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+{
+ "language": "en",
+ "title": "Tanya",
+ "versionSource": "http://kehot.com",
+ "versionTitle": "Kehot Publication Society (English Translation)",
+ "status": "locked",
+ "priority": 2.0,
+ "license": "CC-BY-NC",
+ "versionNotes": "© Kehot Publication Society",
+ "purchaseInformationImage": "https://store.kehotonline.com/images/ear-tany.l.jpg",
+ "purchaseInformationURL": "https://store.kehotonline.com/prodinfo.asp?number=EAR-TANY.L",
+ "actualLanguage": "en",
+ "languageFamilyName": "english",
+ "isBaseText": false,
+ "isSource": false,
+ "direction": "ltr",
+ "heTitle": "תניא",
+ "categories": [
+ "Chasidut",
+ "Chabad"
+ ],
+ "text": {
+ "Part I; Likkutei Amarim": {
+ "Title Page": [
+ "SEFER
LIKKUTEI AMARIM",
+ "PART ONE",
+ "ENTITLED",
+ "SEFER SHEL BENONIM",
+ "Compiled from (sacred) books and from sages, exalted saints, whose souls are in Eden; based on the verse “For it is exceedingly near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do”; to explain clearly how it is exceedingly near, in a lengthy and short way, with the aid of the Holy One, blessed be He."
+ ],
+ "Approbation": [
+ [
+ "APPROBATION",
+ "by the famous rabbi and chasid, G–dly man, of saintly renown, our teacher Rabbi Meshulam Zusil of Anipoli:",
+ "I have seen the writings of this rabbi and gaon, G–dly man, saintly and pure, lucid speculum, and well he did, G–d in His wonderful kindness having put into his pure heart to accomplish all this in order to show the G–dly people His holy ways.",
+ "It was [the author’s] intention not to publish these writings in print, since it is not his custom. However, because these kuntresim have spread in the midst of all Israel in numerous copies by sundry copyists, and, as a result of the many transcriptions, the copyists’ errors have multiplied exceedingly, he was impelled to bring these kuntresim to the printing press.",
+ "And G–d has aroused the spirit of the [two] partners, the outstanding and distinguished scholar R. Sholom Shachne, the son of R. Noah, and the outstanding and distinguished scholar R. Mordechai, the son of R. Shmuel haLevi, to bring these kuntresim to the printing house in Slavita. So I said of this good deed, more power to you.",
+ "However, they were apprehensive of the growing number of printing establishments which are wont to cause damage and ruin to the accredited ones. In view of this, we have resolved to give this approbation so that no man should dare lift his hand and foot to cause any damage, Heaven forfend, to the said printers by encroaching upon their exclusive right in any manner.",
+ "It is to restrain any person from reprinting this book without the knowledge of the said printers for a period of five full years from the date below. He who will heed these, my words, will be blessed with good.",
+ "These are the words of one who demands this for the glory of the Torah, this day, the third, twice blessed with “it is good,” of the weekly portion Tavo, in the year פדותינו (556).",
+ "The insignificant MESHULAM ZUSIL of Anipoli"
+ ],
+ [
+ "APPROBATION",
+ "by the famous rabbi and chasid, G–dly man, of saintly renown, our teacher Rabbi Yehudah Leib haCohen:",
+ "The wisdom of the man illumines the face of the earth—on seeing the work of the saintly hands of the author, rabbi and gaon, G–dly man, saintly and pure, pious and humble, whose hidden [powers] had been revealed long ago, when he dwelled in the council of the wise with our lord, master and teacher, the world gaon, and drew water from the well of living waters. Now, Israel shall rejoice as his saintly words are revealed in this compiled work, which is about to go to press, to teach the people of G–d the ways of holiness, as anyone can see in the inwardness of [the author’s] words.",
+ "That which is common knowledge requires no proof. Only because of the apprehension of a wrong, lest a loss be caused to the printers, I come to confer sanction and prohibition that no man lift up his hand or foot to reprint this work for a period of five years from the below date. Whoever will heed these, my words, will be blessed with good.",
+ "These are the words of one who speaks for the glory of the Torah, this third day of the weekly portion Tavo, 556.",
+ "YEHUDA LEIB HACOHEN"
+ ],
+ [
+ "APPROBATION",
+ "by the rabbis (long may they live), the sons of the gaon the author (of blessed memory, whose soul is in Eden).",
+ "Whereas it has been agreed by us to give authorization and prerogative to bring to the printing press, for a remembrance unto the children of Israel, the written words of uprightness and truth, the words of the Living G–d, authored by our lord father, teacher, and master, of blessed memory, recorded personally in his saintly expression, whose words are all burning coals to set the hearts aflame to bring them closer to their Father in heaven; they are entitled Iggeret Hakodesh (“Holy Epistle”), being mostly epistles sent by his holy eminence, to teach the people of G–d the way by which to walk and the deed which they should do;",
+ "And inasmuch as he has made references, in many places, to the Sefer Likkutei Amarim, since the words of the Torah are scanty in one place and ample in another, especially also as he introduced new material in the Kuntres Acharon on certain chapters which he wrote when he composed the Sefer Likkutei Amarim, profound discussions on passages in the Zohar, Etz Chaim, and Pri Etz Chaim, which [passages] appear contradictory to one another, but he, with his inspired perception, has reconciled them, each statement in its own manner, as he has written in the Likkutei Amarim, we have seen fit and proper to join them with the Sefer Likkutei Amarim and Iggeret Hateshuvah of his saintly eminence, our lord father, teacher, and master, of blessed memory;",
+ "[Therefore], we come to place a great fence and the rabbinic injunction of נח\"ש (excommunication), for which there is no remedy, that no man lift his hand to reprint them in their present form, or in part, for a period of five years from the date below.",
+ "However, this should be made known: To our misfortune the manuscripts written by his personal saintly hand, which were composed with great punctiliousness, without a superfluous or deficient letter, have become extinct; only this little has remained from the abundance, and it has been carefully collected one by one from the copies spread among the disciples. Should, therefore, an error be discovered (“who can understand [and prevent] errors?”), the evident error will be identified as a scribe’s error, but the meaning will be clear.",
+ "Today is the 5th day [Thursday], 22 Iyar, [5]574",
+ "Declared by DOV BER, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, saint of Israel, our teacher and master SCHNEUR ZALMAN of blessed memory, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven.",
+ "Also declared by CHAYIM ABRAHAM, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, our teacher and master SCHNEUR ZALMAN, the memory of the tzaddik be blessed, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven.",
+ "Also declared by MOSHE, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, SCHNEUR ZALMAN, of blessed memory, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven."
+ ]
+ ],
+ "Compiler's Foreword": [
+ "COMPILER’S FOREWORD
Being an Epistle sent to the Communities of our Faithful. May the Almighty guard them.",
+ "To you, O men, do I call. Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the L–rd; and may G–d hearken to you, both great and small, all the faithful in our land and those adjacent to it. May each in his place achieve peace and eternal life for ever and ever. Amen. May this be His will.",
+ "Behold, it is known as a saying current among people—all our faithful—that listening to words of moral advice is not the same as seeing and reading them in books. For the reader reads after his own manner and mind and according to his mental grasp and comprehension at that particular time. Hence, if his intelligence and mind are confused and wander about in darkness in G–d’s service, he finds difficulty in seeing the beneficial light that is concealed in books, even though the light is pleasant to the eyes and [brings] a healing to the soul.",
+ "Apart from this, the books on piety, which stem from human intelligence, certainly have not the same appeal for all people, for not all intellects and minds are alike, and the intellect of one man is not affected and excited by what affects [and excites] the intellect of another. Compare with what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said with reference to the blessing of the “Wise One in secrets” (חכם הרזים) upon beholding 600,000 Jews, because their minds are dissimilar from one another, and so on. As also Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, of blessed memory, [explains the reason for this blessing] in Milchamot, elaborating on the commentary of the Sifrei concerning Joshua, who is described as “a man in whom there is spirit,” “who can meet the spirit of each and every one,” and so on.",
+ "But even the books on piety, whose basis are in the peaks of holiness, the Midrashim of our Sages, of blessed memory, through whom the spirit of G–d speaks and His word is on their tongue; and [although] the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are one and the same, and all the 600,000 general [souls] of Israel with their individual [offshoots] down to the “spark” in the most worthless and least estimable members of our people, the children of Israel, are thus bound up with the Torah, and the Torah binds them to the Holy One, blessed is He, as is known from the holy Zohar—this [bond] pertains [only] in a general way to the community of Israel as a whole.",
+ "[As for the individual,] although the Torah was given to be interpreted, in general and in particular down to the minutest detail, to [apply to] each individual soul of Israel, which is rooted in it [so that these books pertain to every person], nevertheless not every person is privileged to recognize his individual place in the Torah.",
+ "[A further difficulty is the complexity of Torah interpretation.] Even in the case of the laws governing things prohibited and permitted, which have been revealed to us and to our children, we find and witness differences of opinion among Tanaim and Amoraim from one extreme to the other. Yet “these as well as these are the words of the living G–d.” The plural is used as a reference to the source of life for the souls of Israel, which are generally divided into three categories—right, left, and center, namely, kindness (chesed), might (gevurah), and so on, so that the souls, whose roots originate in the category of kindness, are likewise inclined toward kindness in the leniency of their decisions, and so forth, as is known.",
+ "All the more, a minori ad mains, in the case of those things which are hidden [yet revealed only] to the L–rd our G–d, these being the awe and love that are in the mind and heart of each and every one according to his capacity, i.e., according to his heart’s estimation, as explained in the holy Zohar on the verse, “Her husband is known in the gates (she’arim)….”",
+ "I speak, however, of those who know me well, each and every one of our faithful who lives in our country and in lands adjacent to it, with whom words of affection have been frequently exchanged and who have revealed to me all the secrets of their heart and mind in the service of G–d, which is dependent on the heart. May my word percolate to them, and my tongue be as the pen of the scribe in these kuntresim that are entitled Likkutei Amarim (Selected Discourses), which have been selected from books and teachers, heavenly saints, whose souls are in Eden, and who are renowned among us.",
+ "[The subjects of] some of [these discourses] are hinted to the wise, in the sacred epistles of our teachers in the Holy Land, may it be built and established speedily in our days, Amen; some of them I have heard from their saintly mouth when they were here with us; and all of them are responsa to many questions which all our faithful in our country have constantly asked, seeking advice, each according to his station, so as to receive moral guidance in the service of G–d, since time no longer permits of replying to everyone individually and in detail on his particular problem. Furthermore, forgetfulness is common.",
+ "I have, therefore, recorded all the replies to all the questions, to be preserved as a signpost and to serve as a visual reminder for each and every person, so that he will no longer press for admission to private conference with me. For in these [responsa] he will find peace for his soul and true counsel on every matter that he finds difficult in the service of G–d. His heart will thus be firmly secured in the L–rd, Who completes everything for us.",
+ "As for him whose mind falls short in the understanding of the counsel given in these kuntresim, let him discuss his problem with the foremost scholars of his town, and they will elucidate it for him. And I beg of them not to lay their hand on their mouth to conduct themselves with false meekness and humility, G–d forbid. It is known what bitter punishment is his who withholds food [i.e., knowledge], and the greatness of the reward [in the opposite case], from the Rabbinic teaching relating to the Scriptural text, “The L–rd lightens the eyes of them both,” for G–d will cause His face to shine upon them, with the light of the Countenance of the King, [the Source of] life. May the Giver of life to the living make us worthy to live to see the days when “no longer shall one man instruct the other…for all shall know Me…,” “for the world shall be full of the knowledge of G–d…,” Amen. May this be His will.",
+ "Since the said kuntresim have been disseminated among all our faithful, as mentioned above, by means of numerous transcriptions by the hands of various and sundry scribes, the multitude of transcriptions brought about an exceedingly great number of copyists’ errors. Therefore the spirits of the noble men, named on another page, have generously moved them to a personal and financial effort to have the said kuntresim published, cleared of chaff and errors, and thoroughly checked. I congratulate them on this worthy deed.",
+ "And inasmuch as there is an explicit verse, “Cursed be he who removes his neighbor’s landmark”—and “cursed” includes both damnation and shunning, G–d forbid—therefore, “like Judah and Scripture in addition” I come to invoke a strict prohibition on all publishers against printing the said kuntresim, either themselves or through their agency without the authority of the above-named, for a period of five years from the day that this printing is completed. And it will be well with those who conform, and they will be blessed with good.",
+ "These are the words of the compiler of the said Likkutei Amarim."
+ ],
+ "": [
+ [
+ "It has been taught [Niddah, end ch. 3]: An oath is administered to him [before birth, warning him]: “Be righteous and be not wicked; and even if the whole world tells you that you are righteous, in your own eyes regard yourself as if you were wicked.”",
+ "This requires to be understood, for it contradicts the Mishnaic dictum [Avot, ch. 2], “And be not wicked in your own estimation.”",
+ "Furthermore, if a man considers himself to be wicked he will be grieved at heart and depressed, and he will not be able to serve G–d joyfully and with a contented heart; while if he is not perturbed by this [self-appraisal], it may lead him to irreverence, G–d forbid.",
+ "However, the matter [will be understood after a preliminary discussion]. We find in the Gemara five distinct types—a righteous man who prospers, a righteous man who suffers, a wicked man who prospers, a wicked man who suffers, and a benoni (an intermediate person).",
+ "It is there explained that the “righteous man who prospers” is the perfect tzaddik; the “righteous man who suffers” is the imperfect tzaddik. In Raaya Mehemna, Parashat Mishpatim it is explained that the “righteous man who suffers” is one whose evil nature is subservient to his good nature, and so on. In the Gemara, end of ch. 9 of Berachot, it is stated that the righteous are judged by their good nature…and the wicked by their evil nature, while the intermediate are judged by both, and so on. Rabbah declared, “I, for example, am a benoni.” Said Abbaye to him, “Master, you do not make it possible for anyone to live,” and so on.",
+ "To understand all the aforesaid clearly an explanation is needed, as also to understand what Job said [Bava Batra, ch. 1], “Master of the universe, You have created righteous men and You have created wicked men…,” for it is not preordained whether a man will be righteous or wicked.",
+ "It is also necessary to understand the essential nature of the rank of the benoni. Surely that cannot mean one whose deeds are half virtuous and half sinful, for if this were so, how could Rabbah err in classifying himself as a benoni? For it is known that he never ceased studying [the Torah], so much so that the Angel of Death could not overpower him; how, then, could he err to have half of his deeds sinful, G–d forbid?",
+ "Furthermore, [at what stage can a person be considered a benoni if] when a man commits sins he is deemed completely wicked [but when he repents afterward he is deemed completely righteous]? Even he who violates a minor prohibition of the Rabbis is called wicked, as it is stated in Yevamot, ch. 2, and in Niddah, ch. 1.",
+ "Moreover, even he who has the opportunity to forewarn another against sinning and does not do so is called wicked [ch. 6, Shevuot].",
+ "All the more so he who neglects any positive law which he is able to fulfill, for instance, whoever is able to study Torah and does not, regarding whom our Sages have quoted, “Because he has despised the word of the L–rd…[that soul] shall be utterly cut off….” It is thus plain that such a person is called wicked, more than he who violates a prohibition of the Rabbis.",
+ "If this is so, we must conclude that the benoni is not guilty even of the sin of neglecting to study the Torah. Hence Rabbah could have mistaken himself for a benoni.",
+ "NOTE: As far what is written in the Zohar III, p. 231: He whose sins are few is classed as a “righteous man who suffers”; this is the query of Rav Hamnuna to Elijah. But according to Elijah’s answer, ibid., the explanation of a “righteous man who suffers” is as stated in Raaya Mehemna on Parashat Mishpatim, which is given above. And the Torah has seventy facets [modes of interpretation].",
+ "And as for the general saying that one whose deeds and misdeeds are equally balanced is called benoni, while he whose virtues outweigh his sins is called a tzaddik, this is only the figurative use of the term in regard to reward and punishment, because he is judged according to the majority [of his acts] and he is deemed “righteous” in his verdict, since he is acquitted in law. But concerning the true definition and quality of the distinct levels and ranks, “righteous” and “intermediate,” our Sages have remarked that the righteous are motivated [solely] by their good nature, as it is written, “And my heart is a void within me,” that is, void of an evil nature, because he [David] had slain it through fasting. But whoever has not attained this degree, even though his virtues exceed his sins, cannot at all be reckoned to have ascended to the rank of the tzaddik.",
+ "This is why our Sages have declared in the Midrash, “The Holy One, blessed is He, saw that the righteous were few, so He planted them in every generation…,” [for,] as it is written, “The tzaddik is the foundation of the world.”",
+ "The explanation [of the questions raised above] is to be found in the light of what Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote in Shaar HaKedushah [and in Etz Chaim, Portal 50, ch. 2] that in every Jew, whether righteous or wicked, are two souls, as it is written, “The neshamot (souls) which I have made,” [alluding to] two souls. There is one soul which originates in the kelipah and sitra achara, [and] which is clothed in the blood of a human being, giving life to the body, as is written, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” From it stem all the evil characteristics deriving from the four evil elements which are contained in it. These are: anger and pride, which emanate from the element of Fire, the nature of which is to rise upward; the appetite for pleasures—from the element of Water, for water makes to grow all kinds of enjoyment; frivolity and scoffing, boasting and idle talk from the element of Air; and sloth and melancholy—from the element of Earth.",
+ "From this soul stems also the good characteristics which are to be found in the innate nature of all Israel, such as mercy and benevolence.",
+ "For in the case of Israel, this soul of the kelipah is derived from kelipat nogah, which also contains good, as it originates in the esoteric “tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.”",
+ "The souls of the nations of the world, however, emanate from the other, unclean kelipot which contain no good whatsoever, as is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 49, ch. 3, that all the good that the nations do is done from selfish motives. So the Gemara comments on the verse, “The kindness of the nations is sin”—that all the charity and kindness done by the nations of the world is only for their own self-glorification, and so on."
+ ],
+ [
+ "The second soul of a Jew is truly a part of G–d above, as it is written, “He breathed into his nostrils a soul of life,” and “You have breathed it [the soul] into me.” And it is written in the Zohar, “He who blows, blows from within him,” that is to say, from his inwardness and his innermost, for it is something of his internal and innermost vitality that man emits through exhaling with force.",
+ "So, allegorically speaking, have the souls of Jews risen in the [Divine] thought, as it is written, “My firstborn son is Israel,” and “You are the children of the L–rd your G–d.” That is to say, just as a child is derived from his father’s brain, so—to use an anthropomorphism—the soul of each Israelite is derived from His thought and wisdom, blessed be He. For He is wise—but not through a knowable wisdom, because He and His wisdom are one; and as Maimonides says",
+ "NOTE: And the Sages of the Kabbalah have agreed with him as is stated in Pardes of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero. Also according to the Kabbalah of the Arizal this is substantiated in the mystic principle of the “clothing of the light” of the En Sof, blessed is He, through numerous contractions within the vessels of chabad of [the world of] Atzilut (Emanation), but no higher than that. For, as is explained elsewhere, the En Sof, blessed is He, is infinitely exalted over, and transcends, the essence and level of chabad, which in relation to Him are regarded as a material action, as is written, “You have made them all with wisdom.”",
+ "that “He is the Knowledge and Knower…and this is not within the power of any man to comprehend clearly…,” as it is written, “Can you find G–d by searching?” And it is also written, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts….”",
+ "And though there are myriads of different gradations of souls (neshamot), rank upon rank, ad infinitum, as with the superiority of the souls of the Patriarchs and of Moses our Teacher above the souls of our own generations who live in the period preceding the coming of the Messiah, which are as the very soles of the feet compared with the brain and head, so in every generation there are the leaders of the Jews, whose souls are in the category of “head” and “brain” in comparison with those of the masses and the ignorant. Likewise [are there distinctions between] nefashot and nefashot, for every soul consists of nefesh, ruach, and neshamah.",
+ "Nevertheless, the root of every nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, from the highest of all ranks to the lowest that is embodied within the illiterate and the most worthless, all derive, as it were, from the supreme mind which is chochmah ilaah (supernal wisdom).",
+ "[The manner of this descent is] analogous to that of a son who is derived from his father’s brain, in that [even] the nails of his feet come into existence from the very same drop of semen, by being in the mother’s womb for nine months, descending degree by degree, changing continually, until even the nails are formed from it.",
+ "Yet [after all this process] it is still bound and united with a wonderful and essential unity with its original essence and being, which was the drop [as it came] from the father’s brain. And even now, in the son, the nails receive their nourishment and life from the brain that is in the head. As is written in the Gemara [Niddah, ibid.], “from the white of the father’s drop of semen are formed the veins, the bones, and the nails.” [And in Etz Chaim, Shaar HaChashmal, it is likewise stated, in connection with the esoteric principle of Adam’s garments in the Garden of Eden, that they [the garments] were the “nails” [derived] from the cognitive faculty of the brain].",
+ "So, as it were, is it actually true of the root of every nefesh, ruach and neshamah in the community of Israel on high: in descending degree by degree, through the descent of the worlds of Atzilut (Emanation), Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action) from His wisdom, blessed be He, as it is written, “You have made them all with wisdom,” the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah of the ignorant and unworthy come into being.",
+ "Nevertheless they remain bound and united with a wonderful and essential unity with their original essence and entity; namely, the extension of chochmah ilaah (supernal wisdom), inasmuch as the nurture and life of the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah of the ignorant are drawn from the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah of the saints and sages, the heads of Israel in their generation.",
+ "This explains the comment of our Sages on the verse, “And to cleave to Him”—“He who cleaves to a scholar [of the Torah] is deemed by the Torah as if he had become attached to the very Shechinah (Divine Presence).” For, through attachment to the scholars, the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah of the ignorant are bound up and united with their original essence and their root in the supernal wisdom, He and His wisdom being one, and “He is the Knowledge….”",
+ "[As for those who willfully sin and rebel against the Sages, the nurture of their nefesh, ruach, and neshamah comes from behind the back, as it were, of the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah of the scholars].",
+ "As for what is written in the Zohar and in Zohar Chadash, to the effect that the essential factor is to conduct oneself in a holy manner during sexual union, which is not the case with the children of the ignorant, and so on, it is to be understood as meaning that since there is not a nefesh, ruach, and neshamah which has not a garment of the nefesh of its father’s and mother’s essence, and all the commandments that it fulfills are all influenced by that garment…, and even the benevolence that flows to one from heaven is all given through that garment—hence, through self-sanctification, one will cause to descend for the neshamah of one’s child a holy garment; and however great a soul it may be, it still needs the father’s sanctification….",
+ "But as for the soul itself, it sometimes happens that the soul of an infinitely lofty person comes to be the son of a despised and lowly man…. All this has been explained by the Arizal9 in Likkutei Torah on Parashat Vayera and in Taamei Hamitzvot on Parashat Bereishit."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Now, each distinction and grade of the three—nefesh, ruach, and neshamah—consists of ten faculties, corresponding to the supernal ten sefirot (Divine manifestations), from which they have descended, which are subdivided into two, namely, the three “mothers” and the seven “multiples,” namely, chochmah (wisdom), binah (understanding), and daat (knowledge); and the “seven days of Creation”: chesed (kindness), gevurah (power), tiferet (beauty), and so on.",
+ "Similarly is it with the human soul, which is divided in two—sechel (intellect) and middot (emotional attributes).",
+ "The intellect includes chochmah, binah, and daat (chabad), while the middot are love of G–d, dread and awe of Him, glorification of Him, and so forth.",
+ "Chabad [the intellectual faculties] are called “mothers” and source of the middot, for the latter are “offspring” of the former.",
+ "The explanation of the matter is as follows: The intellect of the rational soul, which is the faculty that conceives any thing, is given the appellation of chochmah—כ“ח מ“ה—the “potentiality” of “what is.”",
+ "When one brings forth this power from the potential into the actual, that is, when [a person] cogitates with his intellect in order to understand a thing truly and profoundly as it evolves from the concept which he has conceived in his intellect, this is called binah.",
+ "These [chochmah and binah] are the very “father” and “mother” which give birth to love of G–d, and awe and dread of Him.",
+ "For when the intellect in the rational soul deeply contemplates and immerses itself exceedingly in the greatness of G–d, how He fills all worlds and encompasses all worlds, and in the presence of Whom everything is considered as nothing—there will be born and aroused in his mind and thought the emotion of awe for the Divine majesty, to fear and be humble before His greatness, blessed be He, which is without end or limit, and to have the dread of G–d in his heart.",
+ "Next, his heart will glow with an intense love, like burning coals, with a passion, desire and longing, and a yearning soul, toward the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "This constitutes the culminating passion of the soul, of which Scripture speaks, as “My soul yearns, indeed it pines…,” and “My soul thirsts for G–d…,” and “My soul thirsts for You….”",
+ "This thirst is derived from the element of Fire, which is found in the divine soul. As students of natural science affirm, and so it is in Etz Chaim, the element of Fire is in the heart, while the source of [the element of] Water and moisture is in the brain, which is explained in Etz Chaim, Portal 50, to refer to the faculty of chochmah, called “the water of the divine soul.”",
+ "The rest of the middot are all offshoots of fear and love and their derivations, as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "Daat, the etymology of which is to be found in the verse, “And Adam knew (yada) Eve,” implies attachment and union. That is, one binds his mind with a very firm and strong bond to, and firmly fixes his thought on, the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, without diverting his mind [from Him].",
+ "For even one who is wise and understanding of the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, will not—unless he binds his knowledge and fixes his thought with firmness and perseverance—produce in his soul true love and fear, but only vain fancies.",
+ "Therefore daat is the basis of the middot and the source of their vitality; it contains chesed and gevurah, that is to say, love with its offshoots and fear with its offshoots."
+ ],
+ [
+ "In addition, every divine soul (nefesh elokit) possesses three garments, viz., thought, speech, and action, [expressing themselves] in the 613 commandments of the Torah. For, when a person actively fulfills all the precepts which require physical action, and with his power of speech he occupies himself in expounding all the 613 commandments and their practical application, and with his power of thought he comprehends all that is comprehensible to him in the Pardes of the Torah—then the totality of the 613 “organs” of his soul are clothed in the 613 commandments of the Torah.",
+ "Specifically: the faculties of chabad in his soul are clothed in the comprehension of the Torah, which he comprehends in Pardes, to the extent of his mental capacity and the supernal root of his soul. And the middot, namely fear and love, together with their offshoots and ramifications, are clothed in the fulfillment of the commandments in deed and in word, namely, in the study of Torah which is “equivalent to them all.”",
+ "For love is the root of all the 248 positive commands, all originating in it and having no true foundation without it, inasmuch as he who fulfills them in truth truly loves the name of G–d and desires to cleave to Him in truth; for one cannot truly cleave to Him except through the fulfillment of the 248 commandments which are the 248 “organs of the King,” as it were, as is explained elsewhere; while fear is the root of the 365 prohibitive commands, fearing to rebel against the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He;",
+ "or a still deeper fear than this—when he feels ashamed in the presence of the Divine greatness to rebel against His glory and do what is evil in His eyes, namely, any of the abominable things hated by G–d, which are the kelipot and sitra achara, which draw their nurture from man below and have their hold in him through the 365 prohibitive commands [that he violates].",
+ "Now these three “garments,” deriving from the Torah and its commandments, although they are called “garments” of the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, their quality, nevertheless, is infinitely higher and greater than that of the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah themselves, as explained in the Zohar, because the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are one. The meaning of this is that the Torah, which is the wisdom and will of the Holy One, blessed is He, and His glorious Essence are one, since He is both the Knower and the Knowledge, and so on, as explained above in the name of Maimonides.",
+ "And although the Holy One, blessed is He, is called En Sof (“Infinite”), and “His greatness can never be fathomed,” and “no thought can apprehend Him at all,” and so are also His will and His wisdom, as it is written, “There is no searching of His understanding” and “Can you find G–d by searching?” and again, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts”",
+ "—nevertheless, it is in this connection that it has been said: “Where you find the greatness of the Holy One, blessed is He, there you also find His humility.” For the Holy One, blessed is He, has compressed His will and wisdom within the 613 commandments of the Torah and in their laws, as well as within the combination of the letters of the Torah, the books of the Prophets and the Writings, and in the exposition thereof which are to be found in the Aggadot and Midrashim of our Rabbis of blessed memory.",
+ "All this in order that each neshamah, or ruach, and nefesh in the human body should be able to comprehend them through its faculty of understanding, and to fulfill them, as far as they can be fulfilled, in act, speech, and thought, thereby clothing itself with all its ten faculties in these three garments.",
+ "Therefore has the Torah been compared to water, for just as water descends from a higher to a lower level, so has the Torah descended from its place of glory, which is His will and wisdom, blessed be He; [for] the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are one and the same and no thought can apprehend Him at all.",
+ "From there [the Torah] has progressively descended through hidden stages, stage after stage, with the descent of the worlds, until it clothed itself in corporeal substances and in things of this world, comprising almost all of the commandments of the Torah, their laws, and in the combinations of material letters, written with ink in a book, namely, the 24 volumes of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings; all this in order that every thought should be able to apprehend them, and even the faculties of speech and action, which are on a lower level than thought, should be able to apprehend them and be clothed in them.",
+ "Thus, since the Torah and its commandments “clothe” all ten faculties of the soul with all its 613 organs from head to foot, it [the soul] is altogether truly bound up in the Bundle of Life with G–d, and the very light of G–d envelops and clothes it from head to foot, as it is written, “G–d is my Rock, I will take refuge in Him,” and it is also written, “You will envelop him with favor (ratzon—will) as with a shield,” that is to say, with His will and wisdom, blessed be He, which are clothed in His Torah and its commandments.",
+ "Hence it has been said: “Better is one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world than the whole life of the World to Come.” For, the World to Come is that state where one enjoys the effulgence of the Divine Presence, which is the pleasure of comprehension, yet no created being—even celestial—can comprehend more than some reflection of the Divine light; that is why the reference is to “effulgence of the Divine Presence” (Ziv haShechinah). But as for the essence of the Holy One, blessed is He, no thought can apprehend Him at all, except when it apprehends, and is clothed in, the Torah and its mitzvot; only then does it truly apprehend, and is clothed in, the Holy One, blessed is He, inasmuch as the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are one and the same.",
+ "For although the Torah has been clothed in lower material things, it is by way of illustration, like embracing the king. There is no difference, in regard to the degree of closeness and attachment to the king, whether while embracing the king, the latter is then wearing one robe or several robes, so long as the royal person is in them.",
+ "Likewise, when the king, for his part, embraces one with his arm, even though it is dressed in his robes; as it is written, “And His right hand embraces me,�� which refers to the Torah which was given by G–d’s right hand, which is the quality of chesed and water."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Let us explain further and fully elucidate the expression tefisa (apprehension) in the words of Elijah, “No thought can apprehend You.”",
+ "Now, when an intellect conceives and comprehends a concept with its intellectual faculties, this intellect grasps the concept and encompasses it. This concept is [in turn] grasped, enveloped, and enclothed within that intellect which conceived and comprehended it.",
+ "The mind, for its part, is also clothed in the concept at the time it comprehends and grasps it with the intellect. For example, when a person understands and comprehends, fully and clearly, any halachah in the Mishnah or Gemara, his intellect grasps and encompasses it and, at the same time, is clothed in it.",
+ "Consequently, as the particular halachah is the wisdom and will of G–d, for it was His will that when, for example, Reuben pleads in one way and Simeon in another, the verdict as between them shall be thus and thus;",
+ "and even should such a litigation never have occurred, nor would it ever present itself for judgment in connection with such disputes and claims, nevertheless, since it has been the will and wisdom of the Holy One, blessed is He, that in the event of a person pleading this way and the other [litigant] pleading that way, the verdict shall be such and such—now therefore, when a person knows and comprehends with his intellect such a verdict in accordance with the law as it is set out in the Mishnah, Gemara, or Poskim (Codes), he has thus comprehended, grasped, and encompassed with his intellect the will and wisdom of the Holy One, blessed is He, Whom no thought can grasp, nor His will and wisdom, except when they are clothed in the laws that have been set out for us. [Simultaneously] the intellect is also clothed in them [the Divine will and wisdom].",
+ "This is a wonderful union, like which there is none other and which has no parallel anywhere in the material world, whereby complete oneness and unity, from every side and angle, could be attained.",
+ "Hence the special superiority, infinitely great and wonderful, that is in the commandment of knowing the Torah and comprehending it, over all the commandments involving action, and even those relating to speech, and even the commandment to study the Torah, which is fulfilled through speech.",
+ "For, through all the commandments involving speech or action, the Holy One, blessed is He, clothes the soul and envelops it from head to foot with the Divine light. However, with regard to knowledge of the Torah, apart from the fact that the intellect is clothed in Divine wisdom, this Divine wisdom is also contained in it, to the extent that his intellect comprehends, grasps, and encompasses, as much as it is able so to do, of the knowledge of the Torah, every man according to his intellect, his knowledgeable capacity, and his comprehension in Pardes.",
+ "Since, in the case of knowledge of the Torah, the Torah is clothed in the soul and intellect of a person and is absorbed in them, it is called “bread” and “food” of the soul.",
+ "For just as physical bread nourishes the body as it is absorbed internally, in his very inner self, where it is transformed into blood and flesh of his flesh, whereby he lives and exists—so, too, it is with the knowledge of the Torah and its comprehension by the soul of the person who studies it well, with a concentration of his intellect, until the Torah is absorbed by his intellect and is united with it, and they become one. This becomes nourishment for the soul and its inner life from the Giver of life, the En Sof, blessed is He, Who is clothed in His wisdom and in His Torah that are [absorbed] in it [the soul].",
+ "This is the meaning of the verse, “And Your Torah is in my innards.” It is also stated in Etz Chaim, Portal 44, ch. 3, that the “garments” of the soul in Gan Eden are the commandments while the Torah is the “food” for the souls which, during life on earth, had occupied themselves in the study of the Torah for its own sake. It is [similarly] written in the Zohar.",
+ "As for the meaning of “for its own sake,” it is [study with the intent] to attach one’s soul to G–d through the comprehension of the Torah, each one according to his intellect, as explained in Pri Etz Chaim.",
+ "[The “food” [of the soul] is in the nature of “inner light,” while the “garments” are in the nature of “encompassing light.” Therefore our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said, “The study of the Torah is equivalent to them all.” For the commandments are but “garments” whereas the Torah is both “food” as well as “garment” for the rational soul, in which a person is clothed during learning and concentration. All the more so when a person also articulates, by word of mouth; for the breath emitted in speaking [the words of the Torah] becomes something in the nature of an “encompassing light,” as is explained in Pri Etz Chaim.]"
+ ],
+ [
+ "“G–d has made one thing opposite the other.”",
+ "Just as the divine soul consists of ten holy sefirot and is clothed in three holy garments, so does the soul which is derived from the sitra achara of the kelipat nogah, which is clothed in man’s blood, consist of ten “crowns of impurity.” These are the seven evil middot which stem from the four evil elements mentioned above, and the intellect begetting them which is subdivided into three, viz., wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, the source of the middot. For the middot are according to the quality of the intellect. Hence a child desires and loves petty things of inferior worth, for his intellect is too immature and deficient to appreciate things that are much more precious. Likewise is he provoked to anger and vexation over trivial things; so, too, with boasting and other middot.",
+ "Now these ten unclean categories, when a person meditates in them or speaks them or acts by them, his thought—which is in his brain; and his speech—which is in his mouth; and the power of action—which is in his hands, together with his other limbs—all these are called the “impure garments” of these ten unclean categories wherein the latter are clothed at the time of the action, speech, or thought.",
+ "It is these that constitute all the deeds that are done under the sun, which are all “vanity and striving after the wind,” as interpreted in the Zohar, Beshalach, in the sense of a “ruination of the spirit….” So, too, are all utterances and thoughts which are not directed toward G–d and His will and service. For this is the meaning of sitra achara—��the other side,” i.e., not the side of holiness.",
+ "For the holy side is nothing but the indwelling and extension of the holiness of the Holy One, blessed is He, and He dwells only on such a thing that abnegates itself completely to Him, either actually, as in the case of the angels above, or potentially, as in the case of every Jew down below, having the capacity to abnegate himself completely to the Holy One, blessed is He, through martyrdom for the sanctification of G–d.",
+ "That is why our Sages have said that “Even when a single individual sits and engages in the Torah the Shechinah rests on him” and “On every gathering of ten [Jews] the Shechinah rests” always.",
+ "However, that which does not surrender itself to G–d, but is a separate thing by itself, does not receive its vitality from the holiness of the Holy One, blessed is He, that is, from the very inner essence and substance of the holiness itself, but from “behind its back,” as it were, descending degree by degree, through myriads of degrees with the lowering of the worlds, by way of cause and effect and innumerable contractions, until the light and life is so diminished through repeated diminutions that it can be compressed and incorporated, in a state of exile as it were, within that separated thing, giving it vitality and existence ex nihilo, so that it does not revert to nothingness and nonexistence as it was before it was created.",
+ "Consequently, this world, with all its contents, is called the world of kelipot and sitra achara. Therefore all mundane affairs are severe and evil, and wicked men prevail, as explained in Etz Chaim, Portal 42, end of ch. 4.",
+ "NOTE: To be sure, there are contained in it [this world] the ten sefirot [of the world] of Asiyah (Action) of the side of holiness, as is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 43, and within these ten sefirot of Asiyah are the ten sefirot of Yetzirah (Formation), and in them the ten sefirot of Beriah (Creation), and in them the ten sefirot of Atzilut (Emanation), in which abides the light of the En Sof, blessed is He. Thus the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, pervades this lower world through being clothed in the ten sefirot of the Four Worlds, namely those of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, as explained in Etz Chaim, Portal 47, ch. 2, and in Sefer Hagilgulim, ch. 20.",
+ "However, the kelipot are subdivided into two grades, one lower than the other.",
+ "The lower grade consists of the three kelipot which are altogether unclean and evil, containing no good whatsoever. In the chariot of [the prophet] Ezekiel they are called “whirlwind,” “great cloud”….",
+ "From them flow and derive the souls of all the nations of the world, and the existence of their bodies, and also the souls of all living creatures that are unclean and unfit for consumption, and the existence of their bodies, as well as the existence and vitality of all forbidden food in the vegetable kingdom, such as orlah and mixed seeds in the vineyard, and so on, as explained in Etz Chaim, Portal 49, ch. 6, as also the existence and vitality of all actions, utterances, and thoughts pertaining to the 365 prohibitions and their offshoots, as is explained, ibid., at the end of ch. 5."
+ ],
+ [
+ "On the other hand, the vitalizing animal soul in the Jew, that which is derived from the aspect of the kelipah, which is clothed in the human blood, as stated above, and the “souls” of the animals, beasts, birds, and fish that are clean and fit for [Jewish] consumption, as also the existence and vitality of the entire inanimate and entire vegetable world which are permissible for consumption, as well as the existence and vitality of every act, utterance, and thought in mundane matters that contain no forbidden aspect—being neither root nor branch of the 365 prohibitive precepts and their offshoots, either on the explicit authority of the Torah or by Rabbinic enactment—yet are not performed for the sake of Heaven but only by the will, desire, and lust of the body; and even where it is a need of the body, or its very preservation and life, but his intention is not for the sake of Heaven, that is, to serve G–d thereby —all these acts, utterances, and thoughts are no better than the vitalizing animal soul itself; and everything in this totality of things flows and is drawn from the second gradation [to be found] in the kelipot and sitra achara, namely, a fourth kelipah, called kelipat nogah. In this world, called the “World of Asiyah (Action),” most, indeed almost all, of it [the kelipat nogah] is bad, and only a little good has been intermingled within it [from which come the good qualities contained in the animal soul of the Jew, as is explained above.]",
+ "This [kelipat nogah] is an intermediate category between the three completely unclean kelipot and the category and order of holiness.",
+ "Hence it is sometimes absorbed within the three unclean kelipot [as is explained in Etz Chaim, Portal 49, beginning of ch. 4, on the authority of the Zohar], and sometimes it is absorbed and elevated to the category and level of holiness, as when the good that is intermingled in it is extracted from the bad, and prevails and ascends until it is absorbed in holiness.",
+ "Such is the case, for example, of he who eats fat beef and drinks spiced wine in order to broaden his mind for the service of G–d and His Torah; as Rava said, “Wine and fragrance [make a man’s mind more receptive],” or in order to fulfill the command concerning enjoyment of Shabbat and the Festivals. In such a case the vitality of the meat and wine, originating in the kelipat nogah, is distilled and ascends to G–d like a burnt offering and sacrifice.",
+ "So, too, when a man utters a pleasantry in order to sharpen his wit and rejoice his heart in G–d, in His Torah and service, which should be practiced joyfully, as Rava was wont to do with his pupils, prefacing his discourse with some witty remark, to enliven the students thereby.",
+ "On the other hand, he who belongs to those who gluttonously guzzle meat and quaff wine in order to satisfy their bodily appetites and animal nature, derived from the so-called element of water of the four evil elements contained therein, from which comes the vice of lust—in such case the energy of the meat and wine consumed by him is degraded and absorbed temporarily in the utter evil of the three unclean kelipot, and his body temporarily becomes a garment and vehicle for them, until the person repents and returns to the service of G–d and His Torah. For, inasmuch as the meat and wine were kosher, they have the power to revert and ascend with him when he returns to the service of G–d. This is implied in the terms “permissibility” and “permitted” (muttar), that is to say, that which is not tied and bound by the power of the “extraneous forces” preventing it from returning and ascending to G–d.",
+ "Nevertheless, a trace [of the evil] remains in the body. Therefore the body must undergo the Purgatory of the grave, as will be explained later.",
+ "So, too, with regard to the vitality of the drops of semen emitted from the body with animal lust, by him who has not conducted himself in a saintly manner during intimacy with his wife in her state of purity.",
+ "Such is not the case, however, with forbidden foods and coition, which derive from the three kelipot that are entirely unclean. These are tied and bound by the extraneous forces forever and are not released until the day comes when death will be swallowed up forever, as is written, “And I will cause the unclean spirit to pass from the land,” or until the sinner repents to such an extent that his premeditated sins become transmuted into veritable merits, which is achieved through “repentance out of love,” coming from the depths of the heart, with great love and fervor, and from a soul passionately desiring to cleave to G–d, blessed be He, and thirsting for G–d like a parched desert soil. For inasmuch as his soul had been in a barren wilderness, and in the shadow of death, which is the sitra achara, and infinitely removed from the light of the Divine Countenance, his soul now thirsts [for G–d] even more than the souls of the righteous, as our Sages say, “In the place where penitents stand, not even the perfectly righteous can stand.”",
+ "It is concerning the repentance out of such great love that they have said, “The penitent’s premeditated sins become, in his case, like virtues,” since thereby he has attained to this great love.",
+ "However, repentance that does not come from such love, even though it be true repentance and G–d will pardon him, nevertheless his sins are not transformed into merits and they are not completely released from the kelipah until the end of time, when death will be swallowed up forever.",
+ "Yet the vitality which is in the drops of semen that issue wastefully, even though it has been degraded and incorporated in the three unclean kelipot, nevertheless it can ascend from there by means of true repentance and intense kavanah during the recital of the Shema at bedtime, as is known from the Arizal and is implied in the Talmudic saying, “He who recites the Shema at bedtime is as if he held a double-edged sword…,” wherewith to slay the bodies of the extraneous forces that have become garments for the vitality which is in the drops [of semen], so that this vitality may ascend, as is known to the students of Kabbalah.",
+ "Therefore the sin of wasteful emission of semen is not mentioned in the Torah among the list of forbidden coitions, although it is even more heinous than they, and this sin is greater because of the enormity and abundance of the uncleanness and of the kelipot which he begets and multiplies to an exceedingly great extent through wasteful emission of semen, even more than through forbidden coitions. Except that in the case of forbidden coitions he contributes strength and vitality to a most unclean kelipah, from which he is powerless to bring up the vitality by means of repentance,",
+ "NOTE: The reason being that this vitality has been absorbed by the “female” element of the kelipah, which receives and absorbs the vitality from the holiness. Not so with wasteful emission of semen, where there is obviously no female element of kelipah, and only its powers and forces provide the garments for the vitality of the [wasteful] semen, as is known to the students of Kabbalah.",
+ "unless he repents with such great love that his willful wrongs are transformed into merits.",
+ "From the above, one may understand the comment of our Sages, “Which is ‘a fault that cannot be rectified?’—Having incestuous intercourse and giving birth to a bastard.” For in such a case, even though the sinner undertakes such great repentance, he cannot cause the [newly created] vitality to ascend to holiness, since it has already descended into this world and has been clothed in a body of flesh and blood."
+ ],
+ [
+ "There is an additional aspect in the matter of forbidden foods. The reason they are called issur [“chained”] is that even in the case of one who has unwittingly eaten a forbidden food intending it to give him strength to serve G–d by the energy of it, and he has, moreover, actually carried out his intention, having both studied and prayed with the energy of that food, nevertheless the vitality contained therein does not ascend and become clothed in the words of the Torah or prayer, as is the case with permitted foods, by reason of its being held captive in the power of the sitra achara of the three unclean kelipot. This is so even when the prohibition is a Rabbinic enactment, for the words of the Scribes are even more stringent than the words of the Torah, and so forth.",
+ "Therefore, also the evil impulse (yetzer hara) and the force that strains after forbidden things is a demon of non-Jewish demons, which is the evil impulse of the nations whose souls are derived from the three unclean kelipot.",
+ "On the other hand, the evil impulse and the craving force after permissible things to satisfy an appetite is a demon of the Jewish demons, for it can be reverted to holiness, as is explained above. Nevertheless, before it has reverted to holiness it is sitra achara and kelipah, and even afterward a trace of it remains attached to the body, since from each item of food and drink are immediately formed blood and flesh of his flesh.",
+ "That is why the body must undergo the Purgatory of the grave, in order to cleanse it and purify it of its uncleanness which it had received from the enjoyment of mundane things and pleasures, which are derived from the uncleanness of the kelipat nogah and of the Jewish demons; only one who had derived no enjoyment from this world all his life, as was the case with our Saintly Master [Rabbi Judah the Prince], is spared this.",
+ "As for innocent idle chatter, such as in the case of an ignoramus who cannot study, he must undergo a cleansing of his soul, to rid it of the uncleanness of this kelipah, through its being rolled in “the hollow of a sling,” as is stated in the Zohar, Parashat Beshalach, p. 59.",
+ "But with regard to forbidden speech, such as scoffing and slander and the like, which stem from the three completely unclean kelipot, the hollow of a sling [alone] does not suffice to cleanse and remove the uncleanness of the soul, but it must descend into Gehinom (Purgatory).",
+ "So, too, he who is able to engage in the Torah but occupies himself instead with frivolous things, the hollow of a sling cannot itself effectively scour and cleanse his soul, but severe penalties are meted out for neglect of the Torah in particular, apart from the general retribution for the neglect of a positive commandment through indolence, namely, in the Purgatory of Snow, as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "Likewise, he who occupies himself with the sciences of the nations of the world is included among those who waste their time in profane matters, insofar as the sin of neglecting the Torah is concerned, as is explained in the Laws Concerning Study of the Torah.",
+ "Moreover, the uncleanness of the science of the nations is greater than that of profane speech, for the latter informs and defiles only the middot which emanate from the element of the holy ruach within his divine soul with contamination of the kelipat nogah that is contained in profane speech which is derived from the element of the evil ruach of this kelipah in his animal soul, as mentioned above; yet he does not defile the [intellectual] (faculties of chabad in his soul, for they are but words of foolishness and ignorance, since even fools and ignoramuses can speak that way.",
+ "Not so in the case of the nations’ sciences whereby he clothes and defiles the intellectual faculties of chabad in his divine soul with the contamination of the kelipat nogah contained in those sciences, whither they have fallen through the “shattering of the vessels” out of the so-called “hinder-part” of chochmah of kedushah, as is known to the students of Kabbalah.",
+ "Unless he employs [these sciences] as a useful instrument, viz., as a means of a more affluent livelihood to be able to serve G–d or knows how to apply them in the service of G–d and His Torah. This is the reason why Maimonides and Nachmanides, of blessed memory, and their adherents engaged in them."
+ ],
+ [
+ "The abode of the animal soul (nefesh habahamit), derived from the kelipat nogah in every Jew, is in the heart, in the left ventricle that is filled with blood. It is written, “For the blood is the nefesh.”",
+ "Hence all lusts and boasting and anger and similar passions are in the heart, and from the heart they spread throughout the whole body, rising also to the brain in the head, so as to think and meditate about them and become cunning in them, just as the blood has its source in the heart, and from the heart it circulates into every limb, rising also to the brain in the head.",
+ "But the abode of the divine soul is in the brains that are in the head, and from there it extends to all the limbs; and also in the heart, in the right ventricle wherein there is no blood, as is written, “The heart of the wise man is on his right.”",
+ "It is [the source of] man’s fervent love toward G–d which, like flaming coals, flares up in the heart of discerning men who understand and reflect, with the [faculty of] knowledge of their brain, on matters that arouse this love; also [of] the gladness of the heart in the beauty of G–d and the majesty of His glory [which is aroused] when the eyes of the wise man, that are in his head, i.e., in the brain harboring his wisdom and understanding, gaze at the glory of the King and beauty of His greatness that are unfathomable and without end or limit, as explained elsewhere; as also the other holy affections (middot) in the heart originate from chabad [wisdom, understanding, knowledge] in the brains.",
+ "It is written, however, “One nation shall prevail over the other nation.” The body is called a “small city.” Just as two kings wage war over a town, which each wishes to capture and rule, that is to say, to dominate its inhabitants according to his will so that they obey him in all that he decrees for them, so do the two souls—the Divine and the vitalizing animal soul that comes from the kelipah—wage war against each other over the body and all its limbs. It is the desire and will of the Divine soul that she alone rule over the person and direct him, and that all his limbs should obey her and surrender themselves completely to her and become a vehicle for her, as well as a robe [instrument] for her ten faculties and three garments mentioned above, all of which should pervade the organs of the body, and the entire body should be permeated with them alone, to the exclusion of any alien influence, G–d forbid. That is to say that the three brains that are in the head shall be permeated with chabad of the Divine soul, namely, the wisdom of G–d and the understanding of Him, by pondering on His unfathomable and infinite greatness, and from them shall be born, through the daat (knowledge), awe in his mind, and dread of G–d in his heart, as well as love of G–d that shall flare up like a glowing fire in his heart, like flaming coals, so that his soul shall yearn and long, with passion and desire, to cleave to the En Sof, blessed is He, with his whole heart, soul and might, from the very depths of the right ventricle of the heart. The latter would be so thoroughly permeated with love to overflowing, as to inundate the left side as well, to the extent of subduing the sitra achara with its element of the “evil waters,” namely, the lust stemming from kelipat nogah, changing it and transforming it from seeking the pleasures of this world to the love of G–d. Thus it is written, “‘With all your heart’—with both your natures.”",
+ "That is to say that the person shall steadily rise to attain to the degree of “abundant love,” a supreme affection surpassing that of “ardent love” that is comparable to burning coals. This is what is called in Scripture “love of delights,” which is the experience of delight in G–dliness, of the nature of the World to Come. This delight is in the brain of wisdom, in the intellectual pleasure of comprehending and knowing G–d, to the extent that one’s intellect and wisdom can grasp [Him]. This is the element of “water” and “seed,” i.e., light that is sown in the holiness of the divine soul that converts to good the element of “water” in the animal soul, from which the lust for mundane pleasures had been previously derived. Thus it is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 50, ch. 3, on the authority of the Zohar, that the evil is converted into, and becomes, completely good, like the good nature itself, through the shedding of the soiled garments, the pleasures of this world, in which it had been clothed.",
+ "So, too, shall the other middot in the heart, the offshoots of awe and love, be dedicated to G–d alone; and the faculty of speech that is in his mouth, and the thought that is in his mind, shall be entirely and solely the instruments of the “garments” of thought and speech of the divine soul alone, namely, meditation on G–d and His Torah, which shall be the theme of his speech throughout the day, his mouth ceaselessly studying [it]; and the faculty of action centered in his hands, as also in the rest of the 248 organs, shall function exclusively in the performance of the commandments, which is the third garment of the divine soul.",
+ "However, the desire of the animal soul which is derived from the kelipah is the very opposite—and it is for the good of man that he may prevail over her and vanquish her, as in the parable of the harlot in the holy Zohar."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Behold, when a person fortifies his divine soul and wages war against his animal soul to such an extent that he expels and eradicates its evil from the left part—as is written, “And you shall root out the evil from within you”—yet the evil is not actually converted to goodness, he is called “incompletely righteous” or “a righteous man who suffers.” That is to say, there still lingers in him a fragment of wickedness in the left part, except that it is subjugated and nullified by the good, because of the former’s minuteness. Hence he imagines that he has driven it out and it has quite disappeared. In truth, however, had all the evil in him entirely departed and disappeared, it would have been converted into actual goodness.",
+ "The explanation of the matter is that “a completely righteous man,” in whom the evil has been converted to goodness and who is consequently called “a righteous man who prospers,” has completely divested himself of the filthy garments of evil. That is to say, he utterly despises the pleasures of this world, finding no enjoyment in human pleasures of merely gratifying the physical appetites instead of [seeking] the service of G–d, inasmuch as they are derived from and originate in the kelipah and sitra achara, for whatever is of the sitra achara is hated by the perfectly righteous man with an absolute hatred, by reason of his great love of G–d and of His holiness with profuse affection and delight and superlative devotion, as is stated above. For they are antithetical one to the other. Thus it is written, “I hate them with the utmost hatred; I regard them as my own enemies. Search me, [L–rd,] and know my heart….” Hence, according to the abundance of the love toward G–d, so is the extent of the hatred toward the sitra achara and the utter contempt of evil, for contempt is as much the opposite of real love as is hatred.",
+ "The “incompletely righteous” is he who does not hate the sitra achara with an absolute hatred; therefore he does not also absolutely abhor evil.",
+ "And as long as the hatred and scorn of evil are not absolute, there must remain some vestige of love and pleasure in it, and the fouled garments have not entirely and absolutely been shed; therefore the evil has not actually been converted to goodness, since it still has some hold in the filthy garments, except that it is nullified because of its minute quantity and is accounted as nothing. Therefore such a person is called a righteous man, in whom the evil is subjugated and surrendered to him. Accordingly, his love of G–d is also not perfect, with the result that he is called “incompletely righteous.”",
+ "Now, this grade is subdivided into myriads of degrees in respect of the quality of the minute evil remaining [in him] from any of the four evil elements, as well as in relation to its proportionate abnegation by reason of its minuteness, such as, by way of example, one in sixty, or in a thousand, or in ten thousand, and the like. Such are the gradations of the numerous righteous men who are to be found in every generation, as mentioned in the Gemara, viz., “Eighteen thousand righteous men stand before the Holy One, blessed is He.”",
+ "However, it is with regard to the superior quality of the “completely righteous” that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said, “I have seen superior men (benei aliyah), and their numbers are few….” The reason for their title of “superior men” is that they convert evil and make it ascend to holiness, as is written in the Zohar in the Introduction, that when Rabbi Chiya wished to ascend to the hechal (heavenly shrine) of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, he heard a voice come out and say, “Which of you, before coming here, has converted darkness into light and bitter taste into sweetness? [Otherwise] do not approach here,” and so forth.",
+ "A further explanation of the title “superior men” is that their service in the category of “do good,” in the fulfillment of the Torah and its commandments, is for the sake of the Above, the ultimate of the highest degrees, and not merely in order to attach themselves to G–d so as to quench the thirst of their [own] soul, which thirsts for G–d, as is written, “Ho! All who thirst, go to water,” as is explained elsewhere. Rather [their service is,] as explained in Tikkunei Zohar, “Who is kind?—He who conducts himself with benevolence toward his Creator—toward His nest, uniting the Holy One, blessed is He, and His Shechinah within those who dwell in the nethermost worlds.” As also explained in Raaya Mehemna on Parashat Teitzei, “In the manner of a son who ingratiates himself with his father and mother, whom he loves more than his own body and soul…and is prepared to sacrifice his own life for them, to redeem them…,” and as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "[And both interpretations are complementary, for through acts of refinement of the good out of the nogah, one elevates the “feminine waters,” causing “supernal unions” to bring down the “masculine waters” which are the flow of [Divine] kindness contained in each of the 248 positive precepts, all of which are in the nature of kindness and “masculine waters,” that is to say, the flow of holiness of His G–dliness, blessed be He, from above downward, to be clothed in those who live in the lower worlds, as explained elsewhere.]"
+ ],
+ [
+ "“One is the opposite the other”—the “wicked man who prospers” is antithetical to the “righteous man who suffers.”",
+ "That is to say, the goodness that is in his divine soul which is in his brain and in the right part of his heart is subservient to, and nullified by, the evil of the kelipah that is in the left part.",
+ "This type, too, is subdivided into myriads of degrees which differ in respect of the extent and manner of the nullification and subservience of the good to the bad, G–d forbid.",
+ "There is the person in whom the said subservience and nullification are in a very minor way, and even these are not permanent or recurring at frequent intervals; but on rare occasions the evil prevails over the good and conquers the “small city,” that is, the body—yet not all of it, but only a part of it, subjecting it to its (evil’s) discipline, to become a vehicle and a garment wherein one of the soul’s three garments mentioned above is clothed, namely, either in deed alone, in the commission of minor transgressions and not major ones, G–d forbid; or in speech alone, in the utterance of something that borders on slander and scoffing and the like; or in thought alone, in contemplations of sin, which are more serious than actual sin, or even when he does not contemplate committing a sin but indulges in contemplation on the carnal union between male and female in general, whereby he is guilty of violating the admonition of the Torah, “You shall guard yourself from every wicked thing,” meaning that “one must not harbor impure fancies by day….” or, when it is a fitting time to study the Torah, but he turns his heart to vain things, as we have learned in the Mishnah in Avot, “One who is awake at night [or travels alone on the road], and turns his heart to [idleness, indeed, he endangers his life].” For by reason of any one of all these things, and their like, he is called wicked at such time that the evil in his nefesh prevails over him, clothing itself in his body, inducing it to sin and defiling it.",
+ "Presently, however, the good that is in his divine soul asserts itself, and he is filled with remorse, and he seeks pardon and forgiveness of G–d. Indeed, G–d will forgive him if he has repented with the appropriate penitence according to the counsel of our Sages, of blessed memory, namely, the threefold division of atonement which is expounded by Rabbi Ishmael, as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "There is also the person in whom the wickedness prevails more strongly, and all three garments of evil clothe themselves in him, causing him to commit more heinous and more frequent sins. But intermittently he suffers remorse, and thoughts of repentance enter his mind, from the quality of good that is in his soul that gathers strength now and then. However, he has not enough strength to vanquish the evil so as to rid himself entirely of his sins and be as one who confesses and abandons [his evil ways, once and for all]. Concerning such a person, the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said, “The wicked are full of remorse.” These represent the majority of the wicked, in whose soul still lingers some good.",
+ "But he who never feels contrition, and in whose mind no thoughts of repentance at all ever enter, is called the “wicked who suffers,” for the evil that is in his soul has alone remained in him, having so prevailed over the good that the latter has already departed from within him, standing aloof, so to speak, over him.",
+ "Therefore the Sages have said, “On every gathering of ten [Jews] the Shechinah rests.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "The benoni (intermediate) is he in whom evil never attains enough power to capture the “small city,” so as to clothe itself in the body and make it sin. That is to say, the three “garments” of the animal soul, namely, thought, speech, and act, originating in the kelipah, do not prevail within him over the divine soul to the extent of clothing themselves in the body—in the brain, in the mouth, and in the other 248 parts—thereby causing them to sin and defiling them, G–d forbid.",
+ "Only the three garments of the divine soul, they alone are implemented in the body, being the thought, speech, and act engaged in the 613 commandments of the Torah. He has never committed, nor ever will commit, any transgression; neither can the name “wicked” be applied to him even temporarily, or even for a moment, throughout his life.",
+ "However, the essence and being of the divine soul, which are its ten faculties, do not constantly hold undisputed sovereignty and sway over the “small city,” except at appropriate times, such as during the recital of the Shema or the Amidah, which is a time when the Supernal Intellect is in a sublime state; and likewise below, this is a propitious time for every man, when he binds his chabad (intellectual faculties) to G–d, to meditate deeply on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, and to arouse the burning love in the right part of his heart, to cleave to Him by virtue of the fulfillment of the Torah and its commandments out of love. This is the essential aspect of the Shema, the recital of which is enjoined by the Torah and of the blessings which precede and follow it, which are a Rabbinical enactment, the latter being the preparation for the fulfillment of the recital of the Shema, as is explained elsewhere. At such time the evil that is in the left part is subjected to, and nullified in, the goodness that is diffused in the right part, from the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (chabad) in the brain, which are bound to the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "However, after prayer, when the state of sublimity of the Intellect of the En Sof, blessed is He, departs, the evil in the left part reawakens, and he begins to feel a desire for the lusts of the world and its delights.",
+ "Yet, because the evil has not the sole authority and dominion over the “city,” it is unable to carry out this desire from the potential into the actual by clothing itself in the bodily limbs, in deed, speech, and persistent thought to the extent of concentrating his attention on the enjoyment of the mundane pleasures as to how to satisfy the lust of his heart, because the brain rules over the heart [as explained in Raaya Mehemna, Parashat Pinchas] by virtue of its innately created nature. For this is how man is created from birth, that each person may, with the willpower in his brain, restrain himself and control the drive of lust that is in his heart, preventing his heart’s desires from expressing themselves in action, word, or thought, and divert his attention altogether from the craving of his heart toward the completely opposite direction, particularly in the direction of holiness.",
+ "Thus it is written, “Then I saw that wisdom surpasses folly as light surpasses darkness.” This means that just as light has a superiority, power, and dominion over darkness, so that a little physical light banishes a great deal of darkness which is therewith inevitably superseded as a matter of course and necessity, so is much foolishness of the kelipah and sitra achara [as, indeed, our Sages say, “A man does not sin unless a spirit of folly enters into him”] inevitably driven away by the wisdom that is in the divine soul in the brain, whose desire is to rule alone in the “city” and to pervade the whole body, in the manner already mentioned, by means of her three garments, namely, thought, speech, and act of the 613 commandments of the Torah, as explained earlier.",
+ "Nevertheless, such a person is not deemed a tzaddik at all, because the superiority which the light of the divine soul possesses over the darkness and foolishness of the kelipah, wherewith the latter is expelled forthwith, exists only in the aforementioned three garments, but does not extend to its very essence and being in relation to those of the kelipah. For in the benoni, the essence and being of the animal soul from the kelipah in the left part remains entirely undislodged after prayer. For then the burning love of G–d is not in a revealed state in his heart, in the right part, but is only inwardly paved with hidden love that is the natural adoration in the divine soul, as will be explained later.",
+ "Therefore it is possible for the folly of the wicked fool to rise openly in the left part of his heart, creating a lust for all material things of this world, whether permitted or, G–d forbid, prohibited, as if he had not prayed at all.",
+ "Nevertheless, in regard to a forbidden matter, it does not occur to him to actually violate the prohibition, G–d forbid, and it remains in the realm of sinful thoughts, which are more serious than actual sin, and which can be forceful enough to rise to his mind, to distract him from the Torah and Divine service, as our Sages said, “There are three sins against which a man is daily not safeguarded: sinful thoughts, distraction in prayer….”",
+ "However, the impression [of prayer] on the intellect and the hidden [i.e., innate] fear and love of G–d in the right part [of the heart] enable one to prevail and triumph over this evil of passionate craving, depriving it from gaining supremacy and dominion over the “city,” and from carrying out this desire from the potential into the actual by clothing itself in the bodily organs.",
+ "Moreover, even in the mind alone, insofar as sinful thoughts are concerned, evil has no power to compel the mind’s volition to entertain willingly, G–d forbid, any wicked thought rising of its own accord from the heart to the brain, as discussed above. But no sooner does it reach there than he thrusts it out with both hands and averts his mind from it the instant he reminds himself that it is an evil thought, refusing to accept it willingly, even to let his thoughts play on it willingly; how much more so to entertain any idea of putting it into effect, G–d forbid, or even to put it into words. For he who willfully indulges in such thoughts is deemed wicked at such time, whereas the benoni is never wicked for a single moment.",
+ "So, too, in matters affecting a person’s relations with his neighbor, as soon as there rises from his heart to his mind some animosity or hatred, G–d forbid, or jealousy or anger, or a grudge and suchlike, he gives them no entrance into his mind and will.",
+ "On the contrary, his mind exercises its authority and power over the spirit in his heart to do the very opposite and to conduct himself toward his neighbor with the quality of kindness and a display of abundant love, to the extent of suffering from him to the extreme limits without becoming provoked into anger, G–d forbid, or to revenge in kind, G–d forbid; but rather to repay the offenders with favors, as taught in the Zohar, that one should learn from the example of Joseph toward his brothers."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Therewith will be understood the commentary of our Sages that “intermediate people are judged by both [the good and evil natures], for it is written, ‘When He stands at the right of the destitute to deliver him from the judges of his soul.’” Note that they did not say “ruled” by both, G–d forbid, because where the evil nature gains any control and dominion over the “small city,” even though but temporarily, one is at such times deemed “wicked.”",
+ "The evil nature [in the benoni], however, is no more than, for example, a magistrate or judge who gives his opinion on a point of law, yet it is not necessarily a final decision to be implemented in deed, for there is another magistrate or judge who is contesting this opinion. It is, therefore, necessary to arbitrate between the two, and the final verdict rests with the arbitrator.",
+ "Similarly, the evil nature states its opinion in the left part of the heart, which thence ascends to the brain for contemplation. Immediately it is challenged by the second judge, the divine soul in the brain extending into the right part of the heart, the abode of the good nature. The final verdict comes from the arbitrator—the Holy One, blessed is He, who comes to the aid of the good nature, as our Sages said, “If the Holy One, blessed is He, did not help him, he could not overcome his evil inclination.”",
+ "The help comes by means of the glow radiated by the Divine light, which illuminates the divine soul, that it may gain the upper hand and mastery over the folly of the fool and evil nature, in the manner of the excellence of light over darkness, as stated above.",
+ "Yet, inasmuch as the evil in the [heart’s] left part of the benoni is in its innate strength, craving after all the pleasures of this world, not having been nullified in its minuteness in relation to the good, nor having been relegated from its position to any degree—except insofar as it has no authority and power to diffuse itself throughout the limbs of the body, because the Holy One, blessed is He, “stands at the right hand of the poor man,” helping him and irradiating his divine soul—such a person is likened to a “wicked man.” In the words of our Sages, “Even if the whole world tells you that you are righteous, in your own eyes regard yourself as if you were wicked”—not as actually wicked. But one should consider oneself to be a benoni and not accept the world’s opinion which would have him believe that the evil in him has been dissolved by the good, which is the category of a tzaddik. Rather should he consider himself in his own estimation as if the very essence of the evil is in its full strength and might, in the left part, as from birth, and that nothing of it has ceased or departed; on the contrary, with the passing of time it has gained strength, because the man has indulged it considerably, in eating and drinking and other mundane pursuits.",
+ "Even one whose whole aspiration is in G–d’s Torah, which he studies day and night for its own sake, this is still no proof whatsoever that the evil has been dislodged from its place, but it may still be that its essence and substance are in their full strength and might in its abode in the left part, except that its garments—the thought, speech, and act of the animal soul—are not invested in the brain, mouth, and hands and the other parts of the body, because G–d has given the mind supremacy and dominion over the heart. Therefore the divine soul in the intellect rules over the [entire] “small city,” i.e., all the parts of the body, making them a garment and vehicle for her three garments, wherein to be clothed, to wit, the thought, speech, and act of the 613 commandments of the Torah.",
+ "However, in its essence and substance, the divine soul in the benoni has no preponderance over the animal soul, except at the time when his love for G–d manifests itself in his heart on propitious occasions, such as during prayer and the like. Even then it is limited to preponderance and dominion alone, as is written, “And one nation shall prevail over the other,” that is, when one rises the other falls, and vice versa. Thus, when the divine soul gains strength and ascendancy over the animal soul, in the source of gevurot which is binah, through pondering on the greatness of G–d, the En Sof, blessed is He, thereby generating intense and flaming love of G–d in the right part of his heart—then the sitra achara in the left part is subdued.",
+ "But it is not entirely abolished, in the case of the benoni; it is so only in a tzaddik, concerning whom it is said, “My heart is void within me.” The latter despises and hates evil with a consummate hatred and contempt, or without quite such complete hatred, as is explained above.",
+ "But in a benoni it is, by way of example, similar to a sleeping man, who can awaken from his sleep. So is the evil in the benoni dormant, as it were, in the left part, during the recital of the Shema and the Prayer [Amidah], when his heart is aglow with the love of G–d, but later it can wake up again.",
+ "For this reason Rabbah considered himself as though he were a benoni, though his mouth never ceased from study, and his desire was in G–d’s Torah, day and night, with the passionate craving and longing of a soul yearning for G–d with overwhelming love, such as experienced during the reciting of the Shema and Amidah. Hence he appeared in his own eyes like a benoni who prays all day, as, indeed, our Sages have said, “Would that a man prayed the whole day long!”",
+ "Now, this quality of love of which we speak in the case of the benonim (intermediates) which is attained at the time of prayer by virtue of the preponderance of the divine soul, etc., is, in comparison with the degree attained by the tzaddikim who serve G–d in perfect truth, not called “true service” at all, since it passes and disappears after prayer, and it is written, “The lip of truth shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”",
+ "Nevertheless, in relation to the rank of the benonim, it is regarded as a truly perfect service in terms of their [level of] truth, in each man relative to his standing in the ranks of the benonim. For in their case, too, their love, during their prayers, may be termed “the lip of truth shall be established forever,” since their divine soul has the power to reawaken this kind of love constantly, during its preponderance in time of prayer day after day, by means of an appropriate [mental] preparation, each soul according to its intrinsic quality and rank.",
+ "For truth is the attribute of Jacob, who is called the “middle bolt which secures [everything] from end to end,” from the highest gradations and degrees to the end of all grades. And in each gradation and plane it fixes its bolt through the most central point, which is the point and quality of its attribute of truth.",
+ "The attribute of truth is an unbounded inheritance which has no limit upward to the highest degrees, while all lower gradations and degrees are as nothing compared with those that are superior to them. [As is known to the students of Kabbalah, that the quality which is, as it were, the “head” and “intellect” of lower grades is inferior to the so-called “soles” and “feet” of the grades above them. Compare the statement of our Sages, “The feet of the Chayot measure up to them all.”]"
+ ],
+ [
+ "The rank of benoni is one that is attainable by every man, and each person should strive after it. Every person can at any time or hour be a benoni, because the benoni does not revile evil—for that is a feeling entrusted to the heart, and not all times are alike. [His task is] only to “Turn away from evil and do good,” in actual practice—in deed, speech, or thought, wherein the choice, ability, and freedom are given to every man that he may act, speak, and think even what is contrary to the desire of his heart and diametrically opposed to it. Even when the heart craves and desires a material pleasure, whether permitted or, G–d forbid, prohibited, he can steel himself and divert his attention from it altogether, declaring to himself, “I will not be wicked even for a moment, because I will not be parted and separated, Heaven forefend! from the One G–d under any circumstances, being mindful of the admonition, ‘Your iniquities interpose between you and G–d.’ Instead, my real desire is to unite my nefesh, ruach, and neshamah with Him, through investing them in His three garments, blessed be He, namely, in action, speech, and thought dedicated to G–d, His Torah, and His commandments, by virtue of the love of G–d that is hidden in my heart, as in the heart of all Jews, who are called ‘those who love Your Name.’ Even the most unworthy among the worthless is capable of sacrificing himself for the sanctity of G–d; surely, I am not inferior to him. It is only that a spirit of folly has overcome him, and he imagines that committing a sin will not affect his Jewishness and his soul will not be severed thereby from the G–d of Israel, forgetting also about his love of G–d which is hidden in his heart. But as for me, I have no desire to be such a fool as he to deny the truth!”",
+ "It is different, however, with something that is entrusted to the heart, namely, that the evil should actually be despised in the heart and abhorred with absolute hatred, or even not quite so absolutely. This cannot be attained, truly and sincerely, except through great and intense love of G–d, the kind of ecstatic love and Divine bliss which is akin to the World to Come. Of this experience the Rabbis said, “You shall see your world in your lifetime…,” and not every man can attain this state, for this is in the nature of a gracious reward, as is written, “I will make your priestly office a rewarding service…,” as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "Therefore Job said, “You have created righteous men….” It is also found in Tikkunei Zohar that in the souls of [the people of] Israel there are many kinds of gradations and distinctions—pious men, strong men who gain mastery over their nature, scholars of the Torah, prophets, and so on, tzaddikim, and so forth. Note there.",
+ "Now we can understand the redundancy of the oath, “Be righteous (tzaddik) and be not wicked,” which is unintelligible at first glance: Since he is warned, “Be righteous!” where is the need to put him on oath again that he shall not be wicked?",
+ "The answer is that inasmuch as not everyone is privileged to become a tzaddik, nor has a person the full advantage of choice in this matter to experience true delight in G–d and to actually and truly abhor evil; he is consequently adjured a second time, “You shall,” at any rate, “not be wicked!” Here the right of choice and freedom is extended to every person, to check the drive of his heart’s desire and to conquer his nature, so that he shall not be wicked even for a moment throughout his life, whether in the realm of “turn away from evil” or in that of “do good,” there being no “good” other than Torah, that is, the “study of the Torah which balances them all.”",
+ "Nevertheless, a person must set aside specific periods in which to commune with his soul in order to cultivate the abhorrence of evil, as, for example, reminding himself of the admonition of our Sages that “a woman is a vessel full of filth…,” and in like manner. So, too, all dainties and delicacies turn into a “vessel full of filth.” Likewise in regard to all pleasures of this world, the wise man foresees what becomes of them, for in the end they rot and become worms and dung. ",
+ "Conversely, [let him] delight and rejoice in G–d by reflection on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, to the best of his capacity. He may well realize that he cannot attain to this degree with a full measure of truth except in illusion; nevertheless he should do his part in an effort to uphold the oath administered to him, “Be righteous,” and G–d will do as He sees fit.",
+ "Furthermore, habitude reigns supreme in any sphere and becomes second nature. Therefore if he accustoms himself to despise evil, it will to some extent become despicable in truth; similarly, when he accustoms himself to gladden his heart in G–d, through reflection on His greatness—for self-impulsion induces heavenly inspiration. With all that, perhaps a spirit from above will descend upon him, and he will merit something of the spirit (ruach) that is rooted in some tzaddik that will attach itself to him, so that he may serve G–d with true joy, as is written, “Rejoice, in the L–rd, you righteous.” Then will in truth be fulfilled in him the avowed oath: “Be righteous.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "With the above in mind, we may now understand the text, “And you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves G–d and one who does not serve Him.”",
+ "The difference between “one who serves G–d” and a righteous man (tzaddik) is that “one who serves (oved) G–d”—in the active present—is one who is engaged in “active service,” namely, the struggle against his evil nature in an effort to gain mastery over it and to banish it from the “small city,” that it should not vest itself in the organs of the body. Verily it entails much effort and toil to wage constant war with it. This is the benoni.",
+ "The tzaddik, however, is designated “servant (eved) of G–d,” which is a title already earned, as the title “sage” or “king” is bestowed on one who has already become a sage or king. So is this person who has already effected and completely accomplished his task of waging war against the evil in him, with the result that he has expelled it and it has disappeared, and his heart has become “void within him.”",
+ "In the category of benoni there are also to be found two gradations, namely, “one who serves G–d” and “one who does not serve Him.” Yet the latter is not wicked, for never in his life did he commit even a minor transgression and, moreover, he fulfilled all the commandments which were possible for him to fulfill, including the study of the Torah which balances everything else, his mouth never ceasing from study.",
+ "The reason he is referred to as “one who does not serve Him” is that he does not wage any battle against his [evil] disposition in order to vanquish it by means of the Divine light that irradiates the divine soul, whose abode is in the brain which predominates over the heart, as explained above; for his disposition does not confront him at all in an attempt to distract him from study and prayer, and he is consequently never obliged to wage war against it. Thus, for example, is the case of one who is by nature an assiduous student because he is organically so disposed, and is likewise free from conflict with regard to sexual desire by reason of his frigid nature, and similarly with the other mundane pleasures wherein he naturally lacks any feeling of enjoyment.",
+ "Hence he does not need to concentrate so much on the greatness of G–d to consciously create a spirit of knowledge and fear of G–d in his mind in order to guard himself against violation of the prohibitive commandments or to arouse the love of G–d in his heart to induce his attachment to Him through the fulfillment of the [positive] commandments and the study of the Torah, which balances everything else. For him suffices the hidden love that is in the heart of all Jews, who are called “those who love His name.”",
+ "Therefore he is not at all called “one who is serving,” inasmuch as this latent love is not of his making or accomplishment by any means, but it is our inheritance that has come down from the Patriarchs to the whole community of Israel, as will be discussed further.",
+ "So, too, is one who, although by nature not an assiduous student, has yet accustomed himself to study with great diligence, so that the habit has become second nature with him; for him, too, suffices the innate love, unless he wishes to study more than his wont.",
+ "This will explain the statement in the Gemara that “one who serves G–d” refers to one who reviews his lesson 101 times, while “one who does not serve him” refers to one who repeats his lesson no more than one hundred times.",
+ "This is because in those days it was customary to review each lesson one hundred times, as, indeed, illustrated in the Gemara, ibid., by the example taken from the market, where donkey drivers used to hire themselves out at a rate of ten parasangs for a zuz, but for eleven parasangs charged two zuzim, because that exceeded their customary practice. For the same reason, the 101st revision, which is beyond the normal practice to which the student had been accustomed since childhood, is considered equivalent to all the previous one hundred times put together, and even surpassing them in endurance and effort, hence entitling him to be called “one who serves G–d.” For in order to change his habitual nature, he must arouse the love of G–d by means of meditation in his mind on the greatness of G–d in order to gain mastery over the nature that is in the left part [of the heart], which is full of blood of the animal soul originating in the kelipah, from where his nature comes. This is a perfect service for a benoni.",
+ "Or, he must awaken the hidden love in his heart to control, through it, the nature that is in the left part, for this, too, is called service—the waging of war against his nature and inclination, by means of exciting the love that is hidden in his heart.",
+ "However, if he wages no war at all, the said love in itself can in no way be credited to his service."
