Part 1 of 4
MISHPATIM
Ex. XXI, 1-XXIV, 18
AND THESE ARE THE JUDGEMENTS WHICH THOU SHALT SET BEFORE THEM. R. Simeon here introduced the subject of transmigration of souls, saying: 'Onkelos translates the above words as follows: "These are the judgements which thou shalt order before them". In other words, "These are the orders of the metempsychosis; the judgements of the souls, by which each of them receives its appropriate punishment." Associates, the time is now arrived to reveal diverse hidden and secret mysteries in regard to the transmigration of souls.
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IF THOU BUY AN HEBREW SERVANT, SIX YEARS HE SHALL SERVE. When a soul is doomed to undergo transmigration, should it be one which has emanated from the side of the Servant, Metatron, who represents in himself six aspects, then the successive revolutions of that soul will not be more than six years (i.e. times) until it shall have completed the six stages which lead back to the region from whence it came. But if the soul has emanated from the sphere of the Shekinah Herself, who is symbolized by the number seven, it "shall go forth free", because its owner is righteous, and is not subjected to labour or servitude.'
Now it chanced that while Rabbi Simeon spake these things [94b] a certain "ancient one" came down to his side and said: "If that be so, Master, where is the additional delight of the soul that emanates therefrom, indicated by the words, "In it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter nor thy manservant, etc." (Ex. XX, 10)?, Rabbi Simeon replied: "O venerable companion! Should a man of thy learning ask this? This verse assuredly speaks of the soul of the Righteous One, teaching us that even though she may have to undergo transmigration in any of these, even in a manservant or maidservant or in any animal, yet "in it thou shalt do no manner of work", or, what amounts to the same thing, "thou shalt not make him serve as a bondman". But, old man, the difficulty is this. Seeing that Sabbath is an only daughter, and that she is the mate of the Righteous One, what is meant by the words in our text, "if he take him another wife"?' He replied: 'These words refer to the weekdays.' 'What do these symbolize?' he asked. 'These', he said, 'are the bondmaid who is the body of the only daughter. Observe this. There is a soul which is called handmaid, and there is also a soul which is called the daughter of the king. Now as for the soul which is doomed to undergo transmigration, if she is the daughter of the Holy One, blessed be He, we cannot suppose that she is sold to an alien body that is under the domination of the evil spirit emanating from the side of Samael, since it is written: "I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another" (Isa. XLII, 8). Nor is it to be thought that the body which harbours the daughter of the king shall be sold into the power of earthly crowns of defilement. Against this the Scripture says: "And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity" (Lev. XXV, 23). Which is the body of the King's daughter? Metatron; and this same body is identical with the handmaid of the Shekinah. Nevertheless, the soul that is the King's daughter is held prisoner therein, having to undergo transmigration.
