Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut
שער האמונה ויסוד החסידות
The Introduction to the Beit Yaakov, Translated and Annotated by Betzalel Edwards
https://izbitztoptenteachings.wordpress.com/
Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut
Introduction to Beit Yaakov
Chapter 1
The Principle of Service is based on Knowledge
In this first chapter, R. Gershon Henokh discusses the centrality of knowledge in the path of serving God. This knowledge, however, has several aspects. On the one hand, it means exoteric knowledge: the knowledge of the Torah and its commandments, which enables a person to live a committed Jewish life and worship God according to the Codes of Jewish Law. On a deeper level, R. Gershon Henokh equates knowledge with faith; for the knowledge of God’s unity provides faith in times of adversity. Finally, in keeping with hasidic tradition, knowledge – da’at – also means an inner enlightenment, a direct awareness of Divinity. Thus, he refers to hasidism’s great principle: “In all your ways, know Him.” This is not merely the knowledge of how to serve God in all of life’s details – as defined by the Codes – but how to actually unite with His eternal presence, even as it manifests itself amidst the mundane aspects of reality. The goal of acquiring this knowledge reflects another important aspect of R. Gershon Henokh’s approach; that is, the descent of Divinity from the highest realms to the lowest, and the role of man and Torah study for investing the lowest levels with supernal wisdom, thus spreading the knowledge of God on earth.
I thank God with all my heart, In the counsel of those who remain and those who love, Those who thirst for God’s word, Those love His Torah with truth and wholeness. They do not learn the Torah as a woodsman sharpens his axe, in order to earn a living. Nor do they adorn themselves in it like a fur coat. Yet they bend their ears to hear the words of the sages. Their hearts yearn to know the truth.
They are shamed and disgraced due to [their love of Torah]. Yet, those who shame them will be put to shame, and those who scorn them shall be scorned! And as for us, we are shamed daily, by the voice of the reviler and the insulter, the enemy and the vengeful. Yet, regardless of all we suffer from them, we have not forgotten the Torah, for it is the covenant that God has forged with us.
Even though their envy of the Torah has consumed us, and the humiliation of those who blaspheme her have fallen upon us, and they mock us, by saying, “What will you gain, and what will your study of the Torah add for you? You will gain more if you reduce your efforts, for is not God’s Torah already perfect?”
All of these descend upon us, and not only from our enemies. We are insulted even by our brothers, masters of the Talmud. They too sully our name, saying, “What business do you have digging to the depths of the Torah? The plain meaning is enough! Why should we contemplate and seek to understand that which is hidden?”
They pay no attention to that which the Torah admonishes us (Devarim, 4:39), “You shall know this day and take unto your heart that Hashem is Elo-him, in the heavens above and on the earth below, there is no other. And you shall guard his statutes …”
So too, are we cautioned (Devarim, 32:47), “And he said to them, take to your hearts all that I testify to you today, that you shall command your children to guard all the words of this Torah in order to do them. It is not an empty thing for you, for it is your life. And in this you may increase your days …”
This is as David HaMelech said to his son, Shlomo HaMelech (Divrei HaYamim 1, 28:9), “And you, Shlomo my son, know the God of your fathers and serve him with a whole heart and a willing soul. For all hearts seek God, and all intellects understand (this principle). If you seek Him, you shall find.”
Indeed, the essense of serving G-d depends upon the level of one’s knowledge. Prayer is called “the service of the heart,” as the Gemara (Ta’anit 2a) asks on the verse (Devarim, 11:13), “If you heed My mitzvot … to serve Him with all your heart.” “What is considered the service of the heart? This is prayer.” For in order to serve God, one needs two qualities – the love of God and the fear of God, as it states in the Zohar (Shlach, 165a), “One who serves God with joy fulfills the verse (Tehillim, 100:2), ‘Serve God with joy,’ and one who serves God with fear fulfills the verse (ibid, 2:11), ‘Serve God with fear.’” Clearly it is impossible for a person to serve, fear, and love something that he does not know. We find in the introduction to the Tikunei Zohar (5b): The tenth level in the fear of God is as follows. There is fear, and there is fear. Not all expressions of fear are the same. One person’s fear of God may be largely motivated by the fear of Divine punishment. Of this it is taught (Pirkei Avot 2:5), “An unlearned person cannot fear sin.” A higher level of fears derives from the Torah itself, which is Tiferet, called the “middle column,” which is the name Havay’ah (the Tetragramaton,י-ה-ו-ה). Because of this, the authors of the Mishnah taught, “Great is the Torah in that it brings a person to action.” If a person does not know the Torah, or the reward for keeping its commandments and the punishment for transgressing its commandments, nor is he aware of the One who created the Torah and gives it to Israel, how can he fear God and guard His commandments? For this reason David said to his son Shlomo, “Know the God of your fathers and serve him.” For if one does not know the one who gave him the Torah and commanded him to guard it, how then can he fear Him and fulfill its commandments?
Similarly, we find in the Midrash Sochar Tov: “How may a young man make his path pure? By serving according to Your word” (Tehillim 119), Shlomo said, “In all your ways know Him.” If you know and are conscious of God in all that you do, He will straighten the paths before you. Thus, it is said (Tehillim, 16), “Make the path of life known to me.” So too, Moshe said to God (Shemot, 33), “Now, if I have found favor in your sight, let me know Your ways.” And also (Tehillim, 25), “Lead me in Your truth, and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.” And (Tehillim, 86), “God, teach me Your way.” And it is written (Yermiyahu, 6), “Stand on the roads and see, and ask about the ways of the world, and see which is the good way. Then walk in it, and find rest for your soul.” Look at the path that Avraham took, and look at the path that Nimrod took, and see who succeeded. So too did David say, “And you, Shlomo my son, know the God of your fathers, and serve him.”
The following passages of the Zohar express the central principle that knowledge is the prerequisite to any true Divine service. Everyone who goes to the next world without knowledge will be thrown out of each and every gate of that world, even though he has many good actions to his credit. (Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim, 77a) If a person is in this world, and does not strive to know Him, it would have been better had he never been created. For this reason, be seen before the Holy King, in order to know Him in this world. Strive to serve God in the mystery of faith, as it is written (Devarim 4), “You have been shown in order to know that Hashem is Elo-him, there is none besides Him.” God brought man into this world precisely in order to know that God is Elo-him. This is the principle of every secret of faith in the entire Torah. (Terumah, 161b)
Chapter 2
The Purpose of Knowledge
Having established the centrality of knowledge in the service of God, R. Gershon Henokh now adds another element: True knowledge includes an understanding that God created the world in order to bestow goodness upon man, and that God desires that we make our own efforts in order to receive this goodness. The opposite approach – receiving God’s goodness as an unearned gift – would engender feelings of shame in the receiver. Thus, God gives man a path of action – mitzvot and good deeds – which allow him to deserve His bounty. However, since the greatest gift we can receive from God is further knowledge – which means, in this case, a direct, mystical experience of Divinity – so a circle is formed: intellectual knowledge of God’s Torah and an understanding of His plan for creation leads us on the path to its fulfillment, which ultimately results in a deeper, direct spiritual knowledge of the Giver of the Torah Himself.
It is written in the Zohar (Zohar Chadash, Shir haShirim, 77a): “What kind of wisdom does man need? One kind is the wisdom to know and look into the mystery of his Master. One kind is the wisdom man needs to know himself, to know who he is, how he was created, from where he came and to where he is going, the nature of the rectification of his body, and how in the future he will have to stand in judgment before the Master of all. One kind of wisdom is the ability to know and look into the mysteries of the soul … and after this, the supernal secrets of the upper world, in order to know his Master. Man can see all of these in the secrets of the Torah.” A person needs to know his Creator and his Creator’s attributes. Furthermore, whatever we are permitted to know about Him must be used to serve Him. For any knowledge of Him that does not add to His service is considered “too wondrous” for us to know. This is as the Gemara says (Chagiga, 13a), “Do not seek that which is too wondrous for you, and that which is hidden from you do not investigate.” However, we are permitted to contemplate matters that lead to the knowledge of God’s existence and attributes. We may meditate upon how He created and arranged the creation to its final ends. How He created good and evil, and gave man the power to choose good and life. For this one needs to contemplate the nature of good and how God desires to bestow benevolence upon His creatures, as it is written (Tehillim, 89:3), “I said, the world shall be established on benevolence.” This is God’s intention for His creation, which we are permitted to contemplate. The intention from the very first moment of creation came forth from His simple will, as primordial as God Himself, with no initiative from the side of the creation at all, for nothing had yet been created that could bring about such an awakening.
From the moment of creation and onward God desires that man receive his reward based on his own efforts
Indeed, from the moment of creation and onward, God desired that man receive reward based upon his own efforts and (what the psalmist calls) “the work of his hands.” This is as it is said in the Midrash, “Man’s efforts are called striving – and then eating.” For this reason man was given free choice. This is as it is written in the Tikunei Zohar (70, page 137b): When the Torah says, “let us make a man,” it means that man needs to fulfill the commandments of the Torah, and exert himself in the Torah, “to work it and to guard it.” From this he will be rewarded and gain mastery over the angels. This is (Yeshayahu, 60), “the bud of My planting, the work of My hands in which to glory.” We find that although the supernal angels are mighty in strength and perform God’s word, still they are not mighty in the service of the Holy One, blessed be He. This is because they are forced to serve Him, and face no obstacles like the physical body or the evil inclination.... For this reason it is said, “let us make a man (who overcomes these obstacles by using his power of choice, to serve God out of his own volition).” For this reason man will rule over the angels.
God desires that man receive his reward based on his own efforts. Then it will be called (Tehillim, 128:2), “You will eat based on the work of your own hands, fortunate are you, and it will be good for you.” This is as the Jerusalem Talmud states (Orlah, 1:3), “Someone who receives his food from another is ashamed to look his benefactor in the face.” One who receives a free gift cannot receive it face to face. This is as it is said in the Gemara (Pesachim 118a), “What did David have in mind when he said, ‘His mercy endures forever’ twenty-six times? They correspond to the twenty-six generations from the creation of Adam until the giving of the Torah, which were all sustained purely on God’s benevolence.”
For this reason we find that up until the time that Avraham served God through active performance in deed, namely the covenant of circumcision, he could not look face to face at the Shekhina, the Divine presence, as is mentioned in the Midrash Tanchuma (Lech, 20). This is why the Torah was given to the community of Yaakov, in order to bestow upon, for by serving God through the power of free choice and running after the knowledge of God through the Torah, they merit knowing God, which is in itself the reward. Then, they will be worthy of eternal life, eating of the fruit of their own efforts and receiving God’s light face to face.
Chapter 3
The Service of God Prior to Sinai
As the author explained, knowledge of God is necessary to serve Him, which, in turn, allows us to receive His goodness, which is the very reason for creation. The question now arises: how did individuals serve God before the Torah was given, when the knowledge of His service had not yet entered the world. R. Gershon Henokh explains that from the time of Adam, there were books and mystery schools in which this knowledge was studied.
God began to shine the words of Torah to man from the very day he was created. This is because the God created the world with the Torah. Consider the following passages in the Zohar: And Rabbi Abba said, “We know that a book descended to Adam HaRishon, and through it he knew and understood the supernal wisdom. This book reached the, ‘bnei Elohim,’ who were the sages of the generation, and whoever else was worthy of looking into it. In this way they arrived at the knowledge of supernal wisdom … Similarly, it is taught that Hanokh had a book, and this book was from the place of the book of the Generations of Man.” (Zohar, Bereshit, 37b): We have already explained that when Adam was in the Garden of Eden God sent him a book through Raziel, the holy angel in charge of the mysteries of the holy supernal ones. Supernal impressions were imprinted in this book, holy wisdom, and seventy-two kinds of wisdom were explained in three hundred and seventy engravings of supernal mysteries. He left this book to his son Shet and all his descendants until it reached Avraham. By means of it, Avraham knew how to gaze upon the Glory of his Master. This has been explained. Similarly, Adam gave a book to his son Hanokh, from which he looked upon the supernal Glory.”(Zohar, Bereshit, 55b) Come and see! From his childhood, Noah saw the actions of man and how they sinned against the Holy One, blessed be He. So he hid himself, and occupied himself with the service of his Master … If you ask, what book did he use to contemplate Divine service? He studied the book of Adam and the book of Hanokh in order to know how to serve his Master. (Zohar, Bereshit, 58b) Rabbi Shimon said, if I had been alive at the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the book to Hanokh and to Adam, I would have made great efforts that they not become accessible to people. (Zohar, Noah, 78b)
Rabbi Shimon said, “I raise my hands in prayer to He who created the world (see Bereshit, 14:22). Even though our predecessors have revealed hidden supernal knowledge in this verse, one would do well to look into and contemplate the secrets of the book of Adam, because this is the source of the hidden book of Shlomo HaMelech.” (Zohar, Yitro, 70a) Thus we find that Shem and Eiver had a house of study. When Rivkah was pregnant and the twins were fighting in her womb, it says (Bereshit, 25:22), “She went to ask of God.” The Midrash Rabbah (Bereshit, 63) notes that she went to the house of study of Shem and Aiver. The Gemara teaches us that Yaakov hid himself from Eisav in the house of Aiver (Megillah, 17a).
Similarly, we find that the generations of the Bible produced several oral traditions of the mysteries of the Torah that were received as valid by our sages. It is accepted that one of the classic Kabbalistic texts, “Raziel HaMalakh” is the same as the book of Adam HaRishon and the book of Hanokh. But clearly, when we look at the version of the book, “Raziel HaMalakh,” that exists today, we see many additions from later sages – from the, “letters of Rabbi Akiva,” to the “Chapters of Rabbi Eliezar,” to the manuscripts of the Geonim. Additional material was added by each of the sages of the following generations who possessed this text. This was true with many ancient texts. Each one who had the book would add to it, both the great and the small, according to their levels. Certainly we no longer know the identity of many of the contributors to these books. We attribute the Sefer Yetzirah (the Book of Formation) to Avraham. It contains five chapters. The Magen Avot of R. Shimon bar Tzemach z”l, the “Tashbetz,” mentions this in reference to the statement in the Gemara (Avoda Zara, 14b), “The text of Avraham Avinu’s version of the tractate of Avoda Zara contained of four-hundred chapters, and ours contains only five.” That is, what remains is our Sefer Yetzirah. He counts five chapters, because the sixth is contained in the fifth. The “Tashbetz” explains that all of these (missing chapters) dealt with the removal any concept of physicality from the supernal forces, which are ultimately only created entities. This was so that human beings not be deceived into thinking these forces to be godly. That which remains (of the missing chapters) in our possession is the Sefer Yetzirah. This is the knowledge that man needs in order to serve God, which entails separating the holy way of serving G-d from the Divine service from the invalid ways. This is as it is written in the Sefer Yetzirah (Chapter One), “Understand with wisdom, and be wise with understanding, and establish the matter with clarity, and return the Creator to His base.”
Chapter 4
The Torah of Avraham
Even though an esoteric knowledge was passed down the generations from the time of Adam, with the arrival of Avraham, a new stage in this process occurred. Prior to Avraham, the knowledge of God was attained primarily through mystical contemplation. Man ascended to God by transcending this mundane world. Furthermore, esoteric knowledge was the privilege or mission of a select few righteous individuals, and not the property of humanity at large. A further point, which the author mentions later, is that pre-Sinaitic man was ruled by his mazal, or fate. At Sinai, God freed man from his fate – provided that he serves the Almighty through the way of the Torah.
Avraham introduced a new paradigm in serving G-d, and thus initiates what the Talmud calls the “two thousand years of Torah” (despite the fact that the Torah was not actually given at Sinai until five hundred years later.) Avraham revealed how God’s presence could be found on earth, and could be perceived even through the contemplation on one’s very physicality. In this way, Avraham’s efforts resembled the goal of the Torah, which is to bring a revelation of God down from heaven to earth, from the abstract to the tangible. This was a considerably higher level of realization that what had preceded it, and was passed on to Avraham’s descendents – the Jewish people – and the generation that received the Torah at Mount Sinai.
From the days of Avraham began the, “two thousand years of Torah.” This is as it says in the Gemara (Sanhedrin, 97a), “Two thousand years of chaos, and two thousand years of Torah.” The Ramban comments on the verse in Bereshit, “and God blessed the seventh day,” that the two thousand years of Torah began with Avraham. Likewise, we find in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah, 2), “‘And the earth was chaos and formless, and darkness on the face of the void’ – these are the first generations. ‘And God said, let there be light’ – this is Avraham.” Avraham began to illuminate the world with the understanding that God does not exist only in heaven, but also on earth. Noah’s son Shem is identified as Malki Tzedek, the king of Shalem. (See Bereshit 14:18) Malki Tzedek addressed God as El Elyon, “the supernal God.” The verses identify him as, “a priest to El Elyon,” and he himself said, “blessed is Avraham to the El Elyon, and blessed is El Elyon, who has delivered your enemies into your hands.” Elyon – Supernal – represents that which is above man’s comprehension. Before the giving of the Torah, the acts of studying Torah and serving God were accompolished through tremendous self-nullification, trials, and suffering. This led them to an understanding of G-d’s existence, and the knowledge of the One who rules His world in the aspect of, “the Supernal God.”
Avraham, however, understood that God, “fills the whole world with His glory.” He removed the orlah, the force of concealment, which divided God’s light from man’s understanding. Thus we find after he was given the commandment of circumcision (milah) it is said (Bereshit, 21:33), “And he called in the name of Hashem, the God of the world.” This means that God’s existence became apparent in all aspects of the creation, as the Midrash Rabbah (Vayera, 48) states, on the verse (Iyov, 19:26), “‘From my flesh I shall see God’ – Were it not for the act of circumcision, how could God have been revealed to me?” That is, he saw God’s light in every detail of creation. When Avraham said, “I raise my hands to the Supernal God,” it was before the circumcision. Similarly, we find that the Patriarchs taught the Torah to their sons. The Midrash tells us that while Israel was in Egypt they possessed scrolls with which they would delight in each Shabbat.
Chapter 5
Knowledge of the Mystery at Sinai and Beyond
Prior to the giving of the Torah at Sinai, there was no all-inclusive compendium that could be used by every individual to serve God. The pre-Sinaitic esoteric works where accessible only to a select few. With the giving of the Torah, two things changed: (1) God descended into creation. That is, no longer did the relationship with God require a human being to transcend the physical world (as in the case of Malkei Tzedek, mentioned above), and (2) a means was now provided for even the lowest individual to enter into a relationship with God. Thus, R. Gershon Henokh interprets the “voices” heard at Mount Sinai as the voice of Jewish people’s own, inner revelation. Meaning to say, with the Giving of the Torah, Divinity became accessible to each and every person.
The author further explains that while the Torah does not expect a person to do more than he is able – for God does not make His commandments impossible to fulfill – nonetheless, the obligation to learn the entire Torah still applies to every person, since only then can he fully incorporate the Divine Presence in his life.
It is said of the giving of the Torah (Shemot, 19) that, “God descended on Mount Sinai.” This is as it is said in the Zohar (Yitro, 82a): We have learned that at the time God revealed himself at Mount Sinai, all of Israel saw as one would see with a lantern, and in this light, each one saw even that which the prophet Yehezkel did not see. What is the reason? It is because these supernal voices were revealed as one, according to our explanation of the verse in the account of the giving of the Torah, “all of the people saw the voices.”
This “voice” is the inner voice. It was then revealed to Israel that the entire world is filled with God’s glory, and that He gives life and being to everything, at every moment. Consider the following passages in the Zohar: Rabbi Shimon said, come and see! The voice of the shofar is the place of the voice. To explain this, consider the verse, “for on all that comes out of God’s mouth does man live.” What is, “that which comes out of God’s mouth?” It is the voice of the shofar.
(Yitro, 81b) And according to them David mentioned seven “voices” in Psalm 29, “Ascribe unto God, ye sons of the mighty,” and of these seven it is said, “not on bread alone does man live, but on all that comes out of God’s mouth does man live.” (Tikun 69, page 117b) Why is the Torah called “Torah?” Because it teaches and reveals that which was hidden and not known. (Metzorah, 53b)
Therefore, from the moment the Torah was given, the world is no longer solely sustained by God’s benevolence. At the giving of the Torah, God showed even greater kindness, which is called, “eating from the effort of your hands” (Tehillim, 128:2). Even though everything still comes from God’s benevolence, it was God’s desire that with the giving of the Torah man should perform actions which enable him to be conscious of God’s light and the knowledge of God’s existence in this world. This is called, “the effort of man’s hands.” The Torah is the sum-total of all of the creation. With the Torah, every person capable of arriving at the entire level of understanding that God allotted for his creation. This is as it is said in the Zohar (Yitro, 83b): All of the later generations were summoned there, and they all received the Torah at Mount Sinai, each one as befit him. Everything in the Torah is applicable to every individual person. This is as the Zohar says (ibid.): “And God spoke all of these words, saying…” (Shemot, 20:1, directly before the Ten Commandments). “Spoke all of these words,” means – all of these meanings, all of these secrets, all of these mysteries, decrees and punishments. “Saying” – means in order for it to be a uninversal inheritance, as it is written (Devarim, 33) “Moshe commanded the Torah to us as an inheritance.” A story is told in the Midrash Rabbah (Vayikra, 9:3), “Rabbi Yannai saw a man who was finely dressed in the manner of a scholar. He invited him home, and in the course of the conversation discovered that he had no Torah knowledge whatsoever, not in the Gemara, Mishnah, or the Chumash. When the man wanted to lead the Grace following a meal, as is the custom for a guest, Rabbi Yannai said, ‘You may do so by saying these words: “A dog at Yannai’s bread.’” The man seized Rabbi Yannai by the collar and said, ‘You are withholding my inheritance!’ Rabbi Yannai said, ‘What is your inheritance?’ The man said, ‘Once I was walking past a school, and I heard the children saying, “Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance of the community of Yaakov.” The Torah does not say, “An inheritance of the community of Yannai,” but rather, “An inheritance of the community of Yaakov.”’”
Even though not everyone can fathom everything with a complete understanding, nonetheless, everyone can understand according to his level even the secrets of the Torah. As it is summed up in the Zohar (Yitro, 83b): If you were to contend: it reveals mysteries that are not relevant to everyone, to this it is written, ‘Anochi – I am Hashem you God.’ Just as I am hidden and concealed, so too will these words be hidden and concealed in you hearts. Hinted in the Torah is God’s divine conduct of all generations down to the end of all generations. Everything that is gleaned from the Torah is advice designed for every person. It is written in the Zohar (Beha’alotcha, 152a): Rabbi Shimon said, “Woe is the man who says that the Torah is just a collection of stories and mundane information. The story of the Torah is the garment of the Torah. To the one who says that the garment is the actual Torah, I say, may he breath his last! He has no share in the world-to-come. For this, David said (Tehillim, 119), ‘open my eyes, that I may behold the wonders of Your Torah.’ Meaning, may I see that which is beneath the garment.” A person needs to contemplate the Torah in its entirety, for it is the life of the world and the life of every man. The entire Torah is essential for everyone in order to serve God, may He be blessed. A person needs to consider how every story found in the Torah teaches a path in the service of God.
We find written in the Midrash on Mishlei (end of section 10): Rabbi Yishmael said, come and see how difficult is the Day of Judgment! In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will judge the whole world in the valley of Yehoshephat. When a Torah scholar comes before Him, God will ask him, “Did you study the Torah?” He will answer, “Yes.” God will then say, “If this is as you say, tell me what you have learned.” For one who has learned the Five Books of Moshe but has not learned the Mishnah, God will turn His face away from him. Then the forces of persecution will surround him like a pack of wild hounds and take him off to Gehinom. When one who has studied two or three orders of the Mishnah comes before Him, God will say to him, “My son, why did you not learn the laws by heart?” When one who has learned the laws comes before the heavenly court, God will say to him, “My son, why have you not learned the Torat Cohanim (halachic Midrash on the book of Leviticus)?” When one comes before Him who has learned the Torat Cohanim, God shall to him, “Why have you not learned the five books of Moses?” If one comes before Him who has learned the five books of Moses, and God will say to him, “Why have you not learned aggadah (legends of the Torah)? For at the time when a rabbi sits before his students and teaches the aggadot, I forgive and atone for all the sins of Israel!” If a soul comes before God who has learned the aggadot, God will ask him, “Why have you not learned the Talmud? For it is said (Kohelet, 1), “All the rivers run into the sea, and the sea is not full,” referring to the Talmud. When another one comes before God who has learned the Talmud, and God will ask him, “Why have you not glimpsed at the Holy Merkava of Divine Mysteries? For I experience no pleasure in My world like the time when the sages sit in the study of the Torah, and glimpse, look, see, contemplate the great Talmud of Divine Mysteries, knowing how My Divine throne of glory stands!”
Even with Ma’aseh Merkava, (the knowledge of the Mysteries of the Torah), one needs to learn with the goal of doing. This is as it is said in the Tractate Chagiga (14b), after Rabbi Elazar ben Arach had just cause the trees and mountains to sing, from his teachings of the Divine mysteries, “Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, Blessed is the God of Israel who gave a son to Avraham Avinu who knows how to understand and teach the Ma’aseh Merkava. There are those who are good at explaining but cannot do. Then there are those who know how to do, but cannot explain. Fortunate are you, Avraham Avinu, that Rebbi Elazar ben Arach descended from you, who knows both how to teach and how to do!” From this we see that even with Ma’aseh Merkava one needs not only to know, but needs to perform and uphold. In the case where one knows how to do, but does not know how to learn, every soul of Israel who performs the Mitzvot in all their details is intending the very depths of God’s will. Then God considers it as if he has fulfilled all of the mystical intentions (kavonnot). So too, one who prays with the utmost simplicity and a pure heart, and knows nothing of the kavannot of the Kabbalists, also intends to fulfill the depths of God’s will, and God considers this as if he has prayed with the most lofty of kavanot. It is written in the Zohar (Vayehi, 243b): Rabbi Yossi and Rabbi Hizkiya asked Rabbi Shimon, ‘We are taught that one should begin by praising God, and then make his request. What about someone who wants to pray but his heart ill at ease, and is so disturbed that he can not properly praise God before asking for his needs?’ Rabbi Shimon answered them, ‘His prayer is no less, even if he cannot enter into the optimal frame of mind in order to praise God. He should make his praises even in his current state of mind. Then he should go ahead and ask. … However, a person who has the ability and the proper frame of mind to properly praise God before praying, yet does not, of him is it said (Yeshayahu, 1), ‘Though he pray much, I will not heed him.’ But for one who simply cannot collect his mind and achieve devekut, God nevertheless accepts his prayer and his divine service. The Zohar says that this is (Tehillim, 17:1), “Hear the right, O God, attend to my cry, hear my prayer.” This is an example of, “one who knows how to do, but does not know how to explain.”
One needs to know and understand that every letter of the Torah that God gave to Israel is all that is needed in order to serve the Almighty, may He be blessed. Every one of Israel needs the entire Torah. Man needs to know how to understand and investigate the Glory of his Creator, to know the meaning of loving and fearing the Almighty, to know how God’s glory is found in every detail of action, to know to whom he is praying, and whose commandments he is fulfilling, and how God’s light and providence exists in every detail.
Chapter 6
The Purpose of the Mystery of Faith
Having established that true knowledge is the knowledge of God’s revelation on earth, the author now shows how this to be the meaning of the Shema Yisrael prayer: “Hashem Elo-heinu, Hashem Echod.” That is, Hashem, the Transcendent God, is also Elo-heinu, the imminent God. In R. Gershon Henokh’s eyes, this defines the mystery of faith, for true faith is the ability to perceive God’s light and providence in each detail of creation. In the chapter following this one, R. Gershon Henokh refers to this knowledge as Ma’aseh HaMerkava, “the Workings of the Chariot.” This was a term coined by the Sages of the Talmud in references to Yehezkel’s vision of a supernal throne, carried by angels, on which sat an image of the Divine. Talmudic mystics, who delved into the depths of this topic were known as “Descenders of the Chariot.” However, R. Gershon Henokh defines Ma’aseh HaMerkava in a novel way. The merkava is not the chariot in Yehezkel’s, but the entirety of creation, which, when viewed through the lens of faith, becomes a dwelling place for the revelation of God in the world.
Concerning the meaning of the Shema Yisrael the Zohar writes (Terumah, 160b): The two words Shema Yisrael (Hear O Israel) express a unification of three sides, which are the three words Hashem Elo-heinu Hashem (Hashem is our God, Hashem), since it is all one. Further in the Zohar, it is written (Terumah, 161a): Rabbi Hiya spoke after him and said (Devarim 4:35), “It was shown to you, so you may know that Hashem is God, there is none other besides Him”; (Devarim 4:39) “And you shall know this day, and take into your heart, that Hashem is God, in the heavens above and on the earth below, there is none other.” The entire mystery of faith depends on these words. From this one can know the secret of all secrets, the most hidden of all mysteries, which is that “Hashem Elo-him,” is one full name, and it is all one. And in the Zohar (Pekudei, 260a): One who knows how to combine similar things (min b’mino) – to make connections, connecting chamber to chamber, level to level – has a share in the world-to-come, as we have established. Therefore, it is the completeness of all. And when the levels are completed, one joined to the other, then it is all one action, and the completeness that comes out of this combination (min b’mino) is called Ma’aseh Merkava, the workings of the Divine Chariot. This is the secret of (Bereshit, 2:7), “and Hashem Elo-him formed man.” “Hashem Elo-him” is one complete name, and the resulting action of combining the two names into one is the formation of man. In this way we say, “Hashem is Elo-him.” This is as the Zohar states above, that the mystery of fatih is found in the commandment: “And you shall know this day, and take into your heart, that Hashem is God (which is the same as saying Hashem is Elo-him), in the heavens above and on the earth below, there is none other.”
Chapter 7
The Mystery of Faith is the Secret of the Divine Chariot
Through the mystery of faith, one sees how God’s unity extends down to the lowest aspects of creation – even to the kelipot (the “impure shells”), which are those forces of negativity that conceal or deny God’s all-encompassing presence. These are alluded to in Yehezkel’s vision as “storm wind, cloud, and fire.”
There are many details necessary to understand the mystery of faith. The basic idea is to see how God’s light and providence exists in every detail of His creation. All of the details of creation are hinted at in the name, “Elo-him,” as it is said in the Zohar (Mishpatim 108b), whereas the source of God’s light comes from the name “Havaye” (the Tetragrammaton). One needs to unite the light in the details with the light from the Source, so that both are united in man’s heart and understanding. The more one succeeds in understanding and internalizing, the more he will see how God’s light reaches even the furthermost “garments,” the places that seem most distant from Godliness. Even these distant places express the Glory of God, as He created them for his Glory. It is written in the Sefer HaBahir (v. “Rav Rahumai’s students asked him”): When discussing God, why do we use the expression, “it ascended in His thought,” and not, “it descended?” This is as we say, “one who glimpses the Merkava (the Chariot of Divine mysteries) first descends, and then ascends.” What is, “Ma’aseh Merkava,” or the study of the secret of God’s conduct of the creation? It is the ability to see how God created everything for His glory, even those “garments” which appear the furthest away from Godliness. This relates to the Zohar’s statement (Shemot, 15b): Rabbi Akiva said to him, what is the meaning of the verse (Shir HaShirim, 7:11), “I descended to the egoz (nut) garden to see the fruits of the brook”? Why does this verse say, “I descended”? It is just like the way we say, “he descended to the Merkava.” (When our sages describe one who is involved with Ma’aseh Merkava they refer to it as “descending.” This Zohar compares the Merkava to a nut in a number of ways, one of which is that they both have a kelipa (outer shell or peel). The chariot of Yehezkel was surrounded by the kelipot of the storm wind, cloud, and fire. The meaning is, when one descends, and sees God’s glory even in the lowest of places, this it Ma’aseh Merkava. In this there are different levels. The knowledge one receives the garden of Torah knowledge depends on his ability to receive. Concerning the knowledge that is beyond man’s ability to receive, the Talmud says (Chagiga, 13a), “Do not seek that which is too wondrous for you, and that which is hidden from you do not investigate. These mysteries are not for you,” and other verses that imply his knowledge of lack.
Chapter 8
Knowing Evil
The mystery of faith is the true secret of God’s unity. With the mystery of faith, one can understand how God runs the world with loving-kindness, even when one sees the righteous suffering and the wicked prospering, for the mystery of faith allows us to look beyond the garments of this world. One of the central, and most controversial, tenets of Izhbitzer Hasidism is the idea that God’s unity can be found even in its extreme opposite – in sin and evil itself. Thus, in R. Gershon Henokh’s terms, the greatest mystery of faith is that God can even be found where He ostensibly is not. In this chapter, R. Gershon Henokh cites several sources that allude to this mystery. Understanding this truth was the goal of many great figures in the past. For instance, the Talmud states that during the reign of King Solomon, the moon was always full. In this case, the “moon” is a metaphor for this world, which receives its light from God (like the moon receives light from the sun). Shlomo desired to reveal God presence in all aspects of life. Thus, the “full moon” is a metaphor for complete revelation, without any dark or “diminished” aspect. Thus, Shlomo declared in Shir HaShirim: “I descended to the egoz” – into the kelipot or “impure shells” of negativity – to seek God there, as well.
It is written in the Zohar (Yayehi, 223b): Since Shlomo HaMelech inherited the moon in its state of completeness, he needed to inherit it in its state of deficiency. He strove to understand spirits and demons (i.e. the forces of evil) in order to inherit the moon in all its aspects. For this reason, in the days of Shlomo HaMelech the moon shone in all its aspects. And in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 26, p. 71b): Clearly The Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shekhina have not changed. Yet from an outside perspective, they do change. That is to say, (in this world) they are concealed in layers of garments and shells. This is why Shlomo HaMelech said (Shir HaShirim, 7:11), “I descended to the egoz garden.” He had a complete knowledge of the kelipot (impure shells), which gave him a thorough knowledge of all forms of sorcery. The faithful shepherd will break all of the kelipot, bringing forth the essence which the shell conceals, meaning the Tetragrammaton (YHVH).” And in the Zohar (Ta’azria, 47b): “And I saw the superiority of wisdom from folly.” (Kohelet, 2:13) From folly itself emerges something of benefit to wisdom. If it were not for the existence of folly, wisdom and all its extensions would not be known. We have learned that together with wisdom, it is incumbent upon man to learn something of folly, for in knowing it, it serves to benefit his wisdom. In fact, the knowledge of folly or evil is a component of none other than the mystery of faith. It is written in the Zohar (Bo, 34a): It is proper for man to know good and to know evil, and to return himself to the good. This is the mystery of faith. The more one can find the good hidden in evil, the more he will understand how, “God created one over against the other.” (Kohelet, 7:14) This is as it said in the Zohar (Shemot, 15b): Rabbi Akiva said, why did Shlomo HaMelech say, ‘I descended to the egoz garden.’? This is just as we say, “he descended to the Merkava (Divine chariot).’ Rabbi Akiva asked, what does the dirt that is found in the shell of the egoz represent?”
And the Zohar answers (Pekudei, 233b): “Just as the nut has a shell which surrounds the fruit (the inner essence), so it is with everything possessing kedusha, where the kedusha is inside and the force of evil surrounds from the outside.”
Chapter 9
The Difference Between Yeshayahu and Yehezkel
Yehezkel’s vision of the chariot was one of several, similar prophetic visions, recorded in Scripture; the others being Yeshayahu’s vision of God sitting upon a throne (Yeshayahu 1), and Eliyahu’s encounter with God’s “still, small voice” that followed a vision of a storm wind, cloud, and fire (I Kings 19). Of all of them, Yehezkel’s vision is the most detailed. R. Gershon Henokh explains this to have been due to the needs of his time. The First Temple had just been destroyed, and the Jewish people were going into exile as slaves. At that moment, God suspended the decree that prophecy could only occur within the land of Israel, and allowed Yehezekel to reveal to them the meaning of suffering. Yehezkel’s vision of the Merkava – that is, the revelation of God upon earth – would provide support for Israel in the Diaspora, and grant them the faith that God was with them even in all the hardships they were sure to encounter.
It is written in the Zohar (Shemot, 2b): We must ask, if Yehezkel was a faithful prophet, then why did he reveal all that he saw in his prophetic vision? If the king invites someone into his private chamber, is it proper for that person to divulge all he saw there to the press? Yet it is clear that Yehezkel was a faithful prophet. He had permission from God to reveal all that he did. Furthermore, everything he revealed was necessary. The Zohar concludes that all that Yehezkel revealed was necessary for the people of Israel to know in order to survive the ensuing exile. They were accustomed to great delights while living in the land of Israel, and the Babylonian exile was going to be harsh. Therefore they needed to receive the knowledge of Ma’aseh Merkava dressed in this form, as the Gemara says (Hagiga, 13b), “Yeshayahu was like a townsman who saw the king, while Yehezkel was like a country person who saw the king.”
How would the knowledge of Ma’aseh Merkava help the Jews to survive in exile? Yehezkel saw how the furthermost garments and most external and distant realms are also concealing God’s light and are under God’s providence. This is the essence of Ma’aseh Merkava, as explained above. It is hinted to in Yehezkel’s vision of “a storm wind coming from the north, a great cloud, a burning fire, and the light of nogah surrounding it.” Though these are the kelipot, he taught us that God conducts the world through them, as wellas it says (Tehillim, 148:8), “the storm wind performs God’s word.”
Of the storm wind, the Zohar says (Pinchas, 127b), “This is the wind which agitates man’s body. Eliyahu managed to subdue the storm wind, as it is written (Melachim 2, 2:2), “And Eliyahu ascended to heaven in a storm wind.” In the Liqutei Torah of Rabbi Chayyim Vital, on the 38th chapter of Iyov, he mentions that God showed Iyov how He, may He be blessed, rules over the serpent, and how the storm wind performs His word.
This matter is hinted at in the Zohar (Bamidbar, 118b) on the verse (Bamidbar, 2:2), “every man shall make his camp by his flag.” It says: Yet it is so, that within the holy supernal tree God sealed them with His seal, as we have established earlier. It is written (Yehezkel, 1:1), “and the form of their faces was the face of the man, and the face of the lion to the right, etc.” That is to say, the face of man was included in all four faces on the chariot. Their faces faced the four directions, each face different from the others, yet all included the face of man. Mikhael to the right, Gavriel to the left, Uriel to the front, Rafael to the back, and the Shekhina upon them. Hinted at in this passage from the Zohar on the Merkava is the entire matter of Israel’s connection to God, God’s providence through His management of the world, and the order behind His dispensation of effluence and life. Eventually it describes how God conducts the world through the outer garments. There the Zohar concludes (119a): Rabbi Yehuda said, “with Israel this is certainly so. But why do I also see this among the other nations?” He said to him, “Certainly you spoke well.” He opened his discourse with the verse (Bamidbar, 23:8), “What shall I curse that God has not cursed? Shall I send my wrath on that which God has not sent His?” “Come and see! The way things are above, so are they below. Above, there is right and there is left. Below, there is Israel and the nations. Israel holds onto the right, in the sanctity of the Holy King. The idolatrous nations hold on to the left, the side of impurity. They are all below, from all the levels of the left. All levels hold one to each other, until we see that they are all connected to the head. And wherever the head moves, the tail follows. Why is this? It is because the tail is holding on to the head. Thus, it is similar with the idolatrous nations who operate on the side of impurity. … Bilaam used all of the lower levels. He would look at the lower level, which is the tail, and is necessarily led by the head. This is why he said, “What can I curse that God has not cursed?” I cannot go against God! The supernal head was not giving out harsh judgments on those days.” … Rabbi Elazar cried and opened, saying, “Her sound is like that of a snake on the move.” (Yirmiyahu, 46:22) For now that Israel is in exile, surely the Shekhina moves like a snake. When the snake puts his head in the dust, his tail goes up and bites all that comes before him. It is the same way in the exile. The head is down in the dust, and the tail rules. Who causes the tail to go up, rule, and attack? It is the head, bent down below in the dust! Still, who is it that leads the tail, deciding which way it will go in its travels? The head! Though it is down in the dust, it leads the movements and wanderings of the tail. This is why it is said, “Her sound is like that of a snake on the move.” … Rabbi Yitzchak came and kissed his hands, and said, “If I had never learned anything save the answer to this question, it would be enough! Now I know how God leads the nations.” Here Rabbi Yitzchak understood how God conducts the world through the concealment of His presence, which is all hinted at in Yehezkel’s chariot. The description of the chariot mentions the storm wind, the great cloud, and the fire, which are all expressions of the concealment of God’s light. Yet none of these are mentioned in Yeshayahu’s vision of the chariot, for it was unnecessary at the time, as we explained above. One who understands allusions will realize why Yehezkel was compelled to reveal matters that Yeshayahu was not. The only things that the Torah reveals are matters which man needs to know in order to serve God, and to strengthen his trust and faith in God.
Chapter 10
The Transmission of the Sod through the Time of the Prophets and up to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
After discussing the centrality of knowledge in religious life and the mystery of faith, the author now turns to the history and means by which this knowledge was transmitted through the generations. At first, esoteric and exoteric knowledge were taught together. However, as time passed, as the holiness and wisdom of the generations declined, the people were less able and less fit to receive the secrets of the Torah. This also accounts for differences in the nature of prophetic revelation, as well as discrepancies between scriptural passages of similar nature. By the era of the Talmud, the Sages chose to conceal the deepest secrets of Torah in stories and parables, rather than teach them outright.