+ ],
+ [
+ "This, then, is the important principle regarding the Divine service for the benoni: The essential thing is to govern and rule the nature that is in the left ventricle [of the heart] by means of the Divine light that irradiates the divine soul in the mind.",
+ "That is to say, to rule the heart by means of meditation in the mind on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, whereby his understanding will create a spirit of knowledge and fear of the L–rd in his mind to make him turn away from the evil condemned by the Torah, or by the Rabbis, even from a minor Rabbinic prohibition, Heaven forbid; and [at the same time arousing] the love of G–d in his heart, in the right part, with a fervor and desire to cleave to Him through the fulfillment of the precepts of the Torah and of the Rabbis and through the study of the Torah, which is equivalent to them all.",
+ "Furthermore, one must know an additional important principle in the service of the benonim (intermediates). This is that even if the capacity of one’s intellect and the spirit of one’s understanding do not attain to the level of producing a revealed love of G–d in one’s heart, to make it glow like burning coals with a great desire and yearning and heartfelt passion to cleave to Him, but the love is hidden in one’s brain and in the recesses of one’s heart,",
+ "NOTE: The reason for this is that the vitality of this person’s intellect and nefesh, ruach, and neshamah is derived from the so-called ibbur (“gestation”) and concealment within the [supernal] understanding, and not from the quality of birth and revelation—as it is known to the students of Kabbalah.",
+ "that is to say, the heart comprehends, with the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the brain, the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, in relation to Whom all else has absolutely no reality, for which reason it is due unto Him, blessed be He, that the soul of every living creature should yearn for Him, to cleave and be absorbed in His light; likewise is it fitting for the nefesh and ruach within him to languish for Him, with a fervent desire to emerge from their sheath, which is the body, in order to cleave to Him; except that they dwell perforce in the body and are bound up in it, like deserted wives; and no thought of theirs can grasp Him at all, except when it grasps, and is vested in, the Torah and its commandments, as in the example of embracing the king, mentioned above; therefore, it is proper for them to embrace Him with their whole heart, soul, and might, which means the fulfillment of the 613 commandments in act, speech, and thought, the last being the comprehension and knowledge of the Torah, as explained above.",
+ "Consequently, when [the benoni] ponders this subject in the recesses of his heart’s and mind’s understanding, with a unanimity of mouth and heart, in that he upholds by word of mouth, that which has been resolved in the understanding of his heart and mind, namely to direct his desire toward the Divine Torah, meditating on it day and night in oral study, while his hands and other bodily organs carry out the commandments in accordance with the resolution of his heart’s and mind’s understanding, then this understanding is clothed in the act, speech, and thought of the Torah and its commandments, providing for them, as it were, intelligence, vitality, and “wings” wherewith to soar on high. It is the same as if he practiced them with real fear and love as revealed in his heart [with a desire, fervor and passion that are felt in the heart and soul thirsting for G–d, by reason of the glowing embers of love in his heart, as mentioned above], inasmuch as it is this understanding in his brain and heart’s recesses that is instrumental in leading him to engage in them, and had he not so delved in it, he would not have occupied himself with them at all, but with his physical needs alone. [And even if he is naturally disposed to be an assiduous student, nevertheless he would naturally love his body more.]",
+ "Our Sages, of blessed memory, hinted at this when they said, “The Holy One, blessed is He, unites a good thought to the deed.” One would have expected them to say that the Torah regards the good thought as if it had been put into practice. The explanation, however, is that it is the revealed fear and love in the heart that are clothed in the act of the commandments, giving them vitality to soar on high, inasmuch as the heart is also corporeal, as the other parts of the body which are the instruments of the action, except that it is internal and their source of vitality; therefore it can clothe itself in their act, to be their “wings,” elevating them.",
+ "However, the abovementioned fear and love that are in the intelligence of the brain and the recesses of the heart are of an infinitely higher order than that of “action” and they cannot clothe themselves in the performance of the commandments to become their intelligence and vitality, as it were, to uplift them to soar upward, were it not for the fact that the Holy One, blessed is He, fuses and unites them together with the action; hence they are called “good thought,” for they are not actual awe and love in a revealed state in the heart, but only in the intelligence of the brain and in the recesses of the heart, as mentioned above.",
+ "NOTE: Thus it is also written in the Zohar and Etz Chaim that תבונה (intelligence) contains the letters בן ובת (“son and daughter”), referring to awe and love; and sometimes it descends to become the intelligence in the feminine principle of z’eyr anpin, represented in the letters of the Torah and the commandments, as the initiated will understand.",
+ "But the Holy One, blessed is He, produces this coalescence in order to elevate the performance of the commandments and study of the Torah—which are carried out under the influence of the said good thought—into the world of Beriah, the abode to which ascend the Torah and commandments that are performed through intelligent awe and love which are truly revealed in the heart.",
+ "But even without this they still rise to the World of Yetzirah, by means of the natural fear and love which are latent in the heart of all Jews from birth, as will be later explained at length."
+ ],
+ [
+ "With the above in mind, one can understand the Scriptural text, “For this thing is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, so you can fulfill it.”",
+ "At first glance, [the statement, “For this thing is very near to you…] in your heart” seems to be contrary to our experience [yet the Torah is eternal]. For it is not a “very near thing” to change one’s heart from mundane desires to a sincere love of G–d. Indeed, it is stated in the Gemara, “Is fear [of Heaven] a small thing?” How much more so—love. Moreover, the Rabbis also said, that only tzaddikim have control over their hearts.",
+ "But the words “so you can fulfill it” refer to a love which merely leads to the performance of the commandments, this being the hidden desire of the heart (רעותא דלבא), even if it does not glow openly like flaming coals. This thing is very near, and it is easy for any person who has brains in his head, for his brain is under his control, and he is able to concentrate it on anything he wishes. If, then, he will contemplate with it on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, he will inevitably generate in his mind, at least, the love of G–d to cleave to Him through the performance of His commandments and Torah.",
+ "And this constitutes the whole [purpose of] man, for it is written, “This day to do them”—“this day” referring specifically to the world of [physical] action, while “tomorrow” [i.e., in afterlife] is the time of reward, as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "The mind, in turn, by virtue of its inherent nature, is master over the left part of the heart and over the mouth and all the limbs which are the instruments of action, except in him who is completely wicked, as the Rabbis said, that the wicked are under the control of their heart, but their heart is not at all controlled by them. This is a punishment for the enormity and potency of their sin. But the Torah does not speak of these “dead” who in their life are called “dead.”",
+ "Indeed, it is impossible for the wicked to begin to serve G–d without their first repenting for their past—in order to shatter the kelipot, which form a sundering curtain and an iron partition that interpose between them and their Father in Heaven—by means of contriteness of heart and bitterness of soul over their sins, as is explained in the Zohar on the verse, “The sacrifices of G–d are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart….” For through breaking one’s heart the spirit of uncleanliness of the sitra achara is broken [see ibid. on Parashat Pinchas, p. 240, and on Parashat Vayikra, p. 8 and p. 5, and the commentary of the Ramaz thereon].",
+ "This is the category of “lower repentance,” whereby the lower [letter] hey is raised up from its fall into the forces of evil, which is the mystery of the Shechinah in exile, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, state, “When they [the Israelites] were exiled into Edom, the Shechinah went with them.” That is to say, when a person practices the acts of “Edom,” he degrades and brings down there the Divine spark which vitalizes his nefesh, ruach, and neshamah that are clothed within him in the animal soul of the kelipah, which is in the left part of his heart, which reigns over him as long as he remains wicked, dominating his “small city,” while the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah are forced into exile under it.",
+ "But when his heart breaks within him, and the spirit of uncleanliness and of the sitra achara is broken, and [the forces of evil are] dispersed, then [the Shechinah] rises from its fall and remains upright, as is explained elsewhere."
+ ],
+ [
+ "To explain more adequately and more precisely the word “very” in the verse, “For this thing is very near to you….”",
+ "It should be recognized with certainty that even the person whose understanding in the knowledge of G–d is limited, and who has no heart to comprehend the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, to produce therefrom awe and love [of G–d] even in his mind and understanding alone—however, it is a “very near thing” for him to observe and practice all the commandments of the Torah and the “study of the Torah which counterbalances them all,” in his very mouth and heart, from the depths of his heart, in true sincerity, with fear and love; namely, the hidden love in the heart of all Jews which is an inheritance to us from our Patriarchs.",
+ "However, we must, first of all, preface a clear and precise explanation of the origin and essence of this love, how it became our inheritance, and how awe is also incorporated in it.",
+ "The explanation is as follows: The Patriarchs were truly the “chariot” of G–d, and therefore they merited [the blessing of] transmitting to their descendants, coming after them forever, a nefesh, ruach, and neshamah from the ten holy sefirot of the four worlds of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, to each according to his station and according to his works.",
+ "Even the most worthless of worthless men and the sinners of Israel are thus endowed, at the time of marital union, with, at any rate, a nefesh d’nefesh of malchut d’Asiyah (royalty in world of Action), which is the lowest grade of holiness [in the world] of Asiyah.",
+ "Nevertheless, since the latter is of the ten holy sefirot it is compounded of them all, including chochmah d’Asiyah (wisdom of the world of Action), wherein is clothed chochmah d’malchut d’Atzilut (wisdom of royalty in the world of Emanation), incorporating chochmah d’Atzilut (wisdom of the world of Emanation) which is illuminated by the actual light of the En Sof, blessed is He, as is written, “The L–rd has founded the earth with wisdom” and “You have made them all with wisdom.”",
+ "Thus it comes to pass that the En Sof, blessed is He, is garbed, as it were, in the wisdom of the human soul, of whatever sort of a Jew he may be. [In turn,] the soul’s faculty of wisdom, together with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that is vested in it, spreads throughout the entire soul, animating it “from head to foot,” so to speak, as is written, “Wisdom gives life to those that have it.”",
+ "[At times sinners of Israel may even bring down very lofty souls which had been in the depths of the kelipot, as is explained in the Sefer Gilgulim.]",
+ "Now, chochmah (wisdom) is the source of intelligence and comprehension, and it is above binah (understanding) which is intellectual understanding and comprehension, whereas chochmah is above them and their source.",
+ "Note the etymological composition of the word חכמה כ“ח מ“ה—(“the potentiality of what is”), that which is not yet comprehended and understood or grasped intellectually; consequently there is vested in it the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, Who can in no way be comprehended by any thought.",
+ "Hence all Jews, even the women and the illiterate, believe in G–d, since faith is beyond understanding and comprehension, for “The simple believe every thing, but the prudent man understands….” But with regard to the Holy One, blessed is He, Who is beyond intelligence and knowledge and Who can in no way be comprehended by any thought—all men are like fools in His presence, blessed be He, as is written, “I was a boor and did not understand, like an animal was I with You. Yet I was always with you…,” meaning that “because I was a boor and as an animal, I was always with You.”",
+ "Therefore even the most worthless of worthless and the transgressors of the Israelites, in the majority of cases, sacrifice their lives for the sanctity of G–d’s Name and suffer harsh torture rather than deny the one G–d, although they be boors and illiterate and ignorant of G–d’s greatness.",
+ "[For] whatever little knowledge they do possess, they do not delve therein at all, [and so] they do not give up their lives by reason of any knowledge and contemplation of G–d. Rather [do they suffer martyrdom] without any knowledge and reflection, but as if it were absolutely impossible to renounce the one G–d and without any reason or hesitation whatsoever.",
+ "This is because the one G–d illuminates and animates the entire nefesh, through being clothed in its faculty of chochmah, which is beyond any graspable and understood knowledge or intelligence."
+ ],
+ [
+ "To elucidate still further, it is necessary to clarify the meaning of the verse, “The candle of G–d is the soul (neshamah) of man.”",
+ "What it means is that the souls of Jews, who are called “man,” are, by way of illustration, like the flame of the candle, whose nature it is always to flicker upward, for the flame of the fire intrinsically seeks to be parted from the wick in order to unite with its source above in the universal element of fire which is in the sublunar sphere, as is explained in Etz Chaim.",
+ "And although it would thereby be extinguished and emit no light at all below, and even above, in its source, its light would be nullified, nevertheless this is what it seeks in accordance with its nature.",
+ "In like manner does the neshamah of man, including the quality of ruach and nefesh, naturally desire and yearn to separate itself and depart from the body in order to unite with its origin and source in G–d, the Fountainhead of life, blessed is He, though thereby it would become null and void, completely losing its entity therein, with nothing remaining of its former essence and being. Nevertheless, this is its will and desire by its nature.",
+ "“Nature” is an applied term for anything that is not in the realm of reason and comprehension.",
+ "In our case, too, the inference is that this will and desire of the soul are not within the realm of reason, knowledge, and intelligence that can be grasped and understood but beyond graspable and comprehensible knowledge and intelligence, for this nature stems from the faculty of chochmah found in the soul, wherein abides the light of the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "Now this is a general principle in the whole realm of holiness—it [holiness] is only that which is derived from chochmah called קודש העליון (“supreme holiness”), whose existence is nullified in the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which is clothed in it, so that it is not a thing apart, as is explained above; therefore it is called koach mah [power of humility and abnegation].",
+ "This stands in direct contrast to the so-called kelipah and sitra achara, wherefrom are derived the souls of the gentiles who work for themselves alone, demanding, “Give, give!” and “Feed me!” in order to become independent beings and entities, as mentioned above, in direct contrast to the category of chochmah. Therefore they are called “dead,” for “Wisdom (chochmah) gives life,” and it is also written, “They die, without wisdom.” So are the wicked and transgressors of Israel before they face the test to sanctify G–d’s name. For the faculty of chochmah which is in the divine soul, with the spark of G–dliness from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that is clothed in it, is, as it were, in exile in their body, within the animal soul coming from the kelipah, in the left part of the heart, which reigns and holds sway over their body, in accordance with the esoteric doctrine of the exile of the Shechinah, as mentioned earlier.",
+ "For this reason, this love of the divine soul, whose desire and wish is to unite with G–d, the Fountainhead of life, blessed is He, is called “hidden love,” for it is hidden and veiled, in the case of the transgressors of Israel, in the sackcloth of the kelipah, whence there enters into them a spirit of folly to sin, as the Rabbis have said, “A person does not sin unless the spirit of folly has entered into him.”",
+ "However, this exile of the faculty of chochmah refers only to that aspect of it which is diffused throughout the nefesh and animates it. Yet the root and core of this faculty of the divine soul remains in the brain and does not clothe itself in the sackcloth of the kelipah in the left part of the heart, in veritable exile, but it is, as it were, dormant in the case of the wicked, not exercising its influence in them so long as their knowledge and understanding are preoccupied with mundane pleasures.",
+ "Nevertheless, when they are confronted with a test in a matter of faith, which transcends knowledge, touching the very soul and the faculty of chochmah within it, at such time it is aroused from its sleep and it exerts its influence by virtue of the Divine force that is clothed in it, as is written, “And the L–rd awoke like one who had been asleep.” [On such occasion the sinner is inspired] to withstand the test of faith in G–d, without any reasoning, knowledge, or intelligence that may be comprehended by him, and to prevail over the kelipah and temptations of this world, whether permitted or prohibited, to which he had been accustomed—even to despise them, and to choose G–d as his portion and lot, yielding to Him his soul [to suffer martyrdom] in order to sanctify His Name.",
+ "For, even though the kelipot had prevailed over him all his life and he was impotent against them, as the Rabbis have said that “the wicked are under the control of their heart,” yet when he faces a test challenging his faith in the One G–d, [a faith] which has its roots in the uppermost heights of holiness, namely, the faculty of chochmah of the divine soul, in which is clothed the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, then all the kelipot are made null and void, and they vanish, as though they had never been in the presence of the L–rd. So it is written, “All the nations are as nothing before Him…,” and “Indeed your enemies, O L–rd, indeed your enemies shall perish; [all evildoers] shall be scattered,” and, again, “As wax melts before fire, [let the wicked] perish,” and “The mountains will melt like wax.”",
+ "The force of the Divine light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that is clothed in the soul’s chochmah is great and powerful enough to banish and repel the sitra achara and the kelipot so that they could not even touch its garments, namely, the thought, speech, and act of faith in the One G–d. In other words, [it enables one] to withstand a test of self-sacrifice to the extent of even refusing to do some single act that is contrary to the faith in the One G–d, such as, for example, to bow to an idol, even without acknowledging it in his heart at all or to utter any false notion, Heaven forbid, regarding the unity of G–d, be it merely by way of rendering lip service only, while his heart remains perfect in the belief in G–d.",
+ "This is called “fear that is contained in love,” the natural love of the divine soul that is found in all Jews, the intrinsic desire and will of which is to be attached to its origin and source in the light of the En Sof, blessed is He. For by virtue of this love and this desire, it instinctively recoils in fear and dread from touching even the fringe of the impurity of idolatry, Heaven forbid, which denies the faith in one G–d, even where such contact involves only its outer garments, namely, speech and act, without any faith whatsoever in the heart."
+ ],
+ [
+ "It is well known that the commandment and admonition concerning idolatry, which are contained in the first two commandments of the Decalogue—“I am” and “You shall not have any other gods”—comprise the entire Torah. For the commandment “I am” contains all the 248 positive precepts, while the commandment “You shall not have” contains all the 365 prohibitions. That is why we heard only “I am” and “You shall not have” directly from the Almighty, as our Sages say, “because these two are the sum total of the whole Torah.”",
+ "In order to elucidate this matter clearly, we must first briefly refer to the subject and essence of the Unity of the Holy One, blessed is He, Who is called One and Unique, and “all believe that He is All Alone,” exactly as He was before the world was created, when there was naught besides Him, as is written, “You were [the same] before the world was created; You are [the same] since the world has been created….” This means exactly the same without any change, as it is written, “For I, the L–rd, have not changed,” inasmuch as this world and likewise all supernal worlds do not effect any change in His Unity, blessed be He, by their having been created ex nihilo.",
+ "For just as He was All Alone, Single and Unique, before they were created, so is He One and Alone, Single and Unique after they were created, since, beside Him, everything is as nothing, verily as null and void.",
+ "For the coming into being of all the upper and nether worlds out of nonbeing, and their life and existence sustaining them from reverting to nonexistence and nought, as was before, is nothing else but the word of G–d and the breath of His mouth, blessed be He, that is clothed in them.",
+ "To illustrate from the soul of a human being:
When a man utters a word, this utterance in itself is as absolutely nothing even when compared only with his general “articulate soul,” which is the so-called middle “garment,” namely, its faculty of speech, which can produce speech without limit or end; all the more when it is compared with its so-called innermost “garment,” namely, its faculty of thought, which is the source of speech and its life-force, not to mention when it is compared with the essence and entity of the soul, these being its ten attributes mentioned above, viz., chochmah, binah, daat (chabad), and so on, from which are derived the “letters” of thought that are clothed in the speech when it is uttered. For thought can as much be defined in terms of “letters” as speech, except that in the former they are more spiritual and refined.",
+ "But the ten attributes—chochmah, binah, daat (chabad), and so forth—are the root and source of thought, and, prior to their being clothed in the garment of thought, still lack the element of “letters.”",
+ "For example, when a man suddenly becomes conscious of a certain love or desire in his heart, before it has risen from the heart to the brain to think and meditate about it, it has not yet acquired the element of “letters”; it is only a simple desire and longing in the heart for the object of his affection.",
+ "All the more so before he began to feel in his heart a craving and desire for that thing, and it is as yet confined within the realm of his wisdom, intellect, and knowledge, that is, the thing is known to him to be desirable and gratifying, something good and pleasant to attain and to cling to, as, for instance, to learn some wisdom or to eat some delicious food. Only after the desire and craving have already found their way into the heart, through the stimulus of his wisdom, intellect, and knowledge, and then ascended once more back to the brain, to think and meditate on how to translate his craving from the potential into the practical, with a view to actually obtaining that food or acquiring that wisdom—it is here that the so-called “letters” are born in his mind, such “letters” corresponding to the language of each nation, employing them in speech and thought about all things in the world."
+ ],
+ [
+ "However, “The nature of the Divine order is not like that of a creature of flesh and blood.” When a man utters a word, the breath emitted in speaking is something that can be sensed and perceived as a thing apart, separated from its source, namely, the ten faculties of the soul itself.",
+ "But with the Holy One, blessed is He, His speech is not, Heaven forfend, separated from Him, blessed be He, for there is nothing outside of Him, and there is no place devoid of Him. Therefore, His speech, blessed be He, is not like our speech, G–d forbid [just as His thought is not like our thought, as is written, “For My thoughts are not like your thoughts,” and “So My ways are higher than your ways…”].",
+ "His speech, blessed be He, is called “speech” only by way of an anthropomorphic illustration, in the sense that, as in the case of man below, whose speech reveals to his audience what was hidden and concealed in his thoughts, so, too, is it on high with the En Sof, blessed is He, Whose emitted light and life-force—as it emerges from Him, from concealment into revelation, to create worlds and to sustain them—is called “speech.”",
+ "These [emanations] are indeed the ten fiats by which the world was created; likewise also the remainder of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings, which the Prophets conceived in their prophetic vision.",
+ "Yet His so-called speech and thought are united with Him in absolute union as, for example, a person’s speech and thought while they are still in potentia in his wisdom and intellect, or in a desire and craving that are still in the heart prior to rising from the heart to the brain, where by cogitation they are formulated into the so-called “letters,” for at that time the “letters” of thought and speech which evolve from that longing or desire were still in potentia in the heart, where they were absolutely fused with their root, namely, the wisdom and intellect in the brain, and the longing and desire in the heart.",
+ "Verily so, by way of example, are the “speech” and “thought” of the Holy One, blessed is He, absolutely united with His essence and being, blessed be He, even after His “speech,” blessed be He, has already become materialized in the creation of the worlds, just as it was united with Him before the worlds were created. There is thus no manner of change before Him, blessed be He, but only for the created beings which receive their life-force from His “word,” blessed be He, as it were, in its revealed state at the creation of the worlds, in which it is clothed, giving them life through a process of gradual descent from cause to effect and a downward gradation, by means of numerous and various contractions, until the created beings can receive their life and existence from it without losing their entity. ",
+ "These “contractions” are all in the nature of “veiling of the Countenance,” to obscure and conceal the light and life-force that are derived from His “word,” blessed be He, so that it shall not reveal itself in a greater radiance than the lower worlds are capable of receiving. Hence it seems to them as if the light and life-force of the word of the Omnipresent, blessed is He, which is clothed in them, were something apart from His essence and being, blessed be He, and it only issues from Him, just as the speech of a human being [issues] from his soul.",
+ "Yet, in regard to the Holy One, blessed is He, no concealment or veil hides or obscures anything from Him, to Whom darkness is like light, as is written, “Even the darkness obscures nothing from You….” For all the “contractions” and “garments” are not things distinct from Him, Heaven forfend, but “like the snail, whose garment is part of his body” and as is written, “The L–rd, He is G–d,” as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "Therefore, in His Presence, all else is of no account whatsoever."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Yet, since “the Torah employs human language,” the “word” of the Omnipresent, blessed is He, is actually called “speech,” like the speech of a human being, for in truth it is so, by virtue of the descent and flow of the life-force to the lower planes, by means of many and powerful contractions of various kinds, in order that many diverse creatures be created from them.",
+ "Indeed, so great and powerful are the contractions and concealment of the Countenance that even unclean things, kelipot and sitra achara, can come into being and be created, receiving their life and existence from the Divine word and the breath of His mouth, blessed be He, in concealment of His Countenance and by virtue of the downward gradations.",
+ "Therefore are [the kelipot] called “other gods” (אלהים אחרים), for their nurture and life are not of the so-called “Countenance” but of the so-called “hinder-part” (אחוריים) of holiness; “hinder” exemplifying the act of a person giving something unwillingly to an enemy, when he throws it to him over his shoulder, as it were, having turned away his face from him since he hates him.",
+ "So, on high, the term “Countenance” exemplifies the inner quality of the Supernal Will and true desire, in which G–d delights to dispense life from the realm of holiness to everyone who is near to Him.",
+ "But the sitra achara, and unholiness, is “an abomination unto G–d which He hates,” and He does not give it life from His inner will and true desire as if He delighted in it, Heaven forbid, but in the manner of one who reluctantly throws something over his shoulder to his enemy; [He does so] only to punish the wicked and to give a goodly reward to the righteous who subjugate the sitra achara. This is [why it is] called the “hinder-part” of the Supernal Will.",
+ "Now, the Supernal Will, of the quality of “Countenance,” is the source of life which animates all worlds. But since it is in no way bestowed on the sitra achara, and even the so-called “hinder-part” of the Supernal Will is not actually clothed in it, but merely hovers over it from above, therefore it is the abode of death and defilement—may G–d preserve us! For the tiny amount of light and life that it derives and absorbs into itself from the so-called “hinder-part” of the supernal holiness is, as it were, in a state of actual exile in it, as an aspect of the esoteric doctrine of the exile of the Shechinah, referred to above.",
+ "Therefore, also, it is termed “other gods,” since it constitutes actual idolatry and denial of the unity of the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He. For inasmuch as the light and life of holiness are, as it were, in a state of exile, within it, it does not surrender itself in any degree to the holiness of the Holy One, blessed is He. On the contrary, it surges upward like an eagle, saying, “I am, and there is nothing besides me,” or as the utterance, “My river is mine, and I have made myself.”",
+ "That is why the rabbis, of blessed memory, said that arrogance truly compares with idolatry, for the essence and root of idolatry is that it is regarded as a thing in itself, sundered from the holiness of the Omnipresent; it does not imply an outright denial of G–d, as is stated in the Gemara that they [the heathens] call Him “the G–d of gods,” thus only presuming themselves also to be entities and independent beings. But thereby they separate themselves from the Omnipresent, blessed is He, since they do not surrender themselves to Him, blessed be He. For the supernal holiness rests only on what is surrendered to Him, blessed be He, as is explained above. Therefore they are called in the holy Zohar “peaks of separation.” But this constitutes a denial of His true unity, where everything is as nothing compared with Him and truly nullified before Him, blessed be He, and before His will, which animates them all and constantly gives them existence out of nothing."
+ ],
+ [
+ "In the light of all that has been said above, we can better understand and more fully and clearly elucidate the statement in the Zohar that “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are altogether one” and the commentary in the Tikkunim that “the 248 commandments are the 248 ‘organs’ of the King.”",
+ "The commandments constitute the innermost will of the Supreme One and His true desire which are clothed in all the upper and nether worlds, thereby giving them life, inasmuch as their very life and sustenance is dependent upon the performance of the commandments by the [creatures], in the lower world, as is known.",
+ "It follows that the performance of the commandments and their fulfillment is the innermost garment of the innermost will of the Supreme One, since it is due to this performance that the light and life of the Supernal Will issue forth to be clothed in the worlds. ",
+ "Hence they are called “organs” of the King as a figure of speech, for just as the organs of the human body are a garment for its soul and are completely and utterly surrendered to it, as evidenced from the fact that as soon as a person desires to stretch out his hand or foot, they obey his will immediately and forthwith, without any command or instruction to them and with no hesitation whatsoever, but in the very instant that he wills it; so, by way of example, is the life-force animating the performance of the commandments and their fulfillment completely surrendered to the Supernal Will which is clothed therein, becoming in relation to it like a body to a soul.",
+ "Likewise the external garment of the divine soul in the person fulfilling and practicing the commandment—this being its faculty of action—clothes itself in the vitality of the performance of the commandment, thus also becoming like a body in relation to the soul, the “soul” being the Supernal Will to which it is completely surrendered.",
+ "In this way, the organs of the human body which perform the commandment—in which the divine soul’s faculty of action is clothed at the time of the act and fulfillment of the commandment—truly become a vehicle for the Supernal Will; as, for example, the hand which distributes charity to the poor or performs another commandment or the feet which carry a person toward the performance of a commandment; similarly with the mouth and tongue engaged in uttering the words of the Torah or the brain engaged in reflecting on the words of the Torah or on the fear of Heaven or the greatness of G–d, blessed is He.",
+ "This is what the Sages meant when they said that the Patriarchs were truly the “chariot” of G–d, for all their organs were completely holy and detached from mundane matters, serving as a vehicle solely for the Supernal Will alone throughout their lives.",
+ "As for the thought and meditation—in the words of the Torah—that are in the brain, and the power of speech—engaged in the words of the Torah—that is in the mouth, these being the innermost garments of the divine soul, not to mention the divine soul itself which is clothed in them—all of them are completely merged in perfect unity with the Supernal Will and are not merely a vehicle. For the Supernal Will is identical with the very subject of the halachah wherein one thinks and speaks, inasmuch as all the laws are particular streams flowing from the innermost will of the Supreme One itself, for so it arose in His will, blessed be He, it that a particular act be permissible, or a food ritually fit for consumption, or this [person] inculpable and that entirely innocent, or the reverse. So also are the letter combinations of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings a promulgation of His will and wisdom which are united with the En Sof, blessed is He, in perfect unity, since He is the Knower and the Knowledge, and so forth.",
+ "This, then, is the meaning of the abovementioned quotation that “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are altogether One,” and not merely “organs” of the King as are the commandments.",
+ "Now, since at such time as a person occupies himself with the words of the Torah, the Supernal Will, united as it is in perfect unity with the En Sof, blessed is He, is completely manifest and in no way obscured in the divine soul and its innermost garments, i.e., its thought and speech—it follows that the soul and its garments are also at such time veritably united with the En Sof, blessed is He, in perfect unity, like the union of the “speech” and “thought” of the Holy One, blessed is He, with His essence and being, as mentioned above. For there is no separate thing except through “concealment of the Countenance” as explained there.",
+ "Moreover, their union is even of a higher and profounder order than the union of the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, with the upper worlds, since the Supernal Will is actually manifest in the soul and its garments when they are engaged in the Torah, because it is identical with the Torah, while all the supernal worlds receive their vitality from the light and life that are derived from the Torah, which is His will and wisdom, blessed be He, as it is written, “You have made them all with wisdom.” Thus, His wisdom, i.e., the Torah, is above them all, and it is identical with His will, blessed be He, which is described as “encompassing” all worlds, i.e., that aspect which cannot clothe itself within the worlds, but animates and illuminates in a transcending and encompassing manner. Yet, it [this very light] does clothe itself in the human soul and its garments in a truly manifest form, when the person occupies himself with the words of the Torah, even though he does not perceive it… [—this is what enables him to endure it, because he does not perceive it; it is otherwise, however, in the case of the upper spheres].",
+ "With the above in mind, it becomes clear why the study of the Torah excels so much over all other commandments, including even prayer, which is the unifying force of the upper spheres. [As for the ruling that one, whose study of the Torah is not his entire occupation, must interrupt his study for prayer, this is only because he pauses and interrupts his studies anyway.]",
+ "From this the intelligent man will be able to draw a sense of great awe as he occupies himself with the Torah, considering how his soul, and its “garments” in the brain and mouth, are truly merged in perfect unity with the Supernal Will and light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which are manifest in them, compared with which all the worlds, supernal and nether, are truly as nought and as a nonentity and nullity, so much so that the Divine light is not actually clothed in them, but merely surrounds all the worlds in a form of “encirclement,” as it were, in order to provide their essential source of life; only some glow which they can bear is clothed in them, in order that they should not revert to nought altogether.",
+ "This is the meaning of the verse, “And G–d commanded us [to do] all these statutes, in order to fear G–d….” [Regarding this “great fear” it was said, “If there is no wisdom, there is no fear,” and in relation to it the Torah is called “a gateway to the courtyard,” as is explained elsewhere.] However, not every mind can sustain such fear; yet even he whose mind cannot bear such fear at all, whether in whole or in part, because of the inferiority of his soul’s level in its root and source in the lower gradations of the ten sefirot of the World of Asiyah, nevertheless the lack of such fear is no obstacle to performance, as will be explained later."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Antithetically, the 365 prohibitive commandments of the Torah, as well as the Rabbinic injunctions, since they are contrary to His will and wisdom, blessed be He, and, indeed, the very opposite thereof, represent total and complete separation from His Unity and Oneness, blessed be He, the same as the sitra achara and kelipah which are called avodah zarah (idolatry) and “other gods” because of the “hiding of the Countenance” of the Supernal Will, as explained above.",
+ "Likewise the three “garments” of the nefesh stemming from the kelipat nogah in Jews, namely, thought, speech, and action, when clothed in the 365 prohibitive commands of the Torah, or in the Rabbinic injunctions, as also the essence of the nefesh itself which pervades these garments—all become actually united with the said sitra achara and kelipah, called avodah zarah.",
+ "Furthermore, they become subordinate and secondary to it [the kelipah], and considerably inferior and more debased than it. For the kelipah is not clothed in a corporeal body, and it knows its Master and is not rebellious against Him by any independent act of sending its evil messengers, G–d forbid, when not commissioned by the Omnipresent, blessed is He. Witness Balaam’s statement, “I cannot go beyond the word of G–d….”",
+ "And even though it is called avodah zarah, He is, at least, acknowledged as “the G–d of gods,” and the latter are utterly powerless to contravene His will, blessed be He, for they know and apprehend that He is their life and sustenance, since they derive their nurture from the so-called “hindermost part” of the the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, which encompasses them. It is only because their sustenance and inner life-source are, as it were, in “exile” within them that they presume to regard themselves as gods, which is a denial of His unity.",
+ "Nevertheless they are not so completely heretical as to deny G–d and to assert that He does not exist; only they regard Him as the “G–d of gods,” recognizing that their life and existence are [ultimately] derived and bestowed upon them from His will, blessed be He. Therefore they are never rebellious against His will, blessed be He.",
+ "If this be so, then the person who opposes His will, blessed be He, is exceedingly inferior to and more debased than the sitra achara and the kelipah, called avodah zarah and “strange gods,” and he is completely sundered from His Unity and Oneness, even more than they, as though denying His unity more radically than they, G–d forbid.",
+ "Compare what is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 42, end of ch. 4, that the evil which is in this material world “is the dregs of the coarse kelipot…hence the ultimate in the purifying process…therefore are all worldly things severe and evil, and the wicked prevail in it….”",
+ "This explains the commentary of our Sages, of blessed memory, on the verse, “If any man’s wife turn aside,” that “No person commits any transgression [unless a spirit of folly has entered into him].” For even an adulterous woman, with her frivolous nature, could have controlled her passionate drive, were it not for the spirit of folly in her which covers, obscures, and conceals the hidden love of her divine soul yearning to cleave to her faith in G–d, in His Unity and Oneness, and not to be parted, G–d forbid, even at the cost of her life, from His Unity, by idolatrous worship, G–d forbid, be it only by an outward acknowledgment, without any belief at all in her heart. Surely she could subdue the temptation and lust of adultery, which is lighter suffering than death, may G–d protect us!",
+ "But the distinction she makes between the interdict against adultery and that against bowing to an idol is also but a spirit of folly stemming from the kelipah which envelops the divine soul up to, but not including, its faculty of chochmah, because of the Divine light that is clothed in that faculty, as mentioned above.",
+ "The real truth, however, is that even in the case of a minor sin, the offender transgresses against the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, and is completely sundered from His Unity and Oneness, blessed be He, even more than the sitra achara and the kelipah, called “strange gods” and “idolatry,” and than all things that are derived therefrom in this world, namely, the unclean cattle and beasts, and unclean birds, and the abominable insects and reptiles. To quote: “the gnat was [created] ahead of You [man],” which means that even the gnat—which consumes but does not excrete and is the lowest kelipah and the most distant from holiness, which bestows benevolence even at the greatest distance—precedes the sinful man in the descending gradation and flow of life from the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He. All the more so the other unclean living creatures, and even the fierce beasts, all of which do not deflect from their purpose but obey His command, blessed be He, even though they cannot perceive it…. To quote further, “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth,” eliciting the commentary of our Sages, of blessed memory, that “no evil beast defies a human being unless he appears to it like an animal.” While confronting the righteous, from whose face the Divine image never departs, the evil beasts are humbled before them, as is stated in the Zohar of Daniel in the lions’ den.",
+ "It is, therefore, clear that he who sins and transgresses against His will, blessed be He, even in a minor offense, is, at the time he commits it, more completely removed from the Supreme Holiness, namely His Unity and Oneness, blessed be He, than all the unclean living creatures and abominable insects and reptiles which derive their sustenance from the sitra achara and the kelipah of “idolatry.”",
+ "As for the principle that saving a life overrides certain prohibitions, and the circumstances when the law calls for the commission of a transgression so as to escape death—this is in accordance with the explanation of our Sages, of blessed memory, that “the Torah declares, ‘violate one Shabbat for him, that he may observe many Shabbats,’” and not because of the relative lenity or gravity of the sins.",
+ "[This is supported by the fact that the violation of Shabbat is extremely grave and comparable with idolatry in relation to the law of animal slaughtering by one who is a habitual transgressor of any particular Jewish precept, as codified in Yoreh Deah, Sect. II, unlike the case of one whose particular willful sin is that of incest. Nevertheless, when it is a question of saving a life, the prohibitions of Shabbat are suspended, but never those of incest. Rather, it is a Scriptural decree.]",
+ "After the sinful act, however, if it belongs to the category of sins the penalty for which is neither karet (spiritual extinction) nor death by Divine visitation, in which case the divine soul does not entirely perish and is not completely cut off from its root in the living G–d, except that through this sin its attachment to, and connection with, its root has been weakened somewhat—",
+ "NOTE: According to the extent and specific nature of the blemish [thus caused] in the soul and in its roots in the upper spheres are the various so-called purifying processes and retributions in Purgatory, or in this world—an appropriate retribution for each transgression and sin, in order to cleanse and remove the stain and blemish. Nor is the blemish always identical in the case of transgressions punishable by death or spiritual extinction (karet).",
+ "in that case his vitalizing animal soul which is clothed in the body, and also his body, return and rise from the sitra achara and kelipah and draw closer to the holiness of the divine soul that pervades them, which believes in One G–d, and remains faithful to Him even at the time when the sin is committed, except that it is then in a state of veritable “exile,” as it were, within the animal soul of the sitra achara which has caused the body to sin and has dragged it down with itself into the depths of Sheol, far down beneath the defilement of the sitra achara and kelipah of “idolatry”—may G–d preserve us!",
+ "What greater exile can there be than this, “[a plunge] from a high roof [to a deep pit]!” For, as has been previously explained, that the root and source of all Jewish souls is in the supreme wisdom, and He and His wisdom are one and the same….",
+ "It is comparable, by way of example, to one who seizes the king’s head, drags it down, and dips his face in a privy full of filth, from which there is no greater outrage, even if he does it only for a moment. For the kelipot and sitra achara are called “vomit and filth,” as is known."
+ ],
+ [
+ "This, then, is the meaning of the Scriptural text, “For it is exceedingly near to you do….” For at any time and moment a person is capable and free to rid himself of the spirit of folly and forgetfulness and to recollect and awaken his love of the One G–d which is certainly latent in his heart, without any doubt.",
+ "This is the meaning of the words “in your heart.” Included therein is also fear, that is, the dread of separation in any way from His Unity and Oneness, blessed be He, even at the price of life itself and without reason and logic, but purely by virtue of one’s divine nature.",
+ "All the more so where it involves merely the suppression of one’s appetites, which is easier than the pangs of death. This thing, i.e., repressing his evil inclination, is easier by far, both in the category of “turning away from evil” [and that of “doing good”], even when it concerns a minor prohibition laid down by the Scribes, so as not to transgress against His will, blessed be He, since at the time of its commission he is thereby sundered from His Unity and Oneness just as much as committing actual idolatry. As for repenting afterward, he can do this regarding idolatry, too.",
+ "To be sure, “He who says, ‘I will sin and repent afterward’ is not given an opportunity to do so.” But this means that such a sinner is not granted the auspicious occasion to repent. If, however, he has seized the opportunity himself and has repented, “Nothing can stand in the way of repentance.”",
+ "Nonetheless every Jew is prepared and ready to suffer martyrdom for the sanctification of G–d’s Name and will not commit an idolatrous act, even temporarily, with the intention of repenting afterward. This is because of the divine light which is clothed in his soul, as explained above, which does not come within the realm of time at all, but transcends it, having rule and dominion over it, as is known.",
+ "Likewise in the category of “doing good”—to bestir oneself like a lion with might and stoutheartedness against the [evil] nature which weighs down his body and casts sloth over him from the so-called element of “earth” in the animal soul, restraining him from zealously exerting his body with all kinds of effort and perseverance in the service of G–d entailing effort and toil, such as laboring in the Torah with deep concentration, as well as orally, so that his mouth shall not cease from study. To quote the Rabbis, of blessed memory, “One should always submit to the words of the Torah like the ox to the yoke and the ass to the load.” So, too, in relation to devout prayer with the utmost intensity. Likewise with regard to serving G–d in money matters, such as the duty of charity and the like, ",
+ "duties which involve coming to grips with the evil nature seeking means of deception to dissuade the person from dissipating his money and physical health. It is very easy for a person to restrain and subjugate his nature when he considers deeply that to conquer his nature in all the above, and more, and even to do the very opposite, is by far less painful than the pangs of death—may G–d preserve us! Yet he would have accepted the pangs of death—preserve us G–d!—lovingly and willingly, only not to be parted from His Unity and Oneness, blessed be He, even for a moment by an act of idolatry, G–d forbid.",
+ "All the more lovingly and willingly must he accept upon himself to cleave to Him forever. For by fulfilling His Will, blessed be He—by means of such service there will be revealed in it the innermost will of the Supreme One in a manner of “Countenance” and great revelation, without obscurity whatsoever, and when there is no “hiding of the Countenance” of the Supernal Will, there is no separation whatsoever and nothing can have a separate and independent existence of its own.",
+ "Thus his soul, both the divine and vivifying, together with their garments, will be united in a perfect unity with the Supernal Will and the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, as has been explained above.",
+ "This union is eternal in the upper spheres, for He, blessed be He, and His will are above time, and so is His revealed will, manifest in His word which is the Torah, eternal, as is written, “But the word of G–d shall stand forever,” and “His words are living and enduring…,” and “He will not alter or change His Law forever….”",
+ "However, here below, [the union] is within the limits of time, persisting only during such time when one is occupied in the study of Torah or in the performance of a commandment. For afterward, if he engages in anything else, he is here below separated from the Higher Unity. This is so when he occupies himself with altogether vain things which are utterly useless for the Divine service.",
+ "Nevertheless, should he later repent and return to the service of G–d, to Torah and prayer, and ask forgiveness of G–d for not having engaged in the Torah when he could have done so, G–d will pardon him. To quote the rabbis: “If one has transgressed against a positive precept but has repented, he is pardoned on the spot.”",
+ "Therefore they instituted the blessing of “Forgive us” to be recited three times daily for the sin of neglecting the Torah, a sin which no one can escape each day. Similarly the daily burnt-offering used to bring atonement for neglect of the positive precepts.",
+ "This is not the same as saying, “I will sin and repent afterward,” unless at the time he is committing the sin he relies on subsequent repentance and sins because of it, as explained elsewhere.",
+ "In the light of the above, it will be understood why our teacher Moses, peace be upon him, in Deuteronomy commanded the generation that was to enter the Land of Israel to recite the Shema twice daily to acknowledge the Kingdom of Heaven with self-sacrifice, although he had promised them, “The L–rd your G–d will cast your dread and fear upon all the land.” The reason is that the fulfillment of the Torah and its commandments is dependent on being constantly aware of one’s readiness to surrender one’s life to G–d for His Unity’s sake, so that this awareness be permanently fixed in one’s heart and not depart from one’s memory night and day. For in this way is one able to face one’s evil nature and vanquish it always, at any time or moment, as has been explained."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Truly this should be made known as a cardinal principle, that as with a victory over a physical obstacle, such as in the case of two individuals who are wrestling with each other, each striving to throw the other—if one is lazy and sluggish he will easily be defeated and thrown, even though he be stronger than the other, exactly so is it in the conquest of one’s evil nature; it is impossible to conquer it with laziness and heaviness, which originate in sadness and in a heart that is dulled like a stone, but rather with alacrity which derives from joy and from a heart that is free and cleansed from any trace of worry and sadness in the world.",
+ "As for what is written, “In every sadness there is profit,” which means that some profit and advantage would be derived from it, the phrase, on the contrary, indicates that sadness in itself has no virtue, except that some profit is derived and experienced from it, namely, the true joy in the L–rd G–d which follows from genuine anguish over one’s sins at propitious moments with bitterness of soul and a broken heart. For thereby the spirit of impurity and of the sitra achara is broken, as also the iron wall that separates him from his Father in Heaven, as is commented in the Zohar on the verse, “A broken and a contrite heart, G–d, You will not disdain”; then will be fulfilled in him the preceding verses: “Let me hear joy and gladness…. Restore to me the joy of Your deliverance, and uphold me with a spirit of magnanimity.”",
+ "This is the simple reason why the Arizal instituted the recital of this Psalm after the Midnight Prayer, before commencing study, in order to study with the true joy in G–d which succeeds remorse. For such joy has an excellence similar to that of a light emerging from the very darkness, as is written in the Zohar on the verse, “And I saw that wisdom surpasses folly, as the light surpasses darkness.” Note there, and it will suffice for him who understands.",
+ "Furthermore, Scripture states it explicitly: “Because you did not serve the L–rd your G–d with joyfulness…”—and everyone is familiar with the commentary of the Arizal on this verse.",
+ "The following is sound counsel as to how to cleanse one’s heart of all sadness and of every trace of worry about mundane matters, even about children, health, and sustenance. Everyone is familiar with the statement of the Rabbis that “Just as one must recite a blessing for the good, [one must also recite a blessing for misfortune].” In the Gemara it is explained that one should accept [misfortune] with joy, like the joy of a visible and obvious benefit, for “this is also for the good,” except that it is not apparent and visible to mortal eyes because it stems from the “hidden world” which is higher than the “revealed world,” the latter emanating from the letters vav and hey of the Name of Havaya, whereas the “hidden world” represents the letters yud and hey. Hence the meaning of the verse, “Fortunate is the man whom You chastise, O L–rd.”",
+ "Therefore, the rabbis, of blessed memory, commented that it is to those who rejoice in their afflictions that the verse refers: “But they that love Him shall be as the sun going forth in its might.” For this is the joy of desiring the nearness of G–d more than anything in the life of this world, as is written, “For Your kindness is better than life…,” and the nearness of G–d is infinitely stronger and more sublime in the “hidden world,” for “The concealment of His strength is there,” and “The Most High abides in secrecy.” Therefore, [the man who accepts affliction with joy] merits [to see] the “sun going forth in its might”—in the World to Come, i.e., the sun emerging from its sheath in which it is enclosed in this world. But in the World to Come it will appear out of its covering, meaning that then the “hidden world” will be revealed and will shine and send forth light in a great and intense revelation to those who had taken refuge in Him in this world and had taken shelter under His “shadow”—the shadow of wisdom (chochmah), i.e., in the sense of “shade” as differing from light and revealed goodness. Suffice it for him who understands.",
+ "As for the sadness which is connected with heavenly matters, one must seek ways and means of freeing oneself from it, to say nothing of the time of Divine service, when one must serve G–d with gladness and a joyful heart. But even if he is a man of commerce and worldly affairs, should there enter into him any melancholy or anxiety about heavenly matters during the time of his business affairs, it is clearly a machination of evil impulse in order to lure him afterward into lusts, G–d forbid, as is known. For were it not so, whence would a genuine sadness, which is one that is derived from love or fear of G–d, come to him in the midst of his business affairs?",
+ "Thus, whether the melancholy encroaches on him during Divine service, in study or prayer, or not during Divine service, he should tell himself that now is not the time for genuine anxiety, not even for worry over serious transgressions, G–d forbid. For, for this, one needs appointed times and a propitious occasion, with calmness of mind to reflect on the greatness of G–d, against Whom one has sinned, so that thereby one’s heart may truly be rent with sincere contrition.",
+ "It is explained elsewhere when this time should be, and it is there explained also that as soon as his heart has been broken during these specific occasions, he should forthwith completely remove the sorrow from his heart and believe with a perfect faith that G–d has removed his sin in His abundant forgiveness. This is the true joy in G–d which comes after the remorse, as mentioned above."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Should the sadness, however, not come from worry over sins, but from evil thoughts and desires that enter his mind—if they enter not during Divine service but while he is occupied with his own affairs and with mundane matters and the like, he should, on the contrary, be happy in his portion in that, though they enter his mind, he averts his mind from them in order to fulfill the injunction, “And you will not follow after your heart and after your eyes by which you go astray.”",
+ "The verse does not speak of the righteous, to refer to them as “going astray,” G–d forbid, but of benonim (intermediates) like him, in whose mind do enter erotic thoughts whether of an innocent nature…; when he averts his mind from them, he is fulfilling this injunction. Indeed, the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said, “He who has passively abstained from committing a sin receives a reward as though he had performed a precept.” Consequently, he should rejoice at his compliance with the injunction as when performing an actual positive precept.",
+ "On the contrary, such sadness is due to conceit in that he does not recognize his position. Hence he is sad at heart because he has not attained the rank of a tzaddik, inasmuch as the righteous are certainly not troubled by such foolish thoughts. For had he recognized his station, that he is very far from the rank of a tzaddik and would that he be a benoni and not a wicked person even for a single moment throughout his life—then, surely, this is the quality of the benonim and their service: To subdue the evil impulse and thought rising from the heart to the brain and completely to avert the mind therefrom, thrusting the temptation away with both hands, as has been explained earlier.",
+ "And with every thrust wherewith he expels it from his mind, the sitra achara down below is suppressed, and, since the “stimulus from below causes a stimulus from above,” the sitra achara above which soars like an eagle is also suppressed, in accordance with Scripture, “Though you exalt yourself as the eagle…from there I will bring you down, says the L–rd.”",
+ "Thus the Zohar, Parashat Terumah [p. 128] extolls the great satisfaction before Him, blessed be He, when the sitra achara is subdued here below, for then the glory of the Holy One, blessed is He, rises above all, more than by any praise, and this ascent is greater than all else, and so forth.",
+ "Therefore, no person should feel depressed, nor should his heart become exceedingly troubled, even though he be engaged all his days in this conflict, for perhaps because of this was he created and this is his service—constantly to subjugate the sitra achara.",
+ "It is concerning this that Job said, “You have created wicked men”—not that they shall actually be wicked, G–d forbid, but that they shall share the temptations of the wicked in their thoughts and meditations alone and that they shall eternally wage war to avert their minds from them in order to subdue the sitra achara; yet they would not be able to annihilate it completely, for that is accomplished by the tzaddikim.",
+ "For there are two kinds of gratification before Him, blessed be He: one, from the complete annihilation of the sitra achara and the conversion of bitter to sweet and of darkness to light by the tzaddikim; the second, when the sitra achara is subdued while it is still at its strongest and most powerful and soars like an eagle, whence the L–rd brings her down through the effort of the benonim below.",
+ "This is indicated in the verse, “And make me delicacies such as I love.” The word mataamim (delicacies) is in the plural to indicate two kinds of gratification, and the words are those of the Shechinah to her children, the community of Israel, as explained in the Tikkunim. The analogy is to material food, where there are two kinds of relishes: one of sweet and luscious foods, and the other of tart or sour articles of food which have been well spiced and garnished so that they are made into delicacies which revive the soul.",
+ "This is what is alluded to in the verse, “The L–rd made everything for His sake; also the wicked for the day of evil,” meaning that the wicked man shall repent of his evil and turn his evil into “day” and light above, when the sitra achara is subdued and the glory of the Holy One, blessed is He, is brought forth on high.",
+ "Moreover, even in the case of things that are fully permissible, the more of his impulse that a man sacrifices, even if only for a while, with the intention of subduing the sitra achara in the left part—as, for example, when he wants to eat but postpones his meal for an hour or less, and during that time he occupies himself in the Torah, as is stated in the Gemara that the fourth hour is the time when all men eat, but the sixth hour is the time when scholars eat, because they used to starve themselves for two hours with this intention, although after the meal, also, they studied all day;",
+ "so, too, if he restrains his mouth from uttering words that his heart longs to express concerning mundane matters; likewise with the thoughts of his mind, even in the least way, whereby the sitra achara is subdued below—the glory and holiness of the Holy One, blessed is He, goes forth above to a great extent, and from this holiness issues a sublime holiness on man below to assist him with a great and powerful aid in serving Him, Who is blessed.",
+ "This is also what the Rabbis meant, “If a man consecrates himself in a small measure down below, he is sanctified much more from above,” apart from his having fulfilled the positive commandment of the Torah, “Sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy” by dedicating himself [through abstemiousness] in permissible things.",
+ "The meaning of “sanctify yourselves” is “you shall make yourselves holy,” that is to say, although in truth one is not holy and separated from the sitra achara, for it is at its strength and might, as at its birth, in the left part, yet one subdues his evil impulse and sanctifies himself—then “you shall be holy,” that is to say, in the end one will be truly holy and separated from the sitra achara, by virtue of being sanctified in a great measure from above, and being helped to expel it from his heart little by little."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Even if there occur to him lustful imaginations or other extraneous thoughts during Divine service, in Torah or in devout prayer, he must not let his heart dwell on them but must immediately avert his mind from them.",
+ "Nor should he be foolish by attempting to sublimate the middot of the extraneous thought, as is known. For such things were meant only for tzaddikim, in whom extraneous thoughts do not occur of their own making, but those of others. But as for him whose extraneous thought is his own, from the aspect of evil that is in the left part of his heart, how can he raise it up when he himself is bound below?",
+ "Nevertheless he must not be downcast at heart and feel dejected and despicable during Divine service, which should be with great joy. On the contrary, he should draw fresh strength and intensify [his] effort with all his power to concentrate on the prayer with increased joy and gladness in the realization that the foreign thought that had invaded his heart comes from the kelipah in the left part, which, in the case of the benoni, wages war with the divine soul within him.",
+ "For it is known that the way of combatants, as of wrestlers, is that when one is gaining the upper hand, the other likewise strives to prevail with all the resources of his strength. Therefore, when the divine soul exerts itself and summons its strength for prayer, the kelipah also gathers strength at such time to confuse her and topple her by means of a foreign thought of its own.",
+ "This refutes the error commonly held by people, who mistakenly deduce from the occurrence of the foreign thought that this proves their prayer to be worthless, for if one prayed as is fitting and proper, no foreign thoughts would have occurred to him. What they say would be true if there were only one single soul, the same that prays as well as thinks and fancies the foreign thoughts.",
+ "The real truth, however, is that there are two souls, waging war one against the other in the person’s mind, each one wishing and desiring to rule over him and pervade his mind exclusively. Thus all thoughts of Torah and the fear of Heaven come from the divine soul, while all mundane matters come from the animal soul, except that the divine soul is clothed in it.",
+ "This is like the example of a person praying with devotion, while facing him there stands a wicked heathen who chats and speaks to him in order to confuse him. Surely the thing to do in such a case would be not to answer him good or evil, but rather to pretend to be deaf without hearing and to comply with the verse, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest even you become like him.”",
+ "Similarly, he must answer nothing, nor engage in any argument and counterargument with the foreign thought, for he who wrestles with a filthy person is bound to become soiled himself. Rather should he adopt an attitude as if he neither knows nor hears the thoughts that have befallen him; he must remove them from his mind and strengthen still more the power of his concentration.",
+ "However, if he finds it hard to dismiss them from his mind, because they distract his mind with great intensity, then he should humble his spirit before G–d and supplicate Him in his thought to have compassion upon him in His abundant mercies, as a father who takes pity on his children who stem from his brain; so may G–d have pity on his soul which is derived from Him Who is blessed and deliver it from the “turbulent waters”; for His sake He will do it, for verily “His people is a part of the L–rd.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "There is yet an additional aspect that the benonim must contend with, namely, that occasionally and even frequently they experience a dullness of the heart, which becomes like a stone, and the person is unable, try as he might, to open his heart to the “service of the heart,” namely, prayer.",
+ "Also, at times, he is unable to wage war against the evil impulse, so as to sanctify himself in the things that are permissible, because of the heaviness that is in his heart.",
+ "In this case, the advice given in the holy Zohar is, as the president of the Heavenly Academy said in Gan Eden: “A wooden beam that will not catch fire should be splintered…a body into which the light of the soul does not penetrate should be crushed….”",
+ "The reference to the “light of the soul” is that the light of the soul and of the intellect does not illuminate to such an extent as to prevail over the coarseness of the body.",
+ "For although he understands and contemplates in his mind on the greatness of G–d, this is not apprehended and implanted in his mind to a degree that would enable him to prevail over the coarseness of the heart because of [the nature of] this coarseness and crassness, the cause being the arrogance of the kelipah, which exalts itself above the light of the holiness of the divine soul, obscuring and darkening the light thereof.",
+ "Therefore one must crush it and cast it down to the ground, that is to say, by setting aside appointed times for humbling oneself and considering oneself despicable and contemptible, as is written, “A broken heart, a broken spirit”—this is the sitra achara, which is the very man himself in benonim (intermediates), in whose heart the vital soul which animates the body is in its native strength; hence it is the very man himself.",
+ "Whereas with regard to the divine soul within him it is said, “The soul which You have given within me is pure.” Note the words “which You have given within me,” implying that man himself is not [identified with] the pure soul—except in the case of tzaddikim, in whom the contrary is true, namely, that the “pure soul,” i.e., the divine soul, is the man, while their body is called “The flesh of man.”",
+ "Compare the statement of Hillel the Elder to his disciples, who, when going to eat, used to say that he was going to perform an act of kindness to the “lowly and poor creature,” by which he meant his body, which he regarded as if it were foreign to him. Therefore he used the expression that he was “performing an act of kindness” toward it in giving it food, because he himself was nothing else but the divine soul, since it alone animated his body and flesh inasmuch as in the tzaddikim the evil that was in the vital soul pervading his blood and flesh, had been transformed into good and absorbed into the very holiness of the divine soul.",
+ "With a benoni, however, since the substance and essence of the vitalizing animal soul, which is derived from the sitra achara and pervades his blood and flesh, has not been transformed into good, it surely constitutes the man himself. ",
+ "If so, he is removed from G–d with utmost remoteness, for the lusting drive in his animal soul is capable of lusting also after forbidden things which are contrary to His will, blessed be He, even though he does not crave their actual fulfillment, G–d forbid; yet they are not truly scorned by him as by the tzaddikim, as explained above [ch. 12]. In this he is inferior and more loathsome and abominable than unclean animals and insects and reptiles, as is mentioned above and as is written, “But I am a worm, and not a man….”",
+ "[Even when his divine soul gathers strength within him to arouse his love of G–d during prayer, this is not altogether genuine, since it is transient and vanishes after prayer, as has been discussed earlier, end of ch. 13.]",
+ "Especially so, if he calls to mind the contamination of his soul with the sin of youth, and the blemish he has wrought in the supernal worlds—where everything is timeless, and it is as if he had caused his blemish and defilement this very day, G–d forbid.",
+ "And although he had sincerely repented already, yet the essence of repentance is in the heart, and in the heart are found many distinctions and gradations, and everything is according to what kind of a man he is and according to the time and place, as is known to the knowing.",
+ "Consequently now, at this time, when he regards himself and sees that “the light of the soul does not penetrate into him,” it is evident that today his repentance has not been accepted, and his sins [still] separate him, or that it is desired to raise him to a more sublime level of repentance, coming more deeply from the heart. Therefore King David said, “And my sin is always before me.”",
+ "And even he who is innocent of the grievous sins of youth should set his heart to fulfill the counsel of the holy Zohar to be of the “masters of accounts,” that is to say, he should keep a reckoning with his soul regarding all the thoughts, utterances, and actions that have come and gone since he came into being and until the present day, as to whether they all came from the direction of holiness or from the direction of impurity—the L–rd deliver us!—these being all the thoughts, utterances, and actions that are not [dedicated] to G–d and His will and service, for this is the meaning of sitra achara, as has been explained above [ch. 6].",
+ "And it is known that every time a person thinks holy thoughts, he becomes at that time a “vehicle” for the hechalot (chambers) of holiness, whence these thoughts originate, and vice versa, becoming at that time an unclean “vehicle” for the hechalot of impurity, whence all impure thoughts originate. So, too, with speech and action.",
+ "In addition, he must earnestly remember that most of his dreams are vanity and affliction of the spirit, because his soul does not rise upward, as it is written, “Who may ascend the mountain of the L–rd? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” But “those originating from the evil side, come and attach themselves to him and report to him in his dreams of mundane affairs…and often mock him and show him false things and torment him in his dreams,” and so on, as stated in the Zohar on Vayikra [p. 25a, b]. See it there discussed at length.",
+ "The longer he will reflect on these matters in his thoughts, delving deeply also into books, in order to break down his heart within him and render himself shamed and despised in his own eyes, as is written in the Scriptures, so utterly despised that he despises his very life—the more he despises and degrades thereby the sitra achara, casting it down to the ground and humbling it from its haughtiness and pride and self-exaltation, wherewith it exalts itself over the light of the holiness of the divine soul, obscuring its effulgence.",
+ "He must also thunder against it with a strong and raging voice in order to humble it, as the Rabbis state, “A person should always rouse the good impulse against the evil impulse, as it is written, ‘Rage, and do not sin.’” That is to say, one must rage against the animal soul, which is his evil impulse, with stormy indignation in his mind, saying to it: “You are truly evil and wicked, abominable, loathsome, and disgraceful,” and likewise with all the epithets by which our Sages, of blessed memory, have called it, “How long will you conceal the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which pervades all the worlds; which was, is, and will be the same, including also this place where I stand, just as the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, was alone before the world was created, without any change, as is written, ‘For I, the L–rd, have not changed,’ for He transcends time, and so forth? But you, who are repulsive, and so forth, deny the truth, which is plain to see, by physical sight, that everything in His presence is truly like nothing at all.”",
+ "In this way he will help his divine soul to enlighten her eyes with the truth of the unity of the light of the En Sof with a perceptive vision and not merely by cognition alone, as it were, as is explained elsewhere that this is the core of the whole [Divine] service.",
+ "And the explanation is that in truth there is no substance whatsoever in the sitra achara, wherefore it is compared to darkness which has no substance whatsoever and consequently is banished in the presence of light. Similarly the sitra achara which, although it possesses abundant vitality wherewith to animate all impure animals and the souls of the nations of the world, and also the animal soul of the Jew, as has been explained, nevertheless has no vitality of its own, G–d forbid, but [derives it] from the realm of holiness, as has been explained above. Therefore it is completely nullified in the presence of holiness, as darkness is nullified before physical light, except that in regard to the holiness of the divine soul in man, the Holy One, blessed is He, has given [the animal soul] permission and ability to raise itself against [the divine soul] in order that man should be challenged to overcome it and to humble it by means of the humility and submission of his spirit and his abhorring in himself that which is despicable.",
+ "And “through the impulse from below comes an impulse from Above,” to fulfill what is written, “From there I will bring you down, says the L–rd,” namely, depriving it of its dominion and power and withdrawing from it the strength and authority which had been given it to rise up against the light of the holiness of the divine soul, whereupon it inevitably becomes nullified and is banished, just as darkness is nullified before physical light.",
+ "Indeed, we find this explicitly stated in the Torah in connection with the Spies who, at the outset declared, “For it is stronger than we”—“Read not ‘than we,’ but ‘than He,’” etc., for they had no faith in G–d’s ability. But afterward they reversed themselves and announced, “We will readily go up….” From where did their faith in G–d’s ability return to them? Our teacher Moses, peace unto him, had not meanwhile shown them any sign or wonder concerning this. He had only told them that the L–rd was angry with them and had sworn not to allow them to enter the Land. Why should this have influenced them, and of what avail was this to them, if they did not believe, Heaven forfend, in the L–rd’s ability to subdue the thirty-one kings, for which reason they had no desire whatsoever to enter the Land?",
+ "But undoubtedly, since the Israelites themselves are “believers, the descendants of believers,” except that the sitra achara—which is clothed in their bodies—had risen against the light of the holiness of their divine soul, in her impudent haughtiness and arrogance, without sense or reason—now, therefore, as soon as the L–rd had become angered against them and thundered angrily, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation…. Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness…. I the L–rd have spoken, I will surely do this to the entire evil congregation,” their heart was humbled and broken within them when they heard these stern words, as is written, “And the people mourned greatly.” Consequently, the sitra achara toppled from its dominion, from its haughtiness and arrogance, leaving the Israelites to their inborn faith.",
+ "From the above, every person in whose mind enter doubts as to [his] faith can deduce that they are nothing more than empty words of the sitra achara, which raises itself against his soul. But the Israelites themselves are believers….",
+ "Furthermore, the sitra achara itself entertains no doubts about faith, except that she has been given permission to confuse man with words of falsehood and deceit in order that he may acquire greater rewards, as the harlot seeks to seduce the king’s son with falsehood and deceit, with the king’s approval, as [in the parable] mentioned in the holy Zohar."
+ ],
+ [
+ "This also a person must resolve in his heart to fulfill the instruction of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, “And be humble of spirit before every person.” This you must be in true sincerity, in the presence of any individual, even in the presence of the most worthless of worthless men. This accords with the instruction of our Sages, “Do not judge your fellow man until you have stood in his place.”",
+ "For it is his “place” that causes him to sin, because his livelihood requires him to go to the market for the whole day and to be one of those who “sit at the [street] corners,” where his eyes behold all the temptations; the eye sees and the heart desires, and his evil nature is kindled like a baker’s red-hot oven, as is written in Hosea, “He burns like a flaming fire….”",
+ "It is different, however, with him who goes but little to the marketplace and who remains in his house for the greater part of the day; or even if he spends the whole day in the market but is possibly not so passionate by nature—for the evil inclination of all people is not the same: there is one whose nature…, as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "In truth, however, even he whose nature is extremely passionate and whose livelihood obliges him to sit all day at the [street] corners has no excuse whatsoever for his sins, and he is termed an utter evildoer (rasha gamur) because there is no dread of G–d before his eyes.",
+ "For he should have controlled himself and restrained the impulse of his desire in his heart because of the fear of G–d Who sees all actions, as has been explained above, for the mind has supremacy over the heart by nature.",
+ "It is indeed a great and fierce struggle to break one’s passion, which burns like a fiery flame, through fear of G–d; it is like an actual test.",
+ "Therefore, each person according to his place and rank in the service of G–d must weigh and examine his position as to whether he is serving G–d in a manner commensurate with the dimensions of such a fierce battle and test—in the realm of “do good,” as, for example, in the service of prayer with kavanah (devotion), pouring out his soul before G–d with his entire strength, to the point of exhaustion of the soul, while waging war against his body and animal soul within it which impede his devotion, a strenuous war to beat and grind them like dust, each day before the morning and evening prayers. Also during prayer he needs to exert himself, with the exertion of the spirit and of the flesh, as will be explained later at length.",
+ "Anyone who has not reached this standard of waging such strenuous war against his body has not yet measured up to the quality and dimension of the war waged by one’s evil nature which burns like a fiery flame, that it be humbled and broken by dread of G–d.",
+ "So, too, in the matter of Grace after meals and all benedictions, whether those connected with the partaking of food or with the performance of precepts, [to be recited] with kavanah, to say nothing of the kavanah of precepts “for their own sake.”",
+ "So, too, in the matter of one’s occupation in the study of the Torah, to learn much more than his innate or accustomed desire, and inclination, by virtue of a strenuous struggle with his body.",
+ "For to study a fraction more than is one’s wont is but a small tussle which neither parallels nor bears comparison with the war of one’s evil impulse burning like fire, he is called utterly wicked (rasha gamur) if he does not conquer his impulse so that it be subdued and crushed before G–d.",
+ "For, what difference is there between the category of “turn away from evil” and that of “do good”? Both are the command of the Holy King, the One and Only, blessed is He.",
+ "So, too, with the other commandments, especially in matters involving money, as the service of charity (tzedakah) and the like.",
+ "Even in the category of “turn away from evil,” every intelligent person can discover within himself that he does not turn aside from evil completely and in every respect where a hard battle at a level such as described above is called for, or even on a lesser level than the aforementioned: for example, to stop in the middle of a pleasant gossip, or in the middle of a tale discrediting his fellow, even though it be a very small slur, and even though it be true, and even when the purpose is to exonerate oneself—as is known from what Rabbi Simeon said to his father, our saintly teacher, “I did not write it, but Judah the tailor wrote it,” when his father replied, “Keep away from slander.” [Note there, in the Gemara, beginning of ch.10 of Bava Batra.]",
+ "The same applies to very many similar things which occur frequently, especially with regard to sanctifying oneself in permissible things, an enactment based on the Biblical text, “You shall be holy…” and “Sanctify yourselves….” Moreover, “Rabbinic enactments are even stricter than Biblical enactments,” and so forth.",
+ "But all these and similar ones are of the sins which a person tramples underfoot and has come to regard as permissible in consequence of repeated transgression, and so on.",
+ "In truth, however, if he is a scholar and upholds the Law of G–d and wishes to be close to G–d, his sin is very great and his guilt is increased manifold in that he does not wage war and does not overcome his impulse in a manner commensurate with the quality and nature of the intense battle mentioned above, than the guilt of the most worthless of worthless men of the corner-squatters who are removed from G–d and His Torah, whose guilt is not as heinous—in not restraining their impulse which burns like a fiery flame by means of the dread of G–d, Who knows and sees all their deeds—as the guilt of the person who is ever so close to G–d, His Torah, and His service. As the Rabbis, of blessed memory, said about Acher, “For he knew My glory….”",
+ "Therefore the Rabbis declared in regard to the illiterate that “deliberate infringements [of the Law] are regarded, in their case, as inadvertent acts.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "Even if by prolonging the deep concentration on the aforementioned matters for an hour or two in order to acquire a humble spirit and a contrite heart, the individual will lapse into a profound dejection, he should not worry.",
+ "For although sadness stems from the realm of kelipat nogah and not from that of holiness, since in regard to holiness it is written, “Strength and gladness are in His place,” and “the Divine Presence (Shechinah) abides only in joy…as is the case also in the study of halachah,” and so on, except that if the sadness comes from reflections about celestial [i.e., spiritual] things, it is derived from the realm of goodness that is in nogah",
+ "[hence the Arizal wrote that even worry about sins is only fitting during confession but not during prayer and Torah study, which should be conducted with joy derived from the side of holiness, exclusively]—",
+ "Nevertheless, the method of subduing the sitra achara is on the latter’s own ground, as the Rabbis of blessed memory have said, “From the forest itself is taken the axe wherewith to fell it,” and “He met his equal.”",
+ "With regard to this it is written, “In every sadness there is profit,” the profit being the joy that follows the sadness, as will be explained later.",
+ "In truth, however, a contrite heart and the bitterness of the soul—because of its remoteness from the light of the Divine Countenance and its being clothed in the sitra achara—are not called atzvut (dejection) in the sacred tongue, for atzvut implies that the heart is dull like a stone and is devoid of vitality. But in the case of merirut (bitterness) and a broken heart, the contrary is surely true—there is vitality in the heart fermenting agitation and bitterness, except that this vitality stems from the attribute of the holy gevurot (severity), whereas joy comes from the attribute of chasadim (kindness), for the heart is comprised of them both.",
+ "Thus it is sometimes necessary to awaken the attribute of the holy gevurot in order to ameliorate the stern judgments, arising from the animal soul and evil nature, when triumphing, Heaven forfend, over man. For the stern judgments can be sweetened only at their source. Therefore the Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that “a person should always rouse the good impulse,” that is, whenever he perceives in his soul that he is in need of it.",
+ "But the propitious time, which is the time specifically fitting for the majority of people, is when one is in any case troubled by mundane worries, or, simply, without apparent cause. Then is the appropriate time to transform the sadness by becoming one of those “masters of account” mentioned earlier and to act on the counsel of the Rabbis that “[a person should] always rouse…,” as has been mentioned above. Thereby will he rid himself of the dejection occasioned by mundane affairs. ",
+ "Following this he will attain true joy when he will reflect in his heart and gain a double measure of comfort, in view of what has been said above in truth, saying to himself: “Truly and without doubt I am far removed from G–d, and I am abominable and loathsome, and so on. Yet all this is myself alone, that is to say, the body with its vivifying soul. Yet, there is within me a veritable part of G–d, which is found even in the most worthless of the worthless, namely, the divine soul with a spark of veritable G–dliness which is clothed in it and animates it, except that it is, as it were, in [a state of] exile. Therefore, on the contrary, the further I am separated from G–d, and the more contemptible and loathsome, the deeper in exile is my divine soul, and the more greatly is she to be pitied; therefore I shall make it my whole aim and desire to extricate her and liberate her from this exile, in order to return her ‘to her Father’s house as in her youth,’ before she was clothed in my body, when she was absorbed in His light, blessed be He, and completely united with Him. Now she will again be thus absorbed and united with Him, blessed be He, if I will bend my whole aim toward the Torah and the commandments, to clothe therein all her ten faculties, as mentioned above, especially in the precept of prayer, to cry to the L–rd in her distress of exile in my despicable body, to liberate her from her prison, that she may attach herself to Him, blessed be He.”",
+ "This is the essence of “repentance and good deeds,” the latter being the good deeds which one performs in order to restore the portion of the L–rd to the Source and Root of all the worlds.",
+ "And this shall be his service all his life in great joy, the joy of the soul in her release from the despised body and “returning to her Father’s house as in her youth,” when engaged in Torah and prayer. Indeed, the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said that one should be in a state of repentance throughout one’s life.",
+ "For there is no greater joy than the escape from exile and imprisonment, as in the example of the king’s son who was kept in captivity, turning the millstone in prison and becoming covered with filth; then he is liberated and he returns to his father’s royal house.",
+ "And although the body is still in its contemptible and abominable state—it is referred to in the Zohar as “the skin of the serpent”—inasmuch as the essence and substance of the animal soul have not converted to good, so as to merge into holiness, nevertheless his soul will become more precious in his eyes than the despised body, and he will rejoice in her joy and not confound and confuse the joy of the soul with the misery of the body.",
+ "This [release of the soul from her exile in the body] is in the nature of the Exodus from Egypt, in connection with which it is written, “The people had fled.” At first sight it is strange that it should have happened in this way. For had Pharaoh been requested to liberate them forever, would he not have been compelled to let them go?",
+ "But because the evil in the souls of the Israelites was still in its strength in the left part—for not until the Giving of the Torah did their impurity cease—yet their aim and desire was to free their divine souls from the exile of the sitra achara, which is the “defilement of Egypt,” and cleave to Him, blessed be He, as is written, “The L–rd is my strength and my fortress and my refuge in the day of affliction…,” “My high tower and my refuge…,” “and He is my escape…,” [so, too, was the physical exodus from Egypt in a manner of escape].",
+ "Hence in the time to come, when the L–rd will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth, it is written of it, “[You shall not go out in haste], nor go by flight, for the L–rd will go before you….”",
+ "The quality of this repentance will be stronger and more intense, from the depth of the heart, and likewise the joy of the soul will be with an added measure of light and joy, when he will reflect in his heart with knowledge and understanding to console himself from his distress and sorrow, saying, as above: “Truly and without a doubt…”—“but it was not I who created myself. Why, then, has G–d done such a thing, to cause a portion of His light, blessed be He, which fills and encompasses all worlds, and before Whom everything is of no account, to descend and to be clothed in a ‘serpent’s skin’ and in a fetid drop? It cannot be otherwise than that this descent is for the purpose of an ascent—to raise up to G–d the whole vital animal soul, which is of the kelipat nogah and all her ‘garments,’ namely her faculties of thought, speech, and action, through their being enclothed in the act, speech, and thought of the Torah.” [As for the meaning of this ascent—how this is the ultimate purpose of the creation of the world—it will be later explained at length.] “If this is so, there is one thing for me to do, and this will be my sole aim all the days of my earthly life, to fully occupy therein the life of my spirit and soul, as is written, ‘To You, L–rd, I lift my soul,’ that is to say, to bind my thought and speech with His thought and speech, blessed be He, which are the very laws which have been set before us, and likewise my action—in the performance of the commandments.”",
+ "For this reason the Torah is described as “restoring the soul,” i.e., [restoring it] to its source and root. Concerning this it is written, “The precepts of the L–rd are right, rejoicing the heart.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "Acting on the suggestion mentioned above—to view one’s body with scorn and contempt and finding joy only in the joy of the soul alone—is a direct and easy way to attain the fulfillment of the commandment “You shall love your fellow as yourself” toward every soul of Israel, both great and small.",
+ "For, whereas one despises and loathes one’s body, while as for the soul and spirit, who can know their greatness and excellence in their root and source in the living G–d? Being, moreover, all of a kind and all having one Father—therefore, all Israelites are called real brothers by virtue of the source of their souls in the One G–d; only the bodies are separated. Hence in the case of those who give major consideration to their bodies while regarding their souls as of secondary importance, there can be no true love and brotherhood among them, but only [a love] which is dependent on a [transitory] thing.",
+ "This is what Hillel the Elder meant when he said in regard to the fulfillment of this commandment, “This is the whole Torah, while the rest is but commentary,” and so on. For the basis and root of the entire Torah are to raise and exalt the soul high above the body, reaching to the Source and Root of all the worlds, and also to bring down the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, upon the community of Israel, as will be explained later, i.e., into the fountainhead of the souls of all Israel, to become “One into One.” This is impossible if there is, G–d forbid, disunity among the souls, for the Holy One, blessed is He, does not dwell in an imperfect place, as we pray, “Bless us, our Father, all of us as one, with the light of Your Countenance,” as has been explained at great length elsewhere.",
+ "As for the Talmudic statement to the effect that one who sees his friend sinning should hate him and should tell his teacher to hate him also, this applies to a companion in Torah and precepts, having already applied to him the injunction, “You shall repeatedly rebuke your friend (amitecha),” meaning “He who is with you in Torah and precepts,” and who, nevertheless, has not repented of his sin, as stated in Sefer Charedim.",
+ "But as for the person who is not one’s colleague and is not on intimate terms with him, Hillel the Elder said, “Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving the creatures and drawing them near to the Torah.” This means that even in the case of those who are removed from G–d’s Torah and His service and are therefore classified simply as “creatures,” one must attract them with strong cords of love, perchance one might succeed in drawing them near to the Torah and Divine service. Even if one fails, one has not forfeited the merit of the precept of neighborly love.",
+ "Even with regard to those who are close to him, and whom he has rebuked, yet they had not repented of their sins, when he is enjoined to hate them, there still remains the duty to love them also, and both are right: hatred because of the wickedness in them, and love on account of the aspect of the hidden good in them, which is the Divine spark in them, which animates their divine soul. He should also awaken pity in his heart for [the divine soul], for she is held captive, as it were, in the evil of the sitra achara that triumphs over her in wicked people. Compassion destroys hatred and awakens love, as is known from the [interpretation of the] text, “To [the house of] Jacob who redeemed Abraham.”",
+ "[As for King David, peace unto him, who said, “I hate them with a consummate hatred,” he was referring to [Jewish] heretics and atheists who have no portion in the G–d of Israel, as stated in the Talmud, Tractate Shabbat, beginning of ch. 16.]"