'According to another interpretation, "man" here signifies the Holy One, blessed be He; "his daughter" denoting the Community of Israel, who emanates from the sphere of the "Only Daughter". The verse therefore indicates that when God delivers His people from the nations of the world "she shall not go out" as the menservants do, namely, as the children of Israel did when they left Egypt in haste. For at that time they were in the grade of "servants", represented by Metraton. who is but the bearer of the Shekinah; but in the days of the Messiah they shall "not go out with haste, nor go by flight" (Isa. LII, 12) from their captivity. See, now. When a human being is born into the world he is given a soul (nephesh) from the primordial "animal" sphere, the sphere of purity, the sphere of those who are designated "Holy Wheels" -- namely, the supernal order of angels. If he is more fortunate he will be endowed with a spirit (ruah) which appertains to the sphere of the Holy Hayoth. Should he possess still greater potential merit he is given a soul (neshamah) from the region of the Throne. These three grades of personality are the "maidservant", the "manservant", and the "bondwoman" of the King's daughter. And if the newly created being deserves still more, the soul which is put into his bodily form derives through a process of emanation (aziluth) from the sphere of the "Only Daughter". and is itself called "the King's daughter". If his merit is still greater he will be endowed with a spirit (ruah, deriving through emanation from the sphere of the "Central Pillar", and its owner is then called "The son of the Holy One", as it is written: "Sons are ye to the Lord your God" (Deut. XIV, 1). Should he be of even greater worth he is given a soul (neshamah) from the sphere of Father and Mother, concerning which it is written: "And he breathed into his nostrils the breath (nishmath) of life" (Gen. II, 7). What does "life" signify? It signifies the Divine Name YH; and therefore it is written of such souls: "Let the whole soul (all souls) praise JaH" (Ps. CL, 6). But if he should acquire still greater merit, the Holy Name YHVH is granted to him in its fulness -- the letters Yod, Hi, Vau, Hi, representing Man in the sphere of the supernal Aziluth, and he is said to be "in the likeness of his Lord", and in him the words, "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing" (Gen. I, 28), are properly fulfilled: for his dominion is indeed over all the firmaments and over all the Wheels and Seraphim and Living Beings (Hayoth) and over all the hosts above and below. It is therefore concerning one who has attained to the sphere of the "Only Daughter" and has derived his soul from thence that it says, "She shall not go out as the menservants do".'
R. Hiya and R. Jose met one night at the tower of Tyros, and greatly enjoyed one another's company. Said R. Jose: 'How glad am I to behold the countenance of the Shekinah! For during the whole of my journey here I was molested by the chatter of an old carrier who pestered me with all sorts of foolish questions; [95a] for example, "Which serpent is it that flies in the air whilst an ant lies undisturbed between its teeth? What is it that begins in union and ends in separation? Which eagle is it whose nest is in a tree that does not yet exist, and whose young ones are plundered by creatures who have not yet been created, and in a place which is not? What are those which when they ascend descend, and when they descend ascend? And what is it two of which are one and one of which is three? And who is the beautiful virgin who has no eyes and whose body is concealed and yet revealed -- revealed in the morning and concealed during the day, and who is adorned with ornaments which do not exist?" So he went on plaguing me the whole of the way. But now I shall have peace and quiet, and we can devote ourselves to discussing the Torah instead of wasting time in empty talk.' Said R. Hiya: 'Dost thou know anything of the old man?' R. Jose replied: 'I only know that there is nothing in him; for if there were, he would have expounded some text of Scripture, and the time spent on the road would not have been profitless.' 'Is the old man in this house?' asked R. Hiya. 'For sometimes it happens that in vessels that seem empty grains of gold can be discovered.' 'Yes,' replied R. Jose, 'he is here, preparing fodder for his donkey.' So they called the carrier and he came to them. The first thing the old man said was: 'Now the two have become three, and the three one!' Said R. Jose: 'Did I not tell thee that he only talks nonsense?' The old man seated himself and said: 'Sirs, it is only recently that I have become a carrier. I have a young son whom I send to school, and whom I wish to bring up in the study of the Torah; so whenever I see a scholar on my way I follow him in the hope of picking up some new idea in connection with the Torah; but to-day I have heard nothing new.' Said R. Jose: 'Of all the things I heard you say, one specially surprised me, because it showed exceptional folly in a man of your years, or else you did not know what you were saying.' Said the old man: 'What do you refer to?' Said R. Jose: 'That about the beautiful virgin and so forth.'
