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What Is the Preparation on the Eve of Shabbat, in the Work?

Article No. 25, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

Our sages said (Masechet Avoda Zarah, p 2), “In the future, the Creator brings a book of Torah and places it in His bosom. He says to those who engaged in it, ‘Come, take your reward.’ Promptly, idol-worshippers gather and come. The Creator says to them: ‘In what did you engage?’ The Creator says to them, ‘All that you did, you did for yourselves.’ They say to Him: ‘Master of the world, give us in advance, and we will do.’ The Creator says to them: ‘Fools, he who toils on the eve of Shabbat [Sabbath], eats on Shabbat. He who did not toil on the eve of Shabbat, from where will he eat on Shabbat?’”

There are many explanations in the literal. But in the work, what is the toil on the eve of Shabbat, from which to have what to eat on Shabbat? We see that Shabbat is called a “gift,” and not Tzedakah[almsgiving/charity/righteousness], as our sages said (Beitza 16), “To know that I the Lord sanctify you. The Creator said to Moses: ‘Moses, I have a good gift in My treasury; its name is Shabbat. I want to give it to Israel; go tell them.’”

The Gemara brings evidence from here, that one who gives a gift to his friend should notify him. There are two things to understand here: 1) What is the reason that we should notify when giving a gift, whereas concerning Tzedakah, we learn the opposite, that Tzedakah should be in concealment, as it is written, “Giving in concealment subdues anger.” 2) Why is Shabbat called “a gift,” whereas faith is called Tzedakah [righteousness/charity], as it is written, “And he believed in the Lord and considered to Him as righteousness,” and not a gift?

We should understand what is a gift and what is Tzedakah, in the work. Normally, one gives Tzedakahout of pity, and not out of love, as our sages said (Baba Batra 9), “One does not check with nourishments.” It is so because Tzedakah is not given out of love, when we should check if we should really give the Tzedakah or not. In Tzedakah, the pity determines whether or not to give.

Since one who says he has no food—meaning nothing with which to sustain himself—evokes pity, they said there, “We do not check with nourishments,” to see if he is an honest person or a crook. This is what he said there, “Rav Yehuda says, ‘We check clothes and do not check with nourishments.’” RASHI interprets “clothes” as “He came naked and said, ‘Cover me.’” Then, he is examined to see if he is not a crook, since clothing does not evoke any pity because a person can live without clothes, but he cannot live without food.

Conversely, a gift is something we give specifically to those we love. The value of the gift is measured by the measure of love for that person, and by the importance of that person. Normally, one who wants to show his love to another, expresses it by giving a gift. According to the value of the gift, so appears the measure of love.

However, there is another value to a gift. If the sender is an important person, the love cannot be measured according to the gift, since with an important person, even a small gift is valuable. With an important person, the gift is measured by the importance and greatness of the giver.

Now we can understand the difference between Tzedakah and a gift. With a gift, when he wants to show his love for his friend or his teacher, or his parents or children, if the giver does not notify him that he has given him the gift, how will the receiver find out about the giver’s love for him? This would make giving the gift pointless, in vain.

However, there is another condition about a gift. The thing he gives must be an accessory and not a necessity. Usually, we do not say, “I sent this poor man a gift of bread and fish for Shabbat.” We also do not say, “I sent the groom a gold watch as a Tzedakah.” Rather, a gift is specifically an accessory, and a Tzedakah is a necessity and not an accessory.

But sending him accessories, to which the other one has no necessity, why did he send it? It is in order to show him his love. It follows that if he does not notify him that he has sent him, what is the point of the gift? This is why our sages said, “He who gives a gift to his friend must notify him.”

He does not have to notify him that he has sent him the gift, but also the value of the gift, since according to the value of the gift, so is the measure of the love revealed between them, since to the extent that the receiver is impressed by the gift, so is his measure of gratitude, and by this, the connection of love between them forms.

But with a Tzedakah, there is no matter of love, since Tzedakah concerns only the giver, and he has no connection to the receiver. There, it is to the contrary: If the receiver thanks the giver, then the giver is no longer giving Tzedakah, but there is room to grip onto the Tzedakah, which is Lo Lishma[not for Her sake] and receive gratitude from him. Hence, evidently, a Tzedakah must be in concealment, meaning only for the purpose of Tzedakah, and not that the poor will give him some pleasure in return.

Concerning giving in concealment as in the Mitzva [commandment/good deed] of Tzedakah, we should discern two manners: 1) The first is simple—the receiver of the Tzedakah does not know the identity of the giver. 2) The giver, too, does not know to whom he gives. This is giving in concealment, both on the part of the giver and on the part of the receiver.

Now we can understand the meaning of a gift and Tzedakah in the work. Faith means going above reason. This is regarded as not seeing, and it is called “in concealment.” Faith is also called Tzedakahbecause the person giving the Tzedakah does not want the poor to give him anything in return. A person who has nothing, which is why he is poor, cannot give anything to the giver of the Tzedakah, but he could return him gratitude for the Tzedakah. This is why they said, “Tzedakah that is in concealment is real Tzedakah,” since the poor one does not know whom to thank.

Therefore, one who takes upon himself the kingdom of heaven, called “faith in the Creator,” should try to make it giving in concealment, so that the person will not know with his intellect, regarded as not knowing for whom he works, but he is rather working above reason. However, here the matter is to the contrary, since when the poor man receives Tzedakah, the receiver does not know who gave him the Tzedakah, but the giver does know.

However, there is another manner, too, where the giver also does not know to whom he gives. Conversely, with faith, which is called Tzedakah, it is as it is written, “And he believed in the Lord and considered to Him as Tzedakah [righteousness]” (Genesis 15:6). This is the complete opposite. Malchut, which is called “poor and meager,” as it is written in The Zohar, that Malchut is called “Poor and meager because she has nothing of her own except that which her husband gives her.” That is, Malchut has nothing of herself except what her husband gives her.

It follows that the person giving Tzedakah to the Creator, which is called “faith,” does not know to whom he gives. But the Creator does know who is the giver, meaning from whom He received the Tzedakah. That is, the poor knows, and the giver, namely the person, does not know to whom he gives. This is called “the kingdom of heaven,” and it was said about it, “and he believed in the Lord and considered it to Him as Tzedakah.” In other words, the faith must be as Tzedakah, which is giving in concealment. Otherwise, it is not considered faith, but knowing, meaning knowing in the intellect.

Now we should interpret what the interpreters ask about the words, “and he believed in the Lord and considered it to Him as Tzedakah.” The question is that we do not know who thought to whom. According to the rule we learned, “He alone does and will do all the deeds.” Hence, the question is, What does a person do with his choice? If the Creator does everything, where is there room for choice, which is man’s work?

Baal HaSulam said in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, that before the fact, a person should say, “If I am not for me, who is for me?” since everything depends on man’s choice. But after the fact, he should say, “It is all under the Creator’s guidance,” and he must not say, “My strength and the might of my hand have gotten me success.” Rather, even if he did not prevail, he would still do it because it was the Creator who did it. This is regarded as a person having to believe in Private Providence.

Therefore, we should make two discernments in faith in the Creator, which is called Tzedakah: 1) A person overcomes and takes upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven and makes Tzedakahto the Creator by believing above reason. This is called “giving in concealment.” It is also called Tzedakah because no reward is requested from the poor when the Tzedakah is given to him. The poor does not know who gave him so it could be said that the giver of the Tzedakah to the poor can expect any reward, since the giver does not know to whom he gave. Here, with faith, when a person assumes the kingdom of heaven not in order to receive reward, it is like a poor man. Accordingly, this means that when Abraham believed in the Lord, he gave Him Tzedakah.

2) We should note that the Creator made a Tzedakah to Abraham. That is, after the work of overcoming, a person should say that the Creator “does and will do all the deeds.” It follows that the Creator gave Abraham the power to overcome above reason, which is called Tzedakah. This Tzedakah, for Abraham to have the strength to give the Tzedakah, is regarded as the Creator giving the Tzedakah to Abraham.

The words, “We do not know who considered to whom” mean that initially, Abraham thought that by believing, he is giving Tzedakah to the Creator. After the fact, he said that the Creator considered giving the power of faith so he could believe in a manner of Tzedakah. The Creator contemplated giving him the strength; hence, he had the strength to believe.

By this we will understand why faith is called Tzedakah, and Tzedakah is named after both. It follows that in the work, a “gift” means Torah. It is called matanah [gift], as it is written, “From Matanah to Nahaliel.” Also, Shabbat is called a “gift,” as was said that the Creator said, “I have a good gift in My treasury; its name is Shabbat; go tell them.”

We should understand why Torah is called a “gift,” and Shabbat is called a “gift,” as well. It is known that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations. For the purpose of Dvekut [adhesion], a Tzimtzum [restriction] was made, so the delight and pleasure illuminates only to vessels that have equivalence with the light, meaning vessels that work in order to bestow. This matter was done since there should be equivalence of form. Without it, the receiver becomes remote from the giver, to the point that the creatures that descended to this world due to disparity of form became removed from the root and do not know their origin. That is, the creatures must believe that they come from the Creator, but they do not know from where they come.

This is as it is written in the essay “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” (Item 10): “Thus, you find that this Nefesh [soul], the light of life that is dressed in the body, extends from His very essence, existence from existence. As it traverses the four worlds ABYA, it becomes increasingly distant from the light of His face until it comes into its designated Kli [vessel] called Guf [body]. This is considered that the Kli has completed its desirable form. And even if the light in it has so diminished that its origin becomes undetectable, through engagement in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] in order to bring contentment to the Maker, one cleanses one’s Kli, called Guf, until it becomes worthy of receiving the abundance.”

Thus, by observing Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow, they receive Kelim [vessels] of bestowal, where there is a place capable of receiving the light called “His desire to do good to His creations.” This is called a “gift.” That is, faith is regarded as a person giving by overcoming the thoughts in the body and believing in the Creator. This is why it is considered that the person is giving, and why faith is called Tzedakah. But a gift is when a person takes what the Creator gives him. Tzedakah is the complete opposite—that a person gives Tzedakah to the Creator and the Creator is the receiver.

As we explained above, a gift is called “accessory.” That is, the person can live without the gift, too. But a “Tzedakah for the poor” means precisely necessity, since without food it is impossible to live. For this reason, since it is impossible to be Jewish without faith, it follows that faith is regarded as “necessity.” However, it is possible to be Jewish without Torah, although you would be considered “uneducated,” meaning one who has not been rewarded with the Torah, called “the names of the creator,” where the delight and pleasure called “His desire to do good to His creations,” is clothed.

Also, it is written, “A soul without knowledge is also not good.” Our sages said, “There is no good but the Torah,” and as it is written, “For I have given you a good lesson, My Torah [law]; do not leave it” (Berachot 5a). Nonetheless, he is already considered “Israel.”

Now we can understand why the Torah is called a “gift.” The Creator is the Giver, as it is written, “I have given you a good lesson, My Torah [law]; do not leave it.” Also, it is regarded as accessory, meaning that it is possible to be Jewish without the Torah, too, as long as one is rewarded with faith, which is Tzedakah, for without faith it is impossible to be Jewish. For this reason, faith is called Tzedakah, and Torah is regarded as the Creator being the Giver of the gift.

Also, Shabbat is called a “gift,” as well, as our sages said, “Shabbat is a similitude of the next world (The Zohar, Beresheet), and as they also said, “Shabbat was given to Israel for Kedusha[holiness/sanctity], for pleasure, and for rest, but not for sorrow” (Midrash Tanchuma, Chapter 18:1).

Now we can understand what we asked, “What is the preparation on the eve of Shabbat in the work? Normally, only Tzedakah is asked for, and one does not check with food, but rather anyone who stretches his hand is given. We explained about this that faith is called assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven, that anyone who stretches out his hand is given. It is as it is written (in the closing prayer), “You lend a hand to the transgressors, and Your right is stretched out to welcome the returning.” This is because concerning necessity, our sages said (Sanhedrin 37), “Anyone who sustains one soul from Israel, it is as though he has sustained a whole world.”

This is not so with a gift. Usually, people do not ask for gifts. Instead, when we love someone and want to express the love, so it becomes known to the other that we love him, so we send him gifts. Also, the value of the gift reflects the measure of love, meaning the value of the gift is as the measure of the love.

For this reason, when a person wants his friend to send him gifts, he must exert to do things that his friend will like, so he will love him. Love does its thing and by this he will receive gifts from his friend. However, it is not accepted to ask for a gift.

By this we will understand what we asked, “What is the trouble on the eve of Shabbat in the work?” It is that a person takes upon himself the kingdom of heaven. But for the kingdom of heaven, called Tzedakah, a person must ask the Creator because there was a Tzimtzum and concealment so we do not feel the Creator within reason, but must accept the faith above reason. And since the body disagrees to what the reason does not mandate, a person is in exile within self-love, and cannot understand how he can emerge from this exile.

This is called the “exile in Egypt.” It was said about this, “I the Lord your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt.” Only the Creator Himself can change our nature and deliver us from self-love to love of the Creator, and only then can we observe, “And you shall love the Lord your God.”

This request that a person makes, to be given the power of faith, is called Tzedakah. It is as we pray (written in the prayer, “As today…” that we say in the Musaf [supplemental prayer] of Rosh Hashanahafter “Today You Strengthen Us”), “It was said, we shall have Tzedakah because we will observe and do all of this Mitzva before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.”

Also, Baal HaSulam said about “One Mitzva” or about “This Mitzva,” that it pertains to the Mitzva of faith. Thus, it means that we say to the Creator that if we have the strength to do all of this Mitzva, that it will be Tzedakah on the part of the Creator if He gives us the power of faith above reason, which is called an “act,” because it is above our reason, it is called an “act.”

It follows that the work that a person should do and toil on the eve of Shabbat so as to have what to eat on Shabbat means that it is known what is customary in the world, that a person troubles himself only to obtain things that give him delight and pleasure. For example, we see that there are people who work two jobs, or work extra hours beyond what they have to work according to the days and hours that the state has determined. Each one earns a salary according to his hours and his skills. Yet, some work more than others. Clearly, by this he wants to obtain something he wants, and this is the reward that gives him the energy to work.

That is, according to the measure of reward that he expects, so is his energy to work. Our sages said that it is like the work and the meal. The meal is regarded as the reward. Therefore, they said, “He who did not toil on the eve of Shabbat,” which is the time to prepare the ingredients of the meal, and did not prepare the ingredients of the meal, “from what will he eat?” as the ingredients are certainly labor and toil.

It therefore follows that since Shabbat is a gift, call a “meal,” and it is customary that one who is having a meal invites only those he loves, the “ingredients of the meal” will mean preparations so as to be invited to the meal. This is so because from the perspective of the Creator, a person does not give to the Creator any help with the meal. Instead, what a person can do to prepare the meal is to have himself invited. He can do this in only one way: by doing good deeds that the Creator will like, so the Creator will love him.

As we say, “Who chooses His people Israel, with love.” This means that the Creator chooses His people, Israel. But the question is, What is Israel? It is taking upon oneself faith. This is called “Israel,” and all the preparation is the labor to become Israel.

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Is “The Concealed Things Belong to the Lord, and the Revealed Things Belong to Us,” in the Work?

Article No. 24, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

It is written (Deuteronomy 29:28), “The concealed things belong to Lord our God, and the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to do all the words of this Torah [law].” We should understand what knowing this gives us. Would anyone consider that man can know the concealed? And if we can know the concealed, why did the Creator hide it from us? And we should also understand what are the concealed things. What does this imply that we must not look into, but it rather belongs to the Lord our God?

It is written about the verse, “When you raise the candles,” RASHI interprets that “‘When you raise’ means that the flame goes up, meaning we must light up until the flame rises by itself.” We should understand what it implies to us that we must “light up until the flame rises by itself.” Certainly, if the candle does not burn properly, but burns only as long as the person is lighting it, we certainly have to wait until it burns by itself. Thus, what novelty is it to say, “until the flame rises by itself”?

Concerning the making of the menorah, it is written, “This was the making of the menorah [lamp], a hammered work of gold.” RASHI interprets “hammered”: “It was one talent [piece] of gold. He would strike with a hammer and cut with scissors to spread its pieces properly. It was not made by separate pieces connected. Likewise, He made the menorah.” RASHI interprets, “It was done by itself by the Creator.”

We should understand this: If the menorah was made by itself, why did they have to strike with a hammer and cut with scissors? Certainly, if the Creator makes the menorah, it should have been enough to take a talent of gold and it would be made by itself. Why was there a need to strike?

It is known that human nature is to want only to receive for one’s own benefit. A person cannot do anything unless he sees that it will yield some benefit for himself. It is written about it in The Zohar: “The leech has two daughters: Hav, Hav” (Proverbs 30:15). The Zohar interprets, “The leech has two daughters that howl as dogs: Hav, Hav [Hebrew: give, give]. Gives us the wealth of this world, and give us the wealth of the next world.” In other words, everything a person sees, from which he can derive some pleasure, he yells about it, Hav, Hav, which means “Give, give, I accept this with my heart and soul.”

We were given the commandment to love the Creator, as it is written, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” But how can this be observed if this is against our nature? Our sages said about the verse, “And dawned on them from Seir,” that “He opened to children of Esau so they would receive the Torah, but they did not want it. ‘He appeared from Mount Pharan,’ He walked there and opened to the children of Ishmael to accept it.” Yet, they did not want it, meaning they all asked, “What is written in it?” Esau did not want it because it is written, “You shall not commit murder,” and it is written about Esau, “You shall live by your sword.” It is likewise with the children of Ishmael: What does it write? “Do not commit adultery.” They did not want it. But when he came to the people of Israel, they said, “We will do and we will hear.”

We should understand, does the evil inclination in the people of Israel agree to relinquish the bad qualities? If so, what does it mean that they said, “We will do and we will hear”? We should interpret that when the people of Israel saw that their evil objected to the Torah, meaning that they did not want to observe the commandments of the Torah, they said, “We will do it against its will,” meaning by coercion, although our evil disagrees.

However, we should understand the merit of one who gives something to another by force. Can we say that he has given to him out of love? Since he does not love him, so this is not the reason for giving. Love is acquired by giving to each other good things. Then, it is natural that the receiver of the gift comes to love the giver. Yet, the giving does not make the giver love the receiver by the giving, so what is the reason that Israel said, “We will do against its will,” although the evil disagrees? And also, how will this fulfill, “And you shall love the Lord your God”?

Our sages said that when Israel said, “We will do and we will hear,” the Creator said, “Who revealed to My children this secret, the tool that the ministering angels use,” as it was said, “Mighty in strength, doers of His word, and then hearing the voice of His word.” This means that “doing” is regarded as “mighty in strength,” meaning overcoming, though the body, which has the nature of self-reception, disagrees. Later, by doing through overcoming, although the evil inclination does not want, we are later rewarded with “hearing the voice of His word.” The meaning of “I hear” is “I think,” as our sages said, “I did not hear means I do not think” (Iruvin 102).

Accordingly, the literal meaning is that by saying “we will do,” in overcoming by coercion, we will then be rewarded with “we will hear.” That is, the matter will be reasonable and acceptable. This means that when we find it reasonable and acceptable, we will certainly be able to do everything with love and joy, and then everything will be voluntary and not compulsory.

According to the above said, we can interpret the words, “Who revealed to My children this secret,” where we must understand what is the secret in saying, “We will do and we will hear,” of which asks, “Who disclosed this secret?” However, we must understand what is a “secret” in the work. A “secret” means that it is not revealed, but we must believe that it is here. That is, there is a matter here that we want and need to know, and if we have no need to know it, we do not consider it a “secret.”