+ ],
+ [
+ "This, also, will be the true joy of the soul, especially when one recognizes, at appropriate times, that one needs to purify and illuminate one’s soul with gladness of the heart. Let him then concentrate his mind and envisage in his intelligence and understanding the subject of His true Unity, blessed be He: how He permeates all worlds, both upper and lower, and even this world is filled with His glory, and how everything is of no reality whatsoever in His presence, and He is One Alone in the upper and lower realms, as He was One Alone before the six days of Creation and also in the space wherein this world was created, the heavens and earth, and all their host—He alone filled this space; and now also this is so, being One Alone without any change whatsoever.",
+ "For all things created are nullified besides Him in their very existence, as are nullified the letters of speech and thought within their source and root, namely, the essence and substance of the soul, which are its ten faculties, chochmah, binah, daat, and so on, wherein the element of letters is not yet found prior to their embodiment in the garment of thought [as has been explained at length in chs. 20 and 21, note there], and as is explained elsewhere by means of an illustration from nature, namely, the nullification of the sun’s radiation and light at their source, the orb of the sun in the sky. For surely its radiance and light glow and spread forth there, too, and even more strongly than in the space of the universe, but there [in the sun] the light is nullified within its source, as though it were nonextant at all.",
+ "Exactly so, figuratively speaking, is the world and all that fills it dissolved out of existence in relation to its source, which is the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, as is there explained at length.",
+ "When one will deeply contemplate this, his heart will be gladdened and his soul will rejoice even with joy and singing, with all heart and soul and might, in [the intensity of] this faith which is tremendous, since this is the [experience of the] very proximity of G–d, and it is the whole [purpose] of man and the goal of his creation, as well as of the creation of all the worlds, both upper and lower, that He may have an abode here below, as will later be explained at length.",
+ "Behold, how great is the joy of a common and lowly man when he is brought near to a king of flesh and blood, who accepts his hospitality and lodges under his roof! How infinitely more so is the [joy in the] abiding nearness of the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He. And so it is written, “For who is this that engaged his heart to approach Me? says the L–rd.”",
+ "For this reason it was instituted to offer praise and thanks to His Name, blessed be He, each morning, and to say, “Fortunate are we! How good is our portion, how pleasant our lot, and how beautiful our heritage!” In other words, just as a person rejoices and is happy when an inheritance of an immense fortune, for which he had not toiled, falls to him, how infinitely more should we rejoice over our heritage that our fathers have bequeathed to us, namely, the true Unity of G–d: that even down here on earth there is naught else besides Him alone, and this is His abode in the lower worlds.",
+ "This is what our rabbis, of blessed memory said, “Six hundred and thirteen commandments were given to Israel…. Came Habakkuk and based them [all] on a single one, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by his faith,’ ” that is to say, as if there had been no more than one commandment, namely, faith alone. For by faith alone will he come to fulfill all the 613 commandments.",
+ "In other words, when his heart will exult and rejoice in his faith in G–d’s Unity, in perfect joy, as though he had but this one commandment, and it alone were the ultimate purpose of his creation and that of all the worlds—then with the force and vitality of his soul which are generated by this great joy, his soul will ascend ever higher above all internal and external obstacles which hinder his fulfillment of all the 613 commandments.",
+ "This is the meaning of the words “shall live by his faith,” with the emphasis on shall live, as at the Resurrection of the Dead, by way of example; so will his soul revive with this great joy. This is a doubled and redoubled joy, for apart from the joy of the soul apprehending the nearness of G–d and His dwelling with him, he will doubly rejoice with the joy of G–d and the tremendous gratification rendered to Him by virtue of his faith, whereby the sitra achara is verily subdued and darkness is changed into light, i.e., the darkness of the kelipot of this corporeal world, which obscure and conceal His light, blessed be He, until the End, as is written, “He sets an end to darkness” [which refers to the end of days, when the spirit of impurity will be banished from the earth, and the glory of the L–rd will be revealed, and together all flesh will see; as will be explained later].",
+ "This is particularly so in the Diaspora, where the atmosphere is unclean and filled with kelipot and sitra achara. For there is no joy before Him, blessed be He, like the light and joy of the particular excellence of light that comes out of darkness.",
+ "This is the meaning of the verse, “Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,” that is to say that everyone who is of the seed of Israel should rejoice and be happy in the joy of G–d, Who is pleased and glad to dwell in the lower spheres, which are of the order of physical Asiyah.",
+ "That is why the Psalmist uses the plural osav [“its makers”], referring to the corporeal world which is full of kelipot and the sitra achara and is called “public domain” and “mountains of separation.” And these are transmuted to light and become a “private domain” for His Unity, blessed be He, by means of this faith."
+ ],
+ [
+ "It is well known that the Patriarchs were truly the “chariot” of G–d. For throughout their lives they never for a moment ceased from binding their mind and soul to the L–rd of the universe, with the aforementioned absolute surrender to His Unity, blessed be He.",
+ "Likewise were all the Prophets after them, each according to the station of his soul and the degree of his apprehension, the rank of our teacher Moses, peace to him, surpassed them all, for concerning him it was said, “The Shechinah speaks out of Moses’ throat.” Something of this [union] the Israelites experienced at Mount Sinai, but they could not endure it, as the rabbis say that at each [Divine] utterance their souls took flight…, which is an indication of the extinction of their existence, of which we spoke above.",
+ "Therefore G–d at once commanded that a Sanctuary be made for Him, with the Holy of Holies for the presence of His Shechinah, which is the revelation of His Unity, blessed be He, as will be explained later.",
+ "But since the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed is He, has no sanctuary or established place for His habitation, that is, for His Unity, blessed be He, other than the “four cubits of halachah,” which is His will, blessed be He, and His wisdom, as embodied in the laws which have been set out for us. Therefore, after contemplating deeply on the subject of this self-nullification, discussed above, according to his capacity, let the person reflect in his heart as follows: “Inasmuch as my intelligence and the root of my soul are of too limited a capacity to constitute a chariot and abode for His Unity, blessed be He, in perfect truth, since my mind cannot at all conceive and apprehend Him with any manner or degree of apprehension in the world, nor even an iota of the apprehension of the Patriarchs and Prophets—if this be so, I shall make for Him a tabernacle and habitation by engaging in the study of the Torah, as my time permits, at appointed times by day and by night, in accordance with the law which was given to each individual in the Laws Concerning the Study of the Torah, and as the Rabbis stated, ‘Even one chapter in the morning….’”",
+ "In this way his heart will be gladdened and he will rejoice and offer praise and thanks for his portion, with a joyous and happy heart, that he has merited to act as host to the Almighty twice daily, to the limit of his available time, and according to the capacity which has been generously bestowed upon him by G–d.",
+ "And if G–d will lavish on him in yet a fuller measure, then “He who has clean hands will increase his effort” and “A good intention….” And even the remainder of the day, when he is engaged in commerce, he will provide a dwelling for Him, blessed be He, through the giving of charity out of the proceeds of his labor, which is one of the Divine qualities, “As He is compassionate…,” and as written in the Tikkunim that “Kindness is the right hand.”",
+ "And even though he distributes no more than a fifth part, this fifth carries the other four parts with it up to G–d to provide a dwelling for Him, blessed be He, as is known from the Rabbinic statement that the commandment of charity is balanced against all the sacrifices. And through the sacrifices all living creatures were elevated to G–d through the offering of one beast, all plants through that of one-tenth of a measure of fine meal mingled with oil, and so on. Apart from this, at the time of study and prayer, there ascends to G–d everything one has eaten and drunk and enjoyed of the other four parts for the health of the body, as will be explained later.",
+ "All the abovementioned particulars regarding the diverse joys of the soul do not preclude the person from considering himself shameful and loathsome, or from having a contrite heart and humble spirit, at the very time of the joy. For the sense of shame, and so on, is occasioned by the aspect of the body and animal soul, while his joy comes from the aspect of the divine soul and the spark of G–dliness that is clothed therein and animates it, as has been discussed above [ch. 31].",
+ "After this manner it is stated in the Zohar, “Weeping is lodged in one side of my heart, and joy is lodged in the other.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "Let us elucidate further the term “to do it.” Let us also understand, in a very small measure, the purpose of the creation of benonim (intermediates) and the descent of their souls into this world, to be clothed within the animal soul which is derived from the kelipah and sitra achara. Since they will not be able to banish her [the animal soul] throughout their lives, nor to dislodge her from her place in the left part of the heart so that none of her impure fancies should rise to the brain, inasmuch as the very essence of the animal soul derived from the kelipah remains [in the benonim] in her full strength and might as at birth, except that her “garments” do not invest their bodies, as discussed above—if so, why have their souls descended into this world to labor in vain, G–d forbid, to wage war throughout their lives against the [evil] nature which they cannot vanquish?",
+ "But let this be their solace, to comfort them doubly and helpfully, and to gladden their heart in G–d, Who dwells with them in their Torah and [Divine] service:",
+ "To quote, by way of preface, the comment of the Yenuka [Zohar, Parashat Balak] on the verse, “The wise man’s eyes are in his head”: “Where else are a man’s eyes? …But the interpretation of the verse certainly is as follows: We have learned that a man must not walk four cubits bareheaded. The reason is that the Shechinah rests on his head, and a wise man’s eyes and everything he possesses are ‘in his head,’ i.e., in Him Who rests and abides above his head; and if his eyes are there, he must know that the light which shines above his head needs oil, for the body of a man is a wick, and the light is kindled above it. And King Solomon cried, saying, ‘Let there be no lack of oil above your head.’ For the light on a man’s head must have oil, meaning good deeds, and this is the meaning of the phrase, ‘The wise man’s eyes are in his head.’” The quotation ends here.",
+ "The explanation of this figure, whereby the light of the Shechinah is compared to the flame of a lamp which produces no light nor clings to the wick without oil, and likewise the Shechinah does not rest on a man’s body, which is likened to a wick, except through good deeds alone, and it is not sufficient that his soul (neshamah), which is a part of G–dliness from Above, should act for him as oil to the wick—is clear and understandable to every intelligent person. It is that the neshamah of a person—even if he be a perfect tzaddik serving G–d with fear and love of delights—does not, nevertheless, completely dissolve itself out of existence so as to be truly nullified and absorbed into the light of G–d to the extent of becoming one and the same absolutely, but the person remains an entity apart, one who fears G–d and loves Him. It is different, however, with the commandments and good deeds, which are His will, blessed be He. His will, blessed be He, is the source of life for all the worlds and creatures, flowing down to them through many contractions (tzimtzumim) and the concealment of the Countenance of the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, and the recession of the levels, until it was made possible for creatures to come into being ex nihilo, separate beings that should not lose their identity, as discussed above. The commandments, however, are different in that they are His innermost will, blessed be He, without any concealment of the Countenance whatsoever; the vitality that is in them [therefore] is in no way a separate, independent thing, but is united and absorbed in His will, blessed be He, and they become truly one with a perfect union.",
+ "Now, the meaning of the “indwelling” of the Shechinah is the revelation of His G–dliness, blessed be He, and of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, in any thing. That is to say that such thing merges into the light of G–d, and its reality is completely dissolved in Him; only then does the One G–d abide and manifest Himself in it. But any thing whose reality is not completely nullified in Him, the light of G–d does not abide nor manifest itself therein, even if one be a perfect tzaddik who cleaves to Him with abundant love, since no thought can truly apprehend Him at all. For the truth of “The L–rd is the true G–d” is His Unity and Oneness—that He is One Alone and there is no reality whatsoever apart from Him.",
+ "Hence the person who loves [G–d] and [ipso facto] exists [apart] and is not null and void—cannot by his thought apprehend Him at all; and the light of G–d cannot abide and reveal itself in him, except through the fulfillment of the commandments which constitute in reality His will and wisdom, blessed be He, without any concealment of Countenance.",
+ "NOTE: This accords with the comment and explanation which I heard from my teacher, peace to him, on a passage in Etz Chaim stating that the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, does not become unified even in the world of Atzilut unless it clothes itself first in the sefirah of chochmah—the reason being that the En Sof, blessed is He, is the true One Who is One Alone and apart from Whom there is nothing, and this is the level of chochmah, and so on.",
+ "Therefore, when a person occupies himself in the Torah, his neshamah, which is his divine soul, with her two innermost garments only, namely the power of speech and thought, are absorbed in the Divine light of the En Sof, blessed is He, and are united with it in a perfect union. This constitutes the resting of the Shechinah on his divine soul, as the Rabbis stated, “Even if one person sedulously occupies himself with the Torah, the Shechinah is with him.”",
+ "However, in order to draw the light and effulgence of the Shechinah also over his body and animal soul, i.e., on the vital spirit clothed in the physical body, he needs to fulfill the practical commandments which are performed by the body itself. For then the very energy of the body itself which is engaged in this action is absorbed in the Divine light and in His will and is united with Him in a perfect union. This is the third garment of the divine soul.",
+ "Thereby also the energy of the vital spirit in the physical body, originating in the kelipat nogah, is transformed from evil to good and is actually absorbed into holiness like the divine soul itself, since it is this [animal soul] that carries out and performs the act of the commandment, because without it the divine soul could not have been acting through the body at all, for it is spiritual while the body is material and coarse. The intermediary linking them is the vital animal soul, which is clothed in the human blood, in the heart, and in all the body.",
+ "And although the essence and substance of the animal soul in his heart, namely its evil dispositions, have not yet been absorbed into holiness, nevertheless since they have submitted to holiness and, albeit unwillingly, respond “Amen” and agree and are reconciled to perform the commandment under the preponderance of the divine soul in his brain which rules the heart, and, in the meantime, these [evil dispositions] are in a state of exile or slumber, as it were, as discussed above—therefore, this is no obstacle to the suffusion of the Shechinah over the human body at such time.",
+ "Thus the energy of the vital soul that is embodied in the performance of the commandment is actually absorbed into the Divine light and is united with it in a perfect union, thereby illuminating the totality of the vital soul throughout the body, and also the physical body itself in a manner of “encompassing from above,” from head to foot. This is what is meant by the phrase, “the Shechinah rests on his head; the word “on” indicates this. Similarly, “On every gathering of ten [Jews] the Shechinah rests.”",
+ "Clearly, any such diffusion of the light of the Shechinah, that is, the revelation of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, cannot be termed mutability in Him, G–d forbid, nor multiplicity. Witness the passage in Sanhedrin, where a heretic said to Rabban Gamliel: “You say that on every gathering of ten [Jews] the Shechinah rests. How many Divine Presences have you, then?” And he replied to him with an example of the light of the sun which enters through many windows…. The intelligent man will understand."
+ ],
+ [
+ "It is a well-known Rabbinic statement that the purpose of the creation of this world is that the Holy One, blessed is He, desired to have an abode in the lower worlds.",
+ "But surely with Him the distinction of “upper” and “lower” has no validity, for He pervades all worlds equally.",
+ "The explanation of the matter, however, is as follows: Before the world was created, He was One Alone, one and Unique, ruling all space in which He created the universe. It is still the same now insofar as He is concerned. For the change relates only to those who receive His life-force and light, blessed be He, which they receive through many “garments” which conceal and obscure His light, blessed be He, as is written, “For no man shall see Me and live,” and, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have explained it, that even angels, who are called Chayot, cannot see Him….",
+ "This is the concept of the hishtalshelut (downward gradation) of the worlds and their descent, degree by degree, through a multitude of “garments” which screen the light and life that emanate from Him, until there was created this material and gross world, the lowest in degree, than which there is none lower in the aspect of concealment of His light, blessed be He; [a world of] doubled and redoubled darkness, so much so that it is full of kelipot and the sitra achara which actually oppose G–d, saying: “I am, and there is nothing else besides me.”",
+ "Clearly, the purpose of the hishtalshelut of the worlds and their descent, degree by degree, is not for the sake of the higher worlds, because for them this is a descent from the light of His Countenance, blessed be He. But the ultimate purpose [of creation] is this lowest world, for such was His will, blessed be He, that He shall have satisfaction when the sitra achara is subdued and the darkness is turned to light, so that the Divine light of the En Sof, blessed is He, shall shine forth in the place of the darkness and sitra achara throughout this world, all the more strongly and intensely, with the excellence of light emerging from darkness, than its effulgence in the higher worlds, where it shines through “garments” and in concealment of the Countenance, which screen and conceal the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, in order that they should not dissolve out of existence.",
+ "For this purpose, the Holy One, blessed is He, gave to Israel the Torah which is called “might” and “strength,” as the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said that the Almighty puts strength into the righteous in order that they may receive their reward in the hereafter, without being nullified in their very existence, in the Divine light that will be revealed to them in the hereafter without any cloak, as is written, “Your teacher shall no longer be concealed from you [literally: He will not conceal Himself from you with robe and garment]…but your eyes shall see your Teacher.” It is also written, “For they shall see eye to eye…” and “You shall no longer have the sun for light by day…for the Lord shall be to you for an everlasting light….”",
+ "It is well known that the Messianic Era, and especially the time of the Resurrection of the Dead, is the fulfillment and culmination of the creation of the world, for which purpose it was originally created.",
+ "NOTE: The receiving of the reward is essentially in the seventh millennium, as is stated in Likkutei Torah of the Arizal.",
+ "Something of this revelation has already been experienced on earth, at the time of the Giving of the Torah, as is written, “You have been shown to know that the L–rd is G–d; there is none else aside from Him”—“have been shown” verily with physical vision, as is written, “And all the people saw the thunderings”—“they saw what is [normally] heard.” And the Rabbis, of blessed memory, explained, “They looked eastward and heard the speech issuing forth: ‘I am,’ etc., and so [turning] toward the four points of the compass, and upward and downward,” as is also explained in the Tikkunim that “There was no place from which He did not speak to them….”",
+ "This was so because of the revelation of His will, blessed be He, in the Decalogue constituting the epitome of the whole Torah, which is His innermost will, blessed be He, and His wisdom, wherein there is no concealment of the Countenance at all, as is written, “For by the light of Your Countenance You gave us the Torah of life.” Therefore they [the Israelites at Sinai] repeatedly expired out of existence, as the Rabbis have taught that at each [Divine] utterance their souls took flight…but the Holy One, blessed is He, restored it to them with the dew with which He will revive the dead. This is the dew of the Torah which is called “might,” as the Rabbis have said, “Everyone who occupies himself with the Torah is revived by the dew of the Torah….”",
+ "Later, however, the sin [of the Golden Calf] caused both them and the world to become gross again—until the end of days, when the dross of the body and of the world will be purified, and they will be able to apprehend the revealed Divine light which will shine forth to Israel by means of the Torah, called “might.” And, as a result of the overflow of the illumination on Israel, the darkness of the gentiles will also be lit up, as is written, “And the nations shall walk by your light…,” and, “House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the L–rd,” again, “And the glory of the L–rd will be revealed, and together all flesh will see…,” and, “To go into the holes of the rocks, and into the clefts of the boulders, for fear of the L–rd and for the glory of His majesty.” And as we pray, “Reveal Yourself in the majesty of Your glorious might over all the inhabitants of Your terrestrial world….”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "This culminating fulfillment of the Messianic Era and of the Resurrection of the Dead, which is the revelation of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, in this material world, depends on our actions and service throughout the duration of the galut.",
+ "For what causes the reward of a commandment is the commandment itself, because by virtue of performing it the person suffuses a flood of light of the En Sof, blessed is He, from above downward, to be clothed in the corporeality of the world in something that was previously under the dominion of the kelipat nogah, from which it had received its vitality. These are all those things that are [ritually] clean and permissible, wherewith the precept of action is performed, viz., parchment used in the tefillin, mezuzah, and Torah scroll, as taught by the Rabbis that nothing is fitting for a sacred purpose which is not clean and permissible for consumption; similarly an etrog which is not orlah;",
+ "NOTE: For orlah is one of the three completely impure kelipot that can never ascend [into holiness], as explained in Etz Chaim. Similarly, the performance of any precept involving a transgression, G–d forbid.",
+ "so, too, money given to charity which had not been dishonestly acquired; and similarly with other things.",
+ "Thus, when a person performs the Divine commandment and will, by means of these [“clean” things], the vitality that is in them ascends and is dissolved and absorbed into the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which is His will, blessed be He, that is clothed in them, since therein there is no concealment of Countenance whatsoever to obscure His light, blessed be He.",
+ "In like manner, the energy of the vital animal soul which is in the organs of the body of the person performing the commandment is also clothed in this performance, and it rises from the kelipah and is absorbed into the holiness of the precept, which is His will, blessed be He, and is dissolved into the light of the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "Likewise in regard to the commandment of Torah study and the recital of Shema and Prayer, and similar precepts, although they do not involve physical action in the strict sense, such as would be dominated by the kelipat nogah. Nevertheless it has been established that meditation cannot take the place of speech and that a person does not fulfill the commandment until he has uttered [the words] with his lips. And it has been established that the articulation by the lips is deemed as “action.” For the divine soul cannot express itself through the lips and mouth and tongue and teeth, which are all corporeal, except through the agency of the vital animal soul, which is clothed in the organs of the physical body. Hence the more strength one puts into his speech, the more of the vital soul’s energy does he introduce and invest into those words.",
+ "This is the meaning of the verse, “All my bones shall declare….” This also is what the Rabbis meant when they said, “If the Torah reposes in all the 248 organs, it will be preserved; but if not, it will not be preserved.” For forgetfulness comes from the kelipah of the body and vital animal soul, which are of the kelipat nogah that is sometimes absorbed into holiness, which is accomplished when one weakens their power and transfers all their strength into the holiness of the Torah or Prayer.",
+ "Furthermore, the vital soul’s energy which is clothed in the letters of speech in Torah study or Prayer, or the like, or in the precepts of performance, derives its entire growth and vitality from the blood, which is of the kelipat nogah itself, namely, all the foods and drinks which the person has eaten and drunk and which have become blood, having been under its dominion and having drawn their nurtures from it [the kelipat nogah]. But now it is converted from evil to good and is absorbed into holiness, by virtue of the energy of the vital soul that has grown from it, which has now clothed itself in these letters or in this action which actually constitute His innermost will, blessed be He, without any concealment of Countenance. And their vitality is also absorbed into the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which is His will, blessed be He. And with their vitality, the energy of the vital soul is absorbed and elevated.",
+ "Thereby will ascend also the totality of the kelipat nogah, constituting the general vitality of this material and gross world, when the whole neshamah and divine soul of all Israel, which is divided into 600,000 particular offshoots, and each particular soul will fulfill all the 613 commandments of the Torah:—",
+ "The 365 prohibitions, to restrain the 365 blood vessels of the vital soul in the body, so as not to receive nurture or vitality through that sin from one of the three completely unclean kelipot, from which are derived the 365 prohibitions in the Torah together with their offshoots as laid down by the Rabbis, for the vital soul would no longer be able to ascend to G–d if it had been defiled with the impurity of the three unclean kelipot, which can never be elevated but must be completely nullified and annihilated, as is written, “And I will remove the unclean spirit from the land”; and The 248 positive precepts, in order to draw the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, earthward, so as to raise up to Him and bind and unite with Him, the totality of the vital soul which is in the 248 organs of the body, with a perfect union, to become truly one, as it was His Will, blessed be He, that He should have an abode among the lowest creatures, and they become a “vehicle” for Him, as were the Patriarchs.",
+ "Thus, when the totality of the vital soul of the community of Israel will be a holy vehicle for G–d, then shall the general vitality of this world, now constituting the kelipat nogah, emerge from its impurity and filth and ascend to holiness to become a vehicle for G–d, through the revelation of His glory, “And together all flesh will see,” and He will reveal Himself upon them with the majesty of His glorious might, and “The whole world will be filled with the glory of the L–rd,” and Israel shall behold [it] eye to eye, as at the Giving of the Law, as is written, “You have been shown to know that the L–rd is G–d; there is none else aside from Him.”",
+ "In this way, all three unclean kelipot will be completely destroyed and annihilated, for their present nurture and vitality from holiness comes to them through the medium of the kelipat nogah, which is the intermediary between them.",
+ "It follows, therefore, that the whole fulfillment of the Messianic Era and of the Resurrection of the Dead—which is the revelation of His glory and G–dliness, blessed be He, and the banishment of the spirit of impurity from the world—is dependent on the suffusion of His G–dliness and of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, over the vital soul of the community of Israel in all its 248 organs, through its fulfillment of all the 248 positive precepts, and on the banishment of the spirit of impurity from it through its observance of all the 365 prohibitions, so that its 365 veins do not derive nurture from it.",
+ "For the community of Israel, comprising 600,000 particular souls, is the [source of] life for the world as a whole, which was created for their sake. And each one of them contains and is related to the vitality of one part in 600,000 of the totality of the world, which [part] depends on his vital soul for its elevation to G–d through its own [the soul’s] elevation, by virtue of the individual’s partaking of this world for the needs of his body and vital soul in the service of G–d, viz., eating, drinking, and the like, [his] dwelling and all his utensils.",
+ "Yet these 600,000 particular souls are roots, and each root subdivides into 600,000 sparks, each spark being one neshamah; and so with the nefesh and ruach in each of the four worlds—Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah.",
+ "And each spark descended into this world—although it is indeed a profound descent and a state of true exile, for even if one be a perfectly righteous person, serving G–d with fear and a great love of delights, he cannot attain to the degree of attachment to G–d, in fear and love, as before it came down to this gross world, not a fraction of it, and there is no comparison or similarity between them at all, as is clear to every intelligent person, for the body cannot endure, and so on, nevertheless [each spark] descended into this world, to be clothed in a body and vital soul, for the sole purpose of mending them and separating them from the evil of the three impure kelipot, through the observance of the 365 prohibitions and their offshoots, and in order to elevate his vital soul together with its portion that belongs to it of the totality of the world, so as to join and unite them with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which the person draws into them through fulfilling all the 248 positive precepts through the agency of the vital soul, the very one that fulfills all the active commandments, as has been explained above.",
+ "It has also been stated in [Etz Chaim, Portal 26] that the soul itself [neshamah] needs no perfecting at all…and there is no necessity for it to be embodied in this world…except in order to bring down the light to mend them…and this is exactly similar to the esoteric exile of the Shechinah for the purpose of elevating the sparks….",
+ "In the light of the above, one can understand why our Rabbis, of blessed memory, so strongly emphasized the virtue of charity, declaring that “it balances all the other commandments,” and throughout the Jerusalem Talmud it is called simply “the commandment,” for such was the usage of the language to call charity simply “the commandment,” because it is the core of the precepts of action and surpasses them all. For all [precepts] are only intended to elevate the vital soul to G–d, since it is she [the soul] that performs them and clothes itself in them, thereby being absorbed into the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which is vested in them. Hence you can find no commandment in which the vital soul is clothed to the same extent as in the commandment of charity: for in all [the other] commandments only one faculty of the vital soul is embodied, and then only at the time of the performance of the precept, while in the case of charity, which a man gives out of the toil of his hands, surely all the strength of his vital soul is embodied in the execution of his work or occupation by which he earned the money; when he gives it for charity, his whole vital soul ascends to G–d.",
+ "Even where one does not depend on his toil for a livelihood, nevertheless since with this [charity] money he could have purchased necessities of life, for his vivifying soul, hence he is giving his soul’s life to G–d.",
+ "Therefore our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that it [charity] brings the Redemption nearer. For with one act of charity a person elevates a great part of the vivifying soul, of whose powers and faculties he cannot elevate in the same measure by performing several other active precepts.",
+ "As for the statement of our Rabbis that “the study of the Torah is equivalent to them all,” this is because Torah study is effected through the faculties of speech and thought, which are the innermost garments of the vivifying soul; also the essence and substance of the faculties of chabad (chochmah, binah, daat) of the kelipat nogah in the vivifying soul are integrated into holiness itself when one occupies oneself in Torah with concentration and intelligence.",
+ "And although the essence and substance of the emotion attributes (middot)—chesed, gevurah, tiferet, and so on—cannot be mastered by benonim (intermediates) so as to be converted to holiness, this is because the evil is stronger in the emotion attributes than in the intelligences, by reason of its greater nurture from the holiness of the middot, as is known to the students of Kabbalah.",
+ "Furthermore, and this is the most important aspect of all in the pre-eminence of Torah study over all other commandments, based on the abovementioned quotation from the Tikkunim that “the 248 commandments are the 248 ‘organs’ of the King”: Just as in the case of a human being, by way of example, there is no comparison or similitude between the vitality that is in his 248 organs and the vitality that is in the brain, i.e., the intellect which is subdivided into the three faculties of chabad, exactly analogous, by way of example, yet removed by myriads of distinctions ad infinitum, is the illumination of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that is clothed in the active precepts, compared with the illumination of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, in the chabad aspects of the wisdom of the Torah, in each man according to his intelligence and mental grasp.",
+ "And although his apprehension is only in its material aspects, yet the Torah is likened to water, which descends from a high level…, as has been explained above.",
+ "Nevertheless, the Rabbis declared, “Not study, but doing, is the essential thing.” It is also written, “This day to do them.” And [it has been ruled that] one should interrupt the study of the Torah in order to fulfill an active precept that cannot be performed by others. For, “This is the whole man,” and the purpose of his creation and his descent to this world, in order that He have an abode here below especially to turn darkness into light, so that the glory of the L–rd shall fill all of this material world, with the emphasis on material, “and together all flesh will see,” as has been discussed above.",
+ "On the other hand, when the precept is one that can be performed by others, one does not interrupt the study of the Torah, though the whole Torah is, after all, only an explanation of the active ordinances. The reason is that [the Torah] is, as it were, the chabad of the En Sof, blessed is He, and when a person is engaged in it he draws over himself the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, of an infinitely higher order and splendor than the illumination and influence obtained through the commandments, which are “the organs of the King.” This is what Rav Sheshet [meant when he] said, “Rejoice, O my soul! For you did I learn Scripture; for you did I learn Mishnah,” as is explained elsewhere at length.",
+ "This influence and illumination which man, by means of his occupation with the Torah, draws from the reflected light of the En Sof, blessed is He, and causes to shine on his soul and on the souls of all Israel, which is the Shechinah, Keneset Israel, the fount of all the souls of Israel, as will be explained later—is termed “keriah” (“calling”); hence korei baTorah [“calling by means of the Torah”]. This means that through one’s occupation with the Torah one calls to the Holy One, blessed is He, to come to him, to use an anthropomorphism, like a person calling to his companion to come to him, or like a child calling his father to come and join him, so that he should not be separated from him and remain alone, G–d forbid.",
+ "This is the meaning of the text, “The L–rd is close to all that call upon Him; to all who call upon Him in truth,” and “‘Truth’ applies only to the Torah.” The meaning is thus rendered in the sense of calling to the Holy One, blessed is He, specifically through the Torah. It is different, however, when one does not call Him through occupation in the Torah, but merely cries: “Father! Father!” as the prophet laments over him, “And no one calls in Your name…,” as is explained elsewhere. The intelligent person should ponder on this in order to inculcate into himself a great reverence at the time of his occupation with the Torah, as has been previously explained [ch. 23]."
+ ],
+ [
+ "In light of all that has been said above, one will clearly understand the decision of the halachah that has been laid down in the Talmud and Codes that meditation is not valid in lieu of verbal articulation, so that if one has recited the Shema only in his mind and heart, even with the full force of his concentration (kavanah), he has not fulfilled his obligation, and he is required to recite it again [orally]. Similarly with Grace after meals, which is ordained by the Torah, and with other benedictions ordained by the Rabbis, and with prayer. On the other hand, if he has uttered them with his lips but did not intend with his heart, he has fulfilled his obligation ex post facto, and he is not required to repeat them, except for the first verse of the Shema and the first benediction of the Amidah. Thus it is stated [at the beginning of ch. II of Berachot], “Up to here the commandment of intention (kavanah) applies; from here on comes the commandment of recitation,” and so on.",
+ "The reason is that the neshamah needs no perfecting for herself by means of the commandments but has only to draw forth light to perfect the vivifying soul and body by means of the letters of speech which the nefesh pronounces with the aid of the five organs of verbal articulation. Similarly with the active commandments which the nefesh performs with the [aid of the] other bodily organs.",
+ "Nevertheless, it has been said that “Prayer or other benediction [recited] without kavanah is like a body without a neshamah.” This means that, just as in all creatures in this world, possessing a body and a soul, namely the nefesh of all living, and the ruach of all human flesh, and the neshamah of all that has the spirit of life in its nostrils among all living creatures, all of which G–d animates and brings into existence ex nihilo, constantly, by the light and vitality which He imbues into them, for also the material body, and even the very inanimate stones and earth, have within them light and vitality from Him, blessed be He, so that they do not revert to naught and nothingness as they were before—there is, nevertheless, no comparison or similarity whatsoever between the quality of the light and vitality that illumine the body, and the quality of the light and vitality that illumine the neshamah, which is the soul of all living.",
+ "To be sure, in both there is an identical light, in terms of concealment of the Countenance and [in terms of] the identical garments wherein the light hides, conceals, and clothes itself, for both [body and soul] are of this world wherein the light and vitality [issuing] from the breath of His mouth, blessed be He, is equally concealed in a general way, by virtue of the concealment of the Countenance and graded descent, in the progressive lowering of the worlds, by means of numerous and profound tzimtzumim (contractions) until [the light] has clothed itself in the kelipat nogah, in order to animate the totality of this material world, that is, all things which are permissible and clean in this world; and from it and through it, all things that are impure receive their sustenance, for it is the mediating agent, as it were, as has been explained above.",
+ "Nevertheless, the illumination, i.e., the flow of vitality wherewith G–d illumines and animates by way of this garment, is not the same for all of them in the manner of contraction and expansion.",
+ "For in the corporeal body and in the actually inanimate object, like stones and earth, the illumination is one of greatest contraction which has no parallel, where the vitality is so minute as not to have even the power of vegetation. In plants the illumination is not so greatly contracted.",
+ "In general, all things are subdivided into four grades—mineral, vegetable, animal, and man (“speaker”)—corresponding with the four letters of the Name of Havaya, blessed is He, from which they receive their influence.",
+ "And just as the illumination and flow of vitality in the inanimate and vegetable bear no comparison or parallel with the illumination and flow of vitality which is clothed in animals and man, although in all there is one equal light in the category of concealed Countenance, which is clothed in the same garment in all of them, namely, the garment of nogah—so, too, there is no comparison or parallel between the illumination and flow of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He—His innermost Will, blessed be He, without concealment of the Countenance and without any garment whatsoever—which irradiates and pervades the active precepts; likewise in articulation and utterance of the lips without kavanah, which [articulation] is regarded as real action, as mentioned above, by comparison with the illumination and flow of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which irradiates and pervades the kavanah of the active precepts that a person intends, while engaged in performing them, to cleave to Him, blessed be He, through fulfilling His will, inasmuch as He and His will are one and the same.",
+ "Similarly in the case of kavanah in prayer, the recital of Shema with its benedictions, and all other benedictions, wherein through his intention (kavanah) he attaches his thought and intellect to Him, blessed be He.",
+ "Not that an attachment (devekut) of the human thought and intellect to Him, blessed be He, is intrinsically superior to the attachment through the performance of the active precepts in actual practice, as will be explained further on. Rather it is also His will, blessed be He, that one should cleave to Him with one’s intelligence, thought, and intention in the active commandments, and with intention during the recital of Shema, prayer, and other benedictions. And the illumination of this Supernal Will which irradiates and pervades this kavanah is infinitely greater and more sublime than the illumination of the Supernal Will which irradiates and pervades the performance of the commandments themselves in action and speech but without kavanah. It is comparable to the superiority of the light of the soul over the body, which is a vessel and garb for the soul, as the body of the commandment itself is a vessel and garb for its kavanah.",
+ "And although in both of them, in the commandment and in its kavanah, there is the same Will which is perfectly simple, without any change or multiplicity, G–d forbid, which is united with His Essence and Being, blessed be He, in perfect unity, nevertheless the illumination is not the same in respect of contraction and extension,",
+ "NOTE: It is also so explained in Etz Chaim that the kavanah of the commandments and of Torah study is in the category of “light,” while the commandments themselves are grades and categories of “vessels” that constitute tzimtzum of the light, for through the contraction of the light the vessels came into being, as is known to the students of Kabbalah.",
+ "and it, too, is differentiated into four grades. For the “body” of the commandments themselves constitute two grades, namely, the commandments involving real action and those which are performed verbally and mentally, such as the study of the Torah, reciting the Shema, praying, saying Grace after meals, and other benedictions. The kavanah of the commandments [i.e., the intention] to cleave to Him, blessed be He, being like the soul to the body [of the commandments], is likewise subdivided into two grades, corresponding to the two categories of soul which are present in corporeal bodies, namely in animals and in man [respectively].",
+ "In the case of a person who is intelligent enough to know G–d and to reflect on His greatness, blessed be He, and to beget out of his understanding a lofty fear in his brain and a love of G–d in the right part of his heart so that his soul will thirst for G–d, [seeking] to cleave to Him through the fulfillment of the Torah and commandments, which are an extension and reflection of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, onto his soul thereby to cleave to Him; and with this intention he studies [the Torah] and performs the commandments, and likewise with this intention he prays and recites the blessings—then this kavanah is, by way of simile, like the soul of a human being, who possesses intelligence and freedom of choice and speaks from knowledge.",
+ "But he whose intelligence is too limited to know and reflect on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, so as to beget out of this understanding a conscious love in his heart, and also awe in his mind and dread of G–d in his heart, yet he recalls and awakens the natural love that is hidden in his heart, bringing it out of the hidden recesses of the heart into the conscious mind, at least, so that his will which is in his mind and which is latent also in his heart should approve and favor, with complete willingness and truthful sincerity, that he suffer martyrdom in actual fact for the Unity of G–d, in order to attach to Him his divine soul and her garments and unite them with His Unity and Oneness, namely, the Supernal Will that is clothed in Torah study and in the performance of the commandments, as explained above; and in this [natural love] is contained also fear [wherewith] to accept His reign and not rebel against Him, G–d forbid—and with this kavanah he turns away from evil and does good, and studies and prays and recites benedictions, following only the plain meaning of the words without conscious fear and love in his heart and mind—this kavanah is, by way of the simile, like the soul of a living creature that has no intelligence and freedom of will, whose middot, namely its fear of harmful tilings and its love of pleasing things, are only natural to it and do not originate in its understanding and knowledge. So, by way of example, are the natural love and fear which are latent in the heart of every Jew, since they are our heritage from our Patriarchs and like a natural instinct in our souls, as has been mentioned above."
+ ],
+ [
+ "It is also for this reason that the angels are called Chayot (beasts) and Behemot (cattle), as is written, “And the face of a lion on the right side…and the face of an ox on the left side…,” for they have no freedom of choice, and their fear and love are their natural instincts, as stated in Raaya Mehemna on Parashat Pinchas. Therefore the quality of tzaddikim is superior to theirs, for the abode of the souls of the righteous is in the world of Beriah, whereas the abode of the angels is in the world of Yetzirah.",
+ "NOTE: This refers to ordinary angels, but there are higher angels in the world of Beriah, whose service is with intelligent fear and love, as is explained in Raaya Mehemna, ibid., that there are two kinds of holy Chayot, instinctive and intelligent, as also explained in Etz Chaim.",
+ "The difference between them is that in the world of Yetzirah only the middot of the En Sof, blessed is He, shine forth, namely the love of Him, and the dread and fear of Him…, as is stated [in the Tikkunim and in Etz Chaim] that the six sefirot nest in [the world of] Yetzirah.",
+ "Therefore it is the constant service of the angels, resting neither by day nor by night, to stand in fear and dread…, these being the whole camp of Gabriel on the left, while the service of the camp of Michael is with love…. But in the world of Beriah shine forth the chochmah, binah, and daat of the En Sof, blessed is He, which are the source of the middot and their “mother” and root, as stated in the Tikkunim that ima ilaah (“supernal mother”) nests in the three sefirot, in the [Divine] throne which is the world of Beriah.",
+ "Therefore this is the abode of the souls of the righteous who serve G–d with fear and love, which are derived from the understanding and knowledge of the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He. For this love is called re’uta d’liba (“heart’s desire”), as has already been mentioned. And from this “heart’s desire” is produced a garment for the soul in the world of Beriah which constitutes the Higher Garden of Eden, as will be explained later, and as is written in the Zohar on [Parashat] Vayakhel.",
+ "But this applies specifically to neshamot, which [possess] a great cognition, as it were, of the En Sof, blessed is He. As for the category of ruach of the righteous, as also all other souls of Israelites who have served G–d with the fear and love that are latent in the heart of all Jews, these do not ascend there, except on Shabbat and the New Moon by means of the pillar that rises from the Lower to the Higher Garden of Eden, i.e., the world of Beriah which is called the Higher Garden of Eden, wherein to take pleasure in G–d and derive enjoyment from the splendor of the Shechinah. For the intellect of a created being can have no enjoyment or pleasure except in what it conceives, understands, knows, and apprehends, with its intellect and apprehension, what is possible for it to understand and grasp of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, by virtue of His wisdom and understanding, blessed be He, which shine forth in the world of Beriah.",
+ "As for the reason that these souls merit to ascend higher than the angels, even though their service has been with no more than natural fear and love, it is that through their fear and love the sitra achara which was clothed in their body was subdued, both in the realm of “turn away from evil”—by subjugating and breaking the passions—and in the realm of “do good,” as discussed earlier. For they had the freedom to choose evil, G–d forbid, yet they chose the good in order to subdue the sitra achara, thereby elevating the glory of the Holy One, blessed is He…, “As the excellence of light…,” discussed above.",
+ "However, all this is concerned with the abode of the souls and their station, but their Torah and service are actually absorbed into the ten sefirot which are a category of G–dliness and with which the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, unites itself in perfect unison; that is to say, in the ten sefirot of Beriah—through intelligent fear and love, and in the ten sefirot of Yetzirah—through natural fear and love. In them are clothed the ten sefirot of Atzilut and are completely united with them, while the ten sefirot of Atzilut are absolutely united with their Emanator, the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "The souls, on the other hand, are not absorbed into the G–dliness of the ten sefirot, but are stationed in the hechalot (palaces) and abodes of Beriah or Yetzirah, enjoying the effulgence of the Shechinah, the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which is united with the ten sefirot of Beriah or Yetzirah, it being the glow of their very Torah and service [see Zohar, Vayakhel, p. 210], for “the reward of a commandment is the commandment itself.”",
+ "The world of Atzilut, however, is beyond the intelligence, comprehension, and understanding of a created intellect, because the chochmah, binah, and daat of the En Sof, blessed is He, are united with it therein in perfect unity, a profound and wonderful unity which infinitely excels, in degree and form, that which is found in the world of Beriah, for in the latter they descended to give light by means of tzimtzum, so that created intellects should be able to receive from them chabad (chochmah, binah, daat), to know G–d and to understand and apprehend something of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, to the extent possible for created intellects which are limited and finite, without their being dissolved in their existence and ceasing completely to exist as created beings, only to revert to their source and root, namely, G–dliness itself.",
+ "It is this tzimtzum that is the cause of the glow of chabad of the En Sof, blessed is He, illuminating the souls in the world of Beriah.",
+ "It is different in [the world of] Atzilut, where they [chabad] are not subject to the same extent of tzimtzum; consequently it is impossible for created intellects to apprehend them. That is why no thought of the [created intellects] can apprehend anything there.",
+ "Hence it is the abode of the great tzaddikim, whose service supremely transcends even the quality of fear and love which are derived from the understanding and knowledge of His greatness, blessed be He, just as the world of Atzilut is far beyond the understanding and knowledge of a created intellect. Indeed, their service has been truly in the nature of a “vehicle” to the En Sof, blessed is He, being nullified to Him in existence and absorbed in His light, blessed be He, they and everything they possessed, through the fulfillment of the Torah and commandments, in the way which has been said of the Patriarchs that they were truly the “chariot” of G–d, because throughout their lives this was their service.",
+ "But as for him whose soul’s root is too small to contain such perfect service, so as to be nullified and absorbed in His light, blessed be He, by constant service, but only at such intervals and times which are propitious on high, viz., during the prayer of the Amidah which is in Atzilut, especially when making the genuflexions, for genuflexion characterises Atzilut [as explained in Pri Etz Chaim on the prayer of the Inauguration of Shabbat], since it symbolizes self-nullification in His light, blessed be He, to be accounted as nothing at all before Him—in such a case, therefore, the principal abode of his soul is in the world of Beriah [and only occasionally, at propitious times, does his soul ascend to Atzilut, by virtue of the “feminine waters,” as is known to the students of Kabbalah].",
+ "“The reward of a commandment is the commandment itself” means that from the reward we know its essence and rank. But we do not concern ourselves with esoteric matters, which are [related to] the great tzaddikim who are at the level of a “vehicle.” Our concern is with matters that are “revealed to us,” to which every man should aspire: to know with certainty the essence and quality of Divine service, with a conscious fear and love in one’s heart, stemming from understanding and knowledge of the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, which has its place in the ten sefirot of Beriah, and of service with the natural fear and love in the mind, [which is] in the ten sefirot of Yetzirah.",
+ "But a service without the inspiration of fear and love even in the mind, in a conscious state, that is to say, without arousing the natural love which is hidden in the heart and bringing it out of the concealment and recesses of the heart into the consciousness of the mind and the latency of the heart at any rate, but it remains hidden in the heart as at birth, as it was prior to the service—such a service remains below, in the world of “separateness,” called the externality of the worlds, having no power to rise and be absorbed in His Unity, blessed be He, in the ten holy sefirot, as is written in the Tikkunim that “Without fear and love it cannot soar upward, nor can it ascend and stand before G–d.”",
+ "This is so even if the service is not strictly “not for its own sake,” that is, for some ulterior motive, Heaven forfend. It also applies to the service which is described as “Their fear toward Me has become [like] a trained human precept,” that is to say, it is a matter of habit to which the person has become accustomed since infancy, having been habituated and trained by his father and teacher to fear G–d and to serve Him, but he does not really do it for its own sake. For [performance] truly for its own sake cannot be without arousing at least the innate fear and love and bringing them out from the concealment of the heart into the consciousness of the mind and the latency of the heart, at any rate. For just as a person does nothing for his companion in carrying out the latter’s will, unless he loves him or fears him, so one cannot truly act for His Name, blessed be He, just to carry out His will, without recalling and arousing any love or fear for Him in his mind and thought and the latency of his heart, at least.",
+ "Nor is love alone called “service” without at least the lower fear (yirah tataah), which is latent in every Jewish heart, as will be later amplified.",
+ "However, when a person is engaged [in service] truly not for its own sake, but for some personal motive, with a view to his own glorification, as, for example, in order to become a scholar and the like, then that motive, which originates in the kelipat nogah, clothes itself in his Torah, and the Torah is temporarily in a state of exile in the kelipah, until he repents, since “[Repentance] brings healing to the world.” For with his return to G–d, his Torah also returns with him.",
+ "Therefore the Rabbis of blessed memory declared, “A man should always occupy himself [with Torah and precepts, even if not for its own sake], for from motives of self-interest he will come [to study and observe] for its own sake”—[this they state] with certainty, for ultimately he is bound to do repentance, whether in this incarnation or in another, “Because none is rejected by Him.”",
+ "On the other hand, if a person acts without any particular motivation, neither “for its own sake” nor for selfish reasons, then it is not contingent upon repentance, but as soon as he, once again, learns this subject “for its own sake,” then even that which he had learned without any particular intent conjoins and attaches itself with this study and ascends on high, since it had not yet been invested with any kelipot nogah. Therefore “A man should always occupy himself….”",
+ "The same is true of prayer without kavanah, as is discussed in the Zohar."
+ ],
+ [
+ "However, as long as he has not restudied that subject “for its own sake,” his study does not ascend even into the ten sefirot which shine in the worlds of Yetzirah and Asiyah. For the sefirot are a category of G–dliness, and in them is clothed and united the actual light of the En Sof, blessed is He, and “Without fear and love it cannot ascend and stand before G–d,” as is written in the Tikkunim. But his study ascends into the hechalot and abodes which are the externalities of the worlds, wherein the angels stand. Thus Rabbi Chaim Vital, of blessed memory, writes in Shaar Hanevuah, ch. 2, that from Torah studied without kavanah angels are created in the world of Yetzirah, while from commandments performed without kavanah, angels are created in the world of Asiyah—and all angels are possessed of matter and form.",
+ "However, Torah which is studied “not for its own sake” indeed, as, for example, for the purpose of becoming a scholar and the like, does not at all ascend on high even to the hechalot and abodes of the angels of Holiness, but it remains below in this material world which is the dwelling place of the kelipot",
+ "NOTE: As explained in the Zohar, vol. III, pp. 31b and 121b, see there: “That word ascends and breaks through the heavens…and evokes what it evokes—if good—good…,” note there. Also page 105a: “From a word of the Torah is formed a sound which ascends….” Also page 168b: “The voices of Torah and Prayer ascend on High and rend the heavens….”",
+ "as commented in the Zohar on the verse, “What profit has man of all his toil which he labors under the sun?”: “Even with the toil of Torah, if he does it for his own glory….” This is also the meaning of the statement, “Happy is he who comes here with his learning in his hand,” which means that it was not left behind in this world below.",
+ "[The reason Torah requires kavanah to ascend on high] albeit the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are altogether One, for He and His will are One [is as follows]. Although the Holy One, blessed is He, fills all worlds alike, nevertheless the worlds are not all of equal rank. The difference is due to the recipients in two respects: Firstly, in that the higher worlds receive a radiance infinitely greater than the lower; secondly, in that they receive it without as many “garments” and “screens” as the lower. And this world is the lowest world in both aspects, for the radiance that is in it is greatly contracted to the utmost limit; hence it is corporeal and material. And even this [contracted radiance] comes in many “garments” and “screens” until it is clothed in the kelipat nogah to animate all clean things in this world, including the vivifying, articulate soul in man.",
+ "[Consider,] therefore, [this animal soul] as it utters words of Torah and prayer without kavanah. These are holy letters, of course, and the kelipat nogah in the vivifying soul constitutes no separating curtain in any degree concealing and covering His Holiness, blessed be He, clothed in them, as it conceals and covers His Holiness, blessed be He, in the vivifying soul when it speaks idle words, or as in the vivifying soul of any of the other living creatures that are clean. And though there is no place that is void of Him, yet He is the “Most hidden One of all the hidden” and is called the “Hidden G–d.” So, too, the radiance and extension of vitality from Him, blessed be He, is hidden in the many dense “garments” and “screens” until it is clothed and concealed in the garment of nogah. This is not, however, the case with the holy letters in the words of Torah and Prayer, wherein, on the contrary, the kelipat nogah is converted to good and is absorbed into this Holiness, as is discussed above. Nevertheless the glow of His Holiness, blessed be He, that is in them is in a state of tzimtzum to the utmost limit, since the voice and speech are material.",
+ "But in the case of prayer with kavanah and Torah with kavanah “for its own sake,” the kavanah is clothed in the letters of the speech because it is their source and root, since by reason and cause of it he speaks these letters. Therefore it elevates them to its level in the ten sefirot of Yetzirah or Beriah, according to whether the kavanah is inspired by intelligent or natural fear and love, and so on, as has been discussed above.",
+ "There the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, namely, the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, which is clothed in the letters of the Torah which he studies and in their kavanah, or in the prayer and its kavanah, or in the commandment and its kavanah, shines forth and is revealed with a great and infinite brightness that cannot shine forth and be revealed at all in any manner or form as long as the letters and the commandment are still in this material world, until the era of the end of days, when the world will be uplifted from its materiality, “And the glory of the L–rd will be revealed…,” as has been previously discussed at length.",
+ "NOTE: And there [in the ten sefirot] shines forth and is revealed also the supernal union (yichud elyon) that is produced by each commandment and by Torah study, this being the union of His attributes, blessed be He, which coalesce into one another, gevurot (the “stern” attributes) are sweetened by chasadim (benevolent attributes) through the propitious time of the supernal En Sof, blessed is He, which shines forth and reveals itself in a manner of a great and intense manifestation by reason of the “impulse” from below, namely, the performance of the commandment, or the occupation in Torah, wherein the will of the supernal En Sof, blessed is He, is clothed.
But the essential union takes place far higher, in the world of Atzilut, where the core and essence of His attributes, blessed be He, are united with their Emanator, the En Sof, blessed is He, and there is the core and essence of the the will of the supernal En Sof, blessed is He, while only a glow from them shines in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, in each of these worlds according to its rank. And although the soul of the person who occupies himself in the Torah and in the commandment does not derive from Atzilut, nevertheless the Supernal Will that is clothed in this commandment and which is identical with the very halachah or word of the Torah in which he is occupied is G–dliness and light of the En Sof, the Emanator, blessed is He, for He and His will are One, and by His Will, blessed be He, He has caused His attributes to emanate from Him yet they are united with Him, blessed be He. By the revelation of His will, which becomes manifest through this occupation with the Torah and the particular commandment they [the attributes] coalesce into one another and the gevurot are sweetened by chasadim at this propitious moment.",
+ "In the light of the above it will be clearly understood why fear and love are figuratively called “wings,” as is written, “And with two he would fly” [and as Rabbi Chaim Vital, of blessed memory, explained in Shaar Hayichudim, ch. 11], that the wings are to a bird what arms are to a man…. And in Tikkunim it is explained that they who occupy themselves with Torah and commandments in fear and love are called “children”; otherwise they are called “fledglings” that cannot fly.",
+ "NOTE: In Tikkun 45 it is written that the [figure of a] bird represents Metatron. His head is the letter yud, the body is the letter vav, and the two wings are the two [letters] hey, and so forth. This refers to the world of Yetzirah which is identified with Metatron, wherein are the “bodies” of the halachot of the Mishnah; his head symbolizes the intellectual aspects, the chochmah, binah, daat (chabad), that is the inwardness of the halachot, their esoteric meaning and their reasons; while the two wings—fear and love—refer to the higher hey, which is love, and the lower hey, which is the lower fear (yirah tataah), namely, the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven and the dread of G–d, like the awe one feels in the presence of a king, for example; for this is an external and exposed fear, unlike the higher fear (yirah ilaah), which is a feeling of shame, which is of “The hidden things belonging to the L–rd our G–d,” and it is found in the Higher Wisdom (chochmah ilaah), symbolizing the letter yud of the Name of Havaya, blessed is He, as is explained in Raaya Mehemna.",
+ "For just as the wings of a bird are not the essential parts of it, and its vitality does not depend on them at all—as we have learned, that “If its wings have been removed, it is kosher” (ritually clean), the essential parts being its head and entire body, while the wings merely serve the head and body, enabling it to fly with their aid—so, by way of example, are the Torah and commandments the essential aspect of the higher union through the manifestation of the Supernal Will that is revealed through them, while the fear and love raise them to that place where the will, the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, and the union (yichud), are revealed, namely, the worlds of Yetzirah and Beriah.",
+ "NOTE: Or even in [the world of] Asiyah, in the ten sefirot of holiness, the abode of the active commandments and also of [the study of] Scripture. But in the case of the Mishnah, the yichud and light of the En Sof, blessed is He, are revealed in [the world of] Yetzirah; and, in the case of Talmud, in [the world of] Beriah. This means that when one studies Scripture, the yichud and light of the En Sof, blessed is He, are diffused from Atzilut to Asiyah; and in [the study of] Mishnah [they reach] to Yetzirah only; and in [the case of] Talmud—to Beriah only. For they are all in Atzilut. As for Kabbalah, it is not diffused at all from Atzilut to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, as is explained in Pri Etz Chaim.",
+ "And although fear and love also form part of the 613 commandments, nevertheless they are called “wings,” for the consummation of love is the service out of love, and love without service is a “love of delights” delighting in G–d, which is of the nature of the World to Come and the receiving of reward, as it is written, “This day—to do them,” “and tomorrow” [in the World to Come]—to receive one’s reward.",
+ "But he who has not attained this dimension of savoring the nature of the World to Come, but whose soul still yearns and thirsts for G–d and goes out to Him all day, yet he does not quench his thirst with the water of the Torah that is in front of him—such a man is like one who stands in a river and cries: “Water! Water to drink!” Thus the prophet laments over such a man, “Ho, all who thirst, go to water.” For in its simple meaning the verse makes no sense: Surely, he who is thirsty and longs to learn will study of his own accord; why, then, does the prophet need to rebuke him “Ho”? This is explained at length elsewhere."
+ ],
+ [
+ "One must, however, constantly bear in mind the beginning of the service and its core and root. By this is meant that, although fear is the root of “turn away from evil” and love—of “do good,” nevertheless it is not sufficient to awaken the love alone to do good, but one must at least first arouse the innate fear which lies hidden in the heart of every Jew not to rebel against the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, as has been stated above, so that this [fear] shall manifest itself in his heart or, at least, his mind.",
+ "This means that he should at least contemplate in his thought on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, and on His Kingship, which extends to all worlds, both higher and lower, and that “He fills all worlds and encompasses all worlds,” as is written, “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” Yet He leaves both the higher and lower [worlds] and uniquely bestows His Kingdom upon His people Israel, in general, and upon him in particular, as, indeed, a man is obliged to say, “For my sake was the world created.” And on his part, he accepts His Kingdom upon himself, that He be King over him, to serve Him and do His will in all kinds of servile work.",
+ "“And, behold, G–d stands over him,” and “The whole world is full of His glory,” and He looks upon him and “Searches his reins and heart” [to see] if he is serving Him as is fitting. Therefore he must serve in His presence with awe and fear like one standing before the king.",
+ "One must meditate profoundly and at length on this thought according to the capacity of apprehension of his brain and thought and according to the time available to him, before he occupies himself with Torah or a commandment, such as prior to putting on his tallit or tefillin.",
+ "He should also reflect how the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which encompasses all worlds and pervades all worlds, which is identical with the Supernal Will, is clothed in the letters and wisdom of the Torah and in the tzitzit and the tefillin, and through his study or donning these latter he draws over himself His light, blessed be He, that is, over “the portion of G–dliness from above” which is within his body, that it may be absorbed and nullified in His light, blessed be He.",
+ "Specifically, in the case of the tefillin, [he should intend] that the attributes of wisdom and understanding which are in his divine soul may be nullified and absorbed into the attributes of wisdom and understanding of the En Sof, blessed is He, which are clothed, in particular, in the chapters of קדש and והיה כי יביאך. That is to say that he should use his wisdom and understanding that are in his soul only for G–d alone. Similarly that the attribute of daat that is in his soul, which includes both chesed (kindness) and gevurah (sternness), i.e., fear and love, in his heart, be nullified and absorbed into the attribute of the Higher Knowledge, which contains chesed and gevurah, which is clothed in the chapters of שמע and והיה אם שמוע. This is what is written in the Shulchan Aruch: “That he make his heart and brain subservient to Him….” ",
+ "And while putting on the tzitzit he should bear in mind what is written in the Zohar, namely, to draw over himself His kingship, blessed be He, which is the kingship over all worlds…to bestow it particularly upon us through this commandment. And this corresponds to the subject of “You shall surely set a king over yourself.”",
+ "In such a case, even though after all this [contemplation] no fear or dread descends upon him in a manifest manner in his heart, nevertheless since he accepts upon himself the Kingdom of Heaven and draws fear of Him, blessed be He, over himself in his conscious thought and rational volition, and this submission is beyond doubt a sincere one—for it is the nature of all Jewish souls not to rebel against the Holy King, blessed be He—then the Torah he studies or the commandment he performs because of this submission and because of this inspired fear in his mind are termed “perfect service,” like all service [performed] by a slave to his master or to his king.",
+ "On the other hand, if one studies and performs the commandment with love alone, in order to cleave to Him through His Torah or commandments, it is not termed “service of a servant,” which is what the Torah demands, viz., “And you shall serve the L–rd your G–d…,” and “Him shall you serve…,” as explained in the Zohar [Parashat Behar], “Just like the ox on which one first places a yoke in order to make it useful to the world…so, too, must a human being first of all submit to the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven…and if this submission is not found in him, holiness cannot rest on him….” [See also Raaya Mehemna, ibid., 111b] that every man must be of two categories and levels, namely, the category of a servant and that of a son.",
+ "And although there is a son who is also a servant, it is not possible to attain to this degree without the prerequisite of yirah ilaah, as is known to the initiated.",
+ "Furthermore, even in the case of him who in his mind and thought feels no fear or shame on account of the poor capacity of his soul, originating in the lower degrees of the ten sefirot of Asiyah, nevertheless since he is intent in his service to serve the King, it is a complete service, for fear and service are accounted as two commandments of the total of 613, and they do not deter each other.",
+ "But as a matter of fact, he also fulfills the commandment of fear in that he introduces the fear into his thought, for at this hour and moment, at any rate, there rests on him the fear of Heaven, at least like the fear in the presence of an ordinary mortal, even not a king, who is watching him, when he would restrain himself from doing anything unbecoming in the other’s eyes. This is termed fear, as Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said to his disciples: “May it be G–d’s will that the fear of Heaven be upon you like the fear of a human being…for you know that when a person commits a sin, he says [to himself], ‘May no one see me….’”",
+ "However, such fear is termed yirah tataah (“lower fear”) and yirat chet (“fear of sin”) which precedes wisdom, while the higher fear is the fear of shame…, “For there are two kinds of fear….”",
+ "Without any fear at all, however, it does not soar on high through love alone, just as a bird cannot fly with one wing, for fear and love are the two wings [as has been explained in the Tikkunim]. Similarly, fear alone is but one wing, and one’s service cannot ascend on high with it, although it is termed the “service of a servant,” for there must also be the filial quality, in order to awaken, at least, the natural love that is hidden in his heart, to become conscious of it in his mind at any rate, to be aware of his love of the One G–d in his thought and desire to cleave to Him, blessed be He.",
+ "This should be his kavanah when occupying himself with the Torah or the particular commandment, that his divine soul as well as his vivifying soul, together with their “garments,” shall cleave to Him, as has been explained above.",
+ "Yet in fact the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said that a man should never separate himself from the community. Therefore he should intend to unite and attach to Him, blessed be He, the fount of his divine soul and the fount of the souls of all Israel, being the spirit of His mouth, blessed be He, called by the name Shechinah, because it dwells and clothes itself in all worlds, animating them and giving them existence, and is that which imbues him with the power of speech to utter the words of Torah, or with the power of action to perform the particular commandment.",
+ "This union is attained through the drawing forth of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, here below by means of occupation in the Torah and the commandments wherein [the light of the En Sof] is clothed.",
+ "And he should be intent on drawing His light, blessed be He, over the fount of his soul and of the souls of all Israel to unite them. The meaning of this union will be discussed at length later on, note there. This is the meaning of “For the sake of the Union of the Holy One, blessed is He, with His Shechinah, in the name of all Israel.”",
+ "NOTE: Thereby the gevurot will, of themselves, also be sweetened by the chasadim through the coalescence of the middot and their union by means of the revelation of the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, which is revealed on high through the impulsion from below, namely, its revelation here below in the occupation in the Torah and commandment which are His Will, blessed be He. Thus it is written in Idra Rabbah and in Mishnat Chassidim, Tractate Arich Anpin, ch. 4, that the 613 commandments of the Torah are derived from the “whiteness” of arich anpin, which is the Supernal Will, the source of the chasadim.*",
+ "And although in order that this kavanah should be sincere in his heart, so that his heart should truly desire this yichud elyon (higher union), there needs to be in his heart the “great love” (אהבה רבה) for G–d alone, to do what is gratifying only to Him and not [even] for the purpose of satiating his own soul which thirsts for G–d, but he must be “Like a son who strives for the sake of his father and mother, whom he loves more than his own body and soul…” (as explained above in the name of Raaya Mehemna), nevertheless every man should habituate himself to this kavanah.",
+ "For though it may not be in his heart in perfect and complete truth, so that he should long for it with all his heart, nevertheless his heart does genuinely desire it to some small extent, because of the natural love in every Jewish heart to do whatever is the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, and this union is his true desire, namely the higher union in Atzilut, which is produced by the impulsion from below, through the union of the divine soul and its absorption into the light of G–d which is clothed in the Torah and commandments in which it occupies itself so that they become One in reality, as has been explained above. For by reason of this are also united the source of Torah and commandments, i.e., the Holy One, blessed is He, with the source of his divine soul which is called Shechinah. These are the two categories of “filling all worlds” and of “encompassing all worlds,” as is explained elsewhere at length.",
+ "But the union of the soul with, and its absorption into, the light of G–d, making them one, this is what every member of Israel desires in very truth, utterly, with all his heart and all his soul, because of the natural love that is hidden in every Jewish heart to cleave to G–d and not, under any circumstances, to be parted or sundered or separated, G–d forbid, from His Unity and Oneness, blessed be He, even at the cost of his very life.",
+ "And occupation in the Torah and commandments and prayer is also a matter of actual surrender of the soul, as when it leaves the body at the end of seventy years, for it no longer thinks of bodily needs, but its thought is united with, and clothed in, the letters of the Torah and prayer, which are the word and thought of the G–d, blessed be He, and they truly become one. This is [also] the whole occupation of the souls in the Garden of Eden, as is stated in the Gemara and in the Zohar, except that there they find delight in their apprehension of, and absorption into, the light of G–d.",
+ "This is why it was ordained to recite at the beginning of the Morning Blessings before the prayer, “My G–d, the soul which You have given me is pure…You have breathed it into me…and You will eventually take it from me….” Meaning: Inasmuch as You have breathed it into me and You will eventually take it from me, I therefore as of now hand it over and return it to You to unite it with Your Oneness, as is written, “To You, O L–rd, I lift my soul,” that is, through the binding of my thought with Your thought, and of my speech with Your speech, by means of the letters of the Torah and of prayer; and, especially, when one speaks to G–d in the second person, as “Blessed are You,” and the like.",
+ "With this preparedness to surrender his soul to G–d, he should begin [to recite] the morning benedictions, “Blessed are You….” Similarly, with this preparedness he should also begin to learn a regular course of study immediately after prayer. So, also in the course of the day, such preparation is necessary at least before he begins to study, as is known that the essential preparation [of intent] “for its own sake,” where it is sine qua non, is before the beginning of study in the case of benonim (intermediates). This is the same as in the case of [writing] a bill of divorce or a scroll of the Torah, requiring sine qua non “for their own sake,” and it is sufficient if at the commencement of writing he says, “I am now about to write for the sacred purpose of the scroll of the Law,” or [in the case of a bill of divorce] “for him and for her….”",
+ "However, when he studies for a number of consecutive hours he should reflect on the preparedness referred to above, at least at hourly intervals. For in each hour there is a different flow from the higher worlds to animate those who dwell here below, while the flow of vitality of the previous hour returns to its source [in accordance with the esoteric principle of the “advance and retreat” in Sefer Yetzirah] together with all the Torah and good deeds of those who dwell here below [performed within that hour]. For in each hour of the twelve hours of the day, there rules one of the twelve combinations of of [the letters that form] the Ineffable Name of G–d, blessed is He, while the combinations of the name A-D-N-Y rule at night, as is known.",
+ "Now, all his intent in the surrender of his soul to G–d through Torah and prayer, to elevate the spark of G–dliness therein back to its source, should be solely for the purpose of bringing gratification before Him, blessed be He, as, for example, the joy of a king when his only son returns to him, being released from captivity or imprisonment, as has been mentioned above.",
+ "This kavanah is genuinely and truly sincere in every Jewish soul at every season and every hour, by virtue of the natural love which is a heritage bequeathed to us from our ancestors. Nevertheless, one needs to establish set periods for reflecting on the greatness of G–d in order to attain intelligent fear and love, and with all that, perhaps one may succeed, as has been stated previously."
