Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

“Love thy friend as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18)

Rabbi Akiva says, “This is a great rule [11]in the Torah.”

 

This statement of our sages demands explanation. The word Klal (collective/rule) indicates a sum of details that, when put together, form the above collective. Thus, when he says about the Mitzva, “love thy friend as thyself,” that it is a great Klal in the Torah, we must understand that the rest of the 612 Mitzvot (precepts) in the Torah, with all their interpretations, are no more and no less than the sum of the details inserted and contained in that single Mitzva (singular for Mitzvot), “love thy friend as thyself.”

This is quite perplexing, because you can say this regarding Mitzvot between man and man, but how can that single Mitzva contain all the Mitzvot between man and God, which are the essence and the vast majority of the laws?This statement of our sages demands explanation. The word Klal (collective/rule) indicates a sum of details that, when put together, form the above collective. Thus, when he says about the Mitzva, “love thy friend as thyself,” that it is a great Klal in the Torah, we must understand that the rest of the 612 Mitzvot (precepts) in the Torah, with all their interpretations, are no more and no less than the sum of the details inserted and contained in that single Mitzva (singular for Mitzvot), “love thy friend as thyself.”

2) And if we can still strain to find some way to reconcile these words, there comes before us a second saying, even more conspicuous, about a convert who came before Hillel (Shabbat 31) and told him: “Teach me the whole of the Torah while I am standing on one leg.” And he replied: “Anything that you hate, do not do to your friend” (the translation of “love thy friend as thyself”), and the rest is its commentary; go study.

Here before us is a clear law, that in all 612 Mitzvot and in all the writings in the Torah there is none that is preferred to the Mitzva, “love thy friend as thyself.” This is because they only aim to interpret and allow us to keep the Mitzva of loving others properly, since he specifically says – “the rest is its commentary; go study.” This means that the rest of the Torah is interpretations of that one Mitzva, that the Mitzva to love your friend as yourself could not be completed were it not for them.

3) Before we delve into the heart of the matter, we must observe that Mitzva, since we were commanded: “love thy friend as thyself.” The word ‘thyself’ tells us, “love your friend to the same extent you love yourself, not one bit less.” In other words, you must constantly and vigilantly satisfy the needs of every person in the Israeli nation, no less than you are always vigilant to satisfy your own needs.

This is utterly impossible, for not many can satisfy their own needs during their daily work, so how can you tell them to work to satisfy the wishes of the entire nation? And we couldn’t possibly think that the Torah exaggerates, for it warns us to not add or subtract, indicating that these words and laws were given with utter precision.

4) And if this is still not enough for you, I will tell you that the simple explanation of that Mitzva of loving your fellow person is even harsher, for we must put the needs of our friends before our own. It is as our sages wrote (Kidushin p 20) regarding the verse “because he is happy with thee” (Deuteronomy 15:16), regarding the Hebrew slave: “when sometimes he has but one pillow, if he lies on it himself and does not give it to his slave, he does not observe ‘because he is happy with thee,’ for he is lying on a pillow and the slave, on the ground. And if he does not lie on it, and does not give it to the slave, as well, it is Sodomite rule.” It turns out that, against his will, he must give it to his slave, while the master himself lies on the ground.

We also find the same rule in our verse about the measure of loving our fellow person, for here, too, the text compares the satisfaction of the friend’s needs to the satisfaction of one’s own needs, as with the example of “because he is happy with thee” regarding the Hebrew slave. Thus, here too, if he has but one chair and his friend hasn’t any, the law is that if he sits on it and does not give it to his friend, he breaks the Mitzva, “love thy friend as thyself,” since he is not fulfilling the needs of his friend as he fulfills his own.

And if he does not sit on it and also does not give it to his friend, it is as evil as Sodomite rule. Therefore, he must let his friend sit on it while he himself sits on the ground or stands. Clearly, this is the law regarding all the needs that one has, and one’s friend lacks. And now go and see if this Mitzva is in any way feasible.

5) We must first understand why the Torah was given specifically to the Israeli nation and not to all the peoples of the world equally. Is there, God forbid, nationalism involved here? Of course, only an insane person would think that. In fact, our sages have examined this question, and this is what they meant by their words (Avoda Zarah 2): “God gave it to every nation and tongue and they did not accept it.”

But what they find bewildering is why, then, were we called “the chosen people,” as it is written: “the Lord thy God has chosen thee” (Deuteronomy 7:6), since there was no other nation that wanted it? Moreover, there is a fundamental question in the matter: Can it be that the Creator came with His law in His hands to negotiate with those savage peoples? Such a thing has never been heard of and is completely unacceptable.

6) But when we fully understand the essence of the Torah and Mitzvot that were given to us, and their desired purpose, to the extent our sages have instructed us, which is the purpose of the great Creation that is set before our eyes, then we shall understand everything. For the first concept is that there is no act without a purpose. And there is no exception from this rule except for the lowest of the human species or infants. Therefore, it is certain that the Creator, whose exaltedness is beyond conception, would not act – be it a great or a small act – without a purpose.

Our sages tell us about that, that the world had not been created but for the purpose of keeping Torah and Mitzvot, meaning, as our sages have explained, that the aim of the Creator from the time He created His Creation is to reveal His Godliness to others. This is because the revelation of His Godliness reaches the creature as pleasant bounty that is ever growing until it reaches the desired measure.

And by that, the lowly rise with true recognition and become a chariot to Him, and to cleave unto Him, until they reach their final completion: “Neither has the eye seen a God beside thee” (Isaiah 64:3). And because of the greatness and glory of that perfection, the Torah and the prophecy, too, refrain from uttering even a single word of exaggeration here, as our sages said (Berachot 34), “All the prophets made their prophecies only for the days of the Messiah, but for the next world, neither has the eye seen a God beside thee.”

This perfection is expressed in the words of the Torah and the prophecy and in the words of our sages in the simple word, Dvekut (adhesion). But for the widespread use of this word by the masses, it has lost almost all its content. But if you linger on that word for even an instant, you will be overwhelmed by its wondrous stature, for you will picture the exaltedness of the Creator and the lowliness of the creature. Then you will be able perceive the value of Dvekut of one with the other, and you will understand why we ascribe that word the purpose of the whole Creation.

It turns out that the purpose of the whole Creation is that the lowly creatures will be able, by keeping Torah and Mitzvot, to rise ever upward, ever developing, until they are rewarded with Dvekut with their Creator.