This is similar to someone seeing two people whispering to one another. Clearly, they do not want him to hear. But if they are not speaking about him, he does not want to know what they are saying. In that case, what they are saying is not considered a secret that he wants to know. Even if he were told, he would still not want to hear, since every person has his own business that interest him. But if he thought that they were speaking of him, he would want to know what they are saying, for it is a secret that they do not want him to know.

The same orders that applies in corporeality, also applies in the work. For example, when a person learns Torah. When a person is learning rules, it can be said that the Torah does not speak in secret, things he does not know. On the contrary, the Torah tells him the rules by which to observe the Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds]. However, when he learns the stories in the Torah, or even the legends of our sages, if he believes that the Torah speaks of him but does not know the connection between the Torah he is learning and himself, and he wants to know what is written there, this is considered that now he is learning a secret.

That is, two things are required in order for something to be considered a secret: 1) He must believe that they are speaking of him. 2) He must want to know what the Torah says about him, meaning what the Torah speaks of that pertains to him. Only in this way is it regarded as a secret in the work.

Now we can understand what the Creator said, “Who revealed to My children this secret”? It means “Who revealed to My children the secret” of believing that by working in coercion, they will be rewarded with “Hearing Me,” and that which was previously compulsory will then become voluntary.

It follows that “doing” is called “faith.” That is, by believing that after the doing they would be rewarded with hearing, they were certain also during the coercion to do the things with joy and love, since they could be rewarded with hearing.

This is not so with the nations of the world. In the work, they are parts of man that do not pertain to the quality of “Israel.” Rather, they want to do everything with the external mind, as it understands what they can achieve. That which the intellect deems worth doing, for this they are willing to work, but not for what concerns faith above reason.

In other words, they see with their reason that a person cannot revoke the will to receive by himself. Instead, we must believe that if the Creator gave us this work of working in order to bestow, He must have known that it was possible to do this, but we, with our tiny mind, do not understand how such a thing can be, that it is truly a miracle from heaven. But the Creator certainly knew that we can achieve this degree.

They do not know how there are such things; they cannot believe. This is called “the nations of the world.” But “Israel” means that they can overcome and believe above reason. Hence, those who belong to the quality of Israel believe that bestowing is a secret to people, meaning that they do not know how to achieve the power of bestowal, but they do believe.

Conversely, the nations of the world in a person say that this is difficult and not for us. Hence, when we see that we are required to walk by way of faith above reason, they have no interest in this and escape the campaign saying that this is difficult for them.

This is why the “nations of the world” in man did not want to receive the Torah, for as we learn, receiving the Torah is regarded as “Should a man die in the tent.” Our sages said, “The Torah exists only in one who puts himself to death over it.” This means that a person should revoke his self-benefit, and make all his concerns only for the benefit of the Creator. Because the body does not agree to cancel the self-benefit and to walk by way of coercion and believe that by “We will do,” we will achieve “We will hear,” this faith is unacceptable to the reason of the self-receiver. This is the whole difference between the nations of the world and Israel.

Now we can understand what we asked, What does it imply that they said we must “light up goes up until the flame rises by itself”? The thing is that lighting pertains to man, who must perform an act. To what extent must he perform the act? In coercion, it is “until the flame rises by itself.”

“By itself” means without the work of the lower one. This is called “by coercion.” However, he is rewarded with the Creator giving him hearing. Naturally, at that time a person does everything gladly, with love, and willingly, not as when he engaged in doing, which was compulsory and the body resisted when he wanted to bestow upon the Creator.

Now, however, it is by way of “And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart,” with both your inclination. That is, the evil inclination loves the Creator, too, since he is annulled before the Creator as a candle before a torch. This is the meaning of a person having to “light up,” to do things “until the flame rises by itself,” and not by a person’s own strength. Thus, “by itself” means by the power of the Creator.

Likewise, we should interpret what we asked about what our sages said about the making of the menorah: “This was the making of the menorah [lamp], a hammered work of gold. It was one talent [piece] of gold. He would strike with a hammer and cut with scissors to spread it properly. It was not made by separate talents connected.” We asked, Since they said a literal commentary “This is how He made the menorah: It was done by itself by the Creator.” If the Creator made the menorah, which is called “by itself,” why did they have to strike with a hammer? Why must man do something, too?

However, a person should say, “We will do and we will hear.” That is, a person should begin in coercion and believe that he will be rewarded with hearing. Since there is no light without a Kli[vessel], meaning that the Creator does not give a filling to a person unless he has a need for the Creator to fill it. Hence, the person must begin and see that it is difficult, then pray to the Creator to help him. At that time, a person sees that everything is done by itself, without man’s help. Thus, what does the person do in the making of the menorah if the Creator does everything?

Answer: Man’s work is required, for without it we would not have the knowledge that the Creator does everything. Rather, we would say that we can achieve wholeness by ourselves, as well, without the Creator’s help, and “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me success.” Conversely, after a person toils and labors and does all that he can do, yet did not move even one bit, he must say that the Creator has given him this strength—to be able to work in order to bestow—as a gift. This means that the Creator has given man permission to serve Him. This permission is called that He has given him pleasure when he bestows upon the Creator.

By this we will understand the words, “It was one talent [piece] of gold.” The body is called “a talent of gold,” as it is written in The Zohar, “The leech has two daughters that howl as dogs, Hav, Hav[Give, give]. Give us the wealth of this world and give us the wealth of the next world. That body, which is called “a talent of Ze-Hav [Hebrew: Give this. English: “gold”], was striking with a hammer.”

Explanation: Any work that the body does coercively is regarded as striking with a hammer and cutting with scissors. That is, every coercion that a person does is as though he has cut off a part of Ze-Hav [Give this], meaning part of the will to receive for himself. This is the meaning of what is written, “To spread her organs properly,” meaning to strip off from the organs the will to receive for oneself, and correct them to work in order to bestow. This is called “to spread her organs properly.”

However, it was not so. That is, it was not done as one complete organ, one organ opposite one quality, in wholeness, and then another complete quality. Rather, one wholeness was made for all, which is in order to bestow, then all the organs were connected into one complete quality. However, it was not so, but on the contrary: Each organ that he wanted to correct, the bad appeared in its place, and not the good. Therefore, he had many organs that were spoiled until he came to a state where he saw that there was not a single organ in his receiver that was willing to work to bestow.

At that time, he saw that it was all a hammered work of Ze-Hav [gold]. That is, he saw that gold, meaning the receiver, is difficult to invert to working in order to bestow. At that time the Kli is completed, meaning the act on the part of the lower one. He sees that he cannot prevail over it, as it is written, “and the children of Israel sighed from the work, and their cry went up to God, from the work.” Then the help from the Creator arrives, as it is written, “Likewise, He made the menorah,” and RASHI interpreted that “It was done by itself by the Creator.”

Thus, who made the menorah? The Creator Himself. But if so, what is Israel’s work for?

The answer is, “In order to reveal the need, that only the Creator can change the nature He has created—that the creatures should have a desire to receive for themselves. Otherwise, a person thinks that he himself could turn the receiver into a giver.”

However, we should also understand why the Creator should care if the creatures do not know the truth and think that they themselves can do this work of turning the vessels of reception into bestowal. Or, we can ask the question differently: Why did the Creator not give strength to man to be able to invert the vessels of reception into bestowal by himself?

Baal HaSulam said that the answer to this is that it is a correction. Otherwise, a person would remain in his lowly degree. That is, he would not need the light of Torah, but the Creator wanted to give them the Torah. Hence, by not being able to obtain vessels of bestowal by themselves, they will ask the Creator to help them. The help He will give them is specifically through the Torah, since “the light in it reforms him.”

It follows that a man must receive the Torah, since the second phase after being reformed and receiving the vessels of bestowal—which is Phase 1—is that he receives the Torah as “the names of the Creator.” This quality is called “His desire to do good to His creations,” clothed in “the names of the Creator,” and it is called “The Torah and Israel and the Creator are one.”

Now we can interpret what is written, “The concealed things belong to Lord our God, and the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to do all the words of this Torah [law].” We asked, What does this come to teach us? The answer is that when a person begins the work of bestowal, he sees that he is not moving forward toward obtaining vessels of bestowal, but to the contrary. At that time, a person begins to see his bad state, how immersed he is in self-love, since according to the rule, the more a person wants his garment to be clean of any dirt, the more he sees the dirt.

There is a rule: “Anything which does not rest upon a man, he will do absentmindedly.” It means that when a person does not pay attention to something, he does not see what is missing there. For this reason, when he begins to work in order to bestow and pays attention to the extent to which he is willing to work in order to bestow, he sees how far he is from bestowal and that he cannot do anything without reward.

Hence, what can a person do when he sees that he has no progress in the work of bestowal, but rather always sees that he cannot exit self-love? That is, in the beginning of the work, he thought that if he only decided to walk on the path of bestowal, he would promptly be able to. That is, he thought that he was his own landlord, for who would tell him what to do? You can say that on things he wants to do there can be interferences from people on the outside. But here, in work of bestowal, which is only the intention to bestow, meaning that he does not need to observe more than the 613 Mitzvot if he wants to aim to bestow. Thus, superficially, he is engaging like everyone else, like the general public, and he is not unusual so it can be said that the general public objects to his way, for who knows that which is in one’s neighbor’s heart? Thus, he thought that after a short time of work, he would begin the work of bestowal.

Yet, suddenly he sees that each day, the more he works and wants to acquire vessels of bestowal, the more he sees that they are far away from him, and he is utterly unable to ever exit self-love.

The verse tells us about this: “The concealed things belong to the Lord our God.” That is, the aim to bestow, which is called “the concealed part,” for one does not know one’s neighbor’s thoughts, this a person should know—that in truth, it is out of our hands. Rather, the hidden part, called “intention,” belongs “to the Lord our God.” He must give us this power and we are powerless to help Him. Yet, we can help Him by beginning to engage in this work of bestowal and seeing that we cannot exit the self-love in us. By this we help Him, by knowing that only He helps us. Had we not begun, we would have been unable to continue further. This is the correction—to know that He alone does everything.

It would be the opposite if we could exit self-love by ourselves. That is, we would think so, but we would be devoid of the awareness that “He alone does, is doing, and will do all the deeds.” But when we see for ourselves that we cannot exit self-love, we do not need to believe that He has given us this power, for we evidently see it.

It follows that the text tells us not to be alarmed by the fact that we cannot prevail and exit self-love, which is called “the concealed part.” This is in the hands of the Creator, as it is written, “The concealed things belong to the Lord our God, and the revealed things belong to us and to our children.” That is, “revealed” means the part of the action, which we can do by coercion. This is why the verse tells us that the fact that we see that this is difficult for us is true. However, this, meaning the intention, was not given for us to do, but rather only the work. Yet, by seeing that we cannot do this by ourselves, this is called a “prayer,” meaning a need for the Creator to give us this Kli.

Now we can interpret what our sages said (Minchot 29), “Making the menorah was difficult for Moses until the Creator showed him with His finger, as it is written, ‘This is the work of the menorah.’” We should interpret this in the work: The “work of the menorah” means that the light of the Creator will shine. Yet, this requires vessels of bestowal. From where will they take the vessels of bestowal? This is difficult, as it is against nature. But the Creator showed him with His finger and said to him: “This is the work.” That is, “You will do the work, and I will give the intention.” This is considered that “You will do the revealed part, and I will give the concealed part.” This is the meaning of the words, “Likewise, He made the menorah,” meaning by itself.

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What Are Merits and Iniquities of a Righteous in the Work?

Article No. 22, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

It is written in The Zohar (BaHar, Item 67), “A complete righteous—all his merits are above, and his iniquities below. A complete wicked—his iniquities are above and his merits below. That is, a complete righteous—all his merits are kept for him above, for the next world, and he does not receive anything from them in this world. His iniquities, namely the punishments for his iniquities, are below in this world. A complete wicked—his iniquities are above, meaning he is avenged in hell after his passing from this world. And the merits he had done are below, meaning he is given his reward in this world. Intermediate—both judge him, meaning that both his reward and his punishment are below in this world.”

We need to understand the meaning of “complete righteous,” “complete wicked,” and “intermediate” in the work, as well as what are “this world” and “the next world” in man’s work, and the meaning of “above” and “below.”

It is known that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, meaning that the created beings will receive delight and pleasure. For this reason, we see that the whole world, without exception, strives only to receive delight and pleasure, since this was the purpose of creation. However, in order to have equivalence of form, there was a correction that everything we do must be with the aim to bestow contentment upon the Creator and not for our own sake.

How can one do something not for his own sake when this is against nature? The answer is that when a person believes in the greatness of the Creator, to that extent a person can do things in order for the Creator to enjoy his work. In nature, when the small serves the great, he derives pleasure from it and does not need any reward. Just the privilege of serving him gives him vitality and makes him feel like the happiest person in the world.

Therefore, when a person achieves this degree where his only aim is to bestow upon the Creator, he is called “righteous.” That is, when he can bestow upon the Creator, this is his only hope in life, and he does not need to be given anything else in life. If he sees that he is not permitted to serve the King, he says that he must have committed some iniquity for which he is punished with ejection from the King’s palace into a place of litter, a place of waste.

That is, he is thrown into the pleasures he derived from self-gratification, of which he said that this was suitable for the “animate,” not for the speaking, which is the human level, as our sages said, “You are called ‘man,’ and not the nations of the world.” But now he is in a state where (he) can enjoy only that which pertains to self-benefit. At that time he says that he must have been punished for some iniquity, that he was not careful and was therefore punished. This is the degree of “complete righteous.”

Conversely, the pleasures of the complete wicked are only those that can be received in vessels of reception, which is only for self-benefit. If he sees that no self-benefit would arise from this work, but rather everything will go toward bestowal without any reward, he cannot derive pleasure from this. Then he says that he must have committed some iniquity, which is why he cannot receive anything in the vessels of reception, and he looks and examines why he cannot make the vessels of reception enjoy.

It follows that when he thinks that the will to receive will not receive anything, he is very worried. He says about the state he is currently in that it is truly hell, that he is being punished above for his iniquities, and this is why the will to receive for himself (cannot) enjoy anything, meaning that now he has nothing to live on.

“Intermediate—both judge him.” Once he agrees with the righteous, and once he says that the complete wicked is correct.

By this we can interpret what The Zohar says, “A complete righteous—all his merits are kept for him above.” He regards merits as “above, in the next world,” meaning that he can do things that belong above, namely in order to bestow above, to the Creator, who is of superior importance. He regards this as “the next world,” and the next world is called “reward.”

He does not receive from them anything in this world. This world is called “receiving.” That which a person receives in the vessels of reception is called “this world,” regarded as Malchut, whereas the next world is called Bina, which is a vessel of bestowal. For this reason, Bina is called “above,” “the next world,” and Malchut is called “this world.” Hence, the righteous does not want to receive for himself anything in the vessels of reception, but rather only in order to bestow.

He says, “A complete wicked—his sins are above.” This means that he sees, when he engages in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], regarded as “above” in importance, that he is wicked, meaning that he does not want to work in order to bestow upon the Creator, but to bestow pleasure upon himself, and this is why he engages in matters of above. That is, things he should bestow upward, when he sees that below, meaning the will to receive, will not gain from this work, the wicked says about this state, “Why am I unable to give something to the will to receive for myself? It must be because of iniquities; this is why the will to receive cannot enjoy.”

He says, “He is avenged in hell after his passing from this world.” “His passing from this world” means that he says that now that he no longer has vitality from this world, called “vessels of reception,” which are now devoid of life, this is called “passing from this world.” This is the meaning of “He is avenged in hell.” Now that he feels that he has nothing from which to derive pleasure for the will to receive, he says it is a punishment and he is being punished in hell. This is why he has no life.

This is the meaning of “a complete wicked above.” To the extent that he must engage in bestowal upward and receive below, it is regarded as a punishment. This is considered that now he feels that he has passed away, since he no longer has any life.

“And the merits he had done are below, meaning he is given his reward in this world.” “This world” is that which the will to receive enjoys. He says about it, “The fact that I can receive delight and pleasure in the vessels of reception must mean that I have merits, and this is why I am given pleasure.” This is the meaning of “his merits are below,” meaning in the vessels of reception, regarded as being of inferior importance.

Accordingly, the meaning of “complete righteous” is that his intention is only to bestow contentment upon his Maker. A “complete wicked” means that he wants only to receive, and not to bestow at all. Yet, both apply to the same person, meaning when he works in Torah and Mitzvot and wants to begin the work of Lishma [for Her sake]. At that time, through work and overcoming, he comes to know that he is a complete wicked and does not want to annul his own authority, and not to think of himself, of how he can delight himself, and make all his concerns about bestowal. At that time he sees that this is difficult.

That person can see the truth—that he is far from the truth of working only for the sake of the Creator. At that time he decides that he is truly wicked because then he sees what his body wants, and he sees that he cannot be a servant of the Creator, but rather his own servant of himself.

Conversely, those who do not begin the work of bestowal can never see that they are completely wicked. Instead, they sometimes see that they have not reached the degree of righteousness, but to see that they are completely wicked, there is no such thing, as it is impossible to see the truth before one begins the work of bestowal.

This world is called “vessels of reception,” and the next world, “vessels of bestowal.” Likewise, “below” means into the vessels of reception, and “above” means vessels of bestowal, namely that the lower one wants to bestow to above.

“Intermediate—both judge him,” meaning not at once, but at two separate times. That is, once he thinks that he has already achieved the degree of “righteous,” and once he sees that he is a “complete wicked.” It follows that a righteous says, “All my merits are kept for me above, and my iniquities are below in this world.” This means that while his pleasures are in vessels of reception, he considers it a punishment.

By this we can interpret the words of The Zohar (Truma, Item 522): “One’s table must be clean, so the body will not approach eating its food unless when it, itself is clean. For this reason, one must first clear himself out, since that food, which he has prepared for himself, the Creator wants it, so he will not approach that table of feces vomit from the Sitra Achra. Once a person has eaten and been delighted, he must give a part to the Klipot [shells/peels]. And what is it? This is the last water, the filth of the hands that must be given to that side, which needs it. Because man is obliged to give him that part, there is no need to bless at all.”

We should understand what is “cleanness” in the work, where he says, “For this reason, one must first clear himself out, before he eats the food of the pure table.” We should also understand what he says, “Once a person has eaten and been delighted, he must give a part to the Klipot [shells/peels]. And what is it? This is the last water, the filth of the hands… Because man is obliged to give him that part.” We should understand why before the meal he says not to give anything to the Klipot, and after the meal he says we should give some to the Klipot, and that it is even mandatory to give, but there is no need to bless.

It is known that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations. But in order not to have shame in it, there was a correction that we must aim all the pleasures we receive to be in order to bestow and not for our own sake. The Klipot are called “wanting to receive for one’s own sake.” When all the vessels of reception are corrected to work in order to bestow, this will be called “the end of correction.” That is, there will be nothing to correct into working in order to bestow because all the vessels of reception will have entered the authority of Kedusha [holiness/sanctity], called “in order to bestow upon the Creator and not for one’s own sake.”

Hence, in order for a person to be able to aim—while receiving the pleasure—in order to bestow, regarded as sitting at one’s table, a person should say, “This is the table before the Lord.” A “table” is the place from which a person derives pleasures. A “table” means the place of one’s sustenance. It is called “table,” as our sages said, “reliant on his father’s table, reliant on others’ table [dependent on others].” Also, during the blessing for the food, we say, “The Merciful One, He will send us much blessing in this house, and on this table on which we have eaten.”

We should understand what are “this house” and “this table.” A “table” is the place where one receives one’s sustenance. This is why we say, “The Merciful One, He will send us much blessing,” meaning that the provision we receive from the Creator will not be with envy, which is receiving for himself. That is, he asks of the Creator that the sustenance with which he is providing the body will not go into the vessels of reception of the body, which are called “envy,” as our sages said, “He is envious of what others have.”

