Altruistic World Online Library

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:25 am

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!'

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:26 am

Part 2 of 4

The two friends rejoiced and listened in ecstasy and delight to the holy words. Said the old man: 'O ancient, O ancient, upon what a task hast thou entered! Thou hast plunged into the great sea, and now perforce must swim on till thou shalt have gained the farther shore! On, then! "And if he take him another .... " How many ancient mysteries never revealed before, regarding transmigration are indicated here! All the matters of which I am about to speak are perfect truth not deviating by one hair's-breadth from the path of truth. Now, in the first place I must remark that the souls of proselytes fly forth from Paradise in a very recondite manner. When the souls which proselytes have obtained from Paradise pass away from this world, to where do they return? According to the traditional law, he who first seizes the possessions of a proselyte at the time of the latter's death becomes their rightful owner. In the same way, all the holy supernal souls which the Holy One has appointed for those that are below go out at certain times and seasons from their bodily owners and ascend to their first home in order to enjoy the delights of Paradise. There they encounter the souls of proselytes, and whichever of them seizes on one claims it as its own. Each soul then clothes herself with that proselyte soul which she has claimed, and stands thus in Paradise, for there the souls must all be clothed. Not that they thereby forfeit any of the bliss which they enjoyed before, since it says "if he take unto him another, her food, etc." Still, when they ascend into the higher Paradise they remove these garments and are clothed only in their own radiance, for there no garb is worn.' Then the old man wept again as he had done before, and said to himself: 'Old man, old man, thou hast indeed reason to weep and to shed tears over every word; but the Holy One and His Holy Shekinah well know that what I say is said with all sincerity and devoutness, because they are the real source of every word uttered by me, and are crowned by it. All the holy souls which come down to this world to take up each its appropriate place in a human body array themselves with the souls of proselytes which they have appropriated, as we have explained; and they enter into the bodies of the holy seed of Israel wearing this garment to be served therewith in this world. When these garments draw to themselves the good things of this world these holy souls regale themselves with the aroma which they gather from the garments. Now, there is no work of the Holy One so recondite but he has recorded it in the Torah; and the Torah reveals it for an instant and then straightway clothes it with another garment, so that it is hidden there and does not show itself. But the wise, whose wisdom makes them full of eyes, pierce through the garment to the very essence of the word that is hidden thereby. And when the word is momentarily revealed in that first instant of which we have spoken, those whose eyes are wise can see it, though it is so soon hidden again. In how many places does the Holy One insist that the holy seed should deal tenderly with the stranger, the proselyte! In the course of such passages a secret emerges from its sheath, [99a] and as soon as it has been revealed returns thereto and once more conceals itself therein. That is to say, after repeating many times its injunctions concerning the treatment of the proselyte, the Scripture suddenly lays bare its hidden meaning by declaring: " For ye know the soul of the stranger" (i.e. proselyte, Ex. XXIII, 9). After this, however, the word retires again into its sheath, covers itself up, and hides itself again by adding: "For ye were strangers in the land of Egypt", imagining that because it covered itself up immediately, no one noticed it, to wit, this "soul" of the proselyte.' Then the old man expounded in connection with the subject of the soul and her garment the words: "And Moses went into the midst of the cloud and got him up into the mount" (Ex. XXIV, 18). 'Now what does the cloud signify?' he asked, and answered his own question, saying: 'There is a reference here to the words: "I set my bow in the cloud": namely, the rainbow, in reference to which we have learnt that it removed, as it were, its outer garment and gave it to Moses, who went up to the mountain with it and saw through it all the sights with which he was feasted there.'

When the ancient one had reached this point he paused, and the two rabbis prostrated themselves before him, wept and said: 'Had we come into this world only in order to hear these thy words from thy mouth it were sufficient.' Said he: 'Associates, I did not begin to speak to you merely in order to tell you what I have told up till now, for, surely, an old man like myself would not limit himself to one saying, making a noise like a single coin in a jug. How many human beings live in confusion of mind, beholding not the way of truth whose dwelling is in the Torah, the Torah which calls them day by day to herself in love, but alas, they do not even turn their heads! It is indeed as I have said, that the Torah lets out a word, and emerges for a little from her sheath, and then hides herself again. But she docs this only for those who understand and obey her. She is like unto a beautiful and stately damsel, who is hidden in a secluded chamber of a palace and who has a lover of whom no one knows but she. Out of his love for her he constantly passes by her gate, turning his eyes towards all sides to find her. She, knowing that he is always haunting the palace, what does she do? She opens a little door in her hidden palace, discloses for a moment her face to her lover, then swiftly hides it again. None but he notices it; but his heart and soul, and all that is in him are drawn to her, knowing as he does that she has revealed herself to him for a moment because she loves him. It is the same with the Torah, which reveals her hidden secrets only to those who love her. She knows that he who is wise of heart daily haunts the gates of her house. What does she do? She shows her face to him from her palace, making a sign of love to him, and straightway returns to her hiding place again. No one understands her message save he alone, and he is drawn to her with heart and soul and all his being. Thus the Torah reveals herself momentarily in love to her lovers in order to awaken fresh love in them. Now this is the way of the Torah. At first, when she begins to reveal herself to a man, she makes signs to him. Should he understand, well and good, but if not, then she sends for him and calls him "simpleton", saying to her messengers: "Tell that simpleton to come here and converse with me", as it is written: "Whoso is a simpleton let him turn in hither" (Prov. IX, 4). When he comes to her she begins to speak to him, first from behind the curtain which she has spread for him about her words suitable to his mode of understanding, so that he may progress little by little. This is called "Derasha" (Talmudic casuistry, namely the derivation of the traditional laws and usages from the letter of Scripture). Then she speaks to him from behind a thin veil of a finger mesh, discoursing riddles and parables-which go by the name of Haggadah. When at last he is familiar with her she shows herself to him face to face and converses with him concerning all her hidden mysteries and all the mysterious ways which have been secreted in her heart from time immemorial. Then such a man is [99b] a true adept in the Torah, a "master of the house", since she has revealed to him all her mysteries, withholding and hiding nothing. She says to him: "Seest thou the sign, the hint, which I gave thee at first, how many mysteries it contains?" He realizes then that nothing may be added to nor taken from the words of the Torah, not even one sign or letter. Therefore men should follow the Torah with might and main in order that they may become her lovers, as has been described.

'"And if he take him another .... " How many, and how wondrous, are the cycles of the soul as indicated in these words! Truly, all souls must undergo transmigration; but men do not perceive the ways of the Holy One, how the revolving scale is set up and men are judged every day at all times, and how they are brought before the Tribunal, both before they enter into this world and after they leave it. They perceive not the many transmigrations and the many mysterious works which the Holy One accomplishes with many naked souls, and how many naked spirits roam about in the other world without being able to enter within the veil of the King's Palace. Many are the worlds through which they revolve, and each revolution is wondrous in many hidden ways, but men neither know nor perceive these things! Nor do they know how the souls roll about "like a stone inside a sling" (I Sam. XXV, 29). Now, as we have begun to disclose these mysteries, it is opportune to reveal that all souls (neshamah) emanate from a high and mighty Tree, from that "River which goes out of Eden" (Gen. II, 10), and all spirits (ruah) from another, smaller Tree -- the souls from above and the spirits from below -- and they unite after the fashion of male and female. And when they (soul and spirit) unite, they shine with a celestial light, and in their union they are designated "Lamp", as it says, "The lamp of the Lord is the soul of man" (Prov. XX, 27), NeR (lamp) being the abbreviation of Neshamah-Ruah (soul-spirit). Soul and spirit, the union of the masculine and the feminine, bring forth light, but if separate they do not give light. The soul wraps herself in the spirit in order to occupy her station in the upper region, in the hidden Palace, as it is written: "For the spirit becomes a covering (ya'toph) before me and the souls which I have made" (Isa. LVII, 16). There above, in the Garden, in the Palace, the soul wraps herself in the spirit in manner due. And when the soul descends to the lower Paradise she wraps herself in another (lower) spirit (the soul of the proselyte), concerning which we have spoken above -- a spirit which emanates from that lower Paradise and has his abode there. And the soul clothes herself in this world with all these various spirits, and so abides here. Now the spirit which has left this world without procreation and engendering of children undergoes constant transmigration, finding no rest, and rolling about "like a stone inside' a sling" until a "redeemer" [9] comes forward to redeem it and bring it back to the same "vessel" which it formerly used and to which it clave with heart and soul, as to its life's partner, in the union of spirit with spirit. This "redeemer" builds up that spirit again. For the spirit which was left by the deceased still clinging to that vessel has not been lost -- since nothing is lost in the world -- but it is still there and seeks to return to its basis; and so the "redeemer" brings it and builds it up again in its place, and it becomes a new creation, a new spirit in a new body. It may be said, "the spirit becomes the same as what it was": this is so, but it has not been built up save for the sake of the other spirit which was left in that vessel. [100a] There is here a profound mystery. According to the Book of Enoch, this "building" is indeed constructed by the other spirit which was left in the "vessel", and which draws after him the spirit which roams about in the air naked and alone; and these two spirits are welded together, and if the person is worthy to be built up again, the two spirits become one indeed, an organ in which a superior soul may wrap herself. For just as other men have a spirit which is seized by the over-soul and another higher spirit, and the holy over-soul is clothed with both, so here there are two spirits for the superior soul to wrap herself therewith, and for them another body (the child which is to be borne by the widow who married the near of kin), which is now built anew.

'Now the question arises, what becomes of the body of the man who died without issue? Is it lost because he was not worthy to bring forth a descendant? In that case it was in vain that he endeavoured to keep the commandments of the Torah: and even if he kept only one commandment, we know that "even the emptiest in Israel are full of good deeds as a pomegranate is full of grains". [10] This body, although it was not found worthy to bring forth an issue, was yet able to fulfil other commandments, and should it all have been in vain? Friends friends! Open your eyes wide that ye may see more clearly, for I know that at present ye imagine that such bodies are mere figures in the void, incapable of sustained existence. It is, however, not so, and ye must beware of such thoughts. "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise?" (Ps. CVI, 2). The body of the first husband is not lost: on the contrary, it will have an existence in the time to come, for it has already suffered a sufficiency of punishment, and the Holy One never curtails the reward of any creature which He has created, except of those who have entirely left the faith and in whom was no good whatsoever, and those who have not bowed down at the Modim [11] prayer, who are turned by the Holy One into other creatures, because that body will never again be built into the form of a man, and will not rise for ever. Not so these, however. What, then, does the Holy One do, if that spirit was worthy to be perfected in this world in the body of the other one? Observe now. The "redeemer" brings in his spirit, which mixes with the spirit already in the "vessel", with the result that there are three spirits there: one that was left there (by the deceased husband); one that is now naked but is drawn back there as to its basis (the spirit of the deceased husband); and one that the "redeemer" now brings in. This would seem to be impossible. But behold the mighty works of the Lord! The spirit which the "redeemer" brought in becomes the garment of the deceased's soul, taking the place of the proselyte's soul, and the naked spirit who has returned there to be built up becomes the covering for the supernal holy soul of the deceased. And the spirit which was left (by the deceased) cleaving to the "vessel" flies away from there, and the Holy One prepares for it a place in the mysterious region of the opening of the rock which is behind the walls of Paradise. There it is stored up and it enters eventually into the former body, together with which it will rise on the Resurrection. This is what I meant when I spoke of two that are one (or one that is two). That body, however, undergoes great punishment before the Resurrection, for, because it was not worthy to bring forth an issue, it was put into the earth in the region which adjoins Arqa. [12] There it lies for a while, then it is removed to this world, then back again: it has no rest, except on Sabbaths, festivals, and new moons. [100b] It is concerning such bodies that it is written: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. XII, 2); the latter are those who have not done their duty (by bearing children) in this world. There are the mighty works of the Supernal Holy King, who does not permit anything to perish, not even the breath of the mouth. He has a place for everything, and makes of it what He wills. Even a human word, yes, even the voice, is not void, but has its place and destination in the universe. This body which is built up again and emerges into the world as a new creation has no mate, and therefore the usual proclamation ("the daughter of so-and-so to so-and-so") [13] is not made about him from above. For his mate has been lost to him, the one whom he should have had becoming his mother, and his brother becoming his father (i.e. it is the brother of the deceased who died without issue, and his wife, to whom it is due that his body should be " built up" again).'

The old man now addressed himself again, saying: 'Old man, old man, what hast thou done? O, if thou hadst only been silent! Verily, thou hast launched thyself upon the great sea without rudder and without sail! What wilt thou do now? Wouldst thou fain ascend? Thou canst not. Descend? It is impossible: the deep abyss will swallow thee up. What wilt thou do? O, old man, old man! Thou canst not turn back. Yet let not thy spirit or thy strength fail thee, for thou knowest that no other man in thy generation has ventured to sail in a little boat on the wide ocean as thou art doing. The son of Yohai knows how to guard his way, and even when he does enter into the deep dangerous waters of the high seas he first looks round him to see whether he will be able to cross; but thou, old man, didst not so. Now, old man, as thou art arrived at this pass, do not weaken in thy efforts, do not give up! Sail to the right and to the left, to the length and to the breadth, down into the depth, and up into the heights! Do not be afraid! Old man, old man, have courage! How many giants hast thou battled with, and how many battles hast thou won!' He wept, and then began again.

'It is written: "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon in the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart" (S.S. III, 11). This verse has already been properly interpreted, and yet we may still ask, How is one to understand the words, "Go forth and behold King Solomon"? This title, we know, refers to the King of Peace, [14] and who can behold Him who is high above the heavenly hosts in a region which "no eye hath seen apart from thee, O God" (Isa. LXIV, 3)? Him of whose glory the angels above ask: "Where is the place of His glory?" Observe, however, that the text does not say "and the crown", but "in the crown", from which we learn that he who sees the Crown beholds also the loveliness of the King of Peace. Then again, "wherewith his mother crowned him": She (the Shekinah) is sometimes called "Daughter", and sometimes "Sister", and here She is called "Mother". And She is indeed all these. He who penetrates into this mystery has imbibed precious wisdom. Now what shall I do? Should I explain? But such a veiled mystery ought not to be disclosed. Yet should I not explain, these good men will be orphaned of this mystery.'

The old man fell on his face and said: '"Into thine hand I deliver my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth" (Ps. XXXI, 7). The vessel which was below, how can it be above? The husband who was above, how can he be below? His spouse become his mother! Wonder upon wonder! His brother become his father! If his real father were to redeem him that would be understood. But that his brother should become his father, is this not a wonder? This would indeed be topsy-turvydom: those that should be above are now below, and they that should be below are now above! However, "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his. And he changeth the times and the seasons.... He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him" (Dan. II, 20-21). He who is in the light cannot see the darkness; but not so the Holy One, blessed be He; [101a] although the light dwelleth with Him, He knows what is in the darkness. Out of the light He beholds the darkness and knows all that is there. The mystery of the soul and her revolutions is analogous to the mystery of the Divine Hypostases. [15] When a man reaches the age of thirteen he stands, as we have said, in the grade of sonship. When he is twenty, he reaches a higher grade, the grade of "Joseph": the realm of Masculinity, the sphere of Understanding. Now, at first, the man when he married the woman, was lord over the world of Femininity, over the "small tree" -- for the Feminine is in the image of the Small Tree. But when he failed to have children with his wife, and died without leaving an issue, he was excluded from the world of Masculinity, and she, by marrying his brother, became, as it were, his mother (by bringing forth a successor to her deceased husband); and his brother, "the redeemer", becomes, as it were, his father and enters into the realm of Masculinity which was formerly his. Thus the Tree is turned upside down: what was above is now below, and what was below is now above. Oh, if only people knew the pain which the body of the men who died without children must undergo! There is no pain like unto the pain of the body that is in a state of frustration, when it has been uprooted from the sphere of Masculinity and transferred into that of Femininity. Concerning this, it is written: "If the priest's daughter (i.e. the soul) 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" (Lev. XXII, 13). We have already pointed out what "the priest's daughter" signifies. If she be a "widow" of the first body, "divorced" in not being able to penetrate into the courtyard of the King -- for those who are not in the sphere of the Masculine realm have no part therein -- "having no child", for if she had, she would not have sunk into the Feminine sphere, "and is returned unto her father's house", that is to say, unto the realm of Femininity (as that realm is called) where she previously was, then, if she be worthy, "she shall eat of her father's meat" [101b] namely, participate in the joys of the Feminine realm, the supernal food coming down from above; but she is still a "stranger", not able to participate in the contemplative joy of the other righteous; she may not eat of "the holy things" (Ibid. v. 10), but may eat the Terumah (the meat of the heave-offering), because this symbolizes the Feminine sphere, and therefore she may eat only at night (v. 7). Whereas holy food which belongs to the world of Masculinity may be eaten only during the day. Therefore "Israel is holiness unto the Lord, the firstfruits (the beginning) of his increase" (Jer. II, 3): the supernal beginning of the whole sphere of the Masculine is holy, and its further development in holiness is Israel. When spirits come to visit the graves, as they do at certain seasons, they do not visit the graves of these men, since they have not merited to rise to that region called "holiness", being only "strangers". Moreover, if that spirit did not succeed in doing its duty (by begetting children) in the period of transmigration, he may not even eat the Terumah, and is called "stranger" even in the lower world.

'So far concerning this mystery. Old man, old man I As thou hast started to sail on the wide sea, go on boldly in all directions and breast its waves! I have now to reveal something more. I said that the "redeemer", when he enters into the "vessel", lets his spirit cleave to that "vessel", so that nothing is lost, not even the breath of the mouth. This is quite correct. Old man, old man! If thou art to reveal mysteries, speak out without fear! What of other men, normal persons, who did procreate and then passed away from this world? We have said that the spirit of a man (the absconditus sponsus) is left in the woman who was his wife. Well, what becomes of it? Supposing she marries again, is it possible that two different spirits of two men should dwell together in one body? For there is no question of a "redeemer" in this case, as the first husband did have children. Is that spirit then entirely lost? Nay, this cannot be. The same problem arises even when the widow does not marry again. What becomes of her husband's spirit which cleaves to her? All this must now be explained. Old man, old man! See what thou hast done and what thou hast taken upon thyself! Arise, old man, and unfurl thy sail! Arise, old man, and humble thyself before thy Master!' He then continued: '"Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself (walk) in great matters, or in things too high for me" (Ps. CXXXI, 1). King David said this: he was a great king, supreme over all kings and rulers from east to west, and yet it never entered his mind to turn from the right path, for he was ever humble before the Lord. When he studied the Torah he summoned up all his strength like a lion, and his eyes looked down at the same time to the earth, out of awe to his Lord, and when he went about among the people he displayed no haughtiness. Hence he said "my heart is not haughty, although I am a mighty king, nor mine eyes lofty, when I stand before Thee studying the Torah, and I do not walk in greatness or haughtiness when I go among the people." Now if David was thus humble, how much more must ordinary people be so! And I, how lowly and with what downcast eyes must I stand before the Holy King 1Far be it from me to be puffed up when I deal with holy words of the Torah.' He wept and his tears trickled on to his beard. Said he: 'Old man, old man, feeble in strength, how fair are the tears on thy cheeks, like "the precious ointment that ran down upon the face of the good old man Aaron" (Ps. CXXXIII, 2). Say thy words, old man, [102a] for the Holy King is here!

'What, then, becomes of the spirit of an ordinary man whose widow has married again? Come ye and see the wonderful and mighty works of the Holy King! Who can utter them? When the second husband's spirit enters into the body of the woman the spirit of the first husband contends with it, and they cannot dwell in peace together, so that the woman is never altogether happy with the second husband, because the spirit of the first one is always pricking her, his memory is always with her, causing her to weep and sigh over him. In fact, his spirit writhes within her like a serpent. And so it goes on for a long time. If the second spirit prevails over the first one, then the latter goes out. But if, as sometimes happens, the first conquers the second, it means the death of the second husband. Therefore we are taught that after a woman has been twice widowed no one should marry her again, for the angel of death has taken possession of her, though most people do not know this. Friends, I am aware that on this point you may well object that in that case the second husband's death was not in accordance with Divine judgement. It is not so, however. It is all decided by fair trial, whether the one spirit should prevail over the other or be at peace with it; but he who marries a widow is like unto one who ventures to brave the ocean during a storm without a rudder and without sails, and knows not whether he will cross safely or sink into the depths.

'Now I have said that when the second spirit prevails over the first, the latter deserts the body. But whither goeth it? What becomes of it? Old man, old man, what hast thou done? Thou didst intend to speak but little, and hast come as far as this! Thou hast entered a place into which no other human being has hitherto entered since the time of Doeg and Ahitophel, when four hundred questions were asked concerning a tower which was suspended in the air, and which no one could answer until Solomon came and made everythi~g clear. [16] Old man, old man! Thou hast commenced to reveal a profound secret. What hast thou done? Old man, old man! thou shouldst indeed have considered beforehand and been careful of thy steps. Now there is no time to hide. Old man, take fresh courage! The spirit that has left the body of the woman, where has it fled?' He wept again and said: 'Friends, the tears which I shed fall not on your account, but for fear of the Lord of the universe, that perchance I have revealed mysteries without permission. It is, however, known to the Holy One, blessed be He, that all I do, I am doing not for my own honour nor for the honour of my father, but because my sole desire is to serve Him. I discern the glory and honour of one of you in the other world; and as to the other one, I know that he is likewise worthy; at first this was not revealed to me, but now I see it clearly. Now where does the first spirit, having been thrust out by the second, go? It roams about in the world for some time, and then visits the grave of the man to whom it belongs, and then it flits about again in the world and reveals itself to men in their dreams, so that they behold in fancy the face of the deceased, who tells them various things after the manner of the original spirit from which this spirit is derived. For as the other spirit is roaming about the other world, so this one roams about this world, making communications to people, and it always visits that grave at the time when the spirits of the dead visit the graves of their bodies. Then the two spirits join one another, the one (the essential) using the other as its garment, and they ascend again. When the essential spirit reaches its place, it puts off its "garment", namely the second spirit, which latter is given a place either [102b] within or without the palaces of Paradise, according to merit, there remaining hidden. And when the spirits visit this world and the dead attach themselves to the living they do it only through drawing down the essential spirit, which then wears the other as a garment. And should ye ask, "In that case the essential spirit of the first husband profits thereby, and the woman therefore has done him a favour in marrying again?" I would say it is not so, for had she not married again, and the spirit of the first husband not so been thrust out by that of the second, he would have profited in a different way: his spirit would not have had to roam about in the world and pay visits to the living. Should the question arise, "In that case her remarriage was her own decision and did not depend on a decree from above; why, then, didst thou say that it was providential and that one man should, as it were, be thrust out by the other and explain that the woman was indeed the preordained mate for the second husband and not for the first?" I would answer: "Indeed it is as I said: The spirit of the first husband is ejected by that of the second, just because it is the latter who was really intended from the first to be her consort, and not the first, and, conversely, if the second husband's spirit is pushed out by that of the first one, it shows that the first one was destined to be her only mate. Hence, he who marries a widow "knows not that it is with the peril of his life" (Prov. VII, 28), for he knows not whether she is predestined to be his real spouse. However, if the widow does not wish to marry again, even when the man who wishes to marry her is meant to be her ideal mate, the Holy One does not condemn her for that, and He prepares another wife for the man whom she had refused, and she is not brought before the heavenly tribunal for her refusal, even when she has no children, because the commandment concerning procreation is not obligatory for women.

'Now what happens to the spirit of a deceased husband whose widow does not marry again? It dwells in her for the first twelve months, visiting his soul (nephesh) every night at the grave, In depression and sadness, and after the twelve months it leaves her and stands before the gates of Paradise, but occasionally visits this world, namely the "vessel" from whence it went out. And when the woman dies that spirit goes out to meet her, and clothes itself in her spirit, and so she comes into contact with her husband; and husband and wife shine together in the closest union.

'As we have come so far, we must now disclose the hidden paths of the Lord of the universe, which the children of men know not, though they are all within the way of truth, as it is written: "For the ways of the Lord are upright; the righteous shall walk in them, and the transgressors shall stumble therein" (Hos. XI, 10). The children of men neither know nor perceive how exalted are the deeds of the Holy One and how strange, yet withal according to the way of truth, turning neither to the right nor to the left. Those who undergo transmigration and are driven out from the other world (because they refused to propagate themselves) without feminine partners, how do they manage to find wives in this world, seeing that no female partner is preordained for them, as for other men? See how wondrous and exalted are the mighty works of God! We have been taught that over him who divorces his first wife the altar sheds tears. Why the altar? Because, as I have said on another occasion all women stand in the image and form of the altar, [17] for which reason they "inherit" the seven benedictions (used at the marriage sacrament), because they all have the "Community of Israel" (the Shekinah) as their prototype. Thus, when [103a] a man divorces his wife he causes, as it were, a defect in the stone of the heavenly altar. Thus it is possible for the divorcements to unite themselves one with the other (i.e. the divorcement of the man's spirit in heaven and of the woman on earth). Concerning this mystery it says: "And hath written to her a bill of divorcement, and gave it in her hand, and sent her out of his house, and she departed from his house, and went and became another man's wife (Deut. XXIV, 1). What is the significance of "another"? It points to the words, "and they shall shoot forth from another place" (Job VIII, 19), i.e. from the region of impurity. Thus the divorcements unite as one, the divorcement of this world and the divorcement of the other world. For this woman who stood formerly in the likeness of the supernal form has now became attached to the low form. He is called "another" (aher), and he is called "latter", "last one" (ahron), as it says, "and if the last husband hate her" (Deut. XXIV, 3); "if the last husband die" (Ibid.). Now, why is the second husband of the divorced woman called "last" and not "second"? It is as we have said, that it has a higher significance, he being "another" and also the "last". Now the stone rolls in the basket (i.e. there is a difficulty). First, why is he called "another" when the whole building (of the conjugal relationship with the first husband) has been destroyed and turned into dust? And then, why is he called "the last"? If he is the right person, well and good, but if not, there will be another development (and he will not be the last). But mark this. It is written: "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. I, 31), and "good" here has been interpreted to refer to the angel of good, and "very" to the angel of death. [18] Now the Holy One has prepared a remedy for all ills. It is written: "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden" (Gen. II, 10). This "river" never ceases to procreate and to spread itself and to bring forth fruit. But the "other god" (the principle of evil) is emasculated and has no desire to procreate, and does not multiply or bear fruit, for were he to bear fruit, he would reduce the whole world to chaos. Therefore man who causes the "other side" to multiply (by consciously rejecting the commandment of procreation) is called "an evil one", and will nevermore behold the race of the Shekinah, for it is written: "Evil dwelleth not with thee" (Ps. V. 5). A man who undergoes the metamorphosis of the soul, if he sins and joins the "other god" who produces no fruit and engenders no children, is therefore called "other"; the second husband who does likewise is called "the last one" by the Holy One, and not merely "the second", in order to avert an omen pointing to the destruction of the second building also. The Scripture itself teaches us this lesson, since it calls the second Temple "last" (Haggai II, 9), in order to avoid the omen. Therefore "the former husband who sent her away cannot take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled" (Deut. XXIV, 4.). It does not say "he should not", but "he cannot", because, as the woman has united herself with another man and been subjected to a lower grade, the Holy One is unwilling that the former husband should lower himself by uniting with a grade that is not his. And mark this. If that woman, having been divorced, did not marry again, even if she should have misconducted herself with many men, the husband, if he wishes, may take her back, but not when she has been legally married to another man. Once she has united herself with a lower grade, the first husband, [103b] who belongs to the grade of "good", may not associate himself with her any longer nor spread on that side. Other men may marry her, as perhaps she may find a proper mate again. A man who has children by his first wife, and brings such a woman into his house, unites himself with a flaming sword, in two ways: first, because two have already entered and been violently ejected, and now he is the third; and, secondly, how can he let his spirit enter into a vessel which has already been used by others, associate himself with her and cleave to her? It is not that he is prohibited to do so, but in doing it he chooses a bad companion to himself. R. Levitas, from Kephar Oni, used to jeer and scoff at a person who married a woman of this sort, applying to her the words: "And she shall laugh at the last day" (Prov. XXXI, 25), meaning, the "last one" who unites himself with such a woman will be a laughing stock.

'Now we have to turn our attention to a great and noble spot which once was on the earth, being a very root and stock of truth, to wit, Obed the father of Jesse, the grandfather of David. It has been affirmed that he was such a "last one": how, then, could the root of truth (David) emanate from such a place? The fact, however, is that abed worked and laboured at the root of the tree, until it was regenerated and made wholesome: it was therefore that he was called abed (labourer, also "worshipper"), a name which no other man merited to bear. He came, he digged, he hoed round the root of the tree, he pressed out the bitterness from the branches and made wholesome the crown. Then came Jesse, his son, who further improved and invigorated it, and grafted it on to the branches of another stately tree, joining tree with tree so that they were intertwined. And when David came he found the branches entwined and knit together, and was thus enabled to attain dominion over the world. And all these things which came to pass had their cause and beginning in Obed.'

Having spoken thus, the old man wept again and said: 'Old man, old man, did I not say that thou hadst plunged into the midst of the great sea? Now thou art indeed in the very midst of the mighty waves! Old man, old man, thou hast none to blame but thyself; hadst thou remained silent at the beginning all would have been well with thee, but now thou mayest not, and there is none to take hold of thine hand! Thou art alone. But arise, old man, and take courage! Obed remedied himself because he came out from the evil field in which were bad cisterns. Then came Jesse, his son, who improved and hoed round that tree and digged up that which was evil and that which was bitter likewise. This is a mystery of mysteries, and I know not with certainty whether or no to reveal it. Yet say on, old man! Yea, I shall certainly speak, if only in order that these two who shall hear me should be made fully cognizant of the other transmigrations of the souls of men. Now, Obed, as I have said, hoed round the root of the tree, so improving it somewhat; and yet, when King David came, he was left only with the lower, feminine tree, and had to receive life from another tree. Now, if he for whom the way was so well prepared had to develop thus, how much more so ordinary persons who undergo transmigration! Thus, then, it was with Perez, and with Boaz likewise. Obed was also thus. With regard to all of these, the tree emerged from the side of evil and was afterwards joined to the side of good, as we read that "Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the Lord" (XXXVIII, 7); so was Onan (Ibid. 9, 10); so also was Mal:tlon, although his evil was not so great. Thus, in all these there was a tincture of ill, from which, however, good eventually emerged; as it is written of David, their descendant: "goodly to look to", "and the Lord was with him" (I Sam. XVI, 12, 18). Thus the tree below was purified and remained so, so that "God ruled over the nations" (through the house of David).

'The grades of Israel took root in the supernal foundation from the beginning: Reuben, Simeon, Levi. But when it comes to Judah it says that Leah, his mother, said: "This time I will praise the lord ... and she left off bearing" (Gen. XXIX, 35); concerning which it is written: "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear" (Isa. LlV, 1). For when Judah was born the Feminine was united with the Masculine.... [104b]

'All the twelve tribes represent on earth their celestial prototypes, and because they were in reality "sons" in this world, the Shekinah [105a] was perfected in them in these twelve "lineaments" (boundaries) of Israel, which are called "Eleh" (these), as it says, "These (eleh) all are the tribes of Israel" (Gen. XLIX, 28), this word, in conjunction with Mi (Who?) forming the name Elohim, [19] and so bringing the building to completion. On this account did the celestial representative of Esau say to Jacob: "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast waged war with Elohim and with men and hast prevailed" (Gen. XXXII, 28), i.e. prevailed above, by means of the perfect and original structure, which is also indicated by the words "all these". Therefore Israel can never cease to be. If, God forbid, they should so cease to be, this Divine Name would be ended likewise, as it is written: "When they (the Canaanites) shall cut off our name from the earth, what wilt thou do unto thy great name?" (Josh. VII, 9). The "great Name" is the first building, the first Name, Elohim. And now, when Israel is in exile, the whole building has fallen, as it were. But in the time to come, when the Holy One shall redeem His children from exile, the "Mi" and the "Eleh", which when they were in exile were separated, will be united as one, and the Name Elohim be perfectly established and the world shall be healed. Therefore it is written: "Who (mi) are these (eleh) that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?" (Isa. LX, 8): the one Name, without any separation, namely Elohim. For because of the exile the Mi ascended, as it were, and left the building, and consequently the building fell, and the Name that was perfect, namely the supernal great Name that was from the beginning, fell. Therefore we pray in the synagogues that this Name may be restored as it was: "May His great Name be magnified and sanctified": "May the great Name be blessed." What is that "great Name"? It is the one that was in the beginning, the first of all, without whom there can be no building. The "Mi" will never be built up without the "Eleh". Therefore at that time (the Messianic age) the "Mi" and the "Eleh" "shall fly as a cloud", and the whole world shall see that the supernal Name has been restored to its perfection; and when the Name has been restored and built up again, then shall Israel rule over all, and all the other Names will be restored; for all the Names depend on that great Name, the first of all buildings.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:26 am

Part 3 of 4

'This mystery may be further explained as follows. When the Holy One created the world, before any other thing was built this Name was built, as it is written: "Lift up your eyes on high and see: who hath created these? (Mi barah eleh)" (Isa. XL, 26). He created His Name in its perfection, and when He created "Eleh" He created it with all the hosts appertaining to it, as it is written: "Who bringeth out their host by number (be-mispar)" (Ibid.). What is the significance of "be-mispar"? The Holy One, blessed be He, has a son, whose glory shines from one end of the world to another. He is a great and mighty tree, whose head reaches heaven, and whose roots are set in the holy ground, and his name is "Mispar" and his place is in the uppermost heaven, and below that heaven are five firmaments, and all these firmaments take this name for his sake, as it is written, "The heavens proclaim (mesaprim) the glory of God" (Ps. XIX, 1). Were it not for this "Mispar" there would be neither hosts nor offspring in any of the worlds. Concerning this it is written: "Who can count the dust of Jacob and the number (Mispar) of the progeny of Israel?" (Num. XXXIII, 10). There are two indeed who did count these without the evil eye having any effect on them. The first "counted the dust of Jacob", the strong rocks, the holy rocks, whence issue waters to the world, concerning which it is written: "And thy seed shall be like the dust of the earth" (Gen. XXVIII, II, 14); as the world is blessed for the sake of the dust, so will "all the nations of the earth be blessed in thy seed" (Ibid. XXII, 18). And the second shall "number the progeny of Jacob", the females, the pearls of the couch whereon Israel lay. [105b] In the future (Messianic Age) "the flocks shall yet pass under one who counts" (Jer. XXXIII, 18). We know not who he shall be ; but since at that time all will be in union without separation, there will be one "reckoner". Arise, old man,' he cried, 'awake, collect thy forces and breast the waves.' Then he continued: "Who can count the dust of Jacob and the number of the progeny of Israel?" When the Holy One shall arise to waken the dead, what will be the plight of those who went through transmigration several times and who have become two in one body, two fathers, two mothers, as we have seen? However, "Who (Mi) shall count the dust of Jacob?" The Lord will make all things straight and nothing will be lost. For so has been expounded the verse: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. XII, 2). "The dust of the earth" is a reference similar to that explained in the Book of Enoch, that the associates saw the letters of which these words are composed, and a voice was heard, saying: "Awaken and sing, ye who dwell in the dust" (Isa. XXVI, 19). The first edifice of the world (of the pre-resurrection period) will be as refuse in comparison with the second edifice (of the post-resurrection period), for this last will be perfected according to the Divine plan. Those that are worthy will awake to life in the world below, since they have not merited the world above; and those that are not worthy even of this will awaken to shame and everlasting contempt. As the "other side" will pass away from the world (there being no more evil principle or sin), the Holy One will leave these specimens of the past and evil world, who belonged to the stream which issued forth from that side, in order that all the children of the world may, in beholding them, be astonished. All this will be caused by those who suffered their fount to fail and produced no fruit here, having no wish to maintain the Holy Covenant. It is they who cause all this and all the transmigrations of which I spake.'