7) But here come the Kabbalists and ask, why were we not created in this high stature of adhesion to begin with? What reason did He have to burden us with this labor of Creation and the Torah and the Mitzvot? And they replied: “He who eats that which is not his, is afraid to look at his face.” This means that one who eats and enjoys the labor of one’s friend is afraid to look at his face because by doing so he becomes increasingly humiliated until he loses his human form. And because that which extends from His wholeness cannot be deficient, He gave us room to earn our exaltedness by ourselves, through our work in Torah and Mitzvot.

These words are most profound and I have already explained them in my book, Panim Me’irot uMasbirot to the Tree of Life, Branch One, and in the book, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Inner Reflection, Part One. Here I will explain them briefly to make them understandable for all.

8) This matter is like a rich man who took a man from the market and fed him and gave him gold and silver and all desirables every day. And each day he showered him with more gifts than the day before. Finally, the rich man asked, “Do tell me, have all your wishes been fulfilled?” And he replied, “Not all of my wishes have been fulfilled, for how good and how pleasant it would be if all those possessions and precious things came to me through my own work, as they have come to you, and I would not be receiving the charity of your hand.” Then the rich man told him: “In this case, there has never been born a person who could fulfill your wishes.”

It is a natural thing, since on the one hand, he experiences greater and greater pleasure, the more he showers presents upon him, but on the other, it is hard for him to tolerate the shame for the excessive goodness that the rich bestows upon him. This is because there is a natural law that the receiver feels shame and impatience upon receiving gifts from the giver out of compassion and pity.

From here extends a second law, that never will anyone be able to satisfy the needs of his friend to the fullest, because ultimately he will not be able to give him the nature and the form of self-possession, as only with it is the desired perfection attained.

But this relates only to the creatures, whereas regarding the Creator, it is completely impossible and unacceptable. And this is the reason He has prepared for us the toil and the labor of Torah and Mitzvot, to produce our exaltedness by ourselves, because then the delight and pleasure that comes to us from Him, meaning everything that is included in the Dvekut with Him, will all be our own possession that has come to us through our own efforts. Then we will feel ourselves as the owners, without which there cannot be a sensation of wholeness.

9) Indeed, we need to examine the heart and the source of this natural law, and who it was that fathered the flaw of shame and impatience that we feel upon receiving charity from another. It is understood from a law that is known to scientists, that each branch bears the same nature as its root, and that the branch also desires, seeks, and craves, and benefits from all the conducts of the root. Conversely, all the conducts that are not in the root, its branch removes itself from them, cannot tolerate them, and is harmed by them. This law exists between each root and its branch and cannot be breached.

Now here opens before us a door to understand the source of all the pleasures and pains in our world. Since the Creator is the root of His creations, we feel all that exists in Him and extends to us directly from Him as pleasant and delightful, because our nature is close to our root. And everything that is not in Him, and does not extend to us directly from Him, but contradicts Creation itself, will be against our nature and difficult for us to tolerate. Thus, we love to rest and hate to move so much, that we do not make a single movement if not for the attainment of rest. That is because our root is immobile but at rest, and no motion exists in Him whatsoever. Therefore, it is against our nature and loathsome to us.

By the same token, we love wisdom, strength, and wealth, etc. because all those exist in Him who is our root. And hence, we hate their opposites, such as foolishness, weakness, and poverty, since they do not exist in our root at all. This makes us feel hateful and loathsome, and pains us immeasurably.

10) This is what gives us the foul taste of shame and impatience when we receive from others by way of charity, because in the Creator there is no such thing as reception of favors, because from whom would He receive? And because this element does not exist in our root, we feel it as repulsive and loathsome. On the other hand, we feel delight and pleasure every time we bestow upon others, since that conduct exists in our root, which it gives to all.

11) Now we have found a way to examine the purpose of Creation, which is to cleave unto Him, in its true appearance. This exaltedness and Dvekut, which is guaranteed to come to us through our work in Torah and Mitzvot, is no more and no less than the equivalence of the branches with their root. All the gentleness and pleasure and sublimity become a natural extension here, as we have said above, that pleasure is only the equivalence of form with its Maker. And when we equalize in every conduct with our root, we sense delight.

Also, everything we encounter that is not in our root becomes intolerable, disgusting, or considerably painful to us, as is necessitated by that concept. And we naturally find that our very hope depends on the extent of our equivalence of form with our root.

12) These were the words of our sages (Beresheet Rabba 44) when they asked, “Why should the Creator mind whether one slaughters at the throat or at the back of the neck?” After all, the Mitzvotwere given only to cleanse people, and that cleansing means the cleansing of the turbid body, which is the purpose that emerges from the observation of all the Torah and Mitzvot.

“A wild ass shall be turned into man” (Job 11:12), because when one emerges out of the bosom of Creation, one is in utter filth and lowliness, meaning a multitude of self-love that is imprinted in him, whose every movement revolves solely around himself, without a shred of bestowal upon others.

Thus, then one is at the farthest distance from the root, on the other end, since the root is all bestowal without a hint of reception, whereas the newborn is in a state of complete self-reception without a hint of bestowal. Therefore, his situation is regarded as being at the lowest point of lowliness and filth in our human world.

The more he grows, the more he receives from his environment portions of “bestowal upon others,” depending on the values and development in that environment. And then one is initiated into keeping Torah and Mitzvot for the purpose of self-love, for reward in this world and in the next world, called Lo Lishma (not for Her name), since one cannot be accustomed any other way.

As one grows, he is told how to keep Torah and Mitzvot Lishma (for Her name), which is with an aim solely to bring contentment to his Maker. As the RAMBAM said, “Women and children should not be told of keeping Torah and Mitzvot Lishma, because they will not be able to bear it. But when they grow and acquire knowledge and wisdom, they are taught to work Lishma.” It is as our sages said, “From lo Lishma, one comes to Lishma,” which is defined by the aim to bring contentment to one’s Maker and not for any self-love.

Through the natural remedy of the engagement in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma, which the Giver of the Torah knows, as our sages wrote (Kidushin 30b), “The Creator says, ‘I have created the evil inclination, I have created for it the Torah as a spice.’” Thus, that creature develops and marches upward in degrees of the above spoken exaltedness, until he loses all remnants of self-love and all the Mitzvot in his body rise, and he performs all his actions only to bestow, so even the necessity that he receives flows in the direction of bestowal, so he can bestow. This is why our sages said, “The Mitzvot were given only to cleanse people with.”

13) There are two parts in the Torah: 1) Mitzvot between man and God, and 2) Mitzvot between man and man. And they both aim for the same thing – to bring the creature to the final purpose of Dvekutwith Him.

Furthermore, even the practical side in both of them is really one and the same, because when one performs an act Lishma, without any mixture of self-love, meaning without finding any benefit for himself, then one does not feel any difference whether one is working to love one’s friend or to love the Creator.