+ ],
+ [
+ "In the light of what has already been said on the subject of the lower kind of fear, one will clearly understand the Talmudic comment on the verse, “And now, Israel, what does the L–rd your G–d demand of you? Only to fear the L–rd your G–d.” [The Gemara asks,] “Is fear, then, such a small thing?” [And the Gemara replies:] “Yes, in the case of Moses it was a small thing,” and so forth.",
+ "At first glance the answer is incomprehensible, for it is written, “[What does the L–rd] demand of you?” [not of Moses]. The explanation, however, is as follows: Each and every soul of the House of Israel contains within it something of the quality of our teacher Moses, peace unto him, for he is one of the “seven shepherds” who cause vitality and G–dliness to flow to the community of Jewish souls, for which reason they are called “shepherds.” Our teacher, Moses, peace unto him, is the sum of them all, and he is called “the faithful shepherd.” This means that he brings down the quality of daat (knowledge) to the community of Israel that they may know the L–rd, each according to the capacity of his soul and its root above, and [according to] its nurture from the root of the soul of our teacher Moses, peace unto him, which is rooted in the Daat Elyon (Higher Knowledge) of the ten sefirot of Atzilut, which are united with their blessed Emanator, for He and His Knowledge are One, and He is the Knowledge….",
+ "In addition and beyond this [general influence to the community as a whole] there descend, in every generation, sparks from the soul of our teacher Moses, peace unto him, and they clothe themselves in the body and soul of the sages of that generation, the “eyes” of the congregation, to impart knowledge to the people that they may know the greatness of G–d and serve Him with heart and soul. For the service of the heart is according to the daat as is written, “Know the G–d of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind.” But regarding the future [Messianic Era] it is written, “And no longer shall every man teach his neighbor […] saying, Know the L–rd, for they shall all know Me….”",
+ "However, the essence of knowledge is not the knowing alone, that people should know the greatness of G–d from authors and books; but the essential thing is to immerse one’s mind deeply into the greatness of G–d and fix one’s thought on G–d with all the strength and vigor of the heart and mind, until his thought shall be bound to G–d with a strong and mighty bond, as it is bound to a material thing that he sees with his physical eyes and concentrates his thought on it. For it is known that daat connotes union, as in the phrase “And Adam yada (knew) Eve….”",
+ "This capacity and this quality of attaching one’s “knowledge” to G–d is present in every soul of the House of Israel by virtue of its nurture from the soul of our teacher Moses, peace unto him. Only, since the soul has clothed itself in the body, it needs a great and mighty exertion, doubled and redoubled: First is the wearying of the flesh, the crushing of the body and its submission, so that it shall not obscure the light of the soul, as has been mentioned above in the name of the Zohar, that “a body into which the light of the soul does not penetrate should be crushed,” which is accomplished by means of penitential reflections from the depths of the heart, as is explained there.",
+ "Next is the exertion of the soul, that the service shall not be burdensome to it, to exert its thought to delve into and reflect upon the greatness of G–d for a long and uninterrupted period, the measure of which is not the same for every soul. There is the naturally refined soul which, immediately as it considers the greatness of G–d, attains a fear and dread of G–d. As is written in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, sec. 1, that “When a man reflects that the great King, the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, with Whose glory the whole world is full, stands over him and sees his actions, he will immediately be overcome with fear….”",
+ "There is a soul that is of lowly nature and origin, coming from the lower gradations of the ten sefirot of Asiyah, which cannot discover G–dliness by contemplation except with difficulty and forcefulness, especially if it had been contaminated by the sin of youth, for the sins interpose, and so on [as is explained in Sefer Chassidim, ch. 35].",
+ "Nevertheless, by dint of forceful effort, when his thought greatly exerts itself with much vigor and toil and intense concentration, immersing in [contemplation of] the greatness of G–d for a considerable time, there will certainly come to him, at any rate, the lower fear referred to above, and as the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said, “[If a man says] ‘I have labored and I have found’—believe him.” It is also written, “If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the L–rd.” This means, in the manner of a man seeking a hidden treasure or the wealth buried in the depths of the earth, for which he digs with tireless toil, so must one delve with unflagging energy in order to bring to light the treasure of the fear of Heaven, which lies buried and concealed in the understanding of the heart of every Jewish individual, this being of a quality and level transcending the limitations of time, and this is the natural, hidden fear referred to above.",
+ "However, in order that it should be translated into action, in the sense of “fear of sin,” namely, to turn away from evil in deed, word, and thought, one needs to bring it to light from the hidden depths of the understanding of the heart, where it transcends time, and to place it within the realm of the actual thought that is in the brain. [This means] immersing his thought in it for a lengthy period of time until its activity shall emerge from the potential into the actual, namely, turning away from evil and doing good in thought, speech, and act because of G–d, Who looks and sees, hears and listens and perceives all his deeds and searches his reins and heart. As the Rabbis, of blessed memory, said, “Reflect upon three things…an Eye that sees, an Ear that hears….”",
+ "And although He has no bodily likeness, yet, on the contrary, everything is revealed and known to Him infinitely more than, for example, through the medium of physical sight or hearing. It is, by way of illustration, like a man who knows and feels within himself all that is happening to and being experienced by each and all of his 248 organs, such as cold and heat, feeling the heat even in his toenails, for example, as when he is scorched by fire; so also their essence and substance and all that is done to them, he knows and senses in his brain.",
+ "Corresponding to this knowledge, by way of example, the Holy One, blessed is He, knows all that befalls all created beings, both higher and lower, because they all receive their flow of life from Him, blessed be He, as is written, “For all is from You.” And this is the meaning of what we say, “And no creature is hidden from You.” And as Maimonides has said [and this has been accepted by the scholars of the Kabbalah, as Rabbi Moses Cordovero writes in Pardes], that “Knowing Himself, as it were, He knows all created things that exist by virtue of His true existence….”",
+ "Nevertheless this parallel is only an appeal to the ear. In truth, however, the analogy bears no similarity whatsoever to the object of the comparison. For the human soul, even the rational and the divine, is affected by the events of the body and its pain by reason of its being actually clothed within the vivifying soul which is clothed in the body itself.",
+ "The Holy One, blessed is He, however, is not, Heaven forbid, affected by the events of the world and its changes, nor by the world itself, for they do not affect any change in Him, G–d forbid. In order to help us perceive this well with our intelligence, the Scholars of Truth have already treated of it at length in their books. But all Jews are “believers descended from believers,” without human intellectual speculation whatsoever, and they declare, “You were [the same] before the world was created,” and so forth, as has been explained above in ch. 20.",
+ "Now, therefore, each individual Jew, whoever he may be, when he ponders upon this for some considerable time each day—how the Holy One, blessed is He, is truly omnipresent in the higher and lower [worlds], and in reality fills the heavens and the earth, and that the whole world is truly full of His glory, and that He looks and regards and searches his reins and his heart and all his actions and words, and counts his every step—then fear will be implanted in his heart throughout the day; and when he again meditates on this, even with a superficial reflection, at any time or moment, he will turn away from evil and do good, in thought, speech, and deed, so as not to rebel, G–d forbid, in the sight of His glory whereof the whole world is full. This is in accord with the instruction of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai to his disciples, quoted above.",
+ "This, then, is what the verse means, “Only to fear the L–rd your G–d, to walk in all His ways.” For this is the fear that leads to the fulfillment of His commandments, blessed be He, through turning away from evil and doing good. This is the “lower fear” which has been discussed earlier. As it applies to “Moses,” that is to say, in relation to the quality of daat that is in each divine Jewish soul, this is a minor thing, as has been stated above. [For daat is [the faculty] which binds the hidden understanding of the heart with that which is actually revealed in thought, as is known to the students of Kabbalah].",
+ "In addition to this, one should remember that, as in the case of a mortal king, the essence of fear [of him] relates to his inner nature and vitality and not to his body—for when he is asleep, there is no fear of him—and, surely, his inner character and vitality are not perceived by physical eyes but only by the vision of the mind, through the physical eyes beholding his stature and robes, and making the beholder aware of the vitality that is clothed in them. If this be so, he must likewise truly fear G–d when gazing with his physical eyes at the heavens and earth and all their host wherein is clothed the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that animates them.",
+ "NOTE: And it is also seen with the glance of the eye that they are nullified to His light, blessed be He, by the fact that they “prostrate” themselves every day toward the west at the time of their setting. As the Rabbis, of blessed memory, commented on the verse: “And the hosts of the heavens bow before You,” that the Shechinah abides in the west, so that their daily orbit westward is a kind of prostration and self-nullification. Even he who has never seen the king and does not recognize him at all, nevertheless when he enters the royal court and sees many honorable princes prostrating themselves before one man, there falls on him a fear and awe.",
+ "And although many garments are involved in this investment, there is no difference or distinction at all in the fear of a mortal king, whether he be naked or robed in one or in many garments.",
+ "The essential thing, however, is the [mental] training to habituate one’s mind and thought continuously, that it ever remain fixed in his heart and mind, that everything one sees with one’s eyes—the heavens and earth and all that is therein—constitutes the outer garments of the King, the Holy One, blessed is He. In this way he will constantly be aware of their inwardness and vitality. This is also implicit in the word emunah (“faith”), which is a term indicating “training,” to which a man habituates himself, like a craftsman who trains his hands.",
+ "There should also be a constant remembrance of the dictum of the Rabbis, of blessed memory, “Acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven,” which parallels the injunction “You shall surely set a king over yourself,” as has been explained elsewhere, and so on. For the Holy One, blessed is He, forgoes the higher and lower worlds and uniquely bestows His Kingdom upon us, and so on, and we accept it, and so forth. And this is the significance of the obeisances in the prayer of the Eighteen Benedictions, following the verbal acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven in the recital of the Shema, whereby one accepts it once again in actual deed, with a [positive] act, and so forth, as is explained elsewhere."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Concerning this yirah tataah (“lower fear”), which is directed toward the fulfillment of His commandments, in both areas of “Turn away from evil and do good,” it was said, “Where there is no fear [of G–d], there is no wisdom.”",
+ "It comprises a quality of “smallness” and a quality of “greatness.” The latter being the quality of fear that has its origin in contemplation on the greatness of G–d—that He fills all worlds, and “From the earth to the heaven is a distance of 500 years…and [similarly] from one heaven to the next…the feet of the Chayot measure up to them all…,” and similarly on the evolvement of all the worlds, one above the other to the topmost heights—nevertheless this fear is called an “external” and “inferior” fear because it is derived from the worlds which are “garments” of the King, the Holy One, blessed is He, Who conceals and hides and clothes Himself in them, to animate them and give them existence, that they may exist ex nihilo, and so on, yet [this fear] is the gate and entrance to the fulfillment of the Torah and commandments.",
+ "As for the yirah ilaah (“higher fear”), however, a fear stemming from a sense of shame, an inner fear that derives from the inward aspects of G–dliness within the worlds, it was said concerning it that “Where there is no wisdom, there is no fear,” for חכמה is [made up of the letters] כ״ח מ״ה, and “Chochmah comes from ayin” (nothing), and “Who is wise? He who sees that which is born.” That is to say, he sees how everything originates and comes into being ex nihilo by means of the word of G–d and the breath of His mouth, blessed be He. As is written, “And by the breath of His mouth all their hosts.”",
+ "Therefore, the heavens and the earth and all their hosts are truly nullified in reality, within the word of G–d and the breath of His mouth, and are accounted as nothing at all, as nought and nothingness indeed, just as the light and brightness of the sun are nullified within the body of the sun itself. And let not man regard himself as an exception to this principle, for also his body and nefesh and ruach and neshamah are nullified in reality in the word of G–d, Whose word, blessed be He, is united with His thought, and so on, as has been explained above at length [chs. 20 and 21], taking as an example the human soul, one utterance of whose speech and thought are veritably as nothing, and so forth. This is what is meant by the verse, “Behold, the fear of the L–rd, that is wisdom.”",
+ "However, one cannot attain this fear and wisdom except in the fulfillment of the Torah and commandments through the lower, external fear. And this is what is meant by the statement, “Where there is no fear, there is no wisdom.”",
+ "Now, in love, too, there are two grades—ahavah rabbah (“great love”) and ahavat olam (“eternal love”). “Great love” is an ecstatic love, and it is “a fiery flame that rises of itself.” It comes from above in a manner of a “gift” to him who is perfect in fear, as is known from the saying of the Rabbis, of blessed memory, “The way of a man is to search for a woman.” For love is called “man” or “male,” as is written, “He has remembered His lovingkindness,” while a woman [symbolizes] “fear of G–d,” as is known. Without the prerequisite of fear, it is impossible to attain to this “great love,” for this love originates from the realm of Atzilut, wherein are no sundering or separateness, G–d forbid.",
+ "Ahavat olam, however, is that which comes from the understanding and knowledge of the greatness of G–d, the En Sof, blessed is He, Who fills all worlds and encompasses all worlds and before Whom everything is accounted as nothing at all, like the nullity of one utterance within the intelligent soul while it still remains in its thought or in the desire of the heart, as has been explained earlier. For as a result of such contemplation, the attribute of love that is in the soul will be divested of its garments, i.e., it will not clothe itself in anything of pleasure or enjoyment, whether physical or spiritual, to love it, and will not desire anything whatsoever in the world other than G–d alone, the Source of the vitality of all enjoyments, for they are all nullified in reality and are accounted as nothing at all, compared with Him, there being no manner of comparison or similitude between them, G–d forbid, just as there is no comparison between that which is absolutely nought and nothing—and everlasting life. As is written, “Whom do I have in heaven [besides You]? And when I am with You I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart yearn, Rock of my heart….” And this will be explained later.",
+ "Also one whose soul’s quality of love is not clothed at all in any physical or spiritual enjoyment is able to kindle his soul as with burning coals and an intense fire and a flame that strives heavenward through the contemplation referred to above, as will be enlarged upon later.",
+ "This quality of love sometimes precedes fear, according to the quality of the daat which fathers it, as is known. [For daat incorporates both chasadim and gevurot, which are love and fear, and sometimes the chasadim descend and manifest themselves first.] Therefore it is possible for a wicked and a sinful person to repent by virtue of the love that is born in his heart at the time he remembers the L–rd his G–d.",
+ "At any rate, fear, too, is included therein [in the love], as a matter of course, except that it is in a stage of “minuteness” and “concealment,” namely, the fear of sin, of rebelling against Him, G–d forbid, while the love is in a revealed state in his heart and mind. However, such a case is but an accidental and spontaneous occurrence, or an “emergency prescription” through G–d’s particular providence as the occasion requires, as happened with Rabbi Eliezer ben Durdaya.",
+ "However, the order of service, which is determined by and depends on man’s choice, is to begin with the fulfillment of the Torah and commandments through the “lower” fear in its state of “minuteness” at least, to “turn away from evil and do good,” so as to illuminate his divine soul with the light of the Torah and its commandments, whereupon the light of love will also shine forth upon it [for the word ואהבת—“And you shall love”—has a numerical value twice that of אור—“light”—as is known to the students of Kabbalah]."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Each of the said two grades of love—the “great love” and the “eternal love”—is subdivided into many shades and gradations without limit in each individual according to his capacity. As is written in the holy Zohar on the verse, “Her husband is known in the gates,” that “This refers to the Holy One, blessed is He, Who makes Himself known and attaches Himself to every one according to the extent ‘which one measures in one’s heart….’”",
+ "Therefore fear and love are called “The secret things known to the L–rd our G–d,” while the Torah and commandments are those things which are “revealed to us and to our children to do….” For we have all one Torah and one law, insofar as the fulfillment of all the Torah and commandments in actual performance is concerned. It is otherwise with fear and love, which vary according to the knowledge of G–d in the mind and heart, as has been mentioned above.",
+ "Yet there is one love which incorporates something of all the distinctions and gradations of both “great love” and “eternal love,” and is found equally in every Jewish soul, as our inheritance from our Patriarchs.",
+ "And that is what the Zohar says on the verse, “My soul; I desire You at night…,” that “One should love the Holy One, blessed is He, with a love of the soul and the spirit, as these are attached to the body, and the body loves them,” and so forth. This is the interpretation of the verse, “My soul, I desire You,” which means “Since You, O L–rd, are my true soul and life, therefore I desire You.” That is to say, “I long and yearn for You like a man who craves the life of his soul, and when he is weak and exhausted he longs and yearns for his soul to revive in him; and also when he goes to sleep he longs and yearns for his soul to be restored to him when he awakens from his sleep. So do I long and yearn to draw the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, the Life of true life, within me through occupation in the Torah when I awaken during the night from my sleep,” for the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are one and the same.",
+ "As the Zohar says, ibid., “Out of love for the Holy One, blessed is He, a man should rise each night and exert himself in His service until the morning….”",
+ "A great and more intense love than that—one which is likewise concealed in every soul of Israel as an inheritance from our ancestors—is that which is defined in Raaya Mehemna, “Like a son who strives for the sake of his father and mother, whom he loves even more than his own body, soul, and spirit…,” for “Have we not all one Father?”",
+ "And although [one may ask], who is the man and where is he, who dares presume in his heart to approach and attain even a thousandth part of the degree of love of “the faithful shepherd” [Moses]? Nevertheless a minute portion and particle of his great goodness and light illumines the community of Israel in each generation, as is stated in the Tikkunim that “an emanation from him is present in every generation,” “to illumine them,” and so forth. Only this glow is in a manner of great occultation and concealment in the souls of all Israel. But to bring forth this hidden love from its veil and concealment to [a state of] revelation, to be manifest in his heart and mind, is “not beyond reach nor is it afar off, but the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart.”",
+ "That is to say, it should be habitual on his tongue and voice to arouse the intention of his heart and mind, so as to immerse his thought in the Life of life, the En Sof, blessed is He, for He is literally our true Father and the Source of our life, and to awaken our love for Him like the love of a son for his father. And when he accustoms himself to this continually, habit will become nature.",
+ "Even if it appears to him at first sight that this is an illusion, he need not be concerned because it is intrinsically the absolute truth by virtue of the “hidden love.” But the purpose of its emergence into the open is in order to translate it into action, namely, the occupation in the Torah and commandments which he studies and performs as a result of it, with the intention to bring gratification before Him, blessed be He, like a son serving his father.",
+ "Concerning this it was said that “A good thought is united by the Holy One, blessed is He, to a deed,” providing the “wings” to soar upward, as explained earlier. As for the “gratification,” it is akin, by way of the illustration used earlier, to the joy of a king whose son returns to him after liberation from captivity, or from the fact that it has been made possible for Him to have a habitation down here, as already mentioned.",
+ "But even in regard to the abovementioned [love, in the] category of “My soul, I desire You,” it is readily possible to bring it out of [its] concealment into the open through constant practice, with mouth and heart in full accord.",
+ "However, even if he cannot bring it into a revealed state in his heart, nevertheless he can occupy himself in the Torah and commandments “for their own sake” through portraying the idea of this love in the contemplation of his mind, and “A good thought is united by the Holy One, blessed is He….”",
+ "The said two distinctions of love—though they are an inheritance for us from our Patriarchs, and like a natural instinct in our souls, and so, too, is the fear that is contained in them, which is the fear of being sundered, G–d forbid, from the Source of our life and our true Father, blessed is He—are, nevertheless, not termed “natural” fear and love unless they be in the mind and thought alone and in the latency of the heart. Then their station is in the ten sefirot of Yetzirah to where they bring up with them the Torah and commandments of which they have been the inspiration and cause.",
+ "But when they are in a manifest state in the heart, they are called in the Zohar re’uta d’liba (“heart’s desire”) and they are stationed in the ten sefirot of Beriah, to where they bring up with them the Torah and commandments which have been induced by them. For their emergence from the latency and concealment of the heart into a state of “revelation” comes through the faculty of daat, i.e., through a powerful fixation of the mind and an intense concentration—touching the depth of the heart pre-eminently and continuously—on the En Sof, blessed is He, as to how He is our very life and our blessed true Father.",
+ "And it is well known what is written in the Tikkunim, that “there in the world of Beriah nests the ‘Supernal Mother,’” which is the contemplation of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, the Giver of life, which is in accordance with the teaching of Elijah, “Binah is the heart, and with it does the heart understand.”",
+ "Furthermore, these two distinctions of love, that have been referred to above, contain a quality of love which is greater and more sublime than the intelligent fear and love, the love termed above as ahavat olam (“eternal love”).",
+ "Nonetheless a person must strain his intellect to apprehend and attain also the distinction of “eternal love” referred to above, which stems from understanding and knowledge of the greatness of G–d, in order thereby to fan the blaze of the fiery love, with glowing coals and an intense fire and a flame that rises heavenward, so that “not even many waters can extinguish it…nor rivers quench it….” For there is a superiority and excellence in the quality of love burning like fiery coals and an intense flame, and so on, which comes from the understanding and knowledge of the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, over the two distinctions of love referred to above, when they are not like fiery coals and a blaze, and so forth, similar to the superiority and excellence of gold over silver, and so on, as will be explained later.",
+ "Besides, this is the whole man and his raison d’etre, that one may know the glory of the L–rd and the majestic splendor of His greatness, each according to the limit of his capacity, as is written in Raaya Mehemna, Parashat Bo, “In order that they may know Him…,” and as is known."
+ ],
+ [
+ "There is yet another direct road open to man, namely, to occupy himself with the Torah and commandments for their own sake through the attribute of our Patriarch Jacob, peace unto him, this being the attribute of mercy. It is first to arouse in his mind great compassion before G–d for the Divine spark which animates his soul that has descended from its Source, the Life of life, the En Sof, blessed is He, Who pervades all worlds and transcends all worlds and in comparison with Whom everything is accounted as nothing. Yet it [this spark] has been clothed in a “serpent’s skin” which is far removed from the light of the King’s Countenance, at the greatest possible distance, since this world is the nadir of the coarse kelipot….",
+ "And especially when he will recall all his actions and utterances and thoughts since the day he came into being, unworthy as they were, causing the King to be “fettered by the tresses”—“by the impetuous thoughts of the brain,” for “Jacob is the cord of his inheritance,” as in the illustration of one pulling a rope, and so forth. This is the esoteric doctrine of the “exile of the Shechinah.”",
+ "This is the meaning of the verse, “And Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept.” For “Rachel” represents Knesset Israel, the community of Israel, the fount of all souls, and “Jacob”—with his supernal attribute, the attribute of Mercy in Atzilut—is the one who arouses great compassion for her. “And he lifted up his voice”—upward to the fount of the Higher Mercies, called the “Father of Mercies,” and their source; “and he wept”—to awaken and draw from there abundant compassion upon all the souls and upon the fount of the community of Israel, to raise them from their exile and to unite them in the yichud elyon (higher unity) of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, on the level of kisses,” which is “The attachment of spirit with spirit,” as is written, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,” which means the union of the word of man with the word of G–d, namely, the halachah. So, too, are coupled thought with thought, act with act, the latter referring to the active observance of commandments and, in particular, the act of charity and loving-kindness. For “chesed (kindness) is the [Divine] right arm,” and this is, as it were, an actual “embrace,” as it is written, “And his right arm embraces me,” while the occupation in the Torah by word of mouth and concentrated thought constitute, as it were, actual “kisses.” Concerning this it is written, “And let him return to the L–rd, and have mercy upon Him,” arousing great compassion toward G–d Who dwells among us, as is written, “Who dwells among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”",
+ "In this way, a person is able to attain the distinction of ahavah rabbah (“great love”) in the consciousness of his heart, as is written, “To [the house of] Jacob who redeemed Abraham,” as has been explained elsewhere."
+ ],
+ [
+ "There is yet another good way for a man, which is suitable for all and “very near” indeed, to arouse and kindle the light of the love that is implanted and concealed in his heart, that it may shine forth with its intense light, like a burning fire, in the consciousness of the heart and mind, to surrender his soul to G–d, together with his body and [material] possessions, with all his heart, and all his soul, and all his might, from the depth of the heart, in absolute truth, especially at the time of the recital of the Shema and its blessings, as will be explained.",
+ "This [way] is to take to heart the meaning of the verse, “As water mirrors the reflection of a face, so is the heart of man to man.” This means that as [in the case of] the likeness and features of the face which a man presents to the water, the same identical face is reflected back to him from the water, so indeed is also the heart of a man who is loyal in his affection for another person, for this love awakens a loving response for him in the heart of his friend also, cementing their mutual love and loyalty for each other, especially as each sees his friend’s love for him.",
+ "Such is the common nature in the character of every man, even when they are equal in status. How much more so when a great and mighty king shows his great and intense love for a commoner who is despised and lowly among men, a disgraceful creature cast on the dunghill, yet he [the king] comes down to him from the place of his glory, together with all his retinue, and raises him and exalts him from his dunghill and brings him into his palace, the royal palace, in the innermost chamber, a place such as no servant nor lord ever enters, and there shares with him the closest companionship with embraces and kisses and spiritual attachment with all heart and soul—how much more will, of itself, be aroused a doubled and redoubled love in the heart of this most common and humble individual for the person of the king, with a true attachment of spirit, heart, and soul, and with infinite heartfelt sincerity. Even if his heart be like a heart of stone, it will surely melt and become water, and his soul will pour itself out like water, with soulful longing for the love of the king.",
+ "In a manner corresponding in every detail to the said figure and image but to an infinitely greater degree, has the L–rd our G–d dealt with us. For His greatness is beyond comprehension, and He pervades all worlds and transcends all worlds; and from the holy Zohar, as also from the Arizal, it is known of the infinite multitude of hechalot and worlds, and of the countless myriads of angels in each world and hechal. So does the Gemara note, “It is written, ‘Is there any numbering of His hosts?’ Yet, it is also written, ‘A thousand thousands serve Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before Him….’” The discrepancy is explained by the answer, “A thousand thousands…is the quota of one ‘troop,’ but His troops are innumerable.” Yet, before Him, all of them are accounted as nothing at all and are nullified in their very existence, just as one word is truly nullified in relation to the essence and being of the articulate soul while the utterance was still held in its [faculty of] thought, or in the will and desire of the heart, as has been explained above at length.",
+ "All these [angels] ask, “Where is the place of His glory?” And they answer, “The whole earth is full of His glory,” that is, His people, Israel. For the Holy One, blessed is He, forsakes the higher and lower creatures, choosing none of them but Israel His people, whom He brought out of Egypt—“the obscenity of the earth,” the place of filth and impurity—“not through the agency of an angel, nor of a saraf…but the Holy One, blessed is He, Himself in His glory” descended there, as is written, “I have come down to deliver them…,” in order to bring them near to Him in true closeness and unity, with a truly soulful attachment on the level of “kisses” of mouth to mouth, by means of uttering the word of G–d, namely, the halachah, and the fusion of spirit to spirit, namely, the comprehension of the Torah and the knowledge of His will and wisdom, all of which is truly one [with G–d]; also with a form of “embrace,” namely, the fulfillment of the positive precepts with the 248 organs, for the 248 ordinances are the 248 “organs” of the King, as has been explained. These, in a general way, are divided into three categories—right, left, and center—namely, chesed (kindness), din (stern justice) and rachamim (mercy)—the two arms and the body, and so forth.",
+ "This is the meaning of [the text of the benedictions] “Who has sanctified us with His commandments”: like one who betrothes a wife that she may be united with him with a perfect bond, as is written, “And he shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” Exactly so, and even infinitely surpassing, is the union of the divine soul that is occupied in Torah and commandments, and of the vivifying soul, and their garments referred to above, with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "Therefore did Solomon, peace unto him, in the Song of Songs compare this union with the union of bridegroom and bride in attachment, desire, and pleasure, with embrace and kissing.",
+ "This is also the meaning of “Who has sanctified us with His commandments,” by means of which He has raised us to the heights of the Holiness of the Supreme One, blessed is He, which is the holiness of the Holy One, blessed is He, Himself. Kedushah (“holiness”) is a term indicating separateness, in that the Holy One, blessed is He, is apart from the worlds, namely, His quality of “encompassing all worlds,” which cannot be clothed within them.",
+ "For through the union of the soul with, and its absorption into, the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, it attains the quality and degree of the actual holiness of the En Sof, blessed is He, since it unites itself with, and is integrated into, Him, blessed be He, and they become One in reality. This is the meaning of the verse, “And you shall be holy to Me, for I the L–rd am holy, and I have separated you from other peoples that you should be Mine,” and “You shall do all My commandments and be holy to your G–d; I am the L–rd your G–d….” The meaning is that through fulfillment of the commandments I become your G–d, [in the same sense] as “the G–d of Abraham,” “the G–d of Isaac,” and so on, called thus because the Patriarchs were a “chariot” for Him, blessed be He, and they were nullified and absorbed into His light.",
+ "So it is with the soul of every Israelite at the time he occupies himself with Torah and commandments. Therefore the Rabbis, of blessed memory, made it obligatory for us to rise and remain standing in the presence of every one who is engaged in a commandment, even if the latter is uncultured and illiterate. This is because the L–rd dwells and clothes Himself in this man’s soul at such time, though his soul is unconscious of it because of the barrier of the bodily grossness which has not been purified and which dims the eyes of the soul [preventing it] from seeing Divine visions, as experienced by the Patriarchs and others of their stature, who “saw their world during their lifetime.”",
+ "This is also the meaning of what Asaf said, under Divine inspiration, on behalf of the whole community of Israel in exile: “I was a boor and did not understand, like an animal was I with You. Yet I was always with You.” This means that even though I am like an “animal” when I am with You, being unaware of, and insensitive to, this union in my soul, which should bring down on it fear and awe first, followed by a great love of delights, or a burning [love] like fiery coals, similar to the quality of the tzaddikim, whose corporeality has been purified, for, as is known, daat connotes a sensitivity of the soul, comprising chesed (kindness) and gevurah (sternness)—yet “I was always with You,” for the corporeality of the body does not prevent the union of the soul with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, Who fills all worlds, and as is written, “ Even the darkness obscures not from You.”",
+ "Thereby will be understood the severity of the punishment for transgressing the prohibition of work on Shabbat or that of unleavened bread on Passover, which [prohibition] equally applies to all. For even in the soul of an uncultured and completely illiterate person shines the light of the sanctity of Shabbat or the Festival; hence he faces capital punishment by karet or stoning for the profanation of this sanctity.",
+ "Similarly, [transgression involving] the slightest amount of leaven, or the handling of muktzeh, tarnishes the sanctity which rests on his soul, just as it would the sanctity of the soul of a tzaddik, for we have all one Torah.",
+ "[And as for the use of the plural form behemot, this is an intimation that before Him, blessed be He, even the so-called daat elyon (“supernal knowledge”)—which comprises chesed and gevurah—is like “beasts” i.e., a physical creation, when compared with the light of the En Sof, as is written, “You have made them all with wisdom,” and this is called behemah rabbah (“a great beast”), as is explained elsewhere. And this is the Name of ב“ן, with the numerical equivalent of בהמה (beast), preceding Atzilut.]"
+ ],
+ [
+ "“In every generation and every day a person is obliged to regard himself as if he had that day come out of Egypt.” This refers to the release of the divine soul from the confinement of the body, the “serpent’s skin,” in order to be absorbed into the Unity of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, through occupation in the Torah and commandments in general, and in particular through accepting the Kingdom of Heaven during the recital of the Shema, wherein the person explicitly accepts and draws over himself His Unity, blessed be He, when he says, “the L–rd is our G–d, the L–rd is One.”",
+ "It has previously been explained that “our G–d” is understood in the same way as “the G–d of Abraham,” and so forth, because he became nullified and absorbed into the Unity of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, except that Abraham merited this by reason of his works and his advancing in holiness from degree to degree, as is written, “And Abram journeyed, going on and on…”",
+ "In our case, however, it is a heritage and a gift, in that He has given us His Torah and has clothed in it His will and wisdom, blessed be He, which are united with His Essence and Being, blessed be He, in perfect unity; and surely this is as if He gave us His very self, as it were. In this sense the Zohar commented on the verse, “That they bring Me an offering.” [For the expression לי [“to Me”] has the same meaning as אותי [“Me”]; hence the text should have read “Me and an offering,” except that both are one and the same. Study it well there.]",
+ "This is the interpretation of “And You, L–rd our G–d, have given us, in love…,” [and] “For by the light of Your Countenance You gave us, L–rd our G–d….” Therefore the only thing that precludes us from the attachment of the soul to His Unity and light, blessed be He, is the will, that is, if the human being does not will it at all, G–d forbid, to cleave to Him…. But immediately he does so desire, and he accepts and draws upon himself His G–dliness, blessed be He, and declares, “the L–rd is our G–d, the L–rd is One,” then his soul is spontaneously absorbed into His Unity, blessed be He, for “Spirit evokes spirit and draws forth spirit.” This is a form of “Exodus from Egypt.” Therefore it was ordained that the paragraph concerning the Exodus from Egypt be read specifically during the recital of the Shema, although it is a commandment by itself and not appertaining to the commandment of the recital of the Shema, as is stated in the Talmud and Codes, for they are actually the same thing. Likewise, the paragraph referring to the Exodus from Egypt also concludes, “I am the L–rd your G–d.” This also accords with what has been explained earlier."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Contemplating on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, the intelligent person [will realize] that as His name indicates, so is He—there is no end or limit or finitude at all to the light and vitality that diffuse from Him, blessed be He, by His simple will, and which is united with His Essence and Being, blessed be He, in perfect unity. Had the worlds descended from the light of the holiness of the En Sof, blessed is He, without “contractions,” but according to a gradual descent, from grade to grade by means of cause and effect—this world would not, in such case, have ever been created in its present form, in a finite and limited order, [viz.,] “From the earth to the heaven is a distance of 500 years,” and similarly between heaven and heaven, and so also the diameter of each heaven.",
+ "Even the World to Come and the Higher Garden of Eden—the habitation of the souls of the great tzaddikim—and the souls themselves and, needless to add, the angels—are all in the realm of bounds and limitation, for there is a limit to their apprehension of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which shines on them through being clothed in chabad, etc., hence, there is also a boundary to their enjoyment derived from the splendor of the Shechinah, and to their pleasure in the light of G–d, for they cannot absorb enjoyment and delight of an infinite order without being nullified out of their existence and returned to their source.",
+ "Now, as for the intricate details of the “contractions”—this is not the place for their explanation. But in general they are something in the nature of “occulation and concealment” of the flow of the light and vitality, so that only an extremely minute portion of light and vitality should illuminate and reach the lower creatures in a revealed manner, as it were, pervading them and acting in them and animating them so that they might receive existence ex nihilo and be in a state of finitude and limitation. This constitutes an exceedingly contracted illumination, and it is considered as virtually nothing at all compared with the quality of the limitless and infinite illumination, and there is no reference or relationship between them, as the term “reference” is understood in values, where the figure 1 has a relevancy with the number 1,000,000, for it is one-millionth part of it; but as regards a thing which is in the realm of infinity, there is no number that can be considered relative to it, for a billion or trillion do not attain the relevancy of the figure 1 in comparison with a billion or trillion, but is veritably accounted as nothing.",
+ "So, indeed, is the quality of the contracted illumination which informs the higher and lower worlds, acting in them and animating them—compared with the quality of the hidden and concealed light that is of an infinite order and does not clothe itself or exercise its influence in the worlds, to animate them in a revealed manner, but it “encompasses” them from above and is called sovev kol almin (the “encompasser of all worlds”).",
+ "The meaning of this is not that it encircles and encompasses from above spatially, G–d forbid, for in spiritual matters the category of space is in no way applicable. But the meaning is that it “encircles and encompasses from above” insofar as the so-called “revealed” influence is concerned, for influence which is in the category of “revelation” in the worlds is referred to as “investiture,” being “clothed” within the worlds, for the influence that they receive is clothed and comprehended by them; whereas the influence which does not come within the category of “revelation,” but remains in occultation and concealment and is not apprehended by the worlds, is not described as being “invested” but as “encircling and encompassing.” Therefore, since the worlds belong in the order of the finite and limited, it follows that only an extremely minute and contracted reflection of the flow of the light of the holiness of the En Sof, blessed is He, clothes and reveals itself in them in a revealed form, and this only to animate them in a finite and limited state.",
+ "But the principal light without contraction to such an extent is called makif (“encircler”) and sovev (“encompasser”), since its influence is not revealed within them, inasmuch as they belong in the order of the finite and the limited.",
+ "To illustrate this point, consider this material world. Even though “The whole world is full of His glory,” namely, the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, as is written, “Do not I fill heaven and earth? says the L–rd,” nevertheless only a very small vitality, of the category of inanimate and vegetable worlds, is clothed therein in the form of “revealed” influence, while all the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, is termed as “encompassing” it, even though it actually pervades it, since its influence is no more revealed in it but is active in it in a hidden and concealed manner; and any influence of a concealed nature is referred to as “encircling from above,” for the “hidden world” is on a higher plane than the “revealed world.”",
+ "Let us make it more intelligible by means of an example. When a man forms an image in his mind of something that he has seen or sees—although the entire body and essence of that thing, both its exterior and interior and its very core, are completely mirrored in his mind and thought, for he has seen it or is seeing it in its entirety—this is expressed by saying that his mind encompasses that object completely, and that thing is enveloped by his mind and thought. But it is not encompassed in actual fact, only in the imagination of the man’s thought and mind.",
+ "The Holy One, blessed is He, however, of Whom it is written, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts…,” surely His Thought and Mind, knowing all created things, encompass each and every created being from its beginning to its end and its inside and very core, all in actual reality.",
+ "For example, in the case of the orb of this earth, His knowledge, blessed be He, encompasses the entire diameter of the globe of the earth, together with all that is in it and its deepest interior to its lowest depths, all in actual reality. For this knowledge constitutes the vitality of the whole spherical thickness of the Earth and its creation ex nihilo. However, it would not have come into being as it now is, as a finite and limited thing, with an exceedingly minute vitality sufficient for the categories of inorganic matter and vegetation, were it not for the many powerful contractions which have condensed the light and vitality that is clothed in the orb of the earth so as to animate it and sustain it in its finite and limited status and in the categories of inorganic and vegetable matter alone.",
+ "But His knowledge, blessed be He, which is united with His essence and being—for “He is the Knowledge, the Knower, and the Known, and knowing Himself, as it were, He knows all created things, but not with a knowledge that is external to Himself, like the knowledge of a human being, for all of them [the created things] are derived from the truth of His Being, blessed be He, and this thing is not within the power of human beings to comprehend clearly,” and so forth—",
+ "NOTE: As Maimonides, of blessed memory, has written—and the scholars of Kabbalah subscribed to his views—as is stated in Pardes of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, of blessed memory. This also accords with the Kabbalah of the Arizal, in the mystery of tzimtzum and the clothing of the lights in vessels, as has been mentioned previously in ch. 2.",
+ "—this knowledge, since it is of an infinite order, is not described as clothing itself in the orb of the earth, which is finite and limited, but as encircling and encompassing it, although this knowledge embraces its entire thickness and interior in actual reality, thus giving it existence ex nihilo, as is explained elsewhere."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Even though the particular aspects of the nature of the occultation and concealment of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, in the descent of the worlds—until this material world was created—are too numerous to count and are of many diverse kinds, as is known to those who have tasted of the Tree of Life, yet in general there are three levels of powerful and comprehensive “contractions,” giving rise to three comprehensive worlds, each category consisting of myriads upon myriads of particulars. These are the three worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, for the world of Atzilut is G–dliness itself.",
+ "In order to create the world of Beriah, which consists of the higher souls and angels, whose service to G–d is in the sphere of chabad [the intellectual faculties] which are clothed in them and are apprehended by them and from which they receive influence, there preceded a powerful “contraction,” as mentioned above.",
+ "So, too, from Beriah to Yetzirah. For the minute portion of light which clothes itself in the world of Beriah is still in a category of infinity in relation to the world of Yetzirah and is unable to clothe itself in the latter except through a contraction and occulation. So, too, from Yetzirah to Asiyah. [An elaborate explanation of these three “contractions,” in order to make them more accessible to our poor intellect, is given elsewhere.]",
+ "The purpose of all the “contractions” is the creation of the material human body and the subjugation of the sitra achara to bring about the pre-eminence of light supplanting darkness—when a person elevates his divine soul and his vivifying soul together with their garments and all the powers of the body to G–d alone, as has been discussed earlier at length, for this is the purpose of the descent of the worlds.",
+ "To quote [again] “As water mirrors the reflection of a face”: As the Holy One, blessed is He, has, as it were, laid down and set aside, figuratively speaking, His great infinite light and has stored it away and concealed it by means of three different kinds of “contractions”—and all this because of His love for lowly man, in order to raise him up to G–d, for “Love impels the flesh,” how much more, and an infinite number of times more, is it fitting that a man also should relinquish and set aside all he possesses, both spiritually and physically, and renounce everything in order to cleave to Him, blessed be He, with attachment, desire, and longing, without any hindrance, within or without, neither of body nor soul, nor money, nor wife and children.",
+ "Thereby will be understood the true reason and meaning of the Rabbinical enactment ordaining the recitations of the blessings of the Shema: two preceding it…. For it would appear, at first glance, that they have no connection whatsoever with the recital of the Shema, as Rashba and other codifiers have stated. Why, then, were they termed “Blessings of the Shema?” And why were they ordained to be recited specifically before it?",
+ "But the reason is that the essence of the recital of the Shema is to fulfill the injunction “With all your heart…,” namely, “with both your natures…,” that is to say, to overcome anything that deters from the love of G–d. For “your heart” alludes to the wife and children, to whom a man’s heart is, by his very nature, bound. So have the Rabbis, of blessed memory, commented on the verses, “For He spoke, and it came to be,” that this refers to the wife; “He commanded, and it endured,” that this refers to the children; and by “your soul and your might” is understood, literally, your life and sustenance—renouncing everything for the love of G–d.",
+ "But how can physical man attain to this level? It is, therefore, to this end that the blessing of Yotzer Or was introduced first, for [in this blessing] there is said and repeated at length the account and order of the angels “standing in the heights of the universe” in order to proclaim the greatness of the Holy One, blessed is He—how all of them are nullified in His light, blessed be He, and “proclaim in awe…and hallow…declaring in reverence, ‘Holy…’” meaning that He is apart from them, and He does not clothe Himself in them in a “revealed” state, but “the whole earth is full of His glory,” namely, the community of Israel above and Israel below, as has been explained earlier.",
+ "So, too, “the Ofanim and holy Chayot with a mighty sound…[declare] ‘Blessed be the glory of the L–rd from its place,’” for they neither know, nor do they apprehend His place, as we say, “for He alone is exalted and holy.”",
+ "Then follows the second blessing, “With an everlasting love You have loved us, L–rd, our G–d.” That is to say that He set aside all the supernal, holy hosts and caused His Shechinah to dwell upon us, so that He be called “our G–d,” in the same sense that He is called “the G–d of Abraham,” as explained earlier. This is because “love impels the flesh.” Therefore it is called ahavat olam (“worldly love”), for this is the so-called “contraction” of His great and infinite light, taking on the garb of finitude, which is called olam (“world”), for the sake of the love of His people Israel, in order to bring them near to Him, that they might be absorbed into His Unity and Oneness, blessed be He.",
+ "This is also the meaning of “[You have bestowed upon us] exceedingly abounding mercy,” namely, exceeding the nearness of G–d toward all the hosts above; “…and You have chosen us from among all nations and tongues,” which refers to the material body which, in its corporeal aspects, is similar to the bodies of the gentiles of the world; “and have brought us near…that we may thank You…”—the interpretation of “thanks” will be given elsewhere; “and proclaim Your Unity…”—to be absorbed into His Unity, blessed be He, as has been explained above.",
+ "When the intelligent person will reflect on these matters in the depths of his heart and brain, then—as water mirrors the image of a face—his soul will spontaneously be kindled and it will clothe itself in a spirit of benevolence, willingly to lay down and resolutely to abandon all he possesses, in order only to cleave to Him, blessed be He, and to be absorbed into His light with an attachment and longing, and so forth, in a manner of “osculation” and the attachment of spirit to spirit, as has been explained earlier.",
+ "But how does the attachment of spirit to spirit take place? To this end it is stated [further on], “And these words shall be…upon your heart. And you shall speak of them….” As is explained in Etz Chaim that the union of “osculation” is essentially the union of chabad with chabad, that is, concentration in the Torah; while the mouth, as the outlet of the breath and its emergence into a revealed state represents the category of speech engaged in words of the Torah, for “By the word that proceeded out of the mouth of G–d does man live.”",
+ "However, one does not fulfill one’s duty by meditation and deliberation alone until one expresses the words with his lips in order to draw the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, downward [even] to the vivifying soul which dwells in the blood of man—which is produced by [the intake of food from] the mineral, vegetable, and animal [worlds]—thus to raise them all to G–d, together with the entire Universe and to cause them to be absorbed in His Unity and Light, blessed be He, which will illumine the world and its inhabitants in a revealed manner, “And the glory of G–d will be revealed, and together all flesh will see ….” For this is the purpose of the descent of all the worlds, that the glory of the L–rd may pervade this world especially, in a revealed manner, to “change darkness to light and bitterness to sweetness,” as has been explained above at length.",
+ "And this is the essence of man’s kavanah in his service: to draw the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, down below. However, the initiative must come through the elevation of the mayin nukvin to surrender to Him his soul and possessions, as has been explained above."
+ ],
+ [
+ "All the distinctions and gradations of love, that have been mentioned above, derive from the “right side,” from the distinction of “priest, man of grace” and are called kesef hakodoshim (“longing for holy things”) etymologically, as in “For you longed repeatedly for your father’s house.”",
+ "There is, however, yet another distinction of love which excels them all, as gold is superior to silver, and this is a love like fiery coals from the distinction of the supernal gevurot from binah ilaah (supernal understanding).",
+ "This is when, through contemplation on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, before Whom everything is truly accounted as nought, the soul is kindled and flares up toward the glory of the splendor of His greatness in order to gaze on the glory of the King, like glowing coals of a mighty flame which surges upward, striving to be parted from the wick and the wood on which it has taken hold. This is brought on by the preponderance of the element of Divine fire that is in the divine soul. In consequence of this it develops a thirst, as is written, “My soul thirsts for You”; next it attains the distinction of “lovesickness”; and then it reaches a state of very rapture of the soul (כלות הנפש) as is written, “Indeed, my soul pines.”",
+ "From here [supernal gevurot] issues forth the root of the Levites [on earth] below [and in the World to Come, when the world will be exalted, they will become the priests, as the Arizal commented on the verse, “But the priests, the Levites,” that the Levites of today will become the priests of the future]. The service of the Levites was to raise the voice of melody and thanksgiving, with song and music, with tunefulness and harmony, in a manner of “advance and retreat” which is the distinction of the intense love resembling the flame that flashes out of the lightning, as is mentioned in the Gemara [Chagigah, ch. 2].",
+ "It is impossible to elucidate this matter clearly in writing. Yet every warmhearted and intelligent person gifted with understanding, who deeply binds his mind and contemplation to G–d, will discover the goodness and light which are treasured up in his intelligent soul, each according to his capacity—[“there is one who is affected [in one way]…and there is one who is affected [in another], and so forth”]—prefacing it with the fear of sin, in order to be completely parted from evil, that the iniquities may not interpose…, G–d forbid.",
+ "The order of the service in occupying oneself with the Torah and commandments, a service derived from the category of the said intense love, is in the manner of “retreat” alone, as is written in Sefer Yetzirah, “And if your heart hastens, return to the One.” The interpretation of [the phrase] “if your heart hastens” is the craving of the soul that is in the right side of the heart —when it gains sway and bursts into flame and grows so exceedingly enraptured that the very soul is consumed with a desire to pour itself out into the embrace of its Father, the Life of life, blessed is He, and to leave its confinement in the corporeal, physical body, in order to attach itself to Him, blessed be He—then one must take to heart the teaching of the Rabbis, of blessed memory, that “against your will you live” in this body, animating it for the purpose of drawing downward the higher life from the Life of life, blessed is He, through the life-giving Torah, that there may be a dwelling in the lower world for His Oneness, blessed be He, in a revealed state. As has been explained above, and as is explained in the holy Zohar, “that there be ‘One in One,’ the meaning of which is that the yichud hane’elam (hidden Unity) shall become a category of the ‘revealed world.’”",
+ "And this is the interpretation of the text, “Come, my beloved….” From this will be understood the adage of the Rabbis, “against your will you live; against your will….” What then should one’s desire be? The answer will be found elsewhere in the lengthy explanation of this Mishnah, “against your will you live”—with the aid of the Life of life, blessed is He."
+ ],
+ [
+ "To return to, and further to elucidate, the expression of the Yenuka, mentioned earlier, it is necessary first to explain—so that one may understand a little—the subject of the indwelling of the Shechinah, which rested in the Holy of Holies and likewise all other places where the Shechinah rested. What is the meaning of this? Is not the whole world full of His glory? And surely there is no place void of Him.",
+ "The [clue to the] understanding of this is to be found in the text, “From my flesh I see G–d.” The analogy is from the soul of a human being which pervades all the 248 organs of the body, from head to foot, yet its principal habitation and abode is in his brain, whence it is diffused throughout all the organs, each of which receives from it vitality and power appropriate to it, according to its composition and character: the eye for seeing, the ear for hearing, the mouth for speaking, and the feet for walking—as we clearly sense that in the brain one is conscious of everything that is affected in the 248 organs and everything that is experienced by them.",
+ "Now, the variation in the acquisition of powers and vitality by the organs of the body from the soul is not due to the [soul’s] essence and being, for this would make its core and essence divisible into 248 diverse parts, vested in 248 loci according to the various forms and locations of the organs of the body. If this were so, it would follow that its essence and core are fashioned in a material design, in a likeness and form resembling the shape of the body, Heaven forfend! Rather, it is entirely a single and simple spiritual entity, which, by its intrinsic essence, is divested of any corporeal shape and of any category and dimension of space, size, or physical limitation. It is, therefore, impertinent to say, in relation to its core and essence, that it is located in the brain of the head more than it is in the feet, since its core and essence are not subject to the dimensions and categories of physical limitation. But there are contained in it, in its intrinsic essence, 613 kinds of powers and vitalities to be actualized and to emerge from concealment in order to animate the 248 organs and 365 veins of the body, through their embodiment in the vivifying soul, which also possesses the corresponding 248 and 365 powers and vitalities.",
+ "It is with reference to the flow of all the 613 kinds of powers and vitalities from the concealment of the soul into the body in the process of animating it that it has been said that the principal dwelling place and abode of this flow of life and of this manifestation is situated entirely in the brains of the head. Therefore they first receive the power and vitality appropriate to them according to their disposition and character, namely, chabad (chochmah, binah, daat) and the faculty of thought, and all that pertains to the brains; and not only this, but also the sum total of all the streams of vitality flowing to the other organs is also contained and is clothed in the brain that is in the head. It is there that the core and root of the said manifest flow of the light and vitality of the whole soul are to be found. From there a radiation is diffused to all the other organs, each of which receives the power and vitality appropriate to it in accordance with its disposition and character: the faculty of sight reveals itself in the eye, and the faculty of hearing manifests itself in the ear, and so forth. But all the powers flow from the brain, as is known, for therein is located the principal dwelling place of the whole soul, in its manifest aspect, since the sum total of the vitality that is diffused from it is revealed there. Only the [individual] powers of the said general vitality shine forth and are radiated from there into all the organs of the body, much in the same manner as light radiates from the sun and penetrates rooms within rooms. [Even the heart receives vitality from the brain; hence the brain has an intrinsic supremacy over it, as has been explained above.]",
+ "In a truly like manner, figuratively speaking, does the En Sof, blessed is He, fill all worlds and animate them. And in each world there are creatures without limit or end, myriads upon myriads of various grades of angels and souls, and so on, and likewise, the abundance of the worlds is without end or limit, one higher than the other….",
+ "Now, the core and essence of the En Sof, blessed is He, is the same in the higher and lower worlds, as in the example with the soul given above and as is written in the Tikkunim that “He is the Hidden One of all the hidden.” This is to be understood that even in the higher, hidden worlds He is hidden and concealed within them, just as He is hidden and concealed in the lower, for no thought can apprehend Him at all even in the higher worlds. Thus as He is to be found there, so is He found in the very lowest.",
+ "The difference between the higher and lower worlds is with regard to the stream of vitality which the En Sof, blessed is He, causes to flow and illumine in a category of “revelation out of concealment” [which is one of the reasons why the influence and stream of this vitality is figuratively called “light”], thereby animating the worlds and the creatures therein. For the higher worlds receive, in a somewhat more “revealed” form, than do the lower, and all creatures therein receive each according to its capacity and nature, which is the nature and the form of the particular flow with which the En Sof, blessed is He, imbues and illumines it.",
+ "But the lower [worlds], even the spiritual ones, do not receive [the light] in quite such a “revealed” form, but only by means of many “garments,” wherein the En Sof, blessed is He, invests the vitality and light which He causes to flow and shine on them in order to animate them. ",
+ "These garments, wherein the En Sof, blessed is He, invests and conceals the light and vitality, are so numerous and powerful that thereby He created this very corporeal and physical world. He gives it existence and animates it by the vitality and light which He causes to flow and shine forth to it—a light that is clothed, hidden, and concealed within the numerous and powerful garments, which hide and screen the light and vitality, so that no light or vitality whatsoever is visibly revealed, but only corporeal and physical things that appear lifeless. Yet they contain light and vitality which constantly give them existence ex nihilo, that they shall not revert and become nothing and nought as they had been. This light comes from the En Sof, blessed is He, except that it is clothed in many garments, as is written in Etz Chaim, that the light and vitality of the physical orb of Earth, which is seen by mortal eyes, is derived from malchut d’malchut d’Asiyah and in it is contained malchut d’Yetzirah, and so on, so that in all of them are contained the ten sefirot of Atzilut which are united with their Emanator, the En Sof, blessed is He."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Now, just as in the human soul the principal manifestation of the general vitality is in the brain, while all the organs receive merely a light and potency which shines to them from the source of the manifestation of the said vitality in the brain, so indeed, figuratively speaking, is the essential manifestation of the general stream of vitality, animating the worlds and the creatures therein, clothed and contained in His will, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, blessed be He, which are called the “intelligence,” and these are those which are clothed in the Torah and its commandments.",
+ "The manifestation of this general flow of life is the source of the vitality which the worlds receive, each one in particular. Only a glow is diffused and shines forth from this source in a similar manner as the light radiates from the sun, by way of example, or as the powers of the organs of the body derive from the brain, as discussed above.",
+ "It is this source which is called the “world of manifestation,” or “matron,” or “nether matriarch,” or “Shechinah,” from the Scriptural phrase, “That I may dwell among them.” For this source is the beginning of the revelation of the light of En Sof, which extends to and illumines the worlds in a “revealed” manner. From this source there extends to each individual thing the particular light and vitality suitable for it, and it [the light] dwells and is clothed in them, thereby animating them.",
+ "Therefore it is figuratively called “mother of the children” and “community of Israel,” for from this source have emanated the souls of Atzilut and have been created the souls of Beriah, and so forth, all of them being derived only from the extension of the vitality and light from this source which is called “Shechinah,” resembling the radiation of light from the sun.",
+ "But as for the Shechinah itself, namely, the origin and core of the manifestation whereby the En Sof, blessed is He, illumines the worlds in a “revealed” form and which is the source of all streams of vitality in all the worlds [their entire vitality being no more than the light which is diffused from it like the light radiated from the sun], the worlds cannot endure or receive the light of this Shechinah, that it might actually dwell and clothe itself in them—without a “garment” to screen and conceal its light from them, so that they may not become entirely nullified and lose their identity within their source, like the nullification of the light of the sun in its source, namely, in the sun itself, where this light cannot be seen, but only the integral mass of the sun itself.",
+ "But what is this “garment” which is able to conceal and clothe [the Shechinah] yet will not [itself] be completely nullified within its light? This is His will, blessed be He, and His wisdom, and so forth, which are clothed in the Torah and its commandments that are revealed to us and to our children, for “the Torah issues from wisdom,” which is chochmah ilaah (supernal wisdom) that is immeasurably higher than the world of manifestation, for “He is wise, but not with a knowable wisdom,” and so forth. And as has previously been explained, the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, is clothed in and united with the supernal wisdom, and He, blessed be He, and His wisdom are One, only that it has descended by means of obscuring gradations, from grade to grade, with the descent of the worlds, until it has clothed itself in material things, namely, the 613 commandments of the Torah.",
+ "As [this wisdom] came down by descents from world to world, the Shechinah, too, came down and clothed itself in it in each world. This is the shrine of the “Holy of Holies,” which is contained in each world. So also has it been stated in the Zohar and Etz Chaim that the Shechinah—which is malchut d’Atzilut [being the manifestation of the light and vitality of the En Sof, blessed is He, which illumines the worlds, wherefore it is called the “word of G–d” and the “breath of His mouth,” as it were, as in the case of human beings, by way of example, speech reveals to the hearers the speaker’s secret and hidden thought]—clothes itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Beriah, namely, the chabad (chochmah, binah, daat) of Beriah. Through the latters’ clothing themselves in the malchut d’Beriah, there have been created the souls and the angels which exist in the world of Beriah.",
+ "From there also descends the [wisdom of the] Talmud that we possess. It has already been previously explained in the name of Tikkunim that in the world of Beriah there shine and flow forth the chochmah, binah, and daat (chabad) of the En Sof, blessed is He, in a powerfully contracted manner, in order that the souls and the angels, which are limited and finite beings, shall be able to receive the influence from these categories of chabad. Therefore from there also originates the Talmud, which is also a category of chabad, for the Talmud consists of the reasons and interpretations of the halachot in clearly defined terms. These reasons and interpretations are a category of chabad, while the halachot themselves derive from the middot of the En Sof, blessed is He, namely, kindness, justice, mercy, and so on, from which originate permission and prohibition, license and restriction, liability and blamelessness, as is explained in the Tikkunim.",
+ "By virtue of the clothing of malchut d’Atzilut in malchut d’Beriah it clothes itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Yetzirah, this being the chabad of Yetzirah. When the latter are clothed in the malchut d’Yetzirah, there are formed the ruchot and the angels which belong in [the world of] Yetzirah.",
+ "From there, too, comes the Mishnah that we possess, which comprises the legal decisions that are likewise derived from chabad of the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "Only that the categories of chabad, that is, the reasons and interpretations of the halachot, are clothed and hidden within the laws themselves and are not in a revealed form, while the elements of the halachot [themselves], which are in a revealed form, are the very reflection of the attributes of the En Sof, blessed is He, in their revealed form. Thus, it has been explained above in the name of the Tikkunim, namely, that six sefirot nest in Yetzirah. They comprise, in general, two extensions—right and left—acting either with forbearance from the aspect of kindness, that is to say, to permit a thing to ascend to G–d, or acting forbiddingly, and so on. And all this is according to the chochmah ilaah d’Atzilut (higher wisdom of Emanation); in which binah and daat are contained, and they are united with the En Sof, blessed is He, for in all of them are clothed chabad of Atzilut with which the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, is united in a perfect union.",
+ "In a like manner the Shechinah descended and clothed itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Asiyah.",
+ "Each of those three worlds is subdivided into myriads of gradations, which are also called particular worlds, and malchut d’Atzilut which is clothed in the malchut",
+ "NOTE: Thereby will be understood the text of the verse, “Your kingship (malchutecha) is a kingship over all worlds.”",
+ "of each particular world—descends and clothes itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies, namely, the chabad, which is in the world below it in rank.",
+ "It is from the Shechinah which is clothed in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of each and every general or particular world that light and vitality are extended and diffused to the whole world and the creatures contained therein, the souls, angels, and so forth, for all of them were created by the ten fiats in the act of Creation, these being the “word” of G–d which is termed “Shechinah.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "At the time the First Temple stood, in which the Ark and Tables [of the Decalogue] were housed in the Holy of Holies, the Shechinah, i.e., malchut d’Atzilut, that is, the aspect of the “revealed” light of the En Sof, blessed is He, dwelled there and was clothed in the Ten Commandments, far higher and stronger, and with a greater and mightier revelation, than its revelation in the shrines of the Holy of Holies above in the upper worlds. For the Ten Commandments are the all-embracing principles of the whole Torah, which comes from the chochmah ilaah (higher wisdom) that is far higher than the world of manifestation. In order to engrave them on material tablets of stone it (the Shechinah) did not descend degree by degree, parallel to the order of descent of the worlds down to this material world. For this material world functions through the garment of material nature, while the Tables [of the Decalogue] are “The work of G–d, and the writing is the writing of G–d,” beyond the nature of this material world which is derived from the effulgence of the Shechinah in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Asiyah (“Action”), whence issues light and vitality to the world of Asiyah, in which this our world also is contained.",
+ "But the category of the higher wisdom of Atzilut, consisting of the totality of the Torah as it is epitomized in the Decalogue, has clothed itself in malchut of Atzilut and of Beriah alone, and they alone, united as they are with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that is within them, are referred to as the “Shechinah” which rested in the Holy of Holies of the First Temple, through its clothing itself in the Ten Commandments, which were engraved in the Tables [reposing] in the Ark, by miraculous means and by the work of the Living G–d [this being the “hidden” world which nests in the world of Beriah, as is known to to the students of Kabbalah].",
+ "As for the Second Temple, in which did not repose the Ark and Tables [of the Decalogue], our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that the Shechinah did not abide there. This refers to the category of the Shechinah which used to abide in the First Temple—which was not of the ordinary descent of the worlds. But in the Second Temple it abided according to the order of gradual descent, of malchut d’Atzilut vested in malchut d’Beriah and the latter in malchut d’Yetzirah, and the latter in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Asiyah which in turn was clothed in the Holy of Holies of the Temple here below. In it rested the Shechinah, i.e., malchut d’Yetzirah, which was clothed in the Holy of Holies of Asiyah. Therefore no man was permitted to enter there, except the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. However, since the Temple was destroyed, there remains to the Holy One, blessed is He, but “the four cubits of halachah alone.” Hence each individual who sits by himself and occupies himself in the Torah, the Shechinah is with him, as is stated in the first chapter of Berachot. The phrase “the Shechinah is with him” means in the order of the gradual descent and investment of malchut d’Atzilut in malchut d’Beriah, and Yetzirah and Asiyah.",
+ "For the 613 commandments of the Torah are by and large active precepts, as are also those which are fulfilled by word and thought, such as Torah study, Grace after meals, the recital of the Shema and Prayer, for it has been ruled that contemplation has not the validity of speech, and one has not fulfilled one’s obligation by contemplation and kavanah alone, until he gives utterance with his lips; and it has been ruled that the motion of the lips is considered an “action.”",
+ "The 613 commandments of the Torah, together with the seven commandments of our Rabbis, combine to total the numerical equivalent of כתר (“crown”) which is the the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, which is clothed in His wisdom, blessed be He, and they are united with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, in a perfect union. “The L–rd has founded the earth with wisdom,” which refers to the Oral Law that is derived from the higher wisdom, as is written in the Zohar, “The Father [chochmah] begat the daughter [i.e., malchut, the Oral Law].”",
+ "And this is what the Yenuka meant when he said that “the supernal light that is kindled on one’s head, namely, the Shechinah, requires oil,” that is, to be clothed in wisdom, which is called “oil from the holy anointing,” as is explained in the Zohar, that “these are the good deeds,” namely, the 613 commandments, which derive from His wisdom, blessed be He. Thereby the light of the Shechinah can cling to the wick, i.e., the vivifying soul in the body, which is metaphorically called a “wick.” For just as in the case of a material candle, the light shines by virtue of the annihilation and burning of the wick turning to fire, so does the light of the Shechinah rest on the divine soul as a result of the annihilation of the animal soul and its transformation from darkness to light and from bitterness to sweetness in the case of the righteous, or at least through the destruction of its garments, which are thought, speech, and action, and their transformation from the darkness of the kelipot to the Divine light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which is clothed and united in the thought, speech, and action of the 613 commandments of the Torah, in the case of benonim.",
+ "For as a result of the transformation of the animal soul, originating from the kelipat nogah, [a transformation] from darkness to light, and so forth, there is brought about the so-called “ascent of the feminine waters” to draw the light of the Shechinah, i.e., the category of the “revealed” light of the En Sof, blessed is He—over one’s divine soul [principally dwelling] in the brain of the head. Thereby will also be clearly understood the text “For the L–rd Your G–d is a consuming fire,” as is explained elsewhere.",
+ "CONCLUSION OF THE FIRST PART WITH THE HELP OF G-D, MAY HE BE BLESSED AND EXALTED."
+ ]
+ ]
+ },
+ "Part II; Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah": {
+ "Chinukh Katan": [
+ "LIKKUTEI AMARIM PART TWO",
+ "Called “Chinuch Kattan”",
+ "Compiled from books and from Sages, exalted saints, whose souls are in Eden. Based on the first section of the Recitation of the Shema.",
+ "“Educate the child according to his way, even when he will be old he will not depart from it.” Since it is written “According to his way,” it is understood that it is not the path of perfect truth, hence of what merit is it that “Even when he will be old he will not depart from it?”",
+ "It is well-known that fear (awe) and love are the roots and foundations of the service of G–d. Fear is the root and basis of “Turn away from evil,” and love—of “and do good” and the observance of all the positive commandments of the Torah and the Rabbis, as will be explained in their proper place. (The commandment of educating a child includes also [training in the performance of] the positive precepts, as is stated in Orach Chaim, section 343.)",
+ "Concerning the love [of G–d] it is written at the end of the portion Ekev, “Which I command you to do it, to love G–d….” It is necessary to understand how an expression of doing can be applied to love, which is in the heart.",
+ "The explanation, however, is that there are two kinds of love of G–d. One is the natural yearning of the soul to its Creator. When the rational soul prevails over the grossness [of the body], subdues and subjugates it, then [the love of G–d] will flare and blaze with a flame which ascends of its own accord, and will rejoice and exult in G–d its Maker and will delight in Him with wondrous bliss. Those who merit this state of ahavah rabbah (“great” love) are the ones who are called tzaddikim as it is written, “Rejoice in the L–rd, you righteous.” Yet, not everyone is privileged to attain this state, for it requires a very great refinement of one’s physical grossness, and in addition a great deal of Torah and good deeds in order to merit a lofty neshamah which is above the level of ruach and nefesh, as explained in Reishit Chochmah, Shaar HaAhavah.",
+ "The second is a love which every man can attain when he will engage in profound contemplation in the depths of his heart on matters that arouse the love of G–d which is in the heart of every Jew. Whether [he contemplates] in a general way—that He is our very life, and just as one loves his soul and his life, so will he love G–d when he will meditate and reflect in his heart that G–d is his true soul and actual life, as the Zohar comments on the verse, “[You are] my soul, I desire You;” or in a particular way—when he will understand and comprehend the greatness of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, in detail, to the extent that his intellect can grasp and even beyond.",
+ "Then he will contemplate G–d’s great and wondrous love to us to descend to Egypt, the “obscenity of the earth,” to bring our souls out of the “iron crucible,” which is the sitra achara, may the All-Merciful spare us, to bring us close to Him and to bind us to His very Name, and He and His Name are One. That is to say, He elevated us from the nadir of degradation and defilement to the acme of holiness and to His infinite greatness, blessed be He. Then, “As in water, face reflects face,” love will be aroused in the heart of everyone who contemplates and meditates upon this matter in the depths of his heart—to love G–d with an intense love and to cleave to Him, heart and soul, as was explained at length in its place.",
+ "It is this love which Moses, our teacher, peace unto him, wished to implant in the heart of every Jew, in the section “And now Israel…,” with the verse, “Behold, the heavens belong to G–d, your L–rd…only in your fathers did He delight…you shall circumcise…with seventy souls…[Therefore] you shall love….” Hence he concluded his words concerning this love “Which I command you to do it,” which is love that is produced in the heart through the understanding and knowledge of matters which inspire love. And this he had commanded previously [in the verse]: “And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart” so that through this [meditation] you will come to love G–d, as is stated in the Sifrei on this verse.",
+ "Thus, there can be applied to this second type of love an expression of charge and command, namely, to devote one’s heart and mind to matters which stimulate love. However, an expression of command and charge is not at all applicable to the first kind of love which is a flame that ascends of its own accord. Furthermore, it is the reward of the tzaddikim to savor of the nature of the World to Come in this world. That is the meaning of the verse, “I will give you the priesthood as a service of gift,” as will be explained in its proper place.",
+ "Now, those who are familiar with the esoteric meaning of Scripture know [the explanation of] the verse, “For a tzaddik falls seven times and rises up again.” Especially since man is called “mobile” and not “static,” he must ascend from level to level and not remain forever at one plateau. Between one level and the next, before he can reach the higher one, he is in a state of decline from the previous level. Yet, it is written, “Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down.” It is considered a decline only in comparison with his former state, and not, G–d forbid, in comparison with all other men, for he is still above them in his service [of G–d], inasmuch as there remains in it an impression of his former state. The root of his service, however, is from the love of G–d to which he has been educated and trained from his youth before he reached the level of tzaddik. This, then, is the meaning of “Even when he will be old….” And the first thing which arouses love and fear, and their foundation, is the pure and faithful belief in His Unity and Oneness, may He be blessed and exalted."
+ ],
+ "": [
+ [
+ "SHAAR HAYICHUD VEHAEMUNAH
Let us understand [at least] in a small measure the statement in the Zohar that Shema Yisrael… is yichudah ilaah (“higher level Unity”) and Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto Leolam Vaed is yichudah tataah (“lower level Unity”).",
+ "“Know this day and take to your heart that Havaya is Elokim (G–d is the L–rd) in the heavens above and upon the earth below; there is no other.” This requires explanation. For would it occur to you that there is a god “soaking” in the waters beneath the earth that it is necessary to negate it so strongly [as to say,] “Take to your heart?”",
+ "It is written: “Forever, O L–rd, Your word stands firm in the heavens.” The Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, has explained that “Your word” which you uttered, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters…,” these very words and letters stand firmly forever within the firmament of heaven and are forever clothed within all the heavens to give them life, as it is written, “The word of our G–d shall stand firm forever” and “His words live and stand firm forever….” For if the letters were to depart [even] for an instant, G–d forbid, and return to their source, all the heavens would become naught and absolute nothingness, and it would be as though they had never existed at all, exactly as before the utterance, “Let there be a firmament.”",
+ "And so it is with all created things, in all the upper and lower worlds, and even this physical earth, which is the realm of the silent (inanimate). If the letters of the Ten Utterances by which the earth was created during the Six Days of Creation were to depart from it [but] for an instant, G–d forbid, it would revert to naught and absolute nothingness, exactly as before the Six Days of Creation.",
+ "This same thought was expressed by the Arizal when he said that even in completely inanimate matter, such as stones or earth or water, there is a soul and spiritual life-force—that is, the enclothing of the “Letters of speech” of the Ten Utterances which give life and existence to inanimate matter that it might arise out of the naught and nothingness which preceded the Six Days of Creation.",
+ "Now, although the name even (stone) is not mentioned in the Ten Utterances recorded in the Torah, nevertheless, life-force flows to the stone through combinations and substitutions of the letters which are transposed in the “two hundred and thirty-one gates,” either in direct or reverse order, as is explained in the Sefer Yetzirah, until the combination of the name even descends from the Ten Utterances, and is derived from them, and this is the life-force of the stone.",
+ "And so it is with all created things in the world—their names in the Holy Tongue are the very “letters of speech” which descend, degree by degree, from the Ten Utterances recorded in the Torah, by means of substitutions and transpositions of letters through the “two hundred and thirty-one gates,” until they reach and become invested in that particular created thing to give it life.",
+ "[This descent is necessary] because individual creatures are not capable of receiving their life-force directly from the Ten Utterances of the Torah, for the life-force issuing directly from them is far greater than the capacity of the individual creatures. They can receive the life-force only when it descends and is progressively diminished, degree by degree, by means of substitutions and transpositions of the letters and by gematriot, their numerical values, until the life-force can be condensed and enclothed and there can be brought forth from it a particular creature.",
+ "And the name by which it is called in the Holy Tongue is a vessel for the life-force condensed into the letters of that name which has descended from the Ten Utterances in the Torah that have power and vitality to create being ex nihilo and give it life forever. For the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are one."
+ ],
+ [
+ "From the foregoing [exposition] the answer to the heretics [is deduced], and the root of the error of those who deny individual Divine providence and the signs and miracles recorded in the Torah is revealed. They err, making a false analogy, in comparing the work of G–d, the Creator of heaven and earth, to the work of man and his schemes. For, when a goldsmith has made a vessel, that vessel is no longer dependent upon the smith, and even when his hands are removed from it and he goes away, the vessel remains in exactly the same image and form as when it left the hands of the smith. In the same way, these fools conceive the creation of heaven and earth.",
+ "But their eyes are covered [and they fail] to see the great difference between the work of man and his schemes—which consists of making one thing out of another which already exists, merely changing the form and appearance from an ingot of silver to a vessel—and the making of heaven and earth, which is creatio ex nihilo.",
+ "Indeed, this is an even greater miracle than, for example, the splitting of the Red Sea. For then, G–d drove back the sea by a strong east wind all the night and the waters were divided and stood upright as a wall. If G–d had stopped the wind, the waters would have instantly flowed downward, as is their way and nature, and undoubtedly they would not have stood upright as a wall, even though this nature of water [to flow downward] is also created ex nihilo, for a stone wall stands erect by itself without [the assistance of] the wind, but the nature of water is not so.",
+ "[Thus, if for the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea the continuous action of G–d was necessary] how much more so is it in the creation of being out of nothing which transcends nature and is far more miraculous than the splitting of the Red Sea, that with the withdrawal of the power of the Creator from the thing created, G–d forbid, it would revert to naught and complete nonexistence. Rather, the Activating Force of the Creator must continuously be in the thing created to give it life and existence. [These Forces] are the “letters of speech” of the Ten Utterances by which [beings] were created.",
+ "And that is the meaning of the verse: ואתה מחי' את כולם. Read not מחי', give life, but מהוה, bring into being, i.e., ex nihilo. The word אתה, You, indicates all the letters from alef to tav, and the letter hey, the five organs of verbal articulation, the sources of the letters.",
+ "Although He has no bodily likeness yet, Scripture itself ascribes to Him [anthropomorphic terms such as] “And G–d spoke” or “And G–d said,” which denote the revelation of the twenty-two Supernal Letters to the Prophets and the enclothing [of the letters] in their intellect and comprehension in the prophetic vision, as well as in their thought and speech, as it is written, “The spirit of G–d spoke in me, and His word is upon my tongue,” as has been explained by the Arizal [in Shaar Hanevuah].",
+ "Similar to this is the investment of the letters in created things—as it is written, “By the word of G–d were the heavens made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host”—the difference being that [the enclothing of the letters in created beings] is through numerous and powerful descents until [the letters] reach the corporeal [world of] Asiyah; whereas the comprehension of the Prophets is in [the world of] Atzilut as it becomes clothed in the world of Beriah."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Now, following these words and the truth [concerning the nature of the Creation], every intelligent person will understand clearly that each creature and being is actually considered naught and absolute nothingness in relation to the Activating Force and the “breath of His mouth” which is in the created thing, continuously calling it into existence and bringing it from absolute nonbeing into being.",
+ "The reason that all things created and activated appear to us as existing and tangible is that we do not comprehend nor see with our physical eyes the power of G–d and the “breath of His mouth” which is in the created thing. If, however, the eye were permitted to see and to comprehend the life-force and spirituality which is in every created thing, flowing into it from “that which proceeds out of the mouth of G–d” and “His breath,” then the materiality, grossness, and tangibility of the creature would not be seen by our eyes at all, for it is completely nullified in relation to the life-force and the spirituality which is within it, since without the spirituality it would be naught and absolute nothingness, exactly as before the Six Days of Creation. The spirituality which flows into it from “that which proceeds out of the mouth of G–d” and “His breath”—that alone continuously brings it forth from naught and nullity into being and gives it existence. Hence, there is truly nothing besides Him.",
+ "An illustration of this is the light of the sun which illumines the earth and its inhabitants. [This illumination] is the radiance and the light which spreads forth from the body of the sun and is visible to all as it gives light to the earth and the expanse of the universe. Now, it is self-evident that this light and radiance is also present in the very body and matter of the sun-globe itself in the sky, for if it can spread forth and shine to such a great distance, then certainly it can shed light in its own place. However, there in its own place, this radiance is considered naught and complete nothingness, for it is absolutely nonexistent in relation to the body of the sun-globe which is the source of this light and radiance, inasmuch as this radiance and light is merely the illumination which shines from the body of the sun-globe itself. It is only in the space of the universe, under the heavens and on the earth, where the body of the sun-globe is not present, that this light and radiance appears to the eye to have actual existence. And here, the term yesh (“existence”) can truly be applied to it, whereas when it is in its source, in the body of the sun, the term yesh (“existence”) cannot be applied to it at all, and it can only be called naught and nonexistent. There it is indeed naught and absolutely nonexistent, for there, only its source, the body of the sun, gives light, and there is nothing besides it.",
+ "The exact parallel to this illustration is the relationship between all created things and the Divine flow [of the life-force] from the “breath of His mouth,” which flows upon them and brings them into existence. G–d is their source, and they themselves are merely like a diffusing light and effulgence from the flow and spirit of G–d, which issues forth and becomes clothed in them and brings them from naught into being. Hence, their existence is nullified in relation to their source, just as the light of the sun is nullified and is considered naught and complete nothingness and is not [even] referred to as “existing” at all when it is in its source; only beneath the heavens, where its source is not present [can it be called “existing”]. In the same manner, the term yesh (“existence”) can be applied to all created things only [as they appear] to our corporeal eyes, for we do not see nor comprehend at all the source, which is the spirit of G–d, that brings them into existence. Therefore, it appears to our eyes that the materiality, grossness, and tangibility of the created things actually exist, just as the light of the sun appears to have actual existence when it is not within its source.",
+ "But in the following, the illustration is apparently not completely identical with the object of comparison. For in the illustration, the source [the sun] is not present at all in the space of the universe and upon the earth where its light is seen as actually existing. Whereas, all created things are always within their source, and it is only that the source is not visible to our physical eyes. [If so], why are they not nullified in their source? To understand this, some prefatory remarks are necessary."
+ ],
+ [
+ "It is written: “For a sun and a shield is Havaya Elokim.” The explanation of this verse [is as follows]: “Shield” is a covering for the sun, to protect the creatures so that they should be able to bear [its heat]. As our Sages, of blessed memory, have said, “In the Time to Come, the Holy One, blessed is He, will take out the sun from its sheath, the wicked will be punished by it….” Now, just as the covering shields [i.e., conceals] the sun, so does the name Elokim shield [i.e., conceal] the name Havaya, blessed is He.",
+ "The meaning of the name Havaya is “That which brings everything into existence ex nihilo.” The prefix י [added to the stem הוה] modifies the verb, indicating that the action is present and continuous—as Rashi comments on the verse, “In this manner does Job do יעשה all the days”—i.e., the life-force which flows at every instant into all things created, from “that which proceeds out of the mouth of G–d” and “His breath,” and brings them into existence ex nihilo at every moment. For the fact that they were created during the Six Days of Creation is not sufficient for their continued existence, as explained above.",
+ "In the enumeration of the praises of the Holy One, blessed is He, it is written, “Hagadol” (the Great), “Hagibor” (the Mighty), and the like. “Hagadol” refers to the attribute of chesed (kindness) and the spreading forth of the life-force into all the worlds and created things without end or limit so that they shall be created ex nihilo and exist through chesed chinom (gratuitous kindness). And [the attribute of chesed] is called gedulah (greatness) for it comes from the greatness of the Holy One, blessed is He, in His Glory and Essence, for “G–d is great and His greatness is unsearchable,” and therefore, He also causes life-force and existence ex nihilo to issue forth for an unlimited number of worlds and creatures, for “It is the nature of the beneficient to do good.”",
+ "Now, this attribute [of chesed] is the praise of the Holy One, blessed is He, alone, for no created thing can create a being out of naught and give it life. This attribute is also beyond the cognition of all creatures and their understanding. For it is not within the power of the intellect of any creature to understand and comprehend this quality and its ability to create a being out of nothing and vivify it. For creatio ex nihilo is a matter which transcends the intellect of the creatures inasmuch as it stems from the Divine attribute of gedulah. And the Holy One, blessed is He, and His attributes are a perfect unity, as the Holy Zohar states, “He and His attributes are One,” and just as it is not possible for any creature’s mind to comprehend his Creator, so it is impossible for him to comprehend His attributes.",
+ "And just as it is impossible for any creature’s mind to apprehend His attribute of gedulah, which is the ability to create a being out of nothing and give it life, as it is written, “The world is built by kindness,” exactly so it is not possible for him to apprehend the Divine attribute of gevurah (might, restraint), which is the quality of tzimtzum (condensation, contraction, concentration) and restraint of the spreading forth of the life-force from His [attribute of] gedulah preventing it from descending upon and manifesting itself to the creatures, to give them life and existence in a revealed manner, but rather with His Countenance concealed. For the life-force conceals itself in the body of the created being and [it appears] as though the body of the created being has independent existence and is not [merely] a spreading forth of the life-force and spirituality—as the diffusion of the radiation and light from the sun—but an independently existing entity.",
+ "Although, in reality, it has no independent existence, and is only like the diffusion of the light from the sun, nevertheless, this [concealment] is the very restraining power of the Holy One, blessed is He, Who is Omnipotent, to condense the life-force and spirituality which issues from the “breath of His mouth” and to conceal it, so that the body of the created being shall not become nullified.",
+ "And it is not within the scope of the intellect of any creature to comprehend the essential nature of the tzimtzum and concealment [of the life-force] and that nonetheless the body of the creature be created ex nihilo—just as it is not within the capacity of any creature’s intellect to comprehend the essential nature of the creation of being out of nothing.",
+ "[The tzimtzum and concealing of the life-force is called kelim (“vessels”) and the life-force itself is called “light.” For just as a vessel covers that which is within it, so does the tzimtzum cover and conceal the light and the flowing life-force. And the kelim are the [Divine] letters whose roots are the five [terminal] letters מנצפ\"ך, which are the five restraining forces that divide and separate the breath and voice in the five organs of speech, in order that the twenty-two letters shall be formed. The source of the five restraining forces is botzinah d’kardunita “(light from dark”) which is the supernal gevurah of atik yomin (“ancient of days”); and the source of the kindnesses is also chesed of atik yomin, as is known to the students of Kabbalah.]"
+ ],
+ [
+ "Concerning this our Sages of blessed memory said, “Originally it arose in [G–d’s] thought to create the world with the attribute of stern judgement; He saw, however, that the world could not endure, [so] He combined with it the attribute of mercy,” that is, the revelation of G–dliness through the tzaddikim and the signs and miracles recorded in the Torah.",
+ "And regarding this, it was stated in the Zohar, “Above, in the ‘side of supernal holiness,’ there is right and left,” namely, chesed and gevurah. This means that both are attributes of G–dliness, above the intellect and comprehension of the creatures, for “He and His attributes are One in the world of Atzilut.” Even the comprehension of Moses, our teacher, peace unto him, in his prophetic vision, was not in the world of Atzilut [itself], but only as it [Atzilut] becomes clothed in the world of Beriah, and even then, was not of these two attributes, chesed and gevurah, but only as they become clothed in attributes which are of lower levels than they, viz., the attributes of netzach (victory, eternity), hod (majesty), yesod (foundation) [as is explained in Shaar Hanevuah].",
+ "It is only the tzaddikim in Gan Eden who are granted the reward of comprehending the spreading forth of the life-force and light which issues from these two attributes, chesed and gevurah. And this [comprehension] is the “food” of the souls of the tzaddikim who, in this world, occupied themselves with the study of Torah for its own sake. For from the spreading forth of these two attributes, a firmament is spread over the souls in Gan Eden, and this firmament is called razah d’oraytah (“the secret of the Torah”). In it is the secret of the twenty-two letters of the Torah which was given from these two attributes, as it is written, “From His right hand He gave them a fiery Law.” And from this firmament drops dew as “food” for the souls, i.e., the knowledge of the secret of the twenty-two letters of the Torah. For this firmament is the “secret of knowledge,” and the Torah is the “food” of the souls in Gan Eden; and the precepts are “garments” [of the souls], as all this is explained [in Zohar Vayakhel, pp. 209-210 and in Etz Chaim, Shaar 44, ch. 3]."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Now, the name Elokim is the name which indicates the attribute of gevurah and tzimtzum, hence it is also numerically equal to hateva (nature), for it [Elokim] conceals the supernal light which brings the world into existence and gives it life, and it appears as though the world exists and conducts itself in a natural way. And this name Elokim is a shield and a covering for the name Havaya, to conceal the light and life-force which flows from the name Havaya and brings creation into existence from naught, so that it [the light and life-force] should not be revealed to the creatures, who thereby would become absolutely nullified.",
+ "This quality of gevurah and tzimtzum is also a quality of chesed for through it [tzimtzum and gevurah] the world is built. And this is the quality of gevurah which is included in chesed.",
+ "From the inclusion of the attributes one in the other, it is evident that “He and His attributes are One,” for since they are in a complete unity with Him, they therefore unite with each other and are comprised of each other. As Elijah said, “You are He who binds [the attributes] together and unites them…; and aside from You there is no unity among those above….”",
+ "This, then, is the meaning of that which is written “And take to your heart that Havaya is Elokim”—that is, these two names are actually one, for even the name Elokim, which contracts and conceals the light, is a quality of chesed, just as the name Havaya. For the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, unite with Him in a complete unity, and “He and His Name are One,” for His attributes are His Names.",
+ "Since this is so, you will consequently know that “In the heavens above and on the earth below, en od—there is nothing else [besides G–d].” This means that even the material earth, which appears to the eyes of all to be actually existing, is naught and complete nothingness in relation to the Holy One, blessed is He. For the name Elokim conceals and contracts [the light and life-force] only for the lower [creatures], but not for the Holy One, blessed is He, since He and His Name Elokim are One. Therefore, even the earth and that which is below it are naught and complete nothingness in relation to the Holy One, blessed is He, and are not called by any name at all, not even the name od (else) which is an expression indicating a secondary, subordinate status, as the statement of our Sages of blessed memory, “Yehudah v’od likrah,” [unlike] the body which is subordinate to the soul and life-force within it [and is referred to as od]. [And this is the meaning of the verse: “I will praise Havaya with my life (soul) and will sing to Elokim be’odi” (with my body). For the soul is derived from the name Havaya and the od, which is the body, the subordinate (of the soul), from the name Elokim.] For the soul does not bring the body into existence ex nihilo, [hence it can be called od in relation to the soul], but the Holy One, blessed is He, Who brings everything into existence ex nihilo—everything is absolutely nullified in relation to Him, just as the light of the sun [is nullified] in the sun.",
+ "Therefore, it was necessary for Scripture to warn, “And know this day and take to your heart…,” so that it should not enter your mind that the heavens and all their host and the earth and all therein are separate entities in themselves, and that the Holy One, blessed is He, fills the whole world—in the same way as the soul is invested in the body, causing the flow of the vegetative force into the earth, and the force of motion into the celestial spheres, moving them and directing them according to His Will—just as the soul moves the body and directs it according to its will.",
+ "In truth, however, the analogy bears no similarity whatsoever to the object of comparison since the soul and the body are actually separate from each other in their very sources. The source of the body and its essence comes into being not from the soul, but from the seed of his father and mother, and even afterward, his growth is not from the soul alone, but through his mother’s eating and drinking all the nine months [of gestation], and subsequently through his own eating and drinking. This is not so, however, in the case of heaven and earth, for their very being and essence was brought into existence from naught and absolute nothingness, solely through the “word of G–d” and the “breath of His mouth,” blessed be He. And the word of G–d still stands forever [in all created things], and flows into them continuously at every instant and continuously brings them into existence from nothing, just as, for example, the coming into existence of the light from the sun within the very globe of the sun. Hence, in reality, they [heaven and earth] are completely nullified in relation to the “word of G–d” and the “breath of His mouth,” blessed be He, which are unified with His Essence and Being, blessed be He, as will be explained later, just as the light of the sun is nullified in the sun.",
+ "Yet these are His restraining powers, to hide and conceal, through the attribute of gevurah and tzimtzum, the life-force which flows into them, so that heaven and earth and all their hosts should appear as if they were independently existing entities. However, the tzimtzum and concealment is only for the lower [worlds], but in relation to the Holy One, blessed is He, “everything before Him is considered as actually naught,” just as the light of the sun in the sun. And the attribute of gevurah does not, Heaven forfend, conceal for Him, blessed be He, for it is not an independent entity—since Havaya is Elokim."