Rather, it should be as “much blessing,” which are vessels of bestowal, which is called “expansion,” which is Hassadim [mercies], when he wants to do only Hesed [mercy]. From this should be his provision for himself, and (his provision) will not be with envy, called “receiving and not bestowing,” since from those who receive for themselves, there cannot be sustenance to the world. That is, if the whole world worked in bestowal, the world would be sustained even in corporeality, as he writes in the book Matan Torah [The Giving of the Torah]. This is the meaning of what he says, “On this table.”

Concerning the words “much blessing in this house,” a house means Hochma, as it is written, “As the glory of a man to dwell (dwells) at home,” and as it is written, “A house shall be built with wisdom [Hochma].” This is the meaning of what is written in The Zohar, “Three things broaden man’s mind: a handsome woman, a handsome home, and handsome Kelim [vessels/tools]. A handsome woman is his soul; handsome Kelim are his organs, and the home is his heart.” That is, the home is regarded as man’s heart, and man’s heart should be a Temple, as it is written, “And let them make Me a Temple and I will dwell within them.”

This means that one should work on two things: 1) The correction of creation, which is Hesed, is called “much blessing.” Expansion is called Hesed, the opposite of envy. This is called “the table of the Lord,” and it is attained through the Torah, as our sages said, “The light in it reforms him.” 2) Afterward comes the work of the purpose of creation, called “light of Hochma” [wisdom] or “light of life.” This light is called “the wisdom of the Torah,” regarded as “the Torah and the Creator are one,” In general, this Torah is called “the names of the Creator.”

This comes after a person has received Kelim of Hesed, which are vessels of bestowal with respect to the equivalence of form. This is as our sages said, “Rabbi Meir says, ‘He who learns Torah Lishma [for Her sake],’” meaning he has vessels of bestowal, meaning only to bring contentment to his Maker, “‘the secrets of Torah and shown to him,’” which is the names of the Creator.

Now we can interpret the meaning of cleanness in the work of the Creator. He says, “For this reason, one must first clear himself out before he eats food on the pure table.” This means that it is impossible to place important things in dirty vessels, since everything will be spoiled by the dirt. So it is in the work of the Creator: Precisely when one works for the Creator and not for himself, meaning when he wants to bestow upon the Creator, the abundance can enter these Kelim because there is equivalence between the light and the Kli [vessel].

Conversely, if the Kli is mixed with reception for oneself, which is regarded as “dirty” compared to the light, which is all about bestowal, accordingly, before a person comes to receive sustenance from the Creator, which are delight and pleasure, he must clean himself up from self-reception. At that time, the abundance, which is the pleasure, does not go to the Klipot, regarded as reception for oneself. Rather, the abundance will go to Kedusha because he can aim to benefit the Creator while receiving the pleasure. This is called “eating the food on the pure table.”

After the meal, it is to the contrary. He must give a part to the Sitra Achra [other side]. This means that he says that there is still dirt here, which belongs to the Sitra Achra, and I must still correct myself.

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What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work?

Article No. 21, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

It is written in the Midrash (VaYikra, Chapter 6): “Our sages say, ‘The nations of the world did not receive the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness. He says about them, ‘for the darkness will cover the Earth’ (Isaiah 60:2). But Israel received the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness, as it is written (Deuteronomy 5), ‘As you hear the voice out of the darkness.’ He says about them (Isaiah 60): ‘The Lord will shine upon you and His glory will be seen upon you.’’”

We should understand why the Torah was given out of the darkness, and why the nations of the world did not want to receive it out of the darkness. It is as though the Creator deliberately gave the Torah out of the darkness so the nations of the world would not receive it. And we should also understand why Israel did receive the Torah out of the darkness.

First, we need to know what is darkness in the work. The thing is that because the purpose of creation was “to do good to His creations,” when a person is satisfied with his life, it is considered that the world shines for that person, meaning he enjoys the world. But if he does not find satisfaction in life, he says, “The world has grown dark on me.”

It is known that in the work, we call the vessels of bestowal “Israel,” and we call the vessels of reception, “the nations of the world.” Hence, when a person wants to draw near to the Creator, meaning use the vessels of bestowal, but he cannot because the body disagrees with it, since his body extends from vessels of reception, at that time a person feels that the world has grown dark on him, for he understands that if he cannot obtain vessels of bestowal, he will never be rewarded with the upper light, which is the light of “doing good to His creations.”

It follows that the darkness he feels from not being able to obtain vessels of bestowal by himself gives him the need that someone will help him obtain those Kelim [vessels]. According to the rule, “There is no light without a Kli [vessel], no filling without a lack,” it follows that now he has received a need for the light of Torah. It is as our sages said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.”

Thus, the Torah is given specifically to the deficient, and that deficiency is called “darkness.” This is the meaning of the words, “The Torah was given out of the darkness.” That is, one who feels darkness in his life because he has no vessels of bestowal is fit to receive the Torah, so that through the Torah, the light in it will reform him and he will obtain the vessels of bestowal. Through them, he will be fit to receive the delight and pleasure, for those two are included in the Torah: 1) The Kli—that he wants to bestow. 2) Then he receives the delight and pleasure into the vessels of bestowal.

Conversely, the nations of the world did not receive the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness. In the work, “the nations of the world” means that the body comprises seventy nations that want the Torah not because they feel darkness when they have no vessels of bestowal. Rather, their only desire is the vessels of reception and they have no desire to emerge from that control. They want the Torah in order to add more light to themselves, meaning more pleasure than they receive from corporeal matters. That is, they also want the next world, as it is written in The Zohar, “They howl as dogs Hav, Hav [give, give], give us the wealth of this world, and give us the wealth of the next world.” That is, the wealth of this world is not enough for them, but they also want the wealth of the next world.

It follows that the Torah was given specifically to those who feel that their will to receive controls them. They cry out from the darkness that they need the Torah in order to deliver them from the darkness that is the control of the vessels of reception, on which there was a Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment so that no light will shine in that place. But that place is the cause for the need to receive the Torah.

For this reason, since the Torah came because of the darkness, the Torah did two things: 1) “The light in it reforms him.” Then, the Tzimtzum and concealment depart from his vessels of reception because where he had vessels of reception, he has now been rewarded with vessels of bestowal. This is the meaning of the words, “And the Lord will shine upon you.” That is, as the Creator wants to bestow, so man will be rewarded with a desire to bestow. 2) After he has been rewarded with vessels of bestowal, meaning he was granted the ability to work Lishma [for Her sake], which is called “learning Torah Lishma,” then he is shown the secrets of the Torah, as Rabbi Meir says (in the Mishnah, Avot). This is the meaning of the words, “And His glory will be seen upon you,” meaning the glory of the Creator, which is the revelation of Godliness. It “will be seen upon you,” for then one is rewarded with “The Torah, and Israel, and the Creator are one.”

However, the nations of the world, which do not need the Torah in order to emerge from the darkness, which are vessels of reception, but rather need the Torah in order to add the wealth of the next world to the wealth of this world, as was said, “Give, give,” these people, who are in a state of “nations of the world,” say that they do not need the Torah in order to deliver them from the darkness, since for them, they regard the vessels of reception for themselves as “light.” Rather, they want the light of Torah to come into the receiver.

The verse says about them, “for the darkness will cover the Earth.” That is, they will not be rewarded with the light of Torah because “the light of Torah was given out of the darkness.” In other words, one who feels that he is in the dark is regarded as “Israel,” who need the Torah in order to illuminate their darkness. They are rewarded with “The Lord will shine upon you,” and “His glory will be seen upon you.”

Now we can understand what our sages said (Avot, Chapter 1:17), “It is not the learning that matters, but the work.” Also, in Kidushin (p 40), they said, “They were asked this question: ‘Much learning or much work?’ Rabbi Tarfon replied, ‘Much work.’ Rabbi Akiva replied, ‘Much learning.’ They all replied and said, ‘Much learning, since the learning leads to work.’” We should understand their words in the work, since the literal provides many interpretations to this.

In the work, meaning when we want to come to work in order to bestow and not receive for ourselves, of course we must observe the 613 Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] in actual fact. One who learns Torah but does not want to observe the 613 Mitzvot de facto, is learning knowledge, the way one learns external teachings. It is as our sages said (Eicha Rabbah 2:17), “Should one tell you, ‘There is knowledge in the nations,’ believe. ‘There is Torah in the nations,’ do not believe.” This means that a person can learn Torah, but if he is a gentile, who does not observe the Mitzvot, which makes him a gentile, then the Torah he is learning is called “knowledge” and not “Torah.”

For this reason, one who wants to work in order to bestow must begin to work in action, and then begin with the intention, meaning to place on it the aim to bestow. However, how can we achieve the aim to bestow, since it is known that a person can work under coercion, though “his heart is not with him.” That is, a person might be compelled to work against his will. He can overcome his desire and do something against his will. Yet, changing the heart, meaning the desire and yearning, this a person cannot do.

Thus, since man was created with a nature of receiving only for himself, how can he aim to bestow? as this is against his nature! How can one work against his nature and desire, which is only to receive? Can he force himself to aim his heart with the intention to bestow?

Moreover, we must know that the Torah was given in order to cleanse Israel. That is, all the actions He has given us to do are only in order to obtain this aim to bestow. Thus, how can we do the above, since there cannot be coercion of the heart and the desire?

Baal HaSulam interpreted “which God has created to do.” “Which God created” means that it is about this that man must “do,” on what He has created. We should interpret “Which God has created” to mean that creation is called “existence from absence,” referring to the will to receive. “To do” pertains to the creatures, who must place on it the aim to bestow. This means that all that the creatures must do is only to be able to aimto bestow. This is called “Which God has created to do.” This doing belongs to the creatures.

Accordingly, we should interpret that the above words, “Much learning or work,” do not concern work that the lower ones must do, for clearly, without work there is nothing, since first we must observe the 613 Mitzvot in action. Rather, we should interpret about the Torah itself that the Torah is called Talmud [learning]. Thus, the question, “Much learning or much work?” means that the Torah speaks from two angles: 1) From the perspective of the rules, meaning in which way we should observe the Mitzvot. There is the issue of the measure of the Mitzvot. Take Tzitzit [undergarment with four fringed corners], for example. We must learn the rules of the Halacha [Jewish law] concerning the required size of the Talit [prayer shawl] and the Tzitzit, and likewise regarding the rest of the Mitzvot. This is called the “revealed” part of the Torah, since these Mitzvot are visible and you cannot say that a person makes mistakes there, since that which is visible, if a person pays attention, he can observe these Mitzvot properly. This is why it is called “revealed.” 2) The part of the Torah that does not speak of rules and laws that we keep in actions, but which speak of tales and legends of our sages and have no connection to the 613 Mitzvot. The question is, What part of the Torah is greater, meaning more important to a person, and to which he should pay more attention?

“Learning” refers to the part of the Torah that is only learning, without work, since we are not speaking of the practical part, how to observe. This is called “learning,” meaning Torah without work.

Rabbi Tarfon says that work is greater. That is, the part of the Torah that speaks of performing the Mitzvot, which is the main thing to know—the rules that apply to the Mitzvot. Rabbi Akiva said that learning is great, and everyone answered and said as did Rabbi Akiva, “Much learning.” What is the reason? For learning leads to work.

We should interpret what they said, that “Learning leads to work.” It means that while it is true that the beginning of the work is in the revealed part of the Torah, which speaks of the observance of the Mitzvot, this is only the beginning, since the Torah and Mitzvot were given primarily in order to cleanse people. This means, as it is written (in the essay, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”), that “cleansing” means emerging from the control of the will to receive for oneself and working only in order to bestow. This is called “which God has created to do.” This work, which is done on creation, called “receiving for oneself”—to place the aim to bestow on it, this work is the main thing that the lower ones should do in order to be able to receive the delight and pleasure that the Creator wants to give them.

In order to achieve a state of “work,” which means that a person should work only for the sake of the Creator and not for his own sake, a person can still overcome the revealed part in the 613 Mitzvot by forcing himself to observe the 613 Mitzvot. However, on the concealed part, which is the aim, is something that is given to the heart, and here a person cannot force himself. That is, if the heart does not want to work and love others, man is helpless.

In that state, when a person wants to work for the sake of the Creator and the body disagrees, a person realizes that he cannot work for the sake of the Creator by himself. It follows that now the person has learned something new, which he did not know before he began the work of bestowal: He is a complete wicked, since he does not want to work for the sake of the Creator. Before he began the work of bestowal, he also knew that he was still not working for the sake of the Creator, but at that time he thought that he is not doing everything for the sake of the Creator only because of negligence and idleness, but he would succeed in doing everything for the sake of the Creator the moment he would choose.

For this reason, he was not concerned that he is not doing so now. He could say it was for lack of time, but he is certain that it is within his power to do everything for the sake of the Creator. There is a rule that everything that a person can do does not concern him because he can always do this. He attributes not having it only to the view of others.

But now that he has begun the work of bestowal and has made great efforts, yet sees that he is not progressing, and worse yet, after all the labor he has fallen into despair, now he sees that the evil in him is so great that he decides that the work of bestowal was not meant for him. This recognition is called “wicked.” That is, now he knows beyond any doubt that his body is unyielding and cannot be changed into working for the sake of the Creator. He can convince it to do only revealed things, in action, and to do good deeds. Yet, his heart is not with him. Therefore, only now can he determine that he has an evil inclination that is truly evil against the Creator, that he does not want to serve the Creator, but only himself.

When a person comes to that state, when he sees that he has evil inclination, he must believe what our sages said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice,” since “the light in it reforms him.” That is, his being enslaved to the evil inclination, when he was compelled to work for his own sake and not for the sake of the Creator, now, through the light of the Torah, he is reformed and can work for the sake of the Creator. This is called “good deeds,” meaning only to bestow upon the Creator and not for his own sake.

Accordingly, we see that it is impossible to bestow without the light of the Torah. It follows that the part of the Torah that a person learns, which does not speak of rules and laws, this is called “work,” as it is written, “much work,” meaning the part of the Torah that discusses the doing of the Mitzvot.

And this is the meaning of “much learning,” meaning the part of the Torah that speaks of tales and legends and interpretations of our sages, etc., the part of the Torah that does not pertain to the doing of the Mitzvot. This is called “learning.” They all said immediately, “Much learning,” “since learning leads to work.” Here the meaning of “work” refers to the intention on the work, which is regarded as the revealed. He will be able to aim the heart to work for the sake of the Creator, and this is called “work,” as it is written, “which God has created to do.” Doing refers to the heart, so that man will have the strength to work, so the heart will want to work for the sake of the Creator.

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Is the Reward in the Work of Bestowal?

Article No. 20, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

Our sages said (Avot, Chapter 2:21), “If you learned much Torah, you are given a great reward, and you can trust your landlord to pay you for your work.” We therefore see that we must work for the reward. Moreover, there is a special commandment that we must believe that the Creator will pay our reward. But there, in Chapter 1, they said the complete opposite: “He would say, ‘Be not as slaves serving the Rav [great one] in order to receive reward. Rather, be as slaves serving the rav not in order to receive reward.’” We should understand how these two statements are valid.

It is known that every branch wants to resemble its root. Since our root, which is the Creator, is in a state of complete rest, the creatures cannot make a single movement unless it improves man’s state of rest. Otherwise, a person chooses rest, as it is written in The Study of the Ten Sefirot (Part 1, Histaklut Pnimit, Item 19): “It is known that the nature of every branch is equal to its root. Therefore, every conduct in the root is desired and loved and coveted by the branch, as well, and any matter that is not in the root, the branch, too, distances itself from them. …For example, we love rest and vehemently hate movement, to the point that we do not make a single movement if not to find rest.”

In other words, we do not make a single movement unless we know that this movement will improve our rest. That is, this improved rest that we receive is called “reward.” This means that if movement causes us to enjoy rest more, we can move. Otherwise, we stay motionless.

Concerning the reward, there is a clear statement in the Torah: “If you follow My laws and keep My commandments and do them, I will give your rains in their time and the land will yield its crop.” Thus, why did our sages say that we should work without reward, called “not in order to receive reward”? This is the complete opposite of what is written in the Torah. Also, one of the tenets is to believe in reward and punishment. So, how did our sages say that a person should work not in order to receive reward?

We should understand why our sages said, “Be as slaves serving the rav not in order to receive reward.” This seems to contradict the purpose of creation, since the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, and this is why the Creator created the creatures with vessels of reception, meaning to have a desire and yearning to receive delight and pleasure.

Thus, why must we relinquish the yearning for delight and pleasure and try only to bestow upon the Creator and not satisfy the yearning for pleasures, as He Himself created us in such a nature? Also, how can they afterward tell us, “No, although He created us with a nature for reception of pleasures, still, it is currently forbidden to use these Kelim [vessels], called “will to receive for ourselves.”

The answer is that since every branch wants to resemble its root, as said above, and since the Creator is the giver, where a person needs to receive for himself there is the issues of shame. In order to correct the shame, there was a correction called “receiving in order to bestow.” It therefore follows that saying that it is forbidden to receive for oneself is not because it is forbidden to enjoy. Rather, it is a correction: When a person receives pleasure, because during the reception of pleasure he is in disparity of form from the giver, he feels unpleasantness during the reception of the pleasure.

However, if he receives the pleasure because he wants to delight the upper one, by this he receives equivalence of form. At that time, he has two things upon reception of the pleasure: 1) He does not become far from the Creator upon receiving the pleasure. 2) He does not feel any deficiency upon receiving the pleasure.

It follows that the prohibition to receive for himself is for the sake of the created beings, and not because the Creator needs to be bestowed upon or loved. Everything is only for the sake of the created beings, who receive the pleasure from Him, and to have completeness in the pleasure.

With respect to the correction of the world, two systems were made: 1) ABYA de [of] Kedusha[holiness/sanctity], where there is only the order of reception in order to bestow, 2) ABYA de Tuma’a[impurity], where there is reception in order to receive.

Hence, before a person corrects his actions to be in order to bestow, he is fed by what he drew from ABYA de Tuma’a. Now we can understand what we asked, that we should believe in reward and punishment, yet we are told to work not in order to receive reward, meaning to work for no reward at all. The answer is that the Creator wants to give, as this was His purpose—to do good to His creations. However, there was a correction: “in order to bring to light the perfection of His deeds,” that we will work not in order to receive reward. Only on this correction, not to receive reward, we must make great efforts and do much work, as it is against our nature. Only through the Segula[power/merit] of Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] can we be rewarded with these Kelim, called “vessels of bestowal.”

Our reward is that we should believe in reward and punishment. That is, if we observe the Torah and Mitzvot we will be rewarded with vessels of bestowal. If we do not observe the Torah and Mitzvot, we will remain in vessels of reception, which cannot do anything in Kedusha. Hence, how will it be possible to receive the delight and pleasure that the Creator wants to give them?

Therefore, as soon as we begin to walk on the path of bestowal, the body begins to resist, and we must believe in our sages who said, “He who comes to purify is aided,” and in what our sages also said, that the Creator said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice,” since through the Torah, “the light in it reforms him.” We should believe that the Creator will give us this reward in return for our work in Torah and Mitzvot. Thus, there will be no contradiction between what they say, that we must believe in reward and punishment, and what they say on the other hand, that we must be as “slaves serving the rav not in order to receive reward.”

The answer is that since we should work not in order to receive reward, and it is against our nature and we cannot correct ourselves in this correction, this is why they said, “Man’s inclination overcomes him every day. Were it not for the help of the Creator, he would not overcome it.” Thus, only the Creator can help him by giving him vessels of bestowal. This is the reward for which man should pray that He will give him, since by himself, he cannot obtain vessels of bestowal.

Moreover, one must believe that the Creator will give us this power because many times a person toils and labors to obtain vessels of bestowal, but from the perspective of the correction, which man cannot understand, sometimes a person begins this work of bestowal but sees otherwise—that he is regressing. That is, now that he has begun the work of bestowal, he has become more materialistic, meaning the will to receive for himself is working within him more vigorously.

