control their souls and reduce their living standard when necessary. Also, they will be able to work hard to secure the stability of the state’s economy.

Moreover, the ingathering of the exiles will continue from all the countries for the worry and the struggle for survival in other countries will motivate them to return peacefully and justly to their land.

28. If all of Israel adopts this religion, it will be possible to rebuild the Temple, and restore the ancient glory. This would certainly prove to all nations that Israel is right in returning to its land, even to the Arabs. However, a secular return, such as today, does not impress the nations whatsoever; there is concern that they will sell their independence to satisfy their needs, all the more so concerning the giving back of Jerusalem.

29. Any practical method also needs idealistic nourishment on which to contemplate, meaning philosophy. Regarding that, there is already a complete and ready philosophy, though it is meant for the leaders only, meaning the teachings of the Kabbalah.

30. The freedom of the individual must be kept as long as it is not harmful to society. However, one who wishes to leave in favor of another society must not be detained in any way, even if it is harmful to society, though it should be done in such a way that the society is not ruined altogether.

4.Summary

The will to receive imprinted in every creature is in disparity of form from the Creator. For that reason the soul was separated from it as an organ severed from the body. A disparity of form in spirituality is as a severing ax in corporeality.

It is therefore clear that what the Creator wants of us is equivalence of form, at which time we cleave to Him once more, as before we were created. Our sages have said, “Cleave on to His characteristics; as He is merciful, so you be merciful.”

By changing our characteristics, which are primarily the will to receive, and adopting the traits of the Creator, meaning only to bestow, all our acts will be to do good to our fellow person and benefit all we can. Thus we reach the goal “to cleave unto Him,” which is equivalence of form.

What one does for oneself by necessity, meaning the necessary minimum to sustain one’s family, is not considered disparity of form, as “necessity is neither condemned nor praised.” This is the great revelation that will appear in whole only in the days of the Messiah. When this teaching is accepted we shall attain complete redemption.

I have already said that there are two paths to reveal the perfection: the path of Torah and the path of pain. Hence, the Creator eventuated and gave humanity the technology, until they have invented the atom and the hydrogen bombs.

If the total ruin that they are destined to bring is still not evident to the world, then they can wait for a third world war, or a fourth one and son on. The bombs will do their thing and the relics after the ruin will have no other choice but to take upon themselves this work, “that both the individual and the nation will not work for themselves more than is necessarily needed for their sustenance, and everything else they will do for the good of others.” If all the nations of the world agree to that, then wars will no longer be in the world, for no person will be concerned with his own good whatsoever, but only with the good of others.

This teaching of equivalence of form is the teaching of the Messiah. It is said about that, “But in the end of days it shall come to pass, And many nations shall go and say: 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the G-d of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths'; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide concerning mighty nations afar off…” (Micah 4).

It follows that the Messiah will teach them the work of G-d in equivalence form, which is the teaching and the law of the Messiah. “And He shall judge between many peoples,” meaning He will prove to them that if they do not take upon themselves the work of G-d, all nations will be destroyed by wars.

But, if they do accept His teachings, it is then said, “and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Thus, if we follow the path of Torah and accept His teachings, it is preferable.

If we do not, then we shall walk in the path of pain, meaning wars will breakout with atom and hydrogen bombs, and all the nations of the world will seek a path away from war. Then they shall come to Jerusalem, to the Messiah, and He will teach them this law.

Original Post Link - Building the Future Society

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Body and Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Before I clarify this exalted matter, it is important for me to note that although all the readers seem to consider it impossible to clarify and bring such a matter closer to the human mind, except by relying on abstract, philosophical concepts, as is usually the case in such scrutinies, since the day I have discovered the wisdom of Kabbalah and dedicated myself to it, I have distanced myself from abstract philosophy and all its branches as the east from the west. Everything that I will write henceforth will be from a purely scientific perspective, in utter precision, and by means of simple recognition of practical, useful things.

Although I will mention their words below, it will be only to indicate the difference between what the human mind can conjure up and what can be understood using the concepts of the Torah and the prophecy, which are based on practical foundations (as I have shown in “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”).

I would also like to thoroughly clarify the terms “body” and “soul” as they truly are, since truth and sound mind are one and the same. This is because the truth is available for anyone, but only by the spirit of the Holy Torah and by removing all the distorted concepts that have taken root among the people. These are primarily taken from abstract methods from which the spirit of our Holy Torah is utterly removed.

Three Methods in the Concepts of Body and Soul

In general, we find that the methods that abound in the world concerning the concepts of body and soul are gathered into three methods:

1) The Method of Faith

The method of faith argues that all that exists is the spirit, or the soul. They believe that there are spiritual objects separated from one another by quality. They are called “souls of people,” and that they exist independently, prior to dressing in a human body. Afterwards, when the body dies, the death does not apply to it, since a spiritual object is a simple object. In their view, death is but a separation of the elements comprising the object.

This is possible with physical objects, comprised of several elements which death disintegrates. But the spiritual soul, which is an utterly simple object, lacking any complexity, cannot be separated in any way, as this separation would annul its existence. Hence, the soul is eternal and exists forever.

The body, as they understand it, is like a clothing over this spiritual object. The spiritual soul clothes in it and uses it to manifest its forces: the good qualities and all kinds of concepts. Also, it provides the body with life and motion and guards it from harm. Thus, the body itself is lifeless, motionless, and contains nothing but dead matter, as we see it once the soul departs it—when it dies—and all the signs of life that we see in human bodies are but manifestations of the soul’s powers.