This is so because it is a natural law for any being, that anything outside one’s own body is regarded as unreal and empty. And any movement that a person makes to love another is performed with a Reflected Light, and some reward that will eventually return to him and serve him for his own good. Thus, such an act cannot be considered “love of another” because it is judged by its end. It is like rent that finally pays off. However, the act of renting is not considered love of another.

But making any kind of movement only as a result of love for others, without any spark of Reflected Light, and no hope for any kind of self-gratification in return, is completely impossible by nature. It is written in the Tikkuney Zohar about that with regard to the nations of the world: “Every grace that they do, they do for themselves.”

This means that all the good deeds that they do, either toward their friends or toward their God, are not because of their love for others, but because of their love for themselves. And that is because it is completely unnatural.

Therefore, only those who keep Torah and Mitzvot are qualified for it, because by accustoming themselves to keeping Torah and the Mitzvot in order to bring contentment to their Maker, they gradually depart from the bosom of the natural creation and acquire a second nature, being the above-mentioned love of others.

This is what brought the sages of The Zohar to exclude the nations of the world from loving their fellow person, when they said, “Every act of grace that they do, they do for themselves,” because they are not involved in keeping Torah and Mitzvot Lishma, and the only reason they serve their gods is for reward and salvation in this world and in the next. Thus, their worship of their gods is because of self-love, too, and they will never perform an action that is outside the boundaries of their own bodies, for which they will be able to lift themselves even a wisp above their basic nature.

14) Thus we can clearly see that toward those who keep Torah and Mitzvot Lishma, there is no difference between the two parts of the Torah, even on the practical side. This is because before one accomplishes it, one is compelled to feel any act of bestowal – either toward another person or toward the Creator – as emptiness beyond conception. But through great effort, one slowly rises and attains a second nature, and then one attains the final goal, which is Dvekut with Him.

Since this is the case, it is reasonable to think that the part of the Torah that deals with man’s relationship with his friend is more capable of bringing one to the desired goal. This is because the work in Mitzvot between man and God is fixed and specific, and is not demanding, and one becomes easily accustomed to it, and everything that is done out of habit is no longer useful. But the Mitzvotbetween man and man are changing and irregular, and demands surround him wherever he may turn. Hence, their cure is much more certain and their aim is closer.

15) Now we can understand the words of Hillel Hanasi to the proselyte, that the essence of the Torah is, “Love thy friend as thyself,” and the remaining six hundred and twelve Mitzvot are but an interpretation of it. And even the Mitzvot between man and God are regarded as a qualification of that Mitzva, which is the final aim emerging from the Torah and Mitzvot, as our sages said, “The Torah and Mitzvot were given only so as to cleanse Israel” (Item 12). This is the cleansing of the body until one attains a second nature defined as “love for others,” meaning the one Mitzva: “Love thy friend as thyself,” which is the final aim of the Torah, after which one immediately attains Dvekutwith Him.

But one must not wonder why it was not defined in the words: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). It is because indeed, with respect to a person who is still within the nature of Creation, there is no difference between the love of God and the love of his fellow person.

This is because anything that is not him is unreal to him. And because that proselyte asked of Hillel Hanasi to explain to him the desired outcome of the Torah, so his goal would be near, and he would not have to walk a long way, as he said, “Teach me the whole Torah while I am standing on one leg;” hence, he defined it for him as love of his friend because its aim is nearer and is revealed faster (Item 14), since it is mistake-proof and is demanding.

16) In the above words, we find a way to understand our concept from above (Items 3 and 4) about the contents of that Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself,” how the Torah compels us to do something that cannot be done.

Indeed, know that for this reason, the Torah was not given to our holy fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – but was held until the exodus from Egypt, when they came out and became a whole nation of six hundred thousand men of twenty years of age or more. For then, each member of the nation was asked if he agreed to that exalted work. And once each and every one in the nation agreed to it in heart and soul, and said “We will do and we will hear,” it then became possible to keep the whole of the Torah, and that which was previously impossible became possible.

This is because it is certain that if six hundred thousand men abandon their work for the satisfaction of their own needs and worry about nothing but standing guard so their friends will never lack a thing, and moreover, that they will keep it with a mighty love, with their very heart and soul, in the full meaning of the Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself,” then it is beyond doubt that no man of the nation will need to worry about his own well being.

Because of that, he becomes completely free of securing his own survival and can easily keep the Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself,” obeying all the conditions given in Items 3 and 4. After all, why would he worry about his own survival when six hundred thousand loyal lovers stand by, ready with great care to make sure he lacks nothing of his needs?

Therefore, once all the members of the nation agreed, they were immediately given the Torah, because now they were capable of keeping it. But before they have multiplied into a whole nation, and certainly during the time of the fathers, who were unique in the land, they were not qualified to truly keep the Torah in its desirable form. This is because with a small number of people, it is impossible to even begin with engagement in Mitzvot between man and man to the extent of “Love thy friend as thyself,” as we have explained in Items 3 and 4. This is why they were not given the Torah.

17) From all the above, we can understand one of the most perplexing phrases of our sages: “All of Israel are responsible for one another.” This seems to be completely unjust, for is it possible that if someone sins or commits a sin that upsets his Maker, and you have no acquaintance with him, the Creator will collect his debt from you? It is written, “Fathers shall not be put to death for children… every man shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16), so how can they say that you are responsible for the sins of even a complete stranger, of whom you know neither him nor his whereabouts?

And if that is not enough for you, see Masechet Kidushin, p 40b: “Rabbi Elazar, the son of Rabbi Shimon, says: ‘Since the world is judged by its majority and the individual is judged by its majority, if he performed one Mitzva, happy is he, for he has sentenced the whole world to a scale of merit. And if he committed one sin, woe onto him, for he has sentenced himself and the whole world to a scale of sin, as it is said, ‘one sinner destroys much good.’’”

And Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, has made me responsible for the whole world, since he thinks all the people in the world are responsible for one another, and each person brings merit or sin to the whole world with his deeds. This is twice as perplexing.

But according to the above said, we can understand their words very simply; we have shown that each of the 613 Mitzvot in the Torah revolves around that single Mitzva: “Love thy friend as thyself.” And we find that such a state can only exist in a whole nation whose every member agrees to it.

Notes

[11] Translator’s note: The word Klal in Hebrew means both ‘rule’ and ‘collective.’

Association of Mercy with Judgment

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

The essence of the work is the choice, meaning “therefore choose life,” which is Dvekut (adhesion), Lishma (for Her Name). Thus, one is rewarded with Dvekut with the Life of Lives.