It follows that he sees that the will to receive in him is working more vigorously each time, until a person despairs and says that he sees that there is no chance that he will ever be rewarded with the desire to bestow. At that point, he says, “I have worked for nothing. That is, I thought that through my labor in Torah and Mitzvot I would be rewarded and it would be as a gift for me to receive that which I have hoped for all the time—to be rewarded with bringing contentment to the Creator and emerging from self-love. But now I see that this is not for me, as I am more materialistic than the rest of the people. In the beginning of my work, I thought that I was not so immersed in self-love, so I thought that this work of achieving the aim to bestow would take as long as any profession we learn. It is not easy to learn a profession, and requires much learning until one acquires the profession he is learning, regardless of the craft—carpentry or a locksmith’s work, or even medicine and so forth. They all require time. Some professions require three years to learn, or five years, but there is patience to wait until the time is up. There, a person can work because he sees that each day he is progressing, so he understands that there will come a time, at the end of the three or five years, when he receives his diploma and can get a job in his profession.”

But in the work of bestowal, he sees that each day he is regressing. A year or two may pass and he sees that he has not moved one bit. At that time, he despairs and says that he will never be able to get a diploma that he is working in order to bestow. Naturally, he will not be able to receive the Torah, for only faithful people are admitted there, who will not spoil the Torah that they are given. Since he sees that he cannot get a diploma that he is working Lishma [for Her sake], he will never be rewarded with the secrets of Torah, as our sages said, “He who learns Torah Lishma is shown the secrets of Torah.”

For this reason, he wants to escape the campaign. Our sages said about this state that a person must brace himself and believe that “You can trust your landlord to pay you for your work.” That is, if a person exerts in Torah and Mitzvot in order to receive reward, to be given the power of bestowal, he should not pay attention to his stalled progress. He must believe that if a person makes an effort to be rewarded with vessels of bestowal, the Creator will certainly give him. It follows that this is the reward that we ask for our work: to be able to work without reward, but because “He is great and ruling.”

Accordingly, we should interpret what is written (in the prayer, “May it please,” before Psalms): “Grant me the treasure of a free gift.” That is, we pray and say psalms with the intention that we are not only asking for a reward, but we also want You to give us from the treasure of a free gift. We should understand, since it is known that one must do everything not in order to receive reward.

However, we should interpret that we want You to give us abundance from the treasure of a free gift because if we receive abundance from there, we will be able to work for nothing, not in order to receive reward. Similarly, when someone needs healing, we ask the Creator to send healing from the treasure of healings. Or, if someone needs strength, he asks to be sent strength from the treasure of strengths.

Therefore, one who wants to receive strength from above so he can work for free, without any reward, asks the Creator to give him strength “from the treasure of a free gift,” meaning to be given strength, which to him is a great gift, meaning to be able to do things for free. He regards this as a gift, as it is written, “As I am for nothing, so you are for nothing.”

Now we can interpret what is written (Psalms 121), “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help is from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.” We should understand David’s question, “From where shall my help come?” and afterward his finding that “My help is from the Lord.” But every believing Jew says that a person has no other place to receive help but the Creator, so what is the novelty?

We should interpret in the above that it comes to tell us that in order to receive delight and pleasure, we lack nothing but vessels of bestowal, for then we will have equivalence of form with the Creator, as in, “As He is merciful, so you are merciful.” Then we will be fit to receive the delight and pleasure.

For this reason, we should interpret according to the known rule that all of creation, which we define by the name “creation,” is only the will to receive for oneself that was created existence from absence. That is, concerning the Creator, we should say that He is the giver and the bestower. But reception is a new thing that the Creator created from nothing. That is, “nothing” means that there is no reception there. This is why it is written, “from absence,” meaning that what exists in the Creator is that He only bestows. If a person can come to that state, called “nothing,” then “my help shall come.” At that time, a person is ready to receive the delight and pleasure.

This is the meaning of the words, “My help is from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.” Here he interprets the meaning of “nothing,” meaning the opposite of reception, but rather bestowal. This is the meaning of the words, “Maker of heaven and earth.” It means that He has made heaven and earth, meaning that He bestowed and engendered heaven and earth. When a person achieves the state of “absence,” called “the power of bestowal,” he will be fit to receive delight and pleasure, since nothing is missing from the perspective of the Creator, except for Kelim—for the lower one to be able to receive.

This is the meaning of the words, “From where shall my help come?” It is written that one should not think that anything big is missing in order to receive this delight and pleasure that the Creator wants to give to the created beings. That is, when a person exerts to complete the purpose for which he was created, yet sees that he has still not risen higher than the level at which he was when he was nine years old, and he understands the work of the Creator as he understood when he was nine, when he examines the reason, he says, “I must have been born untalented and I am powerless to overcome. If I were more talented, I would be more noble and I would achieve wholeness.”

It follows that he thinks that he is missing many things. But in truth, man lacks nothing but equivalence of form, called “vessels of bestowal,” as it is written, “As He is merciful, so you are merciful,” for bestowal is regarded as “absence.”

This is what he wants to tells us when he says, “From where shall my help come?” that all we lack is this, and not any talent or nobility. Rather, “My help is from the Lord,” for the Creator made heaven and earth in order to bestow upon people. This is what I need the Creator to help me attain, as this is the Kli [vessel]. After a person has this Kli, called “vessel of bestowal,” the light will come by itself, for such was the purpose of creation—to do good to His creations.

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Are Silver, Gold, Israel, Rest of Nations, in the Work?

Article No. 19, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

It is written in The Zohar (Yitro [Jethro], Item 40): “‘And Jethro heard.’ He started and said, ‘Therefore, I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord, and I will sing to Your name.’ King David said this when he saw that the glory of the Creator was not rising in exaltedness and was not glorified in the world, but only among the rest of the nations. And if you say, ‘But is the Creator not glorified in the world only thanks to Israel?’ So it is indeed, since Israel are the foundation of the candle to shine. But when the rest of the nations come and thank Him in subjugation to the glory of the Creator, the foundation of the candle is supplemented and strengthens over all His works in one connection, and the Creator alone rules above and below.”

We should understand why he says, “So it is indeed, since the Creator is glorified in the world only thanks to Israel because Israel are the foundation of the candle to shine. But when the rest of the nations come and thank Him, the foundation of the candle is supplemented.” Yet, how is the foundation of the candle supplemented if the nations come and thank the Creator? It appears from this that the people of Israel take strength and assistance from the nations by their thanksgiving, as though the faith that the people of Israel believe in the Creator is so deficient that they must receive assistance from the nations about the greatness of the Creator, as it is written, that the nations add to the foundation of the candle.

This is very difficult to understand. Is it permitted to receive assistance for faith from the nations of the world? After all, the foundation of faith should be based on above reason, so how can a person receive strength that they will have power to go above reason? We learn about this that it is through the Torah, whose light reforms him.

Also, we should pray to the Creator to give us the power of faith in Him, as it is written in the prayer of Rabbi Elimelech (“A Prayer before a Prayer”), “May it please You, that You will set Your Faith in our hearts as a stake that will not fall.” It follows that faith must be received from the upper one. Yet, here it implies that if the nations come and thank the Creator, the basis of the faith, called “the foundation of the candle,” is supplemented.

In order to explain the above-said, we must remember what Israel and the rest of the nations mean in the work, according to the rule that they all pertain to one person. Israel is called “bestowal,” whose actions are only to bestow. This is called “man’s good inclination.” The rest of the nations are man’s vessels of reception, called “man’s evil inclination.”

It is as we explained about what our sages said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart,’ with both your inclinations: the good inclination and the evil inclination.” We interpreted that this refers to the vessels of bestowal, which are the good inclination, and the evil inclination, which are the vessels of reception. Likewise, we should interpret here what The Zohar says, “So it is indeed, since Israel are the foundation of the candle to shine.” This means that the foundation upon which man’s work is built is in the good inclination, called “vessels of bestowal,” called “Israel.”

However, this is considered half a degree. This degree is regarded as having superior importance because they are fine Kelim [vessels]. This is not considered that the Creator controls all of man’s actions, since Israel is called “acts of bestowal,” meaning that he can aim with acts of bestowal to bestow upon the Creator. This is why it is considered that the Creator controls him only with vessels of bestowal.

However, the Sitra Achra [other side] and the Klipot [shells/peels] control the vessels of reception. That is, he cannot aim that they will work for the Creator. These Kelim are called “the rest of the nations,” “below,” since the vessels of reception are of inferior importance.

According to the above, we can interpret what is written, that when the rest of the nations come and thank Him, by subjugation to the glory of the Creator, the foundation of the candle is supplemented. We asked, How can it be said that the people of Israel take strength from the rest of the nations, as it is written, “the foundation of the candle is supplemented”? We should interpret that it means that it is when man’s vessels of reception come and admit that we must do everything in order to bestow. This is the meaning of the words, “and thank Him, by subjugation to the glory of the Creator.”

It turns out that previously, only Israel could bestow upon the Creator, for Israel recognized the glory of the Creator and that they should enslave themselves to the Creator. But when the rest of the nations come and thank Him and subjugate themselves to the glory of the Creator, meaning that it is worthwhile to work for the sake of the Creator even with vessels of reception, they have the strength to overcome and work in order to bestow. Then, the foundation of the candle is supplemented, for the candle is called “the kingdom of heaven.”

That is, the primary foundation is Israel, since the beginning of the work is in vessels of bestowal, called “Israel.” Afterward, the foundation of the candle is supplemented, meaning that the vessels of reception, called “the rest of the nations,” also enter the authority of Kedusha [sanctity/holiness], called “candle” and “kingdom,” when the kingdom of heaven controls the rest of the nations.

This is the meaning of the words, “the foundation of the candle is supplemented and strengthens over all His works.” This means that acts of reception also enter the Kedusha. “In one connection,” as we learn from the Kelim of Galgalta Eynaim, which are vessels of bestowal, that they connect with the Kelim of the AHP, which are vessels of reception, and become one degree. This is called Gadlut[greatness/adulthood].

This is the meaning of what is written, “and the Creator alone rules,” referring to the vessels, and not as it was previously, when He controlled only Israel. This is the meaning of the words, “the Creator rules above and below.” That is, “He controls” means that both the vessels of bestowal, regarded as higher in importance, and the vessels of reception, regarded as lower in importance, have entered His authority. The Creator governs everything.

We should interpret that at that time a person receives real wholeness, since he already has the vessels for receiving—both Hassadim, called Katnut [smallness/infancy], and Hochma, called Gadlut, since now he has Kelim that are fit for receiving.

This is the meaning of the words “and the Creator alone rules above and below.” This is why David said about this, “I will thank You in the nations, O Lord, and to Your name I shall sing.” When the Creator’s governance spreads over the nations, too, which are the vessels of reception that have entered the authority of the Creator, there is wholeness in everything.

However, in order to achieve wholeness, so that the rest of the nations in a person will also enter Kedusha, there is a process called Tikkun Kavim [lines] in Katnut, and Tikkun Kavim in Gadlut, and Tikkun Kavim in VAK. These are three manners bearing the same name, but there is a difference between them.

The Book of Zohar says (Jethro, Item 499), “‘You shall not make with Me gods of silver, or gods of gold.’ Rabbi Yosi said, ‘What is the reason?’ It is because it is written, ‘Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold.’ Although Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold, you shall not make with Me, meaning Me.”

We should understand what it means in the work when the Creator says, “Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold,” therefore, “You shall not make Me.” We should also understand why He says, “Although Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold,” still, “You shall not make Me.” What is the “although” that he says?

The order of the work is in two manners: 1) A person craves Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator. This is called Kisufin [longing/yearning], and is considered “right line,” as it is written, “My soul yearns and also longs for the courtyards of the Lord; my heart and flesh shall sing unto the living God” (Psalms 84). This means that when a person walks on the right line, “my heart and flesh shall sing.”

That is, as soon as he remembers the Creator, even if he has been occupied with other things the whole day long, both corporeal matters and spiritual matters, but did not remember about the love of the Creator, as soon as he remembers about the love of the Creator, although the body does not want to love the Creator, still, he longs for these moments when thoughts of love of the Creator come to him, and rejoices that he has remembered that there is a Creator of the world who watches over each and every one.

Hence, on one hand, now he sees how the body objects to these longings. That is, the body does not enjoy a person wanting to adhere to Him. Yet, “My heart and flesh shall sing to the living God.” That is, he thanks the Creator for these longings, for having a grip on the Creator. That is, he regards his wanting to adhere to the Creator while the body resists him as a great privilege, too, for now he sees that in him, it is a state of “this and this judge them.”

But before he remembered the matter of love of the Creator, he was completely removed from the love of the Creator. He has completely forgotten that there is such a matter called “love of the Creator,” and his head was occupied with other matters. Primarily, when he is walking on the right line, he should believe that remembering about the love of the Creator is no coincidence. Rather, it is the Creator turning to him, and placing it in his mind now that there is a Creator and he should connect with Him.

That is, that thought did not come to him of his own, but the Creator turned to him and reminded him about the whole matter of work of the Creator. However, this is only for a short while. That is, this thought does not linger in his mind for long, since as long as a person has not been qualified for it, this thought is short-lived.

It is as it is written, “Behold, these wicked are short-lived and full of anger.” Baal HaSulam interpreted that when the wicked obtain some “day,” called “light from above,” since they are still wicked, meaning they have not emerged from self-reception, the light departs from them. This is called “short-lived.” For this reason, they are full of anger. They are angry at why the light has departed from them, for they long for the light.

Yet, when a person is righteous and justifies Providence, he says, “The Creator’s taking the awakening away from me is for my own good,” and he praises and thanks Him for having the privilege of the little awakening that the Creator has sent him. He rejoices over it. That state of thanking the Creator is called “right” because he yearns for the Creator and does not mind how long he tastes of the manner of “day,” and he thanks and praises Him all day for letting him adhere to Him even for one moment. This is called “gods of silver,” whose work is in the right, called silver, or the quality of mercy, where he desires only mercy.

2) The left line is called “gods of gold.” Baal HaSulam interpreted that Zahav [gold] means Ze Hav[give this], which is the opposite of the right line, when he wants nothing, but rather yearns for the Creator and wants to annul before Him, while the person himself wants nothing and is happy with whatever he has as though he was given great possessions.

But in the left line, he says, “This I want, and this I do not want.” He calculates the profitability. It is as though he points with his finger and says what he wants, specifically through the criticism that he gives. It is as it is written (Job 37:22), “From the north comes gold.” Tzafon [north] refers to Matzpunei Halev [concealed contemplations of the heart], which are views and scrutinies of his actions, meaning what he wants in return for exerting in this world, what reward he hopes for. Corrections pertain specifically to the left line.

In other words, when a person begins to scrutinize the details in the work, meaning examining for whom he works and what for, he begins to feel the real labor that exists in serving the Creator. The person already thinks that he knows what is good for him and what is bad for him, and thinks that this is what is upon him—that his work will be in the way of the left line. This is called “gods of gold.” Although the Creator gave him these thoughts, called “left line,” still, the Creator said, “You shall not make with Me gods of silver and gods of gold.”

By this we should interpret the words of Rabbi Yosi, who asked, What is the reason? It is because it is written, “Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold.” Although Mine are the silver and gold, you will not make with Me, meaning Me. We should interpret that although I have given you the right line, called “gods of silver,” and I have given you the left line, too, and I sent you all the thoughts that you are feeling, still, do not make Me, meaning that the real work is specifically in the middle line. This means that what the Creator said, “Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold,” means that “Mine,” meaning although I have given you, this is not the end, but you must walk on the middle line, as this line consists of both.

Yet, from where do we take the strength to be able to walk in all those ways? It was said about this, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice,” as we interpreted, that everything is found in the Torah. That is, when we learn Torah, we should demand reward from the study of Torah, which we understand in two general ways: 1) Our reward will be as in “The light in it reforms him,” meaning that he will be rewarded with vessels of bestowal, for without help from above, it is impossible to emerge from self-love. 2) To be rewarded with the Torah, as it is written in The Book of Zohar, “He who does not know the commandments of the upper one, how will he serve Him?”

This is the reward that one should ask through his exertion in the Torah. Clearly, the study of Kabbalah is better capable of eliciting the light of Torah. It is as it is written in the book A Sage’s Fruit(Vol. 2, p 160): “Since the whole of the wisdom of Kabbalah speaks of the revelation of the Creator, naturally, there is none more successful teaching for its task.”

In other words, when a person learns Torah with the aim to receive the light of Torah, we should understand that since the wisdom of Kabbalah speaks also of the topic of Godliness, whereas in the rest of the parts of the Torah, the Torah is clothed in corporeal subjects, it is therefore more difficult to elicit from there the light of Torah, for it is difficult to focus on the one who is clothed in the Torah, namely the Creator, although “The whole Torah is the names of the Creator.”

In the introduction to the book Utterances of Joseph by the ADMOR of Spinka, he writes there in the name of the ADMOR from the Rabbi of Tsanz, who interprets the verse (Proverbs 25), “The glory of God is to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings is to examine a matter.”

The question is, What is the difference between the glory of God and the glory of kings? That is, both certainly refer to spirituality, so, what is the difference between these two degrees?

He interpreted that if a person wishes to learn the wisdom of Kabbalah, to know how many worlds and Sefirot there are, meaning the glory of God, to know the measure of His glory, conceal the matter. However, if he wants to learn the wisdom, to know how to crown the Creator and serve Him with intention, and to sanctify his 248 organs and make them a chariot for Kedusha[holiness/sanctity], which is the glory of kings—how to crown and serve Him—examine the matter. We see that the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah is a special remedy that gives a person the power to sanctify himself and be a chariot to the Creator.

Our sages wrote (Avot de Rabbi Natan, Chapter 29,7), “Rabbi Yitzhak Ben Pinhas says, ‘Anyone who has learning in his hand but no practice, does not taste the taste of wisdom. Anyone who has practice in his hand but no learning, does not taste the taste of the fear of sin.’” He interprets there, “does not taste the taste of the fear of sin”: The sayings and the interpretations are filled with admonition, ethics, and allegories that bring to man the fear of sin. Moreover, the wise disciples, who engage in rules of times, their hearts are haughty and they believe that they are wise, and God forbid that they should come to pride, the evil inclination chases them because the engagement (of the evil inclination) is more with wise disciples, as it is written (Sukkah 52), “Anyone who is greater than his friend, his inclination is greater than him.”

We should understand why the rules cannot yield fear of sin, and why interpretations are preferable to rules, since it is known that the whole Torah is the names of the Creator. We should also understand why rules are called “wisdom,” meaning what does it imply to us that the rules are called “wisdom.”

An interpretation is called Drush. The writing says (Jeremiah 30:17), “For they have called you Zion, no one demands her.” RADAK interprets that the nations of the world called you and said that Zion is a city that no one demands to return to Israel. Our sages said, “Zion, no one demands her, meaning that it needs to be required.”

It is known that Malchut is called Zion. “Demand” means “demanding and asking.” That is, a person demands only what he needs, and then he asks to satisfy his need. When beginning to engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], we begin in Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], as our sages said, “One should always engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lo Lishma, and from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma[for Her sake].” Therefore, when a person accustoms himself to work Lo Lishma, he does not feel a lack in his inability to work Lishma. Because he does not feel a deficiency in his situation, he has no need to correct it. This causes him that when the desire to bestow awakens in him—when we must work for the sake of the Creator and not for our own sake—he feels the taste of dust in this work. This is what The Zohar refers to when it says that man should exert in Torah and Mitzvot in order to raise the Shechina [Divinity] from the dust.