+ ],
+ [
+ "With the above in mind, we may now understand the statement in the holy Zohar, that the verse Shema Yisrael is yichudah ilaah (“higher level Unity”), and Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto Leolam Vaed is yichudah tataah (“lower level Unity”). For Vaed is Echad through the substitution of letters.",
+ "The cause and reason for this tzimtzum and concealment that the Holy One, blessed is He, obscured and hid the life-force of the world to make the world appear as an independently existing entity [is as follows]: It is known to all that the purpose of the creation of the world is for the sake of the revelation of His kingdom, blessed be He, for “there is no King without a nation.” The word am (nation) is related etymologically to the word ommemot (concealed, dimmed), for they are separate entities, distinct and distant from the level of the king. For, even if the king had very many sons, the name kingdom would not apply to them, nor even to nobles alone. Only “In a multitude of people is the glory of the king.”",
+ "The name which indicates the attribute of His malchut (kingship, royalty), blessed be He, is the name Adnut (L–rdship), for He is the “L–rd of the whole earth.” Thus, it is this attribute and this Name which bring into existence and sustain the world so that it should be as it is now, a completely independent and separate entity, and not absolutely nullified. For with the withdrawal of this attribute and this Name, G–d forbid, the world would revert to its source in the “word of G–d” and the “breath of His mouth” and would be completely nullified there, and the name “world” could not be applied to it at all.",
+ "The term “world” can be applied solely to that which possesses the dimensions of space and time; “space” referring to east, west, north, and south, upward and downward, and “time” to past, present, and future.",
+ "All these dimensions have no relation to the holy supernal attributes. Only concerning the attribute of His malchut, blessed be He, is it possible to say that He, blessed be He, is King “above without end and below without limit,” and likewise in all four directions. The same is true concerning the dimensions of time, [as it is written,] “G–d reigns, G–d reigned, and G–d will reign.” Thus, the life-force of space, and likewise of time, and their coming into being from nothingness, and their existence as long as they shall exist, is from the attribute of His malchut, blessed be He, and the name Adnut, blessed is He.",
+ "Now, since the attribute of His malchut, blessed be He, is united with His Essence and Being in an absolute union, as will be explained, therefore, space and time are also completely nullified in relation to His Essence and Being, blessed be He, as the light of the sun is nullified in the sun.",
+ "And this is the [meaning of] the intertwining of the [letters of the] name Adnut with the [letters of the] name Havaya. The name Havaya indicates that He transcends time, for “He was, He is, and He will be at the same instant,” as is explained [in Raaya Mehemna on the portion of Pinchas]; and likewise [is He] above space, for He continuously brings into existence all the dimensions of space everywhere, from the uppermost to the lowermost [regions] and in the four directions.",
+ "Now, although He is supra-spatial and supra-temporal, nevertheless, He is also found below in space and time, that is, He unites with His attribute of malchut from which space and time are derived and come into existence. And this is yichudah tataah [the intertwining of (the letters of the name) Havaya with (the letters of the name) Adnut, blessed is He], i.e., His Essence and Being, blessed be He, which is called by the name En Sof (“Infinite”), completely fills the whole earth temporally and spatially. In the heavens above and on the earth [below] and in the four directions, all are equally permeated with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, for He is on the earth below exactly as in the heavens above. For all, [heaven and earth] are within the dimensions of space which are completely nullified in the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which clothes itself in it through the attribute of His malchut that is united with him, blessed be He.",
+ "However, the attribute of his malchut is the attribute of tzimtzum and concealment, to hide the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, so that the existence of time and space should not be completely nullified and there will be no dimensions of time and space whatsoever, even for the lower [worlds].",
+ "Now, from the foregoing exposition the verse, “I, Havaya, have not changed,” will be understood. This means: there is no change [in Him] at all; just as He was alone prior to the creation of the world, so is He alone after it was created. And thus it is written, “You were the same before the world was created; You are the same…,” without any change in His Essence, nor in His Knowledge, for by knowing Himself, He knows all created things, since all come from Him and are nullified in relation to Him. And as Maimonides, of blessed memory, stated, that He is the Knower, He is the Known, and He is Knowledge itself—all are one. This is beyond the power of speech to express, beyond the capacity of the ear to hear, and of the heart of man to apprehend clearly.",
+ "For the Holy One, blessed is He, His Essence and Being, and His Knowledge are all absolutely one, from every side and angle, and every form of unity. His Knowledge is not superadded to His Essence and Being as it is in the soul of man, whose knowledge is added to his essence and is compounded with it. For when man studies a subject and knows it, his rational soul was already within him before he studied and knew it, and afterward, this knowledge was added to his soul. And so, day after day, “Days speak, and a multitude of years teach wisdom.” This is not a perfect unity, but a composite.",
+ "The Holy One, blessed is He, however, is a perfect unity, without any composition and plurality at all. Hence, perforce, His Essence and Being and His Knowledge are all absolutely one, without any composition. Therefore, just as it is impossible for any creature in the world to comprehend the Essence of the Creator and His Being, so it is impossible to comprehend the essence of His Knowledge; only to believe, with a faith which transcends intellect and comprehension, that the Holy One, blessed is He, is completely One and Unique. He and His Knowledge are all absolutely one, and knowing Himself, He perceives and knows all the higher and lower beings [even] until a small worm in the sea and a minute mosquito which will be in the center of the earth; there is nothing concealed from Him. This knowledge does not add multiplicity and composition to Him at all, since it is merely knowledge of Himself, and His Being and His Knowledge are all one.",
+ "Inasmuch as this is very difficult to envisage, therefore, the Prophet said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts”; and it is written, “Can you by searching find G–d…?” and it is written, “Have You eyes of flesh, or do You see as man sees?���—for man sees and knows everything with a knowledge that is external to himself, and the Holy One, blessed is He, by knowing Himself. These are the words of Maimonides.",
+ "[See Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, and the Sages of the Kabbalah have agreed with him, as is explained in Pardes of Rabbi Moses Cordovero, of blessed memory.]",
+ "In the light of what has been said above it is possible to understand the error of some, scholars in their own eyes, may G–d forgive them, who erred and misinterpreted in their study of the writings of the Arizal, and understood the doctrine of tzimtzum, which is mentioned therein literally—that the Holy One, blessed is He, removed Himself and His Essence, G–d forbid, from this world, and only guides from above, with individual providence, all the created beings which are in the heavens above and on the earth below.",
+ "Now, aside from the fact that it is altogether impossible to interpret the doctrine of tzimtzum literally, [for then it] is a phenomenon of corporeality, concerning the Holy One, blessed is He, who is set apart from them [i.e., from the phenomena of corporeality], many myriads of separations ad infinitum, they also did not speak wisely, since they are “believers, the sons of believers” that the Holy One, blessed is He, knows all the created beings in this lower world and exercises Providence over them, and perforce His knowledge of them does not add plurality and innovation to Him, for He knows all by knowing Himself. Thus, as it were, His Essence and Being and His Knowledge are all one.",
+ "And this is stated in Tikkunim, Tikkun 57: “There is no place devoid of Him, not in the upper worlds nor in the lower worlds”; and in Raaya Mehemna, on the portion of Pinchas: “He grasps all and none can grasp Him…He encompasses all worlds…and no one goes out from His domain; He fills all worlds…He binds and unites a kind to its kind, upper with lower, and there is no closeness in the four elements only through the Holy One, blessed is He, as He is within them.”",
+ "The meaning of “none can grasp Him” is that there is no one [even] among all the “supernal intelligences” who can grasp with his intellect the Essence and Being of the Holy One, blessed is He; as it is written in Tikkunim, “Hidden One of all the hidden, and no thought can grasp You at all.” And even in the lower worlds, although “He fills all worlds,” He is not as the soul of man within his body, which is grasped within the body to the extent that it is affected and is influenced by bodily changes and its pain, [as] from blows or cold or the heat of fire and the like. The Holy One, blessed is He, however, is not affected by the changes of this world, from summer to winter and from day to night, as it is written, “Even the darkness does not obscure for You, and the night shines as the day,” for He is not grasped within the worlds at all even though He fills them.",
+ "And this is also the meaning of “He encompasses all worlds.” For example, when a man reflects upon an intellectual subject in his mind or upon a physical matter in his thoughts, then his intellect and thought encompass that subject whose image is formed in his thought or in his mind, but they do not encompass that subject in actual fact. The Holy One, blessed is He, however, of Whom it is written, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts…,” His Thought and Knowledge of all created beings actually encompass each and every creature, for [His Knowledge] is indeed its life-force and that which brings it into existence from nothingness into being in actual reality.",
+ "And “He fills all worlds” is the life-force which clothes itself within the created being. It is powerfully contracted within it according to the intrinsic nature of the created being which is finite and limited in quantity and quality, i.e., its significance and importance. As for example, the sun whose body is finite and limited quantitatively being approximately one hundred and sixty-seven times the size of the globe of the earth, and whose quality and significance, namely, its light, is also limited as to the extent that it can give light, for it cannot illuminate indefinitely since it is a created being. Likewise, all created beings are finite and limited, for “From the earth to the heaven is a distance of 500 years….”",
+ "Hence, the life-force which is invested in them is greatly and powerfully contracted, for it must undergo numerous and powerful contractions until there are brought into existence from its power and light created beings, as they are finite and limited. ",
+ "For the source of the life-force is the “breath of the mouth” of the Holy One, blessed is He, which clothes itself in the Ten Utterances of the Torah. And the “breath of His mouth,” blessed be He, could have diffused without end and limit and created worlds infinite in their quantity and quality and given them life forever, and this world would not have been created at all. (For just as the Holy One, blessed is He, is called “Infinite,” so are all His attributes and actions [infinite], for “He and His attributes are One,”—i.e., the life-force which emanates from His attributes, namely, kindness and mercy and His other holy attributes, by means of their clothing themselves in the “breath of His mouth,” “For He spoke and it was” and “The world is built through kindness” “By the word of G–d and the breath of His mouth,” which becomes a vessel and “garment” for this kindness, “like the snail whose garment is part of his body.”)",
+ "The Holy One, blessed is He, however, contracted the light and life-force in order that it should be able to diffuse from the “breath of His mouth” and invested it in the combinations of the letters of the Ten Utterances and their combinations of combinations, by substitutions and transpositions of the letters themselves and their numerical values and equivalents. For each substitution and transposition indicates the descent of the light and life-force degree by degree so that it will be able to create and give life to creatures whose quality and significance is lower than the quality and significance of the creatures created from the letters and words of the Ten Utterances themselves, in which the Holy One, blessed is He, in His Glory and Essence, is clothed, for [the Ten Utterances] are His attributes. ",
+ "And the numerical value indicates the progressive diminution of the light and life-force until there remains from it only the final level which is that of the sum and number of kinds of powers and grades contained in the light and life-force invested in a particular combination of a particular word.",
+ "(It is only after all these contractions and others like them, as His wisdom, blessed be He, has ordained that the light and life-force could invest itself even in the lower [created things], such as inanimate stones and dust. Stone, for example, its name even, אבן, indicates that its source is in the [Divine] Name which numerically equals fifty-two ב\"ן, with an א, one, added to it from another Name, for a reason known to its Creator. Now the name ב\"ן is itself of very high worlds, yet through numerous and powerful contractions, degree by degree, there descended from it a life-force very greatly condensed, until it could clothe itself in a stone. And this is the soul of the inanimate being, which gives it life and brings it into existence ex nihilo at every instant, as has been explained previously. This is the principle of “He fills all worlds,” which differs from the principle of “He encompasses all worlds.”)",
+ "And each power and grade [of the life-force] can create beings according to its level, even unlimited in quantity and quality, to give them life forever, since it is the power of G–d which issues and emanates from the “breath of His mouth” and there is no restraint [to Him]. But, their quality will not be on a level as high as the quality and level of the creatures which could be created from the power and degree of the letters themselves."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Now, what Maimonides, of blessed memory, has said that the Holy One, blessed is He, His Essence and Being and His Knowledge are completely one, a perfect unity and not a composite at all, applies equally to all the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, and to all His holy names and the designations which the Prophets and Sages, of blessed memory, have ascribed to Him, such as Gracious, Merciful, Beneficient, and the like. This is also true with respect to His being called Wise, as it is written, “And He is also wise…,” and with respect to His Will, [as it is written] “G–d desires those who fear Him,” and “He wishes to do kindness,” and “He desires the repentance of the wicked and, does not wish their death and wickedness,” and “Your eyes are too pure to behold evil.” His Will and His Wisdom and His attribute of Kindness and His Mercy and His other attributes do not add plurality and composition, G–d forbid, to His Essence and Being, but His Essence and Being and His Will and Wisdom and Understanding and Knowledge and His attribute of Kindness and His Might and Mercy and Beauty—which is composed of His Kindness and Might—and likewise His other holy attributes, are all an absolutely perfect unity, which is His very Essence and Being.",
+ "And as Maimonides, of blessed memory, stated: “This is beyond the power of speech to express, beyond the capacity of the ear to hear, and of the heart of man to apprehend clearly,” for man visualizes in his mind all the concepts which he wishes to conceive and understand—all as they are within himself. For instance, if he wishes to envisage the essence of Will or the essence of Wisdom or of Understanding or of Knowledge or the essence of the attribute of Kindness and Mercy and the like, he visualizes them all as they are within himself. But in truth, the Holy One, blessed is He, is “High and exalted” and “Holy is His Name,” that is to say, He is Holy and separated many myriads of degrees of separations ad infinitum, above the quality, type, or kind of praises and exaltations which creatures could grasp and conceive in their intellect.",
+ "For the first quality and rank of creatures is wisdom, hence it is called “the beginning.” For indeed, it is the beginning and fountainhead of all the life-force in creatures, for from wisdom are derived understanding and knowledge and from them flow all the emotion attributes of the rational soul, such as love and kindness and mercy and the like. As is seen clearly that the child, having no wisdom, is always angry and unkind. And even his love is for trivial things which are not worthy to be loved, because he has no wisdom to love things which are worthy of love, for [the quality of] love is according to [the level of] wisdom.",
+ "And from the emotion attributes of the soul words and letters of thought issue forth, for the soul thinks of that which it loves or [of] how to perform [deeds] of kindness and mercy. And so it is with the other emotion attributes. In every thought in the world, there is clothed some emotion attribute which brings it [the soul] to think that thought, and this attribute is the vivifying force of that thought. And from the letters of thought proceed letters of speech, and they [the letters of thought] are their very vivifying force. And speech brings to action, [as] of charity and kindness, e.g., the king who commands his servants to give [charity].",
+ "And even when a man himself performs some deed, the power of the soul and its life-force which clothes itself in this deed, is as absolute nothingness in relation to the power of the soul and its life-force which clothes itself in the speech of man; [they are to each other] as the relation and comparison of the body to the soul. Likewise is the relation of the letters of speech to the letters of thought; and likewise is the relation of the letters of thought to the essence of the emotion attribute which is clothed in it and vivifies it; and likewise the relation of the essence and life-force of the emotion attribute in comparison with the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge which together constitute the intellect from which this attribute was derived.",
+ "All this applies to the soul of man and the souls of all the created beings in all the higher and lower worlds. In all of them, wisdom is the beginning and source of the life-force."
+ ],
+ [
+ "In regard to the Holy One, blessed is He, however, the quality of wisdom—which [in all created beings] is the beginning of thought and its genesis—is to Him the completion of action; i.e., in relation to the Holy One, blessed is He, it [wisdom] is considered as if it were the quality and level of action, as it is written, “You have made them all with wisdom.”",
+ "That is to say, [wisdom relative to Him is] as the quality of the life-force in physical and material action is in relation to the quality of the life-force in wisdom, the beginning and source of the life-force in man and all the physical creatures. [The life-force in physical action] is as nothing in comparison with the life-force in the letters of speech, which [in turn] is of no account in comparison with the life-force in the letters of thought, which [in turn] is as nothing compared to the life-force and level of the emotion attributes from which this thought is derived, which [again] is as nothing relative to the life-force and level and degree of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, the source of the attributes. Exactly so is the quality and level of wisdom, the beginning and source of the life-force in all the worlds, in relation to the Holy One, blessed is He, in His Glory and Essence, Who is sublimated and exalted many myriads of degrees of elevations more than the elevation of the quality of wisdom over the quality of the life-force in action which is only an elevation of five degrees, namely, the qualities of action, speech, thought, emotion attributes, and intellect. The Holy One, blessed is He, however, is “High and exalted” above the level of wisdom myriads of degrees like these ad infinitum.",
+ "But inasmuch as it is within the power of created beings to comprehend only the descent from the level of wisdom, which is their beginning, to the level of action which is the lowermost [of levels], therefore, we say that in relation to the Holy One, blessed is He, the level of wisdom is considered exactly as the level of action.",
+ "That is to say, He is “high and exalted” and very greatly elevated above the level of wisdom, and it is not at all proper to ascribe to Him anything that is appurtenant to wisdom even in a very lofty and sublime form, as to say of Him that it is beyond the capacity of any higher or lower creature to comprehend His wisdom or His Essence. For comprehension pertains and applies to a matter of knowledge and wisdom [about which one can] say that it can or cannot be understood because of the profundity of the concept. But it is not at all proper to say concerning the Holy One, blessed is He, Who transcends intellect and wisdom, that it is impossible to apprehend Him because of the depth of the concept, for He is not within the realm of comprehension at all. And one who states that it is not possible to apprehend Him is as one who says concerning some lofty and profound wisdom that it cannot be touched with the hands because of the depth of the concept, for whoever hears it will mock him because the sense of touch refers and applies only to physical objects which may be grasped by the hands. Exactly so, the quality of intellect and comprehension in relation to the Holy One, blessed is He, is considered as actual physical action. Even the comprehension of the Intelligences in the upper worlds, and even the quality of supernal wisdom which gives life to them all [is considered so in relation to the Holy One, blessed is He], as it is written, “You have made them all in wisdom.”",
+ "As for the Holy One, blessed is He, being called “Wise” in Scripture, and our Sages, of blessed memory, also designating to Him the quality and level of wisdom, the reason is that He is the source of wisdom, for from Him, blessed be He, issues and emanates the essence of the quality of chochmah ilaah (supernal wisdom) which is in the world of Atzilut. And likewise [is He called] Merciful and Kind because He is the source of mercy and kindness; and likewise, the other attributes, for they all proceeded and emanated from Him, blessed be He. The manner and nature of the flow and emanation—how and what—is known to the intellectuals [versed in the teachings of Kabbalah].",
+ "NOTE: (The mystical principle of the tzimtzum of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, and the tzimtzum of AK, and the esoteric doctrine of the diknah. For the underlying purpose of all contractions is to condense the light in order that it become clothed within the vessels of the ten sefirot. It is only after the light of En Sof was clothed within the vessels of chabad that it can be stated [concerning the Holy One, blessed is He] what Maimonides said: “He is the Knower, and He is the Knowledge, and He is the Known, and by knowing Himself…,” for the vessels of Atzilut become the soul and life-force of Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah, and of all that is therein. Without the aforesaid tzimtzum and investiture, however, it is not at all proper to say that “He is the Knower and He is the Knowledge…,” for He is not within the realm and limitation of knowing and knowledge at all, G–d forbid, but infinitely elevated above even the quality and limitation of wisdom to the extent that the quality of wisdom is considered in relation to Him, blessed be He, as the quality of physical action.)",
+ "Now, we are not concerned with esoteric matters, but it is incumbent upon us to believe with complete faith matters that are revealed to us—that He and His attributes are One, i.e., the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, and His will and wisdom and understanding and knowledge [are One] with His Essence and Being, Who alone is exalted, infinite elevations above the quality of wisdom and intellect and comprehension. Hence, His unity with the attributes which He emanated from Himself, blessed be He, is also beyond the realm of comprehension, [i.e., it is not possible] to understand how He unites with them. And therefore, the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, which are the sefirot, are called in the Holy Zohar “the secret of faith,” which is the faith that transcends intellect."
+ ],
+ [
+ "However, since “the Torah speaks the language of man” in order “to enable the ear to hear what it can understand,” therefore, permission has been granted to Scholars of Truth to speak allegorically of the sefirot. And they called them “lights,” so that by means of this illustration, the nature of the unity of the Holy One, blessed is He, and His attributes, will be somewhat understood by us. It is, by way of illustration, as the unity of the light of the sun within its orb, with the solar globe, which is called “luminary,” as it is written, “The greater luminary….” And the radiation and the beam which spreads forth and shines from it is called “light,” as it is written, “And G–d called the light—day.” When the light is in its source in the orb of the sun, it is united with it in absolute unity, for there is only one entity, namely, the body of the luminary which emits light, for there the radiation and light is absolutely one being with the body of the luminary which illuminates, and it has no existence by itself at all.",
+ "Precisely in this manner, and even more so, [is the unity of] the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, and His will and wisdom in the world of Atzilut, with His Essence and Being, as it were, Who becomes clothed in them and unites with them in perfect unity, since they were derived and emanated from Him, blessed be He, as for example, the spreading of the light from the sun. However, [His unity with His attributes] is not exactly in this manner, but in a manner which is remote and concealed from our comprehension, for His ways are higher than our ways.",
+ "Nevertheless, from the illustration which is given in order “to enable the ear to hear what it can understand,” we can perceive and comprehend that just as the light of the sun which is united with and nullified in its source has no name by itself at all, only the name of the source, so all the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, and His will and wisdom are not designated and called by these names at all [relative to Him], only in relation to the higher and lower creatures who are brought into existence and given life and guided in their conduct by the Holy One, blessed is He, through His will and wisdom and understanding and knowledge which clothe themselves in His holy attributes. As it is stated in the Midrash, “By means of ten things was the world created: by wisdom, by understanding and by knowledge…as it is written, ‘The L–rd has founded the earth with wisom, He established the heavens with understanding, the depths were split with His Knowledge…,’” and as expressed by Elijah, “You have brought forth ten tikkunim (“garments”), and we call them ten sefirot, through which to direct hidden worlds which are not revealed, and revealed worlds, and through them You conceal Yourself….”",
+ "For example, on the first day of the Six Days of Creation, the attribute of kindness—comprised of all His holy attributes, with His will and wisdom and understanding and knowledge clothed in it—was revealed, and He created with it the light, through the Utterance, “Let there be light,” which is the spreading forth and flow of the light from above into the world, and its diffusion in the world from one end to the other. This [creation of light] is the quality of kindness, yet, because it also includes the attribute of might, therefore, it [the light] was not spiritual as the actual Supernal Light, and also became clothed in this world, which is finite and limited, for it is a distance of 500 years from the earth to the heaven and from east to west.",
+ "In like manner, on the second day, the attribute of might, which is composed of the other attributes and His will, and so on, was revealed and He created with it the firmament through the Utterance, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters.” This [separation of the waters] is the quality of tzimtzum and restraints, to conceal the upper spiritual waters from the lower waters. Through this separation from the upper waters, the lower waters became material. And the attribute of kindness is included in it [might] as “The world is built with Kindness,” for all this [the division of the waters] is in order that dry land appear and man upon it to worship G–d. And similarly, each [of the other attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, was revealed on each subsequent day of creation].",
+ "And it is this thought that Elijah expressed in Tikkunim, loc. cit., “To show how the world is conducted with righteousness and justice…righteousness is law, justice is mercy…all [the revelation of the attributes] is to show how the world is conducted, but not that You possess a knowable righteousness—which is law, nor a knowable justice—which is mercy, nor any of these other attributes at all.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "The Ten Utterances are also designated “utterances” only in relation to the creatures. For just as the emotive attributes of the human soul, when they come to be revealed in action, come clothed in the letters of thought, [so do the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He]. For example, the attribute of kindness and mercy of the soul cannot become revealed in deed unless one thinks about and contemplates doing an act of charity and kindness in actuality, for one cannot act without thought. And if one commands others to perform [an act of kindness] as the king, then the attribute of kindness and also the letters of thought clothe themselves in the letters of speech. [And likewise is it when one speaks words of kindness and compassion to his friend.]",
+ "So, figuratively speaking, when the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, reach the level of the revelation of their action in the lower [worlds]; this revelation and the flow of this action is called “utterance” and combination of letters, for there can be no action proceeding from His attributes without [the intermediacy of] combinations which are called “letters.” For instance, for the creation of light from the attribute of kindness, there issued from it a flow of action and a power with which to produce and create the light. And the flow of this power and this life-force is designated “utterance” and [combination of] the letters of “Let there be Light.”",
+ "Although they are not like our letters of thought, G–d forbid, nevertheless, they are a phenomenon which indicates the bringing into existence of the light from nothing. Hence, the light was created from this flow of action, and not other things which were also created from the attribute of kindness, such as water and the like, because there were clothed in them powers in other combinations which indicate the bringing into existence of water and the like.",
+ "Thus it follows that all life-forces and powers which issue from His holy attributes to the lower worlds, to create them ex nihilo and to give them life and to sustain them, are given the appellation “Holy Letters,” which are the flow of the life-force from His will and His wisdom and His attributes, to bring worlds into being and give them life.",
+ "And these worlds are of two kinds: “Hidden worlds which are not revealed,” which come into existence and live and are sustained from concealed powers and life-forces, as, for example, the letters of thought in the human soul; and “worlds revealed,”3 which were created and live from the revelation of the hidden powers and life-forces called “letters of thought,” which, when they are in the state of revelation in order to give life to the revealed worlds, are called “utterances” and “The word of G–d” and the “Breath of His mouth,” as, for example, the letters of speech in man which reveal to his listeners what was concealed and hidden in his heart.",
+ "In truth, however, the Supernal Letters of Speech are exceedingly higher than the level and essence of the wisdom and intellect of the created beings. For from the utterance and letters of “Let us make man in our image…” was created Man, possessor of wisdom and intellect; or even by the Divine breath alone [was he created], as it is written, “He breathed into his nostrils a soul of life.” Hence, the Divine speech and breath is the source of wisdom and intellect in the soul of Adam, which contains all the souls of the tzaddikim, who are superior to the ministering angels.",
+ "The reason for [the transcendence of the supernal letters over the soul] is that the letters of His speech, blessed be He, are effluences of powers and life-forces from His attributes, blessed be He, which are united with His Essence and Being in a perfect unity that is infinitely higher than the level of wisdom in created beings. And they are called by the name “letters” not in relation to the created beings, but only relative to His attributes themselves.",
+ "Now, there are twenty-two kinds of effluences of life-forces and powers, differing one from the other, by which all the higher and lower worlds and all the creatures in them were created. For so it arose in His will and wisdom, blessed be He, to create the world with exactly twenty-two kinds of different effluences, neither less nor more, and these are the twenty-two letters which are fixed in the mouth and tongue, as we have learned in the Sefer Yetzirah. [And their written shape indicates the form of the flow, as will be explained later.] For the letters of speech and thought in the human soul are also outflows from the essence and being of the intellect and emotive attributes, as is explained elsewhere."
+ ],
+ [
+ "[Although there are only twenty-two letters,] the creatures are divided into their general and particular kinds by changes in the combinations, substitutions, and transpositions [of the letters] as was explained above, for every letter is a flow of a life-force and an individual, particular power. And when many letters were combined to form a word, then aside from the numerous kinds of powers and life-forces which issue forth according to the number of letters in the word, there is, in addition, the one which transcends them all, [viz.,] the flow of a higher power and general life-force which contains and is equivalent to all the various powers and individual life-forces of the letters and transcends them all, and it unites them and combines them to give power and life-force to the world which was created in general and in its individual [parts] with this word.",
+ "NOTE: (Inasmuch as each and every letter of the twenty-two letters of the Torah is a flow of a life-force and an individual, particular power, which does not flow through any other letter, therefore, the written shape of each letter is in a specific, distinctive form, which indicates the pattern of the flow and the manifestation of the light and the life-force and the power which is revealed and flows through this letter, [i.e.,] how it flows and is revealed from the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, and His Will and His Wisdom, and so on.)",
+ "As, for example, through the words of the utterance “Let there be a firmament…” the seven heavens and all their celestial hosts were created. As our Sages, of blessed memory, stated, “Shechakim, in which millstones stand and grind manna for the tzaddikim…, Z’vul, in which [the heavenly] Jerusalem and the Holy Temple and the Altar [are built]…, Machon, in which there are the stores of snow and the stores of hail….” The heavens as a whole were created and live and exist through the aggregate words of the utterance “Let there be a firmament…,” and each individual created being in the seven heavens was created and lives and exists from some combination of the letters of these words, or their substitutions and transpositions, according to the quality of the life-force of that particular creature.",
+ "For every change in a combination is an intermixing and interweaving of the powers and life-forces in a different form, since each letter antecedent in the combination dominates and it is the essential [force] in this created being, while the others are subordinate to it and are included in its light, and thereby a new being is created. Likewise, through the substitution of letters or their transpositions, new creatures of lower levels in comparison with the beings created from the letters themselves are created. ",
+ "For they [the changes in the letters], by way of illustration, are as the light which shines upon the earth at night from the moon—and the moonlight is from the sun—hence, the light which is on the earth is a [reflected] light from the light of the sun.",
+ "Exactly so, allegorically speaking, the letters of the Utterances are the aggregate flow of the life-force and the light and the power from the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, to create the worlds from nothingness and to give life and sustain them as long as it shall be His Will, blessed be He.",
+ "From this aggregate flow and great radiation, G–d caused to shine and issue forth its derivations similar to it, and its offshoots, which are derivations and effluences of the light from the letters. And these are the substitutions of letters and their transpositions, and He created with them the particular creatures in each world. In like manner, G–d again projected [the light] and caused to issue forth and descend a radiation of the radiation of the radiation from the effulgences of the letters; and likewise He again caused it to issue forth and to descend to the lowest [level] in the category of descents, until the completely inanimate, such as stones and dust, were created. And their names even and afar are substitutions of substitutions, and so on, and transpositions of transpositions, and so forth, as explained above.",
+ "CONCLUDED PART TWO WITH THE HELP OF G-D, MAY HE BE BLESSED AND EXALTED."
+ ]
+ ]
+ },
+ "Part III; Iggeret HaTeshuvah": [
+ [
+ "LIKKUTEI AMARIM PART THREE
Called “Iggeret Hateshuvah”
It has been taught in a Baraita at the end of Tractate Yoma: There are three types of atonement, and repentance accompanies each. If one neglects a positive commandment and repents, he is forgiven forthwith. If one violates a prohibition and repents, his repentance is tentative, and Yom Kippur atones.",
+ "(This means that though, in terms of fulfillment, positive commandments are superior and supersede prohibitions, this is because by performing a positive command one precipitates an illumination and flow into the higher worlds from the reflected Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, (in Zohar we find the 248 positive commandments equated with the 248 “organs of the King”) and also to his Divine soul, as we declare in the blessings, “Who has hallowed us with His commandments.” But concerning repentance, though the punishment for rebelling against His rule and not performing the King’s word is commuted, nonetheless, that illumination is withheld….",
+ "Our Sages apply the verse, “A misdeed that cannot be corrected,” to neglecting the evening reading of Shema or…. Though he will be scrupulous henceforth about reading the morning and evening Shema forevermore, his repentance is ineffectual in correcting what he once neglected.",
+ "By violating a prohibition, evil cleaves to his soul, he impairs its root and origin (in the garbs of the ten sefirot of Asiyah, as Tikkunei Zohar writes, “You have made garments for them, from which souls issue forth to man….”) Therefore there is no atonement for his own soul or higher until Yom Kippur, as is written, “He will atone for the holy place for the impurities of Israel and their sins…before G–d will you be purified.” Before G–d is stressed.",
+ "Hence one dare not infer any leniency from this, G–d forbid, in the positive commandments, particularly in Torah study. On the contrary, our Sages assert, “G–d has pardoned idolatry…”—though excision and capital punishment are involved—“and did not pardon neglect of Torah study.”)",
+ "If one commits a sin of excision or execution, repentance and Yom Kippur are tentative and sufferings scour (i.e., they complete the atonement. Memarkin, the expression here, denotes scouring and rinsing to “polish” the soul. Kapparah, atonement, is the term for cleaning, removing the impurities of the sin), as we find, “I shall remember with a rod their sins, and with afflictions their misdeeds.” Thus far the Baraita.",
+ "The commandment of repentance as required by the Torah is simply the abandonment of sin (cf. Sanhedrin, ch. 3; Choshen Mishpat, end of sect. 34, regarding witnesses). He must resolve in perfect sincerity never again to revert to folly to rebel against His rule, blessed be He; he will never again violate the King’s command, G–d forbid, neither a positive command nor a prohibition.",
+ "This is the basic meaning of the term teshuvah, repentance, to return to G–d with all his heart and soul, to serve Him, and to keep all His commandments. “Let the wicked abandon his way, and the sinful his thoughts, and return to G–d….” In Parashat Nitzavim it is written: “Return to the L–rd your G–d and hearken to His voice…with all your heart…,” and “Return O Israel to the L–rd your G–d…,” and “Bring us back, L–rd, to You….”",
+ "This is not at all the common conception that repentance is synonymous with fasting. Even where sufferings are the completion of atonement, as in the case of sins of excision or execution, G–d brings the sufferings on the sinner. (“I shall remember with a rod,” clearly specifies I.) When the repentance is acceptable before Him, as he returns to G–d with all his heart and soul out of love, then following the initiative from below, and “As water reflects the Countenance…,” there is an awakening Above, arousing the love and kindness of G–d, to scour his sin through affliction in this physical world. “For whom the L–rd loves He chastises….”",
+ "Therefore Maimonides and Sefer Mitzvot Gadol make no mention of fasting in the mitzvah of teshuvah, even for sins of excision or capital sins. They cite only confession and the plea for forgiveness—“They shall confess their sin….”",
+ "But then we find in Joel, “Return to Me with all your hearts, with fasting and weeping….” However, this was to nullify the Heavenly decree that had already been issued, to expunge the sin of the generation through the affliction of locusts. This is the justification for all fasts undertaken for any trouble threatening the community, as in the Book of Esther.",
+ "There are descriptions in the Mussar literature, particularly the Rokeach and Sefer Chassidim, of numerous fasts and mortifications for excision and capital sins. The same is true of sins punished by death by divine agency, like wasteful emissions of semen, as the Torah recounts of Er and Onan. In this sense their judgment is identical. These fasts and mortifications are intended to avoid the punishment of suffering at the hand of Heaven, G–d forbid, and also to urge on and expedite the conclusion of his soul’s atonement. Also, perhaps he does not return to G–d with all his heart and soul out of love, but only out of fear."
+ ],
+ [
+ "However, all this refers to atonement and forgiveness of the sin—he is pardoned completely for having violated the command of the King when he has done a full repentance. No charge or semblance of accusation is made against him on the day of judgment to punish him for his sin, G–d forbid, in the World to Come. He is completely exonerated from the judgment to come.",
+ "Nonetheless, that he may be acceptable before G–d, as beloved of Him as before the sin, that his Creator may derive delight from his service—in past times he would bring an olah offering. This offering was brought even for an ordinary positive commandment that involves no excision or execution. In Torat Kohanim there is a comment on the verse, “It shall be accepted for him,” and we find in the Talmud, Zevachim chapter 1, that the olah offering atones for positive commandments; it is a “gift” after he has done penance and the punishment was commuted.",
+ "If one displeases his king and appeases him through an intercessor, and the king does forgive him, still he will send an appropriate gift to the king that the king might agree that he appear again before his sovereign. (The expression “atones” we quoted from the Talmud, and in the verse, “It will be accepted for him to atone for him,” does not refer to the soul’s atonement for the sin, but rather his “restoration” before G–d. Now the Creator may derive delight from him, as the Talmud remarks there, and as the verse, “It shall be perfect, to be desired.”)4",
+ "Today, as we have no offerings to call forth G–d’s pleasure, fasting replaces the offering. The Talmud says, “May my loss of fat and blood be regarded as though I had offered before You….”",
+ "Therefore there are many cases of Talmudic sages, who for some trivial fault underwent a great many fasts. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah contended that a cow may go out (wearing) its strap between its horns on Shabbat while his colleagues prohibited it. Once a neighbor’s cow went out with its strap and R. Elazar did not hinder her. Because he did not support his colleagues, he fasted so long that his teeth were blackened. Rabbi Joshua once remarked, “I am ashamed of your words, Beit Shammai.” His teeth too turned black through fasting. Rav Huna, because his tefillin strap once turned over, endured forty fasts. There are many such incidents.",
+ "With this precedent, the Arizal taught his disciples, according to Kabbalah principles, the number of fasts for many transgressions, though they entail no excision or death by divine agency. Examples: for anger—151 fasts; even for a Rabbinic prohibition like stam yainam—seventy-three fasts; for neglecting a positive Rabbinic enactment like prayer—sixty-one fasts.",
+ "In general, the mystery of the fast is remarkably effective for the revelation of the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, similar to the offering, of which it is said, “An aroma pleasing to G–d.” In Isaiah we find, “Do you call this a fast and a day desirable to G–d!” Obviously, an acceptable fast is a “desirable day.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "The latter Mussar sages were divided about one who repeated a sin several times. Some contend that he must fast the number of fasts appropriate to that sin according to the number of transgressions. For example, the number of fasts prescribed in the penances of the Arizal for wasteful emission of semen is eighty-four. If someone commits this sin ten or twenty times, say, he must fast ten or twenty times eighty-four, and so on in all instances. These sages compare the fasts to the chatat offering required for every instance of violation.",
+ "Others compare fasts to the olah offering brought for neglect of a positive command. Violation of a number of positive commands is atoned for by one olah, as the Talmud explains in Zevachim, ch. 1.",
+ "The accepted decision in this dispute is to fast three times the number of fasts prescribed for that specific sin, i.e., 252 for emission, and similarly for other sins. This is based on an observation in Zohar, end of Noach; as soon as mortal man is guilty one time before the Holy One, blessed is He, he makes an impression…the third time the stain penetrates from one side through the other…. Therefore the number of fasts ought also be three…",
+ "However, all this applies to the strong and healthy, whose physical vigor would not be sapped at all by repeated fasts, as in the generations of yore. But whoever would be affected by many fasts, and might suffer illness or pain, G–d forbid, as in contemporary generations, is forbidden to engage in many fasts. This ban concerns even sins of excision or execution, and certainly the positive and prohibitory commands that do not involve excision. Instead the measure of fasting is the personal estimate of what he can tolerate without doubt.",
+ "For even in those early Talmudic generations, only the robust who could mortify themselves fasted so frequently. But whoever cannot fast and does is called “sinner” in Taanit, ch. 1. This applies even to one who fasts for specifically known sins, as Rashi explains there, and we find in Zevachim, ch. 1, that there is no one of Israel who is not guilty of a positive commandment….",
+ "It goes without saying that a student of Torah who fasts is a sinner and is doubly punished, for the weakness resulting from his fast prevents him from studying Torah properly.",
+ "What then is his alternative? “Your sin redeem with charity.” The codifiers of Torah law specified for each fast day of repentance approximately eighteen (coins)… The wealthy shall add according to his means…. See Magen Avraham on Laws of Fasts.",
+ "Nonetheless, every man of spirit who desires to be close to G–d, to repair his soul, to return it to G–d with the finest and most preferred repentance, shall be stringent with himself. He should complete, at least once during his lifespan, the number of fasts for every grave sin incurring death at least, if only death by divine agency. For example, for wasteful emission he should undergo the series of eighty-four fasts once in his life.",
+ "He may postpone the fasts until the shorter winter days and fast some ten days or less, for example, in one winter, and complete the series of eighty-four in nine or more years according to his stamina. (Besides, he may also eat a little about three hours before sunrise, and this would still be considered a fast, if he so stipulated.)",
+ "For the completion of the mentioned 252, he may fast another four times eighty-four until past noon, which the Jerusalem Talmud considers a fast. In this context, two half-days are reckoned as one full day. Naturally, this approach applies to any other sins, for each heart knows its own anguish and desires its vindication.",
+ "There still remain the fasts in excess of the 252, or whatever amount, that he ought to fast in deference to the more stringent opinion insisting on the appropriate number of fasts for every violation committed, as noted. These may be redeemed with charity, approximating eighteen (coins) for each fast day. Charity may redeem all other fasts that he should have undergone for sins not entailing death, and even for neglecting a positive command, Torah or Rabbinic, and [neglect of] “the study of the Torah—equivalent to them all,” according to the number of fasts prescribed by the Arizal’s penances. (Most of these are noted in Mishnat Chassidim, Tractate Teshuvah.) All of these fasts he may redeem with charity if he cannot mortify himself, as noted.",
+ "Though this might amount to a considerable sum, he need not fear for the injunction, “Do not distribute more than one-fifth.” These circumstances are not “distribution” for charity, since he does this to release himself from fasting and affliction. This is no less necessary than medicine for his body or his other needs.",
+ "The number of fasts enumerated in the abovementioned penances is exceedingly great. Therefore all who revere the word of G–d are now accustomed to being unstintingly generous with charity, for the prevalent weakness prevents them from mortifying themselves over much. (A comment is made elsewhere on this subject on the verse, “The kindnesses of G–d, for they are not concluded.”)"
+ ],
+ [
+ "However, all we have said refers to the culmination of the atonement and the “polishing” of the soul before G–d after repentance, as cited from Zevachim, where the olah offering is described as a presentation after the intercessor’s successful plea…. But the beginning of the mitzvah of teshuvah and its fundament is the return to G–d in truth and with a complete heart. We must explain this fully and discuss it comprehensively.",
+ "Let us begin with the Zohar’s statement interpreting teshuvah according to sod, the mystical approach. “Teshuvah is tashuv hey, returning the hey; the latter hey is teshuvah tataah, inferior teshuvah; the upper hey is teshuvah ilaah, superior teshuvah.” We must also note that the Zohar states several times that teshuvah is ineffective for violation of the covenant and for wasteful emission. This is rather surprising, for “Nothing can withstand teshuvah, even idolatry and immorality….” The Reishit Chochmah explains that the intention of the Zohar is that inferior teshuvah is ineffective, but superior teshuvah [is effective]….",
+ "To comprehend even a minute glimmer of this, let us see what the Scripture and our Sages say about excision and death by divine agency. A violator of an excision sin would actually die before his fiftieth year. In the case of death by divine agency he actually dies before sixty, like Chananiah ben Azur in Jeremiah.8 (Indeed, there were instances when the punishment of death by divine agency was meted out instantly, as with Er and Onan.) But in every generation there are so many guilty of excision and death who enjoy extended and pleasant days [and years]!",
+ "The key will be found in the passage, “For part of G–d is His people…”—a part of the Name of Havaya, blessed is He, as it is written, “He breathed into his nostrils a soul of life,” and “He who blows, blows from within him….” Though He has no bodily form…, G–d forbid, the Torah does “speak in the language of men.”",
+ "There is a vast difference in the case of mortal man between the breath issuing from his mouth while speaking and the breath of forceful blowing. When speaking there is embodied within the breath only the smallest amount of the speaker’s power and life-force, and even that is only of the superficial aspect of the soul that dwells within him. But when he blows with force, he blows from deep within himself. That breath embodies the internal power and life-force of the vivifying soul….",
+ "Precisely so in the analogy of Creation, allowing for the infinite differentiations involved, these two profoundly different states exist. All the hosts of heaven, even the spiritual beings like angels, were created ex nihilo. They derive their existence from the external aspect of the life-force issuing from the Infinite (En Sof) to vitalize creation. This external aspect of the life-giving power is called the “breath of His mouth,” as it were, in the verse “By the breath of His mouth all their hosts.” This is the creative power embodied in the Ten Utterances (that are instruments for this power and the extension of the power…as explained in Likkutei Amarim, Part II, ch. 11).
In contrast, the soul of man derives initially from the internal of the life-force and flow issuing from the Infinite, as in the verse quoted above, “He breathed….” Subsequently it descended through ever more concealing planes, also through the letters in the Utterance, “Let us make man…” in order that the soul could eventually be invested in a body in this inferior, physical world.",
+ "The Scripture calls the angels “Elokim,” as in “For the L–rd your G–d is the G–d of G–ds (Elokim)…,” and “Praise the G–d of G–ds (Elokim)…,” and “The sons of G–d (Elokim) came to present themselves….” They derive their nurture from the external of the life-force, which is merely the state of letters. Similarly the name Elokim is an external state compared to the Name of Havaya, blessed is He.",
+ "But the soul of man, deriving its being from the internal of the vivifying power is a part of the Name of Havaya, blessed is He. For that Name indicates the internal of the life-giving power, which far transcends the state of letters, or articulation.",
+ "To explain: there is a well-known statement of Elijah, “You are He who has brought forth ten “garments,” and we call them ten sefirot, through which to direct hidden worlds…. You are Wise, but not with a knowable attribute of wisdom. You understand, but not with a knowable attribute of understanding….” All the attributes, the ten sefirot, are included and represented in their source, the Ineffable Name.",
+ "The Ineffable Name is composed of four letters: yud, hey, vav, and hey. The yud, a simple point, symbolizes His wisdom, the state of concealment and obscurity, before it develops into a state of expansion and revelation in comprehension and understanding. (The “thorn” on the yud indicates the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, far superior to the level of chochmah ilaah, the higher wisdom, as is known.)",
+ "When the “point” evolves into a state of expansion and revelation of comprehension and understanding in the concealed worlds, it is then contained and represented in the letter hey. The shape of the letter has dimension, expansion in breadth, which implies the breadth of explanation and understanding, and expansion in length, to indicate extension and flow downward into the concealed worlds.",
+ "In the next stage this extension and flow are drawn still lower into the revealed worlds. This may be compared to one who wishes to reveal his thoughts to another through his speech, for example. This stage of extension is contained and represented in the final letters vav and hey.",
+ "Vav, in shape a vertical line, indicates downward extension. Also, this flow downward is effected through the divine traits of benevolence and goodness and His other sacred traits, included in general terms in the six attributes in the verse, “Yours O G–d is the greatness…” until “Yours O G–d is the dominion…,” until, but not inclusive. His [seventh] attribute, malchut or dominion, is called the “Word of G–d,” as in the verse, “Wherever the word of the king holds sway.”",
+ "This attribute of dominion is contained and represented in the final hey of the Name of Havaya. The internal aspect and the source of speech is the breath that rises from the heart, then is molded by the five oral articulations—alef, chet, hey, and ayin from the throat, and so on. The hey implies this internal aspect of speech, for it is the pristine unvocalized breath, “a light letter without substance.”",
+ "Though He has no corporeal form, G–d forbid, the Torah speaks in the language of men. The word of G–d, with its twenty-two letters, would separate into the five articulations, and thus were all beings created. (For a discussion of these letters, see Likkutei Amarim, Part II, ch. 11.)",
+ "Analogously, again considering the infinite separation between the two cases, these same four stages apply to the soul of man, i.e., the divine soul that “He blew from within Himself.” There is the initial state of hidden concept symbolized in the letter yud, with its potential of being revealed, thus understanding and conceiving of His true being and His greatness…each person according to his measure, according to the breadth of his intellect and understanding.",
+ "As man deepens his intelligence, as he broadens his mind and comprehension to contemplate His greatness, his now-developed understanding is indicated in the letter hey, that has breadth. The hey also has length to indicate downward extension, that from his understanding and contemplation of G–d’s majesty, he arouses love and fear and their ramifications in his mind and in the recesses of his heart.",
+ "In the following stage these emotions would actually become manifest in his heart. This leads to the true service of G–d, in Torah study and mitzvah observance, with voice and speech or with deed. This is the import of the letters vav hey….",
+ "Another meaning behind the four letters as applied to man: the contemplation endeavoring to understand and conceive of His true being derives also from Torah, for Torah proceeds from chochmah, represented by the yud of the Name of Havaya…."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Bringing the divine soul down into the physical world to invest itself within a human body derives from the internal aspect, the source, of speech. This is the “breath” of the Supreme One, indicated in the latter hey mentioned above. “He breathed into his nostrils a soul of life and man became a living soul,” and “He who blows….”",
+ "Let us return to a verse cited earlier. “For part of G–d is His people; Jacob is the cord of His inheritance.” Jacob is compared to a rope, the upper end bound above and the lower end below.",
+ "The simple meaning of the verse “He breathed” is to show us that just as, for example, if one blows in some direction and there is any separation or obstruction there, then the exhaled breath will not reach that place at all—so precisely, if anything separates and obstructs between man’s body and the “breath” of the Supreme One.",
+ "The truth is though that nothing material or spiritual is a barrier before Him, for “Do I not fill heaven and earth!” “All the world is full of His glory.” “There is no place devoid of Him.” “In the heavens above and on the earth below there is none else.” “He fills all worlds….”",
+ "But Isaiah declares, “Only your sins separate you from your G–d.” The reason is that sins oppose the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, Who gives life to all, as in the verse, “Whatever G–d wills, He did in heaven and earth.” (It has been noted above that the Will is the source of the benevolence issuing from the Name of Havaya and is represented in the “thorn” atop the letter yud.)",
+ "This is the significance of excision, the consequence of certain grave sins. The “cord,” drawn from the final hey in the Name of Havaya, blessed be He, is severed and cut off. In the [Torah] portion of Emor it is written, “That soul shall be cut off from before Me, I am the L–rd.” The soul is cut off from before Me.",
+ "Other sins that do not incur excision do cause at least a defect in the soul, a “defect” being similar to the “defect” or nick that invalidates a blade for ritual slaughter.",
+ "Returning to the analogy of the cord—a thick rope woven of 613 thin strands parallels the Scriptural “cord,” the downward flow from G–d mentioned above, comprising 613 mitzvot. When man violates one of them, G–d forbid, a thin strand is severed….",
+ "But even if one has incurred excision or death, there yet remains an impression within him of his divine soul, and through this he may live until fifty or sixty years and no more. (The statement attributed to the Arizal, that a transcendent level of life-force enters him…is irrelevant to the life of the physical body and applies until fifty years, or to the contemporary period, as will be noted.)"
+ ],
+ [
+ "However, all this pertained when Israel was on a higher plane, when the Shechinah dwelled among Israel in the Beit Hamikdash. Then the vitality of the body came only through the divine soul, from the internal of the life-giving power issuing from the Infinite, through the the Name of Havaya, blessed is He, as described above.",
+ "But after that they had fallen from their estate, and through their actions caused the mystery of the “Exile of the Shechinah.” “By your sins was your mother expelled,” meaning that the benevolence flowing forth from the latter hey as mentioned descended far down, from plane to plane, until it entered into the ten sefirot of nogah. The benevolence and vitality proceed through the hosts of heaven and those charged over them to every living physical being in this world, even to vegetation. “There is no blade of grass that has no spirit….”",
+ "Thus even the sinful and deliberate transgressors of Israel may receive vitality for their bodies and animal souls, exactly as other living beings do, for “They are compared and equal to beasts.”",
+ "In fact, their nurture is granted them with even greater emphasis and force, as explained in Zohar, Pekudei. Every benevolence and vitality granted mortal man while he commits evil in the eyes of G–d, in deed or speech, or by musing on sin…all issues to him from the chambers of the sitra achara described there in the Zohar.",
+ "Man possesses choice, whether he shall derive his nurture from the chambers of the sitra achara or from the chambers of holiness, from whom flow all good and holy thoughts….",
+ "For “G–d has made one thing opposite the other….” The chambers of the sitra achara derive their vitality from the embodiment within them and the descent within them of the issue of the ten sefirot of nogah comprising “good and evil,” the Tree of Knowledge…, as known to the students of Kabbalah.",
+ "“Jacob is the cord of His inheritance.” The analogy is to a cord whose one end is above and its other end below. When one pulls the lower end, he will move and pull after it the higher end as well, as far as it can be pulled.",
+ "The root of the soul of man and its source is in the latter hey, as we have explained earlier. Through his evil deeds and thoughts he “pulls” and draws down the life-force issuing from the hey into the chambers of the sitra achara, as it were, from which he receives his thoughts and deeds. Because he, the sinful person, draws the flow of vitality into the sitra achara, he receives his “share” of vitality first. This will suffice for the understanding.",
+ "Hence the statement, “Not within our hands is the reason for either the tranquility of the wicked…”—in our hands, in this time of exile after the destruction. This is the sense of the “Exile of the Shechinah,” as it were, His granting benevolent life-force to the chambers of the sitra achara that He despises.",
+ "But when the sinner performs the appropriate penance, then he removes from them the life-force he brought to them originally through his deeds and thoughts. By his repentance, he returns the flow issuing from the Shechinah to its proper place.",
+ "This then is “tashuv hey tataah,” returning the latter hey from its state of exile. “G–d will return those of you who return,” meaning with those who return. Our Sages have commented on this verse, “He shall bring back is not said….”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "In the true and direct path to the lower teshuvah, returning the latter hey noted above, there are two general elements.",
+ "The first is to awaken supreme compassion from the Source of mercy for his spirit (neshamah) and divine soul (nefesh) that has fallen from a lofty peak, the true Life, into a deep pit, the chambers of defilement and sitra achara. [Divine compassion is] also to be aroused for the source [of the soul] in the Source of life, the Name of Havaya, blessed is He. “He shall return to G–d, and He will grant him mercy.” “Him” would refer to G–d here, arousing mercies for the life-giving power issuing from His Name, that has descended into the chambers of the impure sitra achara, to give them vitality. This was brought about through the deeds of man, his scheming and evil thoughts. “The king is bound with tresses” is interpreted as “bound with the tresses of the mind….” This is the “Exile of the Shechinah,” as noted above.",
+ "The auspicious time for this arousal of mercies is Tikkun Chatzot, the midnight prayers, as stated in the Siddur, in the Note; see there at length. We find there, “The crown of our head is fallen; woe to us, for we have sinned.”",
+ "Therefore the Holy One is called the “humiliated King” in Pirkei Hechalot, as R. Moshe Cordovero wrote, for there is no humiliation deeper than this. Especially when a thoughtful person meditates on the greatness of the Infinite, who encompasses all worlds and permeates all worlds, each person according to the range of his intellect and understanding, will they be extremely grieved over this.",
+ "The second element is to crush and subdue evil, the kelipah and sitra achara, whose entire being is simply grossness and arrogance. “Though you exalt yourself as the eagle….” This crushing and subjugation is to be absolutely to dust, for this is its death and nullification.",
+ "Evil is crushed through a broken and shattered heart, a sense of personal unworthiness, repugnance, and so forth. This is described in the Zohar on the verse, “The offerings of G–d (Elokim) are a broken spirit, a heart broken and shattered….” All animal offerings are dedicated to G–d (Havaya), the attribute of mercies. To Elokim, the Name indicating the attribute of justice, no animal offering is brought. Instead the offering is the sundering and removing of the spirit of defilement and sitra achara. This is the meaning of a “broken spirit.”",
+ "How is the spirit of the sitra achara broken? When the heart is broken and crushed….",
+ "And how is the heart to be broken and crushed? Only a minor part of this can be through mortifications and fasts in our generations. We cannot fast as did King David. Our Sages remark on the verse, “My heart is a void within me”—he destroyed it with fasts.",
+ "But the true humbling of the heart, that it be broken and crushed, and the removal of the spirit of impurity and sitra achara, is achieved through being of the “masters of accounts,” with all the profundity of the mind. He must concentrate his intellect and understanding deeply for a period every day, or at night before Tikkun Chatzot, to realize that through his sins he wrought the exile of the Shechinah, as noted above. He will also ponder that he [caused] the uprooting of his spirit and divine soul from the true Life and demeaned it to a place of defilement and death, the chambers of the sitra achara. He must become deeply aware that his soul has become a vehicle for them, receiving from them vitality to endow his body, as noted above.",
+ "Our Sages declared that “The wicked while alive are dead.” Their ability to live is derived from the site of death and defilement. (Hence, the verse, “The dead will not praise…” is no mockery of the impoverished, G–d forbid. Rather, the reference is to the wicked who, while living, are called dead, for they are confused with alien thoughts while in their wickedness and do not desire repentance, as is known.)",
+ "One who has never violated a sin of excision or a sin incurring death by divine agency, for example, vain emission and the like, but other, less severe sins, nonetheless suffers a defect in the spirit and divine soul, as in the analogy of the defects and severance of the fine strands of cord, as noted above: Through an accumulation of sins, there can eventually be a defect as grave as from one prohibition involving excision or death. This would be true even when a single sin is repeated numerous times.",
+ "The prophet compares sins to a cloud that dims the light of the sun. “I have wiped away your transgressions like a cloud”—these are the grave sins [that are barriers] between the interior of the power flowing forth from G–d and the divine soul. This barrier is like the separation of a thick cloud that stands between the sun and the earth with its inhabitants. “And like a cloud your sins”—these are the lesser sins that man tramples under heel, sins that separate as does a thin and wispy cloud.",
+ "In the illustration, if one obscures the sunlight streaming through a window with many fine and lacy curtains, they will darken as much as one thick curtain will, and even more. Exactly so is the parallel, with all those sins that man tramples indifferently, and certainly those well known from the words of our Sages to be actually like idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed.",
+ "Examples of these are sins like ignoring the needy—“Beware lest there be in your heart something beliyaal (unworthy)….” Beliyaal is used in reference to idolatry…. Or talebearing, the evil tongue that is equated with idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed. The vile-tempered is like the idolatrous, and so is the arrogant. There are many such described in the Talmud. Torah study equals them all, as our Sages assert, “G–d has pardoned idolatry….”",
+ "For this reason the order of Kriat Shema at the bedside includes acceptance of the four executions of the Court…. Besides, according to the mystical interpretation of sod, impairing the yud of the Name of Havaya is like incurring lapidation; impairing the hey is like incurring burning; impairing the vav is like incurring the sword; and the latter hey is like incurring strangulation. Neglecting the Shema impairs the yud, and tefillin the hey, tzitzit the vav, and prayer the latter hey….",
+ "From this the intelligent, thoughtful person can infer for other sins and transgressions, and for neglect of Torah, which equals them all."
+ ],
+ [
+ "After deeply considering all this, he can truly plead, from the innermost heart, “In Your great mercies, wipe away my sins….” By then his heart is thoroughly impressed with the pathetic state of the spark of divinity within him, and above, as noted. This plea is to arouse supreme mercies, of the Thirteen Attributes of Compassion, which come from the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, symbolized in the “thorn” atop the yud, far transcending the flow issuing from the letters of His Name.",
+ "Because of their lofty origin these Attributes of Compassion correct all defects, as in the passage, “He bears sin and transgression, and cleanses.”2 With this awakening of mercies following the contrition, there is no further nurture for evil and sitra achara from the life-force emanating from the lower hey, as noted. (The latter hey returns to its proper place, united as before with the yud-hey-vav. This will suffice for the knowing.)",
+ "As there is a “restoration” of the hey above, so, too, below in the divine soul within man, no more do “your sins divide.” It is said, “He cleanses”—those who come back to Him, to lave and cleanse their souls of the soiled garments, the “extraneous forces” that the Talmud describes as “envelops….”",
+ "After the cleansing spirit passes over and purifies them, then their souls are enabled to return unto G–d Himself, literally, to ascend the greatest heights, to their very source, and cleave to Him with a remarkable unity. This is the original unity, the ultimate in union, that existed before the soul was blown by the breath of His mouth to descend and be incorporated within the body of man. (To illustrate this unity: before one exhales, the breath is united with the person; he and his breath are not separable yet.) This is the perfect return, teshuvah.",
+ "This state of unity and this return are called teshuvah ilaah, the superior return, that follows teshuvah tataah, the inferior return. The Zohar, in Raaya Mehemna on Nasso, explains that teshuvah ilaah is being occupied with Torah study in reverence and fear of the Holy One…, for this is ben yud-hey—binah…. (Here, the superiority of the penitent over the perfectly saintly, as the Zohar states in Chayei Sara, is that “they draw upon themselves with a more intense longing of the heart, and with greater forcefulness, to approach the King….”)"
+ ],
+ [
+ "The explanation of this subject is discussed frequently in Zohar and Tikkunim: Binah is the superior teshuvah—“The mother crouching over the chicks….” He is to meditate profoundly and with concentration on the greatness of G–d, and through his intellectual comprehension arouse a sense of intellectual reverence and love on rational grounds. This love is that of the verse, “To love the L–rd your G–d” for “He is your life….” He will not be content with the endowed, latent love alone…. So, too, with fear of G–d, and terror or shame…as is known. This is the import of “The mother crouching over the chicks….”",
+ "Ahavah, love, is primarily the cleaving of spirit to spirit, as “He kisses me with the kisses of his mouth…,” as is known. This cleaving of spirit is the meaning of “With all your soul,” with every aspect of your soul, with intellect, emotions, and their garbs of thought, speech, and deed. All cleave to Him.",
+ "Man’s emotional faculties are bound up with His—“as He is merciful….”",
+ "Man’s intellect adheres to His intellect and wisdom, assiduous Torah study, for “Torah issues from Wisdom.”",
+ "Man’s thought is devoted to G–d’s, and his speech is the word of G–d, the halachah, as in the passages, “I have placed My word in your mouth,” and “My words that I have placed in your mouth.”",
+ "Man’s deeds shall be works of charity, to revive the spirit of the fallen, thus cleaving to G–d’s actions, as in, “For six days G–d wrought….” as is known elsewhere.",
+ "This is the cleaving of spirit to spirit—the ultimate attachment and union as a result of love…. Since the violation of the covenant through wasteful emission, to say nothing of stark immorality or unions prohibited by Torah or the Sages (for the words of the Sages are more grave…), causes a blemish in the mind, therefore his rectification is that he occupy himself with Torah that derives from chochmah.",
+ "In Tanna Dvai Eliyahu we find, “A man commits a sin and is liable to death before the Almighty, what shall he do and live? If he was accustomed to studying one page, he shall study two, to studying one chapter, he shall study two chapters….” This parallels the illustration of the cord severed and then reknotted—the place of the knot is so much thicker than the unaffected portion. So it is with the “cord of His possession.”",
+ "This is the meaning of the verse, “With kindness and truth is sin forgiven…,” and “There is no ‘truth’ but Torah….”",
+ "Similarly, the sin of the house of Eli will not be atoned by sacrifices and offerings, but will be pardoned through Torah and good deeds, as explained in Rosh Hashanah, end of ch. 1."
+ ],
+ [
+ "This superior form of teshuvah, the cleaving of spirit to spirit through intellectual study of Torah and physical performance of acts of kindness, is in a mode of a flow from Above—so that the word of G–d shall actually be in his mouth, as in “I place my words in your mouth,” and “His right hand embraces me” because of man’s acts of kindness since “kindness is the right arm….”",
+ "But the mortal man must move from stage to stage, ascending gradually until he attains this superior teshuvah and cleaving of spirit to spirit. He ascends through the heart’s devoted prayer, particularly during Shema and its blessings, that he might in perfect truth say, “You shall love…with all your heart and with all your soul….” Similarly, “These words shall be…you shall speak of them….” The word of G–d must truly be in his mouth, and “there is no truth….” Similarly, to perform all the mitzvot, for “He has sanctified us with His commandments.”",
+ "This sanctification is identical with “You are sanctified to me.” This is the highest degree of sacredness, an expression of separation and apartness, that cannot be contained within Creation since “all are considered as naught before Him.” This sacredness attains to the state of encompassing all worlds, the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He…, as discussed in Likkutei Amarim, ch. 46.",
+ "After prayer again we say, “To You, O L–rd, I lift my soul,” that spirit cleave to spirit all through the day…. All this is brought about through meditation on the greatness of the Infinite, concentrating the mind deeply in the two blessings preceding Shema and in Pesukei d’Zimra, as is known.",
+ "Since the prayer is the state of teshuvah ilaah, the higher return, it must be preceded by teshuvah tataah, the lower return. This is what the Sages intended in the Mishnah, “One should not stand up to pray except from a state of awe.” Rashi explains, “Humility.” This is the state of teshuvah tataah, to arouse divine compassion, as noted above, and as the Talmud infers from the passage, “She was embittered.”",
+ "At the same time we must note the Baraita there, “Our Sages taught, ‘One should not stand up to pray except from a state of joy.’” In our bereaved generation, when not all are capable of turning their hearts instantly from the extreme of humility to joy, it is advised that the time for teshuvah tataah be designated at Tikkun Chatzot, as noted above. Whoever cannot do this nightly should maintain an absolute minimum of once every week, before Shabbat. It is known to the knowledgeable that Shabbat is on the order of teshuvah ilaah, and the very letters of the word Shabbat17 spell tashev, as in, “You return man.” On Shabbat all the worlds ascend to their source…. The Shabbat prayer particularly is on the order of teshuvah ilaah. This will suffice for the intelligent.",
+ "(We can now understand the verse, “Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Since “I have wiped away your sins like a cloud”—removing the sitra achara, and “I have redeemed you” from evil through the arousal of the Supreme Compassion following the initiative taken by man below in his teshuvah tataah, as explained above—therefore, “Return to Me”—with teshuvah ilaah.)"
+ ],
+ [
+ "This subject, harboring [contrary emotions] simultaneously in the heart, humility—the state of teshuvah tataah as explained, and gladness as well, has already been discussed in Likkutei Amarim, end of ch. 34. It has been illuminated by the Zohar, “Joy is lodged in one side of my heart….” Joined to this is the faith and confidence, the heart being firm and certain in G–d that He desires goodness, and is gracious and merciful and generously forgiving the instant one pleads for forgiveness and atonement of Him. (“According to Your great mercies wipe away my sins; cleanse me, purify me, wipe away all my sins….”) Not the faintest vestige of doubt dilutes this absolute conviction.",
+ "For this reason, in every Shemonah Esrei, the moment we plead, “Forgive us…” we conclude, “Blessed are You, L–rd, gracious One, who pardons abundantly.” Without the certainty of pardon this would be a case of doubtful blessing, which we do not recite lest it be a blessing in vain. But there is no doubt here whatsoever, for we have asked, “Pardon us, forgive us.” Furthermore, were we not to repeat our transgressions we would be immediately redeemed, in accordance with the blessing we recite, “Blessed are You, L–rd, Redeemer of Israel.”",
+ "Even by human standards this certainty of pardon is legitimate. One must forgive as soon as he is asked for pardon. He must not be cruel and vindictive, even when one mutilates another, as we find in Bava Kama, end of ch. 8. If one has asked his fellow for forgiveness three times and has been rebuffed, he need not apologize further.",
+ "When King David asked the Gibeonites to forgive King Saul who had killed Gibeonites, they refused to pardon him. David decreed that they shall not enter the Congregation of G–d, who are merciful…. See Yevamot, end of ch. 8.",
+ "As a divine trait, forgiveness is as swift, and infinitely more so.",
+ "The praise and blessing addressed to G–d, “gracious One, who pardons abundantly,” emphasizes the word marbeh, “abundantly,” implying multiplicity. In Ezra [too], we find that G–d “pardons abundantly.” It is characteristic of men that if one injures another and asks his pardon, which is granted, and then repeats the misdeed, it becomes more difficult to grant pardon again, and certainly a third and fourth time.",
+ "But by the standard of G–d, there is no difference between once and a thousand times. Pardon is a manifestation of the attribute of mercy. Divine attributes are not bounded and finite; they are infinite as in the verse, “For His mercies have not ended.” In terms of infinity, there is no difference whatsoever between a small number and a large one. Before Him all are considered as naught, and He makes equal the small and the great….",
+ "Therefore, “He removes our sins every year.” All the sins confessed in the Al Chet annually, though repeatedly violated, are again confessed on Yom Kippur in the coming year, and so on always. “Every year” is not necessarily a yearly pardon, for three times every day we pronounce, “Blessed are You, O G–d, gracious One, who pardons abundantly.”",
+ "Our Sages teach, “the prayers were introduced in place of the daily sacrificial offerings.” The daily morning offering was to atone for the sins of the previous night, and the regular evening sacrifice atoned for the sins of the past day, and so on day by day constantly. “Every year” means only that Yom Kippur atones for the grave sins, while the regular offerings, the olah, atoned only for violations of positive commands. In our time, prayer with repentance replaces offerings, as noted above.",
+ "But this is not an attitude of “I will sin and later repent.” That is relevant only if while committing the sin he could have overcome his impulse to evil, but depended in his heart on repenting later. Since the opportunity to repent caused him to sin, “He is not granted an opportunity….” And even then, he is not granted an opportunity. But if he pressed forcefully and overpowered his evil impulse and did repent, then his repentance is accepted.19",
+ "But we who plead daily, “Pardon us,” preface that prayer with “bring us back to You in wholehearted repentance,” that is, that we revert no more to folly. On Yom Kippur too we ask, “May it be Your will that I sin no more.” For us opportunity is granted, freely, as our Sages teach, “Whoever comes to purify himself is given assistance.” Whoever comes, as soon as he comes, and the pardon and forgiveness are also granted forthwith.",
+ "“My sin is before me always” does not imply that one ought constantly to be melancholy, humiliated, G–d forbid, for a following verse declares, “Let me hear gladness and joy…and the free spirit shall uphold me….” He ought all his days experience teshuvah ilaah, which is marked by great joy, as we noted above. “Before me” is the term negdi, as in “Stand mineged,” and “Mineged around the Tent of Assembly shall they camp.” Rashi defines the term as “at a distance.” The intention of our verse is merely that his heart does not become haughty, that he be of humble spirit before all men, for the remembrance is between his eyes that he has sinned before G–d.",
+ "In fact, as far as gladness is concerned, the remembrance will be especially effective in encouraging happiness in the face of whatever misfortunes threaten to overtake him, whether from Heaven or caused by man, whether in speech or in deed. (This constant awareness of one’s sins is good counsel to be immune to anger or any sort of resentment….) The Talmud declares, “Those humiliated who do not humiliate in turn, who hear their insult and do not retort, who perform out of love and are happy in affliction….” Whoever passes over his feelings, all his sins are passed over."
+ ],
+ [
+ "The reason for happiness in the afflictions of the body is that they are a great and potent favor for the sinning soul to cleanse it in This World and to redeem it from purification in the next. (This is particularly true in our generations, when it is not possible to fast—in accordance with the prescriptions in the penances of the Arizal—as imperative for the cleansing of the soul, to rescue it from cleansing in Gehinom.)",
+ "Nachmanides, in his Introduction to the Commentary on Job, writes that even the sufferings of Job for seventy years have absolutely no comparison to the suffering of a soul even briefly in Gehinom, for [physical] fire is one sixtieth…. It is only that the world is built by kindness, and through mild suffering in This World one is saved from severe judgments in the Coming World.",
+ "The movement of a shadow on earth of a few inches equals the sun’s movement in the heaven of thousands of miles…. Infinitely more so is this true in the parallel, in the descent of the worlds, from the most exalted heights until this physical world. We see this in the Zohar’s comments on the subject of the elevation of the higher worlds as a result of the initiative taken by man below. The Zohar describes the effects of the offering of one fowl, a dove or pigeon, or a handful of meal, on the altar. Such are the effects of all the mitzvot of performance, as known from the Arizal.",
+ "This too is our Sages’ comment on the verse, “Sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy”—man sanctifies himself only a little below, and he becomes sanctified in great measure from above…. (It was noted above in reference to “Who sanctified us with His commandments…” [that Israel’s sanctification through mitzvot is bound up with the Infinite, that] encompasses all worlds….)",
+ "Precisely so is it in reference to reward and punishment, as our Sages say, “The reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah…” as discussed elsewhere. This knowledge is elementary to the understanding, and those with intelligence in this matter will discover good."
+ ]
+ ],
+ "Part IV; Iggeret HaKodesh": [
+ [
+ "ONE. We begin with a benediction to bless and to give thanks to the L–rd, for He is good: my soul has heard and was revived by a good tiding—there is no Good but Torah, the Torah of the L–rd is whole—referring to the completion of the whole Talmud in most cities and congregations of the men of our chasidic brotherhood. Gratitude for the past, and a request for the future: may G–d grant and continue to strengthen their hearts among the mighty with the might of Torah in like manner from year to year and make known to mankind the might of the Oral Torah and its strong (עוז) power.",
+ "King Solomon, peace be to him, explained: “She girds her loins with strength (עוז)….” The “loins” are the faculty which supports the whole body, with the head that was put and stands over them; and they are the ones that take and bring (the body) to its desired destination.",
+ "And just as it is with the corporeality of the body, so it is with [the aspect of] the spiritual of the Divine soul. The true belief in the One G–d, the En Sof, blessed is He—[Who permeates all worlds and encompasses all worlds, and there is no place void of Him above to no end and below to no limit, and likewise in all four directions, truly in a state of infinitude, and likewise in the aspects of “year” and “soul,” as known.]",
+ "Now, this belief is referred to as the faculty of the “loins” which upholds and sustains the “head,” meaning the intellect that contemplates and cogitates on the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, in the aspects of “world,” “year,” “soul,” and on the magnitude of His kindness and His wonders with us, that we are “A people close to Him” and truly “To cleave to Him.” (Thus it is) known from the saying: “One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come,” for the World to Come is but a gleam and reflection of the [aspect called] Shechinah, “Who dwells…,” and was created by the single yud of His Name, blessed be He…. Repentance and good deeds, however, truly bring Israel close to their Father in Heaven, to His Being and Essence, as it were, [the aspect of infinitude, indeed], and as it is written: “His radiance is upon the earth and heavens. He raises the glory of His people…,” “Who has sanctified us (to Himself) with His commandments, and commanded us….”",
+ "And as waters (reflect) the face…, from this contemplation are born the intellectual or the natural awe and love, that there be a state of “Their heart cried to the L–rd,” or a state of “Flashes of fire, a mighty flame”—on a level of “advance” (ratzo), and, afterward, on a level of “retreat” (shov)—due to the fear of G–d in his heart and being abashed by His greatness…. This is the aspect of “the left hand parries,” as it is written of the Giving of the Torah: “The people saw and they trembled, and they stood from afar….” And these are the faculties of the arms and the body of the soul.",
+ "But what gives the power and strength to the faculty of the loins—to support and sustain the head and the arms? It is the occupation with, and the study of, the halachot in the Oral Torah—which is the [state of] manifestation of the Supernal Will. For though “the Torah derives from chochmah,” its source and [its] root surpasses exceedingly the rank of chochmah, and is [that which is] referred to as the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, as it is written: “As with a shield ratzon ta’etrenu (You encompass him with favor)”—as a crown which is over the brains that are in the head [and as known from what has been explained on the verse “A woman of valor is the crown of her husband”—and “whoever repeats halachot every day…”].",
+ "This is the meaning of “She girds her loins with strength”: there is no strength but Torah, for it gives power and strength to the faculty of the loins—which are girded and embodied in it to strengthen and fortify its “arms,” namely the intellectual or natural awe and love, each one according to his measure. (As regards supporting and sustaining the faculty of the “head” of the soul, i.e., the intellect that contemplates… [Solomon] said: “She perceives that her trade is good,” as explained elsewhere.)",
+ "However, the occasion and time for the strengthening and fortification of the “arms” and the “head” is the time of the morning prayer. For above that is the time of compassion and a time of Supreme favor. And, therefore, that I will seek after from those who seek the L–rd: let them both contemplate and ponder, and have as a reminder between their eyes, all that I wrote them last year in general, and especially with respect to the devotion of prayer from the depth of the heart. Day after day they should seek the L–rd with all their heart and with all their soul, to pour out their soul as water in the presence of the L–rd, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in Sifrei: “To the extent of pressing out the soul….”",
+ "And now once more I put forth my hand a second time to an additional explanation and twofold request, extended and laid out before all men of the chasidic brotherhood, those close and those afar, to take upon themselves (the following):",
+ "On all weekdays, businessmen, who do not have so much time, should not descend before the Ark. Only from those who have the time [either teachers, or such as are supported by their parents] who are able to prolong the morning prayer to at least about an hour and a half on all weekdays shall one descend before the Ark, according to lot or by consent of the majority. And he should gather about him all those who are supported by their parents, or teachers, who are able to prolong like himself. This (arrangement) is not to be changed, I beg and beseech you!",
+ "On Shabbat and the Festivals, however, all the businessmen, too, have the time and opportunity to prolong their prayers with the devotion of their heart and soul to the L–rd. Moreover, theirs is the duty to do so with exceeding uplifting and abundant strength, as stated in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, and as it is written in the Torah of Moses: “Six days you shall work…and the seventh day is a Shabbat to the L–rd your G–d,” stating expressly that (Shabbat) is wholly to the L–rd. On a Shabbat or Festival, therefore, they too can descend before the Ark, according to lot or by assent of the majority, as I wrote last year.",
+ "And it should be made known that, G–d willing, it is my intention to send spies secretly to all congregations, to find out and to inform about anyone who is able, and about anyone who has the time to prolong and meditate on prayer but is slothful. He shall be punished by estrangement, to be pushed away with both hands when he comes hither to hear the “words of the living G–d.” And from the negative you can infer the positive. But with those that shall obey it will be well, and the blessing of goodness shall come unto them—“there is no Good but Torah…”4"
+ ],
+ [
+ "Upon his arrival from Petersburg",
+ "TWO. “I have become small from all the favors and from all….” This means that by every favor (chesed) that G–d bestows upon man, (man) is to become very humble. For “chesed is the right arm,” and “His right arm embraces me”—which refers to the state of G–d actually bringing him close (to Himself), far more intensely than before. And whoever is close to G–d, with ever exceeding uplifting and elevation, must be ever more humble—to the lowliest plane, as it is written: “From afar the L–rd has appeared to me.” And as known, “All that are before Him are esteemed as nothing.” Hence, whoever is more “before Him” is that much more as nothing, naught, and nonexistent.",
+ "And this is the rank of the “right side” of holiness and of “chesed to Abraham” who said: “And I am dust and ashes.” This (humility) is also the trait of Jacob, and therewith he justified himself for his fear of Esau and did not rely on the promise given to him—“And, behold, I am with you….” (That is), because Jacob regarded himself as utterly insignificant [because of the multitude of favors, “for with my staff…”], and as unfit and unworthy to be saved…and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “maybe sin will cause…,” for it appeared to him that he had sinned.",
+ "It is different, though, with the corresponding opposite, i.e., Ishmael—“chesed of kelipah”: the more kindness (manifested to him), the more he grows in pride, haughtiness, and self-satisfaction.",
+ "Therefore I come with a general announcement to inform all our followers regarding the multitude of favors—“The great things that the L–rd has done with us”: to hold on to the attributes of Jacob, the “remnant of His people” and the “remainder of Israel,” who regards himself truly as remnants and excess that is of no use. They are not to become haughty-minded in relation to their brethren…not to speak defiantly against them or hiss at them, Heaven forfend. A strict warning: hold your peace! No mention is to be made! Rather, they are to subdue their spirit and heart before everyone according to the attribute of “Truth (emet) to Jacob,” with humility and a “Soft answer that turns away anger,” and with a restrained spirit…. And, maybe, through all that G–d will put into the heart of their brethren that “As waters (reflect) the face….”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "THREE. “And he garbed himself with tzedakah as a coat of mail, and a helmet of salvation upon his head.” (On this verse) our Sages, of blessed memory, commented: “Just as with chain mail each scale adds up to form a large mail, so it is with charity; each coin adds up to a great amount.” This means, just as the mail is made of scales over gaps, and these shield against any arrow entering through the gaps, so it is with the act of charity.",
+ "The meaning of this is (as follows). Charity is greater than all the commandments. (The performance of the commandments) produces “garments” for the soul. (These garments) are elicited from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, from the level of sovev kol almin (as the meaning of memalei kol almin and sovev kol almin has been explained in Likkutei Amarim, see there), by the “arousal from below,” i.e., the (performance of the) command of G–d and the will of Supreme One, blessed is He. The essence of this efflux from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, is a garment and encompassing light (or makif) for the ten sefirot of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah [which evolve from cause to cause and from rung to rung…] referred to as memalei kol almin.",
+ "This means that the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, vests itself and radiates within the whole evolution of the ten sefirot of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, and it emanates the ten sefirot of Atzilut, which evolve into Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, by means of an immense contraction (tzimtzum) [explained in Etz Chaim], and is referred to as the inner light (or pnimi).",
+ "Now, by the fulfillment of the commandments the abovementioned or makif is elicited and radiates within the ten sefirot of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, thereby uniting itself with the or pnimi. This is referred to as the unification of the Holy One, blessed is He, and His Shechinah, as explained elsewhere. And from a reflection of a reflection from the abovementioned or makif [by means of a great contraction], a garment is made in the Lower and Higher Garden of Eden for the nefesh-ruach-neshamah of man, enabling them to derive pleasure and attain some apprehension and illumination from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, as explained elsewhere.",
+ "And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “In this world, there is no reward for the commandments.” For in this world, which is physical and in a state of limitation and a great and most immense contraction, it is impossible that any reflection of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, should become invested, except by means of the ten sefirot, which, in the sacred Zohar, are referred to as the “body”: “Chesed is the right arm….”",
+ "For just as there is no comparison between the physical body and the soul, so is there no comparison whatsoever between the ten sefirot of Atzilut and the Supreme Emanator, the En Sof, blessed is He. For in relation to the En Sof, blessed is He, even the supreme chochmah, which is the first (of the sefirot), is on the plane of a material action, as explained in Likkutei Amarim.",
+ "Therefore, by the act of charity and the performance of kindness [the fruits of which man enjoys in this world] there appear, metaphorically speaking, gaps in the supernal garment that encompasses the Body—[the kelim (vessels) of the ten sefirot]—through which to irradiate and to diffuse light and abundance: from “chesed, the right arm”—longevity in this physical world; and from “the left arm”—wealth and honor; and likewise with beauty, grandeur and majesty, and gladness.",
+ "But to prevent the chitzonim from drawing, above, from the light and abundance which evolves and descends netherward to this physical world, and likewise, below, to shield man, and to guard him and to save him from all physical and spiritual harm, the or makif reflects the light, and, figuratively speaking, fills the breach, for it is of the category of Infinitude and sovev kol almin, as mentioned above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “adds up to a great amount,” for “Great is the L–rd and exceedingly glorified”—without end, limit, and restriction [Heaven Forfend].",
+ "But what causes the descent to this physical world of the light and abundance from the ten sefirot [which are referred to as the “body”]? It is the abovementioned union, for it is an additional radiation and effluence from the level of the light of the En Sof, the Supreme Emanator, blessed is He, in a measure exceeding the radiation and effluence at the beginning of the emanation and evolution…. And the additional radiation and effluence starts at the beginning of the ten sefirot.",
+ "That is the meaning of “And a helmet of salvation upon his head”: yeshu’ah is of the etymon of vayisha—“And the L–rd turned to Abel and his gift,” which refers to the descent of the light and abundance of the “three hundred and seventy lights” mentioned in the sacred Zohar, and as it is written: “May the L–rd make His Countenance shine upon you”; “May He make His Countenance shine upon us forever”—with us, that is, through the act of charity.",
+ "And this is the meaning of “He sows tzedakot (charities), causes yeshu’ot to sprout forth.” So may the L–rd make His Face radiate toward them, “their tzedakah will endure forever”; and may their glory be exalted by the yeshu’ah of “He who causes the power of yeshu’ah to flourish,” the sprout of tzedakah from the “helmet of yeshu’ah”—mentioned above, as is the wish (of he) who seeks it."