But when there is open Providence, there is no room for choice. For this reason, the Upper One raised Malchut, which is Midat ha Din (quality of judgment) to the Eynaim (eyes). This created a concealment, meaning it became apparent to the lower one that there is a deficiency in the Upper One, that there is no Gadlut (greatness) in the Upper One. In that state, the qualities of the Upper One are placed with the lower one; that is, they are deficient.

It follows that these Kelim (vessels) are equal to the lower one: as there is no sustenance to the lower one, there is no sustenance to the Higher qualities. This means that there is no flavor in the Torah and Mitzvot; they are lifeless.
In that state, there is room for choice, meaning the lower one must say that all this concealment that one feels is because the Upper One restricted Himself in favor of the lower one. This is called, “when Israel is in exile, Divinity is with them.” Thus, whatever flavor one tastes, one says that it is not his fault for not tasting liveliness, but that in his view there really is no life in the Upper One.

And if one becomes stronger and says that the bitter taste he finds in these nourishments is only because he does not have the proper vessels to receive the abundance, because his vessels are for reception and not for bestowal, and regrets the Upper One having to hide Himself, which allows the lower one to slander, this is considered MAN that the lower one raises. Through it, the Upper One raises its AHP, and ascent means that the Upper One can show the lower one the praise and delight in the vessels of AHP that the Upper One can disclose. Thus, with respect to the lower one, the Upper One raises the GE of the lower one, by the lower one’s seeing of the Upper One’s merit. It turns out that the lower one rises along with the AHP of the Upper One.

Thus, when the lower one sees the greatness of the Upper One, through it, the lower one itself grows. But in the beginning, the lower one is worthy of receiving only Katnut (smallness). And when the Gadlut (greatness) emerges in the Upper One, there is a division between the right and the left, between believing and knowing.

But the Upper One, too, is then diminished by the lower one, regarded as Masach de Hirik. In other words, for the lower one to receive the degrees of the Upper, to receive knowing only by the measure of faith, and not beyond, it is considered that the lower one restricts the Upper One’s left line. That is, the lower one is the cause. And then, the lower one can exist because it is comprised of both knowing and believing. This is called “three lines,” and it is specifically in this manner that the lower one receives perfection.

The Labor Is the Most Important

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

My dear son, Baruch Shalom,

I have received your letter and I congratulate you for the Semicha (rabbinical ordination) that you have obtained. This was the first wall that blocked your path from marching forward. I hope that from this day forth you will begin to succeed and go from strength to strength, until you enter the King’s Palace.

I would like you to obtain another Semicha, but from this day forth, hurry yourself to spend most of your time preparing your body to muster strength and courage “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load” so as not to lose even a single moment.

And should you ask, “Where is this preparation?” I shall tell you that in the past, it was necessary to obtain all seven secular teachings and undergo terrible self-torments prior to attaining the Creator. Yet, not many were rewarded with the Creator’s favor. But since we have been rewarded with the teachings of the Ari and the work of the Baal Shem Tov, it is truly within everyone’s reach, and no further preparation is required.

Should your foot tread upon those two, and with God’s mercy upon me, I have been favored by Him, and I have received them with both my hands, and my mind is as close to you as a father is close to his son. I will surely pass them on to you when you are fit for receiving mouth to mouth.

But the most important is the labor, to wish to toil in His work. This is because the ordinary work does not count at all, but only the bits that are beyond the ordinary, which are called “labor.” It is like a person who needs a pound of bread for satiation—his whole meal is not considered a satiating meal, except the last bit of the pound. That bit, for all its smallness, makes the meal satiating. Similarly, from each work, the Creator draws only the surplus beyond the ordinary, and they will become the Otiot (letters) and the Kelim (vessels) for the reception of the Light of His face.

The Lord Is Thy Shade

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

The Baal Shem Tov gave a clear sign by which to know how much the Creator is playing with one—to examine one’s own heart and see how much one is playing with the Creator. So are all the matters, by way of “the Lord is thy shade.”

Hence, one who still feels a distinction between “knowing” and “cherishing” still needs to unite the heart. This is so because from the Creator’s perspective, they are one and the same, and the Creator truly dwells in the heart of everyone from Israel. This is so from His perspective. Hence, does one need? Only to know it. The awareness changes and the awareness completes, and this is the meaning of “the Lord is thy shade.”

An Allegory about the Rich Man’s Son in the Cellar

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

It would seem that one should be precise with the word Teshuva (repentance/return); it should have been named “wholeness”—that everything is predetermined and each soul is already in its utmost Light, benefit, and eternity.

It was only for the bread of shame that the soul emerged through the restrictions, until it clothed in the murky body, and only through it does it return to its root from before the restriction. Also, its reward for the terrible move it had undergone is that the real reward is the true Dvekut (adhesion). This means that it is rid of the bread of shame, since its vessel of reception has been turned into a vessel of bestowal and its form is equal to its Maker.

Now you understand that if the descent is for the purpose of ascension it is regarded as ascension and not as a descent. And indeed, the descent itself is the ascent, since the letters of the prayer themselves are filled with abundance, while with a short prayer the bounty falls short because the letters are missing. Also, our sages said, “Had Israel not sinned, they would have been given only the five books of Moses and the book of Joshua.”

What is it like? It is like a wealthy man who had a young son. One day, the man had to travel far away for many years. The rich man feared lest his son would scatter his possessions unwisely; hence, he devised a plan and exchanged his possessions for gems and jewels and gold. He also built a cellar deep in the ground, and locked all his gold and gems in there, along with this son.

Then he called his loyal servants and commanded them to guard his son and not let him out of the cellar until he was twenty years of age. Every day, they were to bring him down his food and drink, but under no condition should they bring down fire and candles. And they should also inspect the walls for cracks, so no sunlight would penetrate. And for his health, they were to take him out of the cellar for one hour a day, and walk the streets with him, but carefully watching, so he would not escape. And when he turned twenty, they were to give him candles and open a window and let him out.

Naturally, the son’s pain was immeasurable, especially when he walked outside and could see all the youths eating and drinking and rejoicing in the streets, without guards and without a time limit, while he was imprisoned with but a few moments of light. If he tried to run, he would be beaten mercilessly. And he was most hurt and depressed when he had heard that his father himself had brought all this pain upon him, for they were his father’s servants, doing his father’s command. Clearly, he thought his father was the cruelest man of all time, for who has ever heard of such a thing?

On the day of his twentieth birthday, the servants hung down one candle, as his father had commanded. The boy took the candle and began to examine his surroundings. And what did he see? Sacks filled with gold and every royal bounty.

Only then did he understand his father—that he was truly merciful—and that all he had done, he did for his own good. And he immediately realized that the guards would let him out of the cellar and go free. And so he did; he came out of the cellar, and there were no guards, no cruel servants, and he was the greatest of all the land’s wealthy.