At the time when the Torah was given to Israel, the pshat (simple meaning) and the sod (secret) were given together. Each person understood the pshat and the sod according to his particular level. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Yitro, 83b): All of the various meanings, secrets, mysteries, decrees, and punishments, were all given as an inheritance to all of Israel. This is learned from the words preceding the Ten Commandments (Shemot 20:1), “and God spoke all of these words,” (meaning the pshat and the sod, for the specific purpose,) “to say” (meaning in order to be said and given as an inheritance to all of Israel). The knowledge of the Torah increased in the generation of the desert, for we call this generation the, “dor de’ah” meaning, the generation of knowledge, or the generation of the consciousness of the Torah. With the death of Moshe Rabeynu, the light of the written Torah receded, as it is written in the Zohar (Terumah, 156a), “At the time Moshe died, the sun was darkened in the midst of the day, and the written Torah, which is the aspaclaria d’meira (illuminating mirror), was sealed and locked.” The sanctity of the prophets is inferior to the sanctity of the Torah. This was the beginning of the illumination of the Torah She’ba’al Peh (oral tradition). The Torah She’ba’al Peh is compared to the moon which receives its light from the sun. As long as the sun is shining, we do not see the light of the moon. When the sun sets, then the light of the moon is revealed. The prophets illuminated the light of the Torah She’ba’al Peh. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Kedoshim, 82b): There is a difference between receiving from one’s master, and receiving from the messenger of one’s master. What is the difference? It is written in the beginning of the Pirkei Avot, “Moshe received the Torah at mount Sinai and delivered it over to Yehoshua.” He received it, and then afterwards, transmitted it to everyone. When one receives from another, it is like the reception of the moon from the sun. The light of the moon is entirely a received illumination of the light of the sun.
We find in the progression of generations, where there is a synaptic linkage from the one who bestows knowledge to the one who receives, that each generation is of a lesser stature than the former. This is as it is said in the Gemara (Shabbat, 112b), “If the earlier generations are the sons of angels, then we are the sons of men. And if the earlier generations are the sons of men, then we are as donkeys, but not like the donkey of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair or the donkey of Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa!” It was the same way with the chain of reception from Yehoshua to the elders, from the elders to the prophets, from the prophets to the rishonim, and from the rishonim to the aharonim. There was a similar reduction in quality with the law court of David HaMelech, who included within him the sanctity of the prophets and the sanctity of the writings. That is to say, that even though the Sefer Tehillim is included in the writings, which have a lesser sanctity than the prophets, still, David HaMelech is included in the category of prophets. His words are on the level of prophecy. This is as is mentioned in Shmuel 2 (chapter 23), “These are the last words of David.”
The shira (poetry) written in Shmuel 2 (ch. 23), a book of the Prophets, is different from the same poem as it appears in Sefer Tehillim (ch. 18), because Sefer Tehillim possesses the sanctity of the Writings. So too do we find differences in the words of David and Shlomo as they appear in the books of Shmuel and Melachim, and as they appear in Divrei HaYamim (Writings). This is because there is a difference in the sanctity of the prophets and the sanctity of the writings. It is said in the Zohar (Vayehi, 215b): “Whenever David HaMelech did not speak from under the wings of the Shekhina, but rather prophesized of things to come, it is called zot.” There is a distinction between prophecy and the ruach hakodesh (prophetic spirit) which was used to compose the sacred writings. It is said in the Zohar (Terumah, 156a): When David HaMelech died, the moon gathered in its light, and the Torah SheBaal Peh (oral tradition) gathered in its light. From that time on, the light of the Torah was hidden. Argument in the Mishnah and disagreement among the sages became widespread. The brave of heart were enveloped in confusion.
Thus was the order of the reception of the inner nature of the Torah. The word Kabbalah means reception, or more precisely, the reception of the penimiut – inner secret nature – of the words of Torah. This is the way it is said in the Tikkunei Zohar (Ch. 12, page 58a): When you go to it (Holekh) to receive it, it is called Halakha (the law). When you receive from it (Mekablah), it is called Kabbalah. This is to say, the inner point of Knesset Yisrael (the Divine presence which dwells with those who guard the Torah) follows this pattern. Before the light of God’s effluence is received, and exists only under the covering of garments, it is called Halakha, or the law. The law is the garments of the words of Torah. When you receive the inner light and understand the penimiyut, it is called Kabbalah. Kabbalah is more closely related to the written Torah (the Pentateuch, Prophets, and Writings) than the garments of the words of Torah (the Oral Torah). Kabbalah comes to explain how the Oral law is found within the Written Torah. This is why the Zohar introduces an explanation with the words, ta hazi – “Come and See!” whereas the Talmud introduces an explanation with the words, ta shma – “Come and Hear!” All who stood in the line of the tranmission of the Torah aslo received its esoteric teachings (as is explained in the introduction to Brit Menuha, which traces the order of transmission of the secrets of Torah, that is, Divine Names, from Adam HaRishon to Shimon Bar Yohai. Even the Geonim delved deeply into the secrets of God, according to their wisdom, as is written there). In this way, the order of reception reached the members of the Great Assembly. They understood the knowledge of the mysteries hinted at in the names of God, and would teach their students the simple meaning together with the secret. Each one understood the mysteries of the Torah according to his level and ability. Yet when the spiritual level of the people fell, and they no longer gave honor to the Torah, when sin became widespread (as mentioned in Kiddushin 71a), the sages found it necessary to conceal the secrets of the Torah, as is mentioned there. We find it recorded in the Zohar (Lech L’cha, 86b) that Rabbi Abba once revealed one of the secrets of the Torah. Rabbi Shimon said to him: I decree that the one you revealed this secret to will be exiled together with this teaching among our fellowship in Babylon. Rabbi Shimon said to him, God forbid that they are to be punished! Yet since the mysteries are so greatly revealed among us, thus he should be exiled among our fellowship, and learn their ways, and the secrets shall be concealed among us. In this way, the mysteries will be revealed only among us, as God has agreed. This means that in Babylon, they knew how to hide the mysteries in garments, as the Zohar states (Vayehi, 224b): Rabbi Shimon said, “When I am among our fellowship in Babylon, they all gather around me, and learn these things openly. After the mysteries are revealed, they take them and lock them in an iron box, concealed from all sides.” This is the nature of the Babylonian Talmud. It is said in the Gemara (Sanhedrin, 24a), “It is written in the scroll of Eicha (3:6), ‘He has placed me in darkness like the eternally dead.’ This is the Babylonian Talmud.” For in Babylon, the Torah was hidden beneath garments. They seem on the outside like simple matters, simple garments, yet they are all in order to hide the mysteries of the Torah in garments of this world. Then the mysteries were transmitted only to the masters of sod (secret).
Chapter 11
The Transmission of the Mystery through Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
In the following two chapters, R. Gershon Henokh discusses the origins of Kabbalah, as we know it, and the change that occurred in the transmission of the Torah’s secrets. According to the Zohar, R. Shimon perception of God was akin to Moshe Rabbenu; that is, he perceived the Divine through a clear lens. Thus, the Zohar (traditionally ascribed to R. Shimon) has the status of the Torah itself, and not the later books of the prophets, which were written metaphorically. To prove this point, the author discusses the use of the word shamayim – “heaven” – as a valid appellate for God. Whereas certain Talmudic sages allowed its use, R. Shimon forbid it. To one on the level of Moshe, who perceives through a clear lens, there is no place for metaphors in describing the Divine – only Divine Names, which themselves were revealed in the Torah.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was the unique figure who attained the knowledge of all the mysteries of the Torah. He was on such a level that Eliyahu HaNavi visited him during his years of hiding in the cave, and revealed to him the secret knowledge. This is recorded in the Zohar Hadash (Ki Tavo, 65a) and the introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar. The Zohar (Ahari Mot, 61a) says that he merited the level of Moshe Rabeynu, of whom it is written, “I will speak to him mouth to mouth, I appear to him in clear prophecy and not in puzzling visions.” Anyone who ascends to the level of knowing the secrets of the Torah does so only through the secrets revealed by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai. As it is written in the Zohar (ibid.): Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai governs in the realm of wisdom over all mankind. Anyone who goes up to his level does so only to reconcile with his knowledge. This passage in the Zohar concludes (Ahari Mot, 61a): From the day the world was created, Rabbi Shimon was standing ready before the Holy One, Blessed be He. God would call him by name. The nature of the revelation of Torah that was revealed to Rabbi Shimon was on the level of Torah SheBichtav (The Written Torah). And there is nothing in the world that exists outside of the Torah, for all comes from the Torah. This is as it is said in the Zohar (Ha’azinu, 187a): Rabbi Yehuda said, the Holy One, Blessed be He, is called, “Shamayim” (Heaven). Since He is called “Shamayim,” when all of the firmaments that are included in this name join together as one, they are called “Shamayim” and are called the name of God. What are these firmaments that we speak of? We are taught that there are seven kinds, such as vilon (veil), rakiya (firmament), Shehakim (skies), etc. We learned this in the aggatada of Rabbi Hamnuna Saba. The teachings of Rabbi Hamnuna are numerous in this manner. Rabbi Shimon said that these teachings of Rabbi Hamnuna contain the following. Over against the seventy crowns (Sefirot) of the king, we find the seven firmaments and the seven planets that run and go forth. Even though they are all hidden in the firmament, still they are called by the name of the physical planets. The seven planets are Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. These (seven Sefirot) are used to receive the names of these seven planets, and this is in order to cover the matter (of the spiritual planes). This is as it is written (Yeshayahu, 47:13), “let them stand up and save you, O astrologers and star diviners.” These names are only an external covering. We use these names even though they are not in the way of Torah. Yet the path we take is the path of the Torah. This is as it is written (Bereshit, 26), “He called them in the names that his father had called them.” We proceed according to the way God speaks. We go with Him, as it is written (Devarim, 28:9), “You shall go in His ways.” Rabbi Yehuda called God, Shamayim, or Heavens, because the entirety of the firmaments is called Shamayim. This is a name of God, may He be blessed. Then Rabbi Yitzhak mentioned the teachings of Rabbi Hamnuna which say that entire expanse of the cosmos, the hosts of galaxies and the like, all contain seventy crowns (Sefirot), seven firmaments, the constellations, and all their servants.
Chapter 12
The Correct Names of God and His Powers
In this somewhat lengthy discussion, the author demonstrates that R. Shimon rejected the use of the word Shamayim as an appellate for God (and thus, corrected R. Yehuda’s statement, above). Several instances in which the word does seem to apply to God are explained and dismissed. Ultimately, only those Names which reveal the absolute light of God, without even the subtlest materialization, may be used; for only these reflect the absolutely clear perception of R. Shimon Bar Yohai.
Though it is true that God runs the world through the medium of the planets and stars, as we say in the Sabbath prayers, “He gave them power and strength to exert their rule over the earth,” yet still, their names are not mentioned in the Torah. Therefore, they are not even considered terms (or metaphors) for God. This is as it is written in the Gemara (Shevuot, 35a), “If one says, ‘I swear to you on the heavens and the earth,’ then his vow is disqualified.” The Gemara goes on to explain that if one swears in the name of “The Merciful,” or, “The Compassionate,” his vow is valid even though these are names that one may erase without penalty. Surely he is swearing in the name of God who is called “the Merciful,” or, “The Compassionate.” It is unlikely that he means anything other than God who is the source of mercy or compassion. However, when he swears in the name of the heaven and the earth, he could easily mean the physical heaven and earth, and not the Creator of heaven and earth. So to is it written in the Bereshit Rabbah (parsha 1), “If the first verse in the Torah had been phrased differently and had said, ‘בראשית ברא ה’ שמים וארץ, In the beginning God Heaven and Earth created,’ it would have implied that the heaven and the earth were gods, creating just as God does. Therefore the verse reads, בראשית ברא ה’ את השמים ואת הארץ” – “In the beginning, God created the Heaven and Earth.” It says in the Sefer HaBahir (at the section which begins, “Rabbi Berachia explained the verse, “take for Me and offering.”), “From were do we know that the word ‘Heavens’ signifies God? Shlomo HaMelech said (Melakhim 1, 8:32), ‘and may You, O Heavens, hear.’ Clearly Shlomo is not asking the physical heavens to hear his prayer, yet he his praying to God who is called in the name of the Heavens.” It says in the Zohar (Midrash Ne’elam, Bereshit, 11): ‘And You, O Heavens, hear!’ Sholdn’t the verse say, ‘May You hear from the heavens’? Rabbi Yohanan said that the verse is implying something not expressed. There is a spiritual firmament Shamayim (Heavens) is a kind of half way station that receives the prayers before the Holy One. In the Zohar, (Ha’azinu 287a) Rabbi Shimon concluded the discussion in this way: Rabbi Shimon said, ‘I raise my hand in prayer to the Supernal Holiness, and ask that my words be clear and revealed in the Upper world, just as they are revealed in my heart. We do not go in the way of other teachings . We go in the ways of the Torah!’ Rabbi Yehuda said, ‘We don’t find anyone with wisdom greater that David HaMelech or his son Shlomo HaMelech, and these “other teaching of the ways of Torah” use the crown on these two great kings (meaning their language). David HaMelech called righteousness “the moon,” for it possessed righteousness. This is as it is written, “Open for me the gates of Righteousness, I will go there and thank God.” Shlomo HaMelech did this also. The moon was called righteousness, and these teachings called the sun both “Brit (covenant),” and “Justice.” Rabbi Shimon said, ‘For how long will my fellowship use these words? For us, we go after the Holy One, blessed be He! We know these things. And we possess knowledge that was not revealed to the generations before us!’
Rabbi Shimon admits the awesome sanctity of the teachings which preceded him, such as the Sefer Yetzira, the Sefer haMalbush, and the Sefer of Hanokh. Rabbi Shimon was expert in them and quoted them many times in the Zohar. In the Zohar (Pinhas, 217a) Rabbi Shimon mentions the holy covenant called, “Shemesh (sun).” Elsewhere in the Zohar it says (Shemot, 3b), “Sun and shield (from Tehillim, 84:12) is a holy covenant.” So too, the Zohar calls the attribute of Malkhut (Divine Sovereignty), “Tsedek (righteousness).” “‘He met righteousness wherever he set his foot,’ (Yeshayahu, 41:2) this is the lower firmament. (Lech Lcha, 86a)” See also the Zohar, Parshat Nasso (145b), “The word v’Zot (and this) is called righteousness.” In all of these instances, when the Zohar uses these expressions for God, it is doing so only in the context of a homily, or to hint at something. In the early teachings, however, they were expressions for God. Before the giving of the Torah, God’s names were not yet revealed. At this time, God would reveal his name according to the level of the particular generation. This is as it is said (Shemot, Ch. 6), “And I appeared to Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov as ‘E-l Shaddai (the Almighty).’ “ This is because the appearance of Avraham in the world heralded in what our sages call, “the two thousand years of Torah.” Truly, there are many discourses in the Tikkunei Zohar on why God is called, “Shamayim (Heavens),” and it is learned from this very verse, “And I appeared.” Yet in these discourses, no active Godly force is ascribed to the name, “Shamayim.” Notwithstanding, we know that God’s name is hidden in every force. Yet for something to be called a name of God, meaning a name which expresses the force of God, the light must be totally revealed and seen clearly as separate from any created force. That is to say, God’s name represents a direct expression flowing from God’s essence. Anything that hides God’s light, and could be considered as a separate force cannot be termed as a Godly force or a name of God. This is why the Talmud only mentions the term, “Shamayim,” referring to God in a context where it does not want, for some reason, to mention God’s name directly. When the Talmud discusses the transgression of mentioning God’s name in vain, or for no good reason, it calls it, “mentioning the name of Heaven (Shamayim) in vain.” Here the Talmud does not say God’s name out of respect. From this, it is well for one to admonish those who are accustomed to saying, “Heaven help me.” In a situation where one is simply mentioning God, it is fitting to say, “Heaven.” Yet it is forbidden to call God, “the Heavens,” in a context where one is evoking God’s force of power and influence, because the Heavens are not Godly. One could instead say, “may He be merciful from the Heavens.” “From the Heavens,” is referring to God who dwells in the Heavens, and not to the Heavens themselves. It seems that there is an error in understanding the above mentioned Zohar where Rabbi Yehuda says that the Holy One, blessed be He, is called, “The Heavens.” Yet it must be clear that when Rabbi Shimon concludes, “we are not following these early teachings, we are following the way of the Torah,” he was correcting the statement of Rabbi Yehuda.
Chapter 13
The Angels and the Stars
The following chapter builds upon the theme of the previous two: that R. Shimon saw God through a clear lens, which led him to receive effluence directly from the Holy One, and not through any intermediaries.
R. Shimon saw and revealed how all the entire creation – both physical and spiritual – can be found in the Torah, and it is through the Torah that God effuses all creation with vitality. Knowing this literally elevates a person above the angels and mazalot – the supernal forces that fix man’s fate in the world. Then, a person receives goodness and blessing directly from God.
“Anan orcha d’oraita naktinan - We are following the way of the Torah.” This is exactly how Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said it. Rabbi Shimon revealed how all mysteries are within the Torah. God enlightened him to the knowledge that the Torah contains all Divine names and chambers. The Torah contains the order of the concatenation of the spiritual worlds. All Sefirot, holy names, and names of angels are derived from its verses. It is clearly stated in the Tikunei Zohar (Tikkun 57, page 91b), “every angel has a verse in the Torah.” The mysteries of the pre-Sianitic teachings are not based on the verses of the Torah, for the Torah had not yet been given. From the days of Rabbi Shimon, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed the knowledge that it is all in the Torah. Therefore it is said in the Zohar (Aharai, 61a), “All who aspire to ascend levels into the realm of mysteries, do so only in order to complete themselves in the knowledge of Rabbi Shimon.” Even that which was taught in the book of Adam HaRishon was again reviewed and taught to Moshe in the Torah. Concerning this, it is written in the Zohar (Yitro, 70a), “Rabbi Shimon said, I raise my hand in prayer to the One who created the world. Even though our forbears revealed great mysteries in this verse, it is well for us to delve deeply into the secrets of the book of Adam HaRishon, for this knowledge found itself in the hidden book of Shlomo HaMelech. This book reveals the secrets of man’s generations. It is a tree which reveals the generations of man and bears the fruits which bring them into the world. This is the book of the knowledge of hidden and profound wisdom, which was delivered to the physical Adam HaRishon. This same wisdom was given to Shlomo HaMelech, who recorded it in a book. We have learned that Moshe has great difficulty learning these matters, until the Shekhina came and taught it to him … Then Moshe learned this wisdom, and internalized it.” From here we see that Adam HaRishon had the book of the knowledge of mysteries, and God later imparted this knowledge to Moshe. This is hinted at in Parshat Tetsave (Shemot, 27:20). It is also hinted at in the realms of Ma’aseh Bereshit (The mystery of Creation) and Ma’aseh Merkava (The mystery of the Chariot). “And God created man in His image, in the image of Elo-him,” These are two good points – which are male and female. (Zohar, Nasso, 122b) Just as there is a good spiritual form on the Tsaddik, which leads him in the proper behavior whereby he merits the world-to-come, so too is there an evil form on the head of the wicked, which leads him in his evil behavior, whereby he inherits hell. Come and see! The actions of man are a testament to that individual’s spiritual form, and is revealed on his face, as it is written (Yeshayahu, 3:9), ‘the form of their faces witnesses against them.’ The form of a man’s face reveals the nature of the angel which accompanies him; whether it is the lion, or the ox, or the eagle, or the man of the chariot of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shekhina. … Or perhaps it is from the chariot of the four elements of the earth … This is the secret of (Bereshit, 1), ‘Let the earth bring forth particular species of living creatures. ‘ … Come and see! Each of the six days of creation had a specific spiritual countenance which would lead it. (Zohar, Nasso, 123a)
So too, all of the heavenly chambers, Sefirot, and names of angels that are mentioned in the teachings that preceded the giving of the Torah were then placed and installed in the verses of the Torah. As it is written in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 57, page 91b): Every angel has its principle and foundation in the Sefirot. And every Sefirah has a specific name and formulation of the Tetragrammaton associated with it. And each name has there its principle and foundation. Understand the following precept. The name of every angel is rooted in a particular Sefirah, and the name of each angel is based on a corresponding verse in the Torah. Each one receives from a certain verse in the Torah. It is through the Torah that God effuses the angel its energy. This is because the entire creation was done through the Torah. Yet it was only with the giving of the Torah that it was revealed how everything in the creation is fixed in the Torah. The Zohar discusses in many places how God looked into the Torah and created the world. We find that from the very moment that God gave the Torah to Israel, everything was already included in the Torah. This necessitates that all the study of Israel needs to be in the Torah of Moshe, as it is said in the Zohar (Yitro, 86b), “ ‘And this is the Torah that Moshe placed before the children of Israel,’ we speak of the Torah which Moshe placed, and not of a Torah which Moshe did not place.”
This is as it is said in the Zohar (Pinchas, 216b), “Before the giving of the Torah to Israel, the entire creation was dependant upon the specific constellation that ruled over it. This was true even concerning children, life, and sustenance. But after the Torah was given to Israel, they were no longer subject to the influence of the stars … For this reason, whosoever is involved in the study of Torah is free of the influence of the stars.” Before the giving of the Torah, all the effluence of God’s Divine conduct came into the world through an organized system of cause and effect. Each level would receive from the level above it, and effuse to the level below. The final recipient of this concatenation of effluence was man. Thus man received God’s effluence by way of the stars and constellations. Whether man received good or the opposite was subject to the nature and governance of his star. This was the way in which the entire creation received its effluence. However, when Israel received the Torah, they were raised above the stars and constellations. This was because they were now in possession of the Torah, and the world was created through the Torah. This is hinted at in the Zohar (ibid): “We learn this from Avraham, since his children would later receive the letter Hei in Avraham’s name, which represents the Five Books of Moses. This was hinted at even in the creation of the world, when it was said, ‘these are the generations of the heavens and the earth as they were created (BeHibaram) , which is the same letters as the phrase, ‘He created them with the letter Hei (beHei - baram). God said to Avraham, since this Hei was added to your name so will the heavens be placed below you. All of the stars and constellations are illuminated by the Hei.” As it is explained in the Midrash Rabbah (Lech, 44), “and He brought him outside and said, ‘look heavenward ‘. (Bereshit, 15:5) This means the God raised Avraham above the dome of the firmament so that all the goodness he receives will come directly from God.”
Chapter 14
The Sod Goes Underground – The Transmission after the passing of Rabbi Shimon
Despite the supreme level reached by R. Shimon, which he sought to convey through the teachings of the Zohar, with his parting, the depths of his wisdom was hidden. Albeit there were “masters of mysteries” in every generation, they concealed their knowledge and shared it only with great trepidation. The author mentions several sages, and historical periods, in which the Torah’s esoteric teachings were far more concealed than revealed.
From the moment Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai passed on, the wellsprings of wisdom were closed. As it says in the Zohar (Vayehi, 217a), “From the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, wisdom departed from the land.” It was even known during the Rashb”i’s life that the wellsprings of wisdom would close from the time of his passing. As it says (Terumah, 149a), “In the generation in which Rabbi Shimon lived, God’s desired to reveal the hidden knowledge of the Torah through him … Woe to the generation in which he departs! The wise will be few, and wisdom will be forgotten from the land.” Elsewhere in the Zohar it is stated (Vayakhel, 201a): “Woe is the generation when the lower light departs and joins the upper light!” This is said in several places in the Zohar. So too do we find several statements in the Gemara telling us that the mysteries are hidden among the select few of the generation. Granted that all of the sages of the Gemara possessed knowledge of the mysteries of the Torah, yet each one knew according to his own level. It is said in the Gemara (Hagiga, 13a), “Rabbi Ami said, the secrets of the Torah are only imparted to an individual who possesses five qualities, ‘The captain of the fifty, the honorable man, the counselor, the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.’ (Yeshayahu, 3:3)” We find that the masters of the Talmud would teach the Torah’s mysteries only with great trepidation. On this same page of Gemara it the following story is related: “Rabbi Yohanan said to Rabbi Elazar, ‘come and I will teach you the mysteries of the Divine chariot.’ Rabbi Elazar replied, ‘I am not yet old enough’ When he felt he was ready, Rabbi Yohanan had already passed away. Later, Rabbi Assi said to Rabbi Elazar, ‘come and I will teach you the mysteries of the Divine chariot.’ He replied, ‘If I had been worthy, I would have learned this from your master Rabbi Yohanan!’ “ Truly, it was said of Rabbi Elazar that he was love-sick for the knowledge of the Torah! For one the Gemara (Eruvin, 54b) honors with the title, “Mara D’Ara D’Yisrael – the master of the land of Israel,” it is inconceivable that he did not know the secrets of the Torah. Yet there are different levels in the knowledge of the mysteries. As it is said in the Zohar (Bo, 34b): Rabbi Shimon said, “there are many in our fellowship who know Ma’aseh Bereshit, the mysteries of creation. Yet there are very few who understand the hints of the mystery of the Tanin HaGadol – the great Sea Creature.” It is mentioned in the Pri Etz Hayyim (Sha’ar Kriyat Shema) that the Arizal wanted to explain to his students the mystery of the recitation of the Shema according to the mystery of the Kav HaMidda (the measuring line), yet they were not worthy to receive this knowledge from him. The Zohar Hadash (Parshat Va’etchanan) lays down the fundamental that there are various “faces” of interpretation in the mysteries of the Torah. With the passage of time until the end of the Talmudic era, the knowledge of the mysteries declined, until at the end it was reserved for the select few of the generation and sealed with an iron seal.
With the sealing of the Talmud, the knowledge was left in the hands of the select few among the Savorayim and Geonim, as we find in their writings. We find the Geonim expounding on some of the holy names, and we have the Sefer haIyyun of Rav Hamai Gaon. Still, their knowledge remained quite hidden. Many of the Geonim taught the subject of inquiring into the knowledge of the Divine, yet they were careful to hide the depth of their intentions in the sublime style of their writing. Among them there must have been some who knew the secrets of the Torah. Yet still, their knowledge was concealed within their enigmatic style. This period also produced new books on Kabbalah which were all written in a very hidden way. Among them, the commentaries on the Sefer Yetsira of the R’i Albegaloni and the Ra’avad, the Sefer HaKanei. The generations which followed produced books that possessed an authentic tradition of the mysteries, yet still, they hid their knowledge in the language of philosophy. They are reliable in the places where they had an authentic tradition, yet in places where their tradition was not authentic, their words are mere stammering.
Chapter 15
Maimonides – a Spy in the Brothel of the Philosophers
With the passing of R. Shimon Bar Yohai, the esoteric dimension of Torah went underground, leading the Sages of subsequent generations to convey their knowledge in riddles and parables. Even subsequent Kabbalistic texts were written enigmatically. Yet, within these texts lies a genuine esoteric tradition.
As if to prove his words, R. Gershon Henokh devotes the next eight chapters to a discussion of esoteric truths found in the writings of Maimonides, and shows how they correspond to teachings in the Zohar. His claim is that Maimonides was heir to a true (though perhaps partial) mystical tradition, and dressed it in the garments of Aristotelian philosophy for the sake of the intelligencia of his time, who were steeped in Greek and Arab medieval philosophy.
According to R. Gershon Henokh, those who imagine Maimonides to have been a strict rationalist and anti-mystic have only a superficial understanding of his philosophy; for Maimonides himself writes that he intentionally hid and scattered the truth piecemeal throughout his writings, and that one needs a comprehensive view of the texts in order to discern his true intentions – something that R. Gershon Henokh seeks to convey to the reader in the following chapters.
Truly, the source of Kabbalah is a complete inquiry into the nature of the Divine, in all its facets. It is a thoroughly refined study, like finely sifted flour. Kabbalah comes from the source of all, and if one has knowledge of the source, he can know of all that branches out from it. For the most part, in philosophy, the extraneous is prevalent over the essential. This is because philosophy uses empirical proofs and comparisons to reach conclusions on the nature of the transcendent. Yet philosophers cannot draw conclusions other than on what they perceive. Still, they want to follow the way back from the effect to the cause. Therefore, most philosophy is a muddle. It is written in the Zohar (Yitro, 69b), “In a lot of chaff you find one grain of wheat.” Indeed, when the true tradition of the hidden knowledge of the Torah is expressed in the language of philosophy, its language is at a loss to explain it with clarity. Most of such explanations lack the source of the intention simply because the language of philosophy is not sufficient to convey its content. Philosophy is verbose, using a great deal of explanation to convey what the Kabbalah does in a few words. This would include passages in the Guide to the Perplexed that dwell at great length to explain the doctrine of eschewing the physical or concerning the names of God, which the Zohar manages to explain in a few concise words.
It is evident from the Rambam’s work, the Guide for the Perplexed, that he had received a Kabbalistic tradition from the prophets and the sages of the Talmud. I will not explain here if his tradition was complete or partial, yet it is clear from how the Rambam hints at various matters that his tradition was authoritative. Most of his opponents were aware of this, and could not outright reject his philosophical writings, for he himself wrote (in his letters), “a thousand will be lost where one will come to the true meaning.” Because of this, many who opposed the Guide still studied it for the sake of that which they accepted.
Below I will present several details in the writings of the Rambam which prove that he had received an authoritative tradition. The Rambam wrote the Guide in the language of philosophers, and quoted the opinion of the classical philosophers. Several sages after the Rambam, such as the Akeidat Yitzchak and Rav Yitzchak Abarbanel, followed suit. They did not do this in order to somehow arrive at a proof of the existence of God as a result of their philosophical analysis, for their faith in God was far more central to them than their discursive investigation. Their goal was only to instruct the perplexed in the proper understanding of the Torah, and they quoted the philosophers in order to serve this goal. If they had not included the opinions of the philosophers, then the intelligencia of their day would not have found their books sufficiently interesting to spend time reading. In their day, the vision of consciousness was greatly hidden. Anyone who wanted to investigate and understand matters of faith, spirituality, and providence, would turn to works of philosophy. This is noted in the Responsa of the RaShb”A (siman 414), who was compelled to make a legal decree forbidding the study of secular philosophy. There the RaShb”A tells us that the “searching” public would put their trust in Aristotle the way one trusts his local baker. Therefore, The Rambam and his spiritual descendants quoted the philosophers as a kind of “bait” to lure the reader in, only to disprove their theories and then enlighten them to the understanding of Torah.
Indeed we find an authoritative tradition in their words. We have seen how they are infuriated over the Guide as it has erred in matters of Divine providence. They claim his words are meaningless in that he does not believe that God watches over all details of creation, but rather has a general providence over the creation as a whole. The source of their erroneous understanding is their hasty reading of the Rambam. In their intellectual arrogance they would see one passage, and then smugly proclaimed it a focal point for their attack. Yet they took no notice of the letter that the Rambam wrote to his student Rav Yosef Shatz ben Rav Yehuda Ibn ‘Aqnin, where the Rambam states that the Guide is made up of several different matters, and can not be understood from a reading of just one of them. Only when you study a number of different passages can you then put them together and understand the meaning. We see this in chapter 73 of the first section of the Guide, sixth introduction, where he disproves the notion of those who say that throughout the entire creation and Divine governance thereof, that substance exists, and God continually creates, destroys, and recreates accidents. Similarly he confronts the belief of the Mu’tazilah that there is no natural existing force of any other agency (but that everything is being newly created at all times.). The Rambam disproves such assertions. Truly, from God’s point of view, He constantly renews the work of creation at all times. Yet concerning the ability God gave man to perceive and understand the creation, here He created definite laws and durations which are immutable. Yet from God’s point of view, both existing forces in nature and the constant renewal of accidents are actually one and the same. That is to say, God’s will for fixed natural laws and His will in the constant renewal of creation are all clearly revealed before Him.
Chapter 16
Maimonides and the Zohar on Providence– Great Souls think Alike
One of the central teachings of the Baal Shem Tov – and by inference, of all Jewish esoteric thought – is the idea that God’s providence extends to the smallest details of creation. A leaf does not fall in the forest that is not under God’s complete will and control. However, on the face of it, this was not the position of Maimonides, who seemed to claim that God ran the natural world with a general, overall providence. God did not oversee the life and death of creatures in the natural world. Divine providence only applies to human beings, who are endowed with intellect, and to the degree that a human being develops his intellect, he merits receiving a greater portion of Divine providence. In the following section, R. Gershon Henokh tries to reconcile the two approaches: he cites passages from the Zohar that also state that God’s providence is greater upon a person who clings to Him spiritually. At the same time, for the sake of this person, God oversees even the smallest details of creation.
We need not dwell at length on this subject in order to show that the Rambam’s opponents did not understand his intentions. In the third section of the Guide (Ch. 17) he provides the five prevailing views on the subject of Divine providence. The fifth is the view of the Torah. There he says that he does not believe that a leaf falls from a tree under the watch of God’s providence, or that when the spider catches a fly in its web it is a result of the Divine decree. When these statements are read in haste it seems that the Rambam does not believe in individual Divine providence. Yet in that which he says after these statements the Rambam provides us with a hint at the nature of Divine providence. There he continues, “In my opinion, and according to what I see, Divine providence is drawn after Divine effluence, and the same beings that are benefited to the latter so as to become intellectual, and to comprehend things comprehensible to rational beings, are also under the control of Divine providence, which examines all their deeds in order to reward or punish them.” In these words he hints at his conclusions in Chapter 52 of the third section, where he reveals his true views on the subject of Divine providence. There he writes, “I have arrived at an understanding of Divine providence that will remove all doubts concerning the subject, and reveal the Godly secrets. This is as we have explained in the Chapters on Divine providence (mentioned above), that God’s meets out His providence according to the intellectual level of the individual. For one who possesses a perfect understanding and does not remove his consciousness from God, God’s providence will be with him continually. The man of perfect understanding who occasionally turns his mind away from God, will experience God’s providence only when his mind is concentrated on God. Yet when he is occupied with other things, the providence will depart from him. Yet it will not depart from him in the same way as one who has no intellectual ability to contemplate God whatsoever. It will only be decreased from the intensity of the providence he had previously attained when he was actively concentrating on God.” In this way he explains the entire subject. The Rambam’s words are suited to the words of the Zohar (Vayeira, 103b): “Yet certainly, ‘her husband is known in the gates.’ (Mishlei 31:23) ‘Her husband,’ is the Holy One, blessed be He. He is ‘known’ and connected to every one according to how much a person estimates God in his heart. (The word for ‘gate – sha’ar’ is the same letters as the word for estimation – sha’er.) God is known in a man’s heart in direct correspondence to how much he cleaves himself to God in the spirit of wisdom.” This will be explained later in our introduction. There it will be explained that everything happens according to Divine providence only based on the extent to which one believes in and serves God, and this includes the leaf which falls from the tree. The Rambam himself expresses this view in his introduction to the Mishnah (Seder Zera’im, part six). There he describes a man who pays some builders to build a stone wall on a certain piece of land that will last many years. He knows, of course, that if the same foundation and wall were to be made of straw, it would not last very long. Is there any nonsense greater than this (building something that will not last)? … He commands his builders to make him a beautiful palace, and to plant a substantial vineyard beside it. … Later, in the end of days, long after the man had died and his palace left empty, a righteous man passed by during a storm, and took refuge in the building, whereby saving his life. Another time, another man passed by the vineyard and prepared a medicine from the wine to save the life of another honest and whole individual. … The point is, the whole purpose of this building lasting so many years, with God’s Providence watching over it all the while, was for the benefit of God’s beloved friend in years to come. So too, the whole purpose of God directing His providence over the vineyard was for the specific purpose of saving the honest fellow when the time would come.” In this way, it is written in the Gemara (Avoda Zara, 40b), “Rabbi suffered from gastroenteritis. He then found a flask of apple wine aged seventy years in the deep delved earth. He drank it and recovered. Whereupon he exclaimed, ‘Blessed is God who entrusts his world to watchers!’ “God’s Providence was upon this wine from the moment it the apple tree sprouted, and through the entire span of its preparation and aging. It was God’s Providence that its owners did not drink it all those years, considering that after seventy years it was no longer in the possession of its original owners. It was all a result of God’s individual providence.
Truly, from God’s point of view, everything in His creation exists under God’s individual providence. It is only from the point of view of the creation where the nature of God’s providence corresponds to the quality of the vessel of reception. Yet from God’s point of view there is no difference. As the Rambam explains in the Guide (Part Three, Ch. 17), “Even according to this view, I am not obliged to ask why God’s providence extends to humans and not to animals. One who has this question must ask himself why God gave the intellect to man and not to other animals? The answer must be, because God wanted it this way, or because it was thus decided according to God’s blessed wisdom. These are the answers to his question. I do not believe that anything is hidden from God, or that God has any weakness . Yet I do believe that God’s providence is in accordance with the level of intellect, and cleaves to such an intellect.”
The idea that for the individual who has achieved spiritual wholeness, yet at times turns his mind away from God, the Divine providence will only be upon him when he concentrates on God, is also found written in the Zohar (Shemot, 17b): Once Rabbi Yossi was quietly musing over worldly matters [instead of studying Torah]. With him was Rabbi Aha, who was contemplating the Torah. Suddenly Rabbi Yossi saw a dangerous snake running after him. He said to Rabbi Aha, “Did you see that big snake that was running after me?” Rabbi Aha said, “I didn’t see it.” Rabbi Yossi bolted, the snake running after him. He fell, and when he got up blood was dripping from his nose. He heard that they were saying (Amos, 3:2), “Only you have I known among all the families of the earth, and therefore I will be exacting with you for your sins.” Rabbi Yossi said, “If I was punished in this way for because of one moment, imagine the punishment for those who give up completely!” Rabbi Yossi opened and with the verses, “For God has blessed you in all the work of your hands, He knows how you went into the great wilderness these forty years, God has been with you all the while, you have lacked nothing. (Devarim, 2:7)” “He leads you into the terrible wilderness, a place of venomous snakes and scorpions…” He explained, “Why does the verse say, ‘venomous snakes’? This was to exact punishment from Israel for any time that they separate from the Tree of Life, as it is written (Devarim, 30:20), ‘For (the Torah) is your very life and the length of your days.’ “
Chapter 17
The Kabbalah of Maimonides – Taamei HaMitzvot (1)
After demonstrating that the Rambam and the Kabbalah are in fact in agreement, as exemplified by the case of divine providence, the author goes on to defend the Rambam’s explanation of various commandments, which were accused by latter scholars as being superficial. Yet, here as well, R. Gershon Henokh finds great mystical depth in the Rambam’s writings, for, as he stated earlier, in true Kabbalah, the literal and mystical meaning are always united.
There are those who criticize the Rambam for his commentary on the Ta’amei HaMitzvot (the meaning of the commandments), for at first glance it seems to give weak explanations. They dwell at length with such accusations. Besides that which is known to anyone possessing understanding, that the Rambam would conceal the depth of his intentions in the beauty of his language, and the depth of meaning is far more than what it seems to be in its external form, yet in addition to this, there is nothing irregular or strange about his words even at their face value. We have a principle, that all teachings on the Torah and mitzvot are dressed in the meager garments of this world. Who do we have who is greater than the RaDbaZ (Rabbi David ben Zimra, 1480-1573), who was both a master of the Talmud and a tremendous kabbalist, a leader of his generation? And in his work on the Ta’amei HaMiszvot, he introduces each commandment by quoting the Rambam’s explanation of its meaning as the basis from which to begin understanding. Then, for most of the mitzvot, the RaDbaZ explains the meaning provided by the Rambam according to the true inner meaning in the Kabbalah. Anyone who possesses understanding will clearly know that simple revealed meaning and the inner mystery are one, and join together as one. Anyone who asserts that the inner mystery is something other that the pshat, of him it is said (Bereshit, 49:6), “let my soul not come into their council.” Even in a place where the RaDbaZ differed in his explanation from the Rambam, still he did not reject the Rambam’s words. Rather, he said that in this place the Rambam did not say enough, and it must be explained according to the sod. God willing, we will go on to explain how the simple revealed meaning is itself the inner meaning according to the mysteries of the Torah.
Among the Rambam’s discussion of Ta’amei HaMitzvot, he provides the deeper meanings behind all of the commandments performed in the Holy Temple. However, when he arrives at the table and the Showbreads, he says, “yet as for the table and the Showbreads that were constantly upon it, to this day I do not know what meaning to ascribe to it.” The RaDbaZ in the Metsudat David found this surprising. There he asks why the Rambam did not say that the commandment of the Showbreads is rooted in the source of Divine effluence which sustains us through the life giving energy in food? This is further surprising, because on the surface it seems that the Rambam is content to provide concise meanings for all of the Mitzvot, so why did he not give such a brief explanation for the Showbreads? The commentaries on the Rambam did explain meanings for this. That the Rambam refrained to explain this meaning is itself proof that all his explanations of the Mitzvot are given according to the mysteries, yet with the table and the Showbreads he wholly and unashamedly admitted that he did not know the meaning. It is interesting to note that the Arizal himself, the master Kabbalist of all time, wrote in his poem for the Friday night Shabbat meal, “God shall reveal to us the meaning of the twelve loaves of the Showbreads.”
Chapter 18
The Kabbalah of Maimonides – Ma’aseh Merkava
Here, the author defends the Rambam against another attack – his claim that Yehezkel’s vision of the Divine chariot was an astronomical description of the heavens. However, by citing other statements of the Rambam, R. Gershon Henokh reveals his true understanding, which corresponds to Kabbalistic teachings on the nature of reality. In this case, the “Workings of the Chariot” is a description of all reality, from the spiritual to the physical. (See chap. … above). Furthermore, the Rambam’s depiction of the world as being composed of coincentric spheres corresponds well with the Arizal’s teachings of essence, vessels and garments. The Kabbalistic meaning of several other teachings of the Rambam are also discussed.