+ ],
+ [
+ "FOUR. Israel shall be redeemed only through tzedakah, as it is written: “Veshaveha—and her repatriates, through tzedakah.” It is written: “Tzedek lefanav yehalech.” Now, it should really say: yelech. But the idea is according to what is written: “My heart said for You, ‘Seek panay (My face),’” that is: “Seek the pnimiyut of the heart.” For in the heart [the element of the Divine fire that is in the heart] there are two aspects: the aspect of chitzoniyut, and the aspect of pnimiyut.",
+ "The chitzoniyut of the heart is the enthusiasm that flares up on account of the understanding (binah) and the knowledge (daat) of the greatness of the L–rd, the En Sof, blessed is He, by contemplating on His greatness, and from this contemplation giving birth to a strong love resembling “flashes of fire….”",
+ "The pnimiyut of the heart is the innermost point in the heart and depth of the heart which transcends the aspect of knowledge and contemplation that man can contemplate in his heart on the greatness of the L–rd; and as it is written: “From the depths I call to You, O L–rd,” i.e., from the depth of the heart. (It is, for example, so with worldly matters: sometimes there is an extremely important matter upon which the whole vitality of man hinges and touches him as far as, and including, the innermost point of the heart, and it causes him to perform acts and say things without any reason whatsoever.",
+ "And “the one corresponds to the other,” it is precisely so with the “service of the heart.” This is because the faculty of the innermost point of the heart transcends the faculty of reason (daat)—which extends and vests itself in the attributes born of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (chabad), as known. It is, rather, an aspect of the radiation from the supreme chochmah, which transcends binah and daat, and in which there is vested and concealed the actual light of G–d, as it is written: “The L–rd with chochmah….” And this precisely is the aspect of the spark of Divinity in every soul of Israel.)",
+ "The reason that not every person merits this rank [of the service of the heart from the depth of the heart in a state of pnimiyut] is because this aspect is with him in a state of exile and captivity. And this is actually the state of the exile of the Shechinah, for this precisely is the aspect of the spark of Divinity that is in his divine soul. The cause of the exile is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “They were exiled to Babylon, and the Shechinah went with them”; i.e., (man) has vested the aspect of the innermost point of his heart in the corresponding opposite, namely in the soiled garments of mundane matters and worldly desires, which are referred to as “Babylon,” and is the aspect of the prepuce that covers the covenant and the innermost point of the heart. Of this it was said: “And you shall excise the prepuce of your heart.”",
+ "Now, in circumcision there are two grades: milah and periah, which (apply respectively to) the coarse prepuce and the thin membrane. With respect to the prepuce of the heart there are likewise coarse and delicate desires. These require milah and periah, and “having circumcised and not having uncovered is tantamount to not having circumcised,” because, after all, the innermost point of the heart is still covered in a garment of thin sackcloth: in a state of exile and captivity.",
+ "Now, concerning the excision of the prepuce itself it is written: “And you shall excise the prepuce of your heart,” i.e., you, by yourselves. But the removal of the thin membrane is a difficult matter for man, and of this it was said that with the coming of the Messiah “the L–rd, your G–d, will circumcise your heart…to love the L–rd your G–d with all your heart and all your soul, for the sake of your life,” i.e., because the L–rd alone is literally your whole life. That is why this love stems from the depth of the heart, from the truly innermost point, as mentioned above, and transcends the faculty of daat.",
+ "Therefore, too, the Messiah will come when generally “unexpected by Israel,” which is the manifestation of the general innermost point, and the emergence of the general Shechinah from the exile and captivity forever more. Similarly, every individual spark of the Shechinah, inherent in the soul of every one of Israel, emerges for the moment from the exile and captivity during the “momentary life—meaning prayer,” and the service of the heart from the depth of the heart, (i.e.,) from the aspect of the innermost point [which becomes revealed from the prepuce and soars upward to cleave unto Him with a fierce passion, in a mode of “for the sake of your life”].",
+ "And this, too, is considered a state of hessech daat of man. For that rank transcends the daat of man and his contemplation on the greatness of the L–rd; it is, though, a sort of gift given by the L–rd from Heaven from the radiation of the [aspect of the] Supreme Countenance, as it is written: “May the L–rd make His Countenance shine upon you,” and as it is written: “And the L–rd, your G–d, will circumcise….”",
+ "But it is well known that an arousal from above comes only in response to an arousal from below, in the mode of an elevation of mayin nukvin, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “No drop (of rain) descends from above….” It is, therefore, necessary that man perform first the milah by himself, to remove the prepuce of the heart and the coarse and thin husks which clothe and cover the innermost point of the heart [i.e., the aspect of the love of the L–rd in a mode of “for the sake of your life,” which is in exile among the desires of this world, which are also in a mode of “for the sake of your life” by way of “the one corresponding to the other,” as mentioned above].",
+ "And this is done by the giving of charity to G–d from his money which is his vitality, especially with him whose substance is limited and who is very hard-pressed at the time, for he gives of his very life; and more specifically, when he earns by the toil of his hands. For it is not possible that one does not work oftentimes in a mode of “the innermost point of the heart,” i.e., from the depth of the heart, as is the way of the world in their occupations with business and the like.",
+ "Thus, now, at the time that he disburses the fruits of his toil and gives unto the L–rd with joy and gladness, he, thereby, redeems his soul from the pit. That is, (he redeems) the innermost point of his heart which was in a state of exile and captivity within the coarse or thin husk (kelipah), as it is written: “Guard your heart from every mishmar”—the meaning of mishmar being a prison. Thus, now, through this charity, it was redeemed from the chitzonim. This is also periah, a notion of “removing a debt,” for he had become indebted and subjected to the chitzonim that ruled in him over the innermost point of his heart. And this is the meaning of “and her captives (shaveha), through tzedakah.”",
+ "And this is the meaning of Tzedek shall go (yehalech) before Him (lefanav): Lefanav is of the etymon of pnimiyut, and yehalech has a connotation of holacha (leading). For it leads the innermost (point) of the heart to G–d, and then “it sets his steps toward the way of G–d,” as it is written: “And you shall walk in His ways”; “You shall go after the L–rd your G–d,”—with every performance of the commandments, and the study of Torah, which is equivalent to them all. For they all ascend to G–d through the inwardness of the heart with greater uplifting, and exceedingly surpassing, their ascent to G–d through the externality of the heart [which is born of contemplation and knowledge alone, without an “illumination of the face” from above, but in a state of “concealment of the face”]. For the Supernal panim does not radiate downward except through an arousal from below, through the act of charity, which is called “peace.” And this is the meaning of what is written: “He has redeemed my soul in peace,” stating expressly “my soul.”",
+ "This is also the reason why charity is called “peace” (shalom), because according to the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, peace is made between Israel and their Father in Heaven through the redemption of their souls [which are truly a part of G–d] from the hands of the chitzonim. This is especially the case with charity for the Land of Israel, for it is truly the charity of the L–rd,68 as it is written: “The eyes of the L–rd your G–d are constantly upon it”; “And My eyes and My heart will be there at all times.”",
+ "And it has stood by us to redeem the life of our soul from the counsel of those who intend to repel our steps, and it will stand by us forever to establish our soul in the true life of the Fountainhead of life, to be enlightened with the light of life which the L–rd “will make His Countenance shine upon us forever,” amen—may this be (His) will."
+ ],
+ [
+ "FIVE. “And David made a name.” In the sacred Zohar this is interpreted in relation to the verse “And David performed justice and tzedakah with all his people…”: “Rabbi Shimon wept and said: Who makes the Holy Name, every day? He who gives charity to the poor….”",
+ "This will be understood by first explaining the comment of our Sages, of blessed memory, on the verse “For by Yud-Hey, the L–rd is the tzur of the worlds”: “This world was created by the hey, the World to Come was created by the yud.” This means that the delight which the souls of the righteous derive and enjoy from the splendor of the Shechinah, which radiates in the upper and lower Gardens of Eden, consists of their delighting in their apprehension and conception, for they conceive, know, and attain some apprehension of the light and vitality which effuses there—in a state of manifestation—from the En Sof, blessed is He, to their soul and their spirit of understanding, so that each and every one can understand and attain some perception according to his level and his deeds. That is why in the sacred Zohar the World to Come (olam haba) is referred to as binah (understanding).",
+ "And this flow issues from the plane of the Supreme chochmah, which is the source of the conception and apprehension referred to as binah. For chochmah is the primordium of the intellect, antecedent to apprehension and understanding becoming manifest, rather, still in a state of hiding and concealment, except for some trifle here and there flowing forth and issuing from it to the faculty of binah, making it possible to understand and to apprehend the hidden intellect. In the sacred Zohar, chochmah is, therefore, referred to as “the dot in the palace”; and this is the form of the yud of the Name of Havaya, blessed is He, and is called Eden—of which it is said: “No eye has seen it….” And it is referred to as “The father (abba) who founded the daughter (barta).”",
+ "This means: The formation of the letters of speech which issue from the five organs of articulation is not an intellectual capacity. It is also not inherent in the nature of these organs to pronounce the letters—[by means of the breath and the sound that strikes them]—by either a natural faculty or by an intellectual faculty. With the lips, for example, through which are uttered the letters bet-vav-mem-pey, neither nature nor the intellect compels the utterance of the four varying types of pronunciation of these letters in accordance with the variations in the movement of the lips—which are moved by the same breath and the same sound that strikes them equally. On the contrary: the change in the movements of the lips depends on the difference in pronunciation of the letters the soul wishes to utter by means of the lips—when it is (the soul’s) will to speak the letters bet-vav-mem-pey.24 It is not the other way around, that it is the will and intention of the soul to make a change in the motions of the lips—as they are moving now in the utterances of these four letters, as is empirically evident that the soul does not intend or know to intend at all the change in the motions of the lips, of those changes.",
+ "This is even more evident with the utterance of the vowels. For when it is the wish of the soul to articulate the kamatz vowel, then, of themselves, the lips become compressed; and with the patach vowel—the lips are opened. Thus, it is definitely not because of the will of the soul to compress or to open, and there is no need to go any further into this matter which is simple, comprehensible, and intelligible to every intelligent person, namely, that the pronunciation of the letters and vowels transcends the apprehended and comprehended intellect, and is, rather, from the hidden intellect and the primordium of the intellect, which is in the articulate soul. That is why an infant cannot speak, even though it understands everything.",
+ "However, the letters are on planes of “matter” and “form,” referred to as “internal” and “external.” Their source in the primordium of the intellect, and the will of the soul is but the “form” of the change in pronunciation which there is among the twenty-two letters. The aspect of the “matter” and “body” of their formation, however, i.e., the aspect of their “externality,” is the breath issuing from the heart. For from this breath is formed the simple sound that issues from the throat and is subsequently divided into the twenty-two enunciations, and the expression of the twenty-two letters through the five known organs [alef-chet-hey-ayin through the throat; gimmel-yud-kaf-kuf through the palate, etc.], while the breath (itself) is uttered by the letter hey—”the light letter…,” which is the source of the “matter” and “body” of the letters prior to their division into twenty-two. And that is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said that “This world was created by the hey.”",
+ "Now, though this is the “lower hey” [the latter hey of the Name of Havaya], while our Sages, of blessed memory, related this to the verse “For by Yud-Hey,” this is because its source, and the beginning of its egression into a state of manifestation from the concealment of the yud, is influenced and issued forth from the rank of the “upper hey.” This hey has dimensions of “length” and “width” to indicate the faculty of binah, which is the expansion of the “concealed intellect” into a state of manifestation and apprehension, with an extension of daat, and its diffusion culminates in the heart, as mentioned in the Tikkunim that “binah—that is the heart, and therewith the heart understands.” And from there issues the breath, the original manifestation of the “body” of the letters of speech which become revealed from the concealment of the yud through the five organs.",
+ "The form of the “lower hey,” which, in its written form, also has dimensions of length and width, indicates the extension of the aspect of His Sovereignty, blessed be He, “The sovereignty of all worlds”—above and below, and in the four directions, which extend and issue from the letters or the “word of the L–rd,” as it is written in Ecclesiastes: “Wherever the king’s word is regnant,” as explained elsewhere.",
+ "[As for understanding somewhat the concept and nature of “letters of speech” in relation to Divinity, inasmuch as He has no form of a body, nor of soul, Heaven forfend, this was already explained in a more or less elaborate way ( in Likkutei Amarim, Part II, chs. 11 and 12, see there)].",
+ "As for an exposition of the idea why our Sages, of blessed memory, said that this world was created by the hey: it is known to all the wise of heart that the multitude of the worlds and hechalot [which are innumerable, as it is written: “Is there then a number to His hosts?” and in every hechal and host there are a thousand thousands and myriad myriads of angels, and also nefesh-ruach-neshamah-chaya-yechidah, rungs to no end, and (likewise) in every world; and (moreover) hechalot from the multitude of the hechalot that are in Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah].",
+ "Now, all these multitudes, one multitude after another ad infinitum, all this issues and effuses from the multitude of combinations of the twenty-two letters of the “word of the L–rd,” which, in turn, divide into many (more) combinations, truly ad infinitum, as stated in Sefer Yetzirah: “Seven stones build five thousand and forty houses; from here onward go and count what the mouth is not able to express….”",
+ "Though there are among the rungs and levels of the angels and souls so many different kinds of levels and rungs ad infinitum, one surpassing the other, all issues according to the permutations in combinations, and the substitutions of alef-tav, bet-shin, and so on (as mentioned in ch. 12). But in a general way they all possess wisdom and knowledge, and they know their Creator, because their vivification stems from the “inwardness” of the letters which issue from the rank of the Supreme chochmah, as mentioned above.",
+ "This lowly world, however, with its vivification, is too small to contain and endure the light and vivification from the aspect of the “form” of the letters and their “inwardness”—radiating and diffusing in it without any garment and concealment as they shine and effuse to the souls and angels. Rather, the radiation and diffusion comes and effuses to this world from the level of the “matter” and “body” of the letters and of their “externality” [which is the aspect of the breath which divides into the seven “breaths” of Ecclesiastes on which the world stands, as mentioned in the sacred Zohar].",
+ "And this is the “Utterance from the mouth of the L–rd” which vests itself in this world and all its hosts to animate them; but in it is vested the aspect of the “form” of the letters of speech and thought, (emanating) from His holy attributes, and His will and wisdom…, which are totally united in the En Sof, blessed is He. (And this is what the Arizal stated that the aspect of the chitzoniyut of the vessels of malchut of Atzilut—[alluded to by the hey of the Name of Havaya, blessed is He]—descended and became the soul for the world of Asiyah). And thus it is stated in the Tikkunim, that the yud is in Atzilut…and the lower hey nests in Asiyah.",
+ "Now, with terrestrial man, for example, when one who is so great a sage as to comprehend the wonders of wisdom contracts his intellect and thought to a single letter of his speech, this is an immense contraction (tzimtzum) and a great descent for his wondrous wisdom. Metaphorically speaking, precisely so, and infinitely more so, there was an immensely great and mighty contraction (tzimtzum) when during the six days of creation “The heavens were made by the word of the L–rd, and all their hosts by the breath of His mouth”—i.e., by the letter hey of the Name of Havaya, blessed is He, [the “light letter”] as it is written: ���בהבראם,” (which means): בה’ בראם (“when He created them,” He created them, by the hey). It is the source of the nine fiats which issued from the first fiat: Bereishit—which is also a fiat (and identical with) the aspect of chochmah, which is called reishit.",
+ "But at that time this efflux and descent was without any arousal from below whatsoever—“For there was no man to work…”—but solely “Because He delights in chesed,” and “The world was built by chesed.” And this is the meaning of באברהם בהבראם (when He created them—because of Abraham), for “chesed is to Abraham.”",
+ "But after the creation of “Man to work on it…,” every arousal from above, to arouse the attribute of the Supreme chesed, depends on an arousal from below, i.e., the charity and kindness which Israelites perform in this world. That is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Whoever says that he has nothing but Torah—thus no deeds of kindness—he has not even Torah”; rather, one is to busy himself with Torah and the performance of kindness.",
+ "For though the “Torah derives from chochmah,” and the world subsists by virtue of the Torah and those who discourse in it, because by their speech they elicit illuminations and effusions from the Supreme chochmah [the source of Torah] to the plane of the letters of speech [wherewith the world was created, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Do not read בניך (your children) but בוניך (your builders)”], this efflux, however, is really of the category of a great descent. Therefore it is necessary to arouse the Supreme chesed which, like water, is drawn from a high place to a low place by means of an arousal from below: through charity and the nether chesed, diffusing life and kindness “To revive the spirit of the humble and downcast.”",
+ "And this is the meaning of the verse: “Let not the wise glorify himself in his chochmah…, but in this let him glory…for I am the L–rd who does chesed….” For it is chesed that causes the vitality of chochmah to issue downward, and without that it is called “His chochmah” only—without any efflux of life from it, Heaven forfend.",
+ "Hereby will be understood the statement of the Arizal that there are two kinds of souls among Israel: the souls of Torah scholars—who occupy themselves with Torah all their lives, and the souls of those who perform the commandments—who occupy themselves with charity and the performance of kindness. Now it would seem that scholars, too, need to occupy themselves with the performance of kindness, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said that (otherwise) “He has not even Torah.”",
+ "However, as regards scholars of Torah whose study of the Torah is their principal (occupation) [and most of their time is spent in it, and but a small part of their time with the performance of kindness], the effect of their arousal from below, to arouse the Supreme chesed to call forth and bring downward the Light of the En Sof vested in the Supreme chochmah [the source of G–d’s Torah which is in their mouths], extends only to the realm of the souls that are in Beriah [through their occupation with Gemara], and to the angels that are in Yetzirah [through their occupation with Mishnah]. For the vivifications of the souls and angels effuse from the combinations of the letters of speech, i.e., the Oral Torah. But the origin of the letters is in the Supreme chochmah, as mentioned above.",
+ "Thus in order to call forth and bring downward an illumination and vivification from the level of the Supreme Breath [the “lower hey”] to this lowly world, which implies an extremely great contraction (tzimtzum), the arousal from below by the scholars of Torah [who for but a small part of their time occupy themselves with charity and the performance of kindness] is not sufficient. (This is effected) only through the arousal by those who perform the commandments, i.e., they who are occupied with charity and the performance of kindness for the major part of their life (and as explained in Likkutei Amarim, Part I, ch. 34). That is why they are called the “supporters of Torah.” They are the categories and levels of netzach and hod, because they cause the light of Torah to issue downward to the world of Asiyah.",
+ "Now it is clear why charity is referred to as an “act,” as it is written: “And the act of tzedakah will be peace.” For the effect (of charity) is to elicit the light of G–d to the world of Asiyah. And that is the meaning of the subtle phraseology of the sacred Zohar—“He who makes the Holy Name,” expressly saying “who makes.” For by an arousal from below [through charity and the nether chesed], one arouses the Supreme chesed to elicit the Light of the En Sof from the rank of the Supreme chochmah [the yud of the Name] to the hey of the Name [the aspect of “speech” and “breath” of His mouth, blessed be He]—to diffuse to the world of Asiyah.",
+ "And, analogously speaking, though not to be compared in the least, just as a human being speaks only to others (and not when he is alone), and then [when speaking to them] he contracts his intellect and thought. And the intelligent will understand."
+ ],
+ [
+ "SIX. “But he who sows tzedakah has a reward of truth.” (Proverbs 11) This means that the attribute of truth is the reward for the sowing of tzedakah.",
+ "It is also written: “You give truth to Jacob”—and the prophet engages in extolling the Holy One, blessed is He, as mentioned in the sacred Zohar. This means that it is the Holy One, blessed is He, who gives the attribute of truth to Jacob.",
+ "Now this needs to be understood. Is there then no truth in Jacob, Heaven forfend, until the Holy One, blessed is He, gives it to him from above? ",
+ "However, it is well known that the attribute of Jacob is the attribute of rachamim (compassion). And the service of G–d in a mode of compassion derives from arousing in the heart of man a great compassion for the Divine spark in his soul, which is removed from the light of G–d’s Countenance when (man) goes about in the darkness of the vanities of the world. And this arousal of compassion itself derives from the contemplation on, and cognition of, the greatness of G–d: how even the most infinitely sublime worlds are esteemed as truly naught before Him. For all their bounty and vitality is but from a gleam and reflection of a single letter of His Name, blessed be He, as it is stated: “The World to Come was created by the yud….”",
+ "Now, it is in this radiation and reflection [which is an extension of vivification from His Name, blessed be He, to animate the upper and lower beings]—that there is a distinction and difference with respect to upper and lower beings. For “This world was created by the hey….” Also, all the differences in the details in every world are according to the differences in the combinations of the letters. The differences in the temporal dimensions of past, present, and future, and the differences in all the events throughout the differing times, all of these, too, came about from the variations in the combinations of the letters. For (the letters) are the conduits of the vivification from His attributes, blessed be His Name (as explained in Likkutei Amarim, Part II, ch. 11).",
+ "But as for His Being and Essence, blessed be He, it is written: “I, the L–rd, I have not changed,” neither in terms of changes of the development from the uppermost of levels to the nethermost [for just as He, blessed be He, is found in the upper worlds, so He is in precisely that measure in the nether worlds (and as explained in Likkutei Amarim, Part I, ch. 51)], nor in terms of temporal changes [for just as He was alone, one and unique, before the six days of creation, so He is now after the creation]. This is so because everything is absolutely as nothing and naught in relation to His being and essence, just as, metaphorically speaking [to appease the ear, while in fact “There is no comparison to You,” it is written], a single letter of the speech, or even of the thought of man, is in relation to the general being and essence of the rational soul; and as explained elsewhere (in Likkutei Amarim, Part II, ch. 9), see there.",
+ "That is why we say “The King Who is exalted, alone from aforetime.” This means, just as aforetime, before the creation, He was alone, so now, too, “He is exalted…and elevated beyond the days of the world”; that is, He is exalted and elevated, transcending the dimension of time—which is referred to as “the days of the world.” This is so because the life-force of all the days derives solely from the aspect of “the King…,” as explained elsewhere.",
+ "It follows then that the compassion for the spark that dwells in the dark and gloomy body—the “hide of the snake,” is overwhelming. For it is liable to contract impurity and to become defiled by all the lusts, the Merciful save us, were it not for G–d being a shield to it, and giving it strength and might to wage war with, and triumph over the body and its passions. And this is the meaning of “L–rd of our strength…shield of our salvation….”",
+ "Now it is well known that there are two types of awe and love (respectively). The first ones are born from the contemplation on, and cognition of, the greatness of G–d and those matters that lead to a love of G–d and the fear of Him. The latter ones are those that come afterward, from above, as a gift, [as explained elsewhere in comment on the verse “I will make your priesthood a rewarding service”—that it refers to the attribute of (the supreme) love; and it is likewise in regard to awe].",
+ "Now there is surely no comparison between the first ones—which are the products of the created intellect, and the latter ones—which are from the Creator, blessed be His Name. That is why these (the latter) are referred to as “truth,” for the seal of the Holy One, blessed is He, is truth, for He is the true Truth, and all the truth among the creatures is esteemed as nothing before Him.",
+ "But which is the way whereby man merits the “truth of G–d”? It is by arousing, before G–d, great compassion for the spark in his soul. And this is the attribute of Jacob—who “bolts from one end to the other end,” that is, from the uppermost of all levels to the nethermost, to cause the “truth of G–d” to issue to this lowly dark world, and as it is written: “When I sit in darkness, the L–rd is a light for me.” And this is the meaning of “For His chesed has prevailed over us….”",
+ "However, the arousal of great compassion before G–d also needs to be in truth. But even when it is true in mortal terms, how can one arouse [through (relative) truth] the supernal compassion from the truth of G–d?",
+ "The advice for this is the trait of charity—which is the attribute of compassion for one who has nothing of his own, to “Revive the spirit of the humble….” And the arousal from below elicits an arousal from above: the L–rd arouses the sleeping and awakens the unconscious, that is, the concealed, great compassion and Supernal graces, to emerge from concealment into manifestation and a great illumination, to radiate with the light of life—“the truth of G–d into the world.”",
+ "And this is the meaning of the idiom of “sowing” related to charity: to make sprout the Supreme truth of G–d, especially through the charity and the true kindness performed with the Holy Land [may it be built and established speedily in our days, amen] to realize the verse: “Truth shall sprout forth from the land”—from the sowing of charity in it. And the kindness and great compassion that are gathered and gleaned into it, they arouse—correspondingly—the Supreme graces that are hidden and concealed,46 as it is written: “Which You have hidden…,” to establish it and to set it up firmly. Of this it is written: “Through tzedakah shall you be established.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "SEVEN. “Fortunate are we, how good is our portion, how pleasant our lot….” “The L–rd is my allotted portion and my share…. Portions have fallen to me….”",
+ "To understand the phraseology “our portion” and “our lot,” it is necessary to explain properly a common expression in the sayings of our Sages, of blessed memory, viz.: “He has no part in the G–d of Israel.” It would seem that a term like “part” cannot possibly be applied to Divinity, blessed be He, because He is not divisible into parts, Heaven forfend.",
+ "However, the idea is, as it is written about Jacob: “And he called Him E-l, G–d of Israel.” The meaning of this is as follows. In truth, G–d, as His Name is, so is He. Though He permeates all the upper and lower worlds, from the peak of all levels to this lowly physical world [as it is written: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth,” I Myself, indeed, meaning, His Being and His Essence, as it were, and not only His glory], even so, He is kadosh (holy) and distinct from the upper and nether worlds, and is not at all contained in them, Heaven forfend, in the way, for example, that the soul of man is contained in the body, as explained elsewhere at length.",
+ "And for this reason they could not receive their vivification from His Being and Essence in itself, as it were. Rather, the extension of the vivification wherewith the Holy One, blessed is He, animates the upper and nether worlds, is, metaphorically speaking, as a radiation shining from His Name, blessed be He, for He and His Name are One, and as it is written: “For His Name alone is exalted, [only His reflection and] His splendor are on the earth and the heavens….”",
+ "This radiation actually vests itself in the upper and lower worlds in order to animate them. It is contained in them by means of many intermediaries and numerous, immense contractions, in a development of levels by way of cause and effect….",
+ "Now, this radiation [though above it radiates and extends itself in unlimited and infinite fashion to animate innumerable, concealed worlds, as mentioned in the Idra Rabbah, nevertheless] as it descends netherward, by way of numerous contractions, to animate those that were created, formed and made, it is generally divided into 613 in number. These 613 gradations correspond to the 613 commandments of the Torah, which are the 613 kinds of conduits of this radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, to illumine man’s soul [which is made up of 248 “organs” and 365 “sinews”]. For the principal aim of the descent and efflux of this radiation, netherward, to all those created, formed, and made, is for (the soul’s) sake; for the purpose of them all is man, as known.",
+ "Now this number is in a general way. More specifically, every single commandment subdivides into infinite details, which are the essentials of the detailed rulings of every commandment [which are without number, as it is written: “Sixty are the queens”—these are the sixty tractates…, “and maidens without number”—these are the rulings…]. For they are the efflux from the Supernal Will….",
+ "It is precisely so with man’s soul. For all the souls in the world were contained in Adam. In a general way his soul was divisible into the number 613: 248 “organs” and 365 “sinews”; but in a more specific way his soul was divisible into innumerable sparks—which are the souls of all of Israel from the days of the Patriarchs and the tribes, to and including the coming of the Messiah, when Scripture will be fulfilled: “And the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea that cannot be measured nor counted”—“Because of the great quantity.”",
+ "Now “The beauty of Jacob is a reflection of the beauty of Adam,” for he rectified the sin of Adam. His soul, too, was composed of all the souls of Israel, in all times. And he was a vehicle for the Torah as it is above, which is referred to as Adam, as it is written: “And on the likeness of the throne there was a likeness as the appearance of Adam…”; also, it is written: “And zot was within, in Israel”—and “Zot refers only to the Torah….” For the Torah was contained and vested in the soul of Israel the Patriarch—which compounded all the souls.",
+ "And this is the meaning of “And he called Him E-l, G–d of Israel”: E-l denotes the elicitation of the radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, from concealment to manifestation, to radiate manifestly in his soul, and as it is written: “E-l is the L–rd, and He gives us light.” And after Jacob, the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, shines openly in all the upright of heart who occupy themselves with the Torah and the commandments.",
+ "Now, this manifestation in their mind and heart with an exceeding uplifting and abundant strength occurs at the time of prayer, as explained elsewhere.",
+ "Though this manifestation through the occupation with Torah and the commandments is, generally, equal in every one of Israel [for we all have one Torah and one law], nevertheless, in a more specific way not all the souls (nefesh) or spirits (ruach) and souls (neshamah) are equal in this regard, depending on the occurrence and time of their reincarnation and their coming into this world; and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “With what was your father more heedful? He answered him—with the tzitzit….”",
+ "Likewise, not all the generations are the same. For just as with the organs of man, every organ has its own special and particular function [the eye to see and the ear to hear], so, too, through every commandment there radiates a special and particular light from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "And though every soul of Israel needs to be reincarnated in order to fulfill all the 613 commandments, even so, this special care with a particular mitzvah is necessary only for the sake of an increase, and prudence, and additional zeal—with exceeding uplifting and strength, doubly and manifold, surpassing the zeal for the other commandments. And that is what he meant when he said “With what was he more careful?”",
+ "Now, the advantage of this individual light to the individual souls is not in the category of apprehensible reason and knowledge, but transcends the faculty of knowledge. For thus it rose in the Mind before Him, blessed be He. And its model below is truly the notion of the “lot.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "EIGHT. “He sows tzedakot and causes yeshu’ot to sprout.” The usage of an idiom of “sowing” in relation to the commandment of charity [and as it is written in the verse “Sow then for yourselves for tzedakah…”] will be understood by what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Rabbi Eliezer gave a coin to a poor person and then prayed, as it is written: Through tzedek I will see Your face.” This means that the manifestation of His G–dliness, blessed be He, which becomes revealed in the thought of man and in his devotion during prayer, each according to his own measure, is a means of “charity” and the “chesed of the L–rd eternally upon those who fear Him….”",
+ "This means, the light of the L–rd, the En Sof, blessed is He, which radiates with a great illumination above in the upper worlds [which are the hechalot with the angels and souls in them, explained in the sacred Zohar by their names according to their places in the order of prayer arranged for us by the Men of the Great Assembly] is in a state of so great and immense a manifestation that these (supernal creatures) are truly in a state of self-nullification and esteemed as truly naught before Him, absorbed in His light, blessed be He. Now, this light, which is good, radiates from there to this lowly world, upon those that fear the L–rd and esteem His Name, who desire to worship Him by the “service of the heart—meaning prayer,” and as it is written: “And the L–rd will enlighten my darkness.”",
+ "Now, the descent of this illumination downward to this world is called the “chesed of the L–rd”—referred to as water, which descends from a high place to a low place….",
+ "Now it is well known that above there is also an attribute of gevurah, and tzimtzum, to contract and conceal His light, blessed be He, to prevent it from becoming revealed to the lower worlds. However, everything depends on the arousal from below. For if man conducts himself with kindness by bestowing life and chesed, and so on, he arouses the same above, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “With the degree that man measures, it shall be measured to him.”",
+ "Though it would appear that this is not of the (same) measure: (man deserves) only that the life of the World to Come be granted to him, corresponding to his bestowal of life in this world; but not that the life from the illumination of the actual light of G–d be diffused to him to illumine and enlighten his darkness in “the service of the heart—which is prayer.” For the latter is a grade and level of “higher repentance” (teshuvah ilaah), as is well known, inasmuch as it surpasses exceedingly all the life of the World to Come , as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Better one hour of repentance and good deeds…,” as explained elsewhere at length that the World to Come is but a gleam and reflection….",
+ "However, metaphorically speaking, the idea is like sowing seeds or planting kernels: the ear that sprouts from the seed, and the tree with its fruits from the kernel, their nature and essence are not that of the seed and kernel at all. For their nature and essence has been spent and is decayed in the soil. It is the vegetative property in the soil itself which brings out and makes grow the ear, the tree, and its fruit; it is merely that it does not bring out and manifest its power outwardly, from potential to actuality, except through the seed and the kernel that are decayed in the soil and whose whole power has been consumed by the vegetative property in the soil—and they united and became one. And that is how the vegetative property actualizes its potential and effuses vitality to make grow an ear of the kind of the seed, though with a very great increase in every single ear, and likewise, many fruits on every single tree. Moreover, the very nature and essence of the fruits, too, excels in a great and immense magnitude over the nature and essence of the planted kernel. And it is likewise with the produce of the earth which grows from seeds just like kernels, as cucumber, and the like.",
+ "All this is so because the stem and root of the vitality of the fruits effuses from the vegetative property in the soil—which includes the vitality of all fruits—while the kernels that are sown in the ground are but like the arousal from below, which in the writings of the Arizal is referred to as the “elevation of the mayin nukvin.”",
+ "Now, metaphorically speaking, precisely like this, every act of charity that Jewish people perform ascends in the sense of an “elevation of the mayin nukvin,” upward—to the root of their souls above, which, in the phraseology of the Zohar, is referred to as Knesset Yisrael and imma tataah, and in the phraseology of the Talmud—as Shechinah. The Shechinah compounds and is totally united with all the attributes of the Holy One, blessed is He, the first of which is the attribute of chesed. Now, through this elevation, the actual “chesed of the L–rd” is aroused, i.e., a revelation of His light, blessed be He, to descend and radiate in a great and immense state of manifestation to the souls of Israel below, at least during the time of prayer. For though “His greatness is unfathomable”—to the extent that “all are esteemed as naught before Him,” even so, “where you find His greatness, there you find His humility,” as “waters, which descend….”",
+ "And this is the meaning of the verse: “He shines in the darkness as a light to the upright, He who is gracious, and merciful, and tzaddik.” For man, by being gracious and merciful and “tzaddik—fond of tzedakot,” causes the light of G–d to shine to his soul which is vested in his body—which stands in darkness, being the “hide of the snake.” And this, when darkness is converted to light, is referred to as salvation (yeshu’ah).",
+ "And this is the meaning of “He causes yeshu’ot to sprout.” For this salvation sprouts from [the sowing of] the charity sown in the “upper land,” “the land of delight”—which is the Shechinah, and Knesset Yisrael, so called because it vests itself in the lower worlds to animate them, as it is written: “Your sovereignty is the sovereignty of all worlds.” And this applies most particularly when one sows in the nether Holy Land, which truly corresponds to it. For then the seed is immediately absorbed in the upper land without any obstacle and hindrance whatsoever, because there is nothing whatsoever that divides and interrupts between the lands of life, for it is the gate of Heaven. It is not so, however, outside the Holy Land, and suffice this for the initiated.",
+ "And this applies most particularly when one sows in the nether Holy Land, which truly corresponds to it. For then the seed is immediately absorbed in the upper land without any obstacle and hindrance whatsoever, because there is nothing whatsoever that divides and interrupts between the lands of life, for it is the gate of Heaven. It is not so, however, outside the Holy Land, and suffice this for the initiated."
+ ],
+ [
+ "NINE. My beloved, brethren and friends—who are to me as my soul: I come as one who reminds and awakens those who sleep the slumber of the vanities of vanities, and to open the eyes of the blind. Let them consider and see that throughout their life all their striving, longing, and aiming for all in which there is the “life of their spirit” be in “the source of the living waters” [the Fountainhead of all life], with respect to the soul, as well as to the flesh [i.e., all mundane matters and occupations for livelihood]. Be not like those that do everything for their own sake! Let not the House of Israel be like all the nations that feed, provide, and esteem their wives and children out of love. For it is written: “Who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation on earth”; this means that even in mundane matters they will not, Heaven forfend, separate from the True One, to bear false witness, Heaven forfend, by reciting the Shema every evening and morning with closed eyes: “the L–rd is One”—in the four directions, and in the Heavens above and on earth below, while, as the eyes of the blind are opened, “You cause your eyes to close upon Him, and He is no more,” Heaven forfend.",
+ "Only this shall be befitting us when all our engagements with mundane affairs are not for their own sake but in order to vivify the souls, the portions of G–d, and to supply what they lack out of gratuitous kindness. For thereby we give the form a semblance to its Former—“the L–rd is One,” for the chesed of G–d endures at all time—a true chesed —to animate the universe and all that fills it, every single moment. It is just that according to the Torah a man’s wife and children take precedence over all others, except for the saints of that generation—who take precedence over one’s children and the saints of the Land of Israel take precedence over the saints in the Diaspora, [aside of the fact that they did not leave anyone in the Diaspora comparable to themselves], and suffice this for the initiated.",
+ "Therefore, my beloved, my brethren: set your hearts to these words expressed in great brevity (and, please G–d, personally I will speak to them at length)—how in these times, with the advent of the Messiah, the principal service of G–d is the service of charity, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Israel will be redeemed only through charity.” Our Sages, of blessed memory, did not say that the study of Torah is equivalent to the performance of lovingkindness except in their own days. For with them the principal service was the study of Torah and, therefore, there were great scholars: Tannaim and Amoraim. However, with the advent of the Messiah, as “the Hut of David has fallen” to a level of “feet” and “heels”—which is the level of “Action”—there is no way of truly cleaving to it and to convert the darkness into its light, except through a corresponding category of action, namely the act of charity. For, as known to the intelligent, the plane of action with reference to Divinity is the notion of a diffusion and efflux of vitality to the nethermost—to him who has nothing of his own. And whoever sacrifices his impulse in this respect and opens his hand and heart subdues the sitra achara and “converts the darkness into the light” of G–d, blessed be He, Who, with the advent of the Messiah, dwells over us in a state of action; and he will merit to “behold eye to eye, the L–rd returning to Zion …”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "TEN. After greetings of peace and life, “may the opening of my words rouse” the ear that hears the admonition of life which the L–rd of life admonished through His Prophets and said: “The graces of the L–rd are surely not concluded (תמנו)….” Now, it should really have said תמו, as it is written elsewhere: “For your graces are not concluded (תמו)….” But this will be understood when considering the statement in the sacred Zohar: “There are various types of chesed: there is chesed olam…, and there is chesed ilaah—i.e., rav chesed….”",
+ "Now, it is well known that the Torah is called oz (strength), which is an expression of gevurah (might), and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said—“The 613 commandments were declared to Moses at Sinai” from the Mouth of Gevurah, and as it is written: “From His right side a fiery law to them.” This means: The source and root of the Torah consists solely of the “graces of the L–rd,” which are referred to as the “right side.” That is, the elicitation of His G–dliness, blessed be He, and of a radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, to the upper and lower worlds, is effected by man who elicits the light upon himself by the fulfillment of the 248 operational precepts, which are the “248 organs of the King,” i.e., the 248 vessels and garments for the radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that is vested in them (and as known, with every commandment there issues forth to him awe and love from this light).",
+ "However, this efflux was first vested in the attribute of the gevurah of the Holy One, blessed is He, referred to as “fire.” (Gevurah) is the aspect of the contraction (tzimtzum) of the light and vivification that issue from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, so that it will be able to become vested in the performance of the commandments, practically all of which involve material things—as tzitzit, tefillin, sacrifices, and charity.",
+ "And even commandments that involve man spiritually—as awe and love—are in a mode of limitation and measure, and by no means in a mode of infinitude. For not even for a moment could man sustain in his heart so intense a love of G–d as is without end and limitation and still remain in existence in his body, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that at the time of the Giving of the Torah [which was a manifestation of His G–dliness, blessed be He, and of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, on a plane of speech and revelation]—“their souls took flight…”",
+ "Now, because the commandments were given to us by way of investment in the attribute of gevurah and a contraction (tzimtzum) of the radiation, and so on, most commandments have a delimited measure. For instance, the length of tzitzit (must be) twelve times the width of the thumb; the tefillin—two fingers by two fingers, and necessarily square; the lulav—four handbreadths; the sukkah—seven handbreadths; the shofar—one handbreadth; the mikveh—forty seah. The sacrifices, too, have a delimited measure as regards age, as for instance—“sheep of one year old,” and “rams of two years old,” and “oxen….”",
+ "The same applies also to the act of charity and the performance of kindness with one’s money [even though that is one of the pillars upon which the world stands, and as it is written: “The world was built by chesed,” nevertheless]—it has a set measure of preferably one-fifth, and of one-tenth for an average measure…. And this is what is called chesed olam: the “chesed of G–d enduring continually” that vests itself in the upper and lower worlds through the arousal from below—i.e., the precept of the charity and kindness which people perform among each other.",
+ "But because the world is in a state of finitude and measure [“From the earth to the heaven is a distance of 500 years…and [similarly] from one heaven to the next”; and “Six thousand years shall the world exist…”], the Torah’s commandment of charity and kindness is also given a limit and measure, just like the other commandments of the Torah. ",
+ "However, this applies only to one who observes the Torah and does not stray from it right or left, even as much as a hair’s breadth. But he who has strayed from the path, Heaven forfend, whereas he has perverted his way [thus causing deficiencies in the kodesh ha’elyon, that is, he has diminished his value as regards the efflux he could have elicited from the aspect of His Divinity and the radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, by observing the Torah and fulfilling her as behooves]—such perversion cannot be rectified save by an efflux of the Supreme light which transcends the worlds and does not vest itself in them. This is what is called chesed ilaah, and rav chesed, because it radiates and extends in a state of infinitude without limit and measure [whereas it is not contracted within the worlds but is in a state of encompassing over them, from aloft, from the peak of all rungs to the end…]. Now, when man draws it downward through his deeds and the arousal from below, this Supreme light will then radiate and expand within the worlds and rectify all perversions and deficiencies caused in the kodesh ha’eylon, renewing their light and goodness with exceeding uplifting and strength on the level of a truly new light. That is why they said that “In the place where penitents stand….”",
+ "Now the essence of penitence (teshuvah) is in the heart, for through contrition from the depth of the heart one arouses the depth of this Supreme light.",
+ "But in order to elicit (this light) so that it will radiate in the upper and lower worlds, it is essential that there be truly an arousal from below, in the mode of an action, i.e., an act of charity and kindness that is without limit and measure. For just as man diffuses rav chesed [i.e., ח”ס דלי”ת (he is concerned with him who has not)]—namely to the poor and destitute who has nothing of his own, without setting a limit and measure to his giving and diffusion, the Holy One, blessed is He, likewise diffuses His light and benignity in the mode of chesed ilaah, referred to as rav chesed, which radiates within the upper and lower worlds in a mode of infinitude, without limit and measure. For in relation to Him, blessed be He, all are in a state of דלי”ת, whereas they have nothing at all of their own, and all that are before Him are esteemed as naught. And all the blemishes that man caused above, in the upper and the lower worlds, through his iniquities, are rectified hereby.",
+ "And this is the meaning of what is written: “to the L–rd, to exercise tzedakah and justice is preferable to sacrifice.” Because the sacrifices are in a mode of quantity, measure, and limit, while charity can be dispersed without limit for the purpose of rectifying one’s iniquities.",
+ "As for the ruling that he who expends should not expend more than one-fifth, this applies only to him who has not sinned, or has rectified his sins by means of self-mortification and fasts, as behooves to rectify all the blemishes above. But he who still needs to remedy his soul, surely the healing of the soul is not inferior to the healing of the body where money does not count, “And all that a man has he will give on behalf of his soul”—states Scripture.",
+ "Now, this type of unlimited kindness is called by the Name of the Holy One, blessed is He, “the graces of the L–rd,” as it is written: “and the chesed of the L–rd is everlasting….” For though “all of Israel are compassionate and performers of kindness,” nevertheless there is a limit and measure to man’s compassion. But the Holy One, blessed is He, is called the En Sof, blessed is He, and to His attributes there is no end, as it is written: “For His compassions are not exhausted.”",
+ "And this is the meaning of what the prophet said, after the destruction and the exile: “The graces of the L–rd—כי לא תמנו.” That is: “Because we are not perfect [for we are not whole and perfect without any sin and blemish in the soul and the upper worlds]—that is why we need to conduct ourselves in accordance with “the graces of the L–rd” which are without limit and end, in order to elicit upon ourselves compassion and chesed ilaah, i.e., rav chesed, and unlimited, infinite compassion, as it is written: “For His compassion is not exhausted….”",
+ "And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, meant by saying: “Israel will be redeemed only through charity—which they will perform even when they are legally not obligated, for “The son of David will not come until….”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "ELEVEN. To make you skillful of understanding that this is not the way in which the light of the L–rd dwells, i.e., in there being a desire for the “life of flesh,” and children, and sustenance, for on this our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Make naught your will….” That is, one’s will should be nullified so that one has absolutely no will in any worldly matters that are implied by “children, life, and sustenance,” and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said that “Despite yourself, do you live.”",
+ "This means: There is to be only an absolute belief in the Yotzer Bereishit; that is, that the creation of being ex nihilo (yesh meayin) [which is called reishit chochmah, i.e., His wisdom which is not apprehensible to any creature]—this creation occurs constantly and every moment, by all creatures coming into being [as a substance ex nihilo (yesh meayin)] from His wisdom, blessed be He, which animates everything. And when man will contemplate in the profundity of his understanding, and will imagine in his mind his coming to be ex nihilo—truly every moment, how can he possibly think he has ever suffered, or had any afflictions related to “children, life, and sustenance,” or whatever other worldly sufferings. For the naught (ayin) which is His wisdom, blessed be He, is the source of life, welfare, and delight. It is the Eden which transcends the World to Come, except that, because it is not apprehensible, one imagines to have sufferings, or afflictions. In fact, however, no evil descends from above and everything is good, though it is not apprehended because of its immense and abundant goodness.",
+ "And this is the essence of the faith for which man was created: to believe that “there is no place void of Him” and “in the light of the King’s Countenance there is life,” and, conclusively, “strength and gladness are in His place,” because He is but good all the time.",
+ "Therefore, first of all, man ought to be happy and joyous at all times and truly live by his faith in the L–rd who animates him and is benignant with him every moment. But he who is grieved and laments makes himself appear as if he has it somewhat bad and (is) suffering and lacking some goodness; he is like a heretic, Heaven forfend. That is why the Kabbalists strongly rejected the trait of sadness.",
+ "The faithful, however, is not indisposed by any afflictions whatsoever, and with respect to all mundane matters “yes” and “no” are all the same to him, in a true equation.",
+ "But he to whom they are not the same shows of himself that he is of the erev rav who act but for themselves and loves himself to the extent of removing himself from under the hand of the L–rd and to live the life of heathens because of his self-love; that is why he desires the “life of the flesh” and “children and sustenance”—for that is his good.",
+ "It would have been better for him had he not been created. For the purpose of man’s creation in this world is to test him by these trials, to ascertain what is in his heart: whether he will turn his heart toward the other gods, namely the passions of the body which evolve from the sitra achara, and desire these, or whether his desire and wish is to live the true life which evolves from the living G–d.",
+ "One must believe that he really lives in it, and all his needs, and everything related to himself, truly evolve in all their details [not from the sitra achara, but] “From the L–rd by whom the steps of man are established,” “and there is not a word…”; conclusively, everything is absolutely good, except that it is not apprehended.",
+ "By believing this truly, everything becomes good even in appearance. For by such a faith, that one believes that the very substance of what manifestly seems to be evil is (in fact) of the Supreme Good [i.e., His wisdom, blessed be He, which is non-apprehensible and is the Eden which transcends the World to Come]; through this faith the imagined evil is truly absorbed and sublimated in the concealed Supreme Good."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWELVE. “And the act of tzedakah will effect peace, and the service of tzedakah—quietness and surety forever.” The difference between “act” and “service,” and between “peace” and “quietness and surety,” will be understood by what our Sages, of blessed memory, said on the verse “He makes peace in His high places”: “Michael is the prince of water and Gabriel is the prince of fire, yet they do not extinguish one another.”",
+ "That is, Michael is the prince of chesed—which is called water because it descends from a high place to a low place, i.e., the aspect of the effusion and extension of vivification from the upper to the lower worlds. The aspect of fire [the nature of which is to soar upward] is the category of gevurah, of a withdrawal of the effusion of vivification [from below upward], in order not to effuse except by way of a great and immense contraction (tzimtzum). Now these are conflicting attributes, opposing one another, that is, when they are in a mode of separate attributes.",
+ "But the Holy One, blessed is He, makes peace between them, namely by means of a revelation, that a great illumination and an immense effusion from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, becomes revealed in them. [For as His Name, so is He. He is not, Heaven forfend, on the plane of a measure, but transcends exceedingly—ad infinitum—even the rank of chabad, which is the source of the attributes.] And thus the opposing attributes of Michael and Gabriel are absorbed in their source and root, and they become truly unified and dissolve in His light, blessed be He, which radiates to them in a manifest way.",
+ "The gevurot, thus, are tempered and sweetened in the chasadim by a mediary—the factor which harmonizes and leans toward chesed, i.e., the attribute of rachamim. In the terminology of the Kabbalists (this attribute) is called tiferet, because it is made up of the two colors white and red, which allude to chesed and gevurah.",
+ "The Name of Havaya, blessed be He, as it appears unqualified throughout the Torah, therefore, indicates the attribute of tiferet, as mentioned in the sacred Zohar. For here the degree of the manifestation of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, is of an immense illumination, surpassing that of His other blessed attributes.",
+ "Now, the arousal from above [to arouse a manifestation of said great illumination and immense effusion from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He] to bring about the said peace is effected by the arousal from below, by the act of charity and the effusion of “life, favor, kindness, and compassion” to him who has nothing of his own and “To revive the spirit of the humble….”",
+ "It is well known that our Sages, of blessed memory, said of him who busies himself with Torah lishmah that “he sets peace among the attendants of above and among the attendants of below.” The “attendants of above” are the princes and attributes mentioned above. For these are the upper hechalot in the world of Beriah, mentioned in the sacred Zohar. The “attendants of below” are the lower hechalot, and especially this base world which, due to the sin of Adam, is mingled good and evil, and the evil rules over the good as it is written “While man rules in man…,” and “Nation will overpower nation.”",
+ "This is empirically evident with terrestrial man who is called a microcosm, for sometimes the good prevails, and sometimes the reverse, Heaven forfend.",
+ "Therefore there will be no peace in the world until the time of the end, when the good shall be disencumbered from the evil to become attached to its root and source, the Source of Life, blessed is He. For then all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered and the spirit of impurity shall pass from the earth, i.e., when the element of the good which sustains it shall be extracted from its midst. ",
+ "This disencumberment (birur) itself will also be through a manifestation of His Divinity below, with a great illumination and immense effulgence, as it is written: “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the L–rd,” and “The glory of the L–rd shall be revealed….”",
+ "Now, this is as regards the future of the world, in general. But as regards terrestrial man, at every “time of finding,” meaning prayer, or at other times designated to seclude oneself with one’s Maker, each one, commensurate to his actions, merits a reflection of this birur by means of engagement with Torah lishmah, and likewise by means of charity, as it is related: R. Eliezer gave a coin to a poor man, and then he prayed, as it is written: “Through tzedek I will behold Your Countenance”—i.e., the rank of a manifest illumination and effusion of knowledge and reason, to contemplate on the greatness of G–d, thereof to beget the intellectual awe and love, as known.",
+ "And through this we extract the good for G–d, and separate the evil, as it is written: “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace for gold, and man according to his praise.” This means, “according to his praising G–d”—with profound knowledge, to beget awe and love, that is how we disencumber the good and separate the evil, analogous to the extraction and separation of the drosses from the silver and gold in the crucible and furnace.",
+ "Now, it is well known that Israelites are by their very nature compassionate and performers of kindness. This is so because their souls issued from His attributes, blessed be He, in which chesed prevails over the attribute of din, gevurah, and tzimtzum, and as it is written: “His chesed prevails over them who fear Him.” The neshamah, therefore, is called “daughter of the priest,” as mentioned in the sacred Zohar.",
+ "Now, the charity that issues from this aspect is referred to as “the act of charity,” for the term act (maaseh) applies to that which is already done, or which is in constant action of itself, thus, something existent and usually constant. So here, too, the trait of kindness and compassion is implanted in the souls of the whole House of Israel from aforetimes, from the time of their creation and evolution from His attributes, blessed be He, as it is written: “He breathed into his nostrils…,” and “You did breathe it into me,” and “He who exhales….” Furthermore, “In His goodness He renews the act of creation every day,” and “They are new every morning….”",
+ "An idiom of avodah (service), however, applies only to what man does with immense toil: it is contrary to his natural inclination, but he abnegates his nature and will before the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, as, for example, to exhaust himself in Torah and prayer “to the extent of pressing out the soul….” And in our case, too, as regards the commandment of charity, he gives exceedingly more than the nature of his compassion and will, and as our Sages, of blessed memory, commented on the verse “Give, you shall give”: “even a hundred times.”",
+ "And this is the meaning of “And the act of charity [shall be]”—i.e., even with that type of charity which is called an “act” [and not “service”], the arousal from below will elicit an arousal from above. One arouses a manifestation of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, by way of a great illumination and immense effulgence, and peace is made in His high places and also among the attendants of below.",
+ "Though in this base world, the peace and the birur and separation of the evil from the good will not be manifest until the time of the end [but not during the time of the exile, as mentioned above], except in the microcosm, i.e., man, at every “time of finding”—meaning prayer, as it is written: “Through tzedek I will behold Your Countenance,” as mentioned above. Even so, after prayer it is possible that the evil will easily reawaken and become intermingled with the good as one walks in the darkness of this world.",
+ "But through the charity, which is in a mode of avodah, whereas its rank is extremely glorious and great [because one abnegates his nature and bodily will before the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, and “subdues the sitra achara, and then rises the glory of the Holy One, blessed is He…,” and just “like the excellence of light over darkness,” as known], the evil can no longer reawaken so easily of itself, unless, Heaven forfend, man would arouse it and draw it upon himself.",
+ "And this is the meaning of “quietness and surety forever.” השקט (quietness) is of the etymon of “שוקט—(he rests) on his dregs,” meaning that the dregs are completely separated from the wine and fall completely netherward, while the wine above is wholly pure and clear. In an analogous manner it is with the avodah of charity: the dregs are the aspect of the mixture of evil in his soul which is gradually extricated and separated until it falls netherward to its root and source, and as it is written: “And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "THIRTEEN. “How abundant is Your goodness which You have hidden for those who fear You….”",
+ "In the class of the “servants of the L–rd” there are two degrees and levels which, depending on the root of their souls above, are distinct in relation to the categories of the right and the left.",
+ "That is, the characteristic of the left is the trait of contraction (tzimtzum) and concealment in the service of the L–rd, as it is written: “and to walk secretly…”; “in secret places cries…”; “whoever busies himself with Torah in secret….”",
+ "From this attribute derives also the aspect of contraction (tzimtzum) and limitation in the service of G–d; for example, with charity—to judge according to the means, “and he who expends, should not expend more than one-fifth”; and, likewise, regarding the study of Torah and the other commandments—he suffices in discharging his duty, the definite duty to which the Torah obliges him, “to appoint times….” From it derives also what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Cast a scare upon the pupils….”",
+ "On the other hand, the characteristic of the right is the attribute of grace (chesed) and extension in the service of G–d by way of expansion, without any contraction and concealment whatsoever, as it is written: “And I will walk in an expanse…,” without any contraction and limitation whatsoever. There is no restraint to the spirit of his generosity—whether it be with respect to charity, the study of Torah, or other commandments. He does not suffice in discharging his obligation only, but to the extent of “never sufficient….”",
+ "Now, every one of Israel needs to comprise both these traits, for “there is no thing which does not have its place.”",
+ "Thus we find various matters that are of the leniencies of Bet Shammai and of the stringencies of Bet Hillel. This comes to teach us that Bet Shammai, the root of whose soul is of the category of the supernal left—[that is why they always decided stringently regarding all the prohibitions of the Torah; but Bet Hillel, who were of the supernal right, would find favorable arguments to be lenient and to permit the injunctions of Bet Shammai so that these should become muttarim from their issur and able to ascend upward. Nevertheless]—in several matters, even Bet Shammai are lenient. This is so because of the inclusiveness of their soul’s root, which compounds the right as well.",
+ "And, likewise, the root of Bet Hillel’s soul compounds the left also. For, as known of the mode and attributes of the kodesh ha’elyon, there is no cleavage and division there, Heaven forfend, and all the traits compound each other. Thus, they are united one with the other, as known to the students of Kabbalah. Thus it is written of Abraham, who is the attribute of chesed and love: “Now I know that you are fearful of G–d”—for he had donned the attribute of gevurah “and bound Isaac his son…and took the knife….”",
+ "As for Scripture stating “Abraham who loved Me,” and “the Fright of Isaac,” this difference and distinction is with respect to manifestation and concealment. In the attribute of Isaac, fright is in a state of manifestation, while love is hidden in a state of concealment and hiding. The opposite is with the trait of our father Abraham, peace be to him.",
+ "And this is the meaning of what King David, peace be to him, said: “How abundant is Your goodness….” That is to say that the attribute of goodness and chesed, which is in a state of concealment and hiding with everyone the root of whose soul is of the category of the left, referred to as “those that fear You” [as is the trait of Bet Shammai], now, though this is a concealed and hidden goodness, it is nevertheless truly as abundant and immense as the attribute of gedulah and chesed, which is of the right, and both are of the category of a manifestation that is without limit, measure, and size. ",
+ "And this is the meaning of Scripture: “How abundant is Your goodness,” i.e., without limit and measure, whether it be the goodness “which You have hidden for those who fear You,” or that which “You have wrought for those who trust in You”—i.e., the hopeful who are of the category of the right,31 and whose kindness and goodness are also in a state of manifestation and expansion “before the children of man,” and by no means in a state of contraction and concealment.",
+ "(The reason it says “For those who fear You” rather than “In those who fear You” is because with every soul, whatever is in a state of concealment is not vested within the body in his mind and heart. It is, rather, in a state of “encompassing from above,” and from there it radiates to his mind and heart at those times when an arousal of this aspect becomes necessary, i.e., to be aroused and to illumine his mind and heart in order to result in a real act.)",
+ "(The verse), therefore, says that whereas the “abundance of goodness of the House of Israel” [that which is hidden and that which is manifest] is in a state of “without limit and measure” [according to the category of their soul vested in the body], therefore “You, too, O L–rd, treat them with the attribute of Your unlimited and infinitely great chesed which is called rav chesed.”",
+ "For there are different types of chesed: there is chesed olam, the corresponding opposite of which is the attribute of din, Heaven forfend, which serves to diminish and contract His chesed and goodness. But the chesed elyon, which is called rav chesed, does not have an attribute of din opposed to it [to diminish and contract the abundance of His grace from extending unlimited and infinitely]. It derives from the rank of sovev kol almin and temira dechol temirin, called keter elyon. This, then, is the meaning of “You hide them in the covert of Your Countenance…You conceal them in a pavilion….”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "FOURTEEN. To arouse the ancient love and the fondness for our Holy Land, that it flame as flashes of fire from the innermost of man and with a profound heart as if but this very day did the L–rd set His spirit upon us, a spirit of generosity, when the people volunteer to consecrate themselves for the L–rd with a full and liberal hand, with one increase after another, from year to year, rising over the head, like unto the measure of kodesh ha’elyon—which radiates to the Holy Land and is constantly renewed and increased, as it is written: “Forever are the eyes of the L–rd your G–d upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”",
+ "Now, (the phrase) “to the end…” is apparently incomprehensible, for at the end of one year begins the second year. Thus it should have said: for everlasting!",
+ "However, this matter will be understood by considering the Scripture—“The L–rd has founded the earth with chochmah.” That is, the foundation of the eretz ha’elyonah [i.e., the aspect of memalei kol almin], and of the nether (land) [i.e., the eretz chefetz which truly corresponds to it and is called by its name—eretz hachayim] issues from the efflux and radiation from the Supreme chochmah which is the source of the supernal life, as it is written: “Chochmah animates those who have it….”",
+ "This radiation and efflux is renewed annually by a truly new light. For He, blessed be He, and His chochmah are one, in an absolute unity and it is called the “light of the En Sof, blessed be He,” because there is no limit and no end to the quality and greatness of the light and vitality that issues forth from Him, blessed be He, and from His chochmah, by way of elevation upon elevation to no end and limit, to the peak of the highest levels.",
+ "And every year there descends and radiates a new and renewed light which never yet shone, from the supreme chochmah to the eretz ha’elyonah. For the light of every year withdraws to its source on the eve of every Rosh Hashanah “When the moon is covered.” Afterward, by means of the blowing of the shofar and of the prayers, a new, supernal light [of a yet higher rank in the sphere of the supreme chochmah] is elicited to radiate to the eretz ha’elyonah and them that dwell upon it, i.e., all the upper and lower worlds that receive their vitality from it [i.e., from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, and His chochmah which is vested in it, as it is written: “For with You is the source of life, in Your light we see light”—which refers to the light that radiates from the supreme chochmah, the source of life]. (And as known to the students of Kabbalah, that every Rosh Hashanah there is the nesirah, and it receives new, more sublime mochin….)",
+ "In a very specific way, this takes place every day. More sublime mochin are elicited by every morning prayer, and these are not the original mochin that withdrew after the prayer, but more sublime ones.",
+ "In a general way, with respect to the world as a whole during the six thousand years, this occurs every Rosh Hashanah.",
+ "And this is the meaning of the Scripture—“Forever are the eyes of the L–rd your G–d upon it” [for the eyes are an epithet for the efflux and radiation of the light of chochmah, wherefore the sages are referred to as the “eyes of the congregation”], and “the atmosphere of the Land of Israel makes wise.”",
+ "Now, this radiation and efflux, though it is continuous, nevertheless, it is not on one plane and level only since the beginning of the world. For every year there is a new, supernal light, because the light that was generated and shone on this Rosh Hashanah withdraws to its source on the eve of the following Rosh Hashanah. And this is the meaning of the Scripture “From the beginning of the year to the end of the year” only.",
+ "And that is why מרשית (from the beginning) is written without an alef, alluding to the withdrawal of the light [which withdraws on the night of Rosh Hashanah] until after the order of the blowing of the shofar—when a new, more sublime light descends, so sublime a light as has never shone yet since the beginning of the world. And it vests itself and conceals itself in the eretz hachayim of above and of below in order to animate all the worlds for the duration of that year.",
+ "However, its manifestation—from this concealment—depends on the action of those below, and on their merit and penitence during the Ten Days of Penitence, and suffice this for the initiated."
+ ],
+ [
+ "FIFTEEN. “To understand the allegory and metaphor, the words of the wise and their riddles”—with respect to the sefirot.",
+ "To make the verse “And from my flesh I shall behold G–d” more intelligible, it is known throughout [in tradition from the supreme saints, may their souls rest in Eden] that it refers to understanding somewhat of His G–dliness, blessed be He, (by reflecting on) the soul which is vested in the flesh of man in accordance with the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, on the verse “give praise, my soul…”: “Just as the Holy One, blessed is He…the soul also…”: and in accordance with the saying of the Zohar on the verse “He breathed into his nostrils a soul of life”: “He who exhales, exhales from within himself.” For even a soul (nefesh) of Asiyah derives from the conjunctio of the masculine and feminine (זיווג זו”ן) of Asiyah and of their mochin [which are the aspects of the chaya and neshamah of the masculine and feminine]—which in turn, are the achorayim of the kelim of the masculine and feminine of Atzilut. (The latter) are truly divine, because in them radiates the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which is vested and concealed in the chochmah of Atzilut, and “He and His causations are one—in Atzilut.”",
+ "Thus it follows that the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, radiates in the soul (neshamah) of man as well, vested and concealed in the light of its chochmah in order to animate man. And from (the soul) man is able to understand somewhat of the supernal sefirot, for they all radiate in his soul—which compounds them.",
+ "But it is necessary to state first what I heard from my master, peace be to him, on the verse, “And I am dust and ashes.” Our father Abraham, peace be to him, said this of the illumination of his soul which radiates in his body from the light of the supreme chesed; and that is his attribute: the attribute of magnanimous love (ahavah rabbah). For he loved the Holy One, blessed is He, with so great and sublime a love that he became a chariot for the Holy One, blessed is He.",
+ "Now, one might possibly assume that the type of chesed and love as it is above in the supernal sefirot is of a similar nature to the attribute of abundant love of our father Abraham, peace be to him, though exceedingly greater and more marvelous ad infinitum than the (latter). [For it is known of the Supernal attributes that they are essentially without end and limit because the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, actually radiates and is vested within them, and “He and His causations are one.” As regards the soul of man, however, which is vested in matter, its attributes are finite and limited. But in any case, one might possibly assume that its attributes are of the same type as the supernal attributes.]",
+ "Therefore he said: “I am dust and ashes,” that is, just as ashes, which are the essence and substance of the burned wood. (For the wood) was composed of the four elements fire-air-water-earth, and the three elements of fire-water-air passed away and were consumed in the smoke that came about through their compound, as known. The fourth element of the wood, namely the earth which goes netherward and over which the fire has no dominion, remains in existence, and it forms the ashes.",
+ "Now the whole of the essence of the wood, its substantiality and matter, and its form in terms of length, width, and density [visible to the eye, before it was burned], was basically from its element of earth, though the fire, water, and air were contained in it. For earth is the most material of them all. It has (dimensions of) length, width, and density, which is not the case with the fire, and air, and even water, of which there is but very little in the wood. And all (the wood’s dimensions of) length, width and density, “all is of the earth, and all returns to earth”—i.e., the ashes that remain after the fire, water, and air have been separated from it.",
+ "Now, there is neither a quantitative nor a qualitative resemblance and proportion between the ashes and the essence of the wood [which, prior to being burned, had sizeable dimensions of length, width, and density], even though (the ashes) are its very essence and substance, and of them did (the wood) come into being. Precisely so, metaphorically speaking, our father Abraham, peace be to him, said of his attribute [the attribute of grace and love radiating in him and vested in his body]: “Though it is the attribute of the love and supreme chesed of Atzilut that radiates in his soul [which was a supernal chariot], nevertheless, as (the soul) descended netherward, [by the evolution of the worlds from one level to another, by means of many contractions] in order to become vested in his body, there is no semblance and proportion between the essence of the light of the love that radiates in him and the essence of the light of the love and supreme chesed of Atzilut, except of the sort of proportion and semblance as there is between the essence of the earth which became ashes, and its essence and core as it was (originally) in the “tree (that was) pleasant to the sight and good for food.” (But even this is only) metaphorically speaking, and, moreover, not at all comparable, except that the Torah speaks in human phraseology by way of allegory and metaphor.",
+ "Now, as regards the totality of the ten sefirot as they are in the soul of man, it is known to all that the attributes are generally divided into seven (emotive) attributes (middot), and all the detailed traits in man derive from one of these seven attributes. For they are the root of all the traits, and their generality, namely: the attribute of chesed—to diffuse without limit; the attribute of gevurah—to withhold from diffusing so much or from diffusing altogether; the attribute of rachamim—to pity whoever is in need of compassion. It is the mediating attribute between gevurah and chesed, (the latter of) which seeks to diffuse to all, even where compassion is not applicable at all [inasmuch as he lacks nothing and is in no state of trouble whatsoever].",
+ "Because (rachamim) is the mediating attribute, it is called tiferet. It is, by way of analogy, like beautiful garments, that is, garments dyed with many colors blended in such a way that there is beauty and embellishment. To a garment dyed in one color, however, one cannot apply the term of “beauty” (tiferet).",
+ "Now, afterward, as the diffusion is realized, that is, at the time of the actual diffusion, it is necessary to deliberate how to diffuse in such a way that the recipient be able to absorb the effusion. For example, when one wishes to convey a matter of wisdom to teach it to his son, if he will tell it to him in its totality, just as it is in his own mind, the son will be unable to understand and to absorb it. Rather, one needs to arrange it in a different order and context, “every word spoken in a proper manner,” gradually.",
+ "This deliberation is referred to (by the terms) netzach and hod. They are the kidneys that advise, and also the two testicles that prepare the spermatozoon, i.e., the drop that issues from the brain. That is, (they adapt) a matter of wisdom and intelligence deriving from the father’s intellect in such a way that it will not issue as it is in itself [i.e., a very subtle intellection in his brain and intellect], but that it change somewhat from the subtlety of his intelligence and become an intellection not quite so subtle, so that the son will be able to absorb it in his mind and understanding. Metaphorically speaking, it is truly as with the (seminal) drop which descends from the brain, for it is extremely tenuous, and, through the kidneys and the two testicles, it becomes truly coarse and corporeal.",
+ "Netzach and hod are also referred to as “pounders” and “grindstones,” because “they pound the manah for the righteous.” Just as, by way of example, he who mills [wheat] with grindstones crumbles the wheat into very fine parts, so, too, the father needs to taper the insight and the wisdom he wishes to convey to his son and to divide them into many parts, relating (them) to him by gradual process, with devices and knowledge.",
+ "The aspect of netzach also entails to prevail and stand up against anything that withholds the influence and study from his son—from within and from without; [“from within”—means to strengthen himself against the attribute of gevurah and tzimtzum existent in the father himself, for it arouses in his will contentions against his son, saying “He is not yet fit for this”].",
+ "The aspect of yesod is, by way of example, the bond by which the father binds his intellect to the intellect of his son while teaching him with love and willingness, for he wishes his son to understand. Without this (bond), even if the son would hear the very same words from the mouth of his father [as he speaks and studies to himself], he would not understand them as well as now when his father ties his intellect to him and speaks with him face to face—with love and desire, because he desires very much that his son understand.",
+ "And the greater the desire and delight (of the father) the greater is the influence and the study, because then the son is able to absorb more and the father influences more. For through the desire and delight his (own) insight becomes greater and more abundant, with a contented disposition to influence and teach his son (just as, metaphorically speaking, in the sphere of the truly physical, an amplification of spermatozoon derives from an abundance of desire and delight, and, thereby, he elicits much from the brain. That is why the Kabbalists drew a comparison with the physical conjunctio, as will be explained).",
+ "Now, these attributes are the external aspects of the soul. In them are vested the inner attributes, i.e., the faculties of love and awe…, analogous to the father who influences his son because of his love (for the son) and withholds his influence because of his dread and fear that (his son) might come to some downfall, Heaven forfend.",
+ "The source and root of these internal and external attributes is of the chabad of his soul, for corresponding to a person’s intellect are his traits. This is empirically evident, (as in the case of) a child, the chabad of which are in a state of pettiness (katnut); all its traits, too, are related to insignificant things.",
+ "With adults, too, “according to his intelligence is a man praised,” for corresponding to the quantity of wisdom is the quantity of his love and kindness, and also his other internal and external traits have their source from his chabad.",
+ "Most important is one’s daat, which derives from one’s chochmah and binah. This is empirically evident, for corresponding to the difference from one to the other in the opinions of people is the difference in their traits.",
+ "Now all this is only by way of allegory, for all this applies to the rational soul, which is the lower one in man and derives from kelipat nogah. But in true fact, in the higher, divine soul, which is a part of G–d above, all the internal and external attributes are to G–d alone.",
+ "For because of the love of G–d and of one’s great desire to cleave to Him, “One takes delight in chesed” in order to cleave to His attributes, as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, on the verse “And to cleave to Him”: “cleave to His attributes.”",
+ "It is likewise with the attribute of gevurah: to punish and chastise the wicked with the punishments of the Torah, and also to prevail over his inclination and to “sanctify himself in that which is permitted to him,” and to “put up a fence and a hedge for the Torah,” because of the dread of G–d and his fear lest he might come to sin, Heaven forfend.",
+ "And, likewise, to glorify G–d and His Torah by all means of glory, and to cleave to His praises with all the faculties of his soul, that is, with the contemplation of the intellect and thought even when he speaks.",
+ "Likewise, to prevail triumphantly against anything that would restrain from the service of G–d and from cleaving to Him, and against anything that would restrain having the “glory of G–d filling all the earth,”just as the wars for G–d fought by King David, peace to him.",
+ "And, likewise, to prostrate oneself and to laud the L–rd who animates and makes all there is, and with Him everything is essentially nonexistent “and all that are before Him are esteemed as naught,” truly as nothing and null. Though we cannot apprehend just how everything is truly as null before Him, nevertheless, we acknowledge, with a sincere admission, that in absolute truth such is the case.",
+ "This also includes to thank the L–rd for all the favors He has bestowed upon us, and not to be ungrateful, Heaven forfend, and this includes (further) to thank for all His praises, attributes, and workings in the emanation and creation of the upper and lower worlds, for they are praiseworthy to no end and are becoming and befitting to Him, blessed and exalted be He—which is (the sense of hod as) etymologically related to hod vehadar.",
+ "And likewise with the attribute of tzaddik yesod olam, that his soul be bound up in the L–rd, the Fountainhead of life, to cleave to Him by an attachment and desire out of a wondrous love and delight.",
+ "And as for the attribute of malchut—to receive upon himself the yoke of His sovereignty and of His service, as the service of any servant to his master, i.e., out of awe and fear.",
+ "Now, the source and root of all the attributes are of the chabad. That is, chochmah is the source of the intellect which apprehends the L–rd and His wisdom, His greatness, and His holy attributes wherewith He conducts and animates all the upper and lower worlds. Binah is the contemplation on this apprehension in the length, width, and depth of his understanding: “to understand one matter out of another,” and to beget from this apprehension its offsprings, i.e., the attributes of love and awe, and the other attributes born in the Divine soul which cogitates and contemplates on the greatness of the L–rd, how His greatness is unfathomable. There is an aspect of the greatness of the L–rd through the Divine soul’s contemplation on which a fear and dread will befall it. This (type of fear) is the yirah tataah, an aspect of malchut.",
+ "There is another aspect of the greatness of the L–rd whereof derives the yirah ilaah, i.e., yirah boshet. There is (also) an aspect whereof derives the ahavah rabbah, and still another aspect whereof derives the ahavah zutta. The same applies to the external attributes, i.e., chesed….",
+ "Now, with all these it is necessary that the faculty of daat be vested in them. For (daat) is the aspect of the bond of the soul which is bound and thrust into this apprehension, of apprehending some aspect of the greatness of the L–rd whereof some trait of these attributes is born in (the soul). For by a momentary removal of daat from this apprehension, the trait begotten thereof is also withdrawn from it, that is, from its manifestation in the soul (back) into concealment, to be there in potentia but not in act.",
+ "That is why the term daat is applied to coition, for it signifies a bond. Now, this is the faculty of daat tachton, which extends to the attributes and vests itself in them to animate and sustain them.",
+ "There is also a faculty of daat elyon, which is the faculty of the bond and joiner of the source of the intellect [which apprehends the profoundness of the apprehended notion which is a point and a flash flashing over his intellect] so that it extends downward. Thereby the profoundness of the apprehended notion will come to be understood in the expansion of the elucidation, in length and breadth, which is the faculty of binah, referred to as rechovot hanahar, as will be explained in its place."