In fact, there is no innovation here at all, for it becomes apparent that he was of great wealth to begin with, all his days, and he only felt that he was poor and indigent, and utterly miserable. And now, in a single moment, he had been given immense wealth and rose from the lowest pit to the highest peak.

But who can understand this allegory? One who understands that the “sins” are the deep cellar and the careful guard that he will not escape. Thus, evidently, the cellar and the careful watch are the “merits” and the father’s mercy over his son. Without them, it would have been impossible for him to become as rich as his father.

But the “sins” are “real sins,” not “mistakes,” and one must not be forced. Rather, before one returns to one’s wealth, the aforementioned emotion rules in its fullest sense. But after one returns to one’s wealth, he sees that all these were the father’s mercies, and not cruelty at all.

We must understand that the whole connection of love between the father and his only son depends on the son’s recognition of his father’s mercy for him, concerning the issue of the cellar, the darkness, and the careful watch. This is because the son discovers great efforts and profound wisdom in these mercies of the father.

The Holy Zohar, too, speaks of it, saying that for one who is rewarded with repentance, the Holy Divinity appears like a kind-hearted mother who had not seen her child for many days. And they made great efforts to see each other, and as a result, suffered many a great danger.

In the end, the long-awaited freedom had come to them, and they were granted the meeting. And then the mother fell on him and kissed and comforted him, speaking softly to him all day and all night. She told him of the longing and the perils along her way, and how she was with him all along, and Divinity did not move, but suffered with him in all the places, only he could not see it.

These are the words of The Zohar: She tells him, “Here we slept; here we were assailed by bandits, and we were saved, and here we hid in a deep hole.” And what fool would not understand the multitude of love, pleasantness, and delight that gushes out of these comforting stories?

In truth, before they met face to face, it felt like torments that are harder than death. But with a Nega (illness/pain), the Ayin (the last letter in the Hebrew word) is at the end of the word. Yet, when speaking comforting words, the Ayin is in the beginning of the word, which is certainly Oneg (pleasure).

But these are two points that shine only once they exist in the same world. And imagine a father and son who were waiting anxiously for each other for days and years. In the end they met, but the son was deaf and dumb, and they could not play with one another. Thus, the essence of love is in royal pleasures.

One Is Where One Thinks

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

Keep your feet from suffering a man’s jolt prematurely, since “one is where one thinks.” Hence, when one is certain that he will not lack anything, he can focus his efforts in words of Torah, for “blessed cleave to blessed.”

But with absence of confidence, he will have to toil, and any toil is from the Sitra Achra, “and the damned does not cleave to the blessed,” since he will not be able to devote all his efforts to the words of Torah. But if one wishes to wander overseas, he must not consider these words at all, but return to one’s routine as quickly as possible, as though by diabolic compulsion, so he will not scatter his sparks in times and places that are not yet properly unified.

And know that no flaw is ascribed to the lower ones except in a time and place that are permitted, as it is now. I wish to say that if one embezzles, regrets, or despairs in the current moment, he throws away all the times and all the places in the world. This is the meaning of “A moment’s anger, what is its worth? A moment.”

Hence, there can be no correction to a person unless one aligns all the present and future moments and dedicates them to His Great Name. And one who rejects the current moment because it is hard reveals his foolishness to all—that all the worlds and all the times are not for him, for the light of his face is not clothed in the changing times, though man’s work is necessarily changed by them. For this reason, the belief and the confidence above reason have been prepared for us by merit of our holy patriarchs, which one uses effortlessly in dire times.

Walking the Path of Truth

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

Let me write to you with regard to the middle pillar in the work of God, so as to always be a target for you between right and left. This is because there is one who walks who is worse than he who sits idly. It is he who deflects from the road, for the path of truth is a very thin line that one walks until one comes to the King’s palace.

And anyone who begins to walk at the beginning of the line needs great care to not stray to the right or to the left of the line, even as a hair’s breadth. This is so because if at first the deviation is as a hair’s breadth, even if one continues completely straight, it is certain that he will not come to the King’s palace, as he is not stepping on the true line, and this is a true allegory.

Let me explain to you the meaning of the middle pillar, which is the meaning of “The Torah, the Creator, and Israel, are one.” The purpose of the soul, when it comes into the body, is to be rewarded with returning to its root and to cleave unto Him, while still clothed in the body, as it is written, “to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him.” You see that the matter ends in “to cleave unto Him,” as it was prior to clothing in the body.

However, great preparation is required—which is to walk in all His ways. Yet, who knows the ways of the Creator? Indeed, this is the meaning of “Torah, that has 613 ways.” He who walks by them will finally be purified until his body will no longer be an iron partition between him and his Maker, as it is written, “And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh.” Then he shall cleave unto his Maker just as he was before the clothing of the soul in the body.

It turns out that there are three discernments:

  1. Israel is he who strains himself to return to his root.
  2. The Creator, which is the root one longs for.
  3. The 613 ways of the Torah, by which one purifies one’s soul and body. This is the spice, as it is written, “I have created the evil inclination, I have created for it the Torah as a spice.”

However, these three are actually one and the same. In the end, any servant of the Creator attains them as single, united and unified discernment. They only appear to be divided into three because of one’s incompleteness in the work of God.

Let me clarify it to you a little: you shall see its tip, but not its entirety, except when He delivers you. It is known that the soul is a part of God Above. Before it comes into a body, it is attached like a branch to the root. See in the beginning of The Tree of Life, that the Creator created the worlds because He wished to manifest His Holy Names, “Merciful” and “Gracious,” and if there were no creatures, there would be no one to have mercy on.

However, as much as the pen permits, as they said, “The whole Torah is but the names of the Creator.” The meaning of attainment is that “what we do not attain, we do not define by a name.” It is written in the books that all these names are the reward of the souls, compelled to come into the body, for it is precisely through the body that it can attain the names of the Creator, and its stature is according to its attainment.

There is a rule: The sustenance of any spiritual thing is according to the merit of knowing it. A corporeal animal feels itself because it consists of mind and matter.

Thus, a spiritual sensation is a certain discernment, and the spiritual stature is measured by the amount of knowledge, as it is written, “One is praised according to one’s mind.” However, the animal knows; it does not feel at all.

Understand the reward of the souls: Before a soul comes into a body, it is but a tiny dot, though attached to the root as a branch to a tree. This dot is called “the root of the soul and its world.” Had it not entered this world in a body, it would have had only its own world, meaning its own share of the root.

However, the more it is rewarded with walking in the paths of the Creator, which are the 613 ways of the Torah that return to being the actual Names of the Creator, the more its stature grows, according to the level of the names it has attained.