There is vociferous opposition to the Rambam’s assertion that Ma’aseh Merkava, or the mystery of the Divine Chariot as described in the vision of Yehezkel is no more than the workings of the solar system. Many angry words of derision were heaped on the Rambam for this statement. One who reads the Rambam carefully will see that he writes explicitly in the beginning of the third section of the Guide that it is entirely possible that he is wrong, and is giving no definitive word on the subject. It could also be that he didn’t reveal his true intentions. He claims that he is explaining the Divine Chariot according to what he has learned from Scripture and the explanations of the sages, as well as his own philosophical principles. However, if we were to believe that his intention is to say that his explanation ends with the simple meaning of the verses, this would lead to the contradictions with the root principles provided by the Rambam. Don Yitzhak Abarbanel, in his commentary on the Guide (end of the third section), notes that if we were to say that Yehezkel’s understanding was limited to the plain meaning of the verses, it would closely resemble the understanding of the astronomers, so why then were the sages so intent on keeping its meaning hidden? The Rambam himself warned anyone who understood the meaning of the Chariot to take pains to keep its meaning hidden, and he himself published works on astronomy. Furthermore, the Rambam reveals much in the field of astronomy in his explanation of the sanctification of the new month, as well as in chapters 8-11 in the second section of the Guide, where he provides much information about that which he had warned to keep hidden. Many took the Rambam to task for this, and many other difficulties in his commentary on the Chariot of Yehezkel.
Indeed, all who sincerely and carefully study the words of the Rambam will see that the conduct of the world, from the beginning of effluence at the Source of Life down to the depths in the lowly physical world, are all included in the workings of the Divine Chariot. The true imprint of the Merkava is apparent in all of existence. This idea was expressed by the holy Arizal in the seventh section of the Ez Hayyim (heichal ABI”YA) in introduction to the sha’ar tsiyur ha’olamot (gate of the picture of the worlds). He says, “We now find that this lowly planet earth, which contains people and animals, and all the vessels of the physical world, is the most external of all the worlds. The aspect of the “inner direct light” (ohr yosher pnimi). Afterwards, the earth is surrounded by the heavens and the firmament (the “cosmos”), which is the aspect of the ohr makif d’yosher d’asiya – the surrounding direct light of the physical world. This level is surrounded by different, spiritual “heavens,” which are the ohr makif iggulei d’asiya, which translates as the encompassing light of the iggulim (“concentric circle arangement”) of the physical universe. (And the Infinite Eyn Sof surrounds everything.)” (This was found earlier in the Tikkunei Zohar (introduction, page 3b), “and above all, He illuminates in the ten Sefirot of the word of emanation (atzilut), and (then, after in) the ten Sefirot of the world of creation (beriyah), and in the ten groups of angels in the world of formation (yetzirah), and in the ten spherical firmaments if the physical world (asiyah). In every place, He does not change.”) In the Etz Hayyim it is explained that the “garments” are the aspect of vessels. The essence (atzmut) is dressed within the vessels. There it is also explained that in each of the worlds, the essence is divided into the five levels of soul (in order from lowest to highest), nefesh, ruah, neshama, haya, yehida. Each garment covers an inner soul. Yet each garment is also the inner soul for that which clothes it from the outside. Here we find it stated explicitly that the planets of the solar system are themselves the vessels in the World of Assiya. It is further explained that the Divine Chariot is found in all of the worlds, vessels, essence, and soul-levels of nefesh, ruah, neshama, haya, and yehida. Though we find it said in the Etz Hayyim (Sha’ar Klipat Nogah, Ch. 2) that the Divine Chariot is in the World of Formation (yetzirah), yet this means that it is perceived from nogah in the World of Assiyah until its root in the World of Yetzirah. This is clearly explained in all of the chapters mentioned. We explained above that because of the Babylonian exile, it was necessary to reveal the mysteries of the Divine Merkava to Yehezkel, in order to show him that God’s sovereignty is in all governing forces. (See Tehillim, 103:19) Therefore, Yehezkel saw from the very source of understanding until the place where he needed to see, namely the place which is the source of the power of Divine concealment, meaning until the world of formation (yetzirah). It is explained in the Etz Hayyim (Sha’ar haKlipah, Ch. 3) that in the world of emanation (astiloot, the highest of the four worlds) in the realm of holiness, good is prevalent over evil. This is also true in the world of creation (beriyah, second highest world). Below, in the world of formation (yetsira), the amount of good and evil are equal. This is why the power of the concealment of God’s presence begins in the world of formation. Thus it was necessary to show the prophet Yehezkel that the source of the power of concealment is in the hands of God, as mentioned in the Zohar quoted above (Shemot, 2b, Bamidbar, 118b.)
There were many who attacked the Rambam for his way of explaining certain matters in a very worldly manner, explaining matters that his accusers saw as quite lofty in the lowest garments of the physical world. Notwithstanding his decision to explain matters through the lowest of garments, still, he hints at matters which express a true reception of the mysteries of the Torah. These true matters are merely hidden in the beauty of his language.
When the Rambam explains the visions of the Divine Chariot, in the sixth chapter of the third section of the Guide, he explains why Yehezkel revealed more details about his vision of the Divine than did Yeshayahu. There he quotes the Talmud (Hagiga, 13b), “Yeshayahu saw all that had been seen by Yehezkel. Yeshayahu is like a townsman who sees the king, Yehezkel is like a countryman who sees the king.” The Rambam writes, “The generation of Yeshayahu did not require the detailed description. It was enough for him to say, ‘I saw God.’ The generation of the Babylonian exile needed to hear all of the details.” This is exactly according to the words of the Zohar (Shemot, 2b) quoted above. So if all the verses describing the Divine Chariot are only explaining the workings of astronomy, for what reason could Yehezkel have possibly had in thinking that knowledge of astronomy was more useful or of more interest to the exiles in Babylon? From this it clearly follows that the Rambam had possession of a true tradition of the mysteries of the Torah. Here is not the place to dwell on this point. Yet suffice to say that all who study this matter with a clear mind will know that he possessed a true tradition of Kabbalah. The Rambam claimed that there are four planets. The Abarbanel responds to this in saying that everyone knows that there are nine planets. How, the Abarbanel asks, could the prophet Yehezkel have made such a great error? One who studys the Eytz Hayim, in the introduction to the shaar tsiyoor haolamot, shows how the ten are divided into four sections. This is in line with the view of the Rambam. Further, the Guide (Section Two, Ch. 10) hints at the meaning of counting four planets. There you can find an answer to the query of the Abarbanel. Also, in the Pirkei Hatslaha printed in the responsa of the Rambam called, Pe’er haDor, he wrote to his student Rav Yosef Aknin, he explains how the Cherubs on each side of the Ark of the Covenant spread their wings. There he wrote, “just as breath is essential to the life of the heart … so do the Cherubs that jointly spread their wings over the Ark of the Covenant are really two. And know that the sanctuary of your heart is the Ark which holds within it the two Tablets of the Testament.” This exact idea is explained in the Zohar in the section of the Raya Mehemna (Zohar, Pinchas, 235a): For the heart is the seat of judgment, and the four Hayot who are its messengers are the two lungs and the two kidneys. The lungs are the secret of (Yehezkel, 1:11, “and their faces and wings were divided upwards,” reaching up to receive the king … … and the breath of air descends into the heart to cool off its heat, so it does not burn up the body. And when the breath descends, it descends in several directions, like a king and his soldiers. And the lungs receive the breath, which is king over it. This is as it is written (Yehezkel, 1:11), “and their faces and wings were divided upward,” (Shemot, 25:20), “and the wings of the Cherubs shall spread upward.” And in the Tikkunei Zohar (third additional chapter at the end, 140b): Of the lungs it is written (Shemot, 25:20), “and the wings of the Cherubs shall spread upwards, overspreading the covering (of the Ark) with their wings,” this is the covering of the heart.
It seems quite clear from several places that the Rambam had possession of a clear tradition of the mysteries of the Torah. Another example is the following. He wrote in the Guide in chapter 45 of the second section, that the eleventh level of prophecy involves, “seeing an angel speaking to one in a vision, as experienced by Avraham Avinu during the binding of Yitzhak. In my opinion this is the highest of the degrees of the prophets – with the exception if Moshe Rabeynu - whose states are attested by the prophetic books, provided he has, as reason demands, his rational faculties fully developed.” In this the Rambam is saying that the level of prophecy experienced by Avraham is the highest degree of prophecy. It follows that the prophecy (of Avraham) recorded in the Torah is of the highest degree known to mankind, save that of Moshe himself, who possessed the absolute highest prophetic perceptions ever. This is what is meant when God describes Moshe by saying (Bamidbar, 12:8), “I will speak to him mouth to mouth,” which attests to the fitness and worthiness of Moshe’s soul. The Mishnah Torah further explains the difference between the prophecy of Moshe and all other prophets. When studying the passages of the Torah concerning prophecy, it is understood that the highest level of prophecy is that which is emanates from the supreme source of prophecy. This is in line with the following passage in the Zohar (Idrat Nasso, 130a), “We have leaned that the name of Atika (the Ancient Holy One) is hidden above all the rest. It is nowhere explained in the Torah save one place. This is in God’s promise to Avraham (Bereshit, 22:17), where the Lord says, ‘I swear on Myself, saith the Lord.’ Myself is Atika, meaning Ze’ir Anpin swore on Atika.” This is explained in the Beit Yaakov (haKollel, parshat Vayeira, sec. 57).
Chapter 19
the Kabbalah of Maimonides on Ta’amei HaMitzvot (2)
In this chapter, the author provides further examples of the Rambam’s knowledge of Kabbalah, which underlie his explanation of several other mitzvot, and shows how even the simple meaning of the commandment, offered by Rambam, actually expresses the deeper Kabbalistic meaning, albeit in a simpler, concealed way.
The Rambam writes in the Sefer HaMitzvot (Third Shoresh), in the enumeration of the mitzvot (positive commandment 34), and in the Mishnah Torah (hilchot klei hamikdash, 2:12) that the Cohanim shall carry the Ark of the Covenant upon their shoulders. In the Sefer HaMitzvot the Rambam exerts himself to justify why this is a mitzvah for the Cohanim, since the Torah only mentions this mitzvah as being performed by the Levites. Commentaries on this statement of the Rambam bend over backwards to explain his reasoning. The truth is, the Rambam knew the deeper meaning, yet found it necessary to hide it in the beauty of his literary style. The careful student of the Rambam will clearly see that the Rambam knew the true meaning of this mitzvah, which we find in the Zohar (Vayeitse, 148b): It is written (Tehillim, 132:9), ‘Your Cohanim shall dress in righteousness, and your pious ones shall sing.’ Technically, the verse should say, ‘Levites shall dress in righteousness and sing,’ for the Levites are the ones in charge of bringing pleasure to the King! Here David decided that the Cohanim and pious ones shall be in charge of the King’s pleasure. From here we learn the following. One who is in his own house enjoys the privilege of arranging his own affairs according to his own mind. Yet if he is invited elsewhere he will acquiesce to the will of his host, and accept the way the host arranges things for him. When David HaMelech removed the Levites from this function, and put Cohanim in their stead, God fulfilled the matter according to David’s mind. Likewise, many took the Rambam to task for his explanation in the Guide of the meaning of the incense offering (section 3, Ch. 45). There he says that because so many animals were slaughtered in the Temple for the sacrifices, there would have been the undesirable effect of a bad odor. The pleasant scent of the incense offering in the place of the slaughtering was in order to rectify this situation. Yet this statement of the Rambam fit perfectly with the words of the Arizal in the Pri Etz Hayyim (Sha’ar haKarbanot, Ch. 5) where he says that the incense is in order to nullify the force of evil. The source of the Arizal’s statement is in the Zohar (Vayikra, 118b-119a) . It is clear that the Rambam knew this, and by seizing on the “simple garment,” of this mitzvah, he was touching its very source. This is particularly accurate especially in light of the statement in the Zohar (Balak, 186b), “all filth and mire goes to the force of evil.” Further, the Zohar in parshat Pekudei (242b) states that there is a component of the sacrifices which is given over to the side of evil, and in Parshat Bo (33a) we learn that the side of evil has control over flesh. In order to counteract all of this, so as not to channel power to the side of evil in the very physical act of offering animal sacrifices, we have the incense offering which removes the contamination in the very physical act of making a good scent.
Chapter 20
Maimonides on the Impossible
The author offers further examples of how the Rambam can be read as a mystic; though it requires, at times, a complex, inter-textual reading.
The Rambam makes the following claim in the Guide, “The impossible has a stable nature, one whose stability is constant and not made by a maker; it is impossible to change in any way. Hence the power over the maker of the impossible is not attributed to the Deity.” Concerning this statement, Rav Abonnot Avraham responded in his letter printed in the responsa of the RaShb”A (418) that in the future it will be clear that this view of the Rambam’s is not consistent with the view of the sages. Indeed, these kinds of statements are misleading for those who seize them in their outer form. Yet for one who looks into their inner meaning will see that the Rambam in his inimitable style has already hinted at this idea a number of times. Remember that he wrote in a letter to his student that his complete view is found in several different places, and the reader cannot understand his view from reading just one place. The careful student of the Rambam who remembers where he previously hinted at this idea and joins it to the above statement will see that there is nothing corrupt or faulty in his view. The introduction to the Guide also mentions that his view is only understood from a complete reading. When the Rambam says, “the impossible has a stable nature, one whose stability is constant,” he also hints in these words that there are other places where one has to dig for its meaning, as he found it necessary there not to reveal it outright. In chapter 27 of the second section he writes that the entire order of nature was created. In chapter 28 he writes that it is God’s will that nature should not change, save for the occurrence of miracles. In chapter 29 he explains that our sages viewed miracles as something built into nature at the time of creation, and waiting to occur at the proper time. In this way, a miracle is not really a change in nature. Then in chapter 20 of the third section the Rambam really shows his hand on the whole matter. There he says that all that was written in the above mentioned chapters is only true according to human knowledge, or from the perspective of created beings. However, the Creator’s knowledge cannot be compared whatsoever to man’s knowledge. There he writes that “God’s knowledge is His essence, and His essence is His knowledge … for the selfsame incapacity that prevents our intellects from apprehending His essence also prevents us from apprehending His knowledge of things as they are. For this knowledge is not of the same species as ours so that we can draw an analogy with regard to it, but rather a totally different thing.” It follows from this that all he had written with regarding to how the Deity had no power over the impossible is true only according within the limitations of human knowledge. God, however, from His perspective, is not obliged by the human intellects definitions of the possible and the impossible. This is further explained in the Beit Yaakov itself.
Chapter 21
Maimonides on Miracles
In the second section of the Guide, chapter 35, he discusses miracles. There he says that the greatest of all miracles was the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. The level of God’s revelation experienced with the splitting of the Sea of Reeds was unparalleled. With this tremendous miracle, God’s presence was totally apparent to those who loved Him and those who hated Him, to God’s supporters and detractors alike. The miracles that happened to all other prophets were not as revealed as the splitting of the sea, which was attested to by God’s revilers as much as by God’s beloved. That is to say, they were both included in the miracle as one. This goes well with the view of the Zohar (Teruma, 170b): For this reason, we say that the splitting of the sea of reeds was difficult before Him. In a similar fashion we say that bringing a husband and wife together in marriage is as difficult for Holy One, blessed be He, as the splitting of the sea of reeds, which saves these on this side, and kills these on the other side. The essence of the miracle was how in one place and with one agenda there were two opposite effects – the saving of the Israelites and the killing of the Egyptians. This will be explained below in the body of the introduction to the Beit Yaakov on the subject of miracles.
Chapter 22
Maimonidean Kabbalah on the Names of Angels
The author concludes his discussion of the Rambam by showing how the latter’s division of angels’ corresponds to that of the Zohar, and how, in one place in his writings, he refers almost explicitly to a teaching from that Kabbalistic work.
In the Mishnah Torah, in the second chapter of Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, the Rambam writes that there are ten different names of angels, corresponding to ten different levels of angels. His words are well suited to the view of the Zohar on this matter, (Bo, 43a), with the exception that he replaces Elim with Keruvim. A study of the Zohar in Parshat Pinchas (235a-b) will show that it is really the same thing. And in the Zohar Hadash (Bereshit, 6b), the enumeration of the order of angels is precisely as is found in the Rambam, mentioning Keruvim in the place of Elim. That which he wrote concerning the tenth and lowest level of angels called Ishim, who speak to the prophets for their stature is close to the status of man’s consciousness, is also the view of the Zohar (Lekh, 81a): (The Zohar is discussing how the new soul is drawn into the desire at the time of intercourse.) Through the desire, and together with the soul (nefesh) that is drawn there, another force is also drawn below. This force comes from the level of angels called Eeshim, and all enters from the drawing of the seed. The body of the newborn is built from them. This is the first and most primal level of soul, called nefesh. The Zohar Hadash (Bereshit, Midrash haNe’elam, 6b) enumerates the ten classes of angels from below to above. Here the Zohar Hadash also says that the lowest of the ten level is Eeshim. Rav Tordos haLevi, the author of the Otsar haKavod, argues against the Rambam on his treatment of the angels. However, he admits that the Rambam had true intentions in general, yet wonders how he could have said this. Also we find many other places in the Rambam that hint both in particular and in general that he possessed a true tradition of the mysteries of the Torah. In the tenth chapter of section two of the Guide, the Rambam makes reference to the special usage of the words brass (nehoshet) with regard to the angels; in Zecharia (6:1), “and the four chariots came out from between the two mountains, which mountains were mountains of brass.” And in Yehezkel (1:7), “burnished brass (nehoshet kalal).” There is no explanation of these phrases in pshat (the plain meaning). Here the Rambam is making an explicit reference to the treatment of this phrase in the Zohar (Teruma, 139a), “In the book of Shlomo HaMelech there are lofty secrets surrounding the brass altar. With the altar, we find it said, ‘make me an altar of earth.’ This secret is well and good. Yet brass is mentioned when other mountains rule, and she (malkhut) must nourish them. This is when she colors herself in the color of brass in order to sustain them, and she is called the mountains of brass.” There are many other examples such as which attest to the Rambam’s knowledge of Kabbalah which I do not have time to add.
The Rambam wrote in the eighth chapter of the laws of Teshuva that in the world-to-come there is no body and no corporeality. Note how the Ra’avad disagrees with this view. Many took the Rambam to task for his view, and for that which he wrote in the fourth halacha of chapter eight, “when the sages mentioned this feast, they were speaking allegorically about the good reserved for the righteous in the world-to-come.” This view of the Rambam’s is precisely the view of the Zohar in Parshat Toldot (Midrash HaNe’elam, 136a), where it is phrased in almost the same language that the Rambam used in one of his letters. Whoever believes in the Zohar is obliged to explain the words of the Rambam exactly as the view of the Zohar.
If I have dwelt at length on this subject is has only been in the honor of our master the Rambam of blessed memory. However, it must be clearly understood that the Rambam is not closer to my heart than those who had serious questions about his views, for they are all holy. Even though I feel a kinship with the Rambam in that we both have suffered intellectual persecution spurned on by groundless hatred, it is not for this reason that am so concerned with defending the Rambam against his detractors. The pure reason is that I feel that his detractors simply did not understand what the Rambam truly intended in his teachings. I have come only to defend the righteous and close the mouths of those who speak derisively and arrogantly against the tsaddik. I have come to expose the lies they speak. Even in our generation we find scholars who possess mistaken traditions which erroneously explain various matters of Torah. And still they feel a duty to come down harshly on him with their derision. May they be utterly ashamed, put their feet in their mouths, and be seen by the world mumbling, “we have sinned.” This is all due to the great limitations of their understanding. All who feel drawn to return to the Zohar do so because their souls are connected to its teachings. Yet one who has no soul connection to the Zohar and tries to learn it will only see its external form and not its inner content. Similarly, one who looks into the Guide for the Perplexed and does not do so with a willingness to accept its ethical teachings out of fear that he may rebel, is actually prone to be stubborn and rebellious with any holy Torah writing. Take the following word of encouragement. If you learn the Torah with strong faith, you shall not be ashamed before any man nor fall off the path. All who seek truth will find it. Therefore, if you yearn for the truth, put your mind on the Zohar as you would behold the brilliance of the firmament. The intelligent person who is confident in his direction, will see that the Guide both quenches thirst and points the way. In the generation of the Rambam, anyone privileged to know the mystery of God was careful to keep it greatly hidden.
It is evinced from the language of many of the Ba’alei Tosafot that they had knowledge of the secrets of the Torah, but in the practice kept from ancient times saw fit to conceal this knowledge, only alluding to it in hints. The Ramban (Nachmanides) lived in the generation after the Ba’alei Tosafot. He too would only hint at the mysteries, wrapping them in his holy words. In the introduction to his commentary on the Torah, he admits to this. The Ari’zal confirmed that the Ramban possessed a clear and authoritative tradition of the Torah’s mysteries, yet took great care to conceal this tradition in his writing. The Ramban had many students, and surely he imparted to many of them this tradition. The Arizal taught us, however, that all Torah scholars after the Ramban did not possess this authoritative tradition of mysteries, even though they are unquestionably great and holy masters of the Torah and quoted in the writings of the Arizal on many occasions. The Arizal taught us not to attempt to gain Kabalistic knowledge from any of the books of the sages written after the Ramban. This is said in no way to cast aspersions upon them. Rather, the roots of their words are included in the teachings of the Arizal, which are all organized with holy additions of the Torah knowledge that was revealed in his generation. Therefore, it is proper to learn these matters from the principle
Chapter 23
The Arizal
After discussing the hidden Kabbalistic teachings in the Rambam, the explicit Kabbalah of the Ramban, the author now jumps to sixteenth century Safed, to discuss the accomplishments of R. Yitzchak Luria, the Arizal; unquestionably the most influential Kabbalist since the time of R. Shimon Bar Yohai. In the following chapter, he discusses the centrality of the Arizal, the difficulty in understanding his teachings, which are rife with intentional contradictions, and how the Ari’s teaching spread through Europe. He concludes by stating that none of those studying the Ari’s teaching truly understood its message. This will pave the way for his claim, in chap. 29, that the truest interpretation can be found in Izhbitzer Hasidism.
The Arizal (Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, 1534-1572) was known for his awesome holiness, virtue, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Ari means lion. The Midrash tells us that when the generation was worthy, a heavenly lion would descend and receive the sacrifice offered on the altar in the Holy Temple. Similarly did the Arizal descend into this world from heaven, as a holy angel, to reveal to us the mysteries of the Torah, to teach man wisdom and understanding. He was the chosen of God who looked into the hidden light and saw from one end of the world to the other. Through his teachings, he elucidated the words of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai. It is recorded in the book Shivhei Ha-Ari that his great understanding was derived from the Zohar, and God granted the Arizal the most accurate and clearest explanation of its teachings. In this way did the Arizal sustain those weary for want of God’s word. His principle student was Rabbi Hayyim Vital (the MaRaHu), and it was through him that the rest of the Arizal’s students received his teachings. The RaHu cautioned against studying the words of other students of the Arizal as each one understood only according to his particular level, but without a complete understanding. The RaHu wrote eight books, called the Shemoneh She’arim (Eight Gates). From them evolved his main books, the Etz Hayyim and the Pri Etz Hayyim. Several books preceded the Shemonehh She’arim, namely the Adam Yashar, Arba Meot Shekel Kesef, and the Artsot haHayyim. They contain many teachings not discussed in the Shemoneh She’arim. The eight works composing the Shemoneh She’arim are the equivalent to the Shulhan Arukh (the Code of Jewish Law) for the mysteries of the Torah. They are the basic companion for the soul who yearns to understand the ancient mysteries of the Torah, and are all that that soul needs to access them.
The language of the Arizal as it appears in writing was only truly understood by his own students, as most of his teachings are delivered in short. Truly, the Arizal only spent a short time on this planet teaching his students. He only taught in public when he lived in Tsfat, and he was in Tsfat for a total of one year and seven months. Notwithstanding, he managed to deliver the basic ideas of all of the mysteries to his student Rabbi Hayyim Vital, as described in the story of the Arizal in Shivhei HaAri. Due to the brevity of their time together, the RaHu received the teachings in a telescoped form. There are two reasons for this. The first is that in order for the Arizal to describe any one idea to its full extent in a way that could be understood by all it would have taken much more time than they had together. And the second is that the generation had not yet come where anyone could open the writings of the Arizal and understand them. Rabbi Hayyim Vital records that the Arizal had told him that only in the generations immediately preceding the final redemption would his teachings be truly revealed and accessible to the masses. Therefore, all who are truly involved in the holy study of the teachings of the Arizal with a whole and willing heart, wanting to build a structure on the foundation of his words, will indeed find it very difficult. This is because each one concept is expressed by several names, and one who sees the names without understanding the inner foundation of the idea will come up against many contradictions. All the more so if the student wishes to create novel concepts based on the Arizal’s foundations, and the novel interpretations are put up to the scrutiny of in-depth analysis, he will then find himself tangled in contradictions. Then if the student wishes to take his new understandings as a basis for teaching his fellow who possess intelligence in this area, his fellow will no doubt point out numerous contradictions and inconsistencies in the former. This all stems from a greatly limited understanding of the Arizal’s holy words. For example, if one is studying the idea of the sanctity of the Shabbat, and based on this wishes to discourse on the idea delights of Shabbat, he will invariably find terms appropriate to his subject like love and benevolence (Hesed). Then when he figure the actual commandments of Shabbat, including all of the prohibitions of different kinds of work which are in effect on Shabbat, he will find that they are all related to attributes like fear, dread, and strength. If he truly prepares his heart, he will find all of the attributes included in the mitzvot of the day of Shabbat. In this way he will not find any clear path in which to deliver his discourse or make his point. The Zohar (Vayakhel, 204a) writes that all of the attributes are included in Shabbat. The teachings of the Arizal have been explained in many different countries, each one in own language and according to its own logic. In Italy the teachings of the Arizal have been reprocessed into the language of philosophy, as was done by Rav Avraham Herrera in his books Beit Avraham and Shaar HaShamayim. These have even been translated into Italian. Rav Ya’akov Abuhav translated them back into Hebrew. In Germany the explanation of the Arizal’s Kabbalah have taken a different direction. There the scholars introduced additional terminology, gates, and discourses based on those gates. In Yemen and the land of Israel the scholars have kept to the language of the Arizal. Due to the approach in Germany, many angry accusations have been exchanged between scholars, each one accusing the other of heresy. The funny thing is, none of them have even made it to the entrance to the garden. It must be know that none of these attempts have been successful.
Chapter 24
Rabbi Yisrael - The Baal Shem Tov
The author now arrives at the next, important stage in the unfolding of Kabbalistic wisdom: the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Hasidic movement, and spiritual forefather of Rav Mordechai Yosef of Isbitza. According to R. Gershon Henokh, the Baal Shem Tov may not have been intrinsically greater than any of the previous patriarchs, prophets, and sages presented above; yet his relevance is indeed greater, in that he had the ability to strip previous Kabbalistic teachings of their abstruseness, and make make the deepest teachings of Torah accessible to every person. He explained the words of the Zohar in clear and unambiguous language; thus opening the gate to the study of supernal mysteries to all. From his time onward, gate to the garden of esoteric wisdom was opened, and all were invited to enter.
In God’s great mercies, He established Torah scholars in every generation to seek the knowledge of God, and open the gates of Torah knowledge according to the needs of the times. The Zohar (Bo, 2b) quoted above makes mention of this idea, how the prophecy of Yehezkel was suited to the needs of his generation. In the same way God sent a redeemer to Israel, whose splendor was as the Holy One of Israel, our master and teacher, whose name pleasant and whose pleasantness fit his name, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov. God opened the gates of wisdom, understanding, and consciousness for the Baal Shem Tov. He sought out the knowledge of God’s perfect Torah, and prepared his heart to explicate and discourse on the hidden realms of wisdom. In his days, he managed to bring the sublime secrets of wisdom down into the boundaries of human understanding. He succeeded in making the Torah accessible to the masses of Israel. For the Torah was not given to God’s holy angels, but to the seed of Yaakov whom God had chosen, and it is essential for every soul of Israel to reach everything that is written in the Torah and bring it within the boundaries of his mind’s grasp and knowledge. And even for our generation, a generation of lowly status and little knowledge, did God send him with the perfect language necessary to teach, understand, and come close to even the most sublime of the Torah’s mysteries. The Baal Shem Tov opened up an inner gate that had been closed until his days. He opened it before the entire community of Yaakov, for the Torah is not in Heaven, but the birthright and fiancée of every Jew. Everyone who seeks God with a full heart will find in the Baal Shem Tov’s words the way of understanding and clear path for the upright in order to understand, discern, hear, learn, teach, guard, perform, and uphold all the words of the Torah. All of the Divine attributes and Sefirot, whether mentioned or hidden, contain the whole order of God’s governance of everything, from the highest heights of the spiritual world down to lowliest of levels, and man is capable of receiving them within the limits of his mind. And all of the events recounted in the Torah are experienced by every one of Israel in every generation, in general and in particular. The Torah is the essential teaching for every Jew to enable him to conduct all his affairs justly. The Baal Shem Tov opened a gate in the brilliant light of the firmament, the holy teachings of the Zohar and the writings of the Arizal, explaining all their words in clear and straightforward language, the language of wisdom. In this way the Divine abundance of the mysteries may drip into the heart of man, so that he may behold God from his very flesh. From the days of the Baal Shem Tov and onward, the gate to the garden of God and the paradise of wisdom had been opened, inviting man to enter. From his days, the spring has begun to flow from the House of God, and with the passage of time, it only grows stronger and stronger. The Baal Shem Tov established many students, all geniuses and holy servants of God.
Chapter 25
Spreading the Way of the Baal Shem Tov
The author now traces the transmission of the Hasidic movement, from the Baal Shem Tov to the Maggid of Mezritch, and from the students of the Magid to the great early masters who spread Hasidism throughout Eastern Europe. He mentions the unique contributions to Hasidic though by these various figures, ultimately giving particular attention to the line of Polish Hasidism that led to his grandfather, R. Mordehai Yosef Leiner, the Mei HaShiloah.
The greatest student of the Baal Shem Tov was the Great Maggid, Rabbi Dov Baer of Mezeritch. After the passing of the Baal Shem Tov in 5520 (1760), his students accepted the Great Maggid as his successor, and continued to learn the paths of Divine service from his teachings. Among the greatest of the students of Rabbi Dov Baer were Menahem Mendel of Vitebsk, (After the passing of the Great Maggid, Rabbi Shner Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad dynasty, became his student) Rav Elimelekh and his brother, Rav Zushia, Rav Levi Yithak of Berdichev, Rav Yaakov Yithak, the Seer of Lublin, Rav Yisrael of Koshnitz, Rav Shner Zalman of Liadi, Rav Hayyim Haiike of Amdur, and the famous brothers Rav Shmuel Shemlke of Nicholsburg and Rav Pinhas, the Baal HaFla’ah. There were also a number of other holy tzaddikim, may their merits protect us and all of Israel, amen.
We were only worthy of receiving a small amount of their teachings, as they are scattered about in various books, and not in any one authoritative volume. None of the words of the Baal Shem Tov were ever committed to writing in his lifetime. All of his teachings were passed on to us in the writings of his students and student’s students in the generations after his death. Why didn’t the students of the Baal Shem Tov write down his teachings in his lifetime? All of his students were holy geniuses, and when each one would hear his Rebbe’s words, he would expand upon it from his own knowledge. In this way each one operated, according to the qualities of his own soul and spirit. Due to each student’s great sanctity and driven persistence in his Torah study and Divine service, they could not find the time to properly commit the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings to writing. The few teachings that we have today are like a lone sheaf of wheat gathered from the words of his students, and it bears the crown of the good name. Even the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov’s students are few, scattered hear and there in holy books, and these teachings are the portal through which we can enter into the chambers of kedusha (sanctity). Similarly, most of the teachings of the Great Maggid were not written down, even though most of the students of the Baal Shem Tov learned with the Rabbi Dov Baer. The Great Maggid also raised many new students in his tenure as leader of the Hassidic movement, yet this tenure only lasted for a few years. He was already at an advanced age when he first became a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, and so little of his teachings, sublime and lofty, dividing the flames of fire, and so deep - who may fathom them! - were actually put in writing.
The students of the Great Maggid spread out to many different locations and were known as seekers of the knowledge of God. They were all masters of the mysteries, and all holy. Each one taught a path in the service of God according to his own particular qualities, using this path as the central method in his students. Among the Baal Shem Tov’s students, there were those who taught a way of Divine service based on great fervor in the fulfillment of the Torah, together with the nullification of worldly existence and the unification with the mysterium tremendum during prayer. There where others who emphasized the centrality of the love and unification of all of Israel, in order to draw Divine effluence and blessings down to the Jewish people. Their great love gave them strength in order to unite the hearts of Israel, inspiring them with words that drew their students to follow in the path of God. There were still others who taught a mystical form of exegesis, with discourses full of hints, numerical equivalents, acronyms, revealing holy names in the words of the Torah. There were even those who taught the Torah in an enigmatic language, even though they were disciples of masters whose entire aim was to explain and elucidate the Torah, bringing it within the borders of man’s intellect. Those who saw fit to hide their language did so due to the root of their souls and their particular locations, in seeing so many students and wary of the real possibility of misunderstanding, took care not to explain their teachings in a revealed language. Even though they spent much time in this holy and protective manner, there was a great lack of understanding on the part of their listeners. Such is the case when the mystery is wrapped in the enigma and expressed in a hidden language. Due to this, their opponents would incorrectly interpret their words. These students of the Baal Shem Tov were using all of their powers to instill the faith in the hearts of Israel to know that God fills the whole world with His glory, using the perfect words of Torah such as those found in the Zohar, which shows us how God fills all the worlds and surrounds all the worlds. So their opponents found a dark and narrow place in which to explain his words as the same as one of the foreign concepts in the belief in God’s providence that the Rambam quotes in the Guide (Section 1, Ch. 73) as, “the view of some of the Mutazilites.” They believed that existence and the absence of existence are accidents newly created at every moment. However, anyone seriously studying this matter in the Guide would see how at the end of the sixth argument of that same chapter the Rambam refutes their view, a belief that would do away with any need for Divine service or prayer. So of course neither the Rambam nor the disciple of the Maggid under discussion ever intended to claim that this foreign view is in agreement with the view of the Torah. This is not the direction any Torah leader such as the Rambam would take. Just as the Rambam, the disciple of the Maggid confronted these foreign ideas as a result of being exiled in a place of evil waters, where the denizens of which would drink and swallow from their local well. The attacks of their opponents are really as trivial as the drool dripping from a dreamer’s mouth. In their attacks they claim that the servant of God need not think that God fills all of the worlds, but only needs to know that God surrounds all of the worlds. But in making such a misguided comment he is in fact voicing the view of the idolaters mentioned in the Talmud Menahot, 110a), “They call God, ‘god of the gods.’ “ This view is contrary to the view of the Torah, for our Torah says, “know that I am God who makes you holy. “ Yet do not cast aspersions on these opponents. Their attacks are just a result of an inferior understanding of the fundamentals of these matters. They merely dressed their language in ill-fitting garments, totally unsuited for the one wearing them. Their attacks were a result of a musing of the heart which they were not able to adequately able to pronounce.
Our master Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhak Horowitz, the Seer of Lublin, studied under Rabbi Dov Baer of Mezeritch. He subsequently studied under Rabbi Elimelech of Lijensk, and then began his tenure as a Rabbi in Lublin. He established many students, all high holy and famous souls. One of his chief disciples was, “The Holy Yehudi,” of Prshisha. The Holy Yehudi departed from this world during the lifetime of his master, being summoned to the heavenly Yeshiva before the Seer of Lublin.
The main disciple to emerge from the house of study of the Seer of Lublin was Rabbi Simha Bunem of Prshisha. He was fiercely brilliant, great in Torah and the fear of God. He was “the man raised up on high,” raising the yoke of Torah. In his youth he studied under the pre-eminent Talmudic and Halachic authorities of his day, and from them he received rabbinic ordination. Then he discovered the Hassidic masters of his generation. He drew close to such masters as Rabbi Moshe Arye Leib of Sassov, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, Rabbi Dovid of Lelov, and the Holy Yehudi of Prshisha. However, his main teacher and master was the Seer of Lublin. He loved him greatly and became one of his private students. In particular, the Seer imparted unto him the secrets of the Torah. From all these masters he learned the way and conduct of the Hassidic master, raising many holy students, all seekers who thirsted for the knowledge of God, who constantly learned and reviewed his teachings. Almost all of his holy students were sanctified with the blessings of the Torah, among them those who went out and delivered the Torah’s message to the masses. We were not privileged to hear a great amount of the knowledge he had to offer, and what we do have is but a drop from the ocean. There was no one, not even among his greatest students, who properly arranged and published his teachings, and sadly, most of them were forgotten. This is the sad truth about most of the great Hassidic masters. Though we live from the words of their mouths, we did not merit any clear all-inclusive volumes that express the things, “that man shall do and live by them.” (Vayikra, 18:5)
Chapter 26
Rabbi Mordechai Yosef of Izbitza
The author now turns to the greatness of his grandfather, the first Izhbitzer Rebbe, and his own role in disemmenating the Rebbe’s teachings.
The greatest of the Rabbi Simcha Bunem’s disciples was my grandfather, the holy Rav Mordechai Yosef, may his merit protect us and all of Israel, amen. He was the shining star among the fellowship of Rabbi Simha Bunem, a fellowship of holy sacrificial lambs dedicating every fiber of their being to the holy Torah. His fellowship of students was on the level of the fellowship of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai. Rabbi Mordechai Yosef abandoned all worldly affairs, selling his house and family inheritance, even all property his holy father the great Rav Yaakov left him, in order to dedicate himself to the Torah. He lived on meager bread, fulfilling the advice of the Mishnah (Avot, 6:4), “eat bread with salt, drink water, and sleep on the floor, for this is the way of the Torah.” He spent nine years living in the study house of Rabbi Simha Bunem of Prshisha, only going back home for a few weeks a year, such as the week Passover. Though he was a weak physically, often ill, suffering from bronchitis, he never took care of his physical well-being. He suffered from cold winters due to a lack of proper clothing, even though he had been pampered as the child of a well-to-do family. His family traced their lineage to Rashi, who connects him with the line of King David, the Messiah of Israel.
I heard from Rabbi Mordechai Yosef’s own mouth that when he decided to travel to study with Rabbi Simha Bunem, he prepared his heart and soul in order to be truly worthy of receiving the true secrets of the Torah. To do this, he immersed himself with all the books of Kabbalah in his local house of study, until he was thoroughly versed in their teachings. He was imbibed with God’s Torah, full with the Bible, Mishnah, Gemara, Halacha, Midrash, and the holy Zohar. He knew the entire Mishnah by heart. When he first met Rabbi Simha Bunem, he said to Rabbi Mordechai Yosef jokingly, “come let us stand back to back and see who is taller.”. Then Rabbi Simha Bunem laid his hands upon him and said, “at present, I am bigger than you. Yet you are still young, and with the yoke of years, you will grow.” And of course, he was not talking about physical size. It is known that Rabbi Simha Bunem was a great strapping man, both in size and in Torah knowledge, and Rabbi Mordechai Yosef, though great in Torah, was of a small, slight physique. I heard this story from his holy mouth. My grandfather also told how Rabbi Simha Bunem compared him to the Mei HaShiloach, the spring of Shiloah which flows from under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem down into the City of David. “Flowing slowly,” (Yeshayahu, 8:6) yet reaching down to the greatest depths. This is why his Torah commentary is called the, “Mei HaShiloach.”
He began to reveal the meaning of the Torah using the language of the Torah, and to explain the Torah in an accurate and organized fashion. In this way his holy and pure wellsprings rushed forth, established on foundations of truth and faith, teaching this knowledge to the students who listened to his voice. He removed their confusion and clarified their uncertainties which required explanation. His teachings were like finely sifted flour, explaining the words of our sages which were dressed in garments that concealed their light. He taught all the fundamentals in the thought of the sages, in the mountains of sanctity, spreading the knowledge of Torah to the many, until they were capable of understanding the teachings of the Rash”bi and the Ariza”l as one understands simple laws. Notwithstanding, his teachings were never written down in his lifetime, and had we attempted this in his lifetime, there would not have been enough ink and paper to contain all his teachings. And still, his teachings were instilled so deeply in the hearts of his students so much that the little that could be collected after his passing was contained in the book, the Mei HaShiloach. It includes ta’amei haMitzvot, biblical exegesis, explanations of the Talmud, both of the revealed and secret aspects, explanations of the festivals, and the path of ethical Torah behavior signified by love and fear of the Creator. And yet, since it is written in a highly concise manner, presenting the main ideas without references and lengthy explanations, the book manages to present most of his teachings. These are a distillation of the actual discourses that he delivered. His actual discourses brought the knowledge from the Source of Life in its original pristine form. That is to say, he gave functional explanations of all of his ideas. However, when I collected these teachings, my hair still dripped with the dew of youth, and I only felt confident to write down the teachings exactly as they were transmitted from those who had heard them. A minority of the teachings are those which I had actually heard from the Rebbe, and those are adequately explained. However, the majority of the teachings in the Mei HaShilaoch were transmitted from several of his students who had not completed their studies, and remembered only the outline of the teachings. Therefore they are not written in a complete way, and many passages are not clear to one who was not accustomed to his way of speaking. I have in my possession many manuscripts of teachings transmitted by the Rebbe, and will publish them, God willing, along with a more detailed explanation of the more obscure passages in the Mei HaShilaoch. From there you will see and understand the depth of his holy words, matters that are clear and lofty. May God allow me to publish them in the merit of my holy forefathers. Rabbeynu Mordechai Yosef himself told me many times to learn how to write, because only I could write down his innovative Torah concepts. He also instructed me to develop my own innovations on his teachings.