Then the old man began thus: ' "The Lord is on my side, I am not afraid ; what can men do unto me? ... It is better to trust in the Lord than to put any confidence in princes" (Ps. CXVIII, 6, 9). How good, how lovely, how precious, how supernal are the words of the Torah. Shall I tell them in the presence of scholars from whom so far I have not heard even one word of enlightenment? However, I feel impelled to speak, and surely there is no need to be shy in speaking of things spiritual to anyone, whether scholars or no.' The old man then drew his cloak round him, opened his mouth, and said: 'It is written: "If a priest's daughter be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of holy things" (Lev. XXII, 12). Now this verse is followed by another verse: "But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat, but there shall no stranger eat thereof" (Ibid. 18). These verses are plain enough in the literal sense, but the words of the Torah have also an esoteric significance, and every word therein contains hidden seeds of wisdom, comprehensible only to the wise who are familiar with the ways of the Torah. For, truly, the words of the Torah are not mere dreams. And even dreams have to be interpreted according to certain rules; how much more, then, is it necessary that the words of the Torah, the delight of the Holy King, be explained in accordance with the right way! And "the ways of the Lord are upright" (Hos. IV, 10). Now, "the priest's daughter" is the superior soul, the daughter of our father Abraham, the first of proselytes, who drew this soul from a supernal region. [95b] And "a priest's daughter married unto a stranger" refers to the holy soul which emanates from a supernal region and enters into the hidden part of the Tree of Life. And when the breath of the supernal Priest has breathed souls into that Tree, those souls flyaway from there and enter a certain treasure-house. Woe unto the world that knows not how to guard itself! Men draw down the soul along with their evil inclination, which is "the stranger", and this "priest's daughter", the soul, flies down to earth and finds her edifice in a "stranger"; and because it is the will of her Master, she enters there and bears the yoke, and cannot assert herself or become perfected in this world. So when she leaves this world she "may eat of an offering of holy things", like those souls which have perfected themselves in this world. There is still another significance to this verse: it is a great humiliation for the holy soul to enter into a "stranger", namely into a proselyte, for then she has to fly from Paradise into a habitation builded from an uncircumcised and unclean source. There is here, however, a still deeper mystery. Near to the pillar which supports the wheels where the souls are blown in there are two weighing scales, one at each side: these are the "weights of righteousness" and "weights of deception" which never cease to move, and souls rise and fall thereon, and appear and disappear. There are souls which are violently captured and oppressed when "man ruleth over man to his own hurt" (Eccl. VIII, 9). For this world is entirely directed by the "tree of knowledge of good and evil", and when human beings walk in the way of righteousness the scales are weighted on the side of good, and when they walk in the evil way they incline towards the evil side. And all souls found then on the scales are violently caught by the evil side. But this is "to its own hurt"; for these souls tread down and destroy all that they find on the evil side, just as the Philistines captured the holy Ark to their own hurt. And what becomes of these souls? In ancient books it is written that some of them become the souls of pious Gentiles and scholarly bastards of Jewish origin, who, because of their learning, are of a higher merit than even a high priest who has no divine knowledge, although by virtue of his office he enters into the Holy of Holies.'
The old man here stopped and wept for a moment. The two companions were astonished but said nothing, and after a while he continued to speak on the following verse: IF SHE (the maidservant) PLEASE NOT HER MASTER, WHO HATH BETROTHED HER TO HIMSELF, THEN SHALL HE LET HER BE REDEEMED; BUT TO SELL HER TO A STRANGE NATION, HE SHALL HAVE NO POWER (v. 8). 'This passage', said he, 'continues the inner meaning of the "man who sells his daughter as a maidservant". It is written: "Who would not fear thee, O king of the nations? For it becometh thee, as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee" (Jer. X, 7). How many people misunderstand this verse! They repeat the words, but the sense escapes them. Is the Holy One, blessed be He, the "King of the nations"? Is He not rather the King of Israel? Is it not written: "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is his people" (Deut. XXXII, 8, 9), wherefore He is called the "King of Israel"? If the prophet here called God "King of the nations", he would be praising them more than they praise themselves, for they only claim to be in the charge of His ministers and servitors. The last part of the verse also contradicts this idea, for it says: "As among all the wise men of the nations ... there is none like unto thee." Seeing that the other nations have so much to boast of, it is surprising that with this verse they do not ascend to the very heaven. [96a] But in truth the Holy One, blessed be He, has blinded their eyes, and "all nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less than nothing and vanity" (Isa. XL, 17). This is the real truth of the matter in their regard.' Said R. Hiya: 'And yet it is written: "God reigneth over the nations"!' The old