The old man was silent for a moment, and the companions wondered, not knowing whether it was day or night, whether they stood on their heads or their feet. Then the old man began again with the verse: "If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve, and in the seventh he shall go out for nothing" (v. 2). 'This verse', said he, 'proves what I have said. Observe, now. Every male before being born is in prototype in the world of Masculinity, and every female in the world of Femininity. Now, so long as a man serves the Holy One, blessed be He, he remains attached to the six first years (i.e. to the six "masculine" emanations); but if he withdraw himself from His service (by neglecting the commandment of procreation), then the Lord separates him from the six years of the world of Masculinity and he is delivered into bondage unto a man [20] who does belong to the six sides, in order that he should serve him six years as a punishment for the supernal six years which he rejected. After that he descends lower and is attached to the world of Femininity: as he refused to take his rightful place in the Masculine world, let him now belong to that of the Female! The Female, the seventh year, comes and receives him, and from now on his part is in the world of Femininity. If he does not seek to fix himself therein, and refuses the redemption which it offers him (of making good his neglect), he descends still lower and joins the "other side". From now on he is finally severed both from the Masculine and the Feminine worlds, and is held fast by the "servants" of the "other side", and he has to be branded and stigmatized, for every stigma comes from the "other side". However, when the Jubilee year arrives, he is freed from that power and begins to undergo transmigration once more, and returns to the world as he was before and is attached to the world of Femininity, but not to a still higher grade. If he be then worthy, he will bring into existence children all of whom will belong to the world of Femininity, symbolically expressed in the words: "The virgins, her companions shall be brought unto thee" (Ps. XLV, 15); it will be a sign of merit, for that he has made good his defect. But should he not be found worthy to procreate even after the Jubilee, he is made as though he were not, having been mercifully returned to this world and yet refusing the opportunity of reparation which was offered to him: "If he came by himself (be-gapo), he shall go out by himself" (v. 8), meaning: "If he enters this world single, without (106a] offspring, not having previously desired the engendering of children, and even now leaving this world single, he departs even as a stone which is thrown from a sling, until it .reaches the place which is called "the mighty rock", into which he enters. As soon as he is there, the breath of him who is the Single one (Samael), who had to be separated from his feminine counterpart (Lilith), and who walks after the manner of a serpent, breathes on him, and straightway he leaves that mighty rock and, wandering lonely forth, begins to roam the world until he shall find a "redeemer" through whose agency he can return to this earth. This is the significance of the words: "If he came by himself, he shall go out by himself"; the reference is to a man who refused to get married and beget children. But "if he get married" (Ibid.), that is to say, if he had a wife but was not blessed with children, he is not thus driven out alone, for the Holy One does not let any creature remain unrewarded. "His wife shall go out with him": husband and wife both undergo transmigration and unite again as they were before. Such a man does not marry a divorced woman, but the woman who was previously his wife but did not then bear him children, in order that now both may gain merit by making good their deficiency.

'The text continues: "If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's and he shall go out by himself.' Scripture now returns to the former subject, namely to the case of a man who "went out" without a wife (that is, who never married at all), implying that the grade called "the seventh year" should redeem him. This "Seventh" is called "his master": the Master of the whole earth. And if this Master shall have pity on him and bring him back to this world by himself as he was, and give him a wife of the kind for whom the altar sheds tears (i.e. a woman divorced by a man whose first wife she was) and they unite, and she bears him sons and daughters, "the wife and her children shall be her master's", as has been explained. For, as he has made good his former omission, he is received by the Holy King, who restores him to the position intended for him. He is called a "repentant sinner", for he comes into the heritage of his original place in the ever-flowing celestial river. [21] There is no obstacle in the world that can stand in the way of repentance, and the word begapo (by himself) contains an allusion to the phrase :"upon the back of the highest (gape merome) places of the city" (Prov. IX, 3); that is to say: as Wisdom dwells in high and lofty places, so does the man who has repented of his sin attain an eminent position; therefore sinners who repent can enter where even the perfectly righteous are not admitted. Most assuredly the Holy One accepts every sinner who turns to Him. Such a one is set upon the way of life, and, notwithstanding his former stain, everything is put right and restored to its former position. Even when the Holy One has decreed most solemnly against a person, He forgives entirely where there is a perfect repentance. Thus we find it written concerning Jehoiachin: "As I live, says the Lord, if thou Coniah the son of Jehoiakim wert the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee hence ... write ye this man childless ... " (Jer. XXII, 24-30); and yet, when he repented and turned again unto the Lord, we read: "And the sons of Jeconia, Assir, etc." (I Ch. 111, 17), showing that after all he was not childless: which proves that repentance annuls all decrees and judgements, and breaks many an iron chain, and there is nothing that can stand against it. This is also indicated in the words: "And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men that transgress against me" (Isa. LXVI, 24). It does not say: "who have transgressed", but "who transgress": namely those who go on transgressing without thinking of repentance; but as soon as they are penitent and remorseful for their sins the Holy One receives them again. The same applies here: this man (who rejected procreation), although he has sinned and impaired a vital part, when he repents and turns to Him the Holy One has pity on him and receives him again; for He is full [106b] of mercy towards all His works, as it is written: "His tender mercies are over all his works" (Ps. CXLV, 9). His mercies extend even to animals and birds, still more to human beings who know how to praise their Lord. As David expressed it: "Many are thy tender mercies, O Lord: quicken me according to thy Judgement" (Ps. CXIX, 156). Now, if His tender mercies are vouchsafed to sinners, how much more to righteous men! Who is it that needs healing? He who is sick. And who is sick if not the sinner? Therefore, when sinners turn to the Lord for healing and mercy, He stretches out His right hand to receive them. When God draws a man to Himself He draws him with His right hand, but when He pushes him away He does so with His left hand. [22] And even when the left hand pushes away, the right draws near, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not withhold His tender mercy from sinners. Observe how the Scripture says first, "And he went on frowardly in the way of his heart", and immediately afterwards, "I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also and impart consolations (nihumim) unto him and to his mourners" (lsa. LVII, 17, 18). This shows that even when sinners commit sin purposely, walking according to the desires of their own hearts, and heeding not the warnings of others, even for such, when they repent and begin to walk in the way of righteousness, is healing prepared.

'Now this verse will repay a little closer consideration. The question is, does it refer to the living or to the dead? For the beginning and the end seem to conflict with one another, the first part referring to the living and the second to the dead. We may, however, interpret thus. As long as a man is alive and walks "frowardly in the way of his heart" because the evil inclination is strong in him, making it hard for him to repent and start a new life, the Holy One, seeing the wasted life of him who walks in the evil way, says: "I must give him strength. I see his ways of darkness, and I must open in his heart a way of repentance and bring healing to his soul." This is the meaning of "I will lead him" -- like one who takes hold of somebody's hand and leads him out of darkness. As to the second part: "and impart consolations unto him and to his mourners", this language would naturally apply to the dead, and so indeed it does, for is not a sinner dead, even though he be alive? The meaning of the words, then, is as follows. Through the grace of God, when a person is thirteen years old, two angels are appointed over him, one at his right hand and one at his left. When he walks in the right way these angels rejoice over him and are glad, and joyfully cling to him, proclaiming before him: "Give honour to the King's image!" But when he turns from the path of rectitude and walks in crooked ways his angels mourn over him and turn away from him. Therefore, when the Holy One grants the sinner grace to repent and strength to accomplish his return to righteousness, "He imparts repentance to him, and consolations to his mourners" (nihumim in the double sense of "repentance" and "consolation"), and the man himself is truly and perfectly alive, being joined to the Tree of Life. And, being united with the Tree of Life, he is called "a man of repentance", for he is become a member of the Community of Israel, which is designated by the word "teshubah" (repentance, return), and "repentant sinners can enter even where the perfectly righteous are not admitted."

'King David said: "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight" (Ps. LI, 5). The significance of this is as follows. It is possible to commit sins which are offences both against God and man; also one can commit sins which are offences against man but not against the Holy One; but there are also sins which are committed against the Holy One only. David's sin was of this last kind. Perhaps, however, you will be inclined to question this, saying, [107a] "But what of his sin with Bathsheba? Did he not sin against her husband-to whom she was now prohibited -- as well as against the Holy One?" To this query there is an answer, and it is this. According to tradition Uriah, as was the custom with the warriors in Israel, gave his wife a bill of divorcement before he went out to battle, and so David did not sin against Uriah in the sense of perfidiously robbing him of his wife. And therefore we read: "And David comforted Bathsheba his wife" (2 Sam. XII, 24), which is a proof that she was considered as David's lawful wife, destined for him since the beginning of time, since the day whereon the world was created. Thus his sin was an offence against the Holy One alone. And in what did that offence consist? Not in that he commanded Joab to set Uriah in the forefront of the battle so that he might be killed -- for David had a right to do that, as Uriah called Joab "my lord Joab" while in the king's presence, which was disrespectful (lese-majeste) -- but because he did not kill him then, but let him be killed by the sword of the children of Ammon (Ibid. v. 24); for on every Ammonite sword was engraved a crooked serpent, the image of a dragon, which was their god. Said the Holy One to David: "Thou hast imparted strength to that abomination"; for when the sons of Ammon had killed Uriah and many other Israelites, and the sword of Ammon prevailed, it was as if the pagan god prevailed against the God of Israel. Nor does the title "Hittite" show that Uriah was not virtuous: he was merely called so after the place whence he came, as Jephthah was called "the Gileadite" (Judges XI, 1) because he was from Gilead. Thus the power of the abomination prevailed against the camp of God, and, David's hosts being in the very image of the supernal hosts, when he brought a stain upon the hosts below he caused, as it were, a stigma also on the hosts above. That was his sin, and therefore he said: "Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thine eyes" -- "in thine eyes" literally, as much as to say that David was conscious that he had sinned against the omnipresent and all-penetrating eyes of God. "That thou mightest be justified in thy words, and be clear in thy judgements" (Ibid.), and so I may not have any cause of saying that thou art wrong and I am right. The point of these words is as follows. We know that every man naturally uses the language of his occupation. Now David had been a king's jester, and so, though in sore distress and tribulation, when he found himself before the King, he reverted straightway to his quips and witticisms in order to entertain the King. He said: "Lord of the world! I said, Prove me, O Lord, and try me" (Ps. XXVI, 2), and Thou declaredst that I would not be able to withstand temptation. Therefore I have now sinned in order that Thou mayest be justified in Thy words, for if I did not so, my assertion would be proved true and Thy assertion refuted '" We have also been taught that David was not led away by his passions when he committed that sin with Bathsheba; for he said of himself: "My heart is hollowed within me" (Ps. CIX, 22), (107b] and he meant by this: "There are two chambers in my heart, one containing blood, and the other spirit; the one which is filled with blood is the seat of the evil inclination, but my heart is void of that inclination, for I do not allow it to dwell there." Why, then, did David commit that sin? In order to give an opening to sinners so that they might be able to say: "King David sinned, but when he repented the Holy One forgave him; and if he was forgiven, there is still greater hope that common folk such as we shall receive forgiveness '" That is what David meant by saying: "I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall return unto thee" (Ps. LI, 14). It is also written of David that he "went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, going up and weeping, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot" (2 Sam. XV, 30), He did this to show that he considered himself excommunicated, in order to receive his punishment, and his people kept away from him a distance of four cubits. Blessed is the servant who worshipped his Master thus, confessing his sin and turning back to Him with perfect repentance! See, now. The insulting behaviour of Shimei, the son of Gera (2 Sam. XVI, 5), towards David was worse than anything he had hitherto experienced, and yet David did not answer him a word, accepting the humiliation as deserved, and therefore his sins were forgiven him.

'It is here fitting to consider why Shimei, who was a scholar and a wise man, behaved to David as he did. The truth is that the words of insult and cursing which he uttered were not his own, but entered into his heart from another region (from heaven), for David's benefit, that he might repent with a perfect repentance, with a broken heart and with many tears before the Holy One. Therefore David said: "The Lord hath said unto him, Curse David" (Ibid. v. 10). He knew that the cursing and words of insult were inspired from above. Among the injunctions which David on his death-bed laid upon Solomon, two were of special importance: one concerning Joab and one concerning Shimei. Of Joab he said: "Moreover, thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruia did to me" (I Kings 11, 5). The words "thou knowest" indicate that even Solomon ought not really to have known this, but since others knew of it David told him also. Concerning Shimei he said: "And behold, thou hast with thee Shimei, the son of Gera" (Ibid. v. 8). "With thee" means: "he is always with thee"; for he was Solomon's teacher. We read, "And the king sent and called for Shimei and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem" (Ibid. v. 36). Where. we may ask. was the great wisdom in this? It was, indeed. wiser than it seems. Solomon did all things in wisdom; he knew that Shimei was a wise man, and he said to himself: "I desire him to spread knowledge in the land, and he therefore must not go from Jerusalem, the centre." Another thing did Solomon see in his wisdom, for it says concerning Shimei that "he came forth (yoze yazo) and cursed" (2 Sam. XVI, 5). suggesting that there were two "comings forth": one from the house of study in order to meet David and abuse him, and the second from Jerusalem to Gath to meet his servants (I Kings II, 40); one to meet a king and the other to meet his own servants. And Solomon saw by means of the Holy Spirit the second "coming forth" of Shimei, and concerning this he said to him: "It shall be that on the day thou goest out. and passest over the brook Kidron. thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die" (I Kings II. 37). Shimei "cast dust" at David (II Sam. XVI, 13), and Solomon referred to water when he prohibited him to cross the brook Kidron: dust and water were the means of testing the woman who was suspected of adultery (Num. v. 11-31), and these two symbols were in the mind of Solomon when he thought of Shimei, who maligned his father. In his charge to Solomon concerning this Shimei. David said: "And behold thou hast with thee Shimei ... which cursed me with a strong curse ... and I sware to him by the Lord saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword." Was Shimei, then, a fool to accept an oath like this, which forbade David only to kill him with a sword, but not with a spear or arrow? But this sentence can be taken in two ways. One is based on the saying of the son of the great fish [108a] whose scales reached the highest clouds (i.e. whose wisdom was great), that when David swore he swore by his sword upon which was engraved the Ineffable Name (Tetragrammaton); and thus he swore to Shimei, as it is written: "I sware to him by the Lord (YHVH) ... I will not put thee to death (swearing) by the sword." But Solomon interpreted it differently. He said: "This man cursed my father with words; he shall die by means of a Word (Tetragrammaton)." And, in fact, he did not kill him with the actual sword, but with the Name. There is still, however, a difficulty, namely, that since David swore to him he ought not to have killed him, and that David said something with his lips which he did not mean in his heart. But the fact is that David did not kill him. [As to the question why he did not pardon him], it is well known that the members of the human body can receive foreign particles into themselves without real damage, except the heart, which cannot receive even a hair without being damaged; and in a sense David was, as it were, the heart of humanity and so very sensitive, yet he received such insults as surely ought not to have been left unpunished. Therefore he said: "For thou art a wise man and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him" (I Kings II, 8).

'David in the same Psalm goes on to say: "For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it; thou delightest not in burnt-offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (VV. 17, 18). "Thou desirest not sacrifice." But has not the Holy One ordered sacrifices for the forgiveness of sin? It is to be noted, however, that David spake this in regard to the Divine Name Elohim, that is, the attribute of severe judgement: sacrifices must be brought to the Name YHVH, the attribute of Mercy, as this is the Name always mentioned in connection with the different kinds of sacrifices (Lev. I, 2; II, 1; III, 6), but to the Name Elohim the only sacrifice that can be offered is a broken spirit and a sorrowful heart, as it is written, "The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit." For this reason a person who has had a bad dream must wear a sad and sorrowful demeanour, for he stands under the attribute of Elohim, and the sacrifice of the attribute of Justice must express itself through sadness and self-abasement, and such sadness is in itself sufficient fulfilment of the dream, and judgement will not exercise its sway over such a one, since he has brought the fitting sacrifice to the attribute of Judgement. When David says "A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise", he indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, does despise a proud and arrogant heart. "Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion ; build thou the walls of Jerusalem." There is a double goodness mentioned here. For from the day whereon the Holy One occupied Himself with the building of the supernal Temple, even until this present time, that "goodness of His good pleasure" has not rested upon the edifice, and therefore it has not attained to complete perfection; but when this "good pleasure" shall be aroused the Lord will fill the edifice with such an array of lights that even the heavenly angels will not be able to look steadfastly upon it, and then the building, and indeed the whole work of the Holy One, blessed be He, shall be completed.

'The text continues: "Build thou the walls of Jerusalem." But has He then not built them already? Indeed, did He not begin to raise them at the time when He first began to be occupied with the building of the Temple? And if He has not built the walls, what need to say that He has not built the Temple? However, the Holy One, blessed be He, acts not as men. When human beings built the sanctuary here below, they first built the city walls for protection and then the sanctuary; but the Holy One will first build the Sanctuary and then, when He brings it down from heaven, and sets it in its rightful place, then "He will build the walls of Jerusalem" -- the battlements of the Blessed City. Therefore David says first: "Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion", and then: "Build [108b] thou the walls of Jerusalem." A great and deep mystery is contained in these words. In all His other acts and deeds it may be noted that God made first that which is external and then that which is within; but with regard to the sanctuary the very reverse is the case. Although, for instance, He designed the brain first in thought, yet in fact the cranium comes first. For the shell in all cases emanates from the "other side", and what is of the "other side" always appears first; the husk is there to guard the fruit and then it is thrown away, as it says, "The wicked prepareth and the righteous shall put it on" (Job XXVII, 17): the husk is thrown away and a blessing is uttered on the Righteous One. But in regard to the future building of the Sanctuary, when the evil side shall become extinct and disappear from the face of the earth, this will not be necessary, as both the "brain" and the "husk" will be utterly His. First the "brain", signified by the words: "Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion"; and then the "husk": "Build thou the walls of Jerusalem"; signifying that in the time of the Kingdom of the Messiah the outer protective covering will no more be the powers of the "evil side", but, instead, the Holy One Himself; as it is written: "I will be unto her a wall of fire round about" (Zech. II, 5). Now, Israel is the supreme "brain" of the world. They were first in the mind of the Creator, and therefore it is that the heathen nations, who are but the "husk", gained the start of them, as it is written: "And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel" (Gen. XXVII, 29). But in the future the Holy One will form the brain first without waiting for the husk, as it says: "Israel is holiness unto the Lord, the firstfruit of His increase"; and because of this, "all that devour him shall be considered guilty, evil shall come upon them" (Jer. II, 3). "Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness" (Ps. LI, 20); for in that time all things will be perfectly united and the Holy Name shall also be united in its harmonious wholeness, and sacrifices will be offered to the united Names YHVH Elohim, and shall not be as in former days when Elohim had no part in the sacrifice -- since, if it had had, all the powers of the "other side" would have been on the alert to participate. At that time, "Thou art great and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone" (Ps. LXXXVI, 10), and there will be no other God. It is concerning this time that it is written: "See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no God with me; I kill, and I make alive" (Deut. XXXII, 39). The double "I, I" indicates the absoluteness of the Divine Presence in the Messianic time, when the "other side" shall be vanquished and be no more seen; and even death, which until that time was connected with the "other side", will thenceforth be from Him directly, for those who have not yet experienced physical death, and He will raise them immediately; for nothing of that filth of sin which is the cause of death will remain in the world, and there will be a new world, fashioned and perfected by the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He.

'To return to the word begapo: the Targum (Aramaic) translation of this is "by himself", which is indeed correct. But gapo can also (in Aramaic) mean "wing", and we may therefore connect it with the dictum that the whole world is sustained upon one single "wing" of the Leviathan. The inner meaning is as follows. In the beginning the Holy One, blessed be He, created the Leviathan according to the two kinds, male and female; but whenever they moved the earth shook, and had the Holy One not castrated the male and cooled the sexual instincts of the female, they would eventually have brought the whole world into chaos and destruction. So, because of this, these monsters did not engender; therefore a man who does likewise -- that is, who does not engender -- if "he comes be-gapo, with one wing", is brought under the domination of that wing of the castrated Leviathan, and he "shall go out be-gapo": that is to say, he will be thrust out from the other world and never enter within the curtain. Mark this. It is written: "They will die as solitaries (aririm) without offspring" (Lev. XX, 21). The word aririm is both masculine and feminine, indicating that a man who refuses to generate leaves the world in the sphere of femininity, although he first entered it in the sphere of masculinity. The Holy One, blessed be He, suffers not any man who has emasculated himself in this world to appear before Him, just as in a similar fashion no castrated animal was a permitted sacrifice (Lev. XXII, 24). [109a] It is prohibited throughout all generations to castrate any creature which the Holy One has created, for castration appertains eternally and in all cases to the "other side". And when a person marries a woman and he or she refuses to generate, and so enter into the other world without having begotten any children, then "his wife shall go out with him": which signifies that he undergoes transmigration by himself as a male, and she by herself as a female.

'The text continues: "If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself." "His master" is "the Lord of the whole earth"; "have given him a wife": from this we learn that it is not in the discretion of man himself to take a wife, but that all things have to be "laid in the balance" (Ps. LXII, 10). And who is the woman whom the Master gives him in this case? One who was not actually intended to be his wife, but the wife of another whom he managed to anticipate in God's good graces, and his Master permitted him to have her because He foresaw that she would bear him children. Now when this man, having, as it were, produced fruit in a garden not rightfully his, shall come to the end of his earthly life, "the wife and her children shall be her Master's, and he shall go out by himself." Poor unfortunate! All his labour was thus in vain. He strove to bring forth fruit in an alien garden, in order to obey the dictates of his Master, and must perforce come out empty I Old man, old man! Confronted with such a problem as this, thou art indeed like unto a man lying helpless and powerless on the ground, who can only kick at the gate with his feet. But take courage, old man, and be not afeared. Now, why is it that this poor soul has perforce to go out from this world empty and alone? Is it because he had sown in a garden which was not his own? Surely not so, for was it not the Holy One Himself who gave him this garden? However, no deed is done by the Lord but has its reason and its justice; and as in all other cases, so also in this. He to whom the Holy One has given a wife, and who has generated with her, is not like others who undergo transmigration. One who in this world truly and humbly endeavoured to make the tree fruitful, but who did not succeed in his attempt, is not to be placed in the same category with one who consciously and wilfully refused the duty of engendering children, so uprooting the tree, scattering its leaves, and wasting its fruit. He to whom the Master gave a wife in order that he might generate children did after all endeavour to enrich the tree, though he did not succeed. The Holy One, therefore, knowing his good intention, has pity on him and, after first collecting His own due, and taking what the fount formerly failed to produce, permits him to start anew, and labour for himself in order to make good his deficiency. In addition it must be remembered that the man has to undergo transmigration because he is not, in any case, of great merit: since if he were so he would not have had to pass into another form and live again upon the earth, but would at once have "a place better than sons and daughters".

'So much, then, for the mysteries contained in this verse. But, old man, old man, thou hast spoken of one whose work was in vain, and dost not observe that thou thyself hast uttered nought but vanity in all this discourse! For close on thy heels is a verse which overthrows all thy edifice, and thou imaginest that thou couldst swim the sea according to thy pleasure! What is this verse? "If the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, etc." Old man, old man, thou hast no strength, thy power is fled! What wilt thou do? Thou didst think that there would be none to pursue thee, and now, alas, this verse springs out from its ambush, leaping after thee like a gazelle in the field with thirteen bounds [23] till it overtake thee. What wilt thou do, old man? Nay, be not downcast. Now must thou gather up thy strength, for until this day thou wert in very deed a mighty warrior. Old man, old man, remember that day of snow, when the beans of wisdom were sown, and mighty men [109b] fought against thee, and thou didst prevail single-handed over thirteen men of might, each one of whom could slay a lion before breakfast. If thou couldst prevail against those giants, surely thou canst now conquer these thirteen, which are mere weaklings, being but words! On, then, and be bold. The expression "amor yomar" (if the servant saying shall say) has been interpreted by certain of the scholars according to its literal sense, i.e. that it indicates two sayings, one at the beginning and one at the end of the six years, before the seventh year has entered; for if he said it even a day after the commencement of the seventh year his words have no validity, as it says "the servant", that is, as long as he is still a servant, namely in the sixth year. And if he spake his words at the beginning of the six years but not at the end, then also his words have no validity. Our interpretation is that, if while he is still with this wife he prays daily to the Holy King, then he both begins and ends with supplication; and if he commences with prayer he shall be received with mercy. What does he say? "I love my Master, etc." Then the Holy One, blessed be He, receives him because of his repentance and his prayers. What, then, does He do for such a one? Instead of sending him back to this world to undergo punishment for the sins of his former life, the Holy One gives him instead into the hands of the celestial Tribunal, who judge him and deliver him unto the house of punishment. And the Holy One records how he was delivered to the Tribunal, and places on him a stigma by putting him under the domination of the Orlah (unclean spirits) [24] for a certain period of time, after which his Master redeems him. But if the Jubilee should appear during the period of his stigmatization, then he is instantly set free -- and this even though he should have been in captivity only one day when the Jubilee appeared- and is permitted to enter within the curtain.'

Then the old man closed his eyes for a moment..... [112b] He continued: 'Solomon said: "So I returned and considered all the oppressions ("oppressed") that are done under the sun, and behold the tears of such that were oppressed and they had no comforter" (Eccl. IV, 1). This verse has already been interpreted. But we have still to explain the words, "So I returned and saw." From whence did he return? Now, we have a tradition that Solomon was wont to rise each day at daybreak and turn his face towards the east, where he saw certain things -- and then toward the south, where also he saw certain things, and finally, to the side of the north. He would stand thus with his head raised and his eyes half-closed until there would come towards him two pillars, one of fire and one of cloud, and borne upon this last an eagle. mighty in stature and strength, his right wing resting upon the fire, and his body and left wing upon the cloud. This eagle bore in his mouth two leaves. The pillar of cloud with the two leaves and the pillar of fire and the eagle upon them, would come and bow before Solomon. Then the eagle would bend down its head a little, and give him the leaves. Solomon would take and smell them, and by their odour could discern from whence they came, and recognize one leaf as belonging to him "who has his eyes shut", and the other to him "who has his eyes open" (cf. Num. XXV, 4). Now there were a number of things which King Solomon desired that these two beings should make known to him. What did he do? He sealed up his throne with a ring on which was engraved the Holy Name, drew forth from a hidden place another ring on which the Holy Name was also engraved, ascended unto the roof of his palace, seated himself upon the eagle's back, and so departed, attended both by fire and cloud. The eagle ascended into the heavens, and wherever he passed the earth below was darkened. The wiser sort in that part of the earth from whence the light was thus suddenly removed would know the cause and would say, "Assuredly that was King Solomon passing by!" but they knew not whither he went. The vulgar sort, however, would say, "Up there the clouds are moving, and that is why it grew dark so suddenly." The eagle would mount up even to the height of four hundred parasangs, until it reached at length the dark mountain, where is Tarmud in the wilderness; and there at last it would descend. Solomon would then lift up his head and see the dark mountain, and would learn therefrom all that it could teach him and also perceive that it was necessary to penetrate further; after which he would mount once more the back of the eagle and fly on as before until they entered into the depths of the mountains, in the midst of which grew an olive tree. When he was arrived at this spot Solomon would cry out with all his might: "Lord, thy hand is lifted up, they see not" (Isa. XXVI, 11). Then he would enter into that place until he reached those who abode there, and he would show them his ring, and there he gained all his knowledge of strange sciences (i.e. witchcraft). When they had told him all that he required he would [113a] fly back to his palace in the same way that he came. Then, as he sat once more on his throne, he would reflect upon all that he had gone through, and would conceive ideas of profound wisdom; and it is in reference to such an occasion that he says: "So I returned and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun .... "

'Could he then have viewed upon his journey all such as were oppressed? Hardly so; but he was referring to the little ones, to the sucklings snatched away from their mothers' breasts. Such as these are indeed "oppressed" from all sides: oppressed above in the celestial regions, and oppressed on earth below. There is none oppressed like those whose oppression is transmitted by heredity, concerning whom it is written: "He visits the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generations" (Ex. XX, 5). How is this? King Solomon loudly gives the answer when he says, "A man that is oppressed through the blood of his soul shall flee to the pit; no one will stay him" (Prov. XXVIII, 17). Since he is "oppressed with the blood of a soul" (i.e. has committed some grievous sin), either he or his son or his son's son will be "oppressed" (i.e. wronged) in the "balance"; he shall flee to the pit away from the place of righteousness and none shall stay him; because he has oppressed the blood of the soul he shall himself be oppressed by the other side, or his seed shall bear this oppression of retribution for him and on his account. Hence it says, "all the oppressed", as much as to say, "I have considered all those that are oppressed and all the manners of their oppression, and the reason of their being oppressed." Now, this class of oppressed ones are said to be "made under the sun", because their bodies were actually made before they were violently carried away, there being others who are never so much as fashioned on this earth, though spirits are waiting for them. Others, again, are "made", as it were, in defiance of the Almighty. Thus, when a man steals his neighbour's wife, either openly or secretly, and a child is born of such adulterous union, and the Holy One has perforce to fashion its body and give it form, then that child is indeed "an oppressed one who is made such", literally, in despite of the Almighty. Solomon reflected on this and said: "I consider the sad fate of these hapless oppressed ones who have been 'made', how they shed tears before the Holy One. They complain before Him and make moan, saying, When a person commits a sin he must assuredly die. But, Sovereign of the Universe, when a child is but one day old, shall he be judged? [113b] These are "the tears of the oppressed ones, who have no comforter". There are many different kinds among them, but they all shed tears. Here is, for instance, a child born in incest. As soon as he emerges into the world he is separated from the community of the holy people, and the unfortunate bastard laments and sheds tears before the Holy One, and complains: "Lord of the world! If my parents have sinned, wherein is my guilt? I have ever striven to do only good works before Thee." But the greatest grief of all emanates from those "oppressed ones" that are but little sucklings which have been removed from their mothers' breasts. These can indeed cause the whole world to weep, and there are no tears like unto theirs, for these are tears which spring from the inmost and deepest recesses of the heart, causing the whole world to wonder and say: "The Holy One's judgements are forever righteous and all His paths are ways of truth. But why is it necessary that these poor little ones, who are blameless and without sin, should die? Where is now the true and righteous judgement of the Lord of the world? If they must die because of their parents' sins, then they certainly "have no comforter." However, the actual fact is that the tears of these "oppressed ones" intercede for and protect the living, and because of their innocence and the ,power of their intercession a place is eventually prepared (or them such as even the perfect righteous cannot attain to or occupy; for the Holy One does in truth love them with a special and particular love, He unites Himself with them and prepares for them a supernal place, very near to Himself. It is concerning such that it is written: "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou founded strength." What is it that they accomplish there and why went they thither? "Because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger" (Ps. VIII, 3). And there is also another place prepared for sinners who repent.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:27 am

Part 4 of 4

'We have been taught (cf. Pirke Aboth, ch. V) that ten things were created upon the eve of the Sabbath in the twilight, at the time when the work of Creation was ended and the Sabbath not yet begun; among which are the shape of the written characters, the writing, and the tables of stone; for it is written: "And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables" (Ex. XXXII, 16). Now it may be asked, what proof is there in this verse that these things were indeed created on the eve of the Sabbath, and not perhaps a thousand years later, or, maybe, when the Israelites stood at Mount Sinai? However, there can be no doubt that they were created on the eve of this Sabbath, for the following reason. In the whole account of the Creation (Gen. I) it is always the name Elohim which is used to denote God; but after the completion of the whole work God is called with the full name, YHVH Elohim (Gen. II, 4). For, although all things were created [25] in the power of the Name Elohim, that which was created was not actually made [26] until Sabbath eve, when "God ended the work which he had made" (Gen. II, 2); that is to say, Creation only received its permanency with its completion through making. In the same sense it says concerning the tables of stone that they were "the work (ma'ase, lit. making) of God", which indicates that they were produced at the time when the consummation of the whole Creation took place through the act of God's "making" -- and not in the later period concerning which the Name in its fulness is mentioned -- "YHVH Elohim" (Gen. II, 4), and only herewith was the world placed upon a firm basis and permanently established.