In other words, in the work, when a person must work for the sake of the Shechina, he tastes the taste of dust because he is accustomed to working only for his own sake. By engaging in Torah, the Torah reforms him, and then he feels the taste of life in his work, since through the aim to bestow he receives Dvekut with the Life of Lives.

However, a person should certainly ask the Creator to raise the kingdom of heaven, meaning to make it important. Because the lower ones are unfit to receive the abundance from her, which Malchut[kingdom] must bestow upon the lower ones, for Malchut is called “the assembly of Israel,” the collection of all the souls, she must hide herself so as not to show what she has to give to the lower ones.

This is so for Israel’s benefit. Otherwise, if she reveals her greatness, everyone will receive from her in order to receive. For this reason, she must hide herself, and all that is revealed of her is the taste of dust.

But even the taste of dust that we receive from her is also to man’s benefit. That is, a person must know that this will make him research the reason for the taste of dust he finds in her when assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven in order to bestow.

The Torah promised us that if we follow the path of the Creator, meaning that all our actions will be with the intention to bestow, we will feel the taste of life, as it is written, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Thus, why do we feel the taste of dust? By this we see if we are truly marching on the path of truth, or not. The fact that we feel the taste of dust testifies to our work. We must know that this is so because we still do not have vessels of bestowal.

For this reason, the Shechina must be in the dust, and we must ask of the Creator to raise her from the dust by giving us a spirit of purity and removing self-love from our hearts. By this we will be rewarded with seeing the beauty of the Kedusha and will be able to understand what is written, that a person should pray to the Creator for the exile of the Shechina and the sorrow of the Shechina.

We should understand why the Shechina is in sorrow and the Creator does not raise her from the dust. Instead, we must ask the Creator to raise her, and without our prayer He will not raise her, as it is written (in the Blessing for the Food), “The Merciful One will establish for us the fallen tabernacle of David.” That is, He needs us to ask. But what is the reason?

According to the above, we will understand that the concealment, when Malchut is in the dust and in the dark, is so that the lower ones can work in order to bestow. It follows that the sorrow of the Shechina is that she must hide the delight and pleasure that she wants to impart upon the souls but cannot because it will be to their detriment, for through the abundance she imparts upon them while they are in vessels of self-reception, they will be farther from Kedusha, as the abundance will go to the Klipot. It follows that in the upper one, sorrow means that he cannot bestow upon the lower ones. This is called “the sorrow of the Shechina.”

For this reason, we pray to the Creator to give us the strength to overcome the vessels of reception for ourselves, and then we will be able to work only in order to bestow. At that time the Shechina will be able to show the glory and grandeur in her by having the ability to receive what she wants to impart. There is a rule: “The cow wants to feed more than the calf wants to eat.” Thus, everything depends on the receivers.

It turns out that when a person engages in Torah and Mitzvot without aiming to receive in return for his work the light that reforms him, but rather learns rules without paying attention to the interpretation, meaning to the discernment, “Zion, no one demands her,” when he has no demand and request to raise the Shechina from the dust, it is as the RADAK says, “For Zion is a city that none demand to return to Israel.” We should interpret the words of the RADAK, as it is written (in the Selichot [“asking for forgiveness,” prayers said in the period leading up to the High Holidays]), “I shall remember God and I will wail when I see every city standing firm, yet the city of God is lowered to the bottom of the underworld.”

This means that the city of God is called “Zion.” Those who engage in Torah and Mitzvot, there is no one to see and demand that the city of Zion be returned to Israel, meaning that the kingdom of heaven, called Shechina, will return to the whole of Israel, and to the individual Israel that exists in each and every one.

By this we should interpret what our sages said, “Anyone who has practice in his hand but no learning, does not taste the taste of the fear of sin.” This is because the fear of sin means that he is afraid that he might not be able to aim in order to bestow, but in order to receive for himself, as it is written in the Sulam (“Introduction to The Book of Zohar”).

We should know that a person cannot have fear of not being able to work in order to bestow. Rather, a person has a demand for Zion, meaning that he works in order to “raise the Shechina from the dust” and wants the city of God not to be lowered to the bottom of the underworld. This can be specifically by wanting to work in order to bestow, or else Malchut must hide her importance so the abundance will not go to the Klipot.

It follows that precisely he fears sin, since for him, a sin means one who is not working in order to bestow. He regards reception as sin because this is the only obstructor, making the Shechina unable to be in revealed face, but rather in concealed face. This is called “the sorrow of the Shechina,” that she is unable to give to the created beings the delight and pleasure she has in store for them.

It follows that if a person sympathizes with the sorrow of the Shechina, it means that he has reflected on what he causes by being immersed in self-love. That is, to the extent that a person wants to enjoy pleasures that pertain to, and can be accepted by the vessels of reception, that vitality is called “vitality of the Klipot,” meaning the vitality that The Zohar calls “a thin light,” which was given to the Klipot to sustain them.

They impart this vitality to all those who are still unable to receive the light of Kedusha, which is imparted specifically on vessels of bestowal. This means that we must believe that there is no vitality in the world except from the Creator. That is, even the vitality that is received in the vessels of reception is regarded as received by the Klipot. This means that the Klipot are the givers and not the Creator Himself, for it is impossible to be in permanent faith prior to attaining the vessels of bestowal, as explained (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar”).

It follows that the vitality that they receive is through the Klipot, which is considered that He has given dominion over the nations of the world to ministers and not He Himself governs them. It is as we interpreted, that in the work this means that people who have only partial faith are regarded as “nations of the world,” who say that ministers of above—whether ministers or nature or of other spirits—influence life in the world, and they cannot say that only the Creator governs.

It follows that they are given to the Klipot, meaning that they say so, but this is regarded as the sorrow of the Shechina in that she must hide herself from the creatures. This is similar to an allegory of a mother who must hide herself from her child. She hands over the child to some institution for retarded children, where the treatment is nothing like the mother’s treatment of the child, and the child does not even know he has a mother. As a result, the child suffers and the mother suffers from not being able to raise her child and give him everything he needs, as with a mother and son. This is called “the sorrow of the Shechina” that she suffers.

For this reason, He has given us the work in Torah and Mitzvot to engage in them with the aim to raise the Shechina from the dust, so she will not suffer the sorrow of not being able to tend to her child, for it is for the benefit of the child not to know he has a mother who longs for him.

In other words, through engagement in Torah and Mitzvot with the aim because of the sorrow of the Shechina, it will mean that since the reason why the Shechina cannot be revealed to them is the disparity of form of the will to receive, and since the light of Torah reforms a person, we want to be reformed, meaning to be rewarded with vessels of bestowal through the Torah and Mitzvot, by which we are granted fear.

Through fear, we are rewarded with faith. At that time we are rewarded with knowing who governs Israel, that only He alone governs. This means that the Creator knows that He is the governor, but the lower ones do not feel it before they are rewarded with faith, as it is written in the “Introduction of The Book of Zohar” (Item 138), “It follows that although He alone does and will do all the deeds, it still remains hidden from those who feel good and bad.”

It therefore follows that one should ask the Creator to give him vessels of bestowal so there will not be sorrow for the Shechina because she must be concealed from man. As was said, this is for man’s benefit. However, it is for man’s benefit only so that he will not go deeper into the authority of the Sitra Achra [other side], but from this, a person does not achieve the purpose, for the purpose of creation is for the creatures to receive delight and pleasure. Hence, as long as the creatures are unfit to receive the delight and pleasure, it is regarded as the sorrow of the Shechina, since she cannot impart upon them what the creatures should receive from her.

Now we can interpret why our sages said, “Anyone who has practice but no learning, does not taste the taste of the fear of sin.” The interpretation of “learning” is as it is written, “Zion, no one demands her,” meaning there is no one who demands and asks the Creator to bring the city of Zion back to the people of Israel. At that time he begins to understand the reason for her fall, as it is written, “She has fallen, she will not rise again, the virgin of Israel,” which comes to us because we are in self-love.

By knowing the reason, we begin to understand what is the sin, so we may know what to correct. At that time we come to feel that the whole sin is that we are immersed in self-love. Hence, only by this can we come to the fear of sin, meaning to know what is the sin, for which we suffer because we cannot receive the delight and pleasure.

According to the above, we should interpret what is written, “Anyone who has learning in his hand but no practice, does not taste the taste of wisdom.” It is known that there is no light without a Kli[vessel]. Generally, a light is regarded as the Creator’s desire to give to the created beings. This is called “His desire to do good to His creations.” This name includes the light called Hochma [wisdom]. But there is a second light, called “the light of the correction of creation.” This is called “light of Hassadim [mercies].” This means that the Creator should give to the creatures two lights.

According to the known rule, that we do not speak of the world of Ein Sof [infinity] but begin to speak after Tzimtzum Aleph [first restriction], meaning once a judgment has been passed that it is forbidden to use the vessels of reception and we must build new Kelim that will be fit for reception of the abundance and there will not be separation. It is known that this is called “vessels of bestowal,” which are Kelim that come from the correction of creation.

That is, once we already have creation, which is vessels of reception, which is the substance of all the creatures, namely the will to receive for oneself, on this Kli we can draw two lights: 1) The light of the correction of creation, which can be drawn through the light in the Torah, as our sages said, “The light in it reforms him.” By this we obtain the Kli called “desire to bestow.” This is regarded as having fear, meaning he already contemplates everything, whether to do it or not. If he sees that he cannot aim to bestow, he is careful not to touch it.

A person cannot make this Kli, as it is against the nature of creation, which was that the creatures would receive delight and pleasure. And what the creatures cannot receive for themselves comes later from Tzimtzum Aleph. However, this pertains to the creatures after Malchut de Ein Sof yearned for equivalence of form. We learned that then, the Masach [screen] was made. Through that Masach, by the power of rejection when it does not want to receive, a new Kli was born, called Ohr Hozer[Reflected Light].

That Ohr Hozer is born out of two forces: 1) the Masach, which is called “the detaining force,” which does not want to be a receiver for itself; 2) the light, which wants to give, for the lower one to receive the abundance.

Out of those two, this Ohr Hozer is born. We should understand that the lower one receives great pleasure in wanting to bestow upon the upper one. At that time the lower one comes to feel what the lower one has to give to the upper one, that the upper will enjoy, because what does the upper one lack which the lower one can give to Him? At that time he comes to realize that all the pleasure of the upper one is in the lower one assisting Him to complete the purpose of the upper one. That is, the lower one gives the upper one the opportunity for the upper one to satisfy His desire. And since the desire of the upper one is to do good to His creations, for the lower ones to receive delight and pleasure, the lower one comes to receive from the upper one delight and pleasure, for this is His will, as it is written at length in The Study of the Ten Sefirot (Part 4, Histaklut Pnimit).

It therefore follows that once he has received new Kelim from the upper one, namely vessels of bestowal, which come to him through the learning, now is the time to receive the light into the new Kelim he has obtained.

2) This is the second discernment, to draw abundance from the upper one. This is called Hochma[wisdom], which is the purpose of creation, for the creatures to receive delight and pleasure. This light is called “light of wisdom,” and it is regarded as learning rules, as it was written, “Anyone who has learning in his hand but no practice, does not taste the taste of wisdom.”

We should understand the connection between Halachot [rules/practices] and wisdom. It is known that Malchut is called Halacha [rule/practice], from the word Kalah [bride]. Also, the Kli to receive the light of wisdom is Malchut, and the vessels of bestowal are called Bina. It is known that the light of Bina is called “the light of the correction of creation,” which is light of Hassadim. Accordingly, “Anyone who has learning,” meaning that he has been rewarded with vessels of bestowal, “has the fear of sin,” meaning his fear is that he may not have the power to bestow, meaning that he has already obtained vessels of bestowal, called Bina.

At that time he should try to have Halachot [practices], meaning to exert in obtaining the Kalah[bride], which is Malchut, who is regarded as the vessel of reception for light of Hochma. It is as it is written in the Sulam [Ladder Commentary] (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Item 203): “Fear is a Mitzva [commandment] that contains all the Mitzvot in the Torah, as it is the gate of the faith in Him. And according to the awakening of one’s fear, the faith in the Creator is in him. …However, both the first fear and the second fear are not for his own benefit, but only for fear that he will decline in bringing contentment to his Maker.”

Thus, we see that first we must be rewarded with fear, and then we are rewarded with the light of faith, since complete faith is when the light of Hassadim shines in illumination of Hochma. This is called Halacha [practice], as it is written, “Anyone who has practice, tastes the taste of wisdom,” and the interpretation is—the taste of the fear of sin.

However, what can one do if even when he feels that he already has fear, meaning that he wants to bestow upon the Creator, and thinks that he will ascend degree by degree to the highest level, but he soon gets thoughts that show him he should look at the past, meaning that he has already had times when he thought he had been rewarded with something, and he was certain that from that day forward he would have no descents and he would not suffer from being unable to overcome his evil anymore, but as he finds taste in the work now, so it will continue.

But what happened afterwards? He fell from his degree back into a state of suffering that he does not have this world, meaning a life with satisfaction. Instead, he has neither satisfaction nor the next world, meaning the desire to do the holy work. Therefore, now that he is a little higher than the previous states and wants to engage in the holy work gladly, what can he do if his thoughts disrupt him with just thoughts?

In his opinion, there is nothing to reply to them. For this reason, he cannot do anything, as though now he is in a state of descent. Thus, what use is it that he has now been given help from above and believes that the Creator is calling him and wants to bring him closer? But the arguments of the thoughts tell him, “See for yourself, this happens to you every time. Each time you think you are above, you fall deep down. So what makes you certain that this time will not be the same?”

Yet, we should follow the path of our sages, who instructed us (Sotah 48b), “Anyone who has bread in his basket and says, ‘What shall I eat tomorrow?’ is among those of little faith.” It is as Rabbi Elazar in Metzudat David (Zachariah 4), “‘Who has despised the day of smallness [Katnut]?’ Who caused the righteous to despise their future table? The smallness that was in them—that they did not believe in the Creator.” We should understand what he says, “Who caused the righteous to despise their future table? that they did not believe in the Creator. This is their smallness. Yet, if they did not believe in the Creator, why are they considered righteous?”

We should interpret the writing that calls them “righteous” while they have no faith. It means that after a person receives an awakening from above, he comes to feel that the most important is to work in order to bestow, and it is not worth working for himself. Thus, now he feels that he is righteous and should thank the Creator for bringing him closer to Him and removing from him the concealment.

For this reason, now he wants to annul before Him. Now he understands and feels that reception for oneself is called “bad,” and one who uses it is called a “sinner.” It follows that at that time he is called “righteous,” as it is written, “Anyone who has bread in his basket and says, ‘What shall I eat tomorrow?’ is among those of little faith.”

This means that now he has faith and he believes that the most important is to adhere to the Creator, and it is not worth it to think of himself for even a moment. Therefore, he should be delighted that he has been rewarded with nearing the Creator. Yet, right away, thoughts come to him that the faith he has now is small, meaning that he will not be able to continue tomorrow. Instead, he thinks that soon this faith will leave him and he will fall once more into the control of the wicked, who care only for their own benefit. It follows that this is the question that he asks, “What shall I eat tomorrow?”

There is a rule that “tomorrow” does not mean the next day. Rather, “tomorrow” means “after some time.” In other words, the “present” is called “today” and the future is called “tomorrow.” That is, the moment he stands in now is called “present” and “today,” and the next moment is called “tomorrow.” This causes him not to be able to praise the Creator for having brought him closer.

These thoughts, “What shall I eat tomorrow,” remove him from the Creator because he does not believe that this state will remain forever. It follows that although now he is at the degree of righteous, because he does not believe that it will stay permanently, he is regarded among those of little faith. That is, he has faith, but his faith will be with him briefly and then his faith will depart. This is called “of little faith.”

Now we can interpret the words of Rabbi Elazar, “Why it is written, ‘Who has despised the day of smallness [Katnut]?’ Who caused the righteous to despise their future table?” The words, “Who caused the righteous” refer to those people who are in a state of ascent and yearn only to adhere to the Creator. At that time there are righteous who despise their future table. That is, that table, which is set for a meal, they despise them in the future, meaning that they say, “After the present,” meaning after the state he is in now, when this table is fine, “afterward,” meaning in the time that will come later, “it will be despised.” That is, afterward, the table will be under the control of the Sitra Achra, meaning that it will fall once more into the control of the will to receive for oneself.

This is the meaning of the verse, “Who despises the day of smallness.” The smallness that was in them is that they did not believe that the Creator can give a permanent state of nearing. It follows that a person must not awaken any lack in the gift of the Creator and say that now it is clear to him that the Creator cannot give something permanently, and bring evidence from the past, that he has had good states several times, which then departed from him, so there is no proof that the current state will be forever. Here comes the matter of faith, that one must believe above reason and not regard what reason dictates, but believe with faith in the sages that the way they determined is how we should go, and not look at the reason, for we must believe that going with faith is a wondrous Segula [virtue/remedy].

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

When Is One Considered “A Servant of the Creator” in the Work?

Article No. 18, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

The Zohar (Tazria, Item 10) asks about the verse, “When a woman inseminates and delivers a male child: “Rabbi Aha said, ‘‘And delivers a male child.’ Since she inseminates, does she also deliver? After all, this requires pregnancy. This verse should have said, ‘If a woman is impregnated, she delivers a male child.’ What is, ‘If she inseminates, she delivers’? Rabbi Yosi said, ‘Since the day of insemination and conception to the day of delivery, a woman has not a word in her mouth except her offspring, whether it will be a male. This is why it is written, ‘If a woman inseminates and delivers a male child.’’”

We should understand what it means that the woman says, “Since the day of insemination and conception to the day of delivery, a woman has not a word in her mouth except her offspring, whether it will be a male,” and that this is why the verse says, “If a woman inseminates.” What does knowing this give us?

Certainly, there are answers in the literal. But we will explain in the work, what is the importance of a woman being worried whether her child will be a male as soon as she inseminates. First, we need to know what is insemination in the work. In corporeality, we see that when we sow a seed in the soil, the seed rots in the ground, and then yields crop that sustains people. That is, the sowing brings us food. If a person did not sow a seed, he will certainly not reap, as it is written, “They who sow in tears shall reap in song.”

What is sowing in the work of the Creator? We should interpret that there are two forces in man: 1) the force of bestowal, which is what man wants to bestow upon others, and 2) the force of reception, meaning wanting to receive from others and enjoy for oneself. Whichever force he wants to annul, this is called “sowing.” He places this force in the ground, such as when placing seeds in the ground so they will rot. Then they are annulled in the earth and later yield crop for food and for nourishment and life to the world.

Likewise, in the work, when a person wants to annul the will to receive for himself, it is regarded as placing it in the ground, as wanting to annul it “as the dust of the earth,” and that a desire to bestow will grow out of it. A “woman” is called “desire to receive for oneself.” When wanting to revoke and uproot it from the world, the desire to bestow emerges from it, which yields nourishment and life and peace to the world, since through the Kli [vessel] of the desire to bestow, called “equivalence of form,” we receive the delight and pleasure that the Creator wants to bestow upon the creatures. It is as it is written, “When a woman inseminates and delivers a male child.” That is, by burying the vessels of reception, the desire to bestow emerges from it, which is regarded as a male.

However, the male is not born as soon as one sows. Rather, there are nine months of pregnancy. In the work, they are called “ascents and descents.” Sometimes a pouring rain comes down and takes all the seeds out of the soil. In the work, this is called the arrival of “evil water,” which are Mi [who] and Ma [what], and Mi and Ma together are called Mayim [water], which takes all the seeds outside.

That is, after he has thrown the will to receive for himself into the ground several times, the thoughts of “who” and “what,” where “who” is the argument of Pharaoh, who said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” and “what” is the argument of the wicked, who asks, “What is this work for you?” These thoughts take the seeds that were already placed in the earth, in utter lowliness and degradation back up from the ground, and once again, we want to use these Kelim [vessels], which are vessels of reception. And once again, we cannot hope to have something with which to furnish ourselves with the abundance that should furnish the spiritual, but we haven’t the Kelim to receive the abundance, for there is no light without a Kli.

