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What Are Banners in the Work?

Article No. 32, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

Midrash Rabbah says about the verse (Numbers, Portion 2), “Each man by his own banner.” “It is written, ‘We will sing in Your salvation and in the name of our God we will set up our banners.’ Israel said to the Creator, ‘We sing in Your salvation, which You did for us in Your name; we will sing in Your salvation, and in that day, the Lord will save Israel.’ It is written, ‘will save,’ as though Israel are saved and as though He is saved. ‘And in the name of our God we will set up our banners,’ for the Creator established His name in our name and made us banners, as was said, ‘Each man by his own banner.’ Rabbi Issachar says, ‘And his banner over me is love.’ Even a person who sits and engages in Torah, and skips from rule to rule and from verse to verse, the Creator says, ‘I am fond of him and his banner is over Me is love, and his skipping is over Me with love.’”

We should understand the following:

1. What does it mean that the Creator established His name in our name?
2. Why is it written “will save,” as though Israel are saved and as though He is saved (concerning what is written, “will save,” it is interpreted that the meaning is “and will be saved”).
3. “Skipping from rule to rule.” It is known that the name of the Creator is The Good Who Does Good. That is, He always wants to bestow upon the creatures delight and pleasure, for which He created in the creatures the desire to yearn to always receive delight and pleasure. Accordingly, there is a question, Why are the creatures not feeling the delight and pleasure, but rather the whole world suffers from lack of pleasure and satisfaction in life, for every sensible person asks, “What is the meaning of our lives?”

The answer is that the Creator made a correction so that when we receive the delight and pleasure from the Creator, we will not feel shame about it, which stems from the disparity of form between the receiver, who is the creature, and the Creator, who is the giver. The correction is that before a person has the desire to bestow, which is in order to be in equivalence of form, it is impossible to receive the real abundance that the Creator wants to impart upon the creatures.

And since the desire to bestow is against human nature, we learn that there are seventy nations of the world within man. In other words, each person is a small world, as it is written in The Zohar, and the quality of Israel in man is under the governance of the nations of the world. This is regarded as the people of Israel being in exile among the nations, when they haven’t the strength to go against the desire of the nations of the world. For this reason, the people of Israel ask the Creator to deliver them from the exile they are in among the nations, meaning to be able to work for the sake of the Creator.

Also, our sages said, “Israel who exiled, the Shechina [Divinity] is with them.” We should interpret this the way Baal HaSulam said about what our sages said, “A disciple who is exiled, his teacher is exiled with him.” He said that this means that when the disciple is in exile, meaning suffers a descent, in his eyes, his teacher is also in descent. That is, when a person is in descent, he has no taste in Torah and prayer, it is because his teacher exiled with him, meaning that all the matters of Kedusha [holiness] are in decline in him, as well, and he looks at everything as though there is no importance to anything spiritual. This is considered that spirituality is also in exile.

By this we should interpret that when Israel are in exile, meaning in descent, and the nations of the world control the person—and the nations of the world are generally called “will to receive for one’s own benefit”—then the Creator is also in exile for them. In other words, they have no importance of the Creator, since if they had importance of the greatness of the Creator, they would not be able to rule over the Israel in him.

As is known, Israel means Yashar-El [straight to the Creator], when all of one’s actions are straight to the Creator. But by their control, they make all of one’s actions be only for his own sake. This is called “for the sake of the will to receive and not for the sake of the Creator.” It follows that when the quality of Israel is in exile, the Creator is in exile with them, too, meaning that the desire to bestow is in exile, and the one to whom they want to bestow is in exile, as it is written about what Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” That is, he denied the greatness of the Creator and did not allow to believe in the greatness of the Creator, so the quality of Israel is in exile within them.

According to the above, we can interpret what we asked, Why does he say that it is “as though Israel are saved and as though He is saved”? That is, what is the connection between the redemption of Israel and the redemption of the Creator? According to the above, it follows that the exile of Israel and the exile of the Creator are the same, since when a person attains and feels the greatness of the Creator, the nations of the world have no control and they are annulled before Him. Hence, it follows that the whole exile is that we do not know His greatness.

In the matter of concealment that one feels, which causes him to be in exile, a person should know that he must correct his actions so they are in order to bestow. Otherwise, there will be shame. Hence, there must be concealment and hiding on the upper light. To the extent of the sensation of evil, when one sees how immersed he is in self-love, to that extent he sees that he is far from Kedusha [holiness]. That is, he sees that he is far from doing anything for the sake of the Creator, and he is under the governance of the nations of the world, while the quality of Israel in him is completely powerless to emerge from their exile.

For this reason, when the Israel in him emerges from exile and is rewarded with redemption, the Creator, too, who was covered from him during the exile because of the governance of the nations, now appears and the greatness of the Creator becomes revealed. This is so because now there is no longer a need for the Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment, since the Tzimtzum has been lifted from him, following the rule, “To the extent that one wants to aim to bestow, to that extent the Tzimtzum and concealment are removed from him.” This is the meaning of the verse, “We will sing in Your salvation, and in that day, the Lord will save Israel. It is written, ‘will save,’ as though Israel are saved and as though He is saved.”

Also, we should interpret what we asked, What does it mean that it is written, “We will sing in Your salvation,” since we sing in Your salvation that You did for us in Your name”? And what is the name of the Creator, who created creation? His name is The Good Who Does Good, whose desire is to bestow. Because of it, He created in the creatures a desire to receive, or the creatures would not be able to taste the taste of delight and pleasure, since we see that without desire and yearning it is impossible to enjoy anything.

Yet, at the same time, the Creator wanted that there will be no shame while receiving the delight and pleasure. For this reason, He wants us to receive everything in order to bestow. Since this is against the nature He created in us—a desire only to receive and not to bestow—when we want to work in order to bestow, we are powerless to do so. Hence, when we receive this power, called “the name of the Creator,” meaning that we, too, can work in order to bestow upon the Creator, it is considered that the Creator has given us a second nature (as Baal HaSulam said about this, that when the Creator gives one the desire to bestow, it is called “a second nature”).

This is the meaning of the verse, “Israel said to the Creator, ‘We sing in Your salvation, which You did in Your name.’” That is, we sing with the salvation that You gave us the desire to bestow, which is called “the name of the Creator,” who is the Giver. He has given us this name, meaning that now we, too, can perform acts of bestowal.

It is written, “And in the name of our God we will set up our banners,” for the Creator established His name in our name and made us banners.” This means that now we support the name of the Creator, whose name is “desire to bestow.” This is our salvation, that the Creator established His name, which is the desire to bestow, in our name, for the Creator is implied in the name, Israel, too, meaning Yashar-El, meaning that all of Israel’s actions are straight to the Creator and not for self-benefit. This is considered that the people of Israel support the name of the Creator, and this is the salvation of the people of Israel.

According to the above, we should interpret what is written, “Rabbi Issachar says, ‘And his banner over me is love.’ Even a person who sits and engages in Torah, and skips from rule to rule and from verse to verse, and his skipping is over Me with love.” We should interpret that the meaning of skipping is that man was created with a desire to receive and cannot work in order to bestow. This is why our sages said, “One should always engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] even if Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], since from Lo Lishma he comes to Lishma [for Her sake]” (Pesachim 50b).

It follows that one is compelled to work in Lo Lishma as he was born this way in his nature. And yet, the Creator skips his state of Lo Lishma and lets him into Lishma. It follows that through assistance from the Creator, there is the matter of skipping here, meaning that a person skips over everything that is in his nature—to do everything for his own sake—and begins to work for the sake of the Creator. This is called “and his skipping is over Me with love,” where because of the love that the Creator loves us, He has given us banners. In other words, from rules that a person engages in Lo Lishma, the Creator gives us the power to skip the degree of Lo Lishma and achieve the degree of Lishma.

This is the meaning of the words “from verse to verse,” meaning that the person begins the verse in Lo Lishma and promptly skips the Lo Lishma and achieves the degree of Lishma. It is written, “I am fond of him and his banner is over Me is love, and his skipping is over Me with love.” This means that because of the love, the Creator gives him the power to skip the Lo Lishma and arrive at Lishma.

This love is considered that a person begins to work in Lo Lishma, and the people of Israel craved to work for the sake of the Creator but could not. Hence, with the desire that they wanted to work for the sake of the Creator but could not, that desire evoked love above, and the Creator gave them the power to work Lishma. This is the meaning of what is written, “The Creator said to them, ‘As you craved to make banners, verily, I grant your wishes.’”

This means that the people of Israel craved the discernment of “banners,” meaning to be able to skip the work of Lo Lishma and achieve Lishma, and saw that they could not achieve this by themselves. Hence, they made an awakening from below, which is that they craved it, and said, “When will we be able to skip the work for our own benefit and come to work for the sake of the Creator?” With this yearning, they evoked love above, and this is why it is written, “The Creator said to them, ‘As you craved to make banners, verily, I grant your wishes.’” Because they craved banners, meaning to skip the work for their own benefit, the Creator granted their wishes.

It therefore follows that the heart of man’s work is to come to work for the sake of the Creator, although we must begin to work in Lo Lishma. However, we must yearn for the Creator to help us and give us the power to work Lishma, meaning that all his actions will be in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker. That is, one must accept the burden of the kingdom of heaven without hoping to receive reward from it, namely not to demand of it, that it needs to give us some nourishments in return, so we can say that in return for receiving from it, it is worthwhile to work for it.

Rather, everything is above reason, as it is a law. Put differently, Malchut is called “a law,” and we cannot understand how it is possible to work without a reward, meaning without receiving any nourishments from it. If so, from where will we have nourishments? How can we work without receiving anything in return, to feed us and allow us to sustain ourselves?

The answer is also above reason, meaning we must ask the Creator to give us the power to live, and to have the power to work gladly in order to bestow and not receive any return. But how can such a thing be done, since it is inconceivable for us to understand two opposites in the same subject?

On one hand, we do not want anything in return. Rather, we accept the kingdom of heaven without it giving us any nourishments. But how can we live without any vitality, since we are not asking for any nourishments?

On the other hand, we want the Creator to sustain us. But with what do we want Him to sustain us if we do not want anything for our work? The answer is that it is true that we want nothing in return, but we want the Creator to give us the power to work so that we cannot receive any reward.

How can this be? This thing belongs to You. That is, You will make us a miracle so we can work without any reward. Because it is above reason, we have no idea what to tell You about how You should sustain us. Rather, You will sustain us above our reason, and we want to go above reason, although no such thing exists within man’s intellect.

It follows that our work is above reason, and we want our nourishment to also be above reason. Above reason means by a miracle. It turns out that we are asking the Creator to sustain us in a miraculous way, and not in the natural way. In the natural way, when a person works, he wants provision for the effort. But here, in the work, the person wants to be given provision not because of his work, but because of a miracle, meaning not in the natural way.

Accordingly, we should interpret what our sages said (in the beginning of BaHar), “On Mount Sinai means, what is the connection between the Shmita [remission of land cultivation every 7th year] and Mount Sinai”? In the work, we should interpret that it is known that Malchut is called Shmita, and Malchut is also called Eretz [land], since Malchut is the seventh Sefira (for the world begins with Hesed, as it is written, “For I said, ‘A world of Hesed [mercy] shall be built,’” and Malchut is the seventh Sefira from Hesed).

This means that it is forbidden to ask of Malchut to yield fruit. That is, it is forbidden to till the land so it will yield fruit. “Tilling the land” means work when we want it to yield fruit; otherwise, who would till the land without it bearing fruit? In other words, work means that a person labors, and in return for the labor, he is rewarded. That is, he does not enjoy the labor. But if so, if he does not enjoy the work, why does he work? It must be that he wants to receive reward.

For this reason, if a person takes upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven and does not want any reward, it is a sign that he is not tilling the land, since he does not want Malchut to somehow reward him. This is called Shmita [remission], meaning that he is not tilling the land so as to receive reward.

But when he does work in order to receive reward, this is called “tilling the land.” In the work, this is considered doing “remission of soil,” meaning that he does not even touch the soil at all. To him, the soil is regarded as “the land shall have a Sabbath [rest/stillness] to the Lord.” This implies that the whole earth, meaning the kingdom of heaven, is all for the Creator, and the will to receive has no contact with Malchut, called Eretz and Shmita.

By this we can explain the question, “What is the connection between the Shmita and Mount Sinai?” This means that all the Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] must be observed in a manner of Shmita, meaning that the intention in observing Mitzvot should be as in Shmita, which is in the manner of “the land shall have a Sabbath to the Lord.” In other words, we observe the Mitzvot of the Creator with the aim not to receive any reward for the work, but rather that the whole of the kingdom of heaven that one takes upon oneself, and for which he observes the Mitzvot of the Creator, will all be in a manner of Shmita, meaning that it is with the aim to bestow, and not to receive any return.

According to the above, we should interpret what is written (Leviticus 25:20-21), “And if you say, ‘What will we eat on the seventh year, and I will order My blessing for you in the sixth year.’” We should interpret the question in the work. Because we must accept the kingdom of heaven without any reward, meaning that a person does not say, “I take upon myself the kingdom of heaven on condition that You will give me a good taste in work and in prayer, as well as in observing the Mitzvot, and if I receive a reward in return, I am willing to do the holy work.”

But if it is all for the Creator, how can we work above taste and above reason? From where will we eat? That is, from where will we receive nourishments to live in a work where we have nothing in return? This is opposite from our intellect! In our intellect, we understand that if Malchut, called Eretz, gives us some flavor in the work, by this taste that we will feel, we will have something to eat. In other words, this flavor that we feel is called “nourishments.” But while we are forbidden to work on the seventh, meaning we are forbidden to demand reward from this work, from where will we take something to eat?

The answer is, “I will order My blessing for you in the sixth year.” The sixth Sefira is Yesod, called “righteous Yesod.” “Righteous” means bestowing. By working only in order to bestow, as well, there will be equivalence of form between Malchut and Yesod, and from this the blessing will extend. But if it is to the contrary, and you receive the Malchut in order to receive, you will cause separation at the root of your souls, which is Malchut, called “the assembly of Israel,” the collection of all the souls, making it separated. Therefore, the Yesod will not be able to bestow upon Malchut because of the disparity of form between them.

Thus, precisely by keeping the Shmita, meaning only in this manner, I am telling you, “I will order My blessing for you in the sixth year.” In other words, only when you keep the Shmita and have no desire to receive for yourselves, but rather specifically in order to bestow, there is room for equivalence of form between Yesod, who is the giver, and Malchut, who is also corrected by the lower ones who observe the matter of Shmita, so as not to receive for one’s own benefit. Then there is equivalence of form and the blessing can expand to Malchut.

It follows that when one wants to work in order to bestow and without any reward, the body asks, “From where will we take vitality for the work, if we agree to work for no return?” The answer should be that we are going above reason. Within reason, we do not want to answer, but our work is above reason, and the nourishments we need for sustenance during the work, are also above reason, meaning as a miracle, since anything that is against nature is considered “miraculous.”

Thus, the whole basis of our work when we want to work in order to bestow is without any basis of provision, since we do not know from where we will get the strength to work so as to have with what to sustain ourselves, meaning to have nourishments and vitality while he engages in Torah and prayer if he does not want anything for his own sake. It follows that he is asking the Creator to give him nourishments to live in Torah and Mitzvot above reason, and above reason means against nature, and anything that is attainment against nature is regarded as working miracles, without any basis on which to rely.

It follows that those who want to work in order to bestow must know that when the body asks “What will we eat?” as it is written, “And if you say, ‘What will we eat?’” The body must not be given an answer within reason. Rather, the reply should be that the Creator will give us the blessing, as it is written, “and I will order My blessing,” and any blessing is considered a miracle, since when everything is in order, in the best way, there is no need for blessings.

But the body comes and asks, “Our sages said (Pesachim 64b), ‘One does not rely on miracles,’ and our sages also said (Pesachim 50), ‘A miracle does not happen every day.’” It follows that all the answers that we must reply to the body are above reason, meaning to tell the body, “Within reason, you are correct, but I am going above reason.”

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Does It Mean that One Who Was On a Far Off Way Is Postponed to a Second Passover, in the Work?

Article No. 30, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

The Zohar says (BeHaalotcha, Item 66), “Rabbi Yosi said, ‘man, man’ twice. Why? He replies, ‘A man who is a man, fit for reception of a high soul, but has blemished himself because he caused himself to be blemished.’ ‘Man, man’ means he is worthy of being a man, ‘or on a far off way,’ since a person who defiles himself is defiled from above. And since he is defiled above, he is on a far off way from that place and that road to which the descendants of Israel grip. Rabbi Yitzhak said, ‘It is written, ‘If [any one of you] becomes impure for a soul or on a far off way,’ which is the meaning of the word ‘or.’’ Rabbi Yosi said, ‘Here, when it says ‘impure for a soul,’ it means before he is defiled from above. But when it says here, ‘a far off way,’ it means after he was defiled from above and fell to a far off way, which is the Sitra Achra [other side]. This means that both will be devoid of Kedusha [holiness] above, and will not do the Passover when Israel do it.’”

Our sages said (Shabbat 104), “When one comes to defile, it is opened for him; when he comes to be purified, he is aided.” We should understand what is written here, that “when a person who defiles himself is defiled from above.” He does not say that it is opened for him, but that he is defiled from above. Also, we should understand why it is opened for him, since “the Creator does not complain against His creations.” RASHI interprets that the Creator does not slander His creations (Avoda Zara3), so why is he given from above some assistance that is to man’s detriment? On the contrary, he should have been assisted, as it is written, “He who comes to be purified is aided.” If he is not given help for his benefit, at least they should not do above an act that is to his detriment.

There are certainly many explanations in the literal, but we should interpret this in the work. It is known that when one observes Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] in the manner of the general public, meaning to receive reward, and does not pay attention to the issue of the aim to bestow, he sees that each day he advances in the work, since this is the truth. In the practice, everything a person does is registered to his name, and in that state, called Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], one cannot see that it is Lo Lishma, meaning that he cannot see that there is a matter of deficiency here, that it should be Lishma [for Her sake], while he is working Lo Lishma. Instead, the things he does generally illuminate for him.

As a result, a person cannot see any deficiency in himself. That is, in terms of the general public, there is a correction that the things he does illuminate for him as Surrounding Light, which is a correction on the level of actions. Hence, one must be careful not to slight the practice of Torah and Mitzvot, even if it is only in action and without any intention. That is, even if a person does his deeds by coercion, it is still considered a great thing.

Hence, people who still cannot work with the aim to bestow have a correction that they do not find any fault in the things they do, so they will be happy with their work, as it is written, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” Conversely, when a thought and desire come to a person and he begins to feel that there must be the matter of intention in observing Torah and Mitzvot, and he awakens to act not in order to receive reward, but in order to bestow, then begins a new order.

The order is that at that time, a person shifts to working on the left, when he begins to criticize his actions, whether they are in order to bestow, and he enters the work called Tuma’a [impurity] and Tahara [purity]. This means that he begins to work on the purification of the Kelim [vessels].