'When Moses broke the tablets "under the mountain" (Ex. XXXII, 19), the Ocean overflowed its borders and was on the point of inundating the whole world. When Moses saw how the waves were rising and threatening to overwhelm the universe, straightway he "took the calf which they had made and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water" (Ex. XXXII, 20). Then he stationed himself before the waters of the Ocean and said: "Waters, waters, what would ye?" And they answered: "Was not the world established by and on the merit of the Holy Words engraved upon the tablets? And now, because the Israelites have denied the Torah by making the golden calf, we desire to overwhelm the world." Then Moses answered them and said: "Behold, all that they have done in connection with the sin of the golden calf is delivered unto you; is it not enough that so many thousands of them have perished for their sin?" Straightway he "strawed it (the dust of the calf) upon the water". But even then the floods were not appeased. So he took from those angry seas a portion of water, and poured it upon the place where he had burned the calf, and then at last the Ocean was soothed and returned to its own bed. For in that wilderness there was no water, as it is written: "It is no place of seed ... neither is there any water to drink" (Num. XX, 5). Nor can the place whereon Moses strawed the powder have been Miriam's well, for assuredly Moses would never have permitted evil memories to pollute the place whose waters the Israelites would afterwards have had to drink. Besides, the Israelites only received their cistern when they came to the place Mattanah, as it is written: "Spring up, well .... The princes digged the well.... And from there to Mattanah" (Ibid. XXI, 17). [27] As to the words "graven upon the tables" (harut'al ha-luhoth), it has already been pointed out that this phrase contains an allusion to heruth -- that is, freedom. Freedom from what? From the angel of death, from subjection to the kingdoms of this world, [114a] from all things earthly and from all things evil. And what is freedom? It is the seal of the world to come, in which is every kind of freedom. Had not the tablets been broken, the world would not have suffered as it subsequently did, and the Israelites would have been in the likeness of the supernal angels above. Therefore the Scripture proclaims: "the tablets were the work of God" (Elohim), from the time when the world was still under the aegis of the name Elohim, before the Sabbath had entered. The writing, too, was the "writing of God", black fire on white fire, and it was haruth (engraved) because the Jubilee proclaims freedom (heruth) to all worlds.'

Having spoken these things, the old man paused a moment and then said: 'So far, my friends, and now no further! From now on ye shall know that the evil side has no power over you; and that I, Jebba the Ancient, have stood before you to utter these words.' The two Rabbis stood before him dumbfounded, like men waking out of their sleep. Then they prostrated themselves before him, and so remained, speechless and awestruck. After a while they wept. Finally R. Hiya found his voice again, and spake, saying: ' "Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for love is strong as death, zeal is hard as the sheol; the coals thereof are coals of fire, a blaze of Jah" (S.S. VIII, 6). When the Community of Israel cleaves to her Spouse she says: "Set me as a seal upon thy heart." The property of a seal is to leave its impress on the surface wherewith it has come into contact, and this impress naturally remains even after the seal has been removed. So the Community of Israel cries aloud unto her Spouse, saying: "Since I have cleaved to Thee, may my image remain engraven upon Thine heart, so that even when I myself must perforce be driven hither and thither in exile Thou mayst find my likeness there and remember me. May I thus cleave to Thee for ever and not be forgotten of Thee." "For love is strong as death" -as the strength of the region where death dwells is the place called "eternal love". "Her coals are coals of fire." What are these coals? The diamonds and precious gems which are born of that fire. "A blaze of Jah" -- the flame which issues out of the Supernal World to unite itself with the Community of Israel and so bridge the gulf between Heaven and earth and unite both. Of this same quality of love do we also partake in regard to thee, and the coals of that very fire are set within our hearts, warming them towards thee. So may it be the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, that our image may be engraved upon thine heart for ever. as thine is impressed upon ours!'

Then the old man kissed and blessed them. and they departed. When they reached the dwelling of R. Simeon they recounted everything that had befallen them. R Simeon was both delighted and amazed. He said: 'Blessed indeed are you in that ye were found worthy of all this! To think that you were in the presence of this supreme lion of wisdom with whom not even the greatest sages can be compared, and did not recognize him at once I I am astonished that you have escaped punishment for your disrespect towards him; it is evident that the Holy One desired to spare and save you.' Then he applied to them the verses: "And the path of the righteous is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day"; "When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou mnnest thou shalt not stumble" (Prov. IV, 12, 18); "and thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of thy planting, the work of thy hands, that I may be glorified" (Isa. LX, 21). Thus ends the incident concerning R Jebba the Ancient. (121a) [28]

***

AND YE SHALL BE MEN OF HOLINESS UNTO ME; AND FLESH THAT IS TORN BY BEASTS IN THE FIELD YE SHALL NOT EAT; YE SHALL CAST IT TO THE DOG (XXII, 30). R Judah quoted here the verse: "And wisdom, where shall it be found? And where is the place of understanding?" (Job XXVIII,12). Said he: "Blessed are the Israelites for that the Holy One desires to honour them more than all the rest of mankind. At first He said unto them: "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests" (Ex. XIX, 6). His great love to them was, however, not satisfied until he had added: "and a holy nation" (Ibid.), which signifies a higher grade; His love was still not satisfied until He called them "a holy people" (Deut. XIV, 2), which is a still higher grade; and now He shows His endless love to them by calling upon them to be "men of holiness", which is the highest grade and destiny of all. For the Torah itself emanates from Wisdom, from the realm called "holiness", and Wisdom itself emanates from the region called "holy (lit. holiness) 'of holies".' Said R Isaac: 'The Jubilee is also designated "holiness", as it is written: "For it is the jubilee; it shall be holiness (kodesh) unto you" (Lev. XIV, 12). The Israelites who are destined to be "men of holiness" have a share in both (the Torah and the Jubilee). What is the difference in degree between "holy" and "holiness" ?' Said R. Jose: 'The latter is the extremest, the utmost degree, but not so the former, for it is written: "And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy" (Isa. IV, 3), which signifies that the grade of "holy" is connected with that place (i.e. with the earthly Zion and Jerusalem), [121b] whereas "holiness" is connected with a higher place.' R. Abba was once walking in company with R. Jose and R. Hiya. Said R. Hiya: 'How do we know that the expression, "and ye shall be unto Me men of holiness", signifies the highest grade?' Said R. Jose: 'All the companions have interpreted it well; it is truly so, for it is written: "Israel is holiness (kodesh) to the Lord, the beginning (reshith) of his increase; all that devour him shall be guilty" (Jer. II, 3). Israel is here designated "reshith", and Wisdom is also called "reshith", as it says, "The beginning (reshith) of wisdom is the fear of the Lord" (Ps. CXI, 10). And because Israel is called "holiness", the completion and harmony of all grades, they must not "eat flesh that is torn by beasts in the field"; they must not derive their nourishment from the side of severe judgement, but "cast it to the dogs", namely to the impudent and impure power on which judgement rests; so the people destined to be "men of holiness" should not be stained by the impurity of the principle of evil left in the flesh of the torn animal.'

Once when R. Isaac was studying with R. Simeon, he asked him: 'What is the meaning of the last part of the verse quoted above (Jer. II, 3): "Israel is holiness to the Lord, all that devour him shall be guilty" (ye'shamu, will bear their guilt, i.e. will be punished)?' R. Simeon referred to the passages (Lev. XXII,10, 14-16) where strangers eating of the holy things "lade themselves with guilt (ashmah) of eating". 'Because Israel is called "holy", "holiness", all that "eat" him, that is to say, all the strange nations who try to devour and make an end of him are guilty of consuming something sacred.' Then R. Isaac came to him, kissed his hands, and said: 'It was worth coming here only to hear this! But, Master, if, as we have been taught, "holiness" is a higher degree than "being holy", how is one to explain "holy, holy, holy (kadosh) is the Lord Zebaoth"?' R. Simeon replied: 'When the triad (the holy, holy, holy) is united in one unity, it forms one "house", and that house is called "holiness"; it is the essence and core of the "holy"; and when Israel attain to the completeness and perfection of faith, they are called "holiness": "Holiness is Israel to the Lord"; "ye should be unto Me men of holiness".'

A certain legionary once asked R. Abba: 'Is it not written in your Law: "Flesh that is terepha (tom by beasts) ye should not eat: ye shall cast it to the dog"? Why, then, does it say: "He hath given tereph (food) to those that fear him" (Ps. CXI, 5)? Assuredly it ought rather to have said: "He gives tereph to the dog"!' R. Abba replied: 'Fool (Reka)! Thinkest thou that tereph is the same as terepha? And even if we admit that it is the same, I say that God gave this prohibition only to those that fear His name, and therefore He gave it not to you, since He knows that you do not fear Him and will not keep His commandments; and so with all the restrictions of the Torah.' R. Eleazar taught that the peculiar expression, "men of holiness", contains a reference to the Jubilee, for there is a tradition that the Israelites came out from Egypt into freedom by means of the Jubilee, which is the source of all freedom, both early and everlasting. When they came out into freedom the Jubilee set them upon his wings, and they were called his men, his children. And of the Jubilee it says: "It is jubilee; holiness is it to you." Yea, verily, "to you". Therefore it says here: "Ye shall be unto Me men of holiness", that is, His men, these words having been spoken by the Holy One, blessed be He. [122a] And therefore they become worthy to be known as "brethren of the Holy One", as it is written: "For my brethren and companions' sake, I will now say, Peace be within thee" (Ps. CXXII, 9). Later they were called "holiness" (Jer. Ibid.), and not merely "men of holiness". We have been taught that because Israel is designated "holiness" no one is allowed to apply to his neighbour an insulting epithet or to bestow upon him a degrading nickname. The punishment for such an offence is indeed great. It is written: "Keep thy tongue from evil" (Ps. XXXI, 15). "From evil": for slander and malicious speech cause disease to enter into the world. Said R. Jose: 'He who offends his neighbour by giving him an insulting nickname or by addressing him in abusive terms will himself eventually suffer for offences which he has not committed.' In this connection R. Hiya also said in the name of R. Hezekiah: 'He who calls his neighbour "wicked" will be thrown into the very jaws of Gehenna. The only people whom one may legitimately call "wicked" are those who speak impudently and blasphemously against the Torah.'

Once, when on a journey, R. Jesse passed close by a man who was cursing and reviling his neighbour; and the Rabbi said to him: "Thou behavest like a wicked one (rasha')." Those who were with R. Jesse, hearing his words, were shocked, thinking that he had assuredly committed a great offence; so they brought him before R. Judah to be judged. In defence he pleaded that he had not called the man "wicked", but only told him that he had behaved "like a wicked one." R. Judah was puzzled, and put the case before R. Eleazar, who said: 'The Rabbi has Scripture on his side, for do we not read: "The Lord was as an enemy" (Lam. II. 5)? which obviously does not mean that He actually became an enemy, for had that been the case Israel would certainly have been utterly annihilated. Similarly, we read: "How is she (Jerusalem) become as a widow" (Ibid. I, 1). which signifies that she is indeed like unto a woman whose husband has gone away to a far country, but for whom she still waits.' Said R. Hiya: 'Is there not a better proof than all these, in fact, the standard example, namely: "And upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man" (Ezek. I, 26)?' Said R. Isaac: 'Also it is written: "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons" (S.S. II, 3) -- as an apple tree which has varied colours, red, white, and green combined in a unity.' Said R. Judah: 'Ah, had I come here only in order to hear these mystic revelations, it would have sufficed I It is also written: "And he that stumbled among them on that day shall be as David" (Zech. XII, 8). "As David", who said: "In my poverty I have prepared for the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold ... "; "as David", who said of himself: "For I am poor and needy" (Ps. LXXXVI, 1); yea, he called himself thus, who was king above all other earthly kings!' Said R. Abba: "And how blessed are the Israelites for that the Holy One does not call them "as holiness", but actually "holiness" itself, as it is written: "Holiness is Israel to the Lord"; and therefore: "all who devour him will be made to bear grievous punishment for their guilt.'"

Said R. Jose: 'For what reason did God give Israel rules of judgement after He had given them the Ten Words (the Decalogue)? Because, as we have been taught, the Torah was given from the side of Power (Geburah), and therefore He desired to give them peace among themselves in order that the Torah should be observed under both of its aspects. For, as R. Abba has said in the name of R. Isaac, the world is sustained by Justice, as it was created by, and for, the principle of Justice. R. Abba also said that the words: "Execute judgement in the morning" (Jer. XXI, 12) mean that judges should sit in judgement "in the morning", that is, before they have had anything to eat or drink, since he who executes judgement after eating and drinking is not a true judge, as it is written: "Ye shall not eat with the blood" (Lev. XIX, 26), which means that a judge who eats before sitting in judgement is, as it were, guilty of shedding his neighbour's blood, for, indeed, he gives the "blood" of his neighbour to someone else. Now this is merely in reference to money matters; how much more, then, in criminal cases, when it is a question of life and death, should judges beware of eating and drinking before executing judgement!' Said R. Judah: 'He who betrays judgement betrays the supports of the King. And what are these? Those mentioned in the verse, "For I the Lord exercise lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness" (Jer. IX, 25). All things depend upon these three.' R. Jose said: "These are the stays of the Throne, for it is written: "Righteousness and judgement are the establishment of thy throne" (Ps. LXXXIX, 15); and also "And in lovingkindness will the throne be established" (Isa. XVI, 5). [122b]

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AND IN ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE SAID UNTO YOU TAKE YE HEED, ETC. Note the passive form tishameru (take heed, lit. ye shall be guarded). We may translate: "From the penalties which I have threatened for a breach of My service ye shall be guarded, so that no harm shall come to you", and therefore, MAKE NO MENTION OF THE NAME OF OTHER GODS. These words may also be expounded thus: "Ye shall not bring it about that ye shall fall among the nations in a strange land so that there be fulfilled concerning you the words of Scripture: "and there shalt thou serve other gods, etc." (Deut. XXVIII, 36).' R. Judah connected this text with the verses: "Hear, O my people, and I will admonish thee ... There shall no strange god be in thee ... I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt, etc." (Ps. LXXXI, 9-11). 'These verses', he said, 'David uttered under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and they should be well pondered. "Hear, O My people", is a reminder of the repeated admonitions of the Torah and of the Holy One, blessed be He, to man, and all for the benefit of man, that he observe the commands of the Torah, for when one [124a] observes the ordinances of the Torah and diligently studies it, it is as though he diligently studied the Divine Name. For the whole Torah is an enfolding of the one Divine Name, the most exalted Name, the Name that comprehends all other names; and hence if one diminishes it, even by a single letter, it is as though he made a gap in the Divine Name. Hence, according to our teaching, the words, "and make no mention of the name of other gods", signify "thou shalt not add to the Torah nor diminish from it".' R. Hiya said: '"The name of other gods" signifies profane books which do not issue from the side of the Torah, and hence we are forbidden to study them: NEITHER LET IT BE HEARD OUT OF THY MOUTH, that is, we may not even mention them nor receive teaching from them, especially concerning the Torah.' R. Judah expounded the passage as follows. 'For what reason is the precept concerning other gods closely followed by the precept, THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD SHALT THOU KEEP? Because the nonobservance of this festival betokens lack of faith in the Holy One, blessed be He, since that festival is closely associated with Him.' R. Isaac said: 'It is the same with the other feasts and festivals, as they all are closely bound up with the most exalted Divine Name. Hence the dictum, that religious faith is closely bound up with the three festivals.'

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ALL THY MALES. Says R. Eleazar: 'Emphatically "all thy males", as they then receive blessings from the eternal spring. Hence the dictum that every circumcised Israelite is bound to appear before the Holy King so as to receive a blessing from the eternal spring. So Scripture says: "according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee" (Deut. XVI, 17), and here it is written: "before the Lord God", that is, from whence blessings pour and blessings are received. Happy is the portion of Israel above that of all other nations.

On one occasion, when the Israelites were going up to celebrate the festival, a number of idolaters mingled with them. That year there was no blessing in the world. So they came to Rab Ham'nuna the Elder to consult him about the matter. He asked them: 'Did you see any portent of this beforehand?' They replied : 'We noticed on our return journey that everywhere the waters were dried up, and there was continuous cloud and darkness, so that the pilgrims could not proceed on their way. Furthermore, when we went in to show ourselves, the face of heaven was darkened.' R. Ham'nuna trembled and said: 'There is no doubt but either there are among you some who are uncircumcised or that idolaters mingled themselves in your company. For at that time blessings come into the world only through circumcised Israelites. The Holy One, blessed be He, looks at the sacred symbol and sends down the blessing.' The following year again a number of idolaters intruded themselves among the pilgrims who went up to Jerusalem. Then when the festive offerings were being joyfully eaten, the Israelites noticed those people covering their faces with their .cloaks, and on further watching them they discovered that they did not pronounce a blessing over the meal, like all the others. This was communicated to the Court of Judges, who examined the strangers and asked them what kind of offering was that of which they had eaten a portion? As they could not give a satisfactory answer, further inquiries were made, and it was discovered that they were idolaters, and so they were put to death. The people said: "Blessed is the Merciful One who delivered His people, for assuredly blessing only rests on Israel, the holy seed, the children of Faith, the children of Truth." That year was one of rich blessing in the world, and the people exclaimed: "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name, etc." (Ps. CXL, 14). R. Hiya said: 'Through the merit of Israel circumcised their enemies have been subdued before them and their possessions inherited by them. Hence the verse: "Three times in the year shall all thy males appear, etc." (Ex. XXXIV, 23) is immediately followed by the verse: "For I will cast out nations before thee and enlarge thy borders" (Ibid. 24); for the Holy One, blessed be He, uproots one group of inhabitants and restores another, and therefore "shall all thy males appear before the Lord God".' [124b]

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THE LORD (Adon) GOD. R. Judah said: 'Sometimes the superior aspect of the Deity is called by the lower Name, at other times it is the lower aspect that is given the superior Name. Here, in the phrase "before the Lord God" (ha-ADoN YHVH), the lower term Adon (Lord) is expressive of the superior aspect. This matter has already been expounded, and expounded in various ways, which, however, all converge into one. Blessed be the Merciful One, blessed be His name for evermore!'

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BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL BEFORE THEE. R. Isaac quoted in this connection the words: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" (S.S. I, 2), and said: 'It is the Community of Israel who says this (to God). Why does she say "Let Him kiss me" instead of "Let Him love me"? Because, as we have been taught, kissing expresses the cleaving of spirit to spirit; therefore the mouth is the medium of kissing, for it is the organ of the spirit (breath), Hence he who dies by the kiss of God [29] is so united with another Spirit, with a Spirit which never separates from him. Therefore the Community of Israel prays: "Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth", that His Spirit may be united with mine and never separate from it. The verse continues: "For thy love is better than wine" (Ibid.). Why is the love of the Holy One compared with wine, which was the cause of Ephraim's degradation (Isa. XVIII, 27), and was prohibited to the priests at the time of service (Lev. X, 9)? Said R. Hiya: 'It is better even than the "wine of the Torah".' R. Hezekiah said: 'It is better than the wine of which the Psalmist said that it "maketh glad the heart of man" (Ps. CIV, 15).' R. Judah referred to the verse: "And Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept" (Gen. XXIX, I I). Why did he weep? Because the intensity of his attachment to her overpowered him, and he found relief in tears. It is true, it also says of Esau that "he kissed him (Jacob) and they wept" (Gen. XXXIV, 4); but as has been said, the word wa-yishakehu (and he kissed him) has (masoretic) dots on it, to indicate the insincerity of Esau's kisses, [30] for there was no union of spirit with spirit there; and concerning him it is written: "The kisses of an enemy are abundant" (Prov. XXVII, 6; i.e. superfluous, burdensome); they are windy and betoken no attachment of spirit. As long as the Holy One was dwelling and moving in the midst of Israel there was a perfect union between Spirit and spirit; concerning which it is written: "And ye who cleave to the Lord your God, ye are all alive to-day" (Deut. IV, 4); they clave to one another in every possible manner, and were not separated. But when Moses heard the words, "Behold, I send an angel before thee", he knew that it meant separation, therefore he said: "If thy presence go not, carry us not up hence" (Ex. XXXIII, 15). Said R. Abba: 'Note the verse that immediately precedes, viz., "The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord Thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk," The connection is as follows. This verse indicates that one may not mingle lower grades (the k'lifoth) with higher ones (sefiroth), lest the outer side should imbibe nourishment from the inner one, the one being from the side of impurity and the other from that of ·holiness. The "mother" here mentioned is the Community of Israel (the Shekinah), who is called Mother, and the: "kid" symbolizes the principle of impurity. Therefore God said, "[Since you may indeed cause such separation] behold, I send My angel before thee". But Moses said: "I take this command [not to seethe a kid in its mother's milk] as a promise that Thou wilt not separate from us; therefore, 'if thy presence go not, carry us not up hence'."' Said R. Eleazar: 'This the Holy One said in order to soothe the fears of Israel, because He loved them. He was like unto a king who always desired to walk with his son and never entrusted him to anybody else. The son once came to his father [125a], but felt chary of asking him to go out with him. The latter noticing it, said: "Captain So-and-so will accompany thee upon this way and will take care of thee"; then adding: "Beware of him" (V. 21), for he is somewhat quick-tempered. Then said the son: "If so, either I shall remain here or else thou must come with me; for I shall not separate myself from thee." In a similar fashion the Holy One first said: "Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not." Then Moses said: "If Thy presence go not, carry us not up hence.'" When R. Simeon came, he found the Companions discussing this subject. Said he: 'Eleazar my son, thou hast spoken well, yet mark this. On this occasion (when God said that He would send an angel) Moses said nothing and did not object, because no separation was implied in the promise. [31] I have already explained this to the companions. It is true, some understand it just in the opposite way, [32] but that is not according to the interpretation of the ancients (although at bottom there is no contradiction between the two). Here, as I have said, Moses did not object, but he did later, when the Holy One again said: "I will send an angel before thee" (Ex. XXXIII, 2), without saying anything more about him. But here we have the additional explanation concerning the character of the angel, for it says: "But if thou shalt indeed obey his (the angel's) voice and do all that I speak --", indicating that God would speak through the angel; and similarly it continues, "Then will I be an enemy to thine enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee", showing that everything depends upon him.' Said R. Judah: 'Should one say that on both occasions it is merely an angel that is referred to, then we have to say that Moses made no objection on the first occasion because he did not see an opportunity, but on the second occasion he did object, saying, "If Thy presence go not, carry us not up hence."' To which R. Simeon remarked: 'The long and the short of it is that Moses did not desire that an angel should accompany them, therefore he said: "If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord: let my Lord, I pray thee: go among us" (Ex. XXXIV, 9).'

Said R. Judah: 'In regard to R. Abba's interpretation of the words: "Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk" (v. supra), ought not this passage according to him to have read, "in the mother's" rather than "in his mother's"? For if the "kid" represents the spirit of impurity and the "mother" the Shekinah, dare one thus assert that the Community of Israel (the Shekinah) is the "mother" of the spirit of impurity-the Community of Israel, concerning whom R. Simeon has said that the Holy Mother is the very essence of Israel, part and parcel of her being, as it is written: "For the Lord's portion is his people" (Deut. XXXII, 9)?' R. Simeon replied: 'Your question is good, and yet R. Abba's remark is correct. See now. Two powers hold fast to the Shekinah, imbibing strength from Her strength, and clinging one to Her right hand and one to Her left. Therefore some incline towards the right and some towards the left, and all depend upon this holy "Mother". But the things of the Left are attached to this Mother only when she herself imbibes from the "other side", and the sanctuary is defiled and the mighty serpent begins to manifest himself. Then "the kid sucks of his mother's milk", and judgement is aroused. For this reason the Israelites hastened to bring the firstfruits, and when the priest had taken the basket of fruit from the hands of an Israelite and set it down before the altar, the latter would begin to recite the story of how Laban ("the Syrian", cf. Deut. XXVI, 5) came with his witchcraft to subject Jacob and his holy descendants, but did not succeed, and Israel was not delivered to the "other side". It is concerning this that it is written: "The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord Thy God. Thou shalt not seethe the kid in his mother's milk", so that the "kid", namely the "other side", should not suck the milk of his "mother", and the sanctuary be not defiled, and the severe judgements be not roused. Therefore the holy seed is prohibited to eat flesh together with milk, [33] in order that a place in holiness should not be allotted to him who does not belong to it; for on this action the thing depends: the act below affects the activity above. Blessed are the Israelites above all the heathen nations for that their Lord says concerning them: "Ye are the children of the Lord your God"; "Thou art an holy people to the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the nations that are upon the earth" (Deut. XIV, I, 2).

'It is set forth in the mysteries of King Solomon's book that he who eats a composite of flesh and milk, or drinks milk shortly after eating meat, will appear for a space of forty days to the vision of the accusing angels in the aspect of a slaughtered goat, with myriads of impure powers [125b] surrounding him, and he causes unholy judgements to be awakened in the world. And should he beget a son during those forty days, the latter will imbibe his soul and the breath of his spirit from the "other side". It says: "Ye shall sanctify yourself and ye shall be holy" (Lev. XI, 44), which signifies that he who endeavours to be holy is assisted from above, and, contrariwise, he who defiles himself is drawn on to defilement by the unholy powers, as it is written in the preceding verse (43): "Ye shall not make yourselves unclean ... that ye shall be defiled." This is an impurity which is exceedingly gross, and which cannot be done away with by means of purification as can other defilements. Besides, such a person, having come to look, even in outer seeming, like a goat -- as we have said -- goes in constant fear of wild animals, for the human image has disappeared from both his inner and his outer aspects. R. Jesse used at one time to allow the eating of chicken with cheese or with milk. But R. Simeon said unto him: 'Thou must not permit this, lest thou thereby open the door to evil powers. Does one not say to a Nazarite: "Go away, go away, depart and come not near the vineyard!"? I say to thee, thou must not do this thing I If thou allowest such prohibited minglings of foods it is as though thou gavest wine unto a Nazarite. It is written: "Thou shalt not eat any abomination" (Deut. XIV, 3), where the word "any" includes every kind and sort of food which is forbidden.' There is a tradition that Daniel, Hananniah, Mishael and Azariah were delivered from their trials only because they had not defiled themselves with forbidden food. Said R. Judah: 'It is written: "And Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat" (Dan. I, 8), and there is a tradition that the wicked Nebuchadnezzar used, apart from the other strange dishes for which he had a partiality, to eat flesh with milk and cheese with meat. Because Daniel refrained from partaking of such food, when he was thrown into the lions' den, he attained fully to the image of the Lord, his perfected human form not changing to any other, so that the lions were struck with awe before him and did him no harm. On the other hand, when the wicked Nebuchadnezzar was deprived of his kingdom and he dwelt with the beasts of the field, his human countenance was taken away from him and from that day he did not bear the impress of a man, so that all the beasts of the field considered him as one of themselves. and would readily have devoured him, had it not been that it was decreed from heaven that he should become an object of derision to all men, just as he in his time had "scoffed at kings" (Hab. I, 10). It is written concerning Daniel and his companions that "at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter than the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat" (Dan. I, 5). This was because the image of their Lord was not removed from them, whereas from those others it was. What was the cause of this? The fact that they did not pollute themselves with the abomination of the prohibited food. Blessed are the Israelites who are called to be a "holy people"!'

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AND TO MOSES HE SAID, COME UP UNTO THE LORD. Who said this? The Shekinah. "Come up unto the Lord": as it is written, "And Moses went up to God" (Ex. XIX, 3). And for what other purpose was Moses called up? To establish the covenant, for until that time it had not yet been completed because of the incomplete circumcision of the Israelites, as it is written: "There (at Marah) he made for them a statute and an ordinance" (Ex. XV, 25), these referring to the two acts connected with circumcision; "and there he proved them" (Ibid.), that is, when the holy sign of the covenant was manifested in them. Then the covenant was established through Moses, as it is written: "And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant ... " (Ibid. XXIV, 8). R. Isaac drew attention to the verse: "And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins ; and half of the blood he sprinkled upon the altar" (Ibid. V, 6). 'The "upon" " said he, 'is of special significance, indicating that the covenant was made with the highest grade.'

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AND WORSHIP YE AFAR OFF. The words "afar off" contain the same indication as in the verses, "The Lord appeared to me from afar" (Jer. XXXI, 2), and "and his sister stood afar off" (Ex. II, 4): namely, as R. Abba pointed out, that until that time the Moon (that is, the Shekinah) was on the wane, for Her light was obscured from before the eyes of the Israelites; but when that hour was arrived they were made more worthy of their holy portion, and established a holy covenant with Her and with the Holy One in all His aspects.

Why did the Shekinah say to Moses, "Go up to the Lord"? In order that "Israel and I may now, through thy mediation, participate as one being in the Divine perfection, which has not been the case hitherto". So what did Moses do? He .divided the blood into two parts: "half of the blood he sprinkled upon [126a] the altar" -- according to the significance which we have already revealed -- and the other half he sprinkled upon the people and said: "behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you" (v. 8). HE PUT THE BLOOD IN BASINS. This is an allusion to the words: "Thy navel is a round basin" (S.S. VII, 7), which is applied to the Shekinah.

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AND MOSES ALONE SHALL COME NEAR TO THE LORD. Happy was the lot of Moses in obtaining a privilege vouchsafed to no other mortal! The Israelites, too, attained to more exalted heights than ever before. In that hour they were established in the holy covenant, and given the glad tidings that a sanctuary should be erected in their midst, as it is written: "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them" (XXV, 8).

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AND THEY SAW THE GOD OF ISRAEL, AND THERE WAS UNDER HIS FEET AS IT WERE A PAVED WORK OF A SAPPHIRE STONE. Said R. Judah: 'It is written: "This thy stature is like to a palm tree" (S.S. VII, 8). What love, indeed, has the Holy One bestowed upon the Community of Israel in that He never separates Himself from her, but is perpetually and perfectly united with her, even as a palm tree in which male and female are one in complete and continual union! See now. When Nadab and Abihu and the seventy elders "saw", what did they actually see? "They saw the God of Israel", that is to say, the Shekinah manifested Herself unto them.' But R. Jose interpreted the demonstrative pronoun eth in this verse ("and they saw eth the God of Israel") as denoting something more, over and above R. Judah's exposition, a kind of extra quality of enlightenment, as it were-although what they saw they saw from a distance. R. Isaac asked: [It says here, "Under his feet was as it were a work of sapphire stone, but Ezekiel said] "This is the living creature (Hayah) which I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar" (Ezek. X, 20). Now, which Hayah is here indicated?' R. Jose replied in the name of R. Hiya that the reference is to the little Hayah. [34] 'But is there then such a little Hayah?' 'Yes, assuredly there is. There is a little one and a superior one, [35] and there is also a very little one. [36] As for the last part of the verse which is being treated, namely: "And under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone" -- what was this which they saw? They beheld the precious stone with which the Holy One will build the future Sanctuary, as it is written: "I will lay thy stones with fair colours and lay thy foundations with sapphires" (Isa. LIV, 11).'

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HE LAID NOT HIS HAND UPON THE NOBLES OF ISRAEL; AND THEY SAW GOD AND DID EAT AND DRINK. "The nobles of Israel" refers to Nadab and Abihu: their punishment was postponed. R. Jose declared that these words were said in praise of them, for "they did eat and drink": that is to say, they feasted their eyes on this splendour. Said R. Judah: 'It was indeed a true partaking and a true nourishing, and a most veritable and perfect uniting with the supernal world. Oh, if they only had not later sinned!' R. Eleazar said: 'Israel also at that time [37] became qualified for a revelation, and the Shekinah was united with them, and the making of the Covenant and the giving of the Torah all took place at one and the same time; and never again was such a sight vouchsafed to Israel. In the time which is to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will reveal Himself unto His children, so that they shall perceive His full glory eye to eye and face to face, as it is written: "For they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion" (Isa. LII, 8); and it is also written: "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Ibid. XL, 5).'

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Notes:

1. The klifah, or evil spirit.

2. According to a tradition, the Shekinah departed from the Sanctuary at the time of the Exile in ten stages.

3. Alluding to a discussion on the word be" (understanding), the numerical value of which is fifty-two.

4. Hokmah.

5. Binah.

6. Nezah and Hod.

7. Tifereth.

8. Samael.

9. The levir, or husband's brother. v. Deut. XXV, 8, 9.

10. v. T. B. Chagigah, sub fin.

11. Lit. "We give thanks": the opening word of one of the Eighteen Benedictions. Cf. T. B. Daba Kama, 16a.

12. v. Zohar, Genesis 39b, 400.

13. v. T. B. Sotah, 2a.

14. v. Zohar. Genesis, 29a.

15. i.e. in virtue of the fact that the Shekinah can be called sometimes "Daughter" and sometimes "Mother".

16. v. T. B. Sanhedrin, 106b.

17. Because it symbolizes Malkuth, the sphere of feminine souls.

18. v. Midrash Rabba, in loco.

19. v. Zohar, Genesis 2a.

20. Metatron, v. page 282.

21. Which is the source of all souls.

22. Cf. T. B. Sanhedrin, 107b.

23. i.e. the thirteen words in the verse.

24. Al. "and puts him under the domination of the Jubilee year".

25. i.e. in posse.

26. i.e. in esse.

27. v. T. B. Nedarim, 55a; Erubin, 54a.

28. The pages omitted belong to the Ray'a Mehemna.

29.According to the Haggadah, Moses and certain other saints died "by the kiss of God".

30. Cf. Aboth de R. Nathan, XXXIII.

31. i.e. because the Angel here denominates Malkuth.

32. That the Angel here denominates Metatron.

33. v. Onkelos to Ex. XXIII, 19.

34. Metatron.

35. Malkuth.

36. Sandalphon.

37. The Zohar evidently adopts the view that the events recorded in this chapter (Ex. XXIV) took place "before the giving of the Law. v. Rashi, ad loc.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:28 am

Part 1 of 3

TERUMAH

Ex. XXV, 1-XXVII, 19

AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES SAYING, SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT THEY TAKE ME A HEAVE OFFERING. R. Hiya, on coming to this portion, quoted the verse, "For Jacob hath chosen Jah unto himself, Israel is his costly possession" (Ps. CXXXV, 4). Said he: 'How beloved must Israel be to the Holy One, blessed be He, seeing that He has chosen them and desired to unite Himself with them and be bound up with them, making them a nation unique throughout all the world, as it is written: "Who is like unto thy people Israel, a unique people on earth?" (2 Sam. VII, 23). And they, too, have chosen Him and bound themselves up with Him, as it is written, "Jacob hath chosen Jah unto himself". [126b] Yea, for over the other nations He appointed celestial principalities and powers, but reserved Israel for His own special portion.'