Chapter 27
Masters and Disciples – Remaining Faithful to the Transmission
The author concludes the previous chapter by mentioning how his grandfather, R. Mordechai Yosef of Izhbitz, encouraged him to record his own original thoughts, based upon Izhbitzer teachings. In the history of Hasidism, Izhbitz is certainly one of the most original schools of thought, with the writings of R. Gershon Henokh among the most radical. Nonetheless, in this chapter, he explains the importance of standing in an interpretive tradition, and the need to base all of one’s original thoughts firmly on what one has received from his teachers; for to do otherwise would be akin to making a graven image.
I heard directly from the Admor (the Isbitzer Rebbe), that he noticed scholars of his own generation who had believed that they had devised an original Torah innovation, and were later disappointed to find that it had already been written down somewhere in the tradition. I myself will not let a word of Torah pass my lips until I have seen its source in writing. The Zohar states (Vayeitse, 163a): Rabbi Elazar opened and said (Mishlei 9:12), “If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, and if you have scorned, you alone shall bear your sin.” “If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,” woe is to the wicked of the world, who do not know and do not see the words of the Torah! And when they look into it, since they have no sense, it seems to them as if the words of Torah are empty and of no use. This is all because such people are devoid of consciousness and understanding … every word written in the Torah is mare precious than pearls, there is nothing in the world equal in value to a single word of the Torah! And when the closed-hearted fools see the words of the Torah, it is not enough that they do not know, but they say that the words are blemished and useless. Woe to them, when the time comes for the Holy One, blessed be He, to render judgment for the disgrace of the Torah, and meets out punishment for those who rebelled against their Master. We find that the Torah says, “it is not an empty thing for you,” and if it is empty, the emptiness comes from you. For the Torah is filled with all manner of precious gems and pearls … and how could one say that it is empty? King Shlomo said, “If you are wise, then you are wise for yourself,” because if one has been clever in the Torah, the fact remains that it is still impossible to add so much as one letter to the Torah. “And if you have scorned, you shall bear your sin,” because the honor and praise of the Torah has not been reduced whatsoever, the scorn is only upon the scoffer, and remains with him to cause him to disinherit this world and the next. It is clear from the Zohar that the two matters are one. One who boasts to himself and claims that he can add words of Torah that he did not receive as a tradition, is equated as one who derides the Torah, for he does not take the Torah seriously. [This does not include one who gives an insightful explanation into the words of the sages, if he received it from his Rav then it is accepted as being authentic. We assume that his Rav received an authentic tradition and trusted source. This is as we find in the Zohar (Vayeishev, 192a), “One who looks into that which he learned from his Rav, and looks at it with this wisdom, can then further add to it in the same spirit.” The point being, only when he looks into the words of his Rav. Similarly, the Zohar says of Eliyahu and Elisha (Vayeitse, 154a), “from here we learn that through the revealed, man arrives at the hidden.” This means, that if he understands the revealed matters deeply he will then see the hidden knowledge concealed within. And still it is improper to invent teachings that lack a trusted source and strong foundation.]
The Zohar makes several mentions of statements that lack a foundation or accepted tradition from one’s Rav. (Yithro, 87a): Rabbi Yitzchak opened (Kohelet, 5:5), “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin.” How greatly does man need to be careful not to err in the words of Torah, and not to derive explanations of the Torah that he did not receive from his Rav. He who says a word of Torah that he did not know or receive from his Rav, of him it is written, “Do not make an idol or any image.” The Holy One, blessed be He, will exact punishment from him in the world-to-come. At the time when his soul wants to ascend to its place, it will be pushed outside, and will be destroyed from the binds of eternal life of all other souls. The Zohar then compares illegitimate innovations to fathering a bastard. As it is taught (in the continuation of Kohelet 5:5), “Why should God be angry at your voice.” “Voice,” is man’s soul. Rabbi Chiyya said, therefore it is written, “Hashem your God is a jealous God.” For what reason? It is because He is jealous for His name’s sake in everything. If it is because of the form of the face, (of the bastard) He is jealous for His name, since it is lying in His name. And the same is true for the Torah, (when one teaches that which he does not know and did not receive from his Rav.)”
This hints at what is written in the Midrash Rabbah (Nasso, 9), “Rabbi Abbahu told a parable about a painter who was painting the image of a king. The passage of the Zohar that we are dealing with finishes: If it is because of the Torah (that is, he is giving inauthentic interpretations to the Torah), it is taught that the entire Torah is a name of the Holy One, blessed be He. There is not a word in the Torah that is not included in the Holy Name. For this reason it is imperative to exercise extreme caution so as to not err with regards to the Holy Name … Rabbi Abba said, it is written, “do not make a carved image (pesel - idol).” In another place it is written, “p’sol - carve for yourself two tablets of stone.” “Do not make a carved image” means do not transmit another Torah that you did not know, and that your Rav did not tell you. What is the reason? “I am Hashem your God, a jealous God,” I am the One who will exact punishment from you in the world-to-come, at the time when the soul desires to go up before Me, there are some souls that are destined to deceive, and be cast into hell.”
It is written in the Zohar (Introduction to Bereshit, 5a): Come and see! For one whose way is not in the mysteries of the Torah, and innovates words whose true true meaning he does not fully understand, the word ascends, and the “man of reversals, the tongue of lies” goes out to meet it from the nukva d’tehoma rabba (chasm of the great abyss), leaping five hundred miles to receive the word. It takes itI to its mate, and makes him into a false firmament … and once this false firmament exists, the wife of whoredom immediately comes and joins it. From there she goes forth and kills several thousands and myriads. From this we see clearly that one who does not believe in the words of the sages, and them makes original interpretations of their words, owing to his difficulty in believing them or because he thinks that their words are far-fetched, or because the words of the sages do not please him as they are written, of him it is written, “If you have scoffed, you alone will bear the sin.” This is as we find in the Zohar (Vayeitse, 163a), “All the closed-hearted fools, when they see the words of the Torah, it is not enough that they do not know, but they go on to say that the words are blemished!”
Chapter 28
The Principles of Interpretation
Returning to the theme of authentic Torah transmission, the author now rejects those who proffer false and misguided interpretations of the Torah, both individuals of his time and of previous generations. Whereas humankind has been given a free hand to interpret the Torah, there remain limitations as to how far this freedom can go. The author rails against those deny the truth of the statements of the sages, or who draw conclusions that would lead to the abrogation of halachah. Most likely, his attack was directed against the maskilim and Jewish reformers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, who sought to remodel Judaism into something other than the traditional path of the Written and Oral traditions, and who were particular opposed to the more fantastical elements of Rabbinic lore and Kabbalistic tradition. On another level, however, the author may be defending his own interpretive line, as well. The teachings of his grandfather, R. Mordekhai Yosef, were very controversial in their time, particularly his claim that “all is in the hands of heaven, including the fear of heaven”; meaning, that Divine providence rules over every aspect of human life – including sin and transgression. Such an antinomian approach could easily be misused to justify sinning as a fulfillment of God’s will. R. Gershon Henokh may well be saying that despite the radical nature of Izhbitzer thought, it never actively preaches the abrogation of halachah or Jewish tradition.
In the middle ages there were scholars whose far-fetched interpretations were tantamount to building altars to their own intellects. They reversed to intention of the writings, giving false interpretations of words and combining verses in ways not following their meanings. It became easy for such scholars to build their ideas into structures according to the winds of their fantasies. So too did they find it easy to coin terms and values based on loose associations and similarities. Of this it said in the [Talmud] Yerushalmi (Ma’asrot, ch. 3 Mishnah 4) that Rabbi Zeira lambasted those who incorrectly explained the aggadot (legends of the Talmud), calling them tellers of fairy tales. Concerning these medieval scholars, it reached such an extent that they were making the sacred profane and the profane sacred, turning the pure into impure and the reverse. Even concerning holy names, they mixed up the sacred and the profane, and did not even refrain from offering interpretations contrary to the halacha. It is true that the Torah is given to interpretation, and even for one who is not intending to reach the depth of the Torah’s mysteries. Yet with one ventures into the hints and hermeneutic interpretations, it is crucial that he not miss the target whether in secrets or in halacha. And if he does not err, all is given to interpretation and the innovator is worthy of reward. This is as it is said in the Yerushalmi (end of Berachot), “all talk is idle, and the words of Torah are good.” Why? As it is said in the Midrash and the Zohar numerous times, “there are seventy faces to the Torah.” Yet still, each face, each interpretation, must coincide with halacha, and not, God forbid, contradict halacha.
I have seen those with expressions of consternation coming before me, and in their interpretations turn the sacred into profane to such an extent that they explain the names of idols as holy. I refer you to what the Shaar Efraim writes in his responsa (siman 64-65) concerning those who interpret the sacred as profane, and all the more so those who interpret the profane as sacred, that it is tantamount to brining idols into the Holy Temple God forbid. We even find in the Talmud (Chaggigah, 14a) that in response to his interpretation, Rabbi Yossi haGalili says to Rabbi Akiva, “Akiva! For how long will you make the Shekhina profane!” It is written in the Zohar (Pinchas, 234b), “Since there are elohim acherim (false gods) on this it is said (Shemot, 22:19), ‘he who offers sacrifices to any god, save Hashem alone, will be utterly destroyed.’ This is in order not to mix up Elohim Chayiim (The living God) with elohim acherim (false gods).” It is said in the Talmud (Sanhedrin, 38b), “(Shemot, 24:21) al tamer bo (do not provoke Him), and read this as, ‘al tamireini bo (do not exchange Me for him.).” On this it is written in the Sefer Chasisdim (siman 936), “Do not change the Name into something mundane, for we are taught that you may not make an exact scale replica of the any part of the Hoy Temple.” The legal authorities discuss the law if a ritual scribe errs, and while writing, inadvertently sanctifies a mundane name. They equate this with dedicating a blemished animal to the altar. In the Midrash Tanchuma (Terumah, 3), we find Turnusrufus asking Rabbi Akiva why he called his dogs in the name of Turnusrufus and his wife. Rabbi Akiva answered, “What is the difference between you and my dogs? You take sticks and stones and call them by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He.” This blunder is a result of not adequately receiving the knowledge of our Rabbis, and to such an extent that they have built altars to themselves and their forms, for they assume that their own ideas represent the teachings of the Torah.
The Rishonim (the Torah sages from the 10th to the 15th century) were adept at interpreting the Torah. However, when more recent interpreters confronted the words of the early and later sages of the Gemara, their fondness for their own intellects led them far afield in their understanding, and they departed from the proper explanation of the Torah. It was an, “every man for himself” kind of interpretation. Then it became easy for them to say whatever suited their minds when they simply did not understand the words of the sages. They said things that the sages would never have said, and interpreted in ways that are, God forbid, not arriving at the truth of their words. See how we are sitting in the dust before His pride and calling His Great Name, He upon whom all honor depends! A sycophant cannot come before God, and does not even take interest in the words of the Tanaim and Amoraim. All of his admirers agree to his words and proclaim his holiness, and feel they are justified in their agreement. For a sycophant cannot come before Him, and will not even take note of awesome wisdom of the early sages, not even realizing that the sages were speaking against him. Do we not find the halacha instructing us that even concerning one’s Rabbi, even if he is not greater than him but whom he simply learned from, that when he sees the Rabbi transgressing a rabbinical commandment it is forbidden for him to say that the action is forbidden, but should rather say, “I learned it this way, Rabeynu.” This is as is codified in the Tur (Yorah Deah, 246), where if his Rabbi made a clear mistake, even concerning a verse, you should simply say, “this is the way the verse goes in the Torah.” So too have we found it said several times in the Gemara, (rather than contradicting him), “read to him this verse,” since he does not want to correct him overtly. How much more so when later generations are confronting earlier generations. We find a great difference between each generation – the Acharonim are far from the Rishonim, as are the Rishonim from the Amoraim and the Amoraim from the Tanaim. But all together they build the corpus of the Talmud. Concerning this difference it is written (Yoma, 9b), “a fingernail of the early sages is worth more than the belly of the later sages.” So too is it said (Shabbat, 112b), “If the early generation of sages are sons of angels, then we are sons of men. And if you say that he early sages are men, then we are as donkeys, but still inferior to the donkey of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair! (who, though he was a donkey, was careful to refrain from eating untithed fodder.)” And how much more so in our own generation, what is our life, what is our power? We are as ivy on the walls. We are like a mosquito before Seraphim! It is only in the light of the Rishonim that we see light! And in a place where we do not understand their words it is incumbent upon us to know that the deficiency lies within us and the great limitations of our minds. The deficiency and guilt is upon us.
The Reshit Chochma dwelt on this point at length (shaar hakedusha, ch. 12). These are his holy words. “Just as we are required to believe in the whole Torah of Moshe, so are we required to believe in the words of the later halachic authorities (divrei sofrim), and in what they explained concerning the legends of the Torah (agadot). And even if one thinks that it is impossible, we are to ascribe the deficiency on our own understanding and not on their words. Anyone who derides any of their words shall be punished. This is as is written in the Gemara (Eruvin, 21b), ‘Rav Papa said in the name of Raba bar Ula, whosoever derides the words of the sages shall be sentenced to a hell of boiling dung.’ So too do we find in told in Gittin (57a) that a student of Rabbi Yochanan was punished for scoffing at Rabbi Yochanan for saying that in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring precious gems thirty by thirty cubits in size.” In mentioning this Gemara, the Be’r haGolah (be’r 6, Rosh HaShanna, ch. 15) said, “how many piles of bones were made of this scoffer, in punishment for all that he did not believe.” When a man finds the words of the sages strange, he may then go on to assert that they are inventions. If a student were to ascend from level to level until God showed him the supernal angels, he would certainly believe in the words of the sages and their explanations. Yet he did not even believe in the simple meaning of their homilies. He rather turned them around in his mind to fit a certain intention, so Rabbi Yochanan gazed upon him and reduced him to a pile of bones. It would be well to see the Mahar”shal’s explanation of this story, who said that this man who did not believe was a heretic until he saw the angels. And so, a man must believe that even the simple explanations of the words of the sages are true. This is as the Ramban wrote in his Sefer Emuna V’Bitachon (ch. 9), “When the sages said that any given verse does not depart from the simple meaning, this does not mean that it can only be interpreted according to its simple meaning. We have leaned that though there are seventy “faces” to the Torah, not one of them may contradict the simple meaning.” This is just as the Ramban explained in his Hasagot on the Sefer HaMitzvot, that all that is written in the Torah, its explanations and the explications of its explanations which flow from a faithful source, are all expressing the truth of the Torah at all levels of truth. And our entire hold on the tradition of the Torah requires that we grasp the hem of the mantle of the Rishonim. For if we know and recognize that the Rishonim were like angels, then we are like men. And if we are to contend that the Rishonim were merely men like us, and therefore we can give our own critique and opinion of the validity of their teachings, then we are like donkeys, but not as the donkey of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair.
Consider the way our Torah predecessors gave great honor to the unique among them, even though they were all holy individuals. We find a certain agadata in the Talmud (see Megilla, 15b) is interpreted in nine different ways, and Eliyahu haNavi agrees that all of them are true. “Raban Shimon ben Gamliel said, ‘still, we need the Moda’ii.’ “ Though the interpretation of Elazar HaModa’ii was different from the rest, he still found it essential to honor him and include his words. This being so, how could anyone in our generation have the audacity to do away with the opinion of Rabbi Elazar haModa’ii? I will give the order to punish those guilty of this rebellion and trespass. They do not know the great implications of their sin. Suffice that the heavens shall reveal it, and the earth below will rise up against them. It is a grave offence. He is like one who waits to ambush others, but in the end he will afflict his soul with pennitentiary fasting until his teeth turn black. We find this in the Gemara (Chagiga, 22b), where Rabbi Yehoshua once claimed that he was ashamed that a certain opinion of Beit Shammai concerning the laws of purity had ever been stated, claiming that it did not make sense. After Beit Shammai’s opinion was properly explained, Rabbi Yehoshua threw himself on the graves of Beit Shammai to beg forgiveness, and it was said that in the coming years his teeth turned black from penitential fasts he endured for this incident. In another passage concerning the laws of purity Rabbi Akiva taught that coming into contact with two halves of a revi’it of blood from two separate dead bodies imparts ritual impurity. The Sages disagreed with this opinion, claiming that only a complete revi’it of blood from one body departs impurity. Rebbi taught in the name of Bar Kapara, “do not count the ruling about the revi’it of blood among the rulings that Rabbi Akiva retracted.” Rabbi Shimon then jeered at this by saying, “as long as he was alive he ruled that it makes one impure, but whether or not he retracted it after he died, I am not sure.” The Gemara says that eventually Rabbi Shimon’s teeth turned black from fasting, and that he would fill his eyes with clods of earth from the floor of Rabbi Akiva’s house of study. [However, when the Gemara says (Chullin 24a), “even if Yehoshua bin Nun had said it, I would not have accepted it,” – it is a case where the law had been accepted a certain way, and no opposition can change it. This is how the law is established in the Shulchan Aruch (Yore Deah, 242:36), “One who says of his fellow, I would not accept the law from him even if he was like Yehoshua bin Nun, is worthy of niddui (excommunication, shunning). This is not so when he says this of an opinion contrary to a law that is universally accepted.” (The Rambam explains this his introduction to seder Zeraim, part 2.)] The disregard for the words of any of the sages is a result of a limited understanding and an insufficient tenure in the house of study. This is as the Zohar say (Balak, 193b), “When one praises himself, it is a sign that he does not know anything.” Such misguided people err in the very method of the sages of the Gemara. They are mistaken in that they believe that each sage would explain as he saw fit and however his spirit moved him. They do not know that our holy predecessors did not say anything from their own minds, but only taught that which they had received in the tradition from a faithful source. Who would have the audacity to offer his own opinion in a place where he does not understand their words? “For I am more boorish than a man, and I do not have the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom,” and I do not have the understanding of the holy. (Mishlei 30:2) Furthermore, the words of Rabbi Elazar HaModa’ii are also found in Targum Yonatan (one of the Aramaic translations of the Torah), and the Targum claims that when one thinks he is doing a great service to explain difficult passages with contrived solutions not based on tradition he is only making them more incomprehensible.
Chapter 29
Rav Mordechai Yosef of Isbitzer – Bringing Divine Wisdom into the Borders of the Mind
The author now returns to a discussion of the greatness of his grandfather, Rabbi Mordekhai Yosef Leiner, founder of Izhbitzer hasidism. Citing a Zoharic text that applies the date of the Great Deluge to the year 5600 (1740), he notes that it was in this very the year that his grandfather became a Hasidic Rebbe in his own right, thus fulfilling the prophecy that “gates of wisdom will be opened above, and the wellsprings of wisdom below” – to flood the world with spiritual knowledge Furthermore, R. Gershon Henokh finds messianic significance to this event, as well, in that the Izbhitzer Rebbe brought the deepest secrets of Kabbalah down to the lowest level, making them understandable even to children. This is part of the Messianice enterprise of continuing the downward flow of Torah and revelation from the highest realms to the lowest.
Rabbi Mordechai Yosef was a central figure among the followers of Rabbi Simcha Bunem of Pshiske. He was a dedicated servant, and did not depart from the tent of Torah. After the passing of Rabbi Simcha Bunem, Rabbi Mordechai Yosef suffered thirteen years of hiding in the “cave of Addulam.” He felt that the time had not yet come to teach the Torah in public. Yet for the few that came to him, he taught the wisdom of the Torah in a discreet and modest way. Then, in the year 5600, the word of God came to him, and he was Divinely inspired. This was the time hinted at in the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the Zohar (Vayeira 116b), “when the the sixth millennium arrives, which is the secret of the letter Vav (ו) (six).” The Zohar continues (117a), “In the six hundredth year of the sixth millennium, the gates of wisdom will be opened above, and the wellsprings of wisdom below … then the rainbow will be seen in its brilliant colors.” And further in the Zohar (118a), “Rabbi Shimon said to them, God does not desire to greatly reveal himself in this world. Yet when the days of the Mashiach come close, even little children will reveal the secrets of Torah wisdom.” This means that man will finally attain a clear apprehension of the Torah’s wisdom, through the understanding that all matters of Torah are necessary for each individual of Israel in order to serve God. It is said in the Gemara (Chagiga, 14b), “even concerning Ma’aseh Merkava, the mysteries of the Torah, there are those who are adept at explaining, and those who are adept at performing.” That is to say, man will understand that in order to serve God through the words of Torah, the foundation of his soul needs the most precious and sublime Torah knowledge. This being so, God will send His salvation from the heavens, His steadfast love and truth. When we see the fulfillment of Rabbi Shimon’s prophetic vision that the, “wellsprings of wisdom will be opened below,” do not be wary of the many warnings in the Zohar against revealing secrets to those who are not worthy of their power, for then the times themselves will demand such a revelation. Rabbi Elazar ben Arach hinted at this in the Midrash Ne’elam (Zohar, Toldot, 140a), “Who will be worthy of this time? Who will remain and uphold the law during this time?” Rabbi Elazar ben Arach understood the redemption would start in the year 6000. Yet based on his understanding of Bereshit ch. 23 (the children of Cheit) he ascertained that the resurrection of the dead would not be complete until the year 6408. Rebbi Yehoshua resolved this contradiction saying that the perfectly righteous would be resurrected in the beginning of the ingathering of the exiles, at the fortieth year of the sixth millennium. However, the less perfect, depending on their level, would be resurrected in the ensuing years up to 6408. Rebbi Elazar ben Arach was troubled that many may slip into degradation in those years, and forsake the Torah.
Chapter 30
Kabbalah – No Longer a Danger
As for those who criticize the Hasidic movement for revealing Kabbalistic secrets that had been concealed for millennium, R. Gershon Henokh now explains that the need to conceal esoteric truths is over. Nor is there a reason to conceal these truths in philosophical language (as did the Rambam); for those who choose to turn away from Torah now do so unabashedly, without excuse. For this same reason, there is no fear that this secret body of knowledge will be misappropriated and used as an excuse to justify sin. Those who do believe, however, are admonished to cling to the Righteous in their generation, who will lead them in the way of God.
In ancient times, the majority of Israelites were strong in their faith. Anyone who wanted to transgress the Torah felt greatly ashamed before his community, and had to justify his transgression through the study of philosophy. That is, he needed an unresolved philosophical conundrum to provide him with an opening to act against the Torah. This is clear from the books that were written in those days, as they made great efforts to confront and rebuke ideas foreign to the Torah. This is as it is said (Hoseha, 14:10), “the righteous will walk in them, and the sinners shall stumble in them.” Therefore the sages of Kabbalah found it necessary to include in their mystical teachings proofs and philosophical foundations so those learning their words would do so in the way of faith. Thus they presented their ideas on philosophical foundations, so their words gained popular renown. We have previously discussed how the Tsadikim also took the foundations of philosophy as the foundations of their study. This required them to be extremely careful with their words so as not to lead their readers astray. This is why the secrets of the Torah are greatly hidden in their writings.
Indeed now in our own generation, after we have undergone centuries of suffering, for one to transgress the Torah he need not resort to philosophy. The shameful will simply turn away and the insolent will rise up. This is as we find in the Gemara (Sotah, 49b), “in the end of days, insolence (chutzpa) will be prevalent.” One who wants to disregard all but his own desires need not find a proof from the Torah, for who is able to tell him what to do? Just as it is a mitzvah to speak words that will be listened to, so too it is a mitzvah not to speak when you will not be heeded. Similarly, the scant remnant, “one of a city and two of a family,” who believe in God, in His Torah, and all its explanations, need no foundations or proofs of the existence of God from the teachings of philosophy.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai had our generation in mind when he said the following in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 69, page 111b), “‘My friends!’ said Rabbi Shimon, ‘certainly God agrees with us, in the upper realms and the lower realms, to be in this fellowship. Fortunate it the future generation who will be worthy of revealing our secret wisdom. Our teachings will be revealed by Moshe in the end of days, in fulfillment of the verse (Kohelet, 1:9), “what has passed is what shall be,” and in it (Tehillim 33:14), “He watches from His dwelling place.” The first letters of the words (in Tehillim 144:15), “fortunate is the people for whom it is like this!” is the numerical equivalent of “Moshe.” The same verse continues, “Fortunate is the people for whom Hashem is their God,” and on this it is said (Kohellet 1:4), “a generation comes, and a generation goes,” and there is no generation with less than sixty myriad (600,000). On this it is said, “He commanded His word for a thousand generations,” meaning that that Moshe’s influence is present in the Tsadikim and Torah scholars of every generation, whose efforts in the Torah reaches the level of, “sixty myriad.” The influence of these scholars, bearers of the soul of Moshe, fixes the blemish on the rest of the generation. And in the sixth Tikkun (Tikkunei Zohar, 23b): How many people will derive their spiritual sustenance from the teachings of the Zohar when it is revealed below in the end of days! So in this generation, there is no great worry about revealing the secrets of Kabbalah. In the first place, the Zohar itself predicts its eventual revelation in the sixth millennium. And second, there is no fear that the secret knowledge will be misappropriated and used as an excuse to justify sin. In our days, if one wants to sin, he does not present a proof from Torah ideas to justify his actions. For these reasons, the time has come to seek out the work of God and delve into the secrets of the Torah. In truth, the remnant of the faithful are small in numbers, and many do not feel worthy or confident to study the mysteries of the Torah. Still they may assuage their fears by connecting to the true scholars and recipients of the secret knowledge, those proven in their righteousness, who walk in the straight and honest way.
Chapter 31
The Beit Yaakov – Continuing the Revelation of Rav Mordechai Yosef
Here the author defines Rav Mordekhai Yosef’s unique contribution to the unfolding revelation of Torah; for he taught how all teachings of the Torah’s mysteries – even those which seem beyond man’s understanding – are eternally relevant and apply to each and every soul.
Following that, he praises the vast knowledge of his father, R. Yaakov Lainer, son and scion of the Izhbitzer Rebbe, describing him as a Torah scholar of the first order, with a profound grasp of the tradition, and an extremely clear understanding of both halacha and Kabbalah.
He concludes with his family lineage, which traces itself back to King David.
Rav Mordechai Yosef was the first one to open the gate, and establish the fundamentals of the true tradition of the Torah’s mysteries. He taught how all teachings of the Torah’s mysteries, even those which seem beyond the reach of man’s understanding, are all relevant and apply to every soul. His teachings are like plantings whose roots are below, and bear fruit in the realms above. This fruit is known, revealed, and seen in our own exposition of his words, expressed in the verse (Devarim, 28:10), “and all the peoples of the world shall see that the name of God is called upon – “ us, the lovers of God and his Torah, constantly involved with the Torah, honoring the Torah, guarding its commandments, surrounding them with protective fences. He was a recipient of the true tradition of the Torah’s mysteries, founded on the belief in God, may He be blessed, established on the faith of the holy shepherds of Hasidism. This will all be explained in the second section, the introduction to the Beit Yaakov. There we will present and explain the received tradition of the Torah’s secrets, and that which cannot be overtly exposed will be alluded to in subtle hints. Furthermore, I will give over words that have only been transmitted from mouth to the ear of the mekubalim of our fellowship, each one according to his level.
Rabbeynu Mordechai Yosef lived a life of suffering. For a mere thirteen years he was publicly known as a Rebbe, of frail health the entire duration, scarcely seeing good fortune without several troubles closing in on him from all sides. He passed away on the seventh of Tevet, 5614 (1854) and found his final resting place in the town of Isbitza. Blessed is God who has not forsaken us, and a Tsaddik does not pass out of the world without God leaving a Tsaddik in his place! His son, Rabeynu Yaakov of Isbitza, took on the role of leadership after him, and all of the followers of R. Mordechai Yosef who desired the true teachings of the mysteries of the Torah continued to follow R. Yaakov. The small opening which R. Mordechai Yosef began was greatly expanded upon by his son R. Yaakov. He was possessed a tremendous intellect, expert in the Halacha, Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi, Sifrei, Sifra, and writings of the holy Ariza”l, R. Yitzchak Luria. He explained them all in a clear fashion, to the extent where while under his guidance, all these areas of Torah were open books to all who entered their gates. The incisiveness of his intellect in the area of Halacha was an awesome wonder to behold. With every law, he revealed its inner depths, and its clear connection to the source in the Talmud. I saw how whenever a student came to him who did not understand the nature or source of a law, R. Yaakov did not hesitate for a split second, but revealed its exact meaning and its source in the Talmud Bavli, Yerushalmi, Sifri, or Sifra on the spot. I never again witnessed a mind with such a tremendous hold on the meaning of the law and its way of learning. So many matters that he explained are recorded, yet not one of his numerous Torah innovations, and there are so many Torah matters included in his innovations. He was an ever flowing spring of Torah, each day increasing more wisdom and knowledge, both in the revealed and hidden studies. All who saw him witnessed this. He provided numerous clear expositions of the mysteries of the Torah, as to clarify the deepest depths and open the most closed of secrets. His teaching were a veritable highway for all who wanted ride on the way of truth in the hidden mysteries. Among them are many annotations on the obscure passages of the Zohar and the writings of the Ariza”l, all explained with wondrous understanding and wisdom, as all who look into this book will clearly see.
We possess many complete compilations of R. Yaakov of Isbitza’s writings. They are: *ta’amei hamitzvot on almost all of the 613 commandments. *commentary on all of the daily prayers. *a commentary on the Shabbat and festival prayers, Rosh Chodesh, fast days. This includes an exposition of their sources from the Sages of the Talmud and the Zohar. *commentaries on all the writings of the Arizal, - the tree, the fruit and the branches – they are life for those who find them, fully explained for all who enter their gates. R. Yaakov of Isbitza passed away in the year 5638 (1878) on the 15th of the month of Av. He left the world when traveling to the town of Drozganik for health reasons. His grave is in the town of Ratnitza.
Most of his Torah output was not written in an organized fashion, for he did not write down his teachings. The very little that was written down properly was that which he instructed me to write. In the first years he did not want to disturb my study of Halacha by asking me to transcribe his teachings. He once told me, “if I were to explain to you the true inner meaning of any matter in Torah, you would no longer want to learn Halacha. At that point in your studies, if I reveal the mysteries of the Torah, you will then be prematurely illuminated, only wanting to dwell in the realm of the mysteries and no longer study the revealed Torah. This is because you will see that the simple meaning of the Torah’s teachings are just a garment, and the inner essence is the neshama (soul). First occupy yourself with Halacha, and eventually you will understand that within the revealed Halacha are all of the inner mysteries. Then you will take joy in learning both aspects of the Torah.” At the end of his life I transcribed his commentary on the Eyts CHayyim of the Arizal. I managed to write more than two hundred pages on a few chapters. Also, I have hundreds of pages of his teachings on various disparate matters, including his commentary on the Torah.
The first book of my fathers that I published was the Beit Yaakov HaKollel, a concise and comprehensive explanation of the holy Torah. It will open the gate that was closed by our predecessors, whose words were difficult to understand. The knowledge found in this book brings the words of the Torah into the grasp of man’s understanding, offering the consciousness necessary to reveal the depths of the Torah’s mysteries and the path of faith, free of doubt concerning God’s governance and providence over His creation. It contains moral instruction to refine the hearts of Israel, with advice on proper conduct. The book also explains the prayers and festivals, the fundamentals of the inner meaning of mitzvot, and a commentary on the Tana”ch and selections from the Talmud, all explained according to the “Pardes.” Its goal is to show how all matters of Torah are relevant for all people, and how the events recounted in the Torah are experiences common to everyone. One may learn from this book how to serve God and truly fulfill that which He asks from us at any point in one’s life – from the first moment he decides to conduct his life according to the wellsprings of Torah which flow from the house of God, to the time he draws the waters of salvation to heal the source of his soul. Through this knowledge one may even fix the deficiency he bears from the day of his birth, “for he is called an offender from his birth.” (Yeshayahu, 48:8) He will be, “like a tree planted by streams of water, who spreads out its roots by the river.” (see Tehillim 1:3 and Yirmiya, 17:8) He will see with faith how to strengthen his heart and proceed with courage. He will have hope and resolve, knowing how to take his soul in his hands and pray the God, trusting in Him forever.
Blessed is God who gave me the merit of writing down the holy words of Adoneinu Moreinu and Rabeynu (our master, teacher and rabbi), the holy Gaon (genious), may his memory be for a blessing in this world and the world-to-come! And may God allow me to complete the publication of all the teachings of my holy forefathers. May their merit be my stronghold, and stand strong for my children and children’s children for all generations. Gershon Hanokh Heinech, son of the holy rav and genius, Moreynu Rabbi Yaakov zllh”h , son of the holy rav and genius, Moreynu veRabeynu Mordechai Yosef zllh”h, son of the brilliant tsaddik and Hasid, Moreynu veRabeynu Yaakov zllh”h of Tomashov, son of Moreynu veRabeynu Mordechai z”l of Sokol, son of the famous Moreynu veRabeynu Yitzchak zllh”h of Lublin, called, “Yitzchak the miracle worker,” son of the genious Rav Moreynu veRabeynu Yehoshua Heschel the great, who was the head of the court in Tarnipol, Son of the genious Rav Moreynu veRabeynu Tsvi Hirsh zllh”h, who was the head of the court in Lvov, son of the genius Rav Moreynu veRabeynu Zechariya Mendel, who was called, “Zechariya the Prophet,” son of the genius Ra Moreynu veRabeynu Moshe z”l, head of the court in Chelm, son of the great genius Rav Moreynu veRabeynu Meir z”l, head of the court in Brisk, son of the genius and holy angel, Moreynu veRabeynu Shaul Vohle z”l, son of the genius Rav Mahara”m Padua z”l. The Maharshal (Moreynu haRav Shlomo Luria) and the Rema (Rav Moshe Issrelis) are also my anscestors. Our family descends from Rashi, whose lineage goes back to the Tanna (one of the sages mentioned in the Talmud) Rabbi Yochanan haSandlar and Rabban Gamliel haZaken, who are descendents of King David.
I called this book, Beit Yaakov (The House of Jacob) based on what is mentioned in the Talmud (Pesachim, 88b), “Said Rabbi Elazar, what is the meaning of the verse (Isaiah, 2:3), ‘And many people shall go and say, Come, let us ascend the mountain of God, to the house of the God of Yaakov, and He will teach us his ways…’ The verse says, ‘the house of Yaakov,’ but not the house of Avraham or the house of Yitzchak. That is to say, not like Avraham, who is associated with a mountain, as it is said (Bereshit, 22), ‘as it is said to this day, God is seen on the mountain.’ And not like Yitzchak, who is associated with the field, as it is said (Bereshit, 24), ‘and Yitzchak went to meditate in the field.’ Yet as Yaakov, who is called a house, as it is said (Bereshit, 28), ‘and he called the name of the place, Beit El, the house of God.’ “
In introducing the Beit Yaakov, the foundation of the faith in God, I will say that it is the finest of sifted flour in God’s portion, the culmination of the divine service of our masters and teachers. It contains the teachings and fundamentals established by the shepherds of Hasidism, whose faith and fear of sin preceded their wisdom and understanding. Their teachings contain knowledge clarified from all manner of impurity, wholly refined, and what remains is akin to the service vessels of the Holy Temple. “They shall come into the treasury of God,” (Yehoshua, 6:19), and they are a treasure house of the fear of God.
In conclusion, R. Gershon Henokh has traced the history of Jewish esoteric wisdom from the very creation of man until his own day – a roller-coaster ride of revelation and concealment, of faith and intellect. Underlying all is the movement from above to below, from a transcendent vision of Divinity to its God’s immanent manifestation on earth. This is the messianic process, which strives for the day when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). It was the goal of the Baal Shem Tov and all his followers, who sought to invest quotidian existence with an awareness of God, and it was realized, above all, in the line of Izhbitzer Hasidism, whose founder and disciples explained the most recondite Kabbalah concepts in a way that was universally understandable and applicable. All this is preparation for Part 2 of the book, in which the author discusses the Izhbiter understanding of the fundamental questions of religious life: faith, providence, love and fear of God, mystical awareness, the commandments, and much more.
Entrance to the Gate of Beit Yaakov
Chapter 1
Preparing the Vessels - Fear and Faith
In this first chapter, R. Gershon Henokh discusses the interrelationship of faith, fear of God, and the Torah. Faith, he explains, underlies the fear of God, while the fear of God provides a setting for one’s faith. On the simplest level, this means that the belief in God leads one to fear him, which motivates a person to observe the Torah’s commandments. Seen from a different perspective, fear of God delineates a person’s actions, and helps him express his faith. However, the fear that the author posits here is not mere fear of Divine punishment or retribution, whether in this world or the next, which the Zohar defines as a lower type of fear. Rather, it is a fear born out of an awareness of God’s absolute transcendence. Thus, it would more accurately be called an “awareness” or “awe” of Divinity. The Zohar identifies this as the “higher” fear. This awareness is the first step toward the higher goal of enlightenment.
“The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.” (Tehillim 111:10) The consciousness called the fear of God is the vessel a person needs to receive the Torah, as it is written (Yeshayahu 33:6), “The fear of God is His storehouse,” and, as the first part of this verse says, “He shall be the stability (emunah) of your times.” “Nevertheless,” says the Talmud, “without the fear of God as a storehouse, one has nothing.” The first consideration is faith, which is the root of the fear of God, whereas the fear of God is the vessel which holds faith. But what kind of faith are we talking about? It is the kind in which a person believes that God is all-powerful and exalted. On this, the Zohar writes:“In the beginning God created…” This is the very first commandment, which is called, “Fear of God.” The fear of God is called, “the beginning,” as it is written, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God,” and (Mishlei 1:7), “The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.” It is the gate one must enter in order to arrive at faith. In this way, the whole world depends on this commandment. There are three aspects to the fear of God. The first two lack a correct foundation, which the third one has. The first kind is when a person fears God in order that He not bring harm upon his children, or in order not to personally suffer physical retribution or financial loss. He fears God constantly for these reasons, yet his fear lacks a foundation. The second kind is when person fears God in order not to suffer punishment in the world-to-come or in Hell. These two kinds of fear are not true expressions of the fear of God. The third and true expression is when person fears God solely because He is the Great and Sovereign Ruler of the universe, the root and source of all the worlds, and that everything is considered as nothing before Him, as it is written (Daniel 4:32), “All the inhabitants of the world are considered as naught before Him.” One should place all of his desire on this place which is called “fear.”
This passage from the Zohar discusses the highest level of the fear of God, which is the third form mentioned above. But it also says that the fear of God is the beginning and the gateway. For one who does not attain this fundamental level of the fear of God must still make supreme efforts in the development of [lower levels of] fear, until he attains it; for the highest level can only be attained after earnest inner work and striving. The Tikkunei Zohar (5b) also enumerates the levels of the fear of God from below to above. In the Zohar’s discussion of the tenth level, it says: There is fear, and there is [a higher] fear. Not all expressions of fear are equal. One person’s fear of God may largely be motivated by the fear of Divine punishment. Of this it is taught (Pirkei Avot 2:5), “An unlearned person cannot fear sin.” A person ignorant of the Torah does not have the basic information to know what to fear. A higher level is one who fears God based upon his knowledge of the Torah, which is Tiferet. This kind of fear is equal to the Torah itself. For this reason, not all forms of the fear of God are the same. Thus, fear of the Lord is God’s own sovereignty and contains within it all of the commandments of the Torah, since it actually comes from the Torah itself, which is called the, “Middle Column,” which is the name, Havay’ah (the Tetragramaton, י-ה-ו-ה). Because of this, the authors of the Mishnah taught us, “Great is the Torah in that it brings man to action.” If man does not know the Torah, or the reward and punishment for keeping or transgressing its commandments, or the One who created the Torah and gives it to Israel, how then can he fear God and guard His commandments? For this reason David said to his son Shlomo, “Know the God of your fathers and serve Him.” For if one does not know the One who gave him the Torah and commanded him to guard it, how then can he fear Him and fulfill its commandments?
Chapter 2
Human Deficiency and Human Perfection
After discussing the necessity of fear in one’s relationship with God, and the various types of fear – from lower to higher – the author now discusses genuine versus false fear. Whereas genuine fear (awe) frees a person from his limitations and brings him into a direct encounter with God in an act of faith, false fear is born of personal limitations and is the underlying cause of idolatry. According to Rav Mordechai Yosef of Izhbitz, fear is always related to a sense of lack. Psychologically speaking, human beings tend to set as personal goals or absolute truths one particular trait or approach to life. Yet this attitude invariably causes an individual to be deficient in alternative approaches, and he subsequently fears and represses their manifestation in his life, lest they disrupt his self-image and perfection. Idolatry results when this fear of deficiency is projected outwards, onto the figure of the idol, whom the individual then fears. The idolater does this in the hopes that the idol will alleviate his fear – even though it is powerless to do so. Thus, the idolater’s faith in and fear of his idol begins with the projection of his own imperfection. The opposite approach is embodied by the Jewish people. The faith that R. Gershon Henokh spoke of in chapter one is really the affirmation of God’s absolute transcendence. Even though human beings are lacking, they need not fear that lack. Rather, they can use their own sense of deficiency to realize, by implication, the absolute perfection of God. In other words, our lack opens us to God’s completeness. This is the fear and faith that allows for the acceptance of the Torah, mentioned above, which brings a person into a state of balance, and frees him from the fear that leads to idolatry.