It is impossible to work on purity before we know what is Tuma’a. That is, it is not enough that it is written that there is the matter of Tuma’a, but one must feel what losses the Tuma’a causes, what he loses by knowing that he is defiled, meaning what he would gain if he were not impure, and what he loses now that he has been defiled.

In other words, although before he began the work of bestowal he knew that there was the matter of impurity and purity, he did not know why impurity was bad and purity was good. Therefore, one must engage in recognition of evil, meaning to try to grasp that the will to receive for oneself is called Tuma’a. That is, this Tuma’a removes him from Kedusha [holiness], meaning from the Creator, as it is written, “You will be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” This means that you will be removed, meaning that as the Creator gives, so man should try to make all his actions be with the quality of bestowal, and this is called Kedusha. The opposite of this is called Tuma’a.

A person should ask the Creator to help him grasp the evil that is found in the will to receive for oneself, meaning that the Creator will help him feel the loss that the will to receive for oneself causes him, and how much he could gain if he had the power of the desire to bestow. In other words, great Tuma’a or small Tuma’a and great Kedusha or small Kedusha are not measured by the size of the Tuma’a or Kedusha, but by the measure of harm that the Tuma’a brings, and the measure of importance that the Kedusha brings, meaning how much he suffers when he knows that he is impure and how much pleasure he would feel when he knows that he is in Kedusha.

According to the above, we should interpret what we asked about what our sages said, “He whocomes to defile, it is opened for him.” We asked, “The Creator does not complain against His creations,” so why is it “opened for him”? This implies that he is shown that he can go further into the Tuma’a, whereas before he came to defile, the place of Tuma’a was closed, and only when he came to defile it was opened for him. From above, there should have been mercy on that person, as it is written, “And His mercies are on all of His deeds.”

We should interpret the meaning of “He who comes to defile.” It means that one who wants to begin the work of bestowal cannot work in order to bestow unless he knows the loss of working in order to receive, which is why he now comes to know the measure of the bad that exists in the will to receive for oneself, meaning what is the measure of the bad that is found in the will to receive, which is called Tuma’a, which is the opposite of Kedusha. He asks the Creator to let him know the measure of the bad that is found in the will to receive that is called “impure,” meaning impure for the soul. When he asks the Creator to help him, the answer to that is “it is opened for him” to see the bad that exists in the Tuma’a of the will to receive.

There are two discernments: 1) coming to defile, 2) seeing that he is already impure and wanting to see more than he sees now. If he asks to see more, he is helped from above, as it is written here in The Zohar, “A person who defiles himself is defiled from above.” In other words, once it is opened for him and he sees that he has been defiled, and he asks for more, to be shown the truth—that he is so far from Kedusha—then he is defiled from above. That is, he receives help from above by being shown the loss that is found in the will to receive for oneself. This is regarded as arriving at a state of “recognition of evil.” At that time, a need is born in him, called a Kli [vessel] that the Creator will help him and give him the purity, as it is written, “And I will sprinkle on you pure water.”

By this we can interpret what we asked, Why does The Zohar say, “A person who defiles himself is defiled from above”? After all, the Creator does not complain against His creations! The answer is that being defiled from above is help, meaning he is assisted from above to see the truth of how the will to receive is bad and impure, since now he is asking for this help because he wants to see the truth about what is evil.

Accordingly, we should interpret what Rabbi Yitzhak asks about Rabbi Yosi, who says about the verse, “If a man, man, is impure for a soul or on a far off way,” that a far off way is also regarded as Tuma’a, but when he is defiled from above it is called “a far off way.” It is written, “or on a far off way,” meaning that they are two things, meaning that a far off way is not Tuma’a. Rabbi Yosi explains, “When it says, ‘impure for a soul,’ it means before he is defiled from above. And here, when it says, ‘on a far off way,’ it means after he has been defiled above and fell to a far off way, which is the Sitra Achra.”

We should interpret that there are two discernments in Tuma’a in the way of the work: 1) He who comes to defile, meaning comes to see if the will to receive is Tuma’a, meaning that it inflicts stupidity of the heart. At that time, it is opened to him to see the evil. But before a person comes to defile, meaning to see the bad in him, there is a correction from above that a person cannot see the evil, since there is a rule that one is not shown more than one can correct in oneself. It is as in corporeality, when one is not told one’s true illness if the illness is incurable.

For this reason, precisely He who comes to defile, who want to see the truth, it is opened for him. If he wants to advance and prays to be shown the true measure of the bad that is found in the will to receive for oneself, he is assisted from above, meaning he is defiled from above. That is, he is shown from above the harm in Tuma’a. At that time, he begins to pray from the bottom of the heart that the Creator will give him the desire to bestow instead of the will to receive that he has by nature, and to be given a second nature, which is a gift from above.

By this we should interpret what is written, “This means that both will be devoid of Kedusha above, and will not do the Passover when Israel do it.” In other words, both when a person is in the first state, when he comes to defile, and when he is in the second state, when he is on a far off way, when he is shown from above how far he is from Kedusha, he cannot do the Passover when Israel do it.

We should interpret that “Israel” means that he is already in the quality of “Israel,” meaning that he is already in a state of Yashar-El [straight to the Creator], implying that all his actions are directed straight to the Creator. This is regarded as being in the right line, which is purity, meaning purity of the Kelim, when all his actions are for the sake of the Creator. This is called Lishma, as was said, “Rabbi Meir says, ‘He who learns Torah Lishma, the secrets of Torah are revealed to him.” We should interpret that when a person is rewarded with the quality of “Israel,” this is the time to make the Passover offering. Israel means purity, and when a person is purified, this is the time to sacrifice the offering to the Creator, where sacrificing the offering is regarded as wholeness.

This is as it is written in The Zohar (VaYikra, Item 109), “Rabbi Yehuda started and said, ‘Serve the Lord with gladness.’ If you say that such is the work of the offering, this is not possible. Since that man has breached his Master’s commandment, the commandment of the Torah, and repented before his Master, with what face will he rise before Him? Indeed, by what are they corrected? It is by those priests and Levites who complete the joy and singing for Him.”

He interprets there in the Sulam [Ladder commentary on The Zohar] that this matter will be corrected by an order of three lines. This is why when speaking of the Passover offering, which is the matter of the exodus from Egypt, there must be the intimation in our work that first we must achieve purity, and then comes the nearing and we are rewarded with Kedusha. However, a person must believe that when he is awakened to enter the work, that it comes to him from above, meaning he is brought closer from above, so he will have connection with the Kedusha.

Certainly, he must be thankful to the Creator for pulling him out from the state of lowliness and elevating him to the domain of Kedusha, meaning that he began to feel that there is a higher place from which to receive provision, that his provision should not be as that of animals, but that he should receive provision from the “speaking” level. And the more he is grateful, the more he increases that feeling.

Yet, at the same time, he must know that he should ask the Creator to raise him to an even higher state than the one he is now, to be rewarded with the Torah. That is, although he depicts to himself that the state he is in is very important, meaning that he cannot imagine greater importance in the world, he should still say, “As much as I depict my current state as very important, I still cannot depict the real importance. As much as I depict a state of greatness, I should say that although I am as thankful to the Creator as can be, above reason, I still believe that there is a higher state than the one I am in now, and I am asking You to give me a greater gift.”

By this we should interpret what is written (Psalms 71), “I will always long,” meaning that there are higher degrees than what I can picture to myself. Although one should know that as much as he appreciates the current state, it is truly more important because a person cannot grasp the value of a tiny moment of spirituality. Still, above reason, he believes and asks for it.

This is the meaning of the words “I will always long,” meaning that I will be able to depict that there is more greatness than I can depict. This is the meaning of what is written, “And I will add to all Your glory.” This means that although now I praise you, I am asking to be able to praise You more than I can, and I want to add to Your glory.

However, when one should reflect on his spiritual state, and the person is brought before the judge within his heart, so he would give the verdict, whether one is guilty or innocent, meaning that sometimes, the judge acquits him because he cannot pay the debts that he must pay. At that time, a person needs mercy. That is, at times, the judge within his heart belongs to the wicked, those who condemn their Maker and not themselves. It follows that these judges cause a person to go to the prison of the criminals against the King, as it is written (Psalms 107), “Dwellers of darkness and the shadow of death, prisoners of poverty and iron, for they rebelled against the words of God And spurned the counsel of the Most High.”

Although there might be good judges, they are taking a bribe. That is, the judge in his heart is concerned with his own benefit; therefore, he always sides with man’s detriment. Then, a person has no other choice but to ask the Creator for mercy and to give him a real judge. The person sees that there is no real judge but the Creator.

In that regard, we should interpret what King David said (Psalms 82), “Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You will inherit all the nations,” meaning that the Creator will be the judge. At that time, a person receives the strength from the Creator, “for You will inherit all the nations,” for then one inherits all the nations in his heart.

The order of the work should be primarily about one thing: to work against man’s reason. That is, when a person is told that he must work for the sake of the Creator and not for himself, this is against man’s reason. After all, it is written, “And lives by them, and not that he will die.” It follows that this contradicts the purpose of creation, which is to do good to His creations.

We can interpret this through Abraham’s trial. On one hand, the Creator told him, “for through Isaac your descendants shall be named,” but then it is written, “Take now your son, your only son, and offer him there as a burnt offering.” We should interpret this in the work. “Your Ben [son]” comes from the word Bina, meaning Havanah [understanding]. “Your only one,” meaning the only understanding that there is in man, which man guards with his heart and soul so that no harm will come to it, namely the will to receive for his own sake. “And offer him as a burnt offering,” meaning slaughter the will to receive for one’s own sake, cancel it, and work only with the desire to bestow and not with the will to receive.

Afterward, He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad.” We should interpret that we should not say that he should revoke the will to receive. Rather, one should work so he can use the will to receive in order to bestow, and the parts that he cannot direct in order to bestow are forbidden to use. We can interpret this by what He said to him, “and Abraham went and took the ram instead of his son.” “Ram” is called Bina, as it is written in The Zohar, where he asks, “Why a ram and not a horn”? And he answers that a ram is regarded as Bina and a horn is Malchut. We should interpret that Malchut is “the will to receive.” Therefore, the vessels of reception that we cannot aim so they work in order to bestow are forbidden to use. Instead of them, we use the Kelim of Bina, which are called “vessels of bestowal.”

Accordingly, we can understand that when a person feels that he is not all right, that he is a sinner, it does not come to him because he did many bad deeds, since there is a rule, “transgressing and repeating, it becomes to him as permitted.” Hence, many sins do not make one feel his fault. Rather, the size of the sin is measured by man’s feeling of how far he is from the Creator. In other words, to the extent that one feels and believes in the Creator, to that extent he feels how far he is from the great King.

This means that when he feels that he is a sinner, he must know that the Creator let him feel a little bit, that there is a King in the world. This feeling, which he received from above, causes him to feel that he is a sinner. But when he has no connection to the Creator, how can he feel that he has sinned before the Creator and did bad things, which are against the Torah, when he does not know that there is the Giver of the Torah in the world? Rather, the sensation of sin is according to the measure of his faith in the greatness of the King, to that extent he can feel the measure of the sin. This means that the sin is measured in the one who flawed.

This is as our sages said (Baba Kama, Chapter 3), “The matter of shame is all according to the one who shames and the one who is ashamed.” We should interpret that if the one who shames is smart, he can know that if one shames one who is great, it is a grave sin. That is, the one who shames has the intellect to appreciate the size and importance of the one who is ashamed. It follows that he has committed a grave sin.

However, if the one who shames does not have the intellect to appreciate the importance of the one who is ashamed, it cannot be said about him that he has committed a grave sin and needs great atonement for the flaw that he has flawed in someone. Therefore, according to the sensation of the greatness of the King, so is the sin. Thus, if a person is righteous and has some understanding of the greatness of the King, his flaw is certainly greater than that of an ordinary person.

It follows that we always measure the importance of the King that a person has according to the person’s feeling. Therefore, if one feels that he has sinned, it must be that he was given from above some nearing to Kedusha, and this is why he feels that he has sinned. It is as Baal HaSulam said about what our sages said, that the Creator is meticulous with the righteous as a hairsbreadth, as it is written, “And round about him was very stormy.” He asked, Why do they deserve more punishment than others? He said that one who is righteous, says that the Creator is meticulous with him as a hairsbreadth. Therefore, when one feels that he has sinned, he should not be alarmed. On the contrary, it is a sign that he is being brought closer from above. Therefore, he must overcome and take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven, and he will succeed.

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Does It Mean that a High Priest Should Take a Virgin Wife, in the Work?

Article No. 29, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

The Zohar says (Emor, Item 38), “It is a Mitzva [commandment/ good deed] for the high priest to marry a virgin. This is the meaning of what is written, ‘A widow, or one divorced, or a profaned woman, or a harlot, these he shall not take, but a virgin of his own people shall he take for a wife.’ He asks, ‘Why is it necessary to take only a virgin, without a flaw?’ He replies, ‘A woman is a cup of blessing. If it is tasted, it is flawed.’ This implies to Malchut, who is called ‘a cup of blessing,’ and the priest, who offers a sacrifice before the Creator, must be perfect and flawless, since the flaws blemish the priests. Perfect in his body, perfect in his Nukva, by which to observe, ‘You are all beautiful, my wife, and there is not a flaw in you.’”

We should understand what a “high priest,” a “virgin,” a “widow,” a “divorcee,” a “profaned woman,” and a “harlot” mean in the work, and that he should take only a virgin, who is without a blemish, meaning that a virgin is unblemished. What does it imply that a virgin has no blemish in her, and what is the connection, in that he says that a woman implies a cup of blessing, which is Malchut?

The ARI says about Malchut, that each day she becomes a virgin once again (The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 12, Item 144), which is regarded as only a dot, and must be rebuilt until she obtains Gadlut [greatness/adulthood]. It is written in Shaar HaKavanot (Part 2) that each day is separate, and “There is not a single prayer since the world was created through the end of the world, that is similar to another whatsoever. And each day, new sparks are sorted, which have never before sorted until that time.”

We should understand this in the work. Malchut is called the “kingdom of heaven,” which man must take upon himself each day anew. It is not enough that he took upon himself the kingdom of heaven yesterday, but rather each day is a new discernment in and of itself. Hence, we must believe that each time we take upon ourselves the kingdom of heaven, it is considered that we sort out sparks that were outside of Kedusha [holiness], which is called (in Shaar HaKavanot) that “These sparks were previously captive among the Klipot [shells/peels], and they were raised to Kedusha by accepting the kingdom of heaven and by engaging in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds].”

It is as we say in the prayer (Master of the World, after the Omer count), “By this, great abundance shall flow in all the worlds.” For this reason, it is said in the holy books that a person, while accepting the kingdom of heaven during the Shema reading, should take upon himself the kingdom of heaven and intend that the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven will be with devotion. And since each day is a new discernment, and we must build the Malchut so she is in Gadlut, each time it is renewed.

This is why there is the intimation about the high priest. In the work, one who is a servant of the Creator, who wants to draw near to the Creator in Gadlut, is called “high priest.” When he comes to take a “wife,” called “kingdom of heaven,” he must take a “virgin,” since a virgin means that she has not been blemished. A virgin is as it is written, “a virgin soil,” which is a moniker for land that has never been cultivated, as it is written, “It was virgin soil,” which man has never tilled (Avoda Zara32).

In other words, a person should take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven as though he never had the kingdom of heaven and it is a new thing for him. Naturally, now he must think that he is going to do something new that he has never known about. It follows that this acceptance that he takes upon himself requires extra scrutiny, to know what is the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven, and what it requires so that the fear of heaven will be upon him.

This means that one should reflect on what he should do so that this will be a perpetual thing for him. That is, what does the Creator require of a person who has taken upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven. The verse says, “What does the Lord your God require of you but to fear Me,” and to reflect on what is fear. But if a person stops remembering about the matter of accepting the kingdom of heaven, regardless of the reason, and then reawakens to accept the kingdom of heaven, he does not need to continue the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven upon him in the manner he did prior to losing it, and to say, “I must go and awaken the kingdom of heaven,” meaning that it will be continual. Rather, he must begin the work anew.

We should compare this to a person who died and had valuable things, and his children come and want to receive the inheritance that their father bequeathed them. Our sages said about that (Avot, Chapter 2:17), “Prepare yourself to learn Torah that has not been bequeathed to you.” We should interpret that if a person comes to a state where he has forgotten everything, meaning he suffered a descent, it is as though he is dead. That is, previously, he was alive, meaning that he had the kingdom of heaven, which is considered being adhered to the Life of Lives. When it stops in him, he is considered dead, as was said, “The wicked in their lives are called ‘dead.’”

In spirituality, cause and consequence are called “father and son.” It follows that now he is called “a son” and wants to take upon himself of what is left after the demise of his father. We should interpret that “this is not your inheritance.” Rather, one must turn to a new page in the work of the Creator, as though he was born now, and now he wants to take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven and has no one from whom to inherit.

Accordingly, we should interpret what we asked, What do “high priest” and “plain priest” imply to us in the work? We should interpret that a “priest” is one who serves the Creator. Some workers belong to the general public. These are called “plain priests.” And some want to work in the individual manner, to achieve Gadlut, which is to work in truth. These are called “high priests.”

Among high priests, there is a completely different order of work than that of the general public—when a person engages in Torah and Mitzvot in practice and relies on the general public as far as the intention is concerned. Conversely, there are people who want to work also with the intention, meaning they want to aim all their actions for the sake of the Creator.

In other words, a “plain priest” means that his work is in the manner of the general public, and a “high priest” means that his work is in the manner of individuals. By this we can interpret what The Zohar says, “‘Why is it necessary to take only a virgin, without a flaw?’ He replies, ‘A woman is a cup of blessing. If it is tasted, it is flawed.’” We should interpret that a high priest, meaning one who wants to be a true servant of the Creator, must not take a wife, meaning the kingdom of heaven, that has already been flawed in him, meaning to continue the kingdom of heaven that he had prior to the descent he suffered, for this one is no longer “a virgin,” since he had this kingdom of heaven previously, and she was blemished.

That is, like the cup of blessing, “If it is tasted, it is flawed,” meaning that this Malchut was already tasted before he suffered the descent. This is the meaning of “If it is tasted, it is flawed,” since he already suffered a descent. It follows that he already blemished this Malchut, so he must take upon himself a new kingdom of heaven as though he never tasted the taste of the kingdom of heaven, and must turn to a new page in the work.

According to the above, we can interpret what we asked about what is written, “A widow, or one divorced, or a profaned woman, or a harlot, these he shall not take.” We should interpret that a widow is after he suffers a descent, he is regarded as dead. It follows that the previous wife, which is the kingdom of heaven that he had prior to the descent, is regarded as that person’s widow.

Likewise, what is a divorcee in the work? It means that he divorced her because he did not like her, since the minute a person does not agree to work for her, since he does not feel her importance, this is considered that the man divorces the wife. Although she does not want to divorce, since she has mercy on him, meaning Malchut sees that he is immersed in self-love and feels sorry for him, but he divorces her against her will.