R. Simeon discoursed on the text: "Who is this (zoth) that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun and terrible as furnished with banners?" (S.S. VI, 10). He said: 'The words "Who" and "This" denote the two worlds: the "Who" symbolizing the most supernal sphere, the unknowable beginning of all things, and "This" a lower sphere, the so-called "lower world"; and these two are indissolubly linked together. When they first unite, this lower world "looks forth as the dawn" when it is striving to become bright; when they draw closer, it is as "fair as the moon" when the sun's rays beat upon her; and finally it is "like the sun", when its moonlight becomes full. It is then "terrible as furnished with banners"; yea, mighty to protect all, furnished with power from the supernal world, through "Jacob", the "complete one", who united the two worlds as one. He united them above, and he united them below, and from him issued the twelve holy tribes after the supernal pattern. [1] Jacob, who was "a man of completeness" (Gen. XXV, 27), brought harmony to the two worlds, as has been elsewhere explained. [2] Other and lesser men, however, who follow Jacob's example (in marrying two sisters) merely "uncover nakedness" (i.e. dishonour the spirit of righteousness) both above and below, causing antagonism in both worlds, and engendering separation, as it is written: "Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister in her life time to vex her" (Lev. XVIII, 18). And should it be pointed out that even Jacob was not spared this enmity in wives, as we read that "Rachel was jealous of Leah" (Gen. XXX, 1), then would I answer: Surely so! and how could it be otherwise? For the whole longing and the most ardent desire of the lower world (symbolized by Rachel) is to be in all outer seeming like unto the upper world (symbolized by Leah), and to usurp its powers and reign in its stead. So not even Jacob could succeed in bringing perfect harmony into being between them. Other men, therefore (by marrying two sisters), will cause only enmity, separation and chaos, "removing the veil" from the hidden places in regard both to the world above and to the world below. "Who" and "This" are termed "sisters", because they are united in love and sisterly affection. They are also called "mother and daughter". And he who "uncovers their nakedness" shall find no portion in the world to come, nor any part in the Faith.' R. Simeon continued: 'We have a tradition that when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He engraved in the midst of the mysterious, ineffable and most glorious lights, the letters Yod, He, Vau, He, which are in themselves the synthesis of all worlds both above and below. The upper was brought to completion by the influence symbolized by the letter Yod, representing the primordial supernal point which issued from the absolutely hidden and unknowable, the mysterious Limitless (En-Sof). Out of this unknowable issued a slender thread of light which was itself concealed and invisible, but which yet contained all other lights, and which received vibrations from That which does not vibrate and reflected light from That which diffused it not. This slender light in turn gave birth to another light wherein to disport and to conceal itself; and in this light were woven and fashioned six impressions which are not known save to that slender light when it goes in to hide itself and shine through the other light. The light which issues from the slender light is mighty and terrible, and it expands and becomes a world which illumines all succeeding worlds -- a hidden and unknown world in which dwell six myriads of thousands of supernal powers and hosts. When the worlds were all completed [127a] they were joined into a single organism, and are symbolized by the letter Vau (=six) when it is united with the veiled world. [3] And this is the esoteric meaning of the words, "For Jacob has chosen Jah unto himself." But when the Vau emerges self-contained from the Yod He, then "Israel attains to his costly possession": that is to say, to other men permission has not been granted to penetrate to the higher point (Binah), but only as far as the "costly possession" (Malkuth), which is a lower grade; and from this they can ascend higher in intention but not in actual attainment, as Jacob did.'

R. Judah connected this text with the verse: "O, how (mah) great is thy goodness which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!" (Ps. XXXI, 20). 'This verse', said he, 'has been well enough expounded by the Companions; but the "holy lamp" (R. Simeon) found in it one of the deepest of the esoteric lessons. The supreme grade, esoterically known as "the supernal world", is designated "Mi" ("Who") and the lower grade known as "the lower world" is designated "Mah" ("What?", "How?"), and we have been taught that "Mah" contains an allusion to "meah" -- "hundred" -- because all the higher grades, when fully realized, are subsumed in it. Why is the world below called "Mah"? Because, although the emergence of the Supernal becomes manifest in that last of all the grades to a greater degree than at any previous stage, it is still mysterious: "What seest thou? What knowest thou?" As to the words "great is Thy goodness", these connote the Foundation of the world, as in the verse, "great goodness towards the house of Israel" (Isa. LXIII, 7). This is here said to be "hidden", because it has been stored away like the primordial light (which is called "good"). The verse continues: "Which Thou has wrought for those who trust in Thee". Yea, for in this Foundation is the fabrication of the whole, of all the world, of souls and spirits; this is the hidden force behind the creation of the (lower) heaven and earth, and this is also the hidden force behind the building of the Tabernacle, which was erected in the likeness both of the world above and of the world below. This is the significance of the words: "that they take me a heave offering": two grades [4] become united as one in the Tabernacle which is the emblem of that union.'

R. Simeon, R. Eleazar, R. Abba, and R. Jose sat one day under a tree in a valley by the Lake of Genessareth. Said R. Simeon: 'How pleasant is the shade of these trees! Surely the beauty and peace of this place is worthy of being crowned with some exposition of the Torah?' He then began to discourse, saying: 'It is written: "King Solomon made him a palanquin (apiryon) of the trees of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love by the daughters of Jerusalem" (S.S. III, 9, 10). This verse we interpret as follows. Apiryon symbolizes the Palace below which is formed in the likeness of the Palace above. This the Holy One, blessed be He, calls "The Garden of Eden", for He created it in order to satisfy His own ardent desire for joyous and continual communion with the souls of the righteous who have their abode there -- these being those souls which have no bodies in this world. These all ascend and are crowned in that place of perfect delight, and have each their appointed places from whence they can perceive the "loveliness of the Lord", and partake of all the delicious streams of pure balsam (aparsamon). This aparsamon symbolizes the hidden Supernal Palace, whereas apiryon is the Palace below, which has no "stay" [5] until it obtains it from the upper Palace. [127b] Now the streams of this aparsamon issue forth from the celestial sphere and the souls which have no earthly bodies ascend to imbibe from the light which emerges from them, and to revel therein. As for the souls who are clothed in bodily raiment and garmented with flesh, they ascend likewise and imbibe nourishment, but from the light of the sphere apiryon, for that is the region which appertains to them: which having done, they descend again. They both give and take. They emit sweet savours from the good works which they have wrought in this world, and they imbibe the aroma which was left in the Garden, and of which it is written: "as the savour of the field which the Lord had blessed" (Gen. XXVII, 27), the "field" being the Garden of Eden. And in this Garden all the souls appear, both those who dwell in earthly bodies and those whose sole being and joy is in the world above. The verse proceeds: "King Solomon made him": that is, He made it for His own glory. Should ye ask, But do not the souls of the righteous share the joy with Him? I would say, Most assuredly! For His joy would be as naught without them, since to have pleasure in their companionship is the very essence of His desire and delight. The term "King Solomon" refers to the King "to whom peace belongs" -- namely, the Supernal King: and the term "king" by itself refers to the King Messiah. [6] "The trees of Lebanon" denotes those trees which the Holy One uprooted and planted in another place, as it is written: "the cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted" (Ps. CIV, 16). Of these trees the apiryon was built. And what are these trees, the "trees of Lebanon"? They are the six primordial Days of Creation. Now each of these Days performs in this apiryon [7] the part which was assigned to it.

'By the first ordering, the primeval light which was afterwards stored away was taken from the Right Side and brought into the apiryon by means of a certain "Foundation", and performed its function therein. Afterwards the apiryon produced an image in the likeness of that original light, as is indicated by the words, "Let there be light, and there was light" (Gen. I, 3), the repetition of the word "light" denoting that the first light brought forth another light. This was the first day of the "trees of Lebanon".

'By the second ordering, there was drawn from the Left Side the division of waters through the stroke of a mighty fire, which entered into this apiryon and performed its function therein, dividing between the waters of the Right Side and those of the Left; and afterwards the apiryon brought forth an image in the likeness thereof. This was the second day of the "trees of Lebanon".

'By the third ordering, there was drawn from the sphere of the centre and the Right Side a certain third day which made peace in the world and from which were derived the seeds of all things. This performed its function in the apiryon, and brought forth various species, herbs and grasses and trees. Its likeness was left there, and the apiryon brought forth similar species, and this was the third day of the "trees of Lebanon".

'By the fourth ordering, the light of the sun was kindled to illumine the darkness of the apiryon, and it entered therein to give light, but did not perform its function till the fifth day. The apiryon produced in the likeness thereof, and this was the fourth day of those "trees of Lebanon".

'By the fifth ordering, there was produced a certain movement [128a] in the waters, which laboured to bring forth the light of the ordering of the fourth day, and it performed its function in the apiryon and brought forth various species; and all remained in suspense until the sixth day, when the apiryon brought forth all that was stored in it, as it is written, "Let the earth bring forth living creature after its kind, etc." (Gen. I, 24). This was the fifth day of the "trees of Lebanon".

'The sixth ordering was the day on which the apiryon came into completion, and apart from that sixth day of Creation it can have neither completion nor life-energy. But when that day was at length arrived the apiryon was completed, with many spirits, many souls, many beautiful virgins, [8] privileged to abide in the Palace of the King. In the completion of this day the previous five days are completed also, and the upper and lower spheres are perfectly united in friendship, in joy, and in one ardent desire for the companionship of their King. Thus was the apiryon sanctified with supernal sanctifications and crowned with its crowns, until finally it was exalted with the Crown of Rest and was designated with a noble name, a name of holiness, to wit, Sabbath, which presages rest and peace, the perfect harmonization of all things both above and below. That is the significance of the words, "The King Solomon made him an apiryon out of the trees of Lebanon." He who is worthy of this Apiryon is worthy of all things, is worthy to repose in the peace of the Holy One's shadow, as it is written: "I sat down under his shadow with great delight" (S.S. II, 3). And now, as we ourselves here sit under the shadow of this peace, it behoves us to observe that we really abide in the shadow of the Holy One, within that Apiryon, and remain for ever there: and we must crown this place with supernal crowns, so that the trees of that Apiryon may be induced to cover us with a shade yet more comforting.'

So they began to discourse upon holy and supernal matters. R. Simeon first spoke, saying: 'It is written: "They shall take me a heave offering: on the part of everyone whose heart is willing ye shall take my offering." "They shall take Me." This signifies that he who aspires towards piety and fellowship with the Holy One, blessed be He, must not be lax or remiss in his devotion, but must be ready and willing to bring sacrifices according to his strength: "according as the Lord God hath blessed thee" (Deut. XVI, 10). True, it is written, "Come ye, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isa. LV, 1), and this in reference to work on behalf of the Holy One. But this only indicates that, whereas knowledge of the Holy One and of His Torah can be acquired without price or fee, the doing of good works for the sake of Heaven requires sacrifice and must be "paid for" with full price; otherwise the doer is not worthy to draw down unto himself the spirit of holiness from above. In the book of sorcery from which Ashmedai taught King Solomon, it is written that he who desires to remove from himself the spirit of impurity and to subdue that spirit, must be prepared to pay in return for the fulfilment of his wishes whatever is demanded. For the spirit of impurity tempts the heart of man with many allurements, in order to take up its abode with him. But the spirit of holiness is not so: it demands a full price and strenuous effort, purification of one's self and one's dwelling, devotion of heart and soul; and even so one will be lucky to win it to take up its abode with him. Therefore one must beware and walk straitly according to the paths and ways of righteousness, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left; for otherwise, even if it had entered into a man, it will straightway depart from him, and thereafter it will indeed be passing hard to recall it again. Hence the expression, "Let them buy ("lakah" also means "to buy") unto Me". OF EVERY MAN: from everyone deserving the name of "man", that is, from everyone who prevails over his evil inclination. "That giveth it willingly, with his heart" -- namely, [128b] he with whom the Holy One is well pleased, for He -- the Lord -- is Himself the "Heart", as it is written: "My heart said to thee" (Ps. XXVII, 9); "the rock of my heart" (Ibid. LXXIII, 21). So also here, "Ye should take me a heave offering from him with whom I am well pleased", for there alone can the acceptable sacrifice be found, and in no other place soever. And how may one recognize a person with whom the Holy One is pleased and in whom He has His abode? When we observe that a man endeavours to serve the Holy One in joy, with his heart, soul and will, then we can be quite sure that the Shekinah has Her abode in him. Such a man is worthy to be well paid for his teaching and companionship. Therefore the ancients said: "Buy thee a companion" (i.e. teacher). [9] Buy him for a good price, in order to merit the Shekinah's presence. Therefore also one must pursue and run after the sinner and "buy" him for a good price, in order that the filth of sin may be purged away from him and the spirit of impurity, the emanation of the "other side", be subdued. He who succeeds in redeeming such a sinner can justly consider himself the "creator" of the renewed and quickened soul, and such an act is the greatest praise (of God) imaginable, and it exalts the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, more than any other circumstance or deed imaginable. Why so? Because by his action in turning the sinner from wickedness he helps to bring into subjection the "other side". Therefore it says of Aaron: "And he turned many from sin" (Mal. II, 6), and hence, "My covenant was with him, life and peace" (Ibid. 5). See now. He who seeks a sinner takes him by the hand, and induces him to give up his evil way, such a one is elevated as none other can be, yea, even with three particular deserts, namely by his causing the "other side" to be subdued, by magnifying the glory of the Holy One, and by sustaining, through the merit of his good works, the very equilibrium of the worlds, both the upper and the lower spheres. Concerning such a man it is written: "My covenant was with him: life and peace." He will be worthy to see his children's children; he is worthy to enjoy this world and the world to come, and none of the lords of judgement shall retain any power whatsoever over him to chastise him, either in this world or in the world to come. He will pass through twelve gates (of the firmament), and none will hinder him. Concerning such a one it is written: "His seed shall be mighty upon earth, the generation of the upright shall be blessed ... His righteousness endureth for ever. Unto the righteous there ariseth light in the darkness" (Ps. CXII, 2-4).

'In a certain Upper Chamber there are three colours which bum in one flame. The flame emanates from the South, which is the Right Side. The three mysterious colours which compose this flame proceed in three separate directions: one goes upward, one down, and one flickers, appearing and disappearing when the sun shines. The colour which ascends is the first to appear. It is of a whiteness more dazzling than any known. It enters into the flame and is a little absorbed into it, though without losing its identity. It rests upon the top of that Chamber, and when the Israelites enter the synagogues and pray, as soon as they are arrived at the end of the Geulah (Redemption) prayer -- namely, at the words, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who redeemest Israel" and go straight on to the Amidah prayer -- the white and lucent colour descends upon the top of the Chamber and weaves a crown of the prayers of the people; and a herald rises in the Heavenly courts and proclaims: "Blessed are ye, holy people, for that ye perform (make) good (tob) [10] before the face of the Holy One, blessed be He!" This is the inner significance of the words, "I have done what is good in thine eyes" (Isa. XXXVIII, 3): namely, that King Hezekiah connected by his devotions "Redemption" with "Prayer". For when the praying people have reached the words "praises to the supreme God" (in the last hymn before the "Eighteen Benedictions") and the white brightness rests, as we have said, upon the top of that Chamber, the Zaddik is aroused to join the appropriate Place in love and joy, and all the "limbs" are united as one in one desire, the higher with the lower, and all the celestial lights sparkle and glow with divine supernal fire, and all are united in this Righteous who is designated "Good", as it is written, "Say ye to the righteous that he is good" (Isa. III, 10). And He unites them all in the silence of perfect joy, and kisses of friendship; and everything is united in the Chamber. And when the worshippers arrive at the prayer "Grant abundant peace" (at the end of the "Eighteen Benedictions"), the "River that goes out of Eden" does his service in this Assembly and all must take leave from the King, and no human being nor any other created thing may thereafter be found in that Presence, nor may any petitionary prayers be prayed then, [129a] but one must "fall upon the countenance" (say propitiatory prayers). Why? Because that time is the time of service, and every being that dwells upon the earth must stand abashed before his Lord, covering his face in great awe, and let his soul join the service of the souls which are contained in that Chamber. Then the colour which descends hovers over the lower part of the Assembly, and another herald appears, like unto the first, and he cries with a loud voice: "Ye upper and lower beings! Bring witness of him who, by reclaiming sinners becomes a 'maker of souls', that he deserves to be crowned and is worthy to enter now into the presence of the King and the Matrona, because the King and the Matrona enquire after him!" Then two witnesses who are among the number of the "eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth" (Zech. IV, 10), and who stand behind the curtain, emerge therefrom and testify, saying: "We testify indeed for that man." Blessed is his lot, for on his account his father shall be blessed and remembered into good, because he has re-made souls in the earthly sphere -- souls even of sinners who had been captured by the "other side". Thus is the glory of the Holy One exalted in perfect joy. Then an angel appears who is the storekeeper of the celestial figures of the righteous, and this angel's name is Jehudiam because of his office ("over the people of the Jews") and he is crowned with a crown on which is engraven the Holy Name. The Holy One makes him a sign and he comes forward, bearing the image of the man who has reclaimed souls of sinners, and places it before the King and the Matrona. And I bring heaven and earth to witness that at that moment they deliver to him that figure; for there is no righteous person in the world whose image is not engraved in heaven under the authority of that angel. Seventy keys also are delivered into his hand -- keys of all the treasures of the Lord. Then the King blesses that image with all the blessings wherewith He blessed Abraham when he reclaimed the souls of sinners. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, gives a sign to four groups of supernal beings, who take that image and show it seventy hidden worlds of which none are worthy except those who have reclaimed the souls of sinners. If only the sons of men knew and perceived what rewards follow the endeavours of the righteous to save sinners, they would assuredly run after them with the same ardour with which they run after life itself. A poor man's benefactor gains many good things, many supernal treasures, because he helps him to exist; but even he cannot be compared to him who endeavours to save the soul of a sinner. For the latter causes the breaking of the power of the "other side", of the "other gods"; he is the cause of the Holy One's exaltation on His Throne of Glory. He gives the sinner a new soul. Happy indeed is his lot!

'The second colour, which is both hidden and revealed, appears in its full glory at the moment when the Israelites are arrived at the Kedushah (Sanctus) of the Order of Prayer, [11] for this is the sanctification which the children of Israel pronounce over and above those uttered by the supernal angels whose associates they are. This colour shows itself all the time that Israel are pronouncing that sanctification in order to defend the Israelites from the angels, who otherwise would take note of them and call down punishment upon them from above. Then a herald appears and proclaims with a loud voice: "Ye who are above and ye who are below, remove all such as are haughty because of their learning!" For we are taught that man must be humble in this world in regard to his knowledge of the Torah; only in the future world is the pride of learning permitted. In this Kedushah we must be on guard and hide our knowledge in quietness among ourselves, [12] more than in those which we say in company with the angels. [13] In one of these we praise those selfsame angels, and for this they permit us to pass through the upper gates. Also we recite it [129b] in the holy language (Hebrew); for this reason, too, they permit us to pass through the heavenly gates; and by means of the next sanctification we enter into still higher gates. It might be said that we deceive the angels by thus praising them. But this deception is permissible, for the heavenly angels are holier than we, and are able to derive and imbibe greater stores of holiness, and were we not to have an extra sanctification we would be unable to associate with them in any fellowship or communion of praise, and the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, would so be prevented from coming into completion throughout both the upper and lower spheres at one and the same time. Therefore we endeavour to make ourselves their associates, in order that the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, may be exalted in all the spheres. The Kedushah which comes at the end [14] is in Aramaic, and this may be recited even by an individual -- that is privately -- but the Hebrew words of the Kedushah proper, which is in Hebrew, must only be recited in a congregation of ten persons or more, because the Shekinah unites Herself with the holy tongue, and all sanctifications with which the Shekinah is connected can be uttered only in the presence of at least ten persons, for it is written: "And I shall be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel" (Lev. XXII, 32). The term "children of Israel" further implies that such a sanctification must be in the holy tongue, which is Israel's, the other nations speaking other languages. It may be objected: "Why, then, must the Kaddish, which is in Aramaic, be recited only in the presence of ten persons?" The answer is, that the sanctification expressed in the Kaddish is unlike the sanctification of the thrice-repeated "Holy, Holy, Holy", for this prayer, the Kaddish, ascends into all sides and all spheres both above and below, and to every side of Faith, [15] and breaks down iron walls and weighty seals and all the shells [16] and defences of evil, so that by its merits the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is more greatly exalted than through any other prayer, because it causes the power of the "other side" to wane and its empire to decline; and therefore it must be said in Aramaic, which is the language of the "other side", and one should respond in a loud voice and with a firm spirit: "Amen, May His great Name be blessed", in order that the power of the "other side" may be quelled and the Holy One be exalted in His glory above all things. And when the power of the "other side" is thus vanquished and broken by the power of holiness expressed in the Kaddish, then the Holy One is exalted in glory and remembers His children, and remembers His Name. So because of His exaltation this prayer must be recited in the presence of ten. Blessed for ever is the holy people to whom the Holy One gave the holy Torah in order that they might be made worthy, by her aid, of the world to come.'

Then R. Simeon turned to the companions and said: 'Ye are worthy of the world to come; therefore, because we have begun to discourse upon matters concerned with the Crown of the supernal Kingdom, I shall continue to speak on your behalf in regard to the same subject, and the Holy One will assuredly reward you in the sphere of that Kingdom. And the breath of your mouths will ascend into heaven, as if ye yourselves had stirred up these words.' Then he continued, saying:

'AND THIS IS THE OFFERING WHICH YE SHALL TAKE OFT HEM: GOLD AND SILVER AND BRASS. This verse applies both to the higher side, the side of holiness, and to the lower, the "other" side. Observe that when the Holy One created the world, He began to create from the side of silver, that is, Mercy, which is the right side, because that silver was above; but in the work of the Tabernacle, which was built according to its prototype (the universe), He began His creation from the left side and then proceeded to the right side, because the Tabernacle was from the left side.

'It is written: "Morning and evening and at noon will I pray and cry aloud" (Ps. LV, 17). We have referred on another occasion to this verse. It speaks of three seasons for prayer, and the companions have interpreted the significance of the three times in the following way. "Evening" is the mirror which has no radiance, "morning" the radiant mirror, while "noon" is symbolic of a place which should properly be called "darkness", because it adjoins the evening, only it is designated by the very opposite by a certain elegance of language, just as, on occasion, black [130a] is called white, while sometimes white is called black; we read, for instance, of Moses' wife that she was black (Num. XII, 1), and Israel are compared to the Aethiopians (Amos IX, 7). The evening prayer is not obligatory, and there is no fixed time for it, because the evening is influenced by the "other side", which is dark and rules by night. The limbs and fatty portions of sacrifices used to be burnt on the altar in the evening, and from that moment numbers of groups of demons which issue and have sway by night receive their nourishment. It may be said, have we not been taught that the messengers of the "other side", of the spirit of impurity, had by rights no power in the Holy Land, and so if by this means the Israelites were to rouse them, would they not be doing something forbidden? The answer would be that the smoke of those parts was wont to ascend, not as the smoke of other sacrifices, which did ascend in a straight line heavenward: for these fumes rose and dispersed into a cavern in the North, where dwell all the hosts of evil spirits, and when the smoke arose, as we have said, as it floated upward in a crooked line towards that place, all those malevolent beings would feed on it, and so would remain where they were, dispersing not throughout the earth. One particular evil spirit was appointed over the others in that northerly cavern: his name was Synegoria, [17] and when the smoke began to ascend crookedly and to draw near, he and sixty thousand myriads of other spirits would rise up to meet it in order to imbibe nourishment therefrom. They would stand within their cavern and then pass through the door called "keri" (lit. defilement). It is to this door that there is an allusion in the words, "If ye walk contumaciously (in keri) unto me, then will I also walk contumaciously unto you" (Lev. XXVII, 24, 25); that is, the wrath and anger which come out from that door called Keri will be wreaked on those who walk contumaciously. These are the spirits who roam about by night. When the souls of the righteous emerge from the earth into the upper spaces in order to ascend heavenward, these same spirits also appear and contend with them, in order to prevent them from reaching and entering their heavenly habitation and rest. And, indeed, they bar the way to all save only the souls of the most supreme saints, which break through all firmaments and aethers until they reach the highest sphere. The demoniac hosts speak lying words to the children of men, disguising themselves in other forms, and seducing them till they defile themselves. But at the time when the limbs and the fat of the offerings were burnt, the smoke provided them a full repast of the kind suited to their station, and being busy with this they forgot to come forth and roam about the Holy Land. Now the evening prayer, as I have said, is not obligatory, because these bands of demons participate in the dominion of the night, and only Jacob was able to fix it. However, although the evening prayer is not legally obligatory, yet it has a protective influence against the terrors of the night, against the fear of Gehenna, for at night the wicked receive a punishment double that which is executed upon them by day. Therefore the Israelites introduce the evening prayer for weekdays with the verses: "And he is merciful, he forgiveth iniquity, and destroyeth not: yea, many a time he turneth his anger away, and doth not stir up all his wrath" (Ps. LXXVIII, 28). This is recited because of the fear of Gehenna. But on Sabbath, when there is no fear of the punishment of Gehenna nor of any judgement, one may not recite these verses lest he thus awaken the evil spirits, causing them to appear and become active. To counteract the fear of the accuser and slanderer of souls we conclude the Hashkibenu prayer ("Cause us, O Lord, to lie down in peace") with the words: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who guardest Thy people Israel for ever. Amen". To counteract the fear of the many devils and accusers which are present in the night and have power to injure anyone who leaves his house at that time, we say: "Guard our going out and our coming in unto life and unto peace." From the fear of all these things we deliver in trust our bodies, souls and spirits to Heaven above, to the Supernal Kingdom which has dominion over all of them. Therefore we recite every night the evening prayers, performing all this to counteract the mysterious influences of the evil spirits now that there are no sacrifices to keep them at bay. At midnight, when the north wind awakens, it beats against all the abodes of those malevolent spirits, cracking in twain a gigantic mighty rock, the stronghold of the "other side", and rushes about everywhere, both above and below; and all [130b] the evil demons return to their places, for their power is then broken and they have no influence. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden to have joyous fellowship with the righteous, as has been related before. When morning comes, the light of the lamp which rules the midnight hours hides before the light of the day. The morning has now full sway and dominion and the reign of the night is past. This is the morning of primaeval light, the morning which sheds beneficence throughout all the worlds. From it all celestial and terrestrial beings imbibe nourishment. It waters the Garden with supernal dews. It guards the whole Universe. Here is a mystery which is entrusted to "those who know the measures" of things spiritual. He who has to set out on a journey in the morning should rise at break of day and at a certain specially ordained moment turn and look towards the east. He will then behold a kind of letters which break through the surface of the sky, some ascending and some descending. These are flashed forth from those letters with which the heavens and the earth were created. If the watcher is cognizant of the mystery of the letters which form the mystic Holy Name of forty-two letters, and if he should in this hour be mindful of them with devout intent, with a loving heart, then will he behold in the luminous heaven six Yods, three upon the right side and three upon the left; also three Vaus, which ascend and descend and sparkle in the firmament. These are the number of the initial letters of the words of the priestly blessing. He should then say his morning prayers and set forth upon his journey, because, verily, the Shekinah Herself goes before him; happy is his lot! When morning arrives, a mysterious pillar appears in the South, in that portion of the firmament beneath which the Garden of Eden is stretched: this is a different pillar from the one which is in the midst of the Garden. The pillar set in the South flashes with the brightness of three colours, purple-woven. On that pillar there is a branch, on which three birds sit, chirping hymns of praise. One begins: "Hallelujah! Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the Name of the Lord!" The second then takes up the chant thus: "Blessed be the Name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore." Then the third sings: "From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same the Lord's Name is to be praised" (Ps. CXIII, 1-3). Then a herald proclaims: "Prepare yourselves, O ye supernal saints, who sing praises to your Lord! Prepare yourselves for the praisegiving of the day, when day separates itself from night! Happy is the lot of him who rises in the morning from the praise of the Torah which has engrossed him in the night watches." Then it is time for morning prayer.

'It is written: "The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: If ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come" (Is. XXI, 11). This verse has been explained in references to Israel's exile in Seir (i.e. Edom = Rome). Israel says to the Holy One: "Watchman, what of the night?" meaning, "What will become of us in this exile, which is like the darkness of night?" Says the watchman, namely, the Holy One: "The morning hath come once (in the Egyptian exile) when I made My light to shine unto you, when I liberated you, when I ordained you for My service, when I gave you the Torah in order that you might achieve eternal life, but ye have forsaken My Torah", and therefore came also the "night" of this present exile. If ye will inquire from "the book of the Lord" (Ibid. XXXIV, 16) and read therein, ye will find there the reason and cause of your exile and the means of redemption. If you so inquire there, the Book will call upon you, "Return with a perfect repentance and come near to Me". A more esoteric explanation is as follows. First, in regard to the word "burden", it should be noted that there were six grades in the divine 'revelation to the prophets: "appearance" (mahzeh), "vision" (hazon), "revelation" (hezyon), "aspect" (hazuth), "word", and "burden". The first five aspects are all like unto the vision of one who beholds a reflection of light from behind a wall, and some of them are as the vision of one who sees the light of the sun through a lantern. But "burden" signifies that the light came with great difficulty, and was barely revealed. Here it was even a "burden of silence" (dumah), for which no words could be found. "He calleth to me from Seir." It does not say who calleth whom -- whether the Holy One calls to the prophet, or the prophet to the Holy One. But there can be no doubt that the prophecy hints at the secret of faith, and that the faithful prophet is recording how the voice of the mystic object of faith called to him, to wit: "He calleth to me out of Seir". [131a] Similarly it says elsewhere: "And he rose up out of Seir to them" (Deut. XXXIII, 2), not to Seir, the reason being that the mystic object of Faith is contained in grades within grades, each more recondite than the other; shell within shell, brain within brain. We have referred to this fact in regard to the vision of Ezekiel: "A whirlwind came out of the North, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures" (Ezek. I, 3-5). Grades within grades, as we have said. In the same manner the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Israel: "He came from Sinai" -this was the most hidden grade of revelation; "He rose up from Seir unto them" -- this was a second, a more open revelation, the shell nearest to the brain; "He shined forth from Mount Paran" -- this was still another aspect of revelation. Then it says, "He came with ten thousands of holy beings" (cf. Deut. ibid.). This is the highest praise, that, although He revealed Himself in all these grades, yet the commencement of the revelation was from the place which is the root of all, to wit, "the thousands of holy beings" -the last supernal grade. So here, "Seir" is the grade cleaving to the highest. The "watchman" mentioned here is Metatron, the ruler of the night. It is written: "Watchman, what of the night (laylah)? Watchman, what of the night (lail)?" What is the difference between laylah and lail? They are one and the same, only in one part of the night the "other side" reigns and in the other it has no such sway; "lail" requires guarding, therefore it lacks the letter he at the end, it is the early part of the night before midnight, "the night (lail) of watchings" (Ex. XII); from midnight on it is "laylah" (cf. Ps. CXXXIX, 13). "The watchman" here is Metatron, who said: "The morning cometh" -- the morning prayer which rules the night. One must not suppose that it comes by itself, the male being so separated from the female, for it says, "And also the night": not so, for they are perpetually together and are never separated. And the voice proclaimed this: "The morning cometh and also the night." "Both are prepared for you. From now on if ye would pray your prayers, in supplication before the Holy King -- do so. Return to your Lord, and come!" Even as a father is prepared to receive his prodigal children and to have mercy on them, the Holy One, morning and night, calls unto His children, saying: "Come!" Happy is the holy people whose Lord seeks them and beckons them to come unto Him. Because of that honouring and favour the holy people must unite and come to the Synagogue; and he who comes first unites himself with the Shekinah in one bond. Indeed, blessed is he who is found first in the Synagogue, for he stands in the grade of "Righteous" along with the very Shekinah Herself. This is the inner meaning of the words, "Those who seek me early will find me" (Prov. VIII, 17). He indeed reaches a high degree. But, it may be objected, we have been taught that when the Holy One, blessed be He, enters a Synagogue and finds there less than the ten requisite male persons, He is angry; how, then, canst thou say that the one who comes first is united with the Shekinah and is in the grade of "Righteous"? The following parable will explain. A King issued an order to the citizens of his capital, to meet him one and all at a certain place and at a certain time. While the rest were still making ready, one hastened to present himself at the appointed place. Then the King came and found him waiting. He asked him where the rest of the citizens were. The man answered: "My Lord King, I, as thou seest, have arrived first, but my fellow-townsmen are upon the road and will soon be here as well, according to Your Majesty's command". This pleased the King, and he entered into conversation with the man and became quite friendly with him. In the meantime [131b] the others arrived and the King received them graciously and sent them away in peace. Now had no man been swift and prompt to obey the command of his lord, and to inform him of the near approach of his neighbours, would not the King have been much wroth? Similarly, when the Shekinah comes and finds in the Synagogue one person who has arrived there before anyone else,· it is to Her even as though all were indeed present, for the Holy Shekinah joins company with him and together they wait for the others to come, that the prayers may be started. She becomes closely acquainted with him, and promotes him to the grade of "Righteous". But if no one had come in time, she would have said, "Why, when I came, was there no man?" (Isa. L, 2); and note that it does not say "there were no ten men," but "no man", meaning, "There was no one man waiting to unite himself with Me and become My companion and friend, to be a 'man of God' in the grade of Righteous." Moreover, if one day the favoured man is missing, She is greatly concerned, and makes inquiries about him, as it is written: "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant ...?" (Isa. L, 10). As we have pointed out, "His servant" is Metatron, who calls from "Seir" to men to repent and pray. Therefore, as we have said, he who comes early to the Synagogue merits the grade "Righteous".

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:28 am

Part 2 of 3

'When morning comes and the congregation is assembled in the Synagogue, service must begin with hymns and psalms of David. We have already made clear that the purpose of the liturgy is to stir up Mercy and Lovingkindness both in the higher and lower range, to bring into being redemptive acts, and to awaken joy; and this was the essential significance of the Levitic service, namely to awaken love and joy above by means of song and praise. Woe unto him who engages in conversation of a secular nature in the Synagogue, for he causes separation, he weakens the Faith. Woe unto him, for he has no part in the God of Israel, since by his lack of awe before the Divine Presence he as much as denies the reality thereof, contemning the influence of the power which comes from above. For when Israel is occupied with the singing of psalms and hymns of praise and with prayer, three groups of supernal angels also assemble. One consists of holy beings who praise Him in the day-time -- for there are also those who praise Him at night -- in company with the Israelites; the second group consists of those holy angels who are always present in the midst of Israel at every Sanctus, and who have sway over all those celestial beings who are roused by Israel's sanctifications here below; the third celestial host is composed of those "virgins" whose office is to he maids of honour to the Shekinah, and to prepare Her to meet the King. These are the most supreme groups of angels, who join the worshippers in their singing of the Psalms of King David. When the Israelites have ended their singing of the Psalms of David, they sing the song of Moses ("The Song of the Sea"). Why do the Psalms of David come before the Song of the Sea? Does not the "written Torah" (the Pentateuch) take precedence of the Oral Law, and even of the Prophets and the Writings, of which latter the Psalms form a part? The reason is that just because of its importance above all other hymns and because the Community of Israel cannot be perfected except by means of the written Torah, [132a] it must be recited in close proximity to the prayer said when seated. At the hour when the Song of the Sea is recited the Community of Israel is crowned with the crown wherewith the Holy One, in the time that is to he, will crown the King Messiah. That crown is engraved with Holy Names, those same Names which glittered as crowns of fire upon the head of the Holy One Himself on the day when Israel crossed the Sea and Pharaoh and his hosts were drowned therein. Therefore that song must be recited with special devoutness, and he who is able to recite this hymn in the present world will be found worthy to behold King Messiah in the hour of His crowning and to sing then this song of redemption. All this is beyond dispute.