The true foundation of the fear of God is faith. Only by understanding and consciously believing in the supreme lofty heights of God, and then actively fearing Him, does fear become complete. Man’s normal experience of fear usually stems from an awareness of his own deficiencies. Of this it is said (Yeshayahu, 44:17), “He makes himself an idol and bows down to it.” This kind of fear is called by the Zohar (Vaeira, 29a), “their fear.” Since idolaters are deficient, they believe that by prostrating themselves to an idol and expressing their fear, stemming from a recognition of their own deficiency, the idol will emit a flow of energy to fill their lacks. And even though the idol is actually powerless to do so, the idolater still believes that by projecting his fear outward, he himself will become complete. Ultimately, he is only worshiping the very deficiency that he fears. This is called, “bowing down to his idol.” The word for idol in Hebrew, “pesel,” is connected to the word for pasul, which means “invalid” or “deficient.” Further in the Beit Yaakov it will be explained that the fear of the idolater, expressed in a place where he knows he is lacking, takes on two forms. The idolater will either erect a form of the lack itself, or a form of the fulfillment of that lack. A weak person will worship either the image of a hero, or the image a weakling. This will all be explained. The service of Israel, however, is different. For we recognize the awesome heights of God precisely through our own deficiencies, as it is written (Iyov, 19:26), “From my flesh (meaning my limitations and deficiencies) I shall see God.” It is written in the Zohar (Emor, 90b): “I will dwell among the downtrodden and low of spirit.” (Yeshayahu, 57:15) This is the place of the greatest wholeness. When one brings himself low so that the awesome pride of the Supernal One, the Pride of all, may rest upon him, this is a place of wholeness. This is mentioned in the introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar (5b): The seventh level in the fear of God is one who lacks nothing, as it is written (Tehillim, 34:10), “Fear God, His holy ones, for there is nothing lacking to those who fear Him.” He is not one of those of whom it is said (Mishlei, 11:24), “Another withholds unduly, but only comes to lack.” If he is a Torah scholar, he shall not be lacking in Torah, for without Torah, there is no fear of God. This is as it is said (Pirkei Avot, 2:5), “An unlearned person does not fear sin.” Just as there is no Torah without the fear of God, similarly, there is no fear of God without the Torah.
The Zohar writes concerning the goal of human completeness (Yitro 78b-79a): “You shall see the work of God that I shall do, it is awesome.” (Shemot, 34:10) Rabbi Elazar said, “It is the completion of everything.” … “It is awesome,” refers to Yaakov, the ish tam, the man complete in all his attributes. Wherever you find completeness, it is called “awesome.” … The fear of God rests only in a place of completeness. And in the Zohar, Parshat Shlach (51b): “You have established equity” (Tehillim, 99:4). This is the “middle bar” (Shemot, 26:28), signifying the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Yitzhak said, “This is Yaakov.” It is really all the same matter. If the king is complete in all aspects, clearly his knowledge is complete in all aspects. What is the way of this king? He shines continually as the sun, for he is complete. When he judges, he judges for the good and for the bad. When a wise person sees the king’s face shining, he says, “Certainly the king is complete in all aspects; his knowledge is complete and his completeness is above all others. In this shining light of his face I see that he is judging more than I see, yet it is covered.” … So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, is ever complete … For this reason, one must take great care to guard himself from Him. Fear that is not rooted in the Torah can fall to the low level of the fear of deficiency, as mentioned above. This is as the Tikkunei Zohar, above, explained the verse, “Another withholds unduly, but only comes to lack.” However, the true fear of God, rooted in the Torah and based on faith, is called, “the completion of holy faith.” This is as it is written in the Zohar (Yitro, 79a): What is the meaning of the verse (Bereshit, 28:17), “And Yaakov feared, and said, how awesome (norah) is this place!” What did Yaakov see that he could only describe as dreadful and awe-inspiring (norah)? He saw the absolute completion of holy faith which existed in that place, just as it is above in the upper worlds. Every place that is at such a level of perfection is called, “awesome (norah).” The Torah is the straight path, and is called the “book of yashar,” as it is written (Shmuel 2, 1:18), “Is it not written in the book of yashar?” The Torah comes from the middle column, and is whole, for one who grasps onto the Torah lacks nothing. This is because it straightens and balances a person’s attributes so that he is not steeped in any one extremity, which is what brings him to deficiency. If a person is subjugated to any one of his attributes, and thereby lacks the strength of mind to balance its power and prevent it from becoming extreme, then the attribute is deficient, even if it is a good trait that could otherwise be the source of good behavior. If this attribute is taken to its extremity, and then becomes an involuntary mode of behavior, without any reckoning or deliberation, then the attribute, albeit good, will be used in the wrong way. Take, for example, the trait of kindness, which is clearly a good attribute. However, when it is used indiscriminately and bestowed generously upon cruel people, it becomes destructive; for there is no greater evil than acting kindly toward the cruel. One who errs in this way upholds and even strengthens destructive forces in the world. Clearly, every attribute must be used with clear and conscious deliberation, at the proper time and in the proper place. In this way, he may “establish equity” in every aspect of his behavior, according to the approach of the Torah. Then, he will be complete and lack nothing. Above all, the greatest deficiency a person can have is a lack of emunah (faith). On this it is written in the Zohar (Vayikra, 16b): “And it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty…” (Vayikra, 5:23). Because of this, God withdraws from everything; then God, so to speak, does not exist in creation, and Knesset Yisrael has left her place. This is as it is written (Yeshayahu, 7:28), “Emunah has perished.” That means that Knesset Yisrael has perished. Of this it is said (Tehillim 92:3), “To speak of Your emunah in the nights.”
Chapter 3
Chapter Three: The Borders of Knowledge after Creation
When God initially desired to create the world, His hidden wisdom understood and decreed all that would exist and transpire, from the highest worlds to the lowest creatures. To this end, He emanated a vast array of forces – worlds, sefirot and Divine Names – through which He created, sustains and directs the very fabric of the universe and all that it contains. Without these intermediary forces, God’s light would be too intense for creation to bear.
Furthermore, these forces are not something external to man, but are part of the makeup of his very consciousness, and by means of them, he can perceive something of the Divine Being – prophecy being the highest level of perception. Nonetheless, if human cognition is also a created entity, it means that it is subject to the same level of impermanence as the rest of creation; being contingent upon God’s ongoing will to create. The upshot of this is this man ultimately lives in a world of doubt, with no unbending certainties or immutable truths. In line with the previous chapter, the belief that such truths exist is the root of idolatry. The correct response is to live a life of faith, which, as the author previous explained, is the existential realization of one’s own lacks, and the subsequent recognition of God’s perfection and transcendence.
It is written in the Zohar, Parshat Shlach (166a): "Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion and said, “Better is the man who is lightly esteemed and has a servant than one who primps himself and lacks bread.” (Mishlei, 12:9) One who lacks bread, lacks faith, as it is written (Vayikra, 21:22), ‘the bread of God.’”" If a person is whole in his emunah, then his fear and love of God are also whole. On the other hand, deficiency in emunah is called “heartless.” Of this, the Zohar writes (Kedoshim, 80a): "What is “heartless?” It is one who lacks faith. One who does not learn the Torah has no faith and is thoroughly blemished." Shlomo HaMelech had this in mind when he asked (Mishlei, 17:16), “What is the value of wisdom in the hands of a fool, seeing as he lacks a heart?” Emunah contains the fear of God. When a man has emunah that God is the source and root of all, he then possesses the knowledge that was expressed by the members of the Great Assembly in the prayer, “You, God, existed before the world was created, and You exist after the world was created.” That is, from God’s point of view there is no difference between before the world was created and afterward.
The root of faith,which leads to the fear of God, is for man to wholeheartedly believe that God brought forth the entire creation ex nihilo, out of absolute non-existence. He carved the laws of the universe, established all its systems, and arranged all of its orders. He meted out knowledge and wisdom to every aspect of His creation, with everything received its proper amount. He gave every creature the amount of wisdom perfectly suited to its attributes, and gave mankind the ability to know and comprehend, each person according to his own measure. All was emenated, created, formed, and made out of nothing. Everything was established only in order to create the appearance of separate entities in the world, with each being acting on its own accord, based upon the consciousness that God has granted us. Still, we need to know and believe that our own human knowledge does not come close to the root of God’s knowledge. We may only contemplate that which we are permitted to know. Even the prophet’s knowledge is limited by the way God created him and the power of comprehension granted unto him. His prophecy is only according to his knowledge, as it is written (Hoshea, 12:11), “I have multiplied their visions, and I shall use images through the prophets.” This idea is found in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 19, page 40a). When God wants to draw prophecy into the world, then all of the Sefirot are included in a man, and he is called a prophet. The Sefirah of Malkhut (sovereignty) is a representation of all of the Sefirot. This is as it is written, “I shall use images through the prophets.” And as it is written (Hoshea, 12), “I have spoken to the prophets,” where Malkhut is like a mirror in which you can see all of the various faces. Similarly, all of the Sefirot show their power and forms to the prophet according to his ability to perceive the upper realms. In the same way it is enclothed below in the Throne of Glory, in all of the angels, the Ofanim, the holy Hayot, in all of their firmaments and thrones, and in all of the angels that are dependent on them. There are many levels of angels, one above the other, as it is written (Kohelet, 5:7), “For there is a higher one who watches over him that is high, and there are yet higher ones over them.” So too, with every Cherub and mazal (astrological force), as it is written (Tehillim, 145), “His sovereignty (Malchus) is in every dominion.” This is, “I shall use images through the prophets.” Each one sees the images (from the beyond) according to his power, which is his soul. It is said in the Midrash (Rabbah, Ta’azria, 15), “Even when Ruah haKodesh rests upon the prophets, it does so only according to a defined measure.” “To make a scale for the wind (spirit)” (Iyov, 28:25). This is all to say that the understanding of the prophets is also a force created by God and allocated to each prophet and sage according to God’s wisdom. His prophecies all follow the specific power of understanding granted at the root of his soul. All of man’s ability to understand is a force that God created and distributed to mankind.
Various places in our tradition use the phrase, “before the world was created.” It is written in the Midrash HaNe’elam of the Zohar Hadash (Bereshit, p. 3), “Before the world was created it was only He and His Name.” There are a number of matters attributed to the time before God created the world. The Midrash tells us that the Torah was hidden for two thousand years before the creation of the world. All of this occurred after the desire to create arose in God’s primordial will, whose antiquity is as old as the border of the existence of creation. At this moment, time was created. This is called, “two thousand years” – a thousand of wisdom, a thousand of understanding. It is called the order of time. This is as it is said in Bereshit Rabbah (3), “This teaches us that the order of time preceded the creation.” In the place and within the borders that were established for the order of time – that is, with the creation of time – the borders and order of Divine conduct were established. This is as it is written in the second introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar (17a): "You are the one who brought forth ten rectifications, and called them ten Sefirot, for the purpose of conducting worlds that are hidden and not revealed, and for conducting worlds that are revealed." Thus the entire order of the Divine conduct of the world was established within the boundaries set for the order of time for the express purpose of running the worlds, both hidden and revealed. This is as this passage in the Zohar concludes: "You have no known name, or any known place, but rather, You make Your strength and influence known to mankind."
Perceiving God’s light through His Names, Sefirot, and Attributes
In the previous chapter, the author makes a distinction between the limited creation and the infinite, undefinable state of pure Divinity that precedes all acts of manifestation – even the pre-creation existence of time. Our intellect, itself a created entity, can only grasp other created entities. It cannot penetrate to the pre-existent dimension of God. In this sense, the “boundaries” of the intellect and the “boundaries” of creation correspond. Yet, if God Himself is ungraspable, what is the function of the numerous names of Divinity found in Scripture? In the following chapter, R. Gershon Henoch explains that God Himself has no name, and that all the names found in the Torah are merely attributes that God uses to run the world and relate to humankind; for without them, God’s light would be too intense for creation to bear. Finally, the author explains that since everything in creation is emanated freely and autonomously by God, it is contingent upon God’s will, and therefore lacks ultimate permanence. There are no inviolable principles in creation, including those formulate by the human mind. The consequence of this is that the world is a place of doubt, where it is impossible to posit any absolute truths; for doing so leads to idolatry, as explained above. One must rely only upon faith, which is the recognition of God’s absolute transcendence.
In Parshat Pinhas (257b) the Zohar discusses the meaning and function of God’s names and attributes: In this way, The Master of the World (was called by various names and appellations) even before He created His creations, who would eventually call Him “the Merciful One,” or, “the Judge.” All of God’s names are intended for His creation, in order that creation should have a way to call Him and relate to Him. Therefore, when the people of the generation are worthy, they call Him, “YHVH,” which is the name of mercy. And when the people of the generation are unworthy, they call Him, “A-donai,” which is the name of strict judgment. Each generation and each individual relates to God according to his particular qualities, yet it is clear that God Himself has no attribute or known name. This is similar to the Sefirot, where each Sefirah has a known name; an attribute, measurement, and border. God ventures into these names and rules in them. He is called through them, concealed by them, and dwells in them, as the soul dwells in the limbs of the body. And later in this passage (158a): When God was alone before He created the world, why was it necessary for Him to be called by these name and appellations like, “the Merciful and Compassionate One,” “the Long Suffering,” or, “the Powerful Judge”? There are many more such names, and they are all called in reference to the supernal worlds which existed prior to the existence of the physical world. In reference to the “ten rectifications (Sefirot),” it is said in the second introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar, page 17a (Patach Eliyahu):You are the one who brought forth ten rectifications , and called them ten Sefirot, for the purpose of conducting worlds that are hidden and not revealed, and for conducting worlds that are revealed. This was all in order for the creation to be able to receive God’s light. This is mentioned in the Idra Rabbah Kadisha section of the Zohar (135b): When it arose in the desire of the Reisha Chivara to make the glory of all glories, it established and prepared … This is why all of the rectifications are mentioned in the central section of the Zohar called the Idra Rabbah. Simply put, God’s light was clothed in garments, which enabled the creation to perceive the light. This is as it is said in the Zohar (Balak, 204b): The primordial light which God created shined with such intensity that the worlds could not withstand its power until the Holy One, blessed be He, created a light for this light (to be enclothed in a kind of luminous vessel), so one could dress within the other, and similarly with all of the lights, so that the worlds could stand in their place and endure it. The second introduction to the Zohar, quoted above, continues: You established garments for them, and from these garments souls fly down to mankind. … None of them know You at all, and besides You, there is no Oneness in the upper and lower realms. … You have no known name, for You fill all names, and You are the completion of everything. And when You withdraw from them, they all remain as a body without a soul. You are wise but not with a known wisdom. You understand but not with a known understanding. You have no known place, but rather You make your strength and power know to mankind, namely, how the world is managed through judgment and mercy … Yet it is not a known form of righteousness, which is din (judgment), nor is it a known form of justice, which is rahamim (mercy), nor with any of these attributes. Here it is perfectly clear that all of these names and attributes (Sefirot) exist only for the purpose of the creation, and that they are also created forces essential to the creation.
Just as the entire order of Divine governance is included in the attributes, so too do they include all of the ability of all creatures to understand, their consciousness, knowledge, and the order of times, the senses, the sensed, the discerning and the discerned, the power of feeling and the felt, all causes and all effects, all measurement and all number, the forms and spirit of all creation, from the lowliest of the creations to the most lofty, from inanimate matter, to plants, animals, and people, and time, to the supernal angels, the Sefirot and the names of God – it is all newly created, from the very first awakening of God’s primordial desire when it came into action, in measured borders, when He arranged everything in its place and at its time, until the lowliest of worlds, which is the world of doubt, where nothing is certain, and man lacks discernment, whereupon God created and arranged for man the power of thought, and that which is conceived in the faculty of thought, and the power of intellect with which man can discern, and also the discerned, meaning that he may discern these things with the power of his mind, and through the power of his mind he makes comparisons and distinctions, and all the senses and the sensed, in whatever form it senses and in whatever form it is sensed. So too, in the whole order of creation, when man understands how something is required, or impossible, or possible, it is really all created and arranged in God’s will, and can always change. Man’s mind can also change, where something he just thought was impossible he now knows is possible or even requisite.
According to this it is clear that all that was mentioned in the above quote in the Zohar, Parshat Pinhas – that all of the names, appellations, and attributes, were all created for the purpose of directing the creation – falls within the realm of [God’s] desire to emanate the creation and everything that that includes, but not above this. For above this, there is no garment or attribute at all. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Parshat Bo, 42a): “To whom shall you liken me, that I shall be his equal, said the Holy One.” (Yeshayahu, 40:25) All of the holy Hayot (angels) are called in the letters of the holy name. This is as it is written (Yeshayahu, 43:6), “All that is called in My name, I have created for My glory.” Everything in the creation was created with the letters of God’s name, and there is no creation that does not have God’s name inscribed in it, in order that one may know who created it. For this reason it is written, “To whom shall you liken Me, that I shall be his equal, said the Holy One.” No creature shall be My equal. Even though I created it in the form of My letters, still, I can erase its form and re-create it as many times as I want, and there is no god above Me that can erase My “form.” Here it is clear that all created beings, even the holy Hayot (angels) and all the supernal powers, even the root of their spiritual forms are only arranged and ordered in holy likenesses, and renewed according to God’s desire. It is in the power of God’s desire to change these likenesses into different forms; for according to the changing of the supernal forms, so will the order of God’s governance change, from the loftiest of heights to the lowliest of levels. This is true even for the nature order of the physical world. There the Zohar concluded (Bo, 42b): If one were to propose a difficulty by quoting the verse (Devarim, 32), “for you saw no image,” he will give the answer, “This image I did see, for it is written (Bamidbar, 12:8), “He shall see the vision of God.” “The vision of God,” but not any other vision that He created and formed out of letters. For this reason it is written (Yeshayahu, 40:25), “To whom shall you liken me, that I shall be his equal.” To whom can God be compared? What form could you possibly ascribe to Him? Even this “form” of God that is accessed by created beings through the letters of creation does not exist in God’s own place, but comes into being when He descends to reign over his creation. Then the vision spreads over the creation, and each one sees it according to his specific ability to perceive. This is as it is written (Hoshea, 12:11), “I have used images through the prophets.” For this reason, God will say to them that even though He appears to them in a vision that they can comprehend, still, “to whom can I be compared,” because before God created any image or formed any form in the world, God was alone without any form or semblance. We have mentioned how all names and appellations of God are created entities, and that before the creation, there was no name or form from the holy forms. This is as it is written Zohar (Bo, 42b): One who receives information about the state of existence before the creation – before there was any form of God’s being that was at all discernable to mankind – is forbidden to make any formal representation of that information, not with the letter Hei nor with the letter Yud. One cannot use a holy name, or even so much as a letter or point to describe this knowledge. This is as the Torah says (Devarim, 4:15), “You did not see any form.” You did not see anything which engenders a likeness or form. However, after God made the form of the holy merkava (chariot) of the supernal man, then God descended there, and He is called in the name of the Tetragrammaton (Yud Hei Vav Hei). This is in order that God may be comprehended through His attributes, and perceived through each of His attributes.
Chapter 4
Knowledge as a Created Entity
The author reiterates the idea that the human intellect is a created entity, and thus, completely contingent upon the Divine will. Were God to so desire it, he could restructure the intellect to function in a radically different way than it does today, such as with the ability to grasp logical impossibilities. However, God maintains the structure of the mind in order that to provide human beings with the free will to serve Him – even though free will is itself a contingent creation, with the potential to be annulled.
Therefore, a person must believe with perfect faith, and fix in his heart and soul the unalterable belief that all of his knowledge is a created consciousness: his intellect is a created intellect, his apprehension is a created understanding, and God runs the world at every moment, managing His creation with individual Divine providence every second of creation’s existence. It is God who gives life and existence to all of the worlds and to all of forces that are emanated, created, formed and made. Not only this, but so too does He gives life and existence in this world to man’s mind, including this very understanding. God’s desire is that we take our knowledge and power of understanding and then go on to serve Him with our free will, which we are required to exercise. This is as it is written in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 70, page 137a): “Let us make a man” (Bereshit, 1:26). Man is required to perform the mitzvot of the Torah. He must devote his efforts to the Torah in order to work at it and guard it. In this way he will have a good reward, and dominance over you (the angels). This is why Israel is called (Yeshayahu, 60:21), “the branch of My planting, the work of My hands in which I will be glorified.” For even though the supernal angels are great in strength and always fulfill God’s word, still, their service is not ranked as truly mighty since they are programmed to serve and obey Him. They have no evil inclination that they may conquer, and do not have a body to contend with in order to serve God. For this reason, “let us make a man,” and he will rule over you. From this understanding and from this power of the intellect comes man’s power of choice, for it is God’s desire that man serve Him with his free will.
Indeed, a human being is enjoined to believe with perfect faith that God can change his understanding and power of intellect to a completely different one, including one’s overall intellect, that is, the entire order and structure of his mind. This could mean that man’s power of free choice could become completely nullified, or it could mean that only his understanding and power of intellect is changed, yet his free choice remains intact. It could be that God gives man a completely new way of understanding totally different from that which he now knows. This is as it is said in the Gemara (Tamid, 28a), “Which is the right way that man should choose? Let him have abundant faithfulness, as it is written (Tehillim, 101:6), ‘My eyes are upon the faithful of the land that they may dwell with Me.’” This means to believe with perfect faith that nothing is impossible for the Creator, and similarly, man’s mind is in God’s hands. For example, just as it we now understand with clarity of intellect that it is impossible that two opposites could be true on any one subject, it is in God’s power to grant us a perfectly clear understanding that two opposites could be true in one situation. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Bo, 42b), quoted above: I can erase its form and re-create it as many times as I want, and there is no god above Me that can erase My “form.” As was mentioned previously, since human knowledge and understanding is a created entity, ordered, arranged, and granted to us according to God’s will and desire, it could be God’s will and desire to change it to its very opposite. Just as we know now with perfect clarity that two is more than one, so too is it possible that God can have us believe with complete clarity that one is more than two.
Chapter 5
On the Possible and the Impossible
Based upon the discussion above – that the intellect itself is created, and thus, ultimately mutable – the author argues against the philosophical viewpoint that certain miracles are beyond even God’s capability, such as the simultaneous occurrence of contradictory events, or logical impossibilities (1 + 1 = 3, for instance). For, according to R. Gershon Hanokh, God could easily restructure the human mind to grasp that which now seems illogical. An examples for this, he cites several miracles that occurred in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. At the moment the miracle occurred, reality – and the human mind – became open to the possibility of opposite phenomena occurring simultaneously. However, he does offer a caveat. This shift in perception only occurs from human perspective. From God’s point of view, there is no distinction between the miraculous and the natural, between the state before and the state after creation, or between finitude and infinity; creation is and always has been nullified within God. The various Divine names used to relate to God, as well as the permanent and logical appearance of creation, exist only from our perspective, to provide us with the means with which to serve God. Only to human perception is there a “before” and “after” to creation, a shift from potential to actual. A view of how the world is managed by God, “from above to below,” is by and large hidden from man’s understanding. Only the rare and sensitive prophetic soul among us can have a vision of this magnitude.
The understanding that God can make the impossible possible goes against the view mentioned in the responsa of Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet (known as the Rashba, Spain, 1235-1310) §1255:448. The philosopher R. Yedaya Ben Avraham asked the Rashba to instruct the secular philosophers of Provence. There the philosopher wrote that one must divide the belief of God’s ability to do the impossible into two sections. One is the belief that God can temporarily change nature through miracles such as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. Yet after a period of time, God will restore nature back to its previous state. God gave nature an enduring existence, yet God is above nature and has the ability to change it. The second section concerns the impossible. Here we must understand the nature of its impossibility even in terms of God’s own conduct, and we should not ascribe to God the ability to change it. This is because nature is a part of [God’s] existence, to a certain degree. He further wrote, and this concept is well known, concerning the impossibility of two opposites existing in one subject at the same time. This is all the more apparent with two contradictions, for the contradictions themselves provide a clear illustration of the impossibility that anything could be happening and not happening at the same time. For example, if we say that Reuven is riding on a horse and not riding on a horse at one time and place. Or if we say that he is writing and simultaneously not writing. Contradictory events cannot happen at one time and in one place. In this way truth and falsehood will always be clearly divided. The example of opposites in the realm of number would be saying that a number is both odd and even. In the realm of time, it would be saying that a point in time is both past and future. How could it be, since the past is entirely lost, and the future has not yet begun. How could you have the same exact day which is simultaneously called yesterday and tomorrow? This is clearly a contradictory statement, and illustrates how the impossible remains impossible and can never be the possible. Such is the contention of the philosopher, that it is impossible for two opposites to be simultaneously true; yet, this is opposite the view of the Torah.
The Talmud records (Megillah, 10b) the tradition received from our forefathers that it was impossible to measure the space in the Holy of Holies, as from the measurements given, the Holy Ark would not have taken up any space. Similarly, the Mishnah records that, “on the Day of Atonement the crowd in Holy Temple was so packed together that it would normally have been impossible to move, yet when it came time to fall prostrate on the ground, everyone had enough room.” This is a physical impossibility. One body cannot enter the space of anther body without one of them being negated. Yet indeed, for one who believes in God and believes that even understanding and the power of the intellect are also created entities that God can renew and arrange according to His desire, then there is no problem in understanding and believing the words of the Sages as they are written. Of the place of the Holy Temple it is written (Divrei HaYamim 2, 7:16), “My eyes and heart shall be there at all times.” God illuminated the place of the Holy Temple with an illumination that is above all orders of the natural world, and above the ability of the human mind to comprehend. All who entered the Holy Temple in a holy and pure state would perceive this even through human eyes. He would understand with his mind and intellectual power on a level which is beyond the capacity of perception for someone anywhere else in the world. The Holy Temple was a place where God revealed miracles and made them perceptible to the mortal mind. When the Israelites fell prostrate in the Holy Temple, which was the moment when they heard the Name of God being pronounced by the High Priest in a state of sanctity and purity, God sent them an awesome illumination, and they understood on a level beyond all orders of creation and the capacity of human understanding. At this moment they understood that there is no contradiction between standing jam-packed in a crowd unable to move anywhere, and being able to freely fall to the ground with arms and legs spread out, yet not coming into contact with the people around you. The space of the courtyard of the Holy Temple was not miraculously expanded, for we have many sources in the Talmud which teach us that it was not permitted to expand the area of the Azara. This is based on the verse (Divrei HaYamim 1, 28:19), “And this, said David, is written by the hand of God who instructed me, even all the works of this pattern.” With this miracle, where two contradictory opposites could join together in one place without negating each other, two opposites could truly join together in one subject. At the moment when they fell prostrate, they knew this with complete and certain knowledge. Just as we understand according to normative human knowledge that two contradictory opposites cannot exist at the same time, so did they understand at that moment that they were not opposites at all.
There is a hint as to the secret of the Shem haMefurash (the Explicit Name) as mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud (Yoma, Chapter 3, Halakha 7), “The High Priest would pronounce the name ten times during the course of the day of Atonement. Those who were close would fall on their faces, and those who were far would say, ‘Baruch Shem Kavod Malkhuto Leolam Va’ed,’ – ‘Blessed is the name of His glorious Sovereignty forever and ever.’ Both the High Priest and the people would not move from their places until it was hidden from them.” At the moment when the people heard the Shem haMefurash, they possessed a knowledge and understanding that is beyond time, space, and the laws of nature, as explained in the previous chapter. Then, when the name was hidden from them, this level of consciousness was also hidden from them, and they returned to the normal level of human understanding, based upon the laws of nature. However, a residue of the experience remained, as they remembered how they once understood. This is akin to the way the Torah says, after the experience of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, “now everyone shall go back to their tents.” Similarly, when the High Priest on the Day of Atonement would enter into the Holy of Holies, in a state of sanctity and purity, and with preparation of the heart, he would clearly understand how the Holy Ark did not take up any space. He would perceive this through human eyes. Since his very body reached such a level of purity, he could clearly see and understand that there is no logical contradiction in that the Holy Ark existed and yet did not take up any physical space. The Midrash and the Yalkut both interpret the verse (Vayikra, 16:17), “And no man shall be in the Tent of Appointed Meeting when he shall go in to the holy place to make atonement,” as meaning that a man did not go into the Holy of Holies, but rather an angel of the Lord of Hosts. It was said of Pinchas, the grandson of Aharon HaKohen, that when the Holy Spirit would rest upon him, his face appeared to be burning in flames. It is recorded in the Zohar Hadash (Midrash Ne’elam, page 18), “When the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies… It is taught, Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi in the name of Rav, the innermost chamber (the Holy of Holies) is just like the Garden of Eden, and when the Cohen would enter, he would enter with his soul and not with his body.” This explains the passage in the Zohar (Parshat Pinhas, 117b-118a), which says that when God was called by his various names and attributes before the world was created, He was called with a view to the future and for the sake of the creation that was yet to be created. For with the creation of the world, the will of created beings would be limited, as explained above.
Indeed, all of the renewal, names, and appellations exist only from the perspective of the creation, yet from God’s point of view there is no difference between before creation and after creation. This is according to the blessing composed by the members of the Great Assembly, “You are the Lord our God before You created the world, and You are the Lord our God after You created the world.” Yet we must add that since God created the nature of our understanding and its inability to perceive anything from the period before the world’s creation, how can we say, “God was this way before He created the world?” It must be clear to us that there is a difference. Before the world was created everything was in potential. After the world was created, this potential came into being.
However, the distinction between that which is in potential and that which is in actuality exists only from our own perspective as created beings that have been set into action. God has programmed us, by and large, to see reality in this way. God created an order to the world. He made an arrangement whereby whenever anyone wants to do something in the world, that is, bring some potential into actuality, must do so through action, and must necessarily pass through the boundaries of time and space. Indeed, concerning the nature of man’s actions, the Talmud teaches us (Kiddushin, 62a), “Anything that a person is capable of doing is considered as if it is already done.” This is true even though we see that the action is not yet done, and is clearly incomplete. Since it is within his power to do, it is as if it is already complete. Yet this idea, which we apply to human beings, can in no way be transferred to God. The capabilities of man and their reality can in no way be compared to the capabilities of God and their reality. Therefore, from the point of view of the creation, it seems that if it was God’s wish to be King, then the only way He could have achieved this goal was to create a world over which He would rule, for there is no king without a people. Yet, this very notion is a created understanding. From the point of view of God’s Sovereignty, there really is a King without a people, who can reign before any of the creation was formed, since God is all-powerful.
Chapter 6
Ben Zoma Gazing between the Upper and Lower Waters
In the previous chapters, the author discussed the difference between two perspectives – ours and G-d’s, or Above and below, the miraculous and the mundane. The difference between these viewpoints is alluded to the Torah’s verses concerning the division of the upper and lower waters at the outset of creation. These verses are referred to in the next chapter, in which the author discusses the failed mystical experience of the Talmudic sage, Ben Zoma, and its relationship to Adam’s sin in the Garden, as well as the nature of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and Korah’s rebellion against Moses. Both Ben Zoma and Adam posited an unbridgeable gap between heaven and earth. While R. Gershon Hanokh admits that a gap does exist – in order to allow human beings free will to serve G-d – it is a only temporary measure, and it is certainly not unbridgeable. In the future, when human perception will be redeemed and transformed, we will see that there never was a gap in creation, and that the Divine Unity pervades and pervaded all.
It is written in the Midrash Rabbah (Bereshit, 4): “And God made the firmament in the midst of the waters” (Bereshit 1:7). This is one of the verses where Ben Zoma’s explanation shook the world and perplexed the sages. Wasn’t the creation of the firmament already included in the statement (Tehillim, 33:6), “The heavens were created with God’s word, and the spirit of His breath all their hosts”? Rashi explains to us that Ben Zoma perplexed the sages by saying that he gazed and saw that the distance between the upper and lower waters was three fingerbreadths. The Midrash goes on to say that it was not long after this that he died. Concerning the creation of the firmament and the division of the waters, the Ramban asked why in verse 6 the Torah says, “Let there be a firmament in the waters,” and then again in verse 7 it says, “And God made the firmament.” Wasn’t the firmament already made in verse 6? Truly, both explanations are true and one. The mistake of Ben Zoma was that he posited too great a distance between the upper and the lower waters. This is the meaning of the statement, “Ben Zoma glimpsed and died.” The Mei HaShiloach gives a brief explanation of this. The Gemara (Hagiga, 15b) records Ben Zoma saying, “I was gazing between the upper and the lower waters, and there is only three fingerbreadths between them.” Upon hearing this, Rabbi Yehoshua said to his students, “Ben Zoma is still on the outside.” What was the actual distance between the upper and lower waters? “Rabbi Aha ben Yaakov said a hairbreadth. And the Rabbis said the space between the boards of a narrow bridge. Mar Zutra (or maybe Rav Assi) said as the space between two garments spread one over the other; and others say, the space between two cups fitted one over the other.” The subject of the space between the upper waters and the lower waters is hinted at in the matter of the firmament, which alludes to the separation between the upper and lower worlds. The creation of the firmament made a division between the upper and lower worlds, as it is written in the Zohar (Bereshit, 17a): “And God said, let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters.” (Bereshit, 1:6) This is the secret of the rectification, specifically of the separation between the upper and lower waters, in the secret of the left… A conflict that is arrayed as above, which rises and does descend, and which exists on a straight path, is the dispute of Shammai and Hillel. There God separated between the two and reconciled them. Since this was a conflict for the sake of Heaven, the Heavens mediated the conflict, and because of this it endures. This is akin to the creation of the world. Korah (in his dispute with Moshe) went against the work of creation. He was in dispute with the heavens. He wanted to contradict the words of Torah. In his dispute he was certainly cleaving to hell, and hell clove to him. This secret is written in the book of Adam. The reason for the separation between the upper and lower realms is in order give man the ability to serve God. The division creates darkness and a concealment of the Divine Presence. Man can then serve God through the power of his own free choice. This is as was mentioned above in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 70) and is mentioned in the Zohar (Tetsave, 184a): Man only serves God from amidst darkness… Therefore God created the “Tree of Doubt” which is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In this way man can serve God out of this very uncertainty. This is as it is said (ibid.): Light is only that which comes out of darkness. When this side is subdued, the Holy One, blessed be He, ascends above, and His Glory is magnified. Indeed, from the downward evolutions and concatenations of the branches of the Tree of Doubt, there eventually arises the phenomenon of the dispute which is not for the sake of Heaven, like the dispute of Korah. This is because the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil also contains separate evil. This is included in the divine utterance of creation, “Let there be a firmament,” – which is separate – and creates a division between the upper and lower realms.
Chapter 7
The Sin of Adam and that which Separates us from God
The author now seeks to explain how Adam’s sin in the Garden was an antecedent to Ben Zoma’s similar mistake. As explained above, the division between G-d and creation allows for human free will, and the ability to freely and autonimously accept G-d’s dominion. More specifically, the creation of the six sefirot (character traits, days of the week) from Hesed to Yesod, all allow for the existence of Malkhut (free will, Shabbat), though only when they are actively invested with the higher sefirot of Hokhmah, Binah, and Da’at. (the intellectual faculties). That is, when one’s actions and emotions are balanced by the intellect. Adam sinned by assuming that this process occurred within him automatically, which meant that his desire to eat from the Tree of Knowledge was actually G-d’s will. By following on his desire, he separated Malkhut (G-d’s explicit commandment and his own free will to heed it) from the upper sefirot.
It is written in the Midrash Rabbah (Kohelet, Parsha 1), “‘I wounded, and I will heal.’ (Devarim, 32:39) … Rabbi Yohanan said, ‘I struck’ is not written, but rather ‘I wounded.’ I created a wound in that I made a division between the upper and lower realms whereby the upper realms exist forever, and the lower realms are subject to death. Yet in the time to come, there will no longer be death, as it is written (Yeshayahu, 25:8), ‘He will destroy death forever.’ Rabbi Abba said, furthermore, in the time to come I will return and heal the wound. It is precisely through the division that I bring healing.” The matter of division hints at the positive aspect of separation, which necessitates the existence of free choice, as mentioned above. The result of choosing the good, despite the concealment of God’s presence, is the revelation of the God’s glory in the world. This is as the Gemara says (Rosh Hashanah, 31a), “[What psalm did the Levites recite] on the second day of the week? ‘God is great and greatly praised,’ (Tehillim, 145:3) because He divided His works and ruled over them.” The division of God’s attributes led to the birth of the attribute of Malkhut – G-d’s Kingship – by means of human beings using their power of choice. Before the division, God could not be called, “King.” Thus, on the first day of the week [the Levites recited]; “The earth is God’s and the fullness thereof” (Tehillim, 24:1). It was then that He acquired, gave over acquisition, and ruled in His world. What does it mean that God, “ruled,” on the first day? He ruled against the will of the creation, without having His sovereignty built upon the free choice of the creation. But since concealment is a prerequisite for choice, it also leads to absence, darkness, and the need for healing. This is hinted at in the Zohar (Bo, 35a), with the secret of the great sea creature: Then, when the light was hidden above from the gardener, as mentioned, the first darkness emerged, hitting [the sea creature] on the hole that had been made in its head. And a single thread emerged from between the light that had been hidden and the emerging darkness. This is as it is written, “And God divided between the light and the darkness.” This sea creature, with the separation of the thread, was then divided into the rivers that flow within the darkness. God created the lower world purely out of His kindness. This is as it is written (Tehillim, 89:3), “For I have said, the world will be built on kindness.” God divided space into six directions. Each direction representing one of the six lower attributes (Sefirot), and from the division of these six attributes comes the power of choice, which brings forth the seventh and final attribute of Malkhut – Kingship. This is related to the statement in the Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer, that Kingship only comes about through choice and will. Now, the attributes are divided into Hesed - Lovingkindness, Gevurah - Strength, Tiferet - Beauty, etc. We have mentioned above that each of the attributes on its own is not intrinsically good. Thus, when any one of the attributes is used without Da’at – Consciousness one could make grave blunders, such as showing mercy to cruel people. However, when the six lower attributes are illuminated with the light of HaBaD, and as a result, the sum total of the attributes are used in their proper time and place, then the structure is complete. Then the attribute of Malkhut comes forth as the true completion and perfection of all the attributes, and the light of the Kingship of Heaven shines in its full completeness. Indeed, when a man reaches the point where he is drawing HaBaD into the lower attributes, which is possible only through his concerted efforts in Divine service and striving to know God, it must occur in the same way that Shabbat follows the six days of the week. Similarly, with man, this is only possible through efforts at the service of God, crowning God over him as his King, and accepting upon himself the yoke of the Kingship of Heaven. In the world, this idea is hinted at in the place of the Holy Temple, which is a place of lucid Divine service, for it is at that place that God shines His light in its fullness.
The sin of Adam was the failure to achieve what was spelled out in the previous section. This is explained in the Etz Hayyim and the Liqutei Torah (Bereshit) of the Arizal. Adam’s sin was that he wanted to magnify the size of the crown (Keter) of Zeir Anpin (which contains the six attributes) before its time, and did not draw light into it. Similarly he sinned with regards to the Nukva (female) of Zeir Anpin, in that he turned the female away from the male. This is not the place to explain this complex Kabbalistic idea in full, and God willing, we will return to it in its place. The root of Adam’s sin is mentioned in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 69, page 117a): The central principle of the four letters and the ten letters is Malkhut – Sovereignty. Malkhut is comprised of ten Sefirot, and all must be included within Malkhut. Anyone who takes the nine upper Sefirot without Malkhut is, “cutting the plantings” (committing heresy). And similarly, in the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 19: Rabbi Shimon said to Rabbi Elazar, “Elazar my son, they sinned in them all: in their thoughts, and in their hidden thought. The word “et” is said in order to include the lower Shekhina. Meaning to say, within the totality of the six attributes can be found the trait of the Malkhut, which completes them all. This is said in several places in the Zohar and the Tikkunei Zohar. The three upper Sefirot are also found in the six lower attributes, as is said in the Raya Mehemna (section of the Zohar), Parshat Pinhas (257a): The seventh is only from the side of the letter Yud ( י ), the crown on his head, Supernal Wisdom is a sign, Lower Wisdom is a sign …
Adam HaRishon reasoned in this way. Since a force from the root of HaBaD exists also in the revealed attributes, and since he was created by God, God thus desired to be called King also in the lower realm of creation (the physical world). As a result of all of this, Adam’s desire was stimulated, and it occurred to him that his desire was in fact God’s own desire. In understanding that everything that he felt like doing was the expression of the Divine will, the necessity for active service through Adam’s power of choice became void. And it follows, that since all of the revealed attributes (sefirot) were innately within him, then everything he would do would automatically express God’s glory in the world. This is a brief synopsis of the Arizal’s understanding of Adam’s sin.
Chapter 8
Ben Zoma’s Replay of Adam’s Sin
The author, based upon the Arizal, now explains Ben Zoma’s mistake and its similarity to Adam’s sin. Like Adam, Ben Zoma posited an essential division between G-d and the creation (here, defined as a division between Hokhma and the six attributes). This explains Ben Zoma’s radical claim that a space of two fingerbreadth exists between the upper and lower waters (i.e. between heaven and earth), whereas, in reality, there is almost no division at all. And as for the little that exists, G-d is constantly repairing it, to bring the creation back into a state of unity with Him. This is called the “healing of the lower waters,” and their reintegration into the upper waters.
The Arizal explained Ben Zoma’s mistake in the same way. Ben Zoma thought that if his Divine service reached the level of Binah – Understanding, that is within Hokhmah – Wisdom, he would reach an apprehension that the root of the attributes are fixed in the place of Binah – Understanding. This would then be sufficient in order to illuminate all the details of the other attributes. It would be revealed that in this place, all of the attributes are unified. However, (in Binah), the attributes are still defined as separate, it is just that they are not in opposition to each other. This is all explained in its place in the Etz Hayyim. Truly, man’s Divine service must reach the root of the attributes as they are found in Hokhmah – Wisdom. This is because complete and total Hesed–Lovinkingness is found in the Sefirah of Hokhmah –Wisdom. This is as it is said in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 69, page 107a), “Hesed is Hokhmah.” If you study deeply various places in the Zohar and Tikkunei Zohar, you will see that when the attributes are found in Hokhmah – Wisdom, they are not even called attributes. It is only when they descend below and dress themselves in the lower realms that they are called by the name, “attributes.”