However, afterward, another awakening from above comes to a person and he begins once more to inseminate the “woman” in him, called “will to receive for himself.” Once again, he buries it in the ground, and once again comes a bad wind or a flood of rain, and so on and so forth. This causes many ascents and descents, and this is regarded as what is written, “They who sow in tears.” They are regarded as crying because it appears to them that they are always on the degree at which they began to come into the work of the Creator.

It follows that when they are about to inseminate once more, they sow in tears because they see that each time they begin from the same place and they never move even one step forward. On the contrary, they see that they are going backward. Hence, all their sowings are in tears.

We have already spoken about why the Creator made it so there would be many ascents and descents, meaning who gains from it. The answer is that it is in man’s benefit, since there is no light without a Kli, meaning no filling without a lack. And since the Creator wants man to need help from above, since through the help, the Creator bestows upon him illumination from above, it is considered that each time, he receives additional Kedusha. Thus, at the end of his work, after he has come to a greater lack each time, a person receives a holy soul from above. By this, he is rewarded with being permanently in Kedusha, as The Zohar says, “He who comes to purify is aided.” With what? The Zohar says, “with a holy soul,” and all this came to him through ascents and descents.

By this we will understand why specifically “They who sow in tears, reap in song.” It is because they sow in tears, meaning that each time, he sees that he must begin to sow anew, as though until now he has done nothing. He sees that time is moving forward and that he is going backward, causing him sorrow and pain. By this, he constantly becomes more needy of the Creator’s help.

This means that each time, he sees himself, how inherently incapable he is to exit self-love, except through a miracle from above. From all this suffering, a true need and Kli is created in him, meaning that now he sees what is written (Psalms 127), “Unless the Lord builds a house, they who built it worked in vain.” Only the Creator can help.

It follows that specifically through “They who sow in tears,” a person can obtain the need for the Creator’s salvation, for then “reap in song” comes true. Sowing means making the Kli, and reaping means the reception of the light. That is, the light comes into the Kli. This means that when the deficiency is filled, this is called “reaping.”

Accordingly, we should interpret what The Zohar says, “Since the day of insemination and conception to the day of delivery, a woman has not a word in her mouth except her offspring, whether it will be a male.” We asked, What does this come to teach us in the work? When a person begins the holy work, to make it pure, which means that he is working for the sake of the Creator and not for his own sake, that person is called “a woman inseminates first.”

This means that the beginning of his work is that he wants to bury in the ground the quality of Nukva[female], called “a woman.” He sows that desire in the ground the way one sows seeds in the ground. By this, food grows to furnish the created beings. Likewise, when sowing the will to receive for oneself in the ground, so it will rot, meaning so that the use of the will to receive will be cancelled if it is without an intention to bestow, and to use it only on condition that he can use it in order to bestow, then “she delivers a male child.” That is, he is rewarded with the quality of “male,” meaning that he has the power to work for the sake of the Creator and not for his own sake.

However, it does not grow at once, as soon as we plant the seed in the soil. Rather, in corporeality, sometimes there are torrential rains that flood the whole area, and all the seeds come out even before they decayed in the soil. It is likewise in the work: A person wants to grow the quality of male as soon as he plants the seed in the ground, meaning that he will be rewarded with the desire to bestow right away.

But since the order is that it is impossible to go against nature at once, since man is born with a desire to receive for himself, hence, there is always the matter of overcoming, meaning that each time, a person begins to overcome the state of descent. That is, once the winds of the world came and took the seeds out of the ground, and the “winds of the world” are thoughts that are foreign to the spirit of Kedusha, called “desire to bestow,” a person has to overcome and sow once more the will to receive for himself in the ground.

And each time, he tells himself, “Now I will certainly have a male child.” That is, Adama[ground/soil/earth] comes from the words Adame la Elyon [I will be like the Most High], meaning equivalence of form, which is the quality of male. The female, which is the will to receive, will be annulled in the “I will be like the Most High.” We should interpret what The Zohar says, “Since the day of insemination and conception to the day of delivery, a woman has not a word in her mouth except her offspring, whether it will be a male.” That is, each time a person overcomes, he must be certain that now he will be rewarded with the quality of male.

It follows that in each and every sowing, the intention is only to be a male. Otherwise, if his intention is not to be a male, it is not regarded as sowing anything. This is the meaning of what is written (Ecclesiastes 11:4), “He who guards the wind will not sow.” Sporno interprets this as follows: “‘He who guards the wind will not sow.’ Even though sometimes the seed is lost in the stormy wind, which disperses it, still, we should not avoid sowing because we are worried about it.”

We should interpret his words in the work. A person sees that he has many descents, and many times he has overcome and sowed, and did not regard the wind, meaning the alien thoughts, called “winds of the world,” dispersing them. And as he says, he should not look at the stormy wind, since she is the hardest Klipa [shell/peel], opposite the world of Assiya, as the ARI says, whose desire is to spread all the seeds that place the will to receive in the ground, since it is against her will. Therefore, the writing says that we must not look at this wind, which wants to disperse the seeds, but overcome and not avoid sowing, and we must believe in the Creator, that “the salvation of the Lord is as the blink of an eye.”

Baal HaSulam interpreted that “He who guards the wind will not sow” means that one should not say, “I cannot do anything and I am waiting for the Creator to send me the spirit from above, and then I will have the strength to work. In the meantime, I sit and wait.” The writing says about this, “guards the wind,” from the verse, “And his father kept the matter,” meaning that one who sits and waits will never sow. Rather, a person must make “an awakening from below,” and by this comes “an awakening from above.” It is as our sages said, “He who comes to purify is aided.” However, the person must begin.

Now we can interpret what is written (Malachi 2), “If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name, I will send the curse upon you. I will rebuke your semen and I will spread feces on your faces.” The Even Ezra interprets this as follows: “I will rebuke the semen so it will not grow, since My table is empty.” The Metzudat David interprets this as “I admonish you. Because of you, I will rebuke the semen so it does not grow. ‘And I will spread feces on your faces,’ I will spread manure on your faces.” He reiterates and interprets, “Manure from beasts that you sacrifice to Me, which is the most loathsome thing in the beast, I will spread it in order to degrade you, the same way you degrade My name.”

We should interpret this that in the work, it is when we sow a seed in the ground so it will decay and annul in the ground, which is regarded as “I will be like the Most High,” so that a male will grow out of this sowing. But in the middle of the sowing, a person regrets giving “honor to My name,” to do everything to glorify His name. Rather, as soon as one sows, a person receives from the “winds of the world,” and they ask the person, “What about your own glory?”

That is, what will the person receive for himself from this work of sowing in the ground that will yield a desire to bestow? It follows that by a person degrading the glory of heaven before his own glory, saying that it is not worthwhile to annul his own glory before the glory of heaven, for this reason, the Creator says, “I will send the curse upon you,” the curse that the seed will not grow so that you will not be able to receive through this vessels of bestowal because as soon as you receive the thoughts from the “winds of the world,” you immediately say that they are right and it is not worthwhile to work for the glory of heaven.

This is the meaning of what the Even Ezra says, “I will rebuke the semen so it will not grow because My table is empty.” This means that they engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], but their intention is not for the sake of the Creator. It follows that the table of the Creator is empty, and everything that you do in Torah and Mitzvot is all for man’s table, for one’s own sake. Thus, you have no need or a Kli for me to give you the quality of “male,” called “desire to bestow,” since there is no light without a Kli.

However, the question is, If a person does not want to dedicate one hundred percent of his strength to work for the Creator, and only a small part of him understands that it is worthwhile to work for the Creator, and in that small part, the Creator places a curse that no vessels of bestowal, called “male,” will grow out of it, how can one ever be rewarded with vessels of bestowal?

We should interpret this according to the rule that everything that the Creator does is for the purpose of correction. That is, the curse not to grow seeds is also for the benefit of the creatures. This should be interpreted as we interpreted the verse, “He brings down to the netherworld and He lifts up.” That is, by seeing that each time he sows, the wind comes and disperses the seeds, a person understands that he must pray to the Creator to give him the strength to stand against the winds.

That is, the Creator should let him feel the importance of obtaining a life of service to the King of the world, since each time he overcomes and sows, the wind promptly disperses it and takes it out of the ground. By this he feels, while engaging in Torah and work, the taste of manure while he is thinking about the aim to bestow.

As the Metzudat David interprets, “I will spread manure on your faces,” I will spread it to degrade you the way you degrade My name. That is, when you do not pay attention while engaging in Torah and Mitzvot, and you do not think that they should be for My name, and do not feel the flaw that you are doing, I will make you feel the taste of manure, so you will not have the strength to do anything even in Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], since you will feel the taste of manure even when you engage in Lo Lishma. This will cause you to need vessels of bestowal, since you will have no vitality in Lo Lishma.

It follows that this curse is when you begin to sow your vessels of reception in the ground so that the will to receive for oneself will be cancelled in the ground. But you do not pay attention to regard the matter of bestowal as much as you need, and you make these sowings without any awareness that it is a key matter, and our lives, for otherwise it is impossible to achieve wholeness. Instead, you do this not so seriously. This is why it says, “I will send,” meaning that the Creator Himself has sent these thoughts and disperses the sowings so that you will walk on the path of truth, so they will understand the need for vessels of bestowal.

Now we can understand that a person must believe that all his descents, if they occur while he wants to walk on the path of truth, he must believe that they all come from the Creator. That is, all his descents are for his best; otherwise, he will remain in his current state and will never be able to reach the truth, since he will settle for what he has and will think that this is wholeness. For this reason, when a person comes to purify, specifically then he has descents, so he will not remain in his Katnut [smallness/infancy], according to his understanding.

Accordingly, we should interpret what is written in The Zohar about the verse, “For the portion of the Lord is His people.” The Creator handed the seventy nations to ministers who rule over them, and took to Himself the people of Israel, to rule over them. That is, the Creator is the ruler of Israel, which is not so with the rest of the nations, whom He has given to the rule of ministers.

But what does it mean that he seemingly does not rule over the nations of the world? Is it because it is difficult for the Creator to rule over them because of their inferiority? That is, is it beneath Him to rule over them, so He needed someone to help Him rule over them? But we should believe that “He alone does and will do all the deeds.”

In the work, we should interpret that this applies to a single person. When a person is under the rule of the seventy nations, which is generally regarded as “will to receive for himself,” because of the restriction that took place, he becomes separated from the Creator. That is, he does not have the faith that the Creator alone “does and will do all the deeds.” It follows that a person who receives vitality from the world through things that the Creator has prepared for the creatures while they are still not ready to receive their vitality from Kedusha, these people say that the Creator “has left His work” because it is “beneath Him” to tend to them.

This is as it is written in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar” (Item 4): “I know that there are those who cast over their shoulders the burden of Torah and Mitzvot, saying the Creator has created the whole of reality, then left it alone, that because of the worthlessness of the creatures it is not fitting for the exalted Creator to watch over their mean little ways.”

It follows that before a person believes that everything comes from the Creator, he says that the whole world was given to the leadership of seventy ministers, which are seventy qualities in nature, or “the rest of the winds,” but they do not believe that the Creator oversees it. This is regarded as saying that He has given over the management of the world to seventy ministers. Conversely, one who is “Israel” and believes in the Creator, says that only the Creator is the leader of the world, that “He alone does and will do all the deeds.”

Now we can understand what we asked, When is one considered “a servant of the Creator”? Is it specifically when he can work for the sake of the Creator, or is it even in the beginning of his work? According to what Baal HaSulam explained about the verse, “will give wisdom to the wise,” the question is that it should have said, “will give wisdom to the fools,” since the wise already have wisdom. He explained that “wise” means one who desires wisdom, whereas one who is not wise has no desire for wisdom, as it is written, “The fool has no desire for intelligence.”

In the work, we should interpret that “a servant of the Creator” is one who wants to work for the sake of the Creator. Although he is not succeeding, since this requires a real prayer that the Creator will help him, if he began to walk on the right line, meaning that he already has a “left” that resists the right line, then the order of the path of the Creator begins. For this reason, he is already regarded as “a worker of the Creator,” since his goal is to come to a state where all his works are for the sake of the Creator.

And although there are many descents and ascents along the way, everything follows the plan, meaning that the descents, too, a part of the work, since by this we acquire the need for the salvation of the Creator. Through the descents, a person comes to the decision that it is impossible to do anything by himself, but that only the Creator can help. This attainment, a person achieves specifically through the descents.

This is as it is written in the book A Sage’s Fruit (Part 1, p 301): “There is no happier situation in man’s world than when he finds himself despaired with his own strength. That is, he has already labored and done all that he could possibly imagine he could do, but found no remedy. It is then that he is fit for a wholehearted prayer for His help because he knows for certain that his own work will not help him. As long as he feels some strength of his own, his prayer will not be whole. It was said about it, ‘The Lord is high and the low will see.’ Once a person has labored in all kinds of works and has become disillusioned, he comes into real lowliness, knowing that he is the lowest of all people, and there is nothing good about his body. At that time his prayer is whole, since at that time the whole of Israel came to a state of despair from the work. It is as one who pumps out in a punctured bucket. He pumps all day but does not have a drop of water to quench his thirst. So were the children of Israel in Egypt: Whatever they built was promptly swallowed in its place in the ground.Similarly, one who has not been rewarded with His love, all that he has done in his work on purifying the soul the day before is as though completely burned the next day. And each and every day he must start anew as though he hasn’t done a thing in his entire life. It follows from the above that anything, small or great, is only obtained by prayer.”

Thus, the descents are also regarded as correction, for through them a person can come to be a true “worker of the Creator,” when all his works are only in order to bestow. For this reason, as soon as one begins on the path that reaches the work in order to bestow, although there are many failures along the way that are hard for one to overcome, he is already regarded as “a servant of the Creator,” since he wants to work for the Creator and not work for himself, meaning that all his thoughts will be only about satisfying the will to receive for himself with the wealth of this world and the wealth of the next world, as it is written in The Zohar that they howl as dogs, “Give us the wealth of this world and give us the wealth of the next world.”

For this reason, a person must always overcome and believe that only the Creator can help.

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

The Main Difference between a Beastly Soul and a Godly Soul

Article No. 17, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

It is written in The Zohar (Tazria, Item 1): “Rabbi Elazar started, ‘On my bed night after night I sought Him whom my soul loves.’ He asks, ‘He says, ‘On my bed.’ It should have said, ‘In my bed.’ However, the assembly of Israel spoke before the Creator and asked Him about the exile, since she is seated among the rest of the nations with her children and lies in the dust. And because she is lying in another land, an impure one, she said, ‘On my bed I ask, for I am lying in exile,’ and exile is called ‘nights.’ Hence, ‘I sought him whom my soul loves,’ to deliver me from it.’”

We should understand why he says that “On my bed at night” refers to the exile. Exile can be understood in three ways: 1) She is “seated among the rest of the nations with her children.” This is plural form, “among the nations.” 2) She “lies in the dust.” 3) “Because she is lying in another land, an impure one,” which is singular form.

Also, we should understand what is “the assembly of Israel with her children” in the work, and that they lie in exile and she is lying in the dust, in the work.

It is known that the assembly of Israel is called Malchut, who is the root of all the souls, for Malchutcontains within her all the souls. Generally, we learn that all the corrections in the world are named after Malchut because Malchut is the general Kli [vessel] that receives all the lights imparted upon all the worlds.

Baal HaSulam said a rule that we must know: 1) In general, all the lights that exist in the worlds are regarded as the light of Ein Sof. 2) The general receiver that we discern in the worlds and in the Sefirot is Malchut. 3) All the multiplicities are only from the perspective of the receivers. 4) Each and every discernment we make is to the extent that Malchut is impressed by the lights she receives.

That is, according to the power of the Masach [screen] that Malchut raises Ohr Hozer [Reflected Light], she feels the light bestowed upon her. Since there are many discernments in the Masachim[plural of Masach], as we learned, there are also many discernments in the light.

To understand the need for a Masach and Ohr Hozer, which causes many discernments, we must remember what is said in The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 1, where he says that we begin to speak of the connection between the Creator and the creatures, and that connection is called “His desire to do good to His creations.” For this reason, He created existence from absence, and this “existence” is called “will to receive for oneself.” This is something new, which did not exist before that desire was created. Hence, this desire, called Malchut, received that light as one discernment, without distinguishing degrees, since the Creator, who created the will to receive delight and pleasure, was precisely a desire to receive to the extent that the Creator wants to give.

For this reason, it is written in the beginning of the book Tree of Life, that prior to the Tzimtzum[restriction], the upper light had filled the whole of reality, and there was no beginning or end, until after Malchut of Ein Sof received the light. And since the power of the upper one, which is the desire to bestow, is included in the light, once Malchut received the light, she wanted equivalence of form, like the light she had received. For this reason, she restricted herself from receiving in order to receive and will not receive any more abundance than the extent to which she can aim to bestow.

Since we attribute this Kli to the receiver, and it is against the nature of Malchut, who was created with a will to receive, and now she needs to do something against her nature, making such a Kli does not happen at once. That is, Malchut cannot receive all the light she had prior to the Tzimtzum and take it in order to bestow.

This is why we discern many discernments in Malchut, which is the general vessel of reception, to the extent of the ability of the Masachim that she is able to do. That is, from the perspective of the Creator, His intention was to bestow endlessly, meaning according to the measure of the will to receive. But from the perspective of the lower one, which wants to receive only in order to bestow, we get all the multiplicities called “corrections of Malchut.”

Generally, we speak of Malchut de Atzilut, who was the only one to beget the souls. Through the cascading of the worlds, Malchut de Atzilut emerged, and the souls she begot correct her. That is, the souls that come from her, each one corrects at the root of his soul in Malchut, to be a corrected part in the will to receive in her in order to bestow. And to that extent, Malchut bestows upon the lower ones.

That is, to the extent of equivalence of form that the lower one causes above in Malchut, to that extent it is bestowed upon the lower one, who caused the correction in her, so she can receive from her upper one because there is already equivalence of form between the receiver and the Giver. This is called “the unification of the Creator and His Shechina [Divinity].” That is, unification is called “equivalence of form.” When the receiver is corrected with the aim to bestow, this aim makes the receiver be regarded as giver because everything follows the intention.

As said above, the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, meaning for the souls to receive delight and pleasure. For this reason, since equivalence of form mandates that there will be work in the lower ones, to obtain that intention to bestow, and since the creatures were created with the nature to work in order to receive, which is against the Kedusha [holiness/sanctity] because all the light of pleasure that comes from the Creator is because He desires to bestow and the lower one who receives it is the opposite of this, hence, the question is, From where will the creatures take life, so they can exist, before the creatures obtain the vessels of bestowal so they will have equivalence of form, since any life and pleasure come from the Creator, and disparity of form separates them from the Creator? Thus, who would give them vitality and pleasure, since without this it is impossible to exist because of the law of the purpose, which is “to do good,” and if the creatures have no delight and pleasure, they cannot exist in the world.

Rather, the Kedusha sustains the Klipot [shells/peels] so they will not be cancelled. For this reason, even before a person is rewarded with vessels of bestowal, in order to be able to receive the light of Kedusha, he is nourished by the Klipot, from what the Kedusha sustains Klipot with, so they will not be cancelled. This is as it is written in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar” (Items 10-11): “In order to mend that separation, which lies on the Kli of the souls, He created all the worlds and separated them into two systems, as in the verse: ‘God has made them one opposite the other.’ These are the four worlds ABYA of Kedusha, and opposite them the four worlds ABYA of Tuma’a[impurity]. He imprinted the desire to bestow in the system of ABYA of Kedusha, removed the will to receive for themselves from them, and placed it in the system of the worlds ABYA of Tuma’a. Because of this, they have become separated from the Creator and from all the worlds of Kedusha.The worlds cascaded onto the reality of this corporeal world where there is a body and a soul and a time of corruption and a time of correction.For the body, which is the will to receive for oneself, extends from its root in the thought of creation, through the system of the worlds of Tuma’a.”