'When the Yishtabah hymn is reached, the Holy One takes this crown and sets it before Him, and the Community of Israel prepares herself to meet her King. She must be attended by the thirteen attributes of the Divine Mercy wherewith she is blessed. These are the thirteen aspects of praise, enumerated during the course of that hymn: song, praise; hymn and psalm; strength and dominion; victory, power and greatness; adoration and glory; holiness -- these together make twelve, and unto these is added Malkuth -- sovereignty -- which is the thirteenth, and whose office is to unite all the rest in one bond, for it (Sovereignty) receives blessings from the others. Because of these things the worshipper must concentrate his whole mind upon these thirteen attributes, and be careful not to disturb their sacred unity by conversing between the lines of the hymn. Anyone who should so disturb that unity by secular talk causes a flame to emerge from under the wings of the Cherubim, which cries out with a mighty voice: "Here is a man who has cut short the praise of the Holy One's majesty! Let him be himself cut short, so that he should not behold the glorious majesty of the Holy King!" as it is written: "And seeth not the majesty of the Lord" (Isa. XXVI, 10). For those thirteen attributes are the majesty of the Lord. From then on He is "the God to whom thanksgivings are due" (a part of the above hymn). He is the supernal King to whom perfect peace belongs; for all these praises come from the Community of Israel here below, a "song of songs" directed towards "Solomon" (Shelomoh), namely to the King to whom peace (shalom) belongs.

'Then follows the Yozer benediction: "Blessed art Thou ... who formest light, and createst all things", the initial letters of the words of one verse of which contain the twenty-two letters of the Alphabet, the small letters, that is -- for there are large letters and small, of which the small ones represent the Divine activity in the lower world, and the large ones the world to come.... [133a]

'It is written: "And she (the Shunammite) said unto her husband, Behold now, I know that this is an holy man of God which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber on the wall, and let us set before him a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick" (2 Kings IV, 9, 10). Here we have an allusion to the order of prayer. "Behold now, I know" refers to the concentration of mind during prayer; "that he is an holy man of God" refers to the supernal world which sitteth upon its Throne of Glory and from whence emanate all sanctifications and which sanctifies all worlds; "passeth by us continually" with the sanctification wherewith the worlds above are nourished, he also sanctifies us here below, for there can be no completion of the sanctification above without sanctification below, as it is written: "I shall be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel" (Lev. XXII, 32). Therefore, "let us make a little chamber": let us have an ordered service as a stay for the Shekinah, who is called "wall", as in the verse, "And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall" (Isa. XXXVIII, 2). This stay created by our prayers and praises consists of a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick. By our evening prayers we provide Her with a bed; by our hymns of praise and by reciting the section of the sacrifice in the morning we provide Her with a table. By the morning prayers, which are said sitting, and with the proclamation of the Divine Unity (the Shema), we provide Her with a stool; and by means of those prayers which must be said standing (' Amidah) and of the Kaddish and Kedushah prayers and benedictions we provide Her with a candlestick. Blessed is the man who thus endeavours daily to give hospitality to the Holy One. Blessed is he in this world and blessed shall he be in the world to come. For these four groups of prayers equip the Shekinah with beauty, joy and lustre, to greet Her Spouse with delight and ecstasy day by day, through the worship of the holy people. The "bed" was given to Jacob to prepare, therefore he ordered the evening prayer; the "table" was prepared by King David in the Psalms which he wrote ("Thou preparest a table before me" (Ps. XXIII, 5)); the "stool" was prepared by Abraham, through his close union with the Lord, wherewith he benefited the souls of all the sons of men. The candlestick [133b] was prepared by Isaac, who sanctified the Name of the Holy One before the eyes of the whole world, and lighted the supernal light in that sanctification. Therefore the Holy People must direct its mind towards the supernal world, and prepare for the Lord of the House a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick, in order that perfection and harmony may reign undisturbed every day, both above and below.

'At the time when Israel is proclaiming the unity -- the mystery contained in the Shema -- with a perfect intention, a light comes forth from the hidden supernal world, which divides into seventy lights, and those seventy lights into the seventy luminous branches of the Tree of Life. Then the Tree and all the other trees of the Garden of Eden emit sweet odours and praise their Lord, for at that time the Matrona prepares Herself to enter under the shade of the canopy, there to unite herself with her Spouse; and all the supernal potencies unite in one longing and one will to be united in perfect union, without any separation soever. Then the Spouse makes ready likewise to enter the Canopy in order to unite Himself with the Matrona. Therefore we proclaim loudly: "Hear, O Israel; prepare thyself, for thy Husband has come to receive thee." And also we say: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one", which signifies that the two are united as one, in a perfect and glorious union, without any flaw of separation to mar it. As soon as the Israelites say, "The Lord is One", to arouse the six aspects, these six unite each with each and ascend in one ardour of love and desire. The symbol of this is the letter Vau (because its numerical value is six) when it stands alone without being joined to any other letter. Then the Matrona makes herself ready with joy, and adorns herself with delight, and Her attendants accompany Her, and in hushed silence She encounters her Spouse; and Her handmaids proclaim, "Blessed be the Name of the Glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever." These words are said in a whisper, for so she must be introduced to her Spouse. Blessed is the people which perceives these things, ordering its prayers in accordance with this mystery of the Faith! At the time when the Spouse is united with the Matrona a herald comes forth from the south, crying: "Awaken, O ye supernal hosts, and unfurl the banners of love in honour of your Lord!" Then one of the leaders of the celestial array -- he whose name is Boel (God is in him) -- stands forth, and in his hands are four keys which he obtained one from each of the four corners of the earth. One key has upon it the sign of the letter Yod engraved; the second the letter He; and the third the letter Vau; and these three keys he lays beneath the boughs of the Tree of Life. Then these three become one. Then the fourth and last key, which bears upon it the second letter He, joins the three which have become one. And all the angelic hosts enter by means of those keys into the Garden of Eden, where with one voice they proclaim the Divine unity at the selfsame moment as it is proclaimed here below. Then the Shekinah, the Bride, is conducted to the Palace of the King, Her Bridegroom, for now He stands complete in all His supernal goodness and can supply Her with all that She needs. Thus her attendants bring Her in unto Him in silence. Why in silence? In order that no "stranger" (evil potencies) should participate in her joy. As He united Himself above according to six aspects, so also She unites Herself below according to six other aspects, so that the oneness may be completed, [134a] both above and below, as it is written: "The Lord will be One, and his Name One" (Zech. XIV, 9): Six words above -- Shema Israel YHVH Elohenn YHVH ehad, corresponding to the six aspects, and six words below -- baruk shem kebod malkuto le'olam waed (Blessed be the Name, etc.) -- corresponding to the six other aspects. The Lord is one above; and His Name is One below. We say this response silently, although it is a triumphant expression of the Oneness, because of the "evil eye", which still has power under the present dispensation; but in the future (Messianic Age) when the "evil eye" will have ceased to exist and will have no dominion whatsoever over this world, then we shall proclaim the Divine Unity and its full accomplishment openly and in a loud voice. At present, as the "other side" still cleaves to the Shekinah, She is not entirely One, and therefore, although even in this present time we proclaim the unity, we do so silently, symbolizing it by the letters of the word wa'ed (ever), which are equivalent by certain permutations to those of the word ehad (one). But in the time that is to be, when that other side shall be removed from the Shekinah and pass away from the world, then shall that unity be proclaimed openly. When She enters the canopy and is united with the Supernal King, then we awaken the joy of the Right and of the Left, as it is written: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart", etc. -- that is, without any fear or foreboding, because the "other side" comes not near and has no power here. But whilst Her servants are bringing Her to the King they must keep a great and solemn silence. Of this Jacob is symbolic. Before his death, when he was about to speak of the "end of days" (and the Shekinah left him) he said to his sons: "Perchance some stain is attached to me or to my seed?" But they replied: "Nay, there is no such stain, nor is any fault found. Thine own heart is possessed only by the One, and as for us -- we have no contact with the 'other side' or any of its evil minions; on the contrary we, like thyself, are united with the King alone, since all our will and intent has been to separate from the 'other side'." Then Jacob said: "Blessed be the Name of the glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever." In that hour Jacob and his sons became for a space, as it were, living portraits here on earth of the Shekinah Herself. Jacob symbolized the six sides of the supernal world as a single whole, and his sons were shaped to the likeness of the six aspects as manifested in the lower world. Now he desired to reveal to them a certain "end", for, as we have pointed out elsewhere, [18] there is one "end of days" (kez ha-yamin), which refers to the Holy Kingdom, the mystery of Faith, the mystery of the King of Heaven; and another "end of days" (kez ha-yamim), [134b] which is the mystery of the Guilty King, the "other King", ruler of the powers of darkness, and that end is called "the end of all flesh". Now when Jacob perceived that the Shekinah was withdrawing from him, he questioned his sons, as we have pointed out. And as Jacob and his sons proclaimed the union of the world above and the world below, so also must we. Blessed is he who concentrates his mind and will, with true humility and longing, upon this mystery. Blessed is he in this world and blessed shall he be in the world to come!' Said R. Hamnuna the Ancient: 'This stirring up of the unity has indeed been rightly and justly expounded, and that which we have just now heard is indeed very true; and in the future time these words which we have now uttered will stand before the Ancient of Days and in no wise be abashed.'

He then began to expound this passage as follows. '"They shall take Me a heave offering." Here we have displayed an inclusive union of the above with the below, for it does not say "They shall take a heave offering", but "They shall take Me a heave offering", which denotes a fusion of the upper with the lower spheres. [19] "On the part of everyone whose heart is willing ye should take my heave offering." The words "on the part of" seem at first sight to be superfluous, but in reality they contain a deep lesson for the masters of the esoteric lore. Blessed are the righteous who have learnt how to centre all their thoughts and desires on the Heavenly King, and whose aspirations are directed, not towards the vain and foolish toys of this world and its lusts, but to attaching themselves wholeheartedly to the world above in order to draw down the favour of the Lord Himself from heaven to earth. What is the place whence they receive this favour? It is a holy supernal region, whence emanate all holy wills and desires. This is known as "every man", who is identical with the "Righteous", the Lord of the House, whose love is always directed towards the Matrona, like a husband who loves his wife always. "Whose heart is willing": that is, His heart goes out to Her, and Her heart to Him. And although their mutual love is so great that they never separate, yet "ye shall take from Him My heave offering", meaning, "ye should take the Shekinah to dwell with you". The Holy One, blessed be He, unlike a human husband, [135a] who would protest violently should anyone take from him the wife whom he so dearly loves, is greatly pleased when the Shekinah, whom He so loves, is "taken" from the supernal sphere, the abode of Love, to dwell below in the midst of Israel. Happy is the lot of Israel and happy that of all those who are worthy of this. In that case, it might be asked, why does it say, "which ye should take from them" instead of "from Me"? Because the "from them" refers to these two Divine names or grades. Rabbi Yeba the Ancient suggested that meitam (from them) signifies meet M, from the sphere designated by the letter M; the mysterious sphere, the abode of the Righteous One, from whence He draws life to distribute to all the worlds. It is all one mystery, which has been entrusted to the wise. Happy is their lot! However, although they "take" Her (the Shekinah), they may do so only when her Spouse specially grants permission, and only in accordance with His will, in order that He may be worshipped in love. This is realized daily in the corporate liturgical services of Israel. Or "from them", again, can refer to the six supernal grades; or to the Seasons and Sabbaths. It amounts all to the same thing.

***

GOLD AND SILVER, AND BRASS, AND BLUE AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND FINE LINEN, AND GOATS' HAIR, AND RAMS' SKINS DYED RED, AND SEALSKINS, AND ACACIA WOOD. Gold symbolizes New Year's Day, the day of "gold", because it is a day of judgement, and the side of judgement, symbolized by gold, dominates it; as it is written, "gold cometh from the north" (Job XXXVII, 22), and "evil will be opened from the north" (Jer. VI, 2). Silver symbolizes the Day of Atonement, when the sins of Israel are made "white as snow" (Isa. I, 18), for "on that day shall he make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord" (Lev. XVI, 30). Brass is symbolic of the days of the Sacrifices of the Feast of Tabernacles, which alluded to the powers and principalities of the heathen nations, who are designated "mountains of brass". "Blue" (techeleth) corresponds to Passover, which established the dominance of the true object of Faith, symbolized by the colour blue, which could predominate only after the punishment of the firstborn of Egypt was accomplished. So all colours seen in dreams are of good omen, except blue. "Red-purple" (argaman) is connected with Pentecost, symbolizing the giving of the written Law, consisting of two sides, of the Right and of the Left, as it is written: "From his right hand went a fiery law unto them" (Deut. XXXIII, 2). "Scarlet" (tola'ath shani) is connected with the fifteenth day of Ab, a day on which the daughters of Israel used to walk forth in silken dresses. So far six symbolic elements have been enumerated; the rest symbolize the Ten Days of Repentance: [20] fine linen, goats' hair, rams, skins dyed red, seal (tahash) skins, acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the incense, beryls and set jewels. These are nine, corresponding to nine days of Repentance, and the Day of Atonement completes it and makes ten days.

'From all of these we take "the heave offering of the Lord" [21] on each of these special seasons, in order that it may rest upon us: on Passover by means of the paschal lamb, on Tabernacles by means of the tabernacle, and so forth. The six Days are but a preparation for her. As they are united above in "One", so she is unified below in the mystery of "one", to correspond to them above. The Holy One, blessed be He, who is One above, does not take His seat upon the Throne of Glory, until She has entered within the mystery of the One in accordance with His very essence of Oneness, to be the One in One. This, as we have said, is the significance of the words: "The Lord is One, and His Name is One." It is the mystery of the Sabbath, which is united with the mystery [135b] of the One so that it may be the organ of this Oneness.

'In the prayer before the entrance of the Sabbath the Throne of Glory is prepared for the Holy Heavenly King. And when the Sabbath arrives the Shekinah is in perfect union with Him and is separated from the "other side", and all the potencies of severe judgement are severed from Her, She being in closest union with the Holy Light and crowned with many crowns by the Holy King, and all the principalities of severity and all the lords of judgement flee from Her, and no other domination reigns in any of the worlds, and her countenance is illumined by the supernal light, and she is crowned here below by the Holy People, all of whom are invested with new souls. Then is the time for the commencement of prayer, when the worshippers bless Her with joy and gladness, saying, "Bless ye the Lord, the Blessed One!" (the beginning proper of the Sabbath Eve prayer). For the holy people cannot be allowed at this moment to begin with a verse that suggests judgement, as on weekdays, when "Bless ye" is preceded by "And He being merciful, forgiveth iniquity and destroyeth not", because the Shekinah is then entirely severed from the mystery of the "other side" and all the lords of judgement have separated themselves and passed away from Her, and he who rouses judgement in the lower spheres causes vibrations of doom and severity also in the celestial regions, and while this disturbing element is in evidence the Holy Throne cannot crown itself with the crown of holiness. Then the lords of judgement who have severed themselves for the time being from the rest of creation, hiding themselves away from all eyes in a deep and secret recess at the bottom of the sea, are roused to return to the celestial habitations, and they come back with violence and fury, so that the Holy Sphere, which requires above all rest and peace for the entrance of the Sabbath, is hard pressed by these potencies of judgement. So it is evident that we should not imagine that She (the Shekinah) is independent of our "rousings", for there is no vibration above of any sort but is caused by those which take place in the midst of Israel below, as we have already pointed out in connection with the expression "in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day"; it is not merely a feast day, but our feast day; that is to say, we effect a movement in the higher spheres by our prayers. Therefore the holy people, who are crowned with holy crowns of souls in order to awaken rest and peace above, may not order judgement there, but, on the contrary, must all consciously and with exceeding great love awaken blessings both above and below.

'The congregation respond: "Blessed is the Lord who is blessed for ever and ever." The expression "who is blessed" indicates the streaming of blessings from the source of life to the place whence issue nourishment and bounty for all creatures. And why do we call this source "blessed"? Because it sustains and waters 'olam va'ed (lit. for ever and ever), which is the Sabbath eve. In this way blessings are transmitted to this 'olam va'ed from the highest world, so that it attains its full perfection. Thus in this benediction, "blessed" represents the ultimate source whence all blessings emanate; [22] "the Lord" is the centre [23] of all the supernal sides; "who is blessed" represents the peace of the house, the fountain of the cistern [24] a providing completion and nourishment for all, while "for ever and ever" refers to the world below, [25] which needs these blessings: the "good oil" of "blessed", "the Lord", and "the Blessed One" is all for this 'olam va'ed. Therefore the whole congregation has to recite this every day; but on Sabbath eve it must be recited with special devotion and gladness, in order that the Sabbath may be fitly blessed by the holy people. When they begin to recite this benediction a voice is heard in all the heavens that are sanctified by the entrance of the Sabbath: "Blessed are ye, holy people, for that ye bless and sanctify on earth below, that thereby many supernal holy hosts [136a] may be blessed and sanctified above." Blessed are they in this world and blessed are they in the world to come. The Israelites do not recite this benediction until they are crowned with the crowns of holy souls, as we have said before. Blessed is the people who is worthy of them in this world, so that it may merit them in the world to come. This, to the pious, is the night of conjugal unions, when they are thus crowned with new souls and new additional holy spirits, for, being in a state of supernal holy tranquillity, they may then beget holy children.

'Here now is a mystery entrusted to the wise. At midnight on this night the Holy One is pleased to enter the Garden which is above. On weekdays at this time He enters the Garden of Eden which is below, in order to have joyous communion with the righteous who have their abode there; but on Sabbath He enters the Garden above. For on weekdays all the souls of the righteous abide in the Garden which is on the earth; but on Sabbath eve, all those hosts of holy angels who are appointed over the Lower Paradise bring up from that region the souls which dwell there into the firmament which is close to this Garden, where many holy chariots of fire await their coming, that they may escort these souls to the Paradise above, and bring them before the Throne of Glory. Whilst these souls are thus ascending, other souls are descending in a similar manner to become crowns to the holy people below. So their activity proceeds, some ascending and some descending. Do not, however, imagine that on this account the Paradise on earth remains empty and untenanted upon the Sabbath. Far from it! For, as we have said, while some souls go, others come, to wit, those souls who are being cleansed and purified during the six days of the week, but who are not yet sufficiently perfected to be able to abide in Paradise permanently, but on the Sabbath are permitted to enjoy its delights for a space, so that the place is never empty. This is symbolized by the removal and replacing of the "shew bread" (v. Leviticus XXIV, 5-9). Again, do not imagine that when the souls return to their earthly Paradise at the end of the Sabbath they find it so overflowing with other souls that no place remains for them; for their abode becomes by some mysterious process much larger, being extended both in length, width and height, so that their presence makes no difference. There are also some souls which, having ascended to the highest sphere, never come down again. And in addition there are also those who ascend and descend continually to crown the holy people. In fact, on the Sabbath eve there is a veritable commotion of souls coming and going, ascending and descending. As for the innumerable holy Chariots which perpetually speed hither and thither, eye can scarce behold them for their radiant and glittering aspect! All the souls are full of joy and eagerness to become crowns for the holy people on earth, for the righteous in the lower Paradise. At last comes the moment when a voice proclaims throughout all the spheres: "Sanctified! Sanctified!" Then there is peace everywhere, perfect peace, even to the wicked in Gehenna, and all the souls crown themselves, some above, and some below. On Sabbath, at midnight, when the wise consummate their conjugal unions, at the time when they are sleeping peacefully in their beds, and their souls are eager to ascend and behold the glory of the King, the supernal spirits with which they crowned themselves at the sanctification of the Sabbath take those souls and bring them up unto the heights. These souls are there bathed in the spices of Paradise, and behold all that is within their capacity to behold. Then, when it is time to descend again, the supernal spirits accompany them until they reach safely their human habitations. [136b] It is incumbent upon the wise to recite certain verses calculated to arouse that supernal holy spirit of the Sabbath coronation, as, for instance: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; for the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, etc." (Isa. LXI, 1); or, "Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels" (Ezek. I, 20), in order that the act of procreation may be effected in a spirit of Sabbath holiness, through the influence of the supernal Sabbatic spirit.'

When R. Hamnuna the Ancient used to come out from the river on a Friday afternoon, he was wont to rest a little on the bank, and raising his eyes in gladness, he would say that he sat there in order to behold the joyous sight of the heavenly angels ascending and descending. At each arrival of the Sabbath, he said, man is caught up into the world of souls. Happy is he who is aware of the mysteries of his Lord! And when the Sabbath day itself lightens, a spirit of tranquil joy ascends through all worlds. This is the significance of the Psalm (recited on Sabbath morning): "The heavens tell the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork." 'What is meant by "Heaven"? That heaven in which the Supernal Name is made visible (shama-yim -- heaven; shem -- Name). What is the meaning of the word "tell" (mesaprim)? Assuredly not the mere telling of a tale. Far otherwise! It signifies that they are illumined from the flashing of the supernal Point and ascend in the Name which is contained in the light-stream of the supernal perfectness. They flash and lighten of themselves through the lightening and flashing of the Supernal Book; [26] they lighten and flash towards all the sides which are attached to them, and each sphere retains unto itself a little of this light, for from that sapphire-like radiance every ring in the chain derives its light and radiance. For upon this day (Sabbath) the heavens are crowned and ascend in the power of the Holy Name more than on any other day. "His handiwork" is the supernal Dew which streams forth from all the hidden regions; it is "the work of His hands", and His self-fulfilment wherein He completes and perfects Himself on this day more than upon any other. This dew "streams down" (maggid in the Aramaic sense) from the Head of the King, with an abundance of blessing, the "firmament" here signifying the stream issuing from the Cistern, the "River which went out of Eden", which flows earthwards, as the stream of the Supernal Dew which gleams and flashes from all sides. This "firmament" draws it downward upon a current of love and desire, in order that it may water the field of bliss and joy at the entrance of the Sabbath. When that fair pearled Dew streameth down, the whole becomes full and complete in its holy letters acting through all their holy channels; since all is united to it, a path is opened to it to water and bless all below. "Day unto day" -- one day to another, one ring or sphere unto its fellow. Here Scripture speaks in detail concerning the manner in which the heavens radiate sapphire brightness to that Glory, and how that "Firmament" of the supernal Dew causes the downward flow of the current. "Day unto day utters speech." Day unto day, grade unto grade, in order that the one should complete itself in the other, and one be illumined by the other from the luminous and sparkling radiance of the Sapphire which is reflected by the heavens back to the central glory. The word yabia' (uttereth) can be translated "hasteneth": they hasten to catch the light and the flashing one from another. The word OMeR (speech) indicates the letters and paths which proceed from the Father, [27] the Mother, [28] and the head which issues from them, who is the firstborn Son. [29] Aleph symbolizes the Father, and when it ascends and descends, the Mem unites itself with it, producing em, which signifies Mother; the resh is the Head (rosh = head), signifying Son. When these three unite the result is that they form "Word", "Speech". Thus the Father, the Mother, and the first born Son radiate one within the other in one union, which has its reign and duration upon the Sabbath. Thus all are united so as to become one, and therefore they hasten one to another that Omer, as a supernal reign, in order that all should be one. But when all has been conveyed down to that "firmament", then it diffuses light upon the "Glory of God" below that it may produce beings in the likeness of [137a] the heavens which give light to that Glory. "And night unto night declareth knowledge." These are those "chariots" which form the body of the Throne; they are called "nights", as it is written: "My reins also instruct me in the nights" (Ps. XVI, 7). The upper chariot is called "Days" or "day unto day", the lower "Nights", or "night unto night". Ye-hawe (declares) may also mean "makes alive", to wit, produces the progeny of the heavens, "brings unto life" generations. "Knowledge" designates the mystery of the heavens: as the heavens have six sides, so also the generations which they bring into life in their likeness. Thus "day unto day" is included in a supernal sphere called "Word" (omer), and "night unto night" in the mystery of the Male, who gives light to her and whose name is "Knowledge". And because this "Word" is not like other words, but is a supernal mystery, Scripture comes back to it and says: "There is no word (omer) nor speeches, their voices are not heard" (v. 3). This "word" is a supreme mystery of supernal grades, where there are no voices nor speech, and which cannot be understood like the other grades which constitute the mystery of the Faith, and which are voices that can be heard. And yet "Their line is gone out through all the earth" (v. 4), although they are supernal mysteries which can never be perfectly comprehended, yet the current of their flow is downward. Because of this current, we have a true Faith in this world, and all mankind can discourse of the mystery of the Faith of the Holy One in connection with these grades, as if they were revealed to and not hidden from them. Therefore it says: "And their words to the end of the world" (Ibid.), which means that from the beginning to the end of the world the "wise of heart" discourse of those hidden grades although they cannot be comprehended. And how far are they comprehended? "In them hath he set a tent for the sun" (Ibid.), because the holy sun [30] is as a tabernacle of all those supreme grades, and is as a light which has taken into itself all the hidden lights and the whole current of their extension, whereby Faith is manifested in the whole world. To grasp the Sun is equivalent to grasping all grades, because the sun is a "tent" including all and absorbing all; and he in turn lights up all the shining colours below. Hence "He is a bridegroom coming forth from his canopy (covering)" (v. 6), in the gleam and flash of those hidden lights which in strong yearning and desire give him tokens of their love, as to a bridegroom to whom all his friends give presents and gifts. And what is "his covering"? Eden, the "covering" which covers up all things. "He rejoiceth" from the side of the primeval light in which judgement has no place at all. "As a strong man" (gibbor) -- from the side of "strength" (geburah); and note that it does not say here "a strong man", but "as a strong man", which means that Judgement is tempered by Mercy. Thus the sun gathers all together in one, in perfect devotion and love. "To run on the way", in order to nourish and complement the Moon on every side and make it possible for her to shed her light downwards. "His going forth is from the end of the heaven" (v. 7). He goes forth from the end of that supernal heaven, from the termination [31] of the Body, as it is written, "From one end of heaven to the other end of the heaven" (Deut. IV, 32); where the "one end" designates the upper world, and the "other end" its termination. "And his circuit unto the ends of it" (Ibid.): he (the sun) runs through all those holy regions that are capable [137b] of being vivified and nourished by his rays. "And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof" (Ibid.): nothing is hidden from that radiance, for it is directed towards all together, to each according to its capacity of reception. When all are thus completed and vivified by the Sun, then the Moon is crowned in the likeness of the supernal perfect Mother in fifty gates. This is expressed in the following verse: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, quickening the soul"; as she is perfect from all sides in the mystery of five grades, in the likeness of the supernal Mother, to whom belongs the mystery of the fifty. Therefore the Torah is introduced here in six parallel sentences of five words (in Hebrew) each, in order to complete the mystery of fifty. "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, quickening the soul" is five. "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" is five. "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" is five. "The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes" is five. "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever" is five. "The judgements of the Lord are true, righteous altogether" is five. All these sentences present themselves in five words each, after the semblance of the supernal Mother; six times, as the Tetragrammaton is mentioned in these verses six times, corresponding with the six supernal grades which form the mystery of the supernal heaven. So the Moon is completed in the realm of transcendence into that which it should be, and all this on the Sabbath day, upon which all is perfected in the mystery of the Sabbath above and below. On this day, therefore, radiance is increased everywhere. The heavens receive it from the source of life; and they then impart light and completeness to the supernal Glory from the mystery of the supernal Numberer (Sopher), the Father of all; then from the mystery of the Numbered (Sippur) -- the Supernal Mother; finally from the mystery of the Number (sepher). [32] Therefore it says: "The heavens declare" (mesaprim), namely, as we have pointed out, in the mystery of these three Names which, on the Sabbath, reign supreme more than on other days. Therefore David uttered this Psalm of praise, through the Holy Spirit, in regard to the light and the effulgence of the Sabbath and its pre-eminence over the other days of the wee~ because of the mystery of the Supernal Name which in it lightens up and radiates and sparkles in the spheres of holiness, and is completed above and below.

'Therefore the "Men of the Great Synagogue" have ordered that this Psalm of David should be the first one to be sung on the Sabbath day, since it refers to those particular "Heavens" which lighten all the others. Then follows (in the liturgy) that "river which goes out of Eden", alluded to in the Psalm which follows this one in the Sabbath service: "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous" (Ps. XXXIII); for this "River" gathers into itself the whole mystery of the "heavens" and the source of life on this day, and the sun is perfected for its appointed task of the distribution of light. Then the Moon, when she separates herself from the "other side" -- as on this day she does -- in order to receive light from the sun, is alluded to in the Psalm following this one, namely (Ps. XXXIV): "Of David, when he changed his behaviour towards Abimelech." When the "other side" has separated itself from the "Moon", then the latter is united with the "Sun", and therefore this Psalm begins (acrostically) with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, signifying the merging of the Sun with the Moon. Then follows the union of the Matrona with Her Spouse: "A prayer of Moses, the man of God" (Ps. XC): He spreads out both His right and His left hands to receive Her and to unite Himself with Her in perfect union. Then follow other psalms of joy and ardent longing. "A psalm. Sing unto the Lord a new song, for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand and his holy arm hath wrought salvation for him" (Ps. XCVIII). This Psalm has been expounded elsewhere, and the Companions were perfectly correct in their assertion that it was chanted by the kine [138a] who bore the sacred ark. [33] This corresponded to the mystery above: when the "living beings" (Hayoth) lay hold of the Throne in order to raise it to the highest heights, then we sing this Psalm. As to the question, why, then, is it called "new" when it is perpetually being repeated, the fact is that it is indeed a "new song" because it refers to the "new" moon at the time when she receives light from the sun. "His right hand and his holy arm hath wrought salvation for him": this denotes the rousing of the right and the left hand to receive Her (the Moon, signifying the Shekinah) when She arrives at "Beth Shemesh", the "House of the Sun", which hands receive and bear Her even as the kine bare the ark. This psalm of praise was therefore ordered to be chanted on the Sabbath by the "one people", namely the children of Israel. (Ps. XCII): "A song. A psalm for (to) the sabbath day. It is good to praise the Lord, to sing unto thy name, O most high. To proclaim thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness in the nights." It has been established by the Companions that this hymn of praise was sung by the first man (Adam) after he had been driven out of the Garden of Eden, when the Sabbath drew nigh unto the Holy One and interceded for the created being. Then he sang this hymn in honour of the Sabbath which had delivered him. It is a hymn of praise sung by the world below to the world above, to a world which is altogether "Sabbath", the sphere of the "King whose is the peace". It is a hymn of the sabbath below unto the Sabbath above: the sabbath below, which is like night, sings to the Sabbath above, which is like day. In fact, whenever "Sabbath" is mentioned it refers to the "eve of the Sabbath" (i.e. the Shekinah), but when it says "the Sabbath day", it denotes the Supernal Sabbath (i.e. Tifereth). The former is symbolized by the Female, the latter by the Male. Thus "And the children of Israel should keep the Sabbath" (Ex. XXXI, 16) alludes to the Female, which is the night (layla), and "remember the Sabbath day" (Ibid. XX, 8) alludes to the Male. Thus the sabbath here below sings a hymn to the Sabbath above. Therefore this psalm is anonymous, as we and everywhere where there is a reference to the world below (the Shekinah) that the Name is not actually mentioned, as, for example, "And he called unto Moses" (Lev. I, 1), "And to Moses he said, go up to the Lord" (Ex. XXIX, I). Since in this psalm reference is made to a higher sphere, therefore the divine name is not applied to the lower grade, just as a candle cannot shine in the sunlight. All the hymns sung in praise of and on the Sabbath are the aids to its ascension to supernal regions where it is crowned with supernal holy crowns above all other days.

'The Sabbath service continues with the prayer: "The soul of all living shall bless thy name, O Lord our God." The Companions have made some true observations on this prayer. [34] But the real truth is that on Sabbath it is incumbent on us to mention that soul [35] which emanates from "the Life of Worlds" (Yesod). And since this soul belongs to Him from whom all blessings proceed and in whom they are present, who wills to water and to bless that which is below, she is given permission to bless this Place. Thus the souls which fly forth from this "Living One" on the entrance of Sabbath do actually bless that Place in order to communicate blessings to the world below which is called the "Lower Name" (Malkuth). At the same time, the region whence those souls emanate blesses the Name from above, and so it receives blessings from below and from above, and is completed in all aspects. During other days she receives blessings from those souls which bless her from below; but on the Sabbath she receives blessings from those supernal souls which bless her with forty-five words according to the numerical value of the word Mah (What?) From the words "the soul of all living" to "the God of the first and last ages" there are forty-five words; from the words "were our mouths filled with song as the sea" to the words "and with us" are very nearly fifty words, corresponding to the Mi [36] (numerical value = fifty). From here on follow other praises which resolve themselves in the number one hundred, the completion of all (to "the great God") and form one chariot. [138b] Thus this hymn of praise and all the words contained in it are numerical symbols of the perfection of the Sabbath, and the perfection attained through it, according to the Divine purpose. Blessed is that people that has learnt how to conduct a service of praise in well-pleasing fashion! From here on follow prayers proper (connected with the Shema and the Amidah) .