man replied: 'I see that thou hast been behind their wall, and hast come forward to support them with this verse. I ought first to deal with my own difficulty; but since I have found thee in the way, I will first remove thee, and then go on to remove all other obstacles. See, now. All the Names of the Holy One, blessed be He, and all subsidiary Names, ramify in different directions and are encircled in each other, as it were, and yet branch out into various paths. Only one aspect is not so scattered: and that is the one definite and particular Name, which is the heritage of the one particular people, namely, the Name YHVH; for it is written: "For the portion of YHVH is His people"; "And ye who cleave to YHVH" (Deut. XXXII, 9, IV, 4), which signifies those that cleave to this very Name itself. Thus it is seen that this Name YHVH belongs only to Israel. Above all the other names is one which spreads and separates itself towards many diverse ways and paths, to wit, Elohim. This name has been transmitted to the beings of this lower world, and has been shared among the Chieftains and ministering angels who guide other nations. Hence we read: "And Elohim came to Balaam by night" (Num. XXII, 20); "And Elohim came to Abimelech in the dream of the night" (Gen. xx, 3): and the same is true of all the principalities and powers appointed over the nations -- all are included in this Name, yea, even their objects of worship find a place therein; and so it is this name and aspect of the Divinity which reigns over the nations, but not the peculiar Name, for in that they have no part, since it reigns over Israel only: the one nation, the holy nation. This, however, does not mean that the words, "Who would not fear thee, O King of the nations", are to be interpreted in this sense, namely, that He is the King of the nations in His attribute of Elohim, representing severity and justice; for, as I have pointed out, this Name signifies even the objects of pagan worship. Since, then, the wall on which you were leaning has been shaken, use a little subtlety to get to the true meaning of the words. This is: "Who is the king of the nations that would not fear thee?" The inversion of the order is similar to that found in the verse: "Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye servants of the Lord" (Ps. CXIII, 1), which does not mean that the servants of the Lord shall be praised, but is to be read as "Servants of the Lord, praise ye the Lord."'
The two companions rejoiced and wept, but said nothing. The old man also wept, even as he had done before. Then he went on: 'It is written: "And she (Sarah) said unto Abraham, Cast out the bondwoman and her son" (Gen. XXI, 10), which has been interpreted by the scholars to signify that Sarah desired to cleanse her house from idolatry, and that therefore Abraham was told: "In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice" (Ibid. V, 12). Now here we read, "And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall go out as the menservants do", which, being interpreted, means: When the soul is made to undergo transmigration because of the evil works of this world, when she is "sold" to be a "maidservant" -- that is, delivered into the hands of the impure principle through the evil revolution of the wheel, so that she is wrenched violently away from the scale of souls -- when her time thus comes to "go out", she shall not go out as the menservants do. And what sort of souls are these which are so violently despoiled and taken away? There is a mystery behind this. They are the souls of infants still at the breast. The Holy One, seeing that should they continue in this world they would lose their sweet savour, their aroma of purity, and, as it were, turn sour like vinegar, gathers them in their infancy while their savour is still sweet, and allows them to be wrenched away by that "maidservant", namely Lilith, [96b] who, when they have been delivered into her power, gloatingly carries them away to other regions. Do not imagine that had they not been so removed they could have done any good in the world. For therefore it is written, "If she (the soul) pleases not her master", that is, the man in whom it is lodged will cause it to turn sour in course of time. Such a one is wrenched away, but no other. Yet, on the other hand, it does not mean that the Holy One has pre-ordained such a soul to be under the domination of impurity from the very day of her creation. Not at all! For in the revolution of the wheel, when the soul gives forth a good savour, "shall he let her be redeemed", namely, the Holy One will redeem her from her sore bondage and raise her unto the highest heights to be with Him. And it should not be imagined that because she had been once purloined by the impure power the Holy One will condemn her perpetually to enter into the bodies of pious Gentiles or scholarly bastards. No! "To sell her into a strange nation, he shall have no power." She will re-enter into the body of an Israelite and not into a stranger. And when she shall be redeemed from the bondage of the "wheel of impurity", "she shall not go out as the menservants do", but receive her crown with uplifted head. Nor is one to imagine that the "side of impurity" has put the soul in the child: for the impure power only snatched, as it were, at that soul and played with it until it entered into the body of that child. But the impure power visits the child occasionally and longs to possess his body. And after some time the Holy One takes into His own guardianship the soul, and the evil power attains mastery over the body. But eventually body and soul become the possession of the Holy One (in the Resurrection).