2) The Method of Believers in Duality

Those who believe in duality think of the body as a complete creation, standing, living, and nourishing, and safekeeping its existence in all that is required. It does not need any assistance from any spiritual object.

Yet, the body is not considered man’s essence. Man’s primary essence is the perceiving soul, which is a spiritual object, as in the view of the supporters of the first method.

The difference between these two methods is only in the concept of the body. Following the extensive developments in physiology and psychology, they have found that Providence has provided for all of life’s needs within the machine of the body itself. This, in their view, restricts the role of the soul’s functionality within the body solely to concepts and virtues of the spiritual kind. Thus, while they believe in duality, in both methods together, they say that the soul is the reason for the body, meaning that the body is a result, extending from the soul.

3) The Method of the Deniers

The method of deniers of spirituality, who acknowledge only corporeality. Supporters of this method completely deny the existence of any kind of abstract spiritual object within the body. They have evidently proven that man’s mind, too, is but a product of the body, and they depict the body as an electronic machine with wires that stretch from the body to the brain, and operate by encounters with external things.

lso, they send their sensations of pain or pleasure to the brain, and the brain instructs the organ what to do. Everything is run by wires and cords built for this task. They move the organ away from sources of pain and towards sources of pleasure. Thus, they clarify all of man’s conclusions from life’s events.

Also, what we feel as concepts and rationalities within our minds are but images of corporeal occurrences within the body. And man’s pre-eminence over all animals is that our minds are developed to such an extent that all the body’s events are depicted in our brains as images that we experience as concepts and rationalities.

Thus, the mind and all its deductions are but products that extend from the events of the body. In addition, there are proponents of the second method who completely agree with this method, but add the spiritual, eternal object to it, called “the soul that dresses within the machine of the body.” This soul is man’s essence, and the machine of the body is but its clothing. Thus, I have laid out in general terms all that human science has thus far contrived in the concepts of “body” and “soul.”

The Scientific Meaning of Body and Soul According to Our Holy Torah

Now I shall explain this exalted matter according to our Holy Torah, as our sages have explained it to us. I have already written in several places that there is not a single word of our sages, not even in the prophetic wisdom of Kabbalah, that relies on theoretical bases. This is so because it is a known fact that man is naturally doubtful, and each conclusion that the human mind deems certain, it deems uncertain after some time. Hence, one doubles the efforts of one’s study and invents another inference and declares that as certain.

But if one is a genuine student, he will walk around this axis all of one’s life, since yesterday’s certainty has become today’s uncertainty, and today’s certainty become tomorrow’s uncertainty. Thus, it is impossible to determine any definite conclusions for more than a day.

Revealed and Concealed

Today’s science has sufficiently understood that there is no absolute certainty in reality. Yet, our sages arrived at this conclusion several thousand years earlier. Hence, concerning religious matters, they have guided and forbidden us to not only refrain from drawing any conclusions based on theory, but even prohibited us from being assisted by such theories, even by way of negotiations.

Our sages divided the wisdom into two matters: revealed and concealed. The revealed part contains everything we know from our direct consciousness, as well as the concepts built upon practical experience, without any assistance from scrutiny, as our sages said, “a judge has only what his eyes see.”

The concealed part contains all those concepts we had heard from trusted people or have acquired by ourselves through general understanding and perception of them. However, we cannot sufficiently approach it so as to criticize it with a healthy mind, with straightforward cognizance. And this is regarded as “concealed,” where we were advised to accept matters with “simple faith.” And with all that concerns religion, we have been strictly forbidden to even gaze at matters that could arouse us to scrutinize and study them.

Yet, these names, “revealed” and “concealed,” are not permanent names, applying to a certain kind of knowledge, as the uneducated think. Rather, they apply only to the human consciousness. Thus, one refers to all those concepts one has already discovered and has come to know through actual experience as “revealed,” and regards all the concepts that are yet to be recognized in this manner as “concealed.”

Thus, throughout the generations, all people have these two divisions. The revealed part will be permitted for study and research, as it relies on a true basis, and the concealed part is forbidden for even a shred of scrutiny, since one has no real basis there.

Permitted and Forbidden in Using Human Science

Hence, we who follow in the footsteps of our sages are not permitted to use the human science, except with knowledge that has been proven by actual experiences, and of whose validity we have no doubt. Therefore, we cannot accept any religious principle from the above three methods, all the more so concerning the concepts of body and soul, which are the fundamental concepts and the subject of religion as a whole. We can only accept concepts of life sciences taken from experiments that no man can doubt.

Clearly, such a proof cannot be found in any spiritual matter, but only in physical matters, set up for perception by the senses. Hence, we are permitted to use the third method, to an extent. It engages only in matters of the body, in all those deductions that have been proven by experiments, and which no one doubts. The rest of the concepts, which combine the reason of their method and other methods, are forbidden to us. One who uses them breaches, “Turn you not unto the idols.”

Yet, this third method is foreign and loathsome to the human spirit. There is hardly any truly educated person who is able to accept it. This is so because according to them, man’s humane form has been erased and vanished. Man has been made into a machine that walks and works by other forces. According to them, man has no free choice whatsoever, but is rather pushed by nature’s forces, and all his actions are compulsory. Hence, man has no reward or punishment, since no judgment, punishment, or reward apply to one who has no freedom of will.