'It is written: "But be not thou, O Lord, far from me; my Hind (eyaluti), haste thee to help me" (Ps. XXII, 20). These words did King David speak in that hour when he ordered that hymns of praise should be sung to the King, so that the unity of the Sun and the Moon should be accomplished. While he composed these praises, he said: "But be not thou far from me". The combination of "Thou" and "Lord" signifies the mystery of the one inseparable union. "Be not far": this refers to Her (the Shekinah) when she ascends to be crowned by her Spouse in the world above, and from thence to ascend still higher into the Infinite, to be united there, high, high, above. Therefore it says: "be not far", that is to say, do not ascend to such heights that will leave us without Thee. Therefore through this service of praise Israel seek to attach themselves closely to the Shekinah and her Glory, so that if this Glory should seek to rise aloft they may still cling to it and not allow it to abandon them. Therefore, also, the prayer proper (Amidah) is recited quietly, as one would speak confidentially with a King; for as long as Israel holds Him in confidential converse He cannot depart from her, leaving her alone. "My hind": even as the hind and the gazelle, though they flee to a far distance, yet soon return again to the place from which they went, so also the Holy One, blessed be He, even when He ascends into the unscalable heights of infinity, soon returns. Why so? Because Israel here below cling to Him, and being so attached to Him do not allow Him to forget them and abandon them. This is the significance of the prayer, "My hind, haste Thee to help me." Therefore it behoves us to cling to the Holy One, blessed be He, in order so to speak to draw Him down from the heights, so that we should not be deserted by Him for an instant. Therefore, when we pass quickly from the Geulah (Redemption) benediction to the Prayer (Amidah or eighteen benedictions) we must, as it were, lay hold on Him, and lead Him apart, and converse with Him privately and in a still voice, in confidence, so that He should not depart far from us and leave us alone. Concerning this it is written: "And ye who cleave to the Lord your God, ye are all alive to-day" (Deut. IV, 4); "Blessed is the people who is in such a case; blessed is the people who has the Lord for its God" (Ps. CXLIV, 15).'

Having reached this point, R. Simeon rose and the Companions likewise, and they walked away from the tree in the valley. Said R. Eleazar unto R. Simeon his father as they journeyed on: 'Father, up to this point we have been sitting in the shadow of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. Hereafter we must assuredly walk in the ways which guard this Tree.' R. Simeon replied: 'Begin thou first, while we are yet upon the way!'

R. Eleazar then explained to them the symbolic significance of colours and metals in connection with the Tabernacle. 'Gold is mentioned first because it is the emblem of the lower Power, or the Left Hand. Silver, which, on account of its whiteness, signifies Mercy, or the Right Hand, although it comes second here, is nevertheless the essential hue as regards the mystery of the Divine attributes in their manifestation to Israel, as it is written, "Mine is the silver and mine is the gold" (Haggai II, 8). It is also represented by the "cup of benediction" (the cup drunk after a meal) which, although it is taken up with both hands, is actually held only with the right hand. This is the esoteric meaning of the words "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me" (S.S. II, 6). Shining polished brass is a colour resembling gold, combining the colours of both gold and silver. Hence the "brazen altar was too small' (I Kings VIII, 64), because it symbolized the "smaller light which rules by night", while the golden altar symbolized "the greater light to rule the day" (Gen. I, 16). Hyacinth (purple-blue), [139a] which was used for the fringes, also denotes "judgement", or the Throne from which the judgement concerning capital offences is proclaimed. Therefore all colours seen in dreams are of good omen, with the exception of purple-blue, which denotes that the soul of the dreamer is being judged and the body is in danger of extermination. Much ardent prayer for mercy is needful to avert this portent. This colour symbolizes the Throne, concerning which it is written: "And above the firmament ... was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone ... and it had brightness round about" (Ezek. I, 26-27). Because the fringes are made of a material of this colour, when the morning light begins to shine on them, they become greenish-blue like a leek, and from that moment the time of the recitation of the Shema begins. [37] For this reason capital cases may not be tried at night because that colour, blue, reigns, which has the power to snatch away souls without Judgement, since Judgement does not rule at that time. When morning comes and the Right Hand is roused, the brightness appears and reaches the dark blue, and then it becomes connected with another Throne. From this moment on it is time to recite the Shema. Argaman (reddish-purple) is a mixture of colours uniting as one. Tolaat shani (prop. worm of deep scarlet) symbolizes Israel: for as the worm's power to destroy exists only in its mouth, so does Israel's power lie in her mouth (i.e. prayer); and shani, being used in the plural (Prov. XXXI, 21), signifies that two (shne) colours are united to form one. It issues from the supernal Throne which rules over the dark blue from the right side, it is white and red, right and left. It represents Michael, the guardian of Israel (Dan. X, 21). "Fine linen", of six threads, symbolizes "Tarshish" (Gabriel). With these, two other are united: "goats' hair and rams' skins reddened": "goats' hair" denotes the lower outside power which protects (covers up) the inner power. All this is necessary and a place must be allowed for all, because they come from the sphere of gold (judgement); "rams' skins reddened", drawn from the two sides, left and right, to protect in another place. "And tahash (seal) skins": there is a species of this animal which flourishes on the "other side", in the wilderness and not in cultivated places, and this species is ritually "clean" and is the one here called tahash. The "acacia wood" symbolizes the Seraphim, for the word "standing" is applied to both of them (Ex. XXVI, 15; Isa. VI, 2). Then comes "oil for the candlestick", symbolizing the Holy Spirit. "Precious stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate." These are holy stones, the foundation of the Sanctuary in holy chariots. They were set apart in the resplendent garments, for the High Priest to look upon and to remind him of the twelve Tribes. For that reason there were twelve stones, as has been pointed out.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:28 am

Part 3 of 3

'There are thirteen things enumerated apart from the stones, which, taken altogether, make twenty-five [139b] in the supernal mystery of the union. Corresponding to these twenty-five, Moses chiselled twenty-five letters in writing the mystery of the Shema (the twenty-five Hebrew letters contained in the verse, "hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one"). Jacob wished to express the unity below and did so in the twenty-four letters of the response to the Shema: "Blessed be the Name of His glorious Kingdom for ever and ever." He did not bring it up to twenty-five because the Tabernacle was not yet. But as soon as the Tabernacle was completed and the first Divine utterance was pronounced there, it contained twenty-five letters, to show that the Tabernacle was after the supernal pattern, as it is written, "And the Lord spake to him out of the tabernacle of the congregation" (Lev. I, 1 -- twenty-five letters in Hebrew). Thus the twenty-five things for the Tabernacle show forth the Sanctuary as a perfect and harmonious whole in accordance with the mystery of the twenty-five letters, as thou, our Master, hast taught us. This is the mystery of the completeness of the whole Tabernacle and of everything appertaining to its construction. The number twenty-five corresponds with the twenty-two letters of the Alphabet, along with the Law, the Prophets and the Writings, which all form one whole sum 'and one mystery. When the Israelites proclaim the Unity, expressed in the mystery of the twenty-five letters of the Shema and in the twenty-four letters of the response, and each person in the congregations is doing this with devoutness, then all those letters unite as one and ascend as one unity. Then the forty-nine gates are opened which signify the mystery of the Jubilee. And when the gates are opened, the Holy One, blessed be He, regards each of such persons as though he had fulfilled the whole Torah -- the Torah which can be viewed from forty-nine aspects. So it is necessary to concentrate heart and mind on both the twenty-five and the twenty-four letters and to raise them with the whole force of intention to the forty-nine gates, as we have said. Through concentration on this, one will concentrate on the Unity, for our Master has taught us that the "Hear, O Israel" and the "Blessed be the Name" are the summary of the whole Torah. Happy the lot of him who thus concentrates, for verily these contain the Torah in its entirety, above and below. It is the mystery of the complete Man, Male and Female, and is the secret of the whole Faith. In the debates in the schools of Shammai and of Hillel concerning the recitation of the Shema, the former held that the evening "Shema" should be recited in a reclining or resting position, and the morning "Shema" should be recited standing, their reason being that in the evening the Feminine aspect is included in the active energy and reign, while in the morning the Masculine aspect reigns exclusively in the supernal world, and it is therefore necessary to recite the Shema standing, as is done during the Prayer (Amidah) and at all times when the Masculine predominates. The school of Hillel, on the other hand, made no such distinction. If the said aspects (Male and Female) were each entirely by itself, it might be necessary to do so, but as we, by our concentration and intention, unite them in our consciousness during the recitation and response, in the forty-nine aspects, and raise them towards the forty-nine gates, we need not emphasize their separateness, but should rather concentrate on the fact that they are both one without any separation whatever: the Masculine in six words -- "Hear,O Israel, etc.", and the Feminine in six -- "Blessed be the Name", etc. And the rule is always according to the school of Hillel.'

R. Simeon lifted up his hand and blessed his son R. Eleazar. He then began to speak on the verse: "Who stirred up from the east him whom righteousness called to his foot?" (Isa. XLI, 2). 'This verse', he said, 'has been variously interpreted, but, esoterically considered, "Who" refers to the mystery of the supernal world, [38] from whence the first revelation of the mystery of Faith is manifested, as we have already pointed out. Or again, the "Who" denotes that which is concealed, the absolutely impenetrable and undisclosed, and which begins to make its glory known from the region that is called "East", from which region the whole mystery of the Faith and light commences to be revealed. "Righteousness" reveals the Supernal Power and the reign of the Holy One, blessed be He, who delegates to that Righteousness authority to rule over all the worlds, to guide them and lead them towards perfection. For this reason does it go on to say: "Gave nations before him and made him rule over kings", [140a] since all the kings of the world are under the authority of that "Righteousness", as it is written: "And he will judge the world in righteousness" (Ps. XCV, 13). Moreover, when it says "Righteousness calleth to his foot", the question is: Who calleth whom? The answer is that "Righteousness" calls to the resplendent mirror, which is ever bright and refulgent, as it is written: "Keep not thou silence, O God; hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God" (Psa. LXXXIII, 1). Now the Holy One has let His light shine upon us on our way for the sake of my son Eleazar, who called down the supernal light upon us, and it has not waned. Happy is the lot of the righteous in this world and in the world to come.'

Then R. Abba discoursed on the text, "A psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah" (Ps. LXIII, 1). 'Why', he said, 'is this psalm different from all others in that it alone mentions the place in which it was composed? However, this is not the only psalm where a particular motive for its composition is given. The superscription of one psalm runs: "Where he changed his behaviour before Abimelech" (Ps. XXXIV); and another (LIV) has: "When the Ziphim came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?" The purpose of these headings is to proclaim the merit of David, showing that even when he was in distress and fleeing from his enemies he sang praises to the Holy One, blessed be He. True, it was the Holy Spirit that spoke through him, but had not David yearned continually for the Holy Spirit, it would not have rested upon him. It is always thus: the Holy Spirit will not descend upon a man unless he, from below, moves it to come. And David, as we have seen, in the greatest tribulation did not cease to sing hymns and to praise his Lord for all things. If I should be reminded of the difference between "A psalm of David" and "Of David a psalm", the former, as in the passage just discussed, signifying that the Holy Spirit gave the initiative, then I would say, be that as it may, if David had not prepared himself for the reception of the Holy Spirit, it would not have come upon him. "A psalm": this means the Holy Spirit. Why is it called so? Because it continually praises the Supernal King without ceasing. When David came, the Holy Spirit found a "body" properly prepared, and so was able to sing through him in this world praises to the King, so that this world might be perfected to harmonize with the world above. "Of David" -- David, a complete, perfected, worthy man who never changed. "When he was in the wilderness of Judah": as we have said, although he was in great trouble, he sang praises. And what was the burden of his song? "O God, thou art my God: I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is, to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." "God" in a general sense; "My God" expresses David's individual grade of experience. In fact, there are three grades here: "God", "My God", "Thou". Yet, even though there are three designations, there is really only one grade, as all allude to the mystery of the Living God: "God" is the supernal One, the Living One; "My God" denotes His omnipotence "from one end of the heaven to the other end"; and "Thou" expresses the personal grade of David's awareness of this Presence. But, although all are one and are designated by one name, yet ashahreka (lit. I will seek Thee), may also be rendered (with allusion to shahar, black), "I will strengthen the light which shines darkly (the Shekinah)," for this does not shine until it is strengthened from below. And he who thus strengthens it becomes worthy of the white light, the light of the "refulgent mirror", and of the world to come. This mystery is expressed in the words: "And those that seek me (meshahrai) shall find me" (Prov. VIII, 17), namely those who, out of the blackness of the dawn, prepare a light. The double n in yimzaunni ("they shall find me") signifies that they will merit the two lights: the dim, blackish light of dawn and the white light of day: or, the mirror that is not refulgent and the mirror that is. Hence David said in effect: "I will prepare a light from the blackish dawn in order that the white light of day may shine on it." "My soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee": as a starving man longs for food and drink. "In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is": in the desert, a place where holiness cannot dwell. [140b] And we, Master, hunger and thirst for thee in this place; and as David longed to "behold God in holiness", so we long to drink in the words of the Master in his sanctuary (house of study).' Said R. Simeon to R. Abba: 'Let him who began continue.'

Then R. Abba spoke on the verse: "And they shall take me a heave offering." Said he: 'When the Holy One showed Moses the work of the Tabernacle, he was perplexed over its construction, as has been pointed out. Now comes the question, if it was to Moses alone that the Holy One gave the Terumah (heave-offering, i.e. the Shekinah), how could he have given her to others (i.e. communicated the Presence of God to the people), for it says that "the children of Israel should take a heave-offering"? We may answer by a parable. A King stood in the midst of his people, but his Queen was not with him. As long as she was absent the people did not feel secure and were somewhat uneasy. But as soon as the Queen arrived the whole people rejoiced, feeling that they were now safe. In like manner, although the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Israel many signs and wonders through Moses, they did not yet feel sure of themselves, but as soon as the Holy One said, "They shall take me a heave-offering that I may dwell in the midst of them" (v. 8), their confidence was at once firmly established and they rejoiced in the worship of the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore it is written: "And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up (kalloth) the tabernacle ... that the princes of Israel brought their offerings .... " (Num. VII, 1-3), namely on the day when the Bride (kallah) of Moses (Shekinah) came down to earth.

'Now the question might be asked: Wherever the expression "and it came to pass" occurs in Scripture, is it not always connected with something sad? And the answer would be that something sad occurred also on the day when the Tabernacle was completed and the Shekinah came down to earth. For a celestial Accuser stood at Her side who covered Her Face with a veil of thick darkness to prevent Her from finding Her way down to earth. And we have been taught that a thousand and five hundred myriads of accusing angels were round about Her for the same purpose. At the same time, also, a multitude of supernal angels rose up before the Throne of the Holy One, and said: "Lord of the world! All our splendour and all our refulgence emanates from the Shekinah of Thy Glory, and should She now descend to those below?" But in that hour, the Shekinah gathered up all her strength and, breaking through that darkness, like one breaking through strong barriers, came down to earth. As soon as they saw this they all cried together with a loud voice: "O Lord our God, how mighty is thy name in all the earth" (Ps. VIII, 1): "mighty", because She had thus broken through so many barriers and restraining hosts and had come down to earth to reign over all. All of which explains the use of the ominous expression, "and it came to pass", in connection with the completion of the Tabernacle, indicating the pain that was suffered by many celestial armies on the day when Moses' Bride (the Shekinah) came down to earth. Therefore it is said: "That they take Me a heave offering." Observe it does not say "Me and a heave offering", but "Me as a heave offering", to show that all is One, there is no separation, and the Tabernacle in its completion was in the likeness of that above: the one corresponded with the other in every detail, that the Shekinah might be located in it in all its aspects. Here in this world the Tabernacle was fashioned like unto the body which contains the spirit, and the Shekinah, which combines the upper with the lower, and which is the Holy Spirit, entered into this kind of body, so that the brain should dwell in a shell, all according to purpose. So the Holy Spirit becomes, as it were, a body to contain another spirit, subtle and luminous, and in this way all is contained one within the other, until it enters this world, which is the last external shell (klifah). The toughest husk is the one within the shell of this world, just as in a nut the outside shell is not the toughest, but the inner husk. So also above, the hard, withstanding shell is the other spirit which rules in the body; within it is a softer shell, within which again lies the brain.

'In the Holy Land, in connection with the Temple, things happened differently. The hard shell was broken in that spot and did not rule at all; it was broken there, and yawned asunder. And the opening thus made existed there as long as Israel worshipped [141a] in manner due. Their sins, however, caused the two sides of the opening to draw together, until the shell became whole again. As soon as the shell closed up over the brain it ruled over Israel and drove them out from that place. Yet, in spite of this, the hard shell cannot rule in that holy spot, since it has no right there. If that is so, it may be asked, why is the Temple still in ruins, for all destruction comes only from the influence of that hard shell? The answer is that the destruction was indeed caused by that "side" when it closed over the brain, but the Holy One prevented it from ruling in that place, and when Israel had been driven out from there, the shell broke open as before. But because the holy people was no longer there, the opening was covered with a holy covering, a kind of thin curtain, to protect that spot and prevent the hard shell from closing over it again. This covering spreads over it from all sides. It is not possible for the holy ointment to descend upon the Land as formerly, as that thin covering prevents it, the Holy People being no longer there. Therefore it is that the ruined Temple has not been rebuilt. On the other hand, it is also impossible for the hard shell to rule there, because the thin covering prevents it from entirely closing over the brain. For this reason all the souls of members of other nations who live in the Holy Land, when they leave this world, are not accepted there, but are thrust out and are forced to roam about and go through many wanderings until they leave the Holy Land behind them and reach instead those impure regions where they belong. But all the Israelitish souls that leave this world from the Holy Land ascend from there, and that covering receives them into itself and through it they enter the Upper Holiness, because like always tends to like. And the souls of those Israelites who have departed from this world while still outside the confines of the Holy Land, and while in the power and dominion of that hard shell, wander hither and thither and roam about until they reach their appointed places. Happy is the lot of that man whose soul leaves this world in the domain of holiness, in the cavity provided by the Holy Land.

'He whose soul leaves him in the Holy Land, if his body is buried upon the day of his death, is in no way dominated by the spirit of impurity. Therefore it says of one who has been put to death by hanging that "his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day .. that thy land be not defiled" (Deut. XXI, 23), for at night the impure spirit is given permission to rule. However, although these last are given temporary power, they cannot exercise their sway within the boundaries of the Holy Land, because it is impossible for them to enter it unless they can come upon an organ or means of approach in the parts and fat of those sacrifices that are consumed at night for the purpose of feeding other (foreign) kinds. [39] But even these portions were not left with the purpose of attracting evil potencies to the Holy Land, but rather, on the contrary, to entice them away from it, for, as has been said on another occasion, the smoke of these parts of the sacrifices was wont to ascend crookedly and drift away until it reached that hidden cavern in the North in which all the powers of the "other side" have their abode; into which cave the smoke would enter and all the demons and impure spirits be nourished thereby. But the smoke of those sacrifices which were burnt during the day ascended in a straight line unto its rightful place and all the proper spirits received nourishment from it. Over the bodies of the righteous, who were not seduced in this world by the lusts of the hard shell, the impure spirit has no power at all, because they did not associate themselves therewith. But just as the wicked in this life were seduced by that powerful shell of evil and its pleasures and practices, so are their bodies unclean after the soul has left them. The bodies of the righteous, because in this life [141b] they took their delight in religious rejoicings and the meals and ceremonies of Sabbaths and festivals, are, as we have said, not in the power of the impure spirit at all, since they had no joy nor part in anything appertaining to it. Blessed is he who derived no pleasure therefrom at any time of his allotted mortal span! As for him whose soul left him outside the precincts of the Holy Land, his body is defiled by that impure spirit, which remains in it until it returns to the dust. And if such a body is brought into the Holy Land to be buried, to it applies the text, "And ye entered and defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination" (Jer. II, 7) -- that is: "Into My Land over which the spirit of impurity has no power or dominion, ye have brought this your body wherein that very impure spirit has entrenched itself, to be buried in the hallowed soil! Ye defile My Land!" However, the Holy One, blessed be He, provides the land with a means of purging from this defilement: when such a body decomposes, the Holy One causes a wind to blow from above which thrusts the impure spirit outside, for He has compassion on His land. Joseph's body was never under the power of the impure spirit, although his soul left him when he was yet outside the Holy Land. Why had the "other side" no dominion over him? Because when he was alive he was never seduced by it. Yet he did not wish that his body should be taken for burial into the Holy Land, but only requested that his bones should be taken and deposited there. Jacob, again, did not die at all: his body remained intact and his spirit had no fear of the impure potencies, for his bed was filled with the perfection of the celestial light, in the brightness of the twelve tribes and of the seventy souls (which came into Egypt with him). Therefore he was not afraid of the "other side", and it had no power over him. Further, his body was in the likeness of the Supernal Form, for his beauty united all sides, and all the limbs of the first man -- Adam -- were united in him. Therefore Jacob said, "I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt" (Gen. XLVII, 30) -- the whole body. Therefore also "the physicians embalmed Israel" in order that his body might remain intact, as was fitting. As to other men whose souls pass away in the Holy Land, their souls and bodies alike come to no harm.

'Three names has the soul of man: nephesh, ruah, neshamah. They are all comprised one within the other, yet they have three distinct abodes. Nephesh remains in the grave until the body is decomposed and turned into dust, during which time it flits about in this world, seeking to mingle with the living and to learn of their troubles; and in the hour of need it intercedes for them. Ruah enters the earthly Garden (of Eden) and there dons a likeness which is in the semblance of the body it tenanted in this world: that likeness being, as it were, a garment with which the spirit robes itself, so that it may enjoy the delights of the radiant Garden. On Sabbaths, New Moons and festivals it ascends unto higher regions, imbibes the joys thereof, and then returns to its place. Concerning this it is written: "And the spirit (ruah) returns to God who hath given it" (Eccl. XII, 7) -- namely, at the special seasons and on the special occasions which we have enumerated. Neshamah ascends at once to her place, the region from whence she emanated, and for her sake the light is kindled to shine above. She never again descends to earth. In her is consummated the One who combines all sides, the upper and the lower. And as long as she has not ascended to be united with the Throne, the ruah cannot crown itself in the lower Garden, nor can the nephesh be at ease in its place; but when she ascends all the others find rest. Now when the children of men are in sorrow or trouble, and repair to the graves of the departed, then the nephesh is awakened and it wanders forth and rouses the ruah, which in turn rouses the Patriarchs, and then the neshamah. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, takes pity on the world. This matter has already been explained, although the doctrine of the neshamah has been put in a somewhat different form; but it all amounts to the same, and what we have said is entirely correct. Now if the neshamah is for one reason or another hindered from ascending to her rightful place, then the ruah, when it reaches the door of the Garden of Eden, finds it barred, and it cannot enter, [142a] and so roams about unnoticed and forlorn; and as for the nephesh, it wanders about the world and beholds the body which was once its home devoured by worms and suffering the judgement of the grave, and it mourns therefor, as the Scripture tells us: "But the flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn" (Job XIV, 22). Thus all suffer punishment, and so they remain until the neshamah is able to attain to her rightful sphere above. Once this is accomplished, however, both the others are united each with its sphere; for all three are one, forming one whole, united in a mystical bond, according to the prototype above, in which nephesh, ruah and neshamah constitute together one totality.

'The (supernal) Nephesh possesses in itself no light and cannot out of its own being engender it, and for this reason it is in close connection and deeply enmeshed with a certain Body, [40] which it fondles and sustains. It is concerning this Nephesh that it is written: "She giveth meat to her household and an appointed portion of labour to her maidens" (Prov. XXXI, 15), the "house" denoting the Body, which she feeds, and the "maidens" the limbs of that Body" The (supernal) Ruah rides upon the Nephesh, dominates it, and enlightens it with supernal glory, as much as it can bear; this Nephesh is the throne or pedestal of this Ruah. The (supernal) Neshamah produces the Ruah, rules over it, and sheds upon it the light of life. The Ruah depends entirely upon the Neshamah and is lit up by its light and nourished by its celestial food, while the Nephesh is similarly dependent on the Ruah. But as long as that supernal Neshamah does not ascend unto the spring of the "Ancient of Ancients", the most Hidden of all hidden regions, there to be filled with the presence of Him whose glory is eternal as the waters of an unceasing and refreshing spring, so long must the Ruah be debarred from entering into that which is its own especial Paradise, namely, the Nephesh; and in all cases the abode of the Ruah is the Garden of Eden, while the Neshamah ascends aloft to the fountain-head, and the Nephesh takes up its abode in the body.

'Similarly in man below, the three are one yet separate. The neshamah ascends aloft to the fountain-head; the ruah enters the Garden of Eden: and the nephesh finds rest in the grave. It may be asked, what in our analogy corresponds above to the grave? The answer is that "the grave" in this case is the mighty klifah. In this respect the soul of man corresponds, and here, as elsewhere, the lower is after the pattern of the upper. Thus there are three grades of the soul distinct one from another, although they form one bond and one mystery. As long as the bones of their human habitation remain intact in the grave, the nephesh remains there also, though unwillingly.

'There is here a mystery which is entrusted only to such as perceive and know the way of truth and are afraid of sin. In the hour when the neshamah crowns herself above with the holy crown, and the ruah stands within the radiance of the supernal light to which it is admitted on Sabbaths, New Moons, and festivals, and when that same ruah descends well satisfied from those feasts to enter into the Garden of Eden resplendent and radiant: in that hour the nephesh also rises up within the grave and assumes shape in the likeness of the form which it previously possessed when in the living body, and in virtue of this image all the bones arise and sing praises to the Holy One, blessed be He; as it is written: "All my bones shall say (tomarnah), O Lord, who is like unto thee?" (Ps. XXXV, 10). And had the eye but the power and permission to perceive such matters, it would behold on the nights of Sabbaths, New Moons, and festivals, a kind of figures singing and praising the Holy One above their graves. But the folly of the children of men prevents them from having any cognizance of these matters, since they neither know nor perceive what the foundation of their lives in the world is, and have no mind to be aware of the glory of the Supernal King in this world which they can see, not to speak of the world to come, which they see not; thus they have no perception of the basis of either, or of the inner meaning of these things.

'On New Year's Day, when the world is judged, and the Throne of Judgement stands by the Supernal King, every soul (nephesh) hovers about and intercedes for the living. On the night following the giving of judgement they roam about, endeavouring to discover what decisions have been made concerning the fate of men in the coming year; and sometimes they communicate their knowledge to the living in the form of a vision or dream, as it is written: "In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men ... then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instructions" (Job XXXIII, 16): i.e. the soul puts its seal to words which it communicates to the sons of man that they may receive instruction or reproof. On the last night of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the final edicts are issued from the King, and the shadow is removed from those persons who are shortly to die, [142b] a certain celestial officer named Yehudiam descends with myriads of followers and bears that shadow aloft; and the soul which we have mentioned roams about and sees the shadow and returns to its place, and announces to the rest of the dead: "Such and such an one is coming to be with us" -- meaning the soul of whichever shadow has been most lately borne away by the angelic minions. If that deceased one be righteous and has lived a good life while in this world, all the dead rejoice; but if not, they all say: "Alas, alas! Woe, woe!" When the angels bring up the shadow, they deliver it to that faithful servant whose name is Metatron, and he takes it and brings it unto its due and rightful place, as it is written: "As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow" (Job VII, 2). From that hour on, a place is prepared for the neshamah of that man, and a place for his ruah in the Garden of Eden, and a place for his nephesh to rest in during its wanderings -- for there is a certain nephesh which has no rest, concerning which it is written that "it shall be slung out, as out of the middle of a sling" (I Sam. XXV, 29), which nephesh wanders about in the world, having no rest either by day or by night, this being the greatest and direst punishment possible; and there is likewise a "nephesh" which is "cut off" together with the body, concerning which it is written: "and I will cut it off from its people" (Lev. XVII, 10): and there is also a nephesh which is not "cut off" together with the body, but is " cut off" from the place which, had it belonged to a worthy person, would have been its appointed place above, concerning which it is written: "that nephesh shall be cut off from my presence; I am the Lord" (Ibid. XXII, 3); "from My presence" means that the ruah does not rest on it any longer; and when that is so the nephesh can have no part in the heavenly bliss, nor have any cognizance of any of the matters which take place in the other world. Such a nephesh is like that appertaining to an animal.

'A nephesh which is destined eventually to find rest, when in the course of its wanderings it meets with Yehudiam, the chief angelic messenger, with all his princes, is taken by him through all the doors of the Garden of Eden and shown all the glories of the righteous and the splendours of its own ruah, and then it invests itself in all serenity with its ruah, and it perceives all that is going on in the supernal world. And when that ruah ascends to be crowned within its neshamah which is above, the nephesh joins the ruah and clings thereto with all its strength, and receives illumination from it, which causes it itself to shine, even as the moon borrows light from the sun. And that ruah then joins itself in the same wise to the neshamah, and the neshamah unites herself with the end of Thought, this being the mystery of the Nephesh which is above, and the Nephesh which is above unites itself with the Ruah which is above, and that Ruah again with its Neshamah, and that Neshamah with the Infinite (En-sof). Thus is achieved harmony, peace and union both above and below. This constitutes the attainment of the rest and quietude of the nephesh that is below, concerning which it is written: "But the soul (nephesh) of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with (et) the Lord thy God" (I Sam. XXV, 29); that is to say, in the union symbolized by et (the first and the last letters of the alphabet, signifying the union of all things), one being like unto another. For when the Moon -- which is the symbol of the supernal Nephesh -- descends, illumined with glory from all sides, then she in her turn illumines with her radiance all the chariots and all the camps, and unites them, so that they are formed into one complete body which shines forth resplendent with the steadfast brilliance of the supernal light. In the same way the lower nephesh, when it descends, similarly illumined from all sides -- from the light of the neshamah and of the ruah -- also illumines all the chariots and camps, namely the limbs and bones of its body, and forms them into one complete body which emits light. This is the significance of the words: "And he will satisfy with splendour (zahzahot) thy soul" (Isa. LVIII, 11); and then "He will make vigorous thy bones" (Ibid.): that is, they will be fashioned into one complete' body which will emit light, and arise to give praises to the Holy One, as has been pointed out in connection with the words, "All my bones shall say, O Lord, who is like unto Thee?" This praising does indeed constitute the rest and delight of the nephesh, and is verily the completion of its joy. Blessed are the righteous who fear their Lord in this world, for they merit the threefold rest of saints in the world to come.'

Then came R. Simeon and blessed R. Abba, and said: 'Happy are ye, my sons, and happy am I who have been permitted to behold how many [143a] supernal places are prepared which will shine for us in the world to come.' Then R. Simeon began to speak on the verse: "A song of degrees. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever" (Ps. CXXV, I). 'This verse', he said, 'has been variously interpreted, but its special significance is this: "A song of degrees" refers to the song which is sung by the supernal holy grades from the side of the celestial Might in harmony with the song of the Levites here below. There are" degrees" upon "degrees", and they worship in the mystery of the fifty years (Jubilee). "They that trust in the Lord" are the righteous which trust in their good works, as it is written: "The righteous trust (are bold) like the young lion" (Prov. XXVIII, 1). It might be objected that the righteous do not, in fact, trust in their own works, being, on the contrary, perpetually in a state of fear and trembling, like Abraham, of whom it says that he was afraid concerning Sarah (Gen. XII, 10-13); or Isaac, who was afraid (Ibid. XXVI, 7); or, again, like Jacob, who was likewise in fear (Ibid. XXXII, 8); and if these did not trust in their own good works, how much less cause for assurance have other righteous men! How, then, can it be said with any justice that "the righteous trust like the young lion"? We must observe, however, that they are compared to the young lion (Kephir), and not to the other kinds of lion, which are stronger. The young lion, although strong enough to hold his own, is, in comparison with the other kinds of lions, weak, and so does not trust his own strength. In the same manner the righteous, although confident of the power of their good works, yet do not trust in them more than the young lion in .his strength. Therefore it says here: "They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion", namely, they will be in the future dispensation, not merely like the young, or even the old, lion, but like mount Zion, immovable and without fear. And ye, my sons, sons of the saints above, your trust, your confidence, is indeed like unto mount Zion. Verily, blessed are ye in this world and in the world to come!'

_______________

Notes:

1. i.e. symbolizing the twelve permutations of the Tetragrammaton.

2. By marrying Leah and Rachel. v. Zohar, Genesis, 153b.

3. Yod, He.

4. Yesod and Malkuth.

5. A play on the word semekh, which means both "support" and "the letter S" (Aparsamon = apiryon + the letter samekh).

6. v. Zohar, Gen. 29a.

7. The world of Beriah or "creation", v, Introduction, vol. I, p. xvii.

8. The Hekaloth.

9. Pirke Aboth, I, 6.

10. Here a synonym for the Sefirah, Yesod or Zaddik.

11. The Kedushah which occurs in the prayer, "And a redeemer shall come unto Zion."

12. By saying it in Aramaic.

13. The Kedushah in the benediction, "Fashioner of light", and the Kedushah in the Amidah.

14. In the prayer, "And a redeemer shall come unto Zion."

15. i.e. the Sefiroth.

16. The k'lifoth.

17. Lit. "advocacy, justification". Perhaps a corruption for Sangorin (from sanguis), "bloodthirsty".

18. Zohar, Genesis, 62b.

19. i.e. Tifereth with Malkuth.

20. From New Year to the Day of Atonement.

21. Malkuth.

22. Hokmah.

23. Tifereth.

24. Yesod.

25. Malkuth.

26. Hokmah.

27. Hokmah.

28. Binah.

29. Tifereth.

30. Tifereth.

31. Yesod.

32. Sefer Yezirah.

33. v. Zohar, Genesis, 123a.

34. Zohar, Exodus, p. 205b.

35. The "additional soul" given to the Israelite on Sabbath.

36. For the symbolic meaning of Mah and Mi, v. Zohar, Genesis, 1b.

37. v. T. D. Berachoth.

38. Binah.

39. v. supra. p. 370.

40. Metatron.

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:29 am

GLOSSARY

HEBREW AND TECHNICAL TERMS IN VOL. III

AMIDAH. The principal part of all the three daily prayers, to be recited quietly and in a standing posture.

ANCIENT OF DAYS. The highest of the Grades of the Godhead.

APPLE FIELD. A name for the Garden of Eden.

CENTRAL PILLAR. A name for the Sefirah Tifereth, which unites the Right and the Left.

COMMUNITY OF ISRAEL. The Shekinah in its connection with the people of Israel.

FOUNDATION (Yesod). The ninth Sefirah, also called Zaddik.

GEDULAH (lit. greatness). Another name for the Sefirah Hesed.

HOLY ONE. A name commonly applied to God in the aspect of Tifereth (q.v.).

KLIFOTH (lit. 'shells' or 'husks'). The powers of evil.

LESSER COUNTENANCE. The Sefirah Tifereth (Kether being the 'long countenance').

MALKUTH (lit. sovereignty). The tenth Sefirah: esp., the Shekinah in connection with Tifereth (q.v.).