This is the meaning of the judgment being that a woman is divorced against her will, since as soon as he does not like her, it is considered that he has divorced her. Therefore, a servant of the Creator, who is called a “high priest,” will not return and take that woman who is a divorcee. Rather, now he must begin to accept the burden of the kingdom of heaven anew and not take what happened into consideration.

Also, we should interpret “profane,” that he must not take a profaned woman. When a person wakes up once again to the work of the Creator, if it is in the manner of a high priest, it means he wants to work on the greatness of the Creator. That is, it is known that when one works in order to receive reward for his work, he does not look at who is giving, whether he is an important person or not. Rather, he looks at the reward. This means that if the owner is a simple person but pays twice as much as an important person who has some factory and pays salaries, he will certainly work for the one who pays higher wages.

But if a person works without a salary, but because he wants to serve an important person, that person always looks to see who is the most important and wants to work for him. It follows that one who wants to work in Gadlut, meaning that his work is built on the greatness of the Creator, since he wants to work without any reward, he is called “high priest,” since a priest is one who serves the Creator, who wants to approach the Creator. It is as we interpret the verse, “Should a man from among you make an offering to the Lord.” It is interpreted that “from among you” means that the offering is “from within you, yourselves,” meaning that the person who offers himself to the Creator is called “high priest.”

That person must not take a profaned woman. This means that whenever he comes to take a wife, he will always take a virgin, one who has never had a husband, meaning that he never used this Malchut. Rather, it must always be a new wife. Conversely, if he already used this Malchut before and had a descent, and stopped the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven, this is because he profaned her and did not behave with her as one should honor the kingdom of heaven, and dealt with her in contempt. Hence, he will not receive that discernment once again, since he already desecrated her.

Rather, a high priest should try to always take a virgin woman, meaning to depict to himself that now he is beginning to do the holy work, and what he had until now does not interest him. Rather, he says he hopes that henceforth, he will keep her and respect her. This is the meaning of the words “He shall take a wife in her virginity.”

We should also interpret what is written, “A widow, or one divorced, or a profaned woman, or a harlot, these shall he not take, but a virgin of his own people shall he take for a wife.” We should interpret what is a harlot in the work. The thing is that when the high priest wants to assume the burden of the kingdom of heaven, he must take a virgin, meaning “virgin soil,” which is a moniker for a land that has never been cultivated. Naturally, such soil cannot be expected to yield crops for food. This means that a person cannot sustain himself from this soil. Only after he cultivates it and gives it all that it needs, he will be able to sustain himself from that soil, and not before.

It follows that when a person accepts the burden of the kingdom of heaven, which is called “a wife,” he must be careful not to want the woman to be a Zona [harlot], from the words Zan uMefarness[nursing and sustaining]. That is, if the acceptance of the burden of the kingdom of heaven will sustain him, meaning he will have nourishments from her while he engages in Torah and Mitzvot, then he is willing to take her. Otherwise, he will not agree to take this woman, and this is called “a harlot woman” in the work.

Rather, he must accept the kingdom of heaven as a burden, meaning “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load,” unconditionally. This is regarded as a “virgin woman,” which is a “virgin soil,” which bears no fruit. If a person agrees to these conditions, he will be rewarded with being a high priest, namely bring himself closer to the Creator.

According to the above, we should interpret what our sages said (Kidushin 70a), in the work: “Anyone who marries a woman for wealth has unworthy children, as was said, ‘They have betrayed the Lord, for they have borne foreign children.’” We should understand what is marrying a woman for wealth. It means that a woman, in the work, is called “kingdom of heaven,” and he takes upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven because he heard that she has great wealth, and wealth means that she will provide for him, meaning that through the kingdom of heaven, he will have good taste in the Torah and in the prayer. Otherwise, it is enough for him to continue the same path that he received by education.

And why does he now need to take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven and exert, if the kingdom of heaven does not add to his provision, so he can sustain himself more affluently, whereas what sustains him now, all the nourishments he currently finds in the pleasures of this world do not satisfy him, so he wants to receive the kingdom of heaven?

This is called “marrying a woman for wealth,” meaning his only reason for accepting the kingdom of heaven is to satisfy self-love. This is also called that he marries an unworthy woman, since it is written in all the holy books that the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven should be with devotion, and there are many interpretations about it.

According to what we learn, the meaning is that he accepts the kingdom of heaven for the sake of the Creator and not for his own sake. This means that by taking upon himself the kingdom of heaven, he wants that His great name will grow and be sanctified, and not for his own sake. It follows that if he accepts the kingdom of heaven for his own sake, it is considered an “unworthy woman.” This is called “for wealth,” since “wealth” means that from this he will be able to sustain himself, meaning that through the wealth, he will be satisfied in life. Instead, one should try to take a woman for the sake of the Creator, meaning that the kingdom of heaven, called “woman,” will be for the sake of the Creator and not for his own sake.

Now we can understand why a person should accept faith above reason. It is so because usually, a person always considers the profit. If he does not see that he will gain something from the work, he chooses to stay at rest and does not want to make any movements unless he gains something.

Hence, when one is told that he should accept the kingdom of heaven for the sake of the Creator, meaning to sanctify His name, the body asks, “What will I get out of taking upon myself the kingdom of heaven? What is my gain in this?” It is told, “There are no words that the body can understand. Rather, you must believe that this is a great thing for you that you have the privilege of serving the King.” This is called “above reason,” since there are no words to tell the body so it can understand that it is worthwhile.

Therefore, when one does not see the profits within reason, it is considered that the labor is greater than the reward, since he does not know what is the reward, but he sees the labor and does not need to believe concerning the labor. Thus, as long as one has not been rewarded with fear of the Creator, he always looks at the labor, since he cannot understand the benefit from the work, but only believe above reason. Hence, this work is called “hard work,” and requires heaven’s mercy.

By this we can understand what is written (Deuteronomy 25:18), “when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God.” It means that since he sees that he is making the effort, but he still does not see the benefit from this work, and he must only believe. It follows that one becomes faith and weary, and all because he has still not been rewarded with fear of God.

One should know that faith is the Kli [vessel]. When the Kli is properly completed and is fit to receive, the abundance immediately fills the Kli of faith, which is above reason. The abundance is called “fear of heaven,” and a person obtains this light after he has provided this Kli, called “faith above reason.” Before one is rewarded with fear of the Creator, he suffers the labor because the light does not shine for him.

It follows that one who wants to assume the burden of the kingdom of heaven must work above reason, meaning that it will not be for his own sake but for the sake of the Creator. This is called “above reason,” since the body does not agree to it, since it does not understand anything but that which is to its own benefit.

Now we can interpret what our sages said, “There is no poor public.” It is known that “poor” means one who is “poor in knowledge,” as our sages said (Nedarim 41), “There is no poverty except in knowledge.” Baal HaSulam said that Malchut is called “public.” By this we should interpret that “There is no poor public” means that one who accepts the burden of the kingdom of heaven above reason, it does not mean that he has no reason and he is poor, and this is why he accepts the burden of the kingdom of heaven. It is to the contrary; he stands at a degree that is above reason, meaning even more important than reason. In the work, “above” and “below” mean that “above” means being of superior importance, and “below” means being of inferior importance.

“There is no poor public” means that one who takes upon himself the kingdom of heaven above reason is not regarded as “poor,” meaning one who has no reason. It follows that the heart of the work is to work above reason, since when a person wants to work for the sake of the Creator, it is called “above reason,” namely against the view of the body. However, one must know that we also need the Torah, as our sages said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.”

This is as he writes in the book A Sage’s Fruit (Letters, pp 115-116), “The purpose of the soul when it comes in the body is to attain returning to its root and to cleave unto Him, while clothed in the body, as it is written, ‘To love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him.’Yet, who knows the ways of the Creator? Indeed, this is the meaning of ‘Torah that has 613 ways.’ He who walks by them will finally be purified until his body will no longer be an iron partition between him and his Maker, as it is written, ‘And I will take away the stony heart from your flesh.’ Then he shall cleave to his Maker.Thus, it is best to yearn for the commandment of the Upper One (meaning the Torah), for ‘He who does not know the ways of the Upper One and the commandments of the Upper One, which are the secrets of Torah, how will he serve Him?’”

We therefore see that one should try to exert to obtain the Torah. In order to obtain the Torah, one should accept the kingdom of heaven above reason. That is, against one’s view, meaning that for himself, he does not need anything, but only for the sake of the Creator. By this we should interpret what is written (Genesis 28:14), “And your descendants will be as the dust of the earth.” “Your descendants” means Banim [sons]. In the work, Banim means Havanah [understanding] in Torah and Mitzvot. The Creator promised Jacob that understanding in Torah and Mitzvot can be obtained only when one agrees to be “as the dust of the earth,” meaning that he agrees to observe Torah and Mitzvot even if he does not feel any feeling in it and tastes only the taste of dust in Torah and Mitzvot, since he says, “I am working for the Creator. If He wants me to work for Him in this manner, I agree.” Then he is rewarded with Gadlut [greatness] and understanding.

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?

Article No. 28, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

It is written in The Zohar (Kedoshim, Item 13), “The Torah is called ‘holy,’ for it is written, ‘for I the Lord am holy.’ This is the Torah, which is the upper, Holy Name. Hence, one who engages in it is purified and then sanctified, as it is written, ‘You will be holy.’ It does not say, ‘were holy,’ but ‘will be holy,’ will be indeed. That is, it is a promise that through the Torah, you will be holy.”

We should understand what it means when it says that through the Torah you will be holy, and then says, “Hence, one who engages in it is purified and then sanctified.” Therefore, we should understand why he begins by saying that through the Torah, he will be holy, and then says that through the Torah he will have purity, and only afterward will the Torah bring him Kedusha [holiness]. Also, we should understand what are the promises that he will certainly achieve Kedusha, meaning what is the cause and the reason for the certainty that it will bring him to Kedusha.

It is known that the purpose of creation is that His desire is to do good to His creations. Accordingly, the created beings should have received the delight and pleasure. Yet, we must understand that the delight and pleasure that the Creator wishes to give to the created beings is not the same delight and pleasure that is appropriate for beasts, but what is appropriate for humans. We must believe what the ARI says, that all the corporeal pleasures extend only from what fell through the breaking of the vessels (that were in the world of Nekudim), when holy sparks fell from there into the Klipot[shells/peels]. But the main pleasures are in Kedusha, and they are called “the holy names.”

In order for the creatures to be able to receive the delight and pleasure, and in order not to have shame while receiving the pleasure, a correction was placed on it. The correction was a Tzimtzum[restriction] and concealment on the upper light. That is, before one receives the correction on the will to receive, which is the aim to bestow, there is no disclosure of the upper light. The Mitzvot[commandments/good deeds] that we observe, where we should have tasted the flavor of delight and pleasure, we cannot feel this taste because of the above-mentioned reason, so there will not be shame while receiving the pleasure, for which there was a correction that when we receive the pleasure, we must aim to bestow. Otherwise, there are concealment and hiding on the actions.

Hence, we must observe the Torah and Mitzvot so it will bring us purity, where purity means purification of the Kelim from the will to receive for oneself, which is called “dirt,” since it is in disparity of form from the Creator, who is all to bestow. For this reason, before we clean the Kelim, it is impossible to place within them anything good, for anything we might place in a dirty Kli [vessel] will be spoiled.

Hence, we must receive good advice, things that will purify our Kelim [vessels], which is called “making kosher [fit to be eaten according to Jewish laws]” and “preparation” so we can receive the delight and pleasure. Because of this, we were given 613 Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], which The Zohar calls “613 counsels,” namely counsels about how to purify ourselves from the filth of our vessels of reception.

This is as it is written in the “Introduction of The Book of Zohar” (“General Explanation for All Fourteen Commandments and How They Divide into the Seven Days of Creation,” Item 1): “The Mitzvot in the Torah are called Pekudin [Aramaic: deposits], as well as 613 Eitin [Aramaic: counsels]. The difference between them is that in all things there is Panim [anterior/face] and Achor[posterior/back]. The preparation for something is called Achor, and the attainment of the matter is called Panim. Similarly, in Torah and Mitzvot there are ‘We shall do’ and ‘We shall hear.’ When observing Torah and Mitzvot as ‘doers of His word,’ prior to being rewarded with hearing, the Mitzvot are called ‘613 Eitin,’ and are regarded as Achor. When rewarded with ‘hearing the voice of His word,’ the 613 Mitzvot become Pekudin, from the word Pikadon [Hebrew: deposit].”

We should interpret his words, that in order for one to be able to receive the delight and pleasure and that they will be in a manner of Dvekut, which is equivalence of form, since man was created with a desire to receive for oneself, man should cleanse himself from self-reception. But this is not within man’s power, as it is against nature. Hence, we need His help, to give us this power called “desire to bestow.” And how do we receive this desire? This is done through the Torah, as our sages said, “The Creator said, ‘I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.’”

It follows that the fact that we observe the Torah and Mitzvot is with the aim that the Torah and Mitzvot will bring us purity. This is called “613 counsels.” The 613 Eitin are counsels concerning two things—the light and the Kli, called a “need.” In other words, it is impossible to receive something unless there is a need for it.

Therefore, a person must learn the Torah so as to feel the bad and understand that the will to receive for oneself is bad. Put differently, he should ask the Creator to give him the need to obtain the desire to bestow, since the fact that one understands that he must obtain the desire to bestow is still not considered a need. Rather, first one must know why he needs the desire to bestow, meaning what he loses by not having the desire to bestow. If he does not see the great loss from not having this desire, he certainly cannot ask from the bottom of the heart that the Creator will give him the desire to bestow.

Moreover, sometimes a person does not want the Creator to give him that desire, and how can one pray for something that he is not certain that he needs? And the evidence that he does not need it so much is that many times he does not even want to be given that desire. It therefore follows that one should pray to the Creator to make him feel the need for this desire, meaning to yearn for the Creator to give him that desire, since he does not always understand the need for this desire.

By this we can interpret what is said in the supplementary prayer (for Rosh Hashanah [beginning of the year] and Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement]), “And be in the mouths of Your people, the house of Israel, who are standing up to ask. Inform them what to ask.” In other words, the Creator should give them, the messengers of Your people. That is, each person is a community in itself and has a messenger of the public, meaning a person who is going to pray for himself. It is known that man is called “a small world in and of itself.” Hence, first we must ask the Creator to send him what to ask, meaning that one should first ask to feel the need for the desire to bestow, and only the Creator can give him that need.

It follows that the beginning of his work is the recognition of evil, meaning that a person asks the Creator to feel how bad is the will to receive. This awareness that the will to receive is called “bad,” only the Creator can make him feel. This is considered that through the Torah, a person can achieve recognition of evil, meaning to understand how much his will to receive is bad, and then he can ask to replace the will to receive and give him instead the desire to bestow.

Yet, if he has no lack, meaning torments at the fact that he is dirty and immersed in the filth of the will to receive for himself, then he asks the Creator to satisfy other desires for him, which pain him, meaning whose absence of feels. He wants the Creator to satisfy all that his heart desires. Although a person does not say verbally to the Creator to satisfy all his wishes, it is as we said in the previous article, that the request is not that which one says with his mouth, for a request of the Creator is only a lack, and a lack is recognized in the heart, and not in the mouth. Thus, we should know that we do not need to say out loud what we are asking of the Creator, for only that which is in the heart is regarded as a request. Therefore, even if one does not say to the Creator, “Satisfy all my heart’s wishes,” the demand within the heart is already considered a request.

Therefore, one must know that the Creator takes into consideration only that which is in one’s heart. And since man cannot live without pleasure, because His desire is to do good, if a person cannot receive pleasure from Kedusha, the body must receive pleasure from corporeal lusts. And if a person is accustomed to sometimes receive pleasure from Torah and Mitzvot, then during the descent, when he does not feel the lack for spirituality, he should work in order to obtain that lack, so he will suffer at not having the need for spirituality. Then a person receives a greater need for corporeal lusts, to complement what he was used to occasionally receive from Torah and Mitzvot.

Hence, during the descent, one must be mindful that he engages in Torah and Mitzvot so that the light of the Torah will shine for him and he will feel its absence, meaning that he will suffer at not having love and fear of the Creator. In order for one to feel suffering in the heart from being far from Kedusha, we can receive this feeling by engaging in Torah and Mitzvot, so it brings us to feel the truth about what one needs. By this he will be able to achieve wholeness. At that time, a person receives through this the Torah, and this is called that he receives the need from above, meaning through the power of the Torah. Afterward, a person receives the filling, which is the light, meaning the power of the desire to bestow, which is a second nature. This is regarded as receiving purity, where by the desire to bestow that he received, he is now in a state of “purification of the Kelim.”

According to the above, we should interpret what we asked concerning what The Zohar says, that through the Torah you will be holy, and afterward it says, “Hence, one who engages in it is purified and then sanctified.” The answer is that the Torah does two things: 1) Purifies, meaning gives the Kli, namely the lack. 2) Afterward, the Torah gives him the light.

There is a rule that when a person is told, “I will give you something good,” first he is told what is the good thing, and then he is given details. This means that first, one is told, “You will be awarded Kedusha,” and then he is given details, meaning that you cannot enjoy from the Kedusha, for you should know that this is something very important. Hence, first the Torah must give you the Kli to receive the Kedusha.” Before a person has the Kli, he cannot receive the filling. It follows that the Torah gives the light, as well as the Kli. But at first, we do not speak of the Kli, but of the light, and then we also speak about the Kli. This is why it is written, “You will be holy.”

Now we can understand what we asked, “What is the guarantee that ‘You will be holy,’ for he says, ‘You will indeed be holy,’” meaning that through the Torah you will be holy. We should interpret that since His desire is to do good to His creations, but because of the disparity of form there was a correction of Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment, where the light does not shine to the lower ones before they have Kelim that are fit to receive, meaning that the Kelim have the correction of the aim to bestow, which is called “purity,” since through the Torah they will receive purification, as our sages said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.” It follows that the Kelim can be purified by the Torah, since “the light in it reforms him.”

Hence, if they have pure Kelim, they will certainly be rewarded with the light, and the light is called Kedusha. There is no shortage of lights; only Kelim are missing. Thus, purity is called a Kli, meaning the correction of receiving in order to bestow, and the work of the Kelim is an order in and of itself, meaning that all the work that one must do is only Kelim that are fit to receive. This is as it is said, “More than the calf wants to eat, the cow wants to feed.” It follows that the most important is the purification of the Kelim.

For this reason, once a person engages in Torah and the Torah brings him to purity, as it is written, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice,” he will certainly be rewarded with Kedusha, which is called “light,” which is the names of the Creator. This is why he says that the Torah is called Kedusha, as it is written, “for I the Lord am holy.”

This is the meaning of what he says, “It does not say, ‘were holy,’ but ‘will be holy,’ will be indeed. That is, it is a promise that through the Torah, you will be holy.” And at that time one is rewarded with wholeness and he can observe “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,” meaning with both your inclinations—the good inclination and the evil inclination, due to the Kedushathat he received from above. At that time, the whole body annuls before the Kedusha. It follows that the evil inclination, too, agrees to work for the sake of the Creator. By this we should interpret what our sages said (Berachot 35b), “When Israel do the Creator’s will, their work is done by others.”