Such a thing is utterly unthinkable, and not only for the religious, who believe in reward and punishment, since believing in His Providence, that all of nature’s forces are guided by Him, assures them that everything has a good and desirable cause. Yet, this method is even stranger in the eyes of the nonreligious, who believe that everyone is given to the hands of a blind, mindless, and aimless nature. These intelligent ones are like toys in its hands, led astray, and who knows where? Hence, this method has become despised and unaccepted in the world.

But you should know that the method of those who conceive duality came only to correct this above-mentioned wrong. For this reason, they have decided that the body, which is but a machine according to the third method, is not at all the real human. Man’s real essence is something altogether different—invisible and imperceptible to the senses. It is a spiritual entity, clothed and hidden within the body. This is man’s “self,” the “I.” The body and everything within it are considered possessions of that eternal and spiritual I, as they have written.

Yet, by their own admission, this method is lame, since they cannot explain how a spiritual entity, being the soul or the self, can move the body or decide anything concerning it. This is because following the philosophical precision itself, the spiritual has no contact whatsoever with the physical. It has absolutely no impact on it, as they have written themselves.

The Accusation against the Rambam (Maimonides)

Yet, even without this question, their method would have been forbidden among Israel, as we have explained above. It is important to know that the whole accusation of Rambam by Israel’s sages and the harsh judgment to burn his books, were not because they had any doubt of the righteousness and piousness of the Rambam himself. Rather, it was only because he used philosophy and metaphysics, which were at their peak at the time, as assistance in his books. The Rambam wished to save them from it, yet the sages did not agree with him.

Needless to say, today our generation has already recognized that metaphysical philosophy contains no real content upon which it is worthwhile to spend one’s time. Hence, it is certainly forbidden for anyone to take any spices from their words.

Original Post Link - Body and Soul

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:28:00 +0000

It is known that the desired purpose of the work in Torah and Mitzvot is to cleave unto the Creator, as it is written, "and to cleave unto Him." We should understand what Dvekut (adhesion) with the Creator means. After all, the thought has no perception of Him whatsoever. Indeed, our sages have discussed this question before me, asking about the verse, "and to cleave unto Him": "How can one cleave unto Him? After all, He is consuming fire."

And they replied, "Cleave unto His qualities: as He is merciful, you are merciful; as he is compassionate, you are compassionate." This is perplexing; how did our sages drift from the literal text? After all, it is explicitly written, "and to cleave unto Him." Had the meaning been to cleave unto His qualities it would have to write, "cleave unto His ways." So why does it say, "and to cleave unto Him"?

The thing is that in corporeality, which takes up space, we understand Dvekut as proximity of place, and we understand separation as remoteness of place. However, in spirituality, which does not occupy any space, Dvekut and separation do not mean proximity or remoteness of place. This is because they do not occupy any space at all. Rather, we understand Dvekut as equivalence of form between two spirituals, and we understand separation as disparity of form between two spirituals.

As the axe cuts and separates a corporeal object into two, by removing the parts from one another, disparity of form distinguishes the spiritual and divides it in two. If the disparity of form between them is small, we say that they are a little far from one another. And if the disparity of form is great, we say that they are very far from one another. And if they are of opposite forms, we say that they are as far from each other as two extremes.

For example, when two people hate each other, it is said about them that they are as separated from one another as the East from the West. And if they love each other, it is said about them that they are as attached to one another as a single body.

And this does not concern nearness or remoteness of location. Rather, it is about equivalence of form or disparity of form. This is so because when people love each other, it is because there is equivalence of form between them. Because one loves everything that one’s friend loves, and hates all that one’s friend hates, they are attached to one another and love one another.

However, if there is any disparity of form between them, and one loves something even though one’s friend hates that thing, they are hateful of each other and remote from one another to the extent of their disparity of form. And if they are opposite so that everything that one loves, one’s friend hates, it is said about them that they are as remote and as separated as the East from the West.

And you find that disparity of form in spirituality acts like the axe that separates in corporeality. Similarly, the measure of remoteness of location and the measure of the separation in them depends on the measure of disparity of form between them. Also, the measure of Dvekut between them depends on the measure of equivalence of form between them.

Now we understand how right our sages were when they interpreted the verse, "and to cleave unto Him," as adhesion with His qualities—as He is merciful, you are merciful; as He is compassionate, you are compassionate. They did not deflect the text from the literal meaning. Quite the contrary, they interpreted the text precisely according to its literal meaning, since spiritual Dvekut can only be depicted as equivalence of form. Hence, by equalizing our form with the form of His qualities, we become attached to Him.

This is why they said, "as He is merciful." In other words, all His actions are to bestow and benefit others, and not at all for His own benefit, since He has no deficiencies that require complementing. And also, He has no one from whom to receive. Similarly, all your actions will be to bestow and to benefit others. Thus, you will equalize your form with the form of the qualities of the Creator, and this is spiritual Dvekut.

There is a discernment of "mind" and a discernment of "heart" in the above-mentioned equivalence of form. The engagement in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow contentment upon one’s Maker is equivalence of form in the mind. This is because the Creator does not think of Himself—whether He exists or whether He watches over His creations, and other such doubts. Similarly, one who wishes to achieve equivalence of form must not think of these things, as well, when it is clear that the Creator does not think of them, since there is no greater disparity of form than that. Hence, anyone who thinks of such matters is certainly separated from Him, and will never achieve equivalence of form.