'"She shall not go out as the menservants do." What does this mean? When the soul emerges from the scales, and the side of righteousness rejoices, the Holy One, blessed be He, stamps upon her the impress of a seal; and He likewise spreads about her His costly garment -- namely the Holy Name, Elohah. This is indicated by the words in the text, "be-bigdo bah" (when his garment is upon her, v. 8), for they signify the costly garment (beged) of the King. Therewith she is guarded and so cannot be delivered to a "strange nation", but only to Israel. Concerning this it is written: "He guards me like the days of Elohah" (Job, XXIX, 2). It is also of this mystery that we read here: "To sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath put his garment upon her." As long as this costly garment of the King adorns her, what power can the evil side have over her? Observe this. All men are in the power of the Holy King, and all have their allotted time in this world; 'but for this one there is no appointed time, and therefore it mocks at the evil spirits and gloats over them. Many admonitions to mankind are contained in these verses, and truly much good and excellent advice is to be found in all the words of the Torah, for they are all true and lead to further truth and are comprehended as such by the wise who know that path and walk therein. When the Holy One, blessed be He, came to create the world, it pleased Him to form all the souls which were destined to be allotted to the children of men, and each was shaped before him in the very outline of the body she was afterwards to inhabit. He examined each one, and saw that some of them would corrupt their ways in the world. When the time of each was arrived, the Holy One summoned it, saying: "Go, descend into such and such a place, into such and such a body." But ofttimes it chanced that the soul would reply, "Lord of the world, I am satisfied to be here in this world, and desire not to leave it for some other place where I shall be enslaved and become soiled." Then would the Holy One respond: "From the very day of thy creation thou hast had no other destiny than to go into that world." At this the soul, seeing that it must obey, would descend against its will and enter into this world. The Torah, which counsels the whole world in the ways of truth, observed this, and proclaimed to mankind: "Behold, how the Holy One has pity upon you! He has sold to you for nothing His costly pearl, for you to use in this world, namely the holy soul." "If a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant" -- that is, when the Holy One delivers His daughter, the holy soul, to be a maidservant, enslaved in bondage unto you, [97a] I adjure you, when her time comes, let her "not go out as the menservants do", polluted by sins, but free, illumined, and pure, in order that her Master may be able to find joy in her, and to give her goodly reward in the splendours of Paradise, as it is written: "And he shall satisfy thy soul with brightness (zahzahoth, lit. places lit by the sun)" (Isa. LVIII, 11); namely, when she shall ascend again thence, bright and pure. But should she "not please her Master", being polluted with sin, then woe to the body which has lost its soul for ever! For when the souls ascend from this world in a bright and pure condition, they are entered into the King's archives, each one by name; and He says: "This is the soul of such a one: she belongs to the body which she left"; as it is written: "Who hath betrothed her to himself." But "if she pleased not her Master", that is, if she be polluted by sin and guilt, He does not again appoint that same body for her, and so she loses it for ever, unless the person should be roused to repentance, for then "shall she be redeemed" -- as it is written: "He will deliver his soul from going into the pit" (Job XXXIII, 28); which signifies that man is advised to redeem his own soul by repentance and amendment. In fact, the words "he shall redeem her" have a double significance: they point to man's own redemption of his soul by repentance, followed by the redemption from Gehenna effected by the Holy One. "To sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power." Who is this "strange nation"? Hapless is the soul when she leaves this world after being attached to a man who has turned away from the right path. She desires to ascend to the heights, in the midst of the holy hosts; for holy hosts stand along the way to Paradise, and "strange" hosts line the other way, to Gehenna. If, then, the soul is worthy and wears the precious protecting garment, multitudes of holy hosts stand ready to join her and accompany her to Paradise. But if she hath not that garment, the "strange" hosts compel her to take the path which leads to Gehenna. Angels of destruction and confusion are they, who will gladly take their revenge on her. But "He shall have no power to sell her unto a strange nation", if "His garment is upon her", by which the Holy One guards her from the "strange nations" of the angels of destruction and despoilment.