This is the meaning of the words, “the Creator imparts each and every righteous Shay (310 in Gematria) worlds.” Interpretation: The soul consists of two righteous: Upper Righteous, and Lower Righteous, as the body is divided from the Tabur (navel) upward and from the Tabur downward. Thus it acquires the written Torah and the oral Torah, which are two times Shay, being TaRaCh (620 in Gematria). These are the 613 Mitzvot of the Torah and the seven Mitzvot de Rabanan (of our great Rabbis).

It is written in The Tree of Life, “The worlds were created only to disclose the names of the Creator.” Thus, you see that since the soul came down to clothe this filthy substance, it could no longer cleave to its root, to its own world, as before it came to this world. Rather, it must increase its stature 620 times more than how it previously was in the root. This is the meaning of the whole perfection, the whole NRNHY up to Yechida. This is why Yechida is called Keter, implying the number 620 [9].

Thus, you see that the meaning of the 620 names, being the 613 Mitzvot of the Torah and the 7 Mitzvot de Rabanan, are in fact the five properties of the soul, meaning NRNHY. This is because the vessels of the NRNHY are from the above 620 Mitzvot, and the Lights of NRNHY are the actual Light of the Torah in each and every Mitzvah. It follows that the Torah and the soul are one.

However, the Creator is the Light of Ein Sof, clothed in the Light of the Torah, found in the above 620 Mitzvot, as the sages said, “the whole Torah is the names of the Creator.” This means that the Creator is the whole, and the 620 names are parts and items. These items are according to the steps and degrees of the soul, which does not receive its Light at once, but gradually, one at a time.

From all the above, you find that the soul is destined to attain all 620 Holy Names, its entire stature, which is 620 more than it had before it came. Its stature appears in the 620 Mitzvot where the Light of the Torah is clothed, and the Creator is in the collective Light of the Torah. Thus you see that “the Torah, the Creator, and Israel” are indeed one.

Let us return to the issue that, before the completeness in the work of God, the Torah, the Creator and Israel appear as three discernments. At times, one wishes to complete one’s soul and return it to its root, which is considered “Israel.” And sometimes one wishes to understand the ways of the Creator and the secrets of the Torah, “for if one does not know the commandments of the Upper One, how will he serve Him?” This is considered “Torah.”

And sometimes one wishes to attain the Creator, to cleave unto Him with complete cognizance, and essentially regrets only that, and does not agonize over attaining the secrets of the Torah, and also does not agonize over returning one’s soul to its origin, as it was prior to its clothing in a body.

Hence, one who walks upon the true line of preparing for the work of God must always test himself: Does he crave the three above discernments equally? Because the end of the act equalizes with its beginning. If one craves one discernment more than the second or the third, then one deflects from the path of truth.

Thus, you had better hold onto the goal of yearning for the commandment of the Upper One, for “one who does not know the ways of the Upper One and the commandments of the Upper One, which are the secrets of Torah, how will he serve Him?” Among all three, this is what guarantees the middle line most.

This is the meaning of, “Open for me one aperture of repentance, such as a needlepoint, and I will open for you gates where carts and coaches enter.” Interpretation: the aperture of the needlepoint is not for entrance and exit, but to insert the thread for sewing and for work.

Similarly, you are to crave only the commandment of the Upper One, to work. And then I will open for you a door such as an entrance to a hall. This is the meaning of the Explicit Name in the verse, “but in very deed [10] as I live and all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.”

[9] Translator’s note: In Hebrew, Keter contains the same letters as TaRaCh.

[10] Translator’s note: the word ‘indeed’ is spelled like ‘hall’ in Hebrew.

If I Am Not for Me, Who Is for Me?

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

I have already said in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that prior to making a Mitzva, one must not consider Private Providence at all. Instead, one should say, “If I am not for me, who is for me?” But after the fact, one must reconsider and believe that it is not “by my power and the might of my hand” that I did this Mitzva, but only by the power of the Creator, who planned it for me in advance, and thus I was compelled to do it.

This is also the order in worldly matters, for spirituality and corporeality are equal. Hence, before one leaves for work to make his daily earnings, he should remove his thoughts from Private Providence and say, “If I am not for me, who is for me,” and do everything that is done in corporeality to earn one’s living as they do.

But in the evening, when he returns home with his earnings, he should never think that his own resourcefulness has gotten him this profit. Rather, even if he were lying in the basement all day long, he would still earn his living, since this is what the Creator had planned for him in advance, and this is how it must be.

And even though it seems contradictory and unacceptable to the superficial mind, one must still believe so, as this is what the Creator has written of him in His law from books and from authors.

This is the meaning of the unification of HaVaYaH– Elokim. HaVaYaH is Private Providence, where the Creator does everything, and He does not need the help of dwellers of clay houses. Elokim (God), in Gematria, is “the nature.” And one who behaves according to the nature He had imprinted in the systems of the corporeal heaven and earth, and keeps their laws like the rest of the corporeal ones, and at the same time believes in the name HaVaYaH,meaning Private Providence, unites them, and they become one in his hand. Thus, he renders much contentment to his Maker and brings Light to all the worlds.

This is the meaning of the three discernments: Mitzva (good deed/commandment), transgression, and permission.

  • Mitzva is the place of sanctity.
  • Transgression is the place of the Sitra Achra.
  • Permission is when it is neither Mitzva nor transgression. This is the battlefield over which the sanctity and the Sitra Achra struggle.

When one does what is permitted, and does not unite it with the authority of Kedusha (holiness), that whole place falls into the domain of the Sitra Achra. And when one prevails, and performs as many unifications as one can, where permitted, he brings permission back to the domain of Kedusha.

Thus I have explained what our sages said, “The healer has been given permission to heal.” This means that although healing is undoubtedly in the hands of the Creator, and human trickery will not move Him from His place, still, the holy Torah states, “and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed,” letting you know that this is permission, the battlefield between Mitzva and transgression.

Thus, we ourselves must conquer this “permission” and place it under the Kedusha. And how is it conquered? When one visits an expert physician, and the physician gives him a thoroughly tested medicine that has been tried a thousand times. And after one is healed he must believe that without the physician, the Creator would still heal him, for his lifespan has been predetermined. And instead of singing the praises of the human physician, one thanks and praises the Creator, and thus conquers the permission and places it in the domain of Kedusha.

It is similar in other matters of “permission.” Thus, he expands the boundaries of Kedusha and increases the Kedusha to the fullest. And all of a sudden, he finds himself standing completely in the HolyPalace, since the boundaries of Kedusha have so expanded that it has reached his own place.