Let us examine the situation in terms of the words of Ben Zoma. He said, “I looked between the upper and lower waters, and I saw that between them there was a difference of two or three finger breadths.” This is the version of his words in the Midrash. In the version of the Gemara, he says, “a difference of three finger breadths.” The expression, “two or three finger breadths,” is a kind of code word for the hidden attributes (HaBaD). By saying, “two,” according to the Arizal, Ben Zoma was saying that his Divine service reached the level of Binah, which is the second Sefirah from above to below. Upon reaching Binah, Ben Zoma asserted that his knowledge of all the attributes was complete. In this way he shook the whole world in asking how the Torah could say, ‘and God made the firmament,” while the Tehillim says, “and with the word of His mouth were the heavens made (meaning already made).” This teaches of division and separation (havdala). Thus, in Ben Zoma’s understanding, there was a certain distance between the attributes and Hokhmah at the root. He thought that it was impossible for man to truly unify them through his Divine service. As long as the attributes are not unified with their source, they have no complete unity, as is explained in the Tikkunei Zohar quoted above.
Truly, one must know and understand, that from God’s point of view, it is all one, whereas the concealment of God’s presence and separation exist only from man’s point of view. God gave man the power to serve the Divine with his power of choice in order to unify all of the attributes and connect them to their source. Once this is done, he will see that they are, in reality, not even called attributes. This is how Ben Zoma shook the entire world in asserting, “Is it not written that that the Heavens were made by the word of God? And here, after God said, let there be a firmament, it is said, and God made the firmament. Thus, in this place, there is a difference between God saying, and God doing.” The conclusion in the Talmud, after reviewing this statement, was that, “Ben Zoma is still on the outside. But what is the actual distance between the upper and lower waters? Like the space between two garments spread one over the other; or as the space two cups fitted over one another.” That is to say, there is no separation whatsoever. The separation is only an appearance in order to enable man’s ability to serve the Divine. A veil must conceal the source from its effects in the world we live in, for if the source were revealed there would be no impetus from the side of man to perform Divine service. Therefore, in Tehillim 148:4, which describes how all the elements of creation give praise to God, it does not say, “Halleluiah, all of the waters which are below the heavens,” but it says specifically, “all of the waters which are above the heavens,” for the depth below is no more than a vessel, and not the waters. If the waters are praising the Creator, then, by definition, they are called, “upper waters,” for at such a time of proclaiming God’s praises the lower waters have ascended and are in a state of complete unity with the upper waters. God is constantly occupied with healing the veil of separation, as was mentioned above, in Chapter Seven, with the Midrash Kohellet on the verse, “I have wounded, and will heal.” This is also hinted at in the Zohar (Vayigash, 207a): “God established the heavens with understanding.” (Mishlei, 3:19) What does the word, “establish,” mean? Rather, God establishes each day, never ceasing. He does not fix the world once, but rather fixes the world each and every day. God established that from the creation’s point of view a separation exists, and all that descends from the source in the upper realms to enclothe itself in the lower world takes on the appearance separation. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Bereshit, 22b): All of Rabbi Shimon’s fellowship stood up and said, “Rabbi, Rabbi, is there a separation between Abba and Imma, for Abba is in the path of atzilut (the World of Emanation), and the side of Imma in the world of beriya (Creation)?” Rabbi Shimon answered, “My friends, my friends, it is not like this. The Adam of atzilut is male and female, from the side of Abba and Imma. This is as it is said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light.’ ‘Let there be light,’ comes from the side of Abba, ‘and there was light,’ from the side of Imma. This is the meaning of the teaching that Adam was initially created with two faces, one male and one female. However, the Adam of beriya has no image (tselem) or likeness (d’mut) from Abba and Imma. Rather, the supernal Imma was called by the name whose numerical equivalent is Elo-him (86). This name is, ‘light and darkness.’ As a result of the darkness existing in this name, father said that Adam of beriya would sin in the future.” It is apparent from the Zohar in parshat Kedoshim (page 83a) and in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 67, page 98b) that sin cannot touch atzilut whatsoever.
Chapter 9
Tackling the Arguments against Creation out of Nothing
In the following chapter, R. Gershon Hanokh attacks the opinions of Greek and medieval philosophers, who raised questions about the concept of creatio ex nihilo, G-d’s spontaneous creation of matter from nothing – a principle axiomatic to Judaism. In line with his theory of miracles, the author sees an essential flaw in the philosophers’ reasoning, in that it is based upon human logic. However, since logic itself is a created entity, emerging into existence after the separation of the world from G-d, any questions about the nature of reality and its relationship to the Divine are a product of our restricted consciousness. Since the fundamental nature of the world’s existence is based upon a paradox, which cannot be presently grasped, human beings can only rely upon faith to grasp the true nature of reality.
Our subject is explained by the Holy Ra’avad in his introduction to the Sefer Yetsira where he explains the concept of the Fifty Gates of Binah. He says, “It is the contention of the philosophers that substance cannot come into being from nothing, but rather can only be created from a similar substance. It is our view, and the view of the Torah, that the world was created ex-nihilo. Based on this, the heretics ask us their impudent questions, for the world must now be understood in one of two ways. Either there was some primordial substance out of which God created the world (a view hinted at in Bereshit Rabbah, Chapter One, that God is a “Painter,” who found lovely paints, namely “chaos and void and darkness “), or that there was no material at all before the world’s creation, only the Cause of all Causes, God Himself. Now, the assertion that there was something that existed eternally, other than God, is a purely heretical notion. Yet, if we say that nothing existed – that God created His world out of His own essence – it means that His essence took on a physical form. Concerning this mystery, God responds by saying (Iyov, 38:4), ‘Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world? Tell me, if you possess understanding!’ Meaning, the world came into existence through the power of Hokhmah – Wisdom, and the power of Binah – Understanding. One can further ask, ‘Why was the world created with this exact measurement, no more or less?’ And, ‘How did a finite world consisting of substances with specific dimensions come forth from a power that is immeasurable by definition?’ Concerning these questions, God answers (Iyov, 38:5), ‘Who determined its measurements, do you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it?’ The inquirer can further raise the question, ‘Can the basic qualities of creation become opposite of their nature, or not? And if you say that it is possible, then we may ask, seeing as there are four qualities – hot, wet, cold, and dry – from whence were they created? If they were created out of the very first Cause of all Causes, then how could this Primal Cause contain these opposite qualities? And if you say that the Primal Cause is a simple unity, then from were are these qualities and their opposites derived?’ In response to this, God says (Iyov, 38:6), “Upon what (mah) are its foundations fastened?” (Referring to the elementary materials of nature, which are garments for the foundation of Divine Sovereignty – Malkhut Shamayim.) The verse uses the words, “Upon what,” as a coded way of saying, “Upon Hokhmah – Wisdom, which is called ‘mah.’” Nature’s foundations are fastened upon God’s Wisdom, which can contain all of these contradictory qualities, just as the Hiyuli can contain the simple elements of creation. The heretics believe that it is impossible for material (homer) to exist without retaining some sort of form (tsura), or homer without tsura. Yet according to the Torah “Hokhma – Wisdom comes forth from nothing (Iyov, 28:12),” and Binah – Understanding is its form. This is the matter explained above, through which one can well understand the teaching of the Ra’avad. For according to man’s limited understanding, there is neither matter without form, nor form without matter. Either the creation can not exist, or it exists through one of the two, erroneous conjectures provided by the philosopher, quoted by the Ra’avad. However, the man of perfect faith knows that his own intellect and knowledge are entities created by God, and he sees that his own intellectual conception of that which is possible and that which is impossible is only a veil of the limited human consciousness, which was created in order to establish a separation between the lower, human realm and the upper, Godly realm. God is one simple and absolute unity. All perception of division is only a product of the veil of creation.
It is written in the Zohar (Idra Rabbah, 128b): And the appearance of the dew is white, like the white appearance of crystal in which all the colors of the spectrum are seen. The Zohar does not say here that it includes all colors, but that all colors are seen within it. That occurs by means of the veil of separation. For example, when light is pass through a filter, then the form of the filter will determine man’s perception of the light that he sees. If a different filter is moved before the light, the form seen will change in accordance with the color of the new filter. The different appearance only depends on the differences in the veil of separation, yet at the source of the light, there is no change whatsoever. The light is exactly the same. It is further written in the Zohar (Bereshit, 52a): The ocean is one. It is the supernal ocean which contains all of the seven days. These seven supernal lights enter into the ocean, striking it, and producing seven sides. Each side divides into seven streams, as it is written (Yeshayahu, 11), “and it struck it, forming seven streams.” Meaning, from the perspective of the ocean, all of the divisions are really one, and only from the division of the streams do we perceive a division in the resulting lights. This passage in the Zohar continues: They emerged from the supernal unity. Just as the ocean receives, so does are the waters divided into these days and lights. All of man’s perceptions and understanding are lower than the division of attributes. Therefore, our understanding is only according to what was allocated from above, as previously explained. So the logical notion that there is neither form without matter nor matter without form is merely a created understanding. Yet above, before the division, whether in time, or in terms of cause and effect, the form is abstract. The division, which is below, receives from the form which is undivided wisdom. It is within the division resulting from the veil that form is changed from a total abstraction to one dressed in garments.
Chapter 10
The Veil of Separation and Beyond – The Argument Against Empiricism
The author continues his attack on the philosophers, who claim to be able to intellectually understand G-d. However, as explained previously, all human knowledge originates from after the division between G-d and creation, between the upper and lower waters. Thus, human cognition can in no way grasp that which intrinsically transcends it. Furthermore, as the author proves, there are many occurrances even in this world that the mind can not grasp. How then can it imagine to grasp G-d?
It is written in the Zohar (Terumah, 165b): “Exalt the One who rides the heavens, in His name Y-ah!” (Tehillim, 68) “Exalt,” means bringing honor and exalting the One who rides the heavens, for He is Joy and brings joy to all. He is the firmament above the Chayot. Certainly, “His name is Y-ah,” for God’s name Y-ah is included in this place. (The psalm continues) “Rejoice before Him,” … Rabbi Elazar explained this verse in the following way. “Exalt in the One who rides the heavens, in His name Y-ah!” It would have been enough to say, “in His name.” So why does the verse say, “In Y-ah?” This verse is about the Hidden of all hidden things, the Ancient of all the ancients. The verse tells us that the One who is not revealed and not known whatsoever rides the heavens. And if you were to assert that He comes and rides in the name Y-ah, then even though He is hidden, in this place He stands to be revealed. However, “Exalt the One who rides the heavens,” He is the Ancient of all the ancients, the Hidden of all the hidden, who is not known. On what does He ride? On the Heavens, in Y-ah, which is the first mystery to emerge before Him, out of the realm that is hidden and unknown. Not that this is Him, yet this is Him only because of the veil that was spread and emerged before Him. This veil is His name. It is His chariot. It is not known whatsoever. This is His great name. When we refer to God’s name, even to His Great and Exalted name, we are only referring to a veil and dividing entity, beyond which, there is no name or description. The concept of a name can only exist once there is division; for then, the boundaries and orders in time and space come into existence. Then we find distances, senses, things to be sensed, intellect, and things to be discerned, causes and effects, the necessary, the possible, and the impossible. Yet above the veil, there is no relationship whatsoever between our knowledge and that of the Creator. With this, we may dismiss the whining assertions of the philosophers, for no matter what they say, it is all questions and answers confined within the borders of the human intellect and their own created knowledge. Since the Cause itself is unknowable, one cannot bring a proof about the nature of the Cause from one of its effects. All of our knowledge is in a place far below the Cause, and the chasm cannot be bridged. The Ra’avad explained this in a similar way, as quoted above.
All philosophical speculation seeks to compare the intangible to the tangible, and the infinite to the finite. Yet, even the tangible world requires various explanations, proofs, and conjectures. There are many facets of the physical world that our senses experience, whose natures are explained in greatly divergent ways. If they were not perceived by our senses, none of the theories about their nature would ever have been proposed. The Rambam has much to say about this in the Guide.
Truly, one can be misled by his senses. For instance, if you add certain seaweeds to a bitter food, it will taste sweet. If there is damage to the optic nerve or the retina, one sees a double image, a bent image, or a different color. Some people cannot tell the difference between two shades of green. There are those who have an altered sense of smell, and will perceive the sweetest perfume as the foulest stench. Nerve damage can change a person’s sense of touch. When the skin is folded and cleaves to another spot of skin, an itch on the lower part of skin will be felt above the fold and not below, and a person will have no relief from scratching the spot where he feels the itch. Yet if he scratches in the place where the skin is cleaving, he will relieve the itch. Similarly, if one crosses two fingers, and rolls a marble over them, he will feel as if he is rolling two marbles. Someone suffering from a high fever may experience hallucinations. There are people who have dreams, in which their imaginations alter their very perception of reality, to the point that they grasp diametrical opposites as existing together. When they return to their normal consciousness, they will remember that in their dreams, such a state did not seem to them illogical at all. But since the senses can be so misleading, how can any proof be based on them? The philosophers are in error, for though they believe and admit that everything comes from God, yet their hearts have deceived them. Even though they claim that they believe that God has created everything, from the most sublime of angels to the lowest of worms, they can not bring themselves to admit that man’s knowledge, intellect, and senses are also created entities. Nor can they admit to the total lack of similarity, common ground, or meeting point between man’s knowledge and Divine knowledge. They have convinced themselves that their knowledge and awareness is arranged and conjoined with that of the Creator, and therefore find it hard to believe in all we have stated. Yet, one who believes and knows that all existing powers were created by God, that even the human intellect and knowledge was created by God and allocated to man within a limited system, will not find it difficult to accept the idea that something could be created out of nothing, or any of the ideas presented by the Ra’avad.
Chapter 11
Miracles – Can God Change His Mind?
R. Gershon Hanokh returns to the theme of miracles. A miracle is a temporary suspension of the laws of nature, which were themselves set in motion by G-d from the very onset of the creation. Most often, it is in response to an event in the world, such as in order to affect a deliverance (e.g. the splitting of the sea, the sun standing in the sky over Gibon). This sudden shift in G-d’s providential direction suggests that a change occurred in G-d’s will for creation – a spontaneous decision to abrogate one structure of reality for another. However, such a shift raises an important question: was a corresponding change in G-d’s will – a concept axiomatically refuted by the Torah? The author offers an answer, based upon the famous medieval philosopher, the Maharal. His own conclusion, however, is that the very question is faulty, and based only upon our limited, dualistic consciousness. In truth, G-d can both initiate new and miraculous events without altering His eternal and unchanging will at all. Regarding various miraculous events of the past, many Rishonim have questioned how such miracles fit into God’s overall plan.
In the Midrash Rabbah (Beshalach) we find the statement, “When God created the world, He made a condition with the sea that it would split when the children of Israel would leave Egypt.” If so, how is this considered a miracle, if it was instilled in the nature of creation? Pirkei D’Rebbi Eliezar (chap. 18) gives numerous examples of miracles that were programmed into the creation from its outset. For, if it were said that they were not preprogrammed into nature, one could claim that God changed His will. The Maharal of Prague discusses this at length in the introduction to his book, Gevurot Hashem, and provides many opinions on this subject. After presenting these opinions, he explains that there are two forms of Divine governance: a natural governance, and a miraculous governance. Both are worked into the general order of Divine governance. The difference is that natural governance is always happening, while miraculous governance is revealed only at the time of the miracle. Furthermore, the order can be changed in response to the recipient. For instance, if the Egyptians had repented, the sea would not have split, even though its splitting was set as a condition in the very fabric of creation. This is because the natural order follows the attribute of God’s judgment, and the miraculous order follows the attribute of God’s mercy. Because of this, the mode of governance can change according to the status of the receiver. This does not imply any change whatsoever in God’s essence, for no actions can affect any change in His essence. In the same passage, the Maharal explains the miracle of the sun standing still for Yehoshua (Yehoshua 10); for the sun was moving and standing still at the same time. According the natural governance, the sun was moving as usual, and according to “miraculous governance’, it stood still. Two opposites existed in the same event. This is a synopsis of his words, which are correct, and (Mishlei, 24:26) “every man shall kiss the lips of one who gives a true answer.” There are many proofs and real wonders, for with miracles, two opposites can exist simultaneously.
However, even though all of the Maharal’s words are true. Yet, all of his arguments were proffered only in order to show how there is no change in God’s will when a miracle occurs. One could still assert that God’s knowledge can change, from which it follows that His will also changes. When God arranged the work of creation, it was His will that certain miracles would happen at a definite time in the future. If this plan is delayed in any way, then the primordial will must have changed. Since God programmed into the creation the condition that the sea would split with the Exodus, therefore He knew that it would split, which it eventually did. If so, how could we be taught that the Egyptians could have repented prior to the sea’s splitting, which would have cancelled the order for the sea to split. With this in mind, we also find it difficult to understand the statement of the Talmud (Berachot, 4a, Sotah, 36a), “At the time of Ezra, the nation of Israel was worthy of experiencing a miracle of the same magnitude that happened in the days of Yehoshua, but the prevalence of sin prevented it.” The Gemara explains the verse in the Song of the Sea (Shemot 15:16), “until Your people shall pass over, O God, until they shall pass over...” is alluding to two “passing overs” into the Land – the first in the time of Yehushua, and the second in the time of Ezra. All this leads to conclusion that a miracle was supposed to happen at the time of Ezra, yet God’s will changed. R. Eliyahu Mizrahi, in his commentary on Rashi (Parshat Vayishlach), examines the situation of Yaakov Avinu returning to Israel, and confronting his brother Eisav and his army of four hundred men. The last Yaakov heard from Eisav was that he wanted to kill him, and he assumed, now twenty years later, that this was still true. Thus, the verse says, “and Yaakov was afraid,” on which Rashi comments, “He was afraid that he would be killed.” (The Lechem Mishnah, at the end of the fifth chapter of the Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, also addresses this issue.) Yaakov was afraid that his own sins may have nullified God’s promise to protect him. Furthermore, we have the statement of the sages in the Gemara (Shabbat, 55a), “Rav Acha son of Chanina said: God never once broke His promise of bestowing good, and brought calamity in its stead.” We would have to bend over backwards with forced arguments in order to reconcile this contradiction. Based on the words of the sages, one would seem obliged to concede that God’s will can change. Yet based on all we have explained above, that all human knowledge is a created entity, and the whole order of existence is a created and arranged order, then we can also see that the borders and limits of what may change is also something that was arranged with the creation as an expression of God’s will. It is impossible that it could be only a change of will, for that very conception is no more than a created idea that can only be understood from our own greatly limited human perspective. At the time of the revelation of the miracle, it will be revealed that the miracle could occur even without any change in God’s will. It is the function of the Divine service of the Jew to arrive at this faith and to fix it permanently in his heart. Purely out of faith, man can reach a place above all orders of governance. Then it will be readily apparent that there is no difference between nature and miracles even from the perspective of created beings.
Chapter 12
The Connection of Faith, the Secret of Prayer
R. Gershon Hanokh now returns to the topic of faith, which he understand to be a mode of relationship with G-d that transcends perception and the intellect. Before fully addressing that point, however, he discusses the extent and limitations of our relationship with G-d within the bounds of cognition. Human beings can only perceive G-d through His revealed attributes – the post-emanational world of the sefirot or Divine Names (exemplified here by the Sefirah of Tiferet); they cannot perceive him cognitively above that level. This lower, perceptual level is the basis of all our prayers and acts of worship, and it can be understood by all who live on the mundane level, even Pharaoh. The author bases his discussion on the Kabbalistic idea that the Sefirah of Tiferet (also known as Zeir Anpin) lies at the root of Israel’s service of God. It is not, however, the highest level, which can only be accessed via faith (discussed later as being the level of Atika Kadisha. )
On the subject of the connection of faith, the Zohar writes (Beshalach, 52b): Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak, Pharaoh was smarter than all the sorcerers of his day. He looked into all of the crowns (Sefirot) and all of the knowledge, and didn’t see any sign of the Israel’s redemption. He did not see that the redemption was hinged on any of these crowns. However, though he looked into all the ways that Israel was connected to God, he failed to see the other connection – the connection of faith, which rules over all. For this reason his heart was hardened. Pharaoh knew that there was no place in the realm of Divine service where Israel could overpower him. From this, he understood that he was given the authority to rule over them, enslaving Israel in their bodies and souls, and subjugating them to harsh labor. It is explained how he gradually accustomed the Israelites to ever greater levels of slavery, until they were thoroughly entrenched in bondage. This is as it is written in the Midrash (Mechilta Yitro 1), “No slave could ever escape from Egypt, because Egypt was filled with all the most powerful of worldly delights, to the point where it was more comfortable to be a slave in Egypt than a lord in another country.” In this way, he ruled over their minds and intellect. For this reason, he asserted that there was no way they could arouse the root of their souls in order to pray to God for deliverance, and as a result, God’s compassion would not be aroused to redeem them. To this, the Zohar responds, “He did not see the other connection – the connection of faith, which rules over all. ” All of the connection between Israel and God is through prayer and Divine service. And all Divine service and prayer that is within man’s conscious grasp is only within the inclusion and unification of God’s revealed attributes (sefirot), as King David listed them when he said (Divrei HaYamim 1, 29), “Unto You, God, is the greatness, the strength, the splendor, the victory , and the majesty. For all that is in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, G-d, is the kingdom; and You are exalted over all.” This is explained in the Sifri, on the verse (Devarim, 11), “If you keep all these commandments that I command you to do, to love the Lord, your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him.” Is it possible for man to cleave to God? asks the Sifri? Is it not written that God is a consuming fire? But the answer is: You should cleave to God’s attributes. Just as God is merciful, so you should be merciful (and in this way you cleave to Him). Due to man’s limited knowledge, his Divine service only reaches these revealed attributes, which are included under the aegis of Tiferet (splendor), the Sefirah which contains the six lower attributes, which is also called Zeir Anpin (the microprosopus, or the “small face”). This attribute is Israel’s connection, for through Tiferet, Israel is called, “my firstborn son Israel” (Shemot, 4:). As it is written in the Zohar (Balak, 191b): The secret of the matter is the secret above, “What is his name and what is his son’s name that I should know him?” (Mishlei, 30:4). His name is known, and it is Hashem Tziva’ot (the Lord of Hosts). His son’s name is Israel, as it is written, “My firstborn son Israel.” All of the keys of faith depend on Israel, who takes pride in this and says (Tehillim, 2), “God said to me, you are My son.” It is certainly like this, in that Abba and Imma crowned their son and blessed him with many blessings, telling him and commanding him for everything. They kissed their son’s hand, as it were, and gave him dominion over all, that all should serve him. It is also written in the Zohar (Yitro, 79a), And how does the verse end? “What is his name and what is his son’s name that I should know him?” He told him the secret of this matter. It is written, “My firstborn son Israel,” and it is written (Yeshayahu), “Israel, I shall pride Myself in you.” His name is Hokhmah (wisdom), and His son’s name is Tiferet (Adornment, Pride).
All prayer and Divine service come before God by way of the name YHVH, which is the secret of the Sefirah of Tiferet, which includes all of the revealed attributes. And all of the praises of God arranged in the first three blessings of the Amidah also allow man to recognize God’s His revealed attributes. Notwithstanding that God is exalted above all attributes, yet still, in prayer, man should not praise God in a way that he does not know Him. This is referred to in the Gemara (Megilah, 25a): A certain man went to lead the prayer service in the presence of Rabbi Hanina and said, “The great, the mighty, the awesome, the majestic, the strong, the powerful God.” Rabbi Hanina said to him: Have you finished the praises of your Master? Even the first three terms of praise could not be recited, had not Moshe wrote them in the Torah (Devarim, 10:17) and the Men of the Great Assembly came and ordained them (see Nehemia, 9:32), we could not say them. And you say all this! It is as if a man had billions of gold coins and people praised his wealth by saying that he had a thousand. Wouldn’t that insult him? In this episode, the prayer leader actually related to God through these lofty appellations, as is explained by the Rambam. Rabbi Hanina was saying to him, how can you praise God based upon your perception at this moment? In another moment God may illuminate to you an understanding of awesome heights thoroughly beyond your present perception, as incomparable as gold is to silver. Thus, Rabbi Hanina said to him, “Even the first three terms of praise could not be recited, had not Moshe wrote them in the Torah.” Meaning, that which is written in the Torah contains the entire creation. This is akin to what we quoted from the Zohar as an introduction (see section 4, Zohar Yitro). “And the Men of the Great Assembly came and established them in the prayer,” which means that they clarified the fact that these three attributes are graspable by all Israel. This is as it is said in the Gemara (Yoma, 69b), “Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, why were they called men of the Great assembly? It is because they restored the crown to its former glory. Moshe had come and said, The great God, the mighty, and the awesome. Then Yirmiyahu and omitted the attribute, ‘Awesome.’ Daniel omitted the word ‘Mighty.’ But they returned the crown of Divine attributes to its ancient completeness.” They made it clear that these were truly His attributes of might, and these were truly His attributes of Awe. That is to say, every Jew can always recognize these attributes. Therefore, all prayers to God are arranged in praise via His recognizable, revealed attributes. They are all included in the attribute of Zeir Anpin, also called Tiferet Yisrael (the splendor of Israel). Even though there are attributes far loftier than these, yet prayer can only be directed to the place where man’s mind can reach. This is why Yermiyahu and Daniel omitted certain attributes. Since they knew that G-d was true, they mentioned only the attributes that God revealed to them in their prophetic experience. However, in the time of the members of the Great Assembly, who had already seen God’s great salvations in the Purim miracle, they identified that these were indeed God’s mighty actions, and these where truly God’s awesome deeds. In this way they restored the crown of God’s attributes to the way it was first perceived by Moshe. Indeed, from this we see that the act of prayer is the mystery of Zeir Anpin, since all of God’s attributes are rooted in God’s great name YHVH, which is the same as the Sefirah of Tiferet and the partsuf of Zeir Anpin. All of God’s names are included in His great name YHVH. We learn from the Zohar (Vayikra, 10b): All is built from Yud Hei… He is the King to whom all Peace is His, in the mystery of Tiferet. And further in the Zohar (ibid. 11a): Rabbi Elazar said, “All of the ten names of God are written, and we have taught, the name EHYH is the supernal concealment … Yud Hei, because the Hei comes out of Hokhmah (represented by the Yud).” This passage in the Zohar goes on to say that every name of God finds its root in the name YHVH: The sixth name YHVH is compassion. It is the completion of all, the main point of all, the connection of emunah (faith). It unites all sides (all Sefirot) this is “Tiferet Yisrael” (the splendor of Israel). That is to say, the name YHVH is both the root of Tiferet and its very name.
Chapter 13
Praying for Miracles
Since the human mind is limited, it cannot relate to that which transcends cognition altogether. Accordingly, a person should not pray for a miracle to occur, since miracles transcend nature, and also originate in that place which is beyond human cognition. To pray for a miracle is to “burden G-d,” who must acquiesce to change the very laws of nature that He himself put into effect. However, this all applies only to a person whose perception is itself limited to the natural world. For someone with perfect faith in G-d’s all-embracing providence, there is no difference between a natural occurrence and a transcendent one. Thus he can pray for a miracle, since, in his eyes, even the most mundane actions are under G-d’s total providence, and no less miraculous.
When one prays to God in the mystery of Zeir Anpin (Tiferet), one is not praying to any particular Divine attribute, but only to God in His essence, as the root of all of His attributes. For even though the name YHVH is the root of all of God’s attributes, their garments are other names of God. In Tiferet, however, both the inner aspect and the outer garment are the name YHVH. The root and the garment are one in the mystery of Zeir Anpin. Thus, all prayer is directed to the spiritual place where the Holy One, blessed be He, is called Zeir Anpin and the name YHVH. However, man cannot comprehend the levels of Divine providence and governance above Tiferet Yisrael. For this reason we do not pray for miracles, for the source of miracles is in a place beyond man’s ability to comprehend. Since man is a part of nature and the natural order of things, and cannot see how the salvation could come from the place beyond his ability to perceive, he is not supposed to direct his prayer to this place. Directing prayer to the source of miracles is considered a “burden for Heaven.” This is as it is said in the Gemara (Ta’anit, 24b), “Who dares to be such a burden on Heaven,” referring to the story of Rava, who prayed for rain in the dry season. Yet still, we find the story of Rav Hanina be Dosa who prayed for miracles (Ta’anit, 25a), and indeed there are several instances where sages in the Talmud prayed for miracles and miraculous changes in nature. As Antoninus said to Rabi (Rav Yehuda HaNasi, Avoda Zara, 10b), “I know that even the least among the Jews can revive the dead.” The difference is that the miracle of Rava occurred in public.” Now I will explain why this is exceptional.
Praying for a miracle is only a burden for God when it is done publicly, in front of someone who lacks faith. From God’s perspective, there really is no difference between natural and miraculous governance. God constantly rules over nature, and recreates the world each and every day. It is just that God concealed His governance in nature in order that one would not see how the glory of His sovereignty rules over it. In the language of the Zohar, this attribute is called, “having no eyes” (Mishpatim, 95a). The Gemara explains this by means of a parable (Avoda Zara, 54b): “Suppose a man stole a measure of wheat and sowed it in the ground; it is right that it should not grow; however, the world pursues its natural course and as for the fools who act wrongly, they will have to render an account before God.” Study this matter carefully. The whole purpose of letting the world run according to its natural course and not subverting nature every time someone violates the Divine order of justice is to give man the choice to serve God, for serving God in the darkness, out of his own free will, is all the more valuable. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Tetsave, 184a): “Man only serves God through the darkness.” For this reason, G-d concealed His governance so that man cannot see how He rules the world. If God’s governance were totally revealed, man’s free choice would be nullified. Therefore, a person who believes, with perfect faith in God, that nature also runs according to God’s governance, and fixes this faith permanently in his heart, believing and knowing that when a fire is lit it only happens according to specific Divine providence, such a person presents no burden before God whatsoever. (And, as we explained in the introduction, a person with complete faith in God’s providence experiences this providence in everything that happens.) This is as it Rav Hanina ben Dosa said, “The One who causes oil to burn can make vinegar burn.” Rav Hanina ben Dosa could say this, and experience the miracle of the vinegar burning for the whole Shabbat, without placing a burden upon Heaven.
When it is said in the Gemara (Avoda Zara, 10b), “Antoninus said to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, I know that even the smallest among the Jews can revive the dead,” he meant that for men of perfect faith, such miracles are no burden before God. But for a miracle to be shown to the general public, like the story about Rava praying for rain in Ta’anit 24b, including those who have not fixed perfect faith in their hearts and who look at nature as running according to its own order, then miraculous governance is indeed a burden before God. Thus, it is forbidden to pray for a change in nature, as this requires a revelation of supernal governance which is above man’s intellectual grasp. On this, the Zohar of the miracle that happened in Egypt (Terumah, 170b): “It was difficult for God.” Why was it difficult? Because the miracle in Egypt happened before both believers and nonbelievers alike. It was good for the believers and bad for the nonbelievers, as was explained in the introduction to the subject of miracles. There was a revelation of the level of God’s governance beyond man’s intellectual grasp. Pharaoh did not know of the connection between God and Israel, from which Divine salvation can be aroused, as it exists beyond the grasp of the mortal mind. This is mentioned above, in chapter 12 (Zohar Beshalach 52b), “Pharaoh didn’t see that there was another connection, the connection of faith, which rules over all.” The Zohar calls this kind of connection, “the connection of faith,” because the main kind of connection between Israel and God is through emunah (faith) which reaches beyond the grasp of the human mind. Emunah is the inner aspect, even though it is not dressed in a garment. In the merit of emunah, Israel is worthy of receiving God’s salvation, even though they have no clear good deeds on record. The clear statement of this is written in the Torah where it says (Shemot, 4:32), “And the people believed and they heard.”
Chapter 14
A Deeper Look at the Nature of Miracles
The author continues his discussion of faith and miracles. Not only does a person with faith in G-d’s providence see beyond the veil of the empirical world, his faith can actually bring about miracles. In other words, his rectified perception of the world – that everything follows the Divine command – can actual cause an alteration in the laws of nature. Thus, the faith of the Jewish people in actually caused the sea to split after they left Egypt. In addition, the greater a person’s faith and the clearer his perception, the more radical the miracles can be. Moshe, for instance, performed miracles that totally uprooted the laws of nature. Prophets with lesser vision, such as Elisha, could only alter nature’s laws for their benefit.
With the splitting of the Red Sea, it is written, “and [the people] believed in God and in Moshe, His servant.” This is as it is written in the Zohar (Beshalach, 53b): It is written, “and they believed in God and in Moshe, His servant.” Did they not believe in God until now? We find that when Moshe first told of the redemption to the children of Israel, the verse says (Shemot, 4:21), “And the people believed; and when they heard that the God had remembered the people of Israel… they bowed their heads and prayed.” Furthermore, they must have believed after witnessing all of the mighty acts God did in Egypt. If so, what does it mean when the Red Sea split that the Torah says, “and they believed?” [The difference is that here] God told them (Shemot, 14:13), “Do not fear, stand still, and see the salvation of the God which He will show to you today.” … Rabbi Yeisa asked, “It is written (ibid, 14:13), ‘Do not fear, stand still… for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall not see again forever (ad olam),’ and it is also written (ibid. 14:30), ‘And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.’” Rabbi Yossi said, “In the second verse, they saw them dead.” Rabbi Yeisa said, “If so, the verse should have said, ‘you shall not see them again alive.’” Rabbi Abba said, “You have asked a good question, but come and see. It is written (Divrei HaYamim 1, 16:36), “Blessed is God forever and ever’ – ‘min ha-olam ve’ad ha-olam,’ which could also mean, ‘from the world to the world.’ On this we are taught, there is a world above, and a world below. ‘The world above,’ is the place from which the candle is first lit. ‘The world below,’ is the completion, which includes everything. From ‘the world below,’ God’s mighty acts wake up for the denizens of the lower realm. In this lower world, God does wonders for Israel, bringing about a miracle. When this [lower] world is aroused to perform miracles, it had the effect of drowning all of the Egyptians, and produced a miracle for Israel with the splitting of the Red Sea. For this reason it is said, you shall not see them again forever– ad olam. That is to say, “until the world which is below is aroused’ and they are delivered into the hands of its judgment. And since they are given over to it to be judged, it is written, ‘And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the sea shore’ as it is written “min ha-olam v’ad ha-olam” – from the time the lower world is awoken. This is the meaning of, ‘And they believed in God and in Moshe, his servant.’” The children of Israel believed, in the beginning of Moshe mission, as it is written, “and the people believed.” The faith was fixed in their hearts, and through their faith they connected to God. Their faith aroused God’s salvation in a place beyond all human understanding. This is the meaning of the statement in Parshat Beshalach, at the splitting of the Red Sea, “and they believed in God and in Moshe, His servant.” This is as it is written in the passage in the Zohar above, that they clearly saw the revelation of the supernal light. It was from this place that miracles happened for the Jews and defeat for the Egyptians, to the point where their entire redemption was miraculous. This is because miracles are the revelation of the Supernal light far above any revealed governance. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Beshalach, 54a): “Then Moshe and the children of Israel sang this song to God.” Rabbi Abba opened and said: I looked into all of the praises sung to God and saw that they all started with, “az (then).” “Az – Then Israel sang.” (Bamidbar, 21); “Az – Then Yehoshua spoke” (Yehoshua 10); “Az – Then Shlomo said” (Melachim 1, 8). Why is this? It is taught that with all of the miracles and mighty actions are performed for Israel, when the light of Atika Kadisha illuminated in its crowns, they are carved and inscribed with “Az – Then.” With aleph, and then aleph with zayin, pierces the darkness and illuminates all sides. When the two letters are joined, the illumination of the aleph reaches the zayin, … this is how miracles and mighty actions happen. When we say that miracles happen from a place that is above man’s ability to comprehend, we call this the light of “Atika Kadisha.” When this light illuminates and breaks through the border of man’s understanding and enclothes itself in a lower garment, then the governance of the supernal light is revealed in the world, and we can clearly see miracles.
Truly, from God’s perspective, natural governance is actually miraculous governance, in that God’s providence and governance extends to every detail of creation. The recognition of this governance is from man’s understanding, so that he sees only how the world runs according to nature. However, God relates to the man of perfect faith with individual providence. According to this, if one believes that all of creation runs miraculously, then hidden miracles will be revealed before him, for he views even nature’s law as miraculous. Whereas for a person who does not believe, the miracles will remain hidden. With this in mind, we can see that it was easy for Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa to pray, “May the One who makes the oil burn make the vinegar burn.” He saw how the natural phenomenon of the combustion of oil only happens due to God’s command, and for this reason his prayer was effective. Through faith, man can even arouse the supernal governance to reveal itself in this world. This is as the Zohar states, that since Israel believed in God, they managed to awaken revealed miracles before the Egyptians. When a person witnesses such miracles, he then sees how two complete opposites can happen at once, as was explained previously. When man is confronted with the impossibility of the simultaneous occurrence of opposites, it is due to the concealment of nature. In fact, God established creation’s normative perception to be through natural governance. However, God fixed permanent faith within the innermost heart of Knesset Yisrael – the Community of Israel – so by means of this faith they may connect to God even above natural governance. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Tikkun 21, 57b): “He is her nurse (oman), and she is His faith (emunah).” This is explained in the Mei HaShiloach, Parshat Bereshit, on the passage in the Midrash Rabbah: Rabbi Hoshayah began and said (Mishlei, 8:30), “I was a nurse (amon) for him, and I was his delight every day.” Amon means a teacher, amon means covered, amon means hidden. There are those who say, amon means the capitol, amon means artist. According to Rav Mordechai Yosef, this Midrash tells of the development of man’s form from its very first root, hidden in God’s essence, until its revelation in a complete and mature state, signified by man’s ability to reproduce and bring forth a new generation. This process precisely follows the way God created the world. The world was initially hidden in God’s essence, and then emerged in a revealed form where the supernal light breaks forth in every new being. The Zohar says (Terumah, 170b), “This is why man finding a mate is as difficult as the splitting of the Red Sea.” Both cases entail the simultaneous occurrence of opposites. All this occurs at the root of faith, for from God’s perspective, He is the “nurse” of creation, yet from the side of Knesset Yisrael, the matter depends upon faith. A nurse must provide for everything the child needs at all times. For the nurse, everything must be ready, even though the child, with his limited knowledge, does not really know what he will need. For this reason, he must always have faith that the nurse will provide him with whatever he will need. This kind of faith is the connection between the nurse and the infant. For the infant, it is a kind of connection above his ability to comprehend. In this way, we see that emunah in the heart can reach beyond man’s intellectual comprehension and awaken God’s will to open the supernal light, which is beyond time or any border in nature. This relates to the teaching that the redemption from Egypt happened before its proscribed time. God, so to speak, caused His power of redemption act, even though the Children of Israel were not yet ready, as it is written (Shir HaShirim 2:8), “The voice of my beloved! Behold, He comes, leaping over the mountains, skipping over the hills.” The Zohar (Parshat Noah, 61b) also says that the redemption from Egypt happened before its time. So too, the wars fought by Israel in the days of Yehoshafat were also miraculously before their time. We find that the miracle in Egypt was brought about by a cry from the depth of the heart. The Zohar (Shemot, 20b) says that the when the Hebrew word “za’aka – cry” is used, it means that it is coming directly from the heart, as it says in Eicha (2:18), “Their hearts cried out to God.” Such cries are closer to God than prayers. Purely by means of emunah in the heart, as explained above, a person can come before God through the heart’s cries, even though he cannot offer any intelligible prayer. He cannot dress the sorrow of his heart in the letters and words of the prayer, as he cannot find the strength to pray. In this way he can wake up God’s highest will, solely through faith flowing from the depth of his heart. We find it written of Yehoshafat (Divrei HaYamim 2, 20:3), “And Yehoshafat was afraid, and he went to ask God, and called upon all the inhabitants of Yehuda to fast.” He said to God, “we have no power before this great multitude which has set upon us, we do not know what to do, our eyes are only upon You.” And indeed, he was answered by Yahaziel’s prophecy (ibid 20:15), “Do not be afraid of this great multitude, for this battle is not yours, but God’s. You shall not need to fight this battle. Stand still, and witness the salvation of God with you.” And after this, “Yehoshafat stood and said, Hear me, inhabitants of Yehuda and Jerusalem, Believe in Hashem your God. So shall you be established. Believe in His prophets and you shall prosper.” Here we see that the miracle happened due to a great overpowering of emunah. It was then that they saw above nature, as the story continues, “And the people of Yehuda went to the lookout over the desert and turned to the multitude of their enemies, and behold, their carcasses were falling to the ground and they had none to rescue them.” When man prepares faith in his heart, he can effect miracles through his service of God, for the power to make miracles comes from a great surge of service in the depths of the heart. This is as it is said in the Gemara (Megillah, 27a), “All of the wonders that Elisha accomplished, were done through prayer.”