That is, when one has been rewarded with doing the Creator’s will, meaning that as the Creator wants to bestow, so man wants to bestow upon the Creator. At that time, their work, meaning one who wants his work to be in wholeness, which comes to him from working with the good inclination, once he has been rewarded with the desire to bestow, the work of heaven is done by others. Who are the others? It is the evil inclination, who is the “other” of Kedusha, meaning the other side, which is against Kedusha. However, when one works for the desire of the Creator, which is the desire to bestow, the other, too, the evil inclination, also does the Creator’s work.

However, before one has been rewarded with being among the people who do the Creator’s will, the good inclination is also unable to work, since the evil inclination controls it. For this reason, the evil inclination is called “an old and foolish king.” It is called “a king” because it controls the person and each time, thoughts and desires of every kind in the world come to a person. Hence, when a good thought or desire comes to a person, he should believe that it came to him from above, and he should be thankful to the Creator for it, since by thanking the Creator for it, spirituality becomes more important to him each time.

A person should know that in spirituality, exile means that the importance of Kedusha has departed from him. This is called “Shechina [Divinity] in the dust.” It follows that by thanking the Creator for a small thing in Kedusha, regardless of the quantity, since this gives some assistance to spirituality, he should be thankful to the Creator. According to the above, we should interpret what our sages said (Avot, Chapter 1:15), “Welcome every person with a bright face.”

Therefore, since thoughts and desires always come to a person, whether beastly or human, meaning that a thought and desire that do not pertain to the beastly level, normally a person weighs its benefit, meaning that one weighs which is preferable to which. In other words, a person can repel beastly lusts in order to receive lusts that are suitable for the human level. But the person says, “I want to relinquish beastly lusts, but in return, receive the status of a great and important person. That is, if by conceding corporeality, I will feel a good taste in Torah and prayer, it is worthwhile for me to relinquish.” But on the level of a small person, meaning that he does not feel any flavor in Torah and Mitzvot, and for this, I must relinquish corporeal needs and be happier than with beastliness? About this, a person says that it is not worth relinquishing.

Our sages said about this, “Welcome every person with a bright face.” That is, when a thought and desire to be human comes to a person, which is considered that now he received the quality of “man,” one should not say, “First, I want to see the greatness of this person and what he promises me.” The answer to this is “every person,” meaning that he should not distinguish between a great and important person or a simple person. “Every” means every person, without distinctions, as long as he is in the quality of “man,” meaning if the thought and desire belong to being human, we should welcome it with a bright face, meaning be happy with it, with this thought and desire, as though he feels it as a great man.

He must be thankful to the Creator for sending him this desire, and by thanking the Creator, it is not because He needs gratitude. Rather, it is because by focusing one’s thought when he thanks the Creator, he has some Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator, since it is impossible to thank someone unless we love that person.

Since we normally thank one who has done something good for us, by nature, the one who receives the benefit loves him. It follows that this causes love of the Creator when a person thinks about the gratitude he gives to the Creator; hence, the measure and importance of the quality of man that he received is not important (but we must remember that the quality of “man” means what our sages said, “You are called ‘man,’ and not the nations of the world”). Rather, “a bright face” expresses the joy he has when receiving the quality of man. This means that one should exert to be able to have the strength to broaden the importance of the matter. He must believe that the Creator sent him this desire, so he must depict in his mind as though the Creator speaks to him and tells him, “My son, behave as I am telling you.”

However, when a person wants to appreciate the thought and desire that came to him, and wants to execute it, the desires and thoughts about the seventy nations that are in his body come to him and laugh at him: “For such a small taste that you feel that there is something in spirituality, you want to betray corporeal needs?” They tell him, “Do you want to lose all importance for self-benefit for such a small and worthless thing?”

Then the person begins to say, “I hope and believe in the words of our sages, who said, “A Mitzva[commandment/good deed] induces a Mitzva.” Therefore, I am certain that by this, I will be rewarded with achieving wholeness, as this is what I hope.” The person should overcome and say as it is written (in the litany following the Eighteen Prayer), “Look from above and see that we have been the laughingstock of the nations.” “Nations” means the seventy nations within one’s body. They mock the person when he wants to do the holy work, and he must ask for the Creator’s help.

According to the above, we should interpret what our sages said, that one should not be ashamed of people who mock him in the work of the Creator. It means that man consists of the whole world. Hence, there are discernments within man that mock a person wanting to appreciate small words and actions that a person wants to do, and say about such small actions, meaning about a Mitzva on which he cannot make any intentions, that it is not worth exerting in order to do them. Therefore, the sages said that they should not be ashamed from those who mock. Rather, one should believe that anything pertaining to the work of the Creator is important, and certainly, if one can aim while performing the Mitzvot, it is even better. Nevertheless, even the smallest act is priceless and one cannot evaluate it.

We already said that Baal HaSulam said that one should believe that according to man’s view, who knows that an act Lishma [for Her sake] is a great thing above, he should believe that an act Lo Lishma [not for Her sake] is even greater and more important above than one thinks that the Lishmais great and important. Hence, we must exert and believe in the sages in everything we do, that we are rewarded with performing acts of Kedusha. Even without any intention, that, too, is a great and important thing, and we should thank the Creator for it.

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Is, “If a Woman Inseminates First, She Delivers a Male Child,” in the Work?

Article No. 27, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

Our sages said (Berachot 60), “If a woman inseminates first, she delivers a male child. If a man inseminates first, she delivers a female child, as was said, ‘If a woman inseminates, she delivers a male child.’”

We should understand what this implies to us in the work, so we will know how to behave.

It is known that the work that is given to us, to observe Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], is in order to cleanse Israel, as it is written in the essay, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” “It is known that ‘cleansing’ is derived from the [Hebrew] word ‘purifying.’ It is as our sages said, ‘The Mitzvot were only given for the purification of Israel.’”

Since the creatures were created with a nature of a desire to receive for oneself, since the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, for this reason, He created in the creatures a desire to receive delight and pleasure. Since this is in disparity of form from the Creator, who is the Giver, we were given work, where we must equalize in form with the Creator, so we, too, must correct ourselves so that all that we do will be in order to bestow.

We see that there are things we do that are giving, and there are things we do that are receiving. For example, we engage in Mitzvot between man and the Creator, and Mitzvot between man and man, which are usually called “acts of bestowal.” Also, we perform acts of reception such as eating and drinking, and we were given the work of equivalence of form, meaning that both acts of bestowal and acts reception, we must perform them in order to bestow.

It is known that there is an inverse relation between Kelim [vessels] and lights. That is, there are lights that are called “male,” and there are lights that are called “female.” “Male” means wholeness, and “female” means lack, when the degree is not in wholeness with the light that it received.

There are two kinds of light: 1) the light of the purpose of creation, which is called “complete light,” 2) the light of the correction of creation, which is only a clothing for the light of the purpose of creation. This is a female, meaning incomplete, but only a means to achieve wholeness.

The first light is called “light of Hochma [wisdom]” or “light of life,” and the second light is called “light of Hassadim [mercies],” usually referred to as VAK [Vav-Kzavot (six edges)]. This means that it still lacks the first three Sefirot.

Therefore, if a person uses the female Kelim, namely vessels of reception, meaning that the person has awakened to use the vessels of reception in order to bestow, then “she delivers a male child.” That is, from this work, light of Hochma is born, a complete light, the light of life, called “male,” since this light belongs to the purpose of creation, since the Creator created the vessels of reception, called “will to receive,” for the light of the purpose of creation.

It is written, “If a woman inseminates first, she delivers a male child.” But if a person works with the vessels of bestowal, meaning only with acts of bestowal, he can work in order to bestow, for vessels of bestowal are called “male.” Then, only female light is born out of it, since light of Hassadim, which is revealed over vessels of bestowal, can engender only the light of Hassadim, called “VAK without GAR [first three],” indicating the absence of GAR. The light of Hassadim is called “clothing light,” meaning that within the light of Hassadim, the light Hochma will dress later. This is the meaning of the words “If a man inseminates first, she delivers a female child.”

The Zohar says (Tazria, Item 60), “Come and see, when the Creator is with the assembly of Israel, which is Malchut, and she evokes the desire for him first, and attracts him to her with much love and yearning, Malchut is filled with the Hassadim of the male from the right side. And when the Creator evokes love and desire first, and Malchut awakens later, then everything is in the form of female, which is Malchut.”

We should understand what this tells us in the work. It is known that the creatures extend from Malchut. Hence, Malchut is called “the assembly of Israel,” and the people of Israel extend from Malchut. Therefore, The Zohar says that as the order is above, so it extends to the corporeal branches. Accordingly, we should interpret that when a person awakens to the Creator, when he wants the Creator to bring him closer to Him, meaning he wants to adhere to Him, which is called “equivalence of form,” it means that a person wants to do everything for the sake of the Creator but he cannot. Therefore, he asks the Creator to give him the strength, called “desire to bestow.”

When one yearns for this force, since he has a lack, meaning he does not have the power to do everything for the sake of the Creator, through this work he awakens to ask the Creator to give him this power. At that time, he is given from above the power of the desire to bestow, which is a second nature. This is called “she delivers a male child,” meaning a desire to bestow, called “male.” This is considered that the upper one has given the lower one the light of Hassadim, where Hesed [mercy] means bestowing.

In other words, the work of yearning, where the lower one feels its deficiency, this is called “a prayer.” That is, he asks the Creator to fulfill his deficiency. At that time, the satisfaction of the lack is called “male.” It is written, “and she evokes the desire for him first,” meaning her desire, Malchut, called “will to receive.”

In other words, her desire for him, to adhere to him, which is called “equivalence of form,” when he asks the desire to bestow, this is called Dvekut [adhesion]. This is the meaning of the words “ Malchut is filled with the Hassadim of the male from the right side.” By this we can interpret “If a woman inseminates first, she delivers a male child,” meaning that the awakening came from the person.

However, this can be precisely where a person initially did not have a desire to draw near to the Creator, meaning he received the awakening from above, since there is the matter of will to receive for spirituality, meaning we can feel pleasure in observing Torah and Mitzvot. We already said in previous articles that there are three discernments to make in this pleasure of receiving reward:

1) He will be rewarded in this world and will be rewarded in the next world. That is, he observes Torah and Mitzvot because he will be rewarded, paid. In other words, he finds no taste in the things he does, but he observes Torah and Mitzvot because he will be rewarded later, so he enjoys it now.

2) He feels a good taste while observing the Mitzvot, since it illuminates for him, he enjoys serving the King, and this is his reward. He believes what he heard from books and from authors that there is pleasure in Torah and Mitzvot, and he also received some awakening from above and began to feel that there can be good taste in observing Torah and Mitzvot more than in the pleasures of this world.

3) He sees what our sages said about Dvekut: “Cling unto Him, cling unto His attributes. As He is merciful, so you are merciful.” For this reason, he awakens to work as a giver and sees that this is out of one’s hands. At that time, he begins to yearn for the Creator to give him the power to be able to do everything in order to bestow. This is considered that the person feels that he is regarded as a woman, a female, meaning immersed in self-love, and at that time he receives from above the quality of “male,” and he is rewarded with a second nature called “desire to bestow.” This is the meaning of the words “If a woman inseminates first, she delivers a male child.” That is, from above, he is given Hesed, which is male.

But “If a man inseminates first, she delivers a female child.” It is written, “And when the Creator evokes love and desire first, and Malchut awakens later, then everything is in the form of female, Malchut.” Similarly, it is written, “If a woman inseminates first, what is the reason? We learned that it is because the lower world is akin to the upper world, and one is like the other.”

We should interpret this in the work, that if the man inseminates first, she delivers a female. The Creator is called “man,” and the man is called “female,” since he derives from Malchut. For this reason, if the awakening comes from above, meaning that when the Creator brings a person closer, the person begins to feel the greatness and importance of the Creator. At that time he feels that if he is connected to the Creator, he will feel pleasure when near the Creator. Then, a person begins to engage in Torah and Mitzvot because he feels some vitality in this. It follows that the whole cause that obligates him to engage in Torah and Mitzvot is the pleasure he feels now by the awakening of the “man,” meaning the Creator.

This is the meaning of “If a man inseminates first, she delivers a female child.” That is, from this work, when a person works because he received an awakening from above, only a female can be born. It is known that a female in spirituality means “receiving and not bestowing.” We should interpret here in the work that then a person builds his work on the basis of receiving pleasure from this work, and this is what causes him to work.

This is called “female,” meaning that then a person works on the basis called “will to receive spirituality.” However, he does not have the strength to work in order to bestow, since his entire basis is built on the pleasure he received from above by the awakening from above. At that time, a person is born with the quality of a female, which is the desire to receive spirituality in order to receive. However, he cannot work in order to bestow, as it is written, “If a man inseminates first, she delivers a female child,” meaning receiving and not giving.

Therefore, if a person is rewarded, he is shown from above that man must work in order to bestow, but he cannot work in order to bestow. For this reason, he suffers a descent because he is still unable to work on the basis of bestowal. That is, when he sees that he should work in order to bestow and not for his own sake, he suffers a descent because he sees that this is not for him.

Sometimes, this descent causes him to escape the campaign. If he is rewarded, he recovers and begins to see what it means that one must work in order to bestow. He sees that it is out of man’s hands, and then he begins to pray to the Creator to help him emerge from the control of self-love with which man was born, and asks the Creator to help him.

This is regarded as a person having to ask for the exile of the Shechina [Divinity], meaning how to work for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. This is difficult, as it extends from the governance of the nations of the world over man’s personal quality of Israel. And also, one should pray for the general public, that all of Israel will be able to work for the Kedusha [holiness], called “kingdom of heaven.” This discernment, when one works for Malchut, is called “If a woman inseminates first, she delivers a male child.” But “If a man inseminates first, she delivers a female child.”

For this reason, one should not sit and wait to receive an awakening from above. Rather, in any state one is in, he should start and awaken, so the Creator will help him.

Concerning the prayer, we should know that when a person prays to the Creator to help him, we should discern between prayer and request. A “prayer” means that a person prays the order of the prayers that our sages have arranged for us. A “request” is when a person asks privately. This is how prayer and request are interpreted.

We can explain this, since what our sages established, a person should say with his mouth. That is, even if he does not mean that the Creator will hear what he says in the phrasing of the prayer, it is still considered a prayer, since we say what they said, and to them, these were holy words. For example, after the Eighteen Prayer, a person says a prayer, “My soul shall be as dust to all.” Certainly, a person does not want the Creator to grant his prayer.

Nevertheless, a person says it in the phrasing of the prayer as a Segula [virtue/merit/remedy]. That is, as a Segula, saying “My soul shall be as dust to all” can help even for obtaining sustenance, and so forth. This is so because all the prayers that our sages established are holy names, which is a Segula for everything, meaning it helps with everything.

But the meaning of the words that a person thinks, which is according to what one thinks, he should know that these prayers are above our mind. Rather, they are all holy names. We use them as Segula, for by them we have connection with the Creator. This is why we have to say all the prayers with the mouth, since in the heart, we do not understand. Therefore, when we say this with the mouth, we have connection with what they said, since what they said was all with the holy spirit, and they are founded on the holy names.

Baal HaSulam said that although it is customary that when we want to pray for a sick person, the order is that in the Eighteen Prayer, when we say, “Heal us, Lord, and we will be healed,” it is because the general public can understand only according to the meaning of the words, but in truth, he said that we can mention the sick person, that the Creator will send him a cure, even in the blessing, “And to the slanderers,” since all the blessings in the Eighteen are holy names. This is why he said that when we say the prayers that they said, we have a connection with them, meaning with their prayers, namely connection with their intentions.

This is not so with a request. This is when a person feels what he is lacking. This is specifically in the heart, meaning that it does not matter what he says with his mouth, since “requesting” means that a person asks for what he needs, and all of man’s needs are not in the mouth, but in the heart. Therefore, it does not matter what a person says with his mouth. Rather, the Creator knows the thoughts. Hence, what is heard above is only what the heart demands and not what the mouth demands, since the mouth has no deficiency that must be satisfied.

Hence, when a person comes to pray he should prepare for the prayer. What is this preparation? It is written “Prepare for your God, Israel” (Shabbat 10). He says there that preparation is something each one does according to his understanding. We should interpret that concerning the preparation that each one does, it is in order to know what to ask, since one must know what to ask. That is, a person has to know what he needs.

This means that a person can ask for many needs, but normally, we ask for what we need the most. For example, when a person is in prison, all his concerns are about the Creator freeing him from imprisonment. Although sometimes a person has no income, and so forth, he still does not ask the Creator for income, too, although he needs it, since then he suffers most from being in prison. For this reason, a person asks for the thing he needs the most, meaning he asks about that which pains him the most.

Therefore, when a person comes to pray to the Creator to help him, he should first prepare and examine himself to see what he has and what he needs, and then he can know what to ask of the Creator to help him. It is written, “From the depths I have called upon You, Lord.” “Depth” means that a person is at the very bottom, as was said, “at the bottom of Sheol,” meaning that his lack is below and he feels that he is the lowliest of all humans.

In other words, he feels so far from Kedusha, more than everyone else, meaning that no one feels the truth, that his body has nothing to do with Kedusha. For this reason, those people, who do not see the truth of how far they are from Kedusha, can be content with their work in holiness, while he suffers from his situation.

Therefore, this person, who criticized himself and wants to see the truth, this person can say, “From the depths I have called upon You, Lord,” meaning from the bottom of the heart. This is called “a prayer from the bottom of the heart,” on the part of the receiver. That is, he examined himself and saw his fault.

However, when the person prepares himself for prayer, he must pay attention to the Giver. This is the hardest, since there is a rule that anything that depends on faith, the body does not agree to it. Since a person prays to the Creator, he must believe that the Creator “hears the prayer of every mouth,” even when the person is unworthy of the Creator granting his wishes.

This is as we say in the prayer between man and man. Normally, there should be two conditions when one asks a favor from another: 1) His friend must have what he wants, so if he asks him, he will be able to give him because he has it. 2) His friend must have a kind heart. Otherwise, his friend might have what he asks, but will not want to give it because he is not a merciful person.

Likewise, between man and the Creator, these two conditions must be met, as well, as our sages said (Hulin 7b), “Israel are holy. Some want and do not have, some have and do not want.” We should interpret this in the work. The Creator has what he wants, meaning what a person asks—that the Creator will bring him closer and give him the privilege of serving Him. In other words, a person wants the Creator to give him the desire to bestow. At that time, he believes that the Creator has the power to give man the desire to bestow.

However, the Creator does not want, since He sees that the person is still incapable of it because he still does not have a real desire for it, since he thinks that he has already prayed many times to the Creator to satisfy his wish and give him the filling, namely the desire to bestow.