METATRON. The head of the 'world of creation', called also the 'servant' or the 'body' of the Shekinah.

RIGHTEOUS (Zaddik). The ninth Sefirah, also called 'Foundation'.

SHEMA (lit. hear). The fourth verse of Deut. VI, containing the proclamation of God's unity, with or without the succeeding verses.

TIFERETH (lit. beauty). The sixth Sefirah, often symbolized by the sun, also by the Tree of Life with twelve roots and seventy branches.

YESOD (v. Foundation).

ZADDIK (v. Righteous).

by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:31 am

Part 1 of 6

TERUMAH (contd.)

Ex. XXV, 1-XXVII, 19

The companions now proceeded on their way, and by the time they reached the town it had grown dark. Said R. Simeon: 'As this day has shed light upon us while we were on our way, enabling us to make ourselves worthy of the world to come, so also will this night shed light upon us that we may through it become worthy of the world to come and crown the words of the day with those of the night in the presence of the Ancient of Days, for so perfect a day as this shall not occur again in all future generations. Happy indeed is our lot in this world, and happy in the world to come.' R. Simeon then repaired to his house, accompanied by R. Eleazar, R. Abba, and R. Jose. There they remained until midnight. Then R. Simeon said to the Companions: 'It is now time to crown the Holy Chariot which is above by our studies here below.' Then, turning to R. Jose, he said: 'Since no discourse from thee has been heard among us during the day, thou must now begin to illumine the night, for the time is now arrived in which it is auspicious and desirable that both higher and lower spheres should be illumined.'

R. Jose thereupon began to speak on the words: The song of songs, which is Solomon's (S.S. I, 1). Said he: 'This song King Solomon poured forth when the Temple was erected and all the worlds, above and below, had reached their perfect consummation. And although concerning the exact time of its singing there is some difference of opinion among the members of the Fellowship, we may be certain that it was not sung until that time of absolute completion, when the Moon -- the Shekinah -- came to her fulness and was revealed in the full perfection of her radiance, and when the Temple had been erected in the likeness of the Temple that is above. The Holy One, blessed be He, then experienced such joy as He had not known since the creation of the world. When Moses set up the Tabernacle in the wilderness, another such was raised in the heavenly spheres, as we learn from the words: "And it came to pass ... that the Tabernacle was reared up", the reference being to the other Tabernacle, to that which was above, namely the Tabernacle of the: "Young Man", Metatron, and nothing greater. But when the first Temple was completed another Temple was erected at the same time, which was the centre for all the worlds, shedding radiance upon all things and giving light to all the spheres. Then the world was firmly established, and all the supernal casements were opened to pour forth light, and all the worlds experienced such joy as had never been known to them before, and celestial and terrestrial beings alike broke forth in song. And the song which they sang is the "Song of Songs", or, as we might render, "Song of the Singers", of those musicians who chant to the Holy One, blessed be He. [143b] King David sang "A song of degrees": King Solomon sang "the Song of Songs". Now what is the difference between the two? Do we not interpret both titles to signify one and the same thing? Verily, this is so, for both things are certainly one, but in the days of David all the singers of the spheres were not yet set in their rightful places to chant the praises of their King, because the Temple was not as yet in existence. For, as on earth, the Levitic singers are divided into groups, so is it likewise above, and the upper correspond to the lower. But not before the Temple was erected did they assume these their due places, and the lamp [1] which before gave no light began then to shed radiance abroad, and then this song was sung to the glory of the Supernal King, [2] the "King to whom peace belongs". This song is superior to all the hymns of praise which had ever been sung before. The day on which this hymn was revealed on earth was perfect in all things, and therefore the song is holy of holies. [3] It is written in the Book of Adam that on the day when the Temple would be erected the Patriarchs would awaken song both above and below. Not that they would sing themselves, but they would rouse to song those mighty singers who preside over all worlds. On that day, it is said, Jacob the "perfect" one arose and entered the Garden of Eden and caused it also to sing, and all the spices of the Garden likewise. He, therefore, it is who gave utterance to the song, since but for him the Garden would not have sung. This song comprises the whole Torah: it is a song in which those that are above and those that are below participate; a song formed in the likeness of the world above, which is the supernal Sabbath, a song through which the supernal Holy Name is crowned. Therefore it is holy of holies. Why so? Because all its words are instinct with love and joy. This is because the "cup of blessing" was then given with the Right Hand; and when this is so all is joy and love; therefore all the words of the Song of Songs are perfected with love and with joy. When the Right Hand was drawn back (at the destruction of the Temple (Lam. II, 3)), the "cup of blessing" was placed in the Left Hand, and therefore those that were above and those that were below broke out in lamentation, saying: "Where is the 'cup of blessing' of the supernal place which was wont to abide therein? It has been withdrawn and withheld from thee". Hence the Song of Songs, which emanated from the Right Side, is full of love and joy in all its words, but the Book of Lamentation, which marks the withdrawal of the Right Hand and the emergence of the Left, is full of complaint and lamentation. It may be asked, does not all joy and singing emanate from the Left Side, since the Levites who were the singers were from that side? The answer is that all joy which issues from the Left Side is due to the union of the Left with the Right. When the Right Hand combines with the Left, then the joy which belongs to the Right mitigates the turbulence of the Left, and is infused into the Left. But when the Right Hand is not active, the wrathfulness of the Left increases, and there is no joy. Then the cry rises "Ey kah": "what will become of the 'Cup of Blessing'?" It is retained in the Left Hand and the anger is hot and does not cool. No wonder, then, that there is lamentation and mourning. But the Song of Songs represents the "Cup of Blessing" when tendered by the Right Hand, and therefore all love and joy is found therein, as in no other song in the world. Therefore was this song aroused from the side of the Patriarchs.

'On the day when this song was revealed the Shekinah descended to earth, as it is written, "And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud." Why? Because "the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord" (I Kings VIII, 11). On that day this hymn was revealed, [144a] and Solomon sang in the power of the Holy Spirit this song wherein is to be found the summary of the whole Torah, of the whole work of Creation, of the mystery of the Patriarchs, of the story of the Egyptian exile, and the Exodus therefrom, and of the Song of the Sea. It is the quintessence of the Decalogue, of the Sinaitic covenant, of the significance of Israel's wanderings through the desert, until their arrival in the Promised Land and the building of the Temple. It contains the crowning of the Holy Name with love and joy, the prophecy of Israel's exile among the nations, of their redemption, of the resurrection of the dead, and of all else until that Day which is "Sabbath to the Lord". All that was, is, and shall be, is contained in it; and, indeed, even that which will take place on the "Seventh Day". which will be the "Lord's Sabbath", is indicated in this song. Therefore we are taught that he who recites a verse from the Song of Songs as a mere drinking song causes the Torah to dress in sackcloth and to complain before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Thy children have turned me into an amusement for a drinking bout." Yea, assuredly the Torah says this. Therefore it behoves the faithful to be wary, and to guard every word of the Song of Songs like a crown upon their heads. It may be asked, why, then, is the Song of Songs placed among the Hagiographa (which are not so sacred as the other two parts of Scripture)? The answer is, because it is the Hymn of Praise sung by the Community of Israel at the time when she is crowned above. Therefore no other hymn is so pleasing to the Holy One as this.

'We have been taught that the three words, Shir hashirim asher (Song of Songs which) connote the placing of the "cup of blessing" between the Right Hand and the Left, and its raising towards "the King to whom peace belongs", grace being thus carried higher and higher to the mystery of the En-Sof (Infinite). Again, the four words of the title correspond to the mystery of the perfect Holy Chariot (formed by the three patriarchs and David). Again, "song" stands for King David, the mover of song; "songs" for the Fathers, the high chiefs; "Solomon" for Him Who rides in this perfect Chariot. [4] This verse thus contains the inner meaning of the phrase, "from eternity to eternity", the mystery of the whole Faith. The whole is a perfect Chariot for That which is cognizable and That which is unknowable and which no one can apprehend. Therefore this verse was given in four words, containing the mystery of the complete Chariot as from four sides.

'Again, within this mystery there is another. We have been taught that if one sees grapes in a dream, if they be white, it is a good omen, but if they are black in colour, then, if the dream occur at a time when grapes are in season, they are of good significance, but if not, prayer is needed to avert the omen. Why this difference between white and black, between in season and out of season? Again, it has been said, that one who dreams that he has eaten black grapes can be certain that he will enter the world to come. Why? The clue is to be found in the tradition that the forbidden fruit which was eaten by Adam and Eve was the grape, the fruit of the vine, [5] for it is written: "their grapes are grapes of gall" (Deut. XXXII, 32) -- namely, the black grapes. Thus of the two kinds of grapes, black and white, when seen in a dream, the white signify something good because they emanate from, and are the product of, the side of life, but the black emanate from the side of death, and therefore one who in a dream sees or eats of such grapes requires special intercession. Again, why do black grapes portend good if dreamt of when in season? As we have already pointed out, when the dream is dreamed at the time when white grapes are in season naught but good is portended. Why so? Because at that time the whole world is made fair and joyous when they predominate, and both white and black fit into the scheme of things; but when the white grapes are not in season, and so have no special power, then the dream-appearance of the black grapes is a sign that the judgement of death hangs over the dreamer, and he needs to plead for mercy because he has beheld the fruit (lit. the tree) which caused Adam's sin, and in consequence of that sin death to himself and to the whole world. Here a problem arises which I would not mention were not the Master here. We have been taught that this world is formed on the pattern of the world above, and that whatever takes place in this earthly realm occurs also in the realm above. But when the serpent caused death to Adam in this world, what could have corresponded to that in the upper spheres? [144b] One might say that the serpent causes the light of the Moon -- the female aspect of the Deity -- to be diminished for a time, and this is a kind of death. But why did the male also die? Besides, even as to the "Moon" or feminine aspect, we have been taught that the diminishing of her light was not due to the Serpent but to another cause, because she complained against the sun. [6] Shall we say that her spouse shares the same fate? Can we imagine a defect in the highest? This is one of the mysteries of the Torah; but the Serpent did indeed cause a defect in all the worlds. Mark this. We have been taught that everything that the Holy One created, both above and below, He created in the mystery of male and female, and there is an infinity of grades in the supernal spheres, each differing from the other; and those grades which are of the same kind God framed and united in one "Body", in the mystery of the primordial Man. We have also been taught that on the second day of Creation, when the Gehenna was created, one body was formed in the mystery of Man, and those limbs that came near to the fire of Gehenna and were consumed returned to their original state, and this was because those limbs came near to that Serpent. This is the primordial Man who was enticed to the tent of the Serpent, and in this sense died, the Serpent causing him death because he came too near to him. Everywhere man is male and female, but the Holy Supernal Man rules over all and gives food and life to all. And withal this mighty Serpent withheld light from all. When it defiles the tabernacle the Female of that Man dies, and the Male dies and they return to their elemental state, and in this way lower and upper correspond. "If he ate of the black grapes he can feel confident that he will enter the world to come", because he has (symbolically) prevailed over and destroyed that place, and since he has removed the stubborn "shell", he has drawn near to the world to come, and none will gainsay him. In the same way there could be no song in the house of David until the "black grapes" had been subdued and removed, and then Solomon sang the "Song of Songs", as already mentioned.

'This canticle is superior to all that preceded it; for those which were sung by Solomon's predecessors ascended only to join with the company of the songs chanted by the angels, as, for instance, the "Song of degrees to David", which means "the song which the celestial grades sing to David", to solicit nourishment from him; or again, as we might translate, "a song of degrees for the sake of David", the great king who always praises the Great King. But when Solomon came, he sang a song which is high above even that of David, a song which is the very same as that sung by the great ones of the realms above, the pillars of the universe, in honour of the Supernal King who is the lord of all peace and harmony. Other men send up praises by means of lower Chariots, but King Solomon by means of higher Chariots. It may be asked, What of Moses, who ascended further than all other men in the grade of prophecy and love of the Holy One, blessed be He? Did his song also reach no further than the lower Chariots? The song which Moses uttered did indeed ascend on high, but the truth is, that although it was not on a level with the Canticle of King Solomon, whom no man equalled in poetry, Moses' song was praise and thanksgiving to the Supernal King who redeemed Israel and wrought many signs and wonders for them, both in Egypt and at the Red Sea; but King David and Solomon his son sang [145a] with quite different purposes. David endeavoured to prepare the virgins (the celestial grades) and to adorn them for the Matrona's presence so that She and her maidens might be manifested in beauty and grace. When Solomon came he found that Matrona and the virgins thus adorned, so he in his turn aspired to lead the Bride to the Bridegroom. He brought the Bridegroom to the place where beneath the marriage canopy the Bride awaited Him, and drew them together with words of love, that they might be united as One, in one perfection, in perfect love. Therefore Solomon produced a more sublime song than all other men. Moses, by building the Tabernacle, brought about the union of the Matrona with the-world here below, Solomon brought about the perfect union of the Matrona with the Bridegroom above: he first led Him to the Canopy, and then brought them both down to this world and prepared a habitation for them in the Sanctuary which he built. It might be asked, How could Moses bring down the Shekinah alone? Would not this cause separation above? The answer is that the Holy One first caused the Shekinah to be united with Moses, and She became, as it were, Moses' bride, as has already been pointed out. As soon as She was united with Moses, She descended to this world and united Herself with it, and She became firmly established in this world, as never before. But no man since Adam was first created has ever brought about love and union above except King Solomon, who, as we have said, first prepared that union and then invited the Bridegroom and the Bride to the House which he prepared for them. Blessed are David and Solomon his son who have furthered the Supernal Union. Since the day when the Holy One said to the Moon, Go and make Thyself small, She was never again joined in perfect union with the Sun until Solomon came.

'Shir hashirim asher lishlomoh. Here are five grades which shall unite in the world to come: shir (song) is one; hashirim (songs) are two, which together make three; asher (which) is four; lishlomoh (Solomon's) is five. "Solomon" is in the fifth; for the fiftieth day is the mystery of the Jubilee. Mark now. Solomon would not have been able to bring about the union above had not union of the Shekinah with the world below been already completed in Her union with Moses; one could not have been without the other. All this is a supreme mystery, which yet is revealed to those of a wise heart. It is written concerning Solomon, that he "spake three thousand proverbs and his song was a thousand and five" (I Kings v, 12). This has been interpreted by the Companions to mean that every word that he uttered has three thousand allegorical meanings, as, for instance, his book Ecclesiastes (Koheleth), which has a profound esoteric meaning and is written in the fashion of an allegory. Verily, there is no word in this book which does not contain profound wisdom and allegorical significance, even unto the very least and smallest verse. R. Hamnuna the Ancient, for instance, when he came to the verse, "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart . . . but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement" (Eccl. XI, 9), used to weep, saying: "Verily, this verse is fittingly taken as an allegory, and who can enlarge on it? If it is to be taken literally, it expresses no more than a fact which we see with our eyes; but if, on the other hand, the passage contains esoteric wisdom, who can apprehend it?"' Then he corrected himself and said: 'It is written, "These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the young man was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report" (Gen. XXXVII, 2). The verse which we have just quoted from Ecclesiastes is an allegory on the esoteric meaning of this verse from the Pentateuch. "Rejoice, O young man," corresponds to "and the young man"; "and let thy heart cheer thee" to "was feeding the flock"; "in the days of thy youth" to "with the sons of Bilhah", etc.; "but know thou that for all these things" to "and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report"; "God will bring thee into judgement" corresponds to "These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph .... " Joseph was here included in Jacob. Who can fully grasp the secrets of the Torah? This allegory branches off into three thousand other allegories which are yet all comprised [145b] in this one, in which, as we see, Joseph was included in Jacob. The three thousand other veiled implications concern Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are, however, all indicated in this allegory of the mystery of wisdom which is revealed only to the faithful. Here, too, how many pretended merchants are there, or serving men, who are really great men of learning? So, too, there is no end to the hidden meanings of wisdom. Hence it says: "And his song was a thousand and five" : that is, as we have interpreted, "the song of every proverb". However, whether the "his" refers to Solomon or to the proverb, it is all the same, since the one was the author of the other. The "song" refers to the "Song of Songs". But does this song actually consist of a thousand and five? Assuredly! The "five" refers to the five gates and doors which open toward the "King whose is the peace". They are the five hundred years of the Tree of Life, the fifty years of the Jubilee. The "thousand" refers to the Tree of Life as such, to the Bridegroom who goes out from its side and takes possession of the five gates, in order to draw nigh unto the Bride and claim Her. The Day of the Holy One, blessed be He, is a thousand years, and this number symbolizes also the River which goes out of Eden. Joseph was called "Righteous" after the Moon, the Shekinah, according to a special agreement between her and the Holy One. Therefore, the Song of Songs i., holy of holies, and there is no verse in this Canticle which does not contain the mystery of the "thousand and five". There are five grades contained in the title, as we have said. But why is the "thousand" not indicated? The truth is that this is hidden and will remain hidden until the Wife (the Shekinah) unites Herself with her Husband. Therefore Solomon endeavoured to bring that "Thousand" to the Bride in secret, by the aid of the mysterious ring whereon is engraved the seal of the supernal wisdom (cf. Targum on Eccl. I, 7). As soon as he had completed the making of the Holy of Holies below, the mystery of the Holy of Holies above ascended and was hidden, so that the concealment of the Union might be complete above and below, according to the Divine purpose. "The Holy of Holies" above is the mystery of the Supernal Wisdom and Jubilee. Corresponding to this, the Bridegroom and the Bride inherit the inheritance of Father and Mother, but in a reversed manner. The inheritance of the Father passes to the Daughter in the ascension of the Holy Name, wherefore She is also called "Holy" and "Wisdom". The possession of the Mother is inherited by the Son, and is called "the Holies", because He takes all those supernal holy attributes and gathers them up unto Himself, and then takes them to the Bride. Therefore it says: "Song of Songs": "Song" corresponding to the "Holy" and "Songs" to the "Holies", in order that both these aspects may be fused into one whole in manner due. "Which is Solomon's": as has been already pointed out, this refers to the King "whose is the peace". Yet think not that this praise is His, for it ascends to a still more supernal realm. The mystery is as follows. When the Masculine and the Feminine are united as one under the Highest King, then that Supernal King ascends and is filled with all the sanctifications and benedictions, and pours them down below, this being His great pleasure, to be filled with such sanctifications and benedictions and to pour them down below. Therefore the significance of all our prayers and praises is that by means of them the upper Fountain may be filled; for when it is so filled and attains completeness, then the universe below, and all that appertains thereto, is filled also and receives completeness from the completion which has been consummated in the upper sphere. The world below cannot, indeed, be in a state of harmony except it receive that peace and perfection from above, even as the moon has no light in herself, but shines with the reflected radiance of the sun. All our prayers and intercessions have this purpose, namely, that the region from whence light issues may be invigorated; for then from its reflection all below is supplied. This is the whole significance of Solomon's Canticle, that "the King to whom peace belongs" may be invigorated, for when that is so, all is invigorated from His reflected glory, but otherwise there is no remedy for the moon. [146a]

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AND THIS IS THE HEAVE- OFFERING. We have been told that at the revelation on Mount Sinai, when the Torah was given to Israel in Ten Words, each Word became a voice, and every voice was divided into seventy voices, all of which shone and sparkled before the eyes of all Israel, so that they saw eye to eye the splendour of His Glory, as it is written: "And all the people saw the voices" (Ex. XX, 18). Yea verily, they saw. The voice so formed warned each individual Israelite, saying: "Wilt thou accept me with all the commandments implicit in me?" To which the reply came: "Yes". Then the voice circled round his head once more, asking: "Wilt thou accept me with all the penalties attached to me in the Law?" And again he answered "Yes". Then the voice turned and kissed him on the mouth, as it is written: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" (S.S. I, 2). And all that the Israelites saw then they beheld in one Light (the Shekinah) in which were focused all the other lights, and they yearned to possess it. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, unto them: "This light which ye have seen on Mount Sinai, in which all the colours of the other lights are combined, and which ye so desire, shall be yours: have it, take it unto yourselves!" And these colours which she combines are the gold, silver, brass, etc., mentioned here. [7]

'Another interpretation of "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" is as follows. What prompted King Solomon, when recording words of love between the Upper and the Lower world, to begin with the words, "Let him kiss me"? The reason is, as has been laid down, that no other love [146b] is like unto the ecstasy of the moment when spirit (ruah = breath) cleaves to spirit in a kiss, more especially a kiss on the mouth, which is the well of spirit (breath) and its medium. When mouth meets mouth, spirits unite the one with the other, and become one -- one love. In the Book of the first R. Humnuna the Ancient it is said of this sentence, "the kiss of love expands in four directions (ruhoth), and these are unified in one, and this is part of the secret of Faith". The Four spirits ascend in four letters, these being the letters from which depends the Holy Name, and with it all things that are, both above and below. Also the hymning of the Song of Songs derives its meaning therefrom. And what are these four letters? A H B H (Love), which form a supernal chariot. They constitute the linking of all things into a perfect whole. These four letters are the four directions of the love and joy of all the limbs of the Body without any sadness at all. Four directions are there in the kiss, [8] each one fulfilling itself in union with the other. And when two spirits thus become mutually interlocked they form two which are as one, and thus the four form one perfect whole. When they separate, there is formed from these four a certain offspring, a spirit formed of four spirits which ascends and splits the firmaments until it reaches a palace which is called the "Palace of Love", because all love is centred there; and therefore this spirit is also called "Love". When that spirit ascends to this Palace, it incites the Palace to attach itself to that which is above. As we have said, there are four letters which proceed in four directions, and they are the letters which spell the word Love. Their fruit is Love. When they unite, one is active towards one direction, another towards the opposite direction. First comes the letter Aleph (in A H B H). Then comes the letter He, which unites itself with the Aleph in love. From these two other letters issue Beth and He, and spirits are interlocked with spirits in love. Then the letters arise and float away in the breath of that spirit which ascended, and adorn themselves within it in the proper fashion. When love, thus consummated according to those four directions, ascends aloft, it meets with a celestial Chief who is appointed over one thousand nine hundred and ninety firmaments and over the outward flowing of the thirteen streams of pure balsam which descend from the mysterious supernal Dew. That outflow is called "Mighty Waters". This Chief tries to prevent the spirit from proceeding. but does not prevail, and it makes its way to the Palace of Love. Concerning this matter, Solomon speaks at the end of his Canticle, saying: "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it" (S.S. VIII, 7). This refers to the supernal waters which we have just mentioned -- those that descend from the Supernal Dew -- and to the thirteen streams of pure balsam. The Chief of whom we have spoken is an angel sent forth by the Holy One, blessed be He. He is lord over many celestial hosts. He wreathes crowns for his Lord, and this is the significance of his name, Akathriel (God-crowning); for he prepares crowns from the graven and inscribed Name Y H V H J H Zebaoth. When that love spirit enters the Palace of Love the love-yearning for the supernal kisses is aroused, those concerning which it is written: "And Jacob kissed Rachel" (Gen. XXIX, 11), so that the kisses of the supernal love are duly brought forth, and they are the beginning of the awakening of all supernal love, attachment and union. For this reason the Hymn begins with the words: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth." Now who is "he"? He who is hidden within the supernal concealment. Can, then, the Most Recondite be the fount of kisses, and kiss that which is below? See now. The Most Recondite is beyond cognition, but reveals of Himself a tenuous and veiled brightness shining only along a narrow path which extends from Him, and this is the brightness that irradiates all. This is the starting-point of all esoteric mysteries, itself being unknowable. Or rather, it is sometimes indiscoverable, sometimes discoverable, but even were it wholly indiscoverable the impulse to the ascending of kisses still depends on it. And because He is veiled, the Canticle also begins with a veiled expression, "let him kiss me", to wit, Him who is veiled above. And with what [147a] shall he kiss? With that supernal Chariot from which all colours depend, and in which all are united. Therefore it says, "With the kisses of his mouth". "For thy love is better than wine" (lit. good from wine): this denotes the Sun which gives light to the Moon from the radiance of those supernal kisses, which He gathers up and passes on to the Moon. And from whence is that light derived? From the "preserved wine", from the "wine" which is the joy of all joys. And who is this Wine which gives life and joy to all? Elohim Hayyim (Living God). Also the "Wine of the Name YHVH", the joy of love and mercy, the source of all life and joy.'

The Companions then came and kissed R. Jose on his head. R. Simeon wept, and said: 'I know for a certainty that the Holy Spirit from above has made itself manifest here.' They all wept with joy, and he continued: 'Blessed is this generation! There will be none other like unto it until King Messiah shall appear, when the Torah shall be restored to her ancient pride of place. Blessed are the righteous in this world and in the world to come!'

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AND THIS IS THE HEAVE-OFFERING WHICH YE SHALL TAKE FROM THEM. Said R. Eleazar: 'This verse has been interpreted and the inner mystery thereof explained. But there is evidently a contradiction between the above verse (where it says "That they take Me a heave-offering") and this. First it says, "take Me"; then "take My heave-offering"; then "take from them". However, the whole meaning amounts to this: "Take Me (as) a heave-offering" -- but who should take? The children of Israel. And from whom should they take? "From every man whose heart impells him", namely from the supernal angels above, upon. whom this "Heave" (the Shekinah) is raised, those who do perpetually raise Her up to the Supernal King; and when Israel is worthy, they take Her from them and bring Her down. Who are those angels? The four who raise Her, and in whom the Heart (God) takes delight. Yet, though this "heave-offering" is borne aloft by them, "ye shall take" from them, in order to bring Her down to earth. How are they to do so, even in this dispensation? By the power of good works, prayer, and the keeping of the Law. But at the time when the Temple yet stood, it was by means of the colours that were manifested below, after the pattern of the colours above, through the sacrificial worship. Those colours drew down the Terumah (the Shekinah) to the lower spheres; that is to say, the colours which were below prevailed over those that were above, the former bringing down the latter, one entering into the other, the former becoming "bodies" for the latter. Therefore it says, "which ye shall take from them".

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'GOLD, AND SILVER, ETC. "Gold" is included in Gabriel. The supernal gold is carried below by Gabriel, and seven kinds of gold separate themselves from it. "Silver" above is united with Michael below, and one rests on the other. "Brass" is also above; it originates from gold, because gold and five have the same symbolism. It is fire which brings forth brass, and from this power emanate supernal mysterious serpents (nehashim = nehosheth = brass) and Seraphim brought forth by fire (from saraph, to burn). Therefore brass is golden, lit with orange and red, like fire. It is contained in Noriel (Fire of God) and forms his body. Techeleth (purple blue) is contained in both brass and gold, and derives energy from both sides. It possesses great strength and nothing can obtain dominion over it. It forms the throne of the power of judgement, and is therefore called "Boe1" ("In him is El", i.e. God as Power), as it is written: "And El (God) is angry every day" (Ps. VII, 12). But when men turn back to God with perfect repentance, his name is changed into Raphael (God heals): for he brings healing to assuage the pains of that bitter judgement. [147b] In "purple-red" (Argoman) gold and silver are fused: Michael and Gabriel are intertwined with each other, and of this it is written: "He maketh peace among the dwellers on high" (Job XXV, 2). The two, being joined one with the other, become one body. There is "crimson" also above, contained in Uriel, like the former, to combine purple-blue and purple-red. Byssus also is above, contained, like the former, in the mystery of Raphael, in order that silver and gold may be united. So much for the mystery of the seven pillars [9] above which are contained in the seven that are below.

'Assuredly, there is shell within shell for protection, or rather, as we have said, brain within brain. Thus there is goats' hair, as the shell which guards the brain. "Rams' skins reddened" symbolizes the mail-clad lords with the flaming eyes [10] -- "And his eyes as lamps of fire" (Dan. X, 6). They are called outer "firmaments" within the "shell". "Tahash skins": these are powers which stand on the holy side but are not in union with it. As has been said above, Abraham begat a son by the "other" wife, whose name was Tahash (Gen. XXII, 24), a brother of Ishmael by his mother; so, just as there is a celestial representative of Esau, so likewise is there one of Ishmael. Ishmael's mother begat Tahash from Abraham. For, in spreading radiance on air things, the primordial light, as it shone forth on all sides, also shot forth sparks. When it was established, God stored it away. For whom? For the righteous. And why for them? In order that it might bring forth fruit through and in them. And so it indeed was, for they did bring forth fruit in the world, for Abraham and Sarah "made souls" (Gen. XII, 5) [11], and as they made souls under the sign of holiness, so they also did under the sign of the "other side"; for, were it not for this impulse which Abraham implanted in the "other side", there would be no proselytes in the world. "Acacia wood" has already been explained as symbolizing the Seraphim, who "stand above it" (Isa. VI, 2); that is to say, above the Shell (v. supra). "Oil for the candle-stick." This symbolizes the supernal oil which emanates from above. It has two names: "The oil of the light" (Ex. XXXIX, 37), and the "oil for the light". The former is the one above; the latter the one below. The former never ceases to flow: it is always full of holiness and of blessing, and all lights and lamps are blessed and lit up from thence. The latter is sometimes full and sometimes otherwise. It is written: "And God made the two great lights: the great light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night" (Gen. I, 16). This has been correctly interpreted by the Companions, but we may add the following. The "two great lights" refer to the "Oil of the light" and the "Oil for the light": the higher world and the lower world; the Masculine (Sun) and the Feminine (Moon), which, when they are manifested together, are both called by the masculine gender. Because the upper world is called "great", the lower world, which is united with it, is also called "great", but as soon as the above and the below part, and are separate, the one is called "great" and the other "small". Therefore the ancients said that "man should rather be a tail to lions than a head to foxes" (Pirke Aboth IV, 20). For the part bears the designation of the whole; since the tail of a lion is certainly lion, without any separation. Similarly, the head of a fox is still [148a] fox. Thus, as we see, it first calls both the Sun and the Moon "great lights", but when the Moon has separated Herself from the Sun she is called "small", even as to be head to a fox is less than to be tail to a lion. Symbolically, therefore, the "oil of the Light" never ceases: it stands in the path of perpetual ascent, in order to rule by day, but the "oil for the light" is intermittent, and is called "small" on this account, and rules at night. The five materials of which the spices were composed (Ex. XXX, 34) were" for the anointing oil and for the incense". These two are really one with the "onyx stones", etc. Thus there are thirteen things connected with the construction of the Tabernacle. We may now revert to the former interpretation of their symbolism.

'It has been remarked that there are seven kinds of gold. Now, it might be thought that there is a mistake here, since gold denotes judgement and silver mercy, and yet gold appears to be reckoned as being above silver. There is, however, no mistake. Gold really does surpass all, but only that gold which is the seventh and the best of all the species of gold, and which is meant by the term "gold" here. It is the kind which shines and sparkles, dazzling the eyes, and he who gets hold of it hides it carefully. From it all other kinds emanate. And when is it called "gold"? When its radiance rises in the awe-inspiring glory of supernal joy to waft back to those below a measure of this holy joy. When it stands for the sign of judgement it changes colour to blue, dark blue, and red -- indicating severe judgement. But its essential character is joy, and it ever ascends with joy and trembling to the supernal regions and awakens joyousness. The silver below is connected with the mystery of the Right Arm, while the Supernal Head is symbolized by gold, as it is written: "Thou art the head of gold" (Dan. II, 38). And when does silver find its consummation? When it is contained in gold, a mystery alluded to in the words, "Like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (Prov. XXV, II). Thus silver comes back to gold, completing the circle. So there are indeed seven kinds of gold. Brass originates from gold, of which it is a degenerate form, and forms the Left Arm; purple-blue forms the Left Thigh; dark purple, included in the left, forms the Right Thigh. Byssus is the "River which issues forth" and which unifies all the six sides (shesh = byssus = shesh = six), and, as we have already pointed out, the same thing obtains below. Thus with this river there are seven corresponding to the seven cycles of the "Jubilee", and the "seven" of the years of release (Deut. XV, 9)' Although ~here are six they are thirteen through the seventh. Thus the thirteenth is the head, which stands on the whole body below, which is above all the limbs and is of gold. What, now, is the difference between the two kinds of gold? The higher gold is in the symbol of the closed mystery, and its name is Zahab sagur, "shut-in-gold", that is, pure precious gold (I Kings VI, 20, 21), shut off and hidden from all, concealed from the eye, which has no power over it, but the gold below is more revealed.' [12] [148b]

It is written: "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light" (Gen. I, 3). Said R. Jose: 'That light was hidden 'and kept in store for the righteous in the world to come, as already stated; for it is written, "A light is sown for the righteous" (Ps. XCVII, 11). Thus that light functioned in the world only on the first day of Creation; after that it was hidden away and no longer seen.' Said R. Judah: 'Had it been hidden away altogether, [149a] the world would not have been able to exist for one moment. But it was only hidden like a seed which generates others, seeds and fruits, and the world is sustained by it. There is not a day that something does not emanate from that light to sustain all things, for it is with this that the Holy One nourishes the world. Moreover, whenever the Torah is studied by night, a little thread of this hidden light steals down and plays upon them that are absorbed in their study, wherefore it is written: "The Lord commandeth His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song is with me" (Ps. XLII, 9); this has already been expounded. On the day when the Tabernacle was set up on earth, what do we read concerning it? "And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon" (Ex. XL, 35). What was that cloud? It was a thread from the side of the primordial light, which, issuing forth joyously, entered the Shekinah and descended into the Tabernacle below. After the first day of Creation it was never again made fully manifest, but it performs a function, renewing daily the work of Creation.'