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'AND IF HE HAVE BETROTHED HER UNTO HIS SON, HE SHALL ACT TOWARDS HER AFTER THE MANNER OF DAUGHTERS. How careful should a man be not to walk in a crooked way in this world! For if he shall have proved himself worthy in this world, having guarded his soul with all care, then the Holy One, blessed be He, will be well pleased with him, and will praise him daily to His celestial Family, saying: "Behold the holy son whom I have in that lower world! See what acts he performed, how upright are his ways." And when such a soul leaves this world, pure, bright, and unsullied, the Holy One illumines her daily with innumerable radiances and proclaims concerning her: "This is the soul of my son so-and-so: let her be kept for the body which she has left." This is the significance of the words: "And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall act towards her after the manner of daughters." What is the meaning of these words, "after the manner of daughters"? This is a secret entrusted to the keeping of the wise alone, and here is the substance thereof. In the midst of a mighty rock, a most recondite firmament, there is set a Palace which is called the Palace of Love. This is the region wherein the treasures of the King are stored, and all His love-kisses are there. All souls beloved of the Holy One enter into that Palace. And when the King Himself appears, "Jacob kisses Rachel" (Gen. XXIX, 11), that is, the Lord discovers each holy soul, and takes each in turn up unto Himself, fondling and caressing her, "acting towards her after the manner of daughters", even as a father treats his beloved daughter, fondling and caressing her, and giving her presents. "Ear hath not heard, nor eye seen ... what he doeth to him who waiteth for him" (Isa. LXIV, 3): as that "daughter", the soul, has done her work in this world, so will the Holy One "do" His work on her in the world to come.' [97b]
Then the old man prostrated himself in prayer, wept again, and continued: 'IF HE TAKE HIM ANOTHER ONE, HER FOOD, HER RAIMENT, AND HER CONJUGAL COHABITATION SHALL HE NOT DIMINISH. What does it mean by saying, "If he take him another one"? Does it mean that the Holy One will give another soul in this world to the righteous, and not the same one which already had fulfilled in this world the will of her Master? Surely not: for what good tidings would that be for the righteous? However, it is written: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return untO God who gave it" (Eccl. XII, 7). Now this verse the scholars have applied to the destruction of the Temple: the dust [1] thereof did indeed return upon the earth, so that it reverted to the state in which it was when "the Canaanite was there" (Gen. XII, 6), and the spirit, namely the Shekinah, when she saw that her ten stages were completed and yet Israel did not repent, [2] returned untO God, and since then the "other side" has had dominion over the Holy Land. All this has been established by die members of the Fellowship. Now the spirit (ruah) of a righteous man is adorned with its own form in the lower Paradise; and on sabbaths, festivals, and new-moons the spirits are crowned with new crowns, and ascend to the higher realms of Heaven. And as the Holy One deals with the supernal holy soul (neshamah) in the upper Paradise, so also He deals with this spirit in the lower Paradise: He brings it up before Him and says, "This spirit belongs to such and such a body." Then He crowns it with many crowns and finds His joy therein. This, however, does not mean that this occupation with the spirit interferes with the joy which the Holy One gives to the soul. "If he take him another one, her food, her raiment, and her conjugal cohabitation shall he not diminish." These are the three supreme Names which "no eye hath seen, apart from thee, O God" (Isa. LXIV, 8), all of whom are in the world to come and issue forth from thence. One is designated "sheerah" (her food), namely, the emanation of the radiance, the source of which is undiscoverable. It is the food which nourishes all and is called YHVH with the vowel points of Elohim. The second is called "her raiment": the King's garment which is spread over the soul and protects her always, another emanation of light. And what does the "conjugal cohabitation" stand for? This is the abundance of light and life of the world to come wherein is all bliss. It is YHVH Zebaoth who shines forth with all the hidden lights of the Tree of Life, and wherein is concealed the mystery of conjugal relations and whence it emanates. These three manifestations of the Divine Grace shall "not be diminished" to the soul, if she be worthy; but if she be not so, then she will not be crowned with any of them: "If he do not these three unto her" -- because of the soul's unworthiness --" then shall she go out free without money (keseph)" (V. 11). That is to say, the soul is then pushed away without yearning (kisupha) for union with the supernal light, and without the joy of possessing it.