I have explained all that to you several times, since this matter is a stumbling block for quite a few people, who have no clear perception of Private Providence. “A slave is comfortable without responsibility,” and instead of work, he wishes for the safest, and wishes even more to revoke the questions from his faith and acquire incontrovertible proof that is above nature. This is why they are punished and their blood is on their own heads, since after the sin of Adam ha Rishon, the Creator devised a correction for this sin in the form of the unification of HaVaYaH-Elokim, as I have explained.

And this is the meaning of “with the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.” It is human nature that when one achieves through great efforts, one finds it very difficult to say that it is the Creator’s gift. Thus, one has room for work, to labor with complete faith in Private Providence, and to decide that he would obtain all that even without his work. Thus one corrects this transgression.

Sit and Do Nothing—Better

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

…I can no longer restrain myself with all that stands between us, so I will try the true, open admonition, for I need to know the true value of a word of truth in our land. This has always been my way—to meticulously delve into all of Creation’s actions, to know their value, precisely whether it is good or bad.

My fathers have left me with only this boundary, and I have already found treasures in these passing, idle images, for there is a reason why this lot was placed before my eyes. These are lovely letters for phrasing every wisdom and every knowledge, which were created only for combinations of wisdom.

First, let us judge the attribute of indolence in this world. In general, it is not at all a bad and contemptible attribute. The proof of that is that our sages have already said, “Sit and do nothing—better.” And although common sense and some texts deny this rule, to be properly accurate about it, I will show that “both are the words of the living God,” and all will be settled.

It is certainly clear that there are no actions in the world except His actions. And all other kinds of actions, besides His, even in souls, if they concern one’s own self, would be better off to not have been created. This is because it turns things upside-down, since one has not changed from receiving to bestowing. This is an unbreakable law, “and had he been there, he would not have been redeemed.”

Thus, we need not discuss an operator or an operation whose doer is in the form of receiving, as this is complete vanity, and there is no doubt it would be better off sitting and doing nothing, since with such an act, one either harms oneself or others. It cannot yield any benefit, as we have said above.

I do not mind at all if some of your 248 organs feel uncomfortable about this ruling, and even openly protest against my words, as this is the nature of every word of truth: it does not require the consent of any woman born, great or small. And whoever is rewarded with the knowledge of the Torah becomes most insistent.

PARDESS

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Found in the book “Kabbalah for the student“
Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

 

“Four entered a PARDESS,” [7] etc. Before the world was created, there was He is One and His Name One, because the souls were not considered souls, since the whole issue of name refers to when one turns one’s face away from Him, He calls upon him to turn his face back.

And since prior to Creation, the souls were completely attached to Him, and He placed upon them crowns and wreaths, glory, majesty, and splendor, even what they did not evoke, since He knows their wishes by Himself, and grants them. Hence, it is certainly irrelevant to state a name, which relates to an awakening from below of some side. Hence, it is considered Simple Light, since everything is in utter simplicity, and this Light was understood by every simple person, even to those who have never seen any wisdom.

This is why sages and the wise called it Peshat (literal), since the Peshat is the root of everything. Authors and books do not discuss it, as it is one, simple, and famous concept. And although in the lower worlds, two divisions are detected in the Reshimo of this Simple Light, it is because of the division in their own hearts, by way of “and I am a smooth man.” [8] Yet, in the above-mentioned place, there are no changes in any depiction you might make.

It is like a king who took his darling son and put him in his grand and wondrous grove. And when the son opened his eyes, he did not look at the place where he stood, since due to the great light in the grove, his eyes wandered far away, as the east is far from the west. And he cast his eyes only on the buildings and palaces far to his west, and he walked for days and months, wandering and wondering at the glory and the grandeur he was seeing to the west, before his eyes.

After some months, his spirit rested and his desire was fulfilled, and he was satiated from looking to the west. He reconsidered and thought, “What can be found along the way I have traversed?” He turned his face eastward, the side through which he had entered, and he was startled. All the grandeur and all the beauty were right beside him. He could not understand himself, how he had failed to notice it thus far, and clung only to the Light that was shining to the west. From then on he was attached only to the Light that shines to the east, and he was wandering eastward until he returned right to the entrance gate.

Now do consider and tell me the difference between the days of entry and the days of exit, since all that he had seen in the latter months, he saw in the early months, as well. But in the beginning, he was not inspired, since his eyes and heart were taken by the Light that shines westward. And after he was satiated, he turned his face eastward and noticed the Light that shines towards the east. But how had it changed?

But being near the entrance, there is room for disclosing the second manner, which the sages call Remez (intimation), as in “What do thine eyes imply?” It is like a king who hints to his darling son and frightens him with a wink of his eye. And although the son does not understand at all, and does not see the inner fear that is hidden in this hint, still, due to his devout adherence to his father, he promptly jumps from there to another side.

This is the meaning of the second manner being called Remez, since the two manners, Peshat and Remez, are registered in the lower ones as one root, as the meticulous ones write, that there is not a word that does not have a two-letter root, called the “source of the word.” This is so because no meaning can be deduced from a single letter; hence, the acronym for Peshat and Remez is PR(pronounced Par), which is the root of Par Ben Bakar (young bull) in this world. And Pria and Revia(multiplication) come from that root, as well.

Next appears the third manner, which the sages call Drush (interpretations). Hence, there was no Drisha (demand) for anything, as in “He is One and His Name One.” But in this manner, there is subtraction, addition, interpretation (studying), and finding, as in “I labored and found,” as you evidently know. This is why this place is ascribed to the lower ones, since there is an awakening from below there, unlike the awakening of the face of the east Upwards, which was by way of, “Before they call, I will answer.” Rather, here there was a powerful call, and even exertion and craving, and this is the meaning of “the graves of lust.”

Afterwards begins the fourth manner, which the sages call Sod (secret). In truth, it is similar to the Remez, but in the Remez there was no perception whatsoever; it was rather like a shadow following a person, and all the more so that the third manner, the Drush, has already clothed it.

Yet, here it is like a whisper, like a pregnant woman… you whisper in her ear that today is Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), so the fetus would not be jolted and fall. And we might say, “Moreover, it is the concealment of the face, and not the face!” For this is the meaning of the words, “The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and His covenant, to make them know it.” This is why he made several circles until a whispering tongue said this to him: “He hath given Teref (food) unto them that fear Him,” and not Trefa (non-kosher food), as that soldier sneered.

You understood this answer by yourself, and you wrote me in your letter, though timidly, that you are a bachelor, and hence, naturally polite.

