Chapter 40. Structure and Logic
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Chapter 40. Structure and Logic. A ch.39 Torah which is studied "Not for its own However, as long as he has not restudied that His study ascends into the hechalot sake" indeed,... does not at all ascend on subject "For its own sake," his study does not and abodes which are the externalities the high level to the hechalot and abodes ascend even into the Ten Sefirot which shine of the worlds, wherein the angels of the angels of Holiness, but it remains in the worlds of Yetzirah and Assiyah. stand. below in the material world which is the dwelling place of the kelipot. From Torah studies without kavanah angels For the Sefirot are in the category of G- are created in the world of Yetzirah, whilst dliness, and in them is clothed and united from commandments performed without "What profit hath a man the light of the blessed En Sof itself, and kavanah, angels are created in the world of for all his toil which he "Without fear and love it cannot rise and Asiyah - and all the angels are possessed Eccl. 1:3 labors under the sun?": stand before G-d." of matter and form. "Even with the toil of Torah, if he does it for his own glory..." Although the Holy One, blessed be He, fills all the worlds alike, nevertheless the worlds are not all of equal rank. "Happy is he who comes here with his learning in Pesachim his hand," which means Firstly, ... the higher worlds receive the 50a radiance infinitely greater than the lower. that it was not been left behind in this world Secondly,... they receive it without as below. many "garments" and "screens" as the lower. This world is the lowest world in both aspects. The radiance that is in it is greatly contracted unto the utmost limit; hence it is corporeal and material. Even this [contracted radiance] comes in many "garments" and "screens" until it is closed in the kelipat noga, to animate all clean things in this world, including the vivifying, articulate soul in man. The radiance and extension [Consider this animal soul] as it utters the words of It conceals and covers His of vitality from Him, may He Torah and prayer without kavanah. These are holy blessed holiness in the vivifying be blessed, is hidden in the letters... and the kelipat noga in the vivifying soul soul when it speaks idle words, many dense "garments" and constitutes no separating curtain in any degree or... in the vivifying soul of any "screens" until it is clothed concealing and covering His blessed Holiness clothed in of the other living creatures that and concealed in the them. are clean. garment of nogah. He is the "Most Tikunei Zohar, Though there is no place hidden One of all the Tikun 57; that is void of Him. hidden," and is called Isa. 45:12 the "Hidden G-d." A This is not, however, the ch.35 case with the holy letters of the words of Torah and A Prayer, wherein, on the ch.37 contrary, the kelipat noga is converted to good and is absorbed into this Holiness. A ch.53 B In the case of prayer with kavanah ch.39 It elevates them to its level in the Ten "For its own sake," the kavanah is Nevertheless the glow of His blessed Holiness Sefirot of Yetzirah or Beriah, according clothed in the letters of the speech that is in them is in the state of tzimtzum to the to whether the kavanah is inspired by because it is their source and root, utmost limit, since the voice and speech are B intelligent or natural fear and love. since by reason and cause of it he material. speaks these letters. There the light of the blessed En Sof, namely, the blessed Higher Will which is clothed in the letters of the Torah which he studies and in their kavanah, or This is until the era of the end in the prayer and its kavanah, or in the commandment and its kavanah, "And the glory of the of days, when the world will be shines forth and is revealed with a great and infinite brightness that cannot Lord will be revealed..." uplifted from its materiality. shine forth and be revealed at all in any manner or form as long as the letters and the commandment are still in this material world. A The essential union takes place far higher, in the Only a glow of them world of Atzilut, where the core and essence of His shines in Beriah, There [in the Ten Sefirot] shines forth and is blessed attributes are united with their Emanator, Yetzirah and Asiyah, A revealed also the supernal Union that is produced the blessed En Sof, and there is the core and in each of these by each commandment and by Torah study. essence of the Supreme Will of the blessed En worlds according to Sof. its rank. This being the union of His blessed attributes which coalesce into one another, Gevurot are sweetened by Chasadim through the Supernal Propitious Time of the blessed En Sof which shines forth and reveals itself in a manner of a great and revealed manifestation by reason of the "impulse" from below, namely, the performance of the commandment, or the occupation in Torah, wherein the Higher will of the blessed En Sof is clothed. The soul of the person who The Higher Will that is clothed in this commandment and which is identical with the very halachah or occupies himself in the Torah word of the Torah in which he is occupied is G-dliness and light of the blessed En Sof, the Emanator, and in the commandments for He and his will are One, and by His blessed will He has caused His attributes to emanate from does not derive from Atzilut. Him, yet they are united with Him. By the revelation of His will, which becomes manifested through this occupation with the Torah and the particular commandment they [the attributes] coalesce into one another and the Gevurot are B sweetened by Chasadim at the propitious moment. B ch.41 His head is the letter yod, and the body {That is} why the fear and love The [figure of a] bird represents Metatron. is the letter vav and the two wings are are figuratively called wings. the [two] letters hai, and so forth. Isa. 6:2 "And with twain did he fly." This refers to the world of Yetzirah which is identified with Metatron, wherein are the They who occupy themselves "bodies" of the halachot of the Mishnah. with Torah and commandments in fear and love are called His head symbolizes the intellectual "children"; otherwise they are aspects, the chochmah, binah, da'at, called fledglings that cannot fly. that is the inwardness of the halachot, the esoteric meaning and their reasons. The wings of a bird are not the essential The two wings - fear and love - refer parts of it, and its vitality does not The higher fear... is a feeling of to the higher hai, which is love, and depend on them at all..., the essential shame, which is of "The hidden the lower hai, which is the lower parts being its head and entire body, things belong to the Lord our fear, namely the yoke of the while the wings merely serve the head G-d", and it is found in the Kingdom of Heaven and the dread and body, enabling it to fly with their aid. higher wisdom, symbolizing the of G-d, like the awe one feels in the letter yod of the blessed Name. presence of a king, for example. "If its wings have been Chullin 56b removed it is kasher." This is an external and exposed fear. The Torah and commandments are Although fear and love also form Love without service is a "This day - to do them," the essential aspect of the Higher part of the 613 commandments, "love of delights" delighting "and tomorrow" [in the Union through the manifestation of nevertheless they are called in G-d, which is of the nature world to come] - to the Higher Will that is revealed "wings", for the consummation of of the world to come and the receive one's reward. through them. love is the service out of love. receiving of reward. Eruvin He who has not attained this dimension of 22a C savoring the nature of the world to come, but whose soul still yearns and thirsts for G-d and goes out to Him all day, yet he does not quench A his thirst with the water of the Torah that is in ch.41 front of him - such man is like one who stands in a river and cries:"Water! Water to drink!" Surely, he who is thirsty and longs to learn will study of his "Ho, every one that thirsteth, own accord; why, then, does go ye to the waters." the prophet need to rebuke him "Ho?" Isa. 55:1 The fear and love raise them to that place where the Will, the light of the blessed En C Or even in Asyiah. Sof, and the union are revealed, namely, the worlds of Yetzirah and Beriah. {It is} in the ten Sefirot of holiness, {which is} the abode of the active commandments and also of the study of the Holy Writ. In [the study of] Mishnah In the case of the Mishnah, the When one studies Holy Writ, [the Yichud and light of Yichud and light of the blessed the Yichud and light of the the blessed En Sof] reach En Sof are revealed in Yetzirah.