This is what our sages said, "Let all your actions be for the Creator," that is, Dvekut with the Creator. Do not do anything that does not promote this goal of Dvekut. This means that all your actions will be to bestow and to benefit your fellow person. At that time, you will achieve equivalence of form with the Creator—as all His actions are to bestow and to benefit others, so you, all your actions will be only to bestow and to benefit others. This is the complete Dvekut.

And we could ask about it, "How can one’s every action be to benefit others? After all, one must work to sustain oneself and one’s family." The answer is that those deeds that one does out of necessity, to receive one’s bare necessities for sustenance, that necessity is neither praised nor condemned. This is not considered doing something for oneself whatsoever.

Anyone who delves into the heart of things will certainly be surprised at how one can achieve complete equivalence of form, so all one’s actions are to give to others, while man’s very essence is only to receive for oneself. By nature, we are unable to do even the smallest thing to benefit others. Instead, when we give to others, we are compelled to expect that in the end, we will receive a worthwhile reward. If one as much as doubts the reward, one will refrain from acting. Thus, how can one’s every action be only to bestow upon others and not at all for oneself?

Indeed, I admit that this is a very difficult thing. One cannot change the nature of one’s own creation, which is only to receive for oneself, much less invert one’s nature from one extreme to the other, meaning to not receive anything for oneself, but rather act only to bestow.

Yet, this is why the Creator gave us Torah and Mitzvot, which we were commanded to do only in order to bestow contentment upon the Creator. Had it not been for the engagement in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma (for Her Name), to bring contentment to the Creator with them, and not to benefit ourselves, there would have been no tactic in the world that could help us invert our nature.

Now you can understand the rigorousness of engaging in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma. If one’s intention in the Torah and Mitzvot is not to benefit the Creator, but oneself, not only will the nature of the will to receive in him not be inverted, but rather, the will to receive in him will be much more than what he was given by the nature of his creation.

But what are the virtues of one who has been rewarded with Dvekut with the Creator? They are not specified anywhere, except in subtle intimations. Yet, to clarify the matters in my essay, I must disclose a little, as much as necessary.

I will explain the matters with an allegory. The body with its organs are one. The whole of the body exchanges thoughts and sensations regarding each of its organs. For example, if the whole body thinks that a specific organ should serve it and please it, this organ will immediately know that thought and provide the contemplated pleasure. Also, if an organ thinks and feels that the place it is in is narrow, the rest of the body will immediately know that thought and sensation and move it to a comfortable place.

However, should an organ be cut off from the body, they will become two separate entities; the rest of the body will no longer know the needs of the separated organ, and the organ will not know the thoughts of the body, to benefit it and serve it. But if a physician came and reconnected the organ to the body as before, the organ would once again know the thoughts and needs of the rest of the body, and the rest of the body would once again know the needs of the organ.

According to this allegory, we can understand the merit of one who has been rewarded with Dvekut with the Creator. I have already demonstrated in my "Introduction to the Book of Zohar," Item 9, that the soul is an illumination that extends from His Essence. This illumination has been separated from the Creator by the Creator’s clothing it with a will to receive. This is so because the Thought of Creation, to do good to His creations, created in each soul a desire to receive pleasure. Thus, this form of the will to receive separated that illumination from His Essence and turned it into a separate part from Him.

It follows that each soul was included in His Essence prior to its creation. But with creation, meaning along with the will to receive pleasure that has been instilled in it, it acquired disparity of form and was separated from the Creator, whose only wish is to bestow. This is so because, as we have explained above, the disparity of form separates in spirituality as the axe does in corporeality.

Thus, now the soul is completely similar to the allegory about the organ that was cut off and separated from body. Even though, prior to the separation, they—the organ and the whole body—were one, and exchanged thoughts and sensations with one another, after the organ has been cut off from the body they have become two entities. Now one does not know the other’s thoughts and needs. It is even more so after the soul is dressed in a body of this world: all the connections it had had prior to the separation from His Essence have stopped, and they are like two separate entities.

Now we can easily understand the merit of one who has been rewarded with cleaving unto Him once more. It means that he has been rewarded with equivalence of form with the Creator by inverting the will to receive, imprinted in him through the power in Torah and Mitzvot. This was the very thing that separated him from His Essence, and turned it into a will to bestow. And all of one’s actions are only to bestow and benefit others, as he has equalized his form with the Maker. It follows that one is just like the organ that was once cut off from the body and has been reunited with the body: it knows the thoughts of the rest of the body once again, just as it did prior to the separation from the body.

The soul is like that, too: after it has acquired equivalence with Him, it knows His Thoughts once more, as it knew prior to the separation from Him due to the will-to-receive’s disparity of form. Then the verse, "know thou the God of thy father," lives in him, as then one is rewarded with complete knowledge, which is Godly knowledge. Also, one is rewarded with all the secrets of the Torah, as His Thoughts are the secrets of the Torah.

This is what Rabbi Meir said: "All who study Torah Lishma are granted many things. The secrets of Torah are revealed before them, and they become like an ever-flowing spring." As we have said, through engagement in Torah Lishma, meaning by aiming to bring contentment to one’s Maker through one’s engagement in the Torah, and not at all for one’s own benefit, one is guaranteed to cleave to the Creator. This means that one will achieve equivalence of form, and all one’s actions will be to benefit others and not oneself at all. This is just like the Creator, whose every action is only to bestow and to benefit others.