+ ],
+ [
+ "SIXTEEN. To the members of the community of…",
+ "My beloved, my brethren and friends, who are (to me) as my (own) soul. Behold, I am aware of the hardships of these times, that the means for livelihood have declined, and especially among those known to me from your ranks whose hand has wavered; (they are) without any assistance and support, and they literally borrow in order to eat. May the L–rd show them compassion and speedily bring them respite from their straits.",
+ "Nonetheless, they are not acting rightly unto their soul according to the reports that they close their hand which all their life long, to this very day, was open to give with a full hand and benevolence toward all essential necessities to satisfy the needs of the innocent destitutes whose eyes are lifted toward us. If, Heaven forfend, we will not have mercy on them, who then will show them compassion? And it is written: “That your brother may live with you!”",
+ "(The rule that) “Your life takes precedence” applies only in the case when “one has a pitcher of water…,” that is, when the same thing is equally essential to both to drink in order to restore their soul from thirst. But when the poor needs bread for the mouths of babes, and wood and clothes against the cold, and the like, then all these take precedence over any fine clothes and family feasts, meat and fish, and all the delicacies of man and any members of his household. The rule that “your life takes precedence” does not apply in such a case, because all these are not really essential to life, as are (the needs) of the poor, (to be considered) truly equal (to the needs of the poor), as mentioned in Nedarim, folio 80.",
+ "Now, (all) this is according to the strict measure of the law. In fact, however, even in the case where such reasoning does not apply, it behooves everyone not to be particular in insisting on the law, but to set aside his own life and to go far beyond the measure of the law. One should be concerned, for his own sake, with the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory, that he who is exacting in a matter “will eventually be brought to it,” Heaven forfend.",
+ "And, after all, all of us need, at all times, the mercies of Heaven, which are (elicited) only through an arousal from below, by arousing at all times, and every moment, our compassion for those who are in need of compassion. But he who hardens his heart and suppresses his compassion [for whatever reason there may be], he causes the same above—to suppress…, Heaven forfend.",
+ "(One should especially consider that) after all, “There is not a righteous person upon earth that does good—always—and does not sin,” and charity atones and protects against misfortune…. (Charity) thus is an actual cure for the body and soul, with respect to which—“Skin for skin, and all that a man has he will give for his nefesh.”",
+ "This applies especially as we are believers, the descendants of believers (in the fact) that charity is nothing but a loan to the Holy One, blessed is He, as it is written: “He who is gracious to the poor lends to the L–rd, and He will repay him his good deed”—manifold, in this world. For none of the commandments is the reward given in this world except for charity, because it is beneficial to the creatures, as mentioned at the end of the first chapter of Kiddushin.",
+ "Also, one should be concerned about punishment, Heaven forfend, when one’s companions are associated for the sake of a mitzvah and he is not associated with them, as known from the words of our Sages, of blessed memory.",
+ "But it will be well with those who give heed, and upon them shall come the blessing of goodness—“of the best of all things.” Do good, O L–rd, to the good and the upright, as is their wish and the wish of he who seeks their welfare, from the whole heart and soul."
+ ],
+ [
+ "SEVENTEEN. It is known that an arousal from below, when man arouses in his heart the trait of kindness and compassion for all those in need of compassion, this elicits an arousal from above, i.e., an arousal of great compassion upon him from the source of compassion, to effuse to him the “Fruits in this world, while the principal remains for the World to Come.”",
+ "This means: “the fruits” refers to the effluence effusing from the Source of compassion and Fountainhead of life, blessed is He. It issues netherward, in the mode of the evolution of the worlds from above downward…, until it vests itself in this world in children, life, and sustenance….",
+ "The “principal” is, as it is written: “Mitzvatecha (Your commandment) is very wide.” Now it should say mitzvotecha—in plural form! (The phraseology of “is wide” is also not comprehensible.)",
+ "However, the express form of mitzvatecha refers to the precept of charity, which is truly the mitzvah of the L–rd, which the Holy One, blessed is He, Himself, in all His majesty, performs at all times by animating the worlds, and will do so in the future with exceeding uplifting and force. And thus it is written: “And they shall observe the way of the L–rd, to do tzedakah….” Metaphorically speaking, like a road on which one goes from one city to another, so, too, charity is a capacity for a manifestation and radiation of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which encompasses all worlds, so that in the future, at the Resurrection of the Dead, it will radiate, and become manifest, even to this world, through the arousal from below as an expression of charity and gratuitous kindness, [with an uplifting and force infinitely exceeding the state of manifestation of the radiation in the upper and lower Gardens of Eden]. For in the future all the souls of the tzaddikim, and of the Tannaim and the prophets that are now in the Higher Garden of Eden, at the peak of levels, will become vested in their bodies, and they will arise at the time of the resurrection to derive pleasure from the splendor of the Shechinah.",
+ "That is, the manifestation and the radiation as it is in the Garden of Eden is of the level of memalei kol almin. This is a level of the evolution from one rung to another by means of immense contractions, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “The World to Come was created by the yud”—the sphere of the supreme chochmah, referred to as the upper Eden, and evolving and vesting itself in all the worlds, as it is written: “You have made them all with chochmah…” and “chochmah animates….” In the Garden of Eden (the sphere of chochmah) is in a state of manifest apprehension to each according to his measure. For as known, the delight of the souls in the Garden of Eden derives from the apprehension of the secrets of the Torah with which one busied oneself in this world with the revealed (parts of Torah) [as mentioned in the sacred Zohar, section Shelach, and in the Gemara with reference to the occurrence with Rabbah bar Nachmeni].",
+ "The manifestation of the radiation at the time of the resurrection, however, will be from the level of sovev kol almin, which is not in a state of contraction (tzimtzum), measure, and limit, but without limit and end [as the concept of sovev kol almin has been explained in Likkutei Amarim, ch. 48, not to be in its literal sense—like a circle, Heaven forfend, but only that it is not in a state of investment…, note there carefully].",
+ "And this is the meaning of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “And their crowns on their heads, and they take delight….” A crown (atarah) is something that encompasses and encircles and is called keter [an idiom of koteret]. It is the aspect of the intermediary which joins the radiation of the Emanator, the En Sof, blessed is He, to the emanated, and in the future it will radiate and become revealed in this world to all the righteous who will rise with the resurrection ( “And Your people, they are all righteous…”).",
+ "And this is the meaning of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “In the future the righteous will be addressed as holy.” Holy is a rank of being separated; it is not subject to apprehension and knowledge, because it transcends the rank of the wisdom and knowledge which there is in the Garden of Eden. Thus Scripture states: “Chochmah shall be found from ayin”—i.e., (from) the rank of the supreme keter which, in the sacred Zohar, is called ayin; its effluence and radiation are in a state of manifestation only when [after the resurrection] the soul is vested in a pure and clear body. For “Their beginning is wedged—expressly—in their end,” and “The result of the act is first in thought…,” as known.",
+ "But it is impossible to reach this level until one has been first in the Garden of Eden, to apprehend the aspect of the supreme chochmah according to his measure, and “the dew of Torah revives him”—“And when you will awaken it will speak for you…,” and suffice it for the initiated.",
+ "And this is the meaning of “mitzvatecha is very wide,” i.e., the precept of charity, which is a vessel and a very wide area in which the radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, is invested (and as it is written: His garment is tzedakah) which in the future will radiate without limit and end, because of the gratuitous kindness in the arousal from below, called “the way of the L–rd.” And that is the meaning of the phraseology “very (wide),” because it is without limit and end.",
+ "But “To every tichlah I have seen an end”: tichlah is an idiom of kalot hanefesh, the yearning of the soul in the Garden of Eden, for there it is in a mode of end, limit, and contraction, as mentioned above. And (the reason it says) “to every tichlah” is because there are numerous levels and rungs of Gan Eden, one higher than the other, to the topmost of levels, as mentioned in Likkutei Hashass by the Arizal, in explanation of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “Scholars (of Torah) have no rest…,” because they rise constantly—from level to level—in the apprehension of the Torah, which had no end…, until after the resurrection, when they will have rest…."
+ ],
+ [
+ "EIGHTEEN. It is written: “How fair and how pleasant are you, ahavah betaanugim.”",
+ "There are two kinds of love. One is ahavah betaanugim (love with delights), meaning that one is in a state of wondrous delight over G–d, with a great and immense joy [the joy of the soul and its yearning as it discerns that the L–rd is good and delightful as wondrously sweet delights]. It is truly in the mode of the World to Come where “they take delight….”",
+ "And of this it is written: “Rejoice, tzaddikim, in the L–rd,” and not everyone merits this. This is the rank the sacred Zohar refers to as ka-hana bi’reuta deliba, and of which it is said: “A service of gift… and the stranger that comes close….” For there is no way to attain it by human efforts as (there is with) the awe (of G–d), of which it is asked “Did you labor with awe?” and “Woe to the person who did not labor with awe,” as mentioned in Reishit Chochmah. Of awe is also written—“If you will seek it as silver…”; this shows that it requires a great and immense exertion, as when one searches for fortunes.",
+ "But this great love [the ahavah betaanugim] comes to man by itself, from above, without him preparing and attuning himself for it; rather, only after he has exerted himself in yirat haromemut and has attained the maximum he is able to attain of that according to the level of his soul, then, of itself, the ahavah betaanugim comes from above to dwell and to become united with the yirah. For “It is the way of man to go…,” as explained in Likkutei Amarim.",
+ "The second (type) is a love and desire that the soul desires, loves, and wishes to cleave to the L–rd, “to be bound up in the bundle of life.” The proximity to G–d is very dear to her, and that is what she desires. It is most grievous for her to become, Heaven forfend, removed from Him, blessed be He, by having an iron partition of the chitzonim separating, Heaven forfend.",
+ "This love is latent in the heart of all Israel, even in the wicked ones, and from it derives their remorse.",
+ "Though, because it is latent and concealed, in a state of exile in the body, it is possible for the kelipah to dominate over it; and that is the “spirit of folly” which causes man to sin.",
+ "Therefore man’s service to his Maker needs to be in strengthening himself and to prevail over the kelipah by all means. That is, first to expel it completely from the body—from the (faculties of) thought, speech, and action that are in the brain, tongue, and the 248 organs. After that he will also be able to “bring out the captive from prison” with a strong hand. That is, “his heart is strong and steadfast among the valiant,” so that the love will become revealed in a state of great manifestation in all the powers of the parts of the soul in his body, i.e., mainly in the mind and in the (faculty of) thought of the brain, so that corresponding to its intellect and understanding the mind will constantly think and contemplate on the Creator, Blessed be He, how He is the Fountainhead of life in general, and of the life of his soul in particular.",
+ "Consequently, he will yearn and desire to become attached to Him, and near to Him, by an intrinsic yearning as that of a child that yearns to be constantly near his father, and as fire which by its very nature always rises upward to its source. And the more he continues to set his mind on this yearning, this yearning becomes correspondingly stronger and will extend even to his mouth and all his organs—to occupy himself with Torah and the commandments in order to truly cleave, through them, to G–d, for “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are entirely one.”",
+ "Of this yearning, as it is in a state of great manifestation, it is written: “My soul thirsts…,” like a person who thirsts for water, and, as yet, has no delight whatsoever.",
+ "Also, of this yearning and of this love concealed in us we pray to G–d to aid us in bringing it out from imprisonment, and that the heart be full of it alone; and that its “rival-wife,” i.e., the mundane desires, do not enter its house. Rather, (this yearning and love) be the mistress of the house, to rule over her “rival-wife” and to expel her at least from one’s thought, speech, and action. Though one cannot expel her altogether from one’s heart, she should at least be hidden, in a state of exile and servitude to the mistress of the house, her mistress to make use of her for her own essentials only, as eating and drinking, as it is written: “In all your ways, know Him.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "NINETEEN. “He wraps (Himself with) light as (with) a garment….” In Likkutei Torah by the Arizal, section Ki Tissa and section Vayikra, it is stated that the apprehension of Moses our Master, peace to him, was not in the rank of the pnimiyut of the supreme chochmah—which is called abba of Atzilut, and, a fortiori, not in the sefirah of keter, called arich anpin, which transcends (chochmah). Rather, it was in the rank of the achorayim of chochmah which vest themselves in binah, which (in turn) vests itself in the seven lower sefirot, called z’eyr anpin—the principium of the Torah, and extends to the end of the four lowest sefirot: netzach, hod, yesod, malchut (n.h.y.m.). There the apprehension of his prophecy was in the rank of the pnimiyut, i.e., in the rank of the pnimiyut of n.h.y.m.",
+ "But (on the levels) beyond n.h.y.m. he had no apprehension in the pnimiyut, but only in the rank of the achorayim of the chochmah which are vested in binah, which (in turn) is vested and extends itself within the pnimiyut of n.h.y.m. This is the principium of “The Torah is an attenuated form of the supernal chochmah,” on the level of z’eyr anpin. Thus it is written: “You shall see achoray, but panay shall not be seen”; see there, and in Shaar Hanevuah, ch. 1.",
+ "Now this seems rather surprising. After all, it is said: “And there did not rise another prophet in Israel as Moses.” How then did the Arizal apprehend more than he and expound many themes dealing with the pnimiyut, even of many sefirot and levels that transcend chochmah and keter of Atzilut?",
+ "But the matter is (as follows). It is plain and clear to all that there is a great difference between the apprehension of the Kabbalists, as R. Shimon bar Yochai and the Arizal, an apprehension by wisdom and knowledge, and the prophetic apprehension of Moses our Master, peace to him, and the other prophets, to which Scripture refers as an actual vision: “You shall see achoray”; “And I saw the L–rd”; “And the L–rd appeared to him.”",
+ "Now, though this is in a metaphorical sense and does not mean actual sight by the physical eye composed of flesh, nevertheless, the subject (of a metaphor) needs to resemble the metaphor, and as the Targum (translates) וירא אליו ה’: “And (the L–rd) became revealed to him…, thus a mode of revelation, that G–d, blessed is He, Who is hidden, became revealed to him in a state of manifestation. It is different, though, with the apprehension of the Kabbalists. To them G–d does not become revealed in the mode of manifestation; rather, they apprehend the secrets of wisdom, that which is hidden and concealed from them.",
+ "They therefore said: “A wise man is better than a prophet,” because by his wisdom he can apprehend exceedingly beyond the levels that can descend netherward in a mode of revelation to the prophets in the vision of their prophecy. For only the lowest ranks can descend and become revealed to them, namely n.h.y.m. (The ranks of n.h.y.m.) are the ones that always descend and become revealed from the emanator to the recipient as a faculty of mochin (brains) and life-force. Thus it is known to the students of Kabbalah that the n.h.y.m. of the higher (realm) vest themselves in the lower, in order to vivify it. For they are the kelim of the effluence and of the descent of the vivification from the higher to the lower, with respect to all the worlds and levels. Hence they also become revealed to the prophets in a mode of an actual revelation. Within these is vested the light of binah, the aspect of the understanding of Divinity and the light of the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "And in it are vested the achorayim of chochmah, a level transcending the conception and comprehension of Divinity, blessed is He, as the term chochmah denotes the source of conception and comprehension. That is why they said in the Zohar that “the Torah derives from chochmah,” for the reasons for the commandments were not revealed and transcend conception and comprehension.",
+ "And even the occasional places where some apparently intelligible reason was revealed and explained, this, to our intelligible reason, is not the full and absolute reason; rather, within it is vested the pnimiyut and principium of chochmah, transcending conception and comprehension.",
+ "It is likewise with respect to every word that was emitted from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed is He, to the prophets, as recorded in Tanach, whether they be words of admonishment or tales of events. In them is vested an aspect of the Divine chochmah transcending conception and comprehension. This is empirically evident from the principle of kri and ktiv. The kri relates to the comprehension as revealed to us. The ktiv transcends conception and comprehension; that is, this word in its written form has no garment subject to comprehension, but in its oral reading form it does have a garment.",
+ "The same applies to the large letters in the Tanach; they are from a supremely sublime world and radiate from there openly, not with a garment like the other letters.",
+ "Now, the aspect of the Divine chochmah, blessed is He, vested in the 613 commandments of the Torah, is referred to as the category of the achorayim of chochmah. For all the achorayim in the sefirot are the external and lower levels in the gradation of that sefirah. That is why they can descend and extend below, to become vested in the creatures in order to vivify them. The aspect of the panim is the sefirah itself. It is united with its Emanator, the En Sof, blessed is He, by an absolute union.",
+ "As, for example, the sefirah of chochmah: it is united with its Emanator, the En Sof, blessed is He, in an absolute unity, for the Holy One, blessed is He, and His wisdom, are one (as explained above). But that which radiates and extends from His wisdom, blessed be He, below [among the limited and finite nether beings, and becomes vested in them], is called achorayim, and is also called the aspect of Asiyah of Atzilut.",
+ "Metaphorically speaking, this will be understood by the analogy with terrestrial man. There are five ranks in his soul, one lower than the other. These are the faculties of the intellect, the (emotive) attributes, thought, speech, and action. Action is the lowest of them all. For the vivification that extends from the soul and is vested in the power of action is as nothing compared to the vivification that extends from it and is vested in the power of speech. The latter (in turn) is as nothing compared to the vivification that extends from (the soul) and is vested in thought, the (emotive) attributes, and the intellect.",
+ "In a precisely like manner (with respect to) the category of His wisdom, blessed be He, that which can become extended from it to become vested in all the nether beings is as nothing compared to the category of the panim, which is united with the Emanator, blessed is He. For “All that are before Him are esteemed as naught.” But the effluence to all limited and finite nether beings is regarded, so to speak, as a descent and contraction (tzimtzum) with respect to the Emanator, the En Sof, blessed is He, just as, metaphorically speaking, it would be regarded as a descent and contraction for the intellect of an intelligent person to be contracted to some purely physical and material act.",
+ "Moses our Master, peace to him, who apprehended up to the achorayim of chochmah, therefore merited that through him was given the Torah—“an attenuated form of supernal chochmah,” i.e., that which sheds from it and descends netherward and becomes vested in our physical Torah. Its principal object and purpose is the upkeep of the operative and prohibitory commandments, in true actuality and performance, in accord with the saying: “To do them this day,” and “Study (of Torah) is greater because it leads to performance,” and “He who learns with the intent of not doing, it would have been better for him if his after-birth had been turned over….” And every person needs to become reincarnated until he has actually observed all the 613 commandments, as known from the Arizal.
* * *",
+ "The letters that are revealed to us are in action, speech, and thought.",
+ "Pertaining to action are the forms of the letters as they are in the Assyrian script of the Torah scroll.",
+ "The letters pertaining to speech are engraved in the breath and voice which is divided into twenty-two parts. One differs from the other with respect to their form, i.e., the enunciation and utterance of the twenty-two letters in any language. For there is no difference between the sacred tongue and the other languages with respect to the nature of the letters’ enunciation, only as regards their combinations.",
+ "The letters pertaining to thought are [again, in any language a person may think] the words and letters of the language, which are twenty-two only.",
+ "Though, in thought there are three kinds of [the aspect of] letters. When one sees in the Torah scroll the form of the letters, they are pictured in his thought. This is referred to as the rank of “action of thought.” Likewise, when one hears the letters of speech, they become inscribed in his thought and he meditates upon them. This is referred to as the rank of the “speech of thought,” and as the rank of Yetzirah. The letters of thought only, without any meditation on the letters of speech, are referred to as the “thought of thought,” the rank of Beriah.",
+ "Now, the letters of actual speech come about and receive their vivification from those very same letters that are in the thought.",
+ "Though sometimes a person may speak while thinking of another matter, he can, then, speak only such words and combinations that he has already spoken (previously) and that were in his thought a great many times. Thus in those words and combinations there is left the vestige of the thought that entered into them many times.",
+ "And this is the rank of the achorayim and externality of the n.h.y. of the partzuf of the higher (realm), which enters into the lower one to be a faculty of mochin and life-force to it, as known."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY. “He and His vivifications are one, He and His causations are one—in them” (that is, (in) the ten sefirot of Atzilut. “His vivifications”—these are the lights [orot], and “His causations”—these are the vessels [kelim]. They are all Divinity. But this is not so in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, etc.). Now, it needs to be understood well how the En Sof is One with His causations, i.e., the kelim. For the kelim are in a mode of limitation and finitude, as mentioned in Etz Chaim.",
+ "However, the intention is to say that they are Divinity with respect to creating something out of nothing (yesh meayin), just like the En Sof, and not merely by way of an evolution from cause to effect.",
+ "As for the statement of R. Moses Cordovero that the (creative) development is by way of cause and effect [and it is so stated in the sacred Zohar, section Bereishit], this refers to the evolution of the sefirot within the sefirot themselves (with respect to the kelim). [Thus in Sefer Yetzirah (the sefirot) are called “bli-mah” (without anything), because they are not in the category of a substance and apprehensible nature, just like the En Sof “Whom thought cannot grasp at all,” and as it is written: “And My Face shall not be seen.” As for the prophecy and apprehension of Moses our Master, peace to him, it was of the upper rank of netzach of z’eyr anpin.] And in the evolution the effect is encompassed by the cause, in relation to which it is essentially nonexistent, just as a ray of the sun is (absorbed) in the sun, as stated in Pardes by R. Moses Cordovero.",
+ "Thus even numerous contractions will not avail to there being matter as dense as earth, by way of an evolution from the spirituality of the separate intelligences, (not) even (that) of the angels, except to there being the spirit of animal from the “face of the ox,” as explained elsewhere; see there. The coming about of substantiality ex nihilo (yesh meayin) is in Hebrew called “Beriah” (creation). (Such) created substance, in fact, is also esteemed as naught before Him; that is, it is essentially nonexistent in relation to the force and light that effulges in it from the kelim of the ten sefirot of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah [in which the gleam (kav) of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He radiates], and just as the ray of the sun in the sun, as explained in Likkutei Amarim, Part II. However, this is so only “before Him,” relating to His knowledge, blessed be He, from above netherward.",
+ "But in relation to the knowledge from below upward, created substance is [in such knowledge and apprehension from below] an altogether separate thing. For the force that effuses in it is not apprehended at all. Also, there is no approximation whatsoever from the one to the other, neither to the whole nor to part of the relation between the effect and cause. For the effect knows and has some apprehension of its cause and becomes nullified in relation to it through this knowledge and apprehension. Even with respect to their nature and essence, there is not such a great distinction (between cause and effect) except that one is a cause and the other is an effect, but nothing whatsoever of the distinction there is between the nature of a created substance and the nature of the force and light that effuses in it to make it ex nihilo into substantiality. That is why (creation) is called precisely yesh meayin.",
+ "Now, the kelim of the ten sefirot of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, and also the orot [nefesh, ruach] are the first stage and the beginning of created substantiality (yesh). They are created from the category of the neshamah of the ten sefirot of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, which is Divinity. And these are the thirty kelim of malchut of Atzilut. It is likewise in Atzilut. From the chitzoniyut of the kelim of the ten sefirot of Atzilut [which are Divinity] were created the hechalot of Atzilut in which the category of the iggulim of the ten sefirot vests itself, and also the bodies of the angels of Atzilut—which are a form of substantiality (yesh) [as it is written: “And His angels He charges with deficiency”—because they are not wholly in a state of nullification as the effect is in relation to its cause].",
+ "But the souls of the angels that emerged by the zivvug neshikin, and also the souls of man that emerged by the zivvug zu’n of Atzilut, they, prior to their descending to Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, are not a level of substantiality (yesh) and a distinct entity on its own. On the contrary, they are of the category of Divinity in immense contraction. They are like the kelim of the ten sefirot of Atzilut, which are in a category of limitation on account of the contraction of the light of the En Sof, i.e., the kav is vested in their nefesh-ruach-neshamah, and just like the original tzimtzum to bring about a void, and so on.",
+ "(And even after the nefesh-ruach-neshamah of Atzilut descended to this world to the erstwhile tzaddikim, their essence possibly did not change to become an entity distinct from Divinity. That is why they withdrew when they wanted to sin, before they sinned. It is feasible to assume that also the thousands and myriads of worlds that are in the gulgalta [skull] of arich anpin and z’eyr anpin are not really worlds, like the hechalot of Atzilut, and a category of substantiality, but are like the souls of the angels that emerged from the zivvug neshikin and are called worlds in relation to the rank of the “skull” and the “beard.”)",
+ "They are not, however, truly Divinity—able to create something ex nihilo, because they already emerged and became separated from the kelim of the ten sefirot, wherein the kav of the light of the En Sof is vested.",
+ "For the light is like its source, i.e., the nature and essence of the Emanator, blessed is He, whose Being is of His essence, and He is not, Heaven forfend, caused by some other cause preceding Himself. He alone, therefore, has it in His power and ability to create something out of an absolute naught and nothingness, without this “something” having any other cause preceding it.",
+ "In order that this yesh, created by the power of the En Sof, should have a limit and measure, the light of the En Sof was vested in the kelim of the ten sefirot of Atzilut and becomes united in them in so absolute a unity that “He and His causations are one” to create with and through them [especially through their investment in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah] creatures that have limitation and finitude.",
+ "However, it is known that the principal coming to be of the yesh and the totally distinct entity is through malchut of Atzilut, which becomes the atik of Beriah, for “there is no king without a people….” The multitude of creatures, and their division, that were created by the force of the One and absolutely Unique En Sof, it, too, is from the multitude of letters that issue from malchut—“the mouth of the L–rd” and “All their hosts by the breath of His mouth.” The five organs of speech are of the five gevurot of nukva.",
+ "Thus (malchut) is called alma deitgalya (the manifest world), because through it is manifested the power of the light of the En Sof to create something out of nothing—without recourse to cause and effect. The first nine sefirot, however, emanated by a causal evolution, while the light of the En Sof is vested in chochmah only. And that is the meaning of “their beginning is wedged in their end.” For keter is the mediator between the Emanator and the emanated, and the lowest level of the En Sof is contained in it.",
+ "That is why (keter) is called keter malchut (crown of sovereignty), for a crown is but for a king, and, also, the lowest level of the En Sof is the malchut of En Sof. Consequently, from below upward, malchut of Atzilut, too, is called keter, and especially since through it is the creation of the souls which are yesh, separate entities [in the world of Beriah]. This is referred to as leidah, just as the splitting of the Red Sea—which “depended on atika”; also, the whole growth of the souls, throughout the seven months from the conjunctio of Shemini Atzeret to the Seventh Day of Passover, is like the growth of zu’n in the womb of imma ilaah—by means of the supernal orot of the imma ilaah, and of yet higher, to the En Sof which vests itself in (imma ilaah) throughout the nine or seven months of pregnancy. Thus it is with the creation of the souls and angels in the world of Beriah.",
+ "Also, the very essence and root of the “(seminal) drop” which she receives and (through which) she is impregnated by the z’eyr anpin is of the mochin of abba and imma and issues forth to abba and imma with every conjunctio, from arich anpin and atik yomin, and still higher—up to the En Sof. Everything is concealed, though, in the mochin, until the nukva gives birth to the souls, and the angels and the hechalot for the world of Beriah. Thus it follows that by means of the ibbur and leidah, there is truly a manifestation of the light of the En Sof.",
+ "Now it will be clear why the mitzvot (commandments) are in malchut, the hey of the Name of Havaya, while the Torah is in z’eyr anpin, the vav of the Name of Havaya. Above, in arich anpin, the mitzvot are in the “whiteness of the gulgalta, i.e., the path (formed) by the parting of the hairs which divide into the 613 paths of the Torah as it is in z’eyr anpin.” The root of the Torah [which derives from the supreme chochmah] is in the concealed mochin of arich anpin, which is the wisdom behind the reasons for the commandments. However, it is like a seal in reverse.",
+ "Thus “their beginning is wedged in their end,” i.e., the power of the En Sof, blessed is He, in order to create substantiality ex nihilo. (Creation) is not by way of a causal development in which the effect would be encompassed by its cause, and essentially non-subsistent, but (in such a way) that the yesh is an entity distinct from Divinity so that the Emanator, blessed is He, can be a King over all separate entities by their fulfilling the commandments which He enjoins upon them, and “the end result of the act is first in intent.”",
+ "That is why they said in the Jerusalem Talmud: “Is then R. Shimon not of the opinion that one interrupts for lulav…,” and “If one learns with the intention not to practice, it were better for him had his afterbirth been turned over his face…,” for the afterbirth was formed first, by the (seminal) drop, and until the fortieth day, when the embryo begins to take on form, it alone was the essential substance of the embryo. In like manner, the commandments are the essence and root of the Torah, even though a commandment is corporeal and the Torah is wisdom. Only one is in the chitzoniyut, and the other is in the pnimiyut, and as (will be explained) further on.",
+ "Now, in like manner, by the zivvug zu’n of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah are created ex nihilo into substantiality, all that were created, formed, and made by the light of the neshamah within them. For (the neshamah) is Divinity, of the kelim of the ten sefirot of malchut of Atzilut. In it is also contained the radiation of the kav from the light of the En Sof that is vested in Atzilut as far as the prassa (curtain). This radiation of the kav, that radiated in the kelim of the ten sefirot of malchut, pierced the prassa along with them and radiates in them in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, just as in Atzilut itself.",
+ "The same is also with the very kav that is vested in the culmination and end of the n.h.y. of Adam Kadmon, i.e., the end of the “feet” of its yosher which culminate in the malchut of Asiyah: a radiation from the kav radiates from there and vests itself in the light of the neshamah of the ten sefirot of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, which is Divinity. A radiation from (this) radiation vests itself in the nefesh-ruach of the ten sefirot of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, and also in all their kelim, while a radiation of (that) radiation of the (original) radiation is (immanent) in all that were created, formed, and made, as it is written: “The seas, and all there is in them, and You animate them all.”",
+ "Now, all this is by way of an extension of the vital force to animate them. However, the essence and nature of the light of the En Sof is in no way subject to space and encompasses all worlds equally: “And I fill the heavens and the earth” in one equal fashion, and “there is no place void of Him” even in this physical world. However, this is by way of “encompassing” and “encircling,” and the meaning of this was explained in Likkutei Amarim. It is not in a mode of extension and investment of the vital force to vivify them and make them come into being, ex nihilo into substantiality. (This is) only by a radiation from a radiation of the radiation, and so on, from the kav, as mentioned above.",
+ "Also, the radiation from the light of the En Sof which encircles and encompasses the four worlds Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah in equal fashion to the inner gleam (kav) is by way of the kelim of the ten sefirot of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. By its radiation within the kelim, it confers unto them the power and force to create substantiality ex nihilo (yesh meayin).",
+ "Now, because the creation is by means of the kelim, the creatures are in a category of multifariousness and division, limitation and finitude, and especially so by means of the letters, as mentioned above.",
+ "Furthermore, [in addition to all that was mentioned above,] the radiation of the radiation [and all that was said above] manifests its power and ability in the element of the physical earth in an immense manifestation, surpassing the elements transcending it, and even the hosts of heaven. For they do not have it in their power and ability constantly to bring forth something out of nothing (yesh meayin), like the element of earth. (The latter) constantly makes sprout something out of nothing (yesh meayin), namely the herbs and trees—from the vegetative property it possesses, which is non-substantial (ayin) and spiritual, while (the growths) are physical. (As for the mazal that strikes (the herb) and says “grow,”—this takes place after the herb has already sprouted. He does not tell it to sprout ex nihilo into substantiality, but only from small to big, and which kind of fruit, to bear, in all its details. For prior to its sprouting, to whom would every herb’s mazal ordain all the details?)",
+ "Now all this is so only because the “feet” of Adam Kadmon culminate at the bottom of Asiyah, and “below His feet” radiates the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which encircles all worlds without any great interruption between them, except for the iggulim of Adam Kadmon only.",
+ "Also, the kav of the light of the En Sof, culminating at the ending of the “feet” of Adam Kadmon, radiates from below upward in a mode of or chozer just as the investment in arich anpin, abba and imma, and zu’n of Atzilut radiates as an or chozer from malchut of Atzilut, and malchut of Atzilut, from below upward, is a category of keter, and “their beginning is wedged in their end.”",
+ "It is likewise at the culmination of the kav of the light of the En Sof, culminating at the ending of the yosher of the “feet” of Adam Kadmon: it radiates from below upward to the category of the light of the neshamah of the malchut of malchut of Asiyah, which is actual Divinity [(originating in) the chitzoniyut of the kelim of malchut of Atzilut].",
+ "According to that which is stated in ch. 20 of Sefer Hagilgulim, cited in Likkutei Amarim, this radiation from the kav of the light of the En Sof vests itself first in the light of Atzilut in Asiyah, and from there to the Beriah and Yetzirah in Asiyah, and from these to the category of the light of the neshamah of the malchut of the malchut of Asiyah. And hence is the (creative) power and force in the culmination of the keli of the malchut of malchut of Asiyah within the element of earth.",
+ "This is the constant and everlasting effect, throughout the earth, of the fiat “Let the earth bring forth herbs….”—(in a mode of infinitude, and not during the six days of creation only [as is the case with the fiat “Let the waters bring forth an abundance of creeping things,” and the fiat “Let the earth bring forth living being”—from the chochmah of the malchut of the malchut of Asiyah]. For during the Seven Days of the Beginning there shone in this world a radiation from the light of the En Sof in a mode of gratuitous chesed, without any (prior) elevation of mayin nukvin at all).",
+ "—to make herbs and trees, and fruits, sprout ex nihilo into substantiality, constantly, from year to year. This is a kind of degree of infinity, for if this world will subsist for myriads of myriads of years, they will still sprout forth from year to year.",
+ "There are, though, some (plants) which require a (prior) elevation of mayin nukvin [namely those which are sown and implanted]. But these (too, come about) like yesh meayin, for the implanted kernel is of no estimation whatsoever in relation to the fruit, nor in relation to the whole tree with the branches and leaves. The same applies to the various sorts of garden herbs and vegetables, and also to the various sorts of produce: that hundreds of kernels will come about from a single kernel is like yesh meayin, and a fortiori, with respect to the chaffs and spikes.",
+ "Now, these fruits (that come about) by means of an elevation of mayin nukvin, i.e., by sowing and implanting, they are, by far, superior to those that rise independently from the vegetative property in the soil only. And from this we can understand (the notion of) the elicitations of the supernal orot in Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah (which is the purpose for the creation of man), as explained elsewhere.",
+ "And from this we can understand clearly the subject of the order of levels pertaining to the inorganic, vegetative, animal, and articulate [which correspond to the aspects of earth, water, fire, and air]. Though the animal is more sublime than the vegetative, and the articulate is more sublime than the animal, nevertheless, the animal is nurtured and lives by the vegetative, and the articulate receives his vitality from both, even wisdom and knowledge. For “A child does not know how to call ‘father’ and ‘mother’ until it has tasted grain”; and “I had not yet eaten the meat of oxen….” This is the aspect of the or chozer: from below, from the bottom of Asiyah [where there is an exceedingly strong manifestation of the radiation of the radiation…from the light of the En Sof which encircles all worlds, and from the kav from the light of the En Sof at the culmination of the “feet” of the yosher of Adam Kadmon] upward, in a mode of or chozer, as mentioned above.",
+ "And it will be clearly understood from this, the best of discernment and knowledge, how it is that the supreme angels of the Merkavah—“the face of the oxen, and the face of the eagle”—derive great enjoyment and are nurtured and content from the spirit of the cattle and fowl that ascends to them from the sacrifices on the altar, and as the sacred Zohar expresses it subtly: “And they derive enjoyment from their element and essence.”",
+ "Now, after these words and this truth, knowledge comes easy to the discerning to understand from all the above the great advantage of the operational commandments. For they are the purpose for the descent of the souls to this physical world, as it is written: “To practice them this day”; and “Better one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world than all the life of the World to Come.”",
+ "Until here we found of his holy writing."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-ONE. Upon enquiring after their welfare, as is becoming to those who love His Name—“May my word drop and my speech trickle as dew” to those who offer themselves willingly among the people to practice the righteousness of the L–rd (tzidkat Hashem) with His Holy Land by giving every year a set sum of monies for our Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and re-established speedily, in our days. (I call upon you) to bestir the alert and to strengthen weak hands, to contribute monies for the Land of Israel every week, or at least every month, of the amount assigned as the year’s apportionment, as well as all the “dedicated money” that one was inspired to donate annually, without a vow, for the support of our brethren who live in the Holy Land.",
+ "For, note, besides that it is known to all the great virtue of alertness with respect to all commandments—[Thus it is mentioned repeatedly in the sayings of our Sages, of blessed memory: “At all times one should try to be first when it comes to a commandment.” Also, it is the alertness of our father Abraham, peace to him, that stands by us and our children, for everlasting.",
+ "For the akedah itself is not really regarded as so great a test in relation to the level of our father Abraham, peace to him, especially as G–d said to him “Please take your son….” After all, there are numerous saints who gave their lives for the sanctification of the L–rd, even though that G–d did not speak to them. However, our father Abraham, peace to him, did this with a wondrous alertness to show his joy and desire to fulfill the will of his Master and to cause gratification to his Maker.",
+ "And from him our Sages, of blessed memory, derived (the requirement of alertness) with respect to the keeping of all the commandments in general; and in particular with respect to the act of charity, which is superior to them all, protecting and saving by its “fruits” in this world from all kinds of calamities that may come about, as it is written: “And tzedakah saves from death,” thus, a fortiori, from other kinds of suffering that are lighter than death. It is, thus, certainly to our benefit, even in this world, to be as zealous with it as possible, for, after all, “Man is judged every day.”]",
+ "Indeed, we also found and noted in the service of charity a particularly great and wondrous advantage, without parallel: the act of charity is performed in numerous times, and whoever performs it frequently is praiseworthy. This is in contrast to performing it in one time and all at once, even when the total sum is the same, as R. Moses Maimonides, of blessed memory, wrote in (his) Commentary on the Mishnah taught by the Sages, of blessed memory: “And everything according to the quantity of the act.”",
+ "Now, besides that, R. Moses Maimonides, of blessed memory, explained well this reason and motive [“In order to refine the soul by means of the quantitative action”], there is an explicit verse in Scripture that “The effect of tzedakah is for life.” This means its effect and affection is to elicit supreme life from the Fountainhead of life, the En Sof, blessed is He, to the Land of Life, the Abode (Shechinah) of our strength, of which it is said “And You animate them all.” It is the hut of David that has fallen down to the very dust, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “When they were exiled to Edom, the Shechinah went with them….” (This effect of tzedakah is brought about) because the arousal from below, to revive the spirit of the humbled who has nothing at all of his own, elicits an arousal from above; and especially so when the people offer voluntarily to sustain the inhabitants of the actual Land of Life, and suffice this for the initiated.",
+ "Now, whoever is enlightened as to so great and wondrous a matter will find to the best of discernment and knowledge how profound are the words of the Sages, of blessed memory, when they said “Everything according to the quantity of the act.” This refers to the act of charity, which is performed at numerous times to elicit supreme life in order to bring about a supreme unification (yichud) many times.",
+ "This is also similar to what R. Moses Maimonides wrote “to refine the soul,” as is known from the sacred Zohar that the Shechinah is called nefesh (soul)—because she is our life and our soul. And it is written: “Our soul is bent low, to the dust.” And that is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Great is charity, for it brings close the redemption”—to raise (the Shechinah) from the dust, gradually, “until Shilo will come.”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-TWO. My beloved, my brethren and friends:",
+ "An open rebuke out of a love concealed: come now and let us adjudge, remember the days of old, consider the years of every generation. Has such ever happened since the days of the world, and where, oh where have you found such a custom in any one of the books of the early and latter sages of Israel, that it should be usage and regulation to ask for advice in mundane matters—what one is to do in matters pertaining to the physical world. (Such was not asked) even of the greatest of the erstwhile sages of Israel as the Tannaim and Amoraim, “For whom no secret is hidden” and “All the paths of heaven are clear to them,” except for the real prophets that were aforetimes in Israel as Samuel the Seer, to whom Saul went to enquire of G–d about the donkeys that were lost to his father.",
+ "For in fact, all matters pertaining to man, except for the words of Torah and the fear of Heaven, are apprehended by prophecy only. “And there is no bread for the wise,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven,” and “Seven things are hidden…man does not know how he will profit, and when the Kingdom of David will return….” Note, these are likened one to the other!",
+ "As for what is written in Isaiah, “A counselor and a wise one who silences all,” and also, as for the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory, “From him people enjoy etzah (counsel) and toshiyah (salvation)”—this refers to matters of the Torah, called toshiyah. Thus the Sages, of blessed memory, said: “A counselor is he who knows to intercalcate the years and to determine the months,” for in Torah terminology the principium of intercalcation is called etzah and sod, as mentioned in Sanhedrin, folio 87; see there in the commentary of Rashi.",
+ "However, I shall relate the truth to those who listen to me: “Love upsets the natural order of conduct,” for it is a covering of the eyes not to see the truth. Because of their great love for the life of the body [for the sake of Heaven, to worship G–d with it in a mode of flashes of fire and a great flame because of their soul’s love for G–d], they are properly angry with the agony of the body, Heaven forfend; may G–d show compassion. Thus they are not able to bear it at all, to the point that it drives them out of their mind to tramp about from city to city to seek advice from afar, and they did not implore G–d by returning to Him with humble spirit and submission of the body to accept His chastisement with love, “for He whom He loves….”",
+ "It is analogous to a compassionate, wise, and righteous father who punishes his son. Surely the wise son should not “turn his back” to escape and find himself help, or even an intercessor before his father, who is compassionate, righteous, and merciful. Rather, he should have his face looking straight at his father, face to face, to endure his strikes with love, “For his lifelong benefit.”",
+ "Now, above, the aspect of panim (face) is that of willingness and pleasure. That is, our Father in Heaven effuses to His children all the good of the worlds, and life for the soul and body, out of love and willingness, pleasure and delight, through the Torah of Life, His Will, blessed be He, which He gave to us, as it is written: “For in the light of panecha (Your Face), You gave us the Torah of Life…” to carry out His will with it. And of this it was said: “For in the light of the King’s Face there is life, and His will….”",
+ "To the heathens, however, He effuses the life of their bodies without willingness, pleasure, and delight. This, therefore, is referred to as elohim acherim, for they draw from the aspect of achorayim.",
+ "It is likewise with man: willingness and pleasure are an aspect of panim (face). When one does not accept with love and willingness, it is as if “he turns his neck” and achor (back), Heaven forfend.",
+ "The suggested advice (to be able) to accept with love is the counsel of the L–rd in the mouth of our Sages, of blessed memory: “to examine one’s conduct.” Thus one will find with himself sins that require the purgation through afflictions. Then one will see clearly His great love toward himself which “upsets the natural order of conduct,” as in the simile of the great and awesome king who, out of his great love, personally washes the filth from his only son, as it is written: “When the L–rd will wash the filth off the daughters of Zion… with a spirit of justice….”",
+ "And “As waters (reflect) face to face,” there will be an arousal of love in the heart of everyone who perceives and understands the preciousness of the nature of G–d’s love for the nether beings; it is dearer and better than all the life of all the worlds, as it is written: “How precious is Your chesed…,�� “For Your chesed is better than life….” For chesed [which is the aspect of love] is the Fountainhead of the life prevalent in all the worlds, as it is written: “He sustains life through chesed.”",
+ "And then G–d, too, will grant goodness and make His Face shine toward him in the mode of a manifestation of the love which at first was clothed and hidden in a manifestation of admonition, and the gevurot shall be sweetened at their source and the judgments become nullified, forevermore.",
+ "(22b). My beloved, my brethren and friends:",
+ "Due to the immensity of my preoccupations which all together surround me and “encircle me like water all day and all night, never holding their peace,”—I am unable to bear the burden to state in writing all that is in my heart.",
+ "Briefly, however, I come as one who reminds and repeats erstwhile matters in general, and in particular to those of the people who offer themselves willingly—to stand by the (Divine) service, i.e., prayer, with a loud voice: to strengthen themselves very much with all might and power against any internal or external obstacle, with, literally, a strong hand. This refers to the “will of those who fear Him”—transcending the wisdom and understanding G–d gave into them in order to know to exercise all that G–d commanded with intelligence and knowledge.",
+ "There should be but a simple will and a spirit of voluntary offering in every one whose heart prompts him to serve “a whole service,” thus to cause gratification to his Maker. Of this it is said: “For it is a stiff-necked people, and You pardon,” for pardon, too, transcends wisdom, as “They asked wisdom….” Thus Moses our Master, peace to him, invoked “measure for measure,” and suffice this for the initiated.",
+ "Furthermore, I ask of you not to cast aside my words, the plea I issued for everyone to be upright and walking with integrity just as “G–d made man upright; not to seek numerous calculations” of the pretexts of man’s steps and a person’s thoughts and devices. For that is the work of Heaven and not an occupation for human beings.",
+ "Rather, (every one is) to believe with absolute faithfulness in the precept of our Sages, of blessed memory: “And be humble of spirit before every person”—in general. For it is a set matter and an established proverb that each one becomes better through his fellow being.",
+ "Thus it is written—“All the men of Israel…as one man associated together,” just as one man is composed of many limbs; but when they become separated this affects the heart. “For out of it are the issues of life.” With us, therefore, by all of us being as truly one man, the service (of G–d) will be established in the heart. And from the affirmative…. That is why it was said: “To serve Him as one part.”",
+ "Therefore, my beloved and dear ones: I beg of you to make an effort with all the heart and soul to drive into the heart the love for one’s fellow man, “And none of you should consider in your hearts what is evil to his fellow man”—it is written. Such (consideration) should never rise in the heart, and if it does rise one is to push it away from his heart “as smoke is driven away,” and truly like an idolatrous thought.",
+ "For to speak evil is as grave as idolatry, incest, and shedding of blood together. If this be so with speech…; and the advantage of the adjustment of thought over speech, whether for the good or for the better, is already known to all the wise of heart.",
+ "May the good L–rd, who blesses His people with peace, set among you peace and life, forevermore, as is the wish of him who loves you faithfully from heart and soul."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-THREE. “The matter is by the decree of the watch-angels and the say of the holy ones”—the Sages of the Mishnah, may peace be on them, who taught in their Mishnah: “Ten that sit and busy themselves with Torah, the Shechinah dwells among them.” This is the whole of man. Moreover, (man’s) very descent to this world was for the purpose of this ascent, of which there is none higher.",
+ "For the Indwelling of His Might (Shechinat Uzo), which is in the heights of the upper realms and whose awesomeness the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain, dwells and becomes magnified among the children of Israel. Thus it is written: “For I, the L–rd, dwell among (toch) the children of Israel”—through the occupation with Torah and the commandments by ten, expressly, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “We compare toch-toch…”; of this it was said: “The Holy One in your midst,” and “There is no matter of holiness with less than ten.”",
+ "Therefore, too, our Sages, of blessed memory, need to derive from Scripture whence we know that even one who sits occupied with Torah…. And even so they did not find from Scripture support for that, but only for the allotment of a reward to the individual, proportionate to himself and in proportion to the many. But as to causing an indwelling (hashraah) of G–d’s Holiness, (the individual) cannot be compared to (the multitude) at all.",
+ "The difference between causing an indwelling (hashraah) and the allotment of a reward is explicit to those who discern knowledge. For the “allotment of a reward” is when G–d irradiates the soul that seeks Him with the light of Torah, which is truly the wrapping of His garment—[wherefore the Torah is called “light”], as it is written: “He wraps (Himself in) light, as (with) a garment.” But because the soul is limited and finite in all its powers, the light of G–d that radiates in it is also limited, contracted, and vests itself in (the soul). That is why the heart of those who seek the L–rd is in a mode of ecstasy at the time of prayer, or the like. For their heart rejoices in Him and exults “Even with exultation and song,” and their soul delights in the pleasantness of the L–rd and His light as it becomes revealed from the wrapper of His garment—the Torah; “And His arrow comes forth like lightning.” This is the allotment of the reward for Torah, which is always fixed in the soul that labors in (Torah).",
+ "The indwelling (hashraah), however, is an immense radiation from the light of G–d that radiates in (the soul) without limit and end. It cannot become vested in a finite soul, but encompasses it from above, from “its head to its foot,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The Shechinah hovers over every gathering often,” i.e., over them, from above. Thus it is written: “May the pleasantness of the L–rd our G–d be upon us, and the work of our hands establish upon us.” This is to say that the pleasantness of the L–rd which shone forth through the work of our hands in the occupation with Torah and the commandments [for “The Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are entirely one”] become established and “dwell upon us from above,” for it is without limit and end and does not become vested in our soul and intellect.",
+ "That is why we do not apprehend with our intellect the delightfulness and sweetness of the unlimited and infinite pleasantness of the L–rd, and the splendor of the Shechinah, established and dwelling upon us through the work of our hands in Torah and the commandments (performed) specifically en masse. And of this our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “In this world there is no reward for the commandments.” For it is impossible for the world to attain it [the reward] but by divesting the soul from the body, and even then by way of grace, as it is written: “And that Yours, my L–rd, is kindness, for You repay each man according to his deeds.” Thus our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the Holy One, blessed is He, gives unto the righteous a capacity….",
+ "It is not so, however, with the angels, as I heard from my masters that if there were an angel standing in the presence of a gathering of ten Israelites [even if there are no words of Torah between them], an unlimited and infinite fear and awe would then befall him from the Shechinah that dwells over them that he would become totally nullified.",
+ "Therefore, evil in my eyes is the behavior that takes place under the sun in general, and especially among my brethren and friends that draw near to the L–rd, “drawing near means prayer”: after prayer or before it there is formed a “seat of scoffers,” the Merciful save us, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Two who sit together, and there are no words of Torah between them….” And if a “seat of scoffers” is formed by ten, over which the Shechinah dwells, there is no greater insult and shaming of the Shechinah than that, the Merciful save us. And when our Sages, of blessed memory, said of him who commits a transgression in secret that “he repulses the feet of the Shechinah,” Heaven forfend, he who commits a transgression in public repulses the whole measure of the stature of the Creator, as it were, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “It is impossible for Me and him…,” except that “the King is held captive in the tresses….”",
+ "But woe to one who repulses the Shechinah when G–d will raise (the Shechinah) and say to her: “Awake, arise from the dust…,” and “For three things Israel is kept back in exile: because they repulse the Shechinah, and because they shame the Shechinah…,” as mentioned in the sacred Zohar.",
+ "Therefore, my beloved ones, my brethren and friends: do not commit this great evil and “Give glory to the L–rd your G–d before it grows dark,” i.e., between Minchah and Maariv, by studying in groups every weekday the pnimiyut of Torah, i.e., the Aggadah contained in the work Eyn Yaakov. For most of the secrets of the Torah are concealed in it, and it atones man’s sins, as explained in the writings of the Arizal. The revealed parts therein are the ways of G–d wherein man is to walk and (enable him) to devise counsels in his soul pertaining to matters of heaven and matters of the world, as is known to all the wise of heart.",
+ "(They are) also to learn somewhat in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, the laws that are essential to every person. Of this our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Whoever studies halachot every day…”—referring to the clarified and adjudged rulings that are of practical relevance, as explained in the commentary of Rashi, ad loc.",
+ "On the holy Shabbat, toward the time of Minchah, they should occupy themselves with the laws of Shabbat. For “The law of Shabbat is important.” It is easy for man to stumble in it, Heaven forfend, even in the matter of a prohibition involving extirpation and stoning, because of a lack of knowledge, and “error in teaching amounts to intentional sin,” Heaven forfend. No need to mention (that the same applies to) the Rabbinic injunctions which are ever so numerous, and especially with respect to the prohibitions of muktzeh, of which there are many; and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The words of the Soferim are more severe than the words of Torah.” For whoever transgresses the words of the Sages, even but a light injunction of theirs [as, for instance, he who eats before the evening prayer, and the like] is guilty of death, just as one who transgresses the severe matters of the Torah.",
+ "And let no individual separate himself from the congregation, even to learn something else; rather, (each one is to participate) in whatever the congregation busies itself with. There is no need to mention that one should not leave if there are not ten without him; to him I apply the verse “And those that leave the L–rd shall be consumed…,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, said with respect to every sacred matter. For There is no holiness as the holiness of the Torah—whereas “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are entirely one.”",
+ "Thus, whoever separates himself from the community…, but he who will listen to me shall dwell securely, and in his and in our own days Judah shall be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell securely—Amen, may this be (His) will."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-FOUR. My beloved, my brethren:",
+ "I beg you, do not act wickedly, friends that are beloved to their Maker and hateful to their inclination. Let no one make himself wicked before the Omnipresent the one hour He has chosen of all day in which to gather and stand before Him [during that hour]. It is an auspicious time before Him to become revealed, to come into the miniature sanctuary to attend to the Abode (Shechinah) of His Glory, “He who dwells with them in the midst of their impurity,” and to be available to those who seek and beseech Him and those who hope for Him.",
+ "Now, he who recounts his needs shows of himself that he does not desire to contemplate and to see the manifestation of His majestic glory. Thus he becomes an impure chariot to the “supernal fool,” of whom it is said, “The fool does not desire understanding…,” as mentioned in the Zohar and by the Arizal. This means, he does not desire to contemplate and to see the preciousness of the splendor of the greatness of the King of all kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, which becomes revealed in that hour above, and also below, to those who desire to look to His glory and greatness which wraps and vests itself in the words of the liturgy [which has been properly arranged for everyone] and becomes revealed to each according to his intellect and the root of his soul, as it is written: “Man yehulal (is praised) according to his intellect,” the ktiv being: yehalel (praises).",
+ "Now, the kingdom of heaven is similar to a kingdom on earth. It is customary for a king to have his might concealed in the innermost chambers, with several guards at the doors, (so) that many people await for days and years to see his might and glory. And when he wishes to become revealed to all, he proclaims throughout his kingdom to gather and to stand before him in order to show them his majestic glory and the precious splendor of his greatness. Now, whoever will stand before him not caring to see him and busies himself with his needs, how inferior, foolish, and simple is he; he resembles an animal in the eyes of all in the eyes of all creatures.",
+ "Moreover, it is a dishonor to the king by demonstrating before him that to have pleasure and delight from looking at his glory and beauty is of no more esteem in his eyes than busying himself with his (own) needs. Also, it is a capital offense toward the king by demonstrating how he insults and dishonors the king before all who see. Of this it was said: “And the fools raise the insult.” This means to say that though he is a fool, he should not “raise the insult,” that the insult becomes apparent to all.",
+ "Our Sages, of blessed memory, therefore, ordained that with prayer one should be “as standing before the King.” At least he should make himself appear as if he stands (before the king), to the sight of all who look with physical eyes at his actions and words, even though the fool has no thought. That is why all the prayers were ordained for the one who will contemplate on them properly. But he who does not show this makes himself guilty, at the risk of his life, and of him it was said in the sacred Zohar that “he causes an insult against the supernal arrangement and shows that he is separate and has no part in the G–d of Israel,” the Merciful save us.",
+ "Therefore, I come to act as an agent of our Sages, of blessed memory, to enact a decree to apply equally to every one: No idle talk is to be spoken from the moment the chazzan begins to recite the prayer until the end of the last Kaddish, at Shacharit, Arvit, and Minchah.",
+ "And he who will disobey wittingly shall sit on the ground and beg of three people to release him from the supernal excommunication. “As he will repent, he will be healed,” and fully retroactively, no excommunication will apply to him. For, from the very outset it applies only to those who rebel and revolt, who do not care at all to seek atonement from Heaven and from the creatures for this sin which calls for judgment.",
+ "Also, (this applies) only when they speak deliberately, with contempt, but not to one who forgets, or unwittingly uttered some words, for he does not require a release at all; “And G–d who is righteous examines the hearts and the kidneys.” Be Beneficient, O L–rd, to the good and to those who are upright in their hearts."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-FIVE. “To comprehend the words of understanding” stated in the sacred book called Tzavaat Harivash—[though in fact it is not at all his testament, and he did not ordain anything before his passing; they are mere gleanings of his pure sayings that were gathered, “gleanings upon gleanings,” and (the compilers) did not know how to determine the phraseology exactly in its proper fashion. The connotation, however, is absolutely true.]",
+ "—we shall precede with the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “Whoever is in a rage is as if he worships idols.” The reason is clear to those that have understanding, because at the time of his anger faith has departed from him. For were he to believe that what happened to him is of the L–rd’s doing, he would not become angry at all.",
+ "And though it is a person possessed of free choice cursing him, or hitting him, or causing damage to his money, and therefore guilty according to the laws of man and the laws of Heaven for having chosen evil, nevertheless, as regards the person harmed—this was already decreed from Heaven, and “the Omnipresent has many agents.”",
+ "And not only this, but even at that particular time when he hits or curses him, there is vested in him a force from G–d and “the breath of His mouth,” blessed be He, which animates and sustains him, and as it is written: “For the L–rd told him: ‘curse!’” Now, where did He say (so) to Shimi? But this thought, that occurred in Shimi’s heart and mind, descended from G–d, and the “breath of His mouth—which animates—all their hosts” animated the spirit of Shimi at the time he spoke those words to David. For if the “breath of His mouth,” blessed be He, had departed from the spirit of Shimi for a single moment, he could not have spoken at all.",
+ "(And that is the meaning of “For the L–rd told him [at that very moment, indeed]: ‘curse David.’ Who then shall say…?”9",
+ "And as known what the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, said on the verse “Forever, O L–rd, Your word stands firm in the heavens”: The combinations of the letters wherewith the heavens were created, i.e., the fiat “Let there be a firmament…,” stand and remain vested in the Heavens forever, to vivify and sustain them.",
+ "This is unlike the theory of the philosophers who deny individual providence. They, in their false imagination, compare the work of G–d, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, to the work of man and his schemes: when the metalsmith has completed a vessel, the vessel no longer needs the hands of the smith. For though his hands are removed from it, it remains intact by itself. But their eyes are bedaubed so that they cannot see the great difference between man’s work and schemes—[which is (the production of) something out of something (yesh meyesh), except that he changes the form and the image]—and the making of heaven and earth [which is creatio ex nihilo (yesh meayin)].",
+ "(The latter) is a wonder much greater than, for example, the splitting of the Red Sea—which the L–rd caused to go back “by a strong eastwind all that night…and the waters were divided.” If the wind had ceased but for a moment, the waters would again have flowed downward, as is their way and nature. They would not have stood upright as a wall, even though this characteristic of the water, too, was created and innovated ex nihilo (yesh meayin). A wall of stones stands erect by itself, without any wind, but this is not of the nature of water. Now, a fortiori, and a minori ad majus, with respect to the creation of substantiality ex nihilo [which transcends nature and is more wondrous than the splitting of the Red Sea], how much more so would a withdrawal, Heaven forfend, of the force of the Creator [(bringing about) substantiality ex nihilo] from the creature, cause the creature to revert to absolute naught and nothingness! The operative force thus needs to remain constantly in the effect, to vivify and sustain it. This aspect is the “word of the L–rd” and the “breath of His mouth” of the ten fiats wherewith the universe was created.",
+ "And even this material world, and the inorganic class in it, their vivification and sustenance is the “word of the L–rd” of the ten fiats that has become vested in them and sustains them to be inorganic matter and substantiality ex nihilo, so that they will not revert to the absolute naught and nothingness they had been.",
+ "And this is the meaning of the statement of the Arizal, that there is a type of soul and spiritual vivification even in inorganic matter as stones, and dust, and water.",
+ "Now it is known to the students of Kabbalah that the “word of the L–rd” is referred to as Shechinah, in the terminology of our Sages, of blessed memory, and as imma tataah and matronita, in the terminology of the Zohar [especially at the beginning of section Vaeyra], because it dwells and vests itself in the creatures to vivify them.",
+ "In the terminology of the Kabbalists it is called malchut, relating to “The word of the king is regnant,” because the king conducts his kingdom through his edict, and also for other reasons known to the students of Kabbalah.",
+ "Now it is known that there is a rank and level of malchut of Atzilut, and a rank of malchut of Beriah….",
+ "Malchut of Atzilut is the “word of the L–rd” which vivifies and brings into being the great souls that are of the rank of Atzilut, as the soul of Adam of whom it is said, “He breathed into his nostrils a soul of life,” and as the souls of the patriarchs, and the prophets, and the like (who were truly a “chariot for G–d” and in a state of self-abnegation in relation to Him. Thus our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The Shechinah speaks from the throat of Moses,” and likewise with all the prophets and those possessed of the Holy Spirit: the Supernal Voice and Speech vested itself in their actual voice and speech, as mentioned by the Arizal).",
+ "Malchut of Beriah is the “word of the L–rd” which vivifies and brings into being the souls and angels in the realm of Beriah, whose level is not like the level of Atzilut….",
+ "And malchut of Asiyah is the “word of the L–rd” which vivifies and brings into this world, in its totality, including the element of dust, and the water that is below the earth.",
+ "(However, in the countries of the heathens the vivification is by way of an investment of the extraneous patron-angels (sarim hachitzonim) that are appointed over the seventy nations. That is, a spark from the “word of the L–rd,” called malchut of Asiyah, descends and radiates over the supernal patron-angels in a way of encompassing from aloft, but does not truly vest itself in them. Rather, the vivification issues to them from this radiation shining over them from aloft, in a mode of encompassment.",
+ "And from the patron-angels vivification issues to the heathens, and to the cattle, beasts, and fowl that are in their lands, and to the physical earth, and to the physical heavens, i.e., the planets. (However, the heavens and the earth, and the cattle, beasts, and fowl that are pure, are influenced by the kelipat nogah. The impure (animals) and the souls of the heathens, however, are (influenced) by the other kelipot.)",
+ "Now, in the lands of the heathens, the heavens and the earth and all they contain, are all esteemed as truly nothing in relation to the patron-angels—which are their vivification and sustenance.",
+ "The patron-angels themselves are esteemed as truly nothing in relation to the vivification issuing to them from the spark of the “word of the L–rd,” which radiates over them from aloft. And even so, the vivification issuing to them from this radiation is in them in a state of exile. That is why they are called elohim acherim (other gods) [while they call Him—“G–d of the gods”], as if they, too, are in the category of Divinity.",
+ "The heathens who are influenced by them, therefore, are truly idolaters, until the time of the end when death and the sitra achara will be swallowed up, and “then I shall turn to the nations …that they may all call by the Name of the L–rd.” This is also referred to as the “exile of the Shechinah.” For this vivification, in a state of exile within them, stems from the radiation issuing to them from the spark of the “word of the L–rd” called Shechinah. (And this exile stems from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge and onward, and is a rank of mere achorayim of holiness.",
+ "But when the Israelites were exiled to be among the nations—and the attachment and root of the Israelites is in the rank of the supernal face (panim)—this became a total exile. Of this our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “When they were exiled to Edom, the Shechinah went with them.”))",
+ "Now, though “the L–rd is one, and His Name is one” [that is, His speech and the “breath of His mouth,” which in the sacred Zohar is referred to as His Name, is singularly and uniquely one], nevertheless, the radiation and efflux of vivification, issuing forth from the breath of His mouth, blessed be He, divides into four different levels. These are the four worlds Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.",
+ "The difference is due to (many) contractions and curtailments—screening and concealing the light and vivification so that it will not radiate in the world of Beriah as much as in the world of Atzilut; and in the world of Yetzirah it is by means of further contractions and curtailments…. However, there is no change whatsoever, Heaven forfend, in the essence of the Shechinah, i.e., the “word of the L–rd” and the “breath of His mouth.”",
+ "Also, as regards the radiation and efflux of vivification, the radiation which is in Atzilut pierces the curtailment and vests itself in Beriah. Likewise from Beriah to Yetzirah, and from Yetzirah to Asiyah. Thus it follows that the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which is in Atzilut, is also in Asiyah and in this material world through its investment in the malchut of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, as everything is explained in the writings of the Arizal.",
+ "Now, it is known to all that the soul of man is compounded of the ten sefirot: chochmah, binah, daat, and so on. Though they are all of the breath of His mouth, blessed be He, [as it is written: “He breathed into his nostrils…”], nevertheless, more specifically the chabad in his soul are analogous to the chabad in the ten sefirot, referred to as abba and imma; and the attributes of love and fear, and so forth, in his soul are analogous to the middot in the ten sefirot, referred to as z’eyr anpin; and the faculty of speech in his soul is analogous to the Supernal Speech, referred to as malchut, and Shechinah. Hence, when speaking words of Torah one arouses the supernal speech to unify the Shechinah. That is why it is established that for the reading of the Shema, the Blessing after a Meal, and words of Torah, one has not discharged his duty by meditation without speech.",
+ "Now, with one opposite the other, there are “ten crowns of impurity.” From these issue the souls of the heathens, also comprised of precisely those ten ranks. And it is common knowledge that which has been stated in Sefer Hagilgulim on the verse “That man rules in man, to his evil,” that it refers to the mystery of the Shechinah’s exile in the kelipot in order to vivify them, and to empower them to rule, now, in the time of the exile; but it is “to his evil….” And that is why the heathens dominate now over Israel. For the souls of the heathens are of the kelipot, in which the Shechinah is vested in a state of exile. Though this requires extensive exposition (as to) how and what, it is, nevertheless, fact.",
+ "Despite this, the kelipot and heathens receive their nurture and vivification only from an aspect extended to them, of the achorayim of holiness, “as with one who casts away behind his shoulders.” And even that is by way of numerous and immense contractions and curtailments until this radiation became vested in the materiality of this world and diffuses wealth and honor, and all physical pleasures, to the heathens.",
+ "The Israelites, however, elicit from the aspect of the supernal face, as it is written: “May the L–rd make His face shine upon you,” in each one according to the root of his soul, even up to the peak of levels.",
+ "After these words and this truth, manifest and known to all, we shall return to our original subject with respect to anger—that one is as an idolater. This is so with respect to mundane matters, because “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven.” Hence, with respect to matters of Heaven, “to warn off from wrongdoing,” the reason stated does not apply, and as it is written: “And Moses was enraged.” This is different because G–d caused him to encounter this mitzvah of “warning off from wrongdoing” in order to make him meritorious.",
+ "But this applies (only) when he is able to prevent by his wrath and anger against his fellow man. However, when he is unable to prevent, as in the case of the heathen speaking and disturbing him in his prayer, (the question) then (arises), what that is this that G–d has done to him? It is but in order that he prevail and strengthen himself ever more in his prayer, in the profundity of the heart, and with so great a concentration that he will not hear the words of the heathen.",
+ "However, for such a level one needs a great and immense arousal.",
+ "And the counsel suggested for such an arousal is from the subject matter itself. He should consider and contemplate on the idea of the descent of the Shechinah, as it were: “She descended in wondrous fashion” to have a spark of her radiation invested. Thus she is in a state of exile among the kelipot, in a general way, in order to animate them. And now again, a spark of her radiation vests itself in a state of exile, in a particular way, in the speech of this heathen who speaks words that disturb the service of the L–rd, i.e., the devotion of prayer. And as explained above, one opposite the other…, thus the supernal speech vests itself in the nether speech…. Now this is truly “That man rules in man, to his evil”; that is, because of this man is aroused to pray with greater devotion, from the profundity of the heart, until he will not hear his words.",
+ "As for the compiler writing “sharta” (dwelled), he did not know to determine the precise term. For the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, used to deliver Torah discourses in the Yiddish tongue, and not in the sacred tongue. He meant to say: “nitlabsha” (became vested)—that is, in a state of exile. And that is the meaning of “especially if he is a heathen…,”81 for then there is so much more of a state of exile.",
+ "There is no need to wonder at a spark of the Shechinah’s illumination being referred to as Shechinah. Thus we find that even a created angel is referred to as G–d: in the section of Vayera, according to the commentary of R. Moses Nachmanides, and as it is written: “And she called the name of the L–rd who spoke to her…”; and many more (passages) like this.",
+ "It would seem to me that their seizing (this passage) is not because of the accuracy of the phraseology but with respect to the very idea of the investment of the Shechinah in the kelipot. For they do not believe what the Arizal wrote in Sefer Hagilgulim. Should they want to distinguish between the spiritual kelipot and the physical idolaters, you have nothing more physical than the dust of the earth; nevertheless, the malchut of malchut of Asiyah vests itself in it, and within that the malchut of Yetzirah…, and as mentioned above. And should it be because of the impurity of the souls of the heathens, verily, their souls are from the conjunctio of the masculine and feminine (zivug zu’n) of the spiritual kelipot, as mentioned in the writings of the Arizal. Hence it follows that the spiritual (kelipot) are the source of their impurity!",
+ "But in truth, this requires extensive elucidation regarding this investment. But this complaint does not apply to us, but to the writings of the Arizal. And let not he who hears (this) suspect me that I imagine to have understood the words of the Arizal, to divest them from their physical connotation. I came but to explain the words of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, and of his disciples, according to the Kabbalah of the Arizal, especially since this matter is not of the science of the Kabbalah and of the things “secret to the L–rd our G–d,” but of the “things revealed to us and to our children”—to believe in full faith in the explicit verse, spoken by Scripture: “Do I, then, not fill the heavens and the earth, says the L–rd.” For Scripture does not lose its plain meaning.",
+ "Also, it is a simple article of faith among the general totality of Israel, handed down to them by their saintly ancestors, who walked in wholeness with the L–rd without searching the concept of Divinity by means of the human intellect, for it is infinitely beyond the intellect to know how He fills the earth.",
+ "But new ones have recently come to examine this problem, and it is impossible to make them understand except by means of premises taken from the writings of the Arizal, divested from their physical connotation, and according to what I heard from my masters, may their souls rest in Eden. However, it is impossible to explain this clearly in writing, only orally to “the ear that hears,” to adept individuals, and to “the remnants whom the L–rd calls,” as it is written: “And they who seek the L–rd understand all,” and from the affirmative you may infer….",
+ "You have now seen an explanation of a single passage from the well known books as a sample and token that indeed all “astonishing passages” have an explanation and meaningfulness for the students of Kabbalah. However, let them not hope for me to explain everything in writing. That is a hard and extensive labor and absolutely impossible. But if you so desire, send from among you one who is “outstanding in the congregation,” and, G–d willing, I will talk to him “face to face.” And may the L–rd be with my mouth when my words will flow, and may the utterances of my mouth find favor."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-SIX. In Raaya Mehemna, section of Nasso, (it is stated): “‘And they that are wise shall shine as the splendor of the firmament’ with this work of yours, which is the Book of Splendor (Sefer HaZohar)—of the splendor of the imma ilaah, repentance; with these no trial is needed. Because in time to come Israel will taste of the Tree of Life, which is the book of the Zohar, and through which they will leave their exile with mercy. And through them shall be realized that ‘The L–rd alone will lead him, and there is no strange god with Him.’",
+ "And the Tree of Good and Evil, i.e., prohibition and permission, impurity and purity, will no longer domineer over Israel. Their sustenance will be from the side of the Tree of Life alone. There, there is no question from the side of evil and no disagreement from the spirit of impurity, as it is written: ‘And the spirit of impurity I shall remove from the earth.’ Thus the scholars of Torah will no longer be sustained by illiterate persons (amey haaretz), but from the side of the good, by those who consume what is pure, kosher, permitted; nor by the mixed multitude (erev rav)—who consume what is impure, unfit, prohibited…. But while the Tree of Good and Evil domineers…, these Sages, who are compared to Shabbat and Festivals, have nothing save what is given to them by those profane ones, analogous to the day of Shabbat which has but what has been prepared for it on a weekday.",
+ "“However, when the Tree of Life will dominate, the Tree of Good and Evil will be suppressed and the illiterate persons will have but what the scholars of Torah give them. They will be subjugated to them as if they did not exist in the world. Accordingly, the prohibited, the permitted, the impure, and the pure will not be removed from the illiterate persons. As regards them—‘There is no difference between the exile and the days of the Messiah, except for the (delivery from) servitude to the nations.’ For they did not taste of the Tree of Life and will require the teachings of proscription and permission, impurity and purity.” Until here from the Raaya Mehemna.",
+ "Now, at first glance, what appears evident to those unfamiliar with the subject matter from the contents of this passage is that the study of [the laws of] ritual prohibition and permission, and of the Order of Taharot, relates only to the Tree of Good and Evil. This is greatly surprising in itself and contradicts the plain meaning of Scripture and the expositions of our Sages, of blessed memory. For the whole Torah that has been revealed to us and to our children is called “A tree of life for those who hold fast to it,” and not only the Book of the Zohar. Moreover, it was concealed in their days; also, the whole science of the Kabbalah was hidden in their days and concealed from all the scholars of Torah, except for a select few, and even then in a mode of “walking hiddenly” and not publicly, as mentioned in the Gemara.",
+ "Thus the Arizal wrote that it is only in these latter generations that it is permitted and a duty to reveal this science, but not so in the earlier generations. R. Shimon bar Yochai, too, stated in the sacred Zohar that the permission to reveal was given to him and his associates only.",
+ "Now, this itself, too, is a wondrous marvel. For if so, then the study of [the laws of] ritual prohibition and permission, and, a fortiori, of civil laws, should not defer the precept of prayer [which is arranged according to the secrets of the Zohar and the supreme unifications (yichudim)] for those who are familiar with them such as R. Shimon bar Yochai and his associates. But this is not the case, as mentioned in the Gemara: R. Shimon bar Yochai and his associates, and everyone whose study of Torah is his profession, do not interrupt (their study) for prayer.",
+ "(This applies) even when dealing with civil laws, like Rav Yehudah, all of whose studies dealt with Nezikin; nevertheless, he prayed but every thirty days when reviewing his studies, as mentioned in the Gemara.",
+ "Also, in the Jerusalem Talmud, first chapter of Berachot, R. Shimon bar Yochai is of the opinion that even for the reading of the Shema one interrupts only (the study of) Scripture, but not of Mishnah, [(the study of) which is superior to (the study of) Scripture, according to R. Shimon bar Yochai]. And he did not differentiate between the Order of Zera’im, Moed and Kodshim, and Taharot and Nezikin. (Actually he contradicts his own opinion, given in several instances in Raaya Mehemna, that Mishnah is the shifchah…and Scripture, the Torah of Moses, is surely superior to the Kabbalah, which is the matronita, (as stated) in the Raaya Mehemna, ad loc., while the Written Torah is the malkah (that is, the yesod of abba vested in z’eyr anpin, as stated by the Arizal).)",
+ "Also, we find that R. Shimon bar Yochai dealt a great deal with the argumentation of problems and solutions which are of the side of evil and of the spirit of impurity, even when he was in the cave. Moreover, he merited this by virtue of the affliction of the cave, as it is stated in the Gemara that he gave R. Pinchas ben Yair twenty-four solutions to every query, and said to him: “If you had not seen me like this….” (In fact, their principal occupation in the cave must have been with the teachings of the Mishnayot, i.e., the six hundred Orders extant in those days, until (the time of) our holy Master. The Zohar and the Tikkunim he could have finished in two or three months, for surely he did not repeat the same thing twice.)",
+ "Also, our Sages, of blessed memory, said that since the day the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed is He, has but the four cubits of halachah.",
+ "There is yet further cause to be exceedingly amazed. How is it possible that in the days of the Messiah they will no longer need to know the laws of ritual prohibition and permission, and of impurity and purity? How will they slaughter the sacrifices, and also (the animals) for common use, when they will not know the laws of drassah, chaladah, and shehiyah [which render the slaughtering unfit], and of a defective knife? Will there then be born a man who by his very nature will slaughter without shehiyah and drassah? Will the knife also be the way it should be, and remain forever without a defect?",
+ "(There are) also many more laws (relating to) fat, and blood, and other prohibitions. They will also need to know about the impurity of a corpse, as it is written: “The youth of a hundred years old will die.” It will be further necessary to know about the impurity of a woman who has given birth, as it is written: “A pregnant woman and one who gives birth together.” If a woman will bear children every day, from one marital union, nevertheless, the law with respect to the prohibition of her impurity does not change.",
+ "There is no need to dwell on something so obvious. The reverse is well known from throughout the Talmud and the Midrashim: [that] “An objection was raised that the law is the same for the time of the Messiah,” and Elijah comes to clarify all doubts; and “This section, Elijah will expound in the future….”",
+ "The statement that “the scholars of Torah will no longer be sustained by the illiterate (amey haaretz)…nor by the mixed multitude (erev rav), who consume what is unfit, impure, and prohibited,” Heaven forfend, is also not understandable. Even during the time of the second Temple they were not sustained by the “illiterate persons who consume what is unfit and prohibited,” Heaven forfend. For the scholars of Torah had fields and vineyards just like the illiterate persons, but nevertheless busied themselves with the study of [the laws of] ritual prohibition and permission, and of impurity and purity [all the pairs that lived at the time of the second Temple], and they raised disciples in the thousands and myriads, but the study of the esoteric was in secret….",
+ "But, in truth, when you will examine closely the above-quoted text of the Raaya Mehemna—“And the Tree of Good and Evil, i.e., prohibition and permission…” (you will note that) he did not say “the teaching of prohibition and permission” or “the laws of prohibition and permission.” Rather, he meant to say that “that which is prohibited,” and “that which is permitted” is of the Tree of Good and Evil, i.e., of kelipat nogah, as stated in Etz Chaim.",
+ "That, too, is the etymological meaning of assur: the kelipah hovers over it and it cannot rise upward like that which is muttar, i.e., it is not tied and bound (assur) to the kelipah and is able to ascend by means of the person consuming it with his mind on G–d, or by any person serving G–d. For it is with the energy from this consumption that he studies and prays to G–d. Thus, from the energy extracted from that food are formed the the letters of Torah and of the prayers which ascend to G–d.",
+ "This is so during the week. But on Shabbat, the kelipat nogah itself is elevated along with the chitzoniyut of all the worlds. On Shabbat it is, therefore, a duty to eat all delightful things, and to consume much meat and wine, even though during the week he would be called a glutton and drunkard.",
+ "It is otherwise with a proscribed matter. It cannot ascend, either on Shabbat or during the weekdays, even if one were to pray and study with that energy [unless one ate to save an endangered life, which is permitted by our Sages, of blessed memory, and becomes permissible (hetter)].",
+ "But the study of Torah, even the laws of ritual prohibition and permission, impurity and purity [i.e., the Mishnayot, and the Beraitot in the Gemara, and the codifiers, which expound and clarify their words for practical application], these, precisely these are the fundamentals of the Oral Torah, which is the sefirah malchut of Atzilut, as mentioned in innumerable places in the sacred Zohar and at the beginning of the Tikkunim: “Malchut—the mouth, which we call the Oral Torah.” And in Atzilut “He and His causations are one in them,” that is, the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, unites itself in Atzilut in an absolute unity, so that He, and His will and wisdom [vested in His speech, which is called malchut] are entirely one.",
+ "The Arizal, in stating that the Mishnayot are in malchut of Yetzirah, meant to say the garment of malchut of Yetzirah in which malchut of Atzilut is vested. And malchut of Yetzirah is called shifchah in relation to malchut of Atzilut, while malchut of Beriah is called ammah.",
+ "You can know this from what the Arizal stated that Scripture, i.e., the Written Torah, is in Asiyah, even while it is explicit in innumerable places in the Zohar and the writings of the Arizal, that it is tiferet, the z’eyr anpin of Atzilut! But (this means that) it vests itself in Asiyah. Thus it is stated explicitly in Sefer Hakavanot that Scripture, Mishnah, Talmud, and Kabbalah are all in Atzilut, but Scripture vests itself as far as Asiyah, Mishnah as far as Yetzirah, and Talmud as far as Beriah.",
+ "Now, when malchut of Atzilut vests itself in kelipat nogah in order to extract the sparks that fell with the sin of Adam, and also the 288 sparks that fell with the shevirat hakelim, malchut of Atzilut, too, is then referred to as “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” in relation to the z’eyr anpin of Atzilut [which does not descend there and is referred to as Tree of Life].",
+ "Now, the investment of malchut in kelipat nogah is the mysterium of the “Exile of the Shechinah,” “That man rules in man …” And this is the meaning of the statement in Raaya Mehemna: “But at the time that the Tree of Good and Evil dominates…, they….” That is, at the time of the exile of the Shechinah [who effuses to the chitzonim that are in kelipat nogah, from where the mixed multitude (erev rav) elicits, and from their extract the scholars of Torah are supported in the exile], the principal service of man, and the purpose of the occupation with Torah and the commandments, is to disencumber the sparks, as known from the Arizal.",
+ "Therefore, the principal mode of study is in the deliberation and argumentation of the law of issur and hetter, impurity and purity, in order to disencumber the permitted and pure from the proscribed and impure by means of the deliberation and argumentation of the law—with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. For as known, the Torah derives from chochmah. Thus it is only through chochmah that they shall be disencumbered, i.e., the Supreme chochmah of Atzilut which is vested in malchut of Atzilut [the principium of the Oral Torah (according to the principium of abba founded barta)]—which (in turn) is vested in malchut of Yetzirah, the principium of the Mishnayot (and the Beraytot that are vested in the kelipat nogah which corresponds to the world of Yetzirah, for there begins the aspect of the evil inherent in the nogah), as known from the Arizal.",
+ "Now, the intelligent will understand something yet more amazing, namely, what happens in Heaven above through the deliberation and elucidation of an adjudged ruling (halachah) of the Gemara and earlier and latter codifiers [which prior to this deliberation was in a state of concealment]: by means of this (deliberation), one elevates this ruling from the kelipot that were hiding and concealing it in such a way that it was not known at all, or that its reasoning was not clearly understood. For the reason (of the halachah) is the principium of the sefirah of the supreme chochmah whence [by the breaking of the vessels] sparks fell into the kelipot. (These sparks) are there in a state of exile because the kelipot domineer over them and hide the wisdom of the Torah from the upper and lower beings. That is why it is stated in Raaya Mehemna that “The problematic query is of the side of evil.”",
+ "Now, the celestial beings do not have the power to disencumber and elevate that which is in kelipat nogah because of the breaking (of the vessels). Only the terrestrial beings (can do that), for they are vested in a material body—“hide of the snake,” which is of the kelipat nogah. They weaken its strength by crushing the passions and suppressing the sitra achara so that “all the workers of evil are dispersed.” That is why the celestial beings come to hear novelties of Torah from the terrestrial beings, what they discover and reveal of the secrets of wisdom which until then were in bondage in the exile.",
+ "And every one of Israel is able to reveal secrets of wisdom, (to reveal) and to discover a new insight, whether it be in laws or in homiletics, in the revealed or in the esoteric parts (of Torah), according to the level of his soul’s root. Indeed, one is obliged to do so in order to perfect his soul by elevating all the sparks that fell to its part and lot, as known.",
+ "(And every word of Torah, especially one of halachah, is a spark of the Shechinah, the word of the L–rd. Thus it is stated in the Gemara: “The ‘word of the L–rd’—that refers to the halachah,” the principium of malchut of Atzilut which garbs the chochmah of Atzilut, and they are (both) vested in malchut of Yetzirah, and by the breaking of the vessels descended into the kelipat nogah.)",
+ "And to this pertains what is stated in the Gemara: “The Holy One, blessed is He, says: whoever occupies himself with Torah…I account it to him as if he had redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world.”",
+ "But when the Shechinah will emerge from the kelipat nogah [after the extraction of the sparks shall be completed and the evil shall be separated from the good, “And all the workers of evil will be dispersed,” and the Tree of Good and Evil will not domineer because the good shall depart from it], then the occupation with the Torah and commandments will not be for the purpose of disencumbrance, but to consolidate more sublime yichudim, in order to elicit more orot, transcending Atzilut, as mentioned by the Arizal.",
+ "And everything will be by means of the pnimiyut of Torah, by performing the commandments with supreme devotions directed toward supreme orot. For the root of the commandments is ever so high, in the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "(As for the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory, that the commandments will be abrogated in the future, this refers to the time of the Resurrection of the Dead. In the days of the Messiah, however, prior to the Resurrection of the Dead, they will not be abrogated.)",
+ "And that is why the principal occupation with Torah will also be with the pnimiyut of the commandments and their hidden reasons. The revealed aspects, however, will be manifest and known to every one of Israel, by an innate knowledge, without oblivion. Only the mixed multitude (erev rav) will have to deal with these, because they will not merit to taste from the Tree of Life, i.e., the pnimiyut of the Torah and the commandments. They will need to occupy themselves with Mishnah in order to weaken (by the occupation with Torah) the power of the sitra achara which cleaves unto them, so that it will not dominate them—causing them to sin. Thus it is written: “And the sinner at the age of a hundred years old will be cursed”; this refers to the sinners of the mixed multitude.",
+ "Also, on the practical level, they will need the detailed rulings of proscription and impurity more than Israel. For (the latter) nothing shall occur that is unfit, impure, and proscribed, as “there shall not befall….” It is also possible, and would appear so, that (the Israelites) will know all the fundamentals of the revealed part of the Torah from the pnimiyut of the Torah, like our father Abraham, peace be to him. Thus they will not need to occupy themselves therewith at all.",
+ "At the time of the second Temple, however, they needed to occupy themselves (therewith), not just for the practical application of the law, but, and this is the principal purpose of the Divine service, to weaken the power of the sitra achara and to elevate the sparks of holiness by means of Torah and worship, as explained elsewhere.",
+ "After these words and this truth, the above passage from the Raaya Mehemna dealing with “the Tree of Good and Evil…” [i.e., the kelipat nogah, which is basically this world, as mentioned in Etz Chaim], will be well understood with additional elucidation, and suffice this for the initiated."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-SEVEN. What he wrote to the Chasidic community to console them doubly for salvation over the passing of the Rabbi, famous Gaon, holy man of G–d, “Lamp of Israel, pillar of the right hand, mighty hammer,” our master R. Menachem Mendel, may his soul rest in Eden.",
+ "My beloved, my brethren and friends, who are (to me) as my soul….