R. Jose was once deep in study, R. Isaac and R. Hezekiah being with him. Said R. Isaac: 'We are aware that the structure of the Tabernacle corresponds to the structure of heaven and earth. The Companions have given us just a taste of this mystery, but not enough for a real mouthful.' Said R. Jose: 'Let us take our difficulties to the holy lamp (R. Simeon), for he is able to prepare savoury dishes such as the Holy Ancient One, the most hidden of all secret beings, has prepared for him, and which require no added flavour from anyone else. From his dishes one can eat and drink, and sate oneself as with all the delicacies of the world, and leave over. Of him can it be said, "So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof according to the word of the Lord" (2 Kings IV, 44).' R. Jose continued: 'It is written: "And God gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they two made a league together" (1 Kings V, 26). This verse has been expounded in more than one place. The expression, "And God" (Va-Yhvh) signifies agreement between the higher and lower spheres, namely, that He and His council are at one. "Gave wisdom", as one presents a gift to a beloved friend. "As He promised him"; that is to say, the gifts of wisdom, riches, peace and dominion. "And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon"; this indicates that they had a private code between them which other men did not understand. King Solomon realized that even in that most perfect of all generations it was not the will of the Supernal King that so much wisdom should be revealed by him, that the Torah which had hitherto been hidden should now be disclosed, because he opened a door to it. Hence, even though he did thus open the door, the full meaning of his words was yet undisclosed except to the wise, such as are worthy, and they, too, could only fumble with them and not express them clearly. But, in this generation of R. Simeon, the Holy One, blessed be He, is willing that for his sake these hidden mysteries shall be revealed through him. Therefore I am amazed at the scholars of this generation, that they neglect even for a moment to seek the presence of R. Simeon in order to study with him, as long as he is permitted to stay with us in this world. Nevertheless, wisdom shall not vanish from the world in this generation. Alas, for that generation from which he shall be taken away! The wise will then diminish and wisdom shall be forgotten.' Said R. Isaac: 'That is assuredly true. Once, when I was walking with him and he opened his mouth to expound the Torah, a pillar of cloud reaching from heaven to earth appeared and stood before us, and in it a great light shone, and I trembled exceedingly. Blessed is the man, I said, to whom in this world so much is vouchsafed. What is it that is written concerning Moses? "And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the Tabernacle door; and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door" (Ex. XXXIII, 10). Such a vision was fitting for a teacher like Moses, the faithful prophet, the greatest of all the prophets, and for that generation which received the Torah on Mount Sinai, and which had seen signs and wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea. But in this generation it is the merit of R. Simeon alone that makes it possible for us to behold these wonders through him.' [149b]

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by **admin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:32 am

Part 2 of 6

AND PURPLE BLUE. Said R. Isaac: 'This colour is obtained from a fish of the Lake of Genessareth, which is in the territory of Zebulun. This colour had to appear in the Tabernacle for the following reason. It is written: "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters" (Gen. 1, 6). That firmament was created on the second day, because this creative act comes from the Left Side (separation), and on this day, too, was Gehenna created from the dross of the fire of the Left side. Now the sea was dyed with that purple blue colour which symbolizes the Throne of Judgement. That day also received water from the Right Side, which nevertheless did not emerge till the second day, in order that one (attribute) might be combined with and reinforced by the other. The light of the first day of Creation was the first of all the six lights. It came from the side of fire, as it is written: "And the light of Israel shall be for a fire" (Isa. X, 17). That "light of Israel" emanated from the Right Side, and was (yet) contained in the fire. Now, the first of those six days is (symbolically) water, but it performed the function not of water but of light, which is from the side of fire, which is of the second day, to make manifest that the Holy One created the world on the foundation of peace, and that everything has grown out of peace. Thus the first day performed all its operations from the Side of the second, and the second operated from the Side of the first day. Each functioned with the work of the other, to show that one was merged in the other. The third day was a synthesis of both the first and the second; therefore it says concerning the third day of Creation "And God saw that it was good" twice (Gen. I, 10, 12). On this day the purple-blue was formed out of two other colours, red and black, the colours of the second day. The fiery red, which is the proper colour of the second day, is an attribute of Elohim, and it was assigned (in the Tabernacle) the colour of gold, which resembles it. When the red came down it plunged into the Sea, where it became dark blue, which is also an attribute of Elohim, but of an aspect less rigorous than the former. As for the black, it was formed as the residue of the original red when it came down below, for being as it were smelted, it formed round it a slimy element which was first an intense red, and finally was transformed into black. All these are transformations out of the primeval red; and all this was created on the second day and is designated "other gods". That black is so dark as to be almost indiscernible. The Holy Lamp put it this way. When the red was transformed into purple-blue, and the colours mixed, a scum was thrown off which sank to the depths and turned into mire and dirt, as it is written, "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt" (Isa. LVII, 20). And from that dirt of the Sea came that black which is dark, and not only dark but superlatively black-"Darkness upon the face of the deep" (Gen. 1, 2). And why is it called "darkness"? Both because of its colour and because it darkens the face of Creation. It is both red and black, therefore it does not say of the second day of Creation, "And God saw that it was good". But have we not been taught that the words "And behold it was very good" (Gen. I, 31) include the Angel of Death? How, then, is it possible to say that it is because of him that it is not said of the second day that it was very good? Verily, herein is a mystery of mysteries. The Angel of Death is indeed good. Why so? Because, since all men know that one day they must die, many turn to repentance from fear of him before the Lord. Many fear the King because the lash looms before their eyes. Then is the lash indeed beneficial, making men good and virtuous and upright. Hence the Angel of Death is referred to as "very good". [150a]

'Concerning this mystery, the Holy Lamp (R. Simeon) gave us the following explanation: "And behold it was good" refers to the Angel of Life; "very" to the Angel of Death, for he is of greater importance. And why? When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, all was prepared for the coming of Man, who is the king of this world. Man was fashioned to walk in the straight way, as it is written: "God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions" (Eccl. VII, 29). He made him upright, but he gave himself over to corruption and was therefore driven out of the Garden of Eden. This Garden was planted by the Holy One, blessed be He, on the earth with the full Name (YHVH Elohim), and made an exact likeness of its prototype, the Paradise above, and all supernal forms were fashioned and shaped in it, and the cherubs were there-not those carved in gold or any material that could be fashioned by human hands, but of supernal light, fashioned and broidered through the agency of the perfect Name of the Holy One. All the images and forms of all things in this world were there fashioned, all having the similitude of the things in this world. And this place is the abode of holy spirits, both of those that have come into this world, and also of those that have not yet come into this world. Those that are about to come are invested with garments and with faces and bodies like those in this world, and they g8ze upon the glory of their Lord until the time comes for them to appear in the world. When they leave the Garden for that purpose, these spirits put off their celestial bodies and garments and take on the bodies and garments of this world; they henceforth make their abode in this world in the garments and bodies fashioned from the seed of procreation. So when the time comes for the spirit to leave this world again, it cannot do so until the Angel of Death has taken off the garment of this body. When that has been done, he again puts on that other garment in the Garden of Eden of which he had had to divest himself when he entered this world. And the whole joy of the spirit is in that celestial body. In it he rests and moves, and contemplates continually the supernal mysteries which, when he was in the earthly body, he could neither grasp nor understand. When the soul clothes herself with the garments of that world, what delights, what joys, she experiences! And who caused the body to be inhabited by the spirit? Why, he who took off the garment of flesh, the Angel of Death!

'God shows kindness to His creatures in not divesting them of their earthly garment until other garments, more precious and finer than these, are prepared for them. But the wicked, they who have never turned to their Lord with a perfect repentance -- naked they came into this world, and naked they must return from it, and their souls go in shame to join the other souls in like plight, and they are judged in the earthly Gehenna by the fire from above. Some of them flutter upward after a time; these are the souls of the sinners who had intended to repent, but died before they had carried out their intentions. These are judged first in Gehenna and then flutter upward. See how great is the mercy of the Holy One towards His creatures! The most wicked sinner, if he have intended repentance, but dies without carrying out his resolve, is, it is true, punished for having gone out of this world without having repented, but his good intention is not lost, but it ascends to the Supernal King and there remains until the Holy One, seeing it, prepares for that soul a place of refuge in "Sheol", where it twitters repentance. For the good intention issues from before the Holy One, and, 5reaking all the strong gates of the habitations of Gehenna; reaches at last the place where that sinner lies. It smites him and awakens in him again that intention which he had had on earth, [150b] causing the soul to struggle and ascend from the abode of Sheol. Truly, no good thought is ever lost from the remembrance of the Holy King. Therefore, blessed is he who nourishes good thoughts towards his Lord, for, even if he cannot put them into practice, the Holy One takes the will for the deed. This is the case with good thoughts. With evil thoughts, however, the will is not taken for the deed, save in the case of idolatry, as has been explained by the Companions. The wicked who had never given a thought to repentance go down to Sheol and never come out from thence, as it is written of them, "As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to sheol shall come up no more" (Job VII, 9). But, concerning those others who had intended to repent, it says, "The Lord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth down to sheol and bringeth up" (I Sam. II, 6).'

Said R. Judah: 'Why are the sinners punished by the fire of Gehenna? Because the fire of Gehenna, which bums day and night, corresponds to the hot passion of sinfulness in man. There was once a period when for some time sin ceased to rule because it had been thrown into the iron ring in the abyss of the Ocean. During that period the fire of Gehenna went out and did not burn at all. When sinfulness returned, and again began to burn in the hearts of sinners, the fire of Gehenna was started again, for it is the heat of sinful passion in the hearts of sinners that kindles and keeps alight the fires of Gehenna, causing them to bum day and night without ceasing. Gehenna has seven doors which open into seven habitations; and there are also seven types of sinners: evildoers, worthless ones, sinners, the wicked, corrupters, mockers, and arrogant ones; and corresponding with them are the habitations in Gehenna, for each kind a particular place, all according to grade. And over each habitation a special angel is appointed, all being under the direction of Duma, who has thousands and myriads of angels under him, to punish sinners according to their deserts. The fire of the Gehenna which is below comes from the Gehenna which is above, and is kindled by the heat of the sinners in whom the evil inclination bums, and there all the piles burn. In Gehenna there are certain places and grades called "Boiling filth", where the filth of the souls that have been polluted by the filth of this world accumulates. There these souls are purified by fire and made white, and then they ascend towards the heavenly regions. Their filth remains behind and the evil grades, called "Boiling filth", are appointed over that filth and the fire of Gehenna rules over it. There are certain sinners who pollute themselves over and over again by their own sins and are never purified. They die without repentance, having sinned themselves and caused others to sin, being stiff-necked and never showing contrition before the Lord while in this world; these are they who are condemned to remain for ever in this place of "boiling filth" and never leave it. Those who have corrupted their ways upon earth and reeked not of the honour of their Lord in this world are condemned to remain there for all generations. On Sabbaths, New Moons, special seasons and festivals, the fire is extinguished there, and they have a respite from punishment, but, unlike sinners of a lesser degree who are accorded relief, they are not allowed to leave that place even on such days. As for those who, when on earth, profaned the Sabbath and the festivals, and reeked not of the honour of their Lord, but openly profaned the holy days, these days, since they were not regarded in this world by these sinners, do not keep or guard them now in the other world; and so they have no rest.' Said R. Jose: 'Do not say this, for the truth is that there they are forced to keep the Sabbaths and festivals even against their will.' 'It is the heathen', rejoined R. Judah, 'who, not having been commanded to keep the Sabbath in this world, are there forced to keep it. Every Sabbath Eve, at the time of the sanctification of the day, heralds [151a] are sent to proclaim throughout the length of Gehenna: "Cease from punishing the wicked! The Holy King is come; the Sabbath is about to be sanctified. He takes them all under His protection", and all chastisements cease and the wicked find rest for a space. But the fire of Gehenna never ceases to bum those souls who have never kept the Sabbath, and sinners there ask concerning them: "Wherein lies the difference between these and those? Why find these no rest?" And the lords of judgement make answer: "These are sinners who have denied the Holy One, blessed be He, and have broken the whole Law, because they kept not the Sabbath; therefore now have they no rest." Then all other kinds of sinners are allowed to come and see these, the tormented, for whom there is no rest. And a certain angel, named Santriel, goes away to fetch the body of such a sinner from the grave and brings it to Gehenna, holding it up before the eyes of all the sinners, that they may see how it has bred worms; and that soul has no rest in the fire of Gehenna. Then all the sinners of Gehenna swarm round it and call out: "This is such a one, a sinner, who regarded not the honour of his Lord! He denied the Holy One! He denied the whole Torah! Woe unto him! Better it were had he never been born that such punishment and disgrace should not have come upon him '" Concerning such it is written: "And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men, that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh" (Isa. LXVI, 24). "Their worm shall not die" refers to the body; "their fire shall not be quenched", to the soul; "an abhorring (deraon) unto all flesh"; that is to say, all the other sinners will say, "de-raon", we have seen enough of this horrible thing!' Said R. Jose: 'Quite true! For Sabbath is of equal importance with the whole Torah. The Torah is fire, therefore those who have broken it are doomed to be eternally burnt by the fire of Gehenna " Said R. Judah; 'At the conclusion of the Sabbath that angel comes and takes back to the grave the worm-eaten body, and both the body and the soul are punished, each in its way. But this happens only when the body is still intact; if, on the other hand, it is decayed, it is not any longer punished, for the Holy One "doth not stir up all his wrath" (Ps. LXXXIII, 38).

'All sinners, as long as their bodies in the graves are intact, with all their limbs, are judged body and soul together, each in its own way; but as soon as the body is decayed, the punishing of the soul ceases. Those souls that are destined to leave Gehenna now leave it; those that are to have rest now find it, and those who are destined to become dust under the feet of the righteous become dust, each according to its deserts. How excellent a thing it is, therefore, both for the righteous as well as for sinners, when their bodies are in close contact with the earth so that decay can set in quickly and their punishment may not be prolonged through the continued existence of the body; for there is not one of the righteous who can escape the judgement of the grave, for the angel appointed over the graves stands over the body and punishes it daily. And if the righteous have to undergo this judgement of the grave, how much more so the wicked! But when the body decays, the judgement ceases in both cases. The only exceptions are those saints who are the pillars of the world, who merit that their souls immediately after death should ascend forthwith to the regions appointed for them. They, however, are few. It is the Destroying Angel who brings death to all people, except those who die in the Holy Land, to whom death comes by the Angel of Mercy who holds sway there.' Said R. Isaac: 'This being the case, wherein lay the superiority of Moses, Aaron and Miriam, concerning whom it is written that they died "by the mouth of the Lord", meaning that their death was not brought about by the Destroying Angel?' R. Judah replied: [151b] 'Truly, the greatness of these three and their superiority over all others is demonstrated by this, that, although they met their death outside the Holy Land, they, unlike their contemporaries, were not brought to it by the Destroying Angel, but by the Holy One Himself. But in the Holy Land itself, all who die do not die by the hand of the Destroying Angel, because that is the domain of the Holy One; concerning this it is written: "Thy dead shall revive, my dead bodies (nebelati) shall rise; awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust" (Isa. XXVI, 19). "Thy dead" refers to those who die in the Holy Land, who belong to Him alone and to no other power, for the "other side" has no power at all there; they are "Thy dead", namely, those of the Holy One. "My dead bodies" refers to those who die outside the Holy Land by the power of the "destroyer", so they are called nebelah, "dead body", defiling those who touch it. For every animal not slaughtered according to the rule is called nebelah, because slaughter is from the "other side", and as soon as it is improperly carried out the "other side" rests on it, and it is therefore dubbed nebelah, i.e. shamefulness, wickedness, folly; its name describing its character. Therefore, wherever the "other side" has power, it is called nebelah, and those who die outside the Holy Land, being under its power, are therefore called "dead bodies". "Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust"; "dwell" means that they are there but for a short period, and are not really dead but asleep, and have only to be awakened. This refers to those who are "asleep" in Hebron (the Patriarchs); therefore the expression used of them is "expire" (gawa), as of one gone into a trance from which he can be recalled. Thus the four pairs, the Patriarchs and their wives, who lie in Hebron, are asleep and not dead: their bodies are all intact, just as when they lived on earth, and they know the hidden mysteries more than any living being. They were hidden there at the gates of Paradise, and they are referred to in the words "dwell in dust". Truly, those whose souls went out of them as they dwelt in the Holy Land did not die by the power of the "other side", which has no power there, but by the Angel of Mercy, under whose care the Holy Land is.

'There is a place [13] in the world where that "Destroyer" has no power at all, where he is not permitted to enter, and those who live there do not die until they have left the town. And why has the Angel of Destruction no power there? It cannot be because it is not his domain, since even in the Holy Land, which is subject to no alien sway, people die. Nor can it be because it is a holy place, because there is no place so holy as the Holy Land. Nor can it be that it is on account of the merits of its builder, for there have been many men of greater merit.' Said R. Isaac: 'I have not heard any explanation of this, so I shall say nothing.' So they repaired to R. Simeon and asked him concerning this matter. Said he: 'It is indeed true that the Angel of Death has no power over that place, and the Holy One does not wish that anyone should ever die there. Nor should you think that before the town was built people in that place died. Not so. For, from the very beginning of the world God appointed this place to be thus, and to those who would penetrate into the mystery of wisdom there is in this a mystery of mysteries. When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He did so by means of the secret power of letters. The letters were shaken about before Him and He created the world by the tracing of the Holy Name. The letters presented themselves for participation in the world's creation in a variety of permutations. [14] The Holy One said it must end with Yod, and the letter Teth remained hanging alone in the air above that place (Luz). [152a] The light of the letter Teth is Life; therefore, anyone seeing this letter in a dream knows it is a good omen for him. Hence it is that death has no dominion over that place over which this letter hangs. When the Holy One desired the world to be firmly established, then took He a stone on which was engraved the mystery of the twenty-two letters of the Alphabet, and threw it into the waters. It drifted from place to place, but found nowhere to settle until it came to the Holy Land, and the waters followed it until it reached that spot where the Altar was to be established. There the stone sank, and the whole world was firmly established on it. It might be asked, if that place (Luz) is the place where life reigns, why was the Temple not built there, that it might give life also to those who dwell in Jerusalem? The answer is, that in that place abides one letter only, but in the Temple are all the letters by which it was miraculously built, after the manner and in the likeness of the whole Universe. Besides, the Holy Land gives life and expiation to those who are in the other world, but Luz gives life only to those who are in this world. Hence the purpose of the Temple was to obtain forgiveness of the sins of Israel, to make it possible for them to inherit the world to come. Mark this. The letter Teth signifies in all places the light of life; therefore the word "good" (tob) begins with this letter. The Angel of Destruction, when he comes to this letter, must flee, or, rather, he has not the power to approach it at all. This letter is the reverse of the letter Koph, [15] which finds no resting place in the whole world. Now, as Teth dominates this place, so does Koph dominate Gehenna. In the book of R. Hamnuna the Ancient it is written concerning the two letters Heth and Teth that they were not engraved upon the precious stones, those stones of perfection (on the High Priest's ephod), and the names of the Twelve Tribes inscribed on those stones do not contain these two letters, because together they would form the word Het' (sin). All the letters of the Alphabet hang in engraved mysteries of the Holy Names in the Temple place; also Heaven and Earth, and all that is above and below; yea, the Holy Name itself is engraved there. So it was in the Tabernacle also, because "Bezalel possessed such great wisdom that he knew how to combine those letters of the Alphabet by which heaven and earth were created", [16] and so, on account of his great wisdom, the building of the Tabernacle was entrusted to him, and he was set apart from among all the children of Israel. And as one was set apart above, so the Holy One wished that he should be set apart also below. As the Lord said unto Moses: "Behold I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah" (Ex. XXI, 2), so did Moses say unto the children of Israel: "Behold the Lord hath called by name Bezalel", etc. (Ibid. XXV, 30). Therefore his name was Bezalel, i.e. bezel El, "in the very shadow of God". And who is that one? The Righteous, who sits in the shadow of Him whose name is "The Highest God" (El elyon). So this one holds a position below corresponding to that of El above: as El "took six sides", so did the Righteous take six sides; as the El sends out light above, so does this Righteous shed light below; as that El is the synthesis of all the six dimensions, so is that Righteous. "The son of Uri" -- the son of primeval light (or), which the Holy One created in the time of Creation. "The son of Hur" -- the son of absolute freedom (herut); or "the son of the whitest (havra) of all colours". And he is appropriately "of the tribe of Judah".

'As we have already pointed out, all colours seen in dreams signify good things, with the exception of purple-blue (techeleth), and that is because it symbolizes the Throne from which souls are judged. But has it not some white in it? Truly; but when the judgement takes place it appears to be only purple-blue, as we have [152b] said. The sight of that colour reminds a man that he must keep the commandments of his Lord. So it was with the Brazen Serpent in the wilderness: they who looked upon it were filled with awe and fear of the Holy One and kept themselves clear from sin, and therefore they were healed in that moment. And who was it that instilled in them fear of the Holy One? The instrument of punishment -- that Serpent at which they so fixedly gazed. The same is true of "the thread of blue", that they were bidden to put upon the fringe of their garments (Zizith), concerning which it is written, "that ye may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord" (Num. XV, 39). Therefore it was ordained that this colour should be in the Tabernacle: Said R. Isaac: 'The Master has told us that this colour symbolizes the Throne when it becomes the seat of judgement. When, then, is it the seat of mercy?' R. Simeon replied: 'When the Cherubim turn their faces the one towards the other, and gaze each into the face of the other, then all colours are merged -- purple-blue becomes something else, and green or blue is turned into white. With the changing of colours judgement was changed into mercy, or vice versa. And so with all other colours. All depends on the way in which Israel orders her prayers; hence it is written: "Israel in whom I will be glorified" (lit. beautified) (Isa. XLIX, 3), to wit, in those colours which merge into one another and contain all beauty:

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AND THOU SHALT MAKE A TABLE OF ACACIA WOOD. R. Isaac began: 'It is written: "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God" (Deut. VIII, 10). How blessed are the Israelites, whom the Holy One has befriended above all nations and drawn near to Himself! It is for their sake that He nourished all nations; for, had it not been for them He would not have supplied the world with food. And now, when Israel is in exile, the Gentiles receive a double portion. When Israel dwelt in the Holy Land, the Holy One sent down food to them from a supernal region, the surplus of which was given to the heathen nations, but now it is just the reverse. He deals with them like a king with his servants. So long as the servants are obedient and loyal they are permitted to sit and eat with the king, and the remnants are thrown to the dogs; but when they are disobedient, and forget their loyal service, the king gives the food to the dogs and leaves them only the bones. The same is true of Israel: while they did the will of their Lord they ate from the King's table which He Himself had prepared for them, and they, out of the fullness of their joy, gave to the nations their surplus; but when Israel ceased to live according to the commands of their Lord they went into captivity and had to be content with that which the Gentiles left over. So it says: "Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them" (Ezek. IV, 13). Woe to the king's son, who is forced to wait at the servants' table to be fed upon the remnants! King David said: "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over" (Ps. XXIII, 6). "Thou preparest a table": this is the meal of the king; "in the presence of mine enemies": this refers to the "dogs" who lie under the table waiting for the scraps while he sits with the king enjoying the meal: "Thou anointest my head with oil": this refers to the main part (the "head") of the meal, for all the rich oil and fat, and all the best portions of the food, are reserved for the king's friend, while that which is left is given to the scullions and the dogs. "My cup runneth over": the cup of the king's friend is ever filled up, even before he asks. The position of the children of Israel in regard to that of the Gentiles has ever been thus.'

R. Hiya once went to Tiberias to see R. Simeon, and R Jacob, the son of Idi, and R Jesse the younger accompanied him. On the way R Jesse said to Rl;liya: 'I find very surprising the words of the Scripture, "But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat of thy table" (I Kings II, 7). Was this all the kindness that Solomon was to show him? Also it hardly accords with the dignity of a king that another person should eat with him [153a] at the same table. The king should sit alone at his table, and his ministers by themselves at another table, somewhat lower.' R Hiya replied: 'I have not heard any explanation of the matter, and therefore shall not say anything.' Then R Abba asked R Jacob: 'Hast thou heard aught concerning it?' He answered: 'If you who sip daily the richness of the most excellent oil (R. Simeon) have not heard anything, how can you expect me to know?' Then he asked R. Jesse: 'And hast thou heard anything?' He replied: 'Although I am but young, and have but lately been admitted to your company, and had no great teachers before, yet I have heard an explanation.' He then began by quoting the verse: "Who giveth good to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Ps. CXXXVI, 25). 'Why', said he, 'did David choose to end this great hymn of praise with this verse? Now there are three great channels above by which the Holy One, blessed be He, manifests Himself, which are His precious mystery: the brain, [17] the heart, [18] and the liver. [19] These organs act above in the opposite manner from those below. Above it is the head which first receives nourishment, which it sends on to the heart, which eventually passes it on to the liver, which again gives sustenance to the lower members in due proportion. Here below it is the liver which comes first, which transfers the nourishment to the heart, in such a manner that it is that organ which receives the finest portions; then, when the heart is strengthened, it passes the nourishment on to the brain; while to the other parts of the body the liver apportions the amounts necessary. On a fast-day, man sacrifices his food and drink to the supernal "Liver", and what is it that he thus sacrifices? His fatness, nourishing food, his blood, heart and soul; that "Liver" accepts it gladly, and in turn offers it to the "Heart" that reigns over it; in turn the "Heart" offers it to the "Brain", which rules over the whole body; then the "Liver" apportions to all the lower parts their share. At another time it is the Brain which receives first and gives to the Heart, which, again, gives to the Liver and the Liver to all the lower members; and when it distributes nourishment to this world it gives first to the heart, which on earth is the king; for the king must naturally be fed first. Blessed is he who is found worthy to eat at the King's table, for thus does he come first in the enjoyment of the bounty from above! This, then, was the significance of that kindness which David showed to the sons of Barzillai. Not that anyone sits actually at the table of the king. But those who eat along with the king, and at the same time, are in his favour and are reckoned as sitting at the same table with him.' Then R. Hiya came forward, kissed him on the brow, and said: 'Young thou art, but profound wisdom dwells already in thine heart.' In the meantime they discovered that R. Hezekiah had arrived. R. Hiya turned to him and said: 'Of a surety, the Holy One, blessed be He, will join this our company, for new thoughts upon the Torah will find utterance among us.' They then sat down to eat, and agreed that each should give some exposition of the Torah during the meal. Said R. Jesse: 'This which we eat is but a light repast, and yet it is called a "meal", a meal in which the Holy One participates, and concerning which it is written: "This is the table that is before the Lord" (Ezek. XLI, 22); for the words of the Torah will gather about this place.'

R. Hiya then began to discourse on the text: When thou hast eaten and art satisfied, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God (Deut. VIII, 10). Said he: 'Should a man then bless the Lord only after he has filled his belly? [153b] Nay, even if one eats but a morsel and counts it as a meal, that is called eating to satisfaction; for it is written, "Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the wish (will) of every living thing" (Ps. CXLV, 16). It is not written: "Thou satisfiest with a substantial meal", hut "the wish" or "the intention"; so it is not the quantity of food but the intention of the eater that "satisfies"; therefore it is necessary that at all times when we eat we should offer up our thanks in order that there may be joy above.'

R. Hezekiah spoke on the same words, saying: 'From these words also it is possible to deduce the rules that an intoxicated person is allowed to say the grace after meals. With prayers it is otherwise, for prayers ascend very high to the realm where there is neither eating nor drinking, and therefore prayers are best said on an empty stomach. But in that realm to which the benediction after meals enters, there is, as it were, both "eating and drinking", and from it emanates nourishment for us below. Therefore it is necessary to exhibit before it satiety and joy in the expression of grace after meals.'

R. Jesse then spoke on the words: AND THOU SHALT MAKE A TABLE OF ACACIA WOOD. Said he: 'This table stood in the Tabernacle, and there rested upon it the blessing from above, and from it issued nourishment to the whole world. Not for a moment was that Table to remain empty, since blessing does not rest upon an empty place. Therefore it was that the shew-bread had always to be renewed upon it each Sabbath (Lev. XXIV, 8), in order that the blessing from above might always rest upon it, and that food and blessing, because of it, might emanate from that table to all the tables of the world. So, too, should every man's table be when he says grace after meals; in order that the blessing from above should rest upon it, it should not be empty, as the Companions have indicated in connection with the words of Elisha to the widow: "Tell me, what hast thou in the house?" (2 Kings IV, 2). A table at which there is no converse pertaining to the words of the Torah is one concerning which it is written, "For all (their) tables are full of vomit and filthiness, without a place" (Isa. XXVIII, 8), and at such a table it is forbidden to say the benediction. There are two kinds of tables: there is the kind that is prepared for the Holy One above, and at which it is ever fitting that the Torah should be discoursed upon and the letters of the words of the Torah should be gathered in -- the table concerning which it is written: "This is the table that is before the Lord" (Ezek. XLI, 22). And there is the table which has no part in the Torah, or in the holiness thereof, and which is called "full of filthiness" [154a] -- the table of "another god", which has no part in the mystery of the supernal God. That table, on the other hand, at which words of the Torah are spoken, is taken up by the Holy One, blessed be He, and becomes His own possession. Nay more, Suriya, the high angelic being, takes up all the holy words uttered at this table, and sets the form of it before the Holy One, and all the words, and the table also, are crowned before the Holy King, as is implied in the words "before the Lord". A man's table can purify him of all his sins. Blessed is the man whose table exhibits these two qualities -- that from it words of the Torah ascend to the Holy One, and food goes forth to the poor. At the moment when such a table as this is being removed after the meal two angels appear, one at the right and one at the left. The one says: "This is a table belonging to the Holy King upon which such an one ordered his meal in His presence. May this table be continually full of supernal blessings, and may the Holy One pour upon it the richness of His bounty." And the other says: "This is a table of the Holy King which such an one had ordered before Him. It is blessed by those above and by those below. May it be set before the Ancient of Days both in this world and in the world to come." R. Abba, before the table was removed after a meal, was used to cover it up, saying: "Remove this table respectfully that it may not be put to shame before the King's messengers." A man's table, used rightly, secures for him participation in the bliss of the world to come, a sufficiency of nourishment in this world, and also additional power and excellency in the right place, and, withal, it causes him to be remembered favourably before the Ancient of Days. Happy the lot of such a man in this world and in the world to come.'

R. Jacob said: 'It is written, "And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" (I Sam. X, 11). Said he: 'Was not Saul already the chosen of the Lord, as it says, "See whom the Lord hath chosen" (Ibid. v. 24), i.e. already. Why, then, were they astonished that he prophesied? The reason was because the Holy One chose Saul to be a king, not a prophet; for no man ever, except Moses, was found worthy of combining the two functions of king and prophet. As to Samuel, he was certainly a prophet, as it says, "And all Israel knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet to the Lord", but besides being a prophet he was only a judge, not a king; otherwise the people would not have asked for a king. Therefore the people were astonished when Saul prophesied, because he had been chosen as king and not as prophet. If it should be asked, why, then, did the spirit of prophecy rest on him, the answer would be, that because the kingship is based on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he possessed the inspiration of prophecy before he became king; but as soon as he was made king, it was not the spirit of prophecy but the power to judge according to the truth that was bestowed upon him, and for which he had been chosen to be king. As long as he was among the prophets the spirit of prophecy rested on him, but when he left them, the spirit of prophecy departed from him. As for me, 0 that the inspiration of the Holy Spirit should come upon me, that I might be among the faithful prophets, the disciples of R. Simeon ben Yohai, before whom both supernals and terrestrials tremble in awe -- and I that am now in your company stand in fear and trembling before you!'

Then he went on: '"Thou shalt make a table." This table was here below for setting the shew-bread upon. Now, which was of greater import, the table or the bread? [154b] It might be thought that the bread was more important, since the table was needed to put the bread on, and besides, it was, in the very nature of things, beneath the bread. This, however, is not so: the table was the essential article, being, through its arrangement, the receptacle of blessing from above and of food for the whole universe. Indeed, from the secret influence of that Table emanated nourishment to the whole world, in proportion to the abundance poured out upon it from above. As for the bread, it was the fruit, the actual nourishment emanating from that Table, to show that the universal nourishment emanated from it -- for where there is no vineyard there are no grapes, and where there is no tree there can be no fruit. So the Table was the essential and the shewbread was but the nourishment emanating from it. And the priests, from Sabbath to Sabbath, collected the fruit of the Table, to show that supernal nutriment emanated from the Table through the agency of that bread. And because the priests were permitted to eat the shew-bread, all the rest of their food and all that they drank was blessed, so that the "evil inclination" had no power to attack them -- for, as a rule, the "evil inclination" is only present where there is much eating and drinking, as it is written: "Lest I be full and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord?" (Prov. XXX, 9); since it is from eating and drinking that the evil inclination gathers strength in a man's body. The bread which was taken from the table in the Tabernacle caused blessing to descend upon all the other food consumed by the priests, so that the evil impulse might have no power to attack them, and they could carry out their ministrations to the Holy One with perfect devotion. For the priests this was most necessary. The table had to be set up at the northern end, as it is written, "And thou shalt put up the table at the north side" (Ex. XXVI, 35), because the awakening of joy proceeds from thence. The Left Side (North) always receives from the Right Side, and rouses the Female, and the Right Side then draws Her to Himself, and She unites with Him. Water, which symbolizes joy, proceeds from the Right, then it bestows itself upon the Left, and so it is that water unites with the Left, communicating to it joy. All this is symbolized by the ritual washing of the hands before meals: the vessel containing the water is taken in the right hand and poured on to the left, not from left to right. Therefore the Table, as we have said, was set on the north side, for there was more fruit there, since joy was awakened there first. This is expressed in the words: "His left hand under my head, and his right hand embraces me" (S.S. II, 6). A man should sit down to table with a clean body, in order that God may be pleased with his meal and it may not be accounted "filth and refuse" for the impure side to reap any benefit therefrom. When one has eaten and is satisfied, it is necessary to give the scraps and the dregs to the "other side", and any particles left upon the hands after a meal must be washed away so that the "other side" may receive its due. Therefore the washing of the hands after a meal is an imperative duty and the water must be poured away into the place of guilt (hoba = "duty" and "guilt"). Hence, no blessing is to be made over the washing of hands (after meals), since there can be no benediction in connection with that "side". So it is important that one should not give any of the food on the table to that "filth and vomit". The table in the Tabernacle was, as we have said, placed there in order that food should lie upon it and that nourishment should therefrom emanate to the whole world, and that is why [155a] it was not permitted to remain empty, even for one moment. The other, the impure table, the table of emptiness, could have no place in the sanctuary. In the same manner, the table over which a man pronounces blessings for food must not be empty, for blessing cannot rest on emptiness. The bread which was set upon the Table of the Holy One took the form of twelve loaves, and the symbolism of them has already been explained in connection with the mystery of the Countenance -- for it was called "the bread of the Countenance" because all the nourishment and sustenance of the world emanated from this supernal Countenance. The "Bread of the Countenance" is the food of that "Countenance", and all the nourishment and plenty that the world contains emanates from that Countenance, and rests on that Table. And because the nourishment which it receives comes from that august Countenance, and from that self-same Countenance supplies all the others with sustenance, all of which was centred in that "bread", therefore was it put hot upon the table, and so, miraculously, was it also removed, [20] as has been inferred from the words "to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away" (I Sam. XXI, 6). And man must cherish the mysteries connected with his table, in all these aspects of which we have spoken on account of that Table.'

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The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon

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Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

Re: The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simo

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