By that, one returns to Dvekut with the Creator, as was the soul prior to its creation. Hence, one is granted many things, and is rewarded with the secrets and flavors of the Torah, and becomes like an ever-flowing spring. This is so because of the removing of the partitions that parted one from the Creator, so he has become one with Him again, as before one was created.

Indeed, the whole Torah, revealed and concealed, is the Thoughts of the Creator, without any difference. Yet, it is like a person drowning in the river, whose friend throws him a rope to save him. If the drowning catches the rope in its near part, his friend can save him and pull him out of the river.

The Torah is like that, too. Being entirely the Thoughts of the Creator, it is like a rope that the Creator throws to people to save them and pull them out of the Klipot (shells). The end of the rope that is near to all the people is the revealed Torah, which requires no intention or thought. Moreover, even when there is a faulty thought in the Mitzvot, it is still accepted by the Creator, as it is written, "One must always engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lo Lishma (not for Her Name), since from Lo Lishma he will come to Lishma."

Hence, the Torah and Mitzvot are the end of the rope, and there is not a person in the world who cannot grip it. If one tightly grips it, meaning is rewarded with engaging in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma, to bring contentment to one’s Maker and not to oneself, the Torah and Mitzvot lead one to equivalence of form with the Creator. This is the meaning of "and to cleave unto Him."

At that time, one will be rewarded with attaining all the Thoughts of the Creator, called "secrets of the Torah" and "flavors of the Torah," which are the rest of the rope. However, one is granted it only after one has achieved complete Dvekut.

The reason we compare the Creator’s Thoughts, meaning the secrets of the Torah and the flavors of the Torah, to a rope is that there are many degrees in the equivalence of form with the Creator. Hence, there are many degrees in the rope, in attaining the secrets of the Torah. One’s measure of attainment of the secrets of the Torah, of knowing His Thoughts, is as the measure of equivalence of form with the Creator.

Overall, there are five degrees: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida, and each is made of all of them. Also, each contains five degrees, and each of those contains at least twenty-five degrees.

They are also called "worlds," as our sages said, "The Creator is destined to grant each righteous 310 worlds." And the reason the degrees of attaining Him are called "worlds" is that there are two meanings to the name Olam (World):

1. All those who enter that world have the same sensation; what one sees, hears, and feels, all who are in that world see, hear, and feel, too.

2. All those who are in that "hidden" world cannot know or attain anything in another world. And also, these two degrees are in attainment:

Anyone who has been rewarded with a certain degree knows and attains in it everything that those who came to that degree attained, in all the generations that were and that will be. And he has common attainment with them as though they are in the same world.
All who come to that degree will not be able to know or to attain what exists in another degree. It is like this world: they cannot know anything of what exists in the world of truth. This is why the degrees are called "worlds."

Hence, those with attainment can compose books and put their attainments to writing in intimations and allegories. They will be understood by all who have been rewarded with the degrees that the books describe, and they will have common attainment with them. But those who have not been rewarded with the full measure of the degree as the authors will not be able to understand their intimations. It is even more so with those who have not been rewarded with any attainment; they will not understand a thing about them, as they have no common attainments.

We have already said that the complete Dvekut and complete attainment is divided into 125 degrees overall. Accordingly, prior to the days of the Messiah, it is impossible to be granted all 125 degrees. And there are two differences between the generation of the Messiah and all other generations:

Only in the generation of the Messiah is it possible to attain all 125 degrees, and in no other generation.
Throughout the generations, those who ascended and were rewarded with Dvekut were few, as our sages wrote about the verse, "I have found one person in a thousand; a thousand enter the room, and one comes out to teach," meaning to Dvekut and attainment. It is as they said, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord." "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying: ‘Know the Lord’; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them."

An exception is Rashbi and his generation, the authors of The Zohar, who were granted all 125 degrees in completeness, even though it was prior to the days of the Messiah. It was said about him and his disciples: "A sage is preferable to a prophet." Hence, we often find in The Zohar that there will be none like the generation of Rashbi until the generation of the Messiah King. This is why his composition made such a great impact in the world, since the secrets of the Torah in it occupy the level of all 125 degrees.

Hence, it is said in The Zohar that The Book of Zohar will be revealed only at the End of Days, the days of the Messiah. This is so because we have already said that if the degrees of the students are not at the full measure of the degree of the author, they will not understand his intimations, since they do not have a common attainment.

And since the degree of the authors of The Zohar is at the full level of the 125 degrees, they cannot be attained prior to the days of the Messiah. It follows that there will be no common attainment with the authors of The Zohar in the generations preceding the days of the Messiah. Hence, The Zohar could not be revealed in the generations before the generation of the Messiah.

And this is a clear proof that our generation has come to the days of the Messiah. We can see that all the interpretations of The Book of Zohar before ours did not clarify as much as ten percent of the difficult places in The Zohar. And in the little they did clarify, their words are almost as abstruse as the words of The Zohar itself.

But in our generation we have been rewarded with the Sulam (Ladder) commentary, which is a complete interpretation of all the words of The Zohar. Moreover, not only does it not leave an unclear matter in the whole of The Zohar without interpreting it, but the clarifications are based on a straightforward analysis, which any intermediate student can understand. And since The Zohar appeared in our generation, it is a clear proof that we are already in the days of the Messiah, at the outset of that generation upon which it was said, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord."