May the L–rd be over them, they should live a life forevermore, and their offspring with them, a seed of truth—they are the blessed of the L–rd from now for evermore.",
+ "Following the enquiry after their welfare as is becoming those that love His Name, I have come to comfort the smitten “that sigh and groan” and to console them doubly for salvation with what my ear has heard and noted for itself on the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that “He has left life for all the living.”",
+ "The righteous lives by his faith, and by the fear of the L–rd which leads to life, and by the flashes of fire of the flame of his love (of G–d, which to him) supercedes life, to absorb therein the life of his ruach all the days of his duration. And when it comes about that the L–rd takes up (and) gathers to Himself his ruach and neshamah, and he ascends from one elevation to another—to the peak of levels, he, then, leaves the life of his ruach, his effectuation on which he has labored previously among Israel [the labor of the righteous is for the living], to every living being. That is, (he leaves it to) the soul of every living being bound to his soul by the thick ropes of a magnanimous love, and an eternal love, that will not be moved forever. For he who is the man who desires life to become attached to the L–rd of life, his soul will become attached through his service; (his soul) will be bound up in the bundle of life with the L–rd, in the life of “the breath (ruach) of our nostrils of whom we said: in his tzel we shall live among the nations.”",
+ "(This) he left for us, in each and every one corresponding to the degree of his genuine alliance and his pure love, a pure love of truth from “the inward of man and a profound heart.” For “As waters (reflect) the face…,” and “spirit (ruach) rouses spirit, and brings forth spirit.” Thus his ruach remains truly in our midst, when he sees his children, the work of his hands, in his midst sanctifying His Name, blessed be He. For (His name) is magnified and sanctified when we walk in the right way that he has shown us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths forevermore.",
+ "And this is the meaning of the statement in the sacred Zohar that “When the tzaddik departs, he is to be found in all worlds more than in his lifetime.” That is, he is to be found more even in this world of action [“this day to do them”], because the action keeps growing growths of the second degree from the “light implanted for the righteous” in the field which the L–rd blessed; (this light) radiates to the earth and the outside places, and also to us—those that are here this day, all of us that live in his ways, “the holy way shall it be called.” This is as regards the service of G–d, with respect to heavenly matters.",
+ "As for mundane matters, it is stated explicitly in the sacred Zohar that the tzaddikim shield the world, and after their death even more than in their life. Were it not for the prayer of the tzaddikim in that world, the world would not endure a single moment. And whoever is closer unto the habitation of the L–rd during his lifetime has precedence to the blessing.",
+ "(27b). An elucidation of the above.",
+ "It is stated in the sacred Zohar that when the tzaddik departs he is to be found in all worlds more than in his lifetime…. Now this needs to be understood. For, granted that he is to be found increasingly in the upper worlds, because he ascends to there; but how can he be found more in this world?",
+ "This may be explained along the lines of what I received on the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that “He has left life for all the living.”",
+ "As is known, the life of the tzaddik is not a physical life but a spiritual life, consisting of faith, awe, and love. Thus of faith it is written: “And the tzaddik lives by his faith.” Of awe it is written: “The awe of the L–rd is for life.” And of love it is written: “He who pursues tzedakah and chesed will find life,” and chesed refers to love.",
+ "These three attributes are prevalent in every world to the topmost of levels, all proportionate to the levels of the worlds—one higher than the other by way of cause and effect, as known.",
+ "Now, while the tzaddik was alive on earth, these three attributes were contained in their vessel and garment on the plane of physical space. This is the aspect of the nefesh bound to his body. All his disciples receive but a radiation from these attributes and a ray [from them] radiating beyond this vessel by means of his holy utterances and thoughts. That is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said that a person cannot comprehend his master….",
+ "But after his passing, because the nefesh [which remains in the grave] is separated from the ruach [i.e., these three attributes] which is in the Garden of Eden, whoever is close to him can receive a part from the aspect of his ruach [which is in the Garden of Eden], because it is no (longer) within a vessel, nor on the plane of physical space. Thus is known the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, with reference to our father Jacob, peace be to him, that “the Garden of Eden entered with him.” Likewise it is stated in the book Asarah Maamarot that the sphere of the Garden of Eden spreads itself around every person, and in this sphere are recorded all his good thoughts and utterings of Torah and Divine service (and likewise to the contrary, Heaven forfend: they are recorded in the sphere of Gehinom, which spreads itself around every person).",
+ "Thus it is very easy for his disciples to receive their part of the essential aspects of their master’s ruach, i.e., his faith, his awe, and his love, wherewith he served the L–rd and not merely a ray thereof which radiates beyond the vessel. For the essential aspect of his ruach is raised, elevation upon elevation, to become absorbed in his neshamah, which is in the Higher Garden of Eden, in the supreme worlds.",
+ "Now it is known that something sacred is never wholly and totally uprooted from its place and original level, even after it has reached the highest point. Thus it is this original aspect, remaining below, in the Lower Garden of Eden, in its place and original level, which extends itself among his disciples, each one according to the level of his alliance and closeness to (the tzaddik) during his lifetime and after his death out of a magnanimous love. For the efflux of anything spiritual is but by means of a magnanimous love. Thus it is stated in the sacred Zohar that the spirit (ruach) in a mode of the willingness of the heart (reuta deliba) elicits a spirit from above; thus only when he will prepare himself toward his G–d with a great preparation and immense effort to receive these attributes in the way that his master taught him, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “If you have labored and (claim to have) found—believe it.”",
+ "Now, there is yet another type of radiation to his disciples. However, it does not vest itself truly in their mind—as is the case with the first one, but radiates over them, from aloft. It stems from the ascent of his ruach and his neshamah to the source from where it was hewn, that is to the “orchard of the holy apples” (chakal tapuchin kadishin). (This ascent) effects a unification there (yichud) by means of the elevation of the mayin nukvin of all his doings, his Torah, and the Divine service which he served all the days of his life. And in the chakal tapuchin kadishin are implanted most sublime lights corresponding to the nether ones, i.e., his Torah and worship.",
+ "The illumination of these supernal lights radiates over all his disciples, who became servants of the L–rd through his Torah and worship. And this radiation, which is over them from aloft, instills in their heart thoughts of repentance and good deeds. And all the good deeds born from this radiation [radiating from the lights implanted in the orchard mentioned above] are called “growths of the second degree.”",
+ "But this radiation is in great latency and concealment, just like the sun radiating to the stars from below the earth. Thus it is stated in the Tikkunim, in reference to Moses our Master, peace to him, that after his passing his radiation extends in every generation to the sixty myriad souls, just like the sun radiating to the sixty myriad stars from below the earth."
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-EIGHT. What he wrote to his relative by marriage, the Rabbi, famous Gaon, G–dly and holy man of the L–rd, “Lamp of Israel, pillar of the right hand, mighty hammer,” our master R. Levi Yitzchak, may his soul rest in Eden, head of the Bet Din of the holy community of Berdichev, to console him on the passing of his son, the pious rabbi, R. Meir, may his soul rest in Eden.",
+ "“Why was the section of Miriam adjoined to the section of the heifer? To teach you that just as the heifer effects atonement….”",
+ "Now it needs to be understood why it was adjoined precisely to the “red heifer” (which was prepared outside the three camps; it is just that the Torah calls it a sin-offering), and it was not adjoined to the section of the sin-offering that was prepared within, on the actual altar of atonement.",
+ "However, it is known from the sacred Zohar, and from the Arizal, that the principium of the sacrifices brought on the altar is that they are an aspect of the elevation of mayin nukvin: from the animal soul, which is in (the class of) nogah, to their root and source, i.e., the forms of the four animals of the chariot bearing the throne: the face of the ox, and the face of the eagle…. Thereby the mayin duchrin are elicited and descend from the aspect of the “man upon the throne,” referred to as malka, and z’eyr anpin.",
+ "As for the burning of the red heifer, however, by throwing in the cedarwood, and the hyssop…, and the placing of running waters into the ashes, the Mishnah refers to this as the sanctification (kiddush) of the waters of lustration. This is the aspect of kodesh ha’elyon, referred to as tala d’bedulcha, as mentioned in the sacred Zohar, the aspect of the supreme chochmah and the mocha stimaah of arich anpin. Of it is said in many places in the sacred Zohar that through chochmah they are disencumbered, and darkness is converted to light. That is, by means of the mocha stimaah of arich anpin, the world of Tikkun is disencumbered and corrected from the world of tohu and the breaking of the vessels that fell into Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah…, as known. That is why (the red heifer) purifies from the defilement by a corpse, even though such is the highest degree of impurity, and much lower than nogah.",
+ "Now, it is known that abba draws from the eighth mazal, which is the tuft of notzer chesed. Notzer is (composed of the same) letters (as) ratzon. It is the et ratzon that becomes revealed and radiates in a manifest way, from above downward, at the time of the passing of the great tzaddikim who serve the L–rd out of love, surrendering their soul to the L–rd during their lifetime every evening and morning when reading the Shema. For thereby they elevate the mayin nukvin to abba and imma, as known. (The same applies to (their) study of the Torah, which derives from chochmah.) Thus, the aspects of the mayin duchrin were elicited thereby and descended from the tuft of notzer chesed, and they, indeed, radiate in a manifest way at the time of their passing. For as known, all the effort of man, which his soul toiled during his lifetime, is above in a hidden and concealed state. It becomes revealed and radiates in a manifest way from above downward at the time of his passing.",
+ "Now, by the manifestation of the illumination of the tuft of notzer chesed at the time of their passing, the chesed of the L–rd radiates from world to world over those who fear Him and effects salvations in the midst of the earth to atone for the sin of the generation, even for the deliberate sins which are of the three impure kelipot [which are inferior to nogah]. For the mazal of notzer is of the mochin stimin of arich anpin, the source of the extractions (birurim). Thus the darkness of the shevirat hakelim is converted into the light of the world of Tikkun.",
+ "This is not the case, though, with the sacrifices that are upon the altar. They atone only for inadvertent sins which come about because of the strengthening of the animal soul which is of nogah, as mentioned in Likkutei Torah, section of Vayikra.",
+ "That is why (the section of Miriam) was adjoined expressly to the section of the heifer: “just as the heifer….” Indeed, in the Yalkut, section of Shemini, the version is “the waters of lustration….”"
+ ],
+ [
+ "TWENTY-NINE. “A woman of valor is the crown (atarah) of her husband….”",
+ "In the Gemara, fourth chapter of Megillah, it is stated: “He who makes use of the crown, passes away …this applies to one who makes use of a person who can repeat halachot, the crown (keter) of the Torah…. It was taught in the academy of Elijah: whoever studies halachot is assured….”",
+ "Now it needs to be understood why the halachot are referred to as “crown,” and “the crown of the Torah,” and, also, why expressly he who studies halachot is assured…, and not other subjects of the Torah. Furthermore, one needs to understand the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in the eleventh chapter of Menachot, that even if one studied but a single chapter in the morning…one has fulfilled one’s duty. Why is one’s duty not fulfilled by other subjects of the Torah?",
+ "However, it is well known that the Arizal stated that every person of Israel needs to be reincarnated many times until he has fulfilled all 613 commandments of the Torah in thought, speech, and action. This is in order to complete the garments of his soul and to correct them, so that there will not be a missing garment…. [Excepted are the commandments incumbent upon the king, because he discharges all of Israel, as he is the omneity of them all.] The reason is in order to garb all the 613 aspects and powers in one’s soul, so that “Not one of them shall be lacking.”",
+ "An explanation for the necessity and need of these garments is given in the Zohar and is understood by every intelligent person. For the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah in man are of the genre of creatures, and it is impossible for any creature to attain any apprehension of the Creator and Former of all, the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "Even after G–d had already radiated of His light, blessed be He, and caused an emanation in the form of an evolution of numerous levels [level upon level] by way of immense contractions and numerous, immense garments [known to the students of Kabbalah; in the Idra Rabbah they are referred to as “hairs,” and as written in Daniel: “And the hair of his head as pure wool…”], nevertheless, neither the nefesh, nor the ruach and neshamah can endure the light. For the light is good and sweet…, as it is written: “To behold the noam of the L–rd.” (Noam) expresses pleasantness, agreeableness, sweetness, and an infinitely immense delight, as it is written: “Then you will delight yourself in the L–rd,” “And He will satisfy with tzachtzachot…” an idiom of tzichey tzama, as stated in the Zohar.",
+ "It is not in (the soul’s) power to absorb the pleasantness and agreeableness of the tzachtzachot without leaving its husk and becoming existentially nullified just like the flame in the torch, were it not that from the aspect of this very light there will evolve and issue forth some minute radiation, by way of an evolution of level after level, with many contractions, until a single garment is created thereof, a creation like the nature of this light, to garb the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah.",
+ "By way of this garment [which is like this light], (the soul) can derive enjoyment from the ray of this light, and apprehend it, without becoming existentially nullified. It is analogous to someone looking at the sun through a fine and lucid speculum. Thus it is written: “And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and he ascended…”; that is, he vested himself in the cloud and ascended, and saw by way of the cloud…. Thus it is explained in the Zohar, volume II, folios 210 and 229.",
+ "Now this light, kept concealed for the righteous in the future, is termed the “pleasantness of the L–rd,” and the “tzachtzachot to delight in the L–rd,” and the “400 worlds of longing” (almin diksufin) in which the tzaddikim delight… [as it is written: “400 shekalim of kessef…”]. In (this light) there are very many rungs and levels, one superior to the other. But the minute radiation, which descends level after level to create this garment, is of the rank of the lowest level in this light. Metaphorically speaking, it is referred to as the external level, and achorayim, as stated in the Zohar, folio 208b (cf. in the commentary Mikdash Melech), and 210b: “And that which is left….”",
+ "Now, in the soul of man there is a faculty for delight: for (the soul) delights in what is delightful to it, as, for example, in the conception of a new insight, or the like. The aspect of the chitzoniyut and achorayim of the (soul’s) capacity and state of delight is the aspect of the faculty of its will: (the soul) wills that which it wills, i.e., something that is not painful [for pain is the opposite of delight].",
+ "Metaphorically speaking, it is the same with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, as it were. The will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, is the aspect of the chitzoniyut and achorayim of the aspect of the Supreme delight, the “pleasantness of the L–rd,” the tzachtzachot, and the “worlds of longing,” mentioned above.",
+ "Though these are unified in an absolute unity, for He, blessed be He, and His will, are one [and not like the will of man, Heaven forfend, neither wholly nor partially; there is no comparison whatsoever between them], nevertheless, the Torah speaks in human idiom to appease the ear with what it is able to hear, with allegory and metaphor relating to the soul of man which compounds the faculty of delight, will, wisdom, understanding…. (This composition of the soul) is empirically evident. For when a person conceives some wondrous new insight then, at least, at that very moment, there is born in his mind a wondrous delight. Thus it follows that the (faculty of) delight surpasses exceedingly the faculty of the intellect and wisdom, except that it is vested in the faculty of the intellect and wisdom. Thus when man senses the intellect and wisdom, that is, he apprehends and understands it well, he, then, also senses the faculty of delight which is vested in the wisdom.",
+ "That is why in the sacred Zohar the aspect of binah is referred to as olam habah (the World to Come). For it is the state of the manifestation of the chochmah, and the delight vested in it, which the righteous apprehend in the Garden of Eden and perceive in the pnimiyut of the Torah. For The Torah derives from chochmah, and the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are entirely one.",
+ "Now, the Kabbalists term and refer to the Supernal Will as keter elyon, the supreme crown. In it there are 620 pillars of light…. That is, by way of analogy, just as in a large brick house there are pillars standing in the ground, and their apex is connected with the ceiling, precisely so, metaphorically speaking, the keter of the Supernal, blessed is He, transcends the aspect of the level of chochmah. (Keter) is an idiom of koteret (capitol), for it surrounds and encompasses above the brains in the head [i.e., the faculties of chochmah, binah, and daat (chabad)].",
+ "This (Supreme) Will is vested in the 613 commandments of the Torah and the seven precepts of the Rabbis, practically all of which are operative commandments [even those related to speech, for we maintain that the motioning of the lips is regarded as an act, and also those relating to thought or the heart. For the commandment is given only to physical man in this world because he has the choice to turn his heart to good…. The soul without a body, however, need not be enjoined about this].",
+ "Thus it follows that the commandments, metaphorically speaking, are as the pillars that stand from the peak of rungs, i.e., the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, to this material world. Metaphorically speaking, they are as the hollow pillars which encompass and garb man’s neshamah, or ruach, or nefesh, when he fulfils the commandments. By way of these pillars his nefesh, ruach, and neshamah ascend to the peak of rungs to be bound up in the bundle of life with the L–rd, that is, to be bound up and vested in the light of keter, the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He. And by means of this garment they are able to behold the “pleasantness of the L–rd,” and the tzachtzachot, which transcend the rank of keter and, metaphorically speaking, are its inner core.",
+ "(Though it is explained elsewhere that the commandments are the innermost will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, the students of Kabbalah are well acquainted with the multitude of aspects and levels within every aspect and level of the levels of holiness. There are several aspects of “panim to panim,” and several aspects of “achorayim to achorayim,” to no end….)",
+ "Now, the seven precepts of the Rabbis are not regarded as commandments in themselves, for it was already said: “You shall not add.” Rather, they derive and issue from the commandments of the Torah and are included in them, in the sum of 613, to garb the 613 aspects and powers in the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah of man.",
+ "This is the meaning of the statement in the sacred Zohar, section of Pekudei (folio 229b), that “The good deeds which man does elicit a garment from the light of the supreme splendor…, and they see…the pleasantness of the L–rd….”",
+ "Though there it speaks of the Lower Garden of Eden where the garments are of the truly operational commandment, while in the Higher Garden of Eden the garments are of the love and devotion of the heart with respect to Torah and prayer [as mentioned in the Zohar, ad loc. (folio 210)]; however, this devotion refers to the devotion of one’s occupation with Torah for its own sake (lishmah), out of the love for God. [The commandment to study Torah also belongs to the class of operational commandments, for the motion of the lips is an act, and meditation is not the same as speech; thus one does not discharge his duty by meditation alone. The same applies to prayer.]",
+ "And certainly so, considering that the advantage of devotion over speech and deed is not of itself…, but because of the radiation from the Supernal Will…, as explained at length in Likkutei Amarim, Part I, ch. 38, see there.",
+ "Now, it is known that the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, vested in the 613 commandments of the Written Torah, is hidden and covered, secreted and concealed. It is manifest only in the Oral Torah. For example, the precept of tefillin: in the Written Torah it is stated, “And you shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.” This is an indistinct and concealed statement, for Scripture did not explain how, and what to bind, and what frontlets are, and where is “between your eyes” and “on your hand,” until the Oral Torah explicates that one needs to bind a single box on the hand, and four boxes on the head, and four portions of Scripture within them. Also, the boxes are to be made of prepared leather, and of necessity square, and to be tied by means of leather straps which need to be black, and all the other detailed rulings of making the tefillin that were said orally. Also, “on your hand” refers only to the arm, and not to the palm of the hand; and “between your eyes” refers to the scalp, and not to the forehead.",
+ "It is likewise with all the commandments of the Torah, whether they be operational precepts or prohibitory precepts; they are not revealed, and known, and explicated, except through the Oral Torah. For instance, the prohibitory precept that was said with respect to Shabbat—“You shall do no work”: it does not explain what is regarded as work. In the Oral Torah, however, it is explicated to refer to the well known 39 forms of work and not to the carrying of stones or heavy beams.",
+ "And as it is with these, so it is with all the commandments, whether they be operational precepts or prohibitory precepts: they are indistinct and are explicated, revealed, and known only through the Oral Torah.",
+ "That is why Scripture says of the Oral Torah: “And you shall not cast off the teaching of your mother,” as stated in the Zohar. Metaphorically speaking, just as all the limbs of the child are included, in great concealment, in the sperm of the father, and the mother brings this out into a state of manifestation [when giving birth to a child that is whole, with 248 limbs and 365 sinews], so, in precisely like fashion, the 248 operational precepts and the 365 prohibitory precepts emerge from concealment to manifestation through the Oral Torah. And the beginning of the verse—“Heed my son the instruction of your father”—refers to the Written Torah, which derives from the supreme chochmah which is called “father.”",
+ "Now this is the meaning of “A woman of valor is the crown of her husband.” For the Oral Torah is termed the “woman of valor” who gives birth to and raises many valiant hosts, as it is written “And alamot without number”: do not read alamot but olamot, referring to the halachot which are without number, as stated in the Tikkunim.",
+ "They all are the aspect of the manifestation of the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, concealed in the Written Torah. And the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, is exceedingly more sublime than the rank of the supreme chochmah, just as a crown (keter) and wreath (atarah) is above the brains in the head. The halachot, therefore, are referred to as “crown,” and “crown of the Torah,” and “Whoever studies halachot is assured of life in the World to Come,” by investing his nefesh, ruach, and neshamah in the the will of the Supreme One, blessed is He, as stated above."
+ ],
+ [
+ "THIRTY. It is known that our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Whoever is accustomed to come to the synagogue and one day did not come, the Holy One, blessed is He, makes inquiry about him, for it is said, ‘who among you fears the L–rd….’”",
+ "The same applies to all the commandments, and especially the precept of charity, “which is balanced against all the commandments.” Though it is without a vow, Heaven forfend, nevertheless, it is not becoming to the divine soul of all the men of valor whose hearts the fear of the L–rd has touched to make a diminution in what is holy, relative to what they were accustomed to set aside, annually, from their wealth, to revive the spirit of the humble and downcast who have nothing of their own. It is “the Hut of David that is fallen…,” to raise and to exalt… “that it be united in the One….”",
+ "And everything is according to the preponderance of [good] deeds…, and according to the amount (cheshbon). Thus our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Each and every coin adds up to a great amount (cheshbon),” and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “When is the L–rd great? When He is in the city of our G–d….” It is the aspect and place of the cheshbon, as it is written: “Your eyes are wells in cheshbon.”",
+ "The meaning is that, as known, an arousal from below [the issuance of life, grace, and kindness by an act of charity out of a good will and a friendly countenance] elicits an arousal from above: “The L–rd will make His Countenance shine,” i.e., a radiation and issue of grace, chesed, and Supreme favor from the Fountainhead of life, the En Sof, blessed is He, [to whose greatness there is no searching and apprehension whatsoever], to the aspect of “Your malchut is the malchut of all worlds,” the “world of manifestation” (alma deitgalya). It animates all the creatures [that are in all the upper and lower hechalot] which are in a category of number and amount (cheshbon), as it is written: “A thousand thousands minister unto Him.”",
+ "This is the meaning of the “great amount,” because the quantitative act of charity brings about peace. The meaning of “peace” is to join and conciliate two opposite extremes. (In our context) these are the extremity of the superior heaven, the aspect of “And to His greatness there is no searching” and the extremity of the inferior heaven—which vests itself in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, (that is, in) a category of limitation and number, and suffice this for the initiated."
+ ],
+ [
+ "THIRTY-ONE. Well known throughout is the statement in the Tikkunim that the “Shechinah is suffering in the exile”—as it were.",
+ "Metaphorically speaking, it is like a bodily ailment [“Who makes a distinction between holy…”]. The cause of illness or health lies in the extension and flow of the life-force vested in the blood of life which flows from the heart to all the limbs, and turning round and around goes the spirit of life and the blood into all the limbs, through the veins that are absorbed in them, and returns to the heart.",
+ "Now, when the circulation and flow of this spirit of life is always as it should be, in its proper order arranged for it by the Fountainhead of life, blessed is He, man is perfectly healthy. For all the limbs are bound together and receive their proper vitality from the heart through this circulation.",
+ "But if there is any disorder in any place, restraining, hindering, or reducing the circulation of the blood with the spirit of life vested in it, then this bond [which binds all the limbs to the heart through this circulation] is broken or diminished and man will fall ill and sick, may the L–rd have mercy.",
+ "Precisely so, metaphorically speaking, all the souls of Israel are regarded as the limbs of the Shechinah which is called the “heart,” as it is written: “The Rock of my heart,” and as it is written: “And I will dwell among them.” That is, the term Shechinah denotes that the light of the L–rd dwells in the worlds Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah in order to vivify them.",
+ "The issue of this vivification is by means of a prior investment in the souls of Israel. This is so because none of the creatures are in any approximation to the Creator, blessed be He, for all that are before Him are esteemed as truly naught. Thus it is impossible for them to receive vivification from His light and effluence, blessed be He, to become creatures ex nihilo into substantiality, and to be living and subsisting. (This is made possible) only through the souls that rose in His thought and preceded the creation of the worlds by the aspect of Speech. Thus our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “With whom did the Holy One, blessed is He, take counsel…,” as was made known elsewhere.",
+ "And it is well known throughout that the whole issuance of vivification, and the effluence from the upper worlds to those lower than them, are as stated in the Sefer Yetzirah: “Their beginning is wedged in their culmination, and their culmination is wedged in their beginning.” In the writings of the Arizal, this is referred to as or yashar (direct light), and or chozer (reflective light), and as it is written: “And the animals advanced and retreated (ratzo veshov).”",
+ "Thus, according to these words and this truth—which it is not possible to explain properly in writing—it follows that the Shechinah is referred to as “heart,” and the souls as “limbs.” This teaches us that when all the souls are attached and bound together, the circulation and flow of the vivification and of the effluence “turns around and around,” and “their culmination is wedged in their beginning” to bind and join them all to “the L–rd (who) is One” to be attached to Him, blessed be He. And thus it is written: “You are standing this day, all of you, before the L–rd your G–d—[stating expressly: “all of you,” and stating expressly: “before”]—your heads…from the hewer of your wood….”",
+ "And hereby will be understood the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that the destruction of the Second Temple and the Fall of Israel into exile, and the withdrawal of the Shechinah and its descent to Edom, into a fate of exile, as it were; all this was because of the sin of groundless hate and a division of hearts, the Merciful save us. And that is why (the Shechinah) is referred to as ailing, metaphorically speaking. As for “He raises the fallen, and heals the sick,” in plural form, these are all the limbs…."
+ ],
+ [
+ "THIRTY-TWO. May the L–rd bless their substance, and may the work of their hand be acceptable, that they may be accepted before the L–rd at all times. So may the L–rd give and do so yet further to encourage them among the valiant. And he who is noble should ever persist by noble things, to be great in causing others to do in every city and congregation, and it will be accounted to him for righteousness (tzedakah).",
+ "And of one who does (himself) it is said, “His tzedakah omedet (stands) forever”; omedet, in feminine gender, because he receives the arousal of his pure heart from the one who is “greater—who causes others to do.” Nevertheless, it stands forever.",
+ "This means: All the acts of charity and kindness the Israelites perform in this world out of the generosity of their pure hearts are alive and subsist in this physical world until the time of the resurrection. Then there will be a time of manifestation of Divinity and of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, from the rank of sovev kol almin, in this world, and as explained at length in the letter of last year.",
+ "But there needs to be a vessel and an abode wherein the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, can vest itself, just as the body is (a vessel) to the soul, metaphorically speaking. Thus it is written: “Is not My word like fire”; just as fire does not radiate in this world except when it is attached to, and vests itself in the wick…, as explained elsewhere.",
+ "The body and the vessel for His light, blessed be He, is the attribute of kindness and the generosity of the heart to give and effuse vitality to one who has nothing (of his own). Thus it is stated in the Tikkunim: “And many bodies You have prepared for them, and in this preparation they are called: chesed—the right arm,” and the whole body is included in the right side. And thus said the composer: “His garment is tzedakah.”",
+ "This is the meaning of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Charity is recompensed only according to the kindness in it, as it is written: ‘Sow to yourselves for tzedakah, reap according to the kindness.’” For the harvest is the manifestation of the seed hidden in the soil. It is likewise with the charity and kindness the Israelites perform in the time of the exile: it is hidden and concealed until the time of the resurrection when the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, will vest itself and radiate in this physical world. And (when) He is one with His causations, i.e., the aspects of the kelim of the ten sefirot of Atzilut, thus a fortiori and a minori ad majus, (He is one) with the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, which encompasses all worlds from exceedingly higher than the sphere of Atzilut.",
+ "That is why (charity) is referred to as tzedakah, a feminine gender [“his tzedakah omedet forever”]. For it receives a radiation from the light of the En Sof that encompasses all worlds, which vests itself in it in this physical world at the time of the resurrection.",
+ "“Tzedek shall go before him,” however, is a masculine gender. It is the attribute of kindness that is aroused in the heart of man of itself, through the arousal of the love of G–d when reading the Shema—to cleave to Him and to surrender his soul at echad; and “with all your wealth”—in the literal sense….",
+ "And the arousal from below [“As waters (reflect) the face to face, so is the heart of—the Supernal—man…”] elicits an arousal from above, i.e., an effulgence of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that encompasses all worlds, to the nethermost in this physical world, in a state of manifestation, at the time of the resurrection, as explained at length in last year’s letter.",
+ "And this is the meaning of “yehalech before Him.” For (tzedek) leads and elicits the Supernal Countenance (panim) from higher than Atzilut to the world of Asiyah. But now is a time to be brief, and may He not restrain from them all the good. Be beneficient, O L–rd, to the good, and to those who are upright in their heart, as is the wish of he who seeks it."
+ ]
+ ],
+ "Part V; Kuntres Acharon": [
+ [
+ "KUNTRES ACHARON ON SEVERAL CHAPTERS",
+ "To understand how reading narratives in Torah binds one with chochmah ilaah, the supernal wisdom.",
+ "Kavanot p. 16b says that just as man engages himself (in Torah study) below, so is the likeness, supernal Man, (engaged in Torah study) above…. This might also apply (only) to contemplating the written words (of the Torah). But uttered speech, we may say, pierces and ascends to Atzilut itself, or to Beriah through intellectual love and fear, or to Yetzirah through innate fear and love. Through Scripture it rises from This World to the ten sefirot of Asiyah, for “it pierces atmospheres….” In contrast, thought (affects only) the “likeness,” the source of his soul….",
+ "But then we find in Zohar, vol. III, p. 105, that simply thinking achieves nothing…, meaning that it does not have even a beneficient effect; see there and page 31b. But this refers only to eliciting a reaction Above, to call forth from there downward. The thought simply remains there, increasing additional great illumination there. The increase in illumination in Atzilut is through study and practice of mitzvot of action in Asiyah, for the Union is primarily above. Only the fruits reach This World, through calling forth illumination in minute measure here below by speech and deed. However, through mere thinking nothing is called forth. Hence he has not fulfilled the purpose of the soul’s descent into This World, which is only to draw into the lower world supernal illuminations, as Etz Chaim 26 says, “to call forth illumination.”",
+ "But to elevate, from below upward, proper thought is imperative, for without awe and love it does not fly upward, as explained in Shaar Hanevuah, ch. 2. And the good thought….",
+ "But the expression “pierces firmaments…” means even without awe and love, by a fortiori reasoning from the case of idle words, since the measure of good is more generous. This, however, refers only to “firmaments,” meaning the chambers and abodes, but not the body of Supernal Man. It certainly does not apply to nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, even of Man of Asiyah, meaning the ten sefirot, lights, and vessels. This is the intention of Tikkunim, that without fear and love it cannot ascend or stand before G–d, stressing before G–d."
+ ],
+ [
+ "Examine Etz Chaim, Shaar Hanekudot 8:6, the statement that there can be no “turning of face to face” except through mitzvot requiring action exclusively. The reason is that good deeds cause the supernal union….",
+ "The understanding of why mitzvot which require action specifically have this effect lies in the statement in Shaar Man Umad, that the first step must be elevation of mayin nukvin of nukva of the Minor Visage, and the mayin nukvin of nukva is the state of action, as explained there, ch. 1.",
+ "Good deeds are described as trimming and hacking off the thistles that attach themselves to the hinderpart, the state of deed, as written in (Etz Chaim) Shaar 47:5. This pruning is effected through elevating the element of good concealed in them that is enclothed in mitzvot of action, elevating it to its source, to the sanctity of Atzilut that has already been purified.",
+ "The statement there that Adam made rectification through prayer as well means through the utterances of speech, for the movement of the lips is also deemed a deed. Utterances are from the vivifying soul in the body and his blood, whose source is in nogah.",
+ "The purifications of Asiyah ascend to Yetzirah5 through the name of ב“ן,9 and from Yetzirah to Beriah and Atzilut, as noted in Shaar Man, Drush 11:7.",
+ "Thus we can understand why mere thought accomplishes nothing, for without elevating mayin nukvin from the “kings of nogah,” it is impossible to draw forth drops from above to effect the union of zun,11 for its desire is to seek nurture from its “mother” rather than giving forth for the lower realms, as written in Shaar Man, Drush 2. See also Zohar, Parashat Pekudei, 244b, that there is an order…to gaze upon…. These are the intentions in prayer, and the supernal unions, for those who know and understand how to “gaze upon….” For their very own nefesh-ruach-neshamah are man, with selfless devotion for the Torah, and during the Tachanun prayer, as is known."
+ ],
+ [
+ "[The reader is referred to Likkutei Amarim, Part I, chs. 39 and 40.]
To understand the statement in Shaar Hayichudim, ch. 2, that through Torah without proper intention (kavanah) angels are created in the World of Yetzirah: There he quotes Zohar, Parashat Shelach, “There is no voice lost…except the voice of Torah and prayer that ascends and pierces….” Through intention in prayer angels are created in the World of Beriah, as with intention in Torah. Without intention it is repelled, hurled down utterly. So it is stated in Zohar, Parashat Pekudei 245b, “In the lowest firmament…that are called invalid prayers…” See also Parashat Vayakhel 201b, “If it is a seemly word….”",
+ "However, the difference between Torah and prayer without intention is obvious. For in the study of Torah he knows and comprehends what he is learning, for otherwise it is not called study at all. It is only that he is learning simply, without the intention “for its sake,” out of the manifest love of G–d in his heart, but only out of the latent natural love. But he does not study with an actual negative purpose, for his aggrandisement…. “For this does not ascend higher than the sun,” as stated in Parashat Vayechi 223b. That is because his thought and intention are clothed within the utterances of speech and prevent them from ascending.",
+ "So, too, with prayer without intention, where he entertains alien thoughts. (But since his intention is for Heaven, therefore it is easily corrected, that it may still rise when he prays with proper intention, even one full prayer gathered piecemeal from the prayers of the entire year. Thus is written in Mikdash Melech on Pekudei.)",
+ "To return to the quotation from Zohar, Parashat Pekudei, “in the lowest firmament,” while in Vayakhel the implication is that only “if it is a seemly word does it ascend with it to the atmosphere of the firmaments above….” This seeming contradiction is no problem. The expression in Parashat Pekudei, “The inferior firmament of those firmaments that conduct the world,” refers to malchut of Asiyah. In Parashat Vayakhel the reference is to the Minor Visage of Asiyah. This is supported by Etz Chaim, Shaar Hashemot, ch. 3, in reference to the Minor Visage of Asiyah, see there.",
+ "The apparent reference may be drawn from Parashat Pekudei that even invalid prayer ascends to the First Chamber, from where it is hurled down, and this (chamber) is in the Minor Visage of Beriah. This is no difficulty, for even palpable sins, minor and grave, ascend to there, even to the Fourth Chamber, as noted on page 252a. It is certain, therefore, that the ascensions are not identical, and there can be no comparison or similarity between them except for the common name. This will suffice for the knowing.",
+ "This will also aid us in grasping the passage on page 247 that in the Second Chamber are the garments that clothe the soul as a result of performance of mitzvot, though they are in the Lower Gan Eden of Asiyah, as stated there on page 210.",
+ "Invalid prayer is superior to Torah studied with distinctly improper intention, for such Torah attains to a position lower than the sun, while prayer is “in the firmament….” But simple Torah, without negative intention but merely of the latent innate love, is not inferior to the “breath of the mouths of school children” which ascends because it is “breath untainted by sin.” It ascends, though it may be of clearly negative intention, out of fear of punishment by the teacher. See 255b, (where it states) that the angels elevate the breath of studying children to Atzilut."
+ ],
+ [
+ "To understand the passage in Pri Etz Chaim, that in the contemporary period the primary refinement is only through prayer, though Torah study is superior to prayer. The explanation is:",
+ "Through Torah and mitzvot, additional Light is drawn forth into Atzilut…. This means that through Torah study the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, is drawn into the vessels of Atzilut, into the inner aspect of the vessels. This Light is an extension and revelation of the Divine intellect.",
+ "Through mitzvah observance (the Light is drawn) into the external aspect of the vessels, meaning netzach-hod-yesod of the ten sefirot of the Minor Visage of Atzilut. Subsequently they clothe themselves in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, in the physical Torah and mitzvot in This World.",
+ "However, prayer calls forth the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, specifically into Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, not merely through “garbs,” but the Light itself, to modify the state of creatures. The ill will be cured, for example, the rain will fall earthward that vegetation may sprout forth.",
+ "On the other hand, through Torah and mitzvot there is no modification in the parchment of the tefillin through donning them on head and arm. Even those mitzvot that are fulfilled through making the object—that change is effected by man, and not by Heaven, as is the case with prayer. The latter calls forth the vivifying power from the Infinite, blessed is He, Who alone is all-capable.",
+ "Hence, calling forth the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, into the lower world is impossible without the elevation of mayin nukvin from below specifically.",
+ "By contrast, Torah study affects Atzilut, which is united in any case with the Emanator, blessed is He.",
+ "The elevation of mayin nukvin in the mind and heart of man is (the love of G–d in) a state of boundless flames of fire, and described as meodecha, to arouse the (Divine) state of Infinite. This is through the Severities of ס“ג, which constitute the 288 sparks….",
+ "For this reason prayer is called “life of the moment,” for it is malchut descending into Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. Torah (by contrast is called) “eternal life,” or the “Minor Visage,”12 for the 248 commandments divide into the ten vessels of the ten sefirot of the Minor Visage….",
+ "Now, in one place we find that the 248 positive commandments are (rooted) in the Five Kindnesses and the 365 prohibitions in the Five Severities…. Elsewhere we find that there are 613 paths from one path…which is the pristine whiteness (lavnunit of supernal keter)….",
+ "The explanation is: all mitzvot are designed to “repair” the 248 organs of the Minor Visage through drawing the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, into the (Divine) intellect as contained within the Five Kindnesses and Five Severities. The source of (this) intellect is the lavnunit (of keter)…, which is the supreme delight and desire to bring the light down into the 248 organs of the Minor Visage. The Light drawn forth divides into 613 individual streams according to the respective level of the mitzvot. For instance, through charity and kindness the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, is drawn into the external aspect of the vessel of the Kindness of the Minor Visage while through observing a prohibition into the external aspect of Severity (of the Minor Visage), and through mercy (into tiferet of the Minor Visage)….",
+ "The passage of the issuing Light is through the internality of the vessels and their intellects, which are love and reverence, intellectual or innate, meaning major or minor (Divine) intellect.",
+ "This is the reason for Moses’ fervent plea to fulfill the mitzvot of performance contingent on the Land, for these are the ultimate purpose in the gradual descent [i.e., Creation]—to call forth the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, to purify the vessels of the Minor Visage of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. These worlds are the site of the 288 sparks. (The purification is effected) exclusively through Torah study and mitzvot requiring action in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.",
+ "To perform a mitzvah that cannot be delegated to another, one foregoes Torah study, even that of the maaseh merkavah, and beyond question one forgoes prayer, which is the state of intellect and intellectual love and awe. The reason is as we have noted.",
+ "In addition: the magnitude of the quality of mitzvot requiring action and their study far transcends the quality of intellect, meaning intellectual love and fear. For though the verse declares, “to cleave to Him” through His attributes, still one does not cleave to the essence of the Supreme attributes but only to their state of existence, in conformity with, “I am dust and ashes.”",
+ "This is all the more true in terms of the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, for no thought can apprehend Him in His radiance or the extension of the life-force issuing from Him, blessed be He. One can grasp His existence, that He gives life to all, but not His essence. This applies even to the supernal beings,26 as we find, “Holy holy holy is the L–rd of hosts….” Only emanated “effects” can conceive their “cause,” according to the order in Etz Chaim in the investment of the visages.",
+ "However, creatures are denied this apprehension, even the souls of Atzilut, as we find regarding Moses, “You may see my hinderpart….”",
+ "But the performance of mitzvot—“these are the works of G–d.” In the process of gradual descent from the vessels of Atzilut to Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, from the very nature23 and essence18 of their external aspect, as for example within the etrog and its “kinds,”31 the Holy One, blessed is He, clothed of the very essence of the internal Kindnesses of the Minor Visage, meaning from their outward state, as is known in the case of all mitzvot of action.",
+ "In contrast, man, even possessing a soul of Atzilut, since it is clothed in a body, cannot detect and apprehend within his soul the character and essence of the inward Kindnesses of the Minor Visage of Atzilut. (For Atzilut is the state of chaya in the general Four Worlds, an encompassing18 state from above, and does not clothe itself within any vessel at all). Man’s capacity for apprehension is limited to their existence through intellectual love and fear.",
+ "The statement, “You shall see my hinderpart,” is by means of prophecy only. (Prophecy entails divestment of the physical, as explained in Raaya Mehemna, Parashat Mishpatim.)",
+ "This then is the reason: No creature is capable of grasping anything whatsoever of the essence of G–dliness, the Creator. Without comprehension there is no investing, or grasp,36 or cleaving in the true sense.",
+ "However, the etrog, by way of example, its life is drawn and descends from the very essence of the outer aspect of the vessels of nukva of the Minor Visage of Atzilut, which is a state of G–dliness, as stated in Etz Chaim that all the fruits are (rooted) in Atzilut. For the thirty vessels of Atzilut descended into Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah (they are the Ten Utterances by which the world was created) through enclothement in nukva Asiyah, essence in essence. For the vessels of Atzilut became the soul of Asiyah, which is actually a state of G–dliness. In Atzilut “He and the vessels are one,” Emanator and Emanation. Through clothing, the essence of soul in the essence of the vessels of nukva of Asiyah, the etrog came into being.",
+ "The result is that in holding the etrog and waving it as the halachah requires, he is actually holding the life-force clothed within it of the nukva of Atzilut which is united with the Light of the En Sof, the Emanator, blessed is He.",
+ "The reverse is true concerning his kavanah (intention). Here he does not grasp and seize its essence, even though he is familiar with the mystical (meanings involved). Only the existence aspect is within reach. However, by learning the laws of etrog he does attain and grasp the etrog proper and its mitzvah appropriately, by speech and thought. Even more so he who learns the sod aspect of the law. Here we speak of (studying) the sod aspect of the mitzvah specifically, which is not inferior to the study of its laws proper—quite the contrary…though he does not apprehend the essence. ",
+ "This does not apply to study of the order of hishtalshelut, the orderly downward progression. Even if he does comprehend the existence state, it is not intrinsically as worthy as study of the mitzvot, where he comprehends and grasps the essential nature.43 This is considered (in certain cases) the equivalent of actual performance, as we find “This is the Torah….”",
+ "Be it noted that knowledge of existence aspects of hishtalshelut is also a lofty mitzvah and an exalted one. On the contrary it outweighs them all, as we find, “Know this day…,” and “Know the G–d of your fathers…,” and it develops into a “whole heart…,” which is the essential thing. Comprehension of existence entails divesting (this subject) from the physical….",
+ "However, this is but one mitzvah of the 613, and man must fulfill all 613, for they descend from the essence of the external aspect of the vessels of Atzilut. Hence one must abundantly study all 613 and fulfill them fully in practice in thought, speech, and deed. These are parallel to Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, to refine whatever needs refining within those worlds.",
+ "In addition: the truth is that the refinements in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah of the 288 sparks through Torah and mitzvot (that man fulfills) in thought, speech, and deed are superior in their source to the nefesh-ruach-neshamah34 of man. They are of ס“ג8 of the internal aspect of Adam Kadmon,48 while the nefesh-ruach-neshamah that has already been corrected through מ“ה8 issues from the “forehead” (of Adam Kadmon) in the form of a mere reflection (of it). Hence the verse, “Before a king ruled….”49 For this reason man sustains himself on foods of the inorganic, vegetative, and living classes, and purifies them by the מ“ה8 within him, and lives through them because they are of ס“ג.8",
+ "Furthermore, as we find, “My face shall not be seen,” meaning that the inwardness of the Most High cannot descend below, only the external and the hinderpart, which are an attenuated form of the supreme wisdom.",
+ "Another point: Verbalizing any phrase of the supreme wisdom does not cause birth. The drop drawn from the vessel of the supreme wisdom has the power to cause birth and bring about existence ex nihilo. Besides, something of the supreme wisdom is included within it. The reason is that into it is drawn something of the essence18 and nature23 of the supreme wisdom.",
+ "In contrast, in thought and speech, even in intellectual conception in any field of wisdom, the thought is a mere reflection, an extension of the essence of intellect of the soul. Then, too, this radiance is a mere garment for the essence of the intellect. In turn, the intellect is a radiance and a garment for the soul proper. However, the drop has drawn into it also of the very essence of the soul, which is clothed within the brain. Hence it gives birth to offspring precisely similar to itself.",
+ "This is the difference between the service of angels, who are produced by “osculation,” and that of souls, who issue from the vessels.",
+ "But the vessels of Atzilut become the soul of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, and therefore intellectual love and awe are comparable to the angels of the “osculation,” of the external aspect of chabad in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.",
+ "The reason is that the inwardness of chabad and the essential nature of the inward Light cannot be revealed except through the radiance of the vessels exclusively that descend, as does the seminal drop of man issuing from the brain. Thus the verse, “My face cannot be seen.”50",
+ "Besides all this, even a soul (neshamah) of Atzilut, though it is of the vessels of Atzilut, and equally in the case of nefesh-ruach of the vessels of Yetzirah-Asiyah—their intellectual love [and fear] too arouse in the vessels of Yetzirah-Asiyah, the state of elevation from below upward, through an arousal from below.57 However, this is the state of departure alone, G–d forbid.",
+ "But eliciting from above downward is of necessity through operational mitzvot to draw Light into the vessels and into the external aspect of the vessels, be it emphasized. The external aspect of the higher descends, while the internal of the lower rises higher. This is the intent of Zohar Parashat Pekudei cited above, that there is an order….",
+ "Both of these are needed for the Divine purpose, the elevation, and the elicitation through elevation of mayin nukvin6 from ס“ג8 by deed and speech.",
+ "This is the ultimate purpose of the downward progression18—to reveal the Higher Light below, and not to elevate the inferior. This elevation can only be momentary. Even so specifically the elevation of the vessels to the Supernal Lights is the quality of Shabbat and Yom Kippur, but not the elevations and departure58 of the Lights, G–d forbid, as written in Pri Etz Chaim.",
+ "The nefesh-ruach-neshamah of man compared to his physical body in This World is considered as lights compared to vessels. So, too, are intellectual fear and love compared to operational mitzvot. Therefore Moses offered (515) prayers, equivalent in number to Va’etchanan,61 for the fulfillment of mitzvot requiring action specifically. So, too, for the physical utterance of their laws.",
+ "We must understand how an etrog, which is of the 288 sparks that have not yet been refined, and the parchment of the tefillin can elicit Light into the vessels of zun of Atzilut, that have already been so refined and rectified through the Name of מ“ה8 that they are a state of G–dliness.",
+ "An illustration for this could be the process of planting. The seed stimulates the power of growth within the soil, which is G–d’s command, “Let the earth sprout forth…fruit trees…” through elevation of mayin nukvin to its source. In this manner the parchment and etrog arouse until the loftiest heights, meaning the Name of ס“ג,8 which is above the shattering of the vessels,65 which is the very essence of the Lights in Adam Kadmon, and not merely a radiance,25 as is the Name of מ“ה,8 which issues from the “forehead.”",
+ "Similarly, the study and careful examination of their laws arouses the chabad 56 of the ten sefirot of the vessels of zun63 and upward to the greatest heights, including chabad of ס“ג of the inner dimension of Adam Kadmon issuing through the “eyes (of Adam Kadmon)….”",
+ "All the foregoing concerns positive commandments, but not the study of particulars of the prohibitions it would seem, particularly those that do not occur in practice at all, for example, the detailed laws of pigul and the like.",
+ "There is yet a common characteristic that all intellectual fear and love of the angels are considered created ex nihilo and are nefesh-ruach of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.",
+ "But the detailed laws are drawn from the supreme wisdom of the Emanator, blessed is He, which is clothed in the physical object. This investment is not similar to that of the supreme wisdom in intellectual fear and love, for there the garment conceals and completely obscures, just as the gross earth thoroughly conceals the supreme wisdom clothed within it, as it is written, “You have made them all with wisdom.” This supreme wisdom is the exterior of the exterior of the vessels of malchut of Atzilut found in Asiyah, absolutely hidden in the ruach-nefesh of Asiyah. So, too, in Beriah it is completely hidden in the ruach-nefesh (of Beriah); they are creatures, and Creator is concealed from the created.",
+ "This is not so, however, with regard to the laws—a radiance of wisdom illuminates them openly. The garment of Asiyah is merely by way of passage, as on holy days when chesed of Atzilut which is completely clothed in chesed of Beriah vivifies the physical world through passage by way of chesed of Yetzirah and Asiyah. This, too, is properly called investment, for otherwise it could not affect the physical aspects of This World.",
+ "Now although the physical nature of This World unquestionably conceals completely even the chesed of Asiyah, still the law proper is not actually physical; it is the (Divine) will, drawn from the supreme wisdom for leniency or severity in the verdict. It does descend and illuminate in revealed fashion in the realm of the physical, as water descends from a high place…. The physical object itself which the law discusses really does utterly obscure, as for example the law of exchanging a cow for a donkey, or flesh that is pigul,68 or is not pigul and is kosher.",
+ "Just the law itself and its revealed rationale are malchut of Beriah and Yetzirah, of the state of neshamah, which is G–dliness that vivifies and brings into being ex nihilo, the nefesh-ruach of the Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, which are the awe and love of angels and souls and their chabad.",
+ "Hence it slakes their thirst before its descent into This World like waters falling…. Even after descending into Asiyah it is far above chabad of Asiyah, even the state of neshamah which is G–dliness.",
+ "The reason is that chabad of Asiyah of the state of neshamah is the source of life of chabad of nefesh-ruach and their offspring, and of their creation ex nihilo with their offspring, until the ultimate stage of Asiyah, namely the earth and all its hosts.",
+ "But chabad of the laws with their rationales are in malchut of Beriah-Yetzirah. The aim of the chochmah is the rectification of the visages of Atzilut, upon whom are dependent all the rationales of the positive commandments in the Five Kindnesses and of the prohibitions in the Five Severities. Therefore, even when they descend to be clothed in creatures, they are in malchut of Beriah-Yetzirah of the state of neshamah specifically, which is of the vessels of Atzilut, and not of nefesh-ruach.",
+ "Now although chabad of Beriah-Yetzirah of the neshamah state are far superior in quality over malchut of Beriah-Yetzirah of neshamah, still they are the source for chabad of Beriah-Yetzirah of the state of nefesh-ruach, namely the angels. This is not a question at all. The angels and souls are only of a drop drawn from chabad of the neshamah to the attribute of yesod in the Minor Visage, then transmitted to nukva, and from there going forth in a state of “birth.” For even if it is proposed that they are created from the radiance of the vessels of nukva of Atzilut, they themselves descend and become neshamah.",
+ "But the essence of chabad of neshamah extends into the “six sides” of zun,63 and there they are the Six Orders of Mishnah and the Gemara.",
+ "As to the statement in Etz Chaim (and in Shaar Hayichudim) that through kavanah (intention) there is formed a garment of neshamah and through Torah study—a garment of ruach-of-ruach of Yetzirah through Mishnah, and for ruach-of-neshamah of Beriah through Gemara. This can be understood as referring only to Torah studied by man in This World that ascends above. But Talmud itself that was given on Sinai is in neshamah. Therefore it refines ruach. So, too, with Mishnah of Yetzirah.",
+ "If it be suggested that even what was given at Sinai is in ruach of Beriah-Yetzirah, it is known that every angel, as an emissary from on High, is called by the Name of G–d literally, for He dwells within the angel. However, when he is not a messenger he has some other name according to his function. Then he proclaims, “Holy holy holy is G–d…,”27 meaning that the name of G–d is removed, distant from him. So it is actually in the state of investment of the Talmud, in the ruach state of Beriah, and the Mishnah in the ruach of Yetzirah—they are messengers of G–d, meaning vessels of nukva of Atzilut: the external state in Talmud, the intermediate state in Mishnah.",
+ "Thus Mishnah and Talmud contain issue of yesod abba which receives from chochmah stimaah of the Major Visage, in which is clothed the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He. The result is that the the Light of the En Sof, namely the Name of G–d, dwells in ruach of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah in Scripture, Mishnah, and Talmud. When man studies he draws forth the Light of the En Sof, blessed be He, into This World, that it be included and nullified in His Light, blessed be He. For this is all of man.",
+ "This was the service of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and all the Tannaim and Amoraim in the revealed Torah—to call forth His Light, blessed be He, and to make these refinements of nogah all through the period of the exile. Exile is the time of dominion of the Tree of Good and Evil, as we find, “The time that man dominates man….” For this is the purpose of the descent, that the Higher descend below, and there be an “abode for Him among the lowly,” in order to elevate them to become one in one.",
+ "In contrast, the service of the angels with intellectual fear and love does not call forth at all; rather there is departure58 alone…. Thus we may understand how angels are created ex nihilo through study of Torah, even without kavanah, which is a state of ruach alone, which is not G–dliness at all. Still, nevertheless, the name of G–d does dwell…. This will suffice for the knowing."
+ ],
+ [
+ "To understand the details of the laws that never occur at all, and probably never actually existed, and certainly will not come to pass in the Time To Come, for example, the detailed laws of pigul and the like.",
+ "It is known that every prohibited thing in this world has a source and root of life in kelipot. Otherwise, it could not exist in this world, without the flow (of life) from above. Even one who dandifies his hair, and the like, receives his life-force at that moment from the chambers of kelipot, as explained in Zohar. Therefore even the particular prohibitions that never became practical issues in this physical world, still the source of their life does actually exist in the chambers of the kelipot.",
+ "There are instances that possibly never did and can never actually occur, for instance errors and unwitting misdeeds like erroneously calling the ninth “tenth…” and the like, eventualities that cannot be deliberate so that the kelipah may inhabit it. Possibly in these circumstances, it does not exist in the chambers of the kelipot. [Gloss by the Tzemach Tzedek: It appears to me that his use of the word “possibly,” implying uncertainty, is because unwitting errors come from nogah. Therefore it may be that their origin is in the chambers of nogah.] In any event, it does exist lehavdil in the supreme wisdom and issued and descended in this detail to Moses on Sinai, [as the expression, “Whatever] any valid student will originate…” and all the detailed queries of R. Yirmiah, and (detailed queries such as) “If she wrapped him…” in ch. 4 of Chullin.",
+ "For the extension of the supreme wisdom is Infinite, since the Infinite is actually clothed in it. Every particular of the law is a “hair” drawn from the supreme wisdom that “established the daughter,” and is clothed in it, and is drawn from it to be invested in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.",
+ "It is known that the nurture of the kelipot is from the backpart of the ten sacred sefirot, and more precisely from the garments of the ten sefirot of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, and more precisely, from Yetzirah-Asiyah that are intermingled with kelipot, as is known that their nurture is from the state of garments.",
+ "Through the study of the laws, in speech and in thought, they become separated and distinct from the sacred. It is so stated in Tikkunim and Raaya Mehemna, “To separate […] (the kelipot from holiness through Torah study).” This accords with what is known from what they said, “For they did not recite the Torah blessing before….” This (separation) is effected by calling forth the Light of the En Sof into the supreme wisdom clothed in them (the laws). “Through chochmah (wisdom) are they refined”—through the Light of the En Sof that is within it.",
+ "This (Light) is drawn into the supreme wisdom by the supernal “likeness” of man who is also occupied with these laws above in his source in nukva of the Minor Visage of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.",
+ "Thus we can understand the requirement that every nefesh-ruach-neshamah fulfill all 613 commandments in thought, speech, and deed, meaning all the details of the laws. They must again descend into the mundane world to fulfill the Torah in all four Pardes aspects in order to refine all that pertain to them of the 288. This constitutes the complete structure of man, the 613 categories, general and particular.",
+ "But in the Time to Come, when the refinement is culminated, then the study of Torah will be in the form of “Do good” alone. (Its purpose will be) to elevate nefesh-ruach-neshamah ever and infinitely higher, and also in the 365 prohibitions, to elevate them to their source, the Sacred Severities, and to “sweeten” them with Kindnesses of the 248 positive commandments and to unite them.",
+ "Thus is the entire Torah eternal in general and in detail. Even the individual laws of the 365 prohibitions are branches of the generalities. All of them have a source above in the Five Severities of sanctity, just as the 365 prohibitions themselves as they are above in the state of “blood” that vivifies the vessels of the Minor Visage."
+ ],
+ [
+ "“David! Do you call them songs!” In Zohar we find, “The praise of Torah and its song.” We must understand what is the praise of G–d in forbidding or permitting an object.",
+ "A similar concept is implicit in “How great are Your works, O G–d, Your thoughts are very deep.”",
+ "It is known that all worlds, the exalted and the lowly, are dependent on the precise and meticulous performance of a single mitzvah. For example, if the altar offering was valid then the supernal union is effected, and all worlds are elevated to receive their life-force and sustenance.",
+ "However, if there is an aberration, if the celebrant received the blood of the offering in his left hand, say, or not in the appropriate vessel, or if some foreign body separates the vessel and the blood it contains, then all the elevations of the world are nullified, as is their life-force and sustenance from the Source of Life, the En Sof, blessed is He.",
+ "So, too, through valid tefillin there is revealed the supernal intellect of zun, the source of life for all worlds. Through the omission of one required detail they are invalidated, and the intellect departs. This applies as well to the requirements of the prohibitions.",
+ "The meditation then may take these lines: Consider “How great are the works” of G–d in the multiplicity of worlds and all their hosts. All of these are literally null when compared to one detail of Torah specification, for Torah requirements are the profundity of the supreme thought and His wisdom, blessed be He. Through one minor specification all worlds ascend and receive their life-force and sustenance, or the opposite, G–d forbid. From this we may ponder the magnitude of the profundity of His thoughts, blessed be He, that is boundless and endless, and infinitely transcends the vitality of all Creation. The vivifying power of all worlds issues from a minor requirement of it (G–d’s thought), for each specification is drawn from its source, namely the depth of His thought, blessed be He. Analogously, man’s hair issues from his brain, as is known from Tikkunim and Idra Rabbah.",
+ "This was the delight of King David, may he rest in peace, as he sang to gladden his heart in his Torah study during his time of trouble.",
+ "However, his extolling the praise of Torah with this quality, saying, “…have been my songs…” caused his punishment. G–d reproved him saying, “Do you call them songs!” For indeed, this quality—that all worlds are nothingness compared to one detail of it—is of the hinderpart of the profound thought. This is explained elsewhere in the name of the Arizal, on the passage, “The Torah is an attenuated form of the supernal chochmah.”",
+ "However, the internal aspect of the depth, which is the inner aspect of Torah—pnimiyut haTorah—is totally united with the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that is clothed within Torah. The unity is a perfect one. In terms of the En Sof, blessed is He, all Worlds are as absolute naught,16 sheer nothingness, nonexistent. For, “You are the same, before the world was created….”",
+ "Hence, the internal aspect of Torah too is not to be lauded as being the vivifying force of all Worlds, for they are reckoned as nothingness itself.",
+ "In this inward aspect of Torah there can be no mortal joy and delight, but rather, in a manner of speaking, the heart’s joy and pleasure of the King, the Holy One, blessed is He, Who delights in it. For “G–d understands its way,” and knows its station and quality, through His self-knowledge, as it were.",
+ "This, however, is concealed from the mortal eye, as, “My face cannot be seen”—i.e., the inwardness, as explained there in the name of the Arizal.",
+ "Hence the verse, “I was a pleasure to Him,” to Him specifically. “Playing before Him,” before Him specifically, meaning the inwardness. “I was reared with Him,” and (the Midrash comments)—“Do not read amon (reared) but uman (craft)….”",
+ "In reference to the hinderpart it says, “Playing in the world, His land, and my delights are with mortal men.” For the Torah is given in states of inwardness and hinderpart, as written in the “flying scroll” of Zechariah, “And it was written front and back.”",
+ "Since David seized upon the hinderpart he was punished with forgetfulness, a product of the state of the hinderpart. Momentarily he was oblivious to the verse, “The sacred service is theirs; on the shoulder shall they carry.” The purpose is to combine the “shoulder,” the hinderpart, with the sacred service, the supreme wisdom, in a manner of inwardness. This state is the source of the tablets in the Ark, as we find, “Written on both their sides….” The Jerusalem Talmud, Shekalim, explains that they did not have any front and back; study that reference."
+ ],
+ [
+ "“And charity like a mighty (Eitan) river” (Amos, end of ch. 5). The meaning is that charity will be like a mighty river, issuing from the state of Eitan, the state of “point in its chamber,” and “two comrades….” The letters of the word Eitan indicate the future tense, “I am destined to reveal myself,” as written, “See, my servant will be wise …” This means that at that time the Light of the En Sof, blessed is He, and His Unity will be revealed within the depth of the core of the heart by calling forth the River Eitan, which is a radiance of the supernal wisdom that will illuminate the inwardness of the heart. Then he will be nullified utterly in His unity, blessed be He, from the depths of the heart, after removing the orlah of physical lusts….",
+ "At present, during the exile of this folk, counsel is offered to bring a mite of the illumination of the Light of G–d from the state of Eitan into the core of the depth of the heart, in the fashion of the Time to Come. This is through arousing the plenteous mercies above for the G–dly spark within his soul.",
+ "For in truth, so long as man does not merit the revelation of the light of G–d of the state of Eitan in the core of the inwardness of his heart, to become nullified in His unity, blessed be He, until the very expiration of the soul, then it is indeed a great pity on the spark within his soul. For that spark is drawn from the state of the supernal wisdom itself, and when it cannot illuminate from its own state into the internality of the heart, which is the proper place for the revelation of this Light, then it is actually in exile.",
+ "Through the plentiful mercies on high, however, it goes out of exile and imprisonment and illuminates the core of the innermost of the heart with this great love, as known from the verse, “For Jacob who has redeemed Abraham,” and as noted in Likkutei Amarim I, ch. 45.",
+ "It is known that the arousal from above is dependent on the arousal from below, meaning that through arousing great mercies in the hearts of the merciful and kindly, to grant a beneficence below physically, gold and silver…. Therefore the work of charity is actually the work of the River Eitan.",
+ "All know the verse, “Skin for skin, and all that a man has he will give on behalf of his soul,” his G–dly soul, to illumine it with the light of life, the Infinite, blessed is He."
+ ],
+ [
+ "I have heard with foreboding and am deeply grieved that G–d’s people are preventing a person who yearns for the life and longevity of all our brethren, from leading the service in this small sanctuary of our confreres. Our Sages, of blessed memory, declare, “Three things prolong the days of man,” and one of these is prolonged prayer.",
+ "Even one extremely pressed for time, who finds it impossible to tarry until the response of Kedushah in the Repetition of the Amidah—far better is it for him to forego hearing Kedushah and Barchu than to tamper with the lives of those who desire life. Torah does exonerate the compelled. The chazzan discharges his obligation for him though he did not hear the chazzan, just as though he had heard—and hearing is precisely like responding. The Gemara notes this in reference to those in the fields who are considered under duress. They fulfill their obligation of the Shemonah Esrai prayer itself with the reader’s repetition, just as if they had actually heard it. Kedushah and Barchu are also included.",
+ "This we have searched out and verified—even in the early generations of the Sages of the Mishnah and Gemara, whose Torah study was constant and was their primary service, not their prayer. It is even more emphatically true at this time, in the period just preceding the advent of Moshiach, when our Torah study is not constant because of the difficulty of our times. The primary service in the period just prior to the coming of Moshiach is prayer, as Rabbi Chaim Vital, of blessed memory, writes in Etz Chaim and Pri Etz Chaim.",
+ "Hence, it is fit and proper, beyond any vaguest doubt, to devote ourselves utterly to (prayer). It is literally a Torah imperative to those who have knowledge of the efficacy of contemplation, of some profound meditation—each according to his measure—in the presentation of the praises of G–d, blessed is He, in Pesukei d’Zimra and the two pre-Shema blessings, Yotzer and Ahavah. Through them he can arouse the love latent in the heart of every Jew, that it attain a state of revelation, in the openness of the heart during Keriat Shema itself.",
+ "For this is the commandment of love that is in the verse “And you shall love…with all your heart…” that is reckoned first among the 613 mitzvot. Maimonides, of blessed memory, writes that it is a fundament of Torah and its root, and source of all 248 positive commands. Regarding the love latent in the heart of all Israel by birth and nature, there can be no command at all.",
+ "This is apparent to the understanding. While the love is concealed, it is still lodged within the Divine soul alone. Only when it attains a state of revelation in the animating soul is it revealed in the heart in the left ventricle, the abode of the animating soul.",
+ "This is the meaning of “refinement of the sparks” mentioned there in Etz Chaim and Pri Etz Chaim in reference to prayer, and for this reason prayer is the primary service in the period just preceding the coming of Moshiach—to refine the sparks…. This may be either the state of transformation or of subjugation of the animal soul to the Divine soul, as is known. For the blood is the soul… and the blood is renewed daily through food and drink and is affected and improved by garments and shelter….",
+ "On the other hand, in earlier generations when the Divine souls were of a higher order, the refinement was instantaneous in Keriat Shema alone and in the blessings preceding it, and the abridged Pesukei d’Zimra…. And this will suffice for the knowing."
+ ],
+ [
+ "“You shall reprove your comrade”—even one hundred times.",
+ "Therefore I cannot contain myself and refrain from crying out again, in a voice betraying weakness. I plead with you, out of deep compassion, have mercy on your souls. Take care, be painstaking to an extreme concerning Torah and the service of the heart, which is prayer with kavanah, proper intention. All should begin in unison, as one, word by word, not one here and another elsewhere, one mute and the other idly chatting—may G–d protect us.",
+ "The main cause and instigator of damage comes from those leading the services. That office is abandoned to whoever wishes to stride forth and seize the honor, or because not even one desires it….",
+ "For this reason, this is the counsel offered, and an amendment established as law not to be violated further, G–d forbid. That is, select specified people fit for this office, by lot or by consent of the majority of the worshippers. These shall be men who pray word by word, moderately, out loud, neither overly prolonging the prayers nor racing intemperately, G–d forbid.",
+ "Theirs is the duty to lead the services, each on his day as determined. He shall assemble close around him all those who pray at least with some voice, not whispering nor rushing, G–d forbid. This is amplified in ancient amendments in many cities.",
+ "I come now to renew them, to strengthen and invigorate them, never again to be weakened, G–d forbid. (Gevald! Gevald!) How long will this be an obstacle for us! Have we not sufficient reproofs and troubles that have overtaken us!—may G–d protect and console us with twofold salvation, and purify our hearts to serve Him in truth. Strengthen and fortify your hearts, all who hope in G–d.",
+ "Also: complete the entire Talmud every single year and in every community by apportioning the tractates by lot or by consent. In a city with numerous synagogues, each congregation shall complete (the Talmud). If a congregation is too small to implement (this program), they shall join to themselves men of some large congregation. This statute shall not be varied or violated. Each of the participants shall individually conclude Psalm 119 weekly.",
+ "Since, due to the frailty of the generation, not everyone is capable of fasting as he ought, the counsel offered is the declaration of our Sages, of blessed memory, “Whoever observes Shabbat according to its halachah (law) is forgiven all his sins.” Note, according to its law. Therefore it is incumbent upon every individual to master the major law of Shabbat.",
+ "Also, be most careful not to indulge in idle chatter, G–d forbid.",
+ "For it is known to the students of Kabbalah that in all mitzvot there are the internal and the external aspects. The externality of Shabbat is the cessation of physical labor, just as G–d ceased making physical heaven and earth.",
+ "The internal aspect of Shabbat is the kavanah (intention) in the Shabbat prayers and Torah study, to cleave to the One G–d, as it is said, “It is Shabbat to the L–rd your G–d.” This is the state of “Remember.”",
+ "The state of “Observe” in the inwardness (of Shabbat) is refraining from speech about material affairs, as G–d ceased from the Ten Utterances through which physical heaven and earth were created. For one is opposite the other…."
+ ]
+ ]
+ },
+ "schema": {
+ "heTitle": "תניא",
+ "enTitle": "Tanya",
+ "key": "Tanya",
+ "nodes": [
+ {
+ "heTitle": "חלק ראשון; ליקוטי אמרים",
+ "enTitle": "Part I; Likkutei Amarim",
+ "nodes": [
+ {
+ "heTitle": "שער",
+ "enTitle": "Title Page"
+ },
+ {
+ "heTitle": "הסכמות",
+ "enTitle": "Approbation"
+ },
+ {
+ "heTitle": "הקדמת המלקט",
+ "enTitle": "Compiler's Foreword"
+ },
+ {
+ "heTitle": "",
+ "enTitle": ""
+ }
+ ]
+ },
+ {
+ "heTitle": "חלק שני; שער היחוד והאמונה",
+ "enTitle": "Part II; Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah",
+ "nodes": [
+ {
+ "heTitle": "חינוך קטן",
+ "enTitle": "Chinukh Katan"
+ },
+ {
+ "heTitle": "",
+ "enTitle": ""
+ }
+ ]
+ },
+ {
+ "heTitle": "חלק שלישי; אגרת התשובה",
+ "enTitle": "Part III; Iggeret HaTeshuvah"
+ },
+ {
+ "heTitle": "אגרת הקדש",
+ "enTitle": "Part IV; Iggeret HaKodesh"
+ },
+ {
+ "heTitle": "קונטרס אחרון",
+ "enTitle": "Part V; Kuntres Acharon"
+ }
+ ]
+ }
+}
\ No newline at end of file