Since this verse came into your hands, I shall clarify it to you, as this is also the poet’s question, “The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear Him.” And why did he say so? It is as our sages’ question, where we find that the text wastes (eight) twelve letters, to speak with a clean tongue, as it is written, “and of the beasts that are not clean,” etc.

But your answer does not suffice the poet, for He could have given abundance to the souls, and with a clean tongue, as Laban said to Jacob, “Wherefore didst thou flee secretly, and outwit me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp.” The poet’s answer to that is, “and His covenant, to make them know it.”

This is the meaning of the cutting, the removal, and the drop of blood, meaning the individual thirteen covenants. Had the secret not been in this manner, but in another tongue, four corrections from the thirteen corrections of Dikna would be missing, and only the nine corrections of Dikna in ZAwould remain. Thus, ZA would not be clothing AA, as it is known to those who know God’s secret. This is the meaning of “and His covenant, to make them know it,” and this is the meaning of “ancestral merit has ended, but ancestral covenant has not ended.”

Let us get back to our issue, which is PR (pronounced Par), PRD (pronounced Pered), and PRDS(pronounced Pardess). This is their order and combination from Above downwards. Now you will understand these four sages who entered the Pardess, meaning the fourth manner, called Sod(secret), since the lower one contains the Upper Ones that preceded it. Hence, all four manners are included in the fourth manner, and they are to the right, left, front, and back.

The first two manners are the right and the left, meaning PR (this is the meaning of his words on the step at the Temple Mount: “All of Israel’s sages are worthless in my eyes”). These are Ben Azai and Ben Zuma, as these souls nurtured off the two manners, PR. And the last two manners are the Panim(front) and Achor (back), which is Rabbi Akiva, who entered in peace and came out in peace. They correctly stated, “it indicates that for every thistle, mountains of laws can be learned.”

Achor is Elisha Ben Avoia, who went astray (became heretical). Our sages said about that, “One shall not raise an evil dog within one’s home,” for it is going astray. Everything that was said about them—“peeped and died,” “peeped and was hurt,” “went astray”—is said of that generation when they have gathered closely together, but were all completely corrected, one by one, as it is known to those who know the secret of reincarnation.

Yet, after he saw the tongue of Hutzpit, the translator, he said, “Return, O backsliding children,” except for the other, and Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Akiva’s disciple, took his place. It is true that the Gemarah, too, finds it difficult: how did Rabbi Meir learn Torah from another? And they said, “He had found a pomegranate, ate its content, and threw its shell (another).” And some say that he corrected the Klipa (shell), too, as in, raising smoke over his grave.

Now you can understand Elisha Ben Avoia’s words: “He who teaches a child, what is he like? Like ink, written on a new paper,” meaning the soul of Rabbi Akiva. “And he who teaches an old man, what is he like? Like ink, written on used paper,” he said of himself. This is the meaning of his warning to Rabbi Meir, “Thus far the Shabbat zone,” for he understood and estimated his horse’s steps, since he had never come off from his horse.

This is the meaning of “the transgressors of Israel, the fire of hell does not govern them, and they are as filled with Mitzvot (good deeds) as a pomegranate.” He says that it is all the more so with the golden altar, which is merely as thick as a golden coin. It stood for some years, and the light did not govern it, etc., “the vain among you are as filled with Mitzvot as a pomegranate, all the more so,” as he says, that the Klipa, too, is corrected.

Know that the great Rabbi Eliezer, and Rabbi Yehosha, too, are from the souls of PR, as are Ben Azai and Ben Zuma. But Ben Azai and Ben Zuma were in the generation of Rabbi Akiva, and were his students, among the 24,000. But Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehosha were his teachers.

This is why it is said that instead of Rabbi Eliezer, they were purifying the purifications (Peshat) that they had done over Achnai’s oven, since they cut it into slices (eighteen slices) and placed sand between every two slices. In other words, the third manner, the sand, joins the first slice, which is the second manner, and the second slice, which is the fourth manner. And naturally, the sister and the awareness are conjoined as one. And Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Yehosha as one are disciples of the great Rabbi Eliezer. And Rabbi Akiva is seemingly included in them. This is because a second good day, with respect to the first good day, is like a weekday in the eyes of our sages, since the Drush, compared to the Remez, is like a candle at noon.

But the sages of his generation defiled all those purifications and burned them, and the great Rabbi Eliezer proved with the aqueduct whose water rose that Rabbi Yehosha was a great sage, and the walls of the Temple will prove. And they began to fall before the glory of Rabbi Eliezer, and they did not fall before the glory of Rabbi Yehosha. This is complete proof that there is no doubt that he is pure.

But the sages took Rabbi Yehosha for himself, and did not wish to rule as with Rabbi Eliezer, his teacher, until a voice came down that Rabbi Yehosha was really his disciple. But Rabbi Yehosha did not connect to his place, and said that you do not pay heed to a voice: “It is not in heaven,” etc. Then, sages blessed him, for the Light of Awzen (ear) was cancelled from them, since they did not obey the rules of the great Rabbi Eliezer. And Rabbi Akiva, his favorite disciple, told him that his 24,000 disciples had died during the count, and the world was sickened, a third in olives, etc.

Elisha Ben Avoia and Rabbi Tarfon came from the same root. But Elisha Ben Avoia is the Achoraim(posterior) itself, and Rabbi Tarfon is the Panim de Achoraim (face of the posterior). To what is this likened? In one house lie bitter olives that are good for nothing; and in another house lays the beam of the oil-press, which is good for nothing. Then a man comes and connects the two. He places the beam over the olives and produces a wealth of oil.

It follows that the good oil that appears is the Panim, and the beam is the Achoraim. And the plain wooden tools are thrown away after they have completed their work.

Understand that this custom is in the expansion of the roots to the branches in worlds lower than itself. But at their root, they both appear at once, like a person who suddenly enters the oil-press and sees the beam, and under it, a large pile of olives with oil abundantly flowing from them. This is so because at the root, all is seen at once. This is why one is called “another” and the other is called “Tarfon.” One is “a beam” and the other is “oil,” which immediately flows through it.

This is also the meaning of going astray. After the desire has emerged, which is the soul of Rabbi Tarfon, the soul of “another” remained as “bad manners” in one’s home. This is the meaning of the letter-combination Sod (secret): Samech is the head of the word Sod itself, the soul of “another,” Dalet is the head of the word Drush, the soul of Rabbi Akiva, because they act, and the Vav in the middle is Rabbi Tarfon.

Notes

[7] Translator’s note: In Hebrew, Pardess means grove, but in Kabbalah, this word is an acronym for Pshat (the literal Torah), Remez (intimation), Drush (interpretations), and Sod (secret).

[8] Translator’s note: In Hebrew, Halak means both ‘smooth’ and ‘part.’