We should know that spiritual matters are not like corporeal matters, where giving and receiving come as one. In spirituality, the time of giving and the time of receiving are separate. This is because first it was given from the Creator to the receiver; and in this giving He only gives him a chance to receive. However, he has not received a thing yet, until he is properly sanctified and purified. And then one is rewarded with receiving it. Thus, it may take a long time between the time of giving and the time of receiving.

Accordingly, the saying that this generation has already come to the verse, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord," refers only to the giving. Yet, we have not yet come to a state of reception. When we are purified, sanctified, and study, and exert in the desired amount, the time of reception will arrive, and the verse, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord," will come true in us.

Also, it is known that redemption and the complete attainment are intertwined. The proof is that anyone who is drawn to the secrets of the Torah is also drawn to the land of Israel. This is why we were promised, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord," only at the End of Days, during the time of redemption.

Therefore, as we have not yet been rewarded with a time of reception in the complete attainment, but only with a time of giving, by which we have been given a chance to achieve complete attainment, so it is with redemption. We have been rewarded with it only in the form of giving. The fact of the matter is that the Creator delivered our holy land from the foreigners and has given it back to us, yet we have not received the land into our own authority, since the time of reception has not yet come, as we explained concerning the complete attainment.

Thus, He has given but we have not received. After all, we have no economic independence, and there is no political independence without economic independence. Moreover, there is no redemption of the body without redemption of the soul. And as long as the majority of the people are captive in the foreign cultures of the nations and are incapable of Israel’s religion and culture, the bodies, too, will be captive under the alien forces. In this respect, the land is still in the hands of foreigners.

The proof is that no one is excited about the redemption, as it should have been with redemption after two millennia. Not only are those in the Diaspora not inclined to come to us and delight in the redemption, but a large portion of those that have been redeemed, and are already dwelling among us, are anxiously waiting to be rid of this redemption and return to the Diaspora whence they came.

Thus, even though the Creator has delivered the land from the hands of the nations and has given it to us, we have not yet received it. We are not enjoying it. But with this giving, the Creator has given us an opportunity for redemption, to be purified and sanctified and assume the work of God in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma. At that time, the Temple will be built and we will receive the land into our own authority. And then we will experience and feel the joy of redemption.

But as long as we have not come to that, nothing will change. There is no difference between the current manners of the land and the way it was while still under the hands of foreigners, in law, in economy, and in the work of God. Thus, all we have is an opportunity for redemption.

It follows that our generation is the generation of the days of the Messiah. This is why we have been granted the redemption of our holy land from the hands of the foreigners. We have also been rewarded with the revelation of The Book of Zohar, which is the beginning of the realization of the verse, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord." "And they shall teach no more… for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them."

Yet, with those two, we have only been rewarded with giving from the Creator, but we have not received anything into our own hands. Instead, we have been given a chance to begin with the work of God, to engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma. Then we will be granted the great success that is promised to the generation of the Messiah, which all the generations before us did not know. And then we will be rewarded with the time of reception of both the complete attainment and the complete redemption.

Thus, we have thoroughly explained our sages’ reply to the question, "How is it possible to cleave unto Him, which they said means ‘cleave unto His qualities’"? This is true for two reasons:

Spiritual Dvekut is not in proximity of place, but in equivalence of form.
Since the soul was separated from His Essence only because of the will to receive, which the Creator had imprinted in it, once He had separated the will to receive from it, it naturally returned to the previous Dvekut with His Essence.

1) However, all this is in theory. In fact, they have not answered anything with the explanation of cleaving unto His qualities, which means to separate the will to receive, imprinted in the nature of Creation, and arriving at the will to bestow—the opposite of its nature.

And what we explained, that one who is drowning in the river should firmly grip the rope, and before one engages in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma in a way that he will not turn back to folly, it is not considered gripping the rope firmly, the question returns: Where will one find motivation to wholeheartedly exert solely to bring contentment to one’s Maker? After all, one cannot make a single movement without any benefit for oneself, as a machine cannot work without fuel. And if there is no self-gratification, but only contentment to one’s Maker, one will have no fuel with which to work.

The answer is that anyone who sufficiently attains His greatness, the bestowal that one bestows upon Him is inverted into reception, as it is written in Masechet Kidushin (p. 7): with an important person, when the woman gives him money it is considered reception for her, and she is sanctified.

So it is with the Creator: if one achieves His greatness, there is no greater reception than contentment to one’s Maker. This is sufficient fuel to toil and wholeheartedly exert to bring contentment to Him. But clearly, as long as one has not sufficiently attained His greatness, one will not regard giving contentment to the Creator as reception enough for one to give one’s heart and soul to the Creator.

Hence, each time one truly aims only to bring contentment to one’s Maker and not to oneself, one will immediately lose the strength to work, as he will be like a machine without fuel, since one cannot move any organ without drawing some benefit to oneself. It is even more so with such great labor as giving one’s heart and soul, as dictated in the Torah. Undoubtedly, one will not be able to do so without drawing some reception of pleasure for oneself.

Indeed, obtaining His greatness in a measure that bestowal becomes reception, as mentioned concerning an important person, is not at all difficult. Everyone knows the greatness of the Creator, who created everything and consumes everything, without beginning and without end, and whose sublimity is endless.