Indeed, we find various distinctions and levels in the miracles performed by various prophets and their awakenings, based upon the level to which they prepared their souls. The miracles performed by Moshe could actually transform things to their very opposite, as the Midrash teaches us (Beshalach), “‘And God showed him a tree’ (Shemot, 15:25). It was a bitter branch, and the bitter sweetened the bitter.” So too with the brass serpent, which healed the snakebites. Also with the splitting of the Red Sea, where the waters congealed against the laws of nature, where (Shemot 15:8), “the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.” This, too, also an example of opposites, because water usually begins to freeze at the surface, and here it began in the middle of the sea, which, according to nature, would be the last place to freeze. The miracle of the splitting of the sea happened in the exact opposite way nature would have had it. Thus, with all of Moshe’s miracles, things were changed to their complete opposite. Moshe’s level of prophecy was greater than all of the other prophets, for he would see the Divine form at once. This is written in the Midrash Tanhuma (Hayei Sara) and in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 18, 32a). Therefore the miracles associated with him would change a thing over to its complete opposite. Similarly, with Yeshayahu, we find a miracle within a miracle, and the transformation of one thing to its complete opposite. As he said (38:21), “Take a lump of figs, and smear it on the boil, and he shall recover.” The Midrash tells us that it is the nature of figs to cause the wound to rot. Yeshayahu knew that this would have the opposite effect. This is because Yeshayahu’s prophecy had an aspect of Moshe’s prophecy. It is said in the Midrash on Tehillim (90), “Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rav Yossi ben Zimra, all of the prophets would prophesize, and not be conscious of their prophecy. This was not so for Moshe and Yeshayahu. Moshe said (Devarim, 32), ‘My doctrine shall drop as the rain.’ And Yeshayahu said (Yeshayahu, 8:18), ‘Behold, I and the children whom God has given me are for signs and tokens in Israel from the Lord of Hosts who dwells in mount Zion.’ Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yossi, even Shmuel, the master of prophets, would speak prophecy, and not know what prophecy he was speaking. This is as it is said (Shmuel 1, 12), ‘And God sent you Yeruval and Badan and Yiftah and Shmuel.’ This is because he was not aware that he was speaking.” On the other hand, the miracles performed by Elisha occurred mostly through an awakening of salvation through prayer. That is, his miracles were answers to his prayer. Most of them were effected through hints contained in his prayer to heal the waters of Yericho, as he said (Melachim 2, 2), “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” As it is said in the tractate Berachot, “Just as salt will sweeten meat, so will it sweeten water.” Elisha also said (Melachim 2, 4), “Take flour and put it in the bowl.” He was praying, “God who said flour will be man’s food, so shall He say that these fields will bring forth food.” And also (Melachim 2, 6), when one of the sons of the prophets lost his axe in the river, Elisha cut down a branch and threw it in the river. His prayer was, “The one who said wood floats can also tell the iron to float.” For Elisha to perform various miracles at various times, he had to prepare his heart for each situation. In this way, he was showing how God’s miraculous governance is hidden within nature.
There are many other miracles that happened through natural governance. The Tikkunei Zohar cites the Purim miracle as one of these. When a miracle happens through nature, it is hidden in the Divine Sefirot of Netzah (Victory) and Hod (Majesty). The entire Purim story happens within the confines of the natural order. The execution of Vashti, Ester’s rise to power, Ester’s notifying the king of the assassination plot – all these are events which happened in the realm of nature, as we normally see it. Yet after one considers the course of all of these events as they lead into each other, it all becomes one great miracle. In retrospect, one sees how God’s directed each event and it all was a part of his miraculous plan. While each event was happening, the miracle was hidden, yet at the end, the miracle was revealed. This is as it is said in the Talmud (Megillah, 11a), “When do we see the realization of the words of the psalm (98:3), ‘All of the corners of the earth have seen God’s salvation?’ We see it in the days of Mordekhai and Ester.” In this case, we must consider all of the events afterward, in order to behold God’s miracle. After all is over, we see how God directed all of the nations, even beyond their comprehension. However, in the middle of it all, everything appears to be happening according to the natural order.
Chapter 15
The Binding of Isaac – Tying the Knot of Faith
The ability to penetrate into the world above nature – the world of faith and miracles – is deeply rooted in the Jewish soul. From the moment that Avraham sought to offer his son, Yitzhak, as a sacrifice, and the latter agreed, the transcendent light of faith was planted in the hearts of the Jewish people. Thus, they are forever ready to pray for things that are beyond mortal grasp.
The Zohar in Parshat Nasso (130a) speaks of the revelation of the supernal light called Atika Kadisha, which is alluded to in the Torah but once. The Zohar says: The name of Atika, the Ancient One, is hidden from all, and only mentioned in the Torah once. At the end of the Akeida (the binding of Yitzhak), we find that the Divine persona of Zeir Anpin makes an oath to Avraham, where it says, “Bi nishba’ati, n’oom Hashem – I swear on Me, says God.” Here, Zeir Anpin is swearing on the higher partsuf of Atika Kadisha. The revelation of the light of Atika is explained in the Zoharic explanation of the Akeida in Parshat Vayeira, on this verse. God had told Avraham to offer his son as a sacrifice. However, it was a vague statement, which could have been interpreted either as “slaughter him,” or simply, “bind him on an altar like a sacrifice, but do not kill him.” Up until the point where the angel tells Avraham, “do not stretch forth your hand against the boy,” the command to offer Yitzhak as a sacrifice meant to slaughter him. At the very moment the angel said, “do not stretch forth your hand,” there occurred a revelation of the Supernal light, reaching from a place beyond all borders. This light then remained permanently with Yitzhak and his descendents. Truly Yitzhak is an “olah temima (a wholly offered and unblemished sacrifice).” This happened after he and Avraham wholeheartedly decided to sacrifice him as an olah. All of Yitzhak’s life is contained in the Divine utterance spoken to Avraham, “Do not stretch forth your hand against the boy.” From this moment on, it was permanently established that his progeny would all be ready and willing to receive this light at any moment that they need it. This is discussed at length in the Zoharic explanation of the Akeida. This is possible when man actively fixes emunah in his heart, and it is through this emunah that he may connect to God in a place beyond his comprehension. This being so, it follows that such a heart will have the power to pray, even when those prayers defy nature. From the Akeida on, the seed of Yitzhak contains a willingness to be drawn after God’s will on the level of being an olah temima. Because of this, he can awake God’s will to clearly show him and let him understand realms and levels beyond his ability to see or comprehend.
Chapter 16
A Summary on the Subject of Miracles
In summary, there are two ways of looking at the world: from a rational perspective, that views the worl as an autonomous entity, bound by the laws of nature; or through the lens of faith, which actually draws a higher reality down into existence, which allows for the transcendence of the natural order; i.e. a miracle. Logical contradictions exist only in the former instance, whereas with the revelation of a miracle, it becomes clear that even strict opposites can exist simultaneously. An example of this was the dedication of the Holy Temple, when the laws of nature were suspended, and two things occupied the same space, at the same time.
It was explained above that miracles have been programmed into nature from the creation of the world. Now, you may ask, “How can a person arrive at a place above the natural order revealed in the world?” It all depends upon one’s service of God and upon one’s faith. If one’s service and faith are strong, he can ascend to a place above the system of governance, and draw down a transcendent light that can be fixed within the mind’s grasp. If he makes the absolute most of his Divine service and faith, then the supernal light will be revealed and fixed within the system of revealed governance. Then it will be explicitly revealed that this was the way God had originally conceived it. However, if a person does not prepare his heart, he will remain under the influence of the revealed order of nature. This is the meaning of the Gemara’s statement (Sotah, 36a), “The Jews in the days of Ezra were worthy of witnessing miracles the magnitude of those seen in the days of Yehoshua, yet their sins prevented it.” Instead of revealed miracles, they experienced hidden miracles. That is to say, miracles that occurred through natural processes and a series of everyday events: The Jews found favor in the eyes of King Korash (Cyrus), and he commanded them to build the Holy Temple. However, had they not sinned, they would have witnessed revealed miracles instead. So too, with all miracles, they depend upon the worthiness of the one receiving them, and to that same degree is the miracle proclaimed in the world. We explained this in our introduction to miracles, with the discussion of the splitting of the Red Sea. Similarly, the miracles performed for the Tanaim and Amoraim. Some were worthy of experiencing only private miracles; however, the more the miracle worker prepared his heart, the more the miracle was experienced and revealed in the world at large. This is as Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai said in the Idra Zuta (289b), “By God’s knowledge the depths were split” (Mishlei 3:20), and filled all of the chambers and passageways of the body, as it is written (Mishlei 24:4), “And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled.” These lights shine from the supernal hidden brain, which illuminates the mazal (Atika Kadisha), and they all depend on each other, and connect to one another, until it is known that they are all one. They are all Atika, the Ancient, and are not at all separate from him.
From all of this we derive that the essence of all miracles is a revelation – within this world – of the supernal governance, that itself transcends time, human intellect and consciousness. Then, it is clear that there are no contradictions or opposites, and even things which seem contradictory only appear to be so because we have been apportioned a limited intellect, based upon the lower level of governance. Yet, when the supernal governance is revealed, all who witness the miracle understand that there is no change in God’s will to allow for the miracle, for that which appears to us to be a change in God’s will is only due to the created knowledge which is allocated to us, and subservient to the boundaries of time and place. But in the place where the past, future, and present unite, one cannot say that there is a change in God’s will, because in that place there is no before and after, and no concept of spatial borders. When this light is revealed, all who see it will know, at the time of revelation, that there are no opposites.
This is exemplified by the miracle that occurred when King Shlomo brought the Holy Ark into the Temple. It is written in the Midrash Tanhuma (Vaera, 7) on the verse, “Raise, O gates, your heads, and be lift up, you everlasting doors!” (Tehillim, 24) that Shlomo said these words when he sought to bring the Ark into the Holy of Holies. He had made an ark of ten cubits in size, placed the original Ark of Moshe inside of it, and carried it to the Temple. When he arrived at the entrance, he saw that it was also ten cubits wide; however, ten cubits cannot enter into ten cubits. Furthermore, there was not enough space to accommodate those who were carrying the Ark. They could not bring the Ark through the gate. Shlomo stood, ashamed, not knowing what to do. He began to pray to God. Our sages teach us that he brought the casket of his father David, and said (Divrei HaYamim 2, 6:42), “Hashem Elo-him! Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.” “Master of the world!” he said. “Do it in the merit of this one. Remember the kindnesses of Your servant David.” Whereupon he was immediately answered. My father, master and teacher, the holy Rav, explained that the essence of the miracle was a revelation of the supernal light of Atika Kadisha in this lower world. If the size of the gate was miraculously widened to make enough space for the Ark, or if the Ark had become smaller, it would not have been such a great miracle. The Gemara (Ta’anit, 25a) tells of how the prayers of Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa caused the beams of a house to lengthen. However, in the Holy Temple, the measurements of the gates, the Ark, or anything else could not be changed, as it is written (Divrei HaYamim 1:28:19), “All this, said David, is written by the hand of God who instructed me, even all the works of this blueprint.” The Gemara (Berachot, 17a) understands this to mean that Temple and all of its vessels had to be built according to the exact measurements that King David received in his prophetic understanding and taught to Shlomo. The miracle here was that matter entered into matter, and two different entities occupied the identical place and time, in defiance of natural governance. If man believes in this with perfect faith, and absolute sincerity, his heart will not go astray after strange logic or the philosophical speculations of those of limited consciousness. In his faith he will find all he needs to allay all the doubts and confusions resulting from all such doubts and inquiries.
Chapter 17
Omniscience and Free Will – resolving the conflict
Based upon the above, the author now offers a resolution to the classic contradiction between G-d’s omniscience and human free will – a topic addressed by numerous, medieval Jewish philosophers. To R. Gershon Hanokh, the answers previously offered were all lacking, inasmuch as they sought a logical resolution (or no resolution, in Maimonides’ case). Rather, as he explains, the contradiction is an illusion, existing only from our limited perception, which operates within the framework of time and space. From G-d’s perception, there is no contradiction. This corresponds with R. Gershon Hanokh’s earlier statement concernings miracles. It is only from our linear, rational perspective that a miracle implies a change in the Divine plan. In G-d’s mind, both the natural and the miraculous exist simultaneously, without contradiction. It is our perception that determines which will manifest itself in reality.
The goal we have outlined holds true for even the greatest philosophical inquires of Maimonides. In the Code (Mishnah Torah, Laws of Teshuvah, Ch. 5, Halacha 5) Maimonides discusses how the contradiction between God’s knowledge and man’s free choice can be reconciled. How can the righteous be rewarded and the wicked be punished if the all-knowing God already knows how a man will turn out? And if you say that G-d knows that a man will be righteous, but that it is still possible for him to be wicked, then G-d does not know the matter clearly. In his emendations on this part of the Code, the Ra’avad takes Maimonides to task for not following the method of the sages, accusing him of starting an inquiry [into the nature of free will] without reaching a conclusion. In this case Maimonides proposed a difficult question, and instead of providing a possible answer, left it up to faith. The Ra’avad says that it would have been better to have not raised the question, leaving the matter up to the “naiveté of the simple,” and not to lead the reader in a direction where he could become lost spiritually, and question the Torah. The Ra’avad’s own possible solution, based on astrology and the ability of the intellect to surpass the binds of the zodiac, is rather contrived. Actually, the Rambam was not the first one to ask this question. This question had already been raised by Rav Sa’adia Gaon a few centuries earlier in his book, Ha’Emunot ve’Hadeot (Beliefs and Knowledge), in the fourth chapter entitled, “Divine Service and Rebellion.” There he writes, “Perhaps you would further say that since God knows what will happen before it happens, He therefore already knows that a man is destined to rebel against Him. Thus it would be impossible for man not to rebel, as he must complete God’s knowledge, which is perfect.” Rav Sa’adia Gaon’s solution to this conundrum is similar to that of the Ra’avad. Rav Sa’adia goes on to say that God’s knowledge of events does not cause them to happen, meaning that God’s knowledge does not force man into any particular action. Man is free to choose the good according to his own will. A similar view was held by the Rivash in his responsa.
Really, all of these conjectures are insufficient. In the final analysis, if it is totally within man’s power to choose the good, then it is within his power to change God’s knowledge, and if it is not within man’s power to change God’s knowledge, then he has no power to choose. There is much discussion of this topic among both medieval Jewish philosophers and later Kabbalists. According what I have already outlined, both man’s knowledge and intelligence are created entities. Man, however, is convinced that the Divine order and man’s knowledge are irreconcilable. Therefore, from man’s perspective, when something is predestined to happen, yet the outcome is different than originally planned, it is considered a change in the order of things. However, the past is also under God’s control, and for God, nothing is impossible. The distinction between past, present, and future is merely a reality that God created and programmed into the perception of the creation. Distinctions in time are only relevant to the creation. God has the power to change our perception, and to grant us additional understanding, until we understand that even the past can be changed. God left this up to man’s choice, for if man chooses the good, he will see how it was God’s will from the very outset for man’s benefit, and so too with the opposite.
This is as the Talmud says, as we have already mentioned (Berachot 4), that Yaakov was afraid that his sins changed his relationship with God, and he would no longer be worthy of Divine protection. Yaakov was afraid, even though God had made him a promise. It must be stressed that God’s speech is not like human’s speech. When a word goes forth from man’s mouth, it is gone and he cannot change it. If he wants to say something different, he has to say something different. With God, just as there is no change in His will, as was explained, so too, his words living and enduring. According to man’s actions, so will he see a response in God’s words. That is to say, if he acts properly and walks on the right path, he will see that God’s words are for his amelioration, and vice versa. The Zohar (Vayishlah, 169a) writes that “all of Your words are on condition.” In the source of God’s will there is no change. All of man’s power of choice is based upon the limitations of his perception. And all of his attainment of goodness, wholeness, or bliss, which depends upon his power of choice, is only that which he acquires for himself within the confines of the borders of his awareness and understanding. God’s will even directs those who transgress against His will. Even though they themselves think that they are transgressing His will, God still directs them, in a way that transcends their own perception.
Chapter 18
Rebelling against G-d – truth or illusion
In the previous chapter, the author wrote that when a sinner relates to God haphazardly; that is, he denies the totality of Divine providence, then God actually acts toward him haphazardly, and he is subject to the vagaries of existence. However, as the author explains here, this is only from the sinners perspective. In reality, even in their rebellion, they are secretly being directed by G-d for purposes beyond their comprehension. Nonetheless, inasmuch as they consciously rebel, they will not receive any benefit nor eternal reward for the good that ultimately derives from their evil deeds. On the other hand, as the author states at the end of the chapter, when an individual firmly believes that God directs all reality, then reality itself tends to his favor, in both subtle and miraculous ways.
The Psalmist said (Tehillim, 140:9), “Do not further his evil plan, lest he go and laud himself because of this.” This is as it is written in the Midrash Rabbah (Tavo), “One who learns Torah and does not fulfill it receives a greater punishment than one who did not learn it at all. From where do we derive this? It is written (Yeshayahu, 26:10), ‘Favor will be shown to the wicked, who did not learn righteousness.’ Whereas, if he learned the Torah and does not fulfill its commandments, he is not shown favor.” It may be asked, “Perhaps a person is wicked because he did not learn the path of righteousness?” This question is addressed in the Talmud (Megillah, 6a): Rav Yitzhak also said: What is the meaning of the verse, “Favor will be shown to the wicked, who did not learn righteousness”? Yitzhak Avinu said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the Universe, show mercy upon Esav.” God replied. “He is wicked.” Yitzhak said to Him, “He did not learned righteousness!” God replied (with the continuation of the verse), “Even in a land of uprightness (nekhochut), they continue doing evil.” Yitzhak said, “If so, ‘let him not behold the majesty of God.’” When Yitzhak said, “He has not learnt righteousness,” he sought to judge Esav favorably. He argued that Esav’s actions were determined by the limits of his understanding. God answered Yitzhak, “Even in the land of the nekhochut (“uprightness,” or “presence”) he will continue doing evil.” That is to say, even if Esav were in the presence of God, he would still not act righteously, but use his elevated consciousness to deliberately and knowingly sin. This being the case, Yitzhak said, “Let him not behold the majesty of the God.” What does it mean to not see the majesty of God? It means that even though God uses his entire creation, including the wicked, for His own purposes and to achieve His desired ends, nonetheless, the wicked cannot see how God is using them as an agent of His design. This is, “he shall not see the majesty of God,” even when it is actualized through him. Similarly, we find that the glory of God was revealed through Pharaoh. The Mekhilta (Ch. 8) has Pharaoh saying, “Who is like You among the powers O God!” (Shemot, 15:11) This was also true with Haman in the days of Purim. The Talmud says (Megillah, 10b), “‘And it shall be to God for a name’ (Yeshayahu, 55:13) – this refers to the days of Purim. (The verse continues) ‘For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off’ – this refers to the reading of the Megillah.” Though Pharaoh and Haman were used as God’s agents to perform miracles and reveal the Glory of Heaven in the world, they themselves had no portion whatsoever in that sanctification of God’s name that came about through them. This is as it is written in the Talmud (Megillah, 6a), “What is the meaning of the verse (Tehillim, 140:9), ‘O God, do not grant the desires of the wicked, do not further his evil plan, lest he go and laud himself because of this?’ Yaakov said before the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘Master of the Universe, Do not grant the evil Esav the desire of his heart.’ ‘Do not further his evil plan,’ this refers to Germamia of Edom (an evil king that would descend from Esav).” Study this passage in greater depth, and see how God confounded them. The words, “lest they praise themselves (pen yaroomu),” could also mean, “they shall be raised above.” This means that God leads them in a place far above their ability to comprehend, and they themselves take no credit from the Glory of God which is magnified through them.
In the twentieth chapter of the book of Iyov, Zofar the Naamite says, “Do you know this from old, since man was placed on earth, that the triumph of the wicked is short, and that the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? … He has swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again.” That is to say, no remnant remains within the wicked. It was necessary at the moment for him to “swallow riches,” meaning that God willed that something in the world had to come about through the power and wealth of a certain sinner. However, this wasn’t the sinner’s intention. Unknowingly, he was being used as an actor in God’s play. Therefore, no remnant remains with the sinner, “he will vomit it, and God shall cast it out of his belly.” This is as Zophar the Naamite continues, “He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the streams of honey and butter.” Honey and butter represent the good reward God has in store for His servants and those who follow after His will. Yet the wrongdoer has no intention or desire to fulfill God’s will. It happens through him, not by him. Therefore he will not see any reward that is stored away for those who actively intend to magnify God’s glory in the world. Truly, all of his rebellion and destruction exists only within the scope of his limited perception and understanding. He only damages himself, for God’s will is fulfilled even through him. It is only in his limited estimation that he carries out a rebellion. This is as it is written in the introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar (2a): From their own perspective, the slave and the maidservant think that they are ruling the world. God’s management of the world is not actually disturbed by the sinner. It is only from his own perspective that he wreaks destruction. Meaning, within the scope of his own understanding he sees that he is destroying the world. This is as it is written (Devarim, Parshat Ha’azinu, 32:5), “Do they destroy Him? No! The blemish is on His children.” The Aramaic translation of Onkelos reads, “They destroy their own, not His.”
It is written in the Zohar (Bo, 33a): “[G-d said to the Accuser, "Have you considered My servant Iyov? There is none like him on earth, a sincere and upright man, God-fearing and shunning evil. And he still maintains his integrity,] though you incite Me to him, to destroy him without cause” (Iyov, 2:3) If, as God says, there is no reason to afflict Iyov, then the punishment was unjust; the sole reason being the incitement of the Accuser, who wants him to falter. Yet, in reality, it is all according to justice. This is as Elihu said to Iyov (34:11), “For according to the work of a man shall God pay him back, and things happen to man according to his ways.” And so it was. Just as Pharaoh had decreed upon Israel, so did God decree upon him. As for that which God said, “though you incite Me to him, to destroy him without cause,” notice that the verse does not say, “you incite Me to destroy him,” but rather, “you incite Me to him, to destroy him.” That is, to him, to his own mind, it seems that “you incite Me against me.” This is like Iyov said, “[Is it good that You should oppress, despise the work of Your hands,] and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?” In a similar vein it says (Tehillim, 78:36), “They seduced Him with their mouths and lied to Him with their tongues.” For this reason it is not written, “They seduce Him and lie to Him.” But it says, “They seduce Him in their mouths,” to show us that their seduction and lies exists only in their mouths (i.e., in their minds, whereas God knows all). On the other hand, just as man fixes the faith in God in his soul, so does God deal with him. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Vayikra, 103b): “Her husband is known in the gates.” (Mishlei 31:23) “Her husband,” is the Holy One, blessed be He. He is “known” and connected to every one according to how much a person estimates God in his heart. Directly corresponding to how much one can cleave himself to God in the spirit of wisdom, so is God known to him. As we have written in the introduction, God’s providence is according to man’s faith. This is as it is written in Torat Kohanim (on Vayikra, 26:21), “‘If you go with me haphazardly, then I too will only go with you haphazardly.’ If you consider Me to be impermanent in the world, then I will make you impermanent in the world.” That is, if a person believes that the world runs by chance, then God relates to him according to his faith, and his life is subject to chance. However, when one believes that God’s providence extends to every detail of creation, then, from His side, God’s providence extends to every detail of creation for the person’s benefit. This is as it is written in the Talmud (Yevamot, 63a, and Midrash Rabbah on Lekh Lekha 39:11), “Even barrels of impure wine being brought from Gaul to Spain were blessed in the merit of Avraham Avinu.” You may ask how this could be as they were barrels of impure wine (and thus not worthy of being blessed). The answer is that even vinegar brings down the price of wine. Here we see that in the merit of Avraham, whom G-d wanted to benefit, He directed the events of even distant places, so that Avraham might derive even a minute benefit, even through a very distant connection, or a lengthy series of causes and effects. In this way, with regards to Avraham, the entire creation and all of its minutiae were intimately led by God’s providence, even though each of those details themselves were only led by general providence. However, to the man of faith, all the minutiae of creation are led by an intimate, individual providence. We find that each person has his own frame of reference, and within the boundaries of his frame, he is led according to his level of preparedness and faith, with no person on the level of any other.
Chapter 19
Inescapable Providence – Case Studies.
The contradiction between G-d’s omniscience and human free will is deep and far-reaching. R. Gershon Hanokh illustrates the problem with several examples. Afterward, he reconciles the contradiction, based upon his own position, discussed above – that the answer lies in human perception. Only from our perception does the paradox exist. From G-d’s perspective, A person is not free to act, but they are free in their choices that lead up to that act In other words, a person must always chose to do the good and God’s commandment. If God still wants him to do it – for reason’s known only to God, since the act abrogates revealed law – then God will somehow bring the person to do it, either by direct command, or via some other means.
The Thief
It would seem that there are many contradictory aspects to this matter, such as those pointed out by Rav Sa’adia Gaon in his book, Emunot ve’Deot (Section 4, “Service and Rebellion”). There he proposes the case a thief who robs another’s money. Did it happen by Divine decree? Was the thief merely an agent of the Almighty Judge who wanted to punish or test the victim? Rav Sa’adia’s answer is that when one loses something, it is an act of God. However, when one is robbed, it is an act of man. If wisdom has it that the thing will be lost, if it is not stolen by the thief, it will be lost in some other way. This was how Shamaya and his brothers answered some of the Kings of Edom, “If we are indeed guilty of death by the Heavenly court, then if you don’t kill us, God has no shortage of ready executioners.” R. Sa’adia dwelt on these matters at length. Yet truly, his solutions are insufficient, such as when the thief himself rationalizes the theft, saying that if it was meant to be, and he doesn’t do it, then it will be lost in some other way. This implies a deficiency in God’s knowledge, since it implies that God doesn’t know exactly how His justice will be done. Furthermore, Rav Sa’adia contradicts the Talmud (Ketubot, 30b), which says, “Damage caused by lions or thieves is in the hands of Heaven, by the cold or heat is in the hands of man (as a person is able to take care of himself).” Here we see that man does bring upon himself damage. Yet, how can one say that damage or loss is in man’s hands? On the other hand, “Theft is brought about by heaven,” implies that it was God’s plan that this particular thief came and robbed him.
The Case of Shimshon
Indeed, according to what has been explained, every person has their own frame of reference, within which operates the entire order of their personal and Divine governance. No one touches another individual’s domain. For the man of perfect faith, everything happens through God’s individual providence, even that which is seemingly based on his own free choice. The wrongdoer, however, has choice, yet it is only within the border of his perception. So too, his sins are only within the borders of his personal realm. The Talmud (Sotah, 9b) teaches that Shimshon followed after his eyes, as the text says, “Shimshon said to his father, Get her for me, because she is pleasing in my eyes.” (Shoftim, 14:3). As punishment, his eyes were eventually gouged out by the Philistines. Yet, the Talmud asks, “Was this really punishment for his own sin? Isn’t is written (ibid 14:4), “But his father and his mother did not know that it was from God” The Talmud resolves this by saying, “When he went to choose a wife, he nevertheless followed his own inclinations.” This really needs to be explained, because you can say, “What could Shimshon have done? The whole situation was a decreed by God!” Indeed, from here, the Talmud (Moed Katan, 18b) deduces that God Himself brings a husband and wife together. What, then, could he have done? He would have no choice but to marry her.
The Case of Hosea
It has been established that man’s choice exists only within the borders of the scope of his perception. Man can choose to serve God within this sphere of personal influence. Therefore Shimshon did indeed sin within the realm of his own perception and understanding. If Shimshon had followed the correct path in not desiring the Philistine woman, then God would certainly have told him in a clear communication to go ahead and marry her. Then it would have been similar to the case of Hoshea (1:2), where God said to him directly, “Go take a whore for a wife.” God further said to Hoshea (3:1), “Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend and an adulteress….” In this way Hoshea was obeying God’s command. This does not mean that God actually turned the sin into something permitted, rather God wanted him to sin. Hoshea himself didn’t desire to be in this situation. Because he was not doing the act to fulfill his personal desire, for he only desired to fulfill God’s command, we see that God made the Divine desire clear by commanding Hoshea. It is similar with the thief. The thief’s victim had to suffer a loss at this particular time and by this particular thief. However, if the thief had decided to be good, then either it would have taken a Divine command for him to go ahead and steal, or God would have orchestrated a situation where the money would have come into his possession legally. From the point of view of the victim, the loss was God’s decision, and from the point of view of the thief, the theft was man’s decision to do evil. Thus the thief is a rebel and worthy of punishment. In this way, man’s power of choice is only effective within the scope of his own understanding, and can thus choose to do good or its opposite.
The Case of Yonah.
It is written in the Zohar (Terumah, 170b): “And Yonah rose up to flee to Tarshish, from before the presence of God” (Yonah, 1:3); “For the men knew that he was fleeing from before the presence of God” (1:10). Why did Yonah decide to run away? Can one flee from the presence of God? Yonah wanted to go outside the borders of the Holy Land, because the Divine Presence only rests in the land of Israel. Yonah thought that in this way the Divine Presence would not rest upon him (and he would not have to prophesize for the detriment of Israel ...) Notice that the verse reads, “milifnei - from before,” and not, “lifnei - before.” Yet the point is precisely, “milifnei - from before,” because the spirit of prophecy does not come from the Shekhina, but rather from before the Shekhina. Whether the prophecy is, “before,” or, “from before,” are two distinct levels of prophets that rest upon the Shekhina. Yonah was afraid to be on this level in the Holy Land. Therefore, about Yonah it says, “milifnei – he was fleeing from before the presence of God,” since Yonah knew that prophecy only comes, “from before.”
The Zohar asks a good question. How can one run away from the omniscient, omnipresent God? And even more so, how can a prophet of this God say that he is running away from His presence? Yonah only sought the welfare of all of Israel. He thought that it was in the best interests of Israel that he not experience prophecy. This is as it is written in the Mekhilta (beginning of Parshat Bo), “Yonah sought the honor of the son and did not seek the honor of the Father.“ For this reason, Yonah deliberately brought his mind to a state of chaos, in such a way that he would not receive prophecy. Both the Mekhilta and the Midrash Tanhuma (end of Parshat Vayikra) have Yonah saying, “I am fleeing from before Him to a place where His Glory is not. But where shall I go? If I ascend to Heaven, ‘His Glory is upon the Heavens.’ (Tehillim, 112) If I wander the whole earth, ‘the whole earth is filled with His Glory’ (Yeshayahu, 6). Therefore, I must run to the sea where there is no mention of His Glory.” Why does it say that the sea is not a place that reveals God’s Glory? Because the sea is a place where man’s mind is ill at ease. It is written in the Talmud (Tamid, 32a), “When one goes out to sea, his mind is ill at ease until he returns to dry land.” For a person to experience prophecy, he must possess wisdom, and his mind must be settled and secure. Therefore, Yonah deliberately brought his mind into a state of turmoil, in order to prevent his prophetic faculty. This is what the Zohar means by saying, “milifnei - from before,” and not, “lifnei - before.” That is to say, it is not within man’s power to hide himself from God. The best he can do is disturb his own perception. Such mental turmoil only takes effect within the borders of his own scope of understanding. This is the meaning of, “‘milifnei - from before’ means two distinct levels of prophets.” This is also as the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 21, page 49a) says, “Prophets come from Binah - Understanding, and they are Netzah – Eternity, and Hod – Majesty.”
Chapter 20
Preparing the Heart of the Prophet – Yonah Enlightened
The following is a more detailed explanation of the process by which Yonah sought to divest himself of prophecy. According to Kabbalah, prophetic outflow begins in the upper sefirah of Binah, symbolized in the Zohar by the “sea” (in that it collects and holds the illumination of Hokhmah, the “spring”). This energy flows down the Sefirotic Tree until it reaches Netzach and Hod, which are the final stages before it is manifest in tangible reality. The opposing nature of these two lower Sefirot – one manifesting G-d’s grace and the other, His reprimand – must be resolved in the heart of the prophet, who sees G-d’s love even within His stern judgment. Yonah failed to do this, and instead, sought to flee the Divine presence by seeking to disturb his own mind, making it unfit for prophecy. His efforts, however, were ultimately futile.
The meaning of this is as follows. The source of prophecy is the place of understanding, called the Sefirah of Binah. However, the effluence of prophecy descends to the lower Sefirot of Netzah - Eternity and Hod - Majesty. This is as it is written in the Raya Mehemna section of the Zohar (Parshat Teitse), “The upper Imma (Mother, Binah) spreads down to Hod.” Netzah and Hod are two branches that separate at the end of the promulgation of Divine effluence, which reunite in the attribute of Yesod – “Foundation” – in order to manifest God’s governance in the world. This is as it is written in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 18, page 34b): "These are the branches. They separate at Netzach and Hod … They are the two legs, YHVH to the right (the side of Netzach) and Adonai to the left (the side of Hod.)" The prophet is a channel for the Divine word necessary to effect Divine governance in the world. Every prophet, save Moshe, needed to prepare himself in order to receive prophecy. The required preparation involved ascending in order to receive from the source by means of the two attributes of Netzah and Hod. The Zohar describes these two attributes as two halves of the same body. In this way, they are akin to identical twins. In their root, these two attributes are really one. When Hesed – Loving-kindness on the right, and Gevurah – Strength on the left, unite in Tiferet – Beauty in the center, they then branch out below and come into action as Netzach and Hod. Indeed, at their root, Hesed and Gevurah are also one. With the downward evolution of Divine effluence through the Sefirot, the upper Sefirot represent abstract potential, and the further down you go, this energy engenders tangible reality and physical actions. Thus, with the lower Sefirot of Netzach and Hod, we arrive at the stage just before the completion of the action ready to emerge in the world. Lower down, with the emergence of the completed action, the Divine effluence looks like opposites. Therefore the source of prophecy comes from the two Sefirot of Netzach and Hod, when God shows how the contradictory attributes unite together as one. This follows the Tikkunei Zohar quoted above, where it says that these two attributes unite in Tzaddik (the righteous, or Yesod –Foundation) in the form of the two names YHVH (God’s ineffable name, representing mercy) and Adonai (God’s spoken name, representing judgment). They are visualized as intertwined in the following way: יהוה אדני יאהדונהי This is the unification of God. Even though the name Adonai seems to govern the principle of God’s concealment and judgment, nonetheless it is in a complete state of unity with YHVH, representing revelation and mercy. This is the true preparation of the heart of the prophet.
Yonah’s intention in trying to flee “milifnei - from before” God was in order to prevent the supernal light from appearing to him. However, there is the other level of “lifnei,” which means, “directly before.” This is the Sovereignty of Heaven – the attribute of Malkhut which receives from and thereby completes all of the other attributes. It is impossible to escape from the Sovereignty of Heaven, as the Divine Presence is everywhere. So when Yonah fled from before God out to the sea, is really means that went to a place where he was unable to prepare his heart to receive prophecy. However, this was only in his mind. He only cloistered himself within the borders of his own scope of understanding, yet not from the presence of God. This is as the Zohar explains (Hayei Sarah, 121a): "Though the sea became tempestuous for Yonah, the earth did not quake. Why? Since Yonah was running away so that the Shekhina would not rest upon him, why then did the sea seize him when he went? Rather, we see that everything happened according to plan. Of the sea we are taught, “The color of the sea is similar to the color of the sky, and the color of the sky is similar to the Throne of Glory.” For this reason the sea seized Yonah when he went upon her, receiving him within her. When he ran away from the sea, she threw her arms to his place." The essence of the sea is the place of Binah. This is as the Zohar tells us (42b): "Afterwards, God made a great vessel, as if He dug a great pit and filled it with the [supernal] sea which flows from the spring. This vessel is called the sea." There (in Binah), is the greatest place of clarity, in which all of the opposite forces unite as one. Yet, when it is expressed in this world (manifest as the sea), it is perceived as the opposite, for in this world it is clothed in a garment that is the opposite of the upper world. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Shlah, 169a): "This world is the opposite of the world-to-come." Therefore the sea is a place of turmoil, and we do not find any verses telling us that the sea expresses God’s glory, since at sea, man is in a state of turmoil and cannot crown God as Sovereign, in unite Him perfectly. Yet from God’s viewpoint, the sea is also a place of His Glory. This is evinced in how the sea became stormy when it saw that Yonah wanted to deliberately disturb his prophetic ability. In contemplating this, Yonah understood that even though his intention was for the good of Israel, nonetheless, it is impossible to hide from God even within the borders of the scope of one’s own understanding, when this is not God’s will. It is the ultimate human folly that man should consider himself smarter than God. God showed Yonah how he made the blunder in thinking that he loved Israel more than God Himself.
Chapter 21
The Meaning of Suffering
From the present chapter until the end of the book, the author addresses the topic of human suffering. Whereas previously, he explained how faith can lift a person above the laws of nature, bringing him to the higher level of divine guidance, in the following chapters, he discusses how faith can bring a person to an inner realization that everything that happens to them is from G-d and for his own good. As in the discussion above, faith results in a shift in perception, from the human to the Divine. Whereas a human being, in this world, may suffer to the point that he questions the very point of his existence, in the root of his soul, he understands how it is all for his good, and before he was born, even agreed to experience it. Faith can restore a person to this primeval awareness of the intrinsic goodness of life
The person who believes in God with perfect faith will not find all his suffering unbearable, for whatever he experiences, he knows that it is for his best. This is because all of person’s suffering is really for his own good, and his soul even agreed to it before he was created. This is as it is written in the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah, 11a), “Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, all creatures were created in their full stature, by their own agreement, and with full knowledge of their form and character.” Rashi and the Tosafot explain that before anything comes into the world, it is asked if it wants to be created, and it says yes. Tosafot explains, “in their full form and character,” to mean, “in the beauty of their growth.” Rashi also notes (Hulin, 60a) that “with full knowledge of their form and character,” means, with the form that this particular creation chose for itself. Even though the Talmud (Eruvin, 13a) writes that it would have been easier for man to never have been created, notice that it does not say, “it would have been better,” but rather, “it would have been easier.” When man realizes that this world is a place in which he must accept total responsibility, and that the danger [of failing] is constant, then certainly, from the perspective of this world, it would have been easier were he never created. Yet, in his root, the place where his soul is attached, he agreed that it was in his better interest to be created than not, for behold, he was created in his full form and character. He knew and accepted all the risks and responsibilities. From God’s point of view, every soul will ultimately be refined for the good. Even after he has sinned a lot, God thinks of ways to insure that he will not be irrecoverably pushed away from Him, as it is written in the Zohar (Saba d’Mishpatim, 106a): We are taught that nothing in the world stands in the way of repentance (teshuva), and that God certainly accepts everyone. If a person returns to God, then the path of life is open before him. Even if he is blemished by sin, it is all fixed, and it all returns to its pristine state of existence. Even if God had vowed to punish someone who transgressed a major sin, repentance corrects this, as it is written (Yeshayahu, 14:24), “The Lord of Hosts has advised, who shall annul it?” This mystery is greatly hidden.
Even when a person suffers great ordeals and afflictions, God can make amends and console him, to the point that he is appeased and consoled over everything he has gone through. Our passage in the Zohar continues: Concerning this, David HaMelech said (Tehillim, 119), “Your mercies are great, O God, give me life according to Your law.” If God is merciful with the wicked, then all the more so with the righteous. Who needs the greatest healing? The ones who are in pain. Who is in pain? The wicked. They need God’s mercy and healing, so as not to be left abandoned… Come and see! It is written (Yeshayahu, 57:17), “He went rebelliously in the way of his heart.” Afterward, it says, “I have seen his ways, and I will heal him, and I will lead him, and I will console to make him and his mourners whole.” “He went rebelliously,” that is to say, even though the wicked do all kinds of intentional sins, pursuing their desires, with others warning them time and again, and the wicked not heeding them, nonetheless, upon returning to the path of God in penance, they will find the healing ready for them to receive. Here we see that God can comfort them over all their suffering. He can return everything to the good, and look forward for the good. This is as our passage in the Zohar concludes: Now that it has come back to him, we clearly see consolation on all sides. Now he is certainly alive – alive in all aspects, grasping onto the Tree of Life. By virtue of grasping onto the Tree of Life, he is called a Master of Repentance (Baal Teshuva). For indeed, Knesset Yisrael is called teshuva. And he is the “Master of Teshuva.” The ancients said, “[he is] an actual master of Teshuva.” For this reason the sages said, “A perfectly righteous man cannot even stand in the place of greatness where the Baal Teshuva stands.” Even an inkling thought of repentance is not lost from God, as the Zohar says (Terumah, 150b): No good intention is ever lost from before the Holy King. For this reason, fortunate is the man who entertains good thoughts for the sake of his Master! For even if he cannot bring his them to fruition, God considers his intentions as if they had actually been accomplished. This is as it is said in the Zohar (Mishpatim, 99b): Everything in the world, no matter how small, has a place where it can stand and hide, a refuge to enter into and never be lost … These are the great powers of the Holy Supernal King, and nothing is lost. Even a fleeting breath has a place, and the God does with it that which He will. Even man’s slightest word is not in vain, for everything has a place. Even all of the pain that man suffers will not be ignored by God. God will comfort every soul that suffers. Since God knows the final purpose of everything, and that it is better for the creation to have been created than not. He shows this understanding to a person’s soul while he is still in potential, before he enters the world. Then the soul agrees that it is better for him to be created, as it is written in the Zohar (Vayehi, 233b): But come and see! Before they descend into the world, all the souls that exist from the very first day of creation stand before God, in the very form that they will take on after they come into the world. They stand above in a body that looks just like the body they will enter. When the time comes for this soul to descend into the world, the soul stands before the Holy One, blessed be He, in the exact form it will take on when it enters the world. At this time, God has the soul swear that it will keep the commandments of the Torah, and not transgress the statutes of the Torah. From where do we derive that the soul stands in this way before God? As it is written (Melachim 1, 17:1), “I swear by the Living God, whom I stood before…” God shows the soul its entire structure, his characteristics, abilities, and even its physical attributes. The soul agrees to it all, down to the last detail. From man’s point of view, it is difficult to understand how the soul could agree to all of the pain it will have to endure in this world. Before the soul descends into this world it has not yet sinned, so why doesn’t it stay safely where it is, before it has to incur punishment? Why would it intentionally enter a world where it has no choice but to suffer?