But because “as the advantage of the light from within the darkness,” the person’s awakening from below is still incomplete, and the person must still labor in order to understand the great gift called “desire to bestow,” which he is asking of the Creator. This is called “He has but He does not want to give.” However, the person is considered holy because he is asking the Creator to take him as a servant of the Creator.

Sometimes, a person asks the Creator to bring him closer and give him a good taste in Torah and in prayer. Then, if he tastes sweetness in Torah and work, he will agree to serve the Creator. But to learn and pray and observe all 613 Mitzvot with all their details and precisions just like that, when he feels no taste in this? A person says he cannot do this.

Therefore, he asks the Creator to grant his wish. To the Creator, this is called “Israel are holy. Some want and do not have.” This means that the Creator wants to give to the person the flavors of Torah and Mitzvot, but “He does not have.” That is, these things do not exist in the Creator, in vessels of reception, that it is possible to give this to a person in his vessels of reception.

This is the meaning of “the Creator cannot give him,” since the Creator has no vessels of reception. Rather with the Creator, everything is in vessels of bestowal. Since a person wants the Creator to give him everything in man’s vessels of reception, since he claims that he wants to enjoy Torah and Mitzvot, and this is why he asks the Creator to satisfy his deficiency, to the Creator, this is called “He wants to give to the man what the man wants, and He wants to give because of His desire to do good to His creations. But because the person asks the Creator to give him everything in man’s vessels of reception, the Creator does not have this.” Rather, the Creator has only the desire to bestow.

For this reason, although a person cannot receive from the Creator, he is still called “holy,” since he wants to engage in Torah and Mitzvot. Hence, when a person comes to pray, he should first prepare in order to know for what to pray.

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Is Revealing a Portion and Covering Two Portions in the Work?

Article No. 26, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

We should understand this matter of “revealing a portion.” This means that previously, a portion was covered here, and then one came and revealed a portion but concealed two portions. Thus, now it became more concealed than before he revealed. This means that he came and made a greater concealment now than before. Would it not be better if he did not reveal the portion?

We should interpret that when he comes and says, “I revealed a portion and I covered two portions,” he comes and tells us that there is a place of scrutiny here, to examine what he revealed, since the matter should not be revealed to all, but only to those who need to know. For this reason, he had to cover two portions so that people who have no need to know would not exert in order to understand the matters, while those who feel that they are lacking this knowledge in order to complete themselves will exert in order to reveal the matter that he concealed.

By this we should interpret in matters of work, which is man’s engagement in Torah and Mitzvot[commandments/good deeds] in order to achieve completion, and for which man was created. We should make two discernments here:

1) The purpose of creation. The purpose of creation is for the creatures to come to a state where they receive delight and pleasure from the Creator.

2) The correction of creation. The correction of creation is to achieve Dvekut [adhesion], called “equivalence of form,” meaning that all their actions will be only in order to bestow contentment upon the Creator. Therefore, when there is some revelation and a person cannot receive it in order to bestow, he blemishes it. For this reason, everything must be in concealment until a person can receive it in order to bestow.

Hence, when he says, “I revealed a portion and I concealed two portions,” it means that those who have no need for the matter will not exert to work and reveal, while those who do have a need, when they are told, “I revealed a portion and I concealed two portions,” they are willing to work until they attain the portion he revealed, since the Creator helps them. When a person gives the awakening from below, he receives help from above.

It follows that He did reveal the matter to those worthy of them. Who is worthy? Those who make an effort. To them, the portion they revealed is revealed to them. That is, those who do not have the quality of the correction of creation cannot receive anything from the purpose of creation, which is to do good to His creations.

Yet, this matter of revealing a portion and covering two portions applies also during the preparation for the work. In other words, it applies even in the beginning, when a person wants to begin the work, since those who have been rewarded from above are shown some illumination that shines for them, and they begin to work with great enthusiasm and power.

This is so because they received a revelation from above and they see that the most important thing in life in this world is spirituality and not corporeality. They feel confident that soon they will be rewarded with entering the King’s palace and will be rewarded with Dvekut with the Creator and the flavors and secrets of the Torah. A person feels all this by the revelation of the portion that has been revealed to him from above.

However, after some time, when it is seen above that the person has begun the work of bestowal, in order for him to grow on his own toward nearing the Creator, and also to feel what it is like to be remote from Kedusha [holiness], so he will discern “the advantage of the light from within the darkness,” subsequently, a person comes into a state of “covering two portions.”

One cannot understand why at first, when he did not know what the work of bestowal was like, spirituality illuminated for him as a revelation, and in his mind, he understood that after this revelation he should advance and go forward, but in the end he sees that now he is worse than before he began the work of bestowal. A person cannot provide answers to these states.

But the answer is that in order for him to begin to work, he had to be given from above the revelation, to give him the strength to emerge from the state he was in before he began the work. This is called “an awakening from above.” Afterward, this revelation was taken from him so that now he would be able to give the awakening from below.

This is the meaning of what the ARI says, that on Passover night, when the Creator had to deliver the people of Israel from Egypt, a great light appeared upon them in a manner of an awakening from above. For this reason, at that time Mochin of Haya illuminated, and all by the power of the awakening from above. But afterward, they all fell once more to their places, meaning that afterward, the people of Israel had to work in a manner of an awakening from below in order to continue in the manner of Gadlut [greatness/adulthood] of the Mochin.

Similarly, here we should interpret that when a person begins the work, he is shown a portion. Namely, he is shown from above some illumination, and that illumination gives him the power to serve the Creator. He begins to feel that this is the goal for which man was created in this world, and that feeling comes to him as a revelation from above in order to give him momentum for the holy work.

Therefore, afterward, when a person sees that he is not advancing but regressing, and now he is even far from the state he was in before he revealed to him a portion of the holy work, that person thinks that it is because he was thrown out from the work.

Therefore, a person must know that such is the work, that in order to admit a person into the work, there is such a correction called “awakening from above,” which is given to a person who is capable of entering the holy work, meaning that afterward he will be able to work by an awakening from below, since a person obtains the real Kelim [vessels] specifically through the awakening from below. This is why afterward he loses the light of confidence he had in the beginning of his work.

Accordingly, we should discern concerning the words “revealing a portion and covering two portions”:

1) In the beginning of his work, he is in a state of “still of Kedusha,” meaning he only acts and does not contemplate the thought.

2) He is shown a portion from above. At that time, he begins to feel that there is a new world, meaning that he feels that if he makes an effort, he will be rewarded with entering the King’s palace and will be granted attainment of Godliness. At that time, he will see that his confidence is so strong that he will achieve real wholeness. When he looks at other people, how they engage in Torah and Mitzvot in the “still” manner, he says about them that they are acting as beasts—doing without reason, and that they have no feeling of what is within the Torah and Mitzvot. All this is built in him on the basis that he was rewarded with revealing a portion.

3) Afterward, meaning after the work, when he begins to advance in the intention, through the power of the awakening from above, he comes to a state of “covering two portions.” That is, he falls into a descent. This is on purpose, so that now he will give the awakening from below, since specifically from this work he receives Kelim for the light.

In other words, it is impossible to discern any flavors in the light before we taste the taste of darkness, as it is written, “as the advantage of the light from within the darkness.” This means that although anyone can tell between light and darkness, to enjoy the light as it is possible to enjoy, this is impossible, as we see in corporeality.

We must believe that all this extends from spirituality as a “branch and root,” as we can see for ourselves. We walk on our legs and use our hands. Although we are glad that we are well, at the same time, we cannot rejoice over the fact that we are healthy. However, if we visit a hospital where there are patients with paralyses, some in their legs, some in their hands, if someone went in there and gave them a cure so they would regain their health and would be able to use their hands and legs, what joy would they have at being healthy?

It follows that the darkness they are suffering from not being able to use their hands and legs is the cause of their joy. This is the meaning of “as the advantage of the light from within the darkness.” In spirituality, the light does not only add joy to them. We must know that in spirituality, the joy is used only to obtain the light. Put differently, the joy is a dressing for the spirit of the Creator.

In other words, attainment of Godliness dresses in many names. In general, this is called “Torah” or Hochma [wisdom]. That is, spiritual pleasure is not merely pleasure; it is the revelation of the names of the Creator. We are awarded this through the lack, called Kelim and “a need.” This is why we need an awakening from below, for specifically by our work in Torah and Mitzvot we obtain those Kelimcalled “the need for the light of Torah.”

Therefore, a person must be careful not to be alarmed by the descents he suffers, since from this he learns how to appreciate the importance of nearing the Creator, as in “the advantage of the light from within the darkness.” It follows that the meaning of “revealing a portion and covering two portions” in the work is that we must make three discernments in the work until we achieve Dvekut with the Creator: 1) When he is in a state of “still of Kedusha,” working only in action. This is called one line. 2) When he is shown one portion, meaning he is shown from above, as Surrounding Light, what there is to attain in Godliness. By this he gains confidence that he will achieve great attainments and understand that this is worth living for, and his life will not be like those of the rest of the people, who are living aimlessly. 3) Afterward he comes to the third state, which is a descent. This is when he is required to show an awakening from below. That state is called “covering two portions.” In other words, not only has the state of revelation been concealed from him, but now even the “still” state has been concealed from him and it is difficult for him to engage in Torah and Mitzvot even in actions without the intention.

It follows that now he has two covers: 1) the state of revealing the portion, 2) the state of the still, when he engaged in Torah and Mitzvot with enthusiasm. That state has also disappeared from him.

Why is all of this? Why is there is a need for it to be more covered now than even in the first state, called “still of Kedusha”? The answer is that it is so that now he will not be content with less and will remain in a state of “still.” It follows that the whole revelation of the portion was for nothing, meaning he did not do any action of nearing the Creator. But now that he cannot do anything unless by coercion, so he must think and find ways to be able to do the holy work once more. For this reason, now he must be twice as covered.

However, a person must be careful not to look down on the forced work, although during the coercion the body finds no taste in this work. We can learn about the importance of work in coercion from what we understand and see in the way the world behaves in corporeal matters.

Let us take eating, for example, which is something that applies to both grownups and children. There is love in this, and there is fear, meaning fear of punishment. We see that there are little children who do not want to eat. What do the parents do? Sometimes the parents tell the children nice stories to make the children eat. Because the children want to hear nice stories, they eat. And sometimes, when the parents have no patience, they hit the children to make them eat. And sometimes, when a person has no appetite, he forces himself to eat, also because of fear, since he is afraid that if he does not eat for several days he will grow weak, and if he does not eat for a long time he might even die.

It follows that he is eating by coercion, out of fear. No one will say that it is not good that he is eating by coercion, although it would certainly be better if he ate from love. But it is good if he can at least eat by coercion. However, sometimes, a healthy man must eat later for some reason. In that state, he eats with love. It is so much so that sometimes he regrets that when he begins to eat, the love departs from him. In other words, to the extent that he begins to eat, after every bite he eats the love for eating wanes in him because the satiation drives out the love of eating. Still, it is clear to all that a person must eat whether from love or from fear.

The same applies to the work of the Creator. In the things a person does when he observes Torah and Mitzvot there is also the matter of love and fear. That is, sometimes he enjoys engaging in Torah and Mitzvot and is high spirited, and the reasons do not matter. This means that a person has a good mood from observing Torah and Mitzvot, since by this he will later be rewarded, called Lo Lishma [not for Her sake].

Or, another reason, he is happy that he is serving the King. We should separate the reasons from the actions. In other words, we take into consideration what a person feels and not the reason that caused him the feeling.

That is, the fact that a person is happy is regarded as “working from love.” That is, he is happy because he will later be rewarded, or because he is serving the King, but first of all, he is happy. This is called “working from love.”

Sometimes a person works out of fear. That is, he is afraid that he will suffer punishments in this world, or that he will suffer punishments in the next world. At that time, a person is not happy with this, since he does everything by coercion. “Coercion” means that a person would be happier if this did not exist, and he would not be punished for it.

We therefore see that actions work on the body in corporeality even when we do them out of fear, meaning compulsively. We should learn from this and believe that so it is in the work, as well, meaning even by coercion. This means that even when a person does not find any flavor in Torah and prayer, he should do this by coercion because the act does its thing. As in the corporeal act, when he acts compulsively, it works whether for better or for worse even when he works out of coercion. So it is in the work. Even though he observes Torah and Mitzvot by coercion, it works within the person.

However, there is certainly a difference in the work whether he does it from love or from fear. Yet, we should know that even in work he does out of love, there is a difference between working from love and saying “The Creator needs me to observe Torah and Mitzvot, but I have no need that I can say that I am observing the Torah and Mitzvot for myself.” He says that he does not see for what purpose he must observe them, since he says, “What will it give me if I observe Torah and Mitzvot?”

However, a person believes in the reward he will receive for this, and this is why he observes Torah and Mitzvot. This follows the rule that one who needs to be given something for his needs should pay. Therefore, he works from love because the Creator will certainly pay him for his work.

But if a person observes Torah and Mitzvot because the Torah and Mitzvot will correct him, meaning that he feels that he needs correction, this is as our sages said, “The Creator said, ‘I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.’” It follows that one should observe Torah and Mitzvot for oneself. He certainly cannot ask the Creator to pay him for observing Torah and Mitzvot, since he is not observing Torah and Mitzvot in order to benefit the Creator, since the Creator does not need the lower ones to observe Torah and Mitzvot for the Creator. Rather, this is for the sake of man. It follows that he is working out of love, for by this he will be a complete person, a corrected person. In that case, it cannot be said that the Creator should reward him for his work in observing Torah and Mitzvot.

It follows that his observing Torah and Mitzvot out of love is not because he will later be rewarded. Rather, he thanks and praises the Creator for giving him a cure to correct the body. As in corporeality, one who gives someone a cure, the recipient of the medicine pays the doctor, and the doctor does not pay the patient for taking the medicine.

However, we should ask, What evil is there in man that should be corrected by observing Torah and Mitzvot? meaning that without Torah and Mitzvot he will remain with his evil and will suffer. Otherwise, why should he mind if he remains with the bad within him? This means that he must remove the bad in him, or he will suffer from the bad and will not be able to live in the world and will have to die. But through the merit of Torah and Mitzvot, the evil will depart from him and he will have a good life and peace at home.

The answer is the will to receive with which man was created. This desire cares for its own benefit, and has no feeling or perception of the benefit of others. A person can understand working for the sake of others only when the will to receive for his own sake gains from this. This is called “bestowing in order to receive.”

For this reason, people go to work, Jews for gentiles and gentiles for Jews, all according to the reward that the will to receive for himself will receive. But actually for the sake of others? A person has no feeling that there can be such a thing in reality. A person can only believe that there is such a thing as working for the sake of others, but we should ask why indeed should one work for the sake of others.

To this comes the answer that there is the matter of the purpose of creation and the correction of creation. The purpose of creation is that His desire is to do good to His creations, meaning for the creatures to receive delight and pleasure. Hence, the general name of the Creator is The Good Who Does Good. However, there was a correction so there would be no shame while receiving that good, that a person must receive in order to bestow. Since man was created with a nature of reception and not with a nature of bestowal, he must correct himself so as to be able to work in order to bestow.

Before he has this desire, he is left bare and destitute due to the disparity of form between the Creator and the created beings. This is called “evil,” meaning the will to receive for himself. If he does not correct it to work in order to bestow, he will remain in the dark. For this reason, a person must observe Torah and Mitzvot in order to correct his evil and acquire a second nature, which is in order to bestow.

It follows that a person observes Torah and Mitzvot for his own sake. That is, by observing Torah and Mitzvot, which is the spice, he will achieve the purpose of creation: to do good to His creations.

By this, man will be rewarded with “peace at home.” “Home” is man’s heart, as it is written in The Zohar, which says, “A handsome abode is his heart.” Man’s heart is not at peace with the Creator, since he has complaints to the Creator that He is not satisfying all his wishes. But the reason is “disparity of form.” Therefore, when a person corrects himself to work in order to bestow, he receives the delight and pleasure from the Creator, and then peace is made. This is called “peace at home.”

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Does It Mean that One Who Repents Should Be in Happiness?

Article No. 25, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

It is written in The Zohar (VaYikra, Items 109-113), “Rabbi Yehuda started and said, ‘Serve the Lord with gladness.’ We learned that any work that a person wishes to do for the Creator should be done with gladness, willingly, so that his work will be whole. If you say that this is not possible, since that man has breached his Master’s commandment, and repented before his Master, with what face will he rise before Him? Certainly, with a broken spirit, meaning he should be with a sad spirit. Thus, where is the joy? These joy and singing are absent. Indeed, by what are they corrected? It is by those priests and Levites. Joy exists in the priest because he is always far from the judgment, and singing is in the Levites. Now that no offering has been found (since the Temple was ruined), how does one sustain the joy and singing? We learned that the praising that one praises one’s Master and the joy of the Torah, as well as the singing of the Torah, this is joy and singing. Thus, we learned (Berachot 8), ‘One should always enter the measure of two openings and pray his prayer.’ Can you imagine, actually two openings? Rather, say, the measure of two openings, called Hesed and fear, meaning Gevura, and they are everlasting openings.”

We should understand what it tells us in the work that the priest is in gladness and the Levites are in singing, and also what is written, that the joy is in the heart and the singing is in the mouth, and that specifically by those two, the offering is corrected. The thing is that it is known that the order of the work is that we begin to work in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] in order to receive reward, and the reward is always what a person wants to receive but there is no desire to give him, but he rather pays what is required of him, and this is the reward for which man works.

Naturally, every person has a passion for that which his body demands. This is why there are differences among people, among children, and between children and grownups. For example, we see that sometimes, when little children do not want to eat, they are told, “If you eat you will get a prize,” such as buying them toys. It follows that by eating, they make concessions in order to receive toys. They make an effort by eating in order to obtain toys. Grownups are told, “If you work, we will let you eat.” That is, each one has a special thing that he calls “a reward.”

Therefore, when coming to speak of the work of the Creator, that the Creator commanded us to observe Torah and Mitzvot, this is certainly regarded as exertion, since by nature, a person loves rest, and if he is requested to do something and give up the rest, he promptly asks, “What will I gain more?” meaning “What greater pleasure will I have than the pleasure I get now from resting?” When he hears that the pleasure he can receive from the labor is less than the pleasure he enjoys from the rest, he will certainly not do it.

Therefore, when a person begins to do the holy work, he has no idea what is pleasure, except that which the will to receive for himself understands that it will receive pleasure from this work more than the will to receive for himself enjoys the rest. Therefore, he is promised a reward that he will receive for his work, as it is written in The Zohar, that he is promised that he will have “abundant pleasures of this world,” as well as a reward in the next world. To the extent that he believes in this, to that extent he is willing to work, meaning to the extent that he believes in reward and punishment.

This is regarded as “working on one line,” which is in order to receive reward for his own benefit. This is called “work in practice.” That is, he must believe in the Creator, that He has commanded us through Moses to observe Torah and Mitzvot, in return for which we will be rewarded, and if not, we will be punished. Those two compel us to observe Torah and Mitzvot.