Accordingly, we see that the Klipot are necessary to us since the Guf [body] extends from them and receives vitality from them. Only afterward, by the power of Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], when he engages in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker, he (the body) begins to purify the will to receive for himself imprinted in it, and gradually inverts it into working in order to bestow. By this, it extends a soul of Kedusha from its root in the thought of creation, and it passes through the system of the worlds of Kedusha and dresses in the body, as it is written there (in Item 11).

For this reason, the Kedusha must give vitality to the Klipa [shell/peel] so they can exist. It is as it is written in the book Tree of Life (Panim Masbirot, Branch 39): “It is necessary to have some tiny sparks of Kedusha—which are the 11 marks of the incense—within those Klipot [shells/peels].” This is the meaning of what is written, that nothing can exist without sparks of Kedusha.

For this reason, we discern two souls in man: 1) a beastly soul, 2) a soul of Kedusha.

The beastly soul is that which sustains the body and maintains its existence, since it is impossible to live without pleasure. Pleasure is light that comes from above, and “there is no light without a Kli.” For this reason, the pleasure must dress within some Kli, and it cannot be said that a person wants pleasure without any clothing, but only the pleasure. Rather, there must be (pleasure) clothed in some Kli. Generally, the dresses where the light of pleasure is clothed are called “envy,” “lust,” and “honor.”

By and large, there are three dressings, but in each clothing there are many discernments. For example, in “lust,” we should discern eating, drinking, and so forth. Likewise, there are many discernments in eating, as well as in drinking.

In other words, in each clothing, we feel a different pleasure, which is different in taste. Thus, the taste of eating bread is unlike the taste of eating cake, etc. Although the light of pleasure is one, the dresses in which the light of pleasure clothes make the differences.

All of this is called “the beastly soul.” This means that there is “beast,” and there is “man,” as our sages said, “You are called ‘man,’ and the nations of the world are not called ‘man.’” We should understand that “beast” means that one has no relation to the work of the Creator. For this reason, “the beastly soul,” which sustains the body, has no need for faith in the Creator. Even those who have no faith can receive the light of pleasure that sustains the body, which is called a “beast,” although we should believe that there is nothing that does not extend from the Creator, meaning that the Kedusha sustains the Klipot. Yet, the body being called “a beast” means that it does not feel that the light of pleasure comes from the Creator. We must believe that the Creator did this on purpose—that they would not know that He has given them life—because it is for man’s correction. Otherwise, man would have been regarded as “knowing his Master and aiming to rebel against him.”

Conversely, the “Godly soul” is that to the extent of the faith he has, the Godly soul spreads within him, meaning the feeling that he has a Godly soul that sustains him spreads within him to the extent of the faith that he has. The extent of the faith can be in a person according to the measure of his work in order to bestow, as explained in the Sulam [commentary on The Zohar] (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar”), where he says that a person cannot obtain faith before he has vessels of bestowal.

We should believe, as we see, that the beastly soul that sustains the body, according to the measure of clothing in the dresses, so we feel the flavor, where the beastly soul is clothed in the dresses. Although the beastly soul is one, through the dresses it wears, we see that each clothing yields a different taste. Certainly, we should say that the one who wears, who is clothed in the dresses, changes according to his dresses.

Likewise, we should believe that a Godly soul also clothes in its dresses, called Torah and Mitzvot. Although we say that there are no changes in the light, the dresses engender different flavors, so we cannot feel the taste of light that is dressed in Torah and Mitzvot as similar to one another.

Since a different light is dressed in each Mitzva [commandment/good deed], which is the meaning of the 613 Mitzvot that The Zohar calls “613 deposits,” meaning that in each Mitzva, a different light is deposited, meaning a different flavor, since the changes come due to the dresses.

This is similar to what is written in the Sulam (Mar’ot HaSulam, Part 1), that when we are rewarded with “hearing the voice of His word,” the 613 Mitzvot become Pekudin, from the work Pikadon[deposit], since there are 613 Mitzvot, and in each Mitzva, the light of a unique degree is deposited, corresponding to a specific organ in the 613 organs and tendons of the soul and the body. It follows that by making the Mitzva, he extends to its corresponding organ in his soul and body, the degree of light that pertains to that organ and tendon. This is regarded as the Panim [face/anterior] of the Mitzvot.”

Although the light is one, since there are no changes in the light, but “there is no light without a Kli,” meaning without dresses. It follows that the dresses change the flavors in the light. Many discernments extend from this, both in corporeal pleasures and in spiritual pleasures.

However, we must know that the primary discernments we make in spirituality are the Masachim. To the extent that we can aim to bestow, which in spirituality is judged by the Ohr Hozer [Reflected Light] he has, so he dresses the upper abundance. In the order of our work, it is called “to the extent that a person can aim to bestow,” to that extent the light appears to him.

Now we will return to explaining what we asked about the assembly of Israel lying in the dust. The Zohar calls the exile by the name “nights,” and by the name “seated among the nations,” and by the name, “the other, impure land,” and by the name “dust.” According to the above, the issue of the souls having to correct the Malchut from where they were born, is that since by nature, the Creator created Malchut with a desire and yearning to receive delight and pleasure, since this was the purpose of creation, but because of the correction of creation, in order not to have shame, she should be corrected into working in order to bestow. This correction is for the souls to do.

That is, we learn that “His desire to do good to His creations” refers to the souls, that they will receive delight and pleasure, and all that we learn about the upper worlds is only a preparation where by the restrictions and cleansing and various changes that we learn in the upper worlds are but preparations for the souls to emerge in the way that the Creator wanted them to emerge—ready to receive delight and pleasure. For this reason, when we say that Malchut engendered the souls, it means that the souls should receive the abundance from her under the conditions by which the abundance can stay in their possession, meaning that they will receive in order to bestow. This means that it is as though the souls say to Malchut, “Give us delight and pleasure into our Kelim, which we awaken ourselves, so everything we do will be only in order to bestow.”

Now we can understand that the words “Malchut is in exile with her children” are because this concerns the desire to bestow, which are the Kelim with which we can receive the delight and pleasure and that it will not depart (the abundance). Otherwise, if the will to receive for oneself comes in the middle, the abundance must depart since the Kelim of the desire to bestow are called “man,” as our sages said, “You are called ‘men,’ and the nations of the world are not called ‘men,’” where “man” means bestowing and “beast” means receiving, and “man” means male and “female” means receiving.

It is known that each person in the world is considered a small world in and of itself, as it is written in The Zohar. That is, each person consists of seventy nations, which means that “God has made them one opposite the other.” There are seven qualities of Kedusha, called HGT NHYM, and each consists of ten Sefirot. Hence, the seven qualities of Kedusha are sometimes called “seventy faces.” Opposite them are seventy nations of Tuma’a [impurity], and everything is included within man.

This means that the “man” in him, regarded as “the point in the heart,” is in the dark, under the rule of the seventy nations in him, which enslave the Israel in him so he will not be able to engage in bestowal, which is “man,” but rather the beastly soul governs. It follows that the quality of “Israel” is in exile among “the rest of the nations,” meaning that self-reception, called “the nations of the world,” controls “Israel.”

This is regarded as the Shechina seated among the rest of the nations with her children, as in, “When Israel are in exile, the Shechina is with them.” It follows, that she is in exile with her children. Generally, Malchut is called Shechina, and her children are every quality of Israel within each and every one. “Being in exile” means those who feel that they cannot emerge from the control of the nations of the world. The measure of suffering in the exiled is judged by the measure of wanting to come out from the exile, from the governance of the rest of the nations.

However, sometimes, a person comes to a state, as it is written, “And they mingled with the nations and learned from their actions.” That is, they do not feel any difference between them and the nations. That is, he does not say that he wants to do otherwise except the nations are ruling over him. Rather, he himself wants to behave like all the nations. That person is not in exile. That is, he has no Kelim for exile, since one whose Kelim are in exile means that he wants to work in order to bestow but the body resists him. Then it can be said that the seventy nations in his body control the Israel in him.

At that time he can say that the vessels of bestowal are under the control of the body, and when he cries out to the Creator to deliver him from exile, he knows what he wants with clarity. It is as it is written in The Zohar, that a person should see while he is praying, that he knows how to pray clearly.

We asked, Does the Creator not know what is in man’s heart? So, why does The Zohar say that one must speak to the Creator clearly? The answer is that it must be clear to man what he is asking of the Creator, for the reason that there is no light without a Kli, and therefore no redemption without an exile.

By this we should interpret that exile means the Shechina with the souls are in exile. In order for Malchut to receive delight and pleasure for the souls, they must be in equivalence of form, which is the desire to bestow. Yet, that desire is placed under the rule of the Klipot, called “land of the nations” or “the impure land.” When a person wants to work in order to bestow, he feels a taste of dust in the work of bestowal. Only when he engages in order to receive for himself does he feel the taste of food.

This is similar to how we interpreted the words, “And you will eat dust all the days of your life,” as our sages said, “A serpent, its only food is dust.” We should interpret that as long as one did not correct the sin of the primordial serpent, anything he eats, meaning all the flavors that a person feels in Torah and Mitzvot taste like dust. However, once a person has been rewarded with correcting the sin of self-reception, called “the primordial serpent,” he begins to feel the flavor of Torah and Mitzvot, as it is written, “nicer than gold and sweeter than honey.”

This is the meaning of the words, “The Shechina is lying in the dust.” This means that each one who wants to work in order to bestow, meaning to take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven, feels the taste of dust, due to the sin of the primordial serpent, as Baal HaSulam said about what our sages said, “The serpent came over Eve and cast filth in her.”

He said that the meaning is that the serpent cast in Malchut Zu-Ma [this-what], meaning he blemished the kingdom of heaven. One who wants to take upon himself the kingdom of heaven, the serpent comes and asks that person “this” “what,” meaning “What will you get out of wanting to work for the sake of the kingdom of heaven?” That serpent is the evil inclination. That is, we must believe above reason that through the kingdom of heaven, we will receive the delight and pleasure, which is the purpose of creation, and the only reason we cannot receive this good thing is because of that serpent, called “will to receive for oneself.”

This is the meaning of what is written, that we understand the exile in three ways: 1) She is “seated among the rest of the nations.” He means that the point in the heart of each and every one is sitting in exile among the seventy nations that exists in each of them. 2) She is “lying in the dust,” meaning they feel the taste of dust. 3) Generally, she is “lying in another, impure land,” which is called “the primordial serpent,” where she should have been dressed in a place of desire to bestow, called “the land of Israel.” That is, instead of all his actions being Yashar-El [straight to the Creator], she is in another land, an impure land. Naturally, she cannot bestow upon the creatures the delight and pleasure because of the disparity of form between the creatures and the Creator.

This is the meaning of the words, “On my bed,” which The Zohar interprets as referring to the exile. It refers to those who suffer from the exile and want to escape from the will to receive for themselves, but the nations of the world control them and they cannot emerge from their control. About those she says, “I seek that which my soul loves, to bring me out of it,” meaning that the Creator will give the strength to come out of exile, since there is already an “awakening from below,” called Kli and “desire.” At that time it is possible for the light to spread, where the light of redemption removes the control of the nations of the world.

Now we can understand the difference between a beastly soul and a Godly soul. That is, in truth, both come from the Creator, since there is no life in the world but that which the Creator gives. But the difference is that the Creator gives the beastly soul to man, and a person does not need to know that the sustaining soul comes from the Creator. Instead, he thinks it comes through nature’s messengers. This is considered that “over the nations of the world, He has given governance to ministers.” That is, they do not need to believe that it comes from the Creator. Conversely, He alone governs the people of Israel, meaning that the quality of Israel in man believes that it comes from the Creator, and there is no other force in the world, but rather He alone does and will do all the deeds.

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Is “There Is No Blessing in an Empty Place” in the Work?

Article No. 15, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

It is written in The Zohar (Truma, Item 525): “This table stands in the Temple to have food on it, and to extract food from it. Hence, it should not be empty even for a moment. The other table, that of the Sitra Achra [other side], is a table of emptiness, since there is no blessing above in a place of deficit and lack. This is the table before the Creator. The table on which a man blesses before the Creator should also not be empty because there is no blessing in an empty place.”

We should understand why there cannot be a blessing in an empty place, and what this means in the holy work, that a person who wants to receive a blessing from the Creator must try to have something, for only in this manner can the Creator give him a blessing.

Our sages said, “The cursed does not cling to the blessed.” For this reason, Abraham did not want to take the daughter of Eliezer, Abraham’s slave. Therefore, when a person prays to the Creator to give him what he asks of Him, and when a person prays an honest prayer, from the bottom of the heart, the person certainly feels deficient. He feels that he is more deficient than the entire world. Otherwise, if there are other people who are as deficient as he, this is no longer regarded as a prayer from the bottom of the heart, after the rule, “a shared trouble—half a comfort.”

Hence, his lack is no longer complete because it is only half a lack, since half of what he lacked is complemented by the others. For this reason, he has only half a Kli [vessel] to receive the filling, the part that the others cannot give him since they do not have it. Hence, he has no more than half a need to receive filling.

For this reason, the prayer that a person asks the Creator to grant him his wish should be from the bottom of the heart. This means that since the heart is called “desire,” if the desire does not come from the bottom of the heart, since he does not have the real need to receive the filling, his prayer is therefore not accepted.

For this reason, a person must see himself as the worst in the world, and the matter of “a shared trouble—half a comfort” will not pertain to him because he is worse than everyone, as it is known that satisfaction in life concerns specifically a time when he lacks what others have. He may be earning more than others, and even have more important things than his environment, yet, he may still be dissatisfied with it.

Women feel this more. If they lack something, even if they have much more than their friends, they feel deficient. A woman might say, “I’d rather die,” and take no comfort in having more things than her friends. If the lack touches her heart, she says she feels more miserable than the entire world.

The reason is that when a person feels a real lack, it does not comfort him that others also do not have it. The suffering of not satisfying the desire determines, and can even bring a person to commit suicide. Only this is regarded as a real deficiency.

Here, in the work, if he sees that there is someone who is similar to him with regard to the desire for spirituality, he can become satisfied by way of “a shared trouble—half a comfort.” For this reason, he might fall into despair because he accepts the situation because then he says that it is impossible to obtain this thing that he understands he lacks, for after several attempts when he began the work but failed, he promptly decides that it is difficult and not for him. And the reason why he decides promptly is that the desire for that thing has weakened in him because he received a filling for half the lack in the form of “a shared trouble—half a comfort.”

This is similar to a person who loses something and is searching for it. There is a rule concerning how much time he must dedicate to searching for the object: It depends on the value of the object. If the object is very valuable, he will dedicate a lot of time to look for it. If it is less so, he will dedicate less time.

It is likewise here in the work. If it is very important to him to work in order to bestow, he does not give up immediately, but persists and searches for ways to come to this. This is not so if he sees that there are other people who do not engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] with the intention to achieve Lishma [for Her sake], but settle for observing the Torah and Mitzvot as Maimonides says, that the secret of having to work Lishma is not to be revealed to everyone, and they feel that by observing the Torah and Mitzvot as they were brought up, they are happy with it and do not search for other ways, and this is what pleases them.

This is the reason that even if they receive some awakening that they must search for the real intention in Torah and Mitzvot, that desire is not so important to them. Hence, they searched several times for the way to walk in the path of bestowal, and since they do not find it easily and have no real lack, they begin to walk in the path of Lishma, and then leave it and follow the masses.

However, we should understand the words of Maimonides when he says, “Until they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom, they are taught that secret bit by bit.” We should understand what it means when he says that they are taught that secret. What secret are they revealed when they are told that they must work Lishma? Who does not know that we must serve the Creator as it is written, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might”?

We say this four times a day: in the readings, Shema de Korbanot, Shema de Yotzer Ohr, Shema de Arvit, and Shema al Hamita [four times the Shema text is read during the day]. Even children say the Shema reading. Thus, everyone knows that we must work for the sake of the Creator, so what is the secret that is revealed to them, which there was no need to reveal to them before “they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom”?

We should also understand the measure of “gain knowledge.” How do you measure their knowledge so as to know that now it is possible to reveal to them the secret of Lishma, which was not so before? And also, what does it mean, “and gain much wisdom”? We should understand what is “wisdom” and what is “much wisdom.”

We should interpret that wisdom and knowledge are what they received from the teachers in the beginning of the study, when they were taught in Lo Lishma [not for Her sake]. That is, by believing in the Creator and in the sages, they will be rewarded, and if they do not, they will be punished. It follows that they understand that by observing the Torah and Mitzvot and loving the Creator “with all your heart,” He will reward us, and the reward will be that we will receive reward for observing everything He has commanded us. In other words, in order not to feel shame upon receiving the pleasure, He has given us commandments to follow, and He pays us for the effort. In this way, they will not receive something for free, but rather a payment for the effort of working for Him. In this way, there will be no matter of shame.

Now we can understand what are “knowledge” and “wisdom.” It is what they received in the beginning of their learning, when they could not understand more than the reward accepted in Kelim[vessels] of self-love. That is, they still did not have the wisdom and knowledge to understand that it is worthwhile to do something in that which is not for one’s own benefit, since they did not see what the will to receive for oneself would gain from this. However, they did understand that it is worthwhile to observe Torah and Mitzvot because they would have wisdom. They believed that they would receive reward, which is the wisdom and knowledge that they have gained—that it is worthwhile to observe Torah and Mitzvot for self-benefit.

It therefore follows that “much wisdom” means that they can understand by receiving the knowledge to understand something new. This is called “until they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom.” In other words, now they see that it is worthwhile to work for the Creator and not for themselves. But prior to this, they did not have the wisdom or knowledge to understand that it was possible not to work for self-benefit.

It follows that the prohibition on revealing the secret of Lishma at the beginning of the learning does not mean that it is forbidden, but that it is impossible, since they would not be able to understand this. Therefore, they must be given a reason for which it is worthwhile to work.

Hence, when “they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom,” they can hear the secret that they were forbidden to hear before. That is, even if they had been told that the real work is the work of bestowal, it would have remained a secret to them because they would not be able to understand it whatsoever.

Rather, after they “gain knowledge, they are taught that secret bit by bit.” “Bit by bit” means that they begin to understand that it is worthwhile to work for the sake of the Creator and not for one’s own sake. For this reason, we should interpret “until they gain knowledge” as pertaining to the view of Torah, which is the opposite of the view of landlords. The view of landlords is to work so that all the profits will be in his own domain. That is, he wants to be the landlord of all the work he does, meaning do everything for his own benefit.

Its opposite is the view of Torah, as our sages said, “The Torah exists only in one who puts himself to death over it.” We interpreted that this means that he must put his self to death, meaning the will to receive for himself, and cling to Him, which our sages interpreted as “Cling onto His attributes; as He is merciful, so you are merciful.”

In other words, a person must achieve a level of annulment of the desire for self-love, and his only aim is to love the Creator. That is, everything he does should be only with the aim to bestow.

This is the meaning of what is written, “until they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom,” when they can already hear the secret of the work of bestowal, and because they can understand that this work is real work because they want to work for the Creator and not for themselves.

Now we will explain what we asked, How do we know that they already have much wisdom, as he said, “Until they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom”? As Baal HaSulam said, this knowledge and wisdom come to them from above, as awakening from above.