'So far we have dealt with the good counsel which the Torah gives to the children of men: the Torah, which abounds in good counsel. But now let us return to our former subject, namely to the supernal garment which the Holy One spreads over the soul as an armour of protection so that she should not be delivered to a "strange nation". "And if he hath betrothed her unto his son, he shall act towards her according to the rights of daughters." 'Associates,' said the old man, 'When ye shall draw nigh unto that rock upon which the whole world is sustained (R. Simeon), then shall ye tell him to remember the day of snow whereon beans were sown of fifty-two kinds and colours, [3] and having recalled that day to his mind, recall also the fact that on it we read the above verse: which, when ye have awakened in him the memory thereof, he will then unravel for you himself.' But the companions demurred to this, saying: 'Nay, we pray thee: he who began must himself continue!' Said he: 'So be it then! For I know that ye are wise and righteous scholars, worthy to be informed of all the mysteries which have been entrusted to the keeping of the faithful. I shall indeed interpret; but when ye remind him by that sign and token which I have given you, he will duly supplement and complete my words. We must now explain who is he that is called "son" to the Holy One, blessed be He. Come and see. A boy [98a] who has reached the age of thirteen becomes a son of the Community of Israel and remains so until he is twenty. When he is twenty, if he be worthy he becomes a son of the Holy One, one of those of whom it is written, "Sons are ye to the Lord your God" (Deut. XIV, 1). Thus, when David had reached his thirteenth year it was said concerning him: "The Lord said unto me, My son art thou, to-day have I begotten thee" (Ps. II, 7). What does this mean? It signifies that up till that time he was not in the state of sonship, and the supernal soul did not rest upon him, because he was in the years of immaturity ('orlah). But as soon as he reached the age when he became, being worthy, a son of the Community of Israel, he was, as it were, begotten anew: "To-day have I begotten thee" -- I and not the "other side" as hitherto: I alone. And when Solomon was twenty, what do we read concerning him? "I was a son of my father" (Prov. IV, 3), "father" referring to the Heavenly Father. Thus the words, "And if he have betrothed her unto his son" (in their mystical sense) refer to the time after the age of thirteen when a man emerges from the sphere of impurity to which he had been assigned. Then "he shall act towards her according to the rights of daughters". What is this? We have been taught that every day the Holy One, blessed be He, gazed steadfastly down from the celestial heights upon the young boy who is still held in the power of the unclean spirit ('orlah), noting how he gradually liberates himself therefrom: first by attending school, where he begins to weaken it, and then by going to the synagogue, where he masters it still further. What does the Holy One then do to the soul of such a one? He brings her into His Treasure-house, and bestows upon her rich, glorious and supernal gifts, and adorns her with noble ornaments until the time when the boy is thirteen years and upward, when He brings her under the bridal canopy. "And if he take him another" .... What do these wards signify? Ah, they indeed contain a mystery of mysteries, such as is entrusted only to. the wisest of the wise! One thing must be mentioned as a preliminary. On the Sabbath day, when the day is being sanctified, myriads of new souls emerge from the Tree of Life, and these are breathed into the denizens of earth and enter into them and remain in them during the whole of the Sabbath, and at the close of the Sabbath all these souls ascend once more to the regions of light, there to crown themselves with holy crowns of supernal brightness and splendour. And as at man's birth the Holy One provides him with a soul, so also does He provide him with this "other" soul specially far the Sabbath: at the same time not "diminishing" the food, raiment, etc., from his week-day soul.'