Yet, the difficulty in that is that the measure of the greatness does not depend on the individual, but on the environment. For example, even if one is filled with virtues but the environment does not appreciate one as such, one will always be low-spirited and will not be able to take pride in his virtues, although he has no doubt that they are true. And conversely, a person with no merit at all, whom the environment respects as though he is virtuous, that person will be filled with pride, since the measure of importance and greatness is given entirely to the environment.

And while one sees how one’s environment slights His work and does not properly appreciate His greatness, one cannot overcome the environment. Thus, one cannot obtain His greatness, and slights during one’s work, as do they.

And since one does not have the basis for obtaining His greatness, he will obviously not be able to work to bestow contentment upon his Maker and not for himself. This is so because one would have no motivation to exert, and "if you did not labor and found, do not believe." And one’s only choice is to either work for oneself or to not work at all, since for him, bestowing contentment upon one’s Maker will not be tantamount to reception.

Now you can understand the verse, "In the multitude of people is the king’s glory," since the measure of the greatness comes from the environment under two conditions:

The extent of the appreciation of the environment.
The size of the environment. Thus, "In the multitude of people is the king’s glory."

And because of the great difficulty in the matter, our sages advised us: "Make for yourself a rav [1] and buy for yourself a friend." This means that one should choose for oneself an important and renowned person to be one’s rav, from whom one will be able to come to engaging in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bring contentment to one’s Maker. This is so because there are two facilitations to one’s rav:

1. Since he is an important person, the student can bestow contentment upon him, based on the sublimity of one’s rav, since bestowal becomes as reception for him. This is a natural fuel, so one can always increase one’s acts of bestowal. And once a person grows accustomed to engage in bestowal upon the rav, one can transfer it to engaging in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma towards the Creator, too, since habit becomes a second nature.

2. Equivalence of form with the Creator does not help if it is not forever, that is, "until He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not turn back to folly." This is not so with equivalence of form with one’s rav. Since the rav is in this world, within time, equivalence of form with him helps even if it is only temporary and he later turns sour again.

Thus, every time one equalizes one’s form with one’s rav, he is adhered to him for a time. Thus, one obtains the thoughts and knowledge of the rav, according to one’s measure of Dvekut, as we have explained in the allegory of the organ that has been cut off from the body and was reunited with it.

For this reason, the student can use his rav’s attainment of the Creator’s greatness, which inverts bestowal into reception and sufficient fuel to give one’s heart and soul. At that time, the student, too, will be able to engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma with one’s very heart and soul, which is the remedy that yields eternal Dvekut with the Creator.

Now you can understand what our sages said (Berachot 7): "Serving in the Torah is greater than studying it, as it is said, ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.’ It did not say studied, but poured." This is perplexing; how can simple acts be greater than studying the wisdom and the knowledge?

But according to the above, we thoroughly understand that serving one’s rav with one’s body and soul in order to bring contentment to one’s rav bring one to Dvekut with one’s rav, that is, to equivalence of form. Thus, one receives the thoughts and knowledge of the rav by way of "mouth-to-mouth," which is Dvekut of spirit with spirit. By that, one is rewarded with obtaining His greatness sufficiently to turn bestowal into reception, to become sufficient fuel for devotion, until one is rewarded with Dvekut with the Creator.

This is not so concerning studying Torah with one’s rav, as this must be for one’s own benefit, and does not yield Dvekut. It is considered "from mouth to ear." Thus, serving brings the student the rav’s thoughts, and the study—only the rav’s words. Also, the merit of serving is greater than the merit of the study as the importance of the rav’s thoughts over the rav’s words, and as the importance of "mouth-to-mouth" over "from mouth to ear."

However, all this is true if the service is in order to bestow contentment upon Him. Yet, if the service is to benefit oneself, such service cannot bring one to Dvekut with one’s rav, and certainly the study with the rav is more important than serving him.

Yet, as we have said about obtaining His greatness, an environment that does not properly appreciate Him weakens the individual and prevents one from obtaining His greatness. And this is certainly true for one’s rav, as well. An environment that does not properly appreciate the rav prevents the student from being able to properly obtain the greatness of one’s rav.

Hence, our sages said, "Make for yourself a rav and buy for yourself a friend." This means that one can make a new environment for oneself. This environment will help him obtain the greatness of his rav through love of friends who appreciate the rav. Through the friends’ discussing the greatness of the rav, each of them receives the sensation of his greatness. Thus, bestowal upon one’s rav will become reception and sufficient motivation to an extent that will bring one to engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma.

They said about that, "The Torah is acquired by forty-eight virtues, by serving friends and by meticulousness of friends." This is so because besides serving the rav, one needs the meticulousness of friends, as well, the friends’ influence, so they will affect him the obtainment of his rav’s greatness. This is so because obtaining the greatness depends entirely on the environment, and an individual cannot do a thing about it whatsoever.

Yet, there are two conditions to obtaining the greatness:

Always listen and assume appreciation of the environment to the extent of their greatness.
The environment should be great, as it is written, "In the multitude of people is the king's glory."

To receive the first condition, each student must feel the smallest among all the friends. In that state, one can receive the appreciation of the greatness from everyone, since the great cannot receive from a smaller one, and much less be impressed by his words. Rather, only the small is impressed by the appreciation of the great.

And for the second condition, each student must extol the virtues of each friend and cherish him as though he were the greatest in the generation. Then the environment will affect him as a sufficiently great environment, since quality is more important than quantity.