In the words of our sages, this is called “fear and love,” as our sages said, “Fear is needed because one who fears does not kick, and love is needed because one who loves does not hate.” However, understanding the term “in order to bestow” is impossible while one is still in Katnut [smallness] of the mind. He cannot understand that there is a matter of bestowal. Rather, one can understand that we must bestow only in order to receive reward in return for the bestowal he is giving.

However, this, too, is considered a high degree, although it is in order to receive. This is called the degree of Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], about which our sages said, “From Lo Lishma we come to Lishma [for Her sake] because the light in it reforms him.” Therefore, a person must be careful while serving the Creator even Lo Lishma to appreciate the work. One must be grateful to the Creator for giving him a desire and yearning to observe the Torah and Mitzvot. And the first state of entering the real work, by which he is called “a servant of the Creator,” is to work without any reward but only for the sake of the Creator.

Conversely, when a person works in order to receive reward, he is regarded as “working for himself,” meaning for his own benefit, and not for the sake of the Creator. However, a person should see that he appreciates the work and does not slight it, but thank the Creator for rewarding him with observing Torah and Mitzvot in practice.

However, afterward a person must work for reward and punishment in a different manner, as in the allegory about the grownups and children, where the reward should be that he has been rewarded with bestowing upon the Creator, meaning that now he can aim in order to bestow, by which he achieves Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator. This is the reward that one should demand for his labor in Torah and Mitzvot.

However, since a person is accustomed to do everything for his own sake, although he believes what is written, that one should do everything “for the sake of the Creator,” since the body resists this, as this is against nature, a person cannot determine that this is truly a great thing, meaning to bestow, and that it is so important that it is worthwhile for a person to observe Torah and Mitzvot, that this thing, meaning in order to bestow, will be his entire reward for his work in Torah and Mitzvot.

Since the matter of bestowal is not so important to a person, he has no need to pray to the Creator from the bottom of the heart to give him a desire to bestow as a gift from the Creator. It follows that although one understands that it is worthwhile to work in order to bestow, for a person to feel the necessity of it, he does not have this. This is why a person must work so the Creator will illuminate for him the necessity of the matter, how the desire to bestow will bring a person to the purpose of creation, which is the obtainment of the delight and pleasure that are found in the purpose of creation. For this reason, a person must ask the Creator to let him feel the need, meaning that he needs the desire, to ask the Creator from the bottom of the heart to give him the desire to bestow, since there is no filling without a lack.

Afterward, he should ask the Creator to give him the filling, since many times a person comes to a state where he has no desire whatsoever for the Creator to help him make the will to receive loathsome in his eyes and to feel the lowliness in the will to receive. Rather, he wants the opposite, that the Creator will satisfy all that the will to receive demands. Therefore, when one comes to a state of lowliness, he must ask the Creator to give him the necessity for the need for the desire to bestow, and for the prayer to be from the bottom of the heart. At that time, the awakening from above comes to him.

However, when one comes to a state where he sees that he is in utter lowliness, when one sees one’s lowliness, he is broken and shattered, so how can he be in gladness, as The Zohar says, “If you say that this is not possible, since that man has breached his Master’s commandment, and repented before his Master.Certainly, with a broken spirit, where is the joy?”

We should ask about this, If it makes sense that when a person sees that he is in lowliness, he should be sad, why must he be in gladness? The reason is that it is written, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” This, too, we should understand, why a person is demanded something that is impossible, since they are two opposites in one subject.

Baal HaSulam said that when a person is in a state of “bare and destitute,” he is considered “cursed,” and “The cursed does not cling to the Blessed,” as it is written in the article “Faith in His Rav.” Therefore, a person cannot receive a blessing from the Creator because there is no blessing on an empty thing. For this reason, The Zohar replies that the offering is corrected by those priests and Levites, for joy is present in the priest, and singing is present in the Levites. And the reason is that “priest” is Hesed [mercy], and he is far from judgment.

We should know what it means in the work that the priest is Hesed. The thing is that Hesed is bestowal, meaning that he does not need anything for himself, but only to bestow upon others, and one who is in a state of Hesed is content with his share does not need anything. It follows that he has no lack, so he can be in gladness, since “judgment” indicates a lack because the whole matter of deficiency that there is in the creatures is because there was a judgment that it is forbidden to use the vessels of reception, but only the vessels of bestowal, for only there is the place where the abundance may be received.

Therefore, when we say that there are judgments in the world, it means that the delight and pleasure has no place in the world where it can expand, since the world is immersed in vessels of reception on which there were Tzimtzum [restriction] and judgment. For this reason, a priest, who is Hesed, which is vessels of bestowal, has no connection to judgment. This is the meaning of what is written, that joy is present in the priest because he is ever far from judgment. That is, the vessels of bestowal are far from the vessels of reception, which are judgment.

Conversely, a Levite is considered judgment, where there is singing, meaning a song. This is as our sage said (Berachot 35), “One does not chant except over wine.” It is explained in The Zohar that wine means “the wine of Torah,” which is illumination of Hochma, called “left line.” Singing means “sweetening of the judgments,” since judgments are as said above, vessels of reception, on which there was a judgment that it is forbidden to use them because they are in disparity of form, which causes separation. For this reason, that place of judgment remains without abundance.

Conversely, when correcting the vessels of reception to work in order to bestow, the abundance comes and fills the vessels of reception. It follows that the judgments, meaning the vessels of reception that previously worked in order to receive, was a state of bitterness, since they were without light, whereas now that they have received the correction of working in order to bestow, the light of Hochma shines there, which is the light of the purpose of creation, and the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations. Thus, that which was bitter has now become sweet, as it is written, “One does not chant except over wine,” which is Hochma.

This is the meaning of the words “Singing is in the Levites.” And so it is because the Levites are ever on the song, and those priests and Levites stand on it and in them, the work of the Creator is completed. That is, through them, the work of the Creator is completed, which is the correction of the three lines: Hesed [mercy/grace], Din [judgment], and Rachamim [mercy]. In other words, through the right and the left, the person is completed by the offering, meaning that by this a person draws near to the Creator.

Also, we should interpret what is written, that now that the Temple is ruined, how are there joy and singing? He replies that the praises he praises his Master and the joy of Torah and singing of the Torah are joy and singing. We should interpret that “a priest” implies the work of the right line, where “right” means wholeness, and wholeness engenders gladness.

We should understand the answer that “right” means wholeness, and for which he will take the wholeness of the right when he wants to make an offering, meaning when he wants to draw near to the Creator because he feels how remote he is from the Creator in mind and in heart, and he is broken and sad.

The Zohar replies that the praises he praises his Master bring him joy. We should ask, What praise and gratitude can he give to the Creator when he feels that he is a sinner? However, the thing is that we must know that we should discern two sides in everything: 1) On one hand, a person is now broken and shattered because he sinned against the Creator and he is sad because he feels that he is bare and destitute in Kedusha [holiness]. 2) There is the other side of the coin here, which is that until now, he did not think at all about spiritual matters. Rather, he was immersed in worldly matters and did not remember at all whether there is the matter of spirituality in the world. But now he has come to another world, where he does not think at all about worldly matters, but all his concerns are over why he is so materialistic. Hence, in that respect, he has now risen in degree, meaning that his reward and punishment are not in corporeal matters, but in spiritual ones.

It follows that according to the rule that if a person ascends in degree, he must be glad because now he has been endowed with a desire to serve the Creator, so even when he sees how far he is from the Creator and it pains him that although he was born “Jewish,” he is not using it to do things that befit a Jew, meaning to have faith in the Creator as is fitting for a Jew, but all his concerns are to satisfy the needs that the body demands, like all other bodies, meaning the needs of the created beings. He even demands what Jews do not demand, as it is written, “And they mingled with the nations and learned from their actions,” meaning his body demands all the needs of the gentiles.

Hence, now that he has attained and feels a little bit that there is spirituality in the world, called “Dvekut with the Creator,” and he is far from it and it breaks his heart and he wants to make an offering, meaning he wants to draw near to the Creator, which is called “making an offering,” on one hand he should be broken because he feels far from the Creator. On the other hand, he should be happy that now he wants to come closer to the Creator.

Therefore, in that respect, a person can observe “Serve the Lord with gladness.” But why should he be glad? It is in order to praise the Creator for bringing him closer. But how does one know that the Creator has brought him closer? The answer is that a person should know that the Creator has brought him closer by feeling that he is far from the Creator.

This is similar to what happens in the corporal world, when one does not know that he is far from something unless he sees it from afar. That is, if he sees something, he can say that this is far from him or near him. But if the thing is so far from him that he does not see it whatsoever, how can he say whether it is far or near? Likewise, here in the work, when one feels that he is far from the work of the Creator, and thereby comes to the breaking of the heart because of the remoteness from the Creator, and he wants the Creator to bring him closer, this is called “wanting to make an offering,” meaning to bring himself closer to the Creator, and it is certain that the Creator has come near him.

The evidence of this is that he sees Him from afar, meaning he feels that he is far from the Creator. In that sense, a person should receive “joy” from the fact that the Creator has come near him and he sees the Creator from afar. This joy causes a person importance from the work of the Creator. That is, even though he feels remoteness from the Creator, he says that the Creator is somewhat close to Him, and in that respect, when a person says that he has wholeness from this, he is already considered “blessed.” At that time, he can truly be rewarded with the Creator bringing him closer, meaning that he will be rewarded with feeling that he is close to the Creator, since “the blessed clings to the Blessed.”

However, when one has no need to emerge from his state of Katnut [smallness/infancy], then even though the Creator wants to give him a higher degree, so he will emerge from his Katnut, when he is in a state of wholeness because he engages in the state of “right” and he is content with his lot, how can he be given something, since he has no Kelim [vessels] for it, meaning no need to emerge from his Katnut, since he is happy with his lot.

For this reason, he must walk on the “left,” as well, which is the quality of “Levites,” Gevura, fear. That is, he criticizes his actions and sees that he lacks the quality of “mind” and the quality of “heart,” and he is afraid that he will remain forever in the state of Katnut, and will remain in disparity of form from the Creator, since the Creator is the Giver, while man is completely immersed in self-reception. And each time he wants to overcome, he sees that it is not within man’s power. Hence, by this he become needy of the Creator to help him.

This is the meaning of the words, that the praises he praises his Master, and the signing of the Torah, are joy and singing. That is, the offering comes from the quality of “right” and “left,” meaning that by both, the person approaches the Creator because a person receives the Kelim and the need from the left, for then he needs the Creator to help him and give him the strength from above, called “a soul,” where each time he wants to overcome he receives help.

But the answering of the prayer is when a person is in a state of joy, when he is content with his share and has no need to receive a higher degree. Rather, in the state he is in, he is content and feels that he is blessed by the Creator. At that time, “The blessed clings to the Blessed,” and then is the time when he can be rewarded with Dvekut, since he already has Kelim for it from the left.

Then, when he can say that he is content with his share, although he is deficient to the point that he feels deficiency and pain at being removed from the Creator, this is considered that he is “happy with his lot.” And since only in the manner that he is deficient can we say that he is “happy with his lot,” whereas when he has no lack, it is not regarded as “happy with his lot,” since “happy with his lot” means that he settles for little, and if he has no deficiency then he is not regarded as “settling for little,” since he has no need for more than he has.

This is as Baal HaSulam interpreted what our sages said (Megillah 12), “The drinking is according to law, no coercion.” What is “according to the law”? It is according to the law of Torah. What is the law of Torah? It is eating more than drinking.

He said that the “law of Torah” is “no coercion,” meaning he has no necessity for it. Rather, he may eat also without drinking, for drinking means “faith above reason,” where he believes that the Creator leads the world in a manner of good and doing good. Although he does not see this, meaning that although reason denies it, he still believes it. At that time, he is rewarded with “drinking,” called “wine of Torah,” which is Hochma, the light of the purpose of creation, which is His desire to do good to His creations.

We can understand this by what our sages said, “One should always enter the measure of two openings and pray his prayer.” That is, in order for his prayer to be granted, meaning to be rewarded with an “offering,” considered nearing the Creator, it is known that a prayer is in the place of the offering, meaning that in order to be rewarded with nearing the Creator, he must walk on the right and on the left. The two openings mean that we need two things: 1) To know what he is missing, and by this he receives a lack and a need, called Kelim, that the Creator can fill his lack. But if he has no lack, it is impossible to fill. 2) A time to receive the filling. When a person is deficient, this is not the time to fill him, since “the cursed does not cling to the Blessed.” Hence, we need a time of wholeness, for then is the time to receive the filling. For this reason, we need two legs—right and left.

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Does It Mean that One Should Bear a Son and a Daughter, in the Work?

Article No. 24, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

It is written in The Zohar (VaYikra, Items 94-95), “This is why He created him male and female, so he would be whole, such as above. And a son and daughter came out of him and his wife, and then he is a whole man, such as above, and completes below like the upper, Holy Name. This is so because Yod-Hey are AVI and Vav-Hey are son and daughter. At that time, he is called by the name of the upper, Holy Name. A man who does not wish to complete the Holy Name below, meaning to bear a son and a daughter, it would be better for him that he were not born, for he has no part at all in the Holy Name.”

We should understand what it implies to us in the work, that if he does not have a son and a daughter, it is better for him not to be born. It is known that we should discern two things in the world: 1) The purpose of creation, which is “to do good to His creations,” meaning for the creatures to receive delight and pleasure. This is why He created in the creatures a nature where they have a desire and yearning to receive delight and pleasure. If the creatures receive from Him the delight and pleasure, this brings contentment to the Creator that they are doing His will and are enjoying Him. 2) The correction of creation. In order for the creatures not to feel shame when receiving the pleasures, the creatures must receive the pleasures only in order to delight the Creator and not for their own sake. This means that the reason they want to enjoy life is that the Creator wants it, while for themselves, they would relinquish the pleasures, since they want to adhere to the Creator, which is called “equivalence of form.”

Therefore, we discern two kinds of Kelim [vessels] within us: 1) “Vessels of bestowal,” and the light that is drawn into them is called “light of Hassadim.” This light is called “male light,” since the Kli[vessel] in which the light dresses is a Kli of bestowal and a male is called “bestowing.”

The light that dresses in vessels of reception is called “light of Hochma” or “light of life,” and the Kli to receive the light of Hochma is called “female,” meaning a receiver. This means that since this light is called “the light of the purpose of creation,” which is “to do good to His creations,” meaning that the Creator is the Giver and wants the lower ones to receive, so the Kli for reception is called “female,” which receives from the Creator, and the Creator is the Giver.

It is the opposite in vessels of bestowal—the lower one bestows upon the upper one. This is why the lower one is called “male,” since he bestows and the upper one receives, as our sages said (VaYikra, Item 98), “Israel provide for their father in heaven.”

It therefore follows that the order of the work is that since man was created with a nature of a desire to receive for his own sake, the beginning of man’s work is to try to come to a state where everything he does is for the sake of the Creator. And here one begins to do all that he can, meaning he observes Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] in order to thereby achieve “recognition of evil,” meaning that he wants reward for the Torah and Mitzvot he is observing, and the reward is that he will have recognition of evil, meaning that he will know and feel that the will to receive for oneself is bad and harmful to his life, that because of it, he cannot be awarded spiritual life. This is his reward, which is called “recognition of evil,” that now he knows that the will to receive for himself is the harm-doer and his angel of death.

Hence, if a person says that he still does not feel that the will to receive is the angel of death, he should know that this stems from the fact that he needs more light, so as to see the truth, since in the dark, we cannot see. The light is called “Torah,” as it is written, “And the Torah is light.” Hence, he should exert in the Torah with the aim to receive light from the Torah, so as to show him the truth of who is his enemy and angel of death, who denies him real life which is spiritual life.

Therefore, when one sometimes comes to a state called “Days of no desire,” meaning that he has no energy to do anything, neither in thought nor in speech or in action, the reason is that the Creator created man in order to do, as it is written, “Which God has created to do.” Thus, when one sees that he is not advancing in the work, he loses the tools for work, meaning he has no motivation. At that time, the question is, What should one do when he is in such a state?

The answer is that at that time, one should believe “above reason” that this state, too—when he has no desire awakened within him, and which can be filled, but that now he wants to accept the situation he is in—this came from the Creator and was sent to him deliberately. And the reason is, “as the advantage of the light from within the darkness.”

In other words, when a person sees that he is in a decline, afterward, when he is rewarded with emerging from that state he will know how to appreciate the importance of the state of ascent. That is, at that time he will be able to discern between light and darkness and will be able to thank the Creator for bringing him closer to spirituality. Then, when he appreciates the importance of the matter, he will have the power to extend the light of Torah, since then, “the blessed clings to the Blessed.” To the extent that one appreciates one’s wholeness, how blessed he is with his lot, that the Creator has brought him closer, to that extent he can extend the blessing, as it is written, that “the blessed clings to the Blessed.”

Therefore, if one has no darkness, he cannot appreciate the light. Hence, one is not as delighted over being able to receive closeness to the Creator as he would be if he knew how to appreciate the state of ascent. Therefore, they are proportional: To the extent that he thanks and praises the Creator for bringing him closer to Him, and the person feels blessed by the Creator, to that same extent he can extend abundance from above. It follows that it seems as though the amount of abundance that one can draw is proportional to the level that one is in a state of “blessed.”

When a person prevails and asks for help from the Creator, after he has decided that he has a harm-doer in his heart, called “will to receive,” and that he cannot emerge from it, meaning after going through several ascents and descents, he finally sees that he has remained bare and destitute. At that time, his prayer is from the bottom of the heart. That is, he sees that if the Creator does not help him, he cannot overcome it.

Although one can say that he believes above reason that only the Creator helps him, within reason, he does not feel this, since he knows that he himself made the efforts and the labor to obtain something in spirituality. But when one sees that after all the exertions, he cannot emerge from the governance of the will to receive for himself, then he sees within reason that only the Creator can help him.

It follows that what our sages said, “Man’s inclination overcomes him every day, and were it not for the help of the Creator, he would not be able to overcome it,” he does not need to believe in this above reason, the way ordinary workers of the Creator who observe Torah and Mitzvot believe “above reason” that this is so, that the Creator helps them. Rather, those people who want to work in order to bestow, for them, it is within reason, to the point that they must believe above reason that the Creator can help them emerge from the governance of the will to receive.

This is as it is written in The Zohar about the spies, who said that the landlord cannot save his own vessels. Baal HaSulam said about this that it means that the spies, who slandered the land of Israel, refer to Eretz [land], which is Malchut. The spies said that the Creator, too, cannot help save His own Kelim [vessels], meaning the Kelim of Kedusha [holiness], meaning vessels of bestowal. It follows that everyone knew that it was not within man’s power to emerge from the control of self-reception, but that we must believe that the Creator can help.

At that time, a person falls into doubt whether it is true that the Creator can help in this, since he says that he has already asked the Creator several times to help him and give him the desire to bestow, and award him love of the Creator, but he received no answer to his prayers. At that time, it is difficult for him to believe that the Creator will help him. But after all the efforts he has done, without escaping the campaign, he is rewarded with obtaining the desire to bestow, and then he sees within reason, that “were it not for the help of the Creator, he would not be able to overcome it.”