Yet, how do we know this? The answer is that since these people received an awakening from above, they cannot live in peace, but search from place to place for who will be able to guide them toward achieving the work of bestowal. By searching for a way to go forward, and having no satisfaction in their regular work, it is a sign that he has received knowledge and awakening from above. That person, when he is told that there is the matter of having to work for the sake of the Creator, will be able to understand this secret, since he already has the discernment, “until they gain knowledge.” Hence, since he has the knowledge to understand, it is no longer a secret, for a secret is as long as we do not know, contrary to when we do know.

However, Maimonides says, “And they are taught that secret bit by bit.” We should interpret that we cannot understand at once that the essence of the work is to engage in order to bestow. Rather, there are ups and downs in this understanding because this work is against nature. For this reason, once a person understands that we must work Lishma, the body overcomes him and argues that we must work for our own sake and not for the sake of the Creator. This is the meaning of “bit by bit.” That is, this awareness, that he should know once and for all, does not come at once, but one at a time.

In order to be rewarded with working in order to bestow, a person cannot achieve this by himself. Rather, this requires help from the Creator. Our sages said about this, “He who comes to purify is aided.” This means that one who wishes to purify himself from vessels of reception and work in bestowal, receives assistance from the Creator. However, one who seeks help from the Creator, his prayer should be from the bottom of the heart. That is, the lack he feels, that he cannot do something for the sake of the Creator, but only for his own sake, this is the desire of the entire heart, and he has no need whatsoever for the Creator to help him, except for this, since he feels that if he cannot work for the sake of the Creator but only for himself, he does not consider this “life.”

By such a feeling, he feels that he is the worst and lowliest man in the world. Although he sees that there are people in the world who are respected for having much Torah and many good deeds, although he does not see that they are working Lishma, yet, they feel no deficiency in themselves. Hence, he can say to the Creator that He must help him achieve Lishma because he is the worst in the world.

The reason he needs to feel that his state is worse and he suffers more than the entire world, is that otherwise he will not have a complete Kli for the Creator to fill. This is called “the bottom of the heart.” Since the Creator is complete, when He gives to a man inside his Kli, that Kli should also be complete, meaning a complete desire without any mixture with another desire.

Therefore, when a person sees that there are others who do not engage Lishma, yet do not feel that they are in such a bad state, and “a troubled shared—half a comfort,” they complement half his lack with their filling. Then, he does not need the Creator to help on only half a lack. It follows that he has only half a Kli, but the Creator gives His filling only in a complete Kli, meaning on a complete lack.

For this reason, when he sees that there are people who have less life than he does, and he sees that they can live although they do not have such a need for the work of bestowal, and in any case he is not worse than they are, for this reason, his lack is filled by the others. But if he sees that he is worse than they, in that he cannot deceive himself and say that he is doing something for the sake of the Creator, it follows that only then he is unable to receive assistance from others. Hence, he feels that he has a real lack, meaning that he is suffering more than everyone from not being able to work in order to bestow.

According to the above, we should interpret what our sages said (Avot, Chapter 1), “Be not as slaves serving the great one in order to receive reward.” We should interpret that when you come to pray to the Creator to grant your wishes, your desire should not be to receive reward, meaning half a filling, that you pray that He will satisfy only half your lack, since half of the lack has already been filled by the others, as in “A trouble shared—half a comfort,” since he does not feel that his state is the worst in the world.

But when he sees that his state is worse than the entire world, he does not receive any filling from the public. Naturally, when he prays that the Creator will grant his wish, he has a complete Kli with a lack. This is not so when he receives a reward from others, for Pras [reward] comes from the verse, “ Paras [cut in half] at dawn and Paras at twilight.”

Now we can interpret what we asked if there is no blessing on an empty place, this is because the cursed does not cling to the blessed. For this reason, he cannot receive filling for his prayer, since the blessing cannot come into a place of curse, as in the words of The Zohar.

According to what we explained, the prayer is not regarded as a real prayer unless he feels that he is the worst person in the world, and that there is no one else in the world who suffers like he does from the evil within him. It follows that he is called “cursed,” and how can he receive filling for his lack, since “the blessed does not cling to the cursed.”

The answer is that “cursed” is regarded as the opposite of Kedusha [holiness/sanctity]. Kedusha is blessing and life, and in a lack, there is nothing that can have some life in it, since the poor has nothing from which to receive vitality, as our sages said, “The poor is regarded as dead.” For this reason, they said in The Zohar that a table on which a person blesses before the Creator must also not be empty, since there is no blessing in an empty place.

However, when a person reflects on whether he is truly as he feels, that the fact that he cannot do anything for the sake of the Creator is truly a state of evil and lowliness, that there could not be worse than him. If so, the question is, What is the merit that he has, in that he was rewarded with seeing the truth, while others were not rewarded, but rather think they are complete?

Although they, too, feel that they still do not have real wholeness, they still feel that they are standing above the general public, since they have Torah and work, except they need to add a little more in quantity. But in quality, although they understand that there is more to add, it is not so bad; there are worse people. They believe that there is always more to add, but they can do without the addition to what they have.

Thus, why does that person feel that he really has nothing? Who revealed to him this secret that we must work Lishma and that he is still far from it? For this reason, he suffers and feels that he is poor, that he has nothing, and many times he thinks he would be better off dead.

He sees that he is no better than others, but what is the reason that he was rewarded with seeing the truth? He says that knowing this must have come to him from above, and not from his own powers. Hence, now he sees that the Creator is more considerate with him than with others. It follows that on this, that He has revealed to him from above the truth, which is what Maimonides says, that this secret is not revealed until they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom, now a person sees that from above, the secret of having to work Lishma has been revealed to him.

Now he prays that the Creator will bring him closer and will give him the assistance, as our sages said, “He who comes to purify is aided.” That is, he already has something and he is no longer regarded as having an empty table, for the fact that he came to purify, meaning knowing that he feels the need for the work Lishma, is itself regarded as a blessing, meaning that a person has been rewarded with knowing the truth.

About this, about knowing this, a person should thank the Creator. This is called “a blessing.” On this there can be a blessing from above, for it is not an empty thing—that the person has been rewarded with knowing that we must walk on the path of bestowal. This means that the fact that he wants to walk on the path of bestowal, he does not feel this as luxury, as an addition to the work. Rather, he feels this as the core. That is, the essence of man’s work is that we were given Torah and Mitzvot to cleanse Israel with them. He does not see any progress in this cleansing. On the contrary, each time, he sees how far he is from the work of bestowal, and sees that now he is more immersed in self-love.

It therefore follows that now he has in his prayer a life that he has received from above, and for which he must thank the Creator. This is regarded that he already has a blessing, and the upper blessing has something on which to be. This is no longer regarded as an empty thing. It can be said about this, “Serve the Lord with gladness.”

This raises the question, How can one be glad when he should pray from the bottom of the heart? which means that he has nothing, so how can he be glad? The answer is that he believes that his praying to the Creator will bring him closer to working for the sake of the Creator, and that this is the essence of man’s work, and he received this from above. This awareness can make it possible to be in gladness that he has been rewarded with understanding the truth of what he lacks and for what to pray.

Now we see that man should receive life from the present, from what he has now. This is regarded as the table on which a person blesses before the Creator is not empty, as said in The Zohar. That is, he has something from which to receive life, as it is written, life and blessing. And what he asks is that he wants to receive and enjoy the future. That is, a person receives vitality from what he can be glad about now, and this is regarded as living from the present.

That is, when can we say that he has nourishment from the present? If he knows how to appreciate the fact that the Creator has given him the knowledge of the truth. At that time he sees that the Creator is indeed considerate with him and watches over him to see that he walks in the path of truth. If he can believe this then he has nourishment, he nourishes himself from the fact that he has life. And a person can see his measure of faith according to the gratitude he gives to the Creator for this. This means that if he cannot thank the Creator for the lack that the Creator has shown him, it is for lack of faith that the Creator watches over him with Private Providence.

You could ask, If he can be glad and believe that the Creator guides him in Private Providence, why should he pray to the Creator? Moreover, if he thanks the Creator for the lack, how can he then pray from the bottom of the heart and say that he is suffering from being far from the Creator? One contradicts the other. If he has joy in the present and receives vitality from this, what should he ask about the future, that the Creator will grant his wishes?

The answer is that we say that the fact that a person is happy stems from the fact that he has come to know the truth that on the path of bestowal, which is the essence of our work, he has not even begun. Therefore, it pains him that he is remote. And if he does not suffer from his remoteness from the Creator and he is still immersed in self-love, what kind of truth is this, that we can thank the Creator for revealing the truth to us—that we are at the bottom of the pit, the place of Klipot[shells/peels] and the Sitra Achra [other side]. By knowing this, the Creator saves him from death.

If he agrees to remain separated from the Creator and derives satisfaction from this, then he is still in a state of “secret,” for Lo Lishma is called “the potion of death,” since he wants to remain in that state. It follows that even the gratitude he gives to the Creator is not the truth, since he still does not know the secret that the wicked in their lives are called “dead” because they are separated from the Life of Lives and want to remain in Lo Lishma.

Rather, precisely to the extent that he asks about the future, that the Creator will deliver him from the governance of self-love, that now the Creator has told him the secret that the essence of the work is Lishma, and he suffers from this and wants the Creator to help him as soon as possible, then it can be said that he is happy that the Creator has revealed to him the truth. Hence, we should understand these two opposites in one subject: One is in the present, that he has achieved the recognition of evil, and from this state he must escape, and the satisfaction of the deficiency is in the future.

It follows that the blessing in the beginning is because he has come to know the truth, and from this he must derive joy in the present. This is called “serve the Lord with gladness.” Afterward, there is a blessing, meaning in the future, that he will receive the filling, that the Creator will give him the assistance, as our sages said, “He who comes to purify is aided.” This is what it means that when a person comes to pray, he should not be in a state of cursed, but be in a state of blessed.

Accordingly, we should interpret what our sages said, “One should always establish the praise of the Creator and then pray” (Berachot 32). That is, before the prayer, he should see that he is not an empty Kli, but that he has blessing from receiving from the Creator the awareness of the truth—that we must work for the sake of the Creator and not for our own sake. He thanks the Creator for letting him know for what to pray.

It is written, “establish the praise of the Creator.” Which praise should he say? The answer is that it is for the Creator revealing to him the truth he did not have, and that he will not deceive himself that he is fine, like the general public thinks. Instead, the Creator has revealed to him that he is missing an essential thing, and if he prays for it, meaning if he knows the great need to know what he really lacks, as he understands now, then he has a Kli that the Creator can fill, since now he is giving a prayer from the bottom of the heart. This is called “a complete Kli.”

A person needs to know that in fact, he does not need anything but the ability to be able to do everything for the sake of the Creator, since only then he will be able to receive the delight and pleasure, since the Creator created the world only for this purpose—to do good to His creations.

According to the above, we can interpret the words of The Zohar where it says, “The other table, that of the Sitra Achra, is a table of emptiness.” As we explained concerning the table of Kedusha, which The Zohar calls “The table on which a man blesses before the Creator should not be empty because there is no blessing in an empty place,” this is so because the cursed does not cling to the blessed. The table is a place on which we receive the blessing of the Creator. Hence, Kedusha means that he believes that the Creator has given him the knowledge what to ask.

This is a great blessing when we know the reason for the illness. This is not so with the Sitra Achra. That is, when a person asks the Creator to grant his wishes and send him a blessing, but does not believe that the Creator has given him room to pray, this is the Sitra Achra, which is unlike Kedusha.

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link

What Is “the People’s Shepherd Is the Whole People” in the Work?

Article No. 13, Tav-Shin-Mem-Het, 1987-88

It is written in The Zohar (Beshalach, Item 68): “‘And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; stand by and see the salvation of the Lord.’’ Rabbi Shimon said, ‘Happy are Israel that a shepherd such as Moses walks among them. It is written, ‘And He remembered the days of old, Moses is His people.’ ‘And He remembered the days of old’ is the Creator. ‘Moses is His people,’ since Moses was tantamount to the whole of Israel. We learn from this that the people’s shepherd is really the whole people. If he is rewarded, the whole of the people are righteous; and if he is not rewarded, the whole of the people are not rewarded and are punished because of him.’”

We should understand this in the work, where we learn everything in one body, meaning that both Moses and Israel are in the same body. We should also understand why if he is not rewarded, meaning the people’s shepherd, they are punished because of him. We learned that if the shepherd is righteous, the people are also righteous. But why should the people be punished because of him? What did they do that they are to blame for the fault of the shepherd?

It known that The Zohar calls Moses “the loyal shepherd.” Baal HaSulam interpreted that he was nourishing the people of Israel with faith. He said that man does not lack any power in order to be able to observe Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] in full, but only faith. To the extent that he has faith, to that extent he can exert in the work.

He says in the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot” (Item 14): “I once interpreted the saying of our sages, ‘He whose Torah is his trade.’ The measure of his faith is apparent in his practice of Torah because the letters of the word Umanuto [his trade] are the same [in Hebrew] as the letters of the word Emunato [his faith]. It is like a person who trusts his friend and lends him money. He may trust him with a pound, and if he asks for two pounds he will refuse to lend him. He may also trust him with all his property without a hint of fear. This last faith is considered ‘whole faith,’ and the previous forms are considered ‘incomplete faith.’ Rather it is partial faith.” Thus, we see that man lacks no power but only faith, and this is what gives man the power to work.

By this we can interpret what Rabbi Shimon said, “Happy are Israel that a shepherd such as Moses walks among them.” It means that the people of Israel have within them faith, which is called “Moses, the faithful shepherd.” Then, since they have faith, they have the strength to engage in Torah and Mitzvot. In other words, within every person there is faith in the Creator, which is called “Moses, the faithful shepherd.” At that time the whole people are righteous, meaning that all of man’s organs, namely his thoughts and desires, which are called “organs,” and this is called “a people.”

This is the meaning of what is written, “‘And He remembered the days of old’ is the Creator. ‘Moses is His people,’ since Moses was tantamount to the whole of Israel.” We learn from this that “the people’s shepherd is really the whole people,” for the faith in man is the whole of man. That is, if he has the quality of Moses, which is called “faith,” then the whole people are righteous. This is why he says, “If he is rewarded, the whole people are righteous,” for “rewarded” means that his shepherd is faith, called Moses.

He says, “If he is not rewarded, the whole people are not rewarded and are punished because of him.” It is known that if there is a righteous, he protects the generation, and if there is no righteous, we can say that there is no one to save the generation. Yet, why are they punished because of him if he is not rewarded? Why is it the generation’s fault?

According to the rule that Baal HaSulam said, all the heaviness in the work of the Creator is only the lack of faith, since when a person is rewarded with complete faith, he yearns to annul before the Creator as a candle before a torch. Naturally, all his organs, meaning his thoughts and desires, follow what faith obliges him to do, they do it. This is why he says that if he is rewarded, all the organs are righteous, since thoughts and desires of the righteous extend from faith in the Creator.

Accordingly, it is obvious that if the people’s shepherd is not rewarded, meaning that his faith, which should be cleansed, meaning complete faith, yet he has only partial faith, as it is written (“Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 14), “the whole people are not rewarded.” This means that all his organs do things that are suitable for those without complete faith. “They are punished because of him,” meaning that it is not their fault that they have thoughts and desires unfit for one who has faith.

That is, if their shepherd had complete faith, the organs would listen to him and would have thoughts and desires of a righteous. This is why they suffer because of him, since he does not have complete faith. This is why such thoughts are born out of this shepherd.

Therefore, when a person wants to walk on the path of truth, he cannot say that he has worse qualities than others, and less intellect than others. That is, he cannot exempt himself from the work because he has a weak character or no talent. Instead, the only difficulty in the matter is the lack of faith. For this reason, a person should do all his work and all his actions in order to acquire faith in the Creator, for only this gives everything.

For this reason, when a person learns Torah or engages in Mitzvot, or when he prays, he should focus his thoughts on wanting reward for all his good deeds—that the Creator will give him complete faith. This is as it is written in the prayer of Rabbi Elimelech (“A Prayer before a Prayer”): “And do fix Your Faith in our hearts forever and ever, and let Your Faith be tied to our hearts as a stake that will not fall.” This is the meaning of “The people’s shepherd is really the whole people.”

In order to achieve complete faith, they said, “He who comes to purify is aided.” The reason is that since faith requires assistance from the Creator, and there is a rule, “There is no light without a Kli[vessel],” it means that it is impossible to fill up a place where there is no lack, which is called a need, namely a Kli, as he said, “there is no light without a Kli.”

In order to come to feel the need for faith, a person must first imagine what benefits he can derive through faith, and what he loses when he has only partial faith. First, he must depict to himself the purpose of creation, meaning for what purpose the Creator created creation. Then, he must believe in the sages, who said that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations.

When a person begins to examine creation with his eyes, meaning which form of good and doing good he sees that the creatures are receiving from Him, the opposite view appears to man. He sees that the whole world suffers torments, and it is hard to find one person who can say that he feels and sees how His guidance is in the form of good and doing good.

In that state, when he sees a dark world, and he wants to believe above reason that the Creator behaves with the world in Private Providence as good and doing good, he remains standing on this point, and all kinds of foreign thoughts come into his mind. Then, he must overcome above reason, that Providence is good and does good. At that time he receives a need for the Creator to give him the power of faith that he will have the strength to go above reason and justify Providence.

Then he can understand the meaning of “Shechina [Divinity] in the dust,” since then he sees that where he should do something for the Creator and not for his own sake, the body promptly asks, “What is this work for you?” and does not want to give him strength to work. This is called “Shechinain the dust,” meaning that what he wants to do for the sake of the Shechina tastes to him like dust and he is powerless to overcome his thoughts and desires.

At that time a person realizes that all he lacks in order to have strength to work is that the Creator will give him the power of faith, as said above (in the prayer of Rabbi Elimelech), that we must pray, “And do fix Your Faith in our hearts forever and ever.” In that state, he comes to the realization that “If the Creator does not help him, he cannot overcome it.”

Now we can interpret what our sages said (Berachot 6b), “Any person in whom there is fear of heaven, his words are heard,” as it was said, “In the end, all is heard, fear God.” This is difficult to understand literally. After all, there were many prophets and righteous and great people, so why were their words not heard, but Israel remained in their state and would not listen to those who admonish? In the literal, there are probably many explanations to this.

However, in the work, where we learn the whole Torah in one body, we should interpret this verse. One who wants his body, meaning all the organs, which are the thoughts, desires, and actions, to be purely sacred, the advice for this, for the body to obey all his demands, is to obtain complete faith, which is called “fear of heaven.”

There are many degrees in faith, as it is said in The Zohar (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Item 191), “Fear, which is the most important, is when one fears one’s Master because He is great and ruling, the essence and the root of all the worlds, and everything is considered nothing compared to Him.” Interpreting the words teaches us that there are three manners in fear of the Creator, only one of which is regarded as real fear: 1) He fears the Creator and observes His commandments so his sons may live, and he will be kept from bodily punishment or a punishment to his wealth. This is a fear of punishments in this world. 2) He fears punishments of Hell, as well.

Those two are not real fear, for he does not keep the fear because of the commandment of the Creator, but because of his own benefit. It follows that his own benefit is the root, and fear is a derived branch of his own benefit.

3) Fear, which is the most important, means that he fears the Creator because He is great and rules over everything. He is great because He is the root from which all the worlds expand.

It follows that the most important point about fear or heaven is to believe in the greatness of the Creator, for the greatness and importance of the Creator is the reason that commits him to observe Torah and Mitzvot, and not for his own sake. It is as he says there, “And he will place his heart and desires in that place called ‘fear.’ He will cling to fear of the Creator willingly and eagerly, as is befitting and proper with the King’s commandment.”

When a person is rewarded with such faith, meaning that he feels in his heart the greatness of the Creator, the body and all the organs, meaning the desires, thoughts, and actions, annul before the King as a candle before a torch.

Inapoi la pagina 1988 (ŞLAVEY HASULAM (TREPTELE SCĂRII) – link