Having arrived at this paint in his exposition, the old man wept again and then exclaimed, addressing himself: 'Old man, old man! How long, how toilsomely hast thou laboured after the wards of wisdom, that thou mightest grasp these holy mysteries; and now thou pourest them all out in a moment! And yet how was it possible for thee to hoard these wards and oat express them, seeing that the Scripture tells us, "Withhold not good from the owners thereof, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it" (Prov. III, 27)? Verily, wherever the truths of the Tarah are expounded, the Holy One and the Community of Israel (the Shekinah) are present, "the owners" of the "good" side of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, who crown themselves with all the words of goodness and blessing which they hear spoken an earth. Old man, old man! Art thou, then, uncertain whether the Holy One and the Shekinah are present here, and whether those to whom thou speakest are worthy to hear these mysteries ? Fear not! Hast thou not plunged unafraid into the midst of mighty battles, and art now afeared? Nay, nay, be not so: rather say what thou hast to say to the very end, since the Holy One and the Community of Israel are indeed here, far were it not so thou wouldst not have met with these men, nor even begun thy present discourse. So speak on, old man, speak an and have no fear!'
He then commenced with the text: "O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with majesty and beauty; who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain; who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh the clouds his chariots; who walketh upon the wings of the wind; who maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire" (Ps. CIV, 1-3). 'The words "O Lord my God",' he said, 'signify the primary hypostasis (lit. beginning of faith), the emergence of the Thought [4] and the Future world, [5] an absolute unity without division. "Thou art great" refers to the beginning of actual creation, the first of the six primordial Days, the Right Side. The "very" symbolizes the Left Side. "Thou art clothed with majesty and beauty" signifies the two branches of the willows, [6] of which more anon. When the Psalmist came to the Tree of Life [7] it hid itself and would not enter the series on account of that "very", to wit the "Left Side" of all the lower branches, including a certain bitter branch. [8] On account of this the Tree of Life hid itself and was loth to be included in the sum of these things until the Psalmist returned to the subject and declared God's praise in another fashion, saying: "Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment" -- to wit, with the light [98b] of the first day, and then, "Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain", thus including the Left Side in the Right, so as to shine under the rubric of "heaven", while the "very" was discarded. Then the verse proceeds: "Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters": here we have the emergence in joy of the Tree of Life, the "River going out of Eden", with the two willow shoots, referred to in the words "upper chambers", rooted in its waters, so that it became "as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out her roots by the river" (Jer. XVII, 8). This is also the allusion contained in the words: "The river, the channels thereof shall make glad the city of God" (Ps. XLVI, 8). What are these channels? They are the roots of the willows, which here are called "upper chambers". These and the roots and the channels -- all are rooted in those waters of that mysterious river. "The clouds his chariots" in the next verse refers to Michael and Gabriel; "Who walketh upon the wings of the wind" to Raphael, who comes to give healing to the world. From that point on "he maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire." Old man, old man! As thou art aware of all these things, fear not, but speak out boldly, and let the words of thy mouth spread light!'