It follows that now that the Creator has helped him and granted his prayers, when he asked the Creator to help him, it is as is said, “He will open our hearts with His law [Torah] and will place in our hearts the fear of Him and the love of Him, to do His will and to serve Him wholeheartedly.” How he praises the Creator for granting his prayers and how he values the blessing he has received from the Creator. Now a person is truly called “blessed.” And accordingly, we say, “The blessed clings to the Blessed,” and then he can receive a great illumination because his quality of “blessed” is great.

However, once a person has been rewarded with vessels of bestowal, he is considered to have borne a son, meaning a male. That is, he has obtained “vessels of bestowal,” which is considered that he has been rewarded with the correction of creation, which is Hesed [mercy/grace], meaning to serve the Creator with vessels of bestowal, which extends from above (from Zeir Anpin, from which the Hassadim are extended, for ZA is called “male,” who bestows Hassadim).

It follows that the preparation is called “father,” for the preparation for something is called “the reason,” and the result is called “offshoot.” This is considered that the person bore a male child, that he has now taken upon himself the desire to bestow, which is the correction of creation, by which he will be able to receive the delight and pleasure.

It follows that once he has a son called “correction of creation,” comes the time when one needs to try to obtain the purpose of creation, which is “His desire to do good to His creations.” This is considered that the abundance comes from above downward, meaning that the lower one is the receiver. This is considered that now the quality of a daughter was born, who receives the light of the purpose of creation. This is a female, who receives from the Giver, and this is called Malchut, the last Hey of the name HaVaYaH.

In other words, now that he has a son and a daughter, which imply the Vav-Hey of the name HaVaYaH (since the name HaVaYaH are the letters Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, where Yod is Hochma, the first Hey is Bina, from which the quality of ZA is extended, called Hesed, which receives Hassadim. Malchut, too, is extended from the Yod-Hey, for she receives Hochma, called “daughter”). Hence, when one is rewarded with bearing the qualities of “son” and “daughter” through his work, that person is considered to have completed the holy name.

If he did not bear a son and a daughter through his work, it means that he has not completed the holy name. This is why The Zohar says it would be better for him if he were not born, since man is born in the world in order to perform corrections and complete the holy name, as our sages said about the verse (Exodus 17:16), “The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek.” They said, “The Creator has sworn that His name is not complete and His throne is not complete until He blots out the name of Amalek.”

We should interpret that the name Yod-Hey, called HB, should illuminate for the Vav-Hey. This comes through man’s work, who bears a son and a daughter, meaning a male, which are vessels of bestowal in which light of Hassadim shines, and also to extend to Malchut, called “daughter,” which are vessels of reception, in which light of Hochma illuminates. At that time, through one’s work, one complements the holy name, called Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, and this comes by blotting out Amalek, meaning by engaging in Torah and Mitzvot in order to complete the holy name. And then he will reveal the wholeness called “He is one and His name, One.”

It follows that one who did not complete the holy name, who did not bear a son and a daughter, meaning did not correct the vessels of bestowal, in which light of Hassadim shines, which is considered a male, and even if he did bear a son, called a “male,” but has not completed his work of bearing a “female,” too, meaning vessels of reception, which will enter Kedusha, in which the light of Hochma shines, called “female,” which is the light that shines from above downward to the creatures, for the receivers of the abundance are called “female,” we are told that he still did not complete his work. Hence, it is better for him if he were not born because he has no part at all in the holy name.

This is as was said above, that he did not draw the Vav-Hey, for drawing the light into the Vav-Heydepends on the actions of the lower ones. This is the meaning of “Which God has created to do,” that the lower ones must draw through their good deeds. This is as the ARI says, that “All the works of the lower ones, whether good deeds or bad deeds, concern only the Vav-Hey, which are called ZAand Malchut.”

According to the above, we should interpret what is written, “This month is to you.” We should interpret in the work that “There is nothing new under the sun” [Hodesh (month) comes from the word Hidush (renewal)]. Thus, what is the meaning of renewal, of which it is written, “This month is to you”? The answer is “to you,” since all the novelties and changes are specifically “to you,” meaning for you. In other words, with regard to the Creator, it is written, “I the Lord do not change.” This means that with regard to the Creator there are no changes. Rather, all the many degrees and changes are only from the perspective of the receivers.

But why are there changes with respect to the receivers? After all, there are (no) changes in spirituality. The answer is that since it is impossible to receive any light, but only according to the size of the clothing, the clothing affects changes in the light, so that according to the value of the clothing, so is the attainment in the light.

And what is the clothing in which the light dresses? That clothing is Ohr Hozer [Reflected Light]. This means that since there was a correction where in order to avoid shame while receiving delight and pleasure, there was a Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment so we cannot see the light but only to the extent that one can receive in order to bestow. In other words, to the extent that one can aim to bestow, the light is revealed to him.

It follows that the Kli that can receive light is essentially the extent to which he can bestow upon the Creator and does not do anything unless for the sake of the Creator. Since the matter of working in order to bestow is against nature, this work is very slow. To the extent that he overcomes, that he prevails in order to work in order to bestow, to that extent he dresses and attains the light. Naturally, many degrees are made according to the value of the work of the receivers, though from the perspective of the Giver, there are no changes. This is the meaning of the words “This month is to you,” meaning all the changes are for you, meaning it is your work, for you, for the lower ones.

And the main work is that we need additional overcoming, which is “faith above reason,” meaning that any renewal in the work comes from “faith above reason.” Conversely, those who work with “faith within reason,” have no renewals. This is the meaning of the words “There is nothing new under the sun,” meaning specifically under the sun there are no renewals, but above the sun, there are renewals.

We should understand the meaning of “sun” in the work. The sun shines during the day. A “day” means as it is written (Pesachim 2), “‘The murderer arises at dawn; he kills the poor and the indigent.’ Does that mean that light is day?” The meaning is that if the matter is as clear as day to you, this is called “sun,” meaning knowing. Conversely, “night” means doubt. It follows that “There is nothing new under the sun” means that if the sun, which is knowledge, is of superior importance, meaning that one’s reason is the cause of the actions, in that respect, there is no renewal in the work, for when the work does not object to reason, there are no renewals there.

But if a person wants to work above the sun, meaning above reason, then he has renewals in the work, since each time, the wicked comes to him and asks Pharaoh’s question and the wicked’s question, which are called “Who” and “What,” and a person should answer them. This work belongs to you. Out of these questions and answers, novelties always emerge, as it is written, “There is nothing new under the sun,” but above the sun, meaning above reason, there are novelties.

The work above reason should be unconditional surrender. That is, one should take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven above reason. A person should say, “I want to be a servant of the Creator even though I have no idea about the work and I feel no flavor in the work. Nevertheless, I am willing to work with all my might as though I have attainment and feeling and flavor in the work, and I am willing to work unconditionally.” At that time, a person can go forward, and then there is no place for him to fall from his state, since he takes upon himself to work even when he is placed right in the earth, since it is impossible to be lower than the earth.

This is as it is written (Ecclesiastes 1), “A generation goes and a generation comes, and the earth forever stands.” We should interpret that in the work, “A generation goes and a generation comes” means ascents and descents. The fact that one yearns for knowledge, meaning he does not want to work above reason, but specifically within reason, meaning that he says that if the body understands the benefits of working and observing the Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] of the King, he is willing to labor and work. But to believe above reason, to this the body does not agree. Instead, he stands and waits for the body to understand it, but otherwise, he cannot do the holy work. Sometimes, he does overcome these thoughts and desires, and this causes him the ascents and descents.

Yet, if one decides that he wants to work as “dust,” meaning even if he tastes the taste of dust in the work, he says that it is very important for him to be able to do something for the sake of the Creator, and for himself, he does not care which taste he feels, and says that this work, in which one tastes the taste of dust, meaning that the body mocks this work, he says to the body that in his view, this work is regarded as “raising the Shechina [Divinity] from the dust.”

In other words, although the body tastes dust in this work, the person says that it is Kedusha and does not measure how much flavor he feels in the work. Rather, he believes that the Creator does enjoy this work, since there is no mixture of the will to receive here, since he has nothing to receive because there are no flavor or scent in this work, as there is only the taste of dust here. For this reason, he believes that this is the holy work, and he is delighted.

Accordingly, we should interpret that “A generation goes and a generation comes” means ascents and descents. “A generation goes” means that the state of ascent has parted from him, and “a generation comes” means that another ascent has come to him. This is endless. However, “the earth forever stands.” The earth is regarded as “dust,” when a person feels that he is placed in the earth, that there is no lower state than the one he is in. If a person works in the manner of “earth,” meaning that he agrees to work even in a state of “dust,” this is “forever stands,” when he has no falls because he is already placed in the earth, and sanctifies the earth.

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Is the Meaning of the Purification of a Cow’s Ashes, in the Work?

Article No. 23, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

RASHI interprets, “This is the statute of the law”: “Because Satan and the nations of the world taunt Israel, to say, ‘What is this Mitzva [commandment/good deed] and what is its reason,’ therefore, it is written about it, ‘It is a statute, a decree before Me; you have no permission to doubt it.’ ‘And have them take for you’: It will always be named after you. ‘A red cow’: This can be compared to the son of a maidservant who soiled the king’s palace. They said, ‘Let his mother come and clean up the feces.’ Similarly, let the cow come and atone for the calf.”

We should understand what the matter of the burning of the cow, whose ashes purify, implies to us in the work. Also, we should understand the matter of answering those who ask questions about the point of this red cow. Normally, when someone asks a question he receives an answer that the asking person can accept. Yet, here he asks, what is the point of the cow, and the answer is “statute,” “decree.” Is this answer acceptable? And we should also understand why he says that it is a statute and then gives the allegory about the cow, “Let his mother come and clean up her son,” which implies that there is already a reason for it, which is that the mother will clean up her son.

We should understand all this in the work. It is known that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, and this is why the Creator created in the creatures a desire and yearning to receive pleasure. However, in order for the creatures not to feel shame while receiving delight and pleasure, since if they are ashamed, the pleasure will be incomplete, there was a correction that a person does not receive the delight and pleasure for man’s own pleasure, meaning in order to enjoy the King’s gift. Rather, it is to the contrary—it is for the Creator to enjoy His will being done by their receiving pleasure from Him. In other words, since the Creator wants to do good to His creations, he observes the commandment of the Creator. Otherwise, for himself, he would relinquish the pleasure. It follows that there is no matter of shame here since everything he does is for the sake of the Creator and not for his own benefit.

However, Baal HaSulam gave another explanation concerning why we must do everything in order to bestow, since by nature, when a person is in high spirits and enjoys life, he has no need to make efforts and obtain more than he has, if the property that he has gives him complete satisfaction. Hence, since spiritual pleasures satisfy a person, and even the smallest degree in spirituality provides more satisfaction than any corporeal pleasure, a person would be content with little and would have no need to obtain the NRNHY in his soul.

But when a person works in order to bestow, when all his work is only in order to bring contentment to his Maker, it follows that when one obtains some spiritual degree and takes that pleasure because the Creator will enjoy it, he cannot say, “Master of the world, I do not want a higher degree than I have, since all the pleasures I am receiving are only because I want to please You, and I have given you plenty of pleasures already, and I do not want You to enjoy too much; I have given You enough, and I do not want to give You any more.”

We should know that when one receives in order to bestow, he receives a continually greater taste in bestowing contentment upon his Maker. As a result, a person cannot say, “I do not want to receive any more pleasures because I am settling for little.” It turns out that working for the sake of the Creator causes one to have to receive a higher degree each time, since he cannot say to the Creator, “I have already given You plenty of pleasures and I cannot give You any more.” This is why we must work in order to bestow.

There is another explanation why we must work in order to bestow: It is because of disparity of form. In spirituality, equivalence of form is called “unification,” Dvekut [adhesion], and disparity of form causes “distance” and “separation.” And since the main thing that one should strive for in life is to cling unto Him, since man should depict to himself that there is nothing more important in the world than to be in the King’s palace, through equivalence of form, as our sages said about “cling onto His attributes,” “As He is merciful, so you are merciful,” by this a person enters the King’s palace and is rewarded each time with speaking with the King.

It follows that on the whole, there are three reasons why we need to work for the sake of the Creator and not for our own sake. It is written about it, “Blessed is our God, who has created us for His glory.” We should understand why we thank the Creator for creating us for His glory and not for ours, since it makes sense that if He had created us for our glory, all creations would have blessed Him. Yet, the verse says that we must thank Him for creating us for His glory. What is our benefit in this?

The answer is that we must know that the Creator does not need us to give Him anything; the whole purpose of creation is only for the sake of the created beings, as it is written, “His desire to do good to His creations.” In order for the creatures to be able to receive the abundance for the three above reasons, for they can prevent the purpose of creation from being fully achieved, 1) because of shame, 2) in order for man not to settle for little, but each one should obtain the NRNHY in his soul, 3) because of Dvekut, which is equivalence of form, one should work in order to bestow, like the Creator.

It follows that the Creator created us and gave us the Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] by which we can come to do everything in order to have the glory of the Creator. It follows that when we bless Him for creating us for His glory, it means that He has guided us and gave us the means by which to be able to work for His glory. By this we can achieve the purpose of creation, called “His desire to do good to His creations.” This is as our sages said, “The Creator said, ‘I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.’” These are the means by which we can come to do everything for His glory. This is why we thank Him for it and say, “Blessed is our God, who created us for His glory.”

In order for one to be able to work in order to bestow, meaning to do things not for his own benefit, we were given work in mind and in heart. “In mind” means that one should go above what the mind and reason obligate him to do. This is called “above reason,” meaning that he believes although his intellect and reason disagree with what he wants to do. That is, we were given the Mitzva [sing. of Mitzvot] of faith above reason, which says that what reason tells us to do, we do not obey, and the faith, where we are commanded to believe what the Torah says, this is what we do, and we say that faith is of the utmost importance, and what reason and intellect obligate us to do are of inferior importance. Certainly, we should follow the one who is more important, and this is called “faith above reason.”

But in faith, too, we should make three discernments:

1) For example, if a person gives to his friend $1,000, and the person accepts it, and he is completely sure and believes, since this man is my friend, and a meticulous person, so if he gives the money, there must be $1,000 there, and there is no need to count. This is called “faith below reason.” In other words, he believes him because his reason does not object to what he believes, meaning there is no contradiction between believing him and the reason. It follows that to him, faith is below reason, and the reason is more important. That is, he believes him because reason does not object. However, if this is in contrast to reason, he will probably not believe. This is still not regarded as faith above reason.

2) He tells him, “Here is $1,000.” The receiver counts it three times and sees that there is the stated amount there and says to the giver, “I believe you that there is that amount here, as you say.” Certainly, this does not count as faith.

3) He counts the $1,000 three times and sees that one dollar is missing, but he says to the giver, “I believe you that there is $1,000 here. Even though the reason and the intellect say that there is less here, he says that he believes. This is called true “above reason.” However, maintaining faith above reason, meaning saying, “I annul my reason, and the fact that I counted three times does not matter, but I believe with faith above reason,” meaning that the faith is more important than the reason, this is hard work.

By this we will understand that the faith that one should have in the Creator where he annuls his reason and what it tells him, by saying, “My reason will be as annulled as the dust of the earth,” this is considered that he annuls his view from before the view of Torah. This called “the work of the mind.”

Also, there is the work of the heart. The heart is called “desire.” Since man was created with a nature of desire to receive for one’s own sake, meaning to enjoy life, when he is told that he should work for the sake of the Creator, it is against nature, so why is this needed? A person needs to do everything for the sake of the Creator for the three above reasons, and this is why it is special work, for by this a person knows that the fact that he wants to do everything for his own sake, since man was born with a nature of will to receive for himself, he must divide his work in two manners: 1) in the mind, which is that one should pay attention to the state of his faith. Yet, in faith, a person can work in order to receive reward, meaning to observe Torah and Mitzvot because it will later reward him, meaning that he will have benefit for himself from this, and he will therefore remain separated.

Hence, there is another special work called “heart,” which is “love of others.” If he works only on love of others, he will still remain outside of Kedusha [holiness], since love of others is not the purpose of creation, for the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, meaning for the creatures to receive from the Creator the delight and pleasure. But if they have no faith, how can they receive anything from the Creator when they have no faith in the Creator? Hence, the work must be in two ways.

However, Baal HaSulam said that the fact that we must go with faith, and the Creator does not let us serve Him by the way of knowing, is also in order for the work not to be for one’s own sake, since if He were revealed to the creatures and they would not need faith, it would be impossible to do anything for the sake of the Creator. We can see how difficult it is to receive corporeal pleasures only in order to bestow, and it is much more so with spiritual pleasures, for in a spiritual pleasure, even a small bit has more pleasures than corporeal pleasures, so he will certainly not be able to receive in order to bestow. Hence, there is work in two ways: 1) in mind, 2) in heart.

Accordingly, we should interpret what we asked, What is the meaning of the purification of a cow’s ashes, in the work? Our sages said, “Because Satan and the nations of the world taunt Israel, to say, ‘What is this Mitzva?’” the answer is that this is why he wrote about it, “It is a statute.” We asked, What is the answer that can be accepted, since they are asking why this is so, and it makes sense that we must answer so that the one who is asking will understand why. But what is the answer? “It is a statute, a decree before Me; you have no permission to doubt it.”

The thing is that since the order of the work is that we must begin the work in the mind, meaning take upon ourselves faith above reason, therefore, if the nations of the world do not ask, What is this Mitzva? but only that he takes upon himself faith, that he believes above reason, this is regarded as faith of the first kind, which we said above was like a person who gave him $1,000 and he believes him that the sum is as stated and does not count them.

But when they come and ask, What is this Mitzva and what is its reason, it is similar to faith of the third kind, of which we said that it is when he does count them, and his counting falls short, yet he believes him above reason, meaning he cancels his reason and intellect before the giver. This is called “faith above reason.” Hence, precisely when the nations of the world in one’s body ask what is this Mitzva and what is its reason, since the body feels no taste in that which is above the intellect and reason, hence, the true and correct answer is to reply to the body that he believes that these questions were sent to him from above so that now he will be able to observe the Mitzva of faith above reason. Hence, the correct answer is specifically because it is a statute and decree. At that time, it is forbidden to give the body reasonable answers about why he wants to work for the benefit of the King.

It follows that precisely through the reply of statue and decree, he can advance in the work of the Creator. Although he sees that he cannot overcome the arguments of the nations of the world, he should believe above reason about that, too, that the fact that he cannot overcome is not because he has a weak character and this is why he cannot overcome, but rather that this is what is desired above—that he will not be able to overcome.

And the reason is specifically that by being unable to overcome, he now receives an opportunity to pray that the Creator will help him overcome. The benefit of this is that specifically through the help from above, it is possible to be rewarded with the NRNHY in his soul, since each time he receives help, it is by receiving an illumination from above. It follows that now he has an opportunity to be rewarded with the Gadlut [greatness/adulthood] of the soul because he has a need for the Creator to help him. It is known that The Zohar says, that His help is in giving him from above a soul.

Therefore, one should be careful when the body comes and asks, “Why must you exert in Torah and Mitzvot if you see that you feel no taste in them?” A person should not think of ways to answer intellectually, but rather tell the body, “I am thankful to you for approaching me with these arguments, since I am saying that reasonably speaking, you are correct, meaning that from the perspective of common sense, I should be sitting still. Yet, I am working above reason, and although you are not letting me overcome, I do want to overcome as much as I can. Therefore, I am asking for the help of the Creator so I can prevail over you. This must be the best opportunity, for by this I can be awarded entry into Kedusha and to do everything in order to bestow. It follows that the reply, “It is a statute, a decree before Me,” is the real answer in order for a person to advance in the work and achieve permanent faith, for the Creator to help him be rewarded with mind and heart.

According to the above, we can interpret what we asked, that on one hand, he says that a cow is a statute without any reason, but then our sages give a reason through the allegory about “the son of a maidservant who soiled the king’s palace. They said, ‘Let his mother come and clean up the feces.’ Similarly, let the cow come and atone for the calf.” Thus, they do give a reason for the red cow, and the answer is that the mother will come and clean up her son. This is the answer to the red cow being a statute without reason. It means that the sin of the calf was as it is written in The Zohar(“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Item 14), “Those who sinned with the calf said about, ‘These [ELEH] are your gods, O Israel,’ since they blemished that clothing and the abundance went out to other gods.” This means that they wanted to receive the light of Hochma without a clothing of Hassadim, which is regarded as not wanting to accept the clothing of Hassadim, called “faith above reason.”

Hence, it is about this that the commandment of red cow comes, which is all statute and decree, entirely above reason, for this cow is called “mother,” and if he corrects the sin of not wanting to go with faith above reason, by this the sin will be corrected. It follows that there is no reason for the red cow itself. On the contrary, since the matter of the red cow is entirely above reason, this will correct what they wanted with the sin of the calf, that it will all be within reason, when they said, “These are your gods, Israel.” It follows that the matter of the red cow is completely above reason, which indicates the matter of faith, which purifies the impure, since Tuma’a [impurity] comes from the will to receive for one’s own benefit, and the correction of exiting the will to receive is by accepting the work of faith above reason, for then one asks for the help of the Creator and by this, he emerges from the rule of the will to receive. This is called “the exodus from Egypt,” for only the Creator Himself delivered them from Egypt, as it is written, “I and not a messenger.”

It follows that the meaning of a red cow, whose ashes purify, ash indicates something that was cancelled, such as after the burning of the cow, when only ashes remain, implying the annulment, once a person has annulled his reason and his will before the will of the Creator. At that time, a person is rewarded with the will of the Creator, which is to bestow. When a person has the desire to bestow, he is called “a pure man,” for he does not do anything unless it brings contentment to his Maker.

According to the above, we should interpret what is written (in Yotzer, for the portion, “Cow”), “to purify the impure, to defile the pure with saying, ‘holy.’” We should understand how there can be two opposites in the same subject. In the work, we should interpret that when one begins to prepare oneself to take upon himself faith above reason, he is immediately defiled. That is, before he began this work, when he worked in order to receive reward, he felt that he was righteous. That is, he saw that he was observing Torah and Mitzvot and did not find within him any flaw. Hence, he knew that he was pure and did not have any Tuma’a. He was only concerned about others—that they are not walking in the path of the Creator, and he wanted to give the faith, but they would not listen. But concerning himself, he knew that he had enough faith to dispense to several people, if they only wanted to receive.

But when he begins the work of bestowal and to believe in the Creator above reason, he sees the truth, that he is immersed in self-love and is devoid of faith. It follows that now he has become impure. This is called “to defile the pure.” But afterward, he is rewarded with “to purify the impure.”

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1991 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Is “A Lily Among the Thorns,” in the Work?

Article No. 22, Tav-Shin-Nun-Aleph, 1989-91

It is written in The Zohar (Ki Tissa, Items 31-32), “‘As a lily among the thorns, so is my wife among the daughters.’ The Creator wished to make Israel similar to what is above, so there would be one lily in the earth that is like the lily above, which is Malchut. And the fragrant lily, finer than all the lilies in the world, is only one that grows among the thorns. This one smells as it should, which are seventy souls, and brought them among the thorns, which are the Egyptians. At that time, the lily blossomed among them. When the Creator wished to pick out the lily from among them, the thorns dried out and were thrown away and were corrupted until they were regarded as nothing.”

We should understand what it implies to us in the work when a person must be similar to the upper lily, and why specifically when one is among the thorns, he is regarded as more select and finer than the rest of the people, as it is written, “This is why seventy souls went down to Egypt, so as to become finer.”

Baal HaSulam said, Why is Malchut called “a lily”? It is because a person can assume the burden of the kingdom of heaven only by overcoming the will to receive in him, since it comes and asks a person when he wants to work in order to bestow, meaning for the sake of the Creator and not for himself, “What is this work for you?” That is, “What will you get out of wanting to work for the sake of the Creator?”

It is written in the Passover Haggadah [narrative], “The answer is, ‘Blunt his teeth.’” This means that we must not argue with it, but blunt its teeth, meaning we have to overcome it by force. That is, when it comes with its questions (we must remember that it comes with these questions precisely when one wants to work in order to bestow; then there is room to ask “Why?” But when a person works in order to receive reward, this wicked one has nothing to ask), we must not reply or contemplate what to answer it. Instead, we must know that it is a waste of time to want to find answers to its questions. Rather, when it comes and asks, a person should immediately treat it with force and overcome it with force, and not by arguments.

Since each time, even once a person has overcome it, it is still not impressed by it, and each time a person wants to do something for the sake of the Creator it comes with its questions, there are numerous “blunt its teeth” here. This is why Malchut is called “a lily.” In other words, when a person wants to be rewarded with the kingdom of heaven, called “faith,” he must undergo a process of many “blunt its teeth,” which is why Malchut is called “lily.” He said that this is the meaning of “To the victor on lilies,” meaning that the victory comes specifically through lilies.

According to the above, we can interpret the meaning of “as a lily among the thorns,” and why it is that specifically when she is among the thorns, she is finer than other lilies. We should know what thorns are in the work. In corporeality, the thorns prick the lily, but what does this imply in the work? It means that when the wicked comes and asks “What is this work for you?” with these questions, it pricks man’s thoughts and heart, and makes a person suffer. As thorns prick in corporeality, so the questions prick the person.

He suffers torments, meaning that these questions distance him from the work, since one cannot always overcome his questions and he begins to see that he is declining from the Kedusha [holiness], since normally, these questions come during an ascent, when a person understands that it is worthwhile to work in order to bestow.

But suddenly, he comes with his questions and one must overcome it. At that time, a person comes and asks for help from the Creator to help him, since he sees that by himself, he cannot overcome it. It follows that he always needs heaven’s mercy.

As it is written in The Zohar, the help that comes from above is regarded as a soul that he receives each time. This is regarded that the help he receives from above is light that gives one the power to overcome the evil in him. It was said about this, “He who comes to purify is aided.”

By this we can interpret the words “As a lily among the thorns,” and a lily that is more fragrant and finer than all the other lilies in the world is only one that grew among the thorns. In other words, because she is among the thorns, they prick her, meaning the kingdom of heaven. When a person takes upon himself to work in order to bestow, this is called “a lily.”

At that time, the wicked comes with his questions of “What is this work for you?” and pricks the kingdom of heaven in his heart. Each time, he must overcome and pray and ask for help. By this, the lily becomes fragrant, for fragrance is as it is written, “And they smelled in the fear of the Creator,” which is finer than all the lilies in the world, who have no thorns to prick them. Those lilies are not as fine as the lily that is among the thorns.

This comes to teach us that one should not be alarmed when the wicked keeps coming to him and asks the question, “What is this work for you?” and he cannot overcome it. It is not as one sometimes thinks, that these thoughts come to him because he is unfit for the work of the Creator. On the contrary, the fact that the wicked comes to him is because from above, they want to help him attain upper Kedusha [holiness]. This is why he is given these disturbances, so as to have a need to ask for help.

Therefore, when one sees that he is unfit by nature to be able to work in order to bestow, his work at that time is to increase his prayers to the Creator to help him from above, so he can work in order to bestow.

Conversely, an ordinary lily—meaning other people, who observe Torah and Mitzvot[commandments/good deeds] in order to receive reward—although this is also regarded as a lily, meaning that the body does not agree to observe Torah and Mitzvot even in order to receive reward, and it requires labor and effort, since we must believe in reward and punishment, to which the body objects, but because it is not against nature, since his work is for his own benefit, the lily in his heart, which is called “kingdom of heaven,” is not regarded as feeling that there are thorns that prick her.

Therefore, although Lo Lishma [not for Her sake] is an important thing, this is called a mere “lily,” since she does not suffer pricks from the thorns. Therefore, he has no need to pray to the Creator to help him overcome. Naturally, he also does not extend Kedusha from above, by which he will receive help from above. For this reason, he is called a mere “lily.”

But a “lily among the thorns” is finer than all the other lilies in the world because the pricks, meaning the sufferings she suffers from the wicked, cause him to receive new powers from above each time, and by this his soul grows. This is why she is finer than all the lilies in the world.

It follows that one should be careful not to say when he sees the wicked always coming to him with questions called “thorns,” which prick the lily in his heart, he should not say that this is a sign that he is unworthy of this work of bestowal because it is not for him, since he sees that he hasn’t the strength to overcome the evil.

Rather, one should believe that every person has the strength to work and achieve Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator, as our sages said, “One should always see oneself as half guilty, half innocent.” That is, according to the measure of the good within him, so is the measure of bad. Otherwise, a person cannot subdue the bad, as it is more than the good. We must believe in our sages, who said so, and it is so precisely so that one will be able to decide to the side of merit. Therefore, always, in whatever situation, the bad does not have more power than the good within him. This is why they said, “If he performs one Mitzva [sing. of Mitzvot], happy is he, for he has sentenced himself and the whole world to the side of merit.”

Accordingly, we should interpret what is written, “The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel.” We should understand what this implies to us in the work. We must know that we were given the choice, as it is written, “Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and bad, and you shall choose life, so that you and your descendants will live.”

It is known that choice means that a person can decide which is better for him. This can be said when both are equal and he does not know which to choose. At that time, we are given the commandment to choose, as our sages said, that one must see oneself as “half guilty, half innocent,” and then we can talk about choice.

This means that one who sees that he is not succeeding in the work and wants to escape the campaign since he sees that he cannot work for the sake of the Creator because he was born with worse qualities than others, and he also sees that he has a weak character and therefore hasn’t the strength to overcome the evil in him, the text teaches us about this that one has no more bad in him, but according to the measure of the good.

In other words, if a person sees that he has a weak character or worse qualities than another person, he must know that the bad in him does not have more power than the good in him; they are ever equal, fifty-fifty. Therefore, if he sees that one person has better qualities than his, he should not say that it is easier for him to work than for him, and this is why the other one is working. Rather, one should know that every person has bad according to the measure of the good that he has. Hence, if the other has better qualities, he also has worse qualities than the other, since the bad and the good are ever equal in strength.

The verse says about this, “The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, to give a donation to the Lord, to make atonement for your souls.” “The rich” means that even if one is rich in knowledge and good qualities, he will not give more than half a shekel because “half” means a lack, which one gives as a contribution to the Creator, so that He will satisfy his lack, as was said, that “a prayer makes half.” He cannot say that he gives more powers than half by having good qualities, but rather precisely half, for the above reason that corresponding to the good that he has, he also has more bad than another person. It follows that one never gives more than half.

Likewise, “The poor shall not give less.” This means that one who is poor in knowledge and in good attributes, and he prevails and does not escape the campaign, the Creator helps him. He, too, should not say that he makes less efforts than another person, since he sees that he is poor in knowledge. Therefore, when the Creator helps him and brings him closer to Him, he should not say that he has given less than half the forces of the work in order to overcome the bad in him. Rather, he, too, gave half, since the bad in him was also not so powerful that it was said that the filling was more than the lack of the forces in the bad.

Rather, it is always fifty-fifty, as it is written, “The poor shall not give less than half a shekel.” That is, the good and the bad are always equal. Therefore, a person cannot say that he is incapable of this work, since he should give more powers than others. Rather, a person never gives more than half a shekel.

This is the meaning of what is written, “to give a contribution to the Lord.” That is, the contribution that one should give to the Creator is only half, meaning the lack that a person feels that the Creator will help give the filling. What is the filling? Answer: The filling is always that which a person needs. Hence, when one begins the work, he should obtain a lack for the Creator to help him have the desire to bestow, as this is the heart of the work, to obtain this desire.

It follows that half means the necessity for the matter, to feel how much he needs to obtain this desire, meaning to obtain suffering at not having the desire to bestow, to know the loss at not having the desire to bestow. To the extent that he knows what he is losing, to that extent he can feel how happy he would be if he had the desire to bestow.

By this he obtains half a thing, meaning the Kli [vessel] for the Creator to satisfy his lack by giving him from above a second nature called “desire to bestow.” This is the meaning of what is written, “half a shekel, to give a contribution to the Lord.” In other words, a person should know that he can only give half, as in “a prayer makes half.” One must know that he cannot give a full shekel, which is light and Kli, meaning the need for the desire to bestow, and to be able to do everything in order to bestow.

Rather, the half shekel belongs to man’s work, to give only the deficiency, while the filling belongs to the Creator. This is the meaning of what is written, “go give a contribution to the Lord, to make atonement for your souls.” In other words, by giving a contribution to the Lord, which is the half, the Creator gives the other half, called “desire to bestow,” which is a second nature, and by this a person makes atonement for his soul, by being able to do everything for the sake of the Creator.

Therefore, after one is rewarded with the Creator giving the desire to bestow, a person is rewarded with permanent faith, as it is written (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Item 138), that we must be thankful to the Creator for rewarding us with nearing Him. This is as it is written (Psalms 68:32-33), “Sing to God, kingdoms of the earth, sing praises to the Lord, Selah. To Him who rides upon the highest, ancient heavens; He will speak forth with His voice, a mighty voice.”

We should interpret that the “kingdoms of the earth” are those who have been rewarded with faith, called Malchut, and the quality of “Earth.” “Sing to God,” they should sing for the Creator awarding them with the quality of faith. Also, Malchut is called God, as it is written, “Sing praises to the Lord, Selah. To Him who rides upon the highest, ancient heavens; He will speak forth with His voice, a mighty voice.”

We should understand why they must sing to the Creator and thank Him. Does the Creator need flesh and blood to thank Him? The answer is that the created beings should know that all that they have is what the Creator gave them in order to thereby achieve the love of the Creator. Through love of the Creator, they will always be in Dvekut with the Creator, as it is written (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Item 138), that then they attain Him as doing good. And if they do not attain Him as doing good, then they must be under the governance of heresy, since “It is a law that the creature cannot receive disclosed evil from Him, for it is a flaw in the glory of the Creator for the creature to perceive Him as an evildoer, as it is unbecoming of the Complete Operator.”

This is the meaning of what is written, “He will speak forth with His voice, a mighty voice.” In other words, the creatures must sing and thank Him for letting them hear the voice of the Creator. That is, by feeling that the Creator has given them the quality of Malchut, called “permanent faith,” by their feeling that it comes from the Creator, this adds to them the love of the Creator, as it is written, “He will speak forth with His voice.” And what will He say with His voice? Answer: “a mighty voice.” The RADAK interpreted that He will speak forth against the enemies with His voice, which is a mighty voice. It is known that in the work, the enemies are the will to receive that awakens each time to receive in order to receive. They are man’s enemies because they prevent a person from receiving the delight and pleasure.

Therefore, one should believe that the fact that one has been rewarded with faith in the Creator comes from the Creator. By this he is rewarded with the voice of the Creator subduing the enemies, meaning that the will to receive surrenders and in its stead comes the desire to bestow, and now he wants to work for the sake of the Creator. This comes from the voice of the Creator, as it is written, “The voice of the Lord is powerful” (Psalms 29:4). We should interpret that the voice of the Lord gives power to man to subdue the enemies.

This is the meaning of what is written (there), “Give strength to God.” The RADAK interprets “Give strength”—with words. Give Him the strength since His strength has done your vengeance against the enemies, and not by your own force.

We should interpret his words, “with words,” meaning they said that all the strength of the force, the Creator alone did it. That is, the fact that you see that your enemies, meaning the will to receive has surrendered before you, it is not man’s force, but only the force of the Creator. This is as the RADAK says, “His strength has done your vengeance against the enemies, and not by your own force.”

This is the meaning of what is written, “over Israel, His pride and His strength is in the skies.” As the RADAK says, “The pride and greatness of the Creator is seen and apparent over Israel, since He fights the enemies for them with pride and strength.” It is as The Zohar says, “When the Creator wished to pick out the lily from among them, the thorns dried out and were regarded as nothing.” That is, he did this by the might of the Creator, meaning surrendered all the enemies. In other words, the fact that the will to receive surrendered and now the desire to bestow governs the person, this is “over Israel, His pride.”

In other words, the pride and greatness of the Creator is seen and apparent over Israel, meaning that the desire to bestow controls, and this does not come by man’s power, but by the power of the Creator. This means that it is apparent that it came from the Creator in that His help comes by being rewarded with greater light each time, that His help, says The Zohar, is as “a new soul.” Thus, now it is evident that it came from the Creator.

We should interpret the reason that a person cannot achieve the vessels of bestowal by himself. The answer is that if a person could achieve vessels of bestowal by himself, he would be content with little and would feel himself as a complete human being. He would remain in his Katnut[infancy/smallness], since he would have no need to go forward because he really is doing everything for the sake of the Creator.

There is a rule that there is no light without a Kli, meaning a need. But when a person himself cannot obtain vessels of bestowal and must ask the Creator to help him, the person needs His help. By this, he receives from the Creator new help each time, and all her help is part of his soul. By this he is rewarded with receiving the NRNHY in the root of his soul.

A person must be cautious to take upon himself the burden of kingdom of heaven unconditionally. This is called “unconditional surrender.” That is, one need not say, “If the Creator gives me a good taste in Torah and prayer, I will be able to do the holy work. Otherwise, I cannot be a servant of the Creator.”

This is as it is written in The Zohar (Truma, Item 710), and we learned that this is the meaning of the verse, “‘Lift up a song for Him who rides through the prairies,’ which are Netzah and Hod, which are thighs. They do not bear fruit; it is all like the willows in the palm branch.”

It is known that the willows in the Lulav [palm branch used festively on Sukkot] imply that the work should be done in the manner of willows. Although the willows have neither taste nor smell, as Baal HaSulam said of what is written (in Hoshaana), “To entertain You with the willows of the brook.” That is, even if he feels no flavor in the work, and it is like the willows of the brook, devoid of taste or smell, during the work, they should be to man as great entertainments. This is called “unconditional surrender,” and this is the meaning of what is written, “rejoice before Him,” meaning be happy as though they have great attainments. This is the meaning of entertainment before the Creator, and thus we should believe.

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