It is explained in the Zohar (Vayeishev, 181a): Rabbi Shimon opened and said. “He shall not go to the veil or come near the altar.” (Vayikra, 21:23, in reference to a blemished Cohen.) At the time when the river runs forth, it brings all souls to the female. The female becomes pregnant. They are all within her, in a room within a room whose walls are covered with tapestries. The souls themselves are pure and holy. Yet since they emerged at the time when the moon is blemished from the influence of the Serpent, then wherever the souls reach they are broken and blemished with various pains and afflictions. God wants these souls in all of their sadness and all of their brokenness. This is the secret. They exist below as they are above; the body is blemished, and the soul within is just as it is above, one according to the other. Because this is so, they need to be renewed with the renewal of the moon. On this it is written (Yeshayahu, 66), “On each new moon and each new Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship Me, says the Lord.”
Here Rabbi Shimon explains the nature of the cries and tears of the downtrodden. The Cohen who is disqualified from serving in the Holy Temple due to one of the blemishes mentioned in the Torah has grievances against God for being cast away from being included in the service of G-d, for he is forbidden to serve in the Temple. It is impossible to say that he is blemished from birth at the core of his soul, for then he he would be forbidden from eating from tithes and sacrifices. It is only a Halal – a Cohen who married a divorcee – who is forbidden from eating of the sacrifices, and whose offspring no longer have the status of Cohanim. Yet a blemished Cohen is allowed to eat tithes and sacrifices, and his children are full-fledged Cohanim. It is only that he is forbidden from entering into the Temple and performing the holy service.
What is the meaning of eating “kodesh” – the meat of the Temple sacrifices? It means that a person eats a holy substance that is absorbed in his body. When he serves G-d with the energy he gained from that food, the food itself is elevated. One could argue that for a person who is blemished at the core of his soul, the prohibition of eating kodesh should be greater than for entering the Temple grounds. Eating the kodesh will cause greater destruction than treading on holy ground, since the food is absorbed in his body, and he can use its energy to do whatever he wants, whether good or evil. If he decides to use the power of the kodesh to do something evil, he drags the holy power of the food down to the lowest of levels. In the case of a blemished individual entering the Temple, the holiness surrounds him, and he cannot damage the force of holiness to such a great extent. The essence of Rabbi Shimon’s solution is that blemished Cohen is not at all blemished at the core of his soul. Rather, out of his great love for God, he willingly accepted this blemished state even before he was created – to undergo a process of purification and to endure suffering. This is as the Zohar says, “God wants these souls in all of their sadness and all of their brokenness.” That is to say, the suffering soul wants to be pushed out to the furthermost place, to be clothed in a garment that is furthest from the Divine source, and to suffer greatly, for by serving God in the dark, concealed place, he magnifies and sanctifies the Glory of Heaven. This passage in the Zohar concludes: “From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord” (Yeshayahu, 66:23) “All flesh,” precisely. They will be completely rejuvenated, and need to be renewed in the renewal of the moon. They are in a constant partnership with the moon, sharing her blemish. For this reason, she dwells constantly within them, never leaving them. This is as it is said (Yeshayahu, 57:15), “I dwell with the downtrodden and broken of spirit.” And it is written (Tehillim, 34:19), “God is close to the broken hearted.” Since they suffer the same blemish as the moon, they are always close to her. Therefore, in order to bring new life to the broken hearted, they will have a portion of that life that will be renewed. The ones that suffer together with her shall be renewed together with her. This is called the suffering of love. This suffering is born of the soul’s love, and not from the man himself. It is out of love, for the light of the small love is blemished and pushed away from great love.
Chapter 22
The Blemish of the Moon.
Continuing with the image of the moon, as symbolizing creation in its current, deficient state, the author recalls themes that he discussed much earlier in the work – that G-d is best served from a place of lack and deficiency, as he stated previously: “There is no light but that which emerges from darkness.” The soul, like the moon, willingly limits itself to enter this dark world, yet only from here, can it truly shine. With this, R. Gershon Hanokh begins to close his argument: the world of darkness and concealment is not an absolutely negative state. It is the setting out of which revelation emerges. As such, it is an indispensable step to revelation. Seeing through the eyes of faith not only means seeing the good in the darkness, but seeing how the darkness itself is part of the larger plan. This redeeming vision is at present hidden from our eyes (and thus, the need for faith), but will be revealed in the world-to-come.
The blemish of the moon reflects the deficiency that God programmed into the very fabric of creation. God saw the necessity for such a deficiency in order to give man the possibility of serving Him. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Tetsave, 184a): Man only serves God from amidst darkness… This is as it is written (Yeshayahu, 48), “You are called a criminal from the womb.” God concealed the good that results from this type of service until the final redemption, to that special day known only to Him. This is as it is written in the Talmud (Shevuot, 9a) concerning the goat offered of the new moon (Bamidbar, 28:15), “‘And one goat for a sin offering for God.’ Why does the verse here say, ‘for God,’ which is not said after other offerings? It is as if God is saying, ‘Bring a sacrifice for Me, in order to atone for My own sin of diminishing the moon!’” It is hinted at here that a person should not complain angrily to God, but rather, should accept everything with love. This is what the Zohar meant when it quoted the verse, ““from new moon to new moon… all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.” The word, “flesh,” hints at the deficiency which exists in the very nature of the creation, as the Talmud states (Sotah, 5a), “the word, ‘flesh – basar,’ is an acronym for ‘busha – shame,’ ‘sruha – stench,’ ‘rima –worm.’” Thus, “flesh” is the root of all deficiencies. Yet, the future renewal will be built from this deficiency and raised up out of this shame. This is as our passage in the Zohar continues (Tetsave, 184a): He opened and said (Yeshayahu, 52:13), “Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and he shall be very high.” Fortunate is the portion of the righteous to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals the way of the Torah and how to live by it! Come and see how this verse is a sublime mystery. “My servant shall prosper,” has been explained. Yet come and see! When God created the world, He created the moon, and then made her light smaller. In this way, she would not have any light of her own. Since she made herself smaller, she only reflects the light she receives from the sun and the power of the supernal luminaries. In the days of the Holy Temple, Israel was assiduous in bringing sacrifices together with all the other services performed by the Cohanim, Levi’im, and Israelites. Their service wove bonds of union and caused an intense illumination. After the Temple was destroyed, the lights were darkened, and the moon no longer shined from the light of the sun. Ever since the sun withdrew from her, the days are fraught with curses, affliction, and pain. But of the time when the moon will shine with her original light, it is said of her, “Behold, my servant shall prosper.” This is the mystery of emunah (faith). At that time, there will be an awakening in the upper realms, like someone who, upon catching a sweet scent, wakes up and looks out at the world. “He shall be exalted,” from the side of the most exalted of luminaries. And as in the verse (Yeshayahu, 30:18), “And He will be exalted that He may have mercy upon you.” “Lifted up,” is from the side of Avraham. “He shall be (very) high,” is from the side of Yitzhak. Whereas “very” is from the side of Yaakov. in the mystery of wisdom. At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will cause an awakening on high in order to allow the moon to shine in her full splendor, as it is written (Yeshayahu, 30:26), “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days.” For this reason, an exalted spirit will be added to the moon which will rouse the dead who sleep in the dust. This is the meaning of “My servant,” who has the key of the Master in his hand.
The blemish of the moon represents the point of Divine Sovereignty that wanted to descend to the lowest of levels, so that there is the potential for serving G-d through concealment and free choice. This is hinted when the Talmud says (Hullin, 60b), “The Holy One told her: Go and make yourself smaller,” and not that “God made the moon smaller.” God only gave the moon a piece of good advice, telling her that she would benefit from making herself smaller. This reduction follows the desire of the creation, which wanted this state of concealment in order to later be worthy of a very great illumination, as is explained in the passage of the Zohar quoted above. An intensely precious light hides in this point of concealment, since the end of the attributes is wedged in the beginning and chief of all attributes. Therefore the moon displayed incredibly brazenness, in order to say at first that she did not want to enter into a state of concealment, but rather receive light directly from the source without any diminution of the light by means of a system of filtration in the upper worlds. The act of receiving the light of the sun teaches how man receives light through Divine service and constriction (tzimtzum). The Zohar explains that the only way that man can completely connect to God is if he receives the Infinite light through the Divine service. We see this in the moon. When the moon is in the time of the, “ingathering” (the new moon), she stands facing the sun, receiving light from nearby. At this time, when she is closest to the sun, she does not illuminate the world. At the time of, “opposition” (the full moon), she is at the farthest position from the sun, and only receives the light over a great distance. Yet, she shines a full illumination to the world.
The Zohar (Emor, 100b) teaches us that the completion of the Divine service on Rosh Hashanah comes fifteen days later with the festival of Succot. On Rosh Hashanah, which falls on the new moon, the light of the moon is covered. Ten days later, on Yom Kippur, the moon is not yet full. This means that on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur the moon is still close to the sun, receiving her light at points closer to the source. This is as it is said (Ibid.): Rabbi Abba sent a question to Rabbi Shimon asking, “When is the union of Knesset Yisrael (the Shekhina) with the Holy King?” He sent back to him, “(As Avraham said of Sarah:) Indeed she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife.” (Bereshit, 20:12) This is explained: “On the covering of the day of our festival.” (Tehillim, 81:4) On this day the moon is covered… And it illuminates everything with the light of repentance… Come and See! On this day the moon is covered, and does not shine until the tenth of the month, on Yom Kippurim… Why is the name of the day of Atonement voiced in the plural (Kippurim – Atonements)? It is because on this day, two lights shine as one. The upper luminary shines to the lower luminary. And on this day the upper luminary shines, and not from the light of the sun. God established the service for Israel according to the seasons, each time according to its system. Therefore, by Yom Kippur the Divine service has not yet been completed, to unite God’s will with the service of Israel. Since on the tenth of the month the moon is not yet full, therefore the Divine service cannot yet be totally complete. For this reason, the Divine service performed by Israel on Yom Kippur is through restraint and afflictions. This is evinced in how the moon does not yet fully receive the light of the sun, since it still too close to the source. On Succot, however, when the moon is full, the Divine service is fulfilled through active service, through the joy of the festival and all of its delights. Then the Divine service is truly complete. This is as it is written in the Midrash (Kohellet, 4), “Man’s desire is to work and receive the fruits of his labors.” When man receives, he wants to have earned his reward by his own efforts. In this way he doesn’t suffer the shame of receiving an undeserved gift.
Look closely into the following Zohar (Balak, 197a): Because of her great faithfulness, which is without blemish, she receives without hindrance whatsoever. After all that she has gathered has come to her, she stops, containing the effluence, delaying it, so it only descends and shines like the dew. And so, the root of creation was content in reducing itself. And even though it possesses a great strength, as its source is in a very high place, it is even more pleased to receive the Divine effluence through a filter, which is the service that Israel performs when God’s presence is concealed. This is as it is written (Zohar Hadash, Midrash Ne’elam, Bereshit, 15b): Rabbi Yossi son of Rabbi Shimon ben Laqunya went to see his son in law, Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon. Upon arriving, his daughter took Rabbi Yossi’s hands to kiss them. He said to her, “Go and make yourself small unto your husband, as he is holy.” Rabbi Elazar exclaimed, “Now I remember a precious word of Torah concerning the moon!” He said, “We have learned that God said to the moon, ‘Go and make yourself small,’ because the moon had thought that God had given her the power to rule.” His father in law said, “I too have heard this. And so it is arranged in my heart, in order that I do not transgress the opinion of my companions.” This is the ultimate parable about the diminishment of the moon. Even though a woman’s home is prestigious, and she is able to exert power based upon her background, from the source of her own family. She could have asked for and received anything she needed from her home. Yet, she was well advised to conceal this strength, and to submit to her husband. For even though she could receive great bounty from her own source, it is only through her husband that she can give birth and bring renewal into the world.
So it is, with all of the levels until the highest of all heights. Though the angels are great and lofty, ever gazing into the light of the face of the King, still they are called, “standing,” as it is written (Zekharia, 3:7), “Then I will give you a place to walk among these (angels) that stand.” Angels are called, “standing,” because they always stand on one level. And the people of Israel are called, “walking,” because they always proceed from level to level. Therefore the creation was content in receiving the light through a filter, despite the inevitability that this will lead to suffering.
Chapter 23
Life’s a Dream – Facing Suffering.
The author now heartens those who experience poverty and suffering in this world, reminding them of the great benefit it accrues them in the world-to-come. For while no one would willingly accept suffering while in this life, each person did indeed accept it as his lot before entering the world. From the soul’s perspective, life in this world is as fleeting as a dream, and sometimes, as awful as a nightmare. Yet, its duration is always brief, and it is worth bearing, if one has faith in the benefits he will receive upon awakening in the world-to-come – a reality totally different than our present one.
A person should not find the idea difficult that he was created with his own consent, and that he should accept upon himself suffering. Indeed, the world holds the opposite view, and people prefer immediate physical gratification over patience and constraint – even when they know that they will be rewarded for the latter in the world-to-come.
However, although the above idea is true, after the soul descends into the darkness of this world, it begins to desire everything, as one’s inner drives make a person feel lacking and empty. A person becomes jealous upon seeing that his fellow is blessed with abundance, while he remains unsated. And he experiences great shame before the wealthy, whose words are heeded solely because they prosper, while no one cares what he thinks or feels. He does not see, however, the anger and pain that prosperity brings the wealthy. Really, the roar and tumult of the world is a terrible thing, for it does not allow a person the peace of mind necessary to think about life. If only a person were given the choice to be sent to a faraway place, where no one knows him and he would not be ashamed of his poverty. If he were given the power to choose the right path for his life, he would then see things clearly, and not feel the dismay and distractions experienced by those who are spoiled by ephemeral abundance. How much pain and hardship comes from all of this good! How much terror does one reap from all of these matters! A person afflicted with abundance lacks the peace of mind to build him home, and pitch his tent with surety. He misses the mark of his true purpose in the world. This could be from the pain of others jealousy saddled upon him, causing him to hate his fellow man, leading to anger and agony. It could be from the strife of the spirit he feels by never being satisfied and never feeling that he truly has enough. He is infected by one-usmanship, and compelled to surpass his betters. This is as the famous saying of the Talmud, “A man never dies with the feeling that he has attained even half of his desires.” If he has made a million dollars, he wants two million. And the desire for two million is nothing compared to the cancerous desire for a billion. This harrowing desire brings on madness, his mind is lost in the vortex of wanting more and more. It is incomparable to the disturbance felt by one who desires something minute.
And therefore, if you were to show a person both situations before he descends into the darkness, while his mind is still clear and has not yet been clouded by worldly harassment, then the choice is obvious. He will choose to make do with little, as it will afford him peace of mind and soul, and he will reject the wanton desire for wealth, as it will bring him pain and stress. For it is indeed so, that if only man were to chose to live by his faith and make do with little, as opposed to dedicating his life to seeking pleasure, then he will not possess a hint of arrogance. All the more so if he is sure that his state of deprivation is only temporary, and that he will soon return to the source from whence he was hewn, to eternal calm and never-ending delight.
Therefore, even if one is beset by great pains and agonies (may God save all of His people Israel from them and give them only good, salvation, and comfort!), even to the extent where it is said in the Talmud (Eruvin, 41) that suffering can make a person go mad and break ways with God, still, this should not contradict the teaching of the Sages in the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah, 11a) that all creatures were created by their own agreement, and with full knowledge of their form and character. For what is the whole life of this world, “seventy years of hard labor and sorrow,” in comparison to the eternal life of the world-to-come? It is truly like a dream before waking reality. Yet even this comparison is made just in order to present an analogy that can be easily understood. For there is no way to compare this world and the eternal world-to-come. Though there is a great difference between a dream and conscious reality, still, dreams exist in time. And even though dreams are for a brief moment in comparison to the passage of time in conscious reality, still, they do occupy a portion of time. This is not so with the ephemeral world in comparison to the eternal world-to-come. One cannot be compared to the other whatsoever, and they have no way of being joined together in any way or part. This is because that which is limited cannot be joined to that which is limitless.
In order to make this clear, consider the comparison of dreaming to being awake. For a short moment while a man is asleep, he may dream of the seventy years of his life. In the dream his life is filled with great pains and hardships. Throughout the dream, he has the overall feeling of regret that he was created to undergo such suffering. Clearly, he thinks, it would have been much easier if he were never created. But consider the following modification of his dream. If in his dream he manages to overcome his feelings of regret, and refrains from angrily criticizing God treatment of him, but rather, accepts all that he experiences with love, then, when he wakes from his sleep, will attaing great good, wondrous bliss, and immeasurable success. Yet if he feels wronged in his dream, and does not accept the suffering with love, then besides the suffering he feels in the dream, when he wakes, he will suffer punishment and pain from so much hardship.Now we see how there are different approaches according to one’s individual character. One man is content to endure great suffering and misfortune in the dream. He considers it a good choice, and accepts it all with love and a willing heart. He girds his soul so as to not fall off the good path. He willingly and bravely puts himself in the peril of suffering in order to achieve the awesome good at the time of awakening. Yet another man doesn’t want to take the risk and the responsibility it entails, and would rather be satisfied with the lesser good during the dream, with no promise of future reward. He chooses this over the promise of awesome good.
Now we can understand with complete clarity the words of the sages, “All creatures were created with their complete agreement, and with full knowledge of their form and character.” This is the way it is with souls before they descend into this world. Certain great and precious souls, when all of the future suffering and pain that they will endure for the Glory of Heaven is spelled out for them, accept it all out of their love for God. This is as it is said in the Talmud (Shabbat, 88b), “Our Rabbis taught, those who are insulted but do not insult, hear themselves reviled without responding, act through love and rejoice in suffering, of them it is written (Shoftim, 5:31), ‘Those who love Him are as the sun when He goes forth in His might.’” And it is said further in the Zohar (Vayakhel, 198a): It is written (Tehillim, 146:5), “His hope (sivro) is in the Hashem his God.” It does not say tikvato (the normal word for hope.) And it does not say, “his trust” (bitchuno). But rather, “sivro.” The tzaddik would rather break himself (shivro) time after time, over Hashem his God. There are yet other souls who will not accept suffering and pain. And are thus created in a way that they will not suffer in the world, but rather, live lives of comfort, free from strife.
All that has been said is really just a way to begin to understand, because in reality you cannot compare the difference between ephemeral existence in this world and the eternal life in the world-to-come to the difference between dreaming and being awake. Yet according to the crude glimmer of understanding that comes with this analogy, the man of perfect faith will not be daunted by all the suffering and pain he experiences, and will certainly not condemn God for his treatment. Yet still, in this garment, in his state of being in the world, he will feel that it would have been easier if he were never to have been created. Yet if he searches his heart and strengthens his faith, he will know that all his feelings of regret at his very creation were quite clear to him and accepted before he was created. He was told that he would regret having descended into the world in this way, and it would be easier for him never to have been created, and still he chose to go ahead and enter the world despite the suffering. All the more so, the man of perfect faith knows and trusts that God constantly takes care of His creations, and God’s plan insures that no soul would every be pushed irrecoverably into exile. In this he knows that it is truly better to have been created than not to have been created, and that all he suffers is for his own good. He knows that God will comfort him from all his agony. Even if it seems to him that there are things so terrible that God could not console him over them, he reaches to a greater depth in his faith, and knows that God can illuminate him with a mind so clear as to see how he can be completely consoled and comforted for everything, and all tribulations will turn into consolations. Such a man cannot condemn God’s handling of his life, and will even laud the highest of praises over his Creator, knowing that God created him in order to witness the power of His greatness and wonders in everything he experiences in his life, at every moment. This is as the saying of the sages, “Let the entire soul (neshama) praise God (Tehillim, 150:6) He shall praise God over each and every breath (neshima).”
Chapter 24
Transforming Consciousness – Teshuvah and the Way of Torah
In the previous chapter, the author explained the ultimate benefit derived from suffering. Here, the author explains that such a position is primarily important to one who has already experience hardship in life. However, suffering can be avoided through prayer and repentance. Similar to the author’s discussion of miracles (chap. …, above), in which he explains how faith in the higher order of reality can actually draw that level into the world, in the form of a miracle, so too, deep faith in G-d, expressed through prayer and repentance, not only change a person’s understanding that everything that happens is for the best, but can actually influence reality, drawing G-d’s beneficent will down into the world, so that the person only experiences G-d’s loving-kindness. In Kabbalistic terms, repentance uplifts a person with the Sefirah of Binah, which leads a person to the next highest Sefirah of Hokhmah – the knowledge that everything is for the best, and from there to Keter, which is G-d’s transcendent will that everything should actually be for the best. He ends the chapter by explaining how the simple performance of the Torah’s commandments can initiate this entire process, even for one who does not necessarily believe deeply in the Torah.
All that we have said until now pertains only that which has passed. Whereas concerning the future, God has given us the good approach of repentance and prayer. He has made it possible for every person to return to Him and receive His mercy, and to be blessed with all kinds of goodness, even in this world. Through the power of repentance and prayer, even harsh decrees that are upon him will be transformed into good. This is because complete repentance and prayer, born out of one’s earnest faith, enables a person to cleave to the source of life, which is a place above all revealed attributes, and is a place of total compassion. From this place, a person receives all salvation and blessings. As our Rabbis have explained, and as the Baal Shem Tov said, if man can find the heart to believe that the greatest good is clothed within the suffering, then the evil itself will be transformed into good. It is also written in the Zohar (Nasso, Idra Rabbah Kadisha, 143b): “There is no judgment that does not contain mercy.” This is because at the source, God directs everything for the good, and governs all with done loving-kindness. This is as it is written (Tehillim, 52:3), “God’s loving-kindness is at every moment,” because every moment is conducted through God’s love. If a person does not see this, it is only because his heart is far from God’s light, as it is written (Yeshayahu, 17), “Listen to me, you stone-hearted, far from righteousness.” If his heart is closed to God’s light, then God’s kindnesses are unattainably above him. Therefore we pray, “Tigmleynu hasadim tovim – Bestow good loving-kindnesses upon us.” For even though God conducts everything with loving-kindness, we don’t always realize this. Therefore, in order to know clearly how all of God’s actions manifest loving-kindness, we don’t just pray for “loving-kindness,” but for “good loving-kindness.” Meaning, we pray to clearly see how it is all good. For when a person comes close to God with complete faith, he reaches the source of love, where he cleaves to God to the point that Divine mercies will never leave him, and will draw him near even in this world.
It is written in the Midrash Rabbah (Esther, 4:1), “‘Then the king said to the wise men, who know the times’ (Esther, 1:13). Who are these wise men? Rabbi Simon said, ‘These were the tribe of Yissachar, as it says (Divrei HaYamim 1, 11:33), “And of the children of Yissachar, men that understood the times.” This means that they know how to heal the past.’” (This is the correct version of the Midrash, as opposed to the reading, “Who know how to heal the kiros – a skin disease). Even according to the version which reads, “kiros,” the intention is the same, because, “kiros,” also means, “the season,” and would thus mean, “they know how to heal the time.” The overall meaning is that by means of complete teshuva, a person reaches the place of Binah – Understanding. Two sources in the Tikkunei Zohar teach us that Binah – Understanding – is the source of the faith of Israel. In the Introduction, page 2, it says: The supernal Hokhmah – Wisdom is the father of emunah (faith), which is Binah – Understanding. And later (Tikkun 21, page 62a) it writes: Fortunate is the man who can guard this emunah (faith) in his heart and in his mouth, for surely it is the emunah of Israel and the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He! In this way, through teshuva, man reaches a place beyond time – to Binah, where the present, past, and future are equal, and so, he will automatically heal the past. The Zohar (Vayakhel, 207b) tells us that one who fasts on Shabbat is acquitted from a sentence of seventy years of suffering. According to Kabbalah, the entire order of governance goes through the seven Sefirot of the world’s construction, from Hesed – Loving-kindness, to Malkhut – Sovereignty. But when one fasts on Shabbat he reaches the light which is higher than the order of the world’s construction. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Terumah, 165b): Fortunate is the man who sheds tears before the Holy One, blessed be He, in his prayer. Similar to this, for the one who fasts on Shabbat out of his pain and sorrow, since Shabbat is governed by a lofty plane of existence which is pure joy and brings joy to all. Then he comes under its influence, and is released from any harsh decrees that are upon him. The entire world is governed through the Sefirot. The Zohar (Bereshit, 22b) says, “I bring death and life. (Devarim, 32:39) – through the Sefirot.” The source of the light which governs on Shabbat is higher than the Sefirot.
This is as it is said in the Tikkunei Zohar (21, page 62a): Fortunate is the man who can guard this emunah (faith) in his heart and in his mouth!
Even though it seems that a person follows his wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, still, it is the will within the attributes that truly leads man, and the heart that directs the brain. A person’s will directs his opinion. This is clearly seen in the way that a person inner character traits influence his opinion and the way he thinks. This will also determine how he teaches his children and all those he seeks to help. Whereas, a person with evil qualities will instill these negative characteristics in his children, since in his mind, this is the correct path to follow. The Zohar puts it this way (Raya Mehamna, Parshat Tsav, 28b): It is written (Bereshit, 2:6), “And a mist went up from the earth,” and immediately afterward it says, “and it watered the entire face of the earth.” In this way, fumes wake up in Binah – Understanding – which is the heart, as we have learned, “The heart understands.” Then the ascends to Hokhmah – Wisdom, which is in the brain. Therefore, when one instills emunah in his heart, the heart then awakens the mind and its thoughts to understand even that which is above its perception. One should not say, “How can I establish faith in my heart, believing in that which transcends my mind, since the human mind can only understand that which the senses perceive, and that which is not based on empirical perception, the mind cannot understand.”
Yet, this is not so. For the intentions of a person’s heart can reach the place where he understands and knows even that which is beyond the scope of his senses. Consider the following dispute in the Talmud (Megillah, 24b) between Rabbi Yehuda and the Sages, about whether a congenitally blind person can recite the blessing before the Shema, “Blessed is God, who fashioned the luminaries.” Rabbi Yehuda said that the blind person should not say the blessing (as he never saw light), whereas the sages responded that many people envisioned the Divine Chariot well enough to expound upon it, though they never actually saw it with the physical eye. Rabbi Yehuda answered that knowledge of the Divine Chariot depends upon the heart’s understanding, as a person can meditate upon it and come to know it. But the blessing over light is said over the benefit derived from actually seeing light. This teaches affirms that the meditations of the heart can bring a person to perceive that which his senses cannot grasp. Gazing upon the Divine Chariot is compared to the sight of the blind. Just as the blind person does not have the sense of sight, so too, man does not have the sense of understanding needed to glimpse the Divine Chariot. Nonetheless, the Talmud says, “It depends on the heart’s understanding, as a person can meditate upon it and come to know it,” even though it lies beyond his ability to grasp. So too, with the blind; if the issue did not revolve around the benefit he derived from light light, he would also be permitted to say the blessing over it, because he too can grasp the sense of sight through the meditations of the heart. Rav Saadia Gaon wrote in the introduction to Emunot Ve’Deot, that through the mind, one can perceive that which lies beyond his senses. Indeed, through the meditations of the heart one can know that which is beyond the power of his senses. Therefore, each person can instill the pure faith in God in his heart, and reach that which is above his grasp.
The Torah and its laws are advice that enable a person to firmly set faith in his heart. The Zohar (Yitro, 82b) calls the 613 commandments, “613 pieces of advice.” What exactly do the commandments advise? For the love and fear of God, faith and trust in Him, and His oneness are already present in the torah. Rather, they are called “advice” because through the general fulfillment of the Torah and its commandments, a person can permanently fix the faith in God in his heart, which will never falter. A person should not ask, “How can I even start, for I do not even believe in the Torah or its laws?” For this reason, God gave the Torah and the positive and negative commandments to Israel, so that by simply fulfilling them, with all the “garments” of the laws, he will set faith in his heart, and will see with perfect clarity that God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, whose providence extends to the minutest details of creation. And the more a person accepts and builds fences around the law, out of his growing love for the Torah and its mitzvot, the more the light that is in it will refine his heart and illuminate his eyes to the inner nature of the Torah, as the Zohar says (Vayeitse, 154b): From this we learn how through the revealed Torah, one arrives at the hidden mysteries of the Torah. The more one increases in his knowledge of the inner mysteries of the Torah, the more his faith will be strengthened in every detail of his Torah observance.
Chapter 25
Conclusion
The author concludes his work with words of hope and a blessing.
Based on all that we have seen, “We now know how to run after the knowledge of God, for His presence is prepared as the morning.” And for this declaration, God answers us, saying, “for Israel, I shall be as the dew. She shall bloom as the rose, and cast her roots as the great trees of Lebanon.” All of this is “the beginning of wisdom, which is the fear of God,” leading all who fulfill the Torah to good understanding and to sing God’s praises, which stand forever.
Blessed is God who has helped me to complete my father’s work, the “Beit Yaakov on Sefer Bereshit,” with my introduction, “The Gate to the House of Jacob,” today, the first day of the week, the third day of the month of Adar, the very day that the Second Temple was completed. This is the day that the words of the Torah were made clear to Israel, in direct letters (“ktav yosher”), which is the ashuritic script (“ktav ashurit”) and the holy Hebrew tongue.
[It is written in the Talmud (Sanhedrin, 22b), “Mar Zutra, and some say Mar Ukva, said, the Torah was originally given to Israel in the Hebrew script and the holy Hebrew tongue, and it was again given to them in the days of Ezra in the Ashuritic script and in the Aramaic language. The Israelites finally chose to write the Torah in the holy Hebrew tongue and in the Ashuritic script.” It is clear from the verse in Ezra, chapter 6, that this choice was made on the third day of the month of Adar, for the book of Ezra is written in Aramaic up until chapter 6, verse 7, where it mentions that the Second Temple was completed on that very day, and then immediately from then on it continues only in Hebrew, except for fifteen verses in chapter 7.]
And now, for the sake of our brothers and friends, who tremble at the word of God, seeking the Torah and loving its wisdom, I will now say, “Peace unto the lovers of God’s Torah!” Come, House of Yaakov, and you will walk in the light of God, may God be with us as He was with our forefathers, He shall not forsake us and He shall not forget us. He shall forever lead us by peaceful waters, our rest shall be in our very progression from strength to strength, to ascend the ladder fixed in the ground which rises to Heaven! As for our revilers, who ask why we bother to invest so much contemplation into the Torah until our strength is exhausted? Who claim that the simple explanations of the written and oral Torah is enough. To them, I will offer noble words which draw the heart of man. Come and consider, see and behold! Taste and see that God is good to those who yearn for their souls to be restored by His perfect Torah. Those who contemplate it in the depths of their hearts will see and understand that those who taste its depths will merit life. These are the things that man will do and through them he shall live for eternity. Do you not see now that the house of Yaakov is faithful and the house of Yosef is your provider? From the time the house was established, he has been faithful to sustain Israel with every word that comes out of the mouth of God upon which man lives. This shall cast away those who say that they have no portion in Yaakov and no inheritance in the house of Yosef. Their ways are crooked and they pervert the explanations of the Torah, hanging their misunderstandings like a lyre, preaching all of their logic which has no basis in God’s Torah, not in the words of the Tanaaim and Amoraim of the oral law, and all that they imagine they hang on a great tree asserting, “This is the meaning of the Torah.” For these, the House of Yaakov will be a fire and the House of Yosef like a flame! They will see and learn. They will see how to reveal the Torah of God from the plain meaning of the words, for are not His words like fire, and all who desire its light with truth and faith can come and warm themselves? And likewise, as a flame it will burn all those who learn Torah in order to vex the scholars of the mysteries, and who wear it as a crown and wield it as an axe. And now, House of Yaakov, walk in the light of God and come home. See and understand that all the words of the Torah written in this book are needed for every man of Israel, in every place and every time. And how all of the events recorded in the Torah can illuminate every soul and instruct him how to sustain his life and all that he goes through with justice. For the words of the Torah are living and enduring for all eternity. All who contemplate the Torah grasp onto the tree of life, and it is life for those who hold onto it. May God illuminate our eyes to His Torah, and place His love and fear in our hearts, in order to do His will, and to serve Him with a whole heart.
Just has God has given me the merit to finish this volume on Sefer Bereshit and bring it to light, I pray that he give me the merit to begin and complete all the teachings that I have received from my holy fathers and masters, and may I be able to help all who enter into this precious study to know the living God and in this way succeed in all of their endeavors. May we be given the right to magnify the Torah and show its honor, and may we merit seeing our children and our children’s children engaged in the Torah and it’s mitzvot, peace upon all of Israel! May God be with us as he was with our forefathers, never leaving us and never forgetting us, Amen!
Today, the first day of the week, the third day of the month of Adar, in the year 5650 (1890), in the city of Warsaw.
An exposition of the idea of Divine Providence
(From the Tiferet Ha-Hanokhi of Rabbi Gershon Henoch of Radzin, Parshat Vayeira.)
The views of God’s providence on creation are well known.
1.) As the Rambam teaches us in the Guide (third section, chapter 17), the most incorrect view in this matter is that of the heretics who claim that God exercises no providence whatsoever over existence, but rather, the world runs purely by chance, and all that happens is merely accidental. This view is rooted in the Primordial Serpent (in the Garden), which brings darkness and obscurity to the world. In the Beit Yaakov on Parshat Bereshit (64-65), the holy Rav explains that throughout the verses of creation in the beginning of the Torah, the name YHVH (the Tetragrammaton) is not mentioned until the creation of man. Prior to this, only the name Elo-him is used. However, the beginning of the Serpent’s incitement lay in concealing the name YHVH, for when he began to speak to Eve, he said, “Did Elo-him say that you shall not eat from every tree in the garden?” This is because the name Elo-him alludes the governance of nature, as we are taught in the writings of the Arizal, that the name Elo-him is the numerical equivalent of word, “nature (hateva).” It is written in the Zohar (Parshat Mishpatim, 108b), “For now, the name Elo-him is not connected to the sacrifice, for if it was, how many elohim aherim (false gods) would sprout ears and join there!” Meaning to say, the Serpent concealed the name YHVH, because it alludes to God’s presence that shines through every garment. This light was concealed through the Serpent’s incitement, and from then on, it looked as if the world was run by chance. It is written in the Zohar (Pekudei, 244b), “The sixth level is called, ‘the foreskin.’ This and all levels below it are all called, ‘foreskin,’ because they draw their power from this aspect. This is within the secret of the bar-like serpent, (nahash bariah, referring to the masculine force of evil), which nurses the crooked serpent (nahash alkalaton – its female).’”
This is akin to the foreskin which covers the brit milah, which conceals the light. The root of the Serpent includes the three klipot (husks, forces of evil) seen in the prophet Yehezkel’s vision of the Chariot, the storm wind (ruah sa’arah), the great cloud (anan), and the burning fire (eish mitlakahat). The final letters of these three kelipot (anaN, ruaH, eiSH) spell the word snake (nahash). This is because every kelipah that contains a great power of concealment touches the source of the Serpent.
2.) The second view is that of the Moslem sect of the Asha’riah, who claim that everything is God’s will, and that nothing created has any volition whatsoever, that everything that happens is only a result of God’s decree. They assert that wisdom is totally hidden from man. Within this view there are different opinions. Some of them will say that even a lack of action is also created by individual providence at every moment. At the root of their view is that nothing in the world has anything to do with the action it produces, the writer is not writing, the pen is not a writing instrument, nothing physical ever acts. The final force in everything is God. They claim that there is no action that produces a result. Every minute detail is constantly coming from God, and everyone’s abilities and actions are constantly being created.
Just as every motion is created at every instant, so is the absence of action created. Thus death is not the absence of life and darkness is not the absence of light (since absence is itself a creation.) For a living being, life is newly created at every moment, and for the dead, God also creates the state of death at every instance. The present is not the present, but it is constantly being renewed. All is a result of God’s initial decree. For instance, the blackness of the color black is constantly being recreated every millisecond, as is the whiteness of white, or any color. The view adopted by the Asha’ariah is that the entire creation is a result of God’s initial will without any reason. See more on this in the Guide (Section Three, Chapter 17, and Section One, Chapter 73).
The Zohar, Bereshit 22b, calls this position the governance of the “Eelat al kol ha’eelot,” or the “Cause of all causes.” See also the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 67 (Page 98b) which says, “In the place of Atzilut (the World of Emanation) there is no sin and no death.”.
3.) According to the other branch of Asha’ariah philosophy, created beings have a limited ability to act and have power in their actions. God is all-knowing, and man can effect actions. It seems that according to their view, every action is really coming from God, it is just that man can use the power of resistance to constrain the action. This idea is found in the Talmud (Sanhedrin, 94b) when it discusses Sancherib, king of Assyria. This view of providence is the root of the kelipah of Assyria. This is why those who adhere to this philosophy are called Asha’ariah, as it comes from the kelipah of Assyria. According to the Talmud, Sancherib thought that his victory was absolutely ordained by God. Yet indeed man has the ability to limit or prevent the action. It follows, then, that man can increase the length of his life and coerce the power of action as he wishes. This philosophy contains aspects of the Asha’ariah, and aspects of the Mu’tazilites. This philosophy contends that man has no power to serve God, and that there is no place for the service of God. Similarly, according to this view, there is no punishment for going against God’s will.
This view is similar to that of the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah, 19), where the Serpent incites man to sin by claiming that all later created beings rule over all earlier created ones. Since man was created last, he rules over all. According to this, absence, which is the opposite of existence, is in man’s control. Therefore, when man eats (the fruit), he will impose a limit so that nothing else will be created.
4.) It is the view of the Mu’tazilites that man has a limited power to act as he chooses, yet everything that happens are not the result of man’s actions. It is only God who knows what will happen, and all acts of God are a result of His wisdom. This depth of God’s wisdom, however, is hidden from man, and we have no way of knowing it. Still, everything is for the good. This view contains many contradictions which are pointed out in the Guide (Section Three, Chapter 17, and Section One, Chapter 73).
Some of the Mu’tazilites say that there is no absence unto itself in any situation. They would say that darkness is not the absence of light, but is itself a special creation. So too, the lack of immobility is itself created and is not the absence of motion. However, they contend that there are forms of absence that do not exist, like weariness, which is the absence of strength, or stupidity, which is the absence of wisdom. Also according to this philosophy, everything is drawn from God’s hidden wisdom.
5.) Aristotle’s view is that certain things in the world are controlled by Divine providence, arranged and led by a guiding force, whereas other things are left up to chance. Divine providence extends to and ends with the sphere of the moon. This is part of his theory of the eternity of the universe, and that the world has necessary existence, just as a man must have a shadow. It is the nature of God’s relationship with his creation that His providence extends to the roots of things but not to their particulars.
In the third section of the Guide, chapter 23, the Rambam ascribes these views to Iyov and his friends. Iyov held Aristotle’s view, Eliphaz that of our Holy Torah, Bildad was like the Mu’tazilites and Tsofar like the Asha’riah.
The Rambam says that Elihu’s words were similar to the other speakers, except his claim that an angel can occasionally intercede to pray for man and thus help him, as it is written, “If there be an angel with him, an interpreter, among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness.” (Iyov, 33:29) A reading of the book of Iyov will show all of the above-mentioned views.
Indeed we find it written in the Zohar (176b), “We learn from this that one who is going to console a mourner needs to prepare his words in order that they will bring consolation. Iyov’s friends spoke words of truth, but said nothing to console him.” The Zohar says that they all spoke the truth, so we cannot say that these views on Divine providence are all philosophies totally foreign to the Torah. Indeed the Zohar proves also that Eliphaz’s view was not completely in harmony with the Torah, either. Elihu, however, did offer a solution to the problem of theodicy called “Tzaddik vetov lo, tzaddik verah lo – a righteous person who prospers, and a righteous person who suffers.” This is as the Zohar says (Pinchas, 116b), “Iyov was the son of a levirate marrage.” Elihu’s words enlightened Iyov to the depth of God’s governance of the world, as tte Zohar teaches, that the root and depth of God’s governance is hidden from man, yet from there, everything can be redeemed. From a straightforward understanding of the statements of Iyov’s friends, we do not see that they deny the idea of Divine reward and punishment. They only say that the depth of God’s wisdom is hidden. Their belief in Divine providence is that it exists in the root of the creation and the essence of existence, but still in these foreign views there is no necessity for reward and punishment. The centrality of reward and punishment is only in the Torah’s view.
The Zohar explains that with all of their words, none of Iyov’s friends managed to console him, and therefore, he did not accept what they said. It was only Elihu who managed to say something correctly, and therefore, his words were accepted. Iyov immediately attained a level of prophecy in which God answered him.
The erroneous beliefs are rooted in the powers that God dispensed to the nations. Each one holds grasps onto the external manifestation of these forces, when he sees that it contains a certain power unto itself. This is idolatry, as explained above. (See more on this in the Zohar, Parshat Mishpatim, page 108b.)
Israel’s portion and belief is summed up in the verse (Yermiyahu, 10:16), “The portion of Yaakov is not like them, for He forms all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord of Hosts is His name.” Israel believes in God, even though He appears to run the world in numerous contradictory ways. For example, sometimes God shows His supernal governance, where He awakens the initial benevolence of the creation of the world, which occurred without any initiatory gesture on the part of the creation, as it is written (Tehillim, 25:6), “Remember Your mercies and loving kindness, O God, for they have been as of old (from the very creation of the world).” Indeed, in the beginning there was nothing yet created that could wake up and inspire God’s response, so He created the world out of His pure will.
At other times God conducts the world through revealed governance, and there is a correspondence between the suffering endured and the reward. Sometimes it seems as if man has the power of choice, and at other times it is seen that the power of choice is taken away from him. This is as it is said in the Talmud (Pirkei Avot, 3:15), “Everything is foreseen, yet permission is given (for man to make his own choices).”
God’s justice decides when one form of governance or another takes effect in the world. Yet all derives from a single source, and no mode of governance contradicts another. God sees from the very beginning to the very end. He rules in totality and in every detail.