[1] Translator’s note: a great teacher

Original Post Link - A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute

Baal HaSulam - Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:51:00 +0000

Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (1884-1954) is known as Baal HaSulam (Owner of the Ladder) for his Sulam (ladder) commentary on The Book of Zohar. Baal HaSulam dedicated his life to interpretations and innovations in the wisdom of Kabbalah, disseminating it in Israel and throughout the world. He developed a unique method to the study of Kabbalah, by which any person can delve into the depth of reality and reveal its roots and purpose of existence.

Baal HaSulam was born in Warsaw, Poland on Sep 24, 1884. At the age of nineteen he was ordained as a rabbi by the greatest rabbis of Warsaw, and for sixteen years he served as a Dayan (Jewish orthodox judge) and a teacher in Warsaw.

Baal HaSulam’s teacher was Rabbi Yehoshua of Porsov. In 1921, Baal HaSulam immigrated to Israel and settled in the Old City of Jerusalem. The word of his coming quickly spread among Jews who emigrated from Poland, and he soon became known as an authority in Kabbalah. Gradually, a group of students formed around him, attending Kabbalah lessons in the wee hours. Later on Baal HaSulam moved from the OldCity and settled in Givat Shaul, which was then a new neighborhood in Jerusalem, where for several years he served as the neighborhood rabbi.

Baal HaSulam spent the years 1926-1928 in London. During his time in London he wrote the commentary to the Ari’s Tree Of Life—Panim Meirot uMasbirot, which he printed in 1927. Throughout his stay in London, Baal HaSulam conducted extensive correspondence with his students in Israel, which were assembled in 1985 in a book titled Igrot Kodesh(Letters of Sanctity).

In 1933 Baal HaSulam published the tractates Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah), HaArvut (The Bond), and HaShalom (The Peace).

Baal HaSulam’s two major works, the result of many years of labor, are Talmud Eser Sefirot (The Study of the Ten Sefirot), a commentary on the writings of the Ari, and Perush HaSulam (The Sulam Commentary)onThe Book of Zohar. The publications of the 16 parts (in six volumes) of Talmud Eser Sefirot began in 1937. In 1940 he published Beit Shaar HaKavanot (The Gatehouse of Intentions), with commentaries to selected writings of the Ari. Persuh HaSulam on the Zohar was printed in 18 volumes in the years 1945-1953. Later on Baal HaSulam wrote three additional volumes containing commentaries on The New Zohar, whose printing was completed in 1955, after his demise.

In his Introduction to the Book of Zohar, Baal HaSulam writes as follows (item 58): And I have named that commentary The Sulam (ladder), to show that the purpose of it is, as with every ladder, that if you have an attic full of goods, then all you need is a ladder to reach it, and then all the bounty of the world is in your hands.

Baal HaSulam wrote a series of introductions that prepare the student for proper study of Kabbalistic texts. Some of these introductions are Preface to the Book of Zohar, Introduction to the Book of Zohar, Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, Preface to the Sulam Commentary, General Preface to the Tree of Life, and Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot.

In 1940, Baal HaSulam published the first and, as it turned out, the last issue of the journal HaUma (The Nation). The journal was shut down by the British Mandate authorities after having received malicious information that the journal propagated communism.

Baal HaSulam encountered enormous difficulties printing his books. We can learn of the importance he ascribed to printing and disseminating Kabbalah from the 2003 Israel Award laureate Prof. Shlomo Giora Shoham’s description of his meeting with Baal HaSulam in the early 1950’s.

I found him standing in a dilapidated building, almost a shack, which housed an old printing press. He couldn't afford to pay a typesetter and was doing the typesetting himself, letter by letter, standing over the printing press for hours at a time, despite the fact that he was in his late sixties. Ashlag was clearly a tzaddik (righteous man) - a humble man, with a radiant face. But he was an absolutely marginal figure and terribly impoverished. I later heard that he spent so many hours setting type that the lead used in the printing process damaged his health. This excerpt was published on Dec 17, 2004 in Haaretz newspaper, in a story by Micha Odenheimer.

Baal HaSulam did not merely put his ideas on paper; he acted vigorously to promote them. He met with many leaders of the Jewish settlement in Israel of the time, leaders of the Labor movement and many public figures. Among these figures are David Ben-Gurion, Zalman Shazar, Moshe Sadeh, Chaim Arlozorov, Moshe Aram, Me’ir Yaari, Yaakov Hazan, Dov Sadan and the great poet Haim Nahman Bialik.

According to Ben-Gurion, he met with Yehuda Ashlag several times, and was apparently surprised: I wanted to talk to him about Kabbalah, and he wanted to talk about Socialism (Ben-Gurion Archive, Diaries, Aug 11, 1958).

In his essay Three Meetings and In Between (Amot, Tel-Aviv, 1963, p. 49), Dov Sadan writes: Rabbi Yehuda Leib Ashlag, among the greatest Kabbalists of the time, aimed at turning the fundamentals of Kabbalah into a historic engine of our generation. Through his socialistic perception, which is based on the above, he sought contact with the Kibbutz Movement.

It might be surprising to think that Baal HaSulam sought connection with the Hebrew Labor Movement and its leaders, considering the mental and educational chasm between them. However, deep study of his writings reveals a fascinating and intriguing figure of an erudite who was very much involved in the events of his time, both in Israel and the world over, a figure whose ideas are considered revolutionary and daring even to this day.

Original Post Link - Baal HaSulam

